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The Preservation of Innocence (Part 6)
By Wall-o-textCreated: 2022-12-30 10:20:07
Updated: 2022-12-30 12:33:41
Expiry: Never
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1.
>you are applejack
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2.
>you’ve been sitting on the sidelines doing nothing for the past two weeks
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3.
>twilight luna and Celestia have been doing all of the work against king sombra while the soldiers hold off the slave army
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4.
>you often found yourself thinking about anon
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5.
>oh how you wish to see him again
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6.
>you can’t stand being away for so long but you have to stay
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7.
>the fate of equestria could be in your hands if celestia needs the elements of harmony
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8.
>and if equestria is in danger your family, friends and everyone you care about is in danger
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>including anon…
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10.
>you’re just glad he’s at home safe and sound
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11.
>you can't imagine how scared he would be in a place like this
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12.
>seeing wounded ponies being carried to the medical tents
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>other ponies enslaved to do king sombra’s bidding
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14.
>it was terrible
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15.
>but at least anon was far away from all of it
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16.
>someone like him would be too fragile for war
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17.
>he just wouldn’t be able to handle it
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18.
>ponies have gone to war for ages, if anon is any indication of his whole species then humans must have never gone through something like that
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>hay, even telling him about it would give him nightmares
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…
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>as you lay in your quarters you continue your mind wandering
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…
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>what are you going to tell anon when you get home
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>there’s no way you can tell him about all the gruesome details
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>he would probably start tearing up just hearing it
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…
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>that delicate boy…
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>gosh, you’re going to have to come up with a way to explain all this without scaring him…
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29.
…
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30.
>just as you start to think of an explanation for anon you hear a startling sound
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31.
>the battlefield went quiet except for one sound
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32.
>cries of agony from a single stallion
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33.
>a powerful voice, could it be?
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34.
>you rush out of the tent to see waves of purple flame disappear the moment you see them
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35.
>you witness a dark stallion fall
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>and then the most shocking part happened
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>the slave ponies freed themselves of their helmets and began to look around
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38.
>the equestrian army and the former slaves cheered as king sombra has finally been defeated
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39.
>you could finally go home…
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>YOU COULD SEE ANON AGAIN!
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41.
>like an energetic filly you start running in circles
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>all those days of waiting and doing nothing have finally caught up to you and culminated into your celebration
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43.
>just as soon as you started celebrating you began to hear murmurs
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>murmurs which shifted to yelling
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>and yells turned to screams
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>you witness a dense black cloud fuming ahead of the equestrian army
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47.
>the three princesses flew back towards camp
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>they shouted orders for retreat
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>as soon as it was heard a full blown panic emerged
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>desperate recruits began shuffling onto the train
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>you think to gather your friends
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>but as you look on they’ve gotten far closer to the train in the time it took you grasp the situation
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>you bolt straight towards it
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>crowds frantically file in
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>as you continue to push yourself in along with the crowd you notice the thick cloud makings its way over the camp
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56.
>once inside, the overfilled train lifts off the brakes
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>with carrying capacity beyond any reasonable safety measures you were off
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>being stuck in the middle of the train cart you could barely get a look out the window
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>supplies from the other train being thrown out in place of civillians and soldiers
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>you see swarms of pegasi flying alongside the train
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>before it was out of eye sight, you saw the camp become engulfed in the dark cloud
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>many ponies coughing as they entered the supply train
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63.
>you know something bad will come out of this but you’re not sure what
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>and you’re worried you will find out all too soon
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65.
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>https://youtu.be/Rz8djwebUj8 (from the ashes)
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67.
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>you are anon
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>you awaken to the mellow light shining into the forest where you lay
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>for a mere moment you feel as if you have gone to heaven or something
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>you were sure you were dead
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72.
>before you could process it you took a deep breath
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>your lungs were sore from all you have gone through
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>you could still barely move
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>as you exhale you coughed wildly
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>you were sure you woud have died
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>where could the smoke have gone?
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78.
>you sit yourself up against a tree
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79.
>still unable to properly walk but enough energy to reach into your bag
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>you were starving
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>at first you thought you were only asleep for a few hours
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>you passed out somewhere in the afternoon
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>and woke up near the end of the day
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>and yet you feel fully rested
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>after what you went through, you must have slept for at least a day straight
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>your whole body still aches
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>you have just enough strength to reach into your bag
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>you were starving
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>you grabbed anything edible you could get your hands on and mindlessly ate
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90.
…
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91.
>you thought to yourself about how you were going to get home
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92.
>your original plan was to take the train but after what went down that wasn’t an option
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>you crawled through the opening in the woods to the spot you took the commander down at
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>you turn your head towards the camp
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>empty and lifeless…
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96.
>with the dark cloud chasing off all of the equestrian military there must have been an evacuation
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>meaning your ticket home was gone…
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…
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>hell, you have plenty of time to plan
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100.
>with the condition you’re in right now planning and eating is all you’re good for
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101.
>as you go through your rations bag by bag you formulate a plan
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102.
>the crystal empire is far closer to you than ponyville
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103.
>if anyone can help you it’s them
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104.
>and knowing twilight would be a major advantage
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105.
>just saying you are a friend of hers could get you some big favors
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106.
>at least you hope…
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>your second and most risky option is to follow the train tracks back home
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108.
>with the time it took just to get here on train it could take upwards of a week on foot
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109.
>it was over 24 hours to get here by train
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>you can’t accurately guess how long it would take on foot but you know for certain it would take far too long with the supplies you have on you
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111.
>you refill your rifle despite how little extra oil it needs
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>you push in a single steel ball as well
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113.
>Anonymous…
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>your new engraving fits a lot better than your old one
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…
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>applejack…
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117.
>you can’t bring yourself to worry about that right now
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>you know for certain that by the time you get home she will know everything about your plan
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>no amount of money could keep applebloom shut for that long
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120.
>hell the whole plan was to keep her quiet while applejack wouldn’t be suspicious
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>with at minimum 2 days of you not being home applebloom will surely tell her at some point
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122.
…
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123.
>they’re going to think you’re dead…
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>god this is a bad situation…
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125.
>well, it’s not AS bad of a situation as it was before…
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126.
>at least there’s comfort in that…
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127.
…
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>you know, you would have thought that your rifle wouldn’t have done much
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129.
>who would have thought it could go through magic of all things
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>maybe the bullet was so fast he couldn’t react?
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>or you just caught him by surprise?
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>hell whatever it was, you SEVERLY underestimated what you could do
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>of course that doesn’t matter now
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>all you want to do is get home and give applejack a big hug
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>and play with applebloom or listen to big mac again
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>hell, you almost want to hear rainbow taunting you again
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>almost…
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…
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139.
>after hours of eating and thinking you reach down into your bag for more
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…
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>nothing?
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>you reach down again searching harder
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>you’re sure you brought more than that
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>you bring the bag up to your lap and look
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145.
…
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>nothing…
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147.
>you look to your side and see an obscene amount of litter scattered across the forest
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148.
>you jokingly think how nice it would be to get arrested and taken to jail for that right about now
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149.
>would make things a lot easier for you
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150.
>without any food left you let yourself drift back to sleep in hopes of recovery
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151.
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>by the next day you wake up feeling far better
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153.
>you could almost say you’re fully recovered
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154.
>but you know better than to push yourself to test this idea
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155.
>your unusually ravenous appetite likely played a role
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156.
>you settle on your plan to head to the crystal empire
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>you decide make way there
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>it’s pretty small from where you are
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>at least you know where you’re headed
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160.
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>https://youtu.be/8dYZ99UWn4Q (Equestria’s forgotten hero)
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162.
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>the path you took towards the crystal empire was through the middle of the battle grounds
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>The stains in the snow were still there
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165.
>some stains were small but other were spread wildly
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>through them you could almost imagine how the battles were played out
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>certain areas must have been held for short periods while others held for days at a time
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>it’s tragic really
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>you hope applejack didn’t have to see any of it
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>you can’t imagine how awful it would have been for her
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>christ, twilight directly participated in the war…
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…
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>it hurts to think about
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>you really don’t want things to change when you get home
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>you’re hoping that when you get home you can throw this whole thing behind you and go on like nothing happened
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>sure, you managed to get big mac out of this mess
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>but twilight?
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178.
>she’s been here from the start
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179.
>and she’s played a huge role
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180.
>meaning she’s surely seen the worst of the war that even you haven’t seen
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>it’s an awful thought to have
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>but applejack and big mac are the least of your concerns now
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183.
>twilight went through something far worse
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184.
…
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185.
>is it possible to help her after it all?
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186.
>dammit man, thoughts for later…
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187.
>you need to push yourself to get home
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188.
>without you applejacks going to worry herself to tears
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189.
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190.
>the trip towards the crystal empire was quiet
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>besides the sound of mild wind there was nothing
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192.
>the snow flew just barely above the ground
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193.
>the moonlight reflected off the open area
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194.
>it was very peaceful
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>but staying too long could be fatal for you
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196.
>you’re not sure how long your going to last without any food
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197.
>you hope someone is still at the crystal empire
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198.
>considering the slave army that commander guy hadmust have come from the crystal empire there might not be many ponies left there
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>if any at all…
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>https://youtu.be/4EBm0Z9RI34 (Like an empty mall)
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202.
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>the crystal empire was bright
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>you can certainly see why it was called the crystal empire
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205.
>the buildings shined brightly
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206.
>it felt like the city itself was alive…
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>and yet it also felt dead
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>there was no one around
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>and if you were honest with yourself it scared you
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210.
>it was quiet
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>too quiet for you
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>you were almost too nervous to call out for anyone
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>but considering the position your in now you had no other choice
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“Um, hello? HELLO? Uh ANYONE THERE?”
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…
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>nothing
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>great, just great
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“THE GUY THAT HAD THOSE PONIES IN HELMETS, HE’S GONE NOW”
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…
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220.
>still nothing
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>this isn’t good
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>the city itself looked like it was putting on a facade
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>it was creepy
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>there wasn’t a way to explain it but it was off putting
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>enough that you felt urged to go somewhere else
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226.
>maybe that castle had food
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>your sure there’s got to be something left here
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>there can’t be nothing
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>so you make your way into the castle
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230.
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>https://youtu.be/J0DfhW9sqQU (into the dark)
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232.
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>the outside made you uncomfortable
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>but the inside the castle was worse
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>it was dark, but you could still see relatively fine
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>every step you took echoed no mater how quiet you tried to be
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>even the slightest noise reverberates within the castle
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238.
>you slowly crept your way around the place in hopes of finding a kitchen
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239.
>with how luxurious this place was you hoped there would be a big kitchen…
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240.
>no amount of hopeful thinking could offset your worries as you made your way through the castle
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241.
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242.
>this place was a maze…
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243.
>as you made your way around you noticed a long winding staircase going far down into what seemed to be a basement
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244.
>or a dungeon…
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245.
>if worst comes to worst you can always go to a random house in hopes there’s food in there
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246.
>if you can even find your way out…
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247.
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>as you went down it became darker and darker
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>the eerieness of it all becomes clearer to you the further down you go
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250.
>by the time you make it to the bottom it’s pitch black
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251.
>you figure it’s a waste to be down here
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252.
>that is until you heard a noise from behind a door…
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253.
“I-I’M FRIENDS WITH TWILIGHT!”
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254.
“IF-IF YOU HURT ME SHE’S GOING TO COME FOR YOU!”
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255.
>you’re terrified
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>you pray your baseless threat works as you can hardly even find the steps to make your way back up the stairs
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257.
>”you’re friends with twilight?”
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258.
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>https://youtu.be/OPlK5HwFxcw (The Queen comes out of hiding)
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260.
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>that voice
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>it sounded soft
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>you hear a door creak open as someone walks through
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264.
>her horn lights up illuminating the small room
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265.
>you were at a loss for words
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266.
>you finally found someone after days of seeing nobody
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267.
“Uh, yeah, i mean, i’ve borrowed a book from her once, but we know eachother”
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268.
“I live in ponyville after all”
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269.
>she gives you a relieved look
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270.
>”there was a war going on, what happened?”
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271.
“Well, to put it simply equestria won, but as the leader of the slave army fell he released a dark cloud and all the ponies escaped for the trains”
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272.
>she looks at you inquisitively
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273.
>”then, what are you doing here?”
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274.
“I got caught in the cloud and was left behind”
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275.
“I’m trying to find a way home, but, nobody knows I was gone”
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276.
“So there’s no one to come look for me and i have to find my way back somehow”
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277.
>”I am truly sorry to hear this, is there anything i can do to help?”
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278.
>you knew exactly what you needed
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279.
“Well, if it’s not a bother, i really need to get something to eat, ive run out of food and im not sure where else i could get any”
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280.
>she chuckles slightly
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281.
>”believe me, this can be arranged, iv’e been down here for the duration of the war”
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282.
>”shining armour said it would be for the best but it was very unpleasent”
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283.
>”if you have any other requests please tell me, it would at least be entertaining to do something after all this waiting”
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284.
>you can sympathize with her on that
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285.
>boredom is the worst
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286.
>”follow me, i’ll lead you to the kitchen”
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287.
>”let us hope there’s something left after what happened to the crystal empire”
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288.
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289.
>you are applejack
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290.
>the train made a stop at canterlot
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291.
>the crowd rushed out
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292.
>you step outside to find your friends huddled together
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293.
“RAINBOW, RARITY!”
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294.
>you shout as you rush towards them
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295.
>rainbow looks at you
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296.
>”AJ, DID YOU SEE THAT BIG CLOUD!”
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297.
>”IT WAS INSANE!!!”
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298.
>rarity interjects
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299.
>”what do you think it was?”
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300.
“I’m not sure but all i know is it can’t be good”
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301.
“I really need to get back to ponyville, you know when the next train is?”
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302.
>rainbow rolls her eyes
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303.
>”NEXT TRAIN? Are you kidding me? Those things are going to be busy for ages”
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304.
>”if we want to get back to ponyville we need a chariot”
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305.
“I don’t care what we go in, we need to go as soon as possible”
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306.
>rarity turns to you in concern
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307.
>”applejack, what’s got you so worked up?”
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308.
“ANON, he ain’t never been this long without someone there for him”
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309.
>before you can continue rainbow interrupts
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310.
>”oh my GOSH aj, he’ll be fiiiiine, quit worrying so much”
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311.
>rarity agrees
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312.
>”I have to agree with rainbow dash on this one AJ, he should be plenty fine on his own”
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313.
>something about hearing this infuriates you
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314.
>you can’t blame them, they don’t know anon like you do
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315.
>but you’re only concern now is getting back to ponyville
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316.
“Look, i know yall don’t see eye to eye with me on this but i REALLY must be going”
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317.
“Im grabbing a chariot while i still can”
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318.
“If you wanna get back to ponyville any time soon i suggest you come with me, im sure chariots are runnin’ low as it is already with this here crowd”
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319.
>the two of look at each other
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320.
>rarity speaks up
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321.
>”alright, but we have to get fluttershy and pinkie too”
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322.
>”i’m sure twilight has business in canterlot, besides, she could probably be given priority transport from celestia herself”
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323.
>rainbow adds to the plan further
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324.
>”okay, i’ll round up pinkie and fluttershy, you and applejack go find a chariot for us in the mean time okay?”
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325.
>both you and rarity nod in unison
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326.
>after nearly an hour you and rarity manage to secure a chariot
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327.
>soon after rainbow returns with pinkie and fluttershy
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328.
>the ride home was slow but far better than hoofing it back
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329.
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330.
>the second you touch down in ponyville you jump off and run home
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331.
>you burst through the door to greet everyone
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332.
>you hear running down the stairs
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333.
>applebloom turns to see you
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334.
>”AJ OH MY GOSH YOUR HOME AHHHHHHHH!!!”
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335.
>she bolts towards you and gives you the biggest hug she could
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336.
“Oh applebloom it’s so nice to see you again”
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337.
>”AJ, I missed you so much”
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338.
>you let go of applebloom
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339.
“ANON, BIG MAC GET DOWN HERE I’M HOME!!!”
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340.
…
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341.
>nothing…
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342.
>you turn to applebloom to ask her where they are but something catches you off guard
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343.
>she’s shaking…
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344.
“Applebloom, you alright? What’s going on?”
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345.
>she starts full blown panicking
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346.
>hyperventilating and shivering
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347.
“Applebloom where is anon and big mac?”
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348.
>you start questioning her more worried than before
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349.
>what the hay is going on here
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350.
>why is she freaking out so much
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351.
>she doesn’t respond
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352.
>she only pannicks and sniffles
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353.
>with the worry growing on you, you grow impatient
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354.
“Applebloom you need to tell me where they are!”
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355.
“C’mon just spit it out!”
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356.
>now she’s crying
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357.
>really crying
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358.
>she’s starting to really scare you
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359.
“APPLEBLOOM THIS IS SERIOUS YOU NEED TO TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE THIS INSTANT!!!”
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360.
>applebloom is full blown sobbing
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361.
>maybe yelling at her was too much but your almost as panicked as she is at this point
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362.
“APPLEBLOOM-”
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363.
>”THEY'RE GONE!”
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364.
…
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365.
>oh dear celestia…
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366.
“WHERE? WHERE DID THEY GO?”
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367.
>she’s completely inconsolable at this point
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368.
>”BIG MAC GOT S-SENT TO THE-THE CRYSTAL EM-EMPIRE A-AND, AND, ANON SAID HE WAS GUH-GOING TO KEEP HIM SAFE AND-AND HE WENT ON THE TRAIN WITH HIM AND-”
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369.
>your fully freaking out at this point
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370.
>the more applebloom talks the worse it gets
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371.
>”AND THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HOME AT THE SAME TIME AS YOU BUT-BUT THEY’RE NOT AND I DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY ARRRRRRREEEE!!!”
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372.
>applebloom starts uncontrollably sobbing
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373.
>your at your breaking point
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374.
>not only did big mac get sent off to war
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375.
>but anon went with…
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376.
>your certain big mac is in canterlot by now
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377.
>everyone made it on to the trains one way or another
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378.
>but anon…
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379.
>dear celestia, anon’s in trouble
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380.
>REAL trouble
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381.
>he could be…
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382.
>no…
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383.
>no please don’t think that…
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384.
>you rush back to the chariots
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385.
>you’ve got to get anon before he’s hurt
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386.
>that stupid boy…
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387.
>who knows how scared he is right now…
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388.
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389.
>https://youtu.be/6nzH0X6lSCI (food frenzy)
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390.
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391.
>you are anon
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392.
>THIS PLACE HAS EVERYTHING
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393.
>OATS FRUITS JELLY JAM
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394.
>YOU COULD EAT FOR AGES DOWN HERE
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395.
>running around the whole kitchen you gather everything you need to make the biggest bowl of oatmeal this empire has ever seen
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396.
>as you run around gathering the ingredients you notice something amazing
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397.
“YOU GUYS HAVE ZAP APPLE JAM?”
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398.
>before she has a chance to respond you grab the whole jar and run off to make your oats
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399.
>you turn on the stove and gather everything else
-
400.
>bowl spoon pot all the utensils
-
401.
>while you throw everything in to cook you pop open the jar of zap apple jam
-
402.
>you’ve never had any before but you figured now was the best time to try it
-
403.
…
-
404.
>it was AMAZING
-
405.
>it was somehow like every fruit imaginable but in the best way possible with a taste that you’re confident literally shocks your taste buds
-
406.
>as the oatmeal was finishing you pour it all into the bowl and mix in your jam
-
407.
>having little patience you throw in an ice cube to cool it all down
-
408.
>with everything mixed in you down it like a rabid animal
-
409.
>your first proper meal in days and it couldn’t have been better
-
410.
>with it finished you figure it to be a good idea to make another
-
411.
>and another…
-
412.
-
413.
>https://youtu.be/KcwaDLQ0j_g (A peaceful conversation)
-
414.
-
415.
>after finally having a decent meal you felt amazing
-
416.
>”well, you certainly were hungry”
-
417.
>”it’s about time you filled me in on what’s happened”
-
418.
“Of course”
-
419.
“Gosh where do i begin…”
-
420.
>”well, i havent done much of anything for the past few weeks”
-
421.
>”but i’m sure you’re anxious to get home”
-
422.
>”so how about the short version”
-
423.
>the short version
-
424.
“Well, where should i start?”
-
425.
>the two of you make your way to the opening in the castle
-
426.
>it was still dark out but there was a sliver of blue on the horizon
-
427.
>as you sat down, you asked her something
-
428.
“Before i start, who are you exactly?”
-
429.
>”I’m princess cadence, the princess of love”
-
430.
“Well, I’m anonymous, uh, employee at sweet apple acres…”
-
431.
“I just go by anon though”
-
432.
>she giggles slightly
-
433.
>”well, very nice to formally meet you anon”
-
434.
>”now tell me, how did the war end?”
-
435.
>the war
-
436.
>considering you were the one to end the war, you explained your journey starting from when you got off the train
-
437.
>the further you went on the more interested she looked
-
438.
>”my, you had to do all that walking?”
-
439.
>she would constantly interject full of interest in your story
-
440.
>”but how is that possible?”
-
441.
>”you broke his horn with, this thing you’re carrying?”
-
442.
>you lift it up to show her
-
443.
“Well, yeah”
-
444.
>she inspects it for a moment
-
445.
>”show me how it works”
-
446.
>you pause for a second
-
447.
>”this place already has a bit of damage, a tiny bit more won’t be a big deal”
-
448.
>”why not aim at that building over there”
-
449.
>you comply and take aim
-
450.
>after firing cadence jumps a little
-
451.
>immedietly after you can hear the bullet crack against the crystal building
-
452.
“Yup, that’s all there is too it”
-
453.
>”amazing, ive never seen anything like it”
-
454.
“Honestly, im surprised it even did anything against sombra, i thought his magic would just, i don’t know, deflect it, or something”
-
455.
>”well, it seems to move pretty fast and you can’t see it in the air, i would have been surprised if he could deflect something like that”
-
456.
>you continued on with your story until you got to the point of where you are now
-
457.
>”well, i’m just glad you’re alright after all that”
-
458.
>”but I believe the crystal empire owes you a large debt”
-
459.
>”please if there’s anything i can do just say it”
-
460.
“As much as i wish you could help me im not sure you can”
-
461.
“All i want is to get back to ponyville but with just you here im not sure that’s possible”
-
462.
>she thinks to herself a moment
-
463.
>”that’s not entirely true, i could take you as far as canterlot but ponyville would be a bit much for me”
-
464.
>”especially with you on my back”
-
465.
>you do a double take on that last part
-
466.
“On your back?”
-
467.
>”well, we don’t really have any other option, and i do owe you quite a bit”
-
468.
>”as embarrassing as it is, it will have to do”
-
469.
>”i’ll probably have to cast a spell to make you lighter”
-
470.
>”but we could at least make it to canterlot by tomorow”
-
471.
>as embarrassing as it was for you as well, you didn’t see any other good options
-
472.
>besides, your desire to see applejack again far outweighs any worries of embarrassment
-
473.
-
474.
>once cadence cast the spell, you felt incredibly light
-
475.
>for a moment you jumped around ecstatic about the feeling of low gravity
-
476.
>but even then, you were still too hung up on seeing applejack again that you couldn’t enjoy it for long
-
477.
>you hopped onto cadences back and she spread her wings and you were off
-
478.
>the breeze on your face was nice
-
479.
>being able to see the ground from a birds eye view was scary at first
-
480.
>you held on tightly to cadence for a while until you were used to it
-
481.
>a part of you wishes it could have been applejack you held for safety
-
482.
>that homesick feeling was growing quite large
-
483.
>the only thing you want is to see applejack again
-
484.
>it’s all you can think about really
-
485.
>as time passed you grew more comfortable with the flying
-
486.
>it became quiet once cadence maintained a steady pace
-
487.
>”so, applejack was it, how did she react when you and her brother left for the war?”
-
488.
>when you told her the story you neglected to mention where applejack was
-
489.
“Uh, the thing is, she wasn’t supposed to know i went on this whole thing…”
-
490.
“But since it’s been so long since all the ponies went back home she’s bound to know now”
-
491.
>”anon, why would you keep something like this a secret from her?”
-
492.
“Applejack… she worries about me a lot, she has a tendency to, i wouldn’t say overreact”
-
493.
“But she tends to think of me as, well, she called it ‘sensitive’”
-
494.
“Sure, i guess she was kind of right, but when big mac got drafted there was no one else who could help him but me”
-
495.
“I was hoping she wouldn’t have to find out i left at all, since she probably already knows by now, im sure she’s beyond distressed”
-
496.
>cadence goes quiet
-
497.
>”I think she really cares about you anon…”
-
498.
>”i mean, i’m not trying to make assumptions or anything, but, i am the princess of love after all”
-
499.
>”do you think it’s possible she could feel that kind of way about you?”
-
500.
>deep down you desperately hope so
-
501.
>you can’t imagine anyone more perfect than her
-
502.
>she took such good care of you
-
503.
>and it meant so much
-
504.
>being cared for like that gave you the most serene feeling you’ve ever felt
-
505.
>and you want to feel it everyday with her
-
506.
“I hope so…”
-
507.
…
-
508.
>the rest of the ride was quiet
-
509.
>maybe cadence could sense how you felt
-
510.
>you really hope it didn’t make things awkward
-
511.
>but that quiet didn’t last
-
512.
-
513.
>https://youtu.be/YO3-_fdOSUs (Changeling invasion theme)
-
514.
-
515.
>a sudden swarm of, something, flew far too close for comfort to you two
-
516.
>you’ve never seen ponies like this before
-
517.
>hell, were they ponies?
-
518.
>they were pitch black
-
519.
>and the darkness of the night made them all barely blend in
-
520.
>but the sudden breeze mixed with the dark swarm passing you was enough to tell it was something
-
521.
>cadence panicked and dove to the ground
-
522.
>she chose a spot by the railway you too to the crystal empire
-
523.
>the second she hit the ground you jumped off and laid there
-
524.
>the two of you were dead quiet as the swarm passed
-
525.
>you’re not sure what’s going on but seeing cadence panicked like this meant something must be wrong
-
526.
>by the time the swarm passed cadence spoke to you in an aggressive but hushed tone
-
527.
>”CHANGLINGS, THEY’RE HEADED TO CANTERLOT”
-
528.
“What the hell is a changeling?”
-
529.
>”they invaded the crystal empire once, and now they’re coming to canterlot”
-
530.
>invaded?
-
531.
>dammit, you just want to go home
-
532.
>you just want there to be peace
-
533.
>you hate all this conflict, all this fighting
-
534.
>it’s taken a heavy toll on you
-
535.
>far more than you care to admit
-
536.
>but for all you know big mac could still be in canterlot
-
537.
>”those ponies, my people, THEY’RE ALL THERE”
-
538.
>her whisper yelling was tense
-
539.
>”they’re going to steal their love, we can’t let that happen!”
-
540.
>how the fuck does a changeling ‘steal love’?
-
541.
>all you know is that it’s important enough that cadence is freaking out
-
542.
>”anon, i need you to trust me and trust me fully do you understand? Not a single objection to what i got it?”
-
543.
>you were worried but you you nodded
-
544.
>”get back on and shoot at them, do not stop shooting okay, pony lives are on the line do you understand?”
-
545.
>”we need to do everything we can to stop them!”
-
546.
>”i mean EVERYTHING anon, okay?”
-
547.
>despite all of this being out of your depth, you comply
-
548.
>you immediately hop back on and cadence leaps off into full speed
-
549.
>she heads just slightly in front of the swarm
-
550.
>you can barely see them but the swarm is big enough that no matter where you shot into them it would hit somewhere
-
551.
>with your legs wrapped as tightly as you can to her you lay backwards and shoot upside down while cadence keeps the pace towards canterlot
-
552.
>you never wanted to get into something like this
-
553.
>but a monarch begging you for your help means this is something terribly serious
-
554.
>the swarm speeds up after noticing a few of them suddenly drop from the swarm
-
555.
>they target the two of you
-
556.
>never being able to fully catch up but desperate to catch you
-
557.
>you empty everything you have into the swarm
-
558.
>no matter how much you shoot into the swarm they never let up
-
559.
>eventually your gun runs out of ammo
-
560.
“CADENCE THEY’RE GETTING CLOSE LOSE EM WHILE I RELOAD”
-
561.
>she likely didn’t understand what you meant fully
-
562.
>but she sure as hell knew you needed her to buy you time and get them off your back a moment
-
563.
>cadence flew wildly
-
564.
>her wings were far bigger than theirs
-
565.
>she would twist and turn to avoid their grasp
-
566.
>the changelings were wildly determined to cath the two of you
-
567.
>all the motion made you dizzy
-
568.
>the only thing you were focused on was pushing the ammo back into the rifle
-
569.
“WE’RE GOOD FLY STRAIGHT AGAIN!”
-
570.
>with a few cycles of this the swarm noticeably got smaller
-
571.
>it was still disgustingly large
-
572.
>the dent you did to them was worth something that was certain
-
573.
>but after a while ammo ran dry
-
574.
>no matter the fuel efficiency you had, without ammo it was pointless to continue with the air assault
-
575.
“CADENCE I'M COMPLETLY OUT!”
-
576.
“WE NEED TO HEAD STRAIGHT TO CANTERLOT! NOW!!!”
-
577.
>without hesitation she bolted straight to canterlot
-
578.
>she was seemed incredibly winded
-
579.
>between breaths she spoke
-
580.
>”ANON, IT’S GOING TO BE A FAST LANDING WHEN WE GET THERE”
-
581.
>she gasps for breath
-
582.
>”I HAVE TO GATHER THE ARMY, WHEN I LAND JUMP OKAY?”
-
583.
“GOT IT!”
-
584.
>right as you near the center of canterlot you see everypony
-
585.
>fucking hell…
-
586.
>there’s almost as many ponies just standing outside as there are in the swarm coming right for them
-
587.
>for a split second the only people who knew how much trouble canterlot was in was you and cadence
-
588.
>right as you two neared the ground she shouted
-
589.
>”ANON JUMP!”
-
590.
>you jumped off to one side and rolled
-
591.
>you were incredibly dizzy again
-
592.
>but by the time you orient yourself you could already hear the screams of all the ponies
-
593.
>there were medical tents being gaurded by soldiers with fear written all over them
-
594.
>undoubtebly they were not prepared for something like this
-
595.
>this was bad
-
596.
>you knew canterlot was completely unprepared for something like this
-
597.
>especially with the refugees from the crystal empire, this place was wildly over crowded
-
598.
>but what came next was far more horrifying
-
599.
-
600.
>https://youtu.be/75P0QGi3RO0 (Terror from where you stand)
-
601.
-
602.
>you were completely alone
-
603.
>cadence ran off leaving you completely alone
-
604.
> except for the screams of other ponies
-
605.
>the swarm had landed
-
606.
>though not on the ground
-
607.
>on every pony they could jump onto
-
608.
>you rushed towards the first pony being bitten
-
609.
>you screamed so loud your ears rang silencing out the screams from all over canterlot
-
610.
>your bayonet pushed straight into the first changeling
-
611.
>as you kept rushing past the bitten pony you tossed the changeling off the end of your rifle
-
612.
>there was something horrific about killing up close
-
613.
>you could have sworn you heard it scream before it died
-
614.
>you endlessly charged every changeling in sight
-
615.
>your screams were the only thing keeping you sane
-
616.
>the ringing in your ears kept out the horrible sounds
-
617.
>the swarm was unforgiving
-
618.
>a changeling bit your arm
-
619.
>in the urgency of it all you fell to the ground and bit down on the changelings muzzle like an animal
-
620.
>without your deafening screams you could hear the cries of the changeling
-
621.
>your teeth dug violently in
-
622.
>the second the unlatched you sank your blade into the changeling in the side while it was on the ground
-
623.
>it made you feel physically sick
-
624.
>every pony you saw being attacked you would rush to help
-
625.
>the streets seemed to empty themselves of ponies but the swarm in canterlot got larger and larger no matter how many you killed
-
626.
>there weren’t any ponies left to save
-
627.
>the swarm began to intentionally target you
-
628.
>with every changeling you dug your bayonet into another would bite
-
629.
>their teeth were thin and their bite force was just enough to dig into you
-
630.
>your screams became cries
-
631.
>to the changelings they were fierce war cries
-
632.
>but to yourself they were out of horrible distress
-
633.
>it was far too much for you to handle
-
634.
>but there was no one who was coming to save you
-
635.
>you were entirely on your own with this
-
636.
>the blood was disgusting
-
637.
>it was all over the ground
-
638.
>it would pool in the grooves on the stone streets
-
639.
>within time some soldiers began to appear
-
640.
>they helped take care of some changelings but would mostly stay in their small areas
-
641.
>maybe they were there the whole time
-
642.
>but your laser focus on your next targets prevented you from noticing
-
643.
>you were viciously fighting for your life
-
644.
>your throat hurt from all of the cries
-
645.
>even breathing felt painful as the air grazed the tender parts of your throat
-
646.
>without anything to drown the noise you heard every little detail
-
647.
>their horrible cries for mercy as your blade sank into their chests
-
648.
>there was no stopping it, your momentum would be too much by the time they beg
-
649.
>the first time you heard it you tried to forget it, you thought it was delusion
-
650.
>but it would happen again and again
-
651.
>their cries sounded so young
-
652.
>your very last attempt was the most horrific
-
653.
>you chased a changeling but instead of attacking back it ran and cried in fear
-
654.
>you couldn’t bring yourself to continue
-
655.
>you fell to your knees with such a large drop in energy
-
656.
>with your hands on the ground all you could see was the thin layer of liquid on the stone
-
657.
>without the rush of adrenaline you could process it all
-
658.
>they were screaming…
-
659.
>oh god they were screaming
-
660.
>you started gagging like you were going to throw up but you had nothing in you
-
661.
>they were so violent
-
662.
>but they, fuck, they were screaming for you to stop
-
663.
>you look up to see there was no one around
-
664.
>only those changelings left over from what transpired
-
665.
>you think back to your ringing ears
-
666.
>how many changelings begged for you to stop and you didn’t listen
-
667.
>you could hear fighting still going on further away
-
668.
>but from where you are there’s nobody left
-
669.
>just you, your deep regrets and the sound of fighting in other parts of canterlot
-
670.
>you wouldn’t dare pick up that rifle again
-
671.
>what you did was horribly wrong
-
672.
>you silently cry in frustration while the pressure behind your eyes continues to build
-
673.
>you couldn’t process it all
-
674.
>you knew they were attacking ponies
-
675.
>hell you saw them sink their teeth into one
-
676.
>but the fact they could be so afraid
-
677.
>the fact they begged you not to kill them and you didn’t listen
-
678.
>it made everything so tragically confusing
-
679.
>you couldn’t think straight
-
680.
>you just wish none of it would have happened
-
681.
>you get up and stumbled down the road leaving your rifle behind
-
682.
>you never want to see it again
-
683.
>you sniffle as you make your way down the road with labored breathing
-
684.
>you were done
-
685.
>you couldn’t take it anymore
-
686.
>and you just want applejack to make this all better again…
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