Part 1: https://ponepaste.org/3176
Part 2: https://ponepaste.org/3177

>The two of you can't move a muscle. Seems like Meanshy has as many questions as you do. The nature of this interruption is so strange you really don't know what to do.
>Though you can't really do anything in a state like this. Feels like your ties are a bit looser than before, but it is still not enough to set yourself free.
>Your wrists are already scrapped enough for you to feel constant dull pain of frayed skin rubbing against the rope.
>But even this moves to the background of your mind, all senses sharp only towards the voices that are apparently moving closer to the door.
>Meanshy herself doesn't really do anything as it would take way too much time for her to hide you with no help or magic. Instead, the yellow bully is poised to attack whoever dares enter your prison.
>"One single word out of your mouth and you're dead, you understand?" she hisses before leaping away from you.
>She moves swiftly and sneaks towards the door. The mare knows where it swings open and you figure that her plan is to just hide on that side, so those entering the house won't even know she's there, giving her time to get a jump on them.
>And so seconds pass painfully as you await the truth to be revealed. Are they going here or will they pass by, are they the mean mares or the original ones?
>You recall Twilight saying that Applejack and Pinkie got together to mend their friendship, but then if it really is them, then something must have happened between the two again. Or they are walking over here because they found out something about you?
>Perhaps a certain set of photographs had led them here to ask you some very damning questions?
>Whatever it might be, you await it with bated breath. Soon you can discern what the ponies are saying and it does tip you off as to what kind of intruders you're dealing with here.
>"This doesn't look like that place Twilight told us to wait at," says the Pinkie voice.
>"Ah, don't you worry none, this is exactly the place," the Applejack voice replies to her.
>"That's Ponyville already."
>"Exactly, to reach that spot we have to enter the forest from another side. It's just a shortcut."
>They are already near your house when suddenly another voice chimes in.
>"Hey, isn't that Anon's house?"
>It's Rainbow Dash. Or, with how sour her voice sounds, you can only imagine that it is indeed her mean counterpart.
>"Oh, right!" Applejack confidently states. "We actually have to fetch him so he can help Twilight."
>"She didn't say anything about that," Pinkie protests but the hooves are already approaching the door.
>The moment of truth is here.
>Applejack doesn't really concern herself with knocking and just pushes the door open, barely missing Meanshy who does her best to cling to the wall behind.
>"Anon, come get yer bum over here, we've gotta go... Um... Spelunking."
>It doesn't even take one lie for you to recognize the pony entering your home. It is the one and only Appleliar. So that means other following her are also from the camp.
>"Huh?" Meanie Pie walks in after Meanjack. "What a boring place to live in."
>"Speak for yourself," Rainbow Dawdle flies in and not hesitating even for a moment hits your bed.
>The pegasus lets out a satisfied sigh while the other two ponies explore your place. You keep quiet for some reason, even if you should at least warn them about Meanshy.
>It's just so strange to see them here, you instinctively feel like laying low without being found out. Unfortunately, the yellow bully announces her presence before you do.
>"What are you three losers doing here?"
>She also shuts the door so the intruders can't escape. Not like any of them intend to, as Meanshy can plainly see.
>"Oh, it's her," Mean Pinkie doesn't even blink as if she were expecting this to happen.
>"Fluttershy?" Meanjack fakes her surprise. "Aren't you supposed to be not helping Chrysalis?"
>You frown in confusion and so does Meanshy. She certainly didn't expect the orange liar to even know about their mom being at work here.
>"I..." the pegasus hesitates for a moment. "That's none of your business. You're not supposed to be here at all!"
>Meanie Pie finds you at last, her lazy steps around your house taking her to the kitchen where she finally notices your unmoving and silent figure.
>"There you are, figures she'd keep you in such a boring place," she doesn't seem too happy about finding you, but it does set Meanshy off.
>"Don't even think about touching him!"
>The bitch flies over to you and gets between you and Meanie, who doesn't really give a shit either way.
>"This doesn't look like a lot of fun..." she only notes, looking into your eyes from behind Meanshy's block.
>"Anon! What are you being so sneaky for?" Meanjack trots towards you to Meanshy's dismay.
>You feel like your tormentor is actually feeling pressured by your guests, even though she doesn't really need to be. What can these ponies even do to her?
>And yet she feels so threatened, you're starting to suspect it's not really you she's trying to protect. Perhaps she worries that it's her who's been found out being here alone with you.
>"Gosh dang, that's a lot of rope!" the liar looks behind Meanshy who still tries to block both her and Meanie Pie with her body and wings. "I've gotta get Rarity some of it."
>"What's your problem, you numbskull?" she hisses at the apple pony.
>"My problems is..." she replies. "That I'm kind of at a loss here. Mighty embarrassing, but I really need some rope. You see, I promised Rarity that we three are gonna go spelunking into the-"
>"Shut up!" Meanshy roars. "Why did I even ask you anything, you stupid bumbling embarrassment of a pony!"
>"Because you wanted to go with us to, remember?" Meanjack insists. "But we said that we had no rope, and you went to get some. Now we can all go, just get-"
>Meanshy shoves Appleliar away when she takes a step forward towards you.
>"No, back off! I know your tricks. You might've confused me for a second, but now I know why you're here. What a pathetic rescue crew you make."
>"Rescue? We'll need rescue ourselves if we go into a cave without any rope!"
>"Shut up with the rope already!"
>Meanjack doesn't even budge. She look directly at Meanshy like her outburst is par for the course and continues arguing with her.
>"Now lookie here, miss, I don't know how exactly you imagine getting deep into a cave without-"
>"Nopony's going into any caves!"
>"Maybe you thought we'd just go into some regular run of the mill cave, but this one is so huge and deep that-"
>"I'm not falling for your tricks, get away from here!"
>Unfortunately for Meanshy, she has already fallen for the trick.
>It just wasn't the trick she was expecting.
>You feel something warm and wet right at your tired hands. By the tugging motion your soon realize that it's a mouth that is grabbing your ties. You notice that while Appleliar and Flutterbully are arguing, Meanie Pie is nowhere to be seen.
>The caressing sensation almost makes you giggle but you know you must stay quiet. If there is any way, any strange magic that can get your sorry ass out of this predicament you might as well let it go its course.
>Before Appleliar even finishes her next bullshit explanation you feel the rope falling down your arms. Despite all the bullshit being thrown at her, Meanshy does hear that too.
>She realizes all too late what has happened. Your hands finally feel relief and your legs, even if they are still tied to the chair, already can move if just a bit.
>"Why you!.."
>The yellow fool jumps back in an effort to tackle Meanie Pie, who isn't ready for this for all you know. But it's fine, because you are in her stead.
>Your hand catches Meanshy before she reaches your pink savior. The open palm of yours fits the pegasus' throat in a snug, tight embrace.
>"Ghrrk!" she grunts as you drag her back towards Meanjack. Her hooves are still extended forward, ready to hit Meanie Pie, to no avail.
"There we go..."
>You finally break the silence but there's nothing you can follow this up with. Meanshy probably enjoys your grip on her anyway but you're not quick to release the pony, instead turning your head to see if Meanie is safe.
>Once you make sure she's fine (and not even looking back at you, just kinda sitting there with a bored expression), you start getting yourself out of this entanglement.
>"Oh, mighty kind of y'all to help me get that," Meanjack says and approaches the chair, trying to avoid Meanshy's wild kicks while doing so, to tug on your restraints.
>Your prisoner finally starts hitting your hand and you have to let her go.
>"What...in the world...is wrong with you?!" is the first thing she exclaims after jumping back out of your reach.
>You're not really sure who her exclamation is directed towards and her eyes make it hard to guess - she is panicking and doesn't know who to blame first, you or Meanjack or the calm Pie who looks like she had nothing to do with anything.
>To be honest, you have no clue how she could've done this so easily, but apparently Pinkie's own brand of 'magic' kind of applies to this little bundle of pink boredom.
>Meanshy isn't so tough now that you can retaliate so she only watches as you try to stand up and get rid of the rest of this ridiculous bondage.
"Oh, you just wait..." you mumble as you nearly break the chair getting your legs untied.
>Finally, you stand up freely, only to notice that your pants a sliding down. Appleliar is watching that closely like she's enchanted by it and so you quickly get them back up where they belong. You don't need another obsessive admirer taking a chance with you right now.
>Free from the rope that binds you and leaving it for the liar to pick up, you turn to Meanshy and your eyes lock in a confrontation.
>Your repugnance is surely greater than hers but she won't lose to you, not when she was this close to achieving her goal.
>Even so, you towering over her does make it seem like Flutterbitch has no way of getting out of this. Her entire plan was banking on you not being able to respond in any way.
>The way you approach her does scare her a bit. Her eyes are fixed on you, but her slight movement backwards betrays her fear. She's not ready to attack, she's trying to escape.
"You little shit."
>You think it's the first time you've really seen Meanshy wavering and getting mortified. She has no concept of self preservation, this much you know, but this time it doesn't seem like she's indifferent.
>What could've cause it you can only guess, but it's rather sobering to see her reacting like this.
>Here you were ready to raise a hell and a half and fight with this damn mare to death as she would certainly attack you - but no, there's much more to this than a possible retribution for her abuse.
>The only thing you could think of is that Meanshy is regretting that her plan has failed and her dreams of raping you are now crushed due to a cruel intervention.
>But you know better. This is just her defense mechanism, to seem completely helpless and hope that you'll take pity on her.
"Not so tough now, are you?"
>You don't really think that you have it in you to outright kill her right now, and besides, your axe isn't on your anymore. But the opportunity to scare her shitless so she would never forget she should've never come here? That you certainly would like to take.
>Unfortunately for you, Meanshy doesn't give you the opportunity.
>The second you take a step towards her, she yelps and, hooves and wings flailing wildly, makes a daring escape towards the door.
>Narrowly she evades your grapple when you try to reach out to grab her, but the fear you have instilled in her makes this pony a slippery target, ready to do whatever it takes to save herself.
>She half-flies half-jumps to the exit and barely is able to stop in time; crashing into the wall, prying the door open and poorly fitting into its frame she produces the most pathetic cacophony of hoof clopping and scratching against the floor and wings hitting her back and everything around her you've ever heard.
>Once the one-mare disaster is finally outside, silence fills your house.
>This all happened so fast you just stand in bewilderment unsure what to do. Things just occurred all at once and then ended.
>What tears the sealing grip of confusion off your mind is Meanie Pie's bored sigh.
>"And it was just starting to get interesting..."
>That's right. She saved you. Even AJ, who by the looks of it is now struggling with all the rope she has managed to wrap around herself in an awkward, inexperienced manner, seems to heed Meanie's call.
>"Well there's more where that came from. Lemme just... Make a comfortable nest... Out of this here rope."
>You have no idea what Meanjack is actually trying to say here, as always, but you sure know what you need to do.
>Meanie is more surprised than annoyed when you suddenly approach her and pick her up to give her a hug.
>She doesn't struggle - probably because of how unexpected it was - and you get your hands around her easily, squatting down and taking her light, starved body into your hands to put up against yours.
>"H-hey! What's the deal?.."
"Thanks for helping me out, Pinkie."
>She doesn't move in your embrace, though it doesn't last that long even if it is genuine.
>You felt like you have to do this even if you usually wouldn't. You won't dwell on it and want to just brush it off as acting on an impulse.
>No answer follows from her even when you put her back down, but instead you here Appleliar giving you a distress call:
>"Good thing I never need anypony helping me out."
>She is indeed in a dire situation, completely covered in rope.
>Unlike Meanie, the original's quality didn't seem to pass down to Meanjack, as her finesse with rope seems to really be quite the opposite from Applejack's.
"Hold on."
>While you try to get the orange mare to stand still and get her out of her own bondage, you take the opportunity and explain to her:
"I really appreciate you guys freeing me, but I need to get to Twilight as soon as possible. Did she tell you where she's going to be setting her ambush?"
>"Why hurry?" Meanjack tries to dodge your question. "Just out of the frying pan and into the oven? We can safely stay and celebrate how well we've worked things out together."
"It ain't no time to be whistlin' Dixie, AJ!" you try to explain yourself in a more comprehensive way for her. "I would really appreciate if you told me."
>"But I am telling you, about how great of a job we've-"
"Pinkie, do you know anything about Twilight's plan?"
>You turn back to the pink pony, but all you get is a shrug. She doesn't even look back at you, probably still in shock from your hug.
"Rainbow?"
>You quickly remind yourself that she probably doesn't give a shit and no response follows just like you've expected.
"Alright, I guess I'm on my own now."
>"Aw, shucks, Anon, you can always just stay here instead."
"You're right. I've wasted enough time already."
>If the liar is repeating herself now and you take it as a sign that she tries to drive her (opposite) point home.
"I'm not sure if you should stay here," you tell the ponies once you get outfitted to leave again. "Maybe it would be the best if you'd return to the camp."
>You're not really sure what they should do - helping Meanlight isn't exactly what you want to do, but then again they might as well move somewhere they can be more useful or at the very least out of the way. Problem is, you still don't know where that place is going to be.
>That's the uncertainty again. You're no Twilight, you can't come up with a decent plan faster than you walk.
>And that means you'll have to wing it and simply hope for the best.
>Before exiting the building you notice that Rainbow Dawdle got so comfy on your bed that she's already asleep, sprawled wide across the sheets and snoring lightly.
>Good for her, you suppose.
>It's no time to worry about her anyway. Being careful about your exit, you notice nothing suspicious anywhere.
>In a hurry you get to the forest without getting into any trouble, turning around a few times just to make sure.
>As soon as the Everfree's shadow covers you, you start walking faster with no further distractions and soon find yourself running.
>You're not really used to that and it would probably be better to conserve your energy, but it feels good to stretch those legs after being in such an uncomfortable tied up position.
>The bare minimum amount of hope you still can find in your heart starts to thin out the more you spend traversing the ominously silent and dark forest.
>Your usual road to the camp isn't even that long, but you somehow feel that right now, despite your speed, it takes so long to pass all the milestones you usually notice on your way.
>What wouldn't you give to find yourself just visiting that camp normally like before. Although it really wasn't all that "normal" lately.
>Or probably ever. But it was still better than trying to save both Twilights from each other.
>All you can hear now is your labored breath and no matter how much you focus there's nothing to notice at all.
>You're pretty much halfway there when you start to suspect that you are wasting your time with this chase.
>If Twilight really was going through with her plan, she could be anywhere, traveling by air and not needing a strict route.
"Damn it," you stop and try to calm your breath.
>It doesn't seem right to change your course now, but you can't keep going like this without a single clue. If anything, that would accomplish the same as standing still right here.
>Unless Meanlight is in the camp and-
>You hear birds flying up en masse after a quick flash somewhere to your right lights up deep in the forest.
>All of the sudden a chill goes down your spine. The purple tint of this phenomenon leaves no question about its origin.
>Doubling your efforts, you take the safest route you can find in that direction. Danger lurks at every corner in the near-winter Everfree, but this is more important than being scared of a few carnivorous plants or glowing eyes in some bushes.
>As if to guide your further, you see - and now also hear - more flashes of purple magic that sound like muffles lightning strikes.
>This helps you tremendously with navigation, but as you draw closer to the battlefield panic starts distorting your consciousness.
>There's no plan in place and you don't even know who you should approach first. The worst thing is, if you get caught in this crossfire, you might be the only actual victim here.
>Those worries only get worse when you actually come close enough to see beams of magic shooting across a clearing, from both sides of it. It's a death trap to anything that enters it, and both mares are, by the looks of it, hiding in the forest to avoid exactly that.
>One is to your right, and one to your left. You try to approximate which side is closer to Ponyville and you figure that the right one should be the actual Twilight.
>You take your chance when you see that the magic "duel" of two ponies blindly shooting at each other subsides for a bit. Trying to stay hidden you make your way towards the place you assume Twilight is hunkered down.
>Too late you realize that this is just what she was expecting out of her enemy.
>"Who goes there?!" you hear her tense voice when you get close enough.
>You can't even see her but the big fallen tree situated just nearby is perfect for taking cover, and it is probably hiding your princess right now.
"It's me, Twilight. It's Anon!"
>You then add just to be safe:
"Don't shoot!"
>"A-Anon?"
>A beam of magic rips the air right above your head apart and you instinctively duck down, the smell of ozone making your dizzy on the ground.
>"Quick, over here!" Twilight worryingly calls for you.
"Just a moment."
>It's really hard to stay crouched while moving on the ever uneven carpet of big moss covered roots, but you somehow make it to the tree the alicorn is hiding behind.
>"What in Equestria is wrong with you?!" she scolds you first thing after looking into your eyes. "I told you to stay back."
"I can't, sorry. Chrysalis captured me and I had to escape."
>"Chrysalis?" Twilight eyes widen. "So it is her behind this after all!"
"Wait, Twilight..."
>You suddenly realize you might be making a huge mistake.
"Hey, do you remember who was the villain in the 'Shadow Spade and the Reveal of the Century'?"
>The alicorn shows you a very confused and annoyed expression, amplified by the light from the beams of magic tracing above.
>"This isn't really the time to-"
"Do you remember?" you insist.
>"Tsk!" she squints her eyes at you. "Of course, it's Antoine, you were the one who spoiled it for me!"
>The bitterness in her voice caused by that little incident would be worrying if you were in any other predicament. But right now you are relieved. Seems like Rarity's method of identifying friends still works.
>"What, you've come all the way here to have a laugh about it?"
>Twilight is really stressed out right now but with your own heart beating loud and fast you can't say you're much more calm than her.
"I had to check if you're not a changeling, you know."
>The look on the mare's face isn't getting any happier.
>"Oh yeah? How do I know YOU'RE not a changeling?"
"I just asked you a thing only I would remember, Twilight."
>"Well I sure am glad it's you and not her, but..."
>She doesn't sound glad at all. But you know she has every right to react this way. That's irrelevant now.
"There's something I have to tell both of you. I think Chrysalis is fooling you two."
>"Well go tell HER that! She obviously wants to continue this fight while I haven't even seen a glimpse of her."
"Really?"
>"Yes, really!" Twilight falls more and more in her panic mode and has lost all her patience. "She ambushed us from below and we had to land here."
>Just like you thought this plan was going to end up going. But nagging Twilight about it isn't going to make this situation any better.
>The magic bolts are hitting the log you're both hiding behind, thankfully without penetrating it, but it doesn't make Twilight feel any more secure.
"Where's the others? Where's Spike?"
>"As soon as we got pinned down here I sent him to get the others."
"Instead of just going here with them right off the bat?"
>"It's- It's complicated, okay?"
>Now she's talking your language.
>By her looks she isn't very proud of that decision. Why would the princess of friendship try to do things alone without her friends? Seems a bit illogical.
>But then again maybe there's something you don't know about her or how their group operates in these situations.
>And they have just fixed their relationships on that fake friendship quest as far as you know.
>Now isn't the time to get into this problem. This firefight has to stop now, before someone gets hurt.
"I'll go and talk to her then."
>"Are you crazy?! She'll shoot you just like before."
"If she knows it's me she probably won't."
>"Probably?!"
>You're giving Twilight the headache of her life with your irresponsibility, and that's after you've crushed her with your story earlier today.
"What choice do I even have?"
>The alicorn doesn't stop you and her silence is you signal to move.
>Still crouched, you move away from your cover. Only after a minute or so of sneaking towards your initial position you see blasts of magic flying in your general direction.
>This just tells you that it's unreasonable to stay hidden anymore. You have to make a move like a friend, not like a sneaky spy.
"Twilight!" you yell. "Twilight from the camp! It's me, Anonymous!"
>The magical assault stops. You wait for a bit before continuing, just to make sure.
"You need to stop fighting, this isn't what you should be doing right now!"
>A few seconds pass and you finally hear an answer from the thicket on the other side:
>"Get lost!"
>Nice to hear she's still the same old Meanlight.
"I need to talk to you! Chrysalis is making a fool out of you again. This is a trap!"
>No response follows.
"It's your only chance to win here. I'll go to your side now and tell you all about it, okay? Don't shoot."
>You can only imagine how Twilight is panicking even more when you casually walk out of the forest onto the clearing.
>And that concern is justified.
>A beam of purple magic strikes the ground right below your feet, so close that you feel a wave of heat washing over you.
>Just like Twilight's, your patience is quick to run out:
"Don't you dare shoot at me, you idiot!" you shout in Meanlight's direction. "Are you dense? Your mom is playing you like an idiot! Do you want to be an idiot or do you want to get even?"
>"How do I know you're not on her side?" an annoyed voice replies to you.
"Your god damn Flutterbitch tied me up in my own house while your mother laughed in my face when I told her you'll fuck her up like before, whose side do you think I'm on?"
>She has every right to not believe you. If you are indeed lying to her, Meanlight will lose.
>But the alternative is to not only lose, but also be humiliated. Just like she has been this whole time, ever since her campaign in Ponyville started.
>This is why she won't shoot. This is what you are betting everything on.
>The price she'll pay for not believing you, no matter how much she despises you, is too big.
>You take another step and no magic beams stop you. Meanlight seems to be ready to negotiate and save her pride.

>Continuing your way into the enemy territory you sort of start worrying about the real Twilight. Not like you're expecting to be shot in the back, but she might do something to jeopardize your plan simply because there's no trust to be put in you.
>For all she knows you might be planning to betray her right now or helping Meanlight escape.
>There's also no telling if this isn't Chrysalis pretending to be Meanlight. But you don't think it would make sense. The plan of the bug queen depends on her being somewhere else while these two are fighting each other.
>Little by little you approach the trees where Meanlight is hiding. There's no protective log here that could absorb magic blasts, but you see that there's a slight slope down, all covered by massive old roots.
>Somewhere down there the mean schemer is waiting for you.
>It is exactly so. She greets you with annoyance that easily rivals Twilight's. You squat down before her, not wishing to go down there.
>You figured that it's better if Twilight can see you at all times. Makes your actions more trustworthy and transparent. Besides, if something happens to you now she'll know about it.
>"What is the meaning of this? Why are you even here?" Meanlight interrogates you right off the bat.
"Because you both fell in your mom's trap and you need to get out of here."
>"Yeah, right. And what is that trap?"
"She just needs Twilight out of the picture for some time so she can do whatever she wants."
>"I'm not buying it," the pony shakes her head. "You're just scared your little princess is going to get hurt and want to stop me from conquering Equestria. She probably doesn't even know you've been helping me all this time or she'd be blasting you right now! Go tell her how you-"
"I've already told her everything," you watch Meanlight closely. "That's exactly why I'm here. You're not conquering anything. Chrysalis is using you just like she has always been."
>"I'm the one who is actually-"
"Like she's been modifying and redirecting your plans in Ponyville. Just like she was using your ponies to spin lies for the rest of the Town. Just like she wanted to get me out of the picture by recruiting your Fluttershy and using her obsession over me."
>"What are you even talking about?"
>For the first time Meanlight isn't all that confident about her own position.
"See? You never even noticed what's been going on under your nose, but she did. Do you think she'd really let you 'conquer' anything when she obviously has something to take for herself?"
>"I'm pretty sure I could..."
>Hesitation in formulating a course of action is Meanlight simply admitting she's defeated.
"Face it, Chrysalis doesn't even consider you a rival. You're a tool to her, and you always will be just that. You might consider her your 'mother' but she doesn't see you as...anything, really."
>Doesn't seem like Meanlight is hurt by your words, but she certainly sees some truth in them.
"It's like if I was looking at my carved statuettes, no, the tools I use to make them. It's what you are to her. She laughed at me for even mentioning you. So you can either play the role she has appointed to you, or you can actually do something on your own for once and not play by her rules."
>It's probably the first time you see Meanlight even beginning to consider that what she's doing isn't the best idea.
>To accept that she's been blind would really hit her pride. Being so close to her triumph just to be reined in is surely to piss her off.
>It seems like Meanlight is really weighing her options right now, meaning that it is only a matter of time she accepts that she might be on the losing side.
>"Alright, what is her plan then?" she inquires. "Twilight is right here, and if I take her out-"
"Have you been listening? Twilight was never a part of any of this. You are the one who keeps her out of the school for the time being. Her real target is someone who has humiliated her before and has driven her away from her home."
>"I have no clue what you're talking about," the mare admits.
"It's Starlight Glimmer. Now that Twilight is away and can't pose a threat, she can easily enter the school and do whatever she wants to her. Then, she'll come to finish whoever is victorious here."
>The usurper tries to wrap her head around this, but she doesn't know the whole story and it makes her weary.
"It doesn't matter who actually wins here right now. If Twilight does, she'll be weakened and also without any help from her friends and Starlight. If you win, she'll do the same to you."
>It sounds very plausible. At least in your head. Of course you don't really know what her plan is, but everything just points at the basic outline of this nature.
>If you were Chrysalis you'd definitely do something devious like that.
>"Okay, let's say I believe you. What do you suppose we do then?"
"Chrysalis doesn't know we're onto her. She'll use a disguise to find Starlight, so once we find her we'll probably find Chrysalis too, no matter who she's posing as. Then she'll have to either reveal her identity or to comply with what we'll ask of her."
>"Wait-wait-wait. 'We'? You want me to come with you and...her?!"
"I think me and you should be enough. Twilight should find her friends to...to do her thing."
>The thing you've only heard about. The friendship magic thing. You have no idea how it works but you're pretty sure there has to be all six of them doing it.
>"Oh, really?" Meanlight stares behind you, probably trying to see Twilight there in the distance.
"On the other hand... Maybe you should get your friends too."
>"Friends?"
"Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow helped me escape and they're probably not far away from my house by now."
>"They ended up at your house?!"
"Yeah? Where were they supposed to be?"
>"N-nevermind, it doesn't matter now."
>If that's a blush you seen on the mare's face it could only mean that her orders were horribly misinterpreted. But it's not that important right now.
"Fluttershy doesn't count already, she's with Chrysalis."
>"Yeah, figures she'd want to upstage me."
"Where's Rarity?"
>"She should've been with the rest."
"God damn it."
>You try to think of something but you can't find a thread to hang on.
>Not like Meanlight even needs her gang to attack Chrysalis if worse comes to worst. But it wouldn't hurt.
"Come over here," you beckon Meanlight.
>"What? I'm not exposing myself, she'll shoot me the second she sees me!"
"If you won't shoot she probably won't as well."
>"How can you be-"
"Hey, Twilight!" you yell. "Don't shoot, we come in peace."
>Then you turn back and can't help but frown at Meanlight.
"And you better not start any trouble yourself."
>"Do you really think I'm going to help this Twilight?"
"The enemy of your enemy could be your friend, right?"
>"And then I'll never have another opportunity like this."
>She has to be stubborn now when you've laid all the cards before her.
"You won't have an opportunity either way, because Chrysalis will find and dispose of you eventually. But this way you'll at least have an opportunity to strike at her where it hurts."
>"I can take on her myself."
"Do you honestly believe it?!" you're getting pissed off again. "She looks like she's in a good shape now, besides..."
>"Besides what?"
"She said she has found new source of power or something like that."
>"She's lying."
"Maybe, but if she isn't?"
>"Uuugh! You're so insufferable!" Meanlight barks at you and stands up. "I'm so tired of talking about this. Let's just go get this over with, I'll think of another plan to conquer Equestria later."
"Good, fine by me."
>You nod to her and stand up. The mare is finally out of her cover but is hiding behind you to avoid any pot shots her original might take at her.
"Twilight, we're coming now!" you shout again and walk before Meanlight.
>She might not like that as she can't see Twilight that way, but you being between the two ponies is at least some way to protect them from each other. Of course that leaves you in a dangerous spot, but you doubt that right now both really want to hurt you, even Meanlight.
>You can practically feel the tension when Twilight leaves her spot and starts walking to meet you in the clearing. You throw a couple of glances on Meanlight and she doesn't look like she's going to attack even if she is trying to show how annoyed she is as much as she can.
"It's fine, she's not going to shoot," you tell Twilight when you see doubt in her motions. "Isn't that right?"
>You turn to Meanlight and she dishes out a lazy reply:
>"As long as she doesn't."
>"I didn't want to fight in the first place," Twilight answers with almost as much annoyance.
>"Coward," Meanlight says in a hushed breath.
"Here's the deal," you ignore their banter. "I think Chrysalis has lured you two just so she can get both of you out of the way. I can't guarantee that it's exactly what's happening but she has made it clear that she doesn't care about either of you."
>"What if she was saying that just to throw you off her real plan?" Twilight asks.
"I- Well, it certainly is a possibility, but the fact of the matter is if she's not here then she's doing something else in a different location, to a different pony. And I think Twilight knows that there is one the Chrysalis is after for personal revenge."
>"Starlight?" she guesses and right away panic takes over her yet again. "Oh no! She's at school now!"
"Wouldn't Spike ask her for help too?"
>"I sure hope he did and they're on their way here already. Oh, I have to find my friends fast! They all might be in danger."
"Yes, that would be for the best. You guys need to be together to fight, right?"
>"Of course!"
"I'll be heading to the school then, in case Starlight is still there."
>"What do you mean 'I', we have to go there together."
>Meanlight wedges into the conversation for the first time:
>"And let Chrysalis know that her distraction has failed?"
"I have to go alone," you nod. "At least Chrysalis doesn't know for sure that I've been here."
>Twilight sighs, begrudgingly accepting your point of view.
>"Fine, what is she going to do?"
>The alicorn points at her clone and you explain again:
"She'll do the same, find her friends and-"
>"Whoa, since when are you issuing commands here, smartass?" Meanlight glares daggers at you. "I didn't need those idiots to take Chrysalis out before and I don't need them now."
"You really think she wouldn't account for that?" you talk back in the same tone. "She has already proven she's smarter than you, I think it's time you stop being so stubborn and try to take this seriously instead."
>"Yeah, whatever. I can't believe I'm taking tactical advice from a monkey like-."
>"Anon's no monkey!" Twilight suddenly interrupts. "He's a greater ape, if anything. You would've known that if you-"
>"Oh, I'm so sorry, miss saccharine perfection," Meanlight mocks her. "Don't lose your sleep over this, you little purple flying mule."
>"You do realize you too look exactly like a purple flying mule in that case, right?" Twilight tries to awkwardly shittalk back.
>"I would if I was pigging on half a dozen cupcakes and hayburgers a day."
>Twilight gasps.
>"Am not! And you were the one trying to steal that food anyway, so-"
"Jesus, enough already!"
>This fucking circus has to be broken off, though some part of you wonder how far would they be able to take this, seeing how they're just clones of each other.
"Just look for me at the school, both of you. If Chrysalis and Starlight aren't there, I'll wait for you so we can figure out a new plan. Okay?"
>"Fine."
>"Fine."
>One last glare flies between them because they said it at the exact same moment.
>In retrospect, you have to admit that your initial suspicion that these two wouldn't get along no matter what is sort of justified.
>Meanlight is the first to fly off and she looks behind herself a few time just to be safe.
>Twilight just sighs at that.
>"I'll be off too then. Good luck."
"You too."
>You are left alone on this battlefield, and your journey back to Ponyville isn't going to be just as easy as flying above the forest.
>Even Spike has wings now so he probably had no trouble getting out of here...
>Realizing now that you've wasted a considerable amount of time on explaining everything to Meanlight, you now run even faster than you were when trying to get here.
>You can't really trust this mass of trees to clearly lead you to Ponyville. Trying to bust your way through the trees is how people get lost in the forest, not find their way out. You should know.
>If it seemed like it's taking you too long to move even half way to the mean camp, then it's no surprise that it seems even longer to get back to Ponyville, and you're using the quicker road.
>You can't believe that not even a few weeks ago you were leading Meanlight down this path to just watch over the town. Now everything is hanging on you making your way there as fast as possible.
>But once you arrive to the village, you see that there is no one around to witness the sight of a sweating, tired human running down the street.
>Slowing down you try to wait until your thoughts catch up to you. In a really disheartening fashion they seem to dangle all the right suspicions and conclusions right out of reach of your lathery, foaming brain starved for oxygen.
>You really want to fall down and just take a big breath that will last like a minute. But you have to keep going, even if all your autumn clothes feel uncomfortably slimy all around you.
>To hell with hypothesizing, you don't need to know where did everyone go. You just need to find Starlight. Then improvise something as usual.
>That will surely work out perfectly in your current condition.
>First you need to get to the school. The time it takes for you to get there is used for calming your body down, but that also means you're wasting some time not running there like your life depends on it.
>But that's not the real problem. Once you enter the courtyard or whatever they call it here, you discover that you don't even know where to start looking for anyone. You've never really been here more than one or two times.
>You probably look so stupid right now. And, fate would have it, it doesn't go unnoticed.
>"You looking for somepony?"
>Turning around to see who's calling for you, you notice a mare standing right behind you. She looks a bit older than Twilight and her friends and you think you can safely assure she's working here.
"Y-yeah?" you give an exhausted reply. "Starlight Glimmer."
>Only now noticing how pathetic your tired voice sounds you would surely blush, if only there was any blood to spare for your cheeks right now.
>"Oh!" the mare smiles. "She's meeting with some pony from another town - at least I haven't seen her around - I think in the main hall. Right there past that arch."
"Um... Thanks."
>That was too easy and knocked out right off your tracks. The fact that you don't have any time left to think of a plan is making your heart start its gallop once again.
>Especially now that you also have confirmed that Chrysalis is also here. Who else could that unknown pony be?
>It wasn't hard to find that hall, thankfully, as it was the only one here. Still with zero idea how to approach the situation you search for Starlight and her new acquaintance.
>To actually notice her in this place is a bit harder than you assume it would be. Looks like every little creature was freed from their containment and now roam the halls unsupervised.
>Passing conversations make it rather clear though - the teachers are absent so the classes are temporarily cancelled.
>Knowing who those teachers are it's easy to figure out why this chaos of students of all origins is unleashed.
>At least no one really cares about you coming here. These little ponies are used to the sight of strange non-pony creatures walking among them like equals.
>There was even a changeling here too, would Chrysalis try to somehow utilize her in her plan? What if they are in league again and that's why the school has been chosen as the murder scene?
>Your train of thoughts is stopped unexpectedly: the two ponies you are here to meet are standing in the corner near a pillar, away from of the whole pandemonium.
>Right away you identify the second one. Not even a shadow of surprise here. It's that photographer pony that you assisted in going to the Everfree. Same mane, same saddle bags, everything.
>Now you just have to play it safe.
>Pretend like you're here for Starlight and you need something of her. Chrysalis will follow her no matter what.
"Hey, Starlight!" you announce your presence.
>The two ponies look at you with curiosity and you note that it's a pleasant one.
>You also have to remind yourself to not stare at the bug too much so she doesn't suspect a thing.
>Remember, you don't know she's Chrysalis. There's no need to show any more interest than needed.
>"Hey, Anon!" Starlight replies with a smile.
>"Anonymous?" the photographer also flashes you a smile. "Nice to see you again!"
>"Is there something-" the school counselor starts but quickly changes gears. "Wait, you two know each other?"
>"Yeah, Anonymous helped me with finding a very specific spot in Everfree," the other unicorn answers with glee in her voice and then turns back to you.
"That's right, miss..."
>"Shutter Bug," she nods.
"Ah, yes, sorry, I'm not too good at remembering pony names."
>That blush was actually legit, even though you never had an intention of making that confession in the first place.
>"It's fine," Shutter rolls her eyes.
>"So, what brings you here?" Starlight finally gets to ask.
"Well, I was planning on asking you for help with some small business..." you start, but there's just no tracks laid beyond this point.
>"In that case I'll talk to you soon, if you don't mind."
>Suddenly, just when you thought that you're losing the situation, a ray of godly sunlight makes a bridge to your next thought in your head out of thin air (and pure brilliance).
"But now that Shutter Bug is here, I think it's better that I ask her."
>"Oh?" Starlight's interest is piqued. "What could that be about?"
"It's nothing special, really," you're getting on track, full speed. "It's about those photos, I'm sure you've heard about them, Starlight."
>"Photos? Oh, right. About the whole... Situation. Yeah." she nods.
"Shutter here is a pretty good photographer, so I think she could really help analyzing those pictures."
>"Right!" Starlight clops her forehooves against the floor lightly in delight. "I didn't even think of that! It would be just perfect, an expert's judgement. What do you say, Shutter, could you help out Ponyville?"
>Glimmer is totally on board with your new idea and it feels you with so much pride that you could cry right now.
>To convince her just by dangling a righteous cause before her nose is something you should've considered right from the start. After all, Starlight is always ready to help her community.
>This can't get any more perfect now.
>Both of you stare at Shutter's perplexed muzzle and it takes her a few seconds of trying to form a thought to reply:
>"W-w-well I'd like to finish my conversation with Starlight here first, at the very least."
>"I guess we can, but..."
"This could really save us, Shutter. Someone's trying to frame me and some ponies here, the faster we catch them, the better. Any clue would help us figuring it out!"
>"We could always talk after that, you know," Starlight appeals to Shutter. "And I'll catch up with you guys as soon as possible."
"It's settled then."
>You and Starlight nod to each other with steel resolve to uncover the mystery of those incriminating photos.
>At least that's what the helpful unicorn is thinking.
"Follow me," you call Shutter Bug and pretend like you're going away.
>She's not following, of course. But she does look a bit torn, uncertain what to do.
"We have to hurry!" you press the issue. "The quicker we'll sort this out, the better."
>"I..." the Bug finally opens her mouth to answer. "I think I should just finish my conversation first."
>Now she's playing against Starlight just as much. She's outmatched here.
>"It's fine, Shutter," the unicorn assures her.
>"N-no, I don't think it is."
"What do you mean? Don't you want to help a friend?"
>"Friend?.."
>She looks rather confused at even saying that word.
>"Well, we are all your friends here, you know," Starlight smugly reminds her.
>She just had to, didn't she. Just so Shutter knows you're all her very best friends.
>"Of course!" she backs away just a little bit. "But... Look, it's something urgent we just have to discuss in private."
>"Right now?" Starlight tilts her head inquisitively.
>"Yes!" Shutter's voice sparkles with impatience which makes both you and Glimmer look at each other.
>"What could be so-" the purple unicorn sounds pretty convinced, but you interrupt her:
"Nah, you had all the time you needed to chat, this is an actual pressing matter."
>"What?" the bug is getting fired up. "Listen, human, I got here first, and-"
"And had your turn, right?"
>Starlight is looking back and forth without a clue about what's going on.
>"How did you even find me, huh?" disguised Chrysalis continues. "Were you spying on us?"
"I... Asked the mare at the gates?" you frown. "I was looking for Starlight, what's wrong with that?"
>Shutter steps forward like she's trying to intimidate you.
>"And WHY would you be-"
"To ask her about the pictures, I've just told you that."
>Your answer was so casual because it's pretty much exactly what happened. You don't even have to lie here, and it is paying off: your confusion is as genuine as is Starlight's. She concludes:
>"I'd love to help, and I think Anon is right - Shutter, we could really use your expertise."
"That's why I asked her to go with me in the first place."
>"Ugh!" the bug queen's wits are at their end.
"Are you going or not?"
>"I just wanted to-"
>"It's fine, Shutter," Glimmer intervenes. "We could talk later."
>"No, this is important, I have to-"
>You phase out of listening to their argument because you suddenly notice that the massive student gathering in the hallway is giving way to something else.
>A lot of ponies have arrived, adults too. They are looking to their sides as if they're trying to find someone. And they are all converging on your position.
>It's hard to notice anyone specific in this sea of manes poking out.
>Meanwhile, it sounds like Shutter is ready to put the final note in this conundrum.
>"...This is why I don't trust him and I won't go with him alone!"
"Huh?"
>You missed all the undoubtedly very thought out arguments Shutter has made against you.
>"I've got nothing to hide, meanwhile he just want to get rid of the only pony who can get him exposed?"
>Starlight gasps but you don't have a single idea what's the fuss is about. Is she accusing you of something?
"I don't really get it, but whatever, I just needed you to be at least somewhat useful."
>"Well I'm not going anywhere!"
>Shutter stands proud just a bit behind Starlight, as if using her as a meat shield in case something goes awry.
>But her resolution is not allowed to pass.
>A voice from the now newly formed crowd of ponies who's been closing in on you this whole time challenges the changeling:
>"Not if I have anything to say about it!"
>Starlight gasps again, and, to be frank, you almost do too.
>It's a voice you haven't heard in such a long time. A pompous voice with pride and poise, it's a tone you'll never mistake for anything.
>Even for her own mean clone.
>Indeed, the one and only detective Rarity emerges from the sea of ponies, unmistakable 'case solved' hat on her head and a convicting expression on her face.
>She makes everything fall so quiet so fast, that the very first step she takes after appearing seemingly out of nowhere can be heard clearly across the whole hall.
>And once she finally stops right at your side, she finally severs the tension, finishing her entry line:
>"And I believe I do."
>Rarity watches the confusion she has caused with satisfaction but you can feel how tense she is. Her eyes never leave Shutter Bug, who is just taken aback by such bold claims from the fearsome detective.
>The fashionista's hat is menacingly low now, which can only indicate that the situation is very dire and grim.
>"I'm afraid Shutter Bug won't help you decipher those damning pictures," Rarity tells you, eyes still on her target. "But it's easy to see why."
>"W-what's going on?" Shutter steps back, instinctively hiding behind Starlight.
>The purple unicorn does nothing about that as she is shocked just as much.
>Intrigue might be Rarity's forte but when no one is sure what it is supposed to signify it turns into perplexity really fast.
>Luckily, the detective is here to explain.
>"You see, what had Ponyville riled up at first was the possibility of Anonymous helping the burglars who has been raiding Ponyville for weeks now."
>A wave of agreeing sounds travels across the sea of townsponies who have been exceedingly quiet before that, in awe before Rarity's great entrance.
>"But once everypony realized that Anon is just another victim, the mysterious pictures became evidence against the pony who has taken them. Whoever has been so discreet to share these photographs with others is surely an accomplice, otherwise they wouldn't be in the right place at the right time to take this picture."
>Rarity shows everyone that photo where Greedity is escaping your house. She makes sure that Starlight and Shutter see it too.
>"Well, I am quite certain we have our culprit right here," the detective points at the now even more scared bug.
>"H-how insulting of you to accuse me of that!" she speaks up. "Just because I have a camera doesn't mean-"
>"So you plead not guilty?"
>The ponies are whispering, encircling you and Starlight even closer.
>You hear something like 'the gall!' from the back rows and you suspect that Rarity didn't rile up the entire town on just empty boasts.
>Which means Shutter is digging her grave publicly with not an ounce of shame to salt her head.
>"Of course! Why would I ever-"
>"Well then how do you explain this?"
>The detective pulls another set of pictures and shows it to Starlight and Shutter.
>By the looks on their faces you can only guess there's something extremely horrible and disturbing depicted there.
>When it's your turn to look, you surely have the same sort of expression on your face.
>How couldn't you? It's something you would never expect to see.
>It's the same scene of Greedity escaping through your window, but from another angle. There are dark smudges at the edges of the picture and you realize that those are leaves - whoever has taken that photo was hiding in some sort of a bush.
>And that angle also reveals the one who was taking that first picture at the time.
"T-that's her right there!" you can't believe your eyes.
>With a smug expression on her face, Shutter Bug is standing near your cottage with her camera up and ready, witnessing Greedity's escape just like the one who is capturing the image of her doing so.
>"But-" Shutter backs away even further. "How is this possible?! There was-"
>"Nopony there?" Rarity finished that thought. "Well, you are right in some degree, Ms. Bug. No 'pony' was there. But my good friend Spike was always there, watching over Anonymous just like I've asked of him before leaving the town!"
>A round of gasps tells you pretty quickly that this part wasn't previously disclosed by the crafty fashionista.
>"I knew full well what you were trying to accomplish," she continues with indignation. "You were aware of my investigation and wanted to frame me first so that I lose every bit of credibility I have in my own home town. But apparently all it took for me to dull your vision was to move to Canterlot just for a while so I can safely operate out of your reach."
>Rarity has surely done her homework and judging by the reaction of the ponies that have pushed Shutter against the wall, quite literally, Rarity's investigation was a complete success.
>"Now only one question remains. Who's that accomplice of yours who did all the dirty work? Maybe you can tell us?"
>"I..." Chrysalis is still hiding.
>"I'm done playing these games!" Rarity's voice sparks with vindication. "I don't care who you are or how did you get a hold of a changeling who is doing your bidding, but even if you are queen Chrysalis herself, I'd rather-"
>"Whoa, hey, hey," Starlight backs away too seeing how Rarity approaches her and the bug behind her.
>Wrath in Rarity's eyes sounds justified to you. It takes a strong will to exile yourself to play the long game and accept the blame for something so outrageous it villainizes you before your own town.
>And the white mare is not waiting any longer for justice to be served.
>You don't know if you need to call Chrysalis out right now, because that would surely make her lose her disguise and enter fight or flight mode. Because there is still a chance that she's willing to play innocent to the very end, and until then her powers are contained.
>That's works only in Rarity's favor.
>Starlight, seeing this, calls for a civil action instead of slaughter.
>"Shutter, please," she tries looking behind her but the bug is hiding in fear. "Just don't make it harder than it needs to be."
>"Starlight, step away from her," Rarity demands.
>"I'm- I'm kinda trying."
>Glimmer frowns and notices at last that Shutter is actually holding her with her hooves to prevent her from moving.
>"Come on, the gig is up," the unicorn laughs uncomfortable while Rarity is getting ready to catch her perpetrator - quite literally this time, aiming to jump at her.
>Maybe she'll tackle both of the mares, who knows how desperate she is at this point. And the crowd makes sure that is succeed, moving ever so slightly forward to leave no space for the bug queen to escape.
>All eyes are on her. That's why it's so surprising when you see her with something in her hooves, something that wasn't there before.
>You didn't see her pulling out something, she must've done that behind her living shield.
>And that object in her hooves rests now next to her victim's neck.
"S-Starlight..." you freeze up, mortified.
>"Huh?" the unicorn also becomes tense upon something touching her coat.
>"No, wait!" Rarity calls and almost dashes forward.
>Click!
>Starlight's eyes widen when she feels something very tight and sturdy wrap around her neck. Be it leather or some other material, it's impossible to tell, but what you see is that it has a sizable lock at its end.
>That lock seals this belt of black material around Starlight's neck, and ingrained in this metal lock is a rather large shard of green-ish ebony mineral you can't quite identify.

>"No!"
>Rarity probably regrets her momentary hesitation now, but as soon as she jumps forward to at least pry Shutter off her friend, some force pushes her away.
>You only see a faint glow of Shutter's horn and the next second you feel like something is kicking you back, like a strong blast of wind, only so strong that it makes you lose your balance.
>Thankfully, you don't fall on your head and are quick enough land safely and prevent any damage. Rarity is off worse than that, thrown away onto the crowd because she got so close.
>"Back off!" Shutter's voice sounds deeper now, with that unmistakable magic-induced tone to it.
>Starlight is still in a tight hold though. And it's about time she retaliated for this assault.
>But she doesn't. She can't.
>"Oh no!"
>The unicorn's magic fizzles at her horn but doesn't come out. The aura starts evaporating the second it forms, like a cube of ice thrown on a heated oven, dissipating into thin air.
>The mare desperately tries to look down on her new collar but can't do it, so instead her hoof tries to find the source of that interruption.
>"It can't be!"
>"What, me carrying a piece of my throne with me just to be sure?" Shutter purrs into the mare's ear. "Outrageous, I know. But oh so effective against your pesky magic."
>You don't really get what they are talking about but you sure as hell realize what's the effect of this sudden turn of events is.
>"I'm parting with my last one, you should feel honored..."
>"Why, you!.." Rarity is actually the first to be on her legs.
>"Back off!" Shutter warns her, grasping her prey even tighter. "I'll be taking my trophy now, and you better step back if you want her to remain unharmed."
>Glimmer tries to wiggle out of the hold, grunting and striking Shutter with her hooves, but Shutter isn't Shutter anymore.
>She grows in size right under your horrified gaze, shedding her disguise in a melting shreds of magic that disappear before they reach the floor.
>Before you now stands Chrysalis in all her tall intimidating glory, holding Starlight with just one leg, but with back turned to herself, in a way that the little pony can't even reach her with her hooves to cause any damage.
>And the more the unicorn wiggles in that hold, the more her throat is crushed by the changeling's leg. Very convincing way to make the now powerless unicorn to reconsider her behavior, if she wants to live that is.
>You can guess by the overwhelming reaction from the crowd of ponies that Ponyville is really not accustomed to the sight of the changeling queen.
>It might be their first time actually seeing her. And she is showing that she won't hold back on anyone.
>Brave to apprehend the offender, they are now taken aback by her true nature.
>So the reaction is as chaotic as it can get. It starts as a few cries and screams and the avalanche of panic just keeps amplifying itself. Both the students and the denizens of Ponyville are not trapped in a cage with a predator.
>You think you hear Mayor Mare's voice trying to calm everyone down, but it just gets subdued by the masses.
>Before you can even get up you're already surrounded by a screaming mass of colorful coats and manes; a few dozen of hooves were ready to stomp you to death if not for your strong pushes.
>Unfortunately, the hall has only one exit, at least one that's currently active. Some ponies are trying to escape from there, others disappear into near corridors only to find closed doors to the classrooms.
>Of course, everyone wants out and you know how this circus is going to play out.
>Some pegasi bang at the windows and you recon it's gonna be just a matter of time before they're going to decide break them to reach safety. Right now they are like mosquitoes trying to get out of the room.
>And when you see the satisfied expression on the giant bug's toothy mouth, you know for sure that it's exactly what she was counting on.
>"I'll be going now," she warns you and Rarity and turns back, towards the stairs that lead to the upper floors under Twilight's emblem - the one escape route no one was even trying to use in fear of being harmed by Chrysalis who has been inching closer to her way out bit by bit all this time, dragging Starlight with her.
>But there's one big mistake that she's making.
>Thinking that no one here will challenge her, that he has everyone scared, she turns her back on the scene to walk out like a victor, and that's your golden opportunity right there.
>You once thought that there is one creature you won't ever hesitate to strike down with your hatchet.
>Now that moment of retribution is upon you.
>Silently you take your weapon out, and with the murderous intent you take the first step of what is going to become a leap of faith.
>Even if it is the last thing you do, this will all be worth it.
>You'll get to die like a real hero. This is what you're supposed to do in this world, your destiny now unveiled.
>And the second you take that step your destiny is crushed, obliterated with just one flash of putrid green energy.
>Your heroic entrance was cut short at its roots. Or, rather, legs.
>Just one leg, the right one. Just one smoking trace through the fabric and flesh where the queen's magic blast has bruised you.
>One hit - and all the agony. All of it. Burning anguish that makes you lose the balance immediately after landing on that leg.
>Your first step on the road to vengeance is your last.
>"Anon!" you hear Rarity's voice as you fall down.
>This time you're not that lucky and land on your hands, painfully striking your knuckle against the cold floor since the axe is still in your grip.
>Not anymore though, it slides away from you as you slouch forward.
>"Are you alright?"
>The voice you hear doesn't reach your brain. It's too busy going into overdrive while you bite you lower lip so hard it's a miracle you haven't tear it off by now.
"Oh god, fuck," you hiss in a barely audible whisper.
>The anguish finally blinds you with its pulsating heat that boils all of the blood inside your body at once.
>"Mua-ha-ha-ha!" you barely hear Chrysalis laughing at you. "You really are as stupid as I thought, taking such an obvious bait. Too bad I can't watch your well deserved suffering any longer. Bye-bye."
>Rarity stays near you and doesn't provoke the changeling queen any longer.
>Seems like the safe passage is hers now.
>Unless...
>"Not so fast!"
>This sudden intervention is enough to pull you out of the depths of your searing pain, for it comes from the one who can actually stop Chrysalis, unlike you apparently.
>It is from that very exit the bug has been planning to use, Twilight Sparkle and her friends, full team, emerges to take over the battlefield.
>Chrysalis is certainly not happy about that, but more so than that, she is surprised by this sudden occurrence.
>She really thought Twilights are battling in the forest at the moment and neither of them will be fast enough to return to Ponyville, much less check this place first and foremost.
>Yet here she sees the princess of friendship, ready to put an end to the changeling's treacherous schemes.
>"What? How?" you can barely hear her mumble.
>Turns out it's she who is the stupid one, allowing herself to become complacent in such an obvious turn of events.
>At the same time you can't imagine that she really never even thought about this particular possibility getting in her way. So, in turn, it's you and Twilight who must not be overly confident right now.
>"Twilight!" Rarity calls her friend, touching your shoulder as if to show her what's been going on in her absence.
>The princess and her squad moves to the side, to ensure that Chrysalis is pushed against the wall.
>"Put Starlight down this instant!" Twilight's ears bend back to her head and you can see the tension in her entire body, as if she's ready to jump in and kick the crap out of her enemy with her bare hooves.
>Even Spike looks like he'd be capable of choking her to death right now.
>"You don't sound too convincing, princess," Chrysalis finds strength to act smug even now.
>Before anything else happens, you hear a desperate yet light 'oh my gosh!' right at your side, and another hoof is there to support you.
>It is unmistakably yellow, and this time you're glad for that.
>"Anon, are you alright? Oh goodness, this looks... Um..."
"Yeah, I know. I'll be fine," you look at Fluttershy whose eyes fill up with tears by the second.
>She then looks back at Chrysalis with a vengeful expression and you now realize that every pony of Twilight's circle won't have any hesitation in them ridding the world of this hole-legged abomination.
>"I know a few ways to convince the ones like you!" Twilight hisses back at the bug queen. "Girls!"
>The moment Chrysalis understands that the princess is already preparing to execute her, she fires.
>Of course, Twilight is ready for this kind of response. A few bolts of energy bounce off the magic field erected in their way.
>Chrysalis spares no expense with her spells, however nothing gets through. Magic dances all around the hall, hitting the ceiling and the pillars all around the now even more panicking ponies.
>It doesn't discourage the changeling, quite the opposite.
>"Your magic won't save you now," Twilight warns her.
>"Oh, we'll see about that."
>Instead of trying to pierce the shield, Chrysalis suddenly attacks in a completely different direction, bursting beams of energy scarring the air somewhere above your head.
>At first it's not really clear why she did that, but only for a few moments before the consequences are starting to appear.
>"Twilight!" Glimmer points to the side.
>The alicorn's attention was all on the adversary, which is understandable, but just one quick look around is enough to understand what the real goal of that desperate assault was.
>The hall is collapsing. In fact, the pillars giving in are already starting to fall, and with them the arched ceiling of the school is threatening to crumble at any moment, scarred by wild strokes of magic seemingly at its weakest points.
>"No!" headmare Twilight is quick to react and teleports away before you can even blink.
>Sounds of her magic fill the room as the falling pieces are being frozen in the thin air.
>Next to leave the fight is Rainbow Dash, who charges in to intercept some of the lower hanging rocks and redirect then out of the way.
>It seems like the princess has stopped the disaster from happening, but this is just a false hope - calming down the ponies who keep bumping into both Twilight and the unsteady columns is a much harder task. Both Pinkie and Applejack get on that, to little avail.
>"I can't... concentrate!" Twilight cries out while the screaming ponies run around her, sometimes even pushing her out of her way.
>It is as you've noticed before - the trapped ponies only panic harder as time goes on.
>Only Rarity and Fluttershy are left near you. Basically the same as it were before.
>"Pathetic," you hear Chrysalis mutter while Starlight is once again trying to hit her and at least somewhat hurt her, this time way more careless and desperate, and very vocal too, calling her every bad name she can recall.
>Chrysalis has certainly went over the line. Oh, what you wouldn't give to just run to this monster and straight up punch the fangs out of her ugly mug.
>The knuckle you clench starts to hurt badly and the teeth your grit are threatening to crumble against one another.
>There's no mercy to be had towards someone who's willing to bury alive hundreds of ponies just to get away with one.
>Or maybe she only counted on distracting Twilight, knowing well that she will choose to do.
>That must be it. She knows she can't beat the princess of friendship. Everything Chrysalis has done so far points at her reluctance to face her biggest enemy face to face.
>But now that she doesn't have to, she is walking away.
>Both Rarity and Fluttershy look hopeless. The yellow pegasus' hooves are digging into your flesh, demonstrating you her profuse frustration, but this is nothing compared to your still pulsating burn on your leg.
>Yet on another level it hurts you even more to know she is in pain too yet can't do anything about it.
>Rarity is quick to leave to help Twilight when she hears another round of pleas of her friends who little by little manage to calm everyone down and direct them to the exit in a proper way.
>There's Applejack using rope to tie up panicking ponies and tried to protect Twilight, Rainbow snatching them out of the air and recruiting other pegasi to help with that. Spike is hovering up above to make sure that they don't clog the windows by flying there all at the same time.
>The destruction of the school is just as well a slow process that Twilight can't abandon right now, as most of the pony mass is still running about, even despite AJ doing her best and Pinkie making them change direction by utilizing some sort of plane take off signals or something.
>Will they eventually clear the ground to fight again? Probably so. But the time it will take to either evacuate everyone or at least let Twilight concentrate enough to remove every piece of falling rabble will be enough for the queen to get away.
>Only you and Fluttershy are left here on the floor as the last victims of Chrysalis' assault. You're no threat to her.
>She is ready to walk away once again.
>"You won't get away with this, you monster!" Starlight yells as her captor carries her into the darkened entrance to the staircase up, to freedom.
>With each step the overwhelming realization of defeat is gripping your already aching spirit more and more. You are ready to fling yourself into the fray once more, forgetting the pain - if only it was as easy as you imagine.
>Even Fluttershy is keeping you at bay, feeling the same way.
>For a single moment your eyes lock with Starlight's and you realize that such crushing helplessness is shared between you two. At that moment you nearly burst into tears.
>Justice isn't served. The villain goes unpunished. Nothing is made right. If only you weren't such a weak mess of a man.
>Fluttershy holds you again as the last bit of strength leaves your body with that final attempt to get up despite her efforts to calm you down. The arms that still prop your sweating, shaking body above ground are wobbling as if the muscles in them are ready to unwind and betray you for the last time.
>The more you try to gather your strength again the more you realize that the limit of your abilities has been reached.
"God damn it..." you wriggle around in futile attempts to get up again.
>Fluttershy is right there to get a hold of you:
>"Don't move, you'll only make it worse."
>You don't think it could get worse for you. Not only there's no getting around that blistering heat spreading through your leg farther and farther, the center of your wound getting terrifyingly numb, there's also no courage to blind you to it too, allowing you to at least redeem yourself in your sacrifice.
>Yet it turns out that even now the spectacle is far from over.
>As Chrysalis disappears from the frame, so she is pushed back into the hall, this time not by brave words and cheesy proclamations, but by a tight torrent of magical energy.
>A purple beam you've almost tasted yourself not so long ago.
>This blast is so overwhelming that Chrysalis falls over, finally letting go of her prisoner, who tries to get herself out of the collar the moment she's freed.
>"Leaving already, you dirty traitor?"
>Another band of heroes arrives. Their leader makes her point not by empty threats, but by force, and it shows lack of any sort of restraint: once Chrysalis is back on her legs, she gets blasted again, this time withstanding the attack just barely.
>"You?!" Chrysalis roars.
>She looks very aggravated, and that makes Meanlight, who emerges with the other mean ponies behind her back, extremely happy.
>Everyone is here, even Meanshy. And you thought for sure that she'd be sulking somewhere and wouldn't want to see anyone. Looks like she really had no loyalty to her parent.
>Meanlight marches on and cares little for what's left of the commotion around her.
>And you're fine with it if the purple mare keeps Chrysalis in check for as long as it takes Twilight to resolve this incident and finally put the mad bug down.
>Nothing beyond that is really required of her, but you know she won't stop at that.
>"I see I'm right on time. At last I'll settle this." Meanlight smugly pushes forward with barely contained anticipation.
>She's just like Chrysalis in that regard, unsurprisingly.
>Her intention is probably to dethrone both Chrysalis and Twilight using what basically was her mom's plan: wait until both are weakened and then strike them both down.
>Using the opportune moment, Glimmer slips away from the queen and joins you and Fluttershy as a reluctant observer, still tinkering with her restraining collar.
>"W-who's that?" her voice is trembling. "More changelings?"
>"They look like...us?" Fluttershy chimes in, just as confused.
"It's a long story," you feel the need to answer. "Be careful, they're not exactly on our side..."
>"You know them?" Starlight looks at you like you've gone crazy.
>"Wait, so then these must be- Oh dear..."
>Fluttershy on the contrary avoids laying her eyes on you. You have no idea what she's imagining here but seeing her reaction she might have found the source of your misadventures she's been asking you to abstain from.
>Meanwhile, the look on the bug queen's face shows that she's not giving up just yet. She turns around to see how things are going with Twilight and the others, and time is definitely not on her side.
>Things are clearing just enough for the friendship squad to finish cleaning up the scene very soon, putting piles of stones in the center of the hall and routing the rest of the ponies away, and then join the battle once again.
>Twilight isn't interrupted that much anymore and is able to slowly and precisely float the debris where it won't be of any danger.
>This just means Chrysalis has to deal with her daughters faster.
>"What in Equestria do you want? We're supposed to be on one side!" she deflects another attack from Meanlight.
>"Are we now?" Meanlight's spiteful voice seethes with indignation. "I think not! You want to have Equestria - MY Equestria - all to yourself, and I can't have that, mother."
>Even if she's talking about Equestria, you know more than anyone how personal this is for her. It might be the only moment she's really showing all of her pent up feelings of frustration towards her parent who has abandoned her.
>"Don't you dare call me that!" Chrysalis starts firing back. "Rebelling against ME, your creator? You're a useless tool not worth the magic put into you!"
>"Your words mean nothing!" Meanlight isn't giving up. "You let your creations go free and suffer with no purpose, you don't get to blame us for anything."
>The fierce battle continues on, and with bolts of concentrated magic flying everywhere, beams of pure contempt ripping the air all around you, it's hard to even know who's getting the upper hand.
>This seems to be Meanlight's only way to fight, and Chrysalis' strategy isn't any different. Nothing is elegant or clever about this confrontation. This is just two ponies trying to destroy one another.
>"My real family was torn from me by these ponies, you're nothing but a byproduct of my wrath towards them." the bug queen's words drown in the sounds of magic blasts.
>"And now you face MY wrath. You should've destroyed us when you had the chance!"
>"Then I'll do it now!"
>Meanlight may be an overly ambitious megalomaniac, but through the pathos of her voice you hear deep bitterness. An abandoned child who either seeks to blindly obliterate everything their parent stands for just in spite of them, or be free of this existence by the very hooves that have made her.
>The magic fight intensifies and threatens to destroy what's left of this hall.
>Fluttershy scoots closer to you and you feel her shivering like a leaf on the wind.
>"What's going on?!" she whines with her eyes shut.
>Starlight goes prone as well, but even that isn't making this any safer.
>You can't even turn around to see how Twilight is holding up back there, but you assume it's not great. There are still innocent ponies here and protecting them from this colorful outburst of magical shots flying everywhere is bound to be hard.
>How are other mean ponies dealing with it is also beyond you.
>"Argh, I don't have time for this!" Chrysalis finally decides to break the assault.
>She focuses all her power into another massive beam of energy that she aims to her side, at a column that is still miraculously standing with some flag attached to it.
>The thing starts is collapse and Meanlight has no choice but to maneuver to evade it.
>Crushing against the floor it divides Chrysalis from her creations, who have to regroup now, giving the bug queen some time.
>And she didn't choose that move on a whim: she has landed right near you. Her gaze burns no less than your wound and you understand what that means for you.
>Magic is starting to tug at your arms, green colored magic.
"H-help," you wheeze in a weak voice when you feel yourself being dragged away.
>"Anon!" Starlight is the first to react and once your body starts moving seemingly on its own she manages to catch it.
>Fluttershy, despite being this close, can't grip onto your hard enough, and is left behind. Her lonely figure with hooves still outstretched towards you and eyes full of fear breaks your heart in a matter of moments.
>"No!" she yelps helplessly as you are taken away from her.
>The bitter truth is that it's for the best that she isn't captured alongside you.
>But Starlight's hold on you, on the other hand, serves only to get her to move together with you. Both of you find yourself right in the changeling's grip, Starlight for the second time today.
>While Chrysalis easily takes her in a hold with her foreleg just like before, you're a bit too tall for her, so magic is what's moving you up now.
>You yelp as you feel yourself rising off the floor. You are then propped against Chrysalis and can't help but try to stand up.
>A grave mistake, as you carelessly involve your shot leg. The pain is sharp and makes you shut your eyes and bite your lip again, mind nearly going blank for overload.
>"Don't move if you don't want any more holes burnt through you," you hear a wicked voice right beside you.

>Only now you come to comprehend what is actually happening.
>Chrysalis is backing off and you are her shield. You have the front row spot to the show now and seeing this from the bug's angle is a bit terrifying.
>It's like the vengeful eyes are all aimed at you, not at her. This makes you break sweat momentarily.
>With the corner of your eyes you notice that Twilight's crew is now busy with another set of falling rocks, and this time it's the ceiling giving in; the stray blasts of magic must've been the last straw, so now the alicorn has to deal with the whole place going down on top of her and the last remaining citizens still not evacuated.
>Dragged to the other exit, when passing the fallen support column on the bug queen's leash you see all the mean mares staring at you. And you are surprised to hear a familiar voice among them:
>"Put Anon down right this instant! He's MY property!"
>Greedity steps forward but no reaction other than a chuckle follows from Chrysalis.
>Hearing her loud breath right at your ear makes you anxious. You can almost feel how the air blows out of her nostrils with every labored breath.
>She gives off such a strong vibe that even while not facing her you can sense how wound up she is, how ready she is to strike, reacting with precision and power matched only by alicorns.
>You feel terrified even being next to this horrid beast that exhumes nothing but dread, subduing your will completely. You know she's not kidding when threatening you now; her games are over. One wrong move and you'll have more holes in your body than she has in hers.
>Even though the grey hoarder doesn't actually attack Chrysalis head-on, Meanshy is a completely different matter.
>"Back off, you freak!" she yells as she takes off into the air.
>You definitely wasn't ready for such a display, but, all things considered, it's not the first time this deranged mare is going out of her way to protect you.
>But Chrysalis was ready for it. Her first two rapid shots miss the pegasus, who evades them in the air. The sound of magic and the heat coming from a spot right above makes you lower your head in fear for your safety, almost choking on the tight grip around your neck instead.
>From there you hear a high-pitched yelp and a thud that follows soon.
>You see Meanshy already on the floor and your heart seemingly stops for a couple of moments.
"Fl-" you barely push out of yourself in disbelief.
>This can't be happening.
>Not like this.
>Just like she was always pursuing you, even if to abuse and bully, so you always assumed that it's up to you to deal with her.
>Now that she's motionless on the ground... It's just not fair. In a matter of seconds everything she represented was severed by a desperate burst of magic.
>It's not like you to feel sorry for her, but then why is your throat clamping up and burning right now?
>Although this doesn't last. With immense relief you see how Meanshy's body begins to move. Everything is not lost yet.
>Chrysalis patiently watches as the yellow bully stands up with one wing extended. Her face is distorted with pain and you see a burnt trace of the impact right on that wing.
>"You bitch!" Meanshy yells. "You'll pay for this! I'll make you-"
>She doesn't get to finish her tirade as she's levitated back with a purple aura around her.
>Meanlight is getting her back into formation of an angry looking ponies. She looks like she's ready to rain down the pain on her mom herself.
>"I really thought you'd train them better," Chrysalis taunts her. "Worthless, just like you."
>"You've insulted me for the last time. I'll finish you off right here and now."
>As soon as the purple usurper lowers her head to start her attack, you feel the bug's magic moving you forward and to the side. Right in front of Chrysalis.
>"So you're willing to also kill the only creature to ever care about you? My, how desperate."
>It does make Meanlight hesitate. She's staring pensively at you now, looking deep in your soul. And you, you find not a trace of one in Meanlight's eyes. Only fury. Only vengeance.
>You avert your gaze to not look at your executioner. Yet the blast never comes.
>"A-hahaha, how naive," Chrysalis cackles at Meanlight's inability to destroy you on the path to her real target. "Looks like you still have too much to lose."
>But, unexpectedly, when Meanlight has nothing to say other mean ponies do.
>"Let him go, you big dumb bully!" Meanie Pie frowns. "This isn't fun for any of us!"
>"Yeah, just let Twilight turn you into dust so we can be done with it," Rainbow Dawdle chimes in.
>"No, keep Anon but tell us where to find ya and we'll send him some post cards later!" AJ sounds completely mad with anger.
>"Aw, isn't that cute..." Chrysalis whispers into your ear. "Looks like you've managed to tame them. How quaint that garbage has befriended garbage. Now you'll even get to watch them take their initial form, with a bit of my-"
>You don't have to see the expression on the bug's face to know she's tensing up again. Meanlight has grabbed her attention again by...laughing.
>It's a desperate laugh, but also sounds like she's relieved.
>"Do you really think...ahaha..." she boasts. "Do you really think THIS will stop me? You are by far the most pathetic obstacle on my path to the throne. To stop at nothing on the road to it is the virtue of a true leader!"
>She still doesn't look you in the eyes. But you know what she thinks right now.
>Hesitation is defeat and she better put every bit of power in this next attack.
>In the long run it's probably worth it.
>What a cynical way to think about your own life and role in this, but being traded as a pawn to get to the queen is rather fitting, considering it's you who has made this match to take place at all.
>You close your eyes shut and hear the magic beams colliding right above your head.
>"Urrgh!" Chrysalis grunts and you realize even without opening your eyes that she's deflecting the attack with her own magic.
>A clash of magical force at its finest, a tug of war with a deadly outcome. And your side is losing badly.
>You had no idea Meanlight was this powerful, yet now it makes sense.
>Twilight is probably the most magically gifted pony in this world, at least that's how you've come to know that side of her through her peers' stories. Yet what Meanlight doesn't have in comparison to the real alicorn, is lack of restraint.
>That alone can tip the scales in her favor. She doesn't have to limit her output, her intent is to kill, not to just put out of commission and then befriend.
>"You're done for!" you hear the false alicorn's victorious smugness. "Nothing will save you now!"
>And so the purple side is pushing your side so badly that Chrysalis is starting to slide backwards on her hooves just out of sheer force pushing her.
>But then, through the sparkling buzz of magic you hear a desperate cry:
>"Anon! NO!"
>The one calling for you is undoubtedly Fluttershy. And even from this position you can see her hoof extended towards you in a desperate attempt to reach you.
>And the very moment you do, the green beam gets so strong and thick, it's like a cascading waterfall of pure magic.
>"Mwa-ha-ha-hahaa!" Chrysalis' thunderous laugh shreds through the wall of sound created by magic. "You fool! Witness the full extent of my power!"
>With an overwhelmingly loud crash, the green beam pierces everything in its path, puncturing the wall of the school and stretching far beyond what you can even observe.
>It ends shortly after, a demonstration of might so monstrous it might have wiped out Meanlight from the face of Equestria just like that. But you see that the purple usurper is still alive, although down on the ground.
>She stands up on her wobbly legs and hisses with pain; her eyes move upwards to look at the source of that pain, her horn.
>You wince as you see it. When Meanlight touches it, she flinches in pain again, and no wonder.
>The horn is cracked along its whole length, like its been cut from top to bottom, tiny fractures branching from the main split like roots growing down from a tree.
>"Wh- What happened?" she asks, dazed and confused.
>"You've lost," Chrysalis menacingly states.
>And then another spell is fired by her, but this time it's like a web of green sparkly lightnings spreading all around the place, covering all the mean mares like a blanket.
>Immediately you see how they all fall on the ground and start screaming at the same time. They look like they are in a lot of pain, and soon, to your horror you see that their faces begin to melt little by little.
>Hairs on your head and arms stand up from such a horrid sight but you can't force yourself to blink, much less to look away.
>Chrysalis stops the torture rather soon, but only to look at the results of it.
>"But...How?" Meanlight is trying to stand again, but she looks weakened.
>"You've learned nothing," Chrysalis answers. "You think this creature is my prisoner? He's my source of power. Your false sense of superiority has led to your demise."
>"S-source of power?"
"Wait a moment..." you mumble in astonishment of our realization.
>It all lines up perfectly in your head now. Chrysalis has mentioned it before.
>The influx of energy that the love-feeding changeling has absorbed was provided by none other that Fluttershy. And that means...
>If you haven't felt crushed enough beforehand, now you feel completely empty inside. Everything has gone so wrong that you just want this to end.
>Meanlight just should've blasted you away. You are not only the cause of this whole incursion, but now the failure to stop it as well.
>And turns out that you're the main reason why Chrysalis now has all the love she needs to feed her magic.
>The queen surely relishes such irony as you hear her satisfied chortle right at your ear.
>This wasn't just a throw away decision to take you as a prisoner. Everything has been calculated beforehand. With you at her side and Fluttershy in range, she's invincible.
>"You have failed me," Chrysalis continues to lecture Meanlight. "Completely and utterly. All I can do now is to take back the magic that has created you. At least what's left of it."
>She fires her net spell again, and the web of it now looks like it's sapping the ponies of their life force, pulsating as the threads of magic feed on their bodies.
>And the mares make it very clear how painful it is to them. At this point you start trying to flail your arms around just like Starlight was doing, just in case you can hit this abominable failure of a parent, but Chrysalis keeps you far enough for it to be pointless.
>Instead the grip around your neck is used to rein you in, quite literally. A few seconds of crushing your throat is all the queen needs to make her point.
>"Oh, and don't worry about him," she taunts her creations. "I'll take good care of my living battery after you are long gone."
>She accomplishes exactly what she wanted with it, but not something she was expecting. Like a rabid but beat up dog, Meanshy rises from the floor with an indescribable mix of anger and pain in her eyes.
>You can almost feel how Chrysalis is bewildered by such endurance of this pony, so she magnifies the output of her spell - yet it is to no avail.
>Meanshy is trudging towards her, even under the crushing pressure, even as her own coat starts to melt away slowly but surely.
>Not once does she break the eye contact with her creator, and her manic scowl never leaves her face.
>She only needs one good shot at Chrysalis because she looks like she's gonna rip and tear her to shreds once she comes close enough. And Chrysalis does react to it, taking a few steps back.
>This alone makes Meanshy the winner here. 
>She has managed to make Chrysalis afraid.
>No matter how the queen tries, the will of someone this desperate and this dedicated can not be broken. A mere imitation of a pony, this pegasus has nothing to lose other than her own passionate, twisted self.
>Even the spell weakens with its caster's spirit wavering and soon more mean ponies rise up, all furious and gleaming with vengeance.
>Especially Meanlight.
>And the opening soon presents itself. You see it coming, but Chrysalis doesn't.
>"Stop it! Right now!" powerful voice reaches the queen and captures her attention.
>Twilight Sparkle stands among her friends with just as angry of expression as Meanlight. Suddenly, Chrysalis finds herself out of her precious time.
>And this distraction is all Meanshy needs. She leaps through the air like a tiger on the hunt, even without using wings.
>Chrysalis aims directly at her, but... Something slithery and coiling flies right next to you and hits the bug's face - at least you hear a nice juicy slap of it.
>To your complete bewilderment you realize that it was rope. Simple rope. For a moment before Meanshy collides with Chrysalis without taking a lethal hit, you see a satisfied face of an orange mean liar.
>Seems like she was the most underestimated wildcard of them all. And this silly but precise intervention now grants her yellow comrade that one second she needed so desperately to exact revenge on her creator.
>You can't even see where Meanshy is aiming at, but she almost knocks the queen over. Not only that, she attaches herself to her and for the first time you hear her cry in pain.
>The magic that is holding you suddenly dissipates and you nearly fall down yourself, but the one working leg you have left keeps you up.
>You turn around to see what horrors are actually happening behind you, and it's as terrifying as you were expecting.
>Meanshy, her short mane ruffled and all over the place, is digging her teeth into the changeling neck, gripping it with her forelegs while striking her body with her hindlegs with terrifying force, a non-stop beating that could've broken all of your bones if you were in the bug's place right now.
>Hooves are hitting Chrysalis over and over again and she's so taken aback by this gruesome attack that she limps around for a few seconds like a wild scared animal.
>She lets go of Starlight, who looks dazed and fails to get up on the first try. She was on the Meanshy's side of Chrysalis and might have gotten a hoof planted on her as well.
>Only after regaining any sense of what's going on, Chrysalis tears the bloodthirsty mare off her and throws her to the ground. Even if it looks like she has to make a real effort to do that.
>Meanshy spits out something that falls to the floor. With horror in her eyes Chrysalis tries to look down her neck, but can't really see something this close to her head.
>But by some weirdly colored liquid oozing from the wound, you could safely say that the pegasus has bitten off a little trophy for herself out of her mom's own body.
>Such brutality makes even the queen shake on her perforated legs.
>"You... You! How dare you!"
>No more cheesy taunting, no pompous one-liners. Chrysalis is shedding her villainous attitude; she's but a simple, angry mare now.
>And even the second attempt to blast her offender is denied to her. Chrysalis already points her horn at Meanshy, but the rope that is still on her head is suddenly pulled.
>The horn of the beast is jagged, and the rope is secured safely in one of its crevices, by no other than Meanie Pie.
>She has a mouthful of her new reins right now and you can't make out what she's saying, but it doesn't sound friendly.
>Chrysalis tries to free herself in panic, not fully comprehending what exactly even is happening right now.
>She is strong and the mean Pie wouldn't fallen down - if not for the help she gets almost immediately.
>Rainbow Dawdle, with a mean and excited expression helps Meanie steer her horrible mount, while Greedity rushes forward to...poke the changeling in the gut with her horn and yell mild profanities at her.
>This circus looks so perplexing to you that for a moment you forget where you actually are.
>But as much as this 'heroic' deed was probably enacted just for your sake, you know that it must not go in vain. You are free of the changeling's constant attention just for a mere moment, and that means you have a window of opportunity to escape.
>So you do your best to not stand on your wounded leg and jump towards Twilight and her gang. As soon as the princess realizes what you're doing, she tries to cast a spell to get you there faster.
>Emphasis on try - Chrysalis notices your activity first.
>She finally throws her bullies off of her and kicks them away. Using the same spell she has utilized to protect herself from you and Rarity before, she throws the mean mares away with such force that you don't even see where they land, being levitated by Twilight now.
>Chrysalis doesn't allow that plan to succeed: she snatches you in the air by her own spell, now fully done with the mean ponies.
>Half of you is enveloped now in a purple light, and the other in the green. The struggle for possessing you begins.
>"Would you kindly let my protection go?" Chrysalis says with annoyance in her voice. "Unless you'd like to trade him for your friend here?"
>"Starlight!" Twilight exclaims in desperation.
>You face towards Chrysalis in this position and you see clearly how the bug's leg is pushing down Glimmer's head, and hard.
>This is much worse for Twilight since that collar by the looks of it prevents not only Starlight's own magic, but also others from affecting her.
>So her friends can't just levitate her to safety. That is once again a part of Chrysalis' calculations.
>"Let him go and I'll consider not making her suffer," the queen continues. "This has gone far enough already, I was counting on torturing her first but a quick-"
>"Enough of you already!" Twilight roars and you feel your lower body going free.
>The queen takes you in her hold wholly this time and you hear her laugh. No mean ponies are there to intercept her this time.
>Now that her poise is back, they don't really matter to her anyway.
>"Good for you," she purrs into your ear. "Look how important you are to them, scum. Disgusting. I'd break your neck here and now if you weren't that much of an asset."
>Abhorrence seeps through her soft voice and you know she's telling the truth.
>"It doesn't matter!" Twilight states. "We have you now. Girls!"
>Not knowing what to expect, you watch as other ponies around Twilight, including Fluttershy and Rarity, close their eyes. A thin flow of magic forms between them that reaches out to Twilight, who seems to be in the center of this whole number.
>"Are you going to do it?" the queen screams mockingly. "Wash me with your rainbow power or turn me into stone? Even knowing that this alien here will share my fate?"
>"Huh?" you hear Fluttershy's voice.
>All of a sudden, the magical link between the mares dissipates into thin air. Twilight looks conflicted and it doesn't escape her friends' attention.
>"What's wrong, Twi?" Applejack worryingly asks.
>"Don't listen to her, she's trying to bluff her way out of this!" Rainbow Dash throws an angry glance at you.
>Chrysalis, however, defends her point:
>"Oh, she knows exactly what I'm talking about and why it's true."
>"Whatever you do you mean?" Rarity joins in. "Twilight? What's the matter?"
>"Don't listen to her!" Pinkie begs.
>"No... She's right," Twilight's head lowers so the mare doesn't have to face you.
>The queen is there to explain, of course:
>"Your precious human here has been playing for the wrong team all along! He's been helping me in secret. All of this, my final push for victory wouldn't be possible without him."
>"That's NOT true!" Fluttershy is getting angry.
>"Oh, but your princess seems to think otherwise. She knows the whole story, by the way. And she never told you."
>Twilight's friends look at her with confusion and disbelief. Pinkie and Fluttershy look utterly crushed by this revelation.
>"Twilight, is that true?" Applejack asks.
>The princess can't answer that. And you don't let her.
>As soon as she opens her mouth to tell the truth, you shout at her.
"Do it! Don't listen to her."
>"Anon?" Twilight finally looks at you. Her voice lacks any sort of confidence and her eyes reflect so much inner struggle you're surprised she's still standing on her hooves.
"I'll be fine!" you try to sound convincing. "It's just another lie."
>"Are you ready to bet everything on that?" Chrysalis leans in.
"Yes!" you don't hesitate to answer. "Do it, Twilight! Before she escapes!"
>It's the right thing to do.
>It's what you want.
>There's no guarantee you'll be spared. And, honestly, at your heart you know you don't deserve that.
>The only solace now is that you're going to die doing what's right.
>Magic once again flows between the ponies. Fluttershy is the last to accept it, but you nod to her and smile.
>You need her to believe as well.
>As for Chrysalis, she already looks convinced enough. Turns out she didn't believe her estimations that much and it ready to bail.
>Too bad she forgot to secure you properly this time. You turn around and as the bug is just within your reach, you grip the disgustingly cold coat (if you can even call it that) on her neck.
>"Huh?" she responds and the surprise makes her even less focused on keeping you in one place.
>You do the only right thing possible in this situation.
>Clenching your fist, you bring it to the ugly bug's face as fast and hard as you possibly can.
>Head thrown up and backwards, Chrysalis loses all semblance of intimidation after your punch. That punch was filled with everything you've experienced today, no, for this whole month. It HAD to hurt.
>It's the final exclamation point to all of this that you had to lay down.
>The magical hold on you breaks just like something did under your fist the moment it collided with the changeling's chin.
>She really didn't count on you trading your only chance to survive to a chance to punch a queen in the mug. But it's worth it.
>You lose balance on your one good leg and start falling towards Chrysalis, but even that can be turned in your favor. You hold onto her neck again before she regains her composure after your strike.
>But this time, the attack is meant to be restraining, not painful. Your arm goes all the way around the beast's neck and you lock her right under your armpit with your second arm that secures the lock. Possibly not the best choke, but it's enough to keep her in place.
"Hurry!" you shout again. "I've got her!"
>"No!" you hear Chrysalis' desperate cry. "Let me go, you savage!"
>She starts squirming and hitting your legs with her hooves, and by god it hurts, even if you try to not get your knees broken. At the same time Chrysalis tries to move around like an enraged bull on a rodeo.
>But you can't let this discourage you.
"Twilight! Do something!"
>Your eyes are on the princess as she starts hovering above the ground in her weird ritual of friendship. What's going to happen is impossible for you to predict, but as long as it wipes Chrysalis from the face of the Earth you're going to be okay with that.
>But she's not the only Twilight to answer your call.
>"I WILL!"
>Even the princess is disturbed by the voice she's hearing - unusually loud and terrifying at its core.
>With those throaty, magic-induced undertones, reminiscent of her mother's voice.
>Meanlight is also high in the air, but on her own wings. What's different though, is her horn - broken before, it's now leaking bright light it continues to gather all around it.
>"Oh no!" regular Twilight gasps.
>She must know what this is, otherwise she wouldn't be this scared to cancel her own spell.
>Meanlight destroys your ear drums again.
>"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!"
>She closes her eyes and you can see the winds of magic swirling around the cracked conduit of her horn that is now spilling raw power, throwing sparks of purple light all around her is if it's one giant ball of lightning erupting everywhere.
>It's also suddenly windy everywhere around you, as if Meanlight is gathering one hell of a storm. The mare's eyes are completely blank and shine like two searchlights aimed at her target.
>You can see a barely visible threads of magic between her and other mean ponies spread all across the room.
>It makes them stand up again, empowered by something more powerful than even the spell that is giving them life.
>But they don't even seem to realize that connection - they're all looking at you.
>They want Meanlight to win. And they want you to come back unharmed. You can feel it. Or at least want to believe.
>"Anon!" you hear Twilight's voice. "Grab Starlight!"
"I'm... not..."
>You don't want to let Chrysalis out of your hold. But with whatever Meanlight is charging there about to hit you... You're not sure anymore.
>Certainly you could survive a rainbow of friendship to the face. But a cascade of whatever fuck-you magic Meanlight is about to squash you under?
>Not a chance.
>"Idiot! Let go! She'll kill both of us!" Chrysalis finally speaks with unhindered fear in her voice.
>And this time you are willing to believe her.
>Not a moment too soon.
>The second you let go of the bug's head you see a blinding flash of purple energy coming down from the skies.
>Chrysalis fires back, of course, and it's only because of this another clash of magical powers you're still alive.
>Alive but nearly blind, deaf from endless crackling of the energy, and burnt from it intense heat.
>It's a miracle you can still hear Twilight.
>"Grab Starlight! Hurry!"
>You only now get why she's asking you to do that. Without any care for your own well-being, you jump right on the floor under Chrysalis. It's on her other side you find still unconscious pink unicorn.
>Not even a second after you get a hold of her purple hoof you are pulled away by magic.
>Twilight is there with her friends, and all of them are staring at you with fear.
>"Brace yourselves!" the princess warns everyone and you grip Glimmer even tighter.
>For a second you witness the unbearably bright confrontation before you. Compared to the queen's defensive measures, Meanlight's attack seems massive.
>But before you can even try to guess how is all of that possible, a flash blinds you.
>Suddenly, no floor is under you. And the next moment you hit it with your belly again. All the air is kicked out of you because of that, and judging by the groans all around you you're not the only one who has suffered that.
>You are not in the hall anymore, but rather near the school, before its gates.
>Either it was Twilight's design to teleport you this close, or it was Starlight's magic negating properties at work, it's not important.
>But the bright light from the school hasn't subside yet. It is different now.
>If you can call it light anymore. It's fire. The overwhelming aftermath of Meanlight's attack.
>A raging, massive firestorm that rises high to the skies - there roof of the hall has finally collapsed, leaving only walls standing to contain the battle, seeping into the upper floor too, now exposed right above where you were just a moment ago.
>With its bright, unnatural magical flames the purging fire dances wildly, as if it tries to reach to the sun itself.
>"T-that was... Too close," Twilight is panting right behind you.
>Starlight is shuffling about in your hands. The commotion seems to have awoken her too.
>"Twilight? Anon?" she asks in a pained voice.
>"Hold on, we'll get you out of this," Twilight answer and helps Starlight stand.
>You grunt because you have to turn around for the unicorn to be free, and Twilight notices that too.
>"One moment..."
>A spell encloses your entire body in a thin silver aura for just a moment and you instantly feel better. Barely any pain reaches your brain now.
>In turn, Twilight drops on the ground, exhausted to her core. You only now notice how sweaty and pale she is.
>"Anon, are you alright?" Fluttershy jumps towards you and hugs you.
>Her gaze rushes all over your body trying to find any new wounds on it, but she sighs in relief when she finds none.
"I'm fine, but... Wait!"
>You suddenly realize that the mean mares are still there! They're not here at least. That means Twilight couldn't have teleported them.
"Meanlight... Is still there."
>"Anon? You mean those ponies?" Starlight asks but gets no reply from you.
>"Wait!" Fluttershy yelps as you stand up.
>This won't do. After what has happened, you're not letting them burn out here.
>Part of your brain tells you that it's probably too late for them. But you refuse to believe that.
>Just like those ponies refused to give up on you to the very last second. They never showed any admiration towards you, no direct sympathy.
>But you felt it. They have shown their true colors now.
>All that you've been doing in the mean camp all this time - it hasn't all been for naught.
>And if they had just that one spark in them, just for a moment, that means you are right. And that means you can't let them disappear now.
>So you run. Even Twilight yelling that her spell won't hold for long didn't stop you.
>Even Fluttershy's pleas don't make you reconsider.
>This is something you have to do even if it's going to spell doom for you.

>The hell inside is raging on with such malevolence you're starting to think that the flame itself is possessed by evil magic, even if all the unnatural colors have fizzled out at this point. Though a regular fire isn't that much safer.
>Even before you walk through the empty door frame into what remains of the school you can already fell the heat getting under your skin.
>But, a pleasant surprise, it doesn't get any worse than that.
>And on the inside you clearly see that not every inch of the building is aflame. Well, the wooden parts of the structure are spread everywhere and what remains of the upper floor is threatening to follow its floor down to the ground.
"Twilight? Anyone?" you shout moving forward.
>Walking among the blazing fires is tiring but just the same as with your leg, none of it really gets to you aside from being uncomfortable.
>You keep calling for those ponies, but the more you limp through the labyrinth of dancing all-consuming fire, the more hopeless you feel.
>There's no way they could've survived that, says your oxygen-starved brain.
>But your body keeps moving on it's own, carrying you deeper into the inferno.
"Twilight..." you can't even shout anymore.
>You finally stop.
>Everything around you is burning with such ferocity you're sure there's no way out of here anymore even if you do find the mean mares.
>But alongside the crackling of the wood and fizzling magic you hear coughing somewhere to your left.
>Your limping gets more hectic as you try to find the way towards that noise, ready to dive into the deepest of hellscapes to find it.
"Anyone there? Can you hear me?!"
>Suddenly a blast of air pushes the wall of fire just next to you away, revealing a figure of a pony lying on the floor.
>Without tarrying about even for a second, you rush through this window of opportunity, walls closing in on you. Fire hits you in the back and you fall down, but on a clearing that feels surprisingly cold.
>With vision clouded by heat and tears from your drying eyes you see Meanlight in the center of what you can only describe as a circle of evaporating ice.
>She's protected from the fire there, but she's coughing madly and is massaging her head with her hooves right near her now cracked, disfigured horn.
"T-Twilight?" you squint your eyes to at least try and focus.
>"Anon..." she answers in between coughs. "So it is you! Why in the world... Are you here?"
"I've come to take you to safety."
>You squirm on the cold floor to get closer to the mare. Strange, but right now you're starting to feel how much your leg hurts as well as the heat all around you, like your skin is being scraped by something dull.
>"Are you joking?" Meanlight manages to smile. "Now you're just stuck here with me."
"Not unless I can-"
>The arms you were trying to use to help yourself crawl are giving up on you. Meanwhile, the painful sensations are getting worse and worse with each passing moment.
>Your clothes also have a burnt holes in them and there's smoke coming off of them.
>In the corner of your mind Twilight's words about some sort of numbing spell dissipating with time ring out with a menacing realization, but... Does that really matter now?
>You really are stupid, aren't you? And you'll die a stupid death just like you deserve.
>Finally you manage to approach Meanlight. The mare looks around and you see how magic starts swirling around her horn again, shining brighter than the flames around you.
>She aims downwards and releases a beam of blue energy, and after hitting the floor it starts radiating all around from it. It gets under your body and you feel so cold it's almost pleasant. You clothes are also now stuck to the floor.
>"Ahh!" Meanlight cowers in pain and massages her head again. "Tsk!.. I can't go like this any longer."
>The resourceful mare doesn't give up even under these circumstances. You have no idea how she manages to create raw ice out of this place, but it's probably that spell that saps the heat from an object, right out of that book of spells you've given Meanlight back in the day.
>So it's not actually ice, just a lot of heat redirection. And as a fairly complex spell it probably hurts her a lot to cast it.
>You're surprised you remember such details. It was so long ago... But to freeze a whole circle of super-heated stone all around herself? Since when is Meanlight so damn strong?
>Judging by the pain she feels after casting spells it has something to do with that horn of hers. But you can't know for sure.
>All you know is that right now she's at her limit.
>"I can't do anything about this..." she lies down and closes her eyes.
>The ice that was binding you to the floor is already melting and you can move again. Resting just for a bit helped you regain a little bit of your strength so you slither closer to Meanlight and prop yourself up on your weak arms.
>Only now you see that the mare's wings are charred from their tips all the way to the pony's body. She can't even close them properly now.
>Meanlight, an ambitious, arrogant and pragmatic mare, is nothing but a sobbing scared and hurt little pony right now.
>You suddenly feel the urge to hug her close, and that's what you do. She does nothing to stop you when your hands reach out to her and put her against your body.
"You didn't deserve this..." you mumble as your hand pets the usurper's burnt mane.
>"Well..." Meanlight starts coughing again and you feel her entire body spasming under your fingers. "At least I squashed that bug for good... Didn't I?"
>You have no answer for her. You haven't seen any traces of Chrysalis on your way here and now it's not possible to know at all, unless you find her remains.
>"Heh," the false alicorn probably realizes that too. "Now she'll have to respect me... Everypony will. I'm not...some kind of..."
>Her body is shaking once more and this time the coughing just won't stop.
"Oh, who cares now, Twilight," you nearly start crying at her sentiment. "It didn't have to be that way."
>"You knew all along it's gonna end like this," the mare wheezes. "What else was there to do? I couldn't stand her any longer."
"Couldn't we just keep reading books, having silly arguments and learn about stuff together? Wasn't that enough?"
>Meanlight smiles and her hoof touches your arm.
>"I'm not a real pony... That kind of life wasn't for me anyway."
"That's bullshit. Y-you were always a real pony to me."
>You know you've started to doubt that at some point, but now there's no mistaking it.
>Deep inside those ponies have change because of you. They cared. It's just they never had a chance to show it.
>Shame that it took this for truth to become apparent.
>"I know..."
>Meanlight's head falls onto your arms and she closes her eyes.
>Your fingers slide down her cheek to move a curl of her mane away from her face. The expression on it is still strained from pain. Meanlight's breath is growing shallow and she continues to cough lightly, barely even moving.
>Soon the suffering leaves her and the expression starts to get calmer.
>On the tranquil face of the failed usurper one bitter tear falls, evaporating after a mere second after hitting her coat.
"I just wanted you to believe that too."
>Oh, how just, how fitting the end of you in this scorching hell is.
>The regret you feel, the humbling venom of truth coursing throughout your body - only this fire can truly cleanse it.
>Twilight, who has put so much hope in you; Fluttershy, who never once doubted that you're the one who's been wronged... The deception has to end now.
>If they really knew about everything you've done, if they've seen your deeds, they would've let you here instead of saving you.
>To squander their care for you, to forsake the sacrifices of the mean mares and jump back into the fire you were saved from - unthinkable; and yet, only that can bring justice to those who never bothered to seek it out.
>Twilight wouldn't have saved them, that much you're sure of. Now that you are here, they will look for you. They will find you and Meanlight, and the others too. They have too.
>In this purgatory, this last resort of blemished souls of the mean camp, only here this kind of justice can be found. They shall be saved with you, or you will follow them and perish.
>You're having troubles breathing and no matter how your whole body hurts now you can't be bothered to do anything about it. You feel so tired and sleepy now.
>At the horizon of your closing eyes you see an enormous wave of ice grinding its way just next to you - it's coming from the entrance to the hall, as far as you can tell.
>The sound it makes reminds you of an avalanche and the floor resonates with this powerful phenomenon, most likely caused by a spell.
>A few classroom objects from the upper floor fall down into the fires, disturbed by that unnatural magic.
>Chills go down your body, which is ironic, considering you're about to be burnt alive.
>If you weren't that sleepy you'd probably bothered with doing something, but...
>Your body slouches over the now unmoving mare and all the sounds are getting pushed far away into the distance.
>Nothing bothers you anymore. It's time for you to rest.
>The last thing you hear is a couple of different voices shouting from afar:
>"Be careful, Starlight, we don't know where he is!"
>"We've gotta start somewhere."
>"Anon! Ano-o-on! Are you there?"
>"Oh gosh, I think I see him."
>"Over there, quickly! And find the-"

>"Anon, are you even listening?"
>You open your eyes and gasp for air.
>With horror you look at your arms and body.
>Nothing around you is on fire. No mare is dead in your arms.
>What was that all about? Some weird dream? That moon princess toying with you again?
>You're in your old sweater, sitting at the table in the house of the mare that was kind enough to let you live there, drinking tea from your regular pony-sized cup and apparently listening to another one of your landlord's complaints.
>She and everything around her seems blurry, like you're losing your vision, or like you're in a dream. You can barely make out her face and have to squint your eyes to do so.
>"Honest to Celestia, what am I ever going to do with you."
"Sorry..." you avert your eyes, feeling guilty without even knowing what she's talking about.
>It's because everything she says to you is true. Every bit of her complaining is justified.
>"Can you just hear me out for a minute without spacing out? It's just like our patrons say - you're always somewhere in the clouds, unfocused, forgetful. Yesterday you forgot THREE orders over your shift!"
"Sorry."
>"Yeah, well, I know you are, trust me, but this just won't cut it. If only you could be at least a little more responsible!"
>The mare sighs and looks away. You sip your tea again.
>It's not your tea. You didn't earn it. She's right, you're not good at even this simple task. But she won't believe you if you say that ponies straight up dislike you. It's not their fault you're a weird alien that appeared here in their world not even a month ago.
>Her cafe is a nice place and a lot of ponies come there, so you only serve to ruin her reputation. And that's how you repay her for taking you in when everyone else didn't want to?
>Now they look at her and whisper among themselves 'see, told you, he's still a no-good stranger'. Probably. You never heard that, but you're sure that is exactly what happens.
>"Anon, I-" the mare tries to pick her words carefully. "I just don't think this is working out. I don't think you can work for me anymore, you'll- you'll have to find another job."
>This is a death sentence to you. That WAS the only job you could find. And the only home too.
>"You can continue living in my attic for now, but... Please, don't misunderstand, I just want the best for-"
"I understand, no worries," you try to smile at her. "I'll think of something."
>"Thank you."
>The mare looks relieved, as if she was expecting you to beat her up or something.
>You put your cup down. Nothing left to do here. It's better to get back to your place.
>The stairs to the attic are angled in a dangerous way and you always think that you're gonna fall down if you ever miss a step. For better or for worse that hasn't happened yet.
>No, these steps are already familiar to you now. Though you still feel strange for some reason.
>Right now something weird is going on with your leg. It aches as if you've hurt it somewhere. You don't remember anything like that happening though.
>Dust. Cobwebs. A few newspapers, a desk with some quills and an inkwell on it and a language textbook. A mattress on the floor and one dirty window that overlooks Ponyville, the town you've come to despise already.
>You fall onto your 'bed' and stare at the ceiling.
>Find a new job. Would be nice, right? You'll probably start tomorrow.
>Turning on your side you start thinking about the pony who is so graciously allowing you here in her house. As usual, her 'lonely housewife' kind of shtick lends itself perfectly for your fantasy. Even if she's not really lonely and isn't a housewife, the rare times she spends here away from her work reminds you of it.
>It suits you and that's what is important, no one else will ever know you're thinking about it. Imagining breaking her mind with pleasure, even forcefully, and making her your loyal sexual partner who can't help but beg you to satisfy her never gets old.
>Even if you always feel disgusted with yourself after you're done. Her cute muzzle is made for kisses, not for playful slapping and begging for you to come on it, and her older mare body is perfect for gentle hugs and massages after work, not abuse.
>But it's more realistic the way you imagine it. No pony would ever fall in love with you and, more so than that, let you love her. It's easier to imagine being cynical, vulgar and unfeeling towards them, that's what they'd expect out of you.
>That's what they think you are, a cruel brute from a far away land that even princess Twilight doesn't know of.
>Not like you'd make ANY of your fantasies a reality anyway, since for that you first need to at least approach a pony.
>They all don't want anything to do with you, you'll never be equal to them. So you're stuck here, an outcast in the land of friendship and rainbows, and maybe it's better that way. Your landlord won't be cruel enough to throw you out, since ponies are polite like that, so...why even try?
>Why bother doing anything above the bare minimum if they won't dispose of you?
>Even more like a dream you see the sun accelerating. But it doesn't feel very wrong to you. The night comes along and nothing changes. Then another day.
>The cycle grows ever faster and you see images flashing before your eyes like a sped up movie. All while you do nothing on your bed.
>Your mare visits you from time to time and you're starting to see your own shadowy figure moving around the attic, sitting at the desk, looking out the window or mostly just laying where you are now, but never leaving its space for longer than a walk to the bathroom.
>Never leaving.
>That's right. It's when you first came here and turned into a shut in with no hopes for the future. With nothing to prove and nothing to lose.
>But...why are you seeing it now? Is this really a dream?
>The days keep passing by before your eyes and the transparent ghosts of you and that mare keep quietly dancing around the place. But amongst that strange display you hear hooves.
>Someone is coming up your stares. A pony.
>Twilight Sparkle opens the door and steps inside. She walks among the shadows of the maddening seclusion and descent into hopeless apathy, looking at them but never stopping on her way towards you.
"Twilight?" you call remembering how it all ended. "Have you come to bail me out of here?"
>"You could say that," she answers in a muffled voice. "You have to wake up now."
"W-wa- So it is a dream?"
>"Not exactly. But it's time to get you out of here. Brace yourself."
>She comes closer to you and touches your hurt leg.
>And the next moment you're thrown into a vertigo of nothingness swirling all around you.
>You wake up yet again with a gasp for air, this time in a completely the opposite state of mind, extremely aware of everything around you.
>Blinded by the light all around, you take a few seconds to comprehend your surroundings. Your eyesight is still blurry but you don't feel like you're dreaming anymore.
>There's no mistake - you are lying on a hospital bed, adorned in some nondescript robe. Everything hurts but you also feel a lot calmer when you see Twilight standing next to you.
>A few other ponies are in the room, doctors judging by their attires, but there doesn't seem to be no other patients here.
>It's just you.
"W-what happened?" your sore throat makes you sound like you've just woke up with a massive hangover.
>Twilight nods to the other ponies and they exit the room, leaving only you two here. It's a bright day outside and you have no idea how long you've been out, there are so many questions.
>"Anon, you have to listen to me carefully, I-"
"Where are the others? The o-other Twilight? And..."
>You can't be the only one they've managed to save, right? For you to survive this but not them would be the ultimate humiliation.
>"They're here, we've managed to save all six of them," Twilight assures you.
"Thank god..."
>You feel like you're about to cry. There is some justice left in this world after all.
>"But they're not...fine."
"What do you mean?"
>"I'll show you later and I think you have to see it for yourself anyway. But concerning you..."
"What was that about that dream? It was like I was seeing-"
>"Your past?"
"Yeah."
>"I'm not sure why exactly you would see that, it's just a side effect from the spell."
"What spell?"
>"We had to put you into a very, very deep slumber but needed your brain to keep working so you wouldn't...lose yourself."
"You mean...I was in a coma or something? Wait, you 'put' me into it?"
>Confusion fills your head but Twilight patiently explains:
>"We had no choice, you were hurt all over. We had to heal your leg, most of your skin, restore your eyesight and clean your lungs. For you to heal as fast as possible we used a spell that require you to be absolutely still at all times, and so we had to put you in such a state."
"O-oh. I see. So how long was I..."
>"Almost a week now."
"Jeez..."
>"It would normally take months to patch somepony like you up, so..."
>You look down on your hands as if doubting if that is true, but you know it probably is. The stiffness in your bones is still making your every movement feel like you're new to this body, and that damn veil over your eyes doesn't seem to get any better.
>Twilight meanwhile continues with her explanation:
>"The easiest way to keep your mind busy is to invoke some of its memories, and since there's no time to track for your brain in that condition they can keep resurfacing almost indefinitely."
"Were you looking at them all this time?"
>Twilight frowns.
>"No, of course not! I wasn't even here most of the time, I just got here back from Canterlot yesterday. Not like I have a school to run anymore."
>Twilight rolls her eyes and her gaze end up far away from meeting yours. Her scrunched muzzle testifies for her displeasure.
>Remembering the events that has transpired there makes a bell of an upcoming headache ring inside your skull.
"Oh god," you wince. "I'm sorry, Twilight."
>"Well, you weren't the one who lost control of magic and burnt it all down," the princess doesn't sound too relieved about that. "At least we've managed to evacuate everypony before that. You weren't making it any easier for us though, that's for sure."
"I had to do it."
>"Yes, I figured as much..."
>Sour silence follows that. Twilight probably thinks that she shouldn't judge you too harsh for your desperate actions, but at the same time you know she has the right to. And she probably does anyway.
>You can't fault her for hesitating with her own attack when Chrysalis said that you'll follow her fate. It is what the princess of friendship does, isn't it?
>It almost makes you feel honored that she stopped to think about your fate at that time.
"Twilight, I just wanted to say..."
>"Yes?"
"I guess this whole thing really is my fault. And if you wish to p-punish me for it, I-"
>Words refuse to come out of your mouth and get stuck in your throat. Admitting that to yourself isn't hard. But actually discussing it with the one who is most likely to be in charge of that is a completely different thing.
>Yet you know that you can't escape it. Better to be done with it quicker.
>A victim of circumstances and an unpredictable chain of events; seduced by your worst flaws that were allowed to fester and grow unchecked... Malice was never your intent but it's all anyone would see looking at everything that has happened this last month.
>Now that things have escalated so much they've blown up, it's easy to draw the final line.
>Is this how villains are born? Out of unfortunate circumstances that push them in all the wrong directions?
>Is this what you are, in your purest form, when left to your own devices and so easily swayed by vice and false sense of self righteousness?
>"Anon, it's- It's not that easy."
>Reliving the complete indifference of your past reminded you that nothing has really changed.
>You thought you were way past that, but it turns out it never left you. You get it now.
>All this time you were trying not to redeem those mean mares, but yourself. Prove that you are worth something by proving they are. Stubbornly trying to change them while remaining the same yourself.
>Meanlight was right. You belong with them. And so it's only fair that you share their fate. Is it not why you were rushing into that fire without any hope to return?
>"I'm just going to say it how it is," Twilight sighs heavily. "You are right, it is your fault. And you will be punished."
>Even if you have already accepted in your heart that this is how it should be, blood still freezes in your veins.
>The cold scalpel of Twilight's merciful honesty makes you realize how much you were actually hoping for everything to turn out fine.
>"But..."
>She is so cruel, giving you false hopes.
>"It is not for me alone to decide."
"What do you mean?"
>This could change a lot. And for the worst.
>Twilight knows you personally and she can understand your reasons, as outlandish and selfish as they may be, but others? Who would they be?
>"Princess Celestia and princess Luna are also concerned about this incident. I understand that it might make things harder for us but this is a matter of Equestria's security now."
"But Chrysalis is- No, don't tell me."
>Twilight gulps. In her eyes you see the turmoil she is drowning in.
>"We've never managed to found the body. You'll see for yourself soon."
"What do you mean?"
>"Princess Celestia has requested that we meet at the...remains of the school."
"Oh god."
>You cover your still half-blind eyes with your hand.
>In any case, you can't avoid this now. Even Twilight agrees that you were acting out of bad reasons, and for anyone else you're straight up a bad guy, no contest.
>"Rest up for now. I'll make arrangements and we'll go there tomorrow."
>The princess turns around and deems the conversation over, but before she walks away, you ask her one last question:
"Can I see those ponies?"
>Twilight doesn't think about it even for a second:
>"No, you may not. We'll meet tomorrow."
>Great. Pissing off the only pony who can actually protect you from the other princesses is such a nice way to start this.
>Facing Celestia is going to be scary. She wasn't very fond of you the first and only time you've met. Something about magical imbalance. Twilight assured her she has it under control and that she'll watch over you so you-
>So you don't stir any trouble.
>You suddenly can understand perfectly why Twilight was so pissed off. You were her responsibility all along. God, how could you even forget this?
>And Luna, you're pretty sure she's had enough of you back when she was still visiting your dreams. Her lectures were all for naught, and that's just those that you remembered in the mornings. She gave up on you shortly after you've exiled yourself in that attic.
>Maybe you never should've left it after all. It's only trouble and nothing else.
>And Fluttershy... Fuck, you can never face her now.
>Meeting her, the mare who apparently feels something towards you, after all of this? A mere thought about it fills you with so much shame you'd rather die than go through it.
>You just want this to end. In any way possible. Just end it all. Fuck mercy. Fuck being afraid of being punished. Yeah, it's scary as shit, so what?
>Rotting away in a dungeon at least means you're not troubling anyone who has ever trusted in you.
>You roll in your bed and plant your face on the pillow. There, you'll stay like that and asphyxiate to death.
>Wishful thinking.

>The next day you realize that no dreams were bothering you at night. Pleasant surprise at least. The mood gets worse when Twilight arrives though.
>"Are you ready? It's just a short walk from here, so I brought you this."
>She shows you a walking cane that is strangely encrusted with gemstones, so much that it's more of a pimp stick at this point, with a big opaque gemstone topping the whole thing off.
>"Don't ask," she intercepts you curious look. "Rarity wanted you to have it."
>So there is someone else worrying about you in that case. How sweet.
>Yesterday you already have tried walking with a nurse's help, but a trip to the bathroom is nothing like going outside and traveling somewhere.
>You get to eat your hospital breakfast under Twilight's supervision and are given a set of clothes from your house.
>Everything feels strange. Your leg hurt but at the same time it's just a buzzing sensation "inside" of it with no discernible epicenter.
>It's uncomfortable to be in your own clothes, not like they're not yours - like you're not theirs.
>Twilight mentioning that they had to treat your skin in some way now starts making some sense. In fact, you can almost see slight, barely visible differences in your skin tone in some places, most notably on your arms.
>Are you even you anymore?
>You wish you weren't. You don't really envy yourself right now.
>The cold breeze outside is a quick reminder that it's already basically winter. No snow yet, but cold all the same.
>Skies are coated with heavy looking blanket of led; even worse, everything seems like a in a murky fog through your diminished vision.
>Twilight is walking next to you and maintains your slow pace. This early in the morning there aren't that many ponies around, but those who are keep staring at the unshaven rugged human limping down the road next to a princess.
>You pass Sugarcube Corner and through the window you see something that could improve your mood - Pinkie is explaining something to Fluttershy and Starlight sitting there.
>The unicorn has her head bandaged up but Fluttershy seems fine.
>They don't notice you, but Twilight does notice the direction you're staring at. When you look at the princess she silently shakes her head.
>"You can talk to them later, I think we shouldn't make princesses wait for us."
"Right..."
>The alicorn surely hears disappointment in your voice and tries to cheer you up:
>"There's going to be plenty of time talking to them later. Fluttershy's been visiting you every day, you know. She'll catch up with you."
"Really? That's-"
>You're not sure if you should express yourself right now, knowing that you may be sentenced to something horrible in the next ten minutes.
>A lifelong imprisonment in pony hell? Nah, that's way to extreme. You hope.
>"Anon, I want to ask you something."
>Twilight's sudden formal tone scares you a bit.
"Sure."
>"Please, leave talking to me. I know how...emotional you can get and you might...misrepresent the actual situation here."
>The way she chooses her words so carefully is already ticking you off.
>You really did get to her, didn't you? It's like she's friendly only out of obligation now.
"Okay, if you say so."
>"Great."
>It would be impolite to mention it. But you can't spend another minute of walking without asking her. It's better to know where she stands now.
"Twilight, I know what you're thinking about me and this whole mess. You don't have to pretend to be, well, considerate."
>"Ha-hah, what are you talking about, Anon?" she smiles nervously. "I'm just a little bit disappointed that my biggest aspiration of bringing together all the creatures in Equestria to teach them the ways of friendship is now just smoking ruins and-"
"Jeez, fine, I get it."
>But she doesn't stop, oh no, she doesn't.
>"...and the human I personally was responsible for turned out to be a traitor and helped Chrysalis torment Ponyville for weeks before-"
"I didn't do that though."
>"Do you think THEY know about that?!" Twilight finally explodes. "That's why you sh- stay quiet and let me handle the talking, alright?"
>As much as anger ignites Twilight's convicting gaze right now, you still know she's more sad than angry right now.
>Once again tears gather at the basin of your throat.
>You want to say you're sorry, but it's clear that these words won't mean anything to her now.
>Your apologies won't restore neither Twilight's school, nor her trust in you.
>When the remains of the school finally come into view, your heart shrinks even more. Nothing is left except for the farthest bulk of the building and the pond.
>Upper floors have collapsed onto the burnt lower ones, and now look like some post-war bombed ruins.
>No one is there but the premises have been cleared out of most rubble already, so it's just the desolate charred carcass that stands here.
>The most impressive thing here is that the spot where Meanlight was wildly shooting her crackling overloaded magical beam is extremely obvious: the stone there is melted.
>It's like a dune, or a wave, formed by extreme temperature frying it at an angle. It's also quite easy to notice where exactly Chrysalis was at the moment.
>The charred floor paints a silhouette fitting the bug queen with soot of a bit lighter shade.
>Scary to think that this monster could withstand such extreme conditions, but then again she is a bug.
>It almost makes you smirk thinking about that analogy.
>Of course you'd prefer that the bitch would've fried right here and then.
>Meanwhile, there's zero information on the condition of the mean mares. Or if they are indeed alive and well. Maybe Twilight is just bluffing, who knows.
>What a horrible situation to be in, always being reminded that you've ruined your relationship with her and it probably won't be mended now. Twilight doesn't seem like a mare who takes pleasure in justice and revenge, she won't feel any satisfaction in any decision her fellow princesses are going to come up with.
>In fact, you think it probably pains her to condemn you just as much. She did have hopes in you.
>While both of you are looking around you hear a voice barely familiar from behind.
>"Never thought we'd be meeting again like this."
>"Princess Celestia, princess Luna!" Twilight turns around on a dime to greet her colleagues.
>In turn, you don't really know how you should be greeting them.
"H-hello," you try and immediately wince internally.
>The one who brought your attention to their arrival was Celestia, but now Luna steps forward, glancing over the horrible desolation around her.
>"It is indeed unfortunate that this is the note we have to continue on... All the more dreadful to witness it in person."
>"I agree," Celestia nods. "I never thought it would be this terrible. Should we move to the castle instead?"
>"Of course."
>Twilight agrees immediately and is fast on her way, but your 'fast' is a bit different these days.
>It somehow turns out that you are walking in pairs now. Twilight, going first, is accompanied by princess of the night, while Celestia is keeping your pace.
>There was a reason for that, as she asks the very uncomfortable you in almost a whisper:
>"I hope Twilight isn't giving you too much trouble?"
"Not at all..." you mumble to yourself.
>"You probably understand how she feels right now."
"I do."
>That was more of a confident reply and Celestia acknowledges that with a nod.
>Spike is already at the door when Twilight opens it up. The way he avoids looking at you at all costs just makes you think that he was watching Twilight from the upper floor and knows how disgruntled she is.
>Before you go too far into the castle, Celestia suggests:
>"Could we maybe discuss this over a cup of tea? It was a long trip from Canterlot."
>"Of course!" Spike answers with relief and flies away faster than he would've if he was at ease.
>Twilight, seeing that, suggests:
>"Should we go to the-"
>"Here will be fine," Luna cuts her thought short. "No need to make it more tense than it already is."
>"Well it is a serious matter," Twilight raises her eyebrow in frustration.
>"Indeed it is, Twilight," Celestia assures her. "That's why we should stay calm and relax over a cup of tea together."
>"Relax?!" Twilight finally loses her temper. "This is a question of national security and t-treachery!"
>Everything inside of you collapses unto itself. The disgust Twilight acknowledges your crime with makes it hard for you to breathe.
>Equestria and its security is one thing, but Twilight is losing her mind over this and there's nothing to be done?
>What CAN you do, really? You have failed her horribly and there's no going back from that. Somehow you remember words of Chrysalis thinking about that.
>But then you realize - this is exactly why the two princesses are here for. If there's anyone the panicking princess is going to listen to, it's them.
>"This is a matter of two...creatures getting caught up in their personal Tartarus each," Luna squints her eyes at the purple alicorn. "We are here to talk about that, not about the former queen of the changelings."
>Twilight can't believe her ears. This might not be what she thought it will be.
>"But- But that's what-"
>"That's what we will also discuss," Celestia elegantly intercepts Luna's blunt strike to carefully ease it onto Twilight's head. "But we are here because we worry about you and Anonymous."
>That's awfully nice of them. Something you would never even expected.
>"We have seen your dreams, both of you," Luna continues again. "It is a matter of grave concern. Yet we know that justice must also be served."
>"Right," Twilight inhales deeply. "I understand."
>"Anonymous here has played his role in all of this," Celestia turns to you slowly, meeting your eyes with curiosity. "And from what you've told us, Twilight, he was behind...some of it."
>You quickly throw a glance at Twilight and notice that your gesture is not reciprocated. The pony looks away from you the moment your eyes meet.
>"Is that right, Anonymous? Were you the perpetrator of the assault?"
>The purple princess react almost immediately:
>"Well, I technically didn't say that he was planning the-"
>"We are asking Anonymous, Twilight," Luna brutally shoots Twilight's defense down.
"I knew that something like this is going to happen," you say looking at the floor. "I didn't prevent it."
>When silence befalls the map hall, it is at once broken by Spike's arrival with four cups of tea.
>This reprieve allows both you and Twilight to gather your thoughts.
>"I see," Celestia sighs.
>"Princesses," Twilight takes that as a sign. "The important thing is that Anon did fully realize what he was doing and did all of it deliberately..."
>There she goes. Burying you alive again.
>You are bracing yourself for more verbal abuse and almost wince at her next words, but they aren't what you expect.
>"...but the chain of events that has led to this whole incident is merely a byproduct of things he was trying to accomplish, and those things were done out of good intentions. Even if Anonymous never realized that he's not ready to properly handle such a undertaking, he tried. Unfortunately, he was not strong enough. And I was not there to intervene, despite both me and Fluttershy having concerns about his health, both physical and mental. He was doing this in secret yet we never cared to seek out the truth."
>This tears you inside and out more than any words of condemnation would. Label you as a traitor, as the worst of the worst and throw you into pony hell - it wouldn't obliterate your spirit so painfully.
>"As Anonymous was my responsibility all along, I-"
>"We've heard enough, Twilight," Celestia looks directly at her and it makes her lower her head in obedience.
>She looks like she's going to cry at any moment.
>Anonymous might be your responsibility indeed," Luna says calmly. "But isn't it the lack of his own voice that has enabled this to occur in the first place? We wish to ask him in person."
>Luna, not waiting for her fellow princess' approval, looks at you.
>"Anonymous, even if Twilight worries deeply about your fate, it is still your own. Responsibility is what you've been avoiding and what you were not able to protect. Tell us now... What punishment do you elect for yourself?"
>Celestia and Luna stare at you pensively while Twilight is drowning her gaze in her cup of tea, unable to face anyone but her own reflection.
"I..."
>What can you even say to that? There's nothing suitable for you.
>But keeping your eyes on Twilight's disheartened figure, who is probably imagining that everything is lost for you and her, you realize what you need to do. What Twilight said was right.
"The ponies I was trying to help are still alive. Twilight said they aren't in a good shape, but still."
>Your purple guardian finally looks back at you, and nothing but confusion is flowing in her eyes.
"It was always about them and I've spent a lot of time with them. But they were not innocent as well. I have Twilight to worry about me and this may help me now, but they have no one to speak for them and no one to protect them. So whatever punishment you have is store for them... I would like to share it."
>Celestia and Luna look at each other while Twilight throws her gaze between both of them. She's afraid they'll actually listen to you, as far as you can tell by her worrying expression.
>"Well..." Celestia starts with a slight smile. "Interesting how you should say that."
"What do you mean?"
>"Huh?" Twilight quietly tries do gauge the tone with which the sun princess said that.
>But Celestia's muzzle is displaying that smile just for you.
>Something tells you that she had decided on everything way before meeting you here.


"So, Twilight, is it done yet?"
>Twilight Sparkle exits your residence wearing a slight frown on her face.
>Her body shivers from the cold. Winter isn't as mild here as it is in Ponyville.
>Even if this town is surrounded with tall mountains, the climate here is dry and cold. A stone heath remains a stone heath even during the winter.
>Thankfully you have all the clothes you need to brave the elements. Rarity still hasn't forgot about you despite your exile and when Twilight comes for her regular check-ups she brings the designer's gifts with her.
>The check-ups aren't for you though. You're the same as ever with your encrusted cane and glasses modified for human use.
>Your health hasn't been deteriorating farther than that but Twilight always makes sure to perform every single test in case of something unpredictable.
>But no, you're not her main target with these.
>The ponies who live here with you are much more peculiar.
>"Yes, Anon," the princess softly sighs. "I'm done for the week."
"So..."
>She understands what you want to ask of her. You ask her every single time. And her answer is mostly the same:
>"No, nothing has really changed. I know I've said it before, but their healing is going way too slow."
>You know that, of course.
>Twilight hasn't been able to identify the reason yet. Whether it's because the mean ponies aren't really ponies, or because their magic was drained so much by Chrysalis, or for any other reason, the fact remains the same.
>"There is some progress but it's way too slow. But at least they're not getting worse. Just like the last time."
"You don't really have to come here if you don't want to," you note her tired tone.
>"No, it's not what I meant!" Twilight is quick to assure you. "I'm more disappointed in my own measurements. I'll ask Celestia and Star Swirl again. And, besides, it's not like I'm forced to come here..."
>As harsh as it sounds, she's right. You know that despite everything Twilight still considers you her protege, her responsibility.
>The decision to move you this far away from Ponyville didn't come easy, but it was needed in the long run. And a change of scenery did help with your mental health too.
>You don't exile people to just the farthest house in your town, after all. But at the same time it's not exactly a lifetime sentence in a dungeon.
>It's not like you're not allowed to leave your house or meet other ponies. This town is small but the community is tightly knit and nice, and ponies from Ponyville also sometimes come here just to give you a visit.
>Just like today, Twilight has brought with her one extra.
>Right now she is exiting your house smiling back at someone. And as soon as your eyes meet her smile grows all the warmer.
>Twilight helps Fluttershy with her winter jacket, but the pegasus just blushes:
>"N-no need, I can do it myself."
>"You should keep warm at all times, Fluttershy," Twilight states in a caring tone.
>While she's helping her friend with magic, the alicorn's eyes stop on Fluttershy's belly for a bit longer and it makes the yellow pony hide it behind her hooves faster, her blush intensifying more.
>Even her jacket hangs low to cover her entire barrel, despite nothing out of usual being there just yet.
>For nowt only a magical examination has confirmed that Fluttershy is in an interesting condition. At first the mare thought it would call for an investigation or something, but everyone figured it out on their own fairly quickly.
>At least from what you've heard. It happened in Ponyville and it was Twilight who delivered the news to you almost two weeks ago now while Fluttershy was standing steamingly flustered next to her.
>That was also the first time after that night you kissed her again. Furtive and quick, while Twilight wasn't in the room, it was just as passionate as ever.
>She didn't have to say anything. If the pure emotions in her eyes when she gazed into yours weren't telling enough, the way Chrysalis reacted to Fluttershy's cry back then couldn't be mistaken for anything.
>You and your mare haven't even discussed any of this yet. And you don't think she has discussed that with her friends and family either just yet. At least Twilight avoids talking about it.
>But seeing Fluttershy every Twilight's visit now is enough for you to get through the week.
>And you're also grateful towards Twilight for not only understanding this, but seemingly supporting it.
>Though right now the extend of that support shall be tested by the pegasus:
>"Um, Twilight?" she begins in already begging tone. "It's Hearth's Warming soon and I thought, m-maybe... Remember how you said that Anon- That some kind of community service... In Ponyville... Would be..."
>She can't formulate her request well enough for it to seem inconspicuous. But Twilight doesn't catch up on it either way.
>"No, that's really not needed right now," she shakes her head. "He's better off staying here while I continue my research."
>But the alicorn regrets her reply the second she sees her friend's ears drooping in a crushed realization. She probably didn't hope for much but it still was disappointing.
>The princess of friendship finally gets what this is all about and adds swiftly:
>"Well, the school still needs decorating before holidays, the rebuilt classrooms still look kinda barren..."
>Fluttershy's reaction is immediate - her eyes light up with glee and her smile is so bright that Twilight involuntarily reflects it with her own.
>Hell, you can't help but smile too.
>The uplifting feeling inside of you makes you all excited. Going home for holidays to spend time with Fluttershy seems like an unlikely gift.
>The first Hearth's Warming you'll be spending with your family. Or, at least, soon to be family.
>And you can actually help with decorating too. Hanging out with Party Favor has surely increased your knowledge in this particular field.
>Fluttershy usually only stares at you longingly when it's time for Twilight to leave, but this time when the princess turns around to check her saddle bags again, your pegasus swiftly flies over to you to give you a cheerful hug.
>You react in turn and hold the pony close to you, feeling her warmth even through your clothes.
>The smile of a happy mare is pressed to your cheek; the pleasant aroma of her mane reminds you of home. You can't help yourself and give her a quick kiss just below her ear.
>"I'll see you soon, Anon," she whispers to you.
"I'm looking forward to it," you answer with honesty and anticipation.
>In the corner of your vision you notice that Twilight tries to pretend she's not looking, but sneaking a peek at you makes a smile grow on her face.
>As long as her friend is happy she's fine with it, you try to guess her line of thoughts.
>Unfortunately, the visit comes to an end. The bitter truth about all of this is, the chances of you ever living together with the mare should be living together with are very slim.
>It pains you that Fluttershy has to go through this like that and at the same time it warms your heart knowing that she had it in her to still believe in you and forgive you.
>You don't know if you want to cry from hopelessness of your first real love here in Equestria, or from the fact that despite everything that happened and everything you've done, you're not denied it.
>In the end, Twilight didn't learn anything new today, even if she has promised you she'll solve this mystery and figure out the spell.
>She's been getting a lot of details of your life in the camp out of you too, but nothing has made things clearer.
>Twilight is convinced that these ponies should be treated as such after all. Even though some things point at different conclusions.
>For example, the princess isn't sure if the timber wolves have left the camp alone just because there was fire there at all times - as they notoriously dislike it - or it's because they didn't even see the ponies as something edible. Or even alive.
>You never actually thought about that before. Same with them eating so little and being that resistant to cold and never falling ill from being outdoors constantly.
>It could be just their luck, of course. Or it could be because they are just animated objects that happen to resemble ponies.
>Of course, they also have blood. And Twilight's research point at it being as real as it gets. On the other hand, their healing is so slow it's unnatural for ponies.
>Then there's another argument that was never brought up. But that's not something you'd ever discuss with Twilight, even if you are sure she suspects it. Your intimate ties to the mean ponies isn't something either of you want to touch for a lot of reasons.
>The princess and the pregnant pegasus soon disappear from sight, after taking their time talking to locals on their way out. Double Diamond was asking something again and Twilight nodded a lot, agreeing with whatever that was.
>But now you are standing alone next to the two-story building that houses Equestria's six most enigmatic ponies. Some ponies have moved out from here not long ago and it was still empty by the time Starlight has scouted the location in an attempt to find these ponies a new home.
>Indeed, you are now sharing their fate, and that involves you, a guy with the leg that may not recover in years and eyes still recovering from being burnt in that fire, watching over six crippled mares.
>Even if some of them aren't afflicted physically.
>One of them meets you the second you step inside in the warmth of your house. Rainbow Dawdle flies up to you and you lean forward, allowing her to take her usual position on your shoulder.
>Her body hangs on there from your back, so she's almost like a living scarf that's watching everything in front of you.
>You're grateful for her low weight at times like these.
"There, there," you calm her down with a few head pats. "I'm back."
>Dawdle has extreme dependency on you now. She can't be torn away from you. Twilight says that she gets extremely anxious when you're not around, to the point of having panic attacks. You might have to take her with you when you go to Ponyville on your little holiday.
>The house itself is a cozy place. It already was before you've moved in, but now even more so. Greedity, with her designer sun glasses is sitting before the lively hearth that gives the first floor an especially good vibe.
>The mare can't really see all that great now, she's nearly blind. And as Meanie Pie is always near the hearth anyway, they usually spend time together.
>With time Meanie got used to that and now helps Greedity when she needs something. The hoarder had even worse burns than you and her eyes were damaged so badly that she is just now starting to process anything before her as something more than 'strange sparks' as she has described her sight at first.
>And it turns out that keeping herself busy at all times is Meanie's thing now. But the way she sometimes stops moving completely turns your attention to the fact that you may not have solved her personal situation just yet.
>No pony came from that fire undamaged. The pink mare is surely not an exception. You just don't know what exactly has happened to her yet.
"AJ, have you preheated the oven?" you turn to your side where your modest kitchen is.
>The orange pony shows her head from there and nods to you quickly.
>This mare has surely tried to bluff her way out of the burning school because her throat is in horrible shape, once again resembling your own malady from that day. It's usually up to you to feed her since she refuses food most of the time, but sometimes you see Meanie helping her too.
>Needless to say no words come out of her mouth. But her gestures are not deceptive. Usually.
>These three ponies live and sleep here. They are mostly self-sufficient, unlike those who are upstairs. Those are the special cases.
>You carry Rainbow to the second floor as always. Your bed stands big and proud in the center of the room and Meanlight is on top of it like usual. To the left is Dawdle's, and to the right is Meanshy's, occupied by the pony.
>That one is the worst of them all. By day she's completely still and her gaze pierces the roof of the house, thrown not just a thousand yards away, but to the stars themselves.
>Nothing gets her out of this condition. She eats and walks around sometimes, but she never looks at anyone, like she's blind. Her mane has grown a bit more now (slower than most ponies, yet again as Twilight said) but her body is so malnourished she's almost like a skeleton now.
>Or a mummy, considering that most of her coat was burnt away when they've found her in the fires. She has still to shed the wrappings around almost her entire body.
>Twilight has told you that Meanshy was crying non-stop for almost a day when she was rescued, weeping her eyes out without relent. Now she doesn't show any emotions at all.
>But during the night the terrors begin. It takes you a few minutes to calm her down while her screams tear up the darkness around her where only her eyes gleam with such despair that you feel closer to dying every time you attempt to look in them.
>Twilight said that she has just broken down from all the stress and you can really see why. The things she's been through all this time could not have left her unaffected.
>And nearly dying in the fire after overcoming the spell that was about to melt her into a puddle of who even knows what was the final straw.
>The poor mare, no matter how insane and twisted, didn't deserve this. Thankfully, her nightly outbursts are subsiding little by little.
>It's these small things that make you hopeful that everything is improving. It's not enough of a change for Twilight, but you'll take every single bit of it.
>And, needless to say, the irony of these mares' afflictions isn't lost on you. It takes an extra bit of magic or maybe a lot of coincidences to make something like this happen to each of them.
>You're willing to follow the purple alicorn in her decision to not overthink it after seeing her full report on the efforts to come up with a reasonable explanation for a week.
"They're gone now, Twilight," you let the mare on your bed know.
>"Yeah, I saw that," she replies with bitterness in her voice.
>Every time Twilight shows up it ruins her mood. And now Fluttershy is also adding to that. Right now Meanlight is all grumpy and is reading a book - or at least pretending that she is.
>The false alicorn can barely be considered an alicorn at all now.
>Her wings are all wrapped up and bandaged, still in no condition to be used, and so is her horn.
>It was cracking so badly that at first there was talk about removing it completely to prevent any sort of abnormalities developing further, or even spontaneous discharges of magic.
>But Meanlight got through this without any surgical intervention. Which she is proud of to this day.
>She just doesn't use her magic anymore.
>All things considered, she's nothing but an earth pony now.
>For her it is kind of a big deal, but mostly it's inconvenient. For example, she has to use her snout to turn the pages of her books now. What a bother.
"Dinner will be ready soon."
>"Uh-huh," she replies not wishing to be distracted from her reading.
>You live her at that and walk back down, glancing for a moment at the immobile silhouette of Meanshy in her usual place.
>Things go slow here. You at least enjoy that.
>You cook them food and you eat together like a big family every time.
>Even if they're so broken inside and out, you know that this life is still better than the one in the forest camp.
>You always regret that it only took this much for them to have a life like that.
>And it's also impossible to know now, but for some reason they are a lot less, well, mean now.
>Of course you can just attribute it to the shock they're still under. But you and Twilight both agree that it also could be at least partially a result of the bug queen's spell that was sucking the magical energy out of them.
>The less 'mean magic' they have in themselves, the less mean they are, right? Unfortunately, as this is the only magic they have, it's also their life force.
>That is the entire goal of Twilight's endeavors now. To replace that lost magic by something of equal strength but not mean at all. After all, Discord could 'reverse' that spell.
>But now you also realize that changes are occurring on their own.
>And what can change the nature of those mares if not someone who is for all intents and purposes their equal?
>You've seen it yourself, how they are getting better. There is no doubt in your mind.
>You could be going insane from the shock yourself, obsessed with bettering these ponies. Maybe it is so. But it's not enough for you to lose hope.
>And it's not like you and those ponies aren't allowed to go outside your house.
>It's no Ponyville, but ponies here are nice and quite understanding. Starlight vouched for that herself and it turned out to be true.
>You spend your days learning new things from them with Rainbow Dawdle being constantly right at your side. Lately she's been showing more interest in things you do too, not just you being near.
>The tools you used for wood carving are here too, alas not in your house (you agreed that it's better to not keep anything sharp there), so you continue your hobby even here.
>And what you like the most, is that there are no forests nearby.
>Not only because of the mean camp; you feel like with that gone from your life so are the last remains of your memories of trying to reach back to your world through the Everfree.
>This is your home now, without a doubt.
>Honestly, it would be a pretty good life if the mare you love would also be here. But you know that mean ponies wouldn't like her, and besides, you are being punished. It's just sad that she is too.
>She has accepted your fate, but it doesn't mean that you have.
>But with these mean cripples being your 'family' now, the future of your actual one is undetermined...
>Another day is coming to a close.
>You make sure everyone is in their beds, help them get cozy and replace Greedity's sunglasses with her night mask.
>Meanjack nods to you to wish you good night and you go upstairs to finally put Rainbow in her own bed.
>And Meanlight, she gets to stay in yours. Others can at least sleep on their own, but the former alicorn's mental condition doesn't allow her that luxury.
>When you get under the sheets she scoots closer as always, looking anxious, breathing heavily and shivering all over. Only when her body touches yours she exhales in relief.
>Her body doesn't feel cold to you. Yet every night she feels like she's freezing and starts panicking. When the temperature gets lower she feels that way, and even if she can deal with it during the day by distracting herself, falling asleep like that is impossible to her.
>You remember the way she had to fight fire back in the burning hall. It might have saved her life then, but the constant looming threat had engraved this sensation in her mind.
>Heat from your hearth doesn't fix it and you suspect that it's the feeling of someone being near her that calms her down, not the warmth itself.
>You thought you've seen her last breath back there in flames, but maybe that is exactly why she needs this.
>A candle behind near the bed still lights the room. You find the bookmark you've put in the book yesterday and, putting your glasses away start reading aloud, the pony next to you closing her eyes and listening to every word.
>Meanlight's calm breath caresses your chest through your winter nightwear. While looking for that one nice spot she likes to lay in, she accidentally brushes her bandaged wings that she can't even open now against your hand.
>A reminder as always to the fault of her ambitions.
>She hasn't forgotten a thing. By her own words, she's merely taking a break before hatching another plan to take over Equestria.
>But she likes your plan of reading to her just as much. And so you do, ever night before she drifts off right at your side, hooves encircling your arm so you don't leave.
>It doesn't take long to put her to sleep and soon the candle is out too. You know that soon Meanshy is going to start her nightmarish routine again so there's no point in hoping to get a lot of sleep before that.
>Meanlight is trembling in her dreams too, barely noticeable. You bring her body, warm as always, close to you.
>No indecent thought had crossed your mind ever since you've come here. No pony tried to invoke them either. Not one of them brings up the past too.
>By this point you'll never be sure why Fluttershy is now expecting and these ponies aren't. Either they can't get knocked up at all, or Chrysalis' spell fucked them up so badly any traces of their pregnancy have disappeared.
>You don't know which one is worse, but the latter is just horrifying. Maybe it's good that you don't know for sure.
>It doesn't really sit well with you. Even your affair with Fluttershy surely got some eyebrows raised.
>Your 'history' these mares would certainly sour the predicament even more. So on one hand it is of some relief that them sexually abusing you never came to any light and you'll probably manage to take it to your grave.
>On the other hand, members of this 'family' of yours may never have a family of their own now. And they probably don't even realize it.
>Their only hope in that is Twilight's investigations now. As much as it's obvious that these mares will remain under your supervision for some time, you don't actually expect them to spend their whole life with a leash their neck.
>There will be time when they'll be able to live like any other pony. You just have to make sure you do your best to make this happen.
>You feel yourself drifting off too and don't protest against it.
>Tomorrow will be a new day, and if you've learned anything for the last month or so of watching over these lost ponies, is that any day can bring changes if you're being attentive enough.
>Once you weren't and you've payed for it. Now you appreciate everything that happens to them.
>The change, it takes time. What is a month in the grand scheme of things? Enough to make them like you? Love you? Depend on you?
>A month before the incident, a month after it. It's more than these ponies were alive before you found them.
>It may not come easy, but it's getting there. The seeds planted so long ago just need to be cultivated, little by little.
>You did that without realizing it, coming again and again to their camp to treat them the way nobody ever have. Expecting results so fast made you lose faith in them, but they never lost their faith in you.
>Now you can finally see it.
>With proper care and a lot of patience, you can watch it grow. Something that shall one day allow you to return to Ponyville with them. Something that you can be proud of, something they can be proud of.
>Something that can change the nature of a mare and something that can change you too.
>What Twilight and Fluttershy has taught you is, despite all odds, finally manifesting in you after such a convoluted way of realizing it.
>Because no matter how much you and Meanlight have lost, you are here right now. Alive, if barely.
>You have remained in spite of burnt bridges, grudges, distrust and despair.
>Which means you still have time to learn an easy but important skill previously hidden behind shame and a whole lot of assumptions.
>The ability to move on.
>And you have all the time in the world to master it.

THE END