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- >>35208736
- >Nerds don't exist
- "Babe, I'm back!"
- >"Hiiii!"
- >You let Applejack walk into your house, and walk in behind her.
- >She hasn't said a word since you left Moondancer's place.
- "I showed Applejack my O&O game, just like I said!"
- >From the kitchen, you can hear Minuette shout back at you.
- >"How'd it go?"
- "Pretty good! It was a short game this time because Lemon Heart had to catch a train to Canterlot, so we got home early."
- >"Tell them I'm free to join them again next week, okay? And don't let them do anything weird to my character!"
- " 'kay!"
- >You lightly nudge Applejack with your leg, and she jerks away from your touch.
- "How'd you like it, Applejack?"
- >Applejack just looks up at you.
- >She looks scared and worried.
- >She licks her dry lips before speaking.
- >>"It.... It, uh..."
- >D'aww, she's worried about offending you!
- >You can't help but smile.
- >Oh, man, you guess this sorta nerd shit just isn't for her.
- "I get it if you didn't find it very exciting, Apples. It's not for everyone."
- >Applejack just... stares at you some more.
- >The easy grin on your face slips away, and you start to feel a little anxious.
- "Apples?"
- >>"...Anawn, nopony was there."
- >You frown.
- "A few players had other business, so I guess things were sparse. But I wouldn't say that nobody was there."
- >Applejack gulps loudly, the sound louder than it should be in the silent hall of your entryway.
- >>"No, Anawn," she reasserts firmly, "Nopony was there."
- >You feel a scowl stretch your lips.
- >Okay, now she's just being rude.
- "Hey, now. If you didn't like the game, that's fine. Sometimes they're slow-going, bu-"
- >Applejack suddenly rears up and plants her hooves on your shoulders; you take a few steps back under her weight, and Applejack meets you step for step.
- >>"Anawn!" she barks hoarsely, "Nopony was there! Y'all sat at the table like a stump in the yard and talked at NOPONY!"
- >You blink in confusion.
- "Wh-what?"
- >>"Y'all rolled dice, and y'wrote on some paper, and y'moved around yer 'lil plastic mare and acted like you was talking to a big ol' group of ponies! You were ALONE!"
- "I-"
- >>"By yerself!"
- "Would you-"
- >>"Y'all were literally the only living critter in that there room, other than me!"
- >...what?
- >Applejack's huffing and puffing, and you can feel her moist breath on your face.
- >You shove Applejack away, heart pounding in your chest.
- >She stumbles away from you, barely recovering and nearly falling on her rump
- >This puts her on the other side of your door; she's now standing just outside your house.
- "What the hell are you talking about? If this is some shitty horse version of April Fools, then it's not funny."
- >Applejack stares up at you, expression unreadable.
- >>"I'm the element of Honesty, Anawn," she croaks, voice shaking noticeably, "Y'all know I'm about as good at lying as apples are at not bein' delicious."
- "I don't... What?"
- >You feel dizzy.
- "I-I-I..."
- >For not the first time this evening, Applejack looks concerened.
- >>"Anawn, what's going on with you? Are y'all feeling alright? You don't look so good."
- "I..."
- >You feel funny.
- >Like you're drunk, but also completely sober.
- >You have tunnel vision, but you also don't.
- >It's impossible to describe.
- "I need to go to bed now," you hear yourself mutter, reaching for the front door.
- >It sounds like your voice is coming from far away, like someone else is saying it.
- >In the split-second you can see her before the door slams shut, Applejack's eyes widen in surprise, and she reaches out with a hoof.
- >>"Anawn, DO-!"
- >SLAM
- >CLICK
- >You lock the door, just for good measure.
- >Applejack pounds on the door a few times, and you lean your back against it.
- >She's shouting something, but you can't make it out.
- >The words coming out of her mouth don't make sense.
- >It's gibberish.
- >Once the pounding on the door seems to fade, you slide down until you're sitting on your ass.
- >You're still breathing pretty heavily from your altercation with Applejack.
- >"Anon?"
- >Minuette's voice emanates from the kitchen, clear as crystal.
- >It acts as a balm on your confused mind, and you feel your pounding headache recede.
- "Yeah, Minnie?"
- >"Who was at the door?"
- >You just told her, but whatever.
- "Just Applejack."
- >A familiar tinkling laugh greets you.
- >"Was she trying to sell those rotten apples to you again?"
- >You laugh too, feeling almost giddy.
- >Finally, the world feels normal again.
- "Minnie, I keep telling you - she didn't know they were rotten! You're just mad that we only found out because YOU took a bite of one."
- >More laughter bounces off the walls from the kitchen, and you join in again.
- "Need a hand in there?"
- >"No, it's fine. I'm just about done with dinner, anyway."
- >Minuette was always a weird mare.
- >She was the only mare you know who acted like knowing how to cook and clean wasn't the gayest shit in the world.
- >She acted more like a normal girl than most of the other mares in town.
- >Same with your O&O mare friends, for that matter.
- >They were like little slices of home, connections you desperately desired to everything you left behind.
- >These mares were the only thing keeping you sane in this strange, backwards world.
- "Oh yeah? What'd you make?"
- >"..........."
- "Minnie?"
- >"..................."
- >You feel the smile slide off of your face.
- >The house has an oppressive quietness, now.
- >It's heavy and sinks into the corners of the room, and you feel almost afraid to break it.
- "Minuette? You cool in there?"
- >"............................"
- >You slowly get to your feet, feeling oddly weak in the legs like you just ran a marathon.
- "C'mon, answer me."
- >You're still breathing pretty heavily.
- >Your heart is still pounding from your argument with Applejack.
- >In fact, that's not the only thing that's pounding - someone is banging on your door.
- >Probably some asshole trying to sell you something.
- >There's more shouting from the other side - more gibberish that makes your head hurt even more.
- "Are you holding something in your mouth?"
- >She's a unicorn, but she does things the earth pony way half the time; that's why she doesn't speak to you sometimes.
- >That's why the house is so quiet sometimes, even though you know she's there.
- >You grab onto furniture on your way towards the open doorway leading to the kitchen, leaning onto the wooden frame of your couch for support.
- "J-Jesus fuckin' CHRIST, Mins... Y-You cookin' something?"
- >Why is it so goddamn HOT in this room?
- >Did Minuette turn the heat on again?
- >Why does that mare like it so damn HOT?
- >Christ, you're sweating like a pig.
- "M-Minnie?"
- >You reach out with a weak, shaking hand and grab onto the doorway as you finally reach the kitchen, and you peer inside.
- >Empty.
- >The kitchen is completely empty.
- >The stovetop doesn't have anything on it; the table is bare; it doesn't look like anybody's used it since you made you and Minuette lunch before you left for O&O with Applejack a few hours ago.
- >The plate's still in the sink.
- "...Min? Min-max?"
- >You lean heavily against the doorframe, shoulder slamming against the wood.
- >Hard; harder than you intended or expected to hit it.
- >This is the ONLY entrance to the kitchen.
- >The window doesn't open at all - it's not designed to.
- >There's no way that Minuette could have left the room without you knowing.
- >So where is she?
- "Min'nuette?"
- >Why does your tongue feel too big for your mouth?
- >God, your head is pounding.
- >Your heart's beating a mile a minute, and the sound of hooves on your damn DOOR is getting more and more frantic.
- >It's like a jackhammer on your brain.
- >Your legs are like lead and jelly at the same time, and to your surprise, you find they can't support your own weight anymore.
- >You start to slowly slide down the doorframe until your ass comes in contact with the ground.
- "I..."
- >Christ.
- >You...
- "I c-can't breathe..."
- >Your vision swims, and you can't keep the room from prancing and dancing and twirling.
- >Why is...?
- >Why is the room...
- >...
- >Why is it....
- >......
- >......
- >Why is...?
- >.....................
- ---
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >"...ood thing you got him here when you did, Applejack. As it is, he nearly didn't mak..."
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >"...umor the size of a golfball right on his fronta..."
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >"...ucinations and delusions are common with this sort of thi..."
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >"...u mares telling me he's been all alone this entire ti..."
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >"...ho the RUT is Moondancer? I've never heard of her, let alone some mare name Minu..."
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >"...uilt-up magic in his system. It's simple biology. He's just not built to handl..."
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >"...n't help but feel responsible, mares, we could have checked up on him. We could have done a lo..."
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >"...ho wants to be the one to break it to him? I can't think of nopony who'd react well to being told their best friends don't exi..."
- >Beep
- >Beep
- >Beep
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