//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Pain // Story: Lost in Darkness // by ChocolateFan25 //------------------------------// The cold air blew past Fleetfoot and messed around with her mane. The three pegasi flew for a while, but no one has spoken since their departure from the headquarters. Wave Chill's words lingered still in the back of her mind, which made her groan. Her body felt tense and her wings screamed at her to fly faster, to get rid of the pent-up energy, caused by her anger. She shortly glanced at him and could see his grim expression, even under the uniform and his goggles. Fleetfoot snarled quietly and looked forward. "As if he deserves any special treatment." she thought. "Especially after what he said. We all have our problems, but we don't act like divas." She pulled her concentration back on the mission and hoped, that the wind would cool her mind down. But no matter what she did, her body would not stop shaking. "Guys?" she heard somepony ask from her side. She turned her head and saw Misty Fly, looking worried at her and Wave Chill. "May I ask what happened between you?" Wave Chill turned his face away and replied briefly. "None of your business." His voice sounded strained, as if he would have to fight with his anger as well. Fleetfoot gritted her teeth, and tensed her body again. She tried her best to suppress it and kept her body reactions under control. Then, she turned to Misty Fly and said with a smile "Don't worry, nothing happened." Misty Fly sighed. She knew her friends too well to overlook their troubles, and that something has happened between them. For a moment, she put her hoof in front of her mouth, and struggled to find the right words. "Okay, I know something has happened. You shouldn't forget that we are comrades. We have to rely on each other, and it won't bring any good if you keep snarling at each other." Fleetfoot lowered her head. "She's right." The reasonable words of her friend made her body relax, and she calmed her breathing. But a look to the side made her purse her lips again. "If somepony would stop offending others, it wouldn't be like this now." Fleetfoot said as nonchalant as possible. He didn't even respond this time. Misty Fly looked at each one of them again and opened her mouth to say something. After some thinking, she closed her mouth and shook her head with sad eyes. "They are too upset to listen to reason." she muttered, and the group continued to fly south-east. Fleetfoot looked down at the sparse lands. In the distance she could see the first trees, which marked the beginning of the Hayseed Swamps. "Do you see any signs of Timberwolves?" Misty Fly asked, who concentrated again on the mission. Fleetfoot squinted her eyes and overlooked the entire area. No noticeable movements and no sound, that would lead to any animals. "No, everything seems to be clear." Fleetfoot responded. "Okay, we fly our rounds above the edge of the forest and the plains close to Dodge Junction. The expert team should be here in one or two hours." Misty Fly informed them. She flew below Fleetfoot, spun around herself and took position in the middle of the formation. "It was Spitfire's order, to take the lead." she explained with a shy smile and rubbed her head. Together, they took a turn to the left and kept their eyes back on the ground. The Hayseed Swamps were enormous. They stretched far over the horizon and it was difficult to see anything through the thick treetops. "As a foal, I was always scared of woods." Fleetfoot thought. She felt a chill when she remembered those fears, that kept her awake in the nights, a long time ago. "They are so dark, and the trees keep one from flying out, as if the forest would trap one in it, with all it's dangers. I prefer the open sky every time." She then remembered the rare trips to the woods, close to Cloudsdale, with High Winds, when they were younger. High Winds was intrigued by the creatures of the forest, and all kinds of trees. But Fleetfoot never felt safe there. Whenever she looked up to see the sky and her well-known home, there was only the roof made from leaves and branches. "Is everything alright?" Misty Fly asked her. Her voice was calm, as if she would try to sooth Fleetfoot. Fleetfoot stopped her stream of thoughts and memories, and looked to the side. "Sure, I was just lost in thoughts." she said in a low voice. "I can't tell her of it. What would she think of me if I say, that woods make me feel uneasy. Besides, Wave Chill would probably use this to insult me even more." Fleetfoot snarled at that thought. For a while nothing happened, and they continued their work in silence. Fleetfoot took her eyes once in a while from the ground and threw a look at Misty Fly. She could see in Misty Fly's eyes how nervous she was. Her gaze kept shifting really quick and she played with her hooves more often than usual. "It shouldn't take much longer for the team to arrive." Fleetfoot thought and it was her turn, to look in worry at her comrade. Suddenly she saw something in the distance. A pony ran out of the woods, screaming at the top of his lungs. Fleetfoot could not see his expression from the distance, but he ran as fast as his legs would carry him. It seemed, that he was in panic. Shortly after him, two other creatures jumped out of the woods and into the open area. They were not ponies, and they followed him with angry growls towards Dodge Junction. "Eyes forward!" Fleetfoot yelled and pointed with her hoof to the animals. Misty Fly and Wave Chill spotted them as well, and Misty Fly turned to her comrades, her face looked determined. "Then let's go. But don't do anything risky, or Spitfire will kill me." she said with a smile. But her anxiety was still noticeable, thanks to her voice. Fleetfoot and Wave Chill nodded, and the three Wondebolts flew faster. Soon, they reached the animals and flew beside them. On close-up she saw, what she had guessed from the far. Their bodies were made of thick, gnarled branches, which made her wonder how they could even move. Their eyes glowed in a frightening, green shade, and sharp fangs stuck out of their jaws. Misty Fly was the first to act and flew a few yards past them. She then took a sharp turn to the right and flew past their heads. Both Timberwolves saw her and slid to a stop. Quickly, they turned around and growled at the ponies, who flew in circles around them. The running pony threw a quick glance back to his followers, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. For a moment, he slowed down to watch the scene. With a glad smile, he turned around and started running again, to get back home and into safety. Fleetfoot flew higher so she would not be caught by them. She then analyzed the situation as good as possible. On one of the Timberwolves grew a long twine, which reached from the top of its head all the way down to its paws. Strange, white flowers bloomed on this twine, and Fleetfoot was sure, that she has never seen them before. The Timberwolf snarled at the ponies in the sky, but it stayed always behind the other Timberwolf. While the second Timberwolf lacked any noticeable details, it surely was bigger than its mate. It snarled as well, but its growl was deeper and sounded far more aggressive. When the pegasi would fly too low, it would jump up and try to snatch them between its teeth. "Is it trying to protect the other Timberwolf?" Fleetfoot wondered at the sight, and looked to the others. Misty Fly waved her hoof twice, pointed at the bigger Timberwolf, and nodded. It was her sign for a coordinated attack. Fleetfoot took a long breath and took all her courage. "I did it more than often in practice." she calmed herself down in her thoughts. She lowered her eyebrows and squinted her eyes, looking at the Timberwolf with determination. Quickly, she pushed her wings and kept her body straight, to reduce wind drag. It would end horrible, if she would be even half a second too slow. But she gave herself no time to imagine, what could happen or not. She focused on fulfilling her part as good as possible. With only a few inches between her body and the fangs of the big Timberwolf, she flew past them. A chill shot down her spine, when she felt the warm breath of the beast and its fangs, just barely touching her coat. It gave her enough adrenalin to fly out of its reach again. With another strong flap, Fleetfoot reached safety again. She still felt her fur raising and she calmed her breath down. Quickly, she looked back to the beasts on the ground. She had the attention of the two Timberwolves, who seemed angered about her action. Provoked, they tried even harder to snatch her, and seemed to have forgotten about the other two Wonderbolts. It was part of the plan, and her comrades used this chance. Misty Fly flew down, and grasped one of the legs of the big Timberwolf. She had enough momentum to pull it of the ground with ease. Before the Timberwolf had time to react, Wave Chill rammed him in the flank, which threw him crashing to the ground. The Timberwolf yowled and a loud crack could be heard. It struggled with its legs and threw his head to the back. It finally got up to its paws and lifted its hind leg, whining. Misty Fly and Wave Chill tried to take off again, when the Timberwolf with the flowers rushed towards them, its snout wrinkled in anger. "No, you won't!" Fleetfoot shouted in her mind, clenched her teeth and made another sharp turn in front of the Timberwolf to distract it. In this situation, she had not much time to think. The safety of her comrades were on the line, so she had to act quick. Fleetfoot flew through its legs, and made sure her hooves touched the belly of the beast. The Timberwolf jumped away, its growl panicked, and tried to catch Fleetfoot. Her tail slipped away, before the Timberwolf even had the time to close its mouth. The blue pegasus stopped a few yards above them, her gaze locked on her comrades. While she distracted the Timberwolf with the flowers, Misty Fly and Wave Chill got up into the air again. Wave Chill breathed heavily, seemingly tired from whirling around the big, wooden beast. Misty Fly rubbed her chin and looked at the Timberwolves from above. Her eyes constantly shifted, she was deep in thought. In the meanwhile, the big Timberwolf looked up to the ponies with flattened ears. Its eyes started to glow red and its growl became even deeper. "We can't fight two Timberwolves at the same time." Misty Fly said after a while, and added a sigh. Her eyelids were lowered and her lips wrinkled. "But we just have started!" Wave Chill said with disappointment. His hooves twitched, and even though just one attack cost him quite a bit of energy, he gazed at them with fire in his eyes. "Wave, we are not enough ponies for that. We already need three ponies just to bring one Timberwolf down. And another one to distract the second Timberwolf. If we start an open attack, somepony will get hurt." Misty Fly explained, and tried to calm him down at the same time. Her voice was strained and her breathing became more heavy. "So you say we should give up the mission, because we have a weak link in our group?" Fleetfoot clenched her hooves. "What do you mean with that?! I was supposed to distract them, so you can even start your attack! If I wouldn't have made sure, that the second Timberwolf goes for me, you would have ended up as a snack!" she hissed back. She didn't even try any longer to hide the spite she grew for him. Her snarl could even rival those of the Timberwolves. "Stop it!" Misty Fly interrupted them and held a hoof in front of Fleetfoot. She looked at both of them sternly. "We have more important things to do. We can't fight them, so we will lure them back into the forest, just like we are supposed to do. We have their attention right now, and if we talk too long, they will loose their interest in us and run off again." Fleetfoot remained silent, but she continued to glare at Wave Chill. His look was cold and without any kindness. "Alright." Fleetfoot said with clenched teeth and flew ahead. Misty Fly turned around looking for help. Her gaze showed worry and she tore at her mane with a loud, frustrated groan. Like Misty Fly said, it wasn't difficult to lead them back, with all the anger they had earned from the beasts. The Timberwolves followed them and barked from time to time. Fleetfoot shrieked for a second, when she heard the snapping of their jaws rather close to her. She flew a bit higher to be sure, that they wouldn't get her, and let her mind wander again. "Weak link." she repeated in her mind. "I trained with barely any breaks for days. I did my best, and worked harder than anypony else. And he still has the nerves to call me weak?" She gritted her teeth to the point, where they started to hurt. Her mind went out of control and she searched, with lowered eyebrows, for something, that could repair her pride again. She watched the Timberwolves, who followed them without break. For a second, she thought she could see herself in those animals, never stopping their hunt until their anger would be satisfied. Fleetfoot shook her head and looked again. The big Timberwolf limped with his hind leg, a rather big branch got broken through the fall and stuck out of his flank, which prevented him from running and jumping like he would normally do. She stopped grinding her teeth and an idea came into her mind. A small smile appeared on her face, which turned slowly into a sly grin. "This is my chance." she thought and lifted her muzzle high into the air. The plan, she formed quickly in her mind, sounded perfect. "You will never call me weak again! And I will never let you hurt my pride again!" Without warning, Fleetfoot turned midair and rushed down to the beasts. Her wings flapped as hard as she could and she swung her right hoof to the back, ready to punch the Timberwolf. Her entire body prickled with excitement and in her ignorance, she took no notice of anything but her target. She imagined Wave Chill, lowering his head sheepishly after she would have defeated both Timberwolves alone, and apologizing to her while admitting her strength. This picture in her mind made her grin even wider. "Fleetfoot, don't--" she heard Misty Fly screaming, before it was too late. She was only inches away from the wooden beast. Suddenly, Fleetfoot felt a sharp pain in her hind leg and she jerked to a stop. She cringed in pain and realized, that the other Timberwolf had grasped her out of the air. She widened her eyes and took a sharp breath, before the Timberwolf pulled her backwards. Instead of biting her, it clenched its teeth around her tail and swung her from one side to the other. Fleetfoot looked around in panic, not knowing, what happened or were she was. For what felt like an eternity to her, she struggled with her legs and hoped for the best. A blue-yellow shadow flew past her and with an incredible force she got slammed to the ground. Fleetfoot heard a dull crack, before the world turned dark, and her consciousness slipped away. *** Misty Fly looked around, her breath became faster and heavier. It became more and more difficult for her to coordinate everything. The attacks of the Timberwolves and her comrades, who were busy with fighting against each other. "Calm down, it's going to be alright." she thought and went with her hoof through her mane. For a second, she managed to be calmer and her body relaxed. Until she looked down, her eyes widening. Without a notice, Fleetfoot stormed toward one of the Timberwolves. "Fleefoot, don't--" she screamed and stretched her hoof out to her friend. The scene in front of her eyes lasted only mere moments, and her own movements felt sluggish. Seconds later, Fleetfoot got snapped with a loud yell by the other Timberwolf. The beast seemed to play around with her, instead of harming her. Misty Fly's heart beat so fast, she thought it would jump out of her chest at any moment. Only relying on her instinct, she rushed down and punched the beast at the throat. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?!" she asked herself between gritted teeth. She tensed her body and gave her best to push the Timberwolf back. The eyes of the Timberwolf widened and it lost the grip of the pegasus. For a second, Fleetfoot shot through the air and landed with a loud crack on the ground. Misty Fly pushed herself of the Timberwolf and flew up, her gaze locked at her comrade. "Come on, get up!" she yelled with fear in her voice. Misty Fly tried to gulp down the lump in her throat, and waited with shaking hooves. But Fleetfoot didn't move at all. Her calm position and her shallow breathing told her, that she was knocked out. "Another problem." she thought and took a sharp breath. Misty Fly pushed her wings backwards and squinted her eyes. "I won't loose any comrade.", she thought, and flew as fast as possible. From the side, the Timberwolf jumped in her way and came very close to biting her head off. In last second, Misty Fly could turn to the side, missing Fleetfoot by a few hooves length. "Great." she thought and snarled quietly. Things became worse, and the constant fear made her feel tired. Her body would not stop shaking, and her wings started lacking strength. "Wave!" she cried and turned around, searching for help. Wave Chill, who only watched the scene with a gaping mouth and wide opened eyes, nodded to Misty Fly, and flew in circles around the Timberwolf. He didn't need any orders, he knew what he should do. Again, the Timberwolf barked and growled, but no matter how much it jumped, it wouldn't get them. The bigger Timberwolf joined them and looked with flattened ears to its mate. They stood there for a moment, looking at each other and growling, sometimes licking the nose. It seemed like they would communicate with each other. The Timberwolf with the flowers barked twice, and the bigger Timberwolf reacted with a snarling, turning its gaze to the other ponies. The flower Timberwolf then turned around to the pony on the ground, and walked toward her. Slowly, it lowered its head, and took a long sniff at her. A few streaks of her mane lifted up from the upcoming draft and fell back down. It then dug its nose in her fur, constantly sniffing. When no response came from Fleetfoot, it opened its mouth and bit her in the leg. Misty Fly's eyelids lowered and she snarled loud. "Get your paws of her!" she yelled and flew down again. "I won't let you hurt any of my friends again!" Her mind was restless and she could only think about bringing her friends back to safety, even if it would mean failing the mission. Despite her weariness, she pushed her wings to her limits and stormed down. The Timberwolf noticed that, and turned around, growling at her. It jumped over Fleetfoot and barked without a break, giving Misty Fly no chance to reach her. Like the attempt before, Misty Fly had to fly to the side to get out of danger. She cursed the situation in her mind, when a scream behind her caught her attention. The big Timberwolf had succeeded in snatching the end of Wave Chill's tail, and threw him down to the earth. Wave Chill landed with a groan, and closed his eyes for a second. They shot open, when he felt the warm breath of the Timberwolf, getting closer to him. He gave his best to defend himself with his hooves and crawled slowly backwards, to get out of the grip of the Timberwolf again. Wave Chill growled loudly and pushed the Timberwolf back. It worked, but only for a second. The other Timberwolf saw the struggle of its mate, and jumped off Fleetfoot, to help out. Misty Fly smirked, she could now help Wave Chill without leaving Fleetfoot behind. Like before, she stretched her forelegs in front of her and flew quickly towards the Timberwolf. Right in front of the big Timberwolf, she turned sideways so she could ram it with her shoulder. She pushed him right in his injured flank, making him yelp and tumble around. Wave Chill looked up with wide eyes, but his look softened when he saw Misty Fly. He turned around, stretched his wings out, and got up in the air. "Thanks." he said with gratitude in his voice. "That was close." He held his right foreleg, which he had used to block the attacks of the Timberwolf, while being nailed down with his back on the ground. He gritted his teeth and looked at the Timberwolves. "Yeah." Misty Fly shifted her gaze between Fleetfoot and the Timberwolves. "And now?" "I would say... we lure them into the forest, like we had originally planned, loose them there and then bring Fleetfoot to the hospital." They started to fly circles around them again, to keep them from running away. The Timberwolves still snarled at them, licking their teeth, but they didn't try anymore to bite them. They already spent more energy and had to bear more pain, than the prey was worth it. They looked at each other, and sniffed and barked again. Suddenly, the big Timberwolf turned around, and ran off towards Dodge Junction. "Hurry!" Misty Fly yelled, more to herself than to Wave Chill, and followed. She clenched her hooves and breathed heavily. Both of them flew around the Timberwolf, to keep him from running any further. "If I let him run off that way... I'll let my comrades down." Misty Fly thought and bit her lip. With a lot of effort, they were able to lure it back in the right direction. From afar, they heard the sound of paws, drumming on the ground. She whirled around, and saw the Timberwolf with the flowers, retreating from the scene and fleeing back into the woods. Every jump was long and only seconds later it disappeared between the bushes and trees, its colors melted with the surroundings. A chill went down the spine of Misty Fly and Wave Chill, when they heard the howling of more than one Timberwolf from the woods. The big Timberwolf listened and answered with a long howl. The sounds died away, and the Timberwolf threw a last glance towards the ponies in the sky. It's ears were flattened, and it growled in its deepest voice. Its eyes softened, when it looked to the forest, and ran off. Moments later, and both of the Wonderbolts were alone. Misty Fly's smile widened and she started to laugh. "Finally!" she cried and felt her legs wobble under herself. She sighed with relief, even though her body would need more time to relax. "That was harder than I thought." For a second, she put her hoof on her chest and breathed slow, but steady. Wave Chill looked at the woods. "I hope the team arrives soon." he said, and added more quietly "I'm too exhausted to fight more of them. I didn't thought they would be that heavy." Misty Fly smiled at him. "At least, it didn't end bad." she said happily and her gaze softened. Suddenly she gasped and flew into the air again. "We have to go to Fleetfoot!" In her relief, she nearly forgot her unconscious friend. With a smile she flew to the spot, where the fight took place. Her smile wavered and she looked around. "Fleetfoot?" Misty Fly yelled. There was no sign of the pegasus. Misty Fly whirled around, looking everywhere for her comrade. "Fleetfoot!" she yelled again. "Did she woke up?" she wondered and rubbed her chin. The longer she searched, the more her smile turned into a frown. "B-but... she was right there." Misty Fly tried to remember, at what point she saw Fleetfoot for the last time. Her eyes slowly widened, and she gasped. "W-Wave?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Did you kept an eye on the other Timberwolf, when we followed the big one?" A foreboding thought started to form in their minds. "Do you think...?" he asked slowly, not daring to say it out loud. Misty Fly turned to the woods. It was completely silent. No chirping birds and no wind, that would make the leaves rustle. A depressing silence laid above the woods, whose trees kept everything and everyone inside in darkness. "Oh no..." she whispered, and felt her blood freezing. Misty Fly sat there, not able to grasp a single thought. "Come on!" Wave Chill yelled abruptly, ripping her out of her shock. "They can't be too far!" His voice was shaking as much as hers did. Misty Fly nodded slightly, and followed him towards the woods. "Why have you done this, Fleetfoot?" she asked in her thoughts. "Please, Celestia, let her be alright..."