The following days they thought about what happened back in the forest, but they didn’t encounter the creature again. Rainbow was hovering next to Twilight, as she questioned herself if Dust actually knew where they were going or if he just led them somewhere where they wouldn’t return from. They stocked up their supplies when they came across a settlement or a village, but never stayed for a longer time. Each time they did that, Twilight asked the people if they had seen a creature like the encountered before, but she didn’t have any success with it. All she could got to hear were some old tales about dark creature from the east who terrorized the people in this region for ages, but then a hero turned up and sent them back to where they came from. Neither the hero nor the creatures were heard from ever again – according to the tale.
In each settlement she asked about the creatures, she got a different story about them, and each other sounded even more made-up than the tale she heard before. But she wrote them down anyway, ending up with a collection of different stories about those creatures. But one thing was the same in each story: Those creatures were dangerous monsters. And none of the stories gave them a name, nor did any of them tell where they came from. It seemed like they just appeared and disappeared, despite that the description of them was quite accurate: Short and grey fur, long snouts, sharp teeth and fangs. From what Twilight could recall from the night in the forest, they had some similarities with dogs, like their paw-like hands and feet.
However, the stories made it clear that they were around here before. Sometimes, when they put up a camp, she noticed how Dust stared at her book, which she used as a diary and contained everything that happened till now. Always one of them was keeping vigil in case that the creatures returned in the dead of night, but nothing ever happened. Twilight once woke up just to catch Dust how he tried to read through her journal. She took it away from him and gave him a mean look as she put it back into her saddlebags again. “Never do that again.” Twilight told him, but he didn’t even react to it. From that point on, she always kept an eye on her journal. She didn’t like the thought that this guy was going through her stuff, especially without asking, and could understand Rainbows mistrust against Dust.
But still, he didn’t tell anypony where they were going to. While they travelled the land, Twilight not only noticed the change of the landscape, but also a change of the people they met- When they left Ponyville, the people were welcoming them and gave them everything they needed. But lately, the people mistrusted them, and it got harder to convince them to help them out with their supplies. They passed the borders of the area the tree mares knew long ago, none of them has been that far away from home till now. The only one who seemed to know this region at least a little bit was Dust, but he didn’t want to tell them the others from where he knew it. Twilight just guessed he passed through here on his way to Canterlot and still remembered the route he took.
They were putting up a camp for the night, as Dust left the group without saying any word. He just disappeared into the darkness. While Pinkie didn’t care at all, Rainbow and Twilight looked after him. While Rainbow still, after all the time they were traveling together, didn’t trust him, Twilight was worried about him leaving without a single word. He never did that till now. Rainbow just shook her head and looked into the fire, before she placed her head on her fore hooves to sleep, and Pinkie slept already, so Twilight threw a last look into the darkness, where Dust disappeared, and took out her journal. Her last entries were short since they didn’t really have any problems, but she found always something to write down. Especially Dusts disappearance will find its way into her journal.
When Twilight woke up in the morning, Dust was still missing. She tried to wake up Rainbow, but without success. “Just five more minutes, Twi …” She muttered and rolled on her side. Twilight just sighed and let her sleep. She woke up Pinkie, who almost jumped with a scream, which woke up Rainbow, who just jumped up and took off into the air, looking around in a confused manner, trying to realize what just had happened. “You shouldn’t cause so much noise.” None of them noticed how Dust came back from wherever he went to. “Where have you been?” Twilight asked, and earned a grim look from the stallion. “There is a village ahead and I’ll go to get some supplies … and I would rather go there alone.”
While Twilight just shrugged, Rainbow contradicted him. “You won’t go there alone; at least one of us is coming with you!” She insisted on it, moving her face close enough to Dusts that she could feel his breath on her nose. Twilight expected a discussion to come up and looked over to Pinkie, who sat down and munched on one of her remaining cupcakes. But there wasn’t a discussion coming up. Dust just suddenly turned his head to the side and looked away. “I would really rather go alone … but if you insist on it …”
A little later, they left their camp in silence and walking side by side. “You know, I would rather go alone … the people here aren’t used to … your kind.” The pegasus stopped walking and looked puzzled about what Dust just said. “How do you mean that?” She then asked. “I know I should have told you before, but where I come from; there are no pegasi or unicorns.” He looked to the ground, a sad look on his face. “I just knew about your kind since I’ve been reading books about the early history of Lapidem.” They went on, as he talked.
“Lapidem? Is this where you come from?” He nodded and looked at the pegasus next to him. “It seemed that pegasi and unicorns disappeared in the early history …” She cut him off as he wanted to explain it further to her. “You can tell Twilight about that, but for now, just let us finish our job, get some supplies and then head back to the others.” He nodded and just hoped that his companion wouldn’t draw too much unwanted attention to them as he looked upon the wall around the town. He really missed this feeling of protection of those walls.
As they reached the main gate of the city, the guards looked suspiciously at the pegasus at his side, but they didn’t ask any questions. But that was all. Nopony else looked twice at the uneven pair, as they walked through the towns streets. Dusts memory told him otherwise, that pegasi and unicorns were either rare or just mythical creatures, or that everypony who got to see one of them would never forget that he had seen one. But the townsfolk didn’t even care about the pegasus at his side, they seemed to ignore her completely. As if they would have seen somepony like her every day since he was sent on the journey into the west.
However, the less attention the pegasus draw to them, the less problems they would have to get the supplies. Now, that they were in the kingdom he came from, he pay with the bits he got sent with. It was not like he had much money left, but it was enough to buy some food from the local stores. When they left the last store they visited, he firstly noticed how Rainbow looked around with a puzzled look on her face. “What is it?” He asked, as he couldn’t figure out what was puzzling her like that. “It’s just this town … it is so different from home … You know, those walls and guards everywhere.” She looked him in the eyes, and he could see that all those guards and security made her feel uncomfortable. “Let us get back to the others. I don’t want to stay here longer than necessary.”
Just as they were about to leave the town through the main gate, some guards stepped into their way and prevented them from leaving the town. “Halt right there! We will investigate your luggage for illegal goods now. Please be patient for a moment.” One of them said. It was the first time that Rainbow took a closer look on the armor of the guards. They were wearing body armor and helmets and some were carrying spears, just like Celestias guards back home in Equestria. It seemed like a routine check until two guards pointed their spears at Rainbow. “You’ll come with us. The other one can leave.” Rainbow gulped and looked to Dust, who tried to discuss with the guards. “But we’re here in the name …” The guard didn’t let him finish his sentence. “I don’t care in whoever’s name you’re here, but this pegasus will come with us. Now get out of my view!”
He gave another guard a sign to throw Dust out of the city, but before the guard could do something, Dust walked away. It was of no use if he would get also arrested. He just hoped the best for Rainbow, even if he didn’t like her that much. He would tell the other two about what had happened and why her friend didn’t come back with him. He knew this city and the prisons they had. At least it was his hometown and he worked a while as guard in the prison. Long enough to still remember how to get in and out unseen. That mare came with him for no reason, and he wouldn’t leave her in a dirty prison for no reason. It was his duty to get her out there, even if he had to do it alone. He threw one last look on the guards at the door who escorted the cyan pegasus through a door into the prison under the city.
“Hey Twi, where do you think Rainbow and Dust are right now?” Pinkie watched her friend as she tried to write into her journal. It was almost filled now, and she thought that she should have asked the two ponies to get her another journal from the town. “I don’t know, Pinkie.” Twilight closed her journal and put it back into her saddlebags. “They probably have some problems to get the supplies.” The pink pony looked down the road on which their friends left the camp. “Oh hey! Dust is coming back!” After a while of staring down the road, she looked puzzled, which caused Twilight to look herself. “But where is Rainbow?” She then asked herself, as she could only see the stallion coming back from the town.
As he arrived at the camp, he was welcomed by skeptical ponies. “Where is Rainbow?” The lavender unicorn was the first one to ask, and he just looked down to the ground as he answered. “She got arrested as we were about to leave the town again.” He could catch a glimpse of a shocked look on the faces of the two mares. “Rainbow? Arrested? Why did this happen?” It was Twilight who asked the question. “I don’t know, she stopped us at the main gate, arrested her and threw me out of the town.” He looked up into the unicorns eyes. “We have to get her out there; I won’t leave her behind for nothing.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” Her question let Dust smile. “This is my hometown. I worked as guard in the prison long enough to recall where they keep the keys and the cells.” He could see the mistrust on their faces. “If you want to rescue your friend you’ll have to trust me. Else I’ll try it on my own.” Slowly, first Twilight and then Pinkie nodded. “So, what is your plan?” Twilight asked Dust, who just gave them a sign to come closer together and lowered his voice to a whisper. “We will do it like this …”