Our new Friends, Our new Enemies

by The Potato Guy

Chapter 19: Almost heaven

Rainbow Dash

“Rainbow! Help!”

The mere cry that so hauntingly came from Fluttershy inspired a fear in Rainbow Dash that she had never before felt. Her friend was in mortal peril, enough to shake her to the core, but the fact it was Fluttershy of all ponies, a pony so kind and good that cruelty should not touch her with a ten foot pole.

But the words the real, and an evil shiver spanned itself down Rainbow’s spine.

It was dark, almost black even, but Rainbow didn’t care. Her legs fuelled themselves with pure adrenaline, and fearful determination to stop whatever was hurting poor Fluttershy.

“Please! Help me!”

It was unbearable for Rainbow, yet she didn’t stop.

“Somepony! Help!”

The words cut through Rainbow, deep into her soul. This shouldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be happening. What would be so evil, so heartless to hurt the innocent? Rainbow didn’t wait to find out.

Harder and harder Rainbow pushed herself, but the cries never stopped.

“Please! Stop! I don’t want to die! Please don’t!”

Fluttershy’s words echoed for a mile, much to the Rainbows misfortune, every cry of pain, every plea for so desperate help broke Rainbow a bit more. She would stop whoever was hurting her friends, that wasn’t an even a question, but from the sounds of it, enough damage had already been caused. The first time something even touch Fluttershy in such a cruel way was enough, but here Rainbow now was, tortured with the shrieking cries of a friend undeserving of any pain.

“HELP! PLEASE! PLEASE! HEEELLLPPPP!” They were from cries from hell, from the darkest of terrors, and Rainbow was scarred for life from them.

Worst of all, Rainbow could not find Fluttershy in this dark mess, and for this mistake, for this failure, Rainbow payed dearly.

“NO! PLEASE! PLEASE STOP!” Fluttershy’s time had ran out, and the absolute sickening crack of bones replicated themselves in Rainbow’s chest.

Inhaling an unhealthy amount of air, the near heart attack Rainbow felt as Fluttershy went quiet, she faced no other option but to involuntary collapse.

The darkness claimed her. Her vision all but vanished, and a cold, unearthly feeling took over her.

Failure was her, and tears alone wouldn’t patch that shame ever again….

Suddenly, feeling returned. Sharp feeling, painful feeling, and Rainbow awoke.

“What the fuck? How the hell do you sleep so deeply?” said the deep and unmistakable grumpy voice of Navnløs.

Light stinging Rainbow’s eyes as she rubbed them, Rainbow returned to the land of the living, now only just realising that horror she had just witnessed was merely a dream, and thank Celestia it was, for Rainbow didn’t know how she would now continue with what had just happened.

“We’ve been driving over boulders the size of-“

“Your ego?” Interrupted Rainbow, unable to resist teasing the Human, despite being rudely woken up.

“My ego?” questioned Navnløs, seemingly shocked that someone would dare insult him like that. “You blue freak! It aint an ego when you’re as masterful as me at surviving in this shit stain of a planet, ok?”

The irony wasn’t lost on Rainbow.

“Whatever you say, dude…”

In truth, Rainbow was finding herself more at ease with Navnløs’s general attitude, more chill with his unfriendliness. To her now, the Human was simply grumpy, albeit extremely so, and Rainbow, not being of the particularly sensitive variety, didn’t find herself offended.

Regardless, despite Rainbow’s increased resilience to Navnløs, the Human in question didn’t exactly give her many chances to prove her strength. No response came from Navnløs, who insisted on continuingly driving the vehicle.

Peace and quiet was always good, especially when the company wasn’t fun. It was a chance to relax and contemplate, a relaxing set of activates for the monotony of a normal day. However, a normal day was increasingly foreign to her, a distant dream right now. Nothing had been normal for days now, and Rainbow knew it.

So in such an abnormal time of her life, a time with no foreseeable end, Rainbow wasn’t exactly going to just chill out. Her time should be spend productively, starting with Navnløs. It was time for some more answers.

“Soooo…..” Rainbow began, instantly feeling awkward from having to actual small talk. “In all your ‘masterful’ surviving experiences, which were the most dangerous?”

Stemming from her need to actual do something, Rainbow once again found herself unexpectedly curious into the mysterious past of this Human, and all Human’s honestly. Their story seemed a bleak one, one full of death and misery, but hard times breeds challenges and perhaps most selfishly of all to Rainbow, it created stories.

Suddenly the vehicle slowed to a screeching stop, as Navnløs slammed his foot on the break. Not angrily so, more surprised than anything. Still, it wasn’t the reaction Rainbow had hoped.

That unexpected reaction had stopped them in another prime example of just how hard conditions must of have been, and continued to be for the Humans.

The past couple of days had been exclusively wasteland travel. Having just escaped the trading outpost with their lives, Rainbow and Navnløs had travelled west. Navnløs had stated a couple time that the place he called Salutis wasn’t an option anymore, and they needed drop off the grid for a bit, just until whoever was hunting them lost track, or forget about them. Apparently, Navnløs knew of a small settlement by the ocean, and place to lie low for a bit. How he knew the way so accurately, considering he had never been to the starting point of the trading outpost, that confused Rainbow, but all had been relatively well until now.

Besides the environmental company.

Having just left the dry, barren bleakness of the Wasteland east of here, now she found herself in a different but still dry and bleak landscape.

Relatively hilly in nature, upon those dying hills lay actual vegetation, a new thing for Rainbow in a world seemingly devoid of nearly all life. The only thing was that this vegetation, if it could even be called that, didn’t really leave a pleasing impression.

Cracked and deformed skeletons of trees, numbering at least semi regularly, defined themselves across the hills, old and decaying bark the only thing of note on these husks. Nestled between them and the common rocks and boulders was the peaking of some form of grass. Unlike the trees, this grass seemed to be alive, yet anypony could be forgiven for saying it wasn’t. The same sickly grey colour of death as the trees, it patched itself among the dry, stony dirt of the hills, leaving a landscape more pronounced and recognisable by the protruding rocks and exposed stone of the hills, instead of the first vegetation Rainbow had seen since Ponyville.

This was the land she currently was in, exposed in a complete stop. As uncomfortable as the journey was, it was at least preferable to feeling so isolated as she felt right now. As if she was held captive by this dead land, and it’s sad, decayed eyes gazing upon her.

“Um, shouldn’t we keep moving?” asked Rainbow, hiding her worry as best she could. “Any time wasted is time those hunters could spend actually catching us”.

Snorting in response, practically arrogantly so, Navnløs did not seem so concerned.

“Oh come on, the last time we even smelt their shit was yesterday morning. They’ve probably overtaken us, and gone north doing so. I told you, I’m good at this. I know how to shake ‘em.”

Rainbow left his point open, not to be argued with though. Ever since their departure from the outpost, the Hunters had been relentless in them pursuit of Navnløs. The situation had never developed into something as dangerous as when they had shot at the vehicle, but the methodical and unending chase haunted her day and night. Whenever Navnløs had decided they needed to rest, their rest stop had luckily been one well hidden, judging by the fact they were still alive. The first night was a fearful one for Rainbow, as Navnløs’s sudden wish to depart in the middle of the night caused all sorts of frights within her. The rumble of the vehicle in such a quiet and open land was one thing, but actually finding tracks from the Hunters was another, another thing far more panicked setting.

Still, and to his credit, Navnløs somehow maneuverered away from the probable path of the Hunters. As empty as the land was, it was at least expansive, no towns of any or habitation at all in their way. They may be being hunted, but it was a hunt over such a large area, one Navnløs could take detours and various routes in which their tracks couldn’t be followed.

So for now, Rainbow at least could believe she was safe, from the Hunters at least. From Navnløs, after his sudden stop, she couldn’t be too sure.

“My most dangerous?” He simply asked, as if he was trying to understand the entire question.

This however, was a tactic Rainbow was becoming all too familiar with. Navnløs was clearly speaking like this in an attempt to make her guilty for what she said, to make it seem like she was in the wrong for asking such a stupid thing. He may not like the question, but under no circumstances would he make Rainbow submit to him for a mistake she apparently meant. As much as it probably annoyed him, Rainbow wouldn’t back down from this.

“You heard me. Out of all your journeys, what’s the time where they nearly got you?” Rainbow’s words were casually provocative with a friendly tone. If the Human’s attitude to living was crude and brash, she saw no need in being so delicate. It was back to playing rough.

Still, it didn’t mean Navnløs just laid back and took it. As it was becoming clear, even on a good day, within an acceptable conversation, Navnløs still wasn’t exactly compliment, as if his same unfriendly and negative attitude hadn’t changed regardless of the topic. Maybe that was the sacrifice Rainbow had to make, to accept he wasn’t a friendly individual, even while getting a bit closer to him.

So true to form, Navnløs stared forward, his teeth grinding perhaps a little. His hands upon the wheel that guided the vehicle, he didn’t move an inch. Practically paralyzed from Rainbow’s question, Navnløs stared forward in silence, an eerily lack of emotion on his face, contrary to Rainbows belief.

“Hey, you ok?” asked Rainbow with a laugh, making light of the situation. “Dude, you in there?”

Only when she waved a hoof in his peripheral vision did Navnløs snap out of his day dream like state, and back to his generally unhappy self.

“Huh? What? Shut the hell up! I heard you” he replied crudely, as if he was embarrassed from apparently zoning out.

“Geez” recoiled Rainbow, internally finding this strange lack of attention amusing. She felt fortunate that she was becoming more accustomed to this unique character, with a developing new feeling emerging within. “You didn’t though, did ya?”

Nearly said with a wink, Rainbow didn’t feel in danger at provoking the angry Human. Of course his reaction wouldn’t be one of playing along. He wouldn’t congratulate Rainbow on her good joke. He would bite back, but now, Rainbow felt more settled and comfortable causing this. Something previously unspeakable made its presence felt within her, even if she was unsure if it was even valid. This ease in her verbal resistance, her increasing serenity in being in his presence, it all had the same feeling as a friendship developing.

Perhaps this world really was affecting her. She was going insane.

“I swear, I’ll rip every one of those stupid looking feathers out of your body”.

Navnløs’s threat was a disturbing one, one most likely born of the horrors of the Human world. Still, it was a lazy retort. A simple threat. It would take more than that to spar with Rainbow.

“Go ahead. The wings don’t even work. You’ll get tired before you even finish with a single wing”.

A morbid insult resulted in an equally morbid defence. Rainbow, for as tomboyish as she was, never really descended into the depths of such crude and quite frankly, disgusting talk. However, the surprise that Rainbow now felt was not that she wasn’t that bothered that such words left her mouth, but the fact such a remark came out so automatically, as if it had been scripted. Like it or not, present company always had its impact on how converse flowed.

“I won’t get anything but plenty of screams from your shit filled mouth!” Now Rainbow got her wish. Navnløs snapped his head to stare daggers at her with such a furious speed that it was a miracle that she didn’t hear an actual snap.

“I don’t how many of those blue little things there are! I’ve never had the pleasure of gutting one of your odd annoying race, but I can damn well assure you that I won’t get tired! If I can manage wiping out an entire fort of fire worshippers single handily, I’m sure I can find the effort to make your life a misery!”

Rainbow could only smile back triumphantly.

“Ha! Got ya! At least you told me something!” cried out Rainbow, the instinct to fly up in joy kicking in, but ultimately failing, what with her broken wings.

Navnløs grumbled deeply, a near growl in fact. Initially, Rainbow wanted to allow herself to rub her victory in, to taunt the miserable Human for his slip up. Upon further thought however, and watching Navnløs and his expressions, Rainbow came to the conclusion that perhaps this hadn’t been a mistake, but a cheap attempt at intentionally giving her an answer, but under his own terms.

It made sense honestly. Navnløs was petty and grumpy enough in that he would do anything to not allow another individual any small victory, even one of just receiving an answer. In appearing that he made a mistake, words “accidently” slipping from his mouth as he insulted her, he could at least claim credit for saying it was his idea to tell her of his story. From having the energy to torture Rainbow, to withstanding an entire force of enemies, it was an immature but clever way of talking, but under his own terms.

Realising this, Rainbow backtracked.

“Oh I-I mean… oh yeah? Sounds tough. If they liked fire though, they would love one of our Princesses. She’s like, an expert with all things burning. What with raising the sun and all…”

Clearly feeling more at comfort with the Human, Rainbow cared little for how falsely arrogant she seemed in the face of Navnløs’s little side step. She even exaggerated her denial to unnatural levels, her purposely bad alibi clearly on show to Navnløs.

“Wherever you’re from, it sounds messed up” stated Navnløs quite simply. Again, it was as if he was giving Rainbow a chance, unlike countless times in the past where unwarranted aggression and no quarter was given, now his tune has changed to the form of, an albeit it unfriendly, but a more accepting show. He may sound like he wanted every conversation with Rainbow to end immediately, but this was still in total contrast to their first few talks.

Capitalising on this change in relations, Rainbow did as all friends did, she actually shared some stuff of her own.

“You’re the weird one’s dude! Everything here seems so like….crazy. Like you guys don’t even have any control of the place”.

Rainbow honestly struggled with creating comparisons to this world and hers. Here, it was wild, untamed, dangerous and neglected, even without all the devastation most likely. Equestria seemed ordered and intentionally peaceful. Bar all the threats she and her friends and tackled in recent years.

“We don’t!” seethed Navnløs. “Look, you need to open your eyes for once. Believe it or not, I’m not normality around here, I’m honestly an oddity. The amount of…. things I’ve seen in my life; even other Humans don’t even begin to believe. So when you say how different all this is to your cushioned fancy ass world, you don’t know shit! Ok? I’ve told you before, if anyone but me that was here now, you’d be taken apart and sold for all sorts of stupid remedies!”

Rainbow remained silent in response to Navnløs’s outburst. In truth, he seemed annoyed at Rainbow’s ignorance than anything, and not just because she was a Pony.

It was food for thought however. If Rainbow was to maintain improved relations, she would have to give in to that additional growing feeling. The one increasingly impacting her thoughts and actions. This world had begun to claim her, and she was becoming a product of her environment. Now, if she wanted to ensure Navnløs wouldn’t ditch her where she sat, she would need to let it claim her a bit more, become more familiar with her location, just as Navnløs had done, probably many, many years ago.

“Sorr- “ Yet Rainbow silenced herself, just as she was about to apologise for her ignorance, the ignorance she wished to be rid of.

It was a silence that attracted the gaze of Navnløs, who’s eyes drifted over to her while he stared forward, obviously attempting to seem apathetic towards to substance of Rainbow’s words.

Rainbow was sorry of course, but contemplating on more than just patching up her current mistake, she finally felt her attitude towards Navnløs come full circle. She couldn’t appear weak or otherwise ignorant of her environment, for her sake and his. She did need to impress him in that regard, but like she had thought earlier, she couldn’t appear needy or soft. Like how she had ensured the nature of her words seemed to resist the boorishness of Navnløs to fit in more with his ruff attitude, she too needed to apply that new found quality to her meanings, not just her small talk. Apologising, for however right it was, wasn’t something Navnløs would do, so why should she?

Understanding it in the way that she and Navnløs’s relationship was akin to some Military recruit being assigned to the gruff, experienced squad. That poor individual couldn’t show weakness, less they get chewed up, but neither could they show a complacency to be better. Sucking up wouldn’t work, only long, hard work would suffice as progress, and only that would warrant true respect. Navnløs clearly wasn’t the Human to want some meaningless verbal apology. He wanted tangible results. To him, clearly the ends justified the means.

And now, while his attention was on her, however inconspicuous he wanted to seem, he awaited that result.

“Just a few more fights, life threatening situations and you taking us to the most ‘shit’ filled places, and It might be me taking you apart, buddy.”

Now adopting Navnløs’s crass and raw like language, Rainbow watched what her change in demeanour produced from the Human.

His eyes back in front, staring deeply into the rocky distance, Rainbow watched his hands squeeze the wheel, his knuckles whitening in tension. If he was angry though, there was no other signs. No gritted teeth, no growling. It was a surreal moment for Rainbow, who now truly felt the gravity of her gradual change. To her, as far as the contrast went, for as much as her friends may disapprove of her now, Rainbow felt satisfaction at this necessary shift in personality, and perhaps Navnløs did.

The soft grunt, however dismissive and drained of emotion it seemed, was not some disapproval look as he had managed but a minute ago, nor was it some furious outrage, as Rainbow had received prior. The grunt indicated Rainbow had won, and for such a sore loser as this Human was, that little noise was all the evidence she needed.

Navnløs, for all his lack of social skills, seemed to approve of Rainbow’s transformation and she did herself.

Yet another step on this long, troublesome road to friendship.

Perhaps it was the difficulty of this slowly building relationship that so stunned Navnløs, his mind probably overfull with thoughts and revelations, or so Rainbow suspected, what with his motionless time off.

“You want me to drive, or something?” asked Rainbow with a cheeky smile. While it was amusing to once more see Navnløs so flustered, so disabled by current occurrences, a thought did enter the back of Rainbow’s mind, one of slight confusion and suspicion. She couldn’t really say why, but something did indeed seem fishy with Navnløs’s slight change in behaviour.

Nevertheless, perusing such a thought based on nothing but Navnløs seeming distracted was far from good enough, and would only risk to imperil her new found progress with him.

Putting it eventually down to the mere fact that Navnløs was so unlike any individual she had ever met, and that Humanity was of a quality far from Ponykind, Rainbow let this unfounded suspicion slip away.

“Eat shit, Pony!” harshly jeered Navnløs, returning to the world.

“Hey, you actually got it right for a change!”

“Ugh…”

The conversation ended, and with no further argument. Whatever the reason was, Navnløs no longer saw Rainbow as such an easy thing to abandon.

With that, as quickly as the conversation ended, so did the Human restart the vehicle, and without further word or debate, their journey continued, Rainbow allowing her a smile as she rested back into her seat, right next to Navnløs.

---

For the next half an hour or so, travel seemed to progress in relative silence, bar the occasional comment from Rainbow regarding the world. Learning her previous lesson of not asking basic and annoying questions, Rainbow ensured the only time she did raise her voice in wonder was when a thought, more general in nature, entered her mind. Asking about some current difficulty or questioning the world like some naive tourist wasn’t a way to win Navnløs over. In their silence, Rainbow only questioned upon the larger state of the world.

The answer she got, as she so feared, wasn’t exactly heart-warming.

As coldly as any other answer he gave, Navnløs briefly explained that, regardless of how misfortunate Rainbow felt right now, in such a barren inhospitable place, it was in reality, the safest area.

Aside from the place known as Salutis, all that Navnløs divulged was that, in-between all the wasteland was a variety of barely put together civilisations, of varying sizes. The largest among these however were of such extreme and dangerous political ideologies, that going to these places instead of the dry, dead wastes was an even surer way to get oneself killed.

Yet as it turned out, that grisly fate may be closer than Rainbow might have hoped.

“Fuel’s nearly out.” Simply stated Navnløs, as if such a horror didn’t even bother him.

In contrast however, such an impeding danger stroke a true sense of horror in Rainbow’s heart, shaking her new found desire to stay strong.

Nonetheless, each Pony had a different way of displaying fear and pressure impacted each individual to a varied degree of panic. Rainbow had not had much luck in the latter recently, but in line with her new found change, this worry, however strong it may be, would not impact her demeanour.

“Well you can get out a start pushing” Rainbow had put her bets onto being Navnløs’s opposite. While still appearing tough and competent, Rainbow thought it best to mirror Navnløs. Still step in line with him, but provide a familiar, but flipped perspective on all things.

“Like it’ll even matter…” trailed Navnløs, just in time that his words synchronised with the slow speed descend. A desperate chugging sound emitted from deep under the metal and the well-known vibrations that had defined Rainbow’s uncomfortable travel began to cut in and out, before fully stopping, and allowing the vehicle to slow to a complete stop.

“Wait, so you only just told me this now? When it’s literally about to happen? Oh well done dude! I’m glad we planned this through”. Rainbow’s sarcasm took no prisoners, to which Navnløs’s reaction seemed to be muted, relative to his previous outbursts.

“It doesn’t matter. Had it ran out miles later, we would still be surrounded with what you see now”.

Navnløs really didn’t seem at all fazed by, what was now the two being stranded in the middle of nowhere. Rainbow had to give him some credit however, panic in the midst of a dangerous situation served no benefits, as Rainbow knew when flying, but had only just been reacquainted to recently.

“You still could have warned me.” Grumbled Rainbow, accepting of the fact that Navnløs couldn’t and wouldn’t change, so this was all inevitable.

“Why? What could you even do? You’re useless”.

Navnløs’s words cut deep. Despite all the progress made, what had remained the same was his capacity to insult and infrequently give her a break. It was a problem persisting, regardless of how she acted. He may approve of her general attitude, but actions spoke louder than words, in the end.

Virtually sulking, Rainbow forced herself to swallow her pride, her teeth grinding she found herself practically having to suck up to Navnløs with her sudden help packing what few supplies they had left. The remaining food and water, luckily consisting mostly of some potato like root and bread, went into a crudely sewn back pack of some sorts, before being given to Navnløs, who sharply removed it from Rainbow’s possession.

“If you want to stay alive, we need to climb over these rocks” Navnløs stated, pointing to the rocky hill just to the side of the vehicle that would now so easily be abandoned.

“And….get back onto the old road?” asked Rainbow, having to remember what little Navnløs had told her about their whereabouts.

“Well shit, you actually listened.” Laughed Navnløs, a display of amusement but curiously without any actual joy.

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“But didn’t you say-“

Rainbow’s concern was legitimate, just as it had been when Navnløs had first told her, and he too showed such a feeling. Still, it apparently wasn’t enough to permit her to actually voice it.

“I know what I said!” he cried out. “If you want to carry on the trip across this hellish landscape, be my guest. Just don’t expect the barely a day’s supplies we have left to last any longer than that. Then we will see if this route is still good enough for you!”

His words were true. Of course they were. Looking at the path ahead of her, it was a miracle that the vehicle had got this far. Narrow, rocky and seemingly constrained by the rocky overhangs on either side. Walking, however simple it seemed, would take time here, time neither of them had.

“That’s not what I meant!” Rainbow protested.

This got Navnløs’s attention, who turned as he slung the back pack onto his actual back.

“At least you’re actually using your head for once”. His slight approval stemmed from the fact that, should they continue on the old road, the Hunters may find them. Rainbow had not forgotten this fact, and not just because the old road was of better quality.

“That makes one of us at least” Rainbow said under her breath, but just loud enough so that Navnløs could hear.

He could, Rainbow was sure of it. His barely successful attempt to keep any growl from escaping his mouth made no attempt at contradicting her belief. In fact, he made no attempt also really to tell Rainbow to move out. One moment he was stopped in one spot, the next, climbing the rocky hill.

“Race ya to the top!” jeered Rainbow, the sense of competition so welcomingly returning, a sentiment unsurprisingly not shared with Navnløs.

“Go ahead.” He said, surely at least surprised with Rainbow’s sudden, if not foolish, speed at climbing. “All you’ll do is slip and snapping your spine in half”.

Rainbow scoffed at Navnløs’s low estimate of her. She reminded herself to brag to him of her athletic accomplishments, if only a little bit of course. She didn’t have an ego.

“Pfff, don’t you worry about me dude. I’m a natural born athlete!”

Understandably, Navnløs didn’t waste his breath disputing this, or otherwise mocking it. His assessment that Rainbow would fall was enough for him, enough karma he could rake in when Rainbow spoke too soon.

Luck found its target in Rainbow, unluckily for Navnløs. Thanking her hours of non-wing based sport for strength and skill in the rest of her body, she eventually found herself at the top of the rocky ascent, simultaneously happy Navnløs did not beat her, but disappointed she didn’t beat him. For a creature with such weird anatomy, Rainbow was at least a little impressed.

Nevertheless, now finding herself at the top, overlooking the vehicle, Rainbow allowed herself a view of her new surroundings. While the climb hadn’t been that far, and the hill not that tall, her current patch of land must have been a high point for miles to come, judging from the far sights now available.

It was a depressing sight.

Hilly as far as the eye could see, an ill haze blanketed the horizon, so nearly creating the look of the natural woodlands of Equestria on a crisp autumn morning, fog nestling to the tree abundant hills.

Here however, only the hills remained, or at least they were the only thing remaining hole. More so than where she was now, hundreds upon thousands of skeletal remains of tree dotted the landscape, nothing but a shell of what they once were left. It was a graveyard of the world, each husk of a tree a grave stone. It was all eerily still as well, almost postcard perfect, were it not for all the devastation.

It was so quiet in fact, that when Navnløs stepped over to her, his feet scraping against the dirt of stone, Rainbow almost jumped out of her skin.

“The mist, we are close to the edge” he said simply, almost hauntingly.

“The edge?” questioned Rainbow.

“Of the land. Just what stupid folk call the coast line. Idiots are so terrified and untraveled that they think the world ends on a fucking beach, and a hellish world lies beyond”.

Rainbow in all honesty didn’t appreciate his arrogance. His dismissal of every other Human but himself.

“Not everyone is so disloyal to something that they travel the world, dude” she said, not harshly, knowing Navnløs would never respond to such a tone, but in a friendlier manner.

“Mm hmm” was all the Human responded with, a rarity in terms of the tone he usually took with Rainbow. However delicate she put it, Rainbow still was chastising him in some form, and she had learned the hard way that Navnløs did not appreciate such a thing, so it was all the more surprising that his response was, yet again, muted and dampened.

Rainbow inquired, albeit indirectly.

“So why does it all look so…sickly, Mister almighty?”

Calling him out on his supposed wisdom of the world, in comparison to those he had just belittled, Rainbow was met with a dismissive, but almost mournful tone, hints of anguished memories nestled within, something Rainbow did not regrettably know of yet.

“If only you knew…” was his response, setting off without her again, down the hill.

“If only I knew what?” Rainbow prodded, not letting him escape her questioning just yet.

“It doesn’t matter, epically to a thing like you” Navnløs replied quickly, as if he had prepared his defence already.

Rainbow remembered this inflection in his voice, back from their earlier time together. He had stated he had seen things no other Human would believe him in, stuff they would think him crazy for saying.

It was all too juicy for Rainbow., but this time, she wasn’t going to squander her opportunity. Navnløs was never going to give a clear cut answer, but she could at least help him trust her enough to ensure such a thing could come to fruition, one day.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You’re going to think I’m insane if I started telling you all the stuff me and my friends have seen and done back home”.

However conciliatory she may have wanted to sound, it still wasn’t enough.

“Then don’t. I don’t care” Navnløs truly seemed more interested in descending a mere hill then listen to stories from Rainbow, however telling that was about him.

Still, it wouldn’t stop her. Stubbornness had its benefits.

“Believe me or not, I don’t care either, but magic is like everywhere back home. Its crazy! Like a swarm of shape shifting bugs invading to steal our life force, a horned demon totally wrecking the place, not to mention an angry dark shadow force thing coming back from banishment to get revenge, and that’s just the stuff I’ve seen. My world is big and crazy, so don’t think you guys are so special with all…this” Rainbow did finish almost disappointed with her own descriptions, as she looked upon the world and realised, for as different as it was, all that remained was such a basic form.

Navnløs seemed uncaring still, looking at anything that wasn’t Rainbow, in true bored like state.

“But hey, like I said. You don’t have to believe me, it’s cool. I really don’t care dude. I’m just…” Rainbow paused as she became aware of how her tone was coming across. Nonetheless, she allowed it, and finished her sentence. “I’m just saying, for all the things you’ve done and seen, everything that makes you think others see you differently, you’re…you know…not alone. I believe you at least”.

Virtually mumbling her final words, Rainbow felt a sudden heat assault her face, as a wave of nervousness and embarrassment swept over her. She wasn’t sure how Navnløs would take this unusual attempt at genuineness, at friendship. Rainbow, unsure if she should have even said anything now, couldn’t look.

Yet, in the corner of her eye, without any stopping from their walk, without any word of laughter at her, she saw Navnløs look down at her. Deliberately and fully, and for a good few seconds. From what she could see, he wasn’t angry, nor was he disgusted or amused. His face seemed blank, if perhaps a little surprised.

In normal circumstances, he would have said something, in a way not to favour Rainbow, but in saying nothing, in just simply looking at her, it seemed like the first instance of the Human actually being…normal.

He was probably shocked that someone else would show at least a degree of confidence and care in him, that he actually had an ally. Rainbow knew was he wasn’t silently thankful or happy for Rainbow’s words, far from it. He was still the same Navnløs, but perhaps just this once, he would allow Rainbow at least to show him some loyalty.

“What’s that?” Rainbow suddenly proclaimed, breaking the awkward silence, only after realising it seemed way to coincidental, after her embarrassing moment.

But something was there, in the distance. A small ruined building, a large over hang attached to it.

Navnløs initially ignored her, also too probably thinking Rainbow was trying to divert attention from her. In not too much time he too did spot this discovery, the one thing that wasn’t rock and dead tree in this vast landscape.

“Looks like an old fuel station. Folks used them before the bombs fell to fuel their own vehicles, the overly indulgent bastards. The old road is close.”

Rainbow tried to imagine all this before the Human war, wondering if it was a beautifully wild location, if Human’s used to visit here for fun. If A past Human had stood where they stood, and be wowed by the view.

All that didn’t matter now. They were all gone, and the view wasn’t so pretty anymore. That feeling, born of her time in this world, didn’t end there though.

“Could there be supplies? We don’t really have much left”.

Navnløs stopped, thus forcing Rainbow to as well.

“Unlikely. Most travel spots got looted probably before any bombs around here even hit. People would panic and try and stock up on shit.”

Navnløs seemed unconvinced of any hope within the building. Rainbow however, feeling hunger bite, didn’t accept this. Be it the need for food that wasn’t dry root, or pure adventure and foolish bravery, Rainbow went into automatic mode.

“Well, if there is anything, you aint getting it!” Rainbow winked, suddenly finding herself walking once more, actually without Navnløs.

“Stop or you won’t have me to save your dumb life.” Came the warning from Navnløs, an extraordinary rarity, considering his whole act of ensuring Rainbow knew just how little he cared for her. Now Rainbow didn’t suddenly think his judgements towards her had altered, but it was added testimony to her no longer being just a lost thing found. Now, perhaps, she was somepony to him, if only just that.

To the substance of the warning itself however, Rainbow could be no one but herself. Call it cockiness, as many Ponies had, but determination set in her heart, and not even Navnløs could stop her now.

---

The fool hardy journey to this abandoned building must have been over a mile at least, but in Rainbow’s determination, it felt but mere feet.

“Would you stop pissing me off?” cried out Navnløs, now in tow for once. “I can survive on our current supplies, so you definitely can. We are not taking this route!”

His anger was obvious, but for reasons more selfish and petty. Ever the control freak, now Navnløs wasn’t in charge, and he hated that.

Let’s see how you like being the pet

Unfortunately for the Human, Rainbow had already reached the building and in all honesty, up close, it wasn’t as magnificent as it was from a distance.

A simple box like building, rusted and decayed lay in front of her, with the overhang she saw from back up the hill. From this distance however, Rainbow saw it for what It really was.

A simple roof.

Under that old roof was an open flat area with a couple deep holes, square in shape.

“I fucking said, there won’t be anything left here. Even the fuel pumps have been taken. Where the holes were!”

Having caught up to her, Rainbow was unwilling of letting Navnløs win this one, to prove her right. The bragging rights were bad enough, a Human so unwilling in everything she said and did, that just being in his company felt like competition.

Aside from that however, a more personal reason reminded Rainbow why she couldn’t be proven wrong. In doing so, she would lose precious credibility, to be seen as a simple, needy and weak willed individual. Rainbow needed to find something of value here, to make it all worthwhile, and to show Navnløs she was worthy almost.

“Have you even checked inside dude? No? Keep running then. You’re nearly there”.

Wow, I’ve changed

It didn’t take long for Rainbow to realise her tone, and how quickly the floodgates of arrogance had opened. If patronizing was an exclusively given word, no pony would argue it being applied here.

“There won’t be!” Navnløs replied heatedly. His reputation, or what little would be lost in such a stupid situation such as this, was also on the lone. Locked into battle with Rainbow, Navnløs too decided he could not be proven wrong. It was all a childish, petty stalemate, and Rainbow was keenly aware of this fact. Still, she was committed now, and forfeiting it all would gain her no favours.

“You wana bet?

This seemed to provoke Navnløs to the point of actual anger. The look of bloodlust was in his eyes, the same look Rainbow saw in the Skera camp and back when he killed the raiders. The difference now however, was the fact this terrifying look was directed straight at Rainbow, no pony else. In fact, the vast emptiness of the land magnified this feeling tenfold. Nothing seemed to be, but Navnløs and Rainbow, and all deathly attention from the Human was now restricted to the latter.

The stare between the two must have lasted at least a couple of minutes. The two just stood there looking at each other, waiting for the other to react first. Rainbow honestly didn’t know what Navnløs would do, when push came to shove. She had no ideas of violence or bloodshed. That simply wasn’t the kind of pony she was, and she wasn’t about to let some stupid ego contest to change that.

The seconds seemed to slow into minutes, and more and more did Rainbow think just how ridiculous this all must seem. Common sense would have normally made her call all this out, or at least bring out a lighter side, make the whole thing seem humorous. Navnløs wasn’t of that quality however, and he was ready to show why.

His facial muscles tensed up, and his fist became clenched.

Anger claimed him.

“Get down” he said.

Rainbow wasn’t sure why she throw herself to the flow, or how quickly the next few moments played out, but play out they did, all while she had no clue what was happening.

With furious speed, Navnløs had transitioned his death stare towards Rainbow, to withdrawing the hatchet from his belt, before throwing it directly at her direction. Finding herself on the floor however, the weapon found another target, a Human target.

Embedding itself in the skull of the hidden Forgotten, the dead Human fell to the ground before Rainbow could even turn around to see what had actually happened.

Then, even before Rainbow had fully comprehended the fact they had been ambushed, action continued. Spinning around with great accuracy, Navnløs stopped just in time to thrust a knife into the neck of another attacking Forgotten. Only then, with two kills scored in under three seconds, did Rainbow’s instincts kick in.

This was a full blown attack, and they were seemingly surrounded. There was no running away, and no driving to safety. Rainbow readied herself.

“Ambush pits! Back to back! NOW!”

Rainbow didn’t need convincing, practically slamming her rump against the back of Navnløs’s legs. Gone was all the thought of winning against him. They were one team now, and the only winning that mattered was winning to survive.

“Your axe! What about it?” Rainbow pressed, her eyes scanning the ground around her for any disturbances.

“Fuck it for now! I move and they jump out. We need to prepare a defensive!”

Again, Rainbow trusted his judgement, his experience in such matters. His tactics seemed wise enough, deciding to not lose any ground or be separated from her by another ambush.

“Or perhaps we don’t?” Rainbow didn’t want to question Navnløs’s strategy, but seeing four armed Humans, their faces masked with fabric, climb out the holes in which Navnløs had said fuel pumps once where, that suggested something else entirely. That surprise wasn’t something they were relying on anymore. They had numbers on their side after all.

“Stay behind me, and don’t attract attention” Navnløs warned, his body entering a state of severe concentration and preparation. He switched his knife to face away, pointing away from the fight and let them Forgotten make the first move.

And so they did. The largest one, taller than Navnløs, ran forward rather foolishly and without support or mind. In his hand was some sort of metal pipe. As large as it and he was, none were a match for Navnløs, who’s astounding speed quickly knocked the large Human out the fight.

Dodging the downwards blow, all Navnløs had to do was a sharp swipe with his knife, before plunging the blade directly in the chest of the Forgotten when the cut opened up his soft centre.

Respite wasn’t given so fairly then though. The other Human’s weren’t too far behind their fallen comrade. All were a similar size, slim, but by no means weak with pronounced muscle showing through rough rags that were their clothes.

Here Navnløs used his strength. Deflecting a blow from some sharp cut of metal, Navnløs enabled himself to focus on another threat before that same weapon came back for another swing. A sharp left hook swung into the face of the next Forgotten, who immediately withdrew a few steps away to nurse the loud crack that just emitted from his face.

This sudden fortune allowed Navnløs to focus, for the moment, exclusively on the last target.

Dodging side to side from the swings of a spiked wooden bat looking object, Navnløs used both his speed and strength now. Hooking his arm around his counterparts, a terrifying twist simply snapped the Forgotten’s arm, causing him to cry out in pain.

It was all grizzly showing for Rainbow, and now had enough time to see the blood and pain already inflicted on the attacking Human’s. Luckily for her, Navnløs was the primary threat here, and thus the one warranting all the attention.

Yet by now, the Human who had his weapon deflected had re-entered the fight. His sharp metal blade again and again thrust and slashed at Navnløs, who luckily could either dodge, parry, or use his strength to punch the wielder completely away.

Navnløs was truly holding own…for the time being.

Both Injured Humans, with a bloodied face and broken arm to their person, wasted no time in assisting their ally. All at once did they attack Navnløs now, who only by his skill and experience survive.

Continuous deflecting, even with just a small blade was impressive. Navnløs grunted and roared as the full power of his muscles activated to defend himself. Yet in the face of three surrounding opponents, there was only so much he could do.

In an act of desperation, one Forgotten charged Navnløs, thrusting his entire body into Rainbow’s near friend. Not even one as strong as he could withstand a full charge, and Navnløs tumbled to the ground.

Rainbow felt panic, and genuine worry for the grumpy Human. Toppled and surrounded by three enemies, she truly feared for Navnløs. Without any weapon though, she was quite useless.

Luckily, Navnløs showed why he didn’t in fact need her.

Moving side to side to avoid his head being crushed or stabbed, Navnløs swiftly grabbed the wooden bat, just as it descended to end him. Stopping one weapon in its tracks, he could waste no time in discarding it, ripping it from its owner’s hands and tossing it far away. Still, a trio of enemies were above him.

To make it a duo, Navnløs discarded his knife into the collar of one, throwing it with more frenzied speed. While not the killing blow, the bladed Human could not continue his kicking and thrusting, instead having to withdraw for longer.

Navnløs’s beating didn’t end there, as much as it pained Rainbow. Two Human’s, one now unarmed and the other with a broken arm, resulted to kicking their downed opponent. Face, body, legs. Wherever. Navnløs took the blows well, but didn’t allow their stay. He too delivered a kick, between the legs of the unarmed Human.

This ensured such a cry of pain, high pitch in sound, burst from this Human, who had no choice but to collapse in absolute pain.

“Come on…one more!” Rainbow was keen not to be heard, but cheering her Human on nearly prevented that.

Broken arm of not however, this Human was still armed. Too armed with some serrated knife, it was clearly he knew time was limited. He intended to end the fight.

Falling upon Navnløs, using his weight and gravity to push down, his aim was to plunge the knife into Navnløs’s throat. Understandably, the Human so capable of holding his own didn’t wish for this.

The knife stopped its descent as Navnløs and his attacker wrestled for control of it. As strong as he was, the former had gravity as his enemy here, ensuring his strength had to be put to better means.

Nevertheless, in that chilling moment, where the knife approached Navnløs’s bare throat closer and closer, Rainbow panicked further. Nothing seemed to stop it, and the one of their travels seemed certain.

Unless she had countered on pure brutality.

Navnløs, with his free hand, reached to the back of his attackers head and pulled it back. Able to do so with broken arm of the Forgotten, Navnløs secured his next move. Disorientating the other Human, Navnløs achieved control with the blade. Turning it around towards its owner, the odds were now in his favour.

Rainbow could not see the true terror and fear in the eyes of the Forgotten, but the fearful cried and whimpers from him suggested this fact quite clearly enough. Now, the only thing descending was the face of the Forgotten… into the end of the blade.

The mere image of this gruesome sight made Rainbow blink, and a blink was all it took for it to be over for Navnløs’s final over seeing attacker. He achieved his freedom to stand up.

His focus then was on the Human who had Navnløs’s original blade embedded within him. Rainbow couldn’t watch this however, as the kicked Human was ready to get up, and astoundingly, the large Human, who had sustained quite the injuries to the neck. He was back up, even beyond the former.

Yet in the fight, Navnløs could not hear this, and he showed no signs of doing so. Rainbow had to act, to save him!

Adrenaline kicked in. Thoughts escaped her mind. Nothing else mattered now.

Rushing to retrieve the axe, embedded within one of the fallen Forgotten, Rainbow placed the handle in her mouth, paying no heed to the fact she had just taken it out an actual body. Next with dazzling speed, Rainbow rushed over to smaller ambusher, bucking him just as Applejack had once taught her.

It succeeded, to dramatic effect. A crack, just like the ground itself cracking in an earthquake emanated from the impacted legs, and nothing would help that Human get up.

Rainbow was in this fight, and before the large Human could face and attack his new threat, Rainbow called out.

“Catch!”

Throwing the axe towards the only friendly, Navnløs caught it mid-air, just as his opponent fell from his blade. All this left was the charging large Forgotten.

History however, could only repeat itself.

Failing to learn any lessons, not even charging speed could help the large attacker. Within the second Navnløs had caught the axe, his upwards under swing had already ended the last Forgotten, and its large form finally fell to the ground, this time for good.

Just like that, the battle was over. Victory.

It had barely last over a minute, but in that time Navnløs had dispatched six Forgotten. Five if he counted Rainbow’s take down, which she suspected he didn’t.

The only Human left standing though, however impressive his victory was, was breathing heavily as his chest pounded in and out while he looked at his handiwork. It barely seemed a positive thing to him, so Rainbow thought. Clearly a Human of violence, such a thing seemed so familiar and so well practiced to Navnløs that he hardly seemed to care for his performance. Though his eyes did eventually set on the Human Rainbow had bucked, for he was still alive.

Fallen, in horrific pain and who’s legs were probably smashed into a million pieces, Navnløs prepared to finished the job.

“No! Don’t!” cried out Rainbow rushing to place herself in-between the beaten Forgotten, and the physically beaten Navnløs, who was clearly bleeding from a couple cuts of his face.

“Don’t kill him” pleaded Rainbow. As tough as she liked to act, as much as she felt like she had changed, she knew enough blood had been shed today, and executing a defeated opponent served nothing but to cruelly take life.

“Dead rats don’t squeak” Coldly replied Navnløs, who truly cared so little for anyone else.

“Then you’ll have to go through me”. Defied Rainbow.

It was as if he loyalties had totally switched. From Navnløs to the Humans who had just tried to kill them. In truth though, no loyalties had ventured anywhere. The loyalty she had decided to show Navnløs, the same loyalty she was planning to show him the benefits of friendship, that was on display now.

Let him kill further, then that was just another death in this dead world. Just further evidence to show her that he and the planet was beyond saving. In showing this mercy, even with regret, that was a sign Navnløs was not fully lost. It would show Rainbow there was hope.

Yet the inevitable stare down, just like the one before they were attacked, commenced. Both willing to argue their points silently.

How long this went on, rainbow knew not, but Navnløs seemed so uncaring of it all, so detached from reality that he actually back down, albeit with an annoyed grunt.

“You’re very kind. It’ll get you killed”. So sure was Navnløs in his assessment of Rainbow, so proud even that he was sure Rainbow was weak that he allowed her this small victory , almost out of some cruel sense of pity.

So while Rainbow smiled at knowing, even deeper down than she expected, there was something left in the Human, she knew her own victory was not yet complete.

Just as the Forgotten struggled to get up, Rainbow gave him the same treatment as before.

A simple, but abrupt buck with her left hind leg landed square in the centre of the Human’s head, knocking him out cold.

Navnløs froze in his tracks as he was about to turn away. His surprise was certain, and Rainbow allowed herself a sure smile at him.

“We’ve been ambushed enough. He’ll tell his stupid little gang to think twice before messing with us.”

Cocky enough, it was a good point, and not one lost on Navnløs.

He stared at Rainbow for a few seconds, assessing her, and in that final second before he turned around to search the bodies of the fallen, his uncaring attitude left, his distaste for Rainbow’s mercy. He had understood Rainbow’s point agreed with it, and simultaneously been impressed with her assistance. She had not caused trouble, not drawn attention to herself. She allowed Navnløs to fight his fight, and win only when it seemed he wouldn’t. That was the interference he appreciated.

She had only come when called upon, and have proved herself a fierce aide, one not so frightened by simple blood anymore.

In today’s journey, Rainbow had taken steps to show she had made progress, both for herself and for Navnløs. Self-improvement, progress of their relationship. It had felt like a worthwhile day so far.

Rainbow had been happy with that, but Navnløs had shown so sings of replicating these feelings. Sure, he had shown her less distaste in the last few days, but the manner of his words did not illustrate his true feelings.

Until now.

It was more the lack of any words that did it, that showed his approval to Rainbow. In a split second, his face relaxed, and gone was all the aggression and carelessness. In that moment, approval came in the form of a smile that wasn’t a smile.

If he was an individual of increased emotion, a curving of the lips would have undoubtedly happened, but for this broken character, just relinquishing anger for a moment, saying nothing where normally insults would have been thrown, that was enough for Rainbow.

True progress.

Rainbow hadn’t stopped smiling. Of course, she ensured it wasn’t obnoxiously so, Navnløs would surely punish her for it. But it was there, and there for a reason.

“What the hell are you smirking at?”

Well, I tried

“Nothing” replied Rainbow with pursed lips, really not taking much care or effort to reinforce her lie.

“Well stop it. We’re here.”

The walk from the fight at the fuel station, was a relatively long one, at least two hours of it, but Rainbow, euphoric from the developments there, thought it barely half that. Her mind was preoccupied with the possibilities of trust now, especially since, in such a stroke of look, had been given an actual knife from Navnløs.

It wasn’t much. The blade was crudely made and probably not much use in the untrained hooves of rainbow, but Navnløs had actually trusted her enough now to arm her, knowing full well she could turn the blade upon him.

Of course that was never going to happen, she wouldn’t last a minute, but it was a precious gift of trust, of loyalty, and rainbow couldn’t be happier.

What she had failed to realise was the ocean was right in front of her, the two now facing a rocky cove, occupied by more Humans.

“Stay behind me, and say nothing alright? Ill handle this”

His words were direct and forceful, clearly intending to ensure Rainbow didn’t mess this up. But the question was, what was this?

“Wait, you’re going to let them see me?” rainbow asked astoundingly.

“Well you’re not exactly going to get on any boat without being seen?”

Navnløs’s tune had truly changed. At the outpost the name if the game was not to not be seen at all, to the point of not even leaving the vehicle. Now suddenly he was ok with Rainbow being in the light, had more changed than she even realised?

This confusion clearly appeared physical, to the point of Navnløs having to explain himself further.

“These people won’t care. They aren’t official. Camping around this part of the world, I guarantee they’ve seen just as much weird shit as I have”.

Once again Navnløs had dripped upon his past experiences, the things he had seen, and still, rainbow had as many questions as she did before? What in Equestria was really happening in this world?

“HALT!” suddenly cried out a voice.

They had been spotted. Not surprising really considering they were simply standing in the open.

“What do you want? How did you find us?!” with that, Rainbow and Navnløs found themselves surrounded. Human’s, who’s skin was noticeably darker than Navnløs’s, encircled them, sharpened spears pointing directly at them.

Rainbow watched as curious, even fearful eyes set upon her. Quickly darting between the threat of Navnløs and whatever they thought she was. It was a tense situation, and Navnløs had to play his diplomatic card well.

“Relax”. He began, raising his hands to negate his threat level. “I have a gift for you…”

Author's Note:

Welcome back!
A little late, but you're going to have to forgive me from all my work and actually having sun here in the UK. I dare not waste it

Anyway, heres an interesting Chapter. Friendship between the two, right?
Hold on nelly.
Im not saying that Navnløs has some hidden plot regarding Rainbow and that the bad men at the end might take her off his hands, but im not denying it either ;)

Anyway, just thought i'd quickly mention the meaning of the chapter if any one is interested. Just as its stated in the chapter itself, Rainbow is slowly becoming more of the world, and thats why the chapter had "heaven" within it.....becuase it isnt! Things are actually getting worse, but its a play on the fact that Rainbow is actually becoming more at home in a bad environment. Yeah.

That and the past appearance of the area is based of a place who has a song written about it, with the chapter's name's lyrics

Until next time anyway peeps