//------------------------------// // Never Free: part 1 // Story: The Other Button // by One of the Crowd //------------------------------// Chapter 12: Never Free: part 1 I was still running even after I stopped hearing my name being called. I knew that mare was still behind me because she never gave up, and she probably never would until I was either dead or hers. Though Running into this forest might not have been one of my better ideas considering the fact that I was now completely lost. I had been running for a long time too considering that it was a full sprint, and it's getting dark out when it was only four when I ran off. My legs were aching and the glass in my hooves stung like someone poured hand sanitizer into a paper cut. I knew I had to find somewhere to stop and rest ,but that crazy mare could be anywhere so if I stopped I'd have to find some shelter that would give me an advantage over her. This was when I found a cave that was perfect for the situation. "I both hate and love my luck," I said to myself as I took tentative steps toward the cave in question. The caves entrance was extremely big, and the roof looked like it had jagged teeth. I couldn't see extremely far into the cave because of the moon not giving off enough light to see further into the cave. This is one of the times I asked myself 'where did it all go so wrong' I know the answer, but I don't want to accept it. *** 2 years ago*** "You got everything?" "I still think this is a bad idea, Ryan," "It's just a myth, Chance. Don't worry, I'll protect you from any monsters," "You just have to be an ass over my superstitious side," ****** NO NO NO GET OUT OF MY HEAD. I shook my head vigorously of the memory before it could play anymore of that fucking day. I was not going to put myself through all of that again! Once I was able to focus again I started making a plan on what to do so I could survive out here until either Arrow finds me or that crazy mare does. First off was to claim that cave which would be just setting up a fire in it, and finding a particularly hidden spot to sleep in. Secondly I'd need a weapon to defend myself; good thing there are plenty of sticks and rocks around here. Finally I'm going to need a source of fresh water. Food was in there somewhere, but I hopefully wont have to eat anything I find out here due to having no survival training on what wont kill me. I took a few steps into the cave before lighting up my horn so I could see more than a few feet. This cave was huge, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that it could fit an entire stadium in it. One thing did send up some flags though; the cave walls had scorch marks all over the entrance and I could see silhouettes in some of the walls. For most people they'd turn tail and run, but I see an opportunity here. If whatever caused all those burns is still in here I have the ultimate defense, but if it's not I have plenty of room to run around and hide in. I dimmed the light in my horn so that i could still see, but whatever might be in here couldn't spot me as easily. When I got really deep into the cave I saw something shining in the distance which caught my curiosity. I calmly walked toward it to see what it was, and I was not disappointing. There were bits literally everywhere in this pile; I could by a fucking mountain if I wanted to with this much money! I bet you're wondering what I did next. You see, I swan dived into that bitch! You can't blame me for doing that I mean a bit is made of fucking gold! "So this i how scrooge mc duck lived," I said to myself as I swam around in the metal coins that absolutely filled the cave. That was until I bumped into something scaly and warm however. I heard a very loud grunt before the scaly object turned over to where I was currently sitting/floating. I was horrified to realize that the scaly object turned out to be a big green dragon. "Another thief? Can you roast yourself because I'm tired," "Did you really just ask that?" "Yes I did. Now scram before I decide to do it myself," "How about this, I stay and don't fuck with your stuff and you let me chill in here," "No," "Okay, how about this I am going to stay and you are not going to complain," "Is that a demand," "It is and don't think I'm scared of your scaly ass!" On the inside I've been quaking in fear this entire time. This entire conversation was just in the hopes that I could bluff the dragon into protecting me. "You got a pair kid. Don't shit in the cave," it said before rolling back over and falling back asleep. With that said and done it was time to start setting up what I'd need to survive out here which just got significantly easier. First things first however, so I began to remove the glass that was now firmly stuck in my hooves. Good thing about hooves is that they aren't made of flesh so they help prevent pain. Bad thing about hooves the glass took almost three hours to get each bit of it out of both of my hooves. My hooves were in extreme pain the entire time, but I couldn't worry about that because I still had other things to prioritize right now. I went outside of the cave to get a few sticks and some leaves before returning. I piled them on top of one another while keeping a few just in case I had to try again. I began to focus on the leaves in the piles and before long there was a small fire dancing around. I sat there and stared into the fire for a long time before I started to slowly drift off to sleep.