The stone doors that had seemed so immovable swung inwards easily, with a little help from Sweetie Belle's telekinesis. Beyond was a vaulted, circular room that had seven arched doorways at regular intervals. The glowing horse-shoes on Apple Bloom's harness and Sweetie Belle's horn lit it fairly well, but the light faded off into the darkened corridors beyond the arches. As with the crypt, the room was of high workmanship, but this room was unadorned with carvings or decoration.
There were small holes in the ceiling, which Apple Bloom decided must have been light-wells, based on the lack of torches or other lighting. They were clearly blocked up now, but they meant they couldn't be too far under ground. Concentrating on the ground under her hooves, she tried to sense the lay of the land. She was surprised to find she could sense things far more precisely than she had before.
The ghostly monk had said something about her being attuned to earth chi, and that the belt would enhance her abilities. She wished he'd hung around a bit longer, she hadn't realised there might be someone in this world who understood earth pony magic. According to Temple Fortress, earth ponies used their own magic to control the flows of magic in the earth, as pegasi did with air. That sounded sort of like what the ghost been going on about.
To be honest, she'd never really been interested in the theory, and now she wished she'd paid better attention. Still, the practical benefits were obvious enough. She wasn't sure that it would have worked the same way on a human, but she wasn't complaining. The new strength of the connection to the earth under her hooves should carry over into her fighting style too, which she figured was the idea in the first place.
She had a feeling they were somewhere under the courtyard, no more than a few pony-lengths down, and fairly near the central tower. Unfortunately, she could also sense that most of the corridors or rooms leading off from the vestibule were dead ends, with any stairs leading up filled with caved in rubble. However, straight ahead, there was a sense of a path leading up into the open air.
"C'mon, this way!" She motioned her companion forward with a hoof as she went to the far side doorway. It lead into a large vaulted room, similar to the crypt but without it's gruesome contents. While there were piles of what might have once been furniture, it had been quite thoroughly wrecked and scattered and then left to decay and crumble until it was no longer possible to tell what the place had been used for.
One of the few features that existed was a large fireplace, built back into the wall, easily big enough for one of the ponies to stand sideways in. However, it was also piled high with dirt and rubble that spilled out of the hole, blocking it off.
Sweetie Belle gave a little moan. "Oh no, please tell me there's some other way out?"
Apple Bloom frowned at the offending fireplace and concentrated again. "It's okay, it's not blocked all the way up, just a few hooves above the top. We're going to need to do some digging though."
She suited action to words, digging away at it with her fore hooves. After a moment she was joined by the green glow of Sweetie Belle's telekinesis as she pulled away rocks and rubble. Even with both of them working, it took quite some time for the two of them to pull out enough dirt to clear a hole at the top they could squeeze through, and Apple Bloom started getting worried.
Scootaloo would get to Duke's haven as fast as she could, and with Nerina's letter as proof, she'd get the Duke and his men on the road as fast as possible. If they weren't already on the way back by then, the arrival of the caravan with the survivors would light a fire under them. She just hoped they could get out and warn them before they ran straight into the trap that Mancetti guy had set.
She stripped off her cloak and saddlebags, packing them up and hooking them with one hind hoof. Even without them the gap was a tight squeeze, but they couldn't afford any more time for enlarging it. She pushed through the gap they'd made, and wriggled up into the space behind it, dragging her gear along behind her.
"Apple Bloom! Take care!" Sweetie Belle called out nervously.
"Don't worry, this things stood for centuries. In fact... I think I see night sky far above... and a red glow from some sort of side passage lower down. It's definitely a chimney. I think we're right under the tower. That monk said the whole temple above was razed, but it's clear this part survived. I think what's happened is that whoever built that castle on top used stone from the ruin, and used the roof of this underground section as a foundation. At least part of it is carved into the rock, and the rest is so closely fitted, they must have thought it was paving or something."
"But why didn't they find that chimney hole and come down here?"
Apple Bloom went up on her hind legs, looking up intently. "I think they did, but it looks like there's at least one below ground level above us. If that was caved in, maybe they thought that was the reason the flue continued down. No-one would think to look for another cellar level."
Sweetie Belle looked confused. "So you think it's a way up to the roof? But doesn't that put us back where we were when we were down the hole outside?"
"The difference is, the back walls of the fireplaces should shield us from sight, so there's no need for your invisibility spell. You can use your telekinesis to haul us up, even if you have to do it one at a time. Though the way you handled those zombies I wouldn't have thought you'd have any problem doing both of us at once!"
"It's not that easy." Sweetie Belle replied, in an apologetic tone. "Throwing a big rock is just a quick burst of magic, and I don't have to be careful. Lifting myself, or another pony, I have to be gentle, and that takes a lot of extra effort. I used up a lot of energy hauling that dirt too."
"But can you do it?" Apple Bloom was really worried now.
"I... think so." There was determination in the unicorn filly's voice. "No, I will do it! But, I think it'll pretty much tap me out. But when we get to the roof, what if there's bad guys already there?"
Apple Bloom started getting herself dressed again. "So I peek over the edge before I jump out, and we take them by surprise. They'll be looking outward after all. Besides, most of them will still be digging, or resting down inside the tower. With the roof clear, we can figure out whether you can use your invisibility spell safely, or you call up that Royal Guard spirit. He's a big pegasus, he should be able to carry us both."
Sweetie Belle had proved that her summon's wings were fully functional when she'd called him up for Apple Bloom to train against, and thought she could be right. She liked the idea of flying away over trying to sneak through a castle full of armed humans, even while invisible. "Okay, but I may need to rest a bit first."
"We may not have much time, the Duke's guards are running into a trap. Just do your best, okay?"
Sweetie Belle was squirming through after her, and had opted to do the same thing with her saddlebags and cloak rather than just levitate them through behind her. She was saving every bit of energy she had for the lift ahead. She wasn't even running her light spell any more, relying on the still glowing horse-shoes on Apple Bloom's harness to light her way.
Once she was properly dressed again, she started humming the Stalliongrad boat song, just as she had back when this mess had begun. Her horn lit with a gentle aura, and she directed her power towards lifting them both. Apple Bloom found her hooves leaving the ground, and gulped. She might have been the one to suggest it, but that didn't mean she was going to enjoy having nothing between her and a long drop.
They rose up at no more than a slow walk, and passed a gap that must lead to the basement level. Apple Bloom had been right about that, and the fire back that blocked a direct view into it. It was completely dark, but the next level up wasn't. There was a glow of flames upon the walls, coming from below the fire back. There was also the sound of voices and coarse laughter.
If Apple Bloom was right, this was the ground floor, and it was clear they had a fire going. Fortunately, it wasn't fully stoked at the moment, but that didn't stop the air around them getting uncomfortably warm and full of smoke. Once again their masks came in useful, until Sweetie Belle adjusted her telekinetic envelope a bit to guide the fumes away from them.
Her horn was glowing brighter now, and throwing off sparks. For that matter, she was sweating, and it wasn't just the heat. Her horn was starting to ache slightly, holding even a relatively light load suspended for this long was stressful. However, they had no choice. She gritted her teeth and kept pushing, humming her chanty like a shield against the strain.
The levels above were unoccupied, or at least had no fires burning, but that didn't bring about too much relief. Apple Bloom was watching her friend, mostly to avoid thinking about the long drop underneath her, as they were close to the top. It was clear from the sparking of her horn that Sweetie Belle was really struggling. Their upward movement started to slow down.
She whispered to her companion. "sweetie belle, if you can't make it all the way, drop us into the next fireplace! drop me first so i can check it out. it doesn't sound like there's anyone there, but i can see some light."
The unicorn just nodded, and Apple Bloom found herself drifting over to the next gap in the wall. She floated into it and down, dropping the last couple of hooves to the base of the fireplace. She landed ready to spring out and knock out anybody who was there before they gave any alarm, but what she got was a gasp of surprise.
The room had once been fairly well appointed, maybe quarters for one of the officers of whatever force had built it, with a window looking out to the front of the tower and a door on the far side. However most of the furnishings were gone, leaving only discoloured patches, and all that was left was an ancient and broken open chest next to the door, and a mean little cot knocked together out of odds and ends up against the blank wall and opposite the fireplace.
Sitting on the cot was a girl, little more than a filly. Apple Bloom wasn't that good at judging human ages, but she was probably no older than Apple Bloom. She had a dark, almost black mane, and eyes so brown they were almost purple.
As Scootaloo had said, her clothing had been fine once, but was now looking distinctly battered. The streaks on her cheeks showed she'd been crying, but her eyes were now dry, and wide in astonishment.
"A pony?" Her voice still had a little catch in it from her recent tears.
Apple Bloom grinned. "You were expecting the Red Nosed Reindeer?"
After she said it, she realised it wouldn't make any sense to the poor girl, as they didn't have Hearths Warming Eve in this world.
"I... I don't know... I prayed to Raenei and Celene that someone would come to help me..." Apple Bloom remembered those were the names of the two moons, and the goddesses associated with them. She stepped out from the empty fireplace.
"You're Lady Annette, right?" The girl just nodded in response.
"C'mon in, it's clear!" Apple Bloom called back into the fireplace, then turned back to the girl and bobbed her head.
"The name's Apple Bloom. Pleased to meet you!" She held out a hoof, but rather than taking it, Annette dropped to her knees and leaned into the pony's shoulder, shaking slightly and sniffling.
"Hey there..." Apple Bloom wasn't sure how to handle this, but she had to try. Her held out hoof went around the girls shoulder as she pulled her into a hug. "It's okay... everything will be alright..."
There was a thud behind her as Sweetie Belle landed. "Ow! I've got to watch that... Oh my!"
She'd seen the young girl and staggered out, trying to brush herself down with a hoof. Annette hadn't even noticed, as she was still tucked into Apple Bloom's shoulder, taking a shuddering breath. "You're real, really real!"
"Was the last time I checked!" Apple Bloom quipped. The girl finally sat back on her knees releasing the earth pony.
"I'm sorry, it's just all been so horrible! The explosions, all that fighting, all the guards, and Nerina too..." She started to hunch in on herself, looking away until Apple Bloom interrupted.
"I'm right sorry about the guards, we couldn't do anything for most of them, but Nerina is okay, she was just hurt and knocked out. Sweetie Belle fixed her up, and any of the guards who weren't already..." Apple Bloom came to a stop, not wanting to give the girl more nightmares.
That made Annette look up and spot the Sweetie Belle for the first time. "A unicorn too?"
"Um... hello?" Sweetie Belle raised a hoof and waved, somewhat timidly. Apple Bloom figured that the girl could use some more encouragement.
"Yep, and that horn on her forehead ain't just a place to tie a ribbon! She hoofs out some major magical mojo with it, including healing spells."
The Duke's daughter was clearly coming out of her funk. She asked hopefully, "If you know what happened, did you send word to my father?"
"Our friend Scootaloo, who's a pegasus, is on her way to go get your dad. But there's a problem. That Mancetti guy has set a trap for him around the gates, the same sort of ambush they pulled on the road, so we have to get out of here and warn him!"
Annette shivered. "That man, he's evil, really evil. Please, take me with you! Whatever he wants me for, it can't be good!"
"Of course we will, but the sooner we can get up to the roof, the sooner I can get us all out of here!" Sweetie Belle stepped forward and staggered slightly.
"Hey, are you alright?" Apple Bloom asked, steadying her.
"I'm fine, that last lift took more out of me than I thought. But I've got the juice for one more big spell, I just need a short rest."
Apple Bloom glanced out of the window. "Well it looks like they're not here yet, but we should get going anyway."
She started towards the door only to hear footsteps from outside. "Uh... new plan! Hide!"
She pointed a hoof towards the chest, and moved over as fast as she could without making a loud clopping on the planks of the flooring. "Whoever it is, keep his attention, just for a bit!"
The two ponies reached partial cover behind the big chest, and in Sweetie Belle's case inside it, just as there was the sound from outside of a latch being drawn. The door opened inwards to reveal Mancetti himself, which wasn't exactly an improvement. He had a nasty little smirk on his face as he came in.
"Well, how is our little princess? Enjoying your stay?"
Annette just glowered at him, an expression composed of equal parts fear and anger.
Mancetti's expression of sorrow was just as mocking as his voice. "What? You find my hospitality lacking? But you have all the amenities..."
He waved his hand to indicate a jug of water by the cot, and a chamber pot underneath it.
"My father will hunt you down for this!" Annette finally exploded.
That didn't seem to phase him. "Oh I do hope so! I'm dying to meet him..."
His evil chuckle indicated that he thought the dying would be entirely the Duke's side of things. "But he really should have taught his brat better manners, maybe I should take care of that myself."
He stepped forward with a nasty smirk on his face, clenching a fist.
"Hey bozo! Get away from her!" Apple Bloom had intended to let him get well inside the room, and attack him from behind with everything she had before he even knew she was there. It wasn't exactly sporting, but Applejack had taught her you didn't mess around with dangerous animals, and this guy was very dangerous, though monster was a better description than animal.
However, when he'd started to threaten Annette, all thoughts of a plan went right out of her head. Now she'd thrown away the element of surprise. However, she still had the element of iron. Her head ducked to her harness, and she flung a glowing horseshoe with deadly accuracy.
Mancetti had started to turn and draw a dagger at the sound of another voice, and somehow weaved out of the way of the horseshoe. He really was very good at fighting, whatever his other failings. However his very skill betrayed him in this case, as the dagger was thrown even before he'd seen his opponent. What would have been a direct hit to the centre of mass on a human was something Apple Bloom could duck, though it still nicked an ear, which started to bleed freely.
As he did apprehend his opponent, he exclaimed. "Those dunces were right? Inconceivable! Well no matter..."
Apple Bloom gritted her teeth. She'd have to take him on to give the others time to escape, and despite the new feeling of strength she had from the magic belt, she didn't know if she could do it. Not that it would stop her trying. She dived forward, setting up for a low double hoofed kick.
Mancetti just pulled another knife and set himself, focussing on her, which turned out to be a mistake as Sweetie Belle jumped out of the chest, horn glowing. The multiple targets in front of him meant he didn't notice that the chamber pot had been hauled from under the bed in a pink glow of energy, at least not until it was introduced with some force to the back of his skull.
It was empty, but the unexpected hit staggered him, putting him off guard and making him the perfect target for Apple Bloom's attack. Her twin hooves went home in his bread basket, and he stumbled backwards gasping for breath. Then Annette dropped down on her hands and knees behind him, and he fell backwards, arms flailing to crash on the rickety cot, which smashed under the impact.
"C'mon! Run!" Apple Bloom waved to the open door, and went through it. Annette followed her, and Sweetie Belle took up the rear, taking just enough time to say, "That word you keep using, I'm not sure it means what you seem to think it means."
Mancetti was already pulling himself to his feet with a growl, and charged for the door, only for it to slam closed in front of him and hear the latch slide home.
The trio raced along the corridor that ran along the outside of the room, heading for some stairs that lead upwards. Apple Bloom called back. "The roof! You can get us out from there!"
Sweetie Belle was trailing slightly, the additional use of magic had tired her. "I don't know if I can..."
"You can!" The earth pony's voice was as certain as rocks. They charged up two flights of stairs and through the open roof hatch that lead to the battlement. There were two guards there, a rough looking human and a skinny half elf who turned in surprise at the sound of running feet on the stairs, but neither were really ready to fight. After all, they expected any attack to be from the outside, not their own tower.
Apple Bloom flung another horseshoe, and this one went home, smacking the half elf right in the pit of his stomach. He bent forward, clasping his arms across his gut as she jumped up and slammed down on his back, throwing him to the floor and using him as a springboard.
His partner was fumbling for a weapon from the rack beside him. He didn't finish before Apple Bloom descended on him like an anvil, with similar results. She struck in a flurry of hooves which glowed with an aura of energy, and he joined his companion on the floor.
"Okay, Sweetie Belle! Do your singing thing!" Even as she called out to her friend, Apple Bloom was running back to slam the roof hatch shut and slide the locking bar that crossed it into pace. That would hold any attack from below for a few moments, but the brackets were rusty, pitted iron, and she didn't fancy their chances over the long haul.
As Sweetie Belle's background music started up, she rushed over to the edge of the battlements and checked the courtyard. People were starting to emerge from the tower, just a couple, but they were shouting to the thugs up on the make-shift walkways behind the curtain walls. It looked like Mancetti had gotten free and alerted his minions. She ducked down before someone looked up and spotted her, though the music was loud enough to attract attention all by itself.
The Royal Guard summons appeared just as she finished dragging the rack of weapons over to the hatch and tipping them over on top of it. It was also the same instant the hatch thumped from underneath as someone tried to get through. The summons dropped to his belly to let the three board, Sweetie Belle and Annette straddling his back easily enough, but as Apple Bloom tried to get on, the force construct started to fade.
She jumped back off as she saw Sweetie Belle's eyes start to widen in realisation, and called out. "No! Don't break the spell! You two go, he can't carry all of us. You're needed to do the spell, and we have to get Annette out! I've got a back-up escape plan, but it'll only work for me! Now go!" She'd moved around to be next to Sweetie Belle was, and brushed her hoof with her own.
The little unicorn gave her a sorrowful look, but kept singing, and the summons spread his wings and took off. Apple Bloom watched them for a few seconds as they swept out over the courtyard. A number of arrows flew at them, but they were poorly aimed, and the only one that hit struck the impervious belly of the spectral Royal Guard. But the next volley wouldn't be shielded by his underside, so they were at risk, unless the archers had something else to shoot at.
She jumped up on the edge of the battlement and yelled. "Hey you lot! Your aim is as bad as your smell! Both of 'em stink!"
That got their undivided attention, and a volley of arrows that swept the crenelation where she stood. Apple Bloom dived for cover at the last instant, secure in the knowledge that by the time they turned their attention back to Sweetie Belle, the unicorn would be almost impossible to hit. Of course, that still meant she was in trouble, herself.
From more than one source it looked like, as the hatch was looking decidedly battered, splintering upwards as the brackets loosened under the repeated blows from underneath. A single pony, without magic or flight, in the middle of an alerted fortress and surrounded by enemies, things looked pretty grim. Apple Bloom did have a plan, 'Get the hay out of there!', but she was still working on the fine detail, to wit, how?
She'd gotten Sweetie Belle into that mess, and she couldn't just let that slide, she had to get a grip... Suddenly she had an idea, crazy it seemed at first, but with her newly improved powers she might just have a chance of pulling it off, the first part at least. After that she'd have to trust to luck.
First she needed to fix up more diversions. She grabbed a shovel and dropped it across an upturned bucket, and using another bucket filled the shovel with burning coal from a nearby brazier. A hay filled sack that someone had brought up as a cushion was bound up with twine to twist it into shape and bind it to a spear. She finished just as the hatch broke open and several goons spilled out.
She jumped on the handle of the shovel and used the improvised catapult to fling the shovel full of burning coal at the bad guys. It didn't do much damage, but it caused them to stumble and fall, causing a massive pile up at the hatch. Then she dashed over to the wall, and called out, "Are you guys still out there?"
She poked the hay sack, bound into the rough shape of a pony head, slightly above the battlements, and got a shower of arrows in return. One hit the hay sack and she gave a scream of pain, letting the sack fall. Then she jumped over the side. As she'd hoped, the archers had relaxed when they thought someone had hit the target, and there were no readied bows to greet her.
However, that still left the small problem of being about sixty feet in the air with nothing under her. Now to see if the new skills the belt gave her would work for real. Her iron shod hooves caught on the stones of the wall, and she focused on the power within. Worked stone didn't have the connection to the earth that natural stone did, but there was still an echo, fossilised energy that gave her just enough power to pull it off.
She slid down the slightly out-sloping wall, horseshoes raising showers of sparks as she found purchase on them that slowed her fall. As she reached the ground, she bounded off the wall to land heavily, but still in one piece, facing the gates... which were closed.
Goons were starting to emerge from the tower in numbers, while the archers on the walkways had finally started to get their act together and air at her. A couple had abandoned their bows to slide down the ladders from the walkways to the ground, and were closing in on her with swords. Well, at least if she got in among them, the archers couldn't shoot her.
Arrows splintered against the stonework and embedded themselves in the ground behind her as she moved, weaving and dodging to deny them a target, charging between the two who were on the ground. She dropped and rolled into the legs of one of them, sliding under a sword thrust and knocking the swordsman prone.
She wriggled out of the way of the other guy's sword, and rolled over to spring up, slamming a head butt into his chin and smashing her hoof into his sword hand. His sword dropped from his nerveless fingers just as she landed on the prone thug, knocking the wind out of him. Then she had to dodge frantically as a longbow arrow almost hit her, thudding instead into the back of the goon she was standing on.
Her other opponent jumped away, and she realised that at least a dozen bows were aimed at her, and that using your enemies as shields only worked when the rest of them were worried about accidentally hitting their own side. There were some barrels nearer the gates that would give her some cover, but the odds were against her making it that far. There was no Sweetie Belle to strengthen her with song, or Scootaloo to provide air support, but she wasn't going to give up.
Then there were a series of thundering cracks as an orange figure swept along the line of the walkways behind the curtain wall riding a cloud that flashed with lightning. Bolts smashed into the uprights and supports, and the whole framework collapsed in on itself, taking the archers with it. Scootaloo zoomed down beside Apple Bloom, who'd taken refuge behind the barrels.
"What's the big idea starting the party without me?"
Apple Bloom sighed with relief. "You're welcome to it, it's getting a mite lively for me! What say we make like an apple tree and leaf, before we both get planted?"
Arrows whistled overhead; while the guys who'd been on the walkways were still untangling themselves, there were several on top of the tower, and a large group forming up by the main entrance to the tower.
"I can get you out, but we need a distraction!" the pegasus said, ducking.
Apple Bloom realised she could smell something, more fireworks. Then she realised what the barrels were full of. There was also an unlit lantern sitting on one, similar to the ones she'd seen with the caravan. Rather than fireflies, they used flammable oil...
"Scoots, you can do a small spark too, right?" Apple Bloom dragged the lantern down stomping on it to break open the reservoir.
"Sure but why..." Scootaloo's eyes widened as Apple Bloom poured the oil all over one of the barrels. "You're kidding! Please tell me you're kidding!"
Apple Bloom tipped the barrel on it's side, ready to roll. "One distraction, coming up! Light it!"
Scootaloo winced as she kicked it gently and a spark leaped to the barrel, igniting the oil, but fortunately not the gun powder inside. As soon as it took light, Apple Bloom gave it a two hoofed kick that sent it rolling right towards the tower.
"Okay, get on!" Scootaloo yelled, presenting her back as she scrambled back up on her cloud. Apple Bloom straddled her and exclaimed, "I think maybe we should git going. This place is about to turn mighty unhealthy!"
Scootaloo was already on it, beating her wings like a humming bird. With the cloud to give her support, she dusted off straight up at a speed most pegasi would have difficulty managing on the flat. They were no longer under fire, as every one of the kidnappers knew what that barrel was full of, and was thinking of only one thing, getting out of there as fast as possible.
"Must go faster! Let's haul hindquarter!" yelled Apple Bloom as they crossed the curtain wall.
"I'm doing my best!" yelled back Scootaloo. "When will that thing go boom anyway?"
"I don't know, I'm not a professor of explosionology!" Apple Bloom yelled back. "Soon, I think!"
"Oh this just keeps getting better and better!" The pegasus found some extra thrust somewhere and kicked in her figurative afterburners as they shot out of the clearing and away over the tree line. After a few more seconds, there was a flash of light behind them and a second later a crack of thunder.
"Okay, that wasn't so..." There was another flash and a much larger boom, then an appreciable shock wave that had Scootaloo frantically trying to avoid loosing control and tumbling for several seconds.
She slewed round to stabilise herself, and looked back the way they'd come. The whole front of the curtain wall was just plain gone, with overlapping craters along the entire length, before and behind the line of the wall. The tower looked to be intact, though it had a few new holes and part of the battlements appeared to have been carried away.
"Wow! You blew the whole thing open? That must be some pretty powerful stuff!"
"They'd buried firepowder, like on the road. They were going to trap the Duke the same way they did Annette, kill him. I guess the first explosion uncovered one of them, they must have been linked together..."
Apple Bloom's voice was soft, and not as pleased as the pegasus had expected. "I only wanted to cause a distraction, not... that"
Even Scootaloo could spot a need for tact when it beat her around the head hard enough. "I'm sure they had time to take cover. You probably didn't kill anyone." Well, what passed for tact by Scootaloo's standards.
"That's not what scares me." Apple Bloom shook her head. "The fact is, I don't care! These guys were evil, rotten to the core, but they were still people and I should feel bad about it. But I just feel glad they won't hurt anyone else. Does that make me a bad pony?"
Scootaloo turned away from the blown open compound, flying more slowly towards the road. "_I_ don't think so. Without you, we'd have still been staggering about the forest back where we arrived. You've always tried to help anyone we came across, no matter what the odds."
Suddenly, she had an inspiration, not something she was normally big on, but she could sense Apple Bloom needed more. "The big question is, should you care? You didn't bury that firepowder, or kidnap someone, or set up ambushes. I know you Apples have this thing about taking care of everyone, but you can't control everyone's actions. At some point, you've you to accept that bad people may come to a bad end. Better that then innocent people getting hurt."
Apple Bloom breathed in for a moment, then gave a little sigh. "I guess. I'm not sure you're right, but I can't say you're wrong either. When did our lives get so complicated?"
"I think it was when Sweetie Belle dropped that spell book on us." Scootaloo quipped.
"Ohmygosh! Sweetie Belle! Annette! Are they okay? I completely forgot about them!"
"They're both fine. Who do you think told me where you were? I rousted the Duke out of his castle, turns out he knew about the tower, some kind of abandoned outpost from some war ages ago. We met up with the caravan, I got him to the ambush site, and he knew the route to the tower, so I came on ahead to check on you two.
"Then I came across Sweetie Belle and the girl, they were walking through the forest towards the road. She told me what had happened, and I pointed them in the direction of the Duke, and headed on over. The rest you know."
Apple Bloom sighed with relief. "So it's all over. Except for trying to explain to Dayton that we really weren't trying to be heroic, it just sort of happened."
"Oh, yeah, rather you than me." The pegasus shook her head ruefully, and shook out her wings. "Okay, I figure we can catch up with Sweetie Belle before she reaches the Duke. Ready?"
"You're the one flying!" Apple Bloom replied as the pegasus pulled down her goggles and revved up her wings. "Oh, wait a moment! We need to land, I've got something for you."
When they'd landed, Apple Bloom got off and hoofed over the greaves she'd been carrying in her saddlebag. "These are some sort of magical do-dad that'll make you faster, at least that's what I was told. You wear 'em over your hocks."
"Told by who?" Scootaloo looked at the fancily engraved greaves oddly, but slipped them on and pulled the straps tight. "Whoa! My body feels all fizzy!"
"We got them when we were sneaking into the place... It's a long story."
"Well get back on up, you can try and tell me on the way." With Apple Bloom on-board, she took off, and found that she was moving faster for less effort. "Yeah! Awesome!"
It only took a few more moments for them to catch up with Sweetie Belle, but Apple Bloom managed to cover the basics of the encounter with the zombies. They saw a soft green light below them and slowed down, dropping to check it. Sweetie Belle had clearly gotten back enough power to run a light spell, and was side by side with Annette, who had one hand on her shoulder. The little unicorn looked up in surprise and relief as they called to her.
"Apple Bloom! You're okay!" As they landed, and the earth pony slid herself off Scootaloo's back, Sweetie Belle came over and hugged her. "I guess that plan you had worked."
"What plan?" Scootaloo asked. "When I got there, she was in the middle of the courtyard, about to be perforated by a dozen arrows."
Apple Bloom gave her a disgusted look, as Sweetie Belle squeaked in shock. "What? You said you had a plan!"
"I did so have a plan!" Apple Bloom gave a look of injured innocence, then gave a shrug. "Make it up as I went along... I mean, I didn't say it was a _good_ plan."
Scootaloo made a sound that could only be described as 'snerk', then burst out laughing. After a few seconds of continued outrage, Sweetie Belle started giggling, mostly at Apple Bloom's innocent expression. Within seconds all three of them were laughing.
Finally Scootaloo calmed down enough to say, "Every-pony, we're all okay, Annette's here and safe, and the bad guys are beaten. I call that a win!"
"Yeah, you're right!" Apple Bloom held up a hoof. "Cutie-Mark Crusaders..."
"HO!" The trio chorused as they gave a three way high hoof.
"What _is_ a cutie-mark crusader?" asked Annette, who'd been watching the three of them but not taking part.
Apple Bloom waved her forward as they moved on. "C'mon, we'll explain on the way."
They started making their way through the dark woods, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle flanking Annette while Scootaloo watched overhead. Sweetie Belle's light spell didn't reach far, but it gave enough illumination to pick their way through the trees. Apple Bloom was finishing her explanation, confident that the pegasus would warn them of any danger.
"... so I guess the spell worked, sort of. But now we've got another problem, trying to get back to Ponyville. But for that we're going to need a powerful spell, and while Sweetie Belle might well be able to do it, we need to know _what_ to do, or we might end up worse off than we are."
"My father will help, I know he will!" Annette said, with a determined expression. "My family owes you, and a Wilberis always pays their debts. "
"Well we'll soon find out, I can see torches up ahead!" Scootaloo called down to them.
"It couldn't be some of the bad guys from the tower, could it?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Ain't likely, we got a big head start, and they're probably still pulling themselves out of the rubble." At Sweetie Belle's querying look she added, "You heard those two explosions? Well, I kinda set off one of the left over barrels of firepowder to cover our escape, and I guess it must have set off the trap they laid. Blew the whole front wall off the place."
She sighed, and Scootaloo flew down alongside her. "Hey, we went through this. It's not your fault if some of them got hurt. Better them than Annette, or us!"
The torches were visible from ground level now, though they were still screened by many layers of trees. However, the group made their first contact when a half elf with a light crossbow held in the crook of his arm seemed to just appear out of the trees. He wore green and brown stained leather armour, and an armoured cap that covered flaxen hair. The three ponies tensed up, ready to fight, but Annette cried out, "Sedwin!"
If he was surprised at her companions, he made no show of it, instead simply bowing his head. Now they could clearly see the ducal insignia on a badge on his chest. "My lady. I am glad to see you safe." While the tone was formal, his voice held genuine gladness. "Your father is just behind me, with the main force."
"Take us to him!" Annette's voice, no her attitude had changed, an assurance that the three ponies hadn't heard before. "Corporal Sedwin is one of my father's best scouts."
They moved forward into a more open area as the torches ahead became clear. An open double rank of guardsmen in the same armour as the ones who'd been with Arroway were making their way through the woods, one in six holding torches, the rest with weapons at the ready.
In the middle was a man in slightly more elaborate half plate, though he looked just as competent as his companions. He had straight dark hair and a neat Van Dyke beard, as well as grey eyes that seemed to light up when he saw Annette. She dashed forward to meet him, arms out as she cried out, "Daddy!"
The guards parted in front of her as she ran, and he picked her up as she reached him, spinning her round with a glad expression on his face. Even Scootaloo, who'd normally be going 'Ew!' at what she'd consider mushy stuff, had a broad smile on her face as she watched the joyful reunion. It was obvious most of the guards were fairly pleased with events, though that didn't stop them from forming a professional perimeter to guard the two nobles.
Eventually Duke Wilberis had attention to spare for the trio of ponies. He came forward, Annette by his side and holding his hand. "Well, at last I meet all three of you. I've had reports from Macklewheat, but I must say the reality exceeds my expectations."
He turned his gaze on Scootaloo. "When you reported to me, you said Annette was locked up in the old watchtower, surrounded by guards. I also understood from your caravan master that you were merely scouting to find my daughter. How did that come to be no longer the case?"
"Father, they rescued me!" Annette was quick to stick up for them. "You have to help them, they were as valiant as any of your knights!"
The Duke smiled down at his daughter. "I'm sure they were, but I'd like to hear it in their own words."
Apple Bloom dug a hoof into the leaf mould, embarrassed at the attention. Despite everything she'd been through, she found she was nervous. While this wasn't the first time she'd been in the presence of nobility, back then she hadn't had to do much more than throw flowers, and besides, Princess Cadence was so nice you forgot about the horn and wings. She pulled herself together and tried to remember what Sweetie Belle had said. "Well you see, your gracefulness..."
Sweetie Belle gave a wince and stage whispered, "Your Grace!"
"... your Grace, that's how it started out, and then we saw them, the bad guys doing some digging outside the gates, and we used an invisibility spell to get in close to find out what it was, and then... well it got complicated."
She proceeded to explain what had happened, aided and abetted by the other two, for a given value of aided. She missed out the part with the zombies, just saying they found some abandoned tunnels. While the fight down there had been a big part of what went on, it wasn't exactly something they could easily prove, and they had quite enough to tell already.
When they'd finished their explanation, the Duke asked a number of questions about who and what they'd seen, the shape of the defenses, clear and incisive. Then he started issuing orders.
"Sir Varras! Take the first company and the scouts and sweep the watchtower. I want prisoners, but not at the expense of risking your men. They get one chance to surrender, and only one. I particularly want this Mancetti, though I doubt he'll still be there, or any papers he may have left. He's a hire-sword, an arranger of deals, and this wasn't a kidnapping, it was an elaborate assassination attempt. I need to know who he's working for!"
Apple Bloom's keen hearing caught one of the guardsmen muttering as they formed up, "Two guesses and the first one doesn't count."
"Yeah, but it's hard to believe even he'd stood so low." another said.
The first one growled, "That beggar doesn't need to stoop! He's low enough for just about anything."
Sir Varras, a tall human with a visored helm and red cloak, coughed as he came by the two of them. "Quiet! You don't accuse a Margrave without solid proof... even if trolls living under rocks in the Deepwood know he's behind it."
However, the Duke had turned his attention back to the three ponies. "And now for the three of you. You seem to have a talent for finding trouble."
"We're just trying to get back home to our world, our families, your Grace." Apple Bloom said with a heartfelt honesty. "All the rest of this stuff, it just happened."
"Fear not," the Duke smiled. "I didn't mean that as a reproach. Had you not been here, the consequences would have been terrible. Clearly Pelor or some other power brought you here to help us, and I'm grateful they did."
All three of them felt a warm glow at the praise. Scootaloo preened. "We're happy we could help!"
"Nevertheless, my family owes you a debt." He glanced down at his daughter with a fond look. "A great debt. As a first repayment, I invite you all to stay at the manor tonight. Tomorrow we can discuss how I can assist you further."
"Thank you, your Grace, but we should get back to the caravan, Dayton and Maia will be worried about us."
That got a few surprised looks from the guards, and a hoof in the fetlock from Sweetie Belle, but the Duke just chuckled. "Very well, I see I will have to invite them too. I want to get Master Merrel's perspective on matters anyway."
"We'd be honoured, your Grace!" Sweetie Belle finally managed to say directly, then hesitated for a second before adding. "Will there be a bath, a long hot bath would be wonderful..." Her eyes were half lidded as she imagined it.
"I'm sure my staff can arrange something." The Duke replied with an amused look on his face, seeing his daughter shared the same idea. "Shall we go?"
So they went.