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For You, Friends, by Vadkram

By SlavePonyGeneral
Created: 2021-01-12 16:15:56
Expiry: Never
anontwilight sparklensfw/spg/drama

  1. [Copied from https://pastebin.com/8fkha0Qs]
  2.  
  3. >Be Anon
  4. >In your dimly lit house you wait for your purchase to arrive.
  5. >You really shouldn't refer to her as that
  6. >You have everything ready for her arrival
  7. >For the first time in, well months, you actually cleaned up the place
  8. >You were never motivated enough to do so
  9. >You really weren't motivated to do anything
  10. >But then you had an idea to get your life back on track
  11. >Your house is nearly spotless, minus the stains here and there
  12. >You made sure to remove the medals off your wall
  13. >Can't risk having her know who you were too soon
  14. >Not until she trusted you enough to go along with your plan
  15. >You hid the medals in a box under your bed, good chance she'd never go under there anyway
  16. >You would have hid them in your closed, but there wasn't any room
  17. >The uniforms took up most of the space
  18. >You covered those in black suit covers. Just in case
  19. >Everything had to be perfect
  20. >You sit on your wooden chair with your head in your hands and your elbows propped upon your breakfast table
  21. >Listening for any foreign sounds to signify the arrival of her
  22. >After a few more minutes, and you've been waiting there for quite sometime, you hear tires turn into your parking lot
  23. >Noone has pulled in your driveway for a very long time so you knew who it was
  24. >You look out your window and spot a rusty red van screeching to a halt
  25. >A heavy set man steps out of the van and makes his way to the back and unlocks the rear doors
  26. >You take that as your cue to go out and greet him
  27. >You never were a heavy talker, so you really would rather keep this conversation to a minimum
  28. >You only ever spoke when you really have to
  29. >And that was usually only at the grocery store, or the bar. Just saying simple "hello's" to anyone who looks at you
  30. >But you never spoke at home, considering no one lives with you
  31. >A "selective mute" you've been called before
  32. >The large man steps toward you via a concrete walkway connecting the driveway and your front door
  33. >You step down the steps of your small wooden, and creaky, porch
  34. >In the large mans hand is a thick chain tied unceremoniously to a decrepit, old red collar that is bound to a purple pony
  35. >At least she looks purple under the grey and brown debris, dirt and grime coating her fur
  36. >The collar looks very uncomfortable to the pony, any slack from the collar is taken by the chain wrapped around it, almost choking her
  37. >She sits by the large man awaiting her fate
  38. >"you is who I'm supposed to meet?" The man says less than eloquently
  39. >You could smell his breath even from the distance you are from him
  40. >He clearly is'nt the most hygenic of people
  41. >His XXL shirt hanging down covering his larger than life belly. Sweat stains covering it like a post-modern painting
  42. >You hate post-modern art
  43. "yeah, I am. My names Ano-"
  44. >"Cut the pleasant-trees, I'm jus here to deliver your new bitch. That's why ya got it, right? To be your sexy bitch?"
  45. >He starts giving a less than charming laugh
  46. >"Ya here THAT you filthy animal?" He gives a tug on the chain-leash to make the pony pay attention
  47. >She's starting to shake
  48. >"YOU'RE gonna be this man's new fuck-bitch!"
  49. >God, this man is incredibly annoying to listen to
  50. >Seems the higher ups at the auction house hire the dimwits to do the transporting
  51. "yeah, sure. Whatever you want to think."
  52. >You take a tan envelope and hand it to the man
  53. >He give you the chain and starts to claw to envelope open
  54. >Fuck, the chain is filthy and staining your hand
  55. >"two grand, right? You shure this is two grand? Doesn't look like two grand."
  56. >He probably couldn't count that high anyway.
  57. >You start to make your way to the door and open it to let the shaking, purple pony inside
  58. >Before you could make your escape from the conversation, the man starts talking again
  59. >"Heeeey, ah recognize you! I don't watch the news but you're the one that-"
  60. >Before he could finish, you slam the door shut and lock the door
  61. >You could still hear him outside as he makes his way to his van
  62. >"...-ero my arse."
  63. >You don't move until he is out of sight and gone.
  64. >You hope your pony didn't hear any of that
  65. >You go to take your shoes off when you turn around to the sight of your dirty pony crouched down, shaking more violently
  66. >Her head is on the floor and her rear end is held high, tail out of the way giving a full view of her-
  67. >You quickly turn your head to avoid looking at it, mostly out of decency, but also because that part hasn't been cleaned in a long
  68. time either
  69. "Hey, what are you doing? Stop!"
  70. >She turns around, confused. Tears are in her eyes and she is still very afraid
  71. >"d-did I do something wrong already?" She hides her heads under her forehooves. "P-please don't hit me!"
  72. "What were you doing?"
  73. >She talks without moving herself. "Isn't it obvious? You're supposed to f...fuck me." She slightly winces when she says it
  74. >"That's the first thing my previous masters did when they got me. They held me down and... had their way with me."
  75. >She starts to cry, sniffing her now runny nose
  76. "No. Not here, I don't want to do that."
  77. >You pause for a bit, not exactly what to say to calm her down
  78. "I want you to be safe here"
  79. >You try to pull off your most comforting face, but it's been hard to express emotion.
  80. >You always had a stoic look about you
  81.  
  82. >"I-I don't understand..." Her eyes dart around, expecting something horrible to happen at any moment
  83. >But nothing happens
  84. "It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you. I understand, you must've been through hell. But I want things to be different, do you remember your name?"
  85. >It's been several years since the pony race has been in servitude, no doubt the trauma she's been through must have been harsh
  86. >To say the least
  87. >She stares at you, breaking. She's trying her hardest to think of who she was.
  88. >She's stuttering trying to come up with any result.
  89. >You can't help but feel awful about yourself
  90. >You helped cause this
  91. >This is your fault
  92. >Rushes of thoughts fill your mind, attacking you.
  93. >Your mind screams in agony at what you've seen, what you did
  94. >You can't forgive yourself. You will never forgive yourself
  95. >You don't show her your pain, Your face still emotionless
  96. >You were always good at bottling up everything
  97. >"I..." She sniffs "I can't even remember. I can't remember my own name! They never used it and hit me when I said it" She looks down completely dejected
  98. >It doesn't matter, you knew who she was
  99. "It's ok, I already know your name is Twilight Sparkle."
  100. >She snaps her head towards you. Pupils shrinked to needle points
  101. >She just looks at you wide eyed, as if someoned finally remembered what was on the tip of their tounge
  102. >She remembered, the knowledge pushed deep inside her mind, forced away and locked.
  103. >"H-how do you know?"
  104. >You know why, you knew a lot about her, her friends and her kind.
  105. >You can't tell her yet though
  106. >She'd never talk to you if she knew
  107. "I just know, ok? I just know."
  108. >"How? Please tell me how you know me!" She desperately looks at you for some sort of answer
  109. "Please, I just cant yet. It's better if you didn't know."
  110. >She looks away, more tears in her eyes
  111. >She's going to start crying again
  112. "Come on, please don't cry. Please."
  113. >You kneel down and reach your hand out to comfort her
  114. >At the sight of this she instinctivly backs away, hitting her back against the wall, knocking an old picture off the wall.
  115. >You had developed fast reflexes and easily catch it before it hit the ground
  116. >It was a picture of you and another man in your soldier uniforms, shaking hands.
  117. >You had a forced smile on your face while the other looked joyful. He was always too joyful, in the crazy way, not the happy way.
  118. >Who are you kidding, the guy was your C.O. and a complete fucking lunatic
  119. >Back in his glory days, he loved killing arabs in those wars way back when
  120. >When the war with ponies started, killing animals made him worse
  121. >Why you had the picture out, was a mystery, or a reminder. Same as the medals.
  122. >To remind you
  123. >Not sure how you forgot to put this away too
  124. >Hopefully she didn't look at the picture to closely
  125. >You set the picture face down on a higher shelf
  126. >Twilight is still quivering in front of you
  127. >You should've realized trying to touch her would send off the wrong signals
  128. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I was just trying to help."
  129. >She looks to you, with a little more hostility
  130. >"What could you possibly do to help? You people took everything from us."
  131. >She wasn't wrong
  132. >You people did take everything from them
  133. >Their home, their freedom, all of it
  134. >However she was unaware at your involvement in all of it
  135. >You weren't sure what to say to her
  136. >Finding things to say was never your forte and you usually said something done
  137. >So you've always kept your mouth shut
  138. "I'm sorry I just, I want to make the best of what I can do at the moment."
  139. >Her face softens a little, calming down. You look to the side away from her
  140. "I just want things to be better for you."
  141. >She gives you yet another confused look
  142. >"I just don't understand, why would you of all humans suddenly care about an 'animal' like me?"
  143. "Because other humans haven't done what I've done. Seen what I've seen."
  144. >That was easy to answer, however very vague. You probably sounded stupid
  145. >You don't let her come up with an response
  146. "Come. I think is best If we get you cleaned up."
  147. >She calmly nods and you both make your way to the bathroom
  148. "Here's the bath and shower, turn this knob to turn it on and off, and this one to change the temperature.
  149. >You knew she was a genius. She'd figure it out
  150. "Here are shampoos you can use. They don't exactly sell products for ponies and I didn't want to get anything for pets. You can just use mine, they're pretty much the same.
  151. >You grab a hair brush and set it by the tub
  152. "You're more than welcome to use my brush for your hair and fur."
  153. >Your hair was decently long, not to your shoulders, but long enough for it to be pulled back and behind your ears
  154. >You cleaned the hair off of it for her
  155. "I'll, uh, wait somewere else and I can show you around and all that."
  156. >You close the door and wait for her to start
  157.  
  158. >Be Twilight
  159. >You are not sure how you're supposed to feel
  160. >After the destruction of your home, the years of servitude, and the seperation of your friends, you've come to despise the human race
  161. >You're hatred comes right after your pure terror of them
  162. >They were monsters more fierce and so much smarter than any of the ones back home
  163. >You've gone through several 'masters' and psycologically trained to be some real life sex-doll
  164. >Truely a fate worse that tartarus
  165. >And now you're treated nicely by this 'Anon'
  166. >At least you assumed his name was Anon
  167. >He was cut off the man who transported you to him
  168. >You weren't sure if you wanted to trust him
  169. >You've had a master who was nice before, tried buttering you up, before...
  170. >You don't want to think about it
  171. >You never have used a shower like this
  172. >You fumble with the knobs with your hooves trying to turn
  173. >With your magic subued by drugs, It made moving things harder
  174. >Human objects were heavier to lift in most cases since they were bigger
  175. >Anon was pretty big, bigger than most humans
  176. >You guessed he was around 6'4" or so
  177. >Slim build, he obviously kept himself in shape
  178. >The shower knob turns and the rush of water hits you
  179. >Cold
  180. >Very cold
  181. >The sensory overload makes your mind think fast trying to turn the temperature knob to make it warmer
  182. >You fumble with it, hooves slipping
  183. "ColdcoldcoldcoldcoldcoldCOLDCOLDCOLDCOOOOLD"
  184. >You manage to turn the temperature knob
  185. >Finally
  186. >Hot
  187. >The water starts to burn
  188. >Before the water really starts to hurt, you get the knob to a nice middle ground
  189. >It starts to feel better
  190. >Your muscles that ached you for so long start to relax in the first time in ages
  191. >You give a sigh of relief and sit down, looking up at the showerhead with closed eyes
  192. >You start to think of the showers you had at home
  193. >A calm stream tickling your face as it slides down you body wrapped in the warm water of a bubble bath
  194. >You miss this
  195. >You miss all of it
  196. >You open your eyes and remember where you are
  197. >The nostalgia ends
  198. >
  199. >You reach for the brush with your mouth
  200. >You're able to brush most of the front of you off
  201. >your legs and your belly are mostly clean of the gunk that coated your fur
  202. >You can barely reach your back, the brush is too short
  203. >You could ask for help
  204. >Could being the important word
  205. >You've had bad experiences, but you're still stubborn as a...
  206. >Human phrases were starting to catch on to you. It bugged you
  207. >This shower was really putting you in a better mood
  208. >The steam from the shower was opening your pores and really relaxing you
  209. >You needed this, like a lot
  210. >It's better than you've felt in a long time
  211. >You managed to get some of your back, not all of it, but a majority of it
  212. >You put the brush between your hooves, getting a better grip of it as you brush your hair
  213. >Not after you use the water to wash off the gunk. gross
  214. >Pulling out all the knots is painful
  215. >You never knew hair could be so knotty
  216. >Thats a word, right?
  217. >You hear the tears of your hair as each strand is straighted out after so long
  218. >Previous owners tried to brush your hair, naked
  219. >They didn't get very far, kicking and yelling until the eventually gave up
  220. >You feel your main and shake your head to sample its smoothness
  221. >You end up shaking too hard and your hair whips your eyes
  222. >That's a good sign, You supposed
  223. >Your tail was a bit more work but you managed to straighten that out
  224. >You could finally shampoo your hair
  225. >Their wasn't many products to choose from, just two of the same shampoo a conditioner that looked full from non-use and a body wash
  226. >You pop the cap up and grab the body in your mouth
  227. >Luckily the cap wasn't one of those dumb twist ones
  228. >You apply a generous amount of shampoo to your hoove and begin to lather up
  229.  
  230. >Be Anon
  231. >She's been in there for quite some time
  232. >You wonder if she needs help
  233. >That brush was pretty short
  234. >You consider asking if she needs a hand
  235. >But the thought quickly passes
  236. >You didn't really want to help
  237. >She should be able to do things herself
  238. >You hear a slip and an 'eek' followed by a thud
  239. "Doin alright in there?" you asked, the noise cutting off your thoughts
  240. >"Just peachy!" she reponds
  241. >You notice the change in her voice, it sounded a bit brighter
  242. >That shower must be a welcome change to what she was used to
  243. >You have a lot to explain to her about what will happen in the coming days
  244. >After a few more minutes, you hear the shower turn off, followed by slapping noises
  245. >You assume that her shaking the water off
  246. >Hopefully she didn't open the curtain before she did that
  247. >"Good to go! Can you come dry me off a bit more?"
  248. >You grab a towel from the closet right next to the bathroom and head inside
  249. >The first thing you notice is the wall of steam that pours out of the room
  250. "Was the shower alright?" you ask her as you see how noticably cleaner she is
  251. >You take your towel and wrap it around her, then begin to rub it around her
  252. >She tries to blow the hair out of her nose and eyes and you bring the towel to her hair
  253. >You make sure to get under those wings too
  254. >You finish off drying her and snap the towel up and down to get the loose hairs off
  255. >Just a habit of when you dry off
  256. >Unfortunatly the towel wips your leg and you let out a small grunt in suprise
  257. >Twilight giggles
  258. >"smooth moves, Hoss."
  259. "Like silk" you retort.
  260. >You always hoped to say that at least once in your life
  261. >Her coat shines with a bright purple color that reflects the light from the bathroom window
  262. >"Yeah, You would NOT beleive how much I needed that"
  263. "Good to know, you seem to be in happier spirits, come on I'll show you around."
  264. >He attitude starts to wear off on you
  265. >It's finally nice to have someone around this quiet house
  266. >You almost crack a small grin. Almost
  267.  
  268. >The bathroom was in a small hallway to the left of the front door you have her note the bathroom closet and the small coat closet next to it
  269. >Exiting the hallway was the living room, a large room that had it's ceiling raised to make the room seem bigger
  270. >In it was a couch, recliner, and a coffee table that had books you've read long ago on it along with a few coffee mug stains
  271. >"You should've used a coaster." She notes
  272. "Hold on a sec." you tell her and she sits down
  273. >"What, whats wrong?" she tilts her head, not knowing what was going to happen
  274. "I didn't remove your collar, not sure why I didn't
  275. >You took off the chain before she got in the shower, but for some reason you neglected to remove the collar as well
  276. >It was one of those weird snap collars that always pinched your fingers when you pushed the sides in
  277. >Not this time, thankfully
  278. >When you pull it off, Twilight rubs her hooves around her neck
  279. >"I've had that on for so long I forgot it was there, thats much better."
  280. >Sort of like how you feel wierd when you take your watch off when you shower
  281. "Well, you won't be needing that here, but I hope you don't decide to fly away at the moment"
  282. >"They numbed my wings with a drug they injected into them, I won't be flying in a while if I wanted to until it wears off"
  283. >You didn't have any drugs or those magic supressants, you hope they are not addictive
  284. "Wing numbing drugs combined with the magic supressants arn't addictive, right?
  285. >"Thankfully not, They felt really wierd at first, but my body got used to their effects. But I don't know when they wear off."
  286. >You walk away from her and head to the kitchen and Twilight follows you
  287. >The kitchen was connected to the living room, with a passthrough so those in the kitchen could watch TV too
  288. >You pull out a drawer near the sink and throw the collar in the trash can
  289. "Well that's good to know, hopefully you'll be back on your fee- your hooves in no time."
  290. >Twilight nods in agreement
  291. "Ok, well, obviously this is the kitchen, I hope you don't mind the dishes I leave on the table and everything"
  292. >"I'm sure I'll be cleaning it up one way or another, I can't stand messes. Unless It's an organized mess but I don't see anything like that around here"
  293. >Ok, your not THAT much of a messy person
  294. >You just wait until later to put things away
  295. >While Twilight was talking you look down at the collar you threw away
  296. >You noticed a small flashing red light out of the corner of your eye when you turned your head
  297. >You grab the collar and inspect it
  298. >The light was coming from a small LED in a black translucent box labeled 'PONY AUCTION INC. PONY TRACKER'
  299. >Below it in smaller letters, read 'COIN CELL BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED'
  300. >She was still being tracked. Most likely from the auction house.
  301. >You drop it on the floor and crush the box with the heel of your foot
  302. >It sorta hurt, with small plastic points poking your feet
  303. >But your foot was mostly callused which nulled most of the pain
  304. >"What was that for?" Twilight asks, moving her head closer to the collar's remaing
  305. "Turns out you were being tracked still by the auction house"
  306. >"Huh, I figured, that explains many failed escape attempts, couldn't get the collar off myself."
  307. >You hear a buzz from your phone that was on the table
  308. >You never had the sound on, they annoyed you
  309. >You open your phone expecting it to be another annoying ad from the phone company
  310. >That what it usually is
  311. >Instead, it's from the auction house
  312. >You read it out loud
  313. "'DEAR LOYAL CUSTOMER, IT SEEMS YOUR GPS TRACKER FOR YOUR PONY AS WENT OUT, PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR PONY HASN'T INTENTIONALLY DISABLED IT, OR IT RAN OUT OF BATTERIES. IN CASE OF DESTRUCTION OF COLLAR, A NEW ONE CAN BE SHIPPED TO THE BELOW ADDRESS WHEN YOU CONFIRM IT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ORDER A NEW ONE? TYPE 'Y' FOR YES AND 'N' FOR NO. THANK YOUR FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT TO THE PONY AUCTION HOUSE INC. HAVE A LOVELY DAY WITH YOUR PONY."
  314. >You read the listed address, it isn't yours
  315. >You thought you gave them the proper address when you filled out your order when you bought Twilight
  316. "Huh, this address is not mine, you know it by chance?"
  317. >You hold the phone to her, her eyes scan the small screen
  318. >"I'm not entirely sure, but if I had to guess, I'ts the address to the man who gave me to you. I assume they have him transporting collars and other 'goods' to the customers"
  319. >What a coincidence
  320. "How do you supposed that happened?"
  321. >"Good question, seems like some mess up of info back at the auction house"
  322. >You honestly don't know what could have resulted in it, but however, you can use it in the future
  323. >You head to a small desk by the kitchen table and begin to scribble the address on a notepad
  324.  
  325. >Be Twilight
  326. >This human is too trusting
  327. >He obviously hasn't had anyone in his life for a while
  328. >You could use this
  329. >He's giving you too many freedoms
  330. >He's trying a bit too hard to earn your trust
  331. >Best you can do is try to joke around to seem like your doing better
  332. >Anon puts the pen down and walks back over to you
  333. >You wonder what he intended to do with the man's address
  334. >Maybe the two were working together for something?
  335. >You push that thought out of your mind
  336. >No way Anon, from what you can tell from him so far, would ever willing work with a creep like that
  337. >Anon an apparent loner, his skin is slightly pale from lack of sunlight
  338. >His muscles are toned, so he must still do some sort of exercise
  339. >You were still a little bit weak from the small rations you got from your previous owner
  340. >Along with numb wings and no magic, you can't try to overpower him
  341. >Anon also seems to have some sort of military background, you did see the picture that fell when you knocked it over
  342. >Only for a second though
  343. >Your belly growls
  344. >"Are you hungry?" He asks
  345. >You nod your head in agreement, hoping for something better than table scrap.
  346. >"I could probably see what I have for you after I finish showing you around, not much left to see anyway. Not sure what you eat anyway"
  347. >You follow him to the other side of the kitchen to a door
  348. >"This stair way leads to the basement, nothing much down there except boxes of old... stuff"
  349. >He pauses then begins to walk away and leads you out of the kitchen and to an ajar door on the opposite end of the living room
  350. >"This is just a spare bedroom, you'll be sleeping here if you want."
  351. "Better than the floor or a garage"
  352. >That bed looked very tempting
  353. >Along the wall opposite of the bed is a large bookshelf with books scattered along its shelves and on the floor
  354. >Now you're talking
  355. >"Excuse the mess, never really found time to organize this room either. You're welcome to do as you please with it"
  356. "Just what do you do all day?" You ask him, wondering how his house could be in such a state
  357. >"Nothing really, I don't have a job, the previous job I had paid me a lot for my work, and I didn't really feel the need to spend it on a lot of stuff. I eventually stopped, couldn't take the work load"
  358. "Here, I'll find you something to eat and we can call it a day, it's starting to get late."
  359. "What time is it? I haven't been given the luxery of knowing what time of day it was."
  360. >"it's seven-thirty" he looks down at his watch, which was on his right hand and on the underside of his wrist
  361. >He was right handed, from what you saw when he wrote on the desk.
  362. >Most humans who were right handed wore watches on the left hand facing up
  363. >Just small details you notice in pictures and the like
  364. "Why do you wear your watch like that?" You say as you both walk back in the kitchen
  365. >There wasn't any real reason for asking, just trying to find things to say instead of the silence of the empty house
  366. >Anon opens the pantry door and heads inside. You wait outside as he scrounges for food
  367. >"I ran back in high school I could see my watch better during runs so I didn't have to twist my arm."
  368. >You hear rustling bags and other noises
  369. >"I became used to it that way and it's uncomfortable wearing it the 'right' way"
  370. >He comes out of the pantry with a small handful of food
  371. >"Um, I have some potato chips, some fruit thats kind of old and some fig newtons. Have bread and stuff for sandwiches If you'd like"
  372. >He sets the assortment on the table, the fruit tries to roll away, but Anon cuts off their escape
  373. >Looks like you and the fruit have something in common
  374. "I suppose I could take the fruit out of your hands"
  375. >Chips like to leave a mess of your fur
  376. >Celestia knows what the hell fig newtons taste like
  377. >He takes a wide plate from a cabinet and begins to slice the fruit with a small knife
  378. >Two apples, an orange and a kiwi lie perfectly sliced on your plate
  379. >He sure is good with a knife
  380. >He sits the plate on the breakfast table and you take a seat on the chair
  381. >Wasn't the most comfortable position but you didn't want to complain at the moment
  382. >Anon puts bread in the toaster and as it heats, takes out a butter knife and a spoon
  383. >You take a bite of an apple slice, a little soft, but still retained some juiciness
  384. >You observe Anon as he takes the very lightly toasted bread and begins to spread peanut butter first with the knife on one, and the jelly with the spoon on the other
  385. >Both slices of bread have a generous amount of ingredients on them
  386. >A true master of his craft
  387. >He pours himself a glass of milk and sets his sandwich creation on a smaller plate and sits across from you
  388. "You forgot to put the milk away, it'll get warm"
  389. >You point to the still open milk gallon on the table
  390. >Anon gets up from his seat again. "Oh right, I always do that"
  391. >Anon sits back down once his task is completed
  392. >You've already finished most of your fruit when he begins to much on his sandwich, he alternates with one bite per sip of milk
  393. >You notice Anon hasn't said anything
  394. >You see that his eyes are stare staring down at the table, he hasn't blinked or really moved them at all
  395. >You try to snap him out of it, you wave your hoove, lower your head to see if he can see you in his peripherals
  396. >He isn't budging, half of his sandwich is already gone
  397. >So you speak up
  398. "So how was your days at school? Any good memories?"
  399. >He looks up at you, didn't move his head, just his eyes
  400. >"Was different, never made any close friends. Had some buddies that I talked to when I ran, but we went our seperate ways after I graduated. Never was able to keep anyone close, stayed silent."
  401. >You were that way when you were in the academy
  402. >But it was your choice to push others away, ignored their invites for social gathering
  403. >Anon never really had that pleasure
  404. >You almost feel bad for the guy
  405. "How long ago was that?"
  406. >"About a decade ago"
  407. >So he's been living like this for almost ten years?
  408. >You weren't sure what humans did when they finish school, you supposed most had a special talent
  409. >They didn't have cutie marks so you didn't know
  410. >You know somewhere along the lines, anon became a solider, but you didn't want to bring it up
  411.  
  412. >Anon finishes his sandwich and gets up and puts his dishes in the sink
  413. >He grabs your and throws the peels and cores in the trash
  414. >"I'm going to go brush my teeth, I have a dental appointment tommorrow. You're free to go to sleep, i'm sure you are tired"
  415. >You have been getting deprived of sleep for a while
  416. >You nod your head and head for your room
  417. >You see Anon go inside the bathroom and close the door
  418. >In your room, you look back at the bookshelf, a towering structure
  419. >Anon must like to read
  420. >You hop on the bed, the springs giving in to meager weight
  421. >Been a while since you've been in a bed
  422. >The ones at home were much better, but this will do
  423. >You miss home, you're not entirely sure what happened to it when the humans came
  424. >The war lasted years and many settlements were torn to pieces by the human's advanced weaponry
  425. >Your kind's spears and arrows were little match for human's ballistic weapons
  426. >Not to mention the planes that were faster than any pegasus
  427. >Even Rainbow Dash
  428. >You miss her
  429. >You miss all of them
  430. >You'll make it prioity number one when you get out of here
  431. >'But what about Anon?' a small part of your mind says
  432. >Sure, he seems nice enough but
  433. >He's just a means to an end right now
  434. >You will find your friends
  435.  
  436. >Be Anon
  437. >You are brushing your teeth and thinking
  438. >You do that a lot
  439. >Overthink
  440. >You think of how exactly you want to proceed
  441. >It would be too wierd if you outright said you wanted to help find her friends
  442. >You knew the six of them had some strange supernatural power that your race was unable to understand
  443. >It's why they were so quick to keep them away from each other
  444. >You knew after you find them youd bring them to equestria and close whatever gate held your worlds together
  445. >By no means was it the best plan, you never were known for your ideas
  446. >You usually take things as they
  447. >You're sure the gate was still there
  448. >Twilight would probably think your crazy
  449. >You finish brushing and spit out the paste
  450. >You enter your room and slip into your sleep wear
  451. >You sleep shirtless and with plain grey pants
  452. >You grab your old ipod classic off the small night stand and slip your headphones on
  453. >You didn't usually like ear buds unless you're running
  454. >You shimmy yourself under the covers and look at the cieling
  455. >You prefer laying on your sides, but the headphones make that hard
  456. >Small sacrifices, Anon
  457. >Sacrifices
  458. >You always liked to listen to music before you go to bed
  459. >It's one of the few things that calm you down and clears your mind
  460. >You flip the ipod off its lock and turn on the song you left it on
  461. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oday_Fc-Gc
  462. >You always found this song rather calming
  463. >Besides the subject matter, you found her voice to be rather calming
  464. >A nice little song to listen to
  465. >You feel a bit better
  466. >You skip the next few songs and come to one of your favorites
  467. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whr61HeQrHo
  468. >You're not sure why you find this so alluring
  469. >You daydream your in a meadow under a tree
  470. >Its dark, cloudy and lightly raining
  471. >But the rain is soothing
  472. >You see a city in the distance
  473. >Lights of rooms in the buildings light up in the distance, as street lights and cars illuminate the streets
  474. >Away from the hustle bustle of the city
  475. >Alone in the dark meadow
  476. >You're... calm
  477. >And the song ends
  478. >You figure thats enough for tonight
  479. >You put your ipod back on the nightstand
  480. >You roll over a few times to become comfortable and fall into a deep sleep
  481.  
  482. >You find yourself in the grass
  483. >Not green grass
  484. >This grass is rather tall, but brown and tan and easily broken
  485. >You are on your stomach and you lay motionless as you've been for the past 3 hours
  486. >You look down at the steep ledge that descends far to the canyon below
  487. >You are overlooking a settlement, mostly covered by another steep cliff wall
  488. >There is zero chance of you being spotted
  489. >The ponies call this area 'The Badlands'
  490. >You had to fight off some bizarre creatures before you came across the settlement
  491. >Your C.O. gave you orders to find this settlement, It is holding high-tier pony officials, and await further instructions
  492. >You hear the radio from the earbud in your ear spark to life
  493. >"Anon, orders have arrived"
  494. >With your wait finally over, you dig your sniper rifle buried under the grass next you you
  495. >You depoly the bipod, flip up the lens caps on the scope up and begin to focus on the settlement
  496. >You keep both eyes open
  497. >One to look through the scope and another to alert yourself of any movement in your peripherals not in the Line of sight of the rifle
  498. >The man from control speaks up again
  499. >"You are to watch the settlement, wait for the signal, and open fire on any pony in your view, is this understood?"
  500. "Yeah, I understand. What is the signal?"
  501. >"Sigh, Anonymous, you DO know protocol states you are to respond with 'roger'?
  502. "I'm well aware of the protocol, you do know I hate that whole 'roger that' commando stuff"
  503. >"We are well aware. Don't worry, you'll know the signal when it arrives with the payload"
  504. "Payload? What payload?" You ask in a loud whisper
  505. >The radio cuts off, you return to laying in the silents of the night sky
  506. >You are more uneasy, but you ignore the feeling
  507. >Only you can do this
  508. >You are the best, after all
  509. >They laughed at how young you were, you made them put their money where their mouth was
  510. >You had extra rations for the next week or so
  511.  
  512. >You wait for another half hour
  513. >You hear something loud in the distance
  514. >It was actually rather quiet, but you could hear very well
  515. >You spot two black dots in the distance
  516. >No
  517. >Oh no
  518. >They weren't actually going to...
  519. >They were
  520. >The black dots form into black bomber jets when the come into view
  521. >The noise was clearly waking up the settlement, from the few windows you could see
  522. >They weren't even trying to be covert for this
  523. >The jets whiz past you, and you watch them go
  524. >You turn back
  525. >Two long streams of Red, Orange and A black darker than the night form a straight line from where the jets flew
  526. >Napalm
  527. >You hear the crashing of wood and the rising volume of screams in the distance
  528. >You look through your scope to focus
  529. >To look clearer, You close your left eye
  530. >You listen as screams of terror and pure agony echo through the canyon
  531. >You see a group of ponies begin to run into your view
  532. >The group consists of mostly mares and fillies
  533. >Some of the children are painted black, streaks of fire melting their flesh
  534. >Some already have exposed bones
  535. >Some fall to the ground and writhe in the dirt, instinctivly to put out the flames
  536. >Some ponies avoid the others in their sprint, hoping to not get the sticky, flammable substance on them as well
  537. >Some abandon the children to get out as fast as possible
  538. >Your eyes widen in horror
  539. >You've seen combat, but this was not combat
  540. >'Put them out of their misery, Anonymous' the demon says
  541. >You hesitate
  542. >Your radio snaps you out of your trance
  543. >"Take the shots Anonymous"
  544. >You don't answer, you keep looking
  545. >"Anon, Take the shots." The man at control raises his voice
  546. "I can't"
  547. >You hear a new voice
  548. >"ANONYMOUS, LISTEN TO ME. YOU WILL TAKE THE SHOTS OR IT'S YOUR ASS!"
  549. >It's your C.O.
  550. >"ANON! I AIN'T HEARING ANY FIRING MECHANISMS, FUCKING FIRE!THAT'S AN ORDER, PUT THOSE ANIMALS DOWN!"
  551. >You take the earbud out
  552. >You look back at the group running
  553. >Some black bodies lie motionless behind the group
  554. >Burning, still burning
  555. >You slow your breathing and turn your body
  556. >You point a little above and forward of the mare in the front
  557. >You lock your shoulder
  558. >BANG
  559. >KA-CHUNK
  560. >You pull the bolt of your rifle
  561. >The demon inside you grows
  562. >The herd of ponies change direction diagonally away from you
  563. >You aim at another mare
  564. >her cutie mark is a heart
  565. >BANG
  566. >KA-CHUNK
  567. >The demon inside you grows
  568. >You aim at a stallion
  569. >His cutie mark is of a pencil and paper
  570. >BANG
  571. >KA-CHUNK
  572. >The demon inside you grows
  573. >You aim at another mare
  574. >Her cutie mark shows flowers
  575. >BANG
  576. >KA-CHUNK
  577. >The demon inside you grows larger
  578. >You aim behind the group
  579. >Some of the children are lagging behind
  580. >You're following orders
  581. >You are following orders
  582. >They are just animals
  583. >They do not think
  584. >They do not know
  585. >They just survive as animals do
  586. >You aim at the filly
  587. >BANG
  588. >KA-CHUNK
  589. >The demon inside you grows
  590. >Her head explodes
  591. >It spreads the ones around her
  592. >She didn't have a cutie mark
  593. >You aim to the next one
  594. >This one likes Science
  595. >BANG
  596. >KA-CHUNK
  597. >The demon inside you grows darker
  598. >The child was smaller than others
  599. >There's no more of him
  600. >You reload your rifle
  601. >lather
  602. >Rinse
  603. >Repeat
  604. >Grow
  605. >Lather
  606. >Rinse
  607. >Repeat
  608. >Grow
  609. >...
  610. >...
  611. >...
  612. >The group is gone now
  613. >One who loves science
  614. >One who loved chess
  615. >One who loved dancing
  616. >One who loved building
  617. >You stopped paying attention
  618. >You point your rifle back at the settlement
  619. >There is just one pony
  620. >She limps from the wreckage
  621. >And sits by the charred remains of an now unrecognizable child
  622. >"WHHYYYYYYYY!!!???"
  623. >Her shrieks pierce the dead sky
  624. >"WHY?! WHY!!??? WHY!?WHY!!?? WHYYYY!!??"
  625. >She is answered with silence and the cracks of still burning flames
  626. >You've always denied it
  627. >But proof was there
  628. >You knew they talked, as a gorilla can communicate with sign language
  629. >But ponies did something that no animal where you came from could do
  630. >Animals don't ask questions
  631. >A gorilla has never been recorded asking their owner who he is
  632. >Thats what divided sentient, and non-sentient creatures
  633. >And here you have this pony asking 'why?'
  634. >There were MANY questions you could have bothered yourself with
  635. >But this is the only you dared to answer
  636. >You point the reticule at the sobbing pony
  637. >You fire your last shot
  638. >BANG
  639. >KA-CHUNK
  640. >You lay there motionless for some time. You hear the earbud come alive below you
  641. >You insert it back in your ear
  642. >Your C.O. was still on the line
  643. >"Damn fine work there, Anonymous. Damn fine. We saw everything from your helmet camera. I'll be sure to give you a damn medal when you return, now haul that ass back here. Drinks are on me tonight! HAhahaha!"
  644. >The line cuts with a short *Cckhhhtt*
  645. >You stay there laying in the grass for a bit longer, looking at your work.
  646. >You stand up, and stretch to crack your bones
  647. >You press the light button on your watch, it's 12:23:45am
  648. >You pick up your shell casings, empty mags, and place them in your back
  649. >Your rifle is slung along your back and you walk down the hill
  650. >Your earbud comes alive
  651. >"HEY ANON! YOU SEE WHAT TIME IT IS?"
  652. >You stay silent
  653. >"HAPPY-FUCKING-BIRTHDAY, SOLDIER!!"
  654.  
  655. >You wake up in a dry sweat, sheets sprawled around you. You're breathing heavily
  656. >The same dream again, playing the same memory
  657.  
  658. >Still Anon
  659. >You check the clock on your shelf across the room
  660. >7:30
  661. >You suppose it's a good time as any to get out of bed
  662. >You couldn't go back to sleep anyway
  663. >You need some music to calm your mind
  664. >You walk over and grab your guitar, it's been collecting dust
  665. >You sit on your bed and begin to strum a tune you taught yourself before the war
  666. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eeOPm2j-t4
  667. >You were always a sucker for something meloncholy
  668. >You feel your mind drift away
  669. >You focus on only the notes
  670. >You forget about the world
  671. >You strum the same notes for a few minutes
  672. >The creaking of your door snaps you out of your daydream
  673. >Twilight makes her way toward you
  674. >"Why did you stop?
  675. "You startled me"
  676. >You feel a bit embarrassed that she was listening to you play
  677. >Her eyes drift past you
  678. >"you play piano?"
  679. >You look behind you to the small keyboard standing against your wall
  680. "Yeah, first instrument I learned, parents made me practice a lot when I was In grade school. Thirty minutes a day on weekdays, an hour on saturdays. It felt like forever."
  681. >"To a child, perhaps"
  682. "I'd waste time by placing my fingers on a paperclip and pretend it was a skateboard"
  683. >You gesture with your first two fingers, placing them on your other hand and moving them around
  684. "Mother Was standing behind me and gave me a good whack when I turned around"
  685. >You both share a small laugh
  686. "I thanked them for it later though, they said 'told ya so'"
  687. >You force a small chuckle
  688. >"Can you, play a little more?"
  689. >You look at the guitar for a bit
  690. "Sure"
  691. >You continue strumming and Twilight closes her eyes and rests her chin on your bed
  692. >You play
  693. >Music is good for the soul
  694. >After some time, You finish the loop and set your guitar back on it's stand
  695. "C'mon" You beckon Twilight as she snaps back to reality
  696. "I'll make us some breakfast"
  697. >You both make your way to the kitchen and you motion Twilight to sit at the table
  698. >You open a small cupboard under the kitchen table
  699. >You had an assortment of cereal, but the moment called for something a bit more extravagant
  700. >You could cook, for the most part
  701. "So Twilight, Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal or Co-Co Wheats?"
  702.  
  703. >You see her ears perk up at the word "oats"
  704. >"Uh Co-Co wheats?"
  705. >This pony hasn't had a proper breakfast before
  706. >You'll remedy that
  707. >She'll have the creamy hot cereal with the cocoa treat
  708. "You ever have grits? Sorta like that, but chocolatey and way better"
  709. >You try your best to sell yourself
  710. >"One of each, please, I haven't had oats in forever"
  711. >Probably different oats than what she's expecting, but it'll do
  712. >She must be hungrier than you, anyway
  713. >You take out 4 bags of the oatmeal
  714. >Two for each. Single bags are too small a serving for your voracious hunger
  715. >You pour them in two bowls, then grab a small pot and fill it with tap water
  716. >You place the pot on the stove and set the burner to med-high
  717. >You wait for the water to boil
  718. >...
  719. >...
  720. >You and Twi wait in an awkward silence
  721. >...
  722. >...
  723. >You were never good with conversation
  724. "Sooo how'd sleep?"
  725. >You start to rock back and forth from your heels to toes
  726. >"Well, I slept... Well, how about you?
  727. >You divert your eyes to the cieling
  728. >Bang
  729. >Ka-Chunk
  730. "I slept like a baby"
  731. >"Nice, nice"
  732. >...
  733. >...
  734. >'A watched pot never boils, son'
  735. >'Quiet dad'
  736. >Your dad's 'life lessons and metephors' play out in your head
  737. >He was always so wise
  738. >The one man who's respect and love you knew you'd never lose
  739. >But the thought of losing it was your greatest fear
  740. >He hugged you tight when you were drafted
  741. >He wanted to go in your place, but he was too old
  742. >You haven't seen him cry like that before
  743. >The love of a father to his son
  744. >"Anon"
  745. >Twi's voice brings you out of your reminiscing
  746. >She points a hoof to the pot, it's starting to boil
  747. >You pour the hot water in the bowls of oatmeal and place it back on the burner
  748. >You give the oatmeal a good stir to mix the water
  749. >You take the box of Co-Co Wheats and pout a generous amount for the two of you
  750. >You stir the pot until the Wheats thicken
  751. >You pour it into the remaining two bowls
  752. >After turning the burner off your have the idea to carry all bowls at once to the table
  753. >You place two on your fore arms and the other in your grips
  754. >Turns out, things right of the stove tend to stay hot for awhile
  755. >You quickly shuffle to the table and set the bowls in their respective places
  756. >Your arms are a bit red, You'll live
  757. >You look before you
  758. >Two sets of bowls on opposite sides of the table, steaming
  759. >The light piercing through the window, casting a warm glow to its contents and onto Twilight
  760. >The little things
  761. >"You alright?" Twi asks with a raised eyebrow, feigning worry
  762. >You know she knows you're alright, but she felt the need to ask
  763. "Nah, it's fine, I'm not known for my ideas"
  764. >You set down after getting a small spoon for yourself
  765. >Assuming Twilight will just use her mouth
  766. >You know, like a normal horse would
  767. >You allow her to take the first bite, she goes for the Co-Co wheats first
  768. "Wait!" You stop her before her mouth touches her food
  769. >She jerks her head back
  770. >"What? What'd I do? Am I not eating it correctly?"
  771. >She looks like countless theories of the cause of her error are playing in her head
  772. "I forgot the milk, s'too hot"
  773. >She looks at you as if you said something stupid
  774. >It wasn't, this is important
  775. >You jog to the fridge, and come back with the milk
  776. >You also get some sugar in a small plasic container
  777. >You pour the sugar in both your wheat bowls and stir
  778. >You apply the milk in all bowls
  779. >You sit back down
  780. "Please, proceed"
  781. >"You sure this time?"
  782. >You nod your head
  783. >Without further ado she samples the Wheats
  784. >You look with slight anticipation
  785. >She raises her head slowly and looks to you
  786. >She swallows and eye pupils grow
  787. >"This... this is" she stammers out
  788. >Victory
  789. >She realizes what she's doing and her eyes revert to normal
  790. >She resumes eating
  791. >"...Adequate"
  792. >So humble
  793. >"I knew you'd love it"
  794.  
  795. >You both finish your breakfast and you put the dishes away
  796. >You remember your dentist appointment today
  797. >You check your watch
  798. >It's coming up to 9
  799. >You're appointment's at 10
  800. >It takes a while to get to the place, with little traffic so you should head out now
  801. >Not before brushing your teeth, of course
  802. >You enter the bathroom and start brushing your pearly whites
  803. >Coming out, you find a hairband in the closet and tie your hair in a pony-tail
  804. >Never liked it in front of your eyes much, you try to keep it tucked behing your ears
  805. "Hey, Twilight, I need to make a quick stop at the dentist. It may take a few hours. I'll be back in when I can"
  806. >You slip your shoes on and head for the doors
  807. >You feel hooves climb onto your shoulders
  808. >Your body tenses up and instinct takes over, you forget where you are
  809. >your arm shoots back and pushes the hostile away
  810. >You turn around with your arms out
  811. >You see Twilight on her back rubbing her head
  812. >"Anon! What gives!?"
  813. >You feel immensely guilty and kneel by her, you help her to her hooves
  814. "Christ, I'm sorry, I have a bad thing when It comes from being grabbed from behind"
  815. >You try your best to sound apologetic
  816. >"Sorry, I should've known better. I just thought I'd... share a hug or whatever"
  817. >You look at her
  818. >"You got me clean, filled my belly and gave me a comfy place to sleep. Just thought I'd do something to show my gratitude"
  819. "Twilight. You don't owe me anything. It's nice to have a second voice around"
  820. >'Your forgeting about me' Your mind whispers
  821. >You rub your temples
  822. >You hold your arms out
  823. "C'mere?"
  824. >She wraps her hooves around your neck once again and you pull her into a tight embrace
  825.  
  826. >Be Twilight
  827. >You would be lying if you said he wasn't growing on you a bit
  828. >You'd be lying if you said the hug didn't feel nice
  829. >Been a while since you had one that wasn't forced on you
  830. >You notice Anon's hands are shaking a bit
  831.  
  832. >Be Anon
  833. >You stand back up
  834. >"Anon? Your hands were shaking, You doing alright?"
  835. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just really hate the dentist. The noises, people stuffing objects in your mouth, the like"
  836. >You lie to her, well partially
  837. >You really do hate the dentist
  838. >But that's not why your hands were shaking
  839. >Your headache comes back
  840. >You need some music
  841. >You say farewell to Twi and tell her she has the house to herself
  842. >You lock the door
  843. >You step to the pull-around where your car rests
  844. >You turned your car on and plugged in your ipod into the auxiliary
  845. >You pull out the drive-way and push play on the next song
  846. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0I6muYX-R0
  847. >Mmmmm, Retro-future
  848. >You drive a bit faster, your mind sedated
  849.  
  850. >It was a long drive, but you arrive with a few minutes to spare
  851. >The doctors call your name rather quickly, Your legs getting tired from bouncing on the floor in the waiting room
  852. >They direct you to the chair, as you've done before
  853. >You lay down, close your eyes and exhale a deep breath
  854. >You feel something tight around your ankles and wrists
  855. >You're quick to open your eyes, you see some dentists tightning belts around them
  856. >You didn't even know these chairs had those
  857. >You're quicker to relay your protests
  858. "You gotta be joking doc, This is taking a bit far, right?"
  859. >"Sorry, Anonymous, but given your past... experiences with us, we'd rather not take chances, or waste the manpower"
  860. >So it took a few larger dentist to hold you down
  861. >It's not like you can help it
  862. >The drills get to you
  863. >"Now Anonymous, please understand. It's for both of our goods, I'd rather not just sedate you"
  864. >You don't respond, you simply shut your eyes as you hear the clanking of the dentist preparing his...
  865. >Tools
  866. >'Yeah tools, we'll make this quick and painful'
  867. >Your mind begins to slip back in time to another memory
  868. >'Who are we kidding, to you it'll be veerrry slow'
  869. >You try to not replay to memory, but it over takes you as you hear the WHRRRR of a small drill
  870.  
  871. >You are strapped to a table
  872. >It is rusty and cold against your shirtless body
  873. >Your toned body no match for the braces that held you in place
  874. >You're gagged barely capable of making anything other than unintelligent moans
  875. >You're body is coverd in cuts in varying in kerf and deepness
  876. >To your right are the torturer's tools of the trade
  877. >A hacksaw, some scalpels, other blades of various sizes... a Pear of Anguish
  878. >You hope they don't use that one
  879. >At the end, standing up lies an old fashion De-walt power drill, an assortment of drill bits lie beside it
  880. >You don't get to contemplate how ponies got their hooves on one of those before the door in front of you slides open
  881. >Two Larger ponies walk toward you,
  882. >They are mostly covered, but you can see their eyes
  883. >One nods at the other, the smaller walks behind you and puts hes weight on your shoulders
  884. >The other takes some time to look at the blades, picking them up, and testing their sharpness
  885. >On your chest
  886. >He's inspected three at this point
  887. >You're starting to sweat a bit more, your back slides on the metal table
  888. >After a few more cuts, he eyes the drill
  889. >Then looks at you, you try to hide your emotions and stare back
  890. >He looks at the drill and then nods to the pony holding your shoulders
  891. >You are blindfolded
  892. >In the darkness you hear two short WRR WRR's, the pony testing the power of the drill
  893. >"You humans have some very bizzare technology" He WRRs the drill again
  894. >"I admire zis"
  895. >He talks in whats similar to a german accent
  896. >Typical
  897. >He places hoofs on the table, and your arm
  898. >Seems to have practiced using his mouth to use it
  899. >You'd make a remark about his talent, but you're a big gagged at the moment
  900. >He touches the drill bit to your throat and drills what sounds like a piece of wood
  901. >He places the drill bit back on your throat
  902. >You jerk at the burning of the bit
  903. >The pony has a muffled laugh
  904. >You hear the drill start to whir and you almost feel it coming in contact with your adam's apple
  905. >He's toying you
  906. >He lifts up the blindfold, revealing one of your eyes
  907. >He's only a few inches to your face
  908. >"You won't be getting out that easily" He whispers to you
  909. >He doesn't break eye contact as he quickly shoves the whirring drill into your arm
  910. >Your blood sprays onto the table and drill
  911. >You clench your teeth into the gag and stare wide eyed at the torturer
  912. >You body is siezing but the weight of the other pony holds you down
  913. >The eye of the torturer does not blink nor cease staring straight at you with his crazy and small pupils as a drop of blood hits his eye
  914. >You see a slight reflection your your pain stricken face in the ponies eye
  915. >You hear a voice inside your head
  916. >'He's thrashing to much, sedate him'
  917. >Your body gives out and your world goes black
  918.  
  919. >You wake up on the couch in the waiting room, noone else is there
  920. >You pull up your sleeve and check your right arm
  921. >The 1.5mm scar remains on your upper bicept
  922. >You sign out and head home.
  923.  
  924. >Be Twilight
  925. >Anon's been gone for some time
  926. >He did say he'd be a while, but you're starting to worry a bit
  927. >You wonder what had him so worked up
  928. >You didn't waste time going back into your room and viewing some thie books he had
  929. >You could have read at least 2 of these 'Steven King' by the time Anon came home
  930. >But your curiosity to explore the house a bit more gets the better of you
  931. >You try to organize the books back on the shelf the best you can
  932. >At first, you tried to see how much of your magic has came back
  933. >You're able to lift a few books off the ground, but your magic goes out with a small 'pop' and the books fall back down to ground
  934. >Guess you're doing this manually
  935. >While you were at it, you try to extend your wings out
  936. >They move rather easily as you move them in small circles, but they don't feel strong enough to actually lift your off the ground
  937. >You thank your fast, alicorn metabolism
  938. >You set a book in your mouth and start to fill up some of the lower shelves
  939. >In no time at all your forcing your neck to strecth as you try to reach higher shelves
  940. >There are still two shelves above that one
  941. >You summon your inner daredevil and try to climb the shelves like a ladder
  942. >You don't worry about the shelves breaking, you're rather light for your size
  943. >You just worry that the bookshelf will tip over, it doesn't seem secured to the wall or floor
  944. >You make your way to the shelf on the very top, inching yourself very slowly as to not fall backward
  945. >Anon would kill you if you knock this over
  946. >You get to the final few books
  947. >You try to go a bit faster, getting a bit over-confidant
  948. >You push yourself to the top a bit to quickly and the bookshelf begins to sway
  949. >Ho, boy
  950. >Your body freezes and pushes itself towards the shelf in hopes it would lean back to the wall
  951. >It didn't
  952. >As the bookshelf falls back, you slip off against the carpeted floor
  953. >You close your eyes as the book shelf decends upon you
  954. >You get blanketed with an avalanche of hard and soft covered novels
  955. >but you don't feel the shelf on you
  956. >You peak your eyes and see the shelf a few inches above your head
  957. >You wait a second, expecting it to tease you and then fall all the way, but it doesn't
  958. >You shake yourself out of the pile a books and look at the damage
  959. >Besides the mess of books the shelf happened to hit the side of your bed before it hit the ground
  960. >The bed leans under the weight of the shelf
  961. >The room itself is in disarry for your boldnes
  962. >You start to panic and begin to pace, sweat starting to form on your face
  963. >Anon's totally going to kill you
  964. >Or at least beat you senseless
  965. >You try not to think what a guy like Anon would do to you
  966. >You come up with plan
  967. >You try to lift the shelf with your magic
  968. >It hovers above the bed with great effort
  969. >Your magic makes another 'pop' sound and the shelf crashes back down on the bed
  970. >The shelf itself cracks, but the supports on the bed give in and the bed crashes to the ground
  971. >Your pupils shrink in stupidity
  972. >'Shit'
  973. >Alright, Twilight! New plan!
  974. >You made a mess and Anon'll be home any second now
  975. >Your ear twitchs
  976. >I know!
  977. >Hide like a filly! Always works
  978. >But where?
  979. >Aha! His room of course!
  980. >Anon would think it would be to obvious to find you in his room, therefore, he won't bother to look there!
  981. >You love reverse psycology
  982. >Despite psycology being the lowest of the sciences, it comes in handy
  983. >You bound away to Anon's room and hide under the bed
  984. >Hmm, roomy. You think to yourself
  985. >You notice a box near you
  986. >You probably shouldn't
  987. >Buuut you already goofed up once today, Anon won't mind if you make another, right?
  988. >Right
  989. >You shuffle to the box and open it to examine its contents
  990. >Oh, sweet Celestia
  991.  
  992. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1NAhlVRaZ4
  993. >The song ends as you pull into your driveway and park your car back in it's resting place
  994. >You loved perfect timing
  995. >You grab your dentist goodie bag that you got when you woke up
  996. >You have needed a new toothbrush
  997. >You unlock your door and step inside your home
  998. >Seems a bit... quiet
  999. >You'd be used to quiet, but not when you know someone else is in the house
  1000. >You set your bag on the breakfast table
  1001. "Twilight?" You call out to her
  1002. >You notice the open door to her room
  1003. >You rush over there when you see the bookshelf lying broken on the ground
  1004. "Twi!"
  1005. >You use your strength to push the shelf aside and dig through the pile of books
  1006. >A breath escapes you and your heartbeat lowers
  1007. >She wasn't under the shelf, which was a good signm
  1008. >So where is she?
  1009. >She wouldn't go in your room, you know that
  1010. >Unless she know you'd think that
  1011. >Better go check, just in case
  1012. >You always try to think of any possibility
  1013. >You slowley open the door to your room
  1014. >You See Twilight laying down and her back against the wall, her puffy and red eyes fixed on something
  1015. >She'd been crying
  1016. >The black bags covering your uniforms have been taken off the wall
  1017. >You slowly walk towards her to see what she's looking at
  1018. >You already had a good idea
  1019. >You see your medals spread across the floor
  1020. "Twilight, I... can explain"
  1021. >You don't say anything else, her horn lights up and you are lifted into the air
  1022. >'Ohp, Magic's back' is all you get to think as your body is slammed against the opposite wall
  1023. "T-Twi-"
  1024. >"DON'T even say my name!Don't utter another word"
  1025. >Her magic makes a little 'pop' noise and you fall on your stomach, knocking the wind out of you
  1026. >She lifts up some of your medals
  1027. >"Distinguished Sniper Markaman, Distinguished Service Cross And Look!"
  1028. >Twilight screams, she starts to break down
  1029. >She holds up a certificate
  1030. >"Awarded to Anonymous for his loyal and valiant effort against the pony menace"
  1031. >You don't say anything, you hold your head down in shame
  1032. >"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"
  1033. >She uses her magic and jerks your head up and closer to her
  1034. >It wasn't exactly comfortable
  1035. >She holds up the picture of you and your C.O. shaking hands, you had your rifle slung across your back
  1036. >She turns it around so you can read the message scribbled on the back
  1037. >"Read. It. Aloud."
  1038. >You stay silent for a few seconds to long
  1039. >She uses her magic to lift you up, and slam you on the ground
  1040. >"READ IT!"
  1041. >Tears begin to flow from her eyes
  1042. "Dear Anonymous," you begin. You're voice weak
  1043. "I'd like to congratulate you again for your FANTASTIC work at the Badlands.
  1044. You showed the ponies a thing or two!
  1045. Hope the looks on their faces was a satisfying birthday present!
  1046. With love, General Jackson Vonague"
  1047. >You try to look away
  1048. >"You are a monster" Twilight stammers out
  1049. "Twi... I'm so sorry, I'm not like tha-"
  1050. >"Be quiet!"
  1051. >She throws you with her magic, it sends you across the room
  1052. >Your guitar breaks the fall
  1053. >You get up, and look at your guitar
  1054. >It's crushed
  1055. >A string breaks with a 'Twang'
  1056. >You feel your anger rising
  1057. >You try to bottle it
  1058. >You look over Twilight
  1059. "Twilight, I'm sorry for what I did. I regret It every day, and every night, the memory plagues my sleep. I cannot change what I did, and I know saying sorry accounts for nothing, I killed innocent women and children. I didn't wan't to do it, but I was selfish and didn't think of the reprocussions."
  1060. >You try to think of more to say, you feel tears coating your eyes. An unfamiliar feeling
  1061. >"They had ME investigate the damage done there! When I arrived, all of it was too much, The charred bodies, the scattered ponies, all with holes in them! It was all too much to take in! I followed the trajectory of where the bullets came from, I found where you fired from. You had a good view of them, didn't you! IT WAS YOU!!"
  1062. >Hearing this from her, you almost break, you falter, but you continue
  1063. "Afterwards, when noone was in the barracks, I cried, I cried so much. I tried to give myself excused to justify my actions, that's when the nightmares started, I can see all their faces, I remember all their talents. I can't let them go"
  1064. >She looks at you, you feel a tear fall to the ground
  1065. "I tried to leave, I was captured by ponies and tortured. I got out and finished my duties. I tried to get away."
  1066. >Twilight starts crying more, you walk over to her and collapse by her
  1067. "When I came back home, I didn't have anywhere. The government gave me this house and I hid myself away from the world. I shut myself in and let myself rot."
  1068. >Twi looks up to you, your ribs ache
  1069. "I beat myself up everyday for what I've done, I thought, If I got you, maybe I could redeem myself. Funny right? A demon want's to make things all better with one of the leaders of the people I used to hunt"
  1070. "I thought if I found your friends, you could use those element things and make it all better, right? I thought if I brought you guys back and closed the door, I'd stop being such a miserable shit!"
  1071. >Twilight looks away, more tears flow out of you. You begin to sniff
  1072. "I don't expect your forgiveness. I don't expect you to do anything to help me. I just want to get you guys back home"
  1073. >"I- I want to find my friends too" Twilight manages to say between sniffs
  1074. "Please, let us do it together, I don't know if you'd be able to do this on your own if I let you go, I'm considered a fucking legend to some people, I want to use that to save your friends. Please, let me help you. Let me forgive myself"
  1075. >You tried your best to sound genuine, but you weren't ever good at words
  1076. >Twilight softly nods
  1077. >"Ok... You are my only, best chance at finding my friends, if they are even alive. I don't think I can forgive you for what you've done, but I have to trust you If I stand any chance. I won't make it a few blocks without someone seeing me"
  1078. >You place a hand behind her ear and give a little scratch
  1079. >You hope it does something to calm her down
  1080. >She wrapps her hooves around your neck and begins to break down
  1081. >You break also
  1082. >You both cry together in the dimly lit light of your room
  1083. >"Tell me about your service"
  1084. >Twilight is the first to speak up after you both ran out of tears
  1085. >You respond quickly
  1086. "I was 19 when I was drafted, I was pretty good with a gun alread. Father took me hunting and shooting every so while"
  1087. >She doesn't flinch when you say 'hunting'
  1088. "I spent a while in training and they quickly noticed how good a shot I was, one of the best in the range. I got stronger in mind and body and eventually, after the first major battles with ponies, I was sent in along with a team. We fought, as usually skirmishes usually went. Others were scared, they shot frantically and some tried to be heroes and rush out. 'They're just ponies' one says as he rushes out of cover. He made it a few steps before a blast of energy from a unicorn tore his body to shreds."
  1089. >Twilight winces a bit
  1090. "I never saw anything like it, there's always a difference between expectation of death and reality. I was quick to harden up and I bottled up my feelings. I was able to get a few shots out and killed a good bit of the ponies. Instead of full auto, I placed my shots individually and carefully. I didn't miss.
  1091. "After a while, they signed me up for marksman training and gave me a sniper weapon. That's when they discovered my potential and... talent. They utilized me as their 'silent killer' and was placed in more and more important positions. I was rarely spotted, and I was seen, I never missed.
  1092. "Eventually, they placed me for the job in the Badlands. That's when I realized how wrong everything truely was. If I knew sooner how everything i've done would lead up to, I'd have found a way to stop it. But I didn't and I ruined your entire races' lives.
  1093. It was always mostly against ponies we fought. Minor races like diamond dogs were quickly eradicated and any who escaped, burrowed deep underground and never seen again.
  1094. Dragons, however, we didn't take any chances. We nuked their homeland as soon as we were cleared for it."
  1095. >Twilight didn't say anything
  1096. "I'm sure there is a lot going in your head. I'm going to fix this, with you. I cannot replace the lives lost, but we can still save those left."
  1097. >"Ok, I'll hold you to that"
  1098.  
  1099. >You're going to make this work, you have to
  1100. >For both of your sakes
  1101. >You made a promise
  1102. >Both you and Twilight make your way to the living room and you sit down on your couch
  1103. >You pull your laptop from under it a turn it on.
  1104. "Who should we look for first, Twilight. We have to do this one at a time"
  1105. >She thinks it over.
  1106. >Who does she choose?
  1107.  
  1108. >http://strawpoll.me/6475328
  1109. *Narrator's note: Choose wisely, scenarios will differ in length. Events taken place in a scenario may hinder or help the characters in certain ways. Time will be written differently as more characters are collected. A small description lies beside the character on the type of situation they are in. They vary on degrees of silliness and seriousness
  1110.  
  1111. >"Well, we could start with Spike?"
  1112. "Spike?"
  1113. >"Yeah, my dragon, he was my assistant back before all of this"
  1114. >Your eyes widen a bit
  1115. "You had a dragon as a personal assistant?"
  1116. >"Well he was only a baby dragon at the time, only helped me clean, organized. Occasionally he'd help us out on the adventures my friends and I would go on"
  1117. >You think a dragon would be useful to have in the future
  1118. >"By this time he should be in his late teens or so..."
  1119. >Her eyes lower and her tone becomes softer
  1120. >"I haven't seen him in several years, he must've gotten so much bigger, Hes in his mid-teens by now."
  1121. >You reach out and pat her head
  1122. "Don't worry, Twilight, We'll find him, wherever he is. After that, we'll find your friends. I promise we won't stop until we do"
  1123. >"But they could be anywhere in the world, How could we find them in a world of such scope?"
  1124. >You knew the answer to that
  1125. "Well, the portal to Equestria opened in America, making it property to the Americans, after intense political debate. I prefer to stay out of politics, though. We almost entered World War three after the world's super-powers fought for any sort of claim to your world."
  1126. >"World War... Three" Twilight interjects
  1127. >"I... won't get into that. However, after the ponies where defeated in the war, the American government decided, after knowing the potential that you and your friends posed if you were together, seperated you all, but kept all of you in America; as they didn't want any of you to fall in the hands of other countries."
  1128. >Twilight perks up a bit
  1129. >"So, all my friends are in different parts of this country?"
  1130. "Yes, as to not aroused suspision, they were sold and bought to varying Americans, who didn't know your talents. Luckily, all pony sales, especially your friends', are recorded in government data bases."
  1131. >"Are you able to access these files?"
  1132. >You begin tapping away at your laptop
  1133. >"Well, sorta, because of my... position, I'm able to look at very little information. But we need to focus on getting Spike first. Since he's a dragon, I wouldn't know where he is, noone would dare buy a dragon here. I know nothing of any dragon's whereabouts after we nuked them. We considered them done for, any remaining ones that weren't at their homeland would still be wandering around Equestria, we'd surely know if any entered the portal to here."
  1134. >Twilight begins to ponder for a moment
  1135. >"Well, he was with me after your bombs hit their land, he insisted on going over there to help out. I tried to convince him not to, but he left anyway. That was the last time I saw him. I was brought here before he returned. But if he did manage to come through the portal undetected, my bet would be that he would find us first. His ability to smell and detect this was stronger than other dragons when he hit his first growth spurt."
  1136. >She looks to the ground
  1137. >"I remember how when he first sense of smell got better, he was so scared, telling me all the sorts of strange things he had started smelling. The birds, the flowers, the food in the pantry. He could name everything he smelled. After he got better managing it, he helped Rarity with her gem finding, he found more gems by smelling them than Rarity did with her magic. He ate to much and got a massive stomach ache." Twilight giggles "I kept telling him not to eat so much, but he kept at it"
  1138. >She pauses
  1139. >Twilight's mind, so full of memories
  1140. >You took that from her, but you'll do your best to make it up to her.
  1141. >Finding her dragon seemed like a good place to start
  1142. >People around here still assumed dragons to be a myth, despite the fact magical horses came into the picture
  1143. >It wouldn't stop them from coming up with crazy theories or faked sightings, though
  1144. >You're sure one of these sightings could lead to somewhere. You hope
  1145. >You decide not to tell Twilight that you weren't sure where to start
  1146. >But hey, Spike seemed very attached to Twilight, so you believed that if anything, he'd find you
  1147. >It'll be hard to convince him your intentions were good, before he maims you or worse.
  1148. >It was starting to get late again. You tell Twilight you'll keep searching for something and tell her if you see anything.
  1149. >'Purple with green scales on his head and chest' She described him
  1150. >You got her to tell you more memories she had of him, which seemed to cheer her up.
  1151. >Always good to keep positive memories
  1152. >You remeber that her bed sorta broke, so you insisted that she takes yours.
  1153. >Her tired body doesn't argue much, and you carry her to your room.
  1154. >You set her in your bed and tuck her in, giving a small scratch behind her ear
  1155. >She softly hums and digs her body deeper in the covers
  1156. >You had a long way to go if you were going to make things right for her, and yourself
  1157. >Maybe this small boost of confidence is a good start.
  1158. >Before you leave your room, you look at your broken guitar on the ground
  1159. >You forgave her for that a long time ago, you can get a new one
  1160.  
  1161. >You go back to your laptop, a few tabs already open with bogus dragon sightings
  1162. >Mostly garbage, you don't find anything of any important
  1163. >You don't spend much more time on it though, you're rather beat
  1164. >You close your laptop and lay your head on a throw pillow, not bothering to get a blanket
  1165.  
  1166. >You wake up in a cold sweat
  1167. >You had the dream again
  1168. >It's a bit after sunrise, 11:21 as your watch says
  1169. >Your focus shifts to the window
  1170. >It was bright and sunny
  1171. >A good day to go for a run
  1172. >You go to your room to check on Twilight
  1173. >She's still asleep
  1174. >But she has one of your pillows wrapped around her arms and legs
  1175. >She was small enough for it to be a body pillow
  1176. >It's a rather adorable sight, it brings a small grin to your face
  1177. >You silently undress, and neatly fold your clothes and lie them next to your dresser
  1178. >You slowly open a drawer and pull out some of your running tights
  1179. >You slide them on and pull the ends to to your shins
  1180. >It looked to hot out to wear a shirt, so your decide not to get one
  1181. >You exit the room and pull the door shut
  1182. >Tieing your running shoes on, you place your earbuds in your ear and connect them to your ipod
  1183. >You exit your home and walk to the end of your driveway
  1184. >You forget to lock the door
  1185. >You realize that only after you leave your driveway and turn down a street
  1186. >'What kind of paranoid vet forgets to lock his door?'
  1187. >Don't answer that
  1188. >It was a rhetorical question
  1189. >You switch your ipod to the next song
  1190. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64liF2VuLxI
  1191. >You can dig it
  1192. >You need something loud to forget where you are
  1193. >Your mind becomes entrances as you set your body into a pace
  1194. >Not too fast, not too slow
  1195. >Occasionally a car would come, as you run on the left side of the road, so you subconsciously move to the gravel
  1196. >You carefully avoid the pot-holes
  1197. >The next song comes on
  1198. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jPaZzQt5DQ
  1199. >Not the best thing you have
  1200. >But it's loud
  1201. >Loud drowns out the senses
  1202. >Brings out your inner misanthrope
  1203. >The song drops and you pick up your pace, extending your stride and raising your knees more
  1204. >You start to build up sweat
  1205. >You can't hear how loud you're breathing
  1206. >You fatigue
  1207. >You get a second wind as you flip to the next song
  1208. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hbjmv1deZ0
  1209. >Anything but country
  1210. >The loweset of forms
  1211. >It's been a few miles
  1212. >You're still going strong, a few small hills, but nothing you haven't done a hundred times before
  1213. >You think you see something out of the corner of your eye
  1214. >Probably a leaf
  1215. >You're winded
  1216. >You always notice the looks of people driving by you in cars
  1217. >It's like they've never seen a shirtless guy before
  1218. >You still have a few miles to go on your loop
  1219. >You made sure to look at the fields of farmland as you run by them
  1220. >You appreciate the scenery it offers
  1221. >The grains of wheat blowing in waves in the wind, shifting like the ocean's tide
  1222. >You don't get much more time to enjoy it, as you are yanked to the side by a strong force
  1223. >You were mid-stride, and too tired to react fast enough as you are thrown into the ditch
  1224. >the side of the road was littered with trees, any drivers would be none the wiser
  1225. >Clever girl
  1226. >You're body hits the leaves and you feel a knee in your back and sharpness in your side
  1227. >"Are you Anonymous?"
  1228. >At least he's polite
  1229. "Yep, do you mind?"
  1230. >You'd return the politness, but he interrupted your song
  1231. >You feel the knee lift off you and the attacker squats by you
  1232. >Your turn your head and notice a purple dragon squatting by you with the claw of his index finger to your kidney
  1233. >Hot damn, what a coinkydink
  1234. "Spike I presume?"
  1235. >He simply moves his eyes to you
  1236. >"Yeah"
  1237. "You could've killed me if you wanted, I didn't know you were there. I guess you've been following me so I assume you know where I live, whats stopping you?"
  1238. >He just stares blankly at you
  1239. >"Saw you talking with Twilight, she seemed... calm. I don't know what you're doing to her, but it stops now."
  1240. >He puts more pressure on your side with his claw, you wince a bit, his claws are thick
  1241. "I know you won't believe me, but I haven't done anything with Twilight. We just so happened to be talking about you, we were going to look for you.
  1242. >"You're a really bad liar"
  1243. "At least let her tell you that herself, you do want to see her, right? She did say you would find us first with your sense of smell."
  1244. >With that his ear scale things perk up
  1245. >"Only she would tell you that, but anyone can assume dragons can smell"
  1246. "Good enough to outbeat Rarity's gem-finding magic, huh?"
  1247. >With that, he sighs and retracts his claw, not looking at anything
  1248. "You shouldn't eat so many sweets, kid. They'll upset your stomach"
  1249. >His eyes look a bit wet
  1250. >"Ok, I get it... can you take me to her? I'm so close to talking with her again"
  1251. "Yeah, come on, run with me"
  1252. >You finish your run with the dragon, you notice hes a bit shorter than you, about six feet tall
  1253. >Whenever a car would come by, he'd leap to the side and the driver would be too lazy to investigate further
  1254. "Been years, huh?"
  1255. >"Look, I appreciate the small talk, but I just don't trust you yet, you're a human, you know what that means. I'm just here for Twilight and I'll be done with you"
  1256. >Ah, teenagers
  1257. >You arrive back at your home and enter it with Spike, who gives you a suspicious look
  1258. >Can't blame him
  1259. >His eyes dart around, hoping to find what has been lost to him
  1260. >You hear something in your pantry
  1261. "Yo, Twi?"
  1262. >The pony walks out, with your jar of Nutella stuck around her muzzle
  1263. >It's a rather puzzling sight
  1264. >She freezes and looks a you
  1265. >Then to Spike
  1266. >Then to you
  1267. >Then down at the Nutella
  1268. >You notice her toungue on the bottom of the jar
  1269. >Caught her mid-lick
  1270. >You're first to speak up
  1271. "My Nutella..."
  1272. >The jar pops off her mouth, Nutella is smeared in her fur and her mouth ajar
  1273. >It bounces on the floor a few times then goes silent
  1274. >Her brain snaps out of it and darts at Spike
  1275. >You notice her wings arn't numb anymore as she slams into Spike full force
  1276. >Spike somehow manages to supress the force and catches Twilight
  1277. >"I-Is it really you?" Twilight stammers out, already crying again
  1278. >"Kept you waiting, huh?" Spike replies
  1279. >Did he just-
  1280. >"It's been so many years!" Twilight's crying coating Spike's scales with tears and Nutella
  1281. >It's a rather heartwarming reunion
  1282. >Like a mother and son
  1283. >You feel a bit better inside
  1284. "I'll leave you two alone"
  1285. >You head for the shower to clean off the sweat
  1286.  
  1287. >Be Twilight
  1288. >And you are happy
  1289. >And messy
  1290. >Slamming into Spike caused you to rub off a lot of that delicious Nutella onto him
  1291. >But that's the least of your worries
  1292. >You have Spike back!
  1293. "Spike!" You say with tears welling up
  1294. >The first thing you notice is how tall he's gotten
  1295. >Almost as tall as Anonymous
  1296. "How's the weather up there?"
  1297. >Spike lets out a small laugh
  1298. >"Hit a few more growth spurts, if you can't tell"
  1299. >You squeeze him a bit harder
  1300. "Ohhhh my little assistant isn't so little anymore"
  1301. >You let go of him and wipe your mouth with a wet rag that was by the sink
  1302. >You're able to use your magic to wipe the bits off Spike too
  1303. >Your magic still isn't fully back, but you're able to do smaller objects
  1304. >You could feel your wings more as well
  1305. >You and Spike walk over to the couch and you hear Anonymous turn his shower on
  1306. "So! Spike, I have so many questions!"
  1307. >"You ALWAYS have a whole bunch of questions"
  1308. >You cover your mouth as you giggle
  1309. >You're so giddy now
  1310. >It's been years
  1311. >You start with the most obvious
  1312. "So how'd Anonymous find you so quick?"
  1313. >"Actually, I found Anonymous, I've actually found this house a day or two ago, I just needed Anon to be on his own before I confronted him"
  1314. "You didn't hurt him too much, right?"
  1315. >"I was close to but then he started saying that you were alright and yadda yadda. I'm still finding it hard to believe he's doing this for us"
  1316. >You suppose you should tell him Anon's background, but you omit that
  1317. "I'm really glad to have you here. Anon promised us he'd find our friends"
  1318. >"Is anyone else here?"
  1319. >You notice he's gotten used to saying 'anyone' instead of 'anypony'
  1320. >He must've been here for a while
  1321. "Spike, how did you find your way here?"
  1322. >"After going back to the Dragon's Lair-"
  1323. >He pauses
  1324. >"After going... home, and seeing the damage, I headed back to Ponyville. You were gone, everyone was gone. So I ran to Canterlot, it was also deserted, I tried to find the princesses, they sealed themselves away 'unable to deal with the ruination of their utopia' they told me. They only spoke to me to open a small one-way portal to this world with their combined magic. After awakening here, I traveled for years around the place, trying to find any clue to where you were. Eventually, making my way here."
  1325. >He pulls out a small loft of purple hair from under his scales, it was stuck together with blood
  1326. >"I used this to smell you out, I found it in your old castle. I couldn't wash it, or else the scent would be gone. So I kept it under my breast scales."
  1327. >Closest to his heart
  1328. >"i've been searching for you for years. Hardely eating, rarely sleeping. But i've finally found you"
  1329. >You feel some fresh tears
  1330. "You did good Spike, I could'nt be more proud"
  1331. >You both hug again
  1332. "I know I should'nt ask, but what did you find in the Dragon's Lair?"
  1333. >His eyes darken
  1334. >"There was nothing there. It's barely an island anymore, the volcano is hardely a hill. Everything is just a bigger, blacker crater. There was hardely any skeletons, any remains there were practically dust. It's all gone. There was something in the air too, it made my scales feel tingly"
  1335. >You should ask Anonymous about the 'nuke'
  1336. >Spike re-directed the conversation
  1337. >"So who is Anonymous? What's his deal?"
  1338. "He's a man plauged with guilt. He means well, he feels his only goal in life is to find our friends, and he CAN find them. I believe he's our only chance at getting Equestria back"
  1339. >"You really think he's capable of that?" Spike looks to the bathroom, where the shower water has stopped flowing
  1340. "Honestly, I believe so. He may be the last, best hope for Pony-kind."
  1341.  
  1342. >You are Anon
  1343. >The last, best hope for Pony-kind
  1344. >And you are struggling to get the last of the shampoo out of the bottle
  1345. "Fuckin' Twilight, having so much hair"
  1346. >You repeatedly slap and shake the body like a newborn baby
  1347. >You need that 'poo
  1348. "This little douche"
  1349. >Heh, shampoo jokes
  1350. >Your shower does have a way to put anyone in a better mood
  1351. >Well, you got one friend down, five to go
  1352. >He wasn't an element, but having a six foot tall dragon could help
  1353. >You're sure he can do a good job keeping out of sight
  1354. >He must have learned quickly if he's gone this long without being seen
  1355. >You'll have to tell it to him straight
  1356. >Your military background
  1357. >Can't keep this group together without being honest
  1358. >That's something they'd say
  1359. >You finally get enough shampoo into your hand to clean your long hair
  1360. >You constantly have to shake off all the loose hairs that get stuck on your fingers
  1361. >A minor inconvienience
  1362. >You wipe your body with your wash and dry yourself off
  1363. >You know Spike won't take it well
  1364. >You figured he'd have gone to the Dragon's Lair after you nuked it
  1365. >Hopefully he won't straight up kill you
  1366. >It wasn't a good plan
  1367. >But you were never known for your ideas
  1368. >You walk back to the living room
  1369. >They finish their small talk and turn to you
  1370. "You two catch up enough?"
  1371. >Twilight pipes in
  1372. >"There isn't much that there is to talk about, considering the circumstances. But Spike is more than eager to help you find our friends."
  1373. >"So, Anon" Spike leans on the armrest "who are you exactly? What makes you have the need to help us?"
  1374. >Here we go
  1375. >You walk to Spike
  1376. "Spike, if we're gonna make this ragtag little group work, I'm going to have to be honest with you completely. I know you're not going to like it"
  1377. >Spike looks at you more intently
  1378. "Spike, I fought in the war against ponies. I was one of their top snipers"
  1379. >His eyes, as big as they are, widen
  1380. "I was there when they launched the bomb that destroyed your home, and I was the shooter at the Bad-"
  1381. >You didn't finish, Spike lunged at your throat, teeth bared
  1382. >You didn't flinch, you simply closed your eyes
  1383. >But the pain didn't come
  1384. >Although a part of you wish it had
  1385. >It'd make the whole ordeal much easier for your
  1386. >You open your eyes
  1387. >Spike's mouth is right over your throat, but his body is covered in a purple aura
  1388. >Twilight holds him with her magic
  1389. >You hear light static
  1390. >'Shame, I thought you wanted to die'
  1391. >The voice in you speaks up
  1392. >'That'll come later, then'
  1393. >The white noise dies and leaves a headache
  1394. >You look at Spike
  1395. >His eyes hold primal rage
  1396. >They're staring directly at you, unblinking
  1397. >Twilight releases her magic and Spike sits back in the couch
  1398. >"Not in front of Twilight" is all he says as he gets up and walks down the steps to the basement
  1399. >He didn't know where he was going, he just needed to get away
  1400. >Hopefully he doesn't take the spot you use down there
  1401. >Twilight begins to speak
  1402. >"I'm... sorry about that"
  1403. "Don't be, I expected worse to happen. At least the magic's coming back in"
  1404. >"Yeah. I know you had to say that to him. Better you tell him than to have him find out. I'll talk to him more, but it'll take him sometime before he warms up to you."
  1405. "I understand" you mutter
  1406. >"Anon, tell me about the 'nukes'"
  1407. >The question almost caught you off guard, but you understand her desire to know
  1408. "Nuclear weaponry, stuff we created long before the war; only gotten stronger since then. They harness certain elements to create an explosive reaction. I'm no scientist, but I know the bomb is filled with certain isotopes, the one we used was a Hydrogen bomb, so it had hydrogen and other elemental isotopes. Umm..."
  1409. >Twilight simply looks at you, learning, for the most part
  1410. "The casing, ones detonated, expel an insurmountable amounts of radiation, causing inner casings to compress and they react. Causing them to violently explode."
  1411. >You motion your fists together, then spread them apart when to emphasize 'explode'
  1412. "This leads to widespread radiation and nuclear fallout, which can last several years in the area, and make it uninhabitable"
  1413. >Twilight stares at you somberly
  1414. "I cannot tell you much about the science of radiation, just know that it's extremely dangerous and areas high in it will cause sickness and death. Nuclear bombs are the most dangerous weapons ever devised by man. Many countries have them, but noone uses them, the chain reaction would destroy the world."
  1415. >You give Twilight a moment to absorb it all
  1416. >"You humans..."
  1417. "For what it's worth, and it's not at all. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry"
  1418. >Twilight takes a moment to respond
  1419. >"We need to keep going. We shouldn't waste time"
  1420. "Right, who do you think we should find next?"
  1421. >"We should find Flutteshy, She's the most fragile of all of us. She should be first"
  1422. "Understood. Here, I'll see what I kind find"
  1423. >You pull out your laptop and search the name Fluttershy in the database
  1424. "She's in... the 'Natural Habitat for Otherworldly beings'"
  1425. >"The... What?"
  1426. "Seems she's in some sort of zoo for creatures captured in your world. Seems like it was built a few years ago"
  1427. >"Seems fitting... almost. She's an animal pony, can we visit a prison on the way?"
  1428. >You shoot Twilight a look
  1429. >"... I was only joking, you get it right?"
  1430. "I don't worry, I got it"
  1431. >You secretly thought it was funny
  1432. >But you didn't laugh on the outside
  1433. >"So where is this place?"
  1434. >You pull up Google Earth and point to Michigan
  1435. "We are here"
  1436. >"On the big hand mitten?"
  1437. "Yes and she's here"
  1438. >You point to lower Ohio
  1439. >Closer than you thought, to be honest
  1440. >"That's pretty close! thats like a short train ride!"
  1441. "It'll actually take about seven hours, give or take Without traffic in my car"
  1442. >"You're country is too big"
  1443. "I know"
  1444.  
  1445. >You are still Anon
  1446. "We can head out tommorrow morning, get an early start. I'm sure it'll be a long day
  1447. >Twilight steps off of the couch
  1448. >"Sounds fine to me, what time is it?"
  1449. "It's half past three. I can see if I can't cook us up something to eat"
  1450. >You pause for a moment, remembering that Spike's hiding downstairs
  1451. "Maybe I can find something for Spike to eat too, I'm sure I have some hot dogs or whatever. It isn't much, but the meat'll beat anything he's had for a while"
  1452. >Twilight looks at you
  1453. "Yes, the rhyme was intentional"
  1454. >You're trying to be a little more loose around Twilight, to get her to open up more
  1455. >But you've always sucked at it, which is why you don't do it much
  1456. >Didn't hurt too much to try, though
  1457. >You fill a pot with water and set it on the stove to boil.
  1458. >Putting three hot dogs in the pot, you pause, and simply put the rest of the hot dogs in the pot
  1459. >Spike's probably starving. You know he wouldn't show it
  1460. >You take a raw hot dog and take a bite our of it, it lets out a satifying crunch
  1461. >Koegel hot dogs. The only way to have them, with a good layer of skin and flavor
  1462. >They were the only hot dogs your dad would eat
  1463. >You remember him always taking a few and handing you one all the time when you were younger
  1464. >He'd also slice ring bologna and put horseradish on it and microwave it
  1465. >The simple things you'd enjoy with him
  1466. >You notice Twilight looking at you, with a cringe
  1467. >Oh yeah, meat
  1468. >The crunch was probably like nails on a chalkboard to her
  1469. >It didn't stop you from taking another, though
  1470. "Sorry, I know you're a herbivore and all that. But I enjoy this stuff. Don't worry, I'll make something better for you"
  1471. >"Need me to do anything to help?"
  1472. "Nah, don't worry about it, you can do whatever and i'll call you when it's ready"
  1473. >Twilight walks off, leaving you to the kitchen
  1474. >You lived alone for awhile, gotta learn something
  1475. >You take a final bite of the hot dog and savor the crunch as you chew
  1476.  
  1477. >Be Twilight
  1478. >You remembered that you destroyed Anon's guitar in your... fit of rage
  1479. >You can slowly feel your magical energy coming back, but very slowly
  1480. >It'd be faster if this world had ambient magic
  1481. >But you'd have to rely on you Alicorn physiology to repair itself manually
  1482. >You still didn't understand the full potential of being an alicorn
  1483. >You had your studies after Celestia ascended you, but you didn't get far
  1484. >You enter Anon's room and look and the mess of splintered wood
  1485. >The guitar is broken in half and the front panel is caved in
  1486. >Some strings are bent and there are small wood splinters litering the carpet
  1487. >You knew some alchemical magic to fuse the wood back together, some adept material
  1488. >Nothing you couldn't handle. You feel magically strong enough to accomplish the feat
  1489. >You enwrap the instrument with your magic and observe it floating before you
  1490. >You don't want your magic to fizz out again and cause more damage
  1491. >Time to focus
  1492. >Your mind plays out the routines and small spells you've practiced hundreds of times in the past
  1493. >The guitar faintly fades into a purple mesh and the two halves of the guitar come together
  1494. >You focus out the dents and the small cracks and begin putting the spliters back in their places
  1495. >Like a puzzle, you think
  1496. >The guitar makes smalls cracking noises and moans against your magic as it puts itself back together
  1497. >You think you got the shape of the guitar together
  1498. >You shift your mind to the strings
  1499. >Fusing the snapped strings back together, you are able to put them back in their rightful place
  1500. >It won't be tuned, but you get them nice and tought
  1501. >The guitar comes out of it's purple mesh and presents itself to you
  1502. >Good as new, if not better. It's even got a nice shine on the woods veneer
  1503. >You knew you were the best, not to brag
  1504. >You admire your work. You still got it
  1505. >Time to show Anon, you think he'll really appreciate it
  1506. >You knew he hid his rage when he saw it broken
  1507. >You're lucky he didn't take it out on you
  1508. >Hopefully this will win his favor
  1509. >With newfound spirit you prance back out to the kitchen where Anon has his finger in his mouth
  1510. >He looks to you
  1511. >"Burned it... You're horn's glowing, what do you have"
  1512. >You don't fail to lose your smile as you levitate the newly constructed guitar from behind the wall
  1513. >Anon's eyes go wide
  1514. >It's the most emotion you've seen him display at something
  1515. >"My guitar, you fixed it!"
  1516. "My magic seems to be coming back nicely" you say in a smug grin
  1517. >It's ok to be a little prideful in your work
  1518. >You gravitate the instrument to him where he cautiously grabs onto it with caring hands
  1519. >He plucks some of the strings, and winces at the strings being out of tune.
  1520. >"Couldn't tune it for me?" he says actually grinning at you
  1521. >It... actually makes you smile back at him
  1522. >He twangs at the strings and twists the little peg things at the head of the guitar
  1523. >Eventually he has the guitar with sound to match it's beauty
  1524. >He strums out a small tune
  1525. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eERsVqIFrE4
  1526. >You find yourself hypnotized again
  1527. >Anon sure loves music
  1528. >You're sure he finds it a good distraction from his mind
  1529.  
  1530. >Be Anon, finishing your little tune
  1531. >Twilight did a nice thing, she did a very nice thing
  1532. >For you
  1533. >She did something for you. And you are glad
  1534. >You don't say that often
  1535. >You'll remember this. It isn't much, but a little kindness goes a long way
  1536. >You set the guitar down and walk towards her
  1537. >She instinctivly backs up in suprise, you are undeterred
  1538. >You kneel down onto your knees and pull her into a hug
  1539. >You squeeze her tightly, She is suprised at first and begins to slowly hug back
  1540. >Anon, master of hugs
  1541. "Thank you"
  1542. >You say it trying to sound as sincere as possible
  1543. >For real, this time
  1544. >You break the hug, Twilight seemed like she wasn't done though
  1545. >More hugs'll have to wait
  1546. >You need sustanance
  1547. >You have already put Spike's hot dogs on a paper plate, with some ketchup on the side, in case he likes that stuff
  1548. >You doubt he's even had it before
  1549. >He hasn't lived yet
  1550. >For you, you have made some beef stroganoff from Hamburger Helper
  1551. >It isn't your go-to meal, but it's quick to make
  1552. >For Twilight you have a head of cabbage
  1553. >Just kidding, for her, you have some Mac and Cheese
  1554. >It's something
  1555. >You only had a few minutes, give yourself some credit
  1556. "I'll be right back, I want to give Spike his food"
  1557. >You begin to head down the steps and Twilight stops you
  1558. >"Need me to do it?" She looks concerned
  1559. >Understandable
  1560. "Nah, he wouldn't do anything with you here"
  1561. >Probably wasn't the best thing to say, but oh well
  1562. >You turn on the light in the basement and look around
  1563. "Spike?"
  1564. >You don't seem him
  1565. >And you already know the best hiding spots
  1566. >You give up with a sigh
  1567. "I'm setting your food right here, it's meat, I hope you like it, some sauce too if you want to try it"
  1568. >You head back up the stairs
  1569. >"Anything?"
  1570. "No, he's staying out of sight for the mean time"
  1571. >"I'm sorry he's acting like this, he used to be so lively"
  1572. "I don't blame him. In this world, someone like him needs to grow up fast"
  1573. >You go back to the kitchen counter and put your food and Twilight's in bowls
  1574. >You think you hear a familiar crunch from downstairs
  1575.  
  1576. >You set your food on the table, sans the burns from carrying too many plates
  1577. >Twilight looks at her mac and cheese
  1578. "Something wrong?"
  1579. >"N-no... It's just so... cheesy"
  1580. >This mare
  1581. >You have half a mind to throw her out for not wanting glorious cheesy goodness
  1582. >You'll let it slide this time
  1583. "C'mon, you'll like it. I'm sure our cheeses are different"
  1584. >She uses her magic to lift the spoon and dig out some macaroni
  1585. >The spoon shakes a bit, she's trying to get used to using magic casually again
  1586. >Like using your less dominant hand
  1587. >You're somewhat ambidextrious, so you never had that problem
  1588. >She takes a bite and licks leftover cheese from her lips
  1589. >If you had half a mind, you'd think that was erotic
  1590. >You try not to think to much about that
  1591. >You look at her expectantly
  1592. >"It.. it's good"
  1593. >She takes some more bites
  1594. >Anon, master of hugs and now master of the ways of the mac and cheese
  1595. >More stuff to add to your resume
  1596. >You both continue your meals in silence
  1597. >Not an awkward silence, but a peaceful one
  1598. >Your mind is giving you a short break
  1599. >Finishing up you head downstairs to get Spike's plate
  1600. >It's in the same spot
  1601. >However there are no remains of hot dogs, some tooth holes in the plate
  1602. >You notice the plate itsself is moist, licked clean
  1603. >He must have been starving
  1604. >No ketchup either, nice
  1605. >He knows whats up
  1606. >You begin to head back upstairs when a voice stops you
  1607. >"Thanks"
  1608. >You could tell the general direction of where it came from
  1609. >Up
  1610. >You had those removable square panels on the ceiling, he must be up there
  1611. "You're welcome, Spike"
  1612. >You ascend up the stairs
  1613. >You throw the paper plate away and rinse your bowl and twilight's in the sink
  1614. >You place them in the dishwasher after a glare from Twilight
  1615. "Alright, we should probably go to bed early. We'll get an early start tommorrow and head to the... preservation to find Fluttershy"
  1616. >You pause then add:
  1617. "By any means necessary"
  1618. >You don't want to be all 'action hero' but you're willing to go to the extreme to do this
  1619. >You rememeber an old quote
  1620. >'To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift' -Steve Prefontaine
  1621. >An inspiration in your high school cross country days
  1622. >Twilight nods and heads to her room
  1623. "Wait..."
  1624. >Twilight stops and looks at you, puzzled
  1625. "Your room's still a bit destroyed, do you want to take my bed?"
  1626. >Her face gets a bit red
  1627. "No no! Not like that, I'll sleep on the couch!"
  1628. >Smooth as fuckin silk, Anon
  1629. >You've never even asked a girl out back then
  1630. >Now you're asking a colored pony to sleep in your bed
  1631. >Damage control
  1632. >Twilight, still blushing, looks at you
  1633. >"You... can still sleep in the bed... if you want"
  1634.  
  1635. >Be Twilight for a second
  1636. >'Oh shit nigga, what are you doing' is all you can think
  1637. >You don't want him on the couch
  1638. >You want him still with you
  1639. >For comfort reasons, of course
  1640. >Purely for the best interest of both parties
  1641. >You don't want him to get cold
  1642.  
  1643. >Be Anon again
  1644. >You don't, by any means, feel THAT way towards Twilight
  1645. >And she asked if you want to stay in the bed with her
  1646. >The hell do you say?
  1647. >Say no, tell her no
  1648. "Uh... sure"
  1649. >Goddamnit
  1650. >You both awkwardly walk to your room, and you instinctivly begin to pull of your shirt
  1651. >You stop, realize who's with you, and you put your shirt back on
  1652.  
  1653. >Be Twilight again, purely for comedy gold
  1654. >'Dem muscles' you think
  1655. >And... scars
  1656. >Scars are cool, right?
  1657. >You don't think about where he got them, though
  1658.  
  1659. >Snap back to Anon, bender of the rules of nature
  1660. >You crawl under the covers of the bed and Twilight goes on the opposite side
  1661. >You both are a bit spaced out, but comfortable
  1662. "Are you... comfy?"
  1663. >"Y-yes"
  1664. >Oh, christ above, you can practically feel feel nervousness
  1665. >Anon, get a grip, you're a hardened war veteran
  1666. >You're actin' like a lil' bitch
  1667. >'I ain't a bitch' you think
  1668. >You steel yourself and you try to go to sleep, facing Twilight, whose back is to you
  1669.  
  1670. >Fast forward to later
  1671. >You are still Anon
  1672. >Twilight is still asleep
  1673. >But instictivly has her back pressed up to you, she's the tiny spoon
  1674. >Purely accidental, of course
  1675. >You... put your arm around her
  1676. >By accident, for the record
  1677. >She tucks herself deeper
  1678. >Oh god, this totally isn't forced
  1679. >If Spike walked in, the live action audience would go 'oooooooo' and he'd proceed to dismember you
  1680. >But he doesn't though
  1681. >You find yourself drifting off to sleep with the scent of Twilight filling your nose
  1682. >Not on purpose though, her mane is in your face and you have to itch
  1683. >You are Anon
  1684. >And you are content with the events happening right now
  1685.  
  1686. >You wake up dazed after an alarm sings it's song
  1687. >Set early for obvious reasons
  1688. >It is 4:30
  1689. >Twilight was nowhere in your room
  1690. >You are unsure how she got out of bed without you waking, let alone opening your creaky door
  1691. >You ignore the thought and proceed with getting dressed
  1692. >Old grey jeans and a blue and black striped long sleeve
  1693. >You push the sleeves to your forearms as usual
  1694. >You should go see where Twilight went
  1695. >However first you go to the bathroom to wash your face of the sleepiness
  1696.  
  1697. >You are Twilight
  1698. >You tell yourself repeatedly how stupid you are for laying in bed with Anon
  1699. >Sure, you liked him as a human. He's proved to be a more easy-going human
  1700. >But you should not have pulled that little stunt
  1701. >It was a moment of weakness
  1702. >You hear Anon's alarm go off and later the water running
  1703. >You sit up from the couch, you decided to sleep there for the later half of the night
  1704. >Anon comes from the hallway and notices you
  1705. >"I see you're up early'
  1706. >You shake your head from the early morning sleepiness
  1707. "Uh yeah, just... trying to get an early start. That's all"
  1708. >"Alright, I'll cook us up some eggs" he pauses. "You can eat eggs, right?"
  1709. "Yeah, they're alright"
  1710. >"Good, can you get Spike? See if he can't come up and eat before we go?"
  1711. "Oui, mon capitaine"
  1712. >You lazily hop off the couch, leaving some hairs in it
  1713. >You're sure Anon won't mind
  1714. >You head downstairs and see Spike curled up on the floor
  1715. "Spike? Everything alright?"
  1716. >You nudge him a bit to wake him
  1717. >Spike's eyes shoot open and moves back defensivly
  1718. >You let out a small 'eep' in suprise as Spike bears his claws
  1719. >"Oh... I'm sorry Twilight. I'm not used to sleeping inside a house, people have tried to get me.
  1720. >You understand, someone in his position couldn't sleep lightly
  1721. "Anon's cooking eggs, then we'll head out to find Fluttershy"
  1722. >"Anon know where she is?"
  1723. "Yeah, she's in an animal preservation"
  1724. >"Sounds like her"
  1725. "That's what I said, but it's for creatures captured from Equestria. She's more than likely not living in luxery"
  1726. >"Right. Alright, i'll be up in a second"
  1727. >You head back upstairs and smell eggs
  1728. >Anon must've put some stuff in the eggs, you smell some other ingredients
  1729. >You take your seat at the table
  1730. >Anon sets yours and his plate down, along with a third for Spike, which has a few more eggs in it
  1731. >"I hope you like them scrambled. I took some creative liberty and put diced ham, onions and mushrooms in me and Spike's. I put the same in yours, without the ham of course."
  1732. >It smelled rather wonderful
  1733. >You hear the sound of the steps being climbed and Spike emerges from the basement
  1734. >"Glad you could join us" Anon says
  1735. >Spike doesn't respond, just looks at Anon as he sits down
  1736. >He sure has gotten bigger
  1737. >The rest of breakfast is rather un-talkative
  1738. >A part of you wants to know more of what Spike's been through
  1739. >Another part tells you not to pry into it
  1740. >However Anon chimes in
  1741. >"Spike, Twilight knows this already, but Fluttershy is in an other world animal preservation. It's about seven hours away and we have a long drive ahead of us. We'll try to make few stops unless we need it."
  1742. >Spike simply replies with an 'alright'
  1743. >A minute passes before Spike breaks the silence
  1744. >"I understand what your intentions are. You want to help me and Twi find our friends and go home, and break the bond on our worlds. Although I cannot forgive you on what your people have done. Thank you for helping us out with this. I... appreciate it."
  1745. >Spike takes another bite of his eggs
  1746. >"Also your cooking is adequate"
  1747. >Anon grins a little. "I knew my stellar cooking would win you over"
  1748. >It was Spike's turn to give a bittersweet grin
  1749. >"I'm contemplating whether or not It beats eating sticks"
  1750. >You give a small chuckle
  1751. >Spike still has his sense of humor
  1752. >The three of you put your dishes away and Anon starts the dishwasher
  1753. >"So they'll be clean when we get back" he says
  1754. >You and Spike head outside and Anon comes out with his guitar
  1755. >You look at him puzzled
  1756. >"What? Music is a wonderful medicine. It'll come in handy. Promise"
  1757. >He puts it in the backseat of his vehicle
  1758. >It's a small, simple car with four doors. A tad rusty near the wheels tainting its dark red color
  1759. >Anon opens up the front seat door for you and you hop in and make yourself comfortable
  1760. >He goes to the back seat and lays the back of the chairs forward
  1761. >"Here Spike, You can have the back seat, and the back opens so your body can fit in the trunk for more room, and if we need to hide you just in case"
  1762. >Spike takes his spot and circles around, and lays down, legs out into the trunk
  1763. >Anon takes his seat and turns the car on, the noise it makes is strange
  1764. >"Not the prettiest thing she is, but it works. I have a full tank so we won't have to stop anytime soon"
  1765. >He must be refering to the vehicle
  1766. >He connects his little music box to a wire and presses the button
  1767. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ycPuo2mMds
  1768. >This sounds very soothing
  1769. >Like you don't have to worry about anything anymore
  1770. >The vehicle lurches forward to Anon's road
  1771. >Anon looks at you
  1772. >And you look at him
  1773. >You see a small glimmer of confidence in his weary eyes
  1774. >"And so we go"
  1775. "And so we go"
  1776.  
  1777. >Be Anon
  1778. >You are a fresh 21 year old
  1779. >But Alcohol is not what you'll be consuming today
  1780. >You and your small squad regroup at the center of the village
  1781. >You itch under your helmet
  1782. >You're still not used to the buzz cut
  1783. >You miss your long hair
  1784. >You and your team have finished a small skirmish in this small Equestrian village
  1785. >Your squad leader was told for you guys to attack the village, as it has become a supply town for the Equestrian military
  1786. >You don't question orders
  1787. >You've been in battle a few other times, so you're starting to get used to the feeling
  1788. >Killing's part of the job
  1789. >You're fine, really. You're... fine
  1790. >You just want to stand out for the higher ups
  1791. >General Jackson Vonague seems to have his eye on you, whenever he visited your camps
  1792. >Your team gathers and you wait for what happenes next
  1793. >It's rather quiet here now, now that the gunshots and everything has died down.
  1794. >You take a look at your surroundings again
  1795. >Green grass
  1796. >Paths of gravel and sand, still littered with hoofprints
  1797. >The fountain you're by gives ambient noise
  1798. >Rather tranquil now
  1799. >You see a few of your medics with the wounded
  1800. >Parts of their bodies missing, circular patterns from the unicorn blasts made short work of them
  1801. >You'd be lucky if the blast didn't rend you apart on the first contact
  1802. >A few other men from your group join in and your squad leader, Staff Sergeant Denton, Speaks up
  1803. >"Alright, good work today, men, Private Anonymous, fantastic work on taking out the pegasi. You sure have a knack for moving targets"
  1804. >You give a wide smile, basking in the recognition
  1805. >"While the medics tend to the... wounded, i'll make some calls to General Vonague and report our situation. Anonymous, I'm also signing you up on extra marksman training, I think we've found your niche today"
  1806. >Perfect, just what you needed!
  1807. >You try to hide your enthusiasm, you hate to gloat
  1808. >But it just felt too good!
  1809. >They're picking you out of the crowd
  1810. >"Everyone, in the meantime, your free to linger around until we have the say so to leave. Keep your gun close in case any other ponies show up. Dismissed"
  1811. >Everyone splits into their own groups, except for you of course
  1812. >You were usually left out
  1813. >Probably because of your marksmanship
  1814. >You take a walk down the road less traveled, rocks crunching under your feet
  1815. >You think you'll have a look around
  1816. >You'd never admit it, but this place is rather beautiful
  1817. >You wonder were the bodies of the ponies went
  1818. >You're sure they do research on them, being the first extra-terrestrial life form your kind has encountered
  1819. >You don't think about it too much though
  1820. >You round a corner and look at some the signs posted around
  1821. >you can't read most of it, It's written in those pony symbols they write with
  1822. >Sometimes you'd see letters that resemble english, Congates, you believe the word was
  1823. >You noticed when you came into the town, sans the shooting and yelling, that the town was something called 'Neighbalinne'
  1824. >You assumed, adding in a few english letters to make it seem like it'd fit. Fuckin horse puns
  1825. >A hushed voice brings you out of your stupor
  1826. >"Anon! Get your ass over here"
  1827. >Oh fuck, you recognize the voice before you saw it
  1828. >An open door to your left down the road is ajar and you see Sergeant Blake Adams
  1829. >You're sure his lacky, Corporal Ryan Timber, is close by him
  1830. >You thought some people were missing when you grouped up
  1831. >You make your way to him, you're focused to see what he's up to
  1832. >They always had it out for you
  1833. >Whether it be something as asinine as saran-wrapping you to your bed at night, to something dangerous as to sabotaging your gun
  1834. >Something was in the firing mechanism and that shit made the gun blow apart
  1835. >You got off with minor cuts and shock, but you KNEW they did something
  1836. >Your classic bone-heads, and since you've been attracting attention, they'd think you're trying to replace them
  1837. >They were only higher ranking since they were in the army since before drafting of the pony war started
  1838. >You enter the house, you shouldn't have, but Blake being a Sergeant, he'd probably mouth off something to Denton that you did something stupid. He has before.
  1839. >You are led into the house and you find yourself suprised
  1840. >A unicorn soldier lies tied up in the middle of the room, struggling to break free
  1841. >White coat, light blue striped mane
  1842. >Female
  1843. >You'd be lying if you said you weren't getting nervous
  1844. "Guys? what the hell are you doing? They said not to take prisoners..."
  1845. >"Well, we happened to subdue our friend here, and since you got signed up for your marksmen training - Don't worry, Corporal Ryan told me - we thought you desereved a little... reward"
  1846. >He said 'reward' really slowly
  1847. "R-reward?"
  1848. >You didn't like where this was going
  1849. >But Sergeant Blake didn't keep you waiting
  1850. >"Fuck the pony, Anon"
  1851. >You were afraid of that, but your eyes still widedned
  1852. >You cannot rape a pony
  1853. "Are you guys fucking losing it? I can't do this!"
  1854. >You try to find some reason not to
  1855. >You these guys were Asses, but this if fucking going too far
  1856. >"I know you wouldn't be up to it, but i'll give you some incentive. Fuck the goddamn pony, or Denton, hell even Vonague, Miiiight find out what your keeping here"
  1857. >He looks at the bound pony
  1858. >"All I need to do is send Ryan for a run to tell them what we've found you with" He gives a wide grin
  1859. >This is fucking sick, they've seriously went of the deep end.
  1860. >You look at the pony, it's eyes are not scared, but full of rage
  1861. >"Fuck. the goddamn. pony."
  1862. >You stagger to the pony
  1863. >It's horn lights up
  1864. >Oh fu-
  1865. >Ryan imediatly reacts and unholsters his pistol, expertly firing off a single shot directed at the horn
  1866. >The pony's horn shatters and the pony starts writhing in pain, screaming into the gag that holds her mouth
  1867. "Ryan! What the fuck!"
  1868. >"What? She was going to blast you, I couldn't have that. Now you owe me one."
  1869. >Ryan may be stupid, but he was one of the fastest guns in your squad. A crackshot with a pistol
  1870. >The pony stops violently shaking and starts shivering
  1871. >You look at the horn
  1872. >Broken almost completely, leaking blood and...
  1873. >Some sort of fluid, it wasn't red, but purple
  1874. >You quickly assume it had something to do with it's magic, as some sort of catalyst
  1875. >Her eyes hold no rage, only fear now. Small tears on the edge of her eyes
  1876. >You think you hear a muffled 'please' but you think it's in your head
  1877. >Pony's can't speak english
  1878. >"Get to it Anon, You're wasting my time"
  1879. >You remove the main plate covering the ponys torso
  1880. >"What's keeping you, Anon? Is this your first?"
  1881. >You don't answer
  1882. >Blake gives a howl of a laughter
  1883. >"Ha, fuck me! This is his first! Fuck I don't have a camera!"
  1884. >You lay the pony on her back, looking away to hide your shame
  1885. >You undo your harness, and un-bind your trousers
  1886. >You drop them
  1887. >"Nice ass, Anon!" Ryan pipes out
  1888. >What the fuck.
  1889. >You look at the pony
  1890. >Shame fills your eyes
  1891. >You have to do this
  1892. >You grab the pony by the hips and you get started
  1893. >Every second was not filled with pleasure
  1894. >But with misery
  1895.  
  1896. >Be present day Anon
  1897. >Ever have a really weird memory pop up randomly?
  1898. >Then you feel really awkward embarrassed about yourself?
  1899. >That's sorta what happened
  1900. >You are still driving down to the 'preservation'
  1901. >You should have another hour or two
  1902. >You casually glance to the backseat every so often
  1903. >Twilight is in the back there, cuddled up with Spike. Both of them napping
  1904. >Spike's wrapping around her with Twilight huddled up in his stomach
  1905. >You feel like it's something they used to do
  1906. >Except Spike being the smaller one
  1907. >How things change
  1908. >You keep your eyes on the road
  1909. >You're music's off, letting your passengers sleep in peace
  1910. >Your mind starts to drift
  1911. >Traffic is'nt heavy, cars are vastly spread out
  1912. >Less than often, there'd be /that/ car speeding by you
  1913. >That one going ten miles above the speed limit, weaving between cars
  1914. >You hate those
  1915. >Signs on the edge of the high way zoom by in rhythm
  1916. >You pay little attention to them
  1917. >You're speed stays the same, as you keep your car on cruise control
  1918. >"Anon?"
  1919. >Twilight's soft voice breaks the silence in a hushed whisper
  1920. >Silence: the only thing that can be broken by simply whispering it's name
  1921. >You come out of your stupor and tilt your head back enough to let Twilight know you heard her
  1922. "Do you need something?"
  1923. >"Where did you get me?"
  1924. "What do you mean?"
  1925. >"You've found Fluttershy, and you're going to find the others, but how did you get me?"
  1926. "Craigslist"
  1927. >"Craig's-list?"
  1928. "Yeah, just a place where people can buy and sell things. I went to see if you were there by any chance, and a guy happened to be selling you."
  1929. >"Huh, I'd have thought it'd have been something more... well, harder?"
  1930. "Me too, but that's just how it turned out."
  1931. >You did have to make the purchase legal and official, which meant getting the auction house involved, which is why one of their men delivered Twilight to you
  1932. >"Do you believe in fate, Anon?"
  1933. >You turn back to her for a split second, showing you were more suprised at the question
  1934. "In a way, I believe some events happen for a reason, as if it's showing you a certain direction. However It's what we do that affects the future. Why do you ask?"
  1935. >"Do you think it's any coincidence that everything has happened so far?"
  1936. >You think, you did find Twilight rather easy, and Spike just sorta showed up after both of you were talking about him.
  1937. >You don't believe he was able to sneak into your world that easily
  1938. >You'll have to ask him about it when you get the chance
  1939. "There has to be a reason for everything."
  1940. >You were never sure how to respond to 'fate' questions and the like
  1941. >The whole concept is above your head, impossible to understand
  1942. >Twilight didn't respond, simply taking in your answer
  1943. >You hear and exhale of breath from her and you believe she went back to sleep
  1944. >Couldn't blame her
  1945. "We still have another hour or so, just so you know"
  1946. >She lets out a small 'mm hmm' letting you know she heard you
  1947. >The rest of the drive was spent in silence
  1948.  
  1949. >You pull into the parking lot of the Preservation
  1950. >The line of cars were immense, as an innumerable amount of families wait to be led to parking spaces
  1951. >You always did hate places like this
  1952. >Families and loud children, Overpriced knick-knacks and the like
  1953. >Your car finally rests as it finds its own parking spot
  1954. >You realize you can't exactly walk around with a dragon following you
  1955. "Uh, Twilight, any ideas for hiding Spike? We won't get far with him in plain sight."
  1956. >Spike stretches his limbs as he sits up
  1957. "Twilight, how good's the magic? Got anything in mind?"
  1958. >She smiles proudly
  1959. >"What sort of element of magic would I be if I didn't know a few spells? I know several cloaking spells that can hide Spikes appearance, or change his shape!"
  1960. >"Can you finally use the moustache spell on me again? I liked that one, I'll think i'd fit right in." Spike says, supressing a small grin at Twilight
  1961. >Twilight lets out a nostalgic giggle
  1962. >"As good as you looked with one, I think we should use the standard 'Invisible Ink' spell to hide you."
  1963. >You pondered how spike would look with a 'stache, you don't get it.
  1964. "Yeah, as long as you stick very close to us, we'll be fine. Just try not to bump into anyone."
  1965. >"Loud and clear, Twilight, will you do the honor?"
  1966. >Twilight turns more to Spike and her horn lights up
  1967. >It flickers, but then gives the car a purple luminance
  1968. >Liquid-looking magical sparks pop out of her horn, and splat on Spike's scaley body
  1969. >Eventually the 'ink' covers Spike, and he fades out of view
  1970. >Twilight takes her cue to explain the spell
  1971. >"Now, the spell will last as long as I need it too, however it being a 'liquid-based' spell, try not to get wet or it'll wash right off."
  1972. "Isn't that a bit... unconventional?"
  1973. >Not that you'd understand magic in the first place
  1974. >"Spells need to take on a certain quality to have form, there's mental, physical, and meta-physical spells. Mental spells harness the power of your mind, spells such as telekinesis, mind-reading and the like. Physical spells, as i'm sure you know what 'physical' means, create things. This can be destrucive depending on the spell. This is like creating fire, air blasts, or any energy beam. It's usually more defense based if you're in a harmful situation."
  1975. >You're confused, but slightly see what she means
  1976. >"Meta-physical spells are more complex. It deals with the manipulation of matter and bending it. This includes spells like morphing objects, or alchemical spells. As in taking an object, breaking it down, and creating something new. Or you cant morph objects together if they share properties, like how I put your guitar back together, I simply made it one structure again. However master level spells can involve warping space or even time. It's very rare to be able to posess the power to accomplish such spells, however."
  1977. >That's some deep shit
  1978. >You feel like that could've been part of the reason why a portal opened up between your worlds. Someone, or pony must have been delving into some heavy stuff that resulted in the merging of two worlds.
  1979. >But that's just a theory
  1980. >Twilight looks a bit proud to talk about something she likes
  1981. "So what does that spell have to do with being 'liquid based'"
  1982. >"Good question! Spells in some cases have to take on what we call an 'Analogical binding.' To sum it up, and it's rather hard to explain, is that for some spells to work, they need to be compared to something. Hence the 'analogy' aspect of it. The 'Invisible Ink' spell is more than just it's name, but it's binding. The spell itself is compared to literal invisible ink, and the spell took on the properties of what we know 'invisible ink' does."
  1983. "So the spell somehow knows what 'invisible ink' is to you and makes it so that it does what the ink does?"
  1984. >"In a way, yeah. Magic is part of our world, we considered our world was a living thing. We live one with the world and our world lived with us. That's why it was so beautiful, we treated our land as we treated anypo-... anyone else."
  1985. >She looks down, remembering what it was like
  1986. >"Your world isn't like that. You made the world adapt to your needs instead of co-exsisting with it. You're polluting it."
  1987. "Yeah... we did, didn't we. I wish I could have seen your world that wasn't from a scope."
  1988. >"I wish you were able to see it too."
  1989. >The car gets quiet
  1990. >"Uhh, I'm still here, guys."
  1991. >Both you and Twilight look where Spike would be
  1992. "Oh, whoops. Alright, Twi, lets go."
  1993. >"Shouldn't ponies be on a leash?" Twilight says as you step out of the car, minding not to let your door hit the adjacent car
  1994. "No, laws on your 'kind' have been a bit lenient as of late. From what I've seen, as long as you don't get too far from me. We should be fine."
  1995. >The two of you, and an invisible dragon, walk towards the booth that leads into the preservation.
  1996. >The less-than-enthusiastic man behind the window takes your money and puts a neon band around your wrist.
  1997. >He looks at Twilight, and then to you.
  1998. >"Sir. Please keep that thing close. I've never seen one with both wings and horns."
  1999. "Don't worry, she's supressed"
  2000. >Your larger size and look prevents the man from questioning you further
  2001. >"This way sir, have a good day"
  2002. "You as well"
  2003. >"Uh-huh"
  2004. >You pass through the gate
  2005. >It was one of those 3-pronged spinny gate things you'd see when entering Disneyland or something
  2006. >Then Twilight passes through in, the gate making a click as it turns
  2007. >And then it spins a third time
  2008. >The man behind the counter stares at the gate, in suprise
  2009. "Something wrong?"
  2010. >"N-no, have a good day" he repeats
  2011. >You and Twi make your way to the preservation, fancy word for zoo
  2012. >You slow your walking pace, making sure Spike is near you
  2013. "Spike! What was that? We could've gotten busted! You could've vaulted over it" You say in a loud-whisper
  2014. >"What? I always liked passing through those things, besides, we didn't get caught, so don't worry about it. Things happen for a reason"
  2015. >You grimace in his direction
  2016. >You look around, searching for one of those giant maps they place around the area
  2017. >You find one, and inspect it's multi-colord areas
  2018. >Hmm, Chimeras, Sphinxs, Bug-bears...
  2019. >Interesting
  2020. >How did the get a hydra in here?
  2021. >A few 'regular animals' were in here too
  2022. >But they were rabbits, and other animals from a different dimesion, so I guess it sorta counted
  2023. >You wonder how Fluttershy ended up in here, and not sold to an actual person
  2024. >Twilight said she was good with animals, so maybe they have her incase a mythical creature tries to wreck shit.
  2025. >Here we are, 'Pegasus Holding Pen'
  2026. >On the far side of the park. Great
  2027. "Okay, she should be here, lets get going"
  2028. >"What will we do when we see her?
  2029. "Haven't a clue, I'll think of something, I think we should just see what condition she's in, and if we can talk to her"
  2030. >"Alright, I hope she's okay"
  2031. >You both head to the left of the sign and make your way down the street
  2032.  
  2033. >You weave back and forth between groups of people
  2034. >Families going this way and that way and they are not exactly keeping to a single side of the stone path
  2035. >On both sides of the path are cages of animals
  2036. >For some of the bigger animals, the cages are a bit thicker
  2037. >They seem like regular animals, but I suppose they don't want to take any chances
  2038. >You observe the animals of the cages as you pass them
  2039. >Some deer, some wolves and other creatures you'd find here
  2040. >However the color of animals are a bit more solid than the ones you have seen
  2041. >But they seem... sad
  2042. >The faces of the animals almost look like they're frowning
  2043. >Twilight doesn't look at the animals, and keeps her body almost touching yours
  2044. >You move on to the next area of the preservation
  2045. >You pass under a small gate that says 'Monsters and Exotic Beasts'
  2046. >In this area, There are less cages
  2047. >These creatures are kept in deep pits lined with thick, circular cement walls
  2048. >The even larger Monster pens are covered in thick glass domes
  2049. >You see about 4 of these domes around the area
  2050. >There are also some uniformed men standing guard in different parts of the pens
  2051. >They are not carrying visible weapons, but you see slight bulges on the sides of each of them
  2052. >Probably not to disturb the families
  2053. >You walk up to the first pit you see and read the sign posted by it
  2054. >'Timber-wolves: These creatures made up of animated wood hunt in packs under an alpha. Much like the wolves of Earth, these beasts create groups that forage for food by hunting lesser wildlife. The biology of these creatures is currently unknown as to what keeps these wooden animals functioning.'
  2055. >You've encountered Timber-wolves before. In what was called the 'Everfree Forest'
  2056. >It was before your kind knew of the monsters that dwelled in their world
  2057. >You walk away from the pen and continue further to where Fluttershy should be
  2058. >You pass one of the large glass domes and you glance at the sign
  2059. >'Chimera: (Pronounced Ky-mher-uh) This legendary creature bears resemblance to those of Greek mythology. They have the heads of both a lion and a goat, a snake as a tail. It is extremely dangrous and should be observed with caution. The Chimera prefers to hunt alone and only mates to procreate. They keep to their territory and are incredibly hostile to those unfortunate to trespass into it.'
  2060. >You look over the railing and into the dome
  2061. >The habitat is rather forested, but you manage to see the chimera sitting on the limb of a tree
  2062. >The head of the lion is resting on the branch, staring off to nowhere
  2063. >The goat's head is sitting up looking around to nothing, disinterested at it's spectators
  2064. >The snake is simply swinging to and fro
  2065. >You hear a buzz sound and the chimera reacts like clockwork
  2066. >It deftly hops off the limb of the tree and walks to the edge of the dome
  2067. >Some unifored men throw chunks of raw meat through a hatch far out of the reach of the beast
  2068. >The lion lazily gobbles it up, the nourishment of the meal shared between the amalgamation of animals
  2069. >It retreats back to it's branch and lies down again
  2070. >You feel a tug on your pant leg
  2071. >"Can we please hurry? I do not like it here"
  2072. >Twilight has a somber look in her eyes
  2073. "They're just monsters... right?"
  2074. >"They are, they may not talk, or share the same intelligence, but they still think"
  2075. "Alright, come on"
  2076. >You start to notice some people giving you and twilight strange looks
  2077. >You make your way from the Chimera pen and proceed To Fluttershy's pen
  2078. >Your pace quickens a little bit as you see it, disregarding the manticore and the parasprite pen
  2079. >You Weave your way inbetween families as you make your way to the cage containing Fluttershy
  2080. >You look over the fence, the pen medium sized, grassy grassy area about the size of lion habitats
  2081. >The habitat is a grass fields with two thin trees providing some shade
  2082. >Patches of flowers give color to the area
  2083. >Your eyes scan the habitat
  2084. >Twilight places her forehooves on the fence and leans in close
  2085. >You feel Spike's invisible hand on your shoulder as well
  2086. >And there she is
  2087. >Laying under the shade of the further tree, staring at the grass
  2088. >You assumed she was a thin pony
  2089. >But she looked an unhealthy thin
  2090. >Her Yellow color looks unsaturated, looking slightly grey
  2091. >Her chest calmly rising and falling with each slow breath
  2092. >Twilight has her eyes opened wide, and she looks to you
  2093. >Her eyes begin to water and she gives a small 'sniff'
  2094. >You look around at the spectators, who are giving you looks
  2095. >You notice some of the uniformed men also eyeing you
  2096. >One talking into the walkie-talkie strapped to his shoulder
  2097. >You kneel down to Twilight
  2098. "Twilight, we can't make a scene. These people cannot know that we know who Fluttershy is. They'll throw us out and we'll never see her again. We need some way to get to her."
  2099. >She nods and begins to take deep breaths to calm herself
  2100. >Your mind begins to race as to how to get Fluttershy's attention.
  2101. >Your train of thought cuts short, as a siren begins to flash lights and sound
  2102. >Your head jolts to the source of the noise
  2103. >A spinning light above a nearby glass dome catches your attention
  2104. >The Hydra inside banging it's head on the glass
  2105. >Still a fighter
  2106. >The glass cracks a bit
  2107. >Some of the families and onlookers back pedal a bit, confident that the glass will hold, but prepared to go if they need to
  2108. >Fathers putting their daughters behind them
  2109. >You hear a small buzz from Fluttershy's pen and you see a small gate open
  2110. >A uniformed man quickly enters the pen and beckons Fluttershy to him
  2111. >Fluttershy gets up quietly and is led out of her pen
  2112. >A little while later, another gate opens on the far side of the hydra pen.
  2113. >The hydra utilizes all of it's head as it bangs into the glass, which continues bearing the hydra's punishment
  2114. >Fluttershy steps out of the gate, and begins to slowly flap her wings and lifts herself into the air with slight difficulty
  2115. >One of the heads, in its rage, looks at Fluttershy
  2116. >Fluttershy looks as though she is speaking to the monster and places a hoove on the nose of the hydra's head
  2117. >The hydra opens it's mouth and snaps it shut where Fluttershy is, however she quickly is able to dodge it in suprise
  2118. >A litte further away, Fluttershy continues to speak to the hydra and two more of the heads cease banging on the glass to listen
  2119. >Fluttershy slowly gets closer to the hydra and rests her forehead on the creature, who seems more calm
  2120. >The last head of the hydra stops banging the glass and all heads give Fluttershy attention
  2121. >With tears in her eyes, she says a few more things to the hydra, and the heads give a slight, meloncholy nod in unison
  2122. >Fluttershy goes back to the cage and is led back to the her own pen
  2123. >The hydra goes to the middle of it's pen and lays down, and rests
  2124. >Each of the heads wrap around themselves as to comfort each other
  2125. >Fluttershy hasn't come out to her own pen, and you notice most of the uniformed men are still preoccupied with seeing if the hydra is truely done with its desprate attempt at escape
  2126. >Your mind thinks quickly and you spot an 'employees only' door on the opposite side of Fluttershy's pen
  2127. >You hastily make your way to it, Twilight in her suprise following close to you
  2128. >"Anon, what are you doing?! We're going to get caught!" she says in a loud whisper
  2129. "This is our only chance. That thing with the hydra happened for a reason. We won't get another chance. Keep close to me"
  2130. >You slowly open the door, which happened to not be locked as uniformed men were quick to deal with the hydra
  2131. >You, Twilight and Spike step inside the employees only section. Which seemed to be a tunnel that connects the different holding pens
  2132. >Luckily for you, the tunnel would create an echo to let you know if anyone is walking near you
  2133. >You don't have to worry about Twilight creating noise
  2134. >She isn't wearing horseshoes and pony hooves are oddly soft, as you know
  2135. "Alright, walk quietly and listen to anyone that might be coming"
  2136. >Twilight nods
  2137. >You need to know where they are keeping Fluttershy when she's not in her pen
  2138. >the initial path goes left or right, with Fluttershy's pen at your left
  2139. >You go right
  2140. >You see signs that label out utility cabinets, janitor closets and miscellaneous things
  2141. >You proceed further down the tunnel and you begin to smell something
  2142. >On your right is a large room which is filled with small silos and large bags
  2143. >You assume this is where they put food for some of the creatures
  2144. >You see a man in an apron taking the large bags and emptying them into the silos
  2145. >You wait for him to turn to take another bag and you swiftly pass the room
  2146. >You see an arrow on the wall which says 'Employee Lounge'
  2147. >The door to the lounge is closed and you walk past it
  2148. >As you passed the door, you stop when you hear talking
  2149. >"So about that pony, whats up with her?"
  2150. >You stop and hold your head to the door to listen better
  2151. >"Well you're new, so I'll go ahead and tell you now so you don't look stupid for forgetten what you were told earlier. She's somehow extremely good with the animals here, whenever they get a bit riled up, she's been able to calm them down better than what we're able to do.
  2152. >"From what I hear, I don't know If we're keeping her here for much longer. We've gotten better technology since this preservation opened and we're rather able to contain any situation ourselves. Tranquilizers are much more powerful and are starting to get produced cheaper, so we'll just start using thoses."
  2153. >"What about those bug things?"
  2154. >"The parasprites? Yeah, those bastards we're hell at first, they multiplied faster than we exterminated them. We've learned to not keep parasprites widespread so if something stupid happenes, we won't have some big invasion happen. The parasprites here are the only ones in our world. And we were able to breed them so some are unable to reproduce, and if the dome gets too full of them, we gas all of them and exterminate a fraction of them. We only allow one or two to be able to spit out new parastprites."
  2155. >"Those things freak the fuck out of me, so what do they plan on doing with the pony if they don't need her to calm the monsters down?"
  2156. >"Don't take my word for it, but I think the higher ups just planned to sell her off, probably to some glue factory like we would with a normal lame horse."
  2157. >With that, Twilight lets out a gasp and you quickly hold your hand over her mouth to silence her
  2158.  
  2159. >"Alright, man, my breaks almost over, so I have to go punch back in."
  2160. >"Sounds good. Hey, you gonna be at the employee golf outing?"
  2161. >"Wouldn't miss it"
  2162. >You hear the footsteps coming towards the door
  2163. "Fuck, we need to hide somewhere
  2164. >You and Twilight (and an invisible Spike) quickly scurry back to the food area
  2165. >Lucky for you the guy pouring the grain out of the bags had left
  2166. >You crouch behind some of the bags just in time to see the uniformed man walk by the corridor
  2167. >You look to Twilight, finger over your mouth in a shush gesture
  2168. >Her mouth is open eyes shut
  2169. >"ahhh, ahhh..."
  2170. >She seriously isn't...
  2171. >You quickly reach a hand over and cover her mouth
  2172. >"Ahh-pthbbb!"
  2173. >She sneezes into your hand, muffled by it
  2174. >Gross
  2175. >"Hm?"
  2176. >You peek over the sacks to see the uniformed man peeking inside
  2177. >After a few seconds, he shrugs and continues on
  2178. >You don't even look at your hand and you wipe it on one of the bags
  2179. "Eugh"
  2180. >Twilight gives you a blushed grin
  2181. >"S-sorry"
  2182. >You shrug it off, and you motion to Twi for the both of you to keep going forward
  2183. >Further down the hallway and past the employee lounge, you experience no further interruptions
  2184. >You come up to a gate, with barbed wire strewn to the top, and a sign saying "HOLDING AREA"
  2185. >You try to pull open the fence's door, but it doesn't open
  2186. >On the wall by you, you notice a card reader
  2187. "Damn, we need an ID card from one of the employees to get in here. Know any way to bypass this, Twilight?"
  2188. >Twilight shruggs
  2189. >"We didn't have this technology in Equestria, so I don't know how to get by this. We'll have to find a card."
  2190. >You sigh and think
  2191. "Think you could put a guard to sleep?"
  2192. >"Yeah, easily"
  2193. >You backtrack back to the the employee lounge, where you hear the earlier employee sipping a drink
  2194. >"... but I wonder what my deductible will be if I did that..."
  2195. >You hear rustling of paper and another sip
  2196. >You look to Twilight
  2197. "Ok Twi, I'm going to get his attention, be ready to put him asleep" you whisper
  2198. >Twilight nods and assumes a ready posistion
  2199. >You knock on the door and make a grunting noise and make it sound like you're making an effort to lift something
  2200. "Hey, can you give a hand with this bag real quick? It's fucking heavy"
  2201. >You hear stuff being set aside
  2202. >"Gary? You've been here a few years, thought you'd have built up some muscle by now"
  2203. "L-long day"
  2204. >"Right, Ok here, just a sec"
  2205. >You step off to the side of the door
  2206. >Footsteps are heard and the door opens
  2207. >"Alright, so where do these need to-"
  2208. >He doesn't say any more as a puff of dust clouds around his head, and quickly dissipates
  2209. >You catch the body as it falls and bring it back into the lounge
  2210. >Setting the body on the love-seat, you grab the ID card connected to a lanyard that was hooked to the waistband of the uniform
  2211. "He gonna be alright?"
  2212. >"He'll wake up in an hour or two, it was a simple sleeping powder spell"
  2213. >Twilight's explaination of magic repeats in your head
  2214. >Examining the card, you notice besides the picture is a red diamond with the number '3' in it with 'level access' written beside it
  2215. >Making your way back to the gate, you slide the card in the reader, and it makes a small 'beep' with a flash of green
  2216. >The gate makes a 'click and you proceed inside the holding area
  2217. >Passing a corner to your right leads you to a larger area
  2218. >There are empty cages strewn about and a small ramp that leads down a bit to a large metal garage door that slides up
  2219. >You assumes it's a room for when they're getting ready to load or unload cargo to and from the zoo
  2220. >Twilight looks at you with a worried look
  2221. >Do you think she'll be in here?"
  2222. "She should be, she has to be in one of these cages" you say quietly
  2223. >You're constantly worried that someone will enter the room from the nearby doors, ruining the whole plan
  2224. >Fluttershy must be here, waiting to be transported to her fate
  2225. >You look around at the cages, hoping to initially see her from where you entered
  2226. >Your head perks up when you hear the sound of something shifting on metal
  2227. >You walk towards where you heard the noise and spot a single cage covered in a dirty green wool blanket
  2228. >You slowly take the blanket in your hand and remove it from the cage
  2229. >Fluttershy lays inside, dirty, thin and a few new bruises you didn't notice before
  2230. >She looks up to you with a terrified expression, expecting the worse
  2231. >She doesn't say anything, but she starts to shake a bit, not knowing who you are
  2232. >You squat down to her level, trying to think of something to say to calm her
  2233. >"Please don't be afraid. I am your friend"
  2234. >Twilight comes from behind you and Fluttershy's eyes drift to her
  2235. >"Twilight? I-is that you?" Fluttershy says in disbelief
  2236. >"It is, It's going to be ok, we're going to get you out of-"
  2237. >"No!" Fluttershy says with a quiety shriek
  2238. >You and Twilight are taken aback at the sudden, yet quiet, outburst
  2239. >"This is a trick, you can't be Twilight, she wouldn't be here"
  2240. >She turns her body away from the two of you and starts muttering to herself
  2241. >"This is just my mind playing tricks on me again, just like the last time. You're not really here, just a figment, Twilight and her friends are gone... You got me in trouble before. You're not going to get me in trouble again. I supposed to be a quiet pony."
  2242. >You look to Twilight, hopeing she'd know what to say
  2243. >Twilight circles around the cage so she's in front of Fluttershy again
  2244. >Fluttershy buries her head in her hooves
  2245. >"Y-you're not real! Go away... please" You hear here sniff
  2246. >Twilight crouches to the ground
  2247. >"I am real, Fluttershy. It's really me this time..."
  2248. >She pushes her hoof to the cage and Fluttershy, looking up, reaches forward
  2249. >Fluttershy feels Twilight's hoof and looks to her
  2250. >"I can feel you... Is it really you?"
  2251. >You look at the lock on the cage
  2252. >It's a simple slide lock that animals can't move since they don't exactly have thumbs
  2253. >It has a few bite marks in the metal by it, she must've really tried to get out before
  2254. >You slide the lock the left and you open the door, which makes a squeak
  2255. >Fluttershy jumps at the small noise and stares at you with fright
  2256. "It's ok... you can come out"
  2257. >Fluttershy continues looking at you
  2258. >"Fluttershy, it's ok, he's a friend. He's trying to help
  2259. >She doesn't look away from you as she slowly walks out of the cage, with difficulty.
  2260. >Twilight comes back around to Fluttershy, who lifts up a hoof to feel her again
  2261.  
  2262. "Girls, as much as I want you two to enjoy your reunion, I'm getting more and more paranoid that someone is going to show up."
  2263. >Twilight nods her heads, and breaks takes her arms that were tightly woven around her friend
  2264. >"Um, I'm not too sure I should go..." Fluttershy peeps out
  2265. >Both you and Twilight look at her in confusion
  2266. >"They told me I was going to be transfered to a nearby animal reserve, the animals there are troubled and in despair. They told me they were going to let me go to them to help."
  2267. "Fluttershy... I don't think thats the truth"
  2268. >"What do you mean? They said I've been a huge help with the animals here, and they thought i'd do the same in the other area. The people are rather mean, but I'd do anything to help the animals."
  2269.  
  2270. >
  2271. >
  2272. >
  2273. >
  2274. >
  2275. >
  2276. >
  2277. >

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