> Morning came by pretty fast.
> You had woken up faster, already taking a post-workout shower as the sun rose.
> Dammit today was supposed to be an rest and relax day.
> But whenever you went a day without training you felt...dirty.
> It was just alien to you at this point, which was strange considering just three months ago the couch was your best friend.
> Stepping out of the shower you run over what you were going to do today.
> You would need to gather some of the grey goop today.
> Then investigate what was up with Twilight.
> And that was really it...
> Derpy was working today and you didn't know where any of the others lived.
> Except for Peppermint creams she lived in her candyshop.
> The name though...
> You lift up your frizzled and run down shorts.
> Might need to see Rarity today, despite no money.
> The train wouldn't be here to pick up the athletes until Nine so you basically had all day to run those errands.
> First off... the ingredients.
 
> You jogged to the outskirts of town, circling between the town and the everfree until you found some red ferns.
> The Blue flower grew deeper in and the yellow straws grey in damper areas of the everfree.
> You remember your first time collecting with Will.
> You two had to fight off a pack of timberwolves.
> Fun times...
> Shoving the ferns into a plastic bag you had brought with you, you head into the Everfree from there.
> The blue flower had been easy to find, you found a whole patch of it a mile off from the path you had been taking.
> You had worn dishwashing gloves for this as it always did something weird if touched uncovered or not mixed.
> The yellow sticks would be further out there, probably close to a pond or something.
> A hushed whisper caught your attention.
> Turning back you could see something duck into the bushes.
> Three somethings and you had an idea as to what they were.
> With a sigh you walked over and uproot the entire bush.
> Lazily you shake three fillies out.
> "Heeey Anon...."
> "Hi Ahnon."
> "S'up"
"What the hell are you guys doing out here so early?"
> You look around you.
> "And this far into the Everfree?"
> The Cutie Mark Crusaders...
> They were always getting in trouble with one thing or another.
> They were dirtied and wet right now.
> Scootaloo had twigs sticking out of her mane and tail.
> "Well..." Sweetie Belle started.
> "We tried our hooves at sight seeing." Applebloom continued.
> "And we got lost..." Scootaloo finished.
"Mhm..."
> How were they still alive?
"How come your sisters aren't looking for you?"
> "We um... told them we were sleeping over at the clubhouse?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
> You run a hand down your face.
"Okay... I need to grab something, stick close to me and you should be fine."
> Just one more thing and it should be fine, besides they had lasted an entire night without you.
> Turning around you head down the path, the three scrambling to follow behind.
> "So Anon, how come you're a rock now?"
> "Ahnon, how come you aren't in the military?"
> "You're pretty cool Anon, not as cool as dash but still cool."
> "Did you contact aliens?"
> "Are you going to eat mah pigs? Applejack says you eat meat."
> "But like, maybe a little bit cooler than dash. But dash is sooo cool, and you're like kinda cool."
> What sounded like a beating drum pounded in your head.
> Bad enough they had slowed you down greatly but....
"How long can you guys talk!?" You growl turning around to stare at them.
> Sweetie Belle squeaked.
> Applebloom's eyes widened.
> "....hours." Scootaloo simply said.
> Now that you had silence you could hear the rushing of a nearby waterfall.
> Perfect...
> Turning away and disregarding the fillies you push past a pair of bushes.
> They followed you anyway.
> "Woooow" they all gasped.
> Wow indeed.
> You all stood in front of a pond that stretched for what looked like miles.
> The woodland had turned completely to marshland in just a little break...
> Up above you was a runoff, where the rushing water was coming from.
> It was big, but not big enough to be a mountain.
> Weird formation, but this world had been nothing but weird.
"Stay here." you bark.
> You could already see a couple of the yellow sticks jutting from the ground.
> Going over and collecting you began to stuff them in the plastic bag.
> You could hear them muttering among themselves as you picked the sticks.
> Suddenly a collective gasp.
> "ROCKADILE!" Sweetie Belle shrieked.
> Jesus she had a set of lungs on her.
> You turn to her with a cocked brow.
> Seconds after focusing on them the water splashed up next to you.
> Whirling around you caught the blur of brown and pink coming straight towards you.
> Reacting fast you grip the rockadiles jaws and manage to keep them from clamping down.
> While the bear took little effort this was kind of a strenuous task for you.
> The Rockadile planted itself firmly in the mud and struggled to clamp its jaws shut.
> You were having none of that.
> You could hear the fillies cheering for you as you fought for your life.
> You than began to gain some ground.
> Getting the jaw wide enough to get your foot in there you stomped it down.
> The fillies stopped cheering as you positioned both hands against the roof of its mouth.
> You could do it now.
> You could snap its jaws and go home.
> Looking briefly back at the horrified fillies you sighed.
> That's not you..
> Instead you bought one hand down and grabbed it uvula.
> You had seen this on TV back on earth.
> You then squeezed as hard as possible, which was pretty hard considering.
> The Rockadile sputtered out a whimper.
> Releasing your grip on all sides you back away as it gagged up some mess of animal and scampered back in the water.
> You calmly picked up your bag and turned to the fillies.
"Let's get out of here, it's not safe for you guys."
> The rest of the walk was quiet.
> Everytime you glanced at the crusaders they seemed to either be whispering to eachother, or looking at you.
> If they caught you staring they would all look away collectively.
> The whole walk was like this.
> When you did get back to town it had to at least be three o' clock in the afternoon by now.
> You looked down at the fillies.
"Go on home girls, your sisters are definitely worried sick about you now."
> Sweetie Belle and Applebloom scampered off.
> Scootaloo just sat there and stared at you for a bit.
>"Mister Anon..." she muttered.
"Hm?"
> "We all agreed that you are definitely cooler than Dash."
> With that she ran off with after her friends, leaving you alone.
> And the happiest you've been in a while.
> Was that a tear?
> Yeah it was...
> You didn't really care, slinging the bag over your shoulder you head towards the town.
> Looks like you weren't going to see Rarity now, she would be furious about her sister after-all.
> Looks like you would be visiting Pinkie earlier than you thought.
> You push past the door and drop the bag on your couch.
> Turning around to head out and speak with Pinkie you noticed something odd.
> A note was slipped under your door.
> Reaching down and picking it up you look it over.
> It was about the Triathlon.
> You open it up and peer inside.
 
Dear Anonymous.
 
We regretfully inform you that per request of Twilight Sparkle you are not allowed to participate in the games.
 
We were informed of possible drug use and for the sake of sportsmanship we cannot allow you to join us.
 
> You lowered the note slowly.
> Stay calm...
> Stay calm.....
> You had been busting your ass for three months and they were gonna screw you over like this!?
> Looks like you were paying more than just Pinkie a visit...
 
> You are Rarity and... you are absolutely furious with your sister.
> She sat with her withers haunched as you scolded her.
> She had told you everything it had seemed, except for something she was holding on too.
> You decided to just send her to her room until she would speak about it.
> You were at your parents house, who were thankfully out of town,so you couldn't take your mind off of it by working.
> So you decided to go up to the attic and search for a sewing machine.
> As you head up there and avoid all of the DUST.
> You used your magic to click on the light.
> As the light clicked on the first thing you noticed was Anon sitting on a box of old toys.
> The attic was made for ponies so he seemed exceedingly bigger in here.
> He stared forward blankly, the lighting making him look like some sort of horror movie villain.
> "A-Anonymous!"
"What is Twilight planning."
> It was more of a statement than a question.
> "W-What are you talking about?"
> Anonymous reached over and wrapped his hand around the lights chain, staring directly at you.
> With a click it went out.
> And a pair of buzzing shears sounded throughout the pitch black air.
> Do you feel bad?
> Kinda.
> Never seen Rarity wail like that before.
> But all you literally did was cut off the tip of her mane.
> It had been your turn to get mean anyway.
> Then she bawled and told you everything.
> About how from day one they were suspicious of you to now, where Twilight was suspicious of your drug abuse.
> Grey goop was not a drug, it was more like a protein powder if anything to you.
> You figured out Pinkie Pie had been faking, so that was...nice.
> No reason to see her now.
> And now here you were, sitting on the park bench with this new-found knowledge and no feeling about it.
> You just felt empty...
> Something you had worked so hard for was shattered in a simple note.
> You would talk to Twilight, but you had a feeling she wouldn't listen.
> Never did before.
> It was eight now, the train would be at the station in an hour.
> and you wouldn't be allowed on.
> But Dash would...
> You sneer to yourself as you lean back.
"No..."
> No, if you sat here you would be playing second best.
> If anywhere near the best at all.
> No more accepting it.
> You would have to run there, get tested, and be reassigned back on.
> Moving up you stretch a little bit.
> You knew that it was a twenty four mile trip.
> An overnight passage on the train.
> Possibly an overnight passage for you.
> First you would need to get some of the goop ready.
> As you head towards your house you began to think of a route you could take.
> Maybe if you climbed the mountain you could cut your time in half....
> And the grey goop would have to be taken periodically, it would help with exhaustion but if you ran out before you got there.
> It was all over.
> Luckily it didn't take long to make.
> Just a thirty minute stirring session.
> When you were done with it you squeezed it into two gallon jugs.
> Grabbing a pack you shove one of the jugs in and keep a tight grip on the other one.
> This should last you...
> You walked over to the station and watched from an alleyway as a group of ponies waited patiently for the train.
> They chatted casually to one another.
> One group caught your attention.
> It was the damn Elements, and they had two guards with them.
> Probably waiting for you to show up anyway.
> Seeing Rainbow Dashes and Twilights dumb horse faces enraged you to no end.
> She made an assumption and it was fucking you...
> Hell, just because she was a princess was the only reason anybody was listening to her.
> You found yourself gritting your teeth, getting yourself to stop.
> The train peeked over the horizon, roaring to a stop in front of the group.
> A clean cut looking stallion stepped out and began to check out I.Ds as the ponies flooded on.
> Looking down you realized something.
> You knew where the train was going but you didn't actually know what the trip was.
> A freight train went sixty miles per hour.
> You could maybe run thirty max.
> And you would have to keep up with the- OH SHIT IT'S TAKING OFF.
> A single honk of the horn and the train started slowly.
> You wouldn't take your chances on hoping on the back, if someone found you your whole plan was ruined.
> So running was the only liable option.
> You would just have to try and not get lost.
> You take off after the train as it begins to power forward.
"Huh, huh, huh..."
> You wipe sweat off of your brow and take another swig of the grey goop.
> You understood why the triathlon was such a big deal now.
> This was about the distance of the marathon and you were already exhausted.
> Plus you had been running on uneven ground.
> As it turns out 24 miles was a lot more than you thought.
> And the reason why the train was an overnight trip?
> It made a pit stop at a luxurious hotel...
> You were so thick!
> A 24 mile trip should not take an entire night!
> Looks like while you gained muscle you lost some brain.
> Not wanting to run ahead and get lost you waited outside across from the hotel.
> In the rain....
> The morning was going to come any moment now.
> There was no way you could do it.
> Thoughts of the Elements enjoying themselves on this trip while you slaved away flashed through your mind.
> Your eyes narrowed.
> Pinkie jumped up and down on a bed.
> You began to go into a full sprint, crouching low and throwing your limbs in.
> Applejack and Rarity sharing a laugh.
> You never had any friends.
> And you weren't ever going to get any if you gave up.
> The world became a blur as you sprinted next to the rail road tracks, chasing after what was seemingly unobtainable before.
> Your exhaustion faded away replaced by the drive and heat of anger from before.
> You had forgotten this feeling.
> It was glorious!