>>42224913
>Pain
>Lots of pain
>A dull ache
>Distant noise
>Getting closer
>Clearer
>A voice
>Mach
"Mach!"
>You're awake
>More pain
>Dirt
>Your body feels like it's been crushed and pushed through a garden hose
>Deja vu
>Only this time you know why your body feels this way
>Everything's still attached at least
>But you can feel something's bent the way it's not supposed to
>Great, another visit to the doctor
>A hoof pulls your focus back
>Mach's in front of you
>Shaking like a leaf
>You immediately pull him to you and check him over
>He quietly accepts it, his breathing heavy and fast as his eyes dart around
>Grunts and small squeaks of pain escape him as you give him a once over
>Lots of bruising
>Nothing broken
>Best of all, no bleeding
>Except for the bit you just dripped onto him
>You wipe at your brow
>A heavy, thick mix of brown and red
>You'll need to clean that
>Later
>Mach is hyperventilating
>You turn him around to face you
>Like before, you level out your breathing
>Hoof to chest
>Breathe in
>Breathe out
>He slowly starts to copy you
"You alright, Mach?"
>Your voice seems to finally pull him out of his own head as he seems to finally focus on you
>Now he's hugging you
>That's new
>"I wanna go home"
>He sounds so small
>You look up
>There are gaps in the canopy of the trees
>Too small for you
>But he could squeeze through
>Sadly, you doubt he has the energy to even fly to Ponyville, let alone Cloudsdale
>You don't even know where you are, or which way is north
>Not that it'd do you much good, cause you don't know which way you should face to get to Ponyville in here
>But the kid doesn't need to know that
>The truth was all well and good before
>Now is the time for lies
>With a slight wince you stand and set Mach on your back
>He clings to you like you're driftwood
"Well, let's get to it then, we're burning daylight"
>The deathgrip on your coat relaxes a little at your usual casual tone
"Besides, if I don't get you home before curfew, Hot Stuff will have my hide"
>This draws a small chuckle from the little colt
>That's good
>You prefer him chucking at your inevitable demise to being terrified
>With a once over of the forest, you're already lost
>No sign of a beaten path
>Not good
>No sign of any life either
>Doubly not good
>Because you're very familiar with what lives in these woods
>And if they're not here
>Then that just means they're watching you
>You decide that you should at least give them a moving target and begin to trek in a random direction
>Before you get too far, you shoot a glance up and over your shoulder
>Wherever you fell in from, there's no way to tell
>None of the trees have broken branches or displaced leaves
>Either this place is durable enough that you didn't make it budge
>Or it fixed itself
>Neither option is comforting