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[AiE, ∞ hiatus] Suspicious Biped (2020/06/29)

By AdvancedHorseFiction
Created: 2021-09-01 16:27:04
Updated: 2021-09-24 14:22:13
Expiry: Never
anon/aie/

  1. >You don't know how long you've been here.
  2. >A day? Probably no more than a week, based on the notoriously unreliable stubble on your face.
  3. >Unless she's been shaving you while you were unconscious.
  4. >'She' being the talking yellow horse who has been taking care of you since you got here. Wherever 'here' is.
  5.  
  6. >You remember standing in the shower back home.
  7. >Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through your body. You had no idea that anything could hurt that much, and the fact that the pain seemed to flow through you in waves made it even more disorienting.
  8. >The taste of vomit, a blinding light, darkness, then light again.
  9. >You vaguely recall seeing the sky for a few seconds before it was replaced by leaves, branches and more pain.
  10. >Goodbye, sweet consciousness.
  11.  
  12. >You were eventually woken up by the feeling of something wet and soft rubbing against the wounds on your chest. It felt like somebody was cleaning them.
  13. >Remembering your ninja training, you kept your eyes closed and steadied your breathing, not wanting your captor-slash-saviour to know that you were awake.
  14. >Okay, so maybe it was ‘endless daydreaming about being an operator’ and not ‘ninja training’, but they're basically the same thing.
  15. >After a few seconds, you decided to gamble and open one of your eyes just enough to see what was going on.
  16. >Here we go...
  17. >Pink... clouds?
  18. >You were still pretty out of it.
  19. >Let's try that again.
  20. >Pink... hair? Attached to a... floating yellow horse.
  21. >Nah.
  22. >Goodnight.
  23.  
  24. >Over the next however many days, she took care of you as you drifted into and out of consciousness. You managed to stealthily gather a bit of information about her without revealing that you were awake.
  25. >She could talk.
  26. >The reason she was able to fly was because of a pair of wings growing out of her back.
  27. >She had been taking care of you since she found you near a forest you didn't quite catch the name of.
  28.  
  29. >You have been sipping from the bowl of water she leaves on the floor next to your bed every morning. Just enough that she doesn't notice any water missing.
  30. >Last night, after waiting long enough that she had hopefully gone to bed, you searched the room and found a stack of linens in a closet in your room. You fashioned two of them into a simple toga and hid them at the bottom of the stack.
  31. >Your caretaker seems friendly, but you want an escape plan ready just in case.
  32. >You're on the second floor, but not very high up.
  33. >You should be able to squeeze through the window.
  34. >”Oh Angel, I feel so guilty.”
  35. >What?
  36. >”I know I should tell Twilight, but what if the Princess comes and takes him away? He hasn't recovered yet and I'd just be so terribly worried...”
  37. >Princess? Your caretaker knows somebody who knows royalty?
  38. >Why would she 'take you away', anyway?
  39. >You've never seen talking yellow horses before, so maybe they've never seen humans?
  40. >You don't particularly feel like getting probed or carved open, but you also don't really think you'll be able to keep hidden even if you manage to escape.
  41. >Maybe if you ran off into that forest and lived the rest of your life as a hermit, surviving off roots and tree sap...
  42. >Gamble on the Princess?
  43. >Gamble on the Princess.
  44. >Now then... how to tell her?
  45. >Your train of thought is interrupted as you hear the door opening and reflexively shut your eyes and calm your breathing.
  46. >”Don't worry Angel, I know he's big and scary, but he looks so peaceful. I just know he'd never hurt anyone.”
  47. >Angel being the rabbit she occasionally brought with her while treating you. She seemed pretty intelligent, but couldn't actually speak, as far as you could tell.
  48. >She spends a few minutes replacing the bandages that cover your last few remaining wounds. You hear her leave, and decide that you might as well get it over with. Right before she closes the door completely, you speak.
  49. “Thanks.”
  50. >You hear the door close, and then nothing for a few seconds.
  51. >”Eep!”
  52. >Looks like she heard you.
  53. >Another minute passes before you see the door open a little. You see a single eye peering in at you.
  54. >”Y- you can talk?”
  55. “No, I just mimic sounds I've heard recently. Sort of like a parrot.”
  56. >Why the hell did you say that, you ass? It wasn't even funny.
  57. >Guess it only took a few days for your already lacking social skills to atrophy.
  58. >She meekly whispers “Oh, okay then...”
  59. >She closes the door and another minute passes.
  60. >Did she actually believe you, or is she just too shy to call you on your obvious bullcrap?
  61. >”Who- what kind of anim- what sort of creature are you?”
  62. >You barely heard her whisper from the other side of the door.
  63. “Human.”
  64. >You see the door open a little. A tuft of pink hair pokes through.
  65. >”I've never seen a... hooman before. Where did you come from?”
  66. I have no idea. I was at home taking a shower, then I was suddenly... here. I don't even know where here is. I've never seen any... ehm... what are you, exactly?
  67. >She is slowly moving closer to your bed as you speak.
  68. >”Oh, I'm a pony.”
  69. >”A pegasus” she adds, spreading her wings to give you a better look. She seems to be blushing a little.
  70. >You wrap your blanket around yourself and sit up. She reacts by taking a couple of quick steps back, then gives you an apologetic look.
  71. “Where are we?”
  72. >”Oh, we're in my cottage.”
  73. >You give her an incredulous look.
  74. >”Erhm- I mean- We're in Ponyville, in Eques...” Her voice trails off.
  75. “Sorry, I didn't hear that last part.”
  76. >”Equestria”
  77. “The village of Ponyville in the country of Equestria?”
  78. >She nods.
  79. >Wherever that is, it's clearly not on Earth.
  80. >You don't seem to be dreaming, which means that you are either on another planet, in another dimension, in a computer simulation, or on what would have to be the worlds most elaborate and least legal reality tv show.
  81. >Well, you were always complaining about being bored.
  82. “So, what's your name?”
  83. >”I'm- I'm Fluttershy.”
  84. “My name is Anonymous, but you can call me Anon.”
  85.  
  86. >You spend an hour or so talking about Fluttershy's world. She asked surprisingly few questions about you.
  87. >Maybe she was just being polite.
  88. >She lives in a small town about half a day south of the capital city of Canterlot.
  89. >By train. Apparently they have trains.
  90. >She lives on the outskirts of town, and receives a small stipend every month from the town for taking care of and feeding the local animals.
  91. >The strange butterfly symbols on her backside were a 'cutie mark'. A magical change of fur color that appears when a pony 'discovers her special talent'. She was good at caring for animals, so she got a trio of pink butterflies on each side of her flank.
  92. >So... yeah. Magic exists.
  93. >That one led to quite a few followup questions.
  94. >Apparently, one of the three pony subspecies could use magic. Unicorns had a horn on their head that allowed them to channel magical power and cast spells. Most of them only learned a few spells that were related to their cutie marks, as well as a telekinesis spell that they use for everyday tasks.
  95. >One of her friends was an exception though.
  96. >Her “special talent” was magic itself, allowing her to learn just about any spell with enough practice.
  97. >She sounded like a powergaming munchkin, but whatever.
  98. >Apparently, the other two subspecies also had magical powers, but of a far more passive nature.
  99. >Pegasi had the ability to interact with clouds as though they were solid, and part of their flight capabilities were magical in origin.
  100. >Earth ponies were stronger than other ponies (she didn't know if that was because of magic though) and had some sort of 'attunement to nature' that made them great farmers and such.
  101. >There was also a fourth subspecies: Alicorns. They were much larger than other ponies, and had the traits of all three subspecies. Fluttershy thought that they were also better at them. Greater magical power than unicorns and so on. She wasn't sure though, because there were only two of them, and they were both millennia-old gods. And rulers of the country.
  102. >She said she wasn't sure if they were powerful because they were ancient, princesses because they were powerful, alicorns because they were princesses or any other possible cause and effect relationship she could imagine.
  103. >She actually started rambling. It was adorable.
  104. >After you interrupted her and she gave you a completely unnecessary apology, she returned to the topic of her friends.
  105. >Twilight Sparkle: Genius unicorn and personal magic student of Princess Celestia.
  106. >Rarity: Local kind-of-a-big-deal fashion designer. Unicorn.
  107. >Rainbow Dash: Childhood friend (sort of) and in charge of the local weather control team. Pegasus.
  108. >Applejack: Apple farmer who supplies a large portion of the local population with food. Earth pony.
  109. >Pinkie Pie: Works at the bakery. Famous for throwing parties at the drop of a hat. Pretty intense, it sounded like. Earth pony.
  110. >And together, they form the Super Senthay! Champions of peace and justice!
  111. >No, seriously. Apparently, the six of them were the only ones that could wield a set of magical artifacts with the power to purge evil.
  112. >You're not sure why that of all things felt hard to believe, but she sounded sincere.
  113. >A few minutes later, an extended silence ended with her offering you some tea.
  114. >You accepted, feeling dehydrated and acutely aware of why you haven't felt the need to take a leak since you got here.
  115. >Once she left, you drank the water in the bowl she left on the floor every morning. Best thing you ever tasted.
  116.  
  117. >She comes back after about ten minutes, offering you a cup of tea.
  118. >Also good, but not nearly as good as that glorious floor water.
  119. >”So... Anon. Now that you're awake and feeling better, I really should tell Twilight about you. If everything you said about being from another world is true- erhm- not that it wouldn't be- I'm not calling you a liar or-”
  120. >You hold up your hand and move your index and middle finger in a circle, a gesture you started using during your orientation session that she basically understands to mean 'It's fine, keep going'.
  121. >”Sorry. Would you mind, though?”
  122. >Would you mind?
  123. >Not really, but it's not like you would have much of a choice even if you did.
  124. “No, that's fine. You can tell her about me if you want to.”
  125. >She looks relieved. You can tell she was probably feeling guilty about hiding you from her friends.
  126. >”I'm sure she'll want to meet you right away. Would it be ok with you if I brought her here now?”
  127. “That's fine.”
  128. >”Oh, that's great. Just wait here and I'll be back as soon as I can. I’ll bring something for you to eat, too.”
  129. >As you watch her walk out the door, you are struck by an inappropriate thought.
  130. >Was she hiding anything behind that tail?
  131. >She was moving it around quite at bit while you were talking. Do they only do that when they're sure there's nobody standing behind them?
  132. >Do they just not have any nudity taboos?
  133. >She mentioned 'parents' and 'children' a few times during your talk, so you think they reproduce 'normally'. Then again, magic.
  134. >Despite the fact that your interest in your caretakers privates is completely innocent and purely scientific, you decide to get the answer from a book rather than asking her directly.
  135. >They have books, right?
  136. >How would non-unicorns write them, though?
  137. >Maybe they just dictated to a unicorn.
  138. >Her civilization seems advanced enough that you find it hard to believe they have no form of writing.
  139. >You spend somewhere between ten and thirty minutes processing everything she told you, trying to ignore the sucking pit of hunger in your gut.
  140. >...that sounded like a door creaking open downstairs.
  141. >Okay. Time to meet this 'Twilight Sparkle' pony. Hopefully without a squad of armed guards and a god-princess backing her up.
  142. >You decide to stay in bed. You're not exactly dressed to impress. Or at all, for that matter.
  143. >She was supposed to be a spellcaster, a uni-
  144. >”Fluttershy, dear? Could you help me with-”
  145. >She was being pretty loud. Sounded like she was calling for Flutters.
  146. >But Fluttershy should have either come back with her and be right there, or stayed behind in town for whatever reason, presumably far out of earshot.
  147. >Why did she stop talking in the middle of-
  148. >”AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
  149. >You try to stand up out of shock, but pull the bedsheets with you and end up in a heap on the floor.
  150. >”FLUTTERSHY?!”
  151. >Did she hear you? What the hell is going-
  152. >”Whoever you are, I |demand| to know what you've done to Fluttershy!”
  153. >Her voice was shaky, but determined.
  154. >This makes no sense. Why would probably-not-Twilight think that anything was wrong just because Fluttershy wasn't home?
  155. >Your cartoonish pratfall could have been Fluttershy dropping something or bumping into something, for all she knew. Was it just the lack of a timely response? It had only been a few-
  156. >Was that a footstep?
  157. >Wait... hoofstep?
  158. >Not the time!
  159. >She was slowly coming up the stairs. Sounds like she's trying to be stealthy.
  160. >Shit.
  161. >Shit.
  162. >Do you stay and try to figure this out?
  163. >What if she's a unicorn?
  164. >Based on size, you could probably handle a normal pony or a pegasus in a fight.
  165. >Magic, though?
  166. >You have no idea how magic works.
  167. >She seems to believe that her friend is missing or hurt for some reason.
  168. >If she opens the door and finds a never-before-seen giant monster that could probably kill her with one hand tied behind his back, she might fry your brain. Or teleport you into a volcano. Or-
  169. >You hear her hoof on the door handle.
  170. >Leave. Run.
  171. >Grab the toga. Out the window.
  172. >Window stuck. Pull.
  173. >Window open.
  174. >Door opening.
  175. >Turn to face threat.
  176. >White.
  177. >Purple.
  178. >Horn on head.
  179. >Run.
  180. >Out window.
  181. >Unicorn screaming?
  182. >Flash of light.
  183. >Run.
  184. >Forest.
  185.  
  186.  
  187. >God dammit.
  188. >That was a thoroughly shameful display.
  189. >You could have stood your ground and tried to explain.
  190. >Better yet, you could have shouted something while she was coming up the stairs. Given her time to react to your presence before she had a chance to reflexively blow you up.
  191. >...Unless unicorns could blow you up through walls.
  192. >Now the whole town is going to be hunting you, you're going to look guilty because you ran, and you don't have any food or shelter.
  193. >What if Fluttershy was actually missing? There would be nobody who could vouch for your not-a-giant-monster status.
  194. >...
  195. >What if she was actually hurt?
  196. >The sooner you talk to them and explain that you have nothing to do with any of it, the sooner they will stop chasing a red herring.
  197. >...
  198. >You should turn yourself in. What if something had actually happened to her?
  199. >But what if the rest of the inhabitants aren't as nice as Flutters?
  200. >You find it difficult to believe that she would be friends with people who would casually form a lynch mob, but what if the legal system is completely different here? What if 'innocent until proven guilty' is just a human thing?
  201. >They seemed nice though, based on what she told you.
  202. >Although you've read enough horror fiction to know that if a town seems too pleasant to be true, it's probably full of people who are scheming to eat your skin and drink your tasty tasty marrow.
  203. >But what else can you do?
  204. >Can't hide out in the forest forever.
  205. >Besides, Flutters might need help.
  206. >Deep breath.
  207. >...
  208. >Does that ever work?
  209. >You always make them too deep, and now you feel lightheaded.
  210. >Fuck.
  211.  
  212. >Okay. After spending another five minutes resting on the comfiest rock you could find, you feel ready to get shit done.
  213. >Location:
  214. >The Everfree Forest, Equestria, Planet Name Unknown. Home of assorted monsters, according to Fluttershy.
  215. >Inventory:
  216. >1. Two pony-sized bedsheets fashioned into a toga (equipped)
  217. >Looks like the bandages unraveled. They weren't really needed any more, anyway, so you discard the ones that still clung to you.
  218. >Status:
  219. >Sort of nasty, actually. You were going to ask Flutters if you could wash up before meeting Twilight, but you never got around to it.
  220. >At least your wounds seem to be-
  221. >Ow.
  222. >You stop tracing your limbs with your fingers.
  223. >What the fuck?
  224. >You spend a few seconds staring at the bright red burn on the back of your left arm.
  225. >Where did...
  226. >The flash of light. That shouty magic horse must have zapped you.
  227. >It was a minor injury, and you have bigger things to worry about.
  228. >Filled with determination, you stand up, stretch, flinch, curse, and look around.
  229. >You want to find some sort of landmark that can help you navigate the forest.
  230. >Fluttershy's cottage is somewhere behind you, there's a huge mountain in front of you and a bit to the left. The sun is right above you. Midday?
  231. >Didn't Fluttershy say something about one of the princesses controlling the sun?
  232. >Whether that was true or not, you have no idea how the sun behaves in this world.
  233. >You walk off to your right, trying to create a map of the area in your mind.
  234.  
  235. [Rarity]
  236. >Finally!
  237. >It's taken you all week, but you were finally finished.
  238. >The most spectacular pair of dresses you've ever made. One for Fluttershy and one for yourself.
  239. >The two of you are going to be the most stunning mares at Ruby Twinkle’s soiree. The stallions won't be able to keep their eyes off you!
  240. >Fluttershy might not like that, but you just had the most amazing idea for a dress for her, and you simply had to make it.
  241. >You smile a little at the idea that there might be such a thing as 'too much admiration' but you know that poor Fluttershy doesn't deal with that sort of thing very well.
  242. >You arrive at her cottage and, trying and failing to contain your excitement, enter without knocking.
  243. >Rude, but just wait until she sees her dress!
  244. “Fluttershy, dear? Could you help me with-”
  245. >You go quiet as your eyes fall on a pool of red liquid on the floor.
  246. >Was that... blood? Was that... Fluttershy's blood?
  247. “AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
  248. >You hear a sudden 'Thump!' from upstairs.
  249. “Fluttershy?!”
  250. >No, the- You swallow and force yourself to look at the ground. There is a trail of blood leading outside. If the blood was from a hurt animal, there is no way she would be upstairs. She always kept a first aid kit by the front door. She would be out there helping.
  251. >Which means that the large, heavy creature who made that sound was probably responsible for the- you look at the red splashes on the wall and have to steady yourself against the door frame- blood. An animal even Fluttershy couldn't handle.
  252. >You steady your voice and speak.
  253. “Whoever you are, I |demand| to know what you've done to Fluttershy!”
  254. >You wait a few seconds. Everything is quiet.
  255. >Well, Rarity, it looks like you are going to have to go up there and confront... it.
  256. >For Fluttershy.
  257. >You feel your heart beating as you sneak up the stairs.
  258. >Another sound.
  259. >Hoof on the door handle, you ready yourself.
  260. >Was that the window?
  261. >You push open the door and find yourself face to face with...
  262. >Time stands still as you stare at each other.
  263. >It was tall. Really tall. Probably twice as tall as a pony, if not more.
  264. >Taller than Celestia.
  265. >It had a white body... no, that was some sort of fabric.
  266. >It stood on two legs, and you saw two other limbs bulging against the flowing fabric near its neck.
  267. >It had small eyes. Small, terrifying eyes, both of them staring right at you.
  268. >You don't know why, but this creature scared you like nothing you had ever seen before. It wasn't as big as a dragon, or as awe-inspiring as the princess, but there was just something about it that stirred up a primal fear in you. Something deep, instinctive.
  269. >You don't notice the open window until the creature is already halfway through it.
  270. >Thinking back to your self-defense training with Twilight, your thoughts fill with magic as you reflexively fire off the first spell you remember at it.
  271. >Scorching Ray. A quick if cruel way to incapacitate an attacker.
  272. >The creature didn't even seem to feel it.
  273. >He disappears outside and you run up to the window to see where he's going, careful not to get too close just in case he is still hanging from a ledge or something, waiting to grab you.
  274. >Fortunately, that's not the case.
  275. >As you jump on the bed and look out the window, you see him running off into the Everfree.
  276. >Even though he stood on two legs, he was fast.
  277. >Twilight!
  278. >You have to tell Twilight!
  279.  
  280. [Anonymous]
  281. >Forests suck.
  282. >You've been walking for hours now, and all you can find is more trees.
  283. >There are so many trees that you can't even see the forest anymore.
  284. >After spending far too long laughing to yourself at that brilliant display of wit, you realize just how dehydrated and delirious you are.
  285. >The hunger is bad, but the thirst? You need some damn water.
  286. >You would suck moisture off a hobos foot.
  287. >You would do nasty things to Poseidon for even a small glass of his domain.
  288. >You would even pay money for a bottle of the stuff.
  289. >Actually, you're not quite desperate enough to do any of those things yet, but letting your imagination run wild helps you keep your mind off of how GODDAMNED THIRSTY YOU ARE!
  290. >Is that a lake?
  291. >That's a lake.
  292. >DRINK THE MOTHERFUCKER!
  293. >You run up to the sizable body of water, spend far less time than you should making sure that it's safe, and then... you drink.
  294. >And the drinking was good.
  295. >You spend the next ten minutes or so alternating between drinking and resting on the grass by the lake.
  296. >After sating your mad water-lust, you strip off your robe and jump into the lake.
  297. >It's just deep enough for you to swim, and you grin as a weeks worth of grime washes off into the lake.
  298. >Then you drink some more. No regrets.
  299. >Spending the next half hour lying in the grass waiting to dry off, you marvel at just how much clearer your thoughts are now that you've had something to drink.
  300. >Next step: something to eat.
  301. >She mentioned one of her friends running an apple orchard on the outskirts of town. The sun should set in a few hours (magical pony gods willing), giving you a perfect opportunity to steal some food.
  302. >The mountain is to your...
  303. >And you came here from...
  304. >Then the way back to town should be...
  305. >Having done your best to figure out where you are and what direction to go, you drape your improvised robe over yourself again and set off.
  306.  
  307. [Rainbow Dash]
  308. “Guys, I found her!”
  309. “Over here!”
  310. >You fly towards the yellow and pink- and red-
  311. >Oh Celestia.
  312. >Oh nono.
  313. >No...
  314. “She's hurt! She's really...”
  315. >Applejack is the first to arrive, giving an audible gasp as she sees her friend in a heap on the ground.
  316. >She pushes you out of the way and pulls some medical stuff out of her saddlebags.
  317. >You want to help, but other than basic first aid and some wing health stuff you picked up in flight school, you don't know anything about this stuff.
  318. >Twilight sprints towards the three of you.
  319. >”How is she? Is there anything I can do to help? I’ve studied-”
  320. >”I'm still cleaning off the blood, but the cuts aren't as deep as they look. She's lost a lot of blood though, and she's unconscious. We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible!”
  321. >”Movin’ her all the way there with magic might reopen a wound. We ain’t that far from the farm. Rainbow, could you get the big wagon an’ some clean blankets? Tell Big Mac to help ya.”
  322. ”Sure thing AJ, I’ll be right back!”
  323. >”Oh, an’ bring some clean water, too!”
  324. >“Twilight, can you lift her leg? Ah need to-”
  325. >You set off for Sweet Apple Acres at your top speed, careful not to kick up and dirt or debris when taking off.
  326. >The most important thing right now is making sure that Fluttershy is ok.
  327. >Once that's done, you are going to find whoever did this to her, and you are going to
  328.  
  329. [Anonymous]
  330. >Finally! You spent hours getting back to town, and then another half-hour at least circling around until you got to the orchard.
  331. >Apples on trees, far as the eye can see.
  332. >It was already getting dark. You saw what was either a house or a barn off in the distance, and decide to chance it.
  333. >Appletime.
  334.  
  335. >The heist went spectacularly.
  336. >Ten delicious apples rest on the ground before you.
  337. >You are back in the forest, away from vigilant eyes and nosy townspeople.
  338. >Nobody saw you, and there is no way they will be able to tell that a measly, glorious ten apples are missing.
  339. >Ten red orbs of sustenance later, you find yourself marveling at just how good it felt to be rid of that last, pesky -INT penalty.
  340. >Unfortunately, the lack of pressing physical concerns also allowed you to remember your current predicament.
  341. >Do you go deeper into the forest and try to get some sleep?
  342. >Do you surrender? If so, should you just wander into town and ask to speak to the police?
  343. >That would probably cause a panic, and you still don't know how dangerous unicorns actually are.
  344. >Maybe you should just reveal yourself to a single pony, calm him down, explain the misunderstanding, and ask him to go get the local law enforcement?
  345. >The farm you just robbed is pretty isolated. Maybe you should just- Oh fuck, that was close. You almost forgot that the reason you knew about the orchard in the first place was because it was run by Fluttershy's friend and fellow superhero... Apple... Applejack?
  346. >She probably knows about whatever Whiteandpurpleunicorn thinks happened to Flutters, so revealing yourself to her would likely get you... Well, you have no idea how good she is in a fight, but it's something you'd rather not find out.
  347. >Wait, she only had two close friends who were unicorns, right? And the one you met probably wasn't Twilight, which would make it... Rarity?
  348. >Rarity...
  349. >Did Flutters mention any other houses at the edge of town where you might find just one or two ponies?
  350. >Don't think so.
  351. >Your mind goes in circles for another few minutes, refining your options.
  352. >1. Hide in forest for rest of life.
  353. >2. Leave, try to find other town elsewhere.
  354. >3. Walk into town and try to explain yourself. Cause a panic. Even more so if Rarity told anyone other than her friends about the ‘fact’ that the big, scary human eats Fluttershies.
  355. >4. Corner lone pony and convince him of your innocence or at least desire to surrender, avoiding a panic. He can then go get the cops and calm them down to the point where they won't stab or laser you to death on sight.
  356. >5. Reveal yourself to one of the search parties that will no doubt come looking for either her or you. One of the no doubt heavily armed, trigger-happy search parties. Maybe they have somebody stationed by her cottage you could talk to.
  357. >6. Try to leave a note or something somewhere, explaining yourself and avoiding a panic. You don't have anything to write with or on, and you don't know if they even use the same alphabet as you.
  358. >There is another possibility. Maybe the matter is already settled. Maybe Rarity found her at Twilight’s, sipping tea and talking about you. Or maybe her friends went looking for her and found her helping a bear or hugging a tree or something and she cleared up the misunderstanding.
  359. >But why would Rarity have panicked to that degree simply because Fluttershy wasn't home when she came to visit?
  360. >Maybe she found a ransom note or a blood stain or...
  361. >Flutters, badly injured.
  362. >No, then Rarity would have likely either
  363. >a) gone to get a doctor or
  364. >b) carried her to one using telekinesis instead of
  365. >c) looking for you.
  366. >...unless she had to
  367. >a) drive off the monster first so that it didn't finish off her friend while she was getting help or
  368. >b) her telekinesis was too weak to move her.
  369. >Or maybe what she found was...
  370. >Flutters, dead.
  371. >Is that why she had been so sure that something was wrong?
  372. >No. No, she can't be dead.
  373. >You try to remember exactly what Rarity had shouted.
  374. >She 'demanded to know what you had done to Fluttershy'.
  375. >You let out a sigh of relief.
  376. >That question wouldn’t have made any sense if she had found her dead.
  377. >This is going nowhere.
  378. >You'll just... hide in the forest. Get some sleep. Figure out what to do tomorrow.
  379. >You don't really feel tired, but you want to be at your sharpest mentally when-and-if you interact with the ponies. Might as well get into the habit of sleeping at night and being awake during the day like you assume they do.
  380.  
  381. >The moon is up. It’s hard to see the sky through the trees, but you think it happened faster than it should have.
  382. >Princess magic?
  383. >You've set up a makeshift campsite about fifteen minutes into the forest. Honestly, it's just you sat leaning against a large tree wrapped in your stolen toga-linens and trying to get some sleep, but calling it a 'campsite' makes you feel better about your situation.
  384. >You don't feel the least bit tired.
  385. >Come to think of it, are the days even 24 hours long here?
  386. >Even if the sun and moon don't move at the whim of magic pony princesses, the orbit of the planet and/or moon could be completely different.
  387. >Maybe the sun orbits the planet.
  388. >”-ow how you feel, but we need to get some sleep. If we get tired, we get reckless. We could be walking into an ambush right now.”
  389. >Shitfuck.
  390. >”I don't care! I'm going to find that freak and buck his head off!”
  391. >Assballstits.
  392. >The voices came from a direction you have, in a feeble attempt to make sense of your mental map, decided to call 'mountainward', on the other side of the tree.
  393. >Maybe 100 meters or so.
  394. >There are plenty of trees and bushes in the way, but they would probably hear you if you tried to run.
  395. >Don't panic. Panicking is for people who haven't had anything to eat or drink in a week.
  396. >Hide? They would find you if they came this way. Dirty as they were by now, your rags don't exactly make for proper camouflage.
  397. >Run? They might catch up. You don't know how fast a pegasus can fly. Also, magic.
  398. >Oh, fuck. They might have magic that can find you if you hide too.
  399. >Surprise attack? They could be hostile, and you still owe Rarity an indian burn or ten, but they haven't done anything wrong. Yet.
  400. >Talk? You should talk. Shout something while standing behind the tree so that they don't reflexively incinerate you as soon as they hear your voice.
  401. >Oh fuck, they're getting closer.
  402. >Too close.
  403. >You can feel your options disappearing one by one.
  404. >Are they... whispering?
  405. >Ohfuckityfuck magic x-ray vision or something probably fuck.
  406. >No. Do NOT panic. Remember your poker face. No matter how you feel, you never let them see you sweat.
  407. >More whispering.
  408. >Better yet, don't just look calm and confident, |be| calm and confident.
  409. >You hear them scattering in different directions.
  410. >Okay, the confident part might be difficult, but at least you look and feel calm.
  411. >Time to weigh your options. Fast.
  412. >Run? Useless.
  413. >Hide? Can't.
  414. >Attack? Risky. Unethical. Provocation.
  415. >Talk? Yes.
  416. >Threaten? No.
  417. >Beg? No.
  418. >Smug but friendly? Worth a shot. Acting a little arrogant and pretentious would help you stay calm. Not the best way to make friends, but it would have to do.
  419. “Attempting to surround me?”
  420. >You hear several sounds from all around you, but make no attempt to make sense of them.
  421. “Good plan, assuming there is no weak link.”
  422. >”Show yourself!”
  423. “While I would be happy to offer you a proper introduction, you seem somewhat hostile. If this is about your friend-”
  424. >”You're damn right it is, you ugly freak! Come out here so I can knock your head off!”
  425. >”Dash!”
  426. >Shit, are they attacking?!
  427. >”Come on, Twilight! You saw what-”
  428. “While... I don't exactly feel like 'getting my head knocked off', I would be willing to try to resolve this peacefully. I had nothing to do with-”
  429. >”Come out then!”, commands the pony referred to as Twilight.
  430. “Very well.”
  431. >Deciding to reveal yourself to the presumed leader, you stand up and start making your way towards Twilight.
  432. “If that is what it will-”
  433. >Pushing through the tall bushes on your right, you find yourself face to face with Rarity.
  434. >Face to stomach, to be more accurate. You are standing right in front of her, easily twice her height.
  435. >Her eyes go wide and she screams.
  436. >You hear bushes rustling to your right.
  437. >Then the world goes purple.
  438. >Then the world goes black.
  439.  
  440. >Ugh...
  441. >The ground is hard.
  442. >Made of wood.
  443. >Floor?
  444. >Open eyes a little.
  445. >More purple.
  446. >”Ah think he's waking up, Twi!”
  447. >So much for plan 'genius fake sleep intel gather'.
  448. >Guess you'll have to wake up in a hurry.
  449. >You are still wearing your robe.
  450. >Your head hurts, but not as much as you expected.
  451. >Actually, you have no reference points for that. What even happened? Magic?
  452. >The floor is made of wood.
  453. >The floor also has the decency to be the color it's supposed to be.
  454. >Unlike everything else in the room. Why is-
  455. >Oh.
  456. >You are encased in some sort of glowing purple bubble. Probably a magical force field or electric fence-equivalent. Not even high enough to allow you to stand or wide enough to allow you to lie down comfortably.
  457. >You don't know if it continues through the floor, but you wouldn't be able to break through wood anyway.
  458. >The pony who shouted about you being awake has walked over to the stairway. She’s looking at you, but glances up the stairs every few seconds.
  459. >When she's not looking, you sit up, grab a small twig that got snagged in your toga and flick it at the purple barrier.
  460. >Bounced right off. No shock or fire or disintegration or alarm bells.
  461. >Okay, some sort of magical force field, then.
  462. >Touching the it confirms your suspicions. It felt solid, but also vaguely... electrical, in a way. Like there was power flowing through it.
  463. >Which there was, obviously. Magic and whatnot.
  464. >Does it allow air to pass through?
  465. >Your concerned thoughts are interrupted as you hear several sets of hooves coming down the stairs.
  466. >”Don't worry girls, that spell could hold a rampaging manticore.”
  467. >Twilight walks up to the bubble, with three of her friends following close behind.
  468. >One remains by the foot of the stairs, nervously shifting and glancing towards the door at the top.
  469. >It's hard to tell with all the damn purple, but it looks like Rarity.
  470. >If you squint, you can almost make out their real colors.
  471. >One is some shade of yellow or orange. Wears a hat.
  472. >One is pink or red, with a poofy... mane? Yeah, you think they're called manes.
  473. >You're not sure what color the flying ones fur is, but her mane seems to be a mess of colors.
  474. >You can't quite tell with Twilight. Maybe she's actually purple?
  475. >Oh, and they all look angry.
  476. >Except the red, poofy one. She looks like she's been crying.
  477. >Twilight is reading from a piece of paper she is levitating in front of herself.
  478. >”Question 1: What species are you?”
  479. “Pardon?”
  480. >”Species. What kind of creature are you. Pony, dragon, griffon and so on.
  481. “Yeah, no, I know what a species is. I just don't like being knocked out, kidnapped and interrogated.”
  482. >”You should have thought of that before you did that to Fluttershy, you freak!” shouts the flying one.
  483. >Process of elimination.
  484. >Probably Fluttershy's friend. Pegasus. Referred to as 'Dash' in the forest.
  485. >Rainbow Dash.
  486. >Wait.
  487. >Did that?
  488. “What happened to Fluttershy?”
  489. >You sounded a little more surprised and concerned than you meant to, but, dammit, you |were| worried.
  490. >They all look at you with what you think is a mix of suspicion and concern.
  491. >Except the one by the stairs. She looks angry.
  492. >She takes a few shaky steps towards you.
  493. >”How- How dare you pretend not to know! I open her door and there- there's blood everywhere and then I hear something and I open the door and there's this huge... thing staring at me and then it runs off to the” She pauses to breathe. “the forest and I go get Twilight and we find her and YOU, you did that to her and you have the |nerve| to act like you don't even...” Her voice trails off. You can't quite tell if she's going to burst into tears or keep shouting.
  494. >You are starting to feel that familiar panic-tinged fear welling up inside you. Fluttershy's been hurt. Fluttershy might be dead. You had nothing to do with it, but that doesn't matter. She took care of you and helped you and now she might be dead.
  495. “How is she?”
  496. >You speak quickly, almost making the question sound like an order.
  497. >Twilight narrows her eyes and meets yours, a look of suspicion still on her face.
  498. >”She-”
  499. >Rainbow Dash moves closer to the bubble. “She's resting at the hospital where |you| can't get to her. So don't even |think| about it!”
  500. “So she's alive?”
  501. >”The injuries were bad, but manageable. She's unconscious, but the doctors are optimistic.”, Twilight adds as she pulls Dash away from your prison.
  502. >You feel the panic fade away.
  503. >Alive.
  504. >Unconscious, but alive.
  505. >Now you can get back to worrying about your own problems.
  506. >You try to glance at Rarity without her noticing, but you can't quite make out her expression. Not wanting to risk making eye contact, you give up.
  507. “So what's the justice system like in this country, anyway? Is it really legal to lock people up in your basement without a trial because you think they |might| have done something bad?”
  508. >No windows, y'see.
  509. >Wait, fuck. You decided to go on the offensive to gain the upper hand and get the discussion moving again, but you forgot about the somewhat unstable witness by the stairs. Flippantly suggesting that they should just let you go is likely to provoke another teary-eyed rant.
  510. >”Actually, as the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, we technically hold the rank of Lieutenants in the Royal Guard. That means that we have the authority to imprison anypony we deem a 'significant and immediate threat to the peace or safety of civilians' for up to forty-eight hours as long as we inform a Princess, superior officer, or Captain of any branch of the Equestrian Guard of our actions. I submitted my report to the Princess an hour after you were captured. That was two hours ago, meaning we can keep you imprisoned for another forty-five hours, if we see fit to do so.”
  511. >This fucking horse...
  512. “Well, as I am not well versed in Equestrian law, I suppose I'll just have to take your word for it.”
  513. >”Good. Now, returning to my questions...”
  514. Human. Homo sapiens, if you want to be fancy. Homo sapiens |sapiens|, if you want to be both specific |and| fancy. Yes, we actually put that in the name twice.
  515. >She is writing something on a second piece of paper using a... feather?
  516. >A quill? Really?
  517. >”Question 2: What are you doing here.” She looks up from the scroll. “Here referring to wherever you do not normally dwell, for example, this town, country or contin-”
  518. “Yeah, I get it.”
  519. “I don't really know what I'm doing here. I don't even really know where 'here' is. I was at home, taking a shower, then I-”
  520. >How do you make this sound less ridiculous than it is?
  521. “I don't know what happened. Pain, then falling, then more pain, then I woke up in a bed having my wounds cleaned by some sort of flying yellow pony creature.”
  522. >The others snap to attention at the mention of Fluttershy.
  523. “I had never seen anything like her before, and she later said she had never seen a member of my species before either.”
  524. “Anyway, I spent the first few days after waking up pretending to still be unconscious, trying to figure out what was going on. I eventually came to the conclusion that she wasn't a threat, so I let her know that I was awake.”
  525. “We spent about an hour talking. She answered questions about Equestria, and I answered a few about my-”
  526. >You were going to say 'world' or 'planet', but decided against it. One step at a time.
  527. “home. Then she said that her friend Twilight would want to meet me, and I said that that would be okay. So she left, and I sat in bed thinking about all the stuff she had told me.”
  528. “About thirty minutes later, the door opened and I thought I was about to meet this 'Twilight Sparkle' pony.”
  529. “Instead, it was somebody visiting Fluttershy.”
  530. >They flinch when you mention her by name.
  531. “I was just going to stay quiet and hide upstairs until she left, in order to prevent her from running off and starting a panic or something, but then she started screaming and I... fell out of my bed. Made enough noise that she heard me.”
  532. “At first, I was just going to explain who I was and what I was doing in her friend's house, but then I realized that based on the way she was acting, something might have actually happened to Fluttershy. She sounded furious.”
  533. >The four of them glance in Rarity's direction. You do not.
  534. “I knew that I could probably defend myself against a pegasus or one of the regular ones if I had to, based on size difference alone, but a magic user?”
  535. >Rainbow Dash looks like she’s about to say something, but doesn’t.
  536. “She believed that something had happened to her friend, I was twice her size and of a species she had never seen before, and I was hiding in said friends house. For all I knew, she would panic and incinerate me the second she saw me.”
  537. “Add to that the fact that I was somewhat out of it because of dehydration and a lack of food...”
  538. “I decided to run. I had just gotten the window open when she came through the door, and I managed to jump through it just as she hit me with a spell. I ran for the forest, found some food and water, set up camp, started considering my options, and then you showed up.”
  539. >They quickly change from looks of curiosity to ones of suspicion as soon as they realize that your story is over.
  540. >”So you're saying that you had nothing to do with what happened to Fluttershy.”
  541. >Twilight looks more concerned than upset.
  542. “That is exactly what I'm saying. The conclusion being that whoever attacked her is still out there.”
  543. >The looks on the faces of the others change to mirror Twilight's concern.
  544. >Not for long, though.
  545. >”Oh, come on, Twilight! He's full of it.”
  546. >”Ah don't trust him either, Twi.”
  547. >”He... seems nice”, says the red, poofy one. She still has a sad look on her face.
  548. >”Rarity, what do you think?”
  549. >You allow yourself to glance at Rarity, careful not to turn your head or make eye contact.
  550. >She look... conflicted. Like she still hates you, but can't completely justify it anymore.
  551. >”I... think we should be careful. Keep it in there until Celestia arrives.”
  552. >”I suppose that would be the sensible thing to do. Look, girls, we're all tired, and I told you that she won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. I would prefer if all of us were fresh and rested by then.”
  553. >”Yer just going to leave it here without a guard?”
  554. >”It’s a powerful spell. ‘Fifth Circle, Lunar register: Sealing Sphere’, to be specific.”
  555. >Rarity looks impressed, but the other three don't seem too reassured.
  556. >”It means that he would have to be stronger than a chimera to break it from the inside. The bubble disrupts all mana shaping, meaning he can't use magic to break free either.”
  557. >That seems to have done the trick.
  558. >”Well, alright then. But if I see you outside that thing, I'm smashing your ugly head in!”
  559. "Duly noted, Rainbow Dash. If I decide to escape, I’ll make sure you don’t see me."
  560. >You used her full name to see if you could startle her, but realize that she already knew that Fluttershy had shared it with you.
  561. >Oh, hey. Rainbow Dash. Her mane is probably a rainbow.
  562. >Damn, you're smart. Your head is practically abuzz with smartness. Or is-
  563. >”Yeah, darn straight. You- |hey|!”
  564. >Twilight lets out an exhausted sigh.
  565. >”Let's get some sleep, everyone.”
  566. >The others start to shuffle up the stairs at Twilight's insistence.
  567. “So what, I don't even get a mattress?”
  568. >She turns around while the others leave through the door at the top.
  569. >”Afraid not. That barrier took a lot of power to create, and I can't afford to recast it just to make you more comfortable. Not that I necessarily trust you enough that I'd be willing to do it even if it was easy.”
  570. >With that, she turns around to climb the stairs.
  571. >You glance around the room, trying to figure out something else to say before being left alone.
  572. >The barrier has started to flicker slightly, so it's hard to make out any details.
  573. >Wait.
  574. >You lean forward.
  575. “Does this thing even let fresh air through? I sort of need air. To live.”
  576. >Halfway out the door, she turns around for a second time.
  577. >“That's not going to be a problem.”
  578. “And bathroom visits?”
  579. >”Wh- what?”
  580. “The elimination of biological waste.”
  581. >She looks distinctly uncomfortable now.
  582. >Oh, hey, the flickering must have stopped. When did that happen? You didn't even notice.
  583. >”I'm sorry, but I can't lower the spell.”
  584. “And this is legal?”
  585. >”I'm sorry. Just try to get some sleep.”
  586. >You stare at the door as she closes it, hoping she gets her tail caught.
  587.  
  588.  
  589. >This is bullshit.
  590. >It's been a few hours and you don't feel tired at all.
  591. >Must be all that passing out you're always doing.
  592. >And struggling to break free probably didn’t help.
  593. >Your bladder hasn't quite reached 'happening' levels yet, but if she is going to keep you in here until tomorrow afternoon...
  594. >The barrier hasn't flickered again.
  595. >You wonder what caused that.
  596. >Wait... didn't you do something right before it started?
  597. >You were stretching your legs, with your back against the shield.
  598. >Was it your weight?
  599. >You lean against the bubble.
  600. >No.
  601. >Force?
  602. >You lean back and kick the bubble in approximately the right spot.
  603. >No flickering.
  604. >What if you put pressure on opposite sides at the same time?
  605. >You brace yourself against one side and push at the other with your feet.
  606. >Nothing.
  607. >Okay, this takes your mind off your situation. It's stupid, but better than nothing.
  608. >What if you try to replicate everything you were doing when it flickered last time?
  609. >You place your back against the barrier again, trying to find the exact location it was resting on when the barrier acted strangely.
  610. >Once you feel confident that you are as close as you are going to get, you do the same with your feet. They touch the barrier on the other side, and you try to get even the toe positions right.
  611. >Nothing.
  612. >Except...
  613. >That strange buzzing in your head was back.
  614. >You thought it was just hunger or lack of sleep or stress or one of a million other mundane things last time it happened.
  615. >Then the barrier starts flickering again.
  616. >You have no idea what that means, but you still feel damn proud for making it happen.
  617. >You stay in the same position for a few minutes, but nothing changes. Both the buzzing and the flickering remain constant.
  618. >You remove your left foot from the barrier, and they both stop.
  619. >You put it back in the same place, and the buzzing starts again. About ten seconds later, the flickering does as well.
  620. >You remove and return your back, same thing.
  621. >Once the flickering starts, you try removing your right foot.
  622. >That's odd.
  623. >The buzzing and flickering are still present.
  624. >Apparently, your right foot isn't needed.
  625. >You spend another few minutes moving individual toes on your left foot until you discover that only one of them seems necessary.
  626. >Then you try moving the rest of your foot while keeping the toe in place.
  627. >Everything stops.
  628. >You experiment for a while, and discover that your second-smallest toe (whatever it's called) and a part on the upper left of your foot need to be in contact with the barrier while your bare neck is touching the other side in order for the buzzing and flickering to happen.
  629. >You try switching to your other foot, careful not to move your head.
  630. >After twisting your right foot into place so that some part of it is touching the same places that your left foot did, you feel the buzzing start up again.
  631. >You move on to your neck, eventually finding two spots that seem to be needed while your foot is touching the other two.
  632. >You slide down until your back is on the floor, touching one side of the bubble with your foot and trying to find the right spots on the other side with your hands instead.
  633. >You succeed in less than a minute, bringing forth that same buzzing and, eventually, flickering.
  634. >It seems like as long as you are touching those four locations at the same time with your bare skin, your head will buzz and the bubble will flicker.
  635. >The wages of boredom.
  636. >Still, you're wide awake, and this is better than sitting around doing nothing.
  637. >You wonder if there are more such spots.
  638. >Taking your finger off one of the locations, you start to slowly trace your other hand across the bubble.
  639. >A few minutes later, you find another spot that, when combined with the other three, produces the same effect.
  640. >What if you tried touching all five at the same time?
  641. >You scoot your back around a bit to improve your posture, and return a finger to location four.
  642. >A slightly stronger buzzing followed a few seconds later by noticeably stronger flickering.
  643. >Dare you go for six?
  644. >You do.
  645. >And you do.
  646. >And if six, why not seven?
  647. >What must be at least an hour after you started experimenting, after searching well over three quarters of the interior of the force bubble, you find location number eight.
  648. >The buzzing is almost painful, and the bubble is a flashing mess of different shades of purple.
  649. >After finding location nine, you are shocked at how limber you can be with the right motivation.
  650. >Testing nine...
  651. >The barrier almost looks like it's about to break apart. You even notice places where, for a split second, it seems to disappear.
  652. >The buzzing at nine has reached headache levels, but you can't stop now. No pain, no unspecified, potentially fatal 'gain'.
  653. >Besides, the pain goes away as soon as you let go.
  654. >You only scale the 'spots touched while searching' value back to seven now. Too excited.
  655. >Once you find spot number ten, you start to worry. What if one of the spots disappears once you are touching ten? Would your finger or toe or elbow push through, and then be sliced off when that part of the bubble reappears?
  656. >This is magic. You are actually fucking around with magic. This is too cool to ruin with petty concerns about not wanting to accidentally maim yourself.
  657. >Ten it is.
  658. >The pain is intense, but manageable.
  659. >The flickering...
  660. >Wow.
  661.  
  662. >The barrier isn't flickering at all. It has taken on a fainter purple color, streaks of deep purple connecting the now-visible small white discs that you've been blindly hunting. Some of the connections are just thick, straight lines, while others look more like blood vessels or bundles of nerve fibres.
  663. >There is a sort of haunting beauty to it. Your wandering eyes eventually stop at a disc that you had yet to find. Looking around, you can't see any more of them, so it's probably the last one.
  664. >Doing a quick check of free body parts, you come to the conclusion that if you move your right knee to location six to free up your right elbow, you should be able to touch all of them at the same time.
  665. >You brace yourself and...
  666. >The pain is bad. Really bad.
  667. >Not agonizing, but definitely head-splitting migraine bad.
  668. >You force yourself to hold it for another few seconds.
  669. >You have to know what the bubble will look like.
  670. >And then it just... goes away.
  671. >There is still a faint purple glow in the air, but the bubble is gone. Not being ready for it, you stumble forward and fall through the former perimeter of your prison.
  672. >As soon as the headache clears, your eyes go wide and you pull yourself back inside the faint, purple dome.
  673. >What if it suddenly reappeared?
  674. >You didn't feel like being bisected.
  675. >After weighing the matter for a few minutes in a comfy fetal position, you decide to stay put and wait.
  676. >About ten minutes later, you hear a low hum, feel some static in the air, and suddenly, the barrier returns.
  677. >At least you managed to keep all your limbs inside while you waited.
  678. >Taking a deep breath (hey, it worked!), you decide to try again.
  679. >More Twister, more pain, more sudden freedom.
  680. >You stay inside just like last time, and try your best to keep time.
  681. >Ten minutes and twenty seconds.
  682. >You try again, and count again.
  683. >Eleven minutes, two seconds.
  684. >You were probably off by at least a minute both times, but it seems like the temporary shutdown lasts ten minutes or so.
  685. >You have no idea why the spell is acting this way, but it does present you with an interesting opportunity.
  686. >They did imprison you here, after all...
  687. >On one hand, their friend was injured and they found puddles of blood and a giant monster at the scene of the crime. You would have done the exact same thing in their situation.
  688. >On the other hand, fuck those jerks for locking you up.
  689. >You ponder the issue for a few minutes, and eventually make up your mind.
  690. >You are going to escape from the spell in order to make a point, but you'll stick around to be 'interrogated' and to meet the Princess.
  691. >You call it 'Operation: Antagonize your captors for no reason, greatly harming your chances of being able to solve your disagreements through peaceful diplomacy'.
  692. >You hum a few seconds worth of heist music to set the mood, and spring into action.
  693. >The bubble has been disabled.
  694. >The stairs have been climbed.
  695. >The door has had your ear pushed against it so as to force it to betray any auditory secrets the other side might have trusted it to keep.
  696. >Nothing.
  697. >The door doesn't seem to be locked. Odd, but that's one potential automatic failure avoided.
  698. >Opening the door, you peer into the moonlit room on the other side.
  699. >It was big.
  700. >Round-ish.
  701. >A lot of bookcases.
  702. >Oh, right. She was a wizard. Of sorts.
  703. >You hear somebody snoring from what you believe to be the second floor.
  704. >Searching the room, you find doors leading to a kitchen, and a bathroom, and a stairway leading to a smaller study. In said study, a stairway leads to a third floor. Or at least floor 2.5. What are those half-floor 'overlook' things called, again?
  705. >The snoring was stronger now. Somebody was definitely sleeping up there.
  706. >Two somebodies, in fact. There was also a second, softer set of breathing.
  707. >Was she married?
  708. >A pet?
  709. >Roommate?
  710. >You don't want to risk finding out yet.
  711. >You sneak into the study and grab a quill, a stack of coarse paper, and an inkwell.
  712. >Fuck, how long has it been?
  713. >Probably around six minutes.
  714. >You stealthily creep back downstairs with your newfound loot.
  715. >Holding absolutely still as you count down the minutes, you do not allow yourself to let your mind wander. Even one toe out of position...
  716. >Actually...
  717. >You find the twig on the floor and place it where the barrier will reappear. Part of it resting outside, and part inside.
  718. >The sphere appears after a few minutes, and the twig cracks in two. Each part rolls onto its own side of the bubble.
  719. >Ouch.
  720. >Good to know.
  721. >Bringing quill to paper, you set about achieving your twisted revenge.
  722. >A few minutes later, you are done.
  723. >You disable the bubble, throw the other side of the twig back into your 'prison' and go about finding something to read.
  724. >'Equine Anatomy 22nd Edition'
  725. >'A Compact History of Equestria'
  726. >'Princess Celestia: Myths and Facts'
  727. >'Magic for Beginners'
  728. >It seems they use the same alphabet you're used to.
  729. >You grab the four books, note a clock on the wall in the main library (12 hour, showing twenty past three.), and return to the bubble.
  730. >The purple prison reappears, and you start to feel nervous.
  731. >Only one part of your master plan left.
  732. >The riskiest of all.
  733. >You grab the quill and make a few last minute upgrades to the weapon of your unholy vengeance, then steel yourself for what is to come.
  734. >You shut the dome down, grab the papers, quill and inkwell, and sneak into the study. The snoring is still present.
  735. >You place the quill, inkwell and the extra papers on the writing desk where you found them.
  736. >Here goes.
  737. >You sneak up to the stairway and place a foot on the lowest step.
  738. >No going back now.
  739. >You sneak up to whatever an architect would call that pseudo-floor and see a bed and a... basket.
  740. >Something roughly pony sized was sleeping in the bed, while the basket held some sort of sleeping lizard thing.
  741. >Thinking back, you remember Fluttershy saying something about Twilight living with a baby dragon.
  742. >Neat.
  743. >Realizing that you are wasting valuable time, you creep up to her bed and finish your task.
  744. >More stealth, more bubble.
  745. >You break out one last time to use the bathroom. A risky move, especially since you decide to wash your hands and even wash some of the dirt off of your scratched-up feet, but you were finished anyway.
  746. >The deed is done.
  747. >The war is won.
  748. >You return to your bubble-home and start studying Equestrian history under the purple glow of the spell.
  749.  
  750. [Spike]
  751. >Gems.
  752. >Thousand of gems of every color and size.
  753. >Delectable, mouth-watering-
  754. >”Spike.”
  755. >Wha?
  756. >”Spike!”
  757. “Whaizzit?”
  758. >”This isn't funny, Spike.”
  759. “I was having such a delicious dream, Twilight. Can't it wait?”
  760. >You turn around and bury yourself under your blankets.
  761. >”Well, you should have thought of that before you made this.”
  762. >What was she even talking about?
  763. >You're not going to get any peace and quiet until you deal with this, are you?
  764. “What is it, Twilight?”
  765. >You drag yourself out of bed and walk up to her.
  766. >”You know darn well what it is!”
  767. >Sigh...
  768. “No, I don't.”
  769. >She uses her magic to hand you a piece of parchment.
  770. >”|This| is what.”
  771. >You stare at the crudely drawn picture on the parchment for a few seconds.
  772. >It looked like...
  773. >Twilight, but with a giant head and a dumb expression on her face.
  774. >Her horn was floppy, her tongue was hanging out of her grinning mouth, and her eyes were unfocused.
  775. >There were stink lines coming off her flank, and her cutie mark had been replaced by a strange curved line.
  776. >The picture was captioned 'I am Twilight. My butt is dumb and my face is a butt. Also, my cuty mark is a butt.'.
  777. >So |that's| what that line was!
  778. >Twilight did not take kindly to your hysterical laughter.
  779. >”Darn it Spike, this is mean. Not to mention incredibly childish. I expected better from you.”
  780. >You finally compose yourself and look up at her, tears of laughter still in your eyes.
  781. “Sorry, Twilight, but I didn't draw that. I've never seen it before.”
  782. >”At least be honest with me, Spike.”
  783. >This was starting to get insulting. You had nothing to do with that admittedly hilarious picture. Why wouldn't she believe you?
  784. "Twilight, seriously. I didn't draw it. I really didn't."
  785. >You actually try to sound serious this time.
  786. >”Look, there's no point in lying. I found it on my nightstand, it wasn't there when I went to bed last night, the front door is locked, and my intrusion wards haven’t been tripped. We are the only ones in here, so it's obvious that-”
  787.  
  788. [Twilight Sparkle]
  789. >Oh no.
  790. >Nononono.
  791. >Oh Celestia no.
  792. >You turn and sprint down the stairs to your study, leaving Spike, picture in claw, wondering what just happened.
  793. >You charge up a spell as you practically fly down the stairs to the main library.
  794. >Fourth Circle, Lunar register: Dreamless Sleep.
  795. >Checking the front door with your hooves, you find that it's still locked from the inside.
  796. >Basement.
  797. >You push open the door and see him... sitting in the Sealing Sphere right where you left him, reading a book.
  798. >You allow your prepared spell to dissipate as you descend the stairs in the brief few seconds between seeing him still in his prison, and realizing what you just saw.
  799. >He was reading a book!
  800. >He didn't have any books hidden in those strange robes when you imprisoned him!
  801. >Your blood freezes as he turns his head up from the book, looks at you, and smiles.
  802. >”Good morning, Twilight.”, he says in a friendly voice.
  803. “How did... how did you escape?!”
  804. >He looks down at the book in his furless paw and starts reading again, his smile growing ever so slightly wider.
  805. >”I have no idea what you're talking about.”
  806. >How did... How could... It was impossible! Your scans didn't show any magical ability in him, and even if he had any, he wouldn't have been able to cast any spells! And there's no way he was strong enough to break free through brute force!
  807. >And why was the Sphere still there? Even if he broke it or dispelled it or something, it should just be gone!
  808. >Did he recast it?
  809. >No, you recognize that magical aura. This was your spell.
  810. >Maybe his species could teleport?
  811. >No. Inherent, species-level magic was still magic. The Sphere would disrupt it.
  812. >But that meant... that meant you weren't safe at all!
  813. >Any second now, he could reach through the barrier or teleport out or...
  814. >”Anything wrong?” You flinch as you hear his voice, still the height of friendly bemusement. “You seem a little nervous.”
  815. >He was big. Too big. He could catch you if you tried to run.
  816. >Your teleportation spell took too long to charge, and you were too scared to cast a spell that complicated properly anyway.
  817. >Before you can stop yourself, you do the most instinctual thing your body can think of. You scream.
  818. >”Twilight?”, a response comes from somewhere near the kitchen.
  819. >Oh no. Spike was going to come down here. Your stupid slip put Spike in danger! You have to-
  820. >”Could you please try to quiet down? I'm trying to read.”, the creature says in a polite tone.
  821. >Would he just shut up already?! Doesn't he realize that you're standing face to face with a dangerous... him.
  822. >You hear the front door being unlocked, and then the partially closed basement door slams open.
  823. >A blue-and-rainbow blur shoots down into the room and hovers next to Twilight, followed by a small purple-and-green shape wielding a frying pan.
  824. >”What's wrong?! What did he do?!”
  825. >RD must have heard you screaming and been let in by Spike.
  826. >Another pony put in danger by your carelessness.
  827. “Be careful Rainbow! He can escape the barrier! Spike, go back upstairs!”
  828. >”What? How? When? Wait, why is he still in there then? How do you know that he can escape?”
  829. “Don't you see? He has books! He didn't have those books last night! And I found a drawing on my nightstand that Spike didn't put there! The front door was locked. He's the only one who could have done it!”
  830. >You point a hoof at him accusingly.
  831. >”But I'm locked in your spell. It's so secure that you can't even give me a blanket or bathroom break. How could I possibly escape?”
  832. >Again, that polite, curious tone. Not overtly sarcastic, and all the more infuriating as a result.
  833. “Then where did you get those books?”
  834. >”You should be happy. I've heard that reading is a great way to rehabilitate prisoners.”
  835. “Tell me right now, er...”
  836. >Darn, what was his name again?
  837. >He notices your confusion.
  838. >”Anonymous, but Anon will do.”
  839. “R-right. Anonymous, tell me how you escaped!”
  840. >”Yeah, |Anon|, what did I tell you about escaping?”
  841. >”That you would smash my head in if you saw me outside the sphere.” he says, his words accompanied by another friendly, purple smile.
  842. >”And you igno... I mean, you... I... GAH!”
  843. >She throws her hooves up in frustration.
  844. >”I can't deal with this jerk. You talk to him Twilight. I'll be here if you need me.”
  845. >She flies further into the room, keeping roughly the same distance from the Sphere.
  846. “Tell me how you got out or I'll tell the Princess what you did! Escaping from the custody of the Royal Guard is a serious offense!”
  847. >”But I keep telling you, there's no way I could have escaped! It's not like there'd be any huge, amateurish flaws in a spell cast by Princess Celestia's favored disciple, right?”, he says, his carefree smile flashing into a cruel one for a second.
  848. >You feel the air leave your lungs.
  849. >What if the Princess found out? What if she finds out that you put everypony in danger because you were too stupid and incompetent to properly cast a spell you should have mastered months ago?
  850. >Do you lie to her? Pretend that nothing happened?
  851. >Do you ask Dash and Spike to back you up if you lie?
  852. >Would Anonymous tell her, out of spite?
  853. >You are shaken out of your panic by the voice of someone you had almost forgotten was present.
  854. >”Uhm... Twilight? Who is that?”
  855. >Oh, right. You never told Spike about him. He just knows that Fluttershy was hurt in the Everfree and that he's not allowed to go down into the basement.
  856. “He might be the one who... who hurt Fluttershy.”
  857. >You see a mixture of fear and anger on Spike's face.
  858. >”I most certainly am not!”
  859. >He's looking up from his book and, for the first time, he actually looks angry.
  860. >”Treating me like a criminal, locking me up, that’s understandable. But if you're not even going to give me a big enough prison cell or provide me with basic necessities, you can't really expect me to take your claim of legitimate authority seriously, now can you? It's a damn thin line between emergency detainment and kidnapping, and tossing me in this back-breaking little box and telling me to shit in a corner puts you |very firmly over that line|.”
  861. >You stare at him, trying to process the sudden outburst.
  862. >”Now, if you'd like for us to handle this like grownups, feel free to shut down your spell. Ideally sometime before my spine snaps in half.”
  863. >That's... you can't do that, right?
  864. >Then again, he's had plenty of opportunities to escape or hurt you throughout the night, and he never did.
  865. >All he did was draw that stupid picture and borrow some books.
  866. >And the way he seemed to worry about Fluttershy...
  867. >”You're not actually considering it, right?”
  868. “I... don't know, Dash.”
  869. >”You |don't know|? Remember what he did to Fluttershy! You saw her! You |were covered in her blood|, Twilight!
  870. >Spike looks incredible uncomfortable.
  871. “We don't know that! He had plenty of chances to hurt me last night! Or he could have escaped! Besides, he's right about the spell. I had to make the sphere smaller to increase the density. What if he's innocent? We can't treat somepony like this when we don't even know if he's done anything wrong!”
  872. >You take a few shallow breaths and look at Rainbow Dash. You hate fighting with your friends, but it was starting to look like Anonymous might actually be innocent.
  873. “Besides, it's not like the spell can hold him anyway. I don't know how, but he found a way past it.”
  874. >”Maybe it's a trick! Maybe he smuggled the books in there or maybe they're just illusions or something!”
  875. “I would have found them when I checked his clothes for hidden weapons, and I made sure there was no active magic around him. He got out, Dash. I don't know how, but he got out. My spell failed.”
  876. >”But.. still. We could... Can’t you at least put him in a bigger, weaker one?”
  877. “I'm sorry, Dash, but there is no point in keeping him in there. If he's innocent, he should be set free. If he is guilty, he could just escape again anyway. We have nothing to lose.”
  878. >"Twilight, no. We don’t know that. You're letting him play you-"
  879. >Pushing past your guilt, you ignore her, charge your horn, and input the secret dissipation code. The Sphere shudders for a moment, and then disappears. With the spell gone, the only source of illumination is the morning light streaming down from upstairs.
  880. >He puts the book down, lies flat on his back, and stretches. You hear several pops and a satisfied groan.
  881. >He slowly rises to his full height, causing the three of you to take an involuntary step backwards.
  882. >”Brilliant. Now what's for breakfast?”
  883.  
  884. [Anonymous]
  885. >That went far better than expected.
  886. >The drawing failed to dispel the tension. She was supposed to come down into the basement in a huff, and you'd playfully tease her into forgetting her fear.
  887. >You had expected her to get indignant, not scared. That was stupid. Of course she was going to panic.
  888. >The purpose of that ridiculous picture was twofold, however, and the second goal was far more important.
  889. >You wanted to show your power. To claim a position of strength.
  890. >It certainly accomplished that.
  891.  
  892. >You feel a little guilty about what just happened. You didn't expect them to fight amongst themselves.
  893. >Still. Nobody tells you to piss where you sleep and gets away with it.
  894. >Time to earn the trust of your hosts by not violently murdering them the first opportunity you get.
  895. >This sure is easy when the bar is set so low.
  896. >Food now.
  897. >You stride past your fear-stricken captors and walk up the stairs and into the library proper.
  898. >A left turn, some more walking, a few more turns with a bit of walking mixed in, and you find yourself in the kitchen.
  899. >What do horses in your world eat?
  900. >Grass?
  901. >Do they eat fruit?
  902. >Do these ponies eat fruit?
  903. >For the second time, you mentally slap yourself for forgetting about Fluttershy's pony friend.
  904. >She owns an apple orchard, dammit. Her name is freaking Applejack.
  905. >And didn't the other normal pon-
  906. >er, ‘earth pony’, was it?
  907. >And didn't the other earth pony work at a bakery?
  908. >Hang on, you're the prisoner here. Don't they have a duty to feed you or something?
  909. >...are you still a prisoner?
  910. >You decide against bringing up the issue just to get out of cooking, and start going through her fridge.
  911. >Salad, bread, shiny blue rocks, yellow stuff...
  912. >Apples!
  913. >You like those!
  914. >The design of the sink means there's probably running water, but you don't know if it's safe for you to drink.
  915. >You grab a couple of apples, put them on the table, move the oddly shaped chair out of the way and sit down on the floor. Your head seems to end up at roughly the height you estimate that theirs would if they sat on one of the chairs.
  916. >The others, probably shaken out of their collective stupor by the realization that there was a possibly murderous alien wandering around unsupervised, seem to have caught up.
  917. >You take a bite of your first apple as they eye you nervously from the entrance to the kitchen.
  918. “S'good appl.”
  919. >...you say with a mouthful of apple, trying to lighten the mood and seem nonthreatening.
  920. >It... doesn't seem to have worked.
  921. >Fine, then you'll force them to respond.
  922. There are still apples left if you want some.
  923. >”That's... okay, Anonymous.”
  924. >”Yeah, |I don't have an appetite|.”
  925. >Wow. You didn't expect somebody like Rainbow Dash to be able to pack that much venom into a sentence.
  926. “So are you three just going to follow me around all day?”
  927. >You raise an eyebrow.
  928. “Don't you have jobs?”
  929. >Okay, now you're just being a dick to them for no reason. Stop it.
  930. >You sigh, shrug, and go back to your apples.
  931.  
  932. [Rainbow Dash]
  933. >Darn it, you |do| have a job.
  934. >There's a thunderstorm coming in from Las Pegasus and you're supposed to be in charge of making sure it behaves.
  935. >Things could get pretty bad around here if you don't siphon off at least sixty percent of the wind force.
  936. >You should just take a sick day. Storm Chaser can lead the team. He's been itching for a chance to prove himself since he joined.
  937. >But he is pretty inexperienced, and they put you in charge for a reason.
  938. >You can't just leave Twilight and Spike alone here with the freak, though.
  939. >Applejack and Rarity put together should be enough to make up for a lack of Dash.
  940. >But Rarity is still shaken up about what happened...
  941. >Pinkie Pie would make a terrible guard. She'd probably throw him a party.
  942. >At least that's what she would have done a couple of days ago.
  943. >You actually heard crying coming from her room when you were passing Sugarcube Corner last night.
  944. >On top of all the other horrible stuff he's done, he made Pinkie cry.
  945. >Probably.
  946. >All the stuff he probably did.
  947. >No, it fits together too well. That freak appearing, the blood, him running off to the forest.
  948. >He was guilty.
  949. >Probably.
  950. >Either way, you're not going to abandon Twilight.
  951. >You take a couple of steps back from the door and motion to Spike to join you.
  952. >He takes one last look at it and joins you as you whisper your request.
  953. “Hey, Spike. I hate to do this, but I really have to go stop a thunderstorm from... y'know... destroying Ponyville. Could you go get AJ? I don't want to leave you and Twilight alone here with that thing.”
  954. >He looks back at Twilight with a worried look on his face, then turns to you and nods.
  955. >”I'll take care of it. Just make sure she's safe.”
  956. “If it wants to try anything, it will have to get past me first. No worries.”
  957. >He gives you a weak smile and heads out into the sunrise.
  958. >Now there's just you and Twilight against it.
  959. >Not that Spike would have been much help in a fight. He's cool and all, but...
  960. >You walk back to the kitchen doorway and continue glaring at him.
  961. >He was down to his last pilfered apple.
  962. >Having finished it, he get's back up, once again startling the both of you with his sheer size.
  963. >Great Celestia, he's big.
  964. >He grabs the boring-looking book he brought from the bubble and starts moving towards you.
  965. >What the hay is he doing?!
  966. >You adopt a fighting pose with your legs apart, ready to charge or dodge as needed.
  967. >He sees your change in stance and stops moving.
  968. >”I'm just going to the couch, Rainbow Dash.”, he says, his voice tinged with annoyance.
  969. >You eye him carefully and start to back away, making sure that Twilight is also moving away at the same speed.
  970. >He sighs, waits for you to clear a path, and then starts walking again.
  971. >True to his lying, cheating word, he walks up to one of the comfy couches Twilight keeps in the library, sits down, and starts reading.
  972. >Looking at Twilight, you see her swallow, take a deep breath, and- is she...?
  973. >She walks up to the couches and sits down on one across the table from his.
  974. >Is she crazy? He could probably clear that table in a single step!
  975. >He glanced up from his book when she sat down, and you think you saw a faint smile on his face.
  976. >Happy Twilight is starting to believe his lies.
  977. >Happy she’s letting her guard down.
  978. >You spend some time watching him read until, suddenly, a sharp whistle causes you to drop back into your fighting stance.
  979. >What happened?! What did he do?!
  980. >He's... he looked startled too, and now he looks confused. Why did-
  981. >”Attention all members of the Ponyville weather team! The storm coming in from Las Pegasus is moving faster than we expected! Gather at point Alpha-Bridle in five minutes! I repeat: gather at point Alpha-Bridle in five!”
  982. >The magically amplified voice rings through the library.
  983. >What? No! They can't call you out there now! AJ isn't here yet!
  984. >The creature is staring off into space, as if he was trying to remember something.
  985. >Whatever it was, he seems to have succeeded. A look of realization dawns on his ugly face as he turns his head to look at you.
  986. >Does he know? If the part about him talking to Fluttershy was true, he might know that you're on the weather team.
  987. >”It's ok, Rainbow.”
  988. >What?
  989. “Twilight, are you kidding me? You'd be completely alone!”
  990. >She looks scared.
  991. >”I... I know. But I read about that storm in the paper. It could do a lot of damage to thr town if nopony stops it!”
  992. “Then let the others handle it! I'm not leaving you here.”
  993. >She gets off the couch and turns to face you while still keeping an eye on him.
  994. >”You're the best weather pony in town! You know where all the funnel breaches and cloud lanes are. Without your expertise, somepony on the team could get hurt.”
  995. “Without me here, you |will| be hurt! AJ will be here soon, I'll just wait until she shows up.”
  996. >You look at Anony- it- him. He is listening to your debate with a concerned expression on his face.
  997. >”I am not going to let Ponyville burn just because I'm too weak to defend myself!”
  998. >”Wouldn't it be possible to use the same spell you used in the forest to render me unconscious until one of your friends arrives?”
  999. >You turn your head towards him in surprise, having almost forgotten that he could actually speak.
  1000. >That... could work, couldn't it?
  1001. >Twilight seems to consider his suggestion, and then speaks.
  1002. >”I'm afraid not. The biggest flaw of the Dreamless Sleep spell is that the target quickly builds up a resistance. Each use will only last approximately half as long as the previous one.”
  1003. >”But last time that was about three hours. Another three spells at the appropriate time should buy you at least two hours.”
  1004. >Why was he doing this?
  1005. >”The speed at which one builds resistance varies a great deal based on the individual. Casting the spell on a target while the previous one is still in effect could either wake him up or hurt him. Both would be undesirable.”
  1006. >You hear the wind picking up outside.
  1007. >Apparently, so does Twilight.
  1008. >”Dash, go. That's an order!”
  1009. >Who does she think she is? She can't order you around! You're not leaving until- Woah!
  1010. >Everything is purple, and you find yourself floating towards the door.
  1011. “Twilight!”
  1012. >”Ponyville needs you! I'm not going to let you abandon your duties.”
  1013. >You try to struggle, but she gently places you on the ground outside and locks the door before you can get to it.
  1014. >Darn it Twilight.
  1015. >I hope you know what you're doing.
  1016.  
  1017. [Twilight Sparkle]
  1018. >You lock the door and turn back to Anonymous.
  1019. >He looks... unsure of himself.
  1020. >Other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, there is no evidence that he has actually done anything bad.
  1021. >Here you are, with a stranger from a never-before-seen species. A stranger that you have treated terribly.
  1022. >He said something about how he didn't mind being treated as a suspect, right? But like he said, that didn't excuse the way you treated him after he was captured.
  1023. >He's done nothing to make you think he was a bad guy. He could have killed you a dozen times over by now.
  1024. >You're not stupid enough to just blindly trust him, but you are at the very least going to be civil.
  1025. >’Let your eyes see good until evil presents itself’, as the investigator-guardsponies in mystery novels always say.
  1026. >You slowly walk up to the couch opposite his and sit down without taking your eyes off of him.
  1027. “So... what are you reading?”
  1028. >Ugh.
  1029. >”'Princess Celestia: Myths and Facts'. I was going to read up on basic social customs and such, but I couldn't find any book called 'How to Function in Society: A Guide for Complete Imbeciles', so I decided to just learn as much as possible about the Princess before meeting her instead.”
  1030. >You let out a quick giggle before you can stop yourself.
  1031. >When he was a crazy monster in your basement, you were fine, but as soon as you decide to try to interact with him like you would anypony else, you become your usual awkward self?
  1032. >As soon as you realize that you were letting your mind wander, you look up at him and start thinking of a way to continue the conversation. You expected him to look almost as lost as you, but instead, he looks sad.
  1033. >Was it ’Myths and Facts’ he was reading?
  1034. “You know, that book isn’t really-”
  1035. >”What did Fluttershy's injuries look like?”
  1036. >Oh, okay.
  1037. “Like I said, pretty bad, but not life-threatening.”, you say, trying your best to reassure him.
  1038. >”No, I want details. Lacerations? Blunt trauma?”
  1039. >What?
  1040. >Why would-
  1041. >Why did-
  1042. >”The second I'm free of suspicion, I am going to find whoever did it and make sure it doesn't happen again.”
  1043. >You look at him, surprised at the sudden change in tone.
  1044. >”She saved my life. The least I can do is try to return the favor.”
  1045. >Should you be telling him this? He was still a suspect, and...
  1046. >You look at him. He looks sad. Determined and angry and sad.
  1047. “Deep gashes. The doctor didn't know what caused them. Could be claws or some sort of bladed weapon. Could be a spell. I... I didn't think to check for magical residue until it was too late.”
  1048. >”Where did you find her?”
  1049. “On the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, about ten minutes from her cottage.”
  1050. >”Isn't that place supposed to be full of monsters? Why would she live that close to it?”
  1051. “She has a way with animals. They never seem to bother her, at least not the lesser creatures that live close to the edge of the forest.”
  1052. >”Rarity found blood inside her house?”
  1053. “Right by the front door, just to the left of that couch by the kitchen.”
  1054. >”I... never actually left my room while I lived there.”
  1055. “Really?”
  1056. >”Yeah, I was only awake for brief moments the first couple of days, and I pretended to be unconscious for the next three while trying to figure out what was going on. She left to go get you less than two hours after I finally let her know I was awake.”
  1057. “Right, I remember you mentioning that.”
  1058. “The blood stains made it look like whoever was bleeding had been dragged outside.”
  1059. >”So she was attacked inside the house? That can't be right... I would have heard something.”
  1060. >That's true, actually. You didn't realize it until he brought it up, but it seems like a pretty big hole in his story.
  1061. >He puts his... paw-thing on his chin.
  1062. >”Come to think of it, why would I attack her, drag her that far away, and then return to the cottage?”
  1063. >That’s a good question.
  1064. >But it doesn’t exonerate him.
  1065. >Perhaps he panicked, or realized he had forgotten something he intended to take, or he didn’t notice the blood stain and-
  1066. >”Anyway, are you sure it was her blood?”
  1067. “It seems likely, given the state we found her in.”
  1068. >”Do you have any way of making sure? Just in case.”
  1069. “There is a spell like that, but it's specialized medical magic. I don't think there's anypony in town who can cast it, myself included. It would probably have been too late by the time we searched her cottage anyway.”
  1070. >”It's probably hers.”, he says with a dejected shrug. “Hopefully, she can just tell us who did it once she wakes up.”
  1071. “Yeah. I just hope nopony else is attacked before then.”
  1072. >”We should keep investigating anyway, of course.”
  1073. “Of course.”
  1074. >Wait, what?
  1075. >Not two hours ago, you darn near had a panic attack at the sight of him, and now you're sitting here casually discussing crime scenes and sharing information?
  1076. >”In what capacity is the Princess coming here, anyway?”
  1077. “What do you mean?”
  1078. >”Is she coming here as a ruler? A warrior? A scholar? Or” He looks uncomfortable. ”a judge?”
  1079. >You ponder his question for a few seconds. You've never really though of the Princess like that.
  1080. >She was just... Celestia. Always warm, always kind, always wise.
  1081. >It was a reasonable question though, and it deserved an answer.
  1082. “Probably all of the above. She'll want to welcome you, to make sure that you're not a threat, to learn about you, and...”
  1083. >You think hard about how to finish that sentence.
  1084. “There's probably not going to be a trial. There's not nearly enough evidence.”
  1085. >You look away for a second.
  1086. “She might lock you up while the guards try to figure out what happened though. As a precaution. I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do about that.”
  1087. >”That's okay. I enjoy a challenge.”
  1088. >What did he...
  1089. >Oh.
  1090. >You feel a tinge of shame spread across your face.
  1091. “Please don't try to escape if she does that. I know that I was being a horrible warden with the tiny Sphere and the lack of food and... and other accommodations, but if you actually try to escape from a real prison...”
  1092. >You can actually feel your eyes get a bit misty. You messed up.
  1093. >”Twilight.”
  1094. >Looking up, you see him leaning across the table. His face is less than a pony-length away now, and he is making eye contact with you.
  1095. >You are startled, but not nearly as much as you should be.
  1096. >”You had just captured the giant monster that you thought had put your friend in the hospital, and you wanted to make sure it didn't hurt anyone else. It wasn't an acceptable way to treat a suspect, but I would have probably done the same thing if I was in your sho- in your situation.”
  1097. >He gives you a smile and you do your best to return it.
  1098. >”So when is the Princess getting here?” he says as he glances at the clock and sinks back into his couch.
  1099. "She just said some time this afternoon. She may be delayed because of the storm though."
  1100. >”Do you think Rainbow Dash is doing ok?”
  1101. “She's one of the best fliers in town. I'm more worried about Ponyville.”
  1102. >”Where did Spike go, anyway?”
  1103. “What?”
  1104. >”That was the dragon-lizard-guys name, right?”
  1105. >Spike!
  1106. “Oh gosh, he went to get Applejack. But- but I'm sure they wouldn't be foolish enough to leave the farm in this kind of weather...”
  1107. >”Even if they thought that you were trapped at home with a giant monster?”
  1108. >You turn your head and look out the window.
  1109. “Spike...”
  1110. >The wind had picked up to the point where you couldn't go outside safely.
  1111. >”I don't think you could even move out there, but maybe I can.”
  1112. >Was he offering to...
  1113. >But there was no point.
  1114. “It's too dark and stormy. You don't know your way around and you probably couldn't find them even if you did.”
  1115. >You try to suppress the uncomfortable blob of fear growing in your stomach.
  1116. “We'll just have to hope they're safe.”
  1117.  
  1118. >About ten minutes pass in silence as you both gaze out the window.
  1119. >”Could I use your shower? I don't hear any thunder and I could really stand to get some of this dirt off of me.”
  1120. >The sudden request catches you off guard.
  1121. “Wh- yeah, sure, just- do you need any help?”
  1122. >He looks amused.
  1123. >”No, I should be fine. I could use a towel though. Do ponies use towels?”
  1124. “Yeah, they're in the bottom cabinet to the left inside the bathroom.”
  1125. >”Thanks. Sorry about dragging dirt all over your house, but this is the only outfit I have.”
  1126. >You take a closer look at what he's wearing. It looks like a sheet of dirty, mud-caked white fabric draped over the area around his neck and covering him all the way down.
  1127. “I can wash it for you, if you want me to.”
  1128. >He looks a little uncomfortable at the thought.
  1129. >”I... appreciate the offer, but nudity is sort of a human taboo.”
  1130. “Even in the shower?”
  1131. >”We usually shower alone, so no. Still, it wouldn't be dry by the time I finished. Unless you have a spell for that.
  1132. “I think I might. Just water to clean it and then heat to dry it, right?”
  1133. >”That should work.”
  1134. >He walks off to the bathroom, leaves the door ajar, and holds his clothes out for you to grab with your magic.
  1135. >He closes the door and you make your way to the basement, shutting all the curtains on the ground floor as you go.
  1136. >You hear the shower start as you descend the stairs and drop his clothes into a barrel of clean rainwater. You let them soak for a few minutes and proceed to swirl them about with a spell.
  1137. >Glancing over to where the Sealing Sphere had been located just a couple of hours ago, you strain your mind trying to figure out how he escaped it.
  1138. >Another ten minutes pass and you hear the shower shutting off. You place his clothes on your meticulously cleaned floor and dry them off with a stream of heated air from your horn.
  1139. >You walk back upstairs just as he's leaving the bathroom. He is wearing two towels that together cover his backside and the area where you would assume a mammals genitals would be located.
  1140. >His upper body featured two round, bumpy discolorations. Teats? Was 'he' actually female? You blush a little at the sight and resolve to figure out a tactful way to ask.
  1141. >You float the garment over to him, and he walks off towards the bathroom, presumably to get dressed in peace.
  1142. >He returns after about ten minutes, wearing the outfit. It looks like he re-tied the many knots that shape the fabric, giving it a much tighter, cleaner fit. It actually looks pretty good. Like those bulky robes that were popular with some unicorns a few years ago.
  1143. “That... actually looks nice, to be honest.”
  1144. >”I know, but what do you think of the outfit?”, he says with a smile.
  1145. >What?
  1146. “That's... what I was talking about.”
  1147. >He looks at the ground and sighs.
  1148. >He was still smiling though.
  1149. >”I know. I was jokingly implying that you... Ah, never mind.”
  1150. >What did you miss? What was he talking about? Did you embarrass yourself?
  1151. >Almost as though he had noticed your discomfort, he changes the subject.
  1152. >”The storm seems to be dying down. I can't believe it’s that dark outside just a few hours before noon.”
  1153. “Yeah, the weather can get pretty chaotic, even with Rainbow Dash on the job. |Especially| with Rainbow Dash on the job.”
  1154. >That was uncalled for. You know she takes her job very seriously.
  1155. >Your self-induced guilt trip is interrupted by a knock on the door.
  1156. >”Twilight? Are you in there?”
  1157. >Rarity.
  1158. >Anon looks really nervous for some reason.
  1159. “Coming, Rarity!”
  1160. >You walk up to him and speak quietly.
  1161. “What's wrong?”
  1162. >”Remember how she was acting last night? How do you think she's going to react if she finds out that you let me out of the Sphere?
  1163. >Not well.
  1164. “Not well.”
  1165. >”Exactly.”
  1166. “What do we do?”
  1167. >”I'll... hide in the basement. You try to ease her into the idea that I'm not guilty. If she looks like she believes you, tell her. If not, try to get her to leave.
  1168. >Alright. Just try to convince Rarity that Anon was...
  1169. >innocent?
  1170. >Did |you| believe that?
  1171. >You feel a chill go down your spine as you realize that in less than a day, he had made you trust him enough that you’d consider lying to a friend.
  1172. >There was no new evidence. No additional reason to believe that he was innocent.
  1173. >And now you were bringing Rarity into a building where he was hiding, intentionally keeping his presence a secret from her.
  1174. >...
  1175. >Don't let your guard down, Twilight Sparkle.
  1176. >You do feel guilty about the way you treated him, but don't let those feelings blind you to the fact that he might be the reason you spent an hour scrubbing dried blood out of your fur yesterday.
  1177. >The memory makes you shudder.
  1178. >”Twilight? Is anything wrong?”
  1179. >Rarity was starting to sound concerned.
  1180. >”Go.”, he says as he grabs his book off the table and rushes to the basement door.
  1181.  
  1182. [Anonymous]
  1183. >You hear Twilight disengage the lock to let Rarity in as you close the door and sneak down the stairs into the pitch-black basement. You remember seeing a candle on one of the tables, which means that the tools to light it should be nearby. You fumble around for a while, but find nothing.
  1184. >She could probably light it using magic, but what about Spike? Flutters told you that he was her assistant, which means he probably had candle-lighting duty on occasion.
  1185. >Can dragons breathe fire?
  1186. >Can baby dragons?
  1187. >He didn't really seem like much of a ‘baby’, come to think of it.
  1188. >Either way, you can't find anything.
  1189. >Might be a good thing. You wanted to keep reading, but you should probably pay attention to what's going on upstairs. You sneak back up the stairs and put your ear to the door.
  1190. >”-rity. Erm... are you OK?”
  1191. >”Sorry dear. I didn't get much sleep last night. I just... I can't forget it.
  1192. >”Rarity...”
  1193. >”As soon as I fall asleep, I see her door. I want to run away, but I walk towards it and it opens and there's just blood |everywhere| and I can't run and then that... that |thing| appears behind me and I wake up screaming and I can't... Twilight, I can't...”
  1194. >She sound like she is about to start crying. You feel incredibly uncomfortable about eavesdropping on something like this, but you have to be aware of what is going on up there in case the lie starts to fall apart.
  1195. >”Do you *sniff* do you know what the worst part is? I didn't tell anypony else, but-”
  1196. >”|Rarity|!”
  1197. >”*sniff* What? What's wrong?”
  1198. >”Let's talk about this in my study.”
  1199. >”Why?”
  1200. >”Well, it's just- It would be more comfortable. The wind is picking up, and it's loud, and- and-”
  1201. >...
  1202. >Nobody has said anything for a few seconds. Is she buying it?
  1203. >”Do you... |do you think it can hear me|!?
  1204. >She sounds both panicked and angry.
  1205. >Shit.
  1206. >”No! No, I don't think he- it can hear you from all the way down in there in the sphere, with the door being locked and all.”
  1207. >”Twilight, why would the door being lo-”
  1208. >”Just as a precaution, though, I think we should talk in my study instead. Just in case.”
  1209. >”Well, *sniffle* I suppose so.”
  1210. >You hear a few faint hoofsteps, then the door to Twilight's study closing.
  1211. >That's a relief.
  1212. >...
  1213. >Now what?
  1214. >Not much to do down here with no light, and no reason to risk leaving.
  1215. >Light.
  1216. >No windows, no lighter, no matches, no flint, no Fireball.
  1217. >...
  1218. >This is fun...
  1219. >You fumble your way down the stairs, sit down and lean against the side of the staircase, briefly considering the possibility of taking a nap or something, but quickly discard the idea. You have to stay alert.
  1220.  
  1221. >It must have been at least fifteen minutes since Rarity got here.
  1222. >You wonder whang on a second.
  1223. >It's faint, but you see a purple glow from the table with the candle.
  1224. >Magic?
  1225. >You slowly rise to your feet and start moving towards the light.
  1226. >It actually looks like it's coming from the candlestick.
  1227. >Having reached the table, you confirm that it is, in fact, originating from a small glowing rune on the somewhat crude-looking candlestick.
  1228. >You... you should poke it.
  1229. >It's just a candlestick. What's the worst that could happen.
  1230. >Maybe you should use a stick or something, though.
  1231. >You grab a piece of paper from the table and roll it up.
  1232. >Here goes...
  1233. >You poke the glowing rune with the edge of the roll, and it stops glowing.
  1234. >Was that it, or-
  1235. >And then the candle is lit.
  1236. >A glow-in-the-dark candle-lighting candlestick.
  1237. >Neat.
  1238. >Actually, more than neat. It's an actual, legitimate |magic item|.
  1239. >The very first magic item you've ever seen.
  1240. >...
  1241. >No, you are |not| going to steal it, no matter how awesome it would be to actually...
  1242. >Nah, of course not. It's tempting, but you wouldn't actually do something like that.
  1243. >Now you have light, which means that you can keep reading.
  1244. >You know the basics of Equestria (it's a country, capital city named Canterlot, ruled by an alicorn for at least a thousand years, brief summaries of things like trade and politics).
  1245. >'A Compact History of Equestria' was surprisingly vague about some of the early stuff. Seemed like more of a compact guide to contemporary politics. Contemporary at the time the book was written, anyway. You don't know what horse year it is, but the book looks at least a decade old.
  1246. >The intro to 'Princess Celestia: Myths and Facts' contained some basic information about their ruler: Celestia (thousands of years old, princess (no mention of a king or queen), legends say she banished her sister to the moon for turning evil a thousand years ago, extremely powerful spellcaster, raises and lowers the sun and moon every day).
  1247. >It was a little gushy, actually.
  1248. >State-sponsored propaganda?
  1249. >Religious tract?
  1250. >It also mentioned that she isn't the head of a secret conspiracy to turn all the earth ponies into squids.
  1251. >In fact, most of the rest of the short FAQ-style book consisted of (seemingly) ridiculous conspiracy theories and gossip being debunked. Makes sense, since most citizens would already know the basics about the demi-god who has ruled the country for however long. It was only a few dozen pages at most anyway.
  1252. >You could either keep flipping through one of those two books, or try 'Equine Anatomy 22nd Edition' or 'Magic for Beginners'.
  1253. >You decide to skim one of the new ones. But which one?
  1254. >Learning about magic sounds more interesting, but unfortunately, familiarizing yourself with the basic biology of the locals seems like a more pressing concern. From what you can gather, advanced spellcasters are apparently pretty rare.
  1255. >Then again you are still nominally the prisoner of a powerful unicorn mage, and you are scheduled to meet with a super-unicorn demigod.
  1256. >Magic or anatomy? Sorcery or horse dicks? Witchcraft or pony poon? Eldritch energies or equine erections?
  1257. >Hmm... Let's go with...
  1258. >Yeah.
  1259. >You grab the candlestick and head towards the stack of books, still neatly stacked where the prison-bubble used to stand.
  1260. >You barely have time to take your third step before you hear a knocking, a knocking on your basement door.
  1261. >You quickly blow out the candle, return the candlestick to the table, creep back to where the bubble was, sit down, and respond.
  1262. “What is it?”, you say, hopefully just loud enough that it sounded like you were still trapped.
  1263. >Did it muffle sound? Should you try to imitate-
  1264. >The door opens enough to let in a little light, and you see Twilight's face.
  1265. >She looks worried. Well, that's hardly surprising given the situation with Rarity and all. You'll have to-
  1266. >”Anonymous, there's a problem.”
  1267. >Wha?
  1268. >You crane your neck a little to make sure Rarity isn't standing behind her.
  1269. >Can't see her, but then you can barely see Twilight's head poking through the gap in the door.
  1270. “Wh-”
  1271. >”The storm is picking up again. It's worse than we thought.”
  1272. >”There's a tornado and it's... the weather team think it might hit the hospital.”
  1273. “|What?|”
  1274. >”Rainbow just stopped by after warning the mayor. They've already started clearing out the other houses in the area. I'm going with Rarity to help the town guard evacuate the patients. Just... just in case the weather team can't stop or redirect it.”
  1275. >You rise to your feet.
  1276. “Alright, lead the way.”
  1277. >”Anon, we... you have to stay here.”
  1278. >You freeze and give her a look of disbelief.
  1279. >She can't be fucking serious.
  1280. “You can't be fucking serious.”
  1281. >”Anonymous, you know we can't let anyone see you! It would create a panic!”
  1282. >Fuck that. You're helping.
  1283. >You head towards the stairs.
  1284. “Just tell everyone at the hospital that I'm there to help! The rest of the town can't leave their houses in this weather anyway. Even if one or two of them happen to look out the window, what are they going to do, panic and tram... ple their stamp co... llec... ti-”
  1285. “What-”
  1286. >Why is her horn glowing?
  1287. >”I'm sorry Anon, but Rarity described you to the doctors after we found Fluttershy, and I think the rumors have started circulating already. Everyone working at the hospital will have heard them, at least. Fluttershy was... was in horrible shape when we brought her in, and everyone thinks that you're responsible. You being there would just make everything worse.”
  1288. >No...
  1289. “No Flursh...”
  1290. >Through the mental haze caused by her spell, you see that Twilight looks deeply uncomfortable.
  1291. >”I really wish we had more time to discuss this, but I have to go... I really- I have to go.”
  1292. >Dammit.
  1293. >Everything blurs as you lose your balance and drop to the floor by the staircase, narrowly avoiding hitting your head on the bottom step.
  1294. >Thud.
  1295.  
  1296. >You haven't lost consciousness yet, but you are barely hanging on.
  1297. >How long has it been?
  1298. >Feels like hours.
  1299. >Can't move, can barely think.
  1300. >Few seconds of clarity every now and then.
  1301. >Just want sleep.
  1302. >Every time you close your eyes, images of Fluttershy's blood-covered face flash through your mind.
  1303. >Hallucinations. Dreams.
  1304. >Can't allow yourself to fall asleep.
  1305. >Why not?
  1306. >Can't move anyway. What's the point?
  1307. >No options.
  1308. >...
  1309. >One option.
  1310. >Could try to-
  1311. >Don't want to.
  1312. >Do anyway.
  1313. >...
  1314. >Do it.
  1315. >You take a deep breath, close your eyes, concentrate, and picture Fluttershy.
  1316. >Impaled on a piece of shattered furniture among the ruins of the hospital, broken bones jutting out at every angle, blood everywhere.
  1317. >Dead eyes.
  1318. >No!
  1319. >You slam your fist into the floor, knuckles first.
  1320. >With a scream, motivated by equal parts pain and determination, you finally muster enough willpower to act.
  1321. >The fog has cleared from your mind to the point where you manage to stand up.
  1322. >You have to protect the hospital. You have to protect Flutters. You owe her.
  1323. >Running up the stairs, you are stopped halfway by a sudden surge of nausea.
  1324. >Guess the spell wasn't completely out of your system.
  1325. >Hopefully, it is now.
  1326. >Along with most of your breakfast.
  1327. >Dragging yourself up the last few steps, you pull the door open and stagger into the library.
  1328. >Half past ten. Rarity showed up less than-
  1329. >No. More than five... minus fifteen...
  1330. >You make your way to the couch and collapse.
  1331. >Fucks sake, Twilight.
  1332. >Flutters saved your goddamned life.
  1333. >Have to fix it. Get rid of the spell.
  1334. >How?
  1335. >Every new thought is accompanied by a crushing pain in your head and a desire to vomit and pass out.
  1336. >Give in and sleep?
  1337. >Would take too long.
  1338. >Find a unicorn?
  1339. >Yeah. You will walk out and make tornado- talk- friend-
  1340. >GAHdfuckingdamnithurts!
  1341. >Focus.
  1342. >Potion of Dispel Magic?
  1343. >That's fucking |fiction|.
  1344. >You spend some amount of time trying to come up with a plan. Five minutes? Ten?
  1345. >...
  1346. >How does the spell work?
  1347. >Did it-
  1348. >No, I mean-
  1349. >|Did it do the thing where the spell is magic that is|-
  1350. >The headache has been replaced by long periods of your mind going completely blank.
  1351. >Less painful, but it fucks up your thinking even worse.
  1352. >You keep trying for another few minutes.
  1353. >Almost got it...
  1354. >|Did spell mess normal brain or will sleep go away if magic goes away?|
  1355. >Completing that thought was one of the most exhausting things you have ever done.
  1356. >It was hard, but you did it. You won.
  1357. >Your work here is done.
  1358. >Time to relax and enjoy a richly... deserved... nap...
  1359.  
  1360. >This is nice.
  1361. >Nothing but warm, fuzzy clouds and warm, fuzzy feelings.
  1362. >Everything is just perfect.
  1363. >But why is that purple cloud laughing at you?
  1364. >That makes you feel really angry for some reason.
  1365. >And why does that yellow one taste sad?
  1366. >And off in the distance there's a blue one that's on pink fire.
  1367. >What does...
  1368. >Oh well.
  1369. >You're not prejudiced. All the different clouds can coexist happily in dreamland.
  1370. >That's what makes it so nice.
  1371. >In
  1372. >dream
  1373. >land?
  1374. >You are gripped by a horrible feeling urging you not to think about it.
  1375. >What's 'it'?
  1376. >Think about clouds. Thinking about 'it' will just make you upset.
  1377. >But it might be important.
  1378. >No, just ignore it.
  1379. >...
  1380. >and then it all comes back to you.
  1381. >YOU FUCKING WEAK-WILLED |IDIOT|!
  1382. >You jump off the couch and start running towards the door before you have even had a chance to completely force your heavy eyelids open.
  1383. >A sudden thunderclap stops you in your tracks.
  1384. >You lift the curtain and glance out the window. The storm looks even worse than before.
  1385. >And now you have to deal with lightning too.
  1386. >How do you find the hospital?
  1387. >At least you can think properly again.
  1388. >'Did the spell dissipate after altering your brain chemistry in a way that would create a non-magical need for sleep, or was there magic in your head actively keeping you tired, the removal of which should quickly return you to your normal state of mind?'
  1389. >The question may be irrelevant now that the spell's worn off, but at least you're coherent enough to formulate it.
  1390. >Everything checks out. Pain's gone too.
  1391. >Hospital.
  1392. >Maps?
  1393. >Would she have a map of Ponyville?
  1394. >Is this the kind of place that one would have a map of?
  1395. >Probably not.
  1396. >Given what you've seen of this place so far, she probably has entire cupboards stuffed full of documents, so finding a map in here would probably be near impossible anyway.
  1397. >Time.
  1398. >What time is it?
  1399. >11:48.
  1400. >What time was is when you staggered out of the basement?
  1401. >Something-ten?
  1402. >Rarity showed up around 9:30.
  1403. >If you spent half an hour hiding down there before Twilight zapped you, that means they've been gone for almost two hours.
  1404. >Don't have time for this.
  1405. >What do you do?
  1406. >Was it already too late?
  1407. >Even if it had already hit, you could still help them dig through...
  1408. >Dig through the rubble...
  1409. >You feel another surge of anger.
  1410. “For fuck's |sake|, Twilight!”
  1411. >There's nothing you can do, is there?
  1412. >You have no idea where the hospital is, the storm has gotten to the point where even a human-sized creature would be at risk, and Twilight... might have had a point about you causing a panic and making things worse.
  1413. >God dammit, Twilight.
  1414. >What the fuck are you supposed to do then?
  1415. >Just take another nap and hope everything works out?
  1416. >What about their god... Celestia.
  1417. >Was she actually as powerful as the book seemed to suggest?
  1418. >If she can't show up to deal with her students friend being put in the hospital-
  1419. >Fluttershy...
  1420. >No. Stay calm. Think.
  1421. >If she can't show up right away to deal with her students friend being put in the hospital by some never-before-seen giant alien monster, she probably has a damn good reason.
  1422. >Distance, supervillain fight, zombie plague, zoning law reform debate. Whatever the reason, she won't be here until tomorrow aft-
  1423. >That was last night! Today! She'll be here |today|!
  1424. >Meaning a demigod could swoop in to fix everything any second now.
  1425. >...
  1426. >Unless it was already too late. Or she got delayed. Or she was less powerful than the books suggested.
  1427. >Can't rely on her.
  1428. >The stress is starting to get to you.
  1429. >Fighting the spell took its toll, worrying about Flutters... Knowing that every second wasted could be the difference between life and death for the pony who saved your life.
  1430. >Calm the fuck down.
  1431. >If saying that shit helped, you would already be fucking calm! Should I take a deep breath too, faggot?!
  1432. >Fuck it. You're going out there.
  1433. >You check the knots on your outfit to make sure it'll stay where it's supposed to, wrap a kitchen knife with an oddly shaped handle in a newspaper and stash it in a fold in your tunic, spend a few minutes searching for other tools but find none, then open the door and walk out into the storm.
  1434.  
  1435. [Twilight's letter to Celestia after Rarity's encounter with Anonymous]
  1436. “Princess Celestia”
  1437. “Rarity just came to tell me that Fluttershy was missing. She found a pool of blood in Fluttershy's cottage and chased off a large, unknown creature that she believes is responsible.”
  1438. >Some parts of you are covered with ink. If you could guess, you would guess that Twilight was in a hurry and decided to simply scratch out any mistakes instead of rewriting everything or erasing them with magic.
  1439. “Rarity left to find Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. I will meet them at the cottage as soon as I have sent this letter and collected some medical supplies. We will start our search there and move towards the forest if we don't find any other leads.”
  1440. “She told me the creature didn't even feel a direct hit by a Scorching Ray. I don't know if we can handle this.”
  1441.  
  1442. “Twilight”
  1443.  
  1444. [Celestia's first response letter to Twilight]
  1445. >Twilight almost made it out the door before you arrived, but through a stunning display of determination and devotion to duty, you managed to get to her in time.
  1446. “Twilight”
  1447. “Currently far from Ponyville. Luna is not available. Will attempt to return as soon as possible, but do not expect me until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.“
  1448. “Please be careful.”
  1449.  
  1450. “Celestia”
  1451.  
  1452. >She looked scared and disappointed for a second, but quickly regained her composure and rushed out the door, stuffing you inside one of her saddlebags.
  1453.  
  1454. [Celestia's second response letter to Twilight]
  1455. “P.S. I assume you have already contacted the local Guard about this.”
  1456.  
  1457. [Twilight's letter to Celestia after finding Fluttershy]
  1458. “We found Fluttershy in the forest. She was severely injured and unconscious. Doctors say they will keep me updated.”
  1459. “Going to look for the creature. Have coordinated with local Guard station. Can't allow it to harm anyone else.”
  1460.  
  1461. “Twilight”
  1462.  
  1463. [Twilight's first letter to Celestia after capturing Anonymous]
  1464. “We found and captured the creature in the Everfree Forest. Used a Dreamless Sleep spell. I am hereby invoking my right as a Royal Guard Lieutenant to hold it prisoner for the next 48 hours. Have searched it for hidden weapons and imprisoned it in a Sealing Sphere in the library basement. Don't think anyone saw us transporting it there. Told the guardsponies to stand down and return to their normal duties.”
  1465. "It is bipedal, roughly twice as tall as an ordinary pony, and has the”
  1466. “It's waking up. I have to go. Will send another letter within an hour.”
  1467.  
  1468. “Twilight”
  1469.  
  1470.  
  1471. [Twilight's second letter to Celestia after capturing Anonymous]
  1472. “I have interrogated the creature. It is capable of speaking our language, and appears to be approximately as intelligent as a pony. It is wearing an outfit made of a simple, white fabric.”
  1473. “I got the impression that he is male, so I will refer to him as such for the remainder of the letter.”
  1474. “He claims to be a 'Hyuman' or 'Homo Sapiens Sapiens'”.
  1475. “He acted surprised and concerned when informed of what had happened to Fluttershy.”
  1476. “He claims to have been injured after (or perhaps during) his arrival, only to then be found near the Everfree Forest by Fluttershy.”
  1477. “He claims that he does not know how he arrived where she found him. He also claims to not be familiar with 'this place'. I do not know what he was referring to. I apologize for not thinking to follow up on the topic.”
  1478. “He claims that she provided medical assistance and kept him in her house while he recovered (said recovery period seemingly lasting between two days and a week, based on how he described it).”
  1479. “He claims that, while he didn't witness it, the attack must have happened after Fluttershy left her cottage to tell me about him.”
  1480. “After being confronted by Rarity, he fled out a window into the Everfree. He claims to have done so because he was concerned about what an angry unicorn might be capable of. (Fear of magic? Is he from a country where magic is uncommon? Or could he be unaware of the level of magical power of unicorns specifically?)”
  1481. “He claims to have spent the time in the forest prior to his capture searching for food and water.
  1482. “He also made the point that if he was innocent (as he claimed to be), then whoever attacked Fluttershy is still out there somewhere.”
  1483.  
  1484. “I have sent the other Elements home, and will go to sleep myself (along with Spike) after sending this and waiting ten minutes for a response. I wish I could continue to either interrogate him or prepare equipment and tools to examine the cottage and forest, but I have been awake for more than 26 hours already. The spell should be able to hold a creature of his size without difficulty.”
  1485.  
  1486. “Twilight Sparkle”
  1487.  
  1488. [Anonymous]
  1489. >Why is it so goddamned cold?
  1490. >Well, you are standing outside in a rainstorm wearing nothing but a breezy robe. Why wouldn't it be?
  1491. >...
  1492. >You shudder.
  1493. >Seriously, why is it so goddamned COLD?
  1494. >You've been out here for at least twenty minutes now. The rain has soaked through your robes, and you have yet to find that damned hospital.
  1495. >The mountain is still visible from the town, so you're fairly sure you haven't been going in circles.
  1496. >Hopefully, you'll even be able to make it back to the tree without getting lost.
  1497. >Yeah. Twilight's house was a hollowed-out tree.
  1498. >Fucking ponies.
  1499. >You stumble through another dark alley. Surprisingly many of those for such a small town.
  1500. >The wind and rain seem to be dying down a little, and you hear a voice in the distance.
  1501. >Peering around a corner, you are greeted by the sight of a large building with several ponies standing outside, shielded from the rain by some sort of purple, presumably magical, roof.
  1502. >The hospital?
  1503. >A purple unicorn.
  1504. >Twilight?
  1505. >They don't seem very stressed.
  1506. >Was the evacuation already finished?
  1507. >You notice that the storm seems even weaker now.
  1508. >...and the hospital looks fine.
  1509. >Did the weather guys stop the tornado?
  1510. >You feel an entire mornings worth of stress and fear disappear in an instant as you lean against the wall.
  1511. >That... must be it. They fucking saved her.
  1512. >They fucking saved Flutters.
  1513. >The wind was fading, and the rain was down to a drizzle. Might even have been pleasant if you weren't already soaked.
  1514. >The storm was over. You have no way of knowing that, but you decide it has to be true anyway.
  1515. >The storm was over and everyone was fine.
  1516. >You look around the corner again, and notice that the purple roof had turned into a small, purple bubble that was moving away from the now-dispersing group. Two other ponies had bubbles of their own. Green and yellow.
  1517. >Did magic come in different colors?
  1518. >If so, what would |oh shit Twilight's going home|!
  1519. >And with the storm dying down, everyone else will be leaving their houses too!
  1520. >Or at least checking the windows.
  1521. >Hmm... How well do the walls of the average pony house RUN YOU MORON!
  1522. >You turn around and start running. No point in being stealthy, since anyone who looks out his window is pretty much guaranteed to see you.
  1523. >Mountain straight ahead.
  1524. >Weird house.
  1525. >Mountain to your right.
  1526. >Left at fountain.
  1527. >Turning corner after corner and sticking to windowless alleys as best you can, you finally see it.
  1528. >Tree!
  1529. >Hoping there's nobody inside who will panic at the sight, you slam the door open and run into the library.
  1530. >Resisting the urge to collapse against the door to catch your breath, you drag yourself into the bathroom.
  1531. >Lock door, take off tunic, wring out rain as best you can into the bathtub.
  1532. >Wash mud off feet.
  1533. >Grab towel, dry hair.
  1534. >Put tunic back on.
  1535. >You allow yourself a few seconds to gasp for air.
  1536. >Not much else you can do now. Your clothes are still damp, but hopefully she won't notice.
  1537. >Maybe you could pass it off as sweat from a nightmare or something?
  1538. >You'd rather not.
  1539. >Okay, what now? Anything left to do?
  1540. >Oh, right.
  1541. >You should probably clean up the pre-owned breakfast you left on the basement stairs.
  1542. >It was Twilight's fault, really, but something like that would hardly make you look good.
  1543. >You're trying your best not to show weakness. You still don't know who you can trust.
  1544. >Besides, all strategic concerns aside, throwing up in somebody else's house is pretty embarrassing.
  1545. >Grabbing a roll of what you assume is toilet paper, you hurriedly clean up the vomit. It takes a few trips back to the bathroom, but once you're done, a barely noticeable odor is the only sign that it was ever there.
  1546. >Hah. This whole thing is finally over.
  1547. >Flutters is safe.
  1548. >And there’s no need for Twilight to know about your little excursion. You can keep that in your back pocket for now.
  1549. >You sit down in the middle of the stairway and spend the next few minutes coming up with a solid lie.
  1550. >You slept in the basement until the spell wore off, then woke up and sat around until she got back.
  1551. >Genius.
  1552. >Guess you might as well keep reading while you wait.
  1553. >You walk down the stairs to grab the two books you still haven't started reading.
  1554. >Click.
  1555. >...
  1556. >Yeah, that's the front door.
  1557. >The front door that you remembered to lock when you got back, right?
  1558. >Fuck.
  1559. >...
  1560. >Click.
  1561. >No point in worrying about that now. Hopefully she didn’t notice.
  1562. >The sturdy front door creaks slightly as it swings open.
  1563. >Did she leave the basement door open after knocking you out?
  1564. >Can't remember.
  1565. >It's open now, and she's probably already seen it.
  1566. >Well, it's not like you waking up and going for a piss or something would violate any rules.
  1567. >Stick to your story. You woke up, went upstairs to take a leak or look out the window or whatever, and then decided to stand around in the basement for some reason.
  1568. >”Anonymous?”
  1569. >Yeah, that's Twilight.
  1570. “What?”, you say, loud enough for her to hear you.
  1571. >She peers through the crack in the door for a few seconds, then opens it and nervously walks down into the basement.
  1572. >Keeping her eyes on you the entire time, she eventually stops at the foot of the stairs, a few meters away from where the bubble was and where you are currently standing.
  1573. >“The hospital is okay. Everybody's safe.”, she says hurriedly.
  1574. “Really? That's good.”, you say, trying and failing to sound surprised.
  1575. >”Yes. Yes, I-”
  1576. >Her jaw clenches slightly, and she looks determined.
  1577. >”We need to talk.”
  1578. >What? Did she figure it out?
  1579. >”When she came here to warn me, Rainbow Dash told me that the chances of the tornado actually hitting any buildings in Ponyville were less than five percent, and that's assuming the weather team didn't manage to do anything to divert it. We just evacuated the hospital as a precaution.
  1580. >”I sh- I should have been more clear, but I was worried and in a hurry and...”
  1581. >She has lowered her head in shame, though not, you notice, enough to completely take her still-vigilant eyes off you.
  1582. >”...and I assumed”, she continues, her voice tinged with guilt, “that I would probably have to put you to sleep with the spell again anyway, so I didn't bother to explain the situation properly and I... you probably thought that the hospital was about to be leveled and that I- that I just left you down here to sleep while she...”
  1583. >It looked like it took some willpower, but she has actually closed her eyes completely.
  1584. >”I'm sorry, Anonymous.”
  1585. >You see a hint of relief creep into her features as she finishes apologizing.
  1586. “That does sound like useful information.”
  1587. >”I know, and I-”
  1588. “I’m no magician, but I don’t think a ‘Dreamless Sleep’ spell is supposed to cause vivid hallucinations. Watching Fluttershy die a dozen times over was quite the experience.”, you say with the coldest voice you can muster.
  1589. >She jerks her head up and stares at you, the look of shock and disbelief on her face changing to one of horror over the course of a few seconds.
  1590. >”What? I- No.- No, Anonymous, I didn't- It shouldn't have- It |couldn't| have...”
  1591. >She looks at you, seemingly hoping that you were joking. After a few long seconds of silence, she inhales sharply and starts to look nauseous.
  1592. >You see tears welling up in her eyes as she makes a sound halfway between gagging and sobbing.
  1593. >How far were you going to take this? That half hour on the floor in her basement, thinking that the only person you trusted in this world was about to die, and that there was nothing you could to to stop it...
  1594. >On the other hand, it’s not like she did it on purpose.
  1595. >The spell is literally called ‘Dreamless Sleep’.
  1596. >You hate it when women cry. It always make you feel like you're being manipulated.
  1597. >Give her a chance to compose herself, but keep pushing the issue later.
  1598. >You hadn't actually noticed until now, but her fur and mane were completely soaked by the rain. What was that bubble even for?
  1599. “Go dry off before you catch a cold. We have things to talk about.”
  1600. >”Anonymous, I don't-”
  1601. >She was visibly shivering from the cold.
  1602. “Later.”
  1603. >She sniffles and walks up the stairs, probably towards the bathroom.
  1604. >You have plenty of questions, and you might as well ask them on that comfortable couch.
  1605. >...
  1606. >With a sigh, you follow her up the stairs and sit down on the big couch.
  1607. >You get a whole two minutes to ponder the best way to pump Twilight for info.
  1608. >”Knock-knock.”
  1609. >Somebody at the door?
  1610. >Oh hell, are the-
  1611. >No, the curtains are still closed. Nobody can see inside. You can't risk moving them to peek, though.
  1612. >It's probably Applehorse and Dragon.
  1613. >Should you open the door?
  1614. >You probably shouldn't. They know you're not in the bubble anymore, but you should let Twilight handle it.
  1615. >Then again, if it is them, they might get worried and do something stupid if nobody lets them in.
  1616. >Do they know about the hospital evacuation? Hopefully, they'll think she's still there and wait calmly outside until she can open the door.
  1617. >You take a couple of hesitant steps towards the door.
  1618. >What if you knock? They might say something in response and you'd know who was out there.
  1619. >But what if whoever's outside does and it's not them? How would you respond?
  1620. >Yeah. Bad idea. You'll just wait for Twilight.
  1621. >For the first second or so, you think somebody shone a flashlight in your eyes. Then it hits you, full force.
  1622. >You're not seeing a bright light.
  1623. >You're not seeing anything.
  1624. >There is nobody shining a light on you. The light is in your mind. The light is everywhere. It feels like every thought is on fire.
  1625. >It's not even painful. Just utterly overwhelming.
  1626. >Eventually, some of the light drains away and you become vaguely aware of a door slamming open somewhere in the distance.
  1627. >You let out the breath you didn’t know you were holding, and open your eyes.
  1628. >Everything is blurry, but you find, to your surprise, that you're still upright.
  1629. >Before you stands a large creature that...
  1630. >Your eyes focus.
  1631. >A large horse.
  1632. >Pure white, with blue and green hair that seems to move on its own.
  1633. >As tall as you.
  1634. >A huge pointy horn glowing with the same golden light that had washed through your mind a second ago.
  1635. >What is... Who wo-
  1636. >The princess.
  1637. >She was supposed to arrive today. If she-
  1638. >The second surge of light was almost as overwhelming as the first.
  1639. >Whatever she's doing, don't let it break you.
  1640. >Don't panic.
  1641. >Don't back down.
  1642. >Don't cry.
  1643. >Wait, crying is a possibility?
  1644. >No.
  1645. >No, damn it.
  1646. >Open your eyes!
  1647. >Face her...
  1648. >This wasn't how your first meeting with the princess was supposed to go.
  1649. >You were supposed to suppress your nervousness, make a few impertinent but not overly rude comments to show that she couldn’t boss you around, and then present a reasoned, diplomatic argument as to why you were innocent.
  1650. >This... How the fuck do you stand up to |this|?
  1651. >”|Where. Is. Twilight?|”
  1652. >ARGHH!
  1653. > Her voice felt like it was booming inside your head.
  1654. >Okay, wait. Pain's gone again. Sack up.
  1655. >Hopefully, you'll have a few seconds to respond before the next wave hits. Spend them well.
  1656. “Who’s asking?”, you say politely, with a smug smile on your face.
  1657. >...
  1658. >Idiot.
  1659.  
  1660. [Twilight Sparkle]
  1661. >You float the towel to the rack, having dried your rain-soaked mane, tail, and coat as best you could.
  1662. >Did the spell actually do that? |Could| the spell actually do that? Make him see those things?
  1663. >In theory, if the target were to resist only the spell's third note-tangent, he might be able to dream.
  1664. >In Anon's case, a nightmare about Fluttershy being...
  1665. >You feel another wave of guilt and dab your eye with the towel to dry off a fresh tear.
  1666. >First the sphere, now this.
  1667. >What if he's innocent? What if you've been abusing some poor, lost traveler like this? He probably hates you.
  1668. >But... you did your best, right? The sphere had to be small to be strong enough, and you had to stop him from following you to the hospital.
  1669. >You should have told him.
  1670. >Why didn't you tell him how unlikely it was that the tornado would hit?
  1671. >Even if the spell had been guaranteed to put him to sleep without complications, you should have still told him.
  1672. >Apologize. With a steady voice, and without tears. From one adult to another. For everything.
  1673. >Is he an adult?
  1674. >Skies above, he isn't going to get any bigger, is he?
  1675. >You shudder, and then smile at your reaction.
  1676. >Time to go.
  1677. >You're dry, you're determined, and you're...
  1678. >What other descriptive term begins with 'D'?
  1679. >Driven? Redundant.
  1680. >Described dutifully? You giggle at your own joke.
  1681. >Del-
  1682. >Twilight, stop being such a little filly and apologize.
  1683. >You owe him that much, and procrastinating isn't going to make it any less awkward.
  1684. >Your bathtub looks dirty. Maybe you should clean it fir-
  1685. >”Tap. Tap.”
  1686. >What was that?
  1687. >Did Anon-
  1688. >Oh, that was the door.
  1689. >Applejack and Spike are probably worried sick about you. You should let them in.
  1690. >Your mane is a mess, but-
  1691. >”|Where. Is. Twilight?|”
  1692. >You freeze.
  1693. >The princess. But the voice was coming from inside the-
  1694. >Did Anon open the door?!
  1695. >But she might- If she misunderstands-
  1696. >Oh no. Nonono.
  1697. >You drop the towel, slam open the door, and run towards them.
  1698.  
  1699. [Silver Key]
  1700. >That's too close.
  1701. >You had been ordered to have most of your subordinates surround the building in case the target tried to escape, but that had left you with only two other guards protecting the Princess.
  1702. >The target was just as big as you had been told.
  1703. >”|Where. Is. Twilight?|”
  1704. >Distance to target: < 6m.
  1705. >“Who’s asking?”
  1706. >You have one unicorn.
  1707. >The Princess is casting another spell.
  1708. >Target looks... disoriented? Hard to tell on a 'hyuman'.
  1709. >Eve has a generalized physiology-independent restraint spell readied.
  1710. >Good.
  1711. >She'll hold the spell until ordered to fire it, and you'll proceed to-
  1712. >”Princess!”
  1713. >Wha?
  1714. >”Princess, I'm okay!”
  1715. >A purple unicorn was running down a flight of stairs.
  1716. >Twilight Sparkle. Moderately powerful unicorn. An apprentice of the Princess.
  1717. >Keeping her safe is one of your secondary objectives.
  1718. >She doesn't look injured.
  1719. >”Twilight!”
  1720. >The Princess sounds relieved.
  1721. >Twilight is moving towards the Princess.
  1722. >That would take her right past the target!
  1723. >No time to stop her.
  1724. “Eve!”
  1725. >”No! Stay your magic.”, the Princess commands.
  1726. >Dammit, you can't disobey a direct order.
  1727. >Twilight seems to have stopped, though.
  1728. >A few meters behind the target. Looks unsure of herself.
  1729. >Depending on speed, if he decides to attack, he might be able to reach her before Eve can react to-
  1730. >”Twilight, please step away from him.”
  1731. >”No, Princess, it's not like that! I don't think he's-”
  1732. >”|Twilight|.”
  1733. >She looks startled. Good, just walk away slowly and everything will be fine. He doesn't seem to be moving. A few more steps and she'll be able to circle around and-
  1734. >”Silver Key, I would like to speak to Twilight alone.”
  1735. “I- Understood.”
  1736. >You turn to the other two members of the Celestial Guard.
  1737. “Evening Rain, Cloudtop. Secure the target. EMERALD! BREE!”
  1738. >You had brought along several members of the Royal Guard, since you were shorthoofed at the moment.
  1739. >Emerald Spark and Bright Hoof, who had been ordered to guard the perimeter, appear outside the door.
  1740. >”Sir?”
  1741. ”You and Bree join Eve and Cloud. Keep an eye on the target while the Princess gathers information.”
  1742. >”Yessir!”
  1743. >”Anyone else in the library, Twilight?”
  1744. >”No, Princess, but I-”
  1745. >”Use her study. Up those stairs.”
  1746. >”Understood”, Cloudtop says, her usual casual demeanor absent.
  1747. >As long as everyone keeps their distance, Eve and Emerald should be able to keep him in check.
  1748. >The target was staring passively at the floor for some reason.
  1749. >What was that spell the Princess cast on him?
  1750. >Twilight had circled around him and was coming towards you.
  1751. >Dammit, he's moving! You have to-
  1752. >He turned around.
  1753. >Eve's group is surrounding him.
  1754. >Keeping the correct four-pony formation for transporting dangerous creatures without restraints. Good.
  1755. >He seems to have started walking slowly towards the stairs of his own accord and without protest.
  1756. >They should be fine as long as they stay alert. A few words with the Princess and you'll join them.
  1757.  
  1758. [Anonymous]
  1759. >There really is no point in resisting, is there?
  1760. >Up the stairs and...
  1761. >GAH! That fucking light |again|!
  1762. >Fourth time, right?
  1763. >Either it was getting weaker, or you were getting used to whatever it is.
  1764. >Still enough to make you stumble as you move up the stairs and out of Twilight and the Princess' sight.
  1765. >”That's odd.”, you faintly hear from the princess you left behind downstairs.
  1766. >What's odd, you royal bitch? The fact that your mind rape spells keep mind raping me? Hilarious, I'm sure.
  1767. >You stumble into the study and find yourself directed towards the middle of the room.
  1768. >”Spread out and surround him. Eve and Emerald on opposite sides, standard pattern.”, says a female pegasus. You were pretty out of it downstairs, but... Cloudtop?
  1769. >”Target secured. He's not going anywhere.” Eve. Female. Unicorn.
  1770. “I'm secured? You've clearly never met a human before.”
  1771. >”Human or not, you’re not going anywhere.”, Cloudtop says in a steady, confident voice.
  1772. >Damn, figured that would rattle them, at least.
  1773. >Alright, comeback time. What if you try to manipulate the guy to your left into thinking that-
  1774. >...
  1775. >Actually... what if you just sit down and shut the fuck up for once?
  1776. >Twilight is talking to the princess, and she has already told you that there isn't enough evidence to convict you.
  1777. >Everything should be okay once she's had a chance to explain.
  1778. >You glance at one of the guards and make eye contact. He blinks twice in quick succession, possibly out of nervousness, but his face remains stoic.
  1779. >Hmm...
  1780. >You sit down in the middle of the circle they have formed around you.
  1781. >That thing the princess, Celestia, did when she opened the door...
  1782. >What the hell was that?
  1783. >Torture? A threat? A show of power?
  1784. >A... side effect of a spell?
  1785. >What kind of spell could have something like that as a-
  1786. >Mind reading?
  1787. >She... she could be reading your fucking mind |right now|! Clear your head!
  1788. >...
  1789. >...on't think ab...
  1790. >...
  1791. >...orn and all y...
  1792. >...
  1793. >This is pointless.
  1794. >If you can't even think, you're screwed anyway.
  1795. >Proceed as though your mind hasn't been compromised.
  1796. >You are momentarily distracted by one of the guards coughing, but quickly go back to your thinking when another question presents itself.
  1797. >Twilight had been honest with you, right?
  1798. >The talk you had about Fluttershy and Celestia, her apologizing for the bubble prison, what happened in the basement after she got back from the hospital...
  1799. >She could have just been telling you what she thought you wanted to hear.
  1800. >She obviously didn’t trust you, but the idea that she had just faked her way through every interaction with you since you got out of the bubble to keep you placid?
  1801. >That's too much.
  1802. >Or maybe you're just trying to dismiss the possibility because you’re too afraid of losing the only local you feel you can even remotely trust.
  1803. >Other than Fluttershy, of course.
  1804.  
  1805. >Well, this is surprisingly boring.
  1806. >Another pony showed up after a couple of minutes. Male. Earth. The guy who was calling the shots downstairs. Silver something?
  1807. >He promptly sat down and started staring at you just like everyone else.
  1808.  
  1809. >Another ten minutes or so pass uneventfully.
  1810. >You promised not to escape, but it couldn't hurt to have a plan ready, right?
  1811.  
  1812. >-take out one of the unicorns with a bit of luck. But even then, you have no way of dealing with the-
  1813. >”We have to take the prisoner and leave. A crowd is starting to form and the princess would prefer to keep this quiet.”, a voice moving up the stairs says.
  1814. >Welp, time to get disappeared.
  1815. >“A couple of guards are luring them away, but that damn reporter is still poking around near the chariot.”, he continues as he appears at the top of the stairs. Earth pony.
  1816. >“Downstairs and out the door, prisoner.”, the leader, Silver something, says.
  1817. >No use fighting it. Not with two spellcasters pointed at you.
  1818. >You walk single file down the stairs, and they hurry to form up around you again.
  1819. >There's Twilight. Why hasn't she-
  1820. >”Anon, I'm sorry. I don't know what's going on, but I'll try to-”
  1821. >”Please keep your distance from the prisoner, miss Twilight.”, one of your guards says as he blocks her path.
  1822. ”Twilight, what exactly-”
  1823. >You're hurriedly directed out the door and away from the library. Twilight is prevented from following.
  1824. >You already knew that they might arrest you, and that they'd probably try to keep it quiet. Still, actually seeing them being this cold and efficient, you're starting to feel as worried as you probably should have been all along.
  1825. >After about ten minutes of walking through the muddy roads of a surprisingly empty Ponyville, you arrive at a small shack on the outskirts of town. You see what looks like a shimmer in the air.
  1826. >Heat?
  1827. >You get your answer as what was apparently a spell fades and reveals a large golden chariot, complete with several pegasi to pull it.
  1828. >And... a cage.
  1829. >A fucking |cage|? Oh, hell no.
  1830. >You see the Princess join up out of the corner of your eye and turn to protest.
  1831. >The second you look at her and open your mouth, you're flooded with memories of the overwhelming light. “A- a cage?”, you say with a stutter, your voice tinged with fear.
  1832. >You were trying to sound confident and indignant, but managed the exact opposite.
  1833. >She looks surprised.
  1834. >”It's temporary, I promise.”, she says with a comforting smile that you barely have time to glimpse before averting your eyes.
  1835. >Her pity felt worse than the spell.
  1836. >No.
  1837. >No, this is fucking pathetic.
  1838. >She's got you so fucking cowed that even |looking at her| is enough to make you-
  1839. >The spell!
  1840. >Were you still under the effect of the spell she used?
  1841. >Maybe the fear and awe were artificially produced by some sort of emotion manipulation spell!
  1842. >You have arrived at the chariot. It's been several seconds since she spoke, so it's too late for you to salvage any of your dignity with a witty comeback.
  1843. >Just stay calm.
  1844. >The flashback you experienced had been so unexpected and disorienting that you can't predict how you'd react if you look at her again.
  1845. >If it was magic, maybe you'd feel the exact same way every time. That could be a way for you to figure out if it was actually a spell.
  1846. >She's probably keeping her eyes on you. If you glance, then look away if your eyes meet, she just gains even more ground.
  1847. >But you have to know what will happen. What your reaction will be.
  1848. >Keep looking at the ground for now, and you'll-
  1849. >At the order of one of the guards, you climb onto the chariot. You had no intention of going in the cage, but don't have much choice when the rest of them start to climb up behind you.
  1850. >You could have struggled, but that wouldn't have accomplished anything.
  1851. >One of the guards locks the cage door, and you busy yourself trying to avoid looking at the princess without making it look like that's what you're doing.
  1852. >Glance at her in a minute or so. Try to figure out what the hell is going on in your head.
  1853. >With a start, the strange vehicle leaves the ground.
  1854. >Five ponies total seem to be aboard the chariot. Celestia, Silver What's'is'name, Cloudtop, Eve, and a pony you haven't seen before.
  1855. >Guess the rest of them had to walk.
  1856. >Or fly.
  1857. >Or take a different horse-powered sky-car.
  1858. >Ech. Head's still spinning from all the abuse it's taken lately, and this new form of transportation isn't helping.
  1859. >Silver and Eve are staring at you.
  1860. >Guess they're not going to give you any privacy just because the cage is locked.
  1861. >The cage is at the center, with the door facing forward.
  1862. >Your two guards are facing the door. Celestia is sitting on a small throne in the back.
  1863. >There are six... pegeese pulling it.
  1864. >Time to give her a quick look.
  1865. >You should be able to pull it off without anybody noticing.
  1866. >If you are still cowed by the mere sight of her, even when prepared for it, it's probably the result of magic.
  1867. >Here goes. Magic or no magic, you're not going to let yourself be toyed with by some damned alien pony witch.
  1868. >Majestic horse legs. Nothing so far.
  1869. >Fancy sparkly mane. Alright.
  1870. >Royal Tiara of Royalty. Probably paid for by the downtrodden horse peasants, but otherwise fine.
  1871. >Eyes...
  1872. >Nothing.
  1873. >Maybe there has to be actual eye contact from both parties for the spell to trigger.
  1874. >Maybe she has to activate it manually every time.
  1875. >Maybe it was a one-time thing that she used to get you in the cage. Or to push some sort of Stockholm syndrome plan by being nice to you afterward.
  1876. >Maybe what happened by the chariot wasn't magic at all. Maybe you were just jumpy after whatever spell she used when you first met.
  1877. >Either way, she doesn't seem to have noticed you looking at her.
  1878. >Stay on your toes. Don't let her surprise you.
  1879. >Close your eyes, calm down, and rest for a few minutes.
  1880.  
  1881. >Alright. Nothing's changed, pony-wise, but you feel better.
  1882. >Guess you'll have to wait and see what happens once you arrive.
  1883.  
  1884. >...tedious trip. You'll ha-
  1885. >Oh shit, where's the knife?
  1886. >It's not in your-
  1887. >The bathroom.
  1888. >You left it under the bathtub when you were drying out your clothes.
  1889. >Would have been nice to have, but they would probably have found it, and you'd rather not have to explain why you were carrying a stolen weapon.
  1890. >Twilight will find it eventually, though. Wonder if she'll realize that you're the one who put it there.
  1891.  
  1892. >Another half an hour or so passes. Less? Who knows.
  1893. >Air's pretty cold up here. At least the rain hasn't started up again.
  1894. >Your clothes are still far from dry, though.
  1895. >'Here lies Anonymous. He discovered a strange world full of magic and talking ponies, and then died from some stupid hobo disease like a week later.'
  1896.  
  1897. >Hang on. That mountain you're heading towards...
  1898. >The clouds are letting up a bit, and you can actually see it properly now.
  1899. >There's... a massive city built into the side of it.
  1900. >Canterlot, eh? The capital city. Seat of power and home of Princess Sun Jerk.
  1901. >There was a palace, right?
  1902. >Or a castle?
  1903. >Do castles actually have prison dungeons, or is that just a fantasy fiction thing?
  1904. >There's obviously going to be a prison |somewhere|, but is it below the castle?
  1905. >Risky to put the prisoners so close to the royals.
  1906. >Doesn't really matter.
  1907. >At least now you have something interesting to look at while you wait.
  1908. >Is that the railroad Flutters mentioned?
  1909.  
  1910. >You're surprised by a sudden rise in temperature. What d- The ponies also seem to have noti-
  1911. >Ohshitherhornisglowing!
  1912. >...did she see you shiver from the cold and cast a heat spell?
  1913. >...did she see you flinch when you noticed her casting it?
  1914. >Goddammit, she probably thinks you're completely pathetic at this point, doesn't she?
  1915. >With this, your reaction to the cage, your reaction to her first spell at Twilight's...
  1916. >At least now you won't freeze to death. Dignity can be regained, but death is permanent.
  1917. >Twenty minutes or so until you arrive.
  1918.  
  1919. >Wait...
  1920. >Something has been lurking in the back or your mind for a while.
  1921. >One of the legends in 'Princess Celestia: Myths and Facts' said that Celestia's sister turned so evil that she had no choice but to banish her a thousand years ago and rule the country alone, and that she was still imprisoned on the moon.
  1922. >Fluttershy said that there were only two alicorns, and that they ruled the country together.
  1923. >It could be that Flutters had just forgotten about or dismissed the old 'banished sister' legend.
  1924. >But what about the 'rule the country alone' thing from the book?
  1925. >It made no mention of a second, currently active alicorn.
  1926. >The physical “Myths and Facts” book seemed to be at least a decade old. Maybe a different alicorn came to power recently?
  1927. >Celestia and some newly crowned alicorn ruling the country (two, as Fluttershy said), and an old legend about a third one on the moon (that Fluttershy forgot about or ignored).
  1928. >The other option being, of course, that the 'Luna' of legend, who was evil and powerful enough that her own sister would condemn her to solitary confinement for at least a thousand years, had managed to return some time after the book was printed and, in less than a couple of decades (based on the apparent age of the book), had somehow become co-ruler of the country.
  1929. >With your luck, it was probably the latter.
  1930. >Looks like your odds of getting beheaded without a trial just went up.
  1931.  
  1932. >Landing in less than a minute. Here goes.
  1933. >Freaking fuck, your back is killing you.
  1934.  
  1935. >You see the landing area coming up below you. It's a circular area made of some sort of white, marble-like stone, adjacent to castle walls on two connecting sides, and an open grassy area on the other two.
  1936. >It's a bit off to the side of the main castle building, but still well within what you'd call the castle grounds.
  1937. >It was hard to tell exactly what was part of the castle and what wasn't due to the mist and all the towers.
  1938. >Hitting the ground.
  1939. >Brace yourself and...
  1940. >Thump.
  1941. >...
  1942. >The landing wasn't that bad.
  1943. >Doesn't seem to have bothered your captors either.
  1944. >Alright.
  1945. >A wall in front of you and another to your left, each featuring a heavy wooden door.
  1946. >The landing platform is slightly elevated, and there seems to be a park of some sort behind you and to the right.
  1947. >You could probably jump down to it without injury.
  1948. >Two armored guards by each door, and another two ponies by the door in front of you.
  1949. >As soon as the pegasi stop flapping their wings and everyone starts disembarking, one of the two starts walking quickly towards the chariot.
  1950. >”Princess!”
  1951. >The princess, who was already facing the approaching pony, takes a couple of steps in his direction.
  1952. >”Yes, Amber Quill?
  1953. >He looks stressed, and shoots a nervous glance at you as you step off the chariot.
  1954. >”This came for you, princess. It has the- I mean, it's urgent.”
  1955. >He magically lifts a sealed scroll from a pouch he has slung across his back.
  1956. >She grabs it, breaks the seal, and starts reading.
  1957. >After a few seconds, you hear a sharp intake of breath and she looks like she's struggling to keep her composure.
  1958. >A quick glance reveals that everyone else is just as focused on her as you are.
  1959. >Having apparently finished reading, she keeps staring at it for a couple of seconds.
  1960. >Then she turns to face the chariot. “Silver Key, there is something I need to see to.”
  1961. >Silver Key stops staring and snaps to attention at the mention of his name.
  1962. >”Of course, Princess! I'll deal with this. About that thing I mentioned-”
  1963. >”Do whatever you think is best. Just don't forget what we talked about.”
  1964. >”Understood!”, he says, giving her a dutiful nod.
  1965. >He turns to face you as the princess and Amber Quill walk off towards the door.
  1966. >You give him a purposefully indifferent look.
  1967. >Your move, mister lawman.
  1968. >You're too busy trying to look tough to notice at first, but it seems that the other pony who stood by the door has approached the chariot.
  1969. >He catches Silver’s attention.
  1970. >”The room you requested is ready, sir.”
  1971. >”Change of plans. We're putting him in a secure cell.”
  1972. >The pony looks slightly surprised by the news.
  1973. >”Sir, the order was for-” He starts to object, but quickly changes his mind. “Yes sir. I'll have it ready in fifteen minutes.”
  1974. >”Send a unicorn to join us. Rank three or higher.”
  1975. >Having nodded, as is apparently customary, the pony runs towards the door that was originally to your left when you landed. The one the princess and Amber Quill didn't leave through.
  1976. >Secure cell.
  1977. >Fifteen minutes.
  1978. >It's a virtual guarantee that they were talking about you, so it looks like you're going to a 'secure cell' rather than... wherever they were originally going to put you.
  1979. >If you're going to escape, now would probably...
  1980. >They've formed up around you again. In a circle, all looking at you.
  1981. >Didn't even notice.
  1982. >The leader, Silver Key the male earth pony.
  1983. >Evening Rain, a female unicorn.
  1984. >Cloudtop, a female pegasus.
  1985. >That new guy who joined you for the ride. Earth pony.
  1986. >Probably a member of the horse police, since he's part of the formation.
  1987. >The chariot's pegasi have finished removing their harnesses, and, after getting a nod from Silver, fly off into the distance.
  1988.  
  1989. >After a couple of minutes of waiting, you decide to have some fun.
  1990. >You check the ground, confirm that it's not wet from rain or fog, and sit down while turning to face a vigilant Evening Rain.
  1991. “So why does magic glow come in different colors, anyway?”, you ask with a curious smile.
  1992. >She quickly goes from vigilant, to taken aback by your question, to even more vigilant.
  1993. >Silver didn't seem to appreciate your curiosity.
  1994. >”No talking, prisoner. Don't bother trying to distract her.”
  1995. >You look at him and smile.
  1996. “Oh, it's far too late to try to avoid that.”
  1997. >His eyes narrow for a second. He then glances around the area, presumably looking for incoming threats.
  1998. ”She's already distracted pondering my insightful and incisive question.” You turn back to her. “By the way, what's a register?”
  1999. >”The color depends on the unicorn casting the spell, and is tied to the mana refinement process.”, she says in a voice halfway between surprised amusement and guarded vigilance. Now quiet down, I’m done playing magic school.”
  2000. “Can I pay the tuition in massages? You'd be surprised what these can do.” You pull back the fabric covering your hands, hold them up, and wriggle your fingers.
  2001. >She looks horrified, as do the rest of them.
  2002. >As expected, fingers probably look disgusting to a species that hasn't seen them before.
  2003. >You're basically an alien offering to give her a massage with your stubby, jointed tentacles.
  2004. >You're not going to try to escape, but that doesn't mean you can't fuck with them for the fun of it.
  2005. >”Enough, prisoner! Be quiet and keep those... things to yourself.”, Silver says.
  2006. “I'm trying to conduct a business transaction here. Don't interfere with the free market.”
  2007. >You've now moved on to kneading your hands against each other. Eve is still disgusted, and looks like she can barely resist averting her eyes.
  2008. >”Eve, stay focused. Don't take your eyes off him. We're going. Get up, prisoner.”
  2009. >You do as you're told, satisfied that you finally managed to rattle them.
  2010. >They adjust the circle they form around you so that you make up the side facing forward, with Cloudtop walking in the middle. Essentially, nobody has to walk in front of you, unable to see you.
  2011. >They march you through the same door that the second pony left through a few minutes ago.
  2012. >The door, and the passage beyond, can easily fit someone of your height.
  2013. >You speculate on what sort of monstrous creatures the prison was designed to handle, but then you realize that the entire castle was probably built this big to accommodate the princess.
  2014.  
  2015.  
  2016. >Left.
  2017. >Left, right.
  2018. >Left, right, forward.
  2019. >Left, right, forward, down.
  2020. >Left, right, forward, down, left.
  2021. >Left, right, left, down, left.
  2022. >Left, right, left, down, forward, le-.
  2023. >Wait, no.
  2024. >Left, right, down... left?
  2025. >Shit.
  2026. >Having given up on memorizing the layout, you find yourself escorted down hallway after musty hallway.
  2027. >After some five minutes of walking, you notice that the walls look cleaner and better maintained. Even the torches seem to give off more light, somehow.
  2028. >Another minute passes, and you hear the sound of hooves around the next corner.
  2029. >”We're over here.”, Silver says. “The prisoner is secure.”
  2030. “That's what you think.”, you mumble, just loud enough for your captors to hear.
  2031. >The sound slows from a run to a walk, and a unicorn eventually turns the corner in front of you.
  2032. >The armored pony stares at you for a few seconds, before remembering why he's there.
  2033. >”Silly Smiles, reporting for prisoner transfer duty, Sir!”
  2034. >Silly Sm- are you shitting me?
  2035. >”Standard formation. We're almost there anyway.”
  2036. >”Yes, Sir.”
  2037. >They move so that you are now flanked by the earth ponies, with the pegasus behind you, and the two unicorns further back.
  2038. >Off we go then.
  2039. >The slow pace is grating, but you finally arrive at what might be your destination: yet another nondescript corridor.
  2040. >The important difference being that this one features a door in the right hand wall.
  2041. >Silly goddamned Smiles salutes. “This is it, Sir. Special Security Cell number four.”.

[AiE, ∞ hiatus] Suspicious Biped (2020/06/29)

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Worldbuilding Ideas Compilation (2024/02/17)

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My Oneshots (2022/01/18)

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Content List (last content update: 2024/02/17)

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