//------------------------------// // A Reckless Delivery // Story: The Ties that Bind // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// Fia's discovery upon arriving at the campsite had her hiding behind a tree further back desperately trying, and failing, not to hyperventilate. Several horrible scenarios of what could've happened to the others played through her mind, fueled by her overactive imagination. Other thoughts were reserved for berating herself for how stupid it had been of her to come out here in the first place when she knew there were Royal Guards roaming about. It had been a miracle she hadn't been caught... yet. She stayed behind the tree for another few moments, putting a hoof to her chest and taking deep breaths as she pulled it away. It took several repetitions, but eventually she managed to calm down to a level where she could think rationally. Okay think, Twilight, you're a smart filly. Just assess the situation and plan accordingly. The thought did little to comfort or quell the nervousness she felt, but it at least gave her a bit of focus. Making sure she was still well hidden amongst the trees, she closed her eyes and mulled her next move over. She didn't know all that much about the Royal Guard—at least, not nearly as much as her brother—but she had learned a few things from Shining Armor about how they operated. Fia decided to go forward with the assumption that they were all looking for her, and that they were pulling out all the stops to do so. Earth pony patrols, scanning spells, pegasi scouts, and all manner of other issues arose in her mind, making her whimper quietly with worry. As much as she hated it, she also had to continue under the assumption that the others may have been captured and were being sent to Canterlot, which means the Vardo was most likely being moved out of the forest. It probably hadn't happened too long ago, so she could probably catch up if she was careful. As far as the Guards in the clearing were concerned, there was a fair mix of pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns. Her main problem were the unicorns and what spells they may have been using to search for her. It was that thought that pushed her towards the decision to move further away from the clearing. For all she knew, they could have any number of spells to cancel out magic or magically scan for her location, and it would be all downhill from there. For just a moment an idea crossed her mind. What if... what if I tried to Teleport? She found the idea as attractive as it was repulsive, causing a little shiver of unpleasantness to run down her spine. She quickly rationalized that even if she succeeded, both the noise and the flash would give away her general location. Fia doubted she could make it anywhere close to where she had before when she escaped from her home, and that wouldn't exactly have been ideal anyway. Still... No... it's not worth the risk. She rapidly shook her head before cantering away from the clearing as quietly as possible, wracking her brain for other ideas even as she made her escape. She continued to move in the opposite direction of where all the Guards were for another few minutes, thinking of a plan all the while. The best she could think of was to cast a Shadow Cloak spell to cover her retreat, but she didn't trust herself to stay completely quiet in this situation. Her low growl of frustration turned into a quiet 'eep' of surprise as a slightly raspy yet familiar voice rang out within her head. Can you hear me, little filly? Fia whipped her head left and right, frantically searching for the source of the voice, only to stop and blink in confusion for a moment, then widen her eyes in realization as what was happening and who was causing it finally dawned on her. Uncle Scroll? There was a beat of silence, and then... Indeed it is, little filly, and I'm glad I was able to get in touch with you, and when we meet up again, we're going to have some words about your 'evening stroll'. Fia winced and flattened her ears, not looking forward to that particular talk. They perked back up when she heard Ancient Scroll speak again. That can wait, though, do you know where you are right now? Have the Guard spotted you at all? Fia started to shake her head before she realized there was nopony there to see that, and replied mentally instead. I came back to the campsite not too long ago, but it was full of soldiers. Uncle Scroll, what's going on? Are you all okay? Where are you? Rouge, myself, and the other fillies are fine, Twilight, but we've been forced to move on by the all the Guards, and are being escorted out of the forest. What?! But— Don't worry too much, little filly. The captain of the Guard was using null stone to block out our magic so I couldn't get in touch with you. Fia frowned and slowed to a stop just behind some underbrush. She hadn't much bothered to learn about null stone—what little she did know mostly being due to the self-explanatory nature of the name and the fact that it was used as a material for powerful anti-magic horn rings. Null stone blocked magic, there wasn't really any need to know much more than that. She put the thought out of her mind as Ancient Scroll continued his explanation of the situation. Yojimbo went out to find you, but he got caught up with the Guard. I've told him to continue heading towards the clearing. But what about the Guards? I told him about the Guards as well. They won't be a problem for him as long as he behaves himself. I'm more worried about Fell Wind, as I told her to meet up with you after she lost the Guards chasing after her. Almost out of reflex, Fia perked her ears up and looked around, as though expecting the pegasus in question to drop out of the sky and land right next to her. She felt both shocked and vindicated when Fell Wind proceeded to do just that. "Yo, finally found ya," Fell Wind greeted with a mix of relief and amusement. She completely ignored Fia's yelp of terror at her sudden appearance, "now let's get outta here... oh, and try not to scream, don't wanna get caught by the Guard again." Before Fia could protest, she found herself wrapped in a pair of dark green hooves and lifted into the air. Despite Fell Wind's warning, Fia let out another yelp, this one of surprise and indignation. "What are you doing?" she cried, squirming in the grip of the much stronger pegasus, "put me down!" "No can do, kid," Fell Wind replied easily, "Old stallion's orders, I gotta get you away from the captain's group and as close to the caravan as possible without getting spotted, so you're gonna have to deal." "What?" Fia replied in bewilderment, "what are you talking abo—" Twilight? Twilight, can you hear me, filly? Fia blinked before furrowing her brow. Uncle Scroll, what's going on? Fell Wind found me and she said something about getting me close to the Vardo. Ah, there's a bit of good news then. I would've just informed you to go to the clearing with Yojimbo, but I didn't want to risk it with all those higer level mages around the captain. Fia went to respond, but was distracted as Fell Wind suddenly gave a hard flap of her wings and pushed forward at a pace just under 'breakneck'. The black filly fought to bite back a scream and just barely managed as the pegasus swerved, dodged, and ducked out of the way of incoming trees. After a moment, Fia's heartbeat slowed back down to a somewhat regular pace and she finally gave Ancient Scroll a mental reply—now being able to form rational thoughts once more. You didn't want them to see through the disguise, which makes sense, but then how did Sunset and Trixie manage to trick the captain if she had a null stone? Fia heard Ancient Scroll give one of his signature chuckles, though found it odd that he had done so mentally. That thought was pushed aside as Ancient Scroll spoke again. Apparently, null stone doesn't work on changeling magic—though I'm not so sure that's a good thing... but it's working in our favor for the moment, so I won't worry too much about it. In any case, Sunset and Trixie are still disguised so there's no need to worry there. Fia breathed a small sigh of relief before frowning quizzically. Wait, so if my disguise wouldn't be revealed, why not just go with the captain? Because I don't know if those unicorns know any spells to reveal a changeling and as I said before, I don't want to risk it. Oh... I guess that makes sense... Right. There's a couple of unicorn Guards escorting us, but they seem to be recruits, so I'm not expecting too much out of them. When Fell Wind drops you off, be sure to act the part of the scared filly looking for her grandpa. Fia scrunched up her face in confusion. O... kay? Ancient Scroll chuckled again, and when he next spoke, his voice was just a little too chipper. That'll do, Twilight. I need to take care of a few things on my end, but I'll keep the Telepathic link open in case something happens. I also sent the image of our current path to Fell Wind, so she'll know where to go. If you or Fell Wind need anything, just think it at me. Fia wanted to say something about how ridiculous—and frankly, somewhat convoluted—she thought this plan was, but decided against it and just shook her head instead. If she was being completely honest, she thought Ancient Scroll was being a bit paranoid, but if it kept her away from being revealed and sent back to Canterlot in the hooves of the Guards, she wouldn't complain... too much. "So how come you're trying not to be spotted?" Fia called out to Fell Wind, opting to voice the other question on her mind, "what are you supposed to do in all this?" "Stay out of sight, make my own way out of the forest, and meet you guys once you've got a good distance away from the Guards," she called back over the wind rushing in both their ears, "that's what I get for being the scapegoat." She chanced a look down at Fia, only to see the filly looking back up at her in confusion. Fell Wind laughed and shook her head. "Nevermind, we're coming up to the caravan now," she continued, looking back up at the path ahead, "just be ready to make with the lost, scared filly routine, alright?" Fia followed Fell Wind's gaze, but couldn't make anything out in the darkened forest. In fact, she wondered just how Fell Wind could even see well enough to avoid all the obstacles. "How can you tell?" Fia asked curiously, "can you actually see the Vardo up ahead?" "Yup." Fia waited for an explanation, and frowned when she didn't receive one. She cried out in surprise as the dark green pegasus put on an extra burst of speed. The filly wondered what had gotten into Fell Wind, when she happened to catch the glint of something shiny further up ahead in the light of the moon. It took her a moment, but as they got closer, she could just make out the golden armor of the Guards through the trees, and the sound of the caravan as it moved along the open path out of the forest. When they had gotten close enough, Fell Wind leaned in and whispered in Fia's ear. "Alright, that's your cue, kid," she said with a wink that Fia couldn't see, "make some noise." "Wha—" Fia shrieked as her world was suddenly sent spinning. It only lasted a second before she landed in some bushes near the pathway. Her momentum sent her rolling out of the bush and stumbling right into the path about a yard ahead of the oncoming caravan. The commotion was enough to catch the attention of the Guards, and they rushed over to investigate, completely missing the pegasus mare hiding in the trees and wearing a wide victorious grin as she watched the events unfold. The filly had landed just as planned—dazed, but unharmed by the rough arrival. "Ha!" the ecstatic pegasus whispered loudly, "nailed it!" She pumped a hoof in the air before turning and zipping off into a more isolated part of the forest to make her escape. The entire plan had been far from perfect, but it had worked so far, and Fell Wind—along with the others—could only hope that their luck continued to hold until they were all out of the forest and away from the Guards. Fell Wind herself had no worries about getting out of the forest. Once she was out, all she'd have to do is bide her time until the others made it out as well. The only thing she'd have to deal with was the boredom.