AiD 7 -His bark is worse than his bite

http://youtu.be/5UQvBzo_rJA
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>Step. Step. Step.
>You steadily trudge forward, one foot after another.
>The injured leg sends a jolt of pain up your body every time you put pressure on it, but you press on.
>Your left forearm bleeds freely, your right wrist is swelling up at an alarming rate.
>Looking upon your injuries feels strange, you seem detached, almost.
>Only the waves of pain seem real, every other sensation is dulled.
>You’re aware that you’re very cold, the occasional snowflake lands on your face, like tiny pieces of pure white lint.
>But you can’t bring yourself to care, the cold seems minor.
>Pointless.
>All that matters is getting back to your campsite, and the pain.
>You continue onward, practically dragging your bum leg.
>It’s difficult to think, it feels like you’re forgetting something very important.
>Should you be putting pressure on your bleeding arm maybe?
>You disorientingly try to move your right hand over to your left arm.
>It’s shaky, and slow, and it doesn’t seem to be moving quite the way you want it to.
>You press your hand to the wound and you’re greeted by an new rush of pain.
>You jerk your hand away, that right wrist is probably broken.
>That kinda sucks, you think.

>A sudden splashing noise jerks you out of your temporary stupor.
>Looking to your feet you realize that you’ve made your way to the brook.
>That means you need to adjust your course a bit.
>Walking in a straight line is much harder than you thought.
>It would probably be a good idea to take a drink while you’re here, so you gently ease yourself into a squat and scoop some water up to your face for a sip.
>The water tastes metallic and disgusting, a quick observation tells you that it’s because your hands are drenched in blood.
>Left arm covered in your own, on the right is that of the beast.
>You decide to wash your hands first, the cold of the water nips at your fingers.
>When most of the blood is washed away you notice that your skin is funnily colored, and a bit splotchy.
>Ignoring it, you finish your drink and continue back to camp, it isn’t far now.
>You’re feeling very tired, you need to take a rest.
>Step. Step. Step.
>You’re rather out of breath too.
>Inhale. Step. Exhale. Step. Inhale. Step. Exhale.
>Is that your campsite up ahead?
>That’s nice.
>It’s getting closer at a painfully slow rate.

>As you step into your little clearing, it’s all you can do to keep yourself from collapsing and taking a nap, but you really should take care of your wounds first.
>Grabbing some underwear from your little laundry bag, you gingerly pull your knife back out and begin cutting.
>Shock!
>That’s what you were trying to think of, you’re in shock!
>Luckily, you’re a smart guy, you were already treating yourself as best you could.
>Shock due to blood loss? Stop losing blood!
>...which is proving to be a rather difficult task with your throbbing wrist and clouded mind.
>The wound isn’t as bad as you had thought really; it looks ugly and bleeds continually, but considering you just went head to head with some sort of massive bat-bug-lion thing, you feel like you got off kind of easy.
>Lucky the thing was over so quickly really, you never even had to find out if its tail was venomous or if those wings actually allowed it to fly.
>You finish your wrappings with your mouth, pulling the cloth over your forearm tight with your teeth.
>It hurts, but you can deal with it.
>The scratches on your leg seem mostly superficial, but you could have probably washed it in the river while you were there.
>Ah well, can’t win ‘em all.
>Eyelids are feeling rather heavy, a nap would really be nice right now.
>Should probably start a fire again.
>Takes a while, but you get it eventually.
>Crawling into your tent, your last thought before you drift off is that you hope the snowing doesn’t get worse.
>Relighting your fire would be a real hassle.

>When you next awake, you feel a bit confused.
>You can’t remember where you are for a bit, then a burning pain flares up on your arm and you remember all at once.
>Survived a manticore attack, no big deal.
>You stand, and instantly regret it.
>The blood rushes down from your face and you are left light-headed, and rather unsteady on your feet.
>Sight eludes you for a moment, and you do a little unintended dance as you try to compose yourself and find balance.
>It doesn’t help, and you find yourself crashing to the ground.
>Luckily, something breaks your fall.
>It’s your tent, covered in a light dusting of snowy white powder.
>That isn’t good, you think.
>You’re pretty sure you needed that tent to live.
>You laugh to yourself a little bit, it seems kinda funny that you went through so much trouble to keep yourself alive and it only held you over for a single afternoon.
>Rolling over onto your back you find it hard to care right now.
>If anything, this was fitting.
>After causing the death of another intelligent being, your own pained death would be a fine act of penance.

>Flailing your hand over to your right a bit you find your lute.
>With your left, you dig into your pocket and pull out a handful of pinenuts.
>The taste of the things was actually kind of growing on you.
>You stuff your mouth, and lazily chew.
>Then you draw your lute over your chest, positioning your hands to play.
>No songs come to mind though, and with your arms the way they are you wouldn’t be able to play very well anyways.
>You pick a string regardless, just to hear it resonate in the crisp, cool air.
>Seems a little flat.
>You stare up into the canopy of the forest lightly strumming nothing in particular and chewing a large mouthful of your bitter snack.
>Maybe you can just sleep your way to death, wouldn’t have to deal with the pain anymore.
>What little you can see of the sky seems to be glowing orange with the light of what is either sunset or sunrise.
>You don’t really care which.
>Movement pervades your vision as you drift off once again, a figure of gold seems to hover above you.
>You catch a glimpse of gilt wings just before you close your eyes.
>An angel has come to take you away.

>Your eyes snap open to a smooth wooden ceiling.
>The air feels strange, and oddly warm.
>You’re feeling very energetic as well, like you were hopped up on caffeine or something.
>You sit up quickly and hear a muffled voice from below somewhere you.
>”...and thank --- for ----------. - really ---------- ------ your help, ----- ---heart.”
>Pushing yourself to a sitting position, you take note of your surroundings.
>It’s clearly the interior of a house, you seem to be sitting on the edge of a small bed.
>As you stand up, you realize that something is very wrong.
>You look down at yourself, noticing first that you’re completely nude.
>Then you notice that your arms and leg are healed.
>Your mind is assailed by memories of your encounter in the forest, and your injuries.
>Someone must have found you there in the woods.
>You must have been comatose while they nursed you back to health.
>Wrapping yourself up in a sheet from the bed, you begin wandering the house, looking for a way downstairs to thank your savior and maybe get some questions answered.
>You find the stairs and descend slowly, you feel perfectly fine, no weakness or atrophy.
>As you reach the first floor you see in front of you a winged yellow p0ny, closing a rather small door leading to the outside.

“Hello?”
>The p0ny jumps, and turns quickly to face you.
>”O-oh, h-hello. I didn’t expect you to be up so s-soon.”
>Her high, soft voice is a clear indicator of her gender; as she speaks her face is half hidden by long pink hair.
>In an attempt to make yourself less imposing, you speak next in a quieter voice.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, miss...”
>”Flutter---”
>Voice trailing off into nothingness, you don’t quite catch her name.
>You don’t ask again, out of courtesy.
“Were you the one who found me in the forest?”
>”Y-yes, I was. I heard a manticore roaring, and I thought it might need help, but then I found you...”
>A pit forms in your stomach, you may have just killed another innocent being.
>Then you remember it attacked you unprovoked, and you’re left a bit confused.
“Um, about that manticore... it kind of attacked me, and I may have... well... killed it.”
>You hang your head.
>”I know, Rainbow Dash helped me get you out of the Everfree forest and she... saw. I-it’s okay, I know you were only defending yourself.”
>A small sigh of relief leaves your lips, you’re glad that this p0ny is so understanding.
>You decide to ask one more question that’s been bugging you since you awoke.
“Um, how long was I out for?”
>”Oh,” she replies, “about half a day or so.”

>That’s not right.
>You look down at your arms, and back to the little yellow p0ny.
“Wasn’t I hurt?”
>”Oh yes, but after I treated your injuries as best I could I went to the hospital and had one of the doctors there take a look at you.”
>This makes sense, you suppose, but doesn’t explain how you’re suddenly all healthy overnight.
>”He used a bit of healing magic on you, and it worked really well. The doctor was surprised too.”
>Did she just say magic?
>”In fact, before you woke up a nurse was by to check up on you, I just saw her off before you came down.”
“Magic? You said magic right? Because I thought I heard you say magic.”
>She shrinks away a bit and responds, a little nervously, “Yes. Is that... bad?”
>You can hardly hear her say that last bit.
>Whatever, makes sense that a world of mythological animals has magic, even though it seems odd that the diamond dogs never mentioned it to you when you were with them.
“No, I just... nevermind. And thank you.”
>”Oh, it’s no problem really. You’re the one who saved Sweetiebelle and her friends, right? It was the least I could do Mister not-a-minotaur.”
“Ah, so you heard about that. Are those three okay, then?”
>”Yes they are, thanks to you.”

>Hearing her praise makes you feel awkward, you begin to consider what you should do now.
“So does that mean Sweetiebelle’s mother has calmed down then? I may have given her a bit of a fright when I dropped off the little p0ny.”
>The yellow p0ny looks amused by your statement.
>”Oh that was Rarity, she isn’t Sweetiebelle’s mother, she’s her sister, and little p0nies like Sweetiebelle are called fillies by the way.”
“Right. Um, also could I maybe have my things back by any chance? I’d like my clothes, if you don’t mind.”
>The winged p0ny gives an adorable little squeak of realization.
>”I’m so sorry, you must be so cold without any fur. Your bag and lute are here, but I gave your clothes to Rarity so she could wash and fix them, I told her I’d come over today to pick them up. You can come with me and meet her... um, if that’s okay with you.”
>She points out your bag and instrument and you walk over, peering inside.
>A few clean pairs of boxers are still inside, so you decide that walking around town wouldn’t be so bad.
“Sure, I’d like that. This way I can see how the little ‘filly’ is doing too.”
>”Oh alright then, let me just get my bag and we can be off.”
>She walks off into an adjacent room, and you take the opportunity to drop the bedsheet and quickly pull on a fresh pair of boxers.
>You drop the rest of your belongings in the bag, basically just your knife and gems, and sling both bag and lute over your shoulders.
>The p0ny returns and you hold the door open for her.
>She gives a bashful smile and walks out.
>You soon follow, stooping low to get through her small door.

>The bright sun assails your eyes, you see the house you just came out from is a... tree.
>While large, it doesn’t seem quite as big on the outside as it did from the inside.
>Not bothering to question this, you follow behind the p0ny in silence.
>After a bit of walking, the town proper comes into view, and your stomach gives an almighty rumble of hunger.
>Fluttershy turns to you, stopping dead in her tracks.
>”Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize, you must be starving! Here, let’s stop by Sugarcube Corner and get something for you.”
>You give a curt nod in reply, and the two of you take a bit of a detour.
>You’re a bit surprised at how little reaction you garner from the p0nies wandering around the town.
>It seems to be a bit early in the day, but there are still quite a few of the little equines about, and the few that do give you a second glance are staring at your boxers at least as often as they do your face.
>Reaching a large building made to look like a gingerbread house, The yellow p0ny steps inside.
>As you follow her, you duck through the doorway and are greeted with the sight of an incredibly pink p0ny.
>She gives a huge gasp, and zooms over to where you’re standing with astonishing speed.

>”Oh wow Fluttershy! Who’s your friend? Is he a minotaur? Why is he shaved? Did someone pull a prank on him? What’s with his face? Is he staying here in town? OhmygoshIshouldthrowapartytocelebratewecouldhavecakeandgamesandmusicthere’ssomuchtogetready...”
>The pink one is certainly full of energy, you think.
>At least now you know Fluttershy’s full name.
>You wait for a bit, calmly, hoping the p0ny will run out of steam.
>It’s not happening, she’s a dynamo, a literal whirlwind of energy bouncing in front of you.
>Fluttershy stands off to the side, politely trying to interrupt the pink p0ny’s rambling.
>You decide it’s time to cut in, you speak loudly, but try to keep your voice calm and friendly.
“Hello! I’m not a minotaur, and I just came here with Fluttershy to get a bite to eat, if you don’t mind.”
>”Well why didn’t you just say so!”
>She rushes into what looks like a kitchen and comes back out in a flash, laying a table with assorted pastries and sweets.
>”My name is Pinkie Pie by the way, what’s yours?”
>Hand halfway to a strudel, you freeze.
>That question really caught you off-guard. It’s quite possibly the first time anyone in this entire plane of existence has asked you for your name.
>This is a grand opportunity, you think, you never liked your old name.
>Now you get to choose, there are hundreds of names you could pick from.
>Pinkie eyes you expectantly.

>You’ll decide later, you think.
“If it’s all the same to you Pinkie, I’d prefer to stay anonymous for the time being.”
>”Alright Anonymous! Can I call you Anon for short? Would you like to be my friend?”
“Wait, no. I mean, that’s not...”
>She give you puppy dog eyes, and you give her a small sigh of exasperation in return.
>”Sure Pinkie, I’ll be your friend.
>You get to work on the food, thinking that you’ll correct her mistake later.
>Fluttershy sits across from you and the two of you eat in silence.
>Pinkie, however, neither eats nor does she stay silent, opting instead to spew an unending torrent of words which you soon tune out, though you do watch her with mild interest.
>You’re a little more interested in how Fluttershy is getting things to stick to her hooves, though.
>Must be some sort of magic, then.
>That would explain how little horses could craft such nice houses.
>You eat your fill, and Fluttershy excuses the two of you to continue on towards ‘Rarity’s.’
>Pinkie gives an impossibly huge smile, her cuteness just about melts your heart.
>As you walk past her, you reach down to ruffle her poofy pink mane and she gives a little giggle
“Seeya Pinkie.”

>A short walk later and you’re standing once again in front of the carousel house.
>A lump rises in your throat and you steel yourself for the moment of truth.
>Fluttershy knocks once, twice, and waits.
>The door opens, slowly this time, and you witness a repeat of the event from several nights ago.
>A white pony peers out, her eyes tracing their way up your form, and she opens her mouth for a second time.
>You cringe, expecting another flood of ear splitting noise, but are surprised to hear instead a cry of, “It’s you! Oh, thank you dear for bringing back Sweetiebelle!”
>You feel a pressure around your legs and when you open your eyes you are greeted by the sight of rarity hugging you around the knees.
>She speaks with a very proper, ladylike tone that you didn’t expect.
“No problem miss Rarity. Um, I’m sorry for scaring you that night, is Sweetiebelle alright? I’d like to see how she’s doing.”
>She  removes herself from your legs and speaks again.
>”Sorry dear, but she’s at school right now. I should apologize to you for driving you off that night, I’m just so glad you brought back my sister. It’s just, she had gone missing, and then in the middle of the night I opened my door to see a very tall thing holding her, oh I don’t mean to be rude.”
“It’s quite alright ma’am, I understand.”

>Fluttershy takes this opportunity to speak up.
>”Hello Rarity, I brought Anon over to pick up his clothes, if that’s alright.”
>Rarity lights up, “Of course darling! Come right in.”
>Squeezing inside, you see pony shaped mannequins modeling clothes and reams of cloth in every color.
>There are gems of every shape and size, they make your paltry pocketful seem rather pointless and trivial in comparison.
>Clearly this Rarity was a seamstress, like the diamond dog who made the boxers you wore now.
>As you descend into regret once more, Rarity walks over to a small table and grabs a bundle of clothes.
>She levitates it.
>With magic.
>There’s all the evidence you’ll need, that’s definitely magic, her horn and your clothes are both enveloped in an ethereal glow.
>She does it so casually, but you can’t help but be impressed at the little white being in front of you as she completely ignores the fundamental laws of physics.
>”Here you are darling, I cleaned and fixed them as well as I could. I must say, these shirts here are very well made, where exactly did you get them from?”
“Um, would you believe me if I told you that I’m from a different dimension?”
>”Really?” Rarity gives you an incredulous expression, while Fluttershy looks at you curiously.
>”Darling, you simply MUST meet our friend Twilight Sparkle when she gets back, she would be VERY excited to meet such an interesting specimen as yourself.”

>The two p0nies speak between themselves for a bit, as you put on your clothes.
>Examining your shirt, you can find barely any trace that it was ever damaged at all.
>That’s CLEARLY magic, after your manticore run in that sleeve was SHREDDED.
>You silently observe the fancy white pony, she certainly had talent, you were sure of that.
>Seeing that you are dressed the two p0nies turn to you. Fluttershy speaks to you as you refill your pockets.
>”I’m sorry Anon, but I should be going home soon to take care of the animals. If you’d like, I can introduce you to another one of our friends before I go. Her name is Applejack, and she’s the big sister of Applebloom, one of the fillies you rescued.”
>You nod your head simply, and Rarity speaks up as well.
>”Come back anytime, Sweetiebelle would love to speak with you again, she simply wouldn’t stop talking about you when she got back, you know. And next time you visit I’d LOVE to learn more about other-dimensional fashion.”
>You say your goodbyes and follow Fluttershy back outside.
>Almost immediately after adjusting to the sunlight once more, a multicolored contrail floods your vision.
>”Hey! There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you Fluttershy!”
>A blue pegasus with rainbow mane stands in between you and Fluttershy, facing away.
>It’s voice is slightly raspy, and a little harder to identify as one gender or the other.
>As far as you know, you haven’t seen any male p0nies so far, except for the one from the desert when you were with the dogs... and you never found out what that one’s voice was like.

>”I went to visit you at your house so I could see how the monster thing was doing, but you weren’t there so-”
>Shifting a little uncomfortably at being called ‘monster’ you drag your feet upon the ground, catching the blue pony’s attention.
>The pony's head whips around to look at you, and her face lights up.
>”Woah, hey big guy, you’re up already? Wow... you’re huge!”
>Its eyes explore your body with an appraising look.
>”So I hear you broke out of diamond dog prison while holding three little fillies, then stormed off into the Everfree forest just to take down a manticore.”
>Somehow, you feel uncomfortable listening to the blue one talk, you decide to try and change the subject.
“You give me way too much credit, I’m... Anonymous, and you?
>”Rainbow Dash, Fastest flyer in all of Equestria! So what’s up with you two? How come you’re already taking the Everfree monster for a walk ‘shy?”
>”Well, you seem Anon here had to get his clothes from Rarity, and then I was going to take him to Sweet Apple Acres to meet Applejack. I’m sure she would love to meet him.”
>”Cool, I’ll go with you two. Come on big guy, what are you waiting for?”
>The blue p0ny flaps her(?) smallish wings and begins to hover a few feet off the ground, it’s strange to watch as she clearly doesn’t fit the correct proportions needed for flight.
>You hadn’t seen Fluttershy fly at all, you assumed the wings were vestigial.

>After a bit of a trek you find yourself on the edges of what seems to be a farm, bare trees cover the fields.
>An orange pony greets your small party as it draws near.
>”Well howdy there girls. And howdy ta you too, ya must be the one who saved mah sister. Ah’m Applejack, an’ ah can’t tell ya how glad ah am that ya brought lil Applebloom back.”
“Name’s Anonymous, call me Anon. I just did what anyone else would do if they’d been in my position.”
>”An’ ah’m glad ya did, pard. Now come on an’ let me give ya the grand tour.”
>She shows you around, explaining as she goes along.
>She runs an apple farm, not surprisingly.
>It’s the beginning of winter, so there are no apples to be found of course, but you eye the trees curiously.
>They’re incredibly short and stocky, you’ve seen plenty of apple trees back home, but they were much taller and spindlier.
>You’re getting hungry again, so you ask Applejack if there’s anything you can eat. This seems to remind Fluttershy that she should be getting back to take care of her animals.
>”It was nice seeing you again Applejack, you too Dash. If you need anything Anon, feel free to come and ask.”
>Rainbow Dash speaks up.
>”Before I forget Fluttershy, you might want to know that we have snow coming in tomorrow. The weather team is finally getting started on winter. You might want to bring some of the animals inside.”
>The three of you that are left make your way into Applejack’s house and she proceeds to serve you up a lunch of apple-related foods.

>By the time you finish, Dash is excusing herself to go work on clouds or something.
>You’re almost afraid to ask.
>You decide you’d like to walk around a bit as well, so you tell Applejack that you want to go look around the town a bit.
>”Sure thing pard, come back anytime now, don’t be a stranger.”
>You make the trip back to the village, and wander a bit, aimlessly.
>It’s still unnerving how little attention the ponies pay to you, despite how much you seem to stand out.
>You know it’s just like in the dog tunnels, they probably just think you’re a tall shaved minotaur or something, but it still feels strange to be so out of place and yet not singled out.
>The sun is getting low in the sky now, you think to yourself that you don’t really have a place to stay.
>You’re almost certain that Fluttershy would let you stay at her place, but you feel bad at the idea that you’ll be taking up her bed again.
>It’s rather balmy out, especially compared to the forest, so you decide you’ll sleep outside for the night.
>You’ve done it for a week already, so you save yourself the trouble of having to ask around and mooch off of anyone.
>Finding a small bridge, you sit yourself underneath and pull out your lute.
>As you tune it, you hear hoofsteps next to you, and see the orange filly from the caves.
“Hey, school’s over?”
>”Y-yeah. So you’re okay? Sweetiebelle told us that you went into the Everfree.”

>Seems as though the fillies aren’t into the loop yet, makes sense.
>You just had your half dead ass dragged out of the woods by a pair of pegasi yesterday night after all.
>Wow your life has taken a turn for the bizarre if you can think a sentence like that in passing.
>She eyes you with curiosity, can’t seem to decide what she wants to say.
>You make up your mind to make the situation a little less awkward.
“Hey squirt, before you head home, how about a song?”
>She gives a little smile, “Sure!”
>With a final check of the strings, you start to play.
>Lady Stardust

End Chapter 7 - His bark is worse than his bite