Ch.17 - Cherries and Apples Hit the Fan
Windrunner coughed up another lung-full of water as her tired limbs pulled her up onto the rocky bank. Beside her, Scarlet dragged Tight up and out of the water before also flopping down in exhaustion.
"Is everypony alright?" Twilight called out wearily.
Windrunner looked around and her pain was mitigated somewhat when she saw everypony on the bank as well. She didn't think she'd have the strength to dive back in and save any of them.
"Fine here, darling," Rarity said.
"Okie... doki... loki..." Pinkie puffed.
Spike raised a claw and his head, only to cough up more water himself.
"We're alive," Windrunner said. She tried to wave a wing but the simple gesture shot waves of pain from it into her back, making her wince.
"Ah!" Scarlet yelped as she tried her own wings, as did Rainbow.
"Not again!" the blue pegasus yelled. "Damn it AJ! You better have a good excuse for running off like that! If I have to stay in the hospital again, you're staying with me!"
All eyes turned to the apple farmer, who simply lowered her head to the dirt and covered her eyes with her hat, which had amazingly stayed on despite the rapids.
They'd followed her from Canterlot to Dodge Junction, trying to find out why she never returned to Ponyville after the rodeo and make her explain the brief letter she'd sent back home. They'd found her working on a cherry farm and she had dodged all their questions until finally promising to explain things at breakfast the next morning after being hopelessly cornered. However, she'd run off before breakfast, starting another chase. Windrunner had made a mental note to never break a promise with Pinkie when she saw how the pink pony took the promise breaking.
When Applejack had jumped in a cart that was hauled away by four stallions, they had grabbed an empty one and given chase. Pinkie had managed to get onto AJ's cart but had jumped back off when AJ told her she technically hadn't broken the promise. Only Scarlet and Tight's quick actions had stopped Pinkie and Rarity, who she crashed into upon jumping back into the cart, from going over the side.
After narrowly missing an oncoming train, the stallions had kicked AJ off their cart and she'd continued running on hoof until they'd caught up and cornered her at a rope bridge over a ravine. They'd all piled on, not recognizing the danger, and before they could get AJ to talk, the ropes had snapped, dropping them all into a raging river below. Rainbow, Windrunner, Scarlet, and Fluttershy had all tried to pull their friends out of the water but the current was too strong. They'd all been pulled in themselves eventually and buffered and beaten by the raging water and the rocks they slammed into. Only luck had kept them together in the torrent for what felt like hours. After reaching a calmer section of the river they'd been able to crawl out onto the bank they were on now.
"Applejack, please tell us why you ran off," Rarity asked softly as she finally found her hooves.
AJ's face scrunched up. "'CAUSE AH DIDN'T WIN ANY PRIZE MONEY!" she finally snapped. "Ah promised Mayor Mare and everypony else I'd get enough money to fix up town hall and Ah didn't! After the send off everypony gave me, even my family, Ah just couldn't come back empty-hoofed. That's why when Miss Jubilee asked if Ah would want to work on her cherry farm for awhile, Ah said yes."
"You couldn't have said any of that in your letter?" Scarlet asked.
"Ah didn't want anypony to know."
"Oh Applejack," Fluttershy said, sitting down next to her. "We wouldn't care if you came home with money or not; we're all proud of you no matter what."
"That's right," Twilight added, "and we can always find a way to fix the town hall roof on our own but what we need in Ponyville more than anything is you."
The bearers and Spike all piled in for a group hug while Windrunner, Scarlet, and Tight looked around.
"How far down river do you think we went?" Scarlet asked.
"Far enough that the remains of the bridge are out of sight," Windrunner said tiredly. She tried her wings again, only to stifle a gasp of pain.
Scarlet also tried her wings out as well, only to grimace in pain as well. "Those rocks did a number on us."
"And Rainbow would already be airborne if she could and Fluttershy is a weak flier to start with," Windrunner said unhappily. A few minutes flying with other pegasi to create a tornado was one thing. Sending her out on a scouting patrol alone in unknown country with no idea how far away anything was, was another.
"So what do we do now?" Tight asked. The bearers and Spike also looked to Windrunner and each other, their faces asking the same thing.
"We can't fly," Windrunner finally said, "so we have to walk back. We'll follow the river back upstream to the bridge and see if there's any way back up from there."
"Why don't we just go up here and follow the edge of the ravine?" Rarity asked, giving the rocky river bank a wary eye. "Wouldn't it be a safer, less arduous hike?"
"Not a good idea Rares," AJ spoke up. "Jubilee says that, in places, the ravines are just like tree roots. If we go up top and lose track of which ravine the river's in, we could get even more lost, not to mention run out of water real fast. Ah agree with Windrunner; let's stick to the river until we can see what's left of the bridge and then climb out. Hopefully by that time somepony's wings will feel better."
In agreement, they all took a few more minutes to gather their strength and drink some water before moving out.
As they did so, Windrunner noticed AJ looking around. "Something wrong?" Windrunner asked.
"No," AJ said slowly. "Jubilee mentioned to never come out in these ravines but I can't remember if she ever said why. Ah want to say it's because it's easy to get lost in them but Ah think she mentioned something else; just checkin' if I can see any other reason why."
Windrunner looked around herself but didn't see anything. "Let's focus on getting back to the bridge without falling back in the water for now," she said. "We're in enough trouble as it is."
AJ nodded and resumed walking.
Windrunner took another look around before following, an old story from the buffalo tribe slowly coming to mind. At least Sapphire would have written to Midnight by now.
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"You've got to be kidding!" Rainbow yelled up at the dimming sky hours later. "Just how far down river could we have gone!?"
"Far enough," Windrunner said tiredly. Like the rest, she'd thought the bridge only an hour or two away by hoof. Accounting for the slower pace they were making due to injuries and trying not to fall into the river, then at max it should have been four hours. Now that the sun was setting, it was clear they'd gone further than any of them had imagined. "We should camp here for the night," she said, seeing they were moving through a relatively flat spot mostly devoid of rocks. "A night's rest should give us the strength to push on at a better pace tomorrow. One of us might even recover her wings enough to scout ahead."
Everypony else looked at each other, then nodded tiredly.
"Spike an Ah will get some firewood," AJ said. "A fire to keep warm next to should help some."
"I'll see if there are any of those edible plants, like the ones near Appleloosa, are around for us to eat," Twilight said.
Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Tight began moving rocks and other debris to make the area more comfortable while Fluttershy began to look around to see if she could find any animals to talk to and see if they knew anything about where they were.
"We should be out of here in no time," Scarlet said, carefully standing on the bolder she and Windrunner had climbed to try and get a better look down the ravine before the sun fully set. "I'd bet a week's pay one of the animals Fluttershy finds knows exactly how to get back."
"Hmm," Windrunner said, scanning the walls on both sides of the river with a wary eye.
"Something up?" Scarlet asked.
"I've just... seen things for the past few hours, out of the corner of my eye; I don't like it."
"It's probably just the animals Fluttershy is looking for," Scarlet said. "That's good; means it shouldn't take her long to find one who knows something."
Windrunner hummed in agreement. She hoped Scarlet was right but she just couldn't get the old stories out of her head. Paranoid, as Midnight would call it, but the kirin has also said that paranoia could be useful at times. It didn't help that when they got back down Fluttershy was back, saying that, oddly, she couldn't find any animals. That was odd, seeing how close to water they were.
"Maybe they all just go to sleep early around here," Scarlet said.
Windrunner doubted it. More likely this part of the river was too dangerous for animals to get close to, or else... She dug into her bowl of mush that Twilight had prepared, it's familiar flavor reminding her of home and easing her nerves.
"Hey, you know what? It's almost like we're camping out here!" Pinkie said, looking around after she finished eating.
"I could see that," Rainbow said. "Hey, why don't we tell some scary stories?"
"Honestly Rainbow, we're trying to sleep, not stay up all night scared out of our wits," Rarity said.
Rainbow waved a hoof. "Oh, please, we're all so tired I bet most of us fall asleep halfway through the first one. Heck, I'll even do the first one to help."
"Unless y'all got somethin' other than the Ol'din Pony that also doesn't involve you kicking flank in the end and saving anypony, Ah think your right that most of us will fall asleep half way through," AJ said, making everypony but Rainbow chuckle.
"Why don't we have Windrunner start us off?" Scarlet said. "Maybe she's got a legend or two from the buffalo."
"Oh, well, I..." Windrunner stammered as all eyes turned toward her. "I shouldn't."
"Come on," Rainbow egged, "you got to tell us now!"
The tan pegasus looked around at all the expectant faces, then sighed. "Alright. I guess the first thing that really comes to mind is the bunyip. It's a creature that supposedly stalks watering holes and streams and eats anything and anyone that comes down to the water to take a drink."
"So it's some sort of crocodile?" Rainbow asked.
Windrunner shook her head. "It doesn't swim or attack from the water. It's perfectly camouflaged to hide along the shoreline and even buries itself partly into the ground to hide better. It just waits until something comes past and... they're supposed to be big enough to take down a buffalo in one bite.
Chief Thunderhooves told me and Strongheart a story from when he was just a calf. He and a friend had gone down to the river to play, even though the elders had told all the calves to stay away from it unless they were with an adult. He didn't see what happened, only that one minute they were both happily playing and he turned away from his friend for a second, then there was a loud splash, the chief got drenched, and by the time he recovered and turned back around, his friend was simply... gone. No scream, no roar, no sign that anything had happened besides the disturbed water. The chief ran back to get help but none would come. The elders said a bunyip got him and no one was allowed near the river again."
"But that doesn't make sense," Twilight said. "I've read about tri-horned bunyips and all they eat is seaweed and cucumbers."
Windrunner shrugged. "I don't know anything about that. Maybe they're a distant relative of some kind that only eats plants but the ones my tribe talk about only ever eat other creatures. And they're always hungry."
"Ah don't know," AJ said slowly, tapping her chin in concentration. "Ah hav'ta agree with Dash; sounds more like a crocodile ta me."
Windrunner shook her head. "Some of the rivers we stampede near have crocs in them and I've seen one take an antelope once. They aren't that quiet and who they attack usually makes some sort of noise and struggles before they're dragged under, not to mention that there's a lot of blood. This was just as if the river had swallowed him up. It's said that if you see a bunyip, it's the last thing you see in this world."
"Well, considering how big they're supposed to be, I doubt one could easily hide itself in a canyon like this," Twilight said, "and if it was here, we would have seen it. And I have to agree with Rarity; we should all get some sleep so we can be ready for the eventual climb tomorrow. Agreed?"
Everypony but Rainbow nodded.
The cyan pegasus huffed in disappointment but curled up and closed her eyes. One by one, the rest followed suit until Windrunner was the only one left awake. She looked around at the cliff walls and the river running nearby. The stories of the bunyips had always frightened her, almost to the same point as Midnight was afraid of spiders. The only difference was that she'd never seen a bunyip before, so all she really was afraid of was the idea of bunyips. Like many times before, she used that to get to sleep. They were only a story to keep calves away from dangerous areas. Her last thought before sleep took her, though, was that Chief Thunderhooves wasn't a liar and if it wasn't a crocodile that got his friend, then what did?
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Conscious came back a little too quickly for her taste and Windrunner kept her eyes closed, hoping sleep would claim her again. When it didn't, she flexed a bit. She was still sore from the rough ride in the river and her wings still hurt, but they were better than yesterday and if she didn't do anything to strain them, then she might be able to make a quick flight up the side of the cliff once they reached the bridge.
Finally opening her eyes, she was surprised to see the sun peaking over the horizon. But... that couldn't be. They were at the bottom of a ravine and she could clearly see the far wall behind the "sun" so how... wait... the sun didn't have a thin, black line down the middle of it.
Windrunner's eyes snapped open as cold adrenaline rushed through her like a tsunami. She jumped up and back, her wings immediately protesting, and screamed as the head the eye was attached to swung out at her, huge, gleaming teeth snapping closed on where she had been not a split second before.
All the others' heads popped up at her shout as the monster advanced on Windrunner again.
"What in sam-hill!?" AJ yelped, hopping out of the way of the swinging tail.
"BUNYIP!" Rainbow and Spike yelled at the same time.
The creature was twice as large as the owlursus they fought, with a body like a large lizard that was mottled brown and red that matched the surrounding rocks. Its head was spade shaped and became quite flat and pointed near the nose, like a croc's. As it snapped again, they could see the mouth could open impossibly wide, wide enough to grab a buffalo if it wanted. It used the two stubby horns sticking out the back of its skull to push the large bolder Windrunner had been standing on and knock the pegasus off balance and send her falling to the ground only a little ways away.
As it shot at her again, Twilight reacted first and sent a magic beam into the side of its head, trying vainly to distract it before it could grab Windrunner. The effect was surprising as the bunyip howled in pain as it was struck, stopping its charge completely and even taking a few steps back.
"Alright Twilight!" Rainbow crowed.
"I don't get it," the unicorn said. "The owlursus barely felt my magic blasts, why is the bunyip-?"
"Less thinking, more shooting!" Scarlet yelled, charging into pull Windrunner back. AJ was right behind her.
"Right!" Twilight took more shots at the beast, distracting it long enough for the two to reach Windrunner.
"You okay!?" AJ asked as she skidded to a halt.
"She doesn't look it," Scarlet said, grabbing one of her hooves and pulling her up.
Windrunner looked pale and her eyes were wide with the irises small. Her mouth was barely moving and they could just make out the word "real" repeated over and over again.
"Windrunner!" Scarlet yelled, shaking her. "Pull it together! We gotta move!"
The tan pegasus went ridged for a moment, then nodded. "Right," she said weakly and ran with them back to the clearing as the bunyip let out another bellow of pain. They turned just in time to see it lift up one of the huge boulders and crawl under it. They just barely spotted the walls of a tunnel before the rock came down and blocked it from view.
The ravine was quiet for a long moment, the only noise being the heavy breathing of the ponies and hippogriff as they recovered from the attack.
"What. The hay," Rainbow finally said.
"That wasn't a croc," AJ said, giving Windrunner an apologetic look.
The tan pegasus just stared at the spot the bunyip had retreated to as if expecting it to charge out again.
"Windrunner?" Scarlet asked, laying a claw on her back.
Windrunner spun to look at her, then visibly relaxed. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I just... I just always hoped they were just legends..."
"It's alright, darling," Rarity said. "We always thought Nightmare Moon was just a legend."
"Wait!" Pinkie yelped, interrupting. "Does this mean they can be under any rock!?" She eyed a rock no wider than her hoof barely a stone's throw away.
"I think they need something bigger than that," Twilight said, turning back and inspecting the rock the bunyip had gone under. "It needs boulders big enough to disguise its burrow but not so big that it can't move it. I think this rock is just the right size for it."
"Do the stories say anything about there being more of them?" Tight asked looking at the rock-covered ravine floor they still had to cross.
"No," Windrunner said. "They didn't even know how to properly describe them."
"Well, if we know what kind of rock to look out for, then maybe we can avoid anymore encounters?" Rarity suggested.
"That's a good idea," Twilight said, "but what makes any of you think there might be more of them? A creature as big as that would have to eat a lot and there aren't any other animals around. This ravine can't support more than one of them."
"Billy goats!" AJ suddenly shouted.
They all turned to look at her.
"Say again?" Spike asked.
"That's the other thing Cherry Jubilee warned me about. Billy goats migrated through the ravines and sometimes they knock unwary ponies down to the bottom! That bunyip must hunt them as they pass!"
"Then it can't have just the one burrow," Twilight said. "The goats would know where it is and avoid it."
"Unless it had more than one burrow," Fluttershy said, joining Tight and staring at their route.
"Still, there can be only one, so as long as we avoid similar rocks, we'll be fine," Twilight said, gathering up their things. "And it won't matter once we get out of here, so let's get moving!"
They all nodded and began to move out. Windrunner looked back at the rock one more time. She still felt very uneasy.
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Within an hour they passed three more boulders of similar size to the one the bunyip had disappeared under. Nothing came out but low, almost inaudible growls could be heard and Windrunner was still catching things out of the corner of her eye.
Despite her fear, the pegasus continually put herself between the rocks and the others, ready to distract the bunyip if it came back out again.
Scarlet watched this with growing concern. It was like Windrunner had something to prove, which was unusual for her, and only putting herself out like that would do. When she froze up when a mouse went scurrying by, the first other animal they'd seen down here and too fast for Fluttershy to give chase, Scarlet resolved to get to the bottom of it.
She got her chance when they stopped for water. Windrunner was perched on top of a rock, too small for a bunyip to hide under, and staring off at one that was big enough further along. Scarlet came up, followed by Tight, and they sat on either side of her.
"You alright?" Scarlet asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," Windrunner said.
"You sure?" Tight pressed.
"Of course," she said.
Scarlet narrowed her eyes. "You're lying."
"No, I'm fine!" Windrunner snapped, then she winced back. "Sorry. I'm fine, really."
Scarlet sighed. "As Applejack would say, you're wound tighter than a coo coo clock. I saw how terrified you were when it attacked this morning and yet you keep putting yourself between its burrows and us. You don't have to prove you're not scared; we all are."
Windrunner began to nod, stopped, then shook her head. "That's not why."
"Then why are you?" Tight asked.
She looked up at them, her eyes shifting as she thought. "I... I can't tell you."
"Why?" Scarlet pressed.
"This isn't the right time; it would be wrong to ask you now!" How could she ask them to suddenly put the bearers before themselves? To possibly sacrifice their own lives so that the others could live? Yes, it was what Midnight said to do, if it came down to it, but she just couldn't.
"How about we be the judge of that?" Scarlet said, crossing her front claws stubbornly.
"Scarlet..."
Tight looked like he wanted to side with Windrunner but he kept his mouth shut. Scarlet had already pressed that it was for Windrunner's own good.
Seeing they weren't going to let up, Windrunner finally nodded and took a deep breath. "You know how Midnight and I have been... exercising with you?"
Scarlet nodded.
"That wasn't exercising. That was training."
Scarlet and Tight looked at each other. "Training for what?" Scarlet asked.
"Midnight and I..." she paused, looked back to make sure none of the others were listening in, then turned back. "We're part of the Bearer Guard. It's like the Solar or Lunar Guard, only instead of the princesses, we protect the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, which are those six." She motioned to the six mares behind them. "Princess Celestia and Midnight founded this new guard branch and I've been the only one recruited up until now. Those five solar guards and three thestrals Twilight and I said went with her are supposed to be more recruits."
"Okay," Scarlet said slowly. "That explains what you're up to. But, wait, does that mean you two were using me in training fights?"
Windrunner shook her head. "After the owlursus attack, I convinced Midnight you'd actually be good for the guard, so that was training for you."
"Oh," Scarlet said, blinking.
"So you were planning this whole time to make Scarlet a guards pony?" Tight asked, anger leaking into his voice.
"We were going to ask her," Windrunner clarified. "I was only asked and I accepted. Those solar guards were asked and Midnight is seeing if they would be good for the role. The thestrals actually volunteered. We were going to ask Scarlet... and you, if you wanted join when we felt the time was ready."
"Me!?" Tight yelped. "What in Equestria makes you think I would make a good guards pony!?"
Windrunner motioned to keep his voice down. "We were going to ask if you wanted to be our supply officer. Midnight says we're going to need one sooner or later and Scarlet and Big Mac say you're good with the books."
"Oh... okay," Tight said, slightly abashed.
"So when were you going to ask?" Scarlet said.
Windrunner looked uneasy again. "I don't know. Soon, I think, but when Midnight left she told me... she told me to tell you about it if things got out of hoof. This... this qualifies."
"So, you're asking us to join this Bearer Guard now!?" Tight hissed. "What makes you think-?"
"I'm in," Scarlet said.
"What?" Both Tight and Windrunner said.
"I said I'm in," Scarlet repeated. "I had a feeling it was more than just exercising and you guys help save Equestria; that's something I want to get in on!"
"This isn't a game!" Tight snapped.
"And we only did that once," Windrunner corrected, "and I hope we don't have to do it again for a long time."
"But you still did it!" Scarlet pressed. "And it's not about getting my name in the paper, although that'd be nice. I can actually do something that means something, something big! I've always wanted to be part of something like that!"
"Then why didn't you say you wanted to join the guard?" Tight asked.
Scarlet looked down and rubbed her arm. "I didn't think they'd take me."
Windrunner laid a wing on Scarlet's shoulder. It felt better now. "Are you sure?"
Scarlet nodded. "Yeah. I know Midnight; she's a good leader and not concerned about what others think. Same thing with AJ and the others; they should have someone looking over their shoulders and covering their backs."
Windrunner nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I'm sorry I'm asking now but I really need your help the rest of the way."
Scarlet nodded again, then leaned over and looked at Tight expectantly.
"Seriously?" the earth pony asked, then sighed. "I'm not a fighter."
"We're not asking you to be, just keep an eye on the supplies and order more when we break 'em," Scarlet said with a grin.
Tight rolled his eyes, snorted, then nodded. "Fine, I'll do it."
"Good boy."
Windrunner let out a deep breath. It was like a heavy weight had been lifted, even just a little, off her shoulders and the rocky road ahead seemed more passable with the two now in the know.
A strong breeze swept through the ravine and the wind in her outstretched wings felt wonderful. As it blew past them, it caught something far down on the side of the cliff and blew it out like a wind sock.
A wind sock made of wood and rope.
"The bridge!" Windrunner shouted, hope rising even further.
Every head swung to look, followed by cries of joy and relief. They were almost there, almost out and away from the bunyip.
They hurried towards it, probably more recklessly than they should have, still skirting the certain boulders. Within fifteen minutes they were within a hundred yards of it, the clacking and creaking of the broken bridge clearly audible. They thought they could even see some smoke off to the side. A rescue party?
"We made it!" Rainbow crowed!
"We're gettin' out of here!" AJ agreed.
"We-!" Twilight started, then her voice stopped, just as she and the rest of them did.
The bunyip was standing under the bridge, big as life and clearly visible for all to see.
"We got this," Rainbow said, getting into an attack stance. "We'll send him running like last time."
Then another popped up next to the first.
"...We still have two unicorns," Rainbow said, sounding less certain.
Then another popped up on the other side of the first.
And another from the rocks behind them.
And another.
And another.
In the blink of an eye ten bunyips surrounded them, twenty yellow, hungry eyes focused solely on them.
"Can you fly?" Twilight asked quietly, not daring to look away from the large predators.
"I can make it to the top, I think?" Rainbow said, one eye on the bunyips, the other on the cliff wall.
"I can get somepony up there," Windrunner said, indicating a huge, flat outcropping jutting out about thirty hooves up.
"So can I," Scarlet agreed.
"I-I can try," Fluttershy squeaked. There was something about these bunyips that told her the Stare or kind, gentle words would do nothing. There was a hunger in their eyes that nothing the ponies could do, other than offering themselves up, would satiate. And cornered and starving animals were the most dangerous and least rational.
"Alright, Rainbow takes AJ, Windrunner takes Rarity, Scarlet takes Tight, and Fluttershy takes Pinkie," Twilight said.
"What about us?" Spike asked.
"You're with me."
"But-!"
"On three," Twilight said, cutting Spike off and tensing. The bunyips tensed as well, a few taking a step towards them.
"Twilight," Windrunner started, then caught the unicorn's eye. She had a plan and they needed to do what she said if they all wanted to get out alive.
"One."
Windrunner nodded and leaned towards Rarity, her still sore but usable wings out and flexing.
"Two."
More bunyips took a step, their fang-filled mouths bared and ready to rip them apart.
"Three!"
All four fliers shot up, their passengers clutched tightly as they shot for the outcropping while Twilight unleashed magical shot after magical shot at the charging bunyips, staggering them and buying her friends more time.
The initial wave of adrenaline spent, all four fliers started to struggle to reach the edge of the outcropping. Rainbow began to swing AJ and the farm pony reached out and caught the edge with her back hoof, pulling the two up on it. Scarlet and Tight did the same thing, and Rarity used her magic to pull her and Windrunner up as well. Fluttershy, a weak flier to start with, was beginning to sink too low for Pinkie to grab the edge.
"Fluttershy! Pinkie!" Rainbow yelled.
Looking down, both ponies saw one of the bunyips almost on top of them. A short hop and it would be able to reach them.
Fluttershy shrieked and beat her wings harder but still she sank.
Pinkie reached into her hair and pulled out a cupcake. "Sorry, the main course isn't ready yet. Have some desert first!" She lobbed the cupcake into the bunyip's mouth and the jaws snapped close on the treat. It paused, then wailed shrilly and began whipping its head back and forth as if trying to get rid of something.
With the bunyip distracted, Rainbow and Windrunner shot back out and pulled the two in. "What was that?" Rainbow asked.
"Chimmie-cherry-chili-cupcake with cherry-racha frosting!" She pulled another one out and ate it. "I guess bunyips don't like spicy food."
"Twilight! Spike!" Fluttershy yelled and they all ran back to the edge.
Twilight was running towards them, Spike riding on her back and shooting flames behind him towards any bunyips that got too close while Twilight magic-blasted any that got in front. When two popped up in front of her, she yelled to Spike "hold on!" and magic built up around her horn. The bunyips sprung and Twilight and Spike disappeared just before the flying maws snapped shut on them, only to reappear on the ledge behind the rest and run headlong into the cliff wall.
Everypony ran to help the two up.
"Brilliant, darling, absolutely brilliant!" Rarity praised. "But don't ever do that again! You scared us half to death!"
"Sorry," Twilight muttered, staggering a bit, "but I knew they were weak against magic, so I figured I had a better chance than any of you."
"As scary as it was, it was still a heck of a plan!" AJ said. "Now we just gotta climb out of here and we can leave them varmints in the dust!"
"Uh, slightly bad news," Tight said, pointing up at the almost smooth rock face going up from the outcropping.
"So?" Rainbow said, flapping her wings. "Those bunyips can't get up here, so me, Windrunner, and Scarlet will fly up there, get some help, and we'll be back in no time."
The outcropping shuddered.
"Girls?" Pinkie said, looking back from the edge of the outcropping. "More bad news."
They all looked over the edge.
Three of the bunyips were lined up below from three dents in the wall. Three more were moving in and starting to dig into the cracks, pulling dirt and rocks away at speed that even amazed Rainbow. Another shudder and they saw the remaining four bunyips doing the same on both sides, two on each one. At the rate they were digging and how fast the dirt and rocks were flying, they'd either dig up through the ground or collapse the sides enough to climb up in no time. Either way, there wasn't time to wait for help.
Twilight began shooting the bunyips again while the others examined the rock wall.
"It's too solid to dig hoof-holds," Scarlet said, scratching experimentally with her claws.
"Maybe Rarity could use her magic?" Pinkie asked.
"Sorry Pinkie dear, but my magic is good for finding gems, not cutting through rock," Rarity said, still giving it a try but accomplishing nothing.
"Aw, if only my big sister Maud was here, she'd bust through this rock like it was butter! Mmm... butter-cream."
"Maybe y'all kin still fly us out of here?" AJ asked.
Rainbow and Windrunner flapped their wings, only to stop and grimace. "I think getting up here is all we could do for now," Windrunner apologized, eyeing one of the sides as some rock began to crumble away.
"Okay, so we can't climb out, we can't fly out... I got it!" Rarity cried. Before any of them could ask her, her horn lit up and one of the ropes of the bridge began to untie itself.
"Great idea Rarity!" AJ said. "We can make a ladder out of what's left and climb up!"
They all cheered as the bridge came free and began to float towards them. It was just about to reach them when the edge of the outcropping gave way.
"Look out!" Twilight yelled, bounding over and sending a blast down the embankment.
The first bunyip staggered and fell, rolling back down. The second one shot past and jumped up, grabbing the bridge and yanking down out of Rarity's grip. It whipped its head as it landed, jerking the bridge around and ripping it apart in seconds.
"Uh-oh," Pinkie whimpered.
Then another edge collapsed. And another. Then a third and finally a fourth. The bunyips now had five ways up to the outcropping.
Twilight, AJ, Windrunner, Rainbow, and Scarlet all took fighting stances. Pinkie, Rarity, Tight, Spike, and Fluttershy gathered in the middle, ready to help however they could. Only Twilight had any real chance of fending them off but the others would give it their all.
"Any chance of a last minute large group teleport?" Scarlet asked.
Twilight shook her head. "If I was at my peak, maybe, but with all we've been through..." she trailed off. There wasn't any need to explain further.
The first bunyip came up over the side.
"HEADS UP!"
A bright red ball, bright enough to sting their eyes, flashed overhead and directly into the face of the bunyip, making it howl in surprise and pain before it fell back. Another head popped up and it was hit by a yellow magical blast. A third also took a red light ball to the face. Looking up, they saw a cream-colored pegasus flying down towards them carrying a tan unicorn holding a flare gun. Both were in guard uniforms and behind them a bright red flare was high in the sky. When they landed Windrunner recognized them as Privates Dandelion and Spread Eagle, two of the prospects Midnight had taken with her. And if they were here...
"Help's on the way," Dandelion said as they landed. "Might take a bit, though. We got search parties in other ravines."
"Join the guard, see Equestria," Spread Eagle grumbled, eyeing the edges. "Get eaten by giant lizards." He caught the flare gun Dandelion tossed him, reloaded, and took stance next to Dandelion.
Heartened by the thought of imminent rescue, they continued to hold the bunyips back. AJ, Rainbow, Scarlet, and Windrunner would team up to distract and buck back any bunyip that got up while Twilight, Dandelion, and Spread Eagle were distracted and Rarity, Spike, Tight, and Pinkie also helped by chucking down whatever they could get a hold of at the others waiting their turn to climb or recovering from a charge. Fluttershy flapped her wings gently to give them all a cool breeze to avoid over-heating.
While their hope had been restored with the appearance of the two guards and the promise of more, they were still beginning to tire out. Twilight's and Dandelion's magic was beginning to weaken and not hurt the bunyips as much, Spread Eagle was running low on flares, and the others were losing whatever punch they may have had.
"I'm out!" Spread Eagle yelled after firing off one last flare. He threw the gun at another bunyip, stopping it long enough for Twilight to shoot it, but this time it only staggered back before catching its footing and advancing forward again.
Windrunner breathed heavily as she watched the bunyips move closer. They couldn't go down, not now, not with help so close! She was just about to spring forward and hope to buck the nearest one in the jaw again when several flares rained down around them, striking the bunyips harmlessly but still getting their attention. One and all, the ponies, hippogriff, and bunyips seemed to pause as another round of flares rained down on them, accompanied by shouts from the top of the cliff.
Then bright day became dark night with a roar as something huge and black enveloped them, slamming into the earth and nearly knocking them all off their hooves. Two earth ponies appeared out of the darkness and bucked the nearest bunyip, sending back over the side to land on massive talons. The talons flexed and the bunyip was sent squalling into the river.
Both earth ponies landed and turned to face them.
"Glad to see you two aren't completely useless," Wild Mane said with a smirk.
"Just get us out of here!" Spread Eagle shot back.
A bunyip, recovering quicker than its allies, shot up over the edge and charged the group, only for it to stop short and be pulled back, its tail clamped in the jaws of a draconic head. Midnight pulled it up into the air, whipped her head, and slammed the bunyip into the cliff wall. There was a sickening splat-crack when it impacted and she threw the body down the ravine. With another roar, her head dove back down to snap at another one. The one she snapped at and two others turned tail and ran while the remaining five shot up to the top of the outcropping, intent on getting something for their troubles. Midnight was able to catch another one by the tail with her mouth and step on another before they got to the top. The three that did make it were hit by two fully charged magic blasts and a fusillade of flares, courtesy of the two unicorns with energy drinks and the pegasus and three thestrals who'd joined the fray, having come down with a large carrying net. They screeched, fell back, and finally ran off, Midnight catching one more by the tail and, out of sight but not out of ear shot, ripped the tail off and crushed the rest under her talons. After quickly throwing her head back to swallow the mouth-full, she chased the last two with a blast of blue fire that roiled down the ravine and steamed the ravine floor with boiled river water. Content that all the attackers were finally gone or dealt with, she reared back and let out a triumphant roar.
-----------------------------
Windrunner took another large gulp of water as she rested in the shade of one of the tents the guard had set up near the broken bridge. Compared to the past twenty-four hours, it was heaven.
"So, Scarlet and Tight know?" Midnight asked, laying down next to her.
Windrunner nodded. "I had to."
"I know," Midnight said, laying a calming wing over her back. "I said to do as much."
"So, that's the kirin?" Windrunner asked, nodding to where Ember, Forest, Squeaks, Honey, Eden, Sunny, and Dancer were tending to the others, applying bandages and giving out food and drink. Mixer was far off to the side studying one of the bunyip corpses Midnight had dragged up. Apparently she liked how they tasted. She was welcome to them.
Midnight nodded, a smile growing. "Ember, the second, well, third, kirin in Equestria in fifteen hundred years, and her mother Forest Floor."
"Are they coming back to Ponyville with us?"
Midnight nodded again. "They might be staying with us or move into their own home; not sure yet."
"And the new recruits?"
"I had my doubts about Dandelion and Spread Eagle but I think I can lay those to rest. Hazelnut, Wild Mane, and Blackberry are all definites. Now we just need to figure out how to keep them in Ponyville without raising suspicion."
Windrunner hummed in agreement and took another sip. "So, now we go home?"
"Oh yeah," Midnight agreed. "Just one last thing, though: why was Applejack out here in the first place?"
Windrunner suddenly couldn't look at her friend. "Well..."
-----------------------------
Mayor Mare sat back in her office chair, a nice salad and cup of her favorite tea on her desk ready for lunch. Things had been nice and peaceful for the past week and she hoped it would continue. That and that Applejack would be back soon with all that money to fix town hall.
She was just about to take a bite when she heard a commotion outside. Looking up, she jumped when her office doors banged open, her secretary protesting as she backed into the room followed by a decidedly unhappy looking Midnight Storm.
"Shut up and move!" the kirin snapped at the secretary, pushing her out of the way and back outside with a wing before slamming the doors shut behind her.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Mayor Mare demanded.
Midnight turned back to her, then slammed her hooves on the mayor's desk and leaned over, forcing her back into her seat. "You. Me." She was so close all Mayor Mare could see were angry blue draconic eyes and a sheet of paper with writing and the royal seal on it. "Loooooooong talk."
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...Miss Mayor. You are aware you could petition the crown for disaster-related funds, correct?
Midnight doesn't tolerate stupidity. Especially not in elected officials.
(Hmm.... Mayor Breeze has a nice ring to it...)
Can't wait to see how much hot water Mayor Mare gets in.
8485830
That makes two of us.
Welp, Mayor Mare just dun goofed!
8485765
Midnight already beat her to it
I confess my recollection of the episode is shaky; but did Mayor Mare actually ask AJ for the money/help funding repairs? I recall it was more AJ saying "I'll win so much money we'll be able to fix the barn, Granny's hip, and the Town Hall!"
Not sure Mayor Mare did anything, let alone anything blameworthy. It was all AJ's pride and hubris, and her reluctance to admit she failed in her self-set goals.
Midnight has the most appropriate reactions.
8485765 It's possible she might not have any idea. Remember... Ponyville WAS quite peaceful until 1000 year old monsters started to wake up in droves. NOt that it defends her in this instance but yeah... she honestly might not have any idea.
8486001
From the transcripts of the episode:
While Applejack was the one who offered, Mayor Mare put a whole lot of uneccesary pressure on her by telling the entire town, and then reinforced it at the train station.
Hmmm, Applejack falling off of a rope bridge into water. Now where have I seen that before?
And damn it has been so long since I last heard any stories about Bunyips that only the name remains in my memory. Man that sucks. 
8485881 8485830 Actually, make it three. I want to see how this plays out as well you two.
8486316 Indeed.
8486354
Yeah because Midnight is pissed off, and we haven't really seen her this mad in quite a while. This is gonna be good.
I'm gonna need more popcorn
8486376 Yep.
And indeed it will!
Wouldn't you just love to be a fly on the wall during THIS confrontation?
I hope Chaotic doesn't make us wait too long to find out what happens between Midnight and the Mayor.
8486316
THANK YOU for being the FIRST person NOT to get on about THE LAST FIVE SECONDS OF THE CHAPTER
Ooh... mayor... you dun goofed
8486394
8486376
8485830
Nothing.
Nothing is going to be shown other than this because it's the expected reaction to Midnight nearly losing the entire group of bearers and it was only shown to add a bit of light humor at the end.
HOWEVER, since EVERYBODY is treating it like it's the MAIN FOCUS, I've learned my lesson and I am NEVER ADDING SUCH A SCENE AGAIN.
I might even just delete this one so you all can FOCUS ON THE TRUE IMPORTANT POINTS OF THE CHAPTER.
8486412 Okay, that's cool with me. I was just speculating, anyway.
As to that last, DON'T YOU DARE! The scene is perfect as it is!!!
8486412
Ink, Ink, Ink... you're missing the point. It's not that everyone thinks the last scene is the most important in the chapter, it's that everyone likes seeing a politician get reemed. After all, everyone knows that we only elect people to those positions so we can mock and ridicule them.
I really enjoyed getting to see Windrunner step up and start acting in her position as second in command of the armed portion of the bearer guard. (We all know Saphire is second in command of the non-armed side, and Tight is gonna be her quartermaster/secretary.
) Curious to see if she gets commissioned as Midnight's Lieutenant or not actually... That's definitely something Midnight is gonna have to start thinking on, the chain of command in her unit. While the guards she just got already have a hierarchy, Windrunner and Scarlet are gonna have to be slotted in somewhere... or has that already happened for Windrunner? Dangit, now I'm gonna have to re-read a few chapters. I now she's already getting paid as a guard, but I can't remember if her pay LEVEL was stated or not.
Lastly I wonder if Windrunner will send a message to her trbe and if Midnight will send a message to Celestia regarding the Bunyips. I'd imagine Chief Thunderhooves and Celestia would both want to know the description and tactics of a group of monsters which prey upon their subjects/tribes buffalo. Though given the fact that there seems to have been zero guard presence in Ponyville prior to Midnight, despite it being RIGHT on the edge of the Everfree, I have my doubts that anything will be done about them. Or at least not in canon anyways.
8486412
I wouldn't bother deleting it. Just because it's there doesn't mean it needs to be explained any further. For all we know Mayor Mare got told-off so hard her jaw remained on the floor for a week.
Also, chill-out.
8485765
Politician that doesn't rely on the politic procedure. Doesn't that sound familiar?
8486493
8486455
8486418
I know, I know, I should have deleted the comment as soon as I posted it, but just look at it from my point of view:
This chapter, to me, is the start of the story evolving into something else, taking the next step, becoming something more, and I included that bit from The Patriot because I felt this was a profound moment.
Then all the comments are about Midnight throwing her expected fit about the situation, maybe not a the pony folks were expecting, but I'd bet my paycheck everyone knew she was going to be pissed.
To put it another way, I just created a three course meal and all anyone commented on was the table salt. It kinda leads to a confused, deflating WTF moment.
Then folks say they want to see what becomes of that situation.
Not about how the new guards are going to stay secret, not how Ember and Forest are going to fit into Ponyville, but how bad Mayor Mare is going to get reamed out for being a big mouth. Again, it's just confusion on why people are only commenting about that one thing.
Hell, that paper with the royal seal was included to show that Midnight already had things under control and was just giving the mayor a piece of her mind and a heads up.
Again, sorry, it just rubbed me the wrong way.
8486536
Please don't make this a political discussion. It was just a joke made with what the show gave me. In 2012.
8486539 *huggles Chaotic* That's okay, hun. All is forgiven.
And I quite understand your feelings. You do something this great, and others nitpick at it.
Or in other words, you gave us a full-course steak dinner with all the trimmings, and some of us acted like we got a grilled cheese sandwich and shoestring fries.
(And I ain't leavin' myself out of that, and if I hurt your feelings, I apologize profusely.)
8486545
Sorry, didn't try to. Just want to imply to some Nobles in Canterlot, that's all.
8486581
Thanks
Again, it's more like folks are focusing on the apple slices on the side rather than the three-cheese grilled sandwich. No one's saying anything bad about it, but at least mention it.
8486662 You're quite welcome, and you're quite right.
Can't wait for the next chapter to see what the gang gets up to next!
8486662
Heh, it's no problem Ink. It's fully understandable that authors get annoyed by how easily their fanbase can go on a tangent. We're basically the embodiment of: Squirrel!.
On another topic (
)... I've just realized that the beginning of the comment toolbar almost exactly spells out "Bullshit!"... anyone else noticed that or am I just slow on the pick up? Maybe we can petition knighty to move the Italics button over to the right one for the laughs?
8486398
Been watching Rescue at Midnight Castle recently? Or did this come at random?
8486412
Nobody is treating it that way Ink, but we all understand why Midnight was mad. And she should get a chance to show it is all. I mean really, just how justified was that?
8486394
Yeah, that would be something. I think I'll have to brush up on Bunyips though. Like I said I only remember the name.
While I am more than glad to see a PROPER depiction of Bunyips (much closer to the Australian billabong creature than the ABOMINATION the show tried to pass off), I have to say, wouldn't the buffalo have been more likely to come across Alligators than they would have Crocodiles?
Different SPECIES Twilight, BLAST IT.
Rainbow, NO
...Damn, now Rainbow whatever you do, don...
................................. why
......
That's just rubbing it in 
Ehhhh, i believe it might be shorter than you think
Hahaha wow Mayor Mare is in the shit now.
Really fun chapter all in all. The new Guards getting to strut their stuff was great, the build up with the bunyips leading into the climactic fight of the chapter was great. And Midnight going ker-smashy is always great fun.
Looking forward to Ember and her mother being introduced to Ponyville being ... well, Ponyville. Complete with brand-new Mayor-Mare-hide lampshades.
8486886 Yup.
And that makes two of us.
8487159
I actually know about them from the book Tongue of Serpents from the Temeraire series. During that book they were traveling across Australia and encountered them. I thought they'd make a good addition, and I'm glad to see I was right.
8486886
8487347
I got the idea from This Book. If your curious it's also available on Audible.
8487459 Cool.
And thanks for the link, Ink. I'll check it out soon.
8487453
I AM Australian, and I'm glad to see YOU got them right.
But that's neither here nor there in regards to why the buffalo tribes would be encountering crocodiles and not alligators when they're supposed to be the Equestrian equivalent to Native Americans.
Who is Tight?
I guess that means this is where I stop reading just like how I stopped watching the show when Twilight got alicornified.
8486539
For me most of the chapter was just meh for me. The ravine out of nowhere. For me Midnight mad IS entertaining. I'm sure you had a great idea but not all ideas work. Many your audiences wants the simple meal.
8487347
I know right.
8487459
I'll have a look later then.
8487943 Yep.
8487986
Indeed.
8488194
8488245
I've got a feeling that Ink has got something a little different going on for this next chapter. I am curious to see what all comes from this next one.
8488266 Really?
Cool.
And I am, too. It should be as good as all the others, given what he's given us so far.
8488280
Yeah, how he goes about these things is what has made this all so interesting an engaging.