"Aw, damn my head hurts" I said slowly coming' to consciousness, my entire head felt like a man with a sharp knife was running' around on the inside of my skull and slashing' everything' as he went, it was like every nerve was on fire" The hell did I do last night." I lay there for a while, my senses reeling' trying' to find a way to minimize the waves of pain. I opened my eyes and saw blurry outlines of what must have been trees, "Shit" I said to myself, as I sat up. First things first, I sure as hell ain't in my dorm, I thought shaking' my head to clear the last ripples of my headache away, which of course begs the question. Just where the fuck am…. I? My vision had cleared and I looked around me.
The world was colored in vivid hues, and looked…..off ,really off, something' on the basis of reality off, my mind was slowly coming' to terms that everything' including' me was a bizarre mix of 3 dimensional reality and Adobe Flash style animation. I seemed to be in a clearing' at the edge of the woods with vines and creepers weaving' through the trees. Lord God Almighty now I really want to know what happened last night, my head buzzed as I tried to come up with any rational possibility. This is a dream, I reasoned ,yeah, hey your no stranger to weird dreams, any minute you'll wake up, dammit dreams usally don't hurt this much though. Okay, I'm dead yeah, and by the look of thing's I'm in heaven, no, that can't be right I mean heaven has to be better than this, come on man think. Shit, I've lost my damn mind, yep, that's the only situation, Well hell I guess I coulda found a worse delusion, no, if I realize it's a delusion then I'm not crazy, damn I hate psychology shit.
I looked up at the sky and saw a dark storm gathering, well no time to puzzle I got to find shelter. I got to my feet and brushed the dirt off the seat of my jeans and took a look around the little clearing, first thing I noticed was a small camouflage backpack. "Holy hell my Bug Out bag how in the hell did you get here, I didn't take you to college" I commented as I checked the contents, yep everythin's in order I thought as I looked through the little survival package, contained in the backpack. "Wait just a goddamn minute what the in the hell?" I said " my laptop, my IPhone, and a solar panel, I sure as shit didn't pack them" But I have always found it best to not question stuff like that, consider it a gift and move on. I pulled out my IPhone and checked the service, nuthin', I decided to check the GPS app, same story. Aw, well it could be worse I said as I put the small solar panel on the outside of the backpack and hooked my phone to it.
I unzipped the other compartment and reached down inside to feel for any other surprises and touched the familiar texture of uneven stag antler. "Thank the Lord" I said pulling' the knife out of the compartment. I looked at the old knife its odd shaped blade and handle offering' a bit of home in this place, out of habit I unsheathed the blade and took some solace with the familiar object, thank God for the small things. I reached back in the bag and laid my hand on a wooden grip, fuck yes. My .38 Special Smith and Wesson is next to my knife my most precious possession, it came along with my favorite knife from a great uncle of mine that had died two years before a few months after my father's untimely death, both items are probably 60 or more years old but they still work and I love them both, the, .38 for its accuracy and weight. The knife for its length and double edged tip, plus, what's a man without his knife anyway, but I digress. I put them both on my belt and looked inside the bag again to find 3 boxes of ammunition for the revolver. Well at least I'm armed now, but that doesn't help with this storm. I looked around and saw what I assumed to be a fresh deer bed and game trail, sometimes being' a hunter and wildlife major comes in handy, either their going' to eat or to drink either one I could use right now. I decided to start walking' at least I'm in my element in the woods; I was pretty much raised in there, like most of us are in the Deep South part of the USA. I froze.
That's when I saw them sitting' on a tree, like nothing' was wrong, rainbow colored apples, wait a goddamn minute, rainbow apples…..I've seen these before apple trees with dark leaves, strange electrical disturbance. No it can't be zap apples don't exist. It hit me like a fully loaded semi doin' a hundred.
Oh for the love of all things, it can't be, not this, anything' but this. "GOD FUCKIN' DAMMIT KILL ME RIGHT FUCKIN NOW" I hollered into the woods. I had my answer, and I didn't like it, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Suddenly everything made sense the apples, the altered perception. Yeah, I thought, I like the show, and sure it might be cool to see, but I got family, friends, a life to lead, people who care, and now, no I can't be here that's not possible, huh guess the "I've done lost my fuckin' mind " conclusion wasn't so stupid after all. Goddamn psychology. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw it, white jutting' up out of the soft earth.
Bone, you know I kinda expected that in Ever….shit, I thought as the myriad of mythological creatures that lived here entered my brain like a database, on earth, coyotes I can deal with, hogs I can deal with, bears and snakes and panthers all I can deal with but here, a manticore or dragon, shit, but, hey they've never seen anything' like me before, and animals have to be taught that humans are easy to kill, right.
My confidence was shot lived as I looked at the skeleton laid out before me, two legs , two arms, human skull, the tattered remains of this poor souls clothes still hung on to the rotting frame. I looked and saw multiple others all dead all in various stages of decay, all under zap apple trees, my world came crashing' down. Gone were my hopes for this being some psychotic episode, some hallucinogenic trip, or even the afterlife. I was here, Equestria, but how it can't possibly exist can it, as I slowly let the gravity of my situation, hit me I realized there wasn't much I could do but try to make it out alive. Damn trees the energy load of all that makes a zap apple must do something to the fabric of the universe itself and curse my shitty luck I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Which is when I heard it the howling, the knife was in my hand before I even registered what was happening'.
They came like wraiths in the thickets, I barely saw them, and probably wouldn't have if it weren't darkened by the storm, they're eyes glowed a deep green, in there camouflaged wooden faces, thank goodness for watching this blasted show, I knew what these monstrosities were, Timber Wolves. My mind raced as one of huge beasts howled, what possessed me to do this, I don't know, maybe some vague hope within my head, or maybe something deeper, I don't know, probably never will, instinct took over and, I howled back. The reaction was almost instantaneous the wolves if you can call them that stopped circling me and left me alone, regrouped and slinked off as quick as they'd come. I sat there dumbfounded they could have easily killed me, why didn't they, my brain must not have been thinking clearly because I did something I knew I would regret. I followed. For a while I walked behind the pack barely able to pick them out in the tangle of plants, they were slow and had abandoned all stealth I followed close and eventually among the group, until they came to a stream, they drank and so did I. When they left I tried to resume trailing them only to be met by snarls and barking.
I decided to just count my blessings as the clouds cleared and the full moon came out, next time I might not be so lucky, there were other creatures out here that wouldn't be so kind. I figured the best defense is a good offense, so before I went to sleep, I built a wall of thorny plants around the base of a tree, I opened my bag and got out the Zippo lighter to make a fire, I also loaded the .38 just in case someone felt brave, this wasn't my first night in the woods, but it was in this world, I built my fire, pulled my cap's brim over my eyes, and went to sleep, dreaming of home.
I was woken up by something breathing; I looked and saw my fire had burned out. Pain my shoulder erupted in intense pain, I could feel claws popping my skin as a scaly foot gripped my shoulder in a vice like grip. I grabbed the revolver from under my head and was pulling the hammer back, when the pain ended and the weight lifted off. The whole world was red as two giant orbs lit up in front of my face. I shut my eyes. Damn, a cockatrice, where in the hell is fluttershy when you need her? I felt the gaze of the demon bird trying to bore through my eyelids. I raised the gun and fired blindly. I heard a squawk and then stillness I opened my eyes, to see that I had missed the bird and hit the ground at its feet it stood there in a daze from the explosion. "Get the fuck out of my sight you little son bitch or next time I won't miss" I yelled at it. It seemed to get the picture as it ran away squawking. I relit my fire and kept watch for more of the Everfree's surprises.
When the sun was up I popped open a meal and rehydrated it with water from the stream. This is a damn cartoon so it's probably safe to drink I thought. The food was good and, after breakfast, I pulled the spent cartridge out of the cylinder of the gun and replaced it. I kept the brass to reload it, if I ever could. I searched around the campsite and found a sturdy, straight, light stick a little taller than myself for a walking stick, and using the first aid kit from the backpack, bandaged my bleeding shoulder. I started walking again and managed to get a ways before pain again erupted like a volcano, my senses shut down, but I fought against it as the cockatrice's venom did it's damndest to kill me. I could hear it's squawk as it came closer and I got weaker. Not like this, I screamed at my body, no you will not die like this, dad didn't raise no pushover to let a damn cartoon bird kill him, fight goddamn it fight. My body was shaking violently as I collapsed on my knees, you will get up, I pushed myself to overcome it's noxious toxin, I saw the red eyes open again, the poison did it's work I was defenseless, unable to even raise the pistol. This is the end ,I thought you had a good run, a lot you got done in 19 years, Lord please forgive for the wrong I've done, I'll be coming to join you soon. The ice cold grip of stone began to form as I accepted my fate. Deep within the cockatrice's eyes I found my way home.
alright this is my first fan fiction, and I have no clue why i just wrote this, I just did, i think it's kind of a right of passage for fans of the show to write one of these since i am not gifted artistcally or musically that much. I am at a crossroads here, end it now with being stuck as a statue, dead. Or saved and continue the adventure. I cant decide so please,tell me in the reviews or message me if you want me to continue it or kill it here. i'll look tonight and decide. Also i realize i probably butchered the english language, but i was trying to write a southern accent into the dialouge, which failed and as most of this is whats happening in ones head i didn't put quotations around thoughts, so as far as grammar goes please help on that end. To adress a question some may be asking according to the orginal myth the cockatrice was poisonous and could kill by touching you, thats why the venom. Thank you all huntin' season and class call me away for now.
