South of Somewhere

by The Red Parade

Encounter

Rainbow held a wing above her head to try and block out the sun, feeling sweat trickle down her backside. It was midday now, and the desert head had arrived in full force. She had grown accustomed to the chilly air of Cloudsdale, and the drastic shift in weather was wearing on her.

“Shouldn’t be all that hard, I’ll walk you through the loadin’ process,” Applejack was saying. “It’s right simple when you get down to it.”

Rainbow nodded, pulling her canteen from her bag. “Uh huh.”

The city had long since disappeared behind them, leaving them on a single long road with cacti and sand dunes lining either end. A few mountains sat in the distance, as far away as Cloudsdale was.

The paved road in front of them was worn and dusty, with a few rocks dotting its surface. Wagon wheels had cut parallel cuts into the road, and some parts were cracked and chipped. Taking in the barren, empty landscape, Rainbow was a bit surprised how peaceful it all was.

In Cloudsdale, it seemed like something was always happening. Pegasi seemed to be naturally talented at getting into every space possible, from higher clouds above the city to hidden rooms in buildings, Rainbow never really felt like she was ever alone.

Which was strange, because in a sense she was alone when she was with the Second Division. There was always a sense of anonymity, even amongst those she considered her friends. She wondered if anypony there would miss her now that she was gone.

Rainbow noticed a cropping of rocks on the right. Something caught her eye against the glare of the sun above.

“Hey, Applejack. Do you see something…”

As they drew closer to the rock, a dusty form suddenly lunged at them from behind the rock.

“Don’t you move now!” a pony barked, throwing off their dust-brown poncho.

Applejack froze, staring down the bandit silently. “Easy there,” she said with a low voice. “No need to hurt anyone, now.”

“Right you are. You just give us what cargo you got and we’ll let you on your merry little way,” said a second pony, coming out from behind the rock. The knife strapped to his foreleg glistened in the sunlight.

Rainbow felt her combat instincts kick in as she lowered her body and flared her wings out defensively. She scanned the area, taking in her surroundings and the threat before her.

“I ain’t got no cargo,” Applejack said. “Just sold it all at the market.”

The two bandits exchanged a glance. “That means you’re loaded on bits then. Hoof ‘em over,” the lead bandit demanded.

Applejack’s ears drooped, and she glanced back at Rainbow. “Fine.”

The lead bandit jerked his head towards the back of the wagon. “Go check the back.”

The second bandit nodded and moved towards the back of the wagon. Rainbow slowly followed him, keeping her stance low and eyes trained on the other pony. Just as he was about to hop into the back of the wagon, Rainbow flared her wings out and dived forwards.

The bandit cried out as she slammed into his side, and the two went tumbling into the dust. Rainbow quickly fixed herself on top of him, retching his knife from the sheath on his foreleg.

Rainbow drilled a few quick strikes into his face, while tossing the knife behind her. The bandit tried to shake her off, but Rainbow quickly recovered and kept her balance.

A shout from in front of her told Rainbow that the bandit’s partner was bearing down on her.

Rainbow pulled off of the first bandit and dodged as the leader flashed his knife at her. The leader stumbled forwards, carried by their momentum, but quickly whirled around again to face her.

Rainbow hoovered above him and put on a burst of speed, diving towards him. Before the bandit could slash out with his knife, she drove her hooves into his chest. The two went tumbling backwards, kicking up dust into the air again as Applejack sprinted over.

The two bandits scrambled to their hooves in a panic, staring at Rainbow. Rainbow growled and stared right back.

After a few tense seconds, the two bandits turned tail and ran, shooting terrified glances behind them.

Rainbow watched them leave, not relaxing until it was clear they weren’t coming back.

Only then did she deflate, exhaling slowly and feeling the adrenaline pound through her veins.

“Where in Equestria did you learn how to do that?” came Applejack’s voice as she trotted over.

“I may have… picked up a few things here and there,” Rainbow panted, wiping off her sweat and checking herself for wounds.

“... from the weather patrol?” asked Applejack skeptically.

Rainbow responded with a wink. “Sure. Weather patrol.”

Applejack glanced up the path then shrugged. “... alright, then, sugarcube. If you say so.”

Comments

[WhatShouldIDo]

I’m excited to see where this will go!

[The Red Parade]

10408196
Thank you!