Lightning and Stitch (#2)

by LightningStar626

Chapter 9: Honesty and Magic

Chapter 9: Honesty and Magic

"We should be gettin' close now. I can feel it." said Applejack.

~Lightning, the Rainbooms, Spike, Stitch, Gloriosa, Timber and Farmer Bonsai, travelled at least ten miles away from the camp, but Gloriosa and Timber easily knew the way back. It was such a shock that the suburban forest still looked exactly the same from when they began. From the moderately sized trees, to the shrubbery bushes that prickled the pathway and around everyone's ankles. Lightning wondered if they were even moving at all. Finally, when she figured that forest would keep on going, they came out of the shading and into an open green field.~

"How much longer do we have to travel?" Rainbow asked, clearly tired of all the walking they have been doing.

"Not long," Stitch said. "I smell somefin' strong."

"I think I can too," said Lightning, "Ugh, it's horrible! It smells like my friend's old farm house!"

"That might mean that the herd is close." Applejack confirmed.

"My herd is close?" Bonsai asked.

~The cowgirl nodded. As the fields were getting lighter and lighter, the grass was becoming less shaky. That's when Stitch and Spike realised the greens around them had been partly munched on. Twilight and Applejack noticed this too. No doubt it was eaten by cattle. More specifically, no doubt it was eaten by Bonsai's stolen cattle. They kept on moving.~

"I still can't believe there are rustlers out here in the forest." Timber said.

"Me neither. Usually our town is very peaceful." Gloriosa added.

Applejack shook her head. "It is very strange. I mean, I live on a farm myself but I can say with confidence, I've never had any rustlers comin' in, theivin', ransackin', terrorisin', causin' trouble, huntin', manhandlin'..."

"Maybe it's because you live closer to the city, Applejack." Sunset said, interrupting.

"And because we've never experienced the outskirts very much." explained Twilight. "As well as, I guess, we're just more used to magic, than actual real life dangers."

"All those points could be very well true. I do live quite far from Canterlot." Farmer Bonsai admitted.

"Have ya ever tried buildin' a fence or a scarecrow to keep 'em rustlers an' birds out?" Applejack asked the farmer.

"All my wood's gone," he answered sadly. "I have no axe to chop down trees. The only thing I have to protect the crops from birds is my horse, Dusty, but he's gettin' old and sick. He can't handle the rustlers."

~Dusty heard what his owner said and whimpered. Fluttershy comforted him.~

"Oh, it's okay, Dusty. He just needs a little bit of strength and confidence. That's all."

"Well, we'll see about that. Look."

~Lightning pointed out in the fields and there, in forms of fifty, were bovines. They were all branded with the initials 'F.B' on them. The farmer immediately recognised them as his own.~

"That's my herd, all right."

"But I don't see any rustlers." whispered Lightning.

"Maybe they went off to steal another herd…" Rainbow guessed. "Which is great! This means, we can take back what's ours, get outta here, then come back to ambush them!"

"No," said Applejack sternly. "They're out there. Somewhere."

"Are you sure?" asked Fluttershy.

"Only one way to find out."

~Applejack fell backwards towards the ground, then, like a wildcat, she began carefully skulking her way in the long patches of grass until she came safely hidden behind some wedged out boulders. Lightly trending, the others followed her. Now, they were closer. Lightning took out her ears to listen again, but she could still hear no sound at all, nor see any strange rustlers. So on Applejack went, still leading, keeping in the grass.~

Lightning frowned. "I still can't hear anything, Applejack."

"Use your raccoon ears. Didn't ya tell us that with those you have super hearin'?"

~She was right. So, as secretly as possible, Lightning allowed her ears and tail and mask to grow. They were restless, and began moving about immediately, picking up sounds. Then, Lightning heard a noise.~

She stumbled back. "Oh my gosh. Applejack, you're right! I hear them!"

"Well, quick, sugarcube, get down before they see us!"

~Quickly, Lightning Star was dragged down to her knees by Applejack and behind another rock along with her other companions. But, as Lightning's ears became focused again, she could hear better. There were snores- snores of men, and she saw that it was coming from the hay bales piled up nearby where the herd was. Then, they saw the feet of eight sleeping cowboys.~

"They're…sleeping?" Fluttershy quired.

"Well, rustling is a lot of hard work!" said Pinkie.

"This could not be anymore perfect." Twilight said, grinning.

"I can see the evil glint in your eyes- What are you thinking?" Lightning chuckled.

"I'm thinking- we go with what Rainbow suggested. Let's sneak up on them and take whatever weapons they might have to defend themselves. Then, we get the drop on them while we have the chance. After all, it's not all for nothing." The girls were gobsmacked. They expected something like that from Rainbow Dash, and even Lightning Star, but not from Twilight.

Lightning double-checked. "You think so?"

"Yes."

"OKAYYY! Which one of us is going to go over there first?" Pinkie asked.

"Depends, which one of us would you say is the bravest?" asked Twilight.

Rarity gestured over to Lightning. "I want to say you, Lightning."

"Wha- why me?"

"Remember when we were swallowed by that iguana? Every one of us was terrified, except you." Sunset reminded her.

"Also, your element is literally bravery!" added Pinkie.

Lightning scoffed. "Pffft! That still doesn't prove anything!"

"It literally does!- "

"Come on, Lightnin', it ain't SO bad!" Applejack said. "Tell ya what, let's-a all go an' do it. At the same time. That way we'll always watch each other's backs. Then together, we can bust up an' buck-a-roo those crooks RIIIGHT outta our camp! You're brave, compassionate, loyal, kind. You're like the perfect apple that fell straight from the perfect apple tree! And I mean it, when I say that. Trust me, you have what it takes."

~Applejack's words made a lot of sense towards Lightning, even though it was hard to understand her accent and 'country-isms'. She knew she had what it takes, but was modest about it.~

Nonetheless, she smiled. "Thank you for your honesty, Applejack. Nobody's really perfect, but what you said, I appreciate. Okay. I'll do it."

"We'll all do it. We will follow your lead and be with you the whole way." said Twilight.

"Me too!" Stitch barked quietly.

"Me three!" Spike added.

Lightning smiled. "Okay. Let's go for it."

~Stitch clambered onto Lightning's shaking shoulders as she whispered something indistinctive. Then, the group of ten set off down towards the rustlers while the farmer, Timber and Gloriosa watched. It was all very exciting towards Pinkie, but less so, and more pressuring, towards Fluttershy, as her heart started beating rapidly. The sunlight above their heads was very bright, and because they were crouching low in the grass, only their scalps burned in the heat. The strands brushed against the faces, forcing them to close their eyes and navigate their way towards the hay bales via sound and smell. But that wasn't a problem for Lightning, and her raccoon ears and black nose. She put her hand on Stitch's fur and whispered.~

"Don't bark or growl, Stitch. Keep close to me."

~He nodded and nuzzled her face to let her know he understood. Together, they kept to the ground and came to the hay bales. The cattle were unphased by their existence. The ten finally came to the bales after a hand reach forward and prickly confirmation. Spike leapt down from Fluttershy's arms but as he hit the ground, he landed in front of the face of one of the bovines, which gave a loud, hefty snort in surprise.~

The Rainbooms flinched. "SPIKE! SHHHHHH!" Twilight whispered angrily.

"sorry…" Spike whimpered.

~The wildebeest turned to the other side, and the rustlers made low growling noises. Thinking they were about to wake up, the Rainbooms fell back under the grass. They peered through the strands with anxious, round eyes, but it was a false alarm. One of the rustlers just scratched his belly unfathomably, then turned to get into a better sleeping position. That gave Lightning an opportunity to look where he was lying. There, she saw a dagger, a lasso, and a horseshoe. Lightning snatched them up. Those were the only weapons they had.~

Applejack gave a thumbs up at her. "Okay, now let's round up the cattle, an' go!"

~But as the girls prepared to take them slowly one by one, Lightning and her foot made a wrong, horrible step. She stomped on one of the tails of the beasts and it made a large squeal of pain before it came up, in defence, and sank its teeth straight into the back of Lightning's ankle. She wasn't the kind of girl that screamed bloody murder, but in that moment, it was the most painful thing she experienced since she crashed into the trees and that steel beam.~

Lightning shrieked at full voice. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH-OWWWWWW!"

~The Rainbooms turned in sudden disbelief and became frightened at the sound of Lightning's screaming. Without any thought, they jumped and collapsed on top of her to prevent her from crying any louder. But, by that point, it was already too late. At that moment, the flashing purple eyes of one of the rustlers opened and he peered down at the tangled pile of teenage girls he saw before him in astonishment. They didn't like the way he was looking at them. His ten-gallon cowboy hat was shading his eyes and his intense mouth that held a piece of wheat inside seemed crooked and cunning. It made him look intimidating. Now Fluttershy's heart was beating. It was beating really fast and really loud, and she couldn't help but stifle a whimper. Suddenly, the man sprung up and attacked.~

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Lightning commanded.

~She rolled out of the pile then pushed the seven out of harm's way, and they rolled on the grass in different directions thoroughly. Stitch gave a little growl. At that point, the other rustlers awoke from their sleeping states and joined into the 'supposed' ambush. They acted cold and inhuman towards them, all in silence too. That's when Lightning realised she needed to do something. Since the Rainbooms still haven't gone through secret agent training, she figured it'll be impossible for them to fight back. Without their geodes, at least.~

~Suddenly, as one of them was about to sneak up on her, Applejack, using her strength, grabbed onto his collar and ferociously hurled his body far off into the sky. Every vein pressed up against her skin glowed bright orange. They heard him land with a thud, but it didn't sound like he hit the ground. Instead, he landed on the back of one of the snorting cattle, causing it to go insane! From the sudden punch it felt on its back, feeling like it was under attack, it grunted, snorted and started to buck crazily like a mechanical bull. This caused even more cattle to do the same thing, and before long, there was a stampede of cattle running and heading straight for everybody! Lightning's eyes shattered.~

"OH, BOY!"

Applejack exclaimed. "The herd!"

"My herd!" repeated Bonsai.

"We gotta stop them!" Rainbow declared.

"I'm on it!" Pinkie yelled, and she punched the air above her. "CHARRRRGE!"

~Pinkie Pie ran into battle with her left arm raised up high, screaming along the way. She hopped onto one of the backs of the stampeding cattle, and fishing through her pockets, she pulled out her secret weapons. Her confetti exploded into fireworks the moment they touched the sky, and that lured the cattle away so they wouldn't run off, straight ahead. It was then also that the rustlers noticed Farmer Bonsai hiding. They gazed at him with a jagged look of fury plastered all over their faces.~

"I hope you know how to fight, old man!" they said.

~All at once, they charged towards him, ready to attack, only for Gloriosa and Timber to step in and hit them back with tree branches. Applejack saw this, and devised a plan.~

"You handle the rustlers, we'll take care of the cattle!" Applejack ordered.

~The team split into two. Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie set off to distract and deal with their pursuers, while Applejack, Rarity, Twilight and Lightning went to derive the cattle and push them in the right direction towards home. As to stay low, move faster and manage in the calefaction, Lightning transformed into her leathery, scaly lizard skin and scurried underneath the stampede. The spikes on her back warded off any dangers and the prevention of being trampled. However, all it did was scare them off in another wrong direction. Applejack pulled out a lasso from underneath her belt and began cracking it on the ground like a whip.~

"GIDDY UP, FELLAS! C'MON- LETS GO! GIDDY UP! C'mon now! YAH!" she yelled, directing the cattle.

~The loud crackles of the rope being snapped was enough to lead the cattle out safely. Lightning marvelled at her performance. Meanwhile, Sunset and Rainbow skulked low in the grass before poking their heads out, in search of where the rustlers hopped off to. But the rampaging cattle stomping past them, dusting the area, made it hard for them to see.~

"Let's go!" Rainbow urged to Sunset.

But Sunset's eyes widened as she turned back behind them. "Rainbow Dash, watch out!"

"Huh?"

~Rainbow made a turn in that direction, only to be pounced on by a large figure. They both rolled around in the grass until he forced Rainbow on the ground. It took two of the rustlers to pinion her arms, she was fighting so hard.~

"You girls shoulda minded ya own business!" the rustler sneered.

"This is our business! You're threatening our campsite!" retorted Rainbow.

"What? How do you know that? Ugh, doesn't matter! Make like a leaf, and GET OUT!"

~He shook Rainbow at her shoulders roughly, but before he could do anything rash, Sunset threw her whole weight at one of the rustlers, hitting him off Rainbow, and she got an arm free to knock the other one off. This caused his eyes to go crazy.~

"YEEEEEE-HAW!"

~Back with the cattle, Lightning was stuck in the middle of the stampede. She didn't have Stitch with her, and was scared he might have been trampled. Where did he go? What happened? Was he hurt- or worse? She didn't want to move.~

"Stitch, where are you?!" she called.

~But there was no way he would hear her over the loud stomping of hooves, or for her to hear him! All she could hear were the tapping clippers, and a step of boots? Lightning's thoughts were then cut off by a rope whipping around her from behind. Desperate, she jabbed her elbow back full force into her assailant's stomach, but he still grabbed hold of her. Lightning cried out again, this time for help.~

"STITCH!"

~He heard her call. Suddenly, Stitch darted out from underneath and bit the man's leg as hard as he could. He screamed and tried to shake him off, letting go of the rope and Lightning in the process. When Stitch finally let go of him, the rustler looked down at his leg to see a perfectly grim bite. It was pretty gnarly, and slobbery too. He could not believe that such a horrific bite had come from this young little pup. He was enraged. Lightning and Stitch immediately got out of there.~

"Thank you." Lightning said to the pup, carrying him in her arms.

"Don't fank me yet!" he barked. "C'mon!"

~Stitch pointed with his snout to a large rock, and Lightning swooped in to land behind it. Catching their breaths for a moment, they watched as the cattle leapt over towards the smoke billowing out from behind the trees back towards Camp Everfree. They left the campfire lit so they could find their way back, if they couldn't reach Gloriosa nor Timber. Lightning smiled with confidence and was about to head off after them, to make sure they make it, only for Spike to appear, and scurry behind Lightning, whimpering. A rustler came after, appearing on the rock, talking smoothly.~

"Come on now, I know you're there… Come out and play."

~Stitch and Spike growled at the rustler but Lightning did her best to lower their voices so they wouldn't be seen or heard. Then, they heard a scuffle going on. There were three rustlers, one holding Dusty, one holding a dagger, and the third fighting the cowgirl, Applejack. Crack! Biff! Bang! The fight was going on strong and heavy. Stitch and Spike looked terrified at the scene while Lightning gasped. Applejack saw her and called out.~

"Lightnin', help me out here-!" She was interrupted by a punch that knocked her hat off her head. "Get off of me! Don't make me use my magic powers against y'all!"

Rarity's voice came, shouting. "APPLEJACK!"

~Everyone turned to see her coming forward through the wreckage. The girl began to tremble, but she bravely picked up Applejack's hat and stuck it on her own head. She was not about to let Applejack stay in danger any longer. Just as the rustler successfully had her pinned down, the other turned to face Rarity. Then, he lashed out with his fists. The young fashionista dodged the first but, with a move as quick as electricity, the second hit her in the stomach. Then, the rustler grabbed his opponent's left wrist and threw her down roughly. Rarity tripped and turned, and while she was looking for something to balance herself, she smashed her hand hard on the point of a rock, causing her to scream.~

"RARITY!" cried Lightning.

The fashionista winced in pain. "My hand…"

The man gave fake sympathies. "Ohh, that's a shame. Guess this is a lesson y'all need to learn the hard way."

The rustlers laughed and Lightning growled. "Dusty! I need you!"

~The horse sprang up with a great whinny of power and raced to Lightning's aid. The spy girl swung on the reins and clambered onto the horse's back just as it was galloping by. Dusty was a wise horse, and Lightning was grateful for his unerring instincts as they wove between the raging cattle. He carried her as fast as she could go, charging towards the rustlers harassing Applejack. Suddenly, the stallion made his opening. In a move so quickly, the horse struck one of the rustlers full on the chest, crushing him underneath. Then, Dusty brought up his pitiless hooves and bucked the second one right on the face, sending him back. A large red horseshoe-shaped mark appeared on his forehead when he got up. Seeing that, the other two released Applejack and fled for their lives.~

But Twilight wasn't going to let them escape. "Lightning, aim for the rocks!"

~She pointed at a neatly laid pile of boulders just leaning over two rocky slopes near an exit pathway. Lightning nodded and conjured up the fires and frost from her penguin and lizard forms. Twilight also had the audacity to stir up a little bit of her own levitation magic to help. This was the first time the girls saw two of their supernatural powers being combined. With Lightning's hot and cold magic, mixed with Twilight's wish magic, they made a powerful, purple magical fire-iceball, and sent it hurling towards the boulders from above. It struck the bottom like a flaming meteorite, sending multiple little fireballs all over in the aftermath, and causing a landslip so violent, it knocked the two fleeing men over in a cloud of dust. When it cleared, their escape was blocked off.~

~Twilight and Lightning met with each other's eyes smugly. However, the rustlers were not about to be outdone. Purple with rage, the two charged down at Twilight and Applejack, only for a large ramming bull to deliver the final blow. Out of nowhere the snorting mammal came at the two from an unknown direction and rammed his head and horns straight up against them. Both were catapulted into the distance, over the rocks, never to be seen again. Lightning slithered from her mount and patted Dusty's shoulder pad, as he sniffed the air and then tossed his head and neighed in victory.~

Applejack sighed. "Phew! That was clutch. Thank you, Lightnin'."

Lightning chuckled under her breath and shrugged her shoulders. "No sweat. And thank you for helping my magic, Twilight."

"Oh! You're welcome." Twilight replied awkwardly. "I…can't believe everything worked out perfectly!"

"Yeah, we sure showed those rustlers what for!" Applejack answered, winking and nudging Lightning's arm.

"Well- the cow also did...show them." Lightning laughed nervously.

"Are we sure those ruffians won't be coming back any time soon?" Rarity asked, still wincing.

"Not that I can see!" Rainbow said, as she, Sunset, Fluttershy and Pinkie approached them.

"When the others saw those two go flying, they ran after them, cowering in fear." Sunset chuckled.

"Should-a seen their faces. Price-less!" Rainbow laughed.

"Well, I'm just glad we rescued the herd." Fluttershy stated.

"So am I." came Farmer Bonsai's voice and he petted one of his cows. "Girls, I can't thank you enough for gettin' my herd back. It means a lot."

"N-No problem, Farmer Bonsai. Glad we could help." Sunset smiled modestly.

"This calls for a celebration! Campfires and s'mores back at the camp!" Pinkie cheered.

"Oh yeah! Follow me, everyone!"

~Lightning pointed and made to go in that direction. Gloriosa and Timber were confused.~

"Camp Everfree is that way." they noted.

Lightning turned around. "I knew that!"