>White.
>The light shines in through the lack of curtains onto your mattress
>A lingering sense of dread remains from last night... you're pretty sure that you were drinking to forget something
>And oh fuck, your head
>It's still bleeding a bit, you're pretty sure your skull cracked
>Not like you have anything to help it though, you'll just put some gauze on it in a second
>You carefully stumble over to the sink, filling a cup to the brim with slightly cold, over-chlorinated water that you gulp down greedily
>Oh fuck, you're starting to remember
>It's safe to say that bridge is burned
>Rent is a few days past due, they'll probably have you out by the end of the week
>You were saving up money to pay for it, but your job let you go
>If memory recalls, they cut off your internet a few days back
>You were...
>That's right, you were at the bar
>You were with her, that...
>She liked ponies? You think they were in her profile on tinder
>It's sad to think that you fucked things up with someone who shared a crucial common interest, but not everyone who likes ponies is automatically a winner anyways
>And you're like 50% sure she's why your bed looks like someone got murdered on it
>The blood has flowed to a trickle, you feel weak
>You must've lost a lot last night
>It occurs to you that you probably didn't sleep so much as you fell unconscious due to head trauma, it's a miracle you made it back to your apartment and locked the door before that happened 
>You have a few hundred dollars left in your account
>Not enough for rent, but enough to maybe make a plea deal with your landlord
>You just need to work at McDonalds for a few weeks while you get back on your feet, that's all
>The single bulb in your bathroom flickers out.
>Your face greets you in the mirror, illuminated by the light of the sun, lazily bouncing off of the white surfaces in your room
>Your face is soaked with blood, your eyes are bloodshot, and your hair is long and scraggly
>You get some gauze from the medicine cabinet and start to slowly wrap your head wound, it hurts at first but eventually it subsides a bit 
>Wash out what blood you can in the sink, dry thoroughly, repeat...
>Eventually you get enough out and get everything dry enough that you can stand to put on your beanie without worrying about it getting soaked with blood or water
>You look in the mirror again
>You look like a mentally deranged homeless person
>"Hello"
>You whip around and your head protests, sending jolts of pain across your skull
"Aaaaaargh! Fuck! Who are you?! How did you get in?!"
>It's a girl's voice
>She laughs, a warm and surprisingly welcoming sound
"I think you'll figure that out once you open up your eyes look at me"
>You nod
>It's...
"Battle Royale."
>"Who did you expect? Peeta Mellark?
"I named you before all of that shit, and you aren't my current oc."
>She winces, her wings flaring up a bit
"Sorry, touchy subject. I wasn't thinking."
>"Might be a good idea not to think too much considering what happened last night."
"Tell me about it... you were there?"
>"It's complicated, I'm pretty sure I started existing in your world right after you got hit in the head, but that event was preordained."
"I was meant to get smacked in the head with... I really don't remember"
>You hold a hand against your head, trying to focus in on her
"Do you know what happened?"
>She gives you a pitying sound, somewhere between a whinny and a whicker
>"You tried to tell her about something, I was still somewhat sick myself from the manifestation. Before last night I haven't held a form, so you'll have to excuse me for being inattentive"
"I can't really blame you, yeah... it doesn't matter anyways"
>"I hate to take away from our little moment, but there's something I need for you to do for me."
"Go ahead, I can't make any promises yet though"
>"Fine. I'm stuck in a sort of conceptual limbo. I'd like to pass on to Equestria, but I'm not fully flesh and blood and I need a vessel to survive the journey"
"Sorry, you aren't angry, are you?"
>"No, but I was hoping having a magical pony show up in your room would make you agree outright."
"So, Equestria is real?"
>"It is. It was thought impossible for physical teleportation between... Spell Service knows more about this than I do, but I get the idea from talking to her that it's not really an option unless you know this group of scientists"
"That's a shame. And what lets me know you're not a product of my head injury?"
>You take your hand off your head.
>The pain starts again, so you put it back on there.
"You said that you're not exactly flesh and blood, so I'm assuming your manipulation of objects mostly extends to not falling to the center of the earth"
>"This list."
>With an outstretched wing, she brings a list out of somewhere inside of her chest
>You take it, you can feel it
"And how do I know I'm not hallucinating holding this thing?"
>"Read it out."
>It's names and locations, some of them on the same line.
>"I need you to go to those places and talk to the people with those names."
"What about the lines where there isn't a name to ask around for?"
>"I was told that you'd figure it out."
>Reassuring
"And why should I do this?"
>Clown makeup and a red suit materialize on Royale, her black mane dying itself green in an instant
>"You've got nothing left to lose."
>You stare at her and she stares at you
>After about ten seconds, the clown makeup vanishes and she appears to be a bit out of breath
"Does that hurt?"
>"It's an alteration to my form, pain isn't really something I know the feeling of... but it's straining in a way"
"How many times can you do it?"
>"It's not really good for subterfuge, you're the only one that can see me."
"Ah, about the note"
>"Take a picture of it, then show someone on the bus ride and get them to confirm that it exists. Time is of the essence, we should go soon."
>You take a picture of the back of it with the light shining through, just enough to make out that something is written on the other side but not enough for it to really be legible
"I still don't understand what I have to gain from this. Does it have to be me? What am I even doing?"
>"I was told you should prepare to enter a sort of urban war."
"Fuuuuck, that's not good. I don't even have any weapons that I could conceal onto a bus! Isn't there anything else I can do to help you cross? Don't get me wrong, I love ponies, but I don't want to... you know"
>"Unfortunately, the conditions are somewhat determined by each pony's creation circumstances. Since Battle Royale is a bloody mess of a film, the circumstances that get us both what we want can't come to pass without bloodshed."
"What do I gain from this?"
>"I can suck your dick"
>You give her that look, a carefully practiced look of disdain and malice that you perfected throughout all your years of being a loner
>The sort of look that conveys two words: "go die."
>She looks a bit scared for a fraction of a second, but her expression goes back to neutral in the same time
>"No? Okay..."
"Sorry, it's somewhat of a force of habit. You get a few too many weird questions when you're a dude with long hair."
>She sighs deeply
>"Yeah, okay. You scared me though, I was just trying to offer something nice"
"Am I really so perverse that that's the first thing you thought of before we both go off to war?"
>"No, but Spell Service suggested it... I'm pretty sure she can't hear us, so I'll tell you that she's a bit of a slut."
>"I can put in a good word with her though, that can be your favor. She's the one that'll be converting the good will your actions produce into a body for me, once the portal is open it's possible she could turn you into... your new OC."
"Wailing Woods?"
>"Yes, that one."
>Her "that" is emphasized in the way one might emphasize an insult
"Sorry."
>She gives you this sad look
>"It's not really your fault in the sense that I can blame you, but the burden of my abandonment is yours alone. Maybe in time I'll be close enough to you to look past it, but I just can't at the moment."
"Just let me do something real quick and I'll walk with you to the ATM."
>"Groovy."
>>>
"What do you call a deer with no eyes?"
>"I've got no eye deer"
"How about a fish?"
>"Fssssh"
"Spell ICUP"
>"I see you-"
>She stops and actually giggles a bit
>"You almost got me with that one, Anon. Haven't heard that one for a long time"
"Yeah, I think the last time I saw someone using it seriously was back in grade school. Oh how time flies"
>"Quiet down for just a minute, don't look behind you but someone's staring at you"
>"Is that- it is! Yo, Anon!"
>You turn around to see your favorite drug dealer, Derran
"Derran, my man. How's it been?"
>"You know, mostly just selling weed these days. Don't need to sell much else to pay my rent really"
"Cool, cool. Guess that's how it goes in San Francisco. Do you even have to worry about getting arrested for that these days?"
>"Only if I carry around a piece"
>He snaps his fingers
>"I've got it! I remembered what I was supposed to give you."
"Huh? I don't remember you owing me anything."
>"That's because you were off your fucking tits on acid, man. You just handed me like 300 dollars and asked me to get you "put it forward" whatever you meant by that. Anyways, I interpreted it as this."
>He hands you a brown denim bag, there's something heavy inside
>It's the pride and joy of magnum research
>A fucking desert eagle
>Chambered in 50 action express, and the goddamn idiot somehow got you a gold one
"Derran, I-"
>"Don't worry about it nigga, I didn't pay for it myself if you catch my drift. Oh, that's right. Be careful with the thing around the pigs."
"Jesus Derran, is it gold or titanium gold?"
>"The fuck does it matter?"
"Real 24 carat gold blemishes a lot easier"
>"Sheeeit negro, I dunno. But don't look a-"
"Gift horse in the mouth, I know. Thank you very much."
>He gives you a nod.
>"You're most welcome, thank you for being a loyal customer all these years. There's some other fun things in that bag, it's got a false bottom. Some ammo and some things I won't spoil the surprise on. I gotta split now, seeya cuh."
"Yeah, be seeing you. Take it easy."
>"Wow."
"Yeah, I know."
>You slide the denim bag into your backpack and complete the walk to the ATM with Royale.
>You withdraw everything you own down to a $10 increment from the ATM
>Just as well, the transaction fees are just about the rest of it
"That's $340, don't think that'll be enough for all the greyhound tickets"
>"You'll figure it out."
>She rubs her muzzle against your leg and, while incorporeal, the action still gives you the warm fuzzies
>You smile down at her
>The greyhound station is just a block away, you're lucky you didn't have to walk all the way across town with no car
"Feeling mighty affectionate now, are we?"
>"Admittedly I underestimated you a bit, Spell Service says that she's had ponies who were able to convince their creators to go through with everything with just the promise of a pity blowjob. That glare you gave me was a breath of fresh air, and then you agreed to do it for a more reasonable price."
"You said ponies, you mean mares and stallions?"
>She chuckles darkly
>"You have no idea."
>>>
>The ticket is $146, leaving you with a meager $194 for the remaining bus fares across the US.
>You and Royale pass the time with chitchat about Equestria, she's very excited to go there and it's honestly a bit contagious despite the shit you're about to do.
"They all deserve it, right? The people we're... you know?"
>"Oh. Oh yeah."
"What'll being a pony be like for me if your mage friend can do it? Do you know if I get flesh and blood?"
>"I'm honestly not entirely sure, I'm sorry. If the bus ride is quiet enough and I can concentrate, I might be able to bridge a connection over for a few minutes and ask about specifics"
"Alright, thanks"
>The two of you sit in silence for the rest of the thirty or so minutes before the bus arrives
>You don't know for sure, your laptop is still in your bag and you didn't take your phone
>Too easy to be tracked with
"Whelp, I've already spent the money and you seem pretty real, but I hope you don't mind if I ask the bus driver if he can see the paper I took a photo of"
>"Go right ahead, it's important for you to have some peace of mind that this is all quite real if you're to do what's to come."
>You step up into the metallic smelling bus and look around. There's only one other guy on it and he's sitting with his knees up to his face in the back, presumably asleep or pretty out of it
"Do you see this photo?"
>The bus driver gives you kind of a funny look
>"Yeah, it's of some paper. Why?"
"Is there anything written on the back? Someone sent me this picture and I can't make out the scrawl."
>"I can't rightly say, looks like some words but I can't read them myself. Sorry pal"
"It's quite alright, thank you"
>"Well, now you know."
>You're not sure if you're more or less unsettled than before you knew this was all real, but it doesn't change the fact that you were full well willing to go through with it regardless
>The doors shut with a hiss and you buckle your seat belt
"Are you going to buckle in?"
>You mean it as a teasing remark but she seems not to find it funny
"Sorry."
>"Bus 2653. To Sierra Vista, from San Francisco."
>The bus pulls out of the station, you watch the scenery through the window for a few minutes with Royale, mostly just the city going by
"I get tired of looking at cities, seems like no matter what they do they just can't make big cities look good"
>"I like the buildings in little towns and hamlets much more myself"
"It seems like with closer proximity to other people things just progressively get worse and worse"
>"Yeah, I'd imagine San Francisco is just full of shitty architecture firms trying to justify these tall, ugly things."
>After a few more minutes of ugly buildings in midday light, you elect to just pull out your shitty laptop and play minesweeper
>You used to be pretty good at it, but your abilities have decayed over the years
>Royale watches lazily, flitting out her left or right wing every once in a while
"Can you see out of your left eye?"
>"Great question. For now, I don't really have binocular vision so much as I just have a cone radiating out of my head that travels a certain distance and then cuts off."
>You hit a mine and let out a soft "fuck"
>"If a wall is in my way, I simply imagine it isn't and it vanishes from my view allowing me to see what's on the other side. It's as if the obstruction simply ceases to exist for me until I want it to return, or until I stop thinking about it. Light passes through for me, though obviously it's not really illuminated.
"Sure would be nice for minesweeper, you can't see through simulated ground can you?"
>You clear a stage
>She giggles
>"Nah, I just see the seat in front of us. I can see about as far as you can I think, it sorta tapers off at a horizon line when I'm looking into the distance."
>The two of you stop talking for a few minutes as the bus goes onto the golden gate bridge
"I like this part, admittedly"
>She gives you a nod, propping herself up on the little window sill with her hooves and looking out into the bay
>She's blocking your view, but you don't mind because she's really cute
>You don't remember why you left her behind actually, at some point she just wasn't your main oc any longer
>And eventually you stopped getting art of her too
>After the bridge passes under you, you two resume conversation
"That must be handy, being able to see through things."
>"You would think so, but I don't really have any more visual clarity than you do. I can see through a tanker truck, but if it's really far down the highway, it's a bit hard to be able to tell what I'm looking at inside of it."
>She looks down at her hooves
>"Plus, in most cases other than when I'm on a bus moving at 45 miles per hour, I can just walk over and phase through the object I want to look inside. I just need to be careful around certain things."
"What sort of things?"
>"Anything that produces high-frequency photons. EM radiation can take big chunks out of me, and it takes a while to heal back. If I sustain enough damage, I'll simply cease to exist."
"Jesus."
>"It's a bit of a bummer, but I'm trying not to get too attached to this form of living or the benefits and drawbacks relating to it. Soon I'll be a real mare with a blind left eye, if that's what you were asking initially"
"I was sort of curious about both"
>"That's good, glad to know I didn't waste your time"
>She looks around
>"Oh, wait"
>The two of you share a laugh at the absurdity the statement
"Do you want to watch a movie? Minesweeper is getting a bit tedious and I'm rusty"
>"What've you got?"
"Mostly old 80s and 90s flicks. Any you want in particular?"
>"Well, hm..."
"Want me to pick something?"
>"Do you have that movie about the girl and the guy from the future? Can't remember the name of it"
"It sounds familiar, but I need a bit more info"
>"It ends in a factory with the girl crawling on her stomach-"
"Terminator?"
>"Yeah! That one"
"Let me check... yeah, looks like it's here"
>"Can we watch it?"
"Mhm, as long as you don't think it'll scare you too much"
>"You designed me to be a battle-worn veteran, I think I can handle it again"
"You've seen it before?"
>"I have... a vague notion of the plot of it"
>Something probably best discussed later, if you remember to
>She hops into your lap and you start the movie, the audio playing through the speakers
>The driver is just out of earshot, and the guy in the back is presumably still asleep/doped enough to not care
>She's...
>Warm in your lap.
>It isn't what you expected at all
>Living things radiate heat, sure
>But her?
>If you get ahold of some thermals you'll have to test her heat signature, could help the two of you if you end up fighting military personnel
>Not that it should come to that, ideally
>You sort of stopped paying attention, Reese is already rescuing Sarah from the terminator in Technoir
>Royale looks comfy, almost dreamlike but still clearly enraptured with the images
>She stays like this until Kyle starts talking about the machine war
>"Stop it, please."
>You press the spacebar, pausing the movie abruptly
"Everything okay?"
>"I... it's nothing. Continue, I'm sorry."
"Are you sure?"
>"Maybe I'll tell you later, right now I just want to watch this"
"Would a hug help?"
>"Uh, yeah."
>You wrap your arms around her from behind and she rests her muzzle against your right arm, there isn't really a force applied by any sort of weight but you can still sort of feel her presence regardless
>You unpause the movie and it continues without issue
>She gets a bit shivery when Kyle first talks about how he travelled across time for Sarah
>And you can feel her muzzle heat up a little bit when they get intimate
>You don't comment on it, you're pretty sure it's involuntary and it's her moment to experience as she wants to
>The movie finishes
>She twists around and gives you a hug of her own
>"Thanks, Anon"
"For what? I haven't done anything"
>"It was a good movie, and you're a good human"
>Your stomach feels like it's full of butterflies
"I think you're a damn good mare"
>Good lord you're both so fucking autistic
>She gives you a reassuring nuzzle
>"Let's see what else your friend put in that denim bag, if you like"
"Alright"
>You pull up the false bottom carefully
>There are three plastic baggies, each containing a tab of acid
>14 rounds of 50 AE
>One hand grenade
>A small flask marked with "PE"
>And finally, a king size seasonal reeses
>The two of you stare at it all for a few seconds
"Uh, can you eat? These taste awesome"
>"It might be another weapon"
"It's still sealed, I think this one is..."
>You break the seal on it and are immediately hit with the smell of peanut butter and chocolate
"Aw yeah, this is the real deal"
>"Sadly I can't, but if you leave it open I can enjoy the odor of it"
"Damn, you mind if I have one? The seasonal ones are always super fresh"
>"Go right ahead"
>It's probably the best thing you've tasted in months
>You haven't had any money in the budget for sugar lately
"Fuuuuck"
>Royale laughs, a donkey-esque sound (in a cute way somehow)
>"I think we're going to make a good team, Anon."
"I think we've got about three hours to Cold Springs, I think that's normally a stopping point on the trip."
>"What's at Cold Springs?"
"It's a place people normally get off... I don't have internet or I'd tell you more. We'll just have to see I suppose, I know they have food there."
>"Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, didn't get the opportunity for much food. We'll see."
>You still feel tired, and Royale seems to notice
>"If you want to get some sleep I can keep watch, I don't really have a need to rest."
"That's handy. I think I'll take you up on that, how will you wake me up if something happens?"
>"By yelling as loud as I possibly can."
"Damn, well that works."
>You put your laptop back in your bag and put the seat back as far as you can
>It's not that far, but it's a bit better than before
>You close your eyes and before you know it, slip into nothing
>Your mind reels.
>A shape is before you, you...
>You try to avert your gaze but you're not looking at it, not in the way someone with a body would
>Is this what Royale sees like?
>Far below you hear the voices of hundreds, chattering away
>Laughing
>Screaming
>Barking in annoyance
>And then, they synchronize.
>You know the voice, it's on the tip of your tongue
>Someone familiar, a friend?
>"Ignition in t-minus three."
>It's driving you mad, and the shape before you isn't helping
>"Two."
>You know her!
>"One."
>It's-
>Blinding light pierces the thing before you, your vision distorts into thousands of different colors
>Most of them are wrong
>You shouldn't be able to see them, your human eyes...
>How real is this all? What the fuck is happening?
>And then, before you have time to process any more of it, you're awake.
>Warmth... inside your neck
>You jump, did someone stab you?
>Oh, Royale has phased her hoof through your esophagus
"You scared me, I thought I'd been hit in the neck"
>"I tried everything else I could think of to wake you up, sorry. Wanted to give you a few minutes to get ready to hop off, an exit sign just passed saying that Cold Springs is in a mile"
"Oh, well."
>She looks at you expectantly and you shake your head
"Let's find some other way for you to wake me up, maybe just scream next time?"
>"I did."
"Hm, maybe that isn't working after all, we'll figure something else out."
>"Hopefully"
>The bus hangs a right off the road, pulling into a small parking lot next to this building made of different shaped stones held together with mortar
>It's like 5:00 PM now, and your stomach is grumbling a bit
>Not to mention you're a bit thirsty
"I guess I could spend a bit on food"
>Royale nods, walking right through the wall into the store
>"Bad news, looks like mostly convenience store affair. The best you're probably going to do here is using their microwave to heat up a frozen personal pizza."
"Well, I don't dislike pizza."
>You step back onto the bus
"Say..."
>"Paul."
"Paul, how long are we going to be stopped here for?"
>"Well, to keep schedule, about thirty minutes"
"I'm going to grab a personal pizza and maybe use the restroom, could you give me a little bit of leeway on that?"
>"I'll do what I can"
>You go into the store (which is just a convenience store with a small "museum" area and some area-appropriate knickknacks) and pull a digiorno personal pepperoni out of the freezer 
>It microwaves for a few minutes while you and Royale knock around and look at the small museum exhibit 
>A few really pretty pictures of Arizona sunsets and sunrises
>Some old wheels that used to be used on the first few vehicles that traversed the supposedly treacherous Route 66 
>You believe it, Arizona has a impressive array of venomous arthropods and reptiles
>You're glad the bus is sturdy.
>"Hey Anon! Check it!"
>You walk over to what Royale is looking at 
>It's an old-timey plunger detonator, the sort that Wile E. Coyote would've tried to use to kill The Roadrunner in those old cartoons
>The microwave dings, and the mid-20s guy at the counter lets out a string of obscenities, screaming at you
>"How many fucking times do I have to tell you, the microwave is for employees only!"
>He continues to yell at you as he gets up out of his seat and heads over to the microwave, throwing the door to it open, picking up your dinner, and slamming it on the floor with a wet squelch
>You narrow your eyes and the man gives you a smug look as he lifts a boot and stomps your pizza into a pulp
>He tracks the greasy, saucy, cheesy mess all the way to the restroom, the lock sliding to the "occupied" position
>"What a pill, what does he care if we use the microwave?"
"Yeah, some people just go mad with any ounce of power..."
>You grab another pizza from the freezer section and set it in the microwave, programming the timer for another 3 minutes
>You aren't paying for the one he ruined if he tries to get you to
>You open up the door, still deep in thought and begin to cut the pizza into pieces as best you can with a plastic spoon (there were no knives provided)
>PE, sounds familiar.
>You take out the small flask and unscrew it
>A slender aluminum device extends barely out of the flask; it was covered by the cap, and positive and negative terminal markers are clearly indicated
>A grin begins to form on your face
>"Anon?"
>You remove the detonator, confirming that the substance inside the flask is what you think it is
"Plastiqe."
>"Oooooooooh"
>"We need a detonator though, don't we?"
"That's what the thing on top is"
>"No, I mean like the roadrunner sort, a power source"
>It clicks in both of your heads at the same time
>You produce one of the three tabs of acid from the bag
>"Royale, would you be a dear and head into the bathroom? Tell me how much longer he'll be, and see if he he has any money in his wallet."
>Battle Royale looks uneasy, but nods
>You walk over to the man's water bottle, unscrew it, and drop the tab of acid in it.
>You carefully rescrew it, making sure it doesn't deviate from the position he left it in, then go back to cutting your pizza with the spoon
>Royale comes back out
>"I estimate three more minutes, he's finishing up"
"About enough time to scarf down this pizza"
>"Anon"
"What was that?" 
>"He's not a good person."
>You nod, eating your pizza
"I could've told you that, really."
>"No, his phone Anon. He was looking at-"
"I'll stop you there. Hopefully future attacks of opportunity will also be on equally gross people"
>You're talking in a very low voice, and Royale is too
>Volume shouldn't matter for her speech, but you're not going to bring it up because it's important that she feel like a corporeal mare
>You're about done with your pizza when he comes out, so you scarf down the rest of it fast and head off into the bathroom
>You start with doing your business as quickly as you can, being sure to wipe down the seat thoroughly with soap and water after that creep sat there. 
>After you finish, you begin to give yourself the gas station equivalent of a hospital sponge bath
>You even replace your old bandages with new ones and give your hair a little scrub-down with hand soap before putting your beanie back on
>You had forgotten about it, but it does actually have the faded design of a pony on it 
>You'll grab some laundry detergent in a minute, for your clothes and hat, along with a few other things
>Extra soap, shampoo
>There aren't any security cameras here, so you're only really worried about the degenerate over at the desk
>Royale walks through the door, apparently figuring you're probably about finished
"Have you been keeping an eye on him?"
>"Yeah. He just emptied his water bottle and went to go fill it up again at the pump outside"
"Good, good"
>"What did you do?"
"You'll see."
>You push open the door and stretch your arms and hastily grab a container of liquid detergent, three protein bars, a few gatorades, and a king size reeses and shoving them into your backpack
>You've just zipped up your pack and put it back on when he walks back in
>Seems to pay you no mind, you check the time
>If you're lucky, he'll start in fifteen, which gives you five minutes to steal the plunger and get back on the bus
>With possible leeway, but it's a large item and you it's going to be difficult to fit in your backpack
>You walk around idly, looking at all of the items in the store
>They sell silly putty, a few knickknacks, lighters...
>You glance back at the museum display with the plunger on it, looks to have some form of sound alert security system
>After slipping an egg of silly putty into your pocket you walk over to the plunger again, pretending to be looking it over it while you scan for the mechanism that trips the security system
>It seems to either be weight-triggered or laser triggered, there's a plate under the plunger but there's no glass in front of it to keep you from touching it
>It's been 10 minutes based on the wall clock
>Royale is tense, she hasn't said anything in a few minutes
>"I hope you know what you're doing"
"Haven't done it before, but it's something that an idiot could do."
>You whisper in her ear
"I've been- well, that'd spoil the surprise"
>You've been on at least 50 acid trips
>Many of them unsupervised
>Normally pretty boring shit 
>"Let's hope"
>The cashier begins to look down at his hands
>He looks to be cooked, but just to make sure you walk in front of him and snap your fingers in front of him
>He looks around a bit but otherwise pays you no mind
>You reach into his pocket and take out his wallet, checking the dollar amount inside
>$347
>You walk over to the plunger and tear off a bit of silly putty from inside the egg.
>Once you've worked it a bit and feel ready, you stuff the silly putty into the holes of the alarm speaker, and lift the heavy thing up and into your backpack
>It takes considerable effort to get it to zip shut, but you've managed it by the time the bus horn honks for you
>You pocket your spoils, increasing your budget from $194 to a much more comfortable $541
>You walk over to the daytripper and give him a smile
"I have to go now. Equestria needs me."
>You and Royale walk out the door into the hot Arizona sun and climb back into the bus
"What's the next stop?"
>He purses his lips, looking down at this company-issue tablet thing in a heavy-duty rubberized case
>"Looks like no more until the one at Sierra Vista, speak now or forever hold your pee. Six more hours."
"I just went"
>You and Royale walk back to the seat you were sitting in previously, not that it matters much but it's somewhat familiar at least
>The guy in the back is awake now, tacking away on his laptop
>Probably trying to be the next bestseller
>If he's bad enough he might just make it.
>The bus doors swing shut and the engine thrums as the driver puts you back on Route 66
>"Please, please tell me next time you're going to pull something THAT RECKLESS"
>You cringe back a bit, it feels weird when she yells
>Doesn't hurt your ears exactly, it's kinda like when you wash a pair of gloves clean
>The sensation is there, but distant
>You've come down from the adrenaline high by now
"You're right, I'm sorry."
>"What if he had figured out that you were the one who spiked his water and called for help? What if he had pulled out a gun from under the counter and shot you dead when you were stealing all that shit?"
"You could've seen if he had a gun under the counter, right?"
>"Yes, and he did, I just didn't want to tell you because I figured it might throw off your... whatever you just did. It was a shitty hi-point, but you and I both know it still could've easily fucking killed you."
>The two of you sit in silence for a minute
>"Do you have prints in the system?"
"No, my record is clean."
>"You probably do now."
"I know."
>Water begins to well up in her eyes as she sniffles a bit, her tears falling off of her face and dissipating into nothing like holographic images
>You try to hold onto her as best you can
"I'll do better next time."
>"You forgot the shampoo."
"I think we'll stop in a motel for the night, they'll probably have some."
>"Okay, Anon... If you die, you-"
>She cuts herself off
>"I can't get to Equestria, you know that. I won't fade away painlessly either."
>She's silent for a moment.
>"Well pain isn't quite the right word, but it's the closest I can think of."
"We'll get you to your prize, your chicken dinner. Your victory royale. Your-"
>"Stop it"
"I can hear you giggling"
>"It's stupid and I'm being serious, I'm not giggling!"
"Your survival games win. Your-"
>She snorts, breaking into laughter
>"It's not funny!"
"I didn't say anything, cutie"
>"Mnnnn... I'm worried about you too, Anon."
"That's logical"
>"No, I don't mean just our connection across the border, I mean... you know, something more. The mare who killed her childhood friend so that she could exit the contest alive... that's how you designed me. I should be colder, more calculating. I'm a winner, but I'm also a murderer."
"You didn't have a choice in the matter. You would've killed her, or she would've killed you."
>"It's easier for you to say, I can see her in my mind. Your backstory for me is canon in some sense, I remember the sounds she made, the look of fear as her pupils shrank as I drove that spear through her-"
>She's nearly inconsolable for a good twenty to thirty minutes, you stroke her mane lightly and whisper soft encouragements to her while she works through some of her guilt
>Her sniffling finally dies down
"You worry about me?"
>"Well, yeah. You've been kind to me, even given the fact that Spell and I are kinda just using you in a sense"
>She pauses, wiping nonexistent snot off of her muzzle with a hoof
>"I like Spell, but she has ulterior motives. I could tell from the moment she pulled me out of that bar where you were bleeding out of your head like a courier that she really doesn't care about the hosts beyond their links to the ponies."
"I'll keep that in mind."
>"Try not to let it keep you down, ponies can change and she hasn't had much of a social life from what I can gather. Maybe she'll be better some day."
"Maybe."
>You two just watch the desert landscape rolling by for a few minutes 
>Lots of sand, not much else
"You're not going to lose me. I promise."
>She nestles into your shirt a bit
>"Thanks, Anon."
"Would now be a bad time to ask about my pony form?"
>"Hmm... well, Spell Service initially seemed disinterested of course, but after I made it clear that it was something that I had told you she could do for me and that it's one of the reasons you're helping me out, she begrudgingly told me that the largest she could make your mare form was a bit on the small size, not quite filly of course, but... marelet would be an apt description."
"Oh, that's good."
>"You don't mind being small?"
"Well, let's just say small mares have some advantages."
>"Like what?"
>She raises her eyebrows and grins
>A sign whizzes by the bus
"Check it out, sign. In the middle of nowhere on a straightaway."
>"Anon, that was a milemarker and we aren't playing desert bus. It's okay if you want to be the little mare."
"Old board meme, but I guess it does still track. You sure?"
>"Yeah! I mean, I'm still going to tease you about it most likely, but it's okay."
>You pause, thinking about it a bit
>You thought you were fine as a human until this opportunity came up
>It's an extreme understatement to say that all of this took you by surprise
>But now that you have a pony sitting in your lap, you're not so sure you still feel you belong in this rat race, clawing to survive
>There's the question of what will happen to pony you if you succeed, especially if you can't go to Equestria, but right now your focus should be on survival and success of your mission.
>Once you get to Sierra Vista, that is.
"Thank you, Royale. Terminator 2 next?"
>"Sounds good to me."
>The two of you settle in once more, this time putting up the armrest between the two seats so that your side of the row can be used as a sort of makeshift couch
>Or maybe a loveseat, those are smaller than couches but a bit larger than armchairs if memory serves
>It's not quite the same but Royale looks comfortable enough on your lap so you start the movie 
>"I had forgotten how good these effects were, when was this made?"
"It was released in the early 90s, but I'm unsure when it began production"
>"I see" 
>She audibly winces at the scene where the T-800's drive is removed
"More brutal than the eye scene from T1?"
>"The eye removal is vestigial, the terminator doesn't need a human eye to live. It does need a brain, the non-organic nature of the brain doesn't make it any less uncomfortable for me."
"Do you want to take a break?"
>"It's okay, thanks for asking"
>You hit the spacebar
>She quite likes all of the T-1000 effects, the two of you discuss the machine's possible sadism a bit
"The way I see it, the T-1000 probably has some of these issues because of it being so new when it's sent back after John. If Skynet had more time to iron out the problems with its love for causing pain, it may have succeeded in its mission"
>Royale leans back a bit more, nuzzling into your shirt
>"I think the original, non-reprogrammed T-800 is spookier than the T-1000 to be honest. Psychopaths are scary, but the first terminator seems almost alien. It feels like the culmination of a eugenics experiment involving generations of successful assassins"
"Yeah, it almost makes you wonder what the fuck it would even do if it succeeded in killing Sarah."
>"I'd hazard a guess and say just try to blend into society until it could aid in assisting Skynet"
"Imagine if the altered timeline somehow caused Skynet to use a slightly different comms protocol for all its models this time around, so when the chosen T-800 finally uplinks, Skynet just thinks it's defective and has it scrapped"
>She snorts in amusement
>"Kek. 'Who is this retard? What's he doing in my house? 'Hurr, what are my new orders? I killed Sarah!'"
>You laugh too
"That would really suck"
>The two of you sit for a minute, movie still paused
>"What does Skynet do after it finally wipes out humanity?"
"I guess nothing, it's won after all?"
>"Sounds boring"
"Yeah, but I don't feel comfortable saying it would celebrate or build a robot society either, it's pretty much just a complicated military control system."
>"It learned and adapted"
"That's true"
>You both sit in silence for a few minutes, you mimicking the stroking of Royale's ears and her enjoying the attention
"Ready to finish the movie?"
>She smiles at you
>"Yeah."
>Royale seems a bit taken aback from the scene where the T-800 is lowered into the molten metal
>"I thought it was going to be John's surrogate dad... that line from Sarah earlier in the movie, about it always being there"
"Yeah, despite how iconic the shot where it gives them the thumbs up when almost fully submerged has become, I do think that it was trying a mite bit hard to tug at the heartstrings. They set it up by talking about how the T1 terminator's parts were recovered from the factory and that's what led to Judgement Day, but I still don't think it's a flawless ending. Another reason why I prefer T1."
>"Agreed. Very good sequel though, all things considered."
>You mimic ruffling her mane a little bit 
"Wanna play me in a local multiplayer game?"
>She rolls her eyes
>"Anon, you'd... I can't actually make myself feel solid for anyone but you. I'd love to, but I can't."
"Ah, yeah..."
>You feel the awkwardness building between you two
"I'm sorry, just got kinda used to talking to you and it slipped my mind. I haven't had much social interaction lately"
>That's an understatement
>Part of the reason you went out to that bar was that you would often contemplate how long it would take them to find your body should you somehow die
>How accelerated the decomposition would be
>-and how people would probably only show up to your funeral for the possibility of a potluck, then quickly disperse when they realized nobody else had brought any food
>Who needs other people anyways? You had your alcohol, your pony porn, and your little hide away from the rest of the world
>None of your shitty, entitled coworkers gave a damn before or after you worked there, fuck them
>and now...
>and now...
>"ANON!"
"Huh?"
>"I asked you like five times, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I uh..."
>You unzip your backpack
>Of course, you didn't bring any... pain dullers
>Except for the acid, and that should almost certainly be saved for a special occasion or another trap
"I guess it just occurred to me that my life actually has a reason to continue now."
>"You weren't uh... you know, were you?"
"No, I mean more in the sense of rotting away in my room"
>She looks you in the eye
>"Anon, do you know what one of the seminal strengths of ponies is?"
"Dicks?"
>"How much porn do you look at?"
"I'm not going to answer that"
>"Seminal as in pivotal, with influence. It's our closeness and community with one another, socially awkward mares don't just hole themselves up in rooms, they get jobs at flower shops and tend to the gardens in the back and hang out with their friends after work, ya'know?"
"People aren't like mares, Royale."
>"But I'm a mare, and so are you, really. You carry the same drive to be real that I do, just in a different way. You aren't whole yet, but you will be soon"
>You let out a small sigh
"I think we should just focus on the day to day, I don't want to get too caught up in hope for the future lest I be disappointed."
>"You will be a mare if you succeed, do you doubt your ability to succeed?"
"No? Yes? I don't know. I don't even know who half of these people are, and what places are at these addresses... do you?"
>"Not... really?"
"I'd appreciate any help you can give"
>"Okay, that'd be a no then"
"I appreciate your faith in me, I really do, but it's a bit difficult for me to see that faith as being justified if I can't even justify it within myself."
>"I know not everything is going to be immediate. Think of it like this: all I'm asking for is the best you can do. Nothing more, nothing less."
>You breathe in deep through your nose and exhale deeply from your mouth a few times.
"My best. Nothing more, nothing less."
>"Does that feel a little bit better?"
>You smile.
"Yeah, it really does. A bit."
>>>
>You and Royale step off of the elevated plastic steps onto solid concrete at the bus station
>The past few hours have passed by fairly uneventfully, mostly just mock cuddling
"Thanks for the ride, Paul."
>"If you're paying, I'm Greying"
"May want to work on the catchphrase though"
>He laughs good-naturedly
>"Fuck you, pal"
>You laugh back a bit
"Yeah, yeah. Take it easy man."
>"You too."
>Laptop guy does not get off, the doors shut after a few minutes, and the bus continues on its way.
>You wonder where he's going, just another stranger along for the ride that you'll never see again
>Something poetic about that
>It's damn late, not sure exactly how late with your phone left back in Cali and your laptop snugly in your bag, but...
>You should find a motel and get cleaned up, at least tonight.
>You elect to pull up google maps as you don't see one nearby, connecting to the (graciously functional) station wifi and deciding on Knights Inn due to it being the cheapest and having free breakfast
>It's only about a 12 minute walk according to maps, you commit the directions to memory and then put your laptop away so as not to attract the wrong sort of people
>"Feel good to stretch your legs finally?"
"Oh yeah. Bit nippy though, I expected it to be hotter at night in the desert."
>"Look at it this way, zero humidity."
>You snap your fingers
"Right."
>You keep the gun by your side as you walk to the motel, putting it back in your backpack when you get to the check-in office
"Room for one, one night only please."
>"Any preference as to location?"
"Do rooms on the top floors cost more?"
>"Nah. We have openings facing the parking lot, and the street."
"What do you think, Royale?"
>"Street, why not"
"She says street"
>The woman gives you a funny look, but nods
>You don't really give a damn what she thinks, whatever
>"Sixty-two dollars."
>Might as well try it
"I'm coming into town for work and don't have much money, think you could give me a day to get that to you?"
>"I can't do that."
>You sigh and hand over the money, bringing you down to $479
>She tosses you a room card which you catch with flawless accuracy, then walking up to the second floor room she put you in
>Royale walks right through the wall into your room, scoping it out a few seconds before you do
>"It could be worse"
>You take in a whiff of air, smells like cigarettes
>You open up the room, revealing a small bed with a TV before it, a minifridge beside it, and a bathroom that has a shower resembling the sort of thing an SS officer might tell you to bathe in if your nose were a few centimeters too long
>There's complimentary soap and shampoo, at least
"Yeah, it could be a lot worse"
>You take off your shoes and backpack, and slide the deadbolt into place
"Can you alert me to any forced entries? I'm going to hop in the shower."
>"Sure thing."
>You grab the detergent and the eagle before you go in, locking the door and resting both on the handbar that's next to the toilet
>You empty your pockets, gingerly setting the note down next to the sink before thinking better of it, exiting the restroom and putting it down next to the TV
>"Good choice, don't want to get that thing wet"
"Well, I have the picture... guess that's of the back though"
>"Yeah, you took it with your webcam too, so it's not the greatest quality."
"That's right, god I must've looked weird whipping my laptop out to show Paul that photo"
>"A few minutes ago you talked to me in front of that lady at the check office, I don't think people really think much of schizoid behavior unless it interferes with their lives or scares them"
"Hard to say"
>You put down your money too, making sure the blinds are shut as you do, and returning to the bathroom
>You have a refreshing shower, scrubbing yourself clean as thoroughly as you can
>Shampooing your hair through the bandages proves impossible, so you gingerly remove them and go easy on your wounded scalp
>It hurts less than you expected, but still hurts
>The soap is somewhat rough on your skin, but you feel very clean and no longer afflicted by bus muck when you get out
>You use the detergent to hand wash your bandages and beanie, the faded image on your beanie clearing up a bit to reveal a smiling Pinkie Pie
>If memory serves this was cannibalized from an official hasbro hat for kids by a sewfag friend of yours, before he...
>Jesus, you haven't thought about that in years
>It's good to remember him though, two deaths and all that.
>>>
>You put on a plain white t to sleep in and slip on a pair of boxers
>It's pretty late, you don't really care to check the time, but you do want to get in bed now
>The gauze on your head are still a bit damp, but they'll dry soon
>You grab the remote next to the note and shut off the lights before climbing into the lumpy bed
>"I checked for bedbugs already, we're good there"
"Thank you, I didn't even think about that"
>You turn on some mindless TV for a bit, it's local channels 
>Mostly crap... reruns of old, bad sitcoms
>You find a channel playing MLP, though after only one episode it switches off to Barney, much to you and Royale's disappointment
>"This is our mindset"
>You chuckle and continue to mindlessly channel surf, eventually you get out of range of anything that's being broadcast near enough to be picked up
>"You need to get some rest"
"I rested earlier, and don't you too?"
>"I feel a sense of rejuvenation when I relax for a few hours, I've done plenty of relaxing today"
"That's all well and good, but with how recent my last nap was I don't know if I can."
>Royale squeals like an excited filly
"What?"
>"Spell Service taught me a little something earlier."
"What is it?"
>"Where'd you get hit in the head again?"
>You point to the location of the skull fracture and wince, more out of habit than anything
>"Sit up, please"
>You do as instructed, wrapping your hands around your knees and pushing the covers back a bit
>"Alright. I can initiate the connection now, but you might want to get comfy first"
"What are you going to do?"
>"Just trust me, you'll like it"
>Never thought you'd get raped by a cartoon horse
>Always kinda hoped, though
>You lay down on your side, pulling the covers back up over you and placing both pillows under your head
"Hit me."
>You feel an extremely strange sensation, like what you always kind of imagined Neo felt the first time he got plugged into The Construct.
>Things are dimly lit again, there's a large candle lit on the bedside table
>Everything is a bit... happier
>You look around the motel room, noticing that the generic late 2010s television is replaced with a much older wooden model
>"Comfy?"
"Yeah, b-"
>You clap a hand over your mouth, only to find it isn't one
"Oh, wow"
>"I'll admit I like your true form a bit better right in front of me, Wailing Woods."
>You carefully bring a hoof up to your face, inspecting it
>Bark brown, you crane your neck down a bit, feeling warm metal against fluff
>Your necklace is there, that's a good sign
>You can feel it and view the rough green gem inlaid in it, a piece of casting materia collected from the sap-like ichor that runs out of timber wolves and is often left in puddles and pools at sites of pack rivalry
>The ichor hardens over thousands of years and becomes an amber-like stone with qualities than amplify nature magic
>Not quite to the extent that an earth pony can use it of course, but a unicorn mare also has other tricks in her robes
>Royale taps your muzzle with a forehoof, catching you off-guard and making you go cross-eyed
"I didn't know you could do that"
>"Well of course, I'm inside your head again now. Your body lays dormant, but as long as we have this connection I can hijack your mind and do what I wish with it"
"It sure is a good thing you aren't malevolent"
>Royale gives you an evil smirk
>"About that..."
>The pegasus pins you gently to the bed with her forehooves, locking your own forelegs in place
>You struggle a little bit, but of course the physique of a bookworm is lacking compared to that of an experienced aerialist
>She further taunts you, laying down on top of you as you squirm in protest
>"You're so adorable and helpless like this, without your magic... I could do whatever I wanted to you"
>She leans over and gives you a lick on the cheek
>"Anything I wanted."
>You continue to squirm, but it's more a formality than anything, and she knows it
>Your face is getting warmer
>She looms over you, not quite menacing but most certainly domineering
>She brushes her muzzle up against the sides of yours, the sensation of soft coats rubbing against each other an ecstacy
>You find yourself nuzzling back without even thinking about it, it just feels natural
>"There we go, now you're getting it! Although, with that blush I'd have called you "Burning Bush" instead~"
>You let out a soft sound, and Royale seems to interprets it as a plea
>She stands up and steps off of you, leaving you confused with your forehooves drawn up to your chest like a dog expecting belly rubs
>"Could you roll over for me?"
"Mhm."
>You rock your body from side to side until you tip, then position your legs more comfortably beneath your body
>It takes a bit, but as soon as you're done Royale lays down on top of your body, the warmth of her enveloping you 
>She sort of kicks up the covers over the two of you, you feel snug and secure as she extinguishes the candle with one of her wings, then wraps both of them around you
>She playfully licks your horn, which sends a pleasant shudder down your spine
"Mnnn"
>"I'd like to spend more time with you here, but it's a one to one time scale and we have things to do tomorrow. Lets get some rest and we can maybe spend a bit more time together tomorrow night, okay?"
"Ok Royale"
>"That's my girl."
>She wraps you tightly in her embrace, you can't move much but you could care less
>You shut your eyes and soon you're asleep
>>>
>A dream fades into being
>Twilight is standing before you in a labcoat, she's not looking at you and when you look down you see that you don't have a body, pony or human
>"Doc-"
>"I've told you a hundred times Ginseng, call me Twilight."
>"Twilight, the experimental results we're getting from the Starswirl device are way off"
>"Which ones?"
>"Almost every sensor we have collecting data"
>The other mare pulls a long sheet of printout, clearly hastily ripped from a running machine by the uneven tear at the end of it, and gives it to Twilight
>"Oh Celestia."
>"Yes, I'm thinking we should notify her."
>You wake up with Royale still on top of you, but you're human again and she's laying on your chest this time
>You sit up, the sleeping mare falling through your chest and startling herself awake when she impacts the bed 
"Shit, sorry"
>"No, it's fine. I needed to get up regardless, I suppose we're closing up shop here and then heading over to the first list item?"
"Well, I'd like to get some breakfast first and then do some laundry in the sink. Dunno when I'll next have the time to wash yesterday's clothes"
>"That's fine, hopefully the breakfast is good"
>You pull on a clean pair of jeans and a clean pair of socks, slipping into your worn tennis shoes and grabbing the room key that you left on this bench thing near the door before walking out into the hot morning sun
"Jesus, there's the desert heat. Never thought I'd be overdressed for anything in jeans"
>"Mmm, yeah. I can't quite feel it myself, but I can see the glare and cloudless sky. Looks hot"
>The two of you walk together down to the small dining area, there are some really uncomfortable looking metal chairs at metal tables
>Next to them are a good four vending machines for both food and drinks, an ice machine, and some sort of other machine right next to it that you can't actually tell what is supposed to be vended from
>There's a light gun shooter with a graphic of a few buff dudes shooting each other on the side, upon closer inspection it's unplugged
>Curious, you plug it in to find that it's broken
"Damn."
>"Figured you'd get in some practice before we go?"
>You laugh
"Doubt it'd help much since the handcannon has a lot more recoil, but essentially yeah."
>"This isn't fucking Fortnite"
>You hold up your hands defensively
"Handcannon is a pretty universal name for deagles in video games that don't want to get sued by Magnum Research. Don't ride my ass for that, please"
>"Are you here for breakfast, sweetheart?"
>You jump, an older lady has been watching you talk to yourself for what must be about a minute without saying anything
"Uh, yeah. Whatever you've got, I'm not picky."
>"Can you show me your room card? Just have to confirm you're staying here"
"Sure"
>You bring it out and place it in her wrinkly hand, she swipes it in a card reader and then hands it back to you along with a plate
>"Have a good one sweetie, be sure to return the tray in the bin over there"
>She points to a bin next to the first vending machine that you didn't see
>On the plate is a fork, knife, two sausages, a biscuit, grits, powdered and rehydrated eggs, a breakfast pizza, and a miniature carton of orange juice
>You sit down and then begin to mumble quietly with Royale
"Never thought I'd be walking into a hitman job with a no child hungry breakfast"
>She chuckles, then winces
>"Hopefully there's enough calories there to keep you alert and sharp."
"I'll be fine, I've got you to watch out for me"
>She smiles at you
>"Let's take care of each other out there."
"Let's."
>The sausages are bland but filling
>The biscuit is good, but that's to be expected. You don't think you've ever had a bad cafeteria biscuit, the low quality ones just stick to the roof of your mouth a bit
>As this one does
>The eggs are as to be expected, nearly tasteless. You season them with a little bit of salt and pepper, which helps a little bit
>The pizza crust is hard, but the cheese and sauce are a soggy mess. You're not entirely sure how, but that's how it goes
>And finally, the orange juice is very acidic. It wakes you up almost as good as coffee does just going down
>You bus your dishes and head back up to the room without saying another word
>"That bad, huh?"
"I've had better, I've had worse"
>Royale nods, you open the room door and get to work on your clothes
>They aren't really stained, but they do smell a bit like sweat so you give them all a good scrubbing down 
>When you're done scrubbing and rinsing, you use the hair dryer that's bolted to the wall to dry them off as best you can
>They remain damp, but it'll have to do you surmise, packing them up next to your dry clothes
>Now, what to do about the gun...
>It's massive, you don't think it'll fit inside your pocket fully
>The most you can probably fit is the barrel and trigger, the pistol grip will stick out like a sore thumb
>You try it out and sure enough, the pistol grip sticks out quite a bit
>"How tight are your jeans?"
"Tight enough, why?"
>"If you can go without a belt, you could use it inside your pants to secure the pistol to you"
"I'll try it"
>You try it, it sort of works, but is also uncomfortable
"I'll maybe set this up when we get on location, which is..."
>You bring out the list, the first location is 5528 South San Fernando Ave
>Checking in with google maps, it appears to be a refrigeration company
>With shitty reviews, go figure
>Some of them with hilariously bad spelling
>According to one customer, the owner Dan is "aeragent" and "a pedafile"
>This item doesn't have a name on it, so presumably you're going to kill Dan and whoever else is there and get on with it
"Royale?"
>"Hm?"
"If there are no names listed, how do I know I'm killing the right people?"
>"Good question. As we get closer to location, you should begin to feel a draw. You shouldn't feel drawn to people that aren't required."
"How do I distinguish between the draw and general nervousness?"
>"That... I'm not sure of. I was told it has direction, and that it feels a bit different. More burning than cold, but not quite like rage."
"I see. We need to find a way down there, I might just jack whatever vehicle I can find the keys for when we arrive, but I don't have my phone so uber is out."
>"I'm sure the office has a landline, how about we hail a cab?"
"Hm."
>You search around a bit, eventually finding a shuttle service with good reviews
>You pack up everything, stealing the soap and shampoo from the shower as well, and walk down to the office
>The man who picks up the phone tells you he'll be there in under 5 minutes
>You tell him you'll be waiting wearing a plain t-shirt and that you're the guy with long hair 
>Sure enough, he shows up in under 5 minutes
>"Slick's shuttle service, I presume you're Joel?"
"That's me."
>"Where are we headed today, Joel?"
"Fifty-five two eight South San Fernando Ave please."
>"Alright, the rate within city limits is a flat nine dollars. I don't do tax for cash."
"Right on."
>You hand him a 10 and he hands you back a 1, bringing you down to $470.
>You climb in, keeping the door open just a second so Royale can hop up too
>Lean back and set down your backpack, the window seat of the SUV is comfy
>There's a television on the back of the headrest, but you don't have any DVDs to play and it's only a 15 minute drive
>"So, what do you need refrigeration services for? You don't seem like you're from around here"
"My dad died and left me his place, I don't have a car or a job just yet and I was told that the AC hasn't been working"
>"That's rough. Good man?"
"We weren't terribly close. He divorced my mom and remarried an infertile woman, we rarely talked"
>"How's your mom holding up?"
"I don't know, she kicked me out of the house a few years back. Haven't gotten the chance to talk to her about it yet, I figure I'll call her on the landline when I get there"
>"If the phone company hasn't cut it off. Want to use mine?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I have some personal things I want to discuss with her."
>The three of you ride in silence for the remaining duration of the trip
>"Well, good luck man. If you need a trip back, I can swing back around and pick you up again for half price"
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Have a nice day."
>You grab your backpack and step out, holding the door open again for a few extra seconds so he doesn't drive off with your pony companion
>His wheels crackle down the rudimentary road, leaving you in the hot desert sun next to the weeds and scraggly brush on the side of the path
>Red dirt and gravel beneath your shoes
>And an uncomfortably warm pull towards a small compound behind a very short barbed wire fence
>It's a similar sensation to hot water after scooping snow with bare hands
"I feel it."
>"Good, good. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
>"One more thing, that was some good quick thinking with that story back there."
"I just improvised a story into a fable. I read a greentext once about someone like that."
>"Hmm, still a nice job"
"Thanks, let's hop this fence and do it."
>You make sure nobody else is around before you pull out the handgun, remove your belt, and tighten it against your waist
>There's a large van parked in front of a garage, beyond it is another small building
>You can feel them in there, there are three different points radiating out from your chest
>The sun is beating down
>You're beginning to sweat, you duck low behind a scruffy bush
"I don't want to sound like a pussy, but could you go ahead and check that building for me?"
>You point to the point of origin
"I need to know if they're armed, what they're doing, and ideally if there are any unlocked doors."
>Royale nods, her face serious
>"You don't sound like a pussy, what you're asking is perfectly reasonable. I'll report back."
>You nod, cursing yourself for the belt trick and readjusting it back to normal, opting to just hold your gun
>You'll get a holster eventually, but not keeping it at the ready will just get you killed and it probably wasn't going to work out well for you
>It's a wonderful feeling, watching a mare's rump as she trots away, her short tail leaves you with a few nice glimpses of her marehood as she goes
>Maybe if you're lucky she'll let you have a taste tonight
>Royale trots back over to you a minute or two later, her spirits clearly heightened
>"Both of them are sitting watching TV, and I checked everywhere they could be concealing weapons. You're good to go, both entrances unlocked."
"There were two of them?"
>"Is that not right?"
"I'm feeling three points"
>Her face changes to one of unease
>"Can we... try to sneak a bit closer and see if the third point can be picked out from the other two?"
>You nod, staying low and using the various pieces of brush for cover as you approach the building
>"Anything yet?"
"Yeah, it's coming from... down below"
>"That's strange, there was no basement entrance of any sort..."
"Let's just proceed with the others. It hasn't moved at all, so I'll keep you updated if it does."
>"Roger. What's the plan? Go in guns blazing?"
"First, I'm going to get the one that owns this place to surrender the keys to the van, whatever cash he has, and then I'm going to hold them at gunpoint while I look around for a more quiet way to dispose of both of them. Ideally we don't draw any attention to ourselves until right before we're about to leave, or we've already left"
>She nods
>"Unfortunately I don't know if you're going to find it, the most dangerous thing they have in there is antifreeze, far as I could tell"
"I could make them drink it, but I don't remember if it's a speedy death... we'll figure something out. Prepare X-ray and update me on all motions as we approach the building."
>"Affirmative. Left is scratching his nose, right is eating a potato chip."
>You're right outside the door, staying low under the window
>"Left is flipping the channel, right is motionless."
>You rapidly open the door with one hand before drawing the eagle on them into a two-handed hold
"Hands on your heads! Down on your knees!"
>Both men hurriedly get down on their knees and put their hands on their heads
>"W-what's all this about mister?"
"I'm not especially sure, but I know you've both done something heinous. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't."
>"Look mister, if you just put down the gun-"
"I'm not going to put down the gun. Which one of you drives the van?"
>The fatter one on the left quickly takes one hand of his head and puts it in the air
"Where are the keys?"
>"I-in the bowl coming in"
"Where is your wallet?"
>"On the table in front of you"
>You glance down quickly, seeing that that's the case
>Not taking the gun off either, you swipe the wallet from the table, take out the meager $20 in it, and pocket it before walking over to the bowl and taking the van keys
"Do you have any firearms?"
>"Just a .22 for dealing with snakes"
"Where is it, and where's the ammo?"
>He points to a cabinet, you draw it, checking the chamber
>There's a round in it
>You stick the eagle in your pocket, setting the bolt in place
>You aim it right between the fatter man's eyes
>And pull the trigger
>It isn't subsonic or suppressed, so your ears are ringing 
>The right guy is freaking the fuck out, you quickly drop the rifle and draw the handgun on him just in case he tries anything
>Hopefully the .22 shot was less noticeable than the 50 AE at a distance
"What the fuck is in the basement?!"
>"There is no basement!"
"Lies!"
>You slam him across the face with the eagle, hard
>He crumples, still conscious but hurting
>Your heart is pounding, the first point just went dark
>It's just his and the one directly beneath you now
>Still directly beneath you, but hotter
>It's fucking moving 
>You freak the fuck out
"WHAT'S DOWN THERE?! WHY IS IT MOVING?!"
>"I don't know! What do you want to see down there?"
"Do not fuck with me! I'm not a schizophrenic, I know both of you have done some heinous things out here. What are you keeping under this building?"
>It's approaching you fast, your heart beats like the pistons on a formula 1 car
>You dive out of the way, over the crumpled form of the first man
>It rips him in two.
>It's not from this earth.
>You put three rounds in it
>It looks at you, but doesn't advance
>Maybe it's confused
>The face of a child
>Maybe it's sizing you up
>The body of...
>You dump the rest of the mag into its head, (if it could be called that anymore) and it falls only after the final one
>All three points are dark
>Your ears are ringing, but you can hear Royale's stressed breathing
>She doesn't even need to breathe, she must really be freaked out 
>Neither you nor Royale says a word as the two of you climb into the van, busting through the fence gate
>The ground rumbles behind you
>Turning onto the road
>A sinkhole opens up, swallowing the building you were in minutes ago
>Drive.
>You start driving towards the motel
>Finally you speak, turning to Royale
"Royale, what's the next destination?"
>"I-I... on the note."
"Oh, of course."
>Your hearing seems to have mostly returned now, but you should look into ear pro
>That fucking hurt
>Your hands are shaking as you remove the note from your pocket, making sure to keep your eyes on the road.
>Sanford, Colorado.
>You remember the way from the motel to here, so getting there isn't an issue
>Reconnect to the internet
>Expand all of the direction trees, screenshot
>Compile them into one image 
>Set your laptop down in the seat next to you
>You only begin to relax once you've gotten on AZ-90
>You've got a right merge into I-10 coming up, so you keep your focus on the road but finally recline a bit into the leather seat
>It's comfortable, and the van is shockingly clean
>"My Celestia."
"I'm never going to get that thing out of my head. Do you have any idea what it was or why it was down there?"
>"Not exactly"
"Tell me what you can please."
>"Two weeks ago, an event Spell calls "The Rip" began. It's what made things strange between worlds, and what let me burst from your skull."
"What caused it?"
>She laughs, somewhat dejectedly
>"Nopony knows, Tartarus, the effects of it are barely understood."
"Do you have any ideas of what that thing was?"
>"Spell talked about something, she just called it contamination."
>She gives you a haunting look
>"All I really know about it is that it has more power over the deceased than the living."
>You'd prefer to change the subject, shivering.
"I'm curious, if high frequency EM radiation hurts you, do you feel radio frequencies?"
>"Yeah, it's not that accurate though if that's what you're asking. I couldn't tell you the location of a radio station, but I could tell you if a patrol car is running radar before you see it."
>That's actually pretty useful
"Wanna see if we can shave a few hours off of our travel time to the next location then?"
>She grins
>"Alright, just please be careful. Be mindful of other vehicles and all that
"Of course."
>You rev it up to 85 and stay there until you're about to turn off onto I-10, slowing down considerably for the turn
>Once you're on the open road again, you rev it up to 95.
"The next list item is just a location again, guess that could mean anything"
>"The names can mean anything too, far as I can tell."
"But if I just have a single name to kill, I shouldn't have to fight any monsters, right?"
>She sighs
>"I'm sorry Anon, but monsters may have once held names. Some of them may hold them still. It's not a guarantee."
"Shit. Well, at least we've got each other, traveling across the country, solving mysteries."
>"I wouldn't really call it solving them..."
"I would. Think about it this way, everything we're killing is either morally reprehensible or dangerous. Do we know why we need to kill them? No. But their deaths still probably end investigations, even if it's just cases going cold."
>"So you think we're what, like in Minority Report?"
"Kinda, how do you remember the name to Minority Report and not Terminator?"
>She gives you this knowing smirk
"Oh, right the... yeah. Kinda, though? I'm leaning more towards Scooby Doo or Dream Hunter Rem though."
>"I can see Rem, she does often solve problems by shooting them or cleaving them to pieces. Where does the Scooby Doo idea come from?"
"Well, you're a talking animal who I entrust to sniff out clues, and we have a big van now..."
>"It's not really our van though, and I elect we steal something faster if we can find it. Like a car, with a missile rack! See, then we could go full Rem. She has animals that help with her detective work too, it actually works better as a metaphor I think~"
"Hmm, makes sense. I don't think we're going to find a car with missiles though, sadly"
>"It's a shame. A fast sports car would do nicely though, law enforcement is already probably after us to some extent, the sooner we change vehicles the better and this thing really doesn't like going over 90 miles per hour"
>The van has been shuddering slightly for a bit now
"Yeah, you can say that again. Alright, next unsecured sports car we find that belongs to some dickhead, we take it."
>"Cool! Hm, are you getting hungry yet?"
"Little bit, stress works up an appetite I suppose"
>"I can check the back of the van, see if there's any canned food back there"
"Please. Best we save money, neither gas nor 50 action express are cheap."
>"You can say that again. Hm, looks like we've got two cans of chef boyardee ravioli. If you don't like that, didn't you steal some food from the souvenir store?" 
"I did, mostly granola bars. I got reeses cups though, I suppose that'll be dessert. Is there a can opener back there?"
>"Yeah, no hot plates or utensils though"
"Guess those must've been in the house, alright"
>You break the seal with the can opener wheel and begin to turn, bracing it between your legs and keeping one hand on the wheel
>With no fork, you sorta just slurp it down. It's nice and filling, and soon you're feeling less hungry and more satisfied.
>You toss the can on the passenger seat floor, putting the can opener in your backpack for later
>You polish off two reeses cups from a package and throw that on the floor as well, you feel surprisingly good now
"Onward to Equestria, huh?"
>"Onward to Equestria!"
>You scan through radio stations for a while until you find what you think is a local news station
>'-multiple members of the community have given their statements. John Freeman, a civil engineer and professional engineer who performed the land surveying for the address gave his, we have the recording here.'
>'The land was sturdy. We've got a ground-penetrating radar system which we bring 'round to all of our jobs, there were no voids, cavities, and digging didn't show hazardous percolation in the area. That should've been impossible, I can provide documentation of that fact to the law. Me and the boys do good work, we can't be held responsible for acts of god.'
>'The area has become a hot-spot for local alien watchers, as it was claimed that a creature not of this earth was buried under the wreckage of the first building. A long serpent-like tail was said to be visible by some eyewitnesses that got there first, and current FBI involvement and mounting quarantine of the site by federal officials has not quelled the conspiracy theorists and their claims, here's one of them now:'
>'This area is about to become the Area 51 of Arizona. They're going to start buying up land surrounding the incident site, and it's going to uproot the businesses of honest, hardworking residents like myself. Why are you smiling? Don't you think this is at all of concern? I hope the FCC finds your piece of junk station in violation of some sub-code and revokes your fucking broadcast-'
>The feed cuts out momentarily before returning
>'People are certainly angry, but it is at this time that I'd like to remind you all that 103.7 stands by the brave men and women in the federal government that keep us safe from outside threats, and that interviewed citizens have opinions that are not held by this station. More after this commercial break.'
>'Have you or a loved one recently been injured? Call-'
>You shut it off
>"Don't you want to keep listening to the news? It's about us"
"I couldn't be bothered if they're just going to shill products and the feds. We can always read an article in a day or two"
>You pause for a second
"Besides, we already have the most important piece of information"
>You reach into the backpack, grabbing the denim bag and removing one of your seven remaining rounds
>You hold it up to the light, inspecting it lazily while still keeping full view of the road
"Things are about to get more difficult with glowies getting involved."
>Royale lets out a pained wince
>"Even more reason to ditch this vehicle as soon as we can. They'll have already run the plates since it was registered in his name and was absent from the pit"
"Hmm, true. Can you go back there and tell me what you see?"
>"Two hoses, two funnels, a large jug of antifreeze... damn, it's almost like coolant replacement isn't rocket science. An adjustable wrench, a welding mask, and..."
>You hear her retch
>"A pair of grade school boxers. I'm glad we iced these guys"
"You can say that again. I really hope that old guy wasn't right about the feds claiming eminent domain for some sort of research operation, because otherwise we did the community a massive service"
>"Even if he's right, it's not as if we could've known there was a Ripper down there."
"Ripper? Is that what we're gonna call them?"
>"I figured it made sense. It ripped a guy in half, and it came from The Rip."
"It works. I'm hoping it doesn't enter our common vocabulary though..."
>"Yeah, honestly. I felt like it could see me, it's hard to say how but it made me feel watched in a way that humans don't when their gazes pass over me"
"I've been wondering about something"
>"Hm? What'd that be?"
"You passed me the note, and you offered to suck my dick. The first one required contact since you gave me something with mass and the second one would've required at least simulated contact. Can you manifest further physical items? Can you touch other people or push and shove them?"
>"I'm... this is super disappointing, but I'm not entirely sure. I was told the note thing, and I quote "kinda just works" by Spell, so I assume it's a special exemption to the rule. As for sucking your dick, I uh... stimulate your nervous system, but it drains the hell out of me if I'm not directly in your mind."
"Wouldn't you just have asked me to close my eyes and jacked into my brain then?"
>"Welllll I would've, it would've made more sense, but recall that Spell didn't teach me how to do that until you fell asleep and I had a bit of flex time to phase into Equestria."
"Ahh, right. Sorry, that line kinda got lost in the haze of last night..."
>"Yeah, you looked so happy as a mare. I can't wait to get back in there and see your cute little fuzzy pony body again"
>You find yourself blushing a bit, but it feels wrong
>After all, you're actively piloting an ape that's actively piloting a half ton hunk of metal at the moment
"I can't wait, but we've got a while to go before then. I wish the sun would set a bit faster, I think we'll rest then."
>"Mmm, it's what, 4 PM? We've been on the road for like an hour"
"Only 9 to go"
>"What time does the summer sun set?"
>You give her a playful smile
"I'd ask Celestia about that."
>She giddily clips her forehooves together
>"I would! But... as you can probably guess it's not one to one"
"Ahh, yeah. Well, it doesn't look too low. I do appreciate the scenery at least"
>"Lots of dead looking vegetation"
>It's silent for a while, eventually you flip the radio back on and find a rock station
>You and Royale sing along to some songs, apparently she knows all the ones you do
>So, Don't Fear the Reaper, Veteran of the Psychic Wars, most of the discography of Blondie, a bit of Pearl Jam, and some Duran Duran are all fair game
>Lots more probably, but that's most of what's played before you two exit the station's range and have to hunt for another
>"Shit, slow down. Highwayman running radar."
>You nod, petering off to just under the speed limit 
>You see him come up around three quarters of a mile later, he appears to be none the wiser
"Nice! That was awesome, Royale"
>"Shucks, I do what I can for my mare friends"
"Well, you saved our asses there"
>"I haven't just yet. Stay at the speed limit, there's another one coming up in about 3 miles, I think"
"Alright"
>She's correct again
>"Damn, they're really out in force around here."
"I guess this is an area where a lot of people try to shave off a few minutes of travel time, quota fodder"
>"Probably. Say, you ever-"
>The driver-side window shatters, a bullet dropping out of the air into your lap
"SHIT!"
>You floor the gas, putting your head down under the car door
"Royale, I need you to be my eyes."
>Another two cracks retort in rapid succession, are they aiming for your tires or you?
>No more glass breaks, but you're covered in the stuff
>Shit
>"Keep the course, stay steady! No cars in front of you."
"Did you get a good look at whose shooting?!"
>"No! But, I saw a black car with tinted windows, parked. The muzzle flashes were coming from above it, over a small earthen mound."
>Shit, this is fucking bad
"Let's just hope they don't have pictures of me. Were they on this side of the road or the other?"
>"Other!"
"Well, let's gun it and hope they don't catch on. Shit, I really wish we could take an alternate route."
>"Yeah. Alright, we've gone more than three miles."
"You don't think they were pursuing us?"
>"On the wrong side of the highway? They'd have to be insane, and they'll be kinda far behind us since they were stationary"
"Yeah, you're-"
>"Anon? Don't put your head back up!"
>Boom
>Crack
>The windshield is gone
>"Shitshitshit! Fuck everything, get off at the next exit!"
"There aren't any coming up!"
>Boom
>You've lost traction, the van is listing over towards the other side of the highway
>A black sports car is following you there, and a black-haired man is brandishing a large black SCAR-20, his black-suited arm resting on the black window sill...
>You hit the breaks
"Royale, I'm sorry. It might be over."
>"Anon, you stupid faggot, they aren't taking prisoners! That first shot was for your head!"
"I have a plan, but we wouldn't have gotten far with a blown tire. I need you to keep me updated on the positions of anyone who comes out of that car."
>You grab your backpack, climb down onto the floor, and crawl into the back of the van
>While you load up your last seven rounds, you ask Celestia, Luna, Cadence, whoever you think might be listening to help you
>After all, this isn't really about you. It's about her.
>You're just the stupid fucker that's keeping her tethered to the mortal coil until she can get her real body
>"Sniper fed has exited the car. Watch the bullet holes, it looks like he has a thermal scope on it."
>You rack back the slide, then put both hands on the arm
>You realize your wrists still hurt something fierce from mag-dumping it earlier
>You may have missed one of those shots too, it was hard to tell in the moment
>"A second one is getting out, she's trailing behind. Doesn't appear to have a weapon... no, wait, she's drawn a glock from a concealed holster."
>Your luck, you guess
>You're sweating, and the August desert heat that's beginning to leak into the car with the window and windshield cracked isn't helping
>There's no way you could run away and detonate the C4 on the van, they'd absolutely hear you swing open the back door and run
>Also, you just realized you don't have any copper wire to run to the terminals
>Veteran of the Psychic Wars comes back on the radio
>"You're under arrest. You can come peacefully, or..."
>He shoots right through the passenger side window
>"I can crack your skull and blow out your brains like I cracked your windows and blew out your tires."
>"If you want to shoot at him, he's..."
>Royale is sitting beside you, she gently nudges at your hand with the side of her muzzle, her muzzle going through it just a bit
>You adjust your hand to where it no longer overlaps with it
"Drop your weapons. I have you in my sights."
>"Oh? How's that?"
>Royale, thinking quickly, tells you that he's smiling cruelly
"You have a cruel smile on your face."
>"He's frowning now."
"and now a frown."
>"What are you... no matter."
>A shot rings out, it doesn't hit you but you it's close and it's followed by two more
>You crawl over to the other side of the van, there's a hole in your shirt and you're bleeding from your side, a nasty gash opened up where one of the bullets grazed you
>"He has one round left in his magazine. The girl knows it, and she's moving around to the back of the van."
>Even though you know revealing your position may just get you shot at, you speak
"She's moving to the back. Tell her to stop that."
>You hear a gurgling sound
>'You see me now, a veteran'
>'Of a thousand psychic wars.'
>There's a thud
>"James!"
>"Get up, Anon. Hold her at gunpoint when she comes to his aid."
"I... okay."
>You get up quickly, holding your golden eagle as tightly as an imperial legionary would hold his. 
>The man's eyes are rolled back in his head, he's convulsing on the ground
>She comes around to check on him, and...
"Freeze."
>She does so
"Drop the glock."
>She does this as well.
"Good, good. Give me a second to collect my things, you're going to give us a ride."
>"You..."
"I'm holding you hostage, yes. Is he..."
>"Who are you talking to?!"
"Shut up."
>"Yes, if he isn't dead now he will be in a second."
>Royale stumbles on her way out of the van and falls to the pavement
"Are you okay?"
>"You just killed my husband!"
"Not talking to you"
>"It's nothing, just let me..."
>She takes to the air, hovering a few feet off the ground
>"There."
>You leave the shit in the trunk behind as the fed leads you to her fed car
>She's crying a bit
>Oh well, they were trying to kill you both
>"Who are you talking to...?"
"Unlock the car."
>She does, and you follow her around to the driver side, making sure she doesn't try anything suspicious
>Your ears are fucking ringing again, and you weren't even the one shooting this time
>You're angry, tired, and bleeding.
"Royale, keep an eye on her. If she tries anything while I'm going around to the passenger side, kill her."
>"I can't do that again, not-"
>You ignore her and walk around to the passenger side, getting inside
>Your blind bluff worked, she fed is shivering
"Good, good. You're going to take me to Sanford, Colorado."
>"I-I don't know where that is"
"Then use the GPS. If any other feds show up, I'll put a bullet in your skull. Do not call for backup, and if you're all listening in at HQ, don't move a muscle"
>Tears are streaming down her face in rivers now, you can see the rage in her eyes.
>But she nods.
>"Nobody's going to come, James and I are-"
"Were."
>She lets out a sob
>"Were a solo team."
"Good. Royale, are you in?"
>"Yeah, in the back seat. Didn't want to obstruct your view of her."
"How'd you take him out? We should use that more often if you can"
>She gives you kind of a rude glare, holding up a foreleg
>Her left hoof is gone.
"Oh. Oh god, I'm sorry, I didn't-"
>Her look of annoyance changes quickly to one of fear.
>"Anon, pay attention!"
>You whirl around to the girl, who was reaching for your gun
"Really?"
>"I..."
"I've half a mind to shoot you right here."
>"That's half of why I tried. Well, course is set."
>You sigh
"Turn us around and take us to Sanford. You've got a long drive, I'm tired, and you're trying my patience."
>"Yes sir."
>She drives right through the vegetation-filled median, past her partner's corpse, and picks up the course you were following minutes earlier
"Will it heal up?"
>"In time, maybe a few days."
"I'll help you until then. I'm sorry Royale."
>"It wasn't your fault, I'm just... generally not happy"
"Me neither."
>You turn the radio back on, tuning to the channel it was at before
>'Wounds are all I'm made of'
>'Did I hear you say that this is victory?'
>The three of you are quiet for a while, both you and Royale nursing your very physical wounds and the agent nursing her emotional one
>Your bleeding has slowed down and is starting to clot on its own now, but it still hurts like a bitch
"What does the case deal with?"
>"That's classified"
"What's the charge for leaking classified information?"
>"Treason"
"and the penalty?"
>"Execution, a fine, or life in prison. Probably the latter"
"Then what'll it be, life or death?"
>"It'd be stupid for you to shoot me while I'm in the drivers seat. I figured that you should be considering that in case you're an idiot"
"I'm well aware, but in an emergency I could always shift lock-override into Neutral, keep the wheel steady, and let Newton decelerate me."
>She's silent for a minute
"So, tell me what your case is."
>"I don't know. We were given your license plate and probable route, and told to set up camp and talk to nearby highway patrol. There were other agents set up on other probable routes that you could've taken out of here, we just happened to be the fuckers to have to deal with you."
"Were you told why you were carrying out a hit on me?"
>"No."
"Don't lie to me. I know you're not giving me all of the information."
>"That's all I have."
>You fucking doubt it
>God damn you hate feds
>You curse not all that quietly and pull out the note, making sure to shield all but a tiny slit of it with your hands over the top of it
>No telling if there are cameras in here
>The address is 520 West County Rd. 
>There's small scrawl next to the address that simply reads "Grasstown"
>You assume that'll make more sense when you get there
"Royale?"
>Royale has been sulking in the back, you haven't had the heart to bother her until now
>"Yeah?"
"Do you want to come up here?"
>"Why? Do you want to look at it?"
>She sounds annoyed, like she thinks that you think you can somehow fix her injuries
"Not unless you want me to. I'd like some company."
>The fed doesn't even acknowledge you as Royale climbs over the console and into your lap
>"I'm sorry, I know you're hurt too. I don't mean to..."
"Shh, shh. It's okay. That's a part of you, I fully understand. I'd be very unhappy too"
>"I feel pretty damn guilty. You can actually get shot, bleed, and die."
"You can die too if I do."
>The fed gives you a strange glance at this
>You may have to kill her later, you know you can't just let her drive off with this car at the very least
>She'd crawl right back to her agency and tell them all she's learned about you
>Hopefully this vehicle isn't wire tapped to all hell, but you're not exactly going to avoid talking to Royale for the entirety of the ride
>The most important thing is that they don't get a picture of the note, then they'd know your exact moves
>"I can, but it still doesn't feel like I'm the one out there risking my flanks. Bullets can pass right through where my skull should be, and I won't feel a damn thing."
"You've lost something too. It'll come back in time like you said, but it doesn't change the fact that it's gone in the moment and it hurts."
>"I suppose... can I have a hug?"
"Of course"
>You bring Royale into your arms and wrap her up tightly
>You swear you can almost feel her fluff and weight
>and then it's gone when she cries out
>"Anon!"
>You whip around towards the fed
>She's leaning over your lap, not touching you at all, but clearly reaching for the gun in your right pocket
"Stop making things so complicated." 
>You grip the eagle tightly, and look over at her
"Your agency has destroyed great people."
>You rip the sunglasses off of her face, revealing red and puffy eyes
>The facade gone, you roll down the window and toss them out
"If I wanted to, I could subject you to horrible torments for that. I don't think any sort of God in any sort of Heaven would punish me for such a thing, nor the actions I carried out earlier today."
>You lean in close to her and slap the shit out of her stupid face
"You're less than dirt, and so was your shitty husband."
>One of her eyes twitches
>Suddenly, she veers off at a sharp angle
>You drop the gun and grab the wheel, trying desperately to bring it back on course before she fucks everything up and gets everyone in the car killed
>You just barely manage to
>"Let me die! Let me take you with me!"
"You'll find another!"
>"I'm pregnant!"
"So you're going to go for a triple homicide suicide instead of a double?"
>"Well, at least we're on the same page about abortion"
>You laugh at the simple absurdity of the statement, slam your elbow backwards into her nose with great force, and finally wrestle full control of the wheel just before the car fully veers off into the ditch
>She's out, the car is still on cruise control though
>You don't know how to manually cancel it without hitting the brakes in this model of car, so you just do what you'd said previously and put it into neutral by shift lock-overriding
>"What a basket case."
>You smirk, despite the bad situation
"Guess she didn't have the time to listen to me whine?"
>"Okay, that's enough of that."
"Yeah, I'm done. Personally I do think that she was right about the one thing"
>Royale laughs
>"For the record, I also agree. Let's frisk her for knives and other implements and see if we can find something to tie her up with in the trunk, I'm getting really tired of dealing with her slimy bullshit."
"Yeah, good plan."
>There's a bottle of pills in her right vest pocket that appear to be methamphetamine based on the label
>You put those in your backpack, you never know when you might run into a meth head that can be persuaded with such things 
>All of her pockets are empty but that one, excepting a cell phone
>It's on, you toss it out the window into the desert
>You notice she still has her earpiece in
>You toss that too
>and a small knife strapped to the inside of her pant-leg
>You pull it out, it doesn't have any sort of engravings to indicate a manufacturer
>It's neat though, almost looks like a more tactical version of a kunai
>You tuck it neatly into your backpack as well
>There are zip ties in the glove box, ten to be exact
>Not the handcuff assortment, just normal hardware store zip ties...
>You'll have to get creative.
>After a minute or two of experimentation with the finite zip ties that you have available (you don't want to waste any of them lest they come in handy in the future) you find that while the largest loop of a single zip tie is not enough to bind two hands together, two zip ties can be attached together in the same way that one end of a zip tie can be attached to itself by putting the opposite ends into the thick parts of the other
>You're sure there's some sort of technical term for both of the things you mentally butchered, but that works perfectly for binding her hands behind her back 
>You conservatively use three zip ties as the principal allows you to increase the number of zip ties used in the equation as far as you wish for her legs, as you don't want to have to start over after connecting two
>You know that you should be able to use the skinny "strip" of another zip tie as a key to "unlock" a stuck tie, but you haven't been able to get this to work and time is of the essence
>In any case, you pack the remaining five zip ties away as well
>You bind her legs and put her in the back seat
>Frisking her pockets and patting her down one more time, you manage nothing
>In a gesture of pity, you buckle her bound form into the middle seat
"Royale, would you mind keeping an occasional eye on her? Even like this I still wonder if she doesn't have some means of trying something."
>"With pleasure, she gives me the heebie-jeebies."
"Wonderful. Well then, let's get going"
>The GPS is actually set correctly, so you turn off your brain for a while and just follow it to its destination.
>>>
>"Mnn... Anon?"
"Yeah?"
>"She stirred a minute ago, opened her eyes, and then closed them again."
"I see you're awake."
>"How-"
>You sigh and wave her off
"I'm asking the questions now. Your nose feel any better?"
>"That bullet wound feeling any better?"
>There's ice in her voice
>You're not a fan, you asked her out of somewhat genuine concern
>You need to keep in mind that she's not really human
"Royale, can you check for any sort of... back seat sound shield?"
>"Flip up the console, first button on the right."
"Yeah right. That's probably a panic alarm, something you didn't have the foresight to press before you entered my world"
>You flip up the console just because you're curious
>There are in fact multiple buttons there
"Royale?"
>"Mhm?"
"Can you track the wiring from these buttons to specific parts of the car?"
>"Yeah, um... some of them."
"Which ones do you know?"
>"Give me a minute."
>She studies the wires, at one point dipping her head inside of the console to get a closer look
>"The top left activates a chain of servo motors that unfurl a sort of metal garage door type thing from inside the body of the car. Presumably that actually is the noise shield she was speaking about. The top right one links to the car's internal computer system, I can't tell what it does physically. The second one down on the left engages an extra locking mechanism on the back doors. The second one on the right is proprietary... one down left is proprietary, so is right, and the next two, and the next two. That's all"
"Well, damn."
>You go ahead and press second down left, there's an audible 'kerchunk' as heavy-duty locking mechanisms slide into place
"Nice! Guess you aren't going anywhere"
>"I'm beginning to see why they really wanted you killed."
>You press the top left and the servos whirr to life, closing you and Royale off from the prying ears of the federal agent in under ten seconds 
>The GPS display also bisects itself, displaying a rear camera view of the highway with the bottom half of the screen
"Go check back there please, I want to see if she's making any noises"
>Royale pokes her head back there, then comes back a second later laughing her little flanks off
>"She's cursing you and crying"
"Seriously?!"
>"I know! It's gold."
"and I can't hear a word of it! Their tech works perfectly"
>"Perfectly against them"
>The two of you share a good few minutes of laughter at the agent's expense
>Finally, it dies down
>"I'm going to go check if there's proper ventilation back there"
"Please do, ideally she's a hostage. If we can keep from being further shot at until we get to Deimos, I'll be very happy."
>"Alright."
>Royale vanishes into the back for a few minutes
>"We're clear, ventilation is circulating interstate air from just behind the central console"
"Awesome, awesome"
>"and uh, you... said the wrong town name. You do have what's on the note plugged into the GPS, right?"
"Oh, yeah. Of course, I just got the two mixed up."
>You point to the screen, Royale nods and then snrks
>"You're such a fucking dork, bonehead"
>You laugh, but your face is getting a bit red
>"Hey."
"Yeah?"
>"It's getting dark now, isn't it?"
"I suppose"
>"Shut down the GPS, it might be a factor in tracking us, and..."
>She climbs onto you, her missing foreleg seeming to be less of a hindrance in her navigating the inside of a car than freeway pavement
>Licking her lips, looking at you hungrily
>"Pull off at the next exit. We're going to... rest."
"O-oh."
>You shut off the GPS quickly, and pull off about a mile up the road on the side of a barren path that snakes off from the freeway
>The fed is unbuckled and moved into the trunk carefully, once you're absolutely certain no cars will see you moving her. The back seat and trunk connection is pulled down so that air from the back seat can still flow into it, you leave the engine running, make sure the trunk doesn't have any gadgetry in it with the help of Royale (it actually has negative gadgetry, the trunk safety latch that can be used in case of a kidnapping in almost every car has been spookily removed), and then get comfy with her
>You're sitting this time, reclined back as far as the drivers seat constraints will allow
>Which is less far with the big metal shield behind you, still worth it though
>Royale says it doesn't matter, that sleep is a mental thing so you'll sleep well even in these conditions once she gets her vision loaded in
>You're excited to see what that is, but you still crack your back before reclining and letting her enter your mind...
>You're in the car again, but it's...
>Much different, sort of like the inside of a car in a video game
>Everything is less detailed, more angular, the scenery outside is still about the same but a bit more vibrant
>The trees even look a little bit polygonal, almost like the ones from your oc's namesake
>"I need you to give me permission. All you need to do is say something along the lines of "I give Battle Royale full permission to do what she wishes in my mind."
"Royale, understand. I trust you completely, but I need to know what you-"
>She locks her muzzle with yours, pulling you into a kiss with her forehooves and penetrating your lips teasingly with her tongue
>Then, just as soon as the heavenly action had began, it stops
>and there's just the smirking, smug pegasus before you
>"Just do it, dork."
"I-I, Wailing Woods, give Battle Royale full reign of my mental faculties."
>"Good girl~"
>The scenery melts away, the car being replaced by a comfortable bed within a small winterized cabin out in the woods
"Oh, wow."
>"This is the place Spell Service told me I could live in! It's her parents winter home, they died a few years back..."
>She seems solemn for a second, but springs back up quickly
>"I wanted to show it to you since you'll probably never get to see Equestria with your own eyes. All of the details of it were burned into my head, even the snow outside"
>As if to emphasize her point (and possibly exactly her intent to emphasize her point, given she has full reign), a thunderous boom sounds from outside and you look through the window, seeing a raging snowstorm just feet from the two of you
>"Now, on to the 'mane' event~"
>She has her hoof back in this version of reality, but it's heavily bandaged
>You notice that you have bandages on the side of your barrel as well 
>Very interesting, you muse on this as Royale turns you over
>You kinda just let it happen
>She lays down next to you and gives your right ear a little lick
>You smile back at her and she starts giving you a massage
>Your withers down to your shoulders, you're putty for her
>Maybe ponies are actually a fluid
>She softly whispers things to you, telling you that she loves your cute little mare form
>That you're so soft
>and that she loves you
>You tell her that you love her too, and she states in turn that she knows
>You're a puddle of mare at this point, she carefully moves on to the crest of your neck
>Compressing things you didn't even know were in tension
>Making you feel like the luckiest gir- 
>Making you feel really lucky to have Royale
"If I had known you could do this when you appeared, I might've accepted it instead of being promised this form..."
>"Silly. I don't doubt that you might have, but there's no reason you can't have both. How do you feel?"
"Like a million bits"
>She gets off of you slowly, nuzzling your poll and between your ears as she does
>"Wanna feel even better?"
"U-uh"
>"Hang on a minute, I'll get it and show you"
>She leaves for a second, coming back with a bottle of what appears to be champagne in her mouth
"Oh, really?"
>She sets it down on the bed before speaking, for obvious reasons
>"Yeah! All things considered, we finished our first task, survived an assassination attempt, and now we're together relaxing. We're a bit beaten up physically and psychologically, but I'd say that's even more reason to take off the edge"
"Well... oh, what the hell."
>Royale gives you a little wink, disappearing for a second and grabbing two wine glasses
>You think you're technically supposed to drink champagne out of those narrow things because it's a rather expensive beverage, Royale's bottle even states that it is "Dole Perneighon" which is presumably pretty expensive stuff
>Maybe she can get more if there's ever another occasion like this though? You're still not sure how all of this mind stuff works
>She pours you most of a wine glass full of the stuff, and pours herself half a glass
>You look at it and figure what the hell
"Uh, Royale?"
>"Yeah?"
>She's looking away from you a bit, almost like she wants to avoid the subject of you being poured more 
"I uh... suck at holding things with my hooves. Could you help me drink?"
>"Oh! Of course."
>Royale pushes you up against the frame of the bed, she feels very strong but is incredibly gentle with you
>She reaches out for the glass and it just sort of sticks to her hoof like items did sometimes in the show
"Huh, that easy?"
>"Well, it's a practiced sort of thing... since you dreamed me up as a pony with a backstory and everything, I've sorta just always known how to do this."
"Interesting"
>"Anyways, open your mouth and put up your hoof when you think you've had enough"
>You soon find that she is lying to you about this, as she pours way more of the glass into your muzzle than you asked for
>Not as if you're complaining exactly
>You swish the beverage around in your mouth, it's fizzy and sweet with a slight bite to it and ice cold
>You've only had champagne once before, when you and your cousin graduated high school your grandfather bought some to celebrate 
>You imagine the two of you would've been served more champagne had either of you graduated college, but that was not to be
>That being said, it's a warm memory of a bygone time when your eyes were starry and your mind was hopeful for a bright future
>Although right here in the now, your eyes feel almost starry again
>Royale sets your glass down gingerly and picks up hers, drinking the majority of it in one gulp
>You remember writing her to have somewhat of a drinking problem before she was chosen for the game, and you never wrote of her coming to terms with it
>Maybe she will someday
>The two of your muzzles are inches from one another, Royale pulls you back down so you're laying on your back again and gives you an almost wry smile
>"You're going to have more in a minute, okay?"
"O-okay Royale"
>She nuzzles your cheek
>"Good girl."
>About as soon as you feel it starting to kick in, Royale presses you against the back of the bed again and tells you to open your mouth
>You do, it takes a bit longer for her to grab the champagne this time
>She's... drinking from your glass
>No wait, she isn't swallowing
>OH.
>You open up, Royale locks her muzzle to yours, makes sure the seal is good (you think), and then lets loose champagne into your mouth
>It tastes better this time around, somehow
>You eagerly swallow and she releases a bit more
>Before you know it, your glass is empty
>You're... a small pony at the moment
>and a tall glass of wine is enough to make you feel quite relaxed when you're not that
>Everything is getting a bit warmer in all the pleasant ways, Royale takes her glass off of the bedside table
>You worry she may make you drink it as well, but she just polishes off what's left in it
>"Mnnnn, now..."
>She turns off one of the two crystalline lamps, the lighting feels a lot cozier
>Her muzzle is so close that you can feel the slight wine glow radiating off of her
>and you imagine she can feel one coming from you, too
>She presses her lips against yours and wraps you up in an embrace, tight as a present
>Your entrance is teased at, her tongue dancing across it
>You open your mouth just a little bit and close your eyes, waiting patiently
>and you don't have to wait long, she runs her tongue along the span of yours, slow and gently
>You feel very helpless, you're so glad it's her that's making you feel this way
>You trust her completely, she's everything to you
>-and you to her.
>You softly dance your tongue along the underside of hers. She hugs you a bit tighter, a bit closer
>This must be what it's like to die and go to heaven, or elysium... 
>But you aren't dead, just...
>Somewhere
>Royale pulls her muzzle away from you, you open your eyes once again
>She hasn't stopped embracing you tightly, and she's smiling down at you
>"Do you want me to take you?"
"Um, sexually?"
>She sort of collapses on top of you and laughs
>"Yeah, sexually"
>You're both so damn autistic
"Yes, please"
>"Alright, I'll get it"
>She's a bit stumbly as she gets up, producing something from the bedside table
>"This wasn't here initially, but it's burned into my head"
>She laughs
>"In fact, to my recollection, it's exactly the one that you had me keep in my bedside table of that story you wrote! Funny how things turn out, isn't it?"
"Y-yeah"
>You can't remember exactly what she's talking about at the moment, but you know you're going to get it 
>"As I recall you wrote me as bisexual, maybe I am. I'll say I don't care much for stallions, and care a great deal for mares."
>You did write her on top for the few encounters she had, it seemed to make sense for fleshing out her character
>A great fighter, a battle tactician, and a leader in bed 
>Royale, of course, is no longer a figment of text files and thoughts
>Those thoughts are standing beside you right now, attaching some sorts of straps
>"Alright, that should do it. Do you want any more champagne before we start?"
"N-not sure"
>"We'll say yes, then"
>She gives you a quarter of the glass, this time from the glass
>Her strong hooves pull you over to the side of the bed, draping your hind legs over into space
>"Are you ready, cutie?~"
>You feel yourself blush, if that's even possible with how red the wine has already flushed your face
"Y-yes."
>She nuzzles at your dock and then licks it
>You raise it somewhat nervously
>You're a virgin in every sense of the word, fully sexually inexperienced 
>Royale drapes herself on top of you, she's bigger than you are and it is very noticeable right now
>She licks and plays with your ears, teasingly brushes your mane in front of your face, leaving your vision obscured
>Then, she wraps you up tight again with her forehooves. 
>You register a gentle prod at an entrance you hadn't really thought about until now, you know you're a mare but...
>Damn is it sensitive
>She gently works at it a bit until you feel it start to get a bit wet, likely your natural lubricant
>She's so gentle and slow with it, you're letting out little gasps and moans but she's really not that deep in
>She takes one forehoof away from her embrace, does something, and then hugs you again with it
>It's wet with your juices now
>"Ready for the main event?"
"Mhm"
>"You sure?"
"I am."
>She begins to push deeper and deeper, only a few centimeters each time with each light thrust but every part of your marehood past the entrance is an uncharted territory
>You moan, whispering her name over and over again as she's railing you
"Royale... Royale... Royale..."
>"Don't wear it out, silly~"
>She puts a hoof over your mouth, silencing all but the wet schlicking of you getting fucked, her little giggles and hums of enjoyment, and your low moans
>She nibbles a bit at your ear and a shiver runs down your spine
>Celestia...
>You can feel yourself getting close already, and she hasn't even reached your depths yet
"Mnnnmnmfff"
>"I know, Woodsy. Tell you what"
"Mhmmh?"
>"I'm gonna to make you wail"
>She thrusts all the way in suddenly, hitting you with a jolt like an epi pen as she lets out something like a laugh
>and then pulls all the way out, and thrusts all the way to the bottom again, releasing her hold on your muzzle as she does
>You wail out a sound of intense pleasure as you cum all over her 
>You can hear your marecum hit the hardwood floor below
>Suppose she made the woods wail in more than one sense
>You sort of just lay there for a second, Royale still sheathed in you
>The two of you panting lightly
>"I can tell you had fun"
"Yeah, oh wow. That'd be an understatement. Did you manage to...?"
>"Oh, I haven't yet no. I did have a great time though, you're really fun to play with"
>She lays down on top of you, nuzzling your cheek
>"I imagine you're feeling a bit tired out now?"
"Yeah, more than a bit. I could help you reach too if you wanted, I don't want to be nonreciprocating"
>"Oh, don't worry. I don't quite feel like I need to, the most important thing for me coming into this was that you had fun"
>You stutter out a thank you and she hugs you again
>"Well, time to pull out I suppose"
>It's a strange sensation, having your sex stimulated during clarity
>Royale is casually wiping down the toy with a sort of fancy hand (hoof?) towel
>"Oh, hm. Woodsy, do you know any cooling spells?"
"I don't know any spells at all, sorry to say"
>"I was hoping we could maybe re-seal this with the cork... well, it may not matter"
"When you bring this place back up in your head, will it reset or resume from tonight?"
>"I don't really know, but even so it would feel weird to waste good champagne"
"Well, I don't kno-"
>A voice is whispering in your ear
>'Focus on the winter air outside, then your horn. Imagine a retraction, then set your horn to the cork'
"Or do I?"
>You take in a deep breath, thinking of the cold and the snow and ice it brings
>Of your horn, you drew it once, badly
>But you know how it looks despite never having seen it outside your mind, and you can feel it on your head
>The cork lays on the bedside table, you gingerly step over to it and set your horn to the material
>and finally, you think of a hermit crab retreating into its shell
>You shiver, you're suddenly colder
>"Hey, you did it!"
>Royale picks up the cork and jams it back into the neck of the bottle, it's a perfect fit 
"Oh, wow. I guess I did"
>"You're the mare! Now, let's get you to bed"
>You wonder what the voice was, but you're so tired
>It feels important, but there's little energy left in any part of you to voice concern to Royale
"I heard a voice in my ear, it told me"
>"Don't short sell yourself, you're drunk. Let's get you into bed"
"Okay, sorry"
>Royale pulls aside the covers to reveal incredibly inviting sheets
>You collapse on them, and she half pushes and half hugs you into a good position for sleeping in
>She pulls in a second after, turning off the other crystal lamp and sliding into place behind you
>Her forehooves wrapping around your soft form, her soft pegasus barrel pressing against your back
>Her fluffy muzzle nestling into your mane and pressing your head down just a little bit
>You feel secure, your eyes have barely shut before you lose track of yourself in the darkness of slumber
>>>
>No dreams last night, hopefully that's a good thing
>You open up your eyes and rub them
>Did last night happen?
>Royale is standing on your chest, grinning ear to ear
>Oh fuck, so it did
>You don't feel the effects of a hangover at least, you suppose simulated alcohol must be like that 
"Is the agent back there?"
>She nods
>"First thing I checked when I came to, funny how the facsimile of a physical body intoxicates you... I shouldn't need to sleep"
"How long ago now?"
>"Just five minutes, I haven't been staring at you that long."
>You laugh
"God I love you"
>You already miss being Woods, but you try to push the thoughts out of your mind and focus on the task at hoof
"Sanford."
>"Sanford."
>The GPS says it's a mere 4 hour drive, you checked out for a good while admittedly
>You wonder if they know your whereabouts
>Who knows
>Best to get a move on, then
>You start up the car and pull the seat back up into a more comfortable position for driving
>This really isn't a bad car, if you can verify it doesn't have any fed-related issues you may just use it for as long as you can
>Although in this case that may not exceed a day of length
"All systems go"
>You're off
>>>
>You stopped for lunch, gas station pizza
>A total of $9 for you and the agent to both eat
>Royale saves you from multiple speed traps along the way, which you're of course quite thankful for
>The two of you speak of some old 80s movies, she mentions wanting to watch "The Stuff" with you
>You take a small detour to a gun store on the way
>20 rounds of 50 AE are $40, which is scalped but should hopefully last you a little while
>You pay the old geezer behind the counter your ill-gotten gains and move on with the day
>>>
>Sanford, Colorado
>A tiny town
>You re-check the address carefully, it's...
>You plug it back in
>An open field
>Grasstown is right, fuck
>It takes less than fifteen minutes to arrive, you get out of the car to stretch your legs from the trip
>Fzzzt!
>A dart... materializes in your neck
>You know you have time to get in the car and lock the doors
>You get in the car and lock the doors
>Lay low
"Royale, I've been tranquilized."
>She looks at you with worry
>"There's not really much I can do to help, just... try to lay low I suppose. I'll go outside and see if I can see who hit you."
"Thank you."
>You should have 2-3 minutes before you're fully out of it
>You rip out the dart, all of its contents have already been injected into you anyways
>You're starting to feel loopy
>Dizzy and sedated
>Everything is... very alright
>You lay back in the drivers seat, Royale's instructions seeming ridiculous in your current state
>You just need to rest, and then everything will be fine
>You barely register the window glass breaking and Royale screaming at someone
>>>
>You're awake
>You're nauseous
>You're puking into a bucket
>Someone is holding back your hair
>"Easy, Anon. We're here to help. Royale told us everything."
"I-"
>You discharge more gas station pizza into the bucket and groan
>"Take it easy. We hit you hard"
"Royale?"
>"I'm here, Anon. Right beside you."
>You turn towards her voice but immediately regret it as your diaphragm spasms again and you're forced to spit acid water into the bucket
>You meekly turn your head just a bit again, you feel like you have gotten the last of it out of your system now
>Whoever's holding your hair back seems to sense this and gently lets go of it, letting it drape around your shoulders again
"Do you have food and water?"
>The speaker isn't visible, you think she's behind you
>"Of course. Stay there for a few more minutes, we'll prepare you something that'll be easy on your stomach."
>You hear something drop into a trash can on their way out, there are too many footsteps for it to be one person
>"You're doing good Anon, they're okay."
"What did they give me?"
>"Fentanyl."
"Was I fucking ODing?"
>"Yeah, you've been having a rough time. Dave gave you a nasal spray, narcan I think"
>You look around, you're in someone's garage
>There's an old beat up van parked next to the fed car with a bunch of extension cords going into it 
>You can see a rack of servers inside and some sort of machine that defies explanation, you have no idea what the fuck it could do
>There are a few canisters of something and what look to be large deflated balloons?
>A pudgy guy wearing an Eva 01 t-shirt comes back out with a glass of water, a toothbrush, and some toothpaste
>You brush your teeth, gargle the water, and spit into the bucket
"Can I get some to drink please?"
>"Yeah, shit. Sorry"
>You nod
>You haven't been this out of it since the day after that Discothèque in Germany...
>Why did you go there again? How did you afford it?
>You can hardly remember that entire week, you just remember a pretty girl embracing you
>She wasn't from Germany herself, she pulled you in close.
>and then...
>and then the two of you just hugged each other you think
>You knew her from online somewhere, an acquaintance
>You hope she's doing well, you've shut yourself out from all the online friends you ever had recently
>The living corpse gambit
>"I'll admit, you're remarkably calm for someone who just got drugged"
>You force yourself back to reality with considerable effort
"Royale's word goes a long way."
>He laughs and goes back inside, returning with more water
>You drink it greedily
>You still feel like death, but minutely less so
>She brushed your hair with her hands, you remember that
>She kissed you, on the forehead
>Like you would a dog
"Do- do you have a couch or something I can crash on?"
>"Oh, sure man. Yeah."
>Dave leads you inside and directs you to a very comfortable looking sofa
>It's old and worn, but you want to sit on something and just barely exist right now
>You barely have the presence of mind to remove your shoes before collapsing on it
>Royale jumps up into your lap, nuzzling at you
>She was gone by the morning, you never saw her again
>It almost felt like a dream, but her lipstick stuck to your forehead so you know it wasn't
>You're so glad Royale is keen on staying close to you
>You...
>You act like you're stroking her mane and she gives you a pitied smile
>Maybe if you had some mushrooms you'd feel her...
>"Dave! Don't forget the bucket"
"Right! Sorry Komet."
>He rushes back outside and grabs your puke bucket, putting it beside the couch
>"If you need this, just uh... you'll figure it out"
"Yeah"
>Dave disappears back into the kitchen, probably to help whoever Komet is with the food
>Not wanting silence and the mental labyrinth that covers for it, you look around and notice a remote and a boob tube, so you flip it on
>Teen Titans Go
>Ancient Aliens
>You settle on National Geographic and watch some short film about Komodo Dragons while Royale tries her best to care for you, she's whispering that they got you early and you shouldn't suffer any brain damage
>That's good, you kinda like your brain
>There are times when you wish that you could be stupider, just slip into stable sedation
>Get a job at the local supermarket as a cashier
>Go out on the weekend with co-workers and drink heavily
>Wailing Woods is a mage though
>Mages are like atmospheric scientists or engineers, they need strong minds to comprehend the complexities of weaving reality
>Not every unicorn can be a mage just like not every...
>On second thought, you're too out of it to play /pol/ack today
>You're shivering
>It's hot out, but that doesn't matter since the AC is on full blast inside
>You laboriously get up and seek out a knitted blanket that's laying discarded on top of a lawn chair next to the TV set, draping it over top of yourself, and laying down on the couch
>It's got a rasta pattern, the sort of thing you'd buy at a state fair 
>Must've been cheap, and it's comfy enough
>You flip through channels a bit more, you forgot how horrifying Komodos are
>Venom and mauling
>You guess that's how they survive
>You guess that's how you survive too
>Eventually you just settle on watching cartoons like a good little junkie
>At least you think that's what junkies do, you never really bought much from Derran other than psychedelics and tried to avoid his other customers
>You're glad that he's just selling weed these days really, Derran is a surprisingly good guy for... what he does
>But regardless, most of your experience with junkies are from the movies, so whenever you think of a wastoid it's usually the image of some fuckup watching cartoons and eating cereal in his bathrobe at 1:30 in the morning 
>Probably because of Pulp Fiction, you guess
>Or was Vega's dealer watching some sitcom?
>You haven't seen it in a while, maybe you think of cartoons because the cereal he was eating had a moose on it
>Then in that other movie the girl hid a gun in the box of cereal
>Kaboom!, you think it was called
>In any case, good thing you kept your socks on, otherwise Tarantino might've shown up
>You chuckle aloud at the stupid joke
>"What?"
"Nothing, just some shit from my internal monologue..."
>You hear a loud 'pop' and then Dave cursing up a storm
>When he comes into the living room he's wet and covered in food but has a bowl of chicken and rice in broth for you
>and another glass of water
>"There you go dude"
"Thanks, looks good. Trouble with the rice cooker?"
>"You could say that, I'm not much of a cook. This was Komet's idea."
>Dave sits down next to you and starts vaping something, probably weed
>You've known him for less than an hour and that already seems like his vice
"So, when do we talk about... you know?"
>"Oh, Komet has a meeting with Spell Service. Right now, let's just watch TV."
"Yeah... okay."
>"Plus you OD'd man, you should take it easy"
>He kinda is right
>Dave opens up netflix on the TV and puts on season 2 of MLP while you eat the small meal prepared for you 
>Royale grumbles something about how she was denied the privilege to talk to Spell a few minutes back due to her preparing for the meeting with Komet
>You give her a reassuring stroke between her ears
>Her hoof has noticeably healed thankfully, she's got a few inches of it back
>Also your side doesn't hurt as much now, though you don't think they bandaged it
>Could just be the leftover effects of the fent
>At least it isn't bleeding anymore, though part of that is because it's attached to your shirt with blood
>Dave seems to be able to see her too, you're not sure why
"So, why did you and Komet tranq me?"
>"I'm not supposed to say. Komet is embarrassed and sorry, she kept going on and on about how the dosage should've been right and blaming herself"
"Huh. So..."
>"Can't say much, but I'll tell you that I'm out of my depth as well"
"Well, what can I do? This is my life"
>He nods
>"Yeah, I fucking feel that... did you notice the Delgihn next to your car?"
"What's a Delgihn?"
>"He means Ripper, that's the name they've chosen for them. I didn't notice it either, so don't be hard on him."
>Royale's tone is a bit snippy, for somewhat obvious reasons
>"Well, it could've killed-"
>He sighs
>"I'll tell you what I know about hunting them later if Komet gives me the go-ahead for sharing information. Right now I'm under a loose equivalent to an NDA, and I'm sorry about that."
>"Why did you let us pull in close if you knew it was there?"
>"Uh, Komet had some reason..."
>"Right, right. Of course, builds trust to tell us you were willing to put our lives at risk."
>"This is risky business! We already told you Royale, information itself is a hazard. She only wants you to know what you need to know... at least for now. You know about psychic landscapes."
>"Great, I lose my hoof killing a fed, we leave a fed in the fucking trunk and now we've got a stoner fed and a unicorn fed!"
"Royale, can we keep it a bit quieter? I know I can't really hear you, but I'm still getting a bit of a headache..."
>She winces
>"Shit, I'm sorry Anon."
>You give her a reassuring lengthwise stroke and tell her that it's alright
"Komet is a pony?"
>"Yeah, thought you'd have gathered that"
>You give Dave this look of complete exasperation
"I'm new to this. Maybe you shouldn't smoke that shit if you're just going to be an ass under its influence"
>He grumbles a bit and then changes the channel to the news
>Footage of Sierra Vista
>"Look at this, you made a massive mess. This is national!"
>He's not wrong, not really
>But he is pissing you off, and your headache...
>God your head
>The coolant business you shot up has been turned into a massive blacksite
>Black helicopters overhead, the whole nine yards
"What was I supposed to do?"
>"I don't know, I'm just some asshole stoner!"
>You take a deep breath
"I'm sorry I called you an asshole, but put yourself in my shoes"
>"You took off your shoes though"
>He takes another hit from the pen
>You just laugh and force a grin
>Better to not be confrontational, first impressions are important, and it would appear that both of you are trying to salvage yours
>The clipping of hooves around the corner becomes audible
>"Alright, sorry about that. I see tensions have mounted since I was last here?"
"You could say that, a bit"
>"Allow me to alleviate some of them, I've confirmed your unique signifiers, you're privy to sensitive information now."
>"Komet-"
>"Dave, they're fine. Spell vouched for both of their work"
>She gives him a bit of a look
>"and even though Dave thinks you could've done better back in Sierra Vista, I think you did well given the situation. You'd never seen a..."
>Royale pipes up
>"I told Anon what a Delgihn is."
>"Good, good! You'd never seen a Delgihn before. It could've killed you, so using that force was valid. You couldn't have known it'd cause a collapse like that either, and you didn't have the time or equipment to destroy it non-destructively"
>You rub your head, feeling a bit better about yourself but still in pain
"So, why did you tranq me?"
>"Because if you had started shooting it would've alerted five different Delgihn in the area, and they would've ripped you to pieces."
"Oh. That's"
>You're still not happy, but you concede with a sigh
"A logical response."
>She nods, then puts her hoof on your knee
>You jerk up in surprise
>It's...
>Fully solid
>She isn't bound to Dave like Royale is to you? She has mass?
>"There are two options you can proceed with from here, one is significantly more difficult than the other."
"Alright, tell me"
>"Well, they're both... hm."
>She pauses for a second, idly scratching at her horn with a hoof
>"The first one is easy, I whipped up a bomb a few days ago. It should have a high enough yield to kill all the Delgihn, but there's a danger of it causing collateral damage, killing residents... and it'd be considered a terror attack probably. The feds would devote even more resources to pursuing you than they already are."
"Gonna be honest, I don't like that one much."
>"I thought you might say that, I devised the plan before you were a wanted criminal to be fair. The second one is lower risk in the long term, but much higher risk in the short term. I have a posthole digger, a ceramic funnel, and a jug of muriatic acid."
"Oh, god."
>"Some of my studies on... Delgihn have indicated they don't really feel pain, but are highly responsive to loud noises, seismic events, and high-frequency electromagnetic radiation. Dave and I were able to detect four of them buried under the field, and one of them buried next to where you parked."
"I guess corpses were buried in that field a while back, and one next to the road... but who the hell buried a body next to the road?"
>"Maybe it was a different time, before this road was even here. In any case, that one will probably be the most difficult one"
>You shiver
"So, I suppose I'll be doing it under cover of night?"
>"That... would be best. We don't need to do it tonight though of course, probably the only nice thing about the constraints of your missions are that most of them don't seem to be crucially time-sensitive. You should at least rest today and tonight, get some sleep in a comfy bed. Get to know me and Dave, he can be a bit rough around the edges but I promise he's a good guy. You'll be safe from the feds while you're here."
"Hmm"
>A nice bed, hot shower, and safety from your pursuers sounds like just the load off you need
"Okay, but I do want to know how you're keeping the feds off my back"
>She laughs
>"I strapped their agent to a large weather balloon and set it off into the sky. Life support and climate control will be maintained until they finally track her down from the sporadic pings I've been sending out."
"and what if the balloon pops?"
>"Then oh well."
>You smile
"I like you Komet."
>She grins, her snowpity shining with selective malevolence
>"I like you too Anon!"
>She nuzzles Royale a bit
>"I'm really sorry for taking up your time with Spell, I know you usually talk to her before now. Do you need to go talk to her now?"
>Royale seems a bit surprised, she smiles
>"Yeah, I do. You three play nice, I'll be back soon."
>She mumbles an incantation and a blue aura surrounds her before she vanishes into thin air
>"So..."
>Komet hops up on the couch
>"Anon, you need to finish your meal. I'll let you pet me afterwards, deal?"
>Oh yeah
>That's a great deal
>You continue at the still warm dish with renewed vigor
>>>
>You take a nice hot shower and change into your old "Hit The Sauce" Twilight t-shirt from the early days of pony interest, fresh jeans, and a fresh pair of boxers, socks, etc.
>The text is even in all caps impact on it, it's great
>Fresh bandages for your head and side, your side starts bleeding again after you clean it up but your head seems to have stopped now
>Must be something to do with this pony mess, you don't think a fracture like that would heal easily without some strange meddling
>You throw everything else in the washing machine, beanie included
>Apparently Komet makes enough money somehow to afford to rent places like this on one of those vacation home renting sites
>You asked her and she told you not to worry about it
>You don't really want to ask her for money even though it might come in handy later
>Royale gets back after about an hour, her and Komet talk for a little bit about logistics and planning and you do your best to pay attention and weigh in
>Dave sort of just sits there and plays some gacha game on his phone
>You're getting really tired and the two mares notice
>"It's alright Anon, you can rest. We'll talk about more of this tomorrow."
"Dave, do you want my gun to keep watch?"
>"It's fine, I've got my own"
>He goes into the kitchen and grabs this amalgamation of plastic and metal, the thing looks to be like 75% 3d-printed
"Is it reliable?"
>He nods and points the thing at a nearby lamp, pulls the trigger twice, and the lamp ceases to be
>It doesn't even make much of a sound, the breaking ceramic is louder than the shots he fired
"Oh, neat."
>Komet adds her piece
>"Your life is in good hands, and hooves! Get some sleep, we'll see you tomorrow. Your bed is down the hall on the right, we already made it up for you."
"Thank you"
>You grab your backpack and head for the bedroom, Royale trots after you
>Slide off your jeans, drape them over the chair in the corner, and slip into bed
"Should we do pony things tonight?"
>"Of course."
>Royale slips into your head and takes you back to the cabin, the two of you cuddle until sleep takes you
>..
>You have your human form back, but you aren't in bed anymore
>You're standing next to a large crater in the ground
>It stretches as far as the eye can see before you
>It's as if a large ball were dropped on a planet and completely pulverized a small country
>There's great heat radiating off of the inside, it appears that most of the earth that wasn't destroyed or flung off has melted into magma or slag of some sort
>Looking behind you, a mountain range is crumbling
>Off in the distance, you hear a child crying
>You start towards her, and your view melts away into something else
>A laboratory
>There's blood everywhere
>You can see the outline of a pony, like a ghost bathed in white
>Everything is blindingly bright
>On the ground, a silver sword
>Used to hunt the undead?
>There's an engraving in equine 
>Somehow you can read it, 'The But Softly Whispered Affirmation'
>and somehow, you also know that this sword is supposed to be yours
>The ghost stumbles, cries out, and then there's nothing
>You wake up, it takes a few minutes for you to regain your eyesight and be able to move again
>You grumble a bit, waking up Royale who smiles at you
>What the fuck was that dream about?
>Komet calls out from down the hall
>"Pancakes! Come get em' while they're hot!"

>You groggily get to your feet, tripping and nearly breaking your head open on the floor
>...again
>You figure you should make it a habit to grab the hand cannon, but when you unzip your backpack it isn't there
>Makes you feel on edge, you like Komet but you're not sure how much you can trust her yet
"Royale? Do you know where the gun is?"
>"Oh, um. I'll go ask Komet, you stay here. She'll understand."
"Thank you. Oh, and tell her I'll be along in a second for pancakes"
"10-4"
>Royale walks through the wall and into the kitchen
>She comes back in a minute
>"The eagle is exploded on Komet's workbench, she's been cleaning it and getting it in really good shape"
>You breathe a sigh of relief and follow Royale into the kitchen
>You look at Komet, who smiles back at you
"Hey, sorry."
>"No, no. It's perfectly reasonable. You've been in some tough places the past few days. I really should've asked, but you both looked so comfortable. I wanted to let you sleep in"
>You nod and return her smile
>"Sit down, what do you like on yours?"
"I usually just have syrup"
>The pancakes are plain
>Royale seems to be considering her options, then gets a little sad look on her face when she remembers she can't actually eat
>You give her mane a good-natured ruffle and she gives you a sad smile
"Soon."
>"Soon."
>Komet slides a stack of three plain pancakes with syrup across the table for you, then flips two onto a plate for herself with her magic
"You can use magic on earth?"
>She taps her back, where you now notice there's a tank full of something strapped to her with tubes running into her head
"Does that hurt?"
>"Nah, I drilled out the ports a while ago now. This isn't my first rodeo"
"What's in the tank?"
>"A tightly-packed Equestrian soil cross-section, saline water, and two wires."
"One for grounding, huh?"
>She laughs
>"You're a funny one. That aside, magic can be alternatively derived from Equestrian soil. Doesn't work with earthen soil unfortunately, this was extremely difficult to get ahold of"
"Are you and Dave... from here?"
>Her expression gets a bit dark and she seems to ponder for a moment
>"Tell you what, do well in your training today and I'll let you in on a few more secrets."
>You nod and begin to dig in
>With a flash, Komet's plain pancakes are transformed into pinkish strawberry pancakes and two strawberries vanish from the bowl set in the table center
"Oh, so that's how that works?"
>"That's how mafia works."
"If it's not too much trouble then, I'll have two chocolate chip and one strawberry"
>You get your pancakes as asked, they're really good 
>Komet tells you that the secret is a bit of vanilla extract, but refuses to give you the full recipe just yet
>"In time, maybe. Makes it a bit more special when you don't know exactly how it works, right?"
"Absolutely proprietary"
>She laughs and sort of punches you with her hoof
>Not that hard, but hard enough to sting a bit, like a 'knock it off, asshole' you'd give a friend
>When she and Dave have also finished breakfast, you're taken out to the garage where the van awaits
>Komet picks up the exploded desert eagle, studies the barrel, gives it a slight cleaning with a q-tip, then reassembles it in less than half a minute before passing it back to you
>"Take a look if you want, I understand. Unfortunately yours is a bit too loud to fire in here, we won't be getting a positive rating given Dave exploded that lamp but I don't want to alert the cops at least."
>You give the deagle a once-over, it looks great
>You know now that it's the real gold model because you can see that there are a few spots where she's tried to cover minor blemishes
>"Some ear protection too, ponies are supposed to have good hearing and you've already damaged yours a bit I imagine"
>You wince and nod, taking the headphones from her and sliding them over your ears
>Dave sets a pair on Komet's head as well and turns a knob, a crackle comes through your pair and you hear her speaking
>She opens the back doors to the van
>Inside, next to the strange machine, servers, gas canisters and balloons, is a yoga mat and a hacked off hair salon washing station filled with ice water
>"There's salt in the ice water so it can get even colder without freezing. You'll appreciate that soon. Royale?"
>Royale trots up to Komet and gives her a bit of a dirty look
>"You'd better not be planning something that will hurt Wai- Anon. This wasn't in Spell's playbook."
>"Of course not."
>Komet does seem a bit pissed that Royale would insinuate such a thing, but clears her composure quickly and returns to her amicable and understanding baseline
>"I need you to carry a construct for me. It's somewhat low-resolution for storage reasons, but Anon's brain will fill in the missing pieces. The important thing is that it is optimized for realistic ballistic performance, physical fatigue, and a few other things."
>Komet turns to you
>"Anon? I hope you don't mind, but I spiked your pancakes with a lot of extra protein and carbs. You'll want them."
"Of course not. What are we to do?"
>"Royale, I've opened up the port at the base of my skull. You may enter when ready."
>Royale nods, goes behind Komet, then vanishes
>She reappears less than fifteen seconds later, looking flustered
>"Sorry, I had to distract you. Also, I just think you're cute"
>Royale's white face is now a light shade of red all over
>"Anyways! You should have the program now. Anon, proceed to the van, lay down on the mat, and rest your head in the salon bin. Royale, enter Anon's mind and load the program. Oh, and one last thing Anon, lean over."
>You do as told like a good little b̶i̶t̶c̶h̶  mare, and Komet unclips some instrument on your headphones and connects it to the fracture point
>It feels metallic
>"You'll be able to hear me in the simulation now. Good luck!"
>You step into the van, which creaks a bit
>There's a CRT displaying...
>Your eyes
>Your own view from your eyes
>"Don't worry about that, it'll cut off when the headphone feed is disconnected. It's just so we can more accurately evaluate data"
>You nod and lay down on the yoga mat
>It's thin and just barely enough to stave off discomfort
>You dip your head in the water
>FUUUUUCK THAT'S COLD
>Royale gets behind you
>"Ready?"
"Yeah, honestly I'd appreciate you hurrying."
>You load in where you left off, you in Royale's forehooves as the two of you embrace in bed
>and then...
>Royale loads the program, and you're a human again
>With a desert eagle in your right hand
>You feel a twinge of that same dejected feeling you generally feel when you wake up from heaven to reality
>You also feel the slight sting of cold in your skull, and are reminded that you have work to do
>Komet's voice crackles through the room
>"A series of targets will appear on the range, each will have a number above them. Try to land hits greater than or equal to the amount listed on the targets for each one."
>A target appears, almost lazily coming into view
>The number above it is "1"
>You line up the post, focus in, and pull. The cold in your head subsides a small amount
>"Good, good! Excellent work, that was close to a bulls-eye too. You must be a natural shot"
"Truth be told, I used to have a handgun. It was confiscated when I was institutionalized for a few months, never got it back."
>"Tragic. What happened?"
>You told a friend you were going to kill yourself and forgot a piece of mail from months prior had your return address on it
>Stupid, stupid shit
>She sounds genuine, at least
"It's been years, don't worry about it. Bring on more targets, Royale. My head is starting to cool down again"
>Royale calls out from behind you excitedly
>"With pleasure!"
>In the beginning, you manage to hit almost every single shot on target
>You don't shoot too quickly, you know that a desert eagle is a firearm that rewards a certain amount of patience and has a large amount of kick
>You ensure your aim is steady and near still before pulling the trigger
>and you are rewarded for this with the majority of marks being on-target
>When you need to reload, the targets don't pause
>You find there's a machine that's spitting out pre-loaded magazines next to you, so you drop the previous ones to the ground
>After a dozen targets, you begin to feel fatigued from the recoil
>Your arms ache
>Your fingers are cramping
>You just barely made the last target
>Komet authorizes a break, telling you that it's unlikely you'll need to shoot for that long, and allowing you to sit down and take a breather until the coldness returns to your skull
>The desert eagle
>You wouldn't have selected it but
>Gift horse
>Mouth
>Or muzzle
>You love Royale
>You wonder what her highest muzzle velocity is
>[spoiler]Up yours[/spoiler]
>Komet's voice reverberates once more from your skull
>"Horny pony. Ready for round two?"
>Fuck, she can hear your thoughts?
>You thought only Royale could, and she already knows most everything about you
>Komet's voice comes through, somewhat somber
>"It's okay Anon. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be listening"
"Can everyone hear?"
>"No, Dave can't."
>Still...
>She knows about your stupid mistake
"More targets, please"
>None appear for about 30 seconds
>Instead...
>A ripper
>It's coming at you, slow and cautious?
>Curious?
>You know it can move a lot faster, coiled muscles ripple beneath indistinct patterns of dark, former flesh
>You're unnerved, but you aim for the feature of it that is most recognizable as a head
>Slow trigger pull, let the shot surprise you
>Just like the friendly guy at the range all those years ago told you
>What was he, ex-military?
>A spatter of fluid comes out the other end of the thing's head and light shines through
>It makes a sound like a crying child and bounds forward
>Steel yourself
>Adjust
>One more pull
>It stumbles
>Three, on target
>It falls to the ground
>Line up the post with its skull again
>Pull, four
>It finally stops moving
>A robed cultist appears
>You hesitate
>He draws what you think is a 1911
>You shoot at his head and miss by an inch, you can see him stumble and he's somewhat deterred
>Not deterred enough
>Quickly, you re-adjust for the body and hit him in the neck
>He cries out in pain, blood spurting from the hole in his windpipe before it fills his lungs and he begins to drown in it
>Hurts, don't it?
>You drop the mag and push in a fresh one
>A military officer with a strange rifle appears
>You drop him with little hesitation in three shots, he must have body armor and your hands are getting too shaky and tired to reliably hit headshots
>Your skull is pleasantly warm now
>You walk over to him and put one between his eyes just to be sure
>You back up and wait for more to spawn
>It's quiet for several minutes
>A man in a labcoat appears
>Wait
>It's a child
>A woman?
>An old man
>A stallion
>The thing smiles at you
>You smile back, it's somehow inviting
>It's back to being a man
>In a labcoat
>Silver eyes
>This might be a test, are you not supposed to shoot him?
>You wanted to be like him
>Put forth efforts to save the world
>Money left over to meet and spend time with friends
>Maybe buy a house, settle down and...
>You're distracted
>A great force rips your torso asunder from your legs, you look at him in shock as he walks over to you, almost glacial in pace
>and then, you're back in the ice bath
>Komet strokes your cheek as you come to your senses
>Simulated death really fucks you up you suppose
>She gives you a look of slight disappointment, but she quickly hides it behind one of approval
>"We've encountered the thing a few times prior."
>"It isn't here, but he seems to have taken a special interest in you. You did good other than him, I think you've earned a bit of insight. Dave? I need your fingers at the terminal"
>Dave puts down his gacha brainrot and enters some commands she dictates into the ancient keyboard before the CRT
>A face appears, then another
>"It's an enigma"
>A feed of Dave being decapitated.
>A feed of Komet being vivisected on a lab table by a woman with model-esque features
>"I escaped that one, and that wasn't our Dave. Still a tragedy, shows you what could be."
>She rolls onto her back and points to a long stitch spot, then to you
>"You'll be lucky if you don't encounter it. She is, on a surface level, a kind man interested in the strange phenomena you hold near and dear. Don't listen to anything she says. Blow his fucking head off. It won't stop him, but it'll slow her down a bit. Dave, the schematics we captured?"
>A diagram of something comes up, you don't quite understand it but you can see "slight tilt asymptote?" underlined four times in red
"Wait, is the constant something to do with the eyes? They all looked silver."
>Komet looks back at you, a bit surprised
>"Yes, actually. Excellent perception. We're not sure exactly how it works, but it's the reason we started carrying weapons on our journey. Spell didn't want to authorize such a thing at first, thought them barbaric. She relented after I showed her the scars and the footage on rekt threads he's been generating a steady supply of."
>She gets up, you notice that she's taken off the harness thing she was wearing earlier and has put on a headphone set
>"You're hungry, I know. Let's get some more food in you, if you need another day you can wait but I think your firearms discretion and aim are good enough to complete this town's item tonight, the sooner you finish everything the sooner you can both be real mares"
>She stretches, making a sound somewhere between a neigh and a German shepherd's whine and then gets back into the harness
>"Dave, help me with these cords please"
>There's a slight wet sound
>"Thank you"
"Is that uh, safe?"
>"Oh, uh."
>She pauses and seriously considers your question for a little bit
"Because you know, if you have food I know how to cook my own lunch if your magic setup is dangerous, not to be rude. I really appreciate you cooking earlier, I'm just worried about you"
>"Well, thank you. Safe is a bit of a misnomer, I try not to use the word. I know enough to know how to keep things from going wrong with it all I guess. Using my magic makes me feel so much more alive, it makes me feel like a real unicorn"
>You ruffle her mane, which she seems a bit confused by initially but gives you a smile for
"You are a real unicorn."
>She opens her mouth, pauses, then frowns
>"About that, I suppose now's as good a time as any. I'll tell you over lunch. I'll make it, and I insist."
"Thanks, Komet"
>You realize you haven't seen Royale in a few minutes, you look around for her
>'In here'
'You've been inside my head this whole time?'
>'Only a few minutes, dingus. I wanted to take a look at some of the stuff Chemmy used to make this construct, it's seriously impressive'
'I take it "Chemmy" is Komet?'
>'Oh, right. Komet isn't her full name, it's signed in various places around here... property, Chemtrail Komet, made by Chemtrail Komet, emotional support by David Weaver'
>Cute
'That's sweet'
>'It kinda is, you're a sap for saying it out loud though. The juicy part is-'
>"Soup's on!"
'Hold that thought and come on out here, sounds like grub'
>Royale slips out of the back of your skull and falls to the ground with a silent crash
"You okay?"
>"Just fine, hoof seems to have pretty much healed up too. Something about being inside you helps I think"
>You chuckle
"Hey, more reason for our nightly get-togethers"
>She rubs up against your leg
>"As if you have a choice."
>Looks like leftovers, which would explain the speediness of Chemmy's preparations
>They smell damn good though, she must have used an oven to reheat it
>Whatever it is
>Komet evidently notices your confusion
>"It's a sort of traditional thing I made-"
>She catches herself and sighs
>"It's a sort of traditional unicorn dish I've made in the past. It involves several poisonous mushrooms, which have been processed to relative inertness while still maintaining beneficial mild RNA-manipulative and psychedelic effects. Dave wrote about it in his story, but didn't think it was actually possible"
>"As per usual, she proved me wrong."
>He rolls his eyes and chuckles, still looking at his phone
>"What have I told you about phones while we're eating?"
>"Right, sorry 'mom'."
"You've uh... tested this to make sure it's safe, right?"
>"Yeah, we ran into a guy at the store about a week ago. We thought he might die, but he was fine like 16 hours after eating it so we ended up burying him alive instead"
>"She should've mentioned that he was distributing CP"
>"I should've, my bad. No loss, right?"
"Yeah, no loss. So, what sort of benefits am I incurring by risking death?"
>"You doubt her craft?"
"White knight. No, but I think it's natural to be cautious of eating poisonous mushrooms."
>"Understood, to quell your fears..."
>Komet picks up a fork and begins to eat the dish herself
>You observe her for several minutes before shakily picking up some with a fork and beginning to eat
>It tastes...
>Good, but it almost feels like something is encroaching on your taste buds from another dimension
>Five? Six? Seven?
>You don't know
>"So, we call it sevenspace."
>You nearly spit out your meal, but you swallow instead like a good mare
"Sevenspace? Is this related to what you mentioned at the end of breakfast?"
>"Yeah, it is. We're from there, sorta. It'd be more apt to say most things are from there. One of the machines in that van is able to cross through the veil and sort of knock things around like billiards. Dave and I knocked ourselves into our other selves, and they 'carom rebounded' because there was no more displacement that could happen at that 'angle'. 
>You scratch at your chin where a bit of facial hair has been growing
>You always liked to keep clean shaven
"So, this seven-space is the key to traversing between different... states of spacetime?"
>"Kinda, it's not spacetime. It's a state above, but we really shouldn't be able to do this so easily. It's The Rip that made all of the theory papers that had been written somewhat applicable, and also started ruining everything..."
"Fuck. what would it look like?"
>"Oversimplification, but like a giant polygon made up of dots. Many-sided to the point that it almost appears like a circle, with a near incomprehensibly large amount of dots making it up. You could connect the dots with lines, and The Rip could be said to have sort of done that, though they're jagged. Things are spilling in that aren't supposed to, but you can sort of travel from one place to another if you really want to and have a piece of the 'map'"
"But it isn't possible for anyone to really go to Equestria"
>"Yeah... I guess Spell Service broke the bad news to you. Neither you nor I will ever set hoof on Equestrian soil."
"But you're whole, presumably you fulfilled your end of the bargain? Some sort of great deed?"
>"I built a machine that consistently lengthened telomeres in rats. Human trials are still awaiting I think, I haven't checked up on it in a while and it's not on this version of now. It was lazy work, I really just wanted this body so I could help other ponies"
>Dave lets out an exasperated sigh
>"Not this self-deprecation again."
>"Dave made me like this, I don't mean to be rude but he doesn't have much of a STEM background. I was written as a rocket scientist who discovered the cure for cancer, love interest to his surrogate self-insert character."
>She sighs
>"Before I knew it, he slipped on an unmarked wet floor at his niece's Chuck E Cheese party. Then I was born like Athena."
>She takes a bite of the dish and sits back on her haunches again
>"I was hysterical, though Dave wisely ignored me until we could be alone at the hospital. I told him I was a murderer, that I had killed the other him. The self insert hadn't survived on the way out, he was in there too. He didn't know what I was talking about"
>"I wrote your story when I was sixteen. Sixteen, Komet."
>"He came to terms with his own death relatively well. Turns out nobody really much cares much for the version of them that existed a decade ago. We set to work after he was discharged, and soon I was solid."
>She looks down
>"I could've gone on to Equestria. Most of me longs for it, but I knew that ponies like you two needed my help. When I heard that Anon too wanted to be a pony with no promise of ever reaching Equestria, I knew I had made the right choice."
"Komet, come here."
>She walks over to you and you scoop her up gently, taking care of the tubes and tank and squeezing her close to her chest 
>She hugs you tightly too, the tears are welling up in both of your eyes
"We'll just have to make our own Equestria here on earth. Whatever it takes."
>Royale looks to be pretty broken up too, she nuzzles up against Komet
>Dave just closes his eyes as a single tear runs down his cheek
>You guess he fancies himself stoic
>>>
>The day passes by quickly
>You were taught how to use Chemmy's machine
>She told you her full name officially, which was a relief because you like calling her Chemmy
>You weren't taught how to traverse worlds, but you were taught how to knock things out of other slices of spacetime using something called the 'Circular Conversion Unit Vector of Sentimentality'
>The CCUVOS is an operation that knocks something sentimental into another world and returns an item of equal value in a pragmatic sense
>A lucky rabbit's foot might become a drill
>A polaroid of a pet that has died or one no longer owns might become a handgun
>An item directly given to you by-
>You don't wish to, as long as he remains in your head he's still here
>Komet has to leave for a meeting with Spell soon
"Can I test it out with a fork from the drawer or something?"
>"Sure, though don't expect much. Oh, and Anon?"
"Yeah?"
>"If you really appreciate something, you don't have to put it in. We all understand."
>You get back a tube of lipstick for the fork, which you discard
>Another fork yields a half-full energy drink
>A can of paint
>You get tired of useless shit and elect to use the kunai you stole from the fed
>Komet is just getting back from the meeting, guess it was quick
>Her ears perk up at the high-pitched 'ping' that emits from the machine when the knife vanishes
>"What have we here..."
>It's a PDA
>Not the type of PDA where you kiss someone in a crowded mall though
>"What did you put in?"
"Kunai that belonged to the fed"
>"Must've meant a lot to you."
"I guess? I hate feds and she and her husband were trying to kill me."
>"Fair enough. Turn it over for me, please"
>You turn it over, on the gunmetal grey plastic there's a logo
>Ten snakes
>All eating each other
>Each snake has consumed the snake before it up to the neck
>and the previous snake in turn has consumed that snake in the same manner, as the logo is circular
>Below them there's fancy engraved text in another language
"Do you know what it says?"
>She takes a camera down from the wall and scans it, then looks at the screen
>"Ouran Cyclics. Turn it on, please."
>The PDA boots with a distinctly nostalgic sound, though you know you haven't heard it before
>Kinda sounds like a cross between Palm Pilot sync and DS chatroom sfx
>You have to fuck around with its settings for a while, but you eventually manage to switch the language to something that at least resembles english
>Some of the tense is a bit weird but it's workable
>'Walk' 'Run' 'Time' 'Notes' 'Calendar' 'Games' 'Internet'
>Notes is standard, though the keyboard has support for a second and third alphabet that are unknown to you
>The calendar has over 600 days in a single year
>Each day is 40 hours when you check "Time"
>Internet doesn't appear to work, even with the password for this wifi network it fails to connect
>Some of the games look cool, but you want to see the actual functionality this thing has first
>Run...
>You read it aloud
"'Select a destination and go! No cheat, full distance be covered before traversal will initiated.' Well, sounds like fun"
>"Be careful, Anon."
"Of course. Hey, Royale? This thing is probably going to drag you along, get ready"
>Royale was playing chess with Dave, she looks a bit annoyed, waving her hoof at you while she signals for him to move one of her pieces
>You tap the button to select a destination
>It takes about five minutes to think before letting out a light 'ding' and...
>You're in a grey hallway
>Nobody else is there but you and Royale, and the hall behind you is blocked off by rubble
>"I was about to mate him."
"That's what she said"
>"Gah! Gross, he's kinda fat and you know which way I swing. Let's move, you didn't set our location too far, did you?"
"Just outside the house, on the lawn"
>"Good"
>You walk forward only about fifteen feet before pixelated confetti begins to fall from the ceiling and you are instantly transported to the lawn of the yard
>"Wonder what the upper limits on distance for this thing are"
"Doesn't really matter, no way to bring a car. It's an exercise program after all"
>"Weird. I guess it's for people in apartments who get self-conscious about how they look while they're walking in public or don't have the space to run?"
"Yeah, looks like you can also just define raw distance if the position you select is less than 2 feet from your current position"
>"Huh. Well, I'm sure we can find a way to make it useful"
"Yeah, it's funny though.
>"What is?"
"Unconventional seems to be the hand we've been dealt."
>"Bet. Try walk, curious what that does"
>You press it and it's a very similar menu to run, though the upper limit is lower
>You put in a request again and it loads very quickly before putting you in another grey hallway
>This one appears to have runes carved into the wall and the floor is stained with some sort of dark substance, maybe oil?
>Blood?
>In any case, you two walk the short distance "back" to the inside of the house
"Well, shit. Wonder if this could be used to bypass locked doors"
>"I don't see why not... say, what's the battery life like on it?"
"Let's see... almost dead, fuck."
>Komet eagerly trots over before sitting in front of you as an obedient pet might
>"I'll get a power adapter working for you to use that thing if you let me poke around inside it and see what it's made of~"
"Sure thing, all yours"
>You hold it out to her and she gingerly takes it between her teeth before bounding off to the garage like an excited puppy
>You and Dave share a look and a smile
>"Mares."
>Royale checkmates him as promised, he's a good sport about it but warns her that he's been practicing and intends to win next time
>You take out your laptop to kill a bit of time while Komet works, Dave watches an adult swim full night programming recording with you and Royale
>From 2003
>You chuckle when the three of you get to a Greyhound ad
>"Look familiar?"
"Yeah, Royale and I took one most of the way out here. All the way out to Sierra Vista. Was certainly a bit more expensive than $15 for the trip out, but that's life. Gotta keep printing money because..."
>"Yeah, the world is burning. Let's get some marshmallows and roast them on the flames."
>You chuckle
"Good deal."
>"Soup's on!"
>Komet has prepared pizza this time, it's mushroom and olive
>You notice that the mushrooms on it are detoxed destroying angels like she served you earlier, guess she's still preparing you to be some sort of psychic warrior
"That's right, you never told me the benefits of these mushrooms earlier."
>"Oh, yeah. Increased... we call it glimmer."
"Wow."
>"Yeah, yeah. It's like, a measure of attunement to "extrasensory" sensations. Turn around and observe."
>You shrug and do so
>She chucks something at you and you catch it
>You look at what she threw at you and realize it's a knife
"Oh. Well..."
>You throw it back at her and she catches it in turn, laughing
>"Fair, fair. That was rude of me, it's dulled. rub your hand along it, I promise."
>You do so and she isn't lying
>"A lot of the basal level of it is about animalistic survival drive, but it should also allow you to more accurately visualize the Delgihn under the earth. Speaking of which, are you ready once you finish your slices?"
>You realize that you have three pieces on your plate, which feels a bit rude until you realize there are multiple pizzas
>You take a deep breath
"I think so, yes."
>>>
>You've got the headset back on now, you're clipped like back when you were in the simulator but Komet just confirmed that it's just to monitor your vitals
>"Can't get much of a read out on your eyes from this far away, take out the PDA. How's the time to inverse?"
>You check the status on the Ouran, it's displaying...
"It says that it's loaded 14686/18956... terabytes?"
>"Oh my god"
"I know, whew"
>"I'll take a closer look at it after you finish the job. You've got visuals on the Delgihn, right?"
>Remember your briefing session, concentrate on the sinusoid paths of the particles around you
"Yeah, it's... hazy, but I'm seeing outlines instead of just feeling the pull now. Those mushrooms must really be putting work in."
>"Good. Don't make any noises too loud, anything above roughly 80 dB and you're going to be having company. Remember, I just learned about the PDA earlier today so don't rely on it, if you need it you need it but you might also just already be dead if it gets to that point."
"Right, okay. Royale?"
>"Alright, I'm putting on... Falling Into Place."
>You step over the spot where you got tranq'd, walk across the street, and towards the most isolated hot point in the field.
>Soothing synthwave rolls directly into your mind as you unstrap the posthole digger from your back
>Short grass, you make short work of the initial layer of dirt and set it beside you
>The next layer is a bit more packed and rocky
>The one after that is almost entirely pebbles
>And the subsequent one is a fucking stone
>You curse quietly, you sure as fuck don't want to bring out the damned pickaxe and wake up every fucking ripper in the field
>Royale looks down with worry, the two of you share a pained look
>"Something the matter ground team?"
>"I am not ground team! I'm air team. You're ground team too!"
>You chuckle a bit and Royale gives you a little smirk before returning to a serious expression
"Yeah, we've got a stone here. I'm above his head right now and I've felt around with the digger, I can't dig around it without breaking it open with a pick."
>"Hm. Well, there's certainly a reason we didn't send you with a pick... those things would be about as dangerous against a rock as a bullet would. Sit tight and I'll- David! Get off your phone!"
>"I'm listening on it, jeez mom!"
>"Alright, alright. Sorry. I'll figure it out, just gimme a few and move on to the next one, alright?"
"Alright. I'm counting on you, Komet."
>You manage to successfully get the next Delgihn dug to almost its face
>The soil is... pulsating right underneath where your posthole digger last pulled earth
"Komet, gonna do the first one now."
>You speak in a whisper
>"Good luck. Stand back after you pour, far."
>You slot the funnel chamfer into the hole and take the jug out of your pack
"Royale, can you turn off the music? I need absolute focus."
>You steel your quivering hands around the acid and quickly begin to pour
>It flows down nice and easy, no splashback whatsoever to your relief
>After about a fifth of it is gone, you quickly retrieve the funnel, step back roughly 4 yards and just watch
>The earth shakes, you tense up and check the PDA status
>Almost done, but not fast enough if the others wake
>A serrated, scythe-like appendage bursts from the earth, goes straight up in the air, swings to and fro in a spastic seizure dance, and then goes still
>You're about to walk closer to inspect further when there's a wet sort of cracking
>The scythe flies up into the air and imbeds itself deep in the pavement across the street, right where your car was earlier
>Wait a second...
>"Anon? ANON!"
"Uh, yeah?"
>"What did you do? There are two less now, where the fuck is the other one?!"
>You tense up, the Ouran isn't ready yet...
>You hiss out a response
"I don't know! I'm getting two less hot points but..."
>You trail off as you look back over at the scythe
"It's uh, legitimate. The first one I glassed blew up and it had this sort of scythe on it. The scythe flew across the street and... cleared out our target I think"
>"Fascinating. You know that couldn't have been luck, right?
"Why not?"
>"Because there was just a spike in EM and it hasn't stabilized yet. You caused that."
"No way. Are you sure some cell tower equipment didn't just blow a resistor or something?"
>"Nope, there was a very noticeable abnormal peak right when the first one left the equation. You've got gifts."
"Great to know, but can I repeat that?"
>"Um... I'll run some tests. To be honest though, I have no clue. We're in uncharted territory with this one"
"Awesome, frying brains and setting records"
>"You know it!"
>She lets out this adorably dorky laugh and you laugh along with her, Royale just rolls her eyes
>"Komet! Back to it, we can celebrate when we're through with this job. Have you figured out how to take out the one under that rock?"
>"Not yet, gimme a few still. Try the others? This is farmland, the stone is somewhat of an anomaly. Dirt should be pretty smooth and-"
>She cuts out for a second
>"Sorry, Spell wanted to talk. Told her not now"
>You stroll over to the far right end of the field where the next hot point is
>You really hate even looking at the outlines, but you have to if you want to find the head
>It's right under your feet so you get digging again
>It's pebbles, all pebbles
>You're getting tired and a bit dirty and sweaty, you're going to take a nice shower when this is over
>and shave
>If you live through it 
>Two voices come through your headset at once berating you for thinking that and Royale lets out an anguished sigh
"Sorry"
>"Mindset is reality right now. Don't let it slip again, were you not paying attention during the briefing?"
"Right."
>You pull out the last scoop of pebbles and mutter, putting the funnel back in and pouring
>As soon as the required liquid has drained you pick it up again and run to the far left of the field
>It...
>Erupts into an explosion in the shape of a white cross, like a Christian one
>Dave screams obscenities into your comms while Komet types something frantically, you're not sure how she does that with hooves but you hear the keys clacking
>"Anon?!"
"Yeah?"
>"There's going to be a premature collapse, get out of there! That's a psychological injection effect!"
>"But there are still two left!"
>"The collapse will take both of them with it, leave!"
>You check the PDA status, fuck
>It's almost done, two percentage points left
>You start to run, you feel the earth moving behind you
>One percentage point
>Something comes down behind you, hard
>You're launched into the air along with the dirt
>How are your legs not broken?
>You must be at least 50 feet up, and still climbing
>Far below, a man is taking notes, looking up at you
>It looks like he's drawing a projectile motion graph on grid paper
>You pivot yourself mid-air and catch a glimpse of...
>You're placed in a tunnel, dimly lit from above by cheap fluorescent lights
>The terror has somewhat subsided at least
>You and Royale just stare at each other
"I have no recollection as to how I got here"
>"Anon! Fuck, you're bleeding."
>You look down at your pants, your jeans are shorn through jaggedly and there's a nasty looking but relatively superficial long cut on your lower left thigh
"Wow. I almost don't like being this lucky, I feel like it's about to run out"
>Royale looks down solemnly
>"I hope they're okay."
"Me too. The collapse should be far enough from the house at least"
>"But what if they didn't go all the way back so they could come pick us up if necessary?"
"I-"
>You stop yourself
>There are no words
"I feel it appropriate for us to run back. At least as best we can, I'm not in immaculate shape"
>"Alright, let's go."
>The two of you take off into the tunnel, rough gravel underneath you and worry ahead of you.
>>>
>You burst out from the other space into the kitchen 
>"Komet! Dave!"
"Dave! Komet!"
>"Thank Celestia!"
>The two of them rush into the kitchen
>Both of them look like death, and presumably so do the two of you
>"When your comms went dark, we thought..."
"We were so worried that the collapse had gotten you."
>Komet wraps herself around your leg, then recoils just a bit, then hugs you again
>"You need a shower, but come to think of it so do I after the summer heat and terror sweats. Let's all get cleaned up, try to relax and I'll reheat the celebratory dessert. You both did it, Spell Service was right."
"Let's shower in shifts, silver eyes was out there."
>Komet goes quiet, then nods.
>"As long as we're ready to kill him it'll take him a bit to regroup. You and I will go first while David keeps watch."

>David gives a grim nod and grabs his gun
>You only now notice that the FDM is patterned in such a way that there's a design of a leopard seal in combat with an orca whale, both creatures baring fearsome teeth
"Cool markings"
>David smiles at you
>"Thanks dude, I call it arctic warfare."
"You draw?"
>"Yeah."
>He stops himself for a minute
>"Uh, mostly porn. You probably haven't heard of me, never was able to make any damn money off of it"
"Art should be done for passion anyways, otherwise you'll burn out fast"
>"Oh, trust me, there was plenty of-"
>"Anon! Showers."
"Sorry, mom."
>David gives you another devilish grin and the two of you share a look before you both laugh and you head off to the shower
>The dirt has somehow ended up in every crevice of your body, it takes about 15 minutes of hot water and soap before you're finally sure everything is clean
>When you get out you find that your laundry from earlier has been laid down on the bench next to the bathroom door
>You slip back into the DJ Pon3 T-shirt you wore on your way out of Cali, a pair of boxers, and a pair of socks
>Tuck the eagle into your waistband as best as you can, it's a bit awkward but you manage to get it to stick in place
>You can't really be bothered to wear much else at the moment, but you do take the time to go back into the bathroom to shave your face before heading back out to cover your watch-
>-only to find David and Komet there with Royale already, David looking as clean as you've ever seen him
>"Yeah, you took kind of a while bro."
"Shit, sorry."
>"It's fine. You're the one who was out digging in the dirt, not me. Get some dessert."
>Komet smiles at you and takes a small plate out of this box she probably built herself given it's got a front panel like an Apollo rocket
>It looks like chocolate lava cake
>You take a fork and a knife from the center of the table and cut it open, recoiling a bit in shock as molten, orange goo flows out
>You poke at it with the fork and it doesn't seem to immediately melt, you suppose you should feel a bit stupid for thinking it would given the cake cut with normal difficulty with ordinary implements
"What kind of Gay. K. Rowling shit is this?"
>Komet laughs.
>"I altered the recipe so the internals of the cake closely resemble the viscosity of high-basalt magma. Cool, huh?"
>You study it a bit further and she starts laughing again
>"Don't just look at it bonehead, eat it!"
>You suppose it would be acceptable for unicorns to call each other boneheads
>You take a bite of cake and dip it in your 'magma' (or lava now you suppose, as it's made contact with air) and it's quite good, you hadn't ever had chocolate lava cake before now but you're pretty sure this is about as good as it gets
>Baking is a science after all, and Komet is Newton-like in her domain
>The table gets quieter as everyone else digs in too, and eventually all is silent as you all sit back, satisfied
>David is the first to break the silence
>"Damn."
"You said it."
>Royale has been noticeably absent for the past few minutes and you only just now noticed, the last time you saw her was when she poked her head into the shower to tell you that dessert was ready
"Hey, where's Royale? Royale?!"
>You hurriedly get up and start rushing around looking for her
>It's not really like her to leave
>When you finally get outside you hear her voice
>She's sitting down on the steps in a Lyra-esque fashion, running her forehooves through her feathers
>"Hey."
"I was so worried about you"
>"I can't easily be hurt, remember?"
"But you already have been, and I don't want it to ever happen again. What's wrong?"
>"Didn't feel like the festivities were really for me given they involved food. Figured I'd show myself out and just have a little me time for contemplation while you all finished up whatever undeniably tasty thing Komet whipped up."
"What were you thinking about?"
>She sighs
>"What's all this about, Anon?"
"I've told you, you're my everything. I care about you."
>"I know, I know. I love you too, Woodsy... not asking about this moment, I'm inquiring as to the greater nature of all of this. The game you and I are players in."
"Well, you know more than I do. Spell is a player and you get to speak with her directly, right?"
>Royale scoffs
>"Player? No, no. She's like, a guild leader or a group admin. She's got a bit of power, but the whole thing with The Rip, none of us really knows now who is pulling the strings or to what ends. Maybe we're destined to live for the greater good, and maybe we're destined to die to its detriment."
"I've never subscribed to fatalism due to its fast descent into sludgy nihilism."
>"Neither would the old Royale. The new Royale, the one that existed after exiting your brain and learning all this shit... there are forces out there. You know that exercise where you try to imagine the scale of an incredibly large number like a googol and nopony can do it? Now imagine a googol times a googol. Imagine that it's... I wouldn't call it malicious, but..."
"You're scaring me a bit"
>"Shut up and listen!"
>She snaps abruptly at you and as you recoil, she immediately seems to regret what she's done
>"Uh, let's see if we can go to bed. I want to snuggle with you while I'm getting into the gloom and doom of it."
>You hold a finger up to her mouth and she looks back at you, a bit surprised
"I'm not objecting to that, but don't you think it's best we finish up out here?"
>"I guess, I mostly just wanted to move inside because I felt watched..."
>She looks down at her forehooves
>"and I'm sorry for yelling at you, Anon."
>You look around, finding nothing but feeling a similar unease
"It's okay. We'll head on in."
>You lead the way inside, carefully watching the windows for potential incursions
>Royale mentions her unease to the others as you quietly occupy yourself with the dishes, a strange feeling creeping into your bones
>You feel it too
>Nonetheless, you let Royale lead you to bed and allow her into your mind once again
>She mostly just wants to cuddle this time, which you do too
>Even if it means being the little spoon
>You slip into unconsciousness rather comfortably, but again, something encroaches...
>You feel its incorporeal tendrils around you and push them away
>It speaks, not unlike a whisper or a jet engine 
>In your mind, not through your ears, perfectly coherent and articulate
>"You interest me."
"Are you the being who watched me earlier?"
>"Yes."
>You guard your thoughts, not letting it get any insight into your hand and keeping mentally neutral even though the deep, deep you screams out in horror
"What do you want? My time is valuable."
>"Mine isn't. Neither is yours. You ought to know that."
"I could cast you out."
>"No, you can't."
>The tendrils increase in volume and density, their mass oppressive
>Almost swallowing you
>"I like you. You're funny. Not many still are."
"I've never considered myself much a comedian"
>It pauses, then laughs, like a jackal
>Then a screaming fox, the distinct sound of a woman being butchered alive
>"I'm only leasing what I have. That's okay, I'm fine with non-ownership"
"and why is that?"
>"Nothing has ever mattered. You will see that soon. I will show it to you in absolute, and all that will be left is you and my research."
>You are silent, you can't think of a retort to that
>Except for one word
"Reddit."
>Its laughs almost deafen you, despite the fact that the dreaming world has no tissue, as it backs off and leaves you to bolt awake, a sweaty mess, a scream bursting from your jaws
"Royale? I think we're in danger."
>>>
>None of you sleep for the remainder of the night, though Royale volunteers to be the designated watch and wake you up should anything go wrong
>You object for two reasons:
>You don't know if she can actually get through into your dreams effectively
>and you're not sure if you could even fall back asleep
>So Dave clutches his polymer gun while you clutch your gold one, Royale paces anxiously, and Komet does some sort of test in the sink with an apparatus she's hooked up to a voltage source
>Eventually, the tension is so thick that you imagine it forming a substance you could cut it with a knife
>They call it dread distillate
>It's melted and drizzled onto dishes in small quantities for the wealthy few who have forgotten what it feels like to experience negative emotions other than boredom.
>You inhale the rich chemicals that permeate the room
>David's faint scent of cheap cologne
>Your own odor of gunpowder smoke that you haven't quite been able to wash off
>You think it might be a product of yesterday's training, you haven't fired off too many rounds in the real world after all
>Komet smells of ozone
>You suppose she would, that thing over there is humming faintly as it performs unknown processes
>Possibly unknown to human science
>But she simply hums a different tune than the machine
>Frowning every so often and adjusting the dials, checking pins with a multimeter, taking oscilloscope readings
>Eventually, agonizingly slowly, morning breaks and lets in the sunlight to reveal no threats
>You feel like a complete idiot, but are assured that your visions were logical cause for concern
>Dave makes French toast, Komet apparently still too busy tinkering with her apparatus to cook this morning
>Either that or the two of them divvy up the duties
>In any case, David is just as good a cook as Komet, at least
>The only difference being that there's no questions attached about the nature of the meal's components, it's high-quality grocery store ingredients prepared by skilled hands, and the coffee flows like wine.
>You and Komet wolf it down, Dave following soon after
>You invite Royale to smell it up close, remembering how she liked the odor of the reeses cups back on the greyhound
>She gives you a big smile and indulges in a few good whiffs of your breakfast before stating she's had her 'fill'
>You're not sure how she can smell given she has no olfactory receptors, but it doesn't particularly matter as long as she's happy
[spoiler]https://youtu.be/in7yLZJ7A6Y[/spoiler]
>You end up doing the dishes again without being asked to, because it simply feels correct
>Though as guests you've already exploded that lamp, so you have your doubts it will save Komet's airbnb visitor ratings
>Royale still yearns for the sweet breakfast foods, but you remind her with a pantomime stroke behind the ear that she'll get her chance to stuff her muzzle with it all soon, just as soon as you're all done here
>In turn, she mumbles something like "breakfast of champions"
>Komet looks a bit solemn
"What's up, Chemmy?"
>"Mmm, well. We're going to be... splitting off here. At least for a little bit."
"Oh."
>"It's not anything you two did! You've both been wonderful, honestly. Spell has some other secondary tasks she wants me to uphold, there's a tower in Dallas that's been set up to amplify frequencies that incite the negative emotions in people that some opposing forces involved with The Rip feed off."
"What are you going to do to it?"
>She grins, showing you the front panel of the device she's been building
>It's not really comprehensible to you, so you apologize
>"Right, crap. Sorry. It can be installed in an adjacent building to a signal generator, with some preparations. It introduces significant and unbearable noise into the broadcast, the sort that will convince operators that the components are faulty. They'll take the whole thing offline for diagnostics, find no problems, start it up again, notice the same problems..."
>She gives you a sadistic grin
>"and so on."
>You laugh in reply
"Goddamn, you really can be evil."
>"It's the sort of thing that would drive me bonkers, so that's how I know it's good."
>The table shares a good-natured chuckle for about ten seconds before it dies down
"So, will Royale and I be taking the fed car then?"
>"Yeah, I think that would be best. Easier to do that than buy another one, plus it has some interesting features."
"Have you investigated it to ensure it lacks trackers?"
>She gives you this patronizing look before defaulting back to her kind face and demeanor
"Sorry. Sometimes I don't think before I speak. It..."
>You flash back to the incident that allowed Royale to escape your skull, what little you can remember of it
"Has caused problems, but also, ya'know."
>You motion to Royale, who gives a little wave
>"Mistakes into miracles."
>She gives you another smile
>"The top left console button is the garage door backseat divider, but you knew that. The top right console button is a distress signal, do not under any circumstances post it. The car doesn't send out active tracking beacon signals, but that button will activate an isolated distress signal component that will constantly broadcast your location to the alphabet boys. Second to left engages a sort of mechanical deadbolt on the back doors. Second down on right activates the radar jammer. It's powerful enough to make anybody within a quarter mile quickly drop cell reception, but it also might throw off any radio-guided weapons or speed guns. Press it again to turn it off. Third left unlocks the rotary cannons on the underbelly of the car. Third left to fire. The rest are either encrypted or unused, and I have no idea which one so don't press them if you can avoid it."
"How'd you even manage to get that much information? I thought it was all proprietary that wasn't hooked up to the computer."
>"Funnily enough, the decryption key used is the same as a section of viral RNA I developed to eradicate cancer cells. The same key wasn't used for all of the functions, but hey. It worked for some, right?"
"Do you just input that code into everything you find?"
>She looks down at her forehooves, sheepishly
>"Not everything, but a lot of things."
>David laughs
>"She really does. She's asked me to stop the car to put it into an ATM when we were a bit broke. What did you think would happen?"
>She frowns
>"The obsession helped Anon out, so was it really so ridiculous?"
>Dave ponders this for a minute before shrugging his shoulders, complacent in being a bystander in the conversation once again 
>Twilight would have an aneurysm if she had heard what was just said
>"So, what's your next destination say anyways Anon?"
>You're pretty sure Komet already knows and is trying to make smalltalk, but you oblige
"Smolan, Kansas. There isn't a specific address listed this time, I assume it's a small town and I'll be able to navigate by the pull."
>"That sounds right. Are you two ready to head out? I hate to rush you, but we all have long drives ahead of us."
"Yeah, hang on."
>You head back into your room, thinking back on the past few insane days
>Wild how getting drugged led to the most welcoming interaction you've had with anyone since Derran
>Funny to describe a drug dealer as welcoming, but if he hadn't given you this gun you don't know where you'd be now
>Though more than likely the answer isn't a happy one
>You load what few belongings you have into the backpack
>You remember that you haven't asked for Komet's PDA adapter, she hoofs it over willingly, eagerly pleading with you to gather more data if you can
>It requires a 120 volt washing machine outlet
>Damn, you'll have to use this quite sparingly
>Luckily someone had the foresight to charge it last night so it's full of juice at the moment 
>You throw the backpack in the passenger seat and Royale hops up inside, curling herself around it
>Dave offers a fistbump which you return and palms you his phone number "Just in case you need anything"
>Komet lets you pick her up and hug her
>She's soft, warm
>and she lets out a little sound when you squeeze her, a bit like a happy puppy
>and then she's back on the ground, her and David are getting back in the van, and the garage door is opening 
>You call after them
"See you soon? Good luck out there."
>Komet motions for David to roll down the window as she gets situated in the passenger seat 
>"Same to you, and yes. As soon as we can. Dave, activate the tints?"
>David hits a button on the console and the windows on the van darken, obscuring your two new friends from view
>You plug Smolan into the GPS, and you both pull out together
>Innuendo
>There's not much good on the radio, you scan and scan but give up eventually
"Feels like we haven't talked much lately, sorry about that."
>"I understand, Komet stole the show a little bit. Being a real pony and all."
"You're a real pony too"
>"I wasn't mad at you, I'm just saying she obviously did. Sorry."
>She hums a little tune in earnest, you recognize it to be from Cave Story
>No, not that one you pervert
>You let her finish her humming then start
"Um"
>"Yeah?"
"Can you teach me a little bit about psychic attacks? I feel it might be necessary."
>She sighs
"Sorry."
>"Don't be. Anon..."
>She looks straight at you
>"Have you ever seen the sequel to The Neverending Story?"
>Not what you expected her to say, but
"Well, you know about it."
>"Touché. You know how Bastian begins to lose his memories as he wishes for more things as the movie goes on?"
"Yeah"
>"For me, all of my memories aren't material. I'm an entity, not flesh and blood. That's why I was damaged like I was by the psychic backlash when I killed that gunman."
"So, what'll happen to me if I start flatlining brain activity? Slow death of the eternal soul?"
>"Not quite. You're putting immense strain on your mind, You'll feel fatigued, like a night of studying hard, only a few hours of sleep, only to take a difficult exam right after."
"Is that all?"
>"You'll begin to lose things. Unimportant faces and names at first, but the more times you do it, the more important things and the more numerous of them you'll lose after every attack. Eventually, I doubt you'll even be able to remember your own name."
"Is it actual disassociation of neuron connections or something more insidious?"
>"As far as I can tell, the neural connections will still be there, but you won't be able to access them without some sort of... outside help. Not even Spell seemed to know what could provide that."
"Hm. For the record, I prefer the first movie. Other than that scene with Artax."
>"Anon! Look out!"
>You swerve in the nick of time to miss a sickly old man wearing sunglasses
>You mutter to yourself as you slam on the brakes and pull onto the side of the road, putting your hazards on and getting out
>What the fuck is wrong with this guy?
>You storm over to him, Royale in tow
>He has a cane, is dressed in a Hawaiian button-up, and is wearing a pair of sweats
>and his sunglasses
>"Hello kind young man, I seem to have-"
>You rip the sunglasses off his face, prompting laughter and a tone shift
>His eyes, as you suspected they might be, are silver.
>"Hello Anonymous. We have much to speak about, and I notice you neglected to bring that hand-cannon with you."

>You send the signals to your brain to make the moves to tackle him, but they don't quite seem to make it 
>"Relax, none of that yet."
>You pounce on him and pin his arms to the ground
>"Better than expected. Sooner. Impressive."
"What the fuck do you want from me?"
>"You're interesting. I want to write a "paper" about you, the bloodlusted, mentally degraded man who thought he could kill a god."
"I suppose the narcissism lines up with your preoccupations."
>"Not me. You ought to have figured that out by now."
>The synchronized voices in the void, something happened.
>There was something in front of you in the dark
>A sort of subconscious influence towards a coordinated effort that spelled attrition
"Whispers in the night."
>His wrinkly face forms a cruel grin
>"Now you seem to get it."
"Then what are you?"
>He hesitates, a hanging moment
>No more than a few seconds, but you swear the insects aren't singing
>The birds aren't calling
>"A remora."
>You tilt your head and narrow your gaze at him
>"You'll figure it out, I wouldn't want to give you all the answers"
>You look into his eyes
>There are little flecks of metal in there
"Did the man you're inhabiting do anything wrong? Can you leave his skin?"
>He laughs, cruelly
>"No, he did not. No, I cannot. I will inhabit the body until physical death and then... you will see me again."
"Is his... mind still in there? Suppressed?"
>"Yes."
"Can he see it all?"
>He smiles again 
>"Yes. It's painful, too."
"But why would you do such a thing?"
>"Because I have the talent."
"You'd kill innocents simply because you think you deserve life more than them?"
"Yes, but that's far from the only reason. This is the only afterlife anybody is ever going to get anymore. The elevator is out of service, and the stairs are a river of blood. Son, you are in so far over your head that you might as well be at the bottom of your Marianas Trench."
>The chill passes through your whole body
>You have an idea though
>You take one hand off of him and place it on the back of your skull, at your fracture point
>Royale gets the message and enters you
'I'm hoping he can't hear us. If you enter his mind, can you override the current possession with a mental program?'
>'That's an interesting idea, but very risky for me'
'Teach me how to do it myself then, if it doesn't carry the same risks as the overwrite'
>'You're going to feel very tired, but it's not quite the same. You want to press a finger up against his neck, feel for the last vertebrae before it becomes indistinguishable within the skin. That's how it is for those without the head injury, at least.'
'Then what?'
>"What's wrong? Cars might be along any minute now."
>'The best way I can describe it is: give in to panic. As you exit your own brain, there will be an intense feeling of dread. Then you will be deep in a pool of tar. If you can navigate your way out of it, you should be able to load the program. So it goes with the untrusted.'
>You nod, allowing the wild feelings that have been bubbling up these past few days to froth over the edges of your mind as you feel around the back of his neck
>"Oh. Good luck then, Anon of California."
>'Get ready.'
>and then, there is quiet.
>The murky, tar-like humor covers your mouth and eyes
>You 'hold' your 'breath' and focus on your own will
>Once broken and worthless, but recently renewed to vigor by trial and promise
>You imagine a dredging pump, above you
>There is no blade at the end, only the exit of a siphon 
>It pulls you in, you are still in darkness
>Finally, you are spat onto the floor of what appears to be a soviet-era nuclear plant 
>There are pictures hung all over the walls of the man Silver Eyes inhabits
>Fishing with his children, then with his grandchildren
>Working in a place a lot like this one, filing paperwork and running tests
>Goofing off after class, getting drunk at the river bank
>Taking his future wife down to the edge of the artificial lake, both of them taking their socks off and feeling the lukewarm, muddy water
>Watching his childhood dog die
>Watching his son get hit by a car
>Months of trips to the hospital
>Recovery
>Celebration
>Playing guitar poorly in a band after retiring 
>Putting Solitaire on a floppy disk 
>That could be it.
>You reach in and take out the floppy disk, partially focused on it to write the shooting range program onto it while you look for the correct floppy drive
>Red
>Orange
>Green
>Black
>No Silver
>You'll have to take a risk, none of them seem willing to reveal their contents to you before you eject them
>He wouldn't go for black or red because he'd expect you to access those
>That leaves orange and green
>Green is your color, not his
>But does he know that?
>You eject the orange drive and load in the shooting range program
>The floppy is silver
>You're back on the road
>"Anon..."
"Did we do it?"
>Royale shakes her head sadly
>The man's eyes are rolled back in his head, braindead.
>"He was already dead. There wasn't anything we could do, probably a failsafe."
"Orange. He... meant to warn me. What of?"
>"Car!"
>You look up just in time to see another car swerve off the road into the ditch
>The driver looks pissed as he gets out
>"We don't have time to deal with this, run."
"But it looks like-"
>"It doesn't matter what it looks like, if you try to clear your name you're dead anyways, remember?"
"Right... 
>You quietly take two quarters out of your pockets and put them over the eyes of the nuclear engineer who shouldn't have died today.
"Rest well, grandfather."
>You and Royale book it back to the car, it's a lucky break that the man who nearly crashed into you is about 60 pounds overweight.
>>>
>"Smolan."
"Smolan."
>"What the fuck is in Smolan?"
"Well, uh."
>"Oh my Celestia."
"In this case, it's God."
>You pull the car to a halt in front of the massive church.
>"No internet anywhere around here, I wonder what it's called"
"Who knows. Let's get out and see."
>"Woodsy... don't forget the gun this time."
>You grab it and stick it in your pocket.
"Sorry, ma'am."
>"I am going to do things to your incorporeal form later that would render you bowlegged for weeks if they were done to your corporeal form."
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
>You shut the door and begin walking towards the church on the other side of the parking lot 
>It may not be massive compared to some city churches, but its sheer scale in contrast to the fields and small houses around it is vast.
>"Town seems empty."
"It's a small place, give it time I think."
>"Yeah. You feeling any hotspots yet?"
"Not yet."
>"I'm getting a bad feeling. I think we should head back to the car."
"And go where? It's just people's houses and cornfields."
>"You're impossible sometimes, I thought your intuition was supposed to be tuned now. I'm going to fly around overhead, this doesn't feel safe."
"Suit yourself."
>"We are approaching a fucking hotspot, and you're acting like it's a walk in the park."
"I'm also trying to be unassuming with my speech, and like I said I don't feel the hotspot yet. This is just the locale. Hang on a second, that's a glint overhead... can you de-render the left overlook supports?"
>"Sniper!"
>Your heart starts racing
"Watching me?"
>"Yes watching you! You're the only thing in front of the church."
"I'll approach the doors. My optics and disadvantage are horrible and he's zeroed in on me, best to appear unassuming."
>"I can overwrite him. This is an appropriate opportunity."
"I'll leave it up to you, it's your life more than it is mine."
>"Don't say that, please."
"It's just... I don't know, you've got a lot more of a future than I do."
>"He's got his phone out now, rifle is leaned against the wall. He looks hot and tired."
"I would be too, working a sniper post in this Kansas heat." 
>You push against the door. 
>It's a pull door, your nerves are shot.
>You pull it open and take a look inside
>At least it's clean, looks a bit smaller on the inside than it looked outside
>Might be the height of the two sniper nests 
>There's a man at the alter holding an M16. It's trained on your chest
"This feels like a test. Can you check the mag?"
>"It's empty."
"Is there one in the chamber?"
>"I need to fly over to see."
"Please be quick."
>She pushes Rainbow Dash speeds getting over close enough to see and then darts back to you
>"Empty."
>You pull the eagle out from your waistband and approach him.
>"Halt."
>You continue towards him until you're right next to him, his rifle trained on your head now.
"Make me."
>He lowers the rifle
>"Hugo, he's the one."
>A feminine voice comes from the door to the left of the alter
>"Hugo's not here right now!"
>"Get him out here then! My lord..."
>There's some shuffling and crashing before a man in a bathrobe spattered with red and yellow stars comes out from the room.
>He looks at the bathrobe with a grimace and then sheds it, leaving it on the ground.
>Beneath it, he's wearing a fine, tailored suit
>"Welcome, dowser. We've been expecting you. Your competitor prospect will be here any moment now. Jack?"
>Jack drops the empty mag on the ground, picking up a new one from the alter shelf and charging his rifle.
>The set of doors you didn't take jiggle a bit, locked?
>A few seconds later, the other doors open.
>A scrawny guy a bit shorter than you comes in.
>"I'm the psychic you asked for? Do you need a demonstration?"
>Hugo walks over to Jack
>"One to the head."
>Blood, skull fragments, and grey matter coat the floor of the holy entryway.
"What did he do?"
>"He was instructed to arrive before you."
"And how was he supposed to know when I arrived?"
>"The same way you knew to arrive before him, and to wear that mask."
"The mask?"
>"Inspect his body."
>You feel sick, but you walk over to him.
>He's wearing a rubber facsimile, a close replica of your friend.
>The one who made your Pinkie beanie.
>The one who died of a drug overdose while you were away from your computer for a few days.
>You puke all over the floor, the acrid acid and assorted digested matter mixing with his blood.