It was a calm and untroubled night. The cool breeze snuck through the opening of my tent, sending a small, but relaxing gust of wind throughout my body. As I laid in my sleeping bag, I recollected the day that was about to pass, content with everything that I had done.
I had fished in the nearby lake, where I caught a smallmouth bass. Then, I watched the serene wildlife, appreciating the calm and carefree nature of the animals. Finally, to wrap up the day, I had played with my dog Max. He loved the outdoors even more than I did, so I always made sure to take him along during one of my camping trips. And now that the day was turning dark to allow a new one to arise, I decided to get some rest.
In the comfort of my tent, and with Max snuggled at my side, I slowly drifted off to sleep, with a slight smile that exemplified my feelings for the day.
The next morning, I awoke to the easy and carefree chirping of birds outside of my tent. Slowly, I removed the covers of my sleeping bag and sat up. Rubbing my eyes, I recalled the day prior. A smile creeped onto my face at the memories of yesterday. The realization that I had one more day out in the woods gave me a burst of energy to wake up faster so that I could make more fond memories.
I quickly got out of my sleeping bag and moved to the front of my tent. Strangely enough, it seemed as if it was partially open. I must've forgotten to fully close it last night or something. Anyway, I quickly and carefully, unzipped the remainder of the exit of my nylon abode. I peered my head out and took a large whiff of the great outdoors. What a smell! It was just the most purest of scents. An aroma that couldn't be replicated, yet it was so simple.
The smell itself made me even more eager to start off my day.
"C'mon Max," I hollered back into the tent as I stepped out of it.
I was met by silence, aside from the birds. He's probably still sleeping I said to myself. I'll give him a few more minutes of sleep. He must be exhausted, considering how much we did yesterday.
While I waited for Max, I decided that I should grab something to eat. I moved to my small ice cooler which held some food and drinks. Normally, I wouldn't bring something like this on an ordinary camping trip because of all the horror stories my dad had told me about bear attacks and what not, but I knew that this area didn't contain any lethal wildlife so there wasn't much to worry about.
Anyways, I reached into the cooler and grabbed out a Dr. Pepper. Yes, a Dr. Pepper. It gives me the caffeine I need in the morning, plus it tastes good. It's my version of a coffee, except I actually enjoy the taste of it.
Also I grabbed out a snack-size box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Actually, now that I thought about how awful of a combination my food choices were, I began to rethink my life, but quickly stopped as I realized that shit was gonna get depressing.
Moving off the subject, I sat and watched the birds as I ate my "breakfast." The small winged creatures payed me no mind, and went along singing to their hearts't content. I didn't exactly know why, but the woods made me feel at peace.
I spent the next couple moments finishing up my food, before heading back into my tent to wake up Max.
Opening the tent's flaps, I began, "Hey Max, it's time to..." Where the hell is Max?!
The spot where the Tamaskan had slept by my side was completely empty. Panic immediately began to set in.
Where the hell is my dog?! How the hell did he just disappear?! Then, I remembered that I didn't even see him when I woke up, and the zipper of my tent was slightly open this morning.
Shit! He could be anywhere by now. I felt as if my world was crumbling down around me, until I took a closer look at the spot where Max had slept last night. There was a trail of paw prints leading out of the tent. There was hope!
I rushed out of the tent and saw that the trail led further into the forest. Knowing that I was going to have to go in after him, I began to prepare myself. I grabbed my backpack and stuffed a bunch of stuff into it: power bars, drinks, and my compass because there wasn't much cell service out in the middle of the woods. Shocking, I know.
Anyways, I slung the backpack over my shoulders and bolted down the path created by Max's paws. I hoped he wasn't too far off.
I walked along his trail for what seemed like half an hour. Strangely enough, the path led through numerous twists and turns, and sometimes it felt as if I was walking in circles. He must've been chasing some kind of animal or something if he was running around this frantically!
As I kept moving, I checked my compass to see where the hell I was at this point. But, when I whipped it out, there was most definitely something awry. It wasn't pointing in any one direction, but in every direction. The hand of the compass spun in circles, as if it too was unsure of where I was. Well, shit.
I thought about turning back and returning down the trail of paws from which I had came, but there was no way I was going to leave my dog out here!
I pushed on, unsure of how far Max was.
After another couple of minutes, I followed the trail to something that was unexplainable. In front of me, was a small cabin in the middle of the woods! Who could possibly live out this far in the woods? Probably nobody sane. That thought made me nervous, not only for myself but also because Max's trail led right into it.
But, the good news was that the cabin looked somewhat abandoned, as if no one had been there in ages. Which meant if somebody insane did live there, they were either dead or long gone.
The small cabin itself had numerous objects piled up against its outside walls. Its front door was off the hinges and barely standing up right against one side of the door frame. Additionally, there was no lighting protruding from the gloomy windows. But, the strangest thing by far, apart from it being in the middle of the woods, was the cabin's roof. It was made entirely of straw and hay! Who builds a nice cabin and then covers it in straw?
I pushed the thought aside, trying to gain the courage to go into the abandoned-looking cabin. As I moved closer to the small structure, I could feel an uneasiness growing inside me, encouraging me to turn back now, but I knew I'd never live with myself if I just left my dog out here.
Taking a deep breath, I moved into the cabin, cautiously stepping through its entrance. I peered inside, with my eyes following Max's trail into another room. Before I moved along Max's path, I admired the room that I was standing in.
Around me, were books upon books that were scattered on the creaky floor boards. They had coats of dust covering their covers as well as a few spiderwebs. Aside from the books though, there was furniture that took up a similar coat of dust as the books. Couches, wooden chairs, and tables were flipped, thrown against the walls or broken. Picture frames had either fallen or were coming close to.
It was a strange sight to see. And yet, as I stared at the contents of the room, I couldn't help but imagine what life must've been like for the cabin's inhabitant. Made up memories of a gentle looking man sitting in his creaking wooden chair as he sat reading book after book flooded my head. The man at peace with his life, happy with the way he was living, as if he had accomplished everything that he had set out to do and was now waiting out the rest of his days.
It was a calming thought, but I had to push it aside as I remembered why I had come here at all - Max.
I continued through the cabin with a little more pace than before. I moved onto the next room where Max's trail led. But, once I had arrived to the new space, I realized that I was in the kitchen, or at least what was left of it.
Similarly to the first room, there was dust and mess everywhere. However, rather than furniture and books, I found rusted pans hanging from the ceiling, along with an unusable stove and oven.
Unfortunately, I was too focused on Max's trail to take in my surroundings, because the trail didn't stop in the cabin. Instead, it once again led outside through a door at the far end of the kitchen. Damnit! I thought I was getting close.
Taking a disgruntled and heavy breath, I followed the path outside and continued on the trail. As I did so, I gazed back at the cabin that seemed to have held so many untold stories that nobody was willing to listen to.
In any case, I kept moving.
Every once in a while, I checked my compass and just like when I had first arrived at the cabin, its needle spun around, unable to determine where the hell I was. It was very frustrating, but I knew that once I found Max, we'd be able to retrace the trail that he made.
After about another 10 minutes of following the trail, I could see a clearing in the trees not too far ahead. But, how is that possible? I thought that these woods went on for hundreds of miles! There's no way Max, let alone I, crossed this whole damn forest! Something wasn't right.
I slowly moved towards the end of the tree-line and sure enough, there was a wide open plain that stood at the end of the forest. I honestly couldn't believe it. How did I manage to traverse an entire forest?!
I looked around, as if expecting to find something that would answer my question, but spotted no such thing.
Instead, I peered back to Max's trail which led out of the forest and towards a hill near the horizon with a tree on it. Whelp, I guess that's my next target.
I slowly got out from behind the shade of the forest and followed alongside Max's trail. I sluggishly continued towards the hill, taking notice of how fatigued I was.
Actually, now that I thought about it, after all the walking, I was surprised that it wasn't dark yet. As I peered up to the sky, I realized that the sun was only half way across the blue, which meant that is was about noon. Only noon! Damn, I must be pretty fast!
Unfortunately, my cocky nature soon vanished when I had reached the hill and began the trek up the steep incline, which is extraordinarily difficult when your legs are struggling just to keep you up. I knew that I'd need a break once I reached the top of the hill, where a moderately-sized tree offered good shade.
Struggling, I finally managed to reach the top of the hill, where I immediately collapsed onto the soft embrace of the green grass. I laid there for a moment, before slowly sitting up against the tree's trunk.
Needing some energy, I reached into my backpack and grabbed a snack and bottle of water. I laid my head against the tree's bark as I chugged the water and then proceeded to eat my snack. Afterwards, I continued to rest for a couple of minutes until I felt ready to start back on the trail.
As I turned my head towards the direction of Max's path, I was able to make out something far in the distance. It looked like a series of structures similar to the cabin I had found in the woods. It was a town?! Civilization?!
My eyes almost blew out of their sockets at the realization. I wasn't alone anymore, and plus, if Max's trail was headed towards the town, he might still be there!
I took off running for the small village, hoping that I was finally going to reunite with Max.
Eventually, I came in range of a cottage-like house that was on the outskirts. It had a light pink fence defending its backyard. And as the distance between me and the small abode drew closer and closer, I began to notice the numerous things surrounding its backyard.
There were bird houses hanging in every direction. Somehow, the person who lived here even managed to hang some on their chimney! Not only that, but there was a chicken coup in the backyard. Whoever this was, it looked like they were most definitely some type of environmentalist. I wonder if they saw Max pass through here.
I approached the cottage's backyard fence, preparing to knock on the backdoor and question its inhabitant about my dog. But, I stopped at the barrier when the backdoor suddenly creaked open. I immediately ducked down behind the fence, out of sight from whoever was coming out.
I waited a moment before peering my head around the wooden plank of the fence which held me out of sight. What I saw almost brought tears to my eyes. It was Max!
I was about to shoot up and sprint towards him, but I halted myself when I saw someone, or something, follow Max outside. My joyful expression changed into one of complete bewilderment when my eyes met the new entity.
I-It was a horse!? Like a really, really small horse. Some kind of pony. But, it wasn't just some ordinary pony. It had yellow fur, a pink mane and obvious feminine features! I'd never seen anything like it!
But, it got weirder, yes, it got weirder. The damn thing spoke! I didn't understand what it was saying, and it definitely wasn't any language I'd ever heard. Yet, I could tell that Max understood it.
She had said something in a soft tone to Max before proceeding to move back inside the cottage. She must've gone to get something.
Now was my chance to grab Max and get the fuck out of here! I didn't know where I was, what things lived here, or why Max had come all this way, but what I did know was that I needed to act fast and figure out those questions later.
Once the backdoor shut, and the colorful pony went inside, I jumped up and sprinted towards Max.
"Max!" I exclaimed happily, making sure not to speak loud enough for the yellow pony to hear.
Once he noticed me, he happily barked and ran towards me. Max jumped at me and I caught him in my arms. He began to repeatedly lick my face, as if he never expected to see me again.
"I missed you too bud," I said with a light chuckle. "But, first, let's get you out of h..."
The backdoor of the cottage opened, interrupting me. The yellow pony stepped out with a red ball in her grasp, saying something before stopping when she caught sight of me holding Max in my arms.
The yellow pony and I just looked at each other, both baffled by the other. Then, the small horse spoke up with an almost whisper. I didn't understand her, but it seemed like she was either trying to comfort me, or plead me to drop Max. I thought it was the latter.
I didn't say a word. All I did was shake my head.
Her face showed that she understood my gesture. She paused for a moment, thinking about something. And then she took one small step towards me before speaking up once more in her soft tone. I still didn't understand what she was saying, but I could tell by the gentleness in her voice that she probably wanted Max.
Once again I shook my head, knowing that she understood what that meant.
She looked disappointed by that, but not defeated. Once more, she took a step to me and said something. Except this time, what she said was much shorter and was followed up by a devious smile that spread across her face. It looked like she had something planned, something bad.
All I needed was that malevolent smile before I turned around and sprinted back towards the direction from which I came with Max on my shoulder. I had to get as far away as possible from that damn creature and this weird place.
As I ran, I took a gaze back over my shoulder at the yellow pony. She hadn't moved and her head was turned down to the ground, hiding her emotions. But then, she looked up and met her gaze with mine. And holy shit, her face would give me nightmares for the rest of my life! She was absolutely furious! She looked at me as if I had just murdered her entire family.
It definitely wasn't a good sign, but I was far enough way from her that I wasn't too scared. Or at least until something from her sides sprung up. Were those wings?! The damn thing could fly?!
My suspicion was only confirmed when the yellow pony flew up into the air like a jet.
I immediately turned my head and tried to run even faster. I had to outrun that damn thing NOW!
I was getting closer and closer to the tree-line, but then, something landed in my path. It was the damn pony! I had no idea how she caught up to me so easily.
I stopped in my tracks and ran in another direction with Max still on my shoulder. Where the hell could I possibly go? But, before I could figure out an answer to my question, the pony landed in front of me again. Then, I tried another direction, but she once again halted my advancements. I felt like a cow getting herded to its doom.
My legs were starting to cramp up but I couldn't just stop, especially after how far I'd gotten. I wasn't about to just hand over Max because I was tired.
I continued darting in every direction, trying to avoid the yellow menace, but I couldn't get away. And then, I tripped. I fell on my side while I lost my grip on Max. Fortunately, he landed on his paws. I wasn't so lucky.
I slowly sat up and quickly checked to see what had tripped me. It was a bunny? A small white fluffy bunny. Really?! I was finally defeated by a bunny!
I quickly got up and looked around for Max. I found him getting pet by the yellow pony and I couldn't help but exhale a disgruntled sigh. I felt defeated.
Maybe I couldn't save him. Actually, maybe he didn't need saving at all.
I took another glance at Max, who looked happy and at peace. And the pony really did seem to carry a lot about him.
Maybe Max would be more pleased to live with this creature. It would take a lot for me to get over the fact that I lost my best friend, but I knew he would be happier here. Sadly, I accepted the fact that I would need to suffer his absence in order for him to live the life he most deserves.
And so, I slowly turned away from the two and made my way back to the trail from which I had come. Except, when I turned around, the yellow pony was standing right before me, staring at me.
I didn't know how the creature had managed to get behind me so fast, but I didn't feel like questioning it.
I just smiled at the thing before trying to walk past it. Except, it blocked my path. I thought it was strange, but I just tried to walk around it again, and once more it halted me from moving past it. I made one last attempt before it blocked my way again.
I just looked at the damn thing, trying to show it that I was annoyed.
It recognized my look and responded in its language which I still couldn't understand.
Hoping that it understood, I once again tried to walk past it, but nope, it stopped me. Now, I was getting pissed.
"Just let me through," I said, pointing a finger past her.
She just shook her head.
I didn't have time for this. So, I just bolted past her. And when I looked back, she was gone. Wait, what?! Where the hell did she go?! I turned my gaze back the way I was running, and standing in front of me was the damn pony. She shook her head, like a disappointed parent.
Then, she looked up at me with a glaring look. As if she was concentrating on something in my eyes. It made me feel really uneasy, as if she was looking into my soul. I tried to move away, but I couldn't! What the hell! I kept trying to move my legs, but they wouldn't do anything. I tried to look away from the pony, but my eyes were locked on hers, as if I was in some sort of trance. What the fuck was going on?!
I kept attempting to move any part of my body, but I couldn't. It was as if I was no longer in control of my own body! I was a prisoner inside of my own skin.
Then, the yellow pony, moved towards me and grabbed my hand in her hoof, lightly whispering something in my ear. I didn't know what it was, but is sent chills down my spine either way.
She then proceeded to lead me back toward her cottage. No! Nooo! Nooo!
I realized what was going on. She didn't just want Max, she wanted me too!
I kept struggling to function any part of my body, but I still couldn't. Shit!
Every step I took, I could feel myself getting more and more frightened. Thoughts of my family and friends and the life I lived started to flash in my head. I started to cry, not externally, but internally. Why would this thing take me?!
As we continued the unwelcome trek, I noticed a large wooden sign that I hadn't seen before. It read "Ponyville." The name seemed to mock me, as if it had been trying to warn me this whole time, but I just wouldn't listen.
Eventually, we were at the backyard fence of the cottage. I had to think of some way of escape and fast! But, how? I didn't have control of any of my body.
I willed myself to scream at the top of my lungs, hoping for some chance to either surprise her or get a response. But, nothing came from my lungs. I was trapped.
Then, we were at the door. She opened it and calmly said something to me, obviously telling me to enter. I didn't want to, but my body complied. Max and the bunny followed me inside, and then the small pony. I watched as the outside light slowly disappeared as the once innocent pony shut the door. It was over.
Author's Note
Oh my God! What the hell did I just write?!
