private Journey to the Higher Plane

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

"Everlast has him safe, Lightning," Clover whispered. "And the others need to go, now. These hippogryths are tough, and they won't give up without a fight. Do we really want the stallions to be badly hurt, when leaving would mean that they could track the hippogryths to their lair and plan a surprise attack? Plus, we could talk to the hippogryth mares and find out some very useful information. With us making a plan on the inside, and the stallions making a plan on the outside, we will soon escape. I have some spells which mean we will be able to communicate to them from the inside, making it easier."

 

Clover was more worried than she let on; she knew that stallions were stubborn. Altho Quicksilver, Raze and the others might believe that fighting their way out now was the best thing to do, she knew that it wasn't. They were strangers in a strange land, which these hippogryths no doubt knew like the back of their hooves. They could also call up reinforcements at any time. A quick withdrawal was best.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@, @@purple.teal, @@Pripyat Pony,

 

"But..." Bliss turned then, spotting Everlast with the baby in the sack, safe and looking as small as possible in a threatening situation. Her eyes locked on the baby as well as his did to her...but just when he was about to make a mad squwak and dash towards her, she immideatly gave him a firm look. No...you stay here...don't move...be safe... All said it in her face.

 

The baby cooed sofetly in a saddening tone too low for the others to hear, and pressed up against Everlast for comfort.

 

Bliss sighed, "Alright...we'll play it your way Clover..." she toned down, waiting and hoping the other stallions would back off.

[Jack Baker 698]

Steel's acute hearing picked up the mares' conversation, and decided that he would go along with it. He turned to Quickdraw.

 

"Your gun," he whispered to him. "Lower it, and let them go,"

 

Quickdraw looked at him wildly, weapon still raised. "Are you kidding?! I don't intend on lowering my gun until I see those birds dead on the floor!" he whispered back to him.

 

"Just trust me on this," Steel responded, looking back at the gryphons.

 

Quickdraw looked at Steel, then back at the gryphons, then back at Steel. Finally, he slowly lowered his gun. Raze backed off from the fight as well, getting the message, and walked away slowly.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@,

 

Darkclaw grinned seeing his way was being respected as he shoved passed the white pony stallion, ignoring the other gray pony with a sleeping bag in the corner. Carrying his two prizes he spread out his wings.

 

"Come Roc, Berack...and even you Stone..." he gritted his beak at the mention of the weakling hippogryph cowering in the back. "The storm is getting worse and I don't want my new harems freezing." With that the large black hippogryph took to the sky with his flock of hatchlings following close behind, though all three were rather annoyed with it.

 

Bliss felt the jerk of the take off and this only sent her into a furray of fear and squirming. She wanted to get loose, to get free and turn back to the stallions...but Darkclaw's grip on her, Clover and Hurricane was firm, he didn't even notice her squirm.

 

"NNN...NO!" She cried out, her screams of sorrow being muffled by the wind.

[purple.teal 50]

When the other stallions backed down, Everlast sighed and with a heavy heart, watched the mares get taken away. We can make it through this. 

 

Once he was sure, that they were gone, he opened the bag to let the baby out. "Alright little guy, it is safe now. Stay by me.

 

Turning away and getting up, He scanned the remaining stallions. "Well, What now?" 

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@@purple.teal,

 

The little hippogryph was able to stick its head out just in time to see its mother being taken away. As her nappers disappeared into the night and the unicorn that held him protectively let him go, he leapt out of the sack and galloped clumsily towards the exist, squwaking out for Lightning Bliss.

 

"Mama!!! MAMA!!!" It cried horribly, trying to flap its wings to take off after her. It buzzed up for a moment, gaining a foot of altitude. But his wings had barely begun to strengthen, and was risking to snap in two if he tried anymore...Suddenly though the little white wings gave out and he fell on his rump, now crying in more despair, "mama...mama...*sniffs*"

[Jack Baker 698]

Steel saw that the little hippogryph had fallen, and walked towards it, gently picking him up and setting him down next to him. "We need to find out where they're going. Hopefully they haven't gotten far..." He looked at the baby and picked him up, setting him on his back. "I'm taking the little one with me, he might be able to track down Lightning." With that he flew away in the direction he saw the other hippogryphs go.

[Hurricane 159]

Hurricane still struggled in the grip of the hippogryph. It was no use. "Dumb, overgrown chicken." She grumbled to herself after realizing trying to escape would be unsuccessful. She turned to Clover and Lightning Bliss. "Do you guys know where we might be heading?" She asked. She figured one of them might know.

Edited January 4, 2015 by Houndoom

[purple.teal 50]

He watched the little one, and followed it outside but found that steel had gotten to it first and carried it away. "NO! Get back down here! What do you think you are doing!?!" He screamed after the escaping pegasi. "Bring him back! What are you doing with the little one? You can't go after them now. We just finished with them. We need a plan! Get back here!" 

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@, "Don't know," Clover replied, feeling that it was pointless to try and escape. The hippogryth held them too tightly. "But according to what I've read about these creatures, they normally live in caves. Not usually at the top of the mountains, about half way.

 

Clover hoped that one of the stallions still had the totem she'd made to locate Lightning Bliss the time she'd gotten lost; it would come in very handy, now. She'd dropped it in the cave. @@purple.teal, @, @,

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@@Pripyat Pony, @,

 

Bliss seemed to have tuned both Clover and Hurricane out...tears trickled down her face. Here she was, being held captive against her will, away from her husband...away from her home, and now away from an infant that depended on her...She felt horribly...like she failed once again to be a proper alicorn...Surely she felt she could think of a way out of this...but she felt like a piece of meat. She threw her wings over her face, sobbing quietly as they were continuesly carried through the snow.

 

@@purple.teal, @,

 

The little hippogryph clunged to the strange flying pony and squawked with terror as they flew up into the snow storm. Though after a moment of fear, the hippogryph felt right at home in the sky, even though he couldn't fly himself yet. Just then though the baby began to peep, a happy peep...due to somehow he could smell his mother through the storm. His beak was powerfully attuned to the sense of smell of his motherly figure...and even through all the cold ice, he could smell her clearly. Whenever the pegasus flew in the wrong direction, he'd squawk loudly in warning till he flew in the right direction.

 

"MAMA!" It peeped out as they continued through the storm.

[Jack Baker 698]

@@Lightning Bliss,

Steel seemed to have figured the baby's way of guiding him, and used it to help steer himself in the right direction. He flew swiftly through the storm, determined to find where the hippogryph were.

 

Back at the cave, Quickdraw shook his head. "Tarnation, he's gonna get himself killed... we gotta go after him." Before he ran off, though, he noticed something on the ground: the totem Clover had with her. He picked it up, and looked at the rest of the group.

 

"Well, don't just stand there. Let's move! We'll figure out what to do when we get to... wherever we're headed." He then ran quickly in the direction he saw Steel fly off.

[purple.teal 50]

Still standing at the edge, shouting uselessly at the pagasus, Everlast watched the Quickdraw run past him after Steel. "We can't all go running blindly!" He stomped his hooves and shook his head. No one seemed to be patient enough to figure out a solid plan. "We've already thrown reason away. No use trying to pick it up now." With that he jumped after the gunslinger. 

[OG Blaze 269]

@@Lightning Bliss, @@purple.teal, @

 

"Everlast is right! We can't rush after them! We'll get separated before we can even catch their gaze!" Blaze stood next to Everlast and tried to keep his eyes on the other ponies racing ahead of him. They were already out of his sight and the snow was starting to pick up. He wanted to find Lightning Bliss and the others as well, but they would never catch them in these conditions. What was needed was a regroup and a planned strategy. "QuickDraw, Raze, Steel Tempest. Come back!"

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@, @@purple.teal, @,

 

After a while of peeping and squaking, the little hippogryph lead Steel to the other side of the mountain, near midsection like Everlast predicted. It was clearly stocked full of hippogryphs, all adults and all seeming to be males...There was a cluster of caves surrounding one large entrance...But it was quite clear...his mother was there, being held hostage with the other pony mares. He squaked with urgency, just about ready to leap off Steel's back.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

There was just one hippogryph female in the clan, and she was keeping herself hidden from the males. With good reason. The female hippogryph Stormwing had a small filly at foot, and she had already noted that the other hippogryph mares who had foaled had either been killed or had disappeared. First had been Mist, who had been Darkclaw's alpha mare. She and her daughter Greyfeather had been killed in an avalanche. But Stormwing had noticed that it wasn't the season for avalanches, and that there was no reason for the snow to fall like that. She suspected that the avalanche had been a deliberate ploy to kill Mist and her foal. Next, there had been Cirrus, who'd gone to hatch her egg in a cave and had never returned, followed by Snowbow who had gone for the same reason. Stormwing had always thought that Snowbow was beautiful; her feathers and tail tuft were rainbow coloured and her fur was white. Stormwing's fur was black and her feathers and tail tuft were blue. Her foal Nimbus was black with purple feathers and tail tuft, indicting that her sire was Darkclaw, and that she was the last filly remaining. Stormwing kept herself hidden, made easier by her dark colouring, waiting only for the males to go away.

[Jack Baker 698]

@@Lightning Bliss,

Steel looked at the baby, and smiled slightly. "Woah there, little one. You need to be patient." He landed quietly near the entrance that he saw, and set the baby down in front of him. Before he could run off, however, he blocked his path.

 

"Now, I know you want to find your mother, and trust me: we will. But I need you to work with me together on this. Don't run off on me, and stay close. Do you understand?" He looked at the little creature as if he actually understood the words coming out of Steel's mouth.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@@Pripyat Pony,

Finally at what felt like forever Bliss found herself being put down amongst what seemed to be another female hippogryph hiding with her foal in the background, along with several other males that were seemingly enjoying the scenery from the safety of the entrace as the snow continued to fall. Bliss's first instinct was to take off soon as she touched ground, spreading her wings out instantly.

 

"HISSSSS!!!!!" Darkclaw blocked her way, hissing at her to go back. It was more then enough for Bliss to flatten her wings down and slowly turn away.

 

"Let us go!" She snorted, "you have no right to-"

 

"Silence female...You're speaking to your new alpha..." He ordered Bliss and shoved her aside against the wall. "You have spirit, that needs manners...Sit down."

 

"I will not! You have no right to order me around! I am an Equestrian! I have rights and-" Suddenly she felt his rough talon force her down on her rump, along with a painful pinch on her shoulder to remind her not to talk back. "OUCH!"

 

"That was a warning female...The next time it will be a peck!" He stormed off, carrying Hurricane and Clover to dump them somewhere else within the cave, designated where they were meant to 'nest' more likely.

 

Bliss groaned and rubbed her shoulder, a clear red mark had been left from the pinch. He could have easily torn her flesh off but didn't...clearly she and her friends really were valuable to him enough he didn't want to hurt them too much. She sighed and laid there for the moment, waiting to hear back from Clover and Hurricane.

 

@,

Meanwhile outside hidden well from the main entrance, the little hippogryph struggled to obey the flying stallion's requests...He could smell Bliss, she was right there! At one moment he took a step forward but Steel blocked him, urging him to be patient in someway. Though the young baby was only hours old, he was highly intelligent enough to understand the urgency of the situation.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Lightning Bliss, Clover was taken to a cave nearby, which she didn't like the look of at all. It was cold and dusty and had not been lived in for some time. In fact, it had been the residence of Darkclaw's alpha female Mist and her daughter Greyfeather until their untimely deaths. Clover's suspicion that Darkclaw intended for her to act as his daughter were justified when she was taken to the cave and told that her duty as the alpha's daughter was to clean and make representable the cave. Wisely, Clover said nothing but did as she was told. She could not take the risk of being severely injured by Darkclaw and therefore unable to use her magic to contact the others. Clover sneezed as she began to clean away the dirt and some dust went up her nose. She wondered where Hurricane was being taken.

 

~~~

 

Stormwing could hardly believe her eyes; this pony mare who, along with her friends, had been brought here had the exact same colouring as Snowbow the beautiful hippogryth had! Not only that, but one of the other ponies was coloured the same as Greyfeather had been. This must be a sign, the female hippogryth thought. The blizzard eventually thinned enough so that the hippogryph males could leave the caves, presumably to go hunting. Once the caves were empty save for herself and the strange pony, Stormwing steeled herself to speak.

 

"Come further in, and then we can talk," she whispered. "You remind me of another female hippogryph, named Snowbow, who left to hatch her egg and never came back. I need to speak with you."

 

She turned and nudged her filly Nimbus gently, warning the foal to stick close to her. The female pony didn't look dangerous, but Stormwing didn't want to risk what she thought was the only surviving foal in the colony.

[Jack Baker 698]

@@Lightning Bliss,

Steel assumed that the little one did in fact understand, and thus picked him up and put him on his back again.

 

"Alright, watch and learn," he said to the hippogryph, readying his katana. "I will show you the way of the wanderer..." With that, he walked right into the entrance, glancing around at his surroundings. He planned to do this the old fashioned way; challenge everyone in the mountain and cut down as many as possible for him to get to the mares. Nothing he couldn't handle...

 

"HIPPOGRYPHS OF THE NORTH!!" he shouted, trying to get their attention. "I come here with a challenge... I challenge you... all of you... to a fight to the death to claim back the mares you have held captive! If you accept, step forward!!!"

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Quickdraw was running hastily to find where Steel and the mares were, still holding the totem in his hoof. He shook it in frustration, trying to find out how to activate it.

 

"Gah, how the hell do you use this thing?" he said to himself.

Edited January 8, 2015 by DJ Rabi Ray Rana

[purple.teal 50]

Everlast had been galloping alongside Quickdraw but stopped short when he heard the shouting. "That's Steel. What is he doing!?!" He began sprinting again and caught up to Quickdraw again. Everlast saw him messing with something. 

 

@

He looked closer and saw the totem. "Here, can I see that?" He doubted it would be necessary anymore. He would just look for circling hippogryphs. they would probably gather around Steel. "He's not only going to kill himself, but the little one as well."

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@@Pripyat Pony,

 

When the coast seemed clear Bliss heard the female speak to her in the far back in urgency. She seemed passive enough...though deep down she simply wanted to turn and bolt for the entrance. There was still however a male gryphon outside, guarding the entrance. Probably by the order of his alpha more likely...I've already proven I won't be one female to stick around... She sighed and decided to turn to the black gryphon who was motherly protective of her foal. She couldn't help but admire how cute it was, but it was much much bigger then the baby hippogryph she left back with her other friends. It had to been at least a year old and was the same size as she was!

 

Bliss followed the female and child back deeper into the cave till her white coat was just visible, and sat down close by.

 

"My name is Lightning Bliss...Alicorn of Peace and one of the Princesses of Equestria along with one of my friend Clover. We also have another friend, a black pony named Hurricane. Do you know where this Darkclaw took her?"

 

The female shook her head, sitting back with her child protectively nestled underneath her, she looked very frighten and submissive that Bliss spoke first.

 

"I'm sorry...I'll try to whisper..." Bliss said realizing she was coming off too dominantly, "I'm just...trying to figure out what to do...we were marenapped...we're not supposed to be here."

 

"None of us are..." Stormwing answered, "I was brought here when I was a young hatchling, during a raid in my birthing tribe. But this is the way of things...Tribes fight for territories and females, so that our clutches may grow...But this is not why I wish to speak with you...My name is Stormwing."

 

Bliss blinked and titled her head in curiosity, waiting for Stomrwing to continue.

 

@, @@purple.teal,

 

The little hippogryph could no longer wait any longer for this odd pegasus to take action, especially with the way he was doing it, calling all the males to battle. His mother was right there...and he was going to find her. With that he leapt off the stallion when he was over thirty feet in the air and rapidly flapped his wings. He squawked with panic but his wings did manage to slow his fall till he landed with a thump in the deep snow. He came to a sliding hault near a cave, right next to another hippogryph who was guarding the main entrance. A chestunt male with black spots, who didn't seem to notice the rainbow hatchling. The little hippogryph held fast, stay under the snow, waiting for a moment where he felt the time was right to find his mother.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Lightning Bliss, "There is something very wrong with this tribe," Stormwing continued, in a low voice. "Normally, the young males would have left the caves for good, in order to establish a clan and territories of their own. But the eldest son of Darkclaw has other plans. He wishes to take over the clan but is too weak to challenge his father so he tried to take over another way, by advancing on the females. Mist and Cirrus both refused his advances, so did Snowbow. Mist of course was killed, along with her daughter Greyfeather, who was nearing maturity. Cirrus and Snowbow just disappeared, along with their new hatched young. I know nothing more, but I fear that both are dead."

 

Stormwing seemed near tears as she spoke. Something in her told her to trust this stranger, otherwise she would not have poured her heart out as she was doing. "I am afraid," she said. "I fear an attack, so try to keep myself hidden. If it were only possible, I would leave and try and seek sanctuary from the griffon kingdom but Nimbus is not strong enough for the journey. The griffons' kingdom is at the top of a high mountain and it would be too much for her. In the spring, she will be old enough but will she and I still be alive?"

 

Despair and terror was written on the female hippogryph's face. She took a while to compose herself before continuing.

 

"Greyfeather was Darkclaw's favourite daughter. Your friend, the one you called Clover... she looks a lot like Greyfeather. If Darkclaw decides to replace his daughter with your friend, then she could be in great danger. Your other friend has the colouring of Cirrus, and your colouring is of Snowbow."

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

@@Pripyat Pony,

 

If Bliss wasn't already white...it would have been clear how terrified she was now.

 

Great...just great, she thought to herself, me and my friends are stuck in a tribal warefare and we could be the targets of the derranged alpha's son? We've got to get out of here...But before she began to concieve even trying to escape...her ears dropped and tail tucked under her rump...The hippogryph she and the others found dead in the snow...torn up...with her coloring...

 

"I..." Bliss's lip quivered with what she had to say... "Stormwing...please...keep calm for what I'm about to say but..." She gulped and looked right into the female hippogryph's eyes, "the one you called Snowbow...me and my friends...we found...well more like her hatchling found us...And...we found her as well..."

 

She could see a linger of hope in her eyes...and began to tear up knowing she was about to break that light.

 

"Snowbow was dead when we found her...I know for a fact it was Darkclaw's son who killed her...Roc...He was going to feast on her remains...we over heard when we got trapped in the cave where she was nesting..."

 

She could tell Stormwing was at wits end by this devestating news...knowing for sure now she and her hatchling were guarenteed targets.

 

"But her hatchling is alive and well...though he sees me as his mother it appears...Dunno if its cause of my colors or...he just happened to spot me first...He won't stop following me around...I can't just up and be his mother though...can I?"

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Lightning Bliss, Stormwing wiped the tears from her eyes with a paw. "Perhaps you can," she replied. "If you can't, I would willingly care for Snowbow's son. If I ever get out of here with my foal."

 

Clover worked at the cleaning til she was left alone by Darkclaw, then she worked a spell, pointing her horn at the wall at the very back of the cave. A small screen appeared, showing Clover Lightning Bliss, next to a hippogryph mare and her foal. The screen was two way, meaning that Lightning and Stormwing would see a small screen of Clover, alone in the cave. Clover had cast the spell, gambling that Lightning had stayed roughly where she'd been left. She couldn't include Hurricane as she didn't know where she was and therefore couldn't get a fix on her at this moment. @,