• Published 30th Mar 2012
  • 3,590 Views, 62 Comments

Spanner in the Works - RK_Striker_JK_5



Discord tries to free himself with help, but Trixie throws a spanner into the works.

  • ...
6
 62
 3,590

Chapter five

Twilight, Spike and Applejack quickly reached Carousel Boutique, only to find Rarity standing before the broken door, her horn glowing and the door itself floating in place. “Rarity, are... you... all right?” Twilight blurted out between pants.

Applejack glanced to her, shaking her head. “Yah need more exercise, Twilight!” She looked to Rarity. “But like she said, are yah all right?”

Rarity blinked. “Sorry, what?” Her head turned to the door. “Oh, of course!” She waved a foreleg at Applejack. “Oh, this? It's nothing. Just some Diamond Dogs decided to show up and try to attack me. Can you believe it? Those brutes!” A wicked grin crossed her mouth. “I sent them packing, of course.” She glanced away. “Then again, they mentioned a 'boss pony'. Ah, well! Knowing them, they probably just made it up...“ She looked back to her friends, the smile falling away. “Right?”

Twilight shook her head. “Actually, I'm fairly sure Applejack and I just fought the 'boss pony'. Or boss ponies.” She jerked her head back in the direction of the library. “Prince Blueblood and Trixie just ambushed me outside the library!”

Applejack spoke up. “An' those no-good FlimFlam Brothers attacked Big Mac and I outside-” She suddenly gasped. “Oh, no! They're probably still there!” She hopped from hoof to hoof. “Ah, Twilight, mah kin! I gotta go, but you need me here.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, go make sure they're all right, Applejack.” She held up a hoof. “But, wait!” her horn glowed and a small watch flashed into existence around Applejack's left foreleg. It quickly began ticking as Twilight telekinetically wound it. “Be back in twenty minutes, or else Spike and I are going after you.” She glanced over her shoulder at the baby dragon. “Sorry, but I don't want to leave you alone.”

Spike merely wrapped his arm around Twilight's neck, giving her a brief hug. “Same here,” he admitted.

Rarity spoke up. “Count me in. There's no way in Tartarus I'll abandon my friends if they need me.”

Applejack glanced to the door, still floating in the air. “But what about yer door?”

Rarity looked to it and set it down. “I need to air out the boutique anyway.” She waved a hoof at Applejack. “Get going!”

Applejack hopped into the air. She turned, but a blue-and-pink streak in the air caught her attention. It circled around before the pink blur detached, quickly forming into Pinkie Pie. The party pony plopped onto the ground, tucking into a roll before leaping back into the air in a somersault and backflip, landing on her hind hooves in perfect form before dropping to all fours.

The blue streak resolved itself into Rainbow Dash as she swung around into a tight circle, slowing down. She finally touched down, trotting to a halt. “Sorry, had to lose speed,” she barked out. Her head twisted around. “Okay, what's going on? Pinkie Pie said you needed our help!”

Pinkie's head bobbed up and down. “Yeah, my Pinkie Sense went all ca-razy on me!” She hopped back and looked around. “Where are they? Lemme at 'em!” she cried out, jabbing the air with her hooves.

Dash looked to Twilight. “Gilda flew up and attacked us while we were at the lake near Fluttershy's cottage. We drove her off but-” She suddenly sucked in a gasp and leaped into the air. “Oh, no! Fluttershy!” She darted to and fro. “She's all alone and who knows what Gilda might do to her?” She flew off, but a violet field of magic quickly enveloped her, dragging her back. “Lemme go, Twilight!” she cried out, wings beating frantically.

Twilight grunted and dug in her hooves. “Not... yet!” Her entire body shuddered as she released the field. She paused as Dash slowly turned around and glared at her. “We need some coordination, or else we'll all get mixed up!” Her horn glowed and watches appeared around everyone's right foreleg and Spike's right forearm. “All right, now. Applejack, you, Spike and I will go check on Sweet Apple Acres and your family. Rainbow Dash, you, Pinkie Pie and Rarity will check on Fluttershy and get her to the library with you.” She held up her foreleg and the watch strapped to it. “We all meet back at the library in twenty-five minutes, all right?”

At everyone's nod the two groups formed up, splitting up and taking off down the road and out of Ponyville.


The 'Elements of Discord' flew, drove, limped and galloped into the Everfree, Trixie and Blueblood arriving first and waiting for the others in the main chamber with Discord's statue. The FlimFlam Brothers trotted in, both with burn cream covering their faces. Gilda dropped down from a hole in the ceiling, her face bruised and beak slightly askew. And finally the Diamond Dogs limped in, Rover still carrying Fido. He set the smaller dog down on the stone floor and slumped down, whining and keening.

Blueblood let out a sigh. “I'm guessing none of your attacks went well?”

Gilda grabbed her beak and adjusted it. “That pink loser had artillery!” she shouted, throwing her claws up into the air. “And then Dash kicked me right in the face!”

Flam wiped a foreleg across his mustache. “We had things well in hoof, but that crazy old nag threw hot apple pies at us!” He tapped his horn, wincing. “Admittedly, she had rather good aim.”

Rover growled. “Prissy pony tossed us about. We had no chance against her.”

Blueblood let out a groan. “This is simply unacceptable!” he began pacing in front of the group. “Each one of you had the element of surprise and Lord Discord's boon. It is unacceptable for any of you to fail in taking out your targets!”

Gilda's right eye twitched. She formed a claw into a fist and pounded it into the other. “And how did you two do against that bookworm? I don't see you two crowing about taking her out!”

Trixie spoke up. “Blueblood and Trixie decided that a tactical retreat was in order when Applejack arrived. We had the situation under control, but Trixie decided not to take any unnecessary risks.”

Gilda snorted. “So you ran away.”

Trixie’s eyes hardened. “By choice. Not that you did any better.” She paced back and forth a bit. “Besides, something almost as good was accomplished today.”

Gilda blinked. “And what was that?!”

They know about us and we’re in the Everfree. “We put them off their guard. They’re not thinking straight, jumping at every sound or movement.” Trixie began pacing, making eye contact with each and every one there. “Trust Trixie on this, Gilda. By this time they’re jumping at shadows, not able to know when or where we’ll strike.” And hopefully told the Princesses about us, too.

Gilda sat back and crossed her arms. “I hope you’re right about that,” she snarled, her eyes narrowing. “Because we all still got our butts kicked by those losers!”

Blueblood snorted. “I can most assure you, my dear Gilda, that Trixie and I did not get our ‘butts kicked’ as you so crudely put it.” He looked to Trixie. “We simply made a tactical retreat after I was assaulted from behind by that peasant farmer and her apples.” he winced and rubbed the back of his head. “I must say, I guess physical labor does have its uses!”

Flim rubbed his chin. “Hmm, I think Trixie’s right.”

Trixie smirked at the clean-shaven unicorn. “Of course Trixie’s right, my dear Flim.” Right about many things, just not the ones you think. She paused, her cloak fluttering in a telekinetically-conjured breeze. “As I said, they don’t know where we’ll be coming from, or even when. We’re here in the Everfree, a vast wilderness that’s mostly unexplored. It will take forever for them to find us.” Unless they search for the most obvious hiding place. “While we all know where they are.”

Gilda shook her head. “I hope you’re right, Trixie.” Her stomach suddenly growled. “Ah, I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast.” She stood up and spread her wings. “Catch you later,” she said before taking off through the same hole in the ceiling.

Trixie nodded after her. She looked back down, looking askance at a faded decoration on the wall. “Trust me, Gilda. Trixie knows precisely what she’s doing.”