I grasped at the waking world, yet it only seemed to slip through my fingers. I heard voices vaguely female, one seemed to be louder than the other, even shouting, yet I couldn't make out one word they were saying, it all sounded like someone was mumbling in my ear. The pain returned it felt like someone was digging their hands through the wound in my back, I couldn't scream, I couldn't do anything but wait until the pain was over. My mind had other ideas and slowly slipped into a state of unconsciousness, the pain becoming a dull throb.

The next time I woke up my thoughts were a bit clearer, I was laying on something soft with no memory of how I got here. The last thing I remembered was running away from a mantico-. I bolted upright eyes flashing in every direction looking for the manticore. I should be dead but instead seemed to be in a cottage of some sort with animals laying on the ground and birds sleeping in the plants. I groaned and noticed the moonlight trickling in from the open window across the room. I tried to stand up but only earned a spike of pain running through my previously un-bandaged shoulder for my efforts. I grit my teeth as preparation for my second attempt at standing. This one met with more success, I stood up and proceeded to stumble my way through the labyrinth of sleeping animals towards a room that was flooded with light.

I miraculously managed to get into what I now notice is the kitchen without stepping on or waking up any of the animals. "Fuck, my shoulder hurts. I wonder if this place has any beer?" A brief inspection showed that there were none to be found. "Fantastic, what kind of person has no alcohol in their house?" I scoffed at the fact, deciding to find the owner of this cottage and find out the reason why I'm still alive. I stepped back into the main room and noticed a stairwell leading up into the darkness. "It had to be stairs didn't it?" I sighed and trudged towards the stairs.

"Hello? Is there anyone up there?" I whispered towards the top of the stairwell hoping that if anyone was up there they would come down so I wouldn't have to climb up the devilish creation. No response, I sighed again and made my way up the stairs. Each step sent a jolt of pain through my shoulder. I glared at the top stair, I was so close. "Come on Shawn. Just three more steps." I grit my teeth and scrambled up the remaining steps laying my hands on my knees and panting heavily at the top of the stairs.

I walked over to the bed that was against the far wall and saw... a pony? I put my hand on the night stand to steady myself. What was a pony doing in this bed? Where was its owner? Why did it look like it was part of a cartoon? All good questions I shifted my hand leaning heavily on the night stand, it groaned against my weight obviously not used to such heavy things being put on it, but before I could lift my hand the stand collapsed under my weight.

*CRASH* the pony bolted upright frightfully looking around, thankfully finding not finding me."Hello? a timid voice questioned "is anypony there?"

"Did... Did it just talk?" I said in a hushed whisper trying to lie as low to the ground as possible. I looked up briefly and straight into the light blue eyes of the pony that was previously sleeping on the bed.

Author's Note

Rather short chapter but I felt like that was a good place to end it