The Lord of the Ponies: The Friendship of Equestria

Ch.13 Bridlebury Ferry

Darkness crept into the Haysead Swamps. A Ringwraith galloped between the trees, and sniffed the air. The Nazgul could sense The Ring was close. Earlier, he had almost retrieved The Ring, only for the Ringbearer to escape in the brush behind it at an unnatural speed. But this time, he would find The Ring, and the Ringbearer would know pain the likes of which only the dead have seen the end of.

***

The four companions: Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Spike and Apple Bloom, snuck through the forest, aiming to avoid the gaze of the searching black rider. They heard a screech from a short distance, and they knew the dark fiend was approaching. Their hooves slipped soundlessly into the mud, and gave off quiet pops as they retracted their steps. Each new footfall risked the detection of the party, a fate that they dearly hoped would never come to pass.

Numerous trees swept passed as the cartel of inaudible ponies evaded the path of the cloaked Ringwraith, whose invisible gaze scanned the forests for any movement. Apple Bloom discerned the towering form of their stalker beyond the near forest edge, not an easy feat, as the Ringwraith's black cloak was near perfect camouflage for the rayless environment.

"Hide! Quick!" ordered the tiny Earth Pony, and her friends sought shelter behind several of the numerous trees which blotted the area.

"Anything?" whispered Spike. The dragon scanned the forest nervously, watching for any sign of the Nazgul.

Apple Bloom scanned the forest again. The singular Nazgul had trotted behind a tree and disappeared, hopefully for good.

"Nothing," reported Apple Bloom.

Her friends heeled to her backside, some more oblivious to their precarious situation than others.

"What is going on?" whined the filly Sweetie Belle, whose shining white coat was stained with mud from their arduous trip through the muddy forest.

"That black pony was looking for something. Or someone." Scootaloo approached Apple Bloom from the side, voicing her suspicious as to what the true intentions were of their shadowy stalker.

"Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo was smarter than most ponies took her for. Sure, she was amazing at all things physical, but even the dullest pony could discern that Apple Bloom knew more of what was going on than any of them did.

Apple Bloom turned to her friend. She knew she couldn't withhold important information which may determine the life or death of those around her. But before she could reveal to them what Twilight had told her a day ago, Spike called out, "Get down!"

Spike grabbed the both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo by their necks and yanked them down, forcing the two fillies to squat in the mud. Brush concealed them, but through a tiny hole in the bush they perceived the ebony form of the shadow pony, whose black cloak disguised it amongst the starless sky. The figure scanned the immediate forest, and seemingly unsatisfied, it huffed, and trotted on, a relief to  the group of frightened friends.

"Spike and I have to get to Baltimare." Apple Bloom's request was simple, but it predominated as the most critical task at hand. Apple Bloom couldn't let the minions of Sauron return his Ring to him.

"Right. Bridlebury Ferry. Follow me." Scootaloo surprised Apple Bloom at every turn. Not only was Scootaloo smarter than she looked, the orange Peasus had more knowledge of the surrounding area than Apple Bloom did.

The party ran off in the opposite direction of the Ringwraith. As they traversed through the bush, another Ringwraith ambushed the unsuspecting entourage. The Nazgul's ear-rupturing screech surprised the three fillies and the dragon, which caused them to scatter.

***

The Nazguls' plan had worked. They had successfully, and silently, flanked the thieving ponies and caused confusion amongst their ranks. The only thing they hadn't attended to was the possibility of more than one party member, and the presiding Ringwraith was confused as to which small pony carried The Ring.

That's when the cloaked rider noticed the dragon. Surely The Ring, such a powerful and precious artifact, would be entrusted to the most capable in the group. The dragon departed into the thick brush, faster than one would anticipate for such a stubby reptile. The Unicorn and the Pegasus regrouped and ran in the direction of their dragon friend, screaming, "Follow us! This way!" That left only the small Earth Pony, whose red hair stood out like a bonfire in the night. This vibrantly-colored Earth pony was the last being left for the Nazgul to chase.

***

Apple Bloom ran: that's all she could think to do. Being separated from her friends, she did her best to keep up, but she knew the demonic creature was not too far behind her, and her friends were too far away to be seen.

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Spike reached a clearing, where not too far away, was the illuminated form of the ferry. The lantern which lit their way like a sign from Celestia. They knew they were almost free from the dark oppressors behind them.

Apple Bloom eventually reached the clearing. She saw her friends unwrapping the singular rope which attached the ferry to the dock. Successful, Spike grabbed an oar, and stuck it in the marsh water, slowly paddling his way down the river.

Apple Bloom was now on a straight path to the dock, but so was the Ringwraith behind her. The little Earth Pony pushed herself to the limit, and her stride miraculously overrode the massive pony Ringwraith her. She neared the edge of the dock, the ferry at a seemingly impassable distance. But Apple Bloom knew that the ferry was her last hope, and with her strength mustered, she jumped.

Her front hooves made contact with the edge of the ferry, but her back legs fell behind. She fell back, the murky water welcoming her to her grave. Suddenly, a clawed hand grasped her hoof, and pulled Apple Bloom onto the raft, saving her life.

The Ringwraith came to a quick stop at the edge of the pier, seemingly afraid to make the jump. The horrible denizen screeched, the awful scream forcing the group to cover their ears. The Ringwraith wheeled itself back, and retreated to the dirt path that resided in the clearing.

"How far to the nearest crossing?" Apple Bloom gasped through her erratic breathing, hoping the cloaked pony wouldn't be able to intercept them.

"Horseshoe Bay. Twenty miles," reported Scootaloo, whose gaze never slipped from the retreating form of the Nazgul.

The party saw the one Ringwraith rejoin its kin, as two more Nazgul intercepted it along the road. The galloping parade of frightful demons then continued down the dirt path, following the riverbank to the ferry's eventual landing.

"We're safe. For now," said Spike, glad to be free of their stalkers till they reached the bay.

'For Now'. Spike's words echoed in Apple Bloom's mind. Those creatures would never cease to follow them, and if her only time of reprieve was 'now', she felt very insecure indeed. She realized her only true safety was on this barge, and even that was limited to a distance of twenty miles.

"Oh, Twilight. Where are you?" Apple Bloom asked the heavens, unaware of Twilight's own precarious situation.