Title:           Sherm: My Little Anon: Episode 44
Author:          Long_Gone_Writer
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/6PkzTG1d
First Edit:      Wednesday 7th of November 2012 10:09:37 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Wednesday 7th of November 2012 10:09:37 AM CDT

>>You're pissed
>>You're cold
>>You're drenched
>>You're shivering
>>And you're double pissed
>>They think they can do this to you?
>>Did they think this would STOP you?
>>You're going to murder someone
>>Your eyes were blood shot
>>Your stomach hurt
>>You felt like you were going to vomit your kidneys
>>But you persisted
>>A wide crossbow bolt jutted from your torso, between two ribs
>>And through the other side of you, just the the side of your spine
>>You have no idea what all is hit
>>Maybe your lung
>>But it didn't matter
>>The roar of the waterfall blocked out all sound for you
>>A freezing mist weighed you down
>>One at a time, you threw a hand up
>>Grabbed a protruding stone
>>Hoisted yourself up
>>Braced yourself
>>Repeated with the other hand
>>Your plan was as follows
>>Get back to the top,
>>Kick ALL the asses,
>>And then live the rest of your life with your friends in peace and happiness
 
>>Of course, the pain coursing through your body was going to be a little problem
>>You found yourself frozen in place
>>Unable to go up any further
Ghnn...
>>You groan
>>If you move the wrong way, the bolt moves and your pain is excruciating
>>Maybe, maybe if...
>>You move one hand from the wet stony surface and lower your hand to your torso
>>You grip the bolt
>>And, instantly, you convulse and vomit a shower of blood
>>You hug the outcropping, fearing falling off
>>A crimson streak stains the side of the chasm
>>You heave heavy breaths
>>Condensation drips from your eyebrows as the waterfall rages next to you and over you
>>But through the sting, and through the pain, and through the nausea
>>You look straight up
>>The mists of the Everfree linger over you like a fog of war
>>You have no idea how far you have to go
>>But you are human
>>No, you're more than that
>>You're Anonymous
>>So you will persist
 
>>It's taking you so much longer to climb back up than it took you to fall down
>>But that was obvious
>>You were always the kind of guy to go with the flow
>>To just let stuff happen
>>But in this case? You would forge a path across the turbulent wake of fate
>>You aren't going down like this
>>Neither is Rainbow Dash, or Twilight Sparkle, or Spike
>>Or any of your other friends
>>Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie
>>Rarity
>>Applejack
>>The thoughts of their suffering propel you just one more hand hold
>>God, this was hard
>>But it was worth it
>>What you wouldn't give for one of Braeburn's apples right now
>>You pause for a moment and look down
>>You've made some distance
>>It was a long way down
>>It was a good thing you were able to get a grip on something before you hit bottom
>>By Celestia, you hated pitfalls
>>Your worst experiences were always with pitfalls
>>Your muscles ached
>>Your tendons felt like they were going to fly apart at any moment
>>But you weren't going to give up
>>Not after seeing those tears in Dash's face
 
>>Did you really mean what you said?
>>You love her?
>>Was it real, or did you just blurt it out from the drama of the situation?
>>She was a pony, after all
>>But you were alone
>>In the past week, you have done nothing but lament that Dash was no longer a part of your life to the level that she was
>>You suppose you loved her as a friend
>>But that's not what you meant, was it?
>>You gripped another hand hold and hoisted yourself up
>>Your shoe braced itself under you
>>You meant that you want to spend your life with her
>>But you can't shake the truth that she's a horse
>>A two-dimensional animal with wings
>>But you were so tired of being alone
>>She made you smile
>>She made you cry
>>She dominated your thoughts when she wasn't around
>>Her charming ego, her confidence
>>You loved it
>>She had faith in you when you didn't have faith in yourself
>>You hissed, steam jets vented from the grille of your teeth
>>Another step, just that much closer
>>Probably wasn't the best time to drop that bomb on either of you
>>You'd talk about it with her after this was all over
 
>>The Everfree doesn't have shit on you
>>You've survived it before
>>You remember back then, you were unknowingly hunting down one of Fluttershy's chickens
>>You pause and look up to the waterfall's crest
>>It roars a familiar roar
>>What do you know? This is actually the very fall that you fell from
>>That means that down there is a mud bog that would break your fall
>>Perhaps you should just let go?
>>No
>>No, fuck that
>>There's alligators down there, too
>>And you don't know if the bog will save you twice
>>You continue your great labor
>>Without safety lines or cords, you are determined to reach the top
>>You were being greedy again
>>Greedy for Dash
>>And everyone else
>>You wanted your life back
>>And you were going to stop at nothing to get it back
>>Human greed was a powerful force, it seemed
>>Your body was wrecked
>>Exposed to extremes
>>You had a heavy bolt through your torso
>>It still hurt like hell
>>You powered through
>>Because you're Anonymous
>>Come Hell or high water
>>No one is going to stop you from achieving exactly what you want
 
>>Celestia's rays are coming over the horizon
>>The sun is rising with you
>>How long has it been?
>>You've lost all track of time
>>At least you're not losing too much blood
>>When was the last time you were this determined to do something?
>>Something so hard
>>Your muscles whine in protest
>>They sting against your flesh
>>Lactic acid courses through your vessels
>>On the inside, you are a furnace
>>The outside, a refrigerator
>>And on the border of these two extremes is a surreal sensation of lingering doom
>>But, perhaps, you've found it
>>Perhaps you have found the strength of man
>>The will to survive, to go on
>>A will that redoubles when given purpose beyond yourself
>>Who knows? Maybe you're wrong
>>As you struggle to grip the next stone outcropping, maybe you are a scant seconds from death
>>These stones are wet
>>In some places, traction is non-existent
>>Your hand wraps around a tough looking stone, and it instantly snaps out of place from your weight
>>You dangle, helplessly, on one arm
>>But you correct yourself and continue
>>Too many people are counting on you
>>Yes, people
>>You don't care about the physical distinction at the second
 
>>Your hand rises over the precipice and grips the edge
>>Your nails rake through the ground
>>And you hoist yourself up
>>It's hard
>>But you're harder
>>You've come to expect it by now
>>Usually, something bad happens just before you win
>>But this time, you refused to let that happen
>>You would be a liar if you didn't say that you were proud of yourself
>>You earned this one
>>Your knee was thrown over the edge
>>And you lifted yourself onto the horizontal surface
>>The bolt drips with your blood
>>You can't get it out
>>The pain is just too much
>>You can go on with it
>>You slowly get to your feet, and start moving
>>The caravan is gone
>>Everything is gone
>>But they left you a present
>>You see the body of a familiar griffin, huddled up with its eyes rolled back into its head
>>And a heavy bolt shunting out of its cranium
>>You instantly vomit upon comprehension
>>The foul taste of stomach acid fills your mouth
>>You curse under your breath
>>You took too long
>>Now what were you going to do?
>>You hobble forward
>>A hand comes to a tree, and you balance yourself
>>You slowly collapse into it, shoulder first
>>Just a little sleep
>>That's all you need
>>Just for a few minutes
>>You'll figure it out then