Rainbow's Lonesome Road

by Centurion Pike-Wall

Path

She made her way along the path, not on guard but not careless. She knew she could be attacked at anytime, but saw no immediate threat to her. As such, she was sort of in a limbo. Slowly, however, she began to relax. She was then able to take in the path itself.

It was pretty straight, and angled slightly upward. It was covered in sticks and damp leaves, along with the occasional uprooted bush. The rain had really taken its toll on this area. The weather, likely uncontrolled, was like that of the Everfree forest: wild and untamed. But unlike their, no innate sense of dread filled the air.

Actually, it was quite beautiful. The light, unregulated breeze. The scent of freedom; one that can't really be explained, but you just know it by instinct. The way the crisp, unfiltered light of Celestia's sun weaved through the still remaining leaves. Mushrooms seemed to emerge from each orifice and crack they could, so it looked like large white pebbles formed the floor of the roadside ditches instead of mud. Even the very air itself seemed, for lack of a better term, Clean.

The animals also added to her calmness. A small bird sung a lighthearted tune from its perch along a tree branch. Rabbits scurried along the edge of the path, seemingly knowing to stay away from her. This was certainly different, but not unwelcome; she had had some bad experiences with Fluttershys 'Adorable bunnies.' Especially that little devil she called Angel. She also figured that other animals would avoid her, as opposed to walk up and inverbally ask for cuddles or food.

That was something she was ok with, though. She had never liked animals, and they had never liked her. Those things were always Fluttershys specialty. They always seemed to dislike her back there. Maybe it had to do with her lack of willingness to feed them, but her and critters never go along. Tank was the only Animal she had any sort of nice relationship with.

As her thoughts drifted to her Tortoise, she sighed, a small fear running down her face. She missed him. It was just that simple. The two of them were as close, if not more so, then her own parents. Not that she didn't love them, but they were just embarrassing. I mean, they had literally made shirts and caps in her image, when she was f****** four!

The more she went down this train of thought, the sadder she got. Sure they were embarrassing, and sure they took things way too far. But, in the end, they were still family. That wouldn't change, no matter what. You can choose your friends, but family lasts until you all fade to the sands of time. she thought.

Then, she thought about the concept of Friendship. What was it? She doubted it was magic; if it was, her 'friends' were definitely not it. And It had plenty of hindrances. Wasted time, wasted resources, the potential for being betrayed. Staying alone seemed to be the safest way. However, it did have advantages. Aid when in needed, more skills, and a few other benefits.

She sighed, and continued to move on. The path stayed straight, only dipping slightly upward. As she marched along, she heard a feint bubbling off theroad, to her right. Turning her head, she caught sight of a small creek. She starred at it, and realized just how parched she was. She had no canteen, and hadn't had a drink since gathering up some rainwater she collected in a tarp. So, not making the mistake of leaving her weapon unattended, she slid off the path and went over to the creek.

She reached its banks, and got a better look. It was, while not crystal clear, still allowed her a glimpse of the bottom. Wet sand and rocks covered both the bank and bottom of the river. A few sticks and reeds laid around as well, but she paid them no mind. instead, she cupped up some of the water.

It looked sort of clean, and it didn't have any dirt particles in it, so she judged it safe to drink. She took a small sip of it, and silently rejoiced. It was not only clean, but also crisp and cool. It tasted just like the water she got from her rain reservoir, back at her old house.

Forgetting her old life, she cupped up more, and slurped it down loudly. Some of it dribbled out of her cheek-hole, and she looked down at her reflection. Her face was smudged with dirt and dried ash, making it look like dirty bowl full of Crystal clear water. Dirty, or possibly necrotic, flesh hung from the gaping hole in her cheek, which couldn't have been good. The scar along her forehead had sort of healed over, yet still had strips of scab clinging to the old wound. Her faded rainbow hair hung wild, long, and equally, if not more, dirty then her coat. She was, to put it simply, disgusting.

She cupped up a much larger amount of water then usual, and tossed it over her face. She knew it was no substitute for a proper bath, but it would have to do for the moment. Not content with the amount of water entering her parched throat, she lowered her head and began to lap up the water like a dog. While she would normally never do this out of pride, she had had hers dragged through the mud, stabbed, cut, burned, and tossed in the sea. And so, she drank like a dog, hungrily and unashamed. Her thirst quenched, she trudged back to the path, and marched on.

By now, the path had taken on a steeper inclination. She was now trudging along on a upward slope, as opposed to the straight one she had been on before. The road also got more rocky and narrow, rendering comfortable traversal impossible. However, as she was accustomed to intense pain, she just winced and moved on. Eventually, she reached the summit of the hill. She this area was mostly devoid of trees or other tall plants, allowing her a view all the way to the horizon.

The sight was breathtaking. To the south, or at least what she guesses was south by the position of the sun, a massive series of mountains cut out of the earth, their peaks stretching all the way to the sky. Westward stretched a forest, unending in trees as the sky in clouds. A similar sight greeted her view to the east, in addition to a river, likely the one which fed the creek she had drunk from some time earlier. It cut through the trees like a knife, the glittering Sapphire water acting as a near perfect contrast to the dark green sea of trees. To the north, the way she had come from, stretched yet another wall of trees, yet this one failed to reach the horizon. Instead, just at the edge of her vision, maybe a hundred or so miles away from her, the edge of the desert. The entire scene was awash in the amber glow of the late afternoon sun, making it look like a painting. Breathtaking.

As she continued to cast her gaze, she caught sight of her destination. A ways off, nestled in the forest by the edge of the mountains, stood a grey blotch. She guessed that was...Oh, F***, what was it called?....Kells Keep. Not too far off, either. With luck, she could reach it by nightfall. If not, she would be able to camp near to it. Her spirits renewed, continued her solemn march.

Comments

[Thule]

What would be interesting is what if Rainbow got her hands on a newspaper, and read something about what happening in Equestria.

This could also have a follow-up chapter from the rest of the elements POV. Maybe even one from those in the castle.... (not just Celestia and Luna)

Daring Do's next book could also be added into this, or it could be a second update on Equestria...