The night was cool and crisp, with a faint breeze that sent a chill through the air. Crickets and frogs played their night melody as they did every night. But this night was different, for there was an intruder upon Luna’s glorious masterpiece, and the peace and harmony the night brought was about to be broken.
Big Mac pounded the ground with his thundering hoofsteps as he ran faster, trying desperately to escape. The rhythm of his steps were unnatural and broken, for he had to limp due to his injured leg. Pain demanded that he should stop, but now instinct was his only guiding force, driven by self preservation. His lungs burned and his muscles ached as he demanded more from them than ever before.
So many mistakes...
Fear consumed his very being, an emotion he seldom experienced. Panic had dominated his reasoning, overriding his thoughts and actions. So now he ran, for it was the last thing he could do. But it was inevitable; all paths led to certain doom.
This was the end.
Big Mac skidded to a stop at a fork in the road. All of his senses were dulled to nearly nonexistence, but he could still faintly hear the rapidly approaching hoofsteps and yelling over his desperate gasping. He felt like he was going to faint, and was more than willing to if it meant a rest. But he wasn’t going to let it end like that. It wasn’t just his own life that he was responsible for right now.
Remembering his cargo, he took a quick glance at the young mare tied to his back. It was hard to tell if she was still alive, since she wore a mask and costume, but he was relieved to see her chest rise as she wheezed another breath. The fact she was still unconscious troubled him though.
A loud crash shattered the night air like a thunderclap, bringing him back to the reality of his present situation. The thunder of the hoofsteps were getting closer, and he had to make a decision.
To his left was a moonlit path that led to a distant town. Beautiful and haunting lights glowed on the horizon like fallen stars, beckoning him towards their warm glow. They offered him a way out, a fresh start. All could be forgotten and he would be safe. No, they would be safe.
Big Mac took one step and froze in place, fully considering this decision. This wasn’t the way to salvation, and the life ahead wasn’t truly living. He couldn’t abandon everypony he loved. His friends and family would never know what happened to him. He would be abandoning them in their time of need, never to be heard from again. No matter what, he would never allow that to happen. So many depended on him; all he needed was more time. But his time had come.
Panic growing, he glanced back the path he came of which he desperately wished he could return. The lights of Ponyville illuminated the darkness like a beacon guiding him back home. The mere sight of it brought tears to his eyes. But the glow of fire and magic stood between him and his family, and it was getting closer. That path was not an option.
Only one road remained, and he shuddered at even the consideration of such a desperate last measure. He turned toward the second path with fear, and the Everfree Forest stood menacingly as ever. He cursed whatever force had led him to this unholy place.
The Everfree Forest was dangerous during the day, but during the night was a different story. This was just plain suicide. No sane pony would even come within a hundred feet during the night, unless they had a death wish. Big Mac just hoped that his pursuers felt the same way, and charged ahead into the forest.
The melody of the crickets and frogs vanished, proof that even they were not crazy enough to venture into the forest. Even the wind seemed to disappear entirely. Only silence reigned here, and it felt like it did not like being disturbed by his presence.
Big Mac finally lost his will to continue and came to a halt. He collapsed onto the ground and gasped for air. When he finally caught his breath, he looked back to see if his pursuers continued to chase him.
Not only were they still after him, they had closed the distance by a considerable amount. Big Mac stared in horror, realizing now that there truly was no hope.
“Ah’m so sorry,” he whispered to the mare. Tears streaked down his face despite his best efforts to contain them. “‘Tis is all my fault. Ah tried my best, Ah really did, but... Ah’m sorry.”
The mare began to cough violently in response, followed by hoarse, painful wheezing. She was getting worse, and he knew that in an hour she would probably be dead. He laughed at that thought when he remembered it didn’t matter anymore. In a few minutes, they would both be dead.
“Ah guess it’s fer the best really.” He stared at the approaching glow with acceptance. “Ya won’t have to suffer any more now. Ah just wish Ah could have said goodbye. Ah wish Ah could have done more.”
“M-Mac?”
Big Mac was startled by the unexpected voice. He turned to the young mare and saw that she was looking at him. She continued in a hoarse, scratchy voice, “I... I’m not... ready... Can’t go... not like this...”
She slipped back into sleep before he could say a word. There was nothing he could say anyway. Sadness and fury bubbled within him, threatening to make him lose control again.
His train of thought was interrupted by an approaching sound. It was difficult to hear over the mare’s labored wheezing, but he could hear the rustling of foliage from his pursuers. They were nearly upon him.
All of his emotions were smothered by his all consuming fear. He didn’t want to die this way. He couldn’t give up, not while he had another life on the line. Even if she was most likely going to die, he still had to try to survive... for her.
Big Mac uneasily got back on his hooves and lifted the mare onto his back. Fighting through the intense pain in his leg and his exhaustion, he galloped once more into the darkness.
The forest was no longer silent. Strange and alien sounds cut through the silence. The rustling of trees as shadows moved through them, the eerie calls of unfamiliar animals, the ominous howling of surrounding creatures. It was a frightening cacophony that reminded him that his pursuers may not be the only ones who were hunting him.
None of that mattered however. Fate already had him on the chopping block, so he would let fate decide which blade it would choose. All he knew was that he had to keep running, driven by some hope that fate might reward his efforts.
While he never found a sanctuary, fate did decide to throw him something. Big Mac could make out what appeared to be a shed in the distance. A small glimmer of hope swelled within him and he picked up his pace.
It was indeed a shed that had clearly been abandoned. The derelict structure seemed to be on its last leg. The wood was rotten and infested with termites, there were holes in the roof and the foundation wasn’t sturdy. But it would have to do for his last stand.
The door was unlocked much to his delight. It creaked and moaned in agony after the abuse it had been through, revealing the darkness within. Big Mac only took three steps before he tripped on an unknown object that lay on the floor, making him yelp in pain when he landed on his already injured leg.
He mumbled a curse at whatever force that decided to torment him. He reached into his saddlebag and produced a small oil lamp. With a hope and a prayer that luck might throw him a bone for once, he attempted to light the lamp with his last match. A pleased grin spread across his face in response to the flickering fire, for it was a monument that told him all might not be lost.
In classic fashion of his recent circumstances, the surrounding atmosphere of the shed immediately destroyed any sense of hope he had left. He gasped at the horrible sights that surrounded him.
The walls were decorated with assorted knives and blades that were evil by nature and clearly were not for industrial use. Various unknown instruments hung from the ceiling and shelves that were of questionable function, but it was clear they weren’t used for gardening. Even the shack itself was eerie, which he noticed had no windows, as if its previous occupant didn’t want anypony to spy.
Big Mac turned his attention away from the house of horrors to the door, which was wide open. He could hear his approaching doom from outside.
Not wasting another second, he rushed to close the door. He coughed and sputtered when he got a lung full of dust after grasping a long blade with his teeth. Losing time, he held his breath and wedged the door to the wall with the blade. Not satisfied that it would hold them off, he barricaded the door with whatever he could find.
Satisfied with his handiwork, he slumped to the ground with a heavy sigh. Exhaustion had taken its toll, and his injuries weren’t helping.
A soft wheezing reminded him that he wasn’t the only one suffering. He grasped the lantern and brought it to the young mare, illuminating her features. She wore a purple costume and cloak that covered the whole of her body with a matching hat. At first glance, anypony would only know her as Mare-do-Well, but he knew the face behind the mask.
It was only now that he was able to see the extent of her injuries. Holes dotted the costume which revealed the raw flesh underneath, some of which were still trickling blood. One in particular concerned Big Mac greatly, a deep wound on her side that was still flowing with blood at an alarming rate. But he knew that her worst wound of all was on the inside. The only evidence of its existence was her wheezing, and it would slowly get worse without treatment until it finally claimed her.
He wasn’t much better however. The deep, crippling gash in his leg was bleeding profusely and put him in agonizing pain with each step he took. He could deal with his other injuries, mostly minor cuts and bruises, but what he couldn’t deal with was the exhaustion. He had worked entire days on the farm plowing fields and apple-bucking without breaking a sweat. But now he felt exhaustion the likes of which he had never known. He feared sleep, thinking that he may never wake up if he succumbed to his exhaustion.
None of that mattered anymore though. The end had come.
“Macintosh!” called a deep-voiced stallion, “we know you’re in there! Just give up, you can’t escape this! Come out and die like a stallion, and we’ll kill your friend quick and painless.”
Without answering, Big Mac tried to get back on his hooves. He fell when the pain in his leg overcame him, but he tried again. His legs shook as he slowly lifted himself from the floor. His face was contorted in pain and agony, but he finally managed to stand on his hooves. He grasped a blade from the wall with his teeth and stood facing the door, ready for combat.
The stallion outside seemed to respond to Mac’s invisible, silent challenge. “You’re a fool, you know that!?” he screamed in rage with an intensity that could scare off a manticore. “Do you have any idea who we are!? Do you have an inkling of an idea what you have done!?”
Big Mac put down the blade, took an uneasy breath and sighed, then said calmly, “Ah did exactly what Ah had to, nothin’ more, nothin’ less.”
“You messed with us, that’s what you did!” Hollering and shouting of agreement erupted from the stallion’s followers. There were more than Mac originally thought. “We’re here to teach you both a lesson! Now, I’ll give you both one more chance to die without any more suffering.”
“Ah’m right here, and Ah’m stayin’ here,” he responded, and he picked up the blade. “Come an’ get me!”
