//------------------------------// // The Pain I Cause // Story: Lost in Search for You // by RunicTreetops //------------------------------// "Where does he think he's going?!" "Dash, stop him!" After the sudden arrival of the worst-case scenario, a lot happened in a very short span of time. First, Celestia and Luna immediately locked up. Their eyes seemed to glaze over, their faces contorted in fear. Fluttershy and Twilight, being the ponies that they are, immediately recognized what was going on. Twilight instructed Fluttershy to stay behind with the princesses to keep them safe along with Applejack and Spike, just in case they need to get on the defensive. While that was happening, everypony missed Anon ducking out of the room and sprinting away. By the time Starlight noticed his absence, he had already escaped the vault. Thus, Twilight, Starlight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie sprint away in pursuit of their human friend. The gravity of the situation immediately becomes apparent. Large, hulking monstrosities that look vaguely like humans stalk the halls, violently attacking guards and servants alike. Occasionally, they pass by a human keeled over on the ground, writhing in pain. One such human convulses before their veins begin to glow, and they let out an ominous roar as the group sprints by. Dash leads the pack, and being the speed demon that she is, she quickly catches up to Anon. She glances behind her, seeing that Twilight, Starlight, and Rarity are using their magic to protect the group as they run. They're safe for now, but that endurance won't last forever. "Anon, what are you doing?!" "I can sense them!" "What are you TALKING ABOUT?! Do you see what's happening around us?!" "They're here! In Canterlot!" "WHO?!" Anon turns to look at Dash, a frantic expression on his face despite his eyes being filled with tears. "My parents!" Dash simply looks at him for a moment, her disbelief making her hesitate for just an instant. In that instant, Anon ducks around a corner. Dash catches herself just in time to not slam into a wall. However, looking behind her once more, she sees that the rest of the group is surrounded by more humans. Their shield is protecting them, but they cannot advance any further. "Argh, dang it!" With a quick flap of her wings, Dash throws herself into one of the humans. The impact is intense and the human goes flying down the hall, rolling painfully along the marble floor. However, the moment it takes for her to recover is enough for another human to grab her from behind. She struggles in his grasp, but is quickly freed as the human is blasted with the contents of Pinkie's party cannon. Which... she had with her, apparently. The unicorns drop the shield and face their remaining attackers. There are only two left. With their backs to each other, a combination of spells and kicks go flying in every direction. It isn't easy, but they successfully repel the two humans... only for the first two to get back up and corner them once again. This isn't going to be easy. Anon sprints through the Canterlot streets. Chaos surrounds him as ponies do everything in their power to defend themselves. Unlike the ponies of ancient Equestria, these ponies are used to conflict like this. Between changelings and the Storm Kingdom, they're much more prepared to defend themselves. However, they are so greatly outnumbered that it's only a matter of time until Canterlot is completely overrun. And yet, Anon can only focus on one thing. He doesn't even notice that the other humans are ignoring him entirely as he sprints through the streets, strung along by some unseen force. As he sprints down the street, he skids to a stop. For whatever reason, his attention is turned to a nearby alleyway. Suddenly feeling a deep anxiety welling up within him, he slowly approaches the dark alleyway. As he does, he realizes something else. He knows this place. He's been here before. This is where Twilight found him subduing a changeling all those years ago. As he finally enters the space, his eyes go wide. Sure enough, there on the floor are two figures. One is a tall human man, his build and jawline very reminiscent of Anon's. Next to him is a much shorter woman, her moppy hair and overall disposition also seeming quite similar to Anon. They both writhe in pain on the ground, and Anon quickly kneels down next to them. They don't notice him through whatever it is they're feeling. "...Mom? Dad?" They look much older, but there can be no doubt. Anon knows exactly who these people are. The man opens one of his eyes to look at Anon before quickly closing it. He speaks through gritted teeth. "Who... who are you, kid?" "...My name is Anon, sir." The man's eyes shoot open as he looks up at Anon, though his face quickly contorts into a scowl as he clutches his chest. "W-well, whoever you are, can you make this STOP?!" Anon's breathing quickens as he looks down at the pair. The veins in their hands and at the bottoms of their legs are beginning to glow, and it's quickly moving further up their bodies. A million thoughts race through Anon's head. As he proved to Celestia, he can use magic, but because his body is so resistant to it, he is most certainly NOT good at it. He can only use his special form of teleportation due to months and months of practice. Outside of that, his abilities are mostly nonexistent. With only one other idea coming to mind, he places one hand on each of his parents, closes his eyes, and begins to concentrate. He focuses on the same sensation he had when he was in the pocket dimension, and the one he accidentally felt just minutes ago. Once again, cracks begin to form in the very air around them. The cracks grow in number, and a sound like shattering glass is heard. Anon opens his eyes with hope. It did nothing. He watches helplessly as magic courses through his parents' veins, the color now reaching all the way to the bases of their necks. Their eyes begin to glow red, then fade out. Then they glow again, and they fade again. They don't have much longer. "I... I'm sorry! This is all my fault, and... and you don't even remember me!" For the first time, the woman opens her eyes to look at Anon. Said eyes widen for just a moment. Her voice, though also strained due to the pain she is feeling, is gentle and serene. Despite the scenario, something about that voice puts Anon at ease, like a long forgotten, yet deeply comforting memory. "N-Nonny?" "Mom?" The woman forces out a smile. Tears fill her eyes, though it's unclear if this is due to the emotions she must be going through or the agony her body is experiencing. "L-look at you... you've grown." Anon is unable to contain his own tears any longer. "Mom!" "I'm..." The woman begins to cough violently. Her eyes become visible through the red magic less and less frequently as seconds pass. "I'm glad to see you're okay." "I am!" Anon's voice is a shout. It's all he can do through his tears. "I... I am okay! I have a job, and friends, and a family! But... but I just wanted to see you again! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" The woman can no longer force a smile as her battle against the magic begins to reach its conclusion. Anon doesn't even notice his father stand from the ground and walk away without another word. "I don't know... what's going on. But y-you shouldn't... blame yourself!" The woman is forced to shout as she winces in pain yet again. Anon realizes what is about to happen. "Mom!" The woman opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out except for a deeply guttural noise. Her eyes glaze over before filling with red magic one last time. Then, without another word, she effortlessly stands up and leaves the alleyway. Anon is left there by himself. Unable to bear the weight of his guilt, he collapses onto the floor and begins to sob. Anon doesn't quite remember what happened after that. When he comes to, he's once again sitting on his knees. He is being embraced by Twilight, who is holding him close. Meanwhile, Starlight stands behind her, protecting the three with a thick magical shield. The sound of mayhem unfolding around them is just as intense. He guesses that it's been about ten minutes since he lost track of what was happening. "T-Twilight?" "Nonny! Are you okay?!" Anon instinctively starts to hug her back. Tears begin to flow, and the whole scenario feels very, very familiar. "I... I was too late, Twilight. They're gone." "..." Twilight can't think of anything to say. All she can do is hold her son close and let him cry his heart out. ... ... ... "I don't mean to interrupt the moment, but I can't hold this thing up forever!" The two finally break their embrace as they look up at Starlight. Sure enough, two more humans are slamming down on her magical shield, and small cracks are beginning to form in it. Looking past the shield, dozens, if not hundreds, of humans are wreaking havoc in the streets. "Wh-where did the others go?" "Thankfully humans can't fly, and Dash can! She took Rarity and Pinkie to higher ground to search for you!" "Oh, thank goodness." "Do we have a plan?!" Twilight turns to look at Anon, fear on her face. Anon shakes his head, and Twilight looks on in fear. She closes her eyes and winces before looking at him again. "Nonny. No matter what happens, I want you to know that this isn't your fault." "..." Twilight sighs before turning around and helping Starlight maintain the shield. "I guess we just have to blast our way through this and hope for the best." As the two try to formulate an escape plan, a buzzing noise fills Anon's ears. All other sound is completely drowned out, and he closes his eyes to concentrate. Intentional or not, this was his fault. And he needs to fix it. Suddenly, an idea strikes him. He looks up at the two mares, still unable to hear a thing. In a swift motion, he grabs the two of them and casts the only spell he knows for sure will work. They both gasp as all three blip away from the alleyway, suddenly reappearing in the vault. Celestia, Luna, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Spike are nowhere to be seen. However, the octahedron still floats there, a blue glow still shining off of it. Starlight asks Anon something, but he doesn't hear her. Instead, he takes a step towards the octahedron. If those ancient wizards were able to seal away all of humanity in this thing, then it should be possible to do something similar again. Meanwhile, he wrote the spell that accidentally created one of these not too long ago. If he can just focus, he might be able to do something. The only question is... What will he do? Will he seal humanity away in the octahedron? Will he seal ALL of humanity away in the octahedron? Will he seal the rest of Equestria away in the octahedron? Or will he destroy the octahedron entirely?