My Country Tale

The sound of rustling leaves brought me back to reality from my dreamless sleep. Opening my eyes I come to see the clear blue sky, the beautiful natural canvas of this world was dotted with a couple of white fluffy clouds. Just thinking of how soft they would be if you could walk on them, lay on them or just touch them for a moment put a smile on my face.

Sitting up in my spot on the ground I reached my hands out towards the heavens, stretching them in every direction so I could be ready to take on the day's events. The tranquil sound of the wheat swaying in the breeze quickly relaxed my muscles as soon as I stretched them. "What a lovely morning!" I yawned out load standing up.

My smile widened as I took notice of the view around me. I stood in the middle of a wheat field, its crops swaying in the light breeze, its motions were ones similar to the oceans waves. As if that wasn't enough, the sweet smell of the farmers yield filled my nostrils.

"Time to get ready for the day, and head out into the..." It was at this time where the perceptive part of my brain started to function. The image and the idea of where I was standing right now, started to get processed slowly. "... city ..."

The calming wind blew past me filling in the silence. "Where the fuck am I?" I finely questioned glancing around the field. My motions mimicked a dog chasing his own tail as I attempted to figure out where I was. Turn after turn I started to get really dizzy, no memory of the past night was available for access. "HOW THE FUCK DID I GET HERE?!" I yelled out loud.

"This is not good, this is definitely not good!" I repeated over and over again, my own little attempt at calming myself down. Thankfully it worked to some small degree and I started to process the current situation more, however the adrenalin in my system didn't help me out one bit.

Looks to be the same time zone, then again how would I know if I just woke up? I started to get nervous, sweat started to fall from my face. More thoughts filled my mind, Did I walk here? What happened yesterday? Did I go to a party? Yes that sounds familiar; a party... I was making progress, but it was not fast enough. At this rate I will die from dehydration.

My head started to hurt, it felt like my brain was trying to escape the confinements of my skull. This was either because of my situation and how fast my mind is running right now, or it's just a hangover. And what hangover this will be if this is reality and not just a dream. A dream...

I quickly slapped myself as hard as I could. "Oh fuck that hurt!" I yelped. "Okay this is not a dream... In dreams you can't fell pain right?" I questioned myself as I completed another 360. "But this can't be real, this just can't!" I roared out, tears starting to fall down my face in streams.

The rotations I did proved to me that this was in fact a wheat field. What it didn't yield was anything other than the wheat field. "I can't be lost! I never get lost!" I claimed trying to straighten myself up. "I just have to get moving! That's right the farmers that tend to this fields house should be somewhere around here!"

Wiping away the tears I set out in a random direction, the wheat getting trampled as I ran. The crunch of the crops was the only noise I allowed myself to hear, anything else would just serve a negative purpose and negativity is something that I really didn't need right now.

Minutes passed by and my run started to slow down, my breathing heavy. I'm not the most athletic person in the world, but I'm not the worst either.Why do I remember that? I pondered to myself. Strange maybe my memory is slowly returning to me.

Wheezing I finally stopped to catch my breath, Maybe running wasn't such a good idea after all. I told myself as I inhaled what felt like knifes. The luxury of water was something I never thought I would pray for, but at this moment anything seemed possible.

Looking around once again I found myself in a similar situation I was before my little run. "Why me! Why did this have to happen to me!" I finally snapped. I always pictured myself holding out longer like the hero's always do. However being put into a situation like this for real, and it not being on the Television screen is immensely different. My life was hanging in the balance here, now and it was up to me to decide if I should let it live or let it die.

"Anyone out there! Please anyone!" I shrieked, I'm not proud of it but I literally shrieked. I yelled out as loud as I could. My heart rate was skyrocketing and my vision was starting to get blurry. Is this the end? Is this how I go out? I asked myself. I had no memories what so ever of the night before, and the events prior. It was as if someone whipped my mind clean, like how a artist tosses away his unwanted creations.

Did I have a family? Did I have a name? Where was I born? It were these questions that now plagued my mind. I no longer cared about my own well being, I cared about what I would leave behind. Was I someone that would be remembered? God/Evil which one would I fall under? Why do I know this language? Did my past-self really want me to remember him?

I finally lost it and started to cry out. I laid back down on the warm fertile soil, my tears mixing in with the dirt creating small puddles of mud next to my head. "Why me, why me..." I whispered, as I had no more energy left in my body to do anything else. The cyan sky above me started to fade to black, my senses started to once again shut down. It was here on this sunny day that I would die alone.

I laid there staring at the starry sky in front of me, At least I didn't die... I said to myself with a sigh of relief. The nap left me calm and cool, however every inch of my exposed skin was covered in sunburns. It was that fact that left me laying here motionless. To me, the lack of movement was an ability that was sent by divines. Here I could lay down calmly and think about what happened, and try to figure out my past.

If I was at a party before all of this, what kind of party was it? I questioned. It couldn't of been a normal party if I ended up here. Even if it was, I couldn't of gone easy on the liquor. Once again I repeated the phrase, "Why me, why out of all of the people on earth did this happen to me."

Call it selfish, but at that time I wished that this would of happened to someone else. Anyone was more suited to deal with this situation then I was. Suddenly my stomach started to turn, I could feel the bile of last night coming up. Thinking fast I rolled over to my side cussing as the pain shot throughout me like electricity.

Within seconds the contents of my stomach was upon the dirt beside me. I physically felt better after the vomiting session, but my emotional self felt just as bad if not worse than it once did. I rolled back onto my back and stared deeply into the starry sky. Something inside me just hopped that the answer I was looking for would be up there in the heavens. It was a thought and nothing more than a thought.

I was no astronomer but the sky here looked different, it looked much more clearer than it did in the city. Then again you rarely see the night sky due to the light pollution. "It must be nice living out here in the country. You don't have to worry about your neighbors, car crashes, or sleep. Here you could just simply let life pass you by." However saying that you have to pull your own weight around the farm, something that I would never be able to do. I was a city boy and the city is where I belong.

Letting out a large sigh I continued to stare into the dotted abyss. Such a peaceful way to die. I commented to myself. Having no will to get up and start moving again I laid there with a smile upon my face. Whatever life I had before must of been amazing for me to end up in a place like this. I don't know if world was against me before, but now I feel like I am as one with it. It granted me life and the only way to repay its gracious gift is to give it back. Such a sad, but overall cleansing ideal.

Without any warning a hiss came from my side. Jolting from the sudden outside noise I turned towards the sound. Not twenty feet from where my face was sat a king cobra, an animal I knew for a fact did not reside anywhere near where I lived. Why do I keep remember all of these useless facts and not the important ones! I scold myself.

However this was not the time for self-arguing as my death could be only moments away. My body went into full defensive mode and I shot right up. I didn't even have to think before I found myself running away in the complete opposite direction. "Fucking snakes! I hate snakes!" I yelled out as I turned my attention back forwards.

Miraculously my body had enough energy to keep running for a couple extra minutes before collapsing just outside of the wheat field. Just the thought of being out of the crop field brought hope into my soul. For if the field was not endless, then there might be someone out here that could help me.

My energy was running dangerously low, so low that I could probably pass out or die from exhaustion. Nonetheless I stood back up before taking a quick glances around. Behind me was the wheat field as I expected, to my right was what looked to be a forest, to my left was the open plains and lastly what sat right in fort of me was lush green rolling hills.

I was about to give up right then and there, but I thought better of it. With my stubborn attitude and my general 'not wanting to die' drive I pushed myself towards the rolling hills. I really didn't feel like walking across more flat surfaces, plus going over each hill will bring me hope that in turn could make me travel farther. This thought is what got my feet working, maybe just maybe I will come across civilization.

I crawled through the night, quite literally as well. My energy was nearing depletion and from my point of view it looked like I was doomed for. The hills did not bring me hope. Each time I reached the top of one I would get ready for the view of a house in the distance or a person waiting for me, but after ten painstaking climbs the hope I once had seemed to just wither away.

Every part of my body was telling me to stop and rest, but I knew better. That nice relaxing slumber was just a smokescreen for the real culprit which was death. I fear that if I close my eyes I will never open them again. Such a though is the reason I kept crawling forward, for anything is better than nothing. I rather keep moving forward in pain then to risk doing nothing in the barren wastelands of eternity. Well at least that's my view on what happens when you die.

Getting to the bottom of the tenth hill I look forwards upon the eleventh. Eleven, such a holy number, maybe it will bring me good fortune. I said to myself as I started the climb. What is holy anyways? Why do I know that word, but not from whence it came. The whole idea of remembering random facts started to get annoying.

For the life of me I could not remember the simple things like my name or my city's name, however I could remember random facts like how to make fudge or the distance from earth to the sun and what they called it. Even when I would think I was remembering something important It would just be a feeling or an opinion.

For instance I don't know my name, but I know I hated it. I don't know the name of my city, but I know it was a city. The only important thing that I remember is the planets name, which is Earth. I guess it's so rudimentary that you can't really forget it. You learn it in pre-school, hell I probably knew that before school even started and this is just another example of random facts. How do I know there is schools on Earth!

"GRRR THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!" I yelled out reaching the top of the hill. I didn't even bother looking around I just laid there regaining my breath. "WHERE THE FUCK AM I!? AND HOW THE HELL DID I GET HERE!?" I yell out the only true questions that were on my mind. If death would be the price to pay to know the answer to those questions I ask, I would of done it a long time ago.

"Why is the world so cruel?" I question myself in a whisper as I stargaze. "I guess the only way to survive and live life everyday is to fight, for if we do not we face extinction." My mind started to look more into the depressing side of things. "Maybe that is why people are so cruel, because they know that if they don't stop fighting they will parish."

Such dark thoughts were a rarity for me. I was not much for dampening someone's mood, I liked to be an optimist, but sometimes the glass just wouldn't fill no matter how much I poured in. It was like my glass had a hole in which I needed to fill in.

"Ah ha!" I yelled out with a smile on my face. "I'm an optimist!" I yelled. For the first time since finding myself in the wheat field I finally figured out something about myself. Was this a sign to keep moving forward? Was the divines that ruled these lands telling me to continue my journey? For if I would I would find salvation? Maybe all it was trying to tell me was to look around, the answer to my questions are right in front of me this whole time.

The simple answer to that question was that I just remembered something, but what's the fun in solving something the simple and right way. From what I can read from myself I like to look deep into problems and come out with an honest answer that I find right for myself. For you see, it doesn't matter what mountain people say to climb it's the fact that you're willing to do it.

Lifting up my head I sat on top of this grassy hill looking out into the distance. My eyelids grew heavy but I kept looking. As if someone heard my thoughts and answered my pleads I spotted a little light source off a ways away. "Looks like eleven is from heaven." I claimed to myself. "How the fuck do I know that saying!" I yelled out once again, however this time I yelled it out with a smile upon my face.

If anyone could see me now they would say that my smile was contagious. I say this because even if I wanted to I couldn't stop smiling. The spark of light pollution I saw when on the eleventh hill was a merical and mericales are hard to come by. So with that in mind I set my course towards it with the clothes on my back being my only cargo.

My footing would slip on the moist grass from time to time, attempting to deter me from making any more progress on my goal. To me it felt like the world was testing my strengths and weaknesses, prodding me for statistics to see if I would be well suited for its plans. Plans that I myself didn't want anything to do with. Just having the thought of someone or something controlling my actions was infuriating.

Taking another step forwards I finally lost my balance, and gravity took me. My back slammed into the hard and unforgiving earth bellow me. Making impact I attempted to yell out, but nothing came out. My voice was gone, my body was on the same path and the goal that I had set for myself was fading away.

"I will not give in! I will not go down like this!" I coughed out loud. The statement ignited my the last of my reserves and I the fire within me grew. I never imagined I could push myself this hard, I never thought that I would be capable of going this long without giving in. My views on myself were starting to change just hours of being lost. Is that all it takes to change? To get lost?

Getting up and off the dirt I continued my journey. My mind was yelling at me the whole way, telling me to give up, telling me that it needs a break. I however didn't listen to it, I knew now that I was going to die. I knew that my body wouldn't be able to take another fall, but yet I still moved on. I moved because I wanted to prove to myself that I can keep fighting till the very end. I would keep walking towards my goals until my mind and heart stopped working.

Reaching over the twelfth hill I took sight upon the source of the light. It was a little farm house on-top a lonely hill. It seemed that all the other hills didn't want to get anywhere near it. I wonder if the world really has feelings, opinions and/or thoughts. Is chopping down a tree really better then slaughtering a pig? And is slaughtering a pig any different from murdering a human?

Of course the average person would argue that pigs aren't sentient, but does that really matter? It still has a brain, heart and motives. A pig wont just hand it's self over to you, it will put up a fight just like I am doing right now. Am I really any different from a pig?

I for one could be called a hypocrite for saying such things because I myself view these creatures as lesser. A pig only wants to survive, keep its genetics going, it doesn't want to improve its life, it's simply content with being cattle. That is until you show it the knife, then it goes back to its primary function 'to survive'.

Then again aren't I doing the same thing, I could just make my life easier and sit down, but here I am going back to the primary function of every living being. Above all else where did all of this information about pigs and other humans views coming from! I yelled to myself. Here I was again remembering things that didn't really matter, or does it matter? In general everything matters, it's just how you look at it.

"BAH! Why do I have to keep thinking about these things! Why can't I just let it be and go with the flow! Why do I have to justify every thought!" I croaked out. The whole time I said this I stood at the top of that hill looking at the black silhouette of the farm house. It looked so peaceful at this moment, the stars hanging above and the moonlight dancing across the hills around it.

To me the sight looked to perfect, the atmosphere here was so much different from what I can recall. Then again what I do recall is little, nevertheless I still get that feeling that I am far away from my home where ever home is anyway.

The muscles in my body screamed once again as I started my walk again. Pain of walking was long lost, my body only wanted to do one thing and that was get to this farm house. It didn't even care if no one was home it only cared that I got there. If the moment I step thru the doorframe I trip over and die, I would be happy. At least I would die knowing that in my short life I died accomplishing something.

The rest of the walk was pretty much the same as before. Reaching each hill I would come up with something else to discuss, at times it was comforting knowing that I could entertain myself, but at other times it was frustrating. My inner-self would argue with my outer, each one battling each other in a battle to prove who was right. In the end I didn't even think the argument was even worth having.

I guess no matter what anyone says arguing eventually reaches a point where both parties feel like giving up for the sake of saving time. I only wish that, that time would of came sooner rather than later. I let out another large sigh as I came upon the front doors to the farmhouse and what a farmhouse it was.

Standing right in front of me looked to be one of the most cliché farmhouses in the world. Its bright red paint made me feel comforted and white cornering told me that this was a safe place. I guess I have to get used to this random fact thing sooner or later. I sighed. Glancing over the door I noticed a second thing, the doors looked pretty small. Are doors normally this small? I question myself.

In the state I was in, I had no choice but to throw that question away and bust in the house. If the residents kill me then so be it, if I wait any longer I might just slip away from reality. With nothing left to lose I barged into the house toppling on the floor with the door ahead of me. Sadly what greeted me was complete and utter silence. Maybe the family that lives here went out for the night. I pondered as I got myself back to my feet.

Looking around the room I noticed that the first floor is completely open. No doors what so ever, the kitchen and dining room was all one. It seems that whoever lives here will be sleeping upstairs. Clutching my ribs I wandered around until I found the stairs leading upstairs. If no one was willing to check out the ruckus that I caused then I would just have to introduce myself.

Stepping on the first step rewarded me with a loud creak that echoed throughout the house. The wood underneath me seemed to be pretty weak and looked to be made to handle lighter loads. This house was strange alright, but now is not the time to be questioning the structural integrity of the staircase.

What was worse was that I dreaded every step up, because every step would bring a sharp pain in my body. Maybe I have a broken rib? Do ribs brow back? I asked myself as I took another step up the staircase. To be able to do that in such a state is astonishing, yet I was not done. I still had to make it to the top and hopefully get someone to wake up and help me. That is saying that someone is in fact in this house and I'm not the only one here.

Taking in another deep breath I pushed myself up another stair, from the looks of things I should be able to reach the top in no time. That thought only served to push me harder, like how a courier pushes his car to the limits when he notices that its almost empty on gas. Once again I let the random facts pass me by, thinking about them now would just bring my end.

After climbing up ten more stairs I finally reached the top. My smile that I once had was long since gone. The adrenalin in my system was giving out and my final breathes were nearing. Pain started to erupt all over my body, but I gave my body one last step.

Reaching out I tumbled over and crashed into a closed door. The door broke off its hinges and I landed inside. Fighting to stay awake I rolled onto my back, the wooden ceiling the only thing that I could see in the darkness, however even that seemed to be fading away. There were noises and screams that could be heard, but to me they all sounded gibberish. My mind was to warn out to continue thinking, and so it gave in.

My eyes twitched as the sunlight touched them, the warm feeling of its embrace was all I needed to have to know that I was still alive. A thought which brought a smile to my face, sadly my head still pounded and my memories were still amiss. I could remember even less then I did yesterday, were my memories slowly vanishing? Am I doomed to live a life that I can't remember?

Thankfully slowly I started to remember the events of yesterday. The wheat field, snake, running, the rolling hills, farm house... and that's where the memories stop. It's like as soon as I entered the house I couldn't remember anything yet I know for a fact that I went in it. Coughing up some blood onto the floor I finally opened up one of my eyes.

What was there to greet me made my eyes burn, once again quite literally. The sun was out and greeting me to its fullest. "It's too early for this shit." I muttered under my breath as I brought a hand up to cover my eyes.

Shaking my head to regain some senses I took notice of my hopefully friendly surroundings, however to say 'friendly' surroundings was quite the opposite on what I found myself looking at. There all around me was brightly colored ponies and as if that wasn't enough I was in a cage out in the middle of nowhere.

Purely out of instincts I shot back and huddled into the corner of the cage. My mind was racing as it usually does when a situation like this one appears. Why are they colored like that? Are they just observing me? Who put me into this cage and why isn't he or she showing themselves!? Nonetheless it seems like my actions have sparked some interest with the wildlife here as they stood there with awed expressions.

Feeling like they were just normal ponies I had nothing to worry about, and as such I moved out of the corner of the cage. To say that I calmed down is a mistake, I still had my doubts and worries about this situation. Was the persons house that I barged into mad at me? I sure that as soon as I explain everything to him/her they will let me go. Maybe bring me back to my town, but why would they put me in a cage?

Glancing around the cage I notice that in the opposite corner was bowl of water and a pile of hay. Not being one to turn down a drink I immediately jumped to the bowl downing it in one fatal swoop. By the time it was all done I could feel my headache starting to calm down. water the best remedy for a hangover. I thought to myself.

Placing the bowl down and whipping my mouth with my sleeve I looked around again. The same ponies as before were still there with awed expressions. To be honest it started to get on your nerves, what human would cage another. I mean they do it with prisons but all I did was stumble into a house looking for help. Okay maybe I do deserve to be in here, but I should at least be in a prison not in the middle of nowhere!

Standing up in the cage I did what I could only do in a situation like this, I yelled, "Is there anyone out there! I'm up and I think you may of misunderstood why I broke into your house!" I called out but no one answered. The only response I got was for the ponies around the cage to back up a good ten feet. What a day this is turning out to be. I said to myself.

"I-i-it spoke!" A female voice came from behind me, it sounded shaken but I didn't really care at the moment. All I wanted to do now was to get another bowl of water, some food and maybe a drive back home.

"Ah finally the homeowner I presume?" I ask turning around only to be greeted by a yellow pony. It is at this time that I noticed that it had wings, looking around at all the other ponies I notice that some have horns as well. Man whoever owns this farm is all sorts of fucked up. I retorted in my mind. "Nice try, now show yourself!" I yelled out causing the yellow mare in front of me to flinch.

"By Celestia's crown y'ah right Fluttershy!" Another voice called out in the opposite direction, this time it had a thick western accent. How I knew what a western accent sounded like was far beyond my understanding right now, and to be honest I really didn't have the time to. I guess I have just grown to get used to these kind of things popping in my head.

Turning around to the new sound I came upon looking at a orange colored pony with a Stetson upon her head. "Haha, very funny making it look like the animals are talking. You even put a hat on this poor mare." I responded to the voice with a deadpanned tone. Right now I was really not up for pranks and games.

"Who you calling an animal!" A tom-boyish voice came next. I wonder how many people are in on this prank? Maybe the whole family wanted to get some revenge on me for breaking two of their doors. I thought to myself as I turned once again to the source of the voice, however when I turned I laid eyes on a particularly cruel colored pony.

"You know this is animal abuse when you die their coat and mane. Hell this one looks so depressed and who wouldn't be, her mane is rainbow colored!" You comment to the people that are behind this. Is it really animal abuse to die their coat and mane? It should be. I pondered.

The mare that had the crazy hair was right up against the cage looking like she was about to burst into a fit of rage. You got why the mare was frustrated so you reached out an petted her head. After the first pat the mare swatted my hand away with her hoof. "Your crossing the line here pal!" The cyan pony claimed.

"Wow even making their mouths move while you talk, talk about dedicated." I added.

"Looks like he thinks were not sentient, how interesting." A normal voice called out from beside the cyan pony. The pony this time that was 'talking' had a lavender mane and purple coat, looking more closely you notice that she has a marking on her flank. Is that branding? I questioned as I took a closer look.

The symbol that she wore was a star, turning to the other mares I notice that they all have markings there, however they were all different. Butterflies, lightning bolt, diamonds, apples, balloons, so they're not brandings. I concluded. "Look all I want is some more water, told where the hell I am and set free!" I command, the prank here was pretty cool at first but it had gone on long enough.

"And why would you ever think we would set you free?" A girly voice spoke up. "You barged into dear old applejacks house and destroyed two of her doors." She continued. Turning towards the mare that was speaking I took in her appearance. She had a purple mane that looked to be styled and a pure white coat.

"Fine if you won't show yourselves then I will just explain myself to these ponies!" I roared out clearly showing my frustration and anger. "I woke up this morning in the middle of a crop field with no memory of my past life. So I wandered around the area till I came across your house, however by this time I was literally near the edge of death. I couldn't just take my time and wake you up normally I had to get help soon or else risk not being found. So for the sake of my own life I thought it best to barge on in. If I wanted to cause havoc then I would of busted everything in my path."

This left the voices silent for a while. "Why do you keep insisting there is someone else here?" The purple pony stated. "We are the ones talking to you not someone else." She questioned looking at me with sorrowful eyes.

Could this be true? Could these ponies here be actually talking to me? Were ponies back on earth sentient? I started to question myself, but held back till I could get more concrete evidence. "If you really are talking to me then prove it." I claim looking at the pony in front of me.

"And how would you have us do that?" She asked, it seems that this one is either the leader of the group here or the smartest, maybe both. "Isn't me talking right now big enough proof."

I pondered over this thought for quite some time. "No not really you all could just be robots that are controlled from someplace else." I replied, after all I don't want to look like a gullible fool in case this is fake. I would never be able to live down the humiliation.

"A robot?" A energetic voice called out. "What's a robot?" And here I thought that I was done with the different ponies. Turning to face the newest addition to voices I come to see a pink pony with a equally pink puffy mane.

"You know a mechanical being." I say nonchalantly.

"A mechanical being you have seen one?!" The purple pony is quick to react.

"Yes, little ones. I mostly read about them in sci-fi books, but you should know this already." I answer smugly, after all were on earth are we not. "Now that I have answered one of your questions, you answer one of mine." I state with a strong and sturdy tone.

"And this question is?" The purple pony asked looking me straight in the eyes. It seemed if I said anything not to her liking then I would be hoofed in the face.

"It's a quite simple question really, where the hell am I?" I asked calmly.