//------------------------------// // Change of Plans // Story: The Daily Life Of Anonymous // by Zarah //------------------------------// With a huff, Anon lifted and placed the last apple cider crate on the back of the wooden cart. Placing a knee on the open tailgate, the human leaned over to push the crate with the others. After making sure all the cider crates were secure, he jumped back down and closed the tailgate, ending with a pull and push to make sure its sturdy. Without a second thought, the human walked to the nearest tree with decent shade and decided to take a few minutes to relax. The shade proved to be a blessing, sitting on the overgrown grass, his back pressed against the cool bark of the large apple tree. Anon feels his heart rate slow down as the sweat begins to cool, the light grey tank top soaking up any sweat it comes in contact with, creating darkened patches across his chest and back. "I'm gonna need another shower." Anon mutters to himself, wiping away the sweat collected on his forehead. "You doing alright there sugar cube?" A familiar voice calls out. The human lazily turns his head towards the voice, seeing the orange farm pony approaching. "Yeah I'm fine. Just taking a minute." Anon replies, tilting his head to face the sky once again. "Think I might join ya, day is hot as Tartarus." Applejack comments, sitting down opposite the human. Now in the shade, the farm pony sighs as she wipes her forehead. "So, what do ya think of farmwork?" Applejack asks with a small smirk. Anon smiles slightly before replying. "It's peaceful. No peop,- ponies, great scenery and my employer is kind." Anon lists, ending with a light chuckle. "Did you work before you came here?" Applejack asks in an intrigued tone. Anon visibly grimaces slightly at the mention. "I did." Is all the human replied with. Noticing the tone shift and visible discomfort, the farm pony decides to change subject. "Anyway, I need to pick up my little sister from school. I won't be too long." Applejack said as she pushed herself onto all fours. Anon follows suit, tucking in his knees and rolling onto his heels before standing up. "Alright then, What do you want me to do in the meantime?" Anon asks, placing his hands on his lower back as he stretches backwards, getting a few audible cracks, making Applejack wine slightly. "Honestly, until Big Mac finishes taking stock, most jobs are on hold currently. You could come with if you'd like. Might be a good idea for the Little ones to see ya." Applejack suggests. "As much as I hate the idea, I think your right. It would be nice to not be feared. Just please don't introduce me to every parent. Last thing I need is to fake giving a shit." "Ya might want to watch your language in front of the foals, and granny for that matter. She may not be as spry anymore but she's still scary when mad. I don't mind much, and Big Mac don't either." "I can only promise to try." Anon replies as he begins following Applejack. It doesn't take long for the duo to see their objective. On the way, Anon inquiries about the treehouse on the edge of the Apple's property and gets told about the Cutie Mark Crusaders. As they got closer to the school, Anon could feel his heart rate increasing. Already not great with crowds, this time would be mixed with unpredictable children and protective adults. The human began having second thoughts. The schoolhouse was smaller than Anon expected. Decorated in various red and pink hues, poking out from the roof was a small bell tower. In front of the schoolhouse was a large group of adults, idly chatting with each other as they waited for their children to finish school. As the duo approached the closed fence gate. The bell rings as the foals begin to leave the school. A few of the parents notice Applejack and Anon with mixed expressions. Mostly fear and confusion. That is until they begin to look at something over the tall biped. Anon follows their gaze and looks upwards while still facing them. Then hearing wings flapping franticly as the words 'nononononono' are repeated until the human looked behind him to see and hear a blue pegasus mare on a direct collision course with Anon as she screams "LOOK OUT!" "Rainbow?" Applejack shouts in concern. "There's always something." Anon mutters to himself. Immediately, Anon started running towards the Pegasus before yelling. "Tuck your wings." Anon demanded. After a couple more frantic flaps the mare complies and tucks her wings to her body as she closes her eyes, awaiting for the impending impact. The mare begins to fall out of the sky at a 20 degree angle as the ground approached fast. Anon skidded to a stop before holding his arms out to his right side as if trying to catch a pony sized rugby ball. The humans entire body went ridged as he braced for impact. The pony went halfway through his grip before closing his arms around her barrel. The sudden weight pushed him backwards, his feet skidding across the path before turning 90 degrees as his shoulder hit the fence, breaking the top beam. Rainbow was dropped to the floor with a thud as Anon fell onto one knee gripping his right shoulder with a wince. Most of the ponies simply looked with expressions of confusion. "That was so not cool." The Rainbow commented. Standing on all four legs again. "Thanks for the catch there Anon." She said, now looking at the human before frowning. "Aw dude, you good?" The skittle pony asked with a concerned tone. Anon grunted before replying. "Just fucking peachy. Think I dislocated my shoulder." The human said through gritted teeth. The blue Pegasus ruffled her wings before she gave a wince of her own. "I think we should probably go to the hospital." "No shit. Applejack, gonna have to cancel the school thing. Don't think I'm in the best mood currently." The human said as he stood up. "I reckon that would be best, I'll bring ya stuff to the hospital after I take Applebloom home. Dash, why don't you take him there. It's only fair." Applejack commented. "On it." The vibrant pony said as she began to walk back down the path. Anon followed her until he was walking beside her. They both walked in silence for a good ten minutes before Anon broke the silence. "So." The human started, getting the mare's attention. "The fuck?" Rainbow sighed before speaking. "I landed weird when I was in Cloudsdale. I decided to just sleep it off which I thought had worked since it did not hurt anymore. But then as I started flying back to Ponyville, I was struggling to keep my left wing stable until I could barely lift it. I tried to find somewhere to land but I was falling too fast, and that's when I started to panic and you know the rest." Rainbow finished with a frown. The duo returned to their silence as they walked through town. Anon did not seem to care as much about the looks ponies gave him, his mind preoccupied. Not long after the local hospital came into view. Anon sighed and grunted as he gripped his arm again. "Today can fuck right off." He mumbled to himself as they both entered.