Scintilla (Go the distance)

As she made her way through the crowds, Rainbow felt the weight of the element on her neck. She covered it discreetly so it didn’t bring forward any (extra) unwanted attention, the damned thing had already brought her more trouble than she was worth, and she hadn’t done anything!

Yet…

Rainbow reached the table and came face to face with a stallion drinking from a mug, not counting the number of other empty mugs on the table. He had a black coat, but despite it being mostly covered in a cloak much too similar to the ruana she herself was wearing, the pegasus noticed several scars running along his hooves and neckline, as far as she could tell. His head was facing down, so mostly all Rainbow could see was his mane, which, of a very deep navy blue colour, was styled in dreadlocks and held together in the form of a tail at the back of his head – except for that one rebel that hung to the left side of his face, over a beige bandana that kept the rest at bay.

A sudden movement brought Rainbow Dash back to herself, given that besides this pony was a hawk standing on the top rail of the chair next to him. The hawk stood out in bold markings of brown throughout its whole plumage, with solid accents of red along its wings and yellow markings on its beak and legs. It was a marvel, to be sure, and Rainbow was enthralled by it.

“I doubt you came here just to look at him”.

The pegasus almost jumped in surprise at the sudden comment, but it was a good thing she did not, or else she would feel a little self-conscious. Instead, she turned her gaze back to the pony sitting in front of her, who was now looking directly into her eyes without hesitation. Facing him, Rainbow noticed the large scar running across his muzzle, but when the rainbow-maned mare saw his eyes, they reminded her of a lone fire in the middle of the night, since in contrast with the rest of him, they were a bright mixture between red and orange, almost golden, so sharp yet overshadowed-- “So?” He inquired in a prominent accent when Rainbow did not answer. His voice, despite it being raspy and deep, sounded almost like he was singing.

“Focus!” Rainbow chastised herself, as she cleared her throat. “No. Actually, I came here looking for you” She said. “They say you know maps?”.

The stallion tilted his head in lethargy, and his hoof found the mug he had been drinking from all that much more interesting. “Sure” He shrugged.

“You also sell them, right?”.

“No” He spat.

Rainbow Dash frowned. “‘No’ you don’t sell maps, or ‘No’ you won’t sell me a map?”.

“No, I won’t sell you a map. Will you go now?”.

The hawk to his side started to flap his wings but he didn’t take off. The bird gestured to Rainbow with its beak, taking both Rainbow and the pony by surprise. The rainbow-maned mare noticed he wanted to get off the chair, so she directed a hoof to its claws, first ensuring she had it covered by a portion of the ruana – On the occasion Rainbow helped Fluttershy tend to her animals, the shy pegasus would always warn her about how sharp a birds claws were, especially those of the birds of prey such as hawks –. Meanwhile, the cartographer carefully watched the interaction in silence.

Concurrently the hawk positioned himself on her extended hoof, Rainbow turned back to the stallion in order to keep on bickering. “No” She spat in return, unyielding. “Why won’t you sell me a map?” She asked bitterly. Rainbow did not come all the way here for nothing.

The stallion sighed, coming to terms with the situation, so he just looked at her dead in the eyes and replied in the most dry of tones. “You must be new here, so I’ll be kind to you: I don’t sell maps, and I don’t give maps away, so you’re wasting both of our times” He stated, and before Rainbow could say anything in response, he did not give her a chance. “And even if I were to sell you one, what are you planning to pay me with?” He asked.

Rainbow thought for a moment about everything she carried on herself, there was the sword, the canteen of water (which she will not give up), the ruana, and… The element.

Gosh, the element.

No, whatever she did, she will not lose sight of the element.

“That’s what I thought” She heard him say. Rainbow frowned. “No money, no journey. Now fuck off”.

The pegasus puffed at him. Even if he was right (which she won’t admit), who did he think he was to just treat anypony like this?. Rainbow understood the value of money, but even so, he could at least give her directions! Those are free of charge, and he would lose nothing!

“What a prick” Rainbow thought in resentment.

With a stern glare, the rainbow-maned mare set heedfully the hawk back on the top rail of the chair before slamming her hooves against the table, catching not only the cartographer’s attention, but everypony else’s too as well. “Let’s talk numbers” She grunted, her voice barely above a whisper as she firmly maintained eye contact.

Rainbow left the bar with a stomp on her hooves.

“What the hay is a ‘Qol’?” Rainbow asked. After her… ‘chat’ with the car- car-- whatever he was! He told her the only payment he would consider was a large sum on ‘Qol’. What in Equestria was a Qol?. She had no clue. But Rainbow thought perhaps someone else might shed some light on the subject.

“Qol is cash, you know, the only thing that matters here”. Randall answered, leaving their paper to the side to greet the pegasus who just arrived. “Did you meet ‘cuz Jack?”.

“Ye” Rainbow replied, somewhat sour. “How can I get Qol quick and easy?”.

Randall snickered, looking her up and down before making a specific gesture with their paws. “Well, you’re cute. I bet you’re also worth a lot of Qol”. The feline insinuated, winking at her.

“WHAT?!” Rainbow screamed, louder and in a tone more acute than she would’ve liked, she was aghast as it is. “Bloody hay, no! Anything but that!”. Randall threw their head backwards to laugh wholeheartedly. Were they mocking her? The pegasus buffed at them. Rainbow was a good flyer, no, an excellent flyer, the best young flyer in all of Equestria, and now she would be beyond the frontiers of her country as well. Maybe… “Aye, Randall” Rainbow called to the feline (still laughing). “Would anypony here like an airshow?”.

Suddenly, Randall stopped their mockery as if they were never amused at all. They stared at Rainbow in silence. “An airshow?” They asked, callously and remorseless. Rainbow and Randall became silent in a way the pegasus didn’t think the feline could, seeing that they were, up to this point, very talkative. “Fuck them airshows. No one likes that shit” They spat. Rainbow was at a loss for words, the intense glare Randall was giving her was starting to make her uncomfortable, as if they were staring into her soul.

Abruptly, Randall became their welcoming, chatty and humoristic self all over again, taking Rainbow by surprise. “But if you want cash easy, there's a pawnbroker down the street over there” The feline pointed down the road to a store (surprisingly in good shape) with big picture windows up front and a solid collection of items on display. “If you have anything on you, it could sell for a handsome price”.

Rainbow looked down the road. She had a few things on her, clearly, and she was considering it her only option as of now. The next best thing she could do was just fly away and let fate decide where to bring her, and considering her past circumstances, that was not an option. She’d rather watch paint dry than be another second on that endless sea of sand and dunes (and the occasional scorpion) not knowing where to go.

Just as she made her decision to go check the pawnbrokers and see if it was worth it, Randall leaned closer to her and put a paw on her shoulder. “Let me tell you, sunshine, you look like a piece of sky that fell too far, you know, all those colours and everything. Where did you say you’re from?”. The pegasus turned her head back at Randall, but they kept their natural, upbeat attitude to a tee. “Welp! Maybe there’s something you can sell there”. They patted her on the back.

The rainbow-maned mare slipped away from the grasps of Randall, and without saying anything else, she left for the store the feline-like creature directed her towards, not before giving the feline-like creature a quick wary look.

She felt the weight of the necklace on her neck, and Rainbow placed a hoof on it to feel the shape of the lighting bolt through the ruana. That…

That gave her the creeps. Now she fully understood what Rook was talking about.

Back at the bar, the rowdy crowd got back to its usual soon after Rainbow had left.

‘Cuz Jack was cleaning a few unoccupied tables, taking away empty glasses and mugs from his drunk patrons while they complained about it. Just a normal work day for him.

The bartender came to a stop in front of a particular table on a far corner, filled with empty mugs, a lonesome stallion and a hawk preening its feathers in peace. The feline-like creature took as many mugs as he could to set them in a wooden box he carried with him, that way it was easier and faster to clean and vacate the spaces he served. ‘Cuz Jack did not like to have messy tables in his establishment, and he reminded himself to do a thorough cleaning once he closed the bar for the night, but while it was still noon, this would have to do the job.

‘Cuz Jack knocked the table a few times to get the attention of the pony, he didn’t want to repeat last time’s events and have him passed out in broad daylight. The cartographer looked at him with scorn in his eyes and a frown (not completely directed at him, mind you; half of his face was covered by a napkin). “Don’t start” he muttered. The hawk remained preening its feathers. When the feline did not leave, the stallion rolled his eyes. “Leave it be, Jack. I don’t care” he said. The bartender adjusted his apron and continued staring at him. “What? She didn’t have any Qol. Why is it suddenly my fault?” ‘cuz Jack raised an eyebrow. “She’ll be fine” the pony dismissed him with a wave of his hoof and prepared to get up. Whistling a quick note, the hawk sprong back to attention and flew up to the cartographer’s back. “Put it on my bill, will you?”.

The entrance door opened once more, this time more abruptly than the last. ‘Cuz Jack was half expecting to see the rainbow-maned mare entering once again for round two, but instead of a prismatic young pony, there was a threesome of Minotaurs at the door. The feline sighed and settled the box on the table.

The three Minotaurs walked nonchalantly through the bar, in direction to the far corner where ‘cuz Jack was standing with the cartographer. They weren’t his regulars, but the feline knew them all too well. These were the Xatir Group, corrosive lenders that had (apparently) eyes all over Tayne, some creatures thought they were brothers because they looked so alike, but to ‘cuz Jack that was none of his business. The thing was, and frankly the reason why he knew them all too well, is because whenever they started to use his own bar as their place for business, they used alternative methods to establish their authority, and ended up leaving everything in disarray. ‘Cuz Jack hated when his bar got dirty.

“Aye, how ya doin’, pal?” One of them asked – the Minotaur in the middle –, he was tall, of maroon coat and imposing figure in a full black leather outfit with scraps of silver metal armour that glinted blood red in the candlelight, and since he was smoking, he blew all the smoke into ‘cuz Jack's face. “Y’know how this is, right? We just came here to talk with our friend Indar here. No trouble” He announced, raising his hands in the air as a sign of peace. The pick he carried on one of his hands rose high in the air, as if to showcase and warn of his might.

Ye, right.

The feline looked at the pony at his side, who just nodded and whistled a quick note for the Hawk to get off his back and onto the side of the box. ‘Cuz Jack knew the drill.

The bartender left them to their thing and took the box on his paws, carrying it all the way back to the bar. All of his regulars were quiet just enough to hear what would happen next, but not totally quiet so as to make things more uncomfortable.

Indar – the cartographer – sat back on his seat, and as soon as he did so, two of the Minotaurs sat down to each side of him, making themselves comfortable. Here we go. “I still have a month to pay you, Nohrrus” He reminded them.

Nohrrus sat in front of him and put his arms and the pick on the table, seemingly calm and at ease. Although his expression appeared civil enough, anyone could see his eyes filled with equal parts of self-assurance and insanity. “Oh, I know, I know” he inhaled the smoke from his cigarette and exhaled it in Indar’s face. The stallion resisted the urge to cough. “Just like I know you have some cash to spend here, y’know. Some of our friends have seen ya come in here day after day, after day, and so on” he sang, just as the Minotaur on Indar’s left casually examined a dagger he carried. “And, heh, y’know I don’t take well to clients who waste every Qol we invest in them. So I’m expecting a li’l something here, y’know” Nohrrus chuckled. “Like, in advance”.

“I don’t have nothing” Indar insisted.

“Ah, c’mon Indar, you're here!” the Minotaur gestured at the rest of the bar with both arms raised up in the air, cigarette in his mouth. “Ya can’t tell me you ‘don’t have nothin’, ‘cause that’s a lie, and y’know I hate liars”.

The Minotaur on Indar’s right balanced himself on the chair, looking over the table at their audience. The rest of the bar had an ominous atmosphere upon them, ‘cuz Jack was watching intently the exchange between Indar and Nohrrus, while the hawk sat on the wooden box next to him. Some of the customers that were hanging on every word spoken between the two knew it was about to go down. It always was when the Xatir group came along, they were just expecting their cue.

Indar closed his eyes and sighed. “I’ll pay you in a month. That’s what we agreed on” He said once again.

Nohrrus tsked once, then twice, then, at the third, the Minotaur took the cigarette from his mouth and dropped it on the floor, stepping on it. “Y’know, Indar. When you came to me to lend you some money, you knew who called the shots, and you still agreed to it” The Minotaur recalled. “So, y’know, I’m callin’ the shots here, and Simon says give us a percentage of what you owe us right now…” Nohrrus stated with a clenched jaw. “Or we can arrange another kind of deal, one that reassures you pay your debt in full”. He suggested.

One of the Nohrrus’ companions, especially the one on Indar's left, started to run a hand up and down the stallion's back in a delicate motion, which only served to enerve him. Although, to his credit, he only managed to jump a little before grabbing the mug and drink the last remains of the liquor he had been previously so engaged in, in a (barely) concealed attempt to look unperturbed.

It was about to go down.

Nohrrus leaned on the table to be closer to Indar, and whispered. “Y’know, as much as I would like to do you a favour, you’re not foolin’ nobody”. The lender gestured with his eyes to the cloak Indar was wearing, and that’s when the hand roaming his back stopped on a certain spot. Careful, careful. “I hear that one rich asshole, what was his name? Ah! Jachines, they say he’s around. Maybe we could pay him a visit”.

Indar did not waste time, and with the mug on his hoof he punched the Minotaur that was touching his back in between the eyes, drawing blood. Then he directed the same mug to the second Minotaur and threw it with force to his gut in order to unbalance him, falling to the floor. In a swift motion, the stallion grabbed the table from underneath and tossed it towards Nohrrus, using it to push the lender out of his way.

It all happened in the split of a second, almost too fast for Nohrrus to dodge it. Almost.

The stallion leaped in full gallop, as if somepony had been holding him back while he built momentum, and whistling a quick note to alert the Hawk awaiting for his call it was time to go. The entirety of the bar went rowdy again. Every creature on Indar’s path either moved away or was removed by the stallion.

Nohrrus spawned back onto his hooves and took the pick from the floor. He could easily just lift the pony to the ceiling and drop him onto the ground, or slice him in half with the pick, but Nohrrus fancied himself a capable Minotaur, and he liked to hunt his victims first, otherwise it would just be too boring. The lender nodded when his two companions managed to get back on their hooves from their respectives hits.

Indar would’ve gone far if not for the dagger that landed on the back of his right hind leg. First mistake. The stallion had to stop momentarily to take off the weapon, but he did not relent his retreat, instead, he used the very same object thrown to him in his defence.

When one of the Minotaurs of the Xatir group reached him, Indar raised himself on his hind legs and struck him with an apparent cross punch to the chest – or at least close enough, given their height difference –. The Minotaur downplayed this as a mediocre attempt to defend himself, but what the creature didn’t notice was the weapon buried deep in his stomach.

As soon as the Minotaur managed stability, the stallion moved. Indar’s swift and calculated movements were like a sick and deadly dance which only he knew the choreography to. The stallion managed to get his opponent to reach down, in order to climb up his arm and in two sweeping motions he found himself hanging from the neck of the Minotaur, fatally twisting it.

Another one of the Minotaurs reached to the pony, taking him from the dreadlocks and dropping him with force against one of the tables. The force of the attack made the stallion pass clean through the wood and break the table in half. “Son of a bitch!” The Minotaur screamed in rage. “You killed Veonu!”.

The hawk flew towards the second Minotaur's head and scratched his nape with its talons. Since the creature did not expect this, he was a bit disoriented trying to find his attacker.

Indar stumbled from the ground, albeit his world was still spinning. “I’m too drunk for this” He muttered, partially recovering.

“I’m gonna kill you, pony!”.

The stallion whistled once again to let the Hawk know it could let the Minotaur alone. “Yeah, yeah. Get in line, Tegur”. As indar dodged Tegur’s ballistic attacks, he dipped his body parallel to the ground, eluding a series of blows by covering himself with the broken table. He tried to focus on the fight at hoof but the Minotaur did not make that very easy.

“Try to run while you can, Indar, it’ll be just as easy and enjoyable to find you. Y’know I have eyes all over Tayne” The stallion heard Nohrrus' voice from behind him, so he hurried and scrambled from the half of the table he was using. Just in time, apparently, for the Minotaur’s pick landed on the very same spot he had been in, breaking through the floor and sending splinters of wood everywhere. The stallion focused his gaze on the exit, where the Hawk was waiting for him atop a chair. “Besides, you just made it personal”.

Indar dodged Nohrrus’ pick once more, seeing it land on the wall and denting a hole into it. The Minotaur turned to him with a wicked smile on his lips, showcasing his teeth for every creature to see. There was no time to fixate, the Minotaurs were coming for him and Indar needed to run, or else he would die here!

“So this is Qol”. Rainbow exited the pawnbrokers with a brand new (not quite) wad of bills on her hoof. The old crook had given her a mighty amount for the sword she took from the bandits earlier. Who knew it would come in handy. “It’s… more paper-y than I expected”. The Qol itself was no gold coin like the bits in Equestria, they were scripts of paper with different drawings of a series of creatures on them, depending on the amount they represented. 1.000 Qol – which, according to the pawnbroker was the least amount of money – had a sheep drawn in it, 2.000 Qol was represented by a feline-like creature (like Randall), 5.000 Qol had an Earth pony, 10.000 Qol a Unicorn, and finally 20.000 Qol had a Minotaur up front.

In total, Rainbow had received a sum of 500.000 Qol for the sword alone.

The pawnbroker also advised her to keep the sum secret and hidden, otherwise she might lose it too soon. So Rainbow did exactly that, she hid the wad of bills under her wing and kept it there tightly.

Speaking of wings, she was still trying to come around with what Randall had said before. How come nopony liked airshows around here? They were the most cool, the most awesomest thing to ever witness! The dynamics and skills a pegasus could learn and display while in the air (also managing to not crash and, well, die) were astounding! The very concept of flying was something not any other creature could do, apparently. How could Randall hate airshows so much? How could anypony?

The pegasus stood outside the pawnbrokers shop contemplating on the possibilities of changing Randall’s mind, maybe take them flying and see how they like it?

Oblivious to the scandal going on behind her, Rainbow looked up to the sky. Maybe if she gave a little demonstration-- “MOVE!” Someone screamed, but the pegasus lacked the attention to care, too entrapped in her own dilemma.

The rainbow-maned mare was decked down unceremoniously by a projectile she didn’t see coming. It was safe to assume that her face would be forever engraved into the streets of Tayne. “Fhr phhes sphke…” she mumbled against the ground.

Soon after the projectile disappeared around a corner, a hawk in bold markings of brown and red followed closely its trajectory. Rainbow managed to look at the hawk before it also turned around the corner to recognize who the cannonball could be.

Oh hay no.

Rainbow got back on her hooves in haste, first making sure to hold the money she just got (and everything else where it should be), before taking off into the air faster than a bullet.

The pegasus understood he could be a prick, an insufferable one at that, might she add, and she was even considerate enough to abide by his demands, but like hay she would allow him to just deck her down and get away with it! Rainbow could tolerate many things, but she will not stand a bully!

Rainbow turned in the corner and continued almost stalking the cartographer as she watched him sprint in full gallop down the stone paths, it took her no time to keep up with him and she was right behind him as he turned another corner. “Hey, prick!” She called, but Indar didn’t turn around to acknowledge her. “I’m talking to you!” He carried on, Rainbow hot on his hooves.

No matter, she will repay him with the same kindness.

As the cartographer entered an alley with a dead end, Rainbow took that as her opportunity to tackle him down with the same force he had used on her. The pegasus whacked him on the back, sending him against the cobblestone. The stallion rolled a few times before hitting the wall at the far end of the alley with a loud puff.

Well, maybe she used a little bit more force than he did… But she was way too mad to care.

“What’s your problem?!” He demanded, once recovered.

Rainbow set the wad of bills under her wing once again. “What’s your problem?!” She countered. “You tackled me first! This is payback for being a bully!”.

“What are you, six?” The stallion asked in bitterness, getting up and dusting himself off. “I said ‘move’. Grow up”.

“I didn’t hear you” Rainbow retorted. “The least you can do is apologise”.

Indar groaned, rolling his eyes and letting the Hawk land on his back. “I don’t have time for you and your stupid requests” The pony began to look around for an exit besides the entrance to the alley. “Anyway, I have to go, and you do too. Also how did you manage to catch me so fast?” He announced as he passed by her side. “Anyway, by--”.

With a dominant hoof, Rainbow stopped him on his tracks and tossed him against the wall, holding him there. Before being crushed to death, of course, the Hawk flew and kept hovering in the air above them.

He wanted to be left alone? Sure, she would leave him alone, but not before giving him a piece of her mind. “Listen to me” She grunted in a tone deceptively soft, her magenta eyes narrowed as she leaned closer to the stallion “I did not just spend days on that bloody desert, almost died twice, came all the way here on a mere recommendation, no less, only to find an entitled prick who does nothing more than get drunk, pick fights and just get away with it whenever he feels like it, you cow-sucking stupid inbred sack of meat!” Rainbow saw red, mad beyond boundaries, a bit at her luck (or lack thereof), but mainly at him, yet at this very moment she had no restraints for her temper, and she couldn’t care less. “You don’t get to just be a bully and not expect any retaliation, so you either apologise or I promise you I’ll cut those dreadlocks one by one and I’ll make you eat them, shit them and eat them back again! Am I clear!?”.

The force of her shout blew Indar’s mane straight out behind him, and if he were not against the wall, he would’ve been knocked over (again). He was, to say the least, thunderstruck, and he could not stop looking her in the eyes for fear that she might make good on her promise. Rainbow didn’t wait for an answer before pushing him harder against the wall once more. “So?” She inquired, raising an eyebrow.

The cartographer swallowed hard and nodded instinctively. “I’m sorry” He said, reluctantly.

“Good” Rainbow smiled, and let him go. “Now I would like to buy a map”.

Indar looked at her as if she grew a second head. Was this mare crazy?! She just-- She just scared him shitless for knocking her over and now she wants to buy a map?! WHAT THE FUCK?!

Clink.

He was about to retort, when the sound of metal against cobblestone drew the attention of both ponies away from each other. “Oh Indar~” Called Nohrrus' voice, it sounded far, but it was still close enough to the entrance of the alleway, so Indar discarded that as his exit.

“Fuck… “ He muttered. “Look, I know you seem like a very straightforward (crazy) mare, but we have to go!” Indar whispered, looking frantic and desperate, catching Rainbow by surprise.

Clink. Clink.

“Why?” She asked.

Clink.

“Didn’t you hear Nohrrus?” He asked, recalling the obvious.

Clink. Clink.

“Who dat?”.

Clink.

“Argh!” The stallion grunted in desperation. “He’s a bad guy, and he’s dangerous, and he wants to-- he wants to kill me!” He whispered, as the clinks got closer and closer.

Clink. Clink.

“If I help you, will you give me a map?”.

Clink.

“Deal! I’ll give you anything!”.

Clink. Clink.

Rainbow unfolded her wing and took the wad of bills from underneath it. Luckily, she seemed to catch on to Indar's despair. “Hold on tight!” She warned, and before he could ask, the rainbow-maned pegasus took the cartographer from the ground and lifted him up into the air, flying above the buildings and landing on a rooftop nearby. She had to admit, she was kinda curious as to who this ‘Nohrrus’ could be.

Clink.

Indar, on the contrary, looked at her like she were a nutcase. Rainbow settled the stallion on the rooftop and folded her wings again. “Are you insane?!” He yelled/whispered, ducking to the roof in order to not be seen by the Minotaur approaching, when the mare didn’t follow, he exclaimed. “Get down, he’ll see us!”.

Clink. Clink.

“Okay, okay, geez” Rainbow protested, copying his actions and ducking.

Clink.

“Found ya!”. Somepony screamed down in the alley, Rainbow slightly raised her head in order to see his stalker. The pegasus saw the menacing figure of a 6ft. tall Minotaur holding a Pick too big and (probably) too heavy to carry around, yet ‘Nohrrus’ appeared to have no trouble dragging it through the ground. “Come out, come out wherever you are~!” The Minotaur sang, pacing the edges of the alley.

Clink. Clink.

Rainbow looked at Indar, who made a silent gesture for her to stay low and quiet. The Hawk had landed behind them.

Clink.

“Y’know, between us, Indar, we know there’s no chance in hell you could’ve escaped me alone, unless you sprung wings out of nowhere and flew away” The Minotaur rounded his hoofsteps and started to head out the alleyway. “Mark my words, pony. I will find you. I know everything, and I'll deal with you just like you did Veonu”.

Clink. Clink.

As Nohrrus left the narrow alley, both Indar and Rainbow let go of the breath they were holding. “Damn” The pegasus whispered, not entirely sure they were safe to speak again. “He’s…”.

“An asshole” Indar finished for her.

“I was gonna say ‘cray-cray’, but yeah” Rainbow shrugged. “So your name’s Indar?”.

“Yeah” He responded coldly.

“Mine’s Rainbow Dash”. She smiled.

The stallion looked at her dumbfounded. “Makes sense” He pointed towards her mane. The Hawk flapped its wings again and stationed himself on top of Rainbow back, as if greeting her.

“So… why is that dude following you?” She asked, giving in to her curiosity.

Indar hesitated momentarily. “I… got involved with the wrong group” He said. And as Rainbow contemplated his answer, he saw fit to address the matter concerning him the most. “Look, maybe we started on the wrong hoof, but since you helped me, I’ll keep your secret. No worries”.

Rainbow frowned. “What secret?”.

The stallion glanced at her as if she was the weirdo. She wasn’t a weirdo! It was a genuine question! Indar gestioned to her wings, as if it were clear. “You’re a Pegasus” he finally said in obviousness.

“So?”.

This time, it was the cartographer’s turn to frown. “You are insane”. He shook his head as he deemed it safe to stand up again and started to descend from the rooftop.

“Hey! Where’re you going?” Rainbow called to him.

“I’m going home. Hopefully I’ll still have one”.

Indar landed in the cobblestone and started to walk away, seeing no point in staying any longer, but was stopped once more. Rainbow landed in front of him with a defiant glare and tossed him against the wall (again), holding him there. Her magenta eyes ablaze.

“You said ‘I’ll give you anything’ if I helped you” She recalled. “I helped you, now keep your word”.

The stallion naturally recoiled into himself. He lifted a hesitant hoof into the air in sign of peace and took a deep breath. “Alright, alright, just let me go”.

“How do I know you’ll keep your word?”.

Indar stammered. “W-well, you’re fast, and I’m sure you’ll follow me either way, so…”.

Rainbow’s glare softened and she stared at Indar with skepticism. He seemed desperate enough, and she will admit (this time) that he was right, Rainbow was perfectly capable of following him wherever he went until he made good on his end of the deal, easily. But still… “I’m watching you, Indar”. She warned, deciding on her final verdict she would give him the benefit of doubt. “But if you try to mislead me again…”.

He nodded “Yeah, I get it”.

As the pegasus let Indar go, he gestured for her to follow him.

Nohrrus passed the roads of Tayne letting his pick sound loudly for anyone and everyone to hear. It was a warning, and every creature around knew not to piss Nohrrus off. Consequently, word got out of Veonu’s death, and the silence covering the streets made it all the more macabre.

The Minotaur, opposed to his weapon, was as silent as can be.

Nohrrus had one goal in mind, and that was making Indar pay. Before he just wanted to toy with the stallion before selling him out to Jachines, since he was wasting the money the Xatir Group lended to him. Same old playtimes – chase him down a little, scare him on every corner and eventually, torture his perception of reality, all so the pony could enjoy one last day of freedom.

But he had to go and spoil it.

The Minotaur breathed out through his nose, creating a small could of hot air. Nohrrus let the pick hit the cobblestone a few more times before reaching the bar where Tegur was guarding Veonu’s lifeless body.

As he reached his goal, Nohrrus stood tall at the entrance, not even letting light come through due to his stoic figure. The Minotaur saw no need to call everyone’s attention, for all creatures great and small were waiting to hear what would happen. Nohrrus locked eyes with any creature that dared look at his own, until eventually he stopped on the bartender’s.

The maroon Minotaur passed before his companions and redirected himself towards the bar, where ‘cuz Jack was silently making eye contact with him, unfazed – as he always was –. Nohrrus then addressed the rest of the patrons. “I’ll make it clear here and now!” He forewarned. “Whoever talks, helps or shelters Indar, the pony, in any way, shape or form; the Xatir Group will not hesitate to end your lives and the lives of anyone you care about then and there! And that’s a fuckin’ promise!” Nohrrus directed his words to ‘cuz Jack this time. “And if any creature knows of his whereabouts, you will tell us now!”.

The feline-like creature kept on staring at Nohrrus, but ultimately said nothing.

“As of now, Indar is a personal enemy of the Xatir Group, and whoever sides with him, will also be dealt with!”.

It was probably past noon when Rainbow and Indar reached his humble abode, and the pegasus at this point was expecting him to run and try to lose her, but he did no such thing. Indar’s hawk travelled comfortably atop Rainbow’s back, and the mare didn’t have a problem with it, really. She was starting to like the bird much more than his owner.

Speaking of whom, the stallion gave no indication of wanting to run off to who-knows-where, and he remained in silence most of the way, although, of course, they had to hide the majority of the journey to Indar’s home, “better be safe than sorry” he had said. Regarding the mare’s concerns; she didn’t have any. But the cartographer was a wanted pony by this ‘Xatir Group’ – of which Rainbow knew nothing about –. So she went along with it.

The stallion opened the door with ease – apparently he had forgotten to close it before departing to Jack’s bar –, and stumbled inside, closely followed by Rainbow Dash. “It’s messy, just to let ya know” He notified her.

As Rainbow made her way inside, she noticed a lot (and I mean a lot) of empty bottles of what she assumed was liquor, scraps of paper everywhere, and some dirty clothes. The place was a one room apartment, where on a corner was a table and a chair, and on the opposite side a couch that doubled as a bed at the same time. There was some kitchenware but barely enough to make a living.

Despite everything, she didn’t pity him. So Rainbow remained silent. Either way, it was not her place to opine, she was just here to get a map and leave. Easy peasy.

“So you want a map, right?” Indar asked her as she closed the door behind her, Rainbow responded affirmatively. “A map, a map…” The stallion searched a shelf she hadn’t noticed before, it was covered from top to bottom in scrolls and some books in a language Rainbow couldn’t read. For a moment, this little corner of his home reminded her of Twilight’s library. “I have a few maps of the desert, others of the continent and a few more of the explored world, take your pick”. He offered, taking three scrolls from the shelf and settling them on the table.

As Rainbow leaned in closer, avoiding to step accidentally on a bottle, she observed the three maps that covered the table. She went for the one labelled ‘the known world’, looking it over.

She tried to locate the desert first, and rightfully so there it was – a huge patch of sand that covered the continent almost entirely, shielded from the coasts by mountain ranges –. Rainbow saw a dot close to the middle of the desert that said ‘Oasis’. That’s where she met Rook. And further east from there was another symbol (a rhombus, to be exact) that said ‘Tayne’. That’s where she is now.

Rainbow bit her lip in contemplation, sure enough there was another town – apparently, as Indar pointed to the legend on the top right corner of the map, rhombus’ depicted towns, little circles; cities, big circles with a dot in the middle where capital cities, and anchors where harbours – southwest from Tayne called ‘Hellburn’. Grim name, just saying. And even further southwest was a capital city by the name of ‘Nabia’, a coastal capital city.

And now… Now the pegasus found herself with nothing, yet again. She thought that by the time she got a map there would be a plan, but she had nothing. Rainbow felt the weight of the element on her neck, which only served to prove to her even more that she was ill equipped for this…

“So? You’ll take it?”.

Indar’s question spasmed Rainbow out of her trance. She turned to him, fighting off her concerns for later. “Yeah, I’ll take it”.

The stallion nodded, and took the other two maps to keep them on their rightful place on the shelf. Rainbow continued to analyse the map on her hooves, trying to convey a plan of action. Where should she start? Where are her friends? Where? Where? Where?.

The door opened wide and abruptly, taking both ponies by surprise. On the door’s threshold was an agitated ‘cuz Jack, breathing heavily. “They’re coming” He said.

Both Indar and Rainbow were speechless. The pegasus, for one, thought she’d never hear the feline say something besides ‘ye’, which she found refreshing. But the cartographer… Indar knew that if Jack was this restless then it could only mean bad news.

The stallion moved closer to his friend and let him in, closing the door in haste. “When”. He asked, directing himself to the only window behind the couch and closing the drapes.

“Now”. ‘cuz Jack responded. “You have to leave, they warned everyone not to help you so you’ll have nowhere to go, and if we do, then we’ll die too”.

The stallion stared at the bartender in slight panic. If what Jack had said was true, then Nohrrus would most certainly make sure Indar was cornered, and anypony siding with him.

When he came to Tayne, Indar knew his stay would not be permanent, now he was absolutely sure his time was up. “You have to go” The stallion turned to the feline and pushed him to the door. “We can only hope no creature saw you here. Go, Jack”.

“Where will you go?” The feline asked, holding the doorknob.

“I…” Indar stammered, he wasn’t sure where exactly he could go, the Sahida wasn’t kind to anyone, so as long as he was in the desert there was no guarantee he could elude the Xatir Group.

“We’ll get out of the desert”. Jack and Indar turned to Rainbow Dash in surprise, the feline hadn’t noticed her there until she spoke. “For now, then we’ll figure it out” She said, rolling up the map and holding it under her wing.

“‘We’?” the cartographer asked.

“Eeyup!” She responded happily. “‘Cuz Jack said you have nowhere to go, right?”.

“Ye”.

“Then it’s settled. Both of us have to get out of the desert, so either way we’ll run into each other eventually. I say let's bolt now before it’s too late”. Rainbow reasoned. And quite frankly, Neither Indar nor Jack could find any flaws in her logic.

The stallion turned to Jack for a second opinion, but the feline-like creature just nodded. “Fine” He sighed. Indar moved over to his saddlebags and started filling them only with what was necessary – A few blankets, a compass, a first aid kit, two canteens (which he filled with water from the faucet, "it’ll have to do"), a flask, a dagger he happened to have laying around, the two maps he showed Rainbow before (since she now possessed the third one) and a book – and put them on his back, readjusting the cloak.

Indar turned to Rainbow and saw her carrying everything she owned under her wings. How long had she gone like that? “You don’t have any saddlebags?” He questioned.

“Enope!”.

“You are insane…” Indar muttered under his breath. “We can share mine for now” he suggested.

“Hay no!” Rainbow protested. “We may be travelling together for a while but I don’t trust you with my stuff!”.

“Look, you’re using your-- you’re carrying everything on your hooves, how long do you think you can go on like that?”.

Rainbow wanted to protest, but ‘cuz Jack intervened. “Ya’ll don’t have time for this, give him your stuff and go or you’ll lose it along the way”.

The pegasus whined something under her breath and, with much hesitation and reluctance, she handed over the map and the wad of bills. “I’ll only give you this, the rest I can carry on my own. But you know--”.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll ‘cut my dreadlocks one by one and you’ll make me eat them, shit them and eat them back again’, I know” The stallion quoted, albeit with slight humour on his voice, as he received the map and the wad of bills and placed them inside his saddlebags. “Holy- How much is in here?!” He asked, surprised to see so many Qol on his hoof, but instead of receiving a number the only thing he got was a kick on the nape from Jack.

“Don’t dally, idiot. Nohrrus is on his way” The feline reminded them.

“Right… I guess this is goodbye, then” Indar realised in a whisper. Amongst every creature he had met in Tayne, Jack was by far his only acquaintance- no, his only friend. Or at least the Stallion considered him like one, and he valued the times they shared together, even if those memories would be half lucidly remembered by him. “I… thanks for everything”.

“Ye” ‘cuz Jack responded.

“You ready?” Rainbow asked from the threshold, with the Hawk on her back. Indar nodded and quickly joined her, not before giving the bartender one last goodbye.

Both ponies rushed out the door in haste as the stallion guided Rainbow out of town. It had been a short while, for the two of them, but the walled town of Tayne held many moments that would mark their lives forever in the future. And despite not knowing each other very well, something told Rainbow that things would be looking up from now on.