A large shape with flapping wings suddenly circled overhead, a dark shape
silhouetted against the clear blue skies. They panicked. They had spent
most of their lives watching escapees be dragged back in the talons of the
Grundle's griffin-like mounts. The same escapees were burned alive and
eaten that night while, in their stables, the ponies were left sick by the
smell of the burning flesh. They had no intentions of ending up like that.
Minty Kimono, and Rainbow Dash quickly herded the mares back behind the trees and made sure that they had everyone well hidden before joining them. Then, the creature landed. It was massive, a body of muscle and feathers, it was... a pony?
"What in the world are you doing under there?" Its voice jolted them out of their shock. It had one of those calm, assuring voices that made it seem as though each word was part of some sweet melody that the rest of the world had not yet thought up. Of course, then again, obviously songs had been part of its destiny judging by the music notes it had for a symbol.
Medley couldn't believe it. A nice midday flight and she had run into these freaks. Well, not really freaks, just really shy ponies. Why were they looking at her that way anyway? It was almost like they expected her to attack any minute, they had relaxed a bit when they heard her speak, but not much. She guessed the best way to talk to them was to get down to their level. She rolled her eyes, stuck her head under the bush, and looked Moondancer right in the face.
"Didn't you hear me? I asked why you were hiding from me."
The grayish-blue pony she was speaking to looked extremely nervous, she gulped and muttered a few words, strange words. "Iae Kba?"
Medley frowned. She recognized the language, it was a northern one. Certainly a strange dialect. She had known a few ponies from around there and they were always oddballs, always paranoid to, but not like this. She was deciding to bring them back to the castle with her so Wind Whistler could translate when one of the ponies spoke in halting English.
"She knows no English." The pony frowned as she said this, it obviously took much of her concentration to remember how to say things. "I speak little. Am Autumn Skye, you?" Though any hearing the speech would have assumed she was unintelligent, Medley knew otherwise. With the size of Ponyland, the space between valleys, and even the smaller villages sometimes having their own language, knowing more than the one you were born to was a practical miracle.
"Medley." She answered with a nod. "There is a castle about half a day away if we walk, will you follow me back to it?" Autumn Skye listened intently and turned back to her fellows and translated. A stallion stepped forward ,his solemn eyes were distrustful, but he nodded.
As they began walking Medley turned to Autumn Skye. "He your leader? Whats his name? How did you learn English and where do you come from? And what in the world did that one say to me?" She pointed at Moondancer.
Autumn Skye smiled faintly and took a deep breath. "Kimono is leader." she nodded " I learn English from stable mate before I was put with them." She gestured to the rest of her small band. "And why we here? That is long story, to long, wait till we reach castle for full tale. Moondancer ask if you fly." Medley just nodded at Autumn Skye's answer. In her own way she was not disappointed. There was something special about these ponies, Autumn Skye especially, but there was something they were running form as well, they would not cross open spaces. They were afraid of her when she landed. They feared something finding the, she concluded as the castle came into view, but what?
Minty Kimono, and Rainbow Dash quickly herded the mares back behind the trees and made sure that they had everyone well hidden before joining them. Then, the creature landed. It was massive, a body of muscle and feathers, it was... a pony?
"What in the world are you doing under there?" Its voice jolted them out of their shock. It had one of those calm, assuring voices that made it seem as though each word was part of some sweet melody that the rest of the world had not yet thought up. Of course, then again, obviously songs had been part of its destiny judging by the music notes it had for a symbol.
Medley couldn't believe it. A nice midday flight and she had run into these freaks. Well, not really freaks, just really shy ponies. Why were they looking at her that way anyway? It was almost like they expected her to attack any minute, they had relaxed a bit when they heard her speak, but not much. She guessed the best way to talk to them was to get down to their level. She rolled her eyes, stuck her head under the bush, and looked Moondancer right in the face.
"Didn't you hear me? I asked why you were hiding from me."
The grayish-blue pony she was speaking to looked extremely nervous, she gulped and muttered a few words, strange words. "Iae Kba?"
Medley frowned. She recognized the language, it was a northern one. Certainly a strange dialect. She had known a few ponies from around there and they were always oddballs, always paranoid to, but not like this. She was deciding to bring them back to the castle with her so Wind Whistler could translate when one of the ponies spoke in halting English.
"She knows no English." The pony frowned as she said this, it obviously took much of her concentration to remember how to say things. "I speak little. Am Autumn Skye, you?" Though any hearing the speech would have assumed she was unintelligent, Medley knew otherwise. With the size of Ponyland, the space between valleys, and even the smaller villages sometimes having their own language, knowing more than the one you were born to was a practical miracle.
"Medley." She answered with a nod. "There is a castle about half a day away if we walk, will you follow me back to it?" Autumn Skye listened intently and turned back to her fellows and translated. A stallion stepped forward ,his solemn eyes were distrustful, but he nodded.
As they began walking Medley turned to Autumn Skye. "He your leader? Whats his name? How did you learn English and where do you come from? And what in the world did that one say to me?" She pointed at Moondancer.
Autumn Skye smiled faintly and took a deep breath. "Kimono is leader." she nodded " I learn English from stable mate before I was put with them." She gestured to the rest of her small band. "And why we here? That is long story, to long, wait till we reach castle for full tale. Moondancer ask if you fly." Medley just nodded at Autumn Skye's answer. In her own way she was not disappointed. There was something special about these ponies, Autumn Skye especially, but there was something they were running form as well, they would not cross open spaces. They were afraid of her when she landed. They feared something finding the, she concluded as the castle came into view, but what?