//------------------------------// // Goodbye to Safety // Story: Dawn of the First Day // by Miniscule Literary //------------------------------// Alfonz awoke with a start, initially confused as he had been before. Almost immediately he caught sight of Spike standing in the doorway of his room; the dragon did not look happy. A few silent moments passed before the man was awake enough to inquire. "Oh hey Spike...What's up?" he murmured groggily, yawning. He had fallen into a particularly deep sleep at some point, as his body felt stiff and unresponsive. "We have a problem." "Could you be a bit more descriptive? I'm still half asleep here," Alfonz replied, blinking a few times to remove the blurriness from his eyes. The urgency with which Spike spoke alarmed him quite a bit, which helped in waking himself up. "I'll show you," the dragon said simply, waving a clawed hand in his direction before leaving the room. Alfonz, with some difficulty, swung his legs over to the side of the bed and hurried after him. The two made their way downstairs, and Alfonz swiftly noticed a significant change: The lights, which had been on since he had arrived, were turned completely out. Thankfully for them, it was day outside, making their trek only slightly darker than usual. Spike seemed to move through the house carefully, avoiding windows. Alfonz did the same, and began to wonder. Eventually, they stood before the massive front doors of the manor, large even for someone as tall as Alfonz. Spike immediately put his eye up to the peep hole, which looked out into the street directly in front of the house. A moment later, he pulled back, frowning. "Take a look." Alfonz, crouching down to be eye-level with the hole, did just that. The front of the manor was very clean cut, in stark contrast with the overgrown state of the back yard. He had a very clear view of the street heading into Ponyville; and the three ponies standing on it. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie all stood near the center of the road. They seemed to be looking for something; Twilight's horn was glowing brightly, and they were slowly moving closer and closer to the manor itself. Alfonz's heart began to pound in his chest. They were looking for him. "This is all my fault..." he murmured as he continued to watch. He was scowling, though the expression was hidden by the door. "They seem to be a lot more desperate than I remember," Spike said with a sigh behind him. The dragon must have come to the same conclusion. "I guess the best we can do is hide, and hope they don't come inside." "Its an abandoned house, Spike," Alfonz responded, pulling away from the door to look at him. "They may be horny, but they aren't stupid. Twilight is tracking me with some kind of spell; its only a matter of time before they come inside to investigate." "What else can we do?" "You can stay here," Alfonz replied without hesitation. "I'll try to lead them away." "That's really nice and all, but are you sure you're thinking this through?" Spike asked, looking at Alfonz as if he were insane. "We're talking about a life of...of...really bad stuff, Alfonz!" "You've been here, living just fine for fifteen years," Alfonz retorted, clearly determined. "I won't let my presence here ruin that, even if it means getting violated by a group of crazy ponies." "I saw Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash before I woke you," Spike began, looking more urgent by the second. "That's six of them and only one of you! I appreciate the nobility, buddy, but you don't stand a chance!" "Believe me, I'm not about to hand myself over and kiss my ass goodbye," Alfonz assured with a smirk. "But I have to try and lead them away. If I can lead them on for a while, Twilight might dismiss the spell as a failure. Then we won't have to worry about it ever again." Spike hesitated, thinking over the idea. Eventually, he sighed, and nodded. "I still think you're crazy, but I guess we don't have a choice." "Good enough for me," Alfonz replied, walking toward the back of the house. "Stay low, stay quiet. Be sure the coast is clear before you do anything too revealing." After confirmation from Spike, Alfonz exited the manor through the back door, where he had first entered. His plan was simple: Use the woods around the manor to hide from his pursuers, and make his way back toward Ponyville. Twilight's spell would, hopefully, bring them after him from a distance. And with any luck, she would eventually get frustrated with it and cease her efforts to find him. If he was spotted, however, it meant he could never come back to the manor; Twilight would know her spell was working, and he would never be safe from her again. Setting off into the woods at a swift pace, Alfonz could already hear the sounds of the ponies beyond. They were even closer to the manor, it seemed. Just as he ducked into the foliage, he saw a blue shape shoot by overhead; Rainbow was on the prowl, apparently searching from above. This made things considerably more complicated. Regardless, the man circled around the manor, jogging from tree to the tree as he slowly made his way to the front. Staying in the thick of the trees, he moved swiftly and carefully past where the three ponies had been spotted, back toward Ponyville. So far, so good; he had yet to be spotted, as far as he knew, and soon Twilight's spell would point them in his new direction. Satisfied that he was out of immediate danger, Alfonz made his way to the edge of the woods, near to the road, and looked back at the manor while partially hidden behind a large tree. He quickly spotted the three shapes in the distance, but they were not coming toward him as he had thought they would; instead, they were on the stairs leading up to the entrance of the manor, looking at the nearby windows. It was only a matter of time before they entered. Alfonz cursed; Twilight's spell must not have been quick enough to detect his new location. He waited, as they drew closer and closer to the door, and their direction did not change. Twilight's magic gripped the handle of one of the doors and gave it a swift tug, finding it locked. Somehow he didn't think that would stop them for long. He had to act, or Spike would be found; fifteen years of habitation, ruined; his new home, forever out of his reach. Alfonz couldn't let that happen. With reckless determination, the man stepped out from the tree and made his way to the center of the road. His heart pounding in his chest, he stood his ground. "Looking for something?" he yelled down the street, causing all three ponies to jolt. They each turned to look at him, and immediately their expressions changed. The strange, hungry gaze he had grown accustomed to had returned, though it was mixed with surprise. Even Pinkie, the happy-go-lucky pony he knew from the show, regarded him in such a way. "For you, actually!" Twilight called back with a smirk as the three began to walk away from the manor in his direction. "We wanted to invite you back to Ponyville!" "I'm fine thanks," he replied, grinning madly. His heart continued to pound; he felt incredibly exposed. "Not really my kind of place." "I'm sure, with a little...persuasion...you may be inclined to reconsider!" Rarity responded with a sly smile, narrowing her eyes at him. "Let me be very clear," Alfonz began, shaking his head. "I don't want anything to do with you, Ponyville, or your demented needs. And if you try to disobey my wishes, I can and will hurt you," he explained, his smile disappearing. "I'm done fooling around." "Don't be so glum!" Pinkie replied, appearing beside him. The man took a step back, his eyes wide. "We just want to have some fun with our new friend!" "I don't want to be your god damn friend!" Alfonz snarled, swiping at the air in front of him to bring the message home. "Listen to my words for once!" Twilight and Rarity had begun to trot now, closing the distance between them gradually. It took a moment for Alfonz to notice. Suddenly, he heard rustling nearby; as he turned to look, he spotted Applejack and Fluttershy standing in the center of the road, on the opposite side of him from the two unicorns. Almost at the same time, he spotted Rainbow Dash in a tree directly behind him, on the side of the road. He was, effectively, surrounded, and he hadn't even realized it. Alfonz's nerves were almost completely shot; sweating, terrified, and extremely pissed off, he could barely think straight. He had no choice; he would have to fight. The idea of hurting cute little ponies did not exactly appeal to him, but with his dignity and well being on the line, he had no choice. "Really pulling out the stops for this one?" he growled to Twilight, who was still some distance from them. The unicorn only smiled in response. "I suppose it has to be this way. You would never leave me in peace if it wasn't." Suddenly, he lunged toward the weakest link: Pinkie Pie. Caught by surprise, the bubbly earth pony could do little to resist as he picked her up by her shoulders and tossed her into a nearby bush, before darting into the woods. The other ponies were slow to respond, as they, too, were taken by surprise. Rainbow was the first to recover, however, and, while expertly weaving through the trees, swiftly gained on him. "Oh no you don't!" Rainbow yelled as she gave chase. Before he knew it, the pegasus was on top of him, quite literally; landing on his shoulders, Rainbow slammed him into the ground with considerable force. The sudden, abrupt stop caused the pegasus herself to be flung a few yards forward, almost collided with a tree before she came to a halt. Alfonz, teeth clenched to suppress the pain, got to his feet as quickly as he could. Suddenly, Pinkie appeared under his arm, clinging to the man's shoulders with her front hooves, her face inches from his. "Why are you being this way?!" she screamed, causing a painful ringing in his ears. "Why can't you take a fucking hint?!" he snarled back, grabbing the pink pony's midsection before firing her into the woods beyond. Almost immediately after, he felt a powerful force strike his back, hurling him forward into a tree, his mouth agape in a silent scream. Alfonz slowly fell backward, pain radiating up from his lower back. He felt as though he had just been broken in half. Looking up, he found himself staring at the rear end of Applejack, who was looking quite satisfied with herself. He had just taken a buck from the earth pony and survived. He was quite impressed with himself, even if he was completely and utterly screwed. He remained on the ground, surrounded by grass and fallen leaves, staring up at the approaching ponies that amassed around him. He had failed to escape, but he had succeeded in keeping Spike safe. "I'm sorry my friend had to do that," Twilight said as she stared down at him with smug satisfaction. "But you just wouldn't listen to reason." "I'm...going to...kill you...someday..." Alfonz replied weakly, still trying to get his breath back. "You really need to relax, darling!" Rarity insisted with a pleasant smile. Alfonz only continued to scowl at them. "Why don't we bring you back into Ponyville for some much needed TLC!" The others voiced their agreement. Alfonz groaned, which swiftly turned into a frustrated snarl, like he had gone feral. Twilight's magic engulfed him, keeping him completely immobile, as the group made their way back to the street and soon, back to Ponyville.