Fourth Lesson- Taking the Bait!
"Your majesty, we have something important to tell you!"
Twilight and Tornado came galloping into the throne room, just as the alicorn and the margrave were finishing cleaning up Surprise's latest 'Surprise'. The two unicorns quickly bowed before the rulers, before excitedly telling the two of decision discovery.
"Why Twilight, Tornado!" Cadence greeted them in surprise. "What in the world are you two so excited about?"
"Your highness, you Excellency! We learned where the missing foals are!" Tornado told the excitedly.
"A bunch of slavers have them, and are trying to blame the ponygans!" Twilight continued. "They're holding them down by the docks!"
"My word, where did the two of you hear this?" The margrave asked, looking back and forth between them.
"Why don't the two of you catch your breath, and tell us everything that happened?" Cadence told the two unicorns.
...
"Surprise, you really think we should be trying this without the other girls?" Glory whispered, looking down at her friend.
"Awww, don't worry so much, Glory!" The filly snorted, peeking out at all the passing goblins and diamond dogs. "Everyone else is to wrapped up in their own drama, so we'll SURPRISE em', by catching a foalnapper ourselves!"
In the shadows of the alleyway, the two fillies had found the brick wall the Surprise had seen the goblin come out of. Deciding to try and catch the crooks on their own, Surprise had goaded the unicorn filly into helping her.
"Okay, I'll frolic around and look silly, and when the meanie jumps out to grab me, you trap them in an energy shield! Ya got it!"
"I dunno, Surprise..." The white unicorn replied. "...I'm not so sure we should-"
But before Glory could continue, the excited white Pegasus was already hopping around the alleyway and laughing.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before the panel in the wall opened up, and the creepy looking goblin stepped out again.
"Nyah Nyah!" The white Pegasus made a face at him. "Betcha can't catch meeee!"
"So it's you again, eh?" The apple cross goblin snarled at her. "Well, this time you're not gonna get away!"
The little green humanoid hopped and bounded after the Pegasus, The flying pony zipping to and fro, giggling as she stayed one step ahead of the angry runt. What Surprise didn't notice was two diamond dogs who had snuck up behind Glory, and thrown a net over her.
"Ohhhh! You horrible brutes!" The unicorn shrieked, pulling and bucking at the net, as the dogs tried to drag her down. "Let me go this instant!"
"Glory?" Surprise called out, hearing her friend struggling and fighting in the alley. As the Pegasus stopped in midair and stared, the goblin smacked her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground.
"How's that for a 'Surprise', ya little twerp?" The goblin giggled evilly. as she snapped a pair of manacles on her legs. "Looks like ya won't be goin' anywhere fer awhile!"
Behind them, Glory had managed to zap a few diamond dogs away with her horn. But a dozen of the filthy mongrels swarmed over the filly, bringing her to the ground.
"No more trouble from little pony!" One of them chuckled, as the dogs manacled their whimpering captive. "Boss reward us with lotsa good diamonds for you!"
"Well done, boys." At that moment, a colt in an fancy suit trotted out of the entrance way, and stared down at the two fillies. "Our partners will be very happy when we bring these two in!"
"But... this ponies too old for our buyer!" The goblin protested. "How you know boss gonna want them."
"Becuse these two little ladies are very... special." Lucky glared at the two fillies. "And when they get brought in the others will follow!"
As the two struggling ponies were dragged through the passageway, the apple cross goblin moved to stand beside the pony gangster.
"This go better than we hoped!" He sneered. "Now let's hope that other part of your plan work!"
"Yeah, I just wish I wasn't as right about that dame bein a spy." He sighed. "I really liked her... an' I woulda givin her anythin' she wanted."
"We need to get ponies back to warehouse, city guard will be there soon!" The goblin warned. "Other ponies saw we taking fillies! Our operation secret no longer!"
"It makes little difference, we made our profit here." Lucky replied coldly. "When we deliver all the colts we've procured- and the six harmony fillies our spies told us about- to Tirek, we'll be set for life!"
As the two fillies were pulled away into the darkness, the still-groggy Surprise looked over at her struggling friend.
"Oh, Glory! I'm really really sorry!" The Pegasus whined, crying her eyes out. "I never should've gotten you into this! I think we're in really big trouble now!"
"Don't worry about it, Surprise!" Glory yelled back, still fighting against the net. "We'll get out of this somehow!"
...
Firefly and Thundercloud slowly flapped there way back to the palace, flying side-by-side, with goofy grins on both of thier faces. Other ponies stared at the two passing by, then shrugged and went back to whatever they were doing. Both of thier manes were disheveled, and the two seemed to be floating along as if on a cloud.
"That was really great, Bolt. I've never had so much fun in my entire life" The pink Pegasus whispered, looking up at him wistfully. "Did anybody tell you you're the most awesomest colt ever?"
"Not until I met the most awesomest filly ever!" He smiled back. "I'm so glad I got to meet ya, babe!"
"Yeah, this whole 'harmony bearer' thing has been great!" Firefly replied, nuzzling up against the big lug. "I never woulda gotten ta know you if I'd stayed here in Fort Dash!"
"Yeah, it's a good thing we didn't listen to Fireball, and stay in Misty Mountain when Princess Cadence called us to guard you girls." He licked the side of her coat. "It's almost as dumb as Tornado's advice that the Ponygans be locked up."
"Oh, that's just-" Firefly suddenly pulled away from him, her eyes going wide. "Wait- WHAT?"
"Tornado told the margrave it would be safest for the ponygans if they were rounded up and confined, so other ponies couldn't hurt them." His ears perked up in surprise. "Wait, I thought you were told about this... weren't you?"
The pink Pegasus stared into space for a moment, before her face contorted into a look of rage.
"N-e-e-e-e-e-g-g-g-g-g-h!"
Firefly let out an angry whinny, and tore straight towards the castle. A bewildered Thunderbolt, trying to keep up with her, flapped furiously after her.
"Firefly, wait up!" The colt pleaded "At least try to leave him in one piece!"
...
Just inside the main hallway entrance, Twilight and Tornado were trotting along together, smiling and chatting together.
"So Twilight, have you ever read the story of 'how Minty saves Christmas?" The unicorn colt asked her. "I believe it is the most excellent example of literature from the intermediate period that-"
KABOOM! A pink comet slammed into the colt, sending him airborne. Tornado barely hit the wall, before Firefly was on him, slamming her back hooves into his face. Tornado reflexively threw up an energy shield, blocking the rest of her kicks.
"How' ya like that, ya self righteous buck!" She snarled, slamming her hooves against the shield again and again. "Gonna lock me up if I disagree with ya!"
"Firefly, calm down!" Tornado yelled, blood trickling out of his mouth. "What the hay has gotten into you?"
"Firefly, stop it!" Twilight pleaded, yanking the angry Pegasus back with her telekinesis. "Why are you doing this?"
"He told them to lock Medley up!" Firefly yelled, glaring at the colt angrily. "This jerk wanted my friend and all those other ponies put in prison!"
"Tornado... did you really do that?" Twilight asked, looking at him pleadingly.
"I suggested that the alicornites be put under protection, for their own safety!" Tornado coughed, as more red liquid trickled out of his mouth. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize Medley was a ponygan!"
"Tornado, I know you think you were hurt by the Celestia worshipers as a foal, but that was a very foolish thing to do!" Twilight scolded him, as she helped him back up on his hooves. "And Firefly, what he did was wrong, but we you need to go and cool off right now!"
"What?! How the hay can you defend him? He had my friend locked up!" Firefly snorted angrily. "Hmph, siding with that bigot! Some friend you turned out to be!"
"Firefly!" Twilight pleaded. But the angry Pegasus scowled at the two unicorns, and turned and silently flapped away. "Oh, Firefly..."
"Well, I'm glad that's over!" Tornado scoffed indignantly, shaking his mane out. "Can you believe the nerve of-"
"She had every right to be mad at you, Tornado." Twilight told him coldly. "Making a suggestion like that was a very bad move."
"But...but..." Tornado protested, as Twilight Shine trotted angrily away.
"Firefly is right about one thing, Tornado." The unicorn snorted, as she walked out the door. "Only a creep would do that to a fellow pony!"
...
Several hours later, three of the fillies had gathered in the throne room, where the margrave and Princess Cadence were telling them about their decision.
"So, based on the information Twilight and Tornado gave us, we believe the best course of action would be to launch a raid on that warehouse in the stickleway!" The alicorn told them, pointing her hoof at a map of the city spread out in front of them.
"So, we're just abandoning the plan ta catch them?" Poesy let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good to know!"
"Speakin of which, where are Surprise and Glory?" Twilight asked, looking around. "I told them to join us here for this meeting!"
"Maybe they got tired of backstabbing friends and their bigot boyfriends!" Firefly snorted, causing the unicorn to scowl at her. But before either of them could say anything, Applejack came galloping into the room.
"Girls, the slavers got Glory and Surprise!" The earth pony whinnied, coming to a stop in front of the throne. "A coupla a merchants saw em' getting nabbed down by the merchant's district!"
"What! Why the hay would those two be down there?" Firefly asked in disbelief.
"They must've been trying to carry out our original plan!" Twilight realized in horror. "Oh, those poor dears!"
"Margrave, we must accelerate our plans to raid the warehouse at once!" The princess declared, stamping her hoof angrily. "We've got two of our girls to rescue!"