The Adventures of Hasty Cloudby Not-So-Smarty PantsChaptersThe SteppesThe night stalkingThe huntThe SteppesSteppe ponies are not very remarkable creatures. They’re not very different from, say, zebras or any other kind of ponies, if only because they’re more robust, covered by a compact coat of short wool. They refer to themselves as "the Takhi". They live in nomadic clans, guided by the strongest colt or mare. They are almost permanently traveling: looking for green grasslands on spring, all the way until summer, and then down to their shelters for the winter. It could seem like an unpleasant life for other creatures, but Takhi themselves seem to be comfortable with it. Even with some of the dreadful dangers of living in wild country... That morning, at the beginning of spring, the Big Stone herd was resting around the kopje they called their winter home. Everything looked like just a normal, quiet day. It was a long time staying inside, and everypony was eager to start traveling. Fillies and colts were, as one would expect, prancing happily around, playing hide and seek in the tall grass of the surroundings. Although big snakes and beasts often lurked in tall grass, the little ones were under the attentive vigilance of the watchers, on top of the rock. Now, ground predators were fearsome, but the most dangerous hunter of the steppe wasn’t hiding in the bushes. Suddenly, an alarm call from one of the watchers: everypony looked up to the sky, and an ominous black silhouette loomed above them. “Everypony run to the shelter!” All steppe inhabitants knew Pouakai, the great golden eagle, and most of them feared him. There were few things he couldn’t hunt: even the wooly mammoth calves were taught to not wander away from their herd, if the eagle was flying near. The monster bird glided right above the fleeing ponies, shrieking, trying to scatter them to isolate one. The watchers, however, did their work just right. By the third time the giant bird soared above the area, almost every member of the herd was safe. Every member, except that one little colt, playing too far from the shelter and now trying to hide himself trembling at the sight of the raptor. The color of his coat was supposed to be enough to keep him safe, but the fear was telling otherwise. When Pouakai drifted away, the frightened pony made a run for it. The watchers and all the other members of the herd began to shout desperately: “Go back to the grass! Hide! Hide!” The colt froze on his hooves, suddenly aware of what he was doing. The moment he wheeled back to his hideout, the eagle was landing… right on him! The claws missed for very little, but as the giant eagle passed above, the fierce blow of his wings made the colt roll on the ground. With no time to worry about the bruises, the little pony ran with all his might, straight to the rock. But Pouakai was turning again, and now his prey was on the clear. The eagle folded his wings, keeping them close to his body to gain speed. As his victim grew closer in his sight, he extended his talons, ready to claim his prize. The little colt, still running, looked back, tears of terror flowing from his eyes. He let out a terrified scream… And suddenly Pouakai was spinning on midair, and then fell awkwardly on his back! The colt opened his eyes, realizing he was moving impossibly fast, right into the anxious hooves of his herd mates. Something –fortunately, not the eagle- carried him through the air, and put him safely again on the ground, jut a few steps from the shelter entrance. When the colt turned to meet his savior, all he could see was a pair of wings, a blur of light brown and something darting back to the air. By then, the eagle was back on his feet, and jerked his head one way and the other, searching for the insolent creature that interfered with his hunt. And there it was, flying right above, staring fiercely down at him. All steppe inhabitants knew Pouakai, the great golden eagle, and most of them feared him… most of them. The pegasi, if smaller than the vicious bird of prey, weren’t less brave or ferocious. The eagle knew the taste of their flesh, but also that they were a meal hard to gulp down. Pouakai was in the air with only one powerful flap of his wings, ready to meet his rival. The chase began, and both of them flew spiraling higher and higher, until they were out of sight from the bewildered herd on the ground. The pegasus knew his fighting chances were better beyond the layer of clouds. Once passed it, the eagle lost track of his enemy, and now was flying in wide circles, looking for it. Suddenly, a hit! And another! And another yet! The little winged pony was attacking the eagle like an angry wasp. It was hitting, and passing, hiding in the clouds, and turning and hitting again, with such speed that Pouakai couldn’t certainly know what was going on. From the ground, the Takhi could only see, gasping, the frame of the great eagle falling, and a fast moving dot flying in narrow circles around him. Pouakai shrieked furiously, and one of his powerful talons moved forward; it was a lucky hit, but was the one thing the eagle needed: the Pegasus was knocked out, falling fast to the ground. Now the eagle had a moment to catch his breath. He stabilized, turned with deadly majesty and set course to catch his victim before it hit the ground… but another pegasus caught it first. Pouakai was about to chase this new foe, when glimpsed another one flying at his left… and another one on his right, and another one yet… a flock of them flying in circles around him, all of them ready to strike. Even the great eagle knew it was time to give up. A lone pegasus he could pick on, even two or three. A fearless gang of them was too much to face on his own, and Pouakai left the battle with an angry, frustrated cry. The pegasi didn’t chase after him. They were exhausted after a long journey across an entire continent, and the eagle was not a threat anymore. With the same grace of birds, they circled above the kopje, lower and lower, until they landed next to it, to be welcomed by the herd of earth ponies. “That was a heck of a first impression!” Dust Whirl elbowed a smaller pegasus mare, trotting next to him. She almost fell on her side, still stunned by the raptor’s mighty blow. “Cut it, will ya!” she pushed him. “Keep it shut, both of you!” turned the reddish coated mare trotting in front of them. Both pegasi bowed their heads humbly; still, when Dawn turned forward again, the little mare didn’t miss the chance to hit Dust Whirl with his hoof. The chieftain of the earth ponies moved forward to meet the pegasi. He was a dark blue unicorn –an even stranger sight among Takhi than pegasi- wearing a bizarre plume on his head. “Be welcome!” said him, “We expected you a pair of days earlier!” “It was early enough, I think,” Whispered Dawn. The pegasus on the right gave her a stare. The dark, scarred stallion, nodded to the unicorn. “Excuse us, Mist. It was a long journey,” said him. “Hum!” said the unicorn, “I won’t complain. Come in, Kestrel. I’m sure you all could use some rest and food.” “Gee, I sure do!” Dust Whirl licked his lips. A growl from the mare’s innards and a ravenous look on her face agreed with him. Then both straightened when Dawn stared back at them, with an anger shine in her eyes. Followed by the pegasi, the entire herd moved into the shelter. “Your little mare has grown, Kestrel,” said Mist to the dark brown stallion; though he nodded, the compliment did not appear to amuse him. The young pegasi were held behind the main group by a bunch of steppe ponies –most of them colts and fillies- admiring and asking all kinds of questions to them. “That was amazing!” “Were you scared?” “Of course she wasn’t scared, hay-for-brains!” “Yes she was!” “Did you hurt?” “How fast can you fly?” “I wanna be a scout too!” “Only pegasi can be scouts, silly!” “Is that so?” Just when they were about to, finally, answer one of the questions, a voice thundered from the shelter. “Dust Whirl, Hasty Cloud! Hurry up, you dumbutts!” Obeying the polite suggestion from Dawn, both scouts and their admirers made it to the stone refuge. “Sweet, sweet flavor of heroism!” said Dust Whirl, gulping down an entire half of an apple. “Yah, shome ‘ero you fwere out ‘ere…” Hasty Cloud answered… sort of, with her mouth full. “You ain’t a big red stain on the ground, are you? And thank who?” the stallion pointed at his own chest with a large carrot. Hasty Cloud mumbled something and kept eating, hearing the “You’re welcome!” from his scouting partner. “Now, I have to admit, taking on an eagle like that, all alone, was pretty awesome,” conceded Dust Whirl. “It was risky, I’d say” opined another Pegasus. “Aw, c’mon, big ol’ Poui is not that bad!” said yet another one, “I could have done the same, had sent me instead of her!” “Ha! Yeah!” said Hasty Cloud, “I would have LOVED to see that!” There was an upheaval of laughter and dares. Nopony understood what the other was saying, but at some point, there was fruit flying to everypony faces, and all of sudden it was war. Dawn stormed inside the chamber and all scouts froze where they were. There were sparks glaring from the scout-mare’s eyes, but she said nothing. “Cloud,” she snarled, “Kestrel wants to talk to you” The young mare had to let go of the neck lock she had on one of his partners, and went out the chamber. Behind her she could hear the roaring Dawn’s voice, scolding the other pegasi. Kestrel was on top of the kopje, watching the red and golden colors of the clouds, as the sun was setting. Hasty Cloud sat next to him. “Look, I know you’re, like, upset because I kind of disobeyed the ‘don’t fight a frigging eagle all by yourself’ rule…” said she “But c’mon! Is not as if anypony died! And look! I even get a butt-kicking scar out of it, like yours!” Hasty Cloud showed off his black eye. Her cynical smile vanished, however, when Kestrel turned to see her, staring severely. She looked away, her head bowing. Kestrel let out a sigh. “How many times…” he started. “Oh, don’t start with that again!” groaned the mare. “Yeah, that’s the point, I’m telling you all this, yet again!” said Kestrel, “What the heck were you thinking?” She just sniffed. “Cloud…?” “What was I supposed to do? Just, like, turning away?” she said, staring right at the stallion’s hardened eyes. “You were supposed to come back, inform and then we, all together, could have taken action on the matter, safely!” answered the stallion. “Yeah, in time to clean pony ground beef off the floor …” she hissed. “At least not made of my daughter!” growled Kestrel. “I can’t belie--! Well, alright, sorry! Next time I’ll just sit down and watch somepony die!” Kestrel growled, and then took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Listen, I’m trying to be reasonable here,” he said “yes, you did well today, I’m giving you that. But you were reckless. All you had to do once you saved the colt was to stay in the refuge and wait for us” “But -!” The stallion gave her a stare. She sighed heavily, nodding. “Hey, I know I can be a pain in the flank,” he said, “but I worry about you and the others, okay? It’s my job” “But you made me scout during winter! You know I’m good!” “Yeah, you’re good. ‘Kicked unconscious by an eagle’ good, that’s the problem” “That was a low blow! …” she folded her arms, angrily. Kestrel had to smile. He rustled his daughter's mane with his hoof. “Alright, you’re good-good. It’s just that I don’t want you to end up like bird food, okay? And I think I’m being fair by saying you need more experience before all that head-butting, Am I right?” he said. “Yeah… I guess” Hasty Cloud admitted. “I will try to not kill my dumb butt the next time, dad” Kestrel mimed her. “Knock it off!” she said. “Right,” nodded Kestrel “now go get some rest, we’re leaving tomorrow early!” “Alright,” the mare went back inside the refuge. “A black eye doesn’t count as scar!” shouted Kestrel. “Good night, dad!” Author's Note English is not my native language, so if you see any weird sentence or whatever, feel free to point it out. It will be located, cut and cauterized. The night stalkingSwift Glide and his wing-ponies appeared from afar; three black dots against the sky marbled blue and white. “There’s a pond ahead, not very far from here,” she shouted, soaring to be side to side with Kestrel, “seems nice to me” “Right,” he nodded to Dawn. The reddish mare drifted apart the formation and flew down to the grassland. Crossing the emerald sea of tall lawn, the row of earth ponies was a compact, brownish speck advancing. “Move them ahead, we found water,” said Dawn, flying again to join the pegasi formation above. Hasty Cloud nodded, setting course. “Alright everypony!” shouted the mare, accelerating, “Fast and forth!” The herd below her urged the pace, the ground quaking under the stampede. High in the sky, the pegasi goose-like formation began to descend, marking the place of the pond by flying on circles above it. Hasty and the herders went ahead and landed before the earth ponies. There were the usual precautions: making sure the wet ground wouldn’t sink, dragging the ponies under; a look to assure there wasn't an ambush set near the water hole; and, not less important, making sure the water itself was drinkable. All had the looks of them being the first ones to reach the pond, and it meant they could stay for some more time, before start moving again. Without losing time, the harvesters scattered around; those most vulnerable: too old or too young, or the mares with foals, stayed near the pond, under the sight of the pegasi. After a long journey under the heat –a lot, being so early in the season– the fresh water was most than welcome. Fillies and colts didn’t lose time to be splashing and swimming near the muddy banks, and everypony had a chance to take a good long sip, and refill the gourds. “Big splash!” “Whoo-hoo!” Dust Whirl and Hasty Cloud dive-bombed from a good altitude right into the pond, followed by three or four pegasi more. The splash soaked the ponies on the shore, and some brows frowned. Hasty emerged first, shaking the water off her mane, “Oh it is delicious!” “I wouldn’t mind staying a couple of days!” Dust nodded, floating on his back, drawing a satisfied smile on his face. A pair of his partners then surfaced and tried to drag him down, laughing. Soon enough, Hasty was joining the struggle. Three days later, the caravan departed again, rested and ready to reach the Ruby Hills and their rich, sheltered forests. The scout pegasi lifted off and separated along the four corners of the sky, while the herders flew low, all eyes ready to spot danger and find the easiest, safest path for the earth ponies. “Hey, look!” Dust pointed with his hoof. Hasty turned to see the right-wing squadron flying on a narrow circle near ground level. They were plunging down and flying up again, as fast as they could. “Hasten the pace, everypony!” Hasty shouted, without taking her eyes off the squad of pegasi. The earth ponies did as they were told, looking worriedly in the same direction as the guide mare. “You think is something serious?” Dust Whirl joined Hasty, casting the same concerned look to his partners. The question answered itself when the circle of ponies got higher in the air and the formation loosened. While the sigh of Dust Whirl was of relief, the one Hasty Cloud did was most of disappointment. “Probably it was just a branch or something,” she said, shaking her head, “let’s move on” Though Hasty was more than ready for a good scramble, betraying a stalker on the spot was often enough to ruin an ambush. Even the biggest earth beasts would give up a hunt without the element of surprise; that was the reason the pegasi were hated to guts by the predators. Dawn came early that same day to point a resting place, west from their position. Reaching there, however, took them more time than they thought, and by the sunset, the herd arrived to a small rocky elevation. The main boulder was protruding from the steppe floor: a big, uneven rock full of ledges that the pegasi occupied immediately. It was hard to find good perches in the flat terrain of the steppes, and pegasi always felt more comfortable sleeping above ground level. “Are we complete?” Kestrel asked Dawn. The mare took a concerned look on the group. “Peeks and Flapalot hasn’t come back yet,” she said, “I sent them to the rear this morning, and they didn’t report since then” “Send a patrol to look for them. We have good moonlight tonight,” Kestrel answered. “Knowing those two, they're probably back at the water hole,” the scout-mare puffed. “Maybe we should give them until morning. You know…” Dust winked, as Hasty gave air kisses, making everypony laugh. “Alright, knock it off!” Dawn said everyone, then turned back to Dust and Hasty, “and you two jesters are going out to find them. Bring them back quickly and don’t fool around!” Hasty knew her father would be gesturing in concern, but also that he wouldn’t change Dawn’s orders without a good reason. Without second thoughts, Hasty and Dust lifted off and drifted away, into the starry night. “Darn Flapalot!” Dust Whirl looked at one way and the other on the pond’s shore, “he really knows how to hide…” “Nothing this side, either,” said Hasty, coming out the tall grass, “I don’t think they're anywhere near… Seriously, what’s with those two?” “Well, you know: the fresh air of open spaces, the essence of spring in the air, a pair of young, healthy loving ponies in the wild…” “That’s gross,” Hasty said. “Aw, c’mon!” Dust laughed “It’s something natural and beautiful…!” “Shut up!” “Oh, don’t be like that--” “No! Hush! Did you hear that?” Both ponies stayed on the spot, moving their ears back and forth. First there was nothing, and Hasty thought it was her imagination; but then there it was again: the sound of something moving smoothly through the grass blades, barely making a sound on the ground. “There they are those featherheads!” Hasty whispered, trotting in the same direction where she heard the noise. “Wait! How do you know it’s them, blockhead?” Dust stopped her with a worried look. Hasty huffed, but Dust was right. After all, there were reasons why the pegasi didn’t like to sleep on the ground, and at night, some of those reasons were really, really hungry. “Let’s go and see what it is, then!” said Hasty, trotting silently and too fast to hear the Dust Whirl’s whispers, calling her back. She rapidly was surrounded by thick walls of grass, and pitch-black night. Although the first feet she was thinking on how to scare the feathers out of her partners, her steps began to be more careful, as the uncertain of what she was going to find hit her. She turned back, hearing the noise of something behind her. Seeing nothing, and suddenly realizing that Dust Whirl wasn’t following her, she gulped. “Dust Whirl?” she sighed, worriedly. Her call didn’t find an answer, “Peeks? Flapalot?” Nothing, except a gentle rustling from beyond her sight, answered. “All-riiiiight…” Hasty prepared her wings, ready to dart into the air, “This stopped to be funny, you guys…” Suddenly, something grasped and gagged her! The pegasus mare let out a faint cry, at the same time she struggled to make herself free. When she turned, she could see a pair of familiar, shining eyes, looking away with a terrified stare. Hasty Cloud delayed to realize about Dust Whirl’s frightened expression, focused as she was in squashing his skull like a melon; but once she looked on the same direction, the mare paled. There was a shadow, silhouetted against the moonlight. And it was big. A large head, almost as big as the body of the ponies, poked out well high on the grass; the sound of noisy sniffing filled the air, along with a disgusting smell of decay. The ponies backed away, slow and silently, fighting to control their shivers. They both froze when, suddenly, the monster’s head turned to them, revealing two small, perfectly round iridescent eyes. The beast stooped, advancing to them. There was a low, menacing growl as it approached. “Go!” Dust Whirl pushed Hasty, making her lift off. Both pegasi were on the air at the same time a choir of laugh-like crying came from the darkened surroundings. Suddenly there was a whistle, and something flew from the tall grass. Hasty barely dodged a fast thing moving towards her; Dust Whirl, however, wasn’t that lucky, and the mare saw something, like a flying-spinning spider, catch the stallion with a fierce embrace, taking him down. As Dust Whirl fell, Hasty plunged down behind him, trying to catch him before he touched the ground. The mare flapped her wings with all her might, trying desperately to catch his unconscious friend. One more foot, one more… She grappled him with her hooves, embracing him tightly, trying to slow down, but she couldn’t stop rushing to the ground. The falling ponies gained some horizontal, drawing a curve before harshly landing. With a thud, both rolled on the earth, flattening the grass that stood in their fall. Hasty got up, ignoring the pain on her body. She rushed to Dust Whirl, who lay sideways, barely breathing. He was beyond bruised, and his body was going to ache some good time once he awake… but he was alive, nonetheless. The mare pushed him desperately, looking at all directions, trying to revive him. “C’mon! COME ON!” Hasty shook him anxiously, “C’mon Dust, you’re killing me!” Then she saw the odd artifact attached to the stallion’s body: a weird-looking segmented plate was attached firmly to his side; thick wires, fastened to the plate, were fiercely tethered to the pegasus body, impeding his movement. When Hasty tried to bite them off, she almost splintered her teeth against the impossibly hard material. “They fell near ‘ere!” a rumbling voice came from the darkness. A new choir of laugh-like barking answered it. Hasty felt a shiver down her spine when she heard it. She shook fiercely the unconscious pony, but he was faint like a rag doll. The mare gritted her teeth, scared beyond measure, now hearing the hideous noise of the beast sniffing to trace them. “Darn it, Dust, you’re gonna owe me big time for this!” she wrapped her arms and legs around his partner. Her wings sent a sharp pain through all her body, but the mare used all her strength to lift off; with a grunt, she managed to pick the heavy stallion up, and flew forward as fast as she could. The silhouette of the pegasi was perfectly visible above the grass: a zigzagging blob barely able to stay airborne. It was a ridiculously easy target. Alama let out a hissing laugh, as he prepared to throw the snatcher at them. A large, strong paw stopped him. “Let those one be,” growled Kusaka, smiling viciously, “follow ‘em to the others” The hunter licked his lips, putting his weapon back to the holster. Silent as the night surrounding them, Alama and his trackers moved forward. The huntPainful hours slipped away slowly, or at least they seemed like hours on Hasty’s body. The emotion-driven strength was finally diluting, and she couldn’t keep flying for much longer. As softest as she could, she landed, along with her heavy cargo. She was covered in sweat, and her lungs felt like ember; the pain in her wings was so intense she felt as if they were going to fall apart at any moment. She sat down, trying to catch her breath. She has never felt so exhausted in her entire life, not even when crossing the continent from the winter grounds! “I just…” she panted, “I just need… I just need a couple of… minutes, that’s it…” She didn’t know who she was talking to, Dust Whirl or herself, but hearing her own voice was kind of soothing. Her legs began to shake like crazy, and her eyelids felt heavier and heavier. “Just… catch my breath…” she softly said, without feeling her eyes closing, “Just… a couple… minutes…” There was something there! The mare abruptly opened her eyes, hearing the noise of something getting closer. Her heart began to pound, as she looked one way and the other, searching for a way to escape, but there was none. She stood her ground. Suddenly her blood was boiling, even if her body barely was able to stand. She even felt mad at the couple of ponies they were supposedly to find, “Pair of fools!” she thought, staying besides Dust Whirl. The sound of steps grew closer and the mare tensed, terrified but ready to put a good fight before be taken down… And from the tall grass, an earth pony came to her sight, one of the Takhi. “Here!” the mare shouted, hurrying to aid the almost unconscious pegasus “Anypony, come to help!” Hasty Cloud fainted before seeing the silhouettes of his brethren, flying in the air around her. “How is she?” Kestrel’s voice was measured, but everypony could feel the tension of the stallion trying to keep his emotions in check. “She’s exhausted,” Mist said, his horn glowing a soothing watery green, as his healing magic worked “She probably was carrying his partner, who knows from where and how long. She’s really strong…” “How is she?” Kestrel repeated, a lot more anxious this time. The ponies helping around them stopped for moments, unable to not look at the stallion’s hardened eyes. “She will be fine, with some care and rest,” the unicorn chieftain stared him in the eye, understanding the pegasus worry, but not willing his authority to be stomped. Kestrel snorted, trying to calm down, “Forgive me,” the pegasus bowed his head, “I…” “I understand, Kestrel,” Mist answered, “But I’d be more worried about your other scout.” Kestrel felt a knot in his throat. He almost forgot about Dust! He looked at Dawn at the corner of his vision: his expression was indecipherable, but the stallion knew she was equally concerned than he was. “Have you managed to take that thing off him?” the pegasus stallion asked. “I’m afraid I don’t even know what it is. I’ve never see something like it,” the unicorn shook his head, both confused and sorry. The three ponies looked away, at the place Dust Whirl laid. He was still breathing, they could see, but his condition hadn’t change. Being unable to release the wicked thing from the pegasus, the pony-healers left him be, just keeping an eye on him in the case something changed. The reddish mare-scout got close to him, slightly stroking his mane with her hoof, as if she didn’t mean it, “You better get well soon, you scatterbrain…” she whispered. Kestrel noticed the anguish in the otherwise immovable mare. She might be hard with the new scouts, even mean sometimes, but she was the one who trained them, and in certain extent, they were all like children of her. Kestrel felt the guilt bite him. Now, more than ever, the ponies needed him to be strong, to be decisive, even cold. Thing was, with the suddenness of all, he couldn't. “Dawn!” he said, making the mare turn back at him, “Alert everypony. Tell the scouts to lift off. We’re moving. Now” Dawn nodded, departing. It was a relief to hear Kestrel on control again, but if that was possible, it was because of the need. “You and your healers move ahead,” the pegasus turned to Mist, “Go west and don’t stop until I send somepony to find you” Before Mist could say anything, Kestrel flew off to join his flock. If he guided the main group of the Takhi with all of his pegasi, whatever was chasing after them would follow the bigger herd… It would be easier to take action on the matter, once he knew Hasty was out of danger. The herd soon was all awake and nervously moving around the place, getting ready to flee. All of them were as silent as they could, but fear and expectation filled them, and the foals were not easy to be kept in silent, whimpering and asking what was going on. “We’re not scattering: we’ll keep a close formation and move ahead as fast as we can, all together!” said Kestrel, then talking to a pair of scouts, “You go and find me a good refugee: a group of boulders, a cave, whatever! Go!” The scouts were airborne in the blink of an eye, their bodies up in the starred skies… and suddenly something brought them down! An upheaval came from the surroundings: shouts and howls, and the horrifying laughter of a big group of marauders, invisible in the darkened steppe. The herd was under attack already! “Run!” Kestrel shouted, “RUN!” The panicked group of ponies fled in all directions, thundering in the fright of the night. Big four-footed shadows chased them, taking by raid the clear. Their barks and laugh-like cries shook the very core of every steppe pony. “Direenas!” the Takhi were shouting, “They’re Direenas!” When they looked back, they could see the unmistakable stooped bodies, the blazing eyes and the feral, big fanged smile of the feared enemies. Suddenly, from ahead, another group of Direenas came out of nowhere; standing in their hind legs, they threw something in the air. A number of dark veils unfolded above the ponies, falling and trapping them like giant spider webs. Those who dodged the webs ran away, only to fall right into the vicious creatures’ claws; they took them inside bags with the same care as if they were potatoes. The pegasi, scattered in the air by the initial surprise, soon were forming squadrons, and bravely plunged down to face the attackers. However, only getting closer to the ground, they fell, wrapped in the same devices that toppled Dust earlier that night. The ones that were able to avoid the octopus-like arms suddenly were soaked with something sticky like tar, as effective as the weapons to immobilize and bring them down. More and more of the creatures were coming from the tall grass, chasing or fighting the ponies. Kestrel gritted his teeth, flying down in desperation. “Don’t fight them!” he shouted his scouts “Don’t fight them! Help the others!” He flew like an arrow towards one of the large foes. It was carrying a big bag full of the struggling earth ponies on his back, looking around to catch more of them. With one decisive, strong blow to the paw, the pegasus hit the bag out of the captor’s fist, and the surprised ponies fled for their lives. But Kestrel wasn’t done. He made a narrow turn, as just as an expert flier could, and targeted the Direena’s head, ramming with all his might. The stallion heard an echoing sound, at the same time he crashed to a full stop on top of the monster’s head. Still stunned, he was tossed away, barely landing on his four hooves. That wasn’t the first time he fought Direenas, and he knew that a good blow to the head could freeze one, even if they were that big and strong. Amazed and confused, the stallion looked up and gasped: his rival, standing on two legs in all its frightening height, was covered in dark-gray shining plates, its head protected by a thick helmet, below which he could see a vicious grin. Hasty Cloud awoke slowly, feeling dizzy. Was it her, or the ground was shaking…? She stood the upper half of her body: she was laying on a stretcher, dragged by a pair of earth ponies at full speed. “Hey… HEY! What the--! Stop!” she tried to stand, but his entire body was sore. “You better don’t move,” said someone besides her. When she turned, she could see the dark-blue coat of the chieftain unicorn, running along with her. “Where are we going? What happ--?” then Hasty suddenly remembered “Dust! Where is he?! Where’s dad?! There’s something--!” “We know. We found you earlier tonight. Your friend is on a stretcher too, back there,” the unicorn answered with all the calm he could, given the circumstances. Hasty looked on all directions, trying to picture what was going on. She supposed at first that when they found them, the ponies had guessed something followed them, and started a silent, fast escape. But even in the darkness of the night, the pegasus mare was aware that they weren’t running with all the herd; at most, there were ten or twelve ponies, marching on a row. She had a bad feeling. As she opened her mouth, an uncomfortable coldness embraced her chest. “Where’re the others?” she said. Mist said nothing, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Hasty felt the cold choking her. “Where’s dad? Dad? Dad!” she shifted once and again on the stretcher, shouting without hearing the unicorn’s answer. “Stay down!” Mist had to force her down with his magic, “Your father asked me to take you both away from the herd, to keep you safe! He’s going to guide the others to shelter, and he was going to send for us later…” Suddenly, an echoing cry froze everypony on their tracks. It was the uncertain rumor of a stampede, and above it, the ghastly calls of night creatures. “Direenas?! This west?!” somepony whispered in fear. Hasty heard in shock, his eyes wide open, the now familiar barking of the monsters, accompanied by the fear cries of the herd. “The found them!” she hissed, brusquely jumping off from the stretcher, “They found them!” Although her body ached, the sudden realization made her forget about every thing but one: his father and his flock needed help. She darted into the night, trying hard to lift off, but her wings just couldn’t take anymore. “Hasty!” Mist shouted at her, “Hasty, come back!” Before anypony could do something about it, the pegasus ran into the night without looking back, straight to where the turmoil of struggle was coming from. “Boss said to take ya'll alive!” the brute growled, slowly leaning forward to be on all four, “But there’s so many of you, I don’t think he mind if I eat ya!” The beast lunged to him, his drooling jaws open wide. Kestrel dodged the bite, but an iron clad claw scratched him, making him cringe. The Direena turned, circling him, a malevolent smile on his long face. Kestrel unfolded his wings, ready to take off… “Go on, fly!” It stopped and stood on two legs, taking a pair of metallic things out of its holsters “I just love to take you pegasi outta the sky!” The pegasus stared him to the eyes. He now knew what those things were, and how fast they flew. He snorted. “Let’s see how it goes, shall we?” Kestrel hissed. He jumped at the same time his foe threw one of his weapon; but right before it hit him, he flew forward, dodging it, zigzagging barely an inch from the ground, and hit the monster’s feet sideways, taking him out of balance. The huge body landed with a thud, and Kestrel tried to get away with the momentum… but then he felt the hit of the second weapon on his back, and the embrace of the steel-like wires almost crushing his ribs. He landed on all four, however weakened by the hit and paralyzed by the thing holding him tightly. “You think you’re hot stuff?!” the angry Direena stood, showing his enormous teeth, “You’re nothing! You’re pup-food! No one will know you took down Alama!” It got closer to Kestrel, who stared up to him, defiantly. Alama took him with both paws, smiling madly; the big, fanged mouth opened to bite the pegasus head off. Kestrel closed his eyes, wincing. Then a reddish blur rammed the monster’s throat! Alama let go of his victim to take his neck, choking with the blow. Among the scarlet mist of his anger, he saw a reddish pegasus mare taking his prey and fleeing with it. The monster snarled furiously, chasing after them, still coughing. “You okay?” Dawn asked Kestrel. “I’m complete,” he said, gulping. “By the moment…” Dawn said, landing, “Can you run?” Kestrel tried; the wires were crushing him, and one step felt like a python coiled around him. “I don’t think so…” he said, “Where are the others?” Dawn stared at him, fighting to hold her feelings. She shook her head. Kestrel growled with impotence. “Listen…” he said, gloomily “You have to flee…” The mare’s eyes blazed. “I sent the healers with Hasty and Dust to the west. Go with them!” he gasped. “Well, that’s interesting!” a rumbling voice spoke from the darkness. Both ponies turned and saw the entire pack of monsters surrounding them. The cackling laugh echoed around, driving both pegasi insane. “Flee!” Kestrel roared. Dawn darted forward, but a monstrous paw caught her in midair. She struggled with all she got, to free herself from the dire fist she was into, but all proved fruitless. The beast was clad in a heavier version of the armors his brethren were wearing; its helmet was shaped as if the naked skull of the monster was atop its body, but two ember-like eyes were glaring from the sockets. He seemed bigger than the others, and Kestrel knew this foe was the one Alama referred to as “Boss” “Alama!” growled the monstrous creature. The hunter crawled forward, with the tail between his legs. “Y-yes boss?” whimpered Alama. “Take a group west and bring those ponies. And bring them in one piece,” “Aye, aye boss!” the hunter barked at the others and five of them followed, trotting west. “No!” Kestrel cried. The full-armored beast and the pegasus stared one to the other’s eyes. The Direena lifted his arm, the scout-mare firmly trapped into it. Dawn looked down to Kestrel, with a mourning look on her eyes. “No…” Kestrel mouthed, “… no, wait…” The Direena clenched its fist, leaving the mare breathless. “No! NO! STOP!” the stallion shouted crawling to the monster’s feet. But the beast tightened its grip more and more; Dawn let out a painful cry, fainter and fainter as the fist was crushing her. “LET HER GO!” Kestrel grunted, trying to buck the beast’s foot. The cry suddenly stopped. Kestrel looked up, his eyes wide open in horror: Dawn was motionless, faint into the monster’s grip. Kestrel couldn’t articulate; just a weak moan came out from his mouth, as he shut his eyes tightly. The monster finally opened its fist and tossed Dawn’s body away. “Take this one with the others,” growled the beast, as one of his minions took Kestrel with him. “What are you orders, Lord Kusaka?” a hunter approached the armored giant. The beast looked west, and then north. “We’re going back to the lairs. We’ll dispatch these ones, and then we’re heading north to get the rest of the clans,” the beast answered. The night got colder and more silent, and before the dust settled down, the Direenas were on their way to their lairs. Author's Note Looking for inspiration, I took a journey across Youtube, looking for videos of hyenas hunting... and I ended up, full of regret, in dark, grim spaces where weak-stomached people should never be.
The SteppesSteppe ponies are not very remarkable creatures. They’re not very different from, say, zebras or any other kind of ponies, if only because they’re more robust, covered by a compact coat of short wool. They refer to themselves as "the Takhi". They live in nomadic clans, guided by the strongest colt or mare. They are almost permanently traveling: looking for green grasslands on spring, all the way until summer, and then down to their shelters for the winter. It could seem like an unpleasant life for other creatures, but Takhi themselves seem to be comfortable with it. Even with some of the dreadful dangers of living in wild country... That morning, at the beginning of spring, the Big Stone herd was resting around the kopje they called their winter home. Everything looked like just a normal, quiet day. It was a long time staying inside, and everypony was eager to start traveling. Fillies and colts were, as one would expect, prancing happily around, playing hide and seek in the tall grass of the surroundings. Although big snakes and beasts often lurked in tall grass, the little ones were under the attentive vigilance of the watchers, on top of the rock. Now, ground predators were fearsome, but the most dangerous hunter of the steppe wasn’t hiding in the bushes. Suddenly, an alarm call from one of the watchers: everypony looked up to the sky, and an ominous black silhouette loomed above them. “Everypony run to the shelter!” All steppe inhabitants knew Pouakai, the great golden eagle, and most of them feared him. There were few things he couldn’t hunt: even the wooly mammoth calves were taught to not wander away from their herd, if the eagle was flying near. The monster bird glided right above the fleeing ponies, shrieking, trying to scatter them to isolate one. The watchers, however, did their work just right. By the third time the giant bird soared above the area, almost every member of the herd was safe. Every member, except that one little colt, playing too far from the shelter and now trying to hide himself trembling at the sight of the raptor. The color of his coat was supposed to be enough to keep him safe, but the fear was telling otherwise. When Pouakai drifted away, the frightened pony made a run for it. The watchers and all the other members of the herd began to shout desperately: “Go back to the grass! Hide! Hide!” The colt froze on his hooves, suddenly aware of what he was doing. The moment he wheeled back to his hideout, the eagle was landing… right on him! The claws missed for very little, but as the giant eagle passed above, the fierce blow of his wings made the colt roll on the ground. With no time to worry about the bruises, the little pony ran with all his might, straight to the rock. But Pouakai was turning again, and now his prey was on the clear. The eagle folded his wings, keeping them close to his body to gain speed. As his victim grew closer in his sight, he extended his talons, ready to claim his prize. The little colt, still running, looked back, tears of terror flowing from his eyes. He let out a terrified scream… And suddenly Pouakai was spinning on midair, and then fell awkwardly on his back! The colt opened his eyes, realizing he was moving impossibly fast, right into the anxious hooves of his herd mates. Something –fortunately, not the eagle- carried him through the air, and put him safely again on the ground, jut a few steps from the shelter entrance. When the colt turned to meet his savior, all he could see was a pair of wings, a blur of light brown and something darting back to the air. By then, the eagle was back on his feet, and jerked his head one way and the other, searching for the insolent creature that interfered with his hunt. And there it was, flying right above, staring fiercely down at him. All steppe inhabitants knew Pouakai, the great golden eagle, and most of them feared him… most of them. The pegasi, if smaller than the vicious bird of prey, weren’t less brave or ferocious. The eagle knew the taste of their flesh, but also that they were a meal hard to gulp down. Pouakai was in the air with only one powerful flap of his wings, ready to meet his rival. The chase began, and both of them flew spiraling higher and higher, until they were out of sight from the bewildered herd on the ground. The pegasus knew his fighting chances were better beyond the layer of clouds. Once passed it, the eagle lost track of his enemy, and now was flying in wide circles, looking for it. Suddenly, a hit! And another! And another yet! The little winged pony was attacking the eagle like an angry wasp. It was hitting, and passing, hiding in the clouds, and turning and hitting again, with such speed that Pouakai couldn’t certainly know what was going on. From the ground, the Takhi could only see, gasping, the frame of the great eagle falling, and a fast moving dot flying in narrow circles around him. Pouakai shrieked furiously, and one of his powerful talons moved forward; it was a lucky hit, but was the one thing the eagle needed: the Pegasus was knocked out, falling fast to the ground. Now the eagle had a moment to catch his breath. He stabilized, turned with deadly majesty and set course to catch his victim before it hit the ground… but another pegasus caught it first. Pouakai was about to chase this new foe, when glimpsed another one flying at his left… and another one on his right, and another one yet… a flock of them flying in circles around him, all of them ready to strike. Even the great eagle knew it was time to give up. A lone pegasus he could pick on, even two or three. A fearless gang of them was too much to face on his own, and Pouakai left the battle with an angry, frustrated cry. The pegasi didn’t chase after him. They were exhausted after a long journey across an entire continent, and the eagle was not a threat anymore. With the same grace of birds, they circled above the kopje, lower and lower, until they landed next to it, to be welcomed by the herd of earth ponies. “That was a heck of a first impression!” Dust Whirl elbowed a smaller pegasus mare, trotting next to him. She almost fell on her side, still stunned by the raptor’s mighty blow. “Cut it, will ya!” she pushed him. “Keep it shut, both of you!” turned the reddish coated mare trotting in front of them. Both pegasi bowed their heads humbly; still, when Dawn turned forward again, the little mare didn’t miss the chance to hit Dust Whirl with his hoof. The chieftain of the earth ponies moved forward to meet the pegasi. He was a dark blue unicorn –an even stranger sight among Takhi than pegasi- wearing a bizarre plume on his head. “Be welcome!” said him, “We expected you a pair of days earlier!” “It was early enough, I think,” Whispered Dawn. The pegasus on the right gave her a stare. The dark, scarred stallion, nodded to the unicorn. “Excuse us, Mist. It was a long journey,” said him. “Hum!” said the unicorn, “I won’t complain. Come in, Kestrel. I’m sure you all could use some rest and food.” “Gee, I sure do!” Dust Whirl licked his lips. A growl from the mare’s innards and a ravenous look on her face agreed with him. Then both straightened when Dawn stared back at them, with an anger shine in her eyes. Followed by the pegasi, the entire herd moved into the shelter. “Your little mare has grown, Kestrel,” said Mist to the dark brown stallion; though he nodded, the compliment did not appear to amuse him. The young pegasi were held behind the main group by a bunch of steppe ponies –most of them colts and fillies- admiring and asking all kinds of questions to them. “That was amazing!” “Were you scared?” “Of course she wasn’t scared, hay-for-brains!” “Yes she was!” “Did you hurt?” “How fast can you fly?” “I wanna be a scout too!” “Only pegasi can be scouts, silly!” “Is that so?” Just when they were about to, finally, answer one of the questions, a voice thundered from the shelter. “Dust Whirl, Hasty Cloud! Hurry up, you dumbutts!” Obeying the polite suggestion from Dawn, both scouts and their admirers made it to the stone refuge. “Sweet, sweet flavor of heroism!” said Dust Whirl, gulping down an entire half of an apple. “Yah, shome ‘ero you fwere out ‘ere…” Hasty Cloud answered… sort of, with her mouth full. “You ain’t a big red stain on the ground, are you? And thank who?” the stallion pointed at his own chest with a large carrot. Hasty Cloud mumbled something and kept eating, hearing the “You’re welcome!” from his scouting partner. “Now, I have to admit, taking on an eagle like that, all alone, was pretty awesome,” conceded Dust Whirl. “It was risky, I’d say” opined another Pegasus. “Aw, c’mon, big ol’ Poui is not that bad!” said yet another one, “I could have done the same, had sent me instead of her!” “Ha! Yeah!” said Hasty Cloud, “I would have LOVED to see that!” There was an upheaval of laughter and dares. Nopony understood what the other was saying, but at some point, there was fruit flying to everypony faces, and all of sudden it was war. Dawn stormed inside the chamber and all scouts froze where they were. There were sparks glaring from the scout-mare’s eyes, but she said nothing. “Cloud,” she snarled, “Kestrel wants to talk to you” The young mare had to let go of the neck lock she had on one of his partners, and went out the chamber. Behind her she could hear the roaring Dawn’s voice, scolding the other pegasi. Kestrel was on top of the kopje, watching the red and golden colors of the clouds, as the sun was setting. Hasty Cloud sat next to him. “Look, I know you’re, like, upset because I kind of disobeyed the ‘don’t fight a frigging eagle all by yourself’ rule…” said she “But c’mon! Is not as if anypony died! And look! I even get a butt-kicking scar out of it, like yours!” Hasty Cloud showed off his black eye. Her cynical smile vanished, however, when Kestrel turned to see her, staring severely. She looked away, her head bowing. Kestrel let out a sigh. “How many times…” he started. “Oh, don’t start with that again!” groaned the mare. “Yeah, that’s the point, I’m telling you all this, yet again!” said Kestrel, “What the heck were you thinking?” She just sniffed. “Cloud…?” “What was I supposed to do? Just, like, turning away?” she said, staring right at the stallion’s hardened eyes. “You were supposed to come back, inform and then we, all together, could have taken action on the matter, safely!” answered the stallion. “Yeah, in time to clean pony ground beef off the floor …” she hissed. “At least not made of my daughter!” growled Kestrel. “I can’t belie--! Well, alright, sorry! Next time I’ll just sit down and watch somepony die!” Kestrel growled, and then took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Listen, I’m trying to be reasonable here,” he said “yes, you did well today, I’m giving you that. But you were reckless. All you had to do once you saved the colt was to stay in the refuge and wait for us” “But -!” The stallion gave her a stare. She sighed heavily, nodding. “Hey, I know I can be a pain in the flank,” he said, “but I worry about you and the others, okay? It’s my job” “But you made me scout during winter! You know I’m good!” “Yeah, you’re good. ‘Kicked unconscious by an eagle’ good, that’s the problem” “That was a low blow! …” she folded her arms, angrily. Kestrel had to smile. He rustled his daughter's mane with his hoof. “Alright, you’re good-good. It’s just that I don’t want you to end up like bird food, okay? And I think I’m being fair by saying you need more experience before all that head-butting, Am I right?” he said. “Yeah… I guess” Hasty Cloud admitted. “I will try to not kill my dumb butt the next time, dad” Kestrel mimed her. “Knock it off!” she said. “Right,” nodded Kestrel “now go get some rest, we’re leaving tomorrow early!” “Alright,” the mare went back inside the refuge. “A black eye doesn’t count as scar!” shouted Kestrel. “Good night, dad!” Author's Note English is not my native language, so if you see any weird sentence or whatever, feel free to point it out. It will be located, cut and cauterized.
The night stalkingSwift Glide and his wing-ponies appeared from afar; three black dots against the sky marbled blue and white. “There’s a pond ahead, not very far from here,” she shouted, soaring to be side to side with Kestrel, “seems nice to me” “Right,” he nodded to Dawn. The reddish mare drifted apart the formation and flew down to the grassland. Crossing the emerald sea of tall lawn, the row of earth ponies was a compact, brownish speck advancing. “Move them ahead, we found water,” said Dawn, flying again to join the pegasi formation above. Hasty Cloud nodded, setting course. “Alright everypony!” shouted the mare, accelerating, “Fast and forth!” The herd below her urged the pace, the ground quaking under the stampede. High in the sky, the pegasi goose-like formation began to descend, marking the place of the pond by flying on circles above it. Hasty and the herders went ahead and landed before the earth ponies. There were the usual precautions: making sure the wet ground wouldn’t sink, dragging the ponies under; a look to assure there wasn't an ambush set near the water hole; and, not less important, making sure the water itself was drinkable. All had the looks of them being the first ones to reach the pond, and it meant they could stay for some more time, before start moving again. Without losing time, the harvesters scattered around; those most vulnerable: too old or too young, or the mares with foals, stayed near the pond, under the sight of the pegasi. After a long journey under the heat –a lot, being so early in the season– the fresh water was most than welcome. Fillies and colts didn’t lose time to be splashing and swimming near the muddy banks, and everypony had a chance to take a good long sip, and refill the gourds. “Big splash!” “Whoo-hoo!” Dust Whirl and Hasty Cloud dive-bombed from a good altitude right into the pond, followed by three or four pegasi more. The splash soaked the ponies on the shore, and some brows frowned. Hasty emerged first, shaking the water off her mane, “Oh it is delicious!” “I wouldn’t mind staying a couple of days!” Dust nodded, floating on his back, drawing a satisfied smile on his face. A pair of his partners then surfaced and tried to drag him down, laughing. Soon enough, Hasty was joining the struggle. Three days later, the caravan departed again, rested and ready to reach the Ruby Hills and their rich, sheltered forests. The scout pegasi lifted off and separated along the four corners of the sky, while the herders flew low, all eyes ready to spot danger and find the easiest, safest path for the earth ponies. “Hey, look!” Dust pointed with his hoof. Hasty turned to see the right-wing squadron flying on a narrow circle near ground level. They were plunging down and flying up again, as fast as they could. “Hasten the pace, everypony!” Hasty shouted, without taking her eyes off the squad of pegasi. The earth ponies did as they were told, looking worriedly in the same direction as the guide mare. “You think is something serious?” Dust Whirl joined Hasty, casting the same concerned look to his partners. The question answered itself when the circle of ponies got higher in the air and the formation loosened. While the sigh of Dust Whirl was of relief, the one Hasty Cloud did was most of disappointment. “Probably it was just a branch or something,” she said, shaking her head, “let’s move on” Though Hasty was more than ready for a good scramble, betraying a stalker on the spot was often enough to ruin an ambush. Even the biggest earth beasts would give up a hunt without the element of surprise; that was the reason the pegasi were hated to guts by the predators. Dawn came early that same day to point a resting place, west from their position. Reaching there, however, took them more time than they thought, and by the sunset, the herd arrived to a small rocky elevation. The main boulder was protruding from the steppe floor: a big, uneven rock full of ledges that the pegasi occupied immediately. It was hard to find good perches in the flat terrain of the steppes, and pegasi always felt more comfortable sleeping above ground level. “Are we complete?” Kestrel asked Dawn. The mare took a concerned look on the group. “Peeks and Flapalot hasn’t come back yet,” she said, “I sent them to the rear this morning, and they didn’t report since then” “Send a patrol to look for them. We have good moonlight tonight,” Kestrel answered. “Knowing those two, they're probably back at the water hole,” the scout-mare puffed. “Maybe we should give them until morning. You know…” Dust winked, as Hasty gave air kisses, making everypony laugh. “Alright, knock it off!” Dawn said everyone, then turned back to Dust and Hasty, “and you two jesters are going out to find them. Bring them back quickly and don’t fool around!” Hasty knew her father would be gesturing in concern, but also that he wouldn’t change Dawn’s orders without a good reason. Without second thoughts, Hasty and Dust lifted off and drifted away, into the starry night. “Darn Flapalot!” Dust Whirl looked at one way and the other on the pond’s shore, “he really knows how to hide…” “Nothing this side, either,” said Hasty, coming out the tall grass, “I don’t think they're anywhere near… Seriously, what’s with those two?” “Well, you know: the fresh air of open spaces, the essence of spring in the air, a pair of young, healthy loving ponies in the wild…” “That’s gross,” Hasty said. “Aw, c’mon!” Dust laughed “It’s something natural and beautiful…!” “Shut up!” “Oh, don’t be like that--” “No! Hush! Did you hear that?” Both ponies stayed on the spot, moving their ears back and forth. First there was nothing, and Hasty thought it was her imagination; but then there it was again: the sound of something moving smoothly through the grass blades, barely making a sound on the ground. “There they are those featherheads!” Hasty whispered, trotting in the same direction where she heard the noise. “Wait! How do you know it’s them, blockhead?” Dust stopped her with a worried look. Hasty huffed, but Dust was right. After all, there were reasons why the pegasi didn’t like to sleep on the ground, and at night, some of those reasons were really, really hungry. “Let’s go and see what it is, then!” said Hasty, trotting silently and too fast to hear the Dust Whirl’s whispers, calling her back. She rapidly was surrounded by thick walls of grass, and pitch-black night. Although the first feet she was thinking on how to scare the feathers out of her partners, her steps began to be more careful, as the uncertain of what she was going to find hit her. She turned back, hearing the noise of something behind her. Seeing nothing, and suddenly realizing that Dust Whirl wasn’t following her, she gulped. “Dust Whirl?” she sighed, worriedly. Her call didn’t find an answer, “Peeks? Flapalot?” Nothing, except a gentle rustling from beyond her sight, answered. “All-riiiiight…” Hasty prepared her wings, ready to dart into the air, “This stopped to be funny, you guys…” Suddenly, something grasped and gagged her! The pegasus mare let out a faint cry, at the same time she struggled to make herself free. When she turned, she could see a pair of familiar, shining eyes, looking away with a terrified stare. Hasty Cloud delayed to realize about Dust Whirl’s frightened expression, focused as she was in squashing his skull like a melon; but once she looked on the same direction, the mare paled. There was a shadow, silhouetted against the moonlight. And it was big. A large head, almost as big as the body of the ponies, poked out well high on the grass; the sound of noisy sniffing filled the air, along with a disgusting smell of decay. The ponies backed away, slow and silently, fighting to control their shivers. They both froze when, suddenly, the monster’s head turned to them, revealing two small, perfectly round iridescent eyes. The beast stooped, advancing to them. There was a low, menacing growl as it approached. “Go!” Dust Whirl pushed Hasty, making her lift off. Both pegasi were on the air at the same time a choir of laugh-like crying came from the darkened surroundings. Suddenly there was a whistle, and something flew from the tall grass. Hasty barely dodged a fast thing moving towards her; Dust Whirl, however, wasn’t that lucky, and the mare saw something, like a flying-spinning spider, catch the stallion with a fierce embrace, taking him down. As Dust Whirl fell, Hasty plunged down behind him, trying to catch him before he touched the ground. The mare flapped her wings with all her might, trying desperately to catch his unconscious friend. One more foot, one more… She grappled him with her hooves, embracing him tightly, trying to slow down, but she couldn’t stop rushing to the ground. The falling ponies gained some horizontal, drawing a curve before harshly landing. With a thud, both rolled on the earth, flattening the grass that stood in their fall. Hasty got up, ignoring the pain on her body. She rushed to Dust Whirl, who lay sideways, barely breathing. He was beyond bruised, and his body was going to ache some good time once he awake… but he was alive, nonetheless. The mare pushed him desperately, looking at all directions, trying to revive him. “C’mon! COME ON!” Hasty shook him anxiously, “C’mon Dust, you’re killing me!” Then she saw the odd artifact attached to the stallion’s body: a weird-looking segmented plate was attached firmly to his side; thick wires, fastened to the plate, were fiercely tethered to the pegasus body, impeding his movement. When Hasty tried to bite them off, she almost splintered her teeth against the impossibly hard material. “They fell near ‘ere!” a rumbling voice came from the darkness. A new choir of laugh-like barking answered it. Hasty felt a shiver down her spine when she heard it. She shook fiercely the unconscious pony, but he was faint like a rag doll. The mare gritted her teeth, scared beyond measure, now hearing the hideous noise of the beast sniffing to trace them. “Darn it, Dust, you’re gonna owe me big time for this!” she wrapped her arms and legs around his partner. Her wings sent a sharp pain through all her body, but the mare used all her strength to lift off; with a grunt, she managed to pick the heavy stallion up, and flew forward as fast as she could. The silhouette of the pegasi was perfectly visible above the grass: a zigzagging blob barely able to stay airborne. It was a ridiculously easy target. Alama let out a hissing laugh, as he prepared to throw the snatcher at them. A large, strong paw stopped him. “Let those one be,” growled Kusaka, smiling viciously, “follow ‘em to the others” The hunter licked his lips, putting his weapon back to the holster. Silent as the night surrounding them, Alama and his trackers moved forward.
The huntPainful hours slipped away slowly, or at least they seemed like hours on Hasty’s body. The emotion-driven strength was finally diluting, and she couldn’t keep flying for much longer. As softest as she could, she landed, along with her heavy cargo. She was covered in sweat, and her lungs felt like ember; the pain in her wings was so intense she felt as if they were going to fall apart at any moment. She sat down, trying to catch her breath. She has never felt so exhausted in her entire life, not even when crossing the continent from the winter grounds! “I just…” she panted, “I just need… I just need a couple of… minutes, that’s it…” She didn’t know who she was talking to, Dust Whirl or herself, but hearing her own voice was kind of soothing. Her legs began to shake like crazy, and her eyelids felt heavier and heavier. “Just… catch my breath…” she softly said, without feeling her eyes closing, “Just… a couple… minutes…” There was something there! The mare abruptly opened her eyes, hearing the noise of something getting closer. Her heart began to pound, as she looked one way and the other, searching for a way to escape, but there was none. She stood her ground. Suddenly her blood was boiling, even if her body barely was able to stand. She even felt mad at the couple of ponies they were supposedly to find, “Pair of fools!” she thought, staying besides Dust Whirl. The sound of steps grew closer and the mare tensed, terrified but ready to put a good fight before be taken down… And from the tall grass, an earth pony came to her sight, one of the Takhi. “Here!” the mare shouted, hurrying to aid the almost unconscious pegasus “Anypony, come to help!” Hasty Cloud fainted before seeing the silhouettes of his brethren, flying in the air around her. “How is she?” Kestrel’s voice was measured, but everypony could feel the tension of the stallion trying to keep his emotions in check. “She’s exhausted,” Mist said, his horn glowing a soothing watery green, as his healing magic worked “She probably was carrying his partner, who knows from where and how long. She’s really strong…” “How is she?” Kestrel repeated, a lot more anxious this time. The ponies helping around them stopped for moments, unable to not look at the stallion’s hardened eyes. “She will be fine, with some care and rest,” the unicorn chieftain stared him in the eye, understanding the pegasus worry, but not willing his authority to be stomped. Kestrel snorted, trying to calm down, “Forgive me,” the pegasus bowed his head, “I…” “I understand, Kestrel,” Mist answered, “But I’d be more worried about your other scout.” Kestrel felt a knot in his throat. He almost forgot about Dust! He looked at Dawn at the corner of his vision: his expression was indecipherable, but the stallion knew she was equally concerned than he was. “Have you managed to take that thing off him?” the pegasus stallion asked. “I’m afraid I don’t even know what it is. I’ve never see something like it,” the unicorn shook his head, both confused and sorry. The three ponies looked away, at the place Dust Whirl laid. He was still breathing, they could see, but his condition hadn’t change. Being unable to release the wicked thing from the pegasus, the pony-healers left him be, just keeping an eye on him in the case something changed. The reddish mare-scout got close to him, slightly stroking his mane with her hoof, as if she didn’t mean it, “You better get well soon, you scatterbrain…” she whispered. Kestrel noticed the anguish in the otherwise immovable mare. She might be hard with the new scouts, even mean sometimes, but she was the one who trained them, and in certain extent, they were all like children of her. Kestrel felt the guilt bite him. Now, more than ever, the ponies needed him to be strong, to be decisive, even cold. Thing was, with the suddenness of all, he couldn't. “Dawn!” he said, making the mare turn back at him, “Alert everypony. Tell the scouts to lift off. We’re moving. Now” Dawn nodded, departing. It was a relief to hear Kestrel on control again, but if that was possible, it was because of the need. “You and your healers move ahead,” the pegasus turned to Mist, “Go west and don’t stop until I send somepony to find you” Before Mist could say anything, Kestrel flew off to join his flock. If he guided the main group of the Takhi with all of his pegasi, whatever was chasing after them would follow the bigger herd… It would be easier to take action on the matter, once he knew Hasty was out of danger. The herd soon was all awake and nervously moving around the place, getting ready to flee. All of them were as silent as they could, but fear and expectation filled them, and the foals were not easy to be kept in silent, whimpering and asking what was going on. “We’re not scattering: we’ll keep a close formation and move ahead as fast as we can, all together!” said Kestrel, then talking to a pair of scouts, “You go and find me a good refugee: a group of boulders, a cave, whatever! Go!” The scouts were airborne in the blink of an eye, their bodies up in the starred skies… and suddenly something brought them down! An upheaval came from the surroundings: shouts and howls, and the horrifying laughter of a big group of marauders, invisible in the darkened steppe. The herd was under attack already! “Run!” Kestrel shouted, “RUN!” The panicked group of ponies fled in all directions, thundering in the fright of the night. Big four-footed shadows chased them, taking by raid the clear. Their barks and laugh-like cries shook the very core of every steppe pony. “Direenas!” the Takhi were shouting, “They’re Direenas!” When they looked back, they could see the unmistakable stooped bodies, the blazing eyes and the feral, big fanged smile of the feared enemies. Suddenly, from ahead, another group of Direenas came out of nowhere; standing in their hind legs, they threw something in the air. A number of dark veils unfolded above the ponies, falling and trapping them like giant spider webs. Those who dodged the webs ran away, only to fall right into the vicious creatures’ claws; they took them inside bags with the same care as if they were potatoes. The pegasi, scattered in the air by the initial surprise, soon were forming squadrons, and bravely plunged down to face the attackers. However, only getting closer to the ground, they fell, wrapped in the same devices that toppled Dust earlier that night. The ones that were able to avoid the octopus-like arms suddenly were soaked with something sticky like tar, as effective as the weapons to immobilize and bring them down. More and more of the creatures were coming from the tall grass, chasing or fighting the ponies. Kestrel gritted his teeth, flying down in desperation. “Don’t fight them!” he shouted his scouts “Don’t fight them! Help the others!” He flew like an arrow towards one of the large foes. It was carrying a big bag full of the struggling earth ponies on his back, looking around to catch more of them. With one decisive, strong blow to the paw, the pegasus hit the bag out of the captor’s fist, and the surprised ponies fled for their lives. But Kestrel wasn’t done. He made a narrow turn, as just as an expert flier could, and targeted the Direena’s head, ramming with all his might. The stallion heard an echoing sound, at the same time he crashed to a full stop on top of the monster’s head. Still stunned, he was tossed away, barely landing on his four hooves. That wasn’t the first time he fought Direenas, and he knew that a good blow to the head could freeze one, even if they were that big and strong. Amazed and confused, the stallion looked up and gasped: his rival, standing on two legs in all its frightening height, was covered in dark-gray shining plates, its head protected by a thick helmet, below which he could see a vicious grin. Hasty Cloud awoke slowly, feeling dizzy. Was it her, or the ground was shaking…? She stood the upper half of her body: she was laying on a stretcher, dragged by a pair of earth ponies at full speed. “Hey… HEY! What the--! Stop!” she tried to stand, but his entire body was sore. “You better don’t move,” said someone besides her. When she turned, she could see the dark-blue coat of the chieftain unicorn, running along with her. “Where are we going? What happ--?” then Hasty suddenly remembered “Dust! Where is he?! Where’s dad?! There’s something--!” “We know. We found you earlier tonight. Your friend is on a stretcher too, back there,” the unicorn answered with all the calm he could, given the circumstances. Hasty looked on all directions, trying to picture what was going on. She supposed at first that when they found them, the ponies had guessed something followed them, and started a silent, fast escape. But even in the darkness of the night, the pegasus mare was aware that they weren’t running with all the herd; at most, there were ten or twelve ponies, marching on a row. She had a bad feeling. As she opened her mouth, an uncomfortable coldness embraced her chest. “Where’re the others?” she said. Mist said nothing, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Hasty felt the cold choking her. “Where’s dad? Dad? Dad!” she shifted once and again on the stretcher, shouting without hearing the unicorn’s answer. “Stay down!” Mist had to force her down with his magic, “Your father asked me to take you both away from the herd, to keep you safe! He’s going to guide the others to shelter, and he was going to send for us later…” Suddenly, an echoing cry froze everypony on their tracks. It was the uncertain rumor of a stampede, and above it, the ghastly calls of night creatures. “Direenas?! This west?!” somepony whispered in fear. Hasty heard in shock, his eyes wide open, the now familiar barking of the monsters, accompanied by the fear cries of the herd. “The found them!” she hissed, brusquely jumping off from the stretcher, “They found them!” Although her body ached, the sudden realization made her forget about every thing but one: his father and his flock needed help. She darted into the night, trying hard to lift off, but her wings just couldn’t take anymore. “Hasty!” Mist shouted at her, “Hasty, come back!” Before anypony could do something about it, the pegasus ran into the night without looking back, straight to where the turmoil of struggle was coming from. “Boss said to take ya'll alive!” the brute growled, slowly leaning forward to be on all four, “But there’s so many of you, I don’t think he mind if I eat ya!” The beast lunged to him, his drooling jaws open wide. Kestrel dodged the bite, but an iron clad claw scratched him, making him cringe. The Direena turned, circling him, a malevolent smile on his long face. Kestrel unfolded his wings, ready to take off… “Go on, fly!” It stopped and stood on two legs, taking a pair of metallic things out of its holsters “I just love to take you pegasi outta the sky!” The pegasus stared him to the eyes. He now knew what those things were, and how fast they flew. He snorted. “Let’s see how it goes, shall we?” Kestrel hissed. He jumped at the same time his foe threw one of his weapon; but right before it hit him, he flew forward, dodging it, zigzagging barely an inch from the ground, and hit the monster’s feet sideways, taking him out of balance. The huge body landed with a thud, and Kestrel tried to get away with the momentum… but then he felt the hit of the second weapon on his back, and the embrace of the steel-like wires almost crushing his ribs. He landed on all four, however weakened by the hit and paralyzed by the thing holding him tightly. “You think you’re hot stuff?!” the angry Direena stood, showing his enormous teeth, “You’re nothing! You’re pup-food! No one will know you took down Alama!” It got closer to Kestrel, who stared up to him, defiantly. Alama took him with both paws, smiling madly; the big, fanged mouth opened to bite the pegasus head off. Kestrel closed his eyes, wincing. Then a reddish blur rammed the monster’s throat! Alama let go of his victim to take his neck, choking with the blow. Among the scarlet mist of his anger, he saw a reddish pegasus mare taking his prey and fleeing with it. The monster snarled furiously, chasing after them, still coughing. “You okay?” Dawn asked Kestrel. “I’m complete,” he said, gulping. “By the moment…” Dawn said, landing, “Can you run?” Kestrel tried; the wires were crushing him, and one step felt like a python coiled around him. “I don’t think so…” he said, “Where are the others?” Dawn stared at him, fighting to hold her feelings. She shook her head. Kestrel growled with impotence. “Listen…” he said, gloomily “You have to flee…” The mare’s eyes blazed. “I sent the healers with Hasty and Dust to the west. Go with them!” he gasped. “Well, that’s interesting!” a rumbling voice spoke from the darkness. Both ponies turned and saw the entire pack of monsters surrounding them. The cackling laugh echoed around, driving both pegasi insane. “Flee!” Kestrel roared. Dawn darted forward, but a monstrous paw caught her in midair. She struggled with all she got, to free herself from the dire fist she was into, but all proved fruitless. The beast was clad in a heavier version of the armors his brethren were wearing; its helmet was shaped as if the naked skull of the monster was atop its body, but two ember-like eyes were glaring from the sockets. He seemed bigger than the others, and Kestrel knew this foe was the one Alama referred to as “Boss” “Alama!” growled the monstrous creature. The hunter crawled forward, with the tail between his legs. “Y-yes boss?” whimpered Alama. “Take a group west and bring those ponies. And bring them in one piece,” “Aye, aye boss!” the hunter barked at the others and five of them followed, trotting west. “No!” Kestrel cried. The full-armored beast and the pegasus stared one to the other’s eyes. The Direena lifted his arm, the scout-mare firmly trapped into it. Dawn looked down to Kestrel, with a mourning look on her eyes. “No…” Kestrel mouthed, “… no, wait…” The Direena clenched its fist, leaving the mare breathless. “No! NO! STOP!” the stallion shouted crawling to the monster’s feet. But the beast tightened its grip more and more; Dawn let out a painful cry, fainter and fainter as the fist was crushing her. “LET HER GO!” Kestrel grunted, trying to buck the beast’s foot. The cry suddenly stopped. Kestrel looked up, his eyes wide open in horror: Dawn was motionless, faint into the monster’s grip. Kestrel couldn’t articulate; just a weak moan came out from his mouth, as he shut his eyes tightly. The monster finally opened its fist and tossed Dawn’s body away. “Take this one with the others,” growled the beast, as one of his minions took Kestrel with him. “What are you orders, Lord Kusaka?” a hunter approached the armored giant. The beast looked west, and then north. “We’re going back to the lairs. We’ll dispatch these ones, and then we’re heading north to get the rest of the clans,” the beast answered. The night got colder and more silent, and before the dust settled down, the Direenas were on their way to their lairs. Author's Note Looking for inspiration, I took a journey across Youtube, looking for videos of hyenas hunting... and I ended up, full of regret, in dark, grim spaces where weak-stomached people should never be.
