[Cabbage, Chapter 6]

[Cabbage, Chapter 6]
"Rainbow Dash, stop! Get off of him!"
>You rushed over immediately to help your battered friend, pulling at Rainbow's legs with your magic. Rainbow, undeterred, shot you a confused look.
>"What? I've got it! Run!" she exclaimed, flailing her forelegs in a desperate attempt to get you to flee. "Quick, before it-"
>Before you could react, Anonymous bucked his hips upwards, sending Rainbow Dash flying. Not expecting the sudden expulsion, she wasn't able to deploy her wings fast enough, and slammed into a tree- face first. You winced as a sickening thud echoed forth from the impact. You almost felt sorry for her. Then again, she had attacked Anonymous unprovoked; you had no idea what his reaction would be.
>That was soon to be rectified, however. The minotaur-man rumbled dangerously, dragging his bum foot behind him as he advanced towards the immobilized Rainbow Dash. You feared for the worst, and sprinted in-between Anonymous and his target, putting your fore-hooves upon him in an attempt to stop him. You looked up at him, eyes wide in the only natural defense mechanism in ponies; puppy-dog eyes.
"P-please don't hurt her, Anonymous."
>He flashed you a devious grin, eyes glinting with a mischievous sparkle. "Don't worry about her- she'll be fine." he grunted.
>He gingerly took hold of your hooves, placed them on the ground, and continued on his path.

>You crouched down in front of the tiny, cowering pony, allowing an enormous scowl to contort your face into a dark cloud of rage.. It split your features like a great cleaver, making your scarred face look even more grim than it had before. You pushed your face up into her own, your eyes catching slight fear leak into her features.
"You know, I used to know a guy. Big fella, quick to anger; if you so much as flicked him, he'd rip off your arms and beat you to death with them."
>You paused, soaking in the faint smell of urine and the overwhelming terror that blew forth as you said this. Man, these ponies were flimsy as tissue paper, you thought. You took in a sharp, reluctant breath before continuing.
"But, you know, I don't think it'd be fair to do that- not if you don't explain why you did what you did, first."
>The little horse seemed to be tripped up by this, stumbling over her own tongue while she tried to force out words. She spat up some random bits of sentence on her first attempt, and, on her second attempt, spat up a bit of vomit into the snow. Third time's the charm, though, as the old saying goes.
>"I-I thought you- L-Lyra... pris-soner." she garbled out, pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
>Well, seeing a horrible mummy-creature standing next to an acquaintance, that is a fairly logical conclusion.

>Anonymous sat for a moment, seeming to mull over Rainbow Dash's reply. You were actually scared for her; sure, Anonymous was sort of a friend, but you had no idea what he would do if somepony provoked him. And that whole thing about ripping arms off was just horrifying. You couldn't even tell if he was lying or not- that shook you to the core. He said it so casually... You shuddered just thinking about it.
>"Well!" Anonymous exclaimed suddenly, snapping both you and Rainbow back to attention. "I suppose that I would've done the same, in your shoes. You're free to go, ma'am."
>Rainbow Dash seemed shocked. "W-what?"
>Anonymous smiled, ruffled her mane, and stood up. "No arm ripping today. Head home, pretend this didn't happen, do whatever you'd like; just don't try to tackle me." he stated seriously. "Ever again."
>She was off like a shot, leaving a rainbow trail behind her as she went. Anonymous, of course, seemed unperturbed. With a sudden and surprising movement, he lifted you up under his arm and began to carry you back towards the house.
>"So... he asked, grinning happily, "What's for dinner?"

>Buttered biscuits and pasta, it turned out. Lyra was an excellent cook, you observed.
"This is a fantastic meal, Lyra."
>She smiled, nodding once. "I try." Lyra grimaced before going on. "You don't actually know a guy who would-"
"I do. His name was Mark- my brother-in-law. Told me about it once when we went out drinking together."
>She was obviously a bit disturbed by this, but continued to speak. "Anyway, I was going to take you into town tomorrow, but- well, if Rainbow Dash is any indicator of how everypony-"
>You snorted as she said that word. "Everypony". It still made you giggle when you heard it... It was just silly.
>Lyra glared at you. "As I was saying; if that's how everypony else will react, it might not be the best idea to take you through a densely populated area."
"Oh, come on- from what you've told me, I think everybody else would be a bit more mature about the whole thing."
>Lyra reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, I... I guess you're right, Anonymous."
>Boy, were you wrong.