Your name is Anonymous. You're only twelve years old, and right now you wandered the woods of a very strange land. The last thing you knew before being this lost was that you were on your way to school with your friends. Another normal morning, nothing wrong or strange about it. Then in a whirlwind of confusion you heard a high pitched squeal, the screams of your father from your porch, and a flash of light.

When you finally woke up, you were in the middle of a cold, dark forest. Everything was strange, alien even. The old familiar smells of the backwoods of your neighborhood were gone, replaced with something... new. The first day, you simply sat where you woke up, hoping that maybe your father would find you and take you home. He’d be upset, of course. Dad never liked it when you wandered in the woods all by yourself. But as the sun crossed the sky and the hours crept away, you began to realize that no one was coming for you. No one would find you out here.

It threw you for a loop. After all, you hadn't been lost before. Not really. Not like this anyway. The most lodt you’d been was at the grocery store, not some spooky forest where it seemed to be dark for far too long.

Day two is when you started to try find your way back home. At that point you were able to stop crying to yourself and force yourself to move. The shadows cast from the trees on the forest floor scared you, as they created forms that looked menacing when you couldn't tell what they were. Yet you carried on, stumbling and tripping over large, twisting roots, as far as your little legs could carry you. The only thing you had from home were the clothes on your back, and the hat on your head. Your father had been a rancher when he was younger, and always wore a brown stetson hat.

You remember the day he let you have it, after your first little league game. Your team hadn't won, of course, but you had all tried your hardest. Sammy almost made it to first base that one play, but he tripped on his sprint to the base. You? You were able to get all the way to third. Third! You’d never even dreamed of getting all the way to third base, but there you were. Of course, when Davey struck out, you knew you’d never make it to home.

Your father told you that's all that really mattered, trying your hardest, and he put that brown cowboy hat onto your head. You wore it everyday after that. It barely fit, of course, as it was too big, but you didn't mind

Hours passed, and you still couldn't find a way out of the woods. Slowly but surely, you began to realize that, maybe, these were not the backwoods of where you lived. You had a sneaking suspicion, sure, but this... this was too different. Too strange. Everything had a strangeness to it, the colors were filled with life and vibrancy, their hues popping out at you like those in storybooks.

As night passed your hunger and weariness began to set in. You longed for a nice, hot meal at home. Maybe dad would make Brunswick stew? That sounded nice right about now. Then you would take a hot bath, and head to bed, and when you woke up, you would have breakfast with dad, and catch the school bus with your friends.

Everything was going to be fine. Everything was... going to be...

Tears began to form in your eyes as you began to come to terms with the fact that you would probably be never found all the way out here in... wherever this was. You’d be lost forever, you just knew it. None of the trees were familiar, the grass and dirt were uniques and foreign. You were lost. You were helplessly and hopelessly lost, and you couldn’t help but cry.

You're snapped out of it when you start to hear noises coming from behind you.

"Dad?!" you cry out into the darkness, a smile spreading on your face. You were saved! You knew he'd find you! You just knew it!

When you turn to the sound, you don't see your father. The forms in front of you weren't even human. They looked like... wolves. Made of twigs and bark. Their yellow eyes glowed eerily in the night. They glowed. They actually glowed.

Run.

Growls flowed from within them, and their teeth were barred.

Run.

The biggest one began making his way to you, the other two following him.

RUN.

You spun around and began running for your life, as the wolves made chase behind you, their growls turning into ear shattering barks and howls. You weaved through trees, your breath quick and shallow, your legs burning, the only thing pushing you forwards being the sheer panic that was setting in. What were they? Why were they chasing you? These were questions you had, but you had no time to ask them. All you could do was sprint, sprint for your very life.

Your foot catches onto a root, and you were sent tumbling down a hill, your arms and legs getting cut and scratched by the rocks and debris scattered across the ground. Stumbling to your feet, you quickly grab your hat from the dirt and started running once more. The wolves chased on, their howls ringing through the forest as they relished in the hunt.

You kept running.

Without warning, one of them was on you, snarling and barking into your ear. You were wrestled onto the ground by one of the beasts, its jaws snapping at your neck, your arms the only things holding it back. The other two weren't far behind you now, their howls of victory echoing through the air as they raced to the kill. The wolf that pinned you scratched at your face, its claws scraping your cheeks and forehead, the sting of the cuts hitting your nerves harder and harder. Falling back on instinct, you quickly bring a fist into the thing's eye, sending it reeling in pain with a yelp. You take this opportunity to make your escape, running even faster than before.

Run. Don't cry. Just run.

The wolves began gaining on you once more, but you were determined to get away from them. You would keep running, no matter wh-

Your feet screech to a halt when you realize you've come to a cliff, a briar patch the only thing that lay below. No, it wasn’t just a briar patch, it was an absolute sea of thorns and brambles. They cut and thrust out of the twisting branches below, like spears being cast into the sky.  You turn around to run, but the wolves have cut you off, their wooden bodies stepping towards you with ferocity in every move they make. Be eaten alive, or jump into a river of thorns? Things never got to be easy, did they? You shake with fear and panic, as you weighed the options in your head. The wolves get closer, and your heart pounds in your chest, your body confused as to what to do. Your legs act on their own, backing you away from the wolves until you’re at the edge of the cliff. What do you do? The wolves crouch, ready to strike. What do you do?!

The three beasts leap at you all at once as you take a single step backwards, falling from the earth. Your hands grasp the edge of the cliff, clinging to it for dear life as the wolves are sent tumbling down to the thorns below, their howls and shrieks of pain ringing into the air around you. The grip on the cliff's edge grew weaker, but you pulled with all your might, scrambling back onto the safety of solid ground. Your body ached and begged you to rest, but your fear of the wolves drove you to keep moving. After all, what if there were more? You couldn't rest easy until you were out of this forest. Stumbling forward, you pull your hat further onto your head and continue walking.

Hours passed, and you continued to march through the dark, foreboding maze of trees. The only thing illuminating your way was the light from the moon, its beams casting even more shadows across the hard, cold ground. Eventually you came to a clearing in the forest, and stood at the top of a hill. Below you was what looked like another forest, except this one seemed far less frightening, as well as more... organized. Like and orchard.

Your legs finally give up on you, and you roll down the small green hill and into the foot of the orchard. For a few minutes you simply lay on the ground, your breath tattered and ragged. Your throat was on fire, and your legs were weak. The beating of your heart went from rapid, to calm as the adrenaline in your small body began to disappear. But slowly you begin to realize that the air has changed just a bit. It smelled much sweeter than that of the dark forest you came from. The scent of apples filled your senses, and your stomach soon reminded you that you hadn't eaten in at least two days. Pushing yourself up, your limbs trembling and shaky from exhaustion, you carry on, eyeing the trees.

They're covered in apples of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Looking ahead, you see a tree with bright yellow apples. At this point, all decency has escaped you and you try to madly climb the tree to get to the golden fruit. Your body doesn't want to comply with your hunger, and you fail at scaling the tree.

Tears well up in your eyes and your brow furrows. All you wanted after all this hell you just went through was some food. You were just going to school, and then you ended up in this place. You walked through a spooky forest, you were attacked and chased by wolves made of wood, you almost fell into a brier patch from a cliff, and now, all you wanted was one, measly, APPLE.

You punch the trunk of the tree in anger, recoiling your fist in pain after striking the bark as hard as you can. Then something hits the top of your head.

"Oh c'mon! How much more could I get... hurt..” you say, trailing off. Looking at the ground, you see a single yellow apple, it most likely being what fell on your head. You snatch it up and sit down by the base of the tree and begin devouring the tiny fruit. It is without a doubt the sweetest apple you have ever had in your entire twelve years of existence. Finishing off the morsel, you thump the tree once more with your fist. Sure enough, another apple falls and you catch it in your hat. You thump the tree a few more times, catching more food into your hat, and begin eating.

Your relaxed state and satisfied hunger eventually calms you down, the adrenaline from the earlier chase completely nonexistent. Pulling your father's hat down to cover your eyes, you drifted off to sleep under the large apple tree. Hopefully, by morning, dad will have found you.

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The Next Morning

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Mumbling. Yes, mumbling was what you were hearing right now. No, wait, it’s getting clearer. Words? Yes, words. Those were definitely words.

"...Uhm, hello? 'Scuze me, uh... mister?" says the voice. It was small, but you’re too tired to recognize that fact before you wake up with a start, gasping as you do so.

"Dad?!" you cry out, your eyes darting back and forth as you do so.

"Dad? Ah'm not yer pa, if that's what you mean."

Your hat is still obscuring your view, so you lift it and see that the voice was coming from... what is that? A small horse? You remember going to a few farms in school that had horses, but not horses with such big eyes. It had an orange coat and a blonde mane and tail, both of which were tied off in pony-tails.

"Did... did you just talk?"

The horse smiles. "Yup! Why wouldn't ah talk, anyhow? Everypony can talk, after all,” the little horse says with a grin.

"...How are you talking? You're just a baby horse."

The orange horse pouts and gets a stern look on her face. "Ah am NOT a horse! Ah'm a PONY. And ah'm most certainly not a baby, neither. Ah'm old enough t'help with apple-buckin' season, so that makes me a BIG pony!"

"Okay okay, you're a pony, not a horse,” you quickly say back to her. She has her snout scrunched up in frustration. Seems they didn’t like being called horses.

"A BIG pony, too!" she says, stamping a small hoof to the ground. She HAD to be a filly. You were only around 4 feet tall, and she only made it up to your knee. The small pony looks around at the apple cores that were littered around you before letting out a tiny gasp.

"Were you eatin' our apples?! Those're Sweet Apple Acres apples, and ah know you ain't a part a MAH family... and you ain't no pony, neither!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know they were yours, honest," you say, raising your hands. Did you steal from her? You didn’t want to steal from anyone, and certainly not from a talking pony. She squints at you analytically.

"Hooooooonnnneeeeest?" she asks, squinting.

"Honest."

With that she perks up at you. "Well alrighty then! S’long as yer honest with me, then yer alright in mah book! Say, you sure got a lot of scrapes and cuts on ya'. What happened?"

"Oh,” you begin, looking at the cuts on your arms and legs, “Well, I got lost in the woods out there for a few nights, and I eventua-"

The orange filly gasps again, her eyes widening. "You stayed in th'Everfree Forest for a WHOLE night?" she asks, flabbergasted.

"Well, two nights actually," you say, correcting yourself and rubbing the back of your head.

"But wasn't it scary like?” she asks again. “My granny tells me that there's lots'a dangerous critters out in them woods. Like manticores, an' timberwolves, an'-"

"Timberwolves?"

"Yup!” she says, nodding quickly. “They're big 'ole scary wolves made a' TIMBER! You know, like twigs an' things."

"I actually got chased by some of those last night!"

The filly's eyes go even wider as she gasps once more. "You got yerself chased by a timberwolf?!"

"I got myself chased by THREE timberwolves!"

"Gol'lee! How'd you get away from 'em?" she asks, sitting next to you.

“Well,” you start, picking at a small cut on your nose, "I ran and ran through the woods, and then they chased me to a cliff. So, right when they leaped up to eat me, I jumped!"

"Gosh!"

"Yeah, I thought I was done for, but I managed to grab hold of the cliff and make my way back to solid ground. The timberwolves, those things made of wood, fell off the cliff and into a briar patch."

The orange pony lets out a quick giggle. "Hehe, ah like ya'. What's yer name?" she asks.

"Anonymous,” you reply, tipping your hat like your dad taught you to do. “What's yours?"

"Mah name's Applejack! An' this here's Sweet Apple Acres, only the best apple orchard in all of Equestria, don'tcha know!"

Equestria? What the heck was that?

"Say, Anon-ee-moose, that's a neat lookin' hat you got yerself there."

"Oh, thanks! It's... it was my dad's hat, actually."

"Where's yer pa?" she asks, looking around the spot the two of you sat at.

"I... I don't know, actually...” You were still trying your hardest to cope with the fact that you were far, far away from home. Dad? Dad was that far too. “What about you?” you say back to her, “Where are your folks?"

Applejack looks down and scuffs a hoof on the ground, dejectedly. "Mah ma an' pa are... well, they're not 'round anymore.” Her hoof kicks as a tiny pebble, not really saying anything for a moment as you realize what she means by “not ‘round anymore.” “Mah granny takes care'a me an mah brother an' mah baby sister,” she says at last, looking back up at you. “But she does a mighty fine job!" She's back to smiling at you again, a light blush around her freckles.

"Say,” she says, perking her ears up and out of that blonde mane, “Wanna have lunch with me an mah family? It's gettin' awfully close t'noon after all."

Your mind was going a hundred miles a second, taking in everything you've just heard and seen. Wherever you were, it was definitely NOT home. Nor was it anywhere remotely close to it. You had the feeling that you wouldn't see your friends or your father for a long, long time.

But this pony... Applejack, seemed awful nice. She must have been close to your age as well.

"Uhm.. sure? Yeah, okay, thanks."

"Yeehaw!” Applejack exclaims, rearing on her hind legs for a second in delight. “C'mon, ah'll take you down to th'farm an show ya 'round!"

With that she trots around you in circles as you get yourself up from where you sat, and followed her as she lead you through the orchard. It was going to be a long day, but hey, maybe you’d like it here for now.

Maybe.

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Two Years Later

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"C'mon Applejack, you can do it!"

You stood by a fence outside the Apple's farm, watching Applejack running a small course the two of you had made earlier in the week. It had been two whole years since you arrived in Equestria. That's what this place was called. The whole kit and kaboodle, but you lived in a town called "Ponyville." The day Applejack had brought you to her family was also the day you started to live with them. You had told Granny Smith what had happened to you, and she had taken you in out of the kindness of her heart. Of course, you worked alongside them as well, let's not kid ourselves. There’s kindness, and then there’s charity, and as far as you were concerned, you worked just as hard as the rest of the Apple clan.

Over the course of a few months, you had become great friends with Applejack and her family. Big Macintosh had become almost like an older brother to you, and you enjoyed helping him buck apple trees. That's something else that the Apple's took an interest in. Despite your size and the lack of hooves, you were able to knock down apples from their trees surprisingly well, especially for a human at least. If you were back on Earth, punching a tree would never have brought you any positive results. Maybe a broken hand, but never any fruit. But here you were able to knock down almost as many apples as Applejack, and having hands with fingers definitely helped in your work as well. You also took in some peace when helping take care of Applebloom, still a baby at this point. You liked reading her stories as she went to sleep in the evenings, and you knew some old Doctor Suess books by heart. She seemed to really like “Green Eggs and Ham.”

Ah, but that’s all in the past. Back to the present.

"Go Applejack, Go!"

Applejack ran around the small track you made, doing her best to jump over mud puddles and stands you raised up. She got all the way to a bale of hay, and attempted to toss it across a line the two of you laid out a few yards away. She flung it high into the air, but it landed only feet away from the goal. Applejack pouts at the sight stubbornly and kicks the dirt with a hoof.Hopping over the fence, you jog over to where Applejack stands.

"AJ that was great!" you exclaim, a smile on your face. She’d improved a ton over the last few weeks, and it showed.

"Anon, ah didn't throw th'hay bale far enough! How'm ah s'posed ta win the Ponyville rodeo nest year if ah can't even manage somethin' like that?" She blows a tuft of bangs from her hair in frustration, a frown plastered to her face. You kneel down and give Applejack a tight hug, tussling the hair on her head.

"Oh come on Applejack, you did great today! Besides, did you try your best?"

"Well,” she says, "Yeah..."

"Well then that's all that matters,” you say matter of factly. “You do your best, and I'm sure you'll bring home plenty of blue ribbons! And remember, no matter how hard you try, I'll always be proud of you. Everyone will."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm... you know what? Here." You take off your brown stetson hat and put it on top of Applejack's head. It slips over her eyes a bit, but she adjusts it while giving you a curious look.

"What're you doin'?" she asks, taking the hat and holding it in her hooves.

"I'm giving you my hat, of course."

"But, why? Didn't ya tell me that your pa gave ya this hat?"

"He did,” you begin, “But he gave it to me to show how much he cared, and to show that he would be proud of me, no matter what. Just like I'm proud of you, no matter what."

Applejack give the most earnest smile you've seen her make, and returns your hug with one of her own, even tighter than yours.

"Thanks Anon. That means a lot t'me." She gives you a quick peck on the cheek, and you break out into ridiculous blushing, at which Applejack giggles.

"C'mon,” she says, putting your hat back onto her head. “Maybe if we're lucky Granny Smith'll have baked that apple pie fer us in time fer dessert tonight!"

Applejack trots away towards the farmhouse, and you can't help but give a big, goofy grin when you feel your cheek. She seemed so happy now that she knew you believed in her... You think dad would've been proud of you so far.

Damn proud.

~And So Our Story Begins~