//------------------------------//
// Same Experience, Different Journey (Edited) 
// Story: Anim's Adventures in Equestria 
// by Animatorsnake 
//------------------------------//

Canterlot, Canterlot Castle, Royal Garden Hedge Maze; 7:15pm

As Anim and Derpy prepare to leave Canterlot, nopony must know they left and must sneak outside of Canterlot and head back to Ponyville by heading to the train station, as Derpy went to the room she was staying at, she says goodbye to the sleeping Doctor before she leaves.

“I’m sorry Doctor,” said Derpy as she left the room.

As Derpy left the room, Doctor Whooves opens his eyes and gets off his bed, he looks around the room and sees Derpy not in her bed.

“Derpy, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time,” said Doctor Whooves.

Elsewhere Anim is waiting near the edge of the castle’s walls where he found a small hole, as he waits for Derpy she arrives right on time.

“Good you’re here, I found a hole we can go through,” said Anim.

“But, I could carry us both with my wings, why can’t we do that?” asked Derpy.

“We can’t do that, somebody may see us if we try to fly away so I have a separate plan from yours,” said Anim, “I found some ancient spell books inside the castle library and there’s a spell here that can make things big to small or the other way around.”

“Wait, you want us to turn small and go through that hole?!” said Derpy trying to keep her voice quiet.

“No, instead we’re doing this,” said Anim, as he pointed his horn at the hole.

As Anim’s horn glowed with a white light he uses the spell on the hole enlarging it for two full sized ponies to go through, as Anim and Derpy slip through the passageway Anim uses the spell again and returns the hole to its original size.  After that they head through alleyways and passageways to the train station using a map that Anim had on his book.

“How did you have the time to draw Canterlot down on your book?” said Derpy following behind Anim.

“Well there’s this spell I made which can scan the area making me the center of that area and when the scanning was done, a drawn version of the area was placed on my book, instant map,” said Anim.

“That’s one neat spell to use,” said Derpy, smiling.

“Sadly only I can use this spell,” said Anim, as he looks on the book. “We’re close, this way.”

As Anim and Derpy headed closer and closer to the train station, meanwhile Doctor Whooves heads to one of the guest rooms knocking on the door, opening the door is Twilight Sparkle.

“Doctor Whooves, its 7:30pm what’s wrong?” asked Twilight, rubbing her eyes.

“It’s about your friend Anim and my assistant Derpy, their planning to leave Canterlot,” said Doctor Whooves.

“WHAT?!” shouted Twilight surprised of the recent news. “We have to wake up Celestia, Luna and everypony quickly!”

“Way ahead of you,” said Doctor Whooves, stepping aside.

Behind Doctor Whooves is Twilight’s friends, Princesses Celestia and Luna and both Celestia’s Royal guard and Luna’s Lunar guard, ready for the princesses orders.

“How come you guys didn’t wake me up first?!” shouted Twilight, a little upset she was warned last.

“Well we didn’t want to ruin your beauty sleep, darling,” said Rarity, “but we have no time to talk, we need to stop Anim before he hurts himself.”

“Guards turn on the sirens, search all of Canterlot and block out all exits, all of them!” said Celestia as her guards scattered outside.

“What of me sister, what should my guards and I do?” asked Luna, ready for anything.

“Guessing by Anim’s recent escape, he’s probably trying to return to Ponyville, Luna I want you and your guards to go ahead to Ponyville if Anim does escape Canterlot,” said Celestia.

“Will do, this way!” said Luna, as her Lunar Guard followed behind.

“What about us Princess Celestia?” asked Twilight.

“I need all of you to go ahead to the train station where you and your friends were dropped off when you came to Canterlot, Anim might be there,” said Celestia, “I need to handle another issue.”

Celestia leaves Twilight and company, as Twilight and her friends with the assistance of Doctor Whooves they head to the train station, meanwhile in some alleyway Anim and Derpy see Celestia’s guards going door to door asking about their whereabouts of them are.

“Damn they found out, well time for plan B,” said Anim.

“Plan B?” said Derpy, confused. “What’s plan B?!”

As Anim leaves his hiding spot, he’s seen by every single pony – both citizen and guard – as Anim prepares a spell firing something at everypony.

“EAT THIS SUCKAS!” shouted Anim, firing a white ball at everypony.

As the white ball got closer and tinier it exploded showering a bright light blinding everypony as Derpy and Anim escaped to the train station, as their inches away to the train a bunch of guards jump from nowhere and grab Derpy.

“ANIM HELP!” shouted Derpy struggling to escape.

“Get off her!” said Anim, ramming both guards sending them skyward.

As Anim helps Derpy up, their surrounded by guards and with them are Twilight and friends, without no way of escape their surrounded by ground and sky.

“Anim stop this, there’s no way out!” said Twilight trying to convince Anim to surrender.

“Okay what did you do to my assistant, did you use some kind of brainwashing spell or something?!” shouted Doctor Whooves angered by how Derpy is helping Anim.

“Doctor, Anim did no such thing, I’m doing this by my own free will!” said Derpy.

“But why?” asked Doctor Whooves.

“It’s just…” said Derpy, “whatever he’s dealing with it’s not our business so he has the right to do what he needs to do, I’m here to assist him with his problem.”

“The only problem with him is he’s crazy!” shouted Doctor Whooves, getting angrier.

Anim watches the two argue but breaks the argument and decides to make his next move as his horn glows a hue of white.

“Anim whatever your planning it won’t work, you don’t have enough magical power to teleport outside of Canterlot or the energy to run to Ponyville, just give up please,” said Twilight getting more desperate.

“Who said I was going to teleport,” said Anim as his horn got brighter over time. “Oh and Doctor, you were right… I AM CRAZY!”

Suddenly a burst of light appears blinding everypony, everypony expected Anim and Derpy to escape but they were still there but what they saw next surprised everypony.

“Everyone meet me,” said Anim, grinning mischievously.

Everywhere they saw Anim everywhere, one Anim wearing a bat suit, one with a top hat, another one was a Pegasus, there was even a female version of him, there was an army of Anims everywhere ready to free the original Anim, as everypony were too surprised to react Anim or the Anims made the first move.

“FOR VALHALLA!” shouted all the Anims, charging at everypony.

Everypony were held down by an army of Anims, but not to roughly so nopony got hurt, as the real Anim and Derpy sneaked by and entered the train, Anim deactivated his spell with all the Anims disappearing in a puff of smoke, realizing what has happened Doctor Whooves tries to stop the train but it leaves with Derpy looking through an open window shouting something.

“SORRY!” shouted Derpy.

“You’re… forgiven,” said Doctor Whooves, “but as for your friend, I’m not letting him get away with this.”

“What was that Twilight?!” said Rainbow, too freaked out by the multitude of Anims.

“I have no idea, Anim couldn’t have the ability to do that, I didn’t even teach him that,” said Twilight, also shocked.

“It’s because his body is self-learning, his surroundings and situations he encounters,” said Celestia appearing from nowhere.

“Self-learning?” said Applejack confused.

“Somehow Anim’s one step ahead of us, with him knowing what we’re doing right now, but we need to warn Luna she’s coming their way,” said Celestia.

As everypony go on a separate train to Ponyville, Anim and Derpy discuss their next phase of planning.

“What now Anim, we made it to the train but Luna and her guards might be at Ponyville right now?” asked Derpy, worried of the thought.

Anim thought for a plan and thought of something that could work; as the train arrives at Ponyville station Luna and her guard wait outside the train’s doors.

“Wait for my mark everypony,” said Luna.

As the doors open wide two ponies step outside as Luna and her guards move from their hiding spots to ambush these ponies but what she saw was not who she was waiting for.

“What are you two doing here!?” shouted Luna, questioningly.

In front of Luna were two of Celestia’s Royal guards when they should be with Celestia back at Canterlot, when it was Anim and Derpy disguised as Royal guards.

“We sneaked on the train to surprise them but, we searched everywhere and they aren’t here, they must of jumped off the train before it arrived to Ponyville,” said Anim who was disguised as a unicorn guard.

Luna looks carefully at the two ponies as she looks carefully she looks away and back at the path the train came from.

“I see, well you two stay here and see if they might come back, we’ll check the train path if their nearby it,” said Luna, “this way, we need to find two ponies one a mahogany unicorn, the other a gray pegasus, let’s move ponies!”

As everypony leaves the train station, Anim and Derpy remove their disguise spell and both snicker of how Anim’s plan actually worked, afterwards they run past town square and head to the edge of Ponyville to the location where Anim crashed when he first came to Ponyville.

“Okay we’re here, what now?” asked Derpy.

“Now, I need you to watch my back, I need to meditate here and see if this trick still works if not…” said Anim thinking of something. “Well you get the point, if you see somebody try to lead them back where they came from, if it doesn’t work try your best to stop them from going near, I need to trust you so can you do this.”

“I’m the assistant of a time traveling pony, this is a piece of cake,” said Derpy sitting in a guard-like pose.

“Thank you,” said Anim, “now how does it go again… oh right, like this.”

As Anim meditates, meanwhile on the train that Celestia, Twilight and friends went on they think what Celestia meant by Anim’s body is self-learning.

“Princess Celestia, what do you mean that Anim’s body isn’t… natural?” asked Twilight.

“I think Anim’s body might be made like those other Anim’s clones we saw, that he’s another fake of the actual Anim,” said Celestia.

“If so then where’s the real Anim and who made this Anim?” asked Doctor Whooves.

“There was no other Anim, this is the first time I heard a name like Animatorsnake in Equestria or anywhere, but as for who might have made him… I’m not sure,” said Celestia.

As they arrive at the train station, they meet face to face with Luna and her guard, seeing no Anim with them.

“Oh sister, I thought you were Anim also two of your guards came here, but they’re not here anymore,” said Luna, confused.

“Wait what you mean by- wait two of my guards were here, but all my guards are still at Canterlot calming all the citizens, I never sent any guards to Ponyville,” said Celestia.

“Wait if you didn’t then… who was I talking to,” said Luna realizing who it was really was. “OH NO, THAT WAS ANIM AND DERPY DISGUISED AS ROYAL GUARDS, HOW CAN I BE FOOLED BY A TRICK LIKE THAT!?”

“If they did come through here, where could they be now?” asked Doctor Whooves.

“Maybe, he’s back where we found him,” said Fluttershy reminding everypony.

Twilight tries to remember where they found Anim and it hits her.

“The crater, Anim’s back at the crater we filled up,” said Twilight, “quickly this way!”

As everypony follows Twilight, Spike sees Twilight and tries to talk to Twilight while following shortly behind.

“Twilight, where are you going, oh and by the way I saw Anim running this way with some gray pegasus, what’s going on?!” shouted Spike, wanting to know what’s happening.

“I’ll explain everything later, head to the library and get the Elements of Harmony, quickly!” said Twilight.

Spike turns around and runs for the Elements, meanwhile Derpy can hear the running of hooves on the ground as the ground begins to shake every passing second, she turns around and still sees Anim meditate as his horn glows from white to purple back to back.

“Anim are you done yet, because I don’t think I can stop all these ponies at once,” said Derpy holding a stick with her hooves.

As Derpy looks at the horizon she sees a mass of ponies running straight for her and Anim and sees the Doctor with them looking angrier every time they get closer, Derpy tries to run away but remembers she has to protect Anim until he’s done. She picks up her stick with her mouth and stands on all fours; as everypony arrives in front of Derpy she’s blocking their way to Anim, Spike arrives with the Elements and the Mane 6 put on the Elements and prepare them.

“Derpy, please move out of the way,” said Twilight being serious.

“Uf, woft weft uo paft!” said Derpy trying to speak with the stick in her mouth.

“What did she just say?” asked Rainbow.

“She said, ‘I, won’t let you pass!’” said Pinkie mimicking Derpy’s voice.

“That’s what I just said,” said Derpy spitting the stick from her mouth. “I mean, I can’t let you pass, I promised Anim I wouldn’t let anypony come between what he’s doing right now!”

“Derpy, assistant, what if he’s trying to destroy the world without you knowing,” said Doctor Whooves, trying to convince her.

“He said he’s meditating and that’s what he’s doing,” said Derpy not moving from her spot.

“Derpy, if you won’t let us pass then… we have to use force,” said Twilight.

The Mane 6 prepare the same thing they did to Discord, ready to turn their friend Anim to stone forever, as they finish they fire the rainbow straight at Anim but Derpy flies up and takes the hit.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” screamed Derpy.

“NOOOOOOOO!” shouted Doctor Whooves stopping the Mane 6. “Look at what you’ve done!”

Even though Derpy didn’t turn to stone, she was severely injured from the hit; suddenly the ground shook as the remaining pieces of the meteor that couldn’t be removed began to float around Anim, as a strange black essence came out the rocks and into Anim’s horn, the color of his horn turns from white to black as a hue of black light comes from his horn.

“It’s done,” said Anim, in a monotone voice.

“What are you doing?!” shouted Twilight.

“I’m regaining, my memories,” said Anim.

He releases the energy as it envelops him with a black wave surrounding him, suddenly Anim’s pupils become white and shine bright as the sun as he levitates off the ground a little into the air, as he mumbles something.

“A portal, gems… black gems, friends celebrating, an accident, fire and rocks, so much fire, too much smoke to see, me holding…,” said Anim, as tears fall off his face to the ground. “My friend, Kimila, she’s… gone.”

As Anim slowly descends to the ground, he approaches Derpy’s fragile body, as the Doctor wards him away, everyone stops him as they watch carefully.

“Thank you my friend, now I will return the favor,” said Anim.

His horn glows as the black essence surrounds Derpy, healing her wounds over time but as this happens, Anim’s horn returns to its white hue of light and his pupils return to normal, Derpy opens her eyes completely healed. As this happens the rocks that were levitating fall back to their holes, as Anim staggers slightly.

“Whoa there, you okay,” said Rainbow catching Anim.

“Why… why help me?” asked Anim.

“We all make mistakes, it doesn’t mean we have to hate you for it, your our friend Anim,” said Twilight.

“But still what was it that Anim did?” asked Doctor Whooves.

“It was a called a memory rift, something from my world but, it wasn’t clear enough for me to see but…” said Anim as more tears fall off his face.

“Anim?” said Twilight.

Anim stands on all fours walking slightly away from everyone but not too far and says what he saw in the memory rift.

“My friend was doing an experiment with these black gems, but an accident happened and everything was on fire as the pillars fell and amongst the fires was me holding… my friend’s body, Kimila, she was... she was… and darkness and that was all I could see,” said Anim.

“Oh Anim,” said Fluttershy.

“So you mean, your friend Kimila is…” said Rarity, trying to keep the tears inside.

“This whole time, we thought you were trying to destroy the world when all you wanted, was to see your friend one last time,” said Applejack.

“It’s always the same,” said Anim, quietly to himself.

“What’s always the same?” asked Derpy, waking up.

“Derpy you need to rest,” said Doctor Whooves.

“I’m fine but, what’s always the same Anim?” asked Derpy asking the same question.

“Every time I regenerate, somepony or anybody always… dies and every time I have a different life to live but in the end, somebody dies whether it’s a pony, a human or anything, it’s always someone close to me,” said Anim, looking up.

Anim looks up as he imagines his friend’s face smiling down back at him, that night he cries for passing of dear friend, that will forever change his life.