• Published 14th Oct 2016
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CSR Brush Pony - shysage



For centuries, it has just been our three Pony races, enjoying Equestria together. Imagine my amazement when Fluttershy brought a new species of Pony into my Library!

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Chapter 9, Traitor from Within

Well, its either me, Fluttershy, or... nevermind... Princess Celestia sent me here to gather information. Well, it was clear to me, to us, that our Brush Pony friends needed more, a lot more. They needed us to rescue them from the Cougars holding them hostage. The Cougars had, in fact, already sealed off the only path in or out, behind us. So I guess, we were trapped, too.

Our Panther friends had already stopped maybe a third of the way down to the lowest, center spot in this natural depression, Shysage called it. That low spot was evidently where Princess Arianna would meet with the Brush Pony tribe, and gather them. We were walking there; I could already see that clearing, far up ahead, well down hill from us. And, from that single ramp down through the cliff, we were walking on a broad, well worn path heading towards the center. The Brush Ponies probably made this path, but now it surely made life easier for hungry Cougars...

I had already noticed all around us that the broad-leaf plants, bushes really, that the Brush Ponies seemed to prefer, they thickly covered the ground all around us, all over this natural bowl, up to the cliffs around the edge. There was plenty of food for the Brush Ponies; maybe that was why they settled here to begin with. As we walked to the center, past this blanket of brush, an increasing number of Brush Ponies saw us, ran out to us seemingly out of nowhere, and followed us down to the center. I was pretty sure they all recognized Princess Arianna. A growing group of Brush Ponies walked behind us.

As I was thinking this, Prince Ma-Gane said quietly "Coun-cil always on cliffs... Then Cougars... come..."

Summer asked quietly "How long?"

I guess Princess Arianna understood Summer's meaning. She said, also grimly "Six... ten moons ago, Cougars cut off path..." Princess Arianna was trying not to cry. "Cougars... hungry... Run down... Bite foal neck... Carry away... screaming... Many foals die..." Of course Cougars would go after them...

Shysage said quietly "5 years... of terror and death... This is long overdue..."

I know my sister... And I could feel... She was... She would do anything she needed in order to stop this senseless slaughter, of helpless foals, no less...

As we walked, we could more easily see the wide clearing, a circle of no bushes in the center. We were walking straight for that, of course. The closer we got, we noticed a lot of dust getting kicked up. We found out why as hundreds of Brush Ponies streamed into that barely grassy area in the center. Word must have spread quickly. The Brush Ponies opened up a path for us as we walked directly to the center. There was a small patch of exposed rock, maybe a few inches high, right in the center. The Brush Ponies all stood clear of that rock. Well, that small rock was probably a far cry from council time on the cliff. We walked up to that patch of rock. Princess Arianna said quietly "Ma-gane talk... I talk... pony." Prince Ma-gane would address the Brush Ponies and Princess Arianna would tell us what was being said.

Prince Ma-gane walked carefully up on that flat rock, and it was instantly quiet. After standing motionless briefly, Prince Ma-gane raised his head slightly, closed his eyes, then said something. It was very short, but Ma-gane's voice bellowed loudly. Every Brush Pony could easily hear him. Princess Arianna said to us ponies simply "Now... time... go..."

One fairly big Brush Pony stallion walked quickly out of the sea of Brush Ponies, and stopped in front of Prince Ma-gane. This stallion talked too, and his voice was also pretty loud. What he said didn't take very long either. I sensed disgust wash quickly through Princess Arianna... "It... Naballa. He say... Ma-gane crazy." It seemed, well I felt... Many other Brush Ponies didn't like this Naballa stallion. Well, he sensed, he felt, really mean to me. His eyes...

Still on the rock, Prince Ma-gane spoke again, and Princess Arianna translated for us. "Lost many... foals... Need... leave... now..." I think most of the Brush Ponies agreed with this.

Naballa said quickly, loudly, and Princess Arianna translated as she frowned "Cougars eat... us... now..."

Well, this Naballa was confronting Ma-gane, and in front of the entire Brush Pony tribe. I did not like the way this was going. Besides, now was just a really bad time for this. In the face of all that was going on...

Prince Ma-gane was trying to be patient, I think, and spoke again. He talked a little longer. Even before Princess Arianna started to translate, I heard one word, very distinctly, in what Prince Ma-gane said...

It was the word... "Shila"...

Naballa didn't even wait, and yelled loudly, actually interrupted what Prince Magane was saying, and cut him off. What Naballa said, yelled, well I could tell it wasn't nice based on the way Naballa said it, the anger in his eyes... And many of the Brush Ponies gasped at what Naballa said. Princess Arianna translated what Naballa yelled, slowly and again with disgust "Old... writing... Old... stallion..." The Brush Ponies around the circle were not happy at all with Naballa, and began to stomp one of their front hooves to the ground to show it.

Naballa said something loudly, and the Brush Ponies immediately were quiet, but still not very happy, I felt. He probably yelled 'silence' or something. Then Naballa said something else, a little longer, but just to Prince Ma-gane, I think. There was fury in Naballa's eyes... He put his head down, horns forward, then dug one of his front hooves into the sand...

Princess Arianna was imediately beside herself... Crying loudly...

"He has challenged... Ma-gane must fight... for me... ...to take me... ...so Naballa rule Brush Ponies..." Princess Arianna cried harder, crying out... "Naballa is fool... Don't want... Want Ma-gane... Good prince... Shield... Princess... Only want Ma-gane..." then after a brief delay "...can't stop this..." Princess Arianna looked away and closed her eyes tightly as she fell to the ground and started crying loudly, and just said over and over to us ponies "...can't stop this... ...can't stop this... ...can't stop this..."

Well, I guess Shysage hoped he could; he immediately ran over and stood right next to Prince Ma-gane on that rock, facing Naballa. I don't think Shysage was very happy with this Naballa either. Shysage said loudly "Friend."

And I should have expected this... Even I heard the word "Shila" in what Prince Ma-gane started to say... Summer heard her name... With all eyes on Shysage, it only took my sister maybe five seconds... to change... to her people form... her huge white wings... her large pearl-white Unicorn horn... And that gut-wrenching, loud rumbling sound...

The Brush Ponies around the circle gasped... some shrieked... They knew who this was right away, too... They bowed down on their front legs, put their heads down, and said quietly "Shila..." But with most of the Brush Ponies saying that, it was pretty loud... And even in the Brush Pony language, this was the exact word...

My sister Summer, the Phantom Alicorn, the Shila, walked quickly over to and in front of Naballa, and shouted "NO!" Naballa backed up with a start when she yelled that. His eyes were quickly huge... Then Summer arched her wings menacingly forward, walked closer to Naballa and shouted again "NO... NO... NO... NO... NO..." Naballa was on his belly on the ground in fear when she was done saying that...

Summer didn't move for a minute maybe. Then she said loudly, well as loudly as she could "Princess Arianna, speak for me to your tribe."

Summer spoke in short phrases, so Princess Arianna could say it in Brush Pony to the rest of the Brush Pony tribe. That is how this part went.

...

"COUGARS KILL...

...

"BRUSH PONIES NOT KILL...

...

"THIS FIGHTING...

"THIS KILLING...

...

"TO TAKE MARE...

...

"NO MORE!!!

...

"NO MORE!!!

...

"NO MORE!!!"

...

Then Summer glared at Naballa for a minute more maybe. He had enough sense to get up and run away, melting into the crowd of Brush Ponies.

Summer then turned around, walked over and bowed to Prince Ma-Gane who was trying to not cry. Then she bowed to Princess Arianna, who was crying. Then Summer, the Phantom Alicorn, the Shila... She knelt down and hugged the Brush Pony Princess tightly for a minute at least.

Summer said quietly to Princess Arianna "Tell tribe... time to go..."