Reality is a Blur

by lLoveRainbowDash


Chapter Five – Hopeless Wanderer Part II

Rainbow opened her eyes and stood up. The sun was right above her, shining down through the trees, and creating spiky shadows here and there. She took a moment to take note of the details. The sun was a bright yellow, and it hurt her eyes to look at it. It was also warm, beside the cool breeze from being up so high, it felt good. The cold air pushing past as the heat from the sun made its way through her coat and onto her skin.

Rainbow looked down at the creek, but noticed there was no flow of water. The water was gone. All that remained was the dry rocks that were once below the water.

Where did the water go?!

Rainbow ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down. No sign of the water. She looked back towards where she slept. Then back at the cliff. A strong breeze flew past, ruffling her mane.

As she stood there, on the edge of the cliff, she looked to her left and saw a bird jump down, catching itself with the breeze against its wings as it flew off. Just then, she had an idea.

I... will fly too.

Without giving a second thought, Rainbow jumped, opening her wings to catch any breeze. She kept her eyes closed as she fell, hoping air would be on her side. As if on queue, a strong gust of air pushed against her wings, moving her upwards.

I’m a bird! With more legs... a-and bigger.

Rainbow found it relatively easy to fly, almost like she had flown before. She turned around and kept with her original plan, to follow the creek up the mountain.

As Rainbow flew, she noticed that the mountain was white on top! She was so used to the greens, browns, and grays of the forest, that seeing something white was unnatural.

Something about flying around in the air, seemed... familiar, and welcoming. Just like when she named herself.

Rainbow was too distracted to know that she wasn’t following the creek anymore. When she looked down from the bright blue sky, the dried out creek was nowhere to be seen. She would’ve panicked if she were down on the ground, but now she knows better. She wasn’t the same pony as the day before. Now, she felt, at least somewhat, like she was truly, fully alive for the first time since finding herself in this strange new world.

Rainbow understood a bunch of things about this world! How day and night came and went, how closing her eyes made her feel better, and even how birds work!

Rainbow would keep flying until something stopped her. Instead of following the creek, she’d follow wherever her wings took her.

No more being scared, no more pain, and no more crying, she thought to herself. I can do what I want to do. I... I am... alive.

Rainbow’s mind remained quiet for a while as she flew. She just took in everything she laid her eyes upon.

Rainbow saw the trees below her, each one unique, having different shades of green. They would twist and bend in the breeze, casting eerie shadows on one another. Then, there was the sky, the bright sky. The sun sat a little lower, but still fully visible, and the clouds were nowhere to be seen. The sky was a light blue, that faded white as it got closer to the horizon. She looked at the mountain ahead. It had a rough, gray-brown base that shot high up into the sky. Around the mid-section of the mountain is where the snow-cap started, coating the whole top. At the top, it seemed to round off.

To Rainbow’s left, she noticed her shadow bouncing across the tops of the trees. To her right, was the setting sun.

All of a sudden, Rainbow felt a surge of confidence. She started to fly faster.

This is... This is amazing!

She flew faster, feeling the wind rush past her.

Yeaaahh!

The faster she flew, the better it felt.

The whistling of the wind, the feeling of the wind, everything about it felt natural, like she was meant for it.

Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. There was a loud boom. Rainbow quickly slowed and looked behind her. What she saw was truly beautiful.

A sonic rainboom. The colours of her mane, and of the fish. Each colour was vibrant, almost sparkling under the sunlight.

Rainbow watched on as each colour faded to a dull white before vanishing.

Was that me? That... was... awesome!

After watching the now empty sky for a little while, Rainbow continued on her journey, still reminiscing in the moment.

Rainbow flew for a long time and the sun was now gone below the horizon. She flew through the twilight sky for a while longer, enjoying the small things. She tried to count stars, until there was so many that she gave up. She even tried flying higher, above the clouds, but it got a little too chilly.

Why does everything about this seem so familiar? Flying, my name, the... twilight sky. What does it all mean? Rainbow wondered. I can’t live like this forever. I need something around. I just don’t know what...

Rainbow looked up at the mountain. It was a lot larger than before. The mountain appeared to be a dark blue in the night. She could make out a lot more details from the mountain, being as close as she was. The trees stuck out from the snow, covered in snow themselves, swaying calmly in the faint breeze. There were parts where rock would poke out from the snow.

Why did I come to this mountain anyway? It’s not like I’m going to find anything here.

Rainbow quickly dashed down to the ground, landing better than the last time. The soft snow crunched under her weight. It surrounded her hooves in cold air. She stepped around a little bit more, enjoying the little crunch from the snow.

She spent a little while in the snow, building little snow statues. Once Rainbow finished with her little statues, she walked around them, encasing her statues in a circle drawn into the snow.

Rainbow finished and took a step back to look at her creation. Before she could admire it any longer, she felt a cold gust of wind that carried with it some loose snow, which caught onto her fur. It melted from her body heat and soaked in.

Just then, Rainbow felt a wave of exhaustion rush over her. She fell down into the snow, which caught her smoothly. Before she could try to get back up, a pain arose from her stomach, along with the growling that she had been ignoring all that time.

Instinctively, Rainbow knew exactly what was wrong. She was starving.

With the little strength she had left, she got up, only to fall to her knees. She leaned against a tree, using it to help keep balance.

It wasn’t long after until she passed out against the tree, in the snow of the forest.

Night was already upon her, leaving no light in its wake. Only moonlight would find its way to her. As well as her statues.

The statues were not that of a random thing she saw along her journey, but that of something she felt within her heart.

As Rainbow lay there, night kept watch over her, and her five little statues of snow.