partisans of Eqwuestria

by Ferencelvtars

The Silence

Ferkó and the others were making good progress with apple picking and soon were ready to head back. However, Ferkó couldn't shake the fact that he heard nothing on the radio, and he didn't have time to ask the others questions, as it would cause delays they couldn't afford now. When they finished, they messaged Scoutalu that they no longer needed to watch Sweet Apple Acres, but there was no response. Then Ferkó tried to ask Starlight about their status, but again, no response. Finally, he managed to talk to Twilight and Angel, and they said they hadn't heard from them for a long time. Ferkó became increasingly worried about the others. Eventually, he decided to change the plan.

"Sweetie Belle, Ocellus, come here!" he called to his two companions.

"What do you want, Ferkó?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"There's a serious problem. I can't reach Scoutalu or Starlight, and according to Twilight, they haven't reported in for a long time," Ferkó said with a worried tone.

"But there must be a logical explanation, right?" Ocellus asked anxiously.

"Yes, probably, but we can't leave this to chance. You two, immediately head home with the apples. I'll go and find Smolder," Ferkó ordered.

"Wait! What if you can't find them?" Sweetie Belle asked, worried about her friend.

"Then I'll return to the base, but if I don't come back by tomorrow night, don't start looking until the day after," Ferkó said firmly.

"But..." Sweetie Belle was cut off before she could express her concerns.

There's no 'but.' This is an order, and you must comply," Ferkó declared with irritation and authority.

Sweetie Belle and Ocellus sadly started walking with the carts full of apples and backpacks. Meanwhile, Ferkó grabbed his radio and phone, heading towards Ponyville's downtown. The only thing he ate was using his talisman to create a golem that resembled a death droid but with better weapons. He painted it black, and the insect-like droid began rolling beside Ferkó.

Ferkó soon walked through the dark streets of downtown and headed towards Cake's bakery. However, he saw something he didn't want to see. Smolder, Starlight, and Sunset were there, trapped in a net that seemed to be magically stable. As Ferkó assessed the situation, a cage was pushed from the left towards the net by a brown-haired, braided girl with an interesting green coat on her back. In the cage were Scoutalu, Fluttershy, and Scoald—wings bound, covered in bruises. Soon, a rainbow-maned blue pegasus and a yellow-maned red pony joined them. When they were all together, dark smoke gathered, and Sombra's distinctive figure slowly emerged.

"So, you seriously thought you could sneak into one of the most heavily guarded villages unnoticed? What naivety," Sombra said mockingly.

"You won't get away with this, Ferkó, and Twilight will free us," Scoutalu shouted angrily in his unique high-pitched voice.

"Oh, do you think I'm so foolish not to expect that they'll try to free you?" Sombra asked condescendingly.

"Scoutalu, leave it; there's no point in provoking him. Our only chance is to surrender," Starlight declared.

Watching all this, Ferkó quickly began sending a message to Twilight that any requests for help from Starlight or Scoutalu should not be listened to because it's a trap. After that, Ferkó thought about what to do next. He then remembered he had his pocket knife with him. He quickly grabbed it and slowly began levitating it above Starlight and the others' net. Scoutalu noticed this and further irritated Sombra. Ferkó began slowly sawing through the rope, but nothing happened—the magic remained intact.

"What's this?" Sombra asked irritably as he looked at the fallen net.

"Surprise, Mr. Bronda," Ferkó shouted as he jumped between Sombra and Starlight's group.

"Catch the worm," Sombra yelled.

"Droki, fire!" Ferkó shouted to his golem.

The golem unleashed fire on Sombra and his followers. Starlight and Sunset joined Ferkó, and together they set the small private army on fire. Meanwhile, Smolder went inside to grab the prepared food and planned to leave quickly. However, she saw that her friends were starting to be pushed back.

"Now what, Ferkó?" Starlight asked between two powerful shots.

"I don't know. I improvised, but I have no idea about what comes next," Ferkó replied as he reluctantly retreated.

"Hey, what if we voted for a retreat?" Smolder yelled, taking out the radio.

"Not a good idea, but logical," Sunset said.

"Okay, I don't have a better plan," Ferkó said sadly.

They could run, but they couldn't escape from me. Sombra yelled after them.

Ferkó pulled back his golem, and suddenly, an idea struck him. He created a new golem that resembled a large magnet with wheels. The magnet started moving, and with it, the cage moved too. Sombra had only enough time to pull Scoutalu out of the cage before Starlight and the others, with the covering fire, pushed the cage to a safe distance from King Sombra.

"No," Sombra shouted in frustration seeing his defeat.

Ferkó and the others hurriedly headed towards the Everfree Forest, but before they could reach it, Ferkó shouted,

"Stop! Stop!"

The others immediately halted.

"Starlight, please, the dog and the dog and horse talismans," Ferkó demanded decisively.

"Why do you need them?" Starlight asked.

"I'm bringing Scoutalu back," Ferkó said.

"Fine, but if you mess up and lose the talismans, we're done," Starlight reminded him.

"I know," Ferkó said, annoyed.

Ferkó, as he received the two gems, quickly opened a portal to Scoutalu and touched the ball that brings back anything it touches. He quickly pulled the ball back and closed the gate.

"Bring him here," Ferkó ordered, and the ball suddenly levitated towards Scoutalu, who soon stood in front of Ferkó. It was clear he was terrified, but the fear vanished within a few moments. After that, the team hurriedly headed towards the base before Sombra's pegasi could catch up.

The cursed ponies soon returned to King Sombra since they lost track of the small team in the Everfree Forest.

"I'm sorry, my lord; they escaped," said the rainbow-maned blue pegasus.

"Let the cowards run; they won this battle, but they also lost. If they return to the base, my embedded agent will take action," Sombra declared before bursting into demonic laughter.

To be continued.