//------------------------------//
// Filler: Guns and Magic 
// Story: Overwatch: Soldier 111 
// by Flip_The_Table 
//------------------------------//

[mission: leave Australia]
Thursday 8:00 AM
Train storage cargo

"Ah, Anon," Twilight remarked, settling beside the man with her arms crossed, Spike nestled comfortably on her lap. They occupied a train cart cluttered with boxes and assorted gear, their chosen means of departure from Australia promising to be a lengthy journey. Sneaking onto a carriage bound for England, its purpose shrouded in mystery, seemed their best option. And as for Anon?

"What?" he asked, sitting up, his weariness and lingering wounds evident. "I think I found a way to use my magic," she said, prompting the man to shift and sit upright against a metal box. "But I thought you said our world didn't have magic?" he interjected, wincing slightly as he adjusted his position. Twilight nodded slowly, her hand rising as she recalled their encounter in the cell back in Junkertown.

As Twilight concentrated, her mind reaching out in search of Anon's thoughts, she felt a spark of energy crackling in the air around her. Her heart skipped a beat with excitement and anticipation. "Anon... clear your head... let me hear you... please..." she whispered softly, her voice a gentle plea in the midst of chaos.

With her eyes tightly shut, Twilight focused all her energy on maintaining the connection, blocking out the surrounding noise and distractions. She could feel the magic swirling around her, responding to her will with a newfound sense of clarity.

"Oh my gosh! It's working! Okay, okay... focused," she thought to herself, her determination unwavering as she delved deeper into the depths of her magic. With each breath, she felt herself drawing closer to Anon, their minds on the brink of convergence.

Anon simply stared up at the roof, his expression distant. Despite the pain, he shifted again, this time ignoring the discomfort. A louder hiss escaped him as he settled back onto his back, the sudden thump startling Spike awake.

"What... What's going on?" Spike asked, moving over to Anon. He sighed, lying down next to the human and slowly drifting back to sleep. Anon smiled at the gesture, gently petting the top of the dog's head. "Nothing much, Kid... go back to sleep. Twilight and I were just talking," Anon reassured him, and within moments, Spike was asleep again.

"So you were reading my mind while I was out?" he asked, causing the woman to flinch slightly before nodding slowly, her gaze falling. "I... I'm sorry, I should have—" she began, but he interrupted her by lifting a hand to dismiss her apology. "Nah... it's all good. Something tells me you were gonna find out about me," he said, still petting Spike's head. He glanced over at Twilight with a serious expression before sighing. "Yeah... I used to be one... a hero. I was one of the last recruits to enter Overwatch," he explained, a faint smile on his lips before his expression turned pained, recalling the interview with a certain gorilla who accidentally threw him out the window.

"But let's not talk about that. How about this whole magic thing? How did you do it?" he inquired, turning his attention back to Twilight. She shifted her gaze to her hands, displaying them. "I used my hands instead of my horn. I think I have to use my body instead of my head now, which makes it more... difficult," she explained, lowering her arms before pointing out, "but mind-reading spells are no joke. It's pretty advanced. But if I can do that, then all my other spells should be able to help," determination evident on her face. Anon rolled his eyes but maintained a smile, halting his pets on the dog's head.

"What should we do with him?" Anon asked, nodding towards Spike. Twilight rubbed her chin in thought before gasping with an idea. She got up, wobbling slightly from the train's movement, and soon stood tall over the man.

"Anon, I wish to be trained," she declared, prompting the man to snort and burst into laughter. The determination on Twilight's face wavered as she observed his reaction. "Sorry, sorry... you said 'train,' heh," he chuckled before slowly getting back up, feeling the wound less as he stood tall.

"Okay, but you know it won't be easy. I told you that the world hates each other, so a bad guy is around any corner," he cautioned, placing a hand over his chest and forming a fist. "I, Anon Yogic Mous, promise to find your crown and save your home world. I will not let anyone harm you, and I'll train you till the day I die," he declared, prompting Twilight to hold back tears before she embraced him in a hug.

"Oh, thank you!" she repeated, hugging the man tightly. He chuckled and gently patted the top of her head. Breaking the hug, she moved over to her dog, Spike, who was now awake. Spike licked his chops before rubbing his head on Twilight's knee. Anon slumped against the wall, then slowly sat back down, his strength not yet fully returned.

"I'll help, but I need some rest," he murmured before slowly drifting off to sleep. Twilight settled next to Spike, picking him up and cradling him against her chest as she reclined against a nearby crate, disregarding the hardness of the floor.

"He's really going to help us... he really is," she remarked, smiling softly. Spike glanced over at Anon, who was now snoring lightly, and then back at Twilight with a grin. "I like him. He smells off, but he's nice... reminds me of Dad," Spike reminisced, recalling the times Anon had protected him, despite the danger.

"I'll be strong too! And do my best to help!" Spike declared before his leg started shaking as Twilight rubbed his belly. "Whoa... what... are you... doing?" he cooed, still shaking his leg. Twilight giggled and stopped the rubbing, pulling Spike into a close hug.

"I can see how he would be like Dad... I like him too," she said, smiling warmly at the human. He had found them, saved them, and risked his neck to help. She had said it once before, and she believed it: he may not say it, but he was a hero, at least to them.





Anon stood by the door, his gaze fixed on the water surrounding the train. Pulling back, he closed the door behind him. "Well, we're on the seas now. I think we'll be in London in a few days, so that gives us some time to do some training," he announced, cracking his knuckles. Twilight and Spike watched as the man paced back and forth.

"Now, since we're hiding on here, gun training will have to wait. That leaves us with hand-to-hand combat," he explained, walking over to a metal crate and pulling out some wraps to cover his hands.

"Now, before I go on, just remember, punching hurts a lot at first. So be easy with punches and don't go too hard, or else you might break a knuckle," Anon cautioned before glancing back at the metal crate. Twilight nodded, observing intently as the man suddenly moved his feet fast.

"Keep your feet moving; it could throw your opponent off guard," he advised before coming to a stop and demonstrating with his right arm. "And then go for a jab," he said, slowly extending his arm and tapping the crate a few times to demonstrate the proper technique. Afterward, he reared his arm back and bent it. "Or go for a hook. It's a good way to break your opponent's guard so you can then go for a jab," he explained, executing a hook followed by a jab.

He then demonstrated with his left arm. "You can also go for a move called an uppercut," he said, bending his arm and lifting it up toward the air. "But it does leave an opening if you miss, so time your moves right, because if you do..." He stopped, shifting his feet again and bringing his arms up in a guard. He shifted forward, jabbing the crate a few times, then followed with hooks, finishing with an uppercut. The crate fell down with a small dent, leaving both the woman and the dog in awe.

"Wow," they both exclaimed in unison, impressed by Anon's demonstration. Twilight asked, "Did it hurt?" to which Anon nodded. "A little, but always know what you are going to punch," he advised, walking over to the crate and showing the dent. "Either you would get hurt or," he pointed at the dent, "or they would. Always be ready for what would happen."

Now, he stood up and crossed his arms, stepping up to Twilight, who slowly got up and looked at him, standing still. "Come at me," Anon instructed, causing Twilight to flinch. "You want me to hit you?" she asked, a bit worried. Anon nodded before frowning even more. "I want you to try," he said firmly. Twilight nodded slowly, bringing her arms up and copying the stance Anon had shown her, listening intently to his instructions on how to move.

And soon she went for a jab, but it was swiftly slapped out of the way. Twilight gasped in surprise. "What was—"

"Again," Anon said in a stern tone, interrupting her. Twilight was taken aback, remembering that he was once a soldier. She nodded, taking a breath, and went for another blow. Anon swiftly moved to the side and slapped her arm again. She grunted in frustration and tried again, this time with less hesitation, copying the forms Anon had shown her.

"You can't let other kinds of emotions control your body all the time," Anon explained before grabbing her arm mid-swing. He felt her other arm hit his head, but he didn't flinch. She gasped as he shoved her to the floor, looming over her. "Because you'll be dead... Now, again... we've got days for this," he said, offering her a hand. Twilight grabbed his hand and got ready.

The first day was mostly an introduction to hand-to-hand combat. The next day focused on magic practice, which proved difficult without a teacher around. However, Twilight had some ideas on how to use magic. She eyed the metal can sitting precariously on Spike's head as he tried to stand still. With determination, she lifted her hand and grunted, making a movement with her finger, but no luck; the can rolled off the dog's head, spilling some beans on his muzzle.

"No luck again," Spike commented, licking the beans off his muzzle. Anon grumbled, seeing no effect happening. "What's so important about magic anyway? I see it as nothing more than a useless tool," he asked, crossing his arms. Twilight frowned, mirroring his action with a hint of impatience on her face.

"Anon, magic is not a tool, it's who you are, it's your soul," Twilight explained, lifting her hand up. Anon rubbed the top of his head, confused. "That's nice, but this world doesn't have magic. That's why things like wizards or dragons are all myths," he said, rolling his eyes before noticing Spike frowning at him.

"Uh... sorry," he apologized, before turning back to Twilight as she adjusted her scarf. "I know this world has it because I can sense your magic too," she insisted, making him frown and look at his hand before waving his finger. "Magic, go!" he exclaimed, but nothing happened.

"Anon... that's not how it works. Judging from your brute strength, I'd guess you'd be an earth pony. But for someone like me," she continued, lifting a finger up, not noticing the glow on the can behind her. Anon and Spike both eyed it before looking back at her as she continued speaking. "And that's why unicorns are more unique with magic," she concluded, lowering her arm as the glow on the can stopped.

"Uh... okay... so then why do humans not know magic then? Got any ideas?" Anon asked, to which Twilight shrugged. "Your world thinks magic is fake, so they don't care. Or maybe it's that thing the Tekhartha's talk about," Twilight suggested, making Anon smile a bit.

"You follow them?" Anon asked, to which Twilight nodded, her eyes shining a bit. "Mr. Zenyatta's words of peace are one thing I could follow. I might even believe my mentor could help them. Peace is one thing we should all seek," she said, making Anon look away with a sad expression.

"I wish you luck on that..." he said, getting up and walking to the cart door. Twilight frowned and blocked his way, making him look at her with surprise. "Anon, peace is possible. You're just seeing it like it's endless. There is a way to find it," she insisted, making him frown now.

"And why is that? Twilight, I used to kill people for a living because they happened to pull a gun on someone's throat and end it. Omnics will always be judged, and no one will care. I've tried it. It's not possible for even a peace-making agency, and it was made for that!" Anon snapped, his frustration evident.

"Violence isn't always the answer, Anon! It's about your choice of right or wrong. The world is not your enemy; it's your own thoughts," Twilight countered, putting her fist up. Anon noticed the fist was glowing now, and he gasped as the fist hit his chest, sending him back against the wall of the cart.

Twilight placed both hands on her mouth in shock at her action. Anon lifted a hand up to reassure her. "That... is progress," he said with a tired smile before slumping to the ground, exhausted. Spike ran over and sniffed the man's hand before looking at Twilight with confusion. She sighed and soon helped Anon up.

Their moment was interrupted as the train made a sudden stop. Both of them held onto something for stability. Anon looked out of the cart door and sighed. He then looked back at the two and smiled, opening the cart door all the way. "We're here," was all he said before adjusting his scarf and hopping off the cart.

Twilight looked at Spike before adjusting her scarf and picking up the dog, following close behind Anon.

As the two walked out, they were met with the sight of a big city just a good minute away from them. It was huge, so searching for the crown would be difficult and would take a while to find it. Anon took a step forward and lifted a hand up at the city, smiling at the two.

"Twilight Sparkle. Spike the dog. Welcome to London," he declared.

[Mission Complete: Escaped]
[Anon Y Mosu: 100%]
[Spike: 100%]
[Twilight: 100%]
[Crown: negative]
[The mission carries on...]