Judgementby RockingEndChaptersChapter 1: The StormChapter 2: ExplorationChapter 3: Town MeetingChapter 1: The StormIt was a cold night tonight… I hadn’t planned on the storm, either… I really have to start planning my walks around the weather, stop making bad situations worse… Running away from problems wasn’t usually my style, nor did I enjoy doing it, but I don’t have much of a choice this time. I’m probably better off alone out here, anyway. I gave a slight chuckle, this walk was the only good decision I had made today, minus the weather, I always found comfort around these woods, a tranquil feel would always emanate though them. But something was off tonight… Maybe it was the lightning overhead, maybe it was just the regrets and frustrations of the day festering in my mind… Whatever it was, something felt really off… With a heavy sigh, I took out my phone and turned on some music to help take my mind off things. Problem was, it wasn’t really helping… All it seemed to do tonight was remind me of yet another ‘fault’ I was said to have, because I refused to follow a trend… That’s all some people seem to care about now, trends… As far as they’re concerned, if you aren’t one of them, you aren’t worth the time or effort of a simple “Hey, how’s it going?” It just isn’t fair… An unusually cold breeze caught my attention, like the wind had suddenly dropped a few degrees lower… It had started to pick up, too. I glanced around the woods around me, half expecting to see someone who had come after me… No one. Just empty space. Silent, empty space… I guess I wasn’t really surprised. Once again, I tried to turn my focus to my music, and away from my daily troubles. It had just started to seem like an uphill battle, and each time I hit the top of a slope, there was an even steeper one waiting for me… Mocking me. Reminding me that the only escape was to turn back and jump down that first slope… Suicide… The one option I tried to keep as far away from my thoughts as possible. Each night, before going to sleep, and each morning before getting up for the daily struggle, I would always tell myself that things will get better, something will come up to make all this garbage I’ve endured worthwhile… Yet to this day, there has been nothing. Well, say for one thing… For the last couple of months I had attained a… Questionable hobby. Something I had found and become attached to thanks to the internet… I had done everything in my power to make sure that nobody would find out that I was a brony. Yeah… My Little Pony, sure, it sounds a little ridiculous, but it had been the one main reason I kept repeating those damn words to myself each night. Something about it always put a smile on my face, knowing I wasn’t alone helped, but the antics and story behind a show that years ago I would have gagged at, now give me hope for the future, give me hope that someday, things would get better for me… Maybe someday, I could live in a perfect world like them. But no matter how happy it made me seem, the thoughts of what I would face if my secret got out always sought to kick me while I was down. An odd-sounding clap of thunder snapped me out of my trance-like state. I mentally cursed myself for once again getting lost in my own head. My cursing quickly turned to worry, however, as I realised that in my wandering, I had managed to lose the trail I usually follow. “Oh, great! Today just gets better and better!” I called out sarcastically into the empty woods before me. With the storm really starting to pick up, I figured it would be a safe bet to get some cover from the buffeting rain and winds tearing up the woods. At least it gave me a little bit of breathing room to hold up and think in. Occasionally the woods would be lit up for an instant as flashes of lightning began to overtake the night sky. Between flashes, I could make out rather large puddles of water forming around the bases of nearby trees. The storm was starting to take a turn for the worst, I had to stay focussed if I wanted to find my way out of these woods. “Heh… I sure could use an umbrella hat right about now.” I chuckled to myself, “Or maybe a nice hole in all the clouds to help shield me from this rain.” For the first time all night, I had managed to take my mind off of the day’s troubles, thanks to my unusual little hobby… Losing focus on the situation again, I allowed myself a few minutes of reminiscing. Unbeknownst to myself, the storm was now really starting to pick up, and another strange-sounding clap of thunder alerted me to this. And out of the corner of my eye, I spotted an unusual build up of lightning amongst the clouds nearby. What was unusual about this was, that the electricity that had begun flowing through the overhead clouds was a mixture of pink, purple and blue. All at once, the build up jumped from the cloud directly to the ground mere metres from where I had been standing. A deafening SLAM!, followed by an incredible force took me off of my feet, throwing me to the ground. I had absolutely no idea clouds could hold that kind of force… It seemed unnatural. I thought to myself as I clambered to my feet, trying to catch my breath. I took a second glance up at the clouds above me, a faint sign of the electrical force remaining, showing as a small pink and purple bolt, jumping through the night skies. I picked my phone up off the ground, the impact had left the screen shattered and the phone itself barely functional. I figured that once I got home I could figure out what to do about it, for now, my top priority was getting the heck out of here before the sky started to fall on me. Before I could turn and hobble away, a faint light in the distance drew my gaze. A magenta-like mist surrounding the area. Another breeze blew past me, unlike the winds moments ago, this felt warm, inviting… Like it was beckoning me to this light. The surrounding skies were starting to clear, not a single cloud, raindrop or flash to be seen… Something was up, a storm wouldn’t just vanish like that. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to make my way to the light. The strange, warm breeze continually flowing in its direction… Beckoning me toward it, inviting me to discover its source. My first thought was that it may be a fire, I mean, what else could cause such sudden heat and light, but as I was drawn closer, I had realised that it was quite the opposite. What looked like a pool of water had suddenly appeared within a large ditch in the ground… Alright, now this was just plain weird, time to get out of here… As I turned to leave, another gust of wind, much stronger that the previous breezes hit me, almost as if the forces of nature wanted me to stay and investigate. And, against my better judgement, I decided to play along. I slowly approached the pool, and upon reaching it, I realized that it wasn’t just a ditch full of rainwater… The liquid pooled within had the same pinkish-purplish tint as the lightning that had struck, not to mention there looked to be tiny bolts jumping throughout the ditch. The winds grew slightly cooler, the clouds and rain slowly beginning to return. I looked back into the strange pool before me, its colour had begun to fade… Just what the heck was this thing? I had to know. Curiosity getting the better of me, I reached out and touched my fingers to the strange liquid. Bad move. A strong jolt of electrical current jumped through me, immediately stopping. The damage had been done however, it hadn’t done anything to hurt me, but a powerful wave of fatigue swept over me. Within seconds, I was unconscious, falling forwards into the strange ditch. Distant sounds of thunder and the sounds of winds lulled me out of my slumber. I was just dreaming? I pulled myself up from my seated position, I had been propped up against a tree. Wondering what time it was, I reached to my pocket for my phone, finding nothing but empty space. “Terrific!” I shouted into the silence. Not only am I lost, but I’ve got no way to contact anyone for help, and no way of telling how long I had been out here for. I felt a little dizzy, perhaps due to my sudden awakening, or maybe because of all the stress of my current situation. Either way, I figured it would be a good choice to find a better temporary shelter than a tree. I’d just have to make do with my own less-than-stellar vision, since my phone had also been my primary light source. After stumbling around, and a few branches to the head, I spotted what looked like a cave in the distance thanks to the brief flashes of lightning I had begun to rely on for navigation. Shelter, that was one thing at least… Slowly but surely, I made my way to the cave I was seeking. I went far enough in to be shielded from the rain, but no further, I had no clue what was down here, as far as I was concerned, this was temporary, for a couple of hours, max. Hopefully I could wait out the storm in here. A few minutes passed, and it didn’t look like the storm was going to be letting up anytime soon. Once again, I felt tired and dizzy. I sat down, leaning against the cave walls for support, I was essentially out of options, I didn’t fancy the idea of heading back out into the storm to try find my way home, I’d have to leave that for tomorrow. I conceded that I would have to spend the remainder of the night in this cave. Resting my head against my own shoulder, I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. Through most of the night’s ordeal, I had forgotten about the reason I got lost here in the first place, although now that everything had calmed down, my mind turned back to another situation I had started earlier today. I had used a unique way of dealing with a problem, making one side worse, so the other could get some breathing room. I had walked out on a friend after he had come to me at a bad time… That’s usually how things work, I’m always left to deal with things alone, but I’m always called to the defence when it comes to someone else’s mess. I guess I had just had enough of it. It wasn’t what I had wanted to do, but it was what was best for myself at the time, and I really needed some way to get some space. I guess the fallout was what was really bugging me… In less than a day, most of my friends had abandoned me. Leaving me to ponder what I had done and the consequences of one selfish act. The one-way discussion went on in my head for a little while longer, before I finally managed to drift off once more, my last thoughts about that perfect world, and how simpler life would be there. I woke up feeling much worse for wear, after what was quite frankly, the worst sleep I had ever had in my life. My back was aching and my neck felt worse. Caves are no fun to sleep in. Either way, I had a goal for the day, find my way home. I stepped outside of the cave, aside from the damp ground, you wouldn’t have been able to tell it had been raining… Not a single cloud in the sky, the sun was shining, and not to mention the temperature was perfect for a stroll. At least the weather was going my way. Scanning my surroundings, nothing seemed immediately familiar, aside from a small clearing off in the distance. Seeing it as my best bet of finding my way back to the trail I was on, I headed for it… And boy, did I find a lead… “Well, now I just feel like a moron…” I murmured to myself as I stared at the small dirt trail I had been following before getting lost last night. “There’s no way that I was only a few dozen metres from where I had been walking… Nothing looks familiar.” It didn’t make sense, the only thing I recognized was the trail, other than that, everything seemed out of place, certainly nothing I had seen on any of my other walks before. In the distance I could see that the trail I was following led out into a much larger dirt road, which was connected into a street. Houses, I was getting somewhere. As I neared, I noticed that the houses were a little more peculiar than what you would usually see. The structure seemed to be made up mainly of wood, with straw covering the roofing… I wondered just where I was now, this definitely wasn’t home… But hopefully someone could help me get there. Now with purpose, I quickened my pace toward the town, hearing chatter and shouts as I got closer. After reaching the larger dirt road I turned to look into the town, hoping to see any familiar faces that I could approach for directions. What I saw, however, caused me to stop in my tracks and stare in both fear and wonder. There were no people in this town… There were… No, it couldn’t be, that’s crazy… I shut my eyes, trying to focus, hoping that maybe I would wake up from another dream. Slowly, I reopened them, the picture no different than what it had been. Ponies… Almost immediately my mind began to think of theories. Only two seemed even close to reasonable. I was either dreaming, or insane… A dream… That’s what this had to be. This couldn’t be real. I backed away from the town, not sure how to act. I couldn’t just walk in and ask “Excuse me, is any of this really happening?” For one, that would look and sound ridiculous… And two, I was a foreign creature, assuming any of this was actually happening. Who knows how they’d react. Hoping nobody had seen me, I decided to head back to familiar ground, backtracking to the cave I had slept in to consider my options further... What was happening… There was no way what had just happened was real… Right? Equestria is make-believe… But if that was the case… What did I just see? My stomach growled, come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon… Perfect. Lost, no food, and I’ve gone mental. Maybe I could head back into town later tonight… When everything is quiet and the streets are empty… Surely there’d be food in there somewhere… I waited for dusk, plotting what my goals would be while exploring the town. Find out where I was, map out the area in my mind, and most importantly, get some food. After a few hours of waiting and idle staring, the sun finally began to set, and I decided it was time to make my way back to the town. Wading through the trees and making sure to stick to the dirt path, I eventually found my way back to the larger road that led into the small town. I waited outside of the town, observing the colourful equines as they went about their remaining nightly business. Making sure to remain out of sight, I watched as shopkeepers collected their remaining product and left their stalls for the night. Glancing through the town, I spotted some alleyways, if need be, I could use those to stay out of sight, but the town was looking quiet enough for me to stick to the streets unseen. Well, here goes nothing. Chapter 2: ExplorationMy heart was pounding, my mind swirling with the fear of being caught. As the last of the sunlight left the skies, and the remainder of the shopkeepers left their stalls, I made my way slowly to the alleyways I had spotted earlier. I knew what I was looking for, but had no clue where to look. This complicated things, and I figured the best thing to do would be to wander about the town until I found something noteworthy. It was somewhat eerie amidst the alleys, every few minutes I’d come across a dimly lit lantern hanging from protruding posts or stands, and aside from the occasional stack of hay, stray box, or garbage bag, darkness was the only thing these alleys seemed to be good for. After wandering for a few dozen minutes, I noticed a turn leading back out into the town, I had to be somewhere near the middle of this maze of buildings by now. I heard no steps or other noise coming from the open area, and decided that this outing would be pointless if I didn’t at least peek out of these alleys. Slowly, I looked out, part of me expecting a crowd of eyes to be staring back… Luckily, the only thing that greeted me was the silence of the sleeping town. Still a little paranoid, however, I cautiously walked out from the alley, checking every angle and direction as I did so. Content with the lack of surrounding activity, I started to walk through the main streets of the town, glad to finally be out in the open air. I eventually reached the centre of the mess of roads and pathways. Looking around, I could see some highly decorated stalls, devoid of stock or shopkeepers. I lightly sighed, realising that these stalls would carry no scraps or leftover food stuffs. Judging by the arrangement of the buildings around here, and all the stalls, I figured that this was either a marketplace, or a town square of some sort. I made sure to mentally map the surrounding streets out for future reference, before a brightly coloured building, decorated with pictures and logos of cakes and other baked goods caught my attention. I walked over, observing the wide variety of interesting looking snacks on display behind the shop window. “Well, this is no good…” I mumbled to myself, making sure nothing else would be able to hear. For a brief moment, I considered breaking the glass in order to obtain the treats inside, although that would gather way too much attention, leaving me to continue my wandering. I turned away, trying to block the sugar-loaded treats from my mind. As I started to walk away, I took a final glance at the sign hanging from above the door. Sugarcube Corner… So far, tonight had been a total bust, aside from mapping out the town a little bit--Wait, what!? I turned back, making sure I had read the sign correctly... Yep, right there, clear as day… Sugarcube Corner… Ponyvilles local sweet shop… There’s no way that this was the Ponyville… That’s make-believe… Although… Last time I checked, so were multi-coloured, magical ponies… Alright… This situation was starting to get a little weird… My stomach growled, reminding me of my original focus. This wasn’t the time to be mentally debating the reality of this situation. As far as I know, I’m in Ponyville, and in Ponyville, there is one place that obtaining food would be as easy as apple picking… Sweet Apple Acres Now, all that I had to do was work out where that was… I let out another sigh, this one slightly louder than before. How hard could it be… A bunch of apple trees couldn’t be hard to spot, right? I wound up searching for almost an hour, as it turns out, a bunch of apple trees aren’t actually as easy to find as you’d think. All the while, I began to feel more and more tired, not to mention how hungry I was getting. After another few minutes, my efforts were finally rewarded, when in the distance I could make out a sign with the words ‘Sweet Apple Acres’ written across it, as well as an arrow pointing a little further down the road. After following the directions for a little while, I finally spotted what I had been hoping for, an apple tree. Never before in my life had a fruit looked this tempting. I quickly hopped over a small white fence that stood between me and the surrounding orchard. Immediately, I greedily snatched an apple from a tree and bit into it. Maybe it was just how hungry I was, but it was one of the tastiest things I had eaten for as long as I could remember. I made sure to stash as many as I could carry in my pockets, just in case I ever felt peckish. With my hunger satisfied, I could get back to my exploration. The night pressed on, and I took note of many of the noteworthy places within Ponyville. I had kept a record of most of the towns exits, entrances into alleyways, memorable areas, and just about anything else I came across. I had never thought I’d ever get an opportunity to see something like this so close-up and personal… A faint whistling, and the distant sound of someone approaching caught my attention, causing me to panic slightly, I quickly glanced around, checking for the nearest hiding place. Without thinking, I darted toward a nearby alleyway and took refuge from the passer-by, who walked by obliviously, quietly whistling to themselves. I didn’t dare to look out until the sounds had passed. Thankful to have not drawn any unwanted attention to myself, I very cautiously made my way back out into the streets. Checking up and down the road to make sure that no one else would interrupt my endeavours. I silently myself, noticing that in my panicked fleeing, I had neglected to cover any tracks my shoes had left. Luckily for me, whoever went by wasn’t very attentive to detail. I made sure to remove any sign of my presence before I decided that it was time for me to leave. Since I had no place to really go, I figured that I’d head back to the cave I had spent last night in. On my way out of the small town, I spotted another familiar building, one I hadn’t take notice of earlier. A large tree, with windows and a door carved into it… Twilight Sparkle’s library… A light could be seen shining through one of the windows. I hadn’t the slightest idea of the time, but I knew the night had progressed enough for it to be considered ‘late’. As it usually does, curiosity got the better of me, and I went to get a closer look into the hollowed-out tree. I made sure to stay out of the light, I didn’t want to get caught now, not after I made it through the whole night without a single incident. As soon as I got close enough, I caught a brief glimpse through the window. Inside, I saw a lavender coloured unicorn, with a large star emblazoned on her flank, sitting in front of a desk, reading through a book. Twilight Sparkle. I froze somewhat, unsure of everything I had argued with myself over… What was happening… Why was I in Ponyville, surrounded by colourful equines… What happened to home… To Earth? This wasn’t the time to be losing my mind… I had to stay focussed, at least until I was out of here. I turned my attention back to the interior of the library, noticing another being in there. An owl… It had its eyes fixed on me… I was spotted. By an owl… Okay, time to get out of here before I’m spotted by something that can actually articulate proper speech and thought. I slowly backed away, locked in this staring contest with Owlowiscious. As soon as I was out of sight of the library, I turned and ran from the town, being cautious to keep my footsteps light and untraceable. After gaining some distance between myself and Ponyville, I started to circle around the town, keeping a keen eye out for the dirt path that led to the cave. By the time I had finally reached the destination I sought, I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was collapse into a soft bed… But all I had was this empty slab of rock. It wasn’t all bad, at least… The cave did have a kind of welcoming warmth to it, I guess it’s better than sleeping outside in the freezing cold, which is more than what some people have. I slumped against a wall and slowly sat down, considering everything that had transpired tonight. I guess I’d have to start planning my next few days… Maybe I can get some answers for myself… After another few minutes passed, I laid down, closing my eyes and slowly fading from reality. I couldn’t believe what had happened over the last 48 hours. Of all the people to wind up in Equestria, it’s me… Me. Insanity or not, this was an incredible development… With my hunger satisfied, and fatigue finally getting the better of me, I drifted to sleep with one last thought stuck in my mind… A perfect world… I woke up with a jolt, and after slowly gathering my senses, I realised I had been sitting in the family car as it travelled down a long, country road. I felt like the last two days had been a vivid dream, I also felt strangely refreshed… Younger, even... Looking around, I noticed my father at the wheel, his eyes fixated on the road. “What did I miss?” I asked, still trying to get a firm grasp on reality. “Trees, road, and a lot of empty space.” He replied, a cheerful grin spread across his face. “It’s almost twelve, we’ll stop and get lunch the next chance we get.” “Awesome.” I grinned back. My father was a great person. Even in the worst situations, he’d look to the lighter side… It was what made me look up to him. I had tried so hard to embody everything he had taught me. It was always good to know that he was there to help out. I figured that we’d be on the road another few minutes before our next stop, so I decided to pass the time by checking out the scenery. But my dad was right, there really was a lot of empty space, nothing really interesting about it. Before I knew it, I had started drifting off again. Once again, I was awoken by a bump, this time it was much more serious though. I opened my eyes, the sight before me sending a jolt of panic through my body. The ground was above me, or at least I had thought so before I realised I was upside down. I tried desperately to make sense of my surroundings, tiny shards of glass covered the ground, a deep pain was shooting through my shoulder. I looked around… My father was gone. My eyes shot open, and with a sigh of relief and a check of my surroundings, I began to recognize the area around me. I was greeted by the hard stone walls of the cave, and the morning light shining in through the opening. I settled down after a few slow breaths. I had been having that recurring dream now for almost a year and a half… It felt less and less like a dream each time… Like I was actually reliving that day… The day I lost my father… I tried to push the memory from my mind. It was the last thing I needed right now. I had to focus on the plan I had conceived last night. It probably wasn’t one of my better ideas, but I had decided that I’d head back into Ponyville during the day, my goal was pretty simple, catch up on the town’s most recent events. Sure, it wouldn’t be that simple, but I was feeling good about it. I was still planning to do all of this from the shadows, making matters much more complicated. But I still didn’t want to risk a hostile reaction. Hopefully if I stuck to the alleyways I had explored last night, there wouldn’t be any risk of being caught out. I stood up, stretching my various limbs and muscles, if I wanted to avoid attention, I had best get to town early. I followed the dirt path toward the town, stopping just short of the main road leading through. My best bet was to slip in through the outskirts, waltzing along the main road probably wouldn’t get me too far. I managed to squeeze through a small space between a couple of homes, ducking under the windows for good measure… You can never be too sure, right? This small crevice led me straight into a much larger space, which I speedily recognized as the alleyway I had entered Ponyville through last night. If I remembered correctly, if I was to follow this alleyway all the way down, I’d end up in the middle of the marketplace, an area which was probably quite populated already, despite the time. It was a gamble, but probably my best chance at hearing the latest news. I decided to go for it. For a little while, at least. I hastily made my way through the alleyways of Ponyville, avoiding prolonged exposure to the open streets of the town. After a minute or so of walking, I reached the opening that led out to a mess of ponies and stalls. I stood in the dark, watching as the stall owners would shout about their products and bargains, watching as lines formed and disbanded one after another… It was so similar to home. A familiar voice caught my attention, “C’mon everypony! We got fresh apples, ripe from harvestin’!” I looked over, confirming my suspicions. In front of a large line of impatient-looking ponies, stood an orange mare, wearing a country-styled hat, calling out to the crowds shuffling through the marketplace. None other than Applejack. I couldn’t help but feel a little excited, similar to how I felt after seeing Twilight Sparkle the previous night. After taking a moment to regain my perspective, I decided it would be best to get closer to the marketplace, hopefully I’d be able to catch someone talking about the last few weeks. As I got closer to the open air, I noticed a second, and a third familiar figure standing by the exit of the alleyway. Both were mares, one was a white Unicorn, with a neatly tended purple mane, and the other, a pale yellow Pegasus, a long, pink mane covering her face. After taking a more thorough glance, I realised that I was observing Fluttershy and Rarity. Once more, I felt excited. My eagerness was quelled quite quickly however, when I caught ear of their conversation… “… Applejack sounded awfully concerned about this, and a few others have been talking about somepony wandering the streets late at night.” Rarity said, a hint of concern in her voice. “Oh, my… That’s dreadful… Did Applejack say how many apples were stolen?” The Pegasus replied. My eyes widened, I ignored the remainder of their conversation. After all the effort last night, they knew about the apples, they knew I was going through the town… All that effort for nothing… I realised that the two were still talking, but had moved slightly, just out of earshot. I had to get closer. However, before I could get a better position, a sound coming from only a few houses in the direction I had approached from became audible. It sounded like things were being thrown about… Part of me wanted to investigate, but I knew that would cost me the rest of this conversation. For a brief moment, the sounds silenced, only to begin once more after what sounded like a frustrated growl. “Damn it…” I quietly muttered as I turned and started to head toward the sounds, leaving the two ponies to converse in private. I began to close in on the noise, as I neared, it began to sound less like it was coming from the interior of a home, and more like it was coming from the alleyways. As I rounded a corner, I noticed the figure of a small filly, rummaging through a small stack of what looked like garbage. I couldn’t make out the identity of the small figure because of the shadow that the walls of the alley had cast over them. The dark stretch was lined with the silhouettes of various objects and stacks that could do nicely as cover, I decided to get a closer look, and hopefully determine the identity of the figure digging amongst the trash. Being careful to minimize any noise I was making, I slowly moved behind a stack of crates. This continued as I approached the filly. It was unclear what she was looking for, I made a mental note to try and work that out, too. As I moved from one obstacle to another, I felt my foot snag on a loose object, tripping me. Immediately after hitting the ground, a sharp pain made itself known in my wrist, this was the least of my problems, though. I began to scramble to my feet, hoping that I just had the quietest fall in history. As I made it to my knees however, I noticed the rummaging had stopped. I looked back over to the filly, who was staring straight at me, a look of fear spread across her face. Well, shit. The fall had partially disoriented me, and the dark alley wasn’t making things easier. All I could see were a pair of eyes fixated on me, before quickly darting to an object at her hooves and back. Suddenly, the pain in my wrist intensified, pulling my focus from the situation. The mysterious filly used this opportunity to snatch up whatever she had been after and hastily retreat through the alleyways. As I looked back up all I saw was the filly disappearing around a corner. I thought it was best for the both of us if I didn’t try to go after her. Instead it was time to get the heck out of here before the consequences of that little encounter became evident. As I followed the dirt road back down to the cave, the pain in my wrist had begun to intensify. I must’ve sprained it from that fall. Not only that, but I still felt quite dizzy and confused after that landing. In the light of the late afternoon sun, I could see that my arm was starting to swell a bit. One thing was for sure, I wouldn’t be going back into Ponyville anytime soon. I still had my stolen rations for the next few days… I checked my pockets, realising that a lot of the weight they had been carrying was gone. I could’ve sworn I had more than this… I pondered this for a moment, trying to ignore the pounding in my head. That was when it hit me… The things that filly had grabbed, they must’ve been some apples that had fallen out of my pockets when I hit the ground. Wait… Why would a filly be stealing apples from someone…? The pounding in my head intensified, now wasn't the time to be obsessing over this, I needed to rest. Hopefully I’d feel better afterward. Once I reached the cave, I stumbled inside, slowly laying my head down against the stone floor. I tried resting my arm in the most comfortable position I could, before closing my eyes and steadily drifting off. Chapter 3: Town MeetingThe last few days had been rough, I had been making sure to carefully ration my apple supply, but even so, it wasn’t going to last forever. It had been a couple of days since the incident in town, my wrist was still aching, but aside from that I had recovered from the brief encounter with the filly. I had stuck around the cave I was sheltering in, not venturing too far into the surrounding woods, and being very cautious to stay away from Ponyville. I couldn’t risk being caught again. I knew that eventually, I’d have to make arrangements to attain more food. And it was starting to look like it would be sooner rather than later. I still had no idea about the recent events in the town, I had chosen to ignore the shot I had at it, and boy did it cost me… Now all I have is a busted hand, and barely enough food to last me another day. I gave a heavy sigh, there was no avoiding it, I had to head back into Ponyville, tonight. So long as I didn’t make any stupid mistakes and made sure to keep my eyes peeled, I should be able to get through the fiasco without any incidents. The day progressed quite slowly, I wanted to wait until it was at least late-afternoon before I went into the town. But impatience and anxiety made that difficult, and sometime around midday, I decided that I would make my move now. Lifting myself off the ground, I started to tread along the path toward Ponyville. The last few days had been pretty clear, thankfully. I had grown sick and tired of storms ever since my first night. Although I made sure to keep in mind that the weather here was controlled and I wouldn’t get much notice if they went and decided that a hurricane would be nice this time of year… As I approached the town, I used the same tactic I had two days ago, sneaking into the alleyways through the small gaps between houses. If I ever had a chance, I’d have to thank whoever planned out the town for making it so stealth-friendly. Once making it into the dark stretch, I followed it in the direction of the marketplace. While walking, I began to recognize the dimly lit area I was in, recalling where I had lost my footing and fallen in plain sight of the strange filly, rummaging through boxes and idle bags. I glanced across the ground, using the poor lighting as best I could, hoping to find any of the loose apples that I had dropped. Nothing… Eventually, I moved on in the direction of the marketplace. As I neared however, I began to notice an odd lack of sound… Was today some holiday I didn’t know about? My instincts told me to get a closer look. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a completely empty marketplace. It had looked like it was cleared out in a hurry though, stalls remained partially stocked, and the dirt roads were covered with hoofprints and tracks… What the heck had happened… I looked across the wide variance of objects and rations available from many different stalls. My common sense taking a brief leave of absence, I started to walk out into the open, hoping to take some of the food for myself. Before I could get too far into the open, I realised just what a risk I was taking, and instinctively backed up to assess the situation further. After a couple of minutes of weighing up my options, I decided to go for one of the closest stalls, making sure to check every direction before heading out. My caution turned out to be justified, as in the distance, by the town hall, a large crowd appeared to be gathered in front of a stage and podium, where the mayor of the town looked to be speaking. “Huh… There’s a way to get the news, if I ever saw one…” I quietly muttered to myself, opting to forget the stalls and head toward the gathering, sticking to the walls, and avoiding any route where I’d be subjected to being spotted. After a few moments of ducking and weaving through the street, I managed to slip back into the alleys, this time much closer to the meeting, where I’d be within earshot of the speaker… “Thank you for attending, everypony.” The voice of Mayor Mare reached my ears. I remained still, my mind processing what I had heard. “You’re fucking kidding me…” I said with a heavy sigh. “What a waste of time.” As the crowd dispersed, I began to hear the sounds of the town returning to its natural state. Still at a loss for words, I held still in the alley, hoping that nopony would venture down it. Slowly, the activity happening only a few feet from me began to die down. I let out a soft sigh of both relief and frustration. So close, yet so damn far… “I don’t see why you’re getting so worked up about it,” Came a familiar voice, “It’s only a few apples.” I poked my head around the corner of my hiding spot, to see a group of six walking past… The six. They were discussing a topic I had recognised from a couple of days ago, and it looked as if Twilight had the floor. “It’s not the apples that ah’m worried about, Twi.” Applejack retorted. “There’s a no-good thief runnin’ through Ponyville, and soon it won’t just be apples dissapearin’.” “Yeah!” Pinkie Pie shouted, “Today it’s the apples, and tomorrow it’s the apple pie!” “Pinkie, ah’m being serious.” “So was I.” The pink pony chimed. Twilight sighed, continuing to press her argument. The conversation started to become less audible as the group moved out of earshot. I wanted to hear more, but leaving the alley was way too big of a risk. I quickly considered my options, moving back into the streets was out of the question… I had a decent idea of what turns I’d have to take if I was to try following them from the alleys… It was worth a shot. Trying to make up for the time I had already lost, I started to navigate through the dark stretches of buildings and junk, moving as fast as I could without making copious amounts of noise or drawing any attention. And after a few twists and turns, I found myself close to the group once more, their conversation continuing. “… And that’s how we catch them!” Pinkie Pie shouted eccentrically. “Where would we even get the cage from!?” Twilight responded drastically, “Besides, don’t you think that would be a little obvious?” “Nope, why?” I couldn’t help but smile at the conversation, as serious as it should be, it seemed to have taken an absurd turn. To think, all of this because I snagged one too many apples… I guess leaving the stalls earlier was for the best, I’d just have to find some other way to get sustenance. The two continued back and forth about the issue, it was like listening to rationality and irrationality square off in a battle of logic… “So, Rainbow Dash… What was Mayor Mare saying about the week’s weather?” Rarity piped up, interrupting the two. “Oh, yeah. Well we gotta set up a few things, but in a couple of days, the weather’s gonna get a little crazy.” The cyan Pegasus responded. Called it. The conversation started to trail off once more, it seemed like they were headed back to the marketplace. “I’ve heard this much, why quit eavesdropping now.” I quietly muttered as I started making my way through the alleyways once more. After another moment of navigating, I began to approach the marketplace, noticing the crowd’s hushed and confused stance from a distance. Amidst them, I spotted the group I was looking for, blank expressions spread across their faces. As I moved closer, I noticed that a couple of the scarcely stocked stalls had been totally cleaned out, the hushed crowd looking on in confusion as the owners recounted any product that remained. “Huh, Looks like I’m not the only thief in Ponyville…” “That does it!” Applejack breaks the silence, “If there’s a thief on the loose, we’re just gonna have to go out and catch ‘em!” The crowd began to cheer and gesture in agreement. Okay, that was my cue to get out of here before things got ugly. I started to make my way back down the alleyway and toward my planned exit point. Hopefully with all the attention at the marketplace, I’d have time to get back to the cave without being caught. As I made my way through the alleyways, I started to wonder about what had happened with the stalls. I had opted to leave the stuff alone after I saw the gathering at town hall… Yet another costly mistake caused by my curiosity. But if I hadn’t stolen them, who could have… I couldn’t imagine anypony in town to be a thief. I was close to my exit point, only a few more turns and should be able to get out the same way I got in. As I rounded a corner however, I stopped, noticing that dead ahead of me, taking something from a medium-sized sack was that filly from the other night. Man, déjà vu… I seem to be having all the luck today. Before I made a move to hide, an unmistakable crunch sounded. There’s no way that was any of the food I had dropped the other night, she couldn’t have rationed a couple of apples this long… Slowly, my mind put the pieces together. “The filly stole the apples?” I near-whispered to myself, forgetting my proximity to the young pony before me. Hearing my muttering, the filly immediately gave a jump and turned to face me, a slight squeak escaping her throat as she realised that she was facing down the person who she had stolen from a few nights ago. In the late afternoon light, I could make out a few of the filly’s key features. Her coat was an orange colour, she had a short purple mane and tail, not to mention her distinct lack of a cutie mark. Wait a second… Scootaloo?!
Chapter 1: The StormIt was a cold night tonight… I hadn’t planned on the storm, either… I really have to start planning my walks around the weather, stop making bad situations worse… Running away from problems wasn’t usually my style, nor did I enjoy doing it, but I don’t have much of a choice this time. I’m probably better off alone out here, anyway. I gave a slight chuckle, this walk was the only good decision I had made today, minus the weather, I always found comfort around these woods, a tranquil feel would always emanate though them. But something was off tonight… Maybe it was the lightning overhead, maybe it was just the regrets and frustrations of the day festering in my mind… Whatever it was, something felt really off… With a heavy sigh, I took out my phone and turned on some music to help take my mind off things. Problem was, it wasn’t really helping… All it seemed to do tonight was remind me of yet another ‘fault’ I was said to have, because I refused to follow a trend… That’s all some people seem to care about now, trends… As far as they’re concerned, if you aren’t one of them, you aren’t worth the time or effort of a simple “Hey, how’s it going?” It just isn’t fair… An unusually cold breeze caught my attention, like the wind had suddenly dropped a few degrees lower… It had started to pick up, too. I glanced around the woods around me, half expecting to see someone who had come after me… No one. Just empty space. Silent, empty space… I guess I wasn’t really surprised. Once again, I tried to turn my focus to my music, and away from my daily troubles. It had just started to seem like an uphill battle, and each time I hit the top of a slope, there was an even steeper one waiting for me… Mocking me. Reminding me that the only escape was to turn back and jump down that first slope… Suicide… The one option I tried to keep as far away from my thoughts as possible. Each night, before going to sleep, and each morning before getting up for the daily struggle, I would always tell myself that things will get better, something will come up to make all this garbage I’ve endured worthwhile… Yet to this day, there has been nothing. Well, say for one thing… For the last couple of months I had attained a… Questionable hobby. Something I had found and become attached to thanks to the internet… I had done everything in my power to make sure that nobody would find out that I was a brony. Yeah… My Little Pony, sure, it sounds a little ridiculous, but it had been the one main reason I kept repeating those damn words to myself each night. Something about it always put a smile on my face, knowing I wasn’t alone helped, but the antics and story behind a show that years ago I would have gagged at, now give me hope for the future, give me hope that someday, things would get better for me… Maybe someday, I could live in a perfect world like them. But no matter how happy it made me seem, the thoughts of what I would face if my secret got out always sought to kick me while I was down. An odd-sounding clap of thunder snapped me out of my trance-like state. I mentally cursed myself for once again getting lost in my own head. My cursing quickly turned to worry, however, as I realised that in my wandering, I had managed to lose the trail I usually follow. “Oh, great! Today just gets better and better!” I called out sarcastically into the empty woods before me. With the storm really starting to pick up, I figured it would be a safe bet to get some cover from the buffeting rain and winds tearing up the woods. At least it gave me a little bit of breathing room to hold up and think in. Occasionally the woods would be lit up for an instant as flashes of lightning began to overtake the night sky. Between flashes, I could make out rather large puddles of water forming around the bases of nearby trees. The storm was starting to take a turn for the worst, I had to stay focussed if I wanted to find my way out of these woods. “Heh… I sure could use an umbrella hat right about now.” I chuckled to myself, “Or maybe a nice hole in all the clouds to help shield me from this rain.” For the first time all night, I had managed to take my mind off of the day’s troubles, thanks to my unusual little hobby… Losing focus on the situation again, I allowed myself a few minutes of reminiscing. Unbeknownst to myself, the storm was now really starting to pick up, and another strange-sounding clap of thunder alerted me to this. And out of the corner of my eye, I spotted an unusual build up of lightning amongst the clouds nearby. What was unusual about this was, that the electricity that had begun flowing through the overhead clouds was a mixture of pink, purple and blue. All at once, the build up jumped from the cloud directly to the ground mere metres from where I had been standing. A deafening SLAM!, followed by an incredible force took me off of my feet, throwing me to the ground. I had absolutely no idea clouds could hold that kind of force… It seemed unnatural. I thought to myself as I clambered to my feet, trying to catch my breath. I took a second glance up at the clouds above me, a faint sign of the electrical force remaining, showing as a small pink and purple bolt, jumping through the night skies. I picked my phone up off the ground, the impact had left the screen shattered and the phone itself barely functional. I figured that once I got home I could figure out what to do about it, for now, my top priority was getting the heck out of here before the sky started to fall on me. Before I could turn and hobble away, a faint light in the distance drew my gaze. A magenta-like mist surrounding the area. Another breeze blew past me, unlike the winds moments ago, this felt warm, inviting… Like it was beckoning me to this light. The surrounding skies were starting to clear, not a single cloud, raindrop or flash to be seen… Something was up, a storm wouldn’t just vanish like that. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to make my way to the light. The strange, warm breeze continually flowing in its direction… Beckoning me toward it, inviting me to discover its source. My first thought was that it may be a fire, I mean, what else could cause such sudden heat and light, but as I was drawn closer, I had realised that it was quite the opposite. What looked like a pool of water had suddenly appeared within a large ditch in the ground… Alright, now this was just plain weird, time to get out of here… As I turned to leave, another gust of wind, much stronger that the previous breezes hit me, almost as if the forces of nature wanted me to stay and investigate. And, against my better judgement, I decided to play along. I slowly approached the pool, and upon reaching it, I realized that it wasn’t just a ditch full of rainwater… The liquid pooled within had the same pinkish-purplish tint as the lightning that had struck, not to mention there looked to be tiny bolts jumping throughout the ditch. The winds grew slightly cooler, the clouds and rain slowly beginning to return. I looked back into the strange pool before me, its colour had begun to fade… Just what the heck was this thing? I had to know. Curiosity getting the better of me, I reached out and touched my fingers to the strange liquid. Bad move. A strong jolt of electrical current jumped through me, immediately stopping. The damage had been done however, it hadn’t done anything to hurt me, but a powerful wave of fatigue swept over me. Within seconds, I was unconscious, falling forwards into the strange ditch. Distant sounds of thunder and the sounds of winds lulled me out of my slumber. I was just dreaming? I pulled myself up from my seated position, I had been propped up against a tree. Wondering what time it was, I reached to my pocket for my phone, finding nothing but empty space. “Terrific!” I shouted into the silence. Not only am I lost, but I’ve got no way to contact anyone for help, and no way of telling how long I had been out here for. I felt a little dizzy, perhaps due to my sudden awakening, or maybe because of all the stress of my current situation. Either way, I figured it would be a good choice to find a better temporary shelter than a tree. I’d just have to make do with my own less-than-stellar vision, since my phone had also been my primary light source. After stumbling around, and a few branches to the head, I spotted what looked like a cave in the distance thanks to the brief flashes of lightning I had begun to rely on for navigation. Shelter, that was one thing at least… Slowly but surely, I made my way to the cave I was seeking. I went far enough in to be shielded from the rain, but no further, I had no clue what was down here, as far as I was concerned, this was temporary, for a couple of hours, max. Hopefully I could wait out the storm in here. A few minutes passed, and it didn’t look like the storm was going to be letting up anytime soon. Once again, I felt tired and dizzy. I sat down, leaning against the cave walls for support, I was essentially out of options, I didn’t fancy the idea of heading back out into the storm to try find my way home, I’d have to leave that for tomorrow. I conceded that I would have to spend the remainder of the night in this cave. Resting my head against my own shoulder, I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. Through most of the night’s ordeal, I had forgotten about the reason I got lost here in the first place, although now that everything had calmed down, my mind turned back to another situation I had started earlier today. I had used a unique way of dealing with a problem, making one side worse, so the other could get some breathing room. I had walked out on a friend after he had come to me at a bad time… That’s usually how things work, I’m always left to deal with things alone, but I’m always called to the defence when it comes to someone else’s mess. I guess I had just had enough of it. It wasn’t what I had wanted to do, but it was what was best for myself at the time, and I really needed some way to get some space. I guess the fallout was what was really bugging me… In less than a day, most of my friends had abandoned me. Leaving me to ponder what I had done and the consequences of one selfish act. The one-way discussion went on in my head for a little while longer, before I finally managed to drift off once more, my last thoughts about that perfect world, and how simpler life would be there. I woke up feeling much worse for wear, after what was quite frankly, the worst sleep I had ever had in my life. My back was aching and my neck felt worse. Caves are no fun to sleep in. Either way, I had a goal for the day, find my way home. I stepped outside of the cave, aside from the damp ground, you wouldn’t have been able to tell it had been raining… Not a single cloud in the sky, the sun was shining, and not to mention the temperature was perfect for a stroll. At least the weather was going my way. Scanning my surroundings, nothing seemed immediately familiar, aside from a small clearing off in the distance. Seeing it as my best bet of finding my way back to the trail I was on, I headed for it… And boy, did I find a lead… “Well, now I just feel like a moron…” I murmured to myself as I stared at the small dirt trail I had been following before getting lost last night. “There’s no way that I was only a few dozen metres from where I had been walking… Nothing looks familiar.” It didn’t make sense, the only thing I recognized was the trail, other than that, everything seemed out of place, certainly nothing I had seen on any of my other walks before. In the distance I could see that the trail I was following led out into a much larger dirt road, which was connected into a street. Houses, I was getting somewhere. As I neared, I noticed that the houses were a little more peculiar than what you would usually see. The structure seemed to be made up mainly of wood, with straw covering the roofing… I wondered just where I was now, this definitely wasn’t home… But hopefully someone could help me get there. Now with purpose, I quickened my pace toward the town, hearing chatter and shouts as I got closer. After reaching the larger dirt road I turned to look into the town, hoping to see any familiar faces that I could approach for directions. What I saw, however, caused me to stop in my tracks and stare in both fear and wonder. There were no people in this town… There were… No, it couldn’t be, that’s crazy… I shut my eyes, trying to focus, hoping that maybe I would wake up from another dream. Slowly, I reopened them, the picture no different than what it had been. Ponies… Almost immediately my mind began to think of theories. Only two seemed even close to reasonable. I was either dreaming, or insane… A dream… That’s what this had to be. This couldn’t be real. I backed away from the town, not sure how to act. I couldn’t just walk in and ask “Excuse me, is any of this really happening?” For one, that would look and sound ridiculous… And two, I was a foreign creature, assuming any of this was actually happening. Who knows how they’d react. Hoping nobody had seen me, I decided to head back to familiar ground, backtracking to the cave I had slept in to consider my options further... What was happening… There was no way what had just happened was real… Right? Equestria is make-believe… But if that was the case… What did I just see? My stomach growled, come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon… Perfect. Lost, no food, and I’ve gone mental. Maybe I could head back into town later tonight… When everything is quiet and the streets are empty… Surely there’d be food in there somewhere… I waited for dusk, plotting what my goals would be while exploring the town. Find out where I was, map out the area in my mind, and most importantly, get some food. After a few hours of waiting and idle staring, the sun finally began to set, and I decided it was time to make my way back to the town. Wading through the trees and making sure to stick to the dirt path, I eventually found my way back to the larger road that led into the small town. I waited outside of the town, observing the colourful equines as they went about their remaining nightly business. Making sure to remain out of sight, I watched as shopkeepers collected their remaining product and left their stalls for the night. Glancing through the town, I spotted some alleyways, if need be, I could use those to stay out of sight, but the town was looking quiet enough for me to stick to the streets unseen. Well, here goes nothing.
Chapter 2: ExplorationMy heart was pounding, my mind swirling with the fear of being caught. As the last of the sunlight left the skies, and the remainder of the shopkeepers left their stalls, I made my way slowly to the alleyways I had spotted earlier. I knew what I was looking for, but had no clue where to look. This complicated things, and I figured the best thing to do would be to wander about the town until I found something noteworthy. It was somewhat eerie amidst the alleys, every few minutes I’d come across a dimly lit lantern hanging from protruding posts or stands, and aside from the occasional stack of hay, stray box, or garbage bag, darkness was the only thing these alleys seemed to be good for. After wandering for a few dozen minutes, I noticed a turn leading back out into the town, I had to be somewhere near the middle of this maze of buildings by now. I heard no steps or other noise coming from the open area, and decided that this outing would be pointless if I didn’t at least peek out of these alleys. Slowly, I looked out, part of me expecting a crowd of eyes to be staring back… Luckily, the only thing that greeted me was the silence of the sleeping town. Still a little paranoid, however, I cautiously walked out from the alley, checking every angle and direction as I did so. Content with the lack of surrounding activity, I started to walk through the main streets of the town, glad to finally be out in the open air. I eventually reached the centre of the mess of roads and pathways. Looking around, I could see some highly decorated stalls, devoid of stock or shopkeepers. I lightly sighed, realising that these stalls would carry no scraps or leftover food stuffs. Judging by the arrangement of the buildings around here, and all the stalls, I figured that this was either a marketplace, or a town square of some sort. I made sure to mentally map the surrounding streets out for future reference, before a brightly coloured building, decorated with pictures and logos of cakes and other baked goods caught my attention. I walked over, observing the wide variety of interesting looking snacks on display behind the shop window. “Well, this is no good…” I mumbled to myself, making sure nothing else would be able to hear. For a brief moment, I considered breaking the glass in order to obtain the treats inside, although that would gather way too much attention, leaving me to continue my wandering. I turned away, trying to block the sugar-loaded treats from my mind. As I started to walk away, I took a final glance at the sign hanging from above the door. Sugarcube Corner… So far, tonight had been a total bust, aside from mapping out the town a little bit--Wait, what!? I turned back, making sure I had read the sign correctly... Yep, right there, clear as day… Sugarcube Corner… Ponyvilles local sweet shop… There’s no way that this was the Ponyville… That’s make-believe… Although… Last time I checked, so were multi-coloured, magical ponies… Alright… This situation was starting to get a little weird… My stomach growled, reminding me of my original focus. This wasn’t the time to be mentally debating the reality of this situation. As far as I know, I’m in Ponyville, and in Ponyville, there is one place that obtaining food would be as easy as apple picking… Sweet Apple Acres Now, all that I had to do was work out where that was… I let out another sigh, this one slightly louder than before. How hard could it be… A bunch of apple trees couldn’t be hard to spot, right? I wound up searching for almost an hour, as it turns out, a bunch of apple trees aren’t actually as easy to find as you’d think. All the while, I began to feel more and more tired, not to mention how hungry I was getting. After another few minutes, my efforts were finally rewarded, when in the distance I could make out a sign with the words ‘Sweet Apple Acres’ written across it, as well as an arrow pointing a little further down the road. After following the directions for a little while, I finally spotted what I had been hoping for, an apple tree. Never before in my life had a fruit looked this tempting. I quickly hopped over a small white fence that stood between me and the surrounding orchard. Immediately, I greedily snatched an apple from a tree and bit into it. Maybe it was just how hungry I was, but it was one of the tastiest things I had eaten for as long as I could remember. I made sure to stash as many as I could carry in my pockets, just in case I ever felt peckish. With my hunger satisfied, I could get back to my exploration. The night pressed on, and I took note of many of the noteworthy places within Ponyville. I had kept a record of most of the towns exits, entrances into alleyways, memorable areas, and just about anything else I came across. I had never thought I’d ever get an opportunity to see something like this so close-up and personal… A faint whistling, and the distant sound of someone approaching caught my attention, causing me to panic slightly, I quickly glanced around, checking for the nearest hiding place. Without thinking, I darted toward a nearby alleyway and took refuge from the passer-by, who walked by obliviously, quietly whistling to themselves. I didn’t dare to look out until the sounds had passed. Thankful to have not drawn any unwanted attention to myself, I very cautiously made my way back out into the streets. Checking up and down the road to make sure that no one else would interrupt my endeavours. I silently myself, noticing that in my panicked fleeing, I had neglected to cover any tracks my shoes had left. Luckily for me, whoever went by wasn’t very attentive to detail. I made sure to remove any sign of my presence before I decided that it was time for me to leave. Since I had no place to really go, I figured that I’d head back to the cave I had spent last night in. On my way out of the small town, I spotted another familiar building, one I hadn’t take notice of earlier. A large tree, with windows and a door carved into it… Twilight Sparkle’s library… A light could be seen shining through one of the windows. I hadn’t the slightest idea of the time, but I knew the night had progressed enough for it to be considered ‘late’. As it usually does, curiosity got the better of me, and I went to get a closer look into the hollowed-out tree. I made sure to stay out of the light, I didn’t want to get caught now, not after I made it through the whole night without a single incident. As soon as I got close enough, I caught a brief glimpse through the window. Inside, I saw a lavender coloured unicorn, with a large star emblazoned on her flank, sitting in front of a desk, reading through a book. Twilight Sparkle. I froze somewhat, unsure of everything I had argued with myself over… What was happening… Why was I in Ponyville, surrounded by colourful equines… What happened to home… To Earth? This wasn’t the time to be losing my mind… I had to stay focussed, at least until I was out of here. I turned my attention back to the interior of the library, noticing another being in there. An owl… It had its eyes fixed on me… I was spotted. By an owl… Okay, time to get out of here before I’m spotted by something that can actually articulate proper speech and thought. I slowly backed away, locked in this staring contest with Owlowiscious. As soon as I was out of sight of the library, I turned and ran from the town, being cautious to keep my footsteps light and untraceable. After gaining some distance between myself and Ponyville, I started to circle around the town, keeping a keen eye out for the dirt path that led to the cave. By the time I had finally reached the destination I sought, I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was collapse into a soft bed… But all I had was this empty slab of rock. It wasn’t all bad, at least… The cave did have a kind of welcoming warmth to it, I guess it’s better than sleeping outside in the freezing cold, which is more than what some people have. I slumped against a wall and slowly sat down, considering everything that had transpired tonight. I guess I’d have to start planning my next few days… Maybe I can get some answers for myself… After another few minutes passed, I laid down, closing my eyes and slowly fading from reality. I couldn’t believe what had happened over the last 48 hours. Of all the people to wind up in Equestria, it’s me… Me. Insanity or not, this was an incredible development… With my hunger satisfied, and fatigue finally getting the better of me, I drifted to sleep with one last thought stuck in my mind… A perfect world… I woke up with a jolt, and after slowly gathering my senses, I realised I had been sitting in the family car as it travelled down a long, country road. I felt like the last two days had been a vivid dream, I also felt strangely refreshed… Younger, even... Looking around, I noticed my father at the wheel, his eyes fixated on the road. “What did I miss?” I asked, still trying to get a firm grasp on reality. “Trees, road, and a lot of empty space.” He replied, a cheerful grin spread across his face. “It’s almost twelve, we’ll stop and get lunch the next chance we get.” “Awesome.” I grinned back. My father was a great person. Even in the worst situations, he’d look to the lighter side… It was what made me look up to him. I had tried so hard to embody everything he had taught me. It was always good to know that he was there to help out. I figured that we’d be on the road another few minutes before our next stop, so I decided to pass the time by checking out the scenery. But my dad was right, there really was a lot of empty space, nothing really interesting about it. Before I knew it, I had started drifting off again. Once again, I was awoken by a bump, this time it was much more serious though. I opened my eyes, the sight before me sending a jolt of panic through my body. The ground was above me, or at least I had thought so before I realised I was upside down. I tried desperately to make sense of my surroundings, tiny shards of glass covered the ground, a deep pain was shooting through my shoulder. I looked around… My father was gone. My eyes shot open, and with a sigh of relief and a check of my surroundings, I began to recognize the area around me. I was greeted by the hard stone walls of the cave, and the morning light shining in through the opening. I settled down after a few slow breaths. I had been having that recurring dream now for almost a year and a half… It felt less and less like a dream each time… Like I was actually reliving that day… The day I lost my father… I tried to push the memory from my mind. It was the last thing I needed right now. I had to focus on the plan I had conceived last night. It probably wasn’t one of my better ideas, but I had decided that I’d head back into Ponyville during the day, my goal was pretty simple, catch up on the town’s most recent events. Sure, it wouldn’t be that simple, but I was feeling good about it. I was still planning to do all of this from the shadows, making matters much more complicated. But I still didn’t want to risk a hostile reaction. Hopefully if I stuck to the alleyways I had explored last night, there wouldn’t be any risk of being caught out. I stood up, stretching my various limbs and muscles, if I wanted to avoid attention, I had best get to town early. I followed the dirt path toward the town, stopping just short of the main road leading through. My best bet was to slip in through the outskirts, waltzing along the main road probably wouldn’t get me too far. I managed to squeeze through a small space between a couple of homes, ducking under the windows for good measure… You can never be too sure, right? This small crevice led me straight into a much larger space, which I speedily recognized as the alleyway I had entered Ponyville through last night. If I remembered correctly, if I was to follow this alleyway all the way down, I’d end up in the middle of the marketplace, an area which was probably quite populated already, despite the time. It was a gamble, but probably my best chance at hearing the latest news. I decided to go for it. For a little while, at least. I hastily made my way through the alleyways of Ponyville, avoiding prolonged exposure to the open streets of the town. After a minute or so of walking, I reached the opening that led out to a mess of ponies and stalls. I stood in the dark, watching as the stall owners would shout about their products and bargains, watching as lines formed and disbanded one after another… It was so similar to home. A familiar voice caught my attention, “C’mon everypony! We got fresh apples, ripe from harvestin’!” I looked over, confirming my suspicions. In front of a large line of impatient-looking ponies, stood an orange mare, wearing a country-styled hat, calling out to the crowds shuffling through the marketplace. None other than Applejack. I couldn’t help but feel a little excited, similar to how I felt after seeing Twilight Sparkle the previous night. After taking a moment to regain my perspective, I decided it would be best to get closer to the marketplace, hopefully I’d be able to catch someone talking about the last few weeks. As I got closer to the open air, I noticed a second, and a third familiar figure standing by the exit of the alleyway. Both were mares, one was a white Unicorn, with a neatly tended purple mane, and the other, a pale yellow Pegasus, a long, pink mane covering her face. After taking a more thorough glance, I realised that I was observing Fluttershy and Rarity. Once more, I felt excited. My eagerness was quelled quite quickly however, when I caught ear of their conversation… “… Applejack sounded awfully concerned about this, and a few others have been talking about somepony wandering the streets late at night.” Rarity said, a hint of concern in her voice. “Oh, my… That’s dreadful… Did Applejack say how many apples were stolen?” The Pegasus replied. My eyes widened, I ignored the remainder of their conversation. After all the effort last night, they knew about the apples, they knew I was going through the town… All that effort for nothing… I realised that the two were still talking, but had moved slightly, just out of earshot. I had to get closer. However, before I could get a better position, a sound coming from only a few houses in the direction I had approached from became audible. It sounded like things were being thrown about… Part of me wanted to investigate, but I knew that would cost me the rest of this conversation. For a brief moment, the sounds silenced, only to begin once more after what sounded like a frustrated growl. “Damn it…” I quietly muttered as I turned and started to head toward the sounds, leaving the two ponies to converse in private. I began to close in on the noise, as I neared, it began to sound less like it was coming from the interior of a home, and more like it was coming from the alleyways. As I rounded a corner, I noticed the figure of a small filly, rummaging through a small stack of what looked like garbage. I couldn’t make out the identity of the small figure because of the shadow that the walls of the alley had cast over them. The dark stretch was lined with the silhouettes of various objects and stacks that could do nicely as cover, I decided to get a closer look, and hopefully determine the identity of the figure digging amongst the trash. Being careful to minimize any noise I was making, I slowly moved behind a stack of crates. This continued as I approached the filly. It was unclear what she was looking for, I made a mental note to try and work that out, too. As I moved from one obstacle to another, I felt my foot snag on a loose object, tripping me. Immediately after hitting the ground, a sharp pain made itself known in my wrist, this was the least of my problems, though. I began to scramble to my feet, hoping that I just had the quietest fall in history. As I made it to my knees however, I noticed the rummaging had stopped. I looked back over to the filly, who was staring straight at me, a look of fear spread across her face. Well, shit. The fall had partially disoriented me, and the dark alley wasn’t making things easier. All I could see were a pair of eyes fixated on me, before quickly darting to an object at her hooves and back. Suddenly, the pain in my wrist intensified, pulling my focus from the situation. The mysterious filly used this opportunity to snatch up whatever she had been after and hastily retreat through the alleyways. As I looked back up all I saw was the filly disappearing around a corner. I thought it was best for the both of us if I didn’t try to go after her. Instead it was time to get the heck out of here before the consequences of that little encounter became evident. As I followed the dirt road back down to the cave, the pain in my wrist had begun to intensify. I must’ve sprained it from that fall. Not only that, but I still felt quite dizzy and confused after that landing. In the light of the late afternoon sun, I could see that my arm was starting to swell a bit. One thing was for sure, I wouldn’t be going back into Ponyville anytime soon. I still had my stolen rations for the next few days… I checked my pockets, realising that a lot of the weight they had been carrying was gone. I could’ve sworn I had more than this… I pondered this for a moment, trying to ignore the pounding in my head. That was when it hit me… The things that filly had grabbed, they must’ve been some apples that had fallen out of my pockets when I hit the ground. Wait… Why would a filly be stealing apples from someone…? The pounding in my head intensified, now wasn't the time to be obsessing over this, I needed to rest. Hopefully I’d feel better afterward. Once I reached the cave, I stumbled inside, slowly laying my head down against the stone floor. I tried resting my arm in the most comfortable position I could, before closing my eyes and steadily drifting off.
Chapter 3: Town MeetingThe last few days had been rough, I had been making sure to carefully ration my apple supply, but even so, it wasn’t going to last forever. It had been a couple of days since the incident in town, my wrist was still aching, but aside from that I had recovered from the brief encounter with the filly. I had stuck around the cave I was sheltering in, not venturing too far into the surrounding woods, and being very cautious to stay away from Ponyville. I couldn’t risk being caught again. I knew that eventually, I’d have to make arrangements to attain more food. And it was starting to look like it would be sooner rather than later. I still had no idea about the recent events in the town, I had chosen to ignore the shot I had at it, and boy did it cost me… Now all I have is a busted hand, and barely enough food to last me another day. I gave a heavy sigh, there was no avoiding it, I had to head back into Ponyville, tonight. So long as I didn’t make any stupid mistakes and made sure to keep my eyes peeled, I should be able to get through the fiasco without any incidents. The day progressed quite slowly, I wanted to wait until it was at least late-afternoon before I went into the town. But impatience and anxiety made that difficult, and sometime around midday, I decided that I would make my move now. Lifting myself off the ground, I started to tread along the path toward Ponyville. The last few days had been pretty clear, thankfully. I had grown sick and tired of storms ever since my first night. Although I made sure to keep in mind that the weather here was controlled and I wouldn’t get much notice if they went and decided that a hurricane would be nice this time of year… As I approached the town, I used the same tactic I had two days ago, sneaking into the alleyways through the small gaps between houses. If I ever had a chance, I’d have to thank whoever planned out the town for making it so stealth-friendly. Once making it into the dark stretch, I followed it in the direction of the marketplace. While walking, I began to recognize the dimly lit area I was in, recalling where I had lost my footing and fallen in plain sight of the strange filly, rummaging through boxes and idle bags. I glanced across the ground, using the poor lighting as best I could, hoping to find any of the loose apples that I had dropped. Nothing… Eventually, I moved on in the direction of the marketplace. As I neared however, I began to notice an odd lack of sound… Was today some holiday I didn’t know about? My instincts told me to get a closer look. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a completely empty marketplace. It had looked like it was cleared out in a hurry though, stalls remained partially stocked, and the dirt roads were covered with hoofprints and tracks… What the heck had happened… I looked across the wide variance of objects and rations available from many different stalls. My common sense taking a brief leave of absence, I started to walk out into the open, hoping to take some of the food for myself. Before I could get too far into the open, I realised just what a risk I was taking, and instinctively backed up to assess the situation further. After a couple of minutes of weighing up my options, I decided to go for one of the closest stalls, making sure to check every direction before heading out. My caution turned out to be justified, as in the distance, by the town hall, a large crowd appeared to be gathered in front of a stage and podium, where the mayor of the town looked to be speaking. “Huh… There’s a way to get the news, if I ever saw one…” I quietly muttered to myself, opting to forget the stalls and head toward the gathering, sticking to the walls, and avoiding any route where I’d be subjected to being spotted. After a few moments of ducking and weaving through the street, I managed to slip back into the alleys, this time much closer to the meeting, where I’d be within earshot of the speaker… “Thank you for attending, everypony.” The voice of Mayor Mare reached my ears. I remained still, my mind processing what I had heard. “You’re fucking kidding me…” I said with a heavy sigh. “What a waste of time.” As the crowd dispersed, I began to hear the sounds of the town returning to its natural state. Still at a loss for words, I held still in the alley, hoping that nopony would venture down it. Slowly, the activity happening only a few feet from me began to die down. I let out a soft sigh of both relief and frustration. So close, yet so damn far… “I don’t see why you’re getting so worked up about it,” Came a familiar voice, “It’s only a few apples.” I poked my head around the corner of my hiding spot, to see a group of six walking past… The six. They were discussing a topic I had recognised from a couple of days ago, and it looked as if Twilight had the floor. “It’s not the apples that ah’m worried about, Twi.” Applejack retorted. “There’s a no-good thief runnin’ through Ponyville, and soon it won’t just be apples dissapearin’.” “Yeah!” Pinkie Pie shouted, “Today it’s the apples, and tomorrow it’s the apple pie!” “Pinkie, ah’m being serious.” “So was I.” The pink pony chimed. Twilight sighed, continuing to press her argument. The conversation started to become less audible as the group moved out of earshot. I wanted to hear more, but leaving the alley was way too big of a risk. I quickly considered my options, moving back into the streets was out of the question… I had a decent idea of what turns I’d have to take if I was to try following them from the alleys… It was worth a shot. Trying to make up for the time I had already lost, I started to navigate through the dark stretches of buildings and junk, moving as fast as I could without making copious amounts of noise or drawing any attention. And after a few twists and turns, I found myself close to the group once more, their conversation continuing. “… And that’s how we catch them!” Pinkie Pie shouted eccentrically. “Where would we even get the cage from!?” Twilight responded drastically, “Besides, don’t you think that would be a little obvious?” “Nope, why?” I couldn’t help but smile at the conversation, as serious as it should be, it seemed to have taken an absurd turn. To think, all of this because I snagged one too many apples… I guess leaving the stalls earlier was for the best, I’d just have to find some other way to get sustenance. The two continued back and forth about the issue, it was like listening to rationality and irrationality square off in a battle of logic… “So, Rainbow Dash… What was Mayor Mare saying about the week’s weather?” Rarity piped up, interrupting the two. “Oh, yeah. Well we gotta set up a few things, but in a couple of days, the weather’s gonna get a little crazy.” The cyan Pegasus responded. Called it. The conversation started to trail off once more, it seemed like they were headed back to the marketplace. “I’ve heard this much, why quit eavesdropping now.” I quietly muttered as I started making my way through the alleyways once more. After another moment of navigating, I began to approach the marketplace, noticing the crowd’s hushed and confused stance from a distance. Amidst them, I spotted the group I was looking for, blank expressions spread across their faces. As I moved closer, I noticed that a couple of the scarcely stocked stalls had been totally cleaned out, the hushed crowd looking on in confusion as the owners recounted any product that remained. “Huh, Looks like I’m not the only thief in Ponyville…” “That does it!” Applejack breaks the silence, “If there’s a thief on the loose, we’re just gonna have to go out and catch ‘em!” The crowd began to cheer and gesture in agreement. Okay, that was my cue to get out of here before things got ugly. I started to make my way back down the alleyway and toward my planned exit point. Hopefully with all the attention at the marketplace, I’d have time to get back to the cave without being caught. As I made my way through the alleyways, I started to wonder about what had happened with the stalls. I had opted to leave the stuff alone after I saw the gathering at town hall… Yet another costly mistake caused by my curiosity. But if I hadn’t stolen them, who could have… I couldn’t imagine anypony in town to be a thief. I was close to my exit point, only a few more turns and should be able to get out the same way I got in. As I rounded a corner however, I stopped, noticing that dead ahead of me, taking something from a medium-sized sack was that filly from the other night. Man, déjà vu… I seem to be having all the luck today. Before I made a move to hide, an unmistakable crunch sounded. There’s no way that was any of the food I had dropped the other night, she couldn’t have rationed a couple of apples this long… Slowly, my mind put the pieces together. “The filly stole the apples?” I near-whispered to myself, forgetting my proximity to the young pony before me. Hearing my muttering, the filly immediately gave a jump and turned to face me, a slight squeak escaping her throat as she realised that she was facing down the person who she had stolen from a few nights ago. In the late afternoon light, I could make out a few of the filly’s key features. Her coat was an orange colour, she had a short purple mane and tail, not to mention her distinct lack of a cutie mark. Wait a second… Scootaloo?!
