My bandages itched like hell, restricted me, and left me tired and slow when physical activity was concerned: but months of hard work had paid off. My supplies of water and food were numerous enough to be able to spend a week or two off duty. But even I could become cooped up with too much time indoors. Funny, because back home I'd spend forever on my laptop: but now, with infinite charge, I can scarcely remember what I even used it for.
They say retention comes with regular use, and I haven't used any of this stuff in years, except for aforementioned purposes. It says something when the only utility for these items is watching shows and wallowing in lonesomeness. Sure, I had Stache to chat with, but he was on a trip upriver to try and find the sea. I was alone for awhile, and with nothing but some of my old itunes items and a stale and unchanged youtube to pique my interest I was heavily bored. Idly, I clicked on My Little Pony, gladly recalling the times I spent learning of Twilight Sparkle and her fellow cast members. I hummed the tune as it played, the happiness of the voices a welcome change from the dull forest. Funny, that the forest in the first episode was also named the Everfree. I need to remember to ask Stache how he knew that was the name, anyways?
As I kept watching, I giggled at the ghostly and gasped at the Nightmare enveloping ponyville, until they reached a familiar-looking river. Huh. Almost like a cartoon vers. No. Nonononono.
I was not in My Little Pony this entire time. I tossed the laptop on the grassy floor and stepped outside, only wincing a little from my bandages and holding the walking stick firmly in my hand. I stared at the sun and remembered Celestia. Click.
The picture of Stache chatting with Rarity. The purple curl on one side but not the other. It all added up, but it was just too strange: no Manticores or Cockatrices, though Stache had mentioned the latter a few times. But this was just too surreal: too obvious. It wasn't like forgetting the power was out, it couldn't be.
But it was. In my heart, I understood that it had to be true. Too perfect to be a coincidence.
As I stood there, the spring winds slowly swirling in a cloudy sky, I pulled up my hood and collected my gear. Now was as good a time as any for a walk. The forest was quiet this time around, birds and animals alike hunkered down for the dangers of a lightning storm. But I'd died that way already: it didn't scare me this time around, and wouldn't ever again so long as I lived. Hah, a bit of dark humor was always good.
Not like anyone ever dies in My Little Pony anyways. I bet I could be the craziest daredevil and not even flinch. But as I thought that, my eyes turned to my bandages. That had been real. It had all been real. Lightning burst nearby, and thunder clapped against my eardrums. I found myself wandering further and further from my campsite and through the mud, my boots nearly submerged. I wasn't sure what I intended to find, but my thoughts drifted to all those fanfictions I'd read. Humans: converted to ponies and disbelieved, seen as threats and crazy carnivores, or as good friends or even *gulp* lovers. Not that I ever understood the last bit, you understand.
The rain intensified, to the point where I could barely see. My ears were ringing from thunder. But still my thoughts continued. "Why me? Why this? I..." I remembered my words on the porch. "...A gift? I hate to be Rarity, but, A ROCK?" I mocked into the heavens, rain helping muddy my words. Lighting struck again, a nearby tree splintering. "Oh! No, no! I get it! This is your idea of fun!" Another strike, and another tree.
"Fine! Be that way, you bastard! Kill me and give me a whole new world. Make me leave my friends and family, leave me with little more than some asian dragon who's voice makes my ears bleed. No, I get it!" I screamed. More trees. I screamed into the air.
A foot in front of the other, as I saw the vague outline of the cliff in the distance. "This wasn't what I meant!" I said, tears joining raindrops. "I just wanted a day off, without all the BS! Just a day where I could sit and think and chill out. But that's not what I got at all! Just more work! More things to do! More things to screw up and people to disappoint!"
"Why'd I deserve this?" I screamed up like some crappy flick on television. The lightning finally answered me more, striking the cliff face. I trudged further, my vision swimming and the mud flows already quite deep. My knees were covered like all else, and I could finally resolve the wall and its stone. And, another thing lying at the cliff base. A far-off noise met my ears, and I snapped my eyes up. It almost sounded like a little girl screaming, complete with voice cracks. 'loo! Sc...oo!' The rain was too thick, the thunder too loud, and I trudged on to the strange break in the solid mud. Something orange and magenta, lying. I gasped a little as I realized who it was.
I'm not really religious. I'll be honest, I just kind of argue with the guy. Devil's Advocate with God, I guess. But if there ever was one for that little scream argument earlier, it was this: a small little filly, covered in mud and obviously injured, a leg bent at a severe angle and her breathing ragged. How I knew all that in the midst of the storm was a bit beyond me at that point. I already had my arms around her. The echoing screams from above could be any number of things, but I didn't have time for deduction now.
On the upside, the likelihood of myself being hit with lightning whilst carrying a little orange pegasus -- Scootaloo, my My Little Pony brain told me -- was far lower just based on statistics. How often a person gets hit is low, and how often a person gets hit whilst doing any action is even lower. But then there's the chance of two people being hit by one being carried, and that was probably even lower. Yeah, that was totally the reason I decided to help a wounded pegasus.
Idly, as I carried her through the knee-deep mud, I shot my eyes to the cave, and noticed a set of tracks into the woods. One arm on Scootaloo, and one on my spear-turned-stave, I clomped through the muck and mud without pause, my heart pounding from close strikes. The 'Trees of Doubt' as I called them now, splintered and singed, mocked me as I crossed, and slowly but surely the mud disappeared, replaced by undergrowth, as I neared my little tent. The rain had been harsh, but situation on a raise in the ground allowed most of it to runoff. It was dry when I entered and laid the filly down.
"Jesus." I said to myself. Her leg was bent sickeningly (for a horse) and I wasn't quite sure what to do about that. Her breathing indicated unconsciousness rather than sleep, so I moved quick to get it set. I had some sticks around for a splint: shortening those was a chore but happened quick enough. The leg was mended fast, but the rain didn't show any signs of stopping. I plopped back on my fur bedroll, and looked back at it for a minute. Her waking up in a tent of animal skins would be.. problematic.
But I guess I'd cross that bridge when I got to it. I took a minute to wonder exactly what happened to her. At the bottom of the cliff? With some shouts from above? But still somewhat intact and alive?
I played through a few scenarios, but only one really made sense:
---
"No, it'll work, I swear!" Said Scootaloo, her friends looking at her a bit incredulously.
"Are you su-ure?" Asked Sweetie Belle, her voice cracking. Scootaloo sighed.
"Look girls, we're already breaking the rules by being out here in the forest. What's the harm of trying to glide down? Cutie Mark Crusaders fliers!" She shouted. Applebloom just huffed.
"That's darn crazy, and you know it. We can't even begin to try flyin'. You just wan' to go try it for y'self." Said Applebloom.
"We're supposed to be friends here Applebloom! Why can't you two back me up on a solo thing?" Scoots asked, a puppy face on. Applebloom just rolled her eyes, but Sweetie gave in.
"Oh, you're right. Isn't she, Applebloom?" She asked.
"Whatever." Said Applebloom. "I ain't fixing you up if you fall, though. Ain't no funeral I plan on attending." She scoffed.
"Awesome!" Scoots shouted, her chicken wings unfolding.
"Y'sure about this, Scoots?" Applebloom asked, glancing over the edge and backing up a couple steps, a whinny coming out. "Looks awful far for if you mess up."
A crack of thunder startled them all. "No time! Have to try it now or else it'll be too dangerous!" She said. "Cutie Mark Crusader Daredevil!"
"No, Scoots! It's crazy!" Said Applebloom. Rain began pouring and dampening her mane, making it droop over her eyes.
"Yea-h!" Said Sweetie Belle, already having swapped sides. "It's too dangerous, Sc-ootaloo!" Her squeaks were less audible in the rainstorm, but still there.
"Watch me!" Responded Scootaloo, revving for a jump. Applebloom made to stop her, but a crack of thunder sent her missing and sliding a bit on the rocky cliff, sliding away into a nearby tree. Sweetie only watched in horror as the distraction sent Scootaloo toppling rather than flying off, her hastily flapping wings only dampening the fall. A crack was audible in the drizzle, and Sweetie Belle's eyes went wide. "Scootaloo!" She screamed loudly. "SCOOOTALOOOO!" It was practically blowing out her voice, but no response came. Tears met her eyes.
"Nononono..." She muttered as she ran over to Applebloom who was fairly cut up from sliding off into the tree, droplets of blood gathering on her muzzle. Sweetie Belle gasped in horror. All her fault. All her faulttt. "Applebloom! You have to get up!"
"Mmhnnapples. Wha?" She asked. "Where'n's the fire?" Bloom got to her feet.
"Ohnohno! Not both of you! How will we ever get down? Oh, nonono!" Sweetie stammered. Her voice just got more and more pitchy and cracky. Applebloom went to the ledge and looked down, seeing the orange image of Scootaloo. Seemingly retreating.
"Looks like she's movin', Sweetie Belle." Said Applebloom. Sweetie Belle took a peek.
"No! That's something else carrying her!" A scream came from her lips at it, but it only looked over to its left, before passing some ravaged trees deeper into the forest.
The two girls looked at eachother and cried. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had really screwed it up this time.
---
The fire was drying things out pretty well. A rainstorm like that was a first for me in this place, but it was nice to have it all gone so quickly. The fire was warm enough to stop rain from dissolving it, and my firewood stock was still good by the end of it all. Scootaloo was napping, not unconscious, with a slightly calmer and steadier breathing pattern than before. I was happy about that, seeing as having a filly awaken in pain and confused was probably a bad thing. Her leg was splinted pretty well, and my spare bedroll was in use as a pillow for her. Hopefully her waking up wouldn't be too... awkward, to put it lightly.
I was faced away deliberately, but close enough to the tent flap that she couldn't sneak out. My laptop was on, and one of my few games on Steam that didn't require internet was booted. I avoided headphones like the plague for fear she'd escape, meaning the soft sounds of Crusader Kings 2 met her ears rather than the breeze. Hopefully that'd be for the better. Playing a Swede noble was certainly entertaining in the interim, though I wondered briefly where that big old bear was in this rainstorm. I had my stick on hand, but... I wasn't exactly sure if another fight would go my way.
Best I didn't find out, right?
Yeah, that was a great way to get hurt. Directly challenge murphy's law. Idly, I checked out the doorway. The rain was slowly dissipating, the first cracks of sunlight hitting the ground outside. I sighed briefly, before turning back to the game. Evil plots, and all. A few hours later, I saw a stirring next to me, and a pair of huge eyes opened to the interior of the tent, both confused and relieved. A struggling filly moved her legs in succession, a growl of pain emitting from her left hind one's attempt at movement.
"I wouldn't mess with that one if I were you." I said, in my most peaceful voice I could. It didn't keep the pony from freezing and facing me with eyes of pure terror. I just waved and tried acting meek, but being twice her size probably didn't help. Rather than charge out the flap as I predicted, and fail horribly, she sunk into the corner and kept looking about while her breathing quickened immensely, her eyes focusing on the huge fire and bullets of sweat starting to form. She was having a full-on panic attack.
"Scootaloo. You need to keep calm. You're safe." I said, but she only stared at me even more fearfully.
"How." She managed to mutter behind all the chattering and darting. I shifted slightly toward her and she cringed.
"It's a long story. You're going to need to get yourself back in check first, before that gets told."
"And if I want to leave and get back to my friends?" She asked. Clever girl.
"You're not going anywhere on that leg. What were you thinking?" I asked. Her face sank and she shed a tear. Her quivering lip and eyes told me everything.
"Sometimes I get it too far into my head to do a thing!" She shouted after a minute of contemplation. "I wanted to fly! Or at least glide! But all I got was a busted leg and some fluttering out of it!" She cried out. "This rain can go to Tartarus!" Her breathing was calming a little, although I could tell it was now maintaining a heightened state of rage rather than panic. "Why was I so stupid!" Her head met the dirt as she lamented her actions to me. I paid half-attention: full would just make me want to intervene, and that wasn't what she needed.
After awhile, she finally sobered up and curled back into a ball. Before she looked back at me inquisitively.
"How do you know me?"
"I know lots of things." I said. I snorted twice. "Magic."
"You're a wizard?"
"Not exactly. I wish I was, though. It'd be cool to cast spells and make people into my own little army of frogs."
"Why would you want a frog army? They're too squishy." She said.
"Very true." I chuckled.
"What are you?" She asked, regarding my strange-looking frame, at least in her mind. I was certainly a sight after months in the wilderness: my stubble from that fateful day growing out into some monster of a beard, and my hair long since going the way of the surfer. Black as coal, it was a great way to keep warm in the wilderness, and cleanliness wasn't really my strong suit. As an aside, Stache has called me Beardo since we first met. Go figure.
"A Human" I said. Her eyes took on a questioning look.
"What's a Human? That isn't some species I ever heard of."
"Something not common in Equestria, like Griffons or Dragons. But we're from so far away that not even your oldest books probably have any information on us." I responded.
"Oh." Said Scootaloo, a bit downcast at that. She perked up as she noticed my laptop. "Whassat?"
"Oh, this? It's a laptop computer. Explaining how this works would give you a headache." I said, turning it towards her. "Basically, it's a little machine brain inside that we give a special set of instructions to, and it does certain things. Like generate this game I'm playing."
"Oooh, a game?" She asked. True to her childish nature, Scootaloo's fear slowly allayed as we got somewhat more familiar. "What kind of game?"
"Well, it's not exactly a kid's game." I said, frowning. "You'd probably think it boring."
"Try me!" She said, standing and realizing her leg was still out of commission. "Oww!" She screeched, as she collapsed back over. I let out a little hiss of sympathy and made my way over to her. Those eyes got wide again. "What're you doing?"
"Helping?" I responded, as I helped her back onto the bedroll. "It's probably not in your interest to move, right now. That fall was nasty."
"Why're you helping me, anyways?" She said. "I don't even know you!"
"Well, sheesh. I mean I guess I can leave you back at the base of the cliff. Not like I'd be any worse off." I retorted.
"No! You'd feel bad!" I looked at her quizzically.
"Which is it? Questioning why I'm helping or wanting me to?"
"I-ah-um. Oh." She said, hanging her head. "I'm being a real meanie, aren't I?"
"Whatever. Name's Alex, by the way." I said, giving her hoof a shake. "I don't know the way to Ponyville, unfortunately, but we'll have a chat with Stache in a few hours once the rain's stopped."
"Who's Stache? What kind of name is that?" She asked me.
"Which one? Mine, or his?"
"Both!" I gave a sigh. This little filly was being quite the nuisance.
"Alex is the short form of Alexander. It's a first name. My full name is Alexander James Boyle. Humans aren't named after talents or things like ponies are. Stache, is my friend, a huge river serpent I met a few months back." I said, explaining with some colorful pictures from my iPhone of Stache.
"Woah. Is this thing a computer-thing too?" She asked.
"Yeah. It's a bit different, but close enough."
We kept at this for a few hours. She was quite the inquisitor, and I got tired just listening to her. She fell asleep at maybe seven, and I quickly slept soonafter. We'd go and find Stache tomorrow: calling him was as simple as skipping rocks, he knew the flow of the river that well. My thoughts slowly drifted to the show as I sat there, wondering when in the continuity this would be happening. Obviously during Winter Wrap Up, or perhaps later since the Everfree was always later on the draw than Ponyville.
But as I drifted to sleep, my thoughts drifted to my future. Would Celestia and Luna lock me away? Would Twilight lock me in her basement and hook me up to a thousand wires? Would Pinkie Pie turn out to be the serial killer the fandom thought her to be? That final thought would ultimately be the guide for tonight's nightmare...
---
Damp and dark, like any dungeon. Smelling of dead flesh.
Straight hair. Looked cute when first seen, but now a sign of evil.
Smile of laughter turned to smile of psychopathy
A cleaver. Fingers one by one while heavy rain patters.
Element of Laughter, even the laughs of a madmare.
Arms wrap around me to start ripping open the chest...
---
I awake with a gasp, only to find an orange blob curled up on me, snoring softly. It's funny what real life does to dreams, and this was no exception. When the Pinkamena monster wrapped its talons around me, so too did Scootaloo in the real world. I'd never been one for nightmares before my death, and they were rare even now, but one or two hit me a month, often when I was especially down.
As I lay there in the darkness, I patted the little orange furball and sighed. Everything would be okay...
And then I heard a tearing at the cloth outside. My eyes went wide, and I searched for my stick. Nabbing it from the ground, I gently moved Scootaloo off of me and listened for whatever intruder might be outside. Crunching of snow and grass made me grip the stave tighter as I slowly made my way out, my eyes only barely adjusted. As I creeped out, the crunching became more fierce, and I heard further ripping. I slinked around, but cracked a stick as I did so. The noise stopped momentarily.
I rounded the corner, and came face-to-face with the threat. A black hulk of familiar size, with two gleaming orbs reflecting the moon's light staring back at me. It huffed, and I growled. "Round two?" I asked it calmly. The beast just scraped at the ground.
"Fine." Alex uses swing attack... It's ineffective. Damn pokemon combat. My stave strike was parried well by this fairly intelligent bear, and I was quickly counterattacked, a slash cutting my left arm. A cry of pain likely awoke Scootaloo if she hadn't heard me already, but this fight would be over before she mattered. A quick dance of stave and paw left the beast knocked a bit, but myself bloody. My wounds had weakened me greatly, and I felt a dreadful cold coming on from the rainy rescue. The bear had no such limitations. Swipes and stabs of its claws left my stick in dangerous condition, and I had one chance: an alpha strike that turned the tide.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I swung the battered stick in a sweeping strike, which connected hard on the beast's jaw, a sickening crack eminating once more. The pause was enough for a pair of big eyes to poke out from the tent, as myself and the bear circled in the clearing. "Alex? What's going on?" Their owner asked.
"Don't watch, Scootaloo. You need to-" I was cut off as the bear struck harder and angrier than before, a parry driving me to my knees. A thrust of the blunt end was enough to connect to the sternum, and I pressed the assault. A few claw strikes hit my thighs, and we separated in the chaos. I dropped to a knee, and the bear reared up to charge.
Only for it to scream in terror as something happened. I couldn't see it in the darkness, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I charged and let out another wild swing as the bear writhed in pain, its face cracking again and the creature flailing wildly. Something fell off of it, and the black beast jogged into the forest. Blood trailed from the back of its neck.
I caught my breath before looking at whatever had saved me: and a little voice met my ears spitting something out. "Gross!" It shouted into the night, and I laughed a little. Then alot, as I stumbled over to the little demon that had helped me out.
Scootaloo sat in the dirt and thin snow, spitting out something and rubbing her jaw. "Don't make me help you out again, man."
"Help out? I wanted you to run!" I shouted at her. She took on an angry face.
"No! You told me to stop watching and come help!" She responded, and I facepalmed. What a great time to get cut off by the bear. "And how was I supposed to run with this leg? My little bit of hovering ability saved your butt this time, but it can't get me anywhere fast!"
"Whatever." I responded. "I blame the bear, an- aghh!" I suddenly was hit by the first waves of pain from all my cuts and rips. Scootaloo quickly caught on as she saw my coat slick with blood.
"Woah, mister! You're not doing too good!" She said, balancing one of my legs as I stumbled into the tent, I stripped off my pants and went for the small amount of med supplies in my backpack: a just-in-case for medically inclined folks like myself. I quickly nabbed a bandage and went for my deep thigh gash, applying a crapton of direct pressure. Scootaloo just watched in terror, fluttering on her wings to keep movement with the casted leg.
She paced like this across the tent, anxiously looking at me as I tied off a second bandage, and slowly relaxed as I gave a sigh of relief. We looked at eachother and just nodded, as she laid back on her bedroll and I on mine. The cold of the past months was receding, and I didn't even need a fire to sleep tonight.
But as I watched the moon with the slashes that bear had put in, and looked over to the little pegasus, I could only wonder what was in store.
A/N: As an aside, leave some comments on what your one biggest want for this fic is, so far? Some romance? A grandiose adventure? Comedy? You have...some input, in this regard.