'Earth Years Since Brony Takeover: 45
Earth Months Since First Stable Link To Equestria: 10
Earth Months Since Brony/Pegasister Assimilation: 2'
I stared at the dates on my journal. I continued scribbling the words into the paper of the old notebook I found in an abandoned house.
'It's been only 2 short months since everyone I knew and loved became assimilated under the rule of Equestrian and Earthling rule. And only 8 more since those colourful puke-buckets they call "Ponies" have been living with us in harmony...Almost.
BLAM BLAM BLAM!
I looked up. Someone was at my door. And they were hitting it pretty hard. Either someone stole their car, or they found out I was an anti-Brony. I grabbed my pistol and leaned against the door. "Who's there?" I called through it.
"You are wanted for the crime of being an Anti! Come out with your hands up and your weapons down!" was the reply. It wasn't just any voice. It was her.
Anti's are what Bronies, Pegasisters and Ponies call anyone who's a human non-brony. There are very few of us left. I was one of the last few holdouts. "I'll come out when you break my door down." I ran downstairs to my lab. I was creating all sorts of things in case I needed to make a hasty escape. I grabbed my bandolier of smoke grenades and sleeping gas, I snatched up a butterfly knife, my silver pistol - with extra mags - which was engraved with my initials, and finally my 'EED', or Emergency Escape Device. It looked liked a metal square. But it was much more than that. I heard them banging on my door. They were gonna break it down soon. I grabbed the rest of my mags, an assault rifle, and my laser pen, then pulled on the edge of the old bookcase that concealed my escape tunnel. The bangs against the door became more violent. They were almost through. I stepped behind the shelf and pulled the heavy bookcase back against the wall.
BLAM!
The door burst open. The 3 ponies standing there stared into the musty old house. "Go. Search the house! Find that Anti!!"
A few houses away, an old cellar door is kicked open. I step out, coughing and blowing the dust out of my face. I escaped. But not for long. I went to the only person I knew who could help me. He was a brony, but he was on my side. Don't ask how, but he knows I'm an Anti, but wants to help me, regardless. I went in. "Hey! You in here?" He came rolling over from the desk on his office chair, then sat at a table near me. "What's up, my Anti-Amigo?" "I need a new outfit. I need a pink sweater. It needs Pinkie's mane and tail design on the hood and lower back, and I need some blue glasses."
"Whoa! Pinkie Pie, huh?" "Look, I don't like it anymore than those bronies, alright? You're the only one I trust to this." "Have I let you down before? A'course, I'm gonna need some....erm...incentive?" I just rolled my eyes. "Yeah yeah..." I pulled 10 bits out of my pocket and slammed it on the table. He pocketed them and smiled. "Pleasure doing buisness with you. I'll have your outfit ready in about...2 hours. It depends on if my co-worker will co-operate."
"You still haven't told me who this inside source is." "Look, all I can tell you is that everything she's made is hoof-made, and it's not cheap. You should be happy." "I still can't believe I have to wear that garble you call cosplay." "It's better than going outside wearing a neon sign saying 'I'm an Anti Brony', isn't it?" "Look, I'm just doing this to get rid of you-know-who." "Ooh-hoo-hoo...Taking on the big boss already?" "It's the only way to get some peace." "Alright then."
I sat around with him, shooting the breeze (AKA chatting) for about 2 hours, then a small 'ding' was heard, indicating he got another delivery from Equestria. "Oh, that must be your threads!" He stood up and went into the back room, then came back over with the Pinkie Pie hoodie and blue tinted glasses. "Thanks again." "Anything for my amigo, broski!" I put on the hoodie and zipped it up at the front, then put the tinted goggles on. Finally, I pulled out a small Fluttershy keychain I had. I hated it to death, but it completed the disquise. I went out into the open, making sure to conseal my weapons in the backpack I had slung over my shoulder. Finally, I put up the hood, and went out.
Now normally, most people wouldn't think twice about someone walking down the street. I mean, regardless of what they wear, most people you see are gonna be a brony or pegasister. I COULD'VE just went out without all this crud on. But, as I mentioned, Ponies are among us. Seriously. They've been living on Earth AND Equestria for months, and vice versa with the bronies. The new currency for both worlds are the Equestrian Dollar. Or a 'bit' as most would call them. They're gold coins, about as big as a large bottle cap. On one side, it has a big number 1 followed by the word 'bit', and bannered across the top edge is some clouds. On the other, is a picture of Celestia, with the words "In The Princess We Trust". I never really liked them, but it's the only currency accepted now.
I walked over to a portal that led to Canterlot, the Royal City of Equestria. Now, for any humans to get through a portal to Equestria requires a toll. It depends on where you're going. It's the same for ponies wanting to go to Earth. There's no toll if you want to get back to your home world, so that's a good thing. I walked up the the buff royal guards on the human world. The armor over them was gold and shining, and the "you-don't-wanna-mess-with-me" look on their faces made you know they meant business. They just looked at me. "Hmpf. That's a little much, no?"
"What's too much? My outfit?"
"Yeah, I mean.....I know you like the show, but you don't have to dress like the characters."
"Listen, I'm in the goods with Pinkie, okay? I can say just a few words, and I can get you two sent to the Royal dungeons."
They let me through to Canterlot without requiring a toll. I may of forgot to mention something.
If you mention that you know the Mane 6, NO ONE, Brony, OR Anti will mess with you. They have enough political power to get you a Moon sentence just because you looked at them funny. You do NOT screw around with the Mane 6.
I looked up at the castle. That was my ultimate goal. I just needed to be careful. Some ponies, mostly unicorns, can tell if a human is a brony or an anti just by looking at their eyes. Some can even do it just at a glance. Princess Celestia knows who ALL the antis and bronies are. That's why I needed to take her down.
I went in behind a building, then cocked my pistol.
"Let's get this party started..."
I ran towards the castle, making sure to avoid the glances of anyone who may of noticed my drawn weapon. I leaped over buildings and across the street. Anything to make sure no one spotted me. I finally did a dive-roll off the rooftop and continued to the palace. I continued my advance on the castle. When I came to the first set of Royal guards, they saw my gun and attempted to stop me. I shot them both where they stood.
Now, I want to make note of something here. I may be an Anti-Brony, but I'm not a murderer. The bullets only penetrated the skin partway, then released a mild sleeping serum. They pass out only split seconds after the bullet hits them.
I continued my advance. The gunshots alerted three more guards, and with another 3 shots, they were out as well. I wanted to save some rounds for the confrontation, so I put away my pistol and grabbed one of my gas canisters. Before the guards could react, I threw it at their hooves and they passed out. I covered my mouth and nose with my hand, then continued on to the throne room. The guards at the door tried to give me a hassle, but I threw another gas canister and they passed out as well. I stopped at the massive doors that concealed the throne room. Now, I'm not stupid. They were alerted to my presence. I'm sure they had the entire Royal guard behind those doors.
I grabbed the smoke grenades from my bandolier, then pulled the pins and released them. I pushed the doors open, and the smoke grenades I was holding created a thick dark screen of smoke, making it hard to see where I was. The royal guards (the pegasus ones at least) created a large gust of wind, and the smoke was blown away, revealing nothing but my spent smoke grenades. The Princess glared. She knew I was here...But where?
Meanwhile, in all the smoke and confusion, I had climbed the massive door I came in through. Then, jumping from awning to awning, I finally dropped down behind the Princess. "Peek-a-boo." I said. The Princess heard my gun click. I grinned. Suddenly, she reared up and kicked me square in my chest. I flew backwards and smashed into the wall behind her. The Princess looked at her guards. "Leave him. Me and Luna will take care of this pest."
The guards obeyed, then left the room to allow the Royal sisters their privacy. Luna came in from one of the doorways, then I saw the doors get locked with magic. I groaned heavily and put my hand against my chest, then reached for my pistol, which I dropped. I felt a hoof come down on my wrist and I screamed in pain. Luna and Celestia glared down at me. When you're in a position you can't get out of, the only thing on your mind is something along the lines of "Oh crap.". Not me.
I came here to finish something, and I was coming back alive, and as an Anti. "Aw, two against one? That's not very fair, is it? At least allow me to have a bit of a chance..." Luna and Celestia looked at each other, then, in a moment of pity, they allowed me to stand up and grab my pistol. I walked away from them, then pulled off my backpack which held all my weapons and magazines. I threw it aside, followed closely by my pistol. I pulled off my ugly Pinkie Pie sweater and the blue tinted glasses. I liked the glasses, but they were cracked. I cracked my knuckles and got into a fighting stance.
"No weapons. No flying. No magic. Let's see what you two are made of." I said.
The princesses exchanged another glance, then looked back and nodded. Luna was up first.
I threw out a punch and it slammed hard into her neck. She staggered, then came back and gave me a succession of blows with her hooves. I managed to block her next blow and I threw her off balance. I took that chance to grab her horn and pull her down into my knee. She flew back and I kicked her once more and she flew back and hit a pillar. Celestia watched as her sister was tossed aside like a ragdoll, so she came in to right it. Before I could get a good look, I saw her slam into me. I tumbled backwards and slid across the polished floor, blood pouring from my mouth. I stood up and wiped my face, then charged her. I punched her again and again, but she kept blocking it with her wings. She then flared them back out and I got blown backwards by the force.
I picked myself up and staggered to get my footing. I felt Celestia's hard necklace slam into me again. I tumbled backwards. I was losing. And bad. I stood up and she reared back. "Fuck me....."
Suddenly, I felt her hoofguards ram once more into my chest and I slammed into the wall. I remained standing, but not for long. My bloodied bruised body crumpled seconds after I hit the wall. Celestia helped up Luna and I reached out and grabbed my pistol.
They looked at me and stopped what they were doing. I aimed the gun at them and spat out blood. "I said this already...and I'll say it again...."
Celestia stared at me, Luna barely standing.
"I was here to finish something..."
Celestia's horn glowed.
"And I'm leaving here alive..."
Luna's horn glowed.
"And as an Anti."
I pulled the trigger.
*Click*
I pulled the trigger again.
*click*
The gun was jammed. I hit it and threw it against the ground. "Lousy, no-good, rotten piece of sh-UURRHAGH!"
I was slowly lifted into the air by my neck, gagging. Celestia picked me up, while her sister used her magic to jam my gun. I grabbed at my neck, trying to pry off whatever was holding me, when I realised it was Celestia that had me. I gagged and choked, kicking my legs in a futile attempt to break free from her grasp. Celestia brought me over and threw me against a wall, hard. I passed out upon impact. Between my loss of blood, the run over here, and the fight, I was too tired to move. Celestia sent for the Mane 6 to convert me into a brony using the only magic strong enough to beat my willpower. The Elements of Harmony.
The Mane 6 galloped in and saw the blood and cracks in the walls. "What in Equestria happened here?!" Twilight asked. Celestia motioned over to my body laying in a small pool of blood. "He attacked me, but I managed to stop him. I suggest healing him before he dies." Twilight nodded and walked over, being careful not to step in my blood, and healed my body enough for me to regain consciousness. I moaned and propped myself back up on my elbows, clenching my teeth in pain.Twilight saw how hurt I was, so she healed me a bit more so that I could at least stand. I stood up and held one arm, my clothes dyed an off-crimson colour. Twilight and her friends then donned the Elements, and my face went from one of pain, to one of fear.
They glowed and rose into the air. I took that chance to run as fast and as far away as possible. I grabbed my backpack and ran off through the door. The Elements shot out their signature rainbow, but unlike most other times, the rainbow flew after me. I needed to shake it. I decided to just run. I ran clear out of Canterlot and down a steep cliff. The Rainbow close on my tracks.
Twilight looked at Celestia. "Will he get hit?" Celestia just smiled. "Yes, Twilight. The rainbow will always hit it's target." I kept running. I dove through water, leaped through buildings and trees and through houses, but the rainbow would always follow. I finally noticed my only chance of escaping this rainbow. The local window shop. I ran to it and got in behind one of the mirrors. The rainbow struck the mirror and reflected back towards Twilight and her friends. I sighed in relief.
That's when I noticed something strange.The rainbow was coming back. I went white and ran to my old house, then slammed and locked the door and ran upstairs. The rainbow struck my house, rather than me. Went downstairs and saw the rainbow was nothing more than a technicolour puddle at the foot of my door. I scooped it up into a jar. Hell, you never know when you'll need a magical 'Elements Of Harmony' rainbow. Suddenly it shot back out of the jar and barreled back down towards me.
"NO FAIR! THAT WAS A FAKE OUT!!" I screamed.
The rainbow showered over me and I could feel it start working at making me a brony. I felt it changing my attire, my interests, my thoughts, my memories...I screamed in protest and did everything I could to break free of the rainbow, but it kept me glued to my spot. This was it, I thought to myself. That's the end of my story! Geez what a crap ending. Well don't worry. That wasn't the last of me.
The rainbow always hits it's target. Never said anything about it working. I started to force myself back into an Anti. I thought of terrible thoughts. Hatred for ponies. The rainbow's glow started to fade. "The ponies did this! They did this to me! They beat me senseless!" Finally, in a bright flash, I broke free of the rainbow. It shattered. I dropped to my knees and panted, exhausted. I crawled back into my house, closing and locking the door. Then I laid there. Silent. I fell asleep shortly afterward. I was finally safe. Finally.
Minutes later, I heard a pounding on my door. I stood up. "Who's there?"
"I think you know who." I groaned. "Twilight, just leave me alone!" I ran upstairs and grabbed my weapons. Twilight and her friends kicked in the doors. They just walked upstairs and saw me sitting in the middle of my kitchen, this time I had the pistol aimed at myself. "Stay back or I'll blow my brains out!"
Of course I wasn't actually going to pull the trigger. The gun was jammed anyways. I was just trying to fake them out. "We know the pistol is jammed." I slammed it on the ground. "Dammit!"
"Now. Let's try this again." Twilight said. "Wait! God-dammit Twilight. I was beaten senseless, then run ragged to try to stay away from you! Can't you just give me a minute to at least rest?!" Twilight shook her head. "You know I can't." I suddenly ran over and snatched the Element of Magic from her head, then put it on my own. "Oh look at me I'm Twilight! I won't give someone a goddamn chance to rest so that he actually is conscious when he's a brony!" Twilight face-hoofed. "Oh for the love of-"
Applejack stomped her hooves. "You're acting like a child, you stupid Anti!" I just threw the crown back at Twilight. "Okay FINE. Do it! Come on! Let's get this over with! I mean I'M JUST A STUPID ANTI!!" Fluttershy looked upset. "Oh now look! You hurt his feelings!" Rainbow Dash glared at her. "He IS just a stupid Anti! He doesn't have feelings!" Rarity chimed in. "Very mature, Rainbow. What next? He wants to go and beat up a girl?" Applejack shook her head. "That was a little harsh, Rainbow." Rainbow just flared her wings out. "Oh come on! Can't we just blast him already and be done with it?!"
Twilight screamed "QUIIIEEEEETT!!" Everypony was silent. "Look, let's just blast him, then we can go home and get some rest, okay?" They just all muttered in agreement, then turned to look at me. "Wait...where'd he go?"
I laughed as I ran from my house. I'll find somewhere else to live. For now? I just want to enjoy the fact that they were outsmarted by a 'stupid anti'. I grinned at the satisfying scream of frustration the ponies yelled as I ran into the darkness of a nearby forest.
A/N: This is a chapter that takes away from the storyline at hand and backtracks a bit, to about the year 2014, four years after the cartoon 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' was introduced to the world by Lauren Faust. This is when things took a strange turn for not only Anti-Bronies, but Bronies and Equestrians as well. This chapter will tell the story about what happened in the 78 year span that happened after 2014, the first offical day that Lauren Faust revealed that the cartoon was not the work of a team of cartoonists, but rather a film crew. That's right. Equestria DOES exist, and Lauren is the only one who knows about it (at the time). So let's get this started.
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Year: 2014
Location: Austin's Great Grandfather's House, Canada, Earth
(From the viewpoint of his great grandfather, Age 16)
"And so, I say with great pleasure, that your stupid pony show sucks, and everyone who watches it is a complete tool! Submit."
I clicked the mouse on the 'Submit Comment' button on YouTube.
"Goddamn bronies. They're giving us teenaged males a bad name, as if males had much of a reputation to begin with." I muttered under my breath. Sometimes I wish that I had a chance to meet Lauren Faust just so I could tell her how much I hate her. Bah. I just wondered what made her decide to even restart that god-forsaken show in the first place. I decided to search Memebase for a few funny pictures. Maybe it would lighten my mood. Suddenly, plastered on the front page was a big screen-cap of a comment Lauren made on her dA account. Now normally, I would just scroll right past it, but the title of the meme intrigued me.
"Big Confession About MLP:FiM *NOT TROLLING*" I read aloud. "Oh yeah sure. Real believable." I read it anyways.
The article said that as it turned out, Equestria really exists, and that the ponies were real too. All the episodes were filmed on location in Equestria, with the consent of all the ponies, including Princess Celestia and Luna. I rolled my eyes. Sure they were. That's about as likely as a lighting strike hitting me after reading this article. I continued reading. The article went on to say that Lauren did not want to continue the show, because the portal she used to get to Equestria was getting unstable, and she could no longer go through it safely. She sadly announced the end of the series MLP:FiM, and apologized to all the bronies and pegasisters.
I just rolled my eyes.
"Suuuuuuurrrrrrre."
-----------------------
Year: 2021 (7 years after the cancelling of MLP:FiM)
Location: Austin's Great Grandfather's House, Canada, Earth
(Viewpoint of his Great Grandfather, Age 23)
"So what do you want to name it?"
Those were the words of my wife. We had just concieved a son and we were at our house, caring for it. I named it after my father. He had died in a car accident many years ago, so I wanted to carry on his spirit. She smiled and looked at the baby boy.
"I think he likes that name." I smiled and gently stroked his head.
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Year:2052 (The Year Of The Brony Takeover Of Earth)
Austin's grandfather's House
(Viewpoint of his grandfather, Age 31)
"Take him! Go! We have to get out of here!"
"Where? We'll be slaughtered!"
"Just run! I'll hold them off!"
The bronies had invaded our town and were arresting any Anti-Bronies and Non-Bronies out there. I don't know how the fandom lasted so long! The show was cancelled over 35 years ago! I had to protect my wife and son so that they wouldn't arrest us all. I sent them out the back door and stayed behind to stop the bronies from getting to my only 2 loves in the world. My wife, and my only son. She ran downstairs and out the cellar door. I stayed behind to fend them off.
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Year: 2081 (29 Years After Brony Takeover)
Austin's Father's House
(Viewpoint of his father, Age 29)
My family was still under a constant threat of being arrested. I was too. Luckily, as long as I didn't say anything bad, they wouldn't notice me, or my family. I was returning from work, driving my car down the highway to get home. It was rush hour, so it was pretty busy. I arrived at my house an hour later. I walked in and hugged my wife.
"Austin's asleep right now." she whispered. I smiled, but my smile soon faded when a team of SWAT officers kicked in the back door. We had been discovered. My wife grabbed my son and they left out the window. I grabbed my shotgun and ran after them. They chased after us, we knew we wouldn't get far. I told them to go. I could handle myself. They were reluctant, but they did. I aimed the shotgun at the oncoming SWAT team and fired off round after round.
(Viewpoint of his mother, Age 28)
I heard the cracks of my husband's shotgun, then the sound of gunfire from an entire SWAT team...He was gone. I ran to the only place I knew my baby would be safe. I ran to a family friend who knew I was not a pegasister, but they didn't care. I put my baby on the front steps and knocked on the door. I couldn't wait for them to answer. There was no time. I ran. I ran and disappeared into a forest, the SWAT team close behind. I knew I was gone too. I just hoped my baby was okay...
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Year: 2097 (May 10th, Day The First Stable Link To Equestria Was Created)
Location: Unknown Address, Canada, Earth
(Viewpoint of Austin, Age 16.)
I sat there with my glass of discount cola, staring at the television reporter with great distaste.
"Our top story: The scientists have finally created a stable link to Equestria, nearly a century after our beloved show was cancelled. The only one currently operational is in Japan. The lead researcher has this to say." The picture changed to a Japanese scientist.
"It took a lot of planning and a lot of failed prototypes, but we've finally established a link to Equestria. Ummm, we are not quite certain where the said portal will lead, whether it be in one of the major towns, or just in the middle of nowhere. We are still working on setting the locations of the exit portal.-"
*click*
I turned of the TV set. Great. The portal was finally created. The ponies are probably like, 80 or something by now, I bet even Twilight Sparkle is dead. I snickered under my breath. Man, are those bronies going to be disappointed. I was still quite angry though...Bronies killed both my grandparents AND parents. At least, that's what I heard...I hated them. All I wanted was to avenge them. I vowed that if Princess Celestia and Luna are still alive when I turn 16, that I will hunt them both down and slaughter them. I sighed. I just wonder what will happen now.
*8 Months Later*
I heard the news, but I couldn't believe it. The ponies were not only alive and well, but they hadn't aged a day, AND they were now living with us here on Earth. The world leaders even said that Celestia and Luna can also rule over here too! I was shocked, angry and confused. I decided that now was the time to act. I left. I left my foster family who helped me all these years. I found an old boarded up house, and fixed it up within a week. It wasn't a big job. I finally ended up getting some internet and found out how to order military grade weaponary and recipes on how to create tranquilizers and smoke grenades. Finally, I created a variety of gadgets and tools in case I needed them.
I just smiled at my arsenal. I was ready for this. It took years of preparations and 4 months of parkour lessons, but now I'm ready.
I picked up my shotgun.
"Ready or not...."
I pumped the shotgun and grinned.
"Here I come."
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A/N: And now the story is up-to-date on what happened all those years ago. This was just in case anyone was wondering. And, I'd like to repeat, this story does NOT reflect my views on MLP:FiM or bronies in general. I love the show, the characters, and the fandom. Brony and Proud. Any questions, comments or critism, please let me know in the comment section below!
About 20 minutes after running into the shadowy forests, I sat down on a fallen tree and caught my breath. I was safe for a little while longer, and I managed to grab 2 more gadgets, since my pistol was jammed and my assault rifle's mag was empty. Now that I had a chance, I unjammed my pistol and reloaded both guns, keeping the empty cartridges in case I needed them later. I took a look at what I had left in my bag. A flare gun with 4 flares, 5 more pistol mags, 10 more assault rifle mags, 2 smoke grenades, a sleeping gas grenade, and my EED. The two gadgets I grabbed were my wrist pistol, a type of gauntlet that can fire darts, and my lazer pen. The pen can burn through most materials, like concrete and steel, up to a thickness of about 6 feet.
I packed up my things and kicked back. I could finally relax. I searched my pockets to see what was in them. Let's see....
138 bits, an old Wal-Mart receipt, a phone number I forgot, and an old candy bar. At least I wouldn't starve. I pulled the candy bar out. Crispy Crunch. Okay I guess I was gonna starve. I tossed the candy bar aside and groaned. I was getting pretty hungry, and since my disquise was ruined, I had to stay on Earth. But that was hard, because the Mane 6 are here and are looking for me. I finally built up the courage to go back and find a store. I stuck mostly to the back alleys and behind buildings. I leaped through yards and over rooftops. Finally, I dropped back down in front of the local gas station. I smiled and triumphantly pushed open the door and-
"FREEZE! WE'VE GOT YOU SURROUNDED!"
God dammit.
------------------------
So there I was, strapped down to a big steel table, the Mane 6 staring down at me. I just growled at them. Then, as if I didn't see this coming, Twilight started to read me the crimes I had committed.
"You're under arrest for assaulting the Equestrian Royal Guard, possession of illegal firearms, conspiracy against Princess Celestia, and being an Anti Brony. How do you plead?"
"What the hell does it matter? If I plead guilty, I'm screwed. If I plead not guilty, I'm still screwed. You're not the one strapped to a table!"
Applejack nodded.
"It WAS kind of a pointless question, sugarcube."
"Oh....Right."
"So let's get on with it, huh? I'd rather be anywhere than in the same room as you dorks."
Rainbow Dash had to be held back by Fluttershy and Applejack to make sure she wouldn't kill me.
"COME ON! LEMME AT HIM!"
"Just calm down, Rainbow!"
I just rolled my eyes. Twilight stood near the head of the table, and she appeared upside down in my view.
"Alright. As punishment, I will turn you into an Brony and erase your memory, therefore you will never know that you were ever an Anti."
"Yeah, I have a better plan."
Then I rammed my head into her's and she staggered back. I slipped my right hand out of the metal cuff that was binding it to the table, and before RD and Applejack could pin me down again, I punched them both away. I then undid my other hand. Twilight got back up and went to use her magic, but I flicked her horn and she staggered, letting me get in another punch. Pinkie pounced me and growled, but I gave her a simple shove and she tumbled off the table. I undid my ankles and then started to work on my waist. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash then pounced, but I kicked them back. It was hard fighting on your back while strapped down by your waist, but I was managing. Finally, I undid my waist and rolled off the table. Then caught Applejack when she tried to tackle me, and threw her at Rarity. I then kicked open the door and ran back out, leaving behind an empty table, and 6 very dazed ponies.
I grabbed my backpack from the evidence chest and kept running toward the door, this time grabbing a shotgun from a wall rack. I shot the hinges and doorknob, then kicked the door down and ditched the shotgun. Finally I leaped through the window and fell 100 ft down a mountainside. I watched as I fell towards a large lake below me. I straightened my body and dove into the water. I swam to shore, only to find the Mane 6 waiting for me.
"What?! But- I- You-"
"I can teleport, remember? I just teleported myself and my friends down here."
Before I could say anything else, I felt a rope wrap around my wrists, then my feet. They tugged and I was suspended in mid air from the sheer tug of the ropes. Twilight just skipped the whole talking phase, then got the spell ready. I watched as the lavender mare approached me. This was just getting annoying. I grabbed the ropes around my wrists, then pulled as hard as I could, and swung Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy into one another, freeing my hands, then I undid the ropes on my feet, making Rarity and Applejack fly backwards. Twilight caught on, and charged me, horn down, magic on. I didn't have enough time to react. I was rammed onto my back and had my hands against her head, pushing back against her as she tried to just touch my face with her horn. Beads of sweat developed on my face. They were SO CLOSE. Her horn was literally onto a few eighths of an inch away from contact, and was slowly getting closer.
I then twisted her head to one side and she tumbled in that direction. I stood up and watched them surround me. Suddenly, I shouted,
"WAAAAIIIIIIIT!!"
The ponies stopped their advance. I just panted and caught my breath.
"What is the matter with you? Look at you! You strapped me to a table! You tied me with ropes! Hell, Princess Celestia pretty much broke my entire face until you healed it! Have you no sympathy? I mean, it's hard enough on me as it is without 6 crazy ponies chasing me."
The ponies looked at each other, looking a little ashamed.
"Seriously! I mean, you can still chase me and all, but can you at least give me a chance? I don't even have a roof over my head! I'm starving! I haven't eaten in 2 days! I've been drinking from lakes and puddles!"
Twilight finally said,
"Okay! Okay! We'll give you ONE day. ONE. We'll let you rest, eat, and drink clean water in your own house. But after that day, expect us to stop by."
I finally sat down.
"Ya know something Twilight? I hate you. Like REALLY hate you. But I'm glad to see that you actually have some sympathy in that heart of yours."
"Don't expect this again."
"Understood."
I ran back home to get some rest, food and water, and started to build a defence system. Meanwhile, the other ponies looked at Twilight like she was nuts.
"You just let him walk away?! We had him Twilight!"
"Oh come on, Rainbow. He just needs some R and R. But don't worry. I have a plan of my own."
"What is it?"
"Gather round, girls. We're going hunting."
"You want us to do what?"
These were the words of a certain changeling queen. That's right. Queen Chrysalis herself, in all the gross, black and green, hole-infested flesh.
"We want you to help us with a...problem."
"I tried to enslave your entire race, hynpotized your older brother, impersonated your favorite babysitter,and you want me and my army...to help you."
"We're willing to let bygones be bygones if you just help us. Please."
"You tried to kill me."
"You had it coming."
"Touche, Twilight Sparkle. In any case, I won't do it."
"But you didn't hear the whole story."
"Fine."
"Our problem is a certain Anti-Brony...He's been trying to do away with the Princess so he can have Earth back to himself and his kind."
Chrysalis flew into a rage, her eyes glowing like emeralds.
"WHAAT?!"
"Mm-hm."
"THAT'S MY JOB! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE RULER OF EARTH AND EQUESTRIA! NOT SOME HUMAN!"
"So you'll help us?"
"Deal. You help me get rid of this pest, and....and....I...I guess I'll owe you one."
Twilight smirked and laughed a little under her breath.
"Good."
------------------------------
Austin's House Barricaded Fortress Of Doom, Earth
I hooked up the chain of bullets to my FG42 machine gun I had mounted in one of the windows. I reloaded my pistol and my assault rifle. I mixed up some more smoke grenades and sleeping gas. I made sure to load my flare gun. I even prepared some rocket fireworks and some other traps, in case any unsuspecting ponies happened to wander in. But that was impossible anyway. The walls were barricaded with steel sheets, the windows barred, and the chimney was blocked off. I also managed to keep my emergency tunnel open this time.
I was unstoppable. My defences were strong. My weapons, stronger. I even dressed in some old hockey pads I had lying around. I was good to go. Now I just needed to-
"HEY AUSTIN! GUESS WHO?"
Okay, the chicken sandwich can wait. I approached the window and peered out at the Mane 6, who were standing outside my front door.
"What do you want, Twilight?"
"You know what."
"You can't get in. I'm bulletproof!"
"What do you have?"
"A sh*tload of weapons and ammo."
"Aw, what a pity."
"How so?"
"We have an army."
"Not really. I only see 6 of you."
"Oh, that's not true."
I stared at her with a look that said 'Are you trolling me, or just stupid?', but my expression faded when I heard something strange.
It sounded like a thousand hooves all clopping down the street at once. The noise was louder than thunder, and was getting closer. I ran to the roof of my house where I had set up a few more guns. I watched as, over the horizon, thousands of ponies came over the rise. They were...clones....or mimics...or just really good costumes...of the Mane 6. I stared at them in sheer shock and disbelief. One Mane 6 was bad enough. But hundreds?!
"It hardly seems fair." I mumbled to myself, but loaded the mounted gun. "For you."
Almost immediately, the ponies rushed the house. I opened fire at anything that moved and was not human. One by one the ponies dropped like flies, and I just kept firing, occasionally switching to a different turret to protect the corresponding side. The streets were littered with fallen ponies, but my gun was heating up fast, and they weren't stopping their onslaught. Suddenly, I looked up to see a few of the Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash copies were floating above my house, then dive bombed me.
I hardly had enough time to pull out my pistol and-
*BANG BANG!*
2 more ponies tumbled down from the skies and landed in my backyard. I kept firing at them, they were dropping in numbers fast, but my gun was heating up faster. Eventually, it sparked and started to smoke. I couldn't use it any further. I growled and swung the assault rifle I had strapped to my back around into my hands, and opened fire with that. But one puny assault rifle against hundreds of ponies wasn't enough. They managed to start climbing the walls, and a few more of the Rainbow and Fluttershy copies had landed and began advancing toward me. I fired at them, but they were quickly starting to overwhelm me.
I popped off a flare from my gun and set a few on fire, then quickly followed up with a few pistol rounds into the faces and chests of the others. I used the butt of my assault rifle to knock a few of the ponies climbing up back down, but they had breached my roof level. I ran downstairs and slammed the door behind me. I ran to my next mounted turret, set up on the second floor. I opened fire once again. The ponies on the ground began dropping again. I fired a few more flares into the crowd, followed by a few rocket fireworks. I was quickly running out of resources, and wasn't sure of how long I'd last.
The ponies had got in, but were quickly tripped up by my traps. I was out of ammo in the turret and was running out of time. I shot a few more, then fired with my newly reloaded assault rifle. But those magazines were quickly expended. I reloaded my last pistol mag and looked outside. They were gone. I had beaten them. AND I still had 15 pistol shots left! Unfortunately, my fireworks, flares, assault rifle ammo, the rest of my pistol mags, and my hockey pads were gone. I just sat in the corner of my downstairs loft, wiping my sweat covered face with a hand that reeked of gunpowder. I looked at the pistol in my other hand and set it down beside me. I had won. I had beaten the ponies. Maybe now I could have that sandwich I wanted. I walked into my kitchen and grabbed my sandwich and triumphantly took a victory bite.
Victory tastes pretty good as it turned out.
I sat there and finished my sandwich, then wandered back into the loft to find that the REAL Mane 6 were there waiting. Rarity's telekinetic grip was surrounding my pistol, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked more than ready to fight. I backed up and bumped right into Pinkie. Only, it wasn't even Pinkie...Her long flowing hair hung down to just a little under her knees, her tail just as straight as her mane. A look of pure hatred was in her eyes, a fire burning that I had never seen before. Hell, even Fluttershy looked angry. Twilight stood with the others with a satisfied smirk.
"How ironic, Austin. That you've hunted us and our kind for a long time, even to the point where you tried to beat Celestia in unarmed combat!!" She laughed to herself as she said the last part. "And now, the hunter becomes the hunted. So ironic. I mean, this can all be over...-"
Her smirk faded and she glared daggers at me.
"....-with nothing more than a single bullet."
I stared at her in mortal horror. Suddenly, Pinkie piped up with a grin.
"Or maybe a nice big butcher's knife?"
Applejack and Rainbow grinned.
"Or we could just pound you until you're nothing more than a quivering mass of flesh and bones!!"
Fluttershy smiled eerily at me.
"Or maybe I can just release one of my darlings against you..."
I stood there as the 6 (possibly insane) ponies advanced toward me. Now, I said this in an earlier chapter: "When you're in a position you can't get out of, your main thought is 'Oh crap'. Not me." Well, as it turned out, this time was an exception. My mind had left the building and I was left helpless as these crazy mares decended on me. I was as good as dead. Twilight just grinned and seemed to mouth the words 'Goodbye Austin'.
But suddenly, as a gift from heaven, 6 gunshots rang out. But they were more of a whistle rather than a bang...The ponies kinda froze there, then collapsed. I looked at them. They each had a large feathery dart sticking out of their flanks. I stared at them, my heart racing a mile a minute. I stared for a minute, then saw 6 other humans walk in. Each was wearing a grey hoodie and blue jeans. They each had their hoods up, bandanas covering the lower part of their faces, and sunglasses. Clearly, these guys were trying to hide their identity.
'Great.' I thought to myself. 'A gang is robbing me.'
"We're here to rescue you, comrade."
"Thank you a million, I thought-....Wait, WHAT?"
The strange humans claiming to be Anti's brought me to an abandoned church, which was burned up pretty bad. A fire here happened a few weeks ago, and it destroyed most of the stuff in side, but the walls and roof weren't damaged as badly. A few holes, but nothing unfixable. But for some reason, no one tried to fix it, and instead built a new church somewhere else, abandoning this one.
The insides of it was a mess, mostly covered in dirt and scattered paper. There was a lot of scaffolding too, so obviously these Anti's were busy around here. They led me down into the old crypt of the place, and we ended up in a large stone room, torch stances covered the walls bathing the room in a flickering orange light. There was a large group of others there too, they dressed exactly the same way. All except one. The only one dressed differently was wearing a black sweater, with black jeans and grey shoes. His hood was up, but I could see he had dark hair, and deep brown eyes. He stared at me as we entered the catacombs.
"We've discovered another one, Master."
"Yes, we rescued him from the evil clutches of Princess Celestia and her ponies."
The one in black, who was obviously the leader, stood up.
"Good work, gentlemen. Any Anti we rescue is another one for the force."
I pulled out my flare gun, which still had one flare left in it. They all backed up.
"Okay, I don't know who you are, why you brought me here, or what 'force' you're talking about, but I want no part of it!"
"My apologies, allow us to explain." The leader said. "We are the Anti's, a force that is against the oppressive rule of Princess Celestia and the ponies. We are the last of our kind, and while few in number, we make up for in skill. I am their leader."
"I stand alone." I said through my teeth.
"Don't we all? No, I don't give orders. I just see that everything goes smoothly. You're free to do as you please, and I hold no authority over you. I only make sure that new recruits check out. And you, my gun-toting friend, you do."
"How do you know if you haven't even tested me?"
"You're infamous, Austin. Everypony knows who you are, as does every human. We all know now. You're the Anti who single handedly fought the Princesses in unarmed physical combat! You took out half of her royal guard before you even stepped into the throne room!"
"So my life is never the same now?..."
"No. I can't say it will be. Not anymore. But you can fix that. We just need to get the ponies out of the way."
"How long have you been here?"
"Months....Years, perhaps. Ever since the brony takeover, we've been plotting in secret."
I put away my flare gun.
"So that's where I come in?"
"Yes. You see, you now know things even WE don't. You know how to get into Canterlot undetected. You can take out half of the royal guard with only a few pistol rounds and smoke canisters. You know everything there is about the palace, including where the Princess usually resides."
"So I'm your inside source?"
"Yes, and you have your own inside source. One who knows how to get things..."
"You're going to use me."
"No, you see, we want to use your talents. It's fine if you refuse, but we think it's in everyone's best interest if you agree."
I stared at him. He was right. They were possibly my only chance of getting rid of these ponies...But how? How would we, even as a group, take out the ponies? They outnumber us by the thousands, and the bronies outnumber us by billions. There really wasn't much of a choice, and even if we did defeat the Princesses, what good would it do? The bronies would still be there. And they'd hunt for us every minute of every day. We would never be safe again.
"Well? What say you?"
"I'll need time to think. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here and keep watch. This is the only safe haven I have at the moment."
"Feel free to do as you wish, Austin. There are weapons and ammo in the large army locker over there."
He motioned to a rusted dark green metal locker, labelled "Ammo" in white spray paint.
"There is a watch tower upstairs in the church. Just climb the highest scaffolding and you'll find it."
I walked over to the locker and opened it. Inside there was a large sniper rifle, a few pistols, a shotgun, and an AK-47 assault rifle. I picked up the sniper and the AK, as well as a few extra mags for both guns. I walked upstairs without a word. When i got there, I looked up and spotted one scaffolding tower that was taller than the rest. I climbed the side of it until I reached a large hole in the bell tower. In there was a chair, a lantern, and a large telescope. It was some sort of watch tower...
I sat in the chair and watched the world I once knew and loved through the hole. Ponies and bronies all walking around, chatting, having fun...It made me wonder what life was like before. Was it the same? Only without the bronies and ponies? Was it people walking and talking, having fun and getting into mischief? I wasn't certain...I just sat there and stared out into the town, looking for any suspicious activity.
Then I saw Twilight Sparkle and her entourage. They looked pretty angry. Twilight's hair was frazzled, Rarity looked just plain upset, Applejack had a very glazed look in her eyes, Rainbow Dash looked ready to stomp anyone who looked at her funny, Fluttershy was looking around and grinning, her eyes the size of pinpricks, and Pinkie's once curly mane was now long and straight, and she had the same crazy grin plastered to her face. The mane 6 had just lost it. I shuddered a little when I saw them.
I peered through the telescope at them. They were talking to a brony, with my picture, asking if they had seen me. I looked at the ponies one by one. When I got to Pinkie, she stopped grinning...She turned her head and looked directly at me. I jumped and staggered back. Did she see me? Have I been spotted?
The mare just kept staring, her eyes locked in position. Finally, she turned back to her friends and they left. I sighed in relief. I just need to be more careful...No telling what that pony may see through those baby blues of hers.
I stared through the hole at the world. I saw ponies shopping, bronies talking, and even a few pegasi flying around. I sighed. I wanted to shoot everything I saw out there, but I knew that I could only fire if there was a good reason. I stared for at least an hour before someone came up the scaffolding.
"Comrade, I'm here to relieve you."
I nodded and gave him the sniper rifle and it's mags, then climbed down the scaffolding. I needed to find out when to strike, how to strike, and whether or not to strike alone. Last time I did, I was beaten to a pulp. But I'd also risk losing my only allies if I struck with them. Would I do that? Would I be able to face the fact that I single-handedly took out my own team? It was better than being alone, but is it better than being the Anti who bronified his own allies?
I walked down into the crypt and approached the 'leader'.
"Ah, Austin! I trust you've made a choice?"
"Yes, I have. I choose to stand alone. My apologies, but I don't want to be the one who single-handedly ruins what you have here."
"I see."
"I hope you understand."
"Yes, I do. If you happen to have a change of heart, you know where to find us."
I nodded, then asked,
"One last thing...May I please take some of your supplies? I may need them. Nothing large. Just the AK, 2 pistols, extra magazines...the essentials."
"Yes yes, of course! What's ours is yours. We have more than enough weapons and ammo to supply you. Please, take what you wish."
I nodded.
"You and your army have my thanks."
"You're very welcome. And Austin?"
"Yes?"
"Stick to the shadows. And always watch your back."
I nodded once more, went to the ammo chest, and took 2 handguns, a few extra mags for both my pistols and assault rifle, and then took my leave. I stepped out of the church and walked into the open streets, armed with enough ammo to tear the bones clean of anyone who stands before me.
Luckily for them, no one did. Maybe they knew how to take a hint. I disappeared into an alley, and climbed a fire escape to the rooftops. I then heard a very familiar voice from below. I peered over the edge of the building, seeing the mane 6, still crazy, and still searching for me. I stared for a minute, then sighed. I didn't want to, but it could be the only way I get any peace...
I aimed my gun at them. No more sleeping bullets. No more darts. No more toying with these ponies. It's time to finish this. The Mane 6 were totally oblivious to the barrel of my gun pointing at them. I took careful aim, peering down the sight at them. With just a single tug of the trigger, it would all be over...I squeezed the trigger.
But I couldn't do it. I didn't know why, but my finger stopped halfway, and locked up. My hands shook and my face started to sweat. I clenched my teeth and did my best to just finish the job, but I just couldn't...Suddenly, I saw Pinkie's baby blue eye dart up in my direction, then suddenly she whipped out a knife, and with the speed of a ninja, she threw it at me. I couldn't react fast enough. I moved, but I still felt the sting of the razor sharp edge of that butcher's knife run through my arm. It only grazed me, but it still hurt a lot. My wound bled out, and I screamed in pain. The ponies heard me and ran toward the fire escape, while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew up to the roof. I sat there, holding my wound tightly in my hand, which was coated in blood, the crimson fluid pouring from between my fingers.
I laid there bleeding, while the ponies came up and surrounded me. I was too weak to fight, and if I raised my pistol they would surely jam it. Sweat and tears poured down my face, my teeth clenched in pain, and the ponies stared at me, only a foot away from where I lay. Twilight looked at the party mare, and asked,
"How did you know?"
"I heard his gun clattering. He was shaking so much, his gun was making quite a racket."
The ponies heard me muttering to myself through my teeth..."I can't...I can't...."
"Can't what? Stand the fact that you were defeated?"
I just shook my head.
"I can't...I had the perfect shot..."
"What are you mumbling about?"
"You were all in my sights..."
"So why didn't you just pull the trigger?"
"I couldn't. Something was stopping me. But I couldn't bring myself to shoot you. Not with real bullets..."
The ponies all looked at each other, confused. They were talking with the brony who shot half the royal guard, and fought the princesses in unarmed combat, and yet, he couldn't shoot the Mane 6?
"I don't know what. But something stopped me. The gun wasn't jammed...I just locked up and started to shake."
Pinkie stared at me. Her mane was still straight, but she seemed almost pitiful...Fluttershy stared at me, trying to tell if I was telling the truth.
"He's not lyin'." AJ finally said.
The ponies all looked at her.
"Ah'm the Element of Honesty, and Ah know when someponie's lyin'. This Anti's bein' legit. He couldn't do it."
Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
"He has fear in his eyes. The fear not of being a brony, but fear of himself. He's afraid of what he would've become if he had shot us..."
Twilight stared at me. I was still bleeding, and wouldn't last much longer without passing out from blood loss. Finally, Twilight looked at her friends.
"Go. Get him some bandages and peroxide. He needs it more than we need him to be a brony."
Rainbow looked at her like she was insane.
"What? After what he tried to do?!"
"Just do it! He couldn't kill us, so we shouldn't kill him! Now go!"
They just nodded reluctantly, and the 5 of them left. I stared at the pony standing over me, as she slowly moved my hand and applied pressure to my wound. I couldn't believe it.
"What the hell are you doing, Sparkle?"
"I'm doing what's right..."
------------------
The ponies came back, and Twilight dressed my wound, tying the bandages tightly around my arm. They propped my up against a wall, and I stared at them. They stared back, but instead of the stare they gave me when I was cornered, they gave me one of compassion. I sighed, then threw my guns aside. They saved my life, it was only fitting if I let them keep theirs. But now what? What could we do? Was I still on the run? Were they going to bronify me in my state of weakness?
We said nothing to each other, just stared blankly. I didn't know what to do or say, and it was rather awkward.
Suddenly, out of the blue, we heard a loud noise from the sky. Twilight's eyes turned huge.
"Oh no..." She whispered.
I looked at her.
"What? What's happening?"
"The Orbital Friendship Cannon..."
"The what?"
"THE ORBITAL FRIENDSHIP CANNON!!" She grabbed me and put me on her back, then the ponies started to run. I held on to her, questioning her.
"What the hell is the Orbital Friendship Cannon?!"
"It's a giant orbiting space laser. It fires a beam of pure harmony down and blasts everything within a 50 mile radius!"
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
"We didn't do anything! Only the Princesses and the armies can fire it! It doesn't do damage, but it bronifies anything that the blast hits!"
"So you're telling me the Princess fired a space cannon at me?!"
"We don't know. But we need to get you to a safe distance!"
"We'll never outrun a space laser! It's unlikely you mares can run 50 miles!"
"Well we have to try!"
"No you don't."
I put my heels down and stopped Twilight in her tracks.
"What are you doing?!"
"Just go. You won't be affected, but I will. It's only right that I stay behind."
"But Austin-"
"No. You saved my life. I just want to return the favor."
"You'll give up your entire life?!"
"I would rather that then be hunted for the rest of my days..."
The girls just looked at me like I was insane.
"Just go...I'll be fine."
Twilight stared at me, then ran off with her friends. I heard the beam hit about 10 miles from me. I calculated I had about 15 seconds to run another 41 miles, or simply hide underground. But there was no sewer grates or manholes to be found, so I did the next best thing.
15...
14...
13...
I pulled my EED (Emergency Escape Device) off my back and raised it over my head, then from the corners, long steel legs came down and made a narrow box frame.
12...
11...
10...
9....
I pulled on the edges, and 2 walls came down on either side of me, 3 inches of thick steel.
8...
7...
6....
5....
I pulled the third wall down.
4...
3...
I pulled the last wall down, creating a steel box.
2....
1....
I burned a hole around my feet with my laser pen.
0...
The giant rainbow coloured wave passed over my EED and made it into a pink box made of rock and a thatched roof. Everything inside it was bronified.
Everything, and everyone.
Immediately before the wave of harmony hit the EED, I dropped through the hole, down into a storm drainage system. I watched the thin river of mud and muck float by me. I walked along the side, being careful not to step in anything that moved. Rats scrambled through the slimy drains, and I walked until I saw a nearby manhole. I climbed the rusted ladder and pushed the heavy metal cover off the hole, then peeked out and looked around. No one. I climbed out and replaced the manhole cover, then ran to see what had happened to my allies.
I ran into the church, then ran into the crypt, but stopped in the stairwell. I heard voices. I listened in on them silently.
"So, did it launch?"
"Yes sir. The OFC launched without a problem. Everything and everyone within a 50 mile radius has been converted."
"And what of that Austin fellow?"
"No word yet sir."
"Keep an eye out for him."
"Yes sir."
That was all I needed to hear. I left without a sound. No one said anything to me. No one looked at me. No one stopped me. I just walked out. I got into the streets, and I could see Equestrian Royal guard roaming the streets, shining lights and checking hiding places. I gritted my teeth silently. No way I could get into Equestria now. Not with all this searching. I gripped the handle of my pistol as it sat in my holster. I wanted to pull it out and shoot off every last round without reloading. I just wanted to shoot them until they lay quivering beneath my-
"Austin!"
The hell?
"Austin! Over here!"
It was someone whispering. I turned my head towards the sound. I saw a very familiar pink pony sitting there, her mane was now much more poofy and bubbly-looking. Plus, her eyes didn't have that gleam of insanity. I cautiously approached her, hand on my pistol.
"What?"
"Take these!" Pinkie threw something at me. A sweater, a t-shirt, and a pair of blue tinted glasses, as well as a small Fluttershy keychain. I stared at it in disbelief. It was the Pinkie Pie cosplay outfit...It was clean, soft, and looked brand new! No blood stains or anything!
"Where'd you-"
"Rarity. She made it especially for you!"
"Why are you helping me when I tried to-"
"Austin, we know. You're an anti, and we're ponies. We don't mix...But you need to trust us. Because Celestia forgot the most important rule of friendship...Love and tolerate those around you, even if they have differing opinions."
I stared at her.
"Now hurry! Get changed! The guards are looking for you!"
"Pinkie if Celestia finds out she'll-"
"Let us worry about that. Now go!"
Pinkie disappeared in a puff of smoke, and I stared at the outfit, then ran to change into it.
After a brief changing, I wandered back into the street, this time concealing my weapons in my backpack, and keeping a careful eye out for anything that looked at me. I walked for a while until I got to my house. I went to open the door, but stopped. Something didn't feel right...
Pinkie suddenly burst the door open from the other side, dragged me in, and slammed the door shut with one quick movement. I sat there, startled.
"Austin, just trust me. I'm not here to hurt you. We want to help."
"I'm sorry what?"
"We want to become allies. Please, just trust us...We promise not to bronify you, or give away your position if you help us. We can even clear your name."
"You killed my parents."
"No...We didn't." Pinkie's ears dropped. "They...were....bronified..."
"But I was told-"
"I know...We...didn't want you to know. It was hard enough losing your parents to us, I know. But it was easier to say than we took them from you."
I stared at her, then swallowed. "So you want me to help you, after you lied, cheated, and attacked me on multiple occasions?!"
"We know it's hard to do, but just trust us. We trusted you, and it's only fair if you returned the favor." Pinkie begged.
"And how do I know that when all's said and done, you'll just bronify me anyway?"
"Austin...I Pinkie Promise we won't do that."
I groaned heavily. It was my only choice. Either that, or forced bronification.
"Fine. What is it you need help with?"
"There's a rouge group of bronies who have assembled an army. They want to kick Celestia out of power and take over as rightful ruler of Earth and Equestria. And they have MORE than enough firepower to do so."
"Who are they, where do they live, what do I need to do?" I asked, getting right to it.
"We don't know, but we know their uniforms consist of a grey hoodie, bandanas, sunglasses, and dark jeans."
I went pale and silent. That's why they wanted me. They wanted me to kill Celestia to take over the world for themselves. They were using me. My eye twitched.
"Austin?"
"Give me anything you have."
"Anything?"
"Anything that's capable of taking out a human."
Pinkie smiled widely and took me to her house in Sugarcube Corner via a space leap. She walked over and pulled a switch hidden in a wall. The wall opened to reveal a variety of guns, knives, tools, and weapons...I stared in disbelief. She had more firepower than I did. Pinkie smiled.
"I keep all this around, just in case of emergencies."
"Like what?"
"Human takeover, parasprite invasions, zombie ponies...ya know...stuff like that."
I slowly nodded, obviously impressed. She knew her stuff.
"I can't nessessarily take them out alone you know."
Pinkie giggled. "We figured as much...Oh GIIIRRRRLLS!"
The rest of the Mane 6 emerged. I stared at them. Each one was covered with bandoliers of ammo of all sorts, pistols, rifles, shotguns, C4 explosives, grenades....I smiled and nodded.
"Nice...."
Pinkie cocked a pistol in her hoof and smiled.
I smiled back.
"Let's get this party started."
I kicked the doors to the church open, guns loaded and grenades hot. The Anti's didn't see it coming, so they were, needless to say, unprepared. I pecked them off one by one, blood splattering the walls and heads being blown to pieces. I tossed a few grenades in, blowing out more pieces of Anti's, and even knocking over their scaffolding.
"TIMMMMMBEERRRRRRRR!" I shouted and laughed, guns still blazing. I saw more and more of them flood out into the church, and each one was slaughtered in a hail of gunfire. A few managed to fire back, but missed and were killed just like the rest of them. One by one they fell, blood spraying the walls and gunshots ringing out into the night sky. Finally, when all was said and done, I dropped the empty guns and strapped C4 to the walls and support beams of the church. I ran out and hit the detonator switch. The resulting explosion sent shrapnel, rock and wood flying from the old building and it collapsed in a heap. I just grinned and turned to walk away.
The pistol's barrel was right in front of my nose. The man holding the gun grinned at me; his black hoodie flowing in the breeze.
"Well well well! Quite a mess you've made here." He said, finger tickling the trigger.
"You were gonna kill the princesses just for power? You call yourself a brony?!"
"And what are you, boy?! An anti? Proud and strong? Look at yourself. You couldn't even kill the Mane 6! And now you've teamed up with them!"
"That's doesn't matter anymore!"
"Oh ho? And what, praytell, does? We're in a world where power will crush you like a nut! You have to get to the top, no matter who or what you need to kill in order to do so."
"What you speak of is murder!"
"And what do you call what you just did? You killed off your own kind!"
"You tried to kill me."
"You were nothing more than another rung in the ladder of life, boy. You needed to die, so that I can take your place. I was going to do away with you anyway after you finished off Princess Celestia and Luna!"
"I'm protecting myself and the ones I care about!"
"So riddle me this then! What are you? Brony or Anti?"
"What will it matter? You've got the gun. You're gonna kill me anyways."
"Maybe so, but I want to know what you truly are, boy!"
"I can't answer you, because I don't know anymore."
"That's a shame then..."
And he shot me. Shot me right in the stomach. I staggered back, holding my gut. Suddenly, as I fell, the ponies ran in and shot him down in a rain of bullets. Twilight ran to my side and propped my head up, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Austin! Stay with us! You're going to be okay!"
I coughed up blood. My vision blurred and my wound bled like a faucet.
"Tw-Twilight."
"You're going to be fine! Just hold on!"
"Twilight....I need to tell you something."
The ponies all looked at me as I lay there dying, tears filling their eyes. I coughed again.
"It doesn't matter what happens to me. You need to save the princess. I think she's still in danger."
"No! We have to stay here! A medic is on the way! Just stay with us!"
"Twilight...You've been a great help to me...I would've died if it weren't for you. And even still...now that I am dying....I want to thank you. We've had our differences in the past, but I think we can look over them...."
"Just stay with us, Austin!!"
"I can't Twi...Not for long..."
"No! You'll be okay!! You're going to be fine!"
"Don't kid yourself Twi. Look at me...I'm fatally wounded and dying. I'm not going to make it."
"Don't say that!" She cried.
"Facts are facts Twi. You of anypony should know that by now."
Twilight's eyes watered like two big purple fountains.
"I'm sorry about everything I've done. I'm glad we could be friends in the end."
"No this isn't the end!!"
"It is Twilight. Don't make it harder for yourself than it is."
My vision slowly started to fade into blackness as I felt life slip away from my grasp.
"Twilight...save the princess....save yourself...."
And then everything went black.
I stood around in a very foggy world. It was unlike anything I've seen...I looked around, trying to get my bearings, but it was useless. Finally I looked down. The ground was soft and spongey, like cotton, only thicker. Much thicker. I guessed this would be like walking on tofu, or perhaps a thick cake. It's not bouncy, so it's more like cake than anything. Or maybe just a very thick pillow. Okay enough about that. I looked around once more, looking around for anything that could tell me where I was. Before me stood a large cloud with a rainbow archway. I stepped through and saw...ponies. Pegasi of all colours flying around and having fun. I looked around, a little startled, until someone very familiar appeared in front of me.
"Hello Austin."
"Oh my god...Pr-Pr-Princess Celestia...." I immediately went to grab my pistol, but I caught nothing but air. No holster, no gun handle, not even a bat or a stick to hit her with. Celestia just gave me a kind smile and shook her head.
"No need to feel alarmed, Austin. I'm not here to bronify you, or hurt you."
"But I-"
"You're previous actions have been excused, Austin. I heard about what you did for Twilight and her friends, and decided to pardon you for all you've done. Only a brony would show such compassion toward a pony."
"But I'm not-"
"It's fine if you don't want to admit it. That's your right. I came here to thank you for saving Twilight and myself from possible takeover."
"I....you...wha?!"
"I just wished things could've ended better for you."
"Ended better?...You mean-"
"Well...yes." She continued sadly. "You passed away after you were shot by the general of the anti-brony army."
"So where am I now?"
"Well, I guess you could call this heaven...But it's more of a....a near-death experience."
"How is it near-death if I'm well...dead?"
"No. Your human husk has died. Your spirit is living on, but in a different host."
"Host?"
"All you need to do is wake up...."
"Wake up?"
"Wake up Austin."
"Wha?!"
"Wake up...please please wake up."
Suddenly, I blacked out...I felt something warm and wet hit my cheek...like a raindrop. But I couldn't move...Or...I couldn't feel my body. More raindrops. I did my best to force myself to open my eyes. Finally, one slowly slid open a crack. It was blurry. I couldn't see 10 centimetres in front of me let alone 10 feet. I opened the other eye. Still blurry, but a little clearer. I saw some sort of lavender blob in front of my face. I felt another drop, then another. My cheek twitched.
I blinked a few times. It was finally clear now. The lavender blob I saw was really Twilight...or rather, her face. She was standing near me, crying and holding my...arm...I couldn't feel my hands or fingers...my back felt sore and my feet were numb. I groaned a little, doing my best to assemble something that resembled words.
"Nnghh..."
Twilight's eyes opened and she saw that I was awake. Her sad face turned into one of joy and she squealed like a filly.
"HE'S UP! AUSTIN'S AWAKE!!"
Twilight's friends all ran in and over to the other side of me. I mumbled something again.
"Nnghes.."
Twilight hugged me tightly. That's weird...It didn't hurt....It felt softer, almost like it was being padded by something. Maybe I was wearing a thick suit? Her hooves didn't even dig into my back like I thought they would. Instead, they felt softer too, like they were pressing into me like I was a stuffed animal. I opened my eyes a little more, then looked at the mares, and then at myself...My eyes shrunk to pinpricks.
In place of my human body, I had the body of a pony...a stallion, to be specific. I turned white and screamed. Twilight shushed me and tried to calm me down. I kept screaming and screaming until-
"AHHHHHHH-Mmphhergrumb"
I felt my mouth stuffed with icing and chocolate cupcake. Pinkie smiled warmly.
"There we go. Just chew it up and swallow, and calm down. Let us explain."
I reluctantly obliged, and slowly chewed the cupcake before swallowing it. I remained quiet to let the mares talk.
"Well...After you were shot by the leader of the anti-brony rebels, you passed away. Twilight couldn't stop crying....-"
------------------
"He'll be fine! I'll use my healing spell! I'll bring him back with necromancy!"
"Twilight! Stop! He's gone! You're just going to have to accept that!"
"He can't be gone, he can't!!"
"He is. There's nothing else to it, Twi. We need to move on, and protect the princess at all costs."
Twilight was really heart-broken. We all were. But we needed to press on and defeat the army before it reached Canterlot...
"Rainbow Dash, you take the air support! Fluttershy, get your fiercest animals out there on the front lines! Pinkie and Rarity, you two are the ones who will attack them from behind, me and Applejack will come in from the front!
The Anti-Brony rebels attacked in waves. They never let up. Luckily for us, we had the Elements of Harmony with us. We turned each one into stone, then melted them down in a massive furnace. It seemed a fitting end to those rebels. When all was said and done, we told Celestia about everything you did for us. How you refused to kill us, and how you even killed the main leaders of the rebellion single-handedly. She was more than willing to pardon your actions upon hearing that. But once she heard that you were gone, she and Luna created a new pony, one to act as a host for your recently deceased spirit. You were in a coma for days, weeks. We were on the verge of giving up hope.
--------------------
"So...I'm still dead, but I'm now a pony?"
"No, your human self is dead. We reincarnated you. Needless to say, Twilight is overjoyed at your awakening."
"So am I alive or not?"
"Well...yes. Sort of."
"What happened to my body?"
"It's over there."
She pointed her hoof over to a human corpse laying in the bed near mine. It was kinda creepy seeing my dead body laying there...
"Eww. Why'd you keep it?"
"Um, we aren't. We just have it here in the Ponyville hospital to be put in the morgue..."
".....gross."
"Sorry."
"So this is the start of my new life then."
"Yeah...We're sorry we couldn't bring you back as your human self. We tried, but there was too much damage to do it, so...we made you this."
Pinkie and Rainbow tugged the blanket off me. I looked at my new body. Dark grey coat, and I saw a brown tail laying under me, between my hind legs. I looked at my forelegs and stared at the hooves. It was going to be interesting, that's for sure...
"Can I stand up?"
"Sure...just let us help you...You were used to standing on two legs, but ponies can't balance like that, so you'll need to learn how to walk again."
The mares helped me off the hospital bed and I put my hooves down on the floor. I took a step forward, still adjusting. It was weird, walking around on four legs. I stumbled a few times, and the mares caught me every now and then. Finally, after about an hour of stumbling, tripping on my own tail, and falling, I got the hang of it. Though, it was still difficult. They sat me down on the bed and smiled.
"See? Not so bad."
"Yeah...but...what am I?"
"You're a pony."
"No I mean what type?"
"Oh. You're a unicorn. Look."
Rarity held up a mirror for me. I looked at my new face. Big brown eyes, a grey horn, and shaggy brown hair. I sighed a little, then smiled weakly.
"Thanks girls...Even though I died and came back as a pony, I think I'm going to like it here in Equestria."
They all grouped around me and hugged me tight. I smiled.
*2 Months Later*
I woke up and walked downstairs. Twilight greeted me with a warm smile.
"Hey Austin! Nice to see you up early!"
"Thanks Twi."
"I was gonna go out with the girls. Wanna come?"
"Sure! I have nothing better to do."
Twilight grabbed a basket from the table and walked toward the door. I followed her and we walked until we were in a forest clearing near the local park. She set down the basket as Pinkie and Rarity set down the picnic blanket. We all sat around, eating grass sandwiches and chatting about life, friends and everything in between. This may not be the life I chose for myself, but it's the only life I've got, and I'm gonna live it to it's fullest.
And so ends my tale...
From Anti-Brony, to Brony, to dead, to pony, it was all a very interesting 30 days of my life...If I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.
The Anti-Brony Chronicles 2 is out! It's been posted and already has two chapters!
If you enjoyed this saga and would like to continue the story, please read it!