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Equestria's eastern coast was the preferred route for the writing wanderer. And even if her existence was recognized, those who knew of it wouldn't have any reason to blame her.
In the far distance, other countries and continents would have their intricate bodies foreshadowed. Dark silhouettes outlining them underneath a dark cloud that hovered over the sky in their direction. The nearby cities of Baltimare and Fillydelphia were lit up and supposedly gleeful, but the wanderer took a route around a forthcoming mountain, which a shallow forest seemed to also prefer. Thick clouds were visible above the trees, as the city lights illuminated most of them.
The wanderer didn't seem to pay them too much heed though, nor much else. She discovered a river that ran near the edge of the small forest, and she started walking near it, but still within the trees. She wanted to take in every bit of physical fragrance that she could from the crisp winds that blew against her bare body, with the help of the flowing river. She showed no signs of stopping, even with the cool sands shifting around the weight her hooves.
"I spent too much time back there," she muttered to herself, frustrated. "I need to find a new place to write."
With that very resolve, she tried her very best to turn her walk into a soft trot, with a very far destination in mind. She only hoped and wished that she would be able to retain the feel of the cold night air upon her coated flesh, and the rushing gales flowing through her mane.
It was the very reason why she was beginning to feel tired. It was the very reason why she was able to have these incredible sensations flow through her.
"I don't know how long I can last doing this."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beside You in Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---Identity---
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**
*
It had been almost a full twenty-four hour period since Rose left the tense scene at Ponyville, and more so, the solace of hiding — at least among other ponies. She simply couldn't stay there, acting as a scapegoat. They would find her.
She knew how all the town's operations worked, and even everything about the ponies who ran them. She had every right to be as cautious as she was, considering the secret she was keeping from the world.
They could find her...
"For the last time, they're not going to catch us," Rose assured her partner, who was taking after her in many ways. The only thing was, though, that she was making it out as if she were actually terrified of this journey they would take. Showing weakness.
Rose feared to look fragile above all else.
"How can you be so sure, though?" the little one asked. "I'm the one they'd never be able to see, cuz I'm so small. But if those guys catch you, I won't be able to do much to help."
Rose sighed — a culmination of the exasperation she would forever hold inside, and the fear, as well.
"It should take them a while to figure out what's going on, anyway. Longer, I hope, but-"
"Are you sure you're not scared?"
Rose got to thinking again, and deeply. She thought deeper than she had before in that same day, aside from how careful she was with her departure from the doomed town. She even got herself lost in her mind, once again. She was a very active thinker, and the fate of the world would need her delicate mind for its benefit.
"I'm plenty scared," she admitted, hesitating throughout. "But I have you, and I need you for this."
"Oh..."
"Don't worry, Bloom. I need your love, too. You're the only friend I've got in this. Partners till the end..."
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As the stealthy mare reached the literal apex of the route she took; at the top of a short hill flooded with tall grass that blew in the gentle breeze, that same sensation still coursed through her body. This was the very motive in her mind that would keep her going for the duration of her trip to her next generation, and beyond that, even.
But then something caught her eye, she hid as fast as she possibly could. She knew she couldn't be seen very easily, especially with how the sun was slowly rising behind her, enveloping her bright coat in the blinding light. And, perhaps, doing such a thing was a force of habit; of caution.
But still, she had no reason to ever feel comfortable. Not now. Not ever.
"Oh gosh. . !"
With her choice words spilled —and rather rapidly— she peeked out from behind the cover of a few lone bushes at the side of the small, protruding hill. She was already beginning to regain her sense of security as she observed the active subjects that caused her to hide.
"I can only hope they didn't see me. . ."
"Rosie, when are you gonna take a break? You've been on your hooves since we left and you haven't stopped one bit."
"I can't. We can't."
"Yeah ya can!" The little filly moved to Rose's front and pointed her hoof to the far right of her, toward the hill. "You can take a break right there. Please? You know I don't tire the same way you do,"
She took a moment to catch her breath. "Heh...you're not calling me old, are you?"
"You know what I'm saying." The filly tried to laugh, but she ended up staying somber. "Just do it! Pretty please?"
Rose's rebuttals came out as kindly as she could put them. "No, we've got to keep going. We can't stop. Never stop, remember?"
The mare in the shelter of the bushes listened to their conversation with great intent. She noticed the filly in particular, as a weak sensation suddenly coursed through her. It was probably the strangest thing she had experienced since she started her journey. It was different than what she had felt before—the coldest air brushing against her bare, exposed body.
Yes, that was a different experience all in all. She considered it to be incredibly stimulating, in fact. But this was rather...direct. It seemed appointed and directed to her.
Though, she knew what this really, honestly was.
It was inside of her. It was in her mind. It wasn't the same kind of fear, such as the type that caused her to hide. She wondered if it could have been a different kind of fear, however, or even sort of defense to prevent her from being slowed down. Maybe it was a different feeling entirely.
"Is that her..?" She kept her eyes on the filly and her adult partner as they approached the little hill. They would probably be there for a while, dangerously close.
"Darn, this is no time to be lost in thought. Remember what your sister taught you." She was speaking to herself, backing away.
"I miss her so much... I can't just forget that. Both of them, really..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A whole hour seemed passed by as quickly as its minutes did, all with nowhere for the mare to go. If she tried to leave, she would be noticed, no matter which route she would take. The brilliant sun shined against the land, engrossing it in a certain radiance that only natural light could. If she were to try and leave the scene in any direction, she would be noticed by someone, somewhere; no matter what. She decided to stay put, huddled between the hill and the bushes to the side. She was still able to feel the cool air coming from the ocean as she leaned against the land mass.
It was time to rest. She had come a long way, once more. She would try to, anyway.
And that meant that it was time to write as well; it was time to add on to what she had written on the eastern shores.
Her heart depended on it...
Her weak, broken soul...
[=====]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A Questionable Consequence~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---Death---
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*
When a fully-grown mare or stallion has come to terms of accepting their expiration, they are given a series of choices. One set that heeds many possibilities, and another that has the power to hold much, much more than the other. As the concept of completely leaving one's life would seem irresponsible, in regard to one's own pride, some other ponies would find the thought irresistible. Such misery and relentless pursuit for a life of negativity exist, whether one chooses to believe it or not. The latter kinds of ponies are known only for a few months time--normally--before they abruptly disappear from sight, at first—then mind—soon after. But there is more to explain as to why those ponies chose to live their lives with such immense suffering.
It was a tale about a selfish ruler, but more about the innocent ones that were under his threatening haze. That time has passed, though, but the scars have been inflicted on this race ever since then, and they have stuck with each and every member.
Given that, they all have a connection to each other. It's more subtle when it comes to their direct memory, but one can describe it as...being hardwired into their Crystal being. And that subtle characteristic coincided with yet another factor that, sadly, stands true. It's truly an incredible miracle for some, as mysterious as it may be.
Elaborating on the concept and forthcoming of one's death, the simplest way to explain their conversion into sparkling nothingness is that, if they were blessed with wings upon birth, or were gifted with a horn in that same time period, they were destined to relive their lives if they so chose to. They would trade their birthrights for the shattered, uncolored pallet of a 'Crystal Pony', as they are much known as today.
[=====]
The auburn-maned mare and her energetic, albeit concerned partner were heading toward the writing wanderer to take the break that they needed and deserved, as they had traveled far from their home. While the character was well-hidden, the taller mare's sheer beauty made her physically stutter a bit, as she found herself completely lost in her presence for about half of a split second. It was strange, but she broke herself out of her trance almost immediately.
"That one is still alive..."
The writer processed the critical information just about as fast as she reacted, innately trying to further hide her presence. She could feel the fear run right through her, and it made her rather skittish.
She moved along the sides of the hump in the ground, with the high-noon sun assisting her as she stepped her way into the shadows cast by some shrubs at the shallow top of the hill that swayed in the gusts of wind that suddenly appeared in the area. She peeked around the curve while still hidden nicely, but she pulled back just a little as she saw that the two strangers were closer than she had anticipated.
"It's way too hot out here," the scarlet-maned mare began, "that storm just passed, though..." They too had been seeking shelter from the sun, but for different reasoning than the wanderer. "We'll rest for a little bit, but then we've gotta keep going, Never stopping, remember?" She smiled sweetly at her partner.
The writer listened to their conversation with great intent, as she swore up and down that this was somepony she knew in her past. But nonetheless, it was strange. She had a serious mission of literary importance, and nothing had gotten in her way since the moment she stole the parchment paper she needed. Her momentum was almost unstoppable.
She got closer to these characters, still hidden and silent.
And even with the knowledge of how she would never be caught, given her small size and proficient sneaking abilities, she would have just enough time to invest interest in a familiar-looking character without letting her guard down, that is if she were to stay relatively close to this filly whenever possible. And the lack of direct sunlight was still in her favor.
"If I could feel anything right now..."
She leaned closer and closer to the filly that was ranting and raving about, only a few feet from her now. She was coming out of the protective blanket of darkness that was that overcast shadow. Her sleeveless hoof started to light up with its bright contrast under the sun, breaking her cover a little more.
"It's that she's real... It's that I am real." She reached ever closer now. "I want to feel you... I want to feel you so badly."
Upon touching the filly's shoulder, she did indeed feel her smooth coat with her hoof, but no physical response was given by the filly in return. She was appalled by this and kept her hoof there, stroking the filly's fur as she developed a somber look on her face, just staring at nothing. She looked like she was feeling both sides of the spectrum when it came to any and all emotions, though, with her physical indications being clear enough to depict her current emotions, her whole body froze. The look anguish and defeat started to saturate her quivering lips, and the thought filled her cunning mind with an intense doubt; that there might be a total flaw in the logic of her goal.
However, she managed to shake off the majority of that doubt; just with a great deal of difficulty. She couldn't lose hope.
Her mind raced at a thousand miles a second. She started to panic.
"What if she knows who I was back then? Oh my goodness..." She retracted her hoof into the shadows, and it was a good thing to do, as the little filly looked all around her in a frantic fit of energy. "What if she does... I remember her, though. So maybe there is a way..."
-
The Crystal Ponies left behind an early impression on the concept of illusions, so early, in fact, that it had easily become that of a fairy tale as old as the grandparents of the Alicorn princesses of the current time. It was based on the premise of dreams—the ones that all the sleeping beings of the world experience almost every night.
It soon became one of the greatest tales one could tell in this very same world, filled with those very same dreams. There are likely major connections between this hypothesis and alterations of the mind. The living and the dead.
[====]
"Do you hear that sound?"
The wanderer finished up her notes with her magic but soon ceased its use, as she feared she had been detected. She dropped everything—figuratively, of course—and stayed still. She didn't hear anything herself, though. She couldn't tell this filly even if she had a real use for that sense. Rose didn't seem to hear anything either.
"Oh? What is it?"
"It's gone now, but it was just squealing in my ear. Somepony back there must be talking about me or something."
"That's...strange. I mean, I hate to say it, but-"
"Maybe they're just remembering me or something. I was one of her friends."
"Whose?" Rose looked back in the direction from whence they came. "Sweetie Belle's friend?"
"It's still hard to imagine her being gone, but yeah..."
The filly's eyes were slowly darting to both her left and her right now, as if she were the one in a hurry this time around. "Great, now I'm all ancy now."
"Well that was quite the switch up," said Rose. She was quick to pick up on this as well, but she also retained the soft tone that came with the filly's small fit of mournfulness. "No one saw us leave town. We can go anywhere else and we'll be fine for the most part; no need to worry.
Rose was being honest; she really was. But she also spoke the bluntest ends of the truth as well.
"I'm not as much worried as I am just...thinking, I guess." The filly then started looking around at her surroundings. "I'll take a look up here and see if it's alright." She started scouting out a route not even a few feet from Rose, who also got up on her hooves and looked for a route to take, but she ended up looking behind her much more than the filly did:
For the first time, she saw what looked like a settlement behind them, no longer behind the guise of thick greenery as she started walking after her partner, about half as fast as she could. The backs of three wooden buildings with about three feet in between each made her pupils shrink. She knew she couldn't be caught. She knew that the news of the filly's murder was breaking, and anyone was a suspect in the investigation.
She made immediate haste and caught up with her partner, even more worked up now; head full of paranoia and fear.
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The majority of their surroundings were now blocked by large foothills and would require their weary bodies to take a night to recover. The sun was still high in the sky, beating down on them with its harsh rays, and its position in the sky also indicated that it was going to be a long time before darkness would fall. Making their way through the mountains any way they decided on was going to be a difficult task.
"Applebloom," Rose started.
"Did she just say her name?" The wanderer had been following them under the guise of more shadows, provided by miles of looming trees.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"She did..."
"Are you ready to go?"
The wanderer just sat back and watched them; she waited for them to turn their backs. And it would be a good thing to move quickly because all the shade she took shelter in was rapidly inching away from her as the sun began to set.
The suspected filly looked at Rose, then cocked her brows, putting on a grimace of a frown. "I am, but you sure don't look like you are."
It was true: Her eyes were heavy and her legs were shaking, and she was struggling to stay on them.
But she persisted to stay strong. Always and forever.
"Well," Rose started again. "The sooner we get out of sight completely, the sooner we can settle down. Hopefully." She would follow the point that she made, despite her partner sharing a grimacing glance. "And it's starting to get cold again..."
"Rosie, I know you're stubborn when you wanna be, but I couldn't help you out if you get yourself hurt. I'm just a little filly!"
"Not only that...but I'm also not going to get hurt."
She leaped into a full gallop with that sentiment, heading toward an opening into the foothills ahead of them and limping slightly to her left. She had a fire in her eyes, much like the fire that flowed in her mane and tail when she ran. She was truly a beautiful mare. The little filly took no time to follow suit after groaning just loud enough for the wanderer to hear. However, she said nothing more and disappeared into the hills.
"I'm not letting you get away so easily, the wanderer preached. "I'm not letting you get away at all.
"I know I know you, and I know you know me."
"Even if I am. . .
She herself focused on nothing more than keeping on their tails after that. Watching all of her surroundings, desperation had driven her to travel in the sunlight, where she could be seen by anyone. She was risking her life.
"Even if you are. . ."
"My life. . ."