Shalab looked at his Bandits in an enraged wonder. The majority of them bound by the chains that were meant for another, the rest of them wrapping and tending to their wounds inflicted by a damned bird, no less. Yet, no rainbow-maned pegasus in sight.

The unicorn had been witness to multiple things in his life; he had seen most of these Bandits grow from helpless foals to capable outlaws, he had seen the best of his companions die in numerous occasions whatever the reason, and he had betrayed a few of the more problematic ones for the greater good. But the thing was, his Bandits were unstoppable, they were fearless, and they were tough. So why were they so easily defeated by a fucking pegasus? No, even worse, they were defeated by a mare pegasus who obviously had no real fighting experience (or training for that matter)!

And the thing that vexed him most of all, was that Indar was with her. Fucking wimpy, good-for-nothing, spineless Indar.

He got cocky, Shalab was mature enough to admit that, and he got carried away by the moment, blinded by that shiny necklace and firm behind. He thought the pegasus was no different from the other mares he had shanghaied before, he trusted that she would fight just a little but eventually give up, he did not expect her to suddenly burst wings and start flying away. And he even went through the trouble of obtaining those weighted chains in order to prevent a second aerial escape from her! but she still got the upper-hoof at the end. How embarrassing.

Shalab sighed in frustration. That cheeky little mare, she would pay for what she did to his Bandits...

"Boss" Shalab turned around, meeting a concerned Driza, who was holding a bandage moistened in some spare alcohol they had on the caravan. "You should treat your face, it looks nasty".

Shalab grimaced, but he took the bandages Driza was offering with his magic. "Are they able to keep goin'?" He asked, as the pony helped him with the cloth.

"Badr and Cashob are still passed out, but they'll wake up soon enough" Driza noticed. "We could throw them in the caravan if ya want to go now".

The unicorn agreed, and when Driza finished cleaning the scratches covering his face, Shalab sent them on their way to assist the rest of his Bandits.

This chase she was putting them through was fun at the beginning, but now Shalab was absolutely sure she was toying with them – cajoling him into following her unmistakably and very evident tracks until they reached her, only for her to run off again soon after – . Now she was just playing with his ego.

If his suspicions were correct, then that pegasus was headed towards Hellburn, that was the only town close enough for them to run off to. Shalab needed to plan for when they intercepted them there – Hellburn was a crowded town, so any chance for the mare to flee through air is completely overruled, also, she's way too colourful to go unnoticed by the residents, so his best option was to prevent them from ever leaving Hellburn; use the town itself as a cage of some sorts and corner them.

Yes, that would do. But he still needed a 'Plan B' in case she bamboozled them yet again.

They had arrived at their destination a few hours ago, and much in comparison to Tayne, the town of Hellburn was rowdier and more crowded than she had anticipated. The streets were replete with great and small creatures coming in and out of anywhere, shopkeepers yelling their best offers left and right, and no room for walking whatsoever.

Unlike the previous town, Hellburn held itself with a great deal of sturdiness and vigour. The difference was – and even if the buildings and houses were equally made of stone and hardwood, and the streets built of cobblestone – the residents of Hellburn were so much more lively than the residents of Tayne had been. In the walled town there weren't many creatures to keep busy, whereas in Hellburn there was not enough time for any creature to stand still and idley watch their surroundings.

That is not to say that in Hellburn the creatures were living carefree, in fact, they were to the same degree as reserved and self-contained to anypony around. When Indar and herself made a way to walk around, no creature turned their heads to them, but either way, she knew that none of them would pay attention should she ask directly. It was like a silent declaration of indifference.

Speaking of Indar, he suggested that they should spend a few hours in an Inn before leaving during the night, when nopony is around to see them. Rainbow thought it fitting since she needed to tend to her wing after the events of late. But at the same time, the stallion had been restlessly a real pain in the butt. He'd been awfully quiet ever since their encounter with the Bandits, and whenever he spoke to her he was rude and sour. Like right now, for example, when she started preening her wing and she asked him to turn around – because it was a known fact that preening is a private and very personal affair for any pegasi, and for Rainbow Dash especially it was pretty embarrassing... –, yet the only thing he did was mutter something along the lines of 'mares' and 'pretentious' before storming off the room.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and continued her task. Stallions were such babies.

As the rainbow-maned mare collected the broken feathers on the ground next to her, she pondered on her missing friends. It has been four days since her forced departure from home, and now that she acquired a map it was time for phase two of her journey; asking around.

That's it. That's the best she could come up with.

Rainbow Dash knew she was not clever like Twilight, or intuitive like Rarity or Applejack, nor was she fortuitously lucky like Pinkie Pie (with her Pinkie-sense and all. She still didn't get it, but she didn't question it either), and least of all was she cautious like Fluttershy. Nevertheless, Rainbow had her determination, and whenever she had a goal in mind, no power in this world could stop her.

The pegasus finished with the broken feathers and licked the few more that were twisted and mangled, setting them into their right position.

And what was so wrong with asking directly? At least it was a plan! It was something! Rainbow Dash will find a way, she always did!.

Clingy stared at her from the headboard of the bed, and as Rainbow turned around she came face to face with those expressionless brown eyes. "What?" She asked, as if the hawk had been reading her mind. "It's a good plan!". Clingy scratched his back with his beak, and kept on looking at her. "... Shut up". The rainbow-maned mare shook her head and took the feathers from the ground, dumping them in the bin resting on a far corner near the window.

Rainbow Dash laid down on the bed and glared at the ceiling. She thought of calling Indar back to let him know she was finished, but at the same time the pegasus thought he could wait some more time outside. After all, he was in a bad mood, and he seemed like the type of pony that needed to be alone in times like this.

So what if asking around wasn't 'cautious'? It was a good plan, or at least a good way to start.

She sighed, standing up and looking out the window. Even from here she could hear the multitude of creatures wandering around and going on about their day. Speaking of that, when was the last time she ate? With all that had happened the last two days she had forgotten about eating at all! Good thing she still had water with her. Maybe she should go to the market to buy something, she had the money-- "For Pete's sake" Rainbow grunted. He had the money in the saddlebags...

Asking around was a valid thing to do! 'fortuitous luck' was a luxury, anyways.

Rainbow shook her head and laid down on the bed again. Huh, she hadn't noticed how soft it was. Well, not as soft as her cloud bed back home, but it was softer than a rock and sand, so pretty much anything now was high quality for her. She could sleep for a while; take a power nap. It's been so long since she napped that Rainbow forgot how much she needed them, she was starting to get tired.

Even if it wasn't the most 'intuitive' of plans, she had the final say on this, and she was the one running from pent-up Bandits and crazy Minotaurs, mind you.

The pegasus turned upside down and took off the element from her neck, she held it in her hoof watching as the light reflected on the lightning-shaped ruby created little shimmers all around her. During these last days she had refrained from thinking of the element at all, she was still mad at how everything had turned out, but now that she had this moment of solitude her mind was running laps on this and that. The necklace stood still even when she let it drop on the bed, harmonious and whatnot...

Who was she kidding. Determined or not, she was not 'clever' enough to face a responsibility this big. Somepony else would be better suited for this task, if any.

"I bet that's worth a lot".

Rainbow straightened up and glared at Indar, as he set a bag on the bedside table. She didn't even hear him come in.

"Hmm" She mumbled, taking the element back from the bed and putting it on her neck. "It's not for sale".

"Like I give a fuck" The stallion took a carrot from inside the bag and ate it, then he took another and threw it towards Rainbow, who caught it in the air and also took a bite. "Had to use your money to buy something to eat, consider it payment for the map" He then took something wrapped on paper and whistled, Clingy flew to his extended hoof and Indar unfolded the--.

"Sweet Celestia!" Rainbow exclaimed upon seeing the reddish cuts of fresh – She gagged – meat. The pegasus wrinkled her nose when the smell of blood reached her nostrils.

"What's your problem?" He asked as Clingy devoured bit by bit the raw meat. "Never seen a bird eat?".

Rainbow grimaced. Of course she had seen birds eat before! It's just... Much as she sometimes helped Fluttershy with her animals, the shy pegasus would take care of the carnivorous species herself when it was time to feed them, Rainbow would be there mostly to assist with an injured wing or to ensure none of the animals would escape before they were completely healed. "I'm not used to... that" She confessed, pointing at Clingy's food.

Indar raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Then what the fuck do you eat in Dia" He asked.

"'Dia'?".

"Or Nespa".

Rainbow tilted her head. "What are you talking about?".

"Zidane?". Rainbow shook her head in amazement as Indar kept trying. "Don't tell me you're from fucking Edenburg".

"I'm not" She said, chuckling. "I don't know where any of those places are".

Indar lowered his hoof as Clingy finished eating, and just stared at her in bewilderment. If she was not from any of the pegasi territory up north, then there was only one other place she could have run off from, but due to her lack of knowledge about the reality of the world they lived in, he doubted that was her home. Otherwise, she would be well aware of everything. "Then where are ya from?" He finally asked.

Rainbow took another bite of the carrot. "Equestria".

...

...

"You are insane".

"Wha--" Rainbow frowned, as she watched the stallion shake his head and turn around to take the saddlebags off. "I am from Equestria!". She stomped a hoof on the floor in (maybe) an attempt for credibility.

Indar waved his hoof in the air as in dismissing her. "Yeah, yeah, and I'm a 400 ft. tall purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings".

"Ha-ha-ha, Hilarious" Rainbow laid down on the bed again and looked up to the ceiling, crossing her hooves.

Indar sat on the other side of the bed, turning his back to her, and crossing his hooves.

...

...

"Just so you know" The mare started. "I don't care if you believe me or not".

"Good, 'cause I don't".

"Cool".

"Cool".

...

...

"Why don't you?" She asked, buffing.

"I thought you 'didn't care' if I believed you".

"I don't".

"Then why you ask?".

"Because you don't believe in anything. I pity you".

...

...

"There are some things I believe in".

"Yeah, right, and I'm an egghead" Rainbow puffed. "Name one thing you believe in".

"I believe in..." Indar stuttered. "Magic. There, I believe in magic".

"Magic is an occurrence, it doesn't count".

...

...

"So what? I don't care if you believe me or not".

"Good, 'cause I don't".

"Cool".

"Cool".

"Then we agree".

"Eeyup".

"Hmm".

"Hmm".

"Hmm!".

"Hmm!".

Nighttime in Hellburn was awfully quiet.

Rainbow Dash woke up by an awkward tap on her cheek, as she opened her eyes she saw the reluctant face of Indar standing beside her, carrying the saddlebags and letting Clingy stand on his cloaked back. "You snore" He said.

"You fart" Rainbow countered. She wasn't sure if it was actually true since she had been out like a light, but who would know better? Not him, that’s for sure. He also took a nap.

"Time to go" Indar decided to ignore her comment and handed over the ruana that she had left on a nearby chair.

Rainbow stood up, stretching her back and wings. Her feathers felt light and breezy from the preening, and her muscles relaxed from sleeping on a mattress for the first time in what felt like forever. The pegasus accommodated the ruana around herself, making sure she had everything on herself before walking out the door. The element was in place, that was good, and the canteen of water nearby on the bedside table. When she strapped it around her, Rainbow noticed it had been refilled. She was about to ask Indar about it but the stallion was already out the door waiting for her to follow suit.

The pair left the Inn soon after, walking quietly through the darkest streets of Hellburn. Indar had said before leaving that they could not afford to bring any attention to themselves with Shalab and Nohrrus on their hooves, since both of the magnates were equally powerful and eagle-eyed. Rainbow begged to differ, given that she fooled the Bandits twice, and Nohrrus didn't even know she existed, so, in her humble opinion, he was just being paranoid.

It didn't take much time for them to reach the edge of town, Rainbow saw that the houses were farther apart and more simple in architecture as they passed by. The cobblestone also changed, from taking every single path and alleyway to only covering the main roads. They were one alleyway away from leaving Hellburn before she had the unsettling feeling of being watched.

Indar stopped abruptly before a corner, making her bump with him and Clingy jump at the sudden disturbance. The stallion said nothing for a while, but made no attempt to move further than this. He made a motion to turn around, and he led them to another obscure street farther away. Rainbow looked back, but promptly followed him. Maybe that was a dead end, she thought.

Both ponies circulated the street through alleyways and corners, camouflaging themselves within the shadows. For Indar it may seem an easy feat, but Rainbow Dash was a sharp contrast, standing out like a light in every direction they took. She resorted to adjusting some of the ruana over her mane so as to try and go unnoticed, but there wasn't very much that she could do.

The odd sensation of being watched never quite went away, and, at the same time, it was getting darker the farther they moved, as if the shadows started to press whenever they turned a second corner into a new backstreet. Just as they came around another possible exit, Indar stopped them again. "What is it?" She whispered.

"We have to go back" He said.

The mare let her head hang, however, she didn't protest, and both ponies redirected themselves to an alternative direction. The feeling came to her suddenly once more, much like in the way she felt her mane prickling on the back of her neck, or the drilling sensation of eyes boring into her skull. Rainbow whipped around to face the phantom threat, but there was nothing behind them.

In the time it took to reach the other side of town, they passed several buildings along the way in utter and complete silence. It seemed like the livelihood of Hellburn turned into a far memory, almost as though the town had shifted in the span of the few hours she slept.

For Rainbow, sometimes the complete absence of sound was a dreaded moment, most of her day would be spent flying at high speeds and surrounded by her friends, if it were up to her, she'd try to always be in the company of somepony. But on those rare occasions she would allow herself to be in silence, her mind would spiral to things she may not like to think about. Just as she was in this moment. There was something about lurking in the dark that had her thinking about twists and turns, and she refused to ever fixate on that. On him.

When they turned a new corner, Indar stopped one more time. "What now?" She asked.

"They're everywhere... " He said after a moment. The stallion then faced her. "Shalab caught up to us".

Rainbow sighed. Sweet Celestia, that dude will never take 'no' for an answer, will he? No wonder he didn't have a special somepony. "Are they stalking us?" She thought out loud. "Creepy".

"I think they're cornering us" Indar said bluntly while adjusting his cloak. "It's the most common tactic a Bandit can play: corner your prey until they have nowhere to go".

Rainbow looked back on when she first met the Bandits, and rightfully so, she recalled them surrounding her before she made her escape. Truthfully, at that time she did not reflect on their strategies and tactics too much, she thought that they wouldn't have that drive to go after her just because she ran away from them. Who would be that spiteful to pursue a random mare just because she said no? (Note the sarcasm).

The pegasus shook her head in disappointment. Of course it had to be stallions.

"We could fly away" She suggested.

"We could, but they have them chains, remember?".

Rainbow made a face, they could always face them head on. Apparently they had no other choice but to--. "'The Swarm of Doom'".

"The what?" Indar tilted his head, and Clingy peeped over his shoulder just as confused.

"'The Swarm of Doom'!" She yelled/whispered, as if the stallion knew what she was talking about. "It's a move the Wonderbolts used in one of their shows on the 972nd. Summer Sun Celebration!. It was so lethal that Princess Celestia had to ban them from doing it again because three senior members almost died and the rest of the Team got so injured they couldn't perform for two whole years!".

"The who?".

"Focus" Rainbow said. "We are Lieutenant Thunder Strike, and Shalab and the Bandits are the Wonderbolts cornering him, we just have to--".

"We are who?!" Indar asked in an exasperated whisper.

"Don't interrupt me" Rainbow placed a hoof on his mouth and continued. "First we have to make them follow us in a whirl-like motion as if they were a swarm of bees, that way they’ll chase us without knowing that we are making them chase us. Then, we have to attract them to the centermost part of town, and when they're about to strike we jump out of the way" She described. "What made the move so lethal was that when Thunder Strike jumped out of the way, no other Wonderbolt had time to process that they were gonna smash against each other... And they were too low on the air to have enough space to avoid crashlanding at 85 miles per hour... " Rainbow coughed. "Anyways, This might just work. Can you run fast enough?". Indar noded, hoof still in mouth. "Good, although I'm pretty fast, so try to catch up" She slightly bragged.

Hakim had stayed leaning against that house just like the boss told him to, so as to not be detected, but he had been hiding for a long time now and there was no sight of either target yet. Good thing Najib was with him, tho. He brought a deck of cards.

“Got any sevens?” Najib asked, holding his cards close to his chest.

“Go fish” Hakim responded, and the earth pony took another card from the deck while clicking his tongue in frustration. He snickered, his opponent had so many cards now, Hakim was on his way to victory four times in a row!

Both of the ponies continued playing to pass the time, unaware of the fast set of hooves approaching in haste behind them. Their game had been going up smoothly up until now, when their fellow Bandit passed by them like a blur of muted beiges and green fur. "The fuck are ya doin' sittin' in yer lazy asses?!" He screamed, without stopping or slowing down.

Hakim and Najib looked at his running figure disappearing behind a corner in confusion, lowering their cards. "Was that Arbaaz?". Najib wondered. "What's he running from?".

Hakim looked behind him and saw two of his brothers in blades running in the same direction. "Hey!" He called them (hopefully) to a stop. "What are ya runnin' from?".

Neither of them slowed down, however, and as Hakim was about to feel defeated by the uncertainty, the unicorn, – Zukr – provided an answer. "they're gettin' away!" That's all he could say moments afore also disappearing behind the same corner Arbaaz had gone to.

"Move!" Tamir, another unicorn, yelled while going behind the same building in pursuit of Zukr.

Najib and Hakim looked at each other in silence for a solid five seconds before the situation dawned on them. Both ponies stood up like their lives depended on that – because in some way, it did – and quickly sprinted behind the other Bandits, game and deck of cards forgotten.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Najib cursed, catching up to Zukr and Tamir. "Shalab's gonna kill me!".

"He's gonna kill all of us!" Zukr corrected.

"What happened?!" Hakim asked, frantic.

"We saw her flying along the edge of town!" Tamir answered. "She was alone!".

"What do ya mean 'alone'?!". Najib questioned, making a stunned grimace.

Neither tamir nor Zukr knew how to respond, the fact was that they were just as confused as them. Both unicorns had been following the orders Shalab had given them and staying put, slowly closing in their formation, and just as predicted they had seen the deadweight and the pegasus mare before they changed directions an hour ago, truth be told, Zukr kinda suspected they figured out their plan, but he refrained from saying so. Questioning Shalab's word was like questioning life as a Bandit, and that just simply won't do. "For now, we follow her!" He said, as their little spontaneous group caught up to Arbaaz.

"Hey!" Hakim called to the earth pony again. Arbaaz was one of the fastest in their guild, so he could only imagine how long he had been running for any of them to reach him. "Arbaaz! What the fuck?!".

The earth pony looked behind him, and gestured to the sky as they entered an alleyway. Sure enough, the rainbow-maned mare was flying above them, but something seemed off.

Rainbow looked below her to the Bandits following her. Everything was going according to plan.

"This is what we're gonna do" Rainbow said, as she positioned her hoof on the solid earth beneath them to draw. She made a misshapen circle, depicting the town of Hellburn, and then she pointed to where the both of them were supposedly standing right now, in the southernmost part of the circle . "We are right here, and, if I'm correct, then over here..." She drew another set of dots surrounding Hellburn. "Are the Bandits" the pegasus then drew two curved arrows along the lines of the circle going towards the center, explaining the direction they would have to run/fly in. "We have to separate in two parallel places, so when we start with 'The Swarm of Doom', we make a mock whirlwind". Rainbow then pointed at the center of the circle. "When we reach... eh..."

"The Marketplace" Indar aided her.

"Right, the Marketplace. When we reach the Marketplace we have to go faster than before, but we will be coming against each other, so to avoid crashing I was thinking you could jump and I'll catch you, so then I'll fly us as far as I can go. And by the time they realize it, we'll be long gone".

"Are you sure that's gonna work?" Indar asked in disbelief.

Rainbow smiled confidently. "I know It's gonna work, as long as you remember to jump".

Rainbow laughed, trying not to be too loud so the Bandits don't think there was something amiss. She had started to circle Hellburn from the skies, using her raw ability to call the attention of others with her awesome moves and displays of tenacity and skill in the air, and soon enough, she had a flock of Bandits running to their doom. Clingy flew beside her, sometimes screaming a horse kee-eeeee-arr to attract even more Bandits that didn't get to see any of them.

As the pegasus reached the north of Hellburn, there were no Bandits in sight, only the ones following behind her. That meant Indar was doing his part, she only hoped he could be fast enough.

Rainbow heard the familiar tingling of weighted chains being thrown into the air, but now she knew to expect them. She looked behind them and easily dodged the iron bonds catapulted in her direction. Then another.

As she started closing in the circle and reaching the west of Hellburn, she prepared to direct the Bandits through the streets and roads of the town. Rainbow had been flying at a theoretically slow pace (for her), making sure her pursuers didn't lose sight of her. She could have easily overflown them and escape on her own, but it was not on her nature to abandon anypony, or at least she liked to keep it that way.

No, she will keep it that way.

Clingy screamed at the Bandits so they kept their minds in coming after her. And the pegasus reached the south streets of the town while she avoided another chain thrown her way. Geez, they were getting sloppy.

Another set of Bandits noticed her in the air and followed the group she formed in haste. At this rate, she would be at the Marketplace in no time. "Clingy, do you see Indar anywhere?" Rainbow asked, eyeing the bird search for the stallion, but Clingy just shook his head, meaning 'no'. "Oh well, I don't think--" She dodged another chain. "We'll see him until we reach the Marketplace".

Rainbow could hear the banter between comrades, as the Bandits asked 'what was going on' to each other whenever a new pony joined the flock. It was kinda funny to her, As if she were the shepherd leading her very own herd to the sheep pen. Or like Applejack when she redirected that horde of cows from colliding with Ponyville.

The pegasus dodged another set of chains as she circled the eastern side of town, and with every turn she got closer to the centermost part of Hellburn.

She could see it now, the Marketplace. It was the main street; full of shops and stands for all merchants to gather around and sell their products. Prior to their arrival at the Inn, Indar had explained briefly (and as much as he wanted to, since his bad mood back then was atrocious) that merchants, traders and dealers came to Hellburn from all around the continent, and apart from the shops, whoever got there first could claim a stand for themselves. In time, the sellers would often bring cloths big enough to set down on the cobblestone when no stands were left.

Indar also said that the town was named 'Hellburn' after the many sunburns creatures would get for standing almost the entire day on the main street. Either that, or because the very act of walking the length of the Marketplace felt like being in Hell, since it would get so crowded most creatures just couldn't move for long periods of time.

Rainbow dodged another chain thrown her way, and she turned north. She was getting close.

The Bandits below her were still trying to get to her, some of them jumped in the air in the hopes of reaching her, but to no avail, none of them could jump that high. The pair of unicorns tried to entangle her in their magic, still, Rainbow had managed to avoid every single attempt. So far so good.

As Rainbow doubled from the west, she entered the main street of the Marketplace. It was a long, wide road that covered almost the entire longitude of Hellburn from one end to another, If it were day maybe she would have been able to see the other end, but as of now, it seemed infinite. Rainbow lowered her body to fly at the eye-level of the Bandits pursuing her, and she sped up just like planned. Also, it served as a motivation for them to try and capture her, although Rainbow knew that wouldn't happen, she was just mocking them at this point.

Clink.

Rainbow almost stopped. Almost. She could've sworn she heard that particular 'Clink' sound before, but that was not possible, not unless...

Clink. Clink.

Rainbow dodged another set of iron bonds, narrowly missing them. In the distance the familiar form of Indar running towards her came into view, behind him were just as many Bandits as she had following her.

Clink.

Rainbow tried to focus as she was getting ready to catch him the moment he would jump. But something was different. And still, something was watching her, stalking her quietly and painstakingly, waiting for her to show an ounce of weakness. Waiting for just the right moment to make its move. Waiting to kill.

Clink. Clink.

The feeling of being hunted grew stronger with every flap she made, as if she were flying right into the lion's den, but something in Rainbow Dash told her to be careful, to show dexterity and skill in front of whatever this sensation was.

Clink.

No, no, it was fine. It was completely fine, it was probably just the shadows playing games with her mind. But she couldn't help it when her breathing came a little bit faster as she pushed forward.

Clink. Clink.

And yet, the main street felt... disquieting. As if she wasn't supposed to be there, nevertheless she had to. It was their only option out of this town and out of this street!

Clink.

There were too many narrow alleys for it to hide. More than once Rainbow thought she'd seen something flick past out of the corner of her eyes, or caught sight of something lurking in the shadows.

Clink. Clink.

Another chain was thrown her way, but Rainbow was so caught up on this something haunting her that she had no time to play the cat-and-mouse game. She snatched it from the air and held it in her hooves with such strength she kinda feared she might break it in half.

Clink.

No matter, it was all fine!, she just needed to focus on the goal right now. Rainbow bolted in a straight line, flying faster than she had planned to before. Indar was close, so she just needed to meet him halfway through and get the hay out of here!

Clink. Clink.

She'd had it with being in this place, to hay with what everypony might think. Rainbow didn't care a wit if they thought she was a coward for wanting to flee. But you shouldn't be here. Something in her said. You should be somewhere else. You were just the spare choice.

Clink.

Rainbow left the bandits behind as she dashed in a straight line, every second bringing her closer to the stallion. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, to stop, to go away! Her instincts, hammering heart and edge of fear all took over her.

Clink. Clink.

And then she saw it.

Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.

A pick flew past her almost in slow motion, she saw her reflection staring back at her for a second, eyes wide and frightened, as the weapon passed her and landed on the wall of a closed shop, utterly destroying it.

Rainbow didn't stop, though. She continued flying and flying and flying. She didn't know nor she cared if the bandits were still following her, her thoughts were overtaken by that familiar pick and the Minotaur it belonged to.

He laughed. It sounded like screams of madness, but it joined the cacophony on her head regardless.

Fly away! Her mind told her. Leave! That's all you're good at!

Rainbow came face to face with Indar, he had been running towards her and now they were mere meters away from each other. She was so close! She could reach him in two seconds and get away from this hell!

But two seconds was all it took for Nohrrus to make his appearance.

The Minotaur jumped in between them and Rainbow didn't even get a chance to process his presence before he grabbed her by the wings, pressing them together with enough strength to keep fer from moving them, but not so much as to break them right away. It still hurt when the force of impact made her bend over so suddenly. "So sorry for jumpin’ in between you two, dreadful etiquette, I know" he said, lifting her up by the wings. The pegasus grimaced in pain, but she would not scream, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. “But, y’know, you’re gonna make me one rich motherfucker”.

Rainbow looked at the Minotaur with a defiant glare, and she spat him in the face.

As the pegasus was about to retort, a loud thud in the form of another Minotaur very similar to Nohrrus gained her attention. He was tall, perhaps even taller than the one holding her wings, and he carried himself with a killer aura that rivaled the most nefarious of villains in those thriller novels Twilight adored so much. His eyes were wide in rage, and he expelled small clouds of hot air with every breath. Tegur could care less about the mare, he was here for one reason alone.

As soon as he laid eyes on the object of his frenzy, the Minotaur wasted no time to charge for the stallion being cornered by Bandits, using his own body to barricade whoever stood in his way. The first few to drop were the unfortunate ones, but quickly, the rest of the Bandits understood to stand away as fast as possible. Tegur wiped every single pony on his way, and whether it'd be voluntary or by his own hands, he came face to face with Indar the cartographer, the pony who had killed his brother in arms.

In one fell swoop, the Minotaur kicked Indar in the barrel – who barely had time to register what was happening so far – and let the stallion roll on the ground with force until he smashed against an empty stand, as if he were a Buckball ball. And here she thought the Bandits were rough on him.

Nohrrus did not acknowledge what was transpiring so far, too enthralled on the winged pony he was holding. "Don't mind him, he's only greetin' our old pal Indar" Nohrrus drew a line with his finger down Rainbow's cheekbone. The pegasus kept watching speechless as Indar stood up (wobbly, might she add) and launched at the Minotaur easily three times his size.

"He's not good at making friends" Rainbow noticed, witnessing how the stallion made do with some leftover wooden boards to use as some kind of makeshift weapon and, with the broken edges, he hammered at the Minotaur.

"No, no he's not" Nohrrus agreed with her, as Tegur dodged every attack. "But we 'friends' help each other out, y'know".

“What is it with everypony wanting to…” Rainbow gulped. “Kill him? What did he do so wrong?”.

Nohrrus shrugged, tightening his grip on her wings to try and get a reaction out of her, but she still wouldn’t budge. Although, before he could say anything, someone else interrupted the moment.

A set of weighted chains fell onto Nohrrus back, dropping the Minotaur to the ground, and freeing her from his grasp in the process. Rainbow fell to the ground with a quiet thud, but she wasted no time stepping in. She lifted off and used the chains she had taken before as some sort of lasso to charge against Tegur.

Before either the Minotaur or the stallion were aware of what was coming, there was a jingle sound behind Tegur, and then something slammed into him hard enough to knock him off his hooves and onto the floor. Rainbow Dash used his back as a trampoline to get near Indar, just as Clingy descended and landed on her own loin. "Remind me why everypony hates you so much" She demanded more than asked. "And you thought I would bring us more trouble... ".

Indar huffed and puffed for a bit, out of breath. "... Shut up".

"Let's bolt outta here" She suggested, receiving a nod from the stallion. With a hoof Rainbow made sure he would have some support, his legs were still unsteady and, despite not showing it, she was certain Indar was in an incredible amount of pain right now.

"Not so fast, lil' lady".

Rainbow groaned again, just how much longer did they have to stay here? "For Pete's sake" She mumbled. The pegasus watched as Shalab had Nohrrus in a chokehold with a set of chains, using his magic to maintain the Minotaur on the floor, restraining him from moving anytime soon.

"You still owe me" The unicorn struggled to keep Nohrrus in place, even with his magic, and despite being immobilized, the Minotaur was still much bigger and stronger than any of them. Regardless, Shalab was steady on his grip, as calm as can be. "You ain't goin' nowhere".

Tegur flexed his muscles in an attempt to break the iron bonds. She then faced the Bandits, who were surrounding them once more. They didn't lunge again, but they were closing in the circle. Between Indar and Rainbow, the pegasus was sure they could take them all in a fight, but to sum the Minotaurs into the equation, plus Indar's wounds, she wasn't so sure.

There were few times in her life when she saw herself in a situation like this, mostly because Equestria was such a peaceful country nowadays, but the times she faced danger were always moments that could been resolved with talking, or in more dire cases such as Nightmare Moon, then she would have been with her friends. Still, even if it took all of her to get them out of this situation, she would find a way. Rainbow Dash always found a way.

“Hey” Rainbow said in a lower voice, only for Indar to hear. “I’ll draw them away from here, and--“.

“No, they’re too many, I’ll stay. You fly away and get to Nabia, meet with Wyn--”.

“Hay no, I won’t leave you behind, that dude just kicked your butt and you can barely stand on your own”.

“Aye!” Shalab interrupted. “What’re ya’ll gossipin’ about?”. The unicorn tightened his grip on the chains around Nohrrus when the Minotaur tried to move again.

“Oh, I’m just telling him how much I look forward to that drink you promised me” Rainbow said, then whispered to Indar. “Run the other way when I tell you to, I’ll meet you back here”.

“Wait--“.

“Is that so? Then come here, sugar, we’ll take good care of ya”.

“Sure, just one thing” Rainbow said, raising herself in the air, Clingy hovered to her side. “You’ll just have to catch me first. Run!”. She smiled, then bolted towards the direction she came from. Indar ran the opposite not long after her signal.

“Bandits, with me!” Shalab yelled, galloping after the rainbow-maned mare, his guild followed their leader every step of the way and left the Xatir Group behind without hesitation.

Nohrrus stood up slowly and watched them go, carefully removing the chains from his neck and squeezing them in his hands. Three can play that game. The Minotaur looked as Tegur broke his iron bonds in pieces. “Tegur” He called. “Go have fun”. Tegur didn’t need to be told twice, the Minotaur, with a fast nod, went after Indar, he could care less about the mare. The remaining Minotaur watched him go, and Nohrrus then went to the shop he broke before to retrieve his pick.

Nohrrus knew that capturing a pegasi was not an easy feat; they were faster and more quick witted than any other species, they also had the stamina to fly for hours before they started getting tired. That was the very reason they were so profitable, so when he got wind of her presence in Tayne, well, let's just say he got excited. Nevertheless, Nohrrus liked a good hunt, and he had been hunting them since nightfall, any expert hunter would know this was just the beginning.

The maroon Minotaur took his pick from the ground and decided to light up a cigarette with one of the matches he carried around at all times. He looked around the establishment, it was a Textile shop.

The fabrics were pretty, he wasn't gonna lie, of colours and patterns one would never see in any corner of the desert. Fabric dye was expensive, so he could only imagine the work put in these cloths. Nohrrus admired a hard worker, but even so, sometimes to drive a creature to do his bidding he had to take certain measures and decisions along the way, and he was not one to ever regret.

He glanced at his cigarette, and then at the smoke coming out of the tip. Nohrrus inhaled a long puff of tobacco before dropping it on the wooden tiles of the store, yet, of course, that won't be enough. The Minotaur lit a match, watching the tini flame dance around the powder, and let it close to a fabric hanging near the door. That will do.

Rainbow Dash and Clingy flew just as fast to keep the Bandits behind them, but not so much as to discourage them from the chase. She used everything around her to create sudden obstacles and made as much noise as her lungs would allow her. She had to lose them, preferably sooner rather than later.

The Bandits were all running after her, Shalab at the head of the group. The unicorn used another set of iron bonds and spun them in the air with his magic, like a warning, as if daring her to slow down just a bit.

The rainbow-maned mare kicked a couple of barrels along the way, and the recipients rolled down the street. She didn't stall around to see what was inside them but it sounded very much like grains or something akin to that, at her side, Clingy flew by a stand and ripped apart the cloth that doubled as an awning for the Bandits to dodge. "Your sword was worth a lot of Qol!" She yelled in an attempt to make Shalab angry enough to keep on running after her, if anything. "I'm gonna 'eat a whole feast 'cause of that! You just bought me dinner'!" She quoted the unicorn from when they first met.

"Just wait 'till I get you, sleepin' beauty!" Shalab responded, neither charm nor humour in his tone.

"Now don't be so fast, dude, we're just getting started!" Rainbow flew besides a stand and with her hoof she swiped all the empty baskets on top of the counter. The pegasus was almost at the end of the Marketplace, and that could only mean she had to turn towards the alleys and alternative streets to slip away from the Bandits.

Alleys and alternative streets that reminded her of a labyrinth.

Whatever, there was no time to think about that, she had Bandits to shake off.

Indar took intricate turns and corners to gain some distance between him and his pursuer. Although his bruised body ached with every step forward, he did not want to stay to find out what would happen should Tegur get his hands on him. Rainbow Dash had given him the simple task, he just had to lose one lousy Minotaur and meet her back at the Marketplace. The stallion rounded another corner and leaned on the wall, catching his breath, he felt a headache coming. He was way too sober for this.

Indar knew he hadn't had the time nor the stamina to stall around, he also knew Tegur wouldn't wait to chit chat when he caught up to him, so his best bet right now was to hide somewhere and hope that half-baked moron of a Minotaur wouldn't find him. The pony raised his head to search for a place that would shelter him until then, and soon enough his bright eyes came across a Warehouse a few blocks away. it was a big structure, yet not too ample to make it an obvious place to hide.

With a nod, Indar belined for the building. He could hear Tegur run after him, hooves stomping loudly in the cobblestone, so the stallion tried to move as fast as possible without making too much noise, Tegur might have the IQ of a nut, but he was the brawn in the Xatir Group.

The doors of the Warehouse were closed shut, of course. Indar searched around the building for an alternative entrance, rounding the walls and every corner, the basement doors were also locked, so were all the windows on the first floor, except for that one on the second floor, that one was slightly opened by a notch, noy every creature would notice, but to Indar's expert eye it stood out like heavy rain in the desert.

The stomping of Tegur's hooves came closer with every second, and Indar could actually hear the fuckery he was ranting about. "You're dead when I get you!", "Imma stuff your fuckin’ hooves up your ass!", "I’m fuckin’ starving!" And more stuff along those lines that Indar couldn't care less about. His time was short and his options almost nonexistent, so it was either get up there or break a window, but the latter would make it apparent he was in the Warehouse, so the former it is.

Nohrrus decided to stay in the Marketplace, he would let them Bandits make the hunting for him while the Minotaur made sure the fire extended and consumed every far corner of Hellburn. As of now, the flames took over the Textile shop, its neighbouring shop, the stands up front and some of the establishment on its other side. Nohrrus broke into some other stores to carry on with the flames' will just because he found the tiny blaze of fire endearing, and he liked the heat that the burning stores gave as well, the Minotaur had no place for the residents of Hellburn in his mind. Matter of fact, it would be even better if the whole town burned down along with its residents. Then he would be able to hear his favourite melody.

He would give this town a worthy reason for its name.

Rainbow Dash did not stop for a moment, she did keep the Bandits on the edge of their hooves though. The Pegasus made witty remarks whenever it got too slow or Shalab was showing signs of wanting to change plans, so she did what she knew best – she annoyed him –. and she did her best to dodge every chain thrown her way as well. Those things were heavy.

As the unicorn threw another set of iron bonds with his magic, Rainbow blew a raspberry his way when she eluded them again. "Wow, you have terrible aim, dude!” She yelled. Clingy supported her by screaming a horse kee-eeeee-arr. The pegasus rounded an alleyway with the Hawk flying overhead her, and she saw from the corner of her eye a light in the horizon. Must be dawning.

But, Rainbow thought, the night couldn’t have passed this fast. It had been barely a couple of hours since they left the Inn, much less since they got to this chase, so what--.

Oh no.

Rainbow diverted herself to fly higher and took a good look at what was happening. She could see the very spot where they had been moments ago – the Marketplace – consumed by a fire, the same place where she had to meet Indar again. The fire was yet to consume the entirety of the main street, but at the pace it was going it was only a matter of minutes. The rainbow-maned mare glanced at the rest of the town, apparently no creature was aware of what was going on so far, and for what she could see, none of them would find out until it's too late.

This isn't right. Why did the fire start? How did it start? Would anypony do something? Somepony had to do something!

Rainbow looked back at the Bandits, while some ponies were glancing at the flames consuming the Marketplace, none of them relented their pursuit of her, least of all Shalab. He had her restlessly on his sight and she doubted the unicorn even blinked once.

As Rainbow Dash flew the length of the street, she saw in the far distance the silhouette of a bell hanging from the outside of a house, she could make it. "Clingy!" Rainbow called to the Hawk. "Time to change plans!" She announced, and it didn't matter a wit if the Bandits heard her, she had a new priority in mind. The pegasus propelled herself faster than she had flown this entire journey and reached the bell in two seconds flat, she had gained a fair distance from the guild, so she wasted no time. With her mouth, Rainbow pulled the string hanging from the bell unceasingly.

The Bandits were getting closer, but there still was some distance between them and herself, so Rainbow kept on pulling the string, literally, until somepony yelled to her to 'Shut up!', but she would not. The pegasus used her hooves to continue ringing the bell, and with a deep breath she screamed at the top of her lungs. "FIRE!" She warned.

Quiet. Stillness. There was no change, nopony cared.

But-- This is an emergency! How can nopony care?! if this were Ponyville, there would already be a corp of fire-ponies dealing with the threat and all residents trying to help.

Then, Rainbow realised, this is not Ponyville. And the creatures here had other worldly concerns.

As of now, the Bandits were a good meter away from her, so Rainbow ditched the bell and rose up to the sky again. If the residents of this town wouldn't hear the bell, then she would make them hear her. Dash ascended more and more as she warned the sleeping population of Hellburn of the fire consuming their Marketplace – which had now extended beyond the main street.

Rainbow Dash kept on shouting the current threat, hoping at least one creature took her words to heart and evacuated, 'it only takes one pony to do so much' that's what her mum would always say. The pegasus changed her course towards the Marketplace, the fire was extending itself very fast and she could already feel the heat.

A few creatures looked out from their windows or doors to tell her to 'shut up', but as soon as they did, they could no longer ignore the inferno taking place. Clingy screamed at her, stopping her warnings momentarily, the hawk pointed with its beak at a well placed in a roundabout, and she gleamed. "Perfect!" She said, dashing to the little reservoir.

Rainbow used the bucket attached to the top of it and looked down. "It won't be enough..." She said. The bucket alone and the deepness of the well didn't and would not hold too much water to extinguish a fire of this magnitude, and if she were to just use it, it would take a lot of trips back and forth that most likely would be in vain.

At this point, several residents of Hellburn were leaving their households and warning their neighbours, she heard their frantic screams and their rushed departure from their hometown, but she still kept on looking at the well. What could she do now? There was no magic spell she knew to create water out of nowhere! and even if there was, she was no unicorn! She was no... Twilight.

"Agh!" Rainbow yelled in frustration. There was no time for melancholy! "Think, Rainbow! Think!" She chastised herself, looking up to the sky. Contrary to other days, there were quite a few clouds right now drifting overhead, but she remembered that desert clouds didn't have enough moisture in them to hold anything.

Clingy rested in the edge of the well and looked out for the bandits, the bird knew well how persistent they were, but among the crowds they seemed to blend perfectly.

Rainbow kept looking at a particularly big cloud that flew in tranquility, the bright flames reflecting their orange hue on the cloud's white canvas of a surface, if only it had more water she could create a rainfall... More water... The pegasus turned her eyes back down at the deepness of the well and the bucket she was holding. Her father once told her how rain clouds were made, hay, every pegasus in flight school had to learn how clouds were made! Even in the Ponyville Weather Department she had to undergo a standard issued course of training in cloud-making and weather management. Rainbow knew how to make a rain cloud! She may not be a talented unicorn like Twilight but she was a talented and trained Weather-mare/Wonderbolt in the making! Rainbow had more water! And she knew how to transfuse said water into the cloud!

The rainbow-maned mare smiled gleefully and filled the bucket with water. "Come on, Clingy! I'll teach you how to make rain!".

The hawk screamed a joyful in response, and followed her up to the sky.

Indar accommodated his cloak as soon as he entered the second floor of the Warehouse and searched for a place to hide, he was careful to crouch whenever he passed a window, but he soon noticed the bright light coming a few blocks down from the place he was in right now. Indar looked out to the burning Marketplace in worry, the flames coming closer with every second. "That's a lot of fire" He murmured, the orange hues of the flames reflected on the window.

The Warehouse on the inside was filled with shelves upon shelves of boxes and machinery accumulating dust from the disuse, the second floor wasn't a floor per se, but more like a hallway balcony that rounded the entirety of the second floor, from which one could oversee the whole first story of the building, at the very end of one of the hallways in the second floor was an office – Indar assumed that was the office of whoever ran this place –, and down in the first floor was another hallway that most likely lead to other offices or room he had no time nor he cared to figure out.

The stallion moved to the office on the second floor, there was a big window on the wall that gave a clear view to the Warehouse from inside the room, and a door next to it. He chose not to break the window fearing the noise it may make, so he tried to unlock the door, but of course, it was closed shut.

Indar took one of the pins that held his bandana in place and lockpicked the knob of the door, it was pretty easy and fast, he had to admit, or maybe he was a skilled burglar. Whichever it was, soon enough he found himself inside the room and closing the door behind him. Indar crouched beneath the desk and took out his first-aid kit from the saddlebags he was carrying. The wound Veonu had made in his hind leg was starting to bleed out again.

Indar was in the middle of disinfecting the wound again when a loud bam resounded in the Warehouse. the stallion hid deeper below the desk and thanked himself for leaving the door closed. "I know you're here, you lil' shit!" he heard.

The cartographer finished disinfecting his wound faster to start bandaging it again as he heard the loud onomatopoeias of things being broken and/or thrown against one another. The strong stomps Tegur gave with every step he took rumbled against the ground.

Indar waited, the Minotaur seemed to still be on the first floor, and that gave him some time to think. He could run again, but he didn't know how far he could go in his state, all he knew was that by morning he would be covered in bruises – and maybe he had a concussion with how dizzy he was getting.

Wait, that might just work.

He didn't know if it was the concussion or the sheer desperation of his situation, but if he could lure Tegur somewhere where he knew the Minotaur would not have a chance to follow him, then Indar would be able to escape and find Rainbow Dash. Tegur's judgement was clouded right now, and the Minotaur would just fight anything that moved or was in his path.

Indar left his hideout below the desk and peeked out through the window above it, being careful not to give his position away. From what he could see of the first floor, Tegur was rounding the shelves with boxes, he hadn't reached the machinery yet. Indar then thought of that hallway he had seen before, right underneath the room he was in now. If he could get Tegur there (and preferably stay there), then that would give him some time to run.

The stallion looked over the room in hopes of finding anything that might aid him in bringing Tegur attention to the hallway, but as soon as he started searching a strenuous loud noise made him kneel down, the whole Warehouse shook in the process.

Indar peeked out through the window again and saw shards of broken glass crashing – and therefore breaking – some of the windows in the Warehouse, a building had exploded very close to them, apparently.

The stallion crouched again as Tegur went closer to the broken windows to see what had happened. Great, now he had even less time to run before the fire got to the Warehouse. Indar found a couple of empty bottles on the ground, maybe they would make enough noise to catch the Minotaur's attention.

The stallion was about to make his move when he heard Tegur calling to him again, urging him to come out from wherever he was hiding. The Warehouse shook once more as Tegur pushed a particularly heavy machinery to the ground, Indar had no idea what exactly he had pushed down, and he didn't want to find out.

The cartographer could feel the heat of the fire now that it had gotten extremely closer. From the sound of them, Tegur's stomps were rounding back towards that hallway, Indar figured and hoped. He took one of the bottles from the ground and kept it close to his chest as he hid again under the desk as silently as he could. A deep navy dreadlock fell in front of his eyes, making the stallion turn his gaze to his own mane. It was getting long.

"Focus!" He thought.

He stayed there crouched below a desk for a few moments of silence when he decided Tegur was close enough to the hallway for him to throw that bottle. Although his headache was making everything sound louder, and yet so quiet. The rampaging fire outside turned into white noise for him at this point, but he was starting to sweat. Indar didn't know if it was from his nerves or the heat.

Indar peeked out of the window again to try and see what was going on out there, it was so sil-- "There ya are" Tegur said, and he wasted no time to break the window with scrap metal he had taken from the machinery he had broken before. He was smiling showcasing all his teeth for Indar to notice, and his pupils were clouded with pure rage in the form of insanity. The Minotaur jumped through the frame of the (now) broken window and landed further than the desk, in front of the stallion.

Indar knew it was now or never.

The cartographer threw the empty bottle with every ounce of strength he could muster and broke it in Tegur's face, he did not stay to see the outcome, but he did jump out through the window and ran the length of the balcony.

The Minotaur recovered in a matter of seconds, or maybe he wasn't injured at all, but he jumped again out of the window and followed Indar with heavy and fast stomping hooves. Tegur reached the tail of the pony and took it by the dreadlocks with all his might, throwing Indar against one of the shelves on the first floor.

The stallion managed to balance himself atop a box while the shelf wobbled with his sudden landing, when he felt the rampaging fire turning into a suffocating heat. Indar turned around to see the flames were now consuming the far wall of the Warehouse. "You killed him!" Tegur yelled from the hallway. "It was your fault! All you had to do was rot like all your nasty kind!" He accused the stallion. "But now it's your fault he's dead!".

Indar looked behind him as another window exploded on the first floor, it took no time for the first shelf to be consumed by the inferno. "Hard to break it to your stupid ass but in this world it's kill or be killed!" Indar countered, trying to stabilize the Shelf he was standing in right now, the fire was approaching and fast.

Tegur did not respond, he was far too gone to formulate any kind of congruence right now. The Minotaur opted instead for throwing the scrap metal he had in his hands towards the bottom of the shelf in order to make him fall. He wanted to see Indar suffering in his last minutes. He would make him suffer.

Indar lost his balance as the base of the shelf succumbed to the floor, the stallion had to jump to the nearest rack or he would fall to the flames as well. Tegur followed the pony from the balcony, breaking a window in the process and using its wooden frame as his next missile. "You wanna know how we knew you were here?" He asked, and as he smiled with no amount of mirth in his voice , he threw the window frame to the bottom of the next shelf. "Curiosity killed the cat!".

Indar landed atop a machinery that was big enough to be on itself instead of a shelf, it was like a huge hollow box of metal with a ramp on its side. Luckily for him, the stallion landed on the ramp that went upwards towards the box. It was a wood chipper, thank the stars it wasn't on. Just as Tegur's words kicked in (He wasn't even using that saying in the right way, that dipshit), the Minotaur kept talking. "He wasn't a talker, but he made a great distraction!" He confessed. "He lasted for hours! That fuckin' cat was as loyal as can be, too bad you weren't!".

The wood chipper turned on suddenly as the fire approached, Indar panicked and tried to jump out of it but Tegur launched a set of the railing from the balcony towards him, making the stallion step back in the conveyor belt, not really moving anywhere. "What did you do to him!" Indar screamed, terrified of the answer that was to come.

"Go back to Tayne and figure it out".

Indar had had enough, he jumped from the wood chipper towards the railing of the hallway and attached himself to Tegur, the Minotaur may have been bigger, but Indar was agile and he knew how to use his opponent's strength against them.

The stallion swept his legs under the Minotaur, making him lose his balance and batting him flat on his back. Due to his size it knocked the wind out of Tegur, but the Minotaur had not lost his fuel yet. Tegur used his hooves to kick Indar's shoulders making him stumble backwards, pushing him against the banister with sufficient force to break it.

The stallion catched himself before falling to the fire that now had taken the entirety of the first floor. Indar made the mistake of stalling to see his surroundings when Tegur planted a nasty punch on his face. Then another, and then another.

Indar grabbed the Minotaur's hand with his hoof and twisted his arm, which gave him enough time to scoot over and jump to Tegur's back. The stallion used all his strength in hind legs to bend the Minotaur's back to an unnatural position with a fast and brutal kick of his read hooves – he could swear he heard some cracking but that was the least of his concerns –, and then let him stumble to the edge of the railing. Indar stepped back, seeing as fire framed Tegur's silhouette like a hellish painting.

The stallion saw the fire extending throughout the balcony on both sides, and he knew he had nowhere to run other than the broken window behind him.

Indar needed to get rid of Tegur, otherwise Tegur would get rid of him.

The Minotaur charged towards him, because of course he did. Indar imitated him and met him halfway, the stallion took advantage of his stature to dive his shoulder into Tegur's stomach while using his momentum to keep him from advancing, and hopefully move backwards. Still, the Minotaur managed to shove him off, throwing the pony back against the wall. "I'm gonna enjoy hangin' your head next to that ugly cat's. The dumb bastard... he ain't worth nothin', and so do you" He said grimly while choking Indar.

Indar used his hooves to push Tegur's face away. "Fuck you..." The stallion managed to say, as he gasped for air.

Tegur chuckled drily, raising his free hand in the air, aiming to hit Indar in the face. "Whatever, fuckin' p--". Just as the Minotaur was about to deliver his fatal blow, a new contestant entered the fight.

Randall's claws locked themselves in Tegur's eyes, scratching them until they drew blood. The Minotaur had to let go of Indar to face his new foe. "What the fuck did ya just say 'bout my 'cuz?!" They screamed, using their rear paws to hold onto Tegur's abdomen, digging their claws on the flesh of his torso even through the cotton of his shirt. "Talk! Talk, you fuckin' monster! That's what you fuckin' wanted when you took my 'cuz's head off!". The feline-like creature kept on scratching Tegur's eyeballs mercilessly in a fit of rage and grief.

Indar catched his breath as his world spiralled. He coughed, doing his best to see what was happening. The lack of oxygen did not make any improvements to his (very evident by now) concussion. The only thing he was certain about was the pained screams of the Minotaur and the feline body atop him, making the creature even more red than he was before.

Randall raised their right paw and they noticed the eyeball attached to their claws. Tegur shrieked in pain at the sudden extraction, while grasping on Randall's sides to try and get them off.

The feline-like creature, however, had no plans to stop their assault on the Minotaur. They did not care for Tegur's wellbeing, much less his health. In fact, Randall was here with one purpose in mind, and that was to do justice for their 'cuz Jack.

Soon, Tegur's remaining eyeball came off just like the first one, and Randall placed them on the Minotaur's mouth as he screamed in agony. The feline-like creature placed their paws on his head to force Tegur's jaw shut. It was safe to assume the Minotaur broke a few teeth in the process. "C'mon! ain't that yummy?! Weren't you starving?!".

Indar stood up in woobly hooves, witnessing what was probably the most gruesome scene he had ever seen.

When Randall made sure that the Minotaur had no more flesh left to consume, they let go of his face and torso, landing in front of the shrieking Tegur. The Minotaur screamed while covering his eye sockets, touching his face hurt like hell, yet not touching it felt even worse given the heat that fire surrounding them emanated. He twisted and bent over trying to alleviate his bleeding face, but nothing would stop his suffering at this point, for it was Randall's goal to make Tegur's last moments miserable.

Randall took a handsaw from their belt, although they had been carrying it around, Indar did not notice. The feline-like creature gripped tightly one of the horns of the aching Minotaur and placed the gear on top of it, quickly sawing the horn from its base. Randall didn't waste any words in meaningless conversation or charmful banter, but they made sure that the cut was messy, only ensuring that Tegur's head stayed as still as it could be, but for the rest of it, the blind Minotaur was about to pass out from pain.

When the horn detached from Tegur's head, Indar didn't think he would ever hear the Minotaur scream and suffer this much. He was screaming, shrieking, wailing and whimpering all at once (if that was even possible). Randall, on their part, stood tall and proud, admiring their handiwork.

The feline-like creature watched the Minotaur fall to his knees, as blood dripped from his face and head. Randall examined the large horn they had taken as if it were a trophy of sorts, but it was not enough. Nothing at this point would be ever enough to remedy what had been done to their 'cuz.

Randall sighed, letting their paw hang by their side while still holding the horn. The fire was approaching fast, but the feline-like creature seemed to either not notice or not care. With a lazy motion, Randall raised one of their rear paws and kicked Tegur in the chest, making him fall.

The Minotaur was too concerned with his aching wounds when he felt his balance being broken. He hadn't had the energy to preoccupy himself until it was too late. "Wait..." He muttered, not able to grasp the railing of the balcony, as his body fell to the still going wood chipper. "Wait!" This time, he screamed, as his hooves hit the bottom of the hollow box and started to be shredded right there. "No! No-- WAIT! HELP ME!!" He begged, feeling the moving knives tear apart his fur, skin, muscles and bones. From his perspective, Tegur could see the edges of the machinery and tried to hold onto them, but they were so hot it burned his hands. He saw Randall standing on the balcony, fire surrounded the wood chipper so it looked as if he was staring from a window in Hell, the flames present to prevent his escaping from the claws of fate.

Blood covered the bottom of the wood chipper, but of course, none of them could see that from the flames surrounding it. The heat of the metal being burned along everything else in the Warehouse made holding onto the edges of the wood chipper all the more agonizing, since at this point it was burned hot red. "HELP ME, PLEASE!!!" He begged again. Randall, from where they stood, could see Tegur's body being swallowed by the machinery slowly, which gave them a little bit of solace. Knowing the Minotaur was begging for his life only made them think how many times 'cuz Jack must've wanted to do it as well. Randall knew their cousin wasn't one for begging, or indeed talking at all, but he was proud of his honest and laborious life... so there was that.

Randall turned around to face Indar, who had seen everything. "PLEASE! I PROMISE I'LL BE GOOD!!" Tegur screamed. The sound of his flesh and bones being torn and ripped apart by the rolling knives was only music to Randall's ears.

The stallion said nothing, in comparison, he just watched them in silence.

"COME BACK HERE, I'LL KILL YA!! I'LL KILL ALL OF YA'LL!!".

For a second, Randall thought of throwing the pony to the wood chipper as well, since he was the reason their cousin was dead. But, at the same time, they knew that without Indar in this world, Jack's death would've been in vain. The feline-like creature walked over to the stallion and placed a paw on their stomach, holding him up as if he were a sack of potatoes. "DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME HERE!" Tegur kept on screaming.

"Let's get outta here". They said. "Where's sunshine?".

“HELP ME!!”.

Rainbow let the last bucket of water drop on the cloud. For a hasty raincloud, she had done a good job indeed.

The cloud that could easily be the size of a two story house was now grey, heavy with rain ready to fall at the first kick. Now it had enough moisture to support her.

Rainbow placed the cloud on top of the Marketplace. The flames were so high she could feel the heat hitting her face, making her eyes burn. Oftentimes she had to close them in order to alleviate the pain it brought, but for the most part, the cloud protected her body. Rainbow let Clingy settle on her back so she could protect him (as best as she could) from the heat of the burning fire with her wings.

The fire had consumed by now the entire length of the marketplace, and was extending beyond its road towards the nearby buildings. She knew that this cloud was not nearly enough to put out the fire, but if she knew something, that was weather.

Her years as Weather-Mare had taught her that every raindrop had always at least one itsy-bitsy tiny particle of dust. So, in order to condense from the gaseous state and produce rain, water needed at least something of a speck of dust in order to release some of its extra energy and enter the liquid phase. The thing was, smoke is chock-full of dust particles, and the desert was dry as can be. So all she needed to start creating rain was to settle the cloud on top of the epicenter of the fire for the water to condense, therefore creating rain. Meteorology, baby!

Although, if anypony asked, Rainbow would deny ever knowing this. She was no egghead.

Satisfied with the placement, the pegasus warned Clingy to hold on tight to her ruana before dashing towards the edges of town. Rainbow Dash had only one task left to do, and that was to find Indar.

"Where are you?..." She asked to nopony in particular. Searching from the skies for the familiar silhouette of the stallion. From above, Rainbow could see the masses of creatures either standing outside Hellburn or on their way to do so. The pegasus flew towards where she last knew Indar had gone to, she saw the edges of the fire consuming all on its path faster with every minute.

She flew west until she could see no more burning buildings, at this point of the town there were no creatures lunging around, or at least not that she could see. "Indar!!" She called, placing her hooves around her muzzle in an attempt to make her scream louder. "Indar!!" She called again as she flew, careful to examine everything she could see below her. "Clingy, help me look around".

The hawk noded, getting to work on top of her back.

Rainbow rounded several streets over and over in hopes of finding her travel-buddy – she made a mental note to start calling him that, he would hate – with no luck, until Clingy tapped the back of her head with his beak. "Did you find him?" She asked, turning her gaze to the hawk. Clingy pointed with his wing down to a certain street, and sure enough, Rainbow Dash saw the familiar cloak and saddlebags disappearing behind a corner quickly. "Nice job, Clingy!" The hawk thanked her in the form of a fluttering of his wings, and the Pegasus dived down.

She flew at eye level on the street, rounding the same corner they had seen Indar's bottom last, and in no time they found the stallion, only-- "Let him go!" Rainbow yelled. She bolted towards the feline-like creature holding the cartographer and kicked them in the back with enough strength to fall to the ground, dropping Indar in the process.

Indar groaned, he had no energy to keep walking but he looked up to the pegasus, who was standing in front of him in a protective manner. "Rude" he said, letting his head fall to the ground again.

"Indar!" Rainbow turned to see the stallion, or what was once a stallion. "You look like crap" She said, her mouth working faster than her mind.

"Thanks" He answered.

"Aye, sunshine!" Randall called, making Rainbow turn her attention towards them. "What gives?" The feline-like creature was standing up, sobbing their back as they approached.

Rainbow froze upon seeing Randall, their paws and claws were covered in blood up to their elbows, so was their face, neck and most of their torso, turning their brown-ish fur into something more macabre. In adittion to their vest, they were sporting a belt that held a handsaw and a.. severed horn with drops of blood splattered across it. They also had a backpack. "Um... " She stuttered, not knowing how to respond.

"Anyways, I was just givin' him a lift" Randall snickered. "Literally".

"Shut up" Indar mumbled against the cobblestone.

"I've got it from here. Thanks though" She said, still remembering their last word exchange. Rainbow lowered her body to let Indar know he could climb on her back, just as planned, but Randall interrupted her.

"I'll help" They said, approaching the pegasus and the stallion.

"It's okay, Randall, I've got it" Rainbow was fast to respond, making the feline-like creature stop on their tracks.

"I'd like to just leave ya be, sunshine, but I have a few things to ask him, if ya don't mind" Randall smiled, starting to walk again. "Besides, you don't have much of a choice, the fire is approaching, for one-- " The feline-like creature then examined the severed horn. "And I won't let ya'll leave, not unless I go with you".

Rainbow felt the light touch of a foreign hoof on the back of her own, looking down she saw Indar looking at her. "Its okay, we have to leave anyway" He reassured her. "Let's go all together".

Rainbow grimaced, closing her eyes for a second. She knew that there was no other way to leave other than to either agree of fight, which they had no energy or time for, the fire was extending behind Rainbow Dash, Clingy and Indar, and by the looks of it, Randall might not be as gullible as the Bandits were, but still...

Rainbow Dash strapped off the canteen of water from under her ruana, and handed it to Randall. "Can you at least wash yourself?" She asked.

Randall looked at themselves for the first time since they arrived, and noticed all of Tegur's blood covering them. "Oh, ye, sure" They nodded, taking the canteen.

While Randall washed their face and most of their fur, Rainbow leaned over to Indar. "I'll carry the saddlebags, and you hop onto my back".

"Mhm".

Rainbow adjusted the baggage to her barrel and let Clingy hover in the air while she helped Indar climb on top of her back, he was a bit heavy, but not so much for her to be unable to fly with him.

"Alright! Let's hit the road!" Randall cheerfully announced. With a more clean face and an empty canteen of water, the trio left Hellburn just as rain started to fall onto the town.

From that day on, the town would always remember the new meaning of Hellburn, but they would also remember the runaway pegasus who made rain fall on the Sahida Desert for the first time ever.

Author's Note

So sorry for the delay, this chapter took me so long to write – lucky for me it was already planned beforehand.

From now on the chapters will be a bit long, just like this one, so I'll try to update once every two weeks if I'm able to.