The Great Parent Rescue

by Kaipony

All Part of the Plan

Applejack looked around pensively at their surroundings, shifting her weight from one side to the other. She, Spike, and the others had traveled south from Ponyville for almost a week before arriving at their destination. They had taken the rail line towards Appleloosa before switching tracks and continuing east to Dodge City. Once there, they then left the small town with Spike keeping out of sight while his pony friends told everyone they could find about a lone dragon that they had been spotted in the area. According to the story, this young dragon was out to make a name for himself by burning up farmland, plundering the rural landscape, and scaring foals foolish enough to wander away from their homes. From the Dodge City station, they turned south and had traveled by hoof using a barely visible road that followed a natural corridor between the wooded western border of the Hayseed swamplands and the eastern extremity of the Macintosh Hills. Finally, they followed the treeline down to the northernmost edge of the region marked on the maps as the Badlands.

Spike and Applejack stood together at the edge of those woods. To the east, the firmer ground gradually gave way to the softer loam of land that fed off decay and rot. Beyond that lay the swamps themselves, a thickening mire of fetid pools and sticky muck. Even though the actual swamplands were much further away, they could sense the sickly sweet smell of decomposition in the air. Though reliable, even the ground upon which they stood, was soft enough to almost be at the point of feeling spongy. To the south, they could see the tops of the snow-capped mountains that signaled the nearest edge of the Badlands. Twilight's research had indicated that the likeliest location to find a Scale Collector base would be among those inhospitable crags and dunes.

"I just don't know about this whole idea of yours, Spike." Applejack tugged at the suspenders of a simple pair of overalls, made of chocolate brown wool. She then ran a hoof forlornly over her hat. Not her hat, but a facsimile made from straw and twine.

Spike fanned away her concern with a casual wave of his claw. "Don't worry. We've spread enough rumors about a marauding dragon moving through this part of the countryside to attract a dozen Scale Collectors. And when they do arrive, they're going to find a menacing dragon that's just begging to be caught and taken to their secret hideout."

"Applejack is right," a bush several yards inside the treeline added. Twilight's head popped up from out of the crown of the shrubbery. "I've said it this whole trip, but I'll say it again. I'm not wholly comfortable letting you act as bait. We don't know what the Scale Collectors will do when they get here, or if they even get here."

"I think it's a great idea." Rainbow' Dash's head poked out of a nearby tree from beneath a thick layer of leaves and long strands of sky moss. "Spike, a dragon that has run amok through an innocent farmer's land, is being confronted by Applejack, the distraught farmer who's lost everything to this beast. And, oh no! She's in dire need of saving. It's a story no crazy Scale Collector could resist."

"Pardon?" Applejack quipped. "Dire need of saving?" She pointed at Spike. "From him? No offense, Spike."

"As I was saying," Rainbow continued. "The Collectors swoop in to save you, capturing Spike and gladly recruiting the obviously distraught farmer to their cause." She rubbed her hooves together. "Little do they know, hiding in the bushes and tracking their every step, is a whole posse of Equestrian heroes waiting for the signal to rain down justice and free Spike's parents from an evil lair." The branch she was hiding on shook with barely contained energy. "Haha! I love a great rescue scene."

"And free all the other dragons they've caught too," a soft, demure voice appended. It had come from an animal warren nestled between two exposed roots of Rainbow's tree.

Spike shot a thumbs up towards Fluttershy's hiding spot. "Right. We can't forget about any others that might also be prisoners."

A perfectly coiffed stand of fern fronds and wildflowers shivered, producing an equally flawless unicorn. "Can we please go over the details one more time?" Rarity asked politely.

Not far away, one side of a sizeable rock tipped upwards, and Pinkie slithered out from underneath. "Yeah. I was a little busy planning my 'We're Sorry You've Been in a Dragon Prison But Now You're Free and Be a Family Again' party."

Twilight took a couple of deep breaths. "If anypony cares, I'm still not 100% over here, but I do trust that we'll be able to keep Spike from any harm if this ends up working." A sparkling of raspberry magic appeared in the air above Spike and Applejack, and stick figure approximations of the pair began to pantomime as Twilight narrated.

"First, Spike is going to light up several piles of logs we've gathered. This should make it look like he's fighting someone or trying to burn down the woods." The cartoonish dragon figure belched green flame, setting a large bundle of sticks alight.

"And I've already asked the birds and squirrels to spread the word," the polite animal den interjected. "There will be an organized but convincing 'stampede' away from the flames."

"Excellent work, Fluttershy. Next, Spike will make a lot of noise and fly around to attract even more attention." The Spike figure whirled around in the air in slow circles, blank speech bubbles popping in and out of existence near its head.

"And to make sure the Collectors show up, Applejack jumps out to challenge me for burning down her farm," Spike continued, nodding to the farm pony.

"Yessiree," she affirmed with a tip of her straw hat. The dragon figure stopped when an orange pony figure teetered into view, its forelegs waving into the air wildly. "If they're lurking around, and all that don't get their attention, then nothing will." A trio of scowling red ponies entered into the magical scene behind the Applejack figure.

"Oh," gushed Rarity, her hooves kneading together under her chin. "I don't like this next part."

Twilight paused the magical animatic and then wiped it away with a flourish from her horn. "Any Scale Collectors that show up will most likely try to capture Spike as quickly as possible. After they do, Applejack will convince them that she wants to join their group. If anything goes wrong, then--"

Pinkie pulled an outlandishly oversized mallet made of inflated balloons from somewhere within her mane and brandished it over her head. "We pop out and lay the smack-down on them before they can say 'Oh no what an unfortunate turn of events!' Pow!" She slammed the head of the mallet upon a stone, eliciting a subdued squeak from the toy.

"Right." With a sparkle of magic, Twilight materialized a map of Equestria where the pantomimed confrontation had played out. "The rest of us will stay out of sight and follow them to their hideout." A red arrow blinked onto the map and started to meander around the Badlands area. It trailed behind itself a wobbling series of dotted lines before terminating at a red X in the center of the desert. "If Applejack can't convince them to let her join them, she'll wander off to hide, then double back to regroup with us. Once we've followed them and we're inside the hideout, we subdue the Scale Collectors. Without causing them harm. I'd rather talk this out if we can avoid a real confrontation, but we need any information they might have about where Spike's parents are being held. And finally, we release the prisoners." She looked at Spike. "Did I miss anything?"

"That was everything on the Parent Rescue checklist. Hmm." Spike glanced hopefully over towards the animal den. "Fluttershy, do think Discord will change his mind?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. The last time we spoke, he said...how did he put it? He said he'd love to help out, but that he 'critically fumbled his initiative roll.' Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah," Spike grunted. He shook his head. "It means this isn't going to be a snap. I guess that's it then."

Like wind carrying away an autumn leaf, Twilight's illusory map was dusted away with a wave of her horn. "Then let's take our places."

Spike waited until all of his friends were snug in their hiding spots with Applejack concealed just beyond the treeline. "Alright," he whispered to himself. "Here I go." He took flight and began to patrol back and forth along a perimeter that he had discreetly marked earlier with small piles of pebbles. His meandering flight path brought him close to an inconspicuous pile of dry logs, sticks, and grass.

"Rawwwwr!" he bellowed, at least as much of a bellow as his small throat could manage. "Rawwwwr! I don't like trees. In fact, I hate trees! They're...um, so weak and puny. And...flammable. Yeah!" Spike inhaled and, with a great heave, spat a long tongue of green flame into the wood pile. It immediately caught fire and sent a gradually thickening pillar of smoke curling up into the sky. He repeated this for three more collections. On cue, there was a rush of animal life away from the vicinity of the fires. Chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, and a flock of sparrows scattered, fleeing the area in a hurried but orderly procession.

"Haha!" Spike whooped. "These trees go up in flames just like that farm pony's barn, and all of those other places I've burned down. Ponies have such great treasure just waiting to be taken from them too, once I've sent them running." He paused to hover in the air and struck a pose, flexing his adolescent muscles. "I love being a mean dragon! RAWWR!"

"If I were to offer a constructive critique," Rarity whispered to her compatriots in hiding, "I'd say he's showing commendable enthusiasm. Though it is a bit overly dramatic."

"Seriously. You'd think with all those comic books Spike reads that he'd pick up on some better villain lines," Rainbow volunteered.

"With the fires and smoke, I don't think his acting will matter," the bush containing Twilight said.

"With genuine respect for this plan," Rarity continued, "it really should be me out there. I imagine that Applejack will perform well enough for somepony with no background in the theater, but I do worry about her trying to sell her story. Isn't that technically being dishonest?"

"Hey!" Rainbow whispered fiercely. "I think I hear something." Ears straining, the hidden ponies went rigid and listened. Over the noise of the crackling fires and Spike's lines, the unmistakable sound of hooves crunching on fallen twigs could be made out. "It's coming from the south. I think this is it."

"Muahahaha!" Spike laughed. He leveled a possessive claw at the swampy forest. "This is now my territory. All mine! And there's no one here to stop me." He paused, but no one appeared to challenge his declaration. "I said, there's no one here to stop me." Again, all that answered was the snap and crackle of the bonfires. Spike's shoulders sagged. "Oh, for crying out loud." He inhaled and belched a gout of fire straight up into the sky.

"Uh, now just you hold on one apple pickin' minute," a voice suddenly interrupted. Applejack, her custom clothing bearing newly fallen flecks of ash, leaped into view. She stood defiantly before Spike, but he could see her eyes darting. She wore a determined look on her freckled face that was only diminished in intensity by a subtle twitching of her head towards the south.

Spike swallowed hard and gave her the barest of nods before he went on. "You!" He spat a glob of green fire into the air between them. "Didn't I burn down your farm last week?"

"I ain't here to talk." She reared back and pummeled the air in front of her with her front hooves. "I'm here because of all those terrible things you keep saying you're going to do!"

"You're here to fight me? Ha! Don't let my size fool you. I do whatever I want, and no one has been able to stop me." Spike crossed his arms and looked down on Applejack smugly. "And it's going to take a lot more than just one little pony to take me on."

"Oh yeah?" Applejack pawed at the dirt and lowered her head.

"Yea-ouch!" Spike's body twitched, and his wings faltered for a beat. "What was that?" He looked around for the origin of whatever had caused the stinging pain but could see nothing out of place. Reaching down, he felt around the outside of his right leg. His claw grasped something hard and cylindrical. It was stuck in his scales, having pierced right through them. He pulled at the object, but it refused to come loose. Abruptly, his wings faltered and his arms drooped.

"Why...why do I...feel so...heavy." With a groan, Spike fell from the sky. He impacted the dirt with a muffled thump and bounced once before coming to a stop in a precarious sitting position.

There was a series of stifled gasps from a bush, rock, tree, and a collection of ferns and flowers.

"What in tarnation--whoa!" Applejack had started towards Spike's fallen form when another pony appeared beside her. The stranger was a goldenrod yellow earth pony mare with a close-cropped, unkempt mauve mane. Applejack noted with surprise that the stranger also wore a coat of coppery scales sewn into a backing of some kind of thick cloth. The dirty barding covered her chest, neck, barrel, and all four legs. It was secured to the mare by thick cords, from which hung several buckled pouches.

"Talkative runt," she grunted without looking at Applejack. Though the stranger's expression looked bored, her unblinking purple eyes were piercingly fixated on Spike.

"Huh," a male voice chuckled. "I think we might have used too large of a dose." From out of the sun, a blue pegasus with a coarse, soot-black mane descended and alighted next to the taciturn mare. He too wore scaled armor with small bags secured to the sides, but his version only covered his chest and legs. Dark circles sagged beneath his tired eyes, but those eyes never left Spike.

Then, an orchid pink unicorn strode in between the pair. "The rumors were about a marauding dragon." She sneered and tossed her head, clearing strands of a long blond ponytail from her blue eyes. In doing so, she exposed a gnarled, champagne scar of hairless skin that traveled down her left cheek and reached down to her shoulder. Instead of barding and bags, this pony wore a saber at her side. From the look of the scratched scabbard and worn pommel, it was not a mere decoration piece. "This one barely qualifies as fun-sized."

The yellow earth pony snorted at the joke as the pegasus moved around her and approached Applejack.

"You okay, miss?" he asked in a cordial baritone.

"Who are y' all?" Applejack demanded, backing away a few paces.

"Just a few concerned ponies out to take care of a problem," the pegasus answered quickly. Applejack looked away in time to see Spike rise unsteadily to his feet.

"Fear me," the little dragon declared at a less-than-fearsome volume. He quickly toppled over and lay back on the ground, panting with exertion. "Ugh."

"He's got spirit," the pegasus remarked with a sly grin. "I'll give him that much. Still, most can't hold up against a good dose of enfeeblement poison. Especially a dose meant for a dragon at least twice his size."

"Poison?!" Applejack exclaimed, raising the volume of her voice when she thought she heard a worried squeak and frenzied rustling come from a large bush near the treeline.

"Sure." The stallion reached into one of his bags and pulled out a bandolier of darts. Their thick, shiny needles capped with corks. A single pocket of the bandolier which was empty. "We have all kinds of tricks for taking down dragons and keeping them down."

"What are you doing out here?" the mare with the saber demanded, shifting her attention away from the incapacitated dragon. She turned enough to scrutinize Applejack through narrowed eyes, keeping the sheathed saber visible but moving the scarred portion of her neck out of view. "You're a long way from the nearest village."

Applejack cocked her straw hat to one side and cleared her throat. She pointed at Spike. "I'm not from around these here parts. And I was about to have words with that there dragon. He might be small, but there's more to him than you'd think."

"That was foolish," the mare declared, looking Applejack up and down. Her sharp gaze eased slightly. "Foolish, but brave."

"Say," Applejack whispered conspiratorially. "Are y' all those, um...whatchamacallits? Scale...Collectors? I've heard those folks go round capturing dragons and trying to make them not so...dragony no more."

"So you've heard of the Scale Collectors?" The pegasus flashed a smile at Applejack. "Yeah, that's us. We bring in dragons and see to it that they're....reeducated. That way, if they're released, they're no longer a danger to the world."

"That...sounds like a mighty big undertaking," Applejack answered carefully.

"It is," the gruff earth pony mare grumbled before turning and walking into the woods. She shuffled down a small incline and disappeared from sight.

"By the way, I'm Nimbus," the pegasus said. "Nimbus Rake. And your name is?"

"It's Applejack. Listen." She removed her hat solemnly. "I know it's sudden and all, but I'd be mighty grateful if I could tag along. I'd feel a lot better if this here dragon didn't leave my sight. If y' all are here, then I'll wager you've heard all the talk going on about him."

"Hmm. Hang on a minute." Nimbus excused himself and motioned for his unicorn accomplice to follow him a short distance away. While they conversed in hushed tones, the gruff mare reappeared. She was pulling a large cart with a sizeable cage nestled within the body. The cage was much larger than was necessary to fit Spike, but the bars, made of a carmine-colored metal, were set close together. There would be no wriggling through them in an escape attempt.

As the cage was pulled past her, Applejack found herself inching towards Spike when the voice of the unicorn jerked her attention back to the pair of Collectors.

"So you want to come along?" the mare probed. Applejack could not help but stare at the saber at the unicorn's side. "Why? If you've heard of the Scale Collectors, then you know might know a little about what we're trying to accomplish. Dragons are a blight that needs to be fixed. We're on the front lines. What do you have to say to that?"

Applejack did not answer immediately. She glanced back at the cart and cage nearing Spike, who was still unable to do anything more than feebly raise an arm or wing. She put the hat back on her head and took a deep breath.

"I don't rightly know y' all well enough to answer that, but I can tell you that I'm as worked up as a wood-starved beaver in an orchard about this whole dragon thing. I don't like what I've been hearing or what's been going on one dang bit, and I came out here to try and help set things straight. If I can do something to make all this right, I will. And that's the honest truth."

"What about a family?" Nimbus prodded. "I'm assuming you do have a family back home who are waiting for you to return."

"They'll be alright without me. My brother is strong, and my little sis is always willing to help out."

There was a heavy pause, and the two Scale Collectors gave each other a long look. Something unspoken passed between them before Nimbus nodded once.

The unicorn shrugged. "Sounds like you could work out. We can always use a set of strong hooves." Then she headed towards the cage where the other mare was securing Spike in his new prison.

Applejack released a breath she had not realized that she was holding.

Nimbus placed on wing across Applejack's back. "You can tag along, for now, and we'll introduce you to the boss. She'll decide if your up to being a Scale Collector. By the way, the surly one there currently acting as our beast of burden is Sand Briar, and our swashbuckling sister is Cutlass." He whistled at Sand Briar and Cutlass, making a circular motion around his neck and pointing at Applejack. "You can help us haul this lump of trouble until we get home. It's a few days travel to where we're going. Think you can handle that?"

"Sure thing. I'm no stranger to pulling my own weight." Within minutes, the Scale Collector team had their potential recruit yoked up to the cart and began walking in a southeasterly direction, skirting the edge of the swamplands and aiming for the northeastern side of the Badlands. Applejack managed the weight of the cart, cage, and cargo easily; falling into a steady pace behind the other three ponies. She glanced back at Spike, and he gave her a discreet thumbs-up.

The little dragon looked back to where his other friends had been hiding. He noted with relief that a rabbit, squirrel, and bird had returned from their stampede and were waving at him. Through the weakness caused by the enfeeblement poison, he managed a weak smile and thumped a claw against the metal floor of the cage.

"Mom. Dad. I know you can't hear me, and I don't know where you are, but we're going to find out. Please, hang on a little longer. We're coming to find you."

Comments

[FictionalNightmare]

Plot twist! When they get there, spike’s parents are already dead,

[SpikeSmolder fan]

Oh man, even I felt the sting of that poison contraption!

At least the plan seems to be working though, here's hoping the gang can turn the tables hard on these creeps in the next few chapters!

[Scyphi]

Crafty AJ. Telling the truth but phrasing it in such a way that it's not obvious that it is the real truth.

[emeraldhuskydragon0]

This is good. You gain a like

[Godslittleprincess]

"I don't rightly know y' all well enough to answer that, but I can tell you that I'm as worked up as a wood-starved beaver in an orchard about this whole dragon thing. I don't like what I've been hearing or what's been going on one dang bit, and I came out here to try and help set things straight. If I can do something to make all this right, I will. And that's the honest truth."

Technically not a lie.