"One of the most spectacular sights in the world of birds is a kill of another bird by a stooping Peregrine Falcon. The falcon plunges steeply downward, wings partially closed, at speeds that can exceed 150 miles an hour. It was long thought that falcons and other raptors struck with their feet clenched like a fist. High-speed cinematographic studies, however, have shown that they strike their prey from above with all four toes fully extended. The Peregrine's victim is often ripped by the falcon's talons, producing a shower of feathers. Usually the prey is picked up off the ground afterward, although occasionally the falcon will stoop again and gather the tumbling bird before it falls to the ground."*
"Oi mister! Nice Costume" Called a tiny pinto colored colt trotting up to me. A single turn to me and the jovial look on his muzzle and playful nature became one of fear and unease, he backed away before breaking into a full on gallop back to the little colts and fillies he'd been out with. Little brat, disturbing my "work." I was clad all in black with a grey scale like detailing on my chest, a strange cross between stripes and diamonds almost....feather-like. A long black trench coat on my shoulders flying behind me in the strong wind, the lower portion slightly tattered but it along with the grey scale gave me the appearance of a large peregrine falcon, the king of the vicious birds of prey, beautiful and noble to look at but deadly and merciless in its savage quest for food.
My face was hidden behind two large brass framed goggles, the piece an extension of the mask on my face, it joined a short but sharp, bright yellow and black beak attached to the mask, the black frames blank and without expression or emotion. My hands covered in thick black leather gloves, the low moonlight glinting off their tips, the tips of the four solid titanium curved claw-like appendages attached to the four fingers on each of my hands, thick and strong but razor sharp.. and thirsty.
My head tilts up, looks into the window of the house, the house they share, all quaint and cozy, a big tree just off the town square. I see them both, muzzles locked together in a loving kiss, hooves around each other close and lost in their own world, behind the glass of those cold, almost dead eyes, my real ones shed only one single tear, and even so; its practically a crocodile tear at this point. My Talons scratch and chip the paint of their fence as I watch, they finally part, all short of breath and sweaty, I do my best not to imagine why.
"So what ever happened to that guy Octi?" Vinyl asks, her voice distant and distorted as if its heard through the ears of something...not of this or any civilized world.
"You know I have only eyes for you my love." She replied trotting off into another room, tail flicking about for the other.
"I'm gonna grab a shower, feel free to join me" she added with a wink behind her glasses. before making her way in the other direction to a small bathroom.
"She's first."
I opened the wooden gate noiselessly and closed it behind me, my coat now only fluttering softly, as my steps trailed across the path to the house, I did a quick turn into the dark shadows of the hedges, as Octavia turned to look out the window, somehow cloaked in the ebony of the night, I vanished from sight, and she looked back without a second thought. I followed the shadowed path up to the back door of the house, a window lattice granting me a slight vista into the mudroom. I tried the knob; locked. I gently placed a talon on the square of panned glass on the door, and raked and scratched at it cutting through to the other side, my talon's curve getting a grip on the square of glass before it could fall through the hole. I reached into the now glass-less little square; my hand snaked inside slowly and found the lock on the other side, it turned and I opened the door.
Inside the unwelcome guest's silvery metal claws clicked and creaked ever so softly, only the sharpest pony ears could accurately pick the sound up, as he stepped across the threshold, a purple haze trailing behind him, a fog from the night following the inhuman being into the house. He made his way across the carpeted room to the next door, opening it quietly and stopped, his head tilts in all directions; Has he been spotted? No; the hunter moves on. His sharp eyes locked on his prey, a strike from up on high with his talons out; one strike, one chance. The bird of prey takes his perch, in the front foyer he intrudes into is a stair case, he moves to the top of it, perched on the railing over the second floor landing; just above the hallway his prey will have to traverse down once she's cleaned herself. he sits on his perch for what feels like forever, his plumage tucked in ever ready to catch the breeze when he strikes on the equine, his sharp ears pick up the sound of the water, his mind sees it hitting the white coat; like rinsing away evidence of some crime.
A creak as the bathroom door finally opens his limbs aching to spring and lunge at his target, just a bit longer. She trots down the hall her mane in a towel, her eyes closed blissfully as her head bobs and bounces to an invisible beat. closer she gets now, closer....His talons spring open with a soft *CHINK* she looks up to the sound and her muzzle opens to let out a cry at the horrible perched creature atop the stairs, but it's too late! the single lunge with the the eight open and ready talons, and the falcon makes contact with his prey. the only sounds, are the loud slamming into the mare's body followed by the sickening sounds of tissue being torn, ligaments, tendons, muscles, all are lacerated in a flash of claws leaving eight trails of a clean cut along her shoulders, flanks, and white equine belly, the cuts just missing being deep enough to cause evisceration.
A door upstairs opens. "Vinyl? what's going out....OH SWEET CELESTIA!" She cries out seeing just what I've done. I seem to realize it too, I'm in honest to God shock and awe myself, I try to cry out that its not me doing this, but all that leaves the break is a sharp and scratchy cry of a bird of prey. I reach to take the mask off as she cries and backs up the stairs away from me in shock, but its no longer a mask, the brass has become a solid bird of prey beak, the eyes of the hunter are now my eyes, my hands are feathered wings, all tattered and filthy, the gloves my talons never to come off, stained and tainted with....I cant bring myself to say or think it. I bolt through the door, smashing it to splints as I do, taking off into the night where a fowl creature like myself belongs, ponies scatter and stampede away from me their screams piercing the night as lights go on in houses, and they see me, the hideous half-human half- avian monster dashing about wings and tail feathers flapping in the breeze as I charge with my body out in a position to....I open the new wings Iv'e been cursed with. As filthy and tattered as they are, they catch the wind and lift me into the air amidst my fleeing I hear cries of.
"Somepony get the Wonderbolts to kill that monstrosity!" and,
"No, lets kill it before it eats us all!" Followed by angry shouts as they make for their torches and tools, and nooses and if they had them, they'd surely grab their guns. The angry ponies follow my shadow, the night sky has betrayed me, it casts a shadow on me aided by the bright glow of the moon as if, some-pony's controlling it to do so. The winds seem to have turned against me as they slow me down and I struggle to stay in flight. The hunter now is the hunted. I see their angry faces bellow, a wave of them all colors and sizes ready to have me plucked and beaten with their farm tools, the nooses of some lasso's just barley managing to catch my foot talons.
"Getalong everypony we've almost got em!" a Country mare calls as her lasso snares and she pulls with her great strength, I flap and give everything I have to get away, but more snares catch me, and I'm caught, taken to the mob of ponies. I hit the ground and look up. All I see are angry face in glares and sneers, their tools and weapons ready; and her, Octavia my love, I'm sorry; I don't know what got into me if I could I'd trade my life for Vinyl's. She looks saddened, almost as if...no a monster like me? I diverse only this, with no pity or sympathy not even from her Majesty the princesses. For the horrible thing I've done, let your justice be swift Equestria.
"BE STILL!" "AWAKEN!" A loud voice seems to shout over everything, as the world around me seems to dissolve and melt, it flashes by, angry ponies, tools pounding into my body, flashes of my feathers. a green haze spinning and spinning. I feel sick...I feel hot...I Fall.
I Wake up covered in a cold night sweat, on the floor in a heap with my bedding beside me, my body slightly sore from both the fall and from being on the floor most of the night, It's still dark out, my clock reads Two in the morning. I feel something warm and stick on my fingers BLOOD?! I shout inside my head in a panic only to realize its only from a nosebleed, I got it from hitting the floor face first, but luckily my nose isn't broken nor is the injury serious. I get up and feel the night air on my skin my window's been opened.
"I think It's time you and I had a little talk." A soft and gentle voice calls to me. In a panic I turn and see her, the large winged unicorn that I saw last time, only it's no longer a dream, or is it? she doesn't look angry, but not happy to see me either. More concerned. Her midnight blue coat, her flowing almost other-worldly mane, billowing behind her, her eyes like big blue sapphires twinkling like the stars with a loving sympathy for the dreamer.
"Am I in Trouble?"
"No...But I feel you will be soon enough if you don't let me help you, this world, is changing you in more ways than you realize."
She said nothing else as she trotted up to me, a hoof landing softly on my shoulder before tilting my head into hers, her other one, it wiped away the tear at my eye; A real one.