A loud knocking came from my front door. I stretched my neck as I walked to the door. "Hold up, one second!"

I ran down the steps from my loft and over to the door. I yanked it open and looked outside, "Hello?"

A blue grey mare was standing proudly on my front step. "Mister Sander?" I nodded. "I'm Lola, Mayoral aid and The Township of Ponyville has need of you."

"Cool. What's up?"

The mare gave me a worried look. "We need someone to patrol a footpath at night. It's a common hiking trail so it's not dangerous." The mare looked to the hills, "We just need somepo- somebody, to make sure nopony is doing anything illegal up there."

I scratched my chin, "Wait...shouldn't the guar--"

"This isn't really worth worrying the guard over. Just colts and fillies smoking and...having relations." The mare looked pained as she spoke, "Just write up a report whenever you're done."

I nodded once, "Okay, when do I start?"

The mare looked at the ground, "Tonight?" She looked behind me into my house, "Are you free tonight?"

I shrugged, closing my door behind me. "I can go right now...I got nothing else to do." I made sure to lock my door and turned to the mare. "So where's the path?"

"North road to the falls. Oh- and I'll be sure to tell the mayor about your help." The mare turned to the road, walking off and leaving me alone on my lawn. I looked over to the setting sun and started walking towards the road out of town.

The blue grey mare started shouting, running over and skidding to a halt before me, "Mr. Sander...good, I forgot to give this to you." She craned her head back and pulled a flashlight from her bags. I took it from her mouth, sticking the large torch into my pocket, "It can get dark out there, just be careful alright?"

I looked over the hefty flashlight, swinging it and checking the light, "That's bright as hel-- ...Actually hell would be kinda dark...."

"...I don't get it."

I looked down at the mare and shrugged, "Dumb joke. So can I keep this thing?"

The mare started trotting away, "If you want, it was like ten bits...." She disappeared into the dulling sunlight and left me swinging the heavy torch.

I started slowly walking towards the trail, passing the market, the residential areas and finally the craft buildings at the edge of town. Once free of the limits I found the trail the mare was talking about. I stepped onto the dirt road, several ponies and a few humans hanging about as I walked. Everyone seemed relatively calm, running through their normal days and enjoying the darkening wilderness.

I kept on, walking deeper into the thickening forest. Little by little the sun left us, blanketing the land in a heavy darkness, quickly burned away by pale moonlight. It was amazing walking through the woods at night, the slight danger of the unknown and the security of my makeshift club was exhilarating.

I flicked the torch on, shining it down the path and making sure I wasn't about to walk off a cliff or trip. It was rather calm, no noise aside from the usual nightly ambiance. Just a simple quiet night.

I strolled slowly through the thick brush, sticking to the trail and enjoying my stroll. I slowly began to wonder what exactly anyone would be doing out here. I supposed that maybe some high-schoolers might be out here having a fun time, but aside from that it seems way too out of the way for anything else.

Out of the brush a soft plodding cut the stillness. I walked backwards, looking for the source of the noise. Nothing, just dead air. I returned to my walk, the trees growing taller and branches spindly and bare. "Well...alright...." I muttered to myself, feeling a bit uneased by the strange looking trees.

I hurried my pace. The noise grew louder, more coherent. Someone was following me, some, pony, was following me. I tried to keep myself from running, the slow trot growing into a speedy gait. I felt my stomach churn as the noise grew louder, the gait abandoning subtly and turning to a full gallop.

I stood my ground, wielding my flashlight over my head and looking towards the noise. "Come on! You wanna fight!?"

A bush rustled, quickly spitting out a pure grey pony. I felt my stomach twist as the headless pony ran at me. I held my ground, swinging the light at the creature and hoping to hit it.

The pony stopped half way, rearing up and kicking his forelegs like mad. It gave up after a few kicks, going back to charging.

I stood my ground, leaning forward and getting ready for a hit. "Come on, do something!"

The pony ran up, a mere foot away, and started kicking the air once again. "Yeah!? That all you got!?"

The headless stallion stomped the ground, sprinting in a circle around me. I slowly lowered my club as it became apparent nothing was going to happen. The pony just continued to run around me, kicking his legs and bucking the air.

I adopted a concerned frown and watched him bluster and kick. "...Is this it?"

The pony stopped, turning to me and rearing up. He kicked his forelegs against me, managing to wipe some dust on my knee and force me back a half step. "Hey, really?"

The pony went back to his mad display, slowly settling down as it became apparent I wasn't leaving. He slowed his trot, looking me over with his lack of a head. He seemed flustered.

I shined my torch on him, finding his neck, not so much cut, but just flat. It wasn't scar tissue, nor an open wound. But the top of his severed neck was just flat, covered in his coat and perfectly circular. I watched him settle down, lowering his neck to the dirt. "...That usually works...doesn't it?"

The pony refused to turn his neck to me. He just stood up and walked behind me, pushing his neck against my back and trying to force me back down the path. "Hey!" I stepped away, turning back to the path onward, "What's up!?"

The headless pony paced in a circle, stopping to stare at me a few times before giving up and sitting in the middle of the path onward. I walked over, trying to wander past, but finding myself blocked at each advance. "Hey- stop it-- Cut it out!" I couldn't get past him, "This is just childish! What are you anyways!?"

The pony just stuck his neck into my gut, holding me in place. Things grew awkward as he stood and started pushing me back towards town, "...Dude...just stop." I wiggled free and put my hand on his stub. "Just...stop."

The pony grew dour, its posture slumping forward under my touch. "...You alright?"

The headless pony just turned his neck up at me, pseudo looking at me and walking against my side. It pressed itself against me and just stayed there. I just patted his stump, "...You alright?"

The pony shook his neck left and right, "You want a hug?" I asked, rubbing the back of his neck. The pony just walked closer to me, jamming his neck harder into my gut. "Hug? I'm gonna hug...."

I wrapped my arm around his neck, quickly readjusting as the pony reared up and grabbed my side. "...There ya go...just...calm down."

The pony body just squeezed me, rather needy as its hooves roamed my sides. I did my best to console the obviously humiliated pony and just held him. "Dude...it's okay...just chill out--"

The pony pushed off, shaking his neck like mad. He dug at the dirt, deciding to turn around and flip up his tail, "Oh com-- oh! Oh...I...sorry ‘bout that...."

The mare lowered her tail, turning around and walking up to me. I just stood there, looking down at the headless stump, "Totally sorry about that...kinda hard to tell without a...a head."

The mare just rested her neck stub against my groin. "Whoa- he--"

The mare just pressed her stump into my groin. Either making a move, or more likely not realizing what she was doing. I adjusted her against my stomach and held her neck. "Damn.... Do you--" I stopped myself, almost screwing myself with a verbal flub. "Do you...want to...write about it?"

The pony just nuzzled my stomach. "...Okay this isn't working. How about two taps for yes, one for no. That work?"

The pony pushed off, tapping her hoof twice in the dust.

I clapped my hands together, "Great! And I think I know why they sent me out here." I scratched my chin and turned to the forest. "So...do you...need any help?"

The mare looked around, tapping her hoof once. She looked back to the woods, tapping her hoof once again.

I nodded and walked over to her. "...What exactly do you need? Can you like...show me?"

The mare trotted in a circle, brushing my leg and wedging herself into my gut. She snuggled me with her neck and clung to my side. "...Is this...are you propositioning me?"

The mare stomped her back legs twice.

I tried to step back, much to the dismay of the headless. "Hey no! I'm not out--"

The mare pushed off and started stomping and kicking. She started throwing a full blown tantrum, rolling onto the ground and kicking like a spoiled child.

I just stepped back, watching with a bit of sadness as she stomped and kicked. "Hey! Calm the hell down!"

The mare rolled onto her hooves, running over and latching onto my leg. "Jesus! Stop it!"

The mare just tightened her grip on my leg. I started stumbling back towards home, hoping the mare wouldn't dare leave the woods.

Little by little I made my way through the dark night with the headless mare wrapped around my leg and refusing to let go. I made my way out of the woods, the moon settling high in the sky and illuminating the town.

I hurried through the town, not wanting to explain the headless creature attached to my leg. I wasn't about to kick her in a ditch, but this was a bit extreme.

I found my house and stumbled inside. "God damn it!" I pried the mare off my leg, crawling away as she froze. She shrunk down, backing into a wall and slowly slinking into a corner. "Oh great, you wanna go back outside now!?"

The mare spotted me, running over and diving between my legs. She refused to leave me, following my steps and nearly tripping me at every opportunity.

"Just stop! Damn!" I walked to my bedroom, throwing the door open and scooting the mare away. She tried to go back, but I managed to take off my shirt and fling it onto her stump. She locked up, picking up a hoof and leaning her body back.

She backed away, bumping into my dresser and clawing the shirt away. I ignored her and started changing. I had no idea if she could see, if she could hear, but I didn't care. I'd been tricked, lied to, went on a night hike and now I was gonna go to bed.

The mare looked around the room, slowly slinking over to my bed and pointing her headless stump at me. She shifted uneasily and sat down.

I got under the covers and got comfortable. The mare just watched me, sitting on the edge of my bed. I shut off my lamp and laid back, horribly aware of the headless creature watching me.

I turned to her, looking her over and making a bit of a snap decision. She had no mouth, so the worst she could do is kick me. "Huuh, fine...." I pulled my covers open, holding them for the mare.

She slowly crawled up, uneasy on the soft mattress. She slowly walked over to me, sneaking her hooves around my side and holding on for dear life. I let out a short huff and let the covers fall. "...This is so stupid...."

The mare snuggled against me, wrapping her tail around my calf and her back legs around my thigh. "...Look...you try something, you're out. But...you...you can hang out."

The mare tapped my stomach twice. "Good...." I turned to my side and slid my hands under my head. I felt a bit bad, moving one of my hands to the mare's neck and rubbing it. "...You make me sad.... Stop being sad."

The mare pulled against my legs and nuzzled my side with her stump. I just rubbed her soft coat and ran my thumb along the edge of her stump. "Needy little thing...." I settled down, feeling like I just rescued an animal.

Content with my good karma I slowly went to sleep.