[AiE/REQUEST] PrettyPonyPetPlayParadise : Clashing Cultures

>.

>..

>...

>It's a strange sensation; weightlessness.

>Not an unpleasant one for that matter, just... strange.

>Your body still obeys your every demand, moving around in ways you'd grown accustomed with during the course of life...

>It's just that you're completely unaware of actually doing so.

>All in all, you have to admit that, despite the initial oddness, you quite like this feeling.

>Yes, you could get used to th―

>With a dull thud, you smack on the ground, regaining awareness over your body once more.

>And you regret doing so immediately.

>Upon impact, your mind chose to numb out all sensations for the time being. All but one.

>Pain.

>Your body ached all over.

>It felt like you'd been struck with lightning.

>Oh wait, that did happen.

 

>Groaning out in pain, you roll on your back, accompanied by the sound of gravel shifting underneath you.

>You lie there for a moment, simply catching your breath before you begin to think and analyze.

>Okay, you could still move around...

>That probably meant nothing was broken. That's always nice.

>The noise might have slipped your mind completely, the stinging sensation in your back, however, did not.

>Limply feeling around with one hand, you can proudly confirm your suspicions.

>Gravel.

>There wasn't a path in the forest as far as you knew...

>Then where did this gravel came from?

>Cautiously prying open your eyes, you are immediately assaulted by bright sunlight on your retinas.

>You lie there on the ground, waiting for the pain to ebb away when a certain thought manifests itself in your mind.

>The foliage of the trees always provided sufficient shadow...

>How could the sun be blinding you then? Were you in the clearing again?

>No, that couldn't be... You'd ran away from there.

>Slowly, you open your eyes again, this time providing them with enough time to get familiar with the source of illumination.

>The first thing you noted were the trees surrounding you. That should be a good thing.

>The fact that they were all planted in neat rows dimmed your enthusiasm notably though.

>This was not a part of the forest you were familiar with.

>The second thing you noted quickly rekindled your excitement.

>A small distance away, lied a small grey mass of fur.

>You quickly crawled to your feet and made your way towards her.

>Crouching down right next to her, you exhale of sigh of relief as you saw her chest rhythmically rise and fall.

>Placing one hand on her side, you gently nudge her.

"Ashy..."

>You softly move her again.

"You okay, girl?"

>She shudders and her hind leg kicks out lightly, quickly followed up by a short snort.

>A faint smile caresses your face. She was just asleep.

>Looking down on her, you decide to let her rest.

>In the meantime, you could try to figure out where to go from here.

>Looking up at the trees again, you see red orbs dangling in between the leaves.

>You furrow your brow in confusion.

>Apple trees? In the forest?

>You mindlessly begin stroking through Ashy's mane, shaking your head at the illogicality displaying itself right in front of you.

>How did you end up here? Sure, you passed out for a moment afte―

 

>"What do ya think yer doing?!"

>A voice, heavily laced with a southern accent, disrupts your line of thought.

>Startled by the sudden intrusion, you bolt upright to your feet.

>"You leave that poor mare alone, you... you... you whatever you are!"

>You snap your head towards the source of the noise before quickly throwing your hands in the air.

"Wow, calm down. This is -my- pony and I―"

>You look around for whomever had called out to you but there's no one there.

>"What do ya mean -yer pony-? Ya can't own her."

>Looking down, you find your conversational partner in the form of a small orange pony.

>A small orange pony wearing a Stetson.

>You look at her, next to her, behind her and lastly, behind yourself.

>No, the three of you were the only ones out here...

>You shake your head, trying to reattain your bearings.

>Okay, maybe you weren't as fine as you thought you were.

>You could've sworn you heard her tal―

>"Well? Ya gonna explain yerself?" the small pony snaps at you.

>Swallowing the lump in your throat, you can't do anything else but to take a seat on the ground as you feel your knees beginning to give out from underneath you.

>You're shaking all over and you feel lightheaded, to say the least.

>With your head in your hands you let loose a labored sigh, shaking your head in disbelief.

>Your vision began to fade along the edges and you had to focus on keeping your breathing somewhat controlled.

 

>Okay, this was...  Bad. Very bad.

>You're lost beyond believe, you didn't bring a first aid kit with you, you hardly have any food left and you're hallucinating.

>Yes, this situation could be aptly described with the word 'bad'.

>Something pokes you in the side and that southern voice assaults your hearing again, "Ya alright there, partner?"

>Turning your head sideways, your gazes find each other.

>She was orange. Bright orange. And she talked to you.

>The rational part of your mind just can't get a grasp of the situation unfolding in front of you.

>And so, for the time being, you simply act on instinct.

"Uh... no, not really," you hesitantly reply.

>Her brow furrows and yours follows swiftly.

>"What... What are ya exactly?" she asks, her head almost comically tilted to the side.

>You blink a few times, still coming to terms with the fact that you're talking to a pony.

>Well... It's talking to you, at least.

>Perhaps answering her question might be a polite thing to do.

"Anon... I'm Anon," you speak up. "And lost. I'm lost too."

>"Yeah, Ah didn't figure you to be from these parts," the southern belle quickly follows up.

 

>Silence falls as you wreck your brain trying to make sense of your surroundings.

>Nothing comes to mind. You had to be hallucinating from the shock.

>That was the only possible explanation.

>But still... For a hallucination this all seemed to be much too coherently.

>"So... What were you doing in my orchard exactly?"

>Panicked, confused and frightened, you shake your head side to side, continuing to do so as you answer, "I-I don't know... I wish I knew... There was this storm and Ashy ran away and then I ran after her and then there was this light and then I think I was flying and then—"

>"How there, cowboy," the pony interrupts, "Ya lost me. Who was running where now?"

"Ashy," you point towards the sleeping mare," my pony got startled by a storm and she ran away."

"I followed her, there was this big flash of light and the next thing I know I'm lying here in the dirt."

>"Ya did it again... What do you mean -yer- pony?"

>You cock your head in confusion.

"I don't know what's so hard to get. She's mine. I raised her, I take care of her..."

>Shrugging, you repeat yourself once more, "She's mine. Simple as that."

>"So... ya adopted her? That doesn't make her something ya own. She ain't property, she's her own pony."

"Of course she's not property, she's my pet."

>That statement, as simple and innocent as it sounded to you, didn't seem to please her at all.

>Her brow furrows and she stares at you with a glare that could kill lesser man.

>"Listen here, Anon. I don't know what ya are or where ya came from but we are not pets."

>"Ya can't lock a pony in a cage and put a leash on her. That's... That's barbaric."

 

>Hearing her talk down on you like that...

>It infuriated you. That she even thought you would cause harm to your animals...

>You had dedicated your life to them. They were your pride, they stood for everything you were.

>And you would not get insulted by a figment of your imagination.

>Your pride overrules your need for sanity and in a flash, you seem to have forgotten that this was all just an delusion.

>Standing up straight, you tower over her as you cast an equally frightening glare back.

"I'll let you know that I take great care of all my animals. I do -not- mistreat a single one of them."

"You're making it sound like I'm some kind of tyrant."

"She," you take a quick look towards the grey bundle of fur again, "has never been harmed. She loves going on walks with her leash and she has never been close to a cage, nor will she ever be if I've got anything to say about it."

>Taken back by both your posture towering over her as well as the harsh tone in which you spoke made her begin to back away from you.

>"It's not... It's not right. Ya can't do that to her..."

>You take one more look at her before you shake your head.

"Why am I even explaining myself to you? This is just a hallucination. I need to get medical help."

>Crouching down, you softly budge Ashy again.

>"Come on, girl. You had your nap now, let's go. We need to find a hospital."

>Her face scrunches up as her eyelids begin to flutter.

"Come on then, sleepyhead. Time to wake up," you say, a smile spreading on your face at the adorable sight of her waking up.

>"A-Anon? Mhhhnngg... pain..." she groans out.

 

>.

>..

>...

>It's like you got punched in the face and you were waiting for the blow to register.

>You just freeze up entirely. Every cog in your brain stops to whir and you're left absolutely baffled.

>Nothing registers for the time being. You begin to shake your head in disbelief.

"No. No no no no..."

"Not you."

"Not you too."

>Hearing an imaginary pony talk to you was one thing.

>Hearing Ashy talk to you...

>No. That was simply too much for your poor mental state.

>Stumbling back, you bump against one of the trees. Allowing your knees to buckle out from underneath you, you slide against the bark of the tree and come to rest, sitting on the ground once more.

>This was just too much at once.

>You simply sit there as a spectator, watching the orange pony rush towards Ashy as she began to stir.

>Maybe, if you stayed away from it all, you could pretend it wasn't real. Maybe.

>And so you sat and watched from a distance as the orange pony helped Ashy upright.

 

>Audibly gulping to swallow the lump in your throat as the sight displayed itself in front of you like a show, you try your hardest to make sense out of this.

>The entirety of this all just was too abstract for you.

>This -had- to be your mind playing tricks on you.

>That was the only explanation there was.

>And, you had to admit it to your brain, this was quite the impressive illusion. You never deemed yourself capable of this.

>Though, as time passes, the more this nagging feeling in the back of your mind begins to work its way up front.

>Hearing imaginary creatures talk to you seemed reasonable.

>But hearing Ashy speak... Actually hearing her talk to you...

>As she tentatively rubbed a hoof against her head, you heard her again.

>"Oooww... W-where... Anon?"

>What if it wasn't your imagination?

>How do you explain these things?

>You're left clueless. Utterly clueless.

>You sink into the depths of your mind. Staring at the grass in front of you calmed you down somewhat.

>At least the grass was still green.

 

>And then it suddenly became grey.

>Looking up, you come face to face with your own pet.

>"Anon!"

>She immediately closes the distance in between you and nuzzles the side of your face.

>When you don't return her display of affection, she takes a small step back, cocking her head at your odd behavior.

>"Pain?"

>Her voice carried something akin hurt in it and if there's one thing that'd never change about you, it's that none of your animals would ever have to ache.

>You reach out towards her and brush your hand against the side of her muzzle.

"You're... talking..."

>Hearing yourself say it out loud helped you a little bit.

>Now it was out there in the open. All that was left was to find a way to come to terms with it.

>"Pain?"

>Out of instinct, you tilt your head slightly to the side.

>Was she... concerned for you?

>Your gazes meet one another and all becomes silent as time seems to grind to a halt.

>Staring into her eyes made one thing certain for you. You just know for a fact that this wasn't your imagination. This really was your Ashy.

>It's almost as if she tries to assure you of that as she leans against your touch and nods her head up and down.

>Looking to your side, you see the orange pony looking at the scene in front of her with a look that you couldn't read.

>Recalling your outburst from earlier, you decide to drive the point home.

"Does this look like I'm hurting her to you?"

>"Ah guess not," she mutters.

>You redirect your attention to Ashy who was still bobbing her head up and down against your hand.

>You begin to stroke through her mane, the ritual between the both of you seemingly haven't changed at all.

>It comforts you somewhat to see that she still enjoys it as much as usual.

>At least that hadn't changed.

>She steps in your laps and brushes against your chest as she lies herself down in the space between your legs.

>Though it almost seems as if you hadn't left the forest at all, it doesn't change a thing about the situation surrounding you.

>You sigh gravely as your desperation reaches its peak. "What the hell am I going to do?"

>"Ah think Ah know somepony that can help..." the orange pony answers.

>Looking back at her, you realize that this literally was the only option you had that was worth anything.

"I'd like that... uhm..."

>"Applejack. Ya can call me Applejack."

"Thanks Applejack."

>You stand up straight, Ashy quick to follow your lead.

>"Ah'll take you to a friend of mine. She's really smart, maybe she can help you out."

"I sure hope so."

>You can't help but to sigh at this nerve-wrecking afternoon.

>What was supposed to be an pleasant afternoon walk had somehow turned into this...

 

>And so, the three of you began to walk.

>Where to? You had no idea.

>Hopefully, things would start to make sense soon.