"Raindancer - Epilogue"
By fluffstory (https://pastebin.com/u/fluffstory)

URL: https://pastebin.com/Bw86U5d7
Created on: Saturday 22nd of August 2020 06:54:27 AM CDT
Retrieved on: Friday 30 of October 2020 11:18:52 AM UTC


Ol_Dirty, April 16, 2012 / PB 167809
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>You are a pale blue pegasus by the name of Rustle 
>You are the second in command of a herd of feral fluffy ponies 
>Or rather, WERE the second in command 
>Your predecessor has left, presumably never to return 
>You guess that made you the smarty friend 
>You were out of your element 
>Not only were you placed in a position of leadership you weren't accustomed to, but you were also in a human house, surrounded by things your fluffy little brain can't hope to comprehend 
>Your predecessor, brave leader Raindancer, followed a runaway domesticated fluffy pony named Wiggly here, in order to keep his people safe from the coming winter 
>But it all went to hell 
>Raindancer was exceptinally sharp for a fluffy pony, like no other 
>But that sharpness came at a price 
>What he had gained in intelligence he had lost in compassion 
>He killed Wiggly the day you got here 
>He said it was to protect the herd's "integrity" 
>You don't even understand that word 
>You of course disagreed with him, saying Wiggly was a friend 
>Raindancer insisted that anything humans thouched would be harmful to the herd 
>He might've been right Only a few days later, Raindancer left the house for a while 
>While he was gone, the herd wouldn't listen to you, telling you they only trust "smawty fwiend" 
>Against Raindancer's order, the herd started eating the humans' food 
>They were so ecstatic over the taste, they started fighting each other over it 
>For some, the food was too spicy 
>They drowned themselves trying to extinguish to fire in their mouths 
>When Raindancer returned, most of his people were dead 
>The few who survived blamed Raindancer, saying this was as his fault for leaving them 
>Raindancer wouldn't have any of it 
>He told the herd how the humans had corrupted them 
>The herd insisted that Raindancer leave 
>Raindancer doesn't like to be challenged, especially by dumb "human friends" 
>Fighting ensued, three more died 
>After that, Raindancer left, his last words to you being "Let them forget me" 
>You were left with what was left the herd 
>A total of 9 fluffy ponies including you 
>The winter came and went 
>The pregnant mares gave birth 
>The ones who kept eating the human food died 
>Maybe it was poisonous to fluffy ponies after all, you may never know, you didn't eat one bit of it 
>Once all the snow melted, you led the herd back to the field you came from 
>Two died along the way 
>Better than last time 
>Last time lost almost half the group 
>When you arrived at the field, you found Raindancer's hairless corpse there 
>He came all the way back here just to kill himself? 
>Guess he was that proud of his homeland 
>Big black birds feasted on his body 
>The same kind of birds that you once shood away with big stick to save Raindancer, earning his trust and friendship 
>Only this time you didn't have a big stick 
>You had to wait for the birds to leave before moving the herd back to the field 
>You picked up Raindancer's half eaten naked corpse and carried it to the edge of the woods 
>You took some pretty flowers and dropped them on him >May angels take him to a place where fluffies never go hungry... 
>Memories of your days together start coming back >You wonder how did Raindancer ever become so smart 
>How did he ever become so hateful towards humans despite never having met one as far as you know 
>His prejudice toward humans and paranoia of their influence were the reason he killed Wiggly, Hayseed and the others 
>Was he just crazy or did he actually have a reason? 
>You curse yourself for not intervening back at the house 
>Your indecisiveness in the fight between Raindancer and the herd cost Raindancer his reason to live and the herd their innocence 
>By taking a stand you could have saved one or the other 
>Doesn't matter, no amount of contemplating will bring either back 
>Some time later... 

>The herd now lives a mostly happy life 
>Your numbers quickly grew to 40 
>All the fluffies have seemingly forgotten all about Raindancer and their time at the human house 
>Better that way, fluffy ponies don't cope well with such memories 
>You know you don't... 
>You wonder whether you'll ever meet a human, whether it would justify Raindancer's views 
>Only time will tell if you succeed in staying friendly to the herd or if the realitys of leadership change you into what Raindancer became 
>Best to just go a day at a time 
>A mare calls out to you 
>She needs your help giving birth