//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - The Helping Hoof // Story: Equestrian Fugitive // by AnonymousWriter //------------------------------// --------------Jasons POV------------- It was night time, the green trees were now darkened by the night and gently blowing in the wind. I was in Whitetail Woods. I was sitting next to my shelter of leaves and sticks as the fire emitted a dim glow onto my skin. There was plenty of firewood stacked in a neat pyramid-like shape as the embers kept going up, evaporating like water. The grass was comfy enough to lie on and only a hint of moisture was noticeable as I sat there. My clothes were torn due to living in such an environment for… god, however long I was in there for. My pants had holes, you could see the back of my right thigh, there were holes that made different parts of my back visible, although the holes weren’t big enough for me to need to change them. My campsite was only a 2-minute walk from a freshwater creek. I had managed to run into the village to steal a pot, I could now boil water and cook fish. I couldn’t find any cutlery, so I morphed a stick into a wooden toasting fork, it took me hours to make. Whilst sitting by the fire, I noticed rustling in the treetops. Someone was near. I jolted when I heard the noise again, but this time the noise was to the left more. I went to sit back down when something crashed into me from behind. “AAAAARRGGGHH! THE FUCK!” I had cried as I made a 2nd collision with the grass below me. I got up on my feet, looking behind me, feeling bewildered but also eager to see what had crashed into me. I only got a split-second glimpse before I was tackled to the ground. It was the friendly pony that I had met before, the one with the rainbow hair and cyan fur. “YOU’RE A MURDERER!!” She fumed. “I CAN EXPLAIN!” I cried in panic, sweat beginning to form. “YOU KILLED BERRY PUNCH! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! NO ONE HAS EVER MURDERED A PONY BEFORE!” She roared back, grabbing me and rising off the ground. My level of panic rose when she brought me over the forest canopy and further, towards the stars. “FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! DON’T!! NO!!” I screeched as I was in the air. The mare began slowly making me slip from her grasp, making me panic. I thought I was going to fall to my death. The wind was blowing furiously. “AAAHH!!” I yelled in peril. The enraged pony furiously shouted to me through the rough wind “YOU DESERVE THIS!”. I responded, still in panic “I DON’T DESERVE ANY OF THIS! BUT HEAR THIS, RAINBOW DASH! IF I DIE, I DIE KNOWING I WAS INNOCENT AND WHAT I DID, I DID IT BECAUSE I NEEDED TO SURVIVE!” “WAIT A MINUTE!” Rainbow Dash yelled, beginning to lower me back down to the ground. I fell a metre off the ground, just in time. “OW!” I grunted as the pony touched down to the ground. The pony looked like she had crawled through a bush of thorns, her hair was ruffled and she had cuts on her body, she hurt herself from the wind and the canopy. I looked at her as she looked back at me in frustration. “You weren’t going to kill me, were you?” I asked me. She looked down in confusion. “…No. I remembered how you saved me and my friends from Nightmare Moon. I am pretty sure those Shadow Bolts were just Nightmare Moon messing with me to try and get me away from my friends. You stopped Nightmare Moon from dooming me. And I am grateful. BUT MURDER, JASON, MURDER!” I was taken back by the fact she remembered my name after a fair amount of time. “You remember my name?” I asked her. “Of course, I do! I remember everyone’s names.” She said, smiling, but soon back to glaring at me as she remembered what I had done. “But you killed a pony!” She responded with. “It was an accident, really, it was! But it also wasn’t, it is a hard thing to tell you, but understand that if I knew what I was doing, and I knew who that… Pony was, I wouldn’t have fired that gun!” The Pony looked at me, pondering as if she was unaware of what I was talking about. I was correct. “What is a… gun?” Rainbow Dash questioned, still looking at me with curiosity on her face. I was flabbergasted, this pony had no clue of what a gun was. I began trying to begin with gun basics, but I never got past “This is going to take some time to understand”. I was cut off suddenly by Rainbow Dash, she said: “You can tell me sometime later, right now I just need to ask you a question.” I sat in silence, wondering what she could be possibly going to ask me. “…. Ask away,” I responded. A fair time passed before she asked me the question. “Where are you from?”. “…. Good question. I don’t know.” I answered. “How don’t you know?” She asked afterward. “I can’t remember. All I know is that I fell into a river in that shithole of a forest and now I am considered dangerous by a town of creatures that I have never seen before.” I responded, frustrated, subtly but noticeably. A brief time passed as we look out of the escarpment hole we had made and relaxed, thoughts racing through our minds. I don’t know what Rainbow Dash was thinking, I didn’t want her to be confused. I gently spoke and stated “Listen, I don’t want you to be involved with this if it messes up your life, my life is mine, your life if yours. You have a life, people to go and talk to and see. I am fine, I don’t know anyone from around here and I don’t remember anyone from… Wollongong. I don’t want my lame excuse life to interfere with yours.” I chuckled at the last statement of my life really sucking at that time. “I don’t care if it affects my life, you need company, you are alone out here. I don’t think you deserve to be living like this.” She said in response. “But you can’t stay in Ponyville, either, or any other town!” “Huh? Seriously?! Every other town is after me too?!” I cried in alarm. “… The whole land is after you! YOU KILLED A PONY! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO THAT?! DEATH! YOU DIE! THEY WILL KILL YOU! IMPRISON YOU AND KILL YOU!” Is what she answered with. “… My god…” I murmured. All the towns are now off limits unless I need to steal rations or necessities. Death is NOT an option. I had to stay as far away from any point of civilization unless an emergency. I began plotting an idea on rationing. “… How do they patrol these towns?” I asked the Rainbow mare. Rainbow Dash prepared to begin speaking. “Well, they never used to patrol the towns, there was no actual reason for them to be there, but now, for the protection of equestrian citizens in danger of death, guards are being dispatched to different locations in towns.” Her head drooped as she realized what she was doing. "I shouldn’t be doing this, it isn’t loyal to my friends or the Ponyville citizens, but it is for your health. I know that you won’t try to kill other ponies, I can see that in you. I see the good inside of you. Nopony else would believe me if I told them a murderer was a kind creature and doesn’t want any harm to come across anypony. They would see me as a pony defending a criminal…” She paused, letting me take in these words, I was shocked at hearing how fast her friends could turn from her if she was caught protecting me. I thought to myself “Note-to-self: Don’t let Rainbow Dash get caught helping me at all costs. Even if it means another murder, they might try to hurt her.” “… The guard units for Ponyville are scattered among certain streets, these streets will have flags marked on them, the different colors represent the time of day suited for patrolling. I will give you a Ponyville map, with all the colors of the streets patrol hours when I come back next time.” She finished, picking herself off the ground and flying off the ground. “I’ll be here when you get back! Bring some bread and fresh water while you are at it! I appreciate the help!” I beamed with excitement. “No problem! I’ll bring a bag with supplies in it! I’ll be back in two days! Try to survive! Good luck!” She shouted back, flying back to her “Happy, caring and safe” village. I was left alone after that but I was filled with a determination to survive until she got back. I just had to be patient and wait for her to come. Two days wouldn’t be that long, right? ... Right?