A Month after being transported to Equestia, Anon tries to get used to his new life and new powers.
Anonymous the human has been summoned to Equestria just outside Ponyville, by a powerful unicorn who died in the process, when the spell he cast transferred all his energy, which included life energy.
With no way back, new powers and new friends. Anon tries to adjust to his new life but nothing is ever perfect.
Anon stirs awake. Opening his eyes, Anons blurred vision slowly focuses enough to see the white ceiling of his bungalow. Debating whether he should just go back to sleep or get his lazy ass up, the human squints at the Wonderbolt styled clock 'thanks rainbow dash' hanging on the wall. Before he can find out the time the decision has been made for nature calls.
"Morning to you too bladder" Anon slightly slurs in annoyance before rolling out of bed. The pony sized slats and springs of both mattress and bedframe noisily squeak, as they attempt to reform themselves before giving up and leaving a human sized dent in the mattress.
The human lazily makes his bed before stretching, which gets a few audible pops from his back thankful to finally be off the disproportionately sized bed. Anon begins his morning routine which starts with a shower, brushing his teeth and getting dressed. Luckily the latter is one of the only things not disproportionate. Getting dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts, the human heads to the kitchen for breakfast.
Walking into the living room stroke kitchen, Anon begins to boil water for his coffee, which is on top of the cupboards to keep out of reach for Pinkie. The pink pony caffeinated is quite a sight, but the long lecture twilight would give is reason enough for its placement.
"You're up early" a voice surprisingly stated behind Anon
Anon recognises the voice and turns to face it. Sat on one of the sofa chairs is a Caucasian human male with dark brown hair worn in a low ponytail down to its shoulders, wearing a light grey tank top and similar shorts, the sitting human cocks his eyebrow as Anon stares at him.
"What?" he says in a surprised/confused tone
"It's too early for this shit" Anon gestures to the opposing Human. "I like to spend my mornings in peace, it's the only time I don't feel like I'm getting a headache."
Rolling his eyes, the human slouched in the sofa chair raising his hand as if to speak before being interrupted by a knocking at the door.
In response Anon cupped his face with his hands and slowly dragged them down, letting out a long groan before walking towards the door.
"Remember, be nice. They are just trying to help" the slouched human said before turning on the chair, resting his arms on the backrest as he kneeled in the chair.
Anon could only give a quick glare before returning his attention towards the door. Opening it Anon heavily squinted his eyes at the bright morning light before looking down at the smiling purple pony.
"Good morning Anonymous! How are you today. I thought I would check on you on my way to Sugar Cube Corner, you can join me if you like." The purple pony finished continuing her smile.
Anon narrowed his eyes at the pony, swearing he could see cue cards poking out of her mane slightly. "Twilight, I live on the edge of town and so do you. Sugar Cube Corner is literally in the middle of town, also-" Anon reached towards twilights muzzle, the pony still smiling but her eyes dart between him and his hand, until he pulls a piece of cookie of her "You apparently have already been." Anon now crouched in front of the pony smugly smiling at his detective work, saw how quickly twilight went from confident to nervous. Accompanied by a bead of sweat running down her forehead.
Before Anon could stand up to close the door, he heard "Don't be an ass, let her in already"
Sighing, the crouched human stood up and stepped aside gesturing inwards. The nervousness on twilights face immediately disappeared, replaced once again with a content smile as she trotted inside. Closing the door Anon walks over to the now boiled kettle. "I'm making coffee, do you want any" He says not looking up from the counter. "If you wouldn't mind" Twilight hastily replies.
After a minute or two, Anon makes three cups of coffee and puts them down on the coffee table in front of each creature before sitting down in one of the sofa chairs. Anon glances at the human which Gives a smug smile in return. Anon raises an eyebrow at him for a few seconds before realization hit him light a freight train. He snaps his gaze to Twilight who is just beaming at Anon. Before he could say anything, Twilight stood on the couch, her eyes darting around the room.
"Does that mean he's here? In this room with us? Your imaginary fr-"
"Finish that sentence and you’re out the window" Anon hastily said with frustration in his voice.
Twilight's ears pressed against her skull in the sudden outburst, she slumps slightly in the chair "I-I'm sorry, I forgot you don't like that term. It's just-" Twilight perks up slightly "I have never heard of somepony having such a realistic hallucination without some sort of diagnosis."
Anon sighed and looked up at Twilight "Look. He just randomly appears; I don't know why or how he's here. I just assumed it's a side effect of whatever spell brought me here and gave me this." Anon holds out his hand as a translucent thread of light green magic, slowly extended from him. After a few moments he shakes his hand slightly, breaking the connection which causes the magical thread to float for a few seconds before dissipating.
"Oh right. That reminds me of the actu- I mean another reason why I'm here" Twilight said hastily correcting herself.
"While you do not have any actual aptitude for spells, which is expected seeming you don't have a horn or similar appendage. You still have the ability to manipulate magic and create objects. Would you mind reminding me of your capabilities if you have found them?" Twilight professionally conversed.
She had summoned a quill and parchment just before speaking and held them in magic. While talking, the quill seemed to franticly scribble onto the parchment.
Anon glanced between the human and Twilight a few times, confused on easily distracted she had gotten after almost bursting with excitement. Deciding to roll with it, Anon sighed once again before slouching into his chair.
"Fine. As you said I literally cannot cast spells or use magic the same way unicorns do it, not even levitation." Anon gestures to the still writing quill and parchment. "I can produce this weird magic thread from my body, whenever I tense parts of my body in certain way. If I try to picture an object like a spoon, I can create that object."
Anon holds out his arm again and positions his hand as if her were holding a spoon. A dim green light emanates from his hand before forming into a translucent green spoon.
"If I just focus on what it looks like, the result is very brittle." He holds the spoon by the end of the handle, flicking the bowl it snaps off, flying down the hallway and shattering after landing.
"But after creating the object, if I focus on the density of it-" Anon stares at the spoon in concentration. The bowl regrows from the handle, the spoon begins to darken, and its transparency begins to fade. Almost seeming solid.
"Try and break it." Anon said casually. Twilight takes the spoon in her magical aura, bring it closer to her. A small thread of magic connection Anon to the spoon.
Twilight lays both quill and parchment down on the coffee table, devoting her full attention to the spoon. Her magical aura gripping both ends of the spoon, and they flair with intensity as the spoon shakes in the struggle. She does this a few times, each one stronger than the last. The last time her eyes are closed in concentration as sweat flows down her face before a *CRACK* echoes through the house.
Opening her eyes, Twilight sees the spoon in half and smiles gleefully. Anon breaks the connection, leaving the spoon to dissipate in Twilights magic.
"Phew! That took quite some effort." Twilight said taking a deep breath whilst wiping her brow with her forehoof.
"I'm glad to hear it. I could make it a lot stronger but that would take at least a few minutes, and it can be pretty draining. I mainly just use it to conjure cutlery or tools, sometimes I give the threads adhesive properties so I can stick it to out of reach objects." Anon explained calmly.
"Understood, that will be enough info to go off now. I am interested in having somepony help you explore and expand on your magical abilities." Twilight stated, rolling up the parchment before teleporting it away "Perhaps Starlight could help" She muttered to herself
"Anyway, about this friend of yours" Twilight said, sitting up straight.
"Damn it" Anon breathed out. His gaze fixed to the floor for a few moments, before taking a deep breath and sitting up straight. "Let's get this over with. What do you want to know?"
Twilight thought for a few moments before summoning another piece of parchment. this gets an eye roll from Anon.
"What does he look like?" Twilight asked cautiously, her quill standing at the ready.
"Like a headache." Anon exclaimed, sounding almost bored. This gets a dead pan look from the alicorn mare.
"I'm getting the impression you don't like me" The human said with a fake pout.
"Shut it" Anon said. Getting a quick glance of confusion to the empty seat next to her.
"He, he looks a white human which we call Caucasian. His hair is a dark brown worn in a ponytail, about shoulders length. He has a slight stubble with a soul patch. Green eyes and wears similar clothing to me." Anon listed, with no enthusiasm about the ordeal in his tone.
Twilight nodded a few times before turning to the empty seat beside her.
"Ok, ok. Do you have a name?"
"Ooh, that's a weird feeling. It's almost like she can see me." The human stated, chuckling slightly.
Before Anon could answer the human looked up in thought. "I personally like the name Alex, just feels right. You know?"
Anon deadpanned towards 'Alex' "I am not calling you that" Stating with less meaning than perceived.
"Is that a yes then?" Twilight said quizzically, her ears perked up at the one-sided altercation.
Anon sighs heavily before answering. "He wants to be-" "He wants to be called Alex”.
If Anon had any enthusiasm, it's probably dead.
Twilight cheerfully smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Alex" Smiling towards the empty chair again, she turned her attention towards Anon once more.
"She is very nice. Why can't you be that nice to me?" Alex said curiously
"Because you live in my head and you don't pay rent" Anon stated, if anyone had a microscope. They would see the tiniest hint of a small.
"I literally stop you from doing dumb shit. Because of my intervention, Twilight has more information on your magic and has offered to have you taught. I understand you don't like me, I'm not even sure what I even am. I just want what's best for you, which in turn is what's best for me." Alex stated, at first retaliating but ending on expressing his genuine feelings.
Alex stared at the ground, his posture collapsing on himself as he slouched even further into the chair.
"I'm, I'm sorry. I just feel like I'm always on the side lines, and I don't get to choose when to exist." Alex vented, his gaze not leaving the floor.
During this Twilight could see the surprise look from Anon's face turn to one of guilt and empathy. She had a lot more questions now but sensing that this is probably not a good time. She waited in silence.
"Look, I don't understand this much myself, and I'm still getting used to being surrounded by tiny hors- ponies. I just thought that if I kept to myself and moped around, things would somehow go back to what they were. But they won't and I need to learn how to live again." Anon turns to twilight. "If you would help me that is." Anon gave a shallow smile but his genuine intentions were clear as day.
Twilight beamed before calming herself down. "Of course. I'm not gonna pretend like I understand revelation you two went through, and perhaps you can fill me in later. But for now, I'm just happy to help." Twilight stated, glancing at the empty seat next to her. Clearly trying to include Alex in her speech.
Anon and Alex smiled at the purple pony. Anon breathed out before downing the last remnants of his coffee. "Well, I don't know about you, but I haven't had my breakfast yet and all this talking has made me hungry." Anon stood up, depositing the three coffee cups into the sink. "Does that offer with Sugar Cube corner still stand?" Anon asked, walking beside Twilights chair.
"This week has been... A lot." Anon stated, looking at himself in the mirror. Washing his face then cleaning his teeth, the tired Anon accept the embrace of his bed. It does not take long before sleep takes hold of the human, dragging him into the realm of dreams.
Not dreaming of anything in particular, Anon sleeps peacefully until he is suddenly aware of his surroundings. He is on top of a small hill just outside Ponieville, sat on a park bench in the shade of a large oak tree, protecting him from the summer sun.
Anon can only stare in bewilderment, he has had realistic dreams but nothing to this level. "What?" is the only thing Anon could utter, his brain using all its power trying to comprehend what lies before it.
"I apologise if we have confused you. Twas not our intention, we only sought an audience and felt the realm of dreams was a suitable place." A voice echoes past and through the hills, wisdom radiating in its voice
At the other end of the shaded park bench, the darkness swells up forming the shape of a pony. Although this one seems to almost twice the size of one. Before long a dark blue alicorn mare shapes into existence, a warm smile accompanies her, her mane seeming to flow without care for gravity and looking like a window directly to the stars.
Anon, not being a complete tool, knows that out of the two sisters who governs this country. This one is most likely Luna. He looks at Luna with a calm smile. "Good evening princess, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Before we begin, might I ask for the time to be changed to night. I have a feeling we would both prefer that." Anon said in a respectful tone
Luna at first seemed generally surprised before the warm smile returns. "Of course" Luna's horn faintly glowed and the time seemed to fast forward to night. The moon seeming to just be set above her.
"I'm afraid our pleasantries are not a good as that of our sister, so if you would allow it. we wish to skip straight to the reason of my visit." Luna said still with the warm smile but breaks eye contact for a few moments when she compares herself to her sister.
This takes Anon slightly aback, he shuffles in his seat for a few seconds before sitting still. "Oh, uh yeah sure. Please feel free" He gestures to Luna.
Luna clears her throat before speaking. "Very well then, you clearly know of us but just in case. Please let us inform you of our duties as princess of the night. During the night, while all our subjects sleep, we travel from dream to dream, helping those in need such as nightmares or advice. Sometimes stopping the nightmare outright works but other times we must help our subjects to overcome their fears, guiding them to safer future." Anon nods as Luna lights her horn, a pitcher of what looks to be lemonade and two glasses appear on the table. She pours them both a drink, and takes a sip before continuing.
"We, have noticed how almost every night since we knew of you. You have had the same nightmare of a world we cannot comprehend. We know better than anyone how sacred dreams can be which is we have not intervened until now. As the princess of the night, it is our duty to know what to do and how to make our subjects sleep better." Luna takes another sip of her lemonade as Anon pours his second glass. Luna raises an eyebrow and the human can only shrug "I uh, really like lemonade." A sheepish smile adorns his face.
"Like we were saying. It is our job to help our subjects at night. But..." Luna looks down at the table, a small frown of guilt now covering her muzzle before looking up at Anon again. "With you I'm afraid we just do not know. The reason for this visit now is you are clearly not sleeping enough which eventually will become an issue. But no matter what we think of us, it does not seem to make a difference." Luna again looks down towards the table, the frown of guilt growing ever stronger.
"You clearly wish to hold on to these memories so we cannot simply stop the nightmare, but you do not wish to change anything about the events which transpired. And by the time the dream is over, it repeats." Her guilted frown seems to turn to one of frustration.
Looking up from the table once again, she eyed the human which finished his third glass and pushed the now empty glass aside.
"Oof, that's enough for me" Anon clutches his chest slightly before tapping it with the palm of his hand and clearing his throat. "I'll be fine, just need to some time to get over it. Just ignore my dreams for now, I'm sure I can have twilight contact you if needed. But please don't worry yourself." Anon spoke softly but with confidence as he smiled warmly at Luna.
"I may be another living creature in Equestria, but I ain't no Pony or Griffin. We humans didn't have any magic. The only thing we had was the power to Adapt. whether it got too warm, too cold or too dangerous we Adapted and overcame obstacles. Not saying anything good came from it, that's a story for another day. What I'm trying to say is I will be fine...Probably". Anon finished, shrugging at the last part.
Luna sighed before speaking. "While we don't usually leave creatures to struggle at night, tis true you are new to us. Therefore, we do not wish to overstep out boundaries. Before we leave, we must apologise. I imagine you would have that dream again but we intervened to speak with you. You will feel well rested I imagine but we do apologise for the intrusion." Luna stood and nodded to Anon which he simply bowed in return. Luna turned and began walking towards the moon, seeming to melt into the shadow.
The dream world around Anon began to disappear and fade as he awoke from his slumber.
"ANON" Jumping from the sudden shout, he points his unfocused vision to Twilight who was in his room for some reason.
"Twilight what are you-" Anon slurs out before being interrupted
"Wake up, were gonna be late for the train to canterlot, for you to meet Celestia". Twilight said with nervousness, sat on her haunches and using her forehooves to extenuate.
"This is such a new low for me" Anon said sighing as he finished buttoning up his dress shirt.
"What? getting changed in a train bathroom?" Alex questioned, sitting on the side of the sink, giving Anon space to change.
"While it's not ideal, that's not the issue. The issue is twilight made me walk to the train station in my pyjamas. I'm almost certain half the town saw me." Anon stated, crouching to see himself in the pony height mirror.
After a couple of minutes, checking himself over and adjusting little things here and there. Anon stood up. "Right, I think that will do. How do I look?" he held his arms out slightly giving Alex a better view.
Alex shrugged "Meh."
Anon drops his arms, allowing them to hit his sides. "Really?"
Alex snickers before waving his hand dismissively "Kidding, kidding. You look good... I think, I have only really existed for a month and a bit. Don't really have a grasp on beauty yet, but nothing seems bad, so you have that going for you."
Anon rolls his eyes and gathers his pyjamas "I'll take it."
Walking out of the bathroom, Anon holds the door open longer to let Alex out also, as he closes the door he sees Starlight standing behind the door.
"Jesus Christ, where the fuck did you come from?" Anon said rising his voice in alarm
"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Twilight just asked me to check up on you, you were apparently taking a while." Starlight said, rubbing her forehooves together looking at the ground.
Anon sighed, "Nah it's cool. Just wasn't expecting company." Anon said walking past her. Starlight followed behind as the human took up the middle walkway.
Anon and starlight walk through a few carriages to get back to theirs. The other ponies on the train having mixed reactions when he walks past. Some surprised, some confused and some a little scared. While expected the latter doesn't feel great.
Eventually, they both make it back to their carriage. Twilight seems to be deep into a book, Anon takes this opportunity to get some revenge.
Walking beside her, Anon raises his hand and flicks the back of twilights ear, "Ow, hey!" she flinches and turns to the culprit only for her muzzle to be flicked also. "Ugh, damn it!"
Anon lets Starlight sit at the window seat opposite Twilight, he then shoves his pyjamas in the overhead container, then sits opposite Twilight himself.
Rubbing her ear then her muzzle, Twilight glares at the human. "What in Tartarus was that for?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled with her forehoof.
"The first one was for making me walk through town in my pyjamas. The second one was for thinking I needed an escort from the damn bathroom." Anon said, frustration raising in his voice.
"We are late, I'm not going to be even more late because you slept in." Twilight quickly stated.
Anon laid back slightly in his chair, his feet touching Twilights side. He crosses his arms before speaking.
"Look I'm already not a morning person. I can deal with being rushed AFTER I have at least walked out of my room. But getting shouted awake then immediately shoved out of my own home is where I draw the line. Consider the flick a warning. Do it again though and I will give Pinkie espresso and lock her in your library with scissors and the list of your favourite books." Anon warned, a devilish grin making its way onto his face.
Twilights pupils instantly became the size of dinner plates as she hastily replied. "Ok ok, no more wake up calls. You have my word." She quickly blurted out, a nervous smile plastering her muzzle.
"Would you actually do that though? Seems too mean to justify." Alex questioned, in the seat behind anon. His arms resting on the backrest of Anons row.
"Probably, even I don't fuck with tired me. Dudes scary." Anon stated, chuckling slightly.
After a few moments of silence, Starlight looks to the empty seat behind her before looking at Anon. "So, who do you keep talking to. At first I thought you were just mumbling but now I'm not sure." Starlight mentioned, her eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Before Anon could answer, Twilight spoke up.
"Oh, of course. I completely forgot. So, after arriving in Equestria, Anon appears to have gained an imaginary friend or something like a conscious called Alex. For obvious reasons only Anon can see him but he can completely interact in conversation and the like. Alex seems to share Anon's senses, even going as far to have a separate memory from his. From one image they both might remember similar or completely different things. I believe that this is a side effect from the spell that unicorn used to summon Anon here." Twilight said, sharing a warm smile from sharing information.
"Being called a side effect kinda hurts, not gonna lie." Alex stated, slumping in seat behind anon.
Alex looks up from the seat, seeing Starlight now leaning against the backrest of her seat, almost touching noses with Alex.
"JESUS CHRIST!" Alex recoiled back, slipping of his seat, falling to the floor panting heavily.
"Nice to meet you Alex," Starlight said, smiling while glancing around the Seats behind Anon. "He is still here, right?" Starlight asked, turning to Anon.
"Yeah, he's just on the floor currently." Anon stated, chuckling as he begins reading one of the books he brought with him.
"Why would he be on the floor, you were looking here." Starlight said waving her forehoof in Alex's previous position.
"Oh he was, until you basically tried to kiss him" Anon glancing at the now bright red Starlight. Both Anon and Twilight share a chuckle.
"Can, can we please put a bell on her. I don't want to find out if I can get heart attacks" Alex said in laboured breaths, not moved from the floor.
After a couple hours, the train arrives in Canterlot. As the doors open, Starlight and Twilight put on their respective saddle bags while Anon wears a relatively small backpack considering his size.
The ponies on the platforms let's everypony out. Most of them give a wide berth for Anon as they quickly bow to Twilight before getting on the train. After walking through the streets of Canterlot, Anon can feel all eyes on him as they make their way to the castle. While Ponieville did the same thing, this felt different. He didn't get the sense that they were as scared or confused but disgusted, his suspicions were only confirmed when he could hear hushed conversations. "What is that?" a few ponies said pointing, "It has no fur or scales, repulsive." An old stallion stated, "So many clothes, do you think it's hiding something?" a few mares said huddled together.
Anon looked at the ground as he walks, trying to avoid eye contact with the crowds, his chest feeling tighter as he began to sweat slightly.
Alex walked ahead slightly of Anon to catch his attention, looking up he saw the concerned look on Alex's face. "You just have to ignore them. I know their words are hurtful, they are just a bunch of stuck up Poncy Ponies" Alex reassured, walking backwards to give Anon his full attention. Anon smiled thankfully at Alex before he saw movement behind Alex.
"Ugh, it's looking at me, what pit did it crawl out of" A smartly dressed mare said holding a parasol, walking away from the human
Anons eyes immediately hit the ground, the tightness in his chest getting worse and his breaths becoming staggered.
Both Starlight and Twilight saw the display of the Ponies and Anon's reaction, sharing a concerned glance Starlight trotted up next to Anon. "Don't worry, we're almost there. We will probably stay a day or two so we will have to get those pyjamas washed." Starlight said, attempting to make conversation.
Starlight talked to Anon the rest of the way there, the weather, sports, hobbies, weather again.
The group eventually made it to the castle, a guard escorted them to their respective rooms. Letting them know that Celestia has finished with day court and will wait for them in the dining hall for lunch.
As soon as Anon closed his door, he threw his backpack down and slid down the footboard of the large ornate bed, curling up into a sitting fetal position staring at the floor in front of him.
Alex walked into his vision and sat down in front of him, crossing his legs and sighing. "Are, are you ok?" Alex asked cautiously.
Keeping his vision on the same spot Anon replied. "You know. In a land full of colourful magical ponies with monsters and gods, I mistakenly thought I wouldn't be treated as a freak." Anon expressed, his expression not wavering.
Alex could only sit in silence, struggling to find the words to help before he had an idea.
"Do you remember when you gave pinkie coffee?" Anon turned his head to look up at Alex.
Alex chuckles before continuing "She went from a hyper happy go lucky mare, to a cracked-out party planner. Trying to give ponies 'early birthday parties' and random dated anniversaries. It took the rest of the elements and Starlight to catch her." Alex said, giving Anon a warm smile.
Anon returned the smile. "Yeah, I also remember the meeting Twilight made me and the Elements sit though about prevention methods and even coming up with an acronym. C.P.P meaning Caffeinated Pinkie Pie.
Anon and Alex talk for a few minutes before Anon stands up. "Thanks I needed that, I'm ready to meet the princess." Anon said before tiding himself up.
Opening the door, Anon walks into the wide hallway. The afternoon sun shining through the arched window. Closing the door, he sees a pony on either side with golden Armor.
"Excuse me sir. Are you ready to be escorted to the dining hall?" A Pegasus guard said, looking straight ahead.
Anon simply replies with a "yeah.”
A few minutes later Anon stands before a large wooden door guarded by two unicorn guards. His escort salutes to one of them before leaving. Both unicorns grab the metal handle with their magic and open it inwards.
Anon sees a large rectangular table with dozens of chairs around it, sat at the table was Starlight, Twilight, Luna and Celestia. Before walking in he looks around him for Alex but seems to be alone.
Being at the very end of the table Celestia is the first to notice Anon, she looks away from her student and smiles warmly at the human. "Greetings Anonymous. I'm so glad you could join us, please take a seat and order anything you like." Celestia says gesturing to the chairs with a wing.
The human simply nods before sitting in between Starlight and Twilight. Anon clears his throat before speaking, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Celestia." He looks towards Luna. "It's nice to see you again also Princess Luna." Anon says with a nod. When he finishes a maid approaches him. "What would you like to order sir?" the maid says with a professional smile.
Anon was about to answer when he felt a tightness in his chest again and the word 'meat' kept popping up in his head over and over. Shaking his head and blinking a few times he looks to the mare. "Um. C-can... can I have medium rare s-steak?" Anon muttered, fear in his voice.
The room falls silent. Everything becomes slow motion as Anon could hear his heart beating faster and harder, his breaths become shallow and quick. He is about to look towards the others before the maid cleared her throat snapping his attention to her. "Ok, medium rare steak, what would you like to drink sir?." The maid said, scribbling down his order.
"W-water is fine, thank you." Anon quickly stated before looking back to the others.
"Oh I didn't know you were an omnivore. you should have said before, Applejack sells fresh chicken and eggs for pretty cheap." Starlight commented as she now notices his tense look. "You don't look to great Anon, are you ok?." She adds with concern.
Anon fidgets with the napkin in front of him before responding. "Yeah. I'm fine, I'm just not good with crowds. Especially ones that hate me." He grips the napkin tighter at the last part.
Twilight could only look at him with concern. "I'm so sorry Anon. I didn't realize it affected you that much." Twilight said, placing her hoof on his hand, he flinches at the touch but doesn't move away.
"Oh dear, I knew the ponies of canterlot could be rude. But I had hoped they would know better." Celestia says, looking down at her half eaten plate of salad with sadness. Luna on the other hand looked, for better words pissed.
"How dare they act with such malice towards another species they know nothing about. From what we can tell, Anon has done nothing to warrant such behaviour. They must be punished at once sister!" Luna exclaims.
Celestia is quick to meet Luna's gaze with a caring smile while placing a hoof on her shoulder. "I understand and agree with your frustration Luna, but we must treat this delicately. I believe a simple warning should suffice." Celestia looks towards the human again with the same caring smile. "Anon, you have my word that when you leave for Ponieville. You will be treated better." Celestia says as she resumes eating.
Anon simply nodded. "Thank you, princess."
The maid returned with a medium rare steak with vegies lining the rim of the plate with gravy drizzled on top. Anons mouth practically watered as he felt his appetite return now that an issue on his mind had been sorted.
Tensions died down in the dining hall as everyone began to enjoy each other’s company even after everyone had finished their meals.
After a few moments of silence Celestia spoke up. "So Anon, Twilight has been sending me weekly reports about your progress adapting to pony society. In those reports and some very detailed documents, she mentioned about your ability to use magic." Celestia inquires, her warm smile turning to one of curiosity.
"Yeah I can, I'm assuming twilight has already bored you with all the details so it's probably more fun to demonstrate." Anon said placing the back of his hands on the table.
After a few seconds, a few spots on Anon's palm begin to glow green, from the glow, threads of green magic begin to flow into the air, seeming to ignore gravity as they twirl and float. Anon appears to concentrate as the green threads begin to pulse from his hand to the tip. "If I don't have an imagine in mind and tense certain parts of my body, I create these threads. Once I have an image which could include, weight, density, flexibility and other properties." Anon stated as the thread began to wrap around a few of the utensils, lifting them up.
Anon stops concentrating and watches as the threads begin to dissipate, dropping the cutlery onto the table. He then holds out his hands as he creates a cylinder which dips in the middle, he attaches thread to the middle of the cylinder and wraps it around, after a few moments he lets go and basically creates a yo-yo. "As long as it's not complicated or has moving parts I create stuff like this. He smiles before putting it on the table, letting it disappear.
Celestia is about to speak before a guard enters the room. "Your highness." the guard salutes. "I'm afraid it is time to resume day court." the guard says standing at attention.
Celestia looks at the large clock above the doors. "My goodness time really does fly when you’re having fun." Celestia says chuckling slightly. "Please feel free to explore to your hearts content. I'm sure we will be able to do something in the evening, right sister?" She says looking at Luna which simply nods and smiles in reply.
As she leaves she turns to the group "It was a pleasure meeting you Anonymous, and it's always good to see you two again Starlight and Twilight." The latter simply nods while the former bows which Anon copies.
Now with a newfound confidence and some meat in his body, Anon felt like taking Celestia up on her offer.
After lunch, Luna headed to her room. She was about to open the door before a voice called out behind her.
"Luna, could I quickly talk with you?" Twilight said, quickly trotting up behind Luna.
The alicorn mare turned to twilight, now only a few metres away from her. "Of course Twilight, is something the matter?" Luna said, cocking her head slightly as she raised an eyebrow.
Twilight finished walking to her before speaking. "Oh, no. Nothing like that." Twilight waved her hoof dismissively. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions." Twilight took a moment to catch her breath.
"As long as it does not take too long, we do not mind answering some questions." Luna said glancing at her door, stifling a small yawn.
"Thank you. Anon said he had met you before and I just wanted to know more about it. With him demonstrating his magic I couldn't find a good time to bring it up." Twilight said with a small smile.
Luna nodded and smiled back. "We have met the human before, yes. It was last night in fact during one of his dreams. We won't give specifics to respect his privacy. I noticed the human had trouble sleeping due to nightmares, so we created a safe space in his dreams to converse with him about it. We then helped him get some much-needed rest." Luna finished with a nod.
Twilight's face dawned some guilt as the pieces fit together. "Ah I see, well thank you for the information. I won't keep you, have a good nap princess." Twilight finished with a small bow before stopping herself. "I forgot again." she said looking back at her wings.
"No worries Twilight, we will speak later this evening. Good day." Luna said, entering her room.
Meanwhile in the gardens. Anon was happily exploring, passing thought flower archways, flowerbeds, statues and a few activities for the older ponies like croquet and Bocce. Anon walks for an hour or so before sitting on a nearby bench and enjoying the scenery. Taking in the view, the human slowly looks left to right before spotting a lilac mare sitting on the bench next to him. He jumps slightly but manages to not scream or swear.
"If you could stop doing that, that would be great." Anon said in a deadpan voice.
Starlight chuckles slightly. "Sorry. Bad habit of mine, I always feel like I'm taking ponies away from their activates when I talk to them but I think that's just the guilt talking. Starlight explains, her gaze finding the ground as he body slumps slightly.
Anon raises an eyebrow and turns to Starlight, giving her his full attention. "Guilt? What do you have to be guilty about?" Anon asks in confusion more than curiosity.
Starlight's gaze leaves the ground and finds itself on Anon. "Oh, you know. Watching my best friend taken from me when he got his cutie mark, slowly going insane until I create a village where no one has a cutie mark so we are all the same, just so no one leaves me. Getting foiled by the elements and trying to basically destroy time and space as we know it. That kinda stuff. Starlight lists as she slowly slumps further into the bench.
The two sit in silence for minute or so before Anon can find his words. "I'm assuming you are reformed now though, right? Like one of the good guys- er stallions." Anon questioned, leaning against the backrest of the bench with an arm hung over.
"Oh yes of course, it just still eats at me. I have made a few friends, including the elements but it's something I still struggle with. I'm always worried ponies are gonna see me for the pony I was, not the pony I am." Starlight sighs as her gaze finds the floor once again.
Anon smiles softly at Starlight before speaking in a relaxed tone. "Alright then, three questions." Anon said holding up three fingers.
"Did the village forgive you?"
"Yes b-"
"Did Twilight forgive you?"
"She did-"
"Do any of your friends give a fuck about who you used to be?"
"N-no I guess not”.
Anon smiles, wraps an arm around Starlight and pulls her in so she is leaning on his shoulder. "Well then, seems like you have atoned."
The mare suddenly being hugged looks up at Anon with a confused look.
"Look, you are literally friends with the Elements of harmony, what other proof do you need? Plus Twilight has told me the story of how you, a magician, the chaos god guy and a reformed changeling literally saved Equestria which reformed the changelings themselves. You are a good pers-Pony, and you need to learn to accept yourself, otherwise how can you expect others to do the same." Anon said, letting his grip go slightly to allow Starlight room to breathe but still having his hand on her withers."
Starlight looks at Anon for a few seconds before giving him a quick hug, after they both sit in silence for a while, looking over the garden.
While the garden was nice and all, anon didn't have the patience to not do anything, so to occupy himself, the human conjured a yo-yo and began playing with it.
Starlight looked over the gardens before looking over at Anon, the yo-yo catches her eye. "Oh, I completely forgot" Starlight quickly commented before going through her saddle bag she had on the floor next to her.
As quickly as she opened the bag, she closed it with a stack of parchment and a quill in her magic. Starlight quickly mulls over the parchment before turning to Anon. "Twilight was going to go through some experiments with your magic. She got caught up with something and asked me to take her place." Starlight explains with a smile.
"Is this going to be the fun kind of experiment, or the Twilight kind?" Anon said with disinterest
Starlight goes through the stack again, this time separating a third of the paper and placing it back into the saddle back. "The Starlight kind." The unicorn said with a brighter smile.
"The Starlight kind huh, I can get behind that." Anon said scratching his chin.
The lilac mare hopped off the bench, slung the saddle bags over her frame a trotted off with the stack of parchment in her magical grasp. "Follow me." Starlight said in a happy tune.
The human quickly stood up and followed behind Starlight.
The pair walk for a few minutes in silence, Starlight going over the parchment stack while somehow avoiding obstacles, while the human was just taking in the scenery, not doing as well to avoid obstacles. Eventually a large sand pit the size of a football field came into view. The pit had a metre wide cobblestone path all the way round with wooden bleachers on either side.
"Here we are" Starlight said, gesturing to the sand pit. This broke Anon from his analysing gaze.
"And what is 'here' exactly?" Anon questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Starlight looked at the sand pit, then Anon, then the sand pit, then finishes on Anon with a quizzical look "Its, a sand pit..." Starlight said more confused than anything.
Anon sighed before replying. "Yeah, no shit, what's it used for?" Anon said gesturing with his arm.
"Oooh. It's used as a 'test of strength' for the guards here at the royal palace." Starlight said as she sat on her haunches and mockingly flexed then giggled.
Suddenly a thought dawns on Anon. "Wait, oh no no no. I am not fighting you, not even sparing. I would rather not get turned inside out. I like my organs where they are thank you." Anon huffed as he patted his stomach.
Starlight simply waved a hoof dismissively. "Oh don't worry, were not gonna be doing anything like that, besides that spell was outlawed centuries ago." Starlight reassured going over the stack of parchment again.
Anon could only gulp in response.
On the other side of the castle. twilight had just finished talking with Luna and began heading to the gardens to meet Starlight and Anon. She was about to pass through the hallway which lead to the throne room, before a long line of ponies caught her attention. Twilight had seen the lines for day court but there were way more than she had ever seen and they all seemed to be of a certain class.
With her curiosity peaked, Twilight trotted to the front of the line where two guards were, well standing guard and approached one of them.
The guard notices Twilight and salutes. "Good afternoon princess Twilight. Do you wish to speak to the princess Celestia?" the guard asked in a monotone but authoritative way.
"No, I was just curious. Do you happen to know what's with the huge line? I can't put my hoof on it but it seems off." Twilight says, rubbing her chin with her hoof.
"I'm not sure if this helps princess , but. Most of the ponies are present because of the Human creature. Asking why, what and how. Those sort of things, I don't know what the Human has done but it appears to have ticked off a large group of canterlot." The guard says now more relaxed.
Twilight smiled softly. "That was very helpful, thank you."
"Sorry Starlight, I'm going to be late" Twilight muttered to herself.
For the next hour and a half, Twilight took it upon herself to answer some of the more idiotic questions and demands the 'high class of Canterlot had. While draining, this took away more than half of the ponies for day court which a certain princess was more than happy about her efforts.
Afterwards, Twilight quickly made her way to the garden entrance.
"Now where are you Starli-"
Before Twilight could finish that sentence, an explosion could be heard from the guard section of the garden. Green and pink magic sparks seemed to shoot upwards before dissipating, leaving a small smoke cloud to rise.
Twilight froze as before snapping back to reality. Blinking a couple of times, she took a deep breath.
"I EVEN GAVE HER INSTRUCTIONS!" Twilight loudly states before rushing to see what headache awaits for her.
Landing on the ground with a thud. Twilight surveyed the carnage in front of her as she tucked her wings away.
The first thing she noticed was a smouldering metre wide crater in the middle of the sand pit, the sand had been flung everywhere. Twilight couldn't help but think how much of a pain it would be to clean.
The second thing she noticed was a tuft of purple sticking out of one of the sand piles. Quickly she used her magic to push and sweep away the sand, trying her best to keep it away from her muzzle. As soon as she finishes, Starlight opens her eyes and coughs out sand, spitting and sputtering while she wobbled getting to her feet. Twilight was quick to press her side against her as support as the lilac mare finished spitting out sand. "Hey *cough* Twilight."
Twilight smiled softly, knowing that she was out of immediate danger, the alicorn quickly looked her over for any series injuries. To her relief the unicorn seemed to only suffer a few bruises and cuts. Twilight has a realisation and glances around before her eyes widened.
On the other side of the sand pit was the wooden bleachers, or what was left of it. There was a large hole which went all the way through. As Twilights mind was racing on what happened, the feeling of pressure being relieved from her took her out of her stupor as she looked to Starlight.
"See if he is ok" Starlight said, giving Twilight a lethargic smile. Twilight nodded in return before running over to the bleachers.
Once Twilight was at the entrance of the hole, she could see broken wooden beams arching outwards towards the holes exit, there was a long streak of disturbed dirt and grass which extended to the hedge wall a couple of metres behind the bleacher.
Her eyes once again widened, at the end of the carnage was Anon, showered and pinned with wooden debris. Twilight quickly passed through the hole in the bleacher, ignoring the scraping and breaking noises the bleacher made struggling to hold itself up, she made it to Anon.
Looking him over, the first thing she noticed was the sparks of green magic occasionally emanating off him. After making sure it was safe to do so, the alicorn quickly removed the debris that could hurt or hinder him. As she was checking for any major injuries, she heard starlight clear her throat behind her.
"Is he ok?" Starlight asked, guilt plastered on her face. The mare walked towards the two with a slight limp.
Turning back to Anon, Twilight spoke. "I don't know how but he doesn't seem to have sustained any lasting injuries. To be honest you look worst off." Twilight stated, glancing at Starlight.
Just as Twilight was about to pick up Anon in her magic, she noticed a green glow beneath his dress shirt, undoing the buttons with her magic, she opened the shirt and let out an audible 'hmm’.
Before her, Anons chest was almost completely covered in a thin green sheet of magic that hugged his form tightly. Through the magic, Twilight could see large bruises scattered about his body. Looking towards one of the beams next to the unconscious Anon. She saw how while one end was sharp and splintered, due to being snapped off the bleacher, the other end was almost completely blunted smooth.
"Is this a humans version of a shield spell?" Twilight muttered to herself before shaking her head.
The alicorn mare lifted Anon with ease with her magic, as she walked to the nearest staircase into the palace, she draped a wing over Starlight to help stabilize her as they both walked.
As they entered one of the many outer hallways, the pair could see a group of guards, maids and butlers looking out the window towards the carnage. Twilight cleared her throat and everyone's eyes snapped towards the Princess of Friendship.
Twilight pointed at a guard with her hoof. "You! Escort Starlight to the nearest medical ward, she has a limp so support her if needed." The guard saluted and sprang into action, Starlight didn't say anything as she was helped down the hallway. Twilight pointed at two Maids. "One of you take me to the main medical ward, and the other, go ahead of us and tell them that they need to set up a minitour sized bed." She pointed at two guards standing next to them. "Finally, you two will clear a path for us." Twilight said with confidence and authority.
The guards saluted while the maids nodded and bowed.
Trotting down the hallway, a guard on either side of her while a few metres ahead, all three following a maid.
Almost every pony moved out of the way, but a few clueless ones got shoved to the side.
It didn't take too long for the group to make it to a large medical ward. The door to the ward was held open by couple nurses, the guards took point outside the ward. As soon as the princess entered the doorway, a group of doctors rolled a large hospital bed, almost twice the size of Anon. After placing him onto the bed, she gave one of the doctors a quick recap of events. Behind him she saw the nurses remove his clothing. As they were about to remove his underwear she spoke up. "Leave those on, it's a human custom not to nude except in certain circumstances." The nurse looked at one of her colleges before shrugging and leaving the human.
Twilight looked at the doctor again. "Unless you need anything from me, I'm going to check up on starlight." Twilight mentioned. The doctor shook his head. "No, not currently Princess. He is in good hooves. I'll have someone come fetch you once he's been checked and healed." The doctor said in a reassuring voice. Twilight simply nodded before leaving.
Leaving the hospital room, she saw the two maids and two guards waiting outside. She couldn't help but smile softly at them. "Thank you all for your assistance. I appreciate it deeply." She looks at the two maids. "You may return to your duties." The maids bowed before trotting off. Twilight looked at the guards "I need one of you to escort me to the nearest medical ward from out prior location, the other may be dismissed." The older guard looked at his comrade. "You can go private; I'll escort the princess." The private simply saluted with a "Yes Sir" and left.
After several minutes of walking, the pair made it to the other medical ward. As twilight enters she dismissed the specialist.
Walking in, she immediately spotted Starlight on one of the closer hospital beds. Starlight had a few bandages around her body and a splint on left hind leg. The nurse was securing the splint when Twilight approached. The nurse jumped slightly when she noticed Twilight was so close. After recovering the nurse grabbed a clipboard and cleared her throat.
"Good day princess. You will be happy to know that starlight will have no lasting injuries. She does have a sprained hind leg and a cracked rib. They both should heal nicely within about a month or so. We are just going to so a few more tests to double check and she will be good to go." The nurse said professionally as she gave the princess a warm smile.
Twilight sighed in relief. "Thank you very much nurse." Twilight said as she returned the smile. The nurse nodded, bowed, and trotted off to her next patient.
Looking over at Starlight, said mare just sheepishly smiled, rubbing her forehooves together as she sat on the bed.
Twilight let out another sigh. "Starlight, please inform on what in Tartarus happened out there." Twilight said with some frustration, gesturing outside the window with a hoof. guilt replaced Starlight's sheepish smile.
Now it was Starlight's turn to sigh. "Well, you see-"
"I said were not sparring." Anon said frustratingly, crossing his arms and giving Starlight a small scowl.
"It’s not sparring per say. More like exercise with conflict. It's simple, we both start at opposites ends of the sand pit and you have to try and reach me while I attempt to stop you. It's either this or we wait for Twilight and we both know she is going to lecture you for most of it. Twilight is theory, I'm practical." Starlight stated with confidence.
Anon tapped the side of his arm in thought before letting out a long sigh. He began walking to one end of the sand pit.
"I know how this is going to end Starlight. Battered and bruised." Anon stated, his voice becoming louder to cover the long distance.
After a few minutes, they were both standing at either end. "Ready?" Starlight yelled, having to squint slightly to see Anon clearly.
"No... But whatever." Anon shouted back, less loud but more easily heard.
"Ready, GO!" Starlight shouted as she charged her horn.
Anon immediately created a few magic threads, attaching them to small rocks scattered about. He extended the threads and started swinging the thread over his head in a circling motion. Before he was able to launch them, Starlight had launched a small bolt of magic at him, the tall biped was able to sidestep it although it disrupted the flow of motion. He took a few moments to gather the momentum up again before launching them as hard as he could. The rope dissipated in mid-air, leaving the small rocks to sail through the sky.
Anon began running to Starlight as soon as he threw the rocks, he heard and saw the rocks bounce of a dome of magic that surrounded Starlight for a few seconds before 2 magical darts shot at him simultaneously. Anon kept running and created a sheet of magic that extended from his wrist. While both shots whizzed towards him, he noticed one was slightly slower. Blocking the first shot, the magical sheet shattered, obscuring his vision as the second one pinged him in the chest.
The pain was similar to a paintball but there was a wave of electricity that surged through him, stiffening his joints to cause him to tumble.
Looking up he saw her charging her horn again. "Don't create the object then give it properties later. Create the object WITH the properties. Imagine a shield again but actually picture it with how and why it works. Its curved, sturdy and heavy." Starlight shouted while smiling, before shooting another two shots at him. Like before one was slower.
Standing up, Anon held his forearm out as he pictured how the shield would look, feel, and act. Why it worked and how it was used. This time, instead of the magic coming from a singular point, he could feel a large blob emerge from his arm, ripping through the dress shirt as it folded and stretched before hardening. Anon could see and feel how well it worked. As he was admiring his work he heard the whizzing sound getting closer. Anon held up the shield just in time for the magical buckler to ricochet one of the bolts to the side before the second one got swatted downwards into the sand.
Starlight couldn't help but smile, she felt proud.
Anon pushed the buckler off him, letting it drop and dissipate on the sand before facing his side towards Starlight. Leaning away from her and stretching his furthermost arm, his hand making a grabbing motion. Starlight could see how his hand filled with green magic, filling his grip as it extended from both sides of his grip, creating a long cylinder. The end facing Starlight shaped into a blunted point.
Anon quickly shifted forward before launching the magical javelin at Starlight, leaving a thread connecting him to the javelin to spool out as it sailed through the air. The lilac unicorn trotted a few metres to the side as the javelin impacted the sand, impeding the head. Starlight shot a small beam of magic at the thread that connected Anon to his weapon, severing the connection as the javelin dissipated.
Starlight turned to Anon with a grin, her horn charging once more. Anon knew that he would have to go on the defensive and get closer if he wanted a chance to win, and with that an idea popped into his head.
Anon held out his right arm, attempting to create a shield again. This time it seemed to form a large rectangular shape with a small dome in the middle. Anon had to use both hands to support the weight of the shield before he let it dropped down, smacking into the sand the shield created a small dust cloud.
Still holding the shield, Anon dropped to one knee panting heavily as he felt light headed. "Ok, mana pools are a thing." Anon said to no one in particular. After a minute, the human rose to his feet, his head barely poking out above. Lifting the shield, he started to march forward. Lowering the shield every time Starlight fired at him. With each barrage, Anon got closer which led to more and different attacks. three darts, then four, a beam, darts then a beam, beam then darts, five darts.
Anon was three quarters of the way to Starlight, if he made a mad dash towards her without getting shot, he could reach her in a single sprint. Not wanting to risk it he simply kept trudging forward and braced against her attacks.
Eventually Anon got close enough that Starlight started to circle around him attempting to find an opening, only to meet the shield face which simply followed her every move. Shooting the edges of the shield trying to knock it to the side, Anon was able to recover before Starlight could get a hit in. Shooting next to him in an attempt to throw him off or create a sand cloud didn't work either. Her last circle round, Anon waited till Starlight was at the end of the pit again before suddenly charging towards her.
In a panic, the unicorn shot a quick succession of darts towards him, each pinging off the shield before Anon threw it at her and rushing her as well. Opting for defence, Starlight quickly created a domed shield which encompassed her down to the sand. The shield collided with the magical dome, creating a loud ringing echo inside the dome as Anon approached after and punched the dome with hardened magic surrounded his knuckles.
Again and again, his fists slammed into Starlight's barrier, each one rippling the dome upon impact, Starlight looked up from his fists and latched onto his face, her ears splayed back as her eyes became pin pricks.
Animalistic grunts, forced their way through his gritted teeth, his canines showing. The worst part was his eyes. A green shimmer seemed to cover them, gone was the compassion and care she saw before. Replaced was instinct and drive.
Punching the dome over and over, the noise almost became a rhythm as Starlight closed her eyes in concentration.
After a few minutes of constant punching and grunts, it stopped. Starlight slowly looked up to see Anon's eyes dart around the magical dome with an analytical gaze as he panted and huffed, his dress shirt drenched in sweat. Now in almost complete silence Starlight noticed her own breath become deeper, closing her eyes again she began to steady her breathing only to be interrupted as two soft thuds echoed in the dome.
Looking up, Starlight saw Anons palms placed onto the dome, a sly grin carved into his face. A greenish glow caught her attention which came from the palms pressed against her magic. The glow formed into threads as they spread around the dome, covering random angles, going under and over one another before a net like structure surrounded her. Anons grip tightened on the dome as the threads became darkened, their transparency became solid.
Starlight saw the threads become taught as they pressed against the dome, the dome cried against the pressure as it began to buckle and crack. Starlight's horn flared brighter and brighter, trying to combat the immense tension before a series of loud cracks followed by a deafening shatter filled her ears, glancing up the unicorn saw Anon's hand reach for her before he gripped her horn. Starlight recoiled and screamed as a large magical pulse grew from her horn which caused Anons hand to flair in its own magic causing it to also create a magical pulse before a deafening boom threw them across the pit.
Starlight felt a sharp pain in her hind leg as she landed, a sudden pressure filled around her as her consciousness faded.
Starlight finished, her ears splayed back as her gaze never left the floor.
Twilight sighed which caused Starlight to look at her. "You had so many opportunities to stop it. Why didn't you grip him in a telekinetic grab." Twilight asked in a confused tone as she pointed a hoof towards the mare in question.
"I had fail safes throughout the entire match! That is until he threw the shield which kinda startled me." Starlight paused for a moment. "As soon as I saw his eyes I couldn't think straight, my body kept shoving me in the fight or flight response." Her eyes met the ground again.
During their talk, a few nurses had done some checks before giving Starlight some painkillers.
"I'm going to check up on Anon, do you want to come with or would you rather stay here for a bit and rest?" Twilight asked as she made her way to the door. Starlight simply got down and followed behind Twilight with a nervous smile.
Twilight and Starlight walked side by side down one of the various hallways in the palace to check on Anonymous. They were walking at half speed due to Starlight's injuries, but Twilight didn't mind as the two of them were out of any immediate danger. The alicorn took the extra time they had to chat.
Looking over at Starlight, the princess saw a troubled look on the mares face as her eyes lazily focused on the floor, her ears splayed back. "Are you ok? Is the leg still bothering you?" Twilight asked in a friendly and caring tone. The mare in question looked at Twilight for a few moments in acknowledgement before her eyes fell on the floor again.
The lilac mare sighed before speaking. "No, the leg isn't bothering me. I'm just worried Anon won't want to be my friend anymore." Starlight admitted, her gaze never leaving the floor as they walked.
Twilight gave her a reassuring smile while draping a wing over her withers. Starlight didn't notice the smile and flinched slightly at the sudden touch but that was the only reaction Twilight got out of her. "I wouldn't worry too much. It seems like you both have some apologising to do. And some questions to answer." Ending with an empathetic grin, her wing pattered Starlight on the back a few times before withdrawing it.
The pair made their way to Anon mainly in silence, broken by the occasional small talk or off handed comment. They eventually made their way to the ward. Opening the double doors as they entered.
Anon was sat on the edge of the hospital bed, his legs, now clothed again sat in a cross-legged position. His left hand was chained to the railing of the bed while his right hand was currently unceremoniously stuffing his face. During this a female earth pony with a light blue coat and a dark orange mane was finishing up the bandages around his waist as his shirt laid next to him, being directly under his mouth, the mare occasionally had to brush bits of food out of her mane.
Once finished, the mare grabbed the half full plate and left with a huff, Anon could only make a grab for the plate before it became out of reach ending with an "Oi!". The mare ignored him as she trotted out through a side door.
Anon turned his head to the rest of the room before the two sudden mares at his side makes him jump, which he accompanies with grunt as he holds his chest where the bandages were. "Can you stop doing that." He grumbles, trying to face the mares but being handcuffed to the bed makes it difficult.
"Good to see your awake, I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on recent events." Twilight greeted, glancing towards the mare next to her to see her eyes fixed on the floor still. Anon followed her eyes, seeing the distraught mare.
"Why the fuck you upset?" Anon blurted out, cocking his head to the side as he eyes Starlight. The mare in question recoiled at the sudden question and gave anon a confused stare. "Because I hurt you, and because you clearly stated you did not want to spar in the first place." Her eyes met the floor again, it became a routine at this point.
Anon rolled his eyes at the confession. "Oh come now, don't start with the self guilt. Your not the one with a history of-" "Your not the one who went overboard, I'm not gonna say why because reasons and I'm not mad or upset with you ok?" Anon finished with a deep breath.
Starlight finally looked up from the floor and nodded, before she could speak however her ears twitched as she heard heavy hoof steps behind her.
"I hope these reasons won't cause problems Anonymous. I would like to be filled in if that is the case." Celestia said entering the ward with a small smile.
Anon shrugged "As long as no one tries to fight or piss me off, I got no issues." Anon glanced at Starlight who was looking at the new visitor. Seeing her borderline depressed seeming to have ended, he couldn't help but smile slightly.
Celestia, seeming content with Anon's reply simply nodded before enveloping the handcuffs in magic for a few moments, until two clicks could be heard as they dropped onto the bed. Anon stretches his left arm, enjoying the unrestricted movement as he got to his feet.
"With a little assistance, I have managed to finish day court early. Why don't you two grab a quick snack from the dining hall while I talk to Anonymous. We will catch up with you shortly." Celestia says to the two mares before her eyes set on Anon.
Starlight and Twilight share a glance before slowly nodding. Celestia watches as they leave, closing the door behind them before her gaze sets on Anon once more. This time however, they were filled with power and confidence.
Anon couldn't help feel his body stiffen as their eyes locked. His body froze as his hands rested by his side. He started taking of note of the surroundings on instinct. Entrances, obstacles, weapons.
"I appreciate that you are entitled to your secrets Anonymous. However, if there is information about yourself that I need to be aware of. I recommend sharing now." Celestia stated, her words radiating authority.
Anon immediately relaxed, he turned his back to Celestia as he grabbed his worn dress shirt.
Celestia's eyes widened slightly as she saw his back. Various jagged scars were visible going from his shoulders down to beneath the bandages on his waist. Some were deep and some were shallow. Once Anon had slipped into the dress shirt, he turned around again as he did up the buttons. This snapped Celestia out of her mindless gaze, her eyes returning to his.
"I'm not gonna prat on about my life story, I'm not gonna share my memories and I'm not gonna ramble about my world. The only thing you need to know is, I'm not a good person. I've done things I'm not proud of, a life with no second chances and no easy wins. But now, I have a new life and a second chance. I don't plan on fucking this up and it will take me some time to get out of old habits. Just do what you need to do to protect your people." Anon finished as he deadpanned at the alicorn as if he had said it a hundred times.
Celestia took a deep breath as her usual warm smile returned. "Thank you for being honest, and I apologise. It is not something I like doing but-"
"-Is something I must do to ensure the safety of others." "Is something you must do to ensure the safety of others."
They both finished simultaneously. Celestia looked at Anon with a shocked and confused expression.
"I've heard that sentence quite a few times." Anon gave a quick smile walking towards the door before stopping as he opened it.
"I have no idea where the hell I'm going." Anon stated with a chuckle
Celestia rolled her eyes slightly. "Follow me."
The Alicorn of the sun graciously walked down the hallway, the late afternoon sun bathing both Celestia and the following Anonymous in it's warm light, the latter lost in thought as he stared out through the arched windows.
While he had been here over a month, it seemed to just sink in right there and then.
"I truly have been given a brand new chance at a full life, a chance to become the person I wanted to be. I can't mess this up." Anon muttered to himself.
His hand reached behind his shoulder, scratching a persistent itch until he felt a familiar jagged dent in his skin. Trailing his fingers over it has he walked, he sighed in relief. "Never again."
"Is this really Necessary?" Anon questions, giving twilight a glance before his sight rests upon a stack of parchment placed in front of him.
The group had reached the dining hall and were eating their respective snacks, Anon was enjoying a serving of ice cream surrounded by various fruits. That was until Twilight had decided to interrupt.
The pony in question was halfway back to her seat when she spoke. "With what happened earlier, I believe it is."
Anon sighed before gently pushing his bowl aside, pulling the stack closer and reading the top page.
Types of Training and Exercises for Unorthodox Magic
A Guide by Twilight Sparkle
Part 1 of 4
Upon reading the last line, Anon snapped his head to the purple mare. "One of four? This stack alone is like twenty pages. I am not going through a Tome of instructions. I'm a practical learner anyway, I learn through experiences and mistakes."
Twilight got comfortable again in her seat before replying. "it’s not written in a way to be read all at once. I wrote it for you to read it occasionally so you may learn something and add it to your daily life. Plus, this is just a completed draft. I wanted to give it to you now while I work on the refinements." Twilight pointed a hoof at the stack. "After the first couple pages, there is a contents page. Read through that and flip to anything that might interest you." Finishing, the purple alicorn pulls closer her own bowl of treats, cherries and strawberries drenched in cream with drizzles of caramel. Looking back up to see Anon flipping pages, she digs in.
For the next half hour, everyone enjoyed their treats. Celestia had a slice of sponge cake drenched in custard, while starlight simply had a selection of fruits. Occasional conversation would spark now an again as the maids and butlers came in and out the hall. Twilight had noticed that every time the main door or the side door to the kitchen opened, Anon's head would snap towards the doors for a few seconds before returning to skimming the text.
"Are you alright Anon?" Twilight asked with concern clearly in her voice. The chatter in the room immediately ceased as all eyes fall upon Anon.
"Hmm? What...? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Uh why do you ask?" Anon not registering the question at first but was quickly able to catch up with his own brain.
Twilight glanced towards Celestia and Starlight, which they returned. "It's just that, Every time either door opens, you seem to react. Are you expecting someone. Or is someone giving you trouble at the castle?" Twilight finished, slightly more panicky in her tone.
Celestia answered before Anon could. "If this is the case, we shall see to it at once." Celestia finishes with a firm nod.
The human gave Celestia and Twilight a confused look, before waving his hands dismissively. "What? No, no one’s bothering me, it's just an old habit." Celestia's ears perk up at his reply as twilight seemed confused, mulling over his words before turning her attention to her student. "Fret not Twilight, I believe Anonymous is still adjusting to our society. There is no need to be concerned." Celestia smiles and nods slightly which Twilight returns.
Once again idle chat fills the dining hall, this however doesn't last long as a guard pony trots into the room, hoofing over a scroll to Celestia. After a salute, the guard pony left as quickly as he arrived.
The white Alicorn read the contents of the scroll, her face now with a slightly frown upon it. "I'm afraid this visit will have to be cut short." Celestia's gaze changed towards the other Alicorn. Twilight gave Celestia her own look, one of confusion.
"It appears that in your absence. Somepony decided to scout the Everfree Forest for tea herbs and sell them. While calming, the herbs had the side effect of vivid nightmares. Luna is currently dealing said nightmares, but your presence is requested to oversee the general recovery." Celestia finished as she summoned a quill and parchment.
Twilights confused expression turned to a frown.
Celestia wrote quickly on the parchment, before rolling it up and zapping it away.
"It has been a long and interesting day. I believe it best for everypony to get an early night. Twilight please do not forget; you are welcome back anytime." Celestia ended with a warm smile before walking over to Twilight and draping a wing over her withers. "I will see you all off in the morning." Celestia said as she walked out of the room.
Everyone agreed as they returned to their respective rooms, Anon taking the 'Magic Guide' with him. Entering his chambers, the day’s events finally effecting him as he felt tired and lethargic. Plopping the stack of parchment on his bedside table, Anon sat on the edge of the large bed while cupping his head with his hands and groaning.
"Hey man, what did I... Miss?"
Anon sighed, "Too much." the human answered in an emotionless tone before kicking off his shoes, taking his shirt off and lying onto the sheets.
"Seriously, the hell did I miss? You look like you've been in a brawl." Alex stated with raised concern.
Anon looked at the ceiling with blank stare. "I fucked up. Me and starlight sparred, and I lost it. We both ended up in the infirmary. Then Celestia talked to me, and I almost lost it again, my body was yelling at me to strike first. This is why I stay away from everyone, that's why I hate going through crowds. Now I have this stupid power that just amplifies it. Once we get home tomorrow, I'm going into the forest and beating the shit out of every tree I find." Anon finished as he clenched his fist, the knuckles popping.
"I'm rambling, you got anything to get off your chest?" The human asked, tilting his head to look at Alex for the first time who was sat on the edge of the bed looking at him with concern.
"Oh, um not really. I did dream though while I was... Asleep I guess. I'm gonna go with sleeping. I was walking through a town with ponies, they were featureless. All white with the same black mane and tail, they didn't seem to have any of those marks. I climbed a small hill before a flash of light enveloped me. I woke up after that."
"I feel a little less crazy if you can dream. Speaking off which." Anon stretches before settling onto the sheets and looking at Alex again.
Alex simply smiles and nods, standing up and walking towards the door, Fading away as he reaches it.
The train ride back to Ponyville was awkward to say the least. Twilight was stressing about what was happening in town, Starlight was pretty mute apart from answering Twilights frantic questions and Anon? He basically had a panic attack the whole way there. The previous train to Ponyville was cancelled, so those passengers had to board their train which was already decently full. It was packed.
The train arrived At Ponyville on time, although to Anon it seemed like an eternity. The doors opened and the packed train let a flow of ponies out, which included one unconfutable human.
After a short walk, the trio made it to the outskirts of Ponyville, where Twilight trotted closer to Anon. "Starlight and I will be busy for the next few days. Afterwards I was hoping to come by your place and discuss something with you. What time would work for you?" Twilight casually asked while at the same time, attempting to acknowledge the ponies that bowed as they made their way into town.
Anon simply answerers with a "Whenever.", keeping his gaze ahead, seeing buildings and ponies slowly go past.
Twilight waits a few moments for the rest of his reply, realizing that nothing else was to come she nodded a few times. "Ok then."
Twilight and Starlight turn down one of the main streets that leads into the centre of town. Anon sticks to the outskirts, taking the longer way round. This gave him ample time with his thoughts as he walked past the back of houses and shops alike.
Eventually, the human reaches home. Anon rummages through his various pockets for the key until the familiar feel of cold metal brushes against his fingers, opening the door, he steps into a dark living room.
Each window has makeshift black out curtains covering them. Anon approaches a small coffee table by the door with bits scattered about with a bowl full of keys, receipts and a few coins from his home world. After adding more things to the 'random shit' bowl, he glances at the small cast iron wood stove by one of the far walls.
Opening the front door again, the human sticks his head to glance at small, roofed storage area besides the porch. In the storage are remnants of firewood. Shifting his gaze towards the sky, he notices groups of pegasi filling the sky with darkened grey clouds.
Anon huffs as he steps outside, locking the door as he walks around the back of his house. "Can't catch a fucking break, can I?"
Walking past a few tree stumps, Anon pulls the axe he used last time free from one of the stumps and continues into the forest. Anon spends several minutes wandering the forest, looking for a slim dead tree before stopping in front of one, humming to himself while circling the tree.
"Broken branches, no leaves, peeling bark." Knocking some of the mulch away from the base, Anon kneels down. "And mushrooms are starting to grow from the roots, this should last me a few weeks." Anon places the axe down before standing up and pressing his palms against the tree.
The tree rocks back and forth from the rhythmic pushes Anon gives it, branches break and fall around him as the mulch breaks and splits around the base. After a few minutes the human stops. "Will you go down already!" Anon exclaims with an exasperated sigh. "Stop fighting me, I need the wood more than you, you selfish prick!"
After taking a few moments to catch his breath, Anon grabs the axe and begins to chop at the base, the rough and worn wooden handle becoming more uncomfortable to wield after each strike. Once finished, Anon drops the axe and begins pushing, it doesn't take long for chopped trunk to give out and begins to slowly arc as it falls.
" Huff Timber..."
OWOOOOOO
"Oh, for fucks sake, right, get my shit and go."
Anon quickly imbeds the axe into the fallen tree, before grabbing one of the thicker branches and lifting the front onto his shoulder. Dragging the tree as fast as he can, Anon can only hear sticks and mulch being disturbed and broken as the other end is dragged through the forest. Not wanting to risk a glance back, he keeps pushing forward.
SNARL BARK
The two loud and very close sounding aggression causes his head to snap towards the noise.
About 10 metres, stand two large canine creatures, comprised of moss wood and leaves, their jaws are dripping with sap as their eye socks are filled with green glow that emanates hate. Slowly putting down the log, the Timberwolves stalk closer. Their bodies close to the ground as they emanate an eerie and disembodied growl, close enough they separate, each one circling Anon.
Reaching his hand out to the axe, one of them snaps as his fingers graze the rough handle but pulling away. Backing away to stop being surrounded, the Timberwolves begins to spread further as the pass trees and bushes. Hiding behind for a few moments before changing cover.
"Clever bastards ain't ya, now I can't back off because I can't keep track of them. I'm forced to fight, and that tree didn't help with my bruises."
The rustling of bushes and cracks of twigs get closer by the minute, each while Anon only being able to see one of them for a split second before disappearing.
"Ok, so their target is me. I can't move so I need to fight them here, I can't locate them but I'm assuming they are going to try and rush me at the same time." Anon mumbles to himself as the noises get closer.
"I got it" Anon exclaims as a whisper.
Anon quickly kicks off his shoes, letting his bare feet sink into the mulch before crouching down and wiping the top layer of soil and leaves to reveal dirt, rocks and roots. Grabbing as many as he can, the human stand back up and waits. eyeing the bushes and trees.
Hearing a bush rustle behind him, he twists his torso, and throws one of the rocks into the bushes, causing the Timberwolf hiding there to change cover. A stick breaking near the front gets his attention next, throwing a few this time at the closer bushes. Anon gets into a rhythm as the minutes go by. Noise, throw. Noise, throw. Noise, throw.
"Now for the fun part." Anon confidently says as he crouches again, this time sitting on the ground, after a few seconds he hears rustling coming from either side of him.
"Come on..." The human whispers to himself, scanning the area around him.
Anon doesn't have to wait long as the Timberwolves suddenly jolt towards him simultaneously before pouncing from a few meters away.
"GET FUCKED!" Anon shouts as dozens upon dozens of magical thread burst from the ground as they quickly weave around the Timberwolves, slamming them down. As they claw and bite to get free, the thread wraps round their limbs and muzzles.
As the thread becomes tighter, the Timberwolves can only squirm, their glowing eyes staring at Anon.
Standing back up, Anon brushes himself off as he begins walking towards the axe. As his feet lift of the ground with each step, Magical thread is pulled from his feet, sinking into the ground where he once sat.
Dislodging the axe from the fallen tree, Anon walks towards one of the Timberwolves which begins to struggle and squirm harder.
Looming over the Timberwolf with a sly grin, he raises the axe above his head. "Thanks for the firewood chucklefucks!" Anon shouts as he brings the axe down at its neck. The head sheared off as the body shakes and breaks apart.
The door of Anon's house opens with a click as he walks inside, dragging a magic sled full of wood and twigs. Dragging it across the floor over to the stove, he shoves some in before putting the rest in a metal bin besides the stove.
Anon puts a few bits of news paper and wood shavings in the cast iron wood stove before throwing a lit match, opening the top hatch slightly to let air in he sits on the couch, sinking into it as the sparks turn into fire. Watching the flames dance back and forth behind the front grate, Anon lets out a sigh.
"I got a couple days before the magic twins decide to bug me. Should be enough time to do some experimenting." Anon ends with a chuckle before grabbing his stomach. "Ugh Maybe I should let you heal a bit first."
Anon had spent a fair few hours sitting in front of the wood stove, watching the flames through the front grate, seeing them thrash and dance as they hungrily consume the remains of those Timberwolves. While he would be contempt just watching them, a familiar face became the focus of his attention.
"I think this is the first time I have seen you not sleeping, punching something, having a panic attack or being depressed. What's the occasion?" Alex questioned, ending with a warm smile as he took a seat on the two-seater couch Anon was occupying.
The human shrugged as his eyes lazily found the flames again. "If I had to guess, it’s probably the fact that I know what will happen within the next few days. While I didn't have much of a routine back on Earth, far from it actually. I had confidence in my abilities, but here?" Anon gestured to the room.
"I have no information, no experience and no plan. But for the next few days, I know that Twilight and Starlight won't pop in out of nowhere and drag me on the next train to who knows where. I know that with these nightmares going on, it’s highly unlikely I will have visitors, and I plan to use Twilight's tome of bullshit to help me experiment with my magic." Anon sinks further into the couch, letting out a sigh.
"Well-"
"Oh, it probably helped that I kicked the shit out of some magic tree wolves and used their corpses to heat my home." Anon quickly added, giving the stove a menacing grin as he chuckled.
*Sigh* "Yep. Anyway, where's the tome at?"
Anon gets off of the couch with a few grunts before grabbing his backpack near the front door and bringing it back. Flopping back onto the couch, Anon opens the backpack to reveal the stack of parchment clipped together.
"I'm realising now that 'tome' was more metaphorical than factual. It doesn't even have covers." Alex watched Anon place the tome on the small round coffee table in front of them as the crackling fire sheds much needed light on the book.
"It's written like one and it gives me a headache trying to read it." Anon comments as he flips through the first few pages. Some of the pages have rushed looking notes in a different handwriting to the rest of the T̶o̶m̶e, B̶o̶o̶k̶, Stack of parchment.
Anon scans the next page as his finger follows the words. "Now where is.. Ah here." " 'By allowing magic to flow through Certain appendages, the wielder can cause magical discharges at the Extremities. By focusing and containing these discharges, the wielder can manipulate their magic to create magical phenomenon. By applying different levels of focus and at different time frames, these discharges can be refined and combined to create the spells we know today.' " Anon finished gesturing towards the page in confusion. "How in the actual hell does she expect me to understand 'appendage' and phenomenon'?" The human turned towards Alex with an expected look.
Alex looks back at Anon before glancing a few times at the current page then shrugs.
"I don't know what you want me to say. I understand it well enough." Alex responded as he gave Anon a somewhat apologetic look.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense, how come you can understand it and I don't. What kind of ass-backward logic is this? Whatever, can you explain it to me then?"
Alex's apologetic look turns to a soft smile. "Course, no problem. You wanna grab some more parchment? To write down the 'translated' version I mean."
Alex's translation of the guide stretches well into the night, leaving Anon exhausted by the end of it. While the human could probably have done with a shower, he was too tired to care. After changing into his pyjamas which were just some spare clothes. Anon quickly let sleep take him as his head sank into the pillow.
"Anon..."
"Anon...!"
"ANON!"
Anon jumps awake as the top of his head hits something. "Ugh, fucking shit..."
"Fuck me man, the dead are easier to wake than you. Were almost at the first stop, get ready."
Anon rubs the back of his head as he looks around. The first thing he notices is that he is in an old beat-up Cadillac going down some suburbs. "Who are... Wait first stops? What?"
Anon looks over to the driver, a rough looking middle-aged man wearing a wrinkled casual suit with an open coat. His coat and dress shirt sleeves are rolled up revealing a tattoo of a bulldog with dog tags hanging out of its mouth. Both of his wrists have various bracelets from beaded to plain rubber, his knuckles seem to be torn up with the end of his fingers seeming bruised.
looking up to his face, he has a rough looking stubble with a slim but long scar running along his chin, his eyes seem slightly blood shot with darkened bags under his eyes. He dons a dark blue and very worn trilby.
"Jack?" Anon asks in astonishment as he rubs sleep out of his eyes.
"Yeah?" Jack answers, glancing at Anon before returning his eyes to the road before parking besides an old house.
Anon doesn't respond, simply staring at Jack before a series of snapping fingers in front of his face snaps him out of his daze. "The hells wrong with you today. You hungover or some shit? Need a refresher or something?"
"Uh yeah actually, that would be great. I think I hit my head a bit too hard. Just give me a general overview of us and what we’re doing." Anon says as he leans back into the tan leather seat.
"Damn, must have wacked yourself pretty good huh? Alright then." Jack unclips his seatbelt before fully turning to Anon.
"I'm Jack, my cousin is in a gang, and I owe him a few favours so I'm doing this otherwise I'm fucked. You're Anonymous. When you were young, you accidently shagged up an expensive deal going on for the same gang, to stop you and everyone you love getting chopped, you do as they say until you make the money back. We're friends because we are both completely fucked if we don't get results. We are currently collecting money for the loan shark bastards of a gang we are in." Jack finishes as he rolls down the window before lighting a cigarette tucked in the band of his trilby.
"Right, yeah. It's coming back now." Anon comments as rubs the back of his head gently before wincing slightly. "Pass the clipboard with the info on it then."
Jack exhales puff of smoke out of the window before replying. "You won't need it for this one, it's Ms Phillips."
Anon sighs as he opens the passenger door and steps out. "How much?"
"640, but she came up short last time. If you keep being nice they will change her collectors."
"I know, I know." Anon replies, closing the door and heading up the decayed wooden steps onto a large porch, sighing again he uses the lion styled bronze knocker a few times then waiting for a reply.
When nothing answered he used it again "Mis Phillips? It's Anonymous."
Anon was about to knock again before he heard shuffling behind the door. After a few moments the door opens with a loud creak as it scrapes across the wooden floor, revealing a little old woman in a dark pink woollen jumper. "Hello again dearie."
Anon gives her an apologetic smile before speaking. "Hey, have you got the money? You came up short last time and I'm worried they will send someone else if we don't get it."
"I thought that might be the case." she disappears behind the door for a few seconds before coming back with a small worn wooden box. "Here."
She gives Anon the small box; he opens it to find some nice jewellery with paper tucked under it. "I had it appraised a few days ago. This should cover it and any of the interest." She comments as she eyes the box with a sad look.
Anon notices the look of the old woman. "I won't ask, but I'm sorry. Stay safe." He says before returning to the car.
Getting into the car, Anon shoves the box into the glove compartment as he puts on his seatbelt.
Without saying anything, Jack turns on the ignition and drives towards the next stop.
For the next five minutes, the car is filled with silence until Jack breaks it.
"If it makes you feel any better, you're gonna enjoy the next one." Jack comments as he feels around under his seat for something before pulling out a clipboard and giving it to Anon.
He flips through a few pages and goes one past Ms Phillips to a "Hugo Thompson? Aged 32, owes two grand, damn."
"Keep reading, I thought he looked a bit off so I did some digging, should be on the second page."
"Right, let’s see. Arrested twice for domestic violence, wife and child have left." Anon gripped the clipboard harder. "Multiple reports of stealing from children and 2 charges of injuring neighbouring pets, charges were dropped due to lack of evidence." Anon threw the clipboard onto the backseat before sighing.
After a few more minutes of driving, the duo arrives at a beat-up looking bungalow with the front garden overgrown.
Jack shuts off the engine before grabbing a bottle of water from the car door. "How long you need?" he asks, taking a few sips.
"Not long." Anon replied as he cracked his knuckles. Leaving the car and closing the door, he heard jack call out as he made his way to the front door.
"Crowbars in the t-"
"Don't need it" Anon cuts jack off.
"Yep, he's pissed." Jack comments to himself as he chuckles under his breath.
Anon approaches the door and knocks loudly. It doesn't take long for the door to open.
"The hell do you want?" The man asks in frustration.
"I'm here to collect." Anon replies as a sly smile touches his lips.
The man tries to close the door but anon is able to shove his foot in the middle before shoulder charging it, knocking the man on to the floor.
Anon walks inside and closes the door as the man scurries back slightly before standing up. "Get the fuck out of my house!" he yells, throwing a punch at the intruder.
Anon swats the hand away then punches the man in the gut before pushing him onto the floor again. "Where's the money Hugo?"
The man grips his stomach as he props himself up onto his elbow. "Ugh, I-I don't have the fucking money! Cough Cough."
There were a few seconds of silence before Anon broke it with his chuckle. "I'm really glad you said that." Anon comments as he locks the front door.
In the car, Jack was doing a crossword puzzle as he listened to the radio. He checked his watch every few minutes until the sound of the car door opening broke him out of his thoughts. looking over, he saw Anon with wrinkled and blood-stained clothes, his fists were covered in blood as the knuckles were bleeding. Jack grabbed a towel from the back seat and gave it to Anon. "How did the therapy go?"
Anon wiped most of the blood on his face before replying. "That scumbag deserved worse, but I feel better. Although I'm getting tired again."
"Hop in the back and have a lie down, the next few seem easy enough." Jack suggests as he gestured towards the backseat.
"I'll take you up on that." Anon quickly exits then enters the car again before laying down on his back. As the engine starts, Anon drifts off to sleep.
As morning arrives, the sunlight streams into Anons bedroom, slowly rising until it shines on his face. It takes a few moments for the human to stir awake. Anon spends a few minutes remembering and thinking about the memory he dreamed about. "Hope you’re doing well Jack, wherever you are."
Anon had awoken to Celestia's sun shining past every nook and cranny of the makeshift blackout curtain that hung up across his bedroom window. As he laid across the worn mattress, his eyes lazily focusing on the various different cracks and scuffs that scarred the ceiling, trying to comprehend the memory that had surfaced in his slumber, a memory he had forgotten since coming here, a memory he must forget about once again. Anon knows he is stuck here and needs to move on, even if it burns to do so.
The human spent a while longer laid on the bed before starting the day. A shower was a first, he didn't notice the smell last night when he was tired but now it was all he could notice.
After a good and thorough cleaning, the human stepped out of the bathroom in a simple but comfortable tank-top and shorts. Anon had no idea how to properly apply his bandages again so he decided not to.
Walking into the living room his stomach made its situation known, growling loudly in frustration. Remembering that he had not had anything to eat since in Canterlot, the fridge was opened quickly and the contents, or lack of was stared at.
"Well shit." Anon said in a frustrating tone as he closed the fridge door.
He was meaning to get some more food delivered but the purple pony wakeup call kinda stopped that.
"Ok then, before I even think about shopping. I need to see how much money I actually have."
Rooting through the 'random shit' bowl beside the front door, Anon scrounged up every Bit he could find.
"Twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen Bits. I have no idea how this worlds currency works. I don't have any other kind of coins, so is the minimum price of something one Bit? Do I have chump change then? I'm fucked if that's the case."
Anon considers putting on some less conspicuous clothes, but being an almost six-foot-tall hairless biped makes that thought pointless.
Grabbing his backpack and what bits he had, Anon opens the door to a relatively nice day, the sky is mainly clear with a few large clouds hovering about.
The human locks the door and walks towards the centre of town, the smell of pine and wet earth invading his senses. While he didn't love the smell, it had a strange calming effect. "I know that the apple pony sells apples by her stand, and I remember Twilight mentioning a 'sugar corner'. I'm probably fine living of sugar and apples for a day or two." Anon says to no one in particular as the first shop buildings come into view, what also came into view were ponies following the humans every move. While not every pony cared enough to stare, it was enough to make him feel uncomfortable.
It didn't take too long for Anon to find the centre of town, it would have taken less time if he hadn't decided that streets with 'too many ponies' were a no no and took the longer routes, as Anon looked around the plaza he saw a large area full of stands that sold various items from food to accessories.
Walking down the aligned stalls, he sees and hears a charcoal unicorn arguing with the apple pony. Well, more like arguing at. Anon sighs as he waits in line.
"four bits for an apple? That is atrocious, Manehattan sells theirs for only two. What kind of crooked operation do you have here?!" The charcoal unicorn loudly states as he stomps his front hoof.
The apple pony glances at your arrival and sighs before replying. "Sir, the reason for the price is that these apples are locally grown and are as fresh as they can get." The orange pony's expression never changing from a deadpan state.
Her reply seemed to only fuel the unicorn’s fire. "I'm not going to let a blasted mud pony lecture me about prices!"
At the term 'mud pony' Anon decides to intervene. "Was that term racist and or offensive." The human asks the apple pony.
The unicorns head snaps around and seems to be stunned by Anons sudden presence long enough for the human to get his answer.
"Eeyup." she replies in a frustrated tone.
"In that case." Anon wraps his arms around the unicorn’s barrel as he lifts him up and chucks him a good few metres as he lands and tumbles in the wet dirt. After he lands, the unicorn gets to his hooves. "How dare yo-" a small rock twangs off his horn, a few unicorn onlookers wince slightly as the charcoal unicorn groans in pain, holding his horn with a hoof.
The unicorn looks up to see Anon swinging a few small rocks on magical thread around and around. "You done?" the human asks in an annoyed voice.
After a few seconds of silence that felt like hours, the unicorn huffs and trots away. Anon lets go of the magic holding the stones, allowing them to fall to the ground once more. Turning back to the orange pony, Anon places 4 bits on the market stand, having to crouch down to do so with it being so low. "four bits for an apple right?" The human asks with a warm smile.
"Mister. If ya think I'm gonna let ya pay after what you did, you must be crazy." The apple pony comments with a toothy smile as she pushes Anon's bits back to his side of the stand while grabbing three apples from a basket underneath the stand.
"Much appreciated, that's gonna make budgeting a lot easier." Anon states as he puts two apples into his backpack while wiping the third one on his shirt a few times before biting into it, the juices running down his chin.
"Budgeting? I thought Twilight would have given you loads of bits, with you being an endangered species and all that."
Anon finishes his mouthful of apple then wipes his chin before replying. "She was going to, but I turned it down, I don't like getting undeserved stuff, just does not sit right with me. I have been doing odd jobs for Twi to get me by, but I will probably have to get an actual job sooner than later." Anon finishes, taking another large bite of the apple.
"Well. We have a large harvest coming up soon, and with ya little display just now, you clearly have the strength. How would you like to work at Sweet Apple Acres for a while, to get you back on your hooves at the very least. I'm Applejack by the way." The orange pony tips her hat in a sort of greeting. "If, ya interested, come by the farm on Sunday 6am sharp."
Anon scrunches his face in thought, Applejack notices his weird expression. "It's Thursday today."
"Ah, thanks." Anon replies as he gives her a slightly embarrassed Smile. After their conversation, the human leaves with a wave, heading to a large building which looked like a gingerbread house.
Anon was too focused on the décor to notice a pink pony staring out the window at Anon as her breaths fog up the window, she rubs two eye holes in the fogged glass as a drawn out "New Friend" escapes her lips.
Anon entered the confectionary, pushing open the door as the small bell above sounded his arrival with a light 'ding'.
The human immediately froze as the door close behind him. With all the bright colours and sweet smells, he had to let his brain process for a second. A string of vivid memories came rushing to him, memories of him feeling like crap because of his occupation, on his way home he would always stop by the local bakery. The food was great, the staff were always nice, and regulars were sweet and very chatty.
This memory, however, was interrupted when Anon felt something impact his chest hard enough to knock him off balance. years fighting made his instincts take over. Grabbing whatever hit him and using its momentum to slam it into the door with his forearm against its neck. Reeling his fist back to deliver a punch, Anon's eyes caught up with him and saw a bright pink pony with bright blue eyes smiling happily like a child. This slightly broke Anon.
Anon quickly pulled the forearm away that was pinning the pony to the door a few feet off the ground. The human quickly glanced around as the pink pony fell to the floor with a light thud, letting out a sigh of relief, the store seemed to be empty. He only had to defuse the situation with one pony.
The human looked back towards the pink pony to only see the empty foyer. "I think I have actually lost it this time." Anon mumbled as he tried to rationalize what just happened. He wasn't left long with his thoughts however when fluffy pink hair dangled down in front of him, followed by a smiling pink pony. "What did you lose? I lose things all the time hehe."
If Anon was not already in shock, he probably would have tried to throw her out a window. The two stared at each other, their faces inches apart. With his heart rate slowing down slightly, the human swiftly grabbed the mare by the scruff and held her out in front of him, to his surprise she was a lot lighter than she looked.
Said mare simply giggled, "You have very fast reflexes. I was all like 'I'm gonna make you my friend, friendship tackle!' And you were like 'Not today!' and slammed me against the door. I'm Pinkie Pie, what's your name?" The mare finished with an even bigger smile.
"Ok then, I'm Anonymous."
The humans stomach growled loudly, the pink mare giggling slightly in response.
"Somepony is hungry~" Pinkie said in a sing song voice, the mare jumped down from his grasp with relative ease as she headed behind the counter.
Anon stayed in the same position for a few seconds after the mare left, initially moving to open and close his hand as he tested his grip strength, he was taken out of his reflex testing when the mare spoke up from behind him.
"We had a cancelled order on some cupcakes, they haven't sold all that well either so help yourself." The pink mare pushed a box of cupcakes onto the counter next to the till, then disappeared into a side room.
Anon took one of the cupcakes and unwrapped it, smelling it first then taking a small bite. To say they were good was an understatement.
Taking a bite of his second cupcake, the human heard a familiar voice behind him.
"I bet that tackle did wonders for your ribs" Alex piped up, his comment dripping with sarcasm. The newcomer walked beside Anon, tying his long hair back into its signature ponytail, pushing himself onto the counter, letting his legs dangle.
"Glad you're here, could use a level head to keep me from going insane." Anon commented, rubbing his temples as he leant back against the counter. Just in time to see a pegasus mare open the door, creating a small ding from the bell above before stopping in the doorway, her eyes set on Anon. A few seconds pass that felt like hours until without a word, the pegasus slowly walked backwards out of the store, letting the door slowly close.
Sighing, the human turned to Alex. "I should probably leave sooner than later my presence here is not good for business I imagine."
"It's their loss if they don't want to make a new friend." Pinkie exclaimed loudly from the other room, the human jumping slightly as she spoke. Alex simply chuckled in response.
"So, how goes the friendship making with the local nutter?" Alex commented, now sat with his legs crossed.
The human turned around, grabbing another cupcake from the box. "I haven't ben skinned alive yet, so she can't be that bad, although being giving free shit is a bit weird."
"You're complaining about free stuff?" Alex questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Anon huffed before swallowing. "I never said I was complaining! I'm just so used to taking and being taken from that it's a weird experience."
"And pastel talking ponies isn't a weird experience?" Alex asked with a knowing grin.
The human rolled his eyes while waving his hand dismissively. "You know what I meant ya prick."
The pink mare finally emerged from the side room, now covered in crumbs and frosting. "Phew, that donut dozen was a doozy hehehe."
Pinkie moved from behind the counter to the shop floor with a cake on a plate balanced on her back, making her way to one of the display shelves by the window. After moving some items around to make it looked more appealing, the pink mare turned on the spot and gave the human a puzzled look. "Who were you talking to by the way?"
Anon drummed his fingers on the counter before turning around to face the mare. "You wouldn't believe me." The human spoke in lower tone as his eyes found the floor, a hint of sadness crossed his face.
"Are you talking to your friend that only you can see, and you don't know if you are slowly going insane or if he is some magical force taking form as part of your subconscious?" The pink pony said in one quick breath.
Anons mouth hung open as he stared at the mare in disbelief. "I thought Twilight was going to keep that a secret until she had done some tests or whatever."
Pinkie simply tilted her head with a confused look. "Keep what secret?"
"That's just a bit creepy." Alex commented in a lowered tone.
"Ok then, I think I'm gonna go. Thanks for the food, I will be sure to stop by some other time. Uh take care?" Anon spoke as he walked towards the door, Alex unfolding his legs and pushing himself off the counter to follow.
The pink mare simply smiled. " Okie Dokie Lokie. See you around Non non" Pinkie said waving to the human.
After leaving the confectionary, Alex walked besides Anon. "You have pet names now? Going a bit fast there aren’t ya?" Alex teased with a cocky grin.
Anon stopped in his tracks, slowly turning his head towards Alex. "When the fuck did you get so witty you little bastard" the human asked with an annoyed grin.
Alex let out a belly laugh as they continued walking.
"So we heading home then?"
"I want to visit the library first. I could use some basic magic books to help me with the tome Twilight gave me. Even with your translations I can barely understand it." Anon answered, stretching as they walked down the street. The human now seeming to ignore all other ponies around him while he talked to Alex.
Anon walked up the single paved pathway that led towards the library. The human craned his head upwards as he took in the castle, it wasn't the actual look of the castle that got his attention but rather how out of place it seemed. From what he heard of the crystal empire, this castle seemed to fit more there than here, surrounded by tradesfolk in a small village.
Both admiring the castle and walking were not difficult by any means but Anon did seem to get lost in thought as he tripped on the first stair that lead to the castles door. He was able to catch himself before falling onto the stairs with minimal flailing, then turned around to Alex before he could make a quip. Anon however only saw the pathway he had walked in front of him, taking a quick glance around his surroundings did not yield any results either. He knew Alex would at least mention when he was leaving but chalked it up to some condition that allowed him to appear.
The steps were meant for ponies so they were decently shallow for a human, meaning he could skip at least one step comfortably. Reaching the door, Anon attempted to look through the small stained window on the door. He could see through the foyer into the hallway that broke off to both left and right, seeing a few paintings but no ponies.
Deciding to play it safe, the door was knocked a few times before he leaned against the crystal railing and waited.
For a whole minute.
"Welp, I'm bored." he muttered to himself, pushing off the railing ready to grab the large ornate doorknob.
Before he could open it however the door swung open, the large ornate doorknob now impacting his chest, causing a stumble then a tumble down the stairs onto the pathway with a small dust cloud.
"Ugh... Why is it then fucking ribs? Every. Damn. Time." The human seethed.
While Anon was laid on his back, clutching his chest while groaning. A small purple dragon popped his head out of the doorway to see what stopped him from opening the door all the way. Opening the door fully, the small dragon shrugged as he was about to descend the stairs while carrying a few books, that was until he could hear groaning coming from somewhere.
Placing the books down in one of the railed corners, the dragon looked down the stairs to see Anon using the railing that continued down the stairs to drag himself up to a standing position.
"Oh no." Is all he could say before rushing to the humans side.
"I'm so sorry, a-are you ok? I just assumed I knocked a parcel down." He exclaimed apologetically, trying to see how he could help. With the height difference and Anon using the railing as a support for the time being, the little dragon was lost on how he would accomplish that.
"Oh, I know, I can get Twilight, she should be able to fix you up." He said as he was running back up the stairs.
"No..." The human grunted out just as the purple dragon reached the door. "I'll be fine... Probably. I can just chill at one of the tables in the library for a bit while I recover." Straitening up, he took a few deep breaths then proceeded up the stairs once more, albeit a bit slower.
Anon reached the door, held open by the small dragon who gave an apologetic smile as they walked inside. Making the sure the door closed properly and the books were deposited near the door for later, he caught up with the tall biped.
"Do you want a tour. Or perhaps some directions?"
"Nah, I'm good thanks. I'll just wander for a bit, can't be that hard." Anon shrugged
"Ok, if you're sure. I'm doing some cleaning around the library section later anyway so just shout if you need me." The small dragon offered.
Anon chuckles slightly before replying. "Sure little dude." He finished, holding out his hand in a fist in a friendly gesture. One that the small dragon recognised and returned.
------------10 minutes later------------
"Where the hell am I?" Anon exclaimed, to no one in particular. He opened the next door on his right which led to yet another bathroom. Staring into the tiled room, the human simply closed the door while muttering to himself. "This is fucking dumb."
After a few turns and twists that seemed to break the rules of geometry, although with the walls and ceiling constantly looking the same, it's not that hard to imagine getting lost normally as well.
Eventually, the human comes across something other than just a hallway with doors. A hallway with doors, but with a sign above it. Similar to the ones pubs have. Anon couldn't seem to be able to read the sign from where he was, so he got closer and closer but the sign still did not make sense. Until he was close enough that he realised that the lettering on the sign was merely an assortment of lines, not even touching. Like some kind of fantasy language that gets subtitles.
"Great. This one is labelled and I still don't know what's behind it." Anon exclaimed in frustration. Grabbing both doorknobs on the double doors, he swung open the doors to find a relatively small library. Taking a quick scan of the room. The books looked odd, similar to tomes and grimoires you see depicted as magic books from games and movies etc.
His initial scan of the room let him know that the small dragon was not here. Anon just assumed that he was already done, although the books were still decently dusty. Probably left like that for ascetics.
To his left was a small reception desk facing him which had a large opened book, a stamp and stamp holder as well as a quill left in an ink pot. Barely leaning over the basically coffee table. Anon swivelled the book around to it faced him. He saw a table for checking in and out books. The only names in the book were Twilight and Starlight, and while Twilight retuned the books almost always under 24 hours. Starlight was more lenient on the return time. 1 day, 3 days, a week, an hour, 20 minutes. He stops reading and just pushes the book back where it was.
Walking in-between the various shelves of books, Anon picked one out at random and looked at the cover.
"Oh for fucks sake." Anon exclaimed, his frustration beginning to resurface. The title of the book was the same strange lined patterns that were on the door, although slightly different.
The human walked around the library, pulling a book from the shelf to examine the front then put it back. He did this for 10 books, all spread out. They all had the same strange language.
"Right!" He says loudly, throwing his arms up and letting them fall to his side with a POMF "I have stopped caring. I will take you, you, aaaand you." Picking three random books out as he walked back to the reception desk.
Placing the books on the desk, Anon grabbed a blank piece of parchment, grabbed the quill, wrote a message and left.
Dear magic twins,
I have borrowed 3 books from this library and shall return them in a few days. I do not know what they are called because they are in a language I don't fucking understand.
Anon unlocked and opened the door to his home. Placing his backpack by the door as he turned on the main light in the room, the human looked at the mess of a room before him. Random sheets of paper and sticky notes littered the main coffee table, wood chips and charcoal dust litter the wooden floor near the stove, random clothing was draped over the furniture and the kitchen bin was full. And to top it all off, dust particles could be seen dancing throughout the illuminated room.
"Damn. This is bad, even for my standards. I'll do it later... Probably." he muttered to no one in particular.
Walking through the trash heap that was his living room, Anon was able to make a cup of coffee, grab the 3 borrowed books and sit on the sofa next to the coffee table. Instead of clearing the table neatly, he simply pushed all the paper and sticky notes to one side.
Taking a sip of coffee, the human set down one of the large tomes and opened to the first page. This caused Anon to take a deep inhale in frustration.
"I cannot actually be this inept." The page Anon was looking at was full of the same lines on the front, flipping a few pages gave the exact same result.
"For fucks sake! I even wrote a note to say I couldn't read this bullshit, why didn't I catch on to my own thoughts. I am actually the dumbest thing on this planet." In an attempt to learn anything from the book, Anon flipped through countless pages before coming across a drawing.
"Right, drawings! Maybe I can gleam something from these."
"Ok this one is of some symbols, maybe it’s how I cast it?"
"This one is candles. I think. Guessing I carve the runes onto the candle to empower it or some shit”.
"A fucking goblet of wine. Really? What, is this book magic for the rich or some shit?"
"Why is this just a red triangle? Unless the next image I find is 'how to translate lines. I ain't learning crap."
"Now there is a second trian- And that's a pentagram. Wait..."
Anon dropped the book on the coffee table with a thud before immediately standing up. He was silent for a few minutes, not moving an inch as he stared at the picture before him.
"This is a book on how to summon something isn't it? Maybe the other ones have a less chance to kill me."
Anon quickly flipped through the two other books, finding nothing but pictures of either ponies or images of pony casting magic.
"Of course, out of all the books I could have grabbed. I grabbed one to summon something, probably from hell or whatever this acid dream of a place calls it!"
Sitting back down, the human rested his face into his hands that were supported by his knees.
Groan
"Am I really going to do this. I could just stop now and not have to deal with consequences of demon summoning. I must have had some words of wisdom over the years right?"
Anon thought for a few seconds before and image of Jack and a phrase came to mind. 'Nut up or shut up’.
"Sounds about right he said, muffled by his hands. Right, time to sign my death warrant.
About 5 minutes later, Anon had moved the furniture in the room closer to the walls, giving a large open space.
"First is the pentagram, hope charcoal will do." After many failed attempts, a somewhat decent pentagram had been drawn.
"Now the symbols, I have no idea what order they go in. At least there are only 5 and I don't think they repeat at all so the chance of me getting this right is decently high... Damnit." Drawing a symbol at each point Anon searched through a box labelled 'emergency' in neat handwriting.
"I don't have normal candles so I hope tealights will do. Thank you Twilight, she was always so afraid of blackouts hmm."
"And now a goblet of wine... Its blood isn't it? Well fuck me for thinking I could get out of this."
Pulling out a pocketknife that Anon kept on him at all times, he held his hand over a rainbow-coloured drinking glass and made a small incision in his palm. Pressing the flesh near the wound caused the blood to seep out into a small stream which dropped from his hand into the cup after a few missed drops while lining up. All the while chanting "This is dumb." Over and over again.
Anon sat down on one of the couches pressed against the wall, wrapping his hand in a discarded t-shirt to bandage the hand.
"Umm, I summon you... Demon."
...
"Come forth devil.
...
"Either fucking come here now or don't because I'm now realizing how much of an error this is.
...
"Oh, thank god."
Anon felt a sudden chill before the ceiling light fizzed out. After, one by one the candles begun to snuff out by a breeze that didn't exist.
"I am sure there is a perfectly good reas-"
PFOOM
"WHY DID THAT WORK FROM A FUCKING PCITURE BOOK!?" Anon shouted over the sudden flames that burst from the pentagram.
The charcoal lines began to seep black ooze as the flames began to die down, they began spreading but never passing the most outer lines of the pentagram. Soon, the whole pentagram became just a black shape on the floor. The cup with blood began to shake before sinking into the ooze and disappearing.
The ooze in the middle began to shake and bend as it rose up, making a what looked like a cylinder of the same black substance, the cylinder began to roughly shape into a bipedal from.
Anon stood up again, taking a stance with the knife in his dominant hand, his body screaming at him to run or fight. He was ready for the creature to lunge at him, hopefully driving it off before it eats him.
While Anon was readying himself to face the consequences of his actions, the bipedal blob shaped into something familiar before it began to retreat to the mass on the floor. Slowly revealing the creature, he had summoned. Starting with the head Anon's eyes went wide as he saw a human female looking face slowly revealed as he brown hair dripped with the ooze, her eyes sill closed.
The ooze returned to the floor, finally dissipating as the almost snuffed flames became smoke and the light turning back on.
Anon could not stop staring at this naked figure, focusing on her face surprisingly. With all the time Anon spent hating himself with his 'profession' he was able to read people by their faces and the face this thing wore was, innocent. Like a new-born child, not knowing rright from wrong. So engrossed in his thoughts, Anon dropped the knife which stuck in the floor with a loud Thud.
The creatures’ eyes shot open at the noise, the black orbs staring at the knife as they turned white, black slits began forming as pupils before it blinked. Seeing Anon it looked at him quizzically, Anon finally snapped out of his stupor as they spoke at the same time.
Anon and the demon stared at each other. Neither saying a word.
"So..." Anon began, picking up his knife and sheathing it as he slipped it in his back pocket.
"You're a shapeshifter I presume?" He followed up, scratching the back of his neck trying to arrange the questions he wanted to ask.
The demon seemed slightly shocked at first before a mischievous smile grew on her face, flashing her jagged sharp teeth.
"How very, astute of you. You have dealt with my kind then I presume?" She asked, her tone that of wisdom but also of one who toys with their food.
"Nope, as far as I know. I'm the only of my species here. Also, one second." Anon states as he walks into his bedroom.
When Anon disappeared into his room, the demon took the time to look around the messy room. Not hearing the human return to the living room.
"Catch." Anon exclaimed as he threw some clothing at the demon.
Turning around just in time to get a pair of shorts and t-shirt to the face. She held out her hands as the clothing dropped into them.
Looking back up at Anon and seeing the clothing he is wearing; she shrugs and slides on the clothing. The shorts appeared to big when every time she pulled them up, they would simply fall down again.
"Pretty sure I have a belt here somewhere." Looking under a few cushions, he finds a worn black belt which he also tosses to her.
A minute later and the demon looks human, apart from the yellow eyes. Anon watches as she looks at herself, pulling and posing to see how the clothes form. Lost in her own thoughts, she is snapped out of them when Anon starts to speak again.
"So... What happens now? Have I evoked the wrath of Lucifer himself?" Anon joked
"Who?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Right. So, you summoned me, either by accident or not. We can make a contract, within the set time limit." She explained, opting to sit down cross-legged on the floor.
"I see. Before we continue, what's your name? I don't wanna just say you or demon."
"You’re asking me. For my name? That's a new one, either way I don't have one yet."
"Yet?"
"We lesser demons, earn our names. I-I'm sorry but what the fuck is going on? By now I would either be preforming acts or cursing someone. Why the fuck am I here." The demon asked in curious frustration as Her body language changes from professional to casual.
Anon shrugs. "Honestly, no sane reason. Feel free to go back, I got nothing."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? Did you get like a sticky note with just the bare minimum on it? Read the fucking book."
"Can't."
"Why?"
"Can't read the language." Anon stated, twiddling a piece of charcoal in one hand.
The demon stood up as she leaned and pointed towards the human.
"The fuck do you mean you can't read the language. You literally summoned me; you would need a decent understanding of this shit to do so."
Anon got up from the sofa and strode to the coffee table with the still opened book, although now on a random page. After picking it up he holds it out to the demon within arm’s reach, behind the circle.
"Yeah you're going to need to get closer, I can't leave the circle." The demon states, tapping her foot on the floor for emphasis.
She saw the look on his face and spoke before he could.
"I'm not lying because I can't. You used blood in the ritual, I can't lie to the blood link."
"Hmm."
"Did you ever get bullied for not having a name?"
"Yes."
...
"Fucking seriously?" She questions angrily
Anon shrugs before handing her the book, which she promptly snatches.
The demon looks at the cover, before flipping the first few pages, only stopping for a second or so each page.
"Yeah I won't be able to help, like at all. It's enchanted with the 'Eyes only' spell or something equivalent."
...
" Sigh. In simple terms. It's a spell that covers the text and creates a random pattern. The spellcaster can create a whitelist using a creature’s spell signature. If you are on the whitelist and pour any amount of magic into it, the pattern will disappear for only the caster. Hence the name. 'Eyes only'.
"Ah, so I'm not on the whitelist, fair enough." Anon summarized, taking the book back and sitting it down on the nearest surface.
"So" Anon continued. "Going back to my previous question. What now?" He now stood in front of the demon in a relaxed posture.
"Well seeming someone stole-" "Borrowed" Anon cut her off
"Since you 'borrowed' the book and can't read the damn thing. The only other option is for us to make a contract, then you break the seal, I complete the contract and go, back. Home." She said, the last part making her sigh.
"So, I just set conditions, you complete them and that's it. Also, can you shapeshift into a pony?"
"Yes and yes."
"In that case. Have fun, don't do illegal shit, and try not to make a scene. I don't want this crap leading back to me." Anon listed as he smudged the circle with his shoe.
He then began talking towards his room. "I need a nap; this shit is stressful. Also give yourself a name, it’s annoying."
Closing the bedroom door, Anon flopped onto the bed as he rolled onto his back. Taking some bits and keys out of his pocket, he dumped them on the nightstand. Grabbing the pocketknife, he had and sliding it under the pillow like he always did.
Once he was comfortable, Anon moved onto his side, as he slid his hand underneath the pillow and placed his hand on the knife as he let sleep take him.
The demon stood there, going over the events of the past 20 minutes. Once she had composed herself. She took one step out of the circle and took a deep breath.
Anon was woken up many times that night. He would be awoken by a single loud noise, then nothing until he went back to sleep again. It was not a sound of something breaking or being misused, but rather as if a specific something dropped or moved a heavy object.
But enough was enough.
Creeeeeeak
Bang!
Anon threw the covers off, letting them fall partway onto the floor before standing up and marching his bedroom door and also throwing it open.
"What in the actual fuck is going on!?".
As soon as Anon finished that sentence however, his frustration died down almost immediately and war replaced with confusion. His brain trying to comprehend the scene in front of him within those first few seconds.
Before stood a light red coated mare, of average build. Her long pastel yellow mane was held up in a messy ponytail, which laid gently against the right side of her neck as it ended just above her foreleg knee. Her eyes were the similar yellow slits of the recent transfer demon. The room she was stood in was a lot cleaner than he left it. While not spotless, it was clear the mare was not done.
She began to speak which broke him out of his analysing stupor.
"urur uf urwee. Dif I wak uuo? She struggled to speak through one of the spell books she had in her mouth.
Without saying a word, Anon walked towards the mare with no expression. Once he got close enough, he took the book from her mouth and plopped it down on a nearby service. "Now, what in the actual hell did you try and say?"
The mare flexed her jaw, opening and closing it at weird angles to get rid of the oncoming cramp that began at the base of her jaw. After a few moments of this she spoke. "I said, 'You're up early. Did I wake you?'"
"Multiple times actually. I can see you have cleaned up the living room, for some reason. Not that I don't appreciate it. I must ask though. Why are you still here? I told you to go have fun and do whatever." Anon spoke, now leaning against one of the hallway walls.
"Where would I go master? I-
"Woah. Woah. None of that. I am not or will ever be 'your master'. You looked like you would eat me if I said something wrong when you first got here. The hell happened?" Anon asked, first with authority then curiosity.
"Oh, well we all summons do something similar to try and intimidate the summoner. We do this to weed out weakling that don't deserve our services. I must say, you are the first creature who was ready to attack when you saw me."
"How did you know that. I wasn't even holding the knife when you opened your eyes, I also thought I had a decent poker face." Anon responded.
"Agreed, to both. Like other of my kind, I can sense intent when close enough. This allows me to preform my duties efficiently-
My lord"
"No" Anon responded
"Owner?"
"Absolutely not."
"Boss?"
"Just stop." Anon exclaimed with a frustration.
"Mas-. Ugh, I have to address you by something of a dignified status. The summoner and summon cannot be equals, it is tradition. The mare stated, stamping her hoof in frustration
Anon barely let her finish before throwing his hand up in exasperation. "Fucking fine. Sir will do, I guess."
The mare looked like she was about to speak but Anon held up his index finger.
"If you are going to stay here.
One: No killing hurting or antagonising others unless in self-defence or my permission I guess.
Two: Stay within ponyville at all times unless accompanied by me.
Three: Do not tell anyone you are a demon or shapeshifter. You will identify as a pony in public so pick a name for yourself.
Be whatever you feel comfortable with when in this house. Pony, demon or human I don't care."
"Understood. But one question." The mare spoke with a slight shyness, which made Anon worried of what was coming next.
"Continue" The human said hesitantly.
"Can you pick a name for me? While this is not the tradition we spoke of before, it is quite common for us mímos."
Anon sighed as he gave up. He was too tired to argue anymore. "Fine. How does Azrael Flare sound?"
"It's perfect, does it mean anything?" Azrael asked with a small smile.
"Well Azrael is known as the angel of death in Islamic culture. Said to separate souls from their bodies. And Flare is because fire and hell, or Tartarus as you call it." Anon explained
"Well, this has been fun and all, but I'm going to sleep, again. I recommend you do the same. We can work out living conditions and crap tomorrow, or later today I guess."
"Ok." Azrael replied simply as Anon walked back to his room.
Opening the door, anon stepped inside his safe space and was about to close the door when a specific pony but not really, was standing in the doorway.
"Do you need something Azrael?" Anon saw her flash a quick smile with her name being used.
"No sir. I'm just waiting for you to move so I can go to bed." Azrael stated.
"Yeah no. Couch."
Azrael looked down the hallway to the couch then returned her gaze to Anon. "Ah, I see" Her ears drooping slightly as she took a few steps away.
Anon laid onto his bed before he felt guilt welling up. "Don't you fucking dare brain." Anon mumbled to himself. "I told a demon to sleep on the couch, not kick a puppy."
...
"Fucking fine" Anon said a bit louder than he intended. "Azrael, get your ass in here before I change my mind." Anon exclaimed, not moving from his spot on the bed.
Seconds after he finished, Azrael opened the door with a large smile.
"You sleep on the end, if I wake up with you next to me. I will throw you out the window."
"Understood" Is all she said before jumping on the bed and making herself about a one-eighth smaller to make room before curling up and laying down.
Anon let his head rest on the pillow before going over recent events. "How the hell do I explain this to Twilight?" Anon muttered to himself.
Azrael raised her head slightly to look at Anon. "I have been here less than a day, and you are already thinking about other mares." she teased. "It breaks my AHHH."
Before Azrael could finish, Anon kicked her, pushing her off the bed with a thud.
"Shut it or you sleep on the porch." Anon spoke, smiling slightly at the small groans coming from Azrael.
After a few moments, she jumped back up and curled into a ball again, this time closer to the wall.
Anon sighed as he stared at the ceiling. "I'm so fucked if anyone finds out."
Anon stirred awake. Groaning as he sat up and stretched. The human rubbed his eyes to rid them of sleep as he tried to make out the time on the wall clock.
"Hmm, noon already. Guess I slept in." Anon muttered to himself. Pulling the covers off while he swung his legs round and stood up.
He stretched again. Bending his back backwards to work out all the kinks, before he got a flare of pain from his ribs.
"I should probably get that checked." The human commented, exiting the bedroom and walking into the living room to see Azrael finishing her cleaning from yesterday. And in her human form this time.
"Glad you remembered to wear clothes. You also don't need to clean." Anon commented towards Azrael.
The demon turned to face Anon, carrying a small stack of books. "Oh, good morning mast- Sir. I assumed that because you wear clothes, that it is some comfort thing. Also, I am just cleaning because the orders you gave yesterday were not ideal I am afraid. I personally have not had ample time in the past to 'have fun' and I imagine a random pony going to and from your abode would make ponies suspicious. They can be very skittish creatures. Azrael explains, ending in a small chuckle.
Anon nodded in reply as he walked to his backpack. Pulling out two apples. Turning back to see Azrael still holding the stack of books, he thought to test something.
"Catch" Was the only warning Anon gave, throwing her the apple.
Azrael quickly turned her head at the 'warning'. Straitening her posture as she faced the incoming object. Anon could see for a split second, the top that he gave her had bulged from the back outwards as a black tendril of ooze extended over her shoulder and forming a three-digit hand, which caught the apple, before the new appendage took on the same skin tone as Azrael. Now fully forming.
The new arm rubbed the apple on Azrael's top before placing it in front of her, giving her access to take a bite. Once she had placed down the books, Azrael took the apple in her left hand, freeing the newer arm of the apple as it retreated back into where it had sprouted from.
Anon had taken a few bites from his own apple, as they both sat down on one of the couches.
"Could you hold this for a moment sir?" Azrael asked, holding out the half-eaten apple.
Anon gave her a questioning look for few seconds before fulfilling her request.
Azrael sat up straight before her entire body turned black, as her form began to collapse on itself slightly, before forming a rough outline of a pony. It only took another half minute before Azrael flare was fully formed and her body began to fill out in colour, once completed she gave a dog like shake as she stood on the couch before sitting down again. Anon saw Azrael had finished and offered the apple back. Which she took with her hooves with a thankful nod before taking a few chomps. Her tail flicking side to side as she enjoyed the flavour.
"You enjoy apples that much do you?" Anon snickered, smiling at the joyful acts of the demon next to him.
Azrael swallowed before speaking. "In a way. I enjoy any and all of Equus's food and drinks. A hundred times better than anything Tartarus could create. I always make an effort to snag some before I leave, one of the perks of being a summon."
"Speaking of which. How does that whole morph thing work? Are you just like sentient ooze or something?" Anon questioned.
Azrael giggled slightly as she swallowed her last bite. Which included the core.
"I can see why you would think that, but it's a bit more complicated than that. As a mîmos my body is able to reform itself. It does this by breaking down bone, tissue, skin and such into pure demonic magic. Afterwards it rebuilds itself as I see fit. With magic not really having a finite density or volume, I am able to compact or expand it. To a certain extent that is. The smallest I could be would be around filly size. And for the largest would probably be a regular sized minitour, although I am going of height more or less, so it might vary depending on the form I take." Azrael explained
Anon nodded a few times before he too finished his apple, but decided not to partake in the core.
"I see. That is a lot different than I expected, but good information to know none the less."
"Well thank you for a break and food sir. Now what are your orde-"
Azrael cut herself off as she stood up on the couch, her head snapped towards the door. Her ears swivelling sporadically, her eyes darted between the two windows either side of the door before speaking.
"Sir. There are two ponies approaching the door with haste, they appear to be concerned and slightly panicked."
"Don't worry Azrael. It's probably just the magic twins telling me off for nicking a demon book." Anon reassured Azrael.
On cue, the door was knocked a few times in quick succession before a muffled voice spoke.
"Anon. Are you home? It's Twilight and Starlight, we need to talk with you about a book you borrowed from the library yesterday, it's urgent."
"Gimmie a minute! I have many windows. If you barge in you will get acquainted very quickly!" Anon stated loudly, he could hear some shuffling outside afterwards before silence.
Anon stood up before turning to Azrael. "Right. I hate deciding for people, so you have three choices. Hide and wait for them to leave while I deal with them. Don't hide and create a backstory and a reason why you are here. Or Don't hide and be truthful. I maybe your 'summoner' but I will not take someone's freedom of choice. Unless it is to fuck me over, then that is their fault."
Azrael stared blankly at Anon as she contemplated the situation.
"Sir, I truly don't mind if you choose-"
She was cut off as Anon wrapped his hand around her muzzle, closing it tightly. Not tight enough to hurt but enough to be uncomfortable. She noticed his demeanour changed as well as the emotions he was emitting. It went from a happy go lucky to a serious tone very quickly. After staring at the hand that grabbed her for a few seconds, she looked into his eyes. Eyes that would give anyone chills.
"It may be different down there. But here, in my house, in my command, I have a few notions for you." Anon leaned in as he pulled her closer slightly.
"You are not a puppet. You are not a tool. You are not to be used and discarded. I care for all those who would call me a friend, even if in my own special way. I will protect you. You will protect me. I have a chance to live a life where I won't hate myself every single fucking day for the things I did. While you are here, I will not allow you to become what I hate. I am going to let go now and you will choose a path for yourself. I am not angry; I am just serious."
Anon let go of Azrael's muzzle before taking a deep breath. After words his demeanour changed back as he gave her a small smile while patting her head.
Azrael took a few seconds to decide before speaking.
Twilight waited patiently outside Anon's home. But this patience was already wearing thin. He had taken three books from her personal collection, while most of them are leant out to competent unicorns. There was a few that were never meant to be used and had taken precautions to make sure they would never be used or misused.
The sign above the door for example was enchanted so any race could understand it, saves the effort of putting 'do not enter' in every language. Unfortunately, she had to specify the species in the spell which Twilight had forgotten to change when Anon arrived. She just hoped that he had not found a way to bypass the spell placed on the books.
As Twilight was deep in thought, her eyes never leaving the door. Starlight became quite impatient rather quickly. Twilight had barged into her room, going on about how Anon had borrowed a very dangerous book. Then they had rushed over here. And now they are waiting outside.
"Twilight, why are just waiting inside? I thought this was urgent." Starlight asks with a hint of confusion.
Twilight answers without looking away from the door. "It is urgent. But Anon is telling us to wait which probably means he is not in any immediate danger. Applejack also told me he threw a rude unicorn the other day and I don't want history to repeat."
Starlight simply answered with a nod before going back to waiting.
They did not have to wait much longer as they heard a muffled "Right, come in."
Twilight opened the door with her magic and they both stepped inside. They stopped when they saw both Anon and a light red coated mare sitting next to him. Anon was in a laid-back position, leaning against the corner of the couch while having his arms crossed. The mare however was sat normally, although clearly nervous.
Before Twilight could ask any question. Anon nodded to three books stacked on the coffee table by the door. "Books are on your right."
Starlight nodded to Twilight and walked to the books. "Did you use them?" Twilight asked bluntly.
"I used one of em."
"Which one?"
"Top one."
Twilight looked over to Starlight, who lit her horn and decoded the cover. With an 'oh no'. Starlight rotated the cover to Twilight in her magic.
Twilight physically cringed. "You can be really stupid sometimes, you know that!" Twilight said loudly.
Anon shrugged. "Never claimed to be smart. Also, you should probably just have that door locked."
Twilight stomped her hoof. "This is serious. You could have been hurt.
"I'm used to being hurt, and I don't have the sanity to be serious all the time. Just when I need to be."
Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Well. It seems that no harm has come to you. And nothing seems to be amiss, I'm glad you are making friends and glad the summoning failed." Twilight opened her saddle bags as Starlight hovered the books into them. As they were about to leave, Anon looked at Azrael who took a deep breath then nodded at him.
"The summoning didn't fail. Actually, went quite well, all things considered."
"WHAT!" Twilight yelled as she spun around. "What do you mean it succeeded!? Where is-"
Twilight stopped herself as her head slowly turned from Anon to Azrael.
Azrael gave a sheepish smile as she waved. "Hello."
Twilights head snapped towards Anon again. "Explain."
"I did the ritual and summoned a mimis." Anon explained
"mîmos" Azrael correct.
"Yeah that. Anyway. Twilight Sparkle, meet Azrael Flare. She will be staying with me for the foreseeable future."
"Anonymous. I don't think you understand the seriousness of this. There is a reason why this was outlawed."
"Probably is. But I have managed to summon a good one." Anon said matter-of-factly
Twilight was silent for a few moments, deep in thought before she spoke again. "As the Princess of Friendship. I will let you befriend a demon. But if for any reason, she shows unjustified aggression, I will send her back."
Azrael sighed a sigh of relief. "Thank you princess. I promise to always listen to master." Azrael thanked, before realizing her mistake.
"God damn it Az. Twilight it's fine, it does not mean what you think it means. Just a slip up."
"O-k then. How will you handle sleeping arrangements? I'm assuming Azrael is on the couch, I could get a single mattress for now I guess."
"No need. I sleep with master." Azrael said with a cheeky smile.
"Fuck’s sake. You're doing this on purpose." Anon stated, in a half frustrated and half playful way.
Azrael stuck her tongue out at Anon. "That's for kicking me off the bed."
"I'll kick you through the wall if you prefer."
"Anonymous. Can you stop being so casual about this? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." Twilight asked, rubbing her face with a forehoof.
Anon looked back towards Twilight before shrugging. "What can I say. I'm comfortable."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You are more comfortable around a demon than ponies?" She asked with slight concern.
"I just don't like crowds. Also, I'm still not used to people, er ponies being so trusting. Kinda puts me on edge a bit."
Twilight sighed as she approached the door. "Well, that's something we can work on."
"Oh actually. Before you go. Mind doing that body examining thing? My ribs seem to be getting all the attention and it's starting to become painful to move." Anon asked, unconsciously rubbing his chest.
"I can have a look, sure. I'm not sure if I can fix it though. If it is anything worse than a fracture then it's too dangerous to try anything."
"Ok"
Twilight's horn lit up as Anon's torso began to be covered in a light purple aura.
After a minute of silence. Twilight stopped the spell. "Good news is I can heal you. Bad news is, it's going to be quite painful."
"Aight, go ahead." Anon answered
Twilight's horn lit once again as the magical aura returned on Anon's chest. The magic seemed to flare in certain places. Anon emitted pained grunts and winces as the bones were healed. Azrael looked concerned at times when Anon would grip a couch cushion.
After five minutes, her horned stopped glowing once again. Anon was visibly sweating as the pain died down. "Think that's the first time my ribs hurt for a good reason."
"You will be sore for a few hours. Try not to do too much. But you should be all good by tomorrow. That reminds me. Applejack said she gave you a job at the orchard which you start tomorrow I believe. Afterwards would you mind visiting me and Starlight in the castle. I would like to test some more of your capabilities."
Twilight turned to Azrael. "You may join us if you would like Azrael. Although there won't be much to do I'm afraid."
"That's fine. I don't mind." Azrael answered. "Thanks for not banishing me by the way."
Twilight and Starlight headed through the door. "As long as you abide by the rules of Equestria. Everything should work out. Hopefully. See you tomorrow."
"Goodbye" "Later"
"So, Sir. What would you like to do now?" Azrael asked, turning towards Anon.
"Should probably grab some actual food. Pain usually makes me hungry. You wanna come with?"
"Sure" Azrael answered, her tail swishing slightly.
After taking a few minutes to get ready, Anon and Azrael began walking into town.
Azrael walked with a pep in her step. Never really getting to explore Equus, she made sure to take in her surroundings. The warm sun shining on her coat as the smell of wet earth filled her nose was reason enough to stay.
She thought that with all this nature and tranquillity, Anon must love it here. But when she turned to him, she saw was a borderline scowl.
"Sir, is something wrong? You look upset by something." Azrael enquired, learning that walking quickly to catch up, and looking upwards in a quadruped form is harder than it looks.
"Nah, I'm good. I just don't like crowds. Freaks me out." Anon stated.
"May I ask how so?" Azrael asked hopefully.
"Nothing special, just a habit from work. Staying out of crowds was a must for me. Still adjusting."
"I see."
"On another note." Anon begins. " I should be getting the next food delivery from Twilight tomorrow. Which is good because I am currently skint. Speaking of food. What do you eat?"
"As far as I know, all food here we can consume. Although my kind really only need to eat enough to sustain our mass. Which is not a lot." Azrael answered.
"In that case. I'll probably make a curry."
"I don't know what that is, but I'm sure I will enjoy it." Azrael replied, smiling.
The duo entered the main square of the town. Like before, the main square was lined with stalls selling various items like food and firewood. While Anon surveyed the stalls with his height advantage over everypony. Azrael just enjoyed watching the ponies moving from one stall to the other, exchanging money for goods and just chatting with each other. She had stopped walking when she spotted a group of foals watching a puppet show, their happy expressions seemed to be contagious as she also smiled. She quickly trotted after Anon when he got too far away.
She reached him as he was talking to an earth pony stallion who sold what looked like various seeds.
"Hey, how much for these?" Anon asked, pointing at the Chickpeas.
"One bit per two fifty Grams. Or three bits per Kilo." The stallion said with a gruff voice.
"I'll just take the two fifty." Anon confirmed, as he grabbed a bit from his wallet.
The stallion nodded as he grabbed a paper bag from behind the stall and placing it on some scales. He then measured out the correct amount and tied the bag with some string.
After receiving the bit, the stallion pushed the bag towards Anon. "Thank you kindly Mr hooman."
As they walked away, Azrael could hear Anon mumble to himself. "Good to know they use Kilos and Grams here too."
Azrael looked at the bag he was holding for a few seconds before speaking up. "Sir, what is a chickpea?"
Anon looked over the ponies until he found the stall he was looking before and began walking towards it before replying.
"It’s a kind of bean I think. It goes well with a lot of different dishes. You have beans in Tartarus?" Anon asked.
"We do but, they are more alive, and parasitic. Nasty little things."
"I don't know what I expected to be honest. Anyway, there are a few key ingredients I need. Then if we have enough money , we can get some more stuff to add flavour."
Anon and Azrael shopped around for a good thirty minutes. Spending seven bits in total which included an ice-cream when Anon saw the demon staring at the cold treat vendor. They now sat just out the town square, on a bench as Anon waited for Azrael to finish her cold treat.
"Oh, my lord, this is delicious. I never would have thought frozen cow milk would be so wonderful." Azrael exclaimed.
"They're as much as I expected. Can probably get them whenever we go out. No promises though." Anon said.
"Understood." Azrael confirmed as she dove back into her ice-cream.
Anon waited for Azrael to finish before heading back. So, he took to the time to watch the town square transition from afternoon into evening. He did not have to wait long.
"Right, I have finished. Do you want to head back Sir?"
"Yeah. Probably best, I am getting kinda hungry and this will take a bit to make." Anon replied, checking the contents of his backpack to make sure he had everything he needed.
Anon finished checking his backpack before standing up.
The duo walked back home without trouble. Anon placed the backpack onto the kitchen counter before sorting out the ingredients.
Azrael walked up behind Anon. "Sir permission to change into my human form." Azrael asked.
Anon glanced at her before returning to the preparations. "Huh, yeah. Do whatever, just wear the clothes I gave you."
Azrael replied with a nod, grabbed the clothes she had left on the sofa and went into the bathroom.
Anon was alone for a minute or so while Azrael changed. Measuring out the ingredients, he started to cook the dish he had envisioned.
Anon zoned out as he cooked, which means he did not notice Azrael re-enter the room and walked up behind him again.
"So, what are you making by the way" Azrael asked, peaking over his shoulder.
Anon flinched, almost slamming the knife he was chopping parsnips with into his finger. Luckily he moved his hand in time.
Azrael saw the human flinch and wore an apologetic smile.
"It's gonna be a Chickpea and roasted parsnip curry. Not great but it will do."
"I'm sure it will be fine. By the way, how come this knife looks different than the one you had when we first met?" Azrael asked with intrigue.
"This one is a kitchen knife, used for cutting food. The one I carry, is usually for tasks that requires a sharp blade like cutting rope. Some people use it as self-defence weapons, but I don't do either."
Azrael nodded a few times before she remembered something. "Wait, didn't you have that out when I got here?"
"Yeah, but I never use it. It's just to scare people. I have more control over my hands anyway."
"Fair enough. Do you require any help in cooking?" Azrael asked.
"Do you know how to cook?" Anon responded.
"I do not."
"Then I am fine. I'll let you help when I'm not as hungry."
Azrael nodded again, as she began twiddling her thumbs and looking round the room. At this point she had come round the side of Anon, so he could see her fidgeting.
Sighing. Anon stopped and turned to Azrael. "Right. What's up?
"Nothing Sir. I just have nothing to do." She replied.
"Then just go and relax for a bit." Anon suggested as he went to pick up the knife again.
"Is there anything that needs doing?" Azrael asked quickly.
"Nope, just go relax." Anon responded.
"Please?" Azrael asked.
Anon stopped for a second before turning back to the demon. "You don't have to do that stuff anymore. You do know that right?" The human asked, with a hint of concern.
"I do. I just find it comforting sometimes. It's nice to be helpful, especially to the ones that treat me well." Azrael explained with a small smile.
"Alright. I noticed that the coffee table by the door is still full of random shit. Could you sort that out while I cook?" Anon asked.
Azrael gave a sincere smile before speaking. "Of course, Sir."
Anon watched her walk over to said coffee table to before turning back. He sighed then chuckled lightly.
"I agree. The past makes it hard to let go." He mumbled under his breath.
Anon had spent almost an hour cooking. He was by no means a chef, but he knew his way around a kitchen. Although he never cooked anything particularly special or extravagant. Always focused more on the nutritional value of the food rather than the taste. This time was different, he was actually cooking for someone else this time. So, a bit of effort won't hurt.
Azrael had finished cleaning and sorting the coffee table by the door rather quickly, so Anon had to come up with more things she could do. Eventually though, Azrael seemed content with her efforts and allowed herself to relax on the sofa. Which reminded Anon. He did not have anywhere to dine at, usually he would just sit on the porch and look out into the wilderness in the mornings and eat on the sofa in the evenings. The latter will have to do.
The human finished plating the food before grabbing the two plates of curry and heading to the sofa. Azrael just stared at the food as he placed it down on the coffee table, as well as cutlery and a few napkins. Then after returning to the kitchen to grab a pitcher of water and some glasses he finally took a seat on the couch opposite Azrael with a sigh.
"This smells amazing sir!" Azrael commented, staring at the food. "This is the curry you were talking about right?"
"Yeah, although curry is a broad term. This specifically is a chickpea and parsnip curry. Don't wait on me, dig in." Anon replied, not moving as he explained.
Azrael had no objections as she began eating. She knew that the food here was a hundred times better than anything in Tartarus, and she knew the one who made it. But it did not stop her taking a hesitant bite out of habit.
Taking a small forkful of curry, Azrael gently placed the food in her open maw, letting it slide off the fork as it spread over her taste buds. Over the next few seconds, the curry let open the flood gates of flavour as it all hit her at once. Her eyes went wide as her body stiffened, letting a small squeak escape her mouth.
Anon heard Azrael take a bit of curry, he lazily looked over to see what could only be described as bliss, as she took another bite, and another bite. Anon could see her tail shiver from base to tip like an arc of electricity.
By the time the human took a bite of his food, Azrael had already eaten most of hers. Trying to savour the taste but the addictive flavour begged to be consumed.
Anon for the first time since coming here, gave a genuine smile. Not because of someone else's misfortune or for the results of his teasing but because something he did made someone else happy.
The human was able to enjoy decent food with company for the first time in long time, something he planned to savour.
It did not take long for the pair to finish their meal, Anon had made enough for two humans so the demon was able to go back for seconds. After dinner, the human let Azrael clean up the dishes before an early night.
As the duo relaxed into the bed, Anon had a thought which he directed towards Azrael.
"Do demons even need to sleep?" the human asked.
Azrael thought for a second before replying. "Technically no. But it is a nice commodity to have, having a period of time where the only noise is the ambiance of your surroundings is quite pleasant." Azrael explained as she curled up on the end of the bed.
It did not take long for the two to fall silent as they allowed sleep to take them.
Anon's senses were overwhelmed as he limped down a familiar alleyway.
All he could taste was blood. All he could smell was sweat. All he could hear was his own heartbeat. All he could see was blurred redness. All he could feel was pain.
Anon struggled to continue as his body kept telling him to stop, but he knew better. If he were to rest now he would not get up again.
Eventually, an old wooden door filled his vision as he leaned against it with a small thud, before mustering the strength to knock. When he received no answer, Anon spat out a mouthful of blood before speaking.
"J-Jack, It's me." Anon said though gritted teeth.
Hearing muffled footsteps get closer to the door, Anon leant against the doorframe to not faceplant when it opened.
As the door opened, Anon struggled to give a smirk to the homeowner.
Jack sighed as he opened the door fully and helped Anon inside.
Walking past the living room towards the kitchen, Anon spotted another resident sat at the kitchen island.
"Sarah. Could you please grab the med kit? We have a guest." Jack asked.
Sarah turned away from her newspaper as her eyes went wide. "Oh dear. Right yes, just a second." She sputtered out before running out the room.
Jack sat Anon on the bar stool by the island, as he grabbed a nearby pair of scissors and started cutting the blooded shirt. Taking off the shirt revealed jagged wounds stretching down Anon's back. As well as other cuts and bruises that span his body.
Sarah returned with the med kit as well as a few towels. "Hey Sarah. S-sorry for the sudden visit." Anon joked, as the pair tended to their visitor.
Eventually, they had managed to stop the bleeding treat the wounds, as well as make Anon feel at home with food and drink.
Jack let Anon finish his meal in peace before sitting beside him.
"How many this time?" Jack asked with a troubled tone.
"Three." Anon replied immediately, his tone becoming defensive as he knew what was happening.
"How many are left?" Jacked questioned with the same tone.
Anon paused for a moment, then looking away before replying. "I don't know."
Jack sighed as his expression became saddened. "You cannot let this kind of life control you. You are not that kind of-"
"You're wrong." Anon interrupted. "My mistakes has put my family in danger. I will do what I have to, to keep them safe."
Without another word, Anon stood up from the barstool and made his way to the front door.
Jack's first instinct was to get him to sit back down, but he knew from experience it would be a futile attempt.
As Anon left their home, Jack stood in the doorway as it started to rain.
"Promise me one thing jack." Anon spoke, not looking back as he stood in the rain.
"Promise me you will keep them safe if I can't." Anon hoped as his tone never changed.
Jack sighed before speaking. "Promise. Just take care of yourself now, ya hear."
Anon waved off as he walked further into the alleyway he came from.
Jack watched Anon leave. "Don't do anything stupid kid." He muttered to himself as he closed and locked the door.
Anon stirred awake, the bird’s early morning song greeting him as his eyes adjusted to the lit room. He laid there for a few minutes, staring at the blank ceiling with a thoughtful gaze before sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed, the covers swiftly falling off him.
As the dream he had awoken from resurfaced in his mind, Anon placed his head heavily in his hands. His mind racing and body aching. Not physical pain from the fight with Starlight or the various injuries acquired around Ponyville, but the pain of regret.
The human began gripping his head in frustration as his teeth were clenched shut like a bear trap, his grip strengthens as did his pain. Anon sat in silence for a long while before a feeling of a watchful gaze broke his stupor like state. His grip lessened as he came back to reality.
"What?" Anon almost demanded, his voice seeping with frustration and hostility. Something he did not mean to inflict onto others.
Azrael shuffled a bit before Anon felt a hoof on his shoulder. "Are you ok Sir? You appear to be experiencing a lot right now. Is there anything I can do to help?" Azrael asked in an empathetic tone.
The humans ridged posture relaxed slightly. "Probably." Anon answered before sighing and standing up. Azrael let her hoof fall onto the bed as he got up.
"Do you have any orders for me today?" The demon wondered out loud.
"Not really. I have the food order coming today, so if you could deal with that while I am at work, that would be good. Apart from that just stay home for today." Anon replied as he picked out some clothing and headed for the bathroom.
Azrael watched Anon enter the bathroom with the sound of a running shower following after. She was left alone with her thoughts as she remembered last night.
While not needing to sleep, the sound of Anon's breathing was surprisingly calming. Making the nights seem so much shorter, he never seemed too deep in sleep as if ready to act at any moment.
Last night was different she thought. The night began with his normal breathing, but it did not take long for it to become irregular. Tossing and turning Anon seemed to try and grasp for something as Azrael sensed pure anguish. Azrael decided to move up towards Anon slightly as she became more worried.
Anon seemed to unconsciously notice a presence get closer and he reached out and grabbed her forehoof, after a few moments he seemed to rapidly calm down. His almost thrashing became still as his breathing returned to normal.
Azrael smiled and replaced the forelimb with an easy to maintain black mass and moved back into her original position, a black snake like connection kept her new limb stable as she began to rest again.
Anon had a long and relaxing shower. Something he desperately needed. Starting with his hair, he washed it thoroughly while using a comb to evict foreign debris or blood. Something he did not have to do anywhere as often anymore but the routine was relaxing to him none the same.
Next was the rest of him, unfortunately this place did not seem to have any kind of body wash, just coat shampoo. Anon was able to find a specialised soap for thick hided creatures, those with little to no hair. This would have to do.
The human lathered the soap across his body, a quick memory flashed across his mind for each noticeable scar. Most from fighting, some from mundane tasks and a few that remind him people don't change.
Anon finished his shower, dried himself off, put on clothes then started to rinse the bath of any grime or hair.
While doing this, the human heard movement behind him.
"Azrael, we really need to talk about boundaries." Anon said, not looking away from his task.
"Guess again."
With a sharp exhale from his nose and a smirk, Anon stood up and turned around. "So, Where the fuck you been?"
Alex was leaning with his back against the wall, his arms crossed in a relaxed pose. He stopped leaning and dropped his arms as he began to speak.
"Here and there, been doing some stuff. Also been watching you get a job, summon a demon and actually cook something flavourful." Alex replied.
Anon raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "I see, so you were here, you just didn't visit?"
"You did not need me, these past few days. I don't think I have ever seen you happier." Alex explained
"Right. So does this mean you are staying then?" Anon asks, gesturing towards Alex.
"I'm afraid not. While away I have been dreaming again. These dreams have made sense of a few things but left many questions also. I believe I'm slowly piecing together a puzzle."
"What have you figured out so far then?" Anon asked, intrigued.
Alex's face changed to one of conflict and apologetic. I. I Can't say, not yet at least. I need some more time to figure things out before I share anything." Alex explained.
Anon raised an eyebrow but decided to leave it. "Ok then. I can respect that. Try not to take so long for your next visit though, you are like the only fucker I can talk to normally besides Azrael." Anon suggested.
Alex gave a thankful smile before nodding and fading away.
Anon took a deep breath before opening the door, stepping out into the hallway, he saw Azrael making the bed.
"Hey Azrael, I will be gone for about eight hours. You gonna be ok?"
The demon stopped and looked at the hallway. "I will be fine Sir. Do you happen to know what time that food delivery is arriving?" Azrael asked.
Anon looked into the living room to see the clock above the stove. "In about an hour or so."
"Ah good, I still have time to clean up the kitchen then."
"Alright, I'll leave you to it. Back in a bit."
Anon walked to the door and grabbed his backpack. He decided not to lock the door and to put trust in someone else for once.
Anon began the long trek to the other side of ponyville. Enjoying the early sun as he walked. Although one thought did cross his mind.
"Why do I feel like the situation with Alex means today is gonna be weird."
Anon walked peacefully through the outskirts of Ponieville. Walking in-between the Everfree forest and the back of a few houses. With no music to listen to and no one to talk to, the human simply mused over his surroundings.
To his left were the trees of the Everfree. They twist and warp into unnatural shapes, the bark cracked along the trunks into spikes as the canopy blocked most light from touching the ground. Looking into the forest almost always gave the unease of something looking back.
To his right were the small back gardens of attached houses, in a few of them he saw foals playing with their parents or on their own. Anon smirked slightly, remembering how he used to play with his sister when he got the chance. She would always manage to get into mischief.
Anon knew he shouldn't, but for the rest of the trip, he reminisced. Whenever he did a job, he would always wait a week before returning home to ensure no one was tailing. When he did, he would always be greeted by her smiling face. Always so excited to tell him about her day or recent events.
Anon snapped out of his thoughts as he realised he had arrived. Walking under a large wooden archway, with a sign hanging below it reading 'Sweet Apple Acres'.
Continuing down the path, the apple's farm slowly came into view as he passed chickens, pigs and sheep as well as a huge apple orchard. Each tree was planted in a line that looked perfect to the naked eye; each tree seemed brimming with life with apples that almost sparkled.
His eyes focused on the large rustic farmhouse, it was clear a lot of passion and hard work went into building it with all the added ascetics. Movement from the barn beside the house caught his attention. Applejack was standing in the barn's doorway, talking to a large red stallion with stacks of hay bales beside them.
The red earth pony was the first to notice Anon approaching, cocking his head, he motioned towards Anon with a swift head tilt which Applejack followed.
"Howdy there, sugar cube. This is ma brother Big Mac; he will be helping ya today. Are ya ready to be worked hard?" Applejack asked with a friendly smile.
Anon gave a smirk before replying. "Try me."
"Alrighty then, these here hay bales need putting in the hayloft." Applejack instructed, pointing at the square opening leading into the top floor of the barn.
Anon looked like he was going to reply until he remembered something Twilight told him about. "Quick question. If I understand right, your family use good old hard labour instead of magic. Would I be permitted to use my 'magic' since I am not casting spells and all that." Anon requested.
Applejack took a moment to think it over, rubbing her chin with a forehoof. "True, it is not typical magic. I'd say that's fair with you not being a pony and all."
"Appreciate it. Consider it done." Anon replied with confidence.
"That's what I like to hear, I'll be back in a little bit to see your progress." Applejack added as she began walking towards the house.
Anon watched Applejack leave before turning to Big Mac. "No offence but I'm good, it will be easier for me this way.
Big Mac looked at Anon for a few moments before shrugging. "Eeyup." Is the only thing he said before he began walking towards the sheep pen.
Anon immediately began work. Stacking the bales underneath the hayloft opening and lined up with the wooden arm that protruded just above the entrance which held a thick iron ring. The ring already had rope wrapped around it, one end was on the floor in front of Anon, and the other was tied to the strings of a hay bale.
The human began to pull the rope, causing it to slide through the metal ring until the end finally went through and fell to the ground. He then proceeded to untie the rope from the bale and neatly coiled the rope and hung it up on a loose nail inside the barn. Finding the ladder Anon climbed to the hayloft and walked to the opening.
The human held his hand out of the loft as two strands of magical fibre were cast out from his wrists towards the iron ring. The fibres coiled around each other like snakes before they slipped through and began making their way down. Once the fibres reached the topmost bale.
Anon was a bit surprised he had this much control over the ends when they were so far away, as the fibres wrapped around the string with ease. Giving it a few tugs to test the weight, Anon began hoisting up the first bale. With each pull, the untaught fibres retreated back into Anon's wrist like a winch until the bale reached the very top.
Anon pulled in the dangling bale with his free hand then placed it in one of the corners. He then proceeded to pull the next one up. Witch each bale he refined his method until the last bale.
Anon had taken his shoes off and anchored himself to the hayloft floor, by covering his feet with magic and giving them adhesive properties. this way he could stand closer to the opening and lean out without fear of falling. Next Once Anon had pulled up the bale, he bloated part of the thread that touched the iron ring and also gave it adhesive properties, causing it to not move when given slack. After that he easily grabbed the bale and plopped it next to him.
Getting rid of all his magic, The human slipped his shoes back on and pushed the last bale with the others. The human counted twenty bales and had gotten the time down for each bale to thirty seconds. All and all Anon was pretty happy with his efforts.
After double counting the bales, he thought to get some more work from Applejack.
Sliding down the ladder Anon made his way to the house, the porch steps creaked with age as he knocked on the door with three light taps.
After a few moments Anon heard a faint 'I'm coming, I'm coming' and creaking floorboards as the sound closed in on the door, before it swung open and an older looking green pony stood in the doorway.
"Oh, hey there sweetie. You must be the hooman Applejack was talking about. What can I do for ya?"
Anon decided to play it safe and be polite for once. "Morning ma'am. I finished hauling the hay bales into the hayloft. I was wondering if there was anything else she wanted me to get on with." Anon replied in a respective tone that almost seemed foreign to him.
"I see. No worries I'll just call her over." The wobbly old pony turned around before emptying her lungs. "APPLEJACK. HOOMANS HERE FOR YA." She then turned back towards the human. "She will be here in a second. Would you like to come in."
After Anon's ears had stopped ringing, he simply nodded before ducking slightly under the doorframe.
"Would you like some tea?" The seagreen pony asked.
"Water if that's alright."
She nodded before grabbing a cup and filling it up at the sink. As she sat the glass of water on the table, they both noticed that Anon would not fit in the pony chairs. So, the human decided to just sit on the floor as he downed the water.
As he placed the empty cup back on the table. Applejack rounded the corner with what looked like a tool belt attached to her barrel. "Hey there. You need help?"
"Oh, no I finished. Did you want anything else doing?" Anon replied, standing up.
"That was fast, uh where's Big Mac?" Applejack asked.
"I didn't need any help so I told him he could leave to do other stuff if he wanted."
"Wait. You hoisted the haybales on your own?" Apple jack questioned with surprise.
"Yeah, was I not meant to?" The human replied with slight confusion.
"It's at least a two-pony job and you did it in less than thirty minutes."
With a huff, Anon lifted and placed the last apple cider crate on the back of the wooden cart. Placing a knee on the open tailgate, the human leaned over to push the crate with the others. After making sure all the cider crates were secure, he jumped back down and closed the tailgate, ending with a pull and push to make sure its sturdy.
Without a second thought, the human walked to the nearest tree with decent shade and decided to take a few minutes to relax.
The shade proved to be a blessing, sitting on the overgrown grass, his back pressed against the cool bark of the large apple tree. Anon feels his heart rate slow down as the sweat begins to cool, the light grey tank top soaking up any sweat it comes in contact with, creating darkened patches across his chest and back.
"I'm gonna need another shower." Anon mutters to himself, wiping away the sweat collected on his forehead.
"You doing alright there sugar cube?" A familiar voice calls out. The human lazily turns his head towards the voice, seeing the orange farm pony approaching.
"Yeah I'm fine. Just taking a minute." Anon replies, tilting his head to face the sky once again.
"Think I might join ya, day is hot as Tartarus." Applejack comments, sitting down opposite the human. Now in the shade, the farm pony sighs as she wipes her forehead.
"So, what do ya think of farmwork?" Applejack asks with a small smirk.
Anon smiles slightly before replying. "It's peaceful. No peop,- ponies, great scenery and my employer is kind." Anon lists, ending with a light chuckle.
"Did you work before you came here?" Applejack asks in an intrigued tone.
Anon visibly grimaces slightly at the mention. "I did." Is all the human replied with.
Noticing the tone shift and visible discomfort, the farm pony decides to change subject.
"Anyway, I need to pick up my little sister from school. I won't be too long." Applejack said as she pushed herself onto all fours.
Anon follows suit, tucking in his knees and rolling onto his heels before standing up. "Alright then, What do you want me to do in the meantime?" Anon asks, placing his hands on his lower back as he stretches backwards, getting a few audible cracks, making Applejack wine slightly.
"Honestly, until Big Mac finishes taking stock, most jobs are on hold currently. You could come with if you'd like. Might be a good idea for the Little ones to see ya." Applejack suggests.
"As much as I hate the idea, I think your right. It would be nice to not be feared. Just please don't introduce me to every parent. Last thing I need is to fake giving a shit."
"Ya might want to watch your language in front of the foals, and granny for that matter. She may not be as spry anymore but she's still scary when mad. I don't mind much, and Big Mac don't either."
"I can only promise to try." Anon replies as he begins following Applejack.
It doesn't take long for the duo to see their objective. On the way, Anon inquiries about the treehouse on the edge of the Apple's property and gets told about the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
As they got closer to the school, Anon could feel his heart rate increasing. Already not great with crowds, this time would be mixed with unpredictable children and protective adults. The human began having second thoughts.
The schoolhouse was smaller than Anon expected. Decorated in various red and pink hues, poking out from the roof was a small bell tower. In front of the schoolhouse was a large group of adults, idly chatting with each other as they waited for their children to finish school.
As the duo approached the closed fence gate. The bell rings as the foals begin to leave the school. A few of the parents notice Applejack and Anon with mixed expressions. Mostly fear and confusion. That is until they begin to look at something over the tall biped. Anon follows their gaze and looks upwards while still facing them.
Then hearing wings flapping franticly as the words 'nononononono' are repeated until the human looked behind him to see and hear a blue pegasus mare on a direct collision course with Anon as she screams "LOOK OUT!"
"Rainbow?" Applejack shouts in concern.
"There's always something." Anon mutters to himself. Immediately, Anon started running towards the Pegasus before yelling. "Tuck your wings." Anon demanded. After a couple more frantic flaps the mare complies and tucks her wings to her body as she closes her eyes, awaiting for the impending impact.
The mare begins to fall out of the sky at a 20 degree angle as the ground approached fast. Anon skidded to a stop before holding his arms out to his right side as if trying to catch a pony sized rugby ball.
The humans entire body went ridged as he braced for impact. The pony went halfway through his grip before closing his arms around her barrel. The sudden weight pushed him backwards, his feet skidding across the path before turning 90 degrees as his shoulder hit the fence, breaking the top beam.
Rainbow was dropped to the floor with a thud as Anon fell onto one knee gripping his right shoulder with a wince. Most of the ponies simply looked with expressions of confusion.
"That was so not cool." The Rainbow commented. Standing on all four legs again. "Thanks for the catch there Anon." She said, now looking at the human before frowning. "Aw dude, you good?" The skittle pony asked with a concerned tone.
Anon grunted before replying. "Just fucking peachy. Think I dislocated my shoulder." The human said through gritted teeth.
The blue Pegasus ruffled her wings before she gave a wince of her own. "I think we should probably go to the hospital."
"No shit. Applejack, gonna have to cancel the school thing. Don't think I'm in the best mood currently." The human said as he stood up.
"I reckon that would be best, I'll bring ya stuff to the hospital after I take Applebloom home. Dash, why don't you take him there. It's only fair." Applejack commented.
"On it." The vibrant pony said as she began to walk back down the path. Anon followed her until he was walking beside her.
They both walked in silence for a good ten minutes before Anon broke the silence.
"So." The human started, getting the mare's attention. "The fuck?"
Rainbow sighed before speaking. "I landed weird when I was in Cloudsdale. I decided to just sleep it off which I thought had worked since it did not hurt anymore. But then as I started flying back to Ponyville, I was struggling to keep my left wing stable until I could barely lift it. I tried to find somewhere to land but I was falling too fast, and that's when I started to panic and you know the rest." Rainbow finished with a frown.
The duo returned to their silence as they walked through town. Anon did not seem to care as much about the looks ponies gave him, his mind preoccupied. Not long after the local hospital came into view. Anon sighed and grunted as he gripped his arm again. "Today can fuck right off." He mumbled to himself as they both entered.
Nurse Redheart was posted at the reception desk. A section of the hospital had been closed off to the members of public for renovations, which meant there was an above average amount of nurses and doctors per functioning ward. Something the hospital was thankful for at least. Redheart herself had worked a lot of overtime this past week so this temporary change was a welcome one. She did however already miss the idle chatter that would occur when she entered a patient’s room. Whether for clean sheets or changing dressings, the nurse would always manage to strike up interesting conversations.
Today was a slow day for Redheart. With a cup of coffee in her hooves and a crossword puzzle in front of her, she was content. This was however changed when the nurse heard gasps and mummering in the lobby around her. Finishing the last gulp of coffee, she placed the now empty cup down and looked forward as a blue Pegasus looked back.
"Hey, Red," The rainbow pony said casually.
"Hey there Rainbow..." The nurse replied back, until she saw something shift behind the pony in front of her. Her pink mane had obscured everything above rainbow as it flowed past her nurse cap. Slowly looking upwards, the nurse saw the 'tall monkey' everyone keeps gossiping about towering over the Pegasus in front of her. Now noticing the giant, he seemed to be gripping his shoulder.
Redheart raises an eyebrow at the creature before looking back at Rainbow. "So, what assistance do you require?"
The colourful Pegasus put on a guilty expression. "I had a bad flying experience and I've damaged my wing, Anon here dislocated his shoulder catching me. You wouldn't happen to have any clinic rooms free?" She asked with a pleading smile.
Redheart rolled her eyes. It's always the same with this mare, this time she managed to injure someone else. Looking over to her colleague who hadn't spoken a word since they arrived. "Breeze would you-" The nurse started before seeing the scared expression on the mare’s face. "-Hold the fort while I deal with this." She finished.
Hopping off her chair, the white pony walked out from the reception desk and towards a separate part of the lobby. "Follow me." She called from over her shoulder. The pair did so without question.
The automatic doors opened, allowing two ponies and a human through into the new room. The rectangular white walled room had five basic wooden doors with corresponding numbers. Chairs lined the walls in-between doors, some with ponies waiting to be seen. Pressed against the left most wall was a barrel height table mounted to the wall. On the table was five white card stands, similar to brochure holders. These stands had a number and a long piece of card sticking out of it with information on it, such as the Doctor/Nurse that was assigned to the room and how long they would work there for.
Number three and two were empty, Redheart gave a quick glance to the ponies waiting for their turn. After counting less than five, she decided it was not worth clocking herself into the clinic and just decided to take the pair to the second room.
The door closed with a small click as Redheart hopped onto the office chair beside the rooms desk, after taking a few minutes to write some things down, she turned to the Pegasus and creature. "Who's first?"
Rainbow was about to speak but Anon beat her to it. "Get on the bed, I can wait."
The room was silent for a few moments before Dash began to snicker. Anon grabbed her muzzle with his free hand, "Don't." The human demanded in a lower tone then let go.
Without a word the Pegasus hopped onto the hospital bed as Redheart gathered her notes and turned to the mare. "Right. So, from what you said before, I'm assuming you hurt your wing and began falling when he caught you and dislocated his shoulder. Would you say that's correct?" The mare asked.
"Yeah." Dash replied simply.
"And how did you hurt your wing that led to this?"
Rainbow looked up in thought before replying. "I was in clouds dale, practising an Ariel move for the Wonderbolts anniversary performance in a couple months. After I finished and was landing I got really dizzy and toppled over, landing on my right wing. It hurt initially but just felt like a bruise. So, I slept on it before flying back to Ponyville and it felt fine if a bit stiff. So, I flew back to Ponyville and hear we are." Rainbow finished, throwing her hooves in the air for empathies.
The nurse looked at her notes for a few seconds in thought. "Did it hurt while flying to Ponyville?" She asked, not looking away from the paper.
"It kinda did at first then it felt like it was on fire after a few minutes. After I landed, it kinda went away, it hurts when I move it now though."
Redheart put the pencil down and wheeled over to Rainbow in the office chair. "Show me your wing." The nurse asked to which rainbow complied, turning around and spreading them out slightly.
"Where on your wing does it hurt?" The mare asked as she placed a hoof gently on the tips of her wings.
"Near the base." Dash replied.
"Can you feel anything when I press at the tip of your wing?" The nurse asked.
"Yeah, no pain." Rainbow replied swiftly with a shrug.
Redheart placed a hoof on either side of her right wing and began applying pressure at the tip and she moved down. "Tell me when it hurts and how much." The nurse added.
"Metacarpus is fine." The nurse muttered to herself feeling around the main appendage. "Radius is fine" She muttered again moving onto the base.
As she applied pressure, a loud wince could be heard from the mare in front. "Sorry." The nurse replied.
"This is gonna hurt a bit more, but I need to feel around ok." Redheart commented, her voice becoming more considerate.
Rainbow simply nodded.
Pressing again, Rainbow grunted before wincing a second time as Redheart felt around the base of her wing. What seemed like an eternity to rainbow was in reality less than thirty seconds. After letting go the nurse wheeled to the desk again as rainbow turned round. Redheart grabbed what looked like a form from a stack of papers and seemed to fill it out before turning around. "Seems you have broken your humerus, again. I think it's a small break, but we will X-ray it to be sure. I have filled out a form for you, just sign it and hand it in at the front desk and we will get you sorted. With the strain you have put on it, It's probably best you go now while I help your friend."
Rainbow glanced at Anon who gestured towards the door in reply.
"Thanks Red" Rainbow said as she walked out. Without a word the human sat on the bed as it creaked slightly from the pressure.
The nurse filed Rainbows notes before placing them near the edge of the table as she grabbed some more paper and wrote some more notes down. "What's your name and race." Redheart asked, looking over her shoulder. "Anonymous, Human".
After a few more seconds she wheeled over to the bed. "Arm please." which Anon complied, grunting slightly.
"Have you dislocated your shoulder before?" Redheart asked as she gently rotated the wrist. "A few times yeah." Anon replied back in monotone.
"Alright, should be an easy but painful fix. I can't give you anything because I don't know how your body will react. And we don't have the records from Canterlot."
"Fair enough, two of the times was without pain relief anyway so I'm good." At this Redheart raised an eyebrow at the comment.
"Don't ask." Anon said before the nurse could.
Redheart shrugged before lifting the rotated arm onto her shoulder. "I'm gonna hold it at the wrist and on three I will push backwards, then it should pop back into place."
"One."
"Two!" Reheart pushed backwards on her chair as the arm extended slightly. Then as the force pulled her back, she rotated the arm, and an audible click and loud grunt were heard.
"Fucking hell, what happened to three." Anon asked loudly, more in discomfort than upset as he flexed his hand. The nurse rolled back to the desk and finished writing notes down before filing it and adding it to the pile with Rainbows. She then rolled back to the human and bopped him on the head lightly. "No swearing." She said calmly before picking up a sling from a small cupboard.
"Put this on. It will take a few weeks to fully heal. Come back if it still hurts the same amount after a month." She said to him as she opened the door to let the human out. Anon put on the sling as they walked.
The pair walked back to reception and Redheart hopped behind the reception desk again. "Come back in an hour or two if you want to check on rainbow."
"Cheers doc." Anon commented before leaving. "I'm a nurse." Redheart replied as he began to leave. The human simply raised his good arm in acknowledgment before he left. To the right of the door was a couple of wooden benches. Anon decided to take a seat and wait for Applejack to arrive.
Anon sat comfortably on the small wooden bench besides the hospital entrance. While the pain of his now set shoulder was subsiding, it was still rather uncomfortable. The human sat against the backrest, letting his taller frame lean back further, the rest only pressing against his waist. Gazing at the sky, he saw a few ponies moving white fluffy clouds into view. No matter how many times he saw it, the thought of controlled weather was a bizarre concept.
every time the hospital doors open, Anon could not help but to give a quick glance. Even after a month, his old habits could not be removed from his body. Every pony that passed through the doors caught his gaze and the looks they gave in return were the usual fear and confusion.
Turning his gaze to the streets in front of him, Anon scanned the local population for the orange farmer. After failing to locate Applejack, the human gave up for now and just decided to let his mind wander. The sounds around him begin fading out as he concentrated on his own thoughts.
The first thought in his mind was of Applejack and how she was connected to the other elements. She was honesty which made sense. Rainbow was loyalty, which was less obvious in his mind but he had not been around her that much to know. Twilight was magic which inspired the name of 'magic twins' for her and her pupil Starlight. Rarity was generosity, how could he forget when she kept talking about it, although it was probably just pride now that he thought about it. Fluttershy was kindness, although he had only seen her a few times before and both were short. Then lastly was Pinkie Pie, in all honesty he could not remember her element, it was obviously making people happy, but the correct word escaped him.
Suddenly, Anon felt something press against his leg and he snapped from his thoughts, his body jumping from the sudden feeling. His eyes darted around for a few seconds before they landed on an orange farm pony in front of him, her forehoof stretched out. As his heart slowed down, he swallowed and blinked a few times.
"You alright there sugar cube?" Applejack asked in a calm and concerned tone. "You were spaced out something fierce." She finished with.
Anon took in his surroundings, apart from a few ponies looking at them. Nothing seemed different, although there was three fillies with applejack that also had concerned and unsure looks.
Swallowing again, Anon replied. "Yeah. Was deep in my own head there for a sec, really only do that when I feel safe. Guess this place is changing me." The human finished with a light scoff.
Applejack smiled slightly, seeing the human slowly calm down from the jump.
"I brought your pack with me." Applejack said, lightly prodding at the backpack by Anons feet. "I also brought some of the young'uns with me, they wanted to say thanks and to meet ya. Hope that's alright.
Anon glanced at the backpack that sat in-between his legs. Then giving each of the young ponies a long glance before returning his eyes to the orange farm pony.
"Uh, yeah that's fine." The human replied. Applejack looked down at the fillies with a smile. "Girls." She said softly with expectation.
All three fillies took a small breath before saying "Thank you for catching Rainbow Dash." In unison. Those astute would see a slight look of unsureness on the humans face, no doubt at the shared thought process of the three ponies in front of him.
"Well. That's no problem. Just glad no further harm was done, I think. Who might you all be then." Anon asks the young ponies before gesturing towards the yellow earth pony. "I can assume you Applejack's sister." Anon commented.
"Yes sir." The yellow farm pony replied as she stepped forward.
"I'm Apple bloom." She said with pride.
"I'm Sweetie Belle. Rarity's Sister." The White unicorn added. Also stepping forward, her two-toned mane bouncing slightly.
"I'm Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash's student." The orange pegasus added lastly. Stepping forward as the others did, he small wings seemed to buzz with pride at the mention of dash.
Anon was about to reply before he heard them all take in a deep breath. Applejack's smile diminished slightly, as if she knew what was coming.
"And we are the CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" All three young fillies shouted, each one jumping in the air as their forehooves connected in a group high five, or high hoof.
It took a second for the human's ears to stop ringing. All the while the fillies smiled brightly with pride. Looking back up at Applejack, she seemed to mouth 'sorry' as he twisted his pinkie in his ear.
"I see. I'm glad you’re happy." Anon spoke, scrambling for words other than 'ow' or 'stop shouting'.
"I would love to stay and chat." Anon lied. "But I need to go home, have a shower and then let Twilight poke and prod me."
As anon stood up and grabbing his bag. Apple Bloom looked up at him, craning her neck to see his face. "Why would she want to do that?"
Anon's face seem to fall slightly. "I guess because I am different. And she wants to find out why." He said slightly in monotone.
"Thanks for my bag Applejack. I'll return as soon as my arm isn't fu-, not working properly." And with that he began walking away.
Anon walked out of view before his mind began wondering again.
'Because I'm different'. That one phrase kept repeating in his head again and again. Not just because he thought it, but because he knew it. Not just to those here but back home as well. His family loved him, his friends respected him, and his colleges tolerated him. When money became scarce, which was rare but paying damages for local bar fights and debts reared their ugly heads more than he would like. He would fight, not in a legal match or for his 'boss' but for money. Unground fighting rings were not too common but they were all ruthless. Locked in a large steel cage, the only rules being no weapons, body only. It only stopped when the other person could not fight, being from surrendering, being knocked unconscious or dying.
Anon never drunk, never smoked or did any drugs. His addiction was fighting. The feeling of being trapped and the only way out was the person is front gave him a rush no drugs or alcohol could ever could. His heartbeat would bang in his ears like a war drum, his body would ache, yelling at him to stop but it couldn't, the taste of blood in his mouth proof of his conviction. Now this power he has obtained has taken the one thing he had in every fight.
Anon walked through the outskirts of ponyville. His mind and body had been through a lot today, but he had one more pony to visit before he could be left to his own devices. Even before that, the human needed a shower and a change of clothes.
As Anon continued his mindless walking, his brain repeating today's events like a broken record. The human would normally learn from his mistakes, carefully combing over past events each day. Trying to find where he went wrong or how his actions could end differently. Anon survived this long by not making the same mistake twice, taking note of how people reacted to his words or actions and using them to gain the advantage. This place however was almost impossible for the human. Each hour of each day would be different, constantly being caught of guard by this place's unyielding strangeness.
Blinking his eyes back into focus, the human stood in front of his residence. Walking up the porch steps, Anon approached the door as he felt around in his back pocket for his key. His hand brushed against his trusty pocket knife before his fingers found the key as he walked up to the front door.
With a click and a creak, the door opened. Anon was not ready for what was revealed, however. In the middle of the room was himself. Frozen mid-stride and with a biscuit hanging from his mouth.
"Yoo're ome errey." Anon said to himself.
"Fucking why though?" The human said to himself as he entered, closing the door behind him and dropping his pack by the door with a thud. The human walked past himself as he made his way to the fridge. There were a few empty wooden crates stacked by the fridge, each one had a stamp of Twilight's cutie mark. Apart from the crates, the room was spotless, everything was in place and clean. It even smelled nice.
The fridge door opened, the sound of glass bottles gently clanging together as the door fully opened.
"So what happened to you." Anon asked himself.
"Change back and I'll tell you." He said, not looking away from the fridge's contents.
As he grabbed a glass cola bottle, he closed the door with his hip and turned around, seeing Azreal mid-morph and hearing the sounds of bone snapping and flesh tearing as her body broke itself apart into a black sludge before reconstructing herself.
While waiting for her to finish, Anon placed the bottle on the counter before grabbing a tall glass from the top cupboard and placing it next to the bottle. Then grabbing the bottle and placing is thumb over the top, he lined the edge of the cap with the countertop and slid it down until the cap came off but stayed in place due to his thumb, as the cola fizzed he quickly placed the opening over the glass as it fizzed and poured out.
Azreal's sight came back as her eyes finished forming. Deciding to stay human but to take the form of when she first appeared, and with a few blinks, the world around her became clear.
"Right, so. How'd you fuck up your first day, then?" Azreal asked as she leant against the back of the sofa with her arms crossed.
"Well." Anon started, grabbing the glass of cola and taking a sip before continuing. "Rainbow dash, an element of harmony, decided it would be a good idea to try and fly with a damaged wing. So, as she is falling from the sky, flailing like an infant. I managed to catch her dumb ass before she killed herself. Dislocated my shoulder, got it set at the hospital and here I am." The human finished, taking another sip before placing the glass back on the counter.
"Now, I have a question for you." Anon stated, his tone changing slightly. "Why were you me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Azreal shrugged before speaking. "Eh, thought it would be easier if you answered the door rather than some random pony. Less explaining."
"That's a better reason than I was expecting. However." Anon paused, raising his index finger. "Never do that again." He said with all seriousness.
Not taking the hint, Azreal did a mock shrug. "Come on, It's not even a complete copy. I have only ever seen your top half and legs. I'm missing an important piece to complete it." The demon said with a sly grin.
Silence filled the room as Anon gave Azreal a deadpan stare.
With a sigh, Anon grabbed his drink and downed the rest of it before sighing and placing the now empty glass in the sink. "I'm gonna take a shower." He said, his tone the same as the stare he gave Azreal.
As he began to walk out the room, Azreal outstretched her arms. "Come on, I was kidding."
The human stopped, turning around. "Were you joking?" He said with a strange seriousness. In response, Azreal's eyes shimmered a light purple before replying 'No' in a dull tone. Anon turned back around and walked towards his bedroom as Azreal blinked the shimmer away. "Aww, come on, that's cheating." She said with a pout.
After grabbing whatever clothing was clean and the closest, Anon hopped into the shower, but not before struggling to take the double wrapped Minotaur sized sling off. Eventually, the human managed to free his arm and take a relaxing shower. He struggled to clean the part of the back with his bad arm and attempted all angles to get the grime off. Unfortunately, with all the strange angles, the human lost his footing and fell backwards with a loud thud. Grabbing the shower curtain, it fell onto the bathroom floor. "Fucking shit." He yelled out in frustration as he sat in the small tub.
Suddenly, the door flew open with it not having any locks, and a panicked Azreal ran in. "Master, are you ok?" She asked in a concerned panic.
"I'm fucking fine." Anon growled out, gripping his forehead as water rained on him.
Seeing that Anon is not in any immediate danger. Azreal slowly approached and began picking up the damp shower curtain. After folding it up and picking up any of the metal rings that snapped. Once finished, she knelt down by the tub. Anon was still clutching his head.
"Are you ok sir?" Azreal asked in a soft tone.
Anon sighed before lowering his hand. "I'm fine. Sorry for yelling." He replied, his voice soaked in guilt. She gave a soft chuckle as she noticed his back, partly soapy, with his bad arm being the side not fully cleaned. At that moment it clicked.
"Would you like me to wash your back, sir." Azreal asked, her tone Turing friendly.
Anon looked as if he was about to straight out refuse, which would not have surprised Azreal. He seemed to swallow his pride as he replied. "Yes."
After that, his shower did not take much longer, after Azreal helped with his back he assured her he was capable of doing the rest.
Anon walked out the bathroom with his shirt and sling in his hand as he sat down in the living room, where he began putting on his shirt and reapplying his sling, with some difficulty. Azreal sat quietly on the other side of the same sofa with a clipboard and pencil.
After applying his sling, the human moved on to taking some things out of his pack. As he did, he noticed Azreal with the clipboard. "You making a checklist?" Anon asked, turning his attention back to his pack.
The demon glanced towards the human. "Nah, just sketching." She said nonchalantly.
"You can sketch?" He said in slight surprise.
Azreal shrugged. "When you live as long as I do. You tend to pick up a few things."
Anon replied with a 'hmm' before closing up his pack as he stood up.
"Right. I'm going to Twilights, so she can poke and prod me, and shit." The human stated, walking towards the door.
"Alright, I'll see you later then." Azreal replied, not taking her eyes away from her sketch.
Anon held the door open and was about to leave before a thought crossed his mind. "You can come with me if you want."
Azreal eyes snapped towards the human. "Are you sure?" The demon asked. Struggling to contain her excitement.
"Why not. I don't know how long this will take, and I would rather have a normal conversation than be told a fact about every fucking book in the room." The human replied.
And with that, Azreal put her stuff down and hopped up.
"Probably best to change to a pony, though." Anon added as she made her way to the door.
Azreal shrugged. "Fair enough." She replied as she began to take her clothes off. Anon looked away.
"I don't mind." the demon stated. The sounds of clothes hitting the floor accompanied her voice.
"I do." The human simply replied. "In the future, just try and act like privacy is a thing."
Twilight was in her study. Sheets of paper and scrolls strew the large desk, The purple alicorn levitated each sheet to herself as she skimmed and quickly copied down the information into a slim black book, once done with a page, Twilight levitated it into a pile on the edge of her desk that threatened to tumble off.
With a sigh, Twilight placed her quill back into the ink pot and stretched, craning her neck left and right, which gave slight pops as her joints were reawakened. Eyeing the cup of tea to her left, she took a sip before scrunching up her face.
"Cold again. Damn it." Twilight muttered to herself.
At that moment, a knock came from the large arches doors at the other side of the room.
"It's open." The alicorn stated, picking up a stray sheet as she began slowly skimming it.
The door clicked and slowly swung open to reveal Starlight.
"Hey Twilight. How is that report coming along?" Starlight asked as she walked into the room, levitating a small stack of paper. The lavender unicorn made her way to the desk.
"A bit slower than I would prefer. But if the experiments with Anon later go smoothly, I should be able to finish it off today." Twilight replied, resting her head on her hoof. Not looking away from the paper, she was reading.
Starlight approached the desk and levitated the stack of papers onto it. Twilight glanced towards the new stack before returning her gaze to the singular sheet in front of her.
"Are you ok Twilight? You seem a bit down." Starlight asked in concern.
"I'm fine. Just not a big fan of reports on my friends. More specifically Anon."
"Oh right, I forgot you were doing that one." Starlight added.
Twilight placed the sheet of paper she was reading into the pile. It wobbled slightly, but still did not topple.
"Can I vent to you for a minute?" Twilight asked in slight desperation.
The sudden request surprised Starlight slightly, but the lavender unicorn quickly regained her composure. "Of course." She replied, returning Twilights words with a friendly smile.
"OK. So, when Anon first arrived in Equestria. I of course sent a letter to Princess Celestia. Ever since then, I have been keeping tabs on Anon and reporting any major events, per her request. But, ever since I told her about the demon summoning incident. Celestia has asked me to compile a complete report of any and all events, no matter how small, from when he first arrived to present day. I'm just so worried that I have somehow painted Anon in a bad light, or somehow made Celestia think less of him, which I know in my heart she would never do. Of course, he has his issues, we all do. But I don't know what to say to try and remove any doubt of Anon Celestia might have. Because he talks about his past, where he is from, or even basic information about him. And it does not help that ponies here are scared of him. The slightest movement from him appears to spook them. I have almost ten reports from local ponies who claim that Anon or 'A tall bipedal monkey' is stalking their back gardens. When I know for a fact that these ponies live where Anon likes to travel, at the edge of town because although he does not seem to be afraid of us. He still ignores groups of ponies when he can."
Twilight took a deep inhale as she face-planted into the desk and let out a large, muffled sigh. The large stack of papers to the Alicorns left wobbled from the sudden strike to the table as it began to tumble off before Starlight caught it in her telekinetic grip and placed them back on, and a bit further away from the edge.
After that Starlight remained silent as her brain caught up with the sudden info dump she received before walking around the table and approaching Twilight, placing a hoof on her withers.
"Would you like some help?" Starlight asked with a friendly smile.
Twilight raised her head from the desk as she turned to look at Starlight. "That would be appreciated."
Achoo
"Jesus. That came out of nowhere." Anon exclaimed, rubbing his nose.
Anon and Azrael walked through the outskirts of Ponyville, making their way to Twilight's castle.
"You're not catching a cold, are you?" Asked Azrael, matching Anon's pace.
"Doubt it. Never really get ill, unless there is some weird ass disease I don't know about." Anon responded.
Azrael lifted her head up in thought as she looked at the evening sky. "Hmm, nothing that really stands out. I think there was a case of cutie pox a while ago. Although it was a rumour, so take that, however." She thought out loud, lowering her head again, the purple castle came into her view.
"Wow, that is very impressive. Also, very out of place for a small town like this." Azrael commented, as she eyed each ridge and corner of the castle's exterior.
"Yeah, Twilight did tell me how it was built. But I actually can't really remember. I think it was something to do with the tree of harmony."
The pair made their way up the short steps of the castle, standing before the large door. Anon looked down at Azrael to see a worried expression creeping on her face.
"You good?" Anon asked simply.
"Just a bit nervous. Celestia does have the power to banish me or worse, and Twilight has a direct connection to her. So I'm just going through all the scenarios of me somehow pissing her off." Azrael explained, her body shivered slightly as she finished.
"Don't worry, it will all work out." Anon said with confidence, rasing his arm to reach the doorbell.
Azrael turned her head away from the wall, she was giving a vacant stare. And looked up at Anon. "How can you be sure though?" The demon asked.
"Simple" Anon started, pressing the doorbell, which replied with a simple set of notes that could be heard playing throughout the castle. "I made a promise".
After a minute, the door unlocked and opened, to reveal a small purple dragon.
"Oh, hello Anon. And miss…?" The dragon began, looking from the human to the pony.
"Azrael." the demon answered.
"I see-Oh, Anon, are you ok? What happened?" The dragon asked in concern.
"I'm fine little man, here to see Twi about the experiments. Also brought a plus one." Anon answered, quelling the dragons concerns.
"Right. I'll let her know you're here. Just wait in the living room on the left when you enter." The dragon instructed, making his way quickly around the corner.
Anon watched the dragon leave before walking in and closing the door. "Right, guess we wait." The human assumed, making his way to the instructed area.
"And, done." Starlight exclaimed with relief as she finished copying down the last page.
"Finally. I still can't believe Anon threw that pony in front of anyone. That's not going to help his image." Twilight commented, slumping back in her chair.
Starlight was going to reply, before spike wandered in.
"Hey Twilight. Anon and Azrael has arrived. They are waiting in the living room for you."
"Anon and who?" "Oh, right." Twilight remembered. "Could you please make them some tea while I tidy up?" The alicorn asked, her tiredness slipping through. "And some coffee for me as well, if you don't mind." She added.
Spike smiled and nodded. "Of course I'll- HUUUURGGEHH!." Spike said before being interrupted by spewing green flames which revealed a letter that fell to the ground. "Letter for you." the dragon added, holding up the scroll.
"I'll read it later, I should probably greet our guests. And thank you, Starlight. I really appreciate it." Twilight commented with a friendly smile.
Starlight returned the smile as she got up from her own chair. "Of course. I'll be in my room. Just got a new kite kit." She grinned wildly as she trotted out the room.
"And I'll get started on the beverages." Spike reiterated as she scampered out the room after Starlight.
Twilight stretched before sighing. "Time for science." She muttered to herself, regaining her motivation, as she too left the room.
Anon and Azrael sat in the main living room. It seemed to have a homely design, similar to a large cabin. Although the sharp contrast to the purple tinted crystals seem to nullify the intended effect. In the living room, the duo sat at the large elongated glass coffee table, a large white sofa with purple trimmings at each end. Upon the table were seven coasters, each one had the cutie mark of Twilight and her friends.
Anon leaned back into the sofa, the back cushion giving way to his human weight. To his right was Azrael, she had seemed to calm herself slightly.
At that moment, the door to the living room slowly swung open, revealing the small dragon holding a tray of beverages, as well as a few biscuits. "Sorry. That took longer than expected, I forgot where the biscuits were." The purple dragon apologised, making his way quickly to the coffee table. "I remembered that you prefer coffee to tea. Miss Azrael, I'm afraid I don't know your preference, so I just went with chamomile." The dragon explained while giving out their respective drinks.
"Thanks little man." Anon commented.
"It's fine, thank you." Azrael added.
Just as quickly as he arrived, the little dragon left. Closing the door behind him.
Anon immediately picked up his beverage and took a long sip, releasing a content sigh. "I'm gonna have to nick some of this later. Shits good." Anon commented, laying back into the sofa. As he looked over to Azrael, he both saw and heard the demon struggling to pick up the tea filled cup.
"You good?" Anon asked with a hint of amusement.
"How do... Ugh, ponies pick up stuff with their hooves? It's fucking impossible." Azrael replied with frustration dripping from her voice.
"Just grow hands or something." Anon suggested, matter of fact.
Azrael stopped her attempts and looked to Anon. "It looks weird, though. I don't want to give Twilight or Celestia another reason to banish me." The demon replied, her frustration replaced with worry.
"Fuck 'em. You focus on being comfortable, I will deal with the royals. " Anon said with confidence.
Azrael gave him a soft smile before the end of her forehooves began to melt slightly as three individual digits began to protrude in a claw like fashion. Once her fur had covered the new limbs, she proceeded to pick up and sip the tea.
"Ooh, that's actually quite nice." The demon hummed.
After five minutes of idle chatter. The door clicked, gaining the duo's attention as it slowly opened, revealing a metal cart, with machines, lab equipment and a few files. As well as some miscellaneous items which threatened to fall off the cart with how much equipment sat upon it.
The trolley squeaked and wobbled as it entered the room, the handle encompassed in a purple aura, making its way further into the room with the purple alicorn walking in behind it. Spotting this, Azrael retracted her new digits. "Right then, Anon, since we already did the initial tests, this one will be a lot less invasive. Mainly focused on how your magic is developing and a couple of other things." Twilight said, while looking at Anon, she could not help giving Azrael a few glances as she finished pushing the cart up to the coffee table.
Twilight spent a few minutes setting everything up. The two machines were set onto the glass table delicately. One looked like a smaller version of a printer, it had a paper tongue and a needle pressing against the exposed paper. The other looked similar to a microscope, but more bulky and with an attached rack that held warped glass circles. During her setup, the due simply sat in silence as the Alicorn got to work.
Once finished, the machines let out a small beep with a green light, signalling they were ready.
"Right. Before we start. Apple jack told me that you dislocated your shoulder but got it set. If that's the case, then I can fix it quickly by speeding up the healing process." Twilight offered with a friendly smile.
"That would be appreciated." Anon replied simply. Soon after, Twilight's purple aura encompassed Anon's shoulder as his natural healing process was altered. The human felt a strange sensation down his arm, similar to pins and needles. The healing only lasted for a few seconds, once done, the human's discomfort and soreness went away.
Easily slipping his arm out of the sling, the human stretched his arm as it cracked and popped. Removing the sling dangling from his neck, the human shoved it into his pocket, pushing past his trusty pocket knife.
"Ok. I'm going to ask you a few question to begin with. Some of these question I might already know, but to see if from your perspective is important as well. So, since last time. Do you think your magic has grown? Like it's strength, versatility or just general output." Twilight started, a stack of paper in front of her and a quill in her magical grasp.
Anon scratched his chin before speaking. "Yeah, before I was barely able to create threads. Now I am able to haul hay bales and sling rocks. That sort of thing, I can also create objects I am able to visualize, but they are a pain in the arse to do and take a lot out of me." Anon explained, sitting further forward on the sofa.
Twilight wrote down as she mumbled to herself. "Ok, and any notable events using said magic?" She commented, finishing off the last line.
Anon looked up at the crystal ceiling in thought. Only thing I can really think of is killing a couple of those timber dog, wolf things." Anon replied as he shrugged.
"What?" Twilight demanded, her voice dripping with shock
Not fazed by Twilights sudden change, Anon spoke. "Killed a couple of the wood wolves, then burned em." The human said matter-of-factly.
Azrael had just been looking at the machines, trying to comprehend what they did. Until a loud snap came from Twilight's direction. Looking over, the quill she had been writing with was cleanly snapped in two.
"Why in all of Equestria would you, A: fight a timber wolf and B: Burn it. Do you not know how dangerous they can be!? Twilight demanded loudly.
"I needed firewood, and I can handle myself." Anon stated, his tone hinted at annoyance and confusion.
"You live next to a bucking forest!" Twilight exclaimed loudly yet again. Her forehooves were now on the coffee table as she stood up.
"The warped trees smell better when burnt, and the wolves actually smelt pretty good too. Anon replied, giving his opinion.
Twilight took a deep breath as she sat back down. "Look. Timber wolves are made up of negatives emotions and energy. When they have sustained enough damage, their essence or soul as some people call it, leave the body, leaving it to crumble as it goes back into the forest to find enough material to rebuild itself. Even with no soul, the sticks and branches that held them together still hold small pieces of their soul until it seeps back into the ground. If you burn it, the soul becomes airborne and infects any nearby creature. Causing them to lose stability of its negative emotions. That's why we can't just burn the forest back." Twilight explained, her temper calming as she recalled the forest's history.
Anon rubbed his temples. "That might explain a few things." He stated. "I'm going to the bathroom, I need to splash myself with water." Anon stated, standing up for the sofa and making his way to the door.
"Do you know where it is?" Twilight quickly asked.
"Pretty sure, If I get lost, I'll just call for the little guy." Anon replied. "Or just summon another demon, who knows." He said sarcastically as he left the room.
The human began to wander in the rough direction of the toilets. Taking a left here and a right there, his directional confidence began to waver. Until he came across an open door. Looking inside, he saw what looked like an office or a study, with the small dragon sliding some books back into their proper place.
"Hey little man, know where the bathroom is from here?" Anon asked, his voice seeming slightly exhausted.
Spike just finished slotting in the last book before turning around.
"Hmm, oh yeah, sure. Continue down until a T-junction. Turn left, then it's the third door on the left." Spike explained, hopping down from the stool he was standing on, clutching an unopened scroll as he made his way to the door. "Oh, by the way. I think the book on the table is yours. Your name is on the front. Anyway, I promised Starlight I would help build a kite with her. See you later." The small dragon informed, jogging out of the room.
Anon was able to say 'thanks' before he left. With this new information about a book, the human was too intrigued to ignore it.
Standing by the desk, there laid a black book with Anon wrote on the front in white. Shrugging, Anon picked it up and read the first page.
His curious expression turned to one of confusion. The first page seemed to just be a generalization of what Anon is as a species. He turned the page to see his personality explored. Again and again he flipped the page. Confusion and outright disbelief plastered his face.
And then he turned the page again, his heart sank as his blood boiled.
Event that lead to Anon's arrival: Magic from a unicorn by the name of Astral Lexicon.
Status: Alive but critical
Anon's body put together the pieces before his brain, but it caught up.
Astral Lexicon stral Lexico tral Lexic ral Lexi al Lex
Anon gripped either side of the small black book, holding it open as his nails dug into the paper, his eyes boring into the written letters.
"Hey, what's up? Heard you yelling my name." Alex asked with concern behind the human.
Anon didn't respond for a few seconds, remaining perfectly still. He then slowly turned around until his eyes met Alex, his powerful grip on the book threatened to break the carefully written report. The human eyes flashed green as small tendrils of magic began to emerge from his body, slithering around his form. His hands became coated in magic before the book could not hold on any longer and was snapped in two.
Anon held the torn book in each of his hands before letting it drop to the floor, sheets of loose paper scattered around the human, his eyes still staring into Alex.
"Astral... Lexicon." Anon spoke slowly through gritted teeth.
Alex's winced at the name before taking a few steps back "Ah, I see. B-before you do anything rash, I just need you to know that It's not what it looks like." Alex explained.
Anon moved the target of his piercing gaze from Alex to the floor before his eyes closed. "This entire time... I was being played. I'm such a fucking idiot." The human thought out loud as a small smile spread across his face.
Alex took a hesitant step forward. Even though he could not be hurt, Anon's current state still made him weary. "Just understand that it was an accident. I never-"
"YOU DO NOT RUIN MY FUCKING LIFE AND GET TO CALL IT AN ACCIDENT YOU LYING ASSHOLE!" Anon roared, his voice echoing off the crystal walls as it boomed around the castle. His eyes met Alex's again as every fibre of his body was enveloped in rage. His teeth were gritted, threatening to tear into the gums that held them, his fingernails dug into his palms as his hands were clenched into a shaking fist.
Alex took a few steps closer, even though his mind was screaming at him to run. "I didn't have my memories when we first met, I slowly gained them over time, but I only recently realised who I was."
"Let me guess, you never found a good time to mention it?" Anon questioned with sarcasm
Alex tried to find the right words, but every time his mind came up blank. "I'm sorry."
"Fuck you. Just be glad you don't actually exist, I'd make you wish you didn't." Anon took a swing at Alex as it passed through him, turning around. The human began walking out of the room.
Alex had a contemplative look on his face before closing his eyes. "I. I think I'm in the Ponyville hospital." He said hesitantly
Anon stopped before turning around. "Why would you tell me this?" The human questioned.
"Because you're right. Even if it was an accident, I ruined your life. Took everything you knew away from you and stranded you in an unknown world. The least you deserve is some kind of justice." Alex said with a sad smile brushed across his features.
Twilight and Azrael mainly sat in silence. The alicorn would occasionally try and spark up conversation for Azrael to give a short reply. The silence was broken when the door opened to reveal Spike holding a scroll.
"Sorry for interrupting Twilight, but I found an unread scroll from Princess Celestia." The small dragon said before promptly handing the scroll over.
"Thanks spike, I forgot about that. Have you seen Anon by the way? He is taking a long time, and I'm worried he has gotten lost again."
"I did yeah. I gave him some directions, but he is probably reading that book you made him." Spike explained simply.
Twilight coked her head at her assistant. "Book? What book?" She replied in confusion.
"The black one with his name on the front. It was left in your study."
Twilight thought for a second before her eyes went wide. "Oh, Celestia, please no." The alicorn mumbled.
Just as Twilight was about to speak again, the trio heard a loud roar that echoed throughout the castle. As it ended, they sprang into action and began sprinting down the hallway. Spike had managed to hop onto Twilight's back.
"What did you do?" Azrael asked in-between breaths.
"I'll tell you when we get there." Twilight replied, using her wings to glide between gallops.
The trio rounded the next corner and saw the open door of the study. Quickly running in, they saw no sign of Anon. Instead, all that was of note in the room was a ripped book with loose papers strewn across the floor and the wide open arched window which let a cold evening breeze in.
Spike hopped off Twilight and began collecting the scattered papers. Azrael looked at the one by her feet, it described the actions and events of today, until a few hours ago. "You were spying on him?" Azrael questioned with distaste.
Twilight flinched at the accusation. "No, well, not me anyway. It's one of the many cons of being a princess. Having to make tough decisions that affect the lives of others."
After gathering the last of the paper, spike walked up to Twilight with a defeated posture. "I'm sorry Twilight. I didn't know." Spike apologised.
Twilight patted the purple dragon's head before speaking. "It's not your fault, spike. You were just being a good friend. I should not have left it out." The alicorn said softly, Spike stood beside Twilight as she draped a wing over his shoulder comfortingly.
"Where do you think he went off to?" Spike questioned.
"I'm not sure, I imagine home, given the information he has learnt of. It's probably a lot to proc-"
Before twilight could finish speaking, the room was suddenly bathed in white. Blinding the current occupants as a tall and pale alicorn stood in the centre of the room.
"Hello, my little ponies!" Celestia greeted cheerfully.
Twilight took a few moments to get fer vision back before speaking. "Princess Celestia? What are you doing here. Is something wrong?" The purple alicorn asked in surprise.
Celestia gave her pupil a slightly confused look. "Of course not, dear Twilight, I sent you a letter of my visit."
Twilight took the scroll from spike and quickly read it. "Ah. Apologise Princess. I was preoccupied."
"Twilight, please, just Celestia is fine. And it's fine, no harm was done." The sun princess replied before looking around the room as her eyes landed on another pony. "Ah, you must be miss Azrael. I'm glad we finally get to meet. Apologise for the sudden appearance."
Azrael shuddered at the mention of her name. "It's no problem, Princess." The demon replied as she bowed respectively.
Celestia took another quick gander around the room before looking back at Twilight. "Where is Anon. Is he not feeling well?"
Twilight shuddered this time. "Well, within the past few minutes or so. Anon has found out that Alex was the pony who had summoned him, and that said pony is alive." Twilight explained sheepishly.
"Wait, Alex is the one who did this to him? And you never told him?" Azrael suddenly asked in shock.
"I wanted to, but Anon was so twitchy and aggressive when he first arrived, and I was afraid what he might do if he found out. Then I learn that Alex was talking him out of some things and genuinely helping him calm down, so I left it until I found a good time to mention it." Twilight explained.
"My dear Twilight, it is never a good idea to hold sensitive information from someone. I hope you learn from this." Celestia said with a hint of a teacher's voice.
"So what do we do now?" Spike added from underneath Twilights wing.
"Well, I never wrote down where Al- Astral was being kept, so Anon won't know." Twilight reasoned.
"Unless Astral told him." Azrael added.
"But why would he do that?" Spike quickly questioned.
"Because if they were truly friends. The truth would be shared." Celestia added lastly. "Unless he has been moved, he is in Ponyville hospital. We should head there quickly without causing a scene. Anon is in a vulnerable state and could act without thinking." Celestia planned.
Twilight had a spark of remembrance before everyone began moving. "Oh, that reminds me. Anon told me he had burned some Timber wolf wood for firewood. With what has gone on, it will consume him."
Celestia's eyes widened slightly. "I see, we better hurry then."
Anon stood at the side of the hospital as 4 stories of windows stood in front of him. "Which f̸loor?" Anon asked coldly
"I'm not sure, I feel stronger, but I can't tell from here. It's at least second."
Anon took off his shoes as his hands and feet became enveloped with magic. After giving it strong adhesive properties. Anon began to climb the wall.
It took a second to get used to not having to physically grip. But he quickly enough made it to the second floor. "H̷igher̶?"
"Yeah, should be the next floor. But you need to go to the right more." Alex directed.
Anon followed his instructions, occasionally checking the windows he passed by. "Should be the next one. It feels really close."
Anon went to the next window and saw, through the window, a light blue male unicorn with a light orange mane.
"That's me..." Alex confirmed
The window was ajar. Anon attempted to open it fully, but it refused to do so, the human noticed the small piece of metal connected the window to the frame that limited its movements. Anon placed his finger onto the screw that held it in place. Making sure he could support his weight with three limbs and adding s small amount of adhesive magic to his finger. Began twisting the screw loose until it fell out the window. Hitting the grass below. Now with the ability to fully open the window. Anon climbed in.
"I hope this brings you peace. And I'm truly sorry for everything. I wish you the best of luck."
Anon's eyes flashed a darker green as he reached for his back pocket. Feeling the familiar metal frame of his pocket knife, he pulled it out. The knife blade swung open and clicked in place as the human held it in a reverse grip.
A voice boomed in his head as he held it up high above the unconcious pony.
D̸O̵ ̶I̵T̶
D̷̻̈O̷̮̔ ̵̻̐I̷̟͋T̶̞́
D̷̟̚͠O̵͓̔ ̵̥͂ Ī̵͜T̷̥͍̕
D̷͖̥̙͛͑̚Ȏ̷̢͜ ̷̼̾ Ḯ̴ͅŢ̷̐
Anon swung down his arm as the knife pierced, causing feathers to fly out of the pillow. Anon had stabbed the pillow inches away from the ponies neck as he breathed heavily. "N̵̻͐ỏ̵̳t̷̮̃... In contȑ̵͙o̵̮̒l̵̻͛." The human spoke through gritted teeth.
Letting go of the knife, Anon stumbled backwards untill he hit the wall that seperated patients. His eyes began to spark a foul green as he gripped his head, shaking it to try and clear his mind. His right hand let go of his head and began to reach towards the unconcious pony. Wrestling to keep it still, Anon realised this was a losing battle and decided to take drastic measures. bending down, Anons torso becam parralel with the floor untill he swung back with all his might untill his head made contact with the wall as unconcious took him.
Anon stirs awake. His eyes open to what seems to be an endless, black void. The floor gives off a light metallic sheen, making it easily distinguishable from the sky. Before he could utter a word, a foul green cloud forms a metre in front of him. Unsure of what is going on, Anon decides to take a stance and wait.
The human does not have to wait long, however, as the cloud forms into a wooden wolf. A collection of twigs and branches he has seen before. Dropping his stance, the human scowls at the formed cloud. In return, it just smiles.
Anon swipes the smoke, disrupting it as the momentum forced it apart. It does not take long however for it to reshape as the human walks past.
"𝕐͔͋𝕠̟̋𝕦̝͐ ̻ͧ𝕔̥ͮ𝕒̗̈́𝕟͎ͩ𝕟̩̌𝕠͇ͮ𝕥͈͋ ͓ͧ𝕘̪͒𝕖͖̓𝕥͍̚ ̻̑𝕣̣ͪ𝕚̺͗𝕕̗̘̊ͩ ͍̈𝕠͔ͥ𝕗͔̔ ̻́𝕞̮̌𝕖̪͛ ̜̿𝕥̻̎𝕙̍ͅ𝕒͔́𝕥͕͐ ͚̈́𝕖͚͗𝕒̖ͩ𝕤̤ͤ𝕪̬ͮ" The smoke states, its voice echoes between the nothingness as it floats past Anon. The human in return continues walking, not giving the creature even a glance in response.
It swirls around Anon, keeping up with his paced walking. "𝕎͔ͯ𝕙͓̀𝕒̩̐𝕥͎̉ ̗ͬ𝕨̹ͤ𝕚̞ͬ𝕝͕̓𝕝̺̊ ̯ͮ𝕥̖ͭ𝕙̯ͭ𝕖͔͊𝕪̯̽ ̰̔𝕤̯̏𝕒̟ͣ𝕪̱̃ ̦̋𝕨͍̆𝕙͍̇𝕖̠͋𝕟̼̎ ̥̓𝕥̺̅𝕙̳̿𝕖̬ͭ𝕪͎ͨ ͖̎𝕗͍̇𝕚̞̈́𝕘ͣͅ𝕦̲̌𝕣̞ͯ𝕖̙̉ ̥ͭ𝕚̭̏𝕥͕ͥ ̗͛𝕠͇͛𝕦̘̈́𝕥̞ͦ?̣͐" It asks, making sure to keep eye contact with every word. "𝕎̣̎𝕙̰͂𝕖̯̄𝕟̤ͬ ̲̅𝕥̜́𝕙̗̈𝕖͎ͥ𝕪͍͌ ̞ͬ𝕗͉̇𝕚̣͌𝕟̟ͩ𝕕̼͛ ͍̄𝕠̤͒𝕦̤͂𝕥͙͌ ͇͐𝕨̳̍𝕙̥̈́𝕒͈ͤ𝕥̦ͪ ̦̆𝕪̝̏𝕠͔̿𝕦̯̋ ̞ͦ𝕣͔͂𝕖̼̄𝕒͖̂𝕝̠̈́𝕝̠ͤ𝕪̠ͭ ̠̃𝕒̟ͣ𝕣̲̄𝕖͓ͥ.̗̈́"
"𝕀̝ͫ ͈̈́𝕤̬͋𝕖͖̓𝕖͓̇ ̘̿𝕪͓ͮ𝕠̪̅𝕦̠͌𝕣͙̅ ͓̈́𝕥̠͊𝕙̹̔𝕠ͨͅ𝕦͎͗𝕘͙̑𝕙̫̿𝕥̲̊𝕤̠̈,͑ͅ ͇̇𝕪̼̂𝕠͈͋𝕦͓̃𝕣͚ͯ ̟͐𝕞̣̉𝕖̫̍𝕞̘͛𝕠͖̈́𝕣̼͑𝕚͙ͥ𝕖͚̂𝕤̫̍.̠͂ ̙͋𝕀̠̓ ͕̀𝕤̰̍𝕖̲̆𝕖͎͂ ͉̑𝕙̤͋𝕠̬ͪ𝕨͈̼͆ͩ ̼̃𝕔̪ͨ𝕝͎̆𝕠̤̔𝕤̞ͦ𝕖͎̅ ̦ͬ𝕪̰ͬ𝕠͕͂𝕦̦̈ ̗ͤ𝕒̮̍𝕣̫̑𝕖̥ͭ ͈ͮ𝕥̦͑𝕠̪̔ ̻̽𝕓̗̿𝕣̫̿𝕖̩̑𝕒̣͛𝕜̱̐𝕚̜̿𝕟̩ͩ𝕘̣̄.͉͛ ͍̄𝔸̠̈𝕝̯ͪ𝕨̰͗𝕒͇̋𝕪̘̓𝕤͚̀ ̜͐𝕤͔ͮ𝕠̘̅ ̗̑𝕨̫̿𝕖̳͆𝕒̯͋𝕜̝̑.͔̒" The creature states, continuing to circle and even touch Anon, leaving trails of smoke from contact.
Eventually, the human stops. "Weak? I'm not the one hiding as smoke. I beat your pathetic ass once, I can do it again."
The creature laughs, but the noise comes out more as a series of short screeches. "𝕎̞̆𝕖̰ͨ ̫͐𝕒͕̈𝕣̳͆𝕖͈͋ ͙ͬ𝕟̬̌𝕠̖́𝕥̦̍ ͔͑𝕡͖͒𝕖̹͆𝕣̹͒𝕤̭͛𝕦͍͆𝕒̗ͯ𝕕͕͂𝕖̙̉𝕕̫̽ ͇͋𝕓̟̌𝕪͓̂ ̩ͣ𝕪̯ͨ𝕠̜ͯ𝕦̼̒𝕣͉̾ ͈̋𝕨̮͒𝕠̲̏𝕣͖͌𝕕͙̊𝕤̤̐.͎ͫ ͎̇𝕎̰̑𝕖̦ͨ ̘̽𝕕͉ͯ𝕠̯̓ ̯̆𝕟̭̂𝕠̜̅𝕥̥̑ ̜͊𝕙͙̉𝕒̥̀𝕧̦ͧ𝕖͇̓ ̖ͨ𝕥̪̐𝕙̟̑𝕖̾ͅ ͓̂𝕤̳ͤ𝕙͚ͪ𝕒̘̚𝕝͔̈𝕝͓̊𝕠̤͆𝕨͖̿ ̺̐𝕕̟͑𝕖̞ͣ𝕤̬ͬ𝕚͉̈𝕣̩̐𝕖̲̍𝕤͔͑ ̫̀𝕪̰̚𝕠̗̂𝕦̬̇𝕣͎̎ ̫̔𝕜̗̽𝕚̺͗𝕟̺ͨ𝕕͇̊ ̩͌𝕙̩̔𝕒͈ͣ𝕤͍́.̬̆" The creature informs. As it finishes talking, the smoke begins to sputter and drip, as if a rain cloud, before pieces of the fogged creature fall to the ground as chunks of gunk.
Most of the creature was now splattered on the floor as Anon felt a sudden dizziness hit him. Struggling to keep his balance, the human wobbled and stumbled until falling onto his back
GASP The human eyes shoot open as his lungs take in as much oxygen as possible. A bright light from above forces his to raise his hands until something prevents their movement, followed by a rattling clang. Blinking the blinding light away, the human attempts to take in his surroundings. Apart from the theme of white, it seemed to be a hospital room of some kind, but not quite finished.
A few of the foam roof panels were missing, with visible cable running towards the fluorescent bulb in the middle. Realizing he is laid down, Anon lifts his head to look at the rest of his body. While a white sheet covered it, his arms were clearly cuffed to either side of the bed's railing. His right thumb had a plastic clamp on it with wires that lead to a heart monitor. Which let out a series of fast beeps. Across the room was a small table which had a few bottles with a mortar and pestle next to it.
"Yeah that tracks." The human said looking at the cuffs. Gazing at his left hand, the human attempts to summon magic to remove the cuffs to no avail, not even a spark. Looking at the same hand more carefully. Anon notices a black ring with golden symbols that shimmered slightly. Attempting his magic again, the ring's shimmer brightened significantly before dimming down along with the human attempts. "This would have been nice to have before."
The ring seemed to be a loose fit. Using his thumb, the human attempted to push the ring up his finger. After a few minutes, the ring slid off with a bing as it hit the hospital floor. Now with his magic freed, Anon released a few tendrils of magic from his fingertips that wrapped around each other, forming a thin cylinder with a small rectangular protrusion near one end. This was the shape of the almost universal cuff key. With the tendrils still connected, Anon manipulated the key into the cuff's lock and twisted. The human felt the grip on his wrist release as he pulled his hand away, the cuff now opening fully until it slid off.
Anon had an easier time unlocking the other handcuff with his free hand. Once he was no longer shackled to the bed, the human swung his legs off the bed and stood up. Once he had taken off the plastic finger clamp, the human picked up the discarded ring and pocketed it for later. Not long after his thumb was freed, did the machine elicit a continues tone, to which was joined by a series of small but loud beeps which seemed to play out the room also.
Anon sat back on the bed as he put his shoes back on. During this, he heard a commotion outside, which joined the beeping. Not long after, the door swung open as two ponies which included Redheart and a crash cart flowed in.
The ponies stopped when they saw the human alive, Anon just gave them a quick glance as he went back to his laces. "Can you shut that off? It's annoying." The human asked simply.
Redheart sighed before turning to her colleague. "Put the cart back, please, I'll deal with this." To which her colleague simply nodded and left with the cart.
The white pony moved past Anon and pressed a few buttons on the heart monitor until is ceased all function. She then direction her attention to the human next to her, who just finished his shoe tying. "I have been briefed on the situation. I just want you to know how grave this could have been. Attempted murder, influenced or not, is still as serious as it gets here. I'm going to fetch the princess. Stay here."
Anon seemed to think about it for a moment before shrugging. "Fuck it, Not like I have anything else to do."
"And stop swearing. It's so unnecessary." Redheart said in an infuriated tone.
The pony left as she closed the door. Leaving Anon alone once again. The human tapped his knee in thought for a few seconds before sighing.
"Alex?" Anon said in a reserved tone.
Unlike before, Alex took longer to appear, Anon seemed to not comment on it.
"I'm here." Alex said simply as he stood in the corner.
Anon kept his eyes locked on the bed as his facial took on a look of frustration and anger. "I'm not going to apologise for how I felt. But I will for my actions. In my moment of weakness, it pounced. I just felt so angry."
His face changed again to a more neutral one before gaining a sly smile. "Don't get me wrong, you're still an asshole, but a useful one."
Alex seemed to smile at the comment. "I understand. I just hope someday I can do enough good to you to outweigh the bad." Alex said honestly.
Hey, just a quick warning. This chapter talks about subjects which may not be suitable for all, such as Death and Death threats. There are no descriptions of such.
Also. Possibility of mentioned subjects added to later chapters although not confirmed. Similar warning will be provided. IF needed, relevant tags will be added.
Anon was laid on the hospital bed. Lost in thought as his eyes focused on a singular point, the ceiling held. His left hand was mindlessly fiddling with the magic dampening ring he had not long since removed.
When Redheart left to get the princess and possibly others. Anon just sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for them. When five minutes turned into ten, he opted to lay back down with his hands behind his head. When ten minutes turned into twenty. Anon changed to his current position. Now thirty minutes have passed, the human's already limited patience was being stretched to its limit. But, just as Anon was about to act on this thought, the door opened.
First to enter was princess Celestia, having to duck slightly as she passed the door frame. After her was princess Twilight, then Redheart, then Azrael and then someone he has heard of but never met. Zecora.
They all filed in, Zecora was the last one who entered, so she closed the door behind her. Anon had not moved from his position, his eyes were still fixed on the ceiling, only using his peripheral vision.
By the time Celestia began to speak, Azrael had already hopped onto the bed beside Anon and sat next to him, the human in return, glanced at Azrael before returning his gaze to the ceiling.
"Anon. How are you feeling?" The white alicorn asked, her voice dripping with professionalism and authority.
"All things considered, not too bad. Apart from the fact that best case, I get thrown into prison, or I guess a dungeon. Worst case I get the noose, lethal injection or magical firing squad but the former sounds more likely." Anon replied, his voice monotone.
That's when Azrael tapped his shoulder. "That's the best part sir, they aren't going to charge you!" Azrael added in a happy voice.
Celestia quickly added on to that. "While that is indeed correct. It does have one condition attached."
Anon moved his eyes from the ceiling to Celestia for a few moments before slipping the ring onto his index finger and sitting up. Twilight noticed this little action and raised an eyebrow.
"Go on then, what's my soul worth." Anon replied in mock interest.
Twilight noticed a difference in Anon's posture and mannerisms. When he had met Celestia before, he seemed cautious and nervous. Now it seemed he was more relaxed and carefree.
"I will ask you a series of questions. Answer them truthfully and simply, I will determine how to move forward with the answers you provide."
"How do you know what we are saying is the tru-" Anon stopped himself as he remembered the mortar and pestle in the corner of the room. "I see, you drugged me. So what, I can't lie or something will happen?"
"No real harm will fall upon you, it's just so we know when you speak lie or speak true. You will lose your voice when a lie is said, this stops us from being misled." Zecora informs.
Anon looks up at the ceiling in thought for a few moments before returning his attention to the group. "I hate the film, Pacific ri-" Anon attempted to say. Before he could finish, the human felt his throat seize up. He began coughing as his airways stopped responding to his attempted speech. "Wow..." Anon spoke quietly and with a heavy rasp. "That's really annoying." He commented as each word sounded more clear.
After a few more moments of coughing, with Azrael patting his back. Anon faced the group once more. "Before we continue, I wanna add something to this little deal."
Celestia gave the human a scrutinising look before speaking. "As long as this 'addition' is reasonable. I will have no objections." The alicorn replied simply.
"Let me see Alex." Anon demanded boldly.
"Will you hurt Mr.Lexicon in any way, shape or form. Or put other ponies in danger?"
"No." Anon replied without issue.
Celestia waited a moment then looked at Zecora who simply nodded in response. "Very well. But only under supervision."
"Alright then. Before we begin, I know I've already dropped the formality thing. But can we just talk simply. Trying to decode your long ass replies is annoying."
Celestia glanced at the door for a few moments before her gaze returned. "I suppose It can be arranged just this once."
"Redheart and Zecora. I believe to be at the end of your needed guidance. If you need or would like to leave and return to your prior work. Please feel free to do so.
Redheart simply bowed to both princesses and left. Zecora took a minute to gather her things. She placed a filled bottle on Anon's bedside before leaving, the drawing on the bottle resembled a canine made of smoke with a cross through it.
Once Zecora left. Celestia cleared her throat.
"Let's begin. What is your name?" Celestia started as she sat on her haunches.
"Anonymous?" The human replied sarcastically.
"Just Anonymous. No surname or family name?"
"I do, I just don't see the point in sharing it."
"I was kinda hoping to know it as well." Azrael added
"Eh, maybe one day." Anon speculated.
"What was your profession back on your world?" Celestia asked, bringing the topic back.
*Sigh* "It depended on what was needed. Muscle, bodyguard/bouncer, Contractor, Clean-up. Whatever was needed." Anon listed.
Twilight wore a confused look, trying to piece together what profession needed these types of jobs. Celestia however looked more concerned with each job listed.
The alicorn seemed to take a deep breath before her next question. "I apologise in advance. Have you ever caused death to anyone or anypony?" Celestia asked. Her tone becoming serious.
Twilight knew the questions being asked but still flinched all the same, while Azrael had not budged.
Anon sighed again before speaking. "Ryan Bulwik aged 29. Tyler Perkins aged 38. Rishi Long aged 32. Thomas Harris aged 27 and John lowe aged 41."
The entire room went silent. Celestia looked saddened, Twilight looked shocked and Azrael's expression did not change.
"These..." Anon began, only to stop as he winced at his own thoughts. His teeth clenched, and his hands gripped onto nothing yet shook with force. The human's gaze met the inside of his own eyelids as he too clenched them shut. After a few moments he took a deep breath.
"These are the people. I killed. Either by accident or pure negligence, I robbed them of their future and broke their families. I should know how that feels, I robbed my family of their future as well." Anon explained sadly.
Celestia took a deep breath of her own before asking the last question. "Just one more, please give me a brief history of you." She asked apologetically.
Anon took a few minutes before he answered her.
"When I was young, I got into the wrong crowd and made the biggest mistake of my life. It cost me freedom, and my family the ability to live a normal life. If I ever tried to run or fight back. They would be slaughtered. But, now. I am here." Anon explains, his voice becoming shaky
Celestia and Twilight's eyes widened in realising while Azrael just hugged Anon from behind.
"If they are not already dead, then they are running for their lives. I can only hope he got to them first."
The room fell into silence once more. The only noise present was the daily traffic of the hospital halls just outside. Although muffled and quiet it seemed deafening at that very moment.
"I'm going to take a walk, if you're done with your questions that is." Anon hinted, no emotions were present in his voice, Azrael just hugged him tighter.
"I am indeed. We will be gone when you get back, please try and get some rest."
Anon did not reply as he walked past the ponies towards the door. Azrael did not hold on as he got up, rather letting her hooves fall to the bed.
The door opened and closed as Twilight's eyes began to glisten.
The hospital Anon was admitted to, had a large open area around the back. This allowed for patients to get fresh air and remain safe. It also allowed those with mobility issues to train their body while they recover. The outdoor area was split into three sections. The biggest section which took up almost two thirds, was a standard garden which included a water feature in the middle. There were flower beds along the edges and various activities for the younger patients. The other two sections were exercised but split between general fitness and mobility training.
Anon had tried to leave the hospital for his walk but was told he was not allowed to leave the premise until the drugs had left his system. For once, he did not feel like arguing and decided to just wander around the outdoor area for a while.
Twilight sat in the cafeteria located at the back of the hospital. A dandelion sandwich sat on her plate, untouched as she gazed out the window. Twilight could occasionally see the human wondering around the outdoors area, her mind was fixated on the words he had said during the interrogation. While she hates that word, it's the only one that truly describes the way they questioned him.
Azrael had approached him a few times during his dazed state, but he did not seem too talkative. Eventually he suggested that she go back home, and he would join her when he is allowed to leave. While reluctant, the demon did as she was told.
With a sigh, Twilight pushed her chair out from underneath the table and walked to the nearest vending machine. Here she purchased two coffees. The machine whirled and buzzed as it expended the items and went silent. Once both drinks were in her magical grasp, she walked to the exit which led into the back area. As she crossed the garden, staff and patients alike bowed and waved at her. Putting on a smile, the purple Alicorn waved and thanked everyone for their kindness until she reached the human, who was sat on one of the pony sized benches with his head nestled between his hands as they were propped on his knees.
"What?" Anon asked frustratedly, not moving an inch.
Twilight swallowed before speaking. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right." she explained. While she knew exactly what was wrong, it was the only way she could think of to start the conversation.
"Take a fucking guess." The human demanded, his voice slightly louder and more drawn out.
Twilight levitated the canned coffee over, shaking it slightly to get Anon's attention. Which seemed to work as he lifted his head slightly from his own grasp until he caught the drink in his view. The human reached out his hand with an open palm, which the Alicorn responded with placing the drink in his grasp.
"So what do you actually want?" Anon asked with monotone, and he leaned into the bench's backrest, the can hissed and popped as it opened. Taking a swig, his face grimaced. "That's actually fucking rank." Anon exclaimed as he took another sip.
Twilight cocked her head slightly. "Rank?" she asked, attempting to make sense of the word.
Anon finished his current gulp before replying. "It means terrible, just some slang. Usually try not to use too much of it, it's a bad habit. Anyway, you didn't answer my question." Anon explained, turning the topic back to Twilight.
"Well I do want to make sure you are ok, but more about with what I did. I also see you are wearing the dampening ring." Twilight explains while added some extra conversation on to try and defuse the situation.
Anon glances at the ring before putting his attention back on the ground in front of him. "Well. You spied on me, lied to me, invaded my house and drugged me. If this whole princess thing doesn't work out then you should apply to my line of work, got the resume for it." Anon says in a sarcastic tone.
With each listed issue, Twilight cringed at herself more and more. "For what it's worth. I am sorry, I'm not going to try and justify my actions but with you, there were so many unknowns that I just could not think of a better way." The Alicorn confessed, her eyes drooped as her wings fell slightly.
Anon sighed before turning to look at Twilight. "Fuck it. Ok listen. Right now I am going to allow three questions, I don't give a fuck what they are, I will answer them. And I'm still under the truth shit. Under one condition." Anon offered, his voice becoming serious.
Twilight immediately perked up but hesitated when she saw the seriousness on his face. "O-Ok, what's the condition?" She asked, becoming slightly nervous on the possible 'condition'
"The condition is that I-" Anon started before being cut off. "Hey! Anon, Twilight." A familiar squeaky voice called out from across the garden. Both human and pony quickly looked towards the voice.
Here they saw Rainbow dash trotting up towards them with a bandaged wing. The pair remained silent as the rainbow Pegasus got closer. "So what are you two doing here?"
"Attempted murder." Anon says flatly. Twilight looked to Anon with a shocked expression. "Anon! Literally any other way of saying it would be better." She exclaimed as she looked back towards her friend how had a mix of shock and confusion spread across her face. "It's not as bad as you think. I'll explain it all later but no one is in danger."
"Also she drugged me." Anon says in the same flat town while using his thumb to gesture towards Twilight. "Why are you like this?" Twilight exclaims again.
The Pegasus shakes her shocked look away. "I can guess I'm going to need a lot of context for anything to make sense, but that can come later." "Anyway what are you two up to currently." Rainbow asks, trying to steer the conversation.
Twilight sighs before answering. "Well Anon was about to answer a few questions on a condition."
This clearly piqued Rainbow's interest. "Oh yeah, what's the condition?" She asked. To which Twilight looked at Anon and Rainbow's gaze followed.
"The condition is that I get to fight something." Anon says as he cracks a small grin.
"What!?" Twilight replies in shock. "Cool!" Rainbow exclaims.
Twilight glances to Rainbow before looking back to Anon. "Why and what would you want to fight?" The alicorn asks genuinely.
"Simple. I like fighting. And I don't care." The human replied.
Twilight rubbed her eyes with her forhooves. "I mean, I'm sure we could set up a construct or something along those lines." Twilight considers. Rainbow ignored Twilight. "So how many questions can we ask?"
"I guess because there are two of you now, four." Anon decides as he finishes the last of his coffee. "Ok you first skittle." Anon directs.
Rainbow rubs her chin in thought while looking up at the sky. "Question, question. What to ask. Uh, Oh! What's the coolest thing you have done."
Anon rubbed his chin as he rummaged through his mind, attempting to recall relevant memories. The human sat in silence for a few moments before one such memory came to the forefront of his mind.
"I believe the 'coolest' thing I have ever done, would be blowing up a shed full of counterfeit money."
While Twilight seemed concerned, Rainbowdash seem to be very invested in this event. "How did you do it?" the rainbow pony quickly questioned.
Before Anon could reply, Twilight held out her hoof before speaking. "Wait. Gold is extremely resilient. While it would be deformed or even broken, it could still be melted down." She theorised, recalling numerous books on the strength of minerals. Rainbow was less invested in this development as she rolled her eyes.
Anon just shrugged. "We don't use gold. We mainly use paper notes in a rectangle shape and different types of coins for the smaller amounts. I'm pretty sure it's the same around the world but i both don't know or care." The human replied.
Twilight herself became intrigued. "How many nations do you have then?" She asked as her horn lit with a paper and quill being summoned in front of her.
"I have no fucking idea. Rough guess, like 200 or something. Maybe less." Anon stated nonchalantly.
Twilight immediately stopped her intense scribbling as the quill snapped in half.
"200!?" Twilight loudly said, accidentally channelling her royal Canterlot voice.
Her voice boomed and echoed throughout the garden, gaining everyone's attention. Everyone apart from a certain human. Said human had his eyes closed and was hunched forward as his hands clasped the sides of his head. Covering his ears, in an attempt to stop the pain and ringing.
The purple pony quickly trotted over to Anon, as did Rainbow to try and help. More of a reflex than anything on their part. When the Alicorn got too close, the human eyes shot open with a light green haze as he grabbed her horn tightly, his face contorted in rage. "DO THAT AGAIN! SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" Anon screamed in Twilights face. Rainbow just stood in shock, never seeing this side of him before, as Twilight simply struggled to process the sudden change in behaviour. Her eyes shook as they were invaded by his glare.
After a few moments, Anon released his grip as he fell back into the bench, hunching over again but with elbows supported by his knees as they covered his face. "Don't. Don't do that again. Please." He muttered out, clearly suppressing his emotions.
"I-I'm going to get some more coffee for us." Twilight quickly said as she trotted off. Unaware of the other ponies worried look they gave her and the disgusted face they pointed at the human.
Rainbow watched her friend quickly leave. She thought about going with her, but her gut told her otherwise. Turning back to the human, Rainbow said the only thing she could think of. "Are you ok?"
Anon remained silent for a few moments, the only noise being his ragged breath that slowly began pacing itself. "You know what, funnily enough I'm not." The human said, his speech muffled by the hands that gripped his face. "I have always had anger issues. And I learnt to live with them. Hell they came in use quite often. But with this bullshit power. I can't get mildly inconvenienced or even get accidentally hurt without going for their throats, It's amplifying my emotions so much I feel like a god-damn cave man." Anon ranted as he sighed heavily.
"I mean yeah, what you did wasn't great, but like you said, you can't control it. I'm sure Twilight will understand. She is the princess of friendship for a reason." Rainbow said, attempting to make the human feel better. "So uh. Oh, you never said how you blew up the money shed thing." The Pegasus reminded. Trying to change subject.
Anon looked up from his hands before remembering himself. "Huh, oh right. Well, our guys do a lot of the counterfeiting in the city, so when we learned that another group had started doing it. The boss got pretty pissed. After they had located one of the main stashes, which was on an abandoned farm just outside the city. On the farm there was still a large tank of petrol. I filled a bunch of canisters and put them inside, then soaked the shed and started a fire. Flames engulfed the shed then boom, large fireball that spewed plumes of smoke into the sky." Anon explained. While rainbow did not understand some of the words used, she at least understood the end which was the best part in her opinion.
"Awesome." Rainbowdash quietly said.
"That was rather interesting." Twilight said.
Both the human and pony turned to see the Alicorn giving a nervous smile as she levitated three cups of coffee.
"Hey Twi, Anon said he is sorry, he can't seem to control his emotions currently." Rainbow said as Twilight levitated the three cups to their respected recipients.
The human in question took a long sip from the white cup before speaking. "What she said." he added, pointing toward the Pegasus.
Twilight gave a sincere smile. "I'm sorry too, I'm Still getting used to using the Canterlot voice." She apologised.
"Well anyway. Skittles has one question left and you have none.
"I hate that nickname." Rainbow muttered.
"I should have one left. What I said about gold was a statement, not a question." Twilight recalled.
Anon thought back for a few moments. "Huh, I guess you didn't. Alright one left, but no more freebees."
"Fair enough."
"Have you ever had a fight?" Rainbow asked excitedly.
"Yes."
"Tell me about the best one." She asked, even more giddy.
"Nope." Anon replied with a smile grin.
"Wait what. Why?" The pastel pony questioned, now confused.
"You're out of questions." The human stated.
"Oh come on." Rainbow pleaded.
"Nope." Anon replied simply.
"Damn it." Rainbow exclaimed, lightly smacking the ground with a forehoof.
After a minute of silence, Twilight sighed and spoke up. "Can you tell us about the best fight you had?" She asked.
Rainbow's head snapped towards the Alicorn as she quickly hugged the side of Twilight. "Thanks Twi."
"God you ponies are so nice, it's so weird. Anyway. This story is quite graphic compared to here so how much do you want it dumbed down?" Anon asked.
"I suppose that depends on the end result, I know Rainbow will probably want to hear most of it." Twilight thought out loud, the pony in questioned nodding her head enthusiastically.
"Well it's the one where I got my back scars." The human replied as he pointed a thumb.
"Quite a bit then please." Twilight quickly decided.
The moonlight shined down upon a familiar city, the cold night air battering walls and windows alike. Searching for the next thing to cling to. The pub Anon was sheltered in was a familiar one he used as a middle point between the different areas of the city. It was old but sturdy. Heavy wooden support beams lined the ceiling, the white stone walls contrasting with the warm interior nicely.
Anon leant his side against the bar as he sat on one of the wooden stools, his left foot pressed against the top of another barstool as he rocked it back and forth.
"A Hundred and ten, twenty, thirty, forty and fifty." Anon counted. Flicking through ten pound notes, he placed the stack upon the counter as he stuffed the rest into his wallet before stowing it.
The man opposite the counter placed a full glass of black fizzing liquid in front of Anon before picking up the aforementioned money. "I thought we agreed on three hundred?"
Anon took a sip of his drink before speaking. "It was three hundred if it turned out to be true. Since it wasn't, you're only getting half."
The man pocketed the money, accepting the outcome. "Well, sorry it couldn't be more use to you. I know you're not in a great situation at the moment." He said sympathetically.
"Don't even get me started!" Anon exclaimed. "It's already hard enough to track down someone who changed their name and life. But with fuck all information and a cold rumour, just becomes impossible. Doesn't help that the asshole won't share any information unless I do some sort of errand. Dragging this crap on way too much."
"Probably enjoys watching you squirm. Being on the shortest leash and all." The man adds.
As the two share opinions on the matter. The door to the establishment swings open as the wind quickly sweeps in, carrying leaves and a few pieces of rubbish in with it. The door closes again after three men enter, rattling against the frame as it fights against the wind. Anon takes another sip of his drink, the liquid sloshing about in the half empty glass. Taking a glance at the new visitors as he clocked the bigger one of the three. Easily a head taller, more muscle defined and better dressed than his companions.
"You must be Anonymous. Word is, you've been snooping around in our territory. And I don't appreciate that much. To fix this clear issue of disrespect. I thought to come personally to clear up any issues." The large set man spoke, his voice not as deep as his appearance would suggest, he still spoke with purpose and confidence.
Anon swivels around on the bar stool, now facing his greeters, his back resting against the bar. "And who might you be?".
The man gives an evil grin before speaking. "I-" Is all he could get out before Anon interrupted him. "Actually, never mind. I could not fucking care less."
"Fuck you." The larger man said loudly as he stepped forward, throwing a punch. Anon pushed against the bar, kicking his legs up as they made contact and pushed the larger man back, sending him reeling. The other two took a few moments to process what happened before also attempting to attack Anon as one attempted to scrag him and the other trying to kick. Able to stand up in time, Anon was able to grab and manoeuvre the first man into the way of the second as the kick collided with his companion's back. Then pushing the meat shield, he stumbled and crashed into him. Sending both the men to the floor.
Anon threw the stool he was sitting on at the large man who had since recovered from the initial strike and had since began making his way back towards his target. He was able to throw his hands up in defence before the stool crashed into him, falling to the floor as he took the stools' momentum. Anon used this time frame to get closer as he ran, jumping at the last moment into a drop-kick as his heels dug into the larger man's chest before catapulting him backwards, crashing into a table as anon fell on his side with a thud.
With his mind focusing on delivering that drop-kick, Anon had forgotten about the other two for a few moments, which seemed long enough, as when he began getting up, one of them quickly kicked anon in the face as the force rolled him onto his back. Using the opportunity, one of the men place their knee on Anon's chest as they try to punch his face. Throwing up his hands, Anon was able to block most of the impact, but the repeated punches quickly gave concern as they began to break through his defences. The man reeled as his fist came all the way back for a strong punch, Anon saw an opportune moment to strike, knocking the attacker off balance and gripping his shirt to pull him closer, Anon met his momentum as he shoved the edge of his forehead into the attacker's face. The man clutched his face as blood began to spew from his nose, throwing him off. Anon got up to see one of the other men by the bartender, keeping him out of the fight.
Before he was able to turn around, he felt an agonizing sharp pain in his back. Letting out a grunted scream, the pain intensified as it travelled down to the base of his back. Anon stumbled forward turning around to see the bigger man holding the end of a broken bottle drenched in blood. The height of the pain subdued slightly as the adrenaline pumped overtime throughout his body.
Even with his body full of adrenaline, every breath felt closer to death. This did not waver Anon's resolve, however. Gritting his teeth, Anon charged the large man.
The man was clearly thrown off by this action, as he left himself wide open. If it was any other opponent, the large man would have won there and then. But Anon was not a normal man, no matter the situation, Anon was able to keep his cool. No amount of pain or development could throw off his thought process. Which lead Anon to his current analysis of his main attacker. The man had no idea how to actually fight, no strategy, no training and certainly no experience. He had size and influence, that was it.
As Anon charged, the man attempted to strike at him with the bottle once more. Anon easily side stepped it as he grabbed the man's arm and threw him over his shoulder. With a loud thud, the man landed on his back, but Anon still gripped his arm which was now twisted in his grip.
"Who told you about me?" Anon questioned, the adrenaline beginning to fade.
"Agh, fuck you." The large man replied, attempting to free himself.
Anon twisted his arm a bit more as the man loudly grunted in pain.
"I ain't telling you shit. I will fucking find you and-" The man was cut off as Anon twisted his arm even more, now borderline screaming.
"Damn, your arm is pretty flexible, wonder how many twists before it separates." Anon coldly said, his face expressionless.
The man continued to grunt and fidget as his arm was being brought to its limit.
"I remember as a child, we used to play a game. You twist the apple stem in line with the alphabet. You twist until it breaks and say the first name that comes to mind with that letter. I think we're on C."
"D"
"Die, you piece of shit."
"E"
"Fuck you!"
"F"
The man gave in, punching the floor a few times before speaking. "Ok, ok, ok. I'll talk." Anon loosed the tension on his arm slightly.
"Well fucking go on then." Anon demanded.
"Derrick. It was fucking Derrick alright! He gave me money to teach you a lesson." The man confessed. The other two men just watched in horror as the bartender felt sick.
"I see, I'll probably be able to go of this."
"Oh, thank god."
"I wouldn't." Anon commented with a small grin. CRACK
"So what happened after?" Rainbow dash quickly asked as she unconsciously leaned closer.
"Well someone probably heard the commotion and called the police, which are basically our version of your royal guards but more towards the public. After I heard the sirens, I quickly left and had a mate of mine patch me up."
Twilight gave a slightly puzzled look before speaking. "I understand that you are more accepting of fighting, but it sounded like you sustained a lot of damage and in quite a painful way. I don't see how that could be 'the best fight'. Wouldn't a perfect or flawless victory be more rewarding?" Twilight questioned.
Anon simply shrugged as he spoke. "I guess some people would prefer to win that way, but I don't. The way I see it, fighting is about durability, who can withstand the most punishment. Of course genetics can go a long way in a fight. Good metabolism, decent bone strength, good reflexes, body type and high pain tolerance. But, without training or experience, good genetics won't save you." Anon explained, getting more serious towards the end.
"I see. I suppose I can see the appeal in that line of thinking. Similar to how I enjoy studying ancient magic and being finally being able to piece it together." Twilight compared
After a bit of silence between the trio, Rainbowdash's face seemed to be struck by a look of remembrance.
"I almost forgot, I only came out here to stretch before my x-ray but lost track of time. I need to go, but I'll talk to you two later, bye." Rainbow quickly explained as she began to trot back into the hospital.
"See you later." Twilight quickly added before she disappeared, while Anon simply waved her off.
The purple Alicorn watched her friend leave with a smile as Anon just sat in silence, thought plastered onto his face. When Twilight turned back around, she noticed this look upon Anon. "Is something wrong?" She asked sincerely.
The human did not answer at first as his eyed the soft grass in front of him, but after a few moments, his gaze fell upon Twilight. "If someone has or took another person's magic. Can they willingly give it back?" Anon questioned, his seriousness imbedded in every word.
Twilight was slightly taken aback by the sudden question, as her mind quickly began to think of an answer.
"Perhaps, Discord has the ability to take and restore magic, Tirek lost the magic he stole when he was defeated, and they returned to their respective ponies. But both cases were with a god of chaos and the other was an escapee from Tartarus. But what suddenly spurred up this question?"
"Well you can't send me back. Right?" The human quickly responded, his tone becoming more defeated.
Twilight recoiled every so slightly at her failure to return the human. "Unfortunately no. The magic used to summon you is unknown to me or the princesses. I can't tell if it's incomplete, a fluke or tied to the casters magic. Without a base to go off of, It would take anywhere from decades to centuries to crack if we were lucky." Twilight explained. Waving a forehoof around for emphasis.
"I see." The human replied simply.
"Did you find a way to give Astral his magic back?" The alicorn asked as she caught onto the root of his questioning.
Anon shook his head before answering. "No, and Alex does not remember anything either, but I'm hoping that if I can give his magic back, then his consciousness will also be returned. I was thinking about it when I woke up in the hospital."
Twilight nodded her head as Anon spoke, understanding his thought process. "That's not a bad idea. Although I have no idea if it would work. Did you have a method or was it just a random thought?" Twilight asked, hoping to get more information.
Anon waved his hand dismissively. "Just a random thought, the furthest thought about was just being near him and the magic just flowing out of my body and somehow waking him up."
Twilight held a thoughtful expression on her face for a few moments as her gaze pierced the skies. "I cannot think of anything that could go wrong in this hypothetical, No dangers come to find, so I believe it should be safe to test out." Twilight theorised.
Anon looked at the Alicorn with disbelief. "I just tried to fucking kill the guy, and you're going to let me be in the same room as him?" The human quickly questioned, gesturing towards Twilight.
The purple pony stood up before she replied. "You were influenced by inhaling Timberwolf fumes. Your thoughts were not your own." Twilight replied.
"Whatever, you ponies are way too forgiving. I'm honestly surprised you haven't gone extinct." Anon commented as he followed the pony's lead and got up himself.
As the duo walked towards the hospital's back entrance, Twilight turned to Anon. "The reason we are so forgiving is that we can handle ourselves." The alicorn said with pride.
"You know there is a difference between pride and being cocky." The human quickly replied.
"Fully aware" Twilight simply fired back with as they entered the building.
"Right, let's go to the front desk so we can find Astral's new room." Twilight suggested.
"I got a better idea, follow me." Anon interjected
Twilight was about to question the humans 'idea' but decided to trust him, simply following him towards the stairs that connected the floors.
"Hey Alex?" Anon called, his voice echoing slightly throughout the halls.
"Yeah I've been listening. Second floor." Alex answered, materialising next to Anon but giving him space.
"He is on the second floor." The human called out as he entered the stairwell. Pony steps have also been shallow for Anon but in his time here, he has learnt how to clear multiple without slipping. Most of the time anyway.
As they entered the second floor, Anon looked to Alex for directions.
"I'm on the right side, probably four doors down." Alex instructed.
Anon began walking again with Twilight following closely behind. They were about to pass the third door before Alex interjected.
"Make that five doors."
Now at the fifth for down. Anon reached for the handle but hesitated. As his hand hovered above the metal handle, he began to feel a weight in his chest. As if something was signalling him to stop. But in classic Anon fashion, he did not listen and opened the door.
The door slowly opened with a creak, moving continuously until it gave off a soft thud as it touched the back wall. Anon with Twilight behind stepped into the hastily prepared room. Less furnished than the other hospital rooms. There being only the bed with various machines hooked into the blue unicorn, they beeped and whirred as various lights flashed in set rhythms.
Anon had already seen this unicorn, but now with a different purpose and better lighting, he was able to notice more. The mane he had previously thought to be just a light orange was indeed that, but with dark and light orange highlights throughout the wither length mane.
The human slid the magic dampening ring off his finger, as it left his hands almost immediately felt numb but quickly enough regained their feeling. Flexing his hands a few times and looking over them as he flipped each hand, looking for any marks or sign of leaking magic, while the human had no idea how these rings work or how magic works in general, he did have one pony near him who was an expert in the subject.
"So. Any tips?" Anon asked casually.
"Well do you remember what I told you initially, about how our bodies interact with magic?" The purple unicorn replied, attempting to jog Anon's memory.
"Not a word. Pretty sure I was still freaking out about talking horses." The human recalled. "Mind giving me a quick crash course?"
While Twilight was not entirely fond of repeating herself, with her in depth and heavily researched views and opinions, The alicorn felt that repeating an explanation took away from the initial impact. But Anon might actually listen this time so it seemed worth it to the little pony, even if it was just a shorter summary.
"The world we live in is filled with magic. It's in the air, plants, creatures and objects with each having their own unique magical signature. While some creatures use their magic passively such as the earth pony's strength and farming abilities, those with magical appendages such as unicorns and alicorns, are able to directly manipulate the magic both inside and outside those objects and creatures. This power requires a lot more Mana, which is why unicorns that wish to do more than basic telekinesis, require intense training to not only hone their skills but to expand their Mana pool. Each creature generates and exudes Mana. If creatures who are able to manipulate magic are unconscious or incapable of casting spells for an extended period of time, then their exuded magic begins to stagnate. This is one of the main reasons for the dampening rings. Stagnated magic is like flammable gas, one spark and things go very wrong." Twilight explained. Her short summary quickly lengthening as she recalled various books and texts she had studied meticulously.
"Pretty sure I got most of it, maybe." The human spoke, not taking his eyes off the unicorn.
After a few moments that seemed to drag on for an eternity. Anon moved closer to the unicorn, slowly walking to the bedside.
"Alright. If this kills him, It's not my fault." The human informed as he placed a hand over the sleeping pony. With a deep breath, Anon began letting his magic seep out from his fingertips. Taking on the form of tendrils seemed to be their natural state, they gently flicked and whipped in a breeze that didn't exist. That is until a tendril got close enough to Astral's horn, gravitating towards it. Latching on as the other four tendrils followed suit, merging into a larger tendril. Where Anon's magic touched Astral's horn turned a light shade of blue with a gradient that followed up the tendril until near the human's hand, it became the normal green colour. A shine began to form on the human's hand as it slipped down the large thread of magic, touching the pony's horn and dissipating. This repeated as the human felt weaker but his mind and emotions felt clearer.
During the silence, Twilight noticed that something felt off. It was only when Anon began flowing his magic back into Astral that she finally noticed. The unicorn did not have a dampening ring around his horn.
"Anon, I think you should stop for now, Astral doesn't seem to have his dampening ring on." Twilight instructed.
The human looked towards the purple pony as she spoke, then returned his gaze to the unconscious unicorn to see that she was right. "That's a bit of a fucking oversight. One sec." Anon commented as he began to pull his hand away.
It was clear that the human was attempting to yank his hand away, but seemed to be locked in place. When that did not work Anon upped his efforts by gripping his own wrist for more leverage but to not avail. Whatever force was keeping the human in place seemed to be stronger than him.
"The hell. Fuckin arm won't budge." The human commented as he turned to Twilight. "Little help here miss magic." He added.
With that the Alicorn surrounded Anon with her magic. With each telekinetic pull, her magic dissipated as if interrupted or dispelled. "Something is blocking my magic, I can't grab you." Twilight quickly informed as her heart rate began to rise.
At the end of her attempts. The human noticed the shine of magic that had been pumping into Astral began to slow, and slow as it gradually came to a stop. Both human and pony had a brief second of relief before the shine began moving again. But this time towards Anon. It started slowly but gradually gained speed, even faster than before and seemingly more bright as Astral's body began to give off a gentle glow of blue light. This light seemed to clump and form as it moved towards the horn, travelling across the fur.
Anon felt his heart rate spike as a sudden pain enveloped him.
"Jesus Christ that hurts!" Anon blurted out through gritted teeth, all while Twilight kept trying to grapple different things with her magic in an attempt to free Anon but to no avail.
The pain only seemed to grow as his entire body seemed to writhe. Anon began coughing as his vision turned red, wiping them with his hand which now was covered in blood. The human struggled to breath as his throat filled with blood, coughing a red mist over the Unicorn.
Now fully panicking, Twilight opened the door to shoved her head out as she called for help. Pulling her head back in the room, she saw the magical connection between Anon and Astral break as the human stumbled backwards into the wall, sliding down it.
Gasping for breath, the human eyes began to close as his vision became a red blur, Twilight and a few staff ran to Anons side, only colourful blurs with minimal facial features. The last thing anon saw before his eyes shut was Astral's eyes opening.
Anon!
Anon!
Anon!
The human jumped awake, lifting his head, seeming to bang it on an overhead lamp. Taking a look around, he realised he was in his workroom. He was sat at an old wooden table with various machine parts scattered on a large blue mat.
*Knock knock knock* "Anon! Come on, did you fall asleep again?" A muffled voice asked, clearly a young female.
Anon stood up from the table, the metal stool scraping against the concrete floor. "Yeah I'm awake, one sec." The human replied as he stretched. Walking towards the other side of the room, the walls the same concrete texture with the ceiling wooden with support beams as cables and pipes ran through the supports.
Anon made it to a large set of old wooden stairs that creaked loudly as he began to climb them. Once atop the last stair, the human unlocked the wooden door as it swung open outwardly. The bright hallway light seemed to blind Anon for a few moments before his eyes could adjust. "Hey Claire, what's up?" Anon asked. In front of his was a decently short young woman with pitch black shoulder-length hair which she had wrapped into a messy bun. While her skin was pale it was clearly looked after, a face adorned with faint but abundant freckles which streaked across her face. She wore basic white slippers which her feet were nestled into, also wearing pyjamas with various Jaegers and kaiju scattered around from the film Pacific Rim. She looked at Anon with tired but caring eyes.
"You good?" She asked, tilting her head.
Anon gently shook his head as he blinked rapidly. "Yeah, I kinda forgot where I was for a second." Her admitted. Looking down slightly, he saw that Claire was holding two plates, both of which contained eggs, bacon, mushroom and hash browns.
Noticing this, Claire decided to speak up. "Mom and dad are out, and I'm not in Uni today. Thought I could watch you work while I have my breakfast." She asked.
Anon thought long and hard for around five seconds which was reduced to three with the promise of food. "If you want. Just don't touch anything." He instructed. Taking one of the plates, the due walked down the steps and as Claire had a quick look around a few of the tables strewn about with various gun parts, Anon made some space on an old work bench.
Anon had a few bites of his food before wiping his hands with a dirty hand towel and walking towards one of the tables. Claire just sat down where Anon had made room and just watched him work.
Claire stayed silent, focusing on her food. But when that quickly ran out, the silence broke. "So what kinda guns you working on?" She asked.
"Huh?" Anon grunted as he held a hex head screwdriver in his mouth. Realising what the question was, he quickly removed the tool from his maw. "Scorpions." He replied simply, not taking his eyes on his current project.
"What's wrong with them? They are in so many pieces." Claire asked as she observed the sea of parts.
"Uh, most of them just need servicing. Guys are saying they jam frequently, the one I'm doing now has it's charging handle stuck open, the foldable stock is bent to shit, and the quick mag release is not working, honestly just tempted to fully disassemble it and use it for parts." Anon informed, wiping the inside of the mag well with a clean rag.
Claire's questions stopped as she stopped talking. "Anon looked over to see her head down as she looked at the ground.
"You know I have to do this. I don't have a choice." Anon stated.
"I know." Clair replied.
"I just-" "I can live with you being a debt collector or dealing with counterfit but fixing guns is just..." She stopped, her hands clasped together.
"It will be over some day. Then you, mum and dad can live freely."
Claire lifted her head slightly. "What about you?" She asked.
Anon chuckled before answering. "I ain't got a chance-"
"Don't say that!" Clair quickly blurted out, interuppting Anon.
"Look, we both know I'm pretty much fucked, the best thing I can do is put you through Uni and give mum and dad an early retirment." He stated, not looking up from his work.
After a few minutes of silence, Anon lifted his head to look at the clock that hung near the stairs. "I can easily finish this later. You wanna watch a movie or somthing?"
"Yes please." Claire quickly answered, nodding her head slightly.
"Alright. I'll take the plates to the kicthen,you go find a movie." Anon suggested as he stood up, wiping his hands with the now dirty cloth before throwing onto the table.
Anon grabbed the plates as Clair began walking up the stairs, once they had both left the basement, the door closed and the light turned off, leaving the room in complete blackness
Anon sat on the black leather couch with his sister as scrolling credits filled the TV's screen. Said sister was fast asleep, covered in a thick woolly blanket. The human simply watched the credits roll as cinematic music played quietly, his mind elsewhere.
*Bzzz*
Anon's pocket rumbled as a phone vibrated against his leg. Digging the phone out, Anon opened the cheap plastic flip phone to see a message from an unknown number.
Deal is on tonight, I need you on the perimeter. Bring the leverage.
The fuck? You gave me 24 hours downtime.
Too fucking bad. Get your ass over here, u've got 2 hours
Yeah I'll be there. Probably a good idea to get the extra .32 out of storage.
Done. Remember, no loose ends.
"Shit" Anon quietly cursed as he stared at the messages on the screen. He remained still for a few moments before snapping the flip phone in half and discarding the remains. The human was about to stand and continue his work before a strange feeling crawled up his spine. A feeling as if he was being watched, keeping still, The human eyes darted towards the door and each window in view before his mind clicked. He had been through these events before, but it felt too real to be a simple dream.
"And here I thought a bunch of talking ponies was the least of my issues. What do you want, Luna?." Anon questioned openly.
At first, the human got no response. But eventually the world began to morph and twist, reconstructing itself into a familiar scene. The house disappeared, replaced instead by a small hill looking over ponyville. A large oak tree was rooted nearby, applying shade to Anon and to an occupied park bench. The human eyed the occupant as he sat on the other side of the bench, a pitcher of fizzing liquid which could be guessed as lemonade popped into existence onto the table.
"Very astute of you as always Anonymous." Luna commented as she sipped her glass.
Anon looked at the lemonade for a few moments before pushing his full glass aside. "So, what's the occasion?" Anon asked simply.
"Well, do you remember what happened before you began dreaming?" Luna questioned.
Anon gazed at the table as he tapped his chin in thought. "I remember being at the hospital. Got interrogated and met up with Twilight and Rainbow Dash. It gets pretty hazy after that." The human attempts to remember.
"I see." Luna began. "In an attempt to wake up Astral, You gave him some of your magic. Unfortunately, when Astral's dampening ring was removed for maintenance it was not placed back onto his horn, leading to stagnated magic. In your magical transfer, Astral's build-up of magic seemed to have flowed into you. Even after hitting your magic capacity, the overflow caused severe damage to your body. Instead of dying which in all seriousness should have been guaranteed with how much magic you absorbed, your body was able to adapt to the new capacity. You are currently in one of Twilight's guest bedrooms healing. I'm going to wake you up now, so please try and remain calm." Luna informed, her seriousness hanging on every word.
Anon stayed silent for a few moments before replying. "Ok." He finally answered as his shoulders shrugged.
"Ok? You nearly died." Luna reaffirms, her voice raised slightly.
"Look, I have been through way too much shit to be surprised at this point. Right wake me up, I need to slug Twilight." Anon replied as he stood up.
"Slug?" Luna asked, tilting her head.
Anon waved dismissively at her, "Eh, don't worry about it."
"Very well. I wish you luck."
Those last words echoed inside Anon's head as his consciousness began to return.
Slowly but surly, the human regained the feeling in his body, realizing he was lying down. The first thing Anon tried to do was open his eyes but to no success. Either they were forced shut or something was covering them. The human shuffled underneath what he could only assume to be covers as he felt something at the base of his feet. For its size it was decently light but was not simply one shape. After a minute or so of thinking, the human realized that it was a pony, and there only being one creature who would willingly lie next to him. Anon brought his left leg up to his chest and booted the creature off.
The creature let out a surprised grunt before a thud could be heard shortly after.
"Good to see you're awake sir." Azrael quickly commented as she hopped back onto the bed, while Anon proceeded to sit up.
"I can't see shit." Anon comments to himself as he brings a hand to his face. Immediately, the human touches the familiar texture of bandage. Secured loosely, the bandage is easily removed as the light invades Anon's eyes. "Fuck me that's bright." He blurts out quickly before covering and rubbing his assaulted eyes.
"I'm going to fetch Twilight, try not to end up in hospital again." Azrael suggests as she quickly trots towards the door.
While gone, Anon takes this time to get readjusted to the light. Even with his eyes covered for how knows long, it felt as if his eyes had never felt sunlight. The human felt a crick in the back of the neck, when the attempt was made to rub it, his hand met something smooth and cold. Confused by this, the human traced his hand around as it surrounded his neck. "Have I got a fucking collar on. Oh, I was joking before she is going to get slugged big time.
Now with his new accessory figured out, Anon swung his legs out from underneath the blanket and placing his feet on the cold crystal floor. As the human went to stand, his legs buckled as he fell flat on his face. "What the hell is going on? First my eyes, now my legs. How long was I out.
As Anon pushed himself off from the floor, he saw himself in the reflective stone floor which made him freeze.
He missed it at first but with him being so close to the reflection, it's almost impossible to miss. His irises, they were a slow swirl of a gradient from light to dark blue as the colours slowly mingled with each other.
Anon managed to push himself up into a seated position. He began to examine himself, attempting to identity any other changes to his body. After not seeing anything else awry, the human climbed onto the bed. With his less than full strength legs and slipping bare feet on the smooth floor, it became quite the ordeal. Like a toddler clambering his way onto his first chair.
Looking over at one of the bedside tables which he had ignored until now. Anon grabbed what seemed to be his clothing, at least what he was wearing at the time but with one small difference. The shorts were fine but the t-shirt was torn to shreds, somehow still in one piece, however the holes and drooping fabric might contest to the term 'one piece.'
"What in the actual fuck?" The human questioned out loud to no one in particular. Anon has gone through his fair share of clothing with his profession.
The tears were way too jagged and inconsistent from both sides to be done by knife or bullet, and the way it seems to rip in specific areas rules out brute force.
Anon was torn from his analysing thoughts as a few knocks came from the large oak door which echoed slightly in the oversized crystal bedroom. Not as big as the ones downstairs but still way too big for ponies. The human took this chance to put the shorts on that were thankfully also not ripped to ribbons. Once the belt was tightened, the human cleared is throat. As the second set of knocks sounded out "I don't know why you're knocking. It's your place."
At that, the door slowly opened, revealing Twilight Azrael and another pony who Anon did not want to deal with currently. As they entered, Twilight stood in front of the human while Azrael opted to jump onto the bed as she sat next to Anon. The third pony stood next to Twilight as he held out a hoof.
"Nice to finally meet you in person. I'm Astral Lexicon." He introduced himself with a gentle smile.
Anon sighed as he held out his respective hand. As they went to shake, the human grabbed his hoof and yanked the pony towards him as he reeled back to deliver a right hook to the side of Astral's face. Said pony landed and slid a few feet. "Ow." The unicorn muttered.
"Anon! Even in this circumstance. You cannot just hit other creatures." Twilight scolded, pointing a forehoof at the human.
"No it's fine." Astral quickly stated, interrupting Twilight's reprimanding. "It's only fair I suffer, even slightly for my actions. Please I did say the whole 'polite greetings' thing would probably not go well." The unicorn added as he slowly clambered to his feet, rubbing the bruised cheek with a hoof.
As it looked like Twilight was attempting to go into an explanation, Anon held out his hand in a stopping motion before speaking.
"Before you start to spew out random shite. Four questions. The fuck happened to my eyes? The fuck is this thing around my neck? Why is my shirt ripped to all hell and why the fuck are my legs weak as shit?" The human voiced his concerns, clearly getting more agitated after each question.
Twilight sighed before speaking. "Right. Well as you know, your body has changed. During the clean-up of the pools of blood, I have no idea how you are alive by the way. Even with your height and weight, it should not be possible to lose that amount of blood and still be-" Twilight started rambling.
Astral coughed into his hoof, gaining her attention before gesturing with his head towards Anon, to which the Alicorn quickly caught on.
"Apologies. Anyway, during the clean-up. We found these." Twilight began as she approached the bedside table. Her horn gently lighting up and a folded bloody handkerchief popped into existence. Anon moved towards the placed handkerchief and unfolded it. Revealing various pieces of glass, wood, bone fragments, teeth and what seemed to be the tip of a knife.
The human picked up a and inspected a few pieces as Twilight continued talking. "I believe that with whatever transformation your body had gone through, resulted in these debris being expelled from throughout your body.
Anon picked up the blade tip as he examinated it closely. "I remember this being lodged underneath my kneecap. Bastard played dead and stabbed me when my guard was down. The teeth, however. I'm pretty sure I would have noticed them being inside me. Although they are all fake." At that point, a thought struck the human as he quickly shoved a finger in his mouth as he felt one of his back teeth. "Fuck me, I have a full set of teeth again." Anon thought out loud.
"You didn't before?" Twilight questioned.
"I beat the shit out of people for a living. It's bound to happen. When I got replacements fitted in, I remember it driving me nuts for a few weeks." Anon informed.
"I see. Well I'm confident, your weak legs are only temporary and will hopefully regain their strength within a day or so. That collar is just a stronger version of the magic dampening ring you had on before. Your eyes we are not so sure of. It could have some overall improvement or just a visual change. It will take a few tests to figure out which." Twilight explained.
"And the shirt?" Anon quickly questioned, gesturing to the torn rags.
Twilight takes a deep sigh as her expression changes, a mix of thought and sadness cross her features.
"This is actually the second time you have woken up since your incident. It's understandable you don't remember. Astral informed me of your anger issues and easily irritated nature which I believe was caused by the overflow of magic. I was able to do some tests when you were first administered to the hospital, with what Astral has said. It appears that your body was producing more magic than it could hold. Some become anxious or hyper when this happens and in your case it's anger." Twilight began explaining as she waved her forehooves around for empathies, while Azrael just watched the human's expression as it changes from confusion to annoyance. She knew what was coming but just pushed herself up against Anon in support.
"Let me guess, It's gotten worse?" Anon theorised, throwing his hands up in frustration.
Twilight cringed at the theory as she began speaking. "You tried to kill Redheart."
Anon's expression switched to rage as he gritted his teeth as his hands wrapped themselves into fists, his nails digging into his palms.
"She's alive. But currently in the emergency ward." Twilight added.
With that, Anon snapped and punched the wooden bedside cabinet as he screamed. "FUCK!"
"NO MATTER WHAT I FUCKING DO, EVERYONE GETS HURT! EVERY STEP FORWARD I TAKE FIFTY STEPS BACK. THIS IS SUCH FUCKING BULLSHIT!" Anon screamed out in rage. Each word, he delivered another punch to the bedside table as it was punched into wood pulp.
Twilight and Astral just sat there and waited, thinking it would be better to let him vent.
With the last punch, Anon panted with deep breaths as his knuckles bled.
"I'm going back to bed." Anon said firmly.
"Ok." Twilight said softly as she and Astral began walking towards the door.
"You should probably go as well." Anon said quietly to Azrael, his throat slightly horse.
The demon clearly wanted to object but followed orders and joined the others as they all left the human alone.
Anon fell back onto his pillow as he stared at the crystal ceiling.
Anon stirred in his sleep. Tossing and turning, his body twitches. Breathing heavily as cold sweat drenches the sheets he lies on. Flashes of a hazy memory break up the dark void of his mind.
There, in the hospital. Anon drenched in blood as he pins Red Heart down with his hands clasped around her throat, all the while tendrils of magic sprout from the human as they slash through the air, keeping others at bay. The veins in his arms bulging with intensity as his hands shake with rage. Red Heart desperately hitting and pushing Anon as Twilight tries to pry the human off the defenceless pony. Her muzzle drenched with Saliva as her airways are almost crushed, tears streaming from her blood shot eyes as they pool onto the floor, staining each fibre of coat they touch. Anon's own eyes were coated in blood as an intense green haze poured from his eyes and mouth. Each kick into her attacker becomes weaker and weaker as the life slowly drains from her eyes.
Helpless to just watch, the current Anon bangs on an invisible wall, separating him from his past self. His deafening screams at himself fall unheard.
Suddenly, the barrier keeping him at bay shatters, allowing him access to his own memory. Anon quickly rushes to the pony's aid as he delivers a heavy punch to the side of his past self's head, knocking him onto the ground. The rest of the dream dissipates, leaving Anon with himself. The human grabs his past self's shirt and punches him in the face with all his might, reeling back again. Anon delivers a second blow.
And a third.
And a fourth.
And a fifth.
The human continued this action, even after he can feel the flesh of his knuckles become shredded. Only after the tenth punch does the dream fade. Just as quickly, Anon snaps awake as he quickly sits up, knocking the covers off him. His heavy breathing become panicked and irregular, the quickened heart rate making him aware of everything around him.
The air is still but cold as slight wind from an open window caress his features, making his drenched frame ever colder. The clothes and what covers remain of his lower half stick to him with the aid of his clammy skin. His eyes see every detail around the room, including the warping and shifting of the darkness as his mind struggles to keep up. His heavy and irregular breathing thumps in his ears as each inhale of air becomes harder to complete.
Anon snaps out of his onset of hysteria, his eyes darting across the room as he blinks rapidly, giving his eyes much needed moisture. His breathing and heart slow down, returning to their respective rhythms. Removing the covers from his lower half and swinging his legs over the end of the bed. The human, with knowledge of his weakened lower half, pushes himself onto the floor in a standing position. Expecting it this time, Anon is able to stay stood with great effort and the aid of the bed support he gripped tightly.
"God I need a shower." The human stated to himself. But just as he was about to push off the bed frame in an attempt towards the attached bathroom, he notices something new about the now demolished bedside table. It wasn't actually just a table but had a singular draw which now laid on the floor, filled with debris and what seemed to be clothing. If he sat or knelt on the floor, it would be an ordeal to get up again. So instead Anon chose to sit back down and lean over the bed's side.
Apart from the debris, inside the draw was a grey t-shirt, underwear and joggers. Anon gave Twilight a lot of shit but if anything she was thorough. After taking out the clothing, the human also saw a spool of black thread with a needle, a thimble and a roll of bandages. Ok maybe she was too thorough.
Clothes held underneath his arm. The human traversed the room via the wall, walking alongside it as he pressed himself against the edges of the room, giving himself the much-needed support.
The door to the bathroom swung open as Anon clung to the door frame. Inside was a lighter colour room, simply furnished with a small white tub with brass feet which sat opposite to the sink with mirror and toilet. Using the room's small size, the human was quickly able to sit atop the rim of the tub. Looking above the tub, he saw no shower head. "Guess it's a bath then, probably a better choice anyway." He commented, turning the hot tap all the way.
Anon managed to bathe himself without issue, removing himself from the tub required more effort than he would like to admit, the clothing struggles shall never be mentioned to anyone or anypony.
The bedroom's main door opened as Anon stuck his head out, looking down the hallway, the human began traversing the castle's vast hallways via the wall., his stomach growling and grumbling along the way. "I swear to god. If they have locked up the kitchen and or pantry, someone is going to get hurt." Anon thought out loud.
*Grumble*
"God, how long has it been? I never get this hungry." The human stated. After what felt like an eternity, Anon found the kitchen which to his satisfaction, was neither locked up nor empty. Many small stepladders and stools littered the pony sized kitchen, clearly for Twilight's little dragon.
Including the kitchen, Anon did find something almost as needed. A barstool with wheels. It was lowered to the ground and had what seemed to be flower, sugar and other ingredient stains. To which the human assumed it was used to haul heavy ingredients when Twilight was not around to help, honestly he felt a bit bad for the poor guy.
Anon threw a hung apron over the stains and quickly sat down, his struggling legs thanked him greatly. Even with the stool lowered to the ground, the human still towered over all the stoves and tables.
"God I could go for a cheese toastie right about now." Anon stated as he got to work
After finding all the ingredients and cookware. Anon placed a few slices of white bread on a large buttered frying-pan. While the bread cooked, the human slices up some cheese and a few jalapeños and placed them into a smaller frying-pan. In between flipping the bread, Anon stirred the cheese, adding garlic powder with salt and pepper, making sure not to burn the cheese. For the last few minutes of the bread cooking, the human took the smaller frying-pan and put it aside to cool slightly. Once the bread was removed, Anon poured the mixture onto the two slices of bread, scraping every drop as he finally covered the two finished grilled cheeses and cut them in half.
Anon stared at the food in his hands as his mouth watered. Taking the first bite, Anon closed his eyes as he spun himself once on the mobile chair. "That's how you make a fucking cheese toastie." The human said loudly. It was not long before the food he had made was devoured. While satisfied there was still one issue.
"What to make, what to make." Anon mumbled to himself as he rocked the wheeled seat back and forth in thought. The human had a habit to twiddle or fidget with anything and everything when he was not actively doing something. Found it quite hard to sit still. With a lifetime of this, his body acted on its own when he had nothing in his hands, grabbing something he could manipulate within his grasp. Which in this case would be a steak knife, where he got it from is a mystery, even to himself.
Anon had zoned out, the original thought being of his next meal had quickly turned into a rabbit hole of questions and thoughts. The knife he had picked up was quickly being spun and flourished as he threw it to his other hand over and over again. The knife being unbalanced and unsuited for this role had not impacted the human as he effortlessly spun it around his hands and fingers as if gravity did not simply exist. Being in such a deep thought process, the human was not as tuned to his surroundings as he otherwise would be. Which would explained how a certain small purple dragon managed to open the kitchen door and waltzed in unnoticed.
"Oh, good morning Mr Anon. I did not expect-" Spike started as he was interrupted
"Shit!" Anon blurted out, suddenly snapped out of his own mind as reflex kicked in. Quickly extending his arm towards the 'intruder', the human threw the knife he was fidgeting with. It flew through the air with great speed before impaling the large wooden door behind the small dragon with a thud.
"Jesus Christ. You scared the absolute shit out of me. Are you good?" Anon spoke after regaining his composure. The same could not be said for Spike, however. His body tensed with arms legs and tail tucked as close to his body as possible. It was only a few seconds after Anon had finished speaking that the little dragon regained his composure as well.
Spike slowly looked above him, in the edge of his vision was the handle tip of the thrown knife, less than a metre above his head. "I believe so." Spike finally answered.
Anon wheeled himself over as spike continued. "I was just about to make breakfast for everypony. I was thinking pancakes." The small dragon stated. When he finished, Anon had reached him as he leant over and pulled the knife out of the door. Flicking the base of his thumb softly against the knifes point. "Didn't blunt the tip at all, good." The human said to no one in particular as he swiftly places the knife into its respective holder nearby. "But yeah, I could go for some pancakes." Anon started as he wheeled back into the centre of the kitchen. "Do you have pancake batter or are we making it from scratch?" The human finished, standing to check the overhead cupboards, using the counter top to support his weight.
"We?" The small purple dragon asked simply.
Anon closed the cupboard and fell back onto his chair before speaking. "Well yeah. I'm bored out of my mind, and I'm hungry. Helping you will quench the former and quicken the latter." The human responded, seeing the look of uncertainty on spike's face.
"I mean, if you wanted to do it on your own that's fine. I'll just make something for myself and let you crack on-"
"N-no. I would appreciate the help, actually. Twilight and Starlight are always so busy, and not everything is dragon accessible." The dragon quickly interrupts.
"Alright then, let's start!" The human stated with hunger filled enthusiasm.
Twilight groaned as her sleepy eyes slowly prying themselves open as the sunlit room invaded her sight. Shutting her eyes again, the Alicorn shoved her head underneath the covers to escape into darkness.
After a few minutes of procrastination. Twilight finally popped her head back out into the light and stretched, her body cracked and clicked as it began waking up itself. After slipping out from the covers onto the floor, Twilight immediately enveloped the bed in her magical aura as she effortlessly removed any sign of her. Next was to clean up herself. Sitting in front of a large mirror atop a dressing table, Twilight began brushing her mane tail and coat with magic as she looked at the various pictures of her and her friends she had taken over the years, something she started doing which became part of her routine and gave her an extra pep in her step for the mornings.
The door to Twilight's room opened as the Alicorn herself stepped out into the hallway. Walking towards the dining room, a sudden aroma caught her attention as the smell of warm powdered sugar mixed with a hint of butter and blueberries invaded her nose. Immediately Twilight swallowed as her mouth began to water. Now walking a small bit faster, a door to her right opened as a dishevelled Starlight walked out from her room, mane half brushed and squinted eyes, the unicorn lazily waved a hoof before also stepping into the hallway behind her mentor. The same smell did not discriminate as it invaded her senses also.
"Well if I wasn't already hungry." Starlight stated as her stomach growled, voicing its desires.
The duo was joined by Azrael and Astral as they walked into the dining room. At the long wooden table sat 6 plates of towering pancakes, topped with blueberries and other various fruits as maple syrup poured down the sides, clinging to each pancake as it made its descent, pooling at the bottom.
At the end of the table were spike and Anon as they ate their respective plates, while the small dragon took even smaller bites, savouring the taste. The human rolled his up and simply took chunks out of the seeping cylinder.
"Hurry up, foods getting cold." Anon spoke with a half full mouth, his elbows on the table as one had hovered over the plate as it dripped gold, his other hand was fiddling with a fork as he tapped the end onto the table in a simple rhythm.
The four new arrivals did not need to be told twice as they chose their seats and dug in.
"These taste amazing spike. You clearly put a lot of effort in. What's the occasion?" Twilight questioned after a few bites.
Spike was about to respond as he gestured towards Anon, but the human beat him to it and spoke first. "Does he need a reason to show his appreciation? Little guy made great pancakes, just enjoy it." Anon stated, giving spike a small smile.
"Your right." Twilight quickly agreed as she enveloped the small dragon in magic as she pulled him towards her and gave him a tight hug. "Thanks spike." She added.
"But he hel-" Spike attempted to say before the human interrupted him. "No buts, you did good kid. That reminds me. I came down while he was cooking and saw him struggling to reach the higher stuff." Anon stated, giving twilight a blank expression.
Suddenly, a spark of realisation hit Twilight. "Oh of course, I never got round to installing the ladders. Oh, I'm sorry spike." The unicorn apologised as she pulled spike in for a second, even tighter hug.
Spike glanced at Anon, to which the human simply gestured to the Alicorn hugging him with his half-eaten pancake. To which spike sighed as he hugged Twilight back.
Anon looked back at is plate before catching Azreals gaze. After locking eyes with the demon, she smiled as she shook her head lightly. Anon simply put a finger to his lips with his free hand before returning to his food.
Anon chuckled to himself as he realised something. For the first time since being here, he felt pretty decent. After trying to think of what changed, a few flashes of the hospital entered his mind as Red Heart's face became burned into his memories.
Anon dropped the half-eaten pancake onto his plate as he placed his head into his hands, covering his face. "Well that was short-lived." He muttered to himself as he let out a deep sigh
