Back In Time: Finite Loop

**PreRead By Subtle Rampage

Third Person POV**

Where . . . am I? The question pulsed through Cirrus’ mind as she stirred. It took the albino pegasus a moment to remember Celestia’s parting words to her. She looked up. The EverFree forest . . . Cirrus felt like she should have a bad feeling about the name. A vague memory; from the unit in history class on Discord, nudged at her conscious mind. Ohhh, right the final battle ground between Discord and Celestia!   Feeling pleased with herself for remembering something from a test she got a D- on, Cirrus stood up and began to walk over to a gap in the foliage.

Then she remembered her wings. The white pegasus, glanced at them. They were featherless and covered with what looked like old scar tissue. ‘’NOW IT’S PERSONAL, CELESTIA!’’ Cirrus screamed, as a wave of horror filled her. To be a flightless pegasus in the most dangerous place in the world: Heart Of EverFree.

‘’You are so, so dead! And that’s not a threat! It’s a promise. ‘’ That was when Cirrus realized she was yelling at a blueberry bush. ‘’Well, I’d better start moving.’’ Cirrus surveyed the area Celestia had dumped her in. There were no supplies or weapons, but a quick glance down at her body proved Celestia had only taken one thing from her: flight.

The  feathers will grow back soon. I’m an adult mare, well chronologically I haven’t been born yet, but biologically . . . I can handle the drive! That’s the point.

Cirrus started walking. Maybe she’d get lucky and manage to avoid all the monsters. Yeah right. EverFree was a magical dumpsite and well, usually you came out of the heart insane or mutated. I’m not as far in as I think . . .  and even if I was in the heart, well i’d make it out!

So far, so good! It had been 15 minutes and Cirrus hadn’t seen a single monster  . . . or animal or even thing blocking her path. This is too easy . . .  Celestia must want me to make it out. She started running. If I'm safe, I may as well not waste time, right? Cirrus thought with a cocky smirk.

--

So the question is, if a pegasus is killed by a hydra but no one sees it, does it really happen? The answer was very important to Cirrus who was currently being chased by a hydra. She had somehow managed to walk right over its eye as it slept. Cirrus was not the most observant pony ever.

Cirrus wasn’t stupid, she knew that the hydra would catch her before she made it out. Her body was telling her to fly, a painful impossibility without feathers.

‘’I’m gonna make, I’m gonna make it,’’ Cirrus chanted to herself, leaping over a log. Blood dripped into her eye from where she had cut herself on a branch. C’mon, how much farther can it be? Wondered the pegasus in desperation. Just keep running, she reminded herself. The hydra slammed it’s head on the ground, snapping its jaws and narrowly missing her. I gotta take this thing out!

Cirrus pulled herself up to her full ( short to be honest ) height. ‘’I’m gonna take you down monster!’’ She said baring her teeth. Somehow, thought the Pegasus. She ran under it, avoiding its snapping jaws. C’mon these things must have a weak spot, think, Cirrus, THINK! Not for the first time Cirrus wished she’d paid better attention in class.

Suddenly she felt covered in a sticky, disgusting substance, as the sensation of being lifted upwards thrummed through her wings.  Oh, fucking HELL! She was in it’s MOUTH! The white pegasus fought down a wave of panic and started struggling, trying to escape it’s slimy tongue and the gaping maw that was it’s esophagus. I need to get OUT! With that thought, Cirrus launched herself through its semi-open mouth in one explosive movement.

As soon as she was on the ground, dripping with hydra drool, Cirrus picked up the big stick that happened to be laying conveniently next to her. That’s kinda weird, thought the part of her mind not completely occupied with being hydra-bait.  ‘’Come and get me, ‘’ Cirrus said in a singsong voice, raising the (suddenly sharpened?! Wha . . .?)  stick in her mouth. As soon as one of the heads- the same one that had tried to eat her, slammed downwards, Cirrus leaped, slamming the stick into its right eye. The hydra bellowed in rage, slamming it’s other heads on the ground, frantic to destroy the course of its pain.

--

Cirrus, though not really one to care about appearance, felt absolutely disgusted. The hydra drool and dried into a clingy, substance- half liquid half not that smelled just as bad as it did originally. The specks of blood on her wings (You will die a slow horrible death Celestia) had dried and formed uncomfortable itchy scabs.

Oh, well, it didn’t really matter, there was a cottage with a river by (completely overrun with animals, didn’t they have animal control?) it. Cirrus grinned, if there's one benefit to not having feathers- it’s the ability to swim without having sopping wet wings that won’t dry for HOURS!

‘’KALABUNGA!!’’ Shouted the white pegasus, leaping into the stream. The surrounding animals fled.  . . . . or not? A yellow pegasus, with a pink mane . . . Fluttershy, Cirrus remembered. Had come out of the cottage and started going up to what looked like feral EverFree animals. Wasn’t Fluttershy a pathetic pony who couldn’t take care of herself?

‘’Stop!, The white pegasus yelled. ‘’Those are feral animals! They’ll attack if you get too close to them.’’

‘’Why would me animal friends hurt me-’’ she gasped. ‘’Oh, no, you’re injured! Do know where the hospital is? Can you walk?.’’ It was kind of funny to hear questions in her sweet little voice.

I looked at her. ‘’I doubt any hospital in this time period could regrow my feathers.’’

‘’T-this, time period, are-are you from the future.’’

Me and my big mouth, thought Cirrus in annoyance. Fluttershy was staring at her, mouth open wide in surprise.

‘’ . . . I should just go.’’

‘’No, you won’t! Not until you’ve apologized for scaring my animal friends!’’ She shoved her face close to mine and I sighed. Dumbass animals! ‘’Look i’m sorry, but I thought they were feral, I mean an otter is a wild animal and so are raccoons and hawks.’’

She scraped a hoof against the ground.‘’. . . what does feral mean?’’ She  asked quietly.

‘’How exactly can you not know that?! It means wild, vicious, etc!’’

Silence. ‘’This is awkward. Look, obviously you’re an extremely sheltered weirdo and i’m just going to leave now and clean off in a pond.’’

I walked off.