A damp feeling surrounded me- I was too frightened and scared to open my eyes. This wasn't Sweet Apple Acres, this can't be my home! I'll tell you that. I know a bad vibe when I feel it! I've been through so many bad situations it seems crystal clear to me. I knew at some point I have to open my eyes. I just pray that I'm being silly, subborn and nothings wrong. But the veracity is- I was right. I'm known for that being the element of honesty- well I'm not ALWAYS right but one thing I do know is I am not at home. I'm not even aware of where I lie. All I know is whatever it is, it's pretty hard but one thing I know for sure now is this isn't even a bed- it's a board larger than me with a sheet covering it.
My eyes wander around, expanding to seek for a flash or glimmer of light. If I could only get a lamp, or a flash light. I can only see the outlining of the objects, they are all different shades of grey. Some of them even just plain black. Yet, this is enough for me. When you work on a farm- sometimes you do until nightfall.
The room is furnished with novelty items including stuffed ursa heads, vases, clocks, and a coffee table. Seems a lot like a castle, but it isn't, every castle room has a window regardless. I must be in a fancy home of some sort, at least. I'd better go search for a way out, I don't see any windows so far, I'd better find one at least. Every home has to have a window. Maybe then I'll know exactly where I am, that's a gift I have, I can just seek out of a window and be able to process where I am.
I stick one hoof out, I slowly place my hoof down onto the cold floor, feels metal to me. Okay, other hoof- this time it's not floor I feel, it's a fur of some sort, I quickly recoil my hoof, a gasp escapes my lips. I bit my lip, summoning up a bit of courage I place both hooves back onto the floor. Both on the fur, I pull it up quickly with one eye open. It's only a coat, I may need that later. I curl it up around my neck, feeling it's warmth.
Both hooves back on the floor, a lot more caution now as I place my back hooves along with them. I take a glance to every corner, making sure nothing was amiss. I feel my heart jump as I stare into the dark doorway, leading into which I believe is the hallway. What could be in there? Calm yourself AppleJack! You've never been afraid of the dark and you never will be! Stiff up your lip! With my hooves shaking, I gallop to the doorway, rapidly turning my head in each direction. Luckily, yet unluckily, no pony in the hallway. I wanna leave- I wanna see my friends again, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Twi, Rarity, Pinkie... Even though I wasn't too long since I saw them, I really want to see them. I miss them when I'm in danger- despite the amount of time since I've last saw them.
I began to trot to the middle of the hallway, left is just dark, so I have no idea where it leads. Right leads to a set of stairs. I sit to think for a minute. At least I'll know I'm going to a pair of stairs if I go right, so right it is.
I led myself down the stairs, feeling colder, and colder by each step. I looked around, it was a complete mess. Objects scattered everywhere. I heard a hum echo from behind me, feeling startled, and galloped down the stairs at a fast pace looking behind me. I never expected something to be on the stairs as I tripped over a blunt object, tumbling violently downward, each thump I would hear a soft giggle but it became louder and continuous as I finally landed onto a rug at the bottom of the staircase. I lie there and breathed heavily as I was too spooked to even budge.
"No pony loves you..." The voice said from the bottom of the stairs, I didn't even look behind me long enough to see who it was. I sprinted to another room, crowded with junk, and one door at the end that seemed to fade slowly as I tried my hardest to move all the clutter that seemed to hold me back. I pushed the last piece of junk away and leaped the door, I expected to feel nice cool freedom, but instead I was too late. It had disappeared away and I was left with a gash on my forehead. I clawed at the wall, throwing bucks and punches at it.
I was too exhausted to talk, only small deep breaths came out of me as I lie on the floor with sweat dripping down my face.
A male voice began to laugh, "Sorry- you failed. That's strike one"
Strike? Strike? What did he mean? I felt myself be lifted into the air, and slammed against the rubble, cutting my legs on contact, "Stop!" I begged. Too frail at this point to do anything about it.
"I'll enjoy breaking your strong self into pieces. I will be amused."
One last slam to the hard floor before it faded into black, and I was exactly where I started. I know that voice from somewhere but I can't put my hoof on it! Something feels different- let's see, Rainbow, Twi, Rarity, Pinkie and- and... ummm.... It's on the tip of my tongue! I just know it! Okay let's go over it, there's a white one... a blue one... shoot I don't even know the colors of my friends! I know I have to have at least 5! Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I just have 4 friends, I don't even know. Okay, but what I do know is the stairs is off limits so long as I wanna live!
Yet, I don't exactly trust anywhere in this house anymore.
As I lie here on this sheet covered board I wonder how I could forget some of my friends, it doesn't make any sense! I can remember being slammed into a pile of junk, maybe because that brought actual physical pain. Not saying I don't miss mah friends it's just hard to miss something you don't remember! I'm getting weak and hungry, I must get up but my legs are broken it seems, every leg muscle I move I can hear my bones snap. It's too painful to move. Ah'm mighty afraid of whatever is in this building, it's terrifying and hard to think about without a headache coming on. I might as well lay here and think over it, I mean, I KNOW I've heard that voice somewhere before but ah can't put mah hoof on it!
Whatever it is it's powerful and deadly, I can't lie here forever! What if it finds me? What'll it do to me?! I don't want to find out and I'll probably starve before he sees me again.
A giggle came from the halls.
"What in tarnation?"
"Lala, la, lala, la" I hear a sweet quiet voice hum along the halls.
"Hello? Anypony?" That was sure stupid of me to say! I don't know whose voice that is! Could it be a poltergeist? Nah, don't be silly AppleJack! There's no such thing as ghosts! The important thing is I got a response- a gasp and some rapid hoofsteps, I don't call that much'a response, but whatever it could be it now knows of mah presence, whether that's good or bad I'm not 100% sure. I lay mah head back onto the board, with mah front hooves on mah waist, not movin' an inch. Not like I have much of a choice.
I feel my stomach growling, I've gotta eat something, anything! Just then, I heard a voice speak out to me.
"Are you hungry AppleJack?" It was that male voice again, I was paralyzed out of fear, I couldn't even gasp.
I heard the girly quiet giggle again! It was mocking me! Making my blood boil out of anger! Maybe they had food and the loved to hear me suffer! I had to get rid of that-that horrible voice! I reached on of my back hooves down, gritting my teeth as my leg reacted to the pain, one hoof down, I quickly placed down my other hoof and once I was standing my legs were set and I heard cracking no more. Now I am on four hooves, wandering down the halls, following the giggle til' I found a figure sulking in the left corner.
"Get over here!" I galloped at it.
"Boohoo!" It replied as it galloped ahead of me. My face was red with anger, I ran near an inch to my life in those hallways till I had it cornered. A lamp strapped to it's side, I knocked it onto the floor as it shone a light onto her face- I swear I've seen that face somewhere before, but it was kinda grey looking in the little light there was- maybe it's just a coincidence that the pink maned pegisis seemed familar. It could've been one of my friends, but one of my friends would never have giggled at my pain and ran from me. It dropped it's bag, banging onto the corners, trying to break free.
"There's no use- you've got some explaining to do-" I felt the floor shake.
"Earth quake!" The girl yelled, trying to regain her balance.
"Calm down!" I grabbed her hoof, holding her close to my side. But she slipped away once the floor collapsed beneath her, leaving her hanging on by a plank of wood, I reached for her.
"AppleJack..." The voice whispered.
"Go away!" I turned to look at the ceiling.
"Why save this person? They've done nothing but hurt you..."
"Ah don't know! I feel like-"
"You know what else you feel? Hunger. That bag she has over there- it might have food. You can die with somepony who will most likely betray you or you can have a mind and take the food so you can survive long enough to actually leave."
I looked between the girl and the bag, biting my lip, I let go of the girl's hoof, and watched her seep into the darkness. I turned away when I heard her hit the ground and I reached for the bag, searching through it, I found a bag of food, bread and water. I stuffed a piece of bread into my mouth, wandering if I had done the right thing. But the voice from nowhere would give me an answer . "You failed Ms.Apple..." His voice chimed. The roof above me crumbled on top of me, bringing me back to where I started. The bag with food and goods was with me but at what cost, my legs were wrapped in bandages when I woke up. Com'on Apple- Apple... Apple... oh no...
