Silent Artemis

by Hokusai3211

2] 2) Trust and Terror

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“Rainbow sweetie, it’s okay to come in now, I'm fine.”

“Okay Mommy,” a small filly with already untamable hair said as she nervously poked her head inside the room, it was always so cold and uncomfortably white in that room. The sounds of machines beeping ominously behind the bed always made her feel uneasy and the smell of cleaning products regularly applied by the staff always made her nose itchy.

She hated it and wished they could just go back home again, which was much cozier, and had all her colouring books and action figures. But her daddy had said this place was making mommy better again, so for that reason alone she tolerated it.

Still even though she hated this sterilised colourless place, when she spotted her smiling mother and those multi coloured strands of hair, the same as her own, that was all the colour the room Rainbow ever needed.

She smiled at her mother and her mother beamed back at her and it felt like the very sun was shining just for her. She flew up towards the bed, shakily as she still hadn’t quite got the hang of it just yet and paused just before flying onto the mattress. She knew the rules and instead she landed just beside the steel guard.

She knew sometimes she was not allowed, she had been scolded enough to get the message.

Today was one of those lucky days. It seemed as if reading her little fillies mind her mother smiled, looked around exaggeratedly and asked, “is the coast clear?”

Rainbow's smile grew conspiratorial as she looked around the room, none of those white suited ponies were anywhere to be seen. “I think so?”

“Then quick, get up here, before they catch you.” Her mother said, with a sly grin, lifting up a corner of her blanket. Rainbow knew she wasn’t strong enough to lift her up like she used to. But she didn’t mind, she was a big mare now after all she could get up on the bed all by herself.

Rainbows only responce was a giggle as she lept forward, sliding under the covers with childish enthusiasm, popping up like a shark from the deep with a rainbow fin around the pillow into her mothers hooves.

“So, how was school squirt?” Her mother asked, already trying to fix Rainbow's hair to no avail.

“Fine,” Rainbow said, relaxing into the place by her mothers side. “There was a new pony in school today.”

“Oh really?” Her mother said coyly, still patting down some of the wayward strands of Rainbows mane, “and does this new pony have a name?”

Rainbow lightly tried to bat her doting mother hoof away, but ultimately surrendered to it at the chance to talk about her experience, “Um I had to write it down because it wasn’t like a pony name, but I think she’s called G-ilda?”

Rainbows mother blinked slowly, “that sounds like a griffon name?”

Rainbow smiled, “Uh huh, that’s because she is, she’s got like a lions tail and she likes the same comics I do, and she’s really good at flying like me and she speaks another language and-”

“-It seems like you really get along already huh?” Rainbow's mother interrupted, she was interested to say the least and well meaning, but she knew best her daughter's tenacity for unending speeches about what she liked.

“Well, I mean, I didn’t actually talk to her, the teacher asked her what she liked, I just listened, I didn’t um, she seems kind of…” She looked down for a moment as if in deep thought.

“What is it sweetie?” Her mother asked, concern etching into her voice, her attempts at fighting back the springing windswept hair temporarily forgotten.

“Well...she looked kind of scary,” Rainbow muttered, then widened her eyes, “I mean, that’s what the other foals say, I’m not scared or anything, I mean the other ponies were scared but not me!” She said, puffing up her chest a declaration of how not scared she was.

Her mother smiled at her, that kind of smile that Rainbow wasn’t quite sure was the one where she was laughing with her or the other kind. “So you didn’t talk to her, this scary new not-pony?”

“Well… no, she sat away from us in the playground. I felt bad, but she seemed angry, I didn’t want to get yelled at.” She said, mashing her hoof against the bedding, “and she looked kinda sad too.”

“Oh Rainbow,” her mother said, in a tone that sounded like a sort of admonishment that came with a smile, “my little feather brain, did you think maybe she was sad because no pony would talk to her?”

“Um, I don’t know.” Rainbow said, chewing on her lip and not making eye contact. Her mother shook her head softly.

“Don’t kid a kidder sweetie, I know you know the answer, you’re smarter than that, it’s okay to be scared of what you don’t know.”

“I wasn’t scared.” Rainbow tried to protest convincingly, but unfortunately for her, it came out more like a whine than she wanted to.

“Of course not sweetie, but listen, things can be a little scary for some ponies if they haven’t ever talked to or experienced something before. But it’s only the really silly ponies who choose to stay away and stay scared, and my little mare isn’t scared or silly is she?”

“No way, I ain’t afraid of anything and I ain’t silly!” Rainbow said proudly.

Her mothers laughter was like music to her ears, especially because she didn’t hear it all that often these days, “that’s right, we only grow as ponies by experiencing and learning new things, and talking to new ponies or griffons in this case, how else are you going to see cool things if you never get go out of what makes you comfortable?”

“Ehh, yeah!” Rainbow said and her mother rolled her eyes, knowing she might have gone over her head a little.

“Okay, let me explain, you love climbing, don’t ya?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember how scary it was before Uncle Stormy showed you how to do it?”

“I was never scared.” she said then looked into her mothers eyes again and sighed, “… yeah.”

“Well, it’s the same thing with talking to this Gilda, you might find she knows something cool you never thought about she might have a whole new view on fun things. But you’d never know unless you got over being scared and ask her.”

“But…” Rainbow said looking around as if one of her schoolmates was waiting around the corner to listen into her secret confessions before leaning into her mothers ear and whispered, “she has really sharp claws.”

Rainbows mother laughed again, this time Rainbow didn’t find it quite so amusing, “well, wouldn’t sharp claws make that much better at climbing, maybe you could do that together?”

Rainbow blinked, picturing the idea in her little head for a moment, then slowly she found herself smiling at the idea, “yeah I guess so, hey maybe we could see who could be the fastest climber.”

“That sounds like a good idea, Rainbow.” Her mother agreed, as if it had been Rainbow's plan all along.

“And then maybe we could climb up other things, like that huge cloud near the Cloudsdale stadium!”

“Well I don’t know about that one Rainbow, that doesn’t sound very saf-”

“- Or we could see who could climb the school rooftop, I bet I could climb-”

“Rainbow.” her mother snapped lightly, silencing her young filly, “you know I don’t like you climbing ponies roofs, I don’t want another letter from your teachers about that again.”

Rainbow sighed, rolling her eyes, “Yes mommy.”

“Yes mommy what?”

“Yes mommy I won’t climb the school roof again.” She droned.

“Promise?”

“I promise,” Rainbow said, but secretly she was already plotting how she could do it with her new second best friend, picturing the possibilities. Maybe they could go flying together, race together, maybe she could show Rainbow new way griffons flew. Why had she listened to what the other foals had said? She wasn’t scary because she was different. She was super cool because she was different.

Rainbow made up her mind then and there, if she could make friends with Gilda she wasn’t going to be scared of somepony again, just because they didn’t look like her.

“Who knows, maybe one day you might even marry a nice griffon stallion.” Her mother said teasingly, poking her side teasingly.

Rainbow stuck out her tongue almost reflexly, “eww no, stallions are gross.”

“Well,” her mother said with a exaggerated sigh, “Who knows, as long as they make you happy Rainbow, it doesn’t matter who you fall in love with.” her mother said with a another smile. “Just promise me whatever you do Rainbow, follow your dreams okay?”

Rainbow wanted to protest again that she wasn’t going to fall in love with any pony, but instead she just nodded, “okay, mommy I promise.”

Then Rainbow froze when she caught the moisture in her mothers eye. Catching her filly's confused gaze her mother turned towards the window, wiping at her eyes before turning back, smiling even brighter than before. “Now then, why don’t you tell your mommy what you learned in school?”

Rainbows groaned audibly, slumping her shoulders, she knew this was coming, ponyfeathers she hated when her mommy asked her that. Mostly because she hadn’t been paying attention… Again.

“Um, math, times tables.” she said sourly and her mother looked at her to continue, “nine times tables.”

“So, what’s two times nine?” Rainbow's mother asked and Rainbow slumped down into her mothers pillow face first. Wishing more than anything she didn’t have to go through this part of her visit, again, it always took way too long.

“Come one Rainbow this is -” she coughed, caught herself, went to say something else then coughed again, Rainbow lifted her head up instantly, ears folding back as she looked up at her mother. She knew what it was, her mother was having another one of her episodes again.

Rainbow reached over with tiny hooves towards the cup of water as she had done hundreds of times before

“Here drink this mommy.” She said hold the cup out for her mother. She tried to grab it but another fit spasmed through her body and sent her hoof colliding into the cup, sending it flying out of Rainbows little hooves and crashing to the floor.

“Mom, mommy?” Rainbow said in a panic, around her she could hear the sounds of those noisy machines beeping loudly. She looked around for help just as the door opened and two nurses flooded into the room. One of them raced to the other side of her mother, holding her down, the other grabbed a hold of Rainbow gently in his magic.

“Mom please, it’s okay mom, mom!” Rainbow said, watching as the other nurse looked up from her mother, her eyes wide and turned to press the red button. The one her daddy had told her never ever to press unless there was an emergency.

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The droplet of water splash across her forehead perfectly arching down both sides of her muzzle as she grumbled moving her head to the side.

Stupid roof, water proof cloud never absorbs moisture, lifetime guarantee my butt. She thought as she grumbled and tried to turn on her side, when a stabbing pain shot up her back and made her wince.

Rainbow groaned not just from the pain but the sluggishness she felt all over, her fur felt gross, matted with sweat and dirty all over. She sniffed feeling her nostrils blocked and her head clouded, like the worst cold she had ever had, then timed by ten. Her body ached from lying motionless and her chest felt heavy. But even still something compelled her to move.

“Ahh, what the heck.” Rainbow groaned, wincing as she opened her eyes and arching her neck down to look at her side. It was then that she noticed that everything around her was not quite what it seemed.

She gasped as she noticed the white cloth around her waist, pinning down her wing to her body, cuts across her foreleg smeared with some sort of thick cream that smelled worryingly like witch hazel. She sniffed again and winced even harder, she reeked, a pungent concoction of sap, unknown chemicals and sweat caked her fur.

“What the heck?” She muttered looking around her at what was clearly not her room. All around her were jagged walls of rock, slimy wet in places, scorched in others. Hung sticks tied with cloth sported flames on the end, bathing the room in an orange glow.

No that wasn’t right, this was not her room, was not a room period. No structure to it, too small in places too big in others. It looked more like a cave. But what the heck was she doing in a cave of all places.

She scoured her thoughts for a moment as she tried to work out what had happened before she had gone to sleep, only coming up with random memories of flying after something, chasing, falling from a great height, then something?

She needed to move, needed to do something, that always helped her think, but then she made the biggest mistake of all and looked down.

“What the ever lovin’ heck!”

All around her was what looked like animal fur, thick and fluffy and impossibly soft. Normally not something that would have shocked her, save for the fact that clearly it wasn’t on an animal anymore, and it looked like, based on the different shades, it had been more than one of them.

She kicked away the cover, feeling a wave of nausea as the pain in her side caused her to spasm and nearly fall from the bedding. No, not bedding actually, more hay clumps than actual bedding, compact and laid down in the shape of a bed.

What the hell had she done last night to end up here? She had woken up in strange places on a night out, someponys bed, a hotel roof, heck even a cemetery that one time she didn’t like thinking about.

But a cave, that was a new one.

She tried to stand up, feeling her joints click and protest from lack of use. How long had she been asleep, her head felt like a hammer had been taken to it. Instinctively she tried to open her wings and fly, but in the confusion forgot it was still tied down at her side, so instead she ended up flailing, slipped as one hoof tangled around the worryingly comfortable effigy to dead squirrels and rabbits and fell onto the rocky floor.

“What’s going on?” She cried out, as she tried to right herself, this wasn’t right, wasn’t right at all. She looked around for an entrance, but all the walls looked about the same, all the craggs and rocks blended and bending together like a tomb with no way out.

Was she buried deep underground, what had done this to her, who? Had she finally upset the wrong pony, said one sarcastic comment too many. She didn’t have any enemies, as far as she knew, well her and Fluttershy’s friend Rarity certainly didn’t see eye to eye on a good day. But she hardly thought the fashionista would go to these lengths to get rid of her... would she?

There was movement out the corner of her eye, something shifting along the side, and the patter of steps on dirt. She froze, lifting herself up to stand and eyeing all around her for a place to hide. But the cave was barren save for the fire in the middle and no amount of bits was going to get her to hide under the dead animal skin, danger or not.

A mare had standards, even a mare like Rainbow.

She backed away until her plot hit the wall and froze as something big and hairy squeezed through a gap in the wall she hadn’t seen.

A way out, go! Her body gave a sudden lurch forward but she fought it, wanting to see what it was that was coming into this cave with her. She was glad she didn’t as the massive lumbering creature stood there waiting by the front passage blocking the path between her and freedom. Rainbow didn’t think she had the energy to move, let alone fight something that massive.

And the thing was massive, not so much in size though it was tall, but its shoulders thick and shaggy were wider than a tree trunk. Layers of fur stuck out at both sides, with its head covered in a greyish brown fur leaving a blackened shadow where a face might have been.

It stood tall on two legs though she could only guess, given that the fur spilling out like one of those fancy gala dresses onto the ground. Thick arms grabbed at the rocks around it until, finally it squeezed through the last crack and stood there in the room. Its hulking shadow crept up against the wall behind it casting an ominous darkness like an eclipse in the sky.

It dropped something onto the floor with a heavy wet thud. A bag, or a saddle bag maybe, incongruous baby blue with a pink butterfly pattern etched into it. But what drew Rainbows eyes was the worryingly red liquid seeping from the bag.

It shifted something from its other shoulder and Rainbow watched as it bent down and gently placed a bow, about the height of Rainbow standing onto the floor of the cave along with a quiver of arrows.

Rainbow's eyes focused on the pointed arrow tips and gulped, wondering if it had to do with the red stain on its bag. The hulking figure turned then, looking at the bedding, Rainbow's eyes followed it and noticed that it was looking at the empty patch where she had been.

The cave despite its appearance was small and it was only a matter of time before it turned and looked directly at her.

Run!

Rainbow didn’t need to be told twice. She crossed the room with what little strength she had left in her, leaping over the remnants of a fire in the middle of the cave she nearly slid into the jagged rock as she stormed through the gap in the stone wall.

She kept one hoof out hoping that if nothing else it would stop her from running into the wall. The crevice was pitch black, and despite it all she could hardly see further than her own muzzle.

Behind her she could hear the thick furred behemoth scurrying to catch her looking almost panicked for some reason as she bolted from the dim light of the cave flailing it’s appendages for her to stop, but she wasn’t an idiot, it would have to do better than that to get the better of her.

Still, her breath was laboured even after only a few seconds of running and already her vision blurred from the labour of running in her condition. Rainbow grimaced as her hoof hit against the rock, feeling warm liquid begin to seep down it.

Do not think, keep going. Get outside, now!

It felt like miles, but was probably only metres. The twisting and turning of the labyrinthian walls getting smaller and wider with no sense of continuity. But finally, finally she felt fresh air brush against her fur. She let out a relieved gasp feeling a smile form on her face, tears of joy wetting the corners of her eyes.

Keep going, into the forest.

Rainbow wasn’t even sure she was in a forest. But when she finally turned a corner, she could hear more than see the roar of the rustling trees in the wind, the darkness all around her black as an abyss.

The rain was thick, heavy and coming at her almost sideways as she cantered into the storm. At first she wondered how it was possible that it was raining in Ponyville. They where in a heat wave for Celestia's sake. Then she realised much to her horror that this wasn’t Ponyville at all. She was still in the Everfree. The only place no weather pony would dare go.

She swallowed hard as she looked around the pitch blackness around her, dark figures and multi limbed shadows swayed around to the tune of the raging storm above. There was no way of figuring out where she was going to go. The only thing she knew was that she had to get out and now.

Her ear twitched back as she heard the faintest sounds of steps on stone behind her. What even was that thing, it looked like a bear, but one that was wearing fur, rather than one that had fur on it, and come to think of it, why was it running on two legs rather than-

Keep going, now!

She shook her head, her thoughts were right this wasn’t the time to ponder, she could do that when she was safe. She picked a spot and bolted forwards. She ran straight, catching branches and twigs, leaves and bushes. She didn’t care she needed to get away from this nightmare, away from this hell as fast as she could.

She winced with every step. Her hoof tingled from the pain and her body felt numb but she pushed on.

She heard a rustling coming from behind her and turned. Something rustled behind her and she wasn’t sure if it was the foliage or something alive.

“Hey, who’s there?” She screamed above the whipping storm above her. The rustling suddenly stopped. She wasn’t a mare for reading much, but she knew a horror cliche when she saw one and wasn’t about to fall victim to the type of stuff she called out stupid ponies for doing in them.

She ran faster, harder and with even less caution than before.

Above her lightning had just begun to strike, “Just my luck,” she muttered breathlessly, “one more creepy thing in my life, what next?”

She really wished she had just kept that to herself, as at that moment she felt the floor go out under her, she let out a cry as she slid down the mud, spun and crashed onto the floor below. Landing on her bandaged wing she let out a scream and curled up against the mud.

“What did I do wrong?” She muttered to the mud, “I ain’t a bad pony, I don’t deserve this!” Inside of her a spark of rage lit, almost against her own will, but it burned all the same. She let out another primal scream this time one of frustration, frustration at her situation at her pain at the life that kept throwing punches after punches and never let up.

She lifted herself up off the mud. She clutched her side, feeling a rage building up in her she had never felt before.

She was mad, she was furious even, like this was the first time she had ever truly been angry. It was almost blinding in its ferocity, she wanted to rip through life itself, “that does it!” She spat out the dirt in front of her face and glared at whatever was chasing her, “you want me, here I am.” Another flash of lighting struck at that moment, revealing a clearing in the forest around her.

“I don’t care anymore, I’ve been beaten, kicked, humiliated and friggin chafed as well, you think you can do worse than that, I friggin dare you to face me!” She roared into the black abyss in front of her.

She really wished she had just kept that to herself as well. Because if she had paid any attention in Equestrian, she would have learned what it meant to challenge the abyss.

Another flash of lighting soared across the sky just above her, lighting up the opening for just a few moments. But Rainbow eyes caught something in the distance. Something big, something black and that was about all she could make out from it.

It’s smile was the worst part of all, large, cheerful and filled with oily black teeth.

Every single hair on her body stood up as that intoxicating rage left her leaving only the hangover of terrible fear, she shuddered stumbling and fell backwards into the dirt.

You asked for me?

“Wh-what?” She mumbled out, hot tears streaking down her face as her mind tried to form the shadow into something tangible, something real, but failed because what she had seen defied any sanity.

Silly Rainbow, you should be careful who you listen to.

Rainbow stared up at the blackness, seeing an outline of something, but unable to comprehend what it was, limbs and appendages sprang from it, twisting and slithering and clicking into some unnatural abomination.

She wanted to run, wanted to run as fast as she could until she had worn her hooves out to numb and then crawl, but her hooves might as well have been glued to the floor, any instinct to get away fought with the other freeze in the face of true horror. but it was like her hooves were sinking into the mud around her. She dared not move a single muscle in her body.

Now then little mare, why don’t you tell me where my Arti is?

“I-I,” Rainbow stuttered out, heart beating against her ribs like a startled bird against its cage bars.

I promise if you tell me where she is, I'll wait until you die before feeding? It said scraping the words into her mind with laughter that made Rainbows very soul shudder.

She could hear the creature’s limb’s cracked slithered and twisted closer, despite its obfuscated mass it moved with an almost preternatural elegance, like a facsimile of something graceful. Black fluids seeped from its mass across the floor tainting everything it touched. The void where its eyes might have been shone in the darkness.

This was where she was going to die, this was her end. She would never fulfill her dreams now, she had wasted that chance. She blinked as silent hot tears trickled down her cheek not for herself but for breaking her promise to her mother all those years ago.

“No!” a voice muttered and only after a moment she realised it was coming from her own lips, “I ain’t going down like this, I made a promise, I-I!”

Shh, no need for talking, you’ll die screaming anyway, little mare.

Rainbow felt the rest of the words dying on her tongue as another strike of lighting hit almost directly above them, sending an orchestra of cacophonous noise above and for the briefest of moments Rainbow looked the creature directly in the face.

What she saw went beyond understanding, save only that whatever it was, was nightmares made flesh.

But before the hulking monstrosity could make do on its threat, something flew overhead, opened up wide and enveloped the staking horror. It looked in that moment like it had been the fur of the creature in the cave, but that was impossible.

Rainbow flinched back again as she watched the heavy fur wrap around whatever she had been looking at like a venus flytrap around a fly.

Rainbow jaws dropped, but she didn’t have time to be confused as something wrapped around her, holding her neck and stomach and pulled her from behind. She tried to scream again, tried to thrash around and break its hold but it was too strong, she was too weak.

She was dragged backwards through the mud and into a thick thistle bush behind her. She tried to fight, but it was too fast and she was too disorientated. Something wrapped around her neck, grabbing her muzzle and clamping it shut. She felt something sharp against her side.

Rainbow gulped loud as the thing by her side pricked at her, cold and hard and sharp, she lost all ability to fight back. Fingers dug down onto her muzzle almost going into her mouth and she and she, wait...

Fingers?

A shrill and unholy shriek pierced the air and into Rainbow's mind. She flinched backwards from the painful sound, her back hitting against soft skin and she caught her breath. The other hand grabbed around her chest, holding her like a parent holding a scared foal. She didn’t care at that moment that was almost what she was.

In between them both Rainbow could see the faintest glow of Red, her eyes drew back towards some sort of necklace around She’s neck glowing like a newly lit ember and without knowing anything about it, Rainbow knew whatever that was was keeping her safe at that moment.

Minutes passed as the mass scoured the area around them a trail of destruction. She could only catch glimpses now, thank Celestia as the lighting strikes continued overhead. She didn’t want to see it again, and didn't think she could see it again.

It was pure evil, it wasn’t real, it couldn’t be.

She felt her chest heaving, hyperventilating and she thought for a moment she would pass out, then slowly ever so softly she felt her breath against her ear. Despite hearing nothing but the horrific screams but still she felt the movement of lips against her ear. The softening of her fingers against her chest.

She was trying to comfort her. Despite the fear emanating in her own shaking form, despite not being able to speak. She was trying to keep Rainbow calm and somehow it was working. She felt herself relaxing somehow, felt the panic in her chest and the heavy breathing calm as she focused on the rhythmic breathing behind her, the warm feeling of furless skin against her back, the motion of lips against her ears, whispering silent words of comfort against her twitching ear.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting in the cold and wetness of the abyss, she could hear the creature wailing growing more distant, the high pitched screaming and wailing moving further and further in the distance. Until eventually all she could hear was soft sounds of rain against the leaves once more. The gentle swaying of the ever-present swaying of trees, like nothing had ever happened at all.

A torrent of smoke passed through the air in front of Rainbow and she realised it was the fog of her breath. So cold, yet it was in the middle of a heat wave, why was that? She felt her shaking grow worse somehow, like this was all a horrible trick, she thought about running then, now while it was far away enough for her to escape.

She must have caught on to her thoughts as ever so softly smooth bare legs began to snake into view wrapping themselves around her form until Rainbow was caught in what might have almost been called a lovers embrace, if not for the circumstances.

Despite it all, Rainbow felt a flutter inside of her as those smooth bronzed legs warped around her form, like a blanket shielding her, even though she was only trying to get her to stay still, it felt more than anything, like she was safe.

Another flash of lighting flared in the sky, Rainbow's eyes darted for the monster and instead landed on the furry thing that had hit it. It was the coat, formed from the same thing the other one had been in the cave, torn to shreds, hundreds of tiny pieces.

That could have been her, that was almost her. Rainbow drew her eyes from it and back towards those fingers still pressed around her.

She had thrown it over the monster, She was the one Rainbow had run from in the cave. She knew that, it was so obvious in that moment that it was almost painful, so why had she done it? Why had her mind told her to run, why had she listened to that voice above reason?

She remembered everything that had happened before she woke up in the cave, yet in that moment she had run anyway. Why?

Gradually Rainbow felt the hands around her unfurl slightly, until they were in front of her. Rainbow could see the cuts and bruises on them, white badges wrapped around her hands, seeping red with blood, but She kept them still. Despite the pain she must have felt in them.

Slowly the hands began to make shapes in front of her, weird twisting's of her fingers danced around one another as they touched in places on her palm and her other fingers. But before Rainbow could ask what the heck she was doing, a voice inside her head spoke for her.

“I think we should talk.”

Rainbow blinked slowly, feeling the rain soak into her very bones and freeze her in place, but still she managed to turn around to the creature behind her.

“What?” She asked, but before she could continue She placed a single finger against her lips. Rainbow watched as she slowly shook her head then glanced behind Rainbow into the darkness.

Then after a moment those eyes, like pools of ice locked onto Rainbow's violet ones. She swallowed as she felt herself nearly a hair's breadth away from her lips.

“Not here, mare must trust me, follow.”

Rainbow wanted to ask her what that thing was, why was it here, what was it doing. Thousands of questions flooded her mind, but she dared not ask anymore. She wanted to be back home. Back to safety, whatever that was anymore. But she would settle for that cave. She would do whatever it took.
Anything to be away from whatever that thing had been.

Rainbow slowly nodded, she didn’t care at this point, she was cold, tired and sick. After they were back, then she would ask questions. Then she would find out what this Ali was and why this monster wanted her so bad.

Slowly, She lifted herself up to her feet, eyes never leaving the darkness. She stepped in front of Rainbow, crouching low, the Rainbow caught something in her hand, it was small, almost invisible in the darkness, but just then she thought she caught the flash of steel from a dagger, cold and sharp, like what had been pressing into her back.

Rainbow felt something stinging the back of her spine, lifting a hoof to it, she looked back and caught red on her flank, a cut that had not been there before. She looked up to see She, wet haired, adorned in a white robe stained by muck and time beckoning for her to follow.

Rainbow swallowed hard, she was soaked to the bone but her throat was dry. Trust and understanding were important things after all, her mother had taught her that. But Rainbow was starting to understand why they called it a two way thing.

Slowly she began to follow She, all the while wondering if she had just traded one monster for another?

Author's Note:

Happy Halloween.