Chapter 37: Returning and Acceptance

Howling in frustration when you want to be stealthy is generally considered to be a bad idea. Nevertheless, Rauf was genuinely tempted to do so. His plan had holes in it, he could admit that to himself, but how could he have known that finding his way in the tunnel system could have been so difficult? Or that picking out Applebloom's scent in the reeking corridors would be next to impossible thanks to the stench of rot that filled the place?

Since trapping his crew, the big dog had wandered about, trying to find his little companion. When he was spotted by any of the drones he simply told them he was going to make a report to "Our Lady Pestis," and they accepted that without question. Who would dare to interfere with the decisions of their adored mistress? Of course, he doubted that they would even notice or require an explanation of his howling, but he didn't want to push his theory yet.

Eventually, he made his way to an area that seemed fairly familiar. It took him several minutes to realize that he had gone in a massive circle, and was almost back to the catacomb dig site. "Rauf?" He turned to find Applebloom, looking at him with that vaguely sweet but ultimately bland expression. "Rauf, what happened? The messenger said he couldn't find you so Our Lady sent me to find out what happened."

"Um, yes!" Rauf said, taken entirely off-guard by the sudden appearance of his brain-washed friend, "I need your help." He span his wheels for a moment, then continued, "The tunnel collapsed and has trapped my crew. I need you to show me to the exit of the caves, so I can dig down and free them."

"I see," said Applebloom, "That is a shame, Lady Pestis will be displeased by the work stoppage. Still, there is no need to dig down from above is there? Surely we can get a new crew, and if the old one is dead then so be it. We all do what we must to serve Our Lady."

Well that slowed Rauf down but hadn't been an alpha for nothing. "Both excellent points, however I have already trained my existing team, and having to train another to their level would be a waste of Our Lady's time," he lied steadily as he could but almost gagged with the effort not to put a sarcastic emphasis on Pesits' favored moniker, "Furthermore, it will be quicker to dig down because the chamber seems to extend up directly to the surface. If I can get directly above it then digging down will take little more than an hour, rather than days of effort and resources wasted."

Applebloom considered his words. The lie was pathetic, he knew that, but this filly was perhaps not the brightest bulb where digging and underground construction was concerned. Her lack of knowledge in those fields would, if anything, be the desperate dog's saving grace. Two seconds passed and Rauf waited for eternity to see if she would swallow his story.

"Nearly there Rauf, keep up." Applebloom turned from the panting fellow with that nearly-pleasant non-expression and kept moving. He in turn, favored her back with a vicious scowl. He was tired, and she was obviously fresh as a daisy. It was all he could do to match her pace, and frequently fell behind. Who could have guessed they were so far from an entrance? The diamond dog's usually impeccable senses were failing him here. Normally he knew his depth and distance from fresh air by smell and the feeling in the spot behind his ears on the back of his head, an evolutionary trait of his kind. Not here apparently.

However, to his glee, they had come to the entrance at last. This would be the part where his plan got messy, and he was going to have to exert himself while in no true condition to do so. There had been moments that worried at his memory, as though he had seen all of this before, but he dismissed these fleeting impressions as fatigue. "Here we are," said his tiny tormentor at last. The entrance, he observed, was very familiar. He couldn't quite make out what lay beyond, the light was too bright, although the smell of fresh air was doing wonders for him and clearing his mind a great deal.

Clearing it up enough to realize that he had been there before . . . . "So you remember now do you?" The cold clean voice came from in front of them, instantly recognizable. Lady Antistita Pestis stepped forward from the lip of the cave entrance into full view. "I wondered how long that would take."

Applebloom looked confused. "My Lady? Is something the matter?"

"Yes, Applebloom," said the evil mare, "There is. You nearly allowed a traitor to escape from our midst!"

Applebloom looked horrified. Apparently she was allowed to feel emotion where Pestis was concerned. Rauf growled, regaining the spotlight. "Oh Rauf," Pestis sighed, "You were so promising as a subject of study. But you are far to wily aren't you? So be it. I'll simply have to kill you."

By the time she got to the word "kill," Rauf was already two feet into the cave wall, dirt flying. He waved his tail, hoping that . . . yes! Applebloom clamped down on the appendage with her teeth trying to stop him. Now she was in tow as he burrowed his way into the wall with the speed that only a diamond dog could manage, sealing his impromptu escape route behind them. He only had to make it a few feet.

Seconds later, he erupted from a hillside, the very same hillside that he had escaped previously, overlooking the over-grown terrain of the Everfree forest. He snatched Applebloom from his tail and started running on his hind-legs as best he could. A difficult but doable task for him. "Rauf!" a familiar voice cried from behind. He turned briefly. It was Pestis, but she wasn't herself anymore. Instead there was a withered, hideous thing: an ancient pony of indeterminate gender, with deteriorating flesh seeming to hang off of its frame. A peg-leg replaced one of its limbs and a cruel smile was displayed across an evil face. "I have taken you twice Rauf!" the insane plague-thing called out, "The third time, you will be MINE!" The big dog snorted, partially from the effort of a squirming filly that seemed determined to run to the comfort of the evil thing they had escaped. Then he turned and barreled into the forest, his struggling friend under one foreleg. It was early morning and the mist swiftly swallowed them both, obscuring them from view.

Zecora stretched stiffness from her limbs. The zebra had worked long and hard on her current brew. It was late in the afternoon and the buzz of insects in the forest was like a lullaby for her tired ears. Nevertheless, she was well pleased with her batch of rainy-day potions. The forest was so rich with ingredients; it was like a potion-masters dream. She couldn't believe she had found such a wealth of botanical beauty in a place like Equestria. Then again, it was called the "Magical Land" of Equestria. She couldn't help wondering why the rest of the place was comparatively uninspiring where its flora was concerned.

Her relaxed mood was interrupted as a large diamond dog and Applebloom came barreling past. "Hi Zecora!" said the filly as they went, "Wish ah could talk now but the folks 'r probably worried sick right now. Ah'll visit yah later!" With that they were off in the direction of Ponyville.

Zecora watched them disappear down the poorly-marked footpath to town. "Something is going on I fear," she said to herself, worry written in her features, "Trouble is brewing somewhere near." All things considered, she thought it odd that the bones she had rolled that morning had indicated both terrible danger and an improvement in her love-life for the same week.

"Are yah sure this 'ere is a good idea?" Granny Smith looked at the tree line of the Everfree forest.

"Well let's think about that," replied Sweetie Belle. The rest of their little search party had failed to see the logic of her suggested course of action, but she persisted, "It might not be so every single occasion, but at least some of the times that something in Ponyville goes terribly wrong, it has something to do with the fact that the town is on the outskirts of a huge, enchanted forest. I think it makes sense to at least ask Zecora if she knows anything, if not try searching for ourselves."

Ultimately the others only agreed because they didn't have any better ideas. "Alright, let's go," said Scootaloo. Wanting to head off and chicken jokes, she trotted ahead of the group . . . only to collide rather ungracefully with Applebloom as the filly charged out of the forest, closely followed by an absolutely exhausted Rauf. Scootaloo looked at her friend, then back at the others. "Sweetie Belle, you were right, I found her!" Applebloom didn't have time to say anything because Granny Smith had her in one of the tightest, warmest hugs she had ever received.

"Not much of a welcoming committee today," Wolfe couldn't help observing dryly. It was hard to disagree with him; the train station was deserted. There was an ominous tension in the atmosphere, like static electricity floating on the air.

"Alright," said Lewis, seeing the group was nervous, "Bourbon, Wolfe, Primus, and Magnus, you're with me. The rest of you stay here and keep your eyes open. I don't know what's going on but we'll head over to the sheriff's office. Maybe find out where everypony is. Whatever you do, don't go off alone. If we aren't back in two hours, get back on the train and head for Canterlot."

Applejack nudged her fiancé gently. "Don't yah go doin' anythin' silly now sugarcube."

Lewis kissed her gently. "Don't worry so much, we only gotta go a couple blocks over. We'll be back before yah know it."

As he and his team set off at a trot, the blonde mare sniffed. She had known it would be hard to always see him going away to face danger, but why did it have to be this hard? Fluttershy noticed her friend staring after the departing marshal and put a consoling hoof around her shoulders. "I understand Applejack," she said quietly, "I feel the same way with Bourbon."

Rainbow Dash joined the huddle. "Yeah, I guess I worry about Wolfe too," she said, "But don't worry, those guys are about the toughest bunch you'll find. I mean, they faced down a possessed Princess Celestia without the Elements of Harmony and lived to talk about it.

Lewis and his team made it to the station without trouble, but found the place deserted. "Spread out, see what you can find," the marshal ordered. They fanned out to search the offices and it wasn't long before Wolfe found what they were looking for.

"Hey, over here!" he said excitedly, "It looks like this is the paperwork for the main office that's been piling up." He indicated a haphazard stack sitting on the vacant sheriff's desk. He went through a few of the more recent reports. "It seems there were some disappearances while we were gone. I guess everypony went to protect their families."

They split the work of checking the reports, and soon Lewis, in his search, made an interesting discovery. "Hey Wolfe, good news. Official orders came in from Canterlot, Ponyville has a new sheriff."

"Yeah?" Wolfe replied, "Who'd they pick?"

Lewis slid a shiny new badge over to Wolfe with a broad grin. "Congratulations sheriff. I know you'll do well."

Once the excitement of the former deputy's promotion wore off, they began making serious inroads about the events that had caused such a change in the town. Wolfe made the next discovery. "According to these, there have been a whole bunch of ponies in and around Ponyville being taken away, no trace left behind, no evidence gathered, and no eyewitness accounts whatsoever. Also looks like the victims were chosen at random; no connections of any kind."

"What was the most recent abduction?" asked Lewis.

"Right here, little filly named . . . oh," ended the newly minted sheriff lamely.

"Oh what?" asked Lewis. Wolfe handed over the file with a grim expression.

"Two victims. Rauf, and Applebloom. I'm sorry marshal." Lewis didn't hear him. The words printed in neat script on the pages of the case file subsumed his consciousness. Somepony, something, had taken Applebloom. He did not have time to absorb the information properly as the bell on the front door rang.

"Company," Lewis hissed, "Get ready!" They took up positions to deal with whatever threat loomed. The marshal prayed behind a desk, in his fury and grief, that they were the ones responsible for the abduction of his future sister-in-law. He would make them pay. As the sound of approaching hoofsteps grew closer, he readied himself, his modified hotshot at the ready. "NOW!" he roared, emerging from cover behind the desk and narrowly avoided sending thousands of volts into the very filly he had intended to avenge. He froze himself with inches to spare. He looked around the office.

Primus stood with his blade poised a hair away from Granny Smith's chest. Magnus was shoving a cork back into the mouth of a flask in front of a surprised Scootaloo. Bourbon was trying to pry apart Wolfe and Spike, whom were angrily tussling on the floor. Rauf stood poised with his claws extended, flanking Lewis.

"Howdy big brother," said Applebloom, "When did y'all get back to town?" Lewis simply swept the little pony up and allowed relief to flood through his system. Applebloom couldn't help but reflect that it had been a big day for hugging.

An hour later, the Elements of Harmony and Lewis' band of misfits sat about the common room of the library, exchanging stories and explanations. There were many exclamations of surprise and disbelief, and a few muttered profanities quickly silenced by disapproving stares most of which came from Rarity.

Rauf and Applebloom were the center of attention for the moment, explaining their flight through the forest. "At first, Rauf had tah carry me cause the weird stuff in the food was still messin' with mah brain. Lucky ah hadn't eaten yet that day, 'cause by noon ah was mahself again. They make ya eat pretty regular in there." She looked at the big diamond dog, whom had elected to remain to one side, uncomfortable with all the attention. Applebloom wouldn't have it though. She dragged him over to sit by here. "Ah woulda never gotten out if it weren't fer Rauf here, he saved mah life down there, ah don't doubt it fer a second. Ah don't know what that Pestis mare had planned for me, but ah tell yah what, it sure didn't sound good tah me."

Rauf huffed. He had only done what a friend was supposed to do according to what these ponies said, so what was the big deal? Apparently it was acceptance, because the scruffy, smelly hairball found himself being embraced by the assembled members of the Apple family, Lewis included. The diamond dog had missed the warmth of a true pack since his exodus from the desert. He had never expected to feel like he belonged again, especially without his status as an alpha, but somehow the fact that he was not in charge didn't bother him now.

He fit here, just because he had done something selfless. It was probably this moment that the way ponies thought clicked in his mind, if only a little. The transition in his brain was momentous, although none of those around him realized it. This group, these oddballs, were his pack now. The shift in perception made his feel taller, prouder. He returned the embrace, alien as it was. It didn't matter anymore. He was among family now, and he would protect them with all the loyalty of his kind, and fight for Lewis, his alpha.

The warm and fuzzy moment passed and everypony was back to business. "This mare," Lewis said, "what was her full name again?"

Applebloom grimaced. "She went by Antistita Pestis, an' a high-n-mighty one she was too."

The marshal starred at the floor, trying to remember. It had been a few years since Latin class, but . . . . His eyes widened as the boot dropped. "Ah think we got bigger problems than simple abduction," he said. This got the attention of everypony in the room. "That name, it sounds like Latin, a dead language from my home. Ah could be wrong, but ah think ah know what it means." There was a poignant silence as he met the gaze of his listeners. "Her name means something like, 'plague priestess' or 'priestess of disease.' We have a plague cult on our hands."

"Hooves."

"Whatever."

The plan was fairly straightforward. Most of the group was sent to round as many of the town's deputies as they could find, inform them of the new changes in the command structure, and prepare them for an assault on Pestis' underground stronghold. Meanwhile, Lewis and Magnus still had an obligation to investigate the Everfree forest, and that seemed like a fine way to gather information and do some careful reconnaissance. Primus and Bourbon both wanted to go, but acknowledged that two can move more quietly than four and that in the dense foliage of the forest, the slighter frames of the marshal and magician were better suited for the job.

So it was that the two found themselves setting out from Ponyville in the dead of night, heading for the most dangerous wilderness in Equestria. Somehow, it all seemed like more fun in theory. Magnus was more familiar with swamps than a proper forest, and none of the bayous and backwaters he had frequented ever held the same unfriendly quality that the atmosphere of Everfree did.

Regardless, when the time came, neither of them hesitated. There was a job to do, and both stallion and man focused on that.

Two hours later they were hopelessly lost.

This was a transitional chapter and didn't take long. Next chapter is already in the works but will be harder to write and probably longer. I love you all and I'm glad people still read this thing. Something I like about this community: we are building an infrastructure that will last. When, eventually, MLP:FIM is taken off the air, this community will survive and thrive. Bronies will continue to expand on the stories, and hold true to a philosophy that can make positive changes in the world. So much art, literature, and activism has been inspired by the show, that I know there will be always be more of it for many years to come, whether Season 3 is the last, or only the beginning.