Stake Your Claim

>Despite it all, I gotta say, this is pretty cool.

>Sure I was just randomly forced away from my life and family for nothing, but it's not so bad.

>The start of a new life is indeed an exhilarating concept, especially in a land with total freedom where I can do and be who I feel like.

>Or at least talented at.

>Whatever the case, I'll rest easy knowing I'm happy to do what I do.

 

>I close my eyes, inhale deeply, and release with a smile.

>The air here is cleaner than I had ever thought possible.

>The temperate northern forests of Equestria aren't all that different from the ones back home.

>Tall pine trees provide shade from the sweltering summer sun and help to cool the forest floor.

>Oak, maple, and birch trees share the land as well.

>The underbrush is not as thick as one might expect, which allows for easy movement.

>Thank God, because I don't know if I could even pass through it with this awkward body.

>And then I stop.

>It had only just now come to my mind that I'm going to have to re-condition myself if I want to live out here.

>That could take weeks or even months.

>Also, what am I even going to do for food?

>Do I eat grass now?

>Will I die if I eat a cheeseburger?

>Speaking of food...

>My stomach lets out a long, low rumble.

>I place a hoof over my gut to try to comfort the annoying pang of hunger.

>There's nothing to eat in my pack and nothing that looks edible nearby.

>Well, I am a horse now, afterall.

>Tilting my neck down towards the ground, I open my mouth and chomp down on a large bite of grass.

>Only three chews in, I gag and spit the now mushed plant matter to the ground.

>I hold my tongue out and start furiously brushing my foreleg across it.

"Ah! I can't get the taste off my tongue!"

 

>Still lolling my tongue out, I slip my pack off and rummage through it.

>Thank Christ the ponies were gracious enough to at least pack a bottle of water.

>I manage to pull it out with my mouth and place it on the ground before me.

>Now begins the daunting task of opening the damn thing.

>I lower my head leel with the bottle, narrow my eyes, and focus.

"Alright, you son of a bitch," I say to my source of hydration. "I will not be outsmarted by plastic."

>I hold the bottle firm between my hooves and chomp down on the cap.

>With a determined growl, I crane my neck and twist the cap off.

"Aha!" I exclaim in victory.

>Still holding the bottle in my hooves, I raise it to my lips and tilt my head back.

>The glorious, room-temperature fluids rush from the bottle and down my throat.

>A little too fast.

>Oh fuck, oh fuck!

>The water surges out and cascades over my face to the ground below.

>I choke and caugh, dropping the bottle and allowing it to spill further.

"No!" I shout as I scramble to pick it back up.

>I get it set right and peer down inside.

>Save for a trickle, there is nothing left.

>Frozen for a few seconds, I suddenly burst out in anger and kick the bottle as far away as I could.

"I fucking hate everything!" I hollared at the top of my lungs to the heavens above.

 

>Breathing heavily, I stand there and vent as I mull over my situation once more in greater detail.

>I have my tent, a pack full of random crap, no food, no water.

>I also appear to have the capabilities of a four year old.

>I shake my head and pout a bit.

>There's no way this can happen.

>Not right now, anyways.

>I'm definitely too unprepared to try right now.

>With a defeated sigh, I find my empty water bottle, re-cap it, and stuff it back into my pack.

>Then I begin the walk of shame back to town.

>Things just went from crap, to pretty good, and then spiraled straight to hell.

>I'm going to have to re-think everything and start with baby steps.

>First on the agenda: Learn to hold a fucking bottle.

>Everything else can come after that.

>After I learn to manipulate objects better with my hooves and mouth, the rest should be no problem to master.

>I reach the edge of the forest and begin walking down the dirt road.

>What I need to do when I get back is find an open space in Tent City and claim it.

>After I set my tent up, I can try to find some chow.

>Come morning, start practicing everything.

>I need to re-learn firemaking as no hands will definitely make the process considerably more difficult.

>I also need to learn what I can and cannot eat.

>A big, fat X can go in the box for grass.

>Just the thought of it makes me gag and shudder.

 

>Pass the little tower on the ridge, turn left at the town hall.

>Reaching Tent City, I can see most of the new arrivals either have their tents already set up or are currently in the process of doing so.

>After wandering through and finding a clear spot, I drop my gear and work on putting this thing together.

>After using my teeth to awkwardly piece it together, I stomp the stakes into the ground and get it tied down.

>That wasn't so bad at all.

>Since there are others who appear to be having trouble, I figure I'll go help them out.

>After the second tent, I get a system down and help them set up faster and faster.

>Several tents later, everyone appears to be in order and I find my way back to my spot.

 

>My stomach rumbles once more, prompting me to begin my search for food.

>I doubt anyone would be willing to share right now as they're probably as bad off as me.

>There's a small field to the north with various flowers in it.

>I spot a few ponies collecting a few and munching on them.

>And one poor bastard eating...

>I shudder as I watch him take a mouthful of grass.

>Walking to the field with the others, I examine the flowers.

>Most are your common wild flower.

>There are also many others you would more or less find in someone's garden.

>The field is full of an insane number of different species.

>On in particular catches my eye.

>A single dandelion smiles up at me from the various crowd of others around it.

>Now THAT I know for fact is edible.

>There's several others around and I nip the flower off the stem as I go.

>Not being one to experiment, I leave everything else be, despite witnessing others eating them.

>That one guy was eating grass for God's sake.

>Disgusting.

>Not particularly full, but at least sated for now, I head back to my tent.

>The sun was starting to set and I'm still running on very few hours of sleep.

>A full night's worth is just what I need right now.