North Woods NightMares

PW woke, surrounded by darkness and bugs.

Recce gave a low hum of disapproval.

“Please! Forgive me!” PW whispered.

He could feel her hard stare before relenting and laying back down again.

The night was trying; bugs sang, animals shrieked and humidity clung onto his coat. Unlike Frosty, Recce didn’t use a hammock. Shortly after first light PW found himself pulled along in Recce’s morning stretch.

“So.” Recce hummed. “Still not an enemy?”

“Friend.” PW mouthed, drawing a heart in the air.

“What’s that supposed to be? Some kind of cartel code?” Recce misinterpreted, reaching for her key.

“Heart.” PW responded.

“Whatever.” Recce replied, fiddling with her keychain.

She unchained her overnight prisoner who was quick to relieve himself successfully with no apparent response.

Recce next tore into beef jerky, an obvious import from Griffonstone. Her fearful companion reciprocated by opening a can of chewy corn kernels. A few minutes into the meal, however, her demeanor shifted. Polaris watched in near panic as she paused and tilted her head about like some machine. She withdrew an enormous, copper mace that must have weighed half of what he did. PW’s consciousness nearly went out as she made eye contact before continuing her turn in a direction beside him.

He realized this was a warning signal, not a threat. With deliberate movements she reared and carefully advanced past him. It was at this moment, as he gazed up from hock height at the graceful yet terrifying mass of a Night-Mare in full gear, rearing at over seven and a half feet in height, that he first felt safe with her. She crept into the dense jungle brush and all went silent.

He heard a rustle.

‘What is she doing?’ He wondered.

He heard two distinct hoof falls crunching on dead palm leaves, then a loud *thump* accompanied the ring of metal on metal.

“Gah!” A male voice yelped from within the brush.

A squishing and cracking sound was heard, followed by wet gurgling.

A powerful sound rocked the ground, causing birds to scatter. A few seconds later Recce emerged from the brush, mace dripping red. Several yellow hairs stuck to it in places. She glanced at Polaris as she wiped it with a towel and replaced it in her bag.

“Up.” The single instruction.

PW rose to his hooves and their trek continued.

The shadows shrank as the sun rose higher into the sky. PW was considering his options again when Recce froze. He halted mid-step, hearing a faint crunching sound to his right. Recce crouched and entered the dense floor brush, snaking about through it like a tiger.

‘Another puma? PW guessed.

A loud crash echoed in the woods.

“What– Recce?” Frosty’s voice said in alarm.

“FROSTY!” Shouted PW, following the sound.

“Uf… Polaris? Is *ah!* that you?” She shouted back, clearly struggling against something.

PW swam through the dense underbrush and found Frosty on the ground, pinned by Recce.

“Frosty!” He called in relief.

“P– *uff* –W!” She puffed.

“What’s she doing to you?!” He asked in alarm.

“I didn’t feel a tap yet, Frosty!” Recce sang with a wide grin, applying a little more pressure.

“Oh!” Frosty grunted, face half buried in the ground. “Er, this? Just a little… greeting!” She managed to use Recce’s mass against her and expertly sent her tumbling.

“My emotions right now.” PW said to himself, seeing nine-hundred pounds of mare wrestle before him.

“Frosty?” Recce called, finally getting her thighs around Frosty’s head.

“C’mon, Frosty!” Recce called again, flexing..

Frosty’s fore-hoof finally tapped her thighs.

“One, two, three! I win!” Recce let her go with a triumphant smile.

Next it was Polaris’ turn to dive atop Frosty. Her vision was filled with a nose and two hooves determined to reach her. “Are you okay? I'm so very sorry about what I did!”

“Oh, yeah. This little guy claimed to be your ‘assistant.’ I thought there’s no way – what are they thinking back there?” Recce asked.

“What?” PW responded, again feeling betrayed. Instead of addressing Recce, however, Frosty focused on him.

“PW! It’s good to see you!” She squeezed him.

“Hhh…. Fro… sty!” PW choked, finding her strength had returned.

“Oh, sorry buddy! But really; it is! I really screwed up over the past day. Treating you like dirt and not being a team player. Not only were you lost, but I was a total jerk to you.”

“No Frosty, I was the jerk!” He clarified.

“Shut up!” Frosty laughed, plugging his mouth briefly. “I’m going to make this up to you.” She insisted.

“I see you got your strength back!” PW called.

“And I see you met Recce!” She looked to Night-Mare 1, who wore a look of disbelief.

“Let me get this straight – this little pony is your assistant? Not some spy or assassin?” She asked.

“What– yes! Didn’t he tell you?” Frosty asked, looking back at PW for confirmation.

“She gagged me and then, when I told her who I was, she didn’t believe me!” He told her.

“What? Recce?!” Frosty stood.

“Oh please; you’d have instantly killed him for knowing as much as he did!” Recce glared right back at her.

The pair locked eyes but, to PW’s dismay, Frosty puffed her cheeks and relented with a tiny nod.

“Hmph. You’re welcome. Let’s get back to work – where are we now?” Recce asked.

“I believe we should let the expert here answer.” Frosty turned to PW.

He was on his own hooves at that, eager to help. “We ought to be close to the site. Probably within a mile. As we get closer we’ll need to get quiet. We’re likely to hit their perimeter at some point today.”

“You’re sure?” Recce asked.

“He’s always right.” Frosty insisted.

Recce raised a brow and turned to resume the mission.

PW’s fur stood on end.

“HIT THE DECK!” Recce yelled, landing hard on her belly.

PW and Frosty followed, only just avoiding several projectiles that hissed overhead.

“Blow-darts.” Frosty concluded.

“Behind that tree.” Recce grunted, throwing Polaris forward.

“Can we please be gentle with him? He’s no good dead!” Frosty complained, bringing her rifle to bear.

“I’m plenty gentle!” Recce brought her own weapon forth. “I shouldn’t have to be, though. What’s he even doing out here?”

“He is the best stallion for the job.” Frosty simply said.

Recce shook her head as she scanned the undergrowth with her rifle sight. Whatever or whoever fired at them didn’t seem interested in finishing the job.

"There's open water." Recce spotted, twisting a branch to give them a better sight across the large cove.

"The wharf." Frosty realized, seeing a boxy structure made of planks out in the bay.

“Here’s the plan.” Recce said. “The bay is shaped like a peanut. We saw across the western lobe. The wharf, as we knew it, is at the bight. Looking at it closer, it’s a hull of an abandoned ship. We’re going to work our way south along the peninsula leading into the bay.”

Frosty nodded. “Copy that. They likely know that weakness and have it guarded.”

Recce turned to her with a sinister smile. “Good thing S said we’re weapons-free, then.”

Frosty stopped. “That doesn’t sound like an instruction S would give. At least, not here.”

“Regardless; we’re so isolated this operation might as well never have happened.” Recce smiled. “Let’s get going.”

It was only a few hundred yards or so of marching before the trio spotted several Kirins looking alert in the trees, wielding bows. Recce turned about, ushering them back to a safe distance.

“Contact.” She whispered.

Frosty readied her D16 and reared to get above the foliage and started counting kirins. “One… two… three… four in the trees… one… two… three… four on the ground. With cannons.”

“We should hit the ones in the trees first.” Recce decided.

Frosty agreed. “We need to do this in a way that doesn’t raise the alarm. Four need to be on the ground before we start a firefight.”

PW looked up. “With an open canopy I could fly up and push one of them off,” he suggested.

“And then what?” Recce asked.

“You and Frosty have armor. You could take an arrow to the chest!” He nodded.

“Don’t underestimate them.” Frosty warned. “With a distraction on the ground we can eliminate a couple. So, let’s say we do that first. Windy takes one in the trees out. Then three more are given the opportunity to shoot and we get them as quick as we can. That downs six in total, leaving two. How can we get to eight?”

“You run back into the jungle and get them to chase you?” PW offered.

“No, they’ll raise the alarm before trying that.” Recce shook her head.

“I’ll shoot at them.” PW suggested next.

“What?” Asked Frosty, unable to process what she just heard.

“I’ll shoot them, to draw their attention. Giving you time to mow them down with your D16’s.”

“Blood on your hooves, PW. You’re up to it?” Asked Frosty.

“If the mission demands it, I will do what must be done!” The stallion huffed, stamping his hoof.

Recce turned to hide her smirk.

“We have an engagement plan. Recce; what do you say?” Frosty asked.

“We’re relying on your guy to sneak up, push a Kirin off, which we then need to kill, and take his pistol out and shoot in second’s time.” She summed up the plan with apprehension.

“C’mon Recce, it’ll be a piece of cake.” Frosty gave her a smile.

Recce huffed and nodded. “OK, gear up.”

Windy loaded his Stallion & West and exercised a walkthrough of his engagement. He was beginning to get nervous.

‘These two Night-Mares, Number 1 and Number 2 at that, are depending on me. I won’t fail.’ He thought, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

Recce rolled her neck. “Let’s go.”

Polaris landed on a branch and waited.

“Here we go.” He whispered.

A shriek came from the undergrowth and Frosty appeared, dancing on her hooves about a bush. “Snake! Ew – get it away!” She shouted an octave higher than normal.

“C’mon sweetheart I could take that thing.” Recce did her best to sound like a stallion.

“Why did that stupid ship have to wreck us! We’re lost!” Frosty whined.

PW watched the show with a smile.

“Just keep moving! We’re going to find civilization!” Recce replied.

PW heard a rustle and looked to see two kirin approaching. Hiding behind the tree’s trunk, he signaled the approach with two feathers.

“Do you think we’ll ever see real food again?” Frosty shouted.

“There’s plenty to eat in our surroundings!” Recce grunted.

“It’s not the same. I want REAL food! Frosty put a hoof to her forehead in despair.

“If we wait just a little longer –” Recce began as the kirin rounded the final bush separating them. “It may come to us!”

The kirin were caught completely unaware. PW watched in awe and horror as the giant earth-ponies pounced. One Kirin did manage to turn around but that was all. Recce swiped her left limbs underneath the Kirin’s belly, dropped a knee to the ground, and took the poor creature’s head in her right foreleg.