Chapter 16: The Great Human Hunt
“P-Princess Celestia!” stammered Twilight. “What a surprise to see you here. What are you doing here in… Canterlot? Eh hehe…” She laughed nervously, realizing that her spell had teleported them all the way to Canterlot.
“I’m surprised to see you here as well, my faithful student.” Celesita smiled. “But would you please be so kind and step off poor Alex.” Twilight blinked a few times before looking at Alex and, smiling with embarrassment, removed her hoof from his chest.
“Sorry… Squee!”
“As much as I enjoy your visit here, I am curious to know as to why you all have come and in such a dramatic fashion?”
“BECAUSE OF HIM!!”
They all shouted in unison and pointed at Alex, who gulped and shrank down with a nervous smile on his face.
Celestia blinked before cocking an eyebrow as she began to put the pieces together. “I see...”
“Princess Celestia…” Twilight approached her. “Forgive me, but Spike and I found Alex in the Everfree Forest and I just want to present him for the Trotholm Hoofbel Committee. I came here to bring him back.”
“Twilight..?”
Applejack pushed herself in front of Twilight, with her hat pressed against her chest. “Ah spotted Alex in mah orchard yer Majesty. He’s gonna help me earn Bits fer the farm. An’ fer some apples he ate.”
“Earn bits..?”
“Uhm…” squeaked the tiny voice of Fluttershy as she hovered carefully up next to Celestia. “I just want to protect him and keep him safe with my animals. I would never- EEP!” Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out from above somehow and startled Fluttershy.
“I want to make him a pony so I could throw him his first ‘New Pony in Ponyville’ Party!” she said before dropping to the ground. Even Celestia was confused by that.
“Um… Huh?”
“I just want him to accompany me as my pet to replace the dress he ruined for the Evening Gallop Party.” said Rarity with a soft whine.
“That’s...”
“I just wanna play with him.” said Rainbow Dash innocently, only to eye Alex with a disturbing smirk on her face while punching her hooves together. Alex gulped.
“Okay..?”
“WE WANT HIM SO WE CAN GET OUR CUTIE MARKS!” said the Crusaders in unison.
Celestia blinked several more times, trying to digest what Twilight and her friends had been telling her just now. “How about you all start from the beginning..?”
*****
As the ponies told their part of the story, with perhaps a few details left out, Celesta and Luna were practically speechless. This human had gotten around! They didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Celestia face changed through a list of mixed emotions; Curiosity, confusion, amusement, laughter, shock, sadness, anger, horror and even fury. Eventually it all died down and Celestia just smiled and laughed. “My little ponies… That’s quite an interesting tale. I now see why you all are here. But there was no need for you to put poor Alex through any of that. Because you see, Alex-”
“Tia? A word?” Luna butted in and gestured Celestia to follow her away from Twilight and her friends. She stopped as she was sure they were out of ear-shot. “Tia, I’m your sister and I love you. But don’t ye dare mention that mirror!”
“But Luna, if I tell them about Alex’s world they’ll-”
“-Be overjoyed to learn that there are more humans for the taking! No sister, I won’t let thy invasion come to pass!”
Celestia gasped. “Luna, for crying out loud, I’m trying to tell you I’m-”
“And of course let’s not forget young Alex. After what I just heard, thy precious little subjects and thy most favorite student made his one day here in Equestria a living Tartarus! I’ve seen his dreams. If thou have any common sense, punish Twilight and her friends and make them apologize for their behavior before thou send them home. Alex deserves justice.”
Celestia was silent before suddenly having an idea and smirked. “You’re right Lulu. Twilight and her friends need to be punished and Alex deserves justice…”
“Promise me sister!”
“What?”
“Promise! No! SWEAR! Pinkie Swear that you’ll not reveal the mirror, nor the location of his world!”
“I… But-”
“Do it! Or lose me as both your sister and friend!”
“FOR-EVER!”
They both listened for a moment as they thought they heard something. Celestia bit her lips and then she sighed. “Alright Luna. I Pinkie Swear… I won’t tell them about the mirror. Or his world…”
“Wonderful sister!”
“…until AFTER I’ve caught him!” Celestia glared back at with a grin. Luna gulped slightly as she saw the sudden wild determination in her eyes.
*****
As soon as they returned, Celestia addressed them. “It would appear that you all want Alex for different reasons and purposes, correct?” They all nodded in unison. “I’ve been consorting with my sister and after careful consideration; I’ve decided to not have this continue any further…”
“WHAT!?!”
“But princess!” uttered Twilight. “What about my research? There’s so much I can learn!”
“What about mah Bits?” asked Applejack worried.
“What about his new house?” asked Fluttershy more concerned. “All that work. Angel will be SO angry with me…”
“WHAT ABOUT HIS PARTY???” screamed Pinkie Pie, her hair nearly deflating.
“What about my dress?” wailed Rarity.
“What about me?!?” said Rainbow Dash, hovering in the air.
“WHAT ABOUT OUR CUTIE MARKS?” yelled the Crusaders.
“Isn’t anyone going to ask me what I want?” asked Alex.
“QUIET YOU!”
“Please, let me finish!” Celestia continued. “I will not let this proceed any further, unless Luna and I are included.”
Everypony, including Luna, gawked at Celestia.
“WHAT!?!”
“As such, I decree that as of today, and ONLY today, I shall allow Equestria’s first, and last, Human Hunt!” the ponies gasped. “And you are all hereby invited to take part in this first royal hunt in a thousand years along with me and Luna. The first pony to claim young Alex first gets to keep him and do with him whatever she or they desire.”
Everypony looked at eachother in surprise and excitement over the news.
“Great… More competition…” Twilight quietly lamented.
“Tia! What art thou doing?” Luna whispered.
“Giving our subjects a fair chance to achieve their goals…”
“But… What about Alex?! He doesn’t need this! Tia, this was supposed to be between you and me! And with this much competition-”
“Why Lulu… I thought you liked a bit of competition?” Luna scowled at her. “If it’s not to your pleasing, than be my guest and tell them why they can’t partake in this. I doubt they will take too kindly to your ‘Turn-Alex-Into-Stone’ plan.” Luna quickly realized she had a point.
“Very well sister…” Luna sighed. “But thou does realize thou shall likely lose his world if thou should fail?” she smirked.
“Maybe.” Celestia smiled. “But it will give me a chance to see my little ponies learn a valuable lesson from all this.”
Luna cocked an eyebrow. “Am I included in that lesson? For that matter, art thou?” Celestia just smiled and said nothing.
Before anyone could ask anything else, Celestia lit her horn and in an instant, the Royal Sisters, the Mane Six, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and even Alex disappeared from Canterlot in a white flash, leaving the guards perplexed and somewhat puzzled as to what had just happened.
*****
As the white flash dissipated, everyone except Celestia and Luna blinked with surprise. Celestia had teleported them all to a forest.
“This… This is Whitetail Woods!” exclaimed Twilight.
Celestia trotted past them and stopped before Alex as he got back up on his feet. “Come with me. Excuse me everypony, but I would like to have a private word with our young friend here.” She led him away from the others and used her magic to create a sound proof dome around them.
“There! I want to have a word with you Alex before we begin. I know a lot of things have happened since you came here and I can’t imagine how scared and hurt you must feel right now. But you can rest assured, that my ponies would never…”
“I can’t do this…” Alex suddenly choked.
“Alex?”
“I won’t do this!”
“Alex…”
“NO! Enough is enough!” He swatted away Celestia’s wing as she tried to comfort him. “I’ve been chased and hunted since I got here and it’s all her fault!” he pointed at Luna.
Luna silently cringed. While she couldn’t hear him, she knew what that gesture meant.
“Alex… Everything is going to be alright-”
“NO! You’re lying! Just like them!”
“I understand you’re upset Alex… But please, I-”
“That… That Twilight Sparkle… She wants to turn me in to your government labs so she can have me dissected! That orange applebucker Applejack wants to turn me into some money-making circus slave! Fluttershy wants to keep me locked up in a zoo like an animal! Pinkie Pie wants to turn me into a pony, for reasons I still don’t understand! Rarity wants to make a pet out of me and Rainbow Dash wants to kill me! Those little fillies want to bring me to school like some science project! Your sister wants to turn me to stone!” He then glared at Celestia.
“And then there’s you…” he hissed while tearing up. “You’re the worst! You say you're going to send me home, but I know you’re really going to use me to conquer my world!”
“Is… Is that what you think of me? Of my ponies? Is that what you truly believe will happen to you?”
“Why not?” said Alex wiping the tears from his eyes. “I’m an alien on your world! What rights do I have? And why wouldn’t it happen like that? It happens a lot where I come from!”
Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. “Clearly we haven’t been giving you the best of impressions. For that I apologize deeply. I don’t expect any forgiveness from you, but is there anything else you’d still like to say to me? Anything you’d like to say to us?”
“Actually your Highness… I do.” Alex began to inhale. As he did, Celestia removed the dome.
“Princess..?”
“My ponies, Alex has something he wants to say to us all.”
“YOU ROYAL *HONK!*-CHEWING FU-*HONK!* MONSTER! WHY THE F-*HONK!* DOES ALL THIS FU-*HONK!* S-*HONK!* HAPPEN TO ME? F-*HONK!* MY LIFE! ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY YOU MISERABLE C-*HONK!* PONIES! IT’S LIKE THIS WHOLE WORLD WANTS TO BEND ME OVER AND F-*HONK!* ME IN THE A-*HONK!*, LIKE I’M SOME SORT OF SCH-*HONK!* RECEPTACLE! AS FAR AS I CARE, YOU C-*HONK!* CAN HAVE A F-*HONK!* *HONK!* WITH A GO-*HONK!* PIG!”
“Pinkie, do you mind?” Celestia eyed Pinkie with annoyance as she played around with a honk horn.
HONK! HONK!
“Whoops! Sorry, I was bored.” she giggled as she put her horn away.
“I’m sorry about that. You were saying?”
“I said…”
Everypony let out a horrified gasp while Applejack and Rarity tried to shield their sister’s sensitive ears. Applejack painfully nudged Rainbow Dash to do the same with Scootaloo.
“YOU ROYAL GUM-CHEWING FUNK MONSTER! WHY THE FRUIT DOES ALL THIS FUNNY STUFF HAPPEN TO ME? FORGET MY LIFE! ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY YOU MISERABLE COLORED PONIES! IT’S LIKE THIS WHOLE WORLD WANTS TO BEND ME OVER AND FIND ME IN THE ALPS, LIKE I’M SOME SORT OF SCHLOCK RECEPTACLE! AS FAR AS I CARE, YOU COWS CAN HAVE A FANCY BARBEQUE WITH A GOSH DARN PIG!”
All was silence as everpony’s mouths fell and everyone went wide eyed before finally Twilight said something. “Wow…”
“Well… Didn’t see that one comin’…” said Applejack as she removed her hooves from her sister’s ears.
“YEAH!” Pinkie suddenly shook her hoof at some confused cows who were conveniently trotting nearby. “YOU HEAR THAT YOU COWS?! SHAME ON YOU!”
“I WAS TALKING TO YOU!” Alex yelled.
“Oh!”
“I’ve never had a barbeque with a pig before.” said Fluttershy suddenly. “Maybe I can arrange one when we get home.” Everypony stared at her. “What? I like grilled vegetables. And poor Mr. Bacon hasn’t been happy of late…”
Celestia was strangely silent. “I must admit… I was sort of expecting a more… Cough! …’colorful’ vocabulary.”
“Sorry your Highness…” Alex panted. “But if there’s one thing my mother always taught me; is to never EVER swear in the presence of a lady.”
Celestia blinked.
“And I love my mom…” Alex grumbled.
“A royal gum-chewing funk monster..?” Celestia giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called that before. For a minute I thought you said-”
“TIA!!” Luna cried. “There are children present!”
Celestia playfully held her tongue and giggled as she placed the dome around them again.
“My dear Alex, you have every right to be angry. You must think we’re horrible monsters with no real compassion. That what we’re doing is cruel and unjust. But I give you my word that you have nothing to fear from us. Everypony here, including me, will not harm you in any way. You are far too unique and very special to each of us.” Alex couldn’t help but feel flattered at that brief moment. “That is why I want you to let us hunt you.”
“What? NO! Your Highness, I told you! I-”
“Listen Alex… ” Celestia suddenly leaned over and seemed to whisper something in his ear. Twilight and her friends were curious as to what was going on. While they couldn’t hear what was being said, it seemed as Celestia was able to calm him. Luna was nearly on edge. She hoped that she wasn’t putting on some spell on him.
Moments later, the dome around them dissipated as Celestia finished whispering.
“Are you sure about this..?” asked Alex. Celestia smiled and nodded. “So no matter what, I have to do this?” He suddenly became confused. “But why-?”
“I’m not gonna lie.” Celestia giggled sheepishly. “It’s been YEARS since I’ve done this and… I’ve never hunted a human before. It could be fun.”
“To you maybe…” Celestia smiled sheepishly at that. Alex scratched his chin as he thought about something. “But if I do this, I want something in return.”
“Of course! Anything! Name it and it shall be done.” He leaned over and whispered something in her ear. “Oh! Um… Are you sure…?” Alex smiled and nodded. “But… Is that really necessary? Are you sure you don’t want…”
“It’s that or no hunt!” Alex crossed his arms.
Celestia sighed. “Very well… It shall be done. Good luck Alex, and don’t make this too easy on us.” She winked.
“How do I trust you won’t-”
“I’ll give you a 30 minute head start.” She suddenly unfurled her wings. “You better get going.”
Alex quickly bolted and disappeared into the forest. Some ponies, especially Twilight, became restless and wanted to stop him, but Celestia calmed them. “Don’t worry my little ponies. We are too far from Ponyville and Alex will not get away that easily. We shall soon give chase, but keep in mind that only one of us can claim him. You may team up if you choose, but only one of you will be proclaimed the winner.”
She then eyed the Crusaders. “With exceptions of ponies who share the same goal of course…” she winked. The Crusaders smiled and giggled.
All the ponies glanced at one another and nodded in agreement. This was a Free-For-All and there could only be one winner.
Luna trotted up to her sister. “What was all that about? What did he want?”
Celestia blushed and giggled. “Trust me. You don’t want to know…”
“Alright! It’s everypony for themselves!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash before planting herself on the ground in a start position to wait until the 30 minutes were up.
*****
Alex fought his way through the forest. He still couldn’t believe this was happening, let alone that he was going along with this. He had gone from a simple human, with a simple life in a simple city, to suddenly become the prey in some outlandish foxhunt.
His one consolation however was that these particular hunters weren’t your typical average hunters.
Looking at his watch, Alex saw he still had 25 minutes left before the game could begin. Being unfamiliar with the forest and his current location, he had no idea where he was or whether if he was far enough away from the ponies.
CRACK!
“OUCH!”
Alex grabbed the twig that whipped him in the face. “As I haven’t enough to worry about, now I have to deal with this?!” He glared at the twig before suddenly having an idea. He then eyed some vines and branches that hung low from the trees. He grinned.
It wasn’t an ingenious escape plan, but more or less a distraction. He grinned. ‘Alright your Highness… If it’s a challenge you want, it’s a challenge you’ll get…’
*****
TUUUUUUUUUUT~!*
“Uh… Thank you, Pinkie Pie.” said Celestia to the giggling party pony after she sounded her hunting horn, which was nothing more than a regular party horn. With the 30 minutes finally up, it was time to begin the hunt. “Now my little ponies! Let the hunt commence!”
“Alex is SO mine!” yelled Rainbow Dash as she took to the sky.
“Oh no you don’t!” said Rarity as she and the other ponies followed Alex’s trail through the forest. “He’ll be in my hooves by the end of the day.”
Twilight cantered alongside her mentor and Luna. “So you want to join us Twilight?” asked Celestia.
“If it’s okay? I have to admit, this is kind of fun. And maybe we can get a chance to talk a bit while we look.” smiled Twilight. She secretly hoped that by joining the princesses, her chances of finding Alex first would be greater.
“Of course.” Celestia returned her smile, knowing all too well her intent.
“Enough talk!” said Luna. “My poor Alex is waiting for me!”
All the ponies followed the trail left behind by Alex, keeping close before they eventually decided to split up.
It wasn’t long before Twilight’s ears perked as she noticed something.
“These tracks look fresh!” Twilight eagerly cantered ahead. “He must really close by! This is my chance to-”
CRACK!
“AH!”
“Twilight! Are you alright?” asked Celestia concerned.
“Something whipped me!” cried Twilight, rubbing her sore flank.
Curious, Luna looked around but couldn’t see Alex or anything. “Thy must be imagining young Twilight. There’s nothing here but-”
CRACK!
“Ooh~! I mean… WHO DARES!?!”
Fluttershy trotted carefully through the shrubs, looking for any sign of this new danger. Hearing noises and movements in a nearby bush, she gulped and peered carefully into it. She was relived to find a family of squirrels. “Oh! Hello there. You didn’t happen to see-”
CRACK!
“SQUEAK!”
Fluttershy jumped high into the air in a flash and grabbed the top branch of a nearby tree. Holding on to it for dear life, she rubbed her sore flank while dangling high above ground. “Ouch…”she whispered before looking down and tightening her grip. “Oh dear…”
She was soon spotted by Rainbow Dash who flew down to her.
“Fluttershy?”
“Hi Rainbow Dash. Um… Could you help me down, please?… Squee!”
Rainbow frowned at her before she eventually lowered the timid pegasus to the ground, feeling rather embarrassed.
CRACK!
“OW!!! BUY SOME APPLES!!! That smarts!” exclaimed Applejack while rubbing her flank. “Watch out everypony! He’s been settin’ up booby-traps!”
“Giggle-Snort!”
“What’s so funny?”
“You said ‘traps’!” laughed Pinkie.
CRACK!
“AH!”
“IH!”
“HEY!”
The Crusaders yelled as one branch whipped all three of them at once. Rarity rolled her eyes. “Shush! Alexander might hear us! Honestly, you girls really need to be more carefu-”
CRACK!
*SHRIEK!*
Rarity screamed at the top of her lungs. She then froze, quickly held her tongue and went wide eyed.
“You okay Sis?” asked Sweetie Belle as she and the Crusaders looked at her.
“Fine Sweetie Belle! Just fine…”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes as they trotted passed her. “Honestly Rarity, you really need to be more careful. What if Alex heard us?”
“WHAT?!? But… But I…”
Pinkie Pie hummed happily as she skipped through the bushes. Suddenly she felt a twitch and leaped high into the air as a branch nearly whipped her from behind. Landing back on the ground, she smiled triumphantly and stuck out her tongue. “Ha! Missed me! Pttt~!”
CRACK!
The same branch swung back and whipped her right in the face.
“Ouch… That looked like it hurt. Ya okay there Sugarcube?” asked Applejack.
Frowning, Pinkie silently pulled the branch off her face, revealing a slowly fading red whip mark. “Oki… Doki… Loki…”
“BWAHAHAHAHA!” laughed Rainbow Dash as she stood on a large tree branch high up. “You should see yourselves. You guys crack me up-”
CRACK!
“AH!” Rainbow jolted and flew off the branch as she suddenly got whipped by a branch behind the one she had perched on. Alex had even booby-trapped the trees. “Why that sneaky little…”
“We're not getting anywhere faster like this!” groaned Twilight. “While we’re foaling around, he’s getting further away!”
“Twilight’s right!” said Applejack. “We all know these woods, so we’ll cover more ground if we split up! We’ll find ‘im much faster that way!”
“Alright!” Pinkie suddenly pulled out a real hunting horn.
*RATA-TA-RATATATATATAAAAAA~!*
“CHARGE!” With that, Pinkie galloped blindly into the woods.
‘Why didn’t she use that one..?’ Celestia wondered before shaking her head.
“Alright everypony!” yelled Applejack. “Ya’ll heard her! Time to split up! Remember! The first pony to catch him, WINS!” Soon she too galloped into the woods with the others going each their separate ways. Rainbow, after angrily tearing the branch to pieces with her teeth, shot off into the air to scout from above. The only ones still not moving was Twilight, Celestia and Luna.
“Come on your Highnesses!” said Twilight. “The others already have a head start!”
“He has certainly been busy…” commented Luna, somewhat impressed as she inspected the trap Alex had set up.
“Indeed!” Celestia giggled. “Isn’t he just-”
CRACK!
“Goodness!!”
“Tia..?”
Celestia’s face went red.
“Princess? Are you alright?” asked Twilight.
Celestia blushed. “I… I’ve never felt anything like THAT since…”
“Since what?”
“Nevermind! Cough! Shall we proceed with the hunt maybe?” Celestia maintained her posture as she cantered ahead with a red whip mark on her flank, leaving Luna and Twilight to share a confused glance.
*****
Somewhere far ahead of the ponies, Alex could no longer hear the sounds of whipping behind him. This obviously meant that they had passed his diabolical traps.
He avoided the clearings as he knew Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and the Royal Sisters could easily spot him from the air, but he was more concerned now for the ones who followed him on foot. He soon heard the sound of hooves and they were getting closer.
Alex quickly climbed a tree and hid among its foliage. He stayed quiet as the familiar pink coat of Pinkie Pie appeared, sneaking passed Alex’s tree on her hind legs. She was sporting a Huntsman’s cap and a toy gun with a cork and string for some reason and-
“Shush! Be vewy, vewy quiet. I’m huntin’ Alexes. Giggle-snort!”
Yes… Well… Ahem! Anyway, Alex remained really quiet as Pinkie sneaked passed him and into the woods. He drew a sigh of relief. ‘Man that was close…’ He then suddenly got the strangest feeling he wasn’t alone. A feeling he recognized too well, and which was impossible since-
“Hi!” Turning his head, he again spotted Pinkie Pie now suddenly standing on a branch next to him, smiling at him. “What’s up, Doc?” With a shriek, Alex bolted from the tree. “Wait! You’re supposed to say ‘us’!”
Panicking, Alex ran blindly into a clearing. He was instantly spotted from above by Rainbow Dash, who swooped down and cut him off.
“Gotcha, twerp!”
“Oh! Hey Rainbow Dash…” Alex said, sweating with a nervous smile on his face.
“I’m SO happy I found you.”
“I’m SURE you are…”
“Now I can finally get my toy.”
“T- Toy?” stuttered Alex.
“See this?” She pointed at the bottle around her neck. “A little something Zecora cooked up for me. You see, I really liked that tiny side of you and with this concentrated mixture of Poison Joke potion, I’ll shrink you back down to size and you will be mine to play with forever and ever.”
Alex gulped. He didn’t want to be tiny again. And he especially didn’t want to become Rainbow Dash’s toy.
“HOLD ON A SECOND!” Rainbow and Alex saw Pinkie Pie pop suddenly out of a small rabbit hole, with a rabbit on her head that immediately scampered away. Forcing herself out the impossibly small hole, she glared at Rainbow and stomped over. “So that’s why you came with me to Zecora!”
“Yeah. So?”
“You can’t make him tiny! I want to make him a pony!” Pinkie Pie reached into to her mane and showed them a bottle before putting it back in. “I spent the entire day planning his party and I won’t let you spoil it.”
“You snooze you lose sister! I caught him and he’s mine!”
“But you can’t make him tiny Rainbow Dash. Once I make him a pony, he can finally stop running and party with us! He might even become a pegasus and you two could be best friends!”
“Friends? With him? After what he did to me? No way! He needs to know who’s in charge here!” Rainbow reached for Alex. “Come here!”
“Na’ah! He’s mine!” Pinkie reached out to, and they both grabbed his arms at the same time. Once again, Alex was caught in a tug-o-war.
“Let go Pinkie!” said Rainbow through her gritted teeth.
“No! You let go!” said Pinkie.
“He’s my human Pinkie!”
“Na-ah Dashie! He’s MINE!”
“My human!”
“MY HUMAN!”
“Uh… Aren’t I sort of my ‘own’ human?” asked Alex.
“You stay out of this!” said Pinkie as she suddenly tore him out Rainbows grasp and tossed him aside before shifting her glare back at Rainbow. “He’s my human, Rainbow Dash!”
“No, he’s mine!”
“Mine!”
“MINE!”
While they argued, Alex saw his chance and snuck away.
“I saw him first, bird-brain!”
“Who are you calling a ‘bird-brain’?”
“Him! No you! I mean… The human!”
“What human?”
“What do you mean ‘what human’? That hu-! Huh?” Pinkie pointed, only to discover that she was pointing at nothing. Pinkie jaw fell as she realized that during their argument, Alex had once again escaped.
“Nice going Pinkie Pie!” groaned Rainbow Dash. She lifted herself off the ground. “I’m searching over there!” She flew off, leaving Pinkie Pie alone and speechless. She had been tricked again.
*****
Bursting through the woods, Alex panted heavily as he finally slowed down to take a break. He had lost Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, but he still wasn’t safe yet. He could still hear voices echoing through the woods as the other ponies searched high and low for him.
As he moved through the woods, he suddenly heard three familiar voices. Looking from behind a tree, he saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they were digging a hole. Applebloom and Scootaloo were busy digging, while Sweetie Belle stood look-out.
“Are you sure it’s deep enough?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Darn tutin’!” said Applebloom as her voice echoed from the hole. “Tis’ hole will make the perfect human trap.”
“Maybe that’s worth a cutie mark?” added Scootaloo.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! HUMAN TRAP BUILDERS! YAY!”
They cheered. Alex had to shake his head. They certainly didn’t grasp the concept of a ‘quiet’ cheer. He continued to watch as Sweetie Belle helped the others out of the hole and covered it in twigs.
“Looks kinda dangerous… Are you sure we can trap him with a bear trap?” asked Sweetie Belle, following the others into a nearby bush.
“Sure we can! The trap can’t tell the difference.” said Scootaloo, diving into the bush with Applebloom. Sweetie Belle took one last unsure look at the trap before Scootaloo pulled her in with them.
Alex shook his head as he found their attempt on catching him in a bear trap rather cute. While he admired their spirit, he had no plans on doing them the favor of getting caught that easily. He quietly moved backwards to distance himself away from them.
Suddenly, he bumped into something. It felt soft and furry. Using his hands, he felt how big it was. He also felt a series of sharp claws. He heard a low growling sound. Looking up, he found himself staring at a large bear!
“Oh thank goodness! You found him Harry!” To Alex’s surprise, Fluttershy appeared from behind the bear. “You did a good job tracking him down for me.” She gently scratched the bear’s ear as it seemed to enjoy it. Alex couldn’t believe his own eyes. Fluttershy was using a bear to track him, and his name was Harry? Fluttershy jumped down and approached Alex. “Come now Alex, let me take you home. You’ll be safe with me.” Alex said nothing. He exchanged glances between Fluttershy and the bear.
“BYE!” Alex suddenly said and dashed off.
“NO! GET BACK HERE!” she yelled. Alex did not comply. She stomped her hooves in frustration and growled. “HARRY!” Harry the bear let out a roar and chased after Alex. “Oh dear… HEY WAIT!” realizing that Harry could unintentionally harm Alex, Fluttershy quickly chased after them.
With the bear on his tail, Alex knew there was no way he could escape on foot. But there was one way he could lose him. The Crusader’s trap!
“Ah think Ah hear somethin’.” said Applebloom, poking her head out of the bush as the sound got louder. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo poked their heads up too.
“That must be him! Get ready!”
They all pulled their heads back into the bush and waited with suspense for the trap to spring. Alex ran towards the trap, with Harry still in hot pursuit. Having gained enough momentum, he leaped over the trap.
CRASH!
“WE GOT HIM!” yelled the Crusaders. They leaped out of the bush and looked into the trap. Their smiles quickly faded.
“Girls…” Applebloom began. “That’s not Alex…”
“It’s a bear…” continued Scootaloo.
“Once a bear trap… Always a bear trap.” finished Sweetie Belle. The Crusaders flinched as Harry let out a painful howl.
“Harry?” The Crusaders turned and saw Fluttershy coming out of the woods. “Girls? What are you-?” she gasped. “Harry!!!” She leaped into the hole and tried to comfort the despairing bear as he cradled his front paw. She carefully examined it. “Oh dear! I think it’s twisted!”
“It was an accident Fluttershy! Honest!” said Applebloom.
“We were trying to catch Alex with a bear trap.” said Scootaloo.
“But instead we caught a REAL bear…” whined Sweetie Belle.
“We’re sorry!” they said and bowed their heads in unison.
“It’s alright girls.” said Fluttershy in her forgiving tone. “Harry and I forgive you. Don’t we Harry?” Harry glanced at Fluttershy before looking back at the girls.
“UH HUH!” Harry softly growled, accepting their apology.
Alex, watching from a safe distance, felt bad about leaving them like that. But his fear of getting caught (and suffer Fluttershy’s stare) advised against it. He decided to continue onward.
“Please, help me get him out of this hole.” said Fluttershy. The three filles didn’t hesitate and jumped in the hole to help pushing the bear out while Fluttershy pulled with the best of her efforts. As the crusaders struggled to push Harry out, they noticed he was sitting on something… pink?
POP!
“Uuh…” Pinkie Pie’s eyes swirled as her head popped out from underneath Harry, recovering herself from having had a whole bear land on her.
“Pinkie Pie?! What are you doing down here?” asked Scootaloo bewildered.
Shaking her head, she just smiled. “I found this neato hole and figured it would be a great place to ambush somebody. Next thing I know a bear suddenly falls on me and-“
SQUASH!
Pinkie was unable to finish as Fluttershy lost her grip and Harry fell back down the hole on top of Pinkie.
“Opsie…” said Fluttershy meekly.
“Owie…” said Pinkie weakly.
*****
Alex fought his way through the woods, trying to create some distance from his pursuers. With Rainbow Dash carefully monitoring from the air, the safest place at the moment was below the tree line.
He approached a small clearing. Daring a look to see if Rainbow Dash was anywhere near, he took a chance as soon as the coast was clear. “So far so good... I think I’ve gotten far ahead of- GAH!”
Suddenly, Alex’s leg was roped by a vine and he quickly found himself being pulled up and hanging up-side-down next to a tree.
*****
‘Ya ain’t the only one who can set up traps sugar...’
Somewhere not too far away, Applejack was busy working on a way to trap Alex. During that ‘whip-branch’ incident, she had gotten the idea of placing several traps of her own. Using her rabbit trapping skills for protecting her apples, she used several vines to make a strong makeshift rope, bent over a few strong branches and carefully set them to trigger the moment somepony, or in this case some human, set it off.
She was just about finished with her latest trap when suddenly her ears perked. She then heard a sudden but clear shout coming from the forest.
“Boy Howdy! Looks like mah hard work is finally payin’ off!” She said gleefully and charged into the forest towards the sound.
*****
Alex was totally helpless as he dangled from the tree. He knew that within moments a pony would show up and catch him. It wasn’t long before he heard rustling from the bushes in front of him. It was then when the pony emerged.
“Oof! Well I never! Ugh! Simply dreadful. A lady such as myself shouldn’t be frolicking in the forest like some wild animal. Oh if only I had brought my outdoors attire.” whined Rarity as she struggled to pull twigs away from her mane.
Once finished, she took a moment to breathe and relax. “Well, all things considered it’s all going to be worth it. It’s only a matter of time now before I find my precious-” she then glanced something hanging from a branch in front of her, sporting the most pathetic smile ever as he had hoped that she wouldn’t notice him.
“ALEXANDER!?”
“Ehehe…” laughed Alex nervously as he helplessly watched Rarity gallop towards him. ‘Oh crud!’
“Alexander! I finally found- WHOA-HAHAA?!?” Rarity suddenly found herself pulled up by her hind leg and hanging up-side-down just a few feet away from Alex, both of them staring at eachother with puzzled expressions.
“Wha?”
“Nice to see you decided to hang around.” joked Alex.
“Oh be quiet you!” spat Rarity. She tried to use her magic on the knot that held her hind leg. Due to gravity and the constant movement of trying to shift her body in a proper position, she was unable to focus. With a frustrated sigh, she gave up.
As they silently dangled around, Alex decided to break the ice.
“Well, this is certainly a predicament…”
“I concur…” answered Rarity solemnly. “This is all your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Of course it is! If you’d been a good human and stayed with me in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
“Well EXCUSE me, but I wasn’t the one who talked about putting me on a leash!” argued Alex.
“I said no such thing! I said you would be my pet! That’s all.”
“It’s the same thing!”
Both of them ‘humphed’, crossed their arms (or in Rarity’s case; her forelegs) and turned their heads away, not looking at one another. It didn’t last long however as Rarity decided to break the ice.
“Why won’t you be my pet?” she pouted.
Alex couldn’t fathom why she would even question that. “I just don’t. Would you have become my pet if the situation was reversed?”
Rarity thought about that and sighed. “No... I suppose I wouldn’t. I’m too glamorous for something so demeaning.” Alex rolled his eyes. At least she was being honest. Rarity then looked at him. “You however, looked so lost and frightened I just didn’t have the heart to let you go. You were so scared.” While he didn't like admitting it, he was really scared and shaken up that time when Pinkie was chasing him.
“I… Suppose I was…”
‘Idea~!’ Rarity mentally sang as she suddenly had an epiphany. If she was able to guilt him just enough, perhaps he would reconsider this foolish ‘running away’ business and realize that living with her wouldn’t be so bad. She did recall him being somewhat taken away by her appearance. She had seen that look before in Twilight’s assistant Spike. Maybe she could use that to her advantage.
“Do you hate me?”
“What?” Alex whipped his head towards Rarity, only to meet with the biggest puppy-dog eyes he had seen. “Gah…”
Having got his attention, Rarity decided to milk this further and tried to woo him. She straightened her mane (or at least tried to as she was up-side-down) and flickered her eyes in the most alluring manner. Alex nearly felt his body go limp and his heart nearly skip. For just one brief moment he looked passed the pony feature and saw something really beautiful. “Do you find me… hideous?” she whimpered while pouting her lips.
Alex, taken away by this romantic tension, shook his head and tried to think straight. “What? No! I mean, I don’t think you’re-!”
“Is it my mane? My coat? My bedazzling cutie mark?” she cooed, showing her flank from the best possible position she could think of. Her three gems seemed to sparkle.
Alex gulped. “No… NO! I… I…”
“Oh Alexander… What possible sin could I have committed to earn your hatred and distrust? Why do you hate me? Why? WHY?” She bawled into her hooves, shooting one quick glance at Alex to see if her acting had done the trick.
Alex was speechless. He didn’t know why, but right now he felt like a big jerk.
“I don’t hate you Rarity.” he said softly. “And you’re not ugly. In fact, you’re the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” Rarity stopped faking her sobs and glanced at him while a smile crept up her face. “I mean, I think all you ponies are pretty and nice, but you are probably the prettiest and nicest pony ever. And… and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I’ve given you so much hard time.”
‘Gotcha~!’ she sang to herself. “All will be forgiven my dear Alexander, if you would just be so kind as to help me down. I may not be able to free myself, but I’ll use my magic to loosen your knot and then all you have to do is loosen my knot and -”
“And jus’ what in tarnation are ya playin’ at?”
Both Rarity and Alex jumped as the familiar voice of Applejack broke their conversation. Applejack looked at Rarity with confusion plastered on her face.
“Applejack?! Why… How long have been standing there?”
“Long enough to watch ya’ play with tis’ poor fella’s feelin’s, that’s how long. Bad enough y’ do the same with Spike, but tis’ here’s just low!”
“Ahehe… Applejack, I can assure you-“
“Wait!” said Alex. “You were playing me?” Rarity smiled awkwardly at him as he had pieced together what she had been doing. “I can’t believe I actually got smitten by you!” He couldn’t even believe he was actually smitten by a pony of all things.
Rarity blushed at that, causing Applejack to rear with laughter. “Hehe! Boy Howdy! Ya sure are a fine piece of work Rarity!”
“Applejack! As if I would stoop to such a level!”
“Hehe! Oh my! Mah sides!”
Rarity frowned at her. “Well, since you’re in such a good mood, how about you get us down?”
“Sure! Ah’ll get Alex down…”
“WHAT!?!”
“Come now Rarity. Did ya’ll think Ah’d just let ya try and claim mah golden apple?” she eyed Alex who frowned at her. “Don’t ya worry non hon. Ah’ll let ya’ down as soon as-Ah-GAH!” After taking one step forward, Applejack’s hind leg was suddenly ensnared and she found herself hanging up-side-down as well. She couldn't believe she had stepped into her own trap. “Shoot…”
“So glad you could join us.” mocked Rarity.
“Oh Shush!”
“Hi!” Everyone turned and suddenly eyed Pinky Pie hanging up-side-down as well. “Cool! Now we can be the ‘Hanging Upside-Down in a Tree’ Club. Dibs on President!”
“How long have you been here?” asked Alex.
“Oh I’ve been here since you said ‘GAH!’, when Rarity said ‘WOA-HAHAA!’ and when Applejack said ‘Ah-GAH!’ Squee!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Uh huh… So what now are we going to do?” said Alex, deciding not to waste time questioning Pinkie any further.
“I haven’t the faintest idea…”said Rarity.
“Me neither…” added Applejack.
“We can play charades!” said Pinkie and started to mimic something. “What am I?”
“Ah pony hangin’ upside-down in a tree?” answered Applejack sarcastically.
“Right!” said Pinkie Pie.
Applejack just rolled her eyes. “Rarity, can’t ya’ll jus’ use that magic of yers and get us down?”
“I most certainly can. Of course I can only help you, Alex and Pinkie down. I would need your help to get down afterwards.”
“Well? What are ya’ll waitin’ fer? Get me down!”
“And have you claim Alexander before me? I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me! I won’t take Alex. I promise!”
“Nice try Pinkie…” said Applejack narrowing her eyes.
“What? I would never lie.” said Pinkie, while the tips of her mane and tail were crossed. The others just rolled their eyes.
“This is going nowhere. I can’t let myself down and I can’t let any of you down without losing my precious Alexander. O’ what ever shall we do?” Rarity wailed.
Alex then had an idea. “You could let me down!”
The three ponies stared at Alex. “Let ya down? You’ve gotta be kiddin’! No way are we lettin’ ya go!”
“Please hear me out! Look, you all want me, but each of you won’t let the other have me. So I propose that, if you let me go first, you stand a better chance of catching me without either of you being a head of the other.” he winked. The ponies blinked at that proposal.
Rarity was the first to understand what he was saying. “You’re right Alexander…”
“What?” argued Applejack. “But Rarity..!”
“It’s only fair Applejack.” said Rarity with maturity in her voice. “I’ll release Alex first, wait till he’s far enough away, and then I’ll let you and Pinkie down.”
“Yeah! It’s only fair.” added Pinkie.
With all sides against her, Applejack sighed as she reluctantly agreed as well. After all that work of setting traps, she was going to let this one opportunity slip away. “Fine… We’ll play it yer way.”
Working her magic, Rarity undid the knot around Alex’s leg and he lowered himself down. “Thanks” He quickly made a run for into the woods and disappeared from sight.
“BYE ALEX! CATCH YOU SOON!” waved Pinkie.
“Is he gonna keep slippin’ out of our hooves forever?” moped Applejack.
“Nope dopey, we’ll catch him. It’s almost the end of the story.” said Pinkie, earning a confused glance from the others. “What?”
*****
Tracking through an open meadow, the Royal Sisters and Twilight were scouring the area for Alex. Luna, anxious to claim her prize led the way, while Celestia enjoyed the company of Twilight.
“-and that’s how I learned the lesson of friendship through baking.” beamed Twilight.
“That was quite the tale Twilight.” Celestia giggled. “I’m glad you at least learned something from that.”
“Indeed I did.” laughed Twilight, a bit unsure by what she meant by that. 'Hehe… Little does she know, that while I’m boring her with my stories, she’ll not be able to pay attention when we find Alex. By then she’ll be so unprepared that he’ll be in my hooves before she realizes it.’ she mentally squeed.
’Poor Twilight…’ thought Celestia. ‘She thinks she’s boring me with her Friendship stories. She doesn’t know I’m both a good listener AND observer. Once we spot Alex, he’ll be in my magic spell before she can cite the right incantation.’
“ART THOU QUITE DONE?” yelled Luna in her Canterlot Voice, causing them both to flinch. “THY ENDLESS CHATTER WILL SCARE HIM AWAY!” Her voice echoed across the meadow, causing birds nearby to fly away in fright.
“Ouch!”
A sound caught Twilight’s attention and she silently gasped.
“If you keep talking like that, I’m sure he’ll come to us eventually…” said Celestia sarcastically, causing Luna to realize her error and blush. She then noticed Twilight staring into the woods for some reason. “Twilight?” Twilight jumped and looked at her teacher. “Did you see something?”
“I… I thought I saw…” her eyes switching back and forth between the princesses and the forest.
*****
Alex, having tried to distance himself away from Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie, had the misfortune of running into the very ponies he had hoped not to run into. He took shelter behind a bush, but was startled out when a flock of birds hiding in the same bush got startled too by Luna’s voice. The bush was also revealed to be a thorn bush. Once in plain sight, Alex scrambled for the nearest tree, hoping they hadn't seen him.
*****
“Saw 'what' Twilight?” asked Celestia.
“It… It was nothing…” lied Twilight. This was her only chance to grab Alex.
Celestia looked suspiciously at her. She then glanced in the direction towards the forest and smiled. “Twilight Sparkle… Did you see Alex?” asked Celestia. Twilight went pale. “Is he hiding in there?”
“ALEX IS IN THE FOREST?!” yelled Luna in a normal voice. She was about to gallop towards the forest before Celestia stopped her.
“Now Luna… That is not the proper way.” Luna frowned while she settled down.
Twilight sighed, knowing that her chance to catch him alone had all but failed.
“Twilight?”
Twilight noticed Celestia gesturing her to join them. She trotted over and, following Celestia’s guidance, placed herself between her and Luna and formed a line facing the forest. “We’ll stand right here. The moment we see a movement in that forest, we’ll cast our magic and the first pony to reel him in, wins.”
“That sounds fair.” said Twilight.
“As you wish sister.” added Luna.
The three ponies watched the forest, while Alex, still hiding behind a tree, began to sweat as he realized what was going on. He knew that the moment they saw him, it would be all over. If there was any way out of this, he had to escape ‘Commando Style’. Ducking down on all fours, Alex crawled his way from bush to bush, keeping himself hidden from view.
The three ponies continued watching the forest carefully. They knew that on the first sign, sight or sound of him, they would strike.
Suddenly, there was a ruffling in the bushes.
“I GOT HIM!” yelled Luna. She cast her magic and grabbed something. It was alive. “HUZZAH! I GOT HIM! I’M VICTORIOUS! I-!” her victory fell short as the ‘Alex’ she grabbed was nothing more than a rabbit. Twilight and Celestia chuckled.
“Oh! There he is!” exclaimed Celestia as she eyed a humanoid shape in the forest. She cast her spell and reeled it in. “Looks like I’m the winner.” Her smiled quickly faded as the ‘human’ turned out to be a conveniently shaped tree stomp. Luna laughed while Twilight stifled a giggle. Being the good sport as she was, Celestia giggled as well.
Twilight suddenly eyed a shadow dodging behind a tree, too big to be a rabbit and too alive to be a stomp. “AHA! GOTCHA!”
Twilight cast her spell and hooked it. A loud girlish ‘Yelp!’ was heard and she felt how her catch struggled. “Prepare to be amazed your Highnesses.” gloated Twilight as she reeled in her catch. “Looks like the winner of this hunt is-”
“Hi Twilight!”
Twilight’s words froze and she stared wide-eyed at her catch which turned out to be Pinkie Pie. Not bothering to ask how or why, Twilight simply frowned and used her magic to send the smiling party pony away to another part of the forest.
“Bye Twilight!”
The two princesses giggled at the fuming Twilight. “ENOUGH OF THIS!!” Twilight’s horn suddenly lit up. Much to the sisters’ amazement, every tree, shrub and bush were immediately uprooted and levitated off the ground. Rabbits, raccoons, porcupines and other various animals froze as their concealments disappeared and quickly scurried away. One creature, temporarily oblivious to realize what had happened, still tried to sneak away Commando Style, only to freeze moments later as he realized his cover was blown. “THERE YOU ARE!”
Alex yelped and ran. The princesses seized this moment and readied their magic. Panicking, Twilight quickly seized her hold on the tree and readied hers. All three ponies cast their magic as the forest came crashing down around Alex who quickly braced himself for the impact.
CRASH!
As the dust and debris settled, Alex uncovered his eyes and was amazed to discover he was okay. It was then he realized that he was trapped inside a magic bubble. He was suddenly lifted off the ground and brought before the three ponies.
“YES! I GOT HIM!” They all shouted in unison. “WAIT! YOU GOT HIM? I GOT HIM!”
“Not again…” muttered Celestia with a sigh.
“Unhoof Alex young one! He is mine!” demanded Luna.
“No way! He’s mine!” protested Twilight.
All three ponies pulled with all their might. Alex sat down in the bubble with a hand to his chin and frowned. Once again he was in a tug-o-war. He calmly watched as they struggled like three fishermen fighting over a trout. It was only a matter of time before the line snapped.
“I… Will… Not… Give… Him… UP!” groaned Twilight, gritting her teeth as she used all the magic she could muster.
“I’m impressed Twilight!” said Celestia, sweat visibly pouring down her forehead. “You certainly have… learned much.”
“There comes a time… when the student… becomes… the… MASTER!” answered Twilight with a forced smirk. Celestia was indeed impressed by her student’s strength. While still young, her determination was all she needed to strenghten her hold on Alex.
“Must… Not… Give… In…” muttered Luna through her teeth as she pulled harder. Twilight and Celestia did the same. The more they pulled, the tighter the magical ‘fishing line’ got.
Alex began to notice how the bubble was being pulled in each direction. Stretching noises were heard and surge sparks appeared outside the bubble as it seemed to grow unstable.
Scratching his head, he suddenly felt a thorn in his hair. He pulled it out and looked at it. He then looked at the bubble. He looked at the thorn again. Shrugging, Alex poked the bubble with the thorn.
POP!
KA-BOOM!!!
The unexpected explosion caused a shockwave that knocked Twilight and the sisters off balance. They were thrown away by the tremendous force. Twilight rolled like a bowling ball and crashed into a nearby maple tree, turning the entire tree in series of bowling pins that landed on top of her and buried her. Celestia landed head first in a riverbed. Luna got stuck in a hollow tree.
Alex, standing in a smoking crater, miraculously unscathed by the explosion, saw his chance and ran away.
Twilight scrambled out of the mountain of bowling pins in a daze, right until she got knocked on the head by a late bowling pin. Celestia pulled her head out of the water with her mane quite a mess. Shaking off the water, her mane suddenly sprouted into an afro. Luna pulled her head out of the tree. While recovering, she felt something moving in her mane and tried to shake off a family of bats that refused to leave her for some reason. The three ponies eventually regrouped and approached the crater.
“Gone again…” said Twilight miffed.
“Indeed. He really is quite persistent…” Celestia heard giggling and glanced at Luna who fought to stifle a laugh. Noticing that Twilight was doing the same, Celestia finally noticed her afro and glared at Luna. “Don’t you dare…”
Luna burst into a fit of laughter. Annoyed, Celestia shocked her sister with a spark from her horn, causing all the bats in her mane to leave her. “GAH! Of course sister! Chough! Ahem! Snort!”
With a flash from her horn, Celestia returned her mane to normal.
“HEY!” They all looked up and saw Rainbow Dash descending. Soon after, the rest of the ponies arrived. “What was that huge explosion just now? Did you find the twerp?”
“Yes… We found ‘Alex’.” corrected Twilight. She then brought their attention to the woods behind them. “He ran in there. Beyond that, there is nothing but an open plane. We’ll comb the forest and force him into the open. There won’t be anywhere left for him to hide.”
All the ponies, including the sisters, nodded in unison.
“I’ll scout ahead!” said Rainbow Dash and flew off.
“With your permission your Highness…”
“Lead the way Twilight.”
“Then let’s go!” With that, the ponies spread out and entered the woods.
*****
Somewhere in the woods, resting on branch, a tiny squirrel was about to enjoy its acorn when it suddenly saw Alex sneaking out off one row of trees, across a pathway and into the next row of trees. While curious as to what that was all about, the squirrel merely shrugged and proceeded to enjoy its meal.
Just then, 11 ponies suddenly trotted out of the same set of trees as Alex did. They then split up. Twilight, Celestia and Luna went in one direction, Pinkie Pie and Rarity the other and Applejack, Fluttershy and the Crusaders in the next.
The squirrel, too curious now to eat, watched as more things started to happen. Everyone suddenly seemed to go back and forth, all appearing in a new place each time. The ponies got more split up, aimlessly wandering back and forth while looking for Alex. Sometimes they would even mysteriously reappear out of the same spot they first came out of.
At one time, Alex and Applejack crossed at the same time, both briefly unaware of eachother before Applejack suddenly noticed him and immediately gave chase. She chased him around for a bit and in one instance Alex suddenly wound up behind Applejack and chasing her.
It went on for quite a bit before Applejack eventually lost sight of him.
“Um… Excuse me?” The squirrel suddenly eyed Fluttershy. “But have you seen Alex?” The squirrel just silently stared at her until she left. “No? Okay… Thanks.”
As the squirrel continued to watch, more crazy stuff began to happen. At one time Alex came sneaking out backwards with Fluttershy doing the same from her end, only to have their backs meet and flee back in.
It then witnessed the Crusaders, each one stacked up on eachother’s back as the one on top tried to get a better view, while the one on the bottom struggled not to collapse.
It then saw Pinkie Pie cross over, only to have another Pinkie Pie further away simultaneously crossing over in the opposite direction. The squirrel rubbed its eyes.
Suddenly, the squirrel saw four young ponies, two colts and two fillies, walking out with a dog. The one white colt in the lead was wearing an orange ascot, the lavender filly had red hair and a green scarf and the orange short one wore thick black glasses. The green skinny colt behind seemed really nervous.
“Come on gang!” said the one wearing the ascot. “Let’s solve this mystery!”
“I don’t like this…” complained the nervous one. “What if we run into the Whitetail Horror?” he gulped.
“Aw come on.” said the filly with the glasses. “There’s no such thing as a-” Suddenly Alex appeared, stopping right in front of them.
“AH! THE WHITETAIL HORROR!!!”
They all ran away in an instant, including their dog. Alex was about to say something when all 11 ponies suddenly popped their heads out from behind each row of trees, causing Alex to flee in as they immediately gave chase.
The baffled squirrel just blinked. It then looked at its acorn, sniffed at it and tossed it away.
*****
Tired and mentally fatigued, Alex finally reached the edge of the forest and beheld the open plane in front of him. He was trapped. He knew that the moment he stepped out there, there would be no place for him to hide.
“I think I saw him go over here!”
He heard Twilight’s voice as the ponies approached not far behind him. They would reach him in a matter of minutes.
It was then Alex had a realization. He had reached the end. He was out of options and tricks. He knew there was only one way left for him to go now.
‘You better be right about this…’ Taking one deep breath, Alex shut his eyes and made a final break for it. ‘HERE GOES NOTHING!’
“I see him! He’s running out!” yelled Twilight and immediately ran after with the other ponies close behind..
“What?” Rainbow Dash yelled from high above as she seemed to hear Twilight’s voice. She then narrowed her eyes and saw Alex exiting the forest. “I got you now twerp!” She said as she dived down.
Twilight stopped to charge her magic. Celestia and Luna stopped beside her and did the same.
“Alex is mine princess!”
“We’ll see my faithful student!”.
“He’s mine by right!”
The rest of the ponies ran as fast as they could to catch up to him. The Crusaders however quickly fell behind.
“We’ll never be able to catch up!” yelled Scootaloo as she realized they were unable to keep up with the others. “If only I brought my scooter!”
“SCOOTALOO!” yelled Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo looked as saw them pulling back a branch. “HURRY UP!” She instantly knew what they had in mind. They had made a slingshot. They would launch her into the air and she would glide towards Alex. She galloped over and threw herself on the branch.
“NOW!”
However, instead of letting go of the branch, the impact of Scootaloo caused Applebloom and Sweetie Belle to lose their footing and all three were slingshot into the air towards Alex at great speed.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Alex didn’t look back. He kept his eyes shut and braced himself as the ponies drew closer and closer.
“Weeee! PARTY!” cheered Pinkie as she leaped towards him.
Applejack pulled out her lasso.
“ALEX!” yelled Fluttershy as she reached out her hooves.
“MINE!” yelled Rarity as she did the same.
Above them, Rainbow Dash went into her Sonic Rainboom and dove towards Alex, her colorful spectrum wave filling the skies.
Alex began to feel a faint tingling sensation in his body. ‘This is it!’
Time seemed to slow down as the glow around him intensified and the ponies behind him were now only inches away.
‘THIS IS IT!’