I took in a deep, refreshing breath of the cool, autumn air, letting it rejuvenate my system. The moon shone brightly in the night sky, bathing the castle in its silver light. As I navigated the darkened halls, I tried my best to memorize my path. There was no telling how long I would be stuck here, and with this castle being my only haven at the moment, it would be a good idea to know my way around it.
A cold breeze blasted from one of the many holes in the corridor. A shiver coursed through my body as I adjusted my jacket. I let my hatchet swing lazily in my fingers, its handle cool to the touch. A few minutes passed before I found myself back in the entrance hall. The only thing standing before me and my quest was two large heavy doors. I took in a deep breath to clear my head and pulled the doors open.
A dark ocean of trees surrounded the castle to greet me, gently swaying in the midnight breeze. I took a few steps forward and shut the door behind me, and the resulting thud seemed to carry throughout the forest. Was I really going to do this? A thousand scenarios ran through my head, a thousand ways this could go horribly wrong. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. I could probably wait another day or so and come up with a better plan.
My stomach groaned in protest, urging me to move forward. An uncomfortable pit had formed in my gut, making it feel as if my stomach was eating itself. I winced, covering my stomach with a hand and looking back into the forest. It would definitely be a long shot.
But think about the reward, the voice inside my head coerced. You will be fed. Not to mention if you succeed, you can surely do it again.
I took in a deep breath to clear my thoughts and shook my head. The benefits outweighed the risks. No matter how this night turns out, it would be the archetype for my new lifestyle until I found a way home. A life of hiding in fear. A life of stealing from ponies to keep myself alive. Or a life of who knows what if I failed.
A new life... I chuckled weakly at the thought and began my trek.
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The thick branches of the trees above made the trail nearly impossible to see despite the brilliant light of the full moon, but I managed to guide myself without tripping over too many obstacles. The large silhouettes of bushes and trees surrounded me, their amorphous shadows putting me on edge. I suddenly remembered Zecora's warning about the predators that inhabited this forest, and the grip on my hatchet tightened.
The path was slowly getting wider and wider. I couldn't be too far from the edge now. Some of the trees were starting to look familiar, albeit vaguely. As the path bent around a large tree, I could see an opening in the forest. The town could be seen up ahead, a few soft lights dotting the area here and there. Most of the town would have been asleep by now. If I was careful, I could probably skirt around it and find the farm without causing another alarm like last time.
There were barely any trees between where the town and where I stood at the edge of the forest. I must have been in the park from the previous night. A quick scan showed no sign of the farm on either side of the town from this angle. There was no telling how large the town was, either. If I were to circumscribe the town to find the barn, I probably wouldn't have enough time to get anything before the sun rose.
There was always the marketplace. It wouldn't be too hard to find again. If I remembered, it was in the middle of town. I studied the town again. Most of the lights in the villages were off. Assuming that the ponies were fast asleep in their homes, getting food might be as simple as navigating through the darkened streets.
And what if they're awake? the voice asked.
Then I'll handle it however I can, I replied. I made it out last time, didn't I? There wasn't a response, although I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
I fixed my eyes on the nearest tree and crept towards it. Even if there weren't any ponies around, I didn't want to take the chance of walking out in the open. I moved from tree to tree, getting closer and closer to the village. I nearly let my guard down until I noticed a group of figures up ahead.
They hadn't noticed me yet, and I decided to take the advantage and move to a closer tree to study them. There were seven of them, three of which were much smaller than the others. They appeared to be stuck in the middle of an argument.
"But Twilight," one of the smaller ones piped up. "We want to help catch the monster!"
"Yeah, maybe we can get our Cutie Marks as monster catchers!" another small one exclaimed while jumping in the air. The frantic buzzing of her wings managed to suspend her in midair for a few seconds.
"No. Like I said, it's too dangerous for fillies," one of the larger ponies, Twilight by the sound of her voice, said with finality.
"Aww," a chorus of three moaned. I could see the three small ponies' heads drop.
"But how come y'all get to go," one of them asked. From the faint light of the moon, I could see a pink bow in her mane. "It ain't fair! We wanna help, too."
"Oh, we know, sugarcube," another larger pony said. Judging by the hat, it must have been Applejack. "But we're only doing this to protect ya. Do y'all know what that thing did to Fluttershy?"
"Yeah, yeah, we know," the second small pony explained. "It attacked Fluttershy and now she's too chicken to come out of her house now."
"But that's why we want to help!" shouted the first little one. She sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. "That thing hurt my sister, too!"
Twilight tried to calm her. "Yes, and that's why we're trying to find it. We're going to find out just what this monster is and send it back where it came from. But we can't have any of you in harm's way."
"But, but, but—," the trio harmonized.
"Sorry, squirts, but we don't have any time for this," another of the larger ponies said impatiently. She elevated herself with two wings. "I have a score to settle with that monster."
"Rainbow Dash, we're not doing this for some contest; we're doing this for the good of Ponyville," Twilight said. "You three need to head home. We'll be back as soon as we can. Promise."
"But where am I supposed to go?" one of the fillies squeaked. "Rarity's still recovering in the hospital and my parents are on another of their vacations! I don't wanna be home alone!"
"Y'all can stay at my place," the pink-bowed pony said. "You can come too, Scootaloo. We can have a sleep over at the barn!" I focused on the three smaller ponies. Perhaps finding the barn would be as easy as following three fillies.
"That sounds like a good idea," Applejack said. "Y'all three head on up to the farm for tonight, and we'll come back later and join you."
"Yeah, hopefully with that monster, too," Rainbow Dash added.
"But first," Twilight interjected, "we need you ponies to not follow us. Am I clear?"
The trio let out a sigh of defeat. "Yes, Twilight."
"Good." Twilight turned to one of the other ponies. "Pinkie Pie, did you get the lights?"
"Yep! You're not going to believe how hard it was for me to find these Hearthswarming lights." The area was suddenly illuminated in shades of red and green as the pink mare lit up like a Christmas tree. String lights coiled around her body and were tangled in her mane. She bounced excitedly in place, making the contents of her saddle clatter. "I also got some flashlights and torches! This is going to be the best search party ever!"
With that, she started hopping in the direction of the forest. I scooted around the trunk to keep away from the intense, multicolored light she was giving off. After reminding the smaller ponies to stay safe, the other three followed her lead. As the last of them disappeared through in the forest, I turned around to find the ponies I would be following. They were already heading deeper into the town, which was my cue to move.
By the time I had reached the first house, they were already halfway down the main street. I stayed behind the line of houses and moved as quickly and quietly as I could to catch up to them. The houses blocking my line of sight made tracking them difficult, but the sound of their voices kept me on their trail. The distance between us muffled their conversation from me, making it hard to decipher what they were talking about.
Every now and then their voices would fade away as an intersection appeared, and I would have to emerge from the alleys to find them and readjust my course. I stuck to the shadows as often as I could during those moments. There weren't any light's coming from the houses, but I didn't want to stand out in the open and risk another fiasco like last night.
At one point their voices died out all together, and for a second I thought I had lost them. I was about to go back out into the street when they walked right in front of me. I froze like a statue as fear gripped hold of me. If they saw me now, then my whole plan would be ruined. Not only would I not find the barn, but they would probably alert the whole town. And I was too deep in to make another escape. To my surprise, however, they didn't even notice me.
I realized this was the first time I saw them up close and took the opportunity to study them as they walked harmlessly passed by. They were walking in a straight line. The nearest one had a bright yellow coat and a neat red mane with a large pink bow. In the middle was a small orange pegasus with scruffy purple hair. They both wore blank stares as they walked ahead, as if they either didn't know what to talk about or didn't want to talk about something. The third was a white unicorn with a curled pink and lavender mane and tail. She was slightly trailing behind the other two, her light green eyes dully staring at the earth along with the rest of her downcast head.
I poked my head out into the street as they walked on in silence, wondering what had happened. When I realized how far they had gone, I ran back behind the houses and tried to maintain a closer distance.
"So," the pink-bowed filly said after a while. "What do y'all reckon this thing they're after looks like?"
"I don't know," the orange pegasus replied. "Rainbow Dash said it was, like, twenty feet tall or something, and it was really weird looking, too. She said it kept running around on its hind legs."
"Do you think they can handle it?" the first one asked.
"Are you kidding? Rainbow Dash is with them! I'm sure they'll do fine," the orange one assured, but the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her true thoughts.
An awkward silence hung in the air.
"You alright, Sweetie Belle?" the pink-bowed filly asked.
"Yeah, you've been kinda quiet," the orange one chimed in.
The unicorn let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, girls; I just can't stop thinking about what that thing did to my sister. Why would anypony ever hurt Rarity? How could it be so mean?"
"Don't worry about her, Sweetie," the pink-bowed filly soothed. "The doctor said she would be as healthy as a horse in a few days."
"Yeah!" the other piped in. "And when they find that monster, Rainbow Dash will make it sorry it ever stepped hoof in Ponyville!"
I felt a little uneasy with the direction of the conversation, wishing that I hadn't eavesdropped in the first place. I had no idea that my actions would have had this kind of effect, and on a child especially. I lagged behind a bit until their voices returned to an incoherent mumble and trudged on.
After a few more minutes of stalking, the barn came into view. I slowed down to a halt as the trio of fillies passed the entrance gate. Whoever owned this farm had plenty of food; more than enough to go around, in fact. Just from where I was standing, I could already spot rows upon rows of corn, massive gardens of various vegetables, and a stone well near the front. Behind the barn I could make out the silhouettes of trees that must have been part of the forest.
A bright light radiated from the barn's front door as the three fillies approached it. The form of a large pony stood in the doorway waiting for the fillies to enter before shutting the door. My eyes lingered warily at the barn. That pony was much larger than the ones I had met before. It seemed to be much stronger, too. I wasn't sure if I could hold my ground against it if we crossed paths.
I put those thoughts out of my head. This wasn't the time to think about that; I had a job to do. I cautiously crept through the gate's entrance and made an immediate turn for the well. Water was my priority at the moment, whether my stomach liked it or not.
The well was lined with a stone wall and covered with a small wooden roof. When I arrived, the bucket appeared to be deep inside the well. I smiled at my own luck. It was probably already filled with water. All I had to do now is reel it back up. I set my hatchet next to the well, gripped the reel's handle, and began to turn it. A high-pitched mechanical whine filled the air as the rusty metal turned against itself. I winced at the sharp noise but continued reeling nevertheless.
A light flickered on in one of the barn's upper windows. I quickly hid behind the well as an elderly voice pierced the night. "Ya darn rascals! Stay out of our farm, or I'll call Winona on yer sorry hide!"
I peeked my head out in time to see the elderly mare stick her head back in. Once the window became dark I emerged from my hiding place. With that rusty reel acting like an alarm against anyone who uses it, the only way I could retrieve the bucket without waking the farm's residents would be by pulling it up by the rope. I rubbed my hands together and started my menial task.
Unfortunately, the bucket was bone dry. I looked down the well with a discontented frown. The water was probably deeper in the well. I tapped the metallic shell of the bucket to gather my thoughts. I couldn't afford to risk sending the bucket down deeper into the well to get some water; the racket from the gears would wake up the entire barn. If I just took the bucket, however, I could use it to gather the water from the river. It wasn't the most hygienic source, but it was better than nothing.
I was starting to unfasten the bucket from the rope when I noticed how much slack I pulled up. There must have been at least fifteen feet of rope. It would probably come in handy later. Besides, I was already planning on stealing the bucket; it wouldn't make much sense to leave the rest of the rope.
Do it.
I set the bucket down, stretched out the rope, and retrieved my hatchet. It was rather thick, but after a few minutes of hacking at it, the rope finally severed. I wrapped it around my torso like a sash, picked up the bucket, and carried on to the fields.
Gathering food was much simpler than I originally thought. I moved from garden to garden, gathering a random assortment of fruits and vegetables. The only problem was the windows of the main building that stared into my back as I worked. I kept glancing over my shoulders, worrying that I would find one of the windows lit up with a pony in it, but thankfully that never happened.
The bucket made an excellent basket throughout the process. My hands were already growing used to pulling some of the plants out of the cool earth, and my hatchet helped cut off any inedible parts. After an hour passed, I had already harvested a handful of carrots, a few ears of corn, some potatoes, and a few other plants that appeared semi-familiar. I could see myself doing this for some time. I'd have to come up with a new food source after a while, though. The ponies would eventually catch on that there food supply was dwindling, and winter was going to come up in a few months. But I was sure I would come up with something by then.
I eventually found myself near the chicken coups. There wasn't much I could do here. I couldn't cook any eggs or chicken without a fire. Not to mention that the noise I would create trying to obtain either would surely wake the barn up. I glanced back into my bucket. It wasn't quite full yet. I could still fit in a few more foods. I started to head back towards the fields until a headache struck me.
You have more than enough for now, the voice said. Leave before you get caught.
"Just give me a second," I shot back. "I can still get a bit more."
You don't have another second, it argued. You're too close to the barn. It's time to go.
"What does that have to do with anything?" I started to say, but a loud squealing cut me off in mid-sentence. I shot a glare in the direction of the disruptive sound and found a pig running around in a nearby pen, trying to get away from me. It didn't take too long for its cries to wake up the rest of the animals in the area, and the air was soon filled with the sound of a thousand squeals, clucks, and bleats.
The lights to the barn snapped back on, and a few seconds later the large doors swung open. Three forms stood in the doorway, two of which were pony-shaped while the third was canine.
"Don't say Ah didn't warn you," the elderly pony called out. "Sic 'em, Winona!"
A high-pitched yapping suddenly filled the air as the dog bolted towards my direction. I gathered my harvest as quickly as I could and sprinted to the trees in the distance, hoping to lose them in the forest. It wasn't until I got closer that I realized I was horribly wrong.
There might have been trees everywhere, but this was no forest; it was an orchard. I had no idea how to get to the forest from here, much less the castle. The dog was getting closer, and there was no way I would be able to outrun it. In a desperate attempt to escape, I gripped the handle of the bucket in my mouth and climbed up the nearest tree. By the time I had safely retreated into the branches, the dog was already at the base of the tree, barking like mad.
I spat the bucket out of my mouth and leaned back against the tree, processing my situation. The trees here were evenly spaced, and all too far apart for me to jump from one to another. If I could get back down, I could probably find my way back to the forest. The only problem with that was the dog.
I glanced back down to the bottom of the tree where the dog was still yapping. It was smaller than average. Brown fur covered its body, save for a few white patches on its feet, tail, and muzzle. If I could just get rid of it...
My eyes shifted to the hatchet, clenched tightly in my right hand.
I screwed my eyes closed and shook the mental images out of my head. "No," I muttered. "I'm not doing that."
Why not? It was simple with the timberwolf. You didn't show hesitation then.
"That was a reflex," I argued. A moment passed before I realized what I just did, and I shook my head in annoyance. The dog continued yapping as if nothing had happened, each slicing through my train of thought. "Oh, just can it already!" I barked over it.
A deep voice suddenly cut through the noise. "That's enough, Winona. I can take it from here." Through the branches of the tree I could make out the large, muscular pony from before. I could barely see the red hue of his coat and his orange mane with the moonlight. He turned his attention to me with uninterested green eyes. "Now, are you gonna come down from there, or am I gonna have to make ya?"
I grabbed on to a nearby branch to steady myself as I stood to get a better look of him. He was the only pony in sight, and he didn't have any tools save for the harness around his neck, if that even counted. The situation was almost laughable.
"Oh, really?" I smiled. "You're going to make me? Just how do you plan on doing that?"
Rather than answering my question, the pony simply turned his back to me. With a swift kick from his hind legs, the tree shook with great intensity. I lost my footing and fell out of the tree, accumulating a good beating from the branches during my fall. An audible thud punctuated the end of my fall. A loud clatter surrounded me as my possessions fell around me. I managed to pick my head up off the earth in time to see four red tree trunks for legs standing in front of me.
I propped myself up on my elbows and glanced up to see the large pony giving me a dissatisfied glare. "You're in a heap of trouble, mister," he said. Things were definitely not looking good for me. This pony had easily proven his strength. I was still trying to wrap my head around how he managed to knock me out of the tree by a simple kick to the trunk. I pushed myself up to my knees. We were roughly at eye level with me in this stance. He gave me another stern look, and I decided it would be in my best interest no to go any higher.
Through my peripheral vision, I noticed that the bucket had landed next to me, half of its contents spilled across the ground. The hatchet was within an arm's reach to the right, but I doubted I would have enough time to grab it before the pony reacted. I was completely at the pony's mercy.
"Well, I'll admit, I didn't expect that to happen," I said after a moment of silence passed. My mind was racing with a hundred different scenarios. I kept my eyes locked on to his, looking for a window of escape or some sign of leeway, but all I could find was his glare.
"Big Macintosh!" a young voice cut through the night. "Is everything alright?"
The large pony's green eyes widened in shock, and he turned his head around as the three fillies from before ran toward us. I noticed the small window I was presented, and lunged for my hatchet.
"Applebloom? What're y'all doing—" He didn't have enough time to finish his sentence. The pony's heavy frame crumpled to the ground as I struck him in the back of the head with the butt of the hatchet. His sudden collapse startled me. The blow wasn't intended to kill him, just knock him out. I was relieved when he let out a low groan.
"Big Macintosh!" the filly with the pink bow cried out.
Sweetie Belle pointed a shaking hoof to me. "It's the monster!"
The three fillies came to a sliding halt before me. I towered over them and the crumpled form of the larger pony, nearly four times their height. I could almost see their minds racing in their eyes. The larger pony was beginning to stir at my feet, signaling that it was time for me to go.
I bent down and hastily tossed as much food as I could in the bucket. The pony was nearly up to his hooves. If I didn't leave now, I wouldn't be able to escape. There were still a few vegetables left on the ground by the time I left, but it didn't matter; I would be able to come back later if I escaped.
I fled deeper into the orchard, the heavy hooves of the pony thundering behind me. I stole a quick glance behind me to see how far my pursuer was. He was close, probably only a few feet behind me, but he was starting to lag behind. His eyes were coming in and out of focus. At one point the thunder calmed down to a faint rumble, and I looked back to find my chaser leaning up against a tree for support. Even in the moonlight I could catch the intensity of his glare.
I kept running until my legs were filled with lead. Time seemed to slip by without me knowing, and I didn't know how long I was running. My lungs were gasping for air. My vision was flickering in and out of focus. I couldn't tell where I was. All I could see were trees and trees and trees.
I slowed myself to a jog, my body aching from overexertion. My mind was on the verge of collapsing, its internal clock out of whack. I wasn't going to be able to go much further, not like this. I needed to get some rest if I wanted to keep moving.
Don't rest, the strange voice urged. Keep moving. It's too dangerous here.
It was a conflict between mind and body, and both sides pressed good arguments. My body was begging for rest, but I knew that if I stayed out in the open I would surely be found. The cries of my body ultimately won, however, as a strange structure appeared in the midst of the trees. I staggered up closer to it to get a better look of it.
It was a treehouse. Not a strange house-tree hybrid like before, but an actual run of the mill treehouse. It appeared to be well built. A single structure sprouted out of a raised platform around the tree with a sturdy ramp leading up to the doorway. I could stay here for a few minutes and catch my breath.
I shuffled up the ramp and entered the building, closing the door behind me slowly. It was difficult seeing outside under the light of the moon and stars, but in here, with no natural or artificial light, it was near impossible to see anything inside the treehouse. I held out a hand to help guide myself across the room. A series of crunches and snaps erupted beneath my feet as I accidentally stepped on the numerous knickknacks that littered the ground.
Something brushed up against my fingers, and I instinctively grabbed on to it. It was a ladder. I maneuvered myself in front of it and started climbing to the upper room. It was much smaller than the first; I had to crouch down to not scrape my head up against the ceiling. Nonetheless, it was a safe place to hide for a while, which was exactly what I was looking for.
I sat down with my back against a wall, putting the bucket and the hatchet down next to me to relieve myself of the extra weight. I could see the night sky from the window in the wall opposite of me. Just a few quick minutes of rest, I told myself. I pulled an apple out of the bucket and began nibbling on it to keep myself awake.
My body slowly began to relax, finding a comfortable spot in the hard, wooden walls. I stared out the window at the stars, trying to focus on anything but the dark room, but even they began to slowly wink out as my eyes became heavy. My arm fell to my side. I thought I heard something roll from my fingers. My head rolled to my chest, too heavy for my neck to support. I closed my eyes, telling myself I would open them in just a few more seconds, and slowly surrendered myself to sleep's comforting arms.