CHAPTER 4 - Scouting Party
Ponyville Adventuring Society Clubhouse
Pixel Bit, Echo and Api Apple sat around their small table, planning out their weekend, until a very definite end was called to the proceedings. “Girls,” Applejack yelled from the bottom of the ramp. “It’s gettin’ late, are y’all nearly done in there?”
“We’re nearly done, Auntie.” Api shouted back, as the three fillies looked across the table at each other and nodded. The three fillies marched out the door and down the ramp, heading off down different paths once they had.
“Aunt Applejack, can the girls come over again tomorrow?” Api asked, as she fell into step beside the older Earth Pony.
“Well, shucks, I ain’t rightly sure,” She said, tipping her Stetson back as she thought. “Zap Apples are due ta start ripenin’ any day now, though.”
“Aww hay, not the bunny suits ag’in...” Api spat, under her breath.
“Language, filly.”
“Sorry Auntie,” Api murmured, lowering her head. “But Ah still don’t like them suits.”
“Ya Ma weren’t right fond of ‘em when she were just a filly neither,” Applejack pointed out, her eyes moistening. “Zap Apples are just dang strange, Api, an’ we ain’t found no other ways ta make the jam, sugarcube.”
Api sighed, and kicked a pebble along the road. “Ah know. Mah’s been all but shut in her office fer two months now.”
“Good ta know she ain’t changed much,” Applejack chuckled as the mental picture formed. “But this ain’t like her fancy mechanics. There’s magic in them apples, an’ they don’t like things bein’ neat...”
“Ah think, fer her, that’s kinda the point...” Api said, sighing again.
“Can’t say that’s all that shockin’...” Applejack said, nodding sagely. “Tell ya what, sugarcube. You an’ yer friends help out in the mornin’, an’ ya can have the rest of the harvest off.”
When the filly leapt into the air, grinning like a mad mare, Applejack quickly thought back over what she’d said, before chasing after the filly.
“Zap Apple harvest! Ya can have the rest of the Zap Apple harvest off...”
***
Ponyville Adventuring Clubhouse, the next day
“Hey Api!” Echo and Pixel cheered in unison, as the pair came to a halt below the clubhouse.
“Oh, hey girls...” Api said, smiling nervously. “How’re y’all?”
The other two girls shared a glance.
“What’s going on, Api?” Pixel eventually asked.
“There’s...” the small filly started, before gulping. “There’s been a change of plans...”
Echo studied Api, then thought about what season had just started. Her eyes widened as the realisation hit, and she quickly began waving her forehooves in front of her. “No, no, no, no, no!”
“At least hear me ou...” Api pleaded, before quickly being cut off by Pixel.
“Sorry, Api, but no way,” she said, as her eye started to twitch. “They’re just so... itchy.”
“Girls, if ya help out, we can hang out fer the rest of the harvest...”
Echo and Pixel stared at Api for almost a minute.
“One moment, please,” Echo said, before moving to the other side of the small clearing and conferring with Pixel.
After a slightly heated argument, the pair returned to their friend.
“We have decided that your offer is... acceptable.” Echo started.
“Need to start my own blackmail folder...” Pixel grumbled under her breath.
“...On one condition,” Echo continued, speaking over her friend.
“Yeah, Ah’ll buy the ‘shakes and ‘cakes,” Api said, puzzled as her friends jaws dropped. “What? That’s what we always ask fer. So, how long fer this time?”
Pixel and Echo brought a forehoof each to their muzzles, as they considered the question.
“A week,” Pixel asked Echo, who nodded in agreement. “A week.”
“Alright, a week it is,” Api said, shaking hooves with the other two fillies to seal the deal. “Now, we better git over t’ the farmhouse. Sooner we git this over with, the better.”
***
Sugarcube Corner, that afternoon
The trio of fillies sat back in their booth, clutching their heads as they tried to ward off their inevitable brain freeze.
Echo was the first to recover. She looked over to the groaning Unicorn. “Feelin’ better, Pix?”
After a few seconds, Pixel Bit moved her hooves from her head, and nodded. “Still feel itchy, but don’t care anymore.”
“Ya want one more fer the road,” Api asked, as she finally shook off her own headache. “Or do ya wanna get goin?”
“I couldn’t drink another sip...” Pixel groaned again, her hooves now clutching at her gut.
“Yeah,” Echo agreed, glaring at the row of empty glasses in front of her. “I know the feelin’...”
“Alright, so what do y’all wanna do now,” Api asked, stretching as she leapt down from the bench. “Ah mean, we got all week, an’ a whole list of stuff ta do. So, where d’ya wanna start girls?”
“No offence Api,” Echo smiled sheepishly, as she took a few steps towards the door. “But I need to work some of this off, so I think I’m just gonna go flying for a bit. You can tag along, if you want...”
“Ugh...” Pixel lifted her head from her spot on the floor. “Moving... bad. Stay here.”
“...Ya know ya cain’t stay there all day,” Api asked, laying down in front of Pixel as she spoke. “Right, Pixie?”
The glare the Unicorn gave her small friend said it all. Just watch me...
“...But we did the costume thing...” Api started deflating as she rose back off the floor. “We really gonna split off this quick after that?”
“I’m sorry Api, but I need to burn those shakes off somehow,” Echo sighed as she looked down at Pixel. “And Pix isn’t really in any shape to be going anywhere. Maybe if she hadn’t been drinking two to one...”
Pixel Bit huffed. “I was thirsty, OK?”
“Girls, come on, you’re all friends,” Pinkie Pie said, as she walked over from her spot behind the counter. “Why are you acting so sad?”
“’Cause we all had ta do somethin’ we hate,” Api grumbled, circling a hoof over the floorboards. “So we can spend some more time together ‘fore school starts up ag’in. But now Echo’s tryin’ ta run off ta fly, and Pix ain’t movin’. At all.”
Pinkie looked between the three, before flashing them a huge grin. “Well, why don’t you all go flying?”
“Uhh, no offence, Pinkie,” Echo said, raising an eyebrow. “But Pix and Api can’t exactly fly.”
“Well, duh,” Pinkie said rolling her eyes. “Of course they can’t fly by themselves. They don’t have wings, and Pix can’t move anyway. But they can fly in my balloon...”
“Echo,” Api rubbed her temple as she turned back to her friend. “Is mah brain freeze comin’ back, or did Pinkie just make... sense?”
“She always makes sense...” Pixel said, finally pushing herself to her hooves.
“Alright, correction,” Api nodded sagely. “Did Pinkie just make sense without Pixie translatin’?”
“Cloudy, Sugar,” Pinkie shouted up the stairs at the back of the cafe, ignoring the conversation between the three fillies. “Could you come down here girls?”
The sound of soft hoofsteps drifted down the stairs...
“Eep!”
...Followed by a tumbling circle of soft pink and royal blue. Sugar Rush and Cloudy Skies eventually lay together in a heap on the cafe floor, their eyes replaced by azure and amber spirals.
“Girls,” Pinkie said, rolling her eyes, before helping her youngest daughters to their feet. “What have I said about running on the landing?”
“Always stop when you get to the staircase...” Sugar Rush replied, shaking her head as she rose to her hooves.
“Mhmm,” Pinkie nodded sagely. “And what did you do?”
“...Tripped over one of Pumpkin’s roller skates...” Cloudy answered, shrinking behind her slightly shorter twin as she did.
“Exact...” Pinkie started, stopping dead when she heard what had happened. “Wait, what?”
“She’d left one in her doorway again, and Clumsy Skies tripped over it...” Sugar Rush looked back at her sister and sighed. “...Again.”
Pinkie shook her head. “I’ll ask Candy to talk to her about that when she gets back,” before being interrupted by a head popping out the kitchen door. “I’ll be right there, Pumpkin,” she answered, without even turning round.
The young mare turned slack jawed, staring at Pinkie. “How did you...?”
Pinkie just shrugged before answering. “Lucky guess,” she answered before turning back to Cloudy and Sugar. “Now, how would you girls like to go flying with the balloon this afternoon?”
The two fillies looked at each other, then back at their mother.
“Flying,” A smile spread across Cloudy's face as she spoke, . “I'd love t..." she started, only to find a hoof in her face. "Hey, Sugar, what gives?”
The filly in question narrowed her eyes, staring at her mother carefully. “...What’s the catch?”
Pinkie just grinned at the pair. “No catch,” she responded, moving so that Api, Echo and Pixel came into view of the two fillies. “You just need to help Pixie get into the basket, and teach her the controls.”
Sugar and Cloudy entered a two filly huddle, as they debated what to do. After almost a full minute’s discussion, Cloudy turned back to the rest of the group. “Sure, no problem mom!”
Sugar just sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned away from the others to speak to herself. “...Oh goodie...”
***
Later, outside Sugarcube Corner
Echo took a deep breath, as the balloon alongside her finally climbed high enough to clear the Ponyville roofline. “Ahh, it’s good to get off the ground again,” she said, before biting her lip and turning to her friends. “Heh, heh... no offence guys...”
“Ahh, don’t get a bee in ya bonnet,” Api said, not turning away from the edge of the basket. “Ah know what ya meant.”
“Yeah,” Pixel’s eyes were screwed shut as her field remained glued on the various controls of the balloon. “If we could come up here whenever we wanted, we’d probably get antsy spending all our time on the ground.”
“Pix, I don’t think you know what we’re talking about... Hay, you can’t even see anything...” Echo deadpanned. Pixel just smiled sheepishly as she rubbed her mane in response, her field never leaving the controls.
“And I’m kinda used to it,” Sugar said, pointing a hoof out towards her sister, who had started lazily performing some aileron rolls as she waited for the others to climb. “She can be such a klutz on the ground, but get her in the sky...” the filly said starting to smile, just as Cloudy noticed her audience, and quickly started to fly back to the basket blushing. “It’s like night and day. Can’t really blame her for getting carried away sometimes...”
“Yeah,” Echo said, staring at the other flyer. “I see what you mean... Hey, Cloudy, how’d you learn to fly like that.”
“...Oh, Icy Storm showed me how to do some tricks,” Cloudy answered, playing with her mane while her blush deepened slightly. “...I’m not really good at them, but I really like the rolls.”
“Really? Huh...” The older Pegasus rubbed her muzzle thoughtfully. “Maybe I should get him to show me a few moves?”
“Not ta sidetrack us or nothin’,” Api said, coughing politely into a hoof. “But maybe we should do somethin’ while we’re in this here thing?”
The rest of the fillies started looking around amongst themselves. Eventually, Sugar Rush decided to ask the question on all of their minds. “Like what?”
“Well, it’s tha Zap Apple harvest, so everyone’s gonna be over on one side of tha orchards...” Api turned to stare towards the sea of trees at the edge of town. “Which means there ain’t no-one ta keep an eye on tha other side...”
Sugar Rush pondered on that for a second. “So your saying we should fly over the Whitetail Woods...”
“... And keep an eye out for any apple thieves or invading animals?” Cloudy Skies finished.
Api nodded proudly. “Yeah, that’s exactly right.”
The sisters shared a quick look, smiles widening by the second.
“Awesome!” The pair cried in unison.
Api smiled, wrapping one of her small forelegs round Sugar Rush. “Ah think this is gonna go just fine.”
Behind her, she failed to notice the face hoofing Echo and Pixel.
***
Over the edge of Sweet Apple Acres
“...Umm, Echo,” Cloudy asked, as the other Pegasus pulled level with her. “...Don’t those trees look a little... gloomy for Whitetail?”
Echo looked down. “I see what you mean,” she said, looking at the ocean of dark wood and odd coloured leaves that stretched out before her. “I don’t ever remember the Whitetail Woods having blue leaves before, or being this thick...” she said, her eyes narrowing, before widening in realisation. “Aww hay! We gotta get the girls to turn around. We went to the wrong side.”
Cloudy stared at Echo, her face falling. The pair spun and flew back to the balloon, which was already at the border between Sweet Apple Acres and the Everfree Forest.
“Pix,” Echo yelled as she approached. “We need to turn around, we’re going the wrong way!”
“Huh,” Pixel responded, opening her eyes and turning to the incoming Pegasi. “What d’ya mean we’re going the wrong way? I followed Api’s instructions to the letter.”
“Then why are we over the Everfree?”
“Over the Everfree? We’re not over the Everfree,” Api questioned, raising an eyebrow, before folding her hooves in a huff. “We can’t be over the Everfree,” she wandered over to the side of the basket as she continued to dismiss her friends concerns. Taking a glance over the side caused her to recoil back to the centre, her face turning green. “Sweet Celestia, we’re over the Everefree! How the Hay’d we end up over the Everfree? Pixie, what did ya do!?”
Pixel puffed out her cheeks, glaring down at the young Earth Pony. “I did what you told me to do!”
“Hey,” Sugar Rush interrupted the staring contest that had erupted between the other two fillies. “I think I see the problem,” she said, as she grabbed the map, and flipped the map upside down. “Api had the map the wrong way around!”
Pixel stared slack jawed at Sugar Rush, before turning back to the rapidly shrinking Earth Pony. “Hehe...” Api bit her lip, staring at her friend sheepishly. “Oops?”
Pixel glared at her friend for a few seconds, before sighing and shaking her head. “Let’s save getting mad ‘til we’re back on the ground... What’s the plan, Api?”
“...We turn this thing around,” Api raised an eyebrow, as though that were obvious. “Sugar, there any way ta turn ‘round quicker in one of these things?”
“Not that my mom told me...” the young Unicorn replied, kicking at the basket’s floor. “Only thing I can think of is if I try to help. But... I’m... still not very good with my magic yet...”
“You know what you’re doing,” Pixel gave Sugar a comforting hug. “You do what you can, and tell me what I should be doing, OK?”
“...OK,” Sugar nodded to encourage herself as she spoke. “Alright, you grab the fuel control, I’ll take the...” she started, struggling to spread her field over the rudder. She watched as it just pulsed around the fin unproductively. "C'mon, stupid magic..." she growled, starting to shake with concentration. "Work for once..." she begged, as the field started to flash white, before vanishing explosively, reducing the rudder to splinters. “Aaah!”
Api and Pixel watched the fin tumble to the ground, and the crying filly. Pixel quickly moved to comfort the crying filly, while Api took a few deep, calming breaths.
OK, we can’t turn round, and jumping won’t work either... the young Earth Pony thought, as she looked over the situation. I need to get those two out of here, but how?
She turned to face Echo and Cloudy with her eyes closed, after she came to her conclusion.
“Echo, Cloudy,” she yelled over the wailing apologies from Sugar and Pixel’s shushing. “Ah need ya ta get them outta here.”
Cloudy wasted no time moving to replace Pixel in comforting her sister, while Echo hovered just outside the basket. She folded her forehooves, looking curiously at her friend. “What’s going on, Api?”
“Rudder’s broke, so I need ya ta get the girls outta here.”
“What about you?”
“Ma mah took me out ta Zecora’s hut once in a while, an’ that’s deeper than we are right now,” she said quickly, staring towards the dark clouds forming in front of them. “So Ah can get back out, an’ if it comes down ta it, Ah’m best suited ta take a crash,” she pointed to the dark clouds, and Echo bit her lip nervously.
“Api...” her friends all started, clearly looking to debate her.
“We ain’t got time fer this girls,” she yelled, her eyes watering. “Y’all know what Ah said is right, an this is mah fault ag'in. Ah ain’t gonna let any of ya risk yer fool necks...”
Pixel and Echo stared at each other, before moving in for a group hug.
“Sorry Api...” Pixel whispered into the fillies’ ear.
“It’s al...” Api started to say, before she felt a shove from the Unicorn. She felt two legs wrap around her, before flying out of the basket. “Pixie, what the hay!?”
“I can’t let you do that,” the usually cheerful Unicorn’s smile was much smaller than usual. “It wouldn’t be right...”
“Don’t ya dare...” Api struggled against Echo’s forelegs, to no avail.
“It’s not about age or size, Api. You said it yourself,” the filly said, as her field started to cover the balloon’s fuel controls. “You can handle a crash better than any of us,” she looked Api in the eye. “But I can land this thing. So go and get some help, and I’ll see you all later,” Echo took off quickly, while the twins just stared at Pixel, frozen to the spot. “And the shakes are still on you Api,” the Unicorn yelled after her rapidly disappearing friends, before turning and noticing the two younger fillies still in the basket. “You two should get going too...”
“...Alright.” Cloudy said, turning away, and grabbing a tight hold of Sugar. “...Good luck, Pixel.”
“Luck,” Pixel snorted a laugh, and winked at the two fillies. “I’m the Hero, I don’t need luck. Everything’s going to be jus...” she started, before a flash of lightning struck the balloon. Cloudy leaped as the balloon burst, trying to clear the basket. Unfotunately, the rapid tumble of the basket ended up catching one of her outstretched rear legs, sending the pair tumbling into the forest. Pixel just screamed for all she was worth as she plummeted in the remains of the basket toward the canopy.
***
Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres
Api had barely leapt out of Echo’s grip before she started sprinting towards the farmhouse.
“Aunt, Uncle, anypony, help,” the filly screamed, half bucking the door open. “We need help, now!”
“Api, calm down,” came a voice off to her side, one she hadn’t expected to hear. “They’re all out in the Zap Apple orchards. Now, what’s wrong.”
“I ain’t got time ta calm down, Night Light,” she ran for the still open door, the bookish unicorn hot on her heels. “Somethin’ broke on the balloon, an’ now Pixie’s stuck headin’ over the Everfree straight fer a wild storm...”
Night Light’s eyes widened. “What!? What were you thinking? What were you doing flying over there in the first place,” he began shouting, advancing on the small filly, only to start losing steam when he began hyperventilating. “You... I... but... gah!”
“Aww hay...” Api said, her eyes widening. She grabbed the colt’s head, and pulled it down until they were face to face. “Come on bookworm, don’t do this ta me now. Calm down and breathe... in, out, in, out,” she said, taking deep, slow breaths. Slowly, Night Light’s ragged breathing started to match hers. “Better?”
“Yeah... a lot better...” his voice was still shaky, but he seemed a lot calmer now. “Thanks, Api. OK, you go find everyone on the farm, I need to go get my Mom, she’ll know what to do” Night Light didn’t wait for a response before turning and dashing down the main path towards Ponyville.
As he reached the Acres’ fence, he turned back towards the town centre, when he heard a chorus of howls echo through the trees. The colt froze to the spot, a shudder passing down his spine as he considered what would be waiting whoever went in the forest to rescue the filly.
I need to hurry, He thought, as he slowly regained his senses. Mom’s smart and strong. She’ll know what to do. Don’t worry...
However, before he had a chance to move, another sound escaped the shadows of the forest.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Night Light’s eyes widened, as Pixel’s scream died out. He quickly glanced between the Town and the forest. After a few seconds, he screwed his eyes closed, and brought his horn to life.
As he charged into the Everfree, he yelled three words that echoed over the farm. “I’M COMING, PIXIE!”