The rats took Cluny back to the church and laid him to bed in the sickroom. That night, Cluny dreamed that the mouse from the picture on the tapestry was chasing him. The mouse was wielding a large bright sword, an ancient weapon of terrible beauty. Cluny's lungs felt as if they were bursting. His legs ran more and more slowly. He looked down and saw that he was trapped in deep icy mud. For the first time he knew the meaning of mindless fear and panic.

Bong!

The loud toll of a bell brought Cluny back to reality. It was the Joseph Bell at Redwall Abbey, calling the inhabitants to rise and enjoy the day. Cluny sat up in bed and saw sunlight streaming through the window.

Shooting pains forced him back down again. "Owah! Owah! My leg! Owah!"

Fangburn and Cheesethief were standing over him. "You broke your leg falling off the Abbey roof, Chief. Remember? I think you cracked a few ribs, too."

"Thank you, Doctor Fangburn," Cluny said sarcastically. "If you really want to help, go and get some of those new recruits who live locally and bring them here to me."

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Bong! Bong! Bong!

Pinkie was up in the bell tower, ringing the Joseph Bell to summon everybeast to breakfast in Great Hall. She was hanging from the rope with all four hooves off the ground. The bell swung wildly from side to side.

Applejack appeared in the doorway. "Okay, Pinkie, Ah think that's enough. We all heard ya loud an' clear."

"WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Stop ringin' the bell!"

Pinkie laughed. "Star bringing purple? That doesn't make any sense!"

Applejack clapped her hooves over her ears and shouted in Pinkie's face, "STOP RINGING THE BELL!"

"Okay. You didn't have to shout." She hopped down and they headed downstairs to join the others in Great Hall.

"Your friend Pinkie Pie certainly is a good bell ringer," the Abbot told Twilight. "Though I wish she were a bit less… enthusiastic."

"I say, what are we having for breakfast today?" Basil Stag Hare asked.

Friar Hugo set a bowl in front of him. "Today, all we have is porridge."

"Just porridge? That ain't much of a meal. I had my palate primed for a whacking great feed like you usually put on."

"We have to ration our supplies because Cluny's army is disrupting our food deliveries," Constance explained.

"Maybe Cluny won't recover from his injuries," Rarity said hopefully.

"Yeah, he looked pretty banged up to me," said Rainbow Dash.

"Even if he doesn't die, maybe he and his horde won't bother us again," Fluttershy said.

"Cluny is still the prime factor," said Constance. "That rat is physically tougher than we could imagine. It is only a matter of time until he recovers sufficiently to attack us again."

She pounded upon the table with a heavy paw, emphasizing each word. "And make no mistake about it, Cluny the Scourge will attack Redwall again! I'd stake my life on it! Think for a moment. If Cluny were to give up the idea of conquering this Abbey, he would lose both face and credibility with the army he commands. Furthermore, and most important of all, word would spread across the land that Cluny was not invincible, that he could be beaten!

"This would mean the end of Cluny as a legend of terror, so you see, when Cluny recovers, he will be virtually forced to mount a second assault upon Redwall."

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Fangburn and Cheesethief returned with a fat ferret. "Name's Kilconey," said the ferret. "What does yer honor want?"

"The next attack on Redwall must come quickly, but I can't lead in this condition!"

"Ah, so you want me to lead the charge for you? Excellent choice, yer honor."

Cheesethief protested. "I'm not taking orders from a ferret!"

"Silence!" Cluny yelled. "I need my legs fixed. You live around here. Maybe you know a creature that knows the old ways, one who can cure anything for the right price."

Killconey bowed elaborately. "Ah, 'tis your lucky day, yer honor, for don't I know the very vixen. Old Sela is the girl you'll be wanting, her and her son Chickenhound. They'll fix you up right as rain if there's something in it for them. Does yer honor want me to fetch them?"

Cluny's tail shot out and wound around the ferret's neck. "Get them," Cluny said hoarsely. "Find the foxes and bring them here to me."

Killconey's throat bulged as they tried nervously to swallow. "Glug! I will indeed, if you'll just let go of this pore ould ferret's neck, sir. I'll go as fast as if the divvil himself was chasin' me. You lay back now and rest your noble self, sir."

The other vermin sped from the room, leaving Cluny alone.

Cluny lay back with an agonized sigh. "Prepare if you can, Redwall. Cluny is coming, and no mouse or pony is going to stop him."