The sun hangs lazily in the bright hazy sky, beaming its rays of heat toward a couple of ponies. Both, Seeming to be lost in this land of sand. The desert seems to stretch on for miles in all directions. And even if a Pegasus was to fly high to see how far it goes, the haze itself would block all view. That gives a certain Pegasus the perfect means to complain. “Ug… “
“What is it now Hunter...?” The other grunts out. Knowing exactly what the other is going to say.
“It’s hot” he states.
“No crap, deserts tend to be that way”
“But it’s like… Really hot…”
“How are you not getting the desert part?”
“I’m just sayin’…” Hunter was a stocky built Pegasus. Have to be, almost like a requirement for being a part of the royal guard. His coat is of a dark brown and his reddish multicolor mane falls over his face almost to his snout. He slowly trudges along the sandy desert. Giving up flying as it just makes him hotter, instead using his wings as some sort of heat sink as he holds them straight out, letting the hot wind flow through them keeping him cool. The hefty saddle bag o’ stuff bounces slightly against his sides as he trots, hiding his cutie mark of a compass.
Next to him is a golden unicorn. Of a much, shall we say, stouter build. With heavy unkempt dark brown hair brushed out of his eyes. His cutie mark of a quill and book is shown out from under his own bags and laying across his back the axe of his family. Mutton Chops was his name, don’t wear it out. One of the scribes of Canterlot.
Hunter remained quiet for a bit. Muttons horn glows a bright yellow as he magics a map from his bag and looks for any discernible landmarks, besides cactuses. He glances to the Pegasus and sighs. Ah…. Finally, some peace and quiet.
“Have you seen Dragon, Mutts?”
Or, maybe not.
“A big lizard thing… or your wife?” Muttons snorted slightly to himself.
“My wife…” Eyeing the unicorn, getting the hidden joke.
“Heh. She said she was flying ahead with Starfall. See if there is anything around this place… where we can rest.”
“Ah…” A few seconds of thinking, “Wait. Why didn’t she tell me?”
“You were asleep”
“Oh… well damn”
Mutton shakes his head and puts the map back, “I think… we are going the right way…”
“You think? You don’t sound very sure of yourself Mutts.”
The unicorn nudges him slightly, “Shush you. I know-ses what I’m doing”
The pair chuckles slightly as a smile spreads across their faces. They have been Best friends since they were just young colts. Meeting in Canterlot. Hunter was in the junior guard program, and Muttons was in the Royal academy.
How they meet was odd, and still makes the unicorn laugh. When they were young’uns, Muttons sister was dating a earth pony. But she never called it that. Dating. It was more of a meeting and she liked him. So they ‘saw’ each other. If you could call it that. Anyway. The earth pony had a younger brother, a brown Pegasus. And one day he asked Muttons sister if she had any younger brothers that he could play with. And the rest is history… for another day.
“So… Do you know why Celestia sent us on this little journey?” Hunter asked after awhile.
“Ummm… Well, to tell you the truth. I’m not really sure. Nopony has been this far into no-ponies-land for almost 1000 years. It’s said to be a complete wasteland… So… Your guess is as good as mine”
“Did you not think to ask her?”
“Riiiiiight. Let me just question the ruler of Equistria shall I? I like my job, thank you very much.”
“But here we are… In a desert… Mostly likely lost.”
“Well…” This stumps the Unicorn and thinks quickly, “I guess she wants me to write about what happen here when the windigoes first came to this land. And how the great migration happened when Equistria was first founded…” Sounds about right.
“Hmmm. I guess that sounds feasible”
“Sure as sugar does” The unicorns’ country side showing.
The Pegasus quietly snickers.
Muttons passes a quick look at him, “What?” Not realizing what he has done.
“N-Nothing” Hunter looks away. It’s still too funny.
Muttons was born in a farm family. The Chops Family, with the largest lumber forest in Equistria. And don’t get the unicorn wrong. He can cut a tree into pieces in ten seconds flat. But it’s something he never really wanted to do, and soon after that, he was accepted into the academy. But sometimes when the unicorn isn’t thinking, words just comes falling out of his mouth. Ya’ll is the worst culprit.
The gold pony eyes him a little longer before shrugging and looking off into the distance, “Hmmm. I think I see Starfall and Dragon ahead…”
Off in the distance two specks can be seen, getting larger toward them. Hunter smiles slightly and slowly takes flight, heading them off. Leaving the poor unicorn to trot slowly after them. Muttering to himself, “Pegasusususus” he shakes his head.
***
It took the unicorn almost an hour to catch up to the trio all hovering high in the air. Muttons grunts and yells up at the specks, “Hey! You guys!” But they are either too far away or just ignoring him. And this unicorn shall not be ignored. Finding a nearby rock he levitates it toward him. His horn glowing brightly as he then shoots it off toward the group.
They immediately scatter as if something had just shot them. Muttons yells, “OI! Get down here!” They slowly make their fall toward the ground. Each almost forgetting that he can’t fly. Muttons, for some reason, has to keep pointing that out to them.
Hunter smiles weakly and says as he approaches, “Heh. Sorry about that Mutts I keep forgetting…”
“Yes yes. I know… Just…” he shakes his head, “I will have to get that flight spell right one day.”
Starfall is the next to the ground, well… hovers “Hello Mutty!” Starfall is the easily the tallest of the group. His coat of midnight black and a white as snow mane. What looks like shooting stars almost fly across his flank. He glides over to muttons and smiles wildly, “Were just having a bit of a chat in the sky. No need to fling bitty boulders at us.” He chuckles. His accent is just overwhelming.
Dragon is the last one down. She being the smallest of the group. He coat is a dark blue with a mane that is even darker. A picture of a small dragon on her flank. She trots up to her hubby and leans into him. Obviously tired.
Hunter speaks for her leaning just enough back, “You want me to fill you in?” he asks the unicorn.
“That would be helpful, yes.” Mutton grunts.
“They said they spotted an oasis a few miles north of here. Lots of water. Trees etcetera, etcetera. It will be a good place to rest for awhile.”
Mutton nods with a smile returning, “Well. Good…” Looking up at the sky, “Good… Because we only have a few hours before nightfall… And frankly I’d rather not sleep out in the middle of nowhere again…”
The others agree, with Hunter and Dragon to head into the sky, “We will meet you guys there. Gettin’ kinda thirsty!” And with that they were off.
Mutton looks to Starfall, raising an eyebrow, expecting this pony in particular to head on after them. He is, one of the fastest ponies he has ever met. Even faster than a certain Rainbow pony he remembers from Ponyville. One of the problems though… He is not very agile. Races are just a nightmare. Straight lines are no problem. But you put a turn somewhere in there. He is done for.
The black pony hovers in front of the unicorn, returning a confused look, “UhhhhWhat?”
“Aren’t you gonna head on after them?”
“Nah, when they get together they get all… smoochy face” And then proceeds to make, said, smoochy faces.
Mutton laughs and trots toward the now specks in the distance, “Hehehehe! True that. Come on. Lets head on out. I’m getting thirsty myself now that I think about it.”
The Pegasus hovers beside him, going to ask him a question that’s been nagging him since he saw the oasis earlier, “Hey Mutts, you think anypony… or anything lives out here?”
“Nah. It’s a freaking desert. Who would WANT to live out here?”
