//------------------------------//
// Midnight Scuffle 
// Story: Late Night Robbery 
// by Hoodwinked MCShelster 
//------------------------------//

	It was a dark stormy night. Hoodwink was sleeping soundly in her bed. She was visiting her friends, one of her former solar guard comrades turned local saloon owner, Fable Stable and his wife Appletini in Appleloosa.
“Psst… Hoodwink…,” a voice whispered.
“Hmmmm…” she moaned.
“Hoodwink…wake up…” a hoof poked her cheek.
“Mom, five more minutes…” she brushed it away.
“Wake up ya idgit!” a stern voice quietly scolded her before smacking her on the muzzle.
“OW!” she yelped before a hoof went over her mouth.
“Shhh.”
She pushed away the hoof and whispered, “Fable? Appletini? What the hay is going on?” 
“Ah heard somethin’ down stairs.” Appletini squeaked.
“Well why don’t you take care of it, Fable? You have an axe right? Should be no problem?” she pulled the covers over her face.
“Grrr…” he pulled the covers off the bed. “Mah axe is outside ya idgit. So go down with yer sw…”
BOOM! CRASH!
Appletini hid under the bed. Hoodwink jumped out of bed and put her armor on.
“It sounds like their down in the kitchen…” she said putting on her helmet.
“Mah cider!” Appletinne gasped.
“Com’on let’s go Hoodwink!” Fable started out of the room.
Hoodwink followed down the staircase. When they got closer to the bottom, they could hear some rustling in the kitchen.
Hoodwink got in front of Fable “Shhhh… I got this.”
Fable stepped on her tail, “Hold it right there pardner. That cider is mah and mah wife’s pride and business. This jack ass just made this personal.”
A streak of lightning brightened up the house for a split second. In the kitchen they could see three silhouettes, one going through Appletini’s cider cupboard, the other two trying crack the lock on her other drink storages.
“Not a good idea Fable, you don’t have a weapon, even if those jack asses made it personal.” Hoodwink pulled her tail out from under his hoof. “Just stay here for now.”
Hoodwink sneaked towards the doorframe. She drew out her sword, ready to obtain the burglars. She could hear their conversation clearly.
“Wow! There’s enough cider here to last us for weeks.” A stallion’s voice with a slight accent said in amazement.
“Remember, we’re not drinking it stupid. We have to sell it so we can buy some classier stuff. I wouldn’t drink this rubbish if someone paid me.” A mare’s voice scoffed.
“Why those consarnit…” Fables said through his teeth from right behind Hoodwink, making her jump and make a loud clinking sound with her horseshoes.
“What was that?” the third thief, a stallion with a very gruff and scratchy voice said, “We have to get out of here.”
They started quickly getting all the cider into a sack they had.
“Dammit Fable…” Hoodwink mumbled.
She jumped into the room, shining a light on the thieves. “Halt, you’re all under arrest!”
“Oh no it’s the po-po.” One of the stallions yelled.
Hoodwink tackled the mare to the floor, knocking her out. Fable rushed into the room and bucked the closest pony, the stallion at the cider cupboards in the face.
The second stallion grabbed the sack of cider and dashed out of an open window.
“HEY! GET BACK HERE YA JACK ASS!” Fable shouted after him.
“Appletini! Come down here and make sure these two don’t get away!” Hoodwink called out to the mare hiding on top on the staircase.
When Hoodwink got to the window, Fable was having a hard time squeezing through with his beefy frame.
“Ugh! He’s going to get away!” Hoodwink spun around and raised her back legs, “Sorry Fable.”
With a swift kick, Fable popped out of the window frame onto his face with a sound thud.
“Oof!” He quickly got up and looked around for the stallion. “GET BACK HERE YOU BUCKIN’ COWARD!” he shouted into the rainy darkness.
Hoodwink jumped through the window and looked around. In the rain, it was hard to see anything. She could hardly make out Fable ten feet in front of her.
Suddenly a distant streak of lightning lit up the dark sky. In the flash of light, she could make out a dark figure flying away about fifteen to twenty feet above them. He was a pegasis!
“FABLE! HE’S UP THERE!” she shined a light on the thief.
Fable looked up and started running after the pegasis, screaming and swearing in rage. Hoodwink galloped after Fable. She looked up and saw the pegasis. He was going awfully slow because of the extra weight of the cider. She just might be able to get him.
“FABLE! LAUNCH ME!” she ordered jumping onto Fable’s back.
He spun around and bucked Hoodwink, launching her super high in the air. She was nearly right behind the thief when she started slowing down.
“Crap! He’s just out of reach! I only have one shot!” she thought.
She took her sword in her telekinesis and hurled it at him. At the angle, she threw her sword; it cut a good chunk of his ear off, causing him to scream in pain, dropping the cider. He tried to dive for it but when he stopped dead in the air Hoodwink crashed right into him. She grabbed onto him making both of them plummet to the ground. He punched and kicked trying to break free of her hold.  He finally broke free when he got a good kick in her gut causing her to welp in pain. Before she could lose him, she clamped her teeth onto the end of his long tail.
“Crazy old hag!” he hissed.
He began to flail in the air trying to shake her off. Bucking at her, spinning around, diving, flipping, barrel rolling, Hoodwink refused to let go. But she could feel the crook’s tail slipping out from between her teeth. He could feel it too. He began to fly to a dangerous height.
“You’re going to wish you would have let go when you could’ve.” He laughed.
“This stallion is crazy!” she thought.
She looked down and saw Fable right beneath them.
“I really hope Fable still remembers how to catch…,” she prayed.
When she was looking down, he buck her one last time, knocking her off. 
“See you next fall officer.” He snickered!
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!” she screamed, doing everything she could to try to slow down.  
Seeing Hoodwink plummeting to the ground, Fable stood up on his hind hooves and ran around trying to get into a catching position. She collided into him, knocking him back several feet.
“Ouch…” Fable groaned, “Hoodwink, next time... do ya think ya could fall a lil’ slower?”
“Oh shut up. He got away!” Hoodwink got off Fable.
“But we got his pardners and I caught the cider, most of them made it. And ya sure gave him a fight. I didn’t know ya had that in ya.” He punched her shoulder.
“Ow…but I suppose you have a point. I did cut off a good part of his ear too. He’s going to want to have that mended and the only doctor in about a hundred miles is here in Appleloosa. He can’t get very far.” She said rubbing her shoulder. “And if he wants to see his friends again, he’ll have to go through me.” She stomped her hoof. “Nopony calls me a hag and gets away with it.”