Anon stirs awake. His eyes open to what seems to be an endless, black void. The floor gives off a light metallic sheen, making it easily distinguishable from the sky. Before he could utter a word, a foul green cloud forms a metre in front of him. Unsure of what is going on, Anon decides to take a stance and wait.
The human does not have to wait long, however, as the cloud forms into a wooden wolf. A collection of twigs and branches he has seen before. Dropping his stance, the human scowls at the formed cloud. In return, it just smiles.
"โอฬช๐ออ๐ออ๐อฉอ๐ อฏอ อฬฒ๐ฬฟฬป๐อฉฬผ๐อฬ๐อจฬญ๐อฆอ.ฬอ ฬฬฐโอฬซ๐ฆอฉฬค๐ฬฬฉ๐อฎอ๐ฬฝอ"
Anon swipes the smoke, disrupting it as the momentum forced it apart. It does not take long however for it to reshape as the human walks past.
"๐ออ๐ ฬฬ๐ฆอฬ องฬป๐อฎฬฅ๐อฬ๐อฉอ๐ฬฬฉ๐ อฎอ๐ฅออ องอ๐อฬช๐ออ๐ฅฬอ ฬฬป๐ฃอชฬฃ๐อฬบ๐ฬอฉฬฬ ฬอ๐ อฅอ๐ฬอ ฬฬป๐ฬฬฎ๐อฬช ฬฟฬ๐ฅฬฬป๐ฬอ ๐ฬอ๐ฅออ ออ๐ออ๐อฉฬ๐คอคฬค๐ชอฎฬฌ" The smoke states, its voice echoes between the nothingness as it floats past Anon. The human in return continues walking, not giving the creature even a glance in response.
It swirls around Anon, keeping up with his paced walking. "๐อฏอ๐ฬอ๐ฬฬฉ๐ฅฬอ อฌฬ๐จอคฬน๐อฌฬ๐ออ๐ฬฬบ อฎฬฏ๐ฅอญฬ๐อญฬฏ๐ออ๐ชฬฝฬฏ ฬฬฐ๐คฬฬฏ๐อฃฬ๐ชฬฬฑ ฬฬฆ๐จฬอ๐ฬอ๐อฬ ๐ฬฬผ อฬฅ๐ฅฬ ฬบ๐ฬฟฬณ๐อญฬฌ๐ชอจอ ฬอ๐ฬอ๐อฬ๐อฃอ ๐ฆฬฬฒ๐ฃอฏฬ๐ฬฬ อญฬฅ๐ฬฬญ๐ฅอฅอ อฬ๐ ออ๐ฆอฬ๐ฅอฆฬ?อฬฃ" It asks, making sure to keep eye contact with every word. "๐ฬฬฃ๐อฬฐ๐ฬฬฏ๐อฌฬค ฬ ฬฒ๐ฅฬฬ๐ฬฬ๐อฅอ๐ชออ อฌฬ๐ฬอ๐อฬฃ๐อฉฬ๐อฬผ ฬอ๐ อฬค๐ฆอฬค๐ฅออ ออ๐จฬฬณ๐อฬฅ๐อคอ๐ฅอชฬฆ ฬฬฆ๐ชฬฬ๐ ฬฟอ๐ฆฬฬฏ อฆฬ๐ฃออ๐ฬฬผ๐ฬอ๐อฬ ๐อคฬ ๐ชอญฬ ฬฬ ๐อฃฬ๐ฃฬฬฒ๐อฅอ.อฬ"
"๐อซฬ ออ๐คอฬฌ๐ฬอ๐ฬอ ฬฟฬ๐ชอฎอ๐ ฬ ฬช๐ฆอฬ ๐ฃฬ อ ออ๐ฅอฬ ๐ฬฬน๐ อจอ ๐ฆออ๐ฬอ๐ฬฟฬซ๐ฅฬฬฒ๐คฬฬ ,ออ ฬอ๐ชฬฬผ๐ ออ๐ฆฬอ๐ฃอฏอ อฬ๐ฬฬฃ๐ฬฬซ๐อฬ๐ ออ๐ฃอฬผ๐อฅอ๐ฬอ๐คฬฬซ.อฬ อฬ๐อฬ ฬอ๐คฬฬฐ๐ฬฬฒ๐ออ ฬอ๐อฬค๐ อชฬฌ๐จออฉอฬผ ฬฬผ๐อจฬช๐ฬอ๐ ฬฬค๐คอฆฬ๐ฬ อ อฌฬฆ๐ชอฌฬฐ๐ ออ๐ฆฬฬฆ อคฬ๐ฬฬฎ๐ฃฬฬซ๐อญฬฅ อฎอ๐ฅอฬฆ๐ ฬฬช ฬฝฬป๐ฬฟฬ๐ฃฬฟฬซ๐ฬฬฉ๐อฬฃ๐ฬฬฑ๐ฬฟฬ๐อฉฬฉ๐ฬฬฃ.ออ ฬอ๐ธฬฬ ๐อชฬฏ๐จอฬฐ๐ฬอ๐ชฬฬ๐คฬอ อฬ๐คอฎอ๐ ฬ ฬ ฬฬ๐จฬฟฬซ๐อฬณ๐อฬฏ๐ฬฬ.ฬอ" The creature states, continuing to circle and even touch Anon, leaving trails of smoke from contact.
Eventually, the human stops. "Weak? I'm not the one hiding as smoke. I beat your pathetic ass once, I can do it again."
The creature laughs, but the noise comes out more as a series of short screeches. "๐ฬฬ๐อจฬฐ อฬซ๐ฬอ๐ฃอฬณ๐ออ อฌอ๐ฬฬฌ๐ ฬฬ๐ฅฬฬฆ ออ๐กออ๐อฬน๐ฃอฬน๐คอฬญ๐ฆออ๐อฏฬ๐ออ๐ฬฬ๐ฬฝฬซ ออ๐ฬฬ๐ชฬอ อฃฬฉ๐ชอจฬฏ๐ อฏฬ๐ฆฬฬผ๐ฃฬพอ ฬอ๐จอฬฎ๐ ฬฬฒ๐ฃออ๐ฬอ๐คฬฬค.อซอ ฬอ๐ฬฬฐ๐อจฬฆ ฬฝฬ๐อฏอ๐ ฬฬฏ ฬฬฏ๐ฬฬญ๐ ฬ ฬ๐ฅฬฬฅ อฬ๐ฬอ๐ฬฬฅ๐งองฬฆ๐ฬอ อจฬ๐ฅฬฬช๐ฬฬ๐ฬพอ ฬอ๐คอคฬณ๐อชอ๐ฬฬ๐ฬอ๐ฬอ๐ อฬค๐จฬฟอ ฬฬบ๐อฬ๐อฃฬ๐คอฌฬฌ๐ฬอ๐ฃฬฬฉ๐ฬฬฒ๐คออ ฬฬซ๐ชฬฬฐ๐ ฬฬ๐ฆฬฬฌ๐ฃฬอ ฬฬซ๐ฬฝฬ๐อฬบ๐อจฬบ๐ฬอ อฬฉ๐ฬฬฉ๐อฃอ๐คฬอ.ฬฬฌ" The creature informs. As it finishes talking, the smoke begins to sputter and drip, as if a rain cloud, before pieces of the fogged creature fall to the ground as chunks of gunk.
"๐อฬน อฆฬ๐ฅฬฬ๐อฬฎ๐ อฬฌ๐ฆฬอ๐อฬ๐อฬ ๐ฅอฬฒ อฬ๐ออ ฬอ๐ฬฬญ๐ฬฬฃ๐ออ ฬอ๐อฬฅ๐ ฬฬณ๐ฃฬอ๐ฬอ อฌฬฒ๐ฅฬฬผ๐ฬฬ ๐ฬอ๐อฃฬบ.ออ อคอ๐อฃอ๐ฆอฏฬฎ๐คฬฬฉ๐ฅอฬ ฬฬช๐ฃฬ ฬ๐ฬอ๐อซฬฃ๐ออ๐อฬผ๐ฬอ๐อฬ๐ฃฬฬ ,อฬฃ อฃฬ๐จอฬฌ๐อฬค ฬฬป๐ฬอ๐ฬอ๐ ฬฬฑ๐จอฬช อฆฬฑ๐จฬฬณ๐ฬ ฬฎ๐ฬฬ๐ฅอฬ ฬอ๐ชออ๐ ออ๐ฆอซอ ฬฬ๐ฬฬฑ๐ฃฬอ๐อฌฬผ.อฏฬฌ"
Most of the creature was now splattered on the floor as Anon felt a sudden dizziness hit him. Struggling to keep his balance, the human wobbled and stumbled until falling onto his back
GASP The human eyes shoot open as his lungs take in as much oxygen as possible. A bright light from above forces his to raise his hands until something prevents their movement, followed by a rattling clang. Blinking the blinding light away, the human attempts to take in his surroundings. Apart from the theme of white, it seemed to be a hospital room of some kind, but not quite finished.
A few of the foam roof panels were missing, with visible cable running towards the fluorescent bulb in the middle. Realizing he is laid down, Anon lifts his head to look at the rest of his body. While a white sheet covered it, his arms were clearly cuffed to either side of the bed's railing. His right thumb had a plastic clamp on it with wires that lead to a heart monitor. Which let out a series of fast beeps. Across the room was a small table which had a few bottles with a mortar and pestle next to it.
"Yeah that tracks." The human said looking at the cuffs. Gazing at his left hand, the human attempts to summon magic to remove the cuffs to no avail, not even a spark. Looking at the same hand more carefully. Anon notices a black ring with golden symbols that shimmered slightly. Attempting his magic again, the ring's shimmer brightened significantly before dimming down along with the human attempts. "This would have been nice to have before."
The ring seemed to be a loose fit. Using his thumb, the human attempted to push the ring up his finger. After a few minutes, the ring slid off with a bing as it hit the hospital floor. Now with his magic freed, Anon released a few tendrils of magic from his fingertips that wrapped around each other, forming a thin cylinder with a small rectangular protrusion near one end. This was the shape of the almost universal cuff key. With the tendrils still connected, Anon manipulated the key into the cuff's lock and twisted. The human felt the grip on his wrist release as he pulled his hand away, the cuff now opening fully until it slid off.
Anon had an easier time unlocking the other handcuff with his free hand. Once he was no longer shackled to the bed, the human swung his legs off the bed and stood up. Once he had taken off the plastic finger clamp, the human picked up the discarded ring and pocketed it for later. Not long after his thumb was freed, did the machine elicit a continues tone, to which was joined by a series of small but loud beeps which seemed to play out the room also.
Anon sat back on the bed as he put his shoes back on. During this, he heard a commotion outside, which joined the beeping. Not long after, the door swung open as two ponies which included Redheart and a crash cart flowed in.
The ponies stopped when they saw the human alive, Anon just gave them a quick glance as he went back to his laces. "Can you shut that off? It's annoying." The human asked simply.
Redheart sighed before turning to her colleague. "Put the cart back, please, I'll deal with this." To which her colleague simply nodded and left with the cart.
The white pony moved past Anon and pressed a few buttons on the heart monitor until is ceased all function. She then direction her attention to the human next to her, who just finished his shoe tying. "I have been briefed on the situation. I just want you to know how grave this could have been. Attempted murder, influenced or not, is still as serious as it gets here. I'm going to fetch the princess. Stay here."
Anon seemed to think about it for a moment before shrugging. "Fuck it, Not like I have anything else to do."
"And stop swearing. It's so unnecessary." Redheart said in an infuriated tone.
The pony left as she closed the door. Leaving Anon alone once again. The human tapped his knee in thought for a few seconds before sighing.
"Alex?" Anon said in a reserved tone.
Unlike before, Alex took longer to appear, Anon seemed to not comment on it.
"I'm here." Alex said simply as he stood in the corner.
Anon kept his eyes locked on the bed as his facial took on a look of frustration and anger. "I'm not going to apologise for how I felt. But I will for my actions. In my moment of weakness, it pounced. I just felt so angry."
His face changed again to a more neutral one before gaining a sly smile. "Don't get me wrong, you're still an asshole, but a useful one."
Alex seemed to smile at the comment. "I understand. I just hope someday I can do enough good to you to outweigh the bad." Alex said honestly.
"That's a tall order, but I think it's possible."