=Helios 14= >"You can't do this!" "Yes I can." >The dust crunched underneath your boots as you walked to the edge of town. >Your "companion" wriggled and wormed herself in your grasp, but couldn't get her way out of your grip. >She sprawled on the ground after you tossed her through the air at the town limits. "Get out." >She gathered up her wizards hat and tossed it back on her head. >"Trixie should have known that such common fold would not appreciate her! Why, Trixie has performed for the Princesses herself in Canterlot castle." >Tch... "I doubt that." >The magician leered at you again. >"Honestly, tossing somep0ny out because of a little mishap on stage? What happened to your famous hospitality?" "The offer is voided when the mishap involves summoning Duneworms." >You turn around and start walking back to town. >"W-wait! How is Trixie supposed to survive with these...CREATURES out here!?" She asked worriedly. >Oh please...She summoned them. >There weren't even that many... >You call back over your shoulder as you leave. "Walk without rhythm." >You head back to town and smack a sign along the way, flipping the numbers on it back to their level from before Trixie blew in. >It read "Appleoosa. Pop: 140". -Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0HI8qAAQjc- >You sat on your favorite barstool. >Most of your shifts revolved around you sitting here. >That was what you did as Appleoosa's sheriff. >It had been a couple weeks since your...departure. >You had bolted out of the castle as fast as you could, not even bothering to grab any of your gear, just a bag of bits. >You just had to get away from the city...away from Her. >Away from the constant influx of thoughts that came from Her head. >And that day in particular, away from the soul crushing sadness. >You had hopped on the first train you saw and ridden it West. >And West... >And West some more. >You got off when the track had ended. >Appleoosa. >By some miracle it had been far enough away for you to not hear Celestia's thoughts. >Just you... >Alone... >Oh well, you needed it. >Needed time to think, to work things out. >Or at least drown things out with your new job. >Appleoosa had needed a sheriff when you arrived. >You have volunteered. >Maybe this time when you signed up to protect ponies, you wouldn't end up courting royalty or having your soul decimated. >You took a sip of your drink. >Dammit...you shouldn't blame Celestia. >It wasn't her fault that all this happened... >Voices from bar patrons behind you suddenly became louder and more angry. >It wasn't long before one of them was tossed over a table. >You sigh and finish off your drink. >The more things change... >You throw the brawlers out of the bar by their manes the same way you had done with Trixie. "Come back when you can throw a decent right hook!" >They try and crawl to their feet. "This aint over!" >One of them falls to his face. "Yes it is." >You glare at them as they limp away, taking notice to the sound of someone approaching you from the side. >"Well darn Anon, first you run that showboatin' street magician outa town and now your clearin' out The Applebarrel?" "Just doin' my job Braeburn." >Probably time for the rounds... >Appleoosa was a fairly small town, you liked to take a patrol every so often to make sure everything was good. >You start walking down the road with Braeburn keeping pace next to you. >"So, how're ya takin' to your job Mister Sheriff?" "It's a good fit." >A good distraction too. >"Why, I'd say that any crime of roughousin' we had out here dang near evaporated once you showed up." >General store was clear. "Yeah, I'm good at protecting people." >Braeburn chuckles "That must kill with all the ladies." >Dammit... "I wouldn't know." >Post office and train station were fine. >Braeburn half-smiles up at you. "Not lookin'?" >How the hell do you put this? "I got out of...a kinda weird relationship before I came here." >Braeburn slowly nodded as his understanding grew. >"She a clingy gal?" "That's...not too far off." >You retreated into your home after you completed your rounds and sat around looking intimidating. >It was a modest home, rather similar to your room back in Canterlot. >You sat yourself down by the small writing desk. >Damn...that got you thinking... >You hated abandoning your post. >You had always laid into the other guards that you caught shirking their duties, stepping out to a tavern during early morning hours or leaving without notifying someone. >It irritated you that you had just LEFT in the state of mind you were in. >You let out a deep sigh. >Then again...it was a pretty weird situation... >You just... >It was too much to take! >The fight with Blueblood... >Your soul... >Having someone else's thoughts in your head was just... >It sent shivers up your spine at the time. >You had FELT Celestia's thoughts. >Felt her dreams and ambitions, her wants and desires. >And you had felt that she was telling the truth about what she said. >The Princess really did love you. >You...didn't know how you felt. >You just knew you couldn't decide with her thoughts impacting your own. >Your hand runs through your hair. >This was all way over your head... >Just...Just focus on the next few hours Anon. >And in a few hours, you'd still be the sheriff of Appleoosa. >It was your job. -In Canterlot- >It had been some time since the incident with Blueblood. >He was doing as well as you could ask given his current situation. >You only wished you could say the same about yourself... >Things had returned to normal all too fast once Anonymous left you that night. >You had hoped that a night of tears alone in your room would have helped. >They hadn't. >This room had become your only environment the last few weeks. >You had slept here, ate here, and done your royal duties here. >The official reason was that your replacement bodyguard had yet to be chosen. >The real reason was because you had refused to get another bodyguard. >You couldn't replace him...not so soon. >Why!? Why did you say you loved him!? >Anon could have possibly taken the news about his soul well enough but to be told that his monarch loves him? >You've been alive for so long you've forgotten what it's like to have news like that. >And in your ignorance, you had scared him away. >You had scared away the first man you've loved in CENTURIES because you were out of touch with reality. >You laid yourself down on your bed for the umpteenth time. >And your tears stained the sheets. -In the nearby hills- >You came. >You came in small numbers as you followed the scent. >It radiated off of this town like that of a warm meal. >You had traveled for miles, crossing the Leylands and the entirety of the Mild West. >Harried by vultures, sandstorms and worse. All just to follow this scent. >And now you found it. >Hiding in this little town of Appleoosa. >The salty-sweet taste of it. >Anguished love.