Title:           AlaskanAnon in equestria ch. 11
Author:          CuriousAnon
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/ZCmqB0Vu
First Edit:      Wednesday 17th of October 2012 09:22:35 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Wednesday 17th of October 2012 09:22:35 PM CDT

>Morning finds you shoveling down a bowl of Gorilla Munch for breakfast
>You need to get out and check your traps
>Among other things
>You re-check the stove
>The fire still burns steadily
>So you put on your snowshoes, snow gear and the binoculars you nearly got caught retrieving
>Your first action after exiting the tent is to stand up and check the path to your hideout with those binoculars
>Clear
>Satisfied you aren't going to be set upon by screaming mares, you head out the doorway and check your trap line,
 
revealing...
>A rabbit!
>Success!
>You pull out your knife and take hold of the struggling rodent
>Then, quickly, you cut its throat out
>You're careful to hold it by the back to keep the blood off your gloves
>When the rabbit has finally choked it's last, you re-set the trap and take it back to the tent
 
 
>From your buried food supplies you take a few potatoes, sticks of celery, carrots, and other necessary ingredients
>Then you pull a deep pot from your cloak and fill it with snow, setting it on the stove to melt
>While the snow melts and your ingredients thaw you exit the tent to skin and gut the rabbit
>The inedible parts you bury in a corner of the clearing
>Then you clean your knife out in the snow and chunk up your vegetable ingredients
>By the time you finish, the pot is half full of warm water
>Excellent
>You dump all your ingredients, and the prepared rabbit meat into the pot
>You then put the lid on it and set it on top of the stove
>That can simmer all day while you're out exploring and keeping watch
>And then you'll have some nice hot rabbit stew for dinner!
 
 
BUILT RARITY STRONG
 
 
>With your dinner secure, you once again exit the tent
>Yesterday's encounter made you realize that it would be much too easy for someone to find you out here
>You need to take more steps to conceal your presence
>Starting with your tent
>The tent already has a fair snow covering on its roof from the snowfall two days ago
>Using your shovel, you pile snow against the sides of the tent
>When you finish, your tent looks less like a tent and more like a snowbank with a stovepipe sticking out the top
>Excellent
>As a finishing touch, you remove the top of the stovepipe from the S bend that connects the stove to the outside, setting it
 
down to cool
>Now it truly does looks like a snowbank, minus the portion of the door still barely visible
>You have to leave that open so the tent can breath and the stove can continue to cook your dinner
>Satisfied with your work, you turn to the entrance to the maze
>You've still got some exploring to do
 
 
>You pass away the morning hours familiarizing yourself with the hedge maze
>You make note of a few hollows in the hedge that could make good secondary hiding places
>And the statue of some kind of mix-matched abomination in the center of the maze
>Every half hour or so you stop, raise your head above the hedge, and peer towards the castle through your binoculars
>Speaking of which...
>Ah shit
>Approaching the hedge is a blue p0ny with a striped blue mane
>It wears a rumpled purple cape
>And a similarly purple pointed wizard's hat
>It appears to be talking to itself
>Well, this ain't good
 
 
>When the blue p0ny comes through the entrance, you consider your options
>With your knowledge of the maze, you can avoid her easily enough
>And that's exactly what you plan to do
>But if she
>And you can tell it's a she from her voice
>Gets too close to your tent
>Then you'll have to take measures to drive her away
>Tracking the mare is easy, thanks to her constant muttering
>Something about not needing that stupid, inferior stallion anyway
>Unfortunately, this "Great and Powerful Trixie" seems to be wandering closer and closer to your place of residence
>And you can't have anyone find that
>At any cost
 
 
>You could just seize the p0ny and chuck her bodily out of the maze
>But then she would probably tell others about you
>No, here you need a more subtle approach
>Your first action is to emit a soft bark
>This immediately elicits a response
>"Hello?  Is anyp0ny there?"
>You don't respond, of course
>Have to set the mood
>For a few more turns you hound Trixie, emitting the same barking noise every now and then
>Then, you decide to take it to the next step
 
 
>You push through the hedge and into the actual row Trixie occupies
>A few turns ahead of her, of course
>You give Trixie a glimpse of your elbow disappearing around the corner, followed with the same noise
>A gasp behind you tells you your efforts have not gone unnoticed
>You barrel back through the hedge, and continue to shadow her
>After a repeat, this time with your boot, you're ready for the next step
>You work your way inside the hedge wall, and wait for Trixie to approach
>When she passes you, you reach out and jab her side, quick as lightning
>"Who was that? Show yourself!"
>You retreat back into the unoccupied row and locate the blue unicorn
>Damn
>This mare just won't quit
>Certainly, her progress has slowed
>But she presses onwards anyway
>It's time for drastic measures
 
 
>Trixie rounds the corner at the end of the row
>Then she rears back in shock
>At the end of the path is some sort of creature
>The creature is huge
>It stands higher than the hedges!
>It is facing away from Trixie
>"T-turn around, monster!  F-face your doom!"
>The monster turns around
>It is entirely black, except for its open, impossibly wide, tooth filled maw
>The single, unblinking, pupilless orange eye stares deep into Trixie's very soul
>Trixie's shaking now
>"B-be gone m-monster!  Away W-with you, b-bef-"
>The monster unleashes a bone-chilling shriek
>Then it charges Trixie, upper appendages outstretched
>Trixie whips around and practically skims across the top of the snow in her efforts to get away from the monster
>She never looks back once on her entire trip out of the maze
>Because looking back might cost her the speed that keeps her alive
 
 
>...Being the scary monster is surprisingly fun
>You follow the screaming blue mare most of the way out of the maze
>You need to make sure she's gone
>You fall back when she rounds the corner to the entrance of the hedge maze and unzip your jacket
>It won't do to sweat now
>Not when you've got more exploring to do
>Peeking up over the hedge, you follow her progress out the front with your binoculars
>When you're sure Trixie isn't coming back, you turn and head back for your tent
>Time for lunch
 
 
>When you get back to the tent you light a lantern and hang it inside
>Then check on your stew
>Still simmering away
>It's going to be delicious
>For lunch you thaw out a variety of fruits and vegetables, and a block of cheese
>Tasty
>After lunch, you remove a bottle from your cloak and pack it full of snow
>Then you cap it off and set it close to the stove
>But not in contact with it
>You intend to have some hot chocolate with your dinner
>And this will keep the water warm enough for it without boiling it all away
>Your preparations complete, you shut off the lantern and return to the maze
>You intend to finish working out the layout today
>even if you have to work right up to dark to do it
>You once again rise up and check the path to your hedge
>Even more visitors
>Hooray
>This time its a pair of guardsp0nies
 
>You make your way to the front of the maze and crouch down, listening
>"Hey Bolt!  Bolt, are you in there?"
>They're calling for someone
>Well, you're fairly sure whoever it is
>They're not in your maze
>The calling goes on for another minute before one guardsp0ny turns to the other
>"Come on, let's go.  If he was in there he would have heard us by now"
>The second nods
>Then they both reluctantly turn around and head back to the castle proper
>You heave a silent sigh of relief
>You don't know how rigorous the training for a guardsp0ny is, or how easy they are to frighten
>But you're not sure you would have been able to scare the pair of them out of the maze
>And even if you did, they would probably just come back with reinforcements
>So you're glad they left when they did
>Still, you think, someone could have come in while you were eating lunch
>And you would be none the wiser
>You decide to search the entire maze
>It's not like you have anything better to do
>And it'll be a good test of your memory
>You quietly head back into the maze, branch in hand
 
 
>So far, your search of the maze has revealed nothing out of the ordinary
>Snow, hedge, the occasional clearing, more snow, more hedge...
>A golden glint ahead of you breaks the monotony
>You quicken your pace
>An eerily familiar scene unfolds in front of you
>Shivering in the snow in front of you is none other than...
>Sunny Sky
Sky?  
>You nudge him with your boot
Sky, are y-
>His eyes fluttering open and closed
>Fuck
>FUCK
>This is bad
>You seize Sunny Sky by the top of his armor and take off at a dead run
>If he doesn't get warm soon, he WILL die
>And you won't have anyone dying
>Not on your watch
 
 
>You're glad you spent so much time familiarizing yourself with the maze
>It allows you to locate and reach your tent with minimal delay
>Once inside, you dump Sunny Sky right up next to the stove
>You feed some smaller sticks into it for quick heat
>Then you strip off your gloves and get to work on his armor
>You have to knock the ice off the buckles with the pommel of your knife, but you get it off quickly enough
>Casting it aside, you reach into your cloak and withdraw a spare blanket
>He's sopping wet
>You begin roughly drying the guardsp0ny off with the blanket
>The blanket is now thoroughly soaked, but Sunny Sky is still wet
>So you pull out another and resume drying him
>Two more blankets later, and Sunny Sky is as dry as you can make him
>So you drape a dry blanket over him
>You're pulling off your snowshoes when his eyes flutter open
>"Uuuuuuggghhhh... Where am I?"
 
 
Damn Sky
>Sunny Sky whips his head around, trying to locate the source of your voice
I told you you'd catch your fucking death in that armor
>He sluggishly stands up, and finally gets you into his field of vision
>"Anonymoush?"
In the flesh
>Sunny Sky regards you quietly
How are you feeling?
>He gives a watery chuckle
>"Cold as Tartarus"
>Tartarus
>Tartarus...
>Must be their version of hell
You came pretty close to the edge there  
>"Yeah, I know.  I'm not sure I could have made the castle from there"
>He stares at the floor for a bit
>"Thanksh Anonymoush.  I will not forget thish."
>You chuckle a bit, trying to diffuse the seriousness of the situation
Hey, just try to get inside before the buckles on your armor freeze up in the future, okay?
>"Heh, Ok-"
>Sunny Sky pauses
>Then he twists his head around, seemingly realizing for the first time that he's not wearing his armor
>"My armor!"
>He frantically pans his head about the tent, finally locating it
>He tries to take a step towards it, but is forced to sit by a particularly violent bout of shivering
Woah, easy there.  You're still way too cold.  Stay close to the stove
>You reach over to the stove and pick up the thermos
>hot to the touch
>Then you pull a packet of hot chocolate powder out of your cloak, and pour it inside
>You cap the thermos and shake it vigorously
>After a few seconds, you unscrew the cap and pour some of the hot chocolate into it
>Then you hold the cap out to Sunny Sky
Here, drink this
 
 
>Sunny Sky accepts the cap full of hot chocolate and takes a swallow
>You lean back and begin pulling off your jacket
So, what brings you out to this lonely part of the hedge maze?
>Sunny Sky considers your question
>"Well, I had been on guard duty outside the primary entrance when I was approached by a disheveled looking, out of breath blue mare"
>"The mare spoke to me of a horrible, two legged black monster in the maze that she had bravely driven off, and demanded that I do my job and take care of it"
>"I assured her that the Celestial Guard would be notified and the problem taken care of"
>"The moment I got off duty I came out here to look for the 'monster'"
>"I... Well, I mixed up my directions and got lost.... Then I woke up in here"
>You lean back and digest this information
>So Trixie had told a guard
>Fortunately for you, the one guard you had a chance of talking out of revealing your location to the Princess
>Speaking of which...
Did the Princess... er... say anything about me?
>"We were told that you had run off for unknown reasons, and were instructed to capture you and bring you to the Princess
 
should we happen to spot you"
>That pretty much confirms your fears
So you're not going to try to arrest me, are you?
>"Nah.  You just saved my flank!  Besides, I'm sure you have your reasons..."
Hah, you could say that
>"Really?"
Yeah.  You know your Princess, right?
>"Celestia?"
The very one.  Well, it turns out she's just as coo coo for coco puffs as all the rest of the mares in this place
>"You mean..."
Yep.  The minute we got out of eyeshot of the Elements she literally jumped all over me
>Sunny Sky takes a minute to digest this
>While he ponders, you finish removing your jacket and unzip the top of your snow pants
>Then you feed the fire
 
 
>"That's never happened before"
What?  The Princess of the Light, the Benevolent and all Powerful Celestia throwing herself at a man?
>"What's a man?"
>Of course
>Human terminology
Stallion
>"Well... no"
Not even at the height of Estrus?
>"It's possible... but definitely not to my knowledge, no"
>His face gains a measure of disbelief
>"And you ran away?"
>You don't like that tone
Hey, don't look at me like that.  Even ignoring the fact that I'm a human and she's a super-p0ny-thing
>"Alicorn" interjects Sunny Sky
>You shrug
Alicorn, your Princess isn't in her right mind.  Besides
>You lean in closer
I am no one's fuck toy
>Sunny Sky looks impressed
>"Well, when you put it like that..."
You now understand the full scope of my situation.  Which leads to my next question: Can I trust you to not reveal my location to... well, anyone?
>Sunny Sky scratches his chin with his hoof
>He takes another sip of hot chocolate
>Then he looks you in the eyes
>"You have my word"
>You release the breath you didn't know you were holding
Great
 
 
>By now, Sunny Sky has stopped shivering
>"I think it's about time I get going" he says, draining the last of the hot chocolate and setting the cup to the side
Sure.  I'll show you the way out
>You respond, zipping up your snowpants and reaching for your jacket
>"I've got to put on my armor first!"
>So saying, he throws the blanket off and canters over to his armor while you put the cap back on the hot chocolate
>This should be interesting to watch
>You're wondering how he manages the buckles with hooves
>Sunny Sky's horn lights up, and the armor floats up and onto his back, surrounded in a golden glow
>Of course
>He buckles the buckles with his magic, then does a double check with his hooves
>You reach over to your snow shoes and start pulling them on while he adjusts his helmet
>"Hey, what are those?"
What
>"Those things you're putting on your hooves"
>You pause
These are snow shoes
>"Why wear them?  It looks hard enough walking on two legs to begin with..."
>You chuckle
These make my feet larger, see?
>You wave your showshoe-clad boot at him
They let me walk on top of the snow instead of through it
>He still looks skeptical
Here, I'll show you
 
 
 
>You stand up and head over to the tent door, Sunny Sky in tow
>Then you pull open the door and walk out onto the snow
>You only sink a few inches into the foot and a half or so of snow
See?  I hardly sink in at all!
>"Hah!  That's a neat trick.  I know several guardsp0nies that would kill for a pair of those"
>You pause in thought
Talk to Rarity.  I'm fairly sure she has a working design that fits p0nies
>"That's rich"
>Was that a hint of bitterness?
What?
>"Me, a mere guardsp0ny, talking to one of the Elements!  Next you'll be claiming you've met Celestia face to- oh..."
Anything is possible, Sky.  But if there's that much of a gap, I'll ask her when all this blows over.  Now, are you ready to go?
>he grins at you
>"Ready as I'll ever be"
>You pick up your branch from where you tossed it before
>And head out the entrance
 
 
>You soon establish a marching order
>Sunny Sky goes in front, and you give him directions when he needs them
>You yourself go in back, sweeping away your tracks in the snow with the branch
>An action Sunny Sky is quick to approve of
>His progress through the snow isn't exactly blistering fast, and you find your thoughts drifting
>It was lucky his friends came looking for him
>Speaking of which...
Hey Sunny Sky?
>he grunts
Do you have a nickname?
>"Yes"
Would it happen to be Bolt?
>He turns his head and looks at you, surprise in his eyes
>"Yes.  How did you know?"
Two guardsp0nies showed up in front of the hedge earlier today, calling for "Bolt".  It's part of why I found you
>"Well, that's my nickname"
Do you prefer Sky or Bolt?
>"Either works"
Alright
>The conversation falls away and you trudge on once more in silence, save for the sound of parting and compacting snow, and
 
the swish of the branch
>So much so you're starting to get bored...
How did you end up with a nickname like Bolt?
>He grunts again
>"It's because of my coat and mane.  Same colors as Wonderbolts; Don't know if you've heard of them"
>You vaguely recall Rainbow talking about joining the Wonderbolts...
>"Some jackass came up with it back in training and it stuck"
 
 
>Now you're at the entrance of the hedge
>Sunny Sky pauses to catch his breath before he continues onwards to the castle
>You clear your throat
>Sunny Sky jumps, before realizing who and what made the noise
>Then he stands up, ready to continue his journey
Hey, look me up when all this shit blows over.  You seem like a really swell p0ny
>He turns to face you briefly
>"Sure.  Anytime."
>Then he heads for the entrance
>"See you around, Anonymous"
See you, Bolt
 
 
>You trot through the halls, a stack of books held in your magical grasp
>Ever since Anonymous jumped out that window, you've had an objective, always niggling at the back of your mind
>You need to make sure he's okay
>From what he's told you of his background, he should be fine
>But you have to make sure
>Just a healthy concern for the well being of another, you keep telling yourself
>In the library, you've been researching divination and search spells
>And you think you might just have the correct one
>Your distracted wandering carries you out the main door, and towards the carriage garage
>Then it comes to an abrupt end in a flurry of white pages and flying snow
>In your preoccupation, you ran straight into an unfortunate guardsp0ny, knocking the pair of you over
>"I'm sorry-"
>What is that scent?
>The ghost of a blush comes to your cheeks
>The faintest whiff of Anonymous caresses your nostrils
>Then it is gone
>Now that you look at this guardsp0ny, he seems familiar...
>He's the guardsp0ny that escorted you to the castle
>Sunny Sky was his name
>The guardsp0ny shuffles his hooves a bit under your stare
>"My apologies, ma'am.  Should have watched where I was going" he gruffly offers
>"No, no, it was my fault" You say, breaking your stare
>Then you hastily begin gathering your books
>"Here, let me help you"
>His horn lights up
 
 
>"You haven't seen Anonymous anywhere, have you?"
>"Can't say that I have"
>You're fairly sure he's seen Anonymous
>Your faintly reddish cheeks are testimony to that
>And you're equally sure that he won't tell you
>Which direction had he been coming from?
>Thinking back to before the collision, you see he was coming from the far end of the castle
>There isn't much out there
>Except the hedge maze...
>You need to go find your friends
>"Thank you" you say to Sunny Sky, your errant books finally gathered
>"You're welcome. Have a nice day"
>As he canters off, you whip around and head back into the castle
>You have a search to mount
 
 
>You tromp back towards your tent
>The traps were all empty today
>Hunger gnaws at your abdomen, reminding you of the rabbit stew waiting for you
>You can practically taste it from here
>Still, you should make a last check
>One can never be too cautious when hunted by horny mares, right?
>You stand up above the hedge line and raise your binoculars to your eyes
>Your diligence is rewarded
>Through the binoculars you can see six colorful figures approaching the maze
>Ah shit
>Your friends
>Briefly pondering how, exactly, they located your hideaway, you dismiss the thought
>You have much to do, and ever diminishing time with which to accomplish it
>First, you return to your tent
>You pick up the now cold stovepipe out of the snow and chuck it inside
>Then you tie the door shut
>And begin piling snow against it wit your shovel
>You leave a small opening close to the hedge, where it won't be noticed in the encroaching darkness
>This will keep your fire from starving
>Now your tent truly does look like a snowbank
 
 
>You could just sit inside your tent
>But then you'd have to make the air hole bigger
>And while you can probably incapacitate one p0ny if you have to
>You know you can't take on six p0nies without seriously injuring at least one of them
>And you also know you really would rather not beat your friends
>No, you're going to go out into the maze
>Better to stay mobile, and not get cornered
>Your next step is to go right back to your string trap line
>All signs of habitation must be removed, temporarily at least
>You head quickly down the rows, yanking string out of the bushes and stuffing it in your cloak
>Oh, this is rich
>Now, of all times, a rabbit chooses to get stuck in your trap
>You don't have time to clean it and skin it
>So you seize the struggling critter in your left hand
>It flails and kicks, but it's short claws can't get through your gloves
>You yank the string off its ankle and put it back on the ground, at which point it scampers off into the hedge
>That taken care of, you grab the last of the traps, then pop up for another check
>Oh fuck
>Your six friends are nowhere to be seen
>Which means they're in the maze right now
>Searching for you
 
 
>You stand stock still, and listen
>You can hear the crunch of snow under hooves approaching your section of the maze
>A bright comet shoots over you, temporarily blinding you
>SHIT
>That must have been Rainbow Dash
>You need to get into cover
>NOW
>Walking towards the end of the row, you wrack your brains for a hiding spot
>There's a hollow in the hedge not too far away
>Hopefully you can make it before they get to this section
>Down one row you go, then around a corner, waving your branch behind you
>The crunching is getting closer...
>You smash through the hedge, making your own shortcut
>There's the patch, down the row a ways
>You push into the hollow, tucking your branch inside behind you
>Then you quietly work yourself around so you face the opening of the hollow
 
 
>The light passes over the hedges several more times, going slower each time
>Eventually you're able to make out Rainbow with a lantern in her mouth
>She doesn't see you through the top of the hedge
>The crunching grows ever closer
>As does a source of light
>You sit stone still as three silhouettes come down the row
>By the light of the lantern mounted on a saddlebag, you see Twilight, Fluttershy and AppleJack
>Twilight and AppleJack both wear snow shoes, although they walk quite akwardly in them
>You'll teach them how to walk in snowshoes later
>Hide now
>Fluttershy is flying, cradling something in her front hooves
>Now if they'll just walk past...
>"These... snowthangs are a raight pain ta walk in.  Hang up a second, ah need ta adjust 'em"
>"SnowShoes, AppleJack.  And yes, I know they're a pain, but would you rather be fording through the snow?"
>"Ya have a point there"
>They stop directly in front of your hiding place, AppleJack going on her haunches as she works at the straps on one of the snowshoes with her teeth
>Fuck
>You hardly dare to breathe as you watch the mares in front of you
>"Fluttershy, have you gotten anything out of that rabbit?"
>"Well, um... yes"
>"Care to share it with us?"
>"He... He says he got stuck... but.. oh my... big scary black thing grabbed him... then he could run away"
>AppleJack momentarily ceases her struggle
>"Big, black scary monster?  That sounds like Anonymous ta me"
>Fluttershy whispers "thank you" to the creature in her hooves, then sets it in the snow
>It's the rabbit you caught earlier
>"I agree with AppleJack, that was most likely Anonymous.  I might go tell Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie to search closer to this area"
>Twilight pauses
>"Do you need help with that AppleJack?"
>"NO!"
 
 
>AppleJack fiddles with the straps on her hooves for a while longer
>You grit your teeth
>It shouldn't take nearly this long to fix snowshoes!
>Fluttershy flies down to help AppleJack despite her protests
>Twilight glances around, obviously getting bored
>Her glance carries her eyes straight past your hiding place...
>Ah shit
>Her eyes stop
>You're almost sure she sees you
>She canters over closer
>Oh shit
>Oh shit
>Ohshitohshitoshit
>She comes perilously close to the hedge
>Then she opens her mouth
>Nope
>Not happening
>In a sudden burst of motion, you lunge through the hedge
>Your left hand wraps around her muzzle, holding it closed
>Your right arm goes around her torso
>You yank the surprised purple p0ny through the branch covering and into the hedge
>You hug her close to your torso with all your considerable strength
>To Twilight's credit, she bucks pretty hard
>But you've got your arm around her now, and she doesn't have anything to brace against
>She ain't going anywhere
 
 
>You peer once more out of the hedge, hand still clamped firmly around Twilight's muzzle
>It appears that AppleJack and Fluttershy were both facing away, and didn't notice
>Phew
>You turn your attention to the struggling p0ny in your arms
>You turn her head up so she can see you
>The struggling immediately ceases
>Just in time for AppleJack to finish fiddling with her snowshoes
>She glances around
>"Hey Fluttershah, do you see Twalight anywhere?"
>"No..."
>AppleJack canters around a bit
>"Twalight?  Twalight, where are ya?"
>"Um, Applejack..."
>Applejack calls louder
>"TWALIGHT!"
>"Applejack..."
>Fluttershy is still barely audible
>AppleJack's search increases in pace slightly
>"TWALIGHT, WHERE ARE YA?"
>"APPLEJACK!" squeaks Fluttershy
>AppleJack whips around and looks at Fluttershy, who cringes
>"Oh, was I too loud?  I-I'm sorry..."
>"Nah, Twern't nothin like that.  Whut did ya want ta say?"
>"Well... Um, Twilight mentioned she... she was going to go tell the others..."
>AppleJack tries to scratch her head with a hoof, and instead manages to knock herself in the face with a snowshoe
>She shakes her head roughly and puts her hoof back down
>"Now that ah thank about it... She did say that!  Let's git goin' an' catch up with her!"
>"Okay..."
>They both turn and head down the row
 
 
 
>You wait until you can no longer see the light of their lantern
>Sighing, you release Twilight from your grasp and set her down on her hooves
>She immediately turns around and wraps her hooves around your chest
>That ever present blush is back with a vengeance
>"Anonymous, I missed you!"
>She's going to call down all the rest of her friends on you
>Way too fucking loud
Shhhhh
>Twilight's voice immediately goes to a whisper
>"Sorry!  But how are you doing?  Are you okay?  Why did you ru-"
>You put a finger up to her lips, silencing the torrent of questions
Yes Twilight, I missed you too.  Yes, I'm fine.  I will explain why I did what I did later.  But first
>You remove your finger from her lips
Do you think you could let go of me?
>She immediately backs off of you, her face moving a few shades down the red scale
>"I-oh, I'm sorry Anonymous, I-I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable..  unless, well, y-you weren-"
>You put your finger up to her lips for a second time
Twilight, it's fine.  Just slow down and breathe for me, okay?
>Twilight takes a deep breath, and releases it in a single huff
>"Okay"
Better?
>"Yeah"
 
 
>you lean back a bit
Now, how did you know I was in the hedge maze?
>"I... well, I smelled you"
>Your face scrunches up
>Surely mare's noses aren't that sensitive?
>Although if they are, you wouldn't be surprised
>Fucking magical p0ny land
You what...
How?
>Twilight giggles a bit
>"I ran into that guardsp0ny that showed us to the princess, you remember him?  Anyway, I asked him if he had seen you and he
 
said no.  But, he smelled like you!  And he was on his way back to the castle from the hedge maze..."
>Well, at least Sunny Sky hadn't given you away
>Knowingly, anyway
>Clever mare
>Twilight fidgets
>"Now it's my turn!"
Alright
>Twilight looks down at her hooves and shuffles them a bit
>"Why did you run?"
>You sigh again
What did Celestia tell you?
>A shadow of doubt passes across her face
>"She said you just up and jumped out the window, yelling something about finding your own housing..."
 
 
Well Twilight, I'm sorry to tell you this
>You grin
But that's not what happened
>Twilight gasps
>"You mean..."
Yeah, I do.  She lied to you
>Shock and disbelief struggle for control over her face
>"No..."
>You shrug
Deny it if you want.  But you know me; would I run from a princess without good reason?
>"Tell me then!  Tell me please, what really happened?"
>Settling back on your arms, you consider your story
>There isn't that much to tell
Well, the second that door closed she tackled me. Said something along the lines of "rut me into the ground"
>Twilight gives a nervous chuckle
>"The Princess was just playing, right?  She couldn't have b-"
Were you playing when you jumped on me in the truck three days ago?
>Twilight's rapidly reddening face is answer enough for you both
I ended up using similar means of... distracting her, then I made my escape through a window, courtesy of a handy lamp bracket
>You shrug
So that's why I ran away from the Princess
 
 
>You stick your head briefly out of the hedge, and look around
>No sound of crunching snow reaches your ears, and no lamplight reaches your eyes
Well, I think the coast is clear.  You should probably get going
>"I can't"
What?
>Twilight grins sheepishly at you
>"Well, look at it this way.  How did I find you?"
You picked up my scent off another p0ny...
>"And how did you get me inside this hedge?"
I grabbed you and- oh...
>Twilight is probably covered in your scent
>Celestia and the rest of them would smell you on her a mile off
I see the problem
>Twilight looks at you hopefully
I guess you'd better stay with me tonight
>Twilight can't resist giving off a triumphant"Yes!"
>Immediately after which she quails a bit under your squint
Twilight, I'm trusting you
>"You're trusting me?"
Yes.  I'm trusting you not to try anything
>You begin pushing out through the hedge
Now let's go
 
 
>You can no longer hear or see the rest of the Elements
>You're fairly sure they've left the maze by now
>And your gut is enthusiastically reminding you that you missed dinner by a few hours
>So your pace is a little faster than it was previously
>Twilight is walking beside you
>Except now she's not
>Twilight trips on her snow shoes and somehow manages to launch herself face first into the snow several feet ahead of you
>Suppressing a chuckle, you walk up to her
You alright down there there?
>"Mmmphf"
>You crouch down and work your arms under her torso
>Then you lift her up
>"Thanks" she says, shaking the snow out of her mane
>Then she looks downward and focuses on untangling her legs
>When she finishes, you set her back down in the snow
Would you like some help?
>"I would love some"
>You point to her snowshoes
You're having the same problem I had, the same problem almost every beginning snowhshoer has
>She looks at you inquisitively
You walk with your legs too close together, and your showshoes catch on each other
>You walk forward a ways in demonstration
You need to have them just a little further apart, see?
>Twilight takes a few experimental steps of her own
>She does much better than before
There you go!
 
 
>The rest of the walk back to the tent passes uneventfully
>Twilight isn't going to be tapdancing anytime soon
>But she is definitely improving
>She opts to light up her horn instead of seeing by the moonlight
>And since you're fairly sure no one else is in the maze, you see no reason to stop her
>The tracks left by the other Elements go past the entrance to your clearing
>They cluster around it a bit, but don't go inside
>Good
>You know your tent is fairly well disguised
>But you're still glad that disguise wasn't put to too hard of a test
Did you have dinner?
>"No..." says Twilight
>Walking through the opening, you go to one of your buried food caches and dig it up
>You extract all the ingredients necessary for a herbivorous dinner for Twilight
>She probably wouldn't care for what you cooked yourself...
>Reburying the cache, you stand up and turn around
>"...Where's the tent?"
Hold this and I'll show you
>You hold the sack of food to her, and she takes it with her magic
>Withdrawing a shovel from your cloak, you go the snowbank and start digging out the doorway
>You hear a sharp intake of breathe behind you when the doorway itself becomes partially visible
>"Clever...  No wonder we didn't find it"
 
 
>You sweep the flap aside and gesture to the inside of the tent
>Then you follow Twilight in and shut the flap behind you
>You sit down and begin removing your snowshoes, Twilight mirroring you
>You both finish about the same time
>Your next action is to stand up and light the lantern still hanging from the ceiling
>Then you head over too the stove and stoke up the fire
>With the fire finally stoked, you strip off your snowgear for the night
>Twilight dawns a look of mild disappointment when you stop at your regular clothes
Ready for dinner?
>"Yeah"
Okay
>you remove from your cloak a plate and silverware for Twilight, and a spoon for yourself
>Twilight takes the plate and silverware from you, and you pick up the pot of delicious rabbit stew
>And damn is that stew delicious
>You forgot just how good a nice, hearty stew can taste when you're hungry
>Twilight looks up at you and you brace
>You have no idea how she'll react to your omnivorous nature
>"Why are you eating out of the pot?"
There's only one serving in here, and I don't feel like washing an extra bowl
>Twilight gives the p0ny equivalent of a shrug and goes back to her own dinner while you internally sigh with relief
 
 
>After dinner, you're ready to go to sleep
>And judging by Twilight's half lidded eyes, so is she
>At least, you hope that's what they mean...
>Ah, who are you kidding
>You know what she wants and she does too
Ready for bed?
>"Yeah..."
Alrighty then
>You pull another pillow, mat and pair of blankets out of your cloak
>Then you lay them down
>Not too far away from your own sleeping position
>But not too close either
>Then you go through your nightly routine
>You start pulling on your boots and Twilight gleans your intentions, moving over by the stove
>Exiting the tent, you glance behind you to make sure Twilight didn't follow you
>Then you pick an inviting section of hedge and empty your bladder
>After you enter the tent, Twilight exits to take care of business of her own
>So you remove your holster and glasses and knife, and all your loose pocket items, setting them off to the side
>Then you bank up the stove so it will last the night
>When Twilight comes back in and settles into her own bed you reach up and turn off the lantern
>All the light that remains is a faint glow from the closed stove door
Good night Twilight
>"good night Anonymous"
>...You really hope she doesn't try anything