Chapter One: The Chase

Rainbow was running as fast as she could. Her hooves were drumming the ground, creating a wicked beat that sent chills down her spine and stings of pain through her hooves.

The evening air around her was chilling her to the very core. But running kept her even somewhat warm, making her able to run even faster.

It was already getting dark. The surrounding trees were casting deep and even frightening shades over her while she ran past them, causing some of their remaining leaves drop to the ground. She could swear that she heard the trees curse her.

She would have looked back if she wouldn’t have known that it was there. It was following her, forcing her to flee.

And she fled. She had been running for an eternity and was not sure how much longer she could go. Her lungs were protesting loudly, trying to force her to stop. Her heart was beating like crazy, trying its best to keep her limbs capable of running and blood flowing through her whole body.

Her hooves hurt even more. The coldness of the autumn nights had made the ground harder and it was now drumming against her soft hooves, every step bringing a sharper sting of pain.

Celestia’s sun was setting, casting out an orange glow that was illuminating the deep night sky above her. The last beams of light made their way through the thick leaves of the tall trees, lighting Rainbow’s path, making navigating a bit easier.

All the life of the forest was hiding somewhere. Birds were silent and nothing moved, save for her, the chaser and the occasional branches.

The forest was not far from Ponyville. You could see the biggest buildings like the Town Hall from there, peaking over the tallest of the tall trees. There would be an opening ahead. But no matter how much Rainbow wanted to, she couldn’t just stop there, let her lungs, her heart, her hooves and her mind rest and just look at the incredible sight in front of her.

Her chaser wouldn’t have mercy. She was doomed to run until she would fall to the ground, submit to her fate.

But that time was nowhere near. She’d run for another eternity if she’d have to. She was not going to accept defeat. She’d at least put her chaser through a mighty effort.

She picked up her pace, no matter how hard her whole body protested. The trees swished past her, causing a blurring motion in the corner of her eyes.

She wanted to fly. It’d be so easy to just unfurl her wings and fly away, leaving her chaser to the cold, rough ground. Take over the sky, let the breeze run through her mane, be free. Free of the bounds of earth, sky being the only limit.

But she couldn’t. She took a quick glance at her both sides, just to see that the ropes that were used to tie her wings down were still there, stubbornly preventing her wings from opening.

The knot was tied in a perfect way. Opening it with bare hooves would take hours, and Rainbow didn’t have that much time. A single stop and she’d lose. It would catch her.

She was doomed to run.

And so she ran. The terrain was getting harder. There were roots, rocks and occasional dirt piles that increased the tripping-danger dramatically.

But they did the same for her chaser. It was just as clumsy as she was. It could not see in the dark, nor could it run faster than her.

But Its stamina was close to hers, maybe even better. Eventually it would catch her, unless it’d trip or just get left behind due to an obstacle it could not overcome.

The forest was starting to get foggy. Translucent clouds of thick fog hovered near the ground, giving the path an eerie look that was slowly but surely chipping Rainbow's confidence away, piece by piece.

Rainbow swiftly dodged the sharp branches that were trying to swipe her and the nasty roots that were trying their best to make her trip.

Good thing that she had always been an agile pony. Dodging clouds while flying extremely fast was the perfect way to improve your reflexes and make your movement even more agile.

But her chaser was just as agile, even though it couldn’t fly. Rainbow could hear the heavy hoofsteps coming closer and she knew that it had dodged the obstacles even faster then she had. It was catching her fast.

The opening was ahead. All of a sudden there was a completely blank spot in the middle of the woods. On the edge of the spot was a small cliff where you could see Ponyville in its whole glory.

Rainbow remembered the picnics with her friends. She remembered all the fun they had had while looking at the blazing afternoon sun create a glorious glow behind the city, illuminating the sky with an act greater than anything in the whole world.

And when the moon rose, the sun lent its stage to the new, beautifully silver occupant and let the moon have its part of the glory.

And the moon cast its silver glow all over the landscape, causing it to bathe in the beams of the night’s only light.

And eventually they’d fall asleep, the moon watching over them, making sure that they were safe from the world that was running non-stop around them, not even thinking of getting any rest.

And when they’d finally wake up to the sight of the sun itself casting out the first beams of light of the new morning, they’d pack their things up and walk back to their beautiful home town, the small, yet oh so brilliant jewel in the middle of the wild and continue the regular day rhythm that controls our life and defies our fate.

Rainbow felt a cold breeze hit her. Her hooves responded to the breeze with yet another sting of pain, causing her to stumble a little.

She looked to her right and saw the town just like she remembered it. The beautiful jewel was as shiny as always.

Rainbow killed the pace. She slowed down, walked over to the cliff and just waited, admiring the sight and accepting her fate.

And the fate came. It had caught her. It was her turn.

“You’re tag!” Pinkie shouted with a merry tune, a slight hint of panting present in her voice.

Pinkie turned around and ran. Rainbow took a one last look at the town, turned around and started chasing Pinkie.

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