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// Lucky Charms 
// Story: Jewel Of Nightmares 
// by Darksonickiller 
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Chapter 6
Lucky Charms


Rainbow Dash walked through an oddly empty vally, turning her head left and right as she scouted for possible threats. The world she had been stuck in shown no mercy in any form outside of the small shelters she came across, she had even come to learn not to be so trusting with the loss of her left eye. A creature begging for help had spit acid into Rainbow’s face hoping to have an easy meal, Rainbow could thank the skills she had gained during her time in this place.

As the creature began to spit she turned her head without a thought only to lose her eye, and with it a patch of her flesh just above. She had even learned to give up on flying in this world as a strange skeletal like bird shot a spike of some kind through her right wing. The area around the hole would itch from time to time, and when that creature was near she would feel a throbbing pain.

How she cursed her situation and how she ended up being there, though what kept her going was the thought of returning home and being with her friends and loved ones. Up till now she had learned to survive off what pages she managed to collect, or her lucky charms as she had come to call them. Each page detailing how to live in this world, how to get drinkable water, and though she wouldn’t say it eating other creatures.

The last page she had gathered was the biggest lifesaver while also putting her in the most danger, *The water in this place may be toxic, but from my scouting I’ve come to learn that the shadow beasts can drink the water and be fine. I learned how to catch them and studied all I could on my live subject, some nights I almost wish I could record the screams so I can listen to them as I drift off into my slumber. What I had learned however was rather strange, if I remove the intestine and bladder from them I can make a water sack I can drink from.

I’m not at all sure how this is possible, but I’m more than grateful for it now that I can drink something. What I do know is that they lack a liver to filter any toxins out, which makes me wonder if everything here is pure to them. Regardless the intestine bladder sack I made seems to take the toxic water and makes it pure for me, I’d like to study this when I get back home to know how it works.

But that puts my home land at risk to these things, and I cannot ensure it won’t escape. And though I’m ashamed to admit it, I cannot get the taste of their flesh out of my mouth. So succulent and mouth watering, and don’t even get me started on that flavor. Going back to the food I used to eat will be a challenge once I’ve sealed up the jewel.*

Rainbow had come to know what original owner meant in her words, the water she drank sat within the intestine and kidney of one of these creatures. But even with this supply of water Rainbow knew she couldn’t make it with only that. Rainbow had come to learn of the different flavors from each of the creatures she faced, some had even come to keep their distance from her when they were alone.

*How long have I been here?* She asked herself as she walked looking down at the map she had acquired, *Will anypony recognize me when I get back, am I even still the same Rainbow Dash they knew and loved?* Noticing how much darker it had become Rainbow looked for shelter as she tucked the map away, *Even if I did kill that bitch, there’s nothing to say something worse could come. I’d rather have the pain in the ass I know, rather than one I don’t.* She groaned as a shack came into her view, *How stupid does that thing think I am?* She scoffed as she reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a stone and carving tool, *Any port in a storm I assume, but I’m killing it first.* Rainbow groaned as she began to carve a rune into the stone.

Walking up close to the shack Rainbow carefully opened the door only to faintly gag at the smell. Something she knew she would never get used to regardless of however many times she encountered it. Tossing the stone in to the shack Rainbow quickly closed the door and held it shut as best she could, slowly the building shook, rattled and eventually began to cry out through the closed door in pain.

As it all came to a slow halt Rainbow watched as the walls and doors began to sag, “Fucking shapeshifters.” She groaned as she opened the door only to be hit with a burst of hot air, and the smell of burning flesh.

Walking in Rainbow sighed as she knew half way through the night, she would be overwhelmed with the smell of a decaying corpse. But at the very least that smell would cover up her own scent, making it that much harder for her stalker to track her down for that evening. Pulling out the map and several pages that went into great detail about the runes, Rainbow began looking for her way home.

“Where is my lucky charm?” She groaned only to hear her stalker walking around outside.

“Where are you my sweet delectable morsel?” She called out hoping Rainbow’s arrogance would take hold and betray her, “I know you were just here, your scent is so strong in the area an-” She began to mock as the smell of the newly dead shapeshifter filled her nostrils, “Oh you fowl little whore!” She cried out with the sounds of her hooves running far off into the distance, “Did you cover yourself in your own shit, what in all this world is that smell!?” Rainbow snickered as she continued to go over the map and runes, finding satisfaction from her recent kill lending far more aid than expected.

Hearing her stalker was gone to escape the smell, Rainbow pulled out a brass band wrapped around a rune carved stone, “There’s my lucky charm.” She faintly laughed as she compared it to the runes she had, “Okay that makes sense, hell of a way to read a map but it works I guess.” Holding up the stone to her eye the rune began to glow causing the stone to become clear, “Neat trick, wish you didn’t send me halfway around the fucking world to get this trinket.” Rainbow cursed the original owner as she wished the map and her guiding tool were in the same area, “Lets see, I’m here…” She hummed to herself as she looked down at the map, “So where is this sister jewel you apparently loved rubbing yourself with?” Upon the map several locations had come into view, closest to Rainbow was the Fields of Frozen Flames just on the other side of a small mound of rolling hills.

Looking around the map Rainbow soon saw a violet shine, she let out a groaning sigh as she cursed her luck and the original owner of the journal, *You have to be fucking with me!* Rainbow thought to herself as she faintly whimpered, *I was just north of that area three days ago, and you’re telling me I could have been home that much sooner!?* Marked on the map it was just as Twilight had read from her portion of the map, North of the Valley of Deathly Chills, East of the Crimson Tower Spike, but West of the Fields of Frozen Flames.

“Okay,” Rainbow sighed as she followed the map with her hooves, “it’s a two day journey through the fields. But if I remember right, there should be an inactive gateway that should shorten the trip to just a few steps. And that is~” She began to claim with a hint of joy in her voice till she found the place on the map, “one week’s trip to the center of the Valley of Deathly Chills. Where that fucking undead dragon and its cannibalistic kin live. I could go back there and return the favor of what they did to my wing, but that would be pointless when I could just go home.” She sighed recalling how the fields burned parts of her fur with the icy winds that swept through the area.

With her mind made up Rainbow knew what she had to do, in the end she believed her three day trip would have to be longer than that. And a pitstop near the mating grounds for the shadow beasts was the best choice, after all their pelts would help to cover her her own coat granting a bit of protection from the cold.