Running near the point of exhaustion, Myriad collapsed beside an old garbage can, her breath ragged as she fell to the cool concrete. Struggling to catch her breath, the alicorn held her stomach tightly, trying to subside the terrible cramping in her belly. As Myriad rested uncomfortably, she pondered why her stomach hurt. The meal she had just eaten was rather large and should have kept her satiated for hours, but the pain in her stomach felt as though she hadn’t eaten in hours. Too pained and exhausted to think clearly, Myriad was almost content to lay there until…
“Nu time fow west…”
“…nu stahp wunnin’!”
“Buh…buh Miw’iad hab tummy huwties…an’ Miw’iad wun fow su wong…”
“…hoomins nu cawe dat yu tiwed…dat yu hab huwties…dey catchu an’ gib yu foweba sweepies if dey find yu…”
“…If nee’ tu west…”
“…den yu nee’ find hidey pwace…”
Working herself back to her feet, Myriad wobbled as she forced her legs to move, the pain in her stomach and the burning exhaustion screaming for her to stop with each step. After what felt like several forevers, the alicorn saw several covered milkcrates, stacked in a pile. Desperate for rest, Myriad pulled one of the tarp like coverings and wiggled her way within. It wasn’t exceptionally comfortable, as there were empty glass bottles within the crate, but for the moment at least, Myriad felt safe. Feeling her muscles ache and her stomach cramp, the alicorn laid amongst the glassware and tried to rest.
As Myriad tried to recover, she felt the boxes shift Scared, she nearly screamed out in shock…
“Nu maek noisies…twy an’ howd stiww…”
“…wat gib shakies…nu wike…”
“NU GIB MEANIE SHAKIES!!!”
Holding still, even as the glass bottles tumbled around her, Myriad felt the crate tilt as it was lifted into the air and then dropped, giving the alicorn a painful tumble. As Myriad recovered, she heard shifting and banging all around her. Trying her best to hunker down and make herself as as small as possible, Myriad hid, her hooves covering her eyes as a loud and rumbling noise came from all around her.
The shaking and noise didn’t halt for a very long time, with Myriad frightened and unsure what to do. At first she had tried to free herself, only to find that the crate she was in was wedged under and between countless others crates, with the alicorn not even able to see past the mountain of containers. Panicking, Myriad’s became rough and jagged as she struggled to stay calm…
“Nu yeww…twy an’ taek wittew bweffs…”
“NU WET MEANIE SHAKEY DUMMEHS GETCHU!”
“…be weaddy tu wun way’!”
Trying her best to calm down, Myriad waited, shaking slightly as she heeded her no see friends. Finally, the rumbling stopped, with the noise halted as well. There was a smell, an awful smell that Myriad noticed first. Then, hearing footsteps and muffled voices, the alicorn nearly froze, unsure of what to do…
“…hoomins…nu wet dem finds yu…wiww gib yu huwties…foweba sweepies…”
Gasping silently as she heard the containers around her being moved, one by one, Myriad jumped slightly each time she heard the loud clamoring of bottles striking against each other. Each time she heard it, it was followed by a loud crash and the sound of shattering glass. Finally, she felt her crate once again tilting as it was lifted into the air, only for it to suddenly go careening through the air. Flailing as she was suddenly floating upward amongst the bottles, Myriad’s eyes went wide with terror…
“Spwead ow’t hoofsies! Howes in box can howd yu upsies…”
“…tuwn head…cwose see-pwaces…nu wan wose see-pwaces…”
Splaying her legs outward, Myriad found a pair of holes within the milkcrate that she slipped her hooves through, with her other legs simply pushing against the inner walls of the crate. Now secure as her stomach did loops from the tumbling crate, the alicorn shut her eyes firmly as she turned her head away from the bottles as best she could. As the box collided with the ground, the alicorn couldn’t help but scream, as she spun and rolled wildly, grunting with effort as she held herself in place, the bottles crashing and rupturing around her. Feeling the shards spray around her, the alicorn gritted her teeth as she felt dozens of small but painful punctures from the errant glass.
After what seemed like a hellish eternity, the crate stopped, finally landing with the top facing sideways. Once she was certain the nightmare was over, Myriad opened her eyes, lowering herself onto the ground. Thankfully, most of the broken glass had fallen through the slotted grooves of the crate as it had tumbled down the hill. Walking carefully out of the crate, Myriad looked at her surroundings. The alicorn gasped as she saw garbage! Nothing but garbage for as far as the eye could see!