1: Involuntary Participation
Chapter 1: Involuntary Participation
It all started just like any other spring day in Ponyville. The sun rising, birds chirping, animals stirring in their homes, ready to wake up. Normally the ponies would just be waking up, but today was different.
Hundreds of ponies (from Ponyville or not) were gathered in the town square. They were waiting for the announcement to start. To see who got in and who they should root for. 'Who got into WHAT?' You may be wondering. You want to hear? Well... In that case...
I'M NOT TELLING. dB
Oh wait, then the story will never get anywhere. Fine. >:I
They were waiting for the amazing Wilderness Survival Challenge; A contest that tested one's ability to survive in the woods, away from all society, for the longest time possible. Hundreds of ponies entered, but only 100 get in. Everypony was anticipating the final announcement. This competiton lasted as long as one pony was still able to function healthily, so these competitions lasted as long as 8 months.
Everypony was there, even Fluttershy. She wasn't planning on entering (she was too scared, and her friends couldn't convince her), but she was still there to see her friends off. They were next to her, discussing their plans to stay together and help each other. After all, teams were allowed.
Finally, the moment of truth was there at last. Celestia came up and gave a speech about how ponies can be good survivalists and stuff. I am not writing a speech, this is a story. Not a homework assignment. Anyway, she began to pull the names from a comedically giant hat. The ponies she called up ranged from ponies nobody knew to celebrities like Photo Finish. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and the others were called up too. As they were saying goodbye to Fluttershy, something wierd started.
Celestia had a slip of paper with a name, but she had difficulty reading it. There was a long wait as she dicussed what the heck it said with her advisors. Eventually she read the name out loud.
"The final participant is... Fluttershy!" she called out. Fluttershy's eyes widened. She hadn't signed up, nor was
her handwriting that bad. When she got up to the stage, she looked at the slip. It was very sloppy, but the closest thing it resembled was her name. Being Fluttershy, she didn't say anything about it and just joined her friends in their team area.
"Oh Fluttershy! I didn't know you were joining us!" Rarity exclaimed.
"Ah di'nt know ya had it in ya" Said Applejack, as she patted Fluttershy on the back.
"B-but I didn't-" Started Fluttershy, before she was cut off by some ponies pushing them over to a big area with tables and stuff. They were rushed over and sat down at the tables. Before them sat a wonderful breakfast feast, with all sorts of sandviches and salads.
"GooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooood MORNING!" Yelled a strange orange pegasus with a blue mane. This startled Fluttershy, as they were very close to the podium and the new pony had a megaphone. "I am Mr. Host! As my name implies, I am your host for this spectacular event! I am here to tell you some information about the challenge that awaits you! SO ENJOY your wonderful meal, as it will be the best one you'll have for a while, and let me get started!"
(Now I am going to list said announcements in a list, so I don't need to put quotations every five seconds.)
1.You are allowed to form teams. They will only last for a while, because once a certain number of ponies are left, you HAVE to split up.
How does one exit the competition? Well, the goal is to survive as long as possible. We have tiny little flying cameras to watch you to make sure you are healthy. If we see that you are too weak to continue, we will send in pegasi to pick you up and bring you back. You are not allowed to forfeit, as in a real survival situation, you can't just say "I QUIT!" and leave.
These cameras also have mics so if you have questions, we can talk to you during the competition.
You will be supplied with a backpack with some handy supplies to get you STARTED. They will not last longer than a week, however. The pack includes: A one-time use parachute, for when we airdrop you into the forest; A flashlight, with limited battery, so use it wisely! Matches and rope, to help build fires and structures, respectively. And a small amount of food, to make sure you don't starve too soon.
This is a very important rule: DO NOT CROSS THE FENCES. Outside of them is uncharted territory, and our cameras cannot fly that far. SO if you do cross them, There's no telling if we can find you.
"And that is all!" boomed Mr. Host. "Now, in half an hour, we will be departing to the competition grounds. So enjoy the rest of you meal, and have a nice day." He then walked off stage and started eating some food himself.
Hidden cameras, dangerous territory, and NO FORFEITING?!?
Fluttershy did not like the sound of such things, and was worried. But seeing all her friends around her, she felt better. She knew they would help her, and they would survive together.
After the wait, they were sent to some jets. "These jets are so we can get you nonflying ponies into the forest quickly," stated Mr. Host. "Everyone grab a parachute if you are not a pegasus, or if you can't fly well." Fluttershy was relieved that she could have a parachute, as we all know that she's a weak flier.
And so, our beloved team got into their plane. "Now, remember that as a team, you must all jump out at the same time. Otherwise, you'll be seperated," Mr. Host warned. The ponies strapped on their parachutes, except for Rainbow Dash, who got a normal pack. The plane took off, and before long, they were above the forest.
The side of the plane opened as they cruised above the forest. They were very high, as everything below was hard to make out, and some was even blocked by clouds. As they got closer to the drop point, the butterflies in Fluttershy's stomach grew more and more restless. There were so many things that could happen! Fluttershy decided that she was not going to jump, as she hadn't planned on going anyway.
"OK! GET READY! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE YOU JUMP IN THREE! TWO ONE!!!"
(At this time of writing, I am eating a sandwich)
Everyone then jumped simultaneously, except Fluttershy, of course. HOWEVER, things didn't go as planned for her. Rainbow Dash knew that Fluttershy was going to hesitate, as it was the predictable thing she would have done. She waited a second or two for Fluttershy to jump, then got fed up. Dash grabbed Fluttershy's hoof and jumped out, dragging Fluttershy with her.
Rainbow Dash looked for her friends' parachutes in the distance. Being a good flier, she easily recovered from falling with Fluttershy and flew off to the rest of the group. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was not good at flying. She hadn't expected to jump, let alone get dragged out of the plane. She was very confused and begin panicing. She couldn't figure which way was up, or where the ground was, or anything. She ws falling so fast, it was hard to breathe. Her brain went into lockdown, and she stopped whirling around. She saw which way the ground was. It wasn't very blurry anymore, as she could see the seperate trees now.
...
Then she remembered she was falling. She was very close to the ground, and about to crash. Then she remembered that she had a parachute. UNFORTUNATELY, she was too close to use it, and closed her eyes as the ground rushed up to meet her.
----------------------------------------------------End of Le Chapter 1-----------------------------------------------------
Yeah, so...
This is my first real fanfic, and first time writing something that wasn't a school assignment. So tell me what you think. Friendly criticism is welcome.(Friendly criticism.... Those two don't belong in a sentence together XD)
So... Thanks for taking the time to read this, and please give me some tips.
Continued in Chapter 2... We are going in numerical order, of course.
