Mute Anon: chapter 1

>Sweat poured down your face as you ran, panting heavily. Behind you roared a creature so nightmarish you could hardly believe it was chasing you right now.

>You had woken up in the forest three days ago, lying beside a muddy stream. Since then, you had wandered through the foliage, trying to find a way out. You hadn’t eaten much, just a few strange looking and tasting fruits on your path, but that didn’t matter now as desperation and adrenaline kept you running for your life.

>You had wandered through this damn forest since then, before you had decided to seek shelter in a cave entrance. You had crept in, leant against the hard stone wall, and then… you had heard the ominous growls.

>Fast forward a few minutes and here you are: fleeing the beast and utterly convinced you were about to die. You had watched documentaries on predators and how they hunted their prey, before toying with it, before finishing it off. You now knew what it felt like to be the prey.

>You continued running, hearing trees collapsing in the wake of the monster as it hunted you down.  You knew it was getting closer, judging by the increasingly louder roars.

>Suddenly your foot catches on a root, sending you flying forward, and you land painfully. You scramble to your feet, hobbling into a nearby clearing, as the creature bursts in, knocking you forward.

>You are sent flying, and land at the base of a tree as blood pours down your back. You scramble backwards and get a good look at the beast as it towers over you. It had the body and head of a lion and a scorpion’s tail poised over it.

>It roared at you, revealing rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth, and you feel your bladder release. You instinctively squirm to cover the growing wet patch as the creature slowly approaches. Hey, at least you wouldn’t have to live with the shame for long. Not like anyone’s even out here, it’s just you and this… thing.

>That also means no-one is going to help you here.

>You sigh and close you eyes as the thing edges closer and closer. You can feel its warm, stinking breath on you, and the finality of death sets in. You hoped this would be quick; you were a sucker for pain…

>It gives a final roar and stabs you with its stinger through your shoulder, pinning you to the tree. You feel the wound sizzle and you silently scream as the creature injects with poison, which begins to course through your veins. Oh god it hurts, why did it have to hurt so much…

>Something whizzes past you and hits the beast in the face, causing it to back off from you. Through tearful eyes, you see something small and blue hovering above the clearing, baiting the creature. It roars and leaps, but misses your mysterious savoir by several feet.

>Not one to miss an opportunity, you stumble to your feet and start running. You could feel the venom coursing through your veins though, and your movements become sluggish. Suddenly, you collapse to the ground, hovering on the edge of unconsciousness.

>”Just a little nap… just sleep a little while, and this’ll be all over…” you think to yourself. Through partially closed eyes, you can see two figures approaching… funny; they look like tiny horses…

>You don’t bother with trying to cry out to them before you black out. It’s not like you could do that anyways…

 

>Ugh. What the hell…

>Why is my back sore… why do I feel all dizzy…

>Oh yeah, the supposedly mythical creature trying to kill you. That’s what happened.

>You look around and see that you’re in some sort of hospital. You don’t remember how you got here, but the pain in your back had subsided to a dull numbness. You reach around to find… nothing. You can’t feel where the creature tackled you… oh god! How long have you been out for? Where you in a coma? Because there’s no way that wound was healed up overnight.

>”Can I see it?” you hear faintly.

>”I don’t know, it may still be unconscious from the procedure.” Says a much louder voice.

>”But haven’t you checked?”

>”We check hourly Fluttershy, when the animal awakens we will send for you.”

>Fluttershy? That’s an unusual name…  though you were one to talk about that. Your parents had decided to call you Anonymous, apparently on a drunken bet according to your auntie.

>And hey, did they refer to you as “it” and “animal”? What the hell is going on? Time for some answers.

>You slam a fist down on the table beside you, creating a large noise. You hear people approaching quickly… wait, is that the clip-clop of hooves you hear?

>Your question is answered as pair of small horses come through the doorway and enter the room.

>You stare at them in disbelief, and they give you a panicked stare. The one on the left is dressed in a nurse’s uniform, with a pale white body and its pink mane tied into a bun. It also appears to have a red-cross tattooed on its rear. The one of the right has a yellowish body, similar pink mane which is loose and flowing, and… a pair of wings tucked by its side.

>”Um, why hello there, little fellow.” The yellow one whispers.

>You do a double take. Did it just…

>You slap yourself across the face and pinch your arm. You’re definitely awake… and these ponies are definitely real.

>NopenopenopenopeNOPENOPENOPE

>The yellow one obviously senses your anxiety. “Shh, it’s ok, there’s no need to be afraid…” While quiet, her voice carries a momentous calming power,  and your breathing steadies.

>The nurse-pony clears her throat. “Hello there. I’m Nurse Redheart. I assume you can understand us, yes? Nod if you can.”

>You nod silently.

>”Good. Can you tell me your name?”

>You shake your head, and the nurse frowns.

>”Why not?”

>You make some quick hand gestures, showing that you communicate through your hands, and the pony frowns.

>Fluttershy, any idea what he’s doing?

>Why can’t they understa… wait. Ponies don’t have hands, so even if they had sign language here, they still wouldn’t be able to recognise what you were trying to convey… shit.

>”Come on sweetie, don’t be afraid…”

>Damn, that voice is calming. Ok, how do you convey to these p0nies that you cannot talk?

>You point at your throat and shake your head, and the p0ny who you assume to be Fluttershy cocks her head.

>”Wait… you can’t talk?”

>You nod your head. The yellow p0ny (Pegasus? You’re pretty sure winged horses were called pegasi) whimpers.

>”Y-you weren’t hurt, were you?” she whimpers, her eyes welling up with tears.

>You shake your head vigorously, not wanting to deal with a crying horse right now.

>”Then why…”

>You shrug. You yourself didn’t really know why you couldn’t speak, and neither did the doctors. Your vocal cords were perfectly functional, so there must have been something wrong inside your skull. Whatever, if you can’t change it don’t worry about it.

>”Well, we healed up your wounds and cleared the poison from your veins, so I’m going to discharge you into the capable hooves of Fluttershy here. I recommend you take things easy.” Nurse Redheart speaks slowly, as if you were slow or dumb. You nod, trusting her that Fluttershy here was going to take care of you.

>A knock on the window gets your attention, and you see a blue Pegasus hovering outside, evidently trying to get in. You make your way over and unlatch the window, and the Pegasus flitters in.

>”Hey Fluttershy, hey Redheart.” She says in a tomboyish voice, before turning to you and holding up a hoof., which you shake.

>She gives you a weird look, before shaking her head. “Whatever. Aren’t you going to thank me?”

>You don’t reply.

>She frowns. “Seriously? I saved you from that manticore, and you’re not even going to say thanks?”

>Silence.

>”Well buck you! Didn’t I risk my sweet flank saving you, just for you to-“

>”Um Rainbow Dash, he can’t, um, speak.” Fluttershy whispers, before hiding behind a pair of hooves.

>Rainbow Dash, who lived up to her name with her multi-coloured mane, gapes at you before blushing volcanically. “Oh, sorry dude, I… er…” She gives you a cheesy grin and rubs the back of her head with her hoof.

>You could already tell the speaking problem was going to be a pain in the ass.

>You shrug, trying to show her that you didn’t care.

>”Well then, it’s good to see you’re ok… bye!” she zooms out the window, clearly embarrassed, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. You go over to the window to watch her leave, and your jaw drops at the sight before you.

>You appear to be in some sort of small town, with dozens of these p0nies going about below. You see more pegasi, more normal p0nies like Redheart, and what appeared to be unicorns.

>Magic was in this place? Explains how they healed you so quickly…

>The gravity of the situation hits you. You’re in a world of magical and flying p0nies, you have no idea how to get back home, and your one method of communication has been rendered null and void.

>This isn’t going to end well.