The bay warrior was digging a trench in the sand with her pacing. Back and forth she went across the northern border; waiting, watching, hoping that her Sultan would return. She hadn’t seen him leave the desert, he’d simply been gone, and the slow thrum of nerves that had rung in her mind since her return from the confrontation on Sky Island had swelled to a cacophony of panic. She had patrolled, night and day, waiting for when some vile, bloodthirsty party would come to seize her sultan, but she hadn’t counted on him simply not being there.

She couldn’t wait anymore. There was no power that could make Megaera sit safe at home and do nothing. North! she thought, she had to go north and find him. Black feathered wings stretched, flapped, and the little bay was rocketed into the sky. She few high and she flew fast, crossing back and for the along her path looking for some sign and all the while dreading that she might be too late.

Too late for what? Would they kill him? No, she couldn’t let herself think that. Gaucho was innocent, the stallion she knew was a fighter, certainly, but he was also kind and generous and brave. To Meg, he was the font from which all fortune sprung. The home he had given her, the forgiveness he had shown, was that she had only just started to build her life upon.

It was the voices she heard first. Voiced that carried, that rumbled like the thunder and rang like bells. Voices of the Gods. And there they were. Megaera’s eagle eyes fell upon the scene from a great distance and she could not comprehend what it was that she saw. A lavender shadow disappeared, the three brother titans stood together, and before them a dun with flames upon his wings sunk to the ground.

Megaera’s scream of fury was a wretched sound.

Muscles strained near the breaking point as she aimed for the scene in the meadow downs. Never in her life had she flown like this, and it was possible she never would again if she did what her heart lead her towards. Defiance of the Gods could see her dead, but there was no alternative for her to choose. Vaguely, she heard some words as she neared,

“Consider this your lesson."
“My life for theirs."
“Yes, his life for theirs."
"But not his… Hers”

So this was the strange goddess’ work? A lesson for her brothers played with mortal lives and with a mortal tool. With Gaucho! And then the pale Forger was there. The spark was fanned and flared as she saw Cera move to shield Gaucho from the great black beast that called for his life and from the Gods that stood in judgment. Her herdmate. Her Sultan. Her God. Her life. Nothing could have swayed her from standing in their defense. If there was a place in her mind that said she had no power to win in this fight, she ignored it; surety of victory meant nothing in that moment. Cera spat his final words of defiance at the Three and Meg landed upon the earth.

Her speed sent her into a long skid that she turned into a gallop and in a flash she was at Gaucho’s other side, coming to a halt in a a skid and a stomp of hooves, as powerful and her small frame could manage. Like her Dragon’s Throat brother had done, Megaera stretched out her wings, the front half of her body lifting with the momentum of the act, and all she was, was shining.

Fire and fury inside her, a light that was hers from the God of the Sun, erupted from every part. She had not thought to call it, but it burst from her all the same in her anger and her fear. And for one second, two seconds, three seconds, her sunlight shown upon the meadow before withdrawing back into the little bay mare. “YOU ARE GODS! YOU WOULD SEE US USED LIKE PUPPETS AND THEN SCORN US FOR WEAKNESS!” Her words were fury and grief. She had taken the Sun God into her heart, trusted in his protection and her faith was being shaken, if Gaucho died, it would be shattered. “I THOUGHT YOU PROTECTED US!”

- - -

Notes: Meg accidentally uses her Sunlight Magic, yay!!