The Omen

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Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn student of Princess Celestia, sits comfortably on a cushion in the Golden Oak Library located near the center of Ponyville. With her are her good friends Fluttershy and Applejack. They each take turns swapping stories of how their weeks went, simply enjoying the company as the sun slowly sets outside.

"Well, I don't think anything will top the whole cider debacle from last week."

"Hehe, I hear ya. Those no-good swindlers better not come anywhere near my farm ever again."

The girls share a laugh as they continue to reflect on recent events. While their lives can be turbulent at times, it's nice to just sit back at home sometimes and enjoy the peace and quiet.

However, said peace doesn't last long. Twilight suddenly perks up and glances at a nearby wall.

"Twilight? What's wrong?" Fluttershy tilts her head in curiosity.

"I thought I just felt a really strong source of magic outside. Did something hap-"

Twilight is interrupted by a loud boom coming from outside, causing all three mares to jump in their seats.

"What was that?!"

"I don't know, but we should probably go look!"

Without hesitation, the three are quickly on their hooves and rush out the door into the evening air. A breeze blows over them as Applejack and Fluttershy follow Twilight's lead. Soon, the three see a cloud of dust rising into the air from the outskirts of town.

"Do you think everypony is okay?"

"Only one way to find out!"

They quickly make it into the dust cloud, waving their hooves in front of them to try to clear the air a little bit. After a few moments, visibility in the area begins to return, revealing the source of the disruption.

Beneath the hill the three mares are standing on, a large crater going nearly six feet into the ground has been formed in the dirt. Due to the darkness, it's hard to make out what is inside the crater, but the fact that there is indeed something there at all is obvious to the three. They share a nervous glance before quickly making their way down the hill and onto the lip of the crater.

Looking down, what they see catches them off guard. A figure lies face-down in the dirt, breathing, but seemingly unconscious. Although the ponies don't know it yet, this creature is a human, barely eight years old. He wears ragged clothing that covers his pale skin, and a moppy head of unkempt hair hides many of his facial features. Despite the weird location they've found him in, he doesn't seem to be injured beyond a few minor scrapes and bruises.

"Now what in tarnation is that thing?!"

"Fluttershy, have you ever seen anything like it?"

"N-no, I haven't!" Fluttershy immediately flies into the crater and lifts the boy into her hooves, rolling him over in the process. He does not wake up, but it's easier to tell that he is indeed breathing. "Oh, you poor thing." Fluttershy glances up at her friends. "I think it's just a child. H-he might be injured, too, but I can't really tell for sure out here!"

"Let's take him back to the library, then. Whatever it was that landed him here, it was some powerful magic."

With that, the three gently carry the boy back to the library, carefully placing him on a sofa when they get inside. Fluttershy gets to work trying to examine him, but has a lot of difficulty carrying out said examination.

"I just don't know what he is! He's somewhat similar to an ape, but he's obviously not an ape! Plus, I've barely worked with apes to begin with. I-I don't know how much I can really do here!"

As if on queue, the boy begins to stir. Fluttershy takes a step back as her two friends look on. Applejack seems very apprehensive about the boy, but Twilight seems excited and curious. After a few seconds, the boy finally opens his eyes and begins to rub his head.

"Ow," he mumbles.

The boy tries to roll over, but promptly falls off of the sofa, landing squarely on his back on the wooden floor. He looks up in surprise, only to be met with Fluttershy's visage.

"Hello, there."

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The boy immediately begins to panic, his eyes wide as he shoots to his feet.

"W-wait! We aren't going to hurt you!"

The boy looks around in terror, briefly locking eyes with Twilight and Applejack before backing away from them. His back hits a wall and he begins to hyperventilate, his eyes darting back and forth across the room. Twilight, realizing that he is about to make a break for it, begins to cast a spell. Her horn glows a gentle purple color, and the boy is surrounded by that very same color. Seeing the nearby door, he tries to run, but finds that he cannot move his body.

"Sorry about this whatever you are, but I can't let you run away. Please, just listen to us."

The boy continues to freak out and he begins screaming, his young, high-pitched voice easily making his fear known just as much as his body language.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, simply walks up to the boy and sits in front of him. She gives him a warm smile, but she says nothing.

"Uh, Fluttershy? What are ya doin'?"

"I'm trying to show him that I'm not a threat. We want him to be comfortable." Fluttershy turns back to the boy. "I know you must be scared, but I promise, we aren't going to hurt you. We want to help you." The boy doesn't respond, and although his eyes are still rapidly darting across the room, he finds his gaze landing on Fluttershy more and more frequently. "Just breathe. It's okay." It takes a few moments, but the boy slowly begins to stop struggling. Although he is very clearly still fearful, his breathing begins to steady, and he directs his full attention towards Fluttershy. "Good boy. Now, why don't we start with our names? My name is Fluttershy. What's yours?"

The boy glances at the other two mares before looking back at Fluttershy. He finally opens his mouth to speak properly, and when he does, his voice is full of apprehension and fear.

"M... my name is Anon."

"It's nice to meet you, Anon. Do you know where you are?" Anon shakes his head as if to say "no." "Are you lost?"

"I... I don't know."

"Can you tell me the last thing you remember before you woke up here?"

"..." Anon's expression darkens as he tries to remember, but he eventually speaks up again, his voice a mumble. "My mom said goodnight and sent me to bed."

"You don't remember how you got here?" Anon shakes his head again. "I see. Well, right now you are safe. You're in the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville." Fluttershy motions to Twilight. "It's run by my good friend Twilight, and she's Princess Celestia's student. That's how you know you're in good hooves. Where are you from?"

"I... I'm from Springfield."

"Oh? I don't believe I've ever heard of Springfield. Where is it?"

"The United States."

"The... United States?"

"Wh-what are you?"

The boy looks at Fluttershy, his eyes still filled with terror and confusion. Fluttershy gives him a warm smile, doing her best to comfort him. Meanwhile, Twilight finally drops her spell, and Anon makes no effort to run away.

"I'm a pegasus. Twilight here is a unicorn, and Applejack is an earth pony. What are you?"

"A... a human, I guess."

"I don't believe I've ever heard of a human." Fluttershy turns to Twilight. "Have you?"

"No, never."

Fluttershy looks back towards Anon.

"Well, don't you worry Anon. We're going to figure out where the United States is and get you back home, alright?"

Anon fidgets with the hem of his shirt and stares at the ground.

"Okay," he mumbles.

"Twilight, do you think we can do some research on 'humans,' 'Springfield,' and 'the United States?'"

Twilight grins, and Fluttershy realizes that she and Applejack have already taken several books from nearby shelves.

"I thought you'd never ask!"

A couple of hours later, the moon hangs high in the night sky as the three mares sigh in defeat. They haven't found a darn thing about what this kid is or where he is from. Meanwhile, he has been sitting at a nearby desk and kicking his legs absentmindedly. While they dug through countless books, the mares tried to fill the kid in on how they found him and where he is. They were shocked to discover that he had never heard of Equestria, causing Twilight to excitedly ponder if he might be an alien. This notion freaked Anon out, and she quickly apologized. To help him calm down, Fluttershy tried to converse with him about his hobbies and his life. Being the incredible caretaker that she is, she quickly found that talking to him about his parents calmed him down a great deal, and he spoke about them at length. Over time, he grew a bit more comfortable, though he never lost his scared and confused demeanor.

Twilight calls for her dragon assistant, Spike, who was sleeping through the whole ordeal. He slowly descends the nearby staircase, making his presence known with a yawn.

"What's up, Twilight? Did something happen?" Spike finally notices Anon, causing his eyes to go wide. "Woah. What the heck is that thing?"

"Spike, be nice! This is Anon. He's a human."

"What's a human?"

"We... don't really know. A-anyway, I need you to take a letter for me."

"You've got it."

No matter how tired he is, Spike is always willing to lend Twilight a helping claw whenever he can. He produces a quill and some parchment from seemingly nowhere and waits for Twilight to begin speaking.

"Dear Princess Celestia, I'm afraid I'm not writing to you about a friendship lesson this time. As much as I hate to take up your precious time, I need your help, or at least your advice. My friends and I have discovered a 'human' child who claims to be from a place called 'Springfield' in 'the United States.' We've gone through the entire library, but we can't find any information about what 'humans' are or where this 'Springfield, United States' place is. On top of that, the stories he is telling us don't seem to line up with any place I know of in Equestria. Ordinarily I wouldn't bother you with something like this, but I think it's imperative that we get this boy back to his parents as soon as possible. If you know anything at all or have any sort of help you can provide, please let us know. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

"Is that all?"

"Yup, go ahead and send it."

"Even though she's probably asleep right now?"

"This is important, Spike. If I get in trouble for it..." Twilight lets out a nervous sigh. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, I suppose."

"Alright, then."

With a quick breath of green fire, the letter vanishes through a nearby window. The three mares look at each other before glancing over at Anon, who has fallen asleep on the desk with his head in his arms.

"What are we gonna do with him in the meantime?" Applejack, the voice of reason among the group, voices her concern for the boy's well-being.

"Fluttershy, do you think you could take care of him until we figure out what's going on? You ARE the best with kids, after all."

Fluttershy nods.

"I'll do my best."

To the surprise of everyone present, Spike lets out a burp, and another letter appears in his claws.

"Wow, that was fast," he remarks.

Twilight quickly uses her magic to grab the letter from him, unfurling it and reading it aloud.

To my faithful student,

Do not let that creature out of your sight. In fact, do not let him leave the library at all. I, myself, have never heard of such a creature in all of my days, nor have I heard of these places of which you speak. However, we have a responsibility to ensure that this boy is not dangerous to Equestria as a whole. As you read this, I am already making preparations to head to Ponyville as soon as possible. I should be there by morning.

Take great caution, Twilight. I have a very bad feeling about this.

Your teacher,

Princess Celestia

Twilight takes a moment to stare at the letter in shock. The library is filled with an uncomfortable silence until Applejack finally speaks up.

"Uh, is it just me, or does Princess Celestia sound... unusually afraid in that letter?"

"It's not just you," Twilight mumbles. She looks at Anon with apprehension, her brow furrowing as she does so. He sleeps peacefully on the table, the tiniest of snores escaping his nose. "Who are you, Anon?"

Luna watches as Celestia quickly wraps up the necessary preparations to depart for Ponyville, a look of unease on both of their faces in the meantime.

"Sister, are you sure about this?"

"I am. Twilight has no idea what she's dealing with right now."

"But to expose yourself to him..."

"We are the only ponies who can do something about this, Luna. And we cannot fail." Celestia looks at her sister with a fierce determination in her voice. "We'd better hope that Twilight is right about him just being a child. With any luck, that will minimize the danger they are in."

"That's the problem, sister. Shouldn't it already have happened?"

"I do not know. This is unprecedented in the first place."

Celestia opens the door to her bedroom and begins to walk out of it, turning around to look at Luna one final time before departing.

"Hold down the fort while I am gone. Should the worst come to pass, you have my permission to do whatever is necessary for Equestria."

Luna looks at her older sister with concern, hesitating for just a moment before giving her a nod.

"Just promise me you'll try to come home safe."

"I promise."

With that, Princess Celestia departs from Canterlot Castle, steeling herself for a confrontation with the human who has suddenly arrived in Equestria.

Ticking Time Bomb

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The sun has not yet risen. Twilight glances at a nearby clock. It's about five in the morning. Nearby, Fluttershy and Applejack sleep peacefully next to each other. Spike went back to bed upstairs, and Twilight had already gently moved the sleeping Anon to the sofa using her magic. She is the only creature still awake in the library.

Twilight's ears fold against the sides of her head as she looks at Anon with concern. Princess Celestia is going to be here very soon, and all because of that boy. What is so important about him that it would warrant an entire immediate visit like this? The sudden nature of it, combined with the quick response she sent, makes it seem like this is an emergency. While Twilight does want to get this kid home, she can't help but wonder if her teacher knows more than she is letting on.

Twilight sighs. Whoever this kid is, she has a feeling he's going to be quite the hoofful. For what must be the sixth time tonight, she closes her eyes and focuses on him. Sure enough, she reconfirms something she already noticed: This kid is giving off a weak magical reading. Being so in-tune with magic, Twilight is capable of sensing sources of magic when they occur, like when a nearby unicorn casts a spell. However, Anon is constantly giving her that feeling. It's faint, but it's there nonetheless. That's something she's going to have to bring up to Princess Celestia.

As if on queue, there is a knock on the door. The knock is loud enough to wake up Fluttershy and Applejack, but Anon continues to sleep. Twilight immediately hops out of her seat and opens the door, revealing the unmistakable figure of Princess Celestia.

The large alicorn mare looks at Twilight, her typically warm countenance now cold and distant, causing a shiver to run down Twilight's spine. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack all bow before the princess.

"Greetings, Princess Celestia."

"Hello, Twilight. Please, rise." Twilight and her friends stand back up, and Twilight gulps nervously. "Where is he?"

"He's right over here."

Twilight turns and walks further into the library. Celestia follows, making sure to close (and lock) the door behind her. There, sleeping on a sofa against a nearby wall, is Anon. Celestia narrows her eyes as she approaches the boy, her face now an ominous scowl.

"Get back, Twilight."

"O-okay, princess."

Twilight nervously backs away, and her friends quickly follow suit. Now alone near the boy, Celestia begins to cast a spell. Her horn glows a gentle yellow color, and Anon's body is covered in the same magic. Celestia closes her eyes as if to focus, and it feels as if all of the air is being taken out of the room. The silent, breathless moment continues for a few more seconds until Celestia finally opens her eyes again and lets out a breath she had been holding, her spell fading at the same time. She curses beneath her breath, catching Twilight off guard. Her angry expression never leaving her face, she takes a few more steps towards Anon before reaching towards him and shaking him violently, quickly causing him to awaken.

"Get up, human."

"Woah!"

Anon squirms as he attempts to sit up before rubbing his eyes. He looks exhausted, but as he notices the tall, menacing pony standing above him, he starts to cower in place.

"Why have you come here?"

"H-huh?"

Celestia violently stomps her hoof onto the wooden floor below, her eyes practically glowing in a quiet fury as she stares the boy down.

"Why are you here?"

"I... I don't know!"

Anon's voice is quivering, the terror he is feeling made obvious in the way he speaks.

"If I may, princess." Fluttershy interrupts the display, though Celestia never takes her eyes off of Anon. "We found him unconscious in a crater outside. He really doesn't know how he got here."

"Fluttershy's right," Applejack adds. "And I know when somepony is trying to lie. He's telling the truth when he says that."

Celestia says nothing for a moment, choosing instead to silently stare Anon down. For his part, he cannot maintain eye contact with the scary mare, choosing instead to stare at the floor as he sweats nervously, too scared to get up and run. Finally, Celestia speaks once again.

"Can you do magic?"

The boy doesn't respond.

"I SAID, can you do magic?"

Celestia leans towards the boy, flaring her wings as she does so. The display is wholly intimidating, and it surprises Twilight and her friends. They've never seen Celestia like this, and they have no idea what could cause her to act this way.

"N... no. M-magic isn't real."

"..." Celestia glares at the boy for a few more seconds. The tension in the room is almost unbearable, but slowly, Celestia starts to back away from the boy. She folds her wings back in against herself, and after a few more seconds, she sighs. "Twilight. We shall speak in private."

"O-of course, princess!"

With a flash of Celestia's horn, the two disappear, leaving Fluttershy and Applejack to watch over Anon. Fluttershy immediately rushes over to the boy, who cowers away from her.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, Anon! I've never seen her act like that! I swear, she's a nice pony too!"

"..."

"Are you okay?"

"..."

"...Mmm."

Fluttershy sits on the sofa next to Anon, who keeps to himself for a few moments, quietly shivering. Fluttershy unfurls a wing in his direction, looking at him with a concerned smile but saying nothing. After a few silent seconds, Anon willing shifts towards Fluttershy, who embraces the boy as best she can. She notices just how badly he's trembling, and silently wonders to herself what could have caused Celestia to frighten a child like this.

"Something is wrong," Applejack thinks to herself. "I don't like it one bit."

Celestia and Twilight appear near the outskirts of Ponyville with a flash. Twilight realizes that they're standing in the crater they found Anon in, and she quickly turns to her mentor with concern.

"Princess, what's going on?"

Celestia looks at her student for a moment, her expression less angry but no less serious than it was a few moments ago.

"We're not going to be able to get that boy home."

"What? How can you be so sure?"

"That spell I cast earlier should have worked on him. It didn't. That was his only avenue of getting back to... wherever he came from."

Celestia's hesitation near the end of that sentence wasn't lost on Twilight, but she doesn't bring it up.

"Really? What kind of spell was it?"

Very briefly, Celestia's eyes dart to the side before she responds.

"It's above your current level, Twilight. Don't worry about it."

"..."

That type of sentiment isn't something Twilight hears from her mentor... pretty much ever. The feeling of a weight in her stomach intensifies as the conversation continues.

"Regardless, this is quite the predicament. I don't like having that kid around."

"Why not? What's wrong with him?"

"You felt that magic coming off of him, right?"

"Y-yes, why?"

"Whether he knows it or not, that magic isn't good for any of us. If he is suddenly exposed to a great deal of magic, he might lose control of himself. He's a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off."

"What?!"

"Truthfully, it's a miracle that didn't happen as soon as he arrived. I'm... guessing that wherever he came from, magic simply isn't a thing there. The sudden exposure to Equestria's magic should have done him in. Curious that it didn't..."

Celestia trails off, seemingly lost in thought. Twilight is finding it difficult to take in all of this strangely cryptic information at once, and she is too anxious to really interrogate her mentor about it.

"S-so, I should avoid exposing him to too much magic?"

Celestia sighs.

"No. It would be too much trouble to do so. Equestria is a magical place by nature. We can't just hide him from it. Although..." Celestia places a hoof to her chin. "It might be safest to keep him somewhere he can be dealt with at a moment's notice." Celestia's last thought was a mumble, and Twilight couldn't make out quite what she said.

"Princess?"

"Twilight, I have a new assignment for you."

Twilight straightens her back and looks at her teacher with wide eyes.

"Y-yes?"

"You are to look after Anon for the time being. See if you can't find a way to return him from where he came, though I doubt you will. In any scenario, just keep a close eye on him. If he suddenly seems to lose control of himself, or if he says something strange that he really shouldn't know about, contact me immediately. Do you understand?"

"W-wait, what do you mean 'something that he really shouldn't know about?'"

"...Just keep your ears open for anything strange."

"O-okay, I suppose. But wouldn't it be better to leave him with Fluttershy? She's so much better with kids than-"

"No, he will stay with you. Your magic would be necessary if it comes to handling whatever he might be capable of."

"..."

"Now then, shall we return?"

"...Princess?"

"Hm?"

"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"..." Celestia's expression darkens, and she looks away from her student before giving her a proper answer. When she speaks, her voice is uncharacteristically cold. "You'll understand at a later date. For now, just follow my instructions."

The weight in Twilight's stomach feels almost unbearable. Celestia is acting so strangely, it's like she's a different pony entirely. But... who is she to question the Princess Celestia?

Her concerns are interrupted by Celestia's horn suddenly glowing. The next thing she knows, they are both enveloped in a flash of light before reappearing in the library. Applejack jumps, having only been a few feet away from where the pair arrived. Meanwhile, Fluttershy holds the quivering Anon close against her chest as she looks up at the pair, worry on her face.

"I suppose I shall take my leave." Celestia gives a slight, courteous bow as she takes a few steps towards the front door. "Farewell. And... be careful."

Without another word, Celestia departs, leaving the three mares and Anon alone once again. They stand in shocked silence for a few moments as the sun begins to rise outside. Slowly, the three all direct their attention towards Anon, who looks back at them with confusion.

"...What?"

Childhood

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"Well, eat up!"

It is now morning. Fluttershy and Applejack went home not long after the princess left. Meanwhile, neither Anon nor Twilight found it easy to sleep following their meeting with Celestia, but they're holding up okay as they, as well as Spike, gather around the small table next to the kitchen.

Anon looks down at the plate Twilight prepared for him. A generous pile of hay rests atop it, alongside a glass of milk. He looks at the plate with confusion, then up at Twilight with the same expression.

"I don't know how much humans eat, so I hope that's enough to fill you up."

"..."

The young and naive Anon, not quite understanding that he shouldn't really be eating hay, picks up a few loose pieces and places them in his mouth. Sure enough, they taste kind of gross and don't fill him up whatsoever.

"Everything okay?"

Twilight looks at Anon with a smile. She plans to do her best to be a caretaker for him. After all, she grew up alongside Spike. This isn't entirely new to her, but she also had the help of her parents and her brother with Spike. This is quite a bit different, and the fact that she knows literally nothing about humans doesn't help much.

"..."

Anon says nothing, instead awkwardly sliding the plate away from him as he drinks the milk in one go. Twilight immediately realizes two things. First, this boy is too shy to speak up. Second, he's a picky eater.

"Hay is part of a healthy breakfast, Anon. Is... that not true where you're from?"

Anon responds, though his voice is a mumble.

"I've never had hay."

"Your parents never gave you any hay?"

"They didn't eat hay, either."

Twilight ponders his words for a second before her eyes go wide.

"Wait, humans don't eat hay at all?"

"I don't think so."

"...Huh." She turns to Spike, who looks back at her with a nonplussed expression. "I didn't even consider that humans and ponies have different diets."

Spike shrugs.

"Dragons and ponies have different diets, too. I don't see you snacking on any gems. Maybe this is the same way?" Spike turns to Anon. "What do humans eat for breakfast?"

"...C-cereal."

Twilight breathes a sigh of relief.

"Well, we do have that!"

Hopping up from her seat, Twilight begins to pour the boy a bowl of cereal, giving him a smile as she places it in front of him.

"Th-thank you."

"You're welcome!" Twilight makes her way back into her seat, her mood now improved having solved that problem. "What other kinds of foods do humans eat? We might need to keep that in mind."

"H-how long am I going to be here?" Anon dodges the question entirely, deciding to change the subject to the most pressing matter on his mind.

Twilight looks away nervously, doing her best to maintain her friendly smile.

"Er... that's... well..."

"We don't know," Spike says bluntly, earning him a look of anger from Twilight. Shrugging her off, he continues to speak. "We're going to try to get you back home, but we have no idea how long it will take."

Anon takes a quiet bite of cereal before mumbling to no one in particular.

"...I miss my mom."

Twilight and Spike share another look. They feel their hearts drop at Anon's words. This poor kid is lost, confused, and probably incredibly scared. Princess Celestia certainly didn't make matters any better for him, either. What can they possibly do to help this poor kid?

"...Spike?"

"Hm?"

"I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, what's up?"

Twilight leans towards Spike and begins to whisper in his ear. Anon pays them no mind as he quietly eats his cereal.

Things are about to be a lot different for him.

Anon and Twilight walk into Ponyville together. They (though mostly Anon) get many looks from the ponies passing by. Twilight somewhat expected this; she is walking around with an alien, after all. However, a significant amount of the bystanders smile or make varying levels of "aww" noises when they see him. It seems that children, even alien ones, are inherently cute, and Anon shyly clinging to Twilight as they walk down the dirt path certainly endears strangers to him.

"How are you holding up, Anon?"

"I-I'm okay."

"Good! I promise, you're gonna love where we're going!"

Twilight smiles at Anon, though he awkwardly looks away from her. He's still obviously confused and uncomfortable, but she has noticed that he's slowly starting to talk more around her. He continues to clam up around strangers, though.

Eventually, they come to a stop before a large building. Anon looks up, and his eyes immediately seem to sparkle as he gasps.

"Well, here we are!"

"What is it?!"

Twilight laughs as she opens the front door, a sweet smell suddenly assailing Anon's nostrils.

"This is Sugarcube Corner. Come on!"

Twilight motions for Anon to follow her, and he happily does so. Once entering, he sees the sweets shop in all of its glory. However, on top of being a normal confectionery, balloons and streamers galore fill his sight. The room is filled with many more ponies, which does frighten him a bit, but more than that, he can't help but feel excited. After all, no matter how you slice it...

This is a party!

The pair are quickly approached by the bright pink bundle of energy known as Pinkie Pie, who immediately gasps in excitement when she sees Anon.

"Hello! You must be Anon! It's super duper great to meet you!"

She gives him an excited grin, though Anon cowers towards Twilight. She simply chuckles and looks down at him as well.

"Anon, this is Pinkie Pie. She's one of my best friends, and she's-"

"The super duper premier party planning pony!"

Pinkie Pie bounces in place, unable to control her laughter. Anon is mesmerized by her poofy, cotton-candy-like mane that bounces along with the rest of her. He gently reaches out and touches it on her way down, causing her to laugh even harder.

"That's my mane, you silly-billy!" Pinkie ruffles up a bit of Anon's moppy hair, causing him to, for the first time since arriving in Equestria, begin to laugh. "I think we're going to be the best of friends!"

After a moment, Anon mumbles something that Pinkie really shouldn't have been able to hear, but did anyway.

"What is all of this?"

"This a party, of course! YOUR party!"

"M-my party?"

"Yup! This is your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party! We don't know how long you're going to be here, but we're going to make sure it's lots of fun!"

Anon doesn't quite know how to respond, but he also doesn't get a chance to say anything before Pinkie takes hold of his arm and lifts him onto her back. Despite the small stature of these ponies, Anon's young body is the perfect size to ride on their backs. He instinctively grabs at Pinkie's mane for balance, and she laughs before carrying him over to a nearby table laden with sweets of all kinds.

"Woah!"

"Since we only just met about two minutes ago, I didn't really know what your favorites are, so I made a little bit of everything! What do you want to try first?!"

Anon eyes the table full of sweets and desserts. For a young boy like him, this may as well be heaven. He picks out a mixture of cake, cookies, ice cream, candies, and everything in-between. Twilight initially objects to this, afraid of what that much sugar might do to him, but after seeing how he lights up as he helps himself alongside the equally excited Pinkie, her anxiety starts to fade. If Celestia is to be believed, he might never get to go back to wherever he came from. And if that's the case...

He should at least be allowed to have some fun in his new home.

"T-Twilight, darling, I don't mean to sound too demanding, but could you please hold him still for a moment?"

Sweat begins to form on Rarity's brow as she holds some measuring tape up to a squirming Anon. He clearly wants to be anywhere but the Carousel Boutique right now, and he especially wants this strange mare to stop poking and prodding at him. Meanwhile, Twilight gives her an awkward, apologetic smile and uses magic to gently hold Anon still.

"I'm sorry Anon," Twilight says. "But you need to sit still for a little while so she can take your measurements. Don't you want some nice new clothes?"

"No!"

Anon pouts as Rarity finally gets a chance to write some numbers down. Twilight, meanwhile, looks up at her fashion-forward friend.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Rarity. I'm not used to having to keep a kid clothed every day."

"Oh, it's really no problem, darling. I enjoy a good challenge, and besides that, he's so cute! I'll have him looking like the most dapper... er, human, in Ponyville!"

After a few more moments, Rarity finally retracts her measuring tools and nods at Twilight, who releases her spell on Anon. He shakes around uncomfortably before taking a few steps away from Rarity. Twilight sighs.

"Is there anything else you need from him?"

"No, all I have left to do is draft up a few designs." Rarity gives Anon a smile. "Are there any colors or styles you tend to drift towards?"

Anon shakes his head as if to say "no."

"Very well, then." Rarity directs her attention back to Twilight and gives her a smile. "I should have at least a couple of outfits done by Friday. Think you can hold out until then?"

"We'll keep him home while we do his laundry. You would not believe how quickly he gets dirty."

"Hah! Do not underestimate my role in raising Sweetie Belle, Twilight. I know perfectly well how children are. Pony or otherwise."

"What do I owe you?"

"For a kid as cute as Anon? It's on the house."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Rarity meets Anon at eye level and gives him a warm smile. "I hope you're enjoying yourself in Ponyville!"

Anon scrunches up his nose as Rarity gets close and backs away even further, causing Twilight to chuckle.

"Well, thank you again, Rarity. I think we'd better get going now."

"I'll see you soon Twilight!"

"Goodbye Rarity!" Twilight nudges Anon before whispering to him. "Say goodbye, Anon."

Anon looks up at Rarity and speaks a tad louder than he really needs to.

"Bye, stinky lady!"

"S-STINKY?!"

With a nervous laugh Twilight quickly escorts Anon out of the boutique, leaving Rarity to fume at the comment.

"It's a perfume!"

Twilight takes a sip of tea as she reads a book in the library. It's early in the evening, meaning it's just about time for Anon to-

SLAM.

Get home from school.

Twilight looks up from her book at Anon, who has just entered the library. He has been living with her for about two months now, and although the adjustment has been slow, he has been warming up to his new life here in Equestria.

"Please don't slam the door, Nonny."

"S-sorry, Twilight!"

He walks further into the library, removing his backpack as he does so and placing it on the table in front of Twilight. Looking at him, she notices something different about him. He has a red cape that is much too small for him draped over his shoulders, a familiar blue patch emblazoned on its side.

"Oh? What have you got there?"

Anon twirls in place, showing the cape off proudly.

"I'm a Cutie Mark Crusader now!"

"You are?"

"Yup! Sweetie Belle made this for me yesterday, and she gave it to me after class today!"

"Wow, that was sweet of her! Er, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're finally making some friends, but... you do know that only ponies get cutie marks, right?"

"Well... yeah..." Anon trails off, his voice sounding a bit hurt. Twilight wonders if she shouldn't have said that, but Anon quickly recovers. "B-but that doesn't make trying to get one any less fun! B-besides, Scootaloo said I might get to be the first!"

Twilight thinks for just a moment before simply laughing at Anon's enthusiasm.

"You know what, sure. Maybe you will, Nonny."

Anon gives Twilight a big, toothy grin before grabbing his bag and heading towards his room. However, before he can fully exit the reading area, Twilight stops him.

"Bup bup bup. Don't go slinking off, Anon." Anon slowly turns around to face her, a look of guilt on his face. "I know Ms. Cheerilee gave you homework today, and I'm going to be making sure you actually get it done before bed tonight!"

"..." Anon turns away, a disappointed look on his face. "Yes, Twilight."

"Good. And don't be afraid to ask me for help if you can't figure something out."

Anon doesn't respond, instead reluctantly trudging into his room and closing the door behind him. Twilight lets out a single chuckle. He might hate doing his homework, but from what she can tell, he's quite intelligent for his age.

He'd make a great researcher when he gets older.

A few months later, Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony breathe a sigh of relief. Just a few moments ago, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance used the power of their love to repel Queen Chrysalis and her army of changelings on their wedding day. They, along with Spike and Princess Celestia, take some time to catch their breaths in the now-empty hall. No words are spoken. No words NEED to be spoken. The day was saved and Canterlot is still standing; that's what matters right now.

Twilight glances out of a nearby window at the wreckage the changelings caused. A few ponies are still trying to get their bearings, and she sees that there were in fact quite a few injuries, and perhaps worse, throughout the city. Then, all of a sudden, she gasps.

"Where's Anon?!"

The last time she saw him was during the wedding rehearsal before Chrysalis sent her to the caverns below the city. She looks around at the other ponies present, which look just as worried. It seems that in the chaos, they all forgot about him. Twilight quickly runs out of the room, followed closely by her five friends. Along the way, she fails to notice the completely uninterested expression on Celestia's face.

Making their way out of the castle, they stop as they reach the Canterlot city streets.

"Split up! If you find him, bring him right back here!"

With a nod, the six ponies go their separate ways, desperate to find the lost and potentially hurt Anon. Twilight barrels down the streets, observing in greater detail the extent of the damage that the changelings caused. She feels a familiar anxiety building in her gut, like a parent who cannot find their child. That thought briefly leads to her pondering the nature of her relationship with Anon, but she quickly shakes that particular line of questioning out of her head. It's not important right now.

After a while, Twilight glances down an alleyway and skids to a stop, having to double back a bit to confirm that she just saw what she thought she saw.

...Yeah, that was what she thought she saw.

There, in the alleyway, is Anon. His small human body is bent over, and he appears to be on his hands and knees looking at the ground. Twilight runs up to him, eager to see if he is alright.

"Nonny?! Are you okay?!"

Anon turns his head, but does not change his position. It's in that moment that Twilight looks past him and recognizes what's going on.

There, on the ground beneath him, is a young changeling. She struggles and her wings buzz beneath her, but she cannot escape from Anon's grasp. Twilight quickly begins to cast a telekinesis spell, holding the changeling still while ripping Anon off of her.

"What is going on here?!"

Anon responds through heavy breaths.

"Sh... she tried to hurt me!"

"You tried to hurt me!"

Twilight looks both of them up and down. Anon's little suit that Rarity made for him is torn in more than a couple of places, and there are several scrapes and bruises all over him. The changeling doesn't look much better off, either. However, that surprises Twilight. Changelings have a thick exoskeleton that makes them hard to hurt, and Anon is just a child.

Just how strong is a human?

Twilight ponders the scenario for a moment before coming to a decision, locking eyes with the young changeling girl and giving her a serious expression that causes the girl's blood to run cold.

"Do you know how to get back to the hive?"

"Y-yes?"

"Good. Because the rest of your army has been defeated."

"...I saw."

To the changeling's surprise, Twilight releases her spell on her.

"Just get out of here."

The changeling looks at Twilight with confusion for just a moment before nodding, quickly flying above the nearby rooftops and escaping into the horizon. Now free from danger, Twilight looks at Anon and begins to inspect him in more detail, much to his annoyance.

"Are you okay, Nonny?"

"I'm fine, Twilight," he says through squished cheeks. "I won."

With a sigh, Twilight pulls him into a tight hug, causing him to grunt in surprise.

"I'm so sorry, Nonny. I shouldn't have left you alone like that!" To Twilight's shock, Anon wraps his small arms around her and returns the hug. For a few long moments, he says nothing. Then, he begins to sniffle. Twilight doesn't let go, but she does adjust her head to look at him. Sure enough, he slowly begins to sob. "Anon?"

He hugs her tighter as he finally lets the tears flow freely. The two stay like that for some time, garnering the attention of a few nearby ponies that move on upon realizing that neither of them are injured.

"I... I was scared!"

"Shhhh. I know, Nonny. I'm here."

"I want to go home!"

Twilight can't bring herself to respond to that, instead choosing to just do whatever she can to hold him tight. He shouldn't have to go through something like this. No child should.

If only she could bring him the comfort his real family could.

Upon returning to the castle, Pinkie pulls everyone present into a tight group hug with Anon in the center. Feeling awkward, he says nothing, though the smiles on the Elements of Harmony's faces are enough to tell him that everything is okay.

Once they all let go, Fluttershy gives him a one-on-one hug of her own, which he happily returns. Ever since the night he arrived, he always felt the most comfortable around her. Aside from Twilight, at least.

"Are you okay, darling? Where did you run off to?"

"He got into a fight with a little changeling girl," Twilight says on Anon's behalf.

"He fought a changelin'? And won?"

"It seems like it. I sent the girl back home, so I don't think she's going to be causing any more trouble."

"Anon, that sounds so awesome!" Twilight glares at Rainbow Dash, who flies around happily above the group. Dash anxiously chuckles when she meets Twilight's gaze. "Uhh, but you shouldn't get into fights if you can avoid it! Hehe..."

Pinkie joins in on Fluttershy and Anon's hug, squeezing them way harder than she probably should.

"At least now everything is okey-dokey-lokey!"

"Yeah..." Twilight's voice is a tired mumble as she looks around at the group of friends, all of whom have been doing their best to help raise Anon into the best person he can be. "It is."

Twilight glances at Anon one more time, laughing when she sees him smile as Fluttershy carefully looks over his minor injuries. They might not be his real family, and this might not be his real home, but so long as Anon has these ponies around...

He'll never be alone.

Study Buddies

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As days turned to months, Twilight quickly realized something about humans: They age much faster than ponies. It has only been a few years, and yet her little Anon has doubled in height. He now towers over not just his old friends from school, but her as well. Heck, he's probably got an inch or two on Princess Celestia at this point.

Now in his late teens, Anon has started to grow into a young man. He no longer attends school, instead focusing his time on work and research. For the former, he got a job not too long ago as a laborer here in Ponyville. While his legs may not be as strong as a pony's, his large stature and overall endurance make him more productive than an entire team of stallions. For the latter, he spends much of his off-time studying magic and magical theory with Twilight's student, Starlight Glimmer.

...Oh, right. A lot has happened since the Canterlot wedding.

Aside from the usual antics (friendship problems, villains attacking Equestria, etc), a few noteworthy events have occurred that have shaken up both Twilight and Anon's lives. First, Twilight became an alicorn princess. Anon found the change fascinating, and it only further piqued his curiosity about the world of magic. Indeed, had he not witnessed what is essentially his mother figure transform into a powerful alicorn, he may not have decided to pursue his interest in magic at all.

Second, the Golden Oak Library was destroyed, and the pair (along with Spike) moved into the freshly grown Castle of Friendship. That was a major adjustment for Anon. For whatever reason, the large space inside the castle made him uneasy. Although he eventually grew more comfortable in his new home, that general sense of unease never quite left him.

Finally, Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony got into an altercation with Starlight Glimmer, a highly talented unicorn with a troubled past. However, the magic of friendship allowed her to find a better way (as it always does), and Twilight decided to take her under her wing as a pupil, much like Celestia had done with her.

To Twilight's surprise, Starlight and Anon hit it off very well. While Starlight has an innate talent for magic, Anon is... pretty much exactly the opposite. In fact, he is exactly the opposite. As time went on, Twilight made yet another realization about him. Even though she did so very rarely, she was finding that her spells were having less and less of an affect on him. It eventually got to the point where her telekinesis couldn't hold him still. In fact, it wouldn't even hinder him. Further testing showed that his body resists most forms of magic, and it takes a very strong source to actually do anything to him. Sure, if she were to blast him with all she had, it would probably hurt. However, that's still very impressive.

And due to the fact that the constant magical aura coming off of him has never gone away, it only raises even more questions.

Regardless, this hasn't stopped his fascination with magical principles. He engages in rigorous study on an almost daily basis, driven by nothing but his own insatiable curiosity. He once told Twilight that he dreams of being able to invent spells that can help Equestria as a whole, even if he can't actually perform those spells himself. Having Starlight (an extremely gifted unicorn that's more than willing to engage in some less-than-safe experimentation with just as much enthusiasm) nearby really gave him the push he needed to start seriously pursuing that dream.

Now, Anon and Starlight sit side-by-side in the Castle of Friendship's library. Starlight skims through a book of spells while Anon writes down several diagrams and runes on a piece of parchment. Even for a mare like Starlight, a lot of what he is writing is going right over her head.

"What is that, Anon? I thought you were working on refining teleportation techniques?"

"I was, but I'm trying something different now."

"Oh?" Starlight leans into Anon, causing a slight blush to form on his face. She looks down at his notes, doing her best to decipher it. "...Spatial displacement?"

"Yeah. It's still just a theoretical thing right now, though."

"And?"

"...And?"

"What's your theory?"

Anon blinks, taking a moment to figure out how to say what he wants to say.

"Well, it might be easiest to think about it like the inverse of teleportation as we know it. As you are more than aware, teleportation spells work by forming a magical connection between yourself and your intended destination. Then, using a combination of your own magic and the magic floating around in the air, you bring yourself through the space between your start position and end position almost instantaneously, even passing through objects to do so."

"Right. That's pretty simple stuff as far as magical theory is concerned."

"Sure. But I'm trying to see if the opposite is true."

"The opposite?"

"Well, let's say you wanted to achieve the same end. You want to get from Point A to Point B. As you know, greater distances require more magic to teleport between, and too great of distances are simply unfeasible, even for, say, Princess Celestia. So, what if Point B is an unfathomably huge distance away from Point A, but you still need to get there in an instant?"

"You couldn't, not without a huge external source of magic."

"Right. But the only external source of magic that's always readily available is the magic floating around in the air, which is minuscule compared to what you would need."

"So, what are you proposing?"

"We change the process entirely. Rather than use magic to make a connection between Point A and Point B so you can cross the distance between them, what if you could remove the distance entirely? Instead of bringing yourself to Point B, you bring Point B to you?"

"I mean, it's a fascinating idea, but how would that even work?"

"I'm still working on that part. Heh, if only you could squish the space together like a piece of paper."

"Even if you could, this sounds like it would be extraordinarily dangerous in practice."

"Probably, but that's why further research is needed. I'm onto something, I know it."

"..." As Anon stares longingly at his own notes, he fails to notice Starlight looking at him with concern. "...Anon?"

"Hm?"

"This is... I'm sorry for asking this, but... this is because of your home, isn't it?"

Anon's expression darkens for just a moment, but he quickly perks up and gives Starlight a grin.

"This type of magic would help Equestria as a whole, don't get me wrong. But... yeah. If there isn't any known way to send me back to my parents, then I'll just have to make one."

After a moment, Starlight returns his smile.

"Then I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Haha, thanks, Glim."

"Well then." Starlight closes her book and places it to the side before giving Anon her full attention. "We've been at it for hours. Wanna go get something to eat?"

"Pfft, I'm not even-" Anon is cut off by his stomach loudly grumbling. "Okay maybe I'm a bit peckish."

The two share a laugh as they depart from the library, closing the door behind them as they do so. They fail to notice Twilight, who had been seated just around the corner, listening in on them. Quiet as can be, Twilight flies over to Anon's notes and carefully reads over them.

"...This is incredible," she mumbles. She glances at the now-closed door that Anon and Starlight just walked through before looking back down at the notes. "He's learning this stuff so much faster than anypony I've ever met. And I'm a fast learner!" Twilight smiles to herself before slowly walking out of the library.

"I'm proud of him."

A few months later, Twilight yawns as she enters the library. She magically brings a steaming mug of coffee to her lips. It's quite early in the morning, but she needs to finish filling out some documents by noon for Mayor Mare regarding a recent bugbear attack. However, her tired, half-lidded eyes quickly shoot open. The library is in shambles. Shelves are knocked over, books and papers galore litter the floor... it's as if a tornado went through just this room.

And there, lying in the middle of the room, are Starlight and Anon. They appear uninjured, but they are sound asleep. Starlight sleeps on her stomach, her head resting on a particularly large tome. Meanwhile, Anon lies perpendicular to her, his head resting on her soft purple side. Both of them lightly snore, sleeping peacefully as though they aren't surrounded by the wreckage of what was once her library.

"What in Celestia's name happened here?!"

Twilight's shout quickly wakes the pair up. Anon jumps off of Starlight while she tries to scramble to her hooves as quickly as possible.

"Uhh, h-hi, Twilight. Er, good morning, hehe!" Anon anxiously rubs the back of his head, earning him a glare from his guardian.

"W-we can explain, I swear!" Starlight's voice is anxious and pleading, but Twilight can tell that it is genuine.

Twilight closes her eyes and lets out a sigh.

"Why don't you share the story while you clean up? In the meantime, I'll be sitting over here..." Twilight makes a show of sitting on the ground next to a table that has been split in two, the stools normally found next to it nowhere to be seen. "...Filling out some documents."

"Alright, alright." Anon begins grabbing a few nearby books, unsure of where to start but knowing that he had better start doing something. "It started yesterday evening. I thought I had finally made the breakthrough I was looking for."

"Are you sure about this, Anon?"

"If I was, there wouldn't be any need for a test, now would there?"

"I... don't think that's how the scientific method works."

"Semantics. Now, are you in, or what?"

Starlight glances down at the completed spell outlined on the parchment in her hooves. Anon has been working tirelessly on this spell for months, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't excited to see the results. However, in truth, this spell seems too good to be true at best, and slightly dubious at worst. She sighs before looking back up at Anon.

"I don't know. I'm just... I'm afraid of what might happen to you if this doesn't work."

"Worst case scenario, I get flung into a bookcase."

"Is that why you covered said bookcase in pillows?"

Starlight motions behind her, where an entire bookcase is indeed covered in lightly fluffed up pillows.

"Better than getting a concussion."

"...Alright, fine," Starlight says with a chuckle.

Something about Anon's enthusiasm always manages to rub off on her. The two make a great pair, and she considers him to be one of the better influences in her life following her change of heart.

"Well, I certainly can't cast the spell on myself! I'm ready whenever you are."

"Okay, just give me a sec."

Starlight takes a moment to commit the spell to memory. After a few moments, she nods to herself and plants her hooves onto the ground. Her horn begins to glow, faintly at first, but gradually growing brighter and brighter. To her surprise, it grows even brighter, and streaks of color gather from the air around her and into her horn. Having studied the spell, she knew this was supposed to happen. Anon had somehow devised a way to manually gather magic from the air in great quantities, which was absolutely necessary for the spell's success, but she didn't expect it to actually work!

With a deep breath, the magic suddenly stops collecting. There is a flash, and the room falls completely silent for the briefest of moments. Then, a second flash.

Anon is blasted with an incredible amount of magic. Starlight is pushed back by the sheer force of it, slamming into the wall behind her while still trying to keep her horn aimed squarely at Anon. The room is filled with noise, the air disrupted by the sheer display of power. Bookshelves topple, papers and books and quills and everything in-between go flying, but none prevent Starlight from closing her eyes and finishing the spell.

After what feels like an eternity, the magic finally runs out and the spell concludes. Starlight gasps for air, collapsing to the ground in the process. That spell was unbelievably taxing on her. Slowly, she opens her eyes to see if the spell worked.

Sure enough, Anon is gone.

Excited, Starlight slowly gets back on her hooves. Still panting, she trudges over the mess towards where Anon was just standing, but as she does so, she notices something peculiar. Right where Anon was, there is not just empty space. Instead, a shiny blue octahedron floats in midair. Even in her exhausted state, Starlight can tell that whatever that thing is, it's giving off an insanely strong amount of magic.

She cautiously approaches the floating object, looking at it with confusion and wonder. Feeling cautious, she picks a nearby quill up off of the ground and gives the object a gentle poke. Nothing happens. With a shrug, she places the quill aside and pokes it again, now with her bare hoof. However, as soon as she does so, she gasps in surprise, her vision having suddenly been altered.

No longer is she looking at the interior of the library. Instead, she feels like she is floating in midair. Rolling plains spread out all around her. The midday sun beams down on the landscape, and a gentle breeze blows through the area. And yet, it doesn't feel like she's actually there. It's as if she's looking at the landscape through a foggy window. She certainly can't feel the breeze, at least. She tries to look down at herself, but when she does so, she realizes that she's still holding out her hoof to touch the octahedron. Pulling her hoof back, she suddenly snaps back to what she should be seeing.

"Woah."

Placing her hoof back on the object, her vision once again goes back into the air above the plains. Now with a slightly better understanding of what she's looking at, she tries to move around. Doing so yields no results, as she only ends up moving her real body. However, after some awkward fiddling, she realizes that she can move in this new perspective; she just has to imagine doing it for it to work. She brings herself closer to the grass and sees something that catches her off guard.

"Anon?"

Sure enough, Anon is standing in the grass, looking around himself with wonder. When she says his name, however, he looks around with confusion.

"Starlight? Are you there?"

"I'm right here, Anon."

She lands directly in front of Anon, but he continues to look around himself.

"I don't see you."

"I'm literally right here." Starlight tries to touch him, but she passes right through him. "Woah! I went right through you!"

"Yeah, you're totally invisible to me."

"What is this place?"

"I have no idea. This certainly wasn't my intention when I wrote the spell, though. What's going on on your end?"

"Well, right where you were standing, there's this floating, glow-y octahedron thing, and when I touch it, it's like my consciousness is transported back here. I can stop by just letting go of it, though."

"...Huh."

"Do you have any clue what this might be?"

"...To be honest, I think I might. Though I'm having a hard time believing it."

"Lay it on me."

"You see that mountain over there?"

Anon points to a mountain off in the distance. It's very tall, with an oddly shaped peak.

"Yeah, I see it. What about it?"

"Does it look familiar to you?"

Starlight squints and stares at the mountain before suddenly gasping.

"Is that...?"

"Yup. That's the mountain that Canterlot is built into. But I sure as heck don't see Canterlot."

"I'm... so confused."

"Well, try this on for size. Look at the creek behind me."

Starlight looks past Anon, and sure enough there is indeed a creek.

"Don't tell me."

"Yup. That's the creek that runs through Ponyville."

"But Ponyville isn't here!"

"I know. As far as I can tell, this place is a perfect copy of Equestria. Just... without all the unnatural stuff built onto it."

"What does this mean?"

"I have a theory, but it's probably way out there."

"I'm all ears, Anon."

"Well, to paraphrase a lot, the spell is meant to use the magic in the air to essentially create a magic-based map of sorts. Then, that map is crunched together like a piece of paper, bringing your current position to the place you want to go. The idea is that when you then drop the spell, all of your magic, which is to say all of YOU, is in your desired position, allowing the teleport to complete successfully. But that's not what happened. This is a complete recreation of Equestria; it's a FINISHED 'magical map.'"

"And the octahedron?"

"I can only speculate, but if I had to guess, I miscalculated where the accumulated magic would go. I'm sure you saw just how much magic you gathered, both because of how much was in the air and because of how gosh darn awesome you are." Starlight blushes at the compliment. "But it didn't disperse as it should have. Instead, it condensed into one place. Not sure why it's an octahedron specifically, but if I had to take a guess... I'd say that this is more or less a pocket dimension."

"A POCKET DIMENSION?! Anon, that's a fabled spell that has only existed in theory for centuries!"

"I know. Isn't it exciting?"

"It really is!" Starlight catches herself getting giddy and trotting in place, but a thought suddenly hits her, bringing her back down to reality. "W-wait! How are we going to get you out of there?"

"Yeah, that's the question, isn't it? Before I answer, could you do me a favor? I want to test one more thing."

"You want to test something now?"

"While you're looking at where Ponyville normally is, try to picture Ponyville actually being there as best you can. Really focus on it, and try to get every detail possible."

"O-okay, I guess."

Starlight does exactly that, more or less trying to manifest Ponyville into existence on the empty plain. She feels a bit foolish, but much to her surprise, a shaky outline of Ponyville actually does begin to form. A few moments later, a complete recreation of the small town has appeared in the pocket dimension.

"I knew it."

"What just happened?!"

"Like I said, this place is basically just a magical map recreating Equestria. Since you're still on the outside, you can manipulate that map as you see fit. You can basically control this whole dimension like a god or something."

"That is just... so cool."

"I agree. Now, then." Anon clears his throat and rolls his shoulders. "Let's see if I can't break out of here."

"What are you going to do?"

Anon closes his eyes and begins to focus. Starlight watches him with quiet curiosity. He stays like that for ten... twenty... thirty seconds. Once he reaches about a minute, Starlight opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted by cracks forming in the air around Anon. Then, even more cracks appear. Slowly but surely, the area around Anon begins to distort, and all at once, there is a popping sound, and Anon is gone.

"Anon? Where did you go?"

Starlight's question is answered when she feels a tap on her shoulder. Letting go of the octahedron, she turns around to see Anon back in the real world, standing behind her with a smile.

"Boo."

"H-how did you do that?!"

"My body resists magic, remember? If the whole pocket dimension is made out of magic, all I have to do is try to get all of the magic off of me, and voila!"

"Well, that's handy!"

"True, but it only works for me."

"Oh. R-right. Wait, so if I were to be the one in the pocket dimension... I would just be stuck there?!"

"Probably."

"You seem really nonchalant about this!"

Anon places a hand on Starlight's shoulder. She looks at him with confusion, but all at once, she realizes what's been going on. Anon's hand is shaking. A lot. And when she looks into his eyes, they too are unfocused and shaking.

He's terrified. From the instant the spell didn't work as intended, he's been trying to hide his fear from her.

He removes his hand from Starlight's shoulder and directs his attention towards the floating octahedron. With a sigh, he grabs it. Starlight watches as he seems to become distant, and she realizes that he's looking into the pocket dimension just as she had. After a few moments, he lets go and turns back to look at her yet again.

"...We can't keep this."

"I think I have to agree. There are too many unknowns about it."

"No, I mean more than that."

"Hm?"

Anon suddenly grabs the octahedron with both hands and in one quick motion slams it onto the ground. The object shatters like glass, and the individual pieces quickly disappear in midair. With the shattering comes an explosion of magic, sending both Anon and Starlight flying. The resulting devastation ruins what little is left of the library, sending the already disturbed items flying around the room all over again. Thankfully, both Anon and Starlight are left unharmed.

When they both regain their bearings, they regroup in the center of the room.

"Probably should have seen that coming. That was a lot of magic to disperse at once."

"You could have at least warned me, you know."

"Sorry, Glim." Anon's eyes quickly dart to the floor, and he immediately sees what he was searching for. Bending down, he picks up the spell that he had finalized just hours before. "Ah, here it is."

"I think it needs a bit more fine-tuning, don't you?"

"...Nah."

With a determined expression, Anon rips the parchment to shreds, much to the shock of Starlight.

"What are you doing?! That's the culmination of MONTHS of work!"

When Anon is done, there is little left but tatters that fall unceremoniously from his hands.

"Work that will inevitably hurt somepony if we keep trying."

"Anon?"

He shakes his head.

"I don't want to accidentally trap anypony in some weird alternate dimension, even if said dimension is a nice place." Anon's gaze falls to the floor once again, and his darkened expression isn't overlooked by Starlight. "I, er... know how that feels."

Starlight immediately pulls Anon into the best hug she can muster. It's a bit awkward considering the height difference, but he appreciates the gesture all the same. The two stay like that for some time, and their fatigue eventually catches up to them. Too exhausted to even bother going back to their rooms, they fall asleep right there on the library floor.

"..."

"...Well?"

Twilight sighs.

"Seriously, it feels like whenever I look away from either of you for two seconds, you go and do the impossible. Endangering your lives in the process, might I add."

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't intend to do that again."

"I know you don't, Nonny." Twilight, who at this point has long finished her paperwork, sets it aside and walks up to her human "son." After letting out an exhausted-sounding breath, she chuckles and gives him a hug. "I do wish you'd stop giving me reasons to worry about you, though."

"Hehe. Sorry, Twilight."

She pulls away from him and looks around at the library. Thanks to Starlight's magic they made significant progress in cleaning up, but the job is still far from over. Twilight turns around and picks her documents back up before slowly trotting towards the door.

"I expect this place to be spotless when I get back this evening!"

Anon and Starlight both groan, but Starlight responds regardless.

"We'll get it done, we promise!"

With a smile and a nod, Twilight departs. Anon and Starlight share a look, wait a moment, glance at the door, glance back at each other, wait yet another moment, and smirk. A flash comes from Starlight's horn, and all at once, the library looks like it was never disturbed in the first place.

"Man, that's a handy spell."

"You can thank me by helping me with my new spell today."

"Hehe, sure, Glim."

Their bond somehow stronger than ever, the unlikely duo practice spells long into the night, though this time enjoying the relative peace that comes with using spells that don't carry the possibility of an eternity trapped in a pocket dimension. Much like Twilight concluded years prior, Starlight realizes that despite everything...

Anon might just turn out okay after all.

Cat and Mouse

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A train heading to Canterlot rumbles as the late afternoon sun slowly begins its descent beneath the horizon. In a car all their own, Twilight, Starlight, and Anon relax and make small talk as they await their inevitable arrival in Equestria's capital. It has been about a year since the whole pocket dimension thing, and neither Anon nor Starlight have made any attempt at replicating the spell. Anon has instead chosen to focus on increasing the effectiveness of regular teleportation with his studies, though he has made little headway. That is due in part to both he and Starlight having their time suddenly taken up by Twilight's newest project.

"Twilight, remind me again what it is we're looking for, exactly?"

"There are a few ancient Equestrian artifacts stored in the restricted section of the royal library. Princess Celestia trusts me enough to take them off of her hooves so that we can study them in greater detail when the School of Friendship opens."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"Haha! What, do you not trust me?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's that a school headed by yourself is sure to attract a lot of attention. And not all of your students are guaranteed to have the best intentions."

"Oh, Nonny. If I go doubting the motives of our students, I couldn't rightly call myself a good headmare of Equestria's first ever friendship school, now could I?"

"...No, I suppose not."

Anon crosses him arms, choosing to end the conversation there. Twilight can be a bit too trusting of others for her own good, but that's just a part of what makes her such a great pony.

"And what are you looking for, Anon?" Starlight, who is sitting next to Anon, playfully prods at him when she notices that he is about to be lost in thought.

"I don't know, to be honest. Just having an opportunity to look around in the restricted section is motivation enough, I think. Who knows what we might find in there?"

Anon's eyes sparkle with excitement, and Starlight can't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm.

"Please behave yourself, Nonny." Twilight looks at Anon with a playful, though still concerned smile. "You're only going to be allowed in as my guest; you yourself technically don't have a right to go in there. I expect you to keep your hands off of anything I don't directly point out to you. If you want to read something that bad, tell me and I will get permission to remove it."

"Why are the sisters so adamant about that place's security, anyway? I get the general populous, but you're not allowed free reign in there? Aren't you a princess too?"

"Technically I'm allowed to do whatever I want in there, I just don't want to risk upsetting Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. There's a big difference."

Anon huffs and looks away, directing his gaze away from his companions and towards the window.

"Because obviously they always know what's best, right?"

His words are a mumble, but they're loud enough for Twilight to hear. She squints and opens her mouth to speak, but ultimately chooses to not say anything. She knows perfectly well how Anon feels about the sisters. The night he arrived is practically burned into his memory, and ever since then, both of the princesses have given him the cold shoulder every time he's been in their presence. To be honest, that's the only thing straining her relationship with them as well, especially considering that they still won't tell her why they treat him that way. So, Twilight holds her tongue, and with Starlight feeling too awkward to say anything, the rest of the ride is taken in silence.

Eventually, the train pulls into the Canterlot train station. This seems to perk Anon right up, and he stretches his back as the train finally comes to a stop.

"I've gotta say, I'm not the biggest fan of Canterlot, but I am looking forward to some of the food here."

"Even though you can't eat half of it?" Starlight gives him a playful nudge on his side, and he laughs.

"Part of the fun is figuring out what I can eat!"

The trio exit the train and immediately begin walking to the far side of the city, where Canterlot Castle awaits.

"No means no, Twilight. This is non-negotiable."

The trio stand before the entrance to the library, their path blocked by two members of the Royal Guard and Princess Celestia herself.

"Why not?!"

"I do not feel that he is trustworthy enough to be allowed to see our nation's most sensitive documents."

Celestia glares at Twilight with a determined expression. Twilight boldly returns the glare with an angry expression of her own.

"All these years and he still hasn't earned your trust? He's been here with us every step of the way since he arrived! He's helped us defeat Chrysalis and Tirek! The friendship map has called on him numerous times! He's never done anything untrustworthy!"

"Oh? Are you absolutely positive about that?"

"H-huh?!"

"..." Celestia glances at Anon, her cold gaze sending a shiver down his spine. However, although he says nothing, he does not back away from her stare, doing his best to return it with just as much vigor. "We shall discuss this in the library. Which, might I reiterate, he will not be entering."

Twilight, to the surprise of everyone, lets out an aggravated huff.

"What do you have against him?! Why won't you just tell me the truth?!"

"Twilight, you must-"

"He's my son! You can't just treat him like this!"

Twilight's words are registered by everyone but herself. A surprised blush makes its way to Anon's face, while Celestia and Starlight simply look at Twilight with shock.

"..." Celestia finally backs down, breaking her staredown with Twilight. "It seems that leaving him with you was a mistake."

"Excuse me?!"

"We will speak no more of this. Now, come. There is only so much daylight left, and if you want those artifacts, we'd better hurry."

Without another word, Celestia turns and walks into the library. Twilight, continuing her shocking display of defiance towards her mentor, rushes in after her, demanding answers all the while and receiving none. Starlight hesitates, choosing instead to direct her attention towards Anon.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"..." Anon closes his eyes and tries to compose himself, with only the slightest of sniffles escaping from his nose before doing so. "Yeah. I'm alright." He looks at Starlight and gives her a forced smile. "Go help Twilight. I'm gonna take a walk, I think. It's been a hot minute since I've explored the city."

"Are you sure? Because I can say something to her if you want me to."

"Nah. I don't want to cause any more trouble. Besides, Celestia is right. The moon is starting to rise, meaning Luna is taking over. I can't imagine a cranky Celestia is going to be much help to anyone, hmhm."

"...Okay. Be careful out there, okay?"

"I promise."

The two share a quick hug before Starlight rushes into the library behind the two alicorns. The guards that had been standing to the side promptly close the door and glare at Anon, who innocently raises his hands in the air.

"I get it, I'm going."

As Anon turns to leave, he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. After pausing extremely briefly, he continues to walk as if nothing happened.

Anon walks briskly down the wide Canterlot street. Thanks to the setting sun and the oncoming night, much of the typical Canterlot crowd has cleared out. Anon breathes in the many smells of the city, admiring the ornate architecture and winding, storied streets as he does. While he walks, he never once turns around.

He briefly stops in front of a shop offering various houseplants. After looking through the front window for just a moment, he enters the store. A few minutes later he walks back out, a freshly bought plant in a small blue pot resting securely in a bag tucked under his arm.

"You look like a... Ms. Philodendron. You'll definitely spruce up Glim's office a bit. Besides, she could probably use some practice. Her gardening skills are... yeesh."

With his purchase made, he continues on his walk, making no effort to acknowledge the nonstop feeling of being watched.

Starlight watches as Twilight and Celestia open a few dusty containers around the library. The whole area is poorly kept. While most surfaces have been dusted, actually moving any items in the restricted section reveals that they are, in fact, still caked in dust due to never being properly taken out of their spots. Many of the items in here probably haven't been touched for hundreds of years at least.

Although the two have stopped bickering, Starlight recognizes that the sudden and unexpected animosity between the alicorns hasn't vanished. When they speak, it's quick and right to the point. On top of that, they seem to never take their eyes off of each other except to double check the status of the artifacts they're retrieving. Meanwhile, although Starlight can skim the titles of the books around her, she isn't permitted to do much more than that. As a result, this trip has ended up being much more boring than she imagined.

Anon sits at an outdoor table in front of a local tea shop and places an order. After a few minutes, the waiter returns to his table with a pot of tea and two cups. Anon thanks the stallion and pours the steaming hot tea into both cups. After doing so, he stands from his seat and walks to the opposite side of the table, choosing instead to face the direction he initially came from. He places the second cup of tea in front of the now-vacant seat and smiles at nothing in particular.

"You can come out, you know. I don't bite. In fact, I ordered you some tea."

He gets no response aside from the breeze.

"Hmhm. I know you probably would have preferred a more private venue, but you weren't exactly going to follow me inside, now were you?"

Still he gets no response, causing him to sigh with a cocky smile on his face.

"Alright, then. I suppose I'll just talk out loud to no one in particular. It's not like you would listen to me anyway, even if you were to share this tea with me..." Anon makes a point of taking a nonchalant sip of his tea before finishing his thought. "...Princess Luna."

Celestia and Twilight suddenly find themselves engaging in a completely different argument. Apparently, one of the artifacts Twilight was hoping to find hasn't been maintained properly, and it has lost some of its magical properties as the years have gone on. In truth, Starlight simply finds the display funny to watch. Choosing to instead just listen to the pair in the background as she continues to skim the titles on display throughout the bookcases, many catch her attention.

Equestria's Founding, First Edition.

Immigration from Zebrat.

The Defeat of Grogar.

All of these books have to be here for a reason, she supposes. Even though she's pretty sure she has a solid understanding of all of these topics, who knows what secrets might be hidden within those pages?

Or maybe this place just gets inspected so infrequently that Princess Celestia hasn't realized that this is all public information in the modern day.

Starlight chuckles to herself as that thought crosses her mind, but her mood swiftly changes as she sees one more book tucked away in a far corner of the library, nestled inconspicuously between two other, much larger books.

Upon reading its title, she feels her blood run cold.

"I do, of course, have plenty of theories about why Equestria's beloved princesses don't like me. And you know what? I really do believe that they have better intentions than just blatant xenophobia."

Anon takes another sip of his tea, glancing at the moon that is now high in the sky above him.

"No, I think they have a reason to hate me. But what could that reason possibly be? What is it about me that they know and I don't? Does it have something to do with my magic resistance? My biology? Maybe it's the magical aura I give off that neither Twilight nor Glim can understand?"

Anon chuckles, feeling thankful that the street is now void of creatures besides himself. Or at least, it appears to be. A cocky smile once again finds its way to his face.

"Or perhaps it's because I'm a 'ticking time bomb?'"

Very briefly, a quiet sound can be heard just a few feet away from the table at which Anon sits. However, he just closes his eyes and continues to smile.

"Don't worry, Twilight didn't disobey you. She never told me a thing. That said, I couldn't exactly sleep well after having just woken up in an alien world, child or otherwise. I'm sure she really did believe I was asleep when she told Applejack and Fluttershy everything that Celestia told her. It's been... food for thought, to say the least."

A cold breeze washes over Anon, but he pays it no mind. He takes one last sip of his tea, emptying his cup before gently placing it back down onto the table next to the still-steaming second cup.

"I wonder what else you know about me?"

Without another word, Anon places some money down onto the table, grabs his recently purchased plant, and begins to walk away. Once again, he never once looks behind him. This time, however, the feeling of being watched disappears.

And unbeknownst to him, a few moments later, a shaky hoof brings a steaming cup of tea to a pair of dark blue lips.

"Alright, that should be everything. Ready to go, Starlight?"

"Y-yes! I mean, yes, Twilight."

Starlight does her best to not look nervous in front of the two alicorns. Twilight raises an eyebrow, but Celestia has already made her way back to the entrance of the library.

"I've prepared rooms for the two of you, as well as Anon. You're all welcome to stay in Canterlot for as long as you like."

Celestia's typical warm demeanor returned at some point during the several hours the group spent in the library, and that friendliness puts both Twilight and Starlight at ease. However, Starlight whispers to Twilight on their way out of the library.

"Hey, Twilight? Think we could take the first train back home? Like... now, preferably?"

"Hm? Why the rush?"

"I just... I feel like Anon probably wants to go home after earlier."

Twilight ponders Starlight's words for a moment. Even though they're whispering, she knows full well that Celestia's well-trained ears can hear them.

"Uhh, Princess Celestia? I think we're just going to grab Anon and go back home. There's still plenty to set up before the school year starts, after all!"

"...Very well. I wish you all the best."

Celestia turns to look at the pair and gives them a delightfully warm smile. Doing their best to return the sentiment, the two purple mares excuse themselves and exit the castle.

"Starlight?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the real reason you want to leave?"

"I'll... tell you when we're on the train, okay?"

"Well, alright I guess. Er, where is Nonny, anyway?"

"Right over here!"

Twilight looks up, realizing that Anon is approaching them from a nearby alleyway.

"What were you doing over there?"

"Eh, don't worry about it. I just did some light shopping and helped myself to some tea. How did the artifact hunt go?"

The three walk towards the train station in the dark as they talk.

"Some of them aren't in as good of a condition as I would have hoped, but all in all, it was a successful trip."

"That's good to hear at least. What about you, Glim? See anything interesting?"

"M-mostly just a bunch of dusty books that could be in any old library."

"Hah! Sounds like I didn't miss much!"

The three put their conversation on hold as they arrive at the station. They got there just in time, too, and only a few moments later, they once again find themselves alone in a train car.

"By the way, I got you a plant for your office, Glim."

"R-really? That's so thoughtful of you!"

"I named her Ms. Philodendron. Hope that's okay."

"Uhh... thanks?"

The three laugh at the obviously silly name Anon gave the plant on purpose, but Starlight's laugh seems forced. In fact, she's been acting strangely since they left the library, and both Twilight and Anon noticed.

"Okay Starlight, I think it's time you told us what's going on."

Twilight looks at Starlight with a mixture of suspicion and concern.

"R-right. Well... oh dear, there really is no easy way to put this."

"Come on, Glim. Whatever happened, it can't be that bad. What did you do, drop an old book and tear its cover off?"

"..."

After hesitating for a long, tense moment, Starlight slowly reaches for her saddlebag, which seems suspiciously heavier than it was when they arrived in Canterlot. Wordlessly, she pulls out an old tome, its cover a faded brown leather and its contents seemingly not all that long. However, that is not what is most notable about the tome. Anon and Twilight both gasp as they read the title, which has been carefully stitched into the leather in silver letters. All of the air around them feels as though it has been sucked out of the car as the trio take in the gravity of the words on the book's cover.

The Human Protocol.

Forgotten History

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In a time before much of recorded history, a unicorn mare runs for her life. She's painfully average by the standards of most ponies, with a baby blue coat and pink mane that clash just a bit too much with each other to be aesthetically pleasing. The first Hearth's Warming occurred about half a year ago, and she has been doing her best to get along with the other ponykinds in this new, untamed land, just like her peers.

Unfortunately, nopony said life in this "Equestria" would be easy. She sprints through the woods as fast as her legs can carry her, sweat covering her face and heavy breaths being heaved from her lungs, but she does not dare slow down. She hops over a log, and just as she does so, a slight pain shoots through her cheek. Time seems to slow as she notices an arrow whizzing by her, its pointed tip having just barely grazed her face. Her eyes wide, she continues to sprint, unable to do much more than that in this instant.

Looking upwards, she can see light peeking through the treeline up ahead. She's almost there. With one final push, she emerges from the woods and into a large plain. Sure, she doesn't have any cover out here, but just a couple hundred feet away, her village stands with large, practically impenetrable walls. Using the last of her energy, she clears the gap between the woods and the village. A guard standing atop the wall opens the gate just enough for her to enter, and she quickly dives through said gate before it slams shut behind her. Meanwhile, several guards up above begin shouting and casting spells into the plain at her pursuers, picking them off one by one. Trying to take a moment to catch her breath and calm her nerves, the unicorn nearly passes out.

All she wanted to do was harvest some brambleberries. Was that really too much to ask for?

She gathers herself as best she can and trudges further into the village, quickly being greeted by a bat pony mare about the same age as her. The bat pony has a swampy green coat and velvety mane. Her piercing red eyes match her hair well, and she gives the unicorn a worried grin.

"I see you made it back okay."

"I did indeed. For better or for worse."

The bat pony looks over her friend, noticing the several scrapes and bruises all over her person. Then, she notices the large cut going down her cheek.

"Solaria, you really need to stop venturing that far into the Everfree."

"You know as well as I do that food is getting scarcer and scarcer, even without the Windigos breathing down our necks."

"Pfft. That's only because the earth ponies can't do their jobs properly. Not within these walls, at least. There's not enough space to do that much farming."

"You know, when the three tribes united, I didn't expect us to immediately get plunged into another conflict."

"You wanna know the worst part? According to the elders, it might be because we united that this is even a problem at all."

"What do you mean?"

The two mares journey into a nearby tent belonging to Solaria. As the unicorn begins to unpack her belongings onto a small table, the bat pony, affectionately nicknamed "Ezzy" (though properly known as Esmarelda), takes a seat on the floor, upon which a handcrafted rug lies.

"Well, you know how the humans were super nice and stuff whenever we first arrived on this continent?"

"For the most part. I seem to recall a few stinkers in there, but we weren't at war at least."

"Right, but now they're all super violent and attack us on sight."

The unicorn chuckles.

"And I suppose you're about to tell me why?"

"Well, the elders think that it might be because their bodies just can't handle magic. It makes them go berserk and become all violent and stuff like that."

"Hm. And what does that have to do with the three tribes uniting?"

"According to the elders, the blast of magic caused by our unification and subsequent friendships never truly dissipated. They suggested that there might be a lot more magic in the atmosphere now than there was before we arrived."

"And the humans can't handle it?"

"That's what they're speculating, at least."

Solaria, having finished her unpacking, joins her friend on the floor and sprawls out on her back, completely exhausted from the day's journey.

"Then what are we supposed to do about that? The humans outnumber us a hundred to one, and that's just in this area."

"Well, they were here first."

"It's not like we're welcome back in Zebrat anymore. Where else were we supposed to go?"

"Hey, I'm not arguing with you!" Ezzy lies down as well, and the two mares just stare at the ceiling of the tent.

"...They killed them, didn't they?"

"Hm?"

"The humans that chased me, I mean."

"Oh, yeah. They followed you into the open plain. They're easy targets there. The guards would be idiots to not capitalize on the opportunity."

Solaria sighs.

"I wish we didn't have to hurt them."

"Ria, they've killed almost a third of our camp. Heck, they did so brutally. I mean, you saw what happened to-"

"Shut up!" Ezzy winces, realizing that she almost said a name she shouldn't have. "The image is burned into my mind, Ezzy. I don't need you reminding me."

"...Sorry, Ria."

Solaria sighs once again.

"It's fine." Sitting upright once again, Solaria starts to stretch. "Let me guess. Even though the elders think they know what happened to make the humans go wild, they don't know how to fix it?"

"They're working on it."

"Pfft. They've been saying that for months."

"Scoff all you want, unless you have a better idea, waiting for them is all we can do. Besides, didn't you just say you didn't want to hurt the humans?"

"I don't, but I still want all of this taken care of. And not just because I saw a guard get torn limb from limb last weekend, either." Solaria glances at the small pouch of berries she acquired, which might be enough to last about three days. "If we don't do something soon, we're going to starve."

"...Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that."

A few hours later, the sun begins to set thanks to the magic of the elders. Meanwhile, two teenage unicorn mares take turns blasting each other with magic in a corner of the settlement. One of the mares has a snow-white coat and a pink mane, while the other has a navy blue coat and light-blue mane. Neither have their cutie marks yet. As the former begins to form yellow magic around her horn, the latter puts up a shield of blue magic in front of her. Then, the white mare sends out a blast of magic towards the shield, which successfully protects the blue mare from the attack. After a few seconds, the assault stops, and the two mares take a moment to catch their breath.

"Sister, I think that's enough for today."

"I agree. You're getting better, though!"

"Same for you."

The two sisters walk together through the settlement towards their tent, waving at a few groups of ponies resting at a campfire here or there. Eventually, they arrive at their home.

"Hello mother," they say in unison.

Solaria perks up, a smile on her face as her daughters arrive.

"There you are. I was wondering what was keeping you out so late."

"We were just getting more practice in. We have to be ready for whenever we finally get to leave the village."

"With any luck, that day is far away."

The sisters hide their scowls as Solaria happily trots over to a nearby table.

"I found enough for us to eat for three days this time. Help yourselves."

"Ugh, brambleberries again?"

"Do not give me that, young lady! The fact that we have food at all is a blessing! Be happy you aren't living in one of the fringe colonies."

Without another word, the three mares eat their dinner in silence. When the meal finally concludes, the elder of the two teenagers looks up at her mother.

"Did you hear what the elders discovered?"

"I heard what they're theorizing."

"Still, that's more progress than we've made in months! Maybe we'll be able to use that to turn the tables on them! Get revenge for what they did to dad!"

"Stop." Solaria's words are cold and demanding, and it's enough to make both of her daughters wince. "We will not seek retribution in this household. Am I clear?" Her children nod fearfully, and Solaria lets out yet another sigh. "We cannot return violence with violence. You can feel however you wish about the humans, but that doesn't give you an excuse to act violently towards them."

"But what about the rest of the village? They have no issues with killing the humans."

"And we are not them." Solaria closes her eyes and tilts her head downwards. "If the elders are right, then that means there is a solution to this."

"And what's that?"

"We just wait it out."

"We... wait it out?"

"If the humans' bodies get used to the new level of magic in the air, they should calm down. Then they'll be right back to the friendly neighbors we once knew them as."

Solaria's daughters each have a slightly different reaction.

"I don't want to be friends with them again, not after all of this," the white one says.

"Besides, who knows how long that will take?"

"That's enough. Both of you." Solaria takes a deep breath and stands from the table before walking over to her bed. "We must have hope that they can get better. Until then, we will get by. Nothing more, nothing less."

The two teenage alicorns share a glance, but say nothing. This life isn't at all what they were expecting a year ago.

"Again!"

A few weeks later, the two sisters yet again practice their magic, shooting each other with magical blasts over and over again. As much as they'd love to learn more complex spells, all of the local wizards other than the elders have been killed. As such, they have to settle with the basics.

"Haha, I got you that... time?"

The two are interrupted by shouting near the village's front gate, followed by a loud crashing sound, followed again by screaming. They share a quick, worried glance before sprinting towards the commotion. They don't even get halfway through the village before they realize what's happened. Somehow, someway...

The humans have breached the gate.

"Wh-what do we do?!"

"I don't know! Where's mom?!"

"She was out finding food again!"

Another crashing sound. At that moment, the pair finally notice the swarm of humans flooding into the village through the new hole in the gate. The few dozen guards are doing everything they can to hold them off, but the mares gasp in horror as they watch one stallion meet a sudden and gruesome end, then another get impaled through the chest via a spear. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the elder of the sisters turns and begins to run.

"Come on! We have to tell the elders!"

"But what about mom?!"

"She'll be fine! We can't make it through that crowd anyway, so just follow me!"

The blue mare tries to turn, but her legs lock up. She trembles in place, too terrified to move.

"Dang it sister, this is NOT the time!"

Using all of her energy, the elder of the sisters picks up her sibling using telekinesis to get her moving. Thankfully it works, and they begin to sprint towards the elders' tent near the back of the settlement.

Before they can make it, however, they are suddenly cut off. A large male human blocks their path, his eyes glowing red and the veins in his limbs pulsating with what looks like magic. They both yelp in surprise, and their fight or flight response activates. The younger sister puts a shield up in front of her, and while the elder sister attempts to do the same, she finds that she is drained after her telekinesis spell. She gasps as the human pounces towards her, but her sister leaps in the way just in time. The thin magical shield successfully repels their attacker, but it won't last forever, especially as he continues to bash the shield with his supercharged arms.

"Duck!" She drops the shield just as the pair duck, and the human, who had been repeatedly slamming on the shield, falls forward over the top of them. "Mom said not to hurt them! Just run!"

Sure enough, the two continue to sprint away. One of the few advantages ponies have over humans physically is their speed, so they easily outrun their assailant.

About a minute of running later, they finally reach the elders' tent. Throwing the entrance flaps aside, they rush into the large, circular interior, where six old ponies sit. Four are very old mares, while two are stallions. They all have white or gray manes, and the wrinkles covering their bodies do a decent job at showing just how long they've been around. All but one look up at the sisters, their expressions completely emotionless.

"E-elders! The village has been breached!"

"Hush, child," one of the mares says. "We know."

"Wh-what are we going to do?"

"I said, hush. We've been working on a plan for months. We're just going to have to hope it works ahead of schedule."

The mare directs their attention towards the one stallion that has yet to acknowledge their presence. His eyes are closed, his hooves are held aloft, and his horn is glowing with a great deal of magic. On top of that, magic of all colors seems to be gathering from the air around him into his horn, and after a few seconds, the whole tent is glowing brightly thanks to whatever spell he is casting.

"What's he going to do?"

"For the last time, be quiet! Let him concentrate!"

The two sisters watch in tense silence as the stallion continues the spell. The younger sister risks a peek outside the tent and notices the human that had been pursuing them earlier rushing towards the tent. He will be there in just a few seconds.

"Uhh, we'd better hurry!"

"He's almost done. Sit still."

"We don't have time for this!"

"Trust him!"

"I don't think-"

"Quiet!"

"Ahh!"

The human finally reaches the tent and leaps towards the mare. However, just as he is in midair, he stops completely. The two sisters look at the human in awe. He is completely frozen in midair, the violent expression on his face stiff as a board. Then, just as quickly as he froze, his whole body begins to glow a bright blue color. Slowly, it seems to unravel like string. His body slowly morphs into pure, concentrated magic, and it flows into the tent. The two turn around to see the elder stallion sweating profusely. Before him, a bright blue octahedron floats in midair. The magic, which was once their attacker, gently drifts into the octahedron. As they watch in shock and wonder, more strings of bright blue magic float into the tent from behind them. Then more. Then more.

Then more.

The process speeds up. The next thing they know, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of magical strings are floating through the walls of the tent and into the octahedron. Then, just as quickly as it all started, silence.

The octahedron falls delicately to the ground, quickly caught by an elder mare sitting next to the stallion responsible for the spell. Said stallion immediately falls unconscious.

"What... what just happened?"

The elder mare, which had previously been berating their impatience, sighs and looks at them with relief evident on her face.

"We've sealed them away within a pocket dimension. They won't be hurting anyone anymore."

"S... sealed them away? What does that mean?"

"It means we've created a second Equestria, right there in that little object. We can shape it as we want, change whatever we want to change. We'll make it look a lot different than the Equestria we know, give the humans a world of their own. Heck, if we're right, we might be able to modify everything in there, the humans themselves included. Wouldn't it be nice to wipe their memories of Equestria entirely?"

The older of the sisters looks on incredulously.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Then let me rephrase. Humans and ponies will never have to see or think about each other ever again. We can all live the rest of our lives in peace."

"So... that's it? They're just going to live forever in that... glow-y thing?"

"Unless they can discover some way to break free from its magic. However, we plan to make it so that they believe magic doesn't exist at all as a safety measure. So... you're correct, yes."

The sisters share a glance. The news sounds too good to be true. They turn around and look outside. Sure enough, the sounds of fighting have completely ceased. In fact, there seems to be quite a few excited cheers coming from the far side of the village. Now beaming at each other, they both rush out of the tent to see what's going on out there.

Of course, the elation of victory can only last so long. All of the humans are gone. And yet, their impact can't just disappear along with them, especially as dozens of corpses litter the grass. The excited cheers have quickly turned into a sorrowful mourning, and a few ponies begin moving the bodies with motions that are so well-performed, it's clear that they are tragically used to it.

The older of the sisters suddenly gasps and rushes into a nearby tent; THEIR tent. After a moment, she rushes back out.

"Where's mom?!"

They share a look of concern before rapidly looking through the crowd that has gathered. No matter where they look, they can't find her. Suddenly, the younger sister pushes through the crowd towards the hole in the gate, causing the other to follow closely behind her.

"Slow down!"

She makes it outside the gate as a few nearby stallions protest, unaware of what exactly just happened to the humans and voicing their concerns that more might still be outside. Her sister follows right behind her, but they both freeze in place as they look along the outside wall. Neither can say anything. Neither can move a muscle. All they can do is stand perfectly still as tears begin to flow down their cheeks.

There, lying side-by-side, are the bodies of Esmarelda and Solaria.

"..."

Anon faces the floor of the Castle of Friendship, a thousand-yard stare in his unfocused eyes. Twilight and Starlight share a glance, then look back at Anon, neither sure of exactly what to say.

"...N-Nonny?"

"..."

"Anon? Are you okay?"

"..."

"I... I think we should get you to a-"

Without a word, Anon brings himself to his feet. He slowly trudges towards a nearby bathroom and closes the door behind him. The two mares wince as they hear him violently begin to vomit.

Twilight slowly turns to face Starlight.

"Well... I guess we know where Anon came from now."

"So... because Anon is so resistant to magic, he just... broke out?"

"That's what it seems like. Completely on accident too, probably."

"But where is the pocket dimension? Why didn't Princess Celestia say anything? Why haven't we heard about any of this before?!"

"I don't know, I don't know, and... if I had to guess, I'd say it's for our own good. I mean, imagine if we all just had to live with the fact that there is an entire world of our own creation being used to contain an entire species that, if freed, would try to kill us all."

"But Anon isn't trying to kill us! Doesn't that mean something?!"

"I... I don't know, Starlight." Twilight glances at the bathroom door, sorrow evident on her face. "...But I do know that I don't care what's in that book. I'm not going to let anything happen to Anon."

"...Yeah." Starlight lets out a nervous sigh. "Me neither."

Anon finally emerges from the bathroom and looks at the pair with a completely unreadable expression. So many emotions are visible on his face at once, and it makes a chill run down the mares' spines.

"I think I'm going to go to bed."

"O-oh. Are you sure?"

Anon slowly trudges past them in the direction of his bedroom, never once turning to actually look at them.

"Yeah. I'm a bit tired."

"Well... okay. We'll talk in the morning, alright?"

"Mmm."

Without another word, Anon disappears down the hall, leaving Twilight and Starlight in a heavy silence.

"So, what now?"

"...I think I'm going to go to bed too. We have a lot to discuss tomorrow."

Starlight hesitates for a moment, but ultimately agrees.

"Well, alright. I'll see you in the morning, Twilight."

"Goodnight, Starlight."

The two mares go their separate ways as they retire to their bedrooms. All of Equestria falls silent as the moon hangs high in the sky, blissfully unaware of the absolute mayhem that the following day will bring.

The Villain You Wished I Was

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Twilight awakens to the sound of someone slamming on her door. With a surprised yelp, she leaps out of bed.

"Wah! Wh-what is it?!"

"Twilight, you need to get out here right now!"

"Starlight?" Twilight glances at her clock. It's five in the morning. "What's going on at this hour?"

"Anon is gone!"

Twilight feels her heart sink into her chest. She blinks, taking just a moment to process what's happening. Then, she rushes to the door to see a panicked Starlight on the other side, nervously trotting in place.

"What do you mean he's gone? Are you sure he didn't just go for another one of his walks or something?"

"I would have, if it wasn't for the fact that this was stuck to his door!"

Starlight hands Twilight a small piece of paper. The handwriting is neat, but concise.

Went to talk to Celestia. Don't follow me.

"...Oh no."

"That's what I said!"

"When did the most recent train leave for Canterlot?!"

"About an hour ago!"

"Argh, dang it! Fine, let's go! We'll just have to take the soonest one possible!"

The two begin to sprint down the hall towards the front door of the castle. On the way there, they pass by a sleepy, yet curious Spike.

"What are you two doing so-"

"Spike, I have a job for you!" Twilight yells towards Spike, but does not stop running. "Tell our friends that they need to get to Canterlot as soon as possible! This could be a major emergency!"

"Wh-what? Why?"

Twilight doesn't respond, as she is already out the door.

"Please don't do anything rash, Anon...!"

The sun has just finished rising over the horizon. Princess Celestia sighs to herself as she finishes casting the spell, breathing in the crisp morning air from the Canterlot Castle balcony afterwards. With a contented smile on her face, she turns around and heads out of her room and down the hall. She has already gotten dressed and had breakfast, meaning the next thing on her agenda is day court. She slowly trudges to the throne room, not exactly excited by the prospect of handling what will most likely be the petty issues of the rich and powerful.

The two guards blocking the throne room step aside to allow their princess to enter. Once the doors are closed behind her, she lets out a gentle yawn. The room is long, the walls adorned with many stained glass windows depicting Equestria's countless victories against its enemies. She quickly glances at one of the more recent additions, this one depicting Twilight and all of her friends protecting a town from a rampaging bugbear. Specifically, her eyes are drawn to the corner of the window, where a crude depiction of Anon the human can be seen assisting Twilight. She certainly didn't tell the artist to include that when she commissioned him, no matter how accurate it may be.

Celestia climbs the steps leading to her throne in the dead silent room. Barely a shuffle is made as she turns around to sit on the throne. Immediately, she locks eyes with Anon, who somehow stands in the center of the dead silent room.

The two simply glare at each other, neither making a peep for what feels like hours, but couldn't have been more than a minute. Finally, Anon breaks the silence.

"Princess."

After a tense moment, Celestia responds.

"I do believe my subjects are meant to bow when they face me."

"And I do believe that I'm not your subject."

"Hmph. Then what right have you to be in this room at all? I know for a fact my guards didn't let you in."

"You're not the only one who can keep secrets, princess." Anon lifts a finger, the tip of which begins to glow slightly like a unicorn's horn might when casting a spell. "It took a long time to perfect my version of teleportation, but I'd say it works just fine now."

If Anon's display caught Celestia off guard, she doesn't show it.

"You're still trespassing, you know. And you're doing so in one of the most heavily secured places in the country. I can easily have you charged with treason for this. I could banish you to the sun if I so chose."

"You probably could. But I wouldn't make it easy on you."

"Is that a threat?"

"I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you? You've always been desperate for me to become a villain."

"I've done no such thing."

"Please, you aren't fooling anyone. And besides-"

"Let me guess. You know the truth. You know all about what happened to humanity, and now you're here to demand their release. Is that right?"

Anon closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"...No."

For the first time in their conversation, Celestia looks surprised.

"You... aren't?"

"No. I just... I just want to see them. That's all."

"Tsk. And why should I believe you?"

"Why should you not?"

Celestia stands from her throne, her anger finally making itself known.

"Because you are a liability. You're unstable. You were born with a resistance to magic, and the world that was perfectly crafted to contain your ilk for YOUR OWN BENEFIT rejected you. Now, you're a tragedy waiting to happen."

"It hasn't happened yet. What makes you think it will now?"

"It is better to be safe than sorry. All those years ago, I learned what it feels like to be helpless in the face of adversity. Then, many years later..." Celestia glances at a different window, this one depicting the defeat of Nightmare Moon. "I learned what it feels like for that adversity to be your fault." Once again locking eyes with Anon, Celestia begins to step down from her throne. She heads in Anon's direction, each step echoing through the chamber like the sound of a beating heart. "And I will not feel that again."

"..."

"Well? Don't you have a retort? I'm sure you have plenty you want to say to me."

"..."

"Come on! Don't you want your precious home back?!"

Celestia is dangerously close to Anon now, her horn beginning to glow a bright yellow. That magic, though typically gentle and controlled, appears thick and intimidating. Despite this, Anon does not move, nor does his expression ever change.

"Do it."

"What?"

"Do it. Get rid of me."

"You will not-"

Anon grabs Celestia by the horn, forcing her to crane her neck. He points the still-glowing horn directly at his own face.

"Do it."

The expression on Celestia's face is indescribable. There is a sudden flash of light. At the exact same time, the doors to the throne room fly open, revealing Twilight and Starlight. They look on in horror just as a massive burst of magic overtakes Anon, completely clouding their view of him.

"NO!"

...

The light fades. The dust that had been kicked up as a result of Celestia's magic dissipates. The newly arrived mares gasp at what they see. Celestia sits on the ground, her head facing the floor and tears rolling down her cheeks. She sniffles a single time and begins to sob.

And there, gently embracing her, is a completely unharmed Anon.

His quiet voice breaks the relative silence.

"I'm sorry."

Celestia does not return his hug, but she makes no effort to pull away. Twilight watches on, her jaw agape. She's never seen her mentor like this, not to mention the fact that Anon is somehow fine.

"What's going on?" Starlight whispers in Twilight's ear, and it takes the alicorn a moment to respond.

"I have no idea."

After a long, quiet moment, Celestia finally looks up at Anon.

"You..."

"She didn't want you to hurt humans, did she?"

"I... I..."

"It's fine if you hate me. I don't care. But... I know what you're going through."

"...Sniff. You don't. Anon, you can't possibly imagine what it feels like. Every time I look at you, all I can picture is the human that attacked Luna and I. Was he the one that killed my mother? I... I don't know. But he may as well have been. They ALL attacked us that day. Any of them could have been her killer, and ALL of them are to blame. What..." She dares to look him in the eyes once more, despite the fact that her own are still full of tears. "What does that make you?!"

"..." Anon, despite the accusations being thrown towards him, hugs the princess even tighter. "I had nothing to do with any of that. Deep down, you know that. And I know there's nothing I can do to fix the pain you're feeling."

"Then why...?"

"I miss my mom too, you know. And I'll never get to meet the old stallion that stuck my ancestors in that dimension." Anon finally pulls away, gently holding Celestia's face to ensure that she can see the melancholy in his own eyes. "But you're right here. And you're still holding my parents hostage."

"..."

Without another word, Celestia begins to cry harder. She keels over, a sudden wave of guilt washing over her. Anon lets go of her and takes a step back, doing his best to wipe the tears forming in his own eyes. He is surprised by the sound of a pony approaching him from behind, meeting her just as she wraps her hooves around him. Twilight has embraced him, doing her best to hold back tears of her own. Starlight is failing to do so behind her.

"Nonny! Wh-why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm sorry, Twilight. I knew you'd try to stop me otherwise."

"This... you..."

"It's okay. I know what I'm doing."

Anon removes Twilight from his waist and faces a seemingly random corner of the room, his expression soft, yet still serious.

"I meant it when I said I don't bite, by the way. You can come out now."

To everyone's surprise, the corner seems to shimmer for a moment. Then, all at once, the visage of Princess Luna appears out of thin air.

"How did you see me?"

"Complete guess, to be honest." Anon gets several strange looks. "What? I'm not a miracle worker."

Luna awkwardly walks towards the group, her head hanging down.

"I... I must apologize for the other day. I-I just... I don't know."

"Celestia responded to my appearance with anger. You did with fear. You can't really control that." Luna looks away, a conflicted look in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to dredge up such pain in the two of you."

"I'll get over it. Eventually."

Anon tries to give her a comforting smile, though he's unsure if she even sees it. Meanwhile, Celestia finally rises from the ground behind him, clearing her throat as she does so.

"...Right. Well then."

"So? Can I see them?"

Celestia looks at Anon, a mixture of anger and sorrow in her eyes. She glances at Twilight, then at Starlight, then at her sister. She opens her mouth to speak, but she is interrupted by the door to the throne room opening once again.

The room suddenly feels much more noisy as Spike, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all come barreling into it, completely uninformed about what exactly is taking place inside. When they see the sight that they do, they all stop in place.

"Uhh... what did we miss?"

Starlight awkwardly shuffles over to the group and whispers an explanation of the events of the past couple of days. After finishing, they all look up at Celestia, each reacting to the news in a different way, yet all equally interested in hearing her response.

"Twilight, you and your friends sure do have a habit of showing up at the most inopportune times."

"Hmhm. It's a part of what makes us so reliable."

Celestia thinks for a moment, a look of deep contemplation on her face.

"Um, if it makes any difference, princess..." Fluttershy takes a courteous bow. "We would be most appreciative if you would let Anon see how his parents are doing. He's been wanting to see them for a very long time."

After yet another quiet moment, Celestia finally sighs, facing Anon as she does so.

"Very well. I suppose that since your family is here to control you in the worst case scenario... I can let you touch the octahedron."

"Really?!"

To everyone's shock, Celestia lets out a tired chuckle.

"I'm just as surprised as you are that I'm saying this. Now, come. All of you."

"Where are we going?"

"The vault."

The Canterlot Castle vault is surprisingly simple. With a pair of guards on the outside, the vault itself consists of steel walls that branch out into about a half-dozen individual steel rooms.

"Each of these rooms contains a different powerful item," Celestia explains, "but they aren't here to protect them from thieves. They're here because they endanger the world outside these walls."

Celestia enters a very long combination on a fairly rudimentary padlock, opening the door on the far end of the vault. The door slowly slides open with a metallic creak, revealing the room inside. Sure enough, the room is completely barren save for a single glass case in the center of the room. And within that case, a glowing blue octahedron floats in midair.

Celestia delicately lifts the glass and looks at Anon with trepidation.

"This will only be a one-time thing. You being a human aside, it's just a security concern. So... make it count."

Anon nods, and everyone holds their breaths as he reaches for the octahedron. Magic seems to gently crackle in the area surrounding it like small bolts of electricity. The glowing aura surrounding it seems to pulsate, giving the object a life-life presence. Anon outstretches a single finger towards the octahedron, ready to finally, finally see his parents again.

But as he does so, cracks begin to form in the air around him. He freezes, recognizing this sensation. He isn't alone either, as Starlight gasps at the sight.

"Anon! Get away from the-"

She is cut off by a sudden magical explosion. Everyone in the vault is thrown against the back wall. When the light dies down, the octahedron appears to be completely unharmed. However, blue, string-like bursts of magic begin to flow out of it. First one, then two, then five, then twenty. The next thing they know, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of magical strings are shooting out of the octahedron and through the walls of the vault. Everyone present is paralyzed in shock at the display before them.

And when the magic finally dies down, the sounds of distant screams can be heard outside.

The Pain I Cause

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"Where does he think he's going?!"

"Dash, stop him!"

After the sudden arrival of the worst-case scenario, a lot happened in a very short span of time. First, Celestia and Luna immediately locked up. Their eyes seemed to glaze over, their faces contorted in fear. Fluttershy and Twilight, being the ponies that they are, immediately recognized what was going on. Twilight instructed Fluttershy to stay behind with the princesses to keep them safe along with Applejack and Spike, just in case they need to get on the defensive. While that was happening, everypony missed Anon ducking out of the room and sprinting away. By the time Starlight noticed his absence, he had already escaped the vault. Thus, Twilight, Starlight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie sprint away in pursuit of their human friend.

The gravity of the situation immediately becomes apparent. Large, hulking monstrosities that look vaguely like humans stalk the halls, violently attacking guards and servants alike. Occasionally, they pass by a human keeled over on the ground, writhing in pain. One such human convulses before their veins begin to glow, and they let out an ominous roar as the group sprints by.

Dash leads the pack, and being the speed demon that she is, she quickly catches up to Anon. She glances behind her, seeing that Twilight, Starlight, and Rarity are using their magic to protect the group as they run. They're safe for now, but that endurance won't last forever.

"Anon, what are you doing?!"

"I can sense them!"

"What are you TALKING ABOUT?! Do you see what's happening around us?!"

"They're here! In Canterlot!"

"WHO?!"

Anon turns to look at Dash, a frantic expression on his face despite his eyes being filled with tears.

"My parents!"

Dash simply looks at him for a moment, her disbelief making her hesitate for just an instant. In that instant, Anon ducks around a corner. Dash catches herself just in time to not slam into a wall. However, looking behind her once more, she sees that the rest of the group is surrounded by more humans. Their shield is protecting them, but they cannot advance any further.

"Argh, dang it!"

With a quick flap of her wings, Dash throws herself into one of the humans. The impact is intense and the human goes flying down the hall, rolling painfully along the marble floor. However, the moment it takes for her to recover is enough for another human to grab her from behind. She struggles in his grasp, but is quickly freed as the human is blasted with the contents of Pinkie's party cannon. Which... she had with her, apparently.

The unicorns drop the shield and face their remaining attackers. There are only two left. With their backs to each other, a combination of spells and kicks go flying in every direction. It isn't easy, but they successfully repel the two humans... only for the first two to get back up and corner them once again.

This isn't going to be easy.

Anon sprints through the Canterlot streets. Chaos surrounds him as ponies do everything in their power to defend themselves. Unlike the ponies of ancient Equestria, these ponies are used to conflict like this. Between changelings and the Storm Kingdom, they're much more prepared to defend themselves. However, they are so greatly outnumbered that it's only a matter of time until Canterlot is completely overrun. And yet, Anon can only focus on one thing. He doesn't even notice that the other humans are ignoring him entirely as he sprints through the streets, strung along by some unseen force.

As he sprints down the street, he skids to a stop. For whatever reason, his attention is turned to a nearby alleyway. Suddenly feeling a deep anxiety welling up within him, he slowly approaches the dark alleyway. As he does, he realizes something else. He knows this place. He's been here before.

This is where Twilight found him subduing a changeling all those years ago.

As he finally enters the space, his eyes go wide. Sure enough, there on the floor are two figures. One is a tall human man, his build and jawline very reminiscent of Anon's. Next to him is a much shorter woman, her moppy hair and overall disposition also seeming quite similar to Anon. They both writhe in pain on the ground, and Anon quickly kneels down next to them. They don't notice him through whatever it is they're feeling.

"...Mom? Dad?"

They look much older, but there can be no doubt. Anon knows exactly who these people are. The man opens one of his eyes to look at Anon before quickly closing it. He speaks through gritted teeth.

"Who... who are you, kid?"

"...My name is Anon, sir."

The man's eyes shoot open as he looks up at Anon, though his face quickly contorts into a scowl as he clutches his chest.

"W-well, whoever you are, can you make this STOP?!"

Anon's breathing quickens as he looks down at the pair. The veins in their hands and at the bottoms of their legs are beginning to glow, and it's quickly moving further up their bodies. A million thoughts race through Anon's head. As he proved to Celestia, he can use magic, but because his body is so resistant to it, he is most certainly NOT good at it. He can only use his special form of teleportation due to months and months of practice. Outside of that, his abilities are mostly nonexistent.

With only one other idea coming to mind, he places one hand on each of his parents, closes his eyes, and begins to concentrate. He focuses on the same sensation he had when he was in the pocket dimension, and the one he accidentally felt just minutes ago. Once again, cracks begin to form in the very air around them. The cracks grow in number, and a sound like shattering glass is heard. Anon opens his eyes with hope.

It did nothing.

He watches helplessly as magic courses through his parents' veins, the color now reaching all the way to the bases of their necks. Their eyes begin to glow red, then fade out. Then they glow again, and they fade again. They don't have much longer.

"I... I'm sorry! This is all my fault, and... and you don't even remember me!"

For the first time, the woman opens her eyes to look at Anon. Said eyes widen for just a moment. Her voice, though also strained due to the pain she is feeling, is gentle and serene. Despite the scenario, something about that voice puts Anon at ease, like a long forgotten, yet deeply comforting memory.

"N-Nonny?"

"Mom?"

The woman forces out a smile. Tears fill her eyes, though it's unclear if this is due to the emotions she must be going through or the agony her body is experiencing.

"L-look at you... you've grown."

Anon is unable to contain his own tears any longer.

"Mom!"

"I'm..." The woman begins to cough violently. Her eyes become visible through the red magic less and less frequently as seconds pass. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"I am!" Anon's voice is a shout. It's all he can do through his tears. "I... I am okay! I have a job, and friends, and a family! But... but I just wanted to see you again! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

The woman can no longer force a smile as her battle against the magic begins to reach its conclusion. Anon doesn't even notice his father stand from the ground and walk away without another word.

"I don't know... what's going on. But y-you shouldn't... blame yourself!"

The woman is forced to shout as she winces in pain yet again. Anon realizes what is about to happen.

"Mom!"

The woman opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out except for a deeply guttural noise. Her eyes glaze over before filling with red magic one last time. Then, without another word, she effortlessly stands up and leaves the alleyway. Anon is left there by himself. Unable to bear the weight of his guilt, he collapses onto the floor and begins to sob.

Anon doesn't quite remember what happened after that. When he comes to, he's once again sitting on his knees. He is being embraced by Twilight, who is holding him close. Meanwhile, Starlight stands behind her, protecting the three with a thick magical shield. The sound of mayhem unfolding around them is just as intense. He guesses that it's been about ten minutes since he lost track of what was happening.

"T-Twilight?"

"Nonny! Are you okay?!"

Anon instinctively starts to hug her back. Tears begin to flow, and the whole scenario feels very, very familiar.

"I... I was too late, Twilight. They're gone."

"..."

Twilight can't think of anything to say. All she can do is hold her son close and let him cry his heart out.

...

"I don't mean to interrupt the moment, but I can't hold this thing up forever!"

The two finally break their embrace as they look up at Starlight. Sure enough, two more humans are slamming down on her magical shield, and small cracks are beginning to form in it. Looking past the shield, dozens, if not hundreds, of humans are wreaking havoc in the streets.

"Wh-where did the others go?"

"Thankfully humans can't fly, and Dash can! She took Rarity and Pinkie to higher ground to search for you!"

"Oh, thank goodness."

"Do we have a plan?!"

Twilight turns to look at Anon, fear on her face. Anon shakes his head, and Twilight looks on in fear. She closes her eyes and winces before looking at him again.

"Nonny. No matter what happens, I want you to know that this isn't your fault."

"..."

Twilight sighs before turning around and helping Starlight maintain the shield.

"I guess we just have to blast our way through this and hope for the best."

As the two try to formulate an escape plan, a buzzing noise fills Anon's ears. All other sound is completely drowned out, and he closes his eyes to concentrate. Intentional or not, this was his fault. And he needs to fix it.

Suddenly, an idea strikes him. He looks up at the two mares, still unable to hear a thing. In a swift motion, he grabs the two of them and casts the only spell he knows for sure will work. They both gasp as all three blip away from the alleyway, suddenly reappearing in the vault.

Celestia, Luna, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Spike are nowhere to be seen. However, the octahedron still floats there, a blue glow still shining off of it. Starlight asks Anon something, but he doesn't hear her. Instead, he takes a step towards the octahedron.

If those ancient wizards were able to seal away all of humanity in this thing, then it should be possible to do something similar again. Meanwhile, he wrote the spell that accidentally created one of these not too long ago. If he can just focus, he might be able to do something. The only question is...

What will he do?

Will he seal humanity away in the octahedron?

Will he seal ALL of humanity away in the octahedron?

Will he seal the rest of Equestria away in the octahedron?

Or will he destroy the octahedron entirely?

Ending A: Seal Away Humanity

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Just as quickly as the chaos began, it all came to a stop.

The humans, nearly all of which had succumbed to their magical madness, froze in place, their bodies slowly unraveling into strings of pure magic. Then, history repeated itself. The strings all flew towards the vault and into the octahedron, filling the space with light. Anon, who held the octahedron, simply watched with a blank expression as his people were sealed away forever within the object he had in his hands. With one final flash of light, it was all over.

Anon closes his eyes. The ringing in his ears slowly fades away, leaving himself, Twilight, and Starlight in a heavy silence.

"Did... did you do it?" Starlight's voice is shaky, nervous, and tired.

Anon glances up at her and nods.

"Nonny..."

Anon says nothing. Instead, he focuses on the octahedron and begins to peer inside. It's as though he's looking through a foggy window. An endless expanse of grass stretches out around him. He focuses on his very consciousness and pulls himself upward, flying into the sky and seeing the landscape for what it is. Sure enough...

This is the world he left behind.

He immediately projects himself into his childhood home. There, in the living room, are his parents. They've returned to their normal selves, but they seem completely confused. If he had to guess, the rest of humanity feels the same. And just like the wizards of old, Anon has an idea.

He closes his eyes, concentrating on what is more of a concept than a physical object. With a flash of light that only he can perceive, the confusion plaguing humanity vanishes. Time itself in the pocket dimension rewinds to before the day's chaos began, leaving humanity in the relative peace they were experiencing prior to Anon's mistake.

He looks at his parents longingly, knowing they cannot see him. Holding back his tears as best he can, he turns away from them. Before he leaves, however, his insatiable curiosity begins to overtake him. He glances down the hall of his humble childhood home. Floating down it, he looks at the final door on the right. The door is closed, but with a sigh, he passes right through it. He winces, seeing exactly what he hoped he wouldn't.

His old bedroom, completely untouched.

...

Back in Equestria, Twilight and Starlight watch as Anon finally pulls himself away from the octahedron.

"Nonny? What happened?"

"I... I made it so that today never happened."

"You did?"

Anon nods.

"Just like the elders. It's better that they don't know about the reality of their situation."

When Anon speaks, his voice seems almost monotone. However, Twilight and Starlight, the two ponies that know him better than anyone in the entire world, see right through him. They share a glance before approaching Anon. He looks at them with confusion before they both embrace him.

And with that, Anon finally breaks down.

The carnage was kept to a minimum. However, there were still losses. The corpses of both ponies and humans alike are found throughout the country, and an eerie, tragic silence fills all of Equestria. Although the death count was only in the double digits, there were still deaths.

Nearly all of Equestria blamed Anon. His friends, of course, stood up for him. However, what he was NOT expecting was for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to do the same. They sheltered him from the aggravated masses that were furious at the human that brought about the deaths of some of their loved ones. Anon had to spend several months in Canterlot Castle, and the hospitality that the princesses (Celestia especially) provided for him caught him extremely off guard.

"Princess?"

Celestia slides a plate of breakfast to Anon, who looks at her with guilt.

"Hm?"

"Why are you treating me so well? Why the change of heart?"

"...In some ways, you ended up doing exactly what I feared you would." She looks away from Anon, hiding her expression from him. "However, in others, you did the exact opposite. At the end of the day, you're the only one who could have fixed the problem you caused. You're the only one who knows how to do that spell intentionally. And... you chose to do so. You used what little power you had to save my beloved subjects." She turns to face him again, and for the first time in his life, he watches her give him a warm, genuine smile. "And seeing as how this is your home now, you ARE one of those beloved subjects."

Anon looks back at her with a smile of his own.

"...Thank you, Celestia."

As months turned to years, Anon's life took many turns. He and Starlight would go on to get married, and the breakthroughs they would discover in the realm of magic would be monumental in shaping Equestria's future. Twilight doted on him for the rest of his days, his friends would support him whenever and wherever they could, and the public eventually forgave him as he dedicated his life to trying to heal the pain he caused. However, his guilt never left him, and it would eat away at him until the day of his death.

Meanwhile, in an alternate dimension of his own making, two humans live long and prosperous lives, any memory they may have had of their missing, troubled son forever wiped away.

Ending B: Seal Away ALL of Humanity

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Twilight and Starlight stand in stunned silence. Within seconds, everything came to a stop. First, Anon closed his eyes and concentrated on the octahedron. Then, he suddenly froze. There was a flash of light, and millions upon millions of magical strings flew into the room, each collecting within the octahedron. There were so many that their vision was completely covered in magical light. Suddenly, there was a second flash, and with it, the magic was gone. Before them, the octahedron floated in midair.

And Anon was nowhere to be seen.

Their jaws agape, they slowly realize the gravity of the situation. It's Starlight who dares to break the silence first.

"What... just happened?"

"..."

"He... he didn't just replicate what the elders did in that book, did he?"

"..."

"...Twilight?"

Twilight stares at the octahedron, her eyes shaky and unfocused. Starlight watches as those eyes slowly fill with tears. Or... are those her own tears?

When Twilight finally responds, all she can do is let out a single, guttural, heartbroken scream.

"NONNY!"

In the small town of Springfield, an eight-year-old boy stretches as he gets out of bed. A nonchalant yawn escapes from him as he opens his door and trudges down the hall. He smiles as he smells pancakes cooking on the stove. Entering the kitchen, he sees his father working away on breakfast.

"Good morning, sport!"

"Good morning, dad."

"Don't forget, you've got a ball game this afternoon. Make sure you get your homework done before that, alright?"

The boy groans.

"Okay."

He lazily walks over to the dining room table, where his father swiftly places a plate in front of him. He starts to dig into his breakfast as a woman sits down across from him.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, mom."

"You're up early today. Why is that?"

"..." The boy squints his eyes at his breakfast. "I... don't really know?"

"Hmhm! Well, some mornings are just like that."

The boy's father joins them at the table, and the three happily eat their breakfast together as a family. They make small talk as they simply enjoy each other's company, laughing all the while.

The boy would eventually grow up to become a successful researcher, making great strides in the world of science. His parents would support him every step of the way, and their little family would be happy for the rest of their days.

Meanwhile, in another dimension, a purple alicorn holds an octahedron, watching on with tears in her eyes as her son lives the life she knows he was supposed to have. Until the day she dies, she will keep this octahedron safe. Both for Equestria's sake...

And for Anon's.

Ending C: Seal Away Equestria

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Princess Celestia gasps. She starts to catch her breath, though she's unsure of why she's winded to begin with. She shakes her head and looks around. As far as she can tell, she's sitting on her throne. The morning sun is pouring through the stained glass windows of her throne room, and she is currently all alone. Her head hurts a little bit. What just happened?

She scans the room, looking for anything out of place. Of course, there is little in the throne room to look at in the first place. Pretty much the only things worthy of her attention are her many stained glass windows, each depicting a different scene from Equestria's history. Her eyes end up drifting to a more recent addition. This window depicts Twilight Sparkle and her friends defending a town from a bugbear.

For some reason, she can't tear her attention away from the corner of that window. There is nothing there, and yet... that nothingness feels out of place somehow. However, just as quickly as that thought enters her mind, it drifts away.

She has court in a few minutes, and she needs to focus on that.

The next few years would lead Equestria to a time of peace and prosperity. Twilight's School of Friendship would be a success, a certain group of students would stop a deranged pegasus child, and all of Equestria would come together to help Twilight and her friends defeat a terrible alliance of villains. Then, Celestia and Luna retired, with Twilight taking the throne in their place. All in all, life was good.

And Equestria was happy.

Meanwhile, in another dimension, a human sits on a throne identical to Celestia's. In his hands, he holds a blue octahedron. When he focuses, he can watch everything that those ponies do. With a pained smile, leans his head back and lets out a deep, melancholic sigh.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the throne room door.

"Enter."

An older human woman enters the room, clothed in a fine suit and carrying a clipboard.

"Um, sir? I just came to remind you that you have a meeting in ten minutes."

"I remember. Let them know I am on my way."

"Yes, my lord."

The woman ducks out of the room, leaving Anon alone with his thoughts once more. He didn't ask for this position.

He stands from his throne and exits the room, his footsteps echoing through the marble halls of Canterlot Castle. He glances through a nearby window while he does so, gazing upon the city outside. Every time he does, he is reminded of the large statue of himself that his fellow humans erected and put up in the middle of the city without his consent. When he sealed away Equestria, he sealed all of its magic with it. With the magic gone, humanity quickly recovered from its stupor. Though there was mass confusion surrounding the new world they found themselves in, humans are very resilient creatures. They adapted, they rebuilt, and they prospered, all the while hailing Anon as their hero and crowning him the new prince of Equestria, a country now void of ponies.

Anon sits in his room. The sun has set (apparently able to do so on its own when magic is removed from the world), and he is tired from the day's activities. However, before he can get ready for bed, there is a knock on his bedroom door.

"It's open."

Anon watches as an older, moppy headed woman enters his bedroom with a smile.

"Hey, Nonny."

"Hi, mom."

She walks up to him and gives him a hug, one which he happily returns.

"It's been a while."

"It's been, like, a week."

"That's a long time for a mother!"

"I'm a grown man now, mom. You don't need to coddle me."

"Hah! That's a mother's job, sweetheart."

Anon chuckles as she sits next to him. She glances past him at the octahedron resting beneath a glass case next to his bed.

"How are they doing?"

She nods towards the octahedron, but Anon doesn't take his gaze from the floor.

"They're flourishing. Pinkie Pie just had a kid."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm sure they miss you, though."

"...Yeah."

"...Nonny?"

"Hm?"

She gives him a warm, though concerned smile.

"If you ever need to talk... you know you can tell me, right?"

"I know, mom. Thanks."

"All right. So long as you understand."

She gives Anon another hug before standing up.

"Well, I'd better go make your dad dinner before he gets cranky."

"Haha! Tell him I said hi."

"I will! Goodnight, Anon. Love you!"

"Love you too, mom."

With a wave, Anon's mother exits the room. Anon lets out a deep sigh and looks at the octahedron once more. His parents are here, everyone is safe... this is exactly what he wanted, he supposes.

Although humanity's fate isn't certain, it looks like they're going to be okay. Meanwhile, in another dimension, the watchful gaze of Anon ensures that Equestria will forever thrive.

Even if he made it to where he never existed there.

Ending D: Destroy the Octahedron

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Twilight and Starlight gasp as the octahedron shatters. Bright blue magic shoots out in every direction, blinding them temporarily. When they regain their vision they see Anon bent over, doing his best to catch his breath.

"What did you do?!"

"I'm... I'm trusting in Solaria."

"What?!"

"No more pocket dimensions. We're going to do what we do best, and protect those we care about."

"Have you SEEN what's going on out there?" Starlight's voice is somewhat frantic. "I don't know how much we can really do!"

"We have to try! I don't know how long it will take, but SOME day, humanity will regain its senses! Then... then we can all live in peace again!"

Twilight and Starlight look at Anon, taking a moment to process his words. Finally, Twilight nods.

"You're right. We can't just lock our fears away forever." She walks up to Anon and places a hoof in his hand. "No matter what happens, I'll be right there with you, Nonny."

"Th-thank you..." A blush creeps its way onto Anon's cheeks. "...Mom."

Twilight smiles, Anon's words giving her a brief feeling of respite among the chaos ensuing around them. After a few seconds, they both turn to look at Starlight. She gulps, but after a moment's hesitation, she nods as well.

"Alright. Let's... do our best, I suppose." She nervously smiles. "I'm with you, too."

With one final group acknowledgement, the three depart from the vault, unsure of what they're going to do next, but knowing that they'll do it together.

In the middle of an Equestrian field, a human woman suddenly wakes up, gasping for breath as she does so. She sits up and immediately clutches her aching head. Where is she? Last she checked, she was enjoying a nice cup of coffee at home.

She isn't the only one experiencing this, either. All across Equestria, millions of humans awaken at about the same time, completely unaware of where they are or how they got there. Many are greeted by candy-colored ponies. Some of these ponies greet them with open hooves, while many more greet them with hostility. One thing is certain: Many lives are about to change.

And change they did. It took some time, but many of the good-natured ponies around Equestria explained to the confused, displaced humans where they were. This was the humans' original dimension, they explained, and upon their sudden return, they lost control of themselves while their bodies adjusted to the new, magical environment. However, it took some time. Many lives, both human and pony, were lost. But, the ponies held on, doing what they needed to survive.

And now, here they are. With clear minds and smaller populations on both sides, humans and ponies began to work together to rebuild. Equestria was forever different after that, built from the ground-up to accommodate BOTH of its dominant species.

Around this time, among the rubble of a long-toppled castle in what was once Ponyville, a group consisting of both humans and ponies discovered the remains of a moppy headed human and a purple alicorn, each holding the other tight in their final moments. Just who were they? How did a human and a pony get along before humanity recovered? Did they play a role in humanity's sudden appearance in Equestria, or were they completely unrelated? Regardless of the answers to these questions, one thing is certain.

Humanity's recovery took a few hundred years too many for them to see the fruits of their labor.

Lost in Search for You

by RunicTreetops

The Omen

Ticking Time Bomb

Childhood

Study Buddies

Cat and Mouse

Forgotten History

The Villain You Wished I Was

The Pain I Cause

Ending A: Seal Away Humanity

Ending B: Seal Away ALL of Humanity

Ending C: Seal Away Equestria

Ending D: Destroy the Octahedron