//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Coyotes and Roadrunners // Story: A Tale of Two Fillies // by Plumicorns //------------------------------// "Eat dust, pigs!" she yelled behind her as she whipped across the arid soil. Behind her, three large earth pony stallions galloped fiercely, trying in vain to keep up. The foremost stallion shouted something, but the space between them was growing rapidly, and she could not hear what he said, nor did she particularly care. Once she was satisfied with the distance between her and her pursuers, she opened her dark gray wings and began beating them vigorously. She burst forward, and a huge cloud of dust kicked up behind her as she accelerated drastically. She skimmed above the desert like a dragonfly, her hooves only touching the ground on occasion to give her an extra boost. She reveled in the feeling of the wind on her wings, and her mane and tail whipped behind her like gray flags. Soon, the sheriff and his lackeys were just little specks on the horizon. She chuckled to herself and changed direction once they were finally out of sight. While the sheriff continued on toward the west, she would be well on her way to the buttes in the south - toward the hideout. The dust she kicked up would settle by then and cover up any tracks she left behind. A simple, but effective diversion, given her speed. She slowed down a bit once she got close to the hideout. The entrance was hidden in a small crevice that carved itself into the side of the butte. It was wide enough for four ponies to enter abreast, and about six ponies tall at the peak of the crevice. Once inside, she followed a dark tunnel that eventually widened out into a spacious cavern. The cavern was covered wall to wall in various things, all stolen, of course. Bags and crates of bits sat in piles against the walls, and various other trinkets littered the room, such as jewelry and saddlebags taken from tourists. She took her own saddlebag and tossed it to the ground, the bits inside overflowed onto the ground with a tinkle. She flopped down onto an old, moth-eaten sofa with a huff and closed her eyes. After a moment she sat up straighter and stretched her wings out, winding them in a circular motion with a groan. She fell back into the cushions of the couch with a contented sigh. "I wonder what's takin’ the others so long," she wondered to herself. As if in answer, she heard hoofsteps at the entrance. She tensed her wings, just in case she'd have to make a run for it, but relaxed when she saw the familiar bright yellow mane of Thistle Whistle. She was pulling a small wagon behind her. As soon as she was inside she unhitched the wagon and shook the dust from her mane and her creamy tan fur. "That was a disaster," Thistle groaned, "Dusty, you shoulda seen it. Unbelievable." She walked toward the couch and kicked a few loose bits on the ground out of her way. She seemed huffier than usual. "Whatcha mean? Looks like you guys pulled through just fine and dandy," Dusty gestured to the cart from her place on the couch. "Oh sure, but we lost-" She was cut off by a stallion loudly bursting into the entrance. "Dusty! It's a disaster! It's horrible!" he shouted, his long, red mane was frazzled and windblown, and his brown chest puffed in and out comically. He was breathing so heavily Dusty thought the pony was going to keel over. "Chokecherry, calm down, what's goin’ on?" Dusty said, getting up from the couch to stand by the stallion and pat him gently on the back. He whinnied pathetically as he tried to catch his breath, he was never able to keep up as well with the others. Thistle chimed in before he could recover. "We lost Briar Rose." Dusty blanched, "you what?" Chokecherry finally caught his breath. "Th-there were royal guards in town! When the sheriff and the others left to chase you, the guards were still in town and thwarted us as we were leavin' the bank. We were just barely able to escape with the loot, but Briar done went and got caught," he said shakily. Dusty stared at the brown stallion for a second before turning to Thistle, who nodded in verification. Dusty turned away from them and began to pace. This was bad, really bad. If they questioned Briar Rose, she could accidentally give away the position of their hideout. They couldn't risk losing everything they've worked for for years over some fluke and a newbie who wasn't hardened enough to handle herself in front of the cops. "Well, we'll have to go get her," Dusty said, "we need a plan." "What are royal guards even doing in Dodge Junction?" Chokecherry asked. "Don't matter," Dusty said, "a pig's a pig, and that means they're no allies to us. Especially after capturin’ one of our own." "They'll just catch us, too. We were lucky to escape the first time," Thistle grumbled, she had plopped herself onto the couch angrily. "That's ‘cause they caught y'all by surprise, once we're on the offensive, we'll have the advantage," said Dusty. "I dunno," Chokecherry said sheepishly, "the sheriff and his ponies are one thing, but royal guards are something else. You didn't see 'em, Dust. They were huge and fast. I mean, they were able to catch Briar, and she's the fastest of all of us besides you." "That's because Briar is inexperienced," Dusty said, shrugging his comments off, "which is exactly why we need to get her back. What if they interrogate her and she spills our location?" "I mean, I guess that makes sense," Thistle said flatly, she still looked a little apprehensive. "Look, if you guys don't wanna come, then I'll just go get her myself. I'm more than capable. The last thing I need is you little foals hesitatin’ on me cause you're scared," Dusty said with finality. Thistle wrinkled her nose at the last remark. With that said, Dusty left the cavern, making her way to the entrance. She peered out over the vast desert. It would be dark soon, and that would give her an advantage. Her dark coat blended in well with moonlit desert soil, unlike in the daytime where she stood out like a sore hoof against the bright red dirt. She stood there for a while, thinking of a plan. "Dusty?" A voice came from behind her. She turned to see Chokecherry approaching her slowly. "What is it, decided to buck up and join me?" "Yeah, actually. Those royal guards are scary, but Briar Rose is still our friend. We can't leave her behind." Dusty laughed, "Chokecherry, you've always been way too sentimental. Whatever, though, as long as it gets your hooves movin'. You're probably the sneakiest out of all of us, so you'll be the one to sneak into Prickle Pants' office and get his keys." Chokecherry gaped at that but didn't protest. "We're gonna sneak into town when it gets dark and break her out of the jail, that's probably where they're keepin' her." "Are you sure we can do this, Dust?" "Don't be ridiculous, ‘course we can. Just listen to me and everything will work out like it always has." Chokecherry didn't seem satisfied by this answer, but it shut him up. Dusty turned to face him. "We leave as soon as the sun is down, got it? Go back in and tell little miss Prissy Thissy that if she wants to come help she better be out here by then." "Alrighty," Chokecherry said and shuffled back into the cave. Dusty sat on a rock and watched the sky turn dark as Celestia pulled the sun down into the cool embrace of the horizon. She thought of Briar Rose, locked up in a cell. Serves her right for getting caught, Dusty thought. Dusty always thought Briar wasn't cut out for this kind of work. She was too naive and had a tendency to panic in stressful situations, and in all honesty, Dusty had been thinking letting her join their little posse had been a mistake, but Thistle vouched for her. They were cousins and had grown up together. Thistle had always been a coward, though, so Dusty wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t show up tonight, even for her favorite cousin. In any case, there was nothing she could do about it now. She certainly couldn't kick Briar out, she would probably go barking their secrets up every cherry tree in town, and while she was somewhat cold to her posse, she certainly didn't have the heart to "get rid" of her, so she just dealt with her incompetence and hoped it would improve. That was obviously the wrong choice, considering the situation they were in now. Finally, the sun's last rays disappeared behind the distant mountains and darkness settled upon the desert. It was time to leave. ☁☀☁☀☁☀☁☀☁☀☁ Dusty and Chokecherry made their way into the outskirts of Dodge Junction. Thistle had decided not to come, saying it was a "lost cause." By this time it was well into the night, and almost everypony in Dodge Junction was asleep. If not for the urgency of their mission, Dusty would have found it peaceful. The moonlight gave the red earth of the ground a silvery tinge, and the skeletons of cherry trees bristled in the slight breeze, dusted with green leaf buds. Dusty signaled Chokecherry with her wing, and they split up. Chokecherry headed toward the sheriff's office, while Dusty headed toward the jailhouse. When she arrived she noticed two ponies outside the door and quickly hid before they saw her. She peered from her hiding place between two storefronts at the ponies guarding the jailhouse. They were massive pegasus stallions, easily as big as the strongest earth ponies that worked on the nearby ranches and farms. Dusty had never seen a pegasus that looked like this before. She had only ever seen herself and some of the dweeby tourists that occasionally visited town. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a little intimidated. Ducking behind the buildings she came around the back of the jailhouse, which was unguarded. She tiptoed up to one of the windows and peered in. It was dark, but she could make out the green coat and pink mane of a pony in one of the cells. She looked for a way to get in, but all of the windows were locked shut. She made her way to the back, where there was a second entrance. She gently turned the handle, but it wouldn't budge. She sighed in exasperation. A jingling noise behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin. She turned to see Chokecherry behind her, holding a key ring in his mouth. "I wasn't sure which one went to the cells, so I grabbed 'em all," he whispered around the keys. Dusty smiled and snatched the keys from him. As quietly as possible she tried each one, slowly placing them into the keyhole and turning softly. She was beginning to lose patience, but as she placed the final key in the lock it turned and clicked. "Finally!" she whispered. She stuck her snout under her wing and found her oil gland and carefully rubbed as much as she could on the hinges of the door. It opened silently. She peered in, Chokecherry sticking his head in underneath her. No one appeared to be in the main area, just the pony in the cell. She stepped the rest of the way in, signaling Chokecherry to stay outside and keep watch. Even standing in front of it, it was hard to see into the cell. The shadows of the tree branches outside danced in the cast moonlight, giving the impression of movement within. "Psst, Briar," Dusty whispered softly, "Hey, Briar, you awake in there?" She was answered by silence. Dusty pulled out the keyring and began testing the keys in the cell lock. About halfway through the ring, she found it, unlocking the cell door with a satisfying click. Unfortunately, the cell didn't have a handle, so when it was unlocked, it swung open with a loud creak, not allowing Dusty the opportunity to oil the hinges. Dusty panicked as she heard movement beyond the front door and rushed into the cell, grabbing the sleeping pony inside. She stopped when she noticed how light Briar Rose seemed to be. Looking down she saw she was holding a green bed sheet with a pink scarf lying on top. Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor in shock, she had been duped! At that moment the front door to the jailhouse burst open and one of the pegasus guards rushed in. Dusty wasted no time ditching the laundry on the floor of the cell and rushing to the back door. Her heart dropped when she saw the second guard holding down Chokecherry, placing cuffs on his hooves. Dusty prepared to bolt around the second guard while he was busy with Chokecherry, but just as she was about to get through the door, she found herself suspended midair, unable to move forward. She turned to see a third guard standing at the front door, a faint blue glow around his long, sharp horn. He seemingly had come out of nowhere. "Alert the sheriff," the unicorn guard said to the pegasus beside him. The pegasus guard nodded curtly and galloped off. Dusty struggled and thrashed, but no matter how hard she tried to gallop or how fast she beat her wings, her physical efforts had no effect on the burly unicorn's telekinetic spell. After several minutes she heard hoofsteps approaching, and the pegasus guard returned, towing the sheriff behind him. By now the other pegasus guard was done with Chokecherry and had led him inside, hooves chained together so he couldn't run off. The sheriff smiled when he saw Dusty suspended in the air. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the infamous Dusty Clouds, apprehended at last," he said with a chuckle, his usual cocky grin turned up to eleven. Dusty snorted at him, "Well, well, well, if it isn’t the the famous Sheriff Prickle Pants, arriving at the scene of the crime last, like always. The only reason you caught me is because you got some extra goons to do your job for you." "It's Sheriff Prickly Pear! Prickly Pear! How many times do I have to tell you," the sheriff fumed, pointing an accusatory hoof at her. "Whatever," Dusty rolled her eyes, "let's get the chit-chat over with and get to the part where you throw me in jail. The faster we're done here the faster I can escape." "Ah, ah, not so fast," the sheriff said with a click of his tongue, "unfortunately for you, you will not be going to jail today." "Oh? You're letting me go?" "Not exactly," the sheriff gestured to the three royal guards, "see these gentlecolts here? There's a reason they've decided to grace our little town with their presence. Once we get all the paperwork sorted out, you will be in their custody." "Wait, what?" Dusty shouted. She looked down to Chokecherry, who looked just as confused as her. She looked to the guards, who stared back at her evenly. Finally, she looked back to Sheriff Prickly Pear. "What do royal guards want with me?" It wasn't the sheriff who responded, but rather one of the pegasus guards. "Princess Twilight Sparkle has specifically requested your apprehension and detainment. You will be brought to Canterlot at dawn." "The princess? Canterlot?" Dusty reeled, "What does the princess want me in Canterlot for?" "I cannot say," said the guard, "we are simply following our orders. We are not privy to the details and reasons for your relocation." "We're going to Canterlot?" Chokecherry chimed in from the corner. "Nope, just Dusty Clouds," the sheriff said, "you and Briar Rose will be staying right here. And once we find your yellow friend, Thistle Whistle, she'll join you." Dusty was still processing what she was just told as she was floated out of the jailhouse. She caught one last glance of Chokecherry's fearful expression before the door was slammed closed. The guards led her down the quiet streets. They passed one of the sheriff's assistants leading Briar Rose toward the way they had come, likely heading to lock her in the jailhouse. When she caught sight of Dusty she gasped. She looked like she wanted to say something, but as she passed she just looked away shamefully. Dusty said nothing as well. Eventually, the guards brought her to a carriage. It was fancy and intricately adorned, Dusty almost wouldn't have realized it was a paddywagon if not for the bars on the windows. The six-starred royal symbol was emblazoned in sparkling paint on the side. One of the pegasus guards placed shackles on her legs and a thick leather strap over her middle, holding her wings down. With that the unicorn guard, still holding her up, placed her gently inside the carriage, snapping the door shut behind her quickly. Dusty looked around at her new prison, if it could be called that. The inside was awfully cushy. Soft purple benches lined opposite sides of the carriage, and the walls were painted a calming lilac. Dusty tapped her hoof against one of the walls, testing it. The short clang that resulted told her she was in a box of thick, solid metal. She desperately looked for any way out. The doors wouldn't budge, no matter how hard she pushed or bucked them, and the bars on the windows held fast much the same. Eventually, she gave up, curling up onto one of the cushy benches and falling asleep. ☁☀☁☀☁☀☁☀☁☀☁ The cart is moving. That was the first thought that entered Dusty's mind as she blearily opened her eyes. The faint light trickling in through the barred windows of the carriage told her that it was now the next morning, but how early, she couldn't tell. She got up from her slightly uncomfortable napping spot and peered out of the windows. She reeled back and slammed her head against the opposite door when she realized she was in the air. "Ow, ow, ow," she groaned, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. She shakily got to her feet and looked back out the window, hoping she had been hallucinating. Nope, she thought, I'm definitely flying. She felt nauseous as she looked down at the quickly passing treetops. She stepped back from the window and crouched down onto the floor, trying to calm herself down. A slat in the wall at the front of the carriage slid open, revealing a pair of blue eyes. "You doing alright in there?" said the pony on the other side. Dusty recognized him as the unicorn guard from last night. "Just dandy," Dusty replied in the most sarcastic tone she could muster. "Well, try not to bang around too much back there, we don't need you throwing the pegasi off course and making us crash." With that, the guard closed the slat and Dusty felt an entirely new wave of nausea overcome her at the thought of the carriage crashing. She remained curled up on the floor for a long time. She tried not to think about the fact that she was in a death box traveling hundreds of feet above the ground. The carriage ride seemed to last forever. Finally, after what felt like hours, Dusty sensed an increase in air pressure. Her instincts told her they were starting to descend. Despite her curiosity, she decided against looking out the window again. Instead, she waited until she felt the feet of the carriage finally touch ground. She sighed in relief and sat up. Her legs were still a little shaky, but she tried to regain at least some semblance of dignity. After a few minutes, she heard hoofsteps just outside the carriage door, as well as voices. The door opened, and before she could do anything she was enveloped in warm, blue magic again and lifted out of the carriage. She leveled a glare at the unicorn guard as he came into view. "Would you stop doing that," she grumbled at him. He shrugged, "Sorry, ma'am, it's protocol." She huffed and crossed her hooves as the unicorn guard began to lead her away, flanked by the two pegasus guards. Her indignance didn't last long as she looked up to see the towering castle around her. She gasped as she took in the sight. She heard one of the guards nicker in amusement, but she ignored it. She had never seen a building so large in her entire life, and she had to crane her neck to see the top of the high towers. They were walking through the courtyard toward a set of great doors. A group of gardeners gawked at her as they passed, and she stuck her tongue out at them. The unicorn guards standing on either side of the doors nodded to them as they approached. Each took up a handle in their magic and swung open the grand doors. The inside of the castle was nearly as magnificent as the outside. The tall ceilings were intricately carved, the moldings alone probably cost more than everything in the entirety of Dodge Junction. They passed dozens of grand stained glass windows as the guards floated her through the hallway, each one depicting ponies she didn't recognize and creatures she had never heard of. Their hoofsteps echoed coldly on the walls. Everything else was silent. Dusty has always assumed the castle would be bustling with staff and nobles, but the eerie quiet put that theory to rest quite soundly. Finally, they reached another set of grand doors. They looked similar to the front doors of the castle, except the designs carved into the solid wood were different. They probably had some significance, but Dusty couldn't tell what. This time, the pegasus guards were the ones to swing the doors open. They remained stationed at each side of the entrance as the unicorn guard led Dusty inside. The opulence of the throne room on the other side was unmatched, and Dusty truly felt out of her element. She looked up at the princess seated before her. Her long, striped, navy blue mane waved in a nonexistent breeze. She seemed to shimmer as she shifted on her throne, her gaze piercing intensely into Dusty's own. When they were finally at the foot of the stairs leading to the throne, the unicorn guard set Dusty down. He bowed to the princess and turned to leave. Dusty looked back at his retreating form confusedly, then back at the princess. She was smiling at her. "Greetings, Dusty Clouds. Thank you for joining me today," Twilight Sparkle said serenely. Dusty avoided her gaze. "Well, I didn't have much of a choice," she said before she could think. She clamped her mouth shut loudly and her eyes bored holes into the ground. Great, she just sassed the princess. Good going. She heard laughter above her and looked up to see the princess throwing her head back in mirth. "I suppose not," Twilight said with a grin, winking at Dusty goofily. "In any case," she said, "I'm sure you're very confused as to why I've called you here. The truth is, I need your help." "My help?" Dusty said, even more confused than when she'd arrived. "Yes, your help. You see, the population of Equestria has been doing quite well lately. Now that we have allies and friends on every border, we have no need to worry about war or hardship. Our technological advances over the last few decades alone have been wondrous." "Those all sound like good things to me," Dusty said apprehensively. She wondered where the princess was getting with this. "Yes, they are great things," Twilight continued, "but with new times come new problems." She stood up from her throne and descended the stairs. She walked past Dusty and toward one of the side entrances to the throne room and turned to smile at her, nodding her head toward the door. "Follow me," she said, "let's walk and talk." Dusty got up and shuffled over to the door, following behind the princess. The shackles on her legs limited her movement quite a bit and were quite noisy. Twilight noticed this, and with a swift dip of her long horn and a burst of magenta sparkles she unlocked the shackles and they clanked to the floor. Dusty also felt the leather strap slip from her back, freeing her wings. She looked at the princess in confusion, but she was already walking away. Dusty trotted to keep up with Twilight's long strides. "As you may be able to guess," the princess began as they made their way down a hall, "more ponies means more crime." "Makes sense," Dusty said. "Indeed. Before my rule, crime was never the forefront issue for Celestia and Luna. There was always some bigger issue. But now, we find ourselves in a period of relative peace and prosperity, and as such, the crime rate in Equestria has become more and more troublesome." Twilight stopped at one of the stained glass windows lining the hall. It was tall and depicted six ponies standing in a circle. Dusty recognized them as Twilight herself and her five best friends, the Elements of Harmony. Twilight smiled at the window and looked down at Dusty. She squirmed uncomfortably under the princess's gaze. "As you know, my specialty is friendship," Twilight continued, "it pains me to see all these ponies being locked up. Not only that, but we are running out of infrastructure to hold them, and the last thing I want to spend resources on is bigger prisons." She sighed, moving on to another window. This one depicted two unicorns, one purple and one blue, the blue one was wearing a giant hat. The next window showed a long, slender creature with mismatched parts. After that, it was an image of a red unicorn with a broken horn. They passed several more, and each pony or creature was shown committing some good deed. Twilight smiled at each one. "I know that there is hope for these ponies," Twilight said wistfully, "I've seen it before." She turned back to Dusty, "so I've come up with a solution. This is where you come in." "A solution?" Dusty said. Her voice shook a little. "A rehabilitation program," Twilight said with a wide grin. She saw Dusty's conflicted reaction and chuckled. "Wait, so you brought me here to rehabilitate me?" "Sort of," Twilight said, then grinned wolfishly, "more like I brought you here to act as a guinea pig." Dusty gaped at the princess, her behavior seemed very different now than it had a few minutes ago. "Guinea pig?! What do you mean by guinea pig?" Dusty's voice pitched upward shrilly and the princess looked away sheepishly. "My apologies, perhaps that wasn't the best way to put it. I tend to get a little carried away when it comes to research," said Twilight, "what I meant was I brought you here to test the new rehabilitation program I designed. It's quite fascinating, actually. Instead of us rehabilitating you, you rehabilitate yourself." Dusty raised an eyebrow at Twilight, "Rehabilitate myself? Sure, and earth ponies fly." Twilight chuckled, "I'm serious. Just from talking with you now, I can tell you are not a bad pony, Dusty."  "With all due respect, princess, you don't know anything about me. I have no interest in being rehabilitated or whatever,” Dusty said, though the bite in her tone was softened from fear of making the princess angry. Twilight frowned, "Listen, you are-" Dusty cut her off before she could continue, "Why even choose me anyway? You've probably got dozens of Canterlotian pickpockets to choose from. Why not just send me back to Dodge Junction and choose one of them?" Twilight sighed, "Why I chose you specifically is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that I did choose you and that you hardly have a choice." Dusty mumbled something incoherent under her breath and kicked at the tiles under her hooves. Twilight smiled and shook her head. "I'll set you up with a room in the castle for the rest of the day today," said Twilight, "don't even think about trying to escape. You will be heavily guarded. In the morning, you will meet your partner for the program." From seemingly out of nowhere two guards appeared and ushered Dusty away. Princess Twilight nodded a silent farewell. The guards led her down the hall, stopping at a set of normal-sized double doors guarded by two more ponies. The guards led her inside, then left, shutting and locking the door behind them. Inside was a regally decorated bedroom. A huge bed with a luxurious purple drapery that hung over the posts was the centerpiece. It was bigger than any bed she'd ever seen. She plopped down onto the cushy surface, almost immediately sinking into the fluffy mattress. The bedclothes smelled faintly of lavender and herbs, and they felt warm as if they had been freshly laundered. She tried hopping off again, but the blankets caught on her hooves and she face-planted onto the polished marble floor. "Owwww," she groaned, picking herself up again. She was glad nopony was around to see. She noticed a tray near the bed, a steaming bowl of soup and a glass of some fancy-looking juice sitting atop it. She hadn't realized until now how hungry she had been. She inhaled the food in record time, nearly burning her tongue on the hot soup. When she was done, she realized she didn't know what to do with herself. She looked at the clock sitting on the nightstand. It was still early in the afternoon. Dusty looked around the room. Normally, she would try to escape this cushy prison, but she knew better than to try to escape the royal guards. They were ruthless, and there were hundreds of them. She crawled laboriously back onto the foofy bed and sprawled out on her back, staring at the drapery above. She thought back to everything the princess had said. "Reform myself? Ridiculous," Dusty scoffed out loud, "and what did she mean by partner? She's dragging some other poor soul into this fruitless charade, too?" Dusty spent most of the afternoon idly, fiddling with the various decorative trinkets she found in the room and thinking about the situation in which she now found herself. Eventually, long after Luna had brought down the sun, she fell into a restless sleep atop the too-cushy bed.