//------------------------------// // 65. Danger in Dodge Junction - Part 3 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// The ragtag group of law-ponies (in loose senses of the term) assembled in the saloon. They’d set the strange amulet in the center of their table, and were discussing what to do next. “It’s kinda bad we busted that delivery pony,” Rose brought up, “When Storm Shadow doesn’t get this, he’s gonna know something’s up.” “Somehow I think it’s better that we prevented… whatever this is from winding up in his hooves,” Midnight said, his eyes furrowed as he stared at the amulet. He could sense this amulet was not ordinary. It had great power… but it also instilled into him a sense of dread. “I don’t know what’s so valuable about it but one thing’s certain. We cannot allow Storm Shadow to get it.” “Well, perhaps we can use it to lure him out,” Dusk proposed. “If he doesn’t know we have it yet, he’s gonna come looking for it.” “And when he does, we’ll be waiting, eh big bro?” Rose said confidently. “You two get along pretty well for brother and sister,” Thunderlane observed. “Most brother-sister relationships I’ve seen were close but still kinda dramatic.” “Who says we’re not?” Rose replied with a nostalgic smile. “When we were younger, we were fighting all the time.” “Really?” Midnight was a little surprised. Thus far, he’d seen a strong and close bond between these two ponies. “Yeah, see, we’re actually adoptive siblings,” Dusk explained. “I spent the first six years of my life on the streets of Manehatten. I don’t know who my real family is, but during those years my prime concern was survival. Rose’s folks found me and took me in, and when she was born they said I was her big brother, and it was my job to look after her.” “So yer an orphan,” Big Mac gathered. “As we grew up, I was kind of a troublemaker,” Rose said, Dusk interrupting, “‘Was’? ‘Kind of’?” “Ok, I’m still a troublemaker,” Rose conceded with a chuckle. “But he’s always been there for me, even when I was being a total brat.” “I had to learn how to work any situation around her,” added Dusk, giving his sister a teasing look. “Reverse psychology, challenging her, and I even got her to play chess with me from time to time. But as she grew older, she started outmaneuvering me!” “It’s true!” Rose said with a smirk. “But no matter how many times we played chess, I never once beat him.” “Is that why you have a knight piece as your cutie-mark, Dusk?” asked Midnight. “Part of the reason, yes,” Dusk replied, “But it also represents my talent for strategy. See, I like to make up plans and strategies to overcome any obstacle or challenge I’m faced with. The fact that my cutie-mark is a knight piece also represents my desire to be a warrior, which is why I wield a rapier.” “Same here,” Rose butted in, “Except the scythe is my favored weapon, which is why it’s my cutie-mark whereas the rose represents my nature.” “Scythe, rapier?” Midnight echoed. “But how can you fight with them?” The siblings shared a glint in their eyes. They moved out onto the street, the guys watching from a wooden railing as Dusk and Rose faced each other, looking tense. Their horns flared with power as they each conjured some kind of weapon! Dusk’s weapon was a rapier with a stylized handle and guard reminiscent of his cutie-mark while Rose’s scythe looked like a rose, with the handle looking like a stem of briar, the blade red like a rose petal. Each weapon was held by the handles by their respective owner’s aura, and they quickly clashed! “Whoo, lookit’em go!” Midnight was blown away. “Totally awesome,” Thunderlane agreed, “I had no idea unicorns could fight this way!” “Eeyup,” Big Mac said with a nod, “But there’s sumthin’ they’re not tellin’ us.” “Huh? Whattya mean, Big Mac?” Midnight and Thunderlane both looked at their friend. Big Mac gazed upon the dueling siblings, his usual unreadable expression yet they felt some kind of low intensity emanating from him. “Ah jus’ think they’re not tellin’ us everything. Anyway, Ah’m gonna finish tha’ delivery. Reason we came here t’ begin with.” “I’ll go with you,” Thunderlane volunteered as he followed the red farmer towards the wagon. “I’ll stay here and… keep an eye out,” Midnight decided. From the alley, Storm Shadow and his thug were watching. “This is perfect… Only together can the Guardians of Harmony erect that barrier you mentioned.” “Yeah…” the thug confirmed apprehensively, making sure the murderous Pegasus stayed in front of him. “But that blue unicorn still has the amulet, boss.” “And whose fault is that…?” Storm Shadow gave him the evil eye, making him shrink back in fright. “No matter. Once those unicorns let their guard down, I’ll be able to swoop in and take that amulet, and with it, I’ll be the most powerful criminal in all of Equestria…! Watching the siblings spar, Midnight was intrigued by their combat. They wielded their weapons telekinetically, and with surprising skill and precision. At first glance, fighting with blades, even in practice, might seem dangerous but Midnight had noticed Dusk and Rose had charmed the blades with invisible barriers that prevented cutting but still, getting struck by those weapons could result in a serious injury. He watched as Dusk, wielding his rapier, took a frontal assault, stabbing repeatedly at his sister, Rose dancing around his attacks and continuously backing away. But Midnight easily saw Dusk’s real intention before Rose realized it, as she backed into the wall of a building and saw she’d been had. Irked, she lashed out her scythe, Dusk ducking his head and swinging his rapier upwards, and she felt the tip touch her mane, just barely missing her face. In her bewilderment, she let her guard down and felt the tip of the rapier at her neck. It was over. Once again, her brother had bested her in combat. Sighing, she said, “I yield.” “Don’t be down, sis,” Dusk encouraged her as he made his rapier disappear, Rose following suit with her scythe. “You just have to keep aware of your surroundings. In battle, using your environment can sometimes be all you need in order to defeat your opponent.” They heard whoops and cheers and saw they’d attracted a small audience of the locals, Midnight approaching with a smile. “Very impressive, you guys gotta tell me where you learned to fight like that!” “At the Artemis Academy in Manehatten,” Rose admitted, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to be partially truthful. “It’s a preparatory academy to join the Royal Guard, founded over a thousand years ago by Princess Luna in honor of her first Captain of the Lunar Guard, Captain Artemis.” “Well, you guys must’ve graduated at the top of your classes with skills like those!” Midnight was totally intrigued. “You… could say that,” Dusk said hesitantly. “But if you’re interested in learning telekinetic combat, we can point you in the right direction.” “I wish something else would point us in the right direction,” sighed Midnight as he levitated the amulet for them to look at. “I’m really curious as to why Storm Shadow wants this creepy thing.” *CLINK* “Augh!” Midnight fell backwards on his rump, having been startled as something knocked the amulet out of his telekinetic hold, sending it skyward. They all looked up and gasped to see a black pegasus zoom up and snatch the amulet, triumphantly declaring, “The Alicorn Amulet is mine! …And so are your lives, you meddlesome fools!” “Storm Shadow!” yelled Dusk and Rose together. “So you’re the big bad assassin these guys told me about?" commented Midnight, "I was expecting somepony… more!” “Oh I’ll be more than happy to oblige your expectations, Guardian!” sneered Storm Shadow as he remained airborne and placed the amulet around his neck. The unicorns felt a chill up their spines as they watched Storm Shadow’s eyes glow an ominous red. “Yes! I can feel the power! And with it, I’ll be the terror of the Equestrian crime world, maybe I’ll even take over Equestria!” “We won’t let you do this!” Midnight yelled as he fired an energy bolt from his horn. Storm Shadow easily dodged it, and sneered, “Ah, and you three will be the perfect dummies upon which to test my new powers… I’m sure you’ll find my first trick to be shocking!!!” They watched as he roared in increasing intensity, storm clouds gathering above him, the three of them gaping in intimidation as he yelled, “With this first spell, you’ll be nothing but three smoldering piles of ashes!” He threw out his arm, a crack of thunder…! … … Nothing happened. “Huh?!” Storm Shadow kept throwing out his arms, as if trying to make lightning shoot out from his hooves. “What’s going on?! I can feel the power but it’s not working!” Dusk keeled over in gut-wrenching laughter at the absurdity and ruined moment, everypony looking at him. He took a moment to recompose himself and wiped away a tear. “Ha-ha, apparently you forgot that only unicorn ponies are able to actively use magic! Just because some fancy piece of enchanted jewelry is feeding you magical power, what good is it if you can’t use it?” “What?!” Storm Shadow couldn’t believe it! Twenty years of rotting in jail, languishing, plotting, all that work and effort to escape to freedom, the strings he pulled to get his hooves on this artifact of great power… and he couldn’t even use it?! “AAAAUUUGGGGHHH…!!! Accursed thing!” He tore off the amulet and threw it away, glaring at the unicorns, a vein bulging on his forehead. “If I cannot have that power, I will at least have recognition for killing one of the Guardians of Harmony!” With blades protruding from each wing, he started to divebomb the three unicorns, only for Midnight to smirk… and a pillar of blazing blue energy erupted around him, reaching all the way into the sky, as before. Storm Shadow skidded to a halt, realizing what was about to happen and it was too late. A red pillar of power ascended from a nearby alleyway while an electric yellow pillar rose up from behind a rain barrel, and the three pillars were bridged by walls of golden energy, entrapping Storm Shadow. The red and yellow pillars moved as Big Mac and Thunderlane revealed themselves. “Looks like he fell for it, hook, line, and stinker!” Thunderlane looked pretty proud of himself and his friends. “Eeyup,” agreed Big Mac. “Wha- What is this?!” Storm Shadow panicked. “I sensed you were watching us the whole time, Storm Shadow,” Midnight explained. “I sensed your arrival outside the saloon and you were spying on us, waiting for the opportune moment to act! So I used a telepathy spell to plan with the others to capture you without incident. Dusk and Rose started sparring to make it look like we were distracted while Big Mac and Thunder pretended to leave. Then I held out the amulet for you to see in order to draw you out. What you didn’t’ realize was, Thunder and Mac had already hidden in just the right places for us to set our trap but we also needed to draw you in closer to make sure we’d get you. Honestly, letting you get the amulet was a risk but it turns out it was never a problem after all! Once we were satisfied you were close enough, we sprung the trap and now you’re ours.” “ARGH! AUGH!” Storm Shadow lost it as he beat against the walls of the barrier with his hooves, threw blades from his wings, just tiring himself out as he raged over all his plans had been for nothing. “Dusk, Rose, ya ready?” Midnight asked. The siblings horns flared, Rose yelling, “Let us at `im!” “You heard her, boys! Let it go,” Midnight called, and the barrier fell away. But before Storm Shadow could not anything, two tendrils of magic lashed out and ensnared him around the neck, bringing him down hard. “Lemme go, I’ll kill you-” A zipper formed over his lips, sealing them, leaving him to glare murderously at the unicorns, Midnight’s brow raising as he cast another spell. “Restful slumber, Dreamless sleep, From your mem’ry, this day I reap "Ukulullay!" Storm’s eyes briefly glowed turquoise blue, and he slumped and started snoring. “What’d you just do?” Rose asked, keeping the magical line attacked to the criminal just in case. “I cast him into a dreamless sleep,” Midnight informed them all, “When he wakes up, he’ll have no memory of the past twenty-four hours, and hopefully he’ll find himself back behind bars where he belongs.” “Count on it,” Dusk assured him and smiled gratefully. “Thank you guys so much for all the help you’ve given us.” “No prob, we’re just glad this joker won’t be causing any more trouble,” replied Thunderlane. “Eeyup,” Big Mac nodded. “By the way, did anypony see where Storm threw that amulet?” Midnight asked, looking around. They all looked around and didn’t see the amulet anywhere. “He called it the Alicorn Amulet, if I heard him right,” Dusk brought up. “Well, wherever he threw it, it’s gone now,” Rose amended. “But I have a feeling it’s not the last we’ll hear of that thing,” Midnight dreaded to himself. Unbeknownst to them, the last thug who’d helped Storm Shadow’s jail-break, was holding the amulet in his hoof as he carefully peered from a distant corner. “I should never gotten involved with that freak… Well, at least I got this! I’m going straight… I’ll sell this thing and start over, but I am not going back to jail!” And just like that, the thug vanished into the shadow of the alley, taking the amulet with him. At the train station a little while later, Dusk and Rose had come to see their new friends off. “We’re really glad to have met you guys,” Rose said, feeling a little down they were parting ways. “You’d all make excellent Royal Guards!” “Thanks Rose,” Midnight replied as he and his friends shared an understanding look. “But Ponyville’s our home, and we miss it a lot.” “But hey! If you’re ever in Ponyville, look us up!” Thunderlane invited. “An’ maybe if wer’ ever in Manehatten, we’ll pay y’all a visit,” Big Mac offered. “We’ll look forward to it,” Dusk said with a smile. At that moment however, Midnight’s horn flared and a spark revealed a scroll. “Oh, I got a message.” He unrolled it and read it. “Hey guys, it’s from the girls! They’re saying Rainbow got a new pet tortoise!” “A tortoise?! No way Dash would choose something slow for a pet,” Thunderlane scoffed. “Well, it also says Rarity’s gone to Canterlot for a while but she just sent them a message she can’t come home for Twilight’s upcoming birthday,” Midnight went on. “So they’re gonna move the party to Canterlot to surprise her! They’re telling us to meet them there!” “Well, it sounds like you know where you’re headed next,” Dusk cut in, Rose saying, “we’re gonna head back to the sheriff’s and collect our prisoner. We’ll miss you guys.” “Group hug!” Thunderlane called and just for the hay of it, they laughed as they pulled each other in, feeling a new friendship bloom. Once they parted, Midnight said, “Well, we’d better got see the ticket booth, hopefully a train for Canterlot will be available today.” “So long fellas,” Dusk said, and more see-ya-laters ensued as they went their separate ways. “I can’t believe it,” Rose got giddy. “We did it! We captured a dangerous criminal and we were aided by the Gaurdians of Harmony, eeeh! “Chill, sis, we still gotta deliver the trouble-maker back to Manehatten,” Dusk reminded her. “Speaking of trouble-makers…!” They both froze and turned slowly to see a very familiar Captain of the Royal Guard giving them the stink-eye, accompanied by three Royal Guards. “Oh buck me…” the siblings both uttered.