“I know I screwed up but that’s no excuse fo-”
>”For what? For not looking for a way to get you home? She was doing that out of the kindness of her heart because she was your friend, Anonymous. I expended resources for the same because my student asked me to. I didn’t have to do that. I know it hurts but you’ve unfortunately burned all those bridges.”
>This couldn’t be happening.
>”You are lucky you aren’t in a dungeon. It was by her request that you weren’t arrested or held accountable for the property damage.”
“But Princess, I-”
>”Look Anonymous. I’m a very busy mare. I’m not going to make her forgive you. She doesn’t want to see you. She could have hurt somepony and she’ll have to live with that because of you. Not to mention all the other hardships you’ve caused her. I’m very sorry to say...”
>Everything went white.
>”But you’ve lost a friend.”
>Then you woke up.
>Normally when you woke up in the mornings, the first thing you’d notice was the fact that you were awake.
>It was a little different this time around.
>You are Anonymous.
>The first thing you noticed was how sore you were.
>Jesus fucking christ it hurt.
>You groaned and rolled to your side giving your hand better access to rub you back.
>You were a little more than pissed right now.
>What the fuck kind of bed does this all of a sudden?
>No really.
>What in the actua- oh...
>Right.
>In the act of moving your hand to your back you discovered two things.
>The first thing being that you were on the ground when your hand brushed against it.
>The second was that you had some kind of sticky paste on the back your shirt.
>However, the second thing was hardly worth the thought.
>Upon that discovery that you were outside, the memories of the previous day came flooding back.
>Whatever agitation you had was doused under a wave of loss.
>You weren’t at home because it was gone.
>Everything was gone.
>All your hard work down the drain.
>At that thought everything seemed to matter a little less.
>You lied your head back down on the cobblestone path for a bit.
>There wasn’t really a real rush to get up anyways.
>You opened your eyes to a view of the bottom wall thingy of the wishing fountain.
>That stupid, pointless wishing fountain.
>You sighed.
>What were you going to do with yourself today?
>Well today was Tuesday.
>You still had work today.
>...
>It was something.
>Oh who were you kidding?
>More than something.
>As your source of money, it was your lifeline right now.
>You sighed and slowly got to your feet.
>The sun hadn’t risen yet but it was close enough to sunrise that most of the lamps in the park had turned off.
>First things first.
>You couldn’t show up to Applejack’s looking like well...
>You slump a little more at the thought.
>...looking like a hobo.
>Since nopony was really around and you didn’t really give enough fucks at the moment, you took off your shirt.
>A large patch of pink frosting was smeared across the back.
>What the hell was frosting doing on it?
>You looked down.
>What the fuck?
>Just in front of the bench lied a decimated pastry.
>It wasn’t their last night.
>You must have rolled off the bench sometime between then and now.
>What the what?
>You raked some of the frosting away from the shirt with a finger.
>You almost put it in your mouth but stopped to look at it warily.
>It has been out all night...
>But you’re kind of hungry.
>Eh, what the hell.
>You put the finger in your mouth.
>Its certainly not the worst thing you’ve done.
>It brings a small smile to your lips.
“Thanks, Pinkie.” you say to nobody in particular.
>Even after the fallout with the whole Twilight thing, she’s been there.
>You pick up the flattened cupcake.
>There was plastic wrap around what was left of it but if your shirt was any indication it had failed miserably.
>It would be a shame to let it go to waste.
>It wouldn’t be the worst thing you’ve really eaten either.
>This coupled with the fact that you don’t have much else in the cards in terms of food made this thing breakfast.
>But you could eat it on the way.
>You set the cupcake on the bench for later.
>Your suit jacket while laden in ash and soot had been spared from the frosting since you used it as a blanket last night.
>But you needed to get the frosting out of the shirt.
>You looked around and saw nopony out.
>The sun was nearly up and ponyville was an earth pony after all so it surprises you that nopony was out.
>But since nopony was...
>You walked over to the fountain with your shirt.
>Before you could get into scrubbing it you noticed the reflective coins that lined the bottom of the fountain.
>You sorely needed some money since you lost it all in the fire.
>Nopony was around after all.
>But...
>No.
>You couldn’t do it and just continued to scrub for a while.

>You took a bite out of the crushed cupcake as you walked up the dirt road to Applejack’s.
>You tried and succeeded at beating most of the ash out of your suit jacket.
>The stain in the shirt wouldn’t be noticeable unless you took the jacket off so you were good on that front.
>As you chewed you bit into something that definitely wasn’t food.
>You pulled a tiny folded up note out of you mouth.
“What the hell?”
>You unfolded the thing and it had an actual note on it.
>An quarter note or whatever it was called.
>You turned it around and it it had words on the fucking paper.
>You took a bite out of the crushed cupcake as you walked up the dirt road to Applejack’s.
>You tried and succeeded at beating most of the ash out of your suit jacket.
>The stain in the shirt wouldn’t be noticeable unless you took the jacket off so you were good on that front.
>As you chewed you bit into something that definitely wasn’t food.
>You pulled a tiny folded up note out of you mouth.
“What the hell?”
>You unfolded the thing and it had an actual note on it.
>An quarter note or whatever it was called.
>You turned it around and it it had words on the fucking paper.
>’We are both lost here: a broken king in a kingdom not his own, a lonely damsel too far gone. They both lead different lives, but have something in common. They both still need to be rescued.’
>Huh.
>You never knew Pinkie wrote.
>’P.S. I knew you needed a smile, Noni! I hope you liked the cupcake!’
>You shook your head.
>She may be really, really annoying sometimes but she was also there when you needed her to be.
>She could have offered to take you in but you couldn’t really complain.
>At least she made you smile a bit.
>You get out of your thoughts as you pass the arch with the squeaky sign leading to the orange one’s farm.
>The sun was up now and its light reflecting off of the bright red fucking barn house thing was rather difficult to look at when you walked up to it.
>You were going to knock on the door but you heard some clanging out back.
>Applejack must have been out back working on something.
>Might as well go back there rather than make her come all the way to the front door.
>That and the fact that you didn’t want to wake Granny Smith.
>Old bitch was crazy.
>You started to walk around the house.
>You started to hear something.
>Was that grunting?
>There was a crash.
>”Unf! Celestia, darnit!”
>Shit!
>You ran to the source of the sound.
>There was a small shed off the back of the house.
>The door was open and you could see a very silly pony who looked like she knocked over a shelf of paint cans.
>You shook your head when she got up from under the pile.
>At least she didn’t get hurt.
>A empty can sat atop her head like a helmet.
>Applejack is such a silly pony sometimes.
>She saw you coming up and kicked the bucket off with a blush.
“Hey, Applejack.” you greeted with as much feeling as you could put into it.
>You really needed to work.
>You wouldn’t get anywhere being broke and homeless.
>”Well howdy, Anon. Ah didn’t expect to see ya ‘round here with what ah heard happened to ya.”
>Your smile strains a bit, but you keep it up.
“Just tell me what you need today. My house is gone but my body still works.”
>Apple horse picks herself up out of the cans and trots over towards you.
>”Anon, walk with me. Ah got somehin’ for ya ta do.”
>You shrug and follow her into her house.
>She leads you past the kitchen into the living room.
>The top half of the front door sits open letting some sun in over the rustic little room.
>Country-chic.
>AJ was digging in a little cabinet and pulled out a bag that jiggled and chinked.
>She brought it over to you and dropped it it at your feet, a few dozen bits spilling out.
>You stared at the bag for a full minute trying to process what just happened.
>There had to be hundreds of bits in that bag.
>Applejack seemed to be looking away as if contemplating something.
“I-Is that what I think it is?” you finally ask.
>”As in ‘is that a bag fulla bits’ then yeah it is.”
>You really don’t know what to say.
>"It’s all yers. Theres gotta be about 400ish er so bits in that there bag. It’ll do ya some good I hope.”
>You look at it for another moment.
>It wasn’t nearly enough for a house but you could at least get food, sleeping bags and all that other good shit.
“Applejack... I as much as I need it... I can’t accept this.”
>”Ya can an’ will take those bits. their yer own bits anyways. Consider it an advance with a bit o’ bonus.”
>You stared at her dumbly for another period of time.
“Why?” you asked.
>Applejack sighed wearily and sat down.
>”Its jus’... things have been a lil’ weird between us ever since that whole thing with Twi went down. Ah won’t talk about that big ‘ol thing cause ain’t nopony need ta bring any o’ that up anyways.”
>Amen to that.
>Nobody needs to remember that clusterfuck.
>She looked you in the eyes.
>”Ah just wanted ta say ah’m sorry for any o’ that. And now that ya ain’t gotta house no more it made me think about how it used ta be before everypony got used to ya. Ya’ll need a friend mighty fierce right now an’ the least ah can do as a friend is help ya get on yer feet.”
>She looked away.
>”Ah would’ve offered you the spare room iffn’ some of mah kin didn’t have the same issue you do- oof!”
>You hugged that horse.
“Thank you so much.”
>And that’s all you could really say.
>You ended up leaving Sweet Apple Acres with a bag of bits and a brighter mood.
>She told you to go and come back in a few days after you figured out what you were going to do with yourself.
>You felt genuinely good for the first time since yesterday.
>As you walked back to Ponyville whistling a happier tune than you would have under different circumstances.
>Maybe today would be a better day.
>If only you knew now that it wouldn’t be.

>You spent most of your bits by mid afternoon.
>You got yourself a decent backpack.
>You’ll have to pick up the clothes you commissioned later.
>The coat was the most important though.
>It was the early fall after all.
>It was a massive bitch finding a tailor in Ponyville that wasn’t Rarity.
>You found yourself a tent and a sleeping bag.
>It was also a bitch getting one in your size.
>You got canteen and a few other goodies that left you with about fifty or so bits.
>You could have got a hotel room but it would eat through what little money you had a little too quickly.
>So now you were just hungry which placed you in the market with some insufferable vendor.
“That’s some bullshit!”
>This pony.
>THIS PONY.
>This cunt just tried to charge you ten bits for a motherfucking bag of carrots.
>”Oh well look at that, the price just rose. Twenty bits.”
>The fuck-
>”Hey monkey! Will ya hurry it up down there? I’m getting old back here!”
>This fucking gay horse town is going to drive you mad...
>You pushed the carrots back to the orange maned vendor who looked at you confusedly.
“You know what? Fuck it. I’ll take my business elsewhere but before I go...”
>You turned around and cleared your throat.
“HEY EVERYPONY!”
>You weren’t exactly the most popular amongst ponies anymore but you got the desired effect.
>You turned a lot of heads in the market place.
>Not all of them but enough to cause a scene.
>You look back and smirk at the carrot bitch’s panicked expression.
“CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS MARE JUST CHARGED ME TWENTY BITS FOR FIVE CARROTS? YOU CAN DO THE MATH! THAT'S FOUR BITS A CARROT!”
>A few ponies had already left the line.
>Others were shooting looks at the vendor.
>”Stop! What are you doin-”
>You just smiled at the her and kept going.
“I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE APPLE FAMILY HAS A CARROT FIELD OF THEIR OWN AND SELLS FIVE FOR TWO BITS.”
>There goes her line.
>You looked carrot pony again.
>She seemed like she was about to cry.
>You spat on her stand and walk away.
“Dumb bitch.”
>You walked past a familiar stand.
>The Apple family’s setup was swamped with ponies. 
>A distressed Big Mac shot you a look before the crowd engulfed him.
>Ponies really liked their carrots apparently.
>You had a new destination in mind.
>Sugarcube Corner wasn’t too far from here and you wanted to thank Pinkie for the smile.
>And so you walked.
>The ponies on the street seemed to stay out of your way and move to the sides whenever you came through.
>Just like the old days.
>Like when you got here.
>Sucked that things have devolved to this.
>But hey.
>You were alive, right?
>That’s all that really matters.
>Clank!
>Fuck.
>You turn around to see canteen you bought had fallen from your backpack.
>There weren’t words for how much you hated everything right now.
>There was no telling just how long your back had been open.
>The rope that was supposed to secure the tent to the top of your backpack had also apparently failed.
>If some dumb horse made off with it...
>Fucking hell.
>You started sprinting back the way you came after closing up your bag.
>It didn’t look good.
>You ran all the way back to the marketplace and you still hadn’t found anything.
>It was hard to see the ground from where you were.
>The melee around the apple stand and was still going on as hilarious as ever.
>But that meant way too many ponies.
>These damned grass eaters were making ev-
>THERE.
>Your tent lied rolled up in its case next to a random stall.
>You casually walk through the crowd and pick it up, reattaching to your backpack.
>Crisis fucking averted.
>Well, that’s it then.
>You walked out of the market for the second time today.
>You put a little bit of distance between yourself and the carrot riot before you started hearing something.
>You stopped and put an ear to the wind.
>Sounded like...
>”Augh!”
>As faintly as you heard it, the cry of pain was still clear.
>You couldn’t tell exactly where it came from but you didn’t really care.
>Somepony must have fell.
>Sucks to be whoever she was.
>It wasn’t your problem.
>You went back the way you came and heard laughing down an alley up ahead.
>You couldn’t hear any words being said because you were still not far from the carrot riot.
>Well...
>Eh, what the hell.
>You turn at a side street and head in the general direction you heard the voices.
>The closer you got, the more apparent it was that something wasn’t right.
>Nopony was on this street at all.
>Being this close to the market meant it shouldn’t have been this way.
>It could have been a massive fluke but you were never really one to test your luck.
>Fuck this street.
>You almost turned around to leave when you heard a crash and shriek.
>And more laughing.
>Probably some school kids picking on somebody.
“Welp... its something to do at least...” you say after contemplating for a moment.
>You start walking towards an alley that the sound seems to be coming from.
>Against your better judgement of course.
>”Were gonna show you how we deal with mares like you in Clousdale!”
>Two other voices agreed with the first and you heard another feminine cry of pain.
>What it the sweet fu-
>You stopped at the head of the alley.
>Before you knew it you had dropped your things and calmly strode up to the first pegasus stallion who was probably supposed to be the lookout.
>He was watching what the other two were doing instead of making sure nopony cam by.
>The other two...
>Looks like they've been beating the shit out of Eri.
>Judging by the the black eye and a few bruises that were starting to form, you were a little late.
>Eri lied on the ground in front of the other two who were laughing at her.
>The overwhelming calm you felt surprised you a little as you grabbed a loose pipe that had been leaning on the wall.
>The asshats at the end sent Miss Eri into some garbage cans with a painful looking buck.
>The pipe connected with the back of the lookout’s skull while the cans were still making noise.
>They didn’t notice their friend had even hit the ground over the crash.
>You kept walking.
>One of the buck’s cruel grin turned lecherous and he looked back towards Eri.
>You knew that look.
>The other guy knew that look too and mimicked it.
>”You know... I think we're going to have some more fun with you.”
>Some more?!
>You really wanted to say something to him.
>To call him a name
>A snarky remark of some kind.
>Maybe a catch phrase.
>Some epic one liner.
>You could have made one up on the spot for a situation like this.
>’So two dumb ponies walk into a bar’ or some shit.
>But right now, there really weren’t any words that were worth saying.
>Only one thing needed done.
>The second stallion was going to add to what the other said but was too busy being hit in the jaw with a pipe to finish.
>You don’t really remember much from that incident after that.

>Oh shit.
>Oh shit, oh fuck, oh piss.
>You were standing over the beaten forms of three ponies.
>You couldn’t tell if they were dead or not but you were pretty sure they were.
>A caved skull here, crushed rib cage there.
>If they weren't dead then you actually beat them within an inch of their life.
>You don’t remember what all you did but it didn’t look pretty.
>Jesus.
>You were losing it right now.
>It took you SO long to get past the fucking xenophobia.
>Hours of scrutiny by the princesses only to be thrown back into the dungeon for the cycle to repeat.
>Hell, you were in enough shit as it was for the tentacle thing.
>Oh god...
>You didn’t want to go through that aga-
>No. 
>There wasn’t time to freak out about that.
>You needed to get Eri to the hospital.
>You took a shaky breath and ran your hands through your hair.
>Get your shit together, Anonymous.
>Right...
>You walked over to the pile of trash Eri had been launched into.
>Not before sparing a glance back at what you had done.
>You REALLY didn’t want to go back to a cell again.
>Ripping your gaze away from... that, you look at the unconscious form of your neighbor.
>Erm, well ex-neighbor.
>She must have gotten knocked out when she hit the cans.
>The first look at her injuries made you wince.
>You were really glad that she had been because most of it looked pretty bad.
>Christ.
>A part of you feels like you didn’t give those bastards nearly enough for what they did to her.
>Gingerly, you picked up the broken earth pony and set her over your shoulder.
>This is the time whatever adrenaline that was in your system decided to wear off.
>A few aches and pains made themselves known.
>Especially in your right leg.
>You didn’t come out of that beatdown unscathed.
>But you could endure for now.
>For her.
>You really didn’t like the way her chest gave under her own weight on your shoulder but you couldn’t do anything about it.
>You needed to get out of here as fast as you could.
>The street was empty when you got here.
>With any luck it would still be that way.
>You could still hear the low roar of impatient customers meaning the carrot riot was still going on and may still be drawing attention away.
>You started walking as quickly as you could with the small horse on your back.
>She quite honestly wasn’t very heavy.
>Alarmingly so, in fact.
>You could deal with that later.
>Coming to the end of the alley, you could see that the street was still empty and started to make your way away.
>You knew it was impossible to get her out of the middle of town without being seen but the longer you went unnoticed the better.
>You’d rather be seen farther away from the scene of the crime than near it.
>You moved from alley to alley, trying to stay between building whenever possible.
>The universe seemed merciful and most of the streets on your initial trek were devoid of life whenever you did need to cross.
>Eri started to groan when you luck ran out.
>”A-anon?” she mumbled weakly.
>Her voice was barely a whisper.
>At the same time you made it to the area around the park.
>No way you’ll remain unseen.
>Shit.
>”Where we g-going?”
“The hospital. Now stop talking. You're hurt.” 
>You think she meant to jerk or jolt at that but in her state it translated to a bit of a roll or shimmy.
>The message got across though.
>”N-no. No doctors.”
“What?”
>At this point ponies were watching.
>”Please... F-father can’t ever know...” she sighed out pitifully as she slipped back out of consciousness. 
>That...
>That wasn’t ominous or anything.
>You kept going but slowed down a bit.
>She absolutely needs medical attention but doesn’t want to go to the hospital.
>Fuck all if you were going to let her not go without help.
>You don’t know why she doesn’t want to go but that doesn’t excuse the fact that she needs medical attention.
>But...
>You don’t really know what thoughts crossed your mind to change it.
>Maybe it has something to do with you wanting to never be in a place you don’t want to be again.
>To be confined.
>Maybe that's the way she saw it.
>Maybe she was just afraid.
>There was no way of telling.
>You honestly cared more for her well being than what she thought of you.
>So why did you care right now?
>You really didn’t have an answer for that one.
>It’s one of those moments in which a single decision could change the entire course of ones life.
>Or you were just being really autistic right now.
>Jesus.
>You’ve been in cartoon horseworld for way too long.
>But she still needs to see someone with some medical knowledge.
>Twilight is out of the question for obvious reasons.
>Fuck she was like half of your choices.
>Well...
>There was this nurse...
>Back in the day you saved her son by accident.
>No really.
>Like you tripped and fell, somehow pushing the little shit out of the way of a falling construction pallet.
>Luckiest thing in the world.
>If you needed help with anything she said.
>You really should just take her to the fucking hospital...
>You see police ponies galloping on a street across from the park.
>That was the decision maker right there.
>You needed to get out of here.
>Hospital staff would ask questions.
>With any luck, Heart Mender... or whatever the hell her name was wouldn’t as long as you asked her not to.
>She had made a point to show you where she lived and luckily you were close.
>You sighed and walked a little faster.
>A part of your mind told you everything would eventually point back to you.
>You had no idea how good ponies were with investigating things like this and sorely hoped they were horrible.
>Lets face it, that sort of thing shouldn’t happen too often with the magic of friendship bullshit they spout off about all the time.
>There’s not really a reason they could be good at it.
>Right?
>Fuck you we’re losing it again.
>You really didn’t want to do that dungeon bullshit again.
>You hate being fucking confined.
>Turning the corner, the street seemed a little less trafficked.
>There it was.
>You picked up the pace and did as much of a sprint as you could pull off with Eri on your back.
>When you got to the door you did your best impression of a police knock.
>And you waited.
>You knocked again a little more urgently.
>You waited.
>Fuck, you hoped she was there.
>You don’t think you could get away with dumping here in front of the hospital.
>Shit.
>Crap what the hell were you gonna do?
>You contemplated for a bit but then luckily for you, the door opened.
>Brown coat, magenta mane with life filled eyes.
>The funny part was that her cutie mark was similar to Eri’ in a way.
>Over where the crack would be was a bandage.
>”Oh hi, Anonymou-”
“I-I need a favor...” you say weakly.
>“Oh my goodness come in!”
>The mare retreated into her house quickly while you breathed out a sigh of relief.
>Safe for a little bit longer.
>You hefted Eri again and ducked under the frame of the door so you didn’t bump her head.
>”X-Ray, I need you now!”
>You came into a well furnished living room.
>Two couches arranged in a L shape around a coffee table.
>A rug.
>A fire place.
>Some bookshelves.
>All standard pony fare.
>You didn't know where to set her so you sort of awkwardly stood there while you heard rummaging farther in the building.
>”X-Ray! Hurry up!”
>Heart Mender(?) rushed back into the room with a hefty looking first aid kit.
>You can see various things bulging out of it that you couldn’t identify.
>Half of those things didn’t look like they had any business in earth pony hooves.
>”Just set her down on the couch, Anon.”
>All you can see is the injuries.
>Fuck.
>You should have gotten there sooner.
>You stood aside letting Heart do whatever she was going to.
>She looked back up yelled again.
>”X-Ray for the love of Celestia! Get in here!”
>Another voice answered from deeper within the house.
>”I’m coming! Keep your saddle on.”
>A unicorn stallion trotted in as you sat on the couch.
>Both your eyes met.
>You were freaking out again on the inside.
>He was glaring at you.
>This was exactly what you needed.
>Another pony knowing.
>One that didn’t like you apparently.
>His eyes then fall to the young mare on the couch being looked over.
>”Sweet Celestia, what happened?!”
>He got his ass in gear and moved over to Heart Mender’s side.
>The glowed in a magical grasp as more instruments streamed out.
>While this was going on, you had your head in your hands.
>A thousand things were going through your head.
>You really hoped Eri was ok.
>You really hoped the police wouldn’t tag you to shit.
>With this shit the would be lenient.
>Especially with the tentacle shit.
>Such is life in pony land.
>It just wasn’t equal for you in horseland.
>You really hoped for... a lot of things.
>Letting out a withering sigh, you sit back in the couch. 
>So many things.
>You took your jacket off and got comfortable.
>But hoping gets you nowhere.
>You looked and saw a wet spot on the back shoulder part of the suit jacket.
>If it did you would still have a house.
>You wiped at it with your finger.
>Scratch that.
>It was red with blood.
>If hoping got you anywhere you would be home.
>The spot was where Eri’s head lied while you carried here.

>For a while you just sat on the couch there, numb.
>Sometime while they were fixing her up, you realized just how fucked you were.
>That backpack full of the things you bought was still in the alley.
>You somehow walked past it without seeing it or otherwise you’d have picked it up.
>This was it for you.
>The backpack was made specifically for you.
>A three year old could figure out what happened.
>Or at least some of it.
>The fucking thing places you on the scene of the crime.
>That’s all they really need.
>But it really didn’t matter.
>For some reason or another, instead of freaking the fuck out about it, you just started up at the ceiling.
>Just thinking.
>About earth.
>Life in general.
>Some things you always wanted to do.
>Those sort of things.
>But every time you looked to the other couch you could only think about Eri.
>Some decisions you could have made earlier that would have put you there to save her before she got hurt.
>The fact that you may have killed three ponies for her.
>That by itself was startling.
>You barely knew her.
>You could argue that anyone seeing that happen to her would have done the same.
>But that was unfortunately not true.
>Going so far as to ending their lives?
>What the hell, dude?
>What was wrong with you?
>You couldn’t remember most of that anyways.
>Just the angry red blur that was that felt like but a moment.
>Then standing over three half dead pegasi freaking the fuck out.
>Christ.
>You were a mess, Anonymous.
>Look at how far you’ve come.
>It was about an hour and a half before you were taken away from your musings by a voice.
>”Anon?”
>You sat up and looked at a mildly distressed Heart Mender.
>The other guy was still working with Eri.
>You quickly glanced her direction.
>She had bandages on her right foreleg and head.
>Most of the bruises were gone and you were going to assume that the unicorn used his cheater magic.
>Other than that she looked... well better.
>Still hurt but better.
>That was a relief.
>One less thing to
>Looking back to Heart Mender, who was smiling now for some reason.
>”She’ll be fine, Anon. Most of her injuries were superficial. I just Looks really bad. You don’t have to worry.”
>You just sighed.
>You could tell by just looking at her but hearing the words brought a little bit more peace to your heart.
>She has that fucking smile again.
>”You really care, don’t you?”
>Huh?
>Well...
>Lets see:
>You probably killed three ponies after they beat her.
>Dropped everything to carry her to hospital.
>At her not wanting to go you did the next best thing and took her here.
>Less worried when finding out she’ll be fine.
>Yet you barely know her.
>...
>You sigh again.
>You’ve been in horseland way too long.
“I guess I do...”
>Heart Mender’s smile broadens stupidly before waning and dying completely.
>There was an awkward pause and you knew what was coming.
>”Anonymous, I’m not stupid enough to not read between the lines.”
>She didn’t want to ask but you could see the curiosity in her eyes.
>Yep.
>That.
>”I know you probably don’t want ponies prying in on whatever happened but... I need to know.”
>The stallion, X-Ray you think his name was, stepped up.
>”Make that two. I want to know what happened too. And I swear with Celestia as my witness that you won’t be leaving in one piece if you are the one that did this to her.”
>...
>Wow, what a prick.
>Heart came to your defense.
>”Leave him alone! He’s not as bad as everypony makes him out to b-”
>The unicorn ignored her.
>”Don’t even think about lying. I know a liar when I see one.”
>Yeah right.
>Ponies were terrible liars.
>They had so many tells and yet none of them can tell if the other is lying.
>Ears going back, shifty eyes, etc.
>You’ve abused the hell out of this.
>”Excuse him, Anon. I know you couldn’t have done it with the hoof marks and all.”
>She glared at him one more time then turned back to you.
>You looked away.
>You didn’t want to tell them shit
>However...
>The way you see it you probably owe them that much for helping you.
>Fuck this gay horse world.
>You spent the next few hours telling your story.
>You just started where all the bullshit started yesterday for some context.
>When you lost your house.
>Sitting with you neighbor.
>How you had to sleep at the park.
>Washed your shit in a public fountain.
>How you were helped by the Apple family.
>Then when you saw what those motherfuckers did to Eri.
>What you did to them.
>And how you carried her here.
>In all honesty, venting like this made you feel better.
>If only a little.
>A the end, both of the horses had on a somber expression.
>Heart Mender’s look hardened though before she muttered.
>”You didn’t give them enough...”
>Huh.
>You like her.
>She gets it.
>X-Ray looked shocked.
>”Heart!”
>”You saw it too! They raped her! Those bucks were bad news and got what they deserved.”
>Whoa whoa whoa.
>You stood up and the other two backed up, either startled by you rising to your full height or giving you the room to do so.
>Maybe both.
>U wot m8?
>They what?!
“They what?!”
>The nurse looks taken aback.
>”You mean you didn’t know?”
>Your anger flares back up but has no real place to go anywhere.
>God. Fucking. Dammit.
>You rub your face as if trying to sweep away the rage.
>You look over to the pitiful unconscious form on the couch.
>You couldn’t have known.
>There was no way you could have known.
>No way you could have been there sooner.
>You know this but...
>Just...
>Fuck!
“I should have been there sooner.”
>”There’s no way you coul-”
>You huff angrily.
“Yeah yeah. I know but it doesn’t change the fact that I wish I got to her just a little sooner.”
>You sat your ass back down on the couch before you punched something.
>Heart Mender sits next to you and shakes her head.
>”I’m sorry, Anon. I thought you knew.”
>She looks at a clock on the wall and blinks before turning to you.
>”Anon you should probably leave.”
>What?
>Was she kicking you out?
>She sees the look on your face and continues.
>”If what you said was true then the police are probably going to be heading this way. I can keep Eri here if you want her being taken to the hospital by them if they show up but I don’t want to get caught harboring a fugitive.”
>She’s... right.
>You needed to leave five minutes ago.
>Fuck.
>You looked to Eri’s form lying on the couch.
>She didn’t want to go.
>She was afraid of something.
>But if you wanted to get away smoothly, you couldn’t take her.
>Well... it may be a little selfish but she was safe now.
>You needed to take care of yourself before you could take care of anyone else.
>Well, thats that then.
>You reached into your pants pocket and pulled out your remaining bits.
>You had forty-seven horse money to your name.
>Enough for a one way train ticket.
>Equestria didn’t have much in the way of long distance communication.
>You could take a train to one of the frontier towns and find some work there while you hide out.
>Maybe earn enough to get some gear and live out on your own Bear Grylls style or some shit.
>Huh, as if.
>You honestly had nothing left in this town except for some bad memories.
>At least the last thing you did here was save a life.
>At the cost of three others, of course.
>You sighed wearily, preparing yourself as much as you could.
>You've only ever been out of Ponyville to go to Canterlot.
>This was going to be more or less an adventure.
“You probably won’t be seeing me again. It’s been a pleasure knowing you, Heart.”
>She just smiles a knowing smile and shoos you out the door out into the early evening air.
>You take off towards the train station with all of your worldly possessions.
>The burnt can in your suit jacket’s pocket.
>All forty-seven bits you have to your name.
>And the clothes on your back.
>You’ve always wanted to see more of Equestria.
>You never thought you’d be doing it because you killed three ponies.

>You walked swiftly and with purpose through town.
>Every now and then you’d get a pang or two of guilt for not telling your remaining friends that you were leaving.
>But then again they were better off if you didn’t.
>You looked around every now and then to make sure you weren’t being followed.
>As far as you knew, you weren’t.
>You were sure you looked suspicious as balls doing that but you were sure you were okay... for now.
>You sighed.
>The sky was a nice shade of orange and was starting to turn darker shades of purple and black as the sun set.
>It was in all honesty a nearly perfect evening.
>You passed by the Gilded Dragon, a cafe you used to eat at.
>With friends.
>The memories flashed by one by one.
>All of happier times.
>Everything was simpler back then.
>Before all that shit happened with Twilight.
>Before you lost your house.
>Before you killed those assholes in the alley.
>You were a little surprised about how it hasn’t bothered you yet.
>You used to hear about how hard the first kill was back home either from others or the internet.
>Mostly the internet.
>But you weren’t really feeling at all bad about it.
>Just... apathetic.
>It spooked you a little.
>You just felt like they got what they deserved.
>The few lamps that dotted the streets of Ponyville turned on at some unknown cue.
>It was pretty.
>The way they accented the town added to the charming rustic feel.
>Ponies milled about to and fro, most heading home.
>There was a hidden energy in the small town though that you could glean on if you looked hard enough.
>The ones who weren’t were heading to the few bars or clubs the town had to offer.
>You sigh again.
>All of this...
>The ponies.
>The sights.
>All of it.
>You were going to miss it dearly.
>You arrived at the train station a little sooner than you would have liked.
>You may have been in a hurry but you wanted some time to absorb what Ponyville had to offer one last time.
>But things don’t always work out the way you want them to all the time now do they?
>You look across the train platform as you plod towards the ticket booth.
>It’s empty save for you.
>Perfect for what you need to do but... lonely.
>You reached the window.
>You were bathed in the dull yellow light that flowed from it.
>You turned around and took another look at the empty platform just to be sure.
>Reluctantly, you pull your bits and count out forty of them.
“I need a one way ticket. End of the line. I don’t care which direction.”
>The pony in the window takes the bits and raises an eyebrow at you.
>”Got some troubles chasing you away, eh?”
“Something like that. I’d rather not talk about it.”
>”Sure. That’s fine. They all say the same thing.”
>The ticket pony types up something and hands you a ticket.
>”There you are. One way ticket to Appleloosa. The trains due in an hour so you’ve got some time.”
>Well then...
>You look at the last seven bits in your hand.
>It was a bad idea.
>You really should save the last of your bits for your destination but after today you feel like you’ve earned yourself a bit of a treat.
“Are there any good bars near here with cheap cider?”
>”Two blocks down and to the right. Look for the sign with a rusty trough.”
“Thanks.”
>”Yup.”
>You take almost no time getting there.
>Walking in you see a few ponies sitting about, enjoying salt or hard cider.
>The bar is dimly lit giving it a quieter yet more laid back atmosphere.
>Almost nopony said anything to each other.
>They didn’t want to be bothered which was good because you didn’t either.
>All in all, you could lay low here for an hour or so despite you sticking out like a sore thumb.
>walked over to the counter and sat on a bar stool.
>The pony sized stool made up for the pony sized counter.
>The bartender looked at you expectantly.
“How much for a pint of hard cider?”
>He pointed at a sign just above him.
>Just one bit.
>You could get shitfaced if you blew all your money but it’d be a bad idea.
>You needed your thoughts about you if you wanted to get away.
>But, two shouldn’t hurt.
>Equestrian drinks were usually pretty weak.
>Especially considering that the average Equestrian preferred salt.
>You tossed a bit on the counter you were slid you drink while the bit floated away in a green glow.
>And so you started to drown away your troubles.
>You stared at your reflection in your drink as it rapidly disappeared.
>It’s really come down to this then... hasn’t it?
>You tossed another bit on the counter and got another drink.
>Everything was going well for you; life was good.
>You took a large swig from the mug.
>Why did everything have to fall apart now?
>That one went away a little more quickly than you would have liked so you tossed a third bit on the counter.
>What went wrong?
>Damn this was some good cider despite how weak it was.
>Who the hell would do this to you?
>You started to feel a nice warmth in your gut as you emptied the mug again and tossed another bit on the counter.
>You hadn’t pissed off anypony enough to see a justifiable reason to burn down your house.
>There goes another.
>Everything gonna be just fine!
>And another.
>Then it all came crashing down again.
>You tossed another bit on the counter and got another drink.
>Right now you’d probably kill the fucker who cheated you out of your life like you did the pegasi.
>If only you knew who did it...
>You emptied the mug and discovered you were out bits.
>Fucking shit.
>You looked up at the clock and saw that you spent nearly an hour in this hole.
>Your train was due to depart in fifteen minutes and was likely already at the station.
>Well...
>It was time then.
>You hopped off the stool after thanking the bar dude who just nodded in acknowledgement.
>Jesus, the guy was more silent than Big Mac.
>You made your way out of the bar and walked up the street with the nice buzz you had from all that cider.
>The sun had set completely and the sky was dark.
>The streets were illuminated by the few lampposts that dotted it or by the glows of light from within other buildings.
>You looked up at the moon.
>The white disk hung in the sky peeking out from above a cloud bank.
>Another beautiful Equestrian night.
>As if nothing had happened.
>Like it was mocking you.
>But fuck it.
>You drank to feel good.
>You won’t let yourself fall into a shitty mood.
>This would be hard considering all the shit that has happened but you’ll be damned if you didn’t try to stay positive.
>You walked up the platform to the train.
>The passenger cars hurt your eyes.
>Bright as shit colors made it look shitty.
>Like a little girl threw up all over it.
>This was your ride out of here.
>To your new life.
>It was ironic that you were going to be running away from Ponyville and the only friends you ever had on a train called the motherfucking friendship express.
>Such is life for you, Anonymous.
>You were about to step aboard the train when you heard someone yell for you.
>”Anonymous wait!”
>You looked to where you heard the voice come from.
>A small grey earth pony was limping to you for all she was worth.
>The mare’s pink highlights dipped over part of her face but failed to hide the swollen black eye underneath.
>Various bandages were wrapped around her legs and one over her small frame.
>Miss Eri.
>Poor, poor Miss Eri.
>You probably had a look of surprise on your face.
>Maybe confusion.
>What in the shit was she doing here in the first place?
>How was she moving?
>You probably had a look of surprise on your face.
>Maybe confusion.
>You’ll never really know.
>You just said the first thing that came to your mind.
“What the hell are you doing up?”
>She flinched but kept coming.
>You didn’t mean it how it sounded but your thought was valid.
>What in the shit was she doing here in the first place?
>How was she moving?
>She stopped at you feet and looked up at you.
>She looked... afraid?
>In pain?
>Pony expressions were hard sometimes.
>She opened her mouth to say something but you interrupted her 
“I don’t know why you’re here and I don’t care.”
>Eri got a hurt look on her face.
“I don’t mean it like that. You should be lying down and resting.”
>You pointed back the way she came.
“Go back to Heart Mender’s place. It’s closer to here than yours. She’ll take care of you for n-”
>Speaking of the nurse, there she was running up the street.
>That could have been a warning for you if you had anywhere you could have possibly ran to.
>But of course, you didn’t pick up on the fact that something was wrong until it was too late.
>You were suddenly unable to move, your body restricted by a golden glow.
>Two unicorns in golden armor trotted up to you, both horns were lit up in the same color that surrounded you.
>Behind them were about five or six police ponies, two stopping the earth pony nurse.
“Anonymous the human, you are under arrest for murder." one of them informs you.
>You never got the chance to say anything nor do anything.
>The guard’s horn flared up and the world fell away into black.

END DAY 02