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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Voices
“Has he remembered yet?”
“I don’t know.”
“We should never have come; this was a fools errand.”
“Featherleaf, you were the closest to him. Do you have any idea where he’s leading us?”
“How should I know? He hardly speaks anymore. I swear, the stallion’s gone mad.”
“Well, we’ve been out here for months, and we just lost another good pony last night.”
“Yeah, Silvershine would still be here if we had just stayed put.”
“What would you have done, Thunderstreak? We were starving, and half the water was poisoned. We’d have died.”
“Oh, and we’re so much better off now.”
“We have food at least.”
“Fine, defend him, then. Come on, Grass Blade. Let's go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stonebuck lay down by her lover's side, crying into his mane. “Oh, Silvershine, why now? We were going to have foals. Why couldn't you just hold on longer? We’re almost there, I can feel it.” She continued to weep quietly beside his body, his silver coat glistening red in the moonlight.
Why did everypony keep dying? They had been so happy before the plague. She and Silvershine were mere foals, playing in the vast meadows. What had they done to deserve such a fate?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grass Blade circled the camp, watching for any signs of wild animals, like the one that had attacked Silvershine. The plague had driven the animals mad. It was in the water. They would drink it, and begin to act strange. Some would claw at their own throats, others would simply walk in circles until exhaustion. It wasn't right. It wasn't natural. Where had it come from?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Featherleaf ducked inside their tent. "Hey, you still in there?"
Night Strider sat in the middle, shaking and muttering to himself. “The dream. I need to have the dream.”
“There, there, Nighty. You’re alright. I’m here.” She wrapped her wings around him.
“The foals, I have to... protect... the foals.” He stared toward the back of the tent.
“Our foals are dead, Strider. They were the first to go. You can still protect what is left of the tribe, though. You just need to show us the way.”
“P... protect...”
“Yes. Remember. You know the way. You’ve been there before, haven’t you?”
Night Strider silently nodded. Feather Leaf nuzzled his neck, and lay down next to him.
“Good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thunderstreak circled the camp from above, keeping the fire in sight while he scanned the horizon.
“Still no change. Ugh, where is that blind fool taking us?” They had been traveling for weeks, chasing some accursed old legend about some nonexistent oasis beyond the horizon. And of course the fates were cruel enough to allow Night Strider to remember the way only after he’d gone mad from drinking the water.
A silly foalhood dream, that’s what it was. He knew there was no truth to the legend at all. There was no oasis, no food, no cure for the disease. They were hopelessly walking to their deaths. But would anypony listen? No. Grass Blade had hardly spoken a word to him since the day Blossom Tail had died. As if he could somehow have saved her. The plague had taken her before she could stand. Tears streamed down his face and fell from the sky as he thought of her. How beautiful she had been.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Come on, Night Strider. Keep going, you can do it.
Yes, listen to us. We hold the key to your salvation.
Show me. Show me the dream. The dream I had once.
And what will you pay to get it? The lives of your people? You have already lost that.
Their lives are not worth much anyway. They’re all going to die soon.
I have to... protect them.
And how do you plan to do that? Silvershine is dead. Only you can sort out the poisoned plants from the good now, but you can’t ever cure yourself.
Yes, only our way is the answer. Listen to us, we will guide you.
But what do you want from me? I have already given you everything I have.
Everything? What about... her?
Yes, yes. For her we will show you the dream. The dream that will lead you home.
No. Not her, anypony but her. Take-- Take me instead. You can have me. Just let me save her.
Oh, but we already have you. I thought you’d realized that the day you drank that nasty water.
Yes, hee-hee-hee-hee. You are ours. OURS!
“I don’t know.”
“We should never have come; this was a fools errand.”
“Featherleaf, you were the closest to him. Do you have any idea where he’s leading us?”
“How should I know? He hardly speaks anymore. I swear, the stallion’s gone mad.”
“Well, we’ve been out here for months, and we just lost another good pony last night.”
“Yeah, Silvershine would still be here if we had just stayed put.”
“What would you have done, Thunderstreak? We were starving, and half the water was poisoned. We’d have died.”
“Oh, and we’re so much better off now.”
“We have food at least.”
“Fine, defend him, then. Come on, Grass Blade. Let's go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stonebuck lay down by her lover's side, crying into his mane. “Oh, Silvershine, why now? We were going to have foals. Why couldn't you just hold on longer? We’re almost there, I can feel it.” She continued to weep quietly beside his body, his silver coat glistening red in the moonlight.
Why did everypony keep dying? They had been so happy before the plague. She and Silvershine were mere foals, playing in the vast meadows. What had they done to deserve such a fate?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grass Blade circled the camp, watching for any signs of wild animals, like the one that had attacked Silvershine. The plague had driven the animals mad. It was in the water. They would drink it, and begin to act strange. Some would claw at their own throats, others would simply walk in circles until exhaustion. It wasn't right. It wasn't natural. Where had it come from?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Featherleaf ducked inside their tent. "Hey, you still in there?"
Night Strider sat in the middle, shaking and muttering to himself. “The dream. I need to have the dream.”
“There, there, Nighty. You’re alright. I’m here.” She wrapped her wings around him.
“The foals, I have to... protect... the foals.” He stared toward the back of the tent.
“Our foals are dead, Strider. They were the first to go. You can still protect what is left of the tribe, though. You just need to show us the way.”
“P... protect...”
“Yes. Remember. You know the way. You’ve been there before, haven’t you?”
Night Strider silently nodded. Feather Leaf nuzzled his neck, and lay down next to him.
“Good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thunderstreak circled the camp from above, keeping the fire in sight while he scanned the horizon.
“Still no change. Ugh, where is that blind fool taking us?” They had been traveling for weeks, chasing some accursed old legend about some nonexistent oasis beyond the horizon. And of course the fates were cruel enough to allow Night Strider to remember the way only after he’d gone mad from drinking the water.
A silly foalhood dream, that’s what it was. He knew there was no truth to the legend at all. There was no oasis, no food, no cure for the disease. They were hopelessly walking to their deaths. But would anypony listen? No. Grass Blade had hardly spoken a word to him since the day Blossom Tail had died. As if he could somehow have saved her. The plague had taken her before she could stand. Tears streamed down his face and fell from the sky as he thought of her. How beautiful she had been.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Come on, Night Strider. Keep going, you can do it.
Yes, listen to us. We hold the key to your salvation.
Show me. Show me the dream. The dream I had once.
And what will you pay to get it? The lives of your people? You have already lost that.
Their lives are not worth much anyway. They’re all going to die soon.
I have to... protect them.
And how do you plan to do that? Silvershine is dead. Only you can sort out the poisoned plants from the good now, but you can’t ever cure yourself.
Yes, only our way is the answer. Listen to us, we will guide you.
But what do you want from me? I have already given you everything I have.
Everything? What about... her?
Yes, yes. For her we will show you the dream. The dream that will lead you home.
No. Not her, anypony but her. Take-- Take me instead. You can have me. Just let me save her.
Oh, but we already have you. I thought you’d realized that the day you drank that nasty water.
Yes, hee-hee-hee-hee. You are ours. OURS!