Slaves in the End

Run, run, run. You have to run.

The voice in my head repeated itself over and over, never letting up, forcing me to keep going.

If you stop, you’ll hang, if you collapse you’ll hang, if you go back you’ll hang. Don’t stop.

My body ached, every breath felt like fire burning at my lungs, my legs wobbled as I ran, my muscles turning to mush. I took a moment to look down, my blood stained chest growing redder, the wound that caused it beat me down with every step.

Don’t pay attention to it, you’ve endured much worse. This is your only chance to escape, don’t let it slip you.

The voice in my head went quiet as I heard the angry shouts from behind, they found me!? How could they have caught up so soon? I turned to look behind me and sure enough there they were, the Equestrians ran after me on the horizon. I could hear their dogs barking, waiting to rip into me with their sharp fangs. The only chance for me now was to keep running, and not stop until I’ve found a haven.

Coming upon me was a large hill overlooking a new land, I prayed for a miracle as I ascended it and for once in my life, was rewarded. The sight before halted me in my tracks, a large orchard of apple trees fenced off from the outside world. It was perfect, my pursuers couldn’t travel onto private property, it was the perfect place to hide.

Just then, loud cracks splintered in the wind behind me. I found myself on the ground, clutching my knee. The scream that left my mouth was inhuman, fitting for a wild beast in pain. The bullet had well shattered my knee, blood poured out from the fresh wound. I gasped, air returning slowly to my lungs.

I told you not to stop, you have to go. RUN RUN RUN RUN!

Somewhere inside me I found the strength, whether it be determination or desperation, to pull myself up and hobble down the hill, which quickly turned into tumbling as my ruined leg gave out. My body lurched at the foot of the hill as I stopped rolling, still I rose and limped on towards the fence. I was almost there, just a couple more yards and I’d be safe for the time being.

Another crack ripped through the air and I felt a sharp whizzing sound scream past my ear, the ponies were right on me, and gaining fast. Step by step my knee screamed in agony, much like I did a couple of times. The shouts grew louder, barking turned to rabid snarls and growling. I could hear them taunting, laughing, spewing threats about what they were going to do to me once they got me.

Then all of a sudden, I felt myself vault over the chest-high fence, landing hard on my shoulder. The laughter died, turning into angry shouts and swears, I was relieved by all this. The Equestrians had stopped in their tracks, pacing back and forth along the fence. I didn’t take long to hobble away once one of them shouted ‘Jus’ shoot em’ rite ‘ere!’, I painfully made my way into the thick tree lines, leaving behind the shouts and snarling.

After a couple of minutes I let myself have a moment of rest, or what could pass as rest. I slumped against a tree, the effects of the past day finally catching up with me. I looked down to my crippled knee, blood pouring out like a leak in a water pipe, my chest wound wasn’t doing any better. I had nothing to stop the blood either. My sorry excuse for a shirt would covered with grime, more likely to cause an infection than help. Blood loss was probably going to be my killer now, better that than a noose.

Don’t you think like that, we’ve gotten this far haven’t we? You’ve done what most slaves would never think of doing.

“Yeah? Well I did it, what's the point of it now?” I said aloud.

I could hardly hear the voice’s response over my grunts of pain and wandering thoughts. My vision was getting blurry at this point, my body was done for, I couldn’t move anymore. My eyes were heavy, the one that you feel when you haven’t slept in days and they just didn't want to stay open. I let them flutter as I struggled to keep them open, despite the voice’s constant complaints against it, just a little nap and maybe I could move again.

Close your eyes and this will be your last day on-

The voice went silent, and my eyes shot wide open, we had both heard it. The distant but nearing of strange voices. It was coming from in front of me, further out from where I guessed the farm was. I didn’t know what to do, just lay here and be caught? I don’t know what they’d do to me, find my previous owners and give me back? Finish me off for trespassing or worse? Or even take me as property?

Well we’re not going to let that happen are we? Get your sorry self up, whatever ounce of strength you have, find it.

“I haven’t had any strength for the past twenty years...you know that. Maybe it’s time to just give up.”

  The voice didn’t like that very much, it hounded me until I ended getting up on one leg. I couldn’t run anymore, not even walk. I more or less threw myself at the trees using them as support. I heard something really close now, just a couple yards from me if I could tell correctly.

“Pinkie Pie git back ‘ere ya crazy mare! Ya don’ know wha’ ‘em noises were, who’s ta say wha’ it could have been!” One of the voices said. It was feminine and had distinctive southern accent, very strong like a leader of some sort.

“Well you said we should get here quick silly! Don’t you wanna know what it was? Sounded like cannons!” Another one said in a much lighter, bubbly tone, I’m guessing this was Pinkie Pie the other mare was talking to.

She was much closer than the southern sounding mare. I stealthily peered past the tree I was against and that’s when they came into view. Two figures stood near where I had laid down surveying the area, I looked to the ground and saw what I was most afraid of. A more than obvious blood trail led to my direction. The metallic taste was engulfing all of my taste buds, as a constant stream of blood poured from my mouth, my breathing become quick and shallow from the terror of them finding me.

The one I figured named Pinkie Pie, due to her pink mane and fur, bounced around the area, not really paying attention to anything. The other one with a long braided blonde mane and orange fur walked to the exact tree as I silently pleaded her not too. I heard her gasp and called the pink one over, they both crouched and looked at each other, shocked.

 “Well whatever happened ‘ere we have somethin’ hurt, its gotta be somethin’ large too. Hey Fluttershy, where are ya sugarcube?” the blonde maned one shouted.

 I took this as my chance to try and get farther away, I swung myself in the other direction around the tree and smacked into something soft and yellow, knocking me and it down bringing a shocked shout. I brought myself up quickly and found myself looking into the terrified eyes of the yellow Equestrian in front of me, the other two’s companion I gathered. We both sat in silence and fright, she was scared of me and I of her. We remained like this until she happened to look over me, noticing the blood and my wounds.

“Oh my, are you hurt? Who are you, do you need help?” she asked, all former terror gone. She stood and held out a hand towards me.

Don’t trust her, you have to go now, run.

“Fluttershy, is that yo-what in tarnation!?” said the country mare from behind me.

 I didn’t hesitate to move, fear rejuvenated my body as I shoved past the pony before me. I heard them pursue, shouting at me to stop from behind. I couldn’t, never be fooled by how kind one of them looks, that was rule number one. Suddenly the yellow one, appeared next to me, wings flapping gently. She was a pegasus, how could I escape that?

“Oh please stop running, we’re not going to hurt you! You’re really hurt and we can help-” she tried to say before I changed directions, ducking under a large branch to my left that she had to maneuver around.

A large stream came into view ahead, I’d have to try and jump it, and if I didn’t...well I don’t know how to swim. I turned my head to see the three of them right on me, gaining fast.

“Slow down partner, we just want to talk that’s all!” said the orange one.

Go, go, go, go!

I listened to the voice as the stream came but feet ahead of me, and I leapt, or tried to. I put too much pressure on the wrong leg and  felt what was left of my knee shatter and give away, an audible crack was all I heard as I felt the rush of cold water around me. I flailed my arms and my good leg, trying to tread and stay afloat to no avail, this stream was more like a small river and deeper than I thought. I was truly terrified now, the fight or flight instinct that had been giving me motive was gone now, leaving me with the awful need for air.

One large struggle after another, air left my lungs and filled with water. I pitifully lunged my hand above the water, trying to grab onto anything. That’s when my body finally shut down, everything went limp and I could feel my mind give up as well. My eyes darted around, watching the surface slowly go out of reach, the water around me turned a dark red from my open wounds. The voice even went silent as my frozen hand sunk beneath the surface, then something ploomed into the river, raising me from the water.

I broke the surface to see a blurry figure dragging me onto the land, laying me on my back. Two more entered my view, shouting words in panic. I couldn’t understand any of it, the one who pulled me lowered her head, a long pink mane and yellow fur came in front of my eyes, my head fixated in one direction, straight into her eyes. She said something to me but all I responded with was a choking cough, a mix of water and blood streaming from my mouth.

“Can you...me? ...going to be oka..” she said, her words faded in and out.

I struggled to get something up, any kind of words, “P-please...don’t...hurt..” was all I could muster, before my eyesight dimmed to black, the last thing I saw was a vague outline of her seemingly concerned face as it inched closer to mine.

‘So this is it huh? I always imagined us going out in a worse way, a tiny relief I guess.’ I rationalized as my mind slipped into the darkness as well.