The air in the dining room is heavy. Anon looks at Celestia, who greets his stare with a smile. He then glances at Luna, who avoids his gaze altogether. This is fine by him, as he'd rather not look at her right now, either. Without saying a word, he struts up to the table and takes a seat. Seeing the lineup of food in front of him, he immediately starts making himself a plate. Such behavior is, of course, incredibly rude, especially when dining with the nation's two leaders. However, neither of them bring it up. It seems that Anon has no intention to either, as he makes no effort to speak before he starts digging in. After a few more awkward moments, Celestia clears her throat.
"So. Anon."
Anon grabs a napkin and wipes his face before speaking, indicating that he at least has some manners.
"Yes?"
"How have you been? I imagine this week must have been a bit of an adjustment for you?"
"You could say that."
"How are you feeling?" Celestia speaks with a low, albeit optimistic tone. It's clear that she is well-practiced in the art of conversing, but her warm demeanor falls flat to Anon. He's been tricked by fake smiles before in his old world, and he's not about to be tricked again.
"Well, the lady I served and loved with all of my heart isn't with me right now, so I suppose I'm not feeling the greatest."
"Anon, you are no longer burdened by her rule. You can do whatever you want now!"
Anon freezes for a moment before locking eyes with Celestia. His expression is dark and cold.
"And just what, exactly, do you think I want?"
"Well, surely there are things you haven't been able to do since you arrived in Equestria. You can travel wherever you want, make friends with-"
"Let me stop you right there." Anon holds up a hand. There is a quiet fury in his eyes, which Celestia does not fail to notice. "I already got to do plenty of traveling. I don't need to see those sights again, especially not with this stupid sun constantly beating down on me." Anon turns slightly in his chair to emphasize his discomfort with the rays of sunlight pouring through a nearby window onto his person. "And before you say a single thing about making friends, why don't you think about my reputation, hm? I'm a household name, Celestia. Parents tell stories about me to convince their kids to stay in at night. I don't need to be friends with ponies like that."
Anon goes right back to eating after he says his piece, though Celestia doesn't end the conversation.
"With enough time and effort, I'm sure they'll see the real you."
Anon nearly spits out his food at her words. He covers his mouth with a napkin again and tries to recover for a moment before letting out a deep, cruel-sounding cackle.
"The real me?! Just who do you think I am?!"
"I'm sorry?"
"I'll tell you who I am, Celestia." Anon takes another bite of his food before pointing his fork directly at Celestia, who hasn't eaten a bite since he entered. "I'm 'The Moon's Enforcer.' I'm Nightmare Moon's right-hand man. I'm a menace to your country. I'm the trash you find on the side of the street." Anon turns back to his plate and mindlessly stabs into his food yet again. "And I hate you."
"...Be that as it may, you cannot continue like that."
"Hah! And why not?"
"We granted you a pardon, Anon. Don't think we can't take it away if we suspect you're trying to undermine our efforts to rebuild."
To Celestia's dismay, Anon's mouth contorts into a wicked, cocky grin as an arrogant chuckle escapes him.
"Actually, you can't."
Celestia's warm smile, an expression that she is extremely used to wearing, finally fades. She tilts her head back ever-so-slightly and narrows her eyes at Anon. When she speaks, her voice is stern and commanding.
"Is that a threat?"
"It's an observation. Go ahead, sunbutt. Try to act mean. You don't hold a candle to Nightmare Moon." Anon, clearly having fun getting a rise out of Celestia, takes another bite of his food before continuing. "Unlike her, you can't just take what you want. You have an obligation to 'uphold justice' and 'preserve the peace.' You need your subjects to trust you. To like you."
"What's your point?"
"You pardoned me with the excuse that I only did what I did because I was 'coerced' by Nightmare Moon. Of course, literally everyone knows that's a load of crap, but I was pardoned all the same. Meanwhile, she..." Anon doesn't look away from Celestia, but he does point his fork towards Luna. "...Was pardoned for the same reason. Because she was 'influenced' by Nightmare Moon."
"I still fail to see what you mean."
Anon clicks his tongue in annoyance.
"If you retract my pardon, you're admitting that I'm legally responsible for my own actions regardless of the circumstances surrounding them. Unless you plan to make exceptions to your own rules only a week after taking the throne, you'd have to say the same for Luna."
"That isn't even remotely true."
"Isn't it? The stares I receive from every single pony I walk by tell me all I need to know about their feelings regarding my pardon." Anon finally turns to face Luna. His cocky smile disappears entirely, replaced by a look filled with nothing but emptiness. "I wonder what kind of stares you've been getting."
Luna keeps her head down. She hasn't looked up from her food since Anon arrived. She took a few nervous bites here and there, but she has long since abandoned her meal. Her eyes are tired, and it's clear that this entire scenario has left her extremely uncomfortable.
"That's enough, Anon!" Celestia firmly slams a hoof onto the table, but Anon doesn't look away from Luna. "I have been trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but now you are officially testing my patience."
"Why invite me here in the first place? I have a feeling there was more to it than just lunch." Once again, Anon speaks to Celestia without taking his eyes off of Luna.
"...Fine. I'm only going to ask this once." Celestia leans forward, her voice as serious as it's ever been. "Where do your loyalties lie?"
Anon responds without skipping a beat.
"With Nightmare Moon."
"Nightmare Moon is gone."
Anon leans forward as well, but not towards Celestia.
"Is she?"
Finally, Luna looks up from her food. She locks eyes with Anon, fear evident on her face.
"I am NOT Nightmare Moon!"
"..." Finally, Anon backs off. He leans back in his seat, closes his eyes, and sighs. Doing so causes the tension in the room to lessen just a bit, and Celestia slowly leans back into her seat as well. "...What am I to you?"
"W-what?" Luna's voice is quiet and uncertain.
"How much of my lady was you?"
"I... I don't know."
"Do you remember it? Any of it?"
Luna looks up at Anon once again. Her expression carries a sorrow that Anon has previously only seen on the faces of his victims.
"I remember all of it."
"Then answer my question. What am I to you?"
Luna opens her mouth to speak, but she quickly clams up. A few weak stutters leave her before she finally finds her words.
"I-I want you to be free."
"Hm?"
"I want you to be free from the shackles I... I-I mean Nightmare Moon, put on you. I don't want any of her legacy to taint your future."
"...That doesn't answer my question, though."
Luna once again tries to speak, but she is interrupted by Celestia.
"Stop. That's enough." Although she doesn't raise her voice, the forcefulness behind her demand is almost enough to make Anon shudder. "I think it's time for you to leave. We have other business to attend to."
"Hm. I'm not sure I-"
Anon is interrupted by the door to the dining room slowly opening. Standing in the doorway is the small outline of a unicorn mare, who lowers her head a bit as she sheepishly enters the room. Anon turns in his chair to get a good look at the new arrival, and he finds himself rising from his seat as he sees who it is. The purple unicorn sees him rise, and she narrows her eyes at him when she does so. Unlike most of the other ponies he has met this week, she doesn't recoil in his presence. Anon narrows his eyes right back at her as he does his best to contain his rising frustration at the mare's arrival. Throughout his entire life, he has never met anyone who makes his blood boil as much as the mare standing before him right now. It takes everything in his power to keep himself calm and collected while she confidently makes her way closer to the table.
This mare is Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn responsible for taking away everything Anon loved.
Sounds like Anon got wrung good and painful like... And learnt to love it.
Not too uncommon.
Runictreetops really woke up this morning and said โIโm going to write yet another bangerโ
11730011
Thanks!
I'm interested to see how you handle Luna going further in the story. Anons got it rough having lost someone dear to him but being "whats left" of Nightmare Moon and (seemingly) not retaining any of the feelings is not an enviable position to be in
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There's really no right answer for Luna to anons question. If she tells him he's nothing to her he'd be enraged at being tossed aside and NM being truly gone. If she tells him she loves him he'd likely tell her she's not NM and means nothing to him and become enraged anyways.
11730011
I want link
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Seeing how the story starts at the castle of the two sisters, I assume it's the same or similar to one of Starlight's alternate timelines from the show. Twilight is probably the one who spearheaded the effort to defeat Nightmare Moon, and we've seen that Rarity is one of the castle staff, and Rainbow Dash is a guard. They seemed loyal to Nighmare Moon, so the two changing their minds must have taken some convincing from the other 4 element bearers.
Twilight has a weird amount of confidence for someone who's facing a being immune to magic. Which is basically her while gimmick. Unless shes just confident that he wont start shit with the Alicorns there.
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I mean with two alicorns, a human doesn't really stand a chance.
He might be immune to magic, but I hardly think he is immune to a good old fashioned kick to the knee-cap, which would break it considering they are still equines.
Have fun never walking right again.
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Also, being personally resistant or immune to magic (which might also apply to any beneficial effects, in which case itโd be a distinctly two-edged sword) doesnโt generally mean oneโs environment is as well. And the most basic unicorn trick is telekinesis, which means any of them can in principle go straight to hitting you with perfectly nonmagical rocks and worse from a safe distance, no direct zapping ever required...
11730280
indeed.
Basically a human without human technology doesn't stand a chance against even a basic unicorn.
"Oh you got a sword? I got 5 of those levitated at the same time"
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Nobody forces you to read. If you don't like Anon fanfics, don't read fanfics with Anon tag, duh.
11730194
I kinda thought that she still had feelings for him.
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Human in "humans are immune to magic" fic: haha i am an isekai protagonist with special abilities
Ponies:
pm1.aminoapps.com/7239/2f33b2a5a6bbb9b8549eded13bdc142135d99f1cr1-1024-1015v2_hq.jpg
My brother in Christ, do you just wake up every day with though "Today I am going to write new story and its going to be awesome"?
This is gonna be GREAT. Can't wait for Chapter 2!
Alright, I'm feeling this one
A very interesting story developing.
I have been following your work for a long time, each story evokes awe. I really like your creative approach to different stories. I'm really looking forward to it and hope for the future of work.๐
i wonder how anon hasnt tried to gut the princesses yet, they're literally dissing NMM right infront of him. like come on - dude - you know he loved her
i guess we'll find out in the later chapters, let's see how this goes
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derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/11/14/151578__safe_screencap_princess+luna_alicorn_pony_luna+eclipsed_season+2_animated_cute_female_gif_grin_lunabetes_smiling_solo_talking_the+fun+has+been+doubled.gif
The tension, THE TENSION IS REAL! And Iโm all for it.
11730368
my broken humor can't handle this LOL
Great story so far I really love the idea of this story as its very unique and I have always liked your longer stories more
So, Anon's a bit of a dick huh? I mean, I understand his current confusion and grief from losing the one being he ever loved, and he's apparently got a whole tragic backstory to explain his general distrust and hostility towards everyone around him, his lack of empathy for others, and lack of remorse for his actions as Nightmare Moon's enforcer (which apparently was more than just for show), but it's not hard to understand why the ponies around him dislike him and aren't interested in giving him a second chance.
As for Luna, I wouldn't be surprised if she is not being honest about how much her feelings as Nightmare Moon carry over to her, there may be more than she's willing to admit. But being around Anon I don't feel is healthy for her right now- unlike Anon she actually seems to feel considerable remorse for her actions as Nightmare Moon, and I don't think Anon's apathy over the ponies he hurt on her orders will sit well with her, nor will she want to hear him try to justify or brush off her own actions. And she especially won't appreciate being compared unfavorably to her insane alter ego, by someone who might very well be willing to drag her back into that insanity if it would bring his beloved back.
And on the flip side, I doubt that Anon will appreciate if he feels that Luna regards him as a monster and a mistake, to be discarded now that she no longer has use for him.
But maybe I'm being hard on Anon in this story, and we will see in later chapters that he has capacity for change and growth, once he is in a healthier environment himself- yes he has reasons for his current attitude and behaviors, but that doesn't seem like a very pleasant life to live. But the way things are starting now, with him already disliked by nearly everyone and in turn hostile to all around him, that's not going to be an easy process. At least there's no Dark or Tragedy tag on this story that would suggest a grimmer end for him.
I can't find the link for the song, but the chapter's good shit regardless
11729730
quite the ratio buddy
Luna is deeply distraught by the idea of anything worth loving, or even anything capable of love, in Nightmare Moon. It's a threat to her slapdash coping mechanism of separation, which is about as sturdy as a leaf to begin with. This is really interesting.
You've got a fantastic setup here, man. Potential, even. If you don't mind disclosing, how long do you plan this to be?
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I have the entire story planned out, but I'm unsure of exactly how many chapters it will end up being. At the rate I'm going I'd estimate around ten, give or take a couple, but we'll see how it pans out as I continue to write.
Anon fell in love with a lunatic tyrant...
I shall stab Anon repeatedly until I am satisfied. (6 weeks later...) Stabbity, stabbity, stabbity.... this could go on for a while...
11730368 Human, "I AM IMMUNE TO MAGIC!"
ANY CHARACTER WITH AN IQ HIGHER THAN 12: "Are you immune to your organs being crushed by a large boulder?"
Really, a scrawny human is useless in ANY world populated by characters of any significant strength or power. One pointy stick through the head.... DONE AND DONE! Consider Maud Pie... no magic, she could just buck straight through his body. The impact would liquefy his innards instantly and pop him like a blood-filled balloon.
Ah... typical non-nsfw 4chan anon and typical naive Celestia...
I truly hope those 'dark' and 'sad' tags will eventually accompanied by their friendly allies, 'suicide' and 'death' tag.
He want to to listen to linkin park while slicing his wrist, thinking about olden days of simping for his old sexy boss lady. Give him what he deserved.
The purplesmart got the courage of AJ/RD? And now I am interesting to see how this Twilight will panned out.
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My guess is that for Nightmare Moon, the usefulness of Anon's anti-magic was more for how it might unsettle and intimidate potential dissidents amongst the general populations, rather than something that would actually give him any real edge over a competent opponent. I'm sure Anon is a bit of a scrapper who can hold his own in a fight given his background, but he isn't likely to wrestle a buff earth pony into submission, or be able to handle a battle mage unicorn launching shards of metal at his face at mach 1, or really do much of anything to a pegasis who is out of arm's reach. His best use is probably for Nightmare to be able to show off her pet alien magic immune abomination to people and let them imagine what else he is capable of and how powerful the Nightmare must be to have bent him to her will. Maybe sic him on the occasional civilian pony who she wants to make an example of and who don't have the fighting experience to know how to handle not being able to use their magic normally to defend themselves. Not exactly an honorable fight, but I'm assuming that Nightmare Moon was looking to scare and demoralize ponies who would oppose her.
Though I guess we still don't know exactly what Anon was doing in the role of her enforcer. We know whatever it was was considered distasteful to everyone else and required Celestia to pardon him to avoid harsher punishment, and Anon made an off-hand internal remark about a "look of sorrow he only saw on the faces of his victims" that doesn't bode very well. Not sure if that meant he was beating up innocent ponies on her orders, or just made visits to scare them straight and intimidate them into compliance.
Man I can't wait to see what you do with this story. It's definitely a different, and I say realistic take on someone being with Nightmare Moon ๐ just to have her yanked away only to be replaced with Luna ๐ . Anon not immediately accepting her nor Luna knowing how to respond to him still being around. It's already been stated she remembers him from before the change so seeing where that could go is exciting and with you doing it I'm sure it'll be a good 1. Needless to say I'm looking forward to the rest of this tale ๐
11730973 What evidence is there that anything worth loving existed in NMM to begin with? Everything points to NMM being a sadistic tyrant, a pony version of Stalin.
Anon wasn't trying to make her nice or anything; he was eagerly going along with torturing ponies for her! He's as awful as she is!
This 'sympathy for the devil' thing wore out its welcome long before Doctor Who tried to present DAVROS (a monster who at one point was ready to DESTROY THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE) as 'misunderstood' in one modern season.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.... clearly the solution is BRUTAL BEATINGS FOR ALL!! The gentle and kind type of brutal beatings you can enjoy while listening to Philip Glass...
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Love is something that never makes sense. But plainly they do need to think about the truth about nightmare moon and how much of her was Luna. Because he can't be happy without the girl he was in love with and Luna trying to run from the past and Celestia is doing her best to help do that.