(Hey, sorry I've been MIA! I've got a lot going on irl at the moment. I've done a longer one this time to make up for it lol)

| JUBILEE |

The young mare tossed her head and pinned her ears, tail lashing her haunches in a sort of fit of irritation. Her eyes scanned the horizon, searching for that thing that’d been following her– it was nothing that she knew, of course, because only Jubilee could manage to get herself into this situation. The grove of trees she found herself in was only able to be entered through a steep, rocky slope, something that she really didn’t feel like climbing at the moment.

She huffed and stretched her neck towards the ground, feeling her muscles pull and creak pleasantly. The mare– a filly, really– hadn’t been comfortable for months now, always sore, tired, and cranky. Her swollen stomach betrayed the reason- although the rest of her herd hadn’t yet picked up on it.

And she wasn’t going to spill the secret anytime soon.

Jubilee eyed the slope with a bitter taste in her mouth, choosing to get herself out of the situation entirely before it got worse. With a groan, she started to haul herself up the hill, gnashing her teeth and stomping her hooves into the ground like a little colt.

She’d only just cleared the tip when a loud snarl sounded behind her. She whirled around, ears pinned and teeth bared, to see a skinny, starving canine stalking in the trees. It cowered at her fury, turning tail and fleeing when she squealed and slammed her forelegs into the ground near him.

Her head tossed as she snorted and blew, lashing her tail. Her sides heaved as she breathed, just trying to catch her breath for a moment.

The sound of a horse nearby called her attention to her currently lonesome status. Her ears flicked forward, straining to hear the noise, before she grunted and turned towards the plain that her herd called home. Her belly swayed back and forth as she broke through the trees, watching the menagerie of horses wander around the fields.

It was in moments like this Jubilee recalled Atlas’ thoughts on her band, and she flicked her ears back in irritation. Her mind wandered as she neared the herd, noticing some of its members– her mother included– looking quite frantic. She wondered if it was due to her– she’d been gone a couple days, after all.

| ATLAS |

Atlas eyed Jubilee closely, watching the mare wander back into the herd. His ears flicked forward and he nickered to himself, as if to reach out to her. He was often alone, after all, and she satiated the natural craving of a herd animal as himself.

It almost made him laugh- he’d been taught to take what he wanted, no matter the cost, and yet here he stood, only able to meet with his…’friend’ when she wandered away herself. He hadn’t met with her this time, choosing to allow her to relax without the need to interact with another horse.

He’d been in the upper mountain ranges recently, trying to scope out a place that would be comfortable to stay for awhile, but to no avail. His instincts brought him back to the grassland, always taunting the band with his scent along the outer reaches.

Waiting. Watching.

His time would come. He just needed to be patient.

Atlas turned back towards the mountain ranges, walking a bit farther into the woods. He didn’t go far, just enough to stay cool in the shadows.

| GENESIS |

The mare huffed loudly, fluttering open her eyes and groaning as she sat up from her position on the ground. It was exhausting, this pain; but she’d endure. She had to. For her…

Foals?

Her son lay at her feet, sleeping soundly, yet her daughter was missing. Genesis suddenly shot to her feet, joints cracking and form showing her age. She seemed like she’d been shot, swinging her head around squealing shrilly, moving faster than she had in a long time.

“Where is she? Where is Midas?”