Title:           Lichanon & Twi-Twi 02 - Manehattan
Author:          caraml
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/g5HHZ7X0
First Edit:      Saturday 8th of August 2015 01:29:05 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Thursday 13th of August 2015 05:40:16 AM CDT

>It's morning.
>You are awoken by the sudden sound of pots falling onto the solid ground and shouting from outside.
>"--ryl! Sheryl! No!" You hear a familiar voice ring loudly.
>You rush out of your tent to see what the commotion is about, and you're met with... death.
>Death, all around you.
>All around the camp, you see caravaners strewn about, lying dead and bathed in their own blood.
>Behind one of the carriages, you find Arthur, holding Sheryl in his hooves, cold and dead, her dress that was once olive turned to dark maroon.
>Her throat was slit.
>Obviously, this was done in cold blood, but it wasn't the lizards.
>"No... *whimper*... No-ho-hoooo..."
>You stand behind the stallion as he holds his wife, wailing and weeping like a child.
>"Shery-- *sob*... Sheryl, my... *sniffle*... my love..."
>He desperately pats her face, hoping she'd just be asleep, telling her to wake up.
>No response.
>"What happened?!" You hear Twlight's voice, as she comes out of her own tent with a frizzed mane, and sleep in her eyes.
>Not a moment later, she realizes what she sees and lets out a gasp.
>"...--ogs." You hear Arthur says something under his breath between low sobs.
"What?"
>"Diamond Dogs," he says, looking at a note that lays on his wife's bosom.
>At his permission, you take the note and read its contents.
>Twilight comes over and asks, "Where's Odete?"
>"They took her, along with most of our valuables."
>"I... I never should have made that deal with those vermin since long before I started this caravan."
"How were you involved with them?" you ask.
>"I-It's a long story. I... I need some time alone with my wife. Please." he says, looking at you with those eyes, red with tears, and face, tired and riddled with age. He looks dreadfully miserable.
>You decide to give the old stallion some space, taking Twilight along with you as the surviving caravaners gather the dead and prepare to give them a proper burial.
>Way to get the morning started.
>...
>An hour later, you and the others finally finish digging the graves and burying the bodies. Arthur has also finished saying his farewells to his wife.
>He lays a pair of golden wildflowers on top of Sheryl's gravestone.
>"These were your favorite. They smell just like you."
>Twilight couldn't bear the sight and begins to cry by herself.
>You stand in silence, praying for the safe delivery of their souls to Hades.
>And also for the gods to forgive you for what you are about to do.
>Just as you were about to head out, Arthur turns to you and Twilight.
>"I've made a deal with the Diamond Dogs way before starting this caravan."
>"I was a drifter back then, with nothing, not even a single bit to my name..."
>"One day, during my journeys, I came to Manehattan. And that's where... that was where I met Sheryl. I fell the moment I laid eyes on her."
>"But Sheryl was a noble," he continues. "... and I was but a penniless vagabond. Because of my pride, I thought to myself, 'If I am to court her, I need a was to impress her', and that I did..."
>"By working for the Diamond Dogs."
>Now you definitely know where this is going.
>"For years, I worked as a prospector for them, looking for deposits within the spiraling tunnels of their caves. And for every crystal I find, I would have but a measly fraction of the money they earn in return."
>"Eventually I got tired and hid from them a couple of gems for each deposit I found. And when I've saved enough, I took off with the gems and invested all the money I had on this business."
>"I never thought the time would come, that they would find me, and that my mistake would cost me dearly. And now, I suffer the consequences."
>Arthur looks at you, then to Twilight.
>"I... I know this might be too much to ask of you, but please. Please, help me get my daughter back."
>He lowers his head, sobbing. "She... She's the only family I have left."
>"We'll make sure you'll be able to see your daughter, Arthur," Twilight says in response, wiping her tears off her face, then looks at you. "I promise."
>You look back at her and see a burning flame shine bright through her eyes. You even feel mana shifting differently around her. This Twilight is different than the one you've been with for the past few days.
>You've been terribly familiar with this presence, though. Too familiar. So familiar, you would know just from one glance.
>Wrath.
 
>Be Twilight.
>You're absolutely livid.
>You think of getting to those dogs and ripping their stomachs to ribbons, then using their intestines for them to hang their necks on while you gouge their eyes out with their own claws and feed them their own tongues before impaling them again and again with a spear and burning them at the stake.
>You want to hear them squirm and scream. You want them cast into the depths of Tartarus, where they will spend eternity, being subject to unrelenting pain and suffering for taking away innocent lives and... hurting your friend.
>But... ultimately, you're in despair.
>You've lost a great friend. It was uncalled for. It was unnecessary. You know everything that is happening right now would have been avoided and settled through peaceful negotiation, one that you would have been able to mediate.
>But you couldn't stop it. You weren't there when they decided they would fuck Arthur over and destroy his family.
>Such a friend you are.
>...
>But now's not the time to beat yourself up. There something else that deserves a beating.
>You can still fix this. You can still put all this back together somehow.
>And you're going to do it right.
"Let's go."
 
>Be Anon.
>You've gone and prepared yourself for a gruesome battle with the dogs.
>As you recall, the note they left said the Arthur was to come to a cave near a ravine to the West of here. Alone.
>But you are well aware that this is a trap to kill Arthur without a hitch, and you decide you'd like to make that an improbable option.
>You've already talked to Twilight and Arthur and have gone through the plan enough times now. The only concern left is that whether or not they have something up their own sleeves.
>As you lay in the dark with your bones in a tight bundle, you feel your ride has come to a stop.
>You rattle yourself a little bit, and get two hoof taps in response.
>You're here.
>"Well, well, well," you hear a deep but feminine voice echo from somewhere you can't see. "If it isn't Arthur."
>"Long time, Betsy."
>"Ah, yes, pretty long time indeed. It appears to me you've been doing swell since you've left us and started that caravan of yours."
>"Pretty bitchin'," he replies, with the word "bitch" heavily emphasized.
>"HA! Good to see you're still the Arthur we know and love. We've missed you-- I... missed you. So much."
>You must be hearing stuff but that sounded a little too affectionate to be sarcastic.
>"You know I've moved on. It's been almost a decade, Betsy."
>"That reminds me, how is your daughter? It's been what, three months since her eighth birthday, correct?"
>"Two and a half."
>"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I heard you've been traveling so much that I wasn't able to congratulate you on your marriage anniversary, so when a little bird told me you'd be going back to Manehattan through this route, I figured I'd meet you along the way to give you my present."
>"..."
>"So, how'd you like it?"
>One, two, three seconds of silence. Then suddenly,
>"GRAAAAAAAAH!"
>As you feel your body getting juggled all over the tight space you're in you start  to feel like you're going to puke all over yourself.
>That is, until you hear a loud "thud" and feel a strong force push you and Arthur to the side, causing him to fall on his pack and spilling your bones all over the ground.
>Finally, you are able to see, but you digress from moving an inch, trying not to blow your cover as a humongous dog-like creature notices you and walks towards you and picks up your femur.
>"What's this, Arthur? You brought me a gift?" You see her turn to Arthur, recovering from the ground. "Awww," she says, wagging her tail and doing a little sway before coming up close to him and kicks him on the side.
>"GUH."
>"How."
>"Gu-HAH."
>"Very."
>"B-HU--UHH..."
>Betsy finally decides it's enough kicking, and tries something new for a change.
>"Thoughtful."
>She reels back and swings your femur straight down to his face.
>"GAH."
>"Of you."
>You whisper a silent "I'm sorry" as the giant bitch pulls him up by the hair and leans herself in close to his face.
>"Aw, did you get a boo-boo? Momma's gonna fix that right away." She says, licking Arthur's bruised face.
>Arthur retaliates by trying to bite her tongue, but gets headbutted instead, this time, causing his forehead to bleed.
>"Ah-ah-ah~~, not in front of the kid, you slick bastard," she turns his face to the other side of the cave, and there you see another dog, a smaller one compared to Betsy, holding a young, light-brown coated filly with chocolate brown hair, one eye rose colored, and the other pale like silver.
>"Odete!" Arthur shouts as he struggles, finally seeing his daughter, bound and gagged, but safe nonetheless. The filly can't say a word, but replies to her father with a muffled grunt followed by a whimper.
>Now that you know where Odete is, you initiate the next part of your plan and quietly creep your limbs into position.
>"Hey, wanna hear something funny? Did you know we've initially planned to kill this little girl over here instead of your wife?' You see her smirk.
>Arthur spits on he face, and she slaps him hard in return.
>Creeping...
>"Rude. I'm talking here. Anyways, Clara here mistook your wife for your daughter since they look so much alike! HA!"
>Arthur can only glare in silence.
>Creeping...
>"At first I was mad, but I firgured to just go fuck it and lay the letter on her and just take your kid as a token of negotiation."
>Creeping...
>"You see, I don't really give a fuck about the gems."
>"..."
>"I wanted you. I still want you."
>Creeping.
>"And since the time I heard you've gotten married to another lady shortly after leaving me, I was enraged."
>"I felt misused. Unclean. I never found myself looking for any other mate than you from then on."
>"I loved you..."
>WAIT WHAT
>"From the bottom of my heart, I did. I gave you a job. I gave you a home to stay for the night, and for hundreds of nights to come. I gave you food to eat even in days you'd get unlucky and not find any gem at all."
>WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING
>"I gave you myself. My love."
>"And you FUCKING THREW IT AWAY LIKE GARBAGE." she shouts, pulling his hair and throwing him upwards, and hits him with a heavy hook to the chin, throwing him a few feet closer to you.
>Odete can only watch as her father gets mauled by a flurry of slaps to the face by a Betsy sitting on his torso.
>She finally stops slapping the poor stallion, heaving and sobbing, tears welling in her eyes.
>"You FUCKING bastard. I trusted you with everything I had, and you FUCKED IT ALL UP. FUCK YOU."
>"You know how long I've waited for you to come back that day, huh? I waited WEEKS. MONTHS. YEARS. And then that one day I hear news of you, I was so thrilled and excited, only to be told that you've already been MARRIED, and with A FUCKING KID."
>You can see Arthur closely now, and you see him wide-eyed in surprise, realizing what he's done.
>"I-I-I... I'm sorry, Betsy. I didn't kno--"
>*SMACK*
>"Oh, so NOW you're sorry?! Do you even KNOW what you fucking DID?! You made me look like I'M a FUCKING IDIOT. You USED me. You LEFT me..."
>"You DESTROYED me."
>"And now I've turned into this... *sob*... this... *sob*... this mess... waaaaa..."
>Still pinning a now unconscious Arthur to the ground, Betsy buries her head into his chest, hammering her fists down on him and wailing like a little girl who had just lost her pet fish.
>As she sits there, crying, you find it to be the best opportunity for you to untie Odete and signal Twilight to swoop in and... kill... the dogs...
>Though you feel conflicted, you decide it's now or never.
>Inhaling as much air as you can, you shout at the top of your lungs, catching the attention of everyone and confusing the two dogs.
>You use that chance to untie Odete and tell her to run outside, causing the other dog, Clara, to go after her, but not after cursing out loud.
>Betsy just sits there, staring absentmindedly at you, dazed, as you reanimate and run outside, shouting,
"Don't kill them, Twi!"
>Just as you see a flash from a distance, you hear a shriek as Twilight barely manages to redirect her aim, only hitting Clara's left hind leg, causing her to stumble to the ground and fall unconscious.
>A few moments later, Twilight teleports in and comes to Odete, telling her to run back to the caravan's direction where the others will be waiting. The filly nods and quikly sprints her way to one of the carriers who ran ahead to meet her midway to escort her back.
>Twilight then trots to you, all confused at the sudden change of plan.
>You just look at her with the most serious face you could ever make, hoping she'd understand. She does somehow, and walks with you to the still-dazed Betsy.
 
>Twilight then steps closer to her, saying, "Get off of Arthur," and she quickly complies, to your surprise.
>Another one of the caravaners rush in and carries Arthur out of the cave and back to the camp, leaving the three of you here, and Clara just outside.
>Just as soon as Twilight begins to talk, Betsy begins wailing again, covering her face with her paws and crying very loudly.
>You'd kill her here and now, but now that you've heard her side of the story, you digress.
>You rest a hand on Twilight's back and begins to tell her of Betsy's story.
>Out of love, she's become twisted and obsessed with Arthur.
>She saw his marriage with Sheryl and having Odete as a threat, and decides she should get rid of them if she wanted Arthur back.
>Or maybe she wanted to exact revenge on him for leaving her behind. You don't know for sure, but what you do know is that you can still talk some sense into this lady.
>Not you, though, that'll be Twilight's work.
>After telling Twilight your thoughts, you walk out of there before you change your mind, thinking it's up to Twi to decide whether to still kill them or not.
>...
>Around forty-something minutes later, you see Twilight walk back up from the path, visibly exhausted.
>You sit up from your seat and come up to her, asking,
"Verdict?"
>She replies, "I let her and her friend go, as long as she promises not to bother Arthur and her daughter again."
"You think it'll be fine for him, not getting revenge for Sheryl?"
>"As long as my daughter is safe, I'm fine with whatever," chimes in Arthur. "Besides, my wife wouldn't want me to get blood on my hooves on her account. And it was also... my fault... I got me and my family into this mess."
>Well, that's settled, then.
>You're still worried about Odete, though. How would she be able to live through all this? And how'd she take the fact that her father once had an affair with the bitch who killed her mother?
>You figure life will figure out a way on its own and just leave it at that.
 
>Be Twilight.
>You can't take your mind off of today's events.
>This has by far, been the most stressful day of your life, and you somehow miraculously pulled it off.
>Well, kind of. Arthur's loss is something you won't ever be able to fix. Nor is Betsy's scars.
>Not to mention Odete, who is now crying over her mother's grave. Poor little girl.
>You make a mental note to have her meet Applejack or maybe even Rainbow and have a little pep talk about life and stuff-- you're not so good at these things.
>Arthur's past affairs with Betsy was indeed very novel and unexpected, given you've never heard of crossbreeding actually happening in real life, even though you admit you have read about it in the books. You even had doubts about it when Anon was telling you about it back there.
>But not until you talked to Betsy alone yourself.
>The first ten minutes with her was nothing but crying and sobbing and just tears pouring and pouring like a broken dam, and you can't understand a single word she's saying from all that choking and wailing.
>The waterworks died down, however, after a while and you finally get to properly hear her story.
>Before all that, you swore you'd have cast a dozen ethereal blades and just rained down on them, but Anon had something different on his mind. You were absolutely certain he, too, wanted to kill them at first, but somehow something changed his mind, and you wanted to know what it was.
>That was just it. You thought at first that this was all about a petty dispute about an unpaid balance or something like that, but appartenly that was not the case; the situation proved to have deepr roots to it.
>A tragic love triangle that leaned favorably towards Sheryl, causing her unknowing demise by the hands of Arthur's previous lover, Betsy.
>Sheryl was the only one true victim here, and by Celestia, you made sure Arthur and Betsy know full well they're both guilty of her death, and will be rightly punished for it.
>Punishment in which Arthur will have to live his life solely for his daughter, helping her to cope with the life he dragged her into, and Betsy being bound by royal decree not to ever be seen anywhere near them for the rest of her life lest she be struck down and sent to tartarus by you personally.
>You've already talked to Betsy about it, and fortunately she was reasonable about it and accepted your terms then and there.
>You also arranged to have her put under surveillance and be sent to psychological therapy until she's able to move on, about her and Arthur, and about Anon.
>You swear part of the reason she cried so much was also because she got terribly spooked by him and his screaming.
>Before leaving her and heading back to camp, you healed up her friend and told them to scram.
>And now that that's been dealt with, you turn to Anon and gesture him to leave so you can have a word with Arthur in private. He complies, and you put on your best princess poker face.
"Arthur."
>"Y-yes, Twilight?" he says, eyes to the ground, nervously trying to avoid eye contact.
>You hate to be this way, but someone has to be the bitch who'd pour a cold glass of reality on him. So none of this ever happens ever again.
"That's Princess Twilight to you," you say, causing him to lower his head in shame.
>This is all for Odete, you think to yourself, as you inhale deeply and prepare to use the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"Speaking with Betsy and getting her side of the story, I've had come to a firm conclusion and from that have made a decision."
>"Y-Yes..."
"You, Arthur, blinded by your infatuation with the late miss Sheryl, have engaged in petty deception and have used another sentient being to your own interest, ultimately causing the unnecessary death of several innocents and the grief of a lone daughter."
>As you continue on with your addressing of Arthur's guilt, caravaners start gathering around you at a distance with all attention focused on each and every one of your words.
"As such acts are regarded as crimes against the entirety of Equestria and its inhabitants, I, Twilight Sparkle, as Princess of Friendship and co-ruler of Equestira, am given the power and the right to exact judgment upon you."
>"..."
"Arthur Carrybell... I hereby..."
>You see Arthur visibly shrink as the rest of the caravan holds their breath in suspense.
"Request of you," you say calmly, dropping the Royal Voice, slowly walking towards him and pulling him up back onto his hooves. "...to cherish your daughter, and never, ever, let her in harm's way."
>As you say these words, Arthur begins to cry.
>You swear to Celestia, today has been too many tears for you to handle, you think to yourself as you continue on.
"You are to dedicate your life to her, and only her, and to never leave her side," you say, as Odete runs to his side. "Furthermore, only are you allowed to be married once again if and when Odete approves of it."
"If you are to violate any of these, you will, then and there, be condemned and as rightfully punished as the Royal Court Council deems necessary. Do you understand?"
>Arthur, wiping off tears from his eyes, looks at you, saying, "Yes, Your Highness. Yes... *sob*... I understand completely."
>"From now on, I promise to own up to my mistakes and will make sure to dedicate my life to Odete," he says, plopping down on the ground and embracing his daughter.
"Good," you say, not uttering any other word after that.
>.........
>......
>...
 
>Be Anon.
>It's been five hours since Twilight's speech ended, and just two hours since you all gathered yourselves and went back on to your journey to Manehattan.
>So far, the entire afternoon has been uneventful and awfully quiet, probably because of grief, tiredness, or both.
>You still can't believe what you've witnessed back there. From how Twilight went all powerful and mighty, to loving and understanding in just a moment.
>You look to Twilight, simply amazed by how she went on with straightening Arthur up.
>No wonder she's been crowned the Princess of Friendship, you think to yourself.
>Suddenly, Twilight looks back at you, and you were too slow to turn your head the other way.
>"Why are you looking at me like that?"
>How did she notice you looking at her? You don't even ha-- you know what? Just fuck it.
"Just thinking of how great you did back there," you say, looking straight into her eyes, assuring her that you mean it.
>"I-- oh. Uhh... thanks, I guess?" she says as she quickly turns her head and looks away, trying to hide her flustered cheeks.
"Now I'm certain you have the title of Princess for an actually decent reason."
>"What did you mean by that?" she quickly turns back to you, looking at you with with squinted eyes.
>You don't reply, and instead let out a tiny chuckle.
>"You're telling me you've been doubting my claims to being a princess just until then, is that what you mean?"
>You just laugh, rattling your bones in response.
>Now she's visibly scrunching her face in frustration.
>Your playful teasing however, is put to a stop, as the carriage suddenly stops and Arthur opens the door.
>"We're here."
>You start hearing the hustle and bustle of the busy town of Manehattan as you walk down the steps from the carriage and onto the street.
>All around you, you see buildings so tall you can't begin to think of how many goblins you'll need to topple each of them down. Probably a hell of a lot.
>And the sheer amount of ponies you see in the middle of the streets is absolutely baffling.
>You start to get slightly uncomfortable as you feel eyes begining to fix on you. As you look around, you see ponies stopping to look at you, probably curious of your unusual appearance. They don't gawk for too long, though, and would just carry on to whatever they were doing.
>At least you're not causing a mass panic, which is good.
>"Now that we're here," says Twilight, addressing Arthur and Odete. "I guess it's time to say goodbye, for now."
>Arthur walks up to Twilight, saying, "Princess, I co--"
>"You can call me Twilight again now, Arthur."
>"Twilight, thank you. I would never be able to repay you and Anon'ymous for saving my daughter."
>"I will make sure to cherish my daughter and never leave her in harm's way, just because I am her father, and I love her, request or not," he says, holding Odete closer to himself. "And Sheryl would never forgive me if something were to happen to Odete."
>Odete doesn't say a word, but instead runs up to Twilight and hugs her, and Twilight hugs her back.
>"Let's go picnic sometime soon, okay?" she says. "Until then, I'm gonna ask you to be a good filly for your dad. Promise?"
>The young one nods and comes in for another hug before parting and running back to her dad's side.
>After you say your farewells to one another, Arthur and Odete climb back up to their carriage and go on their own way.
>As the caravan rolls to the other side of the road, you see Odete come up through the window and wave goodbye, and you both wave back in response.
>When the caravan finally disappears from sight, Twilight turns to you.
>"Well, here we are."
"Manehattan. Pretty big city," you say, taking in the magnificent view. "I'm fairly impressed."
>"Well of course, it's one of the most progressful cities in Equestria."
"So, do we head straight to the train station, or do I get to have a tour of the place first?" you ask.
>"Now that you mention it, I just remembered one of my friends being here for a business trip."
"Huh."
>"Remember how I told you about the Elements of Harmony?"
"Yeah?"
>"She's one of the Elements-- Rarity, the Element of Generosity. She's a really great fashion designer, plus she's absolutely generous especially when it comes to fashion and pretty much everything she can afford to give. Oh, and have I mentioned that she's really generous?"
"I get the clue."
>"Yeah. So anyway, since we're already here, why don't we introduce you to her and maybe get you something that would make you look even more... charming, for the princesses?"
>Well, free clothing never hurts, so why the fuck not. You give Twlight a thumbs up and think about what you'd like for an outfit while the two of you walk to wherever Twilight leads you.
>Maybe get a robe just like from back then? Nah, you'd look pretty evil. And besides, what good is that when you haven't gotten your powers back yet?
>You decide you'll settle for at least a cloak, or anything that would make you look less spoopy and more docile, but still showing your knowledge of the arcane.
>...
>You've been walking for quite some time now.
>Is... is Twilight...
"Don't tell me we're lost."
>Twilight stops, but doesn't turn around to face you.
>"N-No we're not."
"Then why aren't we there yet?" you say, standing in front of her.
>"I-It's just that... uh... oh! It's just that this place is big and all, right. Yeah. That's it. Rarity's just a few more blocks away."
"You know we've been walking in a big circle for a couple of times now, are you?"
>"N-No we aren't!"
>Stubborn pony is stubborn
"Here, I'll show you," you say, power-walking to the street intersection along the road. "Just around this corner is EXACTLY back to where we starte--"
>*BONK*
>"EEP."
"GAH."
>Bumping against something, probably someone, you fall to the ground on your ass, or in this case, your coccyx.
>Which fucking hurts, by the way.
>As you pick yourself up, you suddenly meet face-to-face with a pony with turquoise eyes and matching mane, and a coat that looks so smooth and creamy as the milk you'd always buy from back whe--
>"YAAAAAAAAAAA! SKELETON!"
"SKELETON?! WHERE?!"
>"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
>"Calm yourself, boy!"
>*SMACK*
"--OW."
>Seems someone's had enough of your bitchy screaming.
>"And Coco, you too," Twilight says, coming toward the startled mare and pats her head. "Anon's a friend, he won't bite."
>For a moment, Twilight remains silent, looking into the distance, then turns to you.
>"... Won't you?"
"I don't bite ponies!" you say, waving your arms in submission, trying to assure the two.
>"All right," says the other pony, trying to control her breathing and standing back up as you pick yourself up. "Since you say so, Twilight."
>"Anon, this is Coco. Coco. Anon'ymous."
"*ahem*, Miss Coco," you address the lady, doing a little bow.
>"H-Hello," she replies, averting her gaze.
>"How have you been, Coco? And do you happen to know where Rarity is right now?"
>"Oh, I'm doing great, thank you. Rarity's at Sapphire Shore's studio right now. She's currently having her outfits evaluated."
>"That's great! Could you, perhaps, lead us there?"
>"Oh, about that..."
>"What is it?"
>"Have you two seen a big, fat, white cat with a purple ribbon on its head, have you?"
>"Wait, you mean Opal? What happened?"
>"You see, a little while ago, I was supposed to watch over Opal for Rarity back at our apartment while she's at the studio having her ensembles checked for approval."
>"I was doing my job properly, honest!" she says. "It's just that I... I often have to go to the ladies' room. You know... I, uh..."
>"Tiny bladder?"
>"Y-Yes," she stutters, lowering her head a little bit to hide her flustered cheeks.
>"Uh-huh. And somehow, Opal got away when you weren't looking, correct?"
>"Yes," she says, blushing even harder.
>"Oh, dear. Rarity wouldn't like any of this one bit."
>"I know!" she says, holding Twilight by the shoulders and shaking her in frustration. "Rarity is going to KILL me if I don't find Opal anytime soon, and she's probably on her way back to the apartment by now!"
>"Anon!" shouts Twilight, calling your attention.
"Yes ma'am!"
>"We'll split up and look for Opal. She's a big, fat, white cat with a purple ribbon on her head and has a really bad temper. Ask anyone you come across to. You and Coco look in that direction, and I'll go look this way. We'll meet back here in ten. Got it?"
>"Yes."
>"Anon?"
"Yes, ma'am! Look for fat grumpy cat and bring her back before Miss Rarity finds out!" you shout, doing a snappy salute.
>"Break!"
>And the search begins.
>You run to the street right behind you and Coco follows behind. She stays in the same block, however, as you cross the road and go ask there.
>Unfortunately for you, no one really wants to talk with a spoopy skeleton walking around town, asking about a big, fat, white cat with a big, fat, purple ribbon and a big, fat attitude.
>You wonder how the others are doing.
>You decide that it's enough for this block since you can't get any answer at all, but are stopped when you feel a tug from behind.
>"Heyya mistah!"
>You turn to see a brown pony with a pink, striped mane looking at you.
>"I heard you askin' 'round these parts about some cat that's been missin'. Well, are ya?"
"Yes. Yes I am, uhh..."
>"Babs Seed. Call me Babs."
>"And yes, I've seen yoh cat, mistah. She was on the roof of this one carriage that's just past here a few minutes a--"
>Suddenly you see a carriage with a big, fat, white cat with a purple ribbon tied to its head.
>"There it is!"
"YOU'RE MINE NOW!" you shout, charging to the carriage, full speed ahead.
>Apparently, shouting those words were a bad idea, as it kind of scared the living shit out of the driver, causing him to run away from you and making it a hell of a lot more difficult for you to catch up.
"DON'T YOU FUCKING RUN AWAY FROM ME YOU BIG FAT PUSSY!" you shout again, this time gaining the attention of pretty much every single pony along the street.
>Moments later, you pass by Coco and Twilight, causing them to run along with you when they saw Opal.
>Twilight gets the brilliant idea of teleporting herself in front of the chariot.
>The driver jumps in surprise and immediately stops the carriage, throwing Opal off the roof and onto Twilight's smug face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qx2lMaMsl8
>For a moment, you watch in slow-motion as Twilight's dainty muzzle meets Opal's sharp, untrimmed claws.
>You gaze in awe as each claw digs into purple flesh, shredding it with a subtle hint of grace and elegance.
>Listening to the soulful shriek that is Twilight getting her face rekt, you shed a single invisible tear as you witnessed a sight that you have never seen up close.
>"What is all this commotion about?"
"What."
>You get pulled back into reality, and there see a confused, white mare with purple, flamboyant hair standing in front of a bleeding purple alicorn with a fat cat sitting its ass on her face.
>"Oh, Opal~ how nice of you to come pick me up just as I was heading back to the apartment! Oh, and hi to you too, Twilight, dear," says the white mare.
>"THE PAAAAAAIN" was the only response Twilight can make, having her face ripped into shreds by the cat, now resting its ass on its owner's ass.
>"My word, darling! You look like your face has been clawed by a feral manticore! Why, you're bleeding all over the place!"
>"PAAAAAAAAIN."
>"We better get you in and get your face sorted out quickly before the roads get flooded! Come here!" she says, dragging Twilight across the ground and into the building she just went out from.
"Uhhhh," you say, looking at Coco, confused.
>"That was miss Rarity," she says, entering the building and motioning you to follow as you both pass by the driver who's laid unconscious on the middle of the street, on a small, yellowish puddle of... something.
>...
>"OWOWOWOWOWOWOW"
>"Aaaaand, there. All done."
>You stand in the middle of the dressing room as Rarity finishes up covering Twilight's face in band-aids.
>"Now that that's done, would anyone care to explain what happened outside?"
>Coco gingerly steps forward, eyes to the ground.
>"I... I..."
>"Well, speak up, darling. I can't come to a solid conclusion with just a single letter for an explanation."
>"I lost Opal. One minute she was there, the next, she was gone. I looked for her, and looked real hard, but only found her with the help of Twilight and Anon here."
>"Hmm, is that so, Twilight?"
>"Yeah-- OW. Anyway, we came here to say hi..."
>"Aaaaaaand?"
>"And to ask if you have anything suitable for Anon to wear."
>"Whom you haven't introduced me to, yet, dear."
>"Oh, righ--OW. Ugh... *ahem*... Anon, Rarity. Rarity, Anon'ymous."
 
>Be Twilight.
>It hurts.
>Like Cerberus-trying-to-fit-all-his-three-Olympic-sized-doggy-dongs-in-a-tight-virgin's-pussy hurts.
>You shouldn't have cast that spell. You feel it spreading even wider now.
>If you keep this up, you won't be able to hide it from anyone any longer.
>A bandage can only do so much.
>"Twilight, darling, are you okay?"
>You don't notice Rarity looking at you as these thoughts storm your conscious mind.
>Fuck, she caught you. Execute evasive maneuvers!
"...Yeeaaah. Yeah. I'm totally, absolutely, positively fine. Nothing to worry about here," you nervously say in response.
>Way to give yourself away, genius.
>"You've zoned out while introducing me to your friend, darling," she says to you, tilting her head and giving you that concerned look. "Are you sure about that?"
>Rarity's looking at your bandaged limb.
>"... And you haven't said anything at all about where you got th--"
"It's fine!" you say, holding your limb a bit too tight, causing you to wince as you turn it away from Rarity. "It's fine, It's fine!"
>She looks at you with suspicious eyes for a moment, but quickly dismisses it. "...If you say so..."
>Crisis averted, you think to yourself, wiping off a single drop of sweat from your brow--
>"AHA!"
>Rarity pounces at you, pinning you down in surprise.
>You try to struggle, but your efforts come in vain as Rarity takes off the bandage on your left foreleg with her magic before you were able to react.
>All across the room, you hear gasps as Rarity finally exposes your secret.
>"Oh my goodness, darling! Whatever happened to you?" She shouts, pupils dilated in shock, covering her mouth with a hoof, and tears in her eyes.
>What laid hidden underneath the bandage, now in full view for everyone to see.
>A large cut, driving deep and darkened with dried blood, with several areas covered in pus and oozing with an odor-filled goo. Surrounding the wound are veins, visibly black, and some skin peeling off.
>Coco gags at the sight and almost faints, and Anon only looks in silence.
>Fuck it.
"I... I-I don't honestly know, for sure."
>"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"Well, at first,  it was just one small cut I had a while ago, back before I and Anon headed here."
>"Why didn't you heal it then?"
"That's... that's just it. I just... can't. I... I tried healing it with every spell I knew, but none of them worked. Every time I cast a spell on it, some... some odd-looking runes just pop up and--"
>"...Absorb the spell, and the wound grows bigger," Anon interjects.
"H-How do you...?"
>"Where did you get that cut?" he asks, closing in on you and holding you by the shoulders. "WHERE."
"I-I got it from the fight with the stone knights. The... the one with the sword grazed me a bit when he swung it around. He caught me off guard when I thought I killed him after blowing his head off."
>"FUCK," he shouts, throwing his hands in the air as he turns back and walks away to the wall, then leans his arms on it, bending forward.
>"I... Is it that bad?" Rarity asks.
>Anon stands back up and returns to you, saying, "It's the worst possible thing."
>He pauses for a while, and inhales, "Twilight, you've been hit with an enchanted blade. The blade the stone knights had on their weapons were coated by a magic spell used mainly by the priests to fight against magic-users."
>"When these blades cause even the slightest cut in any being who have the ability to absorb mana, utilizing it and turning them into spells, the enchantment's effects activate and 'stick' to the wound, much like a normal, poison-coated dagger. Except the dagger is a sword, and the poison is a master-level spell, which is on an exponentially larger scale of danger."
>"As you've noticed, casting healing spells directly to the wound does not do anything to it, nothing positive that is. As the spell was geared to give close-range fighters, or even archers, an edge against mages, they've made it so that any healing magic cast upon it is completely absorbed."
>"And where does the mana go, you might ask? The curse uses the mana is absorbs to enlarge the wound, causing physical pain and mental impairment unto its victim."
>"And that isn't exclusive to spells directed to it. It also absorbs mana from the immediate surrounding area, and even from within the caster themselves as they absorb mana and circulate it throughout their systems."
>"In short, you get hit, you try to heal it, it grows, more pain, concentration reduced. You try to attack, it absorbs the mana, making your spell significantly weaker than normal, and then the wound grows, pain increases, concentration drops."
>"Being hit by this spell in the heat of battle is basically a magic-user's death sentence in rune-form, especially for battles in which life and death is determined by split-second decisions."
>You try to take it all in, considering the facts and ruminating on the details.
"How do you know all these things?" you ask.
>"These are the priests we're talking about. They were practically the angriest neighbors you can get as a 'heretic' lich in my time, and one can't just fight with a faction for so long and not know at least some of their tricks."
>Rarity, after finally being able to catch up with the huge doses of information, asks the one question that will determine your fate.
>"Is... Is there any cure?"
>"..."
>"Anon?"
>"Not that I know of, unfortunately."
>Silence befalls the room, and only Coco's sobbing breaks it.
>"But," Anon continues. "That is, only to what I know firsthand. Being magic-users themselves, the priests are bound to have made a counterspell in case one of their kind accidentally gets struck by it, or when enemies get a hold of their enchanted weapons."
"So, there's... there's still a way?" you ask, as tears finally stream down from your eyes-- tears... of new-found hope.
>"Yes, Twi," Anon says, pulling you to an embrace. "There's still a way. I'm sure of it."
 
>Be Anon.
>There's no fucking way at all. You're sure of it.
>There's no hope, no chance of Twilight getting cured.
>It's the fucking clergy priests we're talking about here. You first-handedly know they're complete assholes, and wouldn't think twice about "missing" their marks and hitting their own kind with said curse.
>You're not even sure if they have fail-safes for any of their curses. Otherwise, you would have wiped them off the continent already.
>But you can't say that to poor, little Twilight. She'll break.
>You can only give her assurance that she can fight it, just so she won't completely lose morale, even though you yourself are uncertain.
>You need her, and she needs you.
>You could at least try to find a cure.
>You never know.