Hauling Across Equestria and Beyond: Put in Harm's Way

“Got a long haul ahead of us. Sure you’re up for it, Dakota?” Brave Storm asked the young bison. 

“It looks straightforward enough,” she commented, looking over the map that Brave Storm was given when she took the job. “Just about five days out and back if we’re steady. But maybe we could afford to add a couple of extra days if we stop along some settlements and herds for resupply and a safe place to sleep.”

“You think we have anything that would interest a bison herd?” Brave Storm questioned. She felt like they had always been self-reliant.

“Have any of those yak blankets? I think the elders and little kids would like them. Especially as we get out of Summer.”

“If we’re willing to remove weight elsewhere, then we could fit a few.”

“Aren’t you some champion hauler? Why do you need to remove weight?” Dakota asked. It was a fair enough question.

“I can pull a lot of weight, just not very far. As you said, this is about being steady. And if I have to break for an hour every five minutes, we’re not getting anywhere.”

 

Dakota rummaged through the bed of Brave Storm’s cart, shifting aside items with less and less care. Brave Storm didn’t mind much, they weren’t hauling anything delicate. But it did reach a point of ridiculousness that she had to comment.

“What are you looking for?”

“Where’s the cinnamon?” Dakota asked, still shoving aside and turning items on their head.

“I didn’t pack any.”

“So you packed apples, but no cinnamon?” Dakota threw her hooves on the rim, staring down Brave Storm in disbelief. The mare shrugged, relaxing next to the fire that Dakota helped her light. It was getting dark and they had set up camp on the side of the road for the night.

“How am I supposed to have roast apples with no cinnamon?” the bison demanded, hopping out of the wagon with no attempt to tidy up the mess she made.

“I asked if you liked apples and you said you did. I didn’t know you wanted to turn them into desserts.”

“Who eats plain apples?”

“I do.” Brave Storm answered, making a point to take a particularly crunchy bite out of her plump apple.

“Yeah, well… you’re weird.” Dakota huffed. “I don’t like how hard and gritty raw apples are.”

“Nothing’s stopping you from roasting them without cinnamon.”

“Ew, then they’d be all bland.”

“There’s carrots, oats, and some dried fruit then.” Brave Storm offered.

“Yeah, I saw. I was just looking forward to those roasted apples.” Dakota sighed and moped by the fire.

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to make it up to you.” Brave Storm promised. She didn’t owe Dakota anything, but she did feel like she betrayed some trust.

 

Brave Storm checked her surroundings and checked her map again. She had been following the directions given to her so preciously and yet she still didn’t recognize where she was. She chewed her cheek and took a few paces in one direction, second-guessed herself, and went to repeat the process in another direction. Dakota caught on to what the mare was doing and sat on the gravel path, watching Brave Storm fumble.

“Just say you’re lost so we can move on.” Dakota sighed, holding a hoof out for the map.

Brave Storm snorted. She didn’t want to admit she got them lost, but now wasn’t the time for pride. She couldn’t make eye contact with the bison as she passed her the map. Dakota’s eyes skimmed over the map. And then she frowned. She put a hoof to the map, following the trail that they took. She huffed and double-checked their instructions. Then she traced the map again.

“It wasn’t you,” she said, sounding hard like she did on their first days together. “They gave us bad instructions.”

“Do you know how to get us back to a main road? We can ask for directions.”

“Of course I do! I know this val-” Dakota suddenly went silent as pebbles fell from above. Brave Storm felt the hair on her neck rise. Dakota had never let anything interrupt her before. It felt colder in the canyon shade than it did a mere moment ago.

“Let’s get out of here,” Dakota requested. 

Before either of them could turn their carts to head out the way they came, winged ponies descended upon them. They were hidden in the shadows and by the high ground they held. For a moment, Brave Storm was taken back to the raid on Canterlot, sensing faint traces of Wild Magic on them. The first to enter the fray was a large butterfly-winged changeling, who fluttered her wings aggressively, shaking loose her powdery scales in a strong gust of wind.

Second was a pegasus, far too fast and nimble for Brave Storm to easily keep an eye on, who stirred the air as he breezed past. Brave Storm’s eyes and throat burned and itch as the scales and dirt were kicked up into her face. She found herself uncontrollably sneezing and hadn’t noticed when she had been released from her cart.

She heard that their wagons had been knocked over and things had spilled to the floor. The solid thud of the apples and wooden barrels was expected. But something like tiny bits of glass clashing against each other wasn’t. Brave Storm had no time to think of this when Dakota’s scream pierced the air and echoed in the canyon.

“Dakota!” Brave Storm cried, frantically trying to see through all of the debris in the air. Just barely she could see the shadow of a bat pony grabbing a far smaller creature by the back of the neck. The smaller creature thrashed, kicking and flailing, trying desperately to get loose. But the bat pony held too strong of a grip in just the right place.

Brave Storm felt a tingle in her hooves as she charged, screaming in a primal rage. The bat pony began to ascend, taking Dakota with them into the air. Brave Storm jumped, clean out of the dirty fog, and clamped her teeth. She hoped to grab Dakota and pull her down- or better yet, the bat pony and avoid hurting the bison. But she missed them both.

She screamed again, not even sure of the words she was saying or if she was even speaking. Her hooves hit the ground and as she feared that Dakota would be lost to her, the canyon rumbled. Rolling boulders crashed down from the walls, coming down on the would-be bandits like a siege had befallen the area. The bat pony dropped Dakota after one too many boulders had barely missed striking them.

The bison fell, too far away for Brave Storm to reasonably get to and she hit the floor. Brave Storm felt as if the world around her slowed as she saw Dakota go limp on impact. She screamed again, hearing it echo a million times over a thousand years. Tears streaked down her face, from fear, from sorrow, from rage. Emotions that Earth Ponies had always been taught to try and control, to not let it get the better of their actions for how easy it was for them to hurt others.

For once, she didn’t care. She couldn’t even remember who she was in that moment. What her name was, who her family was, why she was even here. She remembered colliding with other creatures who got in her way as if they would ever stand a chance against her. She couldn’t even give them the dignity of looking at their faces as she grabbed at them, throwing them against the wall or in the path of falling boulders.

She was upon the bison, shoving her gently with her nose. She was begging, sobbing desperately that she was okay. The rumbling stopped. The would-be invaders were gone. Brave Storm’s name returned to her. And Dakota was still breathing. Brave Storm sighed in relief as the adrenaline left her.

She collapsed next to the bovine, resting a protective leg across her body. Brave Storm felt herself twitching involuntarily and she smelled burned fur. But she couldn’t care right now. She was far too exhausted.

 

Brave Storm awoke from being shoved aggressively. She heard a familiar voice complaining to her. When she opened her eyes and she became realigned with reality, she saw Dakota shoving her head against her chest. Brave Storm groaned and put a hoof on the bison’s head to get her to stop. Brave Storm pulled herself up into a sitting position and immediately felt the world spinning around her. She made sick and felt better once it was all out of her.

She looked around. She was still in the canyon valley. She was surrounded by boulders. Her and Dakota’s wagons were knocked over and apples were spilled across the valley floor. Something sparkled in the fading sunlight. And Dakota, who had clearly been crying, shoved her head into Brave Storm’s shoulder, swearing at her for being stupid. Brave Storm let her. Dakota was safe and that’s all that mattered.

When the bison got her frustrations out, Brave Storm rested a hoof on her shoulder. She looked her over and made sure there wasn’t any lasting physical damage. Dakota complained, but ultimately let her. Not without sliding a few remarks about Brave Storm’s own condition, but the earth pony didn’t care. She would heal.

“Why did they attack us anyways?” Dakota asked, peeking back at their wagons. Brave Strom released a snort and a frown. All of this was far too coincidental for her liking. With great difficulty, she walked back to their wagons. Spilling out of false-bottomed barrels were hundreds of rubies. 

Dakota swore, “Are these real?”

“We’re not taking any.” 

“Aw, they won’t notice a few missing.”

Brave Storm gave Dakota a level stare and she rolled her eyes, tossing her small hoofful of rubies back into the pile.

“What do we do now?” Dakota asked.

“We’re packing all this backup and heading back to Canterlot. I want to have a few words with the stallion that sent us out here.”

Dakota frowned. There was something she wanted to say and Brave Storm was impressed that the bison wasn’t just blurting it out.

“What’s wrong?” Brave Storm prompted.

“You used Wild Magic back there.” Dakota wasn’t looking at her.

“I… I wasn’t in control of myself.” 

“But you used Wild Magic!”

“What did you want me to do, Dakota?” Brave Storm was far too exhausted to hold her tongue anymore. She didn’t care that she was arguing with a teenager anymore. She was tired of so many creatures in her life telling her she was doing the wrong thing with Wild Magic.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you had control over Wild Magic?” the bison demanded, Brave Storm could see tears welling up in her eyes.

“You didn’t need to know. And I don’t know how to control it yet. It’s all guesswork.”

“Wild Magic killed my parents!”

“Wild Magic saved our lives!” Brave Storm bit back. “Do you think they were going to let us live after they got these gems? We were used, Dakota! Our lives were forfeit and that bat pony was trying to kill you!”

Dakota flinched. Her lips drew back and the tears she was holding back fell down her cheeks. “Do you hate me? Every other creature does!”

“No. No, I don’t hate you.” Brave Storm felt the anger building up in her leave with a sigh. “I should have told you. I was worried what you’d think about me if you knew.”

“I’m mad at you,” Dakota said and Brave Storm felt a sting in her heart. “I don’t hate you though. But I’m still angry.”

“I’m sorry.” Brave Storm meant it, but she knew a simple sorry couldn’t make up for the pain she put on the bison.

 

Brave Storm sat behind bars in a Canterlot jail cell. She wouldn’t argue that she didn’t deserve to be here, but she would gladly take the actions that brought her here in the first place. After having tracked down the pegasus that sent her and Dakota out on that mission that made them smugglers, it was evident it wasn’t a mistake. He stuttered and tried to escape the moment he saw that Brave Storm had made it back alive and well.

And she struck him. It wasn’t a strike intended to knock him out or disarm him. He wasn’t a threat at that moment. Despite everything that stallion had put her and Dakota through, he was still a citizen. And it was a bad look to allow a Knight, even if they didn’t work directly under the Princess and her guard, to hurt a citizen with the only intent being to harm without reprimand. 

She had been visited several times already to be chewed out for what she did. First was by True Heart, lecturing her for taking the law into her own hooves instead of allowing due process to handle the case. Gold Light and Black Rose visited her next, disappointed but understanding of why she did what she did. And finally, Sword Dancer simply came to tell her that for the next few months, she’d be losing her title and privileges as a Knight and would have to work in community service to earn them back.

So when one of her Merchant Guild superiors came to visit her, she was surprised to see no hostility in their posture. He came with talk only of her pay.

“Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get paid until you’ve served your time.” he mused, holding a notepad that he peeked at through his lenses. “But you’re being compensated an extra three thousand horseshoes.”

Brave Storm nearly choked on herself from those numbers. “Excuse me? Why?”

“You were put in harm’s way because of our Guild’s mismanagement. How you decided to deal with the perp wasn’t right- no. But we’re not the guard, Ms. Storm. We’re just merchants and the law in that regard doesn’t concern us.” He peered with a quirked brow. “For what it matters to you, if you were just a Guild member, you wouldn’t be on those side of the bars.”

____

Proof of Successful Wild Magic Channeling