AlaskanAnon in equestria ch. 11

>Morning finds you shoveling down a bowl of Gorilla Munch for breakfast

>You need to get out and check your traps

>Among other things

>You re-check the stove

>The fire still burns steadily

>So you put on your snowshoes, snow gear and the binoculars you nearly got caught retrieving

>Your first action after exiting the tent is to stand up and check the path to your hideout with those binoculars

>Clear

>Satisfied you aren't going to be set upon by screaming mares, you head out the doorway and check your trap line,

 

revealing...

>A rabbit!

>Success!

>You pull out your knife and take hold of the struggling rodent

>Then, quickly, you cut its throat out

>You're careful to hold it by the back to keep the blood off your gloves

>When the rabbit has finally choked it's last, you re-set the trap and take it back to the tent

 

 

>From your buried food supplies you take a few potatoes, sticks of celery, carrots, and other necessary ingredients

>Then you pull a deep pot from your cloak and fill it with snow, setting it on the stove to melt

>While the snow melts and your ingredients thaw you exit the tent to skin and gut the rabbit

>The inedible parts you bury in a corner of the clearing

>Then you clean your knife out in the snow and chunk up your vegetable ingredients

>By the time you finish, the pot is half full of warm water

>Excellent

>You dump all your ingredients, and the prepared rabbit meat into the pot

>You then put the lid on it and set it on top of the stove

>That can simmer all day while you're out exploring and keeping watch

>And then you'll have some nice hot rabbit stew for dinner!

 

 

BUILT RARITY STRONG

 

 

>With your dinner secure, you once again exit the tent

>Yesterday's encounter made you realize that it would be much too easy for someone to find you out here

>You need to take more steps to conceal your presence

>Starting with your tent

>The tent already has a fair snow covering on its roof from the snowfall two days ago

>Using your shovel, you pile snow against the sides of the tent

>When you finish, your tent looks less like a tent and more like a snowbank with a stovepipe sticking out the top

>Excellent

>As a finishing touch, you remove the top of the stovepipe from the S bend that connects the stove to the outside, setting it

 

down to cool

>Now it truly does looks like a snowbank, minus the portion of the door still barely visible

>You have to leave that open so the tent can breath and the stove can continue to cook your dinner

>Satisfied with your work, you turn to the entrance to the maze

>You've still got some exploring to do

 

 

>You pass away the morning hours familiarizing yourself with the hedge maze

>You make note of a few hollows in the hedge that could make good secondary hiding places

>And the statue of some kind of mix-matched abomination in the center of the maze

>Every half hour or so you stop, raise your head above the hedge, and peer towards the castle through your binoculars

>Speaking of which...

>Ah shit

>Approaching the hedge is a blue p0ny with a striped blue mane

>It wears a rumpled purple cape

>And a similarly purple pointed wizard's hat

>It appears to be talking to itself

>Well, this ain't good

 

 

>When the blue p0ny comes through the entrance, you consider your options

>With your knowledge of the maze, you can avoid her easily enough

>And that's exactly what you plan to do

>But if she

>And you can tell it's a she from her voice

>Gets too close to your tent

>Then you'll have to take measures to drive her away

>Tracking the mare is easy, thanks to her constant muttering

>Something about not needing that stupid, inferior stallion anyway

>Unfortunately, this "Great and Powerful Trixie" seems to be wandering closer and closer to your place of residence

>And you can't have anyone find that

>At any cost

 

 

>You could just seize the p0ny and chuck her bodily out of the maze

>But then she would probably tell others about you

>No, here you need a more subtle approach

>Your first action is to emit a soft bark

>This immediately elicits a response

>"Hello?  Is anyp0ny there?"

>You don't respond, of course

>Have to set the mood

>For a few more turns you hound Trixie, emitting the same barking noise every now and then

>Then, you decide to take it to the next step

 

 

>You push through the hedge and into the actual row Trixie occupies

>A few turns ahead of her, of course

>You give Trixie a glimpse of your elbow disappearing around the corner, followed with the same noise

>A gasp behind you tells you your efforts have not gone unnoticed

>You barrel back through the hedge, and continue to shadow her

>After a repeat, this time with your boot, you're ready for the next step

>You work your way inside the hedge wall, and wait for Trixie to approach

>When she passes you, you reach out and jab her side, quick as lightning

>"Who was that? Show yourself!"

>You retreat back into the unoccupied row and locate the blue unicorn

>Damn

>This mare just won't quit

>Certainly, her progress has slowed

>But she presses onwards anyway

>It's time for drastic measures

 

 

>Trixie rounds the corner at the end of the row

>Then she rears back in shock

>At the end of the path is some sort of creature

>The creature is huge

>It stands higher than the hedges!

>It is facing away from Trixie

>"T-turn around, monster!  F-face your doom!"

>The monster turns around

>It is entirely black, except for its open, impossibly wide, tooth filled maw

>The single, unblinking, pupilless orange eye stares deep into Trixie's very soul

>Trixie's shaking now

>"B-be gone m-monster!  Away W-with you, b-bef-"

>The monster unleashes a bone-chilling shriek

>Then it charges Trixie, upper appendages outstretched

>Trixie whips around and practically skims across the top of the snow in her efforts to get away from the monster

>She never looks back once on her entire trip out of the maze

>Because looking back might cost her the speed that keeps her alive

 

 

>...Being the scary monster is surprisingly fun

>You follow the screaming blue mare most of the way out of the maze

>You need to make sure she's gone

>You fall back when she rounds the corner to the entrance of the hedge maze and unzip your jacket

>It won't do to sweat now

>Not when you've got more exploring to do

>Peeking up over the hedge, you follow her progress out the front with your binoculars

>When you're sure Trixie isn't coming back, you turn and head back for your tent

>Time for lunch

 

 

>When you get back to the tent you light a lantern and hang it inside

>Then check on your stew

>Still simmering away

>It's going to be delicious

>For lunch you thaw out a variety of fruits and vegetables, and a block of cheese

>Tasty

>After lunch, you remove a bottle from your cloak and pack it full of snow

>Then you cap it off and set it close to the stove

>But not in contact with it

>You intend to have some hot chocolate with your dinner

>And this will keep the water warm enough for it without boiling it all away

>Your preparations complete, you shut off the lantern and return to the maze

>You intend to finish working out the layout today

>even if you have to work right up to dark to do it

>You once again rise up and check the path to your hedge

>Even more visitors

>Hooray

>This time its a pair of guardsp0nies

 

>You make your way to the front of the maze and crouch down, listening

>"Hey Bolt!  Bolt, are you in there?"

>They're calling for someone

>Well, you're fairly sure whoever it is

>They're not in your maze

>The calling goes on for another minute before one guardsp0ny turns to the other

>"Come on, let's go.  If he was in there he would have heard us by now"

>The second nods

>Then they both reluctantly turn around and head back to the castle proper

>You heave a silent sigh of relief

>You don't know how rigorous the training for a guardsp0ny is, or how easy they are to frighten

>But you're not sure you would have been able to scare the pair of them out of the maze

>And even if you did, they would probably just come back with reinforcements

>So you're glad they left when they did

>Still, you think, someone could have come in while you were eating lunch

>And you would be none the wiser

>You decide to search the entire maze

>It's not like you have anything better to do

>And it'll be a good test of your memory

>You quietly head back into the maze, branch in hand

 

 

>So far, your search of the maze has revealed nothing out of the ordinary

>Snow, hedge, the occasional clearing, more snow, more hedge...

>A golden glint ahead of you breaks the monotony

>You quicken your pace

>An eerily familiar scene unfolds in front of you

>Shivering in the snow in front of you is none other than...

>Sunny Sky

Sky?  

>You nudge him with your boot

Sky, are y-

>His eyes fluttering open and closed

>Fuck

>FUCK

>This is bad

>You seize Sunny Sky by the top of his armor and take off at a dead run

>If he doesn't get warm soon, he WILL die

>And you won't have anyone dying

>Not on your watch

 

 

>You're glad you spent so much time familiarizing yourself with the maze

>It allows you to locate and reach your tent with minimal delay

>Once inside, you dump Sunny Sky right up next to the stove

>You feed some smaller sticks into it for quick heat

>Then you strip off your gloves and get to work on his armor

>You have to knock the ice off the buckles with the pommel of your knife, but you get it off quickly enough

>Casting it aside, you reach into your cloak and withdraw a spare blanket

>He's sopping wet

>You begin roughly drying the guardsp0ny off with the blanket

>The blanket is now thoroughly soaked, but Sunny Sky is still wet

>So you pull out another and resume drying him

>Two more blankets later, and Sunny Sky is as dry as you can make him

>So you drape a dry blanket over him

>You're pulling off your snowshoes when his eyes flutter open

>"Uuuuuuggghhhh... Where am I?"

 

 

Damn Sky

>Sunny Sky whips his head around, trying to locate the source of your voice

I told you you'd catch your fucking death in that armor

>He sluggishly stands up, and finally gets you into his field of vision

>"Anonymoush?"

In the flesh

>Sunny Sky regards you quietly

How are you feeling?

>He gives a watery chuckle

>"Cold as Tartarus"

>Tartarus

>Tartarus...

>Must be their version of hell

You came pretty close to the edge there  

>"Yeah, I know.  I'm not sure I could have made the castle from there"

>He stares at the floor for a bit

>"Thanksh Anonymoush.  I will not forget thish."

>You chuckle a bit, trying to diffuse the seriousness of the situation

Hey, just try to get inside before the buckles on your armor freeze up in the future, okay?

>"Heh, Ok-"

>Sunny Sky pauses

>Then he twists his head around, seemingly realizing for the first time that he's not wearing his armor

>"My armor!"

>He frantically pans his head about the tent, finally locating it

>He tries to take a step towards it, but is forced to sit by a particularly violent bout of shivering

Woah, easy there.  You're still way too cold.  Stay close to the stove

>You reach over to the stove and pick up the thermos

>hot to the touch

>Then you pull a packet of hot chocolate powder out of your cloak, and pour it inside

>You cap the thermos and shake it vigorously

>After a few seconds, you unscrew the cap and pour some of the hot chocolate into it

>Then you hold the cap out to Sunny Sky

Here, drink this

 

 

>Sunny Sky accepts the cap full of hot chocolate and takes a swallow

>You lean back and begin pulling off your jacket

So, what brings you out to this lonely part of the hedge maze?

>Sunny Sky considers your question

>"Well, I had been on guard duty outside the primary entrance when I was approached by a disheveled looking, out of breath blue mare"

>"The mare spoke to me of a horrible, two legged black monster in the maze that she had bravely driven off, and demanded that I do my job and take care of it"

>"I assured her that the Celestial Guard would be notified and the problem taken care of"

>"The moment I got off duty I came out here to look for the 'monster'"

>"I... Well, I mixed up my directions and got lost.... Then I woke up in here"

>You lean back and digest this information

>So Trixie had told a guard

>Fortunately for you, the one guard you had a chance of talking out of revealing your location to the Princess

>Speaking of which...

Did the Princess... er... say anything about me?

>"We were told that you had run off for unknown reasons, and were instructed to capture you and bring you to the Princess

 

should we happen to spot you"

>That pretty much confirms your fears

So you're not going to try to arrest me, are you?

>"Nah.  You just saved my flank!  Besides, I'm sure you have your reasons..."

Hah, you could say that

>"Really?"

Yeah.  You know your Princess, right?

>"Celestia?"

The very one.  Well, it turns out she's just as coo coo for coco puffs as all the rest of the mares in this place

>"You mean..."

Yep.  The minute we got out of eyeshot of the Elements she literally jumped all over me

>Sunny Sky takes a minute to digest this

>While he ponders, you finish removing your jacket and unzip the top of your snow pants

>Then you feed the fire

 

 

>"That's never happened before"

What?  The Princess of the Light, the Benevolent and all Powerful Celestia throwing herself at a man?

>"What's a man?"

>Of course

>Human terminology

Stallion

>"Well... no"

Not even at the height of Estrus?

>"It's possible... but definitely not to my knowledge, no"

>His face gains a measure of disbelief

>"And you ran away?"

>You don't like that tone

Hey, don't look at me like that.  Even ignoring the fact that I'm a human and she's a super-p0ny-thing

>"Alicorn" interjects Sunny Sky

>You shrug

Alicorn, your Princess isn't in her right mind.  Besides

>You lean in closer

I am no one's fuck toy

>Sunny Sky looks impressed

>"Well, when you put it like that..."

You now understand the full scope of my situation.  Which leads to my next question: Can I trust you to not reveal my location to... well, anyone?

>Sunny Sky scratches his chin with his hoof

>He takes another sip of hot chocolate

>Then he looks you in the eyes

>"You have my word"

>You release the breath you didn't know you were holding

Great

 

 

>By now, Sunny Sky has stopped shivering

>"I think it's about time I get going" he says, draining the last of the hot chocolate and setting the cup to the side

Sure.  I'll show you the way out

>You respond, zipping up your snowpants and reaching for your jacket

>"I've got to put on my armor first!"

>So saying, he throws the blanket off and canters over to his armor while you put the cap back on the hot chocolate

>This should be interesting to watch

>You're wondering how he manages the buckles with hooves

>Sunny Sky's horn lights up, and the armor floats up and onto his back, surrounded in a golden glow

>Of course

>He buckles the buckles with his magic, then does a double check with his hooves

>You reach over to your snow shoes and start pulling them on while he adjusts his helmet

>"Hey, what are those?"

What

>"Those things you're putting on your hooves"

>You pause

These are snow shoes

>"Why wear them?  It looks hard enough walking on two legs to begin with..."

>You chuckle

These make my feet larger, see?

>You wave your showshoe-clad boot at him

They let me walk on top of the snow instead of through it

>He still looks skeptical

Here, I'll show you

 

 

 

>You stand up and head over to the tent door, Sunny Sky in tow

>Then you pull open the door and walk out onto the snow

>You only sink a few inches into the foot and a half or so of snow

See?  I hardly sink in at all!

>"Hah!  That's a neat trick.  I know several guardsp0nies that would kill for a pair of those"

>You pause in thought

Talk to Rarity.  I'm fairly sure she has a working design that fits p0nies

>"That's rich"

>Was that a hint of bitterness?

What?

>"Me, a mere guardsp0ny, talking to one of the Elements!  Next you'll be claiming you've met Celestia face to- oh..."

Anything is possible, Sky.  But if there's that much of a gap, I'll ask her when all this blows over.  Now, are you ready to go?

>he grins at you

>"Ready as I'll ever be"

>You pick up your branch from where you tossed it before

>And head out the entrance

 

 

>You soon establish a marching order

>Sunny Sky goes in front, and you give him directions when he needs them

>You yourself go in back, sweeping away your tracks in the snow with the branch

>An action Sunny Sky is quick to approve of

>His progress through the snow isn't exactly blistering fast, and you find your thoughts drifting

>It was lucky his friends came looking for him

>Speaking of which...

Hey Sunny Sky?

>he grunts

Do you have a nickname?

>"Yes"

Would it happen to be Bolt?

>He turns his head and looks at you, surprise in his eyes

>"Yes.  How did you know?"

Two guardsp0nies showed up in front of the hedge earlier today, calling for "Bolt".  It's part of why I found you

>"Well, that's my nickname"

Do you prefer Sky or Bolt?

>"Either works"

Alright

>The conversation falls away and you trudge on once more in silence, save for the sound of parting and compacting snow, and

 

the swish of the branch

>So much so you're starting to get bored...

How did you end up with a nickname like Bolt?

>He grunts again

>"It's because of my coat and mane.  Same colors as Wonderbolts; Don't know if you've heard of them"

>You vaguely recall Rainbow talking about joining the Wonderbolts...

>"Some jackass came up with it back in training and it stuck"

 

 

>Now you're at the entrance of the hedge

>Sunny Sky pauses to catch his breath before he continues onwards to the castle

>You clear your throat

>Sunny Sky jumps, before realizing who and what made the noise

>Then he stands up, ready to continue his journey

Hey, look me up when all this shit blows over.  You seem like a really swell p0ny

>He turns to face you briefly

>"Sure.  Anytime."

>Then he heads for the entrance

>"See you around, Anonymous"

See you, Bolt

 

 

>You trot through the halls, a stack of books held in your magical grasp

>Ever since Anonymous jumped out that window, you've had an objective, always niggling at the back of your mind

>You need to make sure he's okay

>From what he's told you of his background, he should be fine

>But you have to make sure

>Just a healthy concern for the well being of another, you keep telling yourself

>In the library, you've been researching divination and search spells

>And you think you might just have the correct one

>Your distracted wandering carries you out the main door, and towards the carriage garage

>Then it comes to an abrupt end in a flurry of white pages and flying snow

>In your preoccupation, you ran straight into an unfortunate guardsp0ny, knocking the pair of you over

>"I'm sorry-"

>What is that scent?

>The ghost of a blush comes to your cheeks

>The faintest whiff of Anonymous caresses your nostrils

>Then it is gone

>Now that you look at this guardsp0ny, he seems familiar...

>He's the guardsp0ny that escorted you to the castle

>Sunny Sky was his name

>The guardsp0ny shuffles his hooves a bit under your stare

>"My apologies, ma'am.  Should have watched where I was going" he gruffly offers

>"No, no, it was my fault" You say, breaking your stare

>Then you hastily begin gathering your books

>"Here, let me help you"

>His horn lights up

 

 

>"You haven't seen Anonymous anywhere, have you?"

>"Can't say that I have"

>You're fairly sure he's seen Anonymous

>Your faintly reddish cheeks are testimony to that

>And you're equally sure that he won't tell you

>Which direction had he been coming from?

>Thinking back to before the collision, you see he was coming from the far end of the castle

>There isn't much out there

>Except the hedge maze...

>You need to go find your friends

>"Thank you" you say to Sunny Sky, your errant books finally gathered

>"You're welcome. Have a nice day"

>As he canters off, you whip around and head back into the castle

>You have a search to mount

 

 

>You tromp back towards your tent

>The traps were all empty today

>Hunger gnaws at your abdomen, reminding you of the rabbit stew waiting for you

>You can practically taste it from here

>Still, you should make a last check

>One can never be too cautious when hunted by horny mares, right?

>You stand up above the hedge line and raise your binoculars to your eyes

>Your diligence is rewarded

>Through the binoculars you can see six colorful figures approaching the maze

>Ah shit

>Your friends

>Briefly pondering how, exactly, they located your hideaway, you dismiss the thought

>You have much to do, and ever diminishing time with which to accomplish it

>First, you return to your tent

>You pick up the now cold stovepipe out of the snow and chuck it inside

>Then you tie the door shut

>And begin piling snow against it wit your shovel

>You leave a small opening close to the hedge, where it won't be noticed in the encroaching darkness

>This will keep your fire from starving

>Now your tent truly does look like a snowbank

 

 

>You could just sit inside your tent

>But then you'd have to make the air hole bigger

>And while you can probably incapacitate one p0ny if you have to

>You know you can't take on six p0nies without seriously injuring at least one of them

>And you also know you really would rather not beat your friends

>No, you're going to go out into the maze

>Better to stay mobile, and not get cornered

>Your next step is to go right back to your string trap line

>All signs of habitation must be removed, temporarily at least

>You head quickly down the rows, yanking string out of the bushes and stuffing it in your cloak

>Oh, this is rich

>Now, of all times, a rabbit chooses to get stuck in your trap

>You don't have time to clean it and skin it

>So you seize the struggling critter in your left hand

>It flails and kicks, but it's short claws can't get through your gloves

>You yank the string off its ankle and put it back on the ground, at which point it scampers off into the hedge

>That taken care of, you grab the last of the traps, then pop up for another check

>Oh fuck

>Your six friends are nowhere to be seen

>Which means they're in the maze right now

>Searching for you

 

 

>You stand stock still, and listen

>You can hear the crunch of snow under hooves approaching your section of the maze

>A bright comet shoots over you, temporarily blinding you

>SHIT

>That must have been Rainbow Dash

>You need to get into cover

>NOW

>Walking towards the end of the row, you wrack your brains for a hiding spot

>There's a hollow in the hedge not too far away

>Hopefully you can make it before they get to this section

>Down one row you go, then around a corner, waving your branch behind you

>The crunching is getting closer...

>You smash through the hedge, making your own shortcut

>There's the patch, down the row a ways

>You push into the hollow, tucking your branch inside behind you

>Then you quietly work yourself around so you face the opening of the hollow

 

 

>The light passes over the hedges several more times, going slower each time

>Eventually you're able to make out Rainbow with a lantern in her mouth

>She doesn't see you through the top of the hedge

>The crunching grows ever closer

>As does a source of light

>You sit stone still as three silhouettes come down the row

>By the light of the lantern mounted on a saddlebag, you see Twilight, Fluttershy and AppleJack

>Twilight and AppleJack both wear snow shoes, although they walk quite akwardly in them

>You'll teach them how to walk in snowshoes later

>Hide now

>Fluttershy is flying, cradling something in her front hooves

>Now if they'll just walk past...

>"These... snowthangs are a raight pain ta walk in.  Hang up a second, ah need ta adjust 'em"

>"SnowShoes, AppleJack.  And yes, I know they're a pain, but would you rather be fording through the snow?"

>"Ya have a point there"

>They stop directly in front of your hiding place, AppleJack going on her haunches as she works at the straps on one of the snowshoes with her teeth

>Fuck

>You hardly dare to breathe as you watch the mares in front of you

>"Fluttershy, have you gotten anything out of that rabbit?"

>"Well, um... yes"

>"Care to share it with us?"

>"He... He says he got stuck... but.. oh my... big scary black thing grabbed him... then he could run away"

>AppleJack momentarily ceases her struggle

>"Big, black scary monster?  That sounds like Anonymous ta me"

>Fluttershy whispers "thank you" to the creature in her hooves, then sets it in the snow

>It's the rabbit you caught earlier

>"I agree with AppleJack, that was most likely Anonymous.  I might go tell Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie to search closer to this area"

>Twilight pauses

>"Do you need help with that AppleJack?"

>"NO!"

 

 

>AppleJack fiddles with the straps on her hooves for a while longer

>You grit your teeth

>It shouldn't take nearly this long to fix snowshoes!

>Fluttershy flies down to help AppleJack despite her protests

>Twilight glances around, obviously getting bored

>Her glance carries her eyes straight past your hiding place...

>Ah shit

>Her eyes stop

>You're almost sure she sees you

>She canters over closer

>Oh shit

>Oh shit

>Ohshitohshitoshit

>She comes perilously close to the hedge

>Then she opens her mouth

>Nope

>Not happening

>In a sudden burst of motion, you lunge through the hedge

>Your left hand wraps around her muzzle, holding it closed

>Your right arm goes around her torso

>You yank the surprised purple p0ny through the branch covering and into the hedge

>You hug her close to your torso with all your considerable strength

>To Twilight's credit, she bucks pretty hard

>But you've got your arm around her now, and she doesn't have anything to brace against

>She ain't going anywhere

 

 

>You peer once more out of the hedge, hand still clamped firmly around Twilight's muzzle

>It appears that AppleJack and Fluttershy were both facing away, and didn't notice

>Phew

>You turn your attention to the struggling p0ny in your arms

>You turn her head up so she can see you

>The struggling immediately ceases

>Just in time for AppleJack to finish fiddling with her snowshoes

>She glances around

>"Hey Fluttershah, do you see Twalight anywhere?"

>"No..."

>AppleJack canters around a bit

>"Twalight?  Twalight, where are ya?"

>"Um, Applejack..."

>Applejack calls louder

>"TWALIGHT!"

>"Applejack..."

>Fluttershy is still barely audible

>AppleJack's search increases in pace slightly

>"TWALIGHT, WHERE ARE YA?"

>"APPLEJACK!" squeaks Fluttershy

>AppleJack whips around and looks at Fluttershy, who cringes

>"Oh, was I too loud?  I-I'm sorry..."

>"Nah, Twern't nothin like that.  Whut did ya want ta say?"

>"Well... Um, Twilight mentioned she... she was going to go tell the others..."

>AppleJack tries to scratch her head with a hoof, and instead manages to knock herself in the face with a snowshoe

>She shakes her head roughly and puts her hoof back down

>"Now that ah thank about it... She did say that!  Let's git goin' an' catch up with her!"

>"Okay..."

>They both turn and head down the row

 

 

 

>You wait until you can no longer see the light of their lantern

>Sighing, you release Twilight from your grasp and set her down on her hooves

>She immediately turns around and wraps her hooves around your chest

>That ever present blush is back with a vengeance

>"Anonymous, I missed you!"

>She's going to call down all the rest of her friends on you

>Way too fucking loud

Shhhhh

>Twilight's voice immediately goes to a whisper

>"Sorry!  But how are you doing?  Are you okay?  Why did you ru-"

>You put a finger up to her lips, silencing the torrent of questions

Yes Twilight, I missed you too.  Yes, I'm fine.  I will explain why I did what I did later.  But first

>You remove your finger from her lips

Do you think you could let go of me?

>She immediately backs off of you, her face moving a few shades down the red scale

>"I-oh, I'm sorry Anonymous, I-I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable..  unless, well, y-you weren-"

>You put your finger up to her lips for a second time

Twilight, it's fine.  Just slow down and breathe for me, okay?

>Twilight takes a deep breath, and releases it in a single huff

>"Okay"

Better?

>"Yeah"

 

 

>you lean back a bit

Now, how did you know I was in the hedge maze?

>"I... well, I smelled you"

>Your face scrunches up

>Surely mare's noses aren't that sensitive?

>Although if they are, you wouldn't be surprised

>Fucking magical p0ny land

You what...

How?

>Twilight giggles a bit

>"I ran into that guardsp0ny that showed us to the princess, you remember him?  Anyway, I asked him if he had seen you and he

 

said no.  But, he smelled like you!  And he was on his way back to the castle from the hedge maze..."

>Well, at least Sunny Sky hadn't given you away

>Knowingly, anyway

>Clever mare

>Twilight fidgets

>"Now it's my turn!"

Alright

>Twilight looks down at her hooves and shuffles them a bit

>"Why did you run?"

>You sigh again

What did Celestia tell you?

>A shadow of doubt passes across her face

>"She said you just up and jumped out the window, yelling something about finding your own housing..."

 

 

Well Twilight, I'm sorry to tell you this

>You grin

But that's not what happened

>Twilight gasps

>"You mean..."

Yeah, I do.  She lied to you

>Shock and disbelief struggle for control over her face

>"No..."

>You shrug

Deny it if you want.  But you know me; would I run from a princess without good reason?

>"Tell me then!  Tell me please, what really happened?"

>Settling back on your arms, you consider your story

>There isn't that much to tell

Well, the second that door closed she tackled me. Said something along the lines of "rut me into the ground"

>Twilight gives a nervous chuckle

>"The Princess was just playing, right?  She couldn't have b-"

Were you playing when you jumped on me in the truck three days ago?

>Twilight's rapidly reddening face is answer enough for you both

I ended up using similar means of... distracting her, then I made my escape through a window, courtesy of a handy lamp bracket

>You shrug

So that's why I ran away from the Princess

 

 

>You stick your head briefly out of the hedge, and look around

>No sound of crunching snow reaches your ears, and no lamplight reaches your eyes

Well, I think the coast is clear.  You should probably get going

>"I can't"

What?

>Twilight grins sheepishly at you

>"Well, look at it this way.  How did I find you?"

You picked up my scent off another p0ny...

>"And how did you get me inside this hedge?"

I grabbed you and- oh...

>Twilight is probably covered in your scent

>Celestia and the rest of them would smell you on her a mile off

I see the problem

>Twilight looks at you hopefully

I guess you'd better stay with me tonight

>Twilight can't resist giving off a triumphant"Yes!"

>Immediately after which she quails a bit under your squint

Twilight, I'm trusting you

>"You're trusting me?"

Yes.  I'm trusting you not to try anything

>You begin pushing out through the hedge

Now let's go

 

 

>You can no longer hear or see the rest of the Elements

>You're fairly sure they've left the maze by now

>And your gut is enthusiastically reminding you that you missed dinner by a few hours

>So your pace is a little faster than it was previously

>Twilight is walking beside you

>Except now she's not

>Twilight trips on her snow shoes and somehow manages to launch herself face first into the snow several feet ahead of you

>Suppressing a chuckle, you walk up to her

You alright down there there?

>"Mmmphf"

>You crouch down and work your arms under her torso

>Then you lift her up

>"Thanks" she says, shaking the snow out of her mane

>Then she looks downward and focuses on untangling her legs

>When she finishes, you set her back down in the snow

Would you like some help?

>"I would love some"

>You point to her snowshoes

You're having the same problem I had, the same problem almost every beginning snowhshoer has

>She looks at you inquisitively

You walk with your legs too close together, and your showshoes catch on each other

>You walk forward a ways in demonstration

You need to have them just a little further apart, see?

>Twilight takes a few experimental steps of her own

>She does much better than before

There you go!

 

 

>The rest of the walk back to the tent passes uneventfully

>Twilight isn't going to be tapdancing anytime soon

>But she is definitely improving

>She opts to light up her horn instead of seeing by the moonlight

>And since you're fairly sure no one else is in the maze, you see no reason to stop her

>The tracks left by the other Elements go past the entrance to your clearing

>They cluster around it a bit, but don't go inside

>Good

>You know your tent is fairly well disguised

>But you're still glad that disguise wasn't put to too hard of a test

Did you have dinner?

>"No..." says Twilight

>Walking through the opening, you go to one of your buried food caches and dig it up

>You extract all the ingredients necessary for a herbivorous dinner for Twilight

>She probably wouldn't care for what you cooked yourself...

>Reburying the cache, you stand up and turn around

>"...Where's the tent?"

Hold this and I'll show you

>You hold the sack of food to her, and she takes it with her magic

>Withdrawing a shovel from your cloak, you go the snowbank and start digging out the doorway

>You hear a sharp intake of breathe behind you when the doorway itself becomes partially visible

>"Clever...  No wonder we didn't find it"

 

 

>You sweep the flap aside and gesture to the inside of the tent

>Then you follow Twilight in and shut the flap behind you

>You sit down and begin removing your snowshoes, Twilight mirroring you

>You both finish about the same time

>Your next action is to stand up and light the lantern still hanging from the ceiling

>Then you head over too the stove and stoke up the fire

>With the fire finally stoked, you strip off your snowgear for the night

>Twilight dawns a look of mild disappointment when you stop at your regular clothes

Ready for dinner?

>"Yeah"

Okay

>you remove from your cloak a plate and silverware for Twilight, and a spoon for yourself

>Twilight takes the plate and silverware from you, and you pick up the pot of delicious rabbit stew

>And damn is that stew delicious

>You forgot just how good a nice, hearty stew can taste when you're hungry

>Twilight looks up at you and you brace

>You have no idea how she'll react to your omnivorous nature

>"Why are you eating out of the pot?"

There's only one serving in here, and I don't feel like washing an extra bowl

>Twilight gives the p0ny equivalent of a shrug and goes back to her own dinner while you internally sigh with relief

 

 

>After dinner, you're ready to go to sleep

>And judging by Twilight's half lidded eyes, so is she

>At least, you hope that's what they mean...

>Ah, who are you kidding

>You know what she wants and she does too

Ready for bed?

>"Yeah..."

Alrighty then

>You pull another pillow, mat and pair of blankets out of your cloak

>Then you lay them down

>Not too far away from your own sleeping position

>But not too close either

>Then you go through your nightly routine

>You start pulling on your boots and Twilight gleans your intentions, moving over by the stove

>Exiting the tent, you glance behind you to make sure Twilight didn't follow you

>Then you pick an inviting section of hedge and empty your bladder

>After you enter the tent, Twilight exits to take care of business of her own

>So you remove your holster and glasses and knife, and all your loose pocket items, setting them off to the side

>Then you bank up the stove so it will last the night

>When Twilight comes back in and settles into her own bed you reach up and turn off the lantern

>All the light that remains is a faint glow from the closed stove door

Good night Twilight

>"good night Anonymous"

>...You really hope she doesn't try anything