Rarity huffed and panted, she had been walking steadily for many hours now through the sparse woodland and the weight of her belongings was once again creeping up on her, bringing added effort and ache to every step, the weight was unaided by the fact her armour rested quite uncomfortably around her body. Her back was taking the worst of it, the weight of the sword could probably be counted as a testament to it's shoddy craftsmanship she pondered although she also took into account the resilience to damage and wear the blade had shown many, many times over. She become lost in her thoughts regarding the weapon, she found it an overall curious object and often wondered what purpose it was meant to serve in a combat situation and why it had even been created in the first place.
More importantly, she wondered why she felt so attached to the weapon and why she couldn't let it go, it lacked any of the elegance or sophistication that Rarity loved in all things, from clothes to weapons and there had been a few ample opportunities to discard the sword in favour of something lighter and more practical in the passing months, but she could never bring herself to leave the clumsy slab of metal behind and quite frankly, it had posed itself as a hindrance on many an occasion.
Rarity was far from a talented warrior, sure there had been bits of fighting and scrapping here and there on her past adventures with her friends but it had never been necessary for her to hone said skill, it was only the recent situation that had forced her to improve and to do it quickly and over the last few months, she'd developed into a capable fighter, at least capable enough to defend herself and she'd been doing that plenty. There was no doubting that she was far stronger now, physically and perhaps mentally than she'd ever been in her life, her muscles and magic had grown stronger and faster in recent times, but that was obviously a by-product of the life she'd been forced to adopt.
Despite her new found strength in both areas, the sword was still heavy to wield in mouth and magic alike, and although she could use it proficiently enough, it was still sluggish and slow to use, and required quite a deal of effort on her part as well, a soldier of the equestrian military would probably pose a great threat with such a weapon but they were trained for years to hone their skills, both physical and magical. Searching inwards however, she knew why she clung to the weapon and was saddened by the far gone memory.
Perhaps I'll never be properly suited for this Rarity lamented to herself, her expression overall glum and vacant as she searched her thoughts, she was snapped back to reality however when she heard a great roar of thunder above that faded into lower, more distant rolls among the clouds. Rarity turned her head towards the sky, the clouds where dark and rain was close, very close. It wouldn't be much of a bother but the further she had travelled from her camp site, the sparser the woodland had become around her, the tall fir pines had descended lower and lower into smaller trees that had become few and father between, she was definitely approaching a more hilly region.
She muttered to herself in annoyance, rain and mud could only help in slowing her down, her horn lit up and she opened one of her side saddle bags, a blue aurora rummaged around the bag, probing the many items within until Rarity felt the right one in her grasp, she pulled it out from under the various items and closed the bag behind her. It was a simple hood and mantle made of brown leather and lined with brown suede with two brass buttons on the front, perfectly boring but perfectly functional, she unclipped the buttons and pulled it around her neck and chest and buttoned it back, fidgeting with the many straps at her back so it would sit comfortably. Content, she pulled the hood over her head,at least it would offer some protection from the rain.
She carried on walking and almost on queue the clouds above her burst, sending a great downpour hurtling towards the earth, the heavy patter of the rain on leaves and dirt surrounded Rarity completely, the sound was rhythmic and relaxing, so at least she could thank the rain for that, she shuddered in the cold as droplets seeped through her chain mail and down her flank and hind legs I really must invest in some proper under-layers Rarity mused as she continued her way through the sparse trees and newly formed mud at her hooves, she definitely couldn't thank the rain for the brown stains that now splattered across her white coat.
The sound of rain on leaves became ever more distant as she left the woodlands behind her, her ears where once again filled with new noises, the sound of rain breaking against her leather, the steel pommel of her sword and the hood around her, the sound of wind willing the leaves and branches to and fro was gone and only the low, lonely whistle and howl of the winds remained in it's stead. She walked alone on a hill now, long grass stroked and parted against her legs and the ground below squelched beneath her hooves.
She looked beyond the hill, to the mountain range in the far distance, rising like the stone spine of some great, slumbering beast beneath the earth, their peaks where hidden by thick cloud as they too were lashed by the merciless rain. They towered over the a fertile green landscape of trees and grasslands below, even their bases had been overtaken by the sprawling forest giving them the appearance of gargantuan mossy stones from this distance. Thunder rolled across the landscape once more as Rarity looked towards the forest below, it stretched on northwards as far as she could see, far beyond the slope of the last mountain, and perhaps father still beyond the wall of grey mist in the distance, she marvelled at it's immensity.
The southern border of the forest reminded rarity of a wave breaking against a beach with the tree line curving in and out and ending at many different points along the way, the trees led into a wide expanse of grassland that ended at the tree line she herself had just left, it too stretched on for many miles but not nearly as far as the neighbouring forest. Her eyes scoured the grasslands, they began many, many miles away, sloping down from the mountains, there was little to be seen upon them other than a thickets of bushes here and there and single trees that stood solemn and alone between the two forests, they brought Rarity's mind to images of lonely soldiers, crossing a great battlefield to return home. The grey clouds above stretched seemingly ever onward across the landscape, grey sheaths of rain hurtled fast towards the lands below.
Rarity observed the scenery with bitter sweet emotion, there was great beauty to be seen in the world beyond Ponyville, beyond Canterlot and she envied those who would never seen it, who regarded the lands outside the ponies will as gnarled and fierce woodlands akin to the Everfree forest. She had seen a great many sights and still witnessed only a minute fraction of the worlds beauty on her pilgrimage, she had never longed for adventure or travelling before but sights like this made her want to see everything that could be seen. It was that thought that kept her going forward day and night, that kept her walking onward hoof over hoof, that gave her some focus beyond the tainted memories she had left behind her.
Part of her yearned to head towards the mountains, to see and traverse them up close, to see the lands that existed beyond them and the lands that existed beyond those, but they resided in the east and her mission took her north. Reluctantly she pulled her eyes away from the sprawling vista and began her slow journey northward once again.