Intrusion
Scootaloo gritted her teeth as she pushed her way through a tangle of vines, hoping she wouldn’t run into another snake. “Gilda, wait up!” she called to the barely-visible griffon ahead of her.
“There’s no time, Scoots,” Gilda yelled back. “We should have known Nightmare Moon would send Shadow Strike to find the potion. She’s probably been looking for it for months, and now she’s going to follow us right to it. We have to find her and take her out before she finds Zecora.”
“We already lost her,” Scootaloo grunted, wriggling her way through a particularly thick knot of vines. “Besides, we don’t even know if she is Shadow Strike.”
“I’m not taking that chance,” Gilda said, tearing a branch out of her path with a quick swipe of her claw. “I’m not letting her get away again!”
Gilda charged through a relatively clear patch of jungle, leaving Scootaloo behind. The pegasus ran after her, dodging the low-hanging branches that threated to put out her eyes. “Gilda, do you even know where we are?” she called, taking a moment to observe her surroundings. Everything looked like one big mass of green. “How are we supposed to find New Appleloosa again?”
“Will you stop worrying?” Gilda yelled, turning so abruptly that Scootaloo barely had time to stop before she collided with her companion. “We’re going to take down Shadow Strike as fast as possible and worry about everything else later.”
“Gilda!” The griffon started to run away again, but Scootaloo managed to pin her tail to the soft ground with a hoof. “We’ve lost her. Running around blindly isn’t going to bring us any closer to Shadow Strike. We’re lucky we haven’t gotten stuck in a bog or fallen in quicksand.”
Gilda struggled to free her tail, but Scootaloo refused to budge. “Fine,” Gilda murmured. “What do you think we should do then?”
Scootaloo released Gilda’s tail and thought for a moment. Before that moment was over, there was a soft whish, and she found herself leaning away from a spear hovering near her throat. She glanced at Gilda and saw three similar weapons leveled at her companion, held by three scowling zebras.
“We do not like outsiders here,” said a deep voice behind her. He spoke softly, but his tone left no doubt he meant business. “Speak, or you shall taste my spear.”
“W-We’re just passing through,” Scootaloo said as calmly as she could. “We’re here to see—”
“Ponies do not just pass through,” the zebra said, moving the spear a little closer to Scootaloo’s throat. “Tell me why we should not kill you.”
“We’re trying to protect Zecora from a dangerous spy,” Scootaloo said quickly. She didn’t know if it was true, but Gilda’s eyes were narrowing, and the pegasus knew she only had a few moments before the griffon decided to fight back. “We were tracking a strange pony through the jungle, but we lost her.”
The zebras didn’t look totally convinced, but they did withdraw their spears a little. “We know this mare of whom you speak,” said one. “It is her whom we do seek.”
“Great!” Scootaloo said. “So, you can put the spears down, and we can work together, right?”
“I think not, young pegasus,” said the voice behind her. “The two of you must come with us. Perhaps we were wrong at first glance, but still, we cannot take that chance.”
Gilda’s jaw tightened as she tensed her muscles. Scootaloo gave her a wide-eyed stare and shook her head. The griffon lashed out with her tail, knocking the three zebras behind her off their hooves. Gilda leapt into the air as the two zebras beside Scootaloo lunged forward. Scootaloo took to the air as well and landed on a high branch, far away from Gilda and the zebras.
“You think you can hold us down, huh?” Gilda taunted as the zebras regrouped.
“Come back down here right away!” yelled one of the zebras. Judging by his gold cap, Scootaloo assumed he was in charge. “You two will do as we say!”
“Or what?” Gilda asked.
The zebra scowled at her. “The pony town gave us its word that it would contain its herd. You have trespassed on our land, so you must obey our command.”
“We’re on the same side!” Scootaloo yelled. “We’re just trying to help you!”
“Hold your tongue, you little whelp,” the zebra yelled back. “We zebras do not need your help.”
“Hold your own tongue, foolish guard.” Scootaloo turned and saw another zebra emerge from the jungle. Like the others, she wore several gold rings around her neck and foreleg, and her flank bore the image of a strange sun. “These two friends mean us no harm.”
“Zecora, how can you be sure?” the zebra guard asked. “We must keep this place secure.”
“They came here with me.” Apple Bloom walked up behind Zecora, her face half-hidden behind a large-brimmed hat. “They’re the soldiers the Griffon’s Nest sent to get the potion.”
The zebra soldiers looked at one another, unsure of how to proceed. Scootaloo held her breath and pushed herself a little closer to the tree’s trunk. “Very well,” the leader said as he turned to face his prisoners. “We’ll let you go, but there is one thing you should know. If any harm comes to this place, the pony folk will lose our grace.” The zebra nodded to his soldiers, who promptly turned and followed him into the jungle.
“Thanks, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said as she and Gilda returned to the ground. With her snowsuit off, Apple Bloom’s cutie mark was clearly visible—a green herb and a vial. “What’s your cutie mark mean?” the orange pegasus couldn’t help but ask.
“Potion-making,” Apple Bloom replied. “You should have waited for me. Ponies aren’t supposed to wander around out here.”
“I’m not a pony,” Gilda protested.
“It does not matter, griffon kind,” Zecora said with a glare. “It will not do to act so blind. If Apple Bloom had not found me, the two of you would not walk free.”
“I could have taken them,” Gilda muttered.
“Perhaps, but what would you do then?” Zecora asked. “You would not earn our trust again.”
“Look, can we just do what we came here to do?” Gilda snapped. “You asked us to come to this miserable jungle, didn’t you?”
“I asked you to see my work,” Zecora answered. “There is no need to be a jerk.”
“I’m not being a—”
“Gilda, stop,” Scootaloo said. The griffon rolled her eyes and scowled at the ground. “We’re sorry for causing trouble. We thought we saw a spy, and we thought if we took care of her now, our mission would be a lot easier.”
“That mare in town? You mean you didn’t recognize her?” Apple Bloom asked.
“How was I supposed to recognize her?” Scootaloo replied. “She was wearing a cape and hood, and she ran away when I tried to talk to her.”
“But she’s your friend,” Apple Bloom said. “She’s your old friend Sweetie Belle.”