//------------------------------//
// Waking the Giant 
// Story: Atlas's Burden 
// by Funkyfresh 
//------------------------------//

Ohhh, by the suns tits that hurts.
Opening my eyes I see dirt. Should've expected that considering I'm face down on the ground, but hey I also just woke up from... Why the fuck did I pass out? I remember going on a jog through the woods, pumping myself up with a good bit of Sabaton, and then nothing. I feel around for my phone to check the time and realize it isn't there, which causes me to get up quick as I can and look around me. I also didn't have any of my clothes on which really got my attention.
I did not find my phone or my clothes. I would have been very vocal about this, but my voice didn't seem to want to work... I also figured something out.
This was not the woods I was jogging in. Not only was the trail I was on not showing up anywhere, but there also wasn't anyway I could have rolled or fallen to where I am from the trail. The trees were a tad different as well, with most of the trees back in my woods being pine. Since I wasn't where I should be and I had no phone I decided that the best thing to do would be to find civilization as quick as I can. After a moment to collect myself I climbed the tallest tree nearby and had a look around for any people or buildings.
Yes! I was in luck as I spotted what looked like a really rural town with some horses around. Good, Dad always told me that you could trust someone who raised good horses and there seemed to be a good few around. So after I climbed down safely I started on my way to town, nothing really going wrong on the way other than the odd root that tried to trip me. Then I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. A human on a leash was being lead by some technicolor pony with a fancy coat on.
What the actual fuck man... Just, why? Why was this happening and why wasn't the dude putting up some sort of fight? I looked at the guy to see what the fuck his deal was and I saw something that shocked me more than the fact that he was on a leash, this guy was a freaking neanderthal. An honest to goodness caveman getting pulled around by what I soon found out was a talking tiny horse, as the fancy pony pulled on the lease and urged him on.





One slight mental breakdown in the bushes later...
Okay, so let's wrap our head around this... I'm on a different world with talking ponies that have pet cavemen and some of them have magic or wings. Well fuck me right? So options; Option A is that I stroll on up and say hello which I can't do because of my muteness and them thinking of me as an animal. Even If I did prove myself to be sapient, they would treat me like how humans would treat a talking pony, IE dissection. Option B is to hide in the woods like a crazy man and hope for the best, not gonna work. I can only last so long until winter and I can't find home either. So, Option C. The option that I probably like the least, but at this point is the best option. Finding a good owner and becoming the human equivalent of Seabiscuit, Lassie, and Airbud rolled into one so they can't get rid of me. Then I could work on the whole 'hey I'm intelligent' thing with only moderate fear of disection.
From what I've seen of the 'humans' here, if you could call them that the impressing bit shouldn't be too hard. After all at a good six foot three I tower over the neanderthals with nearly a good foot on most and in my personal opinion I look a hell of a lot better. Not only in terms of the face, but also my musculature and physical health seem to be better over all. The hard part is finding a good one to cozy up to, one who wouldn't treat me like shit cause even a shitty person could kick Lassie and ignore the cool shit I could do. Also one that could properly take care of me, didn't want to be the bums dog that didn't get to eat.
It was then that I saw the perfect choice, trotting along the road with a sizable bag of food on her back was a yellow pegasus singing to a group of passing birds. Holy shit they were singing with her, she's a frickin princess from the mouse's kingdom isn't she? Kind and caring to things she views as animals? Check. Well off enough to keep me around? High probability considering all the food she has. So after going through my mental checklist I followed her back to her home on the outskirts of town, even better so if she screamed or attacked I could run into the woods easily.
When she was walking up to her house I decided to make my move, seeing a nice, choice stick in front of me I brought my foot down on it hard. Crack! She froze up as she heard this and turned to look for it's source. I would have preferred not to go in the buff, but I didn't really have any options so I slowly stepped into the clearing that surrounded her home.
"Oh my..." She looked very startled at first, looking me up and down with a great deal of surprise on her strangely expressive face. "H-hello? Are you lost mister human?" 
Sounded like she was talking to a wild animal, which I guess to her she was. Oh well, I took another few tentative steps forward while gauging her reaction. Luckily she seemed to perk up at this and took an apple out of her saddlebags.
"Here you go big guy," she said in a soothing manner as she held out the apple. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you."
I decided to play the role I was given and slowly approached her before reaching out for the apple. She seemed to be on the edge of her proverbial seat, waiting for me to take it so I obliged her and brought it up to my nose to smell it. The small yellow pegasus actually gave a little squee of delight as I bit into the red delicious and holy fuck did that apple live up to its name. It was the best apple I've ever eaten and I'm not ashamed to admit that I gave a small moan as I first tasted it. While I was busy chowing down on this heavenly apple, the nice little pony was slowly circling me and studying me.
"Oh well you sure look different from the other humans I've seen around Ponyville. I'm not sure I can take care of you big guy-" At this my hopes were a bit let down. "But maybe Applejack could? She would most certainly know more about you, but what should I call you?" At this point she noticed the tattoo of Atlas holding the world that I had on my left shoulder.
"Atlas?" I looked up mostly because this meant the written word was the same as the spoken here. "Oh, well I think that Atlas would be a wonderful name for you." 
After placing her saddlebags inside her home and returning to me, she tried motioning for me to follow.
"Come on Atlas, we should go see Applejack now." 
Deciding that cooperating and showing my intelligence early would be in my best interest I followed her.





After a nice little walk following the forest we finally arrived at what looked like an orchard which lead up to an old farmhouse. Seeing an orange pony with a stetson leading a human with a cart in the orchard, the kind pony that I had been following waved her down. As the orange one came over, I hide myself partially behind a nearby tree. Mostly because I was still a bit shy about being nude and also because I didn't know how this one treated humans. 
"Howdy there Fluttershy! What brings ya over ta Sweet Apple Acres at this time of day?" Presumably Applejack asked.
"Well Aj, while I was walking home from the market I met the most amazing thing that I thought you should see." Fluttershy quietly said while circling her hoof in the dirt.
"Now listen Shy, I appreciate yer thoughts and all, but I don't need another critter to be a pet. I already got Winona and all our humans to look after as it is."
"Actually, I found a human out in the woods. He was really docile and responsive, but I don't think I've ever seen another human like him so I thought I should show you." With this she motioned for me to come out from behind the tree.
As I did so the Applejack inhaled sharply, her eyes widening as she took my form in. Now I wasn't some gym addict who tried to get so ripped he could barley move, but I was fairly proud of my body and my capabilities. It seemed she thought so too, as she excitedly turned to Fluttershy.
"My gosh Shy! Were did you find this giant again?  He's far bigger than any of the normal humans we have, or any that I've seen for that matter." I didn't notice that she wasn't looking at my head at the time. "I don't recognize that symbol on his shoulder either, was he left in the Everfree?"
"Well that's just it Aj, he showed up on the edge of the woods near my house and I got him to come near me with an apple. I knew that he would be a sweetheart, but I couldn't take him in with the way the other animals would probably react to him. That's when I thought to bring him to you and see if you could take him in. His face doesn't look like the others either, it's like there's more life in him."
"Well shoot sugarcube, that's awfully nice of you. I would love to have a fine, healthy specimen like him, I'd probably have no issue winning the next human fair with one like him. Lets go up to the barn now, to get it official. Big Mac should be finishing up with the new human we brought in today. Hey Big Mac! Everything still ready from the last fresh one?" She called out as we approached the barn. 
"E-yup." Called a large red pony from the entrance of the barn.
"AJ! Fluttershy! Do ya think I could help with this and get my cutie mark!" This came from an excited filly nearby with a large red bow in her hair.
"Now Applebloom, you know you should be in the house for these things. The humans can get pretty rowdy when ya brand em."
What. The. Fuck.
Hell to the fuck no, I wasn't being branded on this day or any other. I don't care how many apples they got. Of course I didn't have much choice in the matter as the orange one had quickly grabbed hold of me while the large red one brought out the red hot brand.
"Oh, Aj. Please, you know how much I hate it when ponies brand their humans. It's so painful for them."
"Sorry sugarcube, but we have to. Otherwise somepony might just try to take em while we aren't looking."
Fuck off fuck off fuck off. Fuck off! These were the things that were going through my head as the brand was brought closer to my skin. Then while the two ponies above me argued I saw my chance. I kicked the rod into the air and broke out of their grasp at the same time. Unfortunately the brand was going to come down right on the cute little one with the bow. Fuck off conscience, she's one of the ones trying to brand me. But then there was also the mental image of her being branded and crying out in pain.
"Applebloom! Look out!" called Applejack, but she wasn't going to be able to get up quick enough and Big Mac was on his back too.






The brand was falling in what seemed like slo-motion for Applebloom as she heard her sibling call out to her, but she was frozen in place watching as it fell closer to her face. Then out of nowhere a wall of flesh was between her and the falling brand and a pain-filled roar filled her ears. As the brand fell to the side, she looked up into tear stained eyes that stared down at her and she saw all of the pain and fear that they held. Suddenly the human above her took off in a stumbling run for the forest and her siblings took his place, holding her and asking if she was alright.
"Oh Applebloom! Are you okay, did it hurt you?" Aj asked while checking her over.
"No, he protected me and ran off." Applebloom looked after the fleeing human and back at her sister, "Why did he save me?"
"I don't know Applebloom... I just don't know." Applejack looked at the fleeing human as he entered the Everfree Forest, knowing that this wouldn't be the last she saw of him.