There's a Man in the Woods
by Cognexten.
Chapter 1 - Thrown.
Staring.
Staring was all he did in this world.
He had watched them do their daily routines so many times. Boring would be a huge understatement, But if he were to move out of the forest he risked exposing himself to the equine creatures that inhabit the world that he is forced to survive in. He didn't know that much about them from his time here, But listening into a few conversations when he dared to be adventurous had revealed to him information that helped him. This world (At least, What he thinks is the world.) went under the name "Equestria". It was a dumb name in his own opinions but he had to get used to calling it that. The town that sat near his home was also given an equally literal name, Ponyville. He also knew many of the names of the ponies that inhabited Ponyville. There was Lyra Heartstrings, Time Turner, Applejack, and the list got longer the more he stayed. Every'pony', as they say it, had their own routines they followed. After studying them for so long he figured out what times he was safe to stalk around and what times to stay in the forest. The times he was allowed to walk he would spend stealing food from the stores and homes, He had to eat somehow. However, Most of the food wasn't the greatest. French fries made out of hay, Sandwiches made with grass.. But it made some sense, After all they were horses. Unfortunately, not all the creatures in the forest were meat. He would commonly come across these wolf-like creatures, albeit made completely out of sticks. He had given these creatures the name 'Splinters'. It wasn't the most clever name he could think of but it was pretty on-point. Rabbits were surprisingly rare, perhaps because of all the Splinters. But whenever he could get the chance to eat some meat for once he would take it. He also had a neighbor of the sorts. Well, she didn't know he was there but he would commonly check up on her. Unlike the ones inhabiting the town, This one was actually a zebra. Another odd characteristic about her was that she only spoke in rhymes, But it did get a bit annoying after awhile. However, Like watching the town's people had done to him before she also unintentionally gave him some knowledge of his own home. There were plants called 'Poison Jokes' that appeared to curse whomever interacted with it, The forest he lived in was known as the 'Everfree'. Admittingly, This was kind of a oddly-beautiful sounding name. The zebra also appeared to be a witch of the sorts, or at the very least a voodoo user. In the middle of her house was a pot that she brewed concoctions of various natures. She would commonly take trips to find her ingredients, so he would occasionally walk in and steal some of her potions. They didn't have a label on them so he couldn't tell what-did-what. Overall, This new life that was given to him, albeit a bit of a struggle sometimes, was surprisingly pleasant when there weren't Splinters chasing you.
Today, The man was planning the next trip to Ponyville in his mind. His plans was always the same pattern: Wait for night time, Go to local food store, Steal, Potentially find any more information if possible, Return. And this plan was no different. Although his train of thought was interrupted when he faintly heard something, A voice. It wasn't the zebra, that much he could tell. His mind raced with several thoughts at a time. 'Do they know I'm here?', 'Am I imagining things?', 'Why is there someone out here?', 'Should I go investigate it?'. He carefully grabbed a hold of the branch he was sat atop on, before letting go and dropping to the ground just a few feet under him. He quickly identified the direction the voice was coming from and cautiously sneaked his way forwards. The closer he got, The more clearer the voice got. The voice was feminine, He figured out fast. He turned his back to a nearby tree, and peaked his head out from the cover of it. It was a pony, But unlike the ones he had seen, This one had wings. A pegasus, interesting. The coat of this particular pony was a bright cyan blue. It's mane and tail where multi-colored with all the colors of the rainbow. On it's rear end was a tattoo, Just as he had seen on many of the others. The tattoo in question was a white cloud with a thunderbolt coming out of it, The bolt was colored with red, yellow and blue. He could also clearly hear what she was saying now.
"And Rainbow Dash crosses the finish line! The crowd goes WILD!"
The pegasus made imitations of a cheering audience, 'Woo-Hoo!' 'Go Dash! 'Yay!'. Rainbow Dash, as he learnt of her name, apparently had quite the ego it seemed. However, He didn't want to stay and here and listen to this pegasus shout any longer as it was getting quite irritating. He backed off and began to slowly walk away...
SNAP!
"Huh?"
'God damn it, no no no NO..'
He turned around, praying to the gods that she hadn't seen him. But luck does not favor everyone, As the pegasus had already locked onto him. His eyes widened, Fear grasping him. She had seen him. She knew he existed. There was no going back. Only forward.
His adrenaline pumped into full gear, and without waiting a second longer ran. He could hear her shouting, demanding him to stop. He turnt to look behind him and saw her, flying full speed at him. She was fairly far away but at this rate she would catch up with him. Sprinting forward, He tried to look all over the place. Trying to find a way to escape the oncoming winged-pony trying to catch him. His luck returned to him, As he spotted a small hole to his right. Without any second thoughts, He threw himself down into the unknown depths below. He could hear her shout, Seeing her silhouette stare down into the opening as the shadows consumed him to the point that he could no longer see the sun's precious light through the entrance.