Anon slowly trudges down the streets of Canterlot. It's the middle of the afternoon now, but the energy in the city hasn't faded whatsoever. Ponies are still joyously celebrating their newfound freedom, even days after acquiring it. Those that aren't in a state of joy are still grinning ear to ear as they go about their business. To Anon, it all just seems forced and unnatural. It doesn't help that the only time those smiles fade is when they see him passing by. Try as he might to blend in, the tall, well-built human can't exactly hide in plain sight. It certainly didn't make his job as an "enforcer" any easier, and it apparently isn't helping his new pardoned life either.
Mindlessly, he returns to the hotel he had been staying in. It's a run-down and shoddy little place, but it's the only hotel that would let him stay. After the third hotel he went to rejected him, he considered just threatening his way into a room, but these ponies seem to have grown a massive ego the second Nightmare Moon was taken down. They no longer treat him with the respect his status under Nightmare Moon afforded him, and instead look at him like he's trash.
Isn't that a familiar feeling?
"Hahaha! Well well well, color me impressed. You actually did it."
Nightmare Moon looks down at Anon from her throne, her head lazily resting on a hoof. A wicked smile is plastered across her face as her blue, intimidating eyes stare directly into Anon's. For his part, he simply stares back at her with an unreadable expression.
"Is that really so surprising?"
"That wasn't meant to be a real mission, human. It was meant to be an execution."
Anon blinks.
"Excuse me?"
"You annoyed me, and the punishment for that is death. However, I thought it might make for a bit of fun to send you on a job you certainly couldn't accomplish. Trust me, if I were so inclined, I could have gotten through that invisibubble very easily. If I was feeling particularly cruel, I could have just starved them out. But by sending you in there, I could break their spirits. What is this mysterious assailant? What terrible forces does Nightmare Moon command? They would still kill you, of course, but their nerves would be shattered. It would make it all the more satisfying when they finally fell."
"..."
"Imagine my surprise, then, when I was informed that you not only took out the invisibubble, but you also escaped with your life. My soldiers capitalized on that, of course. That little rebellion is a thing of the past now. Still, that's entirely thanks to you."
"When I say I'll do a job, I do the job."
"...Hm. Interesting. Perhaps you are worth keeping around." Her mouth curls into a sharp, toothy grin. "What is your name, human?"
"Anon."
"Very well. Anon, then." She makes a sort of whistling noise, and a servant quietly approaches from a nearby hall. She wears clothes made of varying hues of blue and purple. Her coat is white, and her purple mane and tail are tied into buns. "Rarity, show the newest member of our ranks to his quarters."
"Which ones, your majesty?"
"...Give him my sister's old room, just down the hall from mine."
"Of course."
The mare gives Nightmare Moon a bow before looking towards Anon. Her expression is perpetually blank, which throws Anon off.
"She'll show you where you will be staying. I'm providing you with nice accommodations. I expect you to repay me in kind."
Anon stares at her for a moment. Mere moments ago, she said that she sent him off to die. Now she's giving him a nice room? Did he really make that strong of an impression on her? Anon is so lost in thought, it takes him a second to recognize the growing feeling of warmth in his chest. Did he actually impress her?
It feels nice.
"Th-thank you, Nightmare... er, my lady?"
"Hmhm, good to see you know your place. Now, both of you, shoo. I expect you to report to me first thing tomorrow morning. I have more for you to do."
"Yes, your majesty," Anon and Rarity say in unison.
Without any further delay, Rarity sets off down a nearby hall. She doesn't even acknowledge Anon, but he follows her regardless. She is showing him the way to his room, yes?
The two continue for some time, causing Anon to realize just how large and labyrinthine the castle is. On top of that, there are more than a few places where it looks a bit dilapidated. In fact, the parts that don't look like they're falling apart seem to have been refurbished only recently. However, Rarity looks like she knows where she's going.
Despite that, it's a long walk to wherever they're headed. Rarity never says a word, nor does she even glance in Anon's direction or emote whatsoever. Anon knows a cold shoulder when he sees one. He's quite used to the feeling, after all, and although he would normally not care either way, he still doesn't really know much about his situation. As such, he decides to break the silence.
"So. How did you end up here?"
"..."
"...Alright, be that way."
"Tsk." For the first time, Rarity's expression changes. She's gone from completely emotionless to extremely frustrated. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself involved in."
"What do you mean?"
"Nopony is here by choice. Either we bend ourselves to her will, or her magic forcefully does it for us."
"Magic?"
"A minor mind control spell. It works better when the victim is stressed, and since we're all in constant danger of immediate execution at the hooves of an alicorn, you can understand why we might be a bit on edge."
"And I take it that since you're telling me this, you haven't had your mind controlled?"
"No, I haven't. You would though, if not for your weird magic resistance."
"What makes you say that?"
"She doesn't need a valid reason. I can tell she doesn't like you."
"I disagree."
"Peh. How would you know?"
"The fact that she's open about her feelings is all I need. Plus, apparently I'm getting some sweet quarters."
Rarity lets out a sigh of frustration.
"Yes, you are. And all you had to do to get it was destroy our only hope of salvation."
Anon opens his mouth to speak, but he closes it again. This isn't an argument he wants to have. Not here. Not now.
Eventually, the pair make it to a grand hallway. There are only two doors in this hallway. One is marked with a large crescent moon, while the other has no markings at all.
"That one is yours," Rarity says while pointing to the unmarked door. "If you don't want to die, I suggest you wake up at the crack of dawn."
"W-wait, how will I know when that is if it's always night?"
Rarity has already turned and started to walk away.
"That's the question, isn't it?"
Without another word, she disappears around a corner. Anon, now alone with his thoughts, simply shakes his head and enters his new quarters. The room is large and circular, with all manner of furniture. There's a vanity, a large dresser, a few cabinets and shelves, even a walk-in closet. It's a lot to take in, but most notable to Anon is the massive bed in the center of the room that looks like it's fit for a princess. Getting to sleep on a mattress at all is a luxury for Anon. Never in his life has he ever even dreamed about getting to sleep in a bed like this. As a result, he doesn't hesitate for a second before throwing himself onto the wonderfully soft sheets and drifting to sleep in mere moments.
When he awakens, the first thing he does is clean up and try to remember the way back to the throne room. However, it's like the halls themselves have shifted around. He's not sure if his memory is poor or if he's just losing his mind, but either way, a weight begins to settle in his stomach. He really doesn't want to be late, and he doesn't even know how long he slept for. There was no clock in his room, and with no sun outside, it becomes easy to lose track of time.
However, just as he starts to feel a nervous sweat begin to form on his brow, he turns a corner and slams face-first into-
"Y-your majesty!"
Anon looks at Nightmare Moon, and for the first time in a long time, a wave of dread overtakes him. She slowly turns to look at him, her eyes narrowed and angry. When she speaks, her voice is calculated and intimidating.
"...You're early."
"I... I am?"
Her eyes briefly glance out of a nearby window, which provides a few of the perpetually moonlit Everfree Forest.
"I suppose you wouldn't know that. Hm. I'll have to get you an alarm." To Anon's surprise, she turns away from him and continues in the direction she was going when he ran into her. "Walk with me." After just a moment's hesitation, Anon hastily scrambles to her side and begins to walk. He doesn't dare speak first. "I am impressed, Anon."
"You are?"
"I received a full report on the status of the school about an hour ago. Your actions, as well as your intel, allowed my soldiers to capture every single one of those rebellious fools." Anon's mind briefly drifts back to the previous night. For some reason, his thoughts keep lingering on that terrible, horrified look he was given before escaping. "Well, all except for one, it seems."
"One got away?"
"Twilight Sparkle. My dear sister's faithful student." Nightmare Moon clicks her tongue. "I can already tell she's going to be a thorn in my side."
"..."
"Regardless, the operation was a success, and the rebellion is no more. I even got a few of them to... 'come to my side.'"
"And those you didn't?"
"I'll leave that to your imagination."
Nightmare Moon laughs a dark, cruel laugh. To her surprise, Anon joins in. And unlike her other "loyal" subjects, he sounds shockingly genuine.
"Good. They probably had it coming."
"...Yes. Yes they did." Nightmare Moon glances at Anon. A tiny, slightly less cruel smile has made its way to her face as she looks him up and down. "And today, we'll see if you can keep up that momentum. I have another job for you."
"You name it, I'll take care of it."
Once again, Nightmare Moon looks at him with a mixture of surprise and amusement.
"...I think I like you, human. Hmhm, this should be interesting." The two continue walking down the hall as Nightmare Moon explains what his next job will be. "Today, I'm sending you to a little rock farm in the middle of nowhere."
Anon exits the old hotel after having gathered his few belongings. He no longer has any business in Canterlot. He isn't sure where he should be, but he'd rather not spend more time here than necessary. Too many ponies for his tastes. Too much noise.
"HI!"
Speak of the devil.
Anon barely makes it down the street before a mare throws herself in front of him. She's bright pink, with an equally pink, poofy mane to match. A glance is all it takes for him to be able to tell that this mare has energy in spades. What's surprising, however, is that she had the gall to approach him. Does she really have no idea who he is?
"Uh... hi."
"It's nice to finally meet you properly, Mr. Anon!"
The mare holds out a hoof. Anon raises an eyebrow, a look of distrust on his face as he carefully reaches out and shakes said hoof.
"So you do know who I am."
"Of course I do! Everypony knows who you are, silly! Besides, we've met before! I'm Pinkie Pie, remember?"
"I know. You were one of the mares that killed Nightmare Moon."
"K-kill is a strong word. Besides, we met way before that!"
"We did?"
"Yeah! Back at my family's rock farm!"
"...Oh."
The rock farm. He remembers that job. It was the second job Nightmare Moon ever sent him on. Apparently, she wanted to relocate them. She needed the Pie family to act not as rock farmers, but as stonemasons. A lot of structures needed to be built in a lot of places, she told him. Apparently, the Pie family is quite talented at that, and she wanted them to be on it full-time. However, they ignored her demands. As such, she sent him there to "convince" them to do as she commands, and to perhaps make an example out of them.
They wanted nothing to do with him, of course. The two owners of the farm weren't willing to budge, but they were also too old to really stand up for themselves. As a result, that responsibility fell to their four daughters. Of them, one was unwilling to engage with Anon at all, and merely hid behind her sisters. Meanwhile, another had a very short temper and demanded that he get off of their property. He refused, and she seemed as though she was about to get violent. It wasn't until the pink one interrupted and tried to mediate that she backed off. Of course, Anon wasn't ordered to negotiate. He reaffirmed his demands, telling the pink mare that he had no intention of budging on them. He assumed her chipper attitude was an act to get him to lower his guard, and he wasn't falling for it. One little threat later and her mane seemed to deflate like a balloon. That was all the justification her angrier sister needed to throw herself at him, but one quick sidestep and a slash of his dagger was all it took to bring her to the ground. Not dead, of course. She can't be a stonemason if she isn't alive. However, the cut was deep enough and long enough to make her think twice about doing that again.
Then, the fourth Pie sister, who had a purple mane and blue shirt, silently kicked a large boulder in his direction. He had almost no time to react. He saw the boulder coming, but that was it. He wouldn't be able to get out of the way. In that brief moment, he realized just how out of his depth he truly was. If a regular farmer like her was capable of a feat of strength like that, what could a guy like him possibly hope to accomplish?
There was the sound of a large crash. Anon felt something massive slam into him.
But he was still alive.
He opened his eyes. He had been brought to the ground, and surrounding him on all sides were the settling remains of a shattered boulder. He looked down at himself. That hurt. Like, a lot. However, it should have killed him, shouldn't it? Anxiously, he stood back up. He looked at the mare that threw the boulder at him, who for the first time, appeared mildly surprised (by her standards anyway). Out of curiosity, he reached for a boulder lying next to him. To his shock, he picked it right up. It was definitely heavy, but it looked too heavy for him to carry. And yet, he lifted it anyway. With a shrug, he tossed the boulder in the mare's direction. Reacting quickly, she punched right through it.
Which was exactly what Anon was expecting. Having followed the boulder through the air, she found him already directly on top of her. Just like he had done with Moondancer, a swift kick and a bit of technique was all it took to knock her unconscious. He looked down at his hands. He didn't know where that strength and resilience came from. Is this world just... softer than his old one? Or perhaps there's something more to his magic resistance? He shook his head, deciding that it didn't really matter. Either way, that information was going to be useful.
With that, the two aggressive sisters were taken care of, the peppy sister was too drained of energy to resist, and the quiet sister never even tried. He had succeeded, and the farm's owners reluctantly agreed to listen to his demands on the condition that none of them be killed.
Back in the present, Anon looks down at that peppy sister, who has clearly gotten her energy back.
"Yeah, I remember you."
"Great! Now come on!"
With a level of force he wasn't expecting, she yanks him down a nearby road into what appears to be a large party. No, not like the celebrations happening around the city. This is a real, proper party, with ponies dancing left and right, food and balloons and streamers and anything else you could imagine as far as the eye can see.
"What is all this?"
"A party! Duh!"
"..."
"You know, to celebrate our freedom!"
"Pinkie, I don't think I'm welcome here."
"Why not?"
"Because you're celebrating your freedom from me."
"No, we're celebrating our freedom from Nightmare Moon!"
"You mean the mare that I served dutifully for four years? The mare that I loved?"
"W-wait, you loved her?"
"And she loved me."
"I... wow, I didn't know that." For a moment, Pinkie looks conflicted. However, her smile quickly returns to her face. "Well, either way, we're here now! The princess pardoned you, remember?"
"For better or worse," he mumbles.
"And that attitude is EXACTLY why you should be here! Come on, have a cupcake! Celebrate a little!"
Anon, whose patience has been wearing increasingly thin, suddenly kneels down and places himself mere inches from Pinkie's face. When he speaks, his voice is low, serious, and mildly threatening.
"You listen to me. I have nothing to celebrate. My lady is dead because of YOU. You and your stupid friends. Yet, you expect me to PARTY with you? Why?"
Pinkie looks back at Anon silently for a moment. She isn't smiling, but she isn't frowning either. Eventually she speaks up again, her voice filled with just as much energy as ever.
"Because I forgive you. Parties are better the more partygoers you have, after all!"
"That doesn't mean I forgive you." Pinkie can see the quiet, burning rage rising in Anon's eyes. "You stole everything I care about."
"...You did it first."
"..."
Without another word, Anon stands up, turns around, and walks away.
Pinkie makes no effort to follow him.