Chase

by Farenth Vega

Chapter 1

You skid and strain to make the tight turn at full gallop. It's either that, or jump off the ridge, and you doubt your rear hoof would support that right now. You've covered a lot of ground already. Hopefully you're safe, but you learned long ago to leave nothing to chance. The sound of a twig snapping could be local wildlife, a predator, or worst yet it could be them.

Those damn humans.

When the portal opened some three years ago the scientist in you was fascinated! Alien life! They were so interesting: bipedal, mostly hairless, clearly intelligent, and so friendly.

Too bad the friendly part was all just a front.

Not two weeks into negotiations they'd made their move. Troops storming out of every portal and secured nearby towns in mere minutes. The fight for ponyville went as poorly as most. You'd all banded together, you'd stood strong for equestria. Dash and AJ were the first to run into the fray and the first to fall. Neither made it even close to the humans before being knocked out cold.

We'd long wondered what the long metal devices they carried did. Now that we knew it was far too late.

While Equestria had opted to be respectful about studying of our new visitors, it seemed they had none of the same reservations about studying us. The anti-magic generators they'd hauled with them were admittedly primitive, but still made advanced casting nearly impossible.

You ran. You're ashamed to admit it, but after you'd been separated from your friends the only choice seemed to be escape.

You could have fought, you should have fought, in the end the humans pursuing you were just too terrifying. Who knew what other tricks they had up their sleeves. Who knew what they even wanted to do you with?

From what you'd seen their methods were nonlethal, but you had no idea to what end.

As soon as you felt the sharp pain you knew you'd been hit. Adrenaline alone had powered the emergency teleport towards the everfree, thankfully you'd run far enough away from their infernal anti-magic device to pull at least something off. The spell was sloppy and threw you right into a bush, but it got you away from your pursuers.

You found out exactly what the tiny dart did when your eyelids started to droop. Be Celestia's grace alone you'd slept off your dose painfully but safely tucked away in some heavy undergrowth.

Once back on your hooves you'd tried other towns, but by the time you got there each one was the same. Ponies being loaded into cages, tied up, or chained together. The muzzles, guards, and transportation you saw everypony being loaded into told you all you needed to know.

Slaves.

These were no prisoners of war, these were slaves being hauled off to some unknown and horrible fate. Heck, some stallions had already been conscripted into dragging supplies around their former towns.

You managed to scout out half a dozen towns before things went wrong.

Purple was never a stealthy color and you aren't the sneakiest of mares. By the grace of Luna you were able escape a second time, but it must have been enough for someone higher up to start caring. It wasn't long before they came.

Trackers you called them, or hunters. Either way it was pretty clear they were here to chase you specifically.

There were plenty of close calls over the years. A tranq round that missed you by inches, your superior pony hearing tipping you off to one stalking nearby, that one that almost caught you in your sleep, the list goes on and on.

Only your mastery of teleportation continued to keep you out of their clutches. It's hard to track when there's literally no tracks to follow.

You could never feel safe, though. They'd find you again; It might be days, weeks or even months but there would always be another.

This time you'd even built yourself a little shelter. Nothing fancy just some walls and a roof, it kept the rain out and the warmth in. You'll miss the small stream it was near and the tasty vegetation in the area, but that's all gone now.

You'd just settled down for lunch when the technomagical grenade exploded barely a meter away. The evil devices were introduced to you just last year, they seemed to generate some sort of magical EMP field in a wide area. You'd just barely escaped your last encounter with them and aren't enjoying your current one.

If you can just clear the radius of the device you can teleport. Only problem is in your mad scramble to escape the initial encounter you'd stumbled right into a nearby ravine. Stupid, you knew it was there but managed to hurt your leg in it anyway!

You charge your horn again just to grunt at the awful feedback.

Did they upgrade the range? Did he use multiple? You should be out by now!

You leap over a rock as you continue your full speed gallop. Living in the wild may have made you more lean, but with food so scarce at time you aren't exactly at your best.

The thick foliage may makes travel difficult, but you must have run at least two miles already! You're heart is set to burst out of your chest, and your bleeding hind leg is killing you!

You find a good hiding spot amongst the trees for a few minutes rest. Humans aren't as fast as ponies but they're sure as hell persistent.

The slower pace you adapt is easier on your leg, but no matter what it seems impossible to escape this damned magical dampening field!

You have to get out of it! You have to get away!

How long has it been? Hours? The field is still there but you're exhausted. Maybe it's a new model, it could have left a lasting effect on your horn instead of in an area. A wave of fear washes over you at the prospect of horn damage, but you dismiss it. The humans had been humane so far, the traps they'd used so far only serving to capture, not maim or cripple.

You managed a bit more hiking before you hit your limit. You're starting to feel dizzy and your back leg is rapidly feeling worse and worse.

There's no way he's still following, you'd estimate you put at least 3 miles between yourself and your old camp already. Even if he is still chasing, you should have a few minutes to try and do something about your leg.

Unfortunately supplies are few and far between in the whitetail woods. A bit of magic and a makeshift leaf bandage are all you can throw together on the short notice. Standing on it still smarts, but you should be able to maintain a brisk trotting pace with some effort.

Ok, you came from that way so this should be the way to- *pht*

W-was that a bug? Stings a bit... What's this blue splotch on your flank? Why are you getting woosie?

Celestia no...

You try to run, but your legs are a jumbled mess! Since when are their weapons so quiet?! How did he catch up with you?! Why can't you move?! Last time the effects took minutes not seconds! Luna no, please this can't be happening!

You'd body feels more and more sluggish by the second! You manage just a few more steps before your legs tangle and send you crashing into the forest floor!

What thrashing you can still do is pathetic, but it's either that or lay down and die! Will he hurt you? You must have wasted a lot of their time and resources, they might be angry about literally years of pursuit. Just a few seconds is all it takes for the rest of your muscle control to completely escape you.

You can't help but cry now that you're literally a sitting duck. The great and powerful Twilight Sparkle just lying on the ground waiting on some monster to pick her up and carry her off to her doom.

You can't even turn your head as you hear him approach. What will it even look like? You've never seen one up close without some kind of mask or helmet on.

The footsteps grow closer until it's feet enter your field of view, boots you think they were called.

You'd told yourself you'd be strong if this happened, that you'd accept your fate with dignity.

This is it though, this is really happening. They've got you, the monsters that stole your friend, family, and race away finally have you too.

Will it hurt you? Will you even survive?

The powerful tranquilizer can't prevent your whimpering as he kneels down in front of you.

Be strong Twilight! Don't cry! Be strong!

You still can't see his face, but at this point you don't even want to. You can't let it's first impression of you be this pathetic mess! Maybe if you close your eyes he can't tell how terrified you are. Maybe he won't notice your heart beating a mile a minute, as you wait for the beast to claim his spoils!

He put some kind of appendage on the side of your neck! Is he going to strangle you right here right now!?

Die! You're going to die!

"Shhhhh, don't worry girl it's alright. No one's gonna hurt you. Just take a deep breath, ya understand? Oh, you really are a beauty aren't ya?

A-a what?

Instead of going for the kill, the human decides to rub you and down your panting neck and side. Well it's not cold blooded murder, actually it even feels kinda good.

"Why don't we just relax here for a moment? You gave me quite a chase you know that? I see now why they said you're the best! Uncatchable they said! But, even a beautiful specimen like you can't give the slip to old Arnold, unicorn hunter extraordinaire!"

That grin, that confident swagger, that warm excited voice.

You aren't sure what you expected but it's not this, not Arnold.

"You must be thirsty right? Here ya are."

The creature pulls out some kind of clear cylinder and unscrews the top.

>"Now I'm gonna lift your head darlin'. Nice and easy now."

Gently, the human slips his claw between your head and the ground. The appendage is a lot softer than you imagined, maybe claw isn't the right word? You recall hearing minotaurs use the term hand.

"Good girl! There ya go!"

The way he cradles your cheek is surprisingly careful and the water crisp and tasty.

You desperately wished you could talk. You want to ask him why he was doing this, what he wanted, maybe even if he'd let you go. Too bad, your attempts at communicating come out far too slurred to be understood by anything.

Maybe a quick nap will help. You know it's the drug but a system full of adrenalin can't fight how heavy your eyelids feel.

Just a quick nap... 5 Minutes then you'll escape this dumb monkey... Just 5 minutes...

"Night night love. It'll all be alright, I promise."

Comments

[TheGrandNil]

Pretty good