//------------------------------//
// X 
// Story: We Are Born From The Mist 
// by NeverEatTheLemonsAlone 
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Well, so much for that escape.

Gloom unslung his massive mace from his back, advancing towards Hurricane. “I told you that you were more useful to us alive than dead. If you’re going to be more trouble than you’re worth, though…” he left the sentence unfinished as he slammed his weapon into the enchanted torch on the wall, smashing it to splinters and dispelling the magic. Instantly, the entire cave was choked in blackness. The only light were the shimmering eyes of the ialtaeg.

A shriek reverberated through the small space, nearly deafening Hurricane, and a pair of blazing yellow eyes darted towards her. She only barely managed to dodge, hearing a razorlike edge keening through the air just above her head. That’s Moondark, then. Backpedaling furiously, she fought desperately to avoid having her head separated from her shoulders.

A few meters away, Gloom battled Star, the enormous steel bludgeon proving more than effective against the mare’s twin curved knives. Sparks sprayed off of the wall above her as the mace skated along the stone. Hurricane hissed out a curse. These ialtaeg have some skill. I could probably do some damage with my spear, but I have no idea where it is. Come on, Hurricane…Think!

That would prove easier said than done, as the screeches bounced around her, disorienting her and causing her to stumble. If only she could get some light, then things would be much more clear-cut. Duck the blade, get in close, start bashing. Unfortunately, some time had passed; if there was a passage to the outside, then it was night and therefore didn’t help.

She heard a yelp from off to the side, “Watch out!” and she pivoted just in time to slide to the right, away from Moon, as Gloom’s mace smashed the rock where she was standing into pieces. Bestial roars tore from his throat as he wrenched it from the earth.

“Hurricane! Behind you!”

Oh, great. More? As the mare chanced a glance, she caught a glimpse of vindictive yellow eyes, and then a fierce pain assaulted her wing. Gloom and Moon faltered for a moment, which was enough of a window for Hurricane to tear her wing loose from whatever had impaled it and dash to the next room, where Moon had formerly disappeared to.

Rounding a corner, Hurricane had never been happier to see light in her life. Even if it was just another magical torch, at least she could see her assailants clearly before Gloom smashed this one too and Moon inevitably tore her limb from limb.

The first to come around the corner was Star, who darted into the chamber on leathery wings, tossing a knife to the pegasus. She caught it gratefully, holding it in her mouth so as to have two free hooves to pummel with.

Star was followed in short order by Moon, her exotic sword gleaming in the dim light, and Gloom, mace already held high to annihilate the torch. Star moved to intercept him, needling him from above with her solitary knife and throwing him into quite the dilemma. If he dropped his guard for long enough to swing, she could effectively slice his throat. 

Not altogether trusting her to keep him occupied, Hurricane kept a wary eye to the side as she squared off against Moon. A twitch from the depths of the shadowy corridor caught her attention, though, as around the bend came limping a fourth ialtag, with a navy blue mane and tail and a very, very familiar spear, stained with blood, held shakily in her hooves.

Hurricane had never actually been stabbed by her own weapon before. She’d always expected it to be some sort of feeling of betrayal, emptiness, sadness, that sort of thing. That certainly wasn’t what she felt. Instead, what presented itself was a burning, molten core of pure anger, battering against her logic and reason. A haze of red descended over the room and an animalistic growl thundered from her throat.

“How dare you? HOW DARE YOU?”

With a display of speed that would’ve surprised any of history’s greatest pegasi, she blasted forwards, bashing Moon to the side as though she weighed no more than a few feathers, and launched a two-hoofed drop kick straight into the ialtag’s face. She cried out and dropped to the ground, losing her grip on the spear in the process. Hurricane snatched it up, whirling to face the three other ialtaeg. She stalked forward, voice as sharp and cold as a needle of ice.

“Allow me to make myself very clear. You two,” she motioned towards Gloom and Moondark, “are going to tell me exactly where we are, and what in Tartarus you’re doing here, when by all rights you should be guarding the Frozen Sepulcher. If you should choose to not do exactly as I say, then I will be…displeased.”

The ponies in question shared a quick glance and nodded at each other, sheathing their weapons. Moon stepped slowly forward. “You’re in our home, if it can be called that. It’s mostly just a cave that we dug over time. As for what we’re doing here, we decided that our lives weren’t to be decided by some decrepit old ialtaeg from the Council, and we followed the pegasi. It took us some time, but we found a place to live here. Everything was, for the most part, stable.

Then ponies came to live nearby, whether they had lived here for generations or had come here from the Homeland. They planted orchards, gardens, and we started taking some fruit to eat here and there. Nothing that they would notice missing. So it went for quite a while. After some time, most ponies moved down into the more populated areas, including the new kingdom of Equestria. Only one family stayed, and we’ve been taking less and less to compensate. We’re starving.

Then just a little while ago, lo and behold, what should fly above by the Nimbus Ring itself, and following it, Commander Hurricane. We took to keeping the ponies inside by night so they wouldn’t see us for what we really were, but then you came along. We wanted to use you as a ransom to become citizens of Equestria. For too long, the ialtag have been—“

Hurricane waved a hoof, her rage fleeing into boredom. “Yeah, I get it. You guys are jerks. But I’m curious about you, Star. Why did you tag along with these chuckleheads?”

Star’s eyes gleamed earnestly in the light and a small smile spread across her face. “I was following you, Hurricane.”

The pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm flattered. But I'm stupid enough on my own. I don't think I could handle you too."