Reality is a Blur

by lLoveRainbowDash

Chapter Twenty – Siege of The Pyrathian Kingdom

Rainbow opened her eyes and sat up. She stretched before getting out of the bed. She looked over at London’s bed. He was asleep with a faint smile on his face.

She watched as the covers rose and fell with each breath he took. Just then, she realized that something felt... off. The birds that were normally singing by the window were no longer there. The outside air looked... smoggy, and the sounds that normally arose from the large city in the early morning hours were gone as well.

Rainbow walked over to the door and opened it. The house was quiet. She looked at the clock on the far wall. Going off of what Percy had told her about clocks, it was around 7 o’clock.

Rainbow walked back into the room. Suddenly, from the open window, she heard sirens go off. She ran to the window to have a look and saw bright orange light coming up from the other side of the city’s wall.

“What’s going on?” London asked, rubbing his eyes.

“I... don’t know. Stay here,” she said, walking back out of the room. She had gotten halfway down the stairs when Percy ran inside the house. “What happened?”

“W-we need to go. Now. They’re trying to evacuate the city.” Percy hurried into another room carrying saddlebags. “Here, put this on,” he said, giving Rainbow one of them. “Where’s London?”

“H-he’s upstairs... but what’s happening?”

“North Pyrathian troops are launching an attack on the city. They’re evacuating the ponies to the east.”

Rainbow turned to go back up the stairs but saw that London had already come down. “We’re getting attacked?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m sorry to say,” Percy answered. “We have to hurry. I’ve already packed the bags with food and water. Now, let’s go.”

Rainbow and London followed behind him as they hurried out of the house and down the road. Ponies were running past. They all seemed to be going the same direction.

A bright flash drew Rainbow’s attention behind them. She saw a large yellow-orange ball of fire that had blown a hole in the wall. The sound reverberated throughout the city. She looked back forward and saw the city’s guards motioning towards a small cutout in the wall. Ponies were exiting the city from the cutout in order to escape.

They were just down the road from the hole when loud snaps were heard. Rainbow had learned enough to know that the sounds were from the rifles. Each shot from the guns sent echos bouncing from wall to wall.

“This way, hurry!” a guard yelled, pointing towards the exit.

Once they had gotten to the exit, Percy stopped them. “Listen, I have to stay and help fight for my home! Follow the town’s ponies, they know where to go! They’ll lead you to a place called Port of Wynmeda!” he shouted over the explosions and gunshots. Before Rainbow could protest, he left.

“Let’s move!” another guard called out.

Rainbow allowed London to go through the hole first, following closely behind. Once they had gotten out, there were large groups of ponies standing around. Some ponies ran.

Rainbow placed London on her back and walked towards one of the large groups of ponies. “Wher⁠—” She was interrupted by North Pyrathian troops coming from both sides of the city’s wall. They marched in perfect formation as they came closer. They stopped once everypony began running. The ponies in the front of the formations lowered their shields to allow the rifleponies a clear shot. On either side, a pony was heard shouting orders, causing the rifleponies to fire their weapons.

Rainbow watched as town’s ponies fell to the ground all around her. She heard screams. Explosions. Gunfire.

London held tightly to Rainbow as she ran amongst the rest of the ponies.

The North Pyrathian troops reloaded and fired off again. Over and over again, lowering the amount of town’s ponies left.

Through the smog, Rainbow could see a forest not too far ahead. London stayed silent as he clung to her.

Another round of gunshots fired off into the, now smaller, crowd of ponies. She knew there was now way she was going to make it out... so she jumped down into the dirt. “Stay quiet and don’t move,” she quickly said to London.

Without hesitation, London laid as still as a rock beside her. After another round of shots, Rainbow could see that nopony from her group had made it to the forest line.

The North Pyrathian troops walked among the bodies, searching for any survivors. One of them came right up to her and London. He looked at them.

Her breath was suspended. Her blood was still as if to assist the silence between them.

She waited—waited there in the dirt through what seemed like centuries of pure fear.

“Sorry, kid,” the pony said. He then turned away and shouted, “All clear.”

Rainbow waited longer. The explosions and gunfire had died down. She glanced up at the city and saw fire coming up from almost every single building. The smog had long since been replaced with only dark grey smoke.

“London, I think it’s safe,” she whispered. Rainbow stood and helped him up. She walked with him to the forest.

Rainbow looked back. Goodbye, Percy.

With that, she walked into the dense forest. The smell of smoke lingered in the air causing them to cough a few times every now and then.

They walked, and walked. The farther they went, the less overwhelming the smoke became.

The sun gleamed down between the branches and leaves, leaving beams of light through the smoke.

“I’m thirsty,” London said before coughing.

“Here, let’s take a little break. I think we’re safe.” Rainbow took her saddlebags off and hung it on a branch that stuck out from a fallen tree. She opened the bag and gave London a bottle of water. She searched the rest of the contents of the bags and saw there were packages of food, closely resembling MREs. Before closing the bag, she took a bottle of water for herself.

Rainbow sat beside London on a log. They stayed quiet for a while.

“Rainbow?” London asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?”

“I... I-I love you.”

“I love you too, London.”

He was quiet again. After another few moments, he asked, “W-what happened to Percy?”

“I-I don’t... know. I hope he’s okay.”

“Is he... dead?”

“As much as I hate to say it, London, h-he might be...” Rainbow looked down at him.

“Are we going to die?”

The question caught her off guard. She hesitated before answering, “N-no. As long as you’re with me, you’ll be fine. I-I promise you.”

“You promise?”

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

London yawned and leaned against her. Rainbow lifted her foreleg and wrapped it around him. Not too long after, she too closed her eyes to catch some sleep while she could.

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

“Sorry, kid,” the pony said. He then turned away and shouted, “All clear.”

Did the soldier knew that they were still alive and let them go?

Things might not end well for London.

[lLoveRainbowDash]

10046556
The guard didn't know, he was simply just apologizing to London.

[Yami Vizzini]

Well, so much for the gilded cage.

[lLoveRainbowDash]

10047445
Yeah... The Pyrathian Kingdom will never be the same.