Rainbow Dash got up that morning. "I think I'll go over to Twilight's house and see how Storm's doing," she said to her tortoise, Tank.
Suddenly came a knock at the door. Rainbow Dash opened it and it was Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts. Soarin was standing behind her.
"We've got trouble, Crash," Spitfire said. "Fleetfoot has reported a smoldering wreck of a ship on the coast- Greenfang, it's one of Gabool's."
"Uh-oh. I hope that doesn't mean Gabool's back in Equestria. You know what he did the last time he was here."
"That's why we've got to fly up there and find out what's going on," said Spitfire.
Rainbow saluted. "Yes ma'am! Rainbow Dash reporting for duty, ma'am!"
They flew off, to the west.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Mariel was also travelling west, walking through the Everfree Forest. With her Gullwhacker at her side, she was filled with a sense of freedom and adventure. What better than to travel alone, eat when you please, rest when you feel the need, camp by your own little fire at night and sleep snug in some forest glade!
Suddenly she stepped on a piece of the forest that had been left out by mistake and fell into a ditch.
"Wow, a flying mouse! Never seen that before. I don't think Rainbow Dash could have done it better!"
Mariel rolled over to see Pinkie Pie standing on the edge of the ditch. "Need a hoof?" Pinkie asked.
Mariel allowed Pinkie to pull her out. She was completely taken aback at the appearance of the pink pony.
"Where did you come from, Pinkie Pie? I never even heard you following me."
Pinkie laughed. "That's cause I wasn't followin' you. I was right beside you the whole time! I was camouflaged."
Mariel was smiling as she dusted herself off, but she chided the garrulous mare.
"Very clever, Pinkie, but you can't come with me- it's far too dangerous."
Pinkie adjusted the fastenings of her saddlebags, which were filled to bursting with food. Gummy the alligator poked his head out of one. "Don't be ridiculous. If I want to take a walk in the forest, I can."
"That seems like an awful lot of food for such a little walk, though."
Pinkie started bouncing away down the path. "I'm goin' my own way, just keepin' you company on the road to make sure you don't do any more ditch divin'."
Mariel hurried to catch up with her. "Well, as long as you know you can't come all the way with me… but why are we walking so fast?"
Pinkie kept on, hoofing it at the double. "Goin' to be late for lunch if we don't move quick enough."
It was about lunchtime when they rounded a bend to find Spike awaiting them with a wild summer salad he had gathered, together with a flask of Apple Family Cider he was cooling beneath an overhanging willow. The young dragon waved to them.
"Hi there. Good thing you made it- another moment or two and I was going to start without you."
Mariel placed her paws on her hips and raised an eyebrow, unconsciously mimicking Gabool. "What in the name of fur are you doing here?"
Spike smiled disarmingly. "Oh, it's all a bit of a mystery really."
The mousemaid turned on Pinkie Pie. "And you, how did you know he was here? It's a plot, that's what it is. You set this up between you!"
Pinkie sprawled on the grass and began constructing a giant cheese and salad sandwich. "Slow down at the pasture, racehorse. I was waitin' at the edge of the Everfree Forest for you all night. Then about an hour before dawn Spike popped out, so I just told him to get a move on an' we'd meet him further up the road for lunch. Rather friendly, don't y'think?"
Mariel was fuming with temper, but she plumped herself down and began eating because the walk had given her an appetite. Through mouthfuls of food she berated the smiling duo.
"You can wipe those silly smiles off your muzzles. You are not coming with me, either of you. Is that crystal clear?"
They both munched away, smiling and winking at each other as they nodded agreement with the furious mousemaid.
When lunch was finished Spike repacked his knapsack and thrust the marvelous sword into the side pocket.
"Come on, Pinkie. Let's get moving. I wonder if this pretty mousemaid is going our way. D'you think she'd like to walk with us?"
"Well, I bet she would. We'll string along with her a piece. D'y'know, she's an excellent ditch diver- you should've seen her this mornin', looped the loop graceful as y'please, straight into the ditch on her snout."
Stone faced and in high dudgeon, Mariel marched on between them.
Pinkie Pie and Spike made perilously light of the situation.
"Hey Pinkie, that's a funny noise those grasshoppers are making."
"That's not grasshoppers, that's some wild creature grindin' her teeth."
"Hmm, that's not very good for the old molars… look out, she's swinging that knotty rope thing!"
By midafternoon Mariel had simmered down somewhat. She even let slip the odd smile or giggle at the antics of her comical travelling companions, and at one point even deigned to talk to them.
"It's getting very hot. What do you say we take a rest in the shade, have a snack and then push on until dark?"
The suggestion was well received. They flopped down gratefully with their backs against a tree topped oak. When they had eaten, all three napped for a while, but the long summer day took its toll; what was meant to be a short rest for hot dusty eyes turned into quite a lengthy sleep.
Spike was wakened by a hoof across his mouth. He gave a muffled cry as Pinkie hissed a warning. "Ssshh!"
Spike sat up carefully and looked around. Mariel was standing still as a statue, her Gullwhacker at the ready. Pinkie Pie bent an ear in the direction of the woodlands opposite.
"My Pinkie sense tells me somepony is stalking us. Over there, behind that yew thicket. Spike, go with Mariel to the left. I'll take the right. We'll jump on them an' turn the tables in our favor. Go!"
They crept forward, listening to the rustle of the thicket, where it was plain some creature was moving about. Skirting to the left, they made out a dark shape in the shadows. Pinkie yelled out the signal.
"Up an' at 'em!"
"Wait!" the figure shouted. It was Apple Bloom.
Mariel remembered her from the school. "Another one? You sure you haven't brought the rest along with you? I wouldn't be surprised to see Twilight and Applejack leap out from behind that hornbeam yonder. How many more of you are there? Am I taking the whole population of Ponyville along with me?"
Apple Bloom was quite amused at the idea. "Heehee!" she snickered aloud. "No, no, it's just me. Mah big sister Applejack wants me to be a farmer like her. It's a good job, mind, but a young filly wants to see somethin' afore she settles herself down to a life of apple pies an' apple cider. Ah heard from Zecora last night that you were goin' back to that island, Miz Mariel, an' Ah couldn't sleep fer thinkin' about it. Apple Bloom, Ah said to mahself, a little pony would be right honored to tread the roads with such a fearless mousemaid. So Ah packs mah sack, gives you a liddle start- there Ah tells a whopper, Ah overslept really. Anyway, Ah followed ya, an' here Ah be, fit as a flea, fat as a beetle, an' ready fer ought."
They laughed heartily at the honest and earnest earth pony.
Pinkie Pie said, "With the four of us working together- oh, sorry, Gummy, the five of us- we can do anything!"