//------------------------------// // Operation Rescue, Phase Two: Old McRoberts' Farm // Story: G5 Adventures in Air Buddies // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// Immediately after their escape from the drive-in theater during their second encounter with the dognappers Grim and Denning, the ponies and their puppy pals were beyond exhausted. The day was over, and they needed some place to rest until they could continue their journey in the morning. But the question was... where would they sleep on such a short notice? Luckily, Zipp was able to find a huge tree for them to take shelter from, and they all settled down to sleep... well... all except Violette, that is. No matter what the Mane 6 said to reassure her, Violette knew that the Buddies' mom and dad getting taken was her fault, and there was nothing that could be done about it except do her best to behave and try and make it right. If she didn't, the Buddies may never forgive her, and the Mane 6 would probably disown her as their friend. And she desperately didn't want that to happen. “...Violette…?” Violette gasped as her thoughts and tears were interrupted by a soft voice speaking from the darkness, and turned to see none other than Misty Brightdawn approaching her with her horn dimly lit. “Oh… hey, Misty. Sorry, did I wake you?” “Nah, I was already awake,” Misty brushed off. “But then… I heard you crying and I wanted to come and check on you. What’s wrong?” “I know that Buddy and Molly being taken was my fault,” Violette admitted. “I was the one who encouraged the Buddies to run away with me to begin with… even though I knew it was wrong. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, I swear!” “I know that. The Buddies know that and we all know that too,” Misty said gently. “But sometimes… things just happen due to fate. We don’t have any kind of control over what happens when fate is involved.” “I wish I had never come on this mission to begin with…” Violette then said out of sadness. “Maybe if I hadn’t the Buddies would be safe and sound with their parents, and these dognappers wouldn't be after them right now.” “I know it’s hard to hear this, but… I think if we hadn’t stepped in to stay with the Buddies in the first place,” Misty said, “they still might have run away, even if you hadn't encouraged them in the first place. What I mean to say, Violette, is that everything happens for a reason. We have the chance to make this right now, and we're not gonna let Buddy and Molly down, now, are we?” “...no, we aren’t,” Violette said, shaking her head. “I promised the Buddies and I would help them, and I’m gonna keep that promise, no matter what.” “That’s the spirit,” Misty said, helping her to her hooves. “Let’s get some sleep. We have a long way to go tomorrow to get to Innsfield, and we can’t get there when we’re sleepy.” “Right. Good night, Misty… and thanks.” “Sweet dreams, Violette.” And then, side by side, the two unicorns retreated off to sleep to prepare for the day ahead. XXXXXXXX “Om… om…” The sound of Buddha making a strange noise just as the sun rose from the darkness caused the ponies to stir, and Sunny was the first to notice the pup. “Hey, Buddha… mind if I sit here with you for a moment?” “Of course,” Buddha nodded as the earth pony mare sat beside of him calmly. “I could always use a meditation partner.” “Sunny, whatever he’s doing, tell him to be quiet!” Rosebud said, peeking her head from the inside of the tree from where she and the other Buddies were sleeping. “A girl needs her beauty sleep. Who are you talking to, anyways?” “I’m meditating,” Buddha responded to his younger sister calmly. “And absorbing positive energy. Om…” “I'd positively like to observe a Pop-Tart,” Budderball said, crawling out of the tree and walking off with his siblings and friends, all while Buddha stayed behind to meditate some more. “Om…” “Buddha, come on. Let's go,” Pipp said to the pup, who followed along behind as they continued on their way. XXXXXXXX Back at the drive-in theater, Grim and Denning were still tied up in front of the screen, having stayed there all night, and it was a very long drop from where they were hanging to the ground. But, as Denning coughed out popcorn, Grim noticed the knot that held them up in the ropes. “I think I can undo it.” “No!” Denning cried out to stop him. “NO!!” But it was too late, the second Grim undid the knot, they were falling to the ground, landing smack on top of one another and groaning in pain. XXXXXXXX Back in Fernfield, Noah and Henry were holding some of the Buddies’ toys up to Sniffer’s nose, so he could sniff them and maybe track them down. But after a few minutes of this, Sniffer didn’t seem to be getting any scent, and Noah turned to Sheriff Bob with worry. “Doesn't seem to be getting anything.” “He'll pick up on something,” Sheriff Bob assured him. “They don't call him the Million Dollar Muzzle for nothing. Come on, old boy. These young'uns need our help.” Sniffer then sniffed the air for any trace of the Buddies, and then barked, running off in one direction and causing Noah and Henry to follow. “I knew old Sniffer would come through,” Sheriff Bob said, pleased as he followed the group away. “He can sniff out criminals before they even commit a crime!” XXXXXXXX Denning decided to call Mr. Selkirk and give him an update on their search for the puppies, and he sounded rather irritated when he finally answered the phone. “Yes?” “Mr. Selkirk, we haven't captured the pups yet. We found ourselves in a bit of a sticky situation,” Denning said, putting the situation rather lightly. “But I remind you that Grim is in command.” However, the news wasn't taken all that well by his employer. “I’ve captured panthers with my own hands! Have you ever seen the claws on a panther? Enough to take out an eye. And you can't bring in five puppies,” Selkirk sneered on the other end of the line. “There's someone here who wants to speak to you.” Just then, the tiger was heard growling on the other end of the line, causing Denning to slightly wince. “She's very hungry.” “I get the message, loud and clear, sir.” “Get those puppies now!” And even though Selkirk ended the conversation, Denning pretended to keep it going so he could be the leader again. “Yes, I will resume command. You're the best. You... you are. You are, sir. Over and out, sir.” “Well, Denning?” Grim asked. “What did he say?” “Party's over, Grim. I'm back in charge,” Denning lied right to Grim’s face. “Orders from the big boss.” Annoyed by the fact that his uncle gave the leadership position back to Denning, Grim looked out the window with a frown, but it soon melted when he saw something out the window. “Oh, look-- how cute.” Denning looked immensely confused to this. “What are you talking about?” “Nothing. Just a bunch of puppies and ponies playing in the field over there.” Denning immediately stopped the truck in the middle of the road when he heard this, and the halt caused Grim to bang his head, causing him to groan in pain. “Ponies?! Puppies?!” Denning blurt out. “Where?!” “Back there. The cutest little puppies playing with their pony friends.” “Those are our puppies, and they aren't as cute as you are dumb!” “They're pretty darn cute…” Denning then backed up a bit, and then, to Grim's shock, they rammed right through the fence separating the road from the field and charged right after the ponies and their puppy pals... ...with no single intent of stopping! XXXXXXXX As the ponies and pups walked through that grassy field, Zipp’s ears suddenly twitched at the sound of something big and loud coming toward them. “Uh… guys? Does anypony else hear what I’m hearing?” They looked back, and discovered that, to their shock, the dognappers and their truck were racing toward them fast, giving them only one option. “RUUUUUUUN!!!!” Our heroes bolted off as fast as their legs could possibly carry them, trying to escape the large piece of machinery threatening to catch them. Sunny panted heavily as she watched the truck begin to steadily gain on their hooves and paws. “Faster, guys! As fast as you can! They’re getting closer!” “Hey, I’m trying!” Pipp panted as she ran beside of Rosebud. “It isn’t like running from monsters who are really just guys in masks!” “Believe me,” Izzy said in agreement from running beside Buddha and B-Dawg, “we could outrun those meanies easily! But us running from machinery is a little harder!” “Now that you mention it, didn't we ditch these guys?” B-Dawg asked as they continued to flee. “We did, but they’re back,” Violette said urgently, “so we have to hightail it!” But as the ponies and the Buddies steadily began to pick up speed, the truck was falling behind, and for good reason-- it had completely run out of gas. Denning groaned in frustration before turning to Grim with a growl, and Grim only shrugged. “Don't look at me. The thing's a gas guzzler. If we had a hybrid, this kind of thing wouldn't happen.” Denning looked at him bewildered for a few moments before groaning again and unbuckling his seatbelt. “Get the net.” XXXXXXXX “Come on, guys! Come on. Hurry up! Come on!” Violette urged the other ponies and her dog friends as she saw Grim and Denning running after them with a large net. “They're gaining on us!” “Wait up, Denning!” Grim panted as he tried to run after his collegue and hold onto the net. “Faster!” B-Dawg cried. “Faster!” “I got an idea that can give us more time!” Hitch said before jumping up and stomping his hooves on the ground, causing a root to grow from the ground and trip Grim and Denning up, causing them to face-plant right onto the grass. “Oooh…” Mudbud groaned. “That’s gonna be hurting in the morning.” “But they won’t stay down for long!” Misty said. “We need someplace to hide!” That’s when Sunny looked and saw that they were getting close to a large farm with a white gate protecting it. “Old McRoberts’ Farm! That’s the second place we had to go through to get to Innsfield! Head for the gate! We’ll be safe on the other side!” XXXXXXXX Elsewhere, Deputy Sniffer thought he had led Noah, Henry and Sheriff Bob right to the Buddies out in the forest. However, what they really came upon was a not so nice skunk, and it sprayed them really good. Nevertheless, they had to do and get tomato juice baths to cover up the stink. And no one felt worser than old Deputy Sniffer himself. Now where could those pups and ponies be? XXXXXXXX The group bolted for the gates leading to the Old McRoberts' farm, and while the ponies were able to fly/leap over it, the Buddies ended up crawling under it… at least, until Denning grabbed Budderball by the tail, having caught up to the group with Grim. “Gotcha!” “Help! I'm stuck!!” Budderball yelped to his siblings. “He's got me by the tail!” “Quit your wiggling!” Denning shouted from the other side of the gate. That’s when Pipp flew to Budderball and landed beside him, making a risky decision that could affect her badly or turn their fate around. “I never thought I'd say this, but let it rip!” She grabbed Budderball by the paw and yanked as hard as she could, causing him to fart right on Denning, which caused Denning to cough and accidentally let Budderball go free. “Great thinking, sis!” Zipp smiled. “I never would have thought to use Budderball’s stink to drive ‘em off!” “Eh, just my natural charm, I guess,” Pipp shrugged with a slight smirk. “Now, can we PLEASE get moving before those dognappers find us again?” “Good thinking,” Sunny nodded. “Come on, I’m sure we can hide in that barn until they leave.” But as they trotted toward the barn, a rough and tumble billy goat by the name of, well, Billy, stepped up and stood in their path. “Who goes there? Friend or foe?” “Hold it,” Violette raised a hoof. “You speak dog and pony?” “I'm fluent in Horse, Cow, Chicken, Pig and Rooster. I even know a little Mouse,” Billy bragged a bit. “Now, I said, ‘Who goes there? Friend or foe’?” “We don't even know what "foe" means,” Rosebud argued politely. “Let us put it this way,” said Zipp, speaking up for the whole group. “I’m Zipp, those are my friends, and those are the Buddies, and we're being chased by crazies!” “And speaking of crazies, here they come over the gate!” Hitch yelped in panic. “We gotta go! Now!” “No one trespasses on Billy's property. I'll take care of them. You may paaass,” Billy said to the group kindly, watching as they started to head in that same direction. “Go to Belinda in the pigpen. She'll help you!” “Thanks, Billy! We’ll see ya if we ever get out of this alive!” Izzy called cheerfully as the ponies and Buddies ran past him toward the pen, leaving Billy to angrily settle his gaze on the two intruders. “I'll show these bozos some country hospitality.” XXXXXXXX At the same time, Grim was stuck on the gate because he was afraid of heights, leaving Denning right there below him on the ground. “Just jump!” said Denning. “I’ll catch you.” “You promise?” Grim asked fearfully, causing Denning to nod. “Cross my heart.” But as Grim prepared to jump down, Billy butted Denning right in the butt, causing him to fall over and Grim to crash on the ground. This led Grim to think that Denning tricked him and the two began to tustle right in the dirt. XXXXXXXX Pipp gagged as soon as she and her friends approached the pig pen where Belinda and her young piglets were. “Whoa! Stinkaroo!” “Focus, Pipp-- there’s not really much time for worrying about our looks,” Rosebud said. “As much as I hate to say it.” “Billy sent us,” Sunny told the pigs. “We’re friends, not foes.” However, Belinda began to speak in a strange way that even Hitch himself couldn’t understand. “Nyay riendfay ofay Illybay's isay a riendfay ofay inemay.” “What is she talking about?!” Hitch asked with alarm, never hearing an animal speak that he couldn’t understand. “Oh, it’s Pig Latin,” Rosebud explained casually. “I’ll translate.” “There they are!”  Violette gasped and turned to see Denning and Grim getting up from their tustle and running their way. “They’ve spotted us!” That’s when Belinda chose to speak again. “Uickqay, isguiseday ourselvesyay asay igletspay.” Luckily, Rosebud could translate quickly enough to understand. “She said, ‘Quickly, disguise yourselves as piglets’.” “But us older ponies are a little too big to disguise ourselves as piglets!” Misty pointed out with a frown. “But,” Sunny reasoned, “it would make us a bit more slippery to catch! Everypony into the pigpen! Now!” The Buddies and Violette slipped under the fence while the older ponies leapt over the fence and began to roll and pranced around in the mud, oinking like they didn't have a care in the world. Grim seemed to believe their act as he and Denning approached the pigpen. “They're gone!” “I never knew piglets had long, furry tails,” Denning pointed out, climbing over the fence to grab the Buddies one by one. “Grab one!” “Scatter, guys! Scatter!” Violette said before Grim could grab her, the mud slowing her down just a bit. The piglets and Buddies scrambled around the pen with the other ponies keeping watch, but eventually, Pipp groaned and kicked Grim into Denning, causing both of them to fall face first into the mud itself. That's when Billy called out to the group from the barn. “Ponies! Buddies! Into the barn, quick!” “You heard the old goat!” Zipp said, shaking the mud from her coat as best she could before leaping out of the pigpen with the other members of the Mane 6. “Let's blow this pig stand!” “Thanks, Belinda!” the Buddies and Violette called as they ran after their friends, to which Rosebud translated in Pig Latin for the pig to understand. “Anksthay, Elindabay.” “Oycottbay aconbay.” Denning coughed and wiped the mud out of his eyes, groaning in disgust. “This better be mud!” XXXXXXXX “Follow me, Buddies!” Billy called as he led the pups and their friends to the hayloft, but not before Izzy placed two rakes right beside each other. That's when Hitch let out a soft whisper to the others. “Nopony move a muscle.” Once this had been said, Denning and Grim entered the barn and Grim gave the next set of instructions. “You go that way, and... I'll go that way.” However, the two of them ended up going in the same direction and stepped on the rakes Izzy had planted, causing them to fly up, hit the two dognappers in the head and knock them onto the ground. Up in the hay loft, the group tried to contain their laughter... that is, until Mudbud sneezd and sent a small bit of hay onto Denning's face, causing the muddy pup to tense up immediately. “...oops...” Denning eventually figured out where the hay came from and looked to see the entire group hiding up in the loft. “There they are! In the hay loft!” “Guys, we have to bolt!” Sunny cried out. “But where?!” Misty wondered in panic. “There's nowhere to go but down!” “Quick, into the hay, dudes!” Mudbud cried as the Buddies and Violette quickly dove into the hay with the ponies in pursuit. “SCRAMBLE!!!” “Quick! Quick! Hi-Hide! Into the hay!” Rosebud cried as the group eventually settled into the hay, freezing up and making sure that they don't move and give themselves away again. Grim and Denning came up into the loft in search of the group, and as they scanned around, they saw some wagging puppy tails within the hay, and they each moved a little closer to the hay piles. “Here, puppy puppy puppy...” “Puppy puppy...” Luckily, Sunny had a plan of her own to get these bad guys off their tails for a minute, if not more. “NOW!!!” Izzy and Misty charged angrily toward Grim from where they were hiding, and Grim screamed and jumped jnto Denning's arms. But as the two began to back further into the loft, Zipp and Pipp rammed their heads into the duo, causing them to scream and fall back onto the hay piles at the bottom of the barn. Now that the Buddies were safe for now, Violette knew it was time to make their escape for good this time. “Puppies, this way! Run for cover!” The Buddies barked as they followed Billy and the ponies down the hayloft ramp, just as Denning and Grim began to try and get up from their harsh fall. “Come on,” Denning groaned, “they're getting away!” “I have an idea,” Zipp whispered to the Mane 6 as they separated from Violette and the Buddies into another room. “Let's hide in here for a minute.” XXXXXXXX The Buddies and Violette immediately realized that the room they ran into was a dead end except for one tiny hole that was barely big enough for them to squeeze into, and to make matters worse, Grim and Denning blocked the door to prevent them from escaping. “Got 'em!” “Uh-oh...” gulped Violette nervously, but the Buddies made sure to let Violette see their smiles, letting her know that they had a plan of their own. “You little peanut-brained puppies and horses think you're so smart!” Denning mocked rudely. “How you gonna get out of here, little geniuses?” The Buddies barked before they and Violette quickly made their escape through that tiny hole in the side of the barn, but before Grim and Denning could make a move to follow them outside, Zipp put out the next stage of her plan. “Now!” Izzy and Hitch kicked the door closed, and Sunny managed to use her earth pony powers to seal the door shut and trapping the dognappers inside that small room. “It's stuck!” “You gotta be kidding me!” “No!” “Come on, guys-- we gotta go catch up with the others,” Hitch told the other ponies before they ran outside, leading Billy to laugh mockingly at the bad guys, who glared at the goat with distaste. “What are you laughing at?!” XXXXXXXX Back outside, the ponies and Buddies cheered at their apparent success of trapping the dognappers in their attempt to trap the Buddies and Violette. Even they had to admit... that felt good. Billy soon opened the door to the barn and turned to the group in question. “That was a blaaast. That's the most fun I've had in years!” the old goat said before turning to the five Golden Retriever pups. “Now, you'd better go find your parents.” “Thanks, Billy!” “Bye!” “Thanks a million for your help!” “Let's go!” As the group ran away from the barn, Buddha suddenly had a sudden thought. “I think that was Dalai the Ilama.” “Buddha,” Zipp said, “I hate to break it to you, but that was a goat, not one of those llama things.” XXXXXXXX However, Denning was able to stick his head through the hole and called out to the group as they ran further and further away. “Why, you little puppies, when I get my hands on you... I'm ordering you little rat-brains and those idiotic horses to roll over, come here now!!!” Billy bleated and rammed right into Denning's head, knocking Denning completely unconscious and causing Grim to wince in pain. Once Denning regained consciousness, he would have to explain everything to Denning again... ...and this was not gonna be a pretty sight.