Iron Anon: Reality Check

>The next morning comes sooner than desired

>You stir from your short dream-less sleep

>With a loud audible yawn, you make your way out of your sleeping bag

>Observing the cave, you could see that Rainbow was still sleeping as a faint hue of sunlight crept into the cave

>You stand up to hear (not a booming but) a deep agitated bark from beside you

>Gus is sitting there patiently, occasional licking his lips

>He was hunger

>Your stomach rumbles

>You were hunger

>In the excitement of last night, you had forgotten to get either of you food

>Jesus, why hadn't Gus gone out to hunt for himself?

>That way you would only have to worry about feeding yourself

>Then again, maybe he had tried too...

>You grab the salt bag, making your way outside to cook some grub

>To your dismay, you realize the satchel held only a single small portion of meat left

>You cook it anyway; it was better than nothing

>As you take it out of the fire with your knife, Gus lets out an old puppy dog whine

>Nah-un. No way.

>You were starving, he was practically a wolf

>He could go a day or two without eating and be fine

>He nuzzles your leg and whines again

>…

“ugh”

>You let the piece slide from you blade, which is swiftly caught by a set of jagged teeth before being able to hit the ground

>He finishes the scrap in a blink of an eye, looking up to you silently begging for more

“You got to be kidding me”

>*grumble*

>You clench your stomach, that one hurt

>Oh well, seems like the unicorn relations affair would have to wait

>Your first mission of the day was to get some food

>Besides, that pony probably wouldn’t be up for awhile

 

>Speaking of which, she hasn’t had anything to eat either

>Maybe you could win this pony over with some food

>She was an animal, after all

>You quickly gather your knife, canteen, salt bag and trusty canine Gus

>Making your way to the river, you take a swig of clean water from the canteen before pouring out the rest for Gus to lap up

>Though you didn’t trust drinking the river water straight up, you could still refill your canteen and boil it back at the cave to purify it

>After filling up, you continue on towards the dirt road you had discovered the night before

>Eventually, you and Gus make it to your destination

>You cautiously make your way onto the road, making sure there was nothing else around

>You didn’t want to run into those unicorns just yet

>There was no telling what they were capable of…

>But you needed food and there was bound to be some wherever they came from

>You take to a nice steady jog down the road, keeping your eyes and ears open

>Gus gracefully trots at your side, equally alert

>You run for what must have been 2 miles until the woods begins to run thin and open up

>Slowly, you near what could only be the end of the forest

>You carefully push through the remaining mantis green vegetation, walking into the bright sunlight

>As you exit, a whole new world opens up in front of you…

 

>Wow

>You’d thought the forest’s colors were vivid

>But this ambience was…

>Amazing

>So much definition in each bright shade, you feel as if you could reach out and touch it like a painting

>In fact you were actually reaching out your hand right now, trying to grab an overhead cloud that had the most perfect swirls

>You stop yourself and shake your head

>Focus, Anon

>You need to find food

>Taking your eyes off the sky, you look back down to Earth

>In the distance…you see,

>A town?

>The houses appeared to be structured like medieval cottages

>But the similarities between the two stopped there

>The settlement was full of rich color just like its surrounding world, predominately tamed pink and jonquil yellow

>Well that was a change of luck… they were people here after all!

>No more need to deal with those damn ponies, these people could get you home for sure

>Gus takes a few steps ahead of you, raising his nose to the wind

 >He sniffs around a bit prior to turning to face the left side of the road

>You follow his gaze to what could only be described as the largest orchard of apple trees you and probably anyone had ever see

>*gurgle*

“Wouldn’t hurt to stop for a quick bite…”

>You were starving; the town could wait a few minutes

>You trot over to the nearest tree

>Despite the orchard’s size, the trees were a bit… small. Shorter than average

>You reach up on your tippy toes and grab a single apple

>The stem snaps perfectly from its base on the branch

>You hold it in your hand, marveling at its almost divine design

>Its firm shape and texture was impressive

>At first, you hesitate to eat it

>You still knew next to nothing of this world

>It could be poisonous

>and yet…

 

>It looked too good to resist, a little nibble wouldn’t hurt

>So you take your first bite

>As you pull back from the apple, you can’t help but draw a sloppy smile through your chewing

>This was the best apple you had ever tasted...

>Best ANYTHING you had ever had!

>You wolf it down immediately, almost devouring the core in your excitement

>Happily, you jump up and pull down a good dozen more apples, putting them into a pile next to the base of the tree

>You allow your back to slide down the trunk as you get into a conformable sitting position in the shade, munching on nature’s treats

>Gus doesn’t hesitate to start gulping down apples with you

>Odd, you’ve never seen him eat anything but meat

>You don’t care though… right now you were lost in the meal of a lifetime

>- 20 minutes later -

>You drop an apple core, which rolls into the ever growing pile of fruity corpses

>Sweet tangy juice runs down the corners of your mouth

>Your stomach said you were full but your taste buds begged for more

>You look to your side and see Gus’ was out-stretched lazily, muzzle covered in tiny teared bits of apple skin

>You stretch out as well, your joints letting out a peal of faint cracks

>As much as you wanted to sit here all day and eat apples, you had had your fill

>And you needed to get home

>Standing up, you stretch some more before getting ready to head out

>As Gus raises his shoulders to elongate his back, his ears pick up and you both freeze

>Soon you hear what he hears

>Light pattering against the hard earth

>Coming your way

“Shit”

>You move to hide behind the tree so you are directly on the opposite side of the approaching sound

 

>It was probably on the workhands or the orchard’s owner himself

>You look up to see the one whole side of the tree a total void of apples, thanks to you

>They’d probably try to throw you in jail for stealing and trespassing if they caught you like this…

>Gus instinctively takes your lead, crouching behind your feet to stay out of sight

>Good boy

>Soon, you can distinguish voices, two actually

>???:”I don’ know Big Mac, um’ just awfully worried about her”

>Wait a second, that voice…

>???:”No pony ‘s been in the Everfree forest that long before… ‘cept Zecora of course”

>You can’t resist the urge to peek around the tree

>…

>God. Fucking. Dammit

>These weren’t people, they were just more talking ponies

>The mare speaking was one of the five you had seen the other day on the road, the orange pony with that… stetson on her head

>Beside her was a bigger red pony, sporting a yoke around his neck as well as pulling a cart of some sort

>His larger stature and more horse-like snout suggested that he was probably male

>What were THEY doing here?

>The red one begins to back the cart next to an apple tree while the orange pony keeps talking

>???:”I mean, she’z been lost in th’re for tew days now. The weather team had sent ‘er to check the forest sky for just one an-anoa… ano-mel… annomny..”

>The red one looks up after parking the cart next to the tree, speaking deep and plainly

>???:”Anomaly?”

>The orange one’s ears briefly shoot back in irritation as she stomps her left hoof into the ground

>???:”U’ know wat I mean!”

>Letting out an irritated grunt, she turns around and uses her hind legs to lash out at the tree

 

>Damn, she must be really pissed to do-

>Suddenly, a torrent of apples comes crashing down, all landing directly into the cart

>…What the hell?

>The red one begins pulling the cart away from the now barren tree, moving towards her

>The orange pony’s head hangs low now with eyes half open

>The red stallion lowers his own, trying to get down on her eye level

>???:”Applejack.”

>Her expression is unchanging, vacant green eyes refusing to meet his

>Applejack?

>What the hell is with these names?

>She continues staring at the ground, until he uses his hoof to pick up her chin

>???:”We’ll find her. Ah’ promise”

>The orange pony seems to lighten up a bit at his promise

>Applejack:”You’r right. Worryin’ about it won’t change anything. Besides, Twilight’s assemblin’ a huge search party with almost everyp0ny in town.”

>’Everypony in town’

>…Oh, God no

>Applejack:”How ‘bout we finish today’s harvest early so we can go help ‘em look for Rainbow. You ok with a bit of slacking off?”

>The red one puts on a plain but clear smile

>???:”Eeyup”

>They both give a soft chuckle before going back to collecting apples

>As soon as they finished loading the cart to the brim, they hauled it off back to where they came from, out of sight

>Moving in the general direction of the town

>You hold your head in disbelief

>When she had said ‘everypony in town’, you couldn’t prevent the notion from popping into your head

>A town full of ponies

>Ponyville…

>Suddenly, you hear a faint whistle in the distance

>Not your whistle, but a whistle nonetheless

>…

>Where were you again?

 

>Oh yeah, the possible scenario of a town populated entirely by talking ponies

>That’s impossible

>How the hell could they have built those cottages?

>Well… you had just witnessed some harvesting fruit for Christ’s sakes

>For an instance, the insane proposed reality that the equines here were the intelligent rulers and that humans were, in fact, the stupid work animals seems quite believable

>Oh God, the horror

>But wait, wouldn’t humans being do the labor of gathering apples instead of those ponies?

>And Rainbow had made it pretty clear she’d never seen anything like you

“Aghh…”

>This hurt your head to think

>You couldn’t assume anything until you had been in that town

>And seeing how there was a search party gathering there to go look for a pony you were holding prisoner made that less likely to happen any time soon

>Wait, search party?

>Shit, you got to get back and make sure she’s not found!

>Or else, you’re totally screwed

>Moving from your hiding spot, you quickly load up as many apples as you can into your salt bag

>The tree is soon completely stripped of its fruit, leaving you with a bag of salt covered apples

>Disgusting

>Well, you could just wash the salt off later

>You needed to get back to the cave ASAP

>Slinging the satchel over your shoulder, you give a whistle to Gus

>He takes off and you follow him back to the woods

>Running from the orchard to the forest, you spot a yellow cottage tucked away close to the woods

>Maybe you should go check it out quick just to see-

>The door promptly swings open and out hops… the little yellow pony from yesterday

>Walking out, nonchalantly, to water the nearby plants with the water pot in her mouth

 

>She doesn’t notice you, but you see her as clear as day

>That pony… just came out of that house

>It lived there

>These ponies lived in houses

>…It seemed your fears had been confirmed

>You dash quickly to the entrance of the woods before she can notice you

>As you enter the forest, you stop and turn to face the open world one last time

>Standing there, you try to capture the image in your mind

>The rolling purple mountains, the clear baby blue sky, the charismatic green of the grass and scattered trees, and (most of all) the mysterious little town nestled between it all

>A deafening bark breaks your concentration

>You turn to see Gus’s yellow eyes staring at you

>He was right, there’s no time to enjoy the scenery

“Ok then, Sorry. Let’s go”

>You take off running, following Gus back to the cave

>Merging yourself again into depths of the Everfree Forest

 

>The Sun is still shinning by the time you get back, but your new biological clock tells you it was going to get dark within the hour

>Navigating back to the cave trough the thicket is a lot harder with the heavy bundle of salty apples

>While passing the creek, you see Gus start to drink from the stream

>Still paranoid about the drinking hazard, you immediately yell at him to stop

>He looks to you with his head cocked to one side, puzzled as to why you were interrupting his drink. He soon goes back to lapping at the water’s surface

>You’re about to go over and pull Gus away from the creek until you realize that he was part wolf

>He instinctively knew what he was doing when it came to surviving in the wild

>His guess at whether the water was fresh and untainted was a hell of a lot more sound than yours

>Putting your worries to rest, you get by the creek side and begin washing the salt off the apples

>Before putting them back in the bag, you rinse all the salt out of that as well

>There was no need for it; meat was too hard to come by compared to these apples

>And frankly, you weren’t complaining

>These apples were to die for

>Maybe you could take some seeds and plant them on your own farm

>When you got back home, that is…

>You’re about to wallow in your homesickness when Gus jumps up, alert

>His head darts backwards, more precisely towards the road

>His white ears flicker back and forth on occasion, trying to get a read on something in the distance

>You get to your feet

>You couldn’t hear them but you knew the search party had finally made their way into the forest

 

>Gathering the rest of the cleaned apples into the now sterile satchel, you make haste back to the cave

>You couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little patrol of ponies

>You’re not supposed to cling to the main road on a search and rescue mission

>You’re supposed fan out and cover as much ground as possible

>They certainly weren’t very used to someone er- somep0ny getting lost in the woods

>Bad for them, good for you

>As you push yourself deeper into the woods, Gus’s ears become lax again

>Good, they have moved out of range

>Must have been a big group for Gus to have been startled like that

>Soon enough, the cave is in sight

>Guess it’s time for round 2 with Rainbow…

>And now with an daunting search party on your tail, you’d needed to make it good

>Quickly, you do your best to hide your little fire pit  while pulling some downed branches and undergrowth over the cave’s entrance to better conceal it

>You step back a bit, examining your last minute camouflage before kicking a bit of dirt around to hide any paw/boot prints

>Satisfied, you pull back a piece of shrubbery over the cave’s entrance, allowing Gus to hop on through

>Following the mutt’s lead, you squeeze yourself through the barricade and into the cave

 

>Despite the cover over the entrance, light rays of sunlight still found their way through the displaced debris and semi-illuminated the cavern

>It wasn’t pitch black but it was hardly anywhere near decent lighting

>As you made your way into the cave, you see something rustle about in your peripherals

>You couldn’t make it out because of the darkness, but you knew what it was

>Moving in closer, your finally able to see it clearly as your vision adjusts to the shadows

>Rainbow the Pony

>From what you could tell, she had been able to wiggle herself a few feet from her previous spot next to the wall

>Must of woken up, realized you weren’t here and then tried to waddle her way out

>Thankfully, your handy work with the rope had made that next to impossible for her

>You can’t really see her perfectly in the dimmed light, but you were still able to make out those bright pink rings staring daggers at you

“Hey snookums. Glad to see you too”

>Your light-hearted sarcasm is left hanging in the stale air

>She, of course, couldn’t reply, mouth being gagged and all

>You pop yourself on the ground across from the pony, Gus coming up to sit beside you

>She flinches a bit, remaining uneasy

>You sigh

>Holding someone against their will wasn’t really your thing, even if it wasn’t a person

>Trying to talk to them while they were still in your bondage was proving to be even harder

>Pairs of gold, pink and hazel eyes stare at each other for over a very suspenseful and tense minute.

>In the undisturbed silence, you unexpectedly take notice to the weight being displaced on your shoulder

>Oh yeah, the bag of apples

>You plop the sack down in between all of you

 

>The pink eyes follow your hands inquisitively as well as the pair of glowing yellow eyes

>You reach in and pull out, slowly, an apple

>Despite the lack of light, you swore you saw that thing sparkle

“You hunger?”

>She pulls her head back slightly, in withdraw

>You knew she had be hunger, in fact, probably on the verge of starvation

>But this pony didn’t trust your handout, though to her defense she had her reasons not to…

“Now look, they’re perfectly safe to eat. Promise”

>You lob the apple out your hand and at Gus’ face

>His jaws instantly snatch onto it in a manner almost identical to that of a glove catching a baseball

>All, except, for the eerie 'crunch' followed shortly afterwards

"See?"

>Gus finishes up, licking his lips in approval

>You snatch another apple from the bag and present it to Rainbow

"Come on, I know you're hunger..."

>The pony's eyes had become hypnotized watching Gus finish the apple bits that fell on the floor

>But she shakes herself from her trance and tries her best to give you the tough guy stare

>It holds up pretty nicely, that is, until a large rumbling erupts from her stomach

>You couldn't hold back your laugh, noticing the shameful blush under her scowling eyes

>Gus, the ungrateful pup that he is, scoots forward closer to the apple in hand

"No Gus, down"

>He reluctantly obeys, dropping his head to the ground

"This one isn't yours"

>You shift you grip so that your palm openly cups the apple

>Easing the apple towards her, Rainbow slightly retracts but stays her ground

>The apple now hangs at her mouth level, both of you twos’ eyes finding each other across the top of it

 

>Without another word, you bring your free hand around to her face

>To your surprise, she doesn't draw back from your touch as you slip your hands under the rope

>In one motion you pull the loop off. Letting it fall as you draw your hand back quickly to avoid being bitten

>She lets out the typical snort of a horse after the uncomfortable binding had been removed

>You silently stare at each other until she begins to lean forward

>She hesitates, fidgeting with her hooves and reversing her advance

>But it only lasts for an instance

>Closing her eyes, she takes a bite of the apple

>You couldn’t hold back the sheepish smile come across your face at your small victory

>One step closer

>She continues to munch away at the apple as you slowly turn it in your hand

>Soon, she finishes a core and without a word you reach for another in the bag

>Despite the awkwardness of it all, you continue to feed her

>For about 10 minutes, Rainbow goes on eating your apples

>And you were on top of the world

>Animals were, for the most part, simple creatures of simple desires

>If you gave a stray dog a table scrap, he'd follow you to the ends of the earth

>It was the same for any other animal

>Give them your food and they'd give you their loyalty

>And here you were, literally hand feeding this pony

>If this didn't win her over, you don't kno-

>She stops

>The pony had just finished eating the last apple down to its core, but you knew there was no need to retrieve another one

>Rainbow swallows, a bit painfully, forcing the large apples chunks down her throat

>When she's finally got most of it down, she looks back to you

>Rainbow:"Why *gulp* why are you doing this?"

 

>The tone she uses is... flat

>Not fearful, Not full of rage

>A bit annoyed, but mostly just plain questioning

"I already told you, I need to get back home"

>You drop the apple core, removing the barrier between you two

"And I need you, if you'd be so kind, to tell those unicorns to send me back"

>She drops her head, rotating her ears down and back

>Rainbow:"And WHY would I ever help you?!"

>You gulp

"Well,um, I-I brought you some appl-"

>Rainbow:"You beat and tie me up, leaving me prisoner in this stupid cave. Then you come back thinking that giving me some apples you stole from Applejack would convince me to just forget that and help you?"

>You subconsciously back up as she stills her angry face at you

>Rainbow:"Sweet Celestia, what do you take me for? A stinkin' MULE?!"

"But-t"

>Her words tears your tiny hope of redemption to shreds

>You had been stupid to think that just giving her food would make her help you

>Rainbow was more human than pony, cognitively speaking

>You wouldn't expect anybody to so easily forgive you back home

>Seemed ponies weren't so different

>You let out what starts off as a frustrated sigh but ends up being one of fatigue

>What were you going to do now?

>Rainbow:"HEY! Are you listening to me?"

>The pony shifts her body to try and look down at you

>Rainbow:"I ain't helping you with nothing..."

>Just then,

>Light bulb

"... I don't need your help, I just need you"

>Rainbow[confused]:"What are you talking about?"

"Those ponies, those unicorns. Whether they are friends or family, they’re all really worried about you"

 

>You lean in closer, mimicking the pony's intimidating position

"They'd do anything I tell them to if I promised to give you back to them"

>Rainbow's tilts her head forward, grimacing

>Rainbow:"You're going t-"

"Use you as a hostage"

>You lean back

"Honestly should have thought of it sooner. I don't care what you may or may not think of me"

>Confidently, you poke her in the chest, eyes gleaming

"YOU can't get me home, but those unicorns can"

>Rainbow[outraged]:"So you are just going to hold me for ransom?!"

"Yup"

>Rainbow:"And how the hay is that gonna work?"

"I'm working on it"

>She tries to flare her wings in angry, but the rope holds them back

>Rainbow:"You think can just get away with this?! Keep somepony tied up against their will, just so you can get your way!?"

"Hey! Don't give me that crap. You're the one who blew it when you decided to go back on your promise"

>Rainbow:"I didn't promise anything!"

"Bullshit, Rainbow! You said you'd help me if I let you go but instead all I got was four bruised hoof marks on my chest!”

>Rainbow[low]:"...Don't call me that."

>You both scowl at each other as imaginary sparks fly from the raw tension

"OH so you don't like me using your name, RAIN-BOW"

>Rainbow:"THATS NOT MY NAME, YOU MONKEY!"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!"

>Suddenly, a harsh growl creeps out from a dark corner of the cave

>You are snapped back from your little feud with Rainbow, realizing just how loud you two were getting

>Was Gus' growling at Rainbow... Or you?

 

>You turn to try and get a read on him, but the growling had already subsided  and you could only make out his dark silhouette, lying down next to the sled

>For the next minute, the two figures sit unmoving in the silence

>One restrained by rope and tether while the other being bound by awkward happen stance...

>Eventually, you break the silence standing up in a defeated manner

"Screw this shit..."

>You reach for the canteen suspended at your side to take a drink

>Not because you were really thirsty… you just wanted something to do to shake the uncanny stillness

>As you feel the water escape and seep down your lips, you get the feeling you are being watched

>You pull the canteen back to see the little blue pony's eyes locked on the dripping mouth piece, almost in a glassy haze

>Rainbow:"Umm-..."

"Oh. yeah. right"

>She hadn't had water for days

>That pony's mouth was probably as dry as mother's fruitcake

>You stand there like a idiot for a few seconds, baffled on how to go about quenching her thirst

>Ultimately, you decide to pour out a small puddle in front of her like you had done for Gus

>You instantly regret it when you see her devastated reaction

>Oh boy

>Rainbow[shocked]:"w-why...did you...why…would you?"

"I-um... so you could drink it-"

>Rainbow:"You-u just dumped it out-... Did you expect me to lick it off the flour!?"

>You rub the back of your head with your hand, abashed, trying to think of something

"Ah-h...kind of..."

>Rainbow let's her head hang low, sighing

>Rainbow:"Why woul-,ugh, just give me it"

>Wait, what?

"What do you mea-"

>Rainbow:"You stupid? Give me the bottle"

"But how will you-"

>Rainbow:"Undo my one hoof and give it to me"

 

>...Was she being serious or just trying to trick you

>Did she really plan on-

>Rainbow loudly clears her throat impatiently

>You open your mouth to protest, but suddenly the whole scenario intrigues you

>Moving over, you quickly help slip her good right hoof out of the rope

>You stay fully alert anticipating foul play, only letting the hoof go when you had backed safely away

>After a quick of stretch, she extends it to you

>God, she was serious

>Carefully, you steadily place the canteen on her hoof, trying to balance it so it didn't fall over

>You almost yell out loud when she quickly pulls away

>Instead, your mouth hangs open in disbelief as you watch Rainbow begin to chug the water

"How-w... How are you doing that?!"

>The pony is too busy to answer

>Only after she had her fill does she acknowledge you

>Rainbow:"Doing what?"

>Her hoof moves away from her mouth, with the canteen remaining glued to it like a magnet

"How are you holding that?!"

>Rainbow:"Ahh, what are you talking about"

"You don't have fingers..."

>Rainbow:"So what?"

>Rainbow[under breathe]:"...idiot..."

"But... but-t"

>You stare at the blasphemy against reality happening before your eyes, right before snatching the canteen back from her hoof

>Before you can think of a retort, you notice Gus perk up in the shadows

>He takes off to the entrance, ears turning forward in the rays of intruding daylight

>You stop and listen too

>Closing your eyes, you reach out past your body and tap into the sound of outside forest

>At first, there is nothing but then you hear something lingering just outside your outmost field of sense

>The energized barking of dog

 

>They were off the road,

>Coming this way

>...

>Rainbow:"What the hay are yo-"

>You (unexpectedly) pounce on the pony, quickly re-doing her hoof and snout

>She struggles as you tie her mouth, flaming pink eyes digging into yours

"Sorry, but I really need you to stay quiet right now"

>Pulling the cord (maybe a little tighter than you should have), you head over to Gus behind the cave's camouflaged cover

>The cavernous features of your temporary home was allowing the faint sounds of the outside to be amplified, but they were still uncomfortably close

>They had a dog... How could ponies own other animals?

>Whatever the case may be, it was no doubt being used to track Rainbow

>Shit.

>A bunch of ponies stumbling upon your hideout and Rainbow would make extracting your ransom a bit… difficult

>You needed to lead them away from here...

>In a rush against time, you gather everything (including Rainbow) and push it to the very back of the cave

>The only thing you keep is your bowie, fastened to your jacket

>You toss the bundle of pony and rope into the sled's basket in order to prevent her from wiggling away again

>She tries to say something, but your knot holds and so does her tongue

>You place your hand firmly on her back while lifting a single finger to your lips

"Shhh"

>Without another word, you start to take off but you stop yourself

>Out of the blue, you run your hands and the length of your arms through Rainbow's fur

>The experience was... Well, you were pretty much petting a pony so there wasn't much to complain on your part

>On hers?

>Let’s just say you finished quickly and took off in a sprint towards the entrance before she could react

 

>Pushing some branches back, you and Gus slip through the barricade and out into the forest

>You hastily try to ruffle the foliage to make it look more natural over the cave

>Then giving a whistle for Gus to follow your lead, you take off toward the creek at an angle

>That little stunt back there had (hopefully) covered you in Rainbow's scent

>You'd cut them off before they'd hit the creek and lead them on wild goose chase

>While in mid run, you clumsily lean over and hastily rub your hands on Gus’s fur, who is running by your side

>Now you both smelled like bitchy blue pegasus

>In no time, you cross the creek

>You stop to catch your breath, getting ready to run again

>Meanwhile, Gush hops unto of a nearby boulder scanning the area

>He knew a chase when he felt one, but this was going to be his first time on the other end of it

>You watch as his ears and body shift forward as the sounds of barking and hoofs makes its way toward you

>Soon as it gets louder, you can make out a familiar voice...

>Applejack:"Woah, Winona! Slow down! What iz it, gurl?...I think she found something! Come one Everpone', keep up!

>That orange pony from the apple orchard

>Applejack

>And it looks like she's brought friends

>The dogs' barking was becoming more audible, meaning it was time to go

>Before you could do anything, Gus lets out a few woofs in response

>You dash over and give him a light smack on the head

"SHH! Do you wan-!"

>???:"Did you hear that?"

>Applejack:"Winona's on ta sumthin! We’r comin’ Rainbow!"

>???:"RAINBOW!"

>???:"DASHIE!"

"Son of a-"

>You tug at Gus' white coat to get him off the rock

>"We are leaving!"

>Without a moment’s hesitation, you two are off into the wilderness

 

>http://youtu.be/yMWnoJhBNF8

>A branch snaps under your boot as you sprint through the forest

>Gus was directly ahead of you, somewhat now used to the woods, weaving in and out the undergrowth

>Behind you, you could hear the voices of about two dozen or more ponies calling out

>Some were the ones you heard the night before but the majority were new and of both genders

>and they were getting closer…

"Shit!"

>You slide, your knees burning against the friction as you evade a low hanging branch

>Sweating was dripping into your eyes

>Gus' dry tongue hung out as he ran

>You both couldn't keep this up forever

>God dammit, will that dog just shut up!

>It felt as if the pony's hound was nipping at your heels

"Ok. *huff* new plan"

>Between your heavy panting, you are able to muster a whistle

>Instantly, you two split up. Gus revering left while you ran down a slope to your right

>You run hard, trying to get as much distance between you two as possible

>You have to jump off the slope near the bottom to prevent yourself from crashing into the forest floor

>The voices of ponies begin to slowly fade in the distance, but the dog continues to haunt you

>Like a phantom, it woofs seems to surround and engulf you

>No matter how far you ran, it always sounded so close

>Without warning, the barking ceases

>You continued to haul ass, seemed like your tri-

>Suddenly, a small brown and white ball pops out of bush about 15 yards in front of you

>It turns to face you as it barks again

>The hound...

>But it was a little thing, only a fraction of Gus's size

>As you barrel towards it, it doesn't move to evade

>Instead, the dog lowers its front shoulders whilst widening its eyes to stare you down

>Huh, a well-trained stock dog it would seem

>But you weren't some livestock to be herded

>The little pup doesn’t even flinch as you sped right into it

>Your right leg catches the dog in the chest, all your momentum going with it

 

>You can't help but cringe when it lets out a pained yelp

>It is hurled upwards and slams straight into a nearby tree

>As you pass it, the dog remains completely limp and the realization that you killed it seeps in

"...christ…"

>The whisper escapes your mouth as you push past some overgrown weeds

>After about another minute of running, the calls of search party can no longer be heard

>The last solid thing you can make out is a loud, terrified gasp which you can only guess is one finding the dog

>Jesus, had that one kick really done that thing in?

>Maybe you had just knocked it ou-

>You fall hard on your face when you finally trip over one of the many un-earthed roots that line the forest floor

>When you try to get back up, your ankle gives out and you fall again

>Muttering a few curses, you spot a tree and decide it best to hide for the time being

>Within a few minutes, you are sitting awkwardly between two bumpy & twisted branches while dark green leaves enclosed around you

>In time, you hear the hooves again approaching your position but they are no longer in hot pursuit

>As they come within earshot, you’re able again to interpret their conversation

>???:"Where are we?"

>???:"Rainbow Dash!"

>???:"Are-e we lost-st, please tell me we aren't lost!"

>The group, or what seems to be a smaller sect of them, stumble into your line of sight

>You see about seven ponies, all of which you don't recognize except for two, Applejack and her red companion from the orchard

>The others seem very nervous, now wandering aimlessly without their dog

>Speaking of which, you notice the orange pony has got the little fella outstretched on her back.... Was it perhaps hers?

 

>Applejack’s expression was one of serious concern and worry... But not of grievance

>That was a relief... You hadn't killed it

>You were in enough trouble as it is to add doggy murderer to the list

>???:"Shouldn't we really regroup with the others?"

>???:"Rainbow!"

>???:"Applejack, are. we. lost?"

>Applejack:"Shh-"

>The group stops as she lifts her head to the sky, ears erect

>You hold your breath

>...

>She begins to turn towards you and you know it’s already over

>Slowly, your right hand creeps towards your bowie-

>???:"APPLEJACK!"

>A grey stallion blurts out, who was slightly sweating

>The orange pony stops and looks back to him

>Applejack:"W'at in tarnation do you want, Felix?"

>Felix:"Are-e we los-"

>Applejack:"Dang nabbit, for the last time, we ain't lost!"

>Felix:"Then, where are we!"

>A brief silence falls over them as a rare gust of wind blows by

>Applejack:"I-I...ah-umm"

>She darts her head around, but (thankfully) not up

>Applejack:"I... don't know"

>???:"Applejack"

>Its the big red one to speak this time, his voice flat and coarse

>Her head hangs low conflicted as another pony, a mare, begins to speak up

???:"We should head back... It isn't safe here"

>Applejack:"But what about Rain-?"

>Felix:"What about Winona? Whatever attacked her is still in here..."

>His words trail off as the group takes his suspicions to heart

>???:"I think we should go"

>???:"Yeah-h, Rainbow Dash will be fine"

>???:"We can't stay here"

>???:"I'm leaving! This forest just isn't natural..."

 

>Soon, they are all skittishly running back from wince they came

>If they could tuck their tails between their legs, they’d be doing it right now

>All except for one

>Applejack[distressed]:"But-t, but, we have to find her!"

>The red one makes his way over to the orange mare

>She now stands all alone in the forest, visibly upset

>The mare looks up to him as he approaching, her eyes begin to water

>Applejack:"Big Mac... W-W'ear is she?"

>Her dominant, southern drawl is reduced to a quiet, desperate speech

>Applejack:"Where's Rainbow?"

>Without a single word or utterance, he moves to nuzzle her neck as she begins to softly cry

>You're forced to sit and witness the entire ordeal unfold, for she cried for a long time…

>You didn't like watching people cry, mostly because you didn't like crying yourself

>As the tears rolled down her face and onto the stallion's amber mane, you felt your stomach tighten at the realization of the how much pain you had caused these people... these ponies

>But that wasn't the reason you closed your eyes and turned away

>No, what made that scene so terrible to watch was...

>You didn't even care

>[spoiler]And that really scared you[/spoiler]