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=Helios 14=
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>"You can't do this!"
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"Yes I can."
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>The dust crunched underneath your boots as you walked to the edge of town.
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>Your "companion" wriggled and wormed herself in your grasp, but couldn't get her way out of your grip.
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>She sprawled on the ground after you tossed her through the air at the town limits.
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"Get out."
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>She gathered up her wizards hat and tossed it back on her head.
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>"Trixie should have known that such common fold would not appreciate her! Why, Trixie has performed for the Princesses herself in Canterlot castle."
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>Tch...
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"I doubt that."
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>The magician leered at you again.
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>"Honestly, tossing somep0ny out because of a little mishap on stage? What happened to your famous hospitality?"
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"The offer is voided when the mishap involves summoning Duneworms."
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>You turn around and start walking back to town.
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>"W-wait! How is Trixie supposed to survive with these...CREATURES out here!?" She asked worriedly.
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>Oh please...She summoned them.
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>There weren't even that many...
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>You call back over your shoulder as you leave.
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"Walk without rhythm."
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>You head back to town and smack a sign along the way, flipping the numbers on it back to their level from before Trixie blew in.
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>It read "Appleoosa. Pop: 140".
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>You sat on your favorite barstool.
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>Most of your shifts revolved around you sitting here.
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>That was what you did as Appleoosa's sheriff.
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>It had been a couple weeks since your...departure.
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>You had bolted out of the castle as fast as you could, not even bothering to grab any of your gear, just a bag of bits.
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>You just had to get away from the city...away from Her.
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>Away from the constant influx of thoughts that came from Her head.
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>And that day in particular, away from the soul crushing sadness.
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>You had hopped on the first train you saw and ridden it West.
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>And West...
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>And West some more.
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>You got off when the track had ended.
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>Appleoosa.
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>By some miracle it had been far enough away for you to not hear Celestia's thoughts.
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>Just you...
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>Alone...
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>Oh well, you needed it.
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>Needed time to think, to work things out.
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>Or at least drown things out with your new job.
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>Appleoosa had needed a sheriff when you arrived.
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>You have volunteered.
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>Maybe this time when you signed up to protect ponies, you wouldn't end up courting royalty or having your soul decimated.
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>You took a sip of your drink.
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>Dammit...you shouldn't blame Celestia.
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>It wasn't her fault that all this happened...
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>Voices from bar patrons behind you suddenly became louder and more angry.
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>It wasn't long before one of them was tossed over a table.
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>You sigh and finish off your drink.
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>The more things change...
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>You throw the brawlers out of the bar by their manes the same way you had done with Trixie.
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"Come back when you can throw a decent right hook!"
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>They try and crawl to their feet. "This aint over!"
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>One of them falls to his face.
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"Yes it is."
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>You glare at them as they limp away, taking notice to the sound of someone approaching you from the side.
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>"Well darn Anon, first you run that showboatin' street magician outa town and now your clearin' out The Applebarrel?"
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"Just doin' my job Braeburn."
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>Probably time for the rounds...
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>Appleoosa was a fairly small town, you liked to take a patrol every so often to make sure everything was good.
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>You start walking down the road with Braeburn keeping pace next to you.
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>"So, how're ya takin' to your job Mister Sheriff?"
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"It's a good fit."
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>A good distraction too.
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>"Why, I'd say that any crime of roughousin' we had out here dang near evaporated once you showed up."
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>General store was clear.
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"Yeah, I'm good at protecting people."
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>Braeburn chuckles "That must kill with all the ladies."
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>Dammit...
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"I wouldn't know."
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>Post office and train station were fine.
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>Braeburn half-smiles up at you. "Not lookin'?"
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>How the hell do you put this?
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"I got out of...a kinda weird relationship before I came here."
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>Braeburn slowly nodded as his understanding grew.
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>"She a clingy gal?"
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"That's...not too far off."
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>You retreated into your home after you completed your rounds and sat around looking intimidating.
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>It was a modest home, rather similar to your room back in Canterlot.
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>You sat yourself down by the small writing desk.
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>Damn...that got you thinking...
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>You hated abandoning your post.
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>You had always laid into the other guards that you caught shirking their duties, stepping out to a tavern during early morning hours or leaving without notifying someone.
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>It irritated you that you had just LEFT in the state of mind you were in.
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>You let out a deep sigh.
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>Then again...it was a pretty weird situation...
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>You just...
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>It was too much to take!
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>The fight with Blueblood...
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>Your soul...
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>Having someone else's thoughts in your head was just...
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>It sent shivers up your spine at the time.
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>You had FELT Celestia's thoughts.
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>Felt her dreams and ambitions, her wants and desires.
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>And you had felt that she was telling the truth about what she said.
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>The Princess really did love you.
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>You...didn't know how you felt.
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>You just knew you couldn't decide with her thoughts impacting your own.
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>Your hand runs through your hair.
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>This was all way over your head...
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>Just...Just focus on the next few hours Anon.
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>And in a few hours, you'd still be the sheriff of Appleoosa.
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>It was your job.
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-In Canterlot-
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>It had been some time since the incident with Blueblood.
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>He was doing as well as you could ask given his current situation.
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>You only wished you could say the same about yourself...
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>Things had returned to normal all too fast once Anonymous left you that night.
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>You had hoped that a night of tears alone in your room would have helped.
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>They hadn't.
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>This room had become your only environment the last few weeks.
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>You had slept here, ate here, and done your royal duties here.
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>The official reason was that your replacement bodyguard had yet to be chosen.
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>The real reason was because you had refused to get another bodyguard.
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>You couldn't replace him...not so soon.
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>Why!? Why did you say you loved him!?
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>Anon could have possibly taken the news about his soul well enough but to be told that his monarch loves him?
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>You've been alive for so long you've forgotten what it's like to have news like that.
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>And in your ignorance, you had scared him away.
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>You had scared away the first man you've loved in CENTURIES because you were out of touch with reality.
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>You laid yourself down on your bed for the umpteenth time.
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>And your tears stained the sheets.
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-In the nearby hills-
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>You came.
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>You came in small numbers as you followed the scent.
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>It radiated off of this town like that of a warm meal.
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>You had traveled for miles, crossing the Leylands and the entirety of the Mild West.
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>Harried by vultures, sandstorms and worse. All just to follow this scent.
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>And now you found it.
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>Hiding in this little town of Appleoosa.
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>The salty-sweet taste of it.
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>Anguished love.
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