Equestria Origins: Fallout

| chapter X |

ephemeral

adjective

1. Lasting for a very short time.

Synonyms: transient, fleeting

Rarity Gem's POV

"Another evening stuck in this dreadful treehouse..." I said with an exasperated sigh. My stomach was grumbling rather loudly now. My arms wrapped themselves around my waist tightly. I had been starving for the past two days now. I'm no longer sure how much longer I'm going to survive at this rate...

I looked up at the sloppily made treehouse that stood tall above my small frame. I had built this shelter on my own. All those days and evenings spent on creating a runway for my fashion shows finally paid off. I just had to add support beams, walls, and finally a roof. Sadly, it wasn't anything fancy and the brown colors were simply depressing to the eye.

My hands reached out to the rope ladder and I began climbing up. I was rather weak from not having eaten, so climbing up was another challenge. Once I arrived inside the treehouse itself, it was empty. It was certainly a tiny little thing, but I made sure it was hidden extremely well in the wooded portion of the island. I felt as if I was stuck inside a small box whenever I was inside this dreary thing. The only positive aspect of it was the square window I made while I was building this. The sky was a beautiful citrus color with hints of fuchsia. The pearly clouds hung high in the sky while some drooped lower than others.

I sat down cross legged and stared out the window, pondering if anyone was still alive. Surely, those Griffonstone buffoons went after Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie... No. I can't be thinking of that now. I gazed down at the silky white dress I was wearing. It was stained brown with a mixture of sand and mud at the end of the gown. I smiled weakly to myself...

"Yes, Rainbow Dash. I told you packing an extra set of attire would prove to useful..." I said to nothing and averted my gaze to the opposite end of the treehouse. My fingers twirled the frizzy strands of my long violet hair for a few seconds before I crossed my arms tightly over my chest.

Two Weeks Earlier

"We go on hunting spree now," Prince Rutherford said with a booming voice. He had come into the room so abruptly that it startled me. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and I were all sitting together inside one of the dining huts. We were eating leftover goat meat, much to Fluttershy's dismay, with a side of white bread. He towered over us all and eyed us expectantly. "Purple one! Now's the time to not care about how you dress. We go now."

"Excuse me, but I don't even have hunting attire... The only thing I managed to salvage from my home was this beautiful nightgown..." I sighed sadly and opened up one of the pockets from my ebony cargo pants and pulled out a neatly folded dress. The material was so light it even fit inside the small pocket. I refused to unfold the garment and pushed it back into its place. Prince Rutherford grumbled in response. I pouted, "And my name is Rarity."

"Bah! Names... Pinkie Pie! Gather a few tribesmen and meet us outside the dining hut," he said, smiling at the pink haired girl beside me. Of course, he remembers her name...

"Okey dokey lokey!" She got up and seemed to literally shoot out of the hut like a speeding bullet. Ever since the attack, she somehow acquired super speed. Prince Rutherford exited the hut, leaving only Fluttershy and I behind. She sighed and reluctantly stood up from her seat.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"I honestly just... Hate going hunting. I don't understand why I can't just stay here and wait..." Fluttershy admitted, slouching down a bit. She turned to her side and pulled out a simple bow and a small bag of arrows. "He wants me to get better – and I know I can get better. I'm so close to perfecting it... But doing it on animals just seems so wrong... Especially given my own ability..."