Scintilla (Go the distance)

by The Blacksmith

Rating: mature
Tags: Romance, Profanity, Adventure, Discord, Violence, Death, Alternate Universe, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Dark, Rainbow Dash
Length: 59023

Rainbow Dash is determined to set things right, with the help of a reluctant companion.

Discord is much more than just a mischievous, burlesque creature, most ponies would wager the only things he cares about is laughing at the expense of other creatures and lazily goofing off, yet he is a God; the incarnation of chaos, and chaos is unpredictable. He had a plan to overtake Equestria once and for all. Granted, said plan had failed, but who is to say he cannot make another one on the spot, one more... secure and permanent?

As her values are put to the test, Rainbow Dash will travel through earth, sea and sky to set things right, come what may. She will never leave her friends hanging!

(AU Set in [and after] the premiere of Season 2: "The return of Harmony").
(Tags will be added as the story progresses)

Published 2023-02-07 22:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-03-01 22:43:08 UTC

Circumstances may change if I'm willing to try

The heat of the sun on the back of her neck was a constant reminder of where she found herself.

Were exactly? Now that she wasn't sure, the only thing her magenta eyes could see was sand and dunes for miles and miles on every direction, and even if she were to fly up to the sky and take a look around, the sand would still reach as far as her sight went.

But at least she knew she was in a desert.

She could've been anywhere, but she had to crashland on a bucking desert. Why couldn't she be on a beach or a forest? Or even the mountains! The mountains would've been nice, there's all that rockiness and highlands to explore, and sometimes mountains include wild gusts of wind she could fly through, that's something all right! But deserts... Deserts are just the same all around. Sand, sand, and more sand.

Occasionally she would see a lone scorpion or a drifting cloud up in the sky – she went up to one of those, but there was just not enough moisture on it to actually get comfortable... it dissipated... – but she'd still need to be on the ground. Clouds here don't seem to be like on Equestria, they don't stay put, and they are far too fragile for her to manipulate them, so the ground it is.

Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches, lowering her face towards the sand – damned, bothersome sand – and contemplated her situation.

She had crashlanded after Princess Celestia sent her away to the confines of the world on a magic blast... thingy, she was never really one for magic, that was more Twilight's area of expertise. Then, the next thing she knows is that she's here, alone, stranded in the middle of a desert somewhere, no civilisation in sight and a few hours until dusk.

Great.

If she had the energy, she would just dash for it (heh) but all the drama with... him had left her spent. For the time being she needed a plan, but the thing is, she didn't have one.

Rainbow Dash felt the weight of her element on her neck, and directed a hoof to it. Carefully she touched the lighting bolt in the middle of it, as if caressing it in some sort of delicate yet resentful way. Loyalty. Of course... What kind of loyal friend she was...

If her friends were here, maybe they would have a plan. Twilight would've already found a clever way to determine where they were, AJ would've set up camp somehow, Rarity and Fluttershy would make sure they all had resources to go by at least until they found some civilization, and Pinkie Pie would be keeping morale high. But her... Rainbow would just be Flying above them all making some angsty (but awesome) remark as to why sand is the worst.

She clutched the element in her hoof and took it out of her neck, throwing it away as far as she could. She didn't care! Let it land on some stupid sand!

Rainbow closed her eyes tightly. She wouldn't cry, cool ponies didn't cry, Rainbow Dash did not cry! She had to be brave! resilient! nothing could stop her! She was awesome!

Awesome enough to leave her friends for a cloud...

Sigh, what a friend.

"Whatever you do, don't lose sight of the elements!".

Her eyes opened with such force she thought they might come out of their sockets, she looked around but there was nopony there, only the sand and the dunes and the occasional scorpion and the drifting no-good-for-laying-down clouds.

She took a deep breath and sat straight, the reflection of gold catching her eyes. A little more to her right, the element of loyalty rested on the sand.

"Right, don't lose sight of the elements" She whispered to herself, standing on her four hooves and walking to the necklace. "But what good is it if there are no elements to see?!" She screamed.

The necklace still rested on the sand, right in front of her.

"Well?!" Nothing. "Where are they?! Why aren't they here?!" The reflection of gold still in her eyes. "Say something you cheap piece of junk!" The red lighting bolt kept on staring back. "You're supposed to be magical! You're supposed to be an ancient relic! But all you are is some stupid old necklace that's worth nothing alone! You think you're so great, so special, is that it?! Well, news flash you dunderhead! You are not! You are worthless!".

The heat of the sun on the back of her neck was a constant reminder of where she found herself, and why.

"Oh shut up" She said, turning her back on the silent necklace. "All we had to do was stick together...".

Rainbow took a deep breath, spreading her wings. She could fly away, she still had some energy in her to do so, she could be fast enough to fly towards somewhere and reach something, she could disappear and nopony would be the wiser.

"I would..." She sighed.

"Whatever you do, don't lose sight of the elements!".

"Oh for Pete's sake..." She muttered under her breath. "Shut up!" She screamed at the sky. Truly, there was nopony to hear her but she might as well try to get her frustrations out of her system. "What do you want from me?! Why did you send me here?!".

But nopony answered.

"Where are the others?! Why aren't they here?! Why am I alone?!".

Still no answer.

The lone pegasus looked up to the silent sky, wondering whether or not to just cry herself to death. Dehydration and starvation were some ways to die, insolation seemed fitting too, given her circumstances. If she did, however, her cadaver would end up buried beneath the sand... She hated the sand.

Frowning, she turned around, Rainbow took the element from the sand and placed it up around her neck once again. She'll be damned if her rotting corpse ends up buried in sand.

Rainbow missed her friends, she wished they were here with her.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. No, her friends were somewhere, she just needed to find them. They were with her when she got teleported into Sandland, so they must be around, right?

Either way, she would find out.

"I guess the only way to go is forward".

Author's Note

First and foremost, I would like to start by saying that english isn't my first language, so if there's any grammar/spelling errors (or any errors for that matter), please, do let me know.

Now, this story has been on my mind for over two years, but I never really had the courage to post it anywhere, (I guess mostly because of the language barrier). So, as to why I'm posting it... I'd like to explore some of the characteristics that were not really seen in the latests seasons of the show.

Also, the first few chapters are meant to be short for the sake of establishing the story. I know how frustrating it is to read something that doesn't seem to go anywhere, but I promise you this story underwent so much preparation, so please give it a chance.

Without further adieu, you're most welcome to read "Scintilla (Go the distance)", and I hope you like it.

Little specks of light

Dusk was already upon her as she walked forward. Rainbow Dash only hoped to find something where she could spend the night, her mum once told her that nightfall in the desert was cold and uncaring.

Anything would do nicely... well, not sand. Sand was the worst, sand would end up in your mane, eyes and all sorts of awkward places she had no desire to think about. Maybe she could find a wood plate to rest for the night, or even a piece of cloth to create a barrier between her and the dreaded sand... Sweet Celestia, she was starting to sound like Rarity, when did that happen?

Silence surrounded her, she hadn't uttered a word since she started walking, besides, she needed to preserve her energy, so she just focussed on breathing in and out, walking forward, and not losing sight of the element in her neck.

If anypony were to see her right now they would be amazed at the scene. Rainbow Dash is never one to remain silent, nor is she one for walking, she preferred to fly even the smallest of distances and saying whatever was on her mind. But now... well, now she seemed like another mare entirely.

Truth is, Rainbow did not feel like herself right now, she felt numb, her hooves moved on their own as she kept on walking, sweat covered her forehead but she didn't let that bother her, she was a mare on a mission. First and foremost; find a surface to sleep on. Maybe a cloud?... No, desert clouds won't hold her, too fragile, she remembered.

She had been walking for a few hours now, not particularly thinking of anything really, just... a rock.

Rainbow had to do a double take to really process what her eyes were seeing right now, a rock, a somewhat yet-not-exactly-flat rock big enough for her to lay down and not touch the sand while she slept!

Hastily, she trotted up to the rock in front of her. Her eyes wide with excitement as she got on top of it. The surface of the rock was still a bit warm from the several hours of uninterrupted sunlight but Rainbow didn't care, she was in cloud-9! (Well, rock-9). She was so happy she let a giggle – no, not a giggle, lame ponies giggle, she chuckled – escape through her lips. A rock! she couldn't believe her luck!

As she made herself comfortable on the rock's surface, she laughed again, this time a bit louder and heartfelt, soon, she was hysterically laughing out loud. A rock! Who would've thought? Not her, that's for sure!

Pinkie Pie would've laughed with her too, her laugh was so catchy that there was never a moment where they didn't laugh together.

Her laughter slowly started to quiet down, becoming silent once again. A rock... She couldn't believe her luck.

Yesterday, she was sleeping comfortably on a cloud home, high above the town of Ponyville where her closest friends lived, water at her disposal and enough food to last her for years. Now, however, no friends in sight and no water nor food at her disposal, yet she was utterly and beyond happy to sleep on a rock.

Rainbow looked at the stars forming on the horizon, the little dots shone on the lavender haze above her. If night came, that meant princesses Celestia and Luna took care of it...

Huh, that's weird, Rainbow could've sworn she felt a raindrop on her cheek. Another one fell down her cheek, and then another, and then one more, but there were no clouds in the sky. She continued to look at the firmament in search of the source of the drops of warm and salty water, the stars searched with her, aiding her as they twinkled. Tonight was a full moon, Rainbow Dash remembered, and she turned her head in the direction she knew the moon would come out from.

The raindrops kept falling.

The great satellite (how in the hay did she know that? Twilight must've been rubbing off on her) slowly raised in the east. being welcomed by the little specks of light. It was somewhat poetic, she thought. When Rainbow was a filly her dad used to say the stars always accompanied the moon so neither of them felt lonely in the sky.

She sniffed a bit, turning her muzzle to her front so she could see only the stars. The moon would join them in due time.

Rainbow tried to say something, but nothing came to mind, she just kept on contemplating the night sky with the stars and the slowly rising moon, away from the sand.

Oh how she hated the sand.

As the night darkened, more stars showed themselves. More than she had ever seen before, not even in Cloudsdale had Rainbow seen this many stars... AJ would love to see a sight like this, she'd been trying to coax her to camp with the Apple siblings for a while, then again, Rainbow felt like a camping trip would be better enjoyed between all of their friends together.

“Rarity would hate that” Rainbow thought with slight mirth. “She would bring so much luggage it would be impossible to carry it all alone! Well, unless Twilight were to bring Spike along, he may be a baby but a Dragon is still stronger than a pony”. Sometimes Rainbow was impressed by Spike’s devotion towards Rarity, A youthful crush, Twilight once said.

The stars shone brightly now, the only light illuminating the desert was that of the moon and the stars, and the reflection of gold on her neck, and that one of little speck of crimson light to her side.

Wait-- What?

Rainbow sat so fast that she almost got whiplash, she saw little specks of crimson light faintly shining far away. With one of her hooves she rubbed her eyes – Fluttershy once told her that going too much without certain necessities (such as sleep, food or water) can make you see things –, but as soon as she finished the light was gone.

Meh, that's a problem for future Rainbow.

She laid back down to gaze at the stars again, she'll just close her eyes for a few minutes, then carry on.

The raindrops kept falling.

A few minutes her flank. it was almost dawn!

Upon waking up, the first thing she did was reach for the element on her neck, feeling the dimensions of the necklace with her hoof. Luckily, it was still there, she felt slight relief. But only for a moment.

Rainbow stretched, thundering her spine in the process. Sleeping on a rock may not be the most recommended way to comfortably pass the night, but hey, at least she didn't sleep on sand. Hooray!

She looked up once again to see if the stars were still shining, but alas, they were not. The only thing biding her good morning was the light of the sun that was yet to rise from the east. The pegasus sat there for a few minutes, not really thinking about anything in particular, just looking up to the sky as dawn came forth.

Rainbow felt her throat dry up. Actually, she had felt it hours ago but it didn't really bother her then, she was way too numb before to concern herself with anything that didn't involve sand. Speaking of which, how long can a pony survive without water?

As she thought of her thirst, Rainbow saw again the little specks of crimson light through the corner of her eyes, only this time, she didn't turn her head towards it. Instead, she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And the light was still there.

Welp, they must be there for one reason, mirage or not, she had nothing else to do. So, forward it is.

Oasis, a safe refuge

Rainbow Dash had been walking for hours, but that never stopped her before.

The light was long gone by now, it disappeared mere minutes after she started walking, but given that she didn't really have anywhere else to go, she kept on going forward.

The sun was high in the sky, marking noon. One thing Rainbow was really grateful for was having been a Weather Mare for so long – since she was eighteen, now that she thought about it. That would make it around five years –, so she knew a fair deal of weather management and navigation. She learnt some pretty useful skills such as determining the time of day by glancing at the position of the sun, or memorizing a landscape as soon as she glanced at it, or checking the temperature by liking her hoof and lifting it up in the air. She also knew she was walking southeast, but she only found that one out when it dawned hours ago – because yesterday she had been walking with her back towards the sun, and she refused to look back.

But not that any of those skills would help her get out of this bucking desert.

Now that she had somewhat rested, Rainbow could now majorly think of three things. First, don't lose sight of the element. That one was easy since it had been around her neck this entire time – and because of that she realised how heavy it actually is, her neck was sore and the metal only served to conduct more heat into her –. Second, finding water, her throat was dry and uncomfortable, she didn't even want to open her mouth. And finally, THERE'S. SAND. EVERYWHERE.

The sand was dry and hot and it was absolutely boring. It really bothered her that not only did the dunes seem to go on for eternity, but the thing is, she was so tired of walking. She wanted to fly, she wanted to lift up into the sky and cross the desert as fast as she could, and she would have done that if it weren't for her exhaustion. Normally the uncertainty wouldn't affect her, on the contrary, it would make things even more exciting! but she was this close to fainting that Rainbow thought it best to not risk it. Falling from the sky is one thing she is used to, but falling from the sky INTO SAND. No, that won't do.

Rainbow lowered her head in exhaustion, she was so tired and it was so hot, she needed water. Maybe there was a cloud nearby where she could get some water from, after all, clouds were made from water drops, even in the desert there must be at least one. Her time as a Weather Mare also taught her how to drain the clouds in order to get the moisture from them, it was pretty simple, really, any pegasus could do it with the proper training, Rainbow thought maybe that was why the pegasi took care of the weather…

As the pegasus kept on musing the possibility of finding a cloud, another hour went by where she came across nothing but sand. Sand and dunes, sand and dunes and the occasional scorpion, and this weird shadow above her.

Huh, well, that's new.

Rainbow looked up to find a tall palm tree, maybe 30 ft. tall or so, shielding her from the heat of the sun as best as it could. Her eyes went wide in astonishment, if there was a tree here, then that meant...

Rainbow turned her head in every direction, finding more palm trees frontwards. She didn't think twice when she started sprinting following the trees as they grew more and more close together, Rainbow was ecstatic, she ran as fast as her might allowed her to, which wasn't much, but it was nothing adrenaline could not overpower!

The pegasus got to the top of a particularly tall dune, and when she glanced ahead, she found a wide pond of water surrounded by palm trees and water and vegetation and WATER and she had to get there NOW!

Rainbow took off from the sand, dashing through the dry air as fast as she could, and splashed right into the water, she didn't care! "Oh sweet, sweet water how I've missed you!" Rainbow thought, swallowing mouthfuls of water. Her head only came back to the surface when she needed air, but soon found its way back into the waterhole. The pegasus enjoyed every drop of fresh water she could get.

"That's one thirsty traveller, if I've ever seen one".

Rainbow shot back up upon hearing the voice, looking as flabbergasted as a meerkat emerging from its hole, when she saw an old earth pony on the other side of the pond staring calmly back at her. His coat seemed to have lost its pigment long ago, but she could still see the remnants of a vibrant copper colour, yet, his whitening hair and wrinkles could only accentuate his old age. He had saddlebags attached to his barrel, they seemed full of... whatever, and he was covered by a thick piece of woollen cloth, she wondered if he was hot in it or not, she knew she would be. At his sides, two canteens were full of water and one was being held in his hooves.

Rainbow looked around, wondering if it was another mirage, when he spoke again. "You ain't from around here, are you?". As he said this, Rainbow got out of the water quickly to the opposite side of the pond and stared at him, not even blinking fearing he might disappear. "Welp, don't mind me". He said, as he started to fill the canteen of water. What a weird old pony, he seemed unfazed by her actions at all.

Rainbow directed a hoof to her neck, touching the necklace around it. "Who are you?" She asked, her voice hoarse and her throat aching from not speaking in so long. "Are you... real?".

The old earth pony, upon hearing this, laughed out loud as he finished his task. "Nothin' ever seems real, until you decide it is" he said.

"Huh?".

"Would you like some water?" He lifted the canteen he just filled as if inviting her to drink, as if they knew each other their whole lives! But Rainbow just stared at the old pony. "It's okay to say no" He suggested, smiling calmly. Rainbow shook her head firmly and the pony just kept on smiling, lowering the canteen. She was starting to get annoyed by all that smiling he didn’t seem to get tired of.

"Who are you?" She asked again. This time a bit more serious and anxious.

"I'm Rook, if you're asking for my name, that is, but I'm also a traveller" He answered, reaching back to his saddlebags and taking a clothed object. Rainbow stood still, alert, in case she needed to flee, but as he unwrapped the object she realised it was just bread. "You hungry? I have some bread to spare". The pegasus shook her head again. "You don't seem like the talkin' type, do you?".

"What do you want?".

Rook remained silent, and he lowered the bread, careful to not leave it in the sand bare, so he wrapped it again. Rainbow watched his every move with accuracy like that of an eagle, waiting for the faintests of signals that could indicate danger. "I just came here to collect some water and take a break, I'm not a bandit, if that's what you're afraid of, I'm too old for that". Rook laughed subtly.

"Bandit?" Rainbow inquired. That's a first, she thought those only ever appeared in old stories.

"Oh yeah, there are some nasty groups of 'em somewhere ‘round here". Rook said. "But there's nothin’ to worry 'bout, as long as you step out of their routes”.

Great, Rainbow thought, not only she had to endure this endless desert, but now she would have to do her best to avoid bandits on the way. Good thing she was a pegasus, she could easily outfly them if necessary. Then again, why should she believe him? Last time she met somepony this calm and cryptical, her friends and herself ended up separated in a maze and hating each other.

Rook, unaware of the line of thought going through Rainbow’s mind, decided that it was time for him to speak. “It’s not that I don’t like to be interrogated, but, you mind tellin’ me your name?” He asked.

Rainbow stalled for a second, telling him her name was harmless enough, right? “Rainbow Dash”. She spat.

“Rainbow Dash” Rook said to nopony in particular, nor in a mocking manner, it seemed more like he was getting acquainted with her name. “Nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash” he smiled. “Are you travelling too?”.

The Pegasus kept her silence once more. Yes, she was travelling, but she was a traveller with no destination. A lost traveller, If anything. Eventually, she nodded.

“I see”. Rook looked up at the palm trees that guarded him from the blinding sun, his expression didn’t give anything away for Rainbow to try and decipher. “It’s a long way through the desert. Sahida ain’t kind to anypony. If you made it this far, then you must be something special, Rainbow Dash”.

“What are you doing? Do you want something from me? I won’t give you anything!” she asked. Rainbow was starting to get vexed by his calm demeanour and careful words, she didn’t have the time nor the energy to deal with this character of a pony. However, Rook chuckled.

“Why would I want something from you? I just met you”.

“I dunno, you tell me! You’re the one being all weird, old geezer!”. At this last statement, Rook seemed to have lost it, he appeared to be having as much fun as an extroverted foal on a rollercoaster ride, he even lost his balance! That old, nonsensical pony, he was mocking her! “Wh- Hey! Don’t laugh! Stop it!”.

“I’m old, alright, but I’m not the one that jumped into the pond like my tail was burning off”.

At this, Rainbow just seemed to give up on him, she just sat on the shade of another palm tree and waited. What was she waiting for, anyways? She didn’t know, maybe she didn’t have it in her to just fly away and carry on with her quest, or maybe she was expecting something to happen. Either way, both of them were enveloped in complete silence for a few minutes.

After a while, Rook broke the deafening silence “So, where are you headin’?”.

“What do you care?” Rainbow answered. Internally, she cringed, knowing that under normal circumstances she wouldn’t be this rude for no reason.

“Not much really, just tryna make conversation. My wife loved a good chat, she would always have somethin’ to say, that one” Rook made himself comfortable under the shade of a palm tree. “I’m gonna go meet her, actually, just gotta cross the Sahida and then across the Mountain range”.

Before she could stop herself, Rainbow started to think about her missing friends. Where could they be? Would they miss her? she had to find them at all costs… “I’m also going to meet somepony”. She muttered under her breath, but apparently, not quiet enough for her liking, for Rook heard her.

"Ah, that's nice, where're you goin’?" The pegasus just stared at him. "Right, not the talkin' type".

"No, no it's not that..." she muttered. "It's just... I don't know where I'm heading".

Rook maintained his silence for a moment, he seemed to have paid her attention, but Rainbow was pondering why he kept quiet now when he'd been talking non-stop ever since they met moments prior. The earth pony then started packing his canteens into his saddlebags and stood up. That's when Rainbow realized she'd been alone for far too long – when she expected him to go away, leaving her somewhat depressed.

Luckily for her, Rook and Rainbow Dash didn't part ways, instead he got closer to her and stood at a reasonable enough distance to not be overbearing, but close enough so they didn't have to yell at one another a pond away. "Mind if I sit here?" He asked, waiting for her consent.

"If you give me some of that bread, I won't mind".

Rook smiled again, and this time, Rainbow joined him.

Conversationalist endeavours

Rainbow was not aware of how starved she actually was! It was a mystery why she didn't realize this sooner, but it was safe to say, that bread was the best loaf of bread she'd ever tasted!

Rook was, in some way, impressed by the hunger of the young mare, but he thought nothing of it since he also found himself starving a few times in the past. Instead, he also ate his lunch in delight, after all, food always tastes better in good company.

The pair chatted for a bit of several unimportant topics during the course of their meal, Rook told Rainbow about his travels throughout and beyond the desert – which was called the 'Sahida Desert', not that it made her hate it any less, mind you –, and she told him of her aerodynamic endeavours, and her hopes for joining the Wonderbolts one day. "I dunno what a 'Wonderbolt' is, but I'm sure you'll make it" He said, then they started to talk about the fact that she is a pegasus, and how rare that was. "Pegasi live up north, not many of 'em move down here, but those that do, don't usually stay for too long" That's all he knew about pegasi, and when she asked why, he spoke of rumors running around. "I would lie if I say I knew why, maybe your kind really likes to stay up in the heights" He laughed "But they say there's probably one other pegasi 'round here, but I don't know 'em really, they say they used to live eastward but that's about it, maybe they also went away". Rook then asked Rainbow where she was from, interested in how such a prismatic young mare found herself in the middle of a gruesome, brutal infinity of a desert alone, but she kept most to herself. "My home is... pretty far, so far I don't even know how I ended up here, but after meeting with my friends, I'm going back" She said, at some point during the conversation the topic of her friends came up. "We got separated, I'm gonna find them" That's all she said, and Rook respected her privacy so when she started to feel uncomfortable he let it be.

After that, they kept talking for a couple hours about nothing in particular, just enjoying their time together. Rook mentioned his wife again in a hearty anecdote, he told her she was as kind as she was feisty, and that Rainbow reminded him of her in a way. "We were travelin' to the west coast, we went to Arena Blanca, and when a local started to talk shit 'bout us eating in the beach she just grabbed a crab that was tryna steal our food and threw it at him!" He laughed wholeheartedly, Rainbow also laughed with him. "She told him to 'eat some crab legs with us'". When Rainbow asked about his wife, Rook only smiled "She stayed in Arena Blanca, she told me somepony had to keep them nasty folk at bay. But I visit her as much as I can, I make sure of it". Rainbow let the matter be when it got uncomfortable, respecting Rook's privacy.

When Rainbow got thirsty again, this time she accepted Rook's offering and gratefully took the canteen in between her hooves. The pegasus thought of how kind Rook really was, despite her skepticism at the beginning, (but that is not to say she dropped her guard completely, she still kept a watchful eye on him, and she expected him to do so as well, just like any other reasonable pony would).

When the sun started to drift from its higher point in the sky, Rook took out a map from his saddlebags and laid it out in front of them both. "Do you happen to have a map, Rainbow Dash?" He asked, and when she shook her head, the old stallion whistled. "However you managed to get here unscratched, I'll never know. Anyway, we're right here" He pointed out on the map. "Are you good at memorizin'?", Rainbow answered positively this time. "Welp, that's a skill, alright! I would love to memorize this old thing but since I'm so old I end up forgetting all the time" Rook chuckled. "If you need a map, I hear this is the place to get one" Rainbow leaned over to look at the piece of paper, seeing a small dot eastwards from the Oasis the old stallion pointed out before. "That's Tayne, it's a few days walk but I'm sure you can manage it, word is there's a cartographer livin' there, he may sell you one if he's kind enough. But be careful, kid, Tayne ain't your usual town, I always avoid it if I can".

"Why?".

Rook shrudered. "I dunno, really. Just gives me the creeps".

"Well, you said it yourself, I must be something special if I made it this far, what's one creepy old town?" Both Rainbow and Rook laughed at this.

"I'll say, it was nice to meet somepony as thrillin' as you, Rainbow Dash". As Rook put away the map on his saddlebags, he looked over at the pond again, lost in thought. Rainbow didn't really notice this, for she was too busy emptying the canteen. The pegasus walked over to the waterhole to fill the bottle once more, being the polite thing to do, and then handed it over, that's when Rook shook his head for the first time. "You keep it, you need it more than me". He said, handing over the straps of the bottle to her, but before Rainbow could protest, Rook spoke again. "And I also want to give you this" The old earth pony took off his woollen cloth and gave it to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus noticed the old and faded scars covering his back and legs but refrained from asking, they looked cool, though. "My ruana, It will shield you from the sun".

"But what about you, old geezer?".

"Meh, what's one creepy old sun?" He responded, brushing off her concerns with a laugh. "'Sides, I think you have a long way to go before you find your friends. I wish you luck, by the way".

"I don't need luck, I will find them" she responded, this time around, Rainbow brushed off his concerns with a laugh.

Eventually, they said their goodbyes and Rainbow bid him farewell. She watched the old pony go in silence, and as his image was fading away, he yelled. "Be safe!".

Rainbow decided to stay in the Oasis for another hour, she had put on the ruana and strapped the canteen to herself.

Tayne was a few days walk, that's what Rook said. but was it a few days flight as well? She pondered over the idea of flying to the town, she knew she wouldn't miss it if she flew over it.

The pegasus looked at the woolen cloth with more precision, she noticed a simple, old and faded pattern on the hem that wasn't really all that special, but it was very alluring. It was a wave of a colour long muted to a dull brown, the ruana itself was not the colourful item either, but she somehow liked it dearly.

She then felt the weight of the element on her neck, she had forgotten she carried it.

Rainbow glanced at her neck (as best as she could) and saw the reflection of gold slightly covered by the ruana, if she accommodated the woolen cloth better, then the element would be completely hidden from sight.

The pegasus took another look at the oasis, breathing in the peace that it seemed to bring her. But, just like everything good lately, it was short lived, the day didn't wait for anypony, and so she needed to get going.

Unfolding her wings from underneath the ruana, Rainbow took off from the – barf – sand and, for the first time in a long while, she flew.

Kick ass, take names

She could feel the wind blowing on her face, her feathers ruffling and guiding her wings though the strong speeds she was flying at. Oh, that exhilarating feeling of freedom that no one could take away from her was like no other, and at times, it was something she wished she could share with her loved ones.

Rainbow could see her shadow beneath her as she flew in a straight line following Rook’s directions, it seemed to joyfully dance in the dunes while it accompanied her across the desert as nightfall approached. There was something about flying at night that Rainbow found alluringly exciting, more often than not she would spend her after hours – usually (way) past the dead of night when everypony is asleep. Arguably, that might be the reason she took so many naps during the day – just flying without course, breathing in the midnight air and being with herself.

The pegasus glanced up at the sky, at the stars and at the slowly rising moon, and she thought of the previous evening.

Most ponies would bicker that a day is not enough time to change one's mind, but even if this mare was called the fastest flier in all of Equestria for her flying skills alone, she liked to apply that title to everything else she did – even if said habit would bring her to make not the best of choices, at least she could recover quickly –. Her encounter with Rook left her surprisingly with a peace of mind she hadn't felt in some time, and she realised this when her nostalgia and homesickness were nowhere to be found.

Rainbow began to think of the whereabouts of the old earth pony. He seemed an experienced traveller, obviously, but she wondered whether they would meet again or not. She hoped they would, he was a nice fellow.

Speaking of which, Rainbow thought again of the map Rook showed her. It was a pity there was no scenery to entertain her during her flight, just... sand – No matter, she could stand some sand now that she had something to set up a barrier between her and... it –. Her line of thought drifted back to the town Rook warned her about, Tayne, it did not sound as creepy as he made it seem.

If Rook was to be trusted, then she would find a... what was it called, now? A Cataloger? Caregiver? Cashier? Something beginning with 'C'. Regardless, she was supposed to find somepony to give her a map there. That was a good way to start looking for her friends, otherwise she might as well fly around blindfolded.

Circling back to Tayne. Rook said that, despite giving him 'the creeps', it was the place to be to know your way around, and Rainbow could only wonder what she might encounter there to begin with. Everything she knew was from Cloudsdale to Ponyville, and some specific parts of Canterlot she'd never been to alone (like the train station, or the way to and the Royal Castle, or Pony Joe's doughnut Shop). Maybe she could count the Everfree Forest, but then again, she'd only ever ventured into it twice and never alone. So all of this... This was an adventure, and it was dangerous, and new, and exciting! She felt like a hero in some sort of twisted novel!

No, not a hero, she was a mare on a mission, this voyage was just part of it.

"Focus, Dash!" She said out loud. "This isn't some adventure, this is serious! Be serious!".

As she flew through the night sky, Rainbow felt the weight of the element on her neck. She wished she could have a saddlebag or some means to carry it with her (besides herself), it was getting too heavy and bothersome for her liking. However did the snobbish nobles of Canterlot manage to wear heavy accessories and gowns all day long was beyond her. Even the princesses! They wore jewellery everyday and she hadn't heard a peep from them in any newspaper – or those gossiping sheets Rarity read sometimes –. Seriously, this was a pain! Give her a whole day of bucking clouds away anytime and she would still feel fresh as lettuce, but this necklace had to be the heaviest in the history of necklaces!

Rainbow started to laugh through her teeth. Look at her, she could barely stand wearing a necklace for a few days and her muscles were crying for a respite by now. She was an athlete. She is an athlete. "Get it together, Dash!". She thought.

Rainbow flew for a few more hours before she decided to call it a night. The pegasus landed in a patch of sand she deemed bearable and laid down, covering herself with the ruana as if it was a cocoon. She might have covered a sizable half of the journey to Tayne, but she needed her rest in order to reach the town during daylight, besides, it was a couple hours till dawn, so if anything, she did a great job getting this far.

"Well, well, well, seems like today’s up to a good start".

Rainbow awoke by a sudden voice she didn’t recognize. Surrounding her, a group of ponies stood menacingly watching her every move, they were covered from head to hoof with long pieces of cloth and scraps of metal attached to their limbs, it was nothing she’d ever seen before in Equestria – which reminded her, now more than ever, she was not in Equestria, but in a foreign land –. As far as her math skills went, she counted a total of fifteen ponies, some of which were unicorns, the rest earth ponies, but all of them were armed and ready to strike at a moment's notice. The pegasus also noticed a caravan strapped to a pair of them, and while she could not see what was inside it, she had little interest to find out, she was more concerned with the blade against her neck.

These must be the bandits Rook mentioned.

“We was just following our route and we was greeted by sleepin’ beauty, ain’t it nice?” One of them said – a unicorn –, standing by her side, his accent thick and prominent, one Rainbow never heard before back home. He had a smile on his face, but unlike Rook’s, this was a more ‘run for your life’ type of smile. His profile was sharp and threatening, and Rainbow realised she wasn’t in front of just anypony, this must be the leader of the bandits; the kind of leader whose sharp gaze and indolent attitude were like barbed wire. “I was about to wake ya up with a ‘true love’s kiss’ but, well, ya woke up ‘fore I even had a chance. Way to spoil it for me”.

Rainbow didn’t really know how to react because obviously she’d never been in a situation like this before, but she didn’t gasp, or cowered, or even struggled, because struggling will get her in trouble, she knew that much. That being said, Rainbow looked at him with utter disgust. “How long have you been staring at me sleep, you creep?” She asked.

“Now, is this how ya welcome yer new friends, sleepin’ beauty? C’mon, why don’t ya stand up for us like a good mare and hand over yer stuff?”.

Rainbow stood slowly, being careful not to cut herself with the blade pressed against her neck, and scoffed. “At least buy me a drink first”.

The unicorn laughed “Yeah, that would be the polite thing to do. Sadly, I ain’t a polite stallion” He said, ogling her up and down as if she were made of sweets. “But I can give ya a good time if ya like–” He turned to the rest of his guild “–Ain’t that right?!”.

The rest of the bandits cheered in agreement, some of them whistling and others adding a few comments of their own Rainbow didn’t pay attention to. She was already planning her escape. She just needed to get the bloody blade off her neckline in order to bolt out of here as fast as she could, maybe kick the prick in the muzzle while she was at it; gain some extra points if he bled.

“You’re a smooth talker, aren’t you?” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “No wonder you’re so blue balled”.

The unicorn began to walk around Rainbow in a circle, while using his magic to keep the blade in place. “You see, sleepin’ beauty, wherever ya go, no matter what, there are rules to obey. And ya don’t seem to understand them yet” He looked her in the eyes. She maintained a brave face, challenging him, and he grinned in return, Rainbow instantly knew she hated that grin. “The thing is – and it's a really simple thing to understand – ya give me yer shit, or I will kill ya. Maybe not just yet, maybe I will have my way with you before I kill ya, maybe my crew will too, who knows, it’s been a long time since we had a little fun”. The stallion kept on walking, and while he disappeared from her line of sight, Rainbow faced the rest of the bandits guild. Those two in front of her appeared young and scrawny, too feeble to fight back. A pair of wimps, if you will.

“Now I know this is a nasty, big pill to swallow” He said from behind her, too close. “But swallow it. Ya ain’t safe here, ya thought ya was, but ya ain’t” Rainbow turned to look at him with a defiant glance.

That’s when the reflection of gold catched her eye, and the eye of the unicorn.

It seemed like he also noticed her slight panic, for he stared at her necklace as well. At the element. “Seems like sleepin’ beauty is a princess after all!” He whooped, drawing the attention of the rest of his group in the process. “Look at that! That's a whole ass gold necklace! Where the fuck did ya get that?”.

“What do you care?”

“‘Cause I’ll sell it, that shit’s mine now, and tonight we’ll eat a whole ass feast ‘cause of that! You just bought me dinner, sugar”.

“It’ll get better”.

“Now why is that?”.

“‘Cause of this”. With that last statement, Rainbow whacked the unicorn in the face with the back of her head. The blade dropped to the ground and she saw her chance. It was now or never! She took it in between her teeth and dashed towards the pair of scrawny boys trembling in their hooves. They saw her coming, of course they did, yet they were too slow to react.

Rainbow thought of wielding the sword, she really did, but they looked so frightened. She couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she took advantage of their fear to duck in time between them and make her escape as swiftly as possible. It did not take long before the bandits followed in her pursuit, hurling stones and anything they had on hoof in her direction. Despite it all, it failed to deter her in the slightest, Rainbow turned the sword in every which way and deflected the debris.

She bobbed and weaved through the line of fire as best as her abilities allowed her. Although, due to her raw speed, the bandits had a much more difficult time trying to get to her, which provided Rainbow with a bunch of opportunities to dodge and avoid them.

“Get her!” Sompony screamed, Rainbow assumed it was the unicorn.

One of the ponies finally managed to catch her, they were unarmed, but what they lacked in weapons they compensated for in strength. The bandit held her by the neck with both of their front hooves as they tried to choke her into submission. Rainbow kicked, threw her head back and wrestled to get out of their grasps, but they wouldn’t yield.

“Out of surprises?” They taunted her in mockery, tightening their hold on Rainbow just because they could. She struggled to intake any air as the grip nearly closed her throat up, so she had to drop the sword. The pegasus kept on struggling as the bandit dragged her back to their leader, the rest of them weren’t too far behind.

Rainbow was starting to feel the lack of oxygen in the form of despair. She'd be damned if she let them take her so easily, so she began to wrestle again against her holder. This whole situation screamed necessity, in her opinion. It still took a bit of doing to get through the woollen cloth of the ruana but she managed to free her wings from underneath it.

“She has wings!” One of them screamed in surprise.

“She has wings?!” Another one repeated in astonishment.

“Heck yeah I have wings!” Rainbow Dash celebrated, granted, a bit out of air.

Rainbow flapped her wings around to try and establish some distance between her and the bandit choking her to death. And seeing that they did not expect this, they soon released their chokehold. Rainbow spun around and punched their throat with her hoof. She didn’t stick around to see if they were coming back for round two, the pegasus made a run for the sword back again.

As she turned, another two bandits were awaiting her. Deciding she had no time to deal with them, Rainbow took off to jump into the backs of the ponies and used them as springboards instead, knocking them out of balance and taking back the sword from the sand. “Bwagh” She spit, as sand got to her mouth.

Rainbow leaped back into the air, taking the bandits by surprise, and shot straight for the dawning skies, sword in her mouth, element on her neck, and both the ruana and canteen strapped to her body.

“Come back here!”.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, not when I have places to be!” Rainbow responded. Taking the sword in between her hooves and raising it in the air for everypony to see. “But I’ll take this as a souvenir! Maybe if you buy me a drink I’ll give it back to you!”.

Rainbow heard the bandits arguing in the distance, and she smiled to herself, setting course back to Tayne.

Indar, expert cartographer (and a prick)

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.

Sandstorm

“You could’ve done that back in Tayne, you know?”.

“Shut up”.

Rainbow rolled her eyes as Indar bandaged his wounded hind leg. He acclaimed that due to the adrenaline from the chase and the alcohol he drank, he hadn’t really felt it (or he may have forgotten he was hurt in the first place), but now, a day after they left the walled town, the Stallion woke up to a nasty injury that was nagging him and slowing him down. Rainbow, for her part, was playing with the hawk while Indar took care of his business.

“What’s his name, by the way?” She casually asked.

“What?” The cartographer directed his attention towards the pegasus. “Oh, Clingy”. Indar finished wrapping up his leg and stood up.

“Seriously? Wow, you’re terrible at naming pets” Rainbow casually commented as she let Clingy fly to her back, and started walking ahead. Indar quickly catched up to her and walked beside her. “But you’re also terrible at making friends so I’m not surprised”.

“He’s not my pet” He said, deciding to ignore her comment, and by the looks of Rainbow’s doubtful glare, he supposed the pegasus didn’t believe him. “He’s not! Clingy is a free bird, he’s just been pestering me ever since I met him, and he won’t leave. So I call him Clingy, ‘cause that’s what he is”. As the stallion buffed, Clingy shortly screeched in protest.

“Ha! Sounds like you just upset him” Rainbow snickered, walking ahead of him.

“Shut up”.

The pegasus chuckled, and when Indar catched up to her again, Rainbow stuck her tongue out in mockery. It may have been childish, but when was she anything but? The pegasus remembered her pink friend’s philosophy. After all, a bit of fun won’t harm anypony.

“Since yesterday we ran almost the entire way, it should probably be a good six to seven hours before we get to Hellburn. We’re making good time” The cartographer thought out loud, and then he addressed Rainbow. “Remember, we just need supplies for the trip to Nabia, no dilly-dallying, we have enough trouble as it is”.

Rainbow scorned. “Hey, don’t look at me, you’re the one who got in trouble with this Nortus guy”.

“His name is Nohrrus” Indar corrected her. “And… Well, yeah, you got a point. BUT we gotta make sure we don’t get into even more trouble”.

Clingy flapped his wings and started to hover in the air alongside them. As Rainbow rolled her eyes at the stallion, she saw it fit to join the hawk in the air, at least then she would not have to deal with two nuisances along the way. She couldn’t do anything about Indar, unfortunately, he carried the saddlebags.

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?” He called to them urgently, looking around.

“Uh, flying?” Rainbow said, in obviousness.

“I can see that. Now, get down!” He demanded.

“You can’t tell me what to do”. The pegasus flapped her wings even harder, raising little clouds of sand to annoy him.

Indar coughed. “Get down!” He coughed again. “This is what I mean with ‘more trouble’!”.

“All I hear is a bunch of pointless blah blah blah”. Rainbow mimicked him. “Why can’t I just fly us to the next town?” She asked. “It would be soooo much faster, and we would avoid all this” the rainbow-maned mare gestured to the sand. Stupid sand.

Indar stopped in his tracks at the question, looking flabbergasted. Was she serious? “Do you want to get killed?” he genuinely asked her. “If so, then be my guest, but you having wings is a big enough problem as it is, and now that I’m wanted by Nohrrus... I’m just saying that’s not a very safe combo”.

Rainbow groaned. “But why is it such a problem that I’m a pegasus?” She questioned him, tired of his secrecy. “Do you have something against pegasi? All the time you keep going on about keeping my wings a secret and the dangers of me being a pegasus but you never say why! Why should I listen to you when you don’t give me a reason to?”.

Indar studied her exasperation in thoughtful silence, he seemed to be choosing his next words carefully. The only explanation he could think of for her lack of caution would be… Suddenly, as if a lightbulb turned on above his head, he realised something. “You don’t know, do you?” He said more than he asked, in his eyes Rainbow saw the faintest hint of emotion.

“Come on! What do I not know?”.

“You don’t know…” He repeated, sighing. “Look, some creatures can be… ”. The stallion wavered. “Some creatures can be real racist, especially around here. So it’s for the best if we keep you being a pegasus a secret, at least until we get to Nabia” Indar looked to the sand, avoiding her unreadable face, as if he were embarrassed of saying that.

Rainbow didn’t say anything for a while, she just looked ahead in the direction they were following to get to the next neighbouring town. That might explain the questionable looks she received in Tayne, and Randall’s reaction to her mentioning an airshow, but there was still something bothering her, however, she didn’t know what exactly it was.

“Do you know why?” She asked, without turning back.

“No, not really” He honestly admitted.

Rainbow recalled her interactions with the residents of Tayne. Yes, the walled town creeped her out, and almost every creature there was elusive and distant towards her, but those with whom she spoke were nice enough. Randall, ‘cuz Jack and even that crooked old pawnbroker were willing to help her (in their dubious, rather speculative and reserved ways). Then she thought about the day she met Rook, and how kind he was despite her scepticism of him.

They didn’t need to do that, but they did. They did it just because they could. None of them had anything to gain from helping her, so why did they?. Rook knew full well she was a pegasus and he still pointed her in the right direction and gifted her with a canteen of water and his ruana when she was about to die of thirst and insolation. Randall still guided her to the right place when nopony wanted to talk to her. ‘Cuz Jack put his neck on the line and warned them about Nohrrus’ plans – granted, she was there by chance and he was talking to Indar, but he still helped and even sided with her. The pawnbroker advised her on safeguarding her belongings, and was as honest as can be when he still could’ve scammed her.

Then, her train of thought went to her friends. How would they react? Rainbow was sure Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity would have a few things to say, Twilight would mostly be disappointed, since racism is scarce in Equestria – although that is not to say that it doesn’t exist. Their good friend Zecora could vouch for that –, but Fluttershy… Fluttershy always saw the good in the bad, no matter how minimal it was. Her friend stood up for kindness whenever she deemed necessary, despite all odds…

The pegasus contemplated the horizon in silence, and everything Indar could do was to just wait. He waited for her response, to know what this self-assured character of a mare had to say about the reality she now faced. He waited for what felt like hours until she was ready.

“It’s okay” Rainbow started, as she looked back at him and smiled widely. “Even if there is a world that hates pegasi like me, I don’t hate this world just yet. There are still some kind creatures out there. After all, circumstances may change if I’m willing to try”.

Indar frowned, thinking it through, but ultimately said nothing further.

“But still, racism is not okay, there’s never a good reason to hate on any race, and we shouldn't let it slide. That’s poo” Rainbow side-commented. “When did it start?”.

“I’m not entirely sure when, but it’s been like that for a long time, almost centuries” He answered.

“Indar, I wanna ask you something” The rainbow-maned mare landed on warm sand and got closer to him, she tried to lighten up the mood but the question she was about to ask next was a question that needed to be asked, and both of them knew that. Magenta and vivid orange met in what seemed like an everlasting gaze, a battlefield where honesty and trust ruled the combat with the sharpest of details. “Do you hate pegasi?”.

“No” Indar sincerely answered, repulsed by the notion of hating on ponies he never even met. “I have no reason to hate any creature, although I do hate some specific creatures like Nohrrus, and the shopkeeper that won’t lower the price of carrots”.

Rainbow chuckled, then she chuckled again, and soon it turned into a wholehearted laugh. Indar found her laugh contagious and laughed with her – That was the first time he laughed in what seemed like forever.

“Let’s go” Rainbow called, as she walked again and the stallion followed, although when he saw her unfold her wings and start hovering in the air again, he did not reprimand her like he thought he would. Seeing as there was no creature around – and probably there would not be for a good amount of time – he saw no issue with letting her fly nearby to her heart's content.

After all, a bit of fun won’t harm anypony.

The Xatir Group was all Tegur knew. It was all he ever wanted to know. The Minotaur only knew how to do certain things with his life, and the Xatir Group allowed him to do them freely. Some of those things were often frowned upon in any other place, but as long as he was one of the three-- two faces of the Xatir Group, no creature could tell him anything without paying the price.

And talking about things he liked to know and paying the price…

“Where is he?!”. Tegur punched his ‘new friend’ in the face for what was probably the umpteenth time this morning. His disfigured face was draining blood and turning purple under all that fur, most certainly. Ant the Minotaur knew for a fact he had fractured bone a few hits ago.

Since removing the claws didn’t work, taking some of his teeth out didn’t work, and cutting off his tail also didn’t work, Tegur could only do so much to keep his ‘friend’ alive until he told him-- “Where’s Indar?!”. Another punch below the jaw.

Nohrrus watched the scene unfold from the corner, camouflaging within the shadows of their barely lit ‘special’ room. They’ve been at this since yesterday, and he was starting to lose his patience. He inhaled his cigarette once more before stepping in.

“Alright, alright, give him a chance to answer” He said, putting a hand on top of Tegur’s shoulder before he could lay another punch. Tegur brushed him off, but among the few things he knew was to listen to Nohrrus when he said something. “I’ll take care of this” Nohrrus inhaled the last of his cigarette and leaned over to see their ‘friend’ eye to eye. “I understand ya don’t say much, but ya said enough when ya warned him. Y’know…” his hand held the stub to the open wound formed in their guest of honour’s face, burning the flesh and therefore putting out the cigarette. “I meant it when I said ‘whoever sides with him, will also be dealt with’”.

Tegur paced the length of their ‘special’ room while he awaited anything. Up until this point the ‘play date’ had been fruitless, so he was getting restless. Nevermind his bruised knuckles or the scratches covering almost his entire face, he wanted answers, and to find the damned pony who killed Veonu and rip his fuckin’ limbs off-- He was getting ahead of himself.

“Look here, pal” Nohrrus kept talking. “We already kinda know where our friend Indar is goin’, but what we need is confirmation, like any other logical creature would” Nohrrus straightened, somehow appearing even taller than he already was, and circled the chair holding their ‘friend’, and reasoned out loud. “Nabia is the only ‘safe’ place on the continent for him to run off to, I’m thinkin’ he’s planning to go on a boat and run off out of our territory, but our goal is to catch him before he does”. The Minotaur stopped behind the chair and situated his burning hands on the shoulders of their guest of honour, and whispered into his ears. “The thing we need your confirmation on is the rumour circlin’ around. They say he’s got a friend, a very prismatic, very light on her hooves friend. You wouldn’t happen to know anything ‘bout that, would ya?”.

Tegur listened in closely, since it was his job to keep their guest entertained, Nohrrus took care of figuring out shit. This was the first time he was hearing of this.

“No? Nothin’?” The Minotaur sighed. “I gotta give it to ya, your loyalty’s somethin’ to behold. If only you were truly a friend of ours, we would’ve keep ya safe”. Nohrrus looked over to his associate and nodded, going back into the vision field of their special guest, then, as if he were told he just won the lottery, he smiled showing all his teeth, receiving his pick from Tegur. “Oh well, toodles!".

Swing!

Jack’s head fell to the ground.

“Let’s drop this on the southern gate and get goin’”.

The path to Hellburn had been awfully uneventful thus far, but to Indar’s expert knowledge that could only mean something would happen sooner rather than later.

He’d been mostly silent throughout the trip to the neighbouring town, only partially responding to any of Rainbow’s side comments or remarks about whatever crossed her mind at the moment. She was a chatter, that much he figured out, but at least she didn’t tear his ears off with endless conversation. He appreciated that.

Clingy, on the other side, seemed to enjoy flying with her, the Hawk liked to fly all the time. Ever since he met him, Clingy would spend hours just circling Indar in the air and flying wherever they went, and now that Rainbow expressed her passion for flying as well, she and Clingy hadn’t stepped hoof nor claw in the sand for hours.

As much as he hated to admit it, Indar was glad that Clingy had somepony to freely accompany him on the air.

“And then I’d do a loop-de-loop for the grand finale – that’s how I’d get more momentum – to zap through the skies and finally do an awesome Sonic Raimboom!” Rainbow elaborated, mimicking the tricks she would do in a real life scenario. Clingy imitated her as much as he could without getting dizzy. “I only did it twice before, but now that I have, I’m sure I can polish my technique to do it again on command!”.

“Sounds reckless” Indar commented.

“Sounds awesome!”. Clingy supported her statement by screeching in approval, and the pegasus smiled victorious. “See? Clingy understands”.

The stallion rolled his eyes. “What is a ‘Sonic Rainboom’, anyway?”. Upon hearing this, Rainbow Dash gasped loudly and looked aghast, drawing his attention and making Indar stop walking. “What?”.

“You need to get out more” Rainbow said. “A Sonic Rainboom is my signature move!” She smiled cockily. “It’s a supersonic explosion that happens when I break the sound barrier while flying, it also makes a pretty cool rainbow in the process”.

“Yeah, right. No creature can fly that fast” Indar buffed.

Rainbow frowned. “That’s why it was considered a pony legend up until I did it when I was a filly in flight camp” She affirmed. “And I did it again last spring during the ‘Best Young Flyers’ Competition”.

Now it was Indar’s turn to look at her with scepticism. The sound speed was around 761 miles per hour, and if any other pegasus were to fly at that speed whichever the circumstances, they would most certainly break their wings in the process due to the force of impact, after all, Pegasi had hollow bones. And even if Rainbow could perform this ‘Sonic Rainboom’ as an adult, she said she first accomplished the feat when she was a filly, now that’s impossible, otherwise she would have broken her wings, crashed and squashed into the ground like mashed tomatoes. So, seeing as she was here alive and breathing, Indar determined that that was pure-- “Bullshit”.

“What?”.

“That’s bullshit” He repeated. “It’s impossible, you’d be dead”.

“It’s not!”.

“It is!”.

“Nah-huh! I’ll show ya!”.

As Rainbow prepared to ascend into the troposphere, Indar grabbed her tail with his mouth and stopped her before she even had a chance to. “Don’t be stupid, you’ll just die, and I’ll be damned if I have to carry your squashed body to Hellburn”.

“You’re stupid!” Rainbow flapped her tail and kicked him in the face with her back hoof. “And let go of me!”.

“You’re stupid!” Indar bickered in retaliation. “You’re the one who wants to become rainbow pulp!”.

“I won’t! And I’ll show you I can do it!” Rainbow flew upwards into the sky, but was soon dragged back to the sand. Although this time, Indar wasn’t the one to stop her, instead she was wrapped in metal chains with heavy weights on the ends that forbade her to fly, or even unfold her wings again. “Hey! What gives?”.

“Rainbow Dash!” Indar screamed, running towards her.

“Well, well, well, thought I’d never see ya again, sleepin’ beauty! Ya broke my heart when ya left!”. Both Rainbow and Indar – who was trying to untangle her from the chains – Glanced in the direction the voice was coming from. Then, Rainbow groaned. “Good thing we was prepared!”.

As the Bandits showed themselves from the top of a dune, Indar tried to free the pegasus from the chains faster. “You okay?” He asked her, removing the final chain.

“Yeah” Rainbow stood up, and meanwhile Clingy set himself on her back, she addressed the unicorn leading the guild. “Aye! You’re gonna buy me a drink now?!”.

“You have my sword?!”.

The pegasus laughed nervously. “Sorry, I needed the money!” She said, rubbing a hoof on her nape, then she took one of the chains and raised it up in the air. “Hey, these look fancy too! Did you get these just for me?!”.

“Only the best for ya, sugar!”.

“Rainbow Dash” Indar whispered, drawing her attention from the bandits. “Stop playing around and let’s get outta here”.

“Aw, but I was starting to have fun” Rainbow complained. “Hey, how much do you think these chains are worth?” Upon Indar’s glare, the rainbow-maned mare rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, I’m done-- Aye!” She called to the bandits. “It was nice to see ya again but we have to go soooo…!”.

“I’m afraid that ain’t possible!” The unicorn exclaimed, and he directed the rest of the bandits closer to the pair. “You see, sleepin’ beauty, you sold my sword, so now there ain’t no way in hell I’m lettin’ ya go!”.

“Fuck…” Indar murmured under his breath.

“And-- Oh!” The unicorn stopped dead in his tracks, examining what was in front of him, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “No fuckin’ way… is that-- Indar?” He asked, directing himself to the stallion. When the pony eluded his gaze, that only helped to confirm his suspicions. “My, oh my, oh my! It is Indar! We thought you was gone for good!”.

Rainbow, confused, glanced at the dark stallion with a questioning look in her eyes, expecting an answer – although, knowing him, she won’t get one –. Indar avoided looking into anypony’s eyes.

“What, you don’t know?” The unicorn this time addressed Rainbow Dash, noticing her concern. “He--”.

“Leave her outta this, Shalab”.

The pegasus looked back and forth between both stallions, she then looked at Clingy hoping he may know what was going on, but the bird just blankly stared back in silence.

“Ah, c’mon, Indy. This is a joyful reunion!”.

Rainbow chuckled. “‘Indy’?”.

“Shut up-- ”.

“Woah, woah, woah!” The unicorn – Shalab – stopped Indar. “That ain’t no way to treat yer fillyfriend”.

“I’m not his fillyfriend!”.

“She’s not my fillyfriend!”.

Shalab appeared to take pleasure in their embarrassment, since he did not acknowledge them in the slightest. “As I was sayin’, this is a joyful reunion!” the unicorn directed his words to the bandits behind him. “We get double the reward! We have our sleepin’ beauty--” He pointed at Rainbow Dash. “And a spineless deadweight!” He pointed at Indar. “What to do, what to do~ ?”.

As Shalab turned around, something in the corner of Rainbow’s eye caught her attention. Far in the distance, and to be more specific in the same direction they were heading, there was an enormous brown cloud approaching the group. It didn’t make any noise as it advanced towards them, but the breeze caught up to her before it did anypony – being a weather mare and a skilled flyer made her susceptible to the slight changes in the air –, it still seemed a bit far, but the intensity and denseness of the could could only indicate that it was a sandstorm.

“I guess what we can do is start by takin’ what’s ours” The unicorn said, stepping in closer to Rainbow Dash, and as she frowned at him, he glanced at her neck. “Eye for an eye, sugar”.

“Like hay” the pegasus said. “You’ll have to catch up to me again, first”.

“Say what, prin--” Before Shalab could finish his question, Rainbow headbutted him in the face, making him step back. The Pegasus then threw the chains at the unicorn, hoping they might buy her a bit of time.

The chains executed their job – albeit not completely –, and Rainbow raised up in the air. Indar took her attack as her sign to sprint behind her.

Everything would’ve gone smoothly, if it were not for the rest of the bandits being prepared for her sudden aerial escape. More chains enveloped Dash as she dropped to the ground once more; at her side, Indar’s body also fell victim to the weapons.

“Ya think that’ll work on us twice?” Shalab asked, holding the chains she had thrown at him with his magic. “Sorry to disappoint, sugar”.

“I had to try” Rainbow said. She wasn’t giving up just yet, there had to be something else she could do, but what?

The pegasus wiggled around to try and loosen up the chains, but it was fruitless. A pair of hooves took the other ends of the chains and some pony started to drag her through the sand. She kicked and wiggled some more, and in a last attempt to free herself, she started to roll around, but the chains would not come undone.

Rainbow looked to Indar, who laid on the ground unmoving. “Hey!” She called to him, but he would not respond. “Indar!” Rainbow kicked a particular hoof that touched her knee.

The stallion had not moved, not even when the bandits started to drag him as well, nor when one of them stepped on his head, forcing his muzzle into the sand. Rainbow doubted he could breathe. "Eat sand, you traitor!" One of them said. "You should've died with yer mother!". Another stallion started to punch him in the back. Hard.

"Stop it, you'll kill him!".

“Don’t sweat it, sugar” Shalab leaned over to talk to Rainbow Dash as she watched the bandits keep on punching, hitting and kicking the unmoving stallion. “Dead or alive, he’s just a spineless deadweight”. The rainbow-maned mare jerked her head at the proximity, but she could only do so much with the chains restraining her every move. "He ain't worth nothin'".

“He’s not a spineless deadweight!” She yelled, hoping Indar would hear her. Shalab drew a hoof to the back of her neckline, grasping ever so slightly the ends of the element of loyalty. Rainbow tried to jerk her neck again. She couldn’t let him take it. She wouldn’t let him take it.

Rainbow expected to feel Shalab taking the element at any moment now, but that moment never came. Instead, she could only hear the exalted yells from the unicorn. Rainbow turned around as much as she could, only to see Clingy assaulting Shalab's face with his claws. Her eyes widened in surprise, the rainbow-maned mare could only guess the pain he must be in, but she had no time to preoccupy herself with such matters, she had shackles to loosen up.

The pegasus wiggled some more and rolled over just as Clingy took his sweet time with being a worthwhile distraction. It took her several tries, but soon she could undo one of the chains wrapping her up, and when one of them came undone, the rest would surely follow.

Shalab battled with the hawk to get him out of his face, the rest of the bandits tried to intervene but Clingy was too clever for them, at any given moment a bandit managed to grasp one of his feathers, the hawk would release the unicorn, assault his next victim, and then go back to the leader of the bandits. Clingy repeated the same process a few times more until Rainbow managed to release herself from the chains.

The pegasus took a chain in her mouth and ran to Indar, whose face was still being pushed to the sand. She launched the chain to the bandits that were stifling him like a whip, and the weight on the ends managed to trap them together. Rainbow Dash jumped in the air and kicked them both out of the way. "Come on, come on!" She called, helping free the stallion. Rainbow took off the chains one by one, using them to entangle anypony that came close to them. Granted, to free the stallion was an easier feat than to free herself, since she had full mobility of her body now. "Get up, come on!" Once free of the restraints, Rainbow took Indar by the shoulders and shook him up. "We gotta go!".

He coughed. "Wha--".

Rainbow slapped him in the face, they had no time for this. "Shut up and snap out of it, idiot!" She chastised him, pressing both her hooves on his cheeks. "There's a sandstorm coming, I can fly us over it!".

"RAAH!" A bandit approached them, and Rainbow turned her attention to them. She held one of the chains in her mouth and waited for them to get closer, and when they did, she trapped him within the metal bonds.

"I'll carry you if I have to!" She yelled at the stallion, who was trying to refocus his gaze. Another one of the bandits tried to attack her from behind, but Rainbow saw his shadow and kicked him with her back hooves right on the face, sending him to sleep. She ought to apologise to AJ for stealing her move.

The mare ready herself to carry Indar on her back, if he did not move on his own, there was nothing left for her to do except get creative. She took one of his hooves on her own and started to raise him, but the stallion was heavier than expected. "Damn, what was in those bottles..." She muttered, yet Rainbow had no time to continue, for three bandits ran towards them. She sighed. "Honestly, you all won't let a girl take a break". The rainbow-maned mare let go of Indar and heard him drop to the ground again, and she took the last chain with her mouth. "This better work". She thought.

In a swift motion, Rainbow raised the irons and threw them when the three ponies came close enough, catching them all up in the shackles. "Woohoo! Score!".

As the pegasus got back to Indar, she saw him stand up with a pained yet inexplicable look in his eyes. She did not question it, but she was glad he was starting to look alive again. Rainbow made a mental note to ask him later when they had the time.

"The sandstorm..." He said, punching one of the bandits that tried a sneak attack in the guts and then hitting him again on the face. Clingy came back to them and hovered in the air, and as Rainbow took another chain and threw it towards a pair of earth ponies approaching, he spoke. "We'll go through it" The dark stallion accommodated the cloak he was wearing to properly cover him. Rainbow nodded, making sure the element was still pressed against her neck.

Both ponies ran towards the approaching sandstorm, Clingy hot on their trail, and so were the bandits.

As the pair sprinted forward, the stallion got closer to Rainbow Dash. "It'll get darker the deeper we go, so stay close!" He forewarned, to which the pegasus nodded. Indar whistled a quick note to the hawk, and soon after Clingy landed in his back and clung to his cloak. "Try to keep your mouth close!".

The sandstorm had gotten close very fast, and Rainbow had to crane her neck upwards to the ginormous sand cloud in order to see the top, it was like a huge wall that forbade entry to any and all travelers on it's path, but not even that would stop them.

As the sandstorm gobbled them up in one fell swoop, everything went dead silent. Both ponies kept running but no sound could be heard, only the resound of the winds and sand. Rainbow looked behind them at the remaining bandits that did not fall prisoners of the chains, there were at least five or six plus Shalab – who looked very angry and wounded. That was going to leave a scar for sure –. "It'll pass in a few minutes, but we have to move quickly!" Despite the urgency in Indar's voice, his yell could only be heard as a whisper, as if he were miles away. "Dash! Stay close!".

Rainbow did what she was told, running by his side and trying to not lose sight of him. The strong winds and the sand blowing in her face were vastly different than when she would fly through a regular storm, this was harsh, extremely dry, and it felt like somepony was rubbing coarse sandpaper through her exposed body. Whereas, when flying through a regular storm, Rainbow would usually have to deal with the heavy raindrops and the random gusts of wind that would try to set her off course, but that was what made it fun: the challenge. But this?, this was torture.

The pair ran in a straight line, the light around them was starting to dim, if she wasn't aware of the circumstances and the time, she would have thought that night arrived several hours early. Rainbow placed a wing on top of Indar's back in an attempt to stick together, but she also did it to cover Clingy from the blasting sand, she knew how rough these kinds of winds were on one's feathers.

The pegasus looked back to see if they were still being followed by the bandits, but alas, they were not. The storm may have been too harsh on them – given their open wounds, courtesy of Clingy –, or maybe they couldn't let the rest of their guild behind. Whichever it was, Rainbow was glad to have lost them yet again.

Rainbow Dash and Indar soon reached the heart of the storm, and everything went dark. If it were not for her wing on his back, they would've lost each other. Everything was silent, not even the strong winds made a sound, or maybe they were so loud she tuned them out, it didn't matter to her right now, the only thing she wanted was to get out of this storm.

The sand in her eyes made it hard to keep them open, she squinted and shook her head in order to try and get rid of it, but to no avail, so she kept them shut and used Indar as her guide pony. The winds were too strong and it felt as if her face was ripping itself apart. Her wing was no better, since she kept it on his back, the sand clashing against the appendage was ripping and breaking her exposed feathers.

Just as soon as the sandstorm arrived, it went away. Rainbow Dash and Indar reached the other end in a matter of minutes, but a lot can happen in a matter of minutes. She was glad the deafening silence brought by the storm was starting to dim out, but her wing and the exposed parts of her body were aching, and she could feel the scratches left by the uninterrupted powerful gusts of sand.

The pegasus opened her eyes again and teared up a little. It got clearer by the minute, and as they reached the very end of the sandstorm, the air suddenly felt like a gift from Celestia and Luna themselves. Both Rainbow and Indar came to a stop, taking deep breaths and coughing. It's not like they held their breaths back in the sandstorm, but every intake of air inside it hurt their nostrils.

Indar looked to Rainbow to see how she was holding up, he doubted the pegasus had ever gone inside a sandstorm in her life. Her eyes were teary, and she had scratches all over her, her mane was windswept and even more tangled than it had been before, and her wing, feathers broken and in disarray, and harbouring a few droplets of blood, spasmed every few seconds. A part of him wanted to reprimand her for taking her wing out and damaging it greatly, it looked fucked up, but then he saw why she had it pressed against his back; she had been protecting Clingy.

The stallion took a few more breaths, he seemed to be thinking on what to say, but could not find the words, so he opted to say nothing more than what was necessary. "We-- We should go". He stammered.

"Yeah". Rainbow nodded in response, but she did not take her wing from his back. Indar didn't really seem to care, he could only imagine how much pain she must have been in right now, so he let her keep it there and they started walking again. Hellburn was just an hour away now, and the Sandstorm provided their pursuers would be staying put for a while, but they had to move fast.

"Once you feel up to it, we start to run again" He announced. "We're close, but we gotta be fast".

"Yeah" Rainbow nodded again.

"Yeah" Indar also nodded.

The rest of the journey to Hellburn was spent in silence.

Embers of Hellburn

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.

Trying to understand

Rainbow Dash rummaged through the saddlebags in order to find anything to cover herself and Indar during the night, while Randall settled themself in front of her, getting comfy right next to the fire they had lit up minutes before. Despite the breezy and even-tempered attitude they portrayed right now, she still kept a watchful eye on the feline-like creature ever since they left Hellburn.

Randall now layed on the sand with their head resting on top of their backpack – as if it were a pillow – while humming a chipper melody the pegasus knew nothing about, which only helped to unsettle her even more.

Rainbow found a few blankets on the bottom of the right saddlebag, and promptly took two of them out.

The pegasus glanced the direction they had come from in an attempt to see the far town of Hellburn, now several miles away. They had walked – or in Rainbow Dash’s case, flown – all of the early morning and the following day to cover as much ground distance as they could. Granted, their current destination was days away from what she could gather, but the faster they moved, the sooner they would arrive.

From what Rainbow remembered of the map, they were heading straight south towards the Capital City of ‘Nabia’. She would be lying if she claimed not to be somewhat anxious to get there, since her journey hasn’t been smooth sailing all the way thus far, one can only wonder what awaits her there.

The rainbow-maned mare placed one of the blankets on the back of Indars head as some sort of makeshift pillow, while the stallion tried not to move too much, then she placed the second one on top of him – it was starting to get a little chilly –. Throughout the day, Indar had been drifting in and out of consciousness, resulting in Rainbow carrying him all the way until night fell upon them, then they decided to set up camp for a bit in order to recover their energies before leaving in a couple of hours, and by that time he was more aware of himself and his surroundings, although he still needed some help, he was able to maintain his focus.

Rainbow heard Randall exhale a long and dragged sigh, and her eyes focused on the feline-like creature. She knew that eventually one of them would have to address the elephant in the room, and by the looks of it, it would probably be her. Between the mare and the feline, they had no trouble engaging in meaningless conversation along the way. Even so, Randall made a few side remarks about the long road ahead, and Rainbow retorted with her own about how sand should just vanish from the face of the earth – well, except from the beaches, that's the only exception in the pegasus' book –. But, the thing was, neither one of them discussed the more pressing matter of the risky undertaking that led to Randall being so... bloody, and Indar almost passed out.

Now, Rainbow Dash was, in no way, a prude, she liked her fair share of action, combat and bravery, but being from a pacifist country whose policy involved 'harmony', 'friendship', and overall 'goodness' made it difficult to try and think of an alternative as to why Randall looked so... sanguinary. She thought of several scenarios, from imagining the feline-like creature being attacked and in dire need of self-defense, or a big bucket of tomato soup being splashed on them. Either way, the only thing she refused to think was what was probably the truth of what happened: that Randall ended up like that by their own choice.

Clingy perched himself on Rainbow’s extended wing when she offered it. The hawk had been her sole companion throughout this day of awkwardness, so, despite it all, she didn’t feel that uncomfortable. Still, when it was lunchtime she had to swallow her bile to feed the bird – she hadn’t yet got used to the smell of fresh meat, and she doubted she’d ever will.

Indar stirred in his position beside her, bringing Rainbow’s attention towards him once more. She had had a lot of concussions in the past to know how bad it could get, so she tried not to talk to him so much. She could do nothing about the light though, it’s not like she could just ‘turn off’ the sun, so he had to just bear with it and stop whining.

Speaking of whom, Indar spoke in a soft voice, so much that she had to lean over and ask him to repeat it to actually hear what he was saying. “Water” He murmured. The pegasus nodded in understanding and searched the saddlebags for one of his canteens of water.

Suddenly, an extended paw handed her a full canteen of water before she had time to rummage through his baggage. Rainbow looked at the owner of said paw and saw Randall’s green eye slightly open, before closing again, paw still waiting for her response.

Rainbow knew they had little water to go by, barely a full canteen. She had relented her own water so the feline-like creature could wash up all the… blood off of themself, and during their march she had made sure Indar drank plenty of water to help alleviate his aching head – hydration was important for a wounded pony, she would know since being an athlete came with its equal perks and disadvantages, and nasty head injuries were a day-to-day basis. Not to mention the other injuries he sustained from being punched and thrown like a sack of potatoes –. So, she could either accept Randall’s offering or give up their water for the rest of their trip, and she wasn’t certain how much longer they had to go to reach the Capital City.

The pegasus received the canteen in between her hooves and opened it, tending to her travel buddy.

“Is he more lucid?” Randall asked, eyes closed.

Rainbow looked between the both of them and shrugged. “I don’t know--” Rainbow turned her face towards Indar. “-- Are you ‘more lucid’?” She asked, to which the stallion nodded. “Yeah, he is”.

“Good” The feline-like creature nodded, and stayed put for a second or two before sitting up against their backpack. “‘Cause now we get to chit-chat for real”.

Rainbow tapped Indar’s forehead a few times to get his attention, and by doing so she got Randall’s as well. “First off” They said. “What the fuck happened back there?”.

Both Rainbow and Indar cringed at the question, which was, in fact, a good question. What did happen back in Hellburn? Rainbow only could answer for the Bandits, but the Lasir Group – or whatever those Minotaurs called themselves – were a mystery to her.

The Pegasus shrugged her shoulders in a clueless manner. “Um… The Bandits followed me even before I met you guys, but I don’t know anything about the Minotaurs” She said, scratching the back of her neck. “I just know that this one right here sucks at making friends, so everypony wants to-- “ Rainbow crunched while she made a gesture with her hoof referencing a slit throat. “-- You know?”. Clingy screeched as if supporting her statement.

“Yeah, he’s awful” Randall acknowledged, looking directly at the stallion.

Indar grimaced at the Pegasus, showing his obvious disagreement. “I’m not that bad” He said, and when both Rainbow and Randall chuckled, he frowned. “I’m not!” He tried to defend himself, then turned to Clingy for support. “... Am I?”. The Hawk, noticing what Indar was asking him to do, could only turn his head the opposite way, as if saying ‘you’re on your own, buddy’, for Clingy, despite being a loyal bird and companion, was no liar. “Traitor... Anyways” The stallion said, trying to change the subject, and as he did so, he glanced at the rainbow-maned mare. “How did you meet Shalab?”.

Rainbow snickered, recalling their first encounter. “He tried to rob me, I kicked his butt and took his sword, then I sold it”.

“You WHAT?!” Indar asked/yelled flabbergasted, Clingy, perched in her wing, jumped in surprise at the sudden exclamation.

“It was worth a pretty penny” The Pegasus smiled, proud of herself, and with her hoofs she adjusted her ruana to let the hawk rest on her shoulder, that way he would not scratch her the next time Indar decides to scream again.

“Aye! What's goin’ on? Wha- what are you guys talkin’ about?” Randall called.

“I can’t believe you sold Shalab’s sword” Indar covered his face with his hooves.

“Hey! You’re the one who said ‘no money, no journey’! What else was I supposed to do?”.

"Shalab’s sword is a token” The stallion said, this time for all to hear. “It’s a symbol that the Bandits have, it’s like an heirloom, like-- like a crown for a king”.

“Mhm, yeah, that’s common knowledge” Randall agreed. “Whenever the previous leader dies, the sword gets passed on to the next leader. Usually it’s one of them who kills the other but who am I to judge”.

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Say what?”.

“No wonder he wants to kill you so badly” Indar commented, giving her a side eye.

The Pegasus let the weight of her actions crawl on her back. She felt so foolish now that she thought about it, but she didn't know better! It's not her problem she broke some stupid unspoken rule that didn't apply to her! If anything, she did what she had to do in order to escape that situation alive! She had no regrets whatsoever.

Clingy patted her head with his wing in pity, though.

Randall laughed at her in a non-mocking way (or at least not as much as they could have been), and turned to the stallion. “And how come you’re so kin to that Bandit, you even know his name”.

Indar grimaced. “I met him a few times too. Sahida ain’t kind to no one”.

“Ye”.

“Yeah”.

For a few seconds, Rainbow contemplated the chances of having found Randall back in Hellburn, or more like the other way around; they couldn’t have appeared at a better moment. If it were not for the feline-like creature, Indar might have never made it out of that fire, she thought. Which brought her to her next point. “Hey, Randall” the Pegasus called. “How did you find Indar?”.

Randall looked at her, seemingly going over their answer, and the stallion used their hesitance to comment on the subject. “It’s weird, actually” He said. “How did you get inside the Warehouse? Were you following us?”.

“Not everything is about you” They tsk-ed, looking somewhere else but at the ponies. “I was following Nohrrus and Tegur, it just so happened that you were there”.

“What happened there, anyways?” Rainbow asked, and she looked directly at Indar. “When I found you guys, you looked like crap” She recalled, and even if she didn’t say it, it was pretty clear she was talking to the both of them.

It took a few minutes before any of them responded to her query, and while the time passed, the group fell surrounded by heavy silence. Obviously they were avoiding answering her, Rainbow knew that much, which sparked her uneasiness again, leading her to think the worst case scenario. Rainbow looked at the hawk perched on her shoulder and scratched his little head with her hoof, focusing on the way Clingy tilted his head in delight. She was about to retract her question when one of them decided to speak.

"Tegur was about to kill him" The rainbow-maned mare glanced at Randall. "I made sure that didn't happen".

From her position, Rainbow Dash was directly across from them, which put her to eye-level with the handsaw and the severed horn on their belt. The pegasus briefly glanced at the horn, noticing the dry blood on its base, and then and there she knew that, no matter how many times she wished she was in the right, this was not one of those occasions.

Tegur, as maniatic and bloodthirsty as he had been, was still a living creature. She only knew him from that one encounter in the Marketplace, so there was nothing much she could say about him, but if this same situation were to have happened back home, then the outcome might have been different. Back home, after the more dark and grim past of their founding history, everypony was taught that every life matters; nopony was beyond a second chance, and Rainbow knew for a fact that her friends would've tried every little trick in the book to push for redemption, maybe even forgiveness.

But that was not her fight, and most certainly not her friend's fight.

Forgiveness, that’s a tough decision, even for the most kind of creatures.

"Was it the only way?" The pacifist in her asked, despite knowing they might have had no other alternative.

Both of them answered at the same time. "Ye".

Rainbow Dash grimaced and looked away. Feeling sour. She knew this wasn’t Equestria, and these creatures were not Equestrian, so why was it so hard for her to accept that things here were done in a different way? Of all of her friends she was the one who opted for the more radical, non-friendly type of choice! So why… ?

"Why were you following them?" Indar asked, directing the center point of the conversation towards something that had been bugging him since Randall jumped into the picture. Consequently, Rainbow lost her train of thought and focused on them, rather than on her self doubts. “Why did you help me?”.

Randall tilted their head upwards, facing the night sky and the twinkling stars. The dark mantle of the sky above them seemed infinite, and some folks said that the sky they would see every night and every day was just a very small portion of the constantly expanding universe surrounding the little rock that was their planet, full of galaxies and stars light years away.

You know, all that intellectual bullshit.

Sometimes, Randall would sit on the rooftop of their house and glance up at the sky – whenever they felt like being a mock-philosopher – and wonder about their place in the universe. They would think about anything, really, but now their thought drifted to whatever selfish asshole was cruel enough to play with their short lives only to end them whenever they felt like it.

Randall hated being alive. And it's not like they were suicidal, they just thought life was not worth living. They were all going to die, one way or another, and now that 'cuz Jack... They had nothing to live for, not anymore.

The only reason they had to have followed Nohrrus and Tegur was to do justice for their 'cuz. Simple as that. And they didn't care about the outcome, or whatever means they'd have to take to make it, their life was already so hectic as it was, and it's not like there's a system that could reinforce justice. If anything, the continent was as lawless and anarchic as it has ever been! There were no rules, no boundaries, maybe there had once been a ’figure of authority’, perhaps, but now there was no such thing, all that history had been lost centuries ago. First come, first served.

So there's that.

The feline-like creature turned their glance towards the ponies, on one paw, they knew Indar from when they arrived in town. Cynical and mistrusting, a pretty stormy personality if they said so themself, and socially inept (he could not make friends for the life of him), so it's no wonder he was always alone, and because of that he tended to think about himself most of the time, or at least Randall never saw him openly socializing with anyone other that 'cuz Jack, that bird of his, and/or themself.

And then there's sunshine. Fact is, they only knew the bare surface of her personality, which was practically nothing, but she seemed nice enough (probably too nice). From what they had talked about along the way, she also appeared to be full of energy, and clearly she wasn't from around here, so all that made her an innocent foal in the reality they lived in. Whatever reason she had to be wandering alone, being a pegasus no less, was a mystery to them, but it better be a damn urgent, willfully strong reason to be doing so, otherwise she was just plain stupid.

The bird was a whole other story, with such an expressing personality they acted like another pony in their party and not at all like a pet. Randall always thought he was a pet, now they're doubting it.

"I'm guessin' you already know" They started. "That 'cuz Jack's dead".

Indar nodded, remembering his short exchange with Tegur. But Rainbow and Clingy opened their eyes wide in surprise at the announcement. The weight of Randall’s words suddenly sunk in the pegasus’ conscience. ‘Cuz Jack was… He was dead? But they had seen him barely a day ago, two at most, and he was just… He was just healthy and breathing and alive! How? Why?!

From her perspective, Rainbow could not see for the life of her what might be the expression on Indar’s face, but she could make a few guesses of her own, since they (Indar and Jack) were kind of close. After some time of weighty silence, he sat up straight. “I'm sorry" He said sincerely.

"Heh, 'sorry'..." Randall looked up at Indar, the stallion seemed withdrawn and quiet, his eyes cast down without the courage to face them, but his words were sincere enough. Too bad they were not enough for Randall. "You can be sorry, but bein' 'sorry' won't bring him back" The feline-like creature faced him with a stern glare, even when their eyes never met his, and in a fast maneuver they grabbed the pony by his cloak and held him close to their face. "It should've been you. You should’ve been there. But you ran away, you always do! You're just a drunk asshole who spends all day wallowing in self-pity waitin’ till someone comes and solves your problems!".

Indar watched in silence, receiving every word without making a single comment on his behalf. His eyes deadlocked on Randall’s green orbs. Neither Randall or Rainbow Dash could decipher what said look meant.

“And you don’t even care” Randall shook their head, dropping the stallion to the sand as if all the strength on their body just left them. The feline-like creature stumbled until they let themself fall next to their belongings again, and held their head with a paw. If anypony were to pass them by right now, they would see the very picture of sorrow, as if Randall was too disappointed to face the world before them.

Rainbow could hear their voice cracking, but no tears in sight yet. Indar, for his part, stayed right where he landed and faced the sand, mirroring Randall’s own feelings.

The pegasus lacked the words to say to Randall right now, and even if she had them, they would fall on deaf ears. She barely knew them and vice versa, there was nothing she could say to try and console them, nor did she try to pretend as if she knew what they were going through. Something like this… This is the kind of situation where one needed their closed ones the most, and by the looks of it, Randall just lost theirs.

"What happened to him?" Rainbow asked after a long pause where nopony said anything.

“They fuckin’ tortured him. Then they got bored and just chopped his head off” They scoffed. “But the best part-- Oh, the best part… You know what was it? Wanna hear it?” They didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. “They hanged his body in the southern gate, and they emptied his head--" Randall suddenly raised their head only to show their resentful scorn turned into a mad grin, laughing in what Rainbow couldn’t differentiate between grief or complete insanity. "-- My ‘cuz is now in a fucking WALL HANGIN’ OVER THEIR FUCKIN’ TABLE! And all because he. Helped. Him! Because he warned him!” Randall turned their glare towards the stallion for emphasis. “All because he protected you!” Randall let out a dry chuckle, not even blinking. “And where were you? Gettin’ cozy with some nasty pegasus bitch”.

Rainbow frowned. "Hey!".

Randall didn't seem to have heard her, or perhaps they didn't care.

“I did nothin’” Indar stated.

“And in doin’ nothin’ you murdered him”.

The stallion stood tall on all fours. Be it pure spite or stubbornness, he would not stand for any of Randall’s recriminations. “I did nothin’” He repeated himself sternly and louder than he thought he would, his voice was deep rooted and firm. “Jack made a decision. I didn’t make him do nothin’, I didn’t ask him to warn me, I didn’t ask him to protect me!”. Indar walked over to Randall until the bonfire framed his silhouette. “I get it, you’re mad and everything sucks right now, what the Xatir’s did to Jack is fucked up, he didn’t deserve it and they should die. But I didn't make any of that happen so stop blaming it on me and leave me the fuck outta this!”.

Randall frowned and gritted their teeth. "You’re done, pony". The feline-like creature stood up again, towering over the stallion and grabbed the handsaw from their belt.

“Bring it on, puss” Indar raised himself on his hind hooves and started to throw punches in the air, as if daring them to get closer.

Rainbow saw Indar throw the first punch in Randall's direction, jabbing them right on the stomach, but the feline didn’t wait still for the next punch when they mirrored his move, just this time hitting him in the jaw. Indar backed a few steps before he fell on the ground, which was most likely what Randall wanted to happen, only to be deceived by their own plan. The stallion grabbed some sand on their hoof and threw it towards Randall's eyes, using the momentarily distraction to kick the handsaw out of their paw.

The pegasus covered her mouth with her hoof, not because what was transpiring was any less serious, but because it also was oddly amusing to her. “Put it together, Rainbow Dash!” She thought, feeling the corners of her mouth turn upwards and battling it like her life depended on it. She was about to chant for a fight between the both of them, when she felt the drilling judging look on Clingy’s face. “What?” She asked in a hushed voice. “Come on! Let them fight it out, if anything happens then I'll step in, okay?”.

The hawk let a tiny squeal in an attempt to huff, but eventually gave in to her reasoning. She was right after all, they needed to let out some steam and fight it out, otherwise they would all suffer from the tension they built up.

Randall hissed and charged at the stallion, their right fist coming up towards his face in full force. Indar settled his weight onto his right back hoof and quickly blocked their fist with his left forehoof, throwing his own punch and narrowly missing the side of their head. Randall grunted, and pushed forth, grabbing Indar's right shoulder and twisting the two of them around to try and get the necessary momentum. Indar pushed on their shoulder as well, and as Randall's rear paws settled back into the ground, he leaned on his left back leg, bending it as he quickly brought his right knee into Randall's stomach. Clearly, Randall wasn't expecting that, crumbling easily and wheezing out of breath. They tried to adjust their footing, but Indar pushed down with a snarl, using all of his weight to force them onto their knees.

They fell unceremoniously, somehow managing to drag Indar with them to throw off his balance. Randall took the opportunity and used their bigger frame to shove Indar over until his back hit the ground, the cloak wrapping him in the process.

Rainbow watched it all unfold, secretly wishing she had something to snack on right now, so as to better enjoy the show these two were putting on.

The two of them struggled on the ground, ripping and tugging and hitting and pulling each other's hair/mane and clothes, the occasional snarl and yelp coming from any of them here and there, neither giving in or overpowering the other. Randall's sheer size in comparison to Indar gave them a clear advantage, but Indar was obviously a skilled fighter.

Nevertheless, this was brutal, Indar had yanked several locks of short hair out of Randall's body, and, in retaliation, they had littered his cheeks in scratch marks – adding to his already very present scar over his muzzle –, but at some point, the feline had started to laugh, as if they were two foals kicking the shit out of each other just for the bragging rights.

Finally, it's Indar who ends up on top of Randall, one forehoof locked on their throat and the other holding their wrists. The pegasus stood up from her spot and walked over to them both, she knew this was probably the moment to step in a break the fight, but as she got closer, she realized they didn't need her to stop it for them.

"Alright, I give in" Randall said, accepting their loss by letting out a wheezed laugh.

Surprisingly, Indar let go of their wrists without protesting, although his eyes widened at the sudden metaphorical white flag waved by Randall.

Randall sat up right away, forcing the stallion to roll off of them and sit by their side. Both of them were out of air completely, but what threw indar off was that Randall was still laughing.

"For what it's worth, I care" Indar said, and he kept on surprising everypony today since none of them expected him to be the first to speak, now more than ever.

Randall's laugh steadily, albeit a bit fast too, died down within a few moments of no response, and when they decided to speak, they first took the severed horn in one of their paws to examine it for what was most likely the uptemph time since they sawed it. They took a deep breath, never looking away from the trophy in their paw. They raised the horn to frame its silhouette against the fire as if it were a halo. "You asked me why I was following them" They sighed, giving the pair one of the most serious countenances either of them had seen in the feline (like ever), directing themself mostly towards the stallion. "My 'cuz died because he wanted you to get out of the desert alive. He wanted you to live, and so he gave his life... I'll make sure you fuckers get outta here, I won't let him die in vain, but there's one thing that you two must know" Randall guarded the horn back into their belt, taking their sweet time securing it. "When the time comes, I'll take care of Nohrrus, and if either of you stands in the way, I won't hesitate to take you down".

Rainbow lowered her gaze. She felt the familiar weight of the element she carried in her neck, and as she directed a hoof to it she pondered on Randall's statement.

She reminded herself this wasn’t her fight, and the creatures here dealt with their problems in a different way than in Equestria, despite how much she wanted it to be the other way around.

Randall's Requiem

Author's Note

Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life.

Randall's Requiem

Early in the morning, way before dawn, the small group continued their journey.

As it turns out, it was actually Randall who offered to keep watch during the night. To which Rainbow was really grateful since she really didn’t want to stay up another minute – also she thought that the feline needed some time to themself, you know, to think and whatnot –. Which gave her a chance to snooze a little.

Before dozing off, Rainbow thought about how long she had been engaged in this journey, four, maybe five days? She needed to keep track… Anyways, she thought about her brief time here in the Sahida Desert, and it all seemed so fleeting yet so vivid. Every encounter, every creature she met along the way, they all were so different from the ponies she knew back home. There was an unspoken awareness amongst every creature that she still couldn’t figure out, which only served to remind her that she truly was an outsider and it showed.

Rainbow Dash isn't your typical analytical pony at all, leave that to the boring eggheads. On the contrary, Rainbow was more like the brawn of the group, bold, fast, daring, act first; ask questions later. That’s what the Dash is all about... Or was.

Either way, the point was that as new and as curious as she was to know more about this place, she was tired. And so she slept.

Until Randall woke them up hours before dawn to 'keep moving, bitches!'.

Their shadows followed them as the night made way for the day. Nabia, opposite to the distance between Hellburn and Tayne, was relatively far, so they wasted no time in laying around sleeping all night – much to Rainbow's annoyance–. After that they spent the entire day walking, talking most of it to pass the time, and avoiding altogether the important subjects such as 'Watch it, dipshit' or 'Go fuck yourself, puss'. Go figure.

For her part, the pegasus tried to keep things breezy and light hearted. Whenever she sensed an incoming fight she made sure to change the subject promptly, like right now, for example.

"So you're tellin' me that there's a game where you come from where you buck balls into laundry baskets?".

“No, no, no. They’re not laundry baskets, they’re Basket-line nets” Rainbow corrected Randall as they both walked ahead, although Randall was doing most if not all of the 'walking' and Rainbow chose to fly with Clingy instead. “You can kick the ball, throw it or even hold it with magic but the only way to actually score is to buck it from ground-level to the opponent team’s net”.

After breaking up yet another fight between the stallion and the feline, Rainbow tried to change the subject to something more foreign to occupy their minds by explaining Buck-ball to both of them, fortunately it worked, even if only Randall seemed to be interested in it. But hey, a win is a win.

“The fuck kinda game is that?”.

More or less.

“Uh--The awesome kind?” Rainbow said, as if it was obvious. "two teams of eleven ponies; five attackers, four defenders and two interceptors, all of them competing for the first prize!".

"Which is...?" Randall questioned, already regretting it.

"Well it depends" Rainbow said, putting a hoof under her chin as she recalled her past Buck-ball competitions back in High School. "But most of the time it would be a trophy, money and/or bragging rights just for the fun of it".

"Bah!" The feline exclaimed. "That's bullshit! Give me blood or Qol, but a trophy? Bragging rights? What would ya even do with it? That's just lame".

Rainbow was about to respond, but she heard a light pff coming from a few hoofsteps behind them. As she turned her head around she saw the stallion avoiding her indignant face. "You wanna say something?" She asked, landing on the sand.

Indar caught up to them and passed by her side, taking the lead. "Not to your face" He said, not even looking at them.

"Prick" The pegasus murmured.

That’s another thing worth mentioning. Since last night, Indar resumed his drinking habits, turning into an even more dislikeable and infuriating version of himself. He always seemed to have something to add into the conversation, no matter how ill-natured or bitter it was. Rainbow didn’t know if that flask of his was bottomless or if he bought alcohol on the Marketplace back in Hellburn (not likely, she found nothing in the saddlebags), but she hoped he’d eventually run out of booze.

"Anyways, I've never heard of Buck-ball" Randall pondered, and as they turned their eyes towards Rainbow, they asked. "Where did ya say you're from?".

"I'm from E--" Rainbow tried to answer, but she was soon interrupted.

"Edenburg. She's from Edenburg" Indar said, glaring at her. "You said you wanted to keep it a secret, didn’t you?".

As Rainbow was about to protest because no, she wasn't from bloody Edenburg, and no, she didn't want to keep her roots a secret, she was interrupted once more. "Yikes, my dude" Randall grimaced in sympathy.

Rainbow glared at the stallion as he turned around, not interested in the topic at hoof anymore, and decided to play his game if only to satiate her curiosity. "Why? What's so wrong with Edenburg?".

"Uh-- The raids, for one?" Randall rolled their eyes. "Don’t ya hate them? I thought all of your kind were trying to flee Edenburg! I’m surprised ya haven’t been caught… Or less you were, and you escaped. In which case; damn, girl!".

"I... " Rainbow stuttered. Should she play along? Indar didn't believe her when she said where she was from. Would anypony else? She wouldn't be sure until she tried, but then again, if she did try and Randall does not believe her, what would happen then? Her eyes darted briefly to the handsaw strapped to their belt, and the severed horn next to it. "Yeah! I-- uh-- I managed to escape! And-- you know-- I'm just wandering around! Heh heh". Rainbow was too preoccupied to make herself believable to notice Indar covering his face with one of his hooves, cringing at her pitiful excuse of an alibi. "But I'd appreciate it if you kept it a secret". She asked.

Randall looked at her, their green eyes calculating and boring into her own as if they were not just seeing her, but seeing through her. Normally, they were very loud and talkative, chipper even, but whenever they went into these silent moments, it was a stillness that could be cut with scissors on the spot. It was awkward, and deeply sombre. “Okay”

Until it was not.

Randall continued walking, taking the lead. And as Rainbow let a breath she didn’t quite know she was holding go, she followed suit.

And so they went; walking, talking most of the day to pass the time, and avoiding altogether the important subjects such as ‘What is it like in Edenburg’ and whatnot.

At night, this time around, Rainbow offered her night guard services for the benefit of the group, and since no creature else wanted to take her place, there were no protests.

The steady rise and fall on Randall’s chest indicated they were soundly asleep, thus Rainbow decided to use her time to study the map once again, maybe she could trace how far they actually were from the coastal city if she did her numbers correctly. As the pegasus took the very object from the saddlebag, laying it out on the sand, a voice drew her attention from it. “If they ask, you’re from Edenburg from now on, even if it ain’t true”.

The rainbow-maned mare looked to her left, watching the quiescent silhouette of Indar with his back turned towards her. The blanket he had around him, despite protecting his body from the sand, let only his head be seen from the neck and up. Clingy rested on top of him as if the blanket were a nest. “It is one thing for you to not believe me, but I won’t lie to everypony else”.

“It’s not like that--”.

“Then stop being so taciturn!” She yelled-whispered, trying not to wake up the feline-like creature. Rainbow silently congratulated herself, that was a 25 bit word she didn’t even know she knew, Twilight must’ve been rubbing off on her more than she was aware of. “Come on! What’s with the secrecy?”.

“It’s just… ” Indar stopped talking for a moment or two, and even if Rainbow couldn’t tell, he was having an internal debate. “It’s just easier to believe if you say you’re from Edenburg. They won't question it” he spat.

Rainbow waited for him to continue, but when he showed no further signs of talking – or even being awake –, she urged him to explain himself for once. “Okay, humor me. Why is it so unbelievable?”. Whilst laying down and being completely still, Rainbow saw faintly how Indar tensed up.

“Equestria isn’t real”. He whispered, almost too quiet for her to hear, but she did. “It’s a myth. I get it that your kind are ostracised and excluded, but even you must know that”.

Rainbow rolled her eyes in annoyance. “What do you mean 'a myth’?”.

“Just that; it doesn’t exist. An old story every creature tells themselves so they don’t go stupid and depressed and die”. Indar’s head rotated the slightest so he could see her over his shoulder. “I get it, okay? Every creature does what they have to do to cope. I don’t know and I don’t give a flying fuck where you’re from, but this world is bad enough as it is for you to pretend you’re from some fantasy utopia. Wake up, birdie”.

Rainbow thought about it for a solid second. If Equestria wasn’t real then how come she was born? Of course it was real! She was born and raised there! Her parents were born and raised there! Her friends were born and raised there! heck she even met Princess Celestia – like – trice! She saw how the sun was raised several times in her lifetime and she saw a great deal of other magical stuff happen! She was even friend’s with a (baby) dragon, for Pete's Sake! “Yeah, right” She chuckled, returning her gaze to her map. “If Equestria is not real then how come you explain the sun and moon rising every day, hmm?”.

“Heliocentric orbit around the sun, duh”.

“Helio-- Heliocen-- whatever, egghead. They rise because the Princesses raise them”. The pegasus frowned. “Can your ‘heliosynthetic orbit’ explain why last summer the moon stayed put for hours after dawn until the sun came forth? Remember? That night was the longest night in the history of ponykind''.

“It’s heliocentric and yes, it can. It was just an eclipse”.

“For an eclipse to occur either the moon or the sun need to be in front of the other. This was neither”.

“It’s the only explanation”.

“it's not. Look at the moon” Rainbow pointed to the big star on the firmament, which in turn made Indar glance up at the sky’s full moon. “Do you see 'the Mare on the moon'? No, she’s gone! Nightmare Moon came to cast eternal night after her thousand-year-imprisonment until m-- she was defeated, thus bringing Princess Luna back”.

“It doesn't mean anything” Indar turned his head back to its place in the sand and closed his eyes. “The point is you can’t go saying you’re from Equestria or they’ll call bullshit on you and you’ll end up dead”.

“It won’t happen and it does mean something. You’re just saying that because you can’t explain it and to piss me off” Rainbow countered. “And besides, what do you even care? It’s not like I need you to believe me. I don’t care what you say, Equestria is real”.

“Bullshit”.

“Grr!” Rainbow’s eye twitched a little. At the time that she stood up and walked over to him with every intention of hitting him in the face just like Randall had done the night before (because truly, he deserved it), the faint blinking of a particular crimson light shone on the corner of her eyes.

The pegasus turned her gaze towards the little specks of light she had, in all honesty, forgotten about, deeming them just illusions from the exhaustion she felt back then. But alas, there they were again.

The lights were far away, too far for her to just wind up and leave Clingy and Randall behind (Indar… she wasn’t so sure yet), but something pungent in her knew they were calling to be followed. They were calling for her to follow. And still, she… she didn’t know if she wanted to.

Rainbow sat down where she had been before in front of the map. She couldn’t leave them to follow some random light, after all. She chose to stay.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, the pegasus began with her self imposed task and tried to determine how far they had to go to reach Nabia.

Her hoof backed up a bit to gain momentum, and then Rainbow let it drop against Indar’s nape with enough strength to wake him up without giving him another concussion. “Rise and shine” She said, as the stallion grunted in pain. “We’re moving on”.

Randall laughed at him. Being the first one that Rainbow woke up gave them a lot of time to get ready – well, because of that and because everything they brought with them was packed on their backpack, ready to go.

Indar wrapped his blanket closer to his body. “‘Rise and shine’? More like ‘Rise and swelter’”.

Rainbow Dash smirked, leaning closer to the stallion. “Fine, have it your way. But remember that I’m carrying your saddlebags, and I can just fly away with them and leave you stranded in the desert”.

“You wouldn’t dare” Indar said, closing his eyes and accommodating himself to snooze a little. “You’re too much of a goody-two-shoes”.

“Watch me” Rainbow took off into the air, the saddlebags strapped tightly to her barrel, and with her teeth she grabbed one end of the blanket and pulled it in order to get it off of Indar.

“Hey! Give it back!” He yelled, rolling over in order to gain as much of the blanket as possible and to make the pegasus let go of it. Even if he was still wrapped in it like a burrito, he would never relent a single inch of the fabric to the rainbow-maned mare.

“Come and get it if you can!”.

“Ugh, fine!” He yielded. “Just let go of it, you crazy flying clown!”.

“A cl--?!” Rainbow exclaimed, but the corners of her mouth quivered upwards. “A flying clown? Is that the best you could come up with?”.

“Shut up. It’s early, okay?”.

The pegasus huffed, letting go of the blanket. “Come on, Mr. Grumpy Pants, let’s get out of here” She landed in the sand, raising a small cloud of dust in the process. Clingy waited patiently, perched atop the pegasus’ shoulder, always the obedient one, that bird.

Nighttime passed extremely slowly for Rainbow Dash’s liking, with her having to find something to do by herself that was quiet enough so as to not disturb anypony else, yet entertaining enough to not bore herself to sleep.

The little specks of light, however, disappeared just as fast as they came into view.

In her mind, the pegasus came to the conclusion that she was just seeing things. Maybe her brain was just making stuff up to explain the silhouette of sand and dunes and the occasional lone scorpion in the dead of night. Maybe she was just trying to see something else from the sand and dunes and the occasional lone scorpion she had been seeing nonstop day and night, over and over again. Maybe she was just sick of the sand and… all of that.

No matter, soon it was early enough to wake everypony up and move on from this damned desert, which stretched before her, bathed in the pale glow of the waning moon. The early morning air was chilling, and despite it all, a sense of unease hung heavily in her heart.

“Let’s go, fuckers!” Randall yelled, already moving on from their campsite and pointing to the horizon with stars in their eyes. “We ain’t got all day!”. Rainbow smiled, stepping over Indar’s body as she followed the feline, getting a huffed grunt and a deadly glare in return. Despite it being still early in the morning and the sun hadn’t yet fully risen, Randall’s energy was one to match a particularly pink friend of hers. “Nabia is just ahead!”.

“A day ahead” The stallion groaned, catching up to them both at his own pace. Since Rainbow was in charge of holding the saddlebags, from under his cloak Indar grabbed his flask, and in one swing motion cheered to nothing in particular, drinking its contents. “You’d know that if you had more than two brain cells working”.

“Ahead is still closer than anything” Rainbow jabbed at him before they could hammer away at each other. “Come on, dude, lighten up!” She said while pointing at the sky, receiving support from Clingy in her shoulder who flapped his wings eagerly. “It’s way too early for your bad mood”.

Indar rolled his eyes. “Traitor… ” He murmured towards the bird.

“... I tell ya, sea food is the best!” Randall exclaimed, apparently they were still talking whilst Rainbow berated Indar, whether they were aware that none of the ponies were listening or not, it didn’t stop them. “I can’t wait to get to Nabia! Sure it’s a little pricey and the folk there suck ass, but, you know, where doesn’t?. I don’t know about ya, but Imma get myself some tuna sandwich”. The feline then started rambling about all the kinds of food they looked forward to. “Tuna, Salmon, Sardines. I love me some fish, you know, sunshine? Although I kinda want some shrimp now, like for a snack. Now that’s yummy!” Randall threw their arms up in the air, as if imagining all the dishes they mentioned in front of them. “Oh, I can’t wait! I can already smell it--”.

Abruptly, and almost unnoticed by all, Randall’s voice was cut off by the sound of metal flying so close to them with deadly precision, and oh so injurious.

From one moment to another, everything took a drastic – and somewhat dramatic – turn for the worse. The coat on the back of her neck arose in the form of goosebumps that she had felt once before, not alike to those she would get whenever she performed a dangerous stunt, but the all too familiar goosebumps that made her flight of fight instincts wake up at a moment's notice. And all Rainbow could see was how that pick fell to the ground in front of them alongside Randall’s left arm.

In all of her life, Rainbow Dash had never seen that much blood come out of another being.

It dripped from Randall’s left shoulder, or what was left of it. Really, it was hard to watch as pain exploded through Randall’s body – of course, how could it not? –. Their breath hitched, jaw clenched and teeth gnashing, their grip on their shoulder tightening in a desperate attempt to suppress the scream that threatened to escape. Tears welled in their eyes, blurring their vision, But they did not shed a single tear. Not one.

Rainbow sprung into action faster than she realised, using their belt and the severed horn, she tied it around the remainder of their arm to try and come up with a tourniquet – Just how Applejack had told that her one time, she didn’t remember when exactly, but she remembered, and that was all it mattered at the moment – all the while reassuring the feline that ‘it would be okay’ (Even if she was saying it to herself more than to Randall). The Pegasus glanced briefly towards the torn limb, laying still on the sand a metre or two away. So much blood had accumulated beneath it that most of it had been absorbed by the sand, and what was still coming out of their blood vessels formed a neat puddle underneath it.

And then she saw again the pick, his pick, which was splattered by Randall’s warm blood.

Rainbow felt the world spun in a haze of shock and adrenaline, the desert sands seemed to swirl around her – a cruel reminder of the relentless danger they now faced –, but she snapped herself out of it when the weapon’s metal reflected the image of one lone maroon Minotaur, where once there had been three. His horns curled menacingly, ready to charge at any moment. She turned around abruptly, almost giving herself whiplash.

Unbeknownst to them, lurking amidst the dunes, Nohrrus had observed their every move for who knows how long. He stood blending seamlessly within the shadows that brought the night. His cold, unfeeling eyes fixated on one thing and one thing only.

Indar seemed to catch up with her train of thought, and got ready on four hooves to face the uncharacteristically quiet Minotaur. “Shit” He huffed under his breath, bright orange eyes focused solely on their opponent. “Why doesn’t he just fucking give up already?!”.

Rainbow nodded in agreement. There was something amiss with him – Nohrrus, that is. She didn’t know much of the Minotaur, and there was no part of her that wanted to know more about him, but something was off, yet she didn’t quite know what exactly it was. All of them knew just how dangerous Nohrrus was and understood the extent of his might, some more than others (enter the rainbow-maned mare). He was unhinged, to say the least, and now that he was alone… who knows what else.

“Fuck it” His dark hoof quickly grabbed the flask from under his cloak, and Indar drank the rest of its contents to gain another surge of inner confidence. He glanced towards Nohrrus, who hadn’t moved an inch since he threw the pick before, which was odd. The Minotaur was the methodic, calculating type, sure, but he also took action as soon as he got too bored, and given his tiny amount of patience, that was often. Now, however, time seemed to have stopped for him. Like he wasn’t even breathing.

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?!” The pegasus called to Indar, seeing as he was getting ready to run.

“Winin’ us some time!” Indar took off without looking back, throwing the empty flask somewhere behind him.

Given his upbringing and life experiences, running in the desert sand was an easy feat for the stallion. Whereas other creatures would be slowed down by the difficult, uneven path that the dunes provided, Indar thrived in it; he was used to it, he had crossed this very desert many times before, and he was sure he would have to do it again many more times gain in the future. And so, he ran the distance that separated them from Nohrrus in no time.

When the stallion reached the Minotaur, he jumped into the air in order to throw the first punch. Nohrrus hardly flinched, having never taken his eyes from the pony, he blocked the overhead attack with his forearm and jabbed Indar’s abdomen in a fast yet firm motion. Still, Indar didn’t relent his attack, he wound back his hind leg and kicked Nohrrus’ jaw, sensing the all too familiar feeling of bones beneath skin bending in an unnatural position. The Minotaur stumbled off to the side, dropping his defences long enough for him to let go of Indar, and as the aforementioned landed on the sand.

He heard the loud crack of Nohrrus’ jaw relocating.

The dark pony wasted no time in seeing what had come out of his last attack and took advantage of the height difference between them both, sliding under the Minotaur to swipe Nohrrus’ hoofs from beneath him. Nohrrus’ back collided with the sand and, due to his taller frame and bigger size, his spine reverberated from the impact.

Indar, displaying incredible resilience, skilfully jumped onto his opponent's back and hit the backside of his head with all the strength he could muster in a rushed frenzy, momentarily staggering the colossal creature. Even so, Nohrrus quickly recovered, rolled over, and swung his arm using the sheer force of his momentum to throw Indar out of him and into the ground.

Nohrrus jumped to his hoofs, Indar mimicked him in haste and took a step back, his glare dared him to get close.

And so he did.

With a thunderous swipe of his massive arm, Nohrrus attempted to knock Indar out. Sensing the danger, the stallion dodged it almost a second too late from having his face disfigured, narrowly escaping the bone-crushing impact, but the moment he did, Nohrrus’ hands grabbed Indar’s shoulders as he brought his knee up, smashing it against his opponent’s abdomen. One thing was for certain; Nohrrus was bigger, stronger and more deadly than Indar would ever be. Indar knew enough hoof-to-hoof combat to survive, and even if he wasn’t beyond taking drastic measures – The stallion briefly remembered Veonu –, he tried to avoid it where he could, or make it as painless as possible.

On the contrary, Nohrrus always went for the kill.

Undeterred, Nohrrus roared in defiance, his eyes fixated on the stallion as he retreated his leg and was about to throw yet another punch. Indar grabbed the inner side of the Minoraur’s knee, linking it to his chest and twisting his body, sending the bigger creature to the ground once again. Still, he didn’t have much time to rejoice on his little victory.

Nohrrus flexed his trapped limb, and with his other leg he kicked Indar in the chest with a burst of untamed strength, launching and propelling him several feet away. The stallion crashed onto the sandy ground, momentarily dazed from the forceful impact. He landed nearly in the middle between Rainbow Dash and Randall on one side, and Nohrrus on the other. His stomach was aching from the blows and he could feel a bruise already forming.

As the dust settled, both combatants stood on opposite ends of the terrain. Indar panted heavily but unyielding, rising to his hooves despite stumbling a little, determination – or sheer stupidity, really. Why was he doing this again? – etched on his face. Meanwhile, Nohrrus snorted and readied himself for the next round, his primal instincts urging him to continue to fight… Yeah, right. Like it was an option.

And he barely had to break a sweat.

The Minotaur began a slow march towards Indar, his eyes never leaving the figure of the stallion. Although he wasn’t dead yet, Nohrrus would make sure to end that miserable pony’s life once and for all with his bare hands if he needed to. Whatever his motivations were at this point, be it revenge or pure spite, Nohrrus would stop at nothing and no creature.

A hoof kicked Nohrrus’ cheek from above and the Minotaur felt the skin tearing, the warm and slow trickle of his own blood going down the side of his face. It was so sudden and fast and he didn’t get a chance to recover from the surprise.

In a display of agile prowess, the rainbow-maned pegasus darted towards Nohrrus, her movements resembling a dance in mid-air. With swift and calculated precision, she unleashed a flurry of strikes, targeting the Minotaur's vulnerable areas. Her blows were infused with both physical strength and the grace of her flight, creating a harmonious blend of power, colour, and, in her words, ‘awesomeness’.

Nohrrus was repetitive and predictable, Rainbow Dash noticed. Undeterred, she adapted her strategy, utilising her aerial advantage to keep the Minotaur off balance. As the battle intensified, Rainbow Dash employed her ability to soar high above, adopting hit-and-run tactics. She swooped down from the sky, delivering precise and powerful attacks, and then swiftly ascended again, leaving the Minotaur disoriented and frustrated.

As the winged pony executed a daring manoeuvre, diving from above with unmatched speed. She harnessed the full force of her flight, delivering a decisive blow to the Minotaur, sending him crashing to the ground.

Once he laid on the sand, Rainbow used her back hooves to stomp hard on his stomach to take away his breath in one solid move. Although it worked, she made the mistake of staying put on his abdomen for more than two seconds, for Nohrrus took advantage of it and grabbed both her hindlegs, raising her in the air and throwing her against the ground next to him. Rainbow fell sideways, hitting her right shoulder in the process. Hard.

Still, the Rainbow Dash was not a pony to fall and never get back up.

Shaking her head, the pegasus rolled over swiftly, making Nohrrus let go of her so as to not twist his own arms. The Minotaur rushed to her and threw a right hook with brute force, swinging his mighty fist and horns in a relentless onslaught, trying to hit her temple, but Dash blocked it with her elbow and jumped into the air, kicking him one more time in the nose and hearing the sonorous crack before putting as much distance between them as possible. The impulse of her kick made Nohrrus back away, he had heard word of her speed but he never expected her to be quick witted, he thought she was just another dumb runaway pegasus trying to go overseas.

Nohrrus barely felt the pain of his broken nose, his focus solely on getting the job done. But it was an accurate move, he would give her that, and if it weren’t for the dripping blood that fell on his tongue he would have never become aware of the injury. Nonetheless, that did little to nothing to stop him.

Rainbow landed next to Indar, instinctually her wings extended and her muzzle lowered to the ground to show that she wasn’t afraid of Nohrrus (even if she was kinda unnerved by his presence), ignoring the ache on her shoulder. She was sure it was dislocated, and because of that she tried to not rest so much of her weight on it as possible, but she could only do so much right now.

“He keeps gaining on us, we can’t outrun him forever” Rainbow frowned and turned to the dark pony. “What in Celestia’s name did you do to make him so angry?”.

“Yeah… long story short, I borrowed some Qol from him a while ago. Turns out Minotaurs aren’t too forgiving when it comes to debts” Indar sighed.

Rainbow let out a puff of air and shook her head. “Well, that explains why he’s been tailing us all this way from Tayne. I thought he had a crush on you or something”.

Indar grimaced, shocked at her statement. “A crush? Really? Trust me, it’s all about money” The stallion darted his eyes between Nohrrus and the pegasus. “Apparently I’m on his ‘hit list’ until the debt is settled”.

“Well, lucky me” She exclaimed. “You could have told me before letting me stick with a debt-ridden partner attracting dangerous creatures and old enemies left and right” Rainbow remembered briefly the Bandits, and what Indar had told her that night by the fire.

“Hey, if anything you insisted on me coming with you”.

“Whatever, Mr. Debtor” Rainbow frowned, not too eager on changing the subject from their very present and very dangerous foe. “So, how do we deal with him? Can’t you just… I don’t know, pay him?!”.

“Ehh…” Indar stuttered. “It ain’t too easy, you see… I- uh-- I killed one of his partners” He mumbled under his breath.

“What?”

“I killed one of his partners”.

“Boy, you gotta speak louder than that, don’t go shy on me”.

“I killed one of his partners, okay?!” The stallion raised his voice, enough for Rainbow, Nohrrus and any creature around to hear. “They-- I-- Look, they threatened me, what was I supposed to do?”.

“Wow, geez, I don’t know. How about ‘run’?!” the rainbow-maned mare chastised him, stating the obvious.

“It doesn’t matter now” Indar shook his hoof in the air, ignoring her answer and locking his eyes on Nohrrus’ figure. “We have to face him head-on. There’s no running away from a Minotaur with an outstanding debt. We fight, we win, and maybe we live enough to get away from here”. The stallion felt a drop of sweat roll down from his brow, and flipped. “Hopefully without losing any limbs”.

“Agreed” Rainbow nodded. “But remind me, why did you think asking a Minotaur for money was a good idea in the first place? And you say I’m the insane one…”.

Indar said nothing, opting to keep some things to himself, and Rainbow had already started to catch up on some of his quirks, like his secrecy, for example. He would throw little details here and there to offer her just enough clarity on certain things. She didn’t know why, though, maybe he wanted her to figure it out on her own, or maybe he liked being dramatic, who knows.

Despite it all, she was getting used to it.

“Let's be smart about it” The stallion caught her attention once more. “We can't afford to underestimate his strength. Our best chance might be a quick, decisive strike”.

This time around, Rainbow chose to stay silent. Her innermost consciousness knew that there was no other way, and she understood it, but a part of her still couldn’t help but ask if it was really their only option.

Easy as it may be to grasp her head around it, she had been raised to, and she firmly believed that every life mattered, and that no creature was beyond redemption.

Indar seemed to figure out her train of thought. “For fuck’s sake…” He sighed. “Look, I know it may be a nasty, big pill to swallow, but swallow it” He stated in the best way he knew how. “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do. If we don’t face him now, he’ll hunt us down eventually, and we may doubt whether to kill him or not, but take my word on this; he won’t hesitate. Ever. It’s a risk we have to take”.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, opting to not share her thoughts on the matter, but ultimately said nothing.

Understanding that survival was paramount, the stallion and the pegasus prepared themselves for round two against the Minotaur, steeling their hearts and minds. Rainbow knew the risk they were taking, the balance between fighting and fleeing. In a pivotal moment of silence, both ponies found themselves standing side by side, the air crackled with anticipation as they faced the looming beast that was Nohrrus, and yet, the only thing that one would see was the shining resolve in both Rainbow’s and Indar’s eyes.

With a graceful landing, Clingy landed on the stallion’s back, his feathers ruffled softly as he gazed upon the impending battle, and his eyes filled with unwavering loyalty. Besides him stood Rainbow Dash. Her wings spread wide in a display of aerial prowess and years of experience, each feather aligned perfectly amongst the appendage without interfering with another. Her magenta eyes shined with fierce determination and hope for another outcome.

In perfect synchronicity, they exchange a nod of silent understanding. Their minds merged, strategizing with unspoken communication. Their breaths steadied, their hearts beaten in harmony, the anticipation building with each passing moment of inactivity.

The ground trembled beneath their hooves as the Minotaur loomed before them, his monstrous form a testament to primal power and rage. And still, Nohrrus did not move a single inch.

Was he waiting for something? Was he giving them the green light to go away? None of them knew, but what both Rainbow and Indar did know was that they shared an unspoken understanding of what was to come, and that they needed to act before Nohrrus did, whenever that may be.

As they were about to sprint forward, both ponies were suddenly stopped by a hoarse voice.

“Fuck off” Randall spat, not at them particularly, but given their current circumstance they understood what Randall wanted to say (to some extent).

Randall’s posture changed the closer they got to both ponies, forcing themself upright with violent shudders here and there, and dragging the blood-splattered pick behind them. By the time they had regained their strength, they grinned, looking at their companions as if they hadn’t been just severely wounded. “Nabia is just ahead, get the hell outta here” Indar quieted his nerves in the face of their uncanny nature, he pitied whoever dared to challenge Randall in the past, and he wondered if Nohrrus was aware of what he was getting himself into.

Randall’s reputation preceded them, after all.

Erratic, unstable, psychotic: a sanguinary beast whenever it came down to a fight. There was an air of unpredictability that surrounded them, making it difficult to anticipate their actions in a fight. Word was they were often seen as a mad-dog (ironically), displaying a distorted sense of reality and willingness to embrace violence as a solution.

In essence, when engaged in combat Randall’s demeanour shifted dramatically. Their movements turned sporadic and frenzied, fueled by a surge of adrenaline and an unsettling disregard for personal safety. However, their volatile nature could also be a double-edged sword. Granted, Randall’s unpredictable behaviour could make it difficult for any creature to rely on them completely, since no creature was too certain on when they might take things a little too far or become a liability. Despite this, there was an undeniable charisma that accompanied their mental instability.

Overall, Randall basked on the heat of battle, especially if they had a good reason to not be stopped. And now that they were face to face with the executioner of their cousin’s death… Indar just knew it was about to go down.

“Randall, we can’t just leave you here” Rainbow tried to reason with the feline-like creature, her gaze briefly diverting to their bleeding shoulder where a tourniquet prevented ungodly amounts of blood to come out – although it didn’t manage to stop all of the red liquid, it made a solid job at salvaging most of it.

“Dammit, you don't understand, do you?!” The feline screamed. “He wanted to keep you both safe, even if it meant sacrificin’ himself” Randall turned to her, showing the pegasus a face that not every creature got to see and live to tell the tale. Their eyes became intense, reflecting a mix of excitement and menace, and they were breathing heavily as if there was not enough air in the world. “That asshole over there killed my only family. ‘Cuz Jack…I have to do this. I told you not to get in my way”.

Rainbow Dash frowned, casting her gaze towards the sand, there was no amount of convincing to change the feline’s mind, was there?. And even if there was, in some odd way it would be hypocritical of her to try to do so, since Rainbow herself was determined to set things right on her own.

So, in part, she understood, but it still felt wrong to leave Randall to their luck, especially now that they were missing an arm and clearly struggling to stay awake--.

“Trust me, there ain’t no way in hell I’ll let that ugly son of a bitch get outta here alive”. They said, cutting her train of thought before it got off the rails. Although their message was meant to reaffirm Randall’s resolve to Rainbow Dash, the true meaning of their words were left unsaid. The pegasus returned her eyes to the feline-like creature. Trying to believe them. Hoping to believe them. In what world would they be ‘fine’? She thought. What would give her the certainty that they would survive?. Her face must’ve shown it since Randall laughed out loud one last time for her to hear. “C’mon, don’t give me that sappy pony shit your kind seems to like so much”.

What would her friends do?

“Let’s go” Indar called to her, already marching away. but the pegasus wouldn’t budge.

“No, we can’t just abandon them!” She stood her ground.

“I already told you, swallow the pill” Indar firmly recalled. “Even if we don’t want to leave them here, they’re too stupid to be reasoned with”.

“The little smartass is right, weirdly enough” Randall nodded. “I admire your loyalty, but this ain’t your fight”.

Defeated, the pegasus let her head hang to avoid seeing either Randall or Indar in the face, she didn’t want to admit it, but she felt it unjust to just wound up and leave the feline behind, as capable as they may be. She thought then of Ponyville, of her friends. Whenever there was a problem that any of them had to face, the rest of her friends would stand by each other no matter the circumstance. So why couldn’t she? Why did she have to leave them?

Randall, that is--.

“I’m stronger than I seem, sunshine” Randall said again, swinging Nohrrus’ pick over their shoulder as if it were nothing. “I won’t go down without a fight”.

Reluctantly, the winged pony acknowledged the gravity of the situation and the determination burning within Randall. She understood that sometimes, true strength meant letting go and trusting in the capabilities of her friend. With a heavy heart, she made her decision, deciding to trust Randall’s judgement, and she prepared herself to say farewell. “Fine” Rainbow raised her head one more time to lock her eyes with Randall’s green orbs. “You better win, or I’ll have to come back and kick your ass!”.

“Atta girl” The feline-like creature cracked a smile, a genuine one for the first time ever since they met. And as they watched both ponies turn around they said one more thing as their own farewell. “Aye, sunshine!”. The pegasus turned around to acknowledge them. “Edenburg folk have more of a ‘wee’ accent, if you know what I mean. Yours is too… fancy shmancy".

Rainbow laughed at that, knowing they weren’t fooled by her act, but she appreciated their silence. “I’ll work on it”. She said, flapping her wings and taking off alongside Indar’s running form.

Randall watched her soaring for a while before dropping their smile entirely, their eyes darkened.

As the wind whispered through the dunes, they focused on her silhouette high above; her wings outstretched against the azure of the early morning, almost blending seamlessly. Her graceful flight seemed to taunt the feline, a reminder of the freedom they never had, and most likely never will. The same freedom that had been ripped away from their cousin.

Randall’s eyes followed the pegasus’ path when a pang of melancholy washed over them. They watched as she danced with the currents, effortlessly defying gravity, a symbol that mocked their own broken spirit.

Then, a flicker of something akin to madness graced Randall’s eyes as they watched the pegasus, a silent conversation passing between them that only one party was aware of. In that fleeting conversation, they saw a little speck of hope amidst the darkness that consumed them; a spark ignited within their soul, mingling with the rage that fueled their desire for revenge.

With a heavy sigh, Randall tore their eyes away from the pegasus and the stallion, returning to the cruel reality that awaited them, Nohrrus, loomed in the distance, a beast stained with the blood of many whose names were long forgotten, amongst them; their cousin Jack.

There would be no mercy, no remorse in the battle that awaited them. And they would be victorious.

Randall’s charismatic charm seemed to fade as they embraced the confrontation. The unhinged madness that laid dormant within them resurfaced, their shadowed eyes glimmering at the promise of chaos and violence.

With a bittersweet longing, the feline-like creature casted one final glance at Rainbow Dash, soaring freely above the desolate desert as she got farther alongside Indar and Clingy with each passing second. In that moment, they vowed to fight with all their might, to honour their cousin’s memory and unleash their fury upon the Minotaur that had stolen a life so dear.

Unbeknownst to them, Rainbow looked back one last time to see the feline swinging the pick back and forth with their remaining arm, stepping forward to face their nemesis. The weight of her consciousness urged her to go back, to help them, to save them. But alas, this also was something Randall needed the most. And they needed to do it alone.

“You think they’ll be alright?” She asked aloud, not particularly expecting a response, but she still received one.

“They better be” The stallion said, running to keep up with her.

The terrain trembled under the weight of anticipation as the one-armed feline, consumed by the raw anger of revenge, and the hulking, unfeeling Nohrrus locked eyes. Randall’s heart pounded heavily on their chest, fueled by the memory of their cousin’s headless body hanging on the southern gate of Tayne. Nohrrus, devoid of any remorse, snarled with a bloodlust that matched Randall’s own.

Without hesitation, Randall charged forward, unleashing a primal scream that pierced the air. Nohrrus responded with an earth-shaking bellow, and the clash of their titanic forms reverberated across the battleground. Despite the disadvantage of losing an arm, Randall's relentless fury propelled them forward, weaving through the Minotaur's thunderous strikes.

The feline swinged the blood-stained pick with unwavering focus, and sprung ahead.

Nohrrus charged, meeting them half-way. His massive hooves pounding against the desert floor, the ground trembling beneath his rage. Randall dodged with a manic agility, their movements unpredictable and erratic. Swinging the deadly pick and aiming to strike him down, Randall danced away, either to toy with their opponent or to confuse him, no creature would know.

The feline’s voice echoed across the sandy terrain, a chilling mixture of laughter and torment. “This is the best ya can do, Nohrrus?!” They taunted. Blood spilled upon the bloodstained sand, a visceral testament to the brutality of their fight.

“Y’know, I ain’t even started!”. With a primal roar, Nohrrus lunged at Randall once more, his most savage instincts fueled by the thrill of the hunt. But Randall’s charisma had always been their greatest weapon. They mocked the beast, daring him to get closer with every provocation.

“Ya wanna know how I killed Tegur?!” They asked, Randall’s green eyes following the Minotaur’s every movement as he tried to no avail to reach the feline, and a smiled formed in their mouth showing all their teeth. “I shredded him to pieces! He’s probably a hamburger by now!”.

But Nohrrus was not one to be easily bested, Roaring with primal fury, he shrugged off the verbal rocks as if they were mere annoyances. He didn’t care for Veonu, or Tegur, they were just liabilities easily removed by one tiny drunk pony and one overgrown cat, which only made them weak, and therefore mediocre in his book. Instead, the Minotaur retaliated with an earth-shaking force, massive fists crashing into Randall’s upper body with devastating strength. Bones fractured, for sure, and blood sprayed through the air as the feline coughed.

With each clash, the fight between Nohrrus and Randall became a twisted dance of madness and brutality. Nohrrus’ every move was calculated precisely to inflict maximum damage, his blows unrelenting and merciless. The Minotaur was solely fueled by his insatiable bloodlust, showing no signs of relenting. Nohrrus took pride in his characterised fighting style; a deadly blend of brute force and calculated precision, he aimed to deliver bone-crushing blows and shatter the spirits of those unfortunate enough to cross his path.

Unhinged and fearsome, Nohrrus had earned his reputation as a living nightmare on the battlefield. His opponents trembled in fear as they witnessed his insatiable thirst for carnage and the crimson-stained hands that bore proof to countless lives taken before.

Still, opposite to him, Randall’s fighting style was, to say the least, unorthodox and unconventional; it lacked any clear strategy or structure. They relied heavily on their instincts and sheer ferocity, attacking with a reckless abandon that surprised both friends and foes alike. There was a certain awareness of their approach, as if they channelled a deep, untamed aggression that bubbled beneath the surface.

Their fighting methods may seem chaotic, but there was no denying the eerie efficiency to them. Randall’s instincts enabled them to adapt quickly to changing situations, often characterised by unexpected manoeuvres or sudden bursts of violence.

That being said, with unwavering focus Randall exploited Nohrrus' blind spots provided by his massive form and incredible height, manoeuvring swiftly and fluidly. They utilised their remaining arm with deadly precision to swing the pick towards him, parrying the Minotaur's deadly strikes and countering with quick, erratic blows of his own weapon against him. Each strike carried the weight of vengeance and grief, with the objective of avenging their fallen cousin.

“He screamed and begged for me to help him!” Randall recalled. “Like a fucking baby!”. The clash of metal and primal fury echoed through the air as the two combatants engaged in battle. Randall, fueled by a deep-rooted resolve, used their remaining arm and their agile footwork to dodge the Minotaur's thunderous charges. With each evasive manoeuvre, they searched for a strategic opening to exploit.

But Nohrrus, though devoid of emotions, was as formidable an opponent as there would ever be. With a surge of relentless strength, the Minotaur retaliated by unleashing a barrage of savage attacks upon Randall.

Nohrrus swinged his massive horns, and Randall deftly ducked and rolled over, narrowly escaping the deadly onslaught. Sadly for them, they had to let go of the pick in order to stand upright, and didn’t get a chance to retrieve it since Nohrrus caught it before the feline and retaliated with swift and precise strikes of his own, looking for vulnerable spots on the feline’s slim body.

Blood mingled with sweat as the clash intensified, the battle becoming a gruesome symphony of brutality. Nohrrus’ relentless onslaught was matched only by Randall’s unwavering defiance, their damaged body a vessel for unbridled rage.

With every bone-shattering impact, both Randall and Nohrrus teetered on the brink of oblivion where the line between hunter and hunted blurred. Their battle remained, however, as a visceral testament to their mutual raw drive to survive no matter the cost. Each blow, each strike and each manoeuvre was a testament to their unyielding desire to be the last one standing amidst the carnage.

Randall’s resilience shined through, as they used their agility and street-fight-honed instincts to anticipate the Minotaur’s every move. They leveraged their knowledge of combat to outmanoeuvre and outwit their formidable foe. With a deft twist, the feline-like creature sidestepped a charging attack and delivered a devastating scratch with their claws to the Minotaur’s exposed flank, drawing blood.

However, Nohrrus, driven by bloodlust and brutality, refused to yield. He roared with a primal fury that shook the very ground beneath him. Ignoring the searing pain coursing through his body, he launched a relentless assault on Randall.

In a desperate gambit, as the feline’s battle-psychotic instincts pushed them to the brink, Randall used the sand beneath them to their advantage. The feline lured Nohrrus closer and with a swift motion they grabbed a handful of sand, throwing it to the Minotaur’s eyes, successfully – yet temporarily – blinding him.

Nohrrus stumbled backwards, his unfeeling facade momentarily shaken. But true to his relentless nature, the Minotaur retaliated with a bone-shattering charge. He lunged forward, his massive fists hammering down upon Randall, testing their resilience to the limit. Every strike was met with unwavering defiance, as Randall refused to succumb to the overwhelming force that loomed above them.

As Nohrrus closed the distance, Randall's eyes glinted with a newfound determination. They sidestepped the Minotaur's strike, their remaining arm moving with unnatural speed. Grasping the pick embedded in the sand, a dark grin played upon Randall's lips.

They couldn’t--.

Randall unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes. The pick whirled through the air, guided by their unyielding ire. Blow after blow rained down upon Nohrrus, carving deep wounds into the beast's arms, legs, chest, back, hide, everywhere they could reach. Nohrrus, with eyes freshly wiped from any remaining sand, fought back with a ferocity matched only by Randall's unhinged rage. Horns clashed against the pick, each collision sending sparks flying. The terrain became a swirling vortex of violence, their battle echoing the turmoil within Randall's fractured mind.

They wouldn’t--.

With a final surge of fight-psychotic energy, Randall summoned every ounce of strength remaining within their battered, amputated body. “Nighty-night, bitch!” They announced. In a final act of defiance, Randall sidestepped Nohrrus' charge, their eyes burning with a maniacal fire. With one swift, precise movement, they raised the pick high above their head, and in a brutal stroke, brought it down with all their might. The pick sank into Nohrrus' neck, severing the Minotaur's head from its hulking body.

They did it.

They did it?.

They did it?!.

A fucking overgrown cat?! No! They weren’t supposed to win! They were supposed to lose! To die! They were supposed to suffer under Nohrrus’ might and strength! They were supposed to be the prey, just like that pussy of a cousin they had! They were just a cat! A fucking overgrown cat!

Why?

How?!

WHY?!

FUCK THEM! FUCK THAT FUCKING PONY! FUCK THAT FUCKING BITCH OF A PEGASUS! FUCK THAT OVERGROWN CAT!

THEY CAN’T KILL HIM! THEY JUST CAN’T!

NOHRRUS WAS FEARED! CREATURES TREMBLED UPON HEARING HIS NAME! HE WAS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH, SHOWING ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY OR REGARD FOR ANY CREATURE’S LIFE!

Nohrrus’ head rolled from his neck, and it fell down, down, down to the sand. If the rumours were to be true, then the Minotaur would still be conscious long enough to memorise the face of their killer; a drunken green haze that transcended sanity itself was burned down on his memory, and that creepy grin that showed both teeth and rage would be forever engraved on his eyes until his next life.

‘Fuck you, Randall’.

The battlefield fell silent, the dust settling around Randall as they stood victorious, a mix of triumph and madness dancing in their eyes.

Breathing heavily, Randall casted their gaze upon the lifeless head of their nemesis. Their charismatic facade had been stripped away, revealing the raw and unhinged soul beneath. The weight of vengeance and loss hung heavy in the air, their victory, although bitter, was all the much sweeter.

But still…

Randall's mouth quivered with its grimace, their whiskers twitching as they trembled from the overwhelming notions running through their mind. A sudden memory flashed before Randall's eyes, when they were a kid all those years ago.

They had been kicked out of their home, their parents had said they 'didn't recognize' them anymore. They were disgusted by Randall's 'sick nature' when they came home confessing their true identity and pleading for understandment. They had turned their backs on them just for being true to themself, and left them on the streets at the ripe age of nine years old.

But, even after all their family disowned them, it was 'cuz Jack who stayed by their side, taking them in and moving to Tayne together, even if the rest of their close-knitted so-called family turned their backs on him as well. He had left it all behind to give Randall a place to stay, a home to go to.

And he did it time and time again whenever Randall got in trouble. Whenever they came home bruised and bleeding from getting in yet another fight, Jack did everything so nobody came looking for the feline-like creature. Whenever Randall made the occasional mistake of greeting their neighbours a bit too ‘kindly’, Jack would take the blame and amend it however he could.

Whenever any of his patrons was in trouble, Jack would give them a place to stay as well.

He chose to do that, all of that, time and time again.

Why?

Tears started rolling down Randall's cheeks as they watched Nohrrus’ surprised, angry, mad, cold, dead eyes, a gaze the Minotaur would never be able to return.

Why?

Randall would never understand him. But they knew that Jack was selfless like that, he just… As the sun peeked over the horizon, casting its golden rays upon the desolate sandy terrain, Randall let out a guttural scream of raw fury and impotence, they cried out to no creature in particular. However, the memory of their ‘cuz Jack, tortured and beheaded by this son of a bitch, fueled them to absolutely destroy their own vocal chords.

The feline let the tears fall with every second that passed. Why couldn't Jack still be alive? He deserved to live much more than anyone else!

Why couldn’t Randall take their cousin’s place?

With a mix of relief and sorrow, Randall’s scream slowly died down as they released a final breath, their battle psychosis dissipating. They had honoured the memory of their ‘cuz Jack, knowing that his death had been avenged.

Randall stood there, breathing heavily, their single arm hanging limply at their side. Their eyes, filled with a mixture of pain and vindication, surveyed the aftermath of the fierce battle. The weight of their cousin's memory was suddenly lifted from their shoulders, replaced by a sense of grim satisfaction. With the severed head of Nohrrus at their feet, Randall let out a chilling laugh, the sound echoing through the desolate desert.

As the dawn gave way to a new day, Randall let go of the weapon and instead grabbed Nohrrus’ head by one of his horns, limping away and going back home. The battle was won, but the scars, both physical and emotional, would forever be engraved in them.

Exchanges and disagreements

“I really hate these guys…”.

“Tell me ‘bout it”.

Rainbow Dash bitterly side-eyed the blue-maned stallion and frowned. Her lower lip stung, but not enough to bother her, still, the metallic flavour provided by her own blood was much easier to ignore than the other bruises she portrayed, such as her brand new – and very much sore – stab wound she just got on her barrel.

Courtesy of her favourite Bandit, of course.

Not only that, but the poor treatment she received from said Bandit was not that great either – She supposed she should be grateful for them not letting her die, Shalab did say she was worth more alive than dead anyways, whatever that meant –, the rubbing alcohol stung like hell and the bandages kept just enough pressure on her wound to deem it safe to move around, but the thing was even moving hurt. Still, since none of them bothered to stitch her up (or even give her the bloody needle and thread to do it herself) there was no doubt that she would have a permanent souvenir engraved on her body if she survived the night, that is. At this rate she didn't want to doubted it.

Indar wasn’t looking so fresh either, he received a good beating as well – also given to him by their sponsor of the day. He got a black eye on his right socket, and Rainbow was pretty sure he got a bruised rib or two from being used as a punch bag (again. She reminded him to add ‘practice dummy’ to his resumé, since it seemed to bring him more clientele than cartography), also his previous wound on the leg had reopened after one of those Bandits had the brilliant idea to stab him in the very same place (or at least close enough to open the wound once more).

She had woken up probably an hour ago, when night had already fallen over the Sahida Desert, and one of the bandits – an earth pony with a mane the colour of carrots and light, blue eyes – came to check up on them. They changed her bandages and even took the time to see if there were any other wounds they might've missed before. Rainbow Dash also recognised them as the pony that nearly choked her to death when she met the Bandits for the first time, and it both amazed and terrorised her; the way this earth pony was so gentle with her wounds, yet they easily could (and already have) overpower her with their bare hooves.

Apparently, this Bandit went by the name of Driza – since she heard somepony else call them before they left the wagon. They weren't much of a talker, but they were deeply observant, and that was something else she will have to be weary of.

Clingy screeched, catching her attention as she watched the bird try to open his wings as far as they could reach, but failing miserably due to the constrictive cage he found himself in – hanging from a wooden beam inside the wagon.

The rainbow-maned mare nodded. “You’re right, Clingy, this is Indar’s fault”.

“How is it my fault?!” The aforementioned huffed, rolling around to face her despite his rope restraints tightening as he did so. “If it weren’t for you, we’d be arrivin’ in Nabia right ‘bout now!”.

“My way was faster!” Rainbow exclaimed. “We were going in circles!”.

“I’ve mapped these deserts more times than you can think of, I knew exactly where we were goin’” Indar defended himself. “I thought you’d have half a brain to just shut up and follow me”.

“Well excuse me for trying to do something useful! All the time you act like you know better--!”.

“Because I do know better!”.

“But we end up either being followed by crazy Minotaurs or crazy Bandits or crazy oversized Cats that have a martyr complex and it never ends well!”. The pegasus uttered thunderously, raising her head to glare at him better, as if her piercing gaze could drill a hole into his head – preferably a hole that would crack his otherwise apparently empty skull open and just make him realise what a prick he is –. “And the worst part is that you don’t even care! You just do your own thing and expect everypony to agree with you, and when we do things my way you’re acting like a whining arsehole the entire time!”.

“Well you were the one who begged me to come with you!”.

“I never begged you! We are going the same way so I thought it would be nice to go together!” She objected. “Obviously I was wrong, you’re the worst pony I’ve ever met”.

The stallion hardened his glare, and with a rumbling voice he said, "You can say all you want, but your perception of reality is so fucked up that you'd die without me in this desert--".

"Not this again" Rainbow huffed, rolling her eyes. “I managed just fine without you, and If anything I’ve saved you all this time”.

"Not everything can be solved with bad jokes and delusions of a stupid, magical land that doesn't even exist!".

"Equestria is real!".

"For fuck’s sake-- Wake up!" He screamed, louder than either of them expected and sufficiently boisterous to be heard on the other side of the caravan, where Shalab and his bandits were eating besides a fire. "It's not real, it's never been real, and it never will be! I don't know, and at this point I don't care where you come from, but you've got some serious mental damage! This is reality! We're in a fucked up desert trapped in a fucked up caravan to be sold to some fucked up asshole and all of it could have been prevented if it weren't for you!".

Rainbow was about to object to that with something that would surely hurt him, because as of right now she wanted to hurt him like he was hurting her, but her mind drifted to twists and turns, and she couldn't help but think that maybe, in some parallel universe where she might admit it out loud, he was right... It all could have been prevented if she didn't take off that day, if only she was strong enough to resist his mind games, ~~if only she had stood in front of her friends then maybe somepony else would be trapped in here, in~~ her place ~~right now~~... But soon after, the rainbow-maned mare had to lay back from the sharp pain on her barrel. Rainbow looked down at the bandages, red spots already forming again from the sudden movement. "At least I do something" She sighed.

Unbeknownst to her, Indar watched as the wound reopened with a grimace, knowing all too well the throbbing pain she must be in right now. "Look I--" He started, his voice surprisingly soft.

"Don't" Rainbow gazed up towards the ceiling of the wagon. The wooden beams that held the cover kept her from seeing the sky welcoming the moon and stars. “Let’s just… figure out a way to get out of here”.

As she stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts drifted to how they ended up in this situation.

Earlier that day, they had been running (or in her’s and Clingy’s case; flying) for hours to no end, they barely even stopped a few times to rest or eat the remaining leftovers they had, which wasn’t much to begin with. Still, no matter how fast they went or how far they reached, the desert seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, making their goal feel all the more elusive.

The Sahida Desert went out as far as the eye could see, although something had changed as they advanced. Sparse vegetation stubbornly clung to life, defying the harsh conditions in which it lived on. From time to time, Rainbow would see cacti standing tall as she flew over them, even if their spiky exterior seemed… uninviting… – she certainly wouldn’t like to land on any of those.

Another thing that had changed throughout the course of the hours was those towering steep-sided, flat-topped hills – she didn’t really know what they were called, but she liked the change in scenery –, which rose from the sandy terrain like sentinels as their weathered cliffs casted long shadows on the sand, the dunes, the occasional lone scorpion and the cacti. Said hills eventually gave way to a wide canyon that expanded for miles. The floor of which was, from what Rainbow could see from above the precipice, like a labyrinth of jagged rocks and long dry riverbeds.

The way she saw it, they had two options; either carry on for the whole day in utter silence until they got to Nabia well past midnight, or they could just pass over the canyon and cut that time in half. She liked those odds. Indar, however, did not.

Indar argued that it would be pointless to drift apart from their route now, and that they would be in Nabia that very night either way. Not a very strong argument in Rainbow’s opinion. The pegasus countered his logic with his own logic, claiming that if it didn’t matter which way they went, why shouldn’t they go through the canyon?

Still, it didn’t matter how much she may have been right, neither of them was willing to give in to the other’s arguments. Indar was too stubborn to yield and Rainbow Dash was too angry to listen, so naturally, they found themselves in the midst of one of their infamous quarrels.

Their bickering echoed across the arid landscape, and neither noticed the group of Bandits (better known as the current pain on their asses) closing in on them.

As the argument escalated, Shalab and his Bandits sprang their ambush, emerging from the shifting sands with agility that betrayed their years of desert living. Their leader, cloaked in sandy coloured robes that protected his frame from the scorching heat of the sun, smirked beneath his turban as he saw his chance.

"With how many times we’ve met," Shalab growled. "I’d say we’re like a big, happy family, reunited at last". It seemed like the unicorn did not waste any time in Hellburn; he sported a shining new weapon glowing in the grasps of his magic – a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade.

The battle (if it could even be called that) didn’t take much time. Rainbow Dash, Indar and Clingy were tired, no, exhausted from the long trip, lack of rations and water to sustain themselves, and, on top of that, neither of them were in the mood to cooperate with the other, so it was surprise to no creature when the Bandits managed to subdue them.

With a sudden, fluid motion, Shalab lunged at Rainbow, his blade gleaming in the harsh desert light. Her wings carried her aloft, and she manoeuvred with the expertise that preceded her in the air, narrowly avoiding the slashing attack. Yet Shalab, undeterred, lunged once more, his blade slicing through the air with deadly precision. With a swift, unexpected strike, Shalab's scimitar cut a deep gash across Rainbow’s barrel, causing her to cry out in pain.

Indar, witnessing the pegasu’s injury, abandoned his methodical approach and charged at Shalab, recklessly wielding a makeshift weapon – a broken branch. Though obstinate and dealing with his own half of the Bandits, Indar fought with a fiery determination, distracting Shalab long enough for Rainbow to regain her composure.

But it was too late. Shalab, his patience waning, swiftly incapacitated Indar and captured both of them in weighted chains.

Breathing heavily, Shalab stood triumphant, his bandits regaining their breaths. He sneered at the captured duo, talking to his crew without taking his eyes off of the Pegasus. “Patch them up, they’re more worth to us alive than dead”. The unicorn then pressed his hoof onto Rainbow’s barrel, making her scream in pain. "You may have put up a fight, but in the end, Sahida ain’t kind to no creature".

That’s when Rainbow lost consciousness. She’d wake up later to find herself tied up and poorly treated, her wings pressed hard against her back to prevent her from escaping once more, and the element she had kept guarded on her neck all this time gone.

Now, however, she could only assume Shalab had it... That didn't make it any better, though.

Both ponies heard a boisterous chorus of laughter from outside the caravan, which made Rainbow's thoughts come back to the present.

Clingy screeched again, fluttering on his restrictive cage to try and find a more comfortable way to be other than stand still for Celestia knows how long.

The pegasus closed her eyes, as she strained against the ropes that bound her. Rainbow Dash knew that she had to escape these Bandits. Not just for her own sake, but for the promise she had unspokenly made to her friends. They were waiting for her, somewhere in the world, and it was only up to Rainbow to save them this time. They had believed in her, and she couldn't let them down, not this early, not when she hasn't even started to look for them.

Rainbow sighed, she was tired.

"Why were you even going to Nabia?".

Her magenta eyes opened once more, turning her head towards the stallion. "I thought you 'didn't care at this point'" She cited.

The stallion huffed. “Whatever" Indar shook slightly his head, and from what little Rainbow could notice – given the obscurity of the caravan, neither of them could really see the other neatly, but the moonlight gave enough clarity for them to not be completely covered in darkness –, he seemed to be trying to change the topic.

"I’m not going to Nabia" Rainbow confessed. "I just need to get out of the desert... Actually, I'm not sure where I have to go, I just know that…". Maybe it was her exhaustion that pushed her to talk or the sharp pain on her barrel that made her delusional, but, even if she already knew her friends were lost someplace she couldn't reach, saying it out loud (or partially saying it) made her feel as if some weight was lifted off of her shoulders. if only for a moment. “That my friends are lost”.

"Lost?". The stallion asked, his tone of voice changed for the first time during this whole exchange, and he sounded genuinely interested.

"We... got separated" Rainbow muttered, reliving the memories in her head despite unwillingness to remember. "But I'll find them, I'll get them home".

Indar glanced away from her, thinking that if they got separated, and if these 'friends' of Rainbow Dash were just like her, they might as well be... "Where’d you get separated?" He asked in a soft whisper.

Rainbow Dash became silent. She saw no point in telling him that everything started in Equestria, of all places. He already thought she was crazy, so why bother insisting?

"Look" He started. "If anything, Nabia is a good place to start looking for them".

A moment of silence surrounded them as Rainbow thought of his words. Nabia was a big City, or at least that was what the map said; it was a Capital City, and if the cities here were anything like Equestria, then it was almost imposible nopony knew nothing about the Elements, or her friends for that matter.

She still remembered what Princess Celestia had told her before pretty much vanishing Rainbow Dash from existence. ‘Don’t loose sight of the Elements’, she said. But the princess never said it would be easy.

The Pegasus closed her eyes with a grimace, not so much from the physical pain she was in, but from the realisation that not only did already she loose sight of her friend’s elements, but her own element was in the hooves of some stubborn, blue-balled unicorn that would most likely profit off of it if she didn’t escape right now.

"I think I can get us out of here" She heard Indar talk again, noticing the particular wiggling sound that was coming from him. "But...".

"What?" Rainbow hissed.

"You'll have to turn around".

The pegasus sighed and, instead of turning her back to him, she rolled her body to face the stallion – taking care to not put too much pressure on her barrel. She frowned the moment she finally saw Indar in all of his stupid, arsehole-y glory. Due to her waking up just an hour ago, the bags and crates surrounding them, and the lack of light, all she could see was (barely) his form covered in casting shadows, plus the cloak he seemed to favour so much lazily draped on him, as if somepony tossed it and it so happened to land atop the stallion. "Why?" She asked with a tired frown on her face.

"I'll try to bite off your ropes, obviously" Indar rolled his eyes.

The rainbow-maned mare took a deep breath, but eventually found his reasoning sound, and sighed for what seemed to be the upteenth time that hour. "Fine, but be quick. I don't know how long these bunch of blockheads are going to be out there before one of them comes to check up on us again". Rainbow Dash rolled over to turn her back on Indar, and hoped he knew what he was doing this time.

Author's Note

Apologies for the delay, I've been too depressed to do anything really. But that's just life for you I guess.

Amidst the chaos and confusion

As night fell, Shalab studied the shiny metal that enveloped the precious stone in place.

The metal, while to the untrained eye it would obviously be gold, didn’t really meet the criteria to be gold. Instead, this necklace had a particular shine to it that didn’t reflect the same way with the light. Whereas real gold reflected the light like a mirror, this metal seemed to thrive in the firelight almost as if it were, in some weird and impossible way, alive.

The Jewell, very much like the not-gold metal of the necklace, was a red stone in the shape of a lighting-bolt that seemed to emit light of its own. It could have been a ruby, perhaps, but not quite. Shalab had stolen plenty of jewellery in his lifetime from unaware travellers and naïve rich folk to be able to identify a proper ruby from a garnet, for example, or a red spinel, or any other precious stone. And this was not it.

He couldn’t explain it, but whatever this necklace was, it was something else. Something priceless.

The necklace that that mare pegasus wore ever since they met was clearly worth a lot of cash. It was in pristine condition, shiny and heavy, and therefore valuable. Something she clearly didn't want to fall on the wrong hooves.

That said, Shalab had no use for it other than profit.

Shalab pondered on his options: he could go southeast to Mordino in order to talk to his contact and sell it overseas, in the New Atlas Republic, but he doubted he would get a good price for something so rare out of those entitled overachieving goody-two-shoes (Especially from those so-called politicians. They believed themselves the sun and the moon when it came to righteousness and trading businesses, when in reality they were as crooked and shady as a Horned Serpent’s horns; they were no better than himself, and if Shalab knew himself well enough, they would most likely try to scam him in his own scam). Not to think about the commission to pay off his contact to make the journey.

On the other hoof, he could sell the necklace in the west, where all of those rich bastards gathered every season. It didn’t matter how much money they had, they were as wealthy as they were gullible. Shalab could sell the necklace as a rarity (which, in part, it was; this was the first of its kind he’d ever seen) to some desperate noble mare in need of attention from the other court ladies, or some noble stallion trying to silence his mistress from exposing their affairs. That would give him the entirety of the profit and he could even haggle for a higher price, however, the trip was long and arduous. He doubted his Bandits would make it across the mountain range in time. Shalab was never too keen on social matters (Evidently), but he knew that the best time to sell and/or steal from the rich was before the social season, because then, every 'paragon of high society' would move earth, sea and sky to have the best of the best to ensure a successful season.

That would be the case if the damned necklace didn’t shut him out.

As soon as that bothersome mare lost consciousness and the jewellery fell on his hooves, the rare, one of a kind, almost alive necklace suddenly popped up some kind of barrier around itself, and no matter who tried to touch it, it would zap them.

He found that out the hard way. And he still had the ends of his fur burned because of it.

For the time being, Shalab limited himself to watching and studying the brilliant necklace, fiercely protected by some kind of barrier he’d never seen before.

The unicorn had his doubts. The obvious answer was that it could be a magical barrier placed onto the necklace in order to avoid some creature (Him) from stealing it. However, that could only mean that a bunch of powerful unicorns cast it in the first place. And if that were the case, then this necklace belonged to some influential creature and that sneaky bitch stole it before him, otherwise how could a pegasus be in possession of it?

Magic or whatever, he was going to figure it out.

It was true Unicorns had a type of magic within them, one that was more palpable and visual than other species. But, just like everything in this world, it had its limits.

Unicorn magic, as far as he was aware of (being a Unicorn himself), consisted of some kind of energy that always lay dormant within him – like a soft humming beneath his skin he could feel each and every day, even while asleep. It was alluring, it demanded to be cast, and it was an extension of his very soul. Forever loyal, forever there, waiting.

Still, ignore your limits and you may end up burned.

Sometimes, when Shalab was too in the moment and exceeded his own limits, his magical abilities would, very much like his stamina, not last. So whenever he casts powerful spells – such as a levitation charm or a burning hex –, he'd have to rest for a while before using his magic again. Still, he could feel the overexertion in his horn whenever that happened. As if it were burning.

Back to the necklace.

Considering what he knew about magic and his experience with it, this sort of bubble barrier was definitely some sort of magic. Now the question was; which kind?

He knew Unicorn magic to be the most common and effective kind of magic, but no unicorn was that powerful enough to create a barrier like this.

There was arcane magic as well, but there were no masters of the runes anymore in this world, they all died centuries ago for reasons he didn’t care to remember (nor did anyone else).

Minotaurs weren’t the type of creatures to pursue magical abilities, they were perfectly content with their own strength (to which Shalab had his own working theory; that the Minotaurs focused themselves entirely on being ‘strong’ that they traded their magic – and their brains – for brawn). Feline species are accustomed to adapt themselves, so their own kind of magic either was long gone or it evolved alongside them into more biological depths, now, which ones? Hell if he knew. Regarding equines… Well, Unicorns were the superior species if you were to ask Shalab, but he supposed earth ponies managed to maintain their magic in order to work their crops and whatnot — plus, they were useful traders, so Shalab couldn’t complain too much about them—. Pegasi… they were another story.

For now, regarding what kind of magic did this particular necklace harbour, Shalab hadn't a clue. But he would find out.

Indar secured Rainbow Dash’s bandage before helping her up, in order for them to finally ditch the caravan and escape from the group of half-wits that called themselves Bandits.

“We’ll never speak of this, got it?” She stated more than asked, and Indar agreed, to her surprise.

“Got it”.

Never in her twenty three years of life did Rainbow think she would have to… much less having somepony else do it to her as well… It was way more gross to do it than to think of doing it… Ew…

If someday, somepony were to ask her how exactly did they escape, Rainbow would say with awesomeness, radicalness, and a dash of coolness. Not that any of it was true, but what they don’t know; won’t hurt them.

“Fucking-- Agh!” Indar exclaimed, gaining her attention once again. The stallion seemed to be rummaging through the Bandits belongings, throwing out of the way anything that he already opened and deemed ‘unimportant’. “They have my bags…” He sighed.

Rainbow leaned on some crates as she watched him free Clingy from his cage, while the Hawk wasted no time to perch himself on top of the pegasus’ back. She was tempted to tease him and blame the dark-coated stallion for their misfortune, until she realised that not only did the Bandits have Indar’s bag, but the element of loyalty as well.

As Rainbow craned her neck to glance outside the caravan, she noticed the raging bonfire and the silhouettes of some of the Bandits in question just casually laying around it. Maybe they could just grab their stuff and make a run for it, like they’ve been doing so far; it worked then, why shouldn’t it work now?

Then again, they’ve caught up to them so far…

Nothing will ever be easy for the pegasus, will it?

Crash!.

“Hey, what are you doing over there?” The Pegasus asked, looking back to the cloaked stallion, poking through the boxes.

The stallion in question continued to silently look in the bags, boxes and opening everything sealed, taking out and pushing aside various types of clothes, dusty Knick-knacks, edible supplies and rubbish. The sounds of rustling echoed as Indar frantically rummaged through them. “Watch it!” Rainbow said, dodging a stray cloth Indar had thrown over his shoulder without caring who or where it landed.

Finally, between the chaos and cluttered space, Indar’s hooves brushed against something familiar. With a quick intake of breath, the stallion grasped the bottle tightly, pulling it triumphantly from its hiding place. The label was faded, the contents perhaps past their prime and of dubious origins, however, to Indar none of that mattered.

“Don’t tell me you’ll drink that…” Rainbow says, exhaling a sharp sigh of disgust.

Ignoring her, Indar uncorked the bottle, letting the caravan be filled with the stink of alcohol. As relief flooded his senses, the stallion takes a first swing, the burn of the liquid momentarily numbing the turmoil within his mind. “That’s better…” The stallion sighed, notably more relaxed and already working the bottle.

“We should focus on getting out of here on one piece, mate” Rainbow pointed.

“Trust me, I need this” Indar responded. “It’s been days, y’know? Days.”.

“So?” The Pegasus huffed.

“Priorities” the stallion said, as if stating the obvious. “A little liquid courage never hurt anyone, right?” Indar took another swing off the bottle, sitting against a crate and looking at the mare. He extended his hoof in which he was holding the alcohol. “You need it too”.

“Not a chance” Dash frowned.

Indar shrugged. “More for me, then”.

Rainbow and Clingy looked at each other, unimpressed, and when the empty bottle rolled over the ground of the caravan, the Pegasus turned her attention back to Indar. “What are you doing?” She chastised more than asked.

The cloaked stallion dived back into another box, taking the lid out of the way and searching. “I have a good feeling about this one….” He said.

Rainbow Dash, on her part, looked away, shaking her head slowly. Indar’s problems were his own. “You’re hopeless…” She muttered. “Guess there’s only one thing to do”. She pondered, resigning herself to their current predicament. The Pegasus examined the Bandits sitting around the bonfire once more as she determined the best way to retrieve their stuff without engaging in too much of a conflict (considering her recent wound and Indar’s… well, considering Indar). Which way did she want to go about this?.

In the shadow of the night, Rainbow Dash regretted everything.

As their makeshift trio hid behind a few boxes the Bandits had laid out of the caravan, the Pegasus attempted to stifle a groan of pain as she steadied the now drunk Indar, who swayed with each movement. At least Clingy knew how to be quiet, but it was hard hiding both of them plus the hawk perched atop her shoulder.

Stumble.

“Quiet!” She exclaimed silently, trying not to alert any Bandits of their escape. Indar shushed her in return.

“You ‘quiet’!” He whispered in return, leaning against the box they were using as cover, making it rattle.

Dash observed their surroundings over the crates one more time, she could see Shalab all the way on the opposite side of the campfire, giving his back to the burning wood. The site was surrounded by no less than ten Bandits, all celebrating and eating so much food… Rainbow’s stomach rumbled silently as she stared at several bowls of fruits ready for the taking.

Nevertheless, the Pegasus forced herself to focus on the more pressing matter. She needed to ascertain the best way to take their belongings and run.

As the Pegasus watched, she saw few and far between Bandits walking around their fellow ponies, she assumed they were keeping watch over their campsite.

As soon as she noticed one of the figures coming closer, she ducked, taking both the stallion and Clingy with her so as to not be noticed. Indar was about to complain but Rainbow placed a hoof on his muzzle before he got a chance to do so. “Shh” She whispered unaudibly.

Her breathing became shallower as Rainbow noticed the shadow of one of the bandits come closer to the boxes they were hiding behind. The silhouette walked ever so slowly from one end of their cover to the other, making the three fugitives tense.

The shadow loomed over the boxes, growing taller against the sand and making Rainbow regret everything for the second time today, she just hoped…

Crash!

Soon after a loud breaking sound, an eruption of laughter followed,

The shadow became tinier by the second as the Bandit turned around. “The fuck’s wrong with you!” He exclaimed, guffawing.

Rainbow, Indar and even Clingy released a bated breath, relaxing against the boxes. “That was close…”.

“Too close…” Indar agreed.

Rainbow glanced over the box carefully once again. The bandit that was previously quite over the, was now by the campfire, holding a broken plate and laughing at another seemingly drunk Bandit. “I don’t see your bags…” The Pegasus pointed out.

Indar chuckled, drinking another sip of the third bottle he found in the caravan. “Of course you don’t” He said. “Those assholes prob’ly burned ‘em”. Dash frowned at Indar, and smacked him in the back of the head. “Ouch!”.

“If you’re not going to help, at least be quiet”. As Dash determined the best moment to move, she sat up with a stifled groan. “We should move fast…” She noted.

“What’s the point…” Indar mumbled.

“The point-“ Rainbow emphasised. “Is that we leave in one piece. I need to go to Nabia and you’re wanted”.

“The Xatir’s are all dead” He spat. “I can go back if I want to”.

Rainbow, ultimately, said nothing in regards to that. He was right. The Xatir Group is dead. Those two Minotaurs that have been following him are now all out of the way, or at least that’s what she assumed, given that that coo-coo-head Nohrrus hasn’t showed his face again… yet, that is.

But then, that would mean that Randall failed…

No, Randall succeeded. Rainbow wanted to think that Randall is still alive and making their way to them. Maybe Randall is about to come and grant them an exit!

…

Who was she kidding? If Randall were to be alive, they’d probably have gone back to Tayne.

“It doesn’t matter” Eventually, Dash made up her mind. “We have to keep moving. We can’t hide here forever. They’ll notice we’re not in the caravan at some point”.

“Ugh…” Indar groaned, taking another sip off of the bottle. “Fine…”.

“You’ve got any ideas?” Rainbow asked.

Indar hummed, sipping again from the dubious bottle. “Shalab’s smart… he’ll know if we try to ambush them…”.

“Hmm” Rainbow concurred.

“He don’t like no pussies either… so we better go for it head on”.

“I can respect that” The Pegasus nodded, and scratched Clingy in the back of his neck. The bird squawked softly as he relished in the mare’s attention.

As they attempted to advance, Rainbow winced as she felt a sharp pain on her wound. Startled, Indar launched forward to catch her before she fell, but flailing in the process, which resulted in them both crashing against the boxes that once were hiding them from view, now turned into the reason they were exposed.

The resounding thud and crashes from the boxes and their contents were pretty straightforward in giving them away, sending a startled Clingy into the night sky as the Hawk flew over them.

The Bandits, alerted by the cacophony, turned towards the commotion, their laughter fading into bemused curiosity as they spot the hapless duo trying to sneak up on them. Or away from them, perhaps.

“Well, we’ll, well” Said a recognisable, and odious voice by now. “Look what we have here”. Shalab approached both ponies with slow, steady hoofsteps until his tall frame loomed over the pair. “I see nothing stops ya, not even-… Are- Don’t tell me you’re drunk” Shalab questioned, looking at the stallion beneath him battling to keep the bottle upright so as to not spill the alcohol inside.

“… Maybe…” Indar replied sheepishly.

Shalab said nothing, but looked down at Indar with a grimace.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Indar complained.

Shalab then looked at Rainbow Dash “Ya really want to travel with him?”.

The Pegasus shrugged. “… I'm still debating it…”.

“Ya fools…” Shalab strode from side to side, his voice laced with contempt. “Ya think ya can just waltz out here like ya own the place? Like we wouldn’t notice?!”. The Unicorn gestured to Rainbow’s makeshift bandage, now bleeding through the cloth. “Look at you! Are ya that stupid?!”.

The Pegasus grimaced, and opened her mouth to retaliate but was promptly interrupted. “And you-!” Shalab exclaimed, turning to the drunk stallion. The leader of the Bandits just shakes his head. “Looking at you now, Indy… It’s just sad…

“You’re lucky we didn’t just slit your throats when we caught ya!” The unicorn lifted his new sword with the help of his magical telekinesis, letting the blade reflect the light of the fire to blind both Indar and Rainbow Dash. With an odd tranquility in his voice, he said. “But no, we’re not savages. We have rules. And those rules dictate that traitors and fools pay the price”. Shalab paused, letting his words sink in the pair of ponies before delivering one final warning.

As the Unicorn raised the sword, it caught the glint of the moonlight as it carved downwards, poised to sever the thread of life.

Rainbow closed her eyes tightly, holding her breath and preparing herself to dodge the all too fatal swing of the sword. She could fly them away, but with her bleeding wound, drunk partner in crime and screeching bird, she wouldn’t be able to get them far enough.

But then, in a moment that seemed to hang suspended in time, something shifted.

She waited for her cue.

And waited.

But it never came.

Instead, the sword wavered mid#-air, a heavy thud sound announced the fall of the weapon on the sand, right in front of them.

Her magenta eyes opened again as she witnessed Shalab look at them with a coldness she’d never seen from him. “Pick it up”. He spat.

For a moment, time stood still, the weight of what had just transpired sinking in like a stone into the depths of a bottomless ocean.

The mare looked at him confused. “What?”.

Shalab turned to Indar. “Pick. It. Up”. He commanded, his steely tone leaving no room for argument.

Indar returned the Bandit’s gaze in kind, staring up at him with a surprisingly steady stare. Despite the haze of alcohol clouding his senses, there was a fire in his amber eyes; a stubborn determination that refused to be extinguished.

In the end, he shook his head. “No” he said firmly, not minding the slurred edges. “I won’t fight you”.

Shalab’s brow furrowed in anger, a mixture of impotence and begrudging respect flickering across his features. He had expected defiance, Indar had always been defiant, but the utter refusal caught the Bandit off guard.

In a fit of rage, Shalab used his hoof to stomp on Indar’s bruised back, creating an indent in his cloak. The cartographer grunted, but Indar wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain. “It ain’t no question, kid. Pick. It. Up!”.

There was a moment of tense silence as Shalab berated Indar, in which neither the rest of the bandits nor Dash wanted to intervene.

Eventually, Shalab released the stallion’s cloak. “You’ve always been a coward, boy” The leader of the Bandits spat, turning around and walking away. “I’m disappointed in what you’ve become”.

Indar scoffed, getting up and swaying slightly on his hooves. “Like I give a fuck!” He yelled in return. “You ain’t better than me!”.

Rainbow stood up, albeit with a bit of difficulty, and took a few steps back. For now she was but a mere spectator, and something told her it would stay like this for a while. She had a feeling this was going to get nasty.

“Go back to drinking, Indy” Shalab called over his shoulder. “Sahida ain’t for you”.

Indar scowled and watched the retreating form of Shalab, as the Bandit crossed the campsite. “That’s it, then? Ya chase us all the way through the desert and now ya just let us go?!”.

Upon hearing this, Shalab turned around. “You better go, out of this desert and out of our lives. She’ll stay here, I can get a good price for her”.

Indar shook his head in disbelief. “Like hell she will”.

“Oh?“ Shalab lauded his head in amusement. “Suddenly you’re so righteous?”.

Indar looked down at the sword, still on the sand.

“Then fight me!” The unicorn demanded. “Fight me like ya should’ve done all those years ago! Fight me and don’t run away this time!”.

The Pegasus glanced at Indar with confusion in her eyes. “Hey, what does he mean?” She asked, but was ignored.

Indar closed his eyes tightly as he heard Shalab’s incredulous laugh. “No… no! Don’t tell me ya haven’t told her!” The bandit continued with his guffaws.

“Shalab-“ Indar warned, but was promptly interrupted.

“Tell me what?” Dash demanded in a stern voice, Clingy atop her back.

“Oh, this is priceless!” The unicorn gwaffed once again. “You don’t know?! I-I can’t-“.

Suddenly, Indar took the fallen sword with one of his hooves. “Shalab I swear-!”.

“What am I missing?!” Rainbow asked, then turned to the nearest Bandit to her right, the same one that almost caught them before when they were hiding behind the boxes. “Hey, mate, what am I missing?” She asked him.

Just as the Bandit was about to answer, Indar intervened. “Just drop it”.

“No!” The mare said. “Somepony tell me what I am supposed to know!”.

Shalab snickered, as his rambunctious laughter began to cease. “The thing is that our Indy right here” Shalab pointed to the cartographer, whose head was lowered in shame. “Is as much a Bandit as any of us” The Unicorn clarified.

Author's Note

*Rises from the ashes* Yo.

So… it’s been a while, eh?

Welcome to Tayne, outsider

Rainbow Dash somersaulted into the air, blasting off higher and farther.

As she drifted away from her newfound acquaintances, the pegasus observed the sword in her hooves with more detail, the very same sword that was held against her neck mere moments ago. It was fairly simple, yet very different from the swords she had seen back home. For instance, the blade – though somewhat short, unlike Equestrian swords – had a slight inward curvature, and it ended in a broader, pointed tip. The handle had an arch as well, but not so prominent and barely noticeable when compared to the blade itself, in addition, it had many inscriptions added to it. Also, It did not seem to be made from wood, but from something akin to ivory, as far as Rainbow’s knowledge went.

If she were a more petty mare, she would have dropped the sword in the middle of the desert for nopony to ever find it, or some such thing, but she was not. Instead, Rainbow decided to keep the sword with no real reason in particular, except only because she could. Like she said, a souvenir. Besides, who could blame her when they were the ones trying to rob her in the first place?

Seeing as she had nowhere else to hold it, Rainbow tied the handle on the straps of the canteen, making use of the slight curve to keep it in place and avoid any… unscheduled sharp rain. It wasn’t the most comfortable of methods, but if it did the trick then she could care less about the why’s and how’s.

As the Pegasus soared the skies, she appreciated the tranquillity of the dawning sun. It made her think of home. Of Equestria. Rainbow thought about her friends as well. How would she ever find them? She was no unicorn, she had no tracking spell like Rarity and her gems. She tried to recall the time when they got separated, but all she was able to see at that moment was the light of the princess’ spell. It all happened so fast, she hadn’t had a minute to take it all in, and within a moment's notice…

No matter. She will find a way, Rainbow Dash always found a way, she just had to follow Rook’s advice and find the famous carpenter, get herself a map and leave behind this immensity of a desert. – The Sahida desert.

Sahida ain’t kind to anypony, that’s what Rook said, right? Then she just had to make the most of this chance and prove herself to Sahida. Consider this an endurance test, like those the Wonderbolt recruits have to take in the academy in order to become an official member.

Finding her resolve, she flew straight ahead faster than ever before, no regard for anything in her way or any second thoughts she might be having about any of this.

Finally, after many, many, many hours of uninterrupted flying, Rainbow allowed herself to slow down just when she saw the first hints of civilization in the form of a town by the name of Tayne. “About time!” She exclaimed, overjoyed.

From her point in the skies, Rainbow could see the entirety of Tayne. The town itself was tinier than Ponyville, but, as opposed to her hometown, the spaces between buildings was reduced. The streets were made of rock it seemed, a good contrast to all the sand she endured this past few days. Yet, the thing that drew her attention more than the one story buildings and the cobblestone was that Tayne was sheltered from the rest of the desert, covered from one edge to another in stone walls. Rainbow flew overhead of Tayne as she passed the outer wall, and she noticed the gates were wide open with nopony to guard them.

As she started her descent, Rainbow was greeted with astonished looks and continued glances from the locals that were there to witness her arrival. She didn’t know what she expected to see when she got there, but she definitely did not expect this. There were not only earth ponies here, but also Minotaurs, some feline-like creatures she never met before that walked in their rear paws, and were those sheep? They were vastly different from the sheep Fluttershy cared for in Ponyville, these were taller and had long curved horns.

She landed in the middle of the street and folded her wings underneath the ruana, Rainbow looked around at the faces that studied her without uttering a single word. It was extremely awkward.

She noticed they were all dressed, too. Some of them wearing single garments or an entire outfit, but all in muted tones. One might think the only splash of colour in this place was herself! It was a good thing Rook gifted her the ruana, or else she would've felt (even more) out of place.

The pegasus started to walk ahead, venturing herself into no particular path. She just didn’t want to stay there and wait for something to happen. The Minotaurs, the feline-like creatures, the ponies and even the sheep watched her take every step with looks she could not decipher. Rainbow was starting to feel anxious but she would not show it for the life of her, she just faced ahead with a solemn and callous face, just like AJ would.

As she walked the cobblestone streets, more and more creatures would momentarily stop whatever they were doing and stare coldly at her. The paths were uneven and potholed, the buildings appeared to be made of wood and stone but she doubted they would hold in the faintests of disasters, she bet that if she were to crash in any of them, they would just crumble. As far as she could see, this place was all rundown and nopony seemed to care.

Why was she here, again? Oh, yeah, the cameratopher, she needed to find him to get a map. Where should she look first? Rainbow surveyed around to see if there were any indication of where to find anypony, but honestly it all looked the same to her. Finally giving up, Rainbow turned to the closest stall for help.

The pegasus came up to a wooden stall where a feline-like creature was scribbling something on a sheet of paper, they seemed uninterested in her – or anypony, really – that came by. They had brown-ish fur, except for their chest and paws (which were covered in white fur), and wore a dark vest. Rainbow stood there for a few seconds waiting for the creature to turn their attention to her, but to no avail, so she cleared her throat in impatience. “What?” Asked the creature, not even sparing her a glance.

“Geez” Rainbow thought. “I’m looking for a cameratopher, do you know where I can find him?”.

The feline-like creature finally decided to take their eyes from the paper and look at her, seemingly at a loss for words. “A ‘cameratopher’?” They asked again, chuckling.

Rainbow sighed in frustration. “I don’t know what it is called, but I heard there’s a dude living here that can give me a map”. She explained.

The feline suddenly laughed, taking Rainbow by surprise. “A ‘cameratopher’!” They exclaimed. “Oh, imma tell Rusty you said that”.

Rainbow looked around as they laughed, trying to avoid eye contact to save herself the embarrassment. She could have said anything but she just had to blurt out the stupidest thing in the most awkward of places, hadn’t she? “So, where can I find him?” She inquired again, trying to appear laid-back.

The feline laughed. “You just made my day, sunshine” They said, wiping away a tear from their eyes. “I dunno where you can find this ‘cameratopher’ but tell you what, go talk to ‘cuz Jack and see if he knows him. He knows everybody”. The feline leaned against the counter. “Tell him Randall sent you, since you’re so funny I’ll give you the family treat. He’s the bartender in the bar around the corner”. Rainbow smiled subtly and thanked Randall, redirecting herself to the bar they pointed at, but before she could leave, the feline called to her once again. “Aye! By the way, you’re looking for a cartographer, not a cameratopher”.

Oh, right…

Rainbow chuckled and bid farewell to Randall. And as she reached the bar, she felt a little bit more at ease. At least there was somepony… err, someone that was amicable here.

The bar was so camouflaged between rundown buildings and stands, that if she didn’t know what she was looking for, she would’ve just walked past it. But thanks to Randall she made a b-line for the establishment and entered without remorse. After all, she had the family treat!

The door was lighter than she thought, for when she opened it, it slammed against the wall and everypony inside turned their heads to her. Rainbow almost feared she had broken it for a second, but alas, it was still in one piece.

The pegasus analysed the bar, lit by candlelight, the tables covered in glasses and wooden mugs filled to the brim of alcohol, dirty dishes with scraps of food and an entirety of patrons going about their day (up until she arrived, of course. Always the centre of attention). There was a pool table near the end of the room, and a dartboard on the other end, creatures like before stood by them, counting their scores and outplaying their opponents.

The pegasus walked to the bar as all the eyes in the room followed her every move, what was it with this place and everypony looking at her? She was used to the admiring looks, but this was starting to get annoying!

Rainbow sat on an empty stool as the patrons continued with their games and drinks, chattering in the background. She found herself between a Minotaur and an earth pony on each side of her. Rainbow spared them both challenging glances, as if actually daring them to even try to piss her off, she had come too far, and she wasn’t backing out now.

As if saved by the bell, the bartender followed soon after to meet her. Just as Randall had mentioned, the bartender was a feline-like creature very similar to them, with the same brown-ish fur and white chest and paws. Even if he displayed no emotion, he wasn’t as unwelcoming as she expected, especially with that apron on him. “This must be ‘cuz Jack” she thought.

He stood in front of her, cleaning a glass and waiting to hear whatever she had to say, so Rainbow just got down to business. “Are you ‘cuz Jack’?”.

“Ye”. He answered.

“Randall sent me here” She announced, first and foremost. Rainbow thought it wise to make that clear, in any case, at least if ‘cuz Jack didn’t want to help her, he could take it with Randall himself. Both the the Minotaur and the earth pony, hearing Randall’s name, turned their attention elsewhere. “They said you know everybody?”.

“Ye”. ‘cuz Jack finished cleaning the glass and threw the cloth he was using onto his shoulder. Looking at her carefully.

Geez, okay. Cat of a few words.

“I’m looking for a cartographer, you know him?”.

“Ye”.

Rainbow and ‘cuz Jack stared at each other. The feline-like creature was starting to remind her of Big Macintosh, ever so quiet and contemplative. Those two would get along nicely, she thought. But at the same time, the pegasus was expecting him to continue and give her any indication of where to find the only hope she had to leave this forsaken desert – and subsequently, her friends.

“... Do you know where he is?” Rainbow asked after a while of just staring at each other, trying to get an answer out of the bartender that didn’t involve the word ‘ye’.

“Ye”.

Oh, Come on!

Her muzzle wrinkled after that statement. “Well? Where is he?” She asked once more, gritting her teeth. As the bartender signed to a table in a far corner, Rainbow sighed and turned around in her seat, leaning against the bar to examine the perimeter. In no time she located the table 'cuz Jack was referring to. And despite it being shielded by other creatures playing and roaming around, she couldn’t see well who was there, but she saw somepony, that’s for sure. Rainbow looked back at the feline, as if asking him to confirm her suspicions, which he responded with a sound the pegasus was starting to get used to:

"Ye".

Just like that, he got back to work and left her to tend to other customers.

Rainbow glanced at the table once more. "This is it" the pegasus thought, If everything went well, she would be free to abandon the Sahida desert and finally be able to start her quest. Her friends were waiting for her somewhere, and the first step to finding them was to get ahold of a map so she could track her steps and mark her routes.

Rainbow Dash directed herself to the Minotaur and the earth pony to her sides and took a deep breath to encourage herself. “Wish me luck, dudes” She told them, getting off the stool. The Minotaur and the earth pony, albeit both looked at each other with bewilderment in their eyes, wished her good luck in the form of a simple (yet stiff) nod. She appreciated it.

Author's Note

Fun fact: the sword Rainbow kept is a Yatagan sword, which is the sword of the Turkish Janissaries, the professional troops of the Ottoman Empire.

Also, the feline-like creatures (such as Randall and 'cuz Jack), are the same species as Capper (from the MLP movie).