Rainbow's Lonesome Road

by Centurion Pike-Wall

Raiders

The walk back was no different from the walk there. Same dunes, same rocks, even same wind currents. While the rocks and dunes were just that, and didn't bother her, she hated the Wind currents. They just seemed to taunt her, tempting her with a great flight in the clear desert sky she could never do. She would do anything to be up in the sky; those without wings just couldn't understand what it was like.

Flying was.....freeing. The wind, the subtle currents, the many maneuvers. It was just something you couldn't get with a run, a truly freeing sensation. Oh what she wouldn't give to feel it again. The wind in her mane, her coat parting from her speed, and the rainboom. Oh celestia. She could never do a rainboom again. She suddenly felt very...Small.

Plow noticed her staring off into the sky. She said, "Hey, you know you ain't wedding you googles. You may just blind yourself, and that would be a burden neither I nor you want. So, what's wrong?"

Void snapped back to reality, and she gave a sheepish smile to her boss. "Sorry, just, thinking. About flying. I mean...."

Plow nodded. "I can't get it, but it sure sounds fun."

"It is. And now, I can never do it again. I'm grounded. This was my worst fear back hom-Up north. To not be able to fly."

"You seem to be taking it well."

"Not really. I mean, I do my work, and don't enjoy myself to avoid thinking about it. I go to sleep as soon as work is over, not staying up to play cards, to avoid thinking of it. I just, hope to one day get over it."

"Yeah. You know, your not the only one to lose something like that."

"What do you mean?"

Plow, while still marching along at a steady pace, pulled up the sleeve of her undershirt. Void had never seen her without it. She then found out why this was. About halfway between the elbow and the shoulder, was a crease. The crease had, tabs, connected to leather straps. It was a prosthetic.

"Woah."

"Yeah, Nice, ain't it. Lost it when I was younger. Farm was attacked by a sand wrym. They're rare enough, and usually eat smaller animals, like scorpions and s*** like that. But, they WILL go for sentients if they're hungry enough. Bit my whole forehoof off 'fore my pa was able to drive it off. My mom wasn't so lucky. "

"I'm sorry, Plow. "

They were, by this point, within a mile of the farm. Before Plow could respond, she looked up and gasped. Void followed her gaze, and despite the desert heat, her blood ran cold. Coming from behind a hill in front of the house, was a plume. A plume of pitch black smoke. Both mares looked at each other, unhitched from the cart, and took off running.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When they rounded the crest of the hill, they stood in shock at the sight. The trees were burning; fire leaping from bundle to bundle, consuming the tightly backed trees. The workers shack had been overturned, just a pile of wood planks and sheets of scrap metal. The main house was under siege, with the farm hands and Doc fighting, thrusting knives, and other farming tools through the window.

Outside, piling up various barrels of stuff, or trying to push the others out of the house, were about two dozen creatures. Most were griffins or ponies, but Void also saw a couple of Diamond dogs, and even a minotaur of two. They were not the best armed; most wore leather, mail, and occasionally crude metal plate, and fighting with crude weapons. But they were definitely outmatching the others in the house. As they watched, a pair of pegasi broke through the top floor window.

Plow growled out, "Raiders". She then drew her knife, and jestured for Void to do the same. She said, "come on. We have to help them!" With that she galloped down the hill. Void, not wanting to let her do it alone, soon followed.

When they reached the bottom, Plow ran off toward the house. Void was about to follow her, but one of the raiders blocked her path. It was a unicorn, dressed in sparse leather and mail, an axe held in his magic grip. He wore a sadistic smile, and, like he smelled her fear, rushed her. Not really knowing how to fight, she ducked out of the way, using her remaining wing to assist her. The unicorns axe hit the ground, but he pulled it free and continued his onslaught. He had no real style; just swinging wildly.

During one swing, his axe got caught in a board. He tried several times to free it, before giving up and drawing a knife of his own. The two began to circle each other. All the while, the unicorns sadistic grin stayed on, seeking to intensify when he drew the knife. He then lundged at her. She once more tried to sidestep, but he was expecting that. His knife, when about level with her side, jerked to the side. She had no time to dodge this one, and the blade scraped across the base of her throat. Not high enough to get any arteries, but it still hurt like hell. She dropped the knife from her mouth, bringing her forehoof to her neck to stem the bleeding.

The raider came up to her. His face was contorted in sadistic glee, a look of bloody murder in his eyes. He whispered into her ear, "I 'm gonna enjoy stickin' ya, and watching you bleed like a stuck pug." He raised the knife, and Void saw an opening. He was just holding her neck, with her forehooves free. And her knife was only a few inches away. Grabbing it, she thrust it up into a gap in the unicorns armor.

The knife sunk up to the hilt in his shoulder, to the point where she could see the very tip of the blade sticking out of his back. He made a sick gagging noise, a small stream of blood dripping out of his mouth. He then fell limp, his body falling next to her. She suddenly felt sick. Even if he attacked her, and had made it clear he would enjoy killing her, she had still killed. She had no time to think of it, as a heavy object smacked her in the back of the head. She then slipped into the void once more.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When she woke, she thought she had died and gone to tartarus. Fire was everywhere; the trees, the remains of the shack, the store house, the main house, all of it was burning. She was still slumped over the corpse of the raider, his leather armor acting as a bandage to keep her from bleeding out. She got up, and began to stumble around, looking for anything that could help her. She found nothing in the remains of the shack, store house, and couldn't enter the main one on account of the fire. She realized, as much as it sickened her, she may have to search the raider.

As she trudged back over to him, a smell like rotten meat took over her nose. It seemed to eminate from the corpse, as it got worse the closer she got to it. It was nearly unbearable when she got next to it. She slowly began to look for anything of worth in him. She found a satchel, and pryed it off. She then scampered away from it as fast as she could. When she was far enough away as to stop smelling the body, she opened it and began to rumage threw it. She's found a canteen in a pouch on the outside of it; when she popped the top, she found it was nearly full. Inside was a few pieces of bread, a dried apple, a sharpening rock, and a map.

She unfolded the map, checking if there was a place she could go. She saw the raiders camp marked in red, a few 'hits' in black, and.....perfect! A town, Attaistown, marked in blue. It was about, 50 miles, to the south. Oh F*** me. She then double checked for any other supplies. Her new search did reveal something new, but not something she wanted to see. It was Garrett; or at least what was left of him. His throat was so mangled he was practically decapitated, and his body was covered in smaller scratches. She was content to leave the raider corpse where it lay, but not him. Not only was he a friend, but also one of the ones who saved her. But she didn't have a shovel, nor was there a pit nearby. So, she resolved to throw him in the fire.

She dragged him along, careful not to cause anymore damage to him. When she got near the burning remains of the Shack, she propped him up on her shoulder as best she could. Only able to hold it for a few seconds, she then hucked him on the fire. She stayed there for around five minutes, watching the kind griffin that had saved her burn to ash. Once he was nearly gone, she walked away toward this 'Attaistown', tears streaming down her eyes. Her new home, was gone.

Comments

[Stevanater]

dam now i feel really bad for rainbow even worse then before

[Centurion Pike-Wall]

9049452
Yeah. Are you familiar with the saying "it only gets worse before it gets better"? Yeah that basically describes this story.

[Stevanater]

9049725
Yeah but the worse it gets the stronger you get !! or you just die one or the other till it gets better

[Texus]

Not really knowing how to fight, she ducked out of the way, using her remaining wing to assist her.

aaahhh finally Dash is not a secret ninja for once, or a battle hardened soldier just because she joined the wonderbolts at some point.

9049725
I like it this time, but I seriously hope you don't do it like one story where one bad thing happened after another and so often and fast as if it was meant as a psychological for the main char.
No matter what he did he was nearly thrown in prision and was forced to help in a war because he helped friends not to get raped and was hurting the enemy a bit to much, then his mother died and other stuff.

At some point I don't mind it to have a more or less stable situation for the main char, If she has to do with Tempest later, then I expect her to fight again of course, but I guess let her keep a home and maybe a few days/chapters break before she needs to join another war.
I will see what you have done in the end.