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The Preservation of Innocence (Part 5)

By Wall-o-text
Created: 2022-12-24 13:16:19
Updated: 2022-12-24 21:59:19
Expiry: Never
anonapplejackwarfeelsanonymousviolenceadventure/tim/politicsfeel

  1. 1.
    >a few more days passed
  2. 2.
    >there was a letter in the mailbox
  3. 3.
    >”OH ILL GET IT!!!”
  4. 4.
    >applebloom burst through the door rushing to the mailbox
  5. 5.
    >she came back with the letter in her mouth and sat down like a puppy
  6. 6.
    >you picked out the letter and found it was addressed to big mac
  7. 7.
    “Looks official”
  8. 8.
    >you handed the letter to big mac as you and applebloom looked on in excitement
  9. 9.
    >finally something cool
  10. 10.
    …
  11. 11.
    >big macs face tenses up as he read the letter
  12. 12.
    >”i uh, applebloom, why don’t you head upstairs a moment”
  13. 13.
    >applebloom groans
  14. 14.
    >”FFIIIIIIIiiiiiinneeee”
  15. 15.
    >as she made her way upstairs big mac turned to you and handed you the letter frantically
  16. 16.
    >feeling how urgent it was you grabbed it and speed read
  17. 17.
    >to big mac…
  18. 18.
    >yadayada
  19. 19.
    >hereby to be DRAFTED
  20. 20.
    >FUCKING DRAFTED
  21. 21.
    >THERE’S A FUCKING DRAFT HERE
  22. 22.
    >IN EQUESTRIA
  23. 23.
    …
  24. 24.
    >THERE’S A WAR???????
  25. 25.
    “Big mac what the hell is going on???”
  26. 26.
    >”i uh, uh, I…”
  27. 27.
    >he can’t even form a coherent sentence
  28. 28.
    …
  29. 29.
    >SHIT THAT KID'S DAD GOT DRAFTED TOO
  30. 30.
    >you look through the letter again
  31. 31.
    >it says specifically ‘make your way to the train station at 6:00 AM sharp’
  32. 32.
    >’tomorrow’
  33. 33.
    >shitshitshit
  34. 34.
    >okay
  35. 35.
    >you’re connecting a fuck ton of dots right now
  36. 36.
    >there’s a war
  37. 37.
    >applejack is in a war zone
  38. 38.
    >hell she and her friends are in a war zone
  39. 39.
    >all the princesses are likely participating including twilight
  40. 40.
    >that kid's dad got drafted god knows when
  41. 41.
    >and it’s been going on for a while and now big mac got drafted
  42. 42.
    >meaning there’s a need for more soldiers
  43. 43.
    >meaning more casualties
  44. 44.
    >CASUALTIES
  45. 45.
    >fucking hell your stewing in just everything that you can think of all at once
  46. 46.
    >you can’t just have big mac draft dodge that’s a crime
  47. 47.
    >but he could die
  48. 48.
    >FUCK too many thoughts
  49. 49.
    >planplanplan
  50. 50.
    >okay
  51. 51.
    “Big mac look, I don’t think there’s a way out of this but your best bet is to pack ASAP”
  52. 52.
    >the look of panic on him is surreal
  53. 53.
    >jesus a guy like big mac panicking isn’t doing good for your own sanity
  54. 54.
    “Look there isn’t much time go pack I’ve gotta take care of something”
  55. 55.
    >you have nothing to take care you just really need to get away for a while
  56. 56.
     
  57. 57.
    >after an hour of thinking it over you realize something
  58. 58.
    >this war is serious
  59. 59.
    >the elements of harmony aren’t doing anything
  60. 60.
    >at least you think
  61. 61.
    >if it was a regular villain of some kind it would have been over in a day or two
  62. 62.
    >so applejack probably isn’t directly participating in the battles
  63. 63.
    >at least not yet
  64. 64.
    >but big mac sure as hell will be
  65. 65.
    >applejack specifically told you not to follow her
  66. 66.
    …
  67. 67.
    >you know…
  68. 68.
    >she never said anything about big mac though…
  69. 69.
    …
  70. 70.
    >okay here’s the plan
  71. 71.
    >if you’re going there-
  72. 72.
    >fuck why would you go…
  73. 73.
    >you can’t do much of anyth-
  74. 74.
    >rifle-
  75. 75.
    >maybe, maybe okay maybe you can pull something together but you’re still panicked
  76. 76.
    >what about apple bloom?
  77. 77.
    >she should be fine leave her the entirety of your money
  78. 78.
    >hell she’s independent as is and scootaloo and sweetie bell are probably worse off anyways
  79. 79.
    >besides they meet up plenty giving applebloom all your funds will be a net positive for sweetie bell and scootaloo so it’s morally fine
  80. 80.
    >still panicked you begin thinking
  81. 81.
    >okay clothes, up north is cold
  82. 82.
    >rarity’s outfit she made you
  83. 83.
    >that thing is the highest quality thing you’ve ever worn and that will be plenty
  84. 84.
    >you’re fine with cold weather anyways you never needed full winter coats
  85. 85.
    >thinthinkthink
  86. 86.
    >food
  87. 87.
    >big mac is gonna get rations he won’t bring that stuff
  88. 88.
    >you, you’re not even sure they would conscript you
  89. 89.
    >hell having another species on the frontline would fuck formation or something
  90. 90.
    >god you have no idea what the military is like here
  91. 91.
    >you can only pray that the rifle you have is at least something compared to their magic
  92. 92.
    >food back to food
  93. 93.
    >you can’t lug tons of stuff around
  94. 94.
    >shit you could be there for days and run out of food
  95. 95.
    >there’s no way you could just waltz into the military camp and take food that’s not only a crime but would fuck the organization-
  96. 96.
    >AAAARRRGRGHHHH FUCK this is difficult
  97. 97.
    >okay start with the basics
  98. 98.
    >rifle, outfit, then think after okay?
  99. 99.
    >you instantly bolt to the blacksmith's place
  100. 100.
     
  101. 101.
    >”hey great to see-”
  102. 102.
    “Look, kid, no time to talk do ya got it?”
  103. 103.
    >”uh, uh, y-yeah he-”
  104. 104.
    “Okgreathanksgottarun!!!”
  105. 105.
    >and with that you're off back to sweet apple acres
  106. 106.
     
  107. 107.
    >thinkthinkthink
  108. 108.
    >you’ve got pockets, real good zipper pockets too
  109. 109.
    >that should fit all the ammo you could possibly need
  110. 110.
    >refill the oil, hell bring as much as you can
  111. 111.
    >you’re stuck on food
  112. 112.
    >FUUUUCCK THINK
  113. 113.
    >how would an anima-
  114. 114.
    >get fat?
  115. 115.
    >GET FAT
  116. 116.
    >you rush to grab your money and put away your rifle where no one can find it
  117. 117.
    >you run off to the store and buy all the ice cream and salty snack foods like chips you can find
  118. 118.
    >by eatin-
  119. 119.
    >FUCK HOW WILL YOU GET THERE
  120. 120.
    >big macs going by train
  121. 121.
    >do you take the next train?
  122. 122.
    >no wait-
  123. 123.
    >train hopping
  124. 124.
    >you’ve seen the trains in Equestria once
  125. 125.
    >though you’ve never seen it done there’s a small opening on the back of the train with a railing where you could easily catch a ride
  126. 126.
    >okay how the hell do you get on without getting caught
  127. 127.
    >6:00 am departure
  128. 128.
    >early morning is dark
  129. 129.
    >hide? Where????
  130. 130.
    >woods!
  131. 131.
    >hide in there then once the train comes hide underneath the end of it and when it makes that noise that signals its leaving get out from under and hop up
  132. 132.
    >PERFECT
  133. 133.
    >with all that manic thinking being done in the store ponies begin to look at you weird
  134. 134.
    >shit, you don’t even care
  135. 135.
    >you run to grab various tubs of ice cream from the freezer as well as as many bags of varied flavors of chips as possible
  136. 136.
    >gotta make this palatable if your plan is gonna work
  137. 137.
    >you’re going to be eating loads of food on the train so ice cream all night tonight then anything packaged like chips will be for the train ride
  138. 138.
    >there’s going to come to a point where you run out of food and won’t eat for days at a time you know it
  139. 139.
    >the biggest determinant of the plan's success is keeping yourself fattened up and well fed
  140. 140.
    >you have no idea how long this could take
  141. 141.
    >considering how long it has already been there’s a good chance you should plan for staying at least a week? Maybe two weeks?
  142. 142.
    >shit this could go on a long time
  143. 143.
    >realistically you could stay
  144. 144.
    >you could hope that big mac comes back safe
  145. 145.
    >but with the draft being so extensive you can’t possibly risk that
  146. 146.
    >hell even IF he would live what about afterwards
  147. 147.
    >PTSD is a thing
  148. 148.
    >you’re not sure how it works but you know the military is the number one exporter of it
  149. 149.
    >as you make your way to the check out the cashier gives you an odd look but scans your stuff nonetheless
  150. 150.
    >with your absurd stash of food in tow you make your way back home
  151. 151.
     
  152. 152.
    >as you frantically bust open the first tub of ice cream and grab a spoon you run back into your room
  153. 153.
    >as you eat you try to think of solidifying your plans
  154. 154.
    >what if big mac could get disqualified for the draft?
  155. 155.
    …
  156. 156.
    >no that ship set sail long ago
  157. 157.
    >not to mention the lengths needed to go to disqualify someone for the draft would likely include a major injury
  158. 158.
    >and with whatever freaky magic they have at their disposal it may be relatively pointless to even try
  159. 159.
    >okay so big mac is going for sure
  160. 160.
    >WATER
  161. 161.
    >FUCK YOU FORGOT ABOUT WATER
  162. 162.
    >THATS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOOD
  163. 163.
    >nonono snow, you can eat snow that’s good enough
  164. 164.
    >who cares what's in it it’s water enough
  165. 165.
    >being frozen just means its sterile anyways
  166. 166.
    …
  167. 167.
    >with your frantic state coming to a close you can think more rationally
  168. 168.
    >how will applebloom react to all this
  169. 169.
    >both you and big mac leaving
  170. 170.
    …
  171. 171.
    >you’re already halfway done with the gallon of ice cream as you sit in thought
  172. 172.
    …
  173. 173.
    >how in the hell will you break this to applebloom
  174. 174.
    …
  175. 175.
    >camping trip?
  176. 176.
    >nah that lie has been overused
  177. 177.
    >plus who takes a train to go camping there are better spots locally
  178. 178.
    >cmon there’s gotta be something you can think of
  179. 179.
    >saying you’re going to visit applejack?
  180. 180.
    >fuck no she will want to come with and if you said no she would feel awful
  181. 181.
    …
  182. 182.
    >you’ve finished the whole gallon of ice cream and feel sickly full
  183. 183.
    >you don’t dare push your limits as it would backfire and make you throw up
  184. 184.
    >having that would make your appetite even less
  185. 185.
    …
  186. 186.
    >man you really wish they had pot in Equestria
  187. 187.
    >having ‘the munchies’ buff would be phenomenal right about now
  188. 188.
    …
  189. 189.
    >you still have to break the news to applebloom
  190. 190.
    >maybe
  191. 191.
    >is lying really the best option?
  192. 192.
    >fuck maybe you should just tell the truth
  193. 193.
    >if you tell the truth it would be a lot more coherent but it could also scare her
  194. 194.
    …
  195. 195.
    >god there’s no real good answer to this
  196. 196.
    …
  197. 197.
    >your only real option is to tell applebloom what’s really going on and what you plan to do about it
  198. 198.
    >hopefully she won't feel so bad once you give her all that money
  199. 199.
     
  200. 200.
    >being as full as you are you can only manage a slow walk to appleblooms room
  201. 201.
    >before you get the chance to knock applebloom bursts her door open
  202. 202.
    >”WHAT IS GOIN’ ON?”
  203. 203.
    >”why did big mac send me upstairs and why is NO ONE tellin’ me what’s goin’ on???”
  204. 204.
    >oh boy this won’t be easy
  205. 205.
    >you sit on the floor to face applebloom at a more even height
  206. 206.
    >here goes nothing…
  207. 207.
    “Applebloom, there’s no easy way to explain this so I'm going to just be honest with you”
  208. 208.
    >she looked apprehensive like she was in trouble
  209. 209.
    “Applebloom, big mac is being sent to the crystal empire and I’m going to follow him”
  210. 210.
    >she looked scared
  211. 211.
    “Don’t worry, I'm going to make sure big mac stays safe alright”
  212. 212.
    >you figured now was the best time to try and at least slightly lighten the mood
  213. 213.
    “Here, this is all the money i have, promise me you will only spend it on what you need”
  214. 214.
    “This includes making sure sweetie bell and scootaloo have plenty to eat”
  215. 215.
    “You can bring them here if they need a place to stay alright”
  216. 216.
    >she thinks to herself a moment before looking back up at you
  217. 217.
    >”alright, so I’ll be home alone for a little while huh…”
  218. 218.
    “I’m sorry, I really don’t want to leave you like this, big mac doesn’t have a choice and I need to make sure big mac is safe”
  219. 219.
    “This isn’t a good situation for any of us but you have to promise me one thing okay?”
  220. 220.
    >”what is it ‘non?”
  221. 221.
    “Whatever happens, once we get home, do NOT, and I really mean this, do NOT tell applejack that I went to the crystal empire okay”
  222. 222.
    >”well, are you sure that-”
  223. 223.
    “If you don’t tell her I’ll give you all my money for the next month”
  224. 224.
    >”GOT IT NOT A WORD FROM ME!”
  225. 225.
    >bingo, perfect plan
  226. 226.
     
  227. 227.
    >with that out of the way and the day nearing its end you begin to pack up everything necessary
  228. 228.
    >with the large variety of chips and packaged foods you have you shouldn’t get sick of one particular food so the train ride should at least be bearable
  229. 229.
    >your best option is to tell big mac you won’t be there in the morning and then make your way to the woods at sometime near 5 am, that way you don’t arouse suspicion
  230. 230.
    >as bad as it feels to leave big mac alone on the day he leaves for war it’s a necessary sacrifice
  231. 231.
    >you feel awful for him
  232. 232.
    >big mac just isn’t the fighting type
  233. 233.
    >sure he could if needed but war like this?
  234. 234.
    >that’s something he couldn’t handle for long
  235. 235.
    >you made sure to let big mac know you wouldn’t be there in the morning but he was dead quiet in his room
  236. 236.
    >poor guy, you couldn’t stand it
  237. 237.
    >how could they send someone like him off to war?
  238. 238.
     
  239. 239.
    >by staying up all night and continuing to eat whenever possible you’ve noticeably gained a pinch of belly fat but you’re certain that you will never eat ice cream again after this is all over
  240. 240.
    >once 4 hits you double-check everything you packed
  241. 241.
    >you’ve got a decently sized bag and with what you can store in your outfits pockets alone you should be set ammo wise
  242. 242.
    >fuel efficiency on this rifle of yours is incredible
  243. 243.
    >despite that you’ve packed extra of everything
  244. 244.
    >plenty of firecracker cans in case it could be useful
  245. 245.
    >you have plenty of food for a good few days
  246. 246.
    >and one blanket
  247. 247.
    >and with that, you were off to the train station
  248. 248.
     
  249. 249.
    >hiding in the woods was quite boring
  250. 250.
    >the train arrived within an hour and you were able to swiftly make your way into position
  251. 251.
    >bag taken off and lying right beneath the back of the train you waited
  252. 252.
    …
  253. 253.
    >and waited
  254. 254.
    …
  255. 255.
    >for what felt like hours you waited until a large stampede of footsteps rampaged onto the train
  256. 256.
    >the second you heard doors closing you jumped out and quietly slid your bag onto the back of the train
  257. 257.
    >just as you had silently jumped up the train brakes released
  258. 258.
    >just before the train made its way down the tracks you saw a lone filly waving
  259. 259.
     
  260. 260.
    >https://youtu.be/ObtnvX2jBbo (I’ll send him back to you)
  261. 261.
     
  262. 262.
    >it was applebloom, barely holding back their tears, waving towards you
  263. 263.
    >on instinct you waved back to her
  264. 264.
    >how awful it must have been for her to see this
  265. 265.
    >big mac, being sent off to war while applejack was already away
  266. 266.
    >sure you could have stayed but the risk of big mac having something happen to him wildly outweighed applebloom being home alone for a little while
  267. 267.
    >besides you let her invite her friends over and granny smith should help out too
  268. 268.
    …
  269. 269.
    >you really hope she’s going to be okay
  270. 270.
    >there was no good solution here
  271. 271.
    >you just hope it ends sooner than later
  272. 272.
    …
  273. 273.
    >the train ride should take over a day at least to make it there
  274. 274.
    >you take this opportunity to get some rest
  275. 275.
     
  276. 276.
    >when you wake up its almost dusk
  277. 277.
    >you figured you must have needed all that rest after the stressful events of yesterday
  278. 278.
    >going through your bag you find a decent amount of food
  279. 279.
    >you figure you should eat while you can
  280. 280.
    >the less weight on your back the better
  281. 281.
    >you spend most of the night eating by yourself and thinking
  282. 282.
    …
  283. 283.
    >how could a place like Equestria ever go through war?
  284. 284.
    >ponies just never seemed like they could endure such a thing
  285. 285.
    >they seem so…
  286. 286.
    >fragile…
  287. 287.
    …
  288. 288.
    >applejack said that big mac was somewhat sensitive
  289. 289.
    >imagining how someone like big mac could be sent to war is disgusting to you
  290. 290.
    >it pains you to even think about it
  291. 291.
    …
  292. 292.
    >applejack always said she thought you were more sensitive though…
  293. 293.
    …
  294. 294.
    >but humans have gone through wars
  295. 295.
    >big wars
  296. 296.
    >we’re better adapted for that sort of thing
  297. 297.
    >if there was a choice between you or big mac to be drafted you would have rather had it been you a million times over
  298. 298.
    >drafting someone like him?
  299. 299.
    >it’s cruel to a horrible degree
  300. 300.
    …
  301. 301.
    >you wonder how applejack has been
  302. 302.
    >it must not be easy for her either
  303. 303.
    …
  304. 304.
    >all this eating doesn’t make you feel good
  305. 305.
    >but it’s necessary for now
  306. 306.
     
  307. 307.
    >after repetitive hours of deep thought, eating, and sleeping you start to notice the train go quieter
  308. 308.
    …
  309. 309.
    >and slowing
  310. 310.
    >probably coasting…
  311. 311.
    …
  312. 312.
    >SHIT IT’S GOING TO BE AT THE STATION ANY SECOND
  313. 313.
    >frantically you grab your bag and jump off the side
  314. 314.
    >the snow makes your impact soft but the dizziness from rolling is almost unbearable
  315. 315.
    >regardless, you try to orient yourself
  316. 316.
    >once you can manage to stand upright you look around
  317. 317.
    >the train station is quite close, within eyesight
  318. 318.
    >your best option is to follow them for now but at a distance
  319. 319.
    >you can generally make out what seems to be a military camp and another well-traveled path somewhere on the other side of the train station
  320. 320.
    >quickly burying yourself under the snow, you sit and watch as the soldiers dismount the train
  321. 321.
    >as you sit and wait you notice lots of ponies
  322. 322.
    >some of them you even recognize
  323. 323.
    >there’s one in particular that sticks out to you
  324. 324.
    >the big red stallion…
  325. 325.
     
  326. 326.
    >https://youtu.be/cZOrG3wtqU8 (a somber song for Equestria's chosen soldiers)
  327. 327.
     
  328. 328.
    >his head hangs low
  329. 329.
    >out of the whole crowd it’s easy to see he doesn’t fit in
  330. 330.
    >it’s telling of how horrible he feels
  331. 331.
    >a place like this isn’t where he belongs
  332. 332.
    >and you know it
  333. 333.
     
  334. 334.
    >as you follow the crowd of recruits you notice they make their way toward camp
  335. 335.
    >on the edge of the camp you watch as they are sent to their quarters
  336. 336.
    >there is nothing you can do for him now
  337. 337.
    >not until he gets to the front line
  338. 338.
    >and even then, it might be out of your hands
  339. 339.
    >but you have to do something
  340. 340.
    >with a heavy heart you leave the camp
  341. 341.
    >you silently wish for his safety as you make your way toward the beaten path
  342. 342.
     
  343. 343.
    >instead of walking directly on it you decide to use the nearby woods and follow the trail in a parallel fashion
  344. 344.
    >as you go further down the trail you find there to be another camp more towards what looks to be front lines
  345. 345.
    >the camp looks to be filled with medical tents of all sorts
  346. 346.
    >becoming a casualty is a real concern in this war
  347. 347.
    >without big mac the apple family would fall to pieces
  348. 348.
    >you couldn’t stand to just sit idly by and let that happen
  349. 349.
    >you don’t expect much but to fight on the same side as big mac would at least give you the comfort of knowing you tried
  350. 350.
    >though without proper enrollment into the military you have to avoid both your allies and whatever lies beyond them in the battlefield
  351. 351.
     
  352. 352.
    >https://youtu.be/JdABoVkVmUI (silence from where you stand)
  353. 353.
     
  354. 354.
     
  355. 355.
    >the path you take is unorthodox
  356. 356.
    >being unable to fight alongside your friends, you have to go alone
  357. 357.
    >without being able to go to the frontlines directly you need to go wide and fight from the side
  358. 358.
    >with your rifle's range you should be able to do something at least
  359. 359.
    >as you walk further down you notice just how wide the battle really is
  360. 360.
    >organized formations of soldiers, like over 200 hundred years ago on earth
  361. 361.
    >with such a wide battle you need to make your way around them
  362. 362.
    >such a distance won’t be easy on foot
  363. 363.
    >but you must try
  364. 364.
     
  365. 365.
    >despite being what must be miles away from the battlefield you find yourself near what would be the edge of their formation were you up close
  366. 366.
    >the thick woods on the side must be what caused the battle to be staged in the open area
  367. 367.
    >in hopes it keeps you out of harm's way you move through it
  368. 368.
    >the darkness of the woods is contrasted by the light let in from the edge
  369. 369.
    >the further you go the more of the battle you can see
  370. 370.
    >silent lights flashing back and forth
  371. 371.
    >rich colored magic being tossed back and forth between the opposing armies
  372. 372.
    >not a sound can be heard besides the faintest of explosions
  373. 373.
    >the distance isn’t short enough to make it within one day
  374. 374.
    >you should expect as much
  375. 375.
    >for hours on end you walk
  376. 376.
    >your feet aching and your legs feel as if they would give in any moment
  377. 377.
    >you peer out from the side and notice the battle continuing
  378. 378.
    >only louder than before
  379. 379.
    >and the snow up close is a different color
  380. 380.
    >you can just make out what seems to be snow drenched in blood
  381. 381.
    >you don’t want to think about it too much
  382. 382.
    >you really don’t want to think about the blacksmith being out there
  383. 383.
    >and you especially don’t want big mac to ever be out there
  384. 384.
    >as much as it pains you, resting would be your best option
  385. 385.
    >showing up to battle with any amount of sleep loss could be fatal
  386. 386.
    >and with the role you intend to play, fatal to those close to you…
  387. 387.
    >you lay your back against a tree as you sit beneath it and look out toward the light
  388. 388.
    >with certainty, you can say tomorrow will be your first experience in war
  389. 389.
    >your terrified
  390. 390.
    >but you felt no instinct to get away
  391. 391.
    >everything within you knows this is the best choice no matter the horror of it
  392. 392.
    >as you begin to tire you can only think of those other soldiers and their loved ones
  393. 393.
    >the other draftees
  394. 394.
    >tomorrow will be your first day as a soldier…
  395. 395.
     
  396. 396.
    >https://youtu.be/n1VJ39nVIBk?t=269 (time is of the essence)
  397. 397.
     
  398. 398.
    >the next morning you’re woken up by the loudest explosion you’ve heard in your life
  399. 399.
    >immedietly you run to the edge to look towards the battle
  400. 400.
    …
  401. 401.
    >there’s nothing…
  402. 402.
    >you turn your head to see that the battle is still going on…
  403. 403.
    >but far closer to the medical tents
  404. 404.
    >they’ve pushed the equestrian forces back for over a mile
  405. 405.
    >SHITSHITSHITTHISISBAD
  406. 406.
    >you grab your stuff and bolt back the way you came
  407. 407.
    >how could they have gone this far in one night
  408. 408.
    >they’ve been going at it for weeks now
  409. 409.
    >what the hell is going on?
  410. 410.
    >you can’t afford to think
  411. 411.
    >you’re dead set on running as fast as you can
  412. 412.
    >you thought running with applebloom was hard
  413. 413.
    >this is a whole other level of difficult
  414. 414.
    >no, horrifying
  415. 415.
    >there are lives on the line and it all depends on you getting there with all the weight you’re carrying
  416. 416.
    …
  417. 417.
    >you’re panicking
  418. 418.
    >panicking hard
  419. 419.
    >WAY HARDER THAN WHEN BIG MAC GOT DRAFTED
  420. 420.
    >SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT
  421. 421.
    >you’re only halfway there and your heart hurts
  422. 422.
    >your lungs hurt
  423. 423.
    >hell anything in your body that can feel pain hurts
  424. 424.
    …
  425. 425.
    >you're almost there and you’re on the verge of passing out
  426. 426.
    >gasping for breath you fall to the ground
  427. 427.
    >the weight of what you're carrying crushes into your back as you fall
  428. 428.
    >as painful as it was it’s nothing compared to your desperation for air
  429. 429.
    >the cold air was already hard enough to breathe
  430. 430.
    >but running this much at full sprint with this much weight on your back is something else
  431. 431.
    >you can’t even gather the strength to turn yourself over or get off the ground
  432. 432.
    >for what seemed like an hour you sat there struggling to catch your breath
  433. 433.
    >as much as you wanted to get into the fight if you pass out you could lose a lot more time
  434. 434.
    >lives are on the line
  435. 435.
    >your eyes, watery from your body being pushed to the brink of its limit can barely see past your nose
  436. 436.
    >blinking and wiping your eyes you do everything to desperately regain your vision
  437. 437.
    >still struggling to see with your naked eye alone you bring up your scope
  438. 438.
    …
  439. 439.
    >fucking hell…
  440. 440.
    >are those…
  441. 441.
    >ponies…
  442. 442.
    >on THEIR SIDE???
  443. 443.
    >shit this isn’t good
  444. 444.
    >they’re all wearing helmets of some sort
  445. 445.
    >they don’t have armor
  446. 446.
    >fuck they’re just throwing themselves at the equestrian forces…
  447. 447.
    …
  448. 448.
    >you can barely stomach it just watching the violence
  449. 449.
    >those ponies, they aren’t acting out of their own free will are they…
  450. 450.
    >not even someone who was hell-bent on, fuck ANYTHING would attack like that
  451. 451.
    >goddammit you can’t shoot innocents like that can you?
  452. 452.
    >god there’s so many of them
  453. 453.
    >there’s so SO many
  454. 454.
    >no matter how many you took down it would amount to nothing in terms of saving them
  455. 455.
    …
  456. 456.
    >you look over at the commander of their army
  457. 457.
    >a dark figure with what seems to be a red horn
  458. 458.
    …
  459. 459.
    >you’re thinking…
  460. 460.
    >you know damn well this shitty rifle of yours wouldn’t do anything to help the equestrian forces on the frontline
  461. 461.
    >and you’re certain if you target their commander he could just turn towards you and evaporate you
  462. 462.
    …
  463. 463.
    >thinkthinkthink
  464. 464.
    >the equestrian forces aren’t actively attacking the controlled ponies
  465. 465.
    >they’re a wall of shields
  466. 466.
    …
  467. 467.
    >notfuckinghelping cmon think
  468. 468.
    …
  469. 469.
    >the commander would have to focus on you if shot toward him
  470. 470.
    >he’s the one doing most of the pushing
  471. 471.
    >with what seems to be both Celestia, luna, and twilight in the back retaliating or deflecting incoming shots
  472. 472.
    …
  473. 473.
    >this is suicidal
  474. 474.
    >but if you distract him long enough you might be able to get them a chance at a clear shot at him
  475. 475.
    …
  476. 476.
    >applejacks going to be so pissed when you’re dead
  477. 477.
    >with your unnatural courage you line up the shot
  478. 478.
    …
  479. 479.
    >dammit he moves too much
  480. 480.
    >dammit you’re never going to-
  481. 481.
    >oh fuck
  482. 482.
    >ohfuckohfuckohFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCK
  483. 483.
    >THATS HUGE
  484. 484.
    >HE’S PLANNING TO EVAPORATE THE ENTIRE BATTLEFIELD
  485. 485.
    >HIS ARMY AND THEIRS
  486. 486.
    >AND HE-
  487. 487.
    >he’s still…
  488. 488.
    >your window of opportunity is now…
  489. 489.
    >and you take it…
  490. 490.
    …
  491. 491.
    …
  492. 492.
    …
  493. 493.
    >a huge purple flame bursts from his horn
  494. 494.
    >his agony is heard clearly even from where you’re positioned
  495. 495.
    >as the flame dissipates you see something
  496. 496.
    >that wasn’t a body shot
  497. 497.
    >you broke his horn…
  498. 498.
     
  499. 499.
    >https://youtu.be/wO1FdPXlsWw (the fallen king)
  500. 500.
     
  501. 501.
    …
  502. 502.
    >HHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAGGGHHHHH FUUCK ME
  503. 503.
    >the stress of everything that had just happened slowly slips away as you see him fall
  504. 504.
    >he slumps over writhing in pain
  505. 505.
    >the ponies once under his control begin to shake off their helmets
  506. 506.
    >you’re hardly watching but from what you can hear from him it sure as hell hurts
  507. 507.
    >you can barely speak or even breathe
  508. 508.
    >but you still had an ounce of willpower left
  509. 509.
    “Get fucked…”
  510. 510.
    >you whisper
  511. 511.
    >you turn to your rifle
  512. 512.
    “Oh baby, we did it I love you so much”
  513. 513.
    >in your delusion you give the barrel a big kiss
  514. 514.
    “AH”
  515. 515.
    >you bury your face in snow to soothe the burns from the rifle
  516. 516.
    >with your exhilaration and adrenaline dwindling you continue to watch from afar
  517. 517.
    >the three princesses make their way toward what you assume to be the commander
  518. 518.
    >without his horn he looks to be completely defenseless
  519. 519.
    >his former army rejoices in their newfound freedom
  520. 520.
    >you can’t help but notice the disgusting amounts of blood-soaked snow there is
  521. 521.
    >how many soldiers died for this…
  522. 522.
    >you find yourself feeling sorry for those who died
  523. 523.
    >that could have been big mac
  524. 524.
    …
  525. 525.
    >BIG MAC
  526. 526.
    >you jump up but fall backward
  527. 527.
    >you’re still too weak to move
  528. 528.
    >it took everything in you to even make it to your position
  529. 529.
    >hell you're surprised you even had the energy to pull the trigger
  530. 530.
    >dammit you wish you could just run down there and join in their celebration
  531. 531.
    >but you can’t bring yourself to move anymore
  532. 532.
    >without the adrenaline you’re as mobile as a brick
  533. 533.
    >as the three princesses surround him he suddenly collapses
  534. 534.
    “Good ri-”
  535. 535.
    >a sudden black cloud forms from out of his broken horn
  536. 536.
    >it expands rapidly
  537. 537.
    >the three princesses turn tail and fly back toward camp
  538. 538.
    >the army runs back as well
  539. 539.
    >come on…
  540. 540.
    >you can’t catch a break can you…
  541. 541.
    >you get up to run but fall once again
  542. 542.
    >you throw your backpack off and try once more
  543. 543.
    >again, you fall downwards
  544. 544.
    >you're panicking once again
  545. 545.
    >but after everything that had happened no amount of panic amounted to anything
  546. 546.
    >you were so burnt out you could hardly think straight
  547. 547.
    >you laid with your back against the ground
  548. 548.
    >there’s no chance you would be able to get up being in the condition you are
  549. 549.
    >the screams of the other ponies slowly became more distant
  550. 550.
    >somethings wrong, very wrong and you can’t do a thing about it
  551. 551.
    >as their voices became near silent the thick black cloud made its way into the forest
  552. 552.
    >you’ve never been so scared in your whole life
  553. 553.
    >in enveloped you and everything else it touched
  554. 554.
    >as you lay there the dark cloud seems to target you as if it had a mind of its own
  555. 555.
    >you cough and gag as it fills your lungs
  556. 556.
    >black as soot
  557. 557.
    >your lungs being painted with the dusty smoke
  558. 558.
    >there was nothing you could do
  559. 559.
    >the more you breathe the deeper you pulled the cloud in
  560. 560.
    >you tried to bury your face in the snow
  561. 561.
    >but the fog had you as its target
  562. 562.
    >and it was unrelenting
  563. 563.
    >you could feel your consciousness fade
  564. 564.
    >you surely thought this would be the end for you as your vision went black

The Preservation of Innocence (Part 1)

by Wall-o-text

The Preservation of Innocence (Part 2)

by Wall-o-text

The Preservation of Innocence (Part 3)

by Wall-o-text

The Preservation of Innocence (Part 4)

by Wall-o-text

The Preservation of Innocence (Part 5)

by Wall-o-text