High Tide's Minijournal #5

        I woke with a start to find myself floating downriver, lying on my back aboard a crude raft I had thrown together in secret days before the fateful night I abandoned my friends. Having been plagued by nightmares ever since I left Four Cannon, I was both relieved and disappointed upon being brought back to the land of the living, my thoughts torn from bad dreams to the reality of my life.

 

        The first few days spent travelling downriver have been a blur. The vessel I've been using is nothing more than three logs, bound together by vines. It is even worse than Four Cannon's first raft, but I had constructed it in secret from the others, and so far it has kept me dry.

 

        As I traveled downriver I called out for Coral Reef. I secretly hoped that she had never left her home in the river, and that Ruby was just telling some cruel joke. She wasn't, and as I called for Coral, no one answered out. I choked back tears, determined not to cry. Never to cry.

 

        I've kept the full extent of my problems from everyone but my guardian angel because I feel they are my problems alone. With only scraps of food retrieved from the meager supplies in my house to quench my starvation and the burning desire to answer my ultimate question, I pressed onward.

 

        After three days on the river, I had run out of food. Even while sticking to a single meal a day, I was bound to run out eventually, and still I pushed on. On the fourth day, my raft finally fell apart and could not travel any farther by river. As I fell into the river I pushed onward, refusing to give up so easily. Sadly, with starvation kicking in and my sleep having been plagued by nightmares, I soon found myself underwater and unconscious. I dreamt of Coral saving me.

 

        Although I believed I had finally lost the famous will of mankind, I soon discovered such was not the case. I awoke on the riverside to find myself rescued by the members of a local riverside village. I had escaped from the frontier, and reached the civilized side of Equestria. The small town was not much, but they were more than willing to feed me, and ask plenty of questions about me. They asked my name, where I was from, why I had no cutie mark, and what I was doing in the river. I was thankful they didn't ask about the eye patch, but to their questions I could only answer;

 

        "I'm from the colony of Four Cannon. The rest is for me to find out."

 

        I expressed my gratitude and soon learned the town had a small boat the farmers took through the river to transport their produce to Manehattan. Despite their protests for me to stay and rest, I insisted that I go with the boat on it's next departure. They were kind enough to not refuse me.