//------------------------------//
// Capture! 
// Story: Bring Me the Heads of the Cutie Mark Crusaders! 
// by CCC 
//------------------------------//

One day later

The train pulled, slowly, into Ponyville Station.

Only one passenger got out. There had been a few passengers who had intended to get on the train at Manehatten, but one glare from the grey pegasus had persuaded them that it would be healthier to wait for the next train instead.

Daring Do looked around. Most of the town seemed empty, with ponies remaining inside and, from the looks of it, locking their doors. She caught a glimpse of a flash of light, from the top of a building that looked – of all things – rather like a carousel. It looked like somepony was watching the station through a telescope. As if they'd been expecting her.

As she watched, a large green flag was unfurled from the same window. The green flag was almost dropped, and a small white filly leaned out dangerously far to catch it.

This looked like it would bear closer investigation. Daring Do trotted towards the carousel-shaped building.

“Hi!” said a passing pegasus. She was grey, with yellowish hair, and while one eye was looking at Daring, the other appeared to have wandered off and was staring at a nearby cloud house. Like any other pony, her flank was blank. “You're new here, aren't you? New people are fun! Are you looking for something? I deliver mail, so I know where everything is in Ponyville!”

“Where,” asked Daring, “are the headquarters of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“Oh, that's easy!” said the other pegasus. “It's in a treehouse at Sweet Apple Acres orchard! Here, I'll show you.”

She trotted along the road, beckoning for Daring Do to follow.


* * *


A few minutes later.

“There it is!” said the helpful grey pegasus, pointing at a small treehouse. Even as Daring watched, a small orange pegasus filly riding a scooter, and wearing an eyepatch and a helmet, leapt dramatically out of the treehouse door.

“Cutie Mark Crusader away!” she yelled.

The scooter hit the ground in a shower of dust, and almost immediately made a sharp turn; directly away from Daring Do. But Daring was already in motion. This pegasus had just identified herself as a Cutie Mark Crusader; Daring would bring her head to Tirek.

Even at full speed, Daring had in instinct about traps. That recently turned earth, there, hid a net that would snap up in an instant. There was a thin thread stretched between those two apple trees – touching it would no doubt trigger a hidden dart gun or something similar. Both of those traps lay before the point where the pegasus filly had landed – which led Daring to the inescapable, and unsettling, conclusion that she had been expected.

Daring dodged the simple traps easily, and sped up. If she had been expected, then the headquarters had probably been abandoned. Her best chance to find out where the other Crusaders were was to catch this one. There would almost certainly be further traps. Perhaps even a few mooks to beat up.

Daring relished the challenge.

The little orange filly ducked under a large stallion, and continued on her way. There was no time for finesse – Daring simply charged up to the stallion, and delivered a kick that would put the average tribesman out of the fight for days, perhaps weeks.

The stallion dodged to one side and, almost casually, placed his hoof in front of Daring Do's face. She was going too fast to stop, too fast to dodge. She was only dazed for a moment, but that was enough; the stallion placed his hoof on her back, and held her very firmly down.

“Eenope.” he said, with finality.