//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Set In Stone // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// Sandow drowsed on the comfortable branch he shared with Rainbow Dash. It was a little cloudy, birds chirping, a mostly perfect day. It was the weekend again, and Applebloom was out of school and off adventuring with her friends. He had been learning how to read and write. His grief came and went. The Apple family seemed to understand that talking about it helped. Sandow couldn’t help but conclude that life wasn’t too bad. He’d lost a great deal, but he had also gained quite a bit to make up for it. He drifted, in between sleep and wakefulness, thinking about the two mares that he loved, his foal, and the life that he had left behind. He snorted, still drifting in between sleep and the waking world. Warm sun shone on his pelt. The branch creaked a bit more now when he lay on it, he had been gaining some weight. He could feel his green bandana flapping in the breeze. His thoughts drifted and he thought again of Bluebelle and Azalea. Bluebelle’s warm smile. Azalea’s ticklish giggle and how easy it was to set her off. All it took was a touch. Hawley and her tiny body. He thought of the flood and his desperate escape, carrying all three of them on his back, struggling to fly. The wall of mud rushing down from the mountain. His leg kicked a bit and he heard his own soft cry in his ears, pulling him from his almost dreaming state. He heard the cry again, and began to wake completely. It was not his cry. He heard a loud shriek and bolted awake completely, falling from the branch and taking wing. Sandow awoke in a bad mood… He soared through the air towards the sound, hearing more cries, growing ever louder. And a roar. He flapped as hard as he could, heading towards the dark and shadowy wood called the Everfree. It had existed in his time, and it was still here even now. He saw Applebloom and Scootaloo running towards him, Scootaloo’s wings flapping wildly as she ran. Both of them were shrieking. His almost choked when he saw Sweetie Belle. She was in the claws of some horrible half owl half bear creature. It had her by one front leg, and one hind leg, and was getting ready to plunge its beak into her belly, eating her as though she was a wedge of watermelon. Sandow poured on as much speed as he could muster, eyes watering as he surged forward, getting closer, hoping he would make it on time. Sweetie Belle was almost in its beak now. At the last moment, he kicked both hind legs forward, sticking his hooves out, whipping his body around in the air, tucking in his wings. He collided with the owlbear, striking it in the groin. There was a keening wail that could be heard all the way into Ponyville. Sweetie Belle was flung as the owlbear fell backwards, felled by the airborne kick to the groin. She flipped through the air several times, screaming as she went. She landed roughly on her side, knocking the wind out of her. Scootaloo and Applebloom were by her side in moments. Sandow stood, wings flared, head low, snorting and scratching the earth with a forehoof. “Fillies,” he said, “go home.” He eyed the fallen owlbear warily. It had rolled over, on to its side, and was curled into a ball of pain, crying and moaning. The fillies didn’t need to be told twice. They ran, Applebloom carrying Sweetie Belle on her back, the strong little farm filly not even slowing down from her load. Sandow considered his options. He could fly away, but the owlbear might get up and go after the fillies again. Or somepony else. That wouldn’t do, he decided. The owlbear was slowly recovering, getting its legs underneath it, an angry growl coming from deep within its chest. Sandow gulped. It was big. So very big. And Sandow suddenly felt so very small. He knew he needed to have the owlbear’s attention. He needed it mad. Angry. So it would focus on him and not on the retreating fillies. “Motherplucker!” Sandow spat. Among winged creatures, there were no words more vile. The insinuation that you preened your own mother and everything that went along with that line of thinking was enough to infuriate almost anything. And it certainly worked on the owlbear. It rose up and roared. It turned and cast a baleful gaze upon Sandow, still roaring. Sandow extended a wing forward, and displayed the ancient pegasus symbol for war. He extended a central primary feather in a crude gesture. It was something his sire had warned him to never do unless he really meant it. The owlbear, being a winged creature, even though it did not fly, understood the gesture and let out a loud angry bellow. It was hunched over slightly, its dangly bits still hurting. It charged. Sandow took to the air. He circled around the enraged animal, staying out of reach, launching the occasional kick when he saw in opening. He pummeled the owlbear’s head, kicked its wings, and planted one really good kick into the middle of its back, right between its wings. It swiped at him, unable to connect. “Motherplucker!” Sandow said again, causing the creature to roar savagely. Sandow kicked a few more times. The last kick went wrong. He felt talons wrapping around his hind leg, claws digging in, sending horrible pain shooting up his leg. The owlbear began to whip him around. And around. The owlbear spun around and around, gripping Sandow by his leg, causing all of the blood to travel forcefully to his brain, making him dizzy, around and round he went, over and over. The owlbear finally let go, sending Sandow flying, hurtling through the air, crashing into a nearby tree, causing his body to collapse at all odd angles and unnatural motions. He bounced from the tree and skidded to the ground. The owlbear looked on as the annoying pegasus lay there, unmoving. It moved forward, ready to gobble down the groin smashing pegasus out of spite. Sandow struggled to his feet, shaking himself, trying to clear his head. “Oh…” said Sandow, “You want to fling ponies into trees?!” The owlbear paused. This did not end as planned. Sandow launched himself at the owlbear with his own roar, trailing blood behind him. He caught the owlbear by surprise, punching forward with a forehoof to the beak, causing the beak to crack and splinter, breaking off a section. The owlbear staggered backward and Sandow dropped to his hooves. He looked behind him, over his shoulders, and lined himself up for a kick. He extended both hind legs outward with every ounce of force he had, kicking the owlbear once again in the groin. The mighty creature fell over with a thump and cry, another wailing keen that reached all the way to Ponyville once again. Sandow spat out a lot of blood, and wiped his head with a foreleg. The back of his head was matting with blood. And he was angry. So very angry. He had woke in a bad mood, and then this happened. He launched himself at the owlbear with murderous intent. The owlbear struggled to regain its feet while the pegasus hammered away upon it, raining down blows with furious hooves that moved too fast. It covered its face with a foreleg, screeching, trying to shield itself from the endless assault. It swiped at the pegasus, wanting to sink in its claws, raking and slashing at the air. By lucky chance, it managed to snag a wing. Sandow suddenly found himself at the owlbear’s mercy once again. He was flung around wildly, shaken, his wing dislocated from its socket. Sandow cursed and sputtered from the pain. He felt himself being lifted high up into the air, swung around, feeling as though his wing was going to be torn completely from his body. He thudded into a tree and sank to the ground, feathers tearing from his wing as the owlbear lost its grip on him. He sat up, the owlbear’s crotch inches from his nose. He lashed out and pummeled with his forehooves, hammering away at the owlbear once again. The brutish creature retreated, shrieking with pain, its groin a glowing bed of coals, the pain blinding. The owlbear squeezed its eyes shut, hunched over, full of anguish. Both combatants forced into taking a breather. “There it is!” A raspy voice cried. The owlbear howled as suddenly all around him small hooves began to pound and kick at its body, the air full of swarming angry pegasi, pastel colours flashing, all angry. It swiped and slashed, trying to drive the pegasi mob away. It roared furiously. And when it realised that this was a fight that could not be won, and there was no easy meal to be had, it dropped down to all fours and ran away, punches and kicks slamming into its back as it retreated, angry cursing pegasi fluttering all around. “Sandow?” A familiar raspy voice asked. Sandow fell over onto the grass and lay there, gulping in deep breaths. “Sandow, say something. Just one word. And then go back to breathing. I need to know if you are OK.” Rainbow Dash asked, pleading. “Ugh.” Sandow said. There were pegasi all around him, looking at him, some standing, some hovering. “Don’t move Sandow, just stay down. Help is coming. Your wing looks really bad.” Rainbow Dash said, landing next to him. “I saw you punching the owlbear right in the twig and berries… It was awesome!” Sandow said nothing. He hurt all over. His head was beginning to throb. “Sandow?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What?” Sandow said weakly. “Something different about you Sandow.” Rainbow Dash said. “And its awesome.” Sandow said nothing as he kicked his legs out, trying to get comfortable. “You have a cutie mark Sandow.” Rainbow Dash said. “I do?” Sandow grumbled, his vision going double, causing the pegasi population in the area to increase dramatically. “Yeah ya do. It is a rotten green apple. There’s a worm sticking out of it. And it has wings.” “Oh.” Sandow said as he blacked out, slipping from consciousness.