//------------------------------// // Chapter Ninteen: Discord's Plan Revealed and The Everfree's Invasion of Ponyville // Story: Living the Good Life // by Aetherpony //------------------------------// //------------------------------// // Chapter Nineteen: Discord's Plan Revealed and The Everfree's Invasion of Ponyville// Story: Living the Good Life// by Aetherpony//------------------------------// The subtle hint of raspberries tickles your senses, causing you to stir from your slumber. You sigh happily before your eyes flutter open. You’re greeted to the site of Eris’ dishevelled mane and horns. Luckily you weren’t impaled by them in your sleep. At some point during the night Eris decided to use your chest as a pillow. Not that you’re complaining, but getting up to use the restroom will make not waking her up impossible. And she’s sleeping so peacefully too. She moans happily in her sleep before nuzzling into your chest. It’s too bad you’re going to have to interrupt her little dream. You nudge her gently, “Hey Eris, I need to get up.” You say quietly. Eris lets out a yawn of protest. “Just five more minutes,” She pretends to fall back asleep. This time you shake her. “Come on lazy bones get up,” You chuckle. “Grr, no!” she swats your hand away. “What, are you going to use me as a pillow for a few more hours?” “That’s the plan.” You see Eris’ fangs point out from behind her own tired grin. “I’m kinda running on a full bladder here Eris.” You warn, her eyes pop open and she sneers at you. “Fine, you win, jerk.” She gets off of you and you rush out of the room. You take this time to go over your morning routine. After your shower, your bathroom run, and brushing your teeth you step out of your bathroom to find Eris floating by your door with her arms crossed. “Okay, you took care of yourself; now get back in my bed.” She orders. “Wow, a little hasty there aren’t ya? We’ve only gone out twice.” You give her a smarmy grin. “Don’t give me that bullshit, you know what I mean.” Judging by Eris’ half lidded gaze she doesn’t seem to be in the mood for your shenanigans. You put your hands up defensively. “Alright, alright, fine, no need to be mad.” You walk with her back to her room. Right when you open the door you find Discord floating in the center of the room. He’s sporting a smug grin as he eyes the two of you. “Good, you’re awake. I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” His cheerful voice is a little off-putting. When Eris sees him she voices out her displeasure. “Damn it daddy, get out of my room.” Eris growls, anger apparent in her voice. “Oh come now Eris, you had your fun time with Anonymous yesterday.” When Discord floats over to you he puts his lion’s limb around you and pulls you over to his side. “Today he’s going to be spending some time with his other friends.” As Discord tries to lead you out of the room you find yourself unable to move. Eris has grabbed hold of your arm. “What happens if I say he’s staying with me?” Eris glares at her father. “Eris, that’s implying you HAVE a say. I’ve played your little game; you got to act like you were the boss, the game is over Eris.” When her father looks down upon her she reluctantly loosens her grip on you. He smiles in triumph. “Good girl, when the day is at an end you MIGHT get to play with your little toy again.” You could feel the familiar boiling feeling in your stomach. You thought you were past your anger. But here he is referring to you as if you were some sort of object; as if you were an item merely to be used when someone is looking for entertainment. You can never predict how this guy is going to act. One day he’s nice, the other he seems helpful, and even then he can still manage to act like an evil entity. He’s like one of those sociopaths you saw on TV back on Earth. As the two of you step into the hallway Eris calls out, “Anonymous isn’t an object Dad.” Discord chuckles. “Your fascination with this human is amusing Eris.” He pushes you towards your room so he can turn back to look into his daughter’s room. “But at the same time your infatuation is starting to annoy me, and trust me when daddy’s angry, nopony will have peace.” With a snap of his claws he causes her door in her face. Then it slams shut and locks. He turns to you, his smile gone. “Come Anonymous, there is much I need to discuss with you.” He motions toward your bedroom door. You size up Discord for a moment before walking into your room. Discord floats in shortly after. As he shuts your door he sighs. “I’ve grown tired of this game,” He states before turning your way. “Why do you keep referring to everything as a game Discord?” you ask while making your way over to your dresser. “Because it is! EVERYTHING is a game to me, Anonymous. I am the most powerful being to ever wander this planet. Queen Oscura, Queen Chrysalis, King Gale, Kings Glaurung and Griaule, all of them combined and they still cannot compare to me. All of you are living your lives as I dictate.” His little explanation causes you to groan out of frustration. “You’re talking to me like I know who any of them are! And who pissed in your breakfast? I swear you’re laid back one second and a raging tyrant the next! Is it your time of the month or something?” You shake your head. “I am whoever I want to be Anonymous. If it suits my needs, and leads me to my goals I’ll act however I want, but when the pieces I put into the game do not act to my specifications I get a little irritated.” Discord chuckles before picking up one of the elements to examine it. “And just what is that supposed to mean?” you ask while putting on your clothes. “It means your indecision is breaking the rules I’ve set Anonymous.” When you button up your jeans you respond. “I thought you hated rules Discord? Isn’t me going against what you want, what you want?” He chuckles heartily, “Yes, yes it is. It’s fantastic while being absolutely infuriating!” he shouts with joyfully. “You’ve exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be happier; yet I just can’t help from feeling contempt every time I think of what your decision is going to be.” He adds before placing the element back on your dresser. “And what is my decision? Since you seem to know so damn much why don’t you tell me?” you ask while putting on a pair of socks. “Your decision is that you’re not going to make one!” Discord states proudly before getting uncomfortably close to you. For once since your arrival you can truly see the torrent of chaos locked within his gaze, it causes you to shiver in fear. “You’ve hit an impasse Anonymous. On one hand you’re friends with ponies in Equestria, and on the other you’re friends with my daughters. And one of them even has a little crush on you.” He starts to float back and forth around you, as if he’s pacing. “You’re torn because you don’t want to give up either side. You wish to have your cake and eat it too. It does not work that way.” Discord turns to you with a sinister grin. “Anonymous, MY side is the bad side. It always has been. I feel merry when I tear into the order of one’s mind and set it astray. I love watching creatures far and wide try to adapt to the chaotic mess I set them in!” Discord goes back to pacing around in front of you. “You’re supposed to hate me and everything associated with me. You’re supposed to side with those infernal ponies and give them The Elements of Harmony!” His calm and even tone being replaced with sudden yelling has you backing away. “GOOD TRIUMPHS AND EVIL FAILS THAT’S HOW IT MUST BE! And do you want to know why Anonymous?” You move further back to your bed. “Why?” you ask once you’re sitting at the foot of your bed. He seems more than delighted to tell you. “Because that’s how I want it to be! I WANT to lose!” His evil laughter echoes throughout your room. “The reason why I let you be friends with Twilight and the others is because I wanted you to set them on the right path. I wanted you to get them ready to imprison me again.” Discord explains before reclining in the air. When he’s comfortable he continues. “I didn’t care who else you helped. Lyra, Bon-Bon, Big Macintosh, all of them hold no meaning to me. None of them are as important as those six.” Discord starts to examine his lion’s claws. “If you didn’t make friends with them, or at least make them go back to their old selves then YOU would be the useless one, and I would have disposed of you as such.” Discord flashes you a grin while flexing his lion’s claws. “But as I’ve said, you’ve gone above and beyond my expectations. You do not have to worry about that, because there is no way I’m going to dispose of you, not when the endgame is within sight!” You take this time to put on your shirt; you’re trying to get dressed as quickly as possible. This, Discord saying all of these things, you can’t stand it. The reason why you can’t is because the more he speaks the more insane he seemingly becomes. What kind of creature would want to be beaten? Who would want eternal imprisonment? Though, the mere thought of all of this being a game, that apprehensive idea, the fact that it’s true. Knowing that your time here really was for the amusement of a chaos god, you stop putting on your shoes. “What’s wrong Anonymous?! What happened to that drive of yours? Hurry up and get dressed so you can go out and help Rainbow Dash!” Discord mockingly exclaims. “You know I heard a saying once, that the only winning move is not to play.” You turn to face Discord. “What do you mean?” His fiery enthusiasm is all but extinguished. “I’m saying no, Discord. I’m not going to help Rainbow Dash, and those ponies are not going to get the Elements.” You walk over to Discord and stand face to face with him. “Your game is at an end Discord.” And with that you step around him and walk out of the room or at least you try. Discord didn’t seem to like that sort of response. You find yourself pinned to your wall with your feet dangling helplessly. You’re forced to look into his red irises yet again. “NO! You are not pulling that stunt on me Anonymous; it will not end like that!” He shouts, “Oh you will play, you’re not getting out of this. You could try to leave. Maybe start a new life in Boardor or the Griffin Kingdoms.” He explains a few hypothetical scenarios for you, “But no matter where you go you’ll find yourself back here courtesy of me. You’re far too important to be put out of my game.” He cackles madly, “You’re going to see this through to the end whether you want to or not, though there is one thing you must keep in mind. While this may be a game, the friends you’ve made here, the lives you’ve touched, the ponies that have come to enjoy your company, that’s all real.” When your eyes widen his smile does in turn. “You want to quit now? You really want to abandon them? The only ones you’ve ever liked in your pathetic existence?” “Ooh yes, I can see it now. Twilight and the others lose hope because one selfish human couldn’t bite the bullet and play along. Chaos reigns supreme, all your work undone.” Discord’s expression turns sinister. “In fact, that doesn’t sound unappealing, maybe you quitting isn’t such a bad idea after all!” His grip on you tightens. He wouldn’t. Actually, judging by that psychotic grin he’s sporting, yes he would. “NO!” you find yourself shouting, “No, I’ll-I’ll play,” Discord’s crazed smile softens when you give in. “You are wise to do so Anonymous. I would have gladly waited another century for a second human to come along.” You breathe a sigh of relief when Discord finally lets you go. You take this time to move around him and back to your shoes. “Oh wait, you’ll need the elements!” Discord states while picking up and holding all six artifacts. “You’ll probably need a backpack or something too, I’ll be back.” He disappears in a purple flash. Looks like you’re going to get to go through another headache yet again. You grunt in displeasure before tying up your shoes and heading out into the hall. When you turn to look down the darkened hallway leading to Twilight’s library you find Eris floating at the threshold. “Hey,” you halfheartedly murmur before walking over. Judging by her downcast glance it seems as though she feels guilty for the part she’s played in all of this. “So daddy told you everything huh?” She doesn’t look up to meet your gaze. “Yeah he did, frankly I don’t know whether to feel angry or betrayed or what.” You shrug. “Yeah dad has a tendency to throw people for a loop.” Eris admits with a nervous chuckle. “So, I have to ask, the time I’ve spent with you guys, was it all a game to you too?” “We aren’t our father Anonymous, you’re not some object to Screwball and I.” Eris gives you a reassuring smile. “He’s obsessed with chaos. So much so he doesn’t care who he brings into it. While we enjoy a little here and there we aren’t consumed by it.” Do you have any idea what he’s up to right now?” Eris answers back with a shrug. “He hasn’t said a thing to me,” you walk over and lean on the wall next to her. “What about you? Are you really going to do what dad wants?” You nod, “I don’t really have a choice in the matter, but it goes without saying that I’ve still got a trick or two up my sleeve.” You smirk. “Oh? Do tell,” Eris seems interested in what you’ve got in mind. “I think I’m gonna keep it to myself until the time’s right.” She groans out of disappointment, but she doesn’t press the matter. “Fine,” Discord materializes in a column of purple light, backpack in claw. You catch a glimpse of the elements before he zips it up. “Alright, I’ve got the elements ready to go. Before I forget, there’s something I need to tell you, Anonymous.” As Discord speaks he hands off the backpack to you. “What is it?” You start putting on your pack. “Ponyville is experiencing a heavy downpour of chaos. Have fun.” Discord’s cocky grin doesn’t instill any confidence. Of course he’d make things harder for you. If you were able to get Dash without any problems were would be the fun in that? With Pinkie you had a food fight, with Applejack there was the rape accusation, and with Fluttershy you had to beat her. Rarity and Twilight cured themselves; at least they were the easiest. With the straps adjusted you depart leaving Eris with Discord. “Did you really have to act like that?” she asks before turning to her father. “Oh come on Eris can’t I have fun once in a while? I’m sure Anonymous didn’t take what I said to heart.” He waves his paw in a dismissive fashion. “Whatever you say daddy,” Eris shrugs before moving around him, “You do realize he takes what you say seriously, right?” As she makes her way to her room he turns to her. “Well how else do I give him incentive to go against me? If I acted all buddy-buddy with him he wouldn’t be going to Ponyville right now.” Discord retorts while pointing to the darkened portion of the hallway. “So, does Anonymous have anything planned?” Eris smiles before turning to her father, sporting a grin. “It’s a secret, daddy.” She then floats into her room and slams the door shut behind her. Discord’s eyes widen before he flies over to her door. “What secret?! Tell me! I must know! There cannot be a single factor hidden from me!” he starts banging on her door. “Give me a hint at least!” “Okay!” Eris says with glee from behind her door. Discord’s smile widens as he puts his ear to her door. “It’s a total game changer, daddy.” Discord nods in understanding. “What makes it that way?” “You said you wanted a hint and you got it.” With that Eris floats over to her bed. ”Somehow I knew she wasn’t going to tell me anything.” Disappointment is clear in his voice, “Oh well, at least I have a show to look forward to…” As you crawl out of your bed in the basement and make your way up the stairs; the sound of loud banging calls your attention. As you step out of the basement you find Spike trying to hold up a barricade at the front door. His little body is pushed aside every time something from outside rams the door. “Hey, Anonymous! You couldn’t have come at a better time.” Spike says nervously before piling more books onto his barricade. “What’s in the bag?” he points to it. “I got the Elements of Harmony.” Relief washes over the little dragon’s face. “Oh that’s great, cause we kinda need those right now.” He points to the door. “Why, what’s going on outside?” You start to walk over. Before Spike can answer you watch as a section of the tree the library is built in is chewed away by a group of what Twilight referred to as Parasprites. The two of you watch as everything is chewed away on that section but the door and barricade. You spot a squad of timber wolves trying to ram their way in. You look past the timber wolves to find that Ponyville is completely overrun with various animals. Ponies scream in fear and run as manticores give chase. Others cry out in protest as parasprites eat away their livelihood. Timber wolves cause mayhem by chewing up stalls, ramming down doors, and chasing ponies. You spot various fires on rooftops, and dust clouds kicked up from where houses have already fallen. You and Spike stand side by side and marvel at the sight around. “Huh. So THAT’S what Discord meant by chaos.” You say while pointing to everything going on outside. With nothing keeping the timber wolves at bay they rush in and start chewing on the books. They don’t seem to care about either you or the little dragon. It’s as if neither of you are even there to them. You’re eerily calm about all of this. “Seems like it.” Spike says before glancing over to the timber wolves tearing up the books. You notice he makes no attempt to rescue any of them “Aren’t you gonna…?” you point to the damage being done. “Nah everything will be fine.” Spike reassures. You look over the little dragon. “You’re freaking out aren’t you?” “Oh you have no idea.” You clap your hands together and hold them. “Well I’m gonna go out there and see what I can do to help.” “Yeah go ahead, also Twilight went to Town Hall when it all started. Might wanna find her, I’ll hold the fort down here.” “Alrighty then, see ya.” You wave goodbye to the little dragon before cautiously stepping over a timber wolf. The one you step over appears to be chewing on a history book of some sort. As you step out into the town and look at all the damage being caused you have to say that you’re taking it astonishingly well. In all actuality you’re losing it on the inside. There are so many fires and homes that have been torn apart. You find hurt ponies crying while others are screaming for help, who do you help? Where could your friends be? Where are the Town Guards if this town has any? Your thoughts are interrupted when you find a few earth ponies cornered by a manticore. The hulking beast towers over them. It unleashes a feral roar and they clutch to each other in fear. You look to a piece of a broken fence post lying nearby. Without wasting any time you run over and grab hold of it. Wielding it like a bat you run over to the manticore. You smack the post against the side of its head while it’s distracted. The beat crumples like a deck of cards. “Huh, that was easy.” You start looking over the earth ponies you’ve rescued. They look up to you with fear filled eyes. “Oh, it’s Anonymous.” One of the stallions says in disbelief before picking himself and his friend up. “Yeah it’s me, what happened here?” You motion to the destruction around you. “It’s horrible!” the other stallion shouts, “We were minding our own business when suddenly these monsters started stampeding out of the Everfree! Some of the Town Guard was escorting us to Town Hall but we got separated.” That’s enough of an explanation to go on. “Discord, you’re an asshole,” you say to yourself, “Can you two make it to Town Hall from here?” When they nod you point in the direction of the Mayor’s building. “Get goin’ then. I’m gonna see if I can help out anyone else.” You start surveying the immediate area. The two thank you before galloping away. You take this time to think of the options available. At this point you know Twilight is at Town Hall and if the town’s ponies are being brought there then Pinkie and the others are probably there too. There’s also the possibility that they’re stuck in their homes much like Spike was, and as you saw there are plenty of stragglers around town, so what do you do? You sigh to yourself before coming up with what you believe to be the most obvious solution. You’re going to go around and see if you can help any other ponies that were left behind. With that you use your ears in order to seek out ponies calling for help. That doesn’t take long as you hear the screams of some fillies nearby, today is going to be a long day… You spend the next couple of hours running around town with your trusty fence post piece. Like the first manticore, you take the opportunity to hit them when they aren’t paying attention. One blow to the head is all it takes; you figured they would be made out of some tougher stuff. Then again, their skulls could be softer in the back. You don’t know; you’re not an expert on the animals here. During your little search and rescue mission the ones who didn’t go to Town Hall after you helped out stuck with you. After some time passed you found yourself leading a small group comprised of three unicorn mares, two pegasus stallions, one earth pony mare, and yourself. The buildings that they helped you get to: Sugarcube Corner, Carousel Boutique, and The Latte Café were all deserted aside from a few timber wolves. At least a good part of the populace managed to make it to the center of town. The more you think about it the more it seems like heading there yourself would be for the best. After all if you could talk to Twilight and the others you’re sure you could come up with some way to stop Discord’s latest scheme, plus you could really use a break you’re not used to running around like this. Your companions were more than willing to go to Town Hall. Some had family there while others wanted to hear what the Mayor had to say about all of this. Along the way you couldn’t help but feel lucky that the ponies you were helping were being harassed by manticores rather than the timber wolves. You doubted you could do anything against a creature made of wood. You were still in shock that you did anything to those manticores. Then again, sneaking up on something when it’s distracted isn’t a hard thing to accomplish. After a few minutes of walking you collapse in front of a bridge leading to Town Hall. The muscles in your legs send sparks of pain shooting through you every time you bend them. Whatever adrenaline you were running on has since run out. The two armor clad ponies stationed there helped move your tired body on to the bridge itself. They were kind enough to help you lean against the side of it and offer you some water from one of their canteen. You feel relief wash over you when you look over the golden armor these ponies wear upon their bodies and heads. Finally some form of authority, protection ponies can somewhat count on. You were so used to not seeing any of them that you thought this town had nothing more than a local militia. No real weapons or armor, just volunteers willing to put themselves in harm’s way. When you ask the guard why he gave you his canteen, he informs you that the ponies you rescued mentioned that they were rescued by you, and that he felt that he needed to help you out. As you take a few drinks from the guard’s canteen your companions leave you to rest while they join up with the mound of ponies standing in front of Town Hall. You take this time to look out to the disrepair the town has fallen into. Parasprites chow down on roof tops, timber wolves tear into bags and closed doors, and manticores continue to prowl around looking for food. All in all they avoid the center of town; content with causing damage to the surrounding area. You hope nopony is hurt… Judging by the fires that have started you know there’ll probably be a few who didn’t make it. Just how many guards does this town have and why aren’t they out there doing their job? There are four in total guarding the bridge you’re on. There are two by the center of town and two on the outside. The other two bridges have the same amount of guards. So there’s at least a dozen stationed in this town. How many more are in that mob of multi colored ponies? How many are out there trying to help the others? “Hey uh, guard pony.” One of the two at the outer end of the bridge turns your way. “Yes citizen?” “How many of you are out here anyway? I only see twelve.” You state while motioning to the other guards. “In total there are twenty-four of us in this town. The crime rate is non-existent here so an entire regiment is un-necessary. But because of the Everfree this town gets more of us stationed here than most. In fact towns like Tall Tale and Hollow Shades have no more than a dozen each.” He adds before trotting over to you. ”You’re very forthcoming with information,” you’re surprised by his willingness to divulge guard numbers to you. The guard shrugs. “I’ve heard what the ponies here said about you, and I saw what you did for the mail mare. I doubt you’ll be leading an invasion against us, but just in case, this will be our little secret.” The guard laughs nervously before looking towards his post partner. Said guard shoots the one talking to you a glare before resuming his watch over the town. “Anyway, do you have any more questions?” “Yeah, how many are at Town Hall, and how many are in town?” You lean forward to look into town yet again. Nothing seems to have changed since the last time you looked at it. “Six are with Mayor Mare, and six are in town escorting ponies to Town Hall, however the guards out in town haven’t come back in over an hour.” You were expecting as much, and here Discord said he didn’t like hurting ponies with his chaotic magic. You really have to learn to stop believing anything that Draconequus says. The sound of a microphone being tapped on turns your attention towards Town Hall. You find that the mob of ponies have silenced their conversations in order to give the mare walking up to a podium their full attention. You assume this to be the mayor. An older mare, tan in color and grey in mane, continues to tap upon the microphone until virtually every single pony is looking her way. At this point your little companion returns to his post. She adjusts her spectacles for a moment before clearing her throat. “Attention Everypony.” She calls out, “it has come to my attention that the efforts of the Town Guard will not be enough. The creatures of the Everfree have seen fit to not only damage our property, but to hinder our efforts to rescues those still in town.” She goes on to say that if there are any volunteers willing to go out into town to help those trapped, to speak up now. You’ve never seen these ponies so quiet before. The ones you’d expect to volunteer are Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. The five of them inform the town that they’ll do whatever they can to help the ponies in need. You watch as Zecora, Big Macintosh, Mocha Latte, and two others join them on stage for a total of ten ponies. When they step off and into the crowd the Mayor gives them what you feel to be a proper send off. She wishes them the best of luck and to come back safety among other things of that nature. They wade through the crowd and over to the bridge you’re reclining on. At this point the burning sensation in your legs seems to have died down enough for you to stand. “Hey guys.” You greet Twilight and the others as they make it to the bridge. Twilight shows immediate relief. “Anon! It’s great to see you made it safe and sound. How’s Spike?” her voice is frantic. “He’s doing well, but the library is…” you trail off. “It’s what Anon?” “Parasprites kinda, ate half of it, and then Timber Wolves started eating your books.” You finish with nervous laughter. Twilight takes on this thousand yard stare. You watch as parts of her mane become disheveled. Her entire body begins to shake as your words really start to sink in. “Twilight are yo—s” She interrupts you by laughing in a way that sends chills down your spine. She sits in front of you and her eyes seem to separate. One looks at the left side of the bridge, the other looks to the right. “Anon, now’s not the time for jokes, silly!” you find yourself afraid of this little unicorn. “Twilight I’m not joking,” you try to shuffle towards the end of the bridge leading into town. The muscles in Twilight’s neck spasms, causing her entire head to tilt for a moment. “Soooo everything’s gone? Like… ALL of my books?” She can’t seem to stop laughing in this odd way. The other ponies start to back away from her while staring her down. “WELL THAT’S JUST BUCKING GREAT!” She dons a deranged smile that seems to stretch from ear to ear. You gulp and keep moving away until you’re standing next to the guards. You’ve never seen this side of her before and you can’t say that you like it. When Twilight’s body begins to vibrate uncontrollably you find yourself hiding behind one of the guards. Applejack cautiously makes her way over to her. You can hear Twilight’s neck pop as she turns to look at her. “Hey Ap-ple Jack, do you know how much it’s going to cost me to replace everything?” “Uh, ah reckon it’s a lot?” Applejack answers. “Five thousand, three hundred, and seventeen bits! I’ve counted and recounted the amount twenty times! Heheheheeeeeee!” Applejack inches closer to the cackling unicorn. “Sugarcub,e ah’m doin this for your own good,” Applejack brings back one of her hooves, then slaps Twilight across the face with it. After the hoof makes contact she shakes off the disorientation. “Wha… who… huh?” Then the same realization dons on her for a second time and she breaks down in tears. Applejack wraps a hoof around Twilight in hopes of comforting her friend. “Now now, ah know ya’ll are sore about them timber wolves, but ya’ll can’t change what happened. We’re gonna have to stop them critters before they can do any more harm.” The others agree. Well, all of them but Fluttershy it seems. When she saw you she started cowering behind Big Macintosh. She’ll probably be scared of you for the rest of her life. Twilight nods before sniffling and wiping away her tears. “You’re right, the town’s ponies come first, besides I’m sure Celestia will understand, if she ever makes it home.” “Hey Twilight,” you step out from behind the guard. She turns to you, “Where’s that flask I gave you?” you ask before stepping over to the group. Zecora makes her way over and passes you your flask from within her saddlebags. “Thanks.” She nods before stepping back to the others. “Why do you need it now Anon? Rainbow isn’t around, she’d be over the Everfree,” Twilight’s eyes widen as a possibility begins to dawn on her. “If she’s over the Everfree then the parasprites would have forced her to move. If the swarm was big enough she might have taken shelter in town!” Twilight exclaims before jumping. “Well, I wanted it because I felt it’d be safe with me, but that sort of changes things, doesn’t it?” You smile, happy to find that something might be going your way. That makes this process a whole lot easier. If Rainbow had to take shelter in town then all you’ll have to do is go on a little hunt for the Pegasus, and since Twilight and the others are heading in anyway… “I’m gonna tag along if you don’t mind.” None of the other ponies seem to object to you coming along. Applejack and Fluttershy on the other hand don’t seem to bother answering. Applejack looks away in shame while Fluttershy remains hidden; you’re going to try to clear a few things up on this little venture of yours. The apple farmer and the caretaker are both going to talk to you about what happened whether they like it or not. They’re going to hear you out. And so your group sets out on the town in hopes of cleaning up the mess, and finding the rainbow maned pony… The sun makes it past it’s midpoint before your group decides to take a break over by the school house. During your search you were able to help out quite a lot of ponies. You and Big Mac worked together to take care of whatever timber wolves or manticores came around. Of course Twilight gave magic support. With that combination the creatures weren’t an issue, though you probably should have brought your fence post. Why'd you leave it back at the bridge? All in all you’ve managed to help over thirty ponies since you started. At this moment an earth mare named Cheerilee is currently leaving the school house with a group of fillies and colts. Berry Pinch was in that particular group and she felt the need to give your leg a hug before leaving with her classmates. “Looks like you’ve got a fan, Anon.” Mocha says while playfully bumping your leg with a hoof. “It’s just cause I’m awesome.” You smirk. “Are you sure you’re not Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asks while rolling her eyes. You ruffle her mane in response. “Oh come on Twilight, lighten up.” You chuckle. She shoos your hand away before glaring at you. “I’ll lighten up when this is all over, also what’s in your backpack?” she asks while looking it over. You take this time to set it down in front of them. When you unzip it and show them the contents inside it they gasp. “The Elements!” Twilight shouts in utter shock. “Eeyup.” You zip the backpack back up, and then you reapply the straps to your shoulders. “And you guys aren’t getting them.” The ponies look to you like you’ve just erased all joy from the world. “What, but why not?!” Twilight nearly screams. “Yeah Anon, what’s the deal?” Pinkie asks, bouncing in place. “Why I never,” Rarity comments. “Now that just ain’t right.” Applejack shakes her head in disappointment. Fluttershy merely whimpers then she turns her gaze to the dirt. The others seem to share the same opinion, in fact they look angry. You step back and hold a hand up. “Now wait a minute. I hate to play this card, I really do, but there’s some things that need to be set straight. Until then, none of you are getting these elements, I’m talking about you two by the way.” You point to Applejack and Fluttershy; when you finish Applejack nods in understanding. She doesn’t miss a beat, she knows what’s at stake and if talking to you about what happened in her barn helps then she’ll do it. “Anon, ah feel awful about that day. Not a night goes by where ah don’t think about it at least once. Heck, when ah heard ya’ll were havin dinner at mah place ah stayed outside so ya wouldn’t have to see me,” she trails off while scuffing the ground, “ah know ya’ll aren’t gonna forgive me for what ah done, but ah’m gonna show ya that ah’m a good an honest pony. Ah don’t know how ah’m gonna do it yet, but darn it, ah’ll figure it out eventually!” Applejack looks into your eyes for the rest of her little speech. You can tell from her gaze alone that she’s telling you the truth. It does more than enough to warm your heart. If only you got to meet the uncorrupted Applejack first. Her words are like a breath of fresh air to you. You wish the city you were forced to reside in could have at least half of this pony’s drive. “Applejack, coming forward and talking to me is more than enough to prove that you’re a decent pony, but yeah you’re going to have to do a few things for me, I was stuck in a bed for a day.” She nods, “Ah’m will ta try just about anything.” Determination is apparent in her voice. “Big Mac on the other hand has already made reparations with his cider.” You laugh. “Ah don’t know what ya’ll are talkin about. Nnnnnope not at all.” Big Mac seems incapable of maintaining eye contact with anyone around. Half seem to laugh at Mac’s disposition while the others are far too shocked to see him say anything other than one or two words. In the end that’s one pony down, leaving you with Fluttershy. This one is going to be a little bit harder. Unlike Applejack, with Fluttershy you actually feel as though you were in the wrong. You don’t know why you feel as though you are. You were the victim, she harassed you. She defaced property, she was cruel to others. She should be the one apologizing to you and Twilight. You walk over to where Fluttershy is busy cowering and kneel. The poor Pegasus can’t seem to stop shivering. She eyes you warily, as if waiting for you to make a move on her. The two of you lock eyes and remain in your respective positions for an untold amount of time. Silence consumes the others as they watch the two of you. They wait for either you to start or for Fluttershy to run away. Finally you open your mouth to speak and Fluttershy shuts her eyes tight. “I- I’m sorry Anon…” she says, barely above a whisper. You’re forced to have to lean in since you can’t decipher her mumbling. “What was that Fluttershy?” She raises her head a bit and says loud enough for you to scarcely pick up. “I’m sorry, about hurting you, and my friends. I-I didn’t mean to,” you can’t tell if the tears forming in Fluttershy’s eyes are from her fear or her guilt. Her voice rises in volume as she goes on, “It-it was awful, like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. I kept doing so many mean and nasty things to Twilight, my friends, and my animals,” Fluttershy openly sobs. “I couldn’t help it. I kept breaking everypony’s things, and-and beating ponies up. I stopped feeding my animals, oh Celestia I could see their ribs…” “And-and you came along. I-I did those things to you too, but-but unlike everypony else you got tired of me.” Here’s where your guilt comes in. As Fluttershy gets to her feet you open your mouth to speak, “N-no Anon, let me say my piece.” She says while trying her hardest to keep from crying. You let her keep going. “When-when you beat me up, and when I was me again. I thought all my friends w-would abandon me, and I thought everypony in Ponyville hated me. So I hid in my house…” Fluttershy explains while wiping her eyes. The longer she goes on the more you feel your heart wrench in your chest. ”But I-I couldn’t do that. My animals needed me, so I fed them. And when I did they were so happy,” Finally her eyes seems to clear up. “They didn’t hate me and they didn’t run away. I was so relieved, and when-when I had to go into town nopony yelled at me, nopony tried to hurt me, I didn’t understand. I was such a bad p-pony, why, why were they being so nice to me?” she asks in disbelief. “They carried on like I did nothing wrong, and that hurt the worst. When I asked them they told me they were happy I was back to normal,” the tears begin anew for the timid Pegasus. “And, and when it came to you I-I couldn’t face you. I never wanted to face any pony after that day, I still don’t.” Her voice starts to crack. “So what you’re saying is, you weren’t hiding because you were afraid of me?” She shakes her head. “No Anonymous, I’m not scared of y-you, you’re a nice human. I didn’t hide out of fear, I-I hid out of shame!” When she finishes Fluttershy breaks down and says nothing after that. Your shoulders slouch as you get back to your feet. Having Fluttershy feel this way would have brought you joy a few days ago, but now all you can feel is remorse. You regret thinking all those horrible things about her. About all the violent ways you’d go about tearing her apart, or how you’d force her to apologize to every pony in town she wronged. You didn’t think for a second that Fluttershy was feeling terrible about what she’d done or how ashamed she was that she acted that way in the first place. You never took her feelings into account. With this, you feel that you’re able to give them what they need. “Alright, the elements are yours when you need them.” You turn to the others. Twilight and the others smile at you when you say this. Then they walk past you in order to comfort Fluttershy. You move away from them and take a seat upon the grass. After a few minutes pass Twilight levitates a scroll out of Zecora’s saddlebags. She walks to you while carrying it in her magical grip. When she gets to you she opens it to reveal that she’s actually holding a map. She goes over the markings that indicate Rainbow’s little pattern, but because of recent events they no longer hold any meaning. As Twilight explained earlier, the Everfree’s parasprites flying into the sky might have forced Rainbow to seek shelter in town. Naturally she would have chosen a home closest to where she was. That meant that she was on the western side of town somewhere. Currently your group is by the school house which is to the north… Judging by Twilight’s calculations it’ll take seven to ten minutes for your group to make it to the western edge of town. Twilight’s calculations are quite precise, then again this is Twilight; you’d be surprised if her calculations weren’t this accurate. When Fluttershy is fit to move again you group sets off in hopes of finding Rainbow. The trip to the west side of Ponyville is spent in relative silence save for the quiet gasps made by Fluttershy. Every little snap of a twig or growl of an animal causes her to crane her neck in whatever direction it’s coming from, she’s quite skittish. “Hey Fluttershy, you alright?” you turn back to face her, and she nearly leaps from the sound of your voice. “Oh, um, I’m fine, Anon, thanks for asking. It’s just that… normally animals are so well behaved around me, but they aren’t listening to me, I tried everything but they…” she shudders. “It’ll be fine; as soon as we find Rainbow we’ll be able to fix this, right?” Mocha asks before looking to the others. The element bearers in the group nod. “I have to ask, how in the flaming pits of Tartarus do they work anyway?” she asks while looking over the group. You were hoping for more silence, but Twilight goes into what you’ll forever refer to as: Egghead Mode. She spends five minutes explaining the legend behind them and how they were used on Nightmare Moon when she made her return. You were tempted to ask who Nightmare Moon was. You don’t recall Twilight mentioning her when she told you about Equestria when you first arrived. Discord made a mention of her as well. But that would entail more of her talking and explaining thing, and you’re not in the mood for that at all. When Twilight finishes her explanation Mocha comes up with a question. “So, it’s magic?” Mocha asks. “To put it simply, yes.” Mocha groans out of frustration before shaking her head. “It’s ALWAYS buckin magic, stupid unicorns and their horns and their not making sense…” she trails off while kicking at a loose pebble. “Jealousy is unbecoming of a lady.” Rarity murmors quietly’ Mocha cranes her neck to look Rarity’s way. “What was that?” You throw your hands up in defeat. “Oh boy, here we fuckin go…” you say before Mocha starts shouting obscenities. You spend the next few minutes hearing the two mares go back and forth. When you finally reach your destination you, Twilight, and the others survey the area. The parasprites hit this place pretty hard. Most of the buildings have collapsed due to having their foundations chewed away. Others are only barely managing to stand, and it’s so quiet. Only six houses in the immediate area seem to be fit enough to use for shelter. As you move over to them Mocha’s volume seems to rise even higher. The white unicorn maintains her composure throughout the entire argument, until Mocha insults her hair. You learned a valuable lesson that day: Never insult Rarity’s hairstyle. The sound of glass shattering could be heard when Rarity’s eyes snap open. “Oh, it. Is. On!” She shouts before leaping over to Mocha. A cartoony cloud of violence erupts around the two mares as they fight. The sound of two cats wailing at each other only adds to the little scene playing out before your eyes. The flailing of hooves can be seen as both try to gain the upper hand. And slowly they start to move in the direction of the six remaining homes. Twilight and the others try to break up the fight but to no avail, so your group watches in horror as they move into the first home. Within seconds it comes crumbling down, and still those two are going at it completely unaffected. They emerge from the rubble and move on to the next house, the same things happens to the first. “You know, I’m starting to notice a repeating pattern.” You take a seat and watch the fight drag on in comfort. “You don’t say, Anonymous.” Twilight says before sitting next to you. As Rarity and Mocha move on to the fourth home you can’t help but catch the rubble of the second moving. Your eyes narrow and you lean in; yeah it’s definitely moving alright. “Hey guys,” your voice trails off as you find yourself compelled to investigate. As you move closer to the rubble it parts a bit. A single, gray hoof shoots out of it. It figuratively grasps at the sky for a moment before falling limply onto a piece of broken wood. You cautiously make your way over to the single hoof sticking out of the rubble. When you get close enough you nudge it with your foot, there’s no response. Suddenly you hear a mare groaning in pain from underneath. “Yup, that’s Dashie!” Pinkie calls from right next to you. You shout in surprise before clutching to your chest. It takes a few moments for you to calm down. Pinkie waits for you to relax bouncing in place as she does so. “H-how can you tell?” you ask when your chest settles. “It’s so super simple Nonny, watch!” Pinkie lies on her back and flails her hoof sluggishly while moaning. “Ugh, I think I had too much cake last night…” Pinkie moans. Her tongue lolls lazily out of her mouth for emphasis. She’s back on her hooves in a flash. “She sounds JUST like that when she parties too much!” Pinkie says with a giggle, “But I don’t know how you could party TOO much. There’s never enough partying where—“and you stop listening in after that. Pinkie’s mouth starts to move a mile a minute as she rants on about parties and chocolate milk. How does that even… Pinkie Pie. The rest of your group finally makes their way over to you. “Good job guys, you found her!” Twilight shouts with joy. Thankfully this stops Pinkie's rant. “But, we should probably pull her out of there.” Your grip tightens on your flask. “As soon as we pull her out, and when she’s with it, keep her held down.” Twilight looks to you and nods. Admittedly you’re a little nervous. This will be your first meeting with this particular pony, you have no idea what to expect. Whatever is in store for you, you can only hope you’re ready…