Reality is a Blur

Chapters

Chapter Two – Dash to the Past
Chapter Three – Awakening
Chapter Four – Hopeless Wanderer Part I
Chapter Five – Hopeless Wanderer Part II
Chapter Six – First Aliment
Chapter Seven – Finding a Way Out
Chapter Eight – Investigation
Chapter Nine – Establishing Time
Chapter Ten – Predicament
Chapter Twelve – Runaway
Chapter Thirteen – Put to Work Part I
Chapter Fifteen – One More Light
Chapter Sixteen – Peaceful Night
Chapter Eighteen – Cherished Relief Part II
Chapter Nineteen – Change of Plans
Chapter Twenty – Siege of The Pyrathian Kingdom
Chapter Twenty-One – Port of Wynmeda
Chapter Twenty-Two – Journey Abroad
Chapter Twenty-Three – Intercontinental Voyage (Twilight)
Chapter Twenty-Four – Intercontinental Voyage (Rainbow)
Chapter Twenty-Five – Arrival in Moenum
Chapter Twenty-Six – Mundane Travels Part I
Chapter One – Flying Fast
Chapter Eleven – "Awesome" Discovery
Chapter Fourteen – Put to Work Part II
Chapter Seventeen – Cherished Relief Part I

Chapter Two – Dash to the Past

Author's Note

This chapter is quite literally a 'dash to the past'. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter Two – Dash to the Past

It was noon when the main five got a letter, from Pinkie Pie, explaining their plans for the night. First, the main six were going to Sugarcube Corner to eat some of her desserts. Once done eating, they were going to head to Sweet Apple Acres for some of Applejack's homemade apple cider, for a refreshing beverage. After that, it was undecided.

The main five all met up in the center of Ponyville, then made their way to Sugarcube Corner as a group.

Applejack was the first to speak, “This is gonna be interestin'.”

“Yes, I agree,” Rarity responded.

“I hope she made some of her famous cookies, those are my favourite!” Rainbow said, hovering above the group.

“You think she just wants to hang out for the night, to have some time to spend without any problems?” Twilight asked, turning her head to look at the others as they walked.

“Maybe, it is always fun to hang out without any problems to deal with. Seriously, you girls should come with me to the spa sometime,” Rarity suggested.

I guess this is fun. It's been a slow week so far. I wish I had something awesome to do. Rainbow found herself in thought as they walked.

Once they got close to Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow heard her name being called, breaking her train of thought.

“Rainbow!”

“Huh? Oh, uh... what's up?” Rainbow asked sheepishly.

“Are you okay?" Twilight asked. "You seem like you got something on your mind.”

“Yeah, of course I'm fine! I was just—”

Rainbow Dash was cut off by the sound of Pinkie Pie screaming. Before any of them could react, Pinkie came running out of the doors.

“You came! Oh my goodness! I just finished too! Come on, come on! I have a table already set up,” Pinkie yelled, motioning for them to enter.

“What's this for, Pinkie?” Applejack questioned.

“Nothing,” Pinkie Pie answered.

“You sure do set up really fast,” Fluttershy thought out loud.

“That's kinda what I do!”

“You seem... more excited than usual,” Rarity said.

“It's just a fun little meetup for us! Just so you girls can have some fun tonight!” Pinkie answered. “I'll be right back, I'm going to get the food. Take a seat!”

Pinkie slipped into the other room, allowing Applejack to ask a question that’s been on her mind.

“Is it just me, or is anypony else gettin' the vibe that she's up to somethin'?” Applejack asked, sitting at the table that Pinkie had set up.

“I get the same feeling, don't worry. She's surely planned something special for tonight,” Twilight agreed.

“You really think so? Maybe she just missed us, you know how she gets,” Fluttershy said.

“Hopefully it's awesome, 'cause, well... then it's not cool,” Rainbow Dash said, slowly slouching down in the chair.

Pinkie came into the dining area, pushing a cart stacked with an assortment of baked foods. “Okay, I'm back! I have everything we are going to be eating for tonight. Cookies, cupcakes, a cake, and even—”

“Pinkie, as much as I love your bakin', I don't think it's that healthy,” Applejack interrupted.

Pinkie Pie glanced over at the others, watching their expressions carefully. “What about we head to someplace and get some hayburgers?”

“I wasn't sayin' I didn't want your food, I was just sayin—”

“Now you're talkin'! Let's go get some hayburgers!” Rainbow Dash blurted.

“Okay, girls, I'll lead the way!” Pinkie called out, pushing the cart back into the other room before bouncing out of the main doors.

“Well then... I guess that's fine,” Applejack whispered, following behind the group as they made their way to the other restaurant.

“What are you talking about? I never did that!” Rainbow yelled across the table.

“Rainbow Dash, keep your voice down! We don't want to make a scene,” Twilight said through gritted teeth.

“Well, somepony has to tell them their wrong!” Rainbow Dash shouted back.

“Rainbow, can ya stop bein' all 'tough', it's not gonna help you,” Applejack suggested.

“You obviously did, I have proof!” a stallion said, holding up a wrinkled photo of, what looked to be, Rainbow Dash grabbing fruits from a stand. “It clearly shows you grabbing fruits, red-hoofed! So don't try and lie to me! You never paid for them!”

“If it's bits that you want, than here! Take it!” Rainbow Dash yelled at him, throwing bits from her bag.

The stallion, a unicorn, seemed even more annoyed as he started taking the bits from the ground with his horn. Rainbow didn't care if she threw too many bits from her bag, she just wanted the stallion to leave.

“Happy now?” Rainbow Dash said, ceasing her shouting.

Without another word, the stallion left, leaving nothing but the annoyed mare and her friends. The whole restaurant was silent, staring at the main six after all of the yelling being exchanged between them.

Rainbow turned back to the others and shot one of her smiles, “Got'em to leave, didn't I?”

“Thanks for making a scene, Rainbow. I think it's time to leave,” Twilight snarled.

“But we just got here. Why leave in such a rush? C’mon, it wasn't that bad, Twi,” Rainbow confusedly said back.

“Now, Rainbow. Let's go,” Twilight said, picking up Rainbow Dash with her magic, despite her protests. The others stayed silent as they followed.

Once the main six got outside of the restaurant, Fluttershy spoke up, “Who was that, anyway?”

“You're guess is as good as mine,” Rarity answered, sighing.

“Dash, can I ask you a tiny question?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Rainbow sighed, still being carried by Twilight, “Shoot away.”

“Did you actually steal some fruit from that pony's stand?”

Rainbow Dash sighed once again, “Like I said earlier, no.”

“But you looked just like that pony in the picture he was holding up. Unless there's another Rainbow Dash, which would mean that you went to that pool of water that creates another one of yourself!” Pinkie squealed.

“Uh, no,” Rainbow answered, annoyed.

“You ready to behave yourself, Rainbow?” Twilight asked. “I don't want to carry you everywhere like a foal.”

“Yes, Twi. I can walk,” Rainbow snarled at her. She was then dropped from her friend's magic, hitting the ground with an audible thud.

“I must say, you had that coming,” Rarity giggled.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie shouted out of nowhere.

“What?”

“Race you to the next place!” Pinkie said, running towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Rainbow Dash looked back at her friends, who seemed to not be paying any attention to her, and chuckled. She shouted back, “You're on!”

Rainbow Dash took off, flying fast. Not fast enough to create a sonic rainboom, but still fast. Fast enough that she could have claimed Pinkie was way behind her at this point.

Rainbow Dash stopped with an abrupt halt. She made it to her destination.

“Ha! I made it first.”

“Think again, Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie said, popping out from behind a tree.

“Wa-What? But how?”

“A secret,” Pinkie whispered, walking out from behind the tree.

Rainbow didn't bother pushing it farther, so she flew onto one of the nearby trees and laid back against the trunk.

“Well, now we gotta wait for the others to get—” Rainbow Dash was cut off by the sudden flash, “here...”

“So, what's next?” Applejack asked, adjusting her hat.

“Can we head to the spa? I think it would help relax all of us,” Rarity suggested, “especially after the... incident back there.”

“Hey, I had that under control!” Rainbow shot back.

“Rainbow, it really didn't look like you had it under control. Honestly, I wouldn't have been too surprised if you two started buckin' each other,” Applejack stated.

“I'm going to have to agree with Applejack. You were pretty scary,” Fluttershy said.

“Enough talking about what happened earlier, let's go!” Pinkie Pie yelled.

“Right this way, girls.” With the tip of a hat, Applejack took the lead down the trail to the barn, where the cider was being stored.

Rainbow Dash couldn't contain her excitement, she was bouncing as happily as Pinkie normally was when setting up for a party.

“How much is there going to be?” she quickly asked, growing worried.

“Don't worry, Rainbow, there'll be plenty,” Applejack said, smiling at her.

“Awesome!” Rainbow shouted, feeling her hopes rise once again.

The main six nearly drowned themselves with how much cider they chose to drink. Mug after mug, gulp after gulp. It wouldn't be long until the cider runs out. There was about two barrels left, out of the eleven Applejack had.

Even though they only came to Sweet Apple Acres for a drink or two, they set up a small party. It was just for the six of them, nopony else, but it still made things a bit... messy. There was mugs laying about the barn, spills here and there, balloons and other party supplies, and even a pony sleeping! Wait...

“Ah think the cider got the best of Fluttershy,” Applejack said, walking over to the sleeping pegasus.

“She did drink quite a lot,” Rarity agreed.

“Should we wake her up?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No, I think we should let her sleep it off,” Twilight answered.

“Ya really think so?” Applejack questioned.

"This was really fun!" Pinkie Pie shouted. “Oh... my... goodness! I just had the best idea!”

“And what might that be, Pinkie?” Applejack asked, sitting down on a pile of hay.

“Truth or dare!”

Rainbow Dash sighed, “I guess that's cool.”

“Cheer up, Rainbow Dash. You sound like you just lost a race,” Rarity said.

“Okay, great! Rainbow Dash, truth or dare?” Pinkie asked.

“Uh...” Rainbow put a hoof to her chin, “truth?”

“Is it true that you hate going to the spa?” Pinkie asked, leaning closer to Rainbow.

Rarity glanced up from whatever she was doing, “I heard spa.”

Rainbow looked around to the other ponies. They were each sitting in a circle watching her, waiting for the answer.

“Well I... uh... I don't, I don't know.”

The others didn't seem too impressed.

“Okay, fine, I like going to the spa. But don't tell anypony!”

“That's what you were so worried about? Darling, your secret is safe with us, right girls?” Rarity said, looking around at the others.

“You can count on us to keep it a secret,” Applejack agreed.

“Yup!” Pinkie said. “Okay, Rainbow, you get to ask somepony now.”

Rainbow smirked, “So, Twilight, truth or dare?”

Twilight looked at her, confidence filling the air. “Dare.”

Rainbow Dash was surprised. She was expecting Twilight to choose truth instead of dare. This made her think of what to say. After a moment, Rainbow found the perfect thing for a dare, “I dare you to wake up Fluttershy.”

“Really? That's it? That's easy,” said Twilight, who was already getting up and walking to her sleeping friend.

Twilight poked the sleeping pegasus in the side. Fluttershy rolled over, and was now facing away.

“Boo!” Applejack shouted.

Twilight jumped back, away from her sleeping friend, who was now getting up from the loud noise. Everypony was laughing at Twilight's reaction.

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked, walking over to join her friends in the circle.

Rainbow, who was still laughing, said, “Twilight got scared!”

“That's not very nice,” Fluttershy said, taking a seat next to Twilight.

Twilight glanced over at Applejack, “Yeah, not very nice. Anyway, is it my turn to choose somepony now?”

Pinkie Pie nodded.

“What are we doing?” Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie was the first to answer, “Oh, we're playing truth or dare, wanna join?”

“That sounds fun, sure.”

“Okay, I'm going to do... hmm... Applejack, truth or dare?” Twilight said.

“Well, I suppose it won't hurt to do a dare,” Applejack answered.

“Alright, I dare you to uh... drink more cider.”

“That's your dare? I can handle more than all of y'all combined,” Applejack said, getting up and grabbing her mug from earlier. “Here goes.”

Applejack chugged it, then slammed it down to show that it was empty. She then dunked the mug into an open barrel of cider and drank more.

“See, told ya,” she said, smiling as she came to sit back down on her pile of hay.

“Hey, Rainbow, can I ask you something real quick?” Rarity asked.

Rainbow drank the last bit of cider in her mug and burped, “What’s up?”

“Well, I was just wondering something. You know how you can do a sonic-rainboom? Well, how come you never really keep going?” Rarity asked.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked, confused by the sudden question.

“After you make a sonic-rainboom, why do you just stop? Can’t you keep going after that? Like... how do I put this? Can’t you go faster?” Rarity asked, brushing her hair with her hoof.

“Huh... never really thought about that. Guess I’ll just have to try it!” Rainbow answered, standing up. “Welp, it’s been fun tonight, Pinkie, thanks. I’m gonna head out though, I have things I need to do tomorrow, cya!”

Pinkie looked back to the others, who were all starting to get up from their circle. “So, I take it that everypony is done?”

“Yup. Sorry Pinkie, but we should really get all this cleaned up. I have a farm that needs work done tomorrow,” Applejack said, pushing all of the mugs into a pile in the corner.

“No, it’s alright! As long as everypony had a good time, than I did too!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash was alone in her house. She lay on her bed, trapped in thought.

What would happen if I go faster? Can I even go faster?

Rainbow stopped for a second, realizing that she could probably do it right now.

Nah, I’ll just try tomorrow.

With that, Rainbow closed her eyes, allowing herself a night of peaceful sleep, not knowing it would be the last.

Chapter Three – Awakening

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Four – Hopeless Wanderer Part I

She pushed on. Still keeping strong. Staying awake, even if her eyes protested. The only way she knew what was in front of her, was from the moonlight. The moon sat right in the middle of the night sky, acting as the nighttime sun.

The creek was still to her right. She would never let it leave her sight. Every now and then, she’d walk down the ledge to the water and take a drink or two, but other than that, she’d keep walking.

From all of her traveling, her legs began hurting with a dull pain. It felt like a dull ache that wouldn’t cease until its demands were met. She sat down, letting her legs rest. She stretched a few times.

Oh, that feels... great.

While sitting next to the creek water, listening to the little trickle of water, she remembered her wings. She looked back at them. Then tried her best to open them, but to no avail.

Stupid wing.

She reached her right hoof up to her left wing, but fell forward onto her right side, causing pain to shoot through her body again.

Alright, alright, I’m done with that.

She got back up slowly, making sure to be careful. Just then, she yawned. She laid back down onto her back, and tried to just keep an eye on the sky. Instead, her eyelids took over and slowly fell, blocking out the remaining light in the world.

Hey, no. Don’t do that.

She tried to open her eyes, but nothing happened. She yawned again. She felt herself fully relax. She couldn’t lie to herself, it felt good. She allowed herself one last stretch, before giving in to the darkest of nights.

She lay there, unconscious, without any idea where she is. No idea who she is. Not even what she is.

It was just her, and her creek. The night sky was just a little bonus. A beautiful one at that.

She opened her eyes. The sun was in its setting stage. Not fully gone, but getting there.

She got up, wishing she didn’t waste her time with unneeded sleep. Though, she did feel a lot better. She also noticed she still had her memories, which was surprising.

She thought about it for a moment, when it suddenly occurred to her that she had a mission.

Oh yeah, I have to follow the water.

She then continued along with her journey, under the cover of dusk. She crossed the creek at some point, so it was now to her left as she walked along.

I wish I had a map...

She stopped, standing in place.

What is a map? Why did that just...?

She started walking forward again, ignoring the sudden word.

Map. What a strange word.

As she walked along, she noticed the sun going below the horizon once again.

Seems like the dark follows the light.

She followed the turns and bends in the creek’s path. She was inside the forest, trees covering her view now. It also seemed darker than usual, but she guessed it was the trees’ shadows.

Just like every other strange thing that popped into her mind, the word “name” came up, seemingly from nowhere.

Name. Name... Oh! Name! I need a name! Alright, I will name myself...

As she walked, she looked at her mane that hung over her neck. The colours. Just like that fish she saw.

I... I can name myself... Colour! Actually, no. Red! No. Blue! No... Green? No. Rainbow?

Just then, she felt a sense of familiarity wash over her.

Rainbow... I like it.

As Rainbow walked along the creek, she noticed a large cliff up ahead. It protruded from the ground ahead of her, and seemed to reach the sky!

Once Rainbow got closer, she could see that the rock face was jagged and even stuck out in some spots. She then looked to her left, nothing but trees and more of that cliff face. To the right, she saw a ledge where the rock stuck out from the cliff, along with even more trees. It was as if the ground just jumped up and stayed up in the air.

From where she was, Rainbow could see that there was trees at the top too. She saw that the rest of the creek was up there too, seeing as how the water fell off of the cliff, forming a tall, thin waterfall.

Rainbow contemplated on how she'd get up. She had to. It was her only hope.

Rainbow remembered her wings again.

Maybe if I try hard enough, they will work?

Rainbow gave it another shot. She tried her best to open her wings. Somehow, she only got the left one to open, but she didn’t care. She just opened a wing! As she tried to memorize the feeling of the movement, she looked over to her right wing. She noticed that, while her body was mangled, the wing wasn’t. It was actually in pretty decent shape. Some spots, there were a few feathers missing, leaving an opening, but it looked like it could work.

Rainbow tried her hardest to move the right wing, instead she got a cramp in her side. She stopped the movement for a moment to let it pass.

As Rainbow sat there, she looked around at her surroundings another time. It was now darker than before, with the sun completely below the horizon. The only remaining light was that of the sky, the faint orange glow.

Every time Rainbow saw the sky, it reminded her of the word that she chose to keep with her.

Twilight.

Every time she thought about it, it filled her with feelings that she did not understand. Rainbow liked to think about it as beautiful. Just like the night sky.

Rainbow noticed the pain was gone, so she resumed trying to open her wings to full span. With ease, she opened both of them.

Oh my... T-they are... awesome!

Rainbow began flapping her wings up and down like she had seen birds do. She felt herself lift off the ground. Once she got a few feet into the air, her wings began giving in to the weight. She started tilting to the right, so she flapped harder in the right wing, this caused her to almost lose balance. She kept flying, trying her best to get to the top of the cliff.

Rainbow lost her balance and flew right into the side of the cliff. Her attempt at recovering was a success. She used her hooves to push off of the rock face to get higher into the air.

I-I’m doing it!

She saw the ledge where she wanted to reach, and tilted her wings forward to get the initial push she needed. She stopped flapping for a second, and let herself glide to the ledge. Rainbow didn’t know how to land, so she hit the ledge and almost fell down. With the strength she had left, she caught herself on a branch from a tree that was hanging over the edge.

Rainbow lifted her other hoof up to help in pulling herself up. She got a good hold on the branch, and even used her wings to help lift. Soon, she was up.

After taking a few breaths, she looked around for the creek. Rainbow started panicking when she couldn’t see any water around. She ran around a tree and noticed the small creek, allowing her to calm down. She walked down the little dip and stood next to the water. She looked down at the water, watching the little ripples again, seeing the reflections curve and bend with each little imperfection in the water. Then, she saw herself. Her fur coated in dirt from laying on the ground. The small twig in her hair. The small bug crawling up her chest.

Rainbow jumped up and started swatting at her chest.

Get it off! Get it off!

As she jumped around, she finally noticed it was gone and stopped.

What was that?

She looked around in hopes of seeing it again, but it was long gone.

With a sigh, Rainbow laid back against the small dirt wall of the edge of the creek, and let herself drift off. It was soon interrupted by a sudden growl.

Rainbow shot up, looking around to see the cause of the noise. She stood there, quietly listening.

What was—

There it was! She heard it again! Strange though, it sounded like it was coming from her.

She listened carefully again, and, sure enough, it was coming from herself. Her stomach to be exact.

Rainbow laid back down, ignoring whatever growl she might hear next, and let herself relax.

Rainbow quietly listened to the sounds of nature as she slowly drifted further from reality.

The sounds of water trickling over rocks, the sound of wind howling through the trees, and finally, the sound of her breathing. Everything seemingly slow.

The rocks digging into her side didn’t help, but she managed.

Chapter Five – Hopeless Wanderer Part II

Author's Note

Depending on how busy I am with school, this may be the last chapter for a little bit. Don’t worry though, I’ll have it back to normal soon. I'll try my best to keep everything on a normal pace.

Chapter Five – Hopeless Wanderer Part II

Rainbow opened her eyes and stood up. The sun was right above her, shining down through the trees, and creating spiky shadows here and there. She took a moment to take note of the details. The sun was a bright yellow, and it hurt her eyes to look at it. It was also warm, beside the cool breeze from being up so high, it felt good. The cold air pushing past as the heat from the sun made its way through her coat and onto her skin.

Rainbow looked down at the creek, but noticed there was no flow of water. The water was gone. All that remained was the dry rocks that were once below the water.

Where did the water go?!

Rainbow ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down. No sign of the water. She looked back towards where she slept. Then back at the cliff. A strong breeze flew past, ruffling her mane.

As she stood there, on the edge of the cliff, she looked to her left and saw a bird jump down, catching itself with the breeze against its wings as it flew off. Just then, she had an idea.

I... will fly too.

Without giving a second thought, Rainbow jumped, opening her wings to catch any breeze. She kept her eyes closed as she fell, hoping air would be on her side. As if on queue, a strong gust of air pushed against her wings, moving her upwards.

I’m a bird! With more legs... a-and bigger.

Rainbow found it relatively easy to fly, almost like she had flown before. She turned around and kept with her original plan, to follow the creek up the mountain.

As Rainbow flew, she noticed that the mountain was white on top! She was so used to the greens, browns, and grays of the forest, that seeing something white was unnatural.

Something about flying around in the air, seemed... familiar, and welcoming. Just like when she named herself.

Rainbow was too distracted to know that she wasn’t following the creek anymore. When she looked down from the bright blue sky, the dried out creek was nowhere to be seen. She would’ve panicked if she were down on the ground, but now she knows better. She wasn’t the same pony as the day before. Now, she felt, at least somewhat, like she was truly, fully alive for the first time since finding herself in this strange new world.

Rainbow understood a bunch of things about this world! How day and night came and went, how closing her eyes made her feel better, and even how birds work!

Rainbow would keep flying until something stopped her. Instead of following the creek, she’d follow wherever her wings took her.

No more being scared, no more pain, and no more crying, she thought to herself. I can do what I want to do. I... I am... alive.

Rainbow’s mind remained quiet for a while as she flew. She just took in everything she laid her eyes upon.

Rainbow saw the trees below her, each one unique, having different shades of green. They would twist and bend in the breeze, casting eerie shadows on one another. Then, there was the sky, the bright sky. The sun sat a little lower, but still fully visible, and the clouds were nowhere to be seen. The sky was a light blue, that faded white as it got closer to the horizon. She looked at the mountain ahead. It had a rough, gray-brown base that shot high up into the sky. Around the mid-section of the mountain is where the snow-cap started, coating the whole top. At the top, it seemed to round off.

To Rainbow’s left, she noticed her shadow bouncing across the tops of the trees. To her right, was the setting sun.

All of a sudden, Rainbow felt a surge of confidence. She started to fly faster.

This is... This is amazing!

She flew faster, feeling the wind rush past her.

Yeaaahh!

The faster she flew, the better it felt.

The whistling of the wind, the feeling of the wind, everything about it felt natural, like she was meant for it.

Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. There was a loud boom. Rainbow quickly slowed and looked behind her. What she saw was truly beautiful.

A sonic rainboom. The colours of her mane, and of the fish. Each colour was vibrant, almost sparkling under the sunlight.

Rainbow watched on as each colour faded to a dull white before vanishing.

Was that me? That... was... awesome!

After watching the now empty sky for a little while, Rainbow continued on her journey, still reminiscing in the moment.

Rainbow flew for a long time and the sun was now gone below the horizon. She flew through the twilight sky for a while longer, enjoying the small things. She tried to count stars, until there was so many that she gave up. She even tried flying higher, above the clouds, but it got a little too chilly.

Why does everything about this seem so familiar? Flying, my name, the... twilight sky. What does it all mean? Rainbow wondered. I can’t live like this forever. I need something around. I just don’t know what...

Rainbow looked up at the mountain. It was a lot larger than before. The mountain appeared to be a dark blue in the night. She could make out a lot more details from the mountain, being as close as she was. The trees stuck out from the snow, covered in snow themselves, swaying calmly in the faint breeze. There were parts where rock would poke out from the snow.

Why did I come to this mountain anyway? It’s not like I’m going to find anything here.

Rainbow quickly dashed down to the ground, landing better than the last time. The soft snow crunched under her weight. It surrounded her hooves in cold air. She stepped around a little bit more, enjoying the little crunch from the snow.

She spent a little while in the snow, building little snow statues. Once Rainbow finished with her little statues, she walked around them, encasing her statues in a circle drawn into the snow.

Rainbow finished and took a step back to look at her creation. Before she could admire it any longer, she felt a cold gust of wind that carried with it some loose snow, which caught onto her fur. It melted from her body heat and soaked in.

Just then, Rainbow felt a wave of exhaustion rush over her. She fell down into the snow, which caught her smoothly. Before she could try to get back up, a pain arose from her stomach, along with the growling that she had been ignoring all that time.

Instinctively, Rainbow knew exactly what was wrong. She was starving.

With the little strength she had left, she got up, only to fall to her knees. She leaned against a tree, using it to help keep balance.

It wasn’t long after until she passed out against the tree, in the snow of the forest.

Night was already upon her, leaving no light in its wake. Only moonlight would find its way to her. As well as her statues.

The statues were not that of a random thing she saw along her journey, but that of something she felt within her heart.

As Rainbow lay there, night kept watch over her, and her five little statues of snow.

Chapter Six – First Aliment

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Seven – Finding a Way Out

Rainbow yelled out in pain as she tried to pull herself out of the snow. She managed to move herself to a tree, but still couldn’t quite stand. She couldn’t move her right foreleg, every little movement inducing more pain.

That thing better not come back.

Rainbow shifted in the snow, wincing from the pain. She laid on her back now, under the tree, facing the skies above.

It was the beginning stages of dusk, the sun gleaming just above the horizon.

As Rainbow laid in the snow, she recalled all of the moments she had lived in the past few days. From the moment she woke up in the field, to the moment she made the sonic rainboom, and to now, when she was attacked by an animal.

Rainbow took this time to check over her injuries. There were three large, parallel cuts down her left side, bleeding heavily. Her right foreleg had a long gash along the length of it. That seemed to be the worst of the injuries. She also noticed her nose was bleeding, most likely from the impact with the tree. Her right ear had a good nick in it, too. There were small cuts here and there, as well.

Rainbow looked at the spot where the fight had gone down. The snow around the area was flattened, being dotted with red. There was also quite a few feathers around, too. She quickly looked at her wings. They seemed to be in okay condition still.

She looked to her left, to her original destination. The caves seemed to be so close, yet so far.

There’s... no way I’ll make it in this condition...

Each and every breath she took in, sent pain spiraling throughout her body. Each and every movement she made, shot pain throughout her body.

T-there’s no break, i-is there?

Rainbow was tired of the pain.

She looked around for something sharp.

A branch?

She looked up at the tree above her, branches sticking out in every direction.

Actually, no... A rock?

She didn’t see anything around her.

I give up!

Rainbow was determined to find something, so she stood up, pain intensifying. She stumbled through the snow, blood dripping into it as she went on.

It... It’ll be gone... soon.

The opening to the cave was not too far anymore. She had made progress, a lot of it, despite the pain and loss of blood.

Rainbow made it to the entrance. She gazed deep down into the cave. Darkness. Nothing but darkness. The light from the subsiding sun didn’t help much.

Without hesitation, Rainbow walked inside, limping every step.

The sound of liquid hitting the cold rock of the cave emanated throughout the darkness.

Rainbow tripped over something on the floor, falling straight onto her injured foreleg.

With agonizing pain suddenly flowing through her body, Rainbow screamed out. Echos ringed out, bouncing around the walls.

The sun finally slipped under the horizon, deepening the darkness of the cave.

I. Am. Done.

Rainbow got back onto her hooves. She walked slowly, feeling ahead of her with her left foreleg. Rainbow felt a jagged spike poke up from the floor of the cave. She leaned against it to take a little break. Suddenly, it snapped, giving in to her weight.

Before she fell to the ground, she caught herself.

Enough! I will not fall again! Living sucks! I hate it. Nothing is worse.

Rainbow felt around the hard floor, looking for the spike that had broken off. Finally, she found it. She grabbed it, aiming it towards her own neck.

It’ll all be gone. No more pain.

Rainbow wanted so badly to end it... but something told her not to.

She pulled it closer, threatening to do it.

It... It will end...

Pain ends.

No... more....

Pain is only temporary.

Three...

When darkness branches to your soul, light still finds a way to rise.

...two...

Find strength in pain.

...one...

Trust the timing of your life.

Rainbow breathed in... preparing to end everything.

Suddenly, everything went silent. The dripping of water throughout the cave ceasing, as well as the low howl of the wind. There was no sound, just silence. Darkness, as well.

She then heard the faint beating of her heart. The distinct rhythm caught her attention, bringing it away from the spike in her hooves.

Rainbow slightly lowered the spike, then dropped it.

The loud crack signaled that it had broken.

W-what was I t-thinking...?

Rainbow’s eyes began tearing up. Soon after, she started crying, sniffling every now and then.

The echos of her crying were the only sound in the cave.

I guess... I can go to sleep now.

She sat down on the cold rock, preparing for another night of sleep. Then, out of nowhere, she heard a low growl.

Her ears shot up and she looked in the direction of the sound. She started to hear more growls.

Rainbow slowly backed up, looking back for the moonlight. As Rainbow was backing up, she heard steps coming towards her.

Nononono. Please! No!

After backing up the whole way, she finally saw the faint light of moonlight shining down behind her.

Rainbow quickly turned and flapped her wings to start flying. She lifted off of the ground and flew straight out of the cave’s entrance. She dodged a tree as she flew up, out of the sea of trees.

There was snow falling down from the clouds around her, catching to her coat.

I need to find— Rainbow thought, being cut off by a yawn, I need to find a place to sleep.

She noticed the snow covering her.

Preferably out of the snow.

Rainbow awoke huddled up against a boulder, surrounded by an expansive field of grass. The sun shown down on her, warming her up. There were small clouds scattered around the bright blue sky, casting dim shadows across the field. She looked down at her forelegs and body, seeing the makeshift bandages she had made.

They aren’t the best, but they’ll help.

Rainbow stretched as she stood up from her sleeping place. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. The field was flat, all around, with one small tree here and there sprouting up from the grass.

Rainbow looked off into the distance. She chose to march on.

As Rainbow limped on, she had one thing in mind.

Find somepony else.

Chapter Eight – Investigation

The day Rainbow tries to fly fast, back at Ponyville.

The main six were seated at a table, enjoying the sunny day while eating breakfast. Rainbow was eager to get eating out of the way.

“Darling, what are you so excited about?” Rarity asked.

“Remember when you told me about flying faster? Well, I’m gonna try today!” Rainbow answered.

“You really want to try that bad, don’t ya?” Applejack said, laughing slightly.

“Yeah! It sounds cool. I don’t even know why I’ve never thought about going faster before.”

“I don’t want to rain on your parade, Rainbow, but... you could hurt yourself if you push yourself too far,” Twilight said.

“I’m too cool to get hurt, Twi,” Rainbow boasted.

“That’s... Know what? Yeah. But be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Twilight gave up. Rainbow was just too cool.

“Pfft, what’s the worst that could happen? I get lost? That isn’t gonna happen!”

Rainbow quickly ate, stuffing food into her mouth.

“Shee you girls wayter, I’m headin’ off,” Rainbow said, mouth full of food.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Rarity asked.

“Bye!” Rainbow called out, flying off to her house.

Rarity looked towards the others, eyebrow raised.

“Don’t look at me; I didn’t catch a thing she said,” Applejack said, raising her hooves up.

“She’s just being Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said out loud.

“I wish I could fly; I want to know what it’s like,” Pinkie Pie said.

“It’s sometimes scary,” Fluttershy said.

“Huh... no wonder Rainbow Dash likes it.”

Twilight stared off into the sky, waiting to see a rainbow streak go across the sky.

“What are ya lookin’ at?” Applejack asked, looking up where Twilight was staring.

Twilight shook her head, looking back down to the table. “Oh, nothing.”

“Hey, girls, what about we have a big slumber party tonight!” Pinkie suggested.

“I suppose that would be relaxing, sure Darling,” Rarity said, smiling.

“Yeah, I have to take care of a few things on the farm, but after that, I should be able to,” Applejack agreed.

“This is going to be fun,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight looked up to the sky again. “What about Rainbow?”

“I’ll ask her later, when she gets back, but for now, I have to set up, see you later, girls!” Pinkie exclaimed as she ran to Sugarcube Corner.

“Well, I’ll go do my chores now, see ya,” Applejack said, getting up from the table.

“Bye, Applejack!” Twilight called out to her. Turning back to the table, she asked, “What about you two?”

“Oh, me? Well, I am going to finish an order that came in yesterday, I’m almost finished though,” Rarity answered, standing up.

“I’ll go check up with the animals, bye Twilight,” Fluttershy responded.

Twilight smiled as her two other friends walked away. She then looked back into the sky, just in time to see a blue dot in the sky dash off, leaving a rainbow-coloured trail behind. Not too long after, she saw an explosion of colour.

Why did I even worry? Nothing bad will happen! Twilight thought.

The main 5 were in a large tent just outside of Ponyville.

“This was the only open spot I could really find in the short time I had, sorry about that girls,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Oh, don’t you worry, Darling! This is going to be fun no matter what,” Rarity responded.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Applejack agreed.

“Where is Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

“She’s not back yet?” Fluttershy asked.

“I couldn’t find her, I was trying to see if she wanted to do this with us,” Pinkie said.

“Maybe she’s just getting some rest, she might be tired from all of her flying,” Rarity suggested.

“I guess that makes sense,” Applejack agreed.

Twilight wanted to believe what she heard the others saying, but, deep down, she felt like something was wrong. She just couldn’t tell what.

Most of the night, Twilight felt worried sick. She just couldn’t take her mind off of it, at all.

It got to a point in the night when each of them laughed at the slightest joke, funny or not.

“Oh, remember when Rainbow yelled at that stallion in the restaurant the other day?!” Pinkie shouted, on the verge of laughter.

Each of them joined in laughing together, except Twilight.

“Wait, shouldn’t we go find that photo? If Rainbow didn’t do it, then who was it in the picture?” Twilight asked as all of them stopped the laughing.

“Twilight does have a point. I just wonder who actually did it,” Rarity agreed.

“That photo is most likely long gone,” Applejack said, shifting in her sleeping bag.

“I never really got a good look at it, everything was just happening so fast,” Fluttershy said, remembering the moments of that night.

“To make y’all feel better, we can go look for that stallion in the mornin’. For now, let’s get some sleep,” Applejack suggested.

They all silently agreed, turning off their flashlights for the night.

The five of them awoke that morning, still wondering where Rainbow Dash was. She wasn’t at her house, Fluttershy had checked, and she wasn’t anywhere in town. She was nowhere to be seen.

Twilight had started to worry even more when they couldn’t find their friend, but they still wanted to find the photo that supposedly showed Rainbow Dash stealing.

It was a lot more simpler to find the pony they were looking for, seeing as how he was at the fruit stand in the market place.

Not wanting to spook the unicorn, only Twilight and Rarity went to talk with him.

“Hello there,” Twilight greeted, walking up to the stand. “I was just wondering... you wouldn’t happen to have that photo still... would you?”

“Uh... what photo?” he responded.

“Remember, at the restaurant the other night.”

“I... don’t rem—Oh! That one!” The stallion reached into his saddlebags, pulling the picture out. “By the way, I’m sorry about the way I acted, I was just ticked off that somepony would steal some of my fruits.”

Rarity took the photo. “Thank you, and we’re sorry about our friend that night; she overreacted a bit. Anyways, have a wonderful day, um... never quite caught your name.”

“Oh, my name is Fresh!”

“Well, Mr. Fresh, have a fantastic day,” Rarity said, giving a warm smile.

Rarity followed Twilight to where the rest of them were waiting. They sat at the same table as the day before, setting the photo down in the center of the table.

“Wow, that really does look like Rainbow,” Applejack said, looking closely at the picture.

Twilight grabbed the photo, taking a closer look at it herself. As she looked at every detail, she thought to herself, Rainbow... where did you go?

In the picture, it showed a pony taking fruits from Fresh’s stand. The pony in particular, though, looked... different than the normal Rainbow Dash. The one in the picture, looked... older. It was a little hard to tell, but Twilight noticed.

That... that is really... weird. Are there two Rainbow Dashes? Twilight pondered.

Fluttershy scooted the photo in front of her, “Whoa, she looks... different.”

“I know, it’s almost like she’s a duplicate, or something,” Twilight agreed.

“Lemme have a look!” Pinkie exclaimed, grabbing the picture. “That looks just like her, just... scarier.”

“Scarier could be a way to put it. I just don’t get how somepony would be able to recreate Rainbow’s whole look, unless it were...” Applejack stopped, suddenly realizing something. “Could it be Queen Chrysalis?!”

Twilight gasped, growing even more worried for Rainbow Dash. “Queen Chrysalis captured Rainbow!”

All five of them got up from the table, running towards Twilight’s castle. As they were running to the castle, Twilight was filling them in on what their plans were, “Okay, we can’t just barge into Chrysalis’ hive all of a sudden, we’re going to need help from the princesses. So, I’ll write a letter to Princess Celestia, you girls go get ready, fast! Meet at my castle!"

All five of them split off to their own separate directions.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

Chapter Nine – Establishing Time

It was around dusk when Rainbow started to feel tired. She had been walking through the grassy field all day. The sun was ever so slowly disappearing behind the mountains in the distance. From where she was walking, the mountains cast a dark shadow over her and the field, but she could still see the light coming from around the sides of the mountain.

The mountains weren’t the same as the one she had been on just a couple days prior. The mountains she saw now, were much smaller. They didn’t have any snow on them, as far as she could tell, and they didn’t seem to pop up from the horizon like the other ones did.

As she walked, Rainbow noticed that the grass was slowly changing to sand. The sand was hot to step on, but she pushed on.

Rainbow was also sweating heavily, secretly wishing to be back in the snowy environment of the mountains.

The makeshift bandage that she had made for her foreleg began slipping down from the amount sweat. She tried to fix it a couple times, but then gave up. She dropped it into the sand, continuing on her way.

As the sun sunk below the horizon, letting the moon take over for the night, Rainbow felt a severe temperature change. It was hot one moment, then suddenly cooled down.

As the temperature fluctuated, Rainbow saw a few dust devils roaming about in the distance. She felt tempted to run over to one of them and sit in the middle, but decided not to.

I... I need to find somepony else. I’m lonely here. As far as I know, I might be the only one of my kind. M-maybe I am the only thing alive. Rainbow thought about in for a moment, then continued, No, no. I’m not the only one. I can’t be. There’s more of me out there... I think. I hope.

Rainbow stopped walking; she was exhausted. She sat down in the now warm sand. Grabbing two rocks, she slammed them together, breaking them into small little chips each. She scooted the unwanted chips out of the way. She grabbed the biggest one and placed it down onto a flat rock, facing it to the direction she was headed. She then grabbed a few sticks nearby and placed them in a circle around the rocks.

Once she finished, she stepped back to get a good look.

That looks cool. Rainbow laughed.

She walked back to the her makeshift way-point, lying down nearby it.

She looked up at the sky. Without any trees around, she saw the whole sky. Nothing but a dark purple sky filled her field of view.

Twilight sky. It’s even more beautiful every time I see it.

Rainbow laid down on the warm sand. It cuddled her left side, allowing her an easy night of sleep.

The sun in the middle of the sky beat down on her with radiating heat.

Rainbow sat up, sweat dripping from her chin.

She felt light-headed for a moment. Phew, I kinda wish I was back in the snow.

She looked around for her arrow. Seeing it, she began walking in the direction it pointed. As she walked, she raised her wings above herself, shielding her face from the heat.

Rainbow began to notice that her limp was almost completely gone. She also noticed that the sand soon turned to a mix of small bushes, sand, and rock. At some spots, she tripped over a rock or two, but caught her balance before falling over.

I gotta make up something for time of day. Maybe a 0-20 range of... point...s? Rainbow thought about it for a moment. Yeah... points. I can have it so that morning is point 0, or 1, then by night it could be, like... point 10. During the night, it could go through the teens. I’m amazing at making things up!

Rainbow hadn’t noticed, but she had began quickening her pace as she skipped along.

Alright, so, morning is point 0, then as the day goes by, it counts up in the numbers. After point 20, it resets back to point 0. Perfect!

With that, Rainbow looked up, mentally calculating the time of day with her newfound time setting.

The sun is almost right above me, so I’d say about point 11... or maybe 9.

Rainbow wiped her face with her foreleg. It is hot.

She finished wiping the rest of the sweat off of her face. Looking back up to the direction she was headed, she saw that the ground in the distance was... wavy. It looked like the water in the creek, with all of the ripples.

Rainbow laughed, It’s so hot that the ground looks like water!

With a smile that wouldn’t fade, Rainbow continued on her journey.

It had been 3 points of traveling when Rainbow saw something that looked quite odd. After the 3 points, Rainbow figured out it was actually point 9 when she woke up.

What is that?

Rainbow began galloping towards the strange formation. As she got closer, she could tell what it was. The strange formation was rocks towered on top of each other. There was a boulder at the bottom, and as it got taller, the smaller the rocks became. At the very top, was a very precisely balanced branch. At one end of the stick, was a rock; the other side had a “V” shaped stick, seemingly pointing in a certain direction.

Rainbow walked around it, looking for anything else. Not finding anything, she decided to just keep to the way she was already heading.

Rainbow walked ahead a little ways, but she turned back, not wanting to lose the formation in case it was useful. She perched a branch under her left wing so it would scrape the ground as she walked.

Feeling content, Rainbow resumed her trek in the sandy expanse, stick making a line in the sand behind her. A strong gust of wind could easily blow away the line, so she also noted where the sun would be going down. The sun was heading to the horizon ahead of her, so she would have to make sure that the sun was behind her, when setting, if she were to came back.

It is... uh... I think, point 14? No, no. That wouldn’t really work, ‘cause then it would be darker. Maybe I can change it to a 0-24 range! Alright, yeah. Point 14 it is then.

Rainbow looked up to the sky.

If the sun is still up, how can I still see the—?

Rainbow’s thought was interrupted as she started flapping her wings to not fall down. She had almost walked right off of a cliff. Her stick had fallen.

Whoa! I almost fell!

Rainbow regathered her balance. She looked at the cliff, then saw another cliff across the drop-off. The drop was too far down to see the bottom, if there was one.

Pfft, I could easily get over this.

Rainbow started to fly across. The sudden use of her wings felt uncomfortable.

Rainbow started to feel a cramp building up in her right wing, so she tried to push on to get to the end.

Alright, alright. Ow, ow!

Rainbow quickly turned back around and let herself drop down to the edge of the cliff. She tried to catch herself, but still landed hard. Her hoof hurt from the impact, but it wasn’t bad.

Dang. How do I get across? Should I just wait?

Rainbow thought for a moment.

I don’t want to wait. It’s already about point 15; it’s getting dark.

Rainbow started to walk along the edge, keeping the cliff to her left.

I guess I’m going this way no—

The ground beneath Rainbow gave out, causing her to fall.

Rainbow’s wings flapped aimlessly, trying their best to balance out. She was spinning and flipping around as she fell.

This can’t be how I go...

Chapter Ten – Predicament

Rainbow’s wings still couldn’t quite agree on balance. One moment she was right side up, and the next she was upside down.

As she was flipping around, she finally caught sight of the ground, or rather, the water.

Rainbow braced herself.

Before Rainbow could think of anything else to do, she hit the water. The impact felt as though she were landing on rock. A searing pain shot through her right side. An audible crack was heard.

She was then engulfed by water, losing her breath.

Rainbow kicked and bucked, trying to find air. Finally, she broke to the surface of the water. Breathing heavily, she looked around for land.

The bank was right next to her, but the current was too strong. She was pushed under the water time and time again. The pain in her side wasn’t helping either.

Every time she got a breath of air, she was pushed under. She tried harder to get out, but was pushed under again.

Rainbow tried flying out of the water, but the sharp, sudden pain stopped her.

I am not dying now! Not like this!

Instead of going up, Rainbow dove down. She scraped her hooves along the bottom of the river, then pushed up. She used all of her strength to push off of the riverbed. She shot up out of the water, attempting to glide to the bank, but her wings were drenched, along with the pain.

Rainbow fell to the water again, but she was much closer to the rocky land. She reached as far out as she could with her hoof in an attempt to get a hold on the ground. With a push from her hind legs, she felt the ground!

Rainbow used her other hoof to push away from the water.

At last, she had made it to the bank. Rainbow laid there, hind legs still in the river. She breathed in and out, savouring each breath she took.

That... that was too close.

She attempted to move her wings, but pain shot through her right wing. She stood up slowly. Her legs felt like they would collapse at any moment.

Rainbow looked down at her right wing, but saw that it was hanging limply at her side. She reached a hoof up to it and lifted it up. Other than the pain, she felt a strange feeling. It felt as though her wing had... come off. But that didn’t make sense, the wing was still attached.

She let the wing droop down again, making slow movements to avoid more pain.

What’s wrong with my wing? Will it be fine?

Rainbow looked up from her wing and at the towering cliffs on either side of the river.

How do I get back up if I can’t fly? Hmm...

As Rainbow thought, she twisted her mane to get as much water out as she could.

Could I climb up the sides?

Rainbow looked at the rocky cliff.

There’s no way I’m climbing that. Well, I guess I’m walking.

With that, Rainbow began walking along the river bank; the river to her left.

Being down in the canyon, Rainbow couldn’t tell what time it was. The sun wasn’t visible, but she saw the sunlight on the side of the cliff to her right.

Well... at least I got out of the heat.

Rainbow would have laughed if she weren’t in pain. Instead, she just smiled slightly, and continued her walking.

From what she thought, the sun had gone below the horizon, leaving the sky a fiery blaze of colours. From her spot down at the bottom of the canyon, she could only see a sliver of the sky... and it was still truly beautiful.

It never gets old.

Rainbow had been walking for a while when she wanted to go faster for some reason.

With that in mind, she looked around for anything to help her go faster. She then remembered the river... and how fast it was.

I’ll give it one more chance. If it goes wrong, I’ll never touch water again.

Rainbow stepped into the river, feeling the cold water run past her hooves. She walked farther out, making sure to keep a good hold on the ground. She took a few sips of water as she got farther out.

She had stopped going farther once the water had gotten to her body.

Here goes...

Rainbow lifted her legs up to her body, allowing herself to float along with the water.

In a way, the cold water around her limp wing felt... good, better than it should have.

As Rainbow floated down the current, she made sure to note the details.

The water was clear, but from afar, it appeared to be a dark green. The cliffs on either side of her in the canyon were a bright red-tan mix. There were ledges that protruded from the walls, too high for her to reach without flight.

The more shallow the river got, the faster the current went. And the deeper the river got, the slower the current went. Whenever the river got too shallow to float with, Rainbow would stand up and walk for however long she needed to.

Rainbow also took more small sips of the water as she went along, savouring the taste of fresh, cold water.

This isn’t so bad. I’m a bit hungry, though.

The fiery colours of the evening sky had long since gone down. It was only just the same dark purple glow, along with the flickering speckles of light here and there. From the small cut of sky she could see from the bottom of the canyon, she saw a brighter patch of the lights, some of them red and green, and some blues.

Rainbow had never seen the patch of brighter lights before, so it drew her attention away from the pain she was in.

She saw three black silhouettes of large birds flying overhead.

Whoa...

The silhouettes seemed to cut across the dark sky with ease.

After the large birds had left view, Rainbow felt the cold water start to get to her. She scraped her hooves along the many rocks underneath the water to stop. She then stood up, letting the cold water drip off.

The pain in her wing began to worsen again. The pain she felt was more of a dull lingering pain, rather than the sharp sting she felt before. Both hurt a lot.

You know... this really isn’t that bad.

Rainbow walked out of the water, and onto the bank. She picked one of the boulders that lay among the many rocks on the river bank, and laid down against it.

I hope I can get out of here soon, though. I’d like to keep moving.

With that, Rainbow curled into a small circle, attempting to keep her warmth. Not too long after, she finally set in for sleep that night.

The sound of the running water in the river was the most soothing thing she could think of.

Chapter Twelve – Runaway

Rainbow opened her eyes after feeling a rather hard bump. She raised her head up, blinking to clear her vision. She heard the sound of rocks being crunched and moved around. She felt another bump and vibrations reverberated throughout her body.

Rainbow quickly tried to stand up but was restrained by ropes that were securely tied to small wooden posts that came up from the short walls around her. There was a big, off-white cover that was above her, blocking most of the light from the bright sun. It was warm inside of the cover.

Through a small opening in the fabric of the cover, Rainbow saw somepony else sitting, facing away from her.

“Come on! Don’t make me hit you again!” he yelled.

What is going on?

Rainbow struggled again, trying to get out of the ropes. She accidentally kicked a large can of a strange black substance that was very thick. He quickly turned to the sound of the can hitting the wood.

“What the—What’re you doin’, pony?!” he yelled.

Pony? My name is Rainbow.

“Do I need to wack ya to make you stop movin’ ‘round?”

Rainbow attempted to speak. Her voice was hoarse as she whispered, “N-n-no...”

“Good, now stay still and be quiet!”

Rainbow complied, breathing heavily. She looked around the place she found herself in. There was multiple cans of black liquid, including the one that had been spilled. There was extra rope lying next to her, along with a sharp blade.

As she was looking around, she overheard the other pony quietly say, “I ain’t even ‘sposed to have ya right now.”

What does he mean?

Rainbow began to move slowly, keeping silent. She reached her hoof under herself, trying to grab the sharp blade. She froze as soon as she saw the other pony looking back at her.

“What did I just tell you?! Quit yer movin’!”

“W-what’s g-going on...?” Rainbow asked, unsure of why he was so mad at her.

He glared at her for a moment, then turned back around. “Halt!” he shouted. Just then, whatever she was in stopped moving. The vibrations stopped.

The other pony stood up, stepping into the covered part with her. “You listen to me. Do whatever I tell ya to do, without complaints or questions. Got it? If ya disobey, you’ll be hit.”

Not wanting to agree, Rainbow argued, “W-why should I listen to you?”

The other pony hadn’t noticed, but Rainbow had the sharp blade hidden behind her back as she laid. Before she could do anything with it, the other pony slammed a hoof down on her side. She screamed out in pain.

“That’s why. Now, listen here. I’ma untie you, then you gonna go out there and walk with the rest of’em,” he said.

The other pony reached for the rope, looking for the knot that he had tied into it. He had a hard time untying the knot, so he looked around for the blade.

“Where’s my knife? Did ya take it?”

Rainbow took this as a chance to get away, so she quickly cut the rope and jumped up to her hooves. She dropped the knife and ran out of the cover. She jumped out and was quickly met with other ponies, everywhere.

They were in a very flat field of sand. There was nothing but small patches of dried grass and dead branches lying about in the sand. The sun felt hotter than ever as it radiated light down.

“Pony! Get back here!” the other pony shouted, chasing behind her.

Rainbow continued running away, following the train of other wooden things. They all looked the same; wooden frames with wooden wheels, and large covers made of fabric that draped over. There were ponies everywhere. The ones with wings were all sad-looking, pulling the wooden wagons along. There was no sign of the ones with horns. The rest of the ponies had no wings or horns.

She felt like she had made it far enough to slow her pace a little. She still heard the other pony yelling curses at her, but they were faint over the loud noises of the wagons moving along.

“Psst, what are you doing? Your master will beat you if they find you out,” a pony whispered to her right. Rainbow looked towards them, and saw they had wings, just like her.

“What’s going on?” Rainbow asked. She saw that the other pony was a dull blue colour. They also had scars along their back and side.

“What do you mean?” they asked, still whispering.

“Why are the ponies with wings being forced to do things?”

“You don’t know? Ever since the great war, pegasi have been forced to be slaves, all because we have wings. We were ‘proved to be traitorous’ during the war.”

“Great... war?”

“Yes. You’re not from around here, are you?” they asked.

“N—” Rainbow started, but was tackled to the ground. She felt a sharp pain on her back as the pony climbed on top of her.

“I told ya not to run ‘way like that! Yer gonna regret doin’ it!” He let out a deep grumble of a laugh. It was terrifying. “Now, what should I do to ya? Hmm... cuttin’ sounds good.”

Rainbow struggled under his weight. Suddenly, she felt a cold surface touch her right side.

“Yer burn looks like a good place to start.”

Rainbow struggled harder, not wanting to be cut. “D-don’t do it!”

“Too late!” Just then, Rainbow felt the cold surface against her side slide down, pain shooting through. She flipped around, hitting the knife from his hoof. She jumped up from the sand and began running. The pain in her side was accompanied by red liquid leaking out. She kept running. Her wing wasn’t a bother anymore.

She had run for what seemed like forever when she stopped. She turned around to see the wagon train off in the distance, distorted from the wavy look the hot sand gave it. The other direction, the way she was headed, had trees. There were quite a few; not enough to make a forest, but still a lot.

“It hurts... s-so bad,” she said to herself. She looked up, and saw that it was around point 13. The sun was right above her.

She collapsed to the hot sand. She crawled, trying to make it to shade.

“Keep... going...”

Rainbow’s words faded. She didn’t have the strength to move anymore. She felt exhausted. She was in pain.

She was dying.

Author's Note

Thank you to everyone who’s reading! I’m just making this little author’s note to let you all know that I am taking a break from this story for the Winter break! I’ll be enjoying company from family and everything, so I hope you all understand.

I will, however, be working on my other story, I Will Wait. I have a chapter that is due for that story pretty soon, so that’ll be out sometime in the near future.

That’s all! Again, thank you to everyone reading my story!

Chapter Thirteen – Put to Work Part I

It was nearing the dead of night when Rainbow finally came to her senses.

I-I need to get away from here.

Rainbow pulled herself along with her hooves. The cut on her side was unforgiving as pain still came.

I need to patch myself up to stop the bleeding.

The farther from the main road she got, the higher the sand dunes were. Once she reached the top of a dune, she looked back towards the wagon train. She noticed ponies separating from the wagons and coming towards her direction with bright lights.

Rainbow quickly turned back forward and crawled through the sand as fast as she could.

I cannot let them get me.

She attempted to stand, but couldn’t get up.

C’mon!

She tried again, but her legs refused to stand.

Please!

She rolled over onto her back. She breathed in... then out.

I... I-I’m gonna die here... aren’t I?

While she watched the beautiful sky, Rainbow thought of the past few days.

I... I’ve gone so far... just to die here. I... might not know anything about my past... but I know... that I’ve gotten far. I’ve learned a lot in these past several days... and I don’t want to lose that. It’s not fair.

She lost sight of the ponies that were, most likely, looking for her. They drew near, but Rainbow was in no place to move. At this point, she... almost accepted it.

Rainbow felt herself growing more and more exhausted as time went on. She felt weaker.

“She’s over here!” a pony yelled. He was equipped with a brown strap that went around his back. Attached to the strap, was a large... thing. Most of it looked to be wood, while the longer part was a shiny gray. The wooden part was thick, compared to the long, thin shiny gray piece.

He walked up towards Rainbow, glaring at her.

“Didn’t get far, did’ya?” he snarled.

Rainbow couldn’t speak. She slowly left consciousness, seeing nothing but darkness.

Rainbow gasped as she awoke to the sound of laughter... and the smell of smoke. She blinked a few times, and saw that she was tied to a tree, facing towards a large fire with five other ponies around it.

“Look, she’s awake. Better put’er to work straight away,” one of the ponies said. This one was larger than the others, and their voice was rough.

“Go untie her, Rook,” one demanded, hitting another in the side.

He stood up and worked his way towards Rainbow. Once he got to her, one of the ponies at the fire yelled to him, “Do not let’er get away.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” the pony, Rook, shouted in response. He grabbed a knife from his strap and used it to cut the rope. He held a hoof to Rainbow’s chest to make sure she wouldn’t move.

“P-please...” Rainbow whispered.

“Shut it,” he said as he finished cutting the rope. He turned back to the others, his hoof still holding Rainbow against the tree. “What do you want me to do with her, Jack?”

“Make her join the others. She can help them while we get ready to set out in the mornin’,” Jack replied.

“You heard him, let’s go,” Rook said, lifting his hoof off of Rainbow’s chest.

She dropped to the ground, slowly getting back up. For some reason, she felt better. Rainbow looked back at herself. She noticed that she had bandages that went around her body, covering the large cut. There was also a stick that was stuck to her wing, keeping it straight.

I completely forgot about my wing⁠—

“Get a move on! Let’s go!” Rook shouted, shoving her forward.

Rook pushed her along. They walked down a long trail. This gave Rainbow some time to cope with her new surroundings.

They were encompassed in a large forest. The trees towered high above them, slightly swaying in the faint breeze. The moon was bright, lighting the dark forest. The sun was long gone, from what Rainbow could tell. Through the trees, she could see other fires, with more ponies around each one. There was also tents scattered around. They were all a green-brown shade.

They reached a large opening in the trees that was surrounded by tall, thick poles with bright lights facing inwards, illuminating a deep hole with at least seventy other ponies... all having wings. They were each wearing the same thing: an off-white tunic with brown hems.

Rook stopped Rainbow, holding the tunic in front of her. “Here is what you will be wearing. Now, once you go down there, I want you to follow these exact instructions... okay? You will see tables lined up down there with guns on them. They aren’t loaded, so—”

“Guns?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, guns, rifles, same thing. Don’t interrupt me. Okay, when you get down there, walk up to an open table, and start cleaning the guns that get passed down to you. You know how to do that?”

“N-no.”

Rook sighed, rubbing his head with a hoof. “You grab the cloth that will be on your table, dump the cloth in the bucket of water, and then rub the gun with the cloth. It’s literally as easy as that. Hurry up and get into your uniform; I don’t want to be here all night.”

Rainbow grabbed the uniform from Rook’s hoof. She put it over her head, then pulled it down over her body. As she was about to walk down into the cut-out in the ground, Rook stopped her by placing a hoof in front of her.

“Listen, I know how you acted back in the desert when they were transporting you here... so don’t you dare try anything like that again here, or you’ll be killed. Any questions?”

“Why don’t you sound like the others?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you talk the same as the others? And why do you look younger than the rest of them?”

“Know what, just get down there.”

Rook pushed Rainbow down the dirt steps. She tripped on the last step and fell into mud, dirtying her tunic. She heard a few laughs here and there amongst the guards behind the fences that surrounded the hole that she was in.

Rainbow stood up and looked around. The hole seemed to be dug out very precisely. The walls of dirt seemed to be perfectly straight. On top of the dirt walls was a fence that added to the height of them. The hole was large and oval-shaped.

“Get to work!” one of the guards yelled from above.

There were three ponies at each table. There was a table at the end where nopony was, so she headed for it. Once she got there, one of the guns were slid down to her table. She picked it up and looked at it. It looked like the same gun that the pony that found her had. There was dirt in the small cracks and holes.

Rainbow picked up a cloth that sat on the table beside the gun. There was a bucket on the ground under the table that was filled with water. The water was dark brown with pieces of grass floating on the surface.

She dipped the cloth into the water, then brought it back up to the gun and started working at some of the bigger spots of dried mud.

As she worked, the light of day slowly ate away the darkness of the night, giving way for the sun.

Rainbow looked around one more time. Out of all the ponies in the hole, none of them were talking. They all worked at the guns in front of them. They seemed... dead.

Rainbow slowly looked back to the gun on the table, scrubbing off some more dried mud with the wet cloth. Once she finished with the longest part, she moved on to the wooden piece.

She looked up at the guards surrounding the hole, shielding her eyes from the bright lights. From what she could see, there were about nineteen guards, all equipped with the large guns that the ponies were cleaning.

How am I gonna get out of here...?

Author's Note

Happy new years, everyone!

Chapter Fifteen – One More Light

Rainbow and the other pony had walked the wagon down the hill, and into the valley where the large city resided. Being closer, she could pick out more details on the wall. The stone was weathered quite a bit with small cracks and chips here and there. The left side of the entrance gate was covered in vines that stretched up the length of the wall.

“Welcome to the Pyrathian Kingdom, ponies!” The guard stood from his seat and jumped off of the wagon.

“Pyrathian Kingdom?” London said, looking up at the guard.

Once the wagon train came to a stop, ponies began coming from the city, odd-looking wagons being towed behind them.

“How many of’em per cage?” a guard from the wagon in front of them asked.

One of the ponies that had come from the city with the caged wagon stopped by Rainbow.

“Three to a cage. No more, no less,” she said, looking straight at Rainbow and London.

The guard began pushing them towards the cage. Rainbow picked up London and placed him in the cage, then jumped in after him. The nice pony that pulled the wagon with her was pushed inside the cage as well. The cage door was slammed shut right after he had gotten in.

Once their cage began being pulled back inside of the city, Rainbow saw how many cages they had lined up. They stopped to allow more caged wagons past.

Rainbow placed a hoof on London’s back, keeping him close. While they were stopped, she overheard the guards talking.

“How many do you have this time?” a guard from the city asked.

“Sixty-six today,” the wagon guard answered.

“You know, some day we’re going to need you all to drop off your... cargo at a different location. Our city is beginning to become crowded. Everypony who lives here has at least three pegasi!”

“I’ll make sure to tell the boss ‘bout that.”

The boss? Pegasi?

After all of the caged wagons passed, they were walked inside of the city.

Wagon after wagon. Cage after cage. All sixty-six of the captured pegasi were being loaded up and hauled into the city to be sold.

Their cage stopped once it had gotten to the middle, it seemed, of the city. It was a large opening in the buildings with one large structure at one end. The field was all dead grass. The few trees it had were towards the sides of the field. The structure at the end of the field was just a flat foundation with only one wall on the back of it.

As they were being unloaded from the cages and led to the foundation, Rainbow noticed all of the town’s ponies coming onto the large field. There were hundreds, if not, thousands, of ponies.

The guards from the city helped lead all of the pegasi to the “stage,” as they called it.

London wouldn’t budge from Rainbow’s side. She almost felt... like she had to take care of him. She wouldn’t let them do anything to him. They would stay together.

They were led up some steps onto the large stage, facing out towards all of the town’s ponies. They were lined up and given papers with a number on it. Rainbow was #45, and London was #46.

“Mo—R-Rainbow... I’m really scared,” London whispered to her.

Rainbow cried quietly to herself as they were being numbered off. She pulled London closer to her side.

A pony with a bright red suit came onto the stage holding something. “Alright everypony! We have sixty-six pegasi for you all on this fine day!” he shouted. His voice was amplified by large black boxes on the sides of the stage. “You all know how this goes. I list the pegasi’s numbers and prices, and you guys holler out if you want it or not!”

That’s all we are to them... just a thing to be sold.

“Now, which one should we start with?”

The crowd of ponies all shouted, seemingly shaking the ground. Rainbow could pick out a few numbers amongst the yelling, none of which were hers or London’s, giving her some bit of hope.

“Let us start with #44, right here,” he said, walking up to the pony that had helped Rainbow pull the wagon. Part of her wanted to stop him. “The price for this one starts at 729 points. Who wants him!?”

A few ponies from the crowd stood and called out. “729—No, 749. Oh, 759! And... Going once! Going Twice! Sold, to the fine stallion in the fedora! Alright, get him out of here, guards. Moving along, we have #45! Her magnificent colours will not go unnoticed, as well as her child! Their price will be an even 1,000 points!”

Rainbow’s heart felt as if it skipped a beat. She felt London squeeze her leg.

She watched as almost every single town’s pony stood and shouted. “Whoa, hey now! I can’t take everypony at once! Tell you what, I’ll up the price to 1,600 points! Who still wants her?!”

Most of the ponies stood again. This time, though, there was a little less than before. “Okay! How about 2,300 points for both?!”

Most of the ponies in the crowd looked annoyed. They all looked around at each other. “Okay then. Moving o—Oh! You’ll buy them for 2,300 points?!”

Rainbow searched the crowd, and at the very front was a pony in a dark brown-coloured trench coat with a black top hat. “Yes. I will buy them for 2,300 points,” he said, looking straight at her and London.

“Woo! You got yourself a deal! Guards, get them in the cage and hand them over!”

Three guards came from behind them and led them to another cage. This one was smaller than the wagons and looked to be older.

“W-what are they going to do with us?” London asked once the guards left.

“I’m not sure... but I’m glad you’re still with me,” Rainbow replied.

“Me too.”

Just then, the pony that had bought them came up to the cage. “Hello, you two.”

They only stared at him.

“Not much of talkers, are you? Well, don’t you worry.” He reached inside of his coat and brought out a knife. Rainbow jumped back. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. I... look.”

He hit the lock that was keeping the cage door closed. After a few more hits, the lock broke and fell to the ground. He opened the cage door and stepped back, allowing them to exit.

“My name is Percy. What is yours? If you don’t mind me asking.”

She hesitantly spoke, “R-Rainbow... and this is... London.”

“Well, Rainbow and London, welcome to the Pyrathian Kingdom! One of the largest cities in the country.”

“W-what are you going to do with us?” London suddenly asked.

“Young one... it hurts me to see how ponies treat pegasi after the war. It is horrible. I hope I can make your life better.”

“Thank you,” Rainbow said.

“Here, come with me. I will tell you about everything on the way to my home.”

Rainbow stepped out of the cage with London, and followed Percy out of the field. They walked through the streets and alleyways.

Ponies on the street stared at Rainbow and her wounds and scars.

True to his word, Percy explained everything that was going on within, and outside of, the city. He explained how unicorn ponies were the upper-class since they had magic. Unicorns were the wealthiest. He also explained how earth ponies, such as himself, were the middle-class, being average.

“Buying you two really took a lot, hope you know that,” he had said, laughing afterwards.

Percy also explained why pegasi were slaves. And how some ponies even had their pegasi’s wings cut off to prevent them from leaving. But he assured her that he would do no such thing.

Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Sixteen – Peaceful Night

“Well, here we are. Feel free to make yourself at home,” Percy said, taking his coat off and hanging it from a coat rack beside the doors.

“Thank you... so much,” Rainbow said.

“You are very much welcome. I believe London here is a bit tired from all of the walking, aren’t you?” he asked, looking down at London, who was yawning.

“Mhm. I’m tired,” he said, rubbing his eye.

“Well, come with me, I have a room for you, just upstairs. Oh, Rainbow, you don’t mind sharing a room with him, do you?”

“No, not at all.”

While Percy led London to their room, Rainbow looked around the room. She was still waiting by the door. There were two windows that were on either side of the doors. They had intricate designs inside of the glass that shined golden in the evening sunlight. The floor was made of tiles that were smooth white stones with small, shiny black flakes inside of each one.

The rails on the stairs were golden and curvy. The steps were the same as the flooring, but each step had a golden trim on the edges. The front doors were brown wood with golden handles. The windows in the middle of the doors looked the same as the windows on the sides with the golden designs.

In the middle of the room, there was a small black table with a large vase on top of it. The vase was a shiny turquoise with gold and black flakes mixed in it. There was a small plant inside of the large vase, which seemed odd. The plant was green with small multicoloured flowers scattered about.

Percy came back down the stairs, and stood at the bottom. “I gave him a snack and some water... he said he was hungry.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s fine.”

“You want something to eat? You look hungry as well.”

“Yes, that would be nice, thank you.”

He walked past Rainbow and opened a sliding door. She followed him into the other room and saw that it was a kitchen. He then kept going and opened another door. Inside was a smaller room that, within, was stocked up with different types of foods.

“Go ahead, grab what you want. I’ll go get you a drink,” Percy said, walking out of the door.

Rainbow looked at all of the food, resisting the urge to take it all. Not wanting to be rude, she just grabbed a small pack of crackers. She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Percy was pouring something into a small glass.

“Here, have a seat,” he said, pulling a chair out. He sat in his own chair across the table from her. He slid the glass of red liquid to her.

“Thanks.” Rainbow took a drink of it. It burned on the way down, causing her to cough a couple times. “W-what is that?”

“Sorry, I should have told you. It’s wine. It burns the back of your throat a little.”

Rainbow laughed. “A little?”

“Yeah, just a little.” He took a sip of his own glass. “So, tell me a bit about yourself. Before you were captured, I mean.”

“I-I... I woke up in the middle of nowhere... without any memory. I...” Rainbow took a moment to breath. “I... don’t know who I am. I woke up with this giant burn. And... I followed a small creek up into the mountains where I was then attacked by an animal in the snow. I went to sleep in a cave... but I was almost attacked by even more animals. Then—”

“What about London? He’s... not yours?”

“When I was captured, I found him by himself. He had no family around and I couldn’t just leave him. I had to do something, so I told him to stay with me.”

“He was in the slave camp?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Oh my... I hate those ponies. Ah... anyway, continue.”

“After the cave, I flew through the night and got away from the mountains. I slept in a field. It was hot. While walking, I fell into a large canyon... that’s what happened to my wing...”

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t know...”

“It’s fine. Anyway, I walked through the canyon for a while, then I found a large structure with a bunch of earth ponies by it. I now know that they were mining. But... I was so excited to see another pony, after such a long time, I... fainted. Then, I woke up in the back of a wagon, and when I tried to escape, the pony cut me. That’s when I had to get away. I ran, and ran. I got to a point where my body just... gave up. They eventually found me lying in the sand of the harsh desert and brought me back to the wagon train. I then woke up tied to a tree in the middle of a forest. That’s when I found London. They transported us here, and... yeah... that’s my story.”

“My, my... You have been through a lot. So, all these cuts and scars you have,” he said, gesturing to her body, “are from animal attacks and those catchers?”

“Basically, yeah,” she responded.

“I’ll give you my finest medications to get you back to health. It’ll take some time, but you’ll be back to normal. Here, let me get a look at your wing.”

Rainbow got up and walked to the other side of the table. She leaned down to let him see the wing.

“Who put the bandages on?” he asked, putting some glasses on.

“The ponies who... captured me.”

“Hmm... That explains a lot. This bandage isn’t going to heal your wing. It’s dislocated. You’ll need to pop it back into place.”

“P-pop?”

“Yes. Stay still, this’ll hurt.” Without hesitation, Percy jerked her wing in a strange way. There was an audible crack, as well as pain. Rainbow gritted her teeth. “There, I won’t touch it anymore. I’m done.”

Rainbow looked at her wing, and saw that it wasn’t hanging loosely at her side anymore. It hurt to move it, but it was back to normal.

“Do you know how to fly?” he asked, taking his glasses off.

“Y-yes.”

“Okay, make sure not to try to fly for a little while. Your wing still needs to heal completely. But, once it is done, it’ll be as good as new!”

“Are you a doctor?”

“Yes, I was a doctor. Alright, you should head to bed. It’s been a long day for you, I’m sure of it.”

“Yes, I’ll go now.” Rainbow took one last sip of her wine, then walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. She remembered seeing Percy and London walking into the room straight to the right.

She slowly opened the door. London was asleep with a few crackers next to him on the bed. Across the room was another, larger, bed. Beside each of the beds was a nightstand with a small lamp on top.

Rainbow closed the door and walked to the side of London’s bed. She lifted the covers over him.

“Goodnight, London,” she whispered. She walked back to her bed and turned off the lamp.

Slipping into the covers on her bed, she thought, I... I can get used to this.

Chapter Eighteen – Cherished Relief Part II

Rainbow opened her eyes and noticed she wasn’t in the room. She quickly sat up while looking around the room she found herself in.

“Is everything alright?” Percy asked, sitting across from her, reading papers. “I hope I didn’t startle you.”

She was relieved to see that she was just on the sofa in the living room. “H-how did I get here?” she asked.

“Last night,” Percy replied. “You fell asleep there, and I didn’t want to move you, so... I grabbed a blanket for you.”

“Oh... Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, just to let you know, London is still asleep. Breakfast is on the table if you’re hungry, too.”

“I’m not really hungry right now.”

“Ah, I see.”

Rainbow remained seated, studying the way Percy acted. He picked up a paper on the table in front of him and read through it. After reading, he placed it back down and wrote on it. He then placed the paper to the side and repeated.

After a few papers, Rainbow decided to ask a question that had been bothering her since the night prior. “What is Equestria like?”

“What was that?” he asked, looking up from a paper.

“What is Equestria like?” Rainbow repeated.

“Personally, I’ve never been there. My... my s-son has been.”

“Is he here?”

Percy looked down at the floor. “N-no. He’s... not here.” He closed his eyes.

“Is he still in Equestria?” she asked. “Percy?”

“He’s not anywhere! He’s gone! I’ll never see them again!” Percy snapped, startling Rainbow. “I... I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have... It’s just that... H-he and my... wife were on their way back here from Equestria... but the airship was... shot down during the war.”

Rainbow kept quiet, ignoring the thoughts of asking what an airship was. “I’m sorry for... asking,” she whispered after a while of staring at the floor.

“I... I loved them,” Percy spoke softly. “I-if you want, you can go wake London. I’m going to show you around the city. Again, if you want.”

Rainbow stood from the sofa and walked into the other room that led to the stairs. After going up the stairs, she opened the door to the room. London was asleep on his bed. She walked over to the window on the far wall and opened the curtains.

“It’s time to get up, bud,” Rainbow said, lifting the covers off of London.

He yawned, saying, “Are we doing anything today?”

“Yeah! We’re gonna go into the city and check everything out.”

“What time is it?” London asked, hopping down from the bed.

Rainbow walked over to the window and looked around for the sun. “I uh, don’t know.”

“It’s about 8 o’clock in the morning. Hurry along now and eat your breakfast, London!” Percy answered from the open door. He was leaned against the door frame.

London ran past him and down the stairs.

“I’m guessing he really likes breakfast,” Percy said.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Rainbow agreed.

“You sure you’re not hungry?”

“Yes. I had a lot last night.”

Percy smiled. “Ah, you did have quite a lot.”

“Is there any specific place we’re going to, or...?”

“We can go anywhere you and London want to go. I would take London and you outside of the city to show you two something I found, but the North Pyrathian army made an advancement towards the city, so nopony is allowed out unless the mayor says so.”

“Can’t you just sneak out?”

“I don’t think that would work. The only way out is the front gate... which is closed.”

“The gate is the only way out? I’m no expert or anything, but that seems... dumb. Like,” Rainbow sat and started making gestures with her hooves, “somepony, or the North Pyrathian army, could easily come to the gate and trap all of us in. There should be more than one exit, because then we’d have a way of getting out of this place if they guarded the gate.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who created the city, so...”

Before they could continue, they heard the sound of London running up the stairs. “I’m finished!” he shouted once he made it into the room.

“Oh, one thing before we go. You two need to get dressed. It may seem strange, but ponies in this city dress, and look down upon those who don’t. I’ll go get you your clothes, be back in a sec,” Percy said, walking out of the room.

Percy returned shortly after carrying different outfits. “Okay, I didn’t know what you two like, but I have this,” he said, setting the clothes down on a small table in the room. “I’ll be waiting downstairs for you two.”

Clothes?

Rainbow picked up the larger clothes in the pile. She chose to wear a black sweater. When she put it over her head, she had some troubles getting it all the way on. Once it was fully on, she looked at herself in a mirror that was on the back of the door.

The sweater covered most of her body and her forelegs. It also covered her wings, which she had hoped to cover up in the first place. She also noticed an extra piece of cloth that stuck out of the back. She lifted it up and noticed that it was supposed to cover her head. Once she put it on, she felt... oddly comfortable. Having the hood over her head felt like she was being protected.

Rainbow looked over to London, who was already done. He was dressed in a small suit. It was light brown in colour with a black tie.

“Let’s go, bud,” Rainbow said, reaching towards him. They opened the door and walked down the stairs to meet with Percy.

“We’re done!” London shouted.

“Well then, let’s not wait any longer! Is everypony ready?” Percy asked, looking towards Rainbow.

She smiled, “Yes, I am.”

They walked out of the room and down the stairs. Percy held the door open for the two to exit, and locked it once they were all out. “Where to?” he asked.

London looked up at Rainbow. “Go for it, London,” she said, ruffling his mane.

“Let’s go this way!” London shouted, taking the lead to walk down the road.

It was the first time Rainbow had been outside since being sold. She looked back at Percy’s house, along with all of the other houses on the street. Each house had the same style implemented into the structure. Above the door was a large archway. On the outer walls of the house stood tall pillars that were perfectly rounded. The houses were also made up of bricks. In front of the houses was a small yard of grass. There was also a tree in the middle of each yard.

They walked on a sidewalk, as Percy had called it. The sidewalk ran alongside a road, which was used for wagons and carriages.

The sky was a very bright, light shade of blue; it almost appeared white. Even though the sky was so bright, Rainbow could still make out clouds that drifted alone. There was a small breeze that felt refreshing each time it brushed past.

Once they reached a crossing in the road, London changed the direction. They were now walking straight towards the largest building in sight. The building towered above all other buildings in the city. It looked like it had the most amount of detail as well.

“Whoa, what is that?” Rainbow asked.

“That is the Pyrathian Centre. Tallest building in the city. It’s the place where other cities in the country send important documents and things like that. It’s also the place where some of the other countries’ leaders come to meet up and talk about important stuff,” Percy answered, fixing his hat.

“Wow, it’s... impressive,” Rainbow thought out loud.

“Yeah, it needs to be presentable if other leaders come to discuss important matters. It’s sort of expected in a city this large.”

“Are we allowed in?” London asked, slowing his pace.

“Sadly, no,” Percy answered.

“Oh, let’s go this way then!” London yelled, heading towards the large flat field.

“Percy, can I ask you a question?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, what is it?”

“What’s outside of the city?”

“Well, there’s cities everywhere around the Pyrathian Kingdom, but other than that, it’s mostly just a large desert. You were lucky to have spent your time in the mountains. Those are the only ones that this country has.”

“Really?” Rainbow asked.

“Yup. Oh, fun fact about their name. Those mountains are named the Moment Mountains because of how dangerous they are. Every moment counts on those mountains, so I’m glad you’re okay, Rainbow.”

“Me too. I’m just glad I was able to get out of them.”

“We’re here!” London shouted. “Can I go play with the other ponies?”

“Of course you can, bud!” Rainbow replied. She took a seat on a nearby bench to watch him play at the small park. Percy followed.

“You know... ever since I brought you to my home... I can’t help but notice... how much you two remind me of... my family,” Percy said softly.

“I’m sorry about your... family.”

Rainbow looked up and saw that the sun was just about right above. She then looked back towards the park. There was about five other ponies playing at the park. She saw how easy London was able to fit in, especially since his wings were hidden under his suit.

“Percy... thank you for doing this for us. I wish there was something I could do to repay you,” Rainbow said after a few minutes of silence.

“It’s all okay, really,” he responded.

“I’ve had my doubts about this city, but maybe I can actually get used to living here. Everything is great here, other than the slavery for pegasi.”

Chapter Nineteen – Change of Plans

Author's Note

Hey everyone, sorry this chapter took so long to be published.

Because of school, I will be publishing chapters at a much slower rate than before. Hope you all understand.

Chapter Nineteen – Change of Plans

Three days after Rainbow Dash went missing, inside of the throne room of Canterlot Castle.

“I’m afraid I cannot do that, Twilight. That could put too many ponies’ lives in danger,” Princess Celestia said from atop her throne.

“Please. We can’t just let Chrysalis do this to Rainbow Dash,” Twilight pleaded. Her eyes glistened from the tears building up. Just the thought of her close friend being in so much danger felt... purely dreadful.

“Listen, Twilight... Rainbow Dash, she... means a lot to all of us, you especially... but how can you be so sure it was Chrysalis' doing?”

“Because there’s no way that wasn’t Chrysalis in the photo! I know, I... I’d recognize Rainbow Dash anywhere! So who else could it be in the photo? After all, only changelings can morph into other creatures.”

“Yes, but... have...” Celestia sighed. “Have you thought about the possibility of that photo being the real Rainbow Dash? I understand you’re worried about her, and so am I, but you mustn't jump to conclusions so quickly. I’m sorry, Twilight.”

“There’s got to be something you can do,” Twilight begged, beginning to cry freely.

“I can send a search party of Royal Guards to find Rainbow Dash. They can help you. You and your friends.”

“I don’t need a search party. It was Chrysalis!”

“Twilight. I cannot risk the lives of my ponies.”

“But—”

“I simply can’t, Twilight.”

Twilight sighed. “W-where should we search?”

“I am sorry, my student, but I cannot say... However, I trust that you will find the solution, because after all... you know her better than I do, Twilight.”

“T-thank you, Princess,” she stammered in response, before turning to walk out the room.

“Twilight,” she heard another voice call out to her.

“Yes, P-Princess?” she asked, turning back around to face Luna.

“Perhaps I could help you,” the younger princess said, bearing a reassuring smile.

“Y-you will?”

“Of course, Twilight. It is my pleasure.”

As Princess Luna came down from her throne to catch up with Twilight, Celestia said, “Best of luck, you two. I do hope you find her... And... if it does turn out that Rainbow Dash has... been captured by the changelings... then I truly am sorry.”

They walked the rest of the way out of the throne room where Twilight’s friends awaited.

“So, what are we going to do about Chrysalis and the changelings?” Applejack asked.

“A search party will accompany us in an attempt to find Rainbow Dash. If she has been captured by Chrysalis, then there is nothing me and my sister can do, I-I’m sorry,” Princess Luna answered.

“So... we’re just gonna go on a meaningless search for a pony that we already know where she is?”

“It is not meaningless; doing something is better than nothing.”

“Remember when she wanted to try that thing Rarity had asked her? Maybe she just got lost after going too far,” Pinkie Pie proposed.

“That’s quite unlikely for a mare such as Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said.

“Well, she does crash sometimes,” Pinkie said.

“I hope she’s okay,” Fluttershy said.

“Yes, I do hope something dreadful hasn't happened to her,” Rarity agreed.

“We should get going; nightfall will be upon us soon,” Luna said, leading them towards the forefront of the castle. The group silently agreed and followed closely behind her.

“We have to wait for the Royal Guards to get here. They will have a chariot ready to take us to Ponyville where we can start the search,” Luna said as they got to the fountain in the center of Canterlot. “Twilight, do you know which way Rainbow Dash went?”

“L-last time I saw her, s-she was headed west, I-I think,” Twilight stammered.

“Hey, it’s okay. Do not worry, Twilight. We will find her,” Luna soothed.

“I-I know. It’s just that... I miss her.”

“We all miss her, Twilight. And we’re gonna find her no matter what,” Applejack comforted.

Just then, around a dozen Royal Guard ponies came marching towards them from seemingly nowhere. The ponies stopped and stood in a neat formation in front of a large chariot. They were all pegasus ponies with saddlebags hung over their backs. “Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, we have been sent by Princess Celestia to aid you in your search for your friend, Rainbow Dash,” the frontmost guard said. “Where would you like to search first?”

“Would you be able to take us down to Ponyville? Last time Twilight had seen her, she was headed west from there,” Luna said.

“Of course, Princess Luna.” The Royal Guards attached themselves to the chariot while everypony got in.

“I didn’t know it was this bad. I hope we find her,” Spike said. He was seated on Twilight’s back looking at the map she held in front of them.

The sun had gone down about an hour ago, leaving them surrounded by the darkness of White Tail Woods. The stars themselves were surrounded by darkness, flickering with unique colours.

Luna had split the guards up amongst everypony so they could go out and search separately to cover more ground.

Twilight looked back at Spike. “Thank you for coming, Spike. I-it really helps to have a great friend around.”

“Of course, Twilight. I wouldn’t leave you hanging!” Spike reassured, hugging her neck. “Do you know where we are on the map?”

“Yes. Well, not exactly. B-but I have a good idea. We are here,” she pointed to a darker spot on the map, “in White Tail Woods. This is the way Rainbow Dash was headed when I watched her... leave.”

Twilight folded the map and kept walking down the darkened path. The trees swayed in the soft wind. She looked ahead and saw that Princess Luna had returned with the rest of the ponies. “Did you find her?” she asked, running forward to meet them. Spike hopped off of her back.

“No, I’m sorry. We came back to set up for the night. Everypony is tired,” Princess Luna replied.

“I’m sorry, Darling. Perhaps we will find her tomorrow,” Rarity said.

Twilight watched as everypony began laying out sleeping bags and making small campfires. She sat on the cold ground and sighed, “Y-yeah... maybe we’ll find her tomorrow.”

“It’s okay, Twilight. You should get some sleep too. Tomorrow you might feel better,” Spike said, placing his claws on her back.

Twilight took her saddlebag off and placed it in front of her. She opened it and grabbed her own sleeping bag out of it and put it to the side. She then took out Spike’s and gave it to him.

As she unrolled her sleeping bag beside Spike, she wondered, Where have you gone, Rainbow Dash? Please come back... I-I need you.

“Goodnight, Twilight,” Spike said.

“G-goodnight.”

Twilight scooted into the sleeping bag and soon fell asleep under the eternal night sky.

Chapter Twenty – Siege of The Pyrathian Kingdom

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Twenty-One – Port of Wynmeda

Author's Note

Felt bad for not keeping up with my consistent publishings, so here's a bit of a longer one for you all.

Chapter Twenty-One – Port of Wynmeda

Rainbow yawned as she stretched out. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light coming through the trees.

She stood from the log and... “London? London, where are you?” She began to panic as she glanced around. “London!” she called out.

“I-I’m here,” he said, coming out from behind some trees and bushes that sat near the log.

“Where’d you go to?” Rainbow asked, walking towards him.

“I-I needed to... go...”

“O-oh... Well, don’t scare me like that anymore! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Rainbow hugged him before ruffling his mane. She sighed. “Anyway, we should get moving. Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

“No thanks. I’m okay.”

“Alright, let’s get goin’.” Rainbow took her saddlebag from the branch and placed it over her back.

She gestured for him to walk with her.

“Can you fly?” London suddenly asked. He looked up at her with a curious expression on his face. “I have never seen you fly.”

“Of course I can, bud! I just, uh...” Rainbow ducked under a tree that had fallen. “I don’t know. I was able to fly, but I don’t know about it now.”

“Can you teach me?” he asked, stepping over some plants.

“I... I don’t know if I can. I-it’s been a while since I last flew. Plus, last time I was flying, I dislocated my wing. I’m not the best at it. Not even close!”

London kept quiet for a little while as they made their way through the dense forest. “Do you know where we are going?” he suddenly asked.

Rainbow stopped. “No... Surely he had to have put a compass in here, right?” Rainbow allowed the bag to slide off of her back again as she turned to open it. She rummaged through the packs of food and water bottles. She soon found a coil of thin rope, a bag of strange pills, a folded piece of paper, and a compass.

“Yes! I found it!” Rainbow exclaimed. She held the compass in her hoof as she closed the bag again and put it back on.

It was a round piece of shiny golden metal with a cover that came off of the top, which would open to show the needle that always points to true North. The piece of glass that encased the needle was perfectly see-through, as there were neither smudges nor scratches on the surface. The letters N, E, S, and W were in large, bold font for easy reading. The letters, as well as the lines that came off in between each letter, were a light white-green colour on a red velvet background. Little decorations of silver vines and leaves traveled about on the outer case of the compass.

“Which way are we going to go?” London asked, seemingly very interested in the compass in Rainbow’s hoof.

“East. We need to go East. Percy told us to find a city called Wynmeda,” she answered, lining the compass up with North.

“Do you have a map?”

“I don’t know. I saw some paper in the bag, can you grab it for me?” Rainbow leaned down for London to reach inside of the bag. He pulled the folded paper out and hoofed it to her.

“Let’s see...” she whispered, unfolding the paper. From what she could tell, the paper was old. It was dark tan with small black-brown spots scattered about. Once she opened it completely, she saw black lines and scribbles, everywhere. There was writing that she couldn’t quite read with the quality of the old map. The only word she could really make out was large letters spelling out P-Y-R-A-T-H-I-A. “How do I figure out where we are?”

“Shouldn’t we be next to the Pyrathian Kingdom? Look for that on the map and then look next to it,” London suggested.

“I get that... but I can’t read—Oh! Found it. Okay...” Rainbow traced her hoof along the many lines and words. “We are in a forest, so it should be... right there! Itulam Forest? The only forest next to the Pyrathian Kingdom is the Itulam Forest, which it just East of the city, so, yeah...” she thought out loud.

“Itulam... F-Forest? I r-remember my... parents used to tell me about this p-place,” London said, wincing as he bowed his head down.

“What... did they tell you?” Rainbow asked. She sat in front of him and brought a hoof to his shoulder.

“T-they used to say... that they would one day bring me here... because of how peaceful and beautiful it is. They wanted me to have my ninth birthday here... but I... I was... taken.”

“C-could I ask... how you were... captured?”

“I-I lived in a small town called Osset... and I was playing with my friends when a bunch of those... bad ponies came through and started trapping all of the pegasi. I tried to find my family in the mess, but they... were gone. I couldn’t find them. A-and then I was captured by those ponies. W-what about your family?” London had tears on the edges of his eyes, but fought to keep them from falling.

“I... I don’t remember them. I can’t remember anything. The last thing I can remember i-is when I woke up in the middle of nowhere.”

“When was that?” he asked.

“About sixteen, seventeen days ago, give or take. I’m not too sure,” Rainbow answered. She smiled and opened her wings to full length. “How about flying?”

“I-I thought you didn’t want to?”

“Eh, I’m kinda feelin’ it right now. Let’s see if I can remember how.” Rainbow began flapping, and with ease, she rose off of the ground. Below her, London stared at her with amazement on his face. She watched as he tried flying as well. “C’mon Scoo— London! Y-you can do it!”

Scootaloo? Why did that just come into mind? She paused to ponder the thought. Whatever. It’s nothing.

“I’m doing it! Rainbow, look!” London yelled beside her.

London was flying. Well, more like struggling to keep himself up in the air, but still flying.

“Nice job, bud! Follow me; let’s see how fast you can go.” Rainbow watched him. He narrowed his eyes and readied himself by bringing his forelegs back. “Ready?”

“Ready,” he answered, still staring on ahead.

“Keep up!” With that, Rainbow took off... at a slow speed. After a few seconds, she looked behind her and saw London keeping up with her. “Wanna go faster?” she asked.

“No. This is fine.”

The thin air felt cool to the touch. It rushed by as they flew through it. The clouds were just above them, looming overhead.

“I think it’s gonna rain soon. Look how dark they are!” Rainbow said to London.

“Is the rain going to mess up our flying?”

“I don’t think so. Unless there’s lightning, we’ll be fine.”

“What does lightning do to a pony if they are hit?” London asked.

“Well... it burns... them...” She looked to her side, which was now almost completely back to its normal colour.

“I-is that what happened to your side? Were you struck by lightning?!” London flew closer to her, almost longing for answers.

Rainbow was suddenly hit with a... strange memory. Something about it didn’t make sense.

She was... flying fast. Really fast. She could remember the sound of the wind in her ears. The feeling of the air pushing all around her body. And then she could remember... the emotions. Worry. Horror. And amazement.

She could also remember what was around her. Clouds. Dark gray clouds were everywhere below her. Bright flashes rang out inside of them. She dove down into them to... find her way?

What was I trying to find?

She recalled the pain of ice that pelted her from all sorts of angles. Rain soaked her from head to hoof. Then, there was a sudden flash... and total darkness.

“Rainbow?” London asked.

She could still feel that something about the memory was... off. There was something in the memory that she truly felt, but now she didn’t. Something in the memory was now missing. Or somepony.

“Rainbow? Are you okay?” he asked, tapping her on the shoulder as they flew.

Rainbow jumped at the sudden touch. “Y-yes. I’m fine. I just, I don’t know what happened.” She looked at the compass that was still in her hoof. “L-looks like we’re still headin’ East, so we should keep an eye out for Wynmeda.”

“You mean that place?” London asked, pointing a hoof towards something off in the distance.

Rainbow took out the map and opened it. She glanced around and soon found Itulam Forest again. She traced along the darkened spot on the map and just beside the forest was the Port of Wynmeda. “That’s the place alright.” She folded the map and put it back in the bag on her back.

The city in the distance had no walls. There were two tall buildings that stood in the center, with smaller buildings farther out from the center. The port had four large concrete piers that stuck out from the land. Each pier had around forty ships docked at once.

After several minutes of flying towards the city, they began to see the ponies. Even from the distance they were at, they could see that each pony was wearing clothes. The ponies also seemed to be in a rush for something.

“London, wait,” Rainbow said, putting a hoof out to slow him down.

“What?” he asked.

“We need to find clothes before we go in. Everypony in there is wearing something.”

“So? It’s not that bad if we go in without any.”

“But we’re pegasi, London. They would just put us back to work if they see our wings.”

“Oh...”

Rainbow thought for a second. “Here, follow me. I think I know where we can find some clothes.” She dove down towards the ground. They landed behind one of the many buildings. It looked to be a clothing shop.

“What are you doing?” London asked.

“I’m going to see if I can find us some clothes,” Rainbow replied, lifting a black lid that was on top of a large green container.

“But... that’s a garbage bin.”

“I know. We can’t just go inside, we don’t have any money.”

“Ew! Why did you go in?”

“It’s just a bunch of clothes, London. Plus, the only gross trash in here is in separate bags,” Rainbow said, digging through the large pile of different clothes. “C’mere, pick something out.” She gestured for him to follow.

“But...” London tried to protest, “Alright, fine.” He walked to the edge of the bin to allow Rainbow to pick him up. She placed him inside where he saw a bunch of clothes.

London began digging through the pile, trying to find something that would match his overall colour.

“Ooh! How does this look on me?” Rainbow questioned.

London looked up and saw her. She was wearing a red sweater, much like the one she had worn in the Pyrathian Kingdom when Percy walked them through the city. “I-it looks good. Can you help me find something for me?”

“Of course, bud,” Rainbow responded, digging through the pile again. “Oh my goodness! Look! You can match me!”

London looked back up and saw she was holding up another red sweater. It looked to be just his size too. He grabbed it from Rainbow’s hooves and put it on over his wings. “It’s uncomfortable.”

“But it helps hide your wings from other ponies,” Rainbow said, helping London out of the garbage bin.

“I know, I know. It’ll have to do. Wait, what were we supposed to be doing here in Wynmeda anyway?”

“Well, it’s a port, so he—”

“Hey! What are you two doing back here?” a pony yelled from behind them.

They quickly turned to face the pony. It was a unicorn pony who wore a dark blue uniform. There was a golden badge on his vest that shined as he walked closer.

“Were we not supposed to be back here?” Rainbow asked, stepping in front of London.

“Didn’t you hear the announcement?! The mayor is evacuating the city because the North Pyrathian troops are headed this way! You need to get to the docks. Now! Let’s move!” He grabbed Rainbow’s sweater and pulled her forward.

“I can walk myself, let go.” She tugged away from the pony as she grabbed London and let him sit on her back. “Where’s the docks?”

“Follow me.” The pony began to trot down the street. Rainbow followed close behind him. The smell of salt lingered in the air all around them.

They neared a large, flat building. It only seemed to have one story, and it stretched with the length of the port. Large cranes were on the other side.

“Alright, just go inside. There will be ponies waiting to check your bags,” the uniformed pony said as he held a door open for her.

Rainbow walked inside of the large brick building. Sure enough, there was a desk with three ponies behind it. One of them looked up and said, “Hello there. Please give me your bags so I can check them, you’ll then be escorted to one of the departing boats. You’re lucky to have made it here on time.”

London jumped off of her back to let her take off her bag. “Here you go,” she said as she gave it to the pony on the other side of the desk.

She took the bag from Rainbow and rummaged through it. She was a light pink earth pony. She had a light blue mane as well.

“Alright. Your bag is fine. Azure here will take you to Prosperity, the last escape vessel,” she said, pointing towards a pony beside a door. He was an earth pony azure in colour with a white mane. “Here’s your bag, along with your tickets and key. On the tickets is your cabin number and deck number.”

“Alright, thanks,” Rainbow said, taking the bag and tickets. She stuffed the tickets inside the pocket on her sweater and placed the bag back on her back. “Let’s go, bud.”

Azure opened a door that led back outside. As they walked through, Rainbow could see Prosperity right there. It was huge.

I can’t believe I didn’t notice this thing when I was flying!

“Wow...” London whispered.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Azure suddenly said.

“Yeah, It’s... giant,” Rainbow responded.

As they walked closer, she took the time to take it all in.

The waves that crashed against the sides of the dock rocked it back and forth slightly. The fresh smell of salt caused her to scrunch her nose every now and then. The ocean was dark green, and had small ripples everywhere. She hadn’t noticed, but it began raining while they were inside.

As for Prosperity, it was giant. The draft was red, and the freeboard was white. In black lettering, the name “Prosperity” was written in bold letters on the stern. The beam of the vessel seemed to be 100 feet across!

They approached the gangway and prepared to cross it when Rainbow stopped Azure. “Can I ask you something?” she asked him.

“Of course. What is it?”

“If everypony is leaving the city, what are those ponies still doing there at the desk?”

“Ah, I see. We will be boarding Miller, a separate vessel. And don’t worry about us. We will be allowed to go once the searchers tell us the city is clear. Anyway, you should get to your cabins before you get soaking wet out here. Safe travels,” he said as he turned to walk away.

“Wait! Where are we going?” Rainbow quickly asked.

“Oh, Prosperity is headed for Equestria. Goodbye!” With that, Azure turned and walked back towards the building that they exited.

“Can you grab the tickets from my pocket and check which deck we’re on?” Rainbow asked as she made her way up the gangway. Two ponies were waiting by the end of the gangway to help them onto the ship.

“It says we’re on E Deck, cabin room 542,” London read aloud.

“Hello there, need any help getting to your room?” the pony asked once they made it onto the main deck.

“No thanks, I got it,” Rainbow answered as she walked past them.

“Okay, just know that Prosperity will be leaving in,” she stopped to check her watch, “thirty-two minutes.”

“Alright, thanks,” Rainbow said. She walked into one of the open doors and made her way to the grand stairs. As she walked down the stairs to the lower decks, she kept an eye on the letters of each level. She stopped when she saw the letter E on the wall and continued on her way to her room.

She walked down the long hallway and found room 542. She used the key and opened the door. As the door swung open, the lights in the room all turned on.

“Whoa, look, Rainbow!” London exclaimed as he ran to the porthole on the far wall of the room.

She closed the door behind her and locked it as she made her way to the porthole. Outside of it was the water not too far below them.

“I’ma take a quick shower. Don’t mess around while I’m in there, alright?” she said, taking off her sweater.

“I won’t.”

“Thanks.” Rainbow dropped the sweater on one of the beds and made her way to the bathroom by the front door. She turned on the light and saw the large shower. She closed the door and stepped inside of the large shower. She brought a hoof up to the handles and turned the red one. Just then, hot water poured out on her body. She bowed her head under the falling water and let it course through her mane.

Rainbow watched as dirt dripped off of her mane and body and slipped right into the drain.

This feels great. I think I’ll make London take a shower after me.

She continued to ponder the thought a little while longer.

Why do I feel like I have to protect him all the time? Is it just because he’s so young? Or... do I really love him... like a family would? She sighed as she scrubbed shampoo into her mane. I really do love him. He’s great. And I will never let anything happen to him. Not while I’m around.

Chapter Twenty-Two – Journey Abroad

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Three – Intercontinental Voyage (Twilight)

Foresight had left Las Pegasus several hours ago. Twilight was stood at the stern of the ship with her forelegs rested on the railing, looking out over the countless waves of the limitless ocean. She watched as Equestria slowly grew smaller and smaller.

She took in a deep breath. The overwhelming smell of seawater lingered in the air all around her. Every breath she exhaled condensed as it made contact with the cold air.

She looked down over the railing, and saw dozens of small jellyfish aimlessly pushing themselves around in the water. The wake behind the massive shipping vessel left large amounts of bubbles in the dark green water.

The clouds above were thick and grey, adding to the darkness of the night. The inevitable storm loomed ahead, threatening to drench anything in its path.

“It’s magnificent, isn’t it?” Rarity said, standing beside her.

“Y-yeah,” she responded, still looking at Equestria.

They stood together for a long while, looking out over the ocean.

“How are you holding up?” Rarity finally asked.

Twilight felt a hoof touch her shoulder. “I... still feel sick.”

“Still? Well, just stay out here. Breathe the fresh air, and keep your eyes on the horizon. It should help you.”

“Thanks, Rarity, but I’ve been out here for an hour and I still feel sick.”

“It takes time, Darling. Just be patient.”

“How come you aren’t seasick?” Twilight asked, turning to face her.

“I’m lucky, I guess,” Rarity answered, smiling.

Twilight sighed. “I’m going to go back inside, it’s getting cold out here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Are you coming with?”

“I suppose so; I’ve got nothing better to do,” Rarity replied, joining Twilight in her walk back towards their cabin.

Twilight walked slowly through the passageways, not wanting to make any sudden movements. The rocking of the large ship with the waves nauseated her, and at the same time calmed her.

All for Rainbow Dash, she repeated in her mind, over and over again.

Twilight finally reached the door to their cabin and slowly opened it. She walked over to her bunk and climbed up into it.

Rarity closed the door behind her and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Getting some rest,” Twilight answered with her head stuffed under her pillow.

“But... it’s only eight.”

Twilight lifted her head from below the pillow and seemed to be considering it. After a brief moment, she laid her head back down and yawned, “Goodnight, Rarity.”

“Alright, Darling. Have a good night,” Rarity responded as she left the room.

Twilight was awoken by a loud ringing. The breakfast bell had gone off.

“Ma’am, it’s time for the first meal of the day. It is required that everypony eats,” a pony said.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry!” Twilight jumped off of the bunk and finally got a clear look at the mare.

Her fur coat was a light green, and her mane was a darker shade of green. She wore a dark blue uniform. She held a hoof out to Twilight, to which she accepted.

“Name’s Wayfarer,” she said as she shook Twilight’s hoof.

“I’m Twilight. It’s nice to meet you, Wayfarer,” Twilight said as she smiled at her.

“Nice to meet you too, Twilight. I’m one of your cabinmates. I spoke with your friend, Rarity. She wanted me to come back and get you.”

“Oh, she did?”

“Yeah, let’s go. She’s waiting for you in the cafeteria,” Wayfarer said, leading her out of the room and down to the stairwell in the passageway. Twilight didn’t like the stairways, as they were extremely steep. They were almost ladders.

After a bit of walking through the similar passageways, they finally made it to the large cafeteria. Twilight walked to the end of the line and picked up a tray. The line moved along slowly, giving her the time to let everything set in.

The smells of different foods fought each other. From where she was waiting in line, she could see that there was food sitting out on a long counter, resembling a buffet. None of the stuff sitting out on the counter even looked like food.

Disgusted, Twilight placed the tray back down and headed to the nearby table that Rarity was seated at.

“Where’s your food?” Rarity asked.

“Did you see that? I don’t think that’s healthy!” Twilight said, pointing a hoof to the counter.

“I thought it was quite good, actually,” she replied.

“You ate it?! But... Rarity, did you even look at it?”

“Well, yes, but you should never judge a book by its cover, Twilight,” Rarity teased.

Twilight blinked. She cleared her throat before speaking, “I um, I’m not that hungry.”

“Hmm, suit yourself.”

Before Twilight could respond, Wayfarer came up to the table, saying, “You finished fast. C’mon, I want to show you two something.”

“Where are we going?” Twilight asked, standing up from the table.

“Up,” Wayfarer simply said.

Rarity and Twilight followed her up to the bridge of the ship. It was a wide room with control panels lining the frontmost wall. The helm was on its own in the middle of the large room, with the largest window directly in front of it.

The large window wipers swiped the rain water away, but more water came down from the dark clouds. Foresight had gone straight into a large storm. The rocking of the ship had worsened since then.

Every single button and switch inside of the bridge was lit up for visibility.

As Twilight and Rarity made their way into the bridge, they saw Princess Luna talking with one of the captains of the shipping vessel.

“Oh, hello Twilight and Rarity,” she greeted. “This is the captain, Cario.”

“Hello, you two,” he said. “Like she said, I am one of the captains of Foresight. This ship has gone through so much, and yet, here it is, still goin’ strong. Anyway, enough about me and the ship, what about you two?”

“W-well, my name is Twilight Sparkle... and we’re going to Pyrathia to... find... somepony.” She looked down, taking sudden interest in the smooth wood floor.

“Like Princess Luna said, I’m Rarity. It’s very nice to meet you, Captain Cario.”

“Oh, please, just call me Cario,” he said, smiling.

The lights flickered, causing them to look up. “Oh, don’t mind the lights. That’s just the backup generator kickin’ in,” Cario said.

“Backup generator?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, every now and then, the ponies that work in the engine room will switch the power output to the backups, just to make sure they still work. They leave it runnin’ for a few minutes, then switch it back to the main generators.”

“So, Cario, how long until we reach Pyrathia?” Luna asked.

“Well,” he checked the map on the table beside them, “a little less than three days.”

“How do you know where we are on that map?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t. Well, not exactly. I traveled this route so many times that I basically know where the sun should be, at all times. Other than that, I use a sextant, which is a device to determine the angular distance between the horizon and the sun. It’s called celestial navigation, which helps find out our location on this planet, but with this storm, I have to rely on the information from yesterday,” Cario answered. “Last time I checked, we were at longitude -3.21, and latitude -30.26.”

“Wow, that’s... amazing,” Twilight said.

Wayfarer cleared her throat. “Once you girls are done, I would like to show you something,” she said.

“Oh, sorry to keep you waiting,” Rarity apologized. “Let’s go.”

They exited the side door that led outside of the bridge and walked up another set of stairs. They made their way to the mast.

The outside walls of the bridge were all white, but the mast on top was bright yellow, evidently noticeable from miles away, no matter the time of day.

Wayfarer led them towards a ladder. She climbed up with ease, leaving the two behind wondering how. “You girls coming?” she asked once she made it to the top.

Rarity took the initiative to start climbing. After a lot of failed attempts at trying to get the right hold, she finally got the hang of it. She soon made it to the top. She turned and looked down to Twilight. “Your turn!”

“Ponies are not supposed to be climbing ladders,” Twilight whispered to herself. She placed her forelegs around the bottom ladder step and looked up. The mast was tall, and she was going to climb up without a safety harness. She gulped.

“Come on, Twilight! It’s not that hard!” Rarity yelled from above. “And the view is... simply divine!”

“I don’t need a high altitude to see anything, Rarity. We’re surrounded by nothing but flatness; no mountains to get in the way of the views!” Twilight shouted back.

“Just climb up! I believe in you!”

“Alright, alright, fine!” Twilight brought her forelegs to a higher step and pulled up enough to get her right hind leg on the bottom step. With that, she lifted her right foreleg up another step, at the same time bringing her left hind leg up.

“You're doing it, Twilight!” Rarity shouted down.

“C'mon, keep going!” Wayfarer encouraged.

Twilight followed those same steps over and over again. She heard the two talking to each other from the platform above her.

“So, Rarity, what do you do in Equestria?” Wayfarer asked.

“Well, I work at my boutique in Ponyville. Sometimes, me and my friends go out and save Equestria from severe threats.”

“So what threat are you going after right now?”

“Oh, I, uh, we aren’t going to face any threats. We just... We’re heading to Pyrathia to find a missing friend.”

Twilight had made it to the last step to climb up. “Finally, I made it!” she exclaimed. She was still on the ladder, only holding herself at the top with her forelegs hung over the ledge. She lifted her right hind leg up, but lost her balance doing so. “Oh crud.”

“Twilight!”

Twilight spent almost two days in the sick bay recovering from her fall. The on board nurse had told her she had a minor sprain in her left foreleg. Most of the time she spent in the sick bay was just her reading a book. Rarity would come in to check on her, and apologize for not catching her in time. Wayfarer, too, would come in and apologize for not following proper safety protocols. Once Princess Luna found out about her fall, she came in and asked her of what happened.

A little over a day, and we’re off of this thing, she thought as she looked around at the solid metal walls and pipes. There was a digital clock on the wall directly in front of her, reading 2:34 PM.

Just then, she heard the door creak open, and not too long after, the curtains were pulled back. The nurse stepped up to the side of the bed. “Hi,” she said as she checked the monitor with Twilight’s vitals. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling better, but there’s still a little bit of an ache in my hoof.”

“This should help with the pain,” the nurse said, giving Twilight a small pill and a cup of water. “By the looks of how much the swelling has gone down, I feel like it’s okay to let you go. If you want to stay, you may, but you can leave whenever you want. Just don’t be putting too much weight on your foreleg, alright?”

Twilight nodded, “Yes.”

“Okay, good. Here, let me take that.” The nurse grabbed Twilight’s empty cup and placed it into the trashcan behind her.

“So, I can go ahead and leave when I want?” Twilight asked, just to be sure.

“Yup,” the nurse clarified. “Just don’t be doing anything crazy with that leg.”

Twilight smiled as she sat up in the bed. “I know.” She slowly let herself down from the bed and limped towards the door. Before she could open it, somepony else did.

“Oh, Twilight, you’re up! I need to show you something, quickly!” Rarity said. She bounced in place while grinning.

“What is it?” Twilight asked. “We better not be climbing anything!”

“No, of course not! Just... follow me, fast!” Rarity turned and ran down the passageway, Twilight right behind her.

Although it hurt with each step of her left foreleg, it felt good to stretch her muscles after being in the bed for a while.

They soon made it to the main deck where they made their way to the starboard side of the ship. The air was just as salty, but felt warmer than when they first left Equestria.

“Look, look!” Rarity pointed out into the slight fog.

Twilight followed where she was pointing and her eyes laid upon another ship. It looked to be a large passenger ship, much like a cruise liner. It was heading the opposite way of where they were headed.

Right on the starboard side of the bow, the name “Prosperity” was placed. The draft of the other ship was red, and the freeboard was white. There was two large smokestacks towards the center of the other ship, spewing out smoke. It also seemed to be in much better condition than Foresight.

Through the slight fog, Twilight could just barely make out ponies walking around on the main deck of Prosperity.

As the two large ships passed each other, they walked to the stern to keep sight of the other vessel. Then, Twilight noticed that Foresight was turning.

Suddenly, the speaker system started up with static. “Everypony, we are taking a detour North, as the Port of Wynmeda is closed to all arrivals due to threats of siege. Don’t be alarmed, the detour will only add several more hours to our travels; we are headed for Moenum Harbour. That’s all, back to work everypony,” Captain Cario said.

While Rarity and Twilight still watched on as Prosperity faded into the fog, Princess Luna landed behind them. “How’s your leg feeling, Twilight?” she asked.

Twilight turned around and answered, “It’s feeling a lot better, though, there’s still an ache, but it’s nothing too bad.”

“That’s good. If you need me, I’ll be in my room,” she said before turning to leave.

“Wait!” Rarity called out. “Do you know how long until we get there?”

“Um... just over a day, I believe.”

“Oh, alright, thanks.” Rarity turned back to Twilight, who was still looking at the spot where Prosperity had disappeared in the fog. “T-Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“I am dreadfully sorry I didn’t catch you in time.”

Twilight smiled. “It’s okay, Rarity. All it is is just a little sprain in my hoof, nothing serious.”

“Yes, but I do not like the idea of my friends going through pain, whether it be a little or a lot.”

“Rarity, don’t worry, I’m fine. But, what was the view like up there, anyway?”

“Oh,” Rarity held back a giggle as she looked down towards the floor, “it was, um... not much different than from the bottom.”

“I see,” Twilight deadpanned.

After a few minutes of standing around, Rarity said, “I am starving, would you like to come with me to go see if there’s anything in the cafeteria yet?”

Twilight winced as she remembered the horrid foods, but gave in to hunger. “Sure.”

Chapter Twenty-Four – Intercontinental Voyage (Rainbow)

Author's Note

Hey, everyone. It’s been a little while... Sorry about that. With everything that’s been going on recently, I haven’t found much time to work on this story. Especially with school sending out work. However, I feel like it’s safe to say that I will be posting a new chapter every week or so, so please stick around for those.

With that out of the way, you may read the chapter now. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter Twenty-Four – Intercontinental Voyage (Rainbow)

The clock on the wall read sometime near nine at night. Prosperity had been cruising at an even speed for almost nine hours now. Rainbow was sitting with her back against the head of the bed. The television was keeping her occupied, as well as London, who was seated on the floor in front of the television.

“Have you ever dreamed of taking a relaxing trip across the world with your loved ones, but never knew which ocean liner to travel with?” said a mare on the television.

No?

“Well, Prosperity has you covered! We will allow you and your family a wonderful time on our luxurious ocean liner! Please enjoy your complementary stay on our beloved Prosperity!”

I wouldn’t say it’s luxurious...

“London?” Rainbow asked, clearing her throat.

“Yeah?” he answered.

“I think it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

“Okay, Rainbow.” London stood up from his place on the floor and jumped onto the bed. He laid beside her and pulled the covers over himself. “Goodnight,” he whispered.

“Goodnight, London,” Rainbow whispered back, turning off the lamp on the table beside her as she stood up from the bed. She walked over the television and turned it off. She then walked to the door to the room and turned off the light.

Just then, somepony knocked on the door. Rainbow nearly jumped at the sound but quickly opened the closet door beside her and grabbed a bath robe from inside. She opened the door once she was done putting it on.

“Yes?” she asked.

The pony that stood in front of her was wearing a tan suit. He stood confidently, but his eyes darted around nervously. His coat was white, and his mane was gray.

“I... I, um, I hope I’m n-not bothering you,” he hesitated. He cleared his throat, holding a hoof out. “S-sorry, I-I’m Blepharo Caletus."

“I’m Rainbow... can I help you?” she replied, shaking his hoof.

“I-I was sent by the captain to c-check on everypony and get a specific count of how many ponies are aboard Prosperity. I-I was told to ask around and report back to the captain.”

“So, you just need to know how many are in each room?”

“Yes, I hope it’s not too much of a bother,” he said timidly.

“There’s two of us in here,” Rainbow answered, yawning.

“Alright, thanks. That’s all I needed. I’ll be out of your mane now.” As quickly as he showed up, he left.

Rainbow closed the door and sighed. That was... awkward. I guess I’ll go to sleep; I’ve got nothing better to do right now.

Rainbow woke up to the sound of a few ponies talking loudly as they passed the thin door to her cabin. She looked over and noticed London had been awoken too. She rubbed her eyes with a hoof as she stretched.

Eight in the morning... How long is this trip gonna take anyway? Rainbow thought after glancing at the clock on the wall.

“Rainbow?” London called out.

“What’s up?”

“I’m hungry.” London sat up and pulled the covers off of himself.

“You just read my mind!” Rainbow said, laughing. “Get your sweater on and we’ll go to the dining area.”

London jumped off of the bed and ran to the closet where their sweaters were hung. He quickly slid it over his head and brought Rainbow’s to her.

“Thanks,” she said, putting her own on.

“What food do you think they’ll have?” London asked, waiting by the door.

“I’m not too sure. But, anything sounds good right now.” Rainbow adjusted her wings underneath the sweater and made her way to the door before opening it. A pony smiled as he walked by. London trotted along down the hallway. Occasionally, a pony or two would walk by.

Once they made it to the end of the hall, they walked up the grand stairs and into the dining area. It was a large room with tables and chairs set out. There were windows on the two side walls that faced out over the endless ocean. The sky above the water was a beautiful blue as the sun gradually made its way over the horizon.

London ran ahead and sat at one of the empty tables, Rainbow close behind. Not too long after they had seated themselves, a pony came up to their table. “Hello, I am Caelia, and I’ll be your waitress this morning,” she said. “Now, let’s start with drinks. What would you guys like?”

“Can I have lemonade?” London asked. Rainbow looked over to him and saw he had a menu opened in front of him. She looked in front of herself and noticed she had a menu as well. She opened it to the beverages section and skimmed through it.

“Sure. And what would you like, ma’am?” she asked while writing something down in her notebook. She then looked up and smiled at Rainbow.

“Um... Could I get... a coffee?”

“Of course! What type would you like?”

“Type? O-oh, a... caffè mocha, please,” Rainbow read from the menu in her hooves.

“Alright, your drinks will be out soon. I will give you two some time to figure out your meals.” With that, she walked away.

London flipped a few pages back in his menu. He read out each food item under his breath.

Rainbow followed his lead and went back a couple pages in her own menu. There, she spotted all sorts of foods listed. One out of the many caught her attention. There was an eye-catching picture of fresh blueberries atop a bowl filled with oats galore.

“Rainbow, can I have an Equestrian muffin with a side of hash browns?” London asked, lowering his menu.

“Yeah. I think I’m going to get the oatmeal with blueberries.” Rainbow closed her menu and set it down at the edge of the table.

“That’s it? You’re not going to get anything else?” London asked.

“Oh, am I supposed to?” Rainbow reached back over to her menu, but was stopped by London, who was giggling.

“No, I just thought you would get more.”

Before she could respond, Caelia came back to their table. “Alright, did you guys figure out what you want?” she asked, setting down a tray with their drinks.

Rainbow looked over to London, who smiled back. “Yes, I think we’re ready.”

“Perfect.” She took a notebook out of her apron and a pencil. “Now, I’ll start with you, young one. What would you like?”

“Can I get an Equestrian muffin, please?”

“Yep! And what would you like for the side? Apple slices?”

“Oh, hash browns!”

“Alrighty, is that all?”

“Yes,” London answered.

“Okay, what would you like, ma’am?” Caelia asked, finishing writing London’s order.

“C-can I get blueberry oatmeal?” Rainbow replied.

“Of course you can! Do you want it made with milk or water?”

“Uhh, milk, please.”

“Alright, I’ll make sure to get those out as soon as possible for you two. If you need anything else, just ask; I’ll be happy to help!” Caelia took the tray and began to leave.

“Oh, Caelia!” Rainbow called out, causing her to stop in her tracks.

“Yes?” she asked, turned back to face them.

“How long is this trip going to take?”

“To Equestria? About three days to go,” Caelia answered before walking away once again.

“Three days?” London repeated, sadness slowly seeping into his voice.

“What’s wrong about three days?” Rainbow asked.

“I love ships, and I don’t want to leave because this is fun.”

“Oh, London... It’s going to be fine. I want to stay too, but we can’t,” Rainbow consoled. “Tell you what, we’ll do all of the little activities and stuff that this ship offers. We’ll have plenty of fun. Hay, maybe when we’re done travelling around, we can go on another cruise like this!”

“We will?”

“I promise. But you gotta promise me that you won’t worry about the time of this trip.”

“O-okay. I promise I won’t worry about it.”

Rainbow smiled. She enjoyed how simple it was to talk with him. “So,” she said, “what do you want to do first?”

London’s grin grew wider with each passing second.

After they finished eating, Rainbow wanted to go back to their cabin for a second to take a shower. She felt sweaty after wearing the hoodie for that long.

Once she was done showering, she looked over to the clock. It read 2:27 PM. Just then, the intercom spoke.

“This is your captain speaking. I just wanted to let all of you know that the shipping vessel Foresight will be passing by within the next ten or so minutes. If you head onto the main deck, you’ll see it passing by our right side. As always, please enjoy your complimentary travel with Prosperity.”

Rainbow looked over to London.

“Can we go see it?” he asked, jumping up and down.

“Of course, Bud. I wanna see it too!”

They put on their hoodies once more and walked out of the room. Rainbow put the key in her pocket and walked with London to the exit on the right side of Prosperity.

There were quite a few ponies lining up along the railing already to see Foresight. London ran ahead and found an open spot.

Rainbow stood on her hind legs and rested her forelegs over the railing. London was leaning against the bottom part of the railing, looking in between the rails.

Just then, another large ship, in fact larger, came into view. The soft fog blocked out all of the minour details, but Rainbow could still make out things.

The shipping vessel was huge. The draft of the large ship was red and the freeboard was black. The whole top of the ship was piled high with shipping containers. The bridge stood taller than the stacks, barely. There was a tall black mast on top of the yellow bridge.

Some of the ponies around them seemed to be done looking at the other ship and began leaving.

Foresight had only been in view for around two minutes. As it was finally fading into the fog, Rainbow noticed two ponies walking towards the back of Foresight. They both seemed to be staring back at them.

“Do you see those two ponies on the back of that ship?” London asked.

“Yeah,” Rainbow answered, keeping her eyes on the two ponies.

“Do you think they like our boat?”

“I wouldn’t know. But, they do look interested in it.”

“What if they’re on a top secret mission?”

“That would be cool, but what would their mission be?”

“I don’t know, it’s secret! Maybe they are looking for somepony important.”

“Somepony important... What do you mean by that?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, maybe that pony did something bad and they need to find them to take them to jail!”

“London, you have the craziest imagination!” Rainbow stated. She laughed and ruffled his mane. “Well, wanna go do what we were going to do?”

“Yep!”

While on their way to the bowling alley, London stopped dead in his tracks. Rainbow nearly tripped over him.

“What is it?” she asked, following his gaze towards a sign on the wall reading: “Swimming Pool.” Beside the sign was glass doors that led to a locker room.

“A swimming pool!” London said excitedly, reaching for the door when Rainbow stopped him.

“We shouldn’t go in there.”

“Why not?”

“If it means we’ll have to take off our hoodies, then we can’t go,” Rainbow clarified.

“Oh, alright.” He turned away from the doors and continued on his way to find the bowling alley, slower than before, Rainbow noted.

Sorry, Bud, she thought. I would like to go swimming too. But, due to some circumstances, we just can’t.

Mentally, she consolingly patted London on the head, but physically, she just watched as he walked with his ears flattened against his head.

After a bit of confusion along the way, and a lot of rights and lefts down similar-looking halls, they finally made it to the bowling alley. It was a large room with around twenty-six long lanes that ponies rolled large balls down. The room was dark, lightened only by fluorescent purple lights, causing some things, such as the bowling balls, to glow a neon yellow in some spots. Their red hoodies seemed to glow as well. There were normal lights that only faced the ending of the lanes, lighting them up for ponies to see how many pins were knocked down.

The walls wore stripes and swirls that were implemented into the design that, under the purple light, glowed bright radioactive yellow.

When they came to the desk at the front, they were greeted by a mare who had a golden-yellow mane with a white coat.

“Hey, how many of ya? Just the two of you?” she asked.

Rainbow looked behind her and answered, “Y-yeah, just the two of us.”

“Alrighty, what size are y’all’s hooves?” she asked, only to be met with blank stares from the two ponies before her. “It’s alright if ya don’t know, just come with me on back here. I’ll get y’all set up with some slippers of your size.” She gestured for them to follow her to the back room.

Once they were all in the room, the mare grabbed two small boxes and placed them down onto a table. The mare opened the boxes and, now being able to see with the bright white lighting, Rainbow saw two pairs of dark blue slippers. The slippers would, quite literally, slip onto a hoof and help the wearer to get the right bowling motions.

“Okay, just try those on and see how they feel on ya. If they’re too tight, try these ones on,” she instructed, setting down another box, presumably with a bigger pair of slippers.

“Thank you,” Rainbow said.

“No need to thank me, Sweetie, just doin’ my job. Oh, and when y’all are done, just head on over to lane seven, I’ll get it set up for ya.” She winked before leaving the room.

Rainbow turned around to grab her pair of slippers and saw London already trying his on.

“Whoa, slow your roll, Bud,” she said, cracking a smile.

“What?” London responded, returning a smile of his own.

Rainbow looked at him for a moment before chuckling and looking away. “Nothing.”

The slipper seemed to just glide around her hoof. As with the others. They fit perfectly on her hooves. As Rainbow walked around aimlessly testing them, she noticed that the frontmost slippers had metal trims along the outside, taking the same shape as the respective hoof.

After messing about for a minute, the both of them made their way to the doors that they came through. As they walked towards lane seven, the mare from before passed by, saying, “Everything is all set up for the two of you, have fun!”

“Thanks, we will,” Rainbow replied. With that said, London trotted ahead, eager to start bowling.

She couldn’t help but smile.

Rainbow exhaled. She aimed skillfully down the lane, keeping a keen eye on the ball in her hoof and the arrows on the lane. She glanced at her hoof and studied the way she held her posture with the bowling ball.

The metal trim on the slippers served as a way for an earth pony to be able to roll the ball. The trim would slide into place in a groove that was cut into the ball.

The ball in her hoof was red with black swirls everywhere. The red glowed, bringing what little light it had to her hoof.

Rainbow brought her foreleg back and held it in place for a split second before throwing all of her strength into the last shot. She swung her foreleg forward, with only one objective in mind.

The arrows along the lane, her hoof and foreleg, along with her mind, were all trained on being perfectly straight. One little flaw, and the whole shot would be a fail.

The strike Rainbow so hoped to get would bring her all the way to winning. London had been kicking her flank at bowling, but she managed to catch up.

Once the ball left her grasp, she looked behind her to watch London’s expression. He sat in a chair not too far behind her, watching her. He wore a sly smirk on his face.

As the ball rolled down the lane, Rainbow didn’t bother to look, knowing that it would go straight down the middle of the lane. She watched on as London’s face changed to a concerned look. He sat up slightly in the chair, only to sit back down and bring a hoof to his mouth to stifle his laughing.

Rainbow finally looked behind her and saw all ten pins still standing, the ball no where in sight.

“You know what that means, right?” London asked.

“Wha- Where’d the ball go?” Rainbow searched for any signs of the ball. She looked at the other lanes nearby, checking to see if she didn’t accidentally throw the ball somewhere totally different.

“It didn’t go in. You missed the pins, Rainbow.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, I watched it go straight to the side.”

“But how? I made sure to make it go straight!”

“Thanks for letting me win, Rainbow!” London giggled at her confusion.

“W-well, yeah. I... I uh, I just went easy, you know. I totally meant to miss right there. All part of the plan,” Rainbow claimed, finishing with a couple taps to the side of her head.

“What’s your plan?”

“It’s... It’s simple. I pretend to be bad at things, until the last part, when it really matters.”

“Hmm. Win the next game then. Don’t go easy on me.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause I’m the best at everything we can find on this ship,” Rainbow declared, all the while with a smirk.

“Pfft, okay. You’re on,” London said, narrowing his eyes.

Rainbow sat up in the bed. Something wasn’t quite right. She scooted to the edge and slid off the bed. She looked up at the clock.

Three in the morning? Well, I think we have around two days left—

Suddenly, something came hurling up her throat. She threw a hoof up to her mouth to stop it from coming out. She quickly dashed into the bathroom, with the help of her wings.

She closed the door as fast as she reached the toilet. With the release of her hoof from her mouth, that something came straight out in a powerful surge. Her whole body tensed up as she let loose everything that she ate the day prior.

She held one hoof on the seat and the other on her stomach to comfort it. Not wanting to see the evil that had just come out of her, she held her eyes shut.

Just when she thought it was over, another surge of pure evil came out. She wanted so badly to not have ears. The horrid noise of somepony releasing evil. She wouldn’t have been surprised if London had been awakened by it.

Rainbow waited with her head right above the toilet bowl for a few minutes. When she finally decided everything was done, she slowly stood up. She grabbed some tissues and cleaned up the little mess she made. She then flushed away the unholy-ness.

As she turned around, she stopped for a second. Her stomach still didn’t quite feel right, and there was a foul taste still left over in her mouth, along with a powerful sting in her throat.

She looked over at the sink and saw a few toothbrushes still in their packaging. She opened one and searched for some toothpaste. The first drawer she opened had a couple different toothpastes. She grabbed the biggest one and opened it. She squeezed some of it on the brush and began brushing her teeth.

Once she finished, she exited the bathroom and suddenly felt hot. The air in the room felt heavy and thick, making it hard to breathe. Without thinking, she left the room.

Closing the door behind her, she dashed for the nearest exit. She wanted, no, craved fresh air.

She was flying down a hallway that lead to the exit when she spotted a pony walking down it. She reared back when she noticed the pony had turned around.

The other pony was a stallion, and looked to be a fellow passenger as he was not wearing the normal uniform that the crew members wore. He stared at her, his face unreadable. He blinked and Rainbow took it as a chance to get away.

She dashed passed him and out the door. She flew away from the large ship and turned around only when she felt nopony would see her.

Early morning fog filled the air, adding to the darkness of the hour.

She looked at Prosperity. It seemed to be moving rather slowly. From her distance, it looked like a floating city. Every light was yellow, save for the navigation lights that blinked from the top of the bridge.

The fresh air definitely helped Rainbow with whatever that vile thing was from before. She had never suffered from anything like it, as far as she could remember.

Now that she was fine, she needed to get back.

I can’t risk anypony else seeing me, she thought, flying down towards Prosperity before landing softly by the door she had exited from. She slowly opened it and walked inside. She listened for anypony else, and heard nothing. She flew to the corner of the hall and peeked around. The coast was clear.

“Ma’am, can I help you with anything?”

Rainbow spun around only to be met with one of the crew members. He wore the formal white shirt uniform with the name Prosperity embroidered on the shirt pocket. “I uh, I just, I’m...” she managed, turning her body away from the pony so he wouldn’t see her wings.

“Don’t worry, ma’am. No need to hide your wings from us.”

“I—”

“That’s the way things are in South Pyrathia. Are you in South Pyrathia right now? No, you’re on Prosperity. And Prosperity does not partake in such laws that take away the rights of certain ponies. That’s a rule that has been implemented with us for a while now because we visit countries that treat everypony equally. So, no need to worry, ma’am. You’re alright.”

“I... Oh...” Rainbow relaxed, sighing. “Sorry, I just...”

“It’s alright, ma’am. Do you need help with anything?”

“Well... I might need help getting back into my room. I left in such a hurry that I forgot to grab the key.”

“Oh, simple mistake, ma’am. What room are you in?”

“Just follow me.”

On the last day, Rainbow and London spent their time playing the rest of the games and activities that Prosperity offered. They also enjoyed a nice swim at the pool. Although they received harsh looks, they enjoyed it nonetheless.

Now, however, Prosperity’s amazing-ness was coming to an end; they were only a few miles away from Las Pegasus. What they were going to do after getting off, neither of them knew. They could only hope for the best.

Chapter Twenty-Five – Arrival in Moenum

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Six – Mundane Travels Part I

Prosperity docked at Las Pegasus at seven in the afternoon, where Rainbow and London walked to the nearest train station.

Once they made it to the pony inside of a ticket booth, they were met with a look of pure astonishment. The pony, a mare who was a pegasus pony with a puffy, orange mane, had both hooves on her cheeks. She even let out a surprised gasp.

Rainbow approached slower. “H-hel—”

“Oh my goodness! You’re actually right in front of me! This is the best day ever!”

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came. She looked down at London, who looked back at her, just as befuddled.

The mare cleared her throat. “I-I’m really sorry. It’s an honour to meet you in the flesh. And— Ooh! Who is this little guy?” she asked, leaning forward to get a better look at London.

“I think you are mistaking me for somepony else. I have no idea who you are,” Rainbow said, placing a hoof on London’s back.

“Oh, you wouldn’t know me. I went to the Best Young Flyer competition that you were in and I witnessed your sonic rainboom! It was amazing! A-and how you saved all those ponies!”

“I uh... just need to get onto the train,” Rainbow stated.

“Oh, my bad, sorry. Just the two of you?”

Rainbow nodded.

“Hmm... I-I’m not supposed to do this, but your tickets are on me. No need to pay any bits, just go ahead.”

Bits? What are bits?

“Uh, thanks.” Rainbow took the tickets that the mare held out of the booth and walked with London around the booth to the seats by the train tracks.

Once they were seated, London finally mustered his thoughts and spoke, “What’s a Best Young Flyer competition?”

“Good question; I don’t know. I don’t even know who that pony was.”

“And what’s a sonic rainboom?”

“No clue, Bud.”

As they waited for the train to arrive at the platform, several more ponies showed up. A group of ponies walked by and took the seats next to Rainbow. There were three of them; a colt, a little younger than London, a mare, and a stallion. They were all unicorn ponies.

“Mom, Dad, when is brother going to get here?” the colt asked, sitting before his parents.

“The train’s supposed to get here in the next several minutes, give or take. Hopefully sooner,” the father answered.

“I can’t wait! I miss him so much!”

“We know; we miss him just as much,” the mother said.

Rainbow looked over to her left after she felt movement. London had moved himself closer to her, placing a hoof on hers and closing his eyes.

Rainbow smirked. She opened her wing and wrapped it around London, pulling him even closer. She saw that he began smiling, his eyes still closed. She rested her head atop his, closing her own eyes.

They remained like that for a few moments when Rainbow suddenly... remembered something...

She flew quickly with somepony in her hooves. She landed and let go of the pony, yelling, “What were you doing out here in the middle of the night?!”

The pony, a filly, looked away, tears filling her eyes as Rainbow waited for an answer.

The filly inhaled, then exhaled. “I’m so so sorry, Rainbow Dash. I just wanted you to hang out with me and see how cool I was so you’d take me under your wing and teach me everything you know and become, like, my big sister! But then you started telling those spooky stories and I got scared. I thought I heard the headless horse, so I ran out here by myself and... well,” she took off her purple helmet, “I guess you know the rest.”

The filly sniffled as Rainbow walked closer and sat in front of her. “Hey I’m gonna tell you something, but, if you ever tell anypony else, I’m gonna deny it. First time I heard those stories,” she looked around, “I was scared too.”

The filly wiped away another tear and looked up at her. “You were?” she asked.

“Sure! I mean, I got over it because I realized pretty quick that if there was such a thing as a headless horse, I could totally take it on,” she answered. “So, you’re looking for somepony to take you under their wing, huh?”

The filly nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“Yeah, I-I might be up for something like that,” she said, pulling the filly closer with a wing.

“Really?!”

“As long as you don’t go falling into anymore rivers in the middle of the night.”

“It’s a deal,” the filly agreed, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s chest.

“Uh, Rainbow?” London asked, almost meekly.

“Yeah?” she replied, opening her eyes, lifting her head.

“Look.”

It was then that it occurred to Rainbow that the train had arrived. “Oh! Let’s go.” She stood up alongside London and walked towards the open doors. Most of the ponies that were inside had already gotten off. Only a few were still inside of the train.

Rainbow and London trotted down the train car to make their way to the next car.

After only a couple moments, the train’s whistle sounded, advising about its soon departure.

Being some of the first ones to board the train, Rainbow and London found themselves in an empty car. After they had taken their seats by the entrance, one other pony walked past and seated themselves towards the back of the train car.

“Rainbow?” London asked, whispering.

“Yeah?” she responded, whispering back.

“Did you fall asleep back there?”

“Wher— Oh, no, I didn’t; I was just thinking about something.”

“About what?”

“I’m not too sure. It was... different.” Rainbow yawned, bringing a hoof to her mouth. “Wow, I’m tired,” she stated.

“Me too,” London said, yawning midway through his words.

“Well, how about we take it easy for now? We have done a lot these past few days, and I think we should slow it down. What do you think, London?”

After yawning once again, he answered, “Yeah, we should.” He began curling himself up on the seat next to Rainbow.

“Aw, come here!” Rainbow said, pulling London close with a swish of her wing. She hugged him before laying her head upon his dark mane.

Rainbow sat as still as she could to allow him peaceful rest. She felt him inhale, then exhale; his head in the crook of her neck.

Rainbow finally let herself relax after a few minutes. Her eyelids slowly fell, feeling as heavy as rock. She tried to fight it, but soon gave up, letting herself fall asleep.

They were fast asleep, and didn’t even wake to the sudden jolt of the train. It had lurched forward to start its journey to the next destination.

Chapter One – Flying Fast

Rainbow kept wondering if she could fly faster. Was there anything faster than a sonic rainboom?

There was only one way to find out.

Rainbow Dash chose to fly high above Ponyville. She flew high enough to get over the clouds. She would need as much room as she could get if she wanted to fly faster.

The feeling she got from being above clouds, and high in the sky, was something she could never clearly describe. It truly felt like a pony was free up there. Nopony to get in the way, no clouds up that high, and fresh air. The air was light, but it felt fresh. It had a distinct cool to it that normal air didn't normally have.

Rainbow admired the view of the sun in the sky, along with the light blue sky. The higher up she looked, the darker the blue was, and the farther down she looked, it gradually faded to a lighter blue before a dim white.

Rainbow Dash spoke to herself, "This, right here, is just beautiful."

Before Rainbow could continue admiring the sky, she remembered why she was there.

Right, don't wanna waste daylight.

She readied herself, placing her goggles over her eyes and hovering in one place before quickly dashing off into the horizon.

It took her a few seconds to even out her breathing, but she eventually got it together. Moments later... There it is, the best part, thought Rainbow, still trying her best to keep up the speed from the rainboom.

Not wanting to compromise her mission, Rainbow didn't look behind her. If she did, well, she'd see an amazing display of beautiful colours, each colour seemingly exploding with even more colour from the sunlight beaming through it.

The sound of wind rushing past her was the only way she could tell she was going faster. Hearing the wind slowly growing to a higher pitched whistle gave her proof of what her questions asked, and it felt good. She felt like she could do anything. Anything she wanted.

Rainbow Dash loved flying fast, and this was even better. Now she could fly way faster! Sure, it costs you energy...

...but who needs that anyway?

Rainbow flew for hours. Each hour, she watched the clouds below her. They started joining together, becoming darker and darker as time went by. Soon, flashes of blue light speckled all over the surface of the clouds. The flashes of light were then followed by a dull boom shortly after.

Rainbow started panicking because she couldn't see the ground below; she used it as a sense of direction. She calmed herself down, remembering that she could just turn at a one-eighty degree angle.

Rainbow slowed down, then all of a sudden a wave of exhaustion rolled through her body. She almost passed out, her vision started growing darker.

Rainbow fought back against the exhaustion. Recollecting her thoughts, she took deep breaths, making sure to hover in one place while doing so.

Soon, she calmed herself down, enough to remember what she was doing. Until she forgot which way she was headed...

Which way was I facing?

Rainbow looked around, frantically trying her best to find something to help her find her way. All there was were clouds. Grey clouds. Everywhere. Blanketing Equestria.

"No. No, no. Are you kidding me!?"

She played, through her mind, each and every outcome, each one ending up badly.

"Wait! I can just check under the clouds!"

Rainbow dove for the grey clouds below, until a flash of lightning reminded her of why she shouldn't.

She stopped, pondering what to do again.

Okay, okay. Just wait for another strike, and go right after it so another won't happen while I'm down there. Yes! I am a genius! Beat that, Twilight!

Before she could bask in the feeling any longer, another flash of light showed itself. She dove in once again, this time being engulfed in a grey void. She felt water everywhere. Cold. Wet. Bright and dark at the same time. It was... unnatural.

It took a few seconds to fully get through the clouds, until finally, she breached the other side. Once out of the storm clouds, Rainbow tried her hardest to see the ground through the grey haze of rain.

I need to go lower.

She let herself drop down some more, but not too much. She couldn't see anything. Water pelted her, even from below.

Rainbow would have crashed right into the ground if she didn't go slow. Instead, she landed with a rough hit. The water went up to her knees. The water was a dark brown colour, seemingly bubbling from all of the rain hailing down.

As she made her way through the rain and water, she almost ran into a couple trees and bushes.

Rainbow Dash decided it was enough and tried to fly back up, above the storm clouds. Instead, her feathers had taken in too much water and were soaked through.

She flapped as hard as she could, with the new added weight. Finally, she felt herself lifting off the ground. Once she made it to the bottom of the clouds, the rain had gotten worse, and painful.

Is it hailing?! This is crazy!

She pushed herself once again to make it out of the storm. As a result of the hail, she fell, catching herself just before hitting the ground again. At this point, she was soaked to the bone. Every inch of her was soaked in the cold water. Now she was being bruised by big balls of ice coming down from the clouds.

One of the ice chunks hit her square in the wing, causing her to fall to the ground, this time she wasn't able to catch herself. Rainbow slammed into the ground, it was, at this point, almost as deep as a small pool.

Painfully, she got up, not ready to give up. She started beating her wings as if she were already in the air and trying to make a sonic rainboom. She lifted out of the water, again. She was filled with determination to get the hay out of the storm. She hated being wet, let alone pelted by ice.

She got below the clouds after a few moments of flying, she was mad now. Just as she was about to get into the clouds, a bright light flashed right in her eyes. She couldn't see. Everything went white. Then came the pain. It was as if she were being burnt alive, but only all of it focused into one point and time. Rainbow felt herself go limp, not being able to figure out what happened.

As she fell from the cloud-filled sky, her vision became darkness.

Chapter Eleven – "Awesome" Discovery

Rainbow awoke from her sleeping place. She yawned as she stretched outwards. She rolled over, instantly jumping up from the sudden pain in her wing.

Rainbow’s fur was a bit stiff from not properly drying. A faint musty smell lingered in the air around her. As she stood, trying to sooth the pain in her wing, she realized that the stench was coming from herself.

Rainbow stretched one last time before resuming her journey to get out. She looked up, and saw the sun in the middle of the sky.

Seems like it’s around point 12. I hope I get out soon.

Rainbow galloped around the many rocks along the bank of the river. Her limp wing swung behind her, causing more pain. She stopped, grabbing her wing and holding it carefully.

How do I keep this from hurting?! It hurts so bad!

Rainbow looked around for anything that might work as a bandage, like the ones she had made before. Instead, all she saw was rocks, sand, and water.

Without any more ideas, Rainbow lightly bit the tip of her wing, carrying it from her mouth. It caused a lot of discomfort, but she didn’t mind. As long as it didn’t swing around behind her, she was fine.

Rainbow continued her gallop along the river again. She took in the details as she went. The cliffs either side of her loomed overhead; they seemed to be getting a bit shorter, but still too tall for her to get up. There were some spots on the cliffs that small, dried-out trees would hang over the edge. Some small bushes of grass hung over as well. The sky was its normal light blue with the bright yellow, glowing ball in the center, beaming down with incredible heat. The river widened out, following all of the little curves and twists that the canyon made.

Rainbow galloped closer to the water, and saw little creatures swimming around.

Rainbow smiled. She liked the way the wind felt as it ruffled her mane. It felt natural... just like flying. For once, in a while, she felt good. Her wing was basically useless, but she didn’t mind too much.

Life had other plans though. Rainbow’s hoof had gotten caught in a small space between a couple rocks, causing her to trip. She flung forward. She threw her forelegs in front of her, attempting to catch herself without the use of wings, avoiding the inevitable pain.

She hit the rocky ground, rolling over a few times from her momentum.

Rainbow laid there for a moment, breathing sharply through gritted teeth. The pain in her wing was overwhelming, as well as the newfound pain in her right foreleg.

I should take it slower from now on, to avoid anymore pain.

Rainbow pondered the thought for a moment, then giggled.

Who am I kidding? Going fast is awesome! Pain is nothing! Actually, it’s something. It’s... well, pain. It hurts.

Rainbow slowly stood back onto her legs. She bit the end of her wing softly, holding it in her mouth once again.

Just then, she heard a loud boom resonate throughout the walls of the canyon. Small rocks and dust came down from the cliffs either side of her. The ground shook from the loud noise.

What was that?!

Rainbow ducked behind a large rock, frantically looking around, trying to find the source of the noise.

The echoing in the canyon ceased.

What... the hay... was that?!

Rainbow slowly came back out from behind the large rock. She kept looking around; the sound seemed to have come from everywhere, and nowhere at the same time.

She resumed her walk, keeping a keen eye out. She had completely forgotten about the pain she was in.

Rainbow grabbed her wing again, then began running. She wanted to get as far away as she could from whatever was making that loud noise.

She ran as fast as she could on the uneven rocks of the river bank. She kept caution as she ran, not wanting to recreate what happened earlier. Her hoof bothered her a bit as she ran, but she ignored it.

Whatever that was, it doesn’t sound good.

The farther she ran along in the canyon, the bigger the boulders got. She was soon hopping from rock to rock. Somehow, she had kept most of her momentum from running, so she was able to jump over a few boulders.

The canyon seemed to curve left, as well as the river. The closer she got to the turn, the more jagged the boulders got, rather than the normal smooth ones.

As she came around the turn, she saw a giant structure.

She stopped dead in her tracks as another boom went off, this time louder and more resonant.

Rainbow looked at it in awe.

The structure towered all the way up to the top of the canyon walls. It was narrow and it clung to the side of the cliff. It seemed to be made up of long pieces of wood, held together by rope. At the base of the structure, stone was used to keep it stable. There was a platform in the middle of the rectangular prism-shaped structure that looked like it was going up along the shafts that ran the whole way through the center. There was large gears that rolled in place, hauling rope that lifted the whole platform upwards. At the bottom, on the ground, there was a small makeshift bridge that ran over the river, with a flattened trail on the other side that lead to a cave in the cliff-side.

Rainbow stumbled forward.

I-is... is that... Those are... There’s...

Rainbow fell to her knees, having a hard time breathing.

T-those are... T-there’s more of me!

Sure enough, there were ponies in and out of the cave, on and around the tall structure, and all over the area. There was also another boom, sending dust and rocks flying up into the air.

I knew it!

Rainbow stood up and ran towards the others, quickly biting her wing again.

Finally! This is amazing!

As she ran as fast as she could towards the others, she noticed that they were all hitting rocks with strange “T” shaped items.

She threw caution to the wind as she dashed over the many jagged rocks. The only thing that mattered now was to get to the others.

She jumped over a final rock before skidding to a halt on the flattened ground. Most of the others stopped what they were doing and looked at her, confused.

She smiled at them as she turned in circles, looking at all of them. Each of them wore the same outfit: a yellow vest with black boots and a helmet that was white. None of them had any wings. Instead, most of them had a horn that protruded from the center of their heads, and all of the rest didn't have anything, both of which Rainbow found strange.

Her smile faded as all of them did nothing. They just gazed at her.

She dropped her wing from her mouth, letting it dangle at her side.

“Well, well, well... What do we have here?” said one of them as they stepped forward.

Rainbow turned to the one that had spoken. She quickly noticed that they were wearing a bright red vest, rather than the yellow ones.

Rainbow didn’t know what to do.

Before Rainbow could do anything, she fainted, falling to the ground, unconscious.

Chapter Fourteen – Put to Work Part II

Rainbow had finished cleaning four guns when a loud bell rang.

“Break time!” one of the guards yelled after the bell stopped ringing. “Those of you that are new here, ya have ten minutes to eat once the food comes out. Keep the chattin’ to a minimum.”

Rainbow placed the gun she was holding down on the table. She then threw the wet cloth into the bucket of dirty water.

“What happened to your wing?” somepony said. Rainbow turned around and saw a small pony. They were really young.

Something inside of Rainbow... clicked. This wasn’t just a small pony. It was a young colt. She could... almost remember... being a filly.

The small colt was about the same shade of blue as Rainbow, but he had a white and black coloured mane.

“I-I fell...” Rainbow answered.

“Wow... Does it hurt?” the colt asked.

“Not really. Do you know where the food will be?”

“Oh, it’s over here! Follow me!” The colt began running over to a gate that was just being opened. “Right here!”

“Thank you. What’s your name?” Rainbow asked as she grabbed some bread for herself and the small colt.

“My name is London!”

“Where are your parents, London?” Rainbow asked.

London’s attitude seemed to change. He looked down at his hooves. “I don’t know...”

How could these ponies do this to a little colt like this!?

“What do you think the bad ponies are going to do to me?” London asked.

“London... I wish I could say you’re safe. Just stick with me, okay? Stay with me and I will protect you.”

“Okay!”

“Here, you can have the rest of my food. I don’t really want it.” Rainbow gave him the two pieces of bread she had grabbed, along with the two she grabbed for him at first.

The bell rang again. “Time’s up! Get back to work ya filthy ponies!”

Rainbow and London went to the closest table. There were three guns on each table, ready for cleaning.

Rainbow picked up London and set him down on the table. “Here, you can clean this one, I’ll clean these two.”

She gave London the cloth to clean with. Rainbow used the bottom end of her tunic to clean with after she couldn’t find any more cloths around.

The guns were a lot less dirtier than the ones from the night prior. These ones had one or two big pieces of dried mud with a little bit of dirt stuck in near the trigger area. Her and London finished the three guns and went on to finish another five more.

Rainbow was about to grab another gun that was slid down to her when the bell rang again.

“Alright, everypony walk in a single-file line towards the exit. We’ll be loadin’ y’all up in the wagons shortly,” a guard yelled.

Just then, a gate behind her opened. She turned around and saw that most of the ponies in the hole had already lined up. Her and London were the last two in the line.

“London, get in front of me,” Rainbow whispered.

“Okay,” he whispered back.

The line was moving relatively fast. Two ponies were being escorted at a time.

Once they got to the end, one of the guards said, “You two, with me.”

As they walked along a trail, the guard was filling them in on what they were to do. “Alright, Miss, you are gonna be inside of the wagon, since you have a colt with ya. You two are gonna be sorting through the supplies and making sure everything is in good shape for travelling.”

“W-where are we going?” Rainbow hesitantly asked.

“Well, we are headin’ into town. Y’all are gonna be sold to the ponies there,” he answered.

London looked up at Rainbow. All she could do was ruffle his mane... and hope for the best.

The trail lead to a larger trail that had wagons lined up. There were ponies being attached to the front of the wagons. There were also ponies being helped up inside the backs of the wagons.

The guard made them go left. They walked down the road for a little bit until the guard stopped them.

“Alright, here we are. Get inside.”

Rainbow walked to the back of the wagon and helped London inside first. She then jumped up behind him.

“Stay here. Don’t even think ‘bout movin’.”

Once the guard was gone, London looked over at Rainbow. He asked, “What is your name?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Rainbow,” she responded.

“Can... you be my friend, Rainbow?”

She felt like her heart melted after he spoke those words so softly. “Aw, of course I will be your friend!”

London leaned forward and hugged Rainbow. She couldn’t lie... it felt... nice. She hugged him back.

She placed her hooves on his shoulders. “London, whatever happens... you stay with me.”

“Always,” he whispered.

“Alright you two, stay quiet, we gotta get movin’,” the guard said as he climbed up into the seat at the front of the wagon. “Let’s go! Get to walkin’, ponies!”

Rainbow looked outside of the cover through a small rip in the fabric and saw dozens of guards walking alongside each of the wagons. Just then, the wagon lurched forward, causing London to fall down.

The guard looked back at them, holding a paper out to Rainbow. “I want ya to look at each item on this list and make sure it’s there, can ya do that?”

Rainbow nodded her head as she grabbed the paper from the pony’s hoof.

“London, can you read?” she asked.

“Yes!”

“Okay, you read them off, and I’ll check if they’re here.”

“Okay! Uh... what’s that word?” London asked, pointing to a word on the paper.

Rainbow leaned down and looked at it. “Oh, that’s ammunition. Um, yeah, that’s here. What’s next?”

“M-R-Es?”

“What? M-R-E?”

“It’s here. I put it up here with me, to make sure ya don’t take any,” the guard said.

“Alright, next one, London,” Rainbow said.

Once they finished the checklist, Rainbow had to switch out with a pony that was pulling the wagon. Every time the wagon train stopped, they would switch out. London was allowed to walk alongside the wagon if he wanted, but he had to be in sight of the guard.

The land around them had changed severely. It went from forest to desert to plains, and they were coming up on mountains soon.

Rainbow was walking the wagon along with another another pony... but something seemed... off about him. He never spoke, and he looked tired all of the time.

Suddenly, he jumped as if he were scared by something on the ground.

“Are you... alright?” Rainbow asked.

The pony walked a little bit more, then stopped. Rainbow tugged at the ropes to pull the wagon, but the pony wouldn’t budge.

“Hey, what’s wrong? We should keep moving,” Rainbow waved a hoof in front of his face.

“Get back!” the guard shouted, grabbing his gun from beside him.

Rainbow backed away from the pony. A loud bang rang out and the pony fell to the ground. Blood was puddling up around the body.

Rainbow closed her eyes. “W-why did you kill him?”

“Darn disease got’em. It spreads faster than mosquitoes in a swamp.”

“What disease?” Rainbow asked.

“Quit askin’ me questions and keep goin’,” the guard demanded.

“I can’t pull it by myself.”

The guard glared at her for a moment, then turned around to look inside the wagon. “Hey, you need to get out here and help’er pull the wagon.”

The other pony that had been switching out with Rainbow had come out of the wagon. He was larger than most of the other ponies, and he seemed to be nice.

“Don’t worry, Blue, just over this hill is the valley where the town is,” the guard said.

“Blue?” Rainbow asked, looking back at him.

“Yeah, that’s your name! Now get on with your duty!”

“Blue is not my na—”

“Do you want me to hit ya right now?! ‘Cause I will! I’ll call ya whatever I want. Now get goin’!”

Rainbow resumed walking. London jumped out of the wagon and ran up next to her.

“Are you okay, Rainbow?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m okay. What about you? You doing alright?”

“I’m fine. Just thirsty.”

“Well, hopefully they’ll give us water and food once we get to...” Rainbow’s words trailed off. They were coming over the hill and she saw the whole city.

The city was bordered by a large, towering wall that surrounded the entire city. The wall was off-white with golden pillars that looked to be holding it up. Each building inside of the wall was the same off-white stone with a red-brown roofing. On top of the wall stood many large weapons, stationed at each pillar’s end. There was a break in wall with a large wooden bridge that looked like it could fold upwards to block things out.

“Rainbow... I-I’m scared,” London said.

“Me too, London. Me too.”

Chapter Seventeen – Cherished Relief Part I

Rainbow awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside of the window in the room. She sat up in the bed and stretched.

The door to the room opened slowly. Rainbow looked and saw London grinning.

“You’re finally awake!” he shouted.

“Hey, don’t yell; Percy might still be sleeping,” Rainbow said.

“Oh, sorry,” he whispered, lowering his head.

“Aw, come here, bud!” Rainbow said, opening up for a hug. Just then, they both heard a slight knock on the door. “Come in.”

Percy opened the door, stepping into the room. “Hello, you two, I don’t want to interrupt, but I have some fun little activities planned for you today!”

“Really?!” London asked, jumping up.

“Yup! Go on downstairs and eat your breakfast first! It’s in the kitchen,” Percy said, opening the door wider for London to exit.

“Do you want me to go down there too?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, go ahead!”

“Thank you, again,” Rainbow said, smiling at him as she walked out of the room.

“You are welcome. It really sucks how ponies treat you. I wish I could change the laws out here... but I can’t.”

She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. There was a large table in the center of the room where London was seated. She came and sat down next to him.

“I’m going to eat really fast so I can go play!” London said, stuffing food into his mouth.

“Your stomach will hurt if you keep eating that fast.”

“It will?”

“Yes, slow down!” Rainbow said, ruffling his mane.

They both laughed and began eating. It was pancakes topped with syrup, and a side of hash browns, as Rainbow later found out. There was also orange juice, but she didn’t like it too much.

There wasn’t much talking between the two as they were eating, but they finished not too long after.

“You two all done?” Percy asked once he came down the stairs.

“Yup!” London replied enthusiastically, bouncing up and down.

“Rainbow, is it alright if I let London play in the backyard?” Percy asked.

“I... I don’t think he’s read—”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine! And if it makes you feel better...” Percy turned and pressed a button on the far wall. Just then, the wall to Rainbow’s left began to move. It slid along a track, allowing a large window to be seen. Outside of the window was... beautiful.

It was hard to describe. All of the warmest colours of morning daylight came together to blend into an amazing display of beams of light that shown down through branches of a tree. The tree was white with black spots here and there with orange and yellow leaves. Some of the leaves had already fallen to the dark green grass, but the majority was still hanging from the many branches of the tree.

In the back of the yard was a section of bushes that were perfectly trimmed, with vibrant flowers. Every flower seemed to shine with each one having a unique colour.

The grass was perfectly cut and seemed to be watered regularly. Each and every simple movement the air made caused the blades of grass to gleam in the sunlight.

In the middle of the yard was a large section of concrete, as she was told. Percy had called it a patio. It surrounded a large pond of crystal clear water. Inside of the water was fish, many of them, that swam around aimlessly among the rocks and plants.

It was... simply... glorious.

He continued, “You’d be able to see him the whole time.”

Rainbow looked at London, who looked back at her with hopefulness in his eyes. “Y-yeah... he can go play.”

London ran to her and hugged her. “Thank you, Rainbow!”

“No problem. Just be careful!”

“I will!” He ran over to a door next to the large glass wall. Percy held it open, then closed it once London had gone outside.

Percy sat on a chair nearby, watching London play. After a few moments, he spoke, “What are you planning on doing with him?”

“I... I want... I—”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s... fine. I guess I don’t really know what I’m gonna do.”

They both watched as London chased a butterfly around the yard.

“You know,” Percy thought out loud, “he’s going to be a great stallion in the future. I can just feel it.”

Rainbow smiled. “Yeah, he’s amazing.”

They sat in silence as they watched London look at the fish in the pond. After that, he looked up and saw them through the glass. He jumped up and waved at them. Rainbow waved back before he continued playing.

After a while, something came to Rainbow’s mind. “What is so important about the Pyrathian Kingdom?”

“Well, the city you are in now is the Pyrathian Kingdom, as you well know. It is the capital of South Pyrathia, which is a country just west of Equestria. It’s—”

“Equestria? T-that sounds... strange...” Rainbow interrupted.

“Equestria is run by two princesses, along with six ponies, I believe.”

“Do you know the two princesses?”

“No, I don’t. I’ve only heard of them.”

Rainbow shifted in her seat. “I-I don’t know why, but something about the name Equestria just feels weird.”

“Well, it is a smaller country than Pyrathia at least. A-anyway, as I was saying, the Pyrathian Kingdom is in South Pyrathia, which has been at war with North Pyrathia because of disagreements between the two. Pyrathia used to be one of the biggest countries in the world before the disputes.”

“What were the disagreements?”

“North Pyrathia believes pegasi should be treated like everypony else, but South Pyrathia wants to keep them as slaves. You do know why you’re a slave, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. I was told by a pony in the wagon train.”

“The first war between the two parts of Pyrathia was because of different ponies wanting different types of leadership. The country split up, but then couldn’t agree on land, so they began war on each other. It was devastating. Pyrathia became a battlefield within a few weeks. T-that massacre... was called the Pyrathian War.”

“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked, noticing Percy reach a hoof to his face.

“Yes... I am fine. A-as I was saying, North Pyrathia won that war because of the pegasi who helped. This led to South Pyrathia despising pegasi, and later passing laws that took away their rights... which led to this war.”

“What’s the name of this war?”

“Pyrathian Civil War. It’s been going on for a week now, actually. North Pyrathia has more supplies, and I doubt South Pyrathia will let pegasi help, so the north will most likely win within a couple months.”

Rainbow nodded, looking back towards the window. “If there is a war right now, why aren’t ponies talking much about it?”

“Oh, they are. Everyday I hear something about it. It’s just not as big of a deal here since the war is far north of us.”

“What will happen when the war’s over?” Rainbow asked.

“If North Pyrathia wins the war, pegasi will no longer be slaves. And, maybe Pyrathia will be a complete country once again.”

They looked back to London, who was now trying to climb the tree.

Percy sighed contently. “Care for a drink?”