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The Preservation of Innocence (Part 12)

By Wall-o-text
Created: 2023-05-08 16:29:09
Expiry: Never

  1. >https://youtu.be/PDkkSp3bdgE (Ahead of the curve)
  2.  
  3. >the ride home was… odd
  4. >chrysalis seemed to regain a small bit of her strength throughout the entire ride back
  5. >both you and your friend were now exhausted from all the stress
  6. >burnt out from it all
  7. >the doctor and you were friends now
  8. >it didn’t even have to be stated
  9. >the shared experience back there gave you both a sense of connection
  10. >like it was just the two of you against the world
  11. >it felt less and less like it even mattered what chrysalis said before
  12. >both your minds and bodies were worn down after that trip
  13. >the weird behaviour the half conscious queen had on the trip back only further bonded your friendship
  14. >there was an unnaturaully friendly exchange between you as your smiles widened watching chrysalis roll around the passenger compartment like drunk
  15. >your grins turned to laughter you both desperately tried holding back trying not to wake her
  16.  
  17. >there was a peculiar feeling of emptiness both of you felt by the time you were back in ponyville
  18. >not in a depressing way, but in an uncaring and disconnected way
  19. >as if you and the doctor were the only real people in the world
  20. >your laughter was still bubbling near the surface
  21. >the kind of humor where the jokes don’t matter at that point
  22. >the kind where the mere existence of sound gets you to the brink of howling with laughter
  23. >right as you get out you turn back to him
  24. >your curl your lips back and tighten them trying to keep the sound of your snickers to a minimum as you watch him exit the compartment after you
  25. >every movement of his is humorous is the most unexplainable way
  26. >you get an idea and signal him to follow you with a mischievous look
  27. >the two of you sneak inside sweet apple acres
  28. >applejack told you of the secret stash of cider she had
  29. >you get the doctor to carry out a large bottle for each of you as you make your way to the backyard
  30. >the both of you are starving from the long night, the cider was the best thing either of you had ever tasted
  31. >you set up the empty bottles on the grass
  32. >you both made your way a bit back from them and turned around
  33. >alcohol on an empty stomach was already beginning to take affect on you
  34. >without words exchanged you showed him to aim and pull the trigger and pointed at the bottles
  35. >in a tipsy manner the doctor levitated your rifle and aimed somewhat towards the bottles
  36. >the rifle wobbled back and forth before he pulled the trigger
  37. >he maintained a blank, unreactive stare as the rifle flew back from the recoil
  38. >the shot hit right near the house with a loud crack against the wood
  39. >once you heard it, the both of you instinctively dropped to the floor faces turning red from the pressure of keeping your comical amusement back
  40. >with the sound of a door opening, you hear what was clearly applejack yelling
  41. >”who’s there? Ya’ll better get off mah property!”
  42. >the red on your faces spread further from the increasingly humorous situation with applejack
  43. >”what the? WHEN I FIND YOU YA’LL BETTER PAY FOR THESE DAMAGES!”
  44. >at this point you felt you were going to burst a bloodvessel
  45. >the two of you ‘run’ back away from the house only to stumble horrendously getting covered in grass and mud
  46. >surprisingly, applejack didn’t notice you, or at least didn’t follow you
  47. >by the time you stopped you were near the edge of the everfree
  48. >being the borderlands you felt safe enough to take a seat against the tree
  49. >the two of you felt beyond exhausted
  50. >the stress of the day followed with your mischief was enough to make you pass out a few seconds after sitting
  51.  
  52. >the early morning sunlight hits your vision
  53. >the events of last night make your body feel miserable
  54. >the achiness is unbearable
  55. >you feel terribly sick
  56. >far too sick too fall back asleep
  57. >so much so you turn over and start gagging
  58. >with nothing in you you just stay on all fours waiting for it to pass
  59. >once it does you force yourself over to your new friend
  60. >you gently shake him awake
  61. “Cmon, get up, I think you gotta go or somethin’”
  62. >he lets out a burp and squeezes his eyes
  63. >”ah… alright…”
  64. >he rolls over and gets up
  65. >you both take your time fully acclimating to wakefulness
  66. >he spoke formally
  67. >”shit, we left chrysalis in the balloon last night…”
  68. >you take a deep breath in preparation for dealing with what he mentioned
  69. >”look, I’ve got to get back to shining about this, he’s probably home by now”
  70. >the humor of last night is completely gone
  71. >the dread of your situation is more apparent to the both of you again
  72. >”dammit, there’s not much either of us can do right now”
  73. >”I don’t know, I’ll let you know if anything comes up”
  74. >”just, try not to cause any panic, seriously, that’s the last thing we need right now”
  75. >”can you just please keep your mouth shut?”
  76. >your still reeling from the hangover and lack of sleep
  77. “Yeah…”
  78. >”thanks, it was fun, but I seriously need to leave…”
  79. >he went back to the balloon while you tried to get back into the house
  80. >you could tell you were still a bit drunk from last night
  81. >and if you were so was he
  82. >operating a hot air balloon drunk isn’t a crime right?
  83. >doesn’t matter
  84. >diplomatic immunity or something right?
  85. >you look to the half empty bottles in the damp grass
  86. >you didn’t even care how bad it was for you
  87. >you were just drinking to forget
  88. >you finished both of the remains of the bottles before taking them inside with you
  89.  
  90. >applejack was up earliest like usual
  91. >when you came through the door she was delighted to see you
  92. >despite your dirty clothes she came to give you a hug
  93. >”it’s so nice to have you back a-”
  94. >she stopped and sniffed you
  95. >”are you… drunk?”
  96. >you couldn’t even try to hide it
  97. >but you couldn’t respond
  98. >you had completely passed out
  99.  
  100. >https://youtu.be/9-u1JAap8uY (I don’t want things to change)
  101.  
  102. >when you come back to consciousness you find yourself in bed
  103. >it must have been hours since you passed out judging by the lack of light
  104. >when your eyes finally adjust you see a pleasant orange color covering your view
  105. >your face has been on her chest for who knows how long
  106. >the silence implied she was asleep
  107. >after yesterday, this was a nice change of pace
  108. >you wrap your arms around her and pull yourself closer
  109. >she wakes up and gives herself a big stretch
  110. >she pushes herself down more to eye level with you and presses her nose against yours
  111. >her quiet voice was soothing
  112. >”feelin’ any better?”
  113. >the hangover was awful, especially with the headache that began to set in
  114. >but having her take care of you helped immensely
  115. >still feeling a bit sick, you close your eyes and give her a nod
  116. >”good, I was real worried about you”
  117. >”I would ask ya, but, you seem a bit out of it right now”
  118. >you both stay quiet for a moment and enjoy each others presence
  119. >you let her breath blanket your face in its warmth
  120. >”It got a bit late huh”
  121. >”guess were gonna be a bit nocturnal tonight”
  122. >you crack a smile which causes her to do the same
  123. >there wasn’t a better feeling than being in bed with her
  124. >it’s a special kind of comfort that seemed to block out the rest of the world
  125. >even with your mind still on yesterday, it felt like being here washed away the worries about it
  126. >”hey, if you need me to grab you somethin’ let me know”
  127. >”I don’t think i saw you eat before you left, you must be starving”
  128. >her words ignited your stomach with hunger
  129. >you hesitate to answer
  130. >”well, if i know anything about you, that’s a yes”
  131. >she gets up and makes her way downstairs
  132.  
  133. >applejack shakes you awake
  134. >”ahm sorry to wake ya, but i think it would be best to at least get somethin’ in ya after the whole thing that happened this morning”
  135. >you open your eyes to see an egg, a piece of toast, and a large glass of water
  136. >”I made sure to keep it light in case you’re still feelin’ a bit unwell”
  137. >”I can always make more after if you’re still hungry, it’s no trouble”
  138. >you immediately sit up in bed and grab the glass
  139. >she climbs onto the bed with you and lays back down
  140. >”ya know, the funniest thing happened early this morning”
  141. >”some hooligans were in the backyard and must have thrown a rock at the house”
  142. >”woke us all up, and I was mad”
  143. >”I went out back and started yellin’ and all that, little buggers ran off n’ ah couldn’t see em through my poor morning vision”
  144. >she snickers a little
  145. >”gotta admit, I was bein’ cranky, but who wakes up that early just to go play in someone elses back yard?”
  146. >you try to hold back a smirk while you keep nursing your glass of water
  147. >you were both quiet for a minute while you were taking tiny sips of water
  148. >it was the comfortable kind of silence that only you and applejack could have
  149. >her hushed voice broke it
  150. >”hey, we got a letter in the mail…”
  151. >applejack looked out the window
  152. >”it’s about big mac, they said he was gonna leave with the army soon…”
  153. >you set your glass down feeling the worry radiate from her
  154. >”...”
  155. >she turned to you with teary eyes
  156. >”how bad was it… be honest with me…”
  157. >be honest
  158. >how bad was it
  159. >you were back to your bleak reality
  160. >sure, the lack of changelings in general meant big mac probably would have his conscription cancelled
  161. >but to describe it?
  162. >there wasn’t a single way you could without it sounding suspicious beyond the concern of her brother
  163. >you adopted the best soothing voice you could
  164. “Aj… if big mac was really going to be needed, the doctor would have made me stay longer”
  165. “After the attack on canterlot there was next to nothing there anyways”
  166. “They must have just turned tail and fled”
  167. >gotta love half truths
  168. >”so, you’re sayin’ he’s gonna stay after all?”
  169. “I’m sure of it aj”
  170. >you rub her face a little
  171. >”mmm, that’s the best news i’ve heard in a while…”
  172. >she leans into your comforting hands
  173. >the two of you stayed like this for a while
  174. >though, feeling more awake you felt the need to finish your meal, even if it has gone a bit cold
  175. >your appetite was starting to grow even after finishing it
  176. >it was a very small meal after all, and skipping a meal after a day like yesterday was bound to catch up with you
  177. >you scoot closer to applejack
  178. “Hey A-”
  179. >you reel back feeling an odd sensation against your skin as you moved along the bed
  180. >you pull the covers up too investigate but immediately pull them back down
  181. >you sit there for a second trying to formulate what you’re going to say
  182. “AJ, where’s my clothes?”
  183. >she faces towards you with a blush but looks off towards the covers
  184. >”well, I couldn’t have ya bringin’ all that griminess into bed with ya…”
  185. “Meaning…”
  186. >”...”
  187. >she maintained her eyes on the covers
  188. >”cleaned you up…”
  189. “Meaning…”
  190. >she darted her eyes to yours but quickly retracted them
  191. >”gave ya a shower…”
  192. >there was a brief silence between you two
  193. >in that time her face seemed to contort like she was holding back tears
  194. >you look back at her and spoke with a meek voice
  195. “How much did you see?”
  196. >once again she darted her eyes to yours and back to the covers understanding the implication
  197. >”all of it…”
  198. >a part of you felt unnerved, especially since you didn’t feel ready to be so “open” with her about that yet
  199. “So… um… was there any other details besides that?”
  200. >another flick of her eyes happens similar to before
  201. >”um… I was thorough?”
  202. >you could tell she wanted to hold back that little detail, and for good reason
  203. >it felt invasive, but you don’t hold it against her
  204. >you just sort of wish you could have had her see you in that way on your own terms
  205. >there wasn’t much you could do when you passed out and it must have been difficult for her when you did
  206. >besides, you probably needed that shower badly
  207. >with your thoughts collected you close the distance between you and smile
  208. “Thanks aj… I’m sure it must have been hard to deal with me in a situation like that”
  209. “And I can’t tell you how much it means to me”
  210. >you give her a face rub for good measure
  211. >the guilt and worry drop from her face
  212. >”oh anon, you scared me there a second”
  213. >”ah thought you were gonna hate me or somethin’”
  214. >moving past your hands, she pressed her face against your chest
  215. >you could hear her give a big sigh of relief
  216. >the both of you stayed like this until your stomach rumbled
  217. >applejack snickers before turning her head back up to face you
  218. >”ah heard that”
  219. >”lets get you some more food in yah, heck i could go for a bite too”
  220. >it was difficult to argue with a grin as cute as hers
  221. >”alright, follow me downstairs, quietly though”
  222. >”oh, and by the way, since your home, you gotta get back to doin yer chores”
  223.  
  224. >despite the sleep deprivation your ability to do all this hard labor seemed incredibly easier than it used to be
  225. >hauling hay instead of dragging it for one
  226. >checking yourself out, you didn’t look a ton bigger, but you just felt stronger
  227. >you felt a lot of pride, and a lot less like you were holding the apple family back
  228. >it was nice to finally contribute in a more meaningful way without applejack’s constant intervention
  229. >speaking of her intervention
  230. >”ANON”
  231. >you could hear her in the distance as she ran up to you
  232. >”how are the chores treatin’ yah?”
  233. >you looked at her then at the pile of split logs and back to her
  234. “Almost through the last of em, what’s next on the list?”
  235. >she squints her eyes at the pile and back at you
  236. >”whadja do with the real anonymous….”
  237. “Oh cmon AJ, is it that hard to believe I can split a few logs?”
  238. >she looks to the side and smirks
  239. >”well, not anymore”
  240. >”just sorta wish I still had an excuse to wander off an help ya with yer chores”
  241. >you look at her with a mischievous grin
  242. “My my, what happened to the hard working applejack I used to know?”
  243. >she lets out a groan
  244. >”oh cmon, can you blame me, you know darn well if you had an excuse to do chores with me ya would”
  245. >she had a point
  246. >”oh yeah, forgot to tell ya, applebloom said there’s a letter in the mail for ya”
  247. “Aw sweet, where-”
  248. >”nah ah ah, not until you finish the list I gave ya”
  249. >now you were the one groaning
  250.  
  251. >as nice as it was to be competent, it sure gives you less room to get out of work
  252. >but at least it was finally over
  253. >”EERS ER EH-ER EH-AH!”
  254. >applebloom excitedly gives you the letter
  255. >lets hope it’s better news than last time…
  256. >you open the letter on the couch surrounded by the rest of the apple family
  257. >Dear anonymous
  258. >For the sake of time I’ll make this short
  259. >Shining Armour, princess Cadence, and I, need you and Applejack to take the first train to Canterlot tomorrow morning
  260. >I can’t explain as much as I want to both for the sake of time and privacy which I’m sure you’ll understand why once you arrive, but we will meet you right at the train station and we can discuss everything
  261. >this is extremely important, cancel any plans that could possibly get in the way of this
  262. >I’m sure you understand why Anonymous
  263. >Your friend, Doctor Point

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