Deserts and Dragons

by Metool Bard

Hot on the Trail

Chapter 15:
Hot on the Trail

"Are y'all sure this is the fastest we can go?" asked Fiddlesticks.

"Unless you want our engine to overheat, then yes," said Flim. "And for your information, we're going pretty fast as it is."

"It ain't fast enough if we wanna beat those bandits," said Braeburn firmly.

"We're doing the best we can, good stallion. Keep your hat on," said Flam irritably. "Besides, those bandits aren't after the tykes, remember? They want that Needles girl."

"Asterius said that Needles helped the fillies escape," said Little Strongheart. "That probably means she also went after them when she realized Asterius sabotaged their supplies."

"I dunno, LS. That doesn't sound like a very bandit-ish thing to do," said Flint.

"Maybe she's not a bandit," said Little Strongheart with a shrug. "Maybe she was forced to join the Bull's Eye Gang."

"Now what self-respecting dragon would allow that to happen?" Flint growled, folding his arms.

"Considering that we allowed ourselves to be kicked out of our nest, aren't you speaking from an erroneous position, Flint?" asked Steel.

Flint's eye twitched. "Three hundred and sixty seven," he said through gritted teeth.

Little Strongheart sighed and shook her head. "Look, I don't know what Needles's story is. All I know is that I'm grateful that she's cleaning up the mess you two made."

"Hold it! Hold everything!"

Just then, the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 lurched to a halt.

"What in tarnation are we stoppin' for?" asked Braeburn.

"The tracks stop here, good stallion," said Flim. "Look."

Braeburn looked over to where Flim was pointing. Sure enough, the wagon and scooter tracks has vanished.

"It must've been a sandwyrm passing through," mused Little Strongheart.

"Well, that's jus' ducky," said Fiddlesticks. "Now what? We can't track them fillies down without any tracks."

Little Strongheart smirked. "Just leave that to me," she said, leaping off of the transport and observing the ground carefully. There was a long pause.

"Look, can we hurry this up a little?" Braeburn groaned, breaking the silence. "Applejack's really gonna lay into me if she finds out them fillies were captured by bandits."

"Don't rush me," said Little Strongheart tersely. "I'm trying to..."

Her eyes then widened. "Wait, this isn't a sandwyrm."

"Wait, didn't you just say it was?" inquired Flam.

"The indent in the sand is too small," said Little Strongheart. "I think the Bull's Eye Gang's been here."

"Here? But why?" asked Steel.

"Three hundred and sixty eight," Flint snarled, rolling his eyes. "Seriously, do I have to spell it out for ya?"

"Well, if they've been here, then we gotta get movin'!" said Braeburn.

"Moving where? We have no tracks to follow," said Flim.

"Actually, we do," said Little Strongheart. "I can follow the indents that Diamond Dog bandit has been making."

Flam's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Follow the bandits?! They were aiming to kill us next time we meet!"

"Well, we just have to be careful then, won't we?" said Little Strongheart. "Because right now, they're our only lead."

"Hmm. That's a good point," said Flim thoughtfully. "Alright, we'll follow you then. But if this leads to damages..."

"I know, I know. I'm footin' the bill," Braeburn grumbled. "Can we go now?"

"Of course," said Flam. "Madam, if you would?"

"Right," said Little Strongheart with a curt nod. "Follow me."

With that, she galloped off while the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 chugged along behind her.

***

It didn't take long for Little Strongheart and the others to catch up to the Bull's Eye Gang. After a few minutes, they could see a visible shuffling of sand and dirt moving away from them.

"Hey, outta curiosity, does this thing have seat-belts?" asked Fiddlesticks.

"Well, no," said Flam. "Why do you ask, good madam?"

"'Cause we're chasin' a bunch of ornery bandits carryin' cannons in a loud thingamabobber," said Fiddlesticks with a deadpan look.

"First of all, the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 is not a thingamabobber," Flim huffed. "Second, they're underground and we're up above them. Third, they're probably too preoccupied with finding that Needles girl."

"If you say what Ah think you're gonna say, Ah reserve the right to bop ya one," warned Fiddlesticks.

"As their client, I grant you that right, Fiddle," said Braeburn. "Believe me, I've been wantin' to do that since we started this dang trip. Besides which, weren't y'all worried about this a few minutes ago?"

"That was before we had a better grasp of the situation," said Flam in a very matter-of-fact tone. "Now that we know what we're dealing with, I can say with full confidence that we're completely safe. I mean, what's the worse that could happen?"

As soon as he said that, a loud explosion fired out of the ground before Little Strongheart's feet and sailed right over the transport. Braeburn and Fiddlesticks both gave the FilmFlam Brothers a bemused look.

"Y'all jus' had to say it, didn't ya?" said Fiddlesticks, slapping Flam across the face.

"I just remembered why we were so hesitant about this," said Flim with a gulp. "W-we should turn around..."

"An' then what? Lose the fillies?" said Braeburn with a snort. "Not a chance, buckos! We're stickin' to 'em like caramel on an apple!"

"G-good stallion, be reasonable!" Flam protested. "We didn't sign up for this!"

"Whatever happened to the customer always bein' right?" retorted Braeburn.

"He's got us there, brother," said Flim nervously.

Flam sighed. "Very well then. Evasive maneuvers!"

The order came not a moment too soon. Once again, another cannon blast erupted forth from the ground. Little Strongheart managed to sidestep the blast, and the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 swerved out of the way just in the nick of time. The pattern continued as such for a while before Little Strongheart began to get annoyed.

"Hey, you two!" she barked at Flint and Steel. "A little help here?!"

"Oh, right!" said Steel. He swooped down to Little Strongheart's side before pausing and tapping the underside of his chin. "Um, what do you want us to do again?"

Flint palmed his face. "Three hundred and sixty nine," he snarled. "Here, let me handle this." He then drew in a deep breath, and Little Strongheart's pupils dilated.

"Wait, hold on! That's a very bad i—"

But it was too late. Flint had already let loose a plume of flame at the trail. As another explosion erupted from the ground, the projectile detonated prematurely and knocked Little Strongheart for a loop. She bounced off of the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000's cowcatcher, causing it to dip a little and get snagged into the hole the explosion made. This resulted in forcing the transport to a complete stop, throwing Braeburn, Fiddlesticks, and the FlimFlam Brothers clear while the bandits got away.

"Omigosh! Little Strongheart!" Steel exclaimed, flying over to the battered buffalo's side. "Are you okay?"

Little Strongheart grunted and groaned as she slowly got to her feet and shot Flint a glare. "What is it about the concept of patience that manages to elude you, Flint?" she growled irritably.

"Well, pardon me for not reading your mind, LS," Flint snapped.

"No need to get snippy with her," said Steel. "You're the one who breathed fire first and asked questions later."

"Three hundred and seventy, Steel," Flint snarled, pounding his fist into his palm.

"I'm beginning to think that Steel's the one who has to keep the tally," said Little Strongheart as she shook herself. She then walked over to the other ponies. "Hey, are you guys alright?"

"Would sure like to have that seat-belt right about now," groused Fiddlesticks.

"R-right. W-we'll look into it next chance we get," said Flam as he got to his feet and helped his brother up.

"I reckon we have more important things to worry about," said Braeburn with a snort as Fiddlesticks helped him to his feet. "Those bandits are way ahead! We gotta catch up to 'em!"

"First thing first, good stallion," said Flim, pointing to the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. "We're not going anywhere until our transport is out of that hole and fully repaired."

"Oh, and just a friendly reminder..." said Flam.

"I know!" Braeburn shouted before lowering his hat over his eyes. "Ugh, let's jus' get this over with."

"Actually, I say Flint should pull the transport out," said Little Strongheart. "This was his fault to begin with."

"What, you mean alone?!" yelled an aghast Flint. Little Strongheart gave him a dirty look, and he groaned. "Alright, fine."

"It's for the best, Flint," said Steel. "No good will come from complaining."

Flint leered at Steel. "Don't think I forgot that you hit a round number, Steel. You're helping me with this."

"Aw, nuts," Steel sighed.

Braeburn let out a sigh of his own. "I sure hope that Needles dragon is takin' good care of my cousin an' her friends," he muttered. "At least that would mean they're better off than we are right now..."