Unfinished business
Pinkie stands a few paces away as Spike and the Crusaders have fun playing games together. Their smiles and cheer lifting some of her worries away but her mind returns to everything Spike and her talked about. So much has happened since she last saw Anon and she can’t even begin to understand why he’s helping Twilight. Just when she thinks she knows him, he ends up doing something she thought was unthinkable.
All of these thoughts could be easily solved by asking him about everything but her resolve for having him help with the girls has been shaken. Pinkie’s gaze drifts over to AJ. She’s been trying to play off as if nothing is wrong, took her punishment and learned a lesson but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ever since that day, Applejack has isolated herself.
Where she would regularly leave the farm for one reason or another, she now chooses to work day in and day out. Never stepping hoof in Ponyville, instead sending her brother or sister to town if she needs anything. The guilt she has is as clear as day to Pinkie. What she did to Anon, she buries it just like everything else.
As for Rarity, she’s so far gone that Pinkie is terrified just being around her. Not that Rarity wants to be around anyone to begin with. She continues to lock herself in her room, only leaving to take care of the basic necessities. It’s why Pinkie has taken in Sweetie Belle so much. She’d like to think that Rarity wouldn’t hurt her sister but taking that chance isn’t something Pinkie plans to do.
Then there’s Rainbow Dash... Pinkie has no idea where she is or what she’s doing but she can only hope she’s alright. Pinkie sighs as the weight of the situation washes over her. Even she doesn’t know if having Anon by her side would help solve these issues. There’s a chance it could make it worse but she can’t just sit around and do nothing!
“Pinkie.”
Pinkie looks up and comes face to face with Fluttershy. She notices a burning around her eyes and quickly wipes her tears away.
“H-Hey, Fluttershy! These games look pretty fun!” Pinkie tries to give her a fake smile but the stern look she gets in return causes her withers to sag. “Sorry... I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Let’s try and enjoy today for what it is.” Fluttershy rests a wing onto Pinkie’s back and guides her to look towards the group. “See that?”
Pinkie watches as Spike urges AJ towards the kicking strength tester. She looks reluctant but that only causes the Crusaders to join in as they collectively drag her over.
“Alright, Alright! But don’t be mad when they kick us out after I clobber that thing.” AJ states with a genuine smile.
“I know you want to help the others but that will take time.” Fluttershy adds.
Pinkie takes a long breath in before letting out a long sigh. Fluttershy is right. Even with Anon’s help, they couldn’t solve everything overnight. This is an issue that requires time and patience. At the very least, she wants to talk to Anon about it and hear what he has to say. Knowing if he’s on board or not will help with planning for the future.
With those thoughts sorted out, Pinkie joins the others to play a few games together.
Luna walks among the crowd as her gaze shifts to and fro for anything out of the ordinary. She has a lot on her mind with the current happenings. This Changeling business being what worries her most. It’s why she’s kept her distance from her sister and Anon for the time being to search the area to calm her nerves. Thankfully, nothing out of the ordinary.
Though there are still plenty of things on her mind as she continues to search. The announcement came as a shock but was inevitable. The way her sister publicly displays affection for Anon would’ve undoubtedly brought questions from their subjects. Add the primary feather he wears and the ring upon her horn and it would be a no brainer. It’s better to snuff out rumors with the truth and see where everything lies. From what Luna can tell, ponies are joyful over how much happier Celestia looks when with Anon.
That puts Luna’s heart at ease but there’s one last thing she cannot deny... Nightmare Moon. Anon's infatuation with that parasite is baffling to her. Adding the fact that Luna has no idea what that demon’s motives are has her on edge. Nothing Luna says will change Anon’s mind. All she can do is sit back and prepare for the worst case scenario.
So many nights she’s questioned why the Elements didn’t destroy that leech. Why did they find the need to lock it inside her mind to torment her endlessly? She shakes those thoughts away. It doesn’t matter anymore. As long as Luna keeps Nightmare disconnected from the Hall of dreams, then any interaction with Anon is impossible. Keeping a close eye on those two, she’ll be ready to save Anon when that monster shows her true colors.
Returning to her task, Luna’s gaze shifts over to something out of the ordinary. It’s only for a brief moment but she catches the vacant gaze of a pony standing motionlessly away from the crowd. Never breaking her stride, she continues on in the hopes that it didn’t notice. The way that pony stood, it brought back a foul memory from her past.
“We have lost thirty five, Princess.” Blossom answers with a low bow.
“Rise, Captain.” Luna commands and can see the frustration clear on her face. “Speak freely. What’s on your mind?”
“How much longer do we have to be out here? Each passing day I keep wondering who else I know is going to be buried in this forsaken land.”
Luna gets out of her seat, walks over and rests a hoof onto Blossom’s withers.
“I don’t have the answer you seek, Blossom. I also pine for the day that you all may return home to never see this tartarus again. However, this cannot be until we snuff out the forces before us. For if we back down now, all that we fight for, all that our friends have died for, will be for nothing.”
Blossom grits her teeth in response. “Damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
“Get some rest. You cannot expect yourself to carry this weight on a body hanging by a thread.” Luna states before heading towards the exit.
“What about you?” Blossom says. “When was the last time you’ve slept?”
Luna doesn’t turn to face her but gives a chuckle in response. “Somepony has to watch the troops as they rest. Goodnight, Captain.”
Luna leaves before Blossom can say anything and takes a stroll around the camp to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary. A few ponies are doing some last minute preparations before heading to bed but Luna takes notice of something strange. There’s a single soldier not in uniform and he’s just standing in place with a thousand yard stare.
A soldier walks over to the pony and tries to talk to him but doesn’t get a response in return. Just as Luna is about to head over to investigate, the pony bites the soldier by the neck and pins him down as his screams echo into the night. Everypony is out of their tents and ready for whatever is happening, blocking Luna’s view. She teleports to where the two were and her eyes widen when she finds a black insect-like pony creature with its fangs in the pony’s throat.
As soon as their eyes met, the creature changed back into a pony and took off into the night. Luna was so shocked by this that she couldn’t react. In a heartbeat, she checks the pony who was attacked and finds that he’s dead. Not because of the bite but because all of his essence was drained.
That was the first time she encountered a changeling. She couldn’t act back then due to the shock but her lesson was learned. There’s little doubt in her mind that the pony she saw was a changeling. Lighting up her horn, she contacts Blossom to let her know what she just found. They’re most likely collecting information, so any chance of them attacking today is unlikely but now she must inform her sister about this development.
Anon is standing beside Celestia as he focuses intently on the balloon in front of him. After a moment of pause he throws the dart and hits it dead center, causing it to pop and shower the stand in confetti. Celestia clops her hooves in celebration as Anon just lets out a sigh.
“Congratulations!” The pony behind the counter shouts. “First prize goes to you!”
The pony floats over a comically large stuffed toy that looks to be modeled from a manticore. Anon leans away as it gets closer and instead steps aside as he waves for Celestia to take it.
“For you.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
Celestia takes the manticore and hugs it to her barrel with a smile on her face. Anon is just happy to not have the magic of a stranger near him anymore or to carry that giant thing. Looking around at all the various game booths: The games in this area are meant for ponies, so there aren’t many that he can do but thankfully this dart game was right up his alley.
They’ve been at this for what feel like hours and Anon is starting to become weighed down by being around so many creatures.
“How about we get something to drink?” Celestia offers while resting a wing on his shoulder.
“Yeah, that sounds fine.”
They walk over to the section that’s dedicated to various foods and drinks. There’s plenty of open spaces to sit, as well as typical fair foods that he would expect from Earth. Though, as per usual, a few of them have a pony flair to them. Such as the fried hay donut burger or the liquid apple fritter. Which Anon can only assume is a drink that tastes like an apple fritter.
“Sit here and I’ll get us something.”
Anon takes a seat and watches as Celestia walks over to one of the stands that’s offering cake flavored drinks. That puts a smile on his face. Tia will be Tia and having this moment is something he cherishes. He just wishes he was a bit stronger and didn’t feel sick just from being outside for too long. While his thoughts want to wander off to how worthless he is, he tries to focus on Tia.
It’s funny how all the ponies do a double take when they notice she’s standing in line with them. Though where they wouldn’t even give him a second glance, many of them look his way and point before whispering to one another. It’s to be expected. A wave of nausea hits Anon as his thoughts drift to other places. What if their relationship goes to the next level?
Did she really mean it when she said he would be crowned a king? What would a job like that entail? Just before his heart begins to race, something is placed in front of him and the scent of fried food fills his nostrils. He looks up to see Celestia giving him a gentle smile before taking her seat across from him.
“Since we’re here, I thought it’d be fun to try out a few things.”
Returning his gaze down, he finds a paper plate with flat fried patties? He’s unsure, as they’re cut into random shapes but it certainly smells good. There’s also a cup of some kind of blue looking slushie.
“You didn’t eat breakfast this morning.” Celestia states matter of factly. “It’s understandable that you’re on edge right now. Just relax and eat, you’ll feel better after.”
She’s always considerate of how things are affecting him and the agony of not being better drifts away as Anon accepts what’s happening. He reaches down and eats one of the fried things and flinches in surprise by a taste he’s long since forgotten. This is a chicken nugget.
“I hope it’s to your liking. A griffin over there is selling it and I thought you’d enjoy it.”
Anon eyes begin to waver as he tries to understand why he’s about to cry. He’s not sad nor is he happy. Is it because he’s relieved? Since coming to Equestria, there are some things he will never experience again. Some of it is technology and the other has to do with meat related food and while Anon has largely ignored it, having something so familiar while being surrounded by things of pure fantasy has brought him comfort.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had this.” Anon reaches up and clears his eyes. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I didn’t make it.” Celestia says still unsure why Anon’s reaction was so verseral.
“Not for the food but for getting me out of that crowd.” Anon looks up at Celestia. “I love you.”
Looking into his eyes, she can tell that he’s happy right now and that’s all that matters to her.
“I love you too. Now eat up, the events will be starting soon.”
“Alright.”
Celestia takes a sip of her drink but notices a strange disturbance of magic nearby. Odd but it could be some pony getting ready for the magic event, so she doesn’t pay it any mind but what she does pay attention to is her sister pushing through the crowd towards her. The look she has on her face is one that puts Celestia on edge. It’s a lot like the mask she wore just before going to battle.
Once she’s close enough to the table does she speak out.
“Hello, Sister. Anon.” Luna gives a nod to Anon before returning her gaze to her sister. “I have urgent news and it’s paramount that we discuss this in private.” Her eyes flicker to Anon for only a second. “Just the two of us.”
Hearing that is almost enough to cause Celestia fur to stand up but once again she pushes down her emotions and puts on her princess mask.
“Immediately?” Celestia asks.
“I’d rather it not wait.” Luna states.
Anon can tell that something big is going on and it’s definitely connected to what Blossom cryptically warned him about earlier. Celestia’s gaze turns to him and he can see that she’s reluctant to leave but from Luna’s tone, he knows she has to go.
“Attention, the first event will start in one hour. Please be sure to find a seat immediately.”
Anon looks away from the intercom and back to Celestia. “I’ll be waiting at our seats.”
Celestia bites her lip but knows that Anon is intentionally giving her an out. He’s right, the event is starting, he’ll be fine. She leans in and gives him a kiss but doesn’t pull back far and instead speaks in a low voice.
“Head to the back of the stadium, that’s where you’ll find Shining Armor, he’ll show you to our seats.”
“Understood.”
Celestia gets up from her seat and gives Anon an unsure look but a single nod from him is enough for Luna to teleport them both. Now, Anon is alone as he sits at the table with an empty plate and drink. All the wind has left his sails. He couldn’t care less about this festival. Celestia is the only reason he’s here and enjoying it. By himself, this is pointless.
Getting up, he tosses his trash into the nearest bin before making his way towards the stadium. Walking through the crowd Anon does take note of something on the wind.
“Alright, everyone! No pushing! There’s plenty of time to find your seats!”
Is that Twilight? Looming over everything, Anon looks further ahead to see Twilight is directing ponies to their seats. Keeping his distance but moving out of the way of the other ponies, he finds himself intrigued by this. Twilight is sweating, looks like a mess but there’s a noticeable smile on her face. She is a workaholic, so it makes sense that she enjoys working to keep her mind preoccupied.
Though deep down he gets that’s not all there is to it. She’s happy because she’s happy. Anon sighs. What is he doing? Just standing here like a weirdo watching Twilight.
“Hey! You two!” Twilight screams at two stallions roughly trying to push one another. “Your flanks are holding up the line! Move it!” She shakes her head as they shape up and walk through. She’s been at this for a good half hour now and she’s already exhausted from everything else she’s been doing but then her eye catches another group. “Hey, Girls!” She waves them over.
Pinkie, Fluttershy, AJ, Spike and the Crusaders push through the crowd over to Twilight.
“Hey! How’s it been on your end?” Spike asks.
“Pretty tough but-” Twilight looks off into the crowd. “What did I say about pushing! Celestia I swear I’ll teleport you to the back of the line if you keep it up!” Twilight gives her friends a sheepish smile. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.”
Her friends are surprised by her assertiveness but find it a breath of fresh air when compared to how she usually is.
“Well, we don’t want to take any more of your time.” AJ comes in. “So we’ll be heading in.”
“Why don’t you join our private booth?” Twilight offers. “I’d still like to talk with you girls during the events.”
“If it’s not too much to ask.” Fluttershy comes in.
“It’ll be fine.” Twilight points to a separate entrance. “I still have to stay here for a moment but head down that way and my brother will show you the way. Spike, can you escort them?”
“Can do!”
“Thanks.”
Spike leads the girls past Twilight and now she’s back in action directing all the ponies. The line is starting to thin out quickly, so not as many ponies are being pushed as they were a moment ago. Gazing around, she finds her eyes settle on Anon. He’s just standing there in thought. Has he been keeping an eye on her? She doesn’t know but she notices that the princess isn’t with him.
An overwhelming dread sinks into her very bones as the thinned crowd has disappeared into the stadium. It’s just Anon and her at this point and yet something about this moment feels surreal to her. Anon is still lost in thought but for Twilight she’s hyper focused on him. Today has been a good day and yet she couldn’t shake away the feeling that something was off.
Time is now moving at a snail's pace. The sounds and smells are replaced with stillness. This moment, it’s happened to her before. When she fought Nightmare Moon and Discord, there was a moment like this where she felt if she didn’t act then she would lose everything. Then she sees it out of the corner of her eye. Everything in the world has become muted of color but the flash of light and rainbow halo in the distance stands out against the sky.
Her mind is too slow to process what’s happening but her body is already in motion as she teleports herself in front of Anon. He breaks from his thoughts in fright but she doesn’t acknowledge it as she casts a powerful shield around them. It felt like all of this took place in the span of a few hours but, in the blink of an eye, Twilight flinches as an incredible force smashes into her shield, causing the entire structure to fracture in spider web like veins before shattering as the sonic boom blasts it away.
Twilight is panting heavily, eyes the size of pinpricks as she looks to the knocked out form of her friend Rainbow Dash. An eternity passes before she looks over her withers at Anon, who’s frozen in place, with only his eyes moving between her, where the shield was and Rainbow as his mind tries to comprehend what happened.
“A-Are you alri–” the words trail off as she’s quickly hit by a pain radiating from her horn. It’s been so long since she’s cast magic of this caliber but she can’t afford herself a moment to pass by. Tears begin forming at the ends of her eyes as she looks at Anon. “I’m sorry, Anon,” she mutters as the shock of what just happened sets in. “I’m so sorry.”
Is the only thing Twilight can say as she teleports herself and Rainbow away before anyone notices. Anon’s mind is too far gone after what happened. It’s sudden but everything goes white.
Nightmare is awoken by something that sends a shiver down her spine. She looks down to see that Anon is no longer holding onto her but before she can get back to her senses, she’s bombarded by a cry for help. She gets to her hooves and faces where the call came from. Only a few hooves away is Anon’s door. It’s wide open as a dark fog unlike any before gushes out before turning into a thick goo that pools around.
Her heart catches as an overwhelming sense of panic washes over her. It only takes her a few seconds to cast a spell to protect her psyche from this attack. A flash of anger takes hold but is just as quickly replaced with worry. Something life changing has happened to Anon and is causing him to have a mental breakdown. The dark emotion from before is amplified and is drenching Nightmare with more power than she can possibly contain.
Her ethereal mane and tail have grown by ten feet, the gleaming stars being replaced with entire galaxies. She’s never felt this much power and unlike before, she doesn’t contemplate how to use this to her advantage but instead rushes through the door to find Anon. When she enters, the door behind her slams shut and she’s drifting in a thick tar like sludge.
Without hesitation she casts a location spell and swims her way to find him. It doesn’t take long for her to come in contact with a force field that is keeping the sludge at bay but is rapidly shrinking. Pushing her way inside, she opens her wings to glide down and beside Anon who’s curled up into a ball.
“What is wrong?” She commands.
Anon draws in a sharp breath as if waking up, he’s disoriented as he looks around rapidly before setting his eyes on Nightmare.
“W-Where?” He puts a hand up to his skull as an intense pain shoots through him.
“You are dreaming.” She answers, taking a few cautious steps forward.
“Dream? Dream...” His memories slowly come back as he looks up at Nightmare surprised. “You look different.”
“Your negative emotion is giving me power.” She states. “Far more than I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
“Negative emotion?” It then dawns on Anon, what happened before things went white. “I was almost killed.”
“What do you mean?” Nightmare asked confused.
She grits her teeth as a flood of memories pour into her consciousness. She saw it, she felt it, everything. Why did that happen?
“Are you alright?” Anon asks moving closer to her.
“Do not treat me as if I’m some helpless mare.” Nightmare states with a sneer. “It’s time to wake up. Staying in this void will not help you come to terms with what happened.”
“I...” Anon looks to his feet. “I know you’re right but I can’t.”
“Why not?” Nightmare takes a step closer as the field around them shrinks.
“Rainbow Dash tried to kill me. I can’t lie to Celestia but if Luna finds out she might actually kill her. That’ll hurt Celestia and Twilight. I hate Twilight but she saved me. What if Rainbow tries again? What if the others have the same idea? What the hell do I do?”
Nightmare is only a hoofs length away from Anon as the darkness from the outside closes in. It’s difficult to see him like this because it only brings back the memories of her past. So much of her wants to hurt him, to take control, to be the monster others claim her to be and it hurts. It hurts so much. She closes her eyes and pulls him to her chest.
Anon’s eyes widen as Nightmare holds him, not because she’s doing something so strange but because he’s felt this sensation before. The embrace from this morning, it was her. It starts to fall into place for Anon. When Anon didn’t dream, it must’ve had something to do with Nightmare and she was comforting him. His fraying thoughts from before drift away as he hugs her back.
She feels so cold and yet he’s comfortable like this.
“It’s time to wake up.” Nightmare whispers.
Anon can’t even answer as he finds himself drifting off.
Anon’s eyes slowly drift open as he finds himself looking at an unfamiliar ceiling. He turns to his left and finds Shining Armor looking to his hooves deep in thought while Blossom paces in place.
“How did she break through the pegasi guard?” She questions.
“Considering her ‘Rainboom’ can accelerate her to the speed of sound, no one could’ve stopped her.” He answers. “What’s disturbing is why Anon was unconscious with no obvious signs of injury and Rainbow Dash missing.”
“And no one else saw this transpire?” Blossom asks, baffled.
Shining sighs. “It’s a festival. Fireworks are common. They most likely just thought it was a part of the event.”
Blossom growls under her breath. “Tartarus... We’re in the dark until Anon wakes.”
When she turns back to Anon, she’s surprised to find him staring back. A clear sense of relief washes over her as she walks to his bedside and rests a hoof on his hand.
“You had me worried. Are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
Shining steps up as well, though his focused gaze hasn’t let up as he faces Anon. “Sorry to be blunt but we don’t have much time to talk. What happened?”
Anon looks between Shining and Blossom. He doesn’t want to tell them the truth but they already have a grasp of what’s going on.
“Alright, but can we keep this between us?”
Blossom doesn’t say anything as she looks over to Shining Armor. He looks conflicted but gives a stern nod.
“I heard some of what you were saying and it’s spot on. The fact is, Rainbow Dash tried to kill me.”
Shining’s stoic demeanor breaks as his eyes widen before he quickly calms himself. Blossom on the other hand looks calm, too calm because for Anon, her entire aura is malevolent.
“What do you mean?” She questions with a deadly edge to her tone.
“It’s still a jumbled mess in my head but.” Anon takes a breath to try and collect his thoughts. “I noticed Twilight directing ponies at the entrance and paused in thought. I don’t know how long I was standing there but before I could even blink, Twilight teleported in front of me and created a shield. Seconds later, Rainbow crashed into it before falling to the ground unconscious. I couldn’t move or say anything but Twilight took Rainbow and teleported away. After that, I’m pretty sure I passed out from shock.”
“Twilight saved you?” Shining asks, hesitant.
Anon lets out a long sigh. “Yeah. There’s no doubt in my mind that if Twilight didn’t protect me, I’d be dead.”
“Where is Celestia?” Blossom comes in.
“Luna pulled her away for a moment, she told me Shining would take me to my seat, as it would take her some time before she came back. Then I saw Twilight in the distance directing ponies and got lost in thought.”
“What do we do?” Shining asks Blossom.
“We have to do our jobs.”
“Wait.” Anon stops them as they face him. “I’m not going to tell you what to do but I only have one favor to ask.”
“What’s that?” Blossom asks.
“Give Twilight some time.” Anon rubs his head some as his headache starts to subside. “While she’s dealing with Rainbow, I’ll talk to Celestia. If Twilight can’t handle Rainbow, you two can do whatever you want.”
“Does she have a plan?” Shining steps up.
“I doubt it but if she doesn’t come up with something, I don’t think Rainbow will get a slap on the wrist for this.”
Blossom studies Anon for a moment. Something about him is different. His entire aura is calmer than it should be considering what just happened and it’s also colder than she last recalls. However, his words ring true. If Shining and her step in, Rainbow would be lucky if she gets sent to the moon and not executed by Luna. However unlikely, Twilight may be the only key to Rainbow’s freedom.
“Very well.” Blossom relents before turning to Shining Armor. “If we act now the consequences would be immeasurable. I’m willing to put my trust in Anon. Can you do the same with your sister?”
Shining looks between Blossom and Anon for a moment before hanging his head.
“I don’t really have a choice.”
“Thank you.” Blossom says before facing Anon. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah, I’ll be up in a few minutes. After that I’ll go and wait for Celestia in the stands.”
“Alright. I must return to my duties.”
“I will be waiting by the entrance to show you the way.” Shining says before leaving Anon by himself.
Anon’s gaze drifts to the sheet that covers him as his vision begins to blur. That was almost it. For so long, death had no meaning to him. If anything, death would’ve been a release from the constant pain. He never pursued it but if it were to come for him he wouldn’t run away. Now though? With everything that’s going on with Celestia? He was afraid of dying of old age but the thought of his life being taken has shaken him in a way he’s never felt before.
His head falls into his hands as his teeth clench together. He wants to scream until his throat runs dry. He wants to see that bitch locked away for eternity. He just wants to live without having to worry about what could possibly happen. To enjoy the moment with Tia. Maybe being happy isn’t what he deserves? All he deserves is to suffer until he dies alone.
As his thoughts become as dark as the first time he appeared in Equestria... That cold embrace comes back to hold him.
“It’s over now.” A whisper echo’s in his mind.
There’s something else too. It wasn’t there before but Anon can smell Ozone in the air. He sits up in surprise as he looks off at the wall with a thousand yard stare.
“Nightmare?”
“Hmm?” She answers absentmindedly.
“I can hear you in my head.”
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Well this isn't going to end well. Wonder what Luna's reaction will be?
Oooh! Love it every time I get the notification of a new chapter for this story!
oh boy and im happy to see a new chapter
Dang, Rainbow. I did not think she would go that far.
Dash... You seriously fucked up now!!!
Also it seems that Anon's spite has really poisoned AJ's confidence pretty hard and Raity is going into a Downward Spiral that will go even worse for her cold actions to Sweetie Belle. What Pinkie wants to is a Doozy to get done and will be interesting to see what happens in the next chapter.
So has Nightmare now merged with Anon's consciousness or does she now have a inside link to him is the question?
Oh boy, here we go people!
I get that some people make very bad decisions in the heat of emotion due to grief, frustration, and anger, but this definitely went beyond even that.
Considering what that amount of force would do to the human body if Twilight hadn't set up a shield in time, this would definitely be attempted murder or at the very least assault and criminal mutilation.
well now this is gonna be interesting
OOooo! I like this, really enjoyable! And now we have this latest development! Super excited to see what is going to happen with that!
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indeed
Well does that mean she is now riding in his head??? And so she ain't in lunas
Awesome chapter
Damn, on the edge of my seat to see how this goes!
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Considering the door slammed shut behind her... I think she has, at least temporarily, moved from Luna's mind to his... completely. Nightmare is no longer contained within Luna's mind.
I wonder if Rainbow attacking Anon was just a coincidence with the Changeling sighting, or if it was something more coordinated.
I know it may sound dumb, but this never fails to make my heart flutter a bit. I blame you for making me this way, Sarcastic.
Well if that 'rainbow dash' was a changeling this would be the perfect chance to kidnap Twilight. Although why changeling would want to assasinate Anon I don't know, so it probably was rainbow dash.
It seems Nightmare is actually a separate entity entirely apart from Luna otherwise she couldn't enter Anon's brain/dreamscape. Was he like half in the dream world or something, was that the 'calm' he was feeling half asleep walking around.
If that was the real rainbow she just got herself a premium trip to the sun or moon, although she was technically trying to kill him before with the whole lightning pranks.
I suppose half the mane six will be in psycheatric hospitals at the end of the story.
Well bleep... I figured rainbow was in a bad spot but this...
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While an interesting theory. Pretty sure the only one who could even come close to Sonic Rainboom speed is Chrysalis. Just saying.
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She wasn't aware humans can't handle lightning bolts or other species because her dumb ass didn't pay attention. Flunked flight school, something that's very important. How she got the job as the head weathermare of Ponyville is a damn mystery.
Pinkie is wrong, he never helped Twilight. He was guilted into hoving her what she wanted to make Celestia feel better because Twilight was trying to forcibly earn her way back into the princess' favor. Even after that she refused to leave him alone, but with this chapter qnd how she she acts she seems to have finally made some improvement.
AJ and Rarity can fuck themselves. Anon doesn't have any obligation to forgive them, and they certainly haven't earned it. Let them deal with their own problems instead of making their guilt into yet another problem for Anon.
As for Rainbow Dash, if she isn't being controlled then she's basically attempted Regicide. That's a crime you get executed for.
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The changelings would want to assassinate Anon to make it easier to invade the country. After all, if the two most powerful individuals in the country are preoccupied with grieving for their lost love, they won’t be as capable of defending themselves. Moreover, since the changeling was disguised as Rainbow Dash at the time, the two most powerful individuals in the country could be led to believe that Rainbow needed to be “taught a lesson” which would effectively dismantle the country’s single greatest defense, A.K.A the Friendship Laser of Doom, A.K.A the Elements of Harmony.
Damn, had to finally catch up on a cliffhanger!!
Loving every chapter!
No cliffhangers my one weakness!!!
Also loving the story, keep it up.
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Yeah, people don’t tend to like it when you’ve pointed out a pseudo plot hole in their harem escapism story. I know the author didn’t intend to but they’ve accidentally wrote Twilight as someone with some sort of mental disorder and then punished her for what it made her do rather than try and help her deal with it which is kinda fucked, even if that wasn’t the authors intent. It’s abundantly clear she wasn’t malicious in what she did nor even aware of it. It’s like a story calling a veteran with PTSD who had an episode a bad person for hurting someone during a flash back. Not calling the story bad, I just think that one aspect is kinda fucked if you spend more than 5 minutes thinking about it. It doesn’t really matter if people dislike me pointing out a flaw in their fantasy story. It’s normal for immature people to reject that something they like might not be as good as they think it is. If you can’t see why a story vilifying someone for something their mental illness caused, especially over other who did worse things and who were responsible for their actions, then that says volumes about your thought process and character, but whatever.
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I would argue with you on this one.
On the one hand - I agree, Twilight is certainly portrayed as a mare with a problem, and not one that's dealt with easily (to be honest, I'm thinking she's squarely on the spectrum). I mean, it's probably been going on for a while, and simply - nobody noticed, or wanted to think it. From what I can tell (at least as far as fanfiction is concerned), Equestria doesn't really concern itself with mental health all that much, and may not even be aware of the autistic spectrum. So, in a sense, her actions were not her fault...
On the other - she still chose to do what she did. You can't go ahead and take agency away just because someone is maladapted, no matter how bad it may be. It's certain that she didn't feel the full brunt of what she would've otherwise gotten (had she been actively malicious), so I'm thinking Celestia took it into account - subconsciously, perhaps. But all this doesn't change the fact that she had agency, distorted it may have been, and she chose to do the things she did.
So, I'd go ahead and say that things aren't as cut-and-dry as you make them out to be. I can understand wanting to hit a mark (and, let's be honest, poking a gaping hole in someone's fantasy is a juicy mark), but I'm thinking you're simplifying it so much as to do this story a disservice.
We don't have to agree, of course. If there's one thing I truly enjoy about such stories, it's that they provoke a healthy discussion about the topics touched upon. Like it, hate it - doesn't matter, because it moved you to think, and that's a thing I value greatly.
Ah! What a horrible no good very bad spot to have a cliff hanger.
Also i don’t think That was the real Dash she’s been got by changlings
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As much as it pains me to say it, I think that was the real Dash.
I mean, she's been conspicuously absent for the entirety of the second story, and the third up to now. I think she's been going down a downward spiral all her own, and growing to hate Anon viscerally. I mean, she was the one to think there was something wrong with him, and now he's gone and taken literally everything from her - her dream, her friends, perhaps even Equestria... It might very well be that she's thinking he's malevolent, and that the clearest explanation of why shit went down the way it did is "he did this". Painted in that light, she'd be doing the world a service by getting rid of him - maybe it would even get her that spot on the Wonderbolts back? I mean, once everpony "came back to their senses", anyway... See where I'm going with this?
I'm thinking she deluded herself enough, and with nobody there to stop her from slipping further, she's convinced herself that the only way to "fix" everything would be to get rid of "it".
It wouldn't even be a stretch to say that it falls very neatly with a distorted view of loyalty...
2 things:
1-Honestly expected Dash to do something drastic...just not that drastic.
2-love the idea of Nightmare being in his head.
Please.
Rainbow dash what the fuck
Wow was I way off on my prediction. She didn’t get fat, she got angry.
Way to go, Twilight!
This Nightmare plot is a really good weave with the rest of the story. I also like how sinister the menace of the Changelings is even though they haven’t officially entered the story yet. They’re shown to be like a predator blood-sucking carrion yet all we get are memories and strange thoughts of potential lurkers. I love it!