//------------------------------// // A Foreboding Feeling // Story: The Ties that Bind // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// Ancient Scroll's modified Come-to-Life spell allowed the Vardo to move along autonomously at a speed of about thirty five to forty miles an hour. It was only slightly faster than a pony's gallop, but it could maintained for several hours at a time. At this pace, Ancient Scroll had deduced that the trip to Little Trot would take maybe five or six hours -- seven to nine if he counted the forest. It was still extremely early in the morning, to the point where the Sun was still a few hours from rising yet. Rouge had offered to keep watch outside of the Vardo while Ancient Scroll and Yojimbo slept for the rest of the night. As she stood on the wooden platform, she idly stared out at the darkened grassy fields as they rolled by -- her form hunched over the railing and her tail slowly swishing back and forth contentedly. She allowed herself a small smile as she thought about what lay ahead of them all. Rouge had quite a bit to think about regarding their current situation, but she found that those thoughts had taken a backseat to the anticipation she was feeling. Ancient Scroll had told her a little about himself and his travels and the more she heard, the more envious she became. Rouge's mother had moved to Equestria and settled down in Faranda Way Village while she was still pregnant with Rouge herself -- or so she was told a long time ago. Over time, she became curious about where she and her mother had come from. Her mother would never talk about it whenever Rouge would ask -- always skirting around the little kitten's questions. Her mother had passed from a rare illness when she was still relatively young and she took that opportunity to leave Equestria to find out more about herself and her people. Whether it was out of pure curiosity or a desire to escape her mother's death -- not even she knew anymore. Unfortunately the journey hadn't gone as well as she had intended. She realized only too late that she had been far too young and naive for such an undertaking. A series of unfortunate events caused her to cut the trip short and she barely managed to return to Faranda Way Village with nothing but the clothes on her back. Thankfully she was able to reclaim her old family home and find successful work as a painter. She told herself she would never travel again and hadn't left the village since -- that is, until now. She had met various acquaintances -- both friendly and not -- on her travels and it was only recently that she heard one of them had set up shop in Canterlot. She had also heard that particular acquaintance was in possession of something that could help her find out more about where she came from and that was when she decided to break her vow and travel once more. She figured a trip within Equestria would be far safer than the one she had taken outside its borders, and -- if she was being completely honest with herself -- she missed traveling greatly, despite all the hardships it had wrought. It was for that reason that she secretly envied Ancient Scroll and Yojimbo. They had suffered hardships of their own during their travels, but overall, their journey was much more successful than her own, not to mention much more how she had imagined a real adventure should be. It may not have been the same, or what she was expecting, but Rouge really was glad to be on this trip -- and despite how she might complain about the oversized mutt, she was doubly glad to have them all along for the ride. Her ear twitched at the sound of one of the doors opening inside the caravan, though she didn't turn her gaze away from the scenery. She heard a tiny yawn followed by the sound of hooves trotting closer to where she was standing. "Rouge?" At the sound of the voice the molly finally turned her head to see a tired and bemused looking maroon filly making her way over. "Ah, good morning, little one," Rouge greeted with a small smile, "you've risen awfully early," she turned back to the open dirt road before her, "the Sun won't be up for another couple of hours or so." "Yeah, I... had a nightmare," Corona replied, rubbing her eyes as she stepped outside and stood next to Rouge, "can't remember what it was about, but I don't think I'll be getting back to sleep anytime soon." "I see," Rouge replied sadly, "I'm sorry to hear that, little one." Corona raised herself up and leaned against the railing -- staring out at the dark path along with Rouge. "It's fine," she answered dismissively, "it happens, nothing to worry about." Rouge nodded in response and the two stood there in comfortable silence as they gazed out at the land. After a few moments Rouge spoke up without looking at the filly. "So how are you finding the trip so far?" she asked curiously, "Ancient Scroll had mentioned to me that you've done some traveling yourself." "Yeah, I did," Corona replied with a nod, "though so far, this is a lot better than what I had to endure back then with those two morons," she turned and smirked at the cat next to her, "their wagon was loud and clunky and a huge pain to sleep in, literally." Rouge chuckled good-naturedly. "Surely it can't have been that bad." "You have no idea," Corona said with a chuckle of her own, "this Vardo is a mansion compared to the wagon the FlimFlam brothers were using," Corona gave a soft smile as she turned back to the scenery, "on top of that, the company is a lot better now. I appreciate what those two did for me, but they weren't exactly easy to get along with -- not like you and Yojimbo." Rouge didn't say anything for a moment, though the swaying of her tail became a bit more energetic. "It... makes me happy to hear you say that, little one," Rouge finally replied, "I have to admit, I didn't really interact with anyone all that much back in the village," she gave the filly a slight grin, "it is nice to be in such good company." Corona grinned back and they both turned to see a large treeline further in the distance. Corona frowned slightly and gave Rouge a worried look. "Are you sure it's a good idea to travel through the forest at night?" she asked, "I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about going through there." Rouge hummed to herself as she eyed the upcoming trees before her. "I think I know what you mean, little one," she finally replied, "I can't see anything dangerous, but it always pays to be wary -- especially at night in the wilderness." She went quiet again as she decided on what to do. "It looks like the forest is still about half an hour away at least... which means it'll still be dark out when we arrive," Rouge muttered, "I'll wake Ancient Scroll and ask him what we should do once we're closer to the forest's edge." "Alright." Corona replied hesitantly, "do you... mind if I stay out here with you for awhile?" "Not at all, little one," Rouge answered with a shake of her head, "you can stay as long as you need to." "Thanks," the filly replied with a grateful smile, "I don't really have much else to do right now anyway." Rouge nodded and another silence fell over the two of them -- this one somewhat more tense as they observed the incoming forest. Neither of them knew what lie ahead, but they both somehow knew they were going to run into trouble on the way. "I'm... kind of scared, y'know?" Rouge turned an inquisitive gaze to the maroon filly as she spoke. "Of going back to Canterlot I mean," Corona clarified, "I know we have these disguises and everything, but I still feel like Celestia would see right through them if she caught us," she shivered slightly, "I think... I think I've more or less gotten over what she did to me, but... I'm still scared of her." "I imagine you would be," Rouge replied with a scowl, "what that Princess of yours did to you was unforgivable," she then gave Corona a reassuring smile, "if it makes you feel any better, Ancient Scroll, Yojimbo, and I will do everything in our power to make sure that none of you girls come to harm." Corona nodded absently, her thoughts still preoccupied with the idea of meeting the Princess again. Rouge frowned slightly, but didn't say anything more, instead facing the path ahead once more. As the two of them focused on the potentially dangerous forest ahead, neither of them noticed the shadow of a pegasus flying overhead in the opposite direction -- its sharp eyes diligently scanning the ground below.