//------------------------------// // Levelling Up // Story: Cutie Mark Adventurers // by Stainless Steel Fox //------------------------------// Scootaloo woke with a start, which was appropriate as she'd gone to sleep after a stop. She had no clue what time of day it was, or where she was, or how she'd got there, and her body was aching all over. This had happened far too often in the past couple of days; it was getting really old, really quickly. At least she was warm, wrapped up in blankets or something, but the place was dimly lit, and there was a definite smell in the air. It was the sort of smell you got when a number of people, most of whom hadn't washed in several days, slept together in a warm, poorly ventilated room. Moving to look around brought a new urgency to the various pains in various parts of her body. However, there was one good thing, at least it indicated that all of her bits were still attached and working. Not that being in circumstances where that was the first thing you thought of, was anything to be particularly pleased about. As her eyes adjusted, she got a better impression of the place. It was a single big room with intricately carved arched wooden roof supports and shuttered windows along both long stone walls. Benches had been pushed up against the walls, and a number of humans lay on them in various blankets, coverings and positions of rest. The hall was lit by the glowing embers of several iron braziers that were arrayed alongside the shuttered windows. From the shape and size of it, the hall was probably that chapel place in the town square, given the sunburst emblem hung at one end over a fancy looking table at one end. Far more comforting was the sight of Apple Bloom, wrapped up in blankets on the floor beside her, and Sweetie Belle's horn poking from a bundle that rested on the bed, or rather bench just along from her. As long as the three of them were together, things couldn't be too bad. She became aware of a certain hydraulic pressure downstairs, which added a new question. Where were the rest rooms in this place? She nudged Sweetie Belle, but got no response, so she untangled herself from the blankets and climbed down to where Apple Bloom was. In deference to the other people sleeping, she called the farm filly's name quietly. "Mmmr, don't wanna get up yet sis..." came the mumbled reply. Then Apple Bloom's eyes opened, and blearily focussed on Scootaloo. "Hey! I mean you're okay!" She'd lowered her voice after the first exclamation. "You are okay, aren't you?" "Kinda feel like I went through that taffy machine backwards again, but yeah, mostly." Scootaloo looked around and added. "I did okay, didn't I? I mean, did I save those crops?" "Sure as sugar!" Apple Bloom grinned tiredly. "I don't think you lost a single ear of corn. I didn't know you could do that." "Neither did I. I had help though, I used my cloud and pushed it into the main storm cloud. I just wanted a solid place to stand, but it was more like the storm cloud became a part of it. Lost the bottle though, the cloud too." "Oh no, I'm sorry! I know you were starting to enjoy it." "Eh, it was in a good cause." Scootaloo responded as cheerfully as she could. She'd had too much else to think about until now, but she realised she was going to miss having that cloud. She tried to look on the bright side though. "At least I don't _need_ it any more." She flapped her wings and easily lifted up, before floating back down to the ground, then winced. "Oww! I think that storm got me back some! Why didn't Sweetie Belle do her healing whammy?" Apple Bloom looked surprised, then her face lit up with understanding. "I guess you weren't around for it. Sweetie Belle didn't come out of this in top condition neither." She forestalled the pegasus's exclamation with a waved hoof. "Shhh! She's okay, at least as okay as we could make her. Shouting about it won't help any. She had a huge headache, and the skin around her horn was swelling up. She over-did her magic again, I reckon." Apple Bloom hoped she was right, and that was all it was. She didn't say anything about the bleeding. "Anyhow, I put a poultice on, and we mixed up something for the headache and to make her sleep. You should have seen her..." "I could hear her, those rocking songs she was throwing my way were the only thing keeping me going towards the end there." Scootaloo's face fell. "That means it's my fault..." "Now don't you even start that, Sweetie Belle was just doing what she could to help you out. She wouldn't abandon you any more than I would, so don't go borrowing guilt. I figure both of you deserve a medal, for extreme amazingness in the face of overwhelming odds. Rainbow Dash would have been impressed at what you did, never mind me. I just wish I could have done more." Scootaloo gave her friend a tap on the shoulder with a hoof. "Now who's clouding up a perfectly good sky? Without you telling me what needed doing, I wouldn't have known what the horse-feathers was going on! Maybe it wasn't as flashy as me and Sweetie Belle, but you did just as much to help." Her eyes widened as a sudden feeling reminded her why she'd woken Apple Bloom in the first place. She started to fidget. "Uh... do you know where the rest room is in this place?" "Huh? Oh, there ain't one, just an outhouse out back. Out the door, round the side, and watch your step. Ground's still soggy out there." "If I don't get going it'll be soggy in here! Gotta go!" Scootaloo flew over the sleepers and let herself out of the main door. Scootaloo was trotting back to the church; her wings were still aching from earlier. Never mind harvesting machines, Apple Bloom should put flush toilets and plumbing on her list of things to teach the locals. Toilet paper too, definitely toilet paper. Using dock leaves was a waste of perfectly good food. It was cold outside, but mostly clear and one moon was up, and nearly full. Her breath glowed as it condensed in the air in front of her, and she felt a shiver as she rounded the front of the chapel which looked onto the square. The pile of hailstones she'd crashed in was still there, luminous in the moonlight, and the silhouettes of the buildings surrounding the square looked equally odd. For a second she thought she saw some sort of monster looming over the buildings, but it was just the town windmill, it's arms bare of sails. That had been a pain to avoid with lightning bolts. The only other lights she could see were a couple of lanterns outside the coaching inn gates and what little light leaked between the shutters of the chapel windows. For a second, she thought she saw movement in the shadows on the coaching inn wall, but when she looked closer, there was nothing there. She trotted towards the door, her hooves silent on the damp ground, and reached up with a hoof to open the latch. Something landed on her back, forcing her to the ground and as she opened her mouth to cry out, something made of foul tasting cloth was shoved in her mouth. Arms reached around her, trying to grapple, and she spread her wings to throw her assailant off. Even pegasus ponies are stronger than their size would suggest, and she was far more agile, so her attempt to wriggle free would have worked, if something hadn't hit her in the head. When she woke up, it was lighter, just before dawn, but just as cold if not colder. She was also tied up, both fore hooves and both rear hooves tied together, and another rope binding her wings. To add to her discomfort, she was gagged with the same piece of cloth she'd been muffled with, at least it tasted like it, and just to top it off, she was slung across the shoulders of a horse, resting up against a saddle pommel. "So, you're awake!" The voice wasn't one she'd ever heard before. She struggled, trying to get free and in the process got a cuff to the head. She did however see her captor was a human, possibly male, definitely fat and ugly. They were riding down a road over open fields, and he was being escorted by another human on horse back, wearing the human equivalent of armour. She yelled at the fat one to let her go, but all that came through the gag was some muffled noises. "Ha! You won't get me or my guards with your honeyed words and charm spells, not like those poor fools in Macklewheat." The human took a swig from a sack with a bottle-like opening at the top. "It was the gods own luck that I saw you leaving the chapel to do your foul deeds from my room at the inn. Now I will take you to the Duke, and prove that you animals have subverted those clod-foot yokels. That idiot Vennor, thinking he could out-wit me. Well I had the last laugh!" He cackled nastily, and took another gulp of whatever was in that sack. "I saw how you drowned those fields. I'm sure I can convince the Duke to sell you to pay for the damage, with a nice commission for me on top. We may have to cut out your tongue first, animals shouldn't be able to talk. In a way it's a pity, a talking pegasus would fetch a higher price, alive anyway." The human whined on, going on about how his massive talents weren't appreciated, and how the Duke should listen to him more. Interspersed with this was gloating over how much money she would fetch, and how he only wished he had those other smart mouthed animal to sell as well. Scootaloo noticed that the guard was rolling his eyes, and started to prefer having been knocked out. Apple Bloom had been dozing, when she suddenly jerked awake. Some-pony right next to her had sneezed. She looked up and saw Sweetie Belle was stirring. She pulled herself out of her covers, and went to check on her. Somehow she'd gotten turned over and was facing the other way. "Hey there, how are you feeling?" she asked softly. "Wha... I'm okay, I think..." The little unicorn replied. "In fact I feel great!" "Whoa there, keep it down, folks are trying to sleep." Apple Bloom was relieved to hear her friend's voice was clear and strong, but this wasn't the time to sing about it. "No more headache?" "No, though I do feel a bit odd..." She turned to face Apple Bloom, and the farm filly's eyes widened in shock. "What? What is it? Do I have something on my face?" "You could say that." Apple Bloom seemed to be staring at her forehead. "Is something wrong with my horn? Quick, there's a mirror in my saddle bags." Apple Bloom fished it out and had it pulled from her mouth by the unicorn's telekinetic grip. Sweetie Belle was surprised at how easy it was she hadn't thought she'd pulled that hard. She brought the mirror up in front of her face, and saw what Apple Bloom had been surprised by. Her horn seemed to have grown at least half again in length, and despite being thicker around the base, it was sharper and more pointed, almost like a smaller version of Princess Celestia's. "What's happened to me!" she squeaked, and a couple of the humans started to stir. Apple Bloom looked to be thinking. "When you work out and train your muscles to get stronger, they grow. Maybe all that magic you were throwing around earlier was like a work out session for your horn. You were doing more than your horn could handle, so it injured it. When your body repaired the damage, it adapted to your new strength and grew out. That's probably why there was bleeding, the horn was pushing out and breaking the skin." Sweetie Belle made a face. "Eww! Let's not talk about that! Does it look okay?" "Yep, I reckon it looks really good on you." Apple Bloom grinned. "Scootaloo will probably say the same thing." Sweetie Belle's eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! Is she all right?" "She was up before you were, a bit sore but she seemed okay otherwise. Why not ask her yourself?" "Okay, but where is she?" The white unicorn started looking around. Apple Bloom turned to where Scootaloo had been sleeping. "What do you mean? She's right..." There was a load of bedding but no Scootaloo. "Huh, I guess she's still in the little ponies' room. I guess I wasn't asleep for as long as I thought." "There's a little ponies room?" Sweetie Belle started to untangle herself from her blanket. "I think I need to go too." "Well I guess it's the large humans room, but it does the same job, sorta. It's an old fashioned outhouse out back. I think flush toilets and soft toilet paper should be next on my list of things to invent." Sweetie Belle was gone only a few moments and when she came back, she looked puzzled. "Are you sure that's where she went? I didn't see her anywhere." "Hey, keep the noise down, some of us are trying to sleep!" came a yawning voice from one of the recumbent figures. "That's odd..." Apple Bloom rather reluctantly got up out of her own blanket roll and made her way over to the doors where Sweetie Belle was. The pre-dawn morning outside was cold but clear, the smaller moon showed a horned crescent like a big grin just over the rooftops to the east. A farm-filly got used to telling the time from the sky, and if she'd been home, she'd have reckoned Princess Celestia was still in bed, and Princess Luna still had at least an hour of her night shift to go. However, between the moon and the slightly lighter sky, she had little difficulty seeing outside. Not that she could see anything worthy of note, someone was trudging around to the gates of the inn stable yard, but nopony else, no other human was stirring either. She started outside, felt the cold and nipped back in for her cloak, and saw Sweetie Belle had done the same. Checking the route round to the outhouse was fruitless. No-one was there, and while there were tracks, including their own, there were too many in the rain softened ground to make out one set, even of hooves. The human over by the inn had just finished opening the gates when they came back. "Where could she have gone?" Sweetie Belle mused. "It's not like she could have just upped and flown away... well, okay she could have, but why would she?" "Maybe that guy over there saw something." Apple Bloom trotted over and asked. "Sorry to bother you mister, but have you seen our friend, Scootaloo? Orange pegasus, purple hair?" The wiry old geezer gave a little start, then turned and saw them. "Heh! Gave me a little conniption there. I saw you and your friend at the camp fire evening before last. Haven't seen her since. Only folks I have seen were that tithe bloke and his two bully boys." He gave a little huff of annoyance. "There I was, fast asleep, and they come knock me up to get the gates open. Moon crazy the lot of them, setting off in the middle of the night. Easy enough for a horse to stumble in a pot hole, even with the moon up." Apple Bloom began to have a horrible feeling. "Did you notice anything odd? Were they carrying anything, a sack maybe?" The old man frowned. "Wasn't really looking. More interested in closing the gates after them and getting back to bed. Though now I come to think of it... that quill pusher did have a bundle of rags or something slung across his saddle. Didn't get a good look, but it was flapping about a bit. Wait, you don't think..." Sweetie Belle's voice squeaked as she exclaimed, "Someone took Scootaloo? How could they? Who is this mean person anyway?" "Quite easily, I reckon." Apple Bloom was no happier. "This guy is some sort of official for the Duke who owns this land. He was plumb furious that Scootaloo flooded the empty fields, and from what the mayor told me, he's a nasty piece of work all round. If only we could be sure..." "I can try and locate her using magic!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, pawing the ground. Apple Bloom gave her a worried look. "You sure your horn is all healed up?" "Won't know until I try." The white unicorn concentrated for a moment, then gentle music swirled up around her. (Somewhere Out There, American Tail) 'Somewhere, out there, beneath the pale moonlight, Our friend's thinking of us, I hope that she's alright. Somewhere out there, is a pony for whom we both care, Show me where to find her, in that great somewhere out there. And though I can't imagine just how far apart we are, It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star. And when we try to find her for to find her we will try, It helps to think we still are all here under the same sky. Somewhere out there, if friendship sees us through, We'll find one another, somewhere out there, we'll make it come true." A tear trickled down Sweetie Belle's cheek as she sang with all her heart, and dropped into one of the puddles by her hooves. It glowed, and a small globe of water floated up from it. In the floating globe, an image formed, a picture of Scootaloo slung across the shoulders of a horse, with a fat human directly behind her on the saddle, and two guards riding behind him. "That's him! That's that Arroway character! Oh, is he ever going to get it! Please tell me you know where they are!" "I do, it's like a picture in my head!" Sweetie Belle's tears were forgotten as she jumped excitedly. The mirror broke up back into droplets of water and splashed around her hooves. "You do some quality horn work, and that's a fact!" Apple Bloom turned to the old man, who was wiping his eyes. "Um sir, I'm sorry to bother you further, but could you let people know what's going on? The mayor, Maia Marrel, whoever needs to know?" "I surely will." the old guy sniffed. "I heard what that little pegasus did for us, what all of you did. I didn't know..." "Doesn't matter, as long as you can help now." Apple Bloom interrupted. "We'd do it ourselves, but we've got some crooks to catch!" She wheeled and turned on her hind legs, and started galloping away, only to look back at Sweetie Belle. "Uh, which way are we going?" Apple Bloom headed out of town on a wide dirt road following Sweetie Belle. They'd collected their saddlebags before setting off in the direction that Sweetie Belle said Scootaloo was in. Not that it was any great effort to keep up, after a few moments of running, the unicorn had slowed down to a trot, breathing heavily. The farm filly came up beside her. "C'mon! We've got to catch up with those guys, and their horses have longer legs than ours. I'd have figured the way you sing you wouldn't get out of breath so soon." "Not... the same... thing... at all!" Sweetie Belle puffed out. "If we had... Scootaloo and her scooter... here, she could tow us." "If we had Scootaloo here, we would need to be doing all this running!" Apple Bloom was less winded, but she wasn't exactly used to long distance runs either. The wind was behind them, but that only helped slightly. "I don't suppose you've got a song for speeding us up?" "I can try..." Sweetie Belle concentrated for a moment, then grinned as a new tune started up around her (Sonic Boom Ending version. Sonic CD). Both the ponies felt fatigue leave them, and started jogging forward. "Through the dark, through the night, We will head towards the light, gotta keep it goin' We will run, make it through, we will rescue Scootaloo, 'Cause we're not slowing. (Not for anything) They may think, they're away, But this just won't be their day, When we get there, oh no. But right now, we will speed, For it's fast movement we need, no time to spa-are... The two of them were now racing down the road, the ground sure and steady under their hooves. Though they weren't running that fast,somehow the landscape was moving backwards at a fantastic rate. Let us zoom, Let us zoom, Danger only makes us faster. Let us zoom, Let us zoom, Save our good friend from disaster. Let us zoom, Let us zoom, Gotta get our hooves in motion. Let us zoom, Let us zoom, Take it all the way! Sweetie Belle was somehow still singing in time with their beating hooves, her voice strong and clear despite the effort of running. Despite the fact that it still wasn't dawn,they could both see the road ahead clearly and the best route to run. It's our move, play to win, Wheel of fortune's gonna spin, It's spinning faster. They may think they have won, But the game has just begun, and they've met their master. Let us zoom, Let us zoom, Danger only makes us faster. Let us zoom, Let us zoom, Save our good friend from disaster. Let us zoom, Let us zoom, Gotta get our hooves in motion. Let us zoom, Let us zoom, Take it all the way! Sweetie Belle repeated the chorus, which seemed to signal the end of the song, as the backing music faded down to a simple piano solo as a coda. As the song ended, they found themselves slowing down, until they were once again jogging along at normal speeds in the semi-dark. Apple Bloom slowed for a second to look behind her and figure out how far they'd come. Well over a mile in a couple of minutes, as usual Sweetie Belle's magic had delivered. However, if those goons had set out when the other moon was still in the sky, if she had the whirligig antics of the things right,they had a lot of ground to make up. "That was great! If we do that for another couple of hours, we should catch up with them in no time!" "Hours!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "I don't know if I could even keep singing that long, but I can guarantee if I do I won't be any use by the time I get there!" "Well we've gotta make up ground on them somehow. From what the guy said they'll be riding more slowly, but those big horses have longer legs than us..." Something loomed ahead in the dawn light, a huge hunched figure with great reaching arms, and Apple Bloom had a moment of atavistic terror, even if she'd never heard of the word, and would have been able to tell you what it meant anyway. Sweetie Belle stopped dead, eyes wide in fright. "A monster!" Apple Bloom gulped down her fear, and there was plenty to gulp, but she started moving forward again. It hadn't moved despite the noise, so maybe it hadn't noticed them. Anyway the way to Scootaloo was past it. As she got closer she breathed a sigh of relief as the thing got clearer. "It's okay, c'mon, it's just a tree with something draped over it, looks like a canvas sail of some kind." Which in itself was odd, from what little she'd gathered about the local geography, they were far from any sea, or even a large lake. "A sail?" Sweetie Belle trotted up beside her. "Where could that come from?" "I was just wondering... the windmill in Macklewheat!" She recognised the way the sail was rigged, it was similar to the ones in Ponyville, though some of the ropes were snapped and frayed at the ends. "The wind's been in the right direction, but I thought they would be taken down for a storm like that. Maybe this just wasn't taken down in time. Hmm..." Sweetie Belle's horn glowed to give them both some light, and she saw the thoughtful expression on her companion's face. Apple Bloom clearly had an idea. This was not necessarily a good thing as her ideas sometimes didn't so much back-fire as back-explode. Not that the unicorn filly hadn't had some spectacular misfires of her own. "You know how we were thinking of trying for our sky-diving cutie-marks?" "Yes, but we weren't sure were we could get goggles, or helmets, or parachutes, or an airship..." The white unicorn was surprised by the non-sequitur until she suddenly connected the dots, and boy did they form a scary picture. "Oh no! No! Not happening! Not a pegasus, not a pilot, not going! Not this unicorn! Besides even if you rig this thing into some sort of parachute for the two of us, we don't have an airship to lift us up." "If you can put together a song that will give us a strong up-draft, we don't need one. We can ride it all the way up, then float down." "Back where we started." Sweetie Belle knew she could de-rail this train of thought by simply denying that she could lift them, up, but something was stopping her, mostly the fact that a song to do it was already bubbling up in her mind. "How will that get us closer to Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom shook her head and pointed up at the lightening sky. The clouds were spaced out, the last remnants of the previous day's storm, and they were moving at a fair clip. Even on the ground the wind was chilling, now that they weren't running with it. "Look at those clouds, it sure ain't pegasi pushing them! The way the wind's going, it will carry us right along, faster than we could run. Besides, since the sail's longer one way than the other, I figure I can make it a sot of paraglider. We can control our direction and glide towards them, getting us even further along." "Do you even know how to _use_ a paraglider? Because I know I don't." "Nope, but I do know how to use a hang glider, sort of, and the principle's the same, well similar." "Yes, I heard about that." Sweetie Belle's voice wasn't encouraging. "The last time didn't go so well, did it?" "That was because I stumbled before I took off. Once we're in the air, we should be fine." "Should?" Sweetie Belle queried. Apple Bloom was already sorting through the ropes hanging down, and had a knife out from the tools in her saddlebags. As the hilt was held in the side of her mouth, her response was a but muffled. "I did all the theory stuff first. Besides, it's the only way I can think of for us both to catch up with Scootaloo's kidnappers. She'd do the same for us." "But she can fly!" Nevertheless, Sweetie Belle moved closer to give Apple Bloom more light. "So will we when I'm finished." Apple Bloom tugged on a rope experimentally. Sweetie Belle gave a sigh of resignation. "Alright, how can I help?" It took only a few moments for Apple Bloom, aided by Sweetie Belle's telekinesis, to tie the loose ends of rope up into a sturdy double harness, with loops in the key ropes that she could put her hooves through. With them, she would be able to haul on the ropes and adjust the trim to steer their makeshift paraglider. She made sure they were both securely tied in and grabbed one more thing from her saddlebags. "Aren't those goggles Scootaloo's?" Sweetie belle asked as the farm-filly put them over her eyes. "She crash landed, and I took them off her when I checked to see she hadn't hurt her head. I put them in my saddlebags for safe keeping. Lucky, as I reckon I'll need them to see where I'm going." She gave one last check of the canopy resting on the branches as the sky lightened. "Okay, looks like we're set! Make with the music!" Sweetie Belle pushed down her nervousness and focussed on the song swirling in her mind. (Lets Fly a Kite, Mary Poppins) "If you've canvas and you can make things, You can have your own set of wings, Lift your feet off the ground, set the skies in your sight, As the wind makes you light, you are going to take flight!" The wind rose around them, straining at the canvas which pulled free and lifted them off the ground at the word 'light'. Apple Bloom yanked on two control cords spilling air from the front to make them drift backwards and avoid the branches, and then they were clear and rising as Sweetie Belle went into the chorus. "Oh, oh, oh! Let our sail take flight, up to the highest height, Let the wind move right and send us soaring, Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear, Oh, oh oh, give us flight!" They were zooming upwards like a rocket on a powerful up-draft, and the wind was already starting to carry them along faster than they could have run without magic. As they flew higher, the first fingers of dawn started to reach across the land, and the sun peeked above the horizon ahead of them. "Oh with craft and magic and care, All at once we're dancing on air, We can ride on the breeze, over houses and trees, If the wind moves us right, we will go on a flight!" The view was spectacular, and Sweetie Belle's spirits lifted along with the paraglider. She'd been scared of this? It was amazing! She'd never really been jealous of pegasi before now, but if this was what they got to see all of the time, she might start. But right now she was feeling too good, and drove her music and magic to even greater heights. "Oh, oh, oh! Let our sail take flight, up to the highest height, Let the wind move right and send us soaring, Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear, Oh, oh oh, give us flight!" As the coda played around her, she checked her sense of where Scootaloo was. They must have been a mile high, maybe more, but even so she could see the ground below moving under them. However, at that height they wouldn't be able to see Scootaloo or the goons who'd pony-napped her. She could sense they were gaining on her, but she was a little over to the left. She looked over at Apple Bloom to tell her to adjust course, and saw the other pony was looking distinctly unhappy. The light was now bright enough to see colour, but Apple Bloom's face still looked moon-light pale. Her hooves in the loops were still rock steady though. "A little to the left! It's working!" The unicorn decided encouragement was the best course. "Ohh!" Apple Bloom groaned in response. She was quite audible despite their speed, as the wind was carrying them with it. "I think I'm afraid of heights!" "What? But you were so enthusiastic about it!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "That was before I got up here! It's not like I ever actually flew before, not even in a balloon!" She gritted her teeth, and pulled on the left hoof loop, warping the right rear corner of the paraglider down all the same. They swung out to the right as the sail turned left. "Whoa! We're good!" Sweetie Belle called out, as the map in her head came into line with reality. "I won't be good until I get all four hooves back on the ground!" The farm-filly replied with some feeling. "But you're doing great! Don't let it get you down, I mean don't let your spirits fall, I mean..." "Sweetie Belle?" The earth-pony had her eyes closed, trying to focus on one of Temple Fortress's meditation techniques rather than the open air beneath her hooves. "Yes, Apple Bloom?" "Stop trying to cheer me up! Just drop it... oh horse-apples, now you've got me doing it!" Despite Apple Bloom's nerves, she managed to control their makeshift craft well enough, and they quickly gained on the fleeing villains. They were still several hundred pony-lengths up when they saw the trio of horse riders. Apple Bloom was clearly a little more comfortable now that she was nearer the ground. The dirt road below was running through open plains country, with long grass to either side that rippled like waves in the dawn light. "Okay, plan time!" she said to Sweetie Belle. "Do we drop in behind them and try to sneak up on them? Or do we get out in front and try to stop them?" She squinted downwards, suppressing a slight shudder. "It looks like Scootaloo is slung over the saddle, but I can't see if she's tied on. Getting her away from that Arroway character is the most important thing." "She isn't, I saw that in the image, but she's bound hoof and wing." Sweetie Belle replied, "Why not just drop on them?" "I'll need a few seconds to cut us both free, I wasn't going to trust any quick release I could make with this stuff." Apple Bloom commented. "I say land well ahead of them. I don't think we can move fast enough to overtake them without being heard anyway, and maybe this thing will freak them out. Temple Fortress always said any battle starts in the other pony's mind. "I can duck into the bushes and work my way back while you distract them. I jump out as they pass and bounce right across that goon's lap, scooping up Scootaloo as I go. I free her, and then we drop an apple tree on these crooks." "I'll ask them to give up first, we don't want to fight if we can help it." "Doubt that's going to happen, but I hope I'm wrong. I want to see these guys get what's coming to them, but I'd be okay if we can just take them in. I don't know the local rules exactly, but tying someone up and carrying them off in the middle of the night can't be legal." They swept over the party of bad guys and ahead of them, Apple Bloom aiming for a straight section of road up ahead. They heard yells of surprise and fear as the horsemen finally spotted them, and then they were down, several hundred hooves ahead of the trio. Apple Bloom flared up the front of the sail, spilling air to slow them down and the two ponies landed, the chute collapsing out in front of them. Apple Bloom had the knife out of her saddlebag before it had settled, reaching back with her head and cutting some critical ropes. Then she turned to the still recovering Sweetie Belle and freed her. She spun on the spot and checked where the bad guys were, apparently they'd had to stop to regain control of their horses. So far, so good. "Good luck!" she called out to Sweetie Belle as she dived into the undergrowth to the side of the path. Sweetie Belle turned as well, and hooked up her ventriloquism spell. Doing her best impression of a Royal Canterlot Voice, she yelled out. "Stop, criminal scum! Release our friend and come quietly!" Arroways's eyes widened, and then narrowed in calculation. "Get her, and find that other monster! Alive if possible!" So much for resolving things without a fight. However, the two guards were still deafened by her yell, and their horses were spooked. That effectively gave her another moment to prepare for them not obeying, and she knew what she needed. A pounding intro started as she prepped a spell. (Holding out for a Hero. Bonnie Tyler) "Do Do Doo! Do Do Doo! Do Do Doo! Ahh Ahh!" The two guards finally got over the ringing in their ears, and got their horses under control and started to canter forward, readying their weapons. She needed more time to power up her spell, so as she sung, she grabbed a selection of hoof sized gravel with her horn and flung it, hoping to distract them. She was surprised when they shot away like bullets, and dented the guards breastplates, not to mention spooking the horses again. "Where have the good ponies gone, and where the Princesses? Where's a streetwise Belepheron to bring my cause success? I need a white knight, a brave courageous steed, Help me in this darkest hour, oh magic hear me plead!" At the end of the next line, on the cymbal crash, a white form with a glowing blue aura formed in front of her. It was a pegasus stallion clad in Royal Guard armour, except that it was almost the size of the other horses. The armour was as white as it's coat and mane, but this was no marble statue, instead a construct of pure force, and it pawed at the ground then charged. "I need a hero! I'm calling out for a hero till the end of the night! They've got to be strong and they've got to be fast and they've got to be ready to fight! I need a hero! I'm calling out for a hero in the dawn's first light! They've got to be sure and they've got to be skilled and they've got to be larger than life! Larger than life!" The glowing apparition barrelled into the two guards, who'd finally managed to spur their horses forwards. They tried to swing around it to each side and chop at it with their swords en passant, but it's wings flicked out with an audible 'shing' and blocked the blades, sweeping forward to knock them back off their horses. "Striking in the dawn light, with strength and bravery, Safety is beyond my reach but someone's reaching out for me. Racing in like thunder, with awesome fighting moves, A Mysterious Mare Do Well to sweep me off my hooves! Yeaaah!" Arroway was screaming useless advice at his soldiers but staying well back himself, though he was concentrating on the fight. That meant Apple Bloom had no difficulty sneaking through the long grass until she was directly opposite him. She checked her bags were well secured, chose her moment and leaped up with all the strength she could draw from the earth. She sprung right up onto his saddle bow, straddling Scootaloo, and hauled the filly clear, kicking off with her hind hooves to throw them both well clear of the stunned human. She tumbled in mid-air to get ready for a landing, taking it on her back legs as she absorbed their combined weight. The grass cushioned their fall,, as Sweetie Belle sung another chorus. The guards were now on foot, and trying to disengage from the battle pegasus, but his hooves and wings seemed to be everywhere, and it was all they could do to fend off his attacks. The riderless horses had panicked and bolted, and one had gone down with a broken leg as it caught it's hoof in a snag on the edge of the road. Meanwhile Apple Bloom had pulled her knife from her saddlebag, and cut Scootaloo's bonds. She got the gag free just in time for Scootaloo, who was looking behind her to yell, "Watch out!" They both sprang to the sides as Arroway's horse tried to ride them down. Fortunately he seemed to have trouble controlling it in the long grass, and made heavy weather of turning it around to try again. Scootaloo was still trying to get her limbs working properly after being tied up, so it fell to Apple Bloom not to give him that chance. "From where the mountains meet the heavens above, From where the lightning splits the clouds, There come ponies who'll fight to protect me without doubt!" Apple Bloom did another mighty leap, but this one was to cannon into Arroway with a flying rear hoof kick that flung him from the saddle and dropped him on the ground. She let herself come around so she could ride him down on all fourslike a sled, slamming him into the ground. She was ready to follow up with a pair of fore-hoof stomps that would loosen his teeth, but he just curled up gasping for breath and whimpering. "Though there's darkness and trouble and pain, I'll get the help that I need! I'll sing my song to call them and they will heed, Oh yes, they they will heed!" Scootaloo had her wings working again, and was hovering to work the kinks out, but she was at a loss what to do. Apple Bloom had taken out the guy who'd kidnapped her, but Sweetie Belle was in trouble. As long as she kept singing, that Royal Guard she'd conjured would protect her, but as soon as the song faded... If only she still had her cloud, a few lighting bolts would soon make them cry uncle, but without it, all she could do was dive bomb them. She pawed at the air in frustration, and was surprised to find a streamer of mist forming around her hoof. A few seconds experimentation showed she could 'scrape' cloud out of thin air. As she flew up, she formed pads of cloud under each hoof solid enough to stand on, like nebular roller skates. More importantly, she could charge them up with lightning like her old cloud. Oh yes, she could work with this. She didn't know how it worked, but she wasn't about to look a gift carrying pony in the mouth. "I need a hero! I'm calling out for a hero till the end of the night! They've got to be strong and they've got to be fast and they've got to be ready to fight! I need a hero! I'm calling out for a hero in the dawn's first light! They've got to be sure and they've got to be skilled and they've got to be larger than life!" Scootaloo dived in as Sweetie Belle repeated her chorus, and unloaded a pair of her best lightning bolts at the guards feet. She swept past overhead and did a wing-over to turn round. "Hold it right there! Drop your swords or the next ones won't miss!" Beset by the hovering pegasus, lightning crackling around her hooves, and another larger version that shrugged off their best efforts like a roof shedding water, the two guards finally lost their fighting spirit. The conjured Royal Guard stopped belabouring them, and they put down their swords on the floor. They were immediately yanked away by a glow of pink telekinetic energy. As the song faded away, the force construct turned to face Sweetie Belle and snapped off a salute before vanishing. Meanwhile Apple Bloom was herding an ill looking Arroway towards the others. Sweetie Belle's magic quickly relieved the guards of their belt knives as well. "You can't do this to me!" Arroway had finally recovered enough breath to be annoying again. "I am Dander Arroway, personal representative of Duke Wilberis..." "Oh give it a rest!" called out Scootaloo from above, punctuating her exclamation with a lightning bolt just in front of him. "I never heard any-pony who could run off at the mouth like you! Going on endlessly about how much money you were going to make from selling me, and moaning about how you weren't appreciated. If I hadn't been gagged, I'd have asked you to knock me out again just so I didn't have to listen to you!" One of the guards was actually suppressing a smirk at that, but the other looked over at the fallen horse, who chose that moment to give out a particularly painful squeal. "Okay, so you've got us, but please, I've got to go over and see to Falchion." There was a moment of discussion between the ponies, and then Apple Bloom said, "Okay, but if you try anything funny, you won't find what happens funny!" "Understood. I'll need my belt knife..." "Why?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously. The guard didn't look particularly happy as he replied. "I've got to put him out of his misery." "WHAT! You're going to kill him? Just because of a broken leg?" "I don't have a choice! There's no way I can fix it, or even move him, so it's either that or let him suffer and die! Your magic trick saw to that!" The guard was genuinely angry. "He's a good mount, I've been with him since I joined the Duke's Guard, and I want to help him, but I can't except to give him mercy." "You can't, but I can!" Sweetie Belle responded, and started trotting over towards the stricken warhorse who was kicking out with his uninjured legs, and tossing his head around, wild with pain. "Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom called out urgently. "He's right, I did this and I've got to fix it, so don't try to stop me!" "I wasn't going to, I'm just worried you'll get hurt!" Apple Bloom turned to the guard. "Get over there! Your horse knows you, try to keep it calm while my friend works. And remember what I said." Under the guard's ministrations, Falchion's panic subsided enough for Sweetie Belle to get around to his shoulder, and reach over to the top of his injured leg with her horn. " Horn, please gleam and glow..." The golden glow of healing magic spread to the horse's leg, and visibly shifted the twisted joint back into place. As the glow subsided, the horse was left with a whole leg, and his wildness disappeared. With a whinny that sounded almost puzzled, he started moving the leg, and then wobbled as he pushed himself up into a standing position. "There, there big guy. All better..." the guard's relief was clear. He turned to the little unicorn who was watching him cautiously. "Thank you." "You're welcome." Sweetie Belle was surprised. He was quite polite for someone who'd been trying to knock her over the head or worse only a few minutes ago. "You could repay me by explaining why you pony-napped our friend." "Don't talk to that creature!" Arroway called out. "She'll cast a mind control spell on you just like she did on those simpleton yokels!" "I thought I told you to pipe down!" Scootaloo called down at him. "And we never did anything like that, I don't think Sweetie Belle even knows one!" The other guard, who had stayed silent up until now, finally spoke. "So what are you going to do with us?" Apple Bloom answered him. "Take all three of you back to Macklewheat. They can decide what happens to you, we just wanted our friend back. So gather up your horses, and we'll get going."