Feud Fight (#5)by LightningStar626ChaptersChapter 1: The ArgumentChapter 2: Attempting to ApologiseChapter 3: The Girl-Hating CampersChapter 4: Rescue Attempt No. 1Chapter 5: Pinkie Pie's PlansChapter 7: Jace needs HelpChapter 8: Rainbow's DilemmaChapter 9: Lost in the WoodsChapter 10: Rescue Attempt No. 2Chapter 11: All aboard the Revenge Express!Chapter 12: Final ApologyChapter 13: Frad AttacksChapter 14: The TruceChapter 6: On the Road to Who Knows WhereChapter 1: The ArgumentE.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Spies: Feud Fight (5#) Chapter 1: The Argument. ~Mirus Hallot kicked down the music room door with all of his might. The wood splintered and thumped against the wall furiously before it was stopped from swinging back by Fierra Mortal. She glanced at Mirus in an unsettling manner and was about to say something when Lightning Star appeared from behind.~ "Thanks for coming by, guys!" She said to them cheerfully. "Anytime!" said Arianna Blairet. "Glad we could catch...up." "Yes, it's been fun!" Mirus nodded with 100% seriousness. Fierra pulled another unsettling face at him. "Fun!? Mirus, we were almost murdered by a crazy doctor!" "But, we weren't!" "But, we could have." "But, we weren't." "But, we could have." "But, we weren't." "Ugh! Ok! Whatever! I'm not doing this with you!" Fierra turned away. "See you until next time!" Arianna laughed nervously. ~Mirus, full of energy and eager to explore everything he could, had already raced off ahead. It took the two girls, Arianna and Fierra, a while to catch up with him, since he is surprisingly very fast. Lightning waved to them as they ran off and out the school and into the portal in a matter of seconds. Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity (The Rainbooms) suddenly showed up at the broken door at just about the right time to see the Pixels leave.~ "Bye, Pixels." Twilight said. "They left quite quickly, didn't they?" Fluttershy exclaimed softly. "Well, they have things to do." Lightning shrugged. "Fierra has to 'circle the web' whatever that means. And Mirus and Arianna wanted to go home." "Oh, they're gone? Already?" Jace Donar peeked out around the door. "I thought they'd stay for at least another hour." "Jace? Aren't you heading off too?" Sunset asked. "Oh no, I'm staying with you guys for the week. I have clothes and essentials! I just feel like Karly needs me. You know, ever since what happened…" Rarity nodded. "I suppose. The poor girl is still shaken up from when she was held captive by Devil." "We should probably go see how she's catchin' up." Applejack replied. "Yeah, I think she needs comforting." Lightning nodded. ~The gang looked around at each other then agreed on that plan. Looking down at their feet and the trap door, they ambled over to it, but before Lightning, Rarity, or anyone could play the tune to open it up, a loud splash was heard from inside. Next thing they heard was Rainbow Dash shouting and groaning.~ "UGH! PINKIE PIE!" "DASHIE! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" They then heard Pinkie Pie cry. "Um...what was that?" Jace asked in concern. ~Jace and the girls rapidly played the tune, opened the door and raced downstairs to see what the commotion was. Rainbow Dash had her foot buried deep inside a tin bucket filled to the brim with a strange green liquid. However, when Rainbow Dash accidentally stepped into the bucket, the density caused the green liquid to rise and overflow in the bucket and drip down on the floor. It was cold and sticky so Rainbow was shivering as well as gagging. Pinkie Pie was also there, staring at the bucket and her friend in a mild shock.~ "What is this stuff?!" Rainbow turned to Pinkie, glaring sharply. "Green goop from my green goop stash." Pinkie shrugged. "I was moving the buckets I had of it to my room…" "Then WHY was it right outside my door?!" "I put it there for a moment but it wasn't by your room." "Then how did it get there?" "I don't know. Maybe I wandered there." "Pinkie, goop doesn't have a mind of its own. Just take you stupid buckets and put them in you room." "They are not stupid! They are a fine function to my stash of things. They also make good hats and drums!" "It's stupid." "Excuse me?!" ~Everyone stood a good distance away from the two as they argued. They all had a look of terror in their eyes, Fluttershy even cowered behind Applejack and held onto her arm, she did not like what was happening at all.~ "O-Oh dear…" Fluttershy whimpered. Karly Crystal suddenly comes out from her room, eyes completely tearstrained. "What's...happening?" She asked tiredly. "I don't even understand why you HAVE the green goop stash!" Rainbow yelled. "I have a stash for everything! You know that!" Pinkie replied. "Yes, but WHY? That's the question!" "Rainbow Dash, you know that we don't question Pinkie Pie. It's Pinkie Pie!" Applejack stated. "Yeah, well, I'm tired of it!" Pinkie gasped and put her hand to her chest. Her eyes bulged in disbelief. "You...You're tired of me?!" "...Yeah. I guess I am. You're too crazy, and messy, and you keep your disgusting stuff everywhere! I think you've been hanging around with Mirus too long. You've become stupid like him!" Rarity gasped. "Rainbow Dash! Surely you don't mean that!" "Yes I do! Now get out of my way!" ~Rainbow lifts her foot out of the bucket and shoves Pinkie away from her direction. She hobbled over to the stairs and went up them, leaving a trail of green goop on the floor. A squelching sound was also heard with every step Rainbow took with the foot covered in goop. After she went upstairs and slammed the piano shut, Pinkie's eyes began to fill with tears. She hiccupped sadly then raced into her room/office and slammed the door shut. The rest were left dumbfounded.~ "Well, this had got to be the most intense start of a story by far." Lightning said, looking half at the ground, half at the fourth wall. ~1 day later, in her house, Pinkie Pie awoke with a frown on her face. The thought of what Rainbow Dash said yesterday still hurt her. She wriggled on her stomach and hung over the edge of her bed, then eventually slipped out of it. She stood up rather gloomy like, got changed quickly and scurried downstairs to the kitchen. She wanted to make herself breakfast, but Rainbow's voice would not get out of her head. She had to make it up to her and show her sincere apologies.~ Pinkie sighed. "What do I do?" She said to herself. "Dashie is so mad at me...but just apologising to her isn't good enough!" A light bulb suddenly appeared above her head. "Oh! Wait, I know what I can do! I can make her a cake, covered and filled with all of her favourite things and flavours in the world! She'll love that and it'll show that I'm very very sorry!" ~Pinkie smiled for the first time today. She swung open the drawers to where the bowls, trays and cutlery was and threw it all on the table. She did the same thing when she opened the cupboards for the ingredients. She stretched her arms out and started to work on it right away. After a few minutes of stirring, whisking and bashing the ingredients altogether and pouring it into a tray and putting it into the oven, Pinkie waited for the cake to bake. However, when she folded her arms and waited, her smile disappeared. She was thinking about Rainbow again. She looked at the ground and sighed deeply but not long after the sound of knocking was heard at the door. Pinkie rushed to the front door and opened it. There stood Lightning, Applejack, Fluttershy and Jace. All had concerned faces.~ "Hey, Pinkie Pie. May we come in?" Applejack spoke up first. ~She said nothing and nodded. The gang walked inside as Pinkie closed the door softly.~ "How...are you…?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie sighed. "I've been better…" She replied. "What Rainbow Dash said yesterday was pretty...intense, wasn't it?" Jace frowned. "It wasn't anything like her…" Fluttershy shrugged softly. "It was something alright…" Lightning said. "Don't worry, Rarity, Twi and Sunset are talking to her about it right now, so maybe they'll calm her down a little." "Ok…" Pinkie nodded softly. Applejack looked at Pinkie sadly, but then smiled and put her arm around her. "Hey...it's gonna be alright, Pinkie. Rainbow Dash, just a little too mad at you, but she knows that ya sorry." "Yeah! Just let the girl calm herself, then both of you can apologise to each other." Lightning smiled. ~Jace and Fluttershy nodded aside Lightning, until they began sniffing around the area suspiciously.~ "Uh, do you guys smell burning?" Jace asked. "THE CAKE!" Pinkie shrieked. ~Zooming into the kitchen, the five see the oven heating up. Smoke erupted from the top and surrounded the oven completely. Pinkie raced into the smoke and quickly turned off the oven, while Applejack opened up the window to let out all the smoke. Pinkie smashed the cake on the counter and everyone checked to see if it was okay once the smoke cleared up. Thankfully, the cake was perfectly fine. Only the center bit looked burned, but you could barely see it. Pinkie breathed a huge sigh of relief.~ "You're making a cake this early in the morning?" Lightning shrugged. "What's the occasion?" Jace inquired. "It's for Rainbow Dash…" Pinkie answered. "To show I'm sorry! I'm going to decorate it with all of her favourite flavours!" "Oh, that's thoughtful of you." Fluttershy smiled. "Thanks!" Pinkie stared at the cake vividly. "The cake has to be perfect! So, I cannot make another mistake! I gotta decorate with absolute perfection!" "Ok...uh, Can we help?" Jace volunteered. "It'll be done alot quicker if we did." Applejack smiled. "Sure! Pass me that box of frosting sugar. And sprinkles! And chocolate! And more Sprinkles!" ~The four friends smiled and got to work. Fluttershy was given the task of finding and putting all the favourite sweets Rainbow loves, and that Pinkie had, together in a bowl, ready to put on the cake, once Lightning was done putting the icing all over it. And while they were doing that, Applejack and Jace were given a task of baking a second, smaller cake to put on top of the first one. A couple of minutes had passed, and Pinkie was biting her nails impatiently.~ "The chocolate is supposed to go there, Fluttershy!" Pinkie prompted. "Oh, okay…" Fluttershy nodded softly. Pinkie turned to Lightning. "Lightning, make sure that frosting is put on precisely." "I'll try my best..." She replied. "Applejack! Jace! Where is the second layer of the cake?" "It's still in the oven!" Jace called. "It should be ready right now." Applejack added. "Fantastic! Quick, put it on the first layer once the frosting has dried! Then bake another cake! It will be the third layer!" "Umm, ok. How many layers do you intend to do?" Jace asked, feeling a little tired and stressed. "100!" "100?!" "Yeah!" Lightning stopped what she was doing. "Whoa, Pinkie. Hold your horses...what-why do you want this cake to be 100 layers tall?" "I want this cake to be perfect, okay!? The best I've ever done! I need to show Rainbow Dash that I'm very sorry!" Pinkie's eyes began to flood. "We know, but you don't have to go big to show that you're sorry." Jace smiled. "We 'll know this cake 'ill brin' ya and Rainbow Dash back together again no matter how it looks." Applejack assured. Pinkie sniffed. "Really?" Lightning smiled. "Yes! You two are one in a million! We just need to remind Rainbow Dash that." ~While Lightning, Applejack and Jace were consoling Pinkie, the oven began to overheat and breathe smoke again. Fluttershy noticed it right away and gasped softly. She tried to tell the others, but they didn't hear her, or even smell the smoke, strangely.~ "And once we do, she'll forgive ya." Applejack nodded. "Umm...girls? Jace?" Fluttershy whispered. "Maybe we can write that down on the cake." Lightning said. "Girls?-" "What, 'You're one in a million to me!'" Jace raised a brow. "Yeah." "Jace?-" Fluttershy whispered. "I like that idea. Don't you, Pinkie?" "Girls?-" "Yeah. I like it. Let's do it!" Pinkie smiled "Girls!" "Yes, Flutter-" ~When Lightning turned to face Fluttershy, she noticed her concerned face and the oven glowing red. She stopped in her sentence and silently stared at the oven. It didn't take long for the others to also stop to see Fluttershy and the oven too.~ "...shy?" Lightning finally said, finishing the sentence. "The second layer!" Jace exclaimed. "Quick, we need to get it out!" ~Applejack grabbed the nearest tea towel on the counter and raced over to the oven. She covered her nose and mouth once her face hit the smoke so she wouldn't cough. She reached the oven and opened the door, but by the time she pulled out the cake and smashed it on the counter, it was too late. The oven was put on too hot and made the entire cake completely black. The smoke also made contact with the smoker alarm so it began to beep loudly. After a few seconds of beeping, the alarm set off the sprinkles and sprayed water all over the place. Lightning threw her hood over her head while the others used their arms. Suddenly, they heard Pinkie scream, so they look over and see her watching the first cake melt in the water. The icing slid down off the sponge, then dripped on the table. The sponge then went soggy and flopped down in a heap. The gang gasped.~ "Oh dear…" Fluttershy said. "Oh god…" Lightning sighed. "Oh-" "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Pinkie screamed. Chapter 2: Attempting to ApologiseChapter 2: Attempting to Apologise. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" ~Pinkie's screams echoed across the entire city. The people stared up at the sky in confusion while birds flew out of the trees. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were casually leaning against the portal until they heard the scream coming from afar.~ "Did you hear that?" Sunset asked. "Yeah? What was that?" Twilight responded. "It sounded like Pinkie Pie screaming…" "Maybe we should call and see if everything's alright…" ~The two girls look down upon their wrist calms and press to call. Instantly, Lightning Star appeared on the other line, totally not sweating or smiling in discomfort. She waves at the girls once her image showed up on the watches.~ "Uhh-Hey guys!" "Lightning, is everything okay?" Twilight quired. "We heard, well we think we heard, Pinkie Pie yelling." Sunset added. Lightning looked at them in surprise. "Did you? Oh wow...Um-Don't worry, she...she's fine!" "Are you sure?" "Yeah, You know her! Screaming with joy! Ha ha! Uh-How's Rainbow Dash?" "Alright." Sunset shook her head weirdly. "Better than yesterday." Twilight confirmed. "Rarity and Karly are with her inside the hideout at the moment, talking." "Alright, alright. That's...good. Ok, we'll be at the hideout in a minute. Toodles!" ~The watches cut out and turn off in the blink of an eye. The two concerned girls looked at each other before settling down to continue their discussion. But it was cut short again when Steven, Rarity, Karly and Rainbow Dash appeared from the front door of CHS. Rainbow Dash looked nervous and uncomfortable while she walked and Karly and Rarity were trying to smile at her and assure her.~ "Hello, Agent Sparkle and Agent Shimmer." Steven greeted. "Hey, Chief." "Hey, Rainbow. How are you feeling?" Rainbow sighed. "I don't know. I guess I feel...bad." "Because of what you said…" Karly sighed. "I don't know what happened! That wasn't anything like me! I...I feel awful…" "It's okay, Rainbow Dash, darling." Rarity assured. "No, it's not! I got so carried away with Pinkie and made her cry. She's not crazy...or annoying. Never! She's just as awesome as me! I need to tell her that!" Karly nodded. "Of course...in hope nothing bad is happening to her right now." "What? Karly...whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked. "When Lightning and I fight, and separate, Devil or some other villain will come and put one of us in danger. Which means, the other one will have to go and rescue them. And once we do, we apologise, or rather...the rescue is the apology." Karly shrugged. "Goodness…" "Yeah...it's dark, but efficient. And cliche." "Yea-I don't think we should hire somebody or do something to put Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash in danger." Twilight frowned. "We have had fights in the past too, but they are easily solved by forgiveness. And that's exactly what we're gonna do." Sunset nodded. "Agreed." said Rarity. "I do not wish to partake in battling an evil villain again. Can we please catch a break?!" "I mean...we kind of are right now, Agent Rarity." The Chief said. "We have not received any news or alerts about danger in the area, so there's nothing for us to do." "Well, Of course, but it could happen at any second! I would like more than a day to relax!" Rarity suddenly begins to laugh nervously. "B-But, I seriously doubt Pinkie Pie is actually in danger! Hah hah!" "Well, we did hear her scream a minute ago…" Sunset noted. "What?!" "But, but! We called Lightning and she said she was fine." "It was just a little over-reaction." Twilight added. "I see…" Steven sighed. "I concur." Karly shrugged. "I can relate…" ~Rainbow rolled her eyes and turned away from the group. Sunset, Twilight and Rarity ran a few steps around to face her.~ "Rainbow Dash, come on...stop letting yesterday eat up inside you…" "I can't! It's engraved in my head, and it's mocking me!" Sunset breathed. "Rainbow, you and Pinkie are best friends. She knows you didn't mean all that stuff. Plus, she said sorry to you over a million times already." She began to laugh. "I know that…But she doesn't." "That's why we're going to call her and bring her over here, so you two can apologise." Twilight said. "Yeah. Okay. What are we standing around for then?" Steven showed a little smile. "Karly and I will get the flowers then." ~Steven walked back towards CHS and made it first to the door. Karly followed right behind. They strode in the building and across the hallways until they went out of the Rainbooms' sight. Rainbow looked a little confused at them though.~ "Flowers?" Rainbow questioned. "What are they for?" Sunset asked. "For the making up, darling…my idea. I think we need something to lighten the mood. Just in case." Rarity shrugged as well as smiled. "Well, alright. If Chief and Karly are going to get the flowers, We will call the others again, and tell them that Rainbow's ready." "I'm actually going to go and fetch Stitch and Spike. I think they should be with us for support." "Good idea, Rarity. Alright, you go and find them, we'll make the call." Twilight nodded. ~Rarity flipped her hair as she turned around and strode into the school, just like how Steven and Karly did. She entered into the hideout and headed to the dogs' room. But before she reached the door, she called out to them to give them a warning.~ "Hello? Stitch? Spike? Darlings?" Spike screamed. "AHHHHHHH!" "Spike!?" ~Scrambling to the door of Stitch and Spike's room, Rarity threw it wide open and fell in. She groaned then looked upon to see the two dogs staring at the tv. Spike had an earpiece around his floppy ear and a game console in his paws. Stitch was sitting next to him, both barking angrily and sadly at what was happening on the tv. The words 'Game Over!' were shown in the middle of the screen, indicating that Stitch and Spike were playing a game, and lost.~ "My...goodness! No, no! Oh no..." "Ooo...you were so close, Spike." Stitch whimpered. "I can never defeat Gobblegut!" Spike sighed. "Can we play a game I'm actually good at now?" "And what game would that be, Spike?" "I don't know." ~Stitch barked and guffawed right before he spotted Rarity lying by the door. He ceased laughing, but kept his smile as he approached her and helped her up.~ "Hey, Rarity." "Good morning, Stitch." Rarity sighed. "Oh! Rarity!" Spike slid his console away. "Has Rainbow Dash calmed down now?" "She has indeed. It took us a while, but she's ready to apologise to Pinkie Pie." "Thank goodness. To be honest, I thought it was gonna take longer." Stitch nodded. "Me thought it would also take longer, but not that long. Me glad it's happening now." "Indeed. Now, let's get you two cleaned up and ready to support your friend." Rarity lifted Spike up in her arms while Stitch cuddled her leg. "Wait, uh should we get the flowers first?" Spike asked. "No. Karly and Steven are handling those." "Hmm...You know, I wonder if Pinkie will have something to give." "Oh, I think she will. I know she will." "MY CAKE! MY BEAUTIFUL CAKE!" ~Pinkie collapsed to the ground and began to sob her heart out. It looked and sounded like she was making crocodile tears, but her friends could tell they weren't. Applejack kneed down and placed her hand on Pink's shoulder.~ "I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie. None o' us were payin' attention to the oven at all…" Fluttershy nodded. "Hmm, it's our fault the cake got ruined." "What is the world so cruel?! What if...this is...this is Karma!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Karma? For what?" Jace asked. "For...littering my stuff everywhere! The argument must have been Karma too! Rainbow is right! I am too messy, and crazy, and-" "Pinkie! Stop talking like that! You know that Rainbow didn't mean those things!" Lightning sighed. "We need to cheer her up…" "But how?" Fluttershy asked. "Hmm…" ~Lightning put her hand to her chin and looked at her surroundings. The kitchen was completely destroyed and there were no more ingredients left to restart the cake, or enough time to even think about making another large one. She was about to sigh but then she noticed the favourite sweets were still sitting on a bowl, unharmed. Lightning smiled and went for the bowl.~ "Lightnin'. What are you doin'?" Applejack folded her arms. "You'll see…" "I can't believe this...I mean, I can't... "Pinkie, It's going to be ok…" Jace assured. ~Fluttershy comforted Pinkie too, but then Lightning called out to her.~ "Hey, Pinkie!" "Huh?" ~Her gaze turned up expectantly and she saw a gummy bear flying straight towards her. Pinkie athletically caught it and held it tight in her hand. She then opened her hand and stared at it. She was confused as to why Lightning threw it at her so she looked up at her. "Eat this gummy bear, then tell me. What does it taste like?" Pinkie looks at the bear again, then throws it in her mouth. "It tastes great! I love things like this." "Uh-huh. But...it's only just one gummy bear isn't it?" "Yeah?" "But you still love it. That's exactly how Rainbow Dash will feel, if you get her, like, one small cupcake. She will think it's great. Come on, we still have some time and just enough flour to make one small cake. What do you say?" Lightning held out her hand. ~Staring at the hand, Pinkie Pie thought for a minute. She eventually and gingerly took it and stood up again, but she didn't say anything, she only nodded and the group got to work, cleaning up and mustering up the best cupcake they could possibly do.~ ~The portal of CHS started to glow bright gold. Especially the side that led to Lightning and Karly's world. It glowed brighter and brighter, until out stumbled a young-looking teenage boy. He was wearing a long sleeved white polo shirt with an undone collar. An indigo shirt with two red stripes on the arm was over the polo shirt. He also wore beige trousers and clean brown shoes. He stepped away from the portal and started scanning the area, in search of something, or someone. The portal still glowed behind the guy, because a second boy, around the same age as the first, stepped out. He had black spiky hair and a handsome face. He wore simple blue jeans, brown trainers, a dark blue jacket with a brown tartan one over it. He looked at his mate typically and folded his arms.~ "How can you be sure that Jace will be here, Topas?" The second boy said with a frown. "This is the only place we haven't searched. I'm honestly surprised we actually found the portal back to this place." The first boy, who was said to be called Topas, shrugged. "Our school sign, yes. Weird place to put a portal, but not complaining. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out." Topas sighed. "I still can't believe it's been almost 9 months since Jace left us. You could have a baby in that time. If...you know, you get started right away. I just don't get it, why did he leave?" "Maybe because the leader's a psycho?" "Well-" "Come on, Topas, admit it. Don't you think Frad's hatred for girls is misleading and...insane?" "A little. But that's what makes Frad Frad, Luda. He's become a powerful leader and is doing the best for us. He's directing us in the right direction, you know, the one where we only need each other and no girls. Don't you want that?" "Yeah. My ex-girlfriend drove me crazy last year! That's why I signed up for this." Luda pointed. "Oh come on, Fierra wasn't that bad!" "She nearly ran me over with a car 10 months ago. And she said she was a 'confident driver'." "She nearly ran you over confidently." "That does not make any sense whatsoever!" "Never mind. Let's just find Jace and bring him back to the camp. Frad and the boys will be happy if we do." ~The two boys nodded and searched around the school by going behind it first. And once they were around the school completely, Lightning, Jace, Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy were arriving at the school. The four girls went on ahead in the school obliviously, however, Jace stopped and stared at the portal. He saw a tiny speck glow on the side so he went to check it out. The girls didn't notice him stopping and checking the portal, so he was left alone outside the school, investigating the portal.~ "What was that?" He asked himself. ~Back inside the hideout, Karly, Steven and the half of the Rainbooms were gathered around the tables, waiting for the other half to come here. As they waited, Steven looked at Rainbow.~ "So, you do know what you're going to say to Agent Pie?" Steven asked. Rainbow nodded. "I...think so. I just need to say sorry." "Of course. That's the one main thing you need to say in an apology." Karly laughed. "And when Pinkie says sorry back, you'll be cool with her again." Spike barked. "Yeah." "Hey guys!" ~Everyone rotated around and saw Lightning waving and the rest smiling at them. ~ "Hello, girls-Wait, Where's Jace?" Karly asked, seeing no sign of him. Lightning looked behind herself and saw no one. "Oh. He was right behind us a second ago." "Maybe he just went to the bathroom. He'll be here soon." Applejack shrugged. "I guess." "Alright, now is there something you two wanna say?" The Chief addressed to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. ~The two said girls stepped forwards and faced each other. Both remained completely silent for about 10 seconds, until Rainbow broke it.~ "Hey, Pinkie." Rainbow started. "Hey, Rainbow." Pinkie replied. ~The awkward silence continued.~ Rainbow broke it again. "I...got you some flowers...It was Rarity's idea. Not mine." She pointed at the flowers behind her. "They're nice. I...got you this cupcake." ~Pinkie softly shoved the cake in Rainbow's hands and she took a bite out of it.~ "Thanks. Tastes great." Karly bent over to Lightning. "This apology is going smoothly." She whispered sarcastically. "They're taking their time, be patient." Lightning shrugged. ~Karly breathed and leaned against the table, however, when she did, her hand pressed a red button and the monitors on the tv turned on. It showed clear footage of what was happening outside the school. One camera showed the portal, and Jace looking around it still. Pinkie could see him in clear view.~ "Pinkie Pie, I'm sorry." Rainbow apologised. "For?" Steven raised a brow. "For overreacting. I know that stepping into that bucket was kinda my fault, and was an accident. I'll make it up to you someday." "Good. Agent Pie?" "Uh...I'm...huh?" ~Pinkie stopped herself when she stared at the monitor with Jace and the portal on it. Suddenly, she spotted, Topas and Luda coming in and approaching Jace rather sneakily and evilly. They looked like they were about to ambush Jace! Pinkie freaked out.~ "Jace…? Jace! JACE!" "Jace?" Rainbow questioned. "JACE!" ~Pinkie shoved her way through her friends and raced up the stairs, still screaming Jace's name. Everyone was concerned and confused.~ "Jace…? What is that, Japanese?" "That was not Japanese…" Lightning frowned. "Pinkie, where are you going?!" Rarity yelled. ~Pinkie burst the front doors of the school open and leapt and cowered behind a nearby bush. She blew two round holes into the bush with her confetti and peeked through them, she saw Jace by the portal and shouted quietly at him to get his attention.~ "Jace! Jace!" ~He couldn't hear her. He was too busy examining the portal and she was still too far away.~ "Jace! Watch out! There's someone weird there! Jace!" ~Jace grazed his finger on the portal and it glowed. He was about to put his whole hand on it, but he retracted it when he saw Topas and Luda approach him.~ "Topas?" Jace said. "Jace? Is that you?" Topas gasped. ~Topas ran to his friend and examined him, he then gasped again and threw his arms around Jace.~ "Oh my gosh! It is. I can't believe it!" ~Topas hugged and squeezed Jace as hard as he could. Jace choked a little but did nothing to break free. Pinkie watched Topas hug Jace in dismay, mouth hanging open and everything, thinking he was attacking him.~ "Luda! I found Jace!" Topas cheered. "Wait, really? Oh, you did. Hey, man." Luda went up to Jace and slapped his shoulder. "Good to see you." Jace was speechless. "Wha-What are you two-" "I can't believe it! Oh! I missed you!" Topas gasped suddenly again. "We need to take you to Frad!" "Frad!?" Jace asked shockingly. "Yeah, he will be so happy to see you. Alive, nonetheless." "Alive?" "Come on!" "No, wait-1 minute! Wait!" "Jace!" ~Pinkie reached her hand out as Topas and Luda dragged Jace into the portal leading to the non-Equestria world.~ "Ja-a-ce!" She called. "Wait!" Jace cried. "No!" ~The three boys glowed and disappeared as they stepped into the portal. Once they were through and the portal stopped glowing, Pinkie began to breathe heavily.~ "No…" "Pinkie!" "Pinkie Pie!" ~The voices of the girls were suddenly heard. Lightning, Karly, the Rainbooms, Stitch, Spike and Steven all gathered around Pinkie squatting in the bush. Their faces concerned and a little angry.~ "What are you doing?" Lightning asked. "What was that about? You just ran off in the middle of me talking!" Rainbow glared. "Is everything ok?" Fluttershy asked. "You look frightened. Completely white-like you've seen a ghost…" Rarity noted. Pinkie shook her head. "Oh no...I've just seen something MUCH worse…" "What? What happened, sugarcube?" Applejack shrugged. "It was horrible!" She started. "I saw Jace wandering the streets, minding his own business, when they appeared behind the portal…" "They?" Karly questioned. "Who's 'they' exactly?" Lightning air quoted. "Give us a description." "Two guys! As tall as the Chief! One was reddish blonde, the other was black. Jace looked at them and seemed confused at first, then one of the boys grabbed him, with his claws!" "Claws?!" Twilight exclaimed. "What?" Sunset gasped. "Boys don't normally have claws…" "This one did! He grabbed him and tried to squeeze the life out of him!" Pinkie wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed. "Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy gasped. "That's not all. The second guy suddenly came up and slapped him and shook him up a bit!" Rarity's eyes widened. "That's horrible!" "This is...bewildering." Steven said. "Finally, they yelled and dragged him into the portal, not to Equestria, but to the other world, laughing hysterically!" Pinkie leapt up and screamed. "So, what you're saying is…" "Jace Donar has been KIDNAPPED!" Lightning gasped. "No…" "WHAT?!" Karly shrieked. ~Everyone started chatting among each other, completely terrified and dumbfounded.~ "What do we do now?" Fluttershy whimpered. "Well, I say we finish this making up, then go and find Mr. Donar. He's gotten himself in a fine mess, indeed." Steven crossed his arms. "As much as I would like to finish making amends with Pinkie, we have to go after Jace first!" Rainbow prompted. "Rainbow's right. And until Jace is back, safe in our loving arms, there will be no celebrations! I mean, there's always time for celebrations, but not right now!" Pinkie stamped her foot on the ground. "But how are we going to do this? We don't even know where he's being taken!" Sunset exclaimed. "Hey now, we are not giving up! We didn't just give up when Karly was taken on my birthday. So, we are not giving up now!" Lightning nodded sharply. "The Star is right!" Pinkie nodded. "So, who's with me?!" "Count me in." "Me too." ~Lightning and Rainbow high fived as they went and stood beside Pinkie.~ "Alright! Who else?" "I'm goin' to come along." Applejack volunteered. "Gonna need all the help ya can get." "I'll go." Fluttershy said bravely. "As will I." Rarity stated. "We may have only known Jace for a short while, but it seems like a lifetime!" "...I have no idea what that means, but welcome aboard!" Pinkie cheered. "Me want to come." Stitch held up his chest. "Me too." Spike added. "Really, Spike? It could be dangerous." Twilight stated. "I know, Twilight, but I want to go on a mission with you guys again!" "I'm cool with that. Dogs are pretty good to have on a team." Lightning nodded. "Trust me, I know." "Alright. I'm in too then!" Twilight smiled. "Me too." Sunset added. "I'm coming with you too!" Karly said, holding her fist to her chest. "Yeeeaaahhh…no you are not, I'm afraid, Karly." Steven stated. "What? Why?!" "Ever since you were Devilnapped and went missing in the forest, I have been worried about you. So, I am giving you the month off. Spend time with your family. Lightning and the Rainbooms will take care of everything." "But, my boyfriend is in danger! And I need to destroy whoever laid a hand on him!" Karly's eyes turned red. "I think Karly should come with us, Mr. Secret, sir…" Fluttershy said. Applejack nodded with her. "Yeah. I mean, Jace and her are together an' all. Y'all would be there for your wife, wouldn't ya?" "Of course I would, but, the difference is that I'm not scared of what could lie ahead." "I'm not scared!" "Karly, your legs are still shaking from yesterday." ~Karly looked down and saw that her feet were still wobbling in fear. She put her hands on her knees and tried to stop the quivering, but all she's ended up doing was making her legs wobble harder, plus her arms along with them.~ "I'm pretty sure Fluttershy will be more terrified than I would ever be." Karly turned to Fluttershy. "No offense." "None taken." Fluttershy smiled. Lightning smirked. "Really, now?" ~Lightning reaches behind her and pulls out a paper bag. She blows it up, then sneaks behind Fluttershy and Karly and pops the bag. Both girls jumped, but Karly jumped much more higher than Fluttershy did.~ "Ahh! Lightning!" Karly glared. "You jumped higher, Karly. You are more terrified than Fluttershy." Lightning stated. Karly breathed out a deep sigh. "Ok, fine. I'll stay. Just please, promise me you will find Jace in one piece." "We promise." "Pinkie promise! Ok! Now that I have assembled my team, Let's go!" ~Pinkie slid over to the portal and jumped right in, head first. However, she jumped into the wrong portal. She jumped into the portal to Equestria so Sunset had to go in and get her.~ "Uh...the left portal, Pinkie?" Spike noted, pointed in the left direction of the portal. "Knew that! Wee!" ~Pinkie hopped into the portal leading to Lightning's world in a hurry. The rest followed on soon after. Karly and Steven waved and wished them good luck.~ Chapter 3: The Girl-Hating CampersChapter 3: The Girl-Hating Campers. ~Once Topas and Luda made it out of the portal with Jace firmly in their arms, they went to the nearby car park and approached a mini caravan. It was pretty small, but it had a nice fitting kitchen and lounging area inside. Topas dumped Jace on one of the seats then sat down beside him, while Luda sat in the driver's seat and drove the caravan off.~ "I can't believe we found you Jace, it's been so long!" Topas hugged Jace again. "I know, Topas. You have said that like 3 times now." Luda sighed. "Yeah, because I'm so happy! It must have been scary spending time near girls...Oh my gosh, I bet you no boy's gonna believe that we found him! Should I call them and let them know…?" "I-" ~Before Luda could give an answer, Topas was already on the phone, tapping buttons, then holding it up to his face, mainly around his ear. Luda shrugged and just kept his eyes on the road. Jace escaped Topas' grip once he got out his phone and just rested comfortably on the seats. He would try to say something, but Topas will probably interrupt him and not let him speak again. And he was right.~ "Topas, can I-" "Hello? Hey! Rube! Where's your brother?" ~Jace sighed and stared out the window, giving up on trying to talk to his 'captor'.~ "He doesn't want to talk?" Topas asked on the line. "But this is urgent! And way too exciting for me to keep inside me! We found Jace! No, really, it's true! Jace, say hi." ~Topas directed the phone in Jace's direction as he turned away from the window. Jace looked at the phone unbothered, but still shrugged and mumbled a small greeting into the phone.~ "Hi…" "Heh. Did you hear that?" ~The phone call went on for some time. Topas and whoever was on the other line were laughing and having fun, while Jace was just lost in thought and sad. After the conversation ended, Topas hung up on the phone and put her arm around Jace.~ ~Somewhere else, inside another travelling caravan, a boy just placed his phone down on the table. This boy wore heavy, baggy clothes such as a brown and white knitted jumper and long black jeans that he could easily trip over. He drooped down to the side and peered over and around the caravan. He saw his mother driving on the left, and the back of a boy's head sitting by the window on his right. He called out to the boy.~ "Hey, Frad..." ~Frad opened his eyes and rotated around to face the person that interrupted his music. His white afro was all fuzzy like and just laid on top of his head all round. He wore a white polo shirt along with an aqua blue bowtie around the collar. He also had the same black jeans as his brother. Frad stared coldly at Rube, as if he didn't matter, then sighed.~ "You know, Rube...it is rude to interrupt someone while they're jamming on their jams." Frad said, unplugging his headphones from his ears. "I don't really know what that means." Rube replied. "It means, do not disturb me." "Ok, so...you don't want to hear what I have to say..." "No! Because everything you say is always a waste of my time, you moron. Last time you interrupted me, it was for a sample of your dry biscuits. They were gross just as I expected." Rube glared at his older brother heavily. "Jace has been found." He then mumbled. "Excuse me?" "Topas and Luda found Jace and are bringing him to the camp for this year." "Really? Seriously? Like, actually? Right now?" Frad smirked. "How exciting. Jace won't be missing out this year after all. Have the others been notified?" "I don't know." Rube shrugged. "Well, then pick up the phone again and tell them. Do I have to do it myself?" ~Rube strangely remained calm and did as his brother ordered. He reached for his phone again and dialed some numbers. They answered rather quickly and Rube and the people on the other line began talking. At first they were discussing the news and celebrating over it, but then they began talking about random things Frad did not wish to hear, he plugged his earphones back in his ears and turned his music up to the max.~ "I'm going to pretend, I didn't hear that." He said to himself. "Hey, uh, Frad?" Rube suddenly called. "Yes?" Frad asked, with a hint of irritation. "How long will it be again 'til we get to the camp? 'Cause I need to go." "Ugh…" ~Frad sighed disappointingly, ignored the question and just turned away to the window again. Silence filled the air for about 5 seconds until the sound of a stomach gurgling suddenly came. Rube looked at his belly and felt it vibrate.~ "Seriously. I gotta go. Real bad." Frad emerged from his seat angrily and cornered Rube. "I SAID it was going to be a long ride, but you never listen! You drive me absolutely crazy, every time we leave the house! EVERY. TIME! Do you know what I have to do now? What you put me through is so-" ~Frad slapped his hand on Rube's shoulder and forcefully shoved him against the window. It looked like he was about to hit him hard, but he didn't. Because he noticed that his mother was staring at him from the rear view mirror.~ "Fraddie! Stop tormenting your brother!" She ordered. "Otherwise I will turn this van around and we will go home!" ~Frad loved his mother a lot and didn't want to get on her bad side so he settled down and scarcely shot an apologetic look at Rube. It was very surprising that Rube stayed calm during all that. He didn't even blink.~ "Come on, help a brother out." Rube then said calmly. Frad sighed and released Rube's shoulder. "I hate doing this for you…" "Yeah, but you do it so well." ~Frad turned and stomped to the front of the caravan, hands shoved in his large pockets. He approached the driver, his mother, and sighed deeply.~ "What's wrong, Frad, honey?" The mother asked. "I don't feel so good." He fibbed. "My motion sickness is coming up." He clutched his stomach. "Oh no, again? I thought you took your travel sickness pills." "They never work! I feel...feel…" "Oh gosh-Ok! We'll stop for some fresh air! Call your friends and say!" ~Rube didn't need to be told. He was already on the phone with them. Their caravan parked up by a nearby small local picnic area. Frad opened the door and hopped out immediately in a fuss.~ "Tell me when you feel better, Frad!" Their mother called. Rube pushed passed Frad. "Outta my way, outta my way! I don't mean to be rude but I gotta go!" "Boys, come gather round by that rock while Rube does his business in the bushes." ~As Frad stomped off somewhere, more caravans suddenly appeared and parked beside the first one. All were different colours so they could easily be told apart. All the doors opened and one boy jumped out of each one. There were a total of four boys, plus Frad and Rube, so six. The boys looked around the place, then greeted each other before walking over to Frad, who perched himself on a large rock.~ "Frad?" One boy called. "Oh. Did Rube forget to go to the bathroom again?" "Seems like it, Chip." A tall boy came up behind the first boy and placed his hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked up. "Oh, Rohas. Hi. How are you?" "Just Fine. You're looking rather handsome today." Rohas answered as he smirked. "Why, thank you." Chip began to blush, but shook it off rather quickly. "Umm...Hey, Frad's waiting for us." "Stato! Old buddy!" Another boy called out and waved, rather slurpy. Stato looks over and groans. "Oh boy…" "Stato, it's been ages…" "Actually, it's only been 9 months, Rogar…" Stato sighed. "Really? It seems like such a long time…" Rogar put his arm around Stato. He shook it off. "How many times do I have to say this? Every 9 months, we come together, discuss the latest news, then go to our favourite amusement park, and have a good time." He explained rather slowly. "We do?" Rogar questioned. "Yes! We do! Is this not ringing a bell?" "...Stato, it's been ages…" Rogar repeated. Stato groaned again. "This is going to be a long day…" ~Chip, Rohas, Stato and Rogar all huddled up and made their way over to the spiked rock that Frad was sitting on. He didn't greet them, but he listened to what they discussed next. Rube suddenly came and joined them after too.~ "Hey, Frad. Did you hear that Topas and Luda found Jace, isn't that great?" Stato smiled, avoiding Rogar as discreetly as possible. "After all these months? That is great! I was worried he wouldn't be here for this time. Glad he will be today." Chip admitted. "What ever happened to the lad during that time anyway?" Rohas asked. "I don't know. But, Topas and Luda said he was hanging with girls...Teenagers, nonetheless." ~The boys gasped.~ "Girls?! Jesus…" Rohas breathed. "Well, I'm glad they didn't hurt him." Stato said. "Or kill him." Chip added. "Or...worse." Frad finally spoke up. "I was once in the vicious clutches of a pack of girls. It scarred me badly." "I know, Frad you mention this to me every day." Rube sighed. "But, we never heard the story of what happened. Are you brave enough and willing to share it this time?" asked Chip. "Yeah, What was it like, my friend?" Rohas encouraged. Frad raised a brow and sighed dramatically. "Oh, It is too, Painful, for me to talk about. But...Gather 'round." ~A flashback occurs in Frad's head and he pictures himself as a young child again, about six, maybe seven years old. He was kneeling on the ground and playing with a small fire truck toy. He kept giggling and pushing it back and forth, having a grand old time with it. His mother was sitting on a park bench, but she was distracted by something on her phone so she didn't see was what about to happen.~ Frad began to narrate. "There I was...alone...in the forsaken park. The only sound I heard was the screeching of the wheels coming from cars and my toy. The park was empty, not a person in sight to annoy me, but then suddenly…" ~Young Frad winds up his toy then fires it off in the distance. However, it suddenly hits the leg of someone and they yelp in surprise. Small Frad smiles and looks up to see who he accidentally hit and goes in awe when he realised it was a girl, she looked to be around 14 years old. She turned and stared down at the toy that hit her. Then, she scowled. She snatched the toy off the ground and bent it in her arms. Looking at little Frad evilly, she then blew a raspberry at him as well as tear the ladder straight off the truck. Young Frad gasped. The girl then laughed as she ran off with it. Young Frad got up anxiously and was about pursue her, but he stopped when he felt three more girls appear behind him.~ "They were everywhere. And There was no escape." ~Young Frad whimpered and cowered as the teenagers towered over him and began to playfully but cruelly shove him back and forth like a ragdoll. Frad fell to the ground and scraped his knee upon landing, he began bleeding and crying while the girls continued laughing. The girl with Frad's toy suddenly called out to the girls and they went off, still laughing. They crossed the nearby road and began to go away, but Frad wanted its toy back so he followed them. He cautiously crept across the roads, but during halfway, he fell over.~ "My life flashed before my eyes, and then the unspeakable. " ~As Frad curled up on the road in pain, a shining sporty car suddenly came around the corner and screeched as it turned. It was heading straight for Frad! He spotted it and his eyes went wide and wild, right before it thundered over his leg and flattened it with its wheels.~ "What happened? Did you live?" Stato asked, interrupting but finishing the flashback. "What Happened?! I'll show you...what...happened." ~Frad slumped down deeply on the rock, and roughly pulled up the left part of his baggy trousers. There everyone saw obviously and visibly, a twisted, bent, messed up leg. It was quite a sight to behold.~ "Would This be a lesson to you all?!" Frad pointed at his leg. ~All the boys gasped once again.~ "That...is disturbing…" "Ooh! How ghastly!" Chip groaned. "It's so twisted." "That is one sad leg..." Rohas sighed sadly. "I lost two things that day. My innocence...and my fire truck…" Frad said quietly. "It's a cruel world, isn't it…?" ~All the boys nodded their heads in agreement with Chip. Suddenly, not long after they nodded, a car pulled up and parked beside the caravan. A couple of young parents get out of the vehicle, along with a baby girl. The mother placed her child in a little push chair then went to help the father, who was rummaging in the boot in search of something. Frad looked at the baby in disgust.~ "Speak of the devil. Disgusting." "Oh no, not the sweet, baby type of girls…" Rube frowned. Frad jumped down. "Don't you understand?! We must all remain vigilant! Even one, little sweet girl can lead us to those dark days...of anarchy!" "Come on, she's so cute." Frad grabbed Rube's shirt. "Pay Attention! Even one little sweet girl can invest us all! Like the fleas, on our dogs back, they must all be eradicated!" ~Frad threw his brother down then charged at the pushchair. He screamed as loud as he could to get the girl's attention.~ "I'M GONNA TEAR YOU APART!" ~Frad growled like a hound and continued as he got closer and closer to the baby. Frad's mother suddenly looked up from what she was doing and saw Frad about to attack.~ "Fraddie! Heel!" She screamed. ~Frad's eyes loosened up when he heard his mother call. He skidded across the gravel then stopped directly in front of the baby in time. He lets himself breath for a moment, then he proceeds to threaten the child. She looked at him with terror.~ "One day, you vile little beast, ONE DAY I will personally teach you a lesson YOU. WILL. NEVER. FORGET!" He turns and walks back. "Coming, mother…" He then called sweetly. ~The little girl's eyes teared up rapidly, then she began wailing in fear and distress.~ Chapter 4: Rescue Attempt No. 1Chapter 4: Rescue Attempt No. 1 "Do any o' y'all even know where we're goin'?" Applejack's voice called. ~Spike was the last to jump out of the portal. He landed on all fours then was lifted off the ground by Fluttershy. The Rainbooms, Stitch and Spike just stood around for a moment and discussed where to go. Lightning Star placed her hand above her eyes and started scanning the car park of Pixel High School to see if she could find a lead. Pinkie Pie leapt beside her.~ "Whatcha doing, Lightning?" She asked. "Trying to see if Jace or his abductors have generously left any clues for us behind…" She answered seriously. "Like a lock of hair, an accessory, the zipper on his jacket. Anything Stitch, Spike, or even me for that matter, can sniff…" "Oh! I can help you!" Pinkie literally began sniffing the area like a bloodhound. "Ah-ha!" "Find something?" "How about this?!" ~Pinkie pushes herself up from the ground before rushing over to Lightning and thrusting a clue into her face. She plucks it out of her hand and examines it. It was pretty difficult though because it was small and thin.~ "It's a thread." Lightning stated. "A red thread! Maybe it comes from Jace's jacket!" "Maybe...But his jacket is a unique shade of red. Thing is, I can never tell what shade of any colour is…" "Oh, it's ruby." Rarity stated. Lightning turned to her. "I'm sorry?" "That is a shade of ruby. The finest of reds. And if I recall, Jace's jacket is indeed ruby. I love to examine people's clothing." "Oh. Well, thanks." "Must I say as well, that his jacket isn't just ruby. It's also, lipstick red, spicy orange, summer sunset, and-" "Yeah, I figured that too. It's tartan. Anyways...Stitch! Or Spike! Come here, boys!" ~Lightning softly slapped her thigh twice, signalling the dogs to come to her. Spike raced up to her first and panted. She held out the thread to his nose as he already began to sniff it. Once he was done, he began sniffing the floor. His ears then shot up high.~ "I've got a scent. This way! Follow me!" Spike barked, wagging his tail too. ~At once, the dogs scampered off. The girls quickly followed behind them before they went too far or out of their sight. Lightning and Pinkie ran side by side and in the middle, between everyone else. After 1 minute of running, everyone slowed down to a walk. They were already panting like animals. They had to hurry and find Jace because who knows what's happening to him right now, but they know couldn't. Lightning pulled a sad face as she panted so Pinkie tried to lighten up the mood and lift her spirits.~ "Isn't this exciting, Lightning?" "Exciting? Mind telling me what's so exciting about this?" "We're going on another adventure! A quest! Off to find our lost friend in this mysterious city and save him from evilness that lies afoot!" "You can say that again…" Rainbow suddenly comes up behind the two girls. "Oh, hey Rainbow." Lightning waved. Pinkie gulped then whispered. "Uh oh…" "Sooooooo, Pinkie Pie, can I talk with you...alone?" Rainbow shot a look at Lightning. She noticed it right away. "Oh! Um! Hey! I wonder what Fluttershy and Rarity are talking about!" ~Lightning throws her hands behind her back before taking a large step forward and wandering ahead, leaving Rainbow and Pinkie to settle some unfinished business.~ "Whats up, Rainbow?" Pinkie said uneasily. Rainbow rubbed her neck. "Well, it's just that...when we were in the hideout, trying to apologise...you looked like you didn't want to anymore." "Whaaat? Don't be ridiculous, Dashie!" "Come on, Pinkie. I know I was a bit of a jerk back then, but I'm really sorry. I was just angry. You know I didn't mean any harm." "I know. I'm...just...worried now." "Worried? About what?" "Umm...Umm-About Jace!" "Jace?" "Yeah! You know, about him...being alone...and scared...afraid that he will never see us again!" Pinkie put her fist to her chest and put her head down dramatically. Rainbow raised a brow. "We've only known him for a day-" "But Lightning and Karly haven't!" Pinkie interrupted, flying into Rainbow's face. "Karly had already had a bad day yesterday so I don't want it to be badder today! And Lightning! Well, she's actually doing ok, but you get my point!" "Right, so this has nothing to do with me? You're only worried about everyone else?" "Yes! Yes I am! But, of course, I was a little scared of you back there...because of what happened. Here, I'll apologise to you now and get it done, okay? I'm-" "There he is!" ~Spike pointed his snout across the road and the others followed it to see the caravan parked in a petrol station. The girls bent down behind a large nearby bush and got a good look at the van. They zoomed and enhanced inside and saw Jace in the window. Everyone couldn't believe it. They smiled in relief.~ "Oh. Wow." Lightning pouted. "Well done, Spike!" Fluttershy smiled, patting the pup on the head. "Hey, what luck huh, Pinkie!?" Rainbow nudged Pinkie's arm. "You don't have to worry too much about Jace now!" Pinkie began to sweat. "Uh-Well, that could be someone else! Ha-ha! It is hard to see." "We zoomed and enhanced, Pinkie, It's him alright." Lightning confirmed. "Look! He's wavin at us!" Applejack pointed. ~Applejack nodded at the glass and Jace through it. He had his arm up high and was waving it like no tomorrow. He was also shouting at them, but they could hardly hear him because they were pretty far away and the glass was pretty study and almost soundproof.~ "Girls! I'm over here!" They could just about hear him say. Lightning waved back to signal that they saw him. "Hang tight, Jace, we're coming!" She then called. "Alright, girls. We need a plan." Sunset said. "I have one!" Pinkie suddenly said out loud. "You do?" Twilight asked, rather surprised. "Yeah! Ok, here's what I'm thinking. Applejack, Sunset and Twilight will be the entry team!" "Okay." "Gotcha, Pinkie Pie!" Applejack nodded firmly, fist clenched hard. "Fluttershy, Stitch, Spike, smash and grab! That's all ya gotta do!" Fluttershy was confused. "Umm…?" "Roger that!" Stitch barked. "Lightning, you're with me! Let's limit the casualties, people!" ~Pinkie grabbed the bush they were hiding behind and lifted it up to her hip. She winded up and was about speed off but was cut off by Rainbow Dash.~ "Wait! What about me and Rarity?" "Yes, what can we do?" Rarity asked. Pinkie slowly rotated around. "Uhhh, yeah, you two can stay there and loook...out! Lookout! Yeah, you two can be the lookouts! And maybe you can guard the trees too!" "Wait, really? That's the best you've got? Pi-Pinkie Pie!" ~Before Rainbow could shout anymore, Pinkie was off. She sped across the roads, and remained shallow beneath the bushes. She flopped them and herself down once she was in the grassy patch of dirt right beside where the van was parked. She shook the leaves as she poked her head out and gestured the others to come along and to where she was.~ "Come on guys." Lightning commanded. ~Everyone, minus Rainbow Dash and Rarity, nodded and began to cross the road very safely and sneakily. Fluttershy kept Stitch and Spike under her arms as they crossed. They pressed themselves up against the caravan doors and looked around to see if they were seen by anyone. They weren't. Lightning, Applejack and Pinkie peeked through the window of the van and Jace smiled at them and placed his hand on the glass.~ "Oh, thank goodness...you guys came for me!" Jace said in relief. "Yes, ok, now Jace, be quiet, your captors might hear you." Lightning whispered. "Actually, I don't think they can hear anything due to them wearing headphones." ~Sunset pointed to the passenger's window and at Topas and Luda inside. The two boys were rocking out to a song on their phones, not paying attention outside. Both had their eyes closed so they didn't see the girls spy on them.~ "Oh. Lucky break then." Lightning said. "Hmm. So, how are we going to get inside?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie jumped off the caravan roof. "Simple! First, we need a grappling hook, a 30 foot rope, a winch, a pulley, a truck with an open engine block, and a tin of sardines!" "Uhh...why don't we just open the door, Pinkie Pie?" Applejack patted the door. "I'm trying to think outside a box here!" Pinkie shrugged. "Well, think outside the van!" Lightning snickered. "Ok, sorry that was bad. Let's go!" "Wait!" Twilight exclaimed. "What's wrong, Twilight?" "We can't just go in there! Jace's abductors are still inside. Of course they wouldn't be able to hear us, but they will definitely see us!" "Ah. Yeah. You're right. We gotta lure them out." Lightning said. "But how?" asked Fluttershy. ~Suddenly, everyone heard the caravan slam on the other side. They looked around the corner of the van and saw Topas and Luda exiting the vehicle.~ "Ok, now that your favourite song has finished, can we fill the tank now?" Luda asked smugly. "Yes, of course. I'm also gonna get some supplies!" Topas smiled, pointing at the station shop. "Supplies? We're not doing some sort of road trip." "No, but I'm really in the mood for chocolate!" Luda sighed. "Very well. But be quick." ~Topas skipped and headed straight into the convenience shop of the station. All the girls were completely dumbfounded on how much luck they are getting right now.~ Lightning silently blinked twice. "...Convenience strikes again…" "Okay, Now we can head in." Twilight nodded. "Alright then, everyone single file, and be quiet." Sunset ordered. ~Checking to make sure no one was watching, the girls and Stitch and Spike creak the metal door open and clamber onto and into the caravan. Lightning awkwardly stumbled in first and nearly headbutted Jace upon doing so. But, she shook it off and hugged him when she gained her balance back.~ "Jace!" "Lightning!" Jace hugged back tightly. "Oh my gosh-Are you ok? I was so worried!" "No, I'm fine, I just don't know what's gotten into-" "Who are those guys?" Twilight interrupted. "They are my old friends, but-" "Why have they taken you?" inquired Sunset. "They want to take me to-" "Did they hurt you?!" Pinkie gasped. Jace started to get a little annoyed. "I-No. I just said to Lightning that I'm fine, but-" "Okay, You know what, you can tell us on the way back, let's just get you out of here!" Lightning snatched Jace's hand. Jace stuttered in shock. "Lightning, wait, I'm-" ~Lightning pulled and ran for the door, but something suddenly tugged both her and Jace back and they tumbled backwards into the table.~ Lightning spat. "Da-ack! What the…?" ~A jingling sound was suddenly heard from below Jace's feet. The girls all looked down and noticed a large shackle around one of Jace's ankles. It was connected to a chain that linked up to the handle of a cupboard. It was wrapped on tightly.~ "I'm chained to the cupboard…" Jace said with a sigh. "...Right. Of course, no criminal would leave their captive alone in an unlocked vehicle without restraining them. Another plan's necessary, guys!" Lightning said sternly. "Okay, I need a minute to think then!" said Pinkie, who began to trot back and forth, trying to think of something. "Uh, well, I was just going to say that Lightning could use her special pocket knife, or Applejack could use her strength." Twilight shrugged. "Oh yeah! Okay." ~With a smug, Lightning reached into her jacket pocket and revealed her old small pocket knife. She set it to the safe cracker tool and thrust it right into the lock of the shackle. She began fiddling inside and was hoping to hear that ionic click, but instead, she heard a drilling sound. It then stopped. Lightning pulled out the tool and stared at it confusingly. It was all bent and out of shape now, the lock had destroyed it completely.~ Lightning was in shock. "Oh wow...okay…Um, Applejack! Show us how it's done!" ~Lightning stood back and let Applejack through. She kneeled down and grabbed onto the fetter around Jace's ankle firmly. Her geode glowed bright orange as she got ready, then she tugged as hard as she could. She grunted and, but the shackle didn't not break at all, or even budge. Applejack let out one last grunt as she let go.~ "DogGoneIt!" She then yelled. "You can't break it either?" asked Sunset, shockingly. "Nope. This is one mighty chain." "So, how are we gonna to break it?" Spike asked, sniffing on the fetter. "Hmm...I got it!" Pinkie said, clicking her fingers. Chapter 5: Pinkie Pie's PlansChapter 5: Pinkie Pie's Plans. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN AN ENTIRE PACK OF BUTTONS IS AN ENTIRE POUND?!" ~Topas slammed his hands on the counter and glared at the man behind it. He slowly blinked and shrugged at the raging teen and was about to reply when he saw the caravan that he and his companion arrived in start up and began to move a little.~ "Sir, is that your caravan?" The kiosk man asked blankly. Topas turned to look at it. "Well, actually, it's my friend's uncle's neighbour's brother's co worker's caravan, but yes. Wait, is it starting up? Is Luda taking off without me?! Hey!" ~As Topas stumbled and stuttered in anger, inside the caravan, the girls and Jace stood in shock silence as Pinkie began wiring the van's engine, and actually got it to start rumbling. Twilight then realised what Pinkie was about to do and yelled angrily.~ "Pinkie, we are not stealing this van!" "Yeah, otherwise we are just as bad as the guys that abducted Jace in the first place!" Lightning shouted. "I don't even know how to drive anyways!" Pinkie shrugged. ~Everyone sighed disappointingly and attempted to think of a new plan. A plan that didn't involve stealing, or anything violent. Lightning was deep in thought and was about to suggest something, before realising its dumb. Suddenly, her wrist calm blinked once. She looked down at it and saw that Rainbow Dash was calling outside. She answered in a flash and Rainbow's voice began screeching from the wrist calm.~ "What's wrong, Rain-" "One of the guys is heading for the caravan! You gotta hide!" "What?!" Lightning looked out the window and saw Topas coming. "You heard the girl! Everyone, Hide!" Pinkie screamed. ~Everyone dove down and crawled into the huge cupboards of the caravan, just in time for Topas to look in the window and see nothing but Jace, sitting on the seats calmly. Due to all of the nearby utensils and furniture, he didn't see the tails of Stitch and Spike sticking out, or the fact that one of the cupboards was slightly ajar. Topas slowly turned away and went off again. Jace signalled the girls and they poked their heads out.~ "That was close…" Fluttershy whispered. "Yeah. Too close." added Lightning. ~Back outside the caravan, Topas was confused as to why he saw no one was at the wheel. He looked right and spotted Luda by the petrol pump, so he decided to march over to him and confront him about it.~ "Luda!" "Ye-Yeah?" "Did you just try to drive off without me?" "No? Besides, the van is almost outta gas, so how could I? Also, I've been over here, trying to get this stupid thing out of the pump!" "Wait, so if you've been here, then who started the engine, Jace couldn't have because he's-" Topas suddenly gasped. "Maybe it was a ghost!" Luda sighed. "For the LAST time, Topas! There are no such things as ghosts!" "E-Easy for you to say! Y-You didn't grow up watching horror movies!" Luda sighed. "Did you ever once take into consideration that maybe, just maybe, the rating was there for a reason?" "What's a rating?" "...Just go back into the shop." ~Topas rolls his eyes, and does exactly what Luda said. Everyone inside the caravan watched him go back into the shop from the window, then sighed in relief. They all began to safely climb out of the cupboards and straighten themselves out. However, while climbing out, Lightning's leg got stuck beneath a couple of pots and pans, and when she attempted to pull it out, it thrust out suddenly and Lightning stumbled back and fell straight on top of Fluttershy. She yelped in surprise.~ "Oof! Arrr...that hurt…" grumbled Lightning, rubbing her leg. "Oww…" Fluttershy groaned. "Oh god, sorry, Fluttershy." ~Very carefully, Lightning lifts herself off the shy girl then helps her up afterwards. As Pinkie Pie climbed out of the cupboard, she noticed a fire extinguisher behind the door. She smiles and rips it off the wall.~ "Pinkie Pie's got another plan up her sleeve!" She said boldly and confidently. ~As Pinkie swung the fire extinguisher around, she hit a small figurine ornament in the process. It flew off the counter and smashed once it hit the floor. This alerted Luda and he looked up and turned to the van.~ "Huh?" "Stand back, everybody!" "Wait, Pinkie!" Sunset screamed. "No!" Twilight gasped. ~Pinkie pulls the pin from the fire extinguisher, aims it at Jace and, just before she squeezes the handle, Lightning, Twilight and Sunset panic, and open the window behind him. Hearing all the commotion, Luda appears and looks through the open window. Once Luda had his face over the window, the mountain of foam from the fire extinguisher splattered right in his face. He slipped and fell to the ground, foam all around him. Rainbow and Rarity saw it from a distance and jaw-dropped.~ Pinkie smugged. "Now, that was awesome." "Okay, What exactly was your plan there, Pinkie?! You didn't even hit the fetter." Lightning shouted. "I was hoping to! Okay, I've got another plan!" ~As Pinkie, prepared for her next plan, Luda groans and sits up from the ground. He began wiping all of the foam off his eyes, ears and mouth and lips. He tasted it because some went in his mouth. He pulled a disgusted face.~ "Ugh! Gross!" Luda gagged. Topas appeared behind Luda. "Luda? Are you-O. M. G. You've been ectoplasm-ed by the ghosts inside our caravan! Is Jace okay? Did you see him?" "Ugh! This is ridiculous! No, Topas! This is not ectoplasm! It's foam from a fire extinguisher." "That's what the ghosts would want you to think…" Topas whispered mysteriously. Luda silently began to rage. "Back in the shop." "Righty-ho." ~Topas jumped up and once again disappeared into the entrance of the shop by the station. Meanwhile, back in the van, Pinkie smiled. She was holding onto Fluttershy, who was holding onto Lightning, who was holding onto Sunset, who was holding onto Twilight, who was holding onto Applejack, who was holding onto Jace's fetter again.~ "Ok, what's this plan then?" Sunset asked, a little worried. "I think we need more strength. So! Applejack is gonna try and pull the fetter off, and we're gonna be supporting her and helping her." Pinkie explained. "Plan C mostly always works so I'm willing to trust her this time." Lightning shrugged. "Okay. Is everyone ready?" Everyone nodded. "Yep." "Absolutely." "Mmm-hmm." "Okay! Ready. Set. Pull!" ~Everyone dug their heels into the floor as they tugged as hard as they could. They all began grunting and straining, encouraging each other to keep going.~ "Pull harder!" Pinkie kept saying. Jace was holding back the pain. "Oww! Girls, please be careful! Otherwise you're gonna rip my ankle off!" "Pull!" "Almost...there!" Applejack gasped. "Pull!" ~The six Rainbooms' geodes began to glow. Suddenly, the handle where the chain was tied to screws loose and flies off the cupboard. Everyone shouts as they were taken by that surprise and falls to the ground as the handle and chain flies out of the window. They got up, groaning and choking as they checked to see if they and them were alright. Jace looked at his ankle and saw that the fetter was still around it, but the chain wasn't attached to anything, so by default, he was free.~ "I'm free? I'm free!" "Wait, really?" Lightning asked in shock. "Yes, really! We did it!" Pinkie jumped up. "Alright!" "Umm...Light...ning…" ~A shy voice choked from down below and Lightning raised a brow in confusion. She then looked down to see who said her name. She gasped when she realised she had fallen on Fluttershy again. She got up immediately and let her shy friend breathe again.~ "Oh! Fluttershy! Sorry! Again…" Applejack panted. "Okay, now that Jace is free-" "We can get out of here!" Spike prompted, finishing the sentence. "Right. Come on guys!" Stitch barked. "Let's go!" ~Stitch and Spike darted for the broken window, hopped out of it and landed on their feet safely. The others bolted for the door. Sunset made it out first then Twilight, then Applejack. Lightning ran out of the door next, plus motioned the remaining guys to come quick.~ "Run like the wind!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Oww...wait! My ankle aches. I can't run very well!" Jace whined. "Don't worry, Jace, I got you." ~Fluttershy skidded and turned back to help Jace walk. She gave him her hand and was about to direct him to the door, when Pinkie Pie sped out of it and slammed it shut. It locked automatically, causing Jace and Fluttershy to stop in front of it. Fluttershy tested the door, and confirmed she and him were trapped inside.~ "Oh dear…" She whimpered. ~The five Rainbooms and Stitch and Spike cheered as they reached the bush and Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Pinkie tackled Lightning to the ground happily as they made it back and nuzzled her head.~ "Whoo-hoo! Yes! We all made it! Alright! Roll call! Lightning." "Here." "Sunset. Twilight. Applejack." "Here." "Here." "Here." "Stitch. Spike." Pinkie looked down and the two dogs barked in response at her feet. Lightning pulled a vague face when she looked forward. "Uh, Pinkie?" "Jace. Flutter...shy? Where's Jace and Fluttershy? Guys, sound off!" "Pinkie!" "Yeah?" ~Lightning pointed at the van and everyone looked in that direction to see Jace and Fluttershy, still inside it. They were pounding on the window and showing that the door was locked. Pinkie was conflicted.~ "Oh." Jace suddenly heard hurried footsteps. "Topas and Luda are coming back. Must've realised the 'ghosts' are now gone. Quick, Fluttershy! Hide in the cupboards again! I can't let them see you!" He panicked. ~Jace swung open the largest cupboard and Fluttershy crawled in. He slammed the door but didn't close it fully, since he knows Fluttershy is afraid of the darkness. The door of the van was quickly opened and Luda got into the driver's seat. Then the opposite door was opened and Topas hopped in. He went over to Jace and hugged him.~ "Jace! Woo...Glad that you're still safe. Come on, we're going to see all of our old buddies now." ~Fluttershy took one scared look at the heads of the two boys and slid down a little. She began to tremble. But as she laid back, she felt sleepy and shut her eyes. The dark, cramped spot she was in must've felt comfortable, strangely. Luda started the engine and the van quickly moved out of the station. The Rainbooms outside watched it helplessly.~ "Well, that's just great. Not only did we fail to get Jace out of the van, poor Fluttershy is trapped in there with him too! Way to go, Agent Pie!" Lightning glared. "Hey now, Lightning, blaming Pinkie for failing the mission isn't going to help us right now." Sunset said, calmly. Lightning sighed, placing her hand on her face. "You're right. Sorry, Pinkie, I'm getting a little frustrated here." "It's alright, Lightnin'." Applejack assured. "So, back to square 1, how are we going to find out where that van is going?" ~Pinkie was to suggest something, but Rainbow intervened.~ "I have an idea. Lightning, you can use your geode and follow the RV from the sky, while we stay on the trail by foot. Once it reaches its destination, you can fly back to us and lead the way." "I guess that could work…" Applejack smugged. "But, what if I lose them?" Lightning asked. "Stitch and Spike can go with you. They can trace the smell. And well, you can too. You become part raccoon and they have a good sense of smell." "Good point. Okay, We can do that." Lightning nodded. ~Stitch titled his head up at the call of his young master's voice. He then ascended on her shoulders and whined in confidence. Lightning scooped Spike up and held him in her arms tightly too.~ "We'll be back as soon as possible. It's easy to see things from up high so hopefully, we'll be quick." "Alright then!" Applejack winked. "Hurry back, darlings!" Rarity waved. "You ready, boys?" Lightning asked, smirking at the pups. "Ih." Stitch nodded. "Born ready!" Spike barked. "Then let's go!" ~The two dogs began yapping excitedly as Lightning floated away from the ground. She rockets straight upwards, the clouds getting closer every second. Spike and Stitch whooed and hooed as they were blasted off down the road at an amazing height and speed. The girls waved tremendously.~ "Nice thinkin', Rainbow Dash!" Applejack prompted. "Very nice. You almost read my mind there." Twilight smirked. Pinkie pulled a noticeable frown. "Yes, Aerial Surveillance, Great idea, Ranger Rainbow Dash!" "What's with you?" Rainbow asked, glaring a little. "I was about to say I had an amazing plan, but you interrupted me!" "I'm just trying to help save Jace, not every plan has to be yours." "And Rainbow Dash had a good plan." Sunset added. "And there lies the problem!" Pinkie argued. "Oh. I get it. That's why you put me on guard duty. You didn't want me in your way." Rainbow argued back. "Really I just wanted to show you that I can be helpful, and that I'm not crazy!" "What?-I-Were you even listening to me when we were in the hideout?! I don't think you're crazy! But, I am starting to see that you are becoming rude, Pinkie!" "No, I'm not! It's actually called being awkward." "Awkward?! You call this awkward? Well, then, what do you call running off in the middle of me apologising?!" Pinkie sighed, annoyed. "I was trying to help Jace!" "Oh, we're back to that excuse, are we?" Applejack steps in between the two. "Hey, hey, hey. Come on, settle down y'all!" Rainbow shook her head. "That's it. I'm going back to the hideout. You guys are on your own." "Hey, nobody is goin' back to E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A. We need to stick together as a team." "No, I think you SHOULD go back, Rainbow, because you're just slowing us all down! There's somebody in trouble out there, and all you care about is how I am!" Pinkie harrumphed. "Whatever." "Pinkie Pie, you're the one that's slowin' us down!" Applejack suddenly bursted out. "Me?!" ~Everyone looked down in dismay, silently saying 'Yes, it's true'. Applejack then sighed and went up to Pinkie.~ "Pinkie Pie, we love you, but-" "Your ideas are kinda just...impractical, darling." Rarity stated. "And you don't actually end up helping to save Jace as you so frequently claim." Twilight added. Pinkie's eyes changed. "I can't believe you're all taking Rainbow's side!" "What, no Pinkie, that's not what we meant-" "Well, fine! So what if you don't need me? Guess what? I don't need you! You've clearly just underestimated my super amazing abilities! I'll just save Jace and Fluttershy-by myself!" ~With that, she turned away and stomped furiously down the pathway, deliberately skidding her foot on the gravel as she span.~ "Pinkie, you're goin' the wrong way, again…" Applejack tried to say. "Oh, thank you very much, it's a shortcut!" ~Then it happened. A large trench appeared out of nowhere. It was right in front of Pinkie. Her foot took a step right into it and she fell straight into it. She thudded on the ground as sand and dust smoked around her like a chimney. She got up unharmed, and limped out of the trench. Rarity reached her hand out to help Pinkie up, but she slapped it away.~ "I'm going this way." Pinkie stated, moving in the opposite direction. "So are we." "Like Applejack said, we're sticking together, Pinkie!" Twilight confirmed. "No we're not!" She began running away from them. "Pinkie, come back!" They all shouted before running after her. Chapter 7: Jace needs HelpChapter 7: Jace needs Help. ~After many minutes of driving, the boys came to the campsite. Jace laid back on his seat and sat quite still. He looked out the window and got a terrible shock as soon as he realised they had arrived. He leaned over to the cupboard Fluttershy was confined in and put his lips right to the door.~ "Fluttershy!" He whispered. "Are you awake? We've reached our destination. Wake up!" ~Fluttershy was awake now, very much awake. She creeked the cupboard door open and looked up at Jace, still trembling.~ "A-are we? Oh…" Jace slipped down beside her. "Don't be frightened. I'll look after you. As long as the boys don't know you're here, you'll be alright." "But what about you? What is going to happen?" whispered Fluttershy, glad that the rattling of the van drowned her voice. "I'll be fine too. I know they won't harm me. They're-" ~The engine suddenly jolted and the whole vehicle came to a stop. Fluttershy slid quickly down to the floor in fear, holding back a whimper too.~ "Ok, we're stopping. Keep down, Fluttershy, don't make a sound!" Jace ordered. Luda turned the engine off and peered out of the open window. "Alright. Parked up nicely." He said proudly. "Now, let's get out." ~Topas unbuckled his seatbelt and crawled to the back to get Jace. Jace yelped and quickly shut the cupboard door completely to hide Fluttershy. She sat up quietly and cautiously. She could not see or hear anything of the three boys. The darkness had swallowed her completely. It didn't take long for her claustrophobia to kick in and for her to breathe heavily.~ "Come on, Jacey!" Topas encouraged. "Let's go meet the boys!" ~Topas pulled Jace out of the van and dragged him by the hand to where the boys were gathered. Luda followed them from behind after he locked the van doors. Believing that the coast was clear, Fluttershy immediately rushed out of the cupboard finally. Her heavy breathing increased and she flopped down on the car seats for a minute.~ "Deep breaths, deep breaths…" She said to herself. "Oh dear, I wish Lightning Star, or Rainbow Dash, or anybody else was with me. I should feel much better then. No...I can't always rely on them. I have to do something by myself! I have to help Jace! It's the least I can do." ~Fluttershy took one more inhale and exhale before putting on a brave, stern face. She stomped over to the door and pulled the handle, only to realise it wouldn't move. The doors were locked. She looked around to see if there was another way out, until she felt a breeze come from above. The window of the roof was wide open. Fluttershy's stern face disappeared and she began to feel the fear returning inside her. She tilted her head down before making the wildest decision she would ever make. She climbed onto the seats, then jumped to the roof window. Her hands clawed onto the edge and she pulled herself up and out. She crawled onto the roof, but was stuck again.~ "Um...now what?" She whimpered. ~The shy girl looked down from the van to the ground, only to scream, shut her eyes and turn her head away from the edge. She opened one eye again, and this time looked to her right. She opened the second eye and gasped to see a small tree, close to the van. She could reach out to the tree and climb down it to the floor. She nodded to herself and did just that. Once her feet hit the ground, she sighed in relief.~ "That was utterly terrifying and I never want to do that again!" Fluttershy breathed. "Hey. Did you hear something?" ~Stato comes around from behind another nearby caravan, Rogar then does soon after and begins to follow. Fluttershy exclaimed in surprise and hops quietly into bush as the two boys walked by.~ "I saw something yellow and pink. And Frad gets stingy when he sees the colour pink. Did you see it too, Rogar?" "Tamias…" Rogar muttered, staring off in the light of the trees. Stato sighed. "Okay. You're too stupid to talk to. Forget it. Let's just go." ~Not paying attention anymore, Stato shut his eyes in shame and headed off somewhere, dragging Rogar with him. That gave Fluttershy the opportunity to come out from the bush and go somewhere else. While she was skulking around, Jace, Topas and Luda were approaching a neat little gathering of tents all laid out in the shape of a circle. Chip and Rohas peek out from inside one of the tents and were thunderstruck when they saw who they think they saw.~ "Hey, Rohas. Isn't that old Jace over there?" asked Chip. "It sure looks like it. Let's go say hi." He replied with a smile. ~As the boys exited their tents, Topas smiled at Jace. He released his hand before bending down at Jace's feet. Jace was confused on what Topas was doing, until he suddenly felt something clip on his ankle again. He looked down and saw a weird, blinking bracelet around his right foot. He lifted his leg up to get a better look before attempting to shake it off.~ "Topas, what is this and why do I have to wear it?" Jace asked shyly. "It's a lockdown bracelet. It's so you don't run away again. If you exit the campsite, it will trigger an alarm and alert us so we can come and find you." Jace, for once, glared at his 'friend'. "Why are you treating me like I'm a pet?" "Because You kind of are." Topas ruffled Jace's hair. "You're my little buddy, and I don't want to lose you again. You understand, right?" "Yes, of course I do Topas, but-" "Then what are ya complaining about?" Topas shrugged while putting on a smile. "It's for the best, alright. Now, why don't you go and catch up with your other old friends? Luda and I gotta head on over to the council to...talk." ~Topas ruffled his hair one more time before walking to the council building with Luda. Jace watched them leave and frowned. He shoved his hands in his pockets too and grumbled. He has never grumbled before, in fact, he is hardly ever mad. He looked down at a small stone and almost kicked it in frustration but went against it at the last second. Chip came up behind the angry boy nervously and called out to him.~ "Hey, um, Jace." "Hm?" Jace turned around. "Oh, hey Chip. Rohas." Rohas smiled. "Mr. Donar. Why, we never thought we'd see your face again." He said in a light mood. "Um, yeah. Same here." Jace turned back around and stared off. Chip raised a brow. "...Is something wrong?" He asked, noticing the sudden change. "No? Sorry, I need to breathe in the fresh air." "Oh. Okay." Rohas nodded while exchanging a weird look at Chip. ~Jace looked beyond the trees and suddenly noticed Fluttershy peeking at him from behind one. He motioned her to lay low by waving his hand down. She whirled back behind it as he motioned her to just as Stato and Rogar came up to him, Chip and Rohas.~ "Hey! Jace!" Stato greeted. "Stato! Rogar!" Jace waved back. "Nice to...see you!" ~Stato lifted his arm up high and Jace went to high five it, but Rogar stepped in and high fived Stato instead. Jace giggled before all the boys stepped closer and gathered around to pat Jace on the head and or shoulder. Frad and Rube watched from a distance on a rock.~ Rube lifted his eyes up. "Hey Frad, Jace is-" ~Frad jumped down from the rock and straighten his hair and bowtie before approaching the group, ignoring Rube talking.~ "Here." He sighed. "I missed you guys." Jace smiled softly. "We missed you too!" Stato smirked. He dismantles from the pile. "But why did you leave?" "Well, because-" "Boys." Frad crosses his arms firmly. "Back. Away. Don't crowd him. This boy has just been through the unspeakable." "The Unspeakable?" Jace questioned. "Oh boy. Here we go." Stato frowned. Frad pulled a sad face. "Poor Jace. Poor, poor Jace. Who knows what horrors you've seen…" He said dramatically. "Horrors? Wh-What horrors?" "Shhh...It's okay...We'll get through it together." Frad said, putting his arm around Jace. "It wasn't that bad." "Oh no, it's not bad. It's worse. I feel your pain. Because I have too been through it." "Really?" Rogar slurped. "Right. We gotta make sure Jace is okay. And make sure he's still the same old Jace we knew and loved." Chip sighed sadly. Jace was conflicted. "But, I am the same…" "We can only hope." Frad interrupted. "We will have to see how much damage those...Insidious teenage girls have done to him!" "'Insidious?' No, these 'Insidious' girls are my friends." Jace shrugged and smiled. ~All the boys went silent. Then, at the same time, they all gasped dramatically. Frad's eyes, face, and personality all changed at the same time and he turned hysterical and mental.~ "FRIENDS?!" Frad began pacing with outrage. "YOUR FRIENDS?! YOUR FRIENDS?! It's worse than I could've imagined! YOUR FRIENDS?! It is worse than I could have imagined! He's gone...Soft!" "SOFT?!" The boys gasped again. "What does that mean?" Rube asked. "What should we do?" Chip gasped. "Yeah, Frad, you heard the lad, what should we do?" Rohas asked. "Can he be cured?" Stato inquired. Frad nodded. "Oh yes. But, It won't be pretty. Prepare...The tent!" "THE TENT?!" The boys gasped once more. "Not the tent!" Rude shuddered. "Oh yes, The tent." ~Frad smirked at Jace and showed his pure white teeth. Fluttershy noticed the smile from her hiding spot easily and didn't like the look of it. She began to fear for Jace's safety and knew she had to think of something. Meanwhile, up above, Lightning, Stitch and Spike were watching everything from the highest tree in the area. They narrowed their eyes at the targets before exchanging each other looks and flying away from the campsite to find the girls.~ Chapter 8: Rainbow's DilemmaChapter 8: Rainbow's Dilemma. ~The Rainbooms sans Fluttershy and Pinkie, strode along the path in exhaustion. They were just about reaching the top of the hill, and wanted to quickly jog up there, but their hearts were beating so hard, it forced them to walk slowly, or even stop on some occasions. Finally, Rainbow's hand smacked the dry dirt at the top and she pulled herself up and over. She then helped the others down below once she gained the tiniest bit of strength again.~ "I'm so tired…" Rarity groaned. "Me too…" Rainbow added. "Honestly, where is a fainting couch when you need one?!" "Come on girls, don't give up. We need to keep going." Twilight encouraged, despite groaning and panting as well. "For Jace and Fluttershy…" Sunset breathed. ~The girls scrambled to their feet and soon began to move again. However, Rarity's legs began to ache more and felt as if every bone in her body was being jarred out of joint. Applejack noticed her friend in pain, and frowned. She looked up as the sun setted through the trees, and realised the night was actually coming pretty soon.~ "Y'all, I think we should rest for a few hours...it's gettin' late and we're all pantin' like sheepdogs on a hot summer's day." Sunset darted her eyes up at the lowering sun. "Alright." She sighed. "I guess we need it." Rarity fainted to the ground. "Thank you…" She breathed in relief. ~Hastily, Applejack yanked Rarity from the ground and placed her up against a tree. Gingerly, she felt her throbbing head and closed her eyes to rest. The others sat around beside her, and for a long time no one moved or talked. Their breathing was still heavy and their legs were aching. Rainbow Dash leaned her head back to relax, but when doing so, she noticed a figure in the sky, and it was coming straight for them. Rainbow was at first ambivalence, but then she squinted and got a closer look, and saw that it was Lightning and Stitch and Spike the dogs.~ "Hey, check it out! Lightning, Stitch and Spike are back!" She exclaimed. "Oh, thank goodness!" Rarity sighed happily. "There they are! Lightning, Dive! Dive!" ~Lightning didn't hear Stitch. Her eyes were almost asleep and all she could hear was the calm beach sounds in her head. Suddenly, she was awoken by a nibble on her neck. She yelped in surprise and fumbled in her flight pattern. Stitch released his grip on Lightning's neck before digging his claws into her jacket. Spike yelped too as Lightning did begin to dive down, and because she was tired and in pain, her landing wasn't quite elegant. She thumped on the ground and crashed, face first, into a tree. Her ears and tail deactivated and she scrunched up her face.~ "Oww…" She groaned. "Lightnin'!" Applejack cried. The gang rushed to her. "Are you alright?" Rarity asked. "Did you find Jace?" Rainbow prompted. "Been...flying...for...many hours...need rest…" ~Lightning's head bowed and she collapsed quickly out of exhaustion. Her arms ached and her hands felt raw. The five Rainbooms were completely astonished by her sudden faint and decided to also prop her against the large tree too. They sighed, then focused their attention on Stitch and Spike, who staggered to their paws weakly.~ Applejack went to them. "Stitch, Spike...where's Jace?" Stitch whined, then barked up. "Oh! Umm...Jace...ih! Jace is over the trees, pass the lake and the mountain and is at a campsite with some boys not far from here. Right, Spike?" "Right." Spike nodded. Rainbow was pleased. "Oh Yeah! Good job! Come on, guys! Let's go! "Uhh...Rainbow Dash…" ~Rainbow's determination stopped when Applejack called her. The girls and dogs could hardly stand up and were still panting their lungs out. Rainbow looked at them with a rueful face.~ "Oh right…We'll have to leave tomorrow morning…" She said. "My thoughts exactly." Applejack smiled as she and RD sat by the tree. "I just hope Jace and Fluttershy will be ok. I seriously do not want them to stay there any longer." "Me neither. But, they have each other, and hopefully, if Jace knows a few thin's, they'll be fine." ~Fluttershy left the tree with a sense of fear too deep for words. She started to watch the sun fall and a few light, fluffy clouds break the fresh sky. She spied through the trees then bravely stepped into the circle of tents. She could see was a small glow coming from each of them and no one in sight. Until suddenly, she heard voices and looked over to see a larger tent, glowing brighter than the others.~ "Come on, Jace just do it!" came a voice from inside. "No!" She heard Jace shout. "You know it's inside you." Another voice spoke. "Never!" "Jace!" Fluttershy breathed to herself. "What are they doing to him...?!" ~Fluttershy whimpered before scrambling up to the tent and hiding outside it. She watched the shadows play in the tent. She had to think of a plan to help, fast.~ "Come on, Jace. Do it for us! For the boys." Rohas encouraged. Rube nodded. "And do it fast. Before Frad gets here-annnnnnd too late." ~Rube felt someone touch his shoulder, then push him aside. He knew it was Frad right away. He stepped into the tent, gazed down dully at Jace from his height. Jace got concerned.~ "Is it done?-Did he do it?-Is it over?-Are we finished?" Frad asked constantly. "Oh yeah, it was great." Rube answered sarcastically. "Let's go to sleep now." Frad sighed. "The real answer, Rohas." "We tried everything. The boy's locked up like a rusty gate." Frad facepalmed. "Honestly, Jace… Why is this so difficult for you?" "Hmm…" He growled. "You can make it stop at any time. All you have to do is...Say: 'Girls are gross.' Come on, Jace. Say it." "No!" Jace yelled in repulse. "Say it! Say it!" Both Rube and Rohas chanted. "No! It's cruel!" "Again with the 'No.'? Typical." Rube said. "Ugh, Frad, you are wrong about girls…" Jace tried to explain. "They are not like what you said." "Yes they are! They are terrible! My goodness, what have they done to you?-They've made you think like them! This is bad. Means we're gonna have to take desperate measures. Rohas, get the 'instruments'." ~At once, Rohas turned and left the tent, Fluttershy dodged his eyes and scurried behind the tent when he left. And of course, she could hear everything coming inside.~ "Instruments?" She questioned. "Wh-what are those for?" ~She gasped to the sudden footsteps coming back to the tent. She felt Rohas go back in and place something large on the floor.~ "What…?" "We had these buried in this very site for a long time. Never understood why." Rohas claimed, putting a shovel down and opening the box. "Until now." Frad grinned. "Rube. Hand me, the Game console." "Oh boy…" Rube sighed as he handed his brother a game console from the box. "Listen closely, Donar. Do exactly as I say." "Please, don't." Jace begged. "Play it. Go on, Jace." Frad smiled. "No!" "Play it. Play it! PLAY IT!" "Play Pokemon! Call of Duty! Fifa!" The boys chanted. "No! I'm not-I'm not going to do it!" Rube sighed. "Yep. Keeps refusing." Frad did too. "Ok, you are literally trying my patience, Jace. You are no longer with the girls, you are with us, boys. And BOYS, DON'T DO GIRLY THINGS! NOW, HAND ME...THE ACTION FIGURE!" "No!" "YES!" "Ok, Frad, just calm down, calm down, calm down." Rube sighed. "We'll get through this." "Hey, where is the action figure?" Rohas suddenly asked. ~Rohas stuck his head in the box in search of the figure, but couldn't see it. Until he looked up. Fluttershy was standing behind the box, action figure in hand.~ "Excuse me," She started. "But it's not nice to force someone to do something they don't want to do." "AHH! It's a GIRL!" Frad screamed. "What?" "Whoa! Who is she?" Rohas demanded belligerently. "What's she up to?" "Where did she come from?" Rube asked. "I don't care-Just get her!" ~With a snarl, Frad threw Fluttershy off like a ragdoll. She stumbled back and lost her footing. With a cry of alarm, she teetered and then fell to the polyester covered floor. Frad had not finished with her, however. Lying on her back, she faced his towering from high above her. His brows were the colour of thunder and with a cold sneer he grabbed and lifted the shovel off the ground and over his head, ready to bring it down upon her.~ "Jace! Help me!" Fluttershy cried. ~Jace knew he had to act. Rushing forward, before anyone could stop him, he dived down and struggled through the boys. He seized Fluttershy's hand and dragged her to her feet before bursting the tent flap open and running out with her. Frad swung the shovel, but it just about missed, and slammed into the floor.~ Frad turned to the flap in shock. "What the…?" "Jace just helped her!" Rube exclaimed. "Don't just stand there, get them!" screamed Frad. "Don't let them escape!" ~The three boys shove out of the tent and see Jace and Fluttershy race around the tents in attempt to lose them.~ "This way!" "O-Okay!" Fluttershy panted. "Fluttershy, See if you can try to get this bracelet off!" Jace exclaimed, showed her the brace around his leg. "I'll-I'll try!" Frad suddenly came up behind her. "Boo." "Ahh!" "Let's go!" ~Jace held Fluttershy's hand tightly as she trembled with fear and ran with him. They continued racing around the tents, and Frad, Rube and Rohas continued pursuing them. However, Rube started to get tired so he slowed to a walk and tripped on his baggy trousers upon doing so. Rohas ran around the tent Chip was camping in, so he called out to him for help.~ "Chip, there's a girl here trying to steal Jace. Come help!" "Eh, I'm too tired, man." He yawned from inside his tent. ~Frad began shrieking to the sky with anger as he bolted for Jace and his companion. He was hot on their tail and could almost about reach them, if something had not distracted him, like Topas and Luda coming out of their tent, half asleep.~ "What is going on out here?" Luda demanded, annoyed by all the shrieking. "Jace?" Topas inquired. "Fluttershy, hurry!" Jace panicked. "I'm trying!" ~Fluttershy dropped the action figure she was still holding onto and made Jace stop so she could use both hands to try and remove the bracelet. Frad knew this was his chance. He headed straight for the duo and was about to grab them, when suddenly he stepped on something hard and crooked. His ankle twisted all the way around and he shrieked again, this time in pain. He looked down and saw the figure below his foot. His left leg and ankle were now both twisted, and he could not stand on it. He instantly fell to the ground sharply. Fluttershy turned and saw play out badly.~ "Oh. My." She gasped. "We need to go." Jace urged. ~Fluttershy set the bracelet down, and together, she and Jace plunged into the forest and disappeared from the camp. Rube and Rohas panted as they reached Frad lying on the ground. They stared at his ankle.~ "Ouch, that has to hurt." Frad lifted his upper body. "I...have...HAD IT! NO MORE! THOSE GIRLS HAVE PUSHED ME TOO FAR! THE NEXT TIME I SEE ANOTHER GIRL COME OUT OF THE FOREST OR ANYWHERE ELSE, IF THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR PAPERS THEY ARE GETTING A FULL FRADDIE SMACKDOWN! THIS IS WAR!" ~With a final shriek, Frad groaned and fell to the ground again in pain, he could not move his leg at all. Topas, Luda and the rest of the boys in the camp crowded around him.~ "Oh Frad…" Chip gasped. "That is just horrible…" Stato sighed. "I can't believe it...Jace...ran away from us again…" Luda said unbelievably. Topas dropped to his knees. "No...We literally just found him only to leave us again! I...I don't understand, I just don't!" "Do you wanna go after him?" "No, I just want to go home. I'm too sad to continue with the days. Come on..." ~Topas got up and walked away sulkily. All the boys watched him and sighed deeply before staring into the forest.~ ~It was Lightning who woke up first. There was a strange sound nearby the tree the gang was under. She felt in the darkness for the closest person near her and gave them a shake. It took some moments to rouse them.~ "Lightnin'?" mumbled Applejack. "It ain't mornin' already, is it?" "No." hissed Lightning. "Listen. There's someone outside." "Think it could be Pinkie Pie?" she whispered excitedly. "I don't know." Lightning replied. "Let's take a look." ~She leant over and kneeled up. Both of them poked their heads around at once. It was still dark and the clear light of the stars shone coldly. All was quiet.~ "There's no one…" Applejack began. "Wait." Lightning whispered. "Look over there." ~The cowgirl followed her gaze with wonderment. There in the darkness sat what looked like a person, with messy like hair. It suddenly coughed, and the cough sounded pretty raspy. Applejack immediately knew who it was.~ "Rainbow Dash?" She gasped. "Huh? Oh. Hey guys." "What are you doing out here so late?" Lightning asked, taking a seat beside her. "I was just thinking about Pinkie." She threw a stone and it flew into the darkness. "Aw. Great. That was the best stone here. Now the only ones I've got are soggy and slippery." Lightning smugged. "Hmm, just like Pinkie's…" ~Applejack suddenly interjected Lightning by nudging her arm and glaring at her. She instantly shut up.~ "What was with Pinkie this morning anyway?" Rainbow asked in exasperation. Both Lightning and Applejack went blank. "Uhh...Well…" Applejack stuttered. "Hey! I wonder if there are any better stones over here!" ~Lightning stomped and flipped on her feet and went off to the trees to gather more stones, as well as some sticks. She piled them up in her arms and threw them down beside Rainbow and Applejack, they bounced a little when they made contact with the ground. The two picked one up a stone each and analysed it. Lightning sat back down and also picked up a stone and examined it.~ "Ah-ha! Nice and round and less slippery! Here you go, Rainbow." She tossed the stone over to Rainbow, she athletically caught it with one hand. "Here, let's see who can throw the stone the farthest!" Rainbow pulled a smile. "Alright. You're on!" ~Like a professional thrower, Lightning winded her arm up and over her head and lobbed another small stone into the darkness. They never heard it thud. Rainbow went next, and she lobbed the stone she had into the darkness as hard as she could. Once again, there was not a sound to be heard. Applejack went last, and she lobbed the stone as fast as a bullet. And this time, they heard it hit on something rough, like a tree stump. Lightning and Rainbow were shocked before they both began laughing. Later, the three girls had no more stones so they began chatting and watching the sun barely show itself from the horizon.~ "You know, I'm actually glad Pinkie's not here." said Rainbow. "Seriously?" Lightning inquired. "Yeah. I mean, she has been acting weird lately and I just don't want to be a part of it." "Ah, come on, you and her did exchange somethin' to each other back in the hideout." smiled Applejack. "Well, before all THIS happened." Lightning whispered. Rainbow sighed. "...You know, Pinkie hasn't actually ever apologized to me since then." "We did talk to her about you and how you felt, right before 'The Cake incident'." "The Cake Incident?" "Pinkie Pie wanted to make a giant cake for ya as an apology. However, it sorta...melted." Applejack explained. "Oh, so that's why Pinkie felt...weird. It wasn't about Jace at all. Why did she lie about it?" "Beats me." The raccoon girl shrugged. "Too stressed and sad, perhaps?" "Yeah. Probably. But, trust us, Rainbow Dash. Pinkie does care for you. She just...got mad and sad, just like when you did when you…" "Stepped into her goop collection." "Yeah…" Rainbow breathed and looked down. "Well, wherever Pinkie is now, I hope she will come to her senses independently, calm down and find us, so we can apologize and save Jace. Together." "Absolutely." Chapter 9: Lost in the WoodsChapter 9: Lost in the Woods. "Cold...s-s-so cold…" ~Pinkie shook and shivered as the night wind blew past her coldly. Her arms had goosebumps all over and she tried to warm herself up with something but all she could find was an old, damaged newspaper. Still, she used it as a blanket and covered herself up with it. She had her back against a large dustbin filled with rubbish as well as surrounded by a ton of rubbish bags full of rubbish. The smell, the smell was horrid, but Pinkie got used to it. Weary hours dragged by, and Pinkie finally breathed one gigantic sigh.~ "I still don't need anyone…" She lied to herself. "I can look after myself...this is fine…" ~Pinkie suddenly heard noises so she threw herself up to her feet rapidly, ready to defend herself. She began kicking and punching the air as well as the rubbish surrounding her. She stomped down on a bin and made the lid go flying straight up, it spun all around too as it flew. When she then realised nothing was there, Pinkie lowered her fists. She collapsed to the ground again to catch her breath, as well as calm down from that excitement. She stood back up after half a minute, only to fall back down when the lid of the bin she stomped on came back down and clouted her on the head.~ "Oww!" ~The pink girl groaned before throwing the lid off her head and onto the ground. It made a clanking sound once it made contact. Pinkie then groaned even more and clutched her head afterwards. She stood up again, and went to wander around to help her sore head, but her foot wouldn't move. She looked down and saw that a sticky substance was oozing from one of the rubbish bags, it had split open completely and all the rubbish inside began spilling out, and straight onto her foot. Pinkie sighed in tremendous irritation.~ "This...this is a good character building moment…" She mumbled. "Ah-Come on, Pinkie, toughen it out! You are a highly-trained secret agent! You can do this, You can find Jace! You don't need the girls, and you certainly don't need Rainbow Dash! So what, if she helps me make cupcakes and pies?! And listens to my problems? And comforts me every time I feel sad…? And...always has my back when evil magic is afoot...?! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" Warm tears began to pour down Pinkie's face. "DASHIE!" She wailed. ~No longer minding what was around her, she flopped down and sobbed her heart out. The newspaper blew over her completely and she curled up in a ball.~ ~The caravan engines began revving up again. All the boys got into each of their vans and the drivers of them put in the clutch and pressed down the accelerator; the vehicles slid off down the roads. The mother of Fraddie and Rube was just about climbing into her van, preparing to leave.~ "Come on, Rube!" She called. "Time to go to Boyland!" Rube hurriedly threw his backpack on his shoulders. "Alright! Boyland, here we come! I'm pretty excited. I'm looking forward to the bumper cars, the toy train, the waterslides and the pool, and the buffet! How 'bout you, Frad?" ~Frad didn't answer. He was already in the van, lying on the car seats, headphones plugged in his ears and everything. He constantly kept groaning though as well, his entire leg and foot were killing him. Honestly, he just wanted to close his eyes and perish. Rube climbed into the van and saw his brother in a state, but said nothing to make him feel better. He just ignored him and sat down on the floor, since Frad was taking up all the seats.~ "Keep that ice pack on, bro." Rube smugged. "SHUT UP!" Frad shouted. ~The caravan moved quickly out of the camp and back onto the road. And just as it was coming out of the camp's sight, Stitch and Spike poked their heads above a hill just beyond the camp. They hopped up and over it swiftly to reach it down below. Next, The six Rainbooms appeared and stood on the hillside top. For a brief moment, the camp looked beautiful, but they dared not be fooled. Its momentary splendour hid the deep evil within its walls. They slid down the steep slope and entered through its gates.~ "So, where are they keeping Jace?" asked Sunset. "In a tent. Over...there?" Spike pointed his snout in the direction of a tent, but it had been taken down. "The place is deserted, y'all." observed Applejack. "But, they were here. L-Last night, we swear!" Lightning exclaimed. "Oh, no, I believe you guys. Whoa…" "What?" "Looks like there's been a struggle." ~Applejack leapt and entered in a large rut in the shape of a circle. She looked among the dry grass and dirt to see footprints. Footprints scattered everywhere. They came in all different shapes and sizes, some of them even clashed with other prints on the ground too. The cowgirl kneeled down and examined one of the clear prints up closely. Lightning and Rainbow also peeked at it over her shoulders.~ "Hey, Those are Fluttershy's footprints! I recognise the pattern of her boots!" Rainbow gasped. "A-And those are Jace's!" Lightning exclaimed, pointing at another print. "I also recognise the pattern on the bottom of his shoes." Twilight looked at all the prints. "It seems to me that Jace and Fluttershy tried to fend off their attackers. However, I'm not sure if they were successful or not." "Hey, Master! Look at this." barked Stitch. ~After he pawed at the floor, Stitch turned back at what he was staring at. Applejack looked above him to also discover what was interesting him. She put her hand on her hat in shock, then nodded seriously.~ "And here is where it happened." Rainbow pouted. "What is it? What are we looking at?" "Nothin', Rainbow Dash. Nothin' because the tracks end right here." "Meaning, that they might have been caught trying to escape." sighed Twilight. "The kidnappers must have also realised that isn't a good place to confine them, so they moved." "That would explain why this place is deserted." Rarity nodded, waving her arms around. Everyone sighed in annoyance, but Rainbow sighed in anger. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" She shouted, facepalming hard. "Where do you think they went then, Twi?" Sunset turned to Twilight. "How should I know?" She replied, shrugging unsurely. "I'm just using the evidence we've got right here, I'm not a psychic." "Ok, What do you think, Lightning?" "Gee, I don't know." Lightning said. "If only we had another sort of lead." "How about this?" ~Spike's voice sounded mumbled. In his mouth was a colourful leaflet, packed with pictures of fun amusements. The wording was also fun and colourful, like it was supposed to be appealing to young people such as themselves. He spat it out into Lightning's hand and she began to unwrap it, as well as wipe some of the dog saliva off of it.~ "Boyland?" Lightning began to read. "The amusement park that brings joy to all boys. No Girls allowed. " She stopped there. "The heck kind of place is that?! Doesn't allow girls, honestly..." "Where did you find this?" asked Sunset, looking down at the pup. "Just here on the ground. Maybe that's where they're taking Jace and Fluttershy next." Spike said confidently, wagging his tail. "Spike, this is just an old leaflet." Lightning shrugged. "Besides, how can we be sure they dropped this? It could have been dropped by someone else long ago." "Might wanna check again, Lightning. Look." ~Looking in the direction Twilight was pointing on the leaflet, Lightning spotted something written in black marker on one of the sides. It said, 'Hope Jace has a grand old time here again. This will get him back for sure. -Topas.' Lightning softly blinked.~ "Ok. Maybe they did drop it." Rainbow snatched the leaflet. "Great! We have another lead! Let's go!" "Rainbow, darling, we don't know which way we're going again…" Rarity called out. "Oh, yes we do. The road signs will show us." Twilight pointed across the road and at the green signs showing them the way to the amusement park. Lightning was relieved. "Oh. Good. I don't have to fly. My tail is still feeling a bit sore. I wanna use my legs now." "Come on then, y'all. Let's hurry!" ~The girls hurriedly exited the camp, and with Applejack taking the lead, they set off on the roads, following the signs to Boyland.~ ~In a short time, the caravans of the boys parked in a car park field and approached a grand old amusement park. It only had cold themed colours and stoned walls with barbed wire on top circling around it. Security were hanging on these walls and were surveying the area for any feminine people. But other than that, the park looked fun. Rube jumped out and, looking up at the ferris wheel and smelling the air of popcorn and peanuts, he smiled excitedly.~ "Password?" asked the guard at the front entrance. "Comics." ~The guard examined Rube and Frad and let them in. The mother remained in the van, and waved goodbye to them. Rube was helping his brother walk, despite him constantly trying to shove him away and trying to walk by himself. Once two boys went through the wall and saw the sun again, they heard a large toy train chug past them. The rails circled the inside of the park and behind an abandoned building the designers were supposed to tear down last year. The train went behind and out from the building, went through a long tunnel and stopped at the station to allow the boys travelling it to get off. After it stopped, the boys could hear the musical roars of the rides and carnival games. Rube smiled once more.~ "Would you take a gander at this? Wow. The guys really improved from last year. This, Frad, puts a 'B' in 'Boy.'" "Rube, I don't want to do this." Frad huffed silently. "It's kinda late to back out now, don't you think? Come on man. Your ankle and leg aren't that bad. Although it doesn't really make you look sophisticated." "Oh, SHUT. UP!" "Ok, sorry..." ~On another road, leading away from everything, Topas and Luda were driving away sulkily. Luda had a big frown on his face, while Topas was on the verge of crying. He blew into his nose with his hand while wiping a tear from his cheek.~ "What in the world is wrong with him, Luda? Why doesn't he want to be with us, Luda? What did we ever do, Luda?!" "Topas, calm down. It's pretty clear and obvious to what Jace wants. He doesn't want to hang with us anymore. He's moving on. He had new friends, friends that are girls, and are not psychopaths like Frad." Luda growled. "I knew he was a reason Jace quit us." "No, I refuse to believe that. He will probably come to his senses soon. I guarantee it." "I doubt it. If he's moving on, we have to as well. Accept it." ~Topas said nothing and just stared out of the window, lost.~ ~Meanwhile, in the depths of the forest, Jace and Fluttershy journeyed through the trees in hopes of finding the way back home. As the forest thinned out, the air grew cooler. Jace reckoned that the thinner it gets, the chances they'll be out of the forest. He just had to believe in himself and not take the wrong turn.~ "Is this the way back home? Or is it this way?" Jace crossed his arms and pointed in both directions. "We're not lost, are we, Jace?" Fluttershy asked him. "Oh! No, of course not-Ok, maybe we are. It's ok though. We'll find a way. Where there's a will, there's a way." Fluttershy looked beyond the trees. "Maybe I can ask somebody for directions." "But, there isn't anybody around here." "Aren't there?" ~Softly, Fluttershy whistled out in the open for a bunch of bright beady eyes to open up in the darkness. Jace backed away. All the eyes came forward and revealed themselves as adorable baby squirrels, rabbits, birds and hedgehogs. They crowded around Fluttershy as she got down on his knees. One rabbit hopped up and placed its paws on her legs.~ "Wow…" Jace said in awe. "Hello my friends," Fluttershy greeted. "We are trying to find our way back to Pixel High, but we're lost...Could you help us?" ~The animals squeaked altogether before pointing in the direction of a pond. It was surrounded by tall reeds growing in the shallow water and was connected to a river leading upwards.~ "Oh. Ok, so if we follow the river, we'll find the city?" ~They all nodded.~ "Well. thank you. Thank you very much!" ~Fluttershy kissed the rabbit on its fuzzy forehead before leaping up to her feet. She stroked the other animals goodbye as she walked past them and over to the river. Jace was nervous, but he followed Fluttershy immediately through the animals. However, a small squirrel approached him, blocked his path and chittered happily at him. He froze, but then, with what little courage he had, he kneeled down and scritched the squirrel's tiny ear with his fingernail. He smiled and enjoyed it very much. After he was done, and he carried on his way and caught up with Fluttershy to the river.~ "I love your ability to talk to animals, Fluttershy. It's both cute and helpful." He said with a grin. The girl blushed. "Thank you. I'm really pleased that I can understand them now. For the longest time all I've heard from them were sweet little chitters." "You know, For as long as I can remember, I've always been afraid of wild animals, but there, I didn't feel fear at all." "How can you be afraid of those sweet little things? They don't mean harm, they are just-" "Whoa!" Jace interrupted. "What kind of monstrosity is that?!" ~Jace and Fluttershy leapt up with a start at the strange sound of a creature coming around the trees and by a river. It was a furry, smelly dog-like creature. Brown mud covered its front from head to toe and it droopily continued to drag its feet around, as well as something stuck on the heel of its foot.~ "Eep!" Fluttershy blinked, cowering behind Jace if she could. "Um, can your power be of use here? Monsters are technically creatures right?!" Jace asked. "Well, only if they are cute and kind and small, but this one doesn't look like he is!" "Wait a minute...Pinkie?!" ~Pinkie Pie looked up at the people who greeted her. However, she continued galumphing around, almost looking like she was about to give up and faint. Jace and Fluttershy approached her face to face.~ "Huh? Oh hey." She croaked in response. "What-What are you doing here? And...what happened to you? You look like a talking mud-pie. Where are the others?" "Oh...they're rescuing Jace and Fluttershy…" answered Pinkie. "Hey Fluttershy." "Umm...Pinkie, are you okay?" "Yeah, what's going on? Why do you look like that?" "Oh...trash can be playful sometimes and mud...it's just everywhere...Seemed only a matter of time before I fell face down in the shallow bog." said Pinkie, glancing down at her bedraggled clothes. "Whoever thought mud needed to be in the forest should have their head examined." "I think it's you that needs your head examined." Jace replied with a frown. "But seriously, where are the others?" "Like I said, they're saving Jace and Fluttershy. They went that way." Her crooked finger pointed right, then down. "Wait...to the camp?" "They must be following the RV we were stuck in." said Fluttershy. "But, We only stay there for the night, then we go to...Boyland." Jace suddenly realised. "Oh no…" "What's wrong?" "They are going to Boyland! This is terrible!" Pinkie, still feeling dazed, nodded. "Boyland? Nice...Tell them to get me something there." "No, Pinkie! You don't understand. Boyland is an amusement park for Boys only. And these boys hate girls. Dearly. It's also heavily guarded by guards and they will shoot at any girl on sight. Our friends are in serious danger!" Jace explained, tugging on Pinkie's bedraggled shirt. "We have to go back and help!" Fluttershy gasped. "Okay! Well, Have fun then!" "Pinkie, what's the matter with you? Snap out of it!" ~Jace threw his hand into the pond and cupped a tiny handful of water. Then, without warning, he splashed it straight into Pinkie's face. She made all sorts of glugging and gurgling noises in her throat once the water hit her face and up her nose. The mud slid down her cheeks and she gazed at Jace and groaned.~ "Ughhhh...Ahh...Jace? Fluttershy?! Where did you come from? Did I save you? By myself?" "No! Don't you see though?! Lightning, Twilight, Sunset, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow! Stitch and Spike too perhaps! They will all be torn to pieces!" "Torn to...pizzas?" "Pieces!" "PIECES?! Rainbow's in trouble?!" "Uh-huh...and the others too!" Fluttershy panicked. "Well, why didn't you say so?! RAINBOW DASH, DON'T WORRY! I'M COMING TO SAVE YOU!" Pinkie set off northwards, holding her fist up high. "You're going the wrong way!" Jace yelled. "No, I'm not-" ~She never finished her sentence, for suddenly she felt the ground tremble beneath her feet and make way into another steep ditch. She thumped on the ground and dust filled the air around her.~ "Oh, COME ON!" Chapter 10: Rescue Attempt No. 2Chapter 10: Rescue Attempt No. 2. ~After twenty minutes of walking along the road, the Rainbooms, Stitch and Spike spotted a walled off amusement park and assumed that must be the place. But, all they could see was the tip top ferris wheel. The wall was so high that it stood at least three times the girls' own height. Lightning thought that it must have taken really heavy machines to build such a wall.~ "That's the park?" quired Rainbow. "Must be." Sunset answered, still staring up and over the wall. "Hm. Looks nothing like the picture on the leaflet." Lightning complained. "Gotta say though, it's very well built." Twilight observed. "Talk about high security and keeping things in place and hidden." "Well, they don't want girls goin' in or findin' out 'bout this, now do they?" Applejack stared. "I suppose not." Rarity sighed. "Men truly are a mystery." She said, shaking her head. "And selfish, mind you. Why not share this park with others?" "No idea." Applejack answered. "But, never mind that for now. We just gotta go an' get Jace and Fluttershy back!" "Do you reckon it's safe to climb up the wall and take a look inside?" Spike asked. ~As the girls looked up at the wall to see if climbing would be a possibility, a squirrel began to scale it. But as it reached about halfway up, a dart came from nowhere and struck the small animal on its back. It fell back down to the ground and didn't move. The girls pulled an uneasy face and Rarity's mouth gaped open.~ "Yea-no." Twilight said, answering his question. "Yeah, too much security and guards. Maybe we can get a better view from the top of that tall hill." Lightning pointed left at a mountain hill. "Come on." ~The hill definitely proved to be very tall and more like a mountain. Once everyone made it to the top, they could see the inside of the park. Then, they noticed the field filled with caravans. Not one spot was free. The girls gazed at them in amazement.~ "Oh my good glory...Look at all those caravans…" Rarity sighed. "Oh, I do hope Jace and Fluttershy are alright." "Me too...So how are we going to get inside?" Rainbow asked. "Well, we could try tunnelin' our way in…" Applejack suggested. "Or, Lightning could fly us all in." Stitch barked. Lightning slowly turned to her dog. "I can not fly everyone in. You are all too heavy. I do not have super strength." "Hmm, you know...How in the hay did the boys get Fluttershy inside the park?" Applejack wondered. "Well, maybe they didn't, maybe they left her in their caravan." Lightning shrugged. Twilight shook her head. "They wouldn't. It's dangerous to leave someone in a vehicle for a long period of time. I think they would know that." "Ok, Maybe, they were sneaky...or maybe they disguised her-I-don't-know." Rainbow puts on a thinking face. "Disguise….Hey! That's a good idea!" Everyone glanced at her. "What if we disguise ourselves as boys and go in and look around?" Lightning raised a brow and nodded. "Well, it's an option, but we don't have any boy clothes and makeup to look like boys and-" "Lightning, darling." Rarity interrupted. "Say no more. I will come up with the disguises. Good thing I carry my emergency case full of sewing equipment with me." She made a giant case appear out of thin air. "Of course you do." Applejack smiled, while rolling her eyes. "Wow. Yeah, not even gonna ask where that came from." Lightning said. ~Rarity opened up her case and a full-on desk replaced it. A sewing machine was planted in the centre while fabric surrounded it, very neatly folded. She sat down and immediately got to work. After half an hour, Rarity was finishing the final piece of clothing for Rainbow Dash. The fashion girl threw the top over Rainbow's head and she put it on, it fit like a glove. After Rainbow got her head through the shirt, Rarity stuck a small plaster on her nose.~ "There you go, Rainbow Dash. Perfect." "Thanks, Rarity!" ~As Rainbow nodded at Rarity, Lightning and Sunset were admiring their new style. Lightning tied her hair in a ponytail and tried to make it look as untidy as possible, so it looks like she doesn't care. Her outfit almost remained the same but the only difference was; she had a larger jacket, no pink, instead it was replaced with the colour yellow, and sunglasses over her eyes. Sunset drew a pencil thin beard on her with black eyeshadow. She adjusted the cap on her head and tried to tuck her hair inside it. She also wore sunglasses. Her outfit was a light red jacket over a white shirt and ripped trousers the same colour as her leggings.~ "Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all." "Yeah. We look great." Sunset said. "Well, not everyone." ~Lightning and Sunset turn to look at Applejack's clothing, they almost burst into laughter. A miniature propeller hat was stuck on top of her head and the strong wind was making it spin like crazy. She wore a red and blue striped top with blue dungarees over it. Practically, all she needed was a swirly rainbow lollipop and she would be perfect. Finally, Twilight appeared wearing a simple blue hoodie over a smart polo shirt. Her jeans were blue and were tightly buckled up with a belt. She threw the hoodie over her head and tucked her hair inside it.~ Lightning tried to clear her throat and go through the plan. "Anyways...haha, sorry, Applejack. Umm, we'll split up into 3 teams. Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity. You 3 will walk into the front entrance and look around for some sort of area that could contain prisoners. Stitch, Spike and I will keep a hawk's eye out for you, while Sunset and Twilight find an undetected way in, and maybe take out the guards so they won't be a problem later on." "Sounds good." Sunset nodded. "Got it. Let's go." ~Rainbow and Rarity slapped their hats onto their heads and tucked their hair in as they walked over to the entrance.~ "Good luck, 'Rainbow Blitz', 'Elusive' and…Applejack." Lightning shrugged unusually. "Do I really need to wear this?" Applejack asked, pointing at her new hat. "I look pathetic." "I think you look adorable, darling…" Rarity said while her eyes brightened and smiled. "And you are supposed to be a little boy, and all little boys wear cute propeller hats." "None I've ever seen." Applejack replied, gritting through her teeth. ~Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity looked towards the entrance of the park. They got in the queue and awaited their turn nervously. They could see two armed guards searching and questioning everyone.~ Lightning nodded to Twilight and Sunset. "Ok, now, 'Dusk Shine' and 'Sundown Glare', you two go on and try to find another way in. Stitch, Spike and I need to fly." ~The two girls nodded and slid down the hill. Stitch and Spike ascended on Lightning's back again and she darted upwards to look over the park. Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity slipped along the line from one to another until they were almost at the front. The people in front of them chatted amiably to the guard, then walked in. When the guard called 'next', the girls came forwards.~ "Password?" He asked. Rainbow's eyes widen. "Password?! Umm…" "C-comics!" Rarity blurted out suddenly in the deepest voice she could manage. The guard raised a brow. "Hm! You know, you guys look a little thin to be boys. But you do know the password, so I guess you can go in." ~The trio smiled and slipped roughly through the gates and scooted down the street.~ "How did you know the password?" Rainbow whispered to Rarity. "I overheard the boys in front of us say it. Need to keep your ears clean, darling." "That sure was lucky." Applejack admitted. "Tsk! Yeah! Too lucky…" ~Meanwhile, chilling by the pool area, Frad was lying on a deck chair. He was tossing and turning in pain, as Rube rubbed some sort of ointment on his leg and ankle.~ "Oww! Hey!" "Sorry, bro. Just, stop moving, I'm almost done. There." ~As Frad lifted himself up to see his leg, he frowned. His ankle did not look any better, if anything, he thinks it looks even worse.~ "Are you kidding me?" He sighed, turning to Rube angrily. "It's not that bad." Rube shrugged. "I don't think anyone will notice." ~Just as he said that, a bunch of boys passed by. They glanced at Frad's leg and pointed at it and began to laugh. After they walked off, continuing to laugh, Frad glowered and clenched his fists.~ "No one, will notice? No one will notice? No one will notice?! No one will notice?!" Rube sighed. "Ok, except them-" "Yeah! They noticed! They noticed! I noticed! You noticed! We all noticed! I NOTICED!" "Ok, ok, I get it. Calm down. I'm sorry. Me and my big mouth." ~Back to the entrance of the park, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity exited from under the arch. The sun shone on their eyes instantly, but they cleared up after some moments. After they did, they looked and walked beyond the park. They were in the sort of fair that had shelves filled with small figurines, and cuddly toys, and games. It made Applejack and Rarity feel like they were in Equestria Land again, sadly it didn't feel good for them. Neither did it for Rainbow Dash, who was staring up at the roller coaster and the screaming people. Her phobia began building up again, but thankfully, Applejack snapped her back with a light arm tug.~ "Wow." "Tsk. Yeah. Talk about weird." Holding onto her small hat, Applejack looked around in vain. "Looks just like Equestria Land…" "Yes, however, I do not want to talk about it too much." murmured Rarity. "Let's just find Fluttershy and Jace, and get out of here. Ignore everybody you see, keep walking and don't make eye contact." "Ok…" ~With a short nod, the girls surged forwards and the three began to walk out of the fair area over to the amusements. Ignoring the fun roller coasters, the smell of sweet and salty popcorn, peanut and candy floss, and the games, they kept surging. Rainbow counted the boys around them and came to a total of three hundred and fifty boys. It wasn't going to be easy finding their friends in this storm.~ "Jace?! Fluttershy?" Rarity called quietly. "Where are ya?" Applejack added. ~The trio kept calling out until they made it to the pool area. They silently skulked behind and past the boys on the deck chairs to head for the last place they haven't searched yet, the abandoned building. They passed the last deck chair that Frad was lying on! He opened his eyes when he heard them calling for Jace and Fluttershy. Then he remembered that Fluttershy was the name of the girl that helped Jace in the camp. His eyes widened at the girls and he grew heavily suspicious.~ "Jace…? Fluttershy…? Hmm…" ~Frad watched the girls walk by slowly. Rainbow wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she could feel he was watching them. They reached the front of the abandoned building, without noticing Chip, Rohas and another new boy now staring at them. They looked about the place.~ Rainbow cupped her mouth. "Jace, Fluttershy, are you two around here...somewhere?" She then noticed the boys staring. Applejack and Rarity then do too. "Well, well," Chip began. "I have never seen you boys around here before." "You look really skinny...have you ever worked out?" Rohas asked. "3 times a day actually!" Rainbow retaliated. Rarity began to chuckle nervously. "We're new to this town," She said, bringing back her deep voice. "We were trying to find a restroom, I guess we went the wrong way, so if you don't mind…" ~They began to walk backwards, but felt something behind them. It was three more boys. Two of them were Stato and Rogar, the other was a random.~ "Stato, it's the Tamias…" Rogar said, hanging his tongue out. "Not now, Rogar…" Stato grumped, lightly knocking Rogar to the ground. ~Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity knew they were in trouble. Three girls might take on three boys, but six was more than they could handle. Nor they could run away, all the ways were blocked and Rarity might not be able to outrun them. They were trapped. The three suddenly looked right to see Frad approach them, he trampled softly over Rogar's body and smirked.~ "My friends... today, justice wears a blue bow and a smart white shirt." ~The three girls weren't listening to him. They were distracted and kept staring at Frad's broken, twisted leg.~ "Oh my goodness…" Rarity gasped quietly. Rainbow cringed. "Ugh! What happened to your leg-" "QUIET! You scums! You vermins!" He interrupted madly. Rube dropped down. "Frad, calm down, man. Take it down a notch." "No! You be QUIET too! I will not abide! Everyone just SHUT UP! SHUT UP! Don't you see?! We have girls on our premises!" "Girls? No! We are tough boys like you!" cried Rainbow, putting on a deep voice. "Yeah! Uh...bro?" ~Applejack pounded on her chest and held it up high. Rainbow and Rarity also stood up high and tried to smirk like they did, but Frad wasn't convinced by the slightest. He nodded at the two boys behind them and they ripped off the hats Rainbow and Rarity were wearing. They exclaimed 'hey' in their normal voices and their long hair fell out. Rarity dropped and clamped her mouth in dismay while Rainbow and Applejack gasped when they realised their cover had been blown.~ "Nice try, but no girl ever gets away from me and my clan and just sneaks into our private amusement park!" Frad shouted. Rube came forwards. "We heard you say the name 'Jace.' So, we want to ask you some questions." He said, surprisingly politely. Frad changed the mood again. "And make you suffer like I did. Take them to the 'station'. I've got something planned." ~Three pairs of slippery hands suddenly seized the girls from behind. They looked behind them at their captors and saw their tough faces. They also saw that they were wearing rubber gloves, because they think that touching girls will make them sick. Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity struggled as they were frogmarched away somewhere.~ "Oww! Hey!" "Hey! Let go!" "Unhand me!" Rarity demanded. Rube rubbed the back of his neck. "What are we gonna do with them, bro?" He turned to Frad droopily. "We are going to take these girls for a little joyride to hell! That's what!" He exclaimed before laughing evilly. ~Frad's laugh echoed upwards, where Lightning, Stitch and Spike were spying down on them. They saw the whole thing play out, and they were all both mad and concerned. "Ohhh...this isn't good." Stitch groaned. Lightning cried in worry. "Girls! No...This can't be happening!" She growled and was about to take flight when Spike stopped her. "Lightning! What are you doing? You can't take on 7 boys! And even if the others join in, you will still be outnumbered by 3!" "What should we do then?" Stitch whimpered. Lightning groaned. "We need a plan. Let's go back to the car park and tell Sunset and Twilight about this. Then we can think of a plan together. Quickly." She looked around then flew off as quick as lightning. ~Meanwhile, still outside with the vans, Sunset and Twilight circled the park in hopes of finding a secret door or something to get in. With lighter steps, they looked around the final wall, they crept until Sunset noticed something wooden and blocky set inside the wall. A handle was sticking out and showed itself to indeed be a door leading inside. Twilight tugged the handle, but it wouldn't budge, not to her surprise.~ "It's locked!" "We're going to have to find a way in to open it then." said Sunset. "Wait, you can use your magic! Just like when you opened the door to the supply closet in the movie studio to get Rainbow out." "Oh my gosh, You're right! Ok then!" Twilight was about to touch her geode, but stopped when she heard strange noises. "Hi-yah! Wah-ha!" a high-pitched voice boomed. "Shh, Pinkie! Be quiet." another voice hissed. Sunset and Twilight glanced at each other. "...Pinkie?!" ~They crept around the corner they came from again, and couldn't believe what they saw. Pinkie, Jace and Fluttershy flat against the wall. The girls looked up in bewilderment at the wall, while Jace was trying to figure out where to go from where they were. Sunset and Twilight hurried over to them before they moved again.~ "Jace! Fluttershy!" They both called. Fluttershy turned and yelped at the two. "Umm...who are you?" she asked timidly and scaredly. Sunset looked confused, but then she looked down. "Oh, excuse the disguises. It's us!" She removed her accessories, as did Twilight. Jace gasped. "Sunset? Twilight?" ~They both nodded. The five smiled then embraced each other like old friends.~ "Oh, thank goodness you two are safe!" Fluttershy sighed in relief. "Same with you! Pinkie as well! Did she actually save you?" Pinkie chuckled in embarrassment. "No, heh heh. I might've gotten sidetracked. I'm sorry." "It's ok-" smiled Sunset. "No. Really. I'm sorry for everything. I only thought about myself and my needs and-and-" She began to tear up. "Pinkie, Pinkie. We get it. Alot has happened. We are all under pressure right now. So, don't beat yourself up." Sunset affectionately wiped a tear from Pinkie's cheek. "Sorry, I haven't got a handkerchief." Jace grinned. "See, Pinks? I told you they will forgive you." Pinkie smiled and sniffed. "Yes, Thank you for forgiving me. I just now have to say that to Rainbow." "Oh, yes, where are Rainbow and the others? What have you been doing?" Jace asked, changing the subject back to the serious matter again. "We could ask you the same thing." Twilight replied. "Well-" "Hey! Sparkle! Shimmer! Over here!" suddenly came a familiar voice. ~At once, everyone turned to the right and saw Lightning's head poke around the corner of the stone wall. She motioned them to come to her by swinging her hand forwards and backwards. The four girls and Jace nodded as they went over to and around the corner. Stitch was perched on Lightning's shoulders and Spike had his head against her leg. When they saw Jace, Pinkie and Fluttershy, they were shocked, but happy too. Fluttershy held out her arms and Spike called and jumped to greet her. He softly licked her face and she giggled.~ "Jace? Fluttershy? Pinkie? Where did you guys come from?" Lightning asked. ~Jace was about to answer, but Lightning raised a hand quickly.~ "Wait. If it's a long story, make it short." "...Okay, so, Fluttershy and I escaped the camp, and we were about to head home when we ran into Pinkie..." Jace started. Pinkie spoke next. "I told them that you were still looking for them and that you were following the boys. Jace then realised that they were heading to their favourite amusement park, and they don't like girls being in there very much..." "We figured that you would be in trouble...So we came back." Fluttershy then said. "Because of...Frad. The insane leader of my friend group, well ex friend group." Jace finished with a sigh. "Ah." Lightning nodded weirdly. "Well. I'm glad you're safe." "What exactly is this 'Frad's' problem, if you don't mind me asking?" Sunset asked. "He hates girls, but I have no idea why." Jace shrugged. "All he says is that they ruined him, and that he wants all boys to think the same. He tried to make me believe girls were bad when I was with them in the camp. I kept saying that he was wrong about them, but he didn't listen. If Fluttershy hadn't come and helped me escape, I don't know what would've happened." "Ohhh…" groaned Fluttershy. "Gosh…" Lightning sighed. "But just-Don't worry about me now! Worry about you. Are you all okay?" Jace asked in concern. "Well, we're okay. As you can see." Stitch admitted. "But Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity sure aren't!" Spike added. "A bunch of crazy boys have got them." exclaimed Lightning. "And I'm gonna take a wild guess they were Jace's ex friends." "What?" Everyone gasped. Fluttershy's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no!" "Yeah! They went inside to look for you two because we thought you were in there!" Lightning pointed at Jace and Fluttershy. "We gotta save them!" Sunset stated. "Then, let's go!" Pinkie exclaimed as she rolled up her sleeves and began to walk to the entrance. Lightning grasped onto her arm. "Whoa, Hold on there, Pink!" "You can't just go stomping straight into there! You'll be easily spotted and caught." Jace pointed. Twilight put her hand to her chin. "What we need is a plan. And I-" "I have the perfect one!" Pinkie interrupted as she jumped on Twilight's back, startling her. "Oh boy…" Everyone sighed. Chapter 11: All aboard the Revenge Express!Chapter 11: All aboard the Revenge Express! "I don't know, Pinkie-" "Ey! Undercover boy name!" Jace sighed. "I don't know, 'Bubble Berry'. Maybe we should have gone with Twilight's plan this time." ~Jace stared at Pinkie in discomfort. She had put on a pair of rubber shoes and a dark overcoat so her body looked buffy and more like a boy. She also camouflaged her face with fake glasses and a mustache. She looked so peculiar to the others. As for Fluttershy, they didn't have a lot of clothes to go with, so Jace took off his hoodie and tied it around her waist to cover up the skirt, and Lightning gave her her spare hair band so she could put her hair up.~ "Ah, come on, Jace!" Pinkie nudged his arm. "I'm sure this plan will work. It worked for 'Rainbow Blitz', Applejack and 'Elusive', right?" "Yeah, it worked, right before they were discovered and captured!" Lightning claimed. "Relax, 'Thunder Moon'! We got this!" She held her wrist calm to her lips. "You also got this, right, 'Dusk Shine' and 'Sundown Glare?'" "Right." Twilight smirked. ~She, Sunset, Stitch and Spike were unlocking the mystery door while Lightning, Jace, Fluttershy and Pinkie were queuing at the entrance. Lightning was terrified that Fluttershy's disguise would not do. So, when they got closer, she motioned Fluttershy to stay behind her. Jace took the lead in and spoke to the guard when he called them.~ "Password?" "Comics." Jace answered. ~The guard stepped aside. The girls silently sighed in relief and slipped by, covering half of their faces. They were relieved nobody took any notice of the three girls. However, while walking by, Pinkie glanced back and made eye contact with the guard. She smiled then looked forwards again.~ "See? Told you it'll-" "Hey! You! Wait just a minute!" The guard glared and began to stomp over to them. Pinkie began to panic. "OK, The plan's not gonna work! The plan's not gonna work!" "Alright, just stay calm, everyone." Jace assured. "Yes, sir?" he then asked, looking back. "Do you think you can just waltz right in here?" He asked tersely. "Umm…" "Without your free large popcorn and slushie card. Congrats! You're our 100th visitor today!" "Oh! Cool! Thanks!" Pinkie smiled, gingerly taking the card. ~Lightning smiled also but then, quickly, she dragged Pinkie by the arm through the arch and into the light of the park, before something else happened.~ "There!" said Pinkie proudly. "Told you it would work." "Fantastic!" Jace marvelled. Lightning nodded. "Yeah, but that was too close for comfort. Hmm...I wonder if Twi and Sun made it in that door." She clicked on her wrist calm. There was nothing. "They're not answering." "We'll try again in a minute. For now, let's find Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity." "Where could they be?" Fluttershy asked. ~From inside the dark, long tunnel, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity grunted as they were laid each on a flat metal surface and tied to it. Their wrists were tied behind their backs and their legs were pinned down and tied together on the metal bed also. Frad and his cronies grinned at them as they struggled, squirmed and cried for help.~ "Heeelp! HEEELP!" Rainbow cried. "Help! Somebody help us!" "Scream all you like," Frad taunted to their angry faces. "Your friends can't hear you from here. And the boys wouldn't care, because, THEY. HATE. GIRLS! JUST AS MUCH AS I DO!" His eyes went crazy. "When we get outta here, y'all are gonna pay for this!" Applejack shouted. A random boy cackled. "Feisty, aren't ya? Yeah, I seriously doubt you'll get away. There are like 10 guys present here, and we'll be watching you all the time." "Wh-what exactly are you planning on doing?" Rarity asked. "You gonna find out, you vile creature." "Excuse Me-" Frad held up his hand. "My friends. It is time to give these brats some payback!" ~Sinisterly, Frad peeked outside. His boys looked that way with him too. The girls were confused and couldn't see what exactly they were addressing at, until they heard chugging. The giant toy train was at the station, looking like it was ready to depart. That's when they realised that the metal surfaces they were bound to were train tracks. Rarity gasped.~ "You have got to be kidding me, right?" Rube sighed. "A train?" "Yes. A train. I'm gonna give these girls a taste of their own medicine! Since I was run over by a car, they're going to get run over by a train!" Frad grinned. "Why a train, and not a car?" "Because we don't have cars here. You idiot." "There are cars in the car park-" "WITNESSES!" "Psst. Hey. Frad." Rohas whispered. "What?" Frad said, turning angrily to him. "Before we go ahead with your revenge thing, can we first learn how and why these girls know Jace? I'm curious." Frad sighed. "Very well. Don't ask too many questions though, and if they don't say anything, well then, they'll die quicker." ~Rohas, curious and cautious, stared down from his face at the girls. Rainbow noticed at once.~ "What do you want?" She glared, continuously grunting to get free. "I want to know how you know Jace." "What do you mean?" "Are you special to him? Have you had good times with him?" "Actually, we have only known him for a day." Applejack spoke up. "Really? How do I know you're not lying?" "Applejack never lies." Rarity gasped. "Unlike some people I don't know." "Watch your mouth, girl…" Rohas frowned a little. "Still, even if you only met him, what have you done with him?" Rainbow looked at her friend. "Applejack, don't answer…" "It's best to speak when spoken too, Rainbow Dash." ~She turned back to Rohas and began to explain the truth and everything that's happened up to this point.~ ~Meanwhile, back outside in the middle of the fair, Lightning, Jace, Pinkie and Fluttershy were looking over the heads of the boys. Jace grabbed Pinkie and Fluttershy, and with Lightning leading, they skillfully dashed their way through the crowd and into the amusements. Once they made it out, Jace motioned them to move to the pool area to get a better look around. Good thing he knew this park like the back of his hand. However, when Jace ushered them to move, he stopped suddenly and stared at a game a couple of guys were playing.~ "Wow. I remember when Topas and I played that game." "Jace! Focus, man!" said Lightning, clicking her fingers in his face. "Oh right! Sorry…" He scratched the top of his head. "Keep going left and-and…" He eyed the large roller coaster. "Wow!" He shouted, racing off in a complete opposite direction. "What the...Jace! What are you doing?" Pinkie exclaimed. "Where are you going?" Fluttershy asked in surprise. Lightning sighed and decided to take charge. "Ok. You two keep looking around, I'll get Jace and we'll catch up." "Okay." Fluttershy nodded firmly as Lightning followed after Jace. "And now we're here searchin' for him." Applejack finished. "Wow. You actually did all that for him? Maybe girls aren't so bad after all. You girls are actually...very nice." Rohas began to smile. Rainbow pulled a look. "So, does this mean that you'll let us go?" "Hmm-" "Rohas!" Frad suddenly stomped over. "Are you? Siding with the enemies?" "What, oh...no." "Really? 'Cause it sure SOUNDS like it! Don't talk to them anymore, they're just lying and sweet talking you into a trap! Come on!" ~Frad dragged Rohas back over to where his boyfriend, Chip, was standing. He flashed the girls an apologetic look.~ "Sorry…" He whispered under his breath. "Should we get this train rolling now, Frad?" Stato crossed his arms impatiently. "Yes. IF we're done talking." "Wait no! Wait!" Rainbow cried out again. "Help!" Pinkie looked about the large table full of sweet foods. "These boys may be insane, but they make really good food. Mmm! Try it, Fluttershy!" "Um...ok?" She said, as she bit down on a cupcake. "HEEEEEELP!" Rainbow's voice suddenly screamed. Pinkie and Fluttershy glanced across and at the long tunnel. "Rainbow Dash?" "That sounded like her…!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "It came from that tunnel! Come on!" urged Pinkie. ~She threw what she had on a plate to the ground and jostled her way through the crowd again, Fluttershy pursued her as quick she could.~ "You freak, You will never get away with this!" Rainbow struggled. "Oh but, I already have." Frad sneered. ~The end of the tunnel suddenly glowed pink and bursted open. Two pink odd figures step inside it boldly and glare at their friends' captors.~ "Oh but, you already haven't!" Pinkie Pie protested. Applejack raised a brow. "What in the world…?" "It's the 100th visitor." Rogar murmured. "Get lost, buddy! This has nothing to do with you!" Frad yelled. "I am no buddy of yours!" Pinkie huffed. "Wait, it's that butterfly girl in disguise…!" Frad noted. Fluttershy peeked out from behind Pinkie. "Umm...yes?" "Fluttershy?!" Rarity exclaimed. "And me, Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie stupidly rips off her disguise. "Who's Pinkie Pie?" Frad shrugged. "I am!" Pinkie said proudly. "And we're here to rescue our friends, kick butt, and take names! What's your name?" ~Pinkie pointed at Frad but all he gave for an answer was a hideous smile. Fluttershy was suddenly seized in a vicious grip from behind and propelled forwards. She screamed in fear. Pinkie was then also seized not long afterwards. Both struggled and cried out but it was useless. The boys were too strong for them. Sometime later, Fluttershy and Pinkie were lying on the train tracks next to their friends, tied up in the same manner. After the boys tugged and secured the ropes, Pinkie stared at them, completely dumbfounded .~ "Wow. Did anybody see that coming?" "Yes." All the boys nodded. "Even Rogar saw that coming." Stato sighed. "I did?" Chapter 12: Final ApologyChapter 12: Final Apology. "...Ok, this did not go out the way I planned!" Pinkie whimpered. "Well, yeah! Of course it didn't! You charged right in!" Rainbow glared. "Will you two stop arguing for 1 minute!?" Applejack growled. "Unless we get out of here, you two gotta stop." "Hey! Quiet, cowgirl!" Frad sneered. "...Actually, no, keep talking, say your final words. After all, the train is now on its way." ~He was right. The train's whistle was heard and soon enough it was on the move. The girls didn't see the train depart, but the whistle was the signal to say that it has. Frad snickered softly as he watched it in all its glory. Until suddenly and slowly, Rube tapped his shoulder.~ "Frad, come on, is all this really necessary?" Rube shrugged. "You know why we have to do this." Frad pointed at the Mane 5. "THEY will take everything from us! Our food! Our home! OUR VERY LIVES!-" ~While Frad was ranting on, The five girls squirmed and whispered to each other.~ "What are we going to do now, girls? Rarity panicked. "Calm down, Rarity. We just need to think of somethin'. Applejack whispered. "Applejack, don't you have a teeny tiny knife with you?" Pinkie asked. "I did in my propeller hat. But those thievin' lunatics took it." Rainbow frowned."Well, that plan is thrown out of the window." "Well, even if we do escape, we'll still be fightin' 10 guys." "And they're only 5 of us." "Exactly." "We-we need Twilight, Sunset, Lightning and Jace to help us…" Fluttershy whimpered. "We do. We need to let them know, pronto! Thin' is I can't touch my wrist calm so I can't code in." Applejack struggled to reach for her watch. "Hey...I think I can just about reach mine…" Fluttershy said. "Really? Well, quickly, Fluttershy, send in a code dark blue, orange, yellow, white and pink!" Rainbow ordered. ~Fluttershy softly grunted as she attempted to pull her arm over and touch the button of her wrist calm. Her finger grazed the button, but she had enough strength in that finger to press it. The code was sent and delivered successfully.~ "Nice job!" Rainbow grinned. "Thanks, but...how long will it be until they respond?" Fluttershy asked. "We won't know." Applejack answered. "We will just have to hope it's soon." Rarity sighed. "Yeah." The four nodded. ~Jace stared flabbergasted at the roller coaster. There was no doubt the coaster's knowledge; was told to him. He thundered up the stairs and into the waiting line all giddy like. More people lined up behind him and soon enough, he was stuck in the line, but he didn't mind, it was only Lightning who minded. She was puffing and panting on the stairs as she tried to catch up with him.~ "Jace...come...back…" She said, wiping her forehead. "Oh my god, I've never seen him run this fast since the corn dogs cart opened their 50% off discount…" ~Lightning hurried up a few more steps until she felt her watch beep once. She darted down at it and saw it flash the colour codes; indigo, orange and white.~ "A code? Dark blue? Orange? White?" Lightning sighed. "Yes, I know Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity are in danger! I saw the whole thing! Maybe it's a late code. Wait…" She then saw it flash yellow and pink. "Code yellow and pink too?" Her eyes blinked fretly. "Oh no...Frad's captured Fluttershy and Pinkie! Now I really need to find Twilight and Sunset! And get Jace! ~Her fists clenched and with more puffing and panting, Lightning continued her way to Jace. She had to inform him that his former mate had captured two more of their friends, and fast. When she got closer to him, she called out.~ "Jace! Come here! Snap out of it! Our friends are in trouble!" "This coaster...is so amazing! I can't wait to ride it!" Jace said to himself, ignoring Lightning's calls. "Jace Reff Donar, would you get over here right this second! Jesus Christ, I'm starting to sound like a mother scolding her child. Whatever! Jace, get back-" A boy in the queue suddenly shoved her. "Hey! No cutting in line!" "Yeah, go back to the end, line cutter!" said another snooty boy. "Excuse me, I don't want to ride this coaster, I'm just going to get my friend." Lightning madly replied, putting on a deep, male voice. "Yeah, that's what they all say! Get back down there!" "Hey, stop pushing me!" ~The group of boys gave her one of those 'who do you think you are' looks as she shoved one of them away from her. The two suddenly end up getting into a fight, however, it didn't last long. Because in an instant, the boy tugged on Lightning's hair, snapped the hairband she was wearing straight off, and smashed on her sunglasses. Her hair came down, and she yelled in her normal, female voice.~ "AWW-GREAT! My hairband and glasses broke. Now, how am I supposed to hide my face and keep my hair...up?" She noticed the boys staring at her dumbly. "Umm, yeah, perhaps I should cut it short, and also inhale sulphur hexafluoride to fix my girly voice. What do you guys think?" "...GIRL! IT'S A GIRL!" ~The boys' shriek alerted others in the line. Within seconds, everyone were coming down the stairs, shouting and trying to make way. Lightning dived into the crowds, hiding from the commotion as she made her way to Jace. He was elbowed in the gut, dragged down the stairs by a bystander, and yelled at to move, but he wouldn't. Instead, he blagged his way to the front of the line for the coaster. However, when he got there, it closed up as fast as everyone ran.~ "Closed? Wait, What in the world just happened?" He asked, snapping back to reality. Lightning flung herself beside him. "Jace! I've been spotted!" She exclaimed, gripping tightly on his shoulders. "Oh...your disguise fell off," Jace noted. "Ok, don't panic. I'm sure the guards haven't noticed yet. A flurry of red dots suddenly glowed onto Lightning. "What the?" "Target locked. Fire!" ~A rain of tranquilliser darts started to come Lightning's way. Jace tackled her to the ground as the first bunch flew over them by a hair. More were suddenly sent down and Jace watches them scatter, before he could express his concern, Lightning jumped up and swooped herself and him behind a small oak tree, it the best cover she could manage.~ "WHOA, OKAY! NOT OKAY! NOT OKAY!" ~Twilight, Sunset, Stitch and Spike slipped into the strange area and closed the door behind them. They began sneaking along the main hallway and up some dark stairs to a look out area. There was very little furniture in the room, just a desk full of blinking lights and buttons, two chairs, and some shelves of books. As well as four guards staring out of the window above the desk, pressing a ton of buttons on the panel. Sunset peered into the window and saw Lightning and Jace trapped in the crossfire of the darts coming from the weapons controlled by that very panel in front of them.~ "Oh no! Lightning and Jace need help!" She said to her companions. "We need to get access to the panel and stop the weapons from firing then." observed Twilight. "But how?" "Only 1 way," barked Stitch. "Create a diversion. Spike and me got ya." ~At that very moment, Stitch and Spike darted out from under their hiding spot and began to snap at all the guards' legs. The surprised soldier swore and tried to kick them out of the way. Spike avoided the boot easily enough and, barking for all he was worth, attacked again. Then more guards joined in the fray and soon everyone was shouting and jerring at the comical sight of the four soldiers dancing about trying to keep their ankles from being nipped by these crazy dogs. While all this commotion was taking place, Sunset and Twilight simply accessed the panel and switched a lever and deactivated the blasters. Lightning opened her eyes and looked at the window from the distance. She clicked on her wrist calm.~ "Thanks a bunch, Sundown and Dusk!" She spoke in the watch as Sunset answered it. "You're welcome!" Sunset waved back. "Oh, guys, Frad now has Fluttershy and Pinkie." "Wait, what?" Jace gasped. "Yeah! We need to find them. Does that panel have a surveillance camera?" "Yes!" Twilight called. "We'll have a look." ~Twilight began clicking and coding on a few buttons until she looked behind her and saw nine cameras switch on. She and Sunset gasped at one of them.~ "What?" called Lightning. "They're in someplace dark." Twilight explained. "And has train tracks?" "Inside the tunnel!" exclaimed Jace. "Quick, Lightning, let's get there now!" He seized her hand and ran. "We'll meet you guys there once we help Stitch and Spike!" Sunset yelled. "Hurry!" Lightning replied. "Has everybody said their last words?" Frad grimaced as he looked into the girls' faces. "Yes…" The Mane 5 reluctantly answered sadly. "Finally! I've wanted you to shut up since the beginning." "Wait." Rohas interjected. "The pink one hasn't said a word." He addressed Pinkie. "She probably has nothing to say. Let's just get on with the SHOW!" "Now, hold on there, Frad, I do believe the girl may have something on her mind." said Chip. "Yeah, give the gal a sporting chance." Rohas nodded. "No, don't." Rainbow spoke up. "If she hasn't spoken, she's made it clear how she feels." "Okay, good, and I FEEL, that this has gone on long enough." Frad whispered lividly. Pinkie began childishly thrashing. "Wait! I...have something to say now. Please! Let me say it..." Frad sighed. "Fine. But, you only have 4 minutes." "Are you serious? Can I get 5?" "Hey, you better hurry up." Stato eyed. "Ugh, Okay." Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, I'm really, really, really, really sorry. For everything. All I've thought about this day was only Jace and myself. It's-just that-before we tried to apologise, I wanted to make you a cake. It was going to be 100 layers tall, the greatest cake I've ever made in my life! But, it sorta...melted. I was crushed, so I didn't feel like apologizing." Frad kept counting the seconds. "Tick...Tick...Tick…" He taunted. "I felt even more worse when you parted me with a gift, and all I gave was a stupid small cupcake!" Pinkie let out a sigh. "I should've realised that it didn't matter, and that our friendship is more important." "Tick...Tick...Tick…" "I should have just kept my hopes up high, and apologised right there. I'm sorry. Again." "TICK...TICK...TICK!" Rainbow's eyes eased up and she looked at Pinkie in concern. "Wow, Pinkie. Why didn't you say any of this before? I would've understood. Like I do now. And, well if you did apologise, you probably wouldn't have noticed that Jace was in danger. I'm sorry for getting mad. Again." ~The two exchanged a smile as did the others around them. Even the boys listened to their conversation with great passion and wanted to ask a lot of probing questions about them. Frad was the only one not smiling. He folded his arms impatiently, awaiting to hear those words.~ "Thank you. Ok! I'm ready to die now!" Pinkie braced. "Finally!" Frad grimaced eagerly and insanely. Rainbow blinked and began thrashing. "No! Wait! I'm not! WAIT!" "HEY!" ~A blast of frozen water shot down from the end of the tunnel, nearly hitting Frad in the hand. Everyone looked across and saw none other than Lightning Star, in her penguin form, and Jace Donar booking it down the hallway of the tunnel, heading straight for them. They then sauntered when they got closer, then stopped and glared fiercely, especially at Frad, who mirrored their eyes.~ "Jace?" The boys exclaimed. "Jace…" Frad said with a hint of amazement. "What is going on here?!" Jace demanded. "Nothing. Nothing that concerns you." Frad snapped. "Really?" Lightning spoke up. "'Cause it looks like you're about to crush our friends with a giant toy train!" "'Cause they are!" Rainbow called. "Quiet, Skittles!" Frad ordered. He glanced back at Jace. "What are you doing here?" "We came to save our friends." Lightning answered. "I wasn't talking to you! UGH-None of this would have ever happened if Jace just stayed with us and learnt to hate girls!" "No, Frad, none of this would have ever happened if you hadn't had a hatred for girls!" Jace bursted. "He's right, you know, Frad." Rohas spoke up. "WHAT?" Chip frowned solemnly. "Your anger has gotten more violence over the years. Look at yourself. You are about to murder 5 innocent girls who have done nothing to you." "They took Jace! Our friend Jace. 9 months ago, they stole him!" "No, they didn't. I spoke with them, and they have only known him for a day." Rohas confirmed. "You actually BELIEVED them!?" "Yes. I can see they're telling the truth." "You don't see what I see inside girls, Frad." Jace spoke up. "What you see is a treacherous, menacing animal. What I see is a beautiful, amiable person that's no different from guys. I left because of your insane hatred, Frad. I left to start a new life, and a future with a special girl who loves me." Frad stopped glaring. "YOU have a girlfriend?! NO...you can't! YOU CAN'T!" "Of course I can! You can't control me! She is the most sweetest, kindest and most thoughtful girl I could ever ask for." "He's not wrong…" Lightning smiled. "Karly is a gem…" "YOU'RE LYING! This isn't what I wanted!" "Uh...Frad…?" "You'll learn to hate girls, Jace, I know you will. Grab the girl beside him and put her with the others." ~All the boys hesitated. They are now seeing the true colours, and are having doubts about Frad's view of girls. So they stood and watched as one guy, who was still on Frad's side, stalk over to Lightning and Jace. He tried to grab Lightning, but they fought back. Jace swung his fist at the guy's face and made him stumble back. Lightning smiled then slid down to sweep the guy's legs. He fell down with a thud as the she and Jace stood proudly.~ "Darn it…" Frad grumbled. "Yeah, you messed with the wrong girls, man. You have absolutely no idea what we're capable of!" Lightning said to Frad. "Oh, Don't I? Well, better make sure I don't see what you're capable of then! If it's that bad, let's end this!" ~Frad smirked as he heard the chugging of the train behind him.~ "Too bad, you won't have time to stop the train!" He grinned. "Goodbye. GIRLS!" ~The good guys looked ahead and heard the chugging get closer and closer. Suddenly, the train came around the corner and was heading straight for the tunnel and the Mane 5. They cried and struggled dearly to try to get away last minute but they wouldn't budge. They looked at Lightning and Jace for help, but they froze in fear. Besides, they wouldn't be quick enough to stop it or even think of something to stop it. But before the train could crush one of the girls, a magic pulse came out of nowhere and halted the train by grabbing onto its wheels. A figure, that also came out of nowhere, then ran between the gang and jumped on the train. They found the lever controlling the brakes and pulled it back as hard as they could. The engine slowly began to stop chugging and the wheels screeched. The train finally came to a stop and everyone sighed. The magic faded away from the wheels, and Twilight Sparkle stepped out, hands still glowing from the use of her magic. Sunset Shimmer peeked out from the side on the train too.~ "Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed. "Sunset!" Applejack cheered. Stitch and Spike scurried across the floor to Lightning and Jace's side. "We made it!" They both barked. Sunset approached Lightning and Jace. "Is everyone alright?" "We are now!" Jace nodded. "I'm glad we got here in time to stop that train." "Talk about acting fast." Twilight nodded. "WHAT THE-How many of you are there?!" Frad asked angrily, taken aback by the sudden appearance of more girls. "Enough." Lightning glared. "I told you you messed with the wrong girls!" "Honestly, Jace, have you befriended every girl in the world?!" "No! But I would like to." He answered smugly. Frad muffled in anger. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Sunset spat. "He's the one to talk." "Wow, he's even crazier than I thought." Twilight whispered. "Stay calm, men! Don't let them touch you! They will poison you!" "Really? So, no boy will mind if I...lightly jab them on the arm with my finger?" Lightning held out her finger and began to stalk over to Frad. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" ~With a flying dive, Frad brought himself crashing to the ground in a state of fear. He fumbled as he scrambled to his feet and raced off. The boys followed him.~ "That's what I thought." harrumphed Lightning. Chapter 13: Frad AttacksChapter 13: Frad Attacks. "Girls! Are you ok?" Jace rushed and kneeled down to the Mane 5. "We're fine. Thanks, Jace." Fluttershy smiled. "Here. Let's get you out of these ropes…" ~Lightning took out her trusty pocket knife, set it to the sharpest knife and began sawing through the ropes that restrained Pinkie. Once her ropes were cut and loose, Lightning tossed the knife to Jace so he could free Fluttershy. She hugged him once she could move again, and also gave back his red tartan hoodie. Twilight and Sunset tried to untie Rarity and Applejack, but the knots were too difficult. Thankfully, Stitch and Spike came and chewed through the ropes for them.~ "Thank you, darlings." Rarity said, softly stroking Spike's nose. Pinkie Pie stood up and stretched her arms out. "Whoo! I knew we could count on you girls! And I'm glad Dashie and I made up! Right, Dashie?" There was silence. "Rainbow Dash?" Applejack called. ~There still was no reply. Everyone looked around but saw that Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen.~ "Where did she go?" ~Before anyone could answer, they heard her cry.~ "Help!" ~Everyone's gaze followed Rainbow's voice coming from outside the tunnel. They headed into the daylight to find Frad and his last remaining crony dragging Rainbow off. She tried to wriggle away, but the guy held her too tightly.~ "I'm not going down without a fight! I will get at least 1 girl!" Frad shrieked. "No, Frad's gonna kill Rainbow!" Jace gasped. "We are going to stop you, Frad! Once and for all!" cried Pinkie. "Oh really?" Frad yelled above himself. "Guards! The girls are over here! Get them!" "GIRLS?! As in...PLURAL?!" The crowd exclaimed. "We're on it, boy!" ~Total chaos ensued. In an instant, armed guards were coming from all directions. The young teenage boys ran among the guards, throwing their bodies against them and shouting for all they were worth. Two of the guards cut off the entrance, and exit, and stood barring the way with loaded blasters.~ "Oh my goodness…" Fluttershy whimpered. Lightning sprung into action. "Right, Pinkie, Jace, Twilight, Sunset and Spike. You 5 go and rescue Rainbow and take care of the guys. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Stitch and I will draw the other guys away!" ~They silently and confusedly blinked at her.~ "You know what I mean!" ~Lightning winded up then went charging at full pelt down the park towards the guards. She activated her Equestrian magic and grew her raccoon ears and tail. As the guards fired, she dodged the darts by spinning through the air in between them. The cowardly guards needed no more amazement. One glimpse of the raccoon girl was enough and with frightened screeches, they promptly scattered and fled in all directions again, leaving Jace and the girls surprised and astonished, but determined. They split up and did what they were told to do. Pinkie, Jace, Sunset and Twilight, Spike went for Rainbow. They charged in but the guards showed up again, and blocked all ways. There was no way to get through them, not even up, down, or around.~ "Rainbow!" Pinkie cried. "Rainbow!" Sunset grunted. "We can't get past the guards!" "I'll do something about it then," Jace said. "Anything. I'm not going to stand aside and let you get hurt. Perhaps I can draw them off a bit," he wondered, and, against all his instincts, he took to the field and entered the fray. "Hey, come and get me, you mediocre stormtroopers!" ~For a moment, the determined guards ignored him, so intent were they on panicking the girls.~ Jace continued to call. "Girls rule! Girls rule! And boys drool!" ~That did it. The angry, almost mindless guards, unable to refuse the taunt, turned on him like a gigantic storm cloud and attacked. Jace streaked away as fast as his legs could carry him. That gave the girls the opening they needed to get to Frad and his mate. Frad discovered they were coming for him, so he turned to his big bulky friend.~ "Crush them. If you can." He ordered, taking control of Rainbow. ~The tall boy limped over to Twilight. For a moment, she saw his furious, gleaming eyes and was afraid. Spike thought he was about to harm Twilight, so he flew at him and bit him hard on the ankle. The boy gave an exclamation and kicked out at Spike.~ "'Ey! Get off, ya mutt!" ~They fell struggling to the floor and the beast boy howled in rage and pain. Somehow he rolled clear and struggled to his feet. With a curse, he lifted up his foot and stamped down on Spike's tail. Spike bayed in pain, then laid whimpering on the floor.~ Twilight was horrified. "Spike!" She rushed towards her pet. "Stay where you are," grated the boy. "I haven't finished yet." ~He stared down at the hapless dog, then went to attack again, but this time Pinkie and Sunset prevented it. Pinkie threw a blow at his face, then successfully dodged his. Sunset grabbed around his bulky arm, and tried to make sure he couldn't use it, however that ended in failure. He lashed out and swung Sunset across the park. Her legs tripped on a deck chair, and together, they fell into the swimming pool on the left ahead.~ "Sunset!" Pinkie and Twilight exclaimed. ~The boy cackled until someone else joined the brawl. Jace copied Lightning's move and sweeped under his legs. He fell to the ground again, and hit his skull on the concrete kinda hard. Twilight examined him quickly and confirmed he was knocked out. The three suddenly turned to Frad.~ "Guards!" He tried to call. "Guards!" "Umm...They're kinda occupied at the moment." Jace smugged, pointing behind Frad and at Lightning, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Stitch beating them. Frad also looked and shouted. "UGH! What's the use of having guards if they don't do their job properly?" He suddenly noticed the guys coming forwards. "STOP RIGHT THERE! OR SHE GETS IT!" He grabbed around Rainbow's neck. "DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?" "No, you let Rainbow go!" ~Jace, unable to hold his anger in anymore, lunging at Frad. Rainbow was released as Jace pinned his hands down and snarled. The girl-hater was shocked by Jace's sudden outrage, but grinned at the sight almost immediately afterwards. He kicked Jace in the gut with his shoe hard, then kicked again to throw him off. Jace flinched and crunched up in excruciating pain. Frad then strongly picked up his limpless body and dragged it to the pool where he simply threw it in.~ "Take that!" "AHH-HH-HH!" Jace burbled as he hit the water. "Jace!" Lightning gasped. ~Lightning quickly defeated the guard she was battling and dove into the pool. She paddled to her injured friend and lifted him up and out of the pool before his head went underwater. While there, she also helped Sunset out. Jace clutched his stomach once he crawled onto the side, and didn't move. He felt as if he was pierced by a thousand needles. Rube, Chip, Rohas, Stato and Rogar suddenly emerged from their hiding spot and stared at Frad in dismay.~ "...Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch…" Jace groaned repeatedly while Lightning consoled him. "Frad…" Chip gasped. "WHAT? He was asking for it!" "No he wasn't!" Rohas shouted unbelievably. "That was so uncalled for, man!" "Hey, nobody attacks me," He snarled. "I attack them. Let this be a lesson to you all! Speaking of which," He darted at Rainbow. "Where were we?" ~Frad stalked over to Rainbow as she was slowly picking herself up from the ground. She winced with pain. The sting she felt in her shoulders smarted across like a hot knife. He mocked her as she rose. Once she staggered up properly, Frad grabbed her shirt neck, but before he could throw a stinging blow at her, Pinkie Pie threw herself forwards.~ "Pinkie, no!" groaned Rainbow. ~It was too late. Pinkie jabbed her fist into Frad's chest and knocked him back. He let Rainbow go again and before he could retaliate, Pinkie performed a second action. She pulled a spring kick at her enemy, and did some serious damage. She hit Frad right in the face and made him faceplant on the ground. He remained still for a moment, then he opened his eyes and let the veins flow through until they turned red with anger. He showed everyone his demon eyes before staring straight into Pinkie's soul. She felt so afraid.~ "Uh oh…" "Pinkie, run!" Jace screamed. ~She didn't need to be urged, she was off. Frad chased her madly, and constantly tried to scratch and grab her like a wild snorting beast. Everyone was too in shock and fear to follow, so all they could do is shout and beg Frad to stop. It was no use though, he's clearly reached the core of insanity inside his brain.~ "GET! OVER! HERE!" "Fraddie, stop, seriously!" "No, no!" "This has gone too far now!" "Why are you still doing this?" "Leave her alone!" "Don't kill her!" ~Pinkie did all she could to lose this mindless boy. She tried to parkour her way through the stalls and pool area, but Frad was unaffected by them. Charging through, he felt nothing. Pinkie glanced backwards and screamed. She hopped onto the train tracks and ran on them, Frad, of course did the same thing. He snapped at her like an animal and was able to viciously scratch her on the arm. She screamed in full voice and hopped off the tracks. Frad followed, but when was about to hop off the tracks, his ankle twisted on one of the metal bends and got stuck under it. He fell down and tried crawling to safety, but could only get his upper body out of the tracks. Pinkie cried and flew herself into Rainbow's arms. Jace joined them and together, they looked back at Frad, struggling.~ "Once I get my foot free, YOU'RE DEAD!" ~The gang looked at him with concern. But only for a second. A sudden thundering, chugging sound filled the air. Frad heard it, too, and he hesitated. Suddenly, he looked left. The train had started up again and was on its way around, thundering straight towards him. His eyes reverted back to normal, and shot a look of terror.~ "Oh no...NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" ~It all happened so quickly. Before Frad could do anything to save himself, the train ran over his legs and crushed them beneath the steaming wheels that thundered over him. Frad screeched in pain and lifted up his hand for help, before he fainted and dropped uselessly on the ground. The train rolled off Frad and halted at the station. The girls, boys and dogs watched the train go by, then scarcely glanced back at the fallen boy.~ Jace's face was grim and tense. "Aww...Ok, that was not what I wanted…" "I got to be honest with you. I kinda saw that coming." Rube sighed. Chapter 14: The TruceChapter 14: The Truce. ~A squadron of police cars and an ambulance came speeding down the road to the amusement park. They parked right outside the entrance where a couple of guards noticed them in shock. The head car's passenger door opened and Karly Crystal appeared from it. Steven Secret stepped out to join her, and the two set off to the entrance as fast as they could, running at top speed, panting loudly.~ "This is where they said to find them?" Steven quired, slowing down. "Yes." Karly answered, looking at her phone." But, I have no idea why they wanted us to call the police and an ambulance. Did somebody get hurt? Oh, please don't let it be Jace or one of the girls!" "Karly! Chief!" ~A voice muttered in front of them. Both whirled around to see who called them. Lightning, Jace, the seven Rainbooms, and Stitch and Spike exited the entrance, and surprisingly the guards didn't stop them, instead they lowered their weapons and stood down sulkily. Karly and Steven rushed to the front wall of the park where the girls and Jace were gesturing. Jace had a little blood coming out of his lip, Rainbow was still shaking and calming from what had happened, and Pinkie was breathing heavily, while rubbing her arm with the giant red mark on it. Karly gasped in relief.~ "Jace! Lightning!" She ran and embraced the two. "Thank goodness you're alright!" "Hey, Karly." Jace kissed her cheek softly. "Ah, the authorities and medical staff are here. Fabulous." Lightning stated, staring over Karly's shoulder. "Umm, yes, why do you want them exactly? What happened?" "Well, the police are here to arrest all the staff of this theme park, and shut it down completely. And the ambulance, well, it's for the boys behind the wall." ~Lightning glanced to the left of her and caught a glimpse of the boys' faces. Very cautiously, they crept from behind the wall and approached the gang.~ "The medic guys are over there, boys." Jace smiled, pointing over to the staff near the ambulance. "Thank you." Chip nodded slowly. Rube went up to one of them. "My brother has had an accident." He sighed. "Here, I'll take you to him." ~With that, Rube led the paramedics into the park. Later, Frad was being put on a stretcher and wheeled inside the back of the ambulance. He was asleep, so no screeching was heard from him at all, to everyone's immediate relief.~ "Alright, he will be taken to the hospital and we will have a look at those weird legs of his." The paramedic said with a smile. "Yeah, and when you're done, take him to another hospital! A mental one, to be precise!" Rainbow called angrily. Lightning shrugged. "Eh. We'll leave that to the police. They will be asking him a lot of questions. As well as sorting out this here park." She turned to the nearby officers. "Ok, Coppers, it's all yours. Go get them!" ~The officers nodded at Lightning's command and stormed into the park. They escorted all the guards and some teenage boys out before beginning to board off the park with yellow tape. As the main teenagers watched, Jace couldn't help but actually feel gutted that the park he loved is being shut down and destroyed. He let out a silent sigh, but Fluttershy heard it quite clearly. She turned to him and rubbed his shoulder sympathetically.~ "I'm sorry that we had to shut down your childhood theme park, Jace." She said sadly. "...It's alright." He suddenly smiled. "I don't need it anymore. I'd rather go to other, better theme parks with all my friends." Applejack smiled. "That's nice to hear. I just wish the other cursed boys in that there wretched park do the same thin'." "They will." Rohas said, coming forward with the others. "Since Frad is no longer the leader of the boys, we need a new one. A new boy that will turn over a new leaf, and call a truce with the girls." Chip explained. "And we think it should be Jace." Jace blinked in surprise. "Me?" "Yeah. You are the first boy in our gang to befriend, and go out, with a girl. You have guts to do that, so we believe you have the guts could convince the other boys that girls are harmless. You could come back to us again and go on adventures too, and make every boy believe that girls are great." "So, what do you say?" ~Jace turned to his female friends. Lightning and Karly were shocked, and definitely didn't know what to say, especially Karly. The Rainbooms shrugged and motioned that it was up to him. Jace looked up at his head for a moment, then made a decision. He looked up promisingly at his old friends.~ "...Thanks for the offer, boys...but I really like being with my girlfriend and girl friends on their adventures. The Pixels too. We've spent 5 years together, and I don't want it to end." The boys looked at him, gutted, but then they smiled. "We understand." Rohas nodded. "Absolutely. I'm sure Rube can look after the boys then. So, Truce?" Chip held out his hand in peace. Lightning stepped forwards. "Truce." ~Both Lightning and Chip grinned at each other for the first time before confidently shaking each other's hands to show peace between them. The two sides began cheering and patting each other on the back. Rube walked back to join them and soon, much to Jace's delight, they were agreeing and shaking each other's hands. All seemed good, when suddenly a loud engine revved beside the police cars. It was a familiar looking caravan. That's everyone realised who it belonged to. Topas and Luda jumped out and glanced over at Jace. Topas ran and cried his name.~ "Jace!" "Topas? Luda?" Pinkie gasped and screamed. "It's the guys with the claws!" "Hang on, Pinkie…" Lightning halted. "I don't think they're here to harm Jace." "Well, no of course not!" exclaimed Karly. "That's Topas Hins and Luda Smight. You know, Jace's old best friends and one of Fierra's exes." Lightning suddenly realised that and gasped. "I thought they looked familiar!" Topas put his hands on his knees when he reached Jace. "We got a call from Rube that you were here! We want to talk!" He panted. "Talk?" "And apologise." Luda said with a taut lip. "Yeah! Rube told us everything on the phone and from now on, we shall never bother you again. I'm sorry for all we've done to you today. I didn't know." "I...I forgive you, Topas. But, I agree that what you did was completely out of the ordinary, and I don't want it to happen again. I have decided to leave the group and be with my new friends, so can I?" Topas sighed. "Yes. If that's what you want. Goodbye, Jace." "Goodbye, Topas. I will miss you. I'll miss you all!" ~Jace flung his arms around Topas and gave him a goodbye hug. Luda was not a huggy person, so all Jace did was shake his hand and pat him on the back. Jace gave each of the boys one last hug, before going over to Karly and putting his arm around her. The boys nodded and the girls waved before whirling around in the opposite directions and parting ways. As the girls walked to the police cars, Pinkie couldn't help but stare at Rainbow. She strangely felt weary when they walked and felt like she needed to confirm something, so she bounded to her side.~ "Hey, uh, Dashie?" "Yeah?" "Do you forgive me?" "Forgive you? Of course I do! More than before! That crazy afro boy could have killed me if you hadn't done something! Sure, I didn't want you to get hurt, but you proved that you still care for me and ran into the danger for me. That apology was the best." Sunset glanced backwards at them. "Karly did tell you that capture and rescue is the best medicine for friends fighting." "Heh. Yeah, she did." Rainbow chuckled. "I'm surprised it actually worked." "I am too!" Pinkie smiled. "But it makes sense. Now, Rainbow and I are back together again, and there's no separating us!" She giggled as she jumped into Rainbow's arms. "You got that right! And I swear, We are never gonna fight again!" ~Suddenly, Pinkie, clipped her foot on strange place log and fell, Rainbow was dragged down with her and both tumbled straight into the mud.~ "Pinkie!" "Oops…Sorry!" ~The End~ Chapter 6: On the Road to Who Knows WhereChapter 6: On the Road to Who Knows Where. ~Lightning soared up in the blue skies with Stitch riding on her back and Spike tucked comfortably under her arms. All three were slowly and silently blinking at the road down below them, as well as what's ahead of them. Stitch suddenly noticed the roof of the Topas and Luda's van. He barked at Lightning.~ "Ok, Master, make sure you don't lose that van. Me will keep A firm eye on it and me will tell you where it's going." "Me too!" Spike added. "Got it, boys. Better also put those strong noses of yours to good use. That'll also help." "Right." "Stop chasing me!" Pinkie screamed. "Pinkie! Come on! Stop fooling around!" Rainbow sighed. ~Tears started to well up in Pinkie's eyes once more and her hair began to deflate. She covers her face as she begins to run faster and further into the forest up ahead. The other desperately tries to catch up with her. They were all calling her name constantly.~ "DON'T TALK TO ME!" Rarity sighed. "Pinkie Pie, I know you are upset because of what we said about you, but you've gotta understand that Jace was in genuine danger. Your ideas were too…" "Weird?" Applejack shrugged. "Crazy?" Sunset blinked. "Stupid?" Rainbow muttered. "Complex...to work. Maybe we should save your ideas for something more...suited to your level of creativity." Rarity explained. Rainbow nodded. "Tsk! Yeah! Like a pity par-" ~Rainbow was about to laugh but Rarity covers Rainbow's mouth, as well as shoots her a disapproving look and shakes her head very slowly.~ "Okay, okay, you're right! Now! I need to go!" ~Pinkie sobbed even more and raced around behind an oak tree. Rainbow sped around and went to face her, but when she looked behind the tree, she wasn't there anymore.~ "No! Pinkie, wait!" "Where did she go?" Twilight inquired in fear. Sunset sighed. "We gotta find her! Lets go this way!" ~As the gang raced off deeper into the forest, Pinkie hopped out from her hiding spot. She slumped down by a tree stumped and face planted onto it. But, as she was sulking to herself, she began to think about re-evaluating her abilities and skills.~ "Oh, they're right! Again! Everything I do IS useless! How am I EVER gonna save Jace if I'm wasting time being STUPID?!" ~Pinkie lifts her head from the tree stump she was sobbing to. She thinks about Jace and Fluttershy, and how they were still in immediate danger. She thought about how close she'd gotten to saving her friend. But most of all, she thought about how easily she'd given into her friends' worthless complaints, and how she was now hopelessly sulking over nothing. Sulking while Jace was still suffering at the clutches of some rather sinister kids. Something suddenly slips out of Pinkie's hair and it lands on the ground with a clunk. Pinkie looked down to see what it was. It was her E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A agent badge. That's when something clicked inside of her.~ "No...No! What am I doing? I am Pinkie Pie! And a secret agent now! Not some wimp! I don't give in THAT easily! And I don't let sticks and stones break my bones! I must keep going...for Jace and Fluttershy." ~Pinkie snatches her badge off the ground and shoves it back into her flat hair. She brushes it with her fingers, and it immediately poofs back up. She poses dramatically, and filled with determination again, she sped off into the forest.~ "Lightning, turn left, the van's going left!" Stitch yelped. "Oh! On it!" ~Lightning reversed rather unexpectedly, causing Spike to yelp and almost fall out of her arms. She then glided left as smoothly as she could, and got back on track of the van.~ "Whoa…! Careful when you turn please, Lightning." Spike panted. "Sorry, Spike. That was pretty sudden. Even for me." Stitch purred. "Sorry, but we gonna not lose this van." "Stitch is right. We need to focus-and where's the van gone?" ~The two dogs and Lightning look down and see the road completely bare, not a car, or van in sight. Panic began to let loose on the trio. Stitch and Spike began barking and whining in anger and sadness while the emotionless Lightning was trying to calm them both down before they do something she does not want them to do.~ "Dang it." "No! We gotta find it!" "Super sensitive noses, activate!" ~Lightning pulled out the thread from Jace's jacket and let Spike have a whiff of it. She then let Stitch smell it afterwards. The pups both darted around the road and into the trees. Stitch closed his eyes, and licked his paw, then he opened them again, and his pupils shrunk in confidence. He got the scent.~ "Ah-ha!" Stitch barked. "That way!" He pointed his snout right. "Brilliant work, Stitch!" Lightning said, cheerfully. "Hang on now!" ~Lightning charged up her geode, then she zoomed off in the direction of the van, Stitch and Spike held on tight and cheered.~ ~Exiting the forest, Twilight, Sunset, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity began walking on a hiking trail. They didn't know where they were going, but they just had to walk to save up time and effort before Lightning, Stitch and Spike returned to them for a location. However, while walking, they all began to feel the same emotion, guilty. They couldn't find Pinkie Pie so, they had to give up and hope that they'll find her again during the journey, after all, they all had the same objective. Only Rainbow Dash felt the most guilty out of the five of them, she did not want to give up finding Pinkie so she, along with Applejack and Rarity, kept on searching.~ "I don't think Pinkie went this way, y'all." Applejack said, worriedly. "Meaning we lost her!" Rarity sighed in frustration. "We should have never said such harsh things to her!" "She needed to know the truth, Rarity, no matter how much it hurts." "No! We haven't lost her!" Rainbow prompted. "We just...need to look harder!" Sunset frowned. "Rainbow…" "No! She's just...up ahead, yeah! I'll go see!" Rainbow went for her geode. Twilight stopped her. "Rainbow, don't. Even if we do find Pinkie, I don't think she'd want to see us right now. We practically just made things worse by constantly going after her. I think we should give her some time. We are technically going in the same direction so we haven't lost her completely." "Twilight's right. I know it doesn't feel right that we let her out of our sight, but I'm sure she will understand things eventually." Sunset smiled. "And also hope she doesn't get lost or something." "It's a forest. The place was practically made to get lost in!" Rainbow grumbled. Applejack nodded. "I concur with Rainbow Dash, but then again, this is Pinkie Pie we're talkin' 'bout!" "Indeed. She's not going to go out of control this time." Rarity nodded. "And, well, if she does need help, she can still contact us." Sunset assured, holding up her arm with the wrist calm around it. "Right. Let's just move on for now and see what'll happen." Twilight shrugged. Rainbow looked at her friends indignantly, then sighed. "Okay…" Rarity put her hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "We will apologise to Pinkie as well, don't worry, Rainbow Dash. But, the only thing we can do now is keep moving forward." ~Rarity smiled before continuing to walk along the trail with Applejack, Twilight and Sunset. Rainbow looked up along the hiking trail, then took one look at the forest again, and tenses up, pondering, was it always that dark? And were those trees always so tall? She rapidly shook off whatever was going on in her mind, and put it at the back of her head before running and catching up with the others.~ ~Back in the depths of the forest, Pinkie Pie leapt over the thorns inside the bushes and wall jumped off all the trees all adventurous like. The tiniest bits of gunk swarmed her and landed itself in her hair, but she shakes it all out like a dog.~ "Okay, is this east or west?" She scratched the back of her head. ~Putting her hand above her eyes and squinting, Pinkie looked through the forest. She spots something in the midst and assumes it's a clue, so she runs towards it. However, while running, something lodged into the dry, dirty floor, catches her foot and throws her forwards onto the ground. Pinkie looks behind herself and sees her foot over a log.~ "Ok, WHO PUTS A LOG IN THE MIDDLE OF A PATHWAY?!" ~Pinkie grunted as she stood back up again. Her clothes were an absolute mess. She tried to clean them out, but they were beyond washing. The mud was everywhere.~ "Okay. Well, it looks like this isn't going well for me, but that's ok! Because nothing is going to go wrong when I'm saving my friends! I'm Pinkiemena Diane Pie! And I know what I'm doing! Now, what was that thing I saw?" ~Pinkie darted over into the trees and spotted a pair of beady, beastly eyes. She gasped, and the eyes started to get closer and closer, but the closer they got, the smaller they got. Suddenly, a squirrel comes out of the darkness, squeals, then scurries off.~ "Squirrel!" ~Stumbling on her feet, Pinkie began to chase the squirrel through the forest. She had completely forgotten what she was doing and where she was going.~ ~Lightning flopped her arms down underneath her chest, completely bored. She kept on following the van, and she wasn't sure if it was her or was the van going much slower than it was last time? Stitch and Spike relaxed on Lightning's back and yawned as she soared more softly and slowly to be at pace with the van.~ "This caravan is moving very slow…" Spike yawned. "Me know, right?" Stitch whined. "Honestly, I could just sit on a tree for an hour and I can still catch it going up the hill." groaned Lightning, swaying her body left and right in a flight pattern. "But, I can't, because if I do, the van might begin to move faster again. It'll kinda be like the tortoise and the hare story." "Couldn't we just hitch a ride, and land on top of the van?" Spike suggested. "Eh, they'll see us. Easily." Lightning nodded seriously. "Let's just keep doing what we're doing, and hope they reach wherever they're going. Soon. I'm starting to get tired from flying." "Quick, y'all, I can't hold this any longer!" ~Applejack grunted as she struggled to hold down a large log that was bridged across the powerful streaming river. Rainbow jumped and sped down it like it was nothing. Sunset took Twilight's hand and both side-stepped on the log over to the other side. Rarity had a little bit of trouble crossing since the water hit the log rather hard and it sloshed all over her and the clothes. It nearly made her fall in the river as well, but thankfully she was close enough for Sunset to take her hand and pull her to safety. When they all made it across, Twilight signalled Applejack, she nods and swiftly jumps on the log, runs and hops down it before it fell in the water.~ "Good job, guys." Twilight said, smiling and adjusting her glasses straight. "Let's keep going..." Sunset nodded, leading the way.
Chapter 1: The ArgumentE.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Spies: Feud Fight (5#) Chapter 1: The Argument. ~Mirus Hallot kicked down the music room door with all of his might. The wood splintered and thumped against the wall furiously before it was stopped from swinging back by Fierra Mortal. She glanced at Mirus in an unsettling manner and was about to say something when Lightning Star appeared from behind.~ "Thanks for coming by, guys!" She said to them cheerfully. "Anytime!" said Arianna Blairet. "Glad we could catch...up." "Yes, it's been fun!" Mirus nodded with 100% seriousness. Fierra pulled another unsettling face at him. "Fun!? Mirus, we were almost murdered by a crazy doctor!" "But, we weren't!" "But, we could have." "But, we weren't." "But, we could have." "But, we weren't." "Ugh! Ok! Whatever! I'm not doing this with you!" Fierra turned away. "See you until next time!" Arianna laughed nervously. ~Mirus, full of energy and eager to explore everything he could, had already raced off ahead. It took the two girls, Arianna and Fierra, a while to catch up with him, since he is surprisingly very fast. Lightning waved to them as they ran off and out the school and into the portal in a matter of seconds. Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity (The Rainbooms) suddenly showed up at the broken door at just about the right time to see the Pixels leave.~ "Bye, Pixels." Twilight said. "They left quite quickly, didn't they?" Fluttershy exclaimed softly. "Well, they have things to do." Lightning shrugged. "Fierra has to 'circle the web' whatever that means. And Mirus and Arianna wanted to go home." "Oh, they're gone? Already?" Jace Donar peeked out around the door. "I thought they'd stay for at least another hour." "Jace? Aren't you heading off too?" Sunset asked. "Oh no, I'm staying with you guys for the week. I have clothes and essentials! I just feel like Karly needs me. You know, ever since what happened…" Rarity nodded. "I suppose. The poor girl is still shaken up from when she was held captive by Devil." "We should probably go see how she's catchin' up." Applejack replied. "Yeah, I think she needs comforting." Lightning nodded. ~The gang looked around at each other then agreed on that plan. Looking down at their feet and the trap door, they ambled over to it, but before Lightning, Rarity, or anyone could play the tune to open it up, a loud splash was heard from inside. Next thing they heard was Rainbow Dash shouting and groaning.~ "UGH! PINKIE PIE!" "DASHIE! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" They then heard Pinkie Pie cry. "Um...what was that?" Jace asked in concern. ~Jace and the girls rapidly played the tune, opened the door and raced downstairs to see what the commotion was. Rainbow Dash had her foot buried deep inside a tin bucket filled to the brim with a strange green liquid. However, when Rainbow Dash accidentally stepped into the bucket, the density caused the green liquid to rise and overflow in the bucket and drip down on the floor. It was cold and sticky so Rainbow was shivering as well as gagging. Pinkie Pie was also there, staring at the bucket and her friend in a mild shock.~ "What is this stuff?!" Rainbow turned to Pinkie, glaring sharply. "Green goop from my green goop stash." Pinkie shrugged. "I was moving the buckets I had of it to my room…" "Then WHY was it right outside my door?!" "I put it there for a moment but it wasn't by your room." "Then how did it get there?" "I don't know. Maybe I wandered there." "Pinkie, goop doesn't have a mind of its own. Just take you stupid buckets and put them in you room." "They are not stupid! They are a fine function to my stash of things. They also make good hats and drums!" "It's stupid." "Excuse me?!" ~Everyone stood a good distance away from the two as they argued. They all had a look of terror in their eyes, Fluttershy even cowered behind Applejack and held onto her arm, she did not like what was happening at all.~ "O-Oh dear…" Fluttershy whimpered. Karly Crystal suddenly comes out from her room, eyes completely tearstrained. "What's...happening?" She asked tiredly. "I don't even understand why you HAVE the green goop stash!" Rainbow yelled. "I have a stash for everything! You know that!" Pinkie replied. "Yes, but WHY? That's the question!" "Rainbow Dash, you know that we don't question Pinkie Pie. It's Pinkie Pie!" Applejack stated. "Yeah, well, I'm tired of it!" Pinkie gasped and put her hand to her chest. Her eyes bulged in disbelief. "You...You're tired of me?!" "...Yeah. I guess I am. You're too crazy, and messy, and you keep your disgusting stuff everywhere! I think you've been hanging around with Mirus too long. You've become stupid like him!" Rarity gasped. "Rainbow Dash! Surely you don't mean that!" "Yes I do! Now get out of my way!" ~Rainbow lifts her foot out of the bucket and shoves Pinkie away from her direction. She hobbled over to the stairs and went up them, leaving a trail of green goop on the floor. A squelching sound was also heard with every step Rainbow took with the foot covered in goop. After she went upstairs and slammed the piano shut, Pinkie's eyes began to fill with tears. She hiccupped sadly then raced into her room/office and slammed the door shut. The rest were left dumbfounded.~ "Well, this had got to be the most intense start of a story by far." Lightning said, looking half at the ground, half at the fourth wall. ~1 day later, in her house, Pinkie Pie awoke with a frown on her face. The thought of what Rainbow Dash said yesterday still hurt her. She wriggled on her stomach and hung over the edge of her bed, then eventually slipped out of it. She stood up rather gloomy like, got changed quickly and scurried downstairs to the kitchen. She wanted to make herself breakfast, but Rainbow's voice would not get out of her head. She had to make it up to her and show her sincere apologies.~ Pinkie sighed. "What do I do?" She said to herself. "Dashie is so mad at me...but just apologising to her isn't good enough!" A light bulb suddenly appeared above her head. "Oh! Wait, I know what I can do! I can make her a cake, covered and filled with all of her favourite things and flavours in the world! She'll love that and it'll show that I'm very very sorry!" ~Pinkie smiled for the first time today. She swung open the drawers to where the bowls, trays and cutlery was and threw it all on the table. She did the same thing when she opened the cupboards for the ingredients. She stretched her arms out and started to work on it right away. After a few minutes of stirring, whisking and bashing the ingredients altogether and pouring it into a tray and putting it into the oven, Pinkie waited for the cake to bake. However, when she folded her arms and waited, her smile disappeared. She was thinking about Rainbow again. She looked at the ground and sighed deeply but not long after the sound of knocking was heard at the door. Pinkie rushed to the front door and opened it. There stood Lightning, Applejack, Fluttershy and Jace. All had concerned faces.~ "Hey, Pinkie Pie. May we come in?" Applejack spoke up first. ~She said nothing and nodded. The gang walked inside as Pinkie closed the door softly.~ "How...are you…?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie sighed. "I've been better…" She replied. "What Rainbow Dash said yesterday was pretty...intense, wasn't it?" Jace frowned. "It wasn't anything like her…" Fluttershy shrugged softly. "It was something alright…" Lightning said. "Don't worry, Rarity, Twi and Sunset are talking to her about it right now, so maybe they'll calm her down a little." "Ok…" Pinkie nodded softly. Applejack looked at Pinkie sadly, but then smiled and put her arm around her. "Hey...it's gonna be alright, Pinkie. Rainbow Dash, just a little too mad at you, but she knows that ya sorry." "Yeah! Just let the girl calm herself, then both of you can apologise to each other." Lightning smiled. ~Jace and Fluttershy nodded aside Lightning, until they began sniffing around the area suspiciously.~ "Uh, do you guys smell burning?" Jace asked. "THE CAKE!" Pinkie shrieked. ~Zooming into the kitchen, the five see the oven heating up. Smoke erupted from the top and surrounded the oven completely. Pinkie raced into the smoke and quickly turned off the oven, while Applejack opened up the window to let out all the smoke. Pinkie smashed the cake on the counter and everyone checked to see if it was okay once the smoke cleared up. Thankfully, the cake was perfectly fine. Only the center bit looked burned, but you could barely see it. Pinkie breathed a huge sigh of relief.~ "You're making a cake this early in the morning?" Lightning shrugged. "What's the occasion?" Jace inquired. "It's for Rainbow Dash…" Pinkie answered. "To show I'm sorry! I'm going to decorate it with all of her favourite flavours!" "Oh, that's thoughtful of you." Fluttershy smiled. "Thanks!" Pinkie stared at the cake vividly. "The cake has to be perfect! So, I cannot make another mistake! I gotta decorate with absolute perfection!" "Ok...uh, Can we help?" Jace volunteered. "It'll be done alot quicker if we did." Applejack smiled. "Sure! Pass me that box of frosting sugar. And sprinkles! And chocolate! And more Sprinkles!" ~The four friends smiled and got to work. Fluttershy was given the task of finding and putting all the favourite sweets Rainbow loves, and that Pinkie had, together in a bowl, ready to put on the cake, once Lightning was done putting the icing all over it. And while they were doing that, Applejack and Jace were given a task of baking a second, smaller cake to put on top of the first one. A couple of minutes had passed, and Pinkie was biting her nails impatiently.~ "The chocolate is supposed to go there, Fluttershy!" Pinkie prompted. "Oh, okay…" Fluttershy nodded softly. Pinkie turned to Lightning. "Lightning, make sure that frosting is put on precisely." "I'll try my best..." She replied. "Applejack! Jace! Where is the second layer of the cake?" "It's still in the oven!" Jace called. "It should be ready right now." Applejack added. "Fantastic! Quick, put it on the first layer once the frosting has dried! Then bake another cake! It will be the third layer!" "Umm, ok. How many layers do you intend to do?" Jace asked, feeling a little tired and stressed. "100!" "100?!" "Yeah!" Lightning stopped what she was doing. "Whoa, Pinkie. Hold your horses...what-why do you want this cake to be 100 layers tall?" "I want this cake to be perfect, okay!? The best I've ever done! I need to show Rainbow Dash that I'm very sorry!" Pinkie's eyes began to flood. "We know, but you don't have to go big to show that you're sorry." Jace smiled. "We 'll know this cake 'ill brin' ya and Rainbow Dash back together again no matter how it looks." Applejack assured. Pinkie sniffed. "Really?" Lightning smiled. "Yes! You two are one in a million! We just need to remind Rainbow Dash that." ~While Lightning, Applejack and Jace were consoling Pinkie, the oven began to overheat and breathe smoke again. Fluttershy noticed it right away and gasped softly. She tried to tell the others, but they didn't hear her, or even smell the smoke, strangely.~ "And once we do, she'll forgive ya." Applejack nodded. "Umm...girls? Jace?" Fluttershy whispered. "Maybe we can write that down on the cake." Lightning said. "Girls?-" "What, 'You're one in a million to me!'" Jace raised a brow. "Yeah." "Jace?-" Fluttershy whispered. "I like that idea. Don't you, Pinkie?" "Girls?-" "Yeah. I like it. Let's do it!" Pinkie smiled "Girls!" "Yes, Flutter-" ~When Lightning turned to face Fluttershy, she noticed her concerned face and the oven glowing red. She stopped in her sentence and silently stared at the oven. It didn't take long for the others to also stop to see Fluttershy and the oven too.~ "...shy?" Lightning finally said, finishing the sentence. "The second layer!" Jace exclaimed. "Quick, we need to get it out!" ~Applejack grabbed the nearest tea towel on the counter and raced over to the oven. She covered her nose and mouth once her face hit the smoke so she wouldn't cough. She reached the oven and opened the door, but by the time she pulled out the cake and smashed it on the counter, it was too late. The oven was put on too hot and made the entire cake completely black. The smoke also made contact with the smoker alarm so it began to beep loudly. After a few seconds of beeping, the alarm set off the sprinkles and sprayed water all over the place. Lightning threw her hood over her head while the others used their arms. Suddenly, they heard Pinkie scream, so they look over and see her watching the first cake melt in the water. The icing slid down off the sponge, then dripped on the table. The sponge then went soggy and flopped down in a heap. The gang gasped.~ "Oh dear…" Fluttershy said. "Oh god…" Lightning sighed. "Oh-" "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Pinkie screamed.
Chapter 2: Attempting to ApologiseChapter 2: Attempting to Apologise. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" ~Pinkie's screams echoed across the entire city. The people stared up at the sky in confusion while birds flew out of the trees. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were casually leaning against the portal until they heard the scream coming from afar.~ "Did you hear that?" Sunset asked. "Yeah? What was that?" Twilight responded. "It sounded like Pinkie Pie screaming…" "Maybe we should call and see if everything's alright…" ~The two girls look down upon their wrist calms and press to call. Instantly, Lightning Star appeared on the other line, totally not sweating or smiling in discomfort. She waves at the girls once her image showed up on the watches.~ "Uhh-Hey guys!" "Lightning, is everything okay?" Twilight quired. "We heard, well we think we heard, Pinkie Pie yelling." Sunset added. Lightning looked at them in surprise. "Did you? Oh wow...Um-Don't worry, she...she's fine!" "Are you sure?" "Yeah, You know her! Screaming with joy! Ha ha! Uh-How's Rainbow Dash?" "Alright." Sunset shook her head weirdly. "Better than yesterday." Twilight confirmed. "Rarity and Karly are with her inside the hideout at the moment, talking." "Alright, alright. That's...good. Ok, we'll be at the hideout in a minute. Toodles!" ~The watches cut out and turn off in the blink of an eye. The two concerned girls looked at each other before settling down to continue their discussion. But it was cut short again when Steven, Rarity, Karly and Rainbow Dash appeared from the front door of CHS. Rainbow Dash looked nervous and uncomfortable while she walked and Karly and Rarity were trying to smile at her and assure her.~ "Hello, Agent Sparkle and Agent Shimmer." Steven greeted. "Hey, Chief." "Hey, Rainbow. How are you feeling?" Rainbow sighed. "I don't know. I guess I feel...bad." "Because of what you said…" Karly sighed. "I don't know what happened! That wasn't anything like me! I...I feel awful…" "It's okay, Rainbow Dash, darling." Rarity assured. "No, it's not! I got so carried away with Pinkie and made her cry. She's not crazy...or annoying. Never! She's just as awesome as me! I need to tell her that!" Karly nodded. "Of course...in hope nothing bad is happening to her right now." "What? Karly...whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked. "When Lightning and I fight, and separate, Devil or some other villain will come and put one of us in danger. Which means, the other one will have to go and rescue them. And once we do, we apologise, or rather...the rescue is the apology." Karly shrugged. "Goodness…" "Yeah...it's dark, but efficient. And cliche." "Yea-I don't think we should hire somebody or do something to put Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash in danger." Twilight frowned. "We have had fights in the past too, but they are easily solved by forgiveness. And that's exactly what we're gonna do." Sunset nodded. "Agreed." said Rarity. "I do not wish to partake in battling an evil villain again. Can we please catch a break?!" "I mean...we kind of are right now, Agent Rarity." The Chief said. "We have not received any news or alerts about danger in the area, so there's nothing for us to do." "Well, Of course, but it could happen at any second! I would like more than a day to relax!" Rarity suddenly begins to laugh nervously. "B-But, I seriously doubt Pinkie Pie is actually in danger! Hah hah!" "Well, we did hear her scream a minute ago…" Sunset noted. "What?!" "But, but! We called Lightning and she said she was fine." "It was just a little over-reaction." Twilight added. "I see…" Steven sighed. "I concur." Karly shrugged. "I can relate…" ~Rainbow rolled her eyes and turned away from the group. Sunset, Twilight and Rarity ran a few steps around to face her.~ "Rainbow Dash, come on...stop letting yesterday eat up inside you…" "I can't! It's engraved in my head, and it's mocking me!" Sunset breathed. "Rainbow, you and Pinkie are best friends. She knows you didn't mean all that stuff. Plus, she said sorry to you over a million times already." She began to laugh. "I know that…But she doesn't." "That's why we're going to call her and bring her over here, so you two can apologise." Twilight said. "Yeah. Okay. What are we standing around for then?" Steven showed a little smile. "Karly and I will get the flowers then." ~Steven walked back towards CHS and made it first to the door. Karly followed right behind. They strode in the building and across the hallways until they went out of the Rainbooms' sight. Rainbow looked a little confused at them though.~ "Flowers?" Rainbow questioned. "What are they for?" Sunset asked. "For the making up, darling…my idea. I think we need something to lighten the mood. Just in case." Rarity shrugged as well as smiled. "Well, alright. If Chief and Karly are going to get the flowers, We will call the others again, and tell them that Rainbow's ready." "I'm actually going to go and fetch Stitch and Spike. I think they should be with us for support." "Good idea, Rarity. Alright, you go and find them, we'll make the call." Twilight nodded. ~Rarity flipped her hair as she turned around and strode into the school, just like how Steven and Karly did. She entered into the hideout and headed to the dogs' room. But before she reached the door, she called out to them to give them a warning.~ "Hello? Stitch? Spike? Darlings?" Spike screamed. "AHHHHHHH!" "Spike!?" ~Scrambling to the door of Stitch and Spike's room, Rarity threw it wide open and fell in. She groaned then looked upon to see the two dogs staring at the tv. Spike had an earpiece around his floppy ear and a game console in his paws. Stitch was sitting next to him, both barking angrily and sadly at what was happening on the tv. The words 'Game Over!' were shown in the middle of the screen, indicating that Stitch and Spike were playing a game, and lost.~ "My...goodness! No, no! Oh no..." "Ooo...you were so close, Spike." Stitch whimpered. "I can never defeat Gobblegut!" Spike sighed. "Can we play a game I'm actually good at now?" "And what game would that be, Spike?" "I don't know." ~Stitch barked and guffawed right before he spotted Rarity lying by the door. He ceased laughing, but kept his smile as he approached her and helped her up.~ "Hey, Rarity." "Good morning, Stitch." Rarity sighed. "Oh! Rarity!" Spike slid his console away. "Has Rainbow Dash calmed down now?" "She has indeed. It took us a while, but she's ready to apologise to Pinkie Pie." "Thank goodness. To be honest, I thought it was gonna take longer." Stitch nodded. "Me thought it would also take longer, but not that long. Me glad it's happening now." "Indeed. Now, let's get you two cleaned up and ready to support your friend." Rarity lifted Spike up in her arms while Stitch cuddled her leg. "Wait, uh should we get the flowers first?" Spike asked. "No. Karly and Steven are handling those." "Hmm...You know, I wonder if Pinkie will have something to give." "Oh, I think she will. I know she will." "MY CAKE! MY BEAUTIFUL CAKE!" ~Pinkie collapsed to the ground and began to sob her heart out. It looked and sounded like she was making crocodile tears, but her friends could tell they weren't. Applejack kneed down and placed her hand on Pink's shoulder.~ "I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie. None o' us were payin' attention to the oven at all…" Fluttershy nodded. "Hmm, it's our fault the cake got ruined." "What is the world so cruel?! What if...this is...this is Karma!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Karma? For what?" Jace asked. "For...littering my stuff everywhere! The argument must have been Karma too! Rainbow is right! I am too messy, and crazy, and-" "Pinkie! Stop talking like that! You know that Rainbow didn't mean those things!" Lightning sighed. "We need to cheer her up…" "But how?" Fluttershy asked. "Hmm…" ~Lightning put her hand to her chin and looked at her surroundings. The kitchen was completely destroyed and there were no more ingredients left to restart the cake, or enough time to even think about making another large one. She was about to sigh but then she noticed the favourite sweets were still sitting on a bowl, unharmed. Lightning smiled and went for the bowl.~ "Lightnin'. What are you doin'?" Applejack folded her arms. "You'll see…" "I can't believe this...I mean, I can't... "Pinkie, It's going to be ok…" Jace assured. ~Fluttershy comforted Pinkie too, but then Lightning called out to her.~ "Hey, Pinkie!" "Huh?" ~Her gaze turned up expectantly and she saw a gummy bear flying straight towards her. Pinkie athletically caught it and held it tight in her hand. She then opened her hand and stared at it. She was confused as to why Lightning threw it at her so she looked up at her. "Eat this gummy bear, then tell me. What does it taste like?" Pinkie looks at the bear again, then throws it in her mouth. "It tastes great! I love things like this." "Uh-huh. But...it's only just one gummy bear isn't it?" "Yeah?" "But you still love it. That's exactly how Rainbow Dash will feel, if you get her, like, one small cupcake. She will think it's great. Come on, we still have some time and just enough flour to make one small cake. What do you say?" Lightning held out her hand. ~Staring at the hand, Pinkie Pie thought for a minute. She eventually and gingerly took it and stood up again, but she didn't say anything, she only nodded and the group got to work, cleaning up and mustering up the best cupcake they could possibly do.~ ~The portal of CHS started to glow bright gold. Especially the side that led to Lightning and Karly's world. It glowed brighter and brighter, until out stumbled a young-looking teenage boy. He was wearing a long sleeved white polo shirt with an undone collar. An indigo shirt with two red stripes on the arm was over the polo shirt. He also wore beige trousers and clean brown shoes. He stepped away from the portal and started scanning the area, in search of something, or someone. The portal still glowed behind the guy, because a second boy, around the same age as the first, stepped out. He had black spiky hair and a handsome face. He wore simple blue jeans, brown trainers, a dark blue jacket with a brown tartan one over it. He looked at his mate typically and folded his arms.~ "How can you be sure that Jace will be here, Topas?" The second boy said with a frown. "This is the only place we haven't searched. I'm honestly surprised we actually found the portal back to this place." The first boy, who was said to be called Topas, shrugged. "Our school sign, yes. Weird place to put a portal, but not complaining. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out." Topas sighed. "I still can't believe it's been almost 9 months since Jace left us. You could have a baby in that time. If...you know, you get started right away. I just don't get it, why did he leave?" "Maybe because the leader's a psycho?" "Well-" "Come on, Topas, admit it. Don't you think Frad's hatred for girls is misleading and...insane?" "A little. But that's what makes Frad Frad, Luda. He's become a powerful leader and is doing the best for us. He's directing us in the right direction, you know, the one where we only need each other and no girls. Don't you want that?" "Yeah. My ex-girlfriend drove me crazy last year! That's why I signed up for this." Luda pointed. "Oh come on, Fierra wasn't that bad!" "She nearly ran me over with a car 10 months ago. And she said she was a 'confident driver'." "She nearly ran you over confidently." "That does not make any sense whatsoever!" "Never mind. Let's just find Jace and bring him back to the camp. Frad and the boys will be happy if we do." ~The two boys nodded and searched around the school by going behind it first. And once they were around the school completely, Lightning, Jace, Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy were arriving at the school. The four girls went on ahead in the school obliviously, however, Jace stopped and stared at the portal. He saw a tiny speck glow on the side so he went to check it out. The girls didn't notice him stopping and checking the portal, so he was left alone outside the school, investigating the portal.~ "What was that?" He asked himself. ~Back inside the hideout, Karly, Steven and the half of the Rainbooms were gathered around the tables, waiting for the other half to come here. As they waited, Steven looked at Rainbow.~ "So, you do know what you're going to say to Agent Pie?" Steven asked. Rainbow nodded. "I...think so. I just need to say sorry." "Of course. That's the one main thing you need to say in an apology." Karly laughed. "And when Pinkie says sorry back, you'll be cool with her again." Spike barked. "Yeah." "Hey guys!" ~Everyone rotated around and saw Lightning waving and the rest smiling at them. ~ "Hello, girls-Wait, Where's Jace?" Karly asked, seeing no sign of him. Lightning looked behind herself and saw no one. "Oh. He was right behind us a second ago." "Maybe he just went to the bathroom. He'll be here soon." Applejack shrugged. "I guess." "Alright, now is there something you two wanna say?" The Chief addressed to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. ~The two said girls stepped forwards and faced each other. Both remained completely silent for about 10 seconds, until Rainbow broke it.~ "Hey, Pinkie." Rainbow started. "Hey, Rainbow." Pinkie replied. ~The awkward silence continued.~ Rainbow broke it again. "I...got you some flowers...It was Rarity's idea. Not mine." She pointed at the flowers behind her. "They're nice. I...got you this cupcake." ~Pinkie softly shoved the cake in Rainbow's hands and she took a bite out of it.~ "Thanks. Tastes great." Karly bent over to Lightning. "This apology is going smoothly." She whispered sarcastically. "They're taking their time, be patient." Lightning shrugged. ~Karly breathed and leaned against the table, however, when she did, her hand pressed a red button and the monitors on the tv turned on. It showed clear footage of what was happening outside the school. One camera showed the portal, and Jace looking around it still. Pinkie could see him in clear view.~ "Pinkie Pie, I'm sorry." Rainbow apologised. "For?" Steven raised a brow. "For overreacting. I know that stepping into that bucket was kinda my fault, and was an accident. I'll make it up to you someday." "Good. Agent Pie?" "Uh...I'm...huh?" ~Pinkie stopped herself when she stared at the monitor with Jace and the portal on it. Suddenly, she spotted, Topas and Luda coming in and approaching Jace rather sneakily and evilly. They looked like they were about to ambush Jace! Pinkie freaked out.~ "Jace…? Jace! JACE!" "Jace?" Rainbow questioned. "JACE!" ~Pinkie shoved her way through her friends and raced up the stairs, still screaming Jace's name. Everyone was concerned and confused.~ "Jace…? What is that, Japanese?" "That was not Japanese…" Lightning frowned. "Pinkie, where are you going?!" Rarity yelled. ~Pinkie burst the front doors of the school open and leapt and cowered behind a nearby bush. She blew two round holes into the bush with her confetti and peeked through them, she saw Jace by the portal and shouted quietly at him to get his attention.~ "Jace! Jace!" ~He couldn't hear her. He was too busy examining the portal and she was still too far away.~ "Jace! Watch out! There's someone weird there! Jace!" ~Jace grazed his finger on the portal and it glowed. He was about to put his whole hand on it, but he retracted it when he saw Topas and Luda approach him.~ "Topas?" Jace said. "Jace? Is that you?" Topas gasped. ~Topas ran to his friend and examined him, he then gasped again and threw his arms around Jace.~ "Oh my gosh! It is. I can't believe it!" ~Topas hugged and squeezed Jace as hard as he could. Jace choked a little but did nothing to break free. Pinkie watched Topas hug Jace in dismay, mouth hanging open and everything, thinking he was attacking him.~ "Luda! I found Jace!" Topas cheered. "Wait, really? Oh, you did. Hey, man." Luda went up to Jace and slapped his shoulder. "Good to see you." Jace was speechless. "Wha-What are you two-" "I can't believe it! Oh! I missed you!" Topas gasped suddenly again. "We need to take you to Frad!" "Frad!?" Jace asked shockingly. "Yeah, he will be so happy to see you. Alive, nonetheless." "Alive?" "Come on!" "No, wait-1 minute! Wait!" "Jace!" ~Pinkie reached her hand out as Topas and Luda dragged Jace into the portal leading to the non-Equestria world.~ "Ja-a-ce!" She called. "Wait!" Jace cried. "No!" ~The three boys glowed and disappeared as they stepped into the portal. Once they were through and the portal stopped glowing, Pinkie began to breathe heavily.~ "No…" "Pinkie!" "Pinkie Pie!" ~The voices of the girls were suddenly heard. Lightning, Karly, the Rainbooms, Stitch, Spike and Steven all gathered around Pinkie squatting in the bush. Their faces concerned and a little angry.~ "What are you doing?" Lightning asked. "What was that about? You just ran off in the middle of me talking!" Rainbow glared. "Is everything ok?" Fluttershy asked. "You look frightened. Completely white-like you've seen a ghost…" Rarity noted. Pinkie shook her head. "Oh no...I've just seen something MUCH worse…" "What? What happened, sugarcube?" Applejack shrugged. "It was horrible!" She started. "I saw Jace wandering the streets, minding his own business, when they appeared behind the portal…" "They?" Karly questioned. "Who's 'they' exactly?" Lightning air quoted. "Give us a description." "Two guys! As tall as the Chief! One was reddish blonde, the other was black. Jace looked at them and seemed confused at first, then one of the boys grabbed him, with his claws!" "Claws?!" Twilight exclaimed. "What?" Sunset gasped. "Boys don't normally have claws…" "This one did! He grabbed him and tried to squeeze the life out of him!" Pinkie wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed. "Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy gasped. "That's not all. The second guy suddenly came up and slapped him and shook him up a bit!" Rarity's eyes widened. "That's horrible!" "This is...bewildering." Steven said. "Finally, they yelled and dragged him into the portal, not to Equestria, but to the other world, laughing hysterically!" Pinkie leapt up and screamed. "So, what you're saying is…" "Jace Donar has been KIDNAPPED!" Lightning gasped. "No…" "WHAT?!" Karly shrieked. ~Everyone started chatting among each other, completely terrified and dumbfounded.~ "What do we do now?" Fluttershy whimpered. "Well, I say we finish this making up, then go and find Mr. Donar. He's gotten himself in a fine mess, indeed." Steven crossed his arms. "As much as I would like to finish making amends with Pinkie, we have to go after Jace first!" Rainbow prompted. "Rainbow's right. And until Jace is back, safe in our loving arms, there will be no celebrations! I mean, there's always time for celebrations, but not right now!" Pinkie stamped her foot on the ground. "But how are we going to do this? We don't even know where he's being taken!" Sunset exclaimed. "Hey now, we are not giving up! We didn't just give up when Karly was taken on my birthday. So, we are not giving up now!" Lightning nodded sharply. "The Star is right!" Pinkie nodded. "So, who's with me?!" "Count me in." "Me too." ~Lightning and Rainbow high fived as they went and stood beside Pinkie.~ "Alright! Who else?" "I'm goin' to come along." Applejack volunteered. "Gonna need all the help ya can get." "I'll go." Fluttershy said bravely. "As will I." Rarity stated. "We may have only known Jace for a short while, but it seems like a lifetime!" "...I have no idea what that means, but welcome aboard!" Pinkie cheered. "Me want to come." Stitch held up his chest. "Me too." Spike added. "Really, Spike? It could be dangerous." Twilight stated. "I know, Twilight, but I want to go on a mission with you guys again!" "I'm cool with that. Dogs are pretty good to have on a team." Lightning nodded. "Trust me, I know." "Alright. I'm in too then!" Twilight smiled. "Me too." Sunset added. "I'm coming with you too!" Karly said, holding her fist to her chest. "Yeeeaaahhh…no you are not, I'm afraid, Karly." Steven stated. "What? Why?!" "Ever since you were Devilnapped and went missing in the forest, I have been worried about you. So, I am giving you the month off. Spend time with your family. Lightning and the Rainbooms will take care of everything." "But, my boyfriend is in danger! And I need to destroy whoever laid a hand on him!" Karly's eyes turned red. "I think Karly should come with us, Mr. Secret, sir…" Fluttershy said. Applejack nodded with her. "Yeah. I mean, Jace and her are together an' all. Y'all would be there for your wife, wouldn't ya?" "Of course I would, but, the difference is that I'm not scared of what could lie ahead." "I'm not scared!" "Karly, your legs are still shaking from yesterday." ~Karly looked down and saw that her feet were still wobbling in fear. She put her hands on her knees and tried to stop the quivering, but all she's ended up doing was making her legs wobble harder, plus her arms along with them.~ "I'm pretty sure Fluttershy will be more terrified than I would ever be." Karly turned to Fluttershy. "No offense." "None taken." Fluttershy smiled. Lightning smirked. "Really, now?" ~Lightning reaches behind her and pulls out a paper bag. She blows it up, then sneaks behind Fluttershy and Karly and pops the bag. Both girls jumped, but Karly jumped much more higher than Fluttershy did.~ "Ahh! Lightning!" Karly glared. "You jumped higher, Karly. You are more terrified than Fluttershy." Lightning stated. Karly breathed out a deep sigh. "Ok, fine. I'll stay. Just please, promise me you will find Jace in one piece." "We promise." "Pinkie promise! Ok! Now that I have assembled my team, Let's go!" ~Pinkie slid over to the portal and jumped right in, head first. However, she jumped into the wrong portal. She jumped into the portal to Equestria so Sunset had to go in and get her.~ "Uh...the left portal, Pinkie?" Spike noted, pointed in the left direction of the portal. "Knew that! Wee!" ~Pinkie hopped into the portal leading to Lightning's world in a hurry. The rest followed on soon after. Karly and Steven waved and wished them good luck.~
Chapter 3: The Girl-Hating CampersChapter 3: The Girl-Hating Campers. ~Once Topas and Luda made it out of the portal with Jace firmly in their arms, they went to the nearby car park and approached a mini caravan. It was pretty small, but it had a nice fitting kitchen and lounging area inside. Topas dumped Jace on one of the seats then sat down beside him, while Luda sat in the driver's seat and drove the caravan off.~ "I can't believe we found you Jace, it's been so long!" Topas hugged Jace again. "I know, Topas. You have said that like 3 times now." Luda sighed. "Yeah, because I'm so happy! It must have been scary spending time near girls...Oh my gosh, I bet you no boy's gonna believe that we found him! Should I call them and let them know…?" "I-" ~Before Luda could give an answer, Topas was already on the phone, tapping buttons, then holding it up to his face, mainly around his ear. Luda shrugged and just kept his eyes on the road. Jace escaped Topas' grip once he got out his phone and just rested comfortably on the seats. He would try to say something, but Topas will probably interrupt him and not let him speak again. And he was right.~ "Topas, can I-" "Hello? Hey! Rube! Where's your brother?" ~Jace sighed and stared out the window, giving up on trying to talk to his 'captor'.~ "He doesn't want to talk?" Topas asked on the line. "But this is urgent! And way too exciting for me to keep inside me! We found Jace! No, really, it's true! Jace, say hi." ~Topas directed the phone in Jace's direction as he turned away from the window. Jace looked at the phone unbothered, but still shrugged and mumbled a small greeting into the phone.~ "Hi…" "Heh. Did you hear that?" ~The phone call went on for some time. Topas and whoever was on the other line were laughing and having fun, while Jace was just lost in thought and sad. After the conversation ended, Topas hung up on the phone and put her arm around Jace.~ ~Somewhere else, inside another travelling caravan, a boy just placed his phone down on the table. This boy wore heavy, baggy clothes such as a brown and white knitted jumper and long black jeans that he could easily trip over. He drooped down to the side and peered over and around the caravan. He saw his mother driving on the left, and the back of a boy's head sitting by the window on his right. He called out to the boy.~ "Hey, Frad..." ~Frad opened his eyes and rotated around to face the person that interrupted his music. His white afro was all fuzzy like and just laid on top of his head all round. He wore a white polo shirt along with an aqua blue bowtie around the collar. He also had the same black jeans as his brother. Frad stared coldly at Rube, as if he didn't matter, then sighed.~ "You know, Rube...it is rude to interrupt someone while they're jamming on their jams." Frad said, unplugging his headphones from his ears. "I don't really know what that means." Rube replied. "It means, do not disturb me." "Ok, so...you don't want to hear what I have to say..." "No! Because everything you say is always a waste of my time, you moron. Last time you interrupted me, it was for a sample of your dry biscuits. They were gross just as I expected." Rube glared at his older brother heavily. "Jace has been found." He then mumbled. "Excuse me?" "Topas and Luda found Jace and are bringing him to the camp for this year." "Really? Seriously? Like, actually? Right now?" Frad smirked. "How exciting. Jace won't be missing out this year after all. Have the others been notified?" "I don't know." Rube shrugged. "Well, then pick up the phone again and tell them. Do I have to do it myself?" ~Rube strangely remained calm and did as his brother ordered. He reached for his phone again and dialed some numbers. They answered rather quickly and Rube and the people on the other line began talking. At first they were discussing the news and celebrating over it, but then they began talking about random things Frad did not wish to hear, he plugged his earphones back in his ears and turned his music up to the max.~ "I'm going to pretend, I didn't hear that." He said to himself. "Hey, uh, Frad?" Rube suddenly called. "Yes?" Frad asked, with a hint of irritation. "How long will it be again 'til we get to the camp? 'Cause I need to go." "Ugh…" ~Frad sighed disappointingly, ignored the question and just turned away to the window again. Silence filled the air for about 5 seconds until the sound of a stomach gurgling suddenly came. Rube looked at his belly and felt it vibrate.~ "Seriously. I gotta go. Real bad." Frad emerged from his seat angrily and cornered Rube. "I SAID it was going to be a long ride, but you never listen! You drive me absolutely crazy, every time we leave the house! EVERY. TIME! Do you know what I have to do now? What you put me through is so-" ~Frad slapped his hand on Rube's shoulder and forcefully shoved him against the window. It looked like he was about to hit him hard, but he didn't. Because he noticed that his mother was staring at him from the rear view mirror.~ "Fraddie! Stop tormenting your brother!" She ordered. "Otherwise I will turn this van around and we will go home!" ~Frad loved his mother a lot and didn't want to get on her bad side so he settled down and scarcely shot an apologetic look at Rube. It was very surprising that Rube stayed calm during all that. He didn't even blink.~ "Come on, help a brother out." Rube then said calmly. Frad sighed and released Rube's shoulder. "I hate doing this for you…" "Yeah, but you do it so well." ~Frad turned and stomped to the front of the caravan, hands shoved in his large pockets. He approached the driver, his mother, and sighed deeply.~ "What's wrong, Frad, honey?" The mother asked. "I don't feel so good." He fibbed. "My motion sickness is coming up." He clutched his stomach. "Oh no, again? I thought you took your travel sickness pills." "They never work! I feel...feel…" "Oh gosh-Ok! We'll stop for some fresh air! Call your friends and say!" ~Rube didn't need to be told. He was already on the phone with them. Their caravan parked up by a nearby small local picnic area. Frad opened the door and hopped out immediately in a fuss.~ "Tell me when you feel better, Frad!" Their mother called. Rube pushed passed Frad. "Outta my way, outta my way! I don't mean to be rude but I gotta go!" "Boys, come gather round by that rock while Rube does his business in the bushes." ~As Frad stomped off somewhere, more caravans suddenly appeared and parked beside the first one. All were different colours so they could easily be told apart. All the doors opened and one boy jumped out of each one. There were a total of four boys, plus Frad and Rube, so six. The boys looked around the place, then greeted each other before walking over to Frad, who perched himself on a large rock.~ "Frad?" One boy called. "Oh. Did Rube forget to go to the bathroom again?" "Seems like it, Chip." A tall boy came up behind the first boy and placed his hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked up. "Oh, Rohas. Hi. How are you?" "Just Fine. You're looking rather handsome today." Rohas answered as he smirked. "Why, thank you." Chip began to blush, but shook it off rather quickly. "Umm...Hey, Frad's waiting for us." "Stato! Old buddy!" Another boy called out and waved, rather slurpy. Stato looks over and groans. "Oh boy…" "Stato, it's been ages…" "Actually, it's only been 9 months, Rogar…" Stato sighed. "Really? It seems like such a long time…" Rogar put his arm around Stato. He shook it off. "How many times do I have to say this? Every 9 months, we come together, discuss the latest news, then go to our favourite amusement park, and have a good time." He explained rather slowly. "We do?" Rogar questioned. "Yes! We do! Is this not ringing a bell?" "...Stato, it's been ages…" Rogar repeated. Stato groaned again. "This is going to be a long day…" ~Chip, Rohas, Stato and Rogar all huddled up and made their way over to the spiked rock that Frad was sitting on. He didn't greet them, but he listened to what they discussed next. Rube suddenly came and joined them after too.~ "Hey, Frad. Did you hear that Topas and Luda found Jace, isn't that great?" Stato smiled, avoiding Rogar as discreetly as possible. "After all these months? That is great! I was worried he wouldn't be here for this time. Glad he will be today." Chip admitted. "What ever happened to the lad during that time anyway?" Rohas asked. "I don't know. But, Topas and Luda said he was hanging with girls...Teenagers, nonetheless." ~The boys gasped.~ "Girls?! Jesus…" Rohas breathed. "Well, I'm glad they didn't hurt him." Stato said. "Or kill him." Chip added. "Or...worse." Frad finally spoke up. "I was once in the vicious clutches of a pack of girls. It scarred me badly." "I know, Frad you mention this to me every day." Rube sighed. "But, we never heard the story of what happened. Are you brave enough and willing to share it this time?" asked Chip. "Yeah, What was it like, my friend?" Rohas encouraged. Frad raised a brow and sighed dramatically. "Oh, It is too, Painful, for me to talk about. But...Gather 'round." ~A flashback occurs in Frad's head and he pictures himself as a young child again, about six, maybe seven years old. He was kneeling on the ground and playing with a small fire truck toy. He kept giggling and pushing it back and forth, having a grand old time with it. His mother was sitting on a park bench, but she was distracted by something on her phone so she didn't see was what about to happen.~ Frad began to narrate. "There I was...alone...in the forsaken park. The only sound I heard was the screeching of the wheels coming from cars and my toy. The park was empty, not a person in sight to annoy me, but then suddenly…" ~Young Frad winds up his toy then fires it off in the distance. However, it suddenly hits the leg of someone and they yelp in surprise. Small Frad smiles and looks up to see who he accidentally hit and goes in awe when he realised it was a girl, she looked to be around 14 years old. She turned and stared down at the toy that hit her. Then, she scowled. She snatched the toy off the ground and bent it in her arms. Looking at little Frad evilly, she then blew a raspberry at him as well as tear the ladder straight off the truck. Young Frad gasped. The girl then laughed as she ran off with it. Young Frad got up anxiously and was about pursue her, but he stopped when he felt three more girls appear behind him.~ "They were everywhere. And There was no escape." ~Young Frad whimpered and cowered as the teenagers towered over him and began to playfully but cruelly shove him back and forth like a ragdoll. Frad fell to the ground and scraped his knee upon landing, he began bleeding and crying while the girls continued laughing. The girl with Frad's toy suddenly called out to the girls and they went off, still laughing. They crossed the nearby road and began to go away, but Frad wanted its toy back so he followed them. He cautiously crept across the roads, but during halfway, he fell over.~ "My life flashed before my eyes, and then the unspeakable. " ~As Frad curled up on the road in pain, a shining sporty car suddenly came around the corner and screeched as it turned. It was heading straight for Frad! He spotted it and his eyes went wide and wild, right before it thundered over his leg and flattened it with its wheels.~ "What happened? Did you live?" Stato asked, interrupting but finishing the flashback. "What Happened?! I'll show you...what...happened." ~Frad slumped down deeply on the rock, and roughly pulled up the left part of his baggy trousers. There everyone saw obviously and visibly, a twisted, bent, messed up leg. It was quite a sight to behold.~ "Would This be a lesson to you all?!" Frad pointed at his leg. ~All the boys gasped once again.~ "That...is disturbing…" "Ooh! How ghastly!" Chip groaned. "It's so twisted." "That is one sad leg..." Rohas sighed sadly. "I lost two things that day. My innocence...and my fire truck…" Frad said quietly. "It's a cruel world, isn't it…?" ~All the boys nodded their heads in agreement with Chip. Suddenly, not long after they nodded, a car pulled up and parked beside the caravan. A couple of young parents get out of the vehicle, along with a baby girl. The mother placed her child in a little push chair then went to help the father, who was rummaging in the boot in search of something. Frad looked at the baby in disgust.~ "Speak of the devil. Disgusting." "Oh no, not the sweet, baby type of girls…" Rube frowned. Frad jumped down. "Don't you understand?! We must all remain vigilant! Even one, little sweet girl can lead us to those dark days...of anarchy!" "Come on, she's so cute." Frad grabbed Rube's shirt. "Pay Attention! Even one little sweet girl can invest us all! Like the fleas, on our dogs back, they must all be eradicated!" ~Frad threw his brother down then charged at the pushchair. He screamed as loud as he could to get the girl's attention.~ "I'M GONNA TEAR YOU APART!" ~Frad growled like a hound and continued as he got closer and closer to the baby. Frad's mother suddenly looked up from what she was doing and saw Frad about to attack.~ "Fraddie! Heel!" She screamed. ~Frad's eyes loosened up when he heard his mother call. He skidded across the gravel then stopped directly in front of the baby in time. He lets himself breath for a moment, then he proceeds to threaten the child. She looked at him with terror.~ "One day, you vile little beast, ONE DAY I will personally teach you a lesson YOU. WILL. NEVER. FORGET!" He turns and walks back. "Coming, mother…" He then called sweetly. ~The little girl's eyes teared up rapidly, then she began wailing in fear and distress.~
Chapter 4: Rescue Attempt No. 1Chapter 4: Rescue Attempt No. 1 "Do any o' y'all even know where we're goin'?" Applejack's voice called. ~Spike was the last to jump out of the portal. He landed on all fours then was lifted off the ground by Fluttershy. The Rainbooms, Stitch and Spike just stood around for a moment and discussed where to go. Lightning Star placed her hand above her eyes and started scanning the car park of Pixel High School to see if she could find a lead. Pinkie Pie leapt beside her.~ "Whatcha doing, Lightning?" She asked. "Trying to see if Jace or his abductors have generously left any clues for us behind…" She answered seriously. "Like a lock of hair, an accessory, the zipper on his jacket. Anything Stitch, Spike, or even me for that matter, can sniff…" "Oh! I can help you!" Pinkie literally began sniffing the area like a bloodhound. "Ah-ha!" "Find something?" "How about this?!" ~Pinkie pushes herself up from the ground before rushing over to Lightning and thrusting a clue into her face. She plucks it out of her hand and examines it. It was pretty difficult though because it was small and thin.~ "It's a thread." Lightning stated. "A red thread! Maybe it comes from Jace's jacket!" "Maybe...But his jacket is a unique shade of red. Thing is, I can never tell what shade of any colour is…" "Oh, it's ruby." Rarity stated. Lightning turned to her. "I'm sorry?" "That is a shade of ruby. The finest of reds. And if I recall, Jace's jacket is indeed ruby. I love to examine people's clothing." "Oh. Well, thanks." "Must I say as well, that his jacket isn't just ruby. It's also, lipstick red, spicy orange, summer sunset, and-" "Yeah, I figured that too. It's tartan. Anyways...Stitch! Or Spike! Come here, boys!" ~Lightning softly slapped her thigh twice, signalling the dogs to come to her. Spike raced up to her first and panted. She held out the thread to his nose as he already began to sniff it. Once he was done, he began sniffing the floor. His ears then shot up high.~ "I've got a scent. This way! Follow me!" Spike barked, wagging his tail too. ~At once, the dogs scampered off. The girls quickly followed behind them before they went too far or out of their sight. Lightning and Pinkie ran side by side and in the middle, between everyone else. After 1 minute of running, everyone slowed down to a walk. They were already panting like animals. They had to hurry and find Jace because who knows what's happening to him right now, but they know couldn't. Lightning pulled a sad face as she panted so Pinkie tried to lighten up the mood and lift her spirits.~ "Isn't this exciting, Lightning?" "Exciting? Mind telling me what's so exciting about this?" "We're going on another adventure! A quest! Off to find our lost friend in this mysterious city and save him from evilness that lies afoot!" "You can say that again…" Rainbow suddenly comes up behind the two girls. "Oh, hey Rainbow." Lightning waved. Pinkie gulped then whispered. "Uh oh…" "Sooooooo, Pinkie Pie, can I talk with you...alone?" Rainbow shot a look at Lightning. She noticed it right away. "Oh! Um! Hey! I wonder what Fluttershy and Rarity are talking about!" ~Lightning throws her hands behind her back before taking a large step forward and wandering ahead, leaving Rainbow and Pinkie to settle some unfinished business.~ "Whats up, Rainbow?" Pinkie said uneasily. Rainbow rubbed her neck. "Well, it's just that...when we were in the hideout, trying to apologise...you looked like you didn't want to anymore." "Whaaat? Don't be ridiculous, Dashie!" "Come on, Pinkie. I know I was a bit of a jerk back then, but I'm really sorry. I was just angry. You know I didn't mean any harm." "I know. I'm...just...worried now." "Worried? About what?" "Umm...Umm-About Jace!" "Jace?" "Yeah! You know, about him...being alone...and scared...afraid that he will never see us again!" Pinkie put her fist to her chest and put her head down dramatically. Rainbow raised a brow. "We've only known him for a day-" "But Lightning and Karly haven't!" Pinkie interrupted, flying into Rainbow's face. "Karly had already had a bad day yesterday so I don't want it to be badder today! And Lightning! Well, she's actually doing ok, but you get my point!" "Right, so this has nothing to do with me? You're only worried about everyone else?" "Yes! Yes I am! But, of course, I was a little scared of you back there...because of what happened. Here, I'll apologise to you now and get it done, okay? I'm-" "There he is!" ~Spike pointed his snout across the road and the others followed it to see the caravan parked in a petrol station. The girls bent down behind a large nearby bush and got a good look at the van. They zoomed and enhanced inside and saw Jace in the window. Everyone couldn't believe it. They smiled in relief.~ "Oh. Wow." Lightning pouted. "Well done, Spike!" Fluttershy smiled, patting the pup on the head. "Hey, what luck huh, Pinkie!?" Rainbow nudged Pinkie's arm. "You don't have to worry too much about Jace now!" Pinkie began to sweat. "Uh-Well, that could be someone else! Ha-ha! It is hard to see." "We zoomed and enhanced, Pinkie, It's him alright." Lightning confirmed. "Look! He's wavin at us!" Applejack pointed. ~Applejack nodded at the glass and Jace through it. He had his arm up high and was waving it like no tomorrow. He was also shouting at them, but they could hardly hear him because they were pretty far away and the glass was pretty study and almost soundproof.~ "Girls! I'm over here!" They could just about hear him say. Lightning waved back to signal that they saw him. "Hang tight, Jace, we're coming!" She then called. "Alright, girls. We need a plan." Sunset said. "I have one!" Pinkie suddenly said out loud. "You do?" Twilight asked, rather surprised. "Yeah! Ok, here's what I'm thinking. Applejack, Sunset and Twilight will be the entry team!" "Okay." "Gotcha, Pinkie Pie!" Applejack nodded firmly, fist clenched hard. "Fluttershy, Stitch, Spike, smash and grab! That's all ya gotta do!" Fluttershy was confused. "Umm…?" "Roger that!" Stitch barked. "Lightning, you're with me! Let's limit the casualties, people!" ~Pinkie grabbed the bush they were hiding behind and lifted it up to her hip. She winded up and was about speed off but was cut off by Rainbow Dash.~ "Wait! What about me and Rarity?" "Yes, what can we do?" Rarity asked. Pinkie slowly rotated around. "Uhhh, yeah, you two can stay there and loook...out! Lookout! Yeah, you two can be the lookouts! And maybe you can guard the trees too!" "Wait, really? That's the best you've got? Pi-Pinkie Pie!" ~Before Rainbow could shout anymore, Pinkie was off. She sped across the roads, and remained shallow beneath the bushes. She flopped them and herself down once she was in the grassy patch of dirt right beside where the van was parked. She shook the leaves as she poked her head out and gestured the others to come along and to where she was.~ "Come on guys." Lightning commanded. ~Everyone, minus Rainbow Dash and Rarity, nodded and began to cross the road very safely and sneakily. Fluttershy kept Stitch and Spike under her arms as they crossed. They pressed themselves up against the caravan doors and looked around to see if they were seen by anyone. They weren't. Lightning, Applejack and Pinkie peeked through the window of the van and Jace smiled at them and placed his hand on the glass.~ "Oh, thank goodness...you guys came for me!" Jace said in relief. "Yes, ok, now Jace, be quiet, your captors might hear you." Lightning whispered. "Actually, I don't think they can hear anything due to them wearing headphones." ~Sunset pointed to the passenger's window and at Topas and Luda inside. The two boys were rocking out to a song on their phones, not paying attention outside. Both had their eyes closed so they didn't see the girls spy on them.~ "Oh. Lucky break then." Lightning said. "Hmm. So, how are we going to get inside?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie jumped off the caravan roof. "Simple! First, we need a grappling hook, a 30 foot rope, a winch, a pulley, a truck with an open engine block, and a tin of sardines!" "Uhh...why don't we just open the door, Pinkie Pie?" Applejack patted the door. "I'm trying to think outside a box here!" Pinkie shrugged. "Well, think outside the van!" Lightning snickered. "Ok, sorry that was bad. Let's go!" "Wait!" Twilight exclaimed. "What's wrong, Twilight?" "We can't just go in there! Jace's abductors are still inside. Of course they wouldn't be able to hear us, but they will definitely see us!" "Ah. Yeah. You're right. We gotta lure them out." Lightning said. "But how?" asked Fluttershy. ~Suddenly, everyone heard the caravan slam on the other side. They looked around the corner of the van and saw Topas and Luda exiting the vehicle.~ "Ok, now that your favourite song has finished, can we fill the tank now?" Luda asked smugly. "Yes, of course. I'm also gonna get some supplies!" Topas smiled, pointing at the station shop. "Supplies? We're not doing some sort of road trip." "No, but I'm really in the mood for chocolate!" Luda sighed. "Very well. But be quick." ~Topas skipped and headed straight into the convenience shop of the station. All the girls were completely dumbfounded on how much luck they are getting right now.~ Lightning silently blinked twice. "...Convenience strikes again…" "Okay, Now we can head in." Twilight nodded. "Alright then, everyone single file, and be quiet." Sunset ordered. ~Checking to make sure no one was watching, the girls and Stitch and Spike creak the metal door open and clamber onto and into the caravan. Lightning awkwardly stumbled in first and nearly headbutted Jace upon doing so. But, she shook it off and hugged him when she gained her balance back.~ "Jace!" "Lightning!" Jace hugged back tightly. "Oh my gosh-Are you ok? I was so worried!" "No, I'm fine, I just don't know what's gotten into-" "Who are those guys?" Twilight interrupted. "They are my old friends, but-" "Why have they taken you?" inquired Sunset. "They want to take me to-" "Did they hurt you?!" Pinkie gasped. Jace started to get a little annoyed. "I-No. I just said to Lightning that I'm fine, but-" "Okay, You know what, you can tell us on the way back, let's just get you out of here!" Lightning snatched Jace's hand. Jace stuttered in shock. "Lightning, wait, I'm-" ~Lightning pulled and ran for the door, but something suddenly tugged both her and Jace back and they tumbled backwards into the table.~ Lightning spat. "Da-ack! What the…?" ~A jingling sound was suddenly heard from below Jace's feet. The girls all looked down and noticed a large shackle around one of Jace's ankles. It was connected to a chain that linked up to the handle of a cupboard. It was wrapped on tightly.~ "I'm chained to the cupboard…" Jace said with a sigh. "...Right. Of course, no criminal would leave their captive alone in an unlocked vehicle without restraining them. Another plan's necessary, guys!" Lightning said sternly. "Okay, I need a minute to think then!" said Pinkie, who began to trot back and forth, trying to think of something. "Uh, well, I was just going to say that Lightning could use her special pocket knife, or Applejack could use her strength." Twilight shrugged. "Oh yeah! Okay." ~With a smug, Lightning reached into her jacket pocket and revealed her old small pocket knife. She set it to the safe cracker tool and thrust it right into the lock of the shackle. She began fiddling inside and was hoping to hear that ionic click, but instead, she heard a drilling sound. It then stopped. Lightning pulled out the tool and stared at it confusingly. It was all bent and out of shape now, the lock had destroyed it completely.~ Lightning was in shock. "Oh wow...okay…Um, Applejack! Show us how it's done!" ~Lightning stood back and let Applejack through. She kneeled down and grabbed onto the fetter around Jace's ankle firmly. Her geode glowed bright orange as she got ready, then she tugged as hard as she could. She grunted and, but the shackle didn't not break at all, or even budge. Applejack let out one last grunt as she let go.~ "DogGoneIt!" She then yelled. "You can't break it either?" asked Sunset, shockingly. "Nope. This is one mighty chain." "So, how are we gonna to break it?" Spike asked, sniffing on the fetter. "Hmm...I got it!" Pinkie said, clicking her fingers.
Chapter 5: Pinkie Pie's PlansChapter 5: Pinkie Pie's Plans. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN AN ENTIRE PACK OF BUTTONS IS AN ENTIRE POUND?!" ~Topas slammed his hands on the counter and glared at the man behind it. He slowly blinked and shrugged at the raging teen and was about to reply when he saw the caravan that he and his companion arrived in start up and began to move a little.~ "Sir, is that your caravan?" The kiosk man asked blankly. Topas turned to look at it. "Well, actually, it's my friend's uncle's neighbour's brother's co worker's caravan, but yes. Wait, is it starting up? Is Luda taking off without me?! Hey!" ~As Topas stumbled and stuttered in anger, inside the caravan, the girls and Jace stood in shock silence as Pinkie began wiring the van's engine, and actually got it to start rumbling. Twilight then realised what Pinkie was about to do and yelled angrily.~ "Pinkie, we are not stealing this van!" "Yeah, otherwise we are just as bad as the guys that abducted Jace in the first place!" Lightning shouted. "I don't even know how to drive anyways!" Pinkie shrugged. ~Everyone sighed disappointingly and attempted to think of a new plan. A plan that didn't involve stealing, or anything violent. Lightning was deep in thought and was about to suggest something, before realising its dumb. Suddenly, her wrist calm blinked once. She looked down at it and saw that Rainbow Dash was calling outside. She answered in a flash and Rainbow's voice began screeching from the wrist calm.~ "What's wrong, Rain-" "One of the guys is heading for the caravan! You gotta hide!" "What?!" Lightning looked out the window and saw Topas coming. "You heard the girl! Everyone, Hide!" Pinkie screamed. ~Everyone dove down and crawled into the huge cupboards of the caravan, just in time for Topas to look in the window and see nothing but Jace, sitting on the seats calmly. Due to all of the nearby utensils and furniture, he didn't see the tails of Stitch and Spike sticking out, or the fact that one of the cupboards was slightly ajar. Topas slowly turned away and went off again. Jace signalled the girls and they poked their heads out.~ "That was close…" Fluttershy whispered. "Yeah. Too close." added Lightning. ~Back outside the caravan, Topas was confused as to why he saw no one was at the wheel. He looked right and spotted Luda by the petrol pump, so he decided to march over to him and confront him about it.~ "Luda!" "Ye-Yeah?" "Did you just try to drive off without me?" "No? Besides, the van is almost outta gas, so how could I? Also, I've been over here, trying to get this stupid thing out of the pump!" "Wait, so if you've been here, then who started the engine, Jace couldn't have because he's-" Topas suddenly gasped. "Maybe it was a ghost!" Luda sighed. "For the LAST time, Topas! There are no such things as ghosts!" "E-Easy for you to say! Y-You didn't grow up watching horror movies!" Luda sighed. "Did you ever once take into consideration that maybe, just maybe, the rating was there for a reason?" "What's a rating?" "...Just go back into the shop." ~Topas rolls his eyes, and does exactly what Luda said. Everyone inside the caravan watched him go back into the shop from the window, then sighed in relief. They all began to safely climb out of the cupboards and straighten themselves out. However, while climbing out, Lightning's leg got stuck beneath a couple of pots and pans, and when she attempted to pull it out, it thrust out suddenly and Lightning stumbled back and fell straight on top of Fluttershy. She yelped in surprise.~ "Oof! Arrr...that hurt…" grumbled Lightning, rubbing her leg. "Oww…" Fluttershy groaned. "Oh god, sorry, Fluttershy." ~Very carefully, Lightning lifts herself off the shy girl then helps her up afterwards. As Pinkie Pie climbed out of the cupboard, she noticed a fire extinguisher behind the door. She smiles and rips it off the wall.~ "Pinkie Pie's got another plan up her sleeve!" She said boldly and confidently. ~As Pinkie swung the fire extinguisher around, she hit a small figurine ornament in the process. It flew off the counter and smashed once it hit the floor. This alerted Luda and he looked up and turned to the van.~ "Huh?" "Stand back, everybody!" "Wait, Pinkie!" Sunset screamed. "No!" Twilight gasped. ~Pinkie pulls the pin from the fire extinguisher, aims it at Jace and, just before she squeezes the handle, Lightning, Twilight and Sunset panic, and open the window behind him. Hearing all the commotion, Luda appears and looks through the open window. Once Luda had his face over the window, the mountain of foam from the fire extinguisher splattered right in his face. He slipped and fell to the ground, foam all around him. Rainbow and Rarity saw it from a distance and jaw-dropped.~ Pinkie smugged. "Now, that was awesome." "Okay, What exactly was your plan there, Pinkie?! You didn't even hit the fetter." Lightning shouted. "I was hoping to! Okay, I've got another plan!" ~As Pinkie, prepared for her next plan, Luda groans and sits up from the ground. He began wiping all of the foam off his eyes, ears and mouth and lips. He tasted it because some went in his mouth. He pulled a disgusted face.~ "Ugh! Gross!" Luda gagged. Topas appeared behind Luda. "Luda? Are you-O. M. G. You've been ectoplasm-ed by the ghosts inside our caravan! Is Jace okay? Did you see him?" "Ugh! This is ridiculous! No, Topas! This is not ectoplasm! It's foam from a fire extinguisher." "That's what the ghosts would want you to think…" Topas whispered mysteriously. Luda silently began to rage. "Back in the shop." "Righty-ho." ~Topas jumped up and once again disappeared into the entrance of the shop by the station. Meanwhile, back in the van, Pinkie smiled. She was holding onto Fluttershy, who was holding onto Lightning, who was holding onto Sunset, who was holding onto Twilight, who was holding onto Applejack, who was holding onto Jace's fetter again.~ "Ok, what's this plan then?" Sunset asked, a little worried. "I think we need more strength. So! Applejack is gonna try and pull the fetter off, and we're gonna be supporting her and helping her." Pinkie explained. "Plan C mostly always works so I'm willing to trust her this time." Lightning shrugged. "Okay. Is everyone ready?" Everyone nodded. "Yep." "Absolutely." "Mmm-hmm." "Okay! Ready. Set. Pull!" ~Everyone dug their heels into the floor as they tugged as hard as they could. They all began grunting and straining, encouraging each other to keep going.~ "Pull harder!" Pinkie kept saying. Jace was holding back the pain. "Oww! Girls, please be careful! Otherwise you're gonna rip my ankle off!" "Pull!" "Almost...there!" Applejack gasped. "Pull!" ~The six Rainbooms' geodes began to glow. Suddenly, the handle where the chain was tied to screws loose and flies off the cupboard. Everyone shouts as they were taken by that surprise and falls to the ground as the handle and chain flies out of the window. They got up, groaning and choking as they checked to see if they and them were alright. Jace looked at his ankle and saw that the fetter was still around it, but the chain wasn't attached to anything, so by default, he was free.~ "I'm free? I'm free!" "Wait, really?" Lightning asked in shock. "Yes, really! We did it!" Pinkie jumped up. "Alright!" "Umm...Light...ning…" ~A shy voice choked from down below and Lightning raised a brow in confusion. She then looked down to see who said her name. She gasped when she realised she had fallen on Fluttershy again. She got up immediately and let her shy friend breathe again.~ "Oh! Fluttershy! Sorry! Again…" Applejack panted. "Okay, now that Jace is free-" "We can get out of here!" Spike prompted, finishing the sentence. "Right. Come on guys!" Stitch barked. "Let's go!" ~Stitch and Spike darted for the broken window, hopped out of it and landed on their feet safely. The others bolted for the door. Sunset made it out first then Twilight, then Applejack. Lightning ran out of the door next, plus motioned the remaining guys to come quick.~ "Run like the wind!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Oww...wait! My ankle aches. I can't run very well!" Jace whined. "Don't worry, Jace, I got you." ~Fluttershy skidded and turned back to help Jace walk. She gave him her hand and was about to direct him to the door, when Pinkie Pie sped out of it and slammed it shut. It locked automatically, causing Jace and Fluttershy to stop in front of it. Fluttershy tested the door, and confirmed she and him were trapped inside.~ "Oh dear…" She whimpered. ~The five Rainbooms and Stitch and Spike cheered as they reached the bush and Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Pinkie tackled Lightning to the ground happily as they made it back and nuzzled her head.~ "Whoo-hoo! Yes! We all made it! Alright! Roll call! Lightning." "Here." "Sunset. Twilight. Applejack." "Here." "Here." "Here." "Stitch. Spike." Pinkie looked down and the two dogs barked in response at her feet. Lightning pulled a vague face when she looked forward. "Uh, Pinkie?" "Jace. Flutter...shy? Where's Jace and Fluttershy? Guys, sound off!" "Pinkie!" "Yeah?" ~Lightning pointed at the van and everyone looked in that direction to see Jace and Fluttershy, still inside it. They were pounding on the window and showing that the door was locked. Pinkie was conflicted.~ "Oh." Jace suddenly heard hurried footsteps. "Topas and Luda are coming back. Must've realised the 'ghosts' are now gone. Quick, Fluttershy! Hide in the cupboards again! I can't let them see you!" He panicked. ~Jace swung open the largest cupboard and Fluttershy crawled in. He slammed the door but didn't close it fully, since he knows Fluttershy is afraid of the darkness. The door of the van was quickly opened and Luda got into the driver's seat. Then the opposite door was opened and Topas hopped in. He went over to Jace and hugged him.~ "Jace! Woo...Glad that you're still safe. Come on, we're going to see all of our old buddies now." ~Fluttershy took one scared look at the heads of the two boys and slid down a little. She began to tremble. But as she laid back, she felt sleepy and shut her eyes. The dark, cramped spot she was in must've felt comfortable, strangely. Luda started the engine and the van quickly moved out of the station. The Rainbooms outside watched it helplessly.~ "Well, that's just great. Not only did we fail to get Jace out of the van, poor Fluttershy is trapped in there with him too! Way to go, Agent Pie!" Lightning glared. "Hey now, Lightning, blaming Pinkie for failing the mission isn't going to help us right now." Sunset said, calmly. Lightning sighed, placing her hand on her face. "You're right. Sorry, Pinkie, I'm getting a little frustrated here." "It's alright, Lightnin'." Applejack assured. "So, back to square 1, how are we going to find out where that van is going?" ~Pinkie was to suggest something, but Rainbow intervened.~ "I have an idea. Lightning, you can use your geode and follow the RV from the sky, while we stay on the trail by foot. Once it reaches its destination, you can fly back to us and lead the way." "I guess that could work…" Applejack smugged. "But, what if I lose them?" Lightning asked. "Stitch and Spike can go with you. They can trace the smell. And well, you can too. You become part raccoon and they have a good sense of smell." "Good point. Okay, We can do that." Lightning nodded. ~Stitch titled his head up at the call of his young master's voice. He then ascended on her shoulders and whined in confidence. Lightning scooped Spike up and held him in her arms tightly too.~ "We'll be back as soon as possible. It's easy to see things from up high so hopefully, we'll be quick." "Alright then!" Applejack winked. "Hurry back, darlings!" Rarity waved. "You ready, boys?" Lightning asked, smirking at the pups. "Ih." Stitch nodded. "Born ready!" Spike barked. "Then let's go!" ~The two dogs began yapping excitedly as Lightning floated away from the ground. She rockets straight upwards, the clouds getting closer every second. Spike and Stitch whooed and hooed as they were blasted off down the road at an amazing height and speed. The girls waved tremendously.~ "Nice thinkin', Rainbow Dash!" Applejack prompted. "Very nice. You almost read my mind there." Twilight smirked. Pinkie pulled a noticeable frown. "Yes, Aerial Surveillance, Great idea, Ranger Rainbow Dash!" "What's with you?" Rainbow asked, glaring a little. "I was about to say I had an amazing plan, but you interrupted me!" "I'm just trying to help save Jace, not every plan has to be yours." "And Rainbow Dash had a good plan." Sunset added. "And there lies the problem!" Pinkie argued. "Oh. I get it. That's why you put me on guard duty. You didn't want me in your way." Rainbow argued back. "Really I just wanted to show you that I can be helpful, and that I'm not crazy!" "What?-I-Were you even listening to me when we were in the hideout?! I don't think you're crazy! But, I am starting to see that you are becoming rude, Pinkie!" "No, I'm not! It's actually called being awkward." "Awkward?! You call this awkward? Well, then, what do you call running off in the middle of me apologising?!" Pinkie sighed, annoyed. "I was trying to help Jace!" "Oh, we're back to that excuse, are we?" Applejack steps in between the two. "Hey, hey, hey. Come on, settle down y'all!" Rainbow shook her head. "That's it. I'm going back to the hideout. You guys are on your own." "Hey, nobody is goin' back to E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A. We need to stick together as a team." "No, I think you SHOULD go back, Rainbow, because you're just slowing us all down! There's somebody in trouble out there, and all you care about is how I am!" Pinkie harrumphed. "Whatever." "Pinkie Pie, you're the one that's slowin' us down!" Applejack suddenly bursted out. "Me?!" ~Everyone looked down in dismay, silently saying 'Yes, it's true'. Applejack then sighed and went up to Pinkie.~ "Pinkie Pie, we love you, but-" "Your ideas are kinda just...impractical, darling." Rarity stated. "And you don't actually end up helping to save Jace as you so frequently claim." Twilight added. Pinkie's eyes changed. "I can't believe you're all taking Rainbow's side!" "What, no Pinkie, that's not what we meant-" "Well, fine! So what if you don't need me? Guess what? I don't need you! You've clearly just underestimated my super amazing abilities! I'll just save Jace and Fluttershy-by myself!" ~With that, she turned away and stomped furiously down the pathway, deliberately skidding her foot on the gravel as she span.~ "Pinkie, you're goin' the wrong way, again…" Applejack tried to say. "Oh, thank you very much, it's a shortcut!" ~Then it happened. A large trench appeared out of nowhere. It was right in front of Pinkie. Her foot took a step right into it and she fell straight into it. She thudded on the ground as sand and dust smoked around her like a chimney. She got up unharmed, and limped out of the trench. Rarity reached her hand out to help Pinkie up, but she slapped it away.~ "I'm going this way." Pinkie stated, moving in the opposite direction. "So are we." "Like Applejack said, we're sticking together, Pinkie!" Twilight confirmed. "No we're not!" She began running away from them. "Pinkie, come back!" They all shouted before running after her.
Chapter 7: Jace needs HelpChapter 7: Jace needs Help. ~After many minutes of driving, the boys came to the campsite. Jace laid back on his seat and sat quite still. He looked out the window and got a terrible shock as soon as he realised they had arrived. He leaned over to the cupboard Fluttershy was confined in and put his lips right to the door.~ "Fluttershy!" He whispered. "Are you awake? We've reached our destination. Wake up!" ~Fluttershy was awake now, very much awake. She creeked the cupboard door open and looked up at Jace, still trembling.~ "A-are we? Oh…" Jace slipped down beside her. "Don't be frightened. I'll look after you. As long as the boys don't know you're here, you'll be alright." "But what about you? What is going to happen?" whispered Fluttershy, glad that the rattling of the van drowned her voice. "I'll be fine too. I know they won't harm me. They're-" ~The engine suddenly jolted and the whole vehicle came to a stop. Fluttershy slid quickly down to the floor in fear, holding back a whimper too.~ "Ok, we're stopping. Keep down, Fluttershy, don't make a sound!" Jace ordered. Luda turned the engine off and peered out of the open window. "Alright. Parked up nicely." He said proudly. "Now, let's get out." ~Topas unbuckled his seatbelt and crawled to the back to get Jace. Jace yelped and quickly shut the cupboard door completely to hide Fluttershy. She sat up quietly and cautiously. She could not see or hear anything of the three boys. The darkness had swallowed her completely. It didn't take long for her claustrophobia to kick in and for her to breathe heavily.~ "Come on, Jacey!" Topas encouraged. "Let's go meet the boys!" ~Topas pulled Jace out of the van and dragged him by the hand to where the boys were gathered. Luda followed them from behind after he locked the van doors. Believing that the coast was clear, Fluttershy immediately rushed out of the cupboard finally. Her heavy breathing increased and she flopped down on the car seats for a minute.~ "Deep breaths, deep breaths…" She said to herself. "Oh dear, I wish Lightning Star, or Rainbow Dash, or anybody else was with me. I should feel much better then. No...I can't always rely on them. I have to do something by myself! I have to help Jace! It's the least I can do." ~Fluttershy took one more inhale and exhale before putting on a brave, stern face. She stomped over to the door and pulled the handle, only to realise it wouldn't move. The doors were locked. She looked around to see if there was another way out, until she felt a breeze come from above. The window of the roof was wide open. Fluttershy's stern face disappeared and she began to feel the fear returning inside her. She tilted her head down before making the wildest decision she would ever make. She climbed onto the seats, then jumped to the roof window. Her hands clawed onto the edge and she pulled herself up and out. She crawled onto the roof, but was stuck again.~ "Um...now what?" She whimpered. ~The shy girl looked down from the van to the ground, only to scream, shut her eyes and turn her head away from the edge. She opened one eye again, and this time looked to her right. She opened the second eye and gasped to see a small tree, close to the van. She could reach out to the tree and climb down it to the floor. She nodded to herself and did just that. Once her feet hit the ground, she sighed in relief.~ "That was utterly terrifying and I never want to do that again!" Fluttershy breathed. "Hey. Did you hear something?" ~Stato comes around from behind another nearby caravan, Rogar then does soon after and begins to follow. Fluttershy exclaimed in surprise and hops quietly into bush as the two boys walked by.~ "I saw something yellow and pink. And Frad gets stingy when he sees the colour pink. Did you see it too, Rogar?" "Tamias…" Rogar muttered, staring off in the light of the trees. Stato sighed. "Okay. You're too stupid to talk to. Forget it. Let's just go." ~Not paying attention anymore, Stato shut his eyes in shame and headed off somewhere, dragging Rogar with him. That gave Fluttershy the opportunity to come out from the bush and go somewhere else. While she was skulking around, Jace, Topas and Luda were approaching a neat little gathering of tents all laid out in the shape of a circle. Chip and Rohas peek out from inside one of the tents and were thunderstruck when they saw who they think they saw.~ "Hey, Rohas. Isn't that old Jace over there?" asked Chip. "It sure looks like it. Let's go say hi." He replied with a smile. ~As the boys exited their tents, Topas smiled at Jace. He released his hand before bending down at Jace's feet. Jace was confused on what Topas was doing, until he suddenly felt something clip on his ankle again. He looked down and saw a weird, blinking bracelet around his right foot. He lifted his leg up to get a better look before attempting to shake it off.~ "Topas, what is this and why do I have to wear it?" Jace asked shyly. "It's a lockdown bracelet. It's so you don't run away again. If you exit the campsite, it will trigger an alarm and alert us so we can come and find you." Jace, for once, glared at his 'friend'. "Why are you treating me like I'm a pet?" "Because You kind of are." Topas ruffled Jace's hair. "You're my little buddy, and I don't want to lose you again. You understand, right?" "Yes, of course I do Topas, but-" "Then what are ya complaining about?" Topas shrugged while putting on a smile. "It's for the best, alright. Now, why don't you go and catch up with your other old friends? Luda and I gotta head on over to the council to...talk." ~Topas ruffled his hair one more time before walking to the council building with Luda. Jace watched them leave and frowned. He shoved his hands in his pockets too and grumbled. He has never grumbled before, in fact, he is hardly ever mad. He looked down at a small stone and almost kicked it in frustration but went against it at the last second. Chip came up behind the angry boy nervously and called out to him.~ "Hey, um, Jace." "Hm?" Jace turned around. "Oh, hey Chip. Rohas." Rohas smiled. "Mr. Donar. Why, we never thought we'd see your face again." He said in a light mood. "Um, yeah. Same here." Jace turned back around and stared off. Chip raised a brow. "...Is something wrong?" He asked, noticing the sudden change. "No? Sorry, I need to breathe in the fresh air." "Oh. Okay." Rohas nodded while exchanging a weird look at Chip. ~Jace looked beyond the trees and suddenly noticed Fluttershy peeking at him from behind one. He motioned her to lay low by waving his hand down. She whirled back behind it as he motioned her to just as Stato and Rogar came up to him, Chip and Rohas.~ "Hey! Jace!" Stato greeted. "Stato! Rogar!" Jace waved back. "Nice to...see you!" ~Stato lifted his arm up high and Jace went to high five it, but Rogar stepped in and high fived Stato instead. Jace giggled before all the boys stepped closer and gathered around to pat Jace on the head and or shoulder. Frad and Rube watched from a distance on a rock.~ Rube lifted his eyes up. "Hey Frad, Jace is-" ~Frad jumped down from the rock and straighten his hair and bowtie before approaching the group, ignoring Rube talking.~ "Here." He sighed. "I missed you guys." Jace smiled softly. "We missed you too!" Stato smirked. He dismantles from the pile. "But why did you leave?" "Well, because-" "Boys." Frad crosses his arms firmly. "Back. Away. Don't crowd him. This boy has just been through the unspeakable." "The Unspeakable?" Jace questioned. "Oh boy. Here we go." Stato frowned. Frad pulled a sad face. "Poor Jace. Poor, poor Jace. Who knows what horrors you've seen…" He said dramatically. "Horrors? Wh-What horrors?" "Shhh...It's okay...We'll get through it together." Frad said, putting his arm around Jace. "It wasn't that bad." "Oh no, it's not bad. It's worse. I feel your pain. Because I have too been through it." "Really?" Rogar slurped. "Right. We gotta make sure Jace is okay. And make sure he's still the same old Jace we knew and loved." Chip sighed sadly. Jace was conflicted. "But, I am the same…" "We can only hope." Frad interrupted. "We will have to see how much damage those...Insidious teenage girls have done to him!" "'Insidious?' No, these 'Insidious' girls are my friends." Jace shrugged and smiled. ~All the boys went silent. Then, at the same time, they all gasped dramatically. Frad's eyes, face, and personality all changed at the same time and he turned hysterical and mental.~ "FRIENDS?!" Frad began pacing with outrage. "YOUR FRIENDS?! YOUR FRIENDS?! It's worse than I could've imagined! YOUR FRIENDS?! It is worse than I could have imagined! He's gone...Soft!" "SOFT?!" The boys gasped again. "What does that mean?" Rube asked. "What should we do?" Chip gasped. "Yeah, Frad, you heard the lad, what should we do?" Rohas asked. "Can he be cured?" Stato inquired. Frad nodded. "Oh yes. But, It won't be pretty. Prepare...The tent!" "THE TENT?!" The boys gasped once more. "Not the tent!" Rude shuddered. "Oh yes, The tent." ~Frad smirked at Jace and showed his pure white teeth. Fluttershy noticed the smile from her hiding spot easily and didn't like the look of it. She began to fear for Jace's safety and knew she had to think of something. Meanwhile, up above, Lightning, Stitch and Spike were watching everything from the highest tree in the area. They narrowed their eyes at the targets before exchanging each other looks and flying away from the campsite to find the girls.~
Chapter 8: Rainbow's DilemmaChapter 8: Rainbow's Dilemma. ~The Rainbooms sans Fluttershy and Pinkie, strode along the path in exhaustion. They were just about reaching the top of the hill, and wanted to quickly jog up there, but their hearts were beating so hard, it forced them to walk slowly, or even stop on some occasions. Finally, Rainbow's hand smacked the dry dirt at the top and she pulled herself up and over. She then helped the others down below once she gained the tiniest bit of strength again.~ "I'm so tired…" Rarity groaned. "Me too…" Rainbow added. "Honestly, where is a fainting couch when you need one?!" "Come on girls, don't give up. We need to keep going." Twilight encouraged, despite groaning and panting as well. "For Jace and Fluttershy…" Sunset breathed. ~The girls scrambled to their feet and soon began to move again. However, Rarity's legs began to ache more and felt as if every bone in her body was being jarred out of joint. Applejack noticed her friend in pain, and frowned. She looked up as the sun setted through the trees, and realised the night was actually coming pretty soon.~ "Y'all, I think we should rest for a few hours...it's gettin' late and we're all pantin' like sheepdogs on a hot summer's day." Sunset darted her eyes up at the lowering sun. "Alright." She sighed. "I guess we need it." Rarity fainted to the ground. "Thank you…" She breathed in relief. ~Hastily, Applejack yanked Rarity from the ground and placed her up against a tree. Gingerly, she felt her throbbing head and closed her eyes to rest. The others sat around beside her, and for a long time no one moved or talked. Their breathing was still heavy and their legs were aching. Rainbow Dash leaned her head back to relax, but when doing so, she noticed a figure in the sky, and it was coming straight for them. Rainbow was at first ambivalence, but then she squinted and got a closer look, and saw that it was Lightning and Stitch and Spike the dogs.~ "Hey, check it out! Lightning, Stitch and Spike are back!" She exclaimed. "Oh, thank goodness!" Rarity sighed happily. "There they are! Lightning, Dive! Dive!" ~Lightning didn't hear Stitch. Her eyes were almost asleep and all she could hear was the calm beach sounds in her head. Suddenly, she was awoken by a nibble on her neck. She yelped in surprise and fumbled in her flight pattern. Stitch released his grip on Lightning's neck before digging his claws into her jacket. Spike yelped too as Lightning did begin to dive down, and because she was tired and in pain, her landing wasn't quite elegant. She thumped on the ground and crashed, face first, into a tree. Her ears and tail deactivated and she scrunched up her face.~ "Oww…" She groaned. "Lightnin'!" Applejack cried. The gang rushed to her. "Are you alright?" Rarity asked. "Did you find Jace?" Rainbow prompted. "Been...flying...for...many hours...need rest…" ~Lightning's head bowed and she collapsed quickly out of exhaustion. Her arms ached and her hands felt raw. The five Rainbooms were completely astonished by her sudden faint and decided to also prop her against the large tree too. They sighed, then focused their attention on Stitch and Spike, who staggered to their paws weakly.~ Applejack went to them. "Stitch, Spike...where's Jace?" Stitch whined, then barked up. "Oh! Umm...Jace...ih! Jace is over the trees, pass the lake and the mountain and is at a campsite with some boys not far from here. Right, Spike?" "Right." Spike nodded. Rainbow was pleased. "Oh Yeah! Good job! Come on, guys! Let's go! "Uhh...Rainbow Dash…" ~Rainbow's determination stopped when Applejack called her. The girls and dogs could hardly stand up and were still panting their lungs out. Rainbow looked at them with a rueful face.~ "Oh right…We'll have to leave tomorrow morning…" She said. "My thoughts exactly." Applejack smiled as she and RD sat by the tree. "I just hope Jace and Fluttershy will be ok. I seriously do not want them to stay there any longer." "Me neither. But, they have each other, and hopefully, if Jace knows a few thin's, they'll be fine." ~Fluttershy left the tree with a sense of fear too deep for words. She started to watch the sun fall and a few light, fluffy clouds break the fresh sky. She spied through the trees then bravely stepped into the circle of tents. She could see was a small glow coming from each of them and no one in sight. Until suddenly, she heard voices and looked over to see a larger tent, glowing brighter than the others.~ "Come on, Jace just do it!" came a voice from inside. "No!" She heard Jace shout. "You know it's inside you." Another voice spoke. "Never!" "Jace!" Fluttershy breathed to herself. "What are they doing to him...?!" ~Fluttershy whimpered before scrambling up to the tent and hiding outside it. She watched the shadows play in the tent. She had to think of a plan to help, fast.~ "Come on, Jace. Do it for us! For the boys." Rohas encouraged. Rube nodded. "And do it fast. Before Frad gets here-annnnnnd too late." ~Rube felt someone touch his shoulder, then push him aside. He knew it was Frad right away. He stepped into the tent, gazed down dully at Jace from his height. Jace got concerned.~ "Is it done?-Did he do it?-Is it over?-Are we finished?" Frad asked constantly. "Oh yeah, it was great." Rube answered sarcastically. "Let's go to sleep now." Frad sighed. "The real answer, Rohas." "We tried everything. The boy's locked up like a rusty gate." Frad facepalmed. "Honestly, Jace… Why is this so difficult for you?" "Hmm…" He growled. "You can make it stop at any time. All you have to do is...Say: 'Girls are gross.' Come on, Jace. Say it." "No!" Jace yelled in repulse. "Say it! Say it!" Both Rube and Rohas chanted. "No! It's cruel!" "Again with the 'No.'? Typical." Rube said. "Ugh, Frad, you are wrong about girls…" Jace tried to explain. "They are not like what you said." "Yes they are! They are terrible! My goodness, what have they done to you?-They've made you think like them! This is bad. Means we're gonna have to take desperate measures. Rohas, get the 'instruments'." ~At once, Rohas turned and left the tent, Fluttershy dodged his eyes and scurried behind the tent when he left. And of course, she could hear everything coming inside.~ "Instruments?" She questioned. "Wh-what are those for?" ~She gasped to the sudden footsteps coming back to the tent. She felt Rohas go back in and place something large on the floor.~ "What…?" "We had these buried in this very site for a long time. Never understood why." Rohas claimed, putting a shovel down and opening the box. "Until now." Frad grinned. "Rube. Hand me, the Game console." "Oh boy…" Rube sighed as he handed his brother a game console from the box. "Listen closely, Donar. Do exactly as I say." "Please, don't." Jace begged. "Play it. Go on, Jace." Frad smiled. "No!" "Play it. Play it! PLAY IT!" "Play Pokemon! Call of Duty! Fifa!" The boys chanted. "No! I'm not-I'm not going to do it!" Rube sighed. "Yep. Keeps refusing." Frad did too. "Ok, you are literally trying my patience, Jace. You are no longer with the girls, you are with us, boys. And BOYS, DON'T DO GIRLY THINGS! NOW, HAND ME...THE ACTION FIGURE!" "No!" "YES!" "Ok, Frad, just calm down, calm down, calm down." Rube sighed. "We'll get through this." "Hey, where is the action figure?" Rohas suddenly asked. ~Rohas stuck his head in the box in search of the figure, but couldn't see it. Until he looked up. Fluttershy was standing behind the box, action figure in hand.~ "Excuse me," She started. "But it's not nice to force someone to do something they don't want to do." "AHH! It's a GIRL!" Frad screamed. "What?" "Whoa! Who is she?" Rohas demanded belligerently. "What's she up to?" "Where did she come from?" Rube asked. "I don't care-Just get her!" ~With a snarl, Frad threw Fluttershy off like a ragdoll. She stumbled back and lost her footing. With a cry of alarm, she teetered and then fell to the polyester covered floor. Frad had not finished with her, however. Lying on her back, she faced his towering from high above her. His brows were the colour of thunder and with a cold sneer he grabbed and lifted the shovel off the ground and over his head, ready to bring it down upon her.~ "Jace! Help me!" Fluttershy cried. ~Jace knew he had to act. Rushing forward, before anyone could stop him, he dived down and struggled through the boys. He seized Fluttershy's hand and dragged her to her feet before bursting the tent flap open and running out with her. Frad swung the shovel, but it just about missed, and slammed into the floor.~ Frad turned to the flap in shock. "What the…?" "Jace just helped her!" Rube exclaimed. "Don't just stand there, get them!" screamed Frad. "Don't let them escape!" ~The three boys shove out of the tent and see Jace and Fluttershy race around the tents in attempt to lose them.~ "This way!" "O-Okay!" Fluttershy panted. "Fluttershy, See if you can try to get this bracelet off!" Jace exclaimed, showed her the brace around his leg. "I'll-I'll try!" Frad suddenly came up behind her. "Boo." "Ahh!" "Let's go!" ~Jace held Fluttershy's hand tightly as she trembled with fear and ran with him. They continued racing around the tents, and Frad, Rube and Rohas continued pursuing them. However, Rube started to get tired so he slowed to a walk and tripped on his baggy trousers upon doing so. Rohas ran around the tent Chip was camping in, so he called out to him for help.~ "Chip, there's a girl here trying to steal Jace. Come help!" "Eh, I'm too tired, man." He yawned from inside his tent. ~Frad began shrieking to the sky with anger as he bolted for Jace and his companion. He was hot on their tail and could almost about reach them, if something had not distracted him, like Topas and Luda coming out of their tent, half asleep.~ "What is going on out here?" Luda demanded, annoyed by all the shrieking. "Jace?" Topas inquired. "Fluttershy, hurry!" Jace panicked. "I'm trying!" ~Fluttershy dropped the action figure she was still holding onto and made Jace stop so she could use both hands to try and remove the bracelet. Frad knew this was his chance. He headed straight for the duo and was about to grab them, when suddenly he stepped on something hard and crooked. His ankle twisted all the way around and he shrieked again, this time in pain. He looked down and saw the figure below his foot. His left leg and ankle were now both twisted, and he could not stand on it. He instantly fell to the ground sharply. Fluttershy turned and saw play out badly.~ "Oh. My." She gasped. "We need to go." Jace urged. ~Fluttershy set the bracelet down, and together, she and Jace plunged into the forest and disappeared from the camp. Rube and Rohas panted as they reached Frad lying on the ground. They stared at his ankle.~ "Ouch, that has to hurt." Frad lifted his upper body. "I...have...HAD IT! NO MORE! THOSE GIRLS HAVE PUSHED ME TOO FAR! THE NEXT TIME I SEE ANOTHER GIRL COME OUT OF THE FOREST OR ANYWHERE ELSE, IF THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR PAPERS THEY ARE GETTING A FULL FRADDIE SMACKDOWN! THIS IS WAR!" ~With a final shriek, Frad groaned and fell to the ground again in pain, he could not move his leg at all. Topas, Luda and the rest of the boys in the camp crowded around him.~ "Oh Frad…" Chip gasped. "That is just horrible…" Stato sighed. "I can't believe it...Jace...ran away from us again…" Luda said unbelievably. Topas dropped to his knees. "No...We literally just found him only to leave us again! I...I don't understand, I just don't!" "Do you wanna go after him?" "No, I just want to go home. I'm too sad to continue with the days. Come on..." ~Topas got up and walked away sulkily. All the boys watched him and sighed deeply before staring into the forest.~ ~It was Lightning who woke up first. There was a strange sound nearby the tree the gang was under. She felt in the darkness for the closest person near her and gave them a shake. It took some moments to rouse them.~ "Lightnin'?" mumbled Applejack. "It ain't mornin' already, is it?" "No." hissed Lightning. "Listen. There's someone outside." "Think it could be Pinkie Pie?" she whispered excitedly. "I don't know." Lightning replied. "Let's take a look." ~She leant over and kneeled up. Both of them poked their heads around at once. It was still dark and the clear light of the stars shone coldly. All was quiet.~ "There's no one…" Applejack began. "Wait." Lightning whispered. "Look over there." ~The cowgirl followed her gaze with wonderment. There in the darkness sat what looked like a person, with messy like hair. It suddenly coughed, and the cough sounded pretty raspy. Applejack immediately knew who it was.~ "Rainbow Dash?" She gasped. "Huh? Oh. Hey guys." "What are you doing out here so late?" Lightning asked, taking a seat beside her. "I was just thinking about Pinkie." She threw a stone and it flew into the darkness. "Aw. Great. That was the best stone here. Now the only ones I've got are soggy and slippery." Lightning smugged. "Hmm, just like Pinkie's…" ~Applejack suddenly interjected Lightning by nudging her arm and glaring at her. She instantly shut up.~ "What was with Pinkie this morning anyway?" Rainbow asked in exasperation. Both Lightning and Applejack went blank. "Uhh...Well…" Applejack stuttered. "Hey! I wonder if there are any better stones over here!" ~Lightning stomped and flipped on her feet and went off to the trees to gather more stones, as well as some sticks. She piled them up in her arms and threw them down beside Rainbow and Applejack, they bounced a little when they made contact with the ground. The two picked one up a stone each and analysed it. Lightning sat back down and also picked up a stone and examined it.~ "Ah-ha! Nice and round and less slippery! Here you go, Rainbow." She tossed the stone over to Rainbow, she athletically caught it with one hand. "Here, let's see who can throw the stone the farthest!" Rainbow pulled a smile. "Alright. You're on!" ~Like a professional thrower, Lightning winded her arm up and over her head and lobbed another small stone into the darkness. They never heard it thud. Rainbow went next, and she lobbed the stone she had into the darkness as hard as she could. Once again, there was not a sound to be heard. Applejack went last, and she lobbed the stone as fast as a bullet. And this time, they heard it hit on something rough, like a tree stump. Lightning and Rainbow were shocked before they both began laughing. Later, the three girls had no more stones so they began chatting and watching the sun barely show itself from the horizon.~ "You know, I'm actually glad Pinkie's not here." said Rainbow. "Seriously?" Lightning inquired. "Yeah. I mean, she has been acting weird lately and I just don't want to be a part of it." "Ah, come on, you and her did exchange somethin' to each other back in the hideout." smiled Applejack. "Well, before all THIS happened." Lightning whispered. Rainbow sighed. "...You know, Pinkie hasn't actually ever apologized to me since then." "We did talk to her about you and how you felt, right before 'The Cake incident'." "The Cake Incident?" "Pinkie Pie wanted to make a giant cake for ya as an apology. However, it sorta...melted." Applejack explained. "Oh, so that's why Pinkie felt...weird. It wasn't about Jace at all. Why did she lie about it?" "Beats me." The raccoon girl shrugged. "Too stressed and sad, perhaps?" "Yeah. Probably. But, trust us, Rainbow Dash. Pinkie does care for you. She just...got mad and sad, just like when you did when you…" "Stepped into her goop collection." "Yeah…" Rainbow breathed and looked down. "Well, wherever Pinkie is now, I hope she will come to her senses independently, calm down and find us, so we can apologize and save Jace. Together." "Absolutely."
Chapter 9: Lost in the WoodsChapter 9: Lost in the Woods. "Cold...s-s-so cold…" ~Pinkie shook and shivered as the night wind blew past her coldly. Her arms had goosebumps all over and she tried to warm herself up with something but all she could find was an old, damaged newspaper. Still, she used it as a blanket and covered herself up with it. She had her back against a large dustbin filled with rubbish as well as surrounded by a ton of rubbish bags full of rubbish. The smell, the smell was horrid, but Pinkie got used to it. Weary hours dragged by, and Pinkie finally breathed one gigantic sigh.~ "I still don't need anyone…" She lied to herself. "I can look after myself...this is fine…" ~Pinkie suddenly heard noises so she threw herself up to her feet rapidly, ready to defend herself. She began kicking and punching the air as well as the rubbish surrounding her. She stomped down on a bin and made the lid go flying straight up, it spun all around too as it flew. When she then realised nothing was there, Pinkie lowered her fists. She collapsed to the ground again to catch her breath, as well as calm down from that excitement. She stood back up after half a minute, only to fall back down when the lid of the bin she stomped on came back down and clouted her on the head.~ "Oww!" ~The pink girl groaned before throwing the lid off her head and onto the ground. It made a clanking sound once it made contact. Pinkie then groaned even more and clutched her head afterwards. She stood up again, and went to wander around to help her sore head, but her foot wouldn't move. She looked down and saw that a sticky substance was oozing from one of the rubbish bags, it had split open completely and all the rubbish inside began spilling out, and straight onto her foot. Pinkie sighed in tremendous irritation.~ "This...this is a good character building moment…" She mumbled. "Ah-Come on, Pinkie, toughen it out! You are a highly-trained secret agent! You can do this, You can find Jace! You don't need the girls, and you certainly don't need Rainbow Dash! So what, if she helps me make cupcakes and pies?! And listens to my problems? And comforts me every time I feel sad…? And...always has my back when evil magic is afoot...?! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" Warm tears began to pour down Pinkie's face. "DASHIE!" She wailed. ~No longer minding what was around her, she flopped down and sobbed her heart out. The newspaper blew over her completely and she curled up in a ball.~ ~The caravan engines began revving up again. All the boys got into each of their vans and the drivers of them put in the clutch and pressed down the accelerator; the vehicles slid off down the roads. The mother of Fraddie and Rube was just about climbing into her van, preparing to leave.~ "Come on, Rube!" She called. "Time to go to Boyland!" Rube hurriedly threw his backpack on his shoulders. "Alright! Boyland, here we come! I'm pretty excited. I'm looking forward to the bumper cars, the toy train, the waterslides and the pool, and the buffet! How 'bout you, Frad?" ~Frad didn't answer. He was already in the van, lying on the car seats, headphones plugged in his ears and everything. He constantly kept groaning though as well, his entire leg and foot were killing him. Honestly, he just wanted to close his eyes and perish. Rube climbed into the van and saw his brother in a state, but said nothing to make him feel better. He just ignored him and sat down on the floor, since Frad was taking up all the seats.~ "Keep that ice pack on, bro." Rube smugged. "SHUT UP!" Frad shouted. ~The caravan moved quickly out of the camp and back onto the road. And just as it was coming out of the camp's sight, Stitch and Spike poked their heads above a hill just beyond the camp. They hopped up and over it swiftly to reach it down below. Next, The six Rainbooms appeared and stood on the hillside top. For a brief moment, the camp looked beautiful, but they dared not be fooled. Its momentary splendour hid the deep evil within its walls. They slid down the steep slope and entered through its gates.~ "So, where are they keeping Jace?" asked Sunset. "In a tent. Over...there?" Spike pointed his snout in the direction of a tent, but it had been taken down. "The place is deserted, y'all." observed Applejack. "But, they were here. L-Last night, we swear!" Lightning exclaimed. "Oh, no, I believe you guys. Whoa…" "What?" "Looks like there's been a struggle." ~Applejack leapt and entered in a large rut in the shape of a circle. She looked among the dry grass and dirt to see footprints. Footprints scattered everywhere. They came in all different shapes and sizes, some of them even clashed with other prints on the ground too. The cowgirl kneeled down and examined one of the clear prints up closely. Lightning and Rainbow also peeked at it over her shoulders.~ "Hey, Those are Fluttershy's footprints! I recognise the pattern of her boots!" Rainbow gasped. "A-And those are Jace's!" Lightning exclaimed, pointing at another print. "I also recognise the pattern on the bottom of his shoes." Twilight looked at all the prints. "It seems to me that Jace and Fluttershy tried to fend off their attackers. However, I'm not sure if they were successful or not." "Hey, Master! Look at this." barked Stitch. ~After he pawed at the floor, Stitch turned back at what he was staring at. Applejack looked above him to also discover what was interesting him. She put her hand on her hat in shock, then nodded seriously.~ "And here is where it happened." Rainbow pouted. "What is it? What are we looking at?" "Nothin', Rainbow Dash. Nothin' because the tracks end right here." "Meaning, that they might have been caught trying to escape." sighed Twilight. "The kidnappers must have also realised that isn't a good place to confine them, so they moved." "That would explain why this place is deserted." Rarity nodded, waving her arms around. Everyone sighed in annoyance, but Rainbow sighed in anger. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" She shouted, facepalming hard. "Where do you think they went then, Twi?" Sunset turned to Twilight. "How should I know?" She replied, shrugging unsurely. "I'm just using the evidence we've got right here, I'm not a psychic." "Ok, What do you think, Lightning?" "Gee, I don't know." Lightning said. "If only we had another sort of lead." "How about this?" ~Spike's voice sounded mumbled. In his mouth was a colourful leaflet, packed with pictures of fun amusements. The wording was also fun and colourful, like it was supposed to be appealing to young people such as themselves. He spat it out into Lightning's hand and she began to unwrap it, as well as wipe some of the dog saliva off of it.~ "Boyland?" Lightning began to read. "The amusement park that brings joy to all boys. No Girls allowed. " She stopped there. "The heck kind of place is that?! Doesn't allow girls, honestly..." "Where did you find this?" asked Sunset, looking down at the pup. "Just here on the ground. Maybe that's where they're taking Jace and Fluttershy next." Spike said confidently, wagging his tail. "Spike, this is just an old leaflet." Lightning shrugged. "Besides, how can we be sure they dropped this? It could have been dropped by someone else long ago." "Might wanna check again, Lightning. Look." ~Looking in the direction Twilight was pointing on the leaflet, Lightning spotted something written in black marker on one of the sides. It said, 'Hope Jace has a grand old time here again. This will get him back for sure. -Topas.' Lightning softly blinked.~ "Ok. Maybe they did drop it." Rainbow snatched the leaflet. "Great! We have another lead! Let's go!" "Rainbow, darling, we don't know which way we're going again…" Rarity called out. "Oh, yes we do. The road signs will show us." Twilight pointed across the road and at the green signs showing them the way to the amusement park. Lightning was relieved. "Oh. Good. I don't have to fly. My tail is still feeling a bit sore. I wanna use my legs now." "Come on then, y'all. Let's hurry!" ~The girls hurriedly exited the camp, and with Applejack taking the lead, they set off on the roads, following the signs to Boyland.~ ~In a short time, the caravans of the boys parked in a car park field and approached a grand old amusement park. It only had cold themed colours and stoned walls with barbed wire on top circling around it. Security were hanging on these walls and were surveying the area for any feminine people. But other than that, the park looked fun. Rube jumped out and, looking up at the ferris wheel and smelling the air of popcorn and peanuts, he smiled excitedly.~ "Password?" asked the guard at the front entrance. "Comics." ~The guard examined Rube and Frad and let them in. The mother remained in the van, and waved goodbye to them. Rube was helping his brother walk, despite him constantly trying to shove him away and trying to walk by himself. Once two boys went through the wall and saw the sun again, they heard a large toy train chug past them. The rails circled the inside of the park and behind an abandoned building the designers were supposed to tear down last year. The train went behind and out from the building, went through a long tunnel and stopped at the station to allow the boys travelling it to get off. After it stopped, the boys could hear the musical roars of the rides and carnival games. Rube smiled once more.~ "Would you take a gander at this? Wow. The guys really improved from last year. This, Frad, puts a 'B' in 'Boy.'" "Rube, I don't want to do this." Frad huffed silently. "It's kinda late to back out now, don't you think? Come on man. Your ankle and leg aren't that bad. Although it doesn't really make you look sophisticated." "Oh, SHUT. UP!" "Ok, sorry..." ~On another road, leading away from everything, Topas and Luda were driving away sulkily. Luda had a big frown on his face, while Topas was on the verge of crying. He blew into his nose with his hand while wiping a tear from his cheek.~ "What in the world is wrong with him, Luda? Why doesn't he want to be with us, Luda? What did we ever do, Luda?!" "Topas, calm down. It's pretty clear and obvious to what Jace wants. He doesn't want to hang with us anymore. He's moving on. He had new friends, friends that are girls, and are not psychopaths like Frad." Luda growled. "I knew he was a reason Jace quit us." "No, I refuse to believe that. He will probably come to his senses soon. I guarantee it." "I doubt it. If he's moving on, we have to as well. Accept it." ~Topas said nothing and just stared out of the window, lost.~ ~Meanwhile, in the depths of the forest, Jace and Fluttershy journeyed through the trees in hopes of finding the way back home. As the forest thinned out, the air grew cooler. Jace reckoned that the thinner it gets, the chances they'll be out of the forest. He just had to believe in himself and not take the wrong turn.~ "Is this the way back home? Or is it this way?" Jace crossed his arms and pointed in both directions. "We're not lost, are we, Jace?" Fluttershy asked him. "Oh! No, of course not-Ok, maybe we are. It's ok though. We'll find a way. Where there's a will, there's a way." Fluttershy looked beyond the trees. "Maybe I can ask somebody for directions." "But, there isn't anybody around here." "Aren't there?" ~Softly, Fluttershy whistled out in the open for a bunch of bright beady eyes to open up in the darkness. Jace backed away. All the eyes came forward and revealed themselves as adorable baby squirrels, rabbits, birds and hedgehogs. They crowded around Fluttershy as she got down on his knees. One rabbit hopped up and placed its paws on her legs.~ "Wow…" Jace said in awe. "Hello my friends," Fluttershy greeted. "We are trying to find our way back to Pixel High, but we're lost...Could you help us?" ~The animals squeaked altogether before pointing in the direction of a pond. It was surrounded by tall reeds growing in the shallow water and was connected to a river leading upwards.~ "Oh. Ok, so if we follow the river, we'll find the city?" ~They all nodded.~ "Well. thank you. Thank you very much!" ~Fluttershy kissed the rabbit on its fuzzy forehead before leaping up to her feet. She stroked the other animals goodbye as she walked past them and over to the river. Jace was nervous, but he followed Fluttershy immediately through the animals. However, a small squirrel approached him, blocked his path and chittered happily at him. He froze, but then, with what little courage he had, he kneeled down and scritched the squirrel's tiny ear with his fingernail. He smiled and enjoyed it very much. After he was done, and he carried on his way and caught up with Fluttershy to the river.~ "I love your ability to talk to animals, Fluttershy. It's both cute and helpful." He said with a grin. The girl blushed. "Thank you. I'm really pleased that I can understand them now. For the longest time all I've heard from them were sweet little chitters." "You know, For as long as I can remember, I've always been afraid of wild animals, but there, I didn't feel fear at all." "How can you be afraid of those sweet little things? They don't mean harm, they are just-" "Whoa!" Jace interrupted. "What kind of monstrosity is that?!" ~Jace and Fluttershy leapt up with a start at the strange sound of a creature coming around the trees and by a river. It was a furry, smelly dog-like creature. Brown mud covered its front from head to toe and it droopily continued to drag its feet around, as well as something stuck on the heel of its foot.~ "Eep!" Fluttershy blinked, cowering behind Jace if she could. "Um, can your power be of use here? Monsters are technically creatures right?!" Jace asked. "Well, only if they are cute and kind and small, but this one doesn't look like he is!" "Wait a minute...Pinkie?!" ~Pinkie Pie looked up at the people who greeted her. However, she continued galumphing around, almost looking like she was about to give up and faint. Jace and Fluttershy approached her face to face.~ "Huh? Oh hey." She croaked in response. "What-What are you doing here? And...what happened to you? You look like a talking mud-pie. Where are the others?" "Oh...they're rescuing Jace and Fluttershy…" answered Pinkie. "Hey Fluttershy." "Umm...Pinkie, are you okay?" "Yeah, what's going on? Why do you look like that?" "Oh...trash can be playful sometimes and mud...it's just everywhere...Seemed only a matter of time before I fell face down in the shallow bog." said Pinkie, glancing down at her bedraggled clothes. "Whoever thought mud needed to be in the forest should have their head examined." "I think it's you that needs your head examined." Jace replied with a frown. "But seriously, where are the others?" "Like I said, they're saving Jace and Fluttershy. They went that way." Her crooked finger pointed right, then down. "Wait...to the camp?" "They must be following the RV we were stuck in." said Fluttershy. "But, We only stay there for the night, then we go to...Boyland." Jace suddenly realised. "Oh no…" "What's wrong?" "They are going to Boyland! This is terrible!" Pinkie, still feeling dazed, nodded. "Boyland? Nice...Tell them to get me something there." "No, Pinkie! You don't understand. Boyland is an amusement park for Boys only. And these boys hate girls. Dearly. It's also heavily guarded by guards and they will shoot at any girl on sight. Our friends are in serious danger!" Jace explained, tugging on Pinkie's bedraggled shirt. "We have to go back and help!" Fluttershy gasped. "Okay! Well, Have fun then!" "Pinkie, what's the matter with you? Snap out of it!" ~Jace threw his hand into the pond and cupped a tiny handful of water. Then, without warning, he splashed it straight into Pinkie's face. She made all sorts of glugging and gurgling noises in her throat once the water hit her face and up her nose. The mud slid down her cheeks and she gazed at Jace and groaned.~ "Ughhhh...Ahh...Jace? Fluttershy?! Where did you come from? Did I save you? By myself?" "No! Don't you see though?! Lightning, Twilight, Sunset, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow! Stitch and Spike too perhaps! They will all be torn to pieces!" "Torn to...pizzas?" "Pieces!" "PIECES?! Rainbow's in trouble?!" "Uh-huh...and the others too!" Fluttershy panicked. "Well, why didn't you say so?! RAINBOW DASH, DON'T WORRY! I'M COMING TO SAVE YOU!" Pinkie set off northwards, holding her fist up high. "You're going the wrong way!" Jace yelled. "No, I'm not-" ~She never finished her sentence, for suddenly she felt the ground tremble beneath her feet and make way into another steep ditch. She thumped on the ground and dust filled the air around her.~ "Oh, COME ON!"
Chapter 10: Rescue Attempt No. 2Chapter 10: Rescue Attempt No. 2. ~After twenty minutes of walking along the road, the Rainbooms, Stitch and Spike spotted a walled off amusement park and assumed that must be the place. But, all they could see was the tip top ferris wheel. The wall was so high that it stood at least three times the girls' own height. Lightning thought that it must have taken really heavy machines to build such a wall.~ "That's the park?" quired Rainbow. "Must be." Sunset answered, still staring up and over the wall. "Hm. Looks nothing like the picture on the leaflet." Lightning complained. "Gotta say though, it's very well built." Twilight observed. "Talk about high security and keeping things in place and hidden." "Well, they don't want girls goin' in or findin' out 'bout this, now do they?" Applejack stared. "I suppose not." Rarity sighed. "Men truly are a mystery." She said, shaking her head. "And selfish, mind you. Why not share this park with others?" "No idea." Applejack answered. "But, never mind that for now. We just gotta go an' get Jace and Fluttershy back!" "Do you reckon it's safe to climb up the wall and take a look inside?" Spike asked. ~As the girls looked up at the wall to see if climbing would be a possibility, a squirrel began to scale it. But as it reached about halfway up, a dart came from nowhere and struck the small animal on its back. It fell back down to the ground and didn't move. The girls pulled an uneasy face and Rarity's mouth gaped open.~ "Yea-no." Twilight said, answering his question. "Yeah, too much security and guards. Maybe we can get a better view from the top of that tall hill." Lightning pointed left at a mountain hill. "Come on." ~The hill definitely proved to be very tall and more like a mountain. Once everyone made it to the top, they could see the inside of the park. Then, they noticed the field filled with caravans. Not one spot was free. The girls gazed at them in amazement.~ "Oh my good glory...Look at all those caravans…" Rarity sighed. "Oh, I do hope Jace and Fluttershy are alright." "Me too...So how are we going to get inside?" Rainbow asked. "Well, we could try tunnelin' our way in…" Applejack suggested. "Or, Lightning could fly us all in." Stitch barked. Lightning slowly turned to her dog. "I can not fly everyone in. You are all too heavy. I do not have super strength." "Hmm, you know...How in the hay did the boys get Fluttershy inside the park?" Applejack wondered. "Well, maybe they didn't, maybe they left her in their caravan." Lightning shrugged. Twilight shook her head. "They wouldn't. It's dangerous to leave someone in a vehicle for a long period of time. I think they would know that." "Ok, Maybe, they were sneaky...or maybe they disguised her-I-don't-know." Rainbow puts on a thinking face. "Disguise….Hey! That's a good idea!" Everyone glanced at her. "What if we disguise ourselves as boys and go in and look around?" Lightning raised a brow and nodded. "Well, it's an option, but we don't have any boy clothes and makeup to look like boys and-" "Lightning, darling." Rarity interrupted. "Say no more. I will come up with the disguises. Good thing I carry my emergency case full of sewing equipment with me." She made a giant case appear out of thin air. "Of course you do." Applejack smiled, while rolling her eyes. "Wow. Yeah, not even gonna ask where that came from." Lightning said. ~Rarity opened up her case and a full-on desk replaced it. A sewing machine was planted in the centre while fabric surrounded it, very neatly folded. She sat down and immediately got to work. After half an hour, Rarity was finishing the final piece of clothing for Rainbow Dash. The fashion girl threw the top over Rainbow's head and she put it on, it fit like a glove. After Rainbow got her head through the shirt, Rarity stuck a small plaster on her nose.~ "There you go, Rainbow Dash. Perfect." "Thanks, Rarity!" ~As Rainbow nodded at Rarity, Lightning and Sunset were admiring their new style. Lightning tied her hair in a ponytail and tried to make it look as untidy as possible, so it looks like she doesn't care. Her outfit almost remained the same but the only difference was; she had a larger jacket, no pink, instead it was replaced with the colour yellow, and sunglasses over her eyes. Sunset drew a pencil thin beard on her with black eyeshadow. She adjusted the cap on her head and tried to tuck her hair inside it. She also wore sunglasses. Her outfit was a light red jacket over a white shirt and ripped trousers the same colour as her leggings.~ "Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all." "Yeah. We look great." Sunset said. "Well, not everyone." ~Lightning and Sunset turn to look at Applejack's clothing, they almost burst into laughter. A miniature propeller hat was stuck on top of her head and the strong wind was making it spin like crazy. She wore a red and blue striped top with blue dungarees over it. Practically, all she needed was a swirly rainbow lollipop and she would be perfect. Finally, Twilight appeared wearing a simple blue hoodie over a smart polo shirt. Her jeans were blue and were tightly buckled up with a belt. She threw the hoodie over her head and tucked her hair inside it.~ Lightning tried to clear her throat and go through the plan. "Anyways...haha, sorry, Applejack. Umm, we'll split up into 3 teams. Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity. You 3 will walk into the front entrance and look around for some sort of area that could contain prisoners. Stitch, Spike and I will keep a hawk's eye out for you, while Sunset and Twilight find an undetected way in, and maybe take out the guards so they won't be a problem later on." "Sounds good." Sunset nodded. "Got it. Let's go." ~Rainbow and Rarity slapped their hats onto their heads and tucked their hair in as they walked over to the entrance.~ "Good luck, 'Rainbow Blitz', 'Elusive' and…Applejack." Lightning shrugged unusually. "Do I really need to wear this?" Applejack asked, pointing at her new hat. "I look pathetic." "I think you look adorable, darling…" Rarity said while her eyes brightened and smiled. "And you are supposed to be a little boy, and all little boys wear cute propeller hats." "None I've ever seen." Applejack replied, gritting through her teeth. ~Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity looked towards the entrance of the park. They got in the queue and awaited their turn nervously. They could see two armed guards searching and questioning everyone.~ Lightning nodded to Twilight and Sunset. "Ok, now, 'Dusk Shine' and 'Sundown Glare', you two go on and try to find another way in. Stitch, Spike and I need to fly." ~The two girls nodded and slid down the hill. Stitch and Spike ascended on Lightning's back again and she darted upwards to look over the park. Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity slipped along the line from one to another until they were almost at the front. The people in front of them chatted amiably to the guard, then walked in. When the guard called 'next', the girls came forwards.~ "Password?" He asked. Rainbow's eyes widen. "Password?! Umm…" "C-comics!" Rarity blurted out suddenly in the deepest voice she could manage. The guard raised a brow. "Hm! You know, you guys look a little thin to be boys. But you do know the password, so I guess you can go in." ~The trio smiled and slipped roughly through the gates and scooted down the street.~ "How did you know the password?" Rainbow whispered to Rarity. "I overheard the boys in front of us say it. Need to keep your ears clean, darling." "That sure was lucky." Applejack admitted. "Tsk! Yeah! Too lucky…" ~Meanwhile, chilling by the pool area, Frad was lying on a deck chair. He was tossing and turning in pain, as Rube rubbed some sort of ointment on his leg and ankle.~ "Oww! Hey!" "Sorry, bro. Just, stop moving, I'm almost done. There." ~As Frad lifted himself up to see his leg, he frowned. His ankle did not look any better, if anything, he thinks it looks even worse.~ "Are you kidding me?" He sighed, turning to Rube angrily. "It's not that bad." Rube shrugged. "I don't think anyone will notice." ~Just as he said that, a bunch of boys passed by. They glanced at Frad's leg and pointed at it and began to laugh. After they walked off, continuing to laugh, Frad glowered and clenched his fists.~ "No one, will notice? No one will notice? No one will notice?! No one will notice?!" Rube sighed. "Ok, except them-" "Yeah! They noticed! They noticed! I noticed! You noticed! We all noticed! I NOTICED!" "Ok, ok, I get it. Calm down. I'm sorry. Me and my big mouth." ~Back to the entrance of the park, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity exited from under the arch. The sun shone on their eyes instantly, but they cleared up after some moments. After they did, they looked and walked beyond the park. They were in the sort of fair that had shelves filled with small figurines, and cuddly toys, and games. It made Applejack and Rarity feel like they were in Equestria Land again, sadly it didn't feel good for them. Neither did it for Rainbow Dash, who was staring up at the roller coaster and the screaming people. Her phobia began building up again, but thankfully, Applejack snapped her back with a light arm tug.~ "Wow." "Tsk. Yeah. Talk about weird." Holding onto her small hat, Applejack looked around in vain. "Looks just like Equestria Land…" "Yes, however, I do not want to talk about it too much." murmured Rarity. "Let's just find Fluttershy and Jace, and get out of here. Ignore everybody you see, keep walking and don't make eye contact." "Ok…" ~With a short nod, the girls surged forwards and the three began to walk out of the fair area over to the amusements. Ignoring the fun roller coasters, the smell of sweet and salty popcorn, peanut and candy floss, and the games, they kept surging. Rainbow counted the boys around them and came to a total of three hundred and fifty boys. It wasn't going to be easy finding their friends in this storm.~ "Jace?! Fluttershy?" Rarity called quietly. "Where are ya?" Applejack added. ~The trio kept calling out until they made it to the pool area. They silently skulked behind and past the boys on the deck chairs to head for the last place they haven't searched yet, the abandoned building. They passed the last deck chair that Frad was lying on! He opened his eyes when he heard them calling for Jace and Fluttershy. Then he remembered that Fluttershy was the name of the girl that helped Jace in the camp. His eyes widened at the girls and he grew heavily suspicious.~ "Jace…? Fluttershy…? Hmm…" ~Frad watched the girls walk by slowly. Rainbow wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she could feel he was watching them. They reached the front of the abandoned building, without noticing Chip, Rohas and another new boy now staring at them. They looked about the place.~ Rainbow cupped her mouth. "Jace, Fluttershy, are you two around here...somewhere?" She then noticed the boys staring. Applejack and Rarity then do too. "Well, well," Chip began. "I have never seen you boys around here before." "You look really skinny...have you ever worked out?" Rohas asked. "3 times a day actually!" Rainbow retaliated. Rarity began to chuckle nervously. "We're new to this town," She said, bringing back her deep voice. "We were trying to find a restroom, I guess we went the wrong way, so if you don't mind…" ~They began to walk backwards, but felt something behind them. It was three more boys. Two of them were Stato and Rogar, the other was a random.~ "Stato, it's the Tamias…" Rogar said, hanging his tongue out. "Not now, Rogar…" Stato grumped, lightly knocking Rogar to the ground. ~Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity knew they were in trouble. Three girls might take on three boys, but six was more than they could handle. Nor they could run away, all the ways were blocked and Rarity might not be able to outrun them. They were trapped. The three suddenly looked right to see Frad approach them, he trampled softly over Rogar's body and smirked.~ "My friends... today, justice wears a blue bow and a smart white shirt." ~The three girls weren't listening to him. They were distracted and kept staring at Frad's broken, twisted leg.~ "Oh my goodness…" Rarity gasped quietly. Rainbow cringed. "Ugh! What happened to your leg-" "QUIET! You scums! You vermins!" He interrupted madly. Rube dropped down. "Frad, calm down, man. Take it down a notch." "No! You be QUIET too! I will not abide! Everyone just SHUT UP! SHUT UP! Don't you see?! We have girls on our premises!" "Girls? No! We are tough boys like you!" cried Rainbow, putting on a deep voice. "Yeah! Uh...bro?" ~Applejack pounded on her chest and held it up high. Rainbow and Rarity also stood up high and tried to smirk like they did, but Frad wasn't convinced by the slightest. He nodded at the two boys behind them and they ripped off the hats Rainbow and Rarity were wearing. They exclaimed 'hey' in their normal voices and their long hair fell out. Rarity dropped and clamped her mouth in dismay while Rainbow and Applejack gasped when they realised their cover had been blown.~ "Nice try, but no girl ever gets away from me and my clan and just sneaks into our private amusement park!" Frad shouted. Rube came forwards. "We heard you say the name 'Jace.' So, we want to ask you some questions." He said, surprisingly politely. Frad changed the mood again. "And make you suffer like I did. Take them to the 'station'. I've got something planned." ~Three pairs of slippery hands suddenly seized the girls from behind. They looked behind them at their captors and saw their tough faces. They also saw that they were wearing rubber gloves, because they think that touching girls will make them sick. Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity struggled as they were frogmarched away somewhere.~ "Oww! Hey!" "Hey! Let go!" "Unhand me!" Rarity demanded. Rube rubbed the back of his neck. "What are we gonna do with them, bro?" He turned to Frad droopily. "We are going to take these girls for a little joyride to hell! That's what!" He exclaimed before laughing evilly. ~Frad's laugh echoed upwards, where Lightning, Stitch and Spike were spying down on them. They saw the whole thing play out, and they were all both mad and concerned. "Ohhh...this isn't good." Stitch groaned. Lightning cried in worry. "Girls! No...This can't be happening!" She growled and was about to take flight when Spike stopped her. "Lightning! What are you doing? You can't take on 7 boys! And even if the others join in, you will still be outnumbered by 3!" "What should we do then?" Stitch whimpered. Lightning groaned. "We need a plan. Let's go back to the car park and tell Sunset and Twilight about this. Then we can think of a plan together. Quickly." She looked around then flew off as quick as lightning. ~Meanwhile, still outside with the vans, Sunset and Twilight circled the park in hopes of finding a secret door or something to get in. With lighter steps, they looked around the final wall, they crept until Sunset noticed something wooden and blocky set inside the wall. A handle was sticking out and showed itself to indeed be a door leading inside. Twilight tugged the handle, but it wouldn't budge, not to her surprise.~ "It's locked!" "We're going to have to find a way in to open it then." said Sunset. "Wait, you can use your magic! Just like when you opened the door to the supply closet in the movie studio to get Rainbow out." "Oh my gosh, You're right! Ok then!" Twilight was about to touch her geode, but stopped when she heard strange noises. "Hi-yah! Wah-ha!" a high-pitched voice boomed. "Shh, Pinkie! Be quiet." another voice hissed. Sunset and Twilight glanced at each other. "...Pinkie?!" ~They crept around the corner they came from again, and couldn't believe what they saw. Pinkie, Jace and Fluttershy flat against the wall. The girls looked up in bewilderment at the wall, while Jace was trying to figure out where to go from where they were. Sunset and Twilight hurried over to them before they moved again.~ "Jace! Fluttershy!" They both called. Fluttershy turned and yelped at the two. "Umm...who are you?" she asked timidly and scaredly. Sunset looked confused, but then she looked down. "Oh, excuse the disguises. It's us!" She removed her accessories, as did Twilight. Jace gasped. "Sunset? Twilight?" ~They both nodded. The five smiled then embraced each other like old friends.~ "Oh, thank goodness you two are safe!" Fluttershy sighed in relief. "Same with you! Pinkie as well! Did she actually save you?" Pinkie chuckled in embarrassment. "No, heh heh. I might've gotten sidetracked. I'm sorry." "It's ok-" smiled Sunset. "No. Really. I'm sorry for everything. I only thought about myself and my needs and-and-" She began to tear up. "Pinkie, Pinkie. We get it. Alot has happened. We are all under pressure right now. So, don't beat yourself up." Sunset affectionately wiped a tear from Pinkie's cheek. "Sorry, I haven't got a handkerchief." Jace grinned. "See, Pinks? I told you they will forgive you." Pinkie smiled and sniffed. "Yes, Thank you for forgiving me. I just now have to say that to Rainbow." "Oh, yes, where are Rainbow and the others? What have you been doing?" Jace asked, changing the subject back to the serious matter again. "We could ask you the same thing." Twilight replied. "Well-" "Hey! Sparkle! Shimmer! Over here!" suddenly came a familiar voice. ~At once, everyone turned to the right and saw Lightning's head poke around the corner of the stone wall. She motioned them to come to her by swinging her hand forwards and backwards. The four girls and Jace nodded as they went over to and around the corner. Stitch was perched on Lightning's shoulders and Spike had his head against her leg. When they saw Jace, Pinkie and Fluttershy, they were shocked, but happy too. Fluttershy held out her arms and Spike called and jumped to greet her. He softly licked her face and she giggled.~ "Jace? Fluttershy? Pinkie? Where did you guys come from?" Lightning asked. ~Jace was about to answer, but Lightning raised a hand quickly.~ "Wait. If it's a long story, make it short." "...Okay, so, Fluttershy and I escaped the camp, and we were about to head home when we ran into Pinkie..." Jace started. Pinkie spoke next. "I told them that you were still looking for them and that you were following the boys. Jace then realised that they were heading to their favourite amusement park, and they don't like girls being in there very much..." "We figured that you would be in trouble...So we came back." Fluttershy then said. "Because of...Frad. The insane leader of my friend group, well ex friend group." Jace finished with a sigh. "Ah." Lightning nodded weirdly. "Well. I'm glad you're safe." "What exactly is this 'Frad's' problem, if you don't mind me asking?" Sunset asked. "He hates girls, but I have no idea why." Jace shrugged. "All he says is that they ruined him, and that he wants all boys to think the same. He tried to make me believe girls were bad when I was with them in the camp. I kept saying that he was wrong about them, but he didn't listen. If Fluttershy hadn't come and helped me escape, I don't know what would've happened." "Ohhh…" groaned Fluttershy. "Gosh…" Lightning sighed. "But just-Don't worry about me now! Worry about you. Are you all okay?" Jace asked in concern. "Well, we're okay. As you can see." Stitch admitted. "But Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity sure aren't!" Spike added. "A bunch of crazy boys have got them." exclaimed Lightning. "And I'm gonna take a wild guess they were Jace's ex friends." "What?" Everyone gasped. Fluttershy's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no!" "Yeah! They went inside to look for you two because we thought you were in there!" Lightning pointed at Jace and Fluttershy. "We gotta save them!" Sunset stated. "Then, let's go!" Pinkie exclaimed as she rolled up her sleeves and began to walk to the entrance. Lightning grasped onto her arm. "Whoa, Hold on there, Pink!" "You can't just go stomping straight into there! You'll be easily spotted and caught." Jace pointed. Twilight put her hand to her chin. "What we need is a plan. And I-" "I have the perfect one!" Pinkie interrupted as she jumped on Twilight's back, startling her. "Oh boy…" Everyone sighed.
Chapter 11: All aboard the Revenge Express!Chapter 11: All aboard the Revenge Express! "I don't know, Pinkie-" "Ey! Undercover boy name!" Jace sighed. "I don't know, 'Bubble Berry'. Maybe we should have gone with Twilight's plan this time." ~Jace stared at Pinkie in discomfort. She had put on a pair of rubber shoes and a dark overcoat so her body looked buffy and more like a boy. She also camouflaged her face with fake glasses and a mustache. She looked so peculiar to the others. As for Fluttershy, they didn't have a lot of clothes to go with, so Jace took off his hoodie and tied it around her waist to cover up the skirt, and Lightning gave her her spare hair band so she could put her hair up.~ "Ah, come on, Jace!" Pinkie nudged his arm. "I'm sure this plan will work. It worked for 'Rainbow Blitz', Applejack and 'Elusive', right?" "Yeah, it worked, right before they were discovered and captured!" Lightning claimed. "Relax, 'Thunder Moon'! We got this!" She held her wrist calm to her lips. "You also got this, right, 'Dusk Shine' and 'Sundown Glare?'" "Right." Twilight smirked. ~She, Sunset, Stitch and Spike were unlocking the mystery door while Lightning, Jace, Fluttershy and Pinkie were queuing at the entrance. Lightning was terrified that Fluttershy's disguise would not do. So, when they got closer, she motioned Fluttershy to stay behind her. Jace took the lead in and spoke to the guard when he called them.~ "Password?" "Comics." Jace answered. ~The guard stepped aside. The girls silently sighed in relief and slipped by, covering half of their faces. They were relieved nobody took any notice of the three girls. However, while walking by, Pinkie glanced back and made eye contact with the guard. She smiled then looked forwards again.~ "See? Told you it'll-" "Hey! You! Wait just a minute!" The guard glared and began to stomp over to them. Pinkie began to panic. "OK, The plan's not gonna work! The plan's not gonna work!" "Alright, just stay calm, everyone." Jace assured. "Yes, sir?" he then asked, looking back. "Do you think you can just waltz right in here?" He asked tersely. "Umm…" "Without your free large popcorn and slushie card. Congrats! You're our 100th visitor today!" "Oh! Cool! Thanks!" Pinkie smiled, gingerly taking the card. ~Lightning smiled also but then, quickly, she dragged Pinkie by the arm through the arch and into the light of the park, before something else happened.~ "There!" said Pinkie proudly. "Told you it would work." "Fantastic!" Jace marvelled. Lightning nodded. "Yeah, but that was too close for comfort. Hmm...I wonder if Twi and Sun made it in that door." She clicked on her wrist calm. There was nothing. "They're not answering." "We'll try again in a minute. For now, let's find Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity." "Where could they be?" Fluttershy asked. ~From inside the dark, long tunnel, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity grunted as they were laid each on a flat metal surface and tied to it. Their wrists were tied behind their backs and their legs were pinned down and tied together on the metal bed also. Frad and his cronies grinned at them as they struggled, squirmed and cried for help.~ "Heeelp! HEEELP!" Rainbow cried. "Help! Somebody help us!" "Scream all you like," Frad taunted to their angry faces. "Your friends can't hear you from here. And the boys wouldn't care, because, THEY. HATE. GIRLS! JUST AS MUCH AS I DO!" His eyes went crazy. "When we get outta here, y'all are gonna pay for this!" Applejack shouted. A random boy cackled. "Feisty, aren't ya? Yeah, I seriously doubt you'll get away. There are like 10 guys present here, and we'll be watching you all the time." "Wh-what exactly are you planning on doing?" Rarity asked. "You gonna find out, you vile creature." "Excuse Me-" Frad held up his hand. "My friends. It is time to give these brats some payback!" ~Sinisterly, Frad peeked outside. His boys looked that way with him too. The girls were confused and couldn't see what exactly they were addressing at, until they heard chugging. The giant toy train was at the station, looking like it was ready to depart. That's when they realised that the metal surfaces they were bound to were train tracks. Rarity gasped.~ "You have got to be kidding me, right?" Rube sighed. "A train?" "Yes. A train. I'm gonna give these girls a taste of their own medicine! Since I was run over by a car, they're going to get run over by a train!" Frad grinned. "Why a train, and not a car?" "Because we don't have cars here. You idiot." "There are cars in the car park-" "WITNESSES!" "Psst. Hey. Frad." Rohas whispered. "What?" Frad said, turning angrily to him. "Before we go ahead with your revenge thing, can we first learn how and why these girls know Jace? I'm curious." Frad sighed. "Very well. Don't ask too many questions though, and if they don't say anything, well then, they'll die quicker." ~Rohas, curious and cautious, stared down from his face at the girls. Rainbow noticed at once.~ "What do you want?" She glared, continuously grunting to get free. "I want to know how you know Jace." "What do you mean?" "Are you special to him? Have you had good times with him?" "Actually, we have only known him for a day." Applejack spoke up. "Really? How do I know you're not lying?" "Applejack never lies." Rarity gasped. "Unlike some people I don't know." "Watch your mouth, girl…" Rohas frowned a little. "Still, even if you only met him, what have you done with him?" Rainbow looked at her friend. "Applejack, don't answer…" "It's best to speak when spoken too, Rainbow Dash." ~She turned back to Rohas and began to explain the truth and everything that's happened up to this point.~ ~Meanwhile, back outside in the middle of the fair, Lightning, Jace, Pinkie and Fluttershy were looking over the heads of the boys. Jace grabbed Pinkie and Fluttershy, and with Lightning leading, they skillfully dashed their way through the crowd and into the amusements. Once they made it out, Jace motioned them to move to the pool area to get a better look around. Good thing he knew this park like the back of his hand. However, when Jace ushered them to move, he stopped suddenly and stared at a game a couple of guys were playing.~ "Wow. I remember when Topas and I played that game." "Jace! Focus, man!" said Lightning, clicking her fingers in his face. "Oh right! Sorry…" He scratched the top of his head. "Keep going left and-and…" He eyed the large roller coaster. "Wow!" He shouted, racing off in a complete opposite direction. "What the...Jace! What are you doing?" Pinkie exclaimed. "Where are you going?" Fluttershy asked in surprise. Lightning sighed and decided to take charge. "Ok. You two keep looking around, I'll get Jace and we'll catch up." "Okay." Fluttershy nodded firmly as Lightning followed after Jace. "And now we're here searchin' for him." Applejack finished. "Wow. You actually did all that for him? Maybe girls aren't so bad after all. You girls are actually...very nice." Rohas began to smile. Rainbow pulled a look. "So, does this mean that you'll let us go?" "Hmm-" "Rohas!" Frad suddenly stomped over. "Are you? Siding with the enemies?" "What, oh...no." "Really? 'Cause it sure SOUNDS like it! Don't talk to them anymore, they're just lying and sweet talking you into a trap! Come on!" ~Frad dragged Rohas back over to where his boyfriend, Chip, was standing. He flashed the girls an apologetic look.~ "Sorry…" He whispered under his breath. "Should we get this train rolling now, Frad?" Stato crossed his arms impatiently. "Yes. IF we're done talking." "Wait no! Wait!" Rainbow cried out again. "Help!" Pinkie looked about the large table full of sweet foods. "These boys may be insane, but they make really good food. Mmm! Try it, Fluttershy!" "Um...ok?" She said, as she bit down on a cupcake. "HEEEEEELP!" Rainbow's voice suddenly screamed. Pinkie and Fluttershy glanced across and at the long tunnel. "Rainbow Dash?" "That sounded like her…!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "It came from that tunnel! Come on!" urged Pinkie. ~She threw what she had on a plate to the ground and jostled her way through the crowd again, Fluttershy pursued her as quick she could.~ "You freak, You will never get away with this!" Rainbow struggled. "Oh but, I already have." Frad sneered. ~The end of the tunnel suddenly glowed pink and bursted open. Two pink odd figures step inside it boldly and glare at their friends' captors.~ "Oh but, you already haven't!" Pinkie Pie protested. Applejack raised a brow. "What in the world…?" "It's the 100th visitor." Rogar murmured. "Get lost, buddy! This has nothing to do with you!" Frad yelled. "I am no buddy of yours!" Pinkie huffed. "Wait, it's that butterfly girl in disguise…!" Frad noted. Fluttershy peeked out from behind Pinkie. "Umm...yes?" "Fluttershy?!" Rarity exclaimed. "And me, Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie stupidly rips off her disguise. "Who's Pinkie Pie?" Frad shrugged. "I am!" Pinkie said proudly. "And we're here to rescue our friends, kick butt, and take names! What's your name?" ~Pinkie pointed at Frad but all he gave for an answer was a hideous smile. Fluttershy was suddenly seized in a vicious grip from behind and propelled forwards. She screamed in fear. Pinkie was then also seized not long afterwards. Both struggled and cried out but it was useless. The boys were too strong for them. Sometime later, Fluttershy and Pinkie were lying on the train tracks next to their friends, tied up in the same manner. After the boys tugged and secured the ropes, Pinkie stared at them, completely dumbfounded .~ "Wow. Did anybody see that coming?" "Yes." All the boys nodded. "Even Rogar saw that coming." Stato sighed. "I did?"
Chapter 12: Final ApologyChapter 12: Final Apology. "...Ok, this did not go out the way I planned!" Pinkie whimpered. "Well, yeah! Of course it didn't! You charged right in!" Rainbow glared. "Will you two stop arguing for 1 minute!?" Applejack growled. "Unless we get out of here, you two gotta stop." "Hey! Quiet, cowgirl!" Frad sneered. "...Actually, no, keep talking, say your final words. After all, the train is now on its way." ~He was right. The train's whistle was heard and soon enough it was on the move. The girls didn't see the train depart, but the whistle was the signal to say that it has. Frad snickered softly as he watched it in all its glory. Until suddenly and slowly, Rube tapped his shoulder.~ "Frad, come on, is all this really necessary?" Rube shrugged. "You know why we have to do this." Frad pointed at the Mane 5. "THEY will take everything from us! Our food! Our home! OUR VERY LIVES!-" ~While Frad was ranting on, The five girls squirmed and whispered to each other.~ "What are we going to do now, girls? Rarity panicked. "Calm down, Rarity. We just need to think of somethin'. Applejack whispered. "Applejack, don't you have a teeny tiny knife with you?" Pinkie asked. "I did in my propeller hat. But those thievin' lunatics took it." Rainbow frowned."Well, that plan is thrown out of the window." "Well, even if we do escape, we'll still be fightin' 10 guys." "And they're only 5 of us." "Exactly." "We-we need Twilight, Sunset, Lightning and Jace to help us…" Fluttershy whimpered. "We do. We need to let them know, pronto! Thin' is I can't touch my wrist calm so I can't code in." Applejack struggled to reach for her watch. "Hey...I think I can just about reach mine…" Fluttershy said. "Really? Well, quickly, Fluttershy, send in a code dark blue, orange, yellow, white and pink!" Rainbow ordered. ~Fluttershy softly grunted as she attempted to pull her arm over and touch the button of her wrist calm. Her finger grazed the button, but she had enough strength in that finger to press it. The code was sent and delivered successfully.~ "Nice job!" Rainbow grinned. "Thanks, but...how long will it be until they respond?" Fluttershy asked. "We won't know." Applejack answered. "We will just have to hope it's soon." Rarity sighed. "Yeah." The four nodded. ~Jace stared flabbergasted at the roller coaster. There was no doubt the coaster's knowledge; was told to him. He thundered up the stairs and into the waiting line all giddy like. More people lined up behind him and soon enough, he was stuck in the line, but he didn't mind, it was only Lightning who minded. She was puffing and panting on the stairs as she tried to catch up with him.~ "Jace...come...back…" She said, wiping her forehead. "Oh my god, I've never seen him run this fast since the corn dogs cart opened their 50% off discount…" ~Lightning hurried up a few more steps until she felt her watch beep once. She darted down at it and saw it flash the colour codes; indigo, orange and white.~ "A code? Dark blue? Orange? White?" Lightning sighed. "Yes, I know Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity are in danger! I saw the whole thing! Maybe it's a late code. Wait…" She then saw it flash yellow and pink. "Code yellow and pink too?" Her eyes blinked fretly. "Oh no...Frad's captured Fluttershy and Pinkie! Now I really need to find Twilight and Sunset! And get Jace! ~Her fists clenched and with more puffing and panting, Lightning continued her way to Jace. She had to inform him that his former mate had captured two more of their friends, and fast. When she got closer to him, she called out.~ "Jace! Come here! Snap out of it! Our friends are in trouble!" "This coaster...is so amazing! I can't wait to ride it!" Jace said to himself, ignoring Lightning's calls. "Jace Reff Donar, would you get over here right this second! Jesus Christ, I'm starting to sound like a mother scolding her child. Whatever! Jace, get back-" A boy in the queue suddenly shoved her. "Hey! No cutting in line!" "Yeah, go back to the end, line cutter!" said another snooty boy. "Excuse me, I don't want to ride this coaster, I'm just going to get my friend." Lightning madly replied, putting on a deep, male voice. "Yeah, that's what they all say! Get back down there!" "Hey, stop pushing me!" ~The group of boys gave her one of those 'who do you think you are' looks as she shoved one of them away from her. The two suddenly end up getting into a fight, however, it didn't last long. Because in an instant, the boy tugged on Lightning's hair, snapped the hairband she was wearing straight off, and smashed on her sunglasses. Her hair came down, and she yelled in her normal, female voice.~ "AWW-GREAT! My hairband and glasses broke. Now, how am I supposed to hide my face and keep my hair...up?" She noticed the boys staring at her dumbly. "Umm, yeah, perhaps I should cut it short, and also inhale sulphur hexafluoride to fix my girly voice. What do you guys think?" "...GIRL! IT'S A GIRL!" ~The boys' shriek alerted others in the line. Within seconds, everyone were coming down the stairs, shouting and trying to make way. Lightning dived into the crowds, hiding from the commotion as she made her way to Jace. He was elbowed in the gut, dragged down the stairs by a bystander, and yelled at to move, but he wouldn't. Instead, he blagged his way to the front of the line for the coaster. However, when he got there, it closed up as fast as everyone ran.~ "Closed? Wait, What in the world just happened?" He asked, snapping back to reality. Lightning flung herself beside him. "Jace! I've been spotted!" She exclaimed, gripping tightly on his shoulders. "Oh...your disguise fell off," Jace noted. "Ok, don't panic. I'm sure the guards haven't noticed yet. A flurry of red dots suddenly glowed onto Lightning. "What the?" "Target locked. Fire!" ~A rain of tranquilliser darts started to come Lightning's way. Jace tackled her to the ground as the first bunch flew over them by a hair. More were suddenly sent down and Jace watches them scatter, before he could express his concern, Lightning jumped up and swooped herself and him behind a small oak tree, it the best cover she could manage.~ "WHOA, OKAY! NOT OKAY! NOT OKAY!" ~Twilight, Sunset, Stitch and Spike slipped into the strange area and closed the door behind them. They began sneaking along the main hallway and up some dark stairs to a look out area. There was very little furniture in the room, just a desk full of blinking lights and buttons, two chairs, and some shelves of books. As well as four guards staring out of the window above the desk, pressing a ton of buttons on the panel. Sunset peered into the window and saw Lightning and Jace trapped in the crossfire of the darts coming from the weapons controlled by that very panel in front of them.~ "Oh no! Lightning and Jace need help!" She said to her companions. "We need to get access to the panel and stop the weapons from firing then." observed Twilight. "But how?" "Only 1 way," barked Stitch. "Create a diversion. Spike and me got ya." ~At that very moment, Stitch and Spike darted out from under their hiding spot and began to snap at all the guards' legs. The surprised soldier swore and tried to kick them out of the way. Spike avoided the boot easily enough and, barking for all he was worth, attacked again. Then more guards joined in the fray and soon everyone was shouting and jerring at the comical sight of the four soldiers dancing about trying to keep their ankles from being nipped by these crazy dogs. While all this commotion was taking place, Sunset and Twilight simply accessed the panel and switched a lever and deactivated the blasters. Lightning opened her eyes and looked at the window from the distance. She clicked on her wrist calm.~ "Thanks a bunch, Sundown and Dusk!" She spoke in the watch as Sunset answered it. "You're welcome!" Sunset waved back. "Oh, guys, Frad now has Fluttershy and Pinkie." "Wait, what?" Jace gasped. "Yeah! We need to find them. Does that panel have a surveillance camera?" "Yes!" Twilight called. "We'll have a look." ~Twilight began clicking and coding on a few buttons until she looked behind her and saw nine cameras switch on. She and Sunset gasped at one of them.~ "What?" called Lightning. "They're in someplace dark." Twilight explained. "And has train tracks?" "Inside the tunnel!" exclaimed Jace. "Quick, Lightning, let's get there now!" He seized her hand and ran. "We'll meet you guys there once we help Stitch and Spike!" Sunset yelled. "Hurry!" Lightning replied. "Has everybody said their last words?" Frad grimaced as he looked into the girls' faces. "Yes…" The Mane 5 reluctantly answered sadly. "Finally! I've wanted you to shut up since the beginning." "Wait." Rohas interjected. "The pink one hasn't said a word." He addressed Pinkie. "She probably has nothing to say. Let's just get on with the SHOW!" "Now, hold on there, Frad, I do believe the girl may have something on her mind." said Chip. "Yeah, give the gal a sporting chance." Rohas nodded. "No, don't." Rainbow spoke up. "If she hasn't spoken, she's made it clear how she feels." "Okay, good, and I FEEL, that this has gone on long enough." Frad whispered lividly. Pinkie began childishly thrashing. "Wait! I...have something to say now. Please! Let me say it..." Frad sighed. "Fine. But, you only have 4 minutes." "Are you serious? Can I get 5?" "Hey, you better hurry up." Stato eyed. "Ugh, Okay." Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, I'm really, really, really, really sorry. For everything. All I've thought about this day was only Jace and myself. It's-just that-before we tried to apologise, I wanted to make you a cake. It was going to be 100 layers tall, the greatest cake I've ever made in my life! But, it sorta...melted. I was crushed, so I didn't feel like apologizing." Frad kept counting the seconds. "Tick...Tick...Tick…" He taunted. "I felt even more worse when you parted me with a gift, and all I gave was a stupid small cupcake!" Pinkie let out a sigh. "I should've realised that it didn't matter, and that our friendship is more important." "Tick...Tick...Tick…" "I should have just kept my hopes up high, and apologised right there. I'm sorry. Again." "TICK...TICK...TICK!" Rainbow's eyes eased up and she looked at Pinkie in concern. "Wow, Pinkie. Why didn't you say any of this before? I would've understood. Like I do now. And, well if you did apologise, you probably wouldn't have noticed that Jace was in danger. I'm sorry for getting mad. Again." ~The two exchanged a smile as did the others around them. Even the boys listened to their conversation with great passion and wanted to ask a lot of probing questions about them. Frad was the only one not smiling. He folded his arms impatiently, awaiting to hear those words.~ "Thank you. Ok! I'm ready to die now!" Pinkie braced. "Finally!" Frad grimaced eagerly and insanely. Rainbow blinked and began thrashing. "No! Wait! I'm not! WAIT!" "HEY!" ~A blast of frozen water shot down from the end of the tunnel, nearly hitting Frad in the hand. Everyone looked across and saw none other than Lightning Star, in her penguin form, and Jace Donar booking it down the hallway of the tunnel, heading straight for them. They then sauntered when they got closer, then stopped and glared fiercely, especially at Frad, who mirrored their eyes.~ "Jace?" The boys exclaimed. "Jace…" Frad said with a hint of amazement. "What is going on here?!" Jace demanded. "Nothing. Nothing that concerns you." Frad snapped. "Really?" Lightning spoke up. "'Cause it looks like you're about to crush our friends with a giant toy train!" "'Cause they are!" Rainbow called. "Quiet, Skittles!" Frad ordered. He glanced back at Jace. "What are you doing here?" "We came to save our friends." Lightning answered. "I wasn't talking to you! UGH-None of this would have ever happened if Jace just stayed with us and learnt to hate girls!" "No, Frad, none of this would have ever happened if you hadn't had a hatred for girls!" Jace bursted. "He's right, you know, Frad." Rohas spoke up. "WHAT?" Chip frowned solemnly. "Your anger has gotten more violence over the years. Look at yourself. You are about to murder 5 innocent girls who have done nothing to you." "They took Jace! Our friend Jace. 9 months ago, they stole him!" "No, they didn't. I spoke with them, and they have only known him for a day." Rohas confirmed. "You actually BELIEVED them!?" "Yes. I can see they're telling the truth." "You don't see what I see inside girls, Frad." Jace spoke up. "What you see is a treacherous, menacing animal. What I see is a beautiful, amiable person that's no different from guys. I left because of your insane hatred, Frad. I left to start a new life, and a future with a special girl who loves me." Frad stopped glaring. "YOU have a girlfriend?! NO...you can't! YOU CAN'T!" "Of course I can! You can't control me! She is the most sweetest, kindest and most thoughtful girl I could ever ask for." "He's not wrong…" Lightning smiled. "Karly is a gem…" "YOU'RE LYING! This isn't what I wanted!" "Uh...Frad…?" "You'll learn to hate girls, Jace, I know you will. Grab the girl beside him and put her with the others." ~All the boys hesitated. They are now seeing the true colours, and are having doubts about Frad's view of girls. So they stood and watched as one guy, who was still on Frad's side, stalk over to Lightning and Jace. He tried to grab Lightning, but they fought back. Jace swung his fist at the guy's face and made him stumble back. Lightning smiled then slid down to sweep the guy's legs. He fell down with a thud as the she and Jace stood proudly.~ "Darn it…" Frad grumbled. "Yeah, you messed with the wrong girls, man. You have absolutely no idea what we're capable of!" Lightning said to Frad. "Oh, Don't I? Well, better make sure I don't see what you're capable of then! If it's that bad, let's end this!" ~Frad smirked as he heard the chugging of the train behind him.~ "Too bad, you won't have time to stop the train!" He grinned. "Goodbye. GIRLS!" ~The good guys looked ahead and heard the chugging get closer and closer. Suddenly, the train came around the corner and was heading straight for the tunnel and the Mane 5. They cried and struggled dearly to try to get away last minute but they wouldn't budge. They looked at Lightning and Jace for help, but they froze in fear. Besides, they wouldn't be quick enough to stop it or even think of something to stop it. But before the train could crush one of the girls, a magic pulse came out of nowhere and halted the train by grabbing onto its wheels. A figure, that also came out of nowhere, then ran between the gang and jumped on the train. They found the lever controlling the brakes and pulled it back as hard as they could. The engine slowly began to stop chugging and the wheels screeched. The train finally came to a stop and everyone sighed. The magic faded away from the wheels, and Twilight Sparkle stepped out, hands still glowing from the use of her magic. Sunset Shimmer peeked out from the side on the train too.~ "Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed. "Sunset!" Applejack cheered. Stitch and Spike scurried across the floor to Lightning and Jace's side. "We made it!" They both barked. Sunset approached Lightning and Jace. "Is everyone alright?" "We are now!" Jace nodded. "I'm glad we got here in time to stop that train." "Talk about acting fast." Twilight nodded. "WHAT THE-How many of you are there?!" Frad asked angrily, taken aback by the sudden appearance of more girls. "Enough." Lightning glared. "I told you you messed with the wrong girls!" "Honestly, Jace, have you befriended every girl in the world?!" "No! But I would like to." He answered smugly. Frad muffled in anger. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Sunset spat. "He's the one to talk." "Wow, he's even crazier than I thought." Twilight whispered. "Stay calm, men! Don't let them touch you! They will poison you!" "Really? So, no boy will mind if I...lightly jab them on the arm with my finger?" Lightning held out her finger and began to stalk over to Frad. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" ~With a flying dive, Frad brought himself crashing to the ground in a state of fear. He fumbled as he scrambled to his feet and raced off. The boys followed him.~ "That's what I thought." harrumphed Lightning.
Chapter 13: Frad AttacksChapter 13: Frad Attacks. "Girls! Are you ok?" Jace rushed and kneeled down to the Mane 5. "We're fine. Thanks, Jace." Fluttershy smiled. "Here. Let's get you out of these ropes…" ~Lightning took out her trusty pocket knife, set it to the sharpest knife and began sawing through the ropes that restrained Pinkie. Once her ropes were cut and loose, Lightning tossed the knife to Jace so he could free Fluttershy. She hugged him once she could move again, and also gave back his red tartan hoodie. Twilight and Sunset tried to untie Rarity and Applejack, but the knots were too difficult. Thankfully, Stitch and Spike came and chewed through the ropes for them.~ "Thank you, darlings." Rarity said, softly stroking Spike's nose. Pinkie Pie stood up and stretched her arms out. "Whoo! I knew we could count on you girls! And I'm glad Dashie and I made up! Right, Dashie?" There was silence. "Rainbow Dash?" Applejack called. ~There still was no reply. Everyone looked around but saw that Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen.~ "Where did she go?" ~Before anyone could answer, they heard her cry.~ "Help!" ~Everyone's gaze followed Rainbow's voice coming from outside the tunnel. They headed into the daylight to find Frad and his last remaining crony dragging Rainbow off. She tried to wriggle away, but the guy held her too tightly.~ "I'm not going down without a fight! I will get at least 1 girl!" Frad shrieked. "No, Frad's gonna kill Rainbow!" Jace gasped. "We are going to stop you, Frad! Once and for all!" cried Pinkie. "Oh really?" Frad yelled above himself. "Guards! The girls are over here! Get them!" "GIRLS?! As in...PLURAL?!" The crowd exclaimed. "We're on it, boy!" ~Total chaos ensued. In an instant, armed guards were coming from all directions. The young teenage boys ran among the guards, throwing their bodies against them and shouting for all they were worth. Two of the guards cut off the entrance, and exit, and stood barring the way with loaded blasters.~ "Oh my goodness…" Fluttershy whimpered. Lightning sprung into action. "Right, Pinkie, Jace, Twilight, Sunset and Spike. You 5 go and rescue Rainbow and take care of the guys. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Stitch and I will draw the other guys away!" ~They silently and confusedly blinked at her.~ "You know what I mean!" ~Lightning winded up then went charging at full pelt down the park towards the guards. She activated her Equestrian magic and grew her raccoon ears and tail. As the guards fired, she dodged the darts by spinning through the air in between them. The cowardly guards needed no more amazement. One glimpse of the raccoon girl was enough and with frightened screeches, they promptly scattered and fled in all directions again, leaving Jace and the girls surprised and astonished, but determined. They split up and did what they were told to do. Pinkie, Jace, Sunset and Twilight, Spike went for Rainbow. They charged in but the guards showed up again, and blocked all ways. There was no way to get through them, not even up, down, or around.~ "Rainbow!" Pinkie cried. "Rainbow!" Sunset grunted. "We can't get past the guards!" "I'll do something about it then," Jace said. "Anything. I'm not going to stand aside and let you get hurt. Perhaps I can draw them off a bit," he wondered, and, against all his instincts, he took to the field and entered the fray. "Hey, come and get me, you mediocre stormtroopers!" ~For a moment, the determined guards ignored him, so intent were they on panicking the girls.~ Jace continued to call. "Girls rule! Girls rule! And boys drool!" ~That did it. The angry, almost mindless guards, unable to refuse the taunt, turned on him like a gigantic storm cloud and attacked. Jace streaked away as fast as his legs could carry him. That gave the girls the opening they needed to get to Frad and his mate. Frad discovered they were coming for him, so he turned to his big bulky friend.~ "Crush them. If you can." He ordered, taking control of Rainbow. ~The tall boy limped over to Twilight. For a moment, she saw his furious, gleaming eyes and was afraid. Spike thought he was about to harm Twilight, so he flew at him and bit him hard on the ankle. The boy gave an exclamation and kicked out at Spike.~ "'Ey! Get off, ya mutt!" ~They fell struggling to the floor and the beast boy howled in rage and pain. Somehow he rolled clear and struggled to his feet. With a curse, he lifted up his foot and stamped down on Spike's tail. Spike bayed in pain, then laid whimpering on the floor.~ Twilight was horrified. "Spike!" She rushed towards her pet. "Stay where you are," grated the boy. "I haven't finished yet." ~He stared down at the hapless dog, then went to attack again, but this time Pinkie and Sunset prevented it. Pinkie threw a blow at his face, then successfully dodged his. Sunset grabbed around his bulky arm, and tried to make sure he couldn't use it, however that ended in failure. He lashed out and swung Sunset across the park. Her legs tripped on a deck chair, and together, they fell into the swimming pool on the left ahead.~ "Sunset!" Pinkie and Twilight exclaimed. ~The boy cackled until someone else joined the brawl. Jace copied Lightning's move and sweeped under his legs. He fell to the ground again, and hit his skull on the concrete kinda hard. Twilight examined him quickly and confirmed he was knocked out. The three suddenly turned to Frad.~ "Guards!" He tried to call. "Guards!" "Umm...They're kinda occupied at the moment." Jace smugged, pointing behind Frad and at Lightning, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Stitch beating them. Frad also looked and shouted. "UGH! What's the use of having guards if they don't do their job properly?" He suddenly noticed the guys coming forwards. "STOP RIGHT THERE! OR SHE GETS IT!" He grabbed around Rainbow's neck. "DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?" "No, you let Rainbow go!" ~Jace, unable to hold his anger in anymore, lunging at Frad. Rainbow was released as Jace pinned his hands down and snarled. The girl-hater was shocked by Jace's sudden outrage, but grinned at the sight almost immediately afterwards. He kicked Jace in the gut with his shoe hard, then kicked again to throw him off. Jace flinched and crunched up in excruciating pain. Frad then strongly picked up his limpless body and dragged it to the pool where he simply threw it in.~ "Take that!" "AHH-HH-HH!" Jace burbled as he hit the water. "Jace!" Lightning gasped. ~Lightning quickly defeated the guard she was battling and dove into the pool. She paddled to her injured friend and lifted him up and out of the pool before his head went underwater. While there, she also helped Sunset out. Jace clutched his stomach once he crawled onto the side, and didn't move. He felt as if he was pierced by a thousand needles. Rube, Chip, Rohas, Stato and Rogar suddenly emerged from their hiding spot and stared at Frad in dismay.~ "...Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch…" Jace groaned repeatedly while Lightning consoled him. "Frad…" Chip gasped. "WHAT? He was asking for it!" "No he wasn't!" Rohas shouted unbelievably. "That was so uncalled for, man!" "Hey, nobody attacks me," He snarled. "I attack them. Let this be a lesson to you all! Speaking of which," He darted at Rainbow. "Where were we?" ~Frad stalked over to Rainbow as she was slowly picking herself up from the ground. She winced with pain. The sting she felt in her shoulders smarted across like a hot knife. He mocked her as she rose. Once she staggered up properly, Frad grabbed her shirt neck, but before he could throw a stinging blow at her, Pinkie Pie threw herself forwards.~ "Pinkie, no!" groaned Rainbow. ~It was too late. Pinkie jabbed her fist into Frad's chest and knocked him back. He let Rainbow go again and before he could retaliate, Pinkie performed a second action. She pulled a spring kick at her enemy, and did some serious damage. She hit Frad right in the face and made him faceplant on the ground. He remained still for a moment, then he opened his eyes and let the veins flow through until they turned red with anger. He showed everyone his demon eyes before staring straight into Pinkie's soul. She felt so afraid.~ "Uh oh…" "Pinkie, run!" Jace screamed. ~She didn't need to be urged, she was off. Frad chased her madly, and constantly tried to scratch and grab her like a wild snorting beast. Everyone was too in shock and fear to follow, so all they could do is shout and beg Frad to stop. It was no use though, he's clearly reached the core of insanity inside his brain.~ "GET! OVER! HERE!" "Fraddie, stop, seriously!" "No, no!" "This has gone too far now!" "Why are you still doing this?" "Leave her alone!" "Don't kill her!" ~Pinkie did all she could to lose this mindless boy. She tried to parkour her way through the stalls and pool area, but Frad was unaffected by them. Charging through, he felt nothing. Pinkie glanced backwards and screamed. She hopped onto the train tracks and ran on them, Frad, of course did the same thing. He snapped at her like an animal and was able to viciously scratch her on the arm. She screamed in full voice and hopped off the tracks. Frad followed, but when was about to hop off the tracks, his ankle twisted on one of the metal bends and got stuck under it. He fell down and tried crawling to safety, but could only get his upper body out of the tracks. Pinkie cried and flew herself into Rainbow's arms. Jace joined them and together, they looked back at Frad, struggling.~ "Once I get my foot free, YOU'RE DEAD!" ~The gang looked at him with concern. But only for a second. A sudden thundering, chugging sound filled the air. Frad heard it, too, and he hesitated. Suddenly, he looked left. The train had started up again and was on its way around, thundering straight towards him. His eyes reverted back to normal, and shot a look of terror.~ "Oh no...NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" ~It all happened so quickly. Before Frad could do anything to save himself, the train ran over his legs and crushed them beneath the steaming wheels that thundered over him. Frad screeched in pain and lifted up his hand for help, before he fainted and dropped uselessly on the ground. The train rolled off Frad and halted at the station. The girls, boys and dogs watched the train go by, then scarcely glanced back at the fallen boy.~ Jace's face was grim and tense. "Aww...Ok, that was not what I wanted…" "I got to be honest with you. I kinda saw that coming." Rube sighed.
Chapter 14: The TruceChapter 14: The Truce. ~A squadron of police cars and an ambulance came speeding down the road to the amusement park. They parked right outside the entrance where a couple of guards noticed them in shock. The head car's passenger door opened and Karly Crystal appeared from it. Steven Secret stepped out to join her, and the two set off to the entrance as fast as they could, running at top speed, panting loudly.~ "This is where they said to find them?" Steven quired, slowing down. "Yes." Karly answered, looking at her phone." But, I have no idea why they wanted us to call the police and an ambulance. Did somebody get hurt? Oh, please don't let it be Jace or one of the girls!" "Karly! Chief!" ~A voice muttered in front of them. Both whirled around to see who called them. Lightning, Jace, the seven Rainbooms, and Stitch and Spike exited the entrance, and surprisingly the guards didn't stop them, instead they lowered their weapons and stood down sulkily. Karly and Steven rushed to the front wall of the park where the girls and Jace were gesturing. Jace had a little blood coming out of his lip, Rainbow was still shaking and calming from what had happened, and Pinkie was breathing heavily, while rubbing her arm with the giant red mark on it. Karly gasped in relief.~ "Jace! Lightning!" She ran and embraced the two. "Thank goodness you're alright!" "Hey, Karly." Jace kissed her cheek softly. "Ah, the authorities and medical staff are here. Fabulous." Lightning stated, staring over Karly's shoulder. "Umm, yes, why do you want them exactly? What happened?" "Well, the police are here to arrest all the staff of this theme park, and shut it down completely. And the ambulance, well, it's for the boys behind the wall." ~Lightning glanced to the left of her and caught a glimpse of the boys' faces. Very cautiously, they crept from behind the wall and approached the gang.~ "The medic guys are over there, boys." Jace smiled, pointing over to the staff near the ambulance. "Thank you." Chip nodded slowly. Rube went up to one of them. "My brother has had an accident." He sighed. "Here, I'll take you to him." ~With that, Rube led the paramedics into the park. Later, Frad was being put on a stretcher and wheeled inside the back of the ambulance. He was asleep, so no screeching was heard from him at all, to everyone's immediate relief.~ "Alright, he will be taken to the hospital and we will have a look at those weird legs of his." The paramedic said with a smile. "Yeah, and when you're done, take him to another hospital! A mental one, to be precise!" Rainbow called angrily. Lightning shrugged. "Eh. We'll leave that to the police. They will be asking him a lot of questions. As well as sorting out this here park." She turned to the nearby officers. "Ok, Coppers, it's all yours. Go get them!" ~The officers nodded at Lightning's command and stormed into the park. They escorted all the guards and some teenage boys out before beginning to board off the park with yellow tape. As the main teenagers watched, Jace couldn't help but actually feel gutted that the park he loved is being shut down and destroyed. He let out a silent sigh, but Fluttershy heard it quite clearly. She turned to him and rubbed his shoulder sympathetically.~ "I'm sorry that we had to shut down your childhood theme park, Jace." She said sadly. "...It's alright." He suddenly smiled. "I don't need it anymore. I'd rather go to other, better theme parks with all my friends." Applejack smiled. "That's nice to hear. I just wish the other cursed boys in that there wretched park do the same thin'." "They will." Rohas said, coming forward with the others. "Since Frad is no longer the leader of the boys, we need a new one. A new boy that will turn over a new leaf, and call a truce with the girls." Chip explained. "And we think it should be Jace." Jace blinked in surprise. "Me?" "Yeah. You are the first boy in our gang to befriend, and go out, with a girl. You have guts to do that, so we believe you have the guts could convince the other boys that girls are harmless. You could come back to us again and go on adventures too, and make every boy believe that girls are great." "So, what do you say?" ~Jace turned to his female friends. Lightning and Karly were shocked, and definitely didn't know what to say, especially Karly. The Rainbooms shrugged and motioned that it was up to him. Jace looked up at his head for a moment, then made a decision. He looked up promisingly at his old friends.~ "...Thanks for the offer, boys...but I really like being with my girlfriend and girl friends on their adventures. The Pixels too. We've spent 5 years together, and I don't want it to end." The boys looked at him, gutted, but then they smiled. "We understand." Rohas nodded. "Absolutely. I'm sure Rube can look after the boys then. So, Truce?" Chip held out his hand in peace. Lightning stepped forwards. "Truce." ~Both Lightning and Chip grinned at each other for the first time before confidently shaking each other's hands to show peace between them. The two sides began cheering and patting each other on the back. Rube walked back to join them and soon, much to Jace's delight, they were agreeing and shaking each other's hands. All seemed good, when suddenly a loud engine revved beside the police cars. It was a familiar looking caravan. That's everyone realised who it belonged to. Topas and Luda jumped out and glanced over at Jace. Topas ran and cried his name.~ "Jace!" "Topas? Luda?" Pinkie gasped and screamed. "It's the guys with the claws!" "Hang on, Pinkie…" Lightning halted. "I don't think they're here to harm Jace." "Well, no of course not!" exclaimed Karly. "That's Topas Hins and Luda Smight. You know, Jace's old best friends and one of Fierra's exes." Lightning suddenly realised that and gasped. "I thought they looked familiar!" Topas put his hands on his knees when he reached Jace. "We got a call from Rube that you were here! We want to talk!" He panted. "Talk?" "And apologise." Luda said with a taut lip. "Yeah! Rube told us everything on the phone and from now on, we shall never bother you again. I'm sorry for all we've done to you today. I didn't know." "I...I forgive you, Topas. But, I agree that what you did was completely out of the ordinary, and I don't want it to happen again. I have decided to leave the group and be with my new friends, so can I?" Topas sighed. "Yes. If that's what you want. Goodbye, Jace." "Goodbye, Topas. I will miss you. I'll miss you all!" ~Jace flung his arms around Topas and gave him a goodbye hug. Luda was not a huggy person, so all Jace did was shake his hand and pat him on the back. Jace gave each of the boys one last hug, before going over to Karly and putting his arm around her. The boys nodded and the girls waved before whirling around in the opposite directions and parting ways. As the girls walked to the police cars, Pinkie couldn't help but stare at Rainbow. She strangely felt weary when they walked and felt like she needed to confirm something, so she bounded to her side.~ "Hey, uh, Dashie?" "Yeah?" "Do you forgive me?" "Forgive you? Of course I do! More than before! That crazy afro boy could have killed me if you hadn't done something! Sure, I didn't want you to get hurt, but you proved that you still care for me and ran into the danger for me. That apology was the best." Sunset glanced backwards at them. "Karly did tell you that capture and rescue is the best medicine for friends fighting." "Heh. Yeah, she did." Rainbow chuckled. "I'm surprised it actually worked." "I am too!" Pinkie smiled. "But it makes sense. Now, Rainbow and I are back together again, and there's no separating us!" She giggled as she jumped into Rainbow's arms. "You got that right! And I swear, We are never gonna fight again!" ~Suddenly, Pinkie, clipped her foot on strange place log and fell, Rainbow was dragged down with her and both tumbled straight into the mud.~ "Pinkie!" "Oops…Sorry!" ~The End~
Chapter 6: On the Road to Who Knows WhereChapter 6: On the Road to Who Knows Where. ~Lightning soared up in the blue skies with Stitch riding on her back and Spike tucked comfortably under her arms. All three were slowly and silently blinking at the road down below them, as well as what's ahead of them. Stitch suddenly noticed the roof of the Topas and Luda's van. He barked at Lightning.~ "Ok, Master, make sure you don't lose that van. Me will keep A firm eye on it and me will tell you where it's going." "Me too!" Spike added. "Got it, boys. Better also put those strong noses of yours to good use. That'll also help." "Right." "Stop chasing me!" Pinkie screamed. "Pinkie! Come on! Stop fooling around!" Rainbow sighed. ~Tears started to well up in Pinkie's eyes once more and her hair began to deflate. She covers her face as she begins to run faster and further into the forest up ahead. The other desperately tries to catch up with her. They were all calling her name constantly.~ "DON'T TALK TO ME!" Rarity sighed. "Pinkie Pie, I know you are upset because of what we said about you, but you've gotta understand that Jace was in genuine danger. Your ideas were too…" "Weird?" Applejack shrugged. "Crazy?" Sunset blinked. "Stupid?" Rainbow muttered. "Complex...to work. Maybe we should save your ideas for something more...suited to your level of creativity." Rarity explained. Rainbow nodded. "Tsk! Yeah! Like a pity par-" ~Rainbow was about to laugh but Rarity covers Rainbow's mouth, as well as shoots her a disapproving look and shakes her head very slowly.~ "Okay, okay, you're right! Now! I need to go!" ~Pinkie sobbed even more and raced around behind an oak tree. Rainbow sped around and went to face her, but when she looked behind the tree, she wasn't there anymore.~ "No! Pinkie, wait!" "Where did she go?" Twilight inquired in fear. Sunset sighed. "We gotta find her! Lets go this way!" ~As the gang raced off deeper into the forest, Pinkie hopped out from her hiding spot. She slumped down by a tree stumped and face planted onto it. But, as she was sulking to herself, she began to think about re-evaluating her abilities and skills.~ "Oh, they're right! Again! Everything I do IS useless! How am I EVER gonna save Jace if I'm wasting time being STUPID?!" ~Pinkie lifts her head from the tree stump she was sobbing to. She thinks about Jace and Fluttershy, and how they were still in immediate danger. She thought about how close she'd gotten to saving her friend. But most of all, she thought about how easily she'd given into her friends' worthless complaints, and how she was now hopelessly sulking over nothing. Sulking while Jace was still suffering at the clutches of some rather sinister kids. Something suddenly slips out of Pinkie's hair and it lands on the ground with a clunk. Pinkie looked down to see what it was. It was her E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A agent badge. That's when something clicked inside of her.~ "No...No! What am I doing? I am Pinkie Pie! And a secret agent now! Not some wimp! I don't give in THAT easily! And I don't let sticks and stones break my bones! I must keep going...for Jace and Fluttershy." ~Pinkie snatches her badge off the ground and shoves it back into her flat hair. She brushes it with her fingers, and it immediately poofs back up. She poses dramatically, and filled with determination again, she sped off into the forest.~ "Lightning, turn left, the van's going left!" Stitch yelped. "Oh! On it!" ~Lightning reversed rather unexpectedly, causing Spike to yelp and almost fall out of her arms. She then glided left as smoothly as she could, and got back on track of the van.~ "Whoa…! Careful when you turn please, Lightning." Spike panted. "Sorry, Spike. That was pretty sudden. Even for me." Stitch purred. "Sorry, but we gonna not lose this van." "Stitch is right. We need to focus-and where's the van gone?" ~The two dogs and Lightning look down and see the road completely bare, not a car, or van in sight. Panic began to let loose on the trio. Stitch and Spike began barking and whining in anger and sadness while the emotionless Lightning was trying to calm them both down before they do something she does not want them to do.~ "Dang it." "No! We gotta find it!" "Super sensitive noses, activate!" ~Lightning pulled out the thread from Jace's jacket and let Spike have a whiff of it. She then let Stitch smell it afterwards. The pups both darted around the road and into the trees. Stitch closed his eyes, and licked his paw, then he opened them again, and his pupils shrunk in confidence. He got the scent.~ "Ah-ha!" Stitch barked. "That way!" He pointed his snout right. "Brilliant work, Stitch!" Lightning said, cheerfully. "Hang on now!" ~Lightning charged up her geode, then she zoomed off in the direction of the van, Stitch and Spike held on tight and cheered.~ ~Exiting the forest, Twilight, Sunset, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity began walking on a hiking trail. They didn't know where they were going, but they just had to walk to save up time and effort before Lightning, Stitch and Spike returned to them for a location. However, while walking, they all began to feel the same emotion, guilty. They couldn't find Pinkie Pie so, they had to give up and hope that they'll find her again during the journey, after all, they all had the same objective. Only Rainbow Dash felt the most guilty out of the five of them, she did not want to give up finding Pinkie so she, along with Applejack and Rarity, kept on searching.~ "I don't think Pinkie went this way, y'all." Applejack said, worriedly. "Meaning we lost her!" Rarity sighed in frustration. "We should have never said such harsh things to her!" "She needed to know the truth, Rarity, no matter how much it hurts." "No! We haven't lost her!" Rainbow prompted. "We just...need to look harder!" Sunset frowned. "Rainbow…" "No! She's just...up ahead, yeah! I'll go see!" Rainbow went for her geode. Twilight stopped her. "Rainbow, don't. Even if we do find Pinkie, I don't think she'd want to see us right now. We practically just made things worse by constantly going after her. I think we should give her some time. We are technically going in the same direction so we haven't lost her completely." "Twilight's right. I know it doesn't feel right that we let her out of our sight, but I'm sure she will understand things eventually." Sunset smiled. "And also hope she doesn't get lost or something." "It's a forest. The place was practically made to get lost in!" Rainbow grumbled. Applejack nodded. "I concur with Rainbow Dash, but then again, this is Pinkie Pie we're talkin' 'bout!" "Indeed. She's not going to go out of control this time." Rarity nodded. "And, well, if she does need help, she can still contact us." Sunset assured, holding up her arm with the wrist calm around it. "Right. Let's just move on for now and see what'll happen." Twilight shrugged. Rainbow looked at her friends indignantly, then sighed. "Okay…" Rarity put her hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "We will apologise to Pinkie as well, don't worry, Rainbow Dash. But, the only thing we can do now is keep moving forward." ~Rarity smiled before continuing to walk along the trail with Applejack, Twilight and Sunset. Rainbow looked up along the hiking trail, then took one look at the forest again, and tenses up, pondering, was it always that dark? And were those trees always so tall? She rapidly shook off whatever was going on in her mind, and put it at the back of her head before running and catching up with the others.~ ~Back in the depths of the forest, Pinkie Pie leapt over the thorns inside the bushes and wall jumped off all the trees all adventurous like. The tiniest bits of gunk swarmed her and landed itself in her hair, but she shakes it all out like a dog.~ "Okay, is this east or west?" She scratched the back of her head. ~Putting her hand above her eyes and squinting, Pinkie looked through the forest. She spots something in the midst and assumes it's a clue, so she runs towards it. However, while running, something lodged into the dry, dirty floor, catches her foot and throws her forwards onto the ground. Pinkie looks behind herself and sees her foot over a log.~ "Ok, WHO PUTS A LOG IN THE MIDDLE OF A PATHWAY?!" ~Pinkie grunted as she stood back up again. Her clothes were an absolute mess. She tried to clean them out, but they were beyond washing. The mud was everywhere.~ "Okay. Well, it looks like this isn't going well for me, but that's ok! Because nothing is going to go wrong when I'm saving my friends! I'm Pinkiemena Diane Pie! And I know what I'm doing! Now, what was that thing I saw?" ~Pinkie darted over into the trees and spotted a pair of beady, beastly eyes. She gasped, and the eyes started to get closer and closer, but the closer they got, the smaller they got. Suddenly, a squirrel comes out of the darkness, squeals, then scurries off.~ "Squirrel!" ~Stumbling on her feet, Pinkie began to chase the squirrel through the forest. She had completely forgotten what she was doing and where she was going.~ ~Lightning flopped her arms down underneath her chest, completely bored. She kept on following the van, and she wasn't sure if it was her or was the van going much slower than it was last time? Stitch and Spike relaxed on Lightning's back and yawned as she soared more softly and slowly to be at pace with the van.~ "This caravan is moving very slow…" Spike yawned. "Me know, right?" Stitch whined. "Honestly, I could just sit on a tree for an hour and I can still catch it going up the hill." groaned Lightning, swaying her body left and right in a flight pattern. "But, I can't, because if I do, the van might begin to move faster again. It'll kinda be like the tortoise and the hare story." "Couldn't we just hitch a ride, and land on top of the van?" Spike suggested. "Eh, they'll see us. Easily." Lightning nodded seriously. "Let's just keep doing what we're doing, and hope they reach wherever they're going. Soon. I'm starting to get tired from flying." "Quick, y'all, I can't hold this any longer!" ~Applejack grunted as she struggled to hold down a large log that was bridged across the powerful streaming river. Rainbow jumped and sped down it like it was nothing. Sunset took Twilight's hand and both side-stepped on the log over to the other side. Rarity had a little bit of trouble crossing since the water hit the log rather hard and it sloshed all over her and the clothes. It nearly made her fall in the river as well, but thankfully she was close enough for Sunset to take her hand and pull her to safety. When they all made it across, Twilight signalled Applejack, she nods and swiftly jumps on the log, runs and hops down it before it fell in the water.~ "Good job, guys." Twilight said, smiling and adjusting her glasses straight. "Let's keep going..." Sunset nodded, leading the way.
