Autumn Leaves [Prologue]

>You are Anonymous.

>And you're only 12 years old.

>You wandered the woods of a very strange land.

>The last thing you knew, you were on your way to school with your friends.

>And then the next moment you heard a high pitched squeal, the screams of your father from your porch, and a flash of light.

>And when you finally woke up, you were in the middle of a cold, dark forest.

>The first day, you simply sat where you woke up, hoping that maybe your father would find you and take you home.

>But as the sun crossed the sky and the hours crept away, you began to realize that no one was coming for you.

>It threw you for a loop. After all, you hadn't been lost before. Not really.

>Not like this anyway.

>Day two is when you started to try find your way back home.

>The shadows cast from the trees on the forest floor scared you, as they created forms that looked menacing when you couldn't tell what they were.

>You carried on, stumbling and tripping over large, twisting roots, as far as your little legs could carry you.

>The only thing you had from home were the clothes on your back, and the hat on your head.

>You father had been a rancher when he was younger, and always wore a brown stetson hat.

>You remember the day he let you have it, after you first little league game.

>Your team hadn't won, of course, but you had all tried your hardest.

>Your father told you that's all that really mattered, and he put that brown cowboy hat onto your head.

>You wore it everyday after that.

>It barely fit, of course, as it was too big, but you didn't mind

>Hours passed, and you still couldn't find a way out of the woods.

>Slowly but surely, you began to realize that, maybe, these weren't the backwoods of where you lived.

>Everything had a strangeness to it, the colors were filled with life and were more colorful for it.

>As night passed your hunger and weariness began to set in.

>You longed for a nice, hot meal at home.

>Maybe dad would make Brunswick stew? That sounded nice right about now.

>Then you would take a hot bath, and head to bed.

>And when you woke up, you would have breakfast with dad, and catch the school bus with your friends.

>Everything was going to be fine.

>Everything was... going to be...

>Tears began to form in your eyes as you began to come to terms with the fact that you would probably be never found all the way out here in... wherever this was.

>You're snapped out of it when you start to hear noises coming from behind you.

"Dad?!"

>You were saved! You knew he'd find you! You just knew it!

>But when you turn to the sound, you don't see your father.

>The forms in front of you weren't even human.

>They looked like... wolves. Made of twigs and bark.

>Their yellow eyes glowed eerily in the night.

>Run.

>Growls flowed from within them, and their teeth were barred.

>Run.

>The biggest one began making his way to you, the other two following him.

>RUN.

>You spun around and began running for your life, as the wolves made chase behind you, their growls turning into ear shattering barks and howls.

>You weaved through trees, your breath quick and shallow, your legs burning, the only thing pushing you forwards being the sheer panic that was setting in.

>Your foot caught onto a root, and you were sent tumbling down a hill, your arms and legs getting cut and scratched by the rocks and debris scattered across the ground.

>You stumble to your feet, and quickly grab your hat from the dirt, and started running once more.

>The wolves chased on, their howls ringing through the forest as they relished in the hunt.

>You kept running.

>Without warning, one of them was on you.

>You were wrestled onto the ground by one of the beasts, its jaws snapping at your neck, your arms the only things holding it back.

>The other two weren't far behind you now.

The wolf scratched at your face, its claws scraping your cheeks and forehead, the sting of the cuts hitting your nerves harder and harder.

>You quickly brought a fist into the thing's eye, sending it roiling in pain with a yelp.

>You took this opportunity to make your escape, running even faster than before.

>Run.

>Don't cry.

>Just run.

>The wolves began gaining on you once more, but you were determined to get away from them.

>You would keep running, no matter wh-

>You screech to a halt when you realize you've come to a cliff, a briar patch the only thing that lay below.

>You turn around to run, but the wolves have cut you off, their wooden bodies stepping towards you with ferocity in every move they make.

>Be eaten alive, or jump into a river of thorns.

>Things never got to be easy, did they?

>You shake with fear and panic, as you weighed the options in your head.

>The wolves get closer.

>you back away from them, until you are at the edge of the cliff.

>What do I do?

>The wolves crouch, ready to strike.

>What do I do?!

>The three beasts leap at you as you take a single step backwards, falling from the earth.

>You grasp the edge of the cliff, clinging to it for dear life, as the wolves are sent tumbling down to the thorns below, their howls and shrieks of pain ringing into the air around you.

>Your grip on the cliff's edge grew weaker, but you pulled with all your might, scrambling back onto the safety of solid ground.

>Your body ached and begged you to rest, but your fear of the wolves drove you to keep moving.

>What if there were more?

>You couldn't rest easy until you were out of this forest.

>You stumbled forward, pulling your hat further onto your head, and continued walking.

>Hours passed, and you continued to march through the dark, foreboding maze of trees.

>The only thing illuminating your way was the light from the moon, its beams casting even more shadows across the hard, cold ground.

>Eventually you came to a clearing in the forest, and stood at the top of a hill.

>Below you was what looked like another forest, except this one seemed far less frightening.

>And more... organized.

>Like and orchard.

>Your legs finally give up on you, and you roll down the small green hill and into the foot of the orchard.

>For a few minutes you simply lay on the ground, your breath tattered and ragged.

>But slowly you begin to realize that the air has changed just a bit.

>It smelled much sweeter than that of the dark forest you came from.

>The scent of apples filled y senses, and your stomach soon reminded you that you hadn't eaten in two days.

>You push yourself up, your limbs trembling and shaky from exhaustion, and carry on, eying the trees.

>They're covered in apples of all shapes and sizes.

>You look forward and see a tree with bright yellow apples.

>At this point, all decency has escaped you and you try to madly climb the tree to get to the golden fruit.

>Your body doesn't want to comply with your hunger, and you fail at scaling the tree.

>Tears well up in your eyes and your brow furrows.

>All you wanted after all this hell you just went through was some food.

>You were just going to school, and then you ended up in this place.

>You walked through a spooky forest.

>You were attacked and chased by wolves made of... WOOD..

>And you almost fell into a briar patch from a cliff.

>And now, all you wanted was one

>Measly.

>APPLE.

>You punch the trunk of the tree in anger, recoiling your fist in pain after striking the bark as hard as you can.

>Then something hits the top of your head.

"Oh c'mon! How much more could I get... hurt..."

>You look at the ground and see a single yellow apple, it most likely being what fell on your head.

>You snatch it up and sit down by the base of the tree and begin devouring the tiny fruit.

>It is without a doubt the sweetest apple you have ever had in your entire twelve years of existence.

>Finishing off the morsel, you thump the tree once more with your fist.

>Sure enough, another apple falls and you catch it in your hat.

>You thump the tree a few more times, catching more food into your hat, and begin eating.

>Your relaxed state and satisfied hunger eventually calms you down, the adrenaline from the earlier chase dying down inside you.

>Pulling your father's hat down to cover your eyes, you drifted off to sleep under the large apple tree.

>Hopefully, by morning, dad will have found you.

 

-------

 

The Next Morning

 

>"...uhm, hello? 'Scuze me, uh... mister?"

>A small voice caught your ears attention, and your woke up in a start.

"Dad?!"

>"Dad? Ah'm not yer pa, if that's what you mean."

>Your hat is still obscuring your view, so you lift it and see-

>What... IS that?

>A small... horse?... was standing in front of you.

>It had an orange coat and a blonde mane and tail, both of which were tied off in pony-tails.

"Did... did you just talk?"

>The horse smiles.

>"Yup! Why wouldn't ah talk, anyhow? Everyp0ny can talk, after all."

>Holy crap, this horse can talk!

"...how are you talking? You're just a... baby horse."

>The orange horse pouts and gets a stern look on her face.

>"Ah am NOT a horse! Ah'm a PONY. And ah'm most certainly not a baby, neither. Ah'm old enough t'help with apple-buckin' season, so that makes me a BIG pony!"

"Okay okay, you're a pony, not a horse."

>"A BIG pony, too!"

>She HAD to be a filly. You were only around 4 feet tall, and she only made it up to your knee.

>The small pony looked around at the apple cores that were littered around you and let out a tiny gasp.

>"Were you eatin' our apples?! Those're Sweet Apple Acres apples, and ah know you ain't a part a MAH family... and you ain't no pony, neither!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know they were yours, honest."

>She squints at you analytically.

>"Hooooooonnnneeeeest?"

"Honest."

>With that she perks up at you.

>"Well alrighty then! Say, you sure got a lot of scrapes and cuts on ya'. What happened?"

"Oh. Well, I got lost in the woods out there for a few nights, and I eventua-"

>"You stayed in th'Everfree Forest for a WHOLE night?"

"Well, two nights actually."

>"But wasn't it scary like? My granny tells me that there's lots'a dangerous critters out in them woods. Like manticores, an' timberwolves, an'-"

"Timberwolves?"

>"Yup! They're big 'ole scary wolves made a' TIMBER! You know, like twigs an' things."

"I actually got chased by some of those last night!"

>The filly's eyes go wide and she gasps.

>"You got yerself chased by a timberwolf?!"

"I got myself chased by THREE timberwolves!"

>"Gol'lee! How'd you get away from 'em?"

"I ran and ran through the woods, and then they chased me to a cliff! So, right when they leaped up to eat me, I jumped!"

>"Gosh!"

"Yeah, I thought I was done for, but I managed to grab hold of the cliff and make my way back to solid ground. The timber..wolves, those things, fell off the cliff and into a briar patch."

>The orange pony lets out a quick giggle.

>"Hehe, ah like ya'. What's yer name?"

"Anonymous. What's yours?"

>"Mah name's Applejack! An' this here's Sweet Apple Acres, only the best apple orchard in all of Equestria, don'tcha know!"

>Equestria? What the heck was that?

>"Say, Anon-ee-moose, that's a neat lookin' hat you got yerself there."

"Oh, thanks! It's... it was my dad's hat, actually."

>"Where's yer pa?"

"I... I don't know, actually... what about you? Where are your folks?"

>Applejack looks down and scuffs a hoof on the ground, dejectedly.

"Mah ma an' pa are... well, they're not 'round anymore. Mah granny takes care'a me an mah brother an' mah baby sister. But she does a mighty fine job!"

>She's back to smiling at you again, a light blush around her freckles.

>"Say, wanna have lunch with me an mah family? It's gettin' awfully close t'noon after all."

>Your mind was going a hundred miles a second, taking in everything you've just heard and seen.

>Wherever you were, it was definitely NOT home. Nor was it anywhere remotely close to it.

>You had the feeling that you wouldn't see your friends or your father for a long, long time.

>But this pony... Applejack, seemed awful nice. She must have been close to your age as well.

"uhm.. sure? Yeah, okay, thanks."

>"Yeehaw! C'mon, ah'll take you down to th'farm an show ya 'round!"

>With that she trots around you in circles as you get yourself up from where you sat, and followed her as she lead you through the orchard.

>It was going to be a long day

 

-------

 

Two Years Later

 

"C'mon Applejack, you can do it!"

>You stood by a fence outside the Apple's farm, watching Applejack running a small course the two of you had made earlier in the week.

>It had been two years since you arrived in Equestria.

>That's what this place was called, but you lived in a town called "Ponyville."

>The day Applejack had brought you to her family was also the day you started to live with them.

>You told Granny Smith what had happened to you, and she had taken you in out of the kindness of her heart.

>Of course, you worked alongside them as well, let's not kid ourselves.

>Over the course of a few months, you had become great friends with Applejack and her family.

>Big Macintosh had become almost like an older brother to you, and you enjoyed helping him buck apple trees.

>That's something else that the Apple's took an interest in. Despite your size and the lack of hooves, you were able to knock down apples from their trees surprisingly well, especially for a human at least.

>If you were back on Earth, punching a tree would never have brought you any positive results. Maybe a broken hand, but never any fruit.

>But here, you were able to knock down almost as many apples as Applejack, and having hands with fingers definitely helped in your work as well.

>You also took in some peace when helping take care of Applebloom, still a baby at this point.

>You liked reading her stories as she went to sleep in the evenings, and you knew some old Doctor Seuss books by heart.

"Go Applejack, Go!"

>Applejack ran around the small track you made, doing her best to jump over mud puddles and stands you raised up.

>She got all the way to a bale of hay, and attempted to toss it across a line the two of you laid out a few yards away.

>She flung it high into the air, but it landed only feet away from the goal.

>Applejack pouts at the sight stubbornly.

Hopping over the fence, you jog over to where Applejack stands.

"AJ that was great!"

>"Anon, ah didn't throw th'hay bale far enough! How'm ah s'posed ta win the Ponyville rodeo nest year if ah can't even manage somethin' like that?"

>You kneel down and give Applejack a tight hug, tussling the hair on her head.

"Oh come on Applejack, you did great today! Besides, did you try your best?"

>"Yeah..."

"Well then that's all that matters. You do your best, and I'm sure you'll bring home plenty of blue ribbons! And remember, no matter how hard you try, I'll always be proud of you. Everyone will!"

>"Really?"

"Mmhmm... you know what? Here."

>You take off your brown stetson hat and put it on top of Applejack's head, and it too is rather large for her.

>"What're you doin'?"

"I'm giving you my hat, of course."

>"But, why? Didn't ya tell me that your pa gave ya this hat?"

"He did, but he gave it to me to show how much he cared, and to show that he would be proud of me, no matter what. Just like I'm proud of you, no matter what."

>Applejack give the most earnest smile you've seen her make, and returns your hug with one of her own, even tighter than yours.

"Thanks Anon. That means a lot t'me."

>She gives you a quick peck on the cheek, and you break out into ridiculous blushing, at which Applejack giggles.

>"C'mon, maybe if we're lucky Granny Smith'll have baked that apple pie fer us in time fer dessert tonight!"

>Applejack trots away towards the farmhouse, and you can't help but give a big, goofy grin when you feel your cheek.

>You think dad would've been proud of you so far.

>Damn proud.

 

~End of Prologue~