//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Crime and Punishment // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// Arc and Scootaloo enter the Sheriff’s Office sometime later. He waves them over and pulls several massive bags of bits out from his desk drawer. “I’ve added up the bounties of everypony you rounded up, and I gotta say it’s a chunk of change!” Scootaloo nods as she takes her earnings. “Thanks for the bits. But I’m a bit worried their boss will come calling soon.” “You took down almost half the troublemakers last night. He’s a lot less dangerous now with fewer hooves at his disposal.” “Any idea where the leader holes up?” The sheriff sighs and shakes his head. “None whatsoever. But it has to be somewhere within walking distance of town.” “That’s unfortunate. I was hoping we could…” The sound of hooves running toward the office rings out as the door flies open. An out of breath stallion runs inside and hurries over to the lawpony. “Sheriff! A couple here in town reports their fillies are missing!” “How long?!” “No idea! They weren’t in their beds this morning!” Scootaloo frowns. “Do they suspect foul play?” “Yes! Their room’s window was open! Both parents and their friends are out and about looking for them right now!” “Get a posse together to search outside of town. We’ll see if we can’t turn something up.” Scootaloo turns to the sheriff as the townspony runs out the door. “Would you like some help?” “Nah. You’ve done enough already. That and there’s no bounty for something like this.” Scootaloo nods and turns to leave the office. “Well, I’ll be in my room at the Inn. Call for me if you need me.” Arc and Scootaloo walk down the street together. “I hope they turn up soon.” “So do I, Scootaloo. But it sounds less like kidnapping and more like runaways.” “How do you know?” Arc frowns. “He said the window was open, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a forced entry. That and there’s no past history of such problems in town. And if you recall, the sheriff didn’t seem too worried.” “But he’s forming a posse!” “That’s his job though. We should probably leave this matter to him.” “What now?” “Let’s take those bits to the shops and buy some supplies. We should probably be moving on soon.” “But what about the rest of the gang?” Arc sighs. “We’ll try and take them down before we go. Failing that, we’re only two individuals. The town might need to put together a bigger posse and take care of that problem themselves.” “Maybe. But I don’t like the idea of leaving without taking care of them.” “No promises, but I’ll try to think of something.” The pair visit nearly every shop in town to purchase everything they might need on their journey. Eventually Arc looks at Scootaloo’s bulging saddlebags and chuckles. “Maybe we should head back to our room and drop this stuff off.” “That… might be a good idea. This stuff’s heavy! Do I have to carry all this as we travel?” “Don’t worry. I’ll be carrying most of it. That and we’ll both be stronger since we’ll be traveling at night.” “That’s a relief.” Arriving at their room, they immediately notice the door slightly ajar. “Big Brother, look!” Arc frowns. “Let me go in first. You wait in the hall.” “But…!” “Don’t argue with me!” “Yes sir.” Arc pushes the door open and looks around. Walking around their room Arc sees nothing out of place other than a single piece of paper on the table. He calls out to Scootaloo telepathically. “You can come in now. It’s clear.” Entering, Scootaloo sees Arc decloak and pick up the paper. Looking it over he frowns. “What’s that?” “A letter from some of the stallions still out there.” Scootaloo grimaces. “Uh oh. Dare I ask what they want?” “They say they’ve taken those two fillies hostage!” “Oh no!” “It says here that the Scarlet Filly needs to turn herself over to them if the parents want their foals back.” Scootaloo gasps. “What are we going to do?!” Arc sits down on the bed and continues to read the paper. “We can’t let them have you. After what we did to their comrades, I can’t imagine them letting you live.” “I could wait until tonight. Then we’d have the advantage, as none of them can see in the dark.” Arc shakes his head. “No, they say we have until noon to meet them. After that the fillies will never be heard from again. That and if we tell the sheriff they’re as good as dead too.” “They wouldn’t… would they?” Sighing, Arc holds up something. Scootaloo grimaces. “Wha-what is that?!” “I think it’s the tip of an ear.” “One of the fillies?!” Arc nods. “Probably.” “Why would they DO that?!” “To show that they’re serious about killing them.” Scootaloo grits her teeth angrily. “Can we go now?!” “You’re okay with risking your life?” Scootaloo nods soberly. “Yes. I can’t let them die because of what I did.” “You mean what WE did.” “Call it what you will. But we need to go NOW!” Arc stands. “Fine. I have a plan to get the fillies back safely and keep you alive too.” “What is it?” “Come on, I’ll explain on the way.” Leaving the room, the pair head out of town. Following the crude map drawn at the bottom, they quickly come to a cave. Looking down at the terrain below they spot several stallions patrolling the grounds. Scootaloo frowns as she turns to Arc. “Looks like they aren’t messing around this time.” “Yeah. No one’s getting past them unseen. And I’m guessing there’s a few in the cave as well. You clear on the plan?” Scootaloo nods soberly. “I am.” “Scared?” “Of course. But not as much as those fillies must be.” “Probably.” “I need to get going. Wish me luck.” “Yeah. Luck.” A few minutes later the stallions on guard look up to see a confused looking pegasus filly trotting toward them. She looks up at them sadly. “Excuse me sir, but I’m lost. Can somepony tell me how to get back to Dodge Junction please?” “Sure! But we’re waiting for somepony right now. You’ll have to stay here until then.” Scootaloo tilts her head to one side, confused. “I do? Why’s that?” “Because we said so! Now come with me!” Scootaloo grimaces. “B-but…!” One of them grabs Scootaloo by her mane and roughly drags her into the cave. Before long they approach a couple stallions guarding a cage with two fillies in it. One of them has a crude cloth bandage tied around their ear. Both appear to have been crying for some time. They draw back fearfully as the stallion opens the cage. “I brought you a little friend. Play nice now.” He shoves Scootaloo into the cage with them and slams the door behind her. She hurries over to the pair and tries to comfort them. “It’ll be okay. We’ll be fine as soon as somepony finds us.” The stallion laughs. “Ain't nopony gonna look way out here.” “Yeah. And if that Scarlet Filly does show up, we’ll have to teach her a lesson in minding her own business!” He turns to the foals, a wicked grin on his face. “You three can watch.” The fillies start to cry again. One of the guards turns to his companion. “Why’d you have to go and say that? We just got them to stop bellyaching!” “Yeah! Now they’ll never shut up!” Scootaloo turns to them, pleadingly. “Please let us go! We didn’t do anything to you!” “We’ll let you go when the Scarlet Filly gets here.” One of his companions shakes his head. “Nah. They’ve seen our faces, so we can’t let any of them live.” The fillies burst into fresh hysterics as Scootaloo glares at the stallions. “Why are you doing this?!” “To teach somepony a lesson. Trust me, it ain't personal.” “Yeah. And don’t worry that it’ll hurt. We’ll kill each of you quickly so you don’t suffer too much.” He walks toward the mouth of the cave and looks out before calling back to Scootaloo. “And judging by the lack of shadows out there, it’s almost noon.” “So say your goodbyes to each other.” “We’ll give you a few minutes.” Turning to the foals, Scootaloo walks between them and puts her front hooves around their necks as she lays down and whispers. “Keep your heads down, close your eyes, and don’t move until I tell you to no matter what you hear. Okay?” The fillies do as Scootaloo tells them. A few moments later the stallion returns and walks toward the cage. “It’s time. Now then, just let me sharpen my knife and we can…” He is cut off as blood suddenly sprays forth from the guard’s necks. They gurgle softly before falling to the ground. The stallion gasps and turns to run away, but Arc drops his knives and Blinks between him and the mouth of the cave as he decloaks. Reaching forward he grabs the terrified stallion by the throat and pushes him roughly to the ground. He gasps frantically. “Wha-what are…?!” Arc looks at him coldly. “Your executioner.” Closing his fingers around the stallion’s windpipe a few gasps ring out before his throat is crushed. Arc stands and looks back at the cage. Blinking over to his knives, he picks them up and calls out to Scootaloo telepathically as he walks to the cave entrance. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Nodding in affirmation, Scootaloo keeps her head down with the crying fillies as screams fill the air outside. A few moments later they all fall silent. Arc returns to the cage with a key and unlocks it as Scootaloo does her best to coax the fillies to stand. “You’re safe now.” Scootaloo pats their heads as they open their eyes. “It’s going to be okay. But we need to get back to town now.” Slowly the fillies turn to look at the open cage door. They spot the three dead stallions and scream before fainting from the shock. Arc enters the cage and picks them up as Scootaloo looks to him. “Are they…?” “Yes. Every one of them is dead. Now let’s go.” Walking back to town, Arc stops just shy of the ridge overlooking the town and looks to Scootaloo. “You sure you can do this?” Scootaloo nods. “Yeah. I kinda have to anyways.” A few minutes later the residents of Dodge Junction gasp as the Scarlet Filly enters town with the unconscious fillies on her back. Their parents are called for and rush them to the local hospital. The sheriff runs over to the robed figure. “What happened?!” Scootaloo reaches into her robe and pulls out the note. “They were kidnapped and held in a cave nearby.” “Are they…?” Scootaloo shakes her head. “Just in shock. But otherwise fine.” “Can you show us where this happened?! We need to make sure those varmints don’t get away with this!” “I can take you there. But I don’t think they’ll be giving you any more trouble.” “They sure won’t! I’ll lock them up and throw away the key!” “No need for that. Everypony involved in the kidnapping is dead. Now, if you’ll follow me, we can clean up the bodies.” The sheriff, along with several other stallions follow Scootaloo out of town and to the cave. They load up the dead bodies in a nearby wagon and head back toward town as the sheriff turns to Scootaloo. “What exactly happened?” “They kidnapped those fillies to use as bait to lure me out. That note I gave you back in town was on my table when I returned to the Inn this morning. I would have told you about it sooner, but as you can see they warned me not to.” “Yes, I can see that. But did you have to… you know…?” Scootaloo frowns as the wagon passes them. “They were about to kill the fillies when I arrived. It was the best way to see to it they never hurt anypony ever again.” Returning to the Inn sometime later Arc and Scootaloo head for their room. She flops down on the bed with a sigh. “That was awful.” Arc nods soberly. “It had to be done.” “I know. But where do we go from here?” “We can’t stay. After all, the rest of the gang is still out there. And they apparently know where we’re staying.” “You think they’ll come back?” Arc nods grimly. “I guarantee it.” “So we’re leaving town?” “Just the Inn. We’ll head for our old camp in the woods.” “Aw… I’d gotten used to sleeping in a real bed too.” “It’s for the safety of the townsponies as well as ours, Scootaloo.” “Yeah, I know.” Arc grabs his backpack. “Come on. Let’s get going so we can get some sleep.” Heading out the door, Scootaloo returns the key to innkeeper at the front desk. “Leaving so soon?” Scootaloo nods and sighs. “I’ll stay in the area.” “The whole town’s heard about what happened. You’ll always be welcome here anytime.” “Thank you sir.” Leaving, Arc and Scootaloo head for the forest again. Setting up their tent, they unroll a new sleeping bag and lay it flat. Scootaloo yawns and lays down with Arc. “Good night, Big Brother.” “Night.” “Um… do you think those fillies will be okay.” Arc shakes his head. “Not really. Something like that isn’t easily forgettable. The road to recovery will be long and hard for them. But at least they have their lives.” “And they have their parents.” “That too.” Scootaloo is silent for a time as she presses her face against Arc’s chest and whimpers. “I… I miss my mom.” Arc puts his arms around her. “I’m sorry she’s gone. If there was anything I could do to bring her back, I would.” “Thanks. But I know there isn’t. I’d really like to help those fillies through this though.” “Oh? What’d you have in mind?” As the sun sets, Arc and Scootaloo awaken. After eating a quick meal they head back into town. Arc calls out to Scootaloo telepathically. “Are you sure about this?” Scootaloo nods. “I’ve never been more sure about anything.” Coming to the hospital they enter the building. Walking up to the front desk Scootaloo asks for the filly’s room number. Heading there, they find their parents dozing in chairs next to the bed. Scootaloo walks over to them, but keeps her voice low. “How are they?” “Not too good.” “The doctor gave them some medicine to help them sleep.” Their mother turns to the bed. “They needed it. After all, today’s been quite the day.” “Thank you very much for rescuing our little ones. I don’t know what we would have done had something happened to them.” “We’ll see them through this though.” Scootaloo sighs. “That’s actually what I came to talk to you about. If you’d like, I can help them.” The stallion appears confused. “You can? How?” “It’s one of my powers. The only thing I ask for in return is that you both wait in the hall.” “Will it hurt them?” Scootaloo shakes her head. “They’ll be perfectly safe.” “Well… okay. Come along, dear.” The pair leave the room together. Scootaloo throws back her cowl and walks over to the beds. Gently shaking them, she wakes the fillies up. They gasp and look around the room, clearly frightened. “It’s okay. You two remember me?” Y-yes.” “You were in that awful cage with us.” Scootaloo nods. “Right. Now I know you’re scared. But I’m here to take that away from you.” “How?” “You just need to trust me.” “What do we have to do?” “Close your eyes for a moment.” “That’s it?” Scootaloo nods. “To start with, yes.” The fillies do as they are told. Scootaloo walks over to the window and looks up at the moon. Her features become that of a Crimson as she hops up onto the bed to stand before the pair. “Open your eyes and look at me.” They do so. Each lets out a small gasp before Scootaloo hypnotizes them with her gaze. “They’re under my control now, Big Brother. Can I get started?” “Go ahead.” Scootaloo takes a deep breath before speaking again. “Listen to me. Both of you were kidnapped early this morning. One of you lost part of an ear in the process, but were otherwise unharmed. When I release you from my spell, neither will remember the gory details of your imprisonment or exactly what happened to your captors. Just that it happened and you’re both safely back in Dodge Junction. Do you understand?” The pair nod slowly with empty eyes as Scootaloo continues. “Now then… what happened?” “We were kidnapped and taken to a cave.” “But what exactly happened there is kinda fuzzy.” Scootaloo grins. “Good. You also won’t remember my face or who I really am. Just that you were rescued by the Scarlet Filly. Got it?” Again, they nod. Scootaloo turns to Arc. “Anything else?” Arc shakes his head. “Nah. I think you covered everything. Release them.” Scootaloo puts her hood back up and claps her front hooves together a couple times. The fillies look at her a few moments, confused. “Where… are we?” “The hospital?” Scootaloo jumps off the bed. “I’ll let your parents know you’re awake.” Opening the door, Scootaloo peeks out. “You can come back in.” The pair hurry into the room and over to their daughters. “Are you two okay?!” “I think so.” “We were kidnapped… right?” Their mother nods. “Yes! What happened back then?!” “It’s all kinda fuzzy now.” She reaches up and touches her bandaged ear. “This kinda hurts. Can I have some medicine please?” The mare nods with tears in her eyes. “Y-yes! Of course.” Smiles, the stallion turns back. “We can’t thank you enough Scarlet…” Looking around, they find no trace of Scootaloo. As the pair walk down the street toward the edge of town Arc calls out to her. “That was a nice thing you did.” “They shouldn’t have to live with the horror of that event.” “Could I do that too?” Scootaloo nods. “You should be able to. Why?” “I could help you move past your own pain. It can’t be easy to live with what happened that night.” “Thank you for the offer, Big Brother. But I think I’d like to keep my memories of that time.” “Oh? Why’s that?” “Because while it was a terrible experience, I don’t want to forget a moment of my life. Memories are what make us special after all.” “Fine. But then why were you so eager to suppress their memories?” “They suffered more than I ever did. To be forcefully taken from your home like that has to be awful. At least my own dad cleared the memories of the worst of it from my own mind.” “It that’s what you want, I won’t force you to undergo that.” “Thank you, Big Brother.”