They proceeded smoothly across the plains, putting distance between them and that dark city. As if the gods themselves felt they had earned their way, they were not challenged for an entire week of peaceful, almost boring, travel. Consulting her map and compass, Willow announced, "We should arrive in a few days. I heard from a few ponies back in Everrain that there's a bit of a gnoll problem around here, so keep your eyes open for them. They shouldn't be hard to spot, but we aren't hard to spot either. If they want to press the matter, we'll be in for a scuffle."
Scootaloo drew her rapier and gave it a few swings. "I'm about ready to mix it up."
Apple Bloom and Applejack both nodded in quiet acceptance. Sunflower put a paw out in front of Sweetie. "I'll protect you."
The chivalric gesture sat well with her, and she smiled brightly. "My hero. Just don't get hurt. Gnolls are dangerous, right?"
"Big hyena men. They have hands and use them well enough with weapons, and usually travel in packs. Left unchecked they can form great big tribes. We shouldn't run into one of those." Willow sat back on her cushion. "For now, sleep."
The next night they found them, or were found by them, after they settled in for slumber, with Scootaloo taking first watch. The pegasus could barely spot movement in the poorly-lit area beneath her. She had taken to flying circles around the wagon rather than sitting on it. She swooped in to have a look at whatever it was, only to have a spear thrust out of the tall grass. She squeaked in surprise and barely ducked out of the way, almost sending herself into the ground with the abrupt jitter. She gave a much stronger holler as she flew away from the spear, rousing the others inside the wagon.
The door to the wagon burst open to reveal an alarmed Applejack. "What's all tha commotion about?" She was answered with a thrown javelin that skidded along her tough hide, leaving a painful gash. She hissed in pain and charged forward at the shaggy biped that had delivered it, summoning her shield as she went.
Sweetie sent out her balls of light, allowing everyone to see what they were doing. There were five of the attackers, most wielding spears. The one that had hurled a javelin was busy drawing a spear like his peers.
Apple Bloom rushed out and hurled one of her explosive packages, detonating between two gnolls in a painful blast that had them ducking for cover with yips of alarm. She grinned with triumph before pain exploded through her back and she collapsed to the ground bonelessly with barely a cough escaping her. Sweetie Belle saw it, however, and screamed shrilly. Apple Bloom had been shot from behind and above by a well-placed arrow.
Sunflower rushed up and out of the wagon, circling around to get at the attacker above. A gnoll had parked himself on top of the wagon with a bow, and was already lining up a shot at Sunflower. Sunflower did a barrel roll, dodging the arrow before landing on the gnoll, smashing his face with his mace with an angry hiss.
As Applejack engaged the gnolls in melee, Willow hurried to Sweetie Belle's side and touched her shoulder with a quick spell. "You are invisible, go help your friend."
Sweetie nodded, though no one could see her, and she bolted from the wagon to Apple Bloom's side. She sang nervously, but it was good enough to make the arrow pop free of Apple Bloom as if it simply didn't belong there, a sentiment Sweetie agreed with. Apple Bloom didn't immediately wake up, so Sweetie kept on singing.
Scootaloo came down from the sky behind the sniper, pinning him between herself and Sunflower. She drove the rapier at the gnoll only for it to dodge, but that put it in the right place for Sunflower to make a viciously well-placed smash to the ribs. The mace landed with a sickening crunch of breaking bones and the gnoll staggered back, wheezing for air.
Applejack had just noticed the prone form of her little sister and roared in fury. One gnoll went down with two hoofprints that'd never come free. "When ah get through with the lot of ya, y'all'll wish ya never even heard of ponies!"
As Scootaloo shoved the winded gnoll to the ground, the others lost their nerve. The attack was going significantly awry, and they scattered into the darkness, leaving their injured behind. Scootaloo gave a triumphant cheer and held up a hoof towards Sunflower, getting a paw in return.
Applejack hurried to Apple Bloom's side, tripping over Sweetie Belle along the way. "What tha?"
Sweetie poured song magic into Apple Bloom despite the interruption, rousing her friend. As soon as one of her eyes opened, she was hugged by a relieved, if invisible, Sweetie. This soon became a double hug as Applejack got in on the action. "I'm OK! Really!"
Once she was let down, she dug out one of her potions and drank it down to chase away the last of the discomfort. "Everypony alright?"
Applejack nodded. "Nothing ah can't sleep off." Despite her words, she was soon touched by Sweetie Belle as a little song stopped the bleeding wound on her side. "Or ya could do that. Thanks Sweetie. Do ya have ta stay see-through like that?"
She suddenly appeared as Willow waved at her. Willow then gestured inside. "We still need rest for the coming day. You all did well."
Scootaloo hopped off the wagon and onto the downed gnoll beside it. Whistling as she worked, she stripped it of interesting-looking things. "Hey, look at this." She came over to the others with a funny stick in her mouth. "I think it's a wand." She dropped it in plain view, then started staring at it, trying to figure it out. The others weren't as eager to plumb its mysteries, and Scootaloo was soon left to resume her watch. She eventually figured out it could lob magic missiles, which sounded pretty cool to her, so she tucked it into her belt and took to the air in case anything else showed up during her watch.
Morning eventually came without a fresh attack, and the wagon resumed its trek across the plains. Scootaloo happily showed off her acquisition to the others. Applejack pointed at it. "That mean ya can stay back and not be in the thick of things, right?"
Scootaloo frowned. "No! It means I can get bad guys that are far away, or if we run into more ghosts we can handle them." She tucked the wand away. "For close up, I'm sticking with the rapier."
Sweetie Belle tilted her head at Scootaloo. "Why are you so eager about all this?"
Scootaloo shrugged, "How can you not be? This is the most exciting thing we've ever done before! And we're awesome at it too. I only wish Rainbow Dash was here to see how much awesome I'm pulling off." She spread her wings and looked quite proud of herself. "Oh, good shot last night, Sunflower. You were pretty cool too."
Sunflower smiled at the praise. "Thanks... When I saw Apple Bloom get hit, I just got so angry."
Apple Bloom giggled a little. "Looks like I have a hero too, Sweetie Belle."
Sweetie Belle pouted a little. "He's mine." She grabbed him and pulled him closer possessively. Sunflower looked quite uncertain with how things were going, but being held by Sweetie Belle certainly seemed like a good way to spend the morning. "Find your own knight."
Apple Bloom waved a hoof dismissively. "Don't get upset about it. Thanks by the way for tha help. Ah didn't see what hit me."
Scootaloo pointed up. "One of them was on the wagon. I didn't see the guy at all until he put an arrow in your back." She stood up and moved over to Applejack. "You're good at fighting. Aren't you having any fun?"
Applejack raised a brow. "Ah'd rather be buckin' apples if ah had the choice, but ah don't want y'all getting hurt. Ah fight 'cause ah gotta."
Scootaloo sank to the floor with a huff, alone in her thrill-seeking pleasure.
The monotony of travel was broken when Willow called out, "I can see the river!" They all emerged to see that a thin sparkling line went across the horizon. They walked alongside the wagon for the next hour, watching as the city they were approaching came into view, spread out across both sides of the river. "Galloping Dam. Used to be two cities, I'm told, but they're connected by the dam that named it. Not a bad place. We should be arriving in the late evening."
Apple Bloom gave a whoop of joy. "Get ta sleep in a real bed tanight." Applejack nodded in agreement before plucking her up, setting Apple Bloom on her back and carrying her along with a content expression.
A rough voice called out from the grasses, "Stop. Pay toll."
Willow frowned from atop the wagon. "Or what?"
Applejack brought up her floating shield without much thought, frowning in the direction of the voice.
A gnoll emerged from the thicket, bow held already drawn and aimed at Willow. "Or you stop the hard way. You're surrounded, don't try anything."
Scootaloo launched herself forward without delay, stabbing the rapier into the toll-collecting gnoll's side with an explosion of flame and acid spraying out at a quickly-intoned spell. The gnoll went down bonelessly as arrows began to rain through the air. He had not been joking about having backup.
Kalik jumped down from the wagon and charged into the underbrush, hunting the gnolls with a low and predatory growl even as his mistress vanished from sight.
Applejack charged at the source of one of the arrows as Apple Bloom, riding on her back, hurled a bomb into the tall grasses, starting a sudden fire and scaring several gnolls out of hiding.
An arrow grazed Sweetie's barrel and she squealed in pain and terror, fleeing into the wagon quickly. Sunflower was not as easily intimidated and took off into the tall grass, taking cover and moving towards the source of those arrows.
The sound of a gnoll being tackled to the ground by Kalik was soon heard as the flaming cat tore into the hyena. Some words came from the brush in a language none of them knew, and arrows focused on the cat, peppering Kalik. Though most had a hard time penetrating her flaming form, sheer numbers ellicited pained growls even as she looked for her next victim.
Applejack came charging up on one of the gnolls and reared up, almost knocking Apple Bloom free as she boxed at the varmint, but the gnoll had the good sense to dive out of the way and stick an arrow into her chest. It didn't penetrate deeply into her tough flesh, and Applejack knocked it free before coming down on the gnoll like an angry train, trampling him underhoof.
"Oops." Apple Bloom cringed a little, holding onto Applejack tightly. Her eyes were on the fire she started, which was spreading a bit faster than she thought it would.
"Whattaya mean oops?" Applejack soon saw the spreading fire and backed away from it. "Shoot!" She fled the flames, and soon everyone else was as well. The attack was called on account of inferno. The only one not fleeing the fires was Kalik, who seemed to find them not at all bothersome, though she had been filled with arrows. She sank to the burning ground, taking advantage of the lull to simply rest despite the spreading blaze.
The wagon went up with the rest of the field, adding to the fire. Sweetie's shrieks were heard over the fires and Kalik hopped to her paws. She charged through the flames and wrenched the flaming door open before rescuing Sweetie and hurrying her to the safety of the others.
Pegasi began to arrive from the city, pushing along clouds with them. A gentle rain poured down over the mess, snuffing the flames and stopping the fire from spreading any further than it had already. The gnolls had long since fled, and left the party gathered in a patch of dirt where the fire hadn't yet reached. One of the pegasi flew down to the group. "Everyone alright? You really have to be careful this time of year. The grass gets dry and being careless can really cost you."
Willow, who had since ceased to be invisible, nodded at the pegasus. "Thank you for the timely assistance. We're headed for the city. Is the way clear?"
The pegasus did a slow circle. "Looks safe to me. We'll escort you in." He waved up at the dozen other pegasi and they got into formation over the party. They were led into town, largely intact.