Mac walked through the tall grass, nose in the air. The strange scent of the aliens was anything but difficult to follow. Big Mac was not sure how long he had been pursuing Wild Slate and his captors. The sun had set two hours ago, leaving Mac to navigate by the crescent moon's minimal light. A flickering light caught the farmer's attention. A camp fire. Good, now all Mac need to do was wait until the fire died and sneak in. Big Mac backed up, hiding in the shadow of a few trees. The sound of Wild Slate's whinnying echoed through the night air. He sounded angry and scared. Big Mac new that feeling all too well. He settled down to wait.
The aliens bark and growled at each other, talking in some strange language. Mac wished he could understand and talk to them, but even if he could understand them, those sounds were to complicated for him. Even if he was still able to speak Equestrian. The talking soon drifted off and the fire was now just hot embers. Macintosh stood up. Time to move in.
Crack
Mac jumped a the sound of a twig breaking. He spun around. Had he been caught? Was his fate going to be the same as Wild Slate's?
It wasn't the strange aliens that rode horses that was behind him. It was River Leaf. The teenager pinned his ears back guiltily.
That. . . that stupid foal! He was supposed to stay with the herd, out of danger. Now he was in more danger than ever! Mac couldn't let him come with him to the camp, but he couldn't send him back alone! Mac snorted angrily and bobbed his head. He shoved the nearly full grown teen into the shrubbery.
Stay THERE!
The young paint hung his head low as he hid himself in the bushes and trees. Mac felt a pang of guilt. He didn't want to yell at him, but he was being a fool. He was still a child. In Equestria, he would have been high school age. Something this dangerous was not the place for a colt, even if he had been born in the wild. Mac shook his mane out and looked at the hiding horse. It would do for now. He would pick him up with Wild Slate and the mares on the way back.
Big Mac walked quietly out into the open. He approached the camp and stepped in slowly. These. . . animals were very strange. They slept on the ground with only a small pack under them. A couple of them were using their Stetson's as pillows. They had no fur except for on the top of their heads, and some on their chins. Five dull appendages were at the end of their arms. Looking similar to Spike's claws. They were obviously bipedal, from the different length in their front and back limbs. They all wore clothes, covering themselves where they had no fur. Mac looked them over.
Which were the females and which were the males? The ones with the beards might be the males, but for all he knew, the females could also do that. Maybe they were all female or all male. They reminded him of something. . . something somepony had said to him once.
It didn't matter now, he just needed to get Wild Slate an the mares free. Mac looked over at them. They were tied down to a tree. The rope lasso had been replaced with a bridle. Odd. Maybe bridles were used differently here, instead of for show in rodeos.
Nopony could get a bridle on by themselves unless they were a unicorn. Mac had lost count of all the times he helped his sister get hers on over her head. He knew how to put them on.
And take them off.
Mac walked over to Wild Slate, who lowered his head so Big Mac could look at the contraption. Mac lifted his hoof to pull it off when he realized something important. Something scary. The extra joint in his fetlock was not there. He couldn't hold anything in his hooves.
Suddenly, Wild Slate looked up and over at the entrance to the camp. There, standing on unsure hooves, was River Leaf. Mac felt like slamming his face into the tree. He didn't have time for this, and he couldn't make any noise, or he may wake the creatures. He gave the teen a look before turning back to the problem at hand. The faster Wild Slate and the mares were free, the faster all of them could get the hay out of here.
Big Mac took the top of the bridle in his teeth and pulled it over the gray stallions ears. The bridle fell off and Wild Slate was free. The stallion stood there, stunned. Mac nudged him and swung his head over to the mares. Now they could get them free faster with both of them working-
Wild Slate reared, neighing loudly. He turned and galloped out of the camp, hooves like thunder.
W-What?
The bipedal creatures awoke, jumping up. They stared at the two horses standing there, and the lack of one gray stallion. The aliens all lunged for their ropes. Big Mac turned and ran, kicking over a bucket of water onto the embers of the fire. A cloud of steam rose up between the horses and the aliens, blocking their views of each other. Mac turned out of the camp and galloped for the hills, River Leaf at his side. The cries of the mares left behind made him wince, but there was no way he could turn back for them now. It was all Wild Slate's fault, but Big Mac knew he couldn't blame him. He may seem like any other pony, but he was a wild horse. The loss of three mares was better than the loss of an entire herd.
The hollers of the two-legs on horseback followed Macintosh and River Leaf. Both stallion and colt ran through the dawn. The sun was working against them. The aliens could see them, and follow them. A lasso wrapped around River Leaf's neck, and the yearling fell, sliding in the dirt. Before Big Mac could turn to help, another rope was around his neck. Mac stumbled, but did not fall. He looked down at the rope and then up at the smirking two-leg. The rope was tide to the saddle on the horse it was riding. He couldn't simply pull free.
Big Mac bucked and reared, pulling on the rope, hoping it would come free. The slip knot tightened on his throat, making it harder to breath. Another rope was tossed over his head, and another caught both of his front hooves. Legs pulled out from under him, Mac fell to the ground hard.
He whinnied and snorted angrily as one of the aliens dismounted its horse, carrying two bridles. Big Mac watched in fear as one was hooked over River Leaf's head. The nimble digits of the two-legs tightened the bridle, making it impossible to come free without help. Then the other bridle was put on Mac. He tried to bite the claws of the alien, but it expected this and was able to dodge.
Two ropes were tied onto Big Mac's harness, keeping him tethered between two of the servant horses. The ropes on his hooves were undone, and the red draft horse jumped to his hooves. Mac pushed and pulled on the ropes and bridle, but it was no good.
He was trapped. And so was River Leaf.
Two ropes on the bridle held the young paint in place. His eyes were wide with fear and he kept looking around and crying out. Crying out for his father. Wild Slate didn't appear. Mac nickered at the teenager. River Leaf looked over at him, as if just noticing him. The colt neighed back.
Their ropes were pulled on, and the two of them were led away from the open valleys of the herd's. Away from the portal that flickered, and died.