>a few more days passed
>there was a letter in the mailbox
>”OH ILL GET IT!!!”
>applebloom burst through the door rushing to the mailbox
>she came back with the letter in her mouth and sat down like a puppy
>you picked out the letter and found it was addressed to big mac
“Looks official”
>you handed the letter to big mac as you and applebloom looked on in excitement
>finally something cool
…
>big macs face tenses up as he read the letter
>”i uh, applebloom, why don’t you head upstairs a moment”
>applebloom groans
>”FFIIIIIIIiiiiiinneeee”
>as she made her way upstairs big mac turned to you and handed you the letter frantically
>feeling how urgent it was you grabbed it and speed read 
>to big mac…
>yadayada
>hereby to be DRAFTED
>FUCKING DRAFTED
>THERE’S A FUCKING DRAFT HERE
>IN EQUESTRIA
…
>THERE’S A WAR???????
“Big mac what the hell is going on???”
>”i uh, uh, I…”
>he can’t even form a coherent sentence
…
>SHIT THAT KID'S DAD GOT DRAFTED TOO
>you look through the letter again
>it says specifically ‘make your way to the train station at 6:00 AM sharp’
>’tomorrow’ 
>shitshitshit 
>okay
>you’re connecting a fuck ton of dots right now
>there’s a war
>applejack is in a war zone
>hell she and her friends are in a war zone
>all the princesses are likely participating including twilight
>that kid's dad got drafted god knows when
>and it’s been going on for a while and now big mac got drafted 
>meaning there’s a need for more soldiers
>meaning more casualties
>CASUALTIES
>fucking hell your stewing in just everything that you can think of all at once
>you can’t just have big mac draft dodge that’s a crime
>but he could die 
>FUCK too many thoughts
>planplanplan
>okay
“Big mac look, I don’t think there’s a way out of this but your best bet is to pack ASAP”
>the look of panic on him is surreal
>jesus a guy like big mac panicking isn’t doing good for your own sanity
“Look there isn’t much time go pack I’ve gotta take care of something”
>you have nothing to take care you just really need to get away for a while

>after an hour of thinking it over you realize something
>this war is serious
>the elements of harmony aren’t doing anything 
>at least you think
>if it was a regular villain of some kind it would have been over in a day or two
>so applejack probably isn’t directly participating in the battles 
>at least not yet
>but big mac sure as hell will be
>applejack specifically told you not to follow her 
…
>you know…
>she never said anything about big mac though…
…
>okay here’s the plan
>if you’re going there-
>fuck why would you go…
>you can’t do much of anyth-
>rifle-
>maybe, maybe okay maybe you can pull something together but you’re still panicked
>what about apple bloom?
>she should be fine leave her the entirety of your money
>hell she’s independent as is and scootaloo and sweetie bell are probably worse off anyways
>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
>still panicked you begin thinking
>okay clothes, up north is cold
>rarity’s outfit she made you
>that thing is the highest quality thing you’ve ever worn and that will be plenty
>you’re fine with cold weather anyways you never needed full winter coats 
>thinthinkthink
>food
>big mac is gonna get rations he won’t bring that stuff
>you, you’re not even sure they would conscript you
>hell having another species on the frontline would fuck formation or something
>god you have no idea what the military is like here
>you can only pray that the rifle you have is at least something compared to their magic
>food back to food
>you can’t lug tons of stuff around
>shit you could be there for days and run out of food 
>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-
>AAAARRRGRGHHHH FUCK this is difficult
>okay start with the basics
>rifle, outfit, then think after okay?
>you instantly bolt to the blacksmith's place

>”hey great to see-”
“Look, kid, no time to talk do ya got it?”
>”uh, uh, y-yeah he-”
“Okgreathanksgottarun!!!”
>and with that you're off back to sweet apple acres 

>thinkthinkthink
>you’ve got pockets, real good zipper pockets too
>that should fit all the ammo you could possibly need
>refill the oil, hell bring as much as you can
>you’re stuck on food
>FUUUUCCK THINK
>how would an anima-
>get fat?
>GET FAT
>you rush to grab your money and put away your rifle where no one can find it
>you run off to the store and buy all the ice cream and salty snack foods like chips you can find
>by eatin-
>FUCK HOW WILL YOU GET THERE
>big macs going by train
>do you take the next train?
>no wait-
>train hopping
>you’ve seen the trains in Equestria once
>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
>okay how the hell do you get on without getting caught
>6:00 am departure
>early morning is dark 
>hide? Where????
>woods!
>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
>PERFECT
>with all that manic thinking being done in the store ponies begin to look at you weird
>shit, you don’t even care
>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
>gotta make this palatable if your plan is gonna work
>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
>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
>the biggest determinant of the plan's success is keeping yourself fattened up and well fed
>you have no idea how long this could take
>considering how long it has already been there’s a good chance you should plan for staying at least a week? Maybe two weeks?
>shit this could go on a long time
>realistically you could stay
>you could hope that big mac comes back safe 
>but with the draft being so extensive you can’t possibly risk that
>hell even IF he would live what about afterwards
>PTSD is a thing
>you’re not sure how it works but you know the military is the number one exporter of it
>as you make your way to the check out the cashier gives you an odd look but scans your stuff nonetheless
>with your absurd stash of food in tow you make your way back home

>as you frantically bust open the first tub of ice cream and grab a spoon you run back into your room
>as you eat you try to think of solidifying your plans
>what if big mac could get disqualified for the draft?
…
>no that ship set sail long ago
>not to mention the lengths needed to go to disqualify someone for the draft would likely include a major injury
>and with whatever freaky magic they have at their disposal it may be relatively pointless to even try
>okay so big mac is going for sure
>WATER 
>FUCK YOU FORGOT ABOUT WATER
>THATS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOOD
>nonono snow, you can eat snow that’s good enough
>who cares what's in it it’s water enough 
>being frozen just means its sterile anyways
…
>with your frantic state coming to a close you can think more rationally
>how will applebloom react to all this
>both you and big mac leaving
…
>you’re already halfway done with the gallon of ice cream as you sit in thought
…
>how in the hell will you break this to applebloom
…
>camping trip?
>nah that lie has been overused
>plus who takes a train to go camping there are better spots locally
>cmon there’s gotta be something you can think of 
>saying you’re going to visit applejack?
>fuck no she will want to come with and if you said no she would feel awful
…
>you’ve finished the whole gallon of ice cream and feel sickly full
>you don’t dare push your limits as it would backfire and make you throw up
>having that would make your appetite even less
…
>man you really wish they had pot in Equestria
>having ‘the munchies’ buff would be phenomenal right about now 
…
>you still have to break the news to applebloom
>maybe
>is lying really the best option?
>fuck maybe you should just tell the truth
>if you tell the truth it would be a lot more coherent but it could also scare her
…
>god there’s no real good answer to this
…
>your only real option is to tell applebloom what’s really going on and what you plan to do about it
>hopefully she won't feel so bad once you give her all that money

>being as full as you are you can only manage a slow walk to appleblooms room
>before you get the chance to knock applebloom bursts her door open
>”WHAT IS GOIN’ ON?”
>”why did big mac send me upstairs and why is NO ONE tellin’ me what’s goin’ on???”
>oh boy this won’t be easy
>you sit on the floor to face applebloom at a more even height
>here goes nothing…
“Applebloom, there’s no easy way to explain this so I'm going to just be honest with you”
>she looked apprehensive like she was in trouble
“Applebloom, big mac is being sent to the crystal empire and I’m going to follow him”
>she looked scared 
“Don’t worry, I'm going to make sure big mac stays safe alright”
>you figured now was the best time to try and at least slightly lighten the mood
“Here, this is all the money i have, promise me you will only spend it on what you need”
“This includes making sure sweetie bell and scootaloo have plenty to eat”
“You can bring them here if they need a place to stay alright”
>she thinks to herself a moment before looking back up at you 
>”alright, so I’ll be home alone for a little while huh…”
“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”
“This isn’t a good situation for any of us but you have to promise me one thing okay?”
>”what is it ‘non?”
“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”
>”well, are you sure that-”
“If you don’t tell her I’ll give you all my money for the next month”
>”GOT IT NOT A WORD FROM ME!”
>bingo, perfect plan

>with that out of the way and the day nearing its end you begin to pack up everything necessary
>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 
>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 
>as bad as it feels to leave big mac alone on the day he leaves for war it’s a necessary sacrifice
>you feel awful for him
>big mac just isn’t the fighting type
>sure he could if needed but war like this?
>that’s something he couldn’t handle for long
>you made sure to let big mac know you wouldn’t be there in the morning but he was dead quiet in his room
>poor guy, you couldn’t stand it
>how could they send someone like him off to war?

>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
>once 4 hits you double-check everything you packed
>you’ve got a decently sized bag and with what you can store in your outfits pockets alone you should be set ammo wise
>fuel efficiency on this rifle of yours is incredible
>despite that you’ve packed extra of everything
>plenty of firecracker cans in case it could be useful
>you have plenty of food for a good few days
>and one blanket
>and with that, you were off to the train station

>hiding in the woods was quite boring 
>the train arrived within an hour and you were able to swiftly make your way into position
>bag taken off and lying right beneath the back of the train you waited
…
>and waited
…
>for what felt like hours you waited until a large stampede of footsteps rampaged onto the train
>the second you heard doors closing you jumped out and quietly slid your bag onto the back of the train
>just as you had silently jumped up the train brakes released
>just before the train made its way down the tracks you saw a lone filly waving

>https://youtu.be/ObtnvX2jBbo (I’ll send him back to you)

>it was applebloom, barely holding back their tears, waving towards you
>on instinct you waved back to her
>how awful it must have been for her to see this
>big mac, being sent off to war while applejack was already away
>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
>besides you let her invite her friends over and granny smith should help out too
…
>you really hope she’s going to be okay
>there was no good solution here
>you just hope it ends sooner than later
…
>the train ride should take over a day at least to make it there
>you take this opportunity to get some rest

>when you wake up its almost dusk 
>you figured you must have needed all that rest after the stressful events of yesterday
>going through your bag you find a decent amount of food
>you figure you should eat while you can
>the less weight on your back the better
>you spend most of the night eating by yourself and thinking
…
>how could a place like Equestria ever go through war?
>ponies just never seemed like they could endure such a thing
>they seem so…
>fragile…
…
>applejack said that big mac was somewhat sensitive
>imagining how someone like big mac could be sent to war is disgusting to you
>it pains you to even think about it
…
>applejack always said she thought you were more sensitive though…
…
>but humans have gone through wars
>big wars
>we’re better adapted for that sort of thing
>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
>drafting someone like him?
>it’s cruel to a horrible degree
…
>you wonder how applejack has been
>it must not be easy for her either
…
>all this eating doesn’t make you feel good
>but it’s necessary for now

>after repetitive hours of deep thought, eating, and sleeping you start to notice the train go quieter
…
>and slowing
>probably coasting…
…
>SHIT IT’S GOING TO BE AT THE STATION ANY SECOND
>frantically you grab your bag and jump off the side
>the snow makes your impact soft but the dizziness from rolling is almost unbearable
>regardless, you try to orient yourself
>once you can manage to stand upright you look around
>the train station is quite close, within eyesight
>your best option is to follow them for now but at a distance
>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
>quickly burying yourself under the snow, you sit and watch as the soldiers dismount the train
>as you sit and wait you notice lots of ponies
>some of them you even recognize
>there’s one in particular that sticks out to you
>the big red stallion…

>https://youtu.be/cZOrG3wtqU8 (a somber song for Equestria's chosen soldiers)

>his head hangs low
>out of the whole crowd it’s easy to see he doesn’t fit in
>it’s telling of how horrible he feels
>a place like this isn’t where he belongs
>and you know it

>as you follow the crowd of recruits you notice they make their way toward camp
>on the edge of the camp you watch as they are sent to their quarters
>there is nothing you can do for him now
>not until he gets to the front line 
>and even then, it might be out of your hands
>but you have to do something
>with a heavy heart you leave the camp
>you silently wish for his safety as you make your way toward the beaten path

>instead of walking directly on it you decide to use the nearby woods and follow the trail in a parallel fashion
>as you go further down the trail you find there to be another camp more towards what looks to be front lines
>the camp looks to be filled with medical tents of all sorts
>becoming a casualty is a real concern in this war
>without big mac the apple family would fall to pieces
>you couldn’t stand to just sit idly by and let that happen
>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
>though without proper enrollment into the military you have to avoid both your allies and whatever lies beyond them in the battlefield

>https://youtu.be/JdABoVkVmUI (silence from where you stand)


>the path you take is unorthodox
>being unable to fight alongside your friends, you have to go alone
>without being able to go to the frontlines directly you need to go wide and fight from the side
>with your rifle's range you should be able to do something at least
>as you walk further down you notice just how wide the battle really is
>organized formations of soldiers, like over 200 hundred years ago on earth
>with such a wide battle you need to make your way around them
>such a distance won’t be easy on foot
>but you must try

>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
>the thick woods on the side must be what caused the battle to be staged in the open area
>in hopes it keeps you out of harm's way you move through it
>the darkness of the woods is contrasted by the light let in from the edge
>the further you go the more of the battle you can see
>silent lights flashing back and forth
>rich colored magic being tossed back and forth between the opposing armies
>not a sound can be heard besides the faintest of explosions
>the distance isn’t short enough to make it within one day
>you should expect as much 
>for hours on end you walk 
>your feet aching and your legs feel as if they would give in any moment
>you peer out from the side and notice the battle continuing
>only louder than before
>and the snow up close is a different color
>you can just make out what seems to be snow drenched in blood
>you don’t want to think about it too much
>you really don’t want to think about the blacksmith being out there
>and you especially don’t want big mac to ever be out there 
>as much as it pains you, resting would be your best option
>showing up to battle with any amount of sleep loss could be fatal
>and with the role you intend to play, fatal to those close to you…
>you lay your back against a tree as you sit beneath it and look out toward the light
>with certainty, you can say tomorrow will be your first experience in war
>your terrified
>but you felt no instinct to get away
>everything within you knows this is the best choice no matter the horror of it
>as you begin to tire you can only think of those other soldiers and their loved ones
>the other draftees
>tomorrow will be your first day as a soldier…

>https://youtu.be/n1VJ39nVIBk?t=269 (time is of the essence)

>the next morning you’re woken up by the loudest explosion you’ve heard in your life
>immedietly you run to the edge to look towards the battle
…
>there’s nothing…
>you turn your head to see that the battle is still going on…
>but far closer to the medical tents
>they’ve pushed the equestrian forces back for over a mile
>SHITSHITSHITTHISISBAD
>you grab your stuff and bolt back the way you came
>how could they have gone this far in one night
>they’ve been going at it for weeks now
>what the hell is going on?
>you can’t afford to think 
>you’re dead set on running as fast as you can
>you thought running with applebloom was hard
>this is a whole other level of difficult
>no, horrifying
>there are lives on the line and it all depends on you getting there with all the weight you’re carrying
…
>you’re panicking
>panicking hard
>WAY HARDER THAN WHEN BIG MAC GOT DRAFTED
>SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT
>you’re only halfway there and your heart hurts
>your lungs hurt
>hell anything in your body that can feel pain hurts
…
>you're almost there and you’re on the verge of passing out
>gasping for breath you fall to the ground
>the weight of what you're carrying crushes into your back as you fall
>as painful as it was it’s nothing compared to your desperation for air
>the cold air was already hard enough to breathe 
>but running this much at full sprint with this much weight on your back is something else
>you can’t even gather the strength to turn yourself over or get off the ground
>for what seemed like an hour you sat there struggling to catch your breath
>as much as you wanted to get into the fight if you pass out you could lose a lot more time 
>lives are on the line
>your eyes, watery from your body being pushed to the brink of its limit can barely see past your nose
>blinking and wiping your eyes you do everything to desperately regain your vision
>still struggling to see with your naked eye alone you bring up your scope
…
>fucking hell…
>are those…
>ponies…
>on THEIR SIDE???
>shit this isn’t good
>they’re all wearing helmets of some sort
>they don’t have armor
>fuck they’re just throwing themselves at the equestrian forces…
…
>you can barely stomach it just watching the violence
>those ponies, they aren’t acting out of their own free will are they…
>not even someone who was hell-bent on, fuck ANYTHING would attack like that
>goddammit you can’t shoot innocents like that can you?
>god there’s so many of them
>there’s so SO many
>no matter how many you took down it would amount to nothing in terms of saving them
…
>you look over at the commander of their army
>a dark figure with what seems to be a red horn
…
>you’re thinking…
>you know damn well this shitty rifle of yours wouldn’t do anything to help the equestrian forces on the frontline
>and you’re certain if you target their commander he could just turn towards you and evaporate you
…
>thinkthinkthink
>the equestrian forces aren’t actively attacking the controlled ponies
>they’re a wall of shields
…
>notfuckinghelping cmon think
…
>the commander would have to focus on you if shot toward him
>he’s the one doing most of the pushing
>with what seems to be both Celestia, luna, and twilight in the back retaliating or deflecting incoming shots
…
>this is suicidal
>but if you distract him long enough you might be able to get them a chance at a clear shot at him
…
>applejacks going to be so pissed when you’re dead
>with your unnatural courage you line up the shot
…
>dammit he moves too much
>dammit you’re never going to-
>oh fuck
>ohfuckohfuckohFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCK
>THATS HUGE
>HE’S PLANNING TO EVAPORATE THE ENTIRE BATTLEFIELD
>HIS ARMY AND THEIRS
>AND HE-
>he’s still…
>your window of opportunity is now…
>and you take it…
…
…
…
>a huge purple flame bursts from his horn
>his agony is heard clearly even from where you’re positioned
>as the flame dissipates you see something
>that wasn’t a body shot
>you broke his horn…

>https://youtu.be/wO1FdPXlsWw (the fallen king)

…
>HHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAGGGHHHHH FUUCK ME 
>the stress of everything that had just happened slowly slips away as you see him fall 
>he slumps over writhing in pain
>the ponies once under his control begin to shake off their helmets
>you’re hardly watching but from what you can hear from him it sure as hell hurts
>you can barely speak or even breathe
>but you still had an ounce of willpower left
“Get fucked…”
>you whisper
>you turn to your rifle
“Oh baby, we did it I love you so much”
>in your delusion you give the barrel a big kiss
“AH”
>you bury your face in snow to soothe the burns from the rifle
>with your exhilaration and adrenaline dwindling you continue to watch from afar
>the three princesses make their way toward what you assume to be the commander
>without his horn he looks to be completely defenseless
>his former army rejoices in their newfound freedom
>you can’t help but notice the disgusting amounts of blood-soaked snow there is
>how many soldiers died for this…
>you find yourself feeling sorry for those who died
>that could have been big mac
…
>BIG MAC
>you jump up but fall backward 
>you’re still too weak to move
>it took everything in you to even make it to your position
>hell you're surprised you even had the energy to pull the trigger
>dammit you wish you could just run down there and join in their celebration
>but you can’t bring yourself to move anymore
>without the adrenaline you’re as mobile as a brick
>as the three princesses surround him he suddenly collapses
“Good ri-”
>a sudden black cloud forms from out of his broken horn
>it expands rapidly 
>the three princesses turn tail and fly back toward camp 
>the army runs back as well
>come on…
>you can’t catch a break can you…
>you get up to run but fall once again
>you throw your backpack off and try once more
>again, you fall downwards
>you're panicking once again
>but after everything that had happened no amount of panic amounted to anything 
>you were so burnt out you could hardly think straight
>you laid with your back against the ground
>there’s no chance you would be able to get up being in the condition you are
>the screams of the other ponies slowly became more distant
>somethings wrong, very wrong and you can’t do a thing about it
>as their voices became near silent the thick black cloud made its way into the forest
>you’ve never been so scared in your whole life
>in enveloped you and everything else it touched
>as you lay there the dark cloud seems to target you as if it had a mind of its own
>you cough and gag as it fills your lungs
>black as soot
>your lungs being painted with the dusty smoke
>there was nothing you could do
>the more you breathe the deeper you pulled the cloud in
>you tried to bury your face in the snow
>but the fog had you as its target
>and it was unrelenting
>you could feel your consciousness fade
>you surely thought this would be the end for you as your vision went black