Truth In The Shadows

CHAPTER SIX:

PAST MEMORIES, PART TWO

   The Ursa Mirage roared as he charged the first winged creature as it was about to strike the second, the creature looked up from her target as Mirage swung his massive claw at it. The creature dodged his attack by flying above his arm and counterd with its long talons on its hind legs, scratching his face then wirled over him and slashed at his back. He cried in pain as he tripped over a large root protruding from the ground. His face collided to the forest floor kicking up some dirt from the ground.

   Before he could get to his feet, the creature landed on his back and brought its head down to level with his. "You're no Ursa!" It hissed in a female voice. He looked at her, then ended his illusion spell to reviel his true form, she grinned hungrily. "Oh, goody! Not only to I get to kill a pathetic harpy, I get to kill breakfast!"

   Mirage quickly lit his horn creating the illusion of a griffon flying in behind the 'harpy' jus in time to draw her attention away from him so he could brake free from her talons, but not without receiving more cuts on his back. With the harpy distracted, he scrambled to his hooves and turned to face his opponent, who turned to face him after finding out the griffon was fake.

   Mirage jumped to the harpy, his horn glowing threateningly, but the harpy slashed at him with her talons at him again giving him more cuts and sending him to the ground. "Oh, please!" The harly snorted. "You'll have to do a lot better then that, twerp!"

   "Damn straight I do!" He replied as he got to his hooves as the harpy flew in for an attack. He used his magic to give himself the appearance of a Timberwolf and jumped up to meet her in the air. They collided and he bit down on her winged forleg drawing blood from her flesh. She screeched in pain and used her other wing to strike him on the head as she used her tallons to scratch at his belly. They crashed to the ground with a hard 'thud' as he landed on top of her continuing to bite down on her wing.

   Mirage was tackled in the side by the other harpy, she scratched at his face giving him more fresh bloody lines. She summersaulted over him, her tallons latching onto him, and threw him toward a tree. He hit the tree and got the air nocked ought of him and fall to the ground in his pony form, he coughed out blood and every part of him was sore. He looked up at the harpy in shock, the first struggling to get away and leave the second to her fate.

   "That's a hell of a way to say thank you to somepony who tried to save you!" He barked. She glared at him.

   "Help me?!" She shrieked. "I reserved to die!" She charged him, he never had the chance to make a move before she slashed at him, the force from her blow sent him rolling on the ground. He struggled to get to his hooves and looked up at her.

   "What the hell?!" He billowed. "You try to save somepony from being killed and..." He was cut off by another slash.

  "You have no idea what you've done, so shut the hell up and die!" She charged for another attack, he dodged her slash and countered with a kick of his hind legs into her gut, she fell to the ground wrapping her winged arms to her stomach.

   "Now look here sister!" He said. "I've just had the worst time of my life. I found out I dark blood rlflowing through my vains, Princess Celestia knew about it and lied to me since the very beginning and lost everything I cared about! So don't piss me off anymore then I already am!" She hissed at him and charged for him again. "Oh, damn!"

   The two tackled each other as Mirage, with great effert, used his magic to give him wings so he had a better chance at fighting her. She slashed her tallons and blocked his blows as he swung at her with his hooves and blocked her strikes. They browled for over an hour, both stood glaring at each other, their breathing heavy and quick.

   "You're good..." The harpy huffed. "...for food."

   "Sorry to disappoint you" Mirage replied. "...but I'm not interested in being food." She chuckled at him and oon regretted it as pain surged through her body, her legs giving out under her weight, Mirage started for her but his own pain pulled him to the ground. Mirage looked up at the creature he had just fought, almost to the death, and she looked up at him.

   "Who the hell are you?" She asked.

   "I..." He paused, tue first thing that came to mind was his birth name, but he now loathed that name. He thought for a moment until it dawned on him the kind of magic he used, illusion. "...I am Mirage."

   "Well, Mirage." She said as she crawled toward him, he was to sore and tired to do anything. If this was his time, he would now welcome it, if not to end the pain he now felt. "You've earned my respect." She said as she placed her strange foreleg on his shoulder.

   "Does that respect allow me to know your name, or do 'harpies' not have names?" She gave him a cold glare for a minute before answering.

   "I am Pealai." She answered. Mirage nodded once and rested his head on his hooves, the only thing keeping him from letting darkness take hold of him was Pealai sitting next to him. She did just try to kill him, after all, and he did not yet trust her.

   After a few minutes of resting, Pealai got to her feet and lifted herself off the ground, picked up Mirage with her large tallons and carried him away from the area. He did nothing to stop her, he was to tired and sore from fighting the harpies and being so cut up, he had lost a lot of blood. As he was carried throuh the forest, he could not fight it any longer, he let his eyes close and the darkness took him.