Fresh Start

The snow was pretty thick on the surrounding hills that sloped low in the eye's horizon, but only a avalanche of snow could of caused a stir like that. Bounty tried to think of what sort of thing could make something like that? Everything suppose to be sleeping in the snow times.

"Snow don't make the ground shake."

Silver was feeling enough ground shaking in the back of the cart, but he was already half asleep or didn't care to answer Bounty. While he kept himself awake enough to cue up if something was going on, he was not caring about much else.

Rough Cut had put her map away and was now smiling. The cool air, beautiful scenery, and the music calmed her nerves. Despite her previous stress, they were moving now and everything would be all right from here on out.

Blazer now felt the tremors. "That can't be anything good."

Let's get a little background as to why this happened. A colt who's name will remain unknown had been playing around out in the middle of know place in serech of something when he came across a pack of sleeping Stonebacks, he thought they hid his prize behind them and woke them up by making a pot and pans alarm over the front of the cave and pulling it. Causing a smashing of pots which are very loud. The Stonebacks awoke with anger and tried looks as the stampeded down the trail they took in the spring time to go to there mating grounds. Sad to say the ponies of this quest were walking on said path, though even if by some chance they were not the pack runs in a sort of zig-zag line which covers a large aera so even if they were left to the road or moved a fear they wouldn't be in much luck unless they started moving as quick as they could.


"We need to everypony off the road at once. Something is coming this way."

Hearing Blazer get worried immediately got Silver to attention. He was up and stretching his wings with his eye scanning the horizon.

"Well i be damned. Something is up....Ill get into the air and see what i can spot." He dropped his extra baggage and limbered up before leaping off the cart and getting into the air. He flew in large circle around the group, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

(splain what he sees if any.)

Blazer waited for Silver's report. The other ponies were not as danger sensitive and continued onward.

Off in the frozen wastes of the sleeping forest there was a great mass of what looked like stone beasts coming in a great wall like a giant rook about to crush you foolishly placed Bishop.

Silver quickly looked around for a safe route to avoid whatever those things were. It was hard to predict where they may be turning to, but where they were now, they needed to move.

He swooped down to the group and started shouting.

"Stampede incoming! Move east quickly!" There was one place he saw that they could possibly get away from them, but he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"There is a river we may be able to cross if its shallow enough. They might divert rather than plow into it."

The idea of that body of water did not settle well with him.

The music stopped, one old timer spoke up for the group. "What was that yew sayed?"

Bounty jumps up on the cart and yells out. "Stoneback stampede is ah'comin! Now git due East unless you want to be the flattest pony in the west!" One pony schemed as and others started scrambling to turn and not to bump into eachother. Bounty goes to help the back of the Caravan.

Silver repeated himself as he flew by, trying to get everyone to get moving. As they neared the water, Silver started to keep his distance, favoring to stay the lookout. One hundred yards out from the water edge and he landed, waving on the other ponies to go.

The other ponies immediately took off in the other direction. To say they hauled ass would be an understatement.

Bounty's horn glows as he lifts up some logs to block the running ponies path, which made most run back when they saw Silver waving and the huge logs float in there way, but some were still running the wrong way and they were in a panic.

Bounty was sweating bullets of salty water trying to move these logs effective and try not to hit ponies running about.


"Huff.....huff..."

Silver facehoofed and immediately darted after the loose running ponies. He individually flew to each one and block them off to impatiently point to where they should be going. So long as he didn't have to get near that river or carry any pony he was fine.

Trail Blazer assisted with the herding on the ground, still hitched to his wagon. There was one pony that was absolutely mortified, and that was the petrified Rough Cut.

Bounty had horded the fools to cross the river, which they were all doing way better then he expected. Maybe there was hope for this group after all. He looks to the wagons to check on folks to see if there hurt or scared, Bounty hated seeing sad children, reminded him of Eri.

He nods to Trail blazer as he hops a ride toi see the shocked Miss.Cuts.

"Miss.Cuts are you alright? You hurt? The ponies need you to start barking orders were in chaos here."Bounty hoped she was the tpye to be defined by these moments, now he sees her folding over something like this, granted it was a panic event, but she is the leader. She has to fake being strong for the rest of them.

Silver half fluttered, half galloped over to Miss Cuts. He grunted and began to push her physically toward the river, ignoring Bounty trying to get her to act up.

"Come on and giddy up Miss Cuts. Don't make me carry you. I ain't gonna do it. Your no use to us as paste."

He eyed the waterline ahead. There was no way he was going to bring himself across that water unless it was hundreds of feet above and on a cloud.

Rough Cut, or Miss Cuts as everypony seems to be calling her, was still as petrified as a goat.

Bounty knew this couldn't happen, this is a mayhem's best friend when the leadership freezes up in a time of trouble. Bounty, Silver Spur an Trail Blazer wouldn't be enoguh to make these ponies fall in line. They needed someone that had the title of a leader, even if no pony thought she even was one, she could raise up to become one right now. He could hear the thundering stomps of the Stonebacks they were getting closer and closer. He turns to Miss. Cuts and looks hear in the eyes, trying to put on his politest Canterlot accent.

"Miss.Cuts, I know your in there and I know you can hear my voice. Listen to me for a moment. There are very big creatures on there way, me and others can't make the ponies follow orders. It's pure chaos among the ranks here and only you can make them get in line. Now I know your scared, I was a sacred once too. I once was a bodyguard for a gem company, I was the only colt who stopped a infamous game thief from stealing the the precious stones, but he discovered I fell for a filly. He then made a trap to get her and make me hand over the gems to him."

He was trying to look as nice as he could. Being forceful wasn't going to open her up. "I was was scared, I was fearful he wouldn't do the trade like he promised and let her fall...." He didn't want to go on to say what else had happened that day. Hopefully she got the idea. "I too froze up in the moment where I needed to shine, this moment your in right now, but if I hadn't build up the courage in me. There still be a gem thief out there and I would of lost somepony I had cared about that day. So please Miss.Cuts take my hoof." He extends his hoof down to her with eyes that seem to try to be rooting you on.

Silver grunted in frustration. This was utterly rediculous. Miss Cut was frozen in place, and Bounty was telling her a life story as if to motivate her. He felt like bashing them both in the head once to get their minds straightened out but that would just create more mess. There was only one way to get this mare moving.

"I ain't waiting anymore." He said. Without make any attempts to be modest, he slid under Miss Cut and lifted her up on his back. He galloped at a moderate pace toward the river.

As the water line was getting closer, Silver could feel the anxiety in him start to build up. He kept a poker face for the moment. When Bounty caught up he would have to ask him to take her up in his stead. He better hurry up.

Trail Blazer pulled up alongside Silver, still with the cart hitched to him. He'd been in many fights and could see the anxiety dripping off of him. "Bounty, if you were only scared once I'm going to have to call you a stone dead liar! Silver, toss the girl in!"

Bounty felt like his moment seemed to be snatched away from him. He semi stunned by what just happened. He even get to see if what he said had any effect in the least and now he's got Trail Blazer calling him a liar. Also there seems to be a huge mis-communications on there part because SilverSpur snatches her up and then Trail tells her to put her back in.

Bounty decided to move on from it. It wasn't like it was the time to worry about or prove himself. He jumps out of the cart to go move the slowpokes in the back.

Silver was relieved to see that Blazer was still nearby. At this point he thought they were left in the dust with all the time spent trying to get Miss Cut moving.

Almost too eagerly he jumped into the cart and dumped off the mare. Then as quickly as he boarded, he jumped off into the air. Oddly, instead of flying ahead and over the water, he flew up higher and higher in circles to get more altitude.

Once he was a few hundred feet up in the air, Silver let out a sigh and took a few relaxing breaths. Crossing the water would be no problem now.

At this point, nearly everypony and their carts and wagons had made it across the cold river. Blazer himself thundered through the river, causing water to splash up high on all sides. It took a moment for Rough Cut to recover. When she did she sheepishly stuck her head up out of the wagon.

Bounty was behind the pack telling them to move faster as he turned back to see the Stonebacks quickly upon them. He dive bombs in the water with the other ponies, almost getting a horn in te flank if he wasn't faster. Also as he start swimming he helped one colt struggling to get over. He had hurt his leg or something. Bounty didn't care the reason, he just wants the colt across. He also realized three swords on him were gonna be rusted from this dip and he left two behind. Bounty was now in a sour mood at all of this.

He also was wondering why that filly was in charge. She was no leader, and if that is the case. He was gonna give her a earful when this was over and hopefully he can figure out a way to get that leadership quietly and drag it out of her.