Chapter Eight
As the Melody Soars
The rain slowed down as they ran, but the fog shrouded the forest within minutes, misting all of the ground. Even when looking up, she could not tell of the weather. It became impossible to see much ahead of her, aside from shadows and a pony silhouette of the Doctor running forward.
Once she caught up with him, the Doctor placed a hoof to his side, right in front of her. She stopped, and through the fog, she caught that the stallion had stopped, too.
They pulled to the side, hiding behind the nearest tree they bumped into. Roseluck peeked her head out to see the stallion walking back to the path they were just on. She and the Doctor shied away but caught a look at the stallion. Though he hid himself in his dark cloak, she noticed he was a lanky sort of stallion.
“Hello?” the pony cried out--a stallion, with a twinge of fear in his voice. When they did not respond, his tone changed into one of anger. Golden eyes glinted underneath the cloak. “Who’s there?”
“He sounds mad,” Roseluck whispered through her teeth.
“Probably doesn’t like being followed,” he noted.
“Or caught.”
The Doctor nodded his head to the side. “That, too. Keep low.”
The stallion continued walking, with them far in tow. They hid in trees and bushes, their hoof steps cautious so as to not cause a raucous. One sound, and they would be caught. Against the hammering of the rain, however, and the whispers of the strange animals lingering in the distance, Roseluck figured whispering would be harmless.
“Do we really have to follow him? Can’t we get him now? When he can’t notice us,” she said through shivers.
“What if he never tells us where the missing ponies are?” the Doctor asked, turning back to her. “A search team could take days.”
Roseluck nodded. “Right.” She sighed. “If that is him… I just don’t like following him.”
A minute further, and the stallion stomped his hooves against the ground as he stopped again. Roseluck’s breath caught in her throat, and she bit her tongue. Again she shivered, but not from the rain or cold.
This time, she saw teeth rise up in a grin. “I know you’re out there, and why. Come and follow me, I dare you. Your friends would love to see you, I’m sure.” His lips curled into a frown before he continued on his path.
“Oh, I love dares,” the Doctor replied with a challenging voice. He tilted his head to the side. “How about you?”
She didn’t reply. Rather, she could feel her hooves shaking. It was not from the weather, nor from the fear those eyes of his gave her. That fear transformed into something else, and she clenched her hooves into the closest of a fist she could muster.
“Roseluck?”
She took a deep breath, eyes shut. When she opened them again, the Doctor was looking at her. Bowing her head, she said, “I just want to see where they are, and get this over with.”
The Doctor offered her his hoof, she took it, and they followed the hoofprints. Roseluck noticed that eventually, based on a sudden noise behind her, that dust swept onto the prints after a while.
“The hoofprints disappeared,” she noted, but he was already continuing onward.
***
Roseluck had long since lost track of time. The rain pattered, but far less vicious than previously. It had been a long time since they came into the forest, and she wondered what the time was. For how long had they wandered through this forest?
“Hold up.”
The Doctor spoke up for the first time in what felt like an hour. And it was easy to see why. With a look out, even through the fog, she realized that they had come into an opening. Away from the trees, fresh air bellowed.
And feet from them, a bridge stretched out. Underneath the bridge, a river rushed deep, deep down. The Doctor brought her attention back and pointed across the bridge.
On the other side, the stallion rushed into a cave, its mouth stretched high. The height of the cliff it rested inside of reached thrice the length of the cave’s entrance. A yellow glow encompassed vines and patches of grass. The flora swished and stuck onto the rock walls, covering the cave. The two could still see the dark entering between the vines, though. Even though it was surrounded by trees, she could see this with ease.
The Doctor scoffed. “Subtle.”
Roseluck slipped from the bushes with a look of wonder in her eyes. She began to step toward the bridge when the Doctor hissed her name. With a quick turn around, she pointed toward the cave across the bridge. “They might be in there, Doctor!”
The Doctor looked over her shoulder, and a wild look of shock appeared on his face. Without warning, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the bushes and trees. She yelped in protest but cut herself off when she saw the stallion exiting the cave. He ran across the bridge, his eyes burning, and even in the distance, she could hear him growl.
“I know you folks are followin’ me!” He cried out once he crossed. “Won’t do you any good, hiding like this. As soon as I find ya, you’re… you’re done for!”
He panted and took a long, deep breath. Roseluck saw shadows underneath his eyes, with his cloak slipping off. As if he caught this, the stallion pulled the cloak forward to continue hiding himself.
“I’ll find you, you creeps!” the stallion yelled as he ran forward, magic burning yellow. He swept his magic in a roaring circle of fire that did not burn the trees or grass. Roseluck stared at his magic with mixed emotions of awe and fear. They ducked away from the
He disappeared through the trees, and Roseluck stood up, eyes set on the cave. The Doctor waited, with Roseluck sticking by his side, although a bit jittery. They exchanged looks, and Doctor Hooves nodded toward the bridge.
They ran across the bridge, which creaked. Roseluck stumbled but caught herself by the rope edges. They reached the other side, with Roseluck hurrying ahead of the Doctor. The mouth of the cave did not concern them, although she expected some sort of magical trap once they stepped inside.
The thin hallway stretched longer than she expected, with torches lighting the way. They were dim, but they nonetheless guided the pair in the otherwise pitch black cave. The narrow walls soon expanded, and a burst of light blinded Roseluck for a moment. She blinked several times before adjusting to the light. She and the Doctor stepped into the new room.
And she saw them.
Sitting in a large cage among the other captives, were Daisy and Lilly. They stared off far in the distance, eyes misty and gray. As was Muffins, the only one taken the night after the group.
“Oh, my god,” she whispered, her voice cracking. She approached the cage, wishing she could pull them away. “You guys are here. Are you okay?”
“Everyone’s here, everyone!” He started laughing out loud. It rang out through the long mouth of the cave, sounding both delighted and manic. After a moment of calming himself, he joined her, squinting at the group of trapped ponies. “They can’t hear us. They’re still under whatever enchantment he’s caused.”
“But they’re here,” Roseluck whispered with a growing smile.
He nodded in agreement. “Now we just need to find the flute somewhere in here, and somehow reverse things. Oh, I hope it’s not a reverse song. I never could learn to play the flute, especially with these things.” He looked at his hooves with a hint of irritation, lips pouting out.
“What if he took it with him?” Roseluck asked. “We’ll never get to it until he comes back, and then what?”
The Doctor whipped out the sonic device from under his tie--she decided it was not the time to question this. “It might be around here somewhere.” He turned to her. “You look while I try to open this cage. It can’t hurt to look. If it’s not around, then we’ll wait for him to come back. I think two against one would help.”
Roseluck nodded and observed the small cavern. A light burned in the center of the ceiling, which did not reach very high--she could stand on her hind hooves and touch it no problem. A chair and desk sat on the other side of the room, with papers scattered throughout the desk. She peeked at a few, but most of them contained lines filled with musical notes. It was all foreign to her. Pushing all the papers to one side, she caught nothing else, sighing.
With a turn around, she saw a white cloth resting beside another chair in the corner. Underneath that cloth, something bulged. She walked over and reached under, wrapping her hoof around the item. Her eyes lit up as she pulled out a silver flute with strange engravings.
“Got it!”
“Drat.”
“What, what’s wrong?” She looked at the cage; so many ponies stared far off into the distance, and for a quick moment, she wondered if they knew what was happening. As if they were trapped in their mind, but could see everything. Roseluck wanted nothing more than for Lily, Daisy, and Muffins to know that they were safe now.
“I can’t get this open.”
“You said it opens things!” Roseluck shouted, burying a hoof through her mane.
“Well!” Doctor Hooves hesitated. “Not so much with wood. That’s a different story.”
Roseluck gawked. “Your device’s weakness is wood?”
“I take that tone offensively. It’s a wonderful device, and everything has its limits.” His voice rose as he gave her a sideways glance. “If we can just find something strong enough to break these wooden bars--”
The Doctor was cut off by a large sound that shook the cave. Roseluck squealed and covered the top of head as rocks rained from the ceiling. Her body shook as she waited for the crumbling to stop.
Then silence. Roseluck still hid away in the corner.
“Did you get hit?” the Doctor asked while approaching her and taking her by the shoulders.
“N-no.” She shuddered. “But what was…” Her voice faded as she looked over her shoulder.
Stepping into the cave, the unicorn stallion appeared. He had pulled his cloak’s hood from his face, revealing a cream colored stallion with orange hair sweeping on other sides of his face. The first thing she noticed was how young he looked, yet his narrowed eyebrows added wrinkles to his forehead and the bags sagging from his eyes. The stallion dropped the basket of fruit aside, his golden eyes shifting between her and the Doctor. Roseluck couldn’t see any anger or worry on his face.
Roseluck felt an unwelcoming, strange feeling rise into her mouth, like she ate something too disgusting to eat. Just by looking at this stallion, she felt utter anger strike her, and she shouted, “Who are you? What’s wrong with you, taking everypony like this?”
“Hmph.” The light colored stallion grinned, bringing a growl under Roseluck’s throat. “I mean, I’m assuming you’ve read my letter that I flew over from the forest. Soothing Tunes. And before you get angry with me, I’d appreciate it if you could give me time to tell my side.”
Roseluck took one look at her friends trapped behind the bars and shouted, “No! There’s no good reason for any of this! Now you need to let them out and--”
The Doctor grabbed her hoof, stopping her from taking another step. A step she didn’t realize she started taking towards the stallion. “How about a little explanation, then,” the Doctor sneered, “if you feel that will help your case?”
Soothing Tunes nodded, chin perched high in the air. “I visited Ponyville a while back. Three years ago, give or take a few months. You might not remember me much, I suppose.” He shot a look at Roseluck.
Her eyebrows narrowed, and she turned away from his gaze. “There have been lots of ponies that come to Ponyville to visit. It’s hard to remember everyone, especially if they haven’t been around for years.”
“Of course,” he scoffed. “Stupid town ponies like yourselves can’t even remember me. Pity.”
“Oi, no need to toss around any insults like that.” The Doctor stepped forward with a grimace, one leg standing between Soothing Tune and Roseluck. “Why don’t you tell us what’s supposed to be so familiar about you?”
Magic emanated from his horn, and Roseluck felt a tug at her hooves. She gasped and struggled to keep hold on the flute. The Doctor even grabbed onto it, but both of their strength could not beat him. Hooves could not beat magic here.
Soothing grinned at the instrument. “This flute has special properties. I bought it at a lil’ shop in Fillydelphia for fifty bits. Worth every piece, though it did cost me. See, once I play a song--any song, really, as long as it’s in tune--I can control small animals to do my bidding.”
“‘Course,” the Doctor grumbled with a roll of his eyes.
Soothing Tune deliberately ignored him and, clearing his throat, continued. “But ponies are different. Perhaps their brains are simply easier to control when they sleep, but all I can do is control them whenever they’re in their REM cycle. And I can control only so many before it starts to hurt or become difficult. But that was nothing, because eventually, the pain numbed, and I could hardly feel much. Practice does that, I guess.” He shrugged and spun the flute in the air. “
“But why?”
“I was always into music, since I was a child. I got my cutie mark while performing at a concert for my elementary school. I was well versed in using magic to control and play various instruments--most of them woodwind, actually.” He glanced at Roseluck, making her spine curl. “How did you get yours, miss?”
Roseluck blinked in confusion. “I mean, I-I got mine when I… it isn’t your business!” She shouted.
“But you’re a flower pony. You sell them, I suppose?” Roseluck opened her mouth to respond, but he did not give her the chance. “So what if ponies never paid you for your flowers, something you’ve cared for… goodness knows how long. And no one even bothers to pay attention to your work and talents.”
He gradually approached Roseluck as he spoke, until their muzzles were inches from touching. Roseluck lost her voice, even if she wanted to tell him how she didn’t see the similarities. That she would never go so far as to kidnap ponies if the same happened to her. But the Doctor spoke up before she did.
He stepped forward. “So you helped this town, and didn’t get the pay you desired? So you’re taking ponies captive to get what you want?”
Soothing Tune’s face perked up. “Very right. You see, I use this flute to control creatures. Not to do anything devious, not like that. There was an infestation of wild rabbits somewhere from the forest, I suppose. There were far too many for ponies to control.”
Roseluck’s eyes grew. “Our animal tender wasn’t there that day. We… almost lost all our crops. Most of our flowers were eaten so fast, we couldn’t stop them.” The memories rolled in, and she glanced back at the lanky stallion.
“So you used the flute to drive the rabbits away,” the Doctor continued for Soothing Tune. “And then you expected some sort of pay, and it didn’t fulfill what you wanted.”
“They never paid their dues! Like that kind of service comes for so little. I wasted my time helping their need, only to receive a small pay in return. Not enough for me to pay for my services. They owed me, and they still do. Most other towns have the decency to pay something grand.” The stallion glowered at the floor. “Even once I returned a week ago in hopes of getting that pay, they didn’t even remember me.”
“They probably had their reasons to not pay,” Roseluck muttered. It came into her head, the curious wonder as to how much his services were, according to him.
“Besides, do you really think capturing ponies for ransom will convince ponies to pay you?” The Doctor added.
“It’ll work. I’ll get what I want and leave before any trouble comes my way.”
“It already has!” The Doctor exclaimed. He gestured between him and Roseluck. “Cause if you’re think we’re here for tea, then you’re out of your mind.”
Soothing Tune. “I’m aware, but what can you do?”
The Doctor’s eyes flashed. “I wouldn’t doubt me, Soothing Tune.” He hissed his name. “Not when you have my friends in danger. Now you’ll give them all back--and for free, alright? ‘Cause what you’re doing, it’s wrong. And fairly illegal.” As he finished his sentence, his voice softened, lowering until he ended it with, “Stop before you do something you’ll regret.”
Soothing Tune stared at the Doctor with small, diluted eyes. Roseluck smiled a little, catching a look at the prisoners on the other side of the cave. She imagined seeing them free at last, holding Lily and Daisy until her hooves grew tired…
A golden glow caught her eye, and the door opened. Roseluck began to approach them, when music graced the air. Her eyes shrank as all the eyes of the captured ponies met Soothing Tune’s dark stare. His gaze turned to the other two, and she realized one thing: he wasn’t letting them out due to pure kindness. With a worried glance at the Doctor, he figured this, as well.
“Get out here, ponies.”
“You need to stop,” the Doctor demanded, hoof extended out. Through gritted teeth, he added, as if in a grave warning, “Soothing Tune, if we end this now, we can take you back to Ponyville. We can talk with the town, maybe get something for you. Anything. Just release them.”
“I apologize,” he said with no genuity to his words, “but I’ve gotten so far already. Backing down wouldn’t be any better.” With another blow into the flute, he muttered, “Get them.”
“Don’t you have anything for this?” Roseluck yelled as they stepped back, inching further toward the mouth of the cave. The ponies followed them at a rather fast pace, and when Roseluck realized they were circling the pair, she felt her body tighten. “Doctor.”
“Got one thing, and it’s called getting out of here!”
Mid-sentence, he dragged her away from the enclosing circle. He pushed two ponies aside for them to escape, and Roseluck caught up to him.
“Doctor! What do we do?” She shouted as they approached the bridge.
“We need a way to reverse that spell. Now that we know there's an enchanted artifact, maybe we can get Zecora's help!"
Their hooves clicked against the bridge. Roseluck ran faster, sweating already slipping into her mane.
As they came halfway across, she glanced to her side and realized Doctor Hooves no longer was running with her. She began to turn around when he shouted, “Keep going!”
Blindly following his orders, she rushed to the end of the bridge. And then she heard a snap.
When her hooves met grass, she looked over her shoulder.
The ropes of the bridge meeting at the middle snapped. Magic evaporated in the air above the broken rope.
Her eyes met with the Doctor, who was still farther off, just about to meet with the center of the bridge. As the ropes unfurled, the boards shook, and some pieces fell into the water. And with another shot of golden waves, the bridge broke at its halfway point. The Doctor’s eyes shrank, but he was quick to turn around and grab at the nearest rope that would keep him from falling.
“Doctor! Doctor!” she called out, her voice cracking. She stood right on the edge, hopelessly reaching out toward the gape of the river.
The Doctor was forced into the air, and for a split second, images of him being dropped into the water burned her mind. She shouted his name again, worry striking her tone. However, another bout of worry slipped into her as Soothing Tunes pulled the Doctor further into the sky. The two stallions were eye level with one another, and even though they were on separate sides of the bridge, Roseluck caught that dangerous, dark look his eyes. Unlike her, Soothing Tunes took it with a smirk.
Soothing Tunes gestured into the cave. The ponies that grabbed the Doctor dragged him farther away from her, and everypony returned inside the cave, leaving the wreck that was Roseluck on the other side of the broken bridge.
“No! Give him back!” She yelled out through tears. “Give them all back!”