Shellstrings

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Not a Clever Pony

Desert – South of Appleloosa – Evening of the Present Day

Lyra smiled.

A tear or two trickled down her muzzle, waking her from her melancholic meditation.

The mare opened her eyes just as she finished strumming the last few chords of Ballad of the Princess.

A dim purple desert stretched under an even purpler sky. The arid landscape rippled through multiple shades of blue while stars twinkled clearly overhead—the brightest she had ever witnessed them.

Everything shimmered in perfect clarity... including her voice.

"I'm sorry," Lyra said, although it was through a smile. "I owe you so much more." A shuddering breath, and she stood up on wobbly hooves. "I'm... I'm headed back." She gulped. "Time to finish this vacation right. The way I promised."

The mare stood up, floating her lyre and slipping it into her saddlebag.

A brisk, nightly wind blew over the top of the plateau—shuddering Lyra straight through to the bone. The unicorn instantly awoke to how damnably cold it could get into the desert at night.

"Yeeeeeesh..." She rubbed her forelimbs as her teeth chattered. "Friggin' idiot. This is what you get."

With a disgruntled sigh, she slung the saddlebag over her flank, tightened it, and pivoted about. Her amber eyes opened wide—attempting to scan the flat, dry horizon for familiar landscapes—any sign whatsoever of where she trotted from. It didn't help that the desert looked completely alien at night.

"Now... which friggin' way is north...?" Her nostrils flared. "Too bad I'm not part pegasus, or this would be way easier—hello." She squinted hard.

Far off in the distance—past several clusters of cacti and a butte or two—the mare spotted the tell-tale haze of dense bonfires and candlelight: Appleloosa.

"Heh..." She smirked. "Must not be a night for mild square dances." She thought of Braeburn and instantly giggled. The felicitous exhalation was enough to energize her, and she took a bold step forward, preparing to scale down the edge of the steep plateau.

However, before two minutes of trotting had passed, the mare stopped descending—for she saw a distinct sign of movement in the valley below.

"Hello... what's this?" She stopped in her tracks, staring fixedly at the sight.

Four dark shapes strolled south along the valley, keeping to the beaten path. They paused every now and then—as if staring behind every rock and boulder that they came across. Tails flicked and heads turned under the shimmering desert starlight.

"Heh..." Lyra smiled wryly. "...so you girls came crawling out here to find me, huh? Well... good thing you brought Braeburn." The mare stood up on her hindquarters and whistled shrilly into the cold night air. "Hey!" She followed it up with a shout, all the while waving her forelimbs wildly. "Up here gals! It's okay! False alarm! I just... y'know... came out all the way to perform a concert to the stars!" She chuckled. "No hard feelings, am I right?!"

The four figures froze in place. Several heads with pointed ears perked up all at once. The clouds parted overhead, exposing the full moon... and Lyra spotted eight tiny spots of reflected light... all aimed up at her atop the plateau.

Lyra's smile faded. She blinked rapidly, falling back on all fours.

The figures stared... stared...

...and then one tilted its head up towards the starry sky... and howled.

Lyra's breath was sucked in. She detected movement in her peripheral... and she gazed to the east and west.

More hairy figures poured out of the shadows of the valley. Soon, no less than ten bodies were rushing up towards the plateau at a brisk pace, their spines flexing with carniverous dexterity. Even at a far distance, Lyra heard the unmistakable sounds of panting breaths and growling maws.

"Ohhhhhh shit." Lyra backed up—then tripped. She floundered in the dust, rolled over, and stumbled back onto all fours. More howls lit the air as the pack of wolves doubled their speed. "Shit shit shit shit!" Panting, wheezing, Lyra galloped in the only direction she could.

South.

Comments

[RoboRed]

OooooooOOHOHHHHHCRAP.

[IceKitsune]

You should always double check before doing things like that!

[fourths]

Lyra Heartstrings Runs South

[Razzy]

Well, I see things are going south.

[Revan]

Going South In A Hurry

[Scorch215]

Never assume the dark figures you can't actually see clearly are people you know. Specially since your friend would be calling your name.

Though I thought it was going to be those guys she saw shaking down the old man after getting to Appaloosa so pleastent surprise at being wring.

[Hap]

Yeah, coyotes may be small, but they hunt in packs. I've been surrounded twice, both while deer hunting. Some of the few times in my life that I doubted my status as an apex predator.