//------------------------------// // Royal Pains // Story: The Ballad of Royal Blue // by PonyWithAPen //------------------------------// That summer turned into one of the greatest of Royal's life. He grew even closer to Scootaloo during this time. Scoots would never have admitted it, but she was quite heartbroken when Rainbow Dash didn't take her in, instead suggesting the filly's current living situation. At the time, she wanted to be respectful of Royal's feelings, so she never brought it up. However, her secret desire to live with her hero was always there. At least it was until the night Royal protected her from those griffons. She, in turn, with the help of Rainbow Dash, defended him from the final wrath of the gang. From that point on, Royal and Scootaloo were as close as siblings. Royal branched out and met more ponies in the past few months. They included two friendly pegasi named Cloud Chaser and Flitter. He met the former in town, and accompanied her to lunch. He had met the latter sometime after that. Royal had a case of “small world” when he found out that the two similar looking ponies were, in fact, best friends. While he did meet plenty of new friends, he grew ever closer to his older friends, specifically the element bearers. He had stayed up late on several nights discussing literature with Twilight. He had lent a helping hoof to the Apple family during their busy season and had really formed a bond with Apple Bloom. Pinkie Pie enlisted him to help her bake some treats for that year’s Summer Sun Celebration, an episode that led to some playful moments between them, such as having whipped cream wars. When one of Fluttershy’s pet birds suddenly died, he was there offering moral support every day until she got better. He even served as a model for Rarity as she tried out some new stallion-oriented designs. And then there was Rainbow Dash. Royal got to spend the most time with her, mainly through his interactions with her and Scootaloo. He found it highly amusing how similar they were. If he had just met them the other day, he could have easily assumed that they were sisters. Royal had always wanted a kid sister, and he felt like he had that with Scootaloo. He didn’t make her call him her father or anything like that. He was the older brother she had never had, and she was the sister he had never had. Rainbow was like a cool, older sister to both of them; she was two years older than Royal and had started calling him nicknames usually reserved for Scootaloo. He didn’t mind; he knew that she was just teasing him like any friend or sibling would. On this fine afternoon, Royal was relaxing in his home. Scootaloo had gone to Sugar Cube Corner in order to meet up with her fellow crusaders and have some delicious treats. After that, they were going crusading for a while, so he knew she would not be back right away. As long as the three of them didn’t stay out too long, he was okay with it. He nodded off to sleep, with a simple thought in his head. Life is awesome… Royal woke up several hours later. He got up from the sofa and peered into Scootaloo’s room. She wasn’t there. He scratched his head. “Scootaloo’s more responsible than this. Maybe they had a sleepover and she forgot to tell me?” It was a reasonable explanation, but he knew better than what his brain told him to say. He shook his head. “I know! I’ll go to Sugar Cube Corner!” Royal opened his front door, spread his wings, and soared into the sky. Along the way, he heard somepony call his name. He peered down, noticing that a lone mare stood below him. At that moment, he noticed that he was passing by Sweet Apple Acres. He landed next to the mare. “Royal! Apple Bloom hasn’t come home yet! Do you know anything about this?” Applejack’s tone was one of worry. She loved her sister dearly. He shook his head again. “Scootaloo didn’t come home, either. I figure those fillies lost track of time, or something’s really wrong.” Applejack’s heart sank. “Oh no…Apple Bloom…poor, sweet, little Apple Bloom.” Applejack began to cry softly. Royal noticed this and held a hoof up to her eyes, drying her tears. He offered a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, AJ. Nothing’s gonna happen to those kids. Trust me. I was on my way to Pinkie’s place. You want to come with?” She nodded, sniffling. Eventually, the pair made it to Sugar Cube Corner. The place was a mess. There were definite signs of a struggle. Pots and pans were all over the floor. What caught Royal’s eye was the sight of Pinkie Pie, huddled in a corner with a fearful expression while cuddling Pound and Pumpkin Cake. “Pinkie!” The pair rushed over to her. Mr. and Mrs. Cake approached Royal. “We’ve been trying to get her to talk, but she won’t say anything to us!” Mr. Cake said. Royal turned to Pinkie, and then back to the Cakes. “Maybe she’ll talk to me.” He approached her with a gentle smile. The moment she noticed it was him she gently set the babies down and bolted for him, nearly knocking him over as she embraced him. It was then that the sobs started. They did not stop for a good five minutes, and then Pinkie let go. Royal was about to ask his question, but she started telling the story anyway. It had been a fairly ordinary day by Ponyville standards. Pinkie had received a surprise visit from the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She visited with them and gave them some treats. Just as they were leaving, a group of griffons entered the shop. They grabbed the fillies, left a note on the front counter, and made an incredibly awful threat as they left. “He…he said if I told anypony…he would…he…would…eat Pound and Pumpkin!” Pinkie began to cry again. This time, Applejack rushed to her aid. Royal turned toward the door and started walking, grabbing the note as he did so. “Where are y’all going?” Applejack asked him. “I never told them my name, but I’m going to make sure they remember it…forever!” Pinkie tried to stop him. “Royal, no! They’re after you! They’ll hurt you!” “Not if I hurt them first.” He turned to Applejack. “Applejack, stay here and protect her. I’ll have Bloomy and the others back by morning. Count on it.” Applejack nodded. “All right, but be careful, sugar cube.” “I will.” Royal headed out the door. Once outside, he spread his wings and took off. I will…unless something happens to those kids. Then all bets are off! Not too long after he left, the group heard a knock on the door. Naturally, they freaked out…until they heard a familiar voice. “Hello? Pinkie darling, are you home?” It was Rarity. Everypony breathed a sigh of relief. “Come in!” Mrs. Cake said. Rarity was surprised to find Applejack at SCC so late at night. “Applejack? What are…oh no!” The fashionista was about to faint. Applejack steadied her friend. “Don’t worry, Rarity. Royal’s on his way to settle all of this right now!” “Settle what? Where is my dear Sweetie Belle?” Applejack knew she was not going to take the news well. But she had a duty to tell her friend what had happened. When AJ finished, Rarity did, in fact, pass out. Luckily, Mr. Cake caught her before she hit her head on the floor. “I knew she wouldn’t like that.” AJ said. She looked over and saw that Pinkie had gone to sleep, still cradling the foals in her arms. The cowpony smiled. Sleep well, sugar cube. You heard Royal. He’ll have everything taken care of by morning…I hope. Royal flew as fast as he could toward Swelter Canyon, the destination in the ransom letter. His mind raced as he tried to make sense of everything. Why was this happening? He thought hearing about the barbecuing of seven other griffons would keep the rest of them from ever coming back to Ponyville and the surrounding area. He started to worry about the fillies, and that caused him to fly even faster toward the canyon. These griffons don’t know who they’re messing with. They’d better be ready, because I will kill to protect those kids! The Cutie Mark Crusaders cowered before their kidnappers. The day had started out so normally for the three fillies. Out of all of the griffons, Scootaloo recognized the leader immediately. “Hey! I know you!” The filly said, becoming angry. “You tried to hurt Royal!” Paulie’s lips formed an evil smile as he now recognized her. “Aren’t you surprised to see me?” Scoots shook her head. “Actually, I could care less.” The villainous griffon nearly fell on his face. This got a chuckle out of the other griffons, including Gilda. She stared at the filly, a strange sensation coming over her. Heh heh! She got you good, Paulie. That little spitfire reminds me of…Dash. Gilda was brought out of her trance by the shrill yelling of her best friend. “You’ve got spunk, filly! I hate spunk!” Scootaloo stood her ground; Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom trembled in fear. How is she so…not afraid? Sweetie wondered. It must be all that time with Rainbow Dash. Apple Bloom thought, unknowingly answering her fellow crusader’s question. Paulie was growing annoyed with the young upstart. “State your name, filly.” “You know my name, you featherbrain. I’m Scootaloo!” The griffons in the room stopped laughing and stared at Paulie. They knew how violent he could get if pushed to it. Indeed, Paulie was comically raging. After a few moments, however, he calmed down. That evil smile came back, and he began cackling. “I’ll show you to be so brash, young filly! What you don’t realize is that I have an entire army at my disposal. If you breathe wrong, I can give the order for them to level your precious little village!” Scootaloo took a step back, not wanting to draw his ire any further. “I’ve got a better suggestion!” The crusaders heard a familiar voice. Royal poked his head out from the darkness. “You let the kids go, and I don’t report your actions to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!” Paulie thought his predicament over for a second. The girls ran to Royal and hugged him. “Hey, you three! Don’t worry, I’m here now. I’m going to beat down these ugly birds and then we can all go home.” He turned around and faced the griffon again. Paulie grinned. “Actually, I’ve had a change of heart. Little ones, you are free to go! Run along home, now!” This threw everyone for a loop. Royal turned to the fillies. “You heard him. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, your sisters are worried sick about you. Scootaloo, you can hang out with them tonight, okay?” The three fillies looked worried. “Aren’t you coming?” Scootaloo asked. “In a minute. I’ve got to make sure ol’ featherbrain over here is gonna keep his word and let you go.” Royal turned back to the griffons. “You heard him, Cutie Mark Crusaders! Move out!” Scootaloo commanded. The girls marched toward the exit; they soon disappeared completely. “Hmm, I’m impressed, featherhead. You actually stuck to your word. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’d better join the girls.” Royal turned around to head for the exit himself, relieved that this business, however strange, was finally over. Paulie motioned toward an unseen source as the young stallion walked away. Suddenly, a bolt of energy whizzed toward him. Royal never saw it coming. The bolt stunned him. Paulie conducted the mystery force as it continued its assault on his enemy. Royal felt his entire body raise from the ground. “Hey! What’s going on? I can fly just fine on my own, thank you!” Those would be the last words he would speak that night. The mysterious magic field controlled his body as it smashed into one of the walls inside the canyon cave. A couple of hard blows were all it took; Royal was knocked out cold; he was now in the clutches of the enemy. The Cutie Mark Crusaders headed toward Ponyville, following Royal’s instructions. They hadn’t stopped, figuring he was kicking flank and taking names. He was fine, or so they thought. The only question now was how were they going to get home? It seemed like a long way back to Ponyville. Would they have to camp out for a night while on their way back? They had never been this far away from home aside from that one field trip to Canterlot, which kickstarted that whole Discord fiasco. One thing was certain; the Cutie Mark Crusaders were lost. Or, at least they thought they were. “Hey! Where are you kids at? Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo?” The trio heard a familiar, scratchy voice. Their faces lit up with joy. “It’s Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said. They yelled to her, getting her attention. Sweet, I found ‘em! Rainbow landed right next to them. “You three are a sight for sore eyes!” She received a group tackle-hug from the fillies, nearly knocking her over. “Hey, hey, easy now. It’s okay. What were you three doing all the way out here, anyway?” The trio was dumbfounded. Hadn’t she been briefed on all of this? “Rainbow…we were kidnapped!” Sweetie Belle said. Rainbow’s protective impulses went off. Her expression changed. “Kidnapped? By who?” The pegasus was really angry now. If she had a super form, she likely would have transformed at that moment. “Griffons…” Apple Bloom chimed in. The revelation hit Rainbow like a ton of bricks. She thought back to the explanation Twilight and Applejack gave her. She had bolted from her evening cloud as soon as Twilight finished saying “We need you to find the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” She hadn’t stuck around for the rest of it; a decision she now regretted. “Wait…if you were kidnapped, how did you escape?” Scootaloo stepped forward. “Royal came and rescued us. He said he was going to stay behind and make sure we got away. Then he was gonna kick all their ugly flanks!” she said. Rainbow’s face held a skeptical expression. “That crazy kid! I’m gonna go help him. But first, I’ve got to get you home. Come climb on, all three of you!” Rainbow lowered herself so the crusaders could get on her back. Once they were ready, the rainbow maned pony took off, relieved that nothing had happened to her three favorite fillies. Applejack heard a knock on the door. She stayed up as long as she could, but sleep had overtaken the mare with the cute southern accent. Barely awake, she kept her guard up in case it was an attack. In a way it was. When Apple Bloom was reunited with her sister, she attacked her with a tackle hug. Rainbow and the remaining crusaders left, smiling as Rainbow closed the door, seeing Bloom and AJ engage in some playful wrestling. Poor Rarity had cried herself to sleep worrying about the whereabouts of her precious baby sister. She heard a knock on the front door of the Carousel Boutique. Showing how out of it she was, the knock hardly phased her. She could have cared less if a band of griffons grabbed her and flew off with her. Slowly, the fashionista crawled out of bed and set her hooves on the floor. She walked through the house until she finally reached the door. Opening it, she immediately perked up when she saw Sweetie. Her eyes began to water. “Oh! Sweetie Belle! I’ve been so worried!” Sweetie didn’t even get a word in; Rarity pulled her into a tight embrace. After sobbing for a couple minutes, she let Sweetie go and hugged Rainbow tightly, nearly choking the heroic mare. “Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Rarity said, finally letting go of Rainbow a few moments later. “You’re welcome, Rarity. Good night.” Rainbow said with a smile. She and Scootaloo left. The pair walked along, heading back toward Sweet Apple Acres. Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow. “Rainbow?” “Yeah?” “Royal told me I could sleep at Apple Bloom’s tonight.” Rainbow smiled down at the young filly. “That’s why we’re going. It’s better than you being alone.” They seemed to reach their destination in no time at all. “Here we are. Try and get some sleep, okay?” Rainbow said. Scootaloo nodded. Rainbow leaned down and gave the young filly an affectionate peck on the forehead. “Good night, squirt. Have fun.” Scootaloo smiled. She had been used to Royal kissing her good night, but this was something extra special to get one from her hero. Scootaloo turned around and headed inside the confines of the Apple family’s domain. Rainbow smiled as she watched the filly walk away. Rainbow flew up to a nearby cloud. She was too tired to go back to her house, so she figured she would take advantage of her natural pegasus right to sleep on a cloud. Sleep came surprisingly quick for her. She dreamed of flying with the Wonderbolts, as usual, and what she was gonna say to tease that courageous young stallion in her life. A young stallion whose courageousness she hoped hadn’t gotten him killed. "Oh Royal...I hope you're okay..."