//------------------------------//
// The hunt 
// Story: The Adventures of Hasty Cloud 
// by Not-So-Smarty Pants 
//------------------------------//

Painful hours slipped away slowly, or at least they seemed like hours on Hasty’s body. The emotion-driven strength was finally diluting, and she couldn’t keep flying for much longer.
As softest as she could, she landed, along with her heavy cargo. She was covered in sweat, and her lungs felt like ember; the pain in her wings was so intense she felt as if they were going to fall apart at any moment.
She sat down, trying to catch her breath. She has never felt so exhausted in her entire life, not even when crossing the continent from the winter grounds!
“I just…” she panted, “I just need… I just need a couple of… minutes, that’s it…”
She didn’t know who she was talking to, Dust Whirl or herself, but hearing her own voice was kind of soothing. Her legs began to shake like crazy, and her eyelids felt heavier and heavier.
“Just… catch my breath…” she softly said, without feeling her eyes closing, “Just… a couple… minutes…”

There was something there!
The mare abruptly opened her eyes, hearing the noise of something getting closer. Her heart began to pound, as she looked one way and the other, searching for a way to escape, but there was none.
She stood her ground. Suddenly her blood was boiling, even if her body barely was able to stand. She even felt mad at the couple of ponies they were supposedly to find, “Pair of fools!” she thought, staying besides Dust Whirl.
The sound of steps grew closer and the mare tensed, terrified but ready to put a good fight before be taken down…
And from the tall grass, an earth pony came to her sight, one of the Takhi.
“Here!” the mare shouted, hurrying to aid the almost unconscious pegasus “Anypony, come to help!”
Hasty Cloud fainted before seeing the silhouettes of his brethren, flying in the air around her.


“How is she?” Kestrel’s voice was measured, but everypony could feel the tension of the stallion trying to keep his emotions in check.
“She’s exhausted,” Mist said, his horn glowing a soothing watery green, as his healing magic worked “She probably was carrying his partner, who knows from where and how long. She’s really strong…”
“How is she?” Kestrel repeated, a lot more anxious this time. The ponies helping around them stopped for moments, unable to not look at the stallion’s hardened eyes. 
“She will be fine, with some care and rest,” the unicorn chieftain stared him in the eye, understanding the pegasus worry, but not willing his authority to be stomped.
Kestrel snorted, trying to calm down, “Forgive me,” the pegasus bowed his head, “I…”
“I understand, Kestrel,” Mist answered, “But I’d be more worried about your other scout.”
Kestrel felt a knot in his throat. He almost forgot about Dust! He looked at Dawn at the corner of his vision: his expression was indecipherable, but the stallion knew she was equally concerned than he was.
“Have you managed to take that thing off him?” the pegasus stallion asked.
“I’m afraid I don’t even know what it is. I’ve never see something like it,” the unicorn shook his head, both confused and sorry.
The three ponies looked away, at the place Dust Whirl laid. He was still breathing, they could see, but his condition hadn’t change. Being unable to release the wicked thing from the pegasus, the pony-healers left him be, just keeping an eye on him in the case something changed.
The reddish mare-scout got close to him, slightly stroking his mane with her hoof, as if she didn’t mean it, “You better get well soon, you scatterbrain…” she whispered.
Kestrel noticed the anguish in the otherwise immovable mare. She might be hard with the new scouts, even mean sometimes, but she was the one who trained them, and in certain extent, they were all like children of her.
Kestrel felt the guilt bite him. Now, more than ever, the ponies needed him to be strong, to be decisive, even cold. Thing was, with the suddenness of all, he couldn't.
“Dawn!” he said, making the mare turn back at him, “Alert everypony. Tell the scouts to lift off. We’re moving. Now”
Dawn nodded, departing. It was a relief to hear Kestrel on control again, but if that was possible, it was because of the need. 
“You and your healers move ahead,” the pegasus turned to Mist, “Go west and don’t stop until I send somepony to find you”
Before Mist could say anything, Kestrel flew off to join his flock. If he guided the main group of the Takhi with all of his pegasi, whatever was chasing after them would follow the bigger herd… It would be easier to take action on the matter, once he knew Hasty was out of danger.
The herd soon was all awake and nervously moving around the place, getting ready to flee. All of them were as silent as they could, but fear and expectation filled them, and the foals were not easy to be kept in silent, whimpering and asking what was going on. 
“We’re not scattering: we’ll keep a close formation and move ahead as fast as we can, all together!” said Kestrel, then talking to a pair of scouts, “You go and find me a good refugee: a group of boulders, a cave, whatever! Go!” 
The scouts were airborne in the blink of an eye, their bodies up in the starred skies… and suddenly something brought them down!
An upheaval came from the surroundings: shouts and howls, and the horrifying laughter of a big group of marauders, invisible in the darkened steppe. The herd was under attack already!
“Run!” Kestrel shouted, “RUN!”
The panicked group of ponies fled in all directions, thundering in the fright of the night. Big four-footed shadows chased them, taking by raid the clear. Their barks and laugh-like cries shook the very core of every steppe pony. 
“Direenas!” the Takhi were shouting, “They’re Direenas!”
When they looked back, they could see the unmistakable stooped bodies, the blazing eyes and the feral, big fanged smile of the feared enemies.
Suddenly, from ahead, another group of Direenas came out of nowhere; standing in their hind legs, they threw something in the air. A number of dark veils unfolded above the ponies, falling and trapping them like giant spider webs. Those who dodged the webs ran away, only to fall right into the vicious creatures’ claws; they took them inside bags with the same care as if they were potatoes.
The pegasi, scattered in the air by the initial surprise, soon were forming squadrons, and bravely plunged down to face the attackers. However, only getting closer to the ground, they fell, wrapped in the same devices that toppled Dust earlier that night. The ones that were able to avoid the octopus-like arms suddenly were soaked with something sticky like tar, as effective as the weapons to immobilize and bring them down.
More and more of the creatures were coming from the tall grass, chasing or fighting the ponies. Kestrel gritted his teeth, flying down in desperation.
“Don’t fight them!” he shouted his scouts “Don’t fight them! Help the others!”
He flew like an arrow towards one of the large foes. It was carrying a big bag full of the struggling earth ponies on his back, looking around to catch more of them. With one decisive, strong blow to the paw, the pegasus hit the bag out of the captor’s fist, and the surprised ponies fled for their lives.
But Kestrel wasn’t done. He made a narrow turn, as just as an expert flier could, and targeted the Direena’s head, ramming with all his might.
The stallion heard an echoing sound, at the same time he crashed to a full stop on top of the monster’s head. Still stunned, he was tossed away, barely landing on his four hooves.
That wasn’t the first time he fought Direenas, and he knew that a good blow to the head could freeze one, even if they were that big and strong. Amazed and confused, the stallion looked up and gasped: his rival, standing on two legs in all its frightening height, was covered in dark-gray shining plates, its head protected by a thick helmet, below which he could see a vicious grin.


Hasty Cloud awoke slowly, feeling dizzy. Was it her, or the ground was shaking…?
She stood the upper half of her body: she was laying on a stretcher, dragged by a pair of earth ponies at full speed.
“Hey… HEY! What the--! Stop!” she tried to stand, but his entire body was sore.
“You better don’t move,” said someone besides her. When she turned, she could see the dark-blue coat of the chieftain unicorn, running along with her.
“Where are we going? What happ--?” then Hasty suddenly remembered “Dust! Where is he?! Where’s dad?! There’s something--!”
“We know. We found you earlier tonight. Your friend is on a stretcher too, back there,” the unicorn answered with all the calm he could, given the circumstances.
Hasty looked on all directions, trying to picture what was going on. She supposed at first that when they found them, the ponies had guessed something followed them, and started a silent, fast escape. But even in the darkness of the night, the pegasus mare was aware that they weren’t running with all the herd; at most, there were ten or twelve ponies, marching on a row.
She had a bad feeling. As she opened her mouth, an uncomfortable coldness embraced her chest.
“Where’re the others?” she said.
Mist said nothing, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Hasty felt the cold choking her.
“Where’s dad? Dad? Dad!” she shifted once and again on the stretcher, shouting without hearing the unicorn’s answer.
“Stay down!” Mist had to force her down with his magic, “Your father asked me to take you both away from the herd, to keep you safe! He’s going to guide the others to shelter, and he was going to send for us later…”
Suddenly, an echoing cry froze everypony on their tracks. It was the uncertain rumor of a stampede, and above it, the ghastly calls of night creatures.
“Direenas?! This west?!” somepony whispered in fear.
Hasty heard in shock, his eyes wide open, the now familiar barking of the monsters, accompanied by the fear cries of the herd.
“The found them!” she hissed, brusquely jumping off from the stretcher, “They found them!”
Although her body ached, the sudden realization made her forget about every thing but one: his father and his flock needed help. She darted into the night, trying hard to lift off, but her wings just couldn’t take anymore.
“Hasty!” Mist shouted at her, “Hasty, come back!”
Before anypony could do something about it, the pegasus ran into the night without looking back, straight to where the turmoil of struggle was coming from.


“Boss said to take ya'll alive!” the brute growled, slowly leaning forward to be on all four, “But there’s so many of you, I don’t think he mind if I eat ya!”
The beast lunged to him, his drooling jaws open wide. Kestrel dodged the bite, but an iron clad claw scratched him, making him cringe. The Direena turned, circling him, a malevolent smile on his long face. Kestrel unfolded his wings, ready to take off…
“Go on, fly!” It stopped and stood on two legs, taking a pair of metallic things out of its holsters “I just love to take you pegasi outta the sky!”
The pegasus stared him to the eyes. He now knew what those things were, and how fast they flew. He snorted.
“Let’s see how it goes, shall we?” Kestrel hissed.
He jumped at the same time his foe threw one of his weapon; but right before it hit him, he flew forward, dodging it, zigzagging barely an inch from the ground, and hit the monster’s feet sideways, taking him out of balance.
The huge body landed with a thud, and Kestrel tried to get away with the momentum… but then he felt the hit of the second weapon on his back, and the embrace of the steel-like wires almost crushing his ribs.
He landed on all four, however weakened by the hit and paralyzed by the thing holding him tightly. 
“You think you’re hot stuff?!” the angry Direena stood, showing his enormous teeth, “You’re nothing! You’re pup-food! No one will know you took down Alama!”
It got closer to Kestrel, who stared up to him, defiantly. Alama took him with both paws, smiling madly; the big, fanged mouth opened to bite the pegasus head off. Kestrel closed his eyes, wincing.
Then a reddish blur rammed the monster’s throat!
Alama let go of his victim to take his neck, choking with the blow. Among the scarlet mist of his anger, he saw a reddish pegasus mare taking his prey and fleeing with it.
The monster snarled furiously, chasing after them, still coughing. 
“You okay?” Dawn asked Kestrel.
“I’m complete,” he said, gulping.
“By the moment…” Dawn said, landing, “Can you run?”
Kestrel tried; the wires were crushing him, and one step felt like a python coiled around him.
“I don’t think so…” he said, “Where are the others?”
Dawn stared at him, fighting to hold her feelings. She shook her head. Kestrel growled with impotence. 
“Listen…” he said, gloomily “You have to flee…”
The mare’s eyes blazed.
“I sent the healers with Hasty and Dust to the west. Go with them!” he gasped.
“Well, that’s interesting!” a rumbling voice spoke from the darkness.
Both ponies turned and saw the entire pack of monsters surrounding them. The cackling laugh echoed around, driving both pegasi insane.
“Flee!” Kestrel roared.
Dawn darted forward, but a monstrous paw caught her in midair. She struggled with all she got, to free herself from the dire fist she was into, but all proved fruitless.
The beast was clad in a heavier version of the armors his brethren were wearing; its helmet was shaped as if the naked skull of the monster was atop its body, but two ember-like eyes were glaring from the sockets. He seemed bigger than the others, and Kestrel knew this foe was the one Alama referred to as “Boss”
“Alama!” growled the monstrous creature. The hunter crawled forward, with the tail between his legs.
“Y-yes boss?” whimpered Alama.
“Take a group west and bring those ponies. And bring them in one piece,”
“Aye, aye boss!” the hunter barked at the others and five of them followed, trotting west. 
“No!” Kestrel cried.
The full-armored beast and the pegasus stared one to the other’s eyes. The Direena lifted his arm, the scout-mare firmly trapped into it. Dawn looked down to Kestrel, with a mourning look on her eyes.
“No…” Kestrel mouthed, “… no, wait…”
The Direena clenched its fist, leaving the mare breathless. 
“No! NO! STOP!” the stallion shouted crawling to the monster’s feet.
But the beast tightened its grip more and more; Dawn let out a painful cry, fainter and fainter as the fist was crushing her.
“LET HER GO!” Kestrel grunted, trying to buck the beast’s foot.
The cry suddenly stopped. Kestrel looked up, his eyes wide open in horror: Dawn was motionless, faint into the monster’s grip.
Kestrel couldn’t articulate; just a weak moan came out from his mouth, as he shut his eyes tightly. The monster finally opened its fist and tossed Dawn’s body away. 
“Take this one with the others,” growled the beast, as one of his minions took Kestrel with him.
“What are you orders, Lord Kusaka?” a hunter approached the armored giant.
The beast looked west, and then north.
“We’re going back to the lairs. We’ll dispatch these ones, and then we’re heading north to get the rest of the clans,” the beast answered.
The night got colder and more silent, and before the dust settled down, the Direenas were on their way to their lairs.