>"Ugh, Trixie hates this town."
"Shhh, don't be so loud."
>"Trixie doesn't understand why we need to be in this dump."
"Because I said so. Now make sure you stay away from anypony that might remember you when you're in the market. If you see Twilight or her little friends you walk in the other direction."
>"This is dumb."
"Shut it. We'll be in and out before the day is over."
>"Can Trixie at least wear her cap and hat?"
"Can you wear the most distinctive and recognizable thing about you?"
>"Yes!"
"Absolutely not, and you're fucking dumb for even asking."
>You were back in Ponyville
>The starting point of the little adventure in this freak-o world you had found yourself it
>It hadn't been easy to get here
>It seemed like half of the guard was out looking for you
>Thankfully, Trixie's all-consuming terror in being put away for tax fraud meant that she was pretty good at blending into the background when needed, but even then it hadn't been easy
>The wagon had been stopped more than once
>The last time, the unit of guards almost saw through your paper mask and drawn on cutiemark
>After the first time you had put on your "disguise", your cover of being a tax services agent had been thrown right out the window
>Trixie had been... peeved to say the least, which had been pretty funny
>It had been even funnier when you told her that you were actually a twice-dead alien from an entirely different universe that was here to change the future
>She hadn't believed you, and went on all day about yarn-spinning colts and the stories that they made up, along with some pretty colorful things about you, your family, and your mother in particular
>Oddly enough though, she had still wanted to go along with your plan, which was pretty awesome, since you had no idea how you'd be able to pull this off without her
>You and Trixie were on the very outskirts of town
>Hopefully far enough that Pinkie's Pinkie Sense didn't go off telling her that you were both back in town
>She'd know you were here eventually, but if you were quick enough maybe she wouldn't find you
>Trixie was in a sweatshirt with a cap on her head, hands in her pockets
>You were wearing the same clothes you had worn since dying
>They had been washed, but they were starting to get a little raggy
>Maybe you could get some clothes made in Manehatten before going to "Our Town"?
>To be fair though, even if you had another set of clothing, it'd be pretty goddamn hard for you to blend into a crowd
>You weren't going to be wearing your paper mask or anything either
>Hopefully there weren't any guards patrolling the village
>From the hill you and Trixie stood on, you could see ponies milling around
>Trixie let out a long-suffering sigh, looking up at you
>"Trixie is sure she'll be able to move undetected, but she fears a large, gullible, simple-minded stallion like yourself will have a much harder time. Be careful."
>You couldn't help but smile
"Hey, you're the one that thought I was a tax agent."
>Trixie puffed her cheeks out
>"Trixie didn't believe that for a second," she said, puffing her chest out. "She saw through your ruse immediately, but it was so desperate and terrible that she couldn't help but take pity on you."
"I'm sure."
>You watched as a group of pegasi flew overhead
>Mailponies by the look of them
>They were busying carrying what looked like a piano, but they had no doubt seen you
>Better get started before somepony got nosy
"Alright. I'll go down first. Wait a few minutes before following me."
>"And why must Trixie do that again?"
"Because it should look like we didn't come together."
>"Why not?"
"Because that's what they say to do in the movies."
>"...What in Luna's name is a movie?"
>You ignored the question, giving her shoulder a pat before starting down the dirt road
>You knew the layout of the town well enough to take the less used back alleys and roads
>Ponies did see you, and some seemed curious, but not enough to make you worry
>As far as they were concerned, you were just a big stallion wandering around lost
>Hopefully
>Over the next hour or so, you made your way from one side of town to another, looking for a particular horse
>You looked everywhere, and had almost given up hope, when you saw her in the middle of town
>She was sitting neat the town's fountain, a hay smoothie in her freaky hand
>Lyra
>Human enthusiast and all around weirdo
>Seeing her almost made you want to leave the alley you were standing in and rush over to her, but you resisted
>There was nopony close to her, meaning you might be able to get her to come to you without anyone noticing if you were careful
"Lyra!" you called as loud as you dared, eyes darting around to see if Bonbon was out and about. "Lyra! You, with the green mane and little horn!"
>You had to call a few more times before the mare's ears perked up
>She looked around, gaze eventually settling on you
>You watched as her smoothie fell out of her hands, her eyes growing huge
"Get your butt over here," you said, beckoning her toward you with a hand. "I need you to--"
>Lyra disappeared in a flash of green magic
>Before you could fully process that she was gone, she reappeared right in front of you with a pop
>She had the same smile on her face as her horse version had the moment she had seen you
>Wide, toothy, manic
>"Are you a human?" she asked, bouncing in place. "You're a human, aren't you?! Please tell me you're a human! Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!"
>You lifted a hand up to place over her mouth, but thought better of it
>Whenever you'd do that to horse Lyra, she'd lick your palm
"I am, Lyra, but we can't focus on that right--"
>"I KNEW it. Ponies always told me I was crazy, that you guys didn't exist, but I never lost hope. Ohhhh, I have so many questions!"
"I know you do, but I really--"
>"Why are you go big? Do you have hands for feet like the stories say? Do you have a flying machine that you could show me. Ohohoho! How about--"
"LYRA!"
>"Yeeeeees?"
>You wiped your mouth with your hand, standing down at the thrilled unicorn
"I need you to keep it together for five minutes," you said. "Can you do that for me, you silly horse?"
>"I don't think so," she replied happily, shaking her head
"Well, I need you to try. I know you have a lot of questions. I get it. Sometime in the future I'll answer them for you, but--"
>"When?"
"Sometime soon, and shut up for a second."
>"Yes sir."
>You placed a hand on her shoulder
>She let out a squeal, looking at your hand, then at you, then back at your hand
>She looked so happy that she looked about ready to explode
"I need you to do something for me, something very important. Are you listening?"
>"I haven't listened so hard in all my bucking LIFE!"
"Good. Your buddy Twilight, do you talk with her a lot?"
>Lyra stopped her bouncing, some of the excitement leaving her face
>"...No, not really," she said, face scrunching up. "I talk to her here and there, but I kind of leave her alone. Twi was really never the social type when we were in Canterlot, and I never want to bother her, since she's Celestia's student and has so much going on."
"Well, I need you to bother her now," you said, leaning down so that you were eye-level with her. "Moondancer needs you help."
>"Moondancer?" Lyra parroted, brow furrowing.
>You nodded
"I need you to go to Twilight as soon as you can. Catch up with her, get buddy-buddy again. Say something about Canterlot, about all of your friends up there. Most importantly, I need you to talk to her about Moondancer."
>"Why? What's wrong with Moonie?" the unicorn asked
"Your friend wasn't the same when Twilight left without a word. She's not in a good place right now because of it," you said. "She needs to go up there and fix things between them. I don't care how you do it, but you need to get Twilight up there, Lyra. Do you understand? You need to trust me when I say that this is really, really important, alright?"
>Almost all of the excitement had left the little unicorn in front of you
>She now looked concerned, staring up at you with a thoughtful expression
>"Is something bad gonna happen to Moonie?" she asked quietly
"It might if Twilight doesn't get up there asap," you replied.
>She nodded slowly
>"Alright, then I'll go talk to her today," she said, puffing her chest out. "I'll drag her to Canterlot if I have to."
>You smiled
"Good, I knew I could count on you."
>Lyra took a step back, biting her lower lip
>"Mister?"
"Anon's fine."
>"Okay, Anon. If I do this, could you do something for me? Pretty please?"
"Depends on the something."
>She looked behind her, then up at the sky
>Hopping forward, she leaned into your ear and began to whisper
>As you listened, a frown came to your face, until you eventually stood back up, very concerned and not too happy
"You want me to..." you began, only to stop
>She nodded
>"Pleaaaaaase?" she asked, clasping her hands together
>You looked at the unicorn for several seconds, before letting out a sigh
"Goddammit. Fine. You got yourself a deal. Just go talk to Twilight. Keep your mouth shut about seeing me too. I have a lot of secret human things going on that you ponies can't know about. Got it?"
>Lyra let out a squeal, giving you a hug
>"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" she said, giving your chest a nuzzle
>Breaking the hug, she spun around and took off out of the alley and back out into the marketplace, so excited that she nearly collided with the Cutiemark Crusaders
>You watched as she reached toward the direction of the treebrary, shaking your head
>That had gone pretty well...
>You had sort of been expecting Bonbon to appear out of the shadows to try and arrest you or something...
>Turning back toward the alley, you began to make your way down it
>You had spoken with one horse, now you needed to speak with another
>This one would be a hell of a lot harder to convince than the town weirdo
>She might have also been far more important
>Nothing really interesting happened as you made your way through town toward the Whitetail Woods
>Not a lot of ponies came out this way, other than the occasional weather pony or two that liked to hide in the trees to snooze during their shift
>You made your way down the dirt road, listening to the birds singing
>There were so many of the little guys flying around
>If you didn't know any better, you'd say that they were practicing
>You continued along until a little bridge came within sight
>Not far from that little bridge, seated above a babbling brook, was a cottage
>The bird chirping was getting louder, more musical
>With it, you could hear a voice
>"Oh, that's very good Seederson. Um, Chirpers, could you please keep with the tempo? You're messing the others up a teeny bit. There we go. You're all doing so wonderfully."
>Walking over the bridge, you saw the mare you were looking for
>Fluttershy
>She was standing in front of a wooden contraption of her own making
>The thing allowed about a hundred birds to sit comfortably wing-to-wing
>About that many were sitting on the thing, chirping away
>It sounded like bird calls to you, but to her it was no doubt a lovely melody
>She was moving her arms like some sort of conductor, her body swaying
>Her back was turned to you, but you could feel the smile on her face
>You stood there, arms behind your back, patently waiting as Fluttershy led her little flock through it's lesson
>Some of the birds singing eyed you curiously, but none stopped their singing
>As much as you needed to talk to Fluttershy, you didn't want to be a bother
>Not yet anyway
>She might have looked like some sort of freak of nature, but she was still Fluttershy, and there wasn't any need to give the poor pegasus a heart attack
>A good ten minutes passed before she lowered her arms with a happy hum
>"Thank you very much for your hard work, everyone," she said with a little bounce
>One of the birds--a big, fat bluejay-- chirped, pointing toward you with a wing
>Fluttershy stiffened, looking over her shoulder
>You could barely see her eye with her long pink mane in the way, but she could obviously see you
>She seemed to get a little smaller, ears pinning against the sides of her skull
>"Oh... um. Hello," she said, so quietly that you had to strain to hear her. "You're that stallion from the other day. Are you feeling better?"
"I am," you replied with a nod. "Thank you for taking me into town. I appreciate it."
>She slowly turned around, still hiding her face behind her mane
>This wasn't the Fluttershy you had seen yesterday; the caring mare that forgot her shyness whenever there was someone in need
>This was baseline, nervous Fluttershy
>A tricky Fluttershy that would fly into her house if you weren't careful
>Thankfully, you were wise to this little butter yellow horse, and had a trick up your sleeve
>Lifting your hand up, careful not to move too quickly, you coughed into it
>Fluttershy fidgeted with her hands, obviously uncomfortable
>Taking a deep breath, you did something you knew would calm her down
>You began to sing
 
"The sun'll come out tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
There'll be sun
Just thinkin' about tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow
'Til there's none
 
When I'm stuck a with day that's gray and lonely
I just stick out my chin and grin, and say, oh
 
The sun'll come out tomorrow
So you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow
Come what may!"
 
>Fluttershy's ears perked up
>The mare seemed to get just a little bit bigger, standing up straight as she listened
>The birds seemed to be listening as well, ceasing their chirping to look at you
 
"Tomorrow, tomorrow
I love ya tomorrow
You're always a day away
 
When I'm stuck a with day that's gray and lonely
I just stick out my chin and grin, and say, oh
 
The sun'll come out tomorrow
So you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow
Come what may!"
 
>A small smile came to her face
>She began to sway as you turned your back on her, lifting your arms up
>Time for the finisher
 
"Tomorrow, tomorrow
I love ya tomorrow
You're always a day away
Tomorrow, tomorrow
I love ya tomorrow
You're always a day away!"
 
>You heard chirping as you lowered your arms
>Turning back around, you saw the birds clapping their wings together
>Fluttershy was clapping as well, no longer hiding behind that mane of hers
>"That was very good, mister," she said, taking a step toward you. "You have a lovely voice."
>You cleared your throat
>That end bit always fucked up your vocal cords
"Thank you very much, Fluttershy. I'm glad you think so."
>You took a small step toward her, ready to move right back if she suddenly got nervous
>When you saw no negative reaction, you took another step, then another, eventually stopping just a few feet from her
"I've heard you had a pretty good voice yourself," you said
>"Oh, I don't know about that," Fluttershy replied, looking down at the ground. "There's so many better ponies than me."
"Oh, I doubt that. You were the one that helped me learn a thing or two after I had a bit too much to drink at one of Pinkie's parties. I don't remember much about it, but you told me I was so bad that ponies were begging Twilight to turn me into a statue to make it stop."
>Fluttershy looked back up, confused
>You just continued to smile, taking another step toward her
"I was so bad in the beginning, but you were so patient. You were always patient and understanding. I think out of everypony in town, you were the next one after Twilight to give me a chance. I don't know if I ever told your pony-self, but that meant so much to me in the beginning."
>Another step
>This time, Fluttershy took a half-step back, staring at you like you had grown a second head
>You stopped, squatting down
>She seemed to calm down a bit once she was bigger than you
"Fluttershy, I know I sound like a crazy person, spouting a whole lot of nonsense. I know you're probably thinking that you need to go tell Twilight, or make an excuse to get away from the nutso colt in front of you. I get it. Sometimes I think I'm crazy too, and not in a good way."
>She let out a giggle at that, taking a step toward you
>There was still confusion on her face, but you could see curiosity as well
>You were quiet for a few moments, trying to think on how to get your point across as clearly and believably as possible
>Unfortunately for you, words weren't your strong suit, so you just decided to hit the nail right on the head
"Fluttershy, when you found me I wasn't just sleeping under that tree. I came from... somewhere else. I can't really explain too much. I don't know if it's safe, and I have no idea who or what is listening to us right now. You and your friends, and everyone else you know, is in a lot of trouble. Right now I'm doing my best to fix things, but I need your help."
>"Trouble?" Fluttershy said, taking another step toward you
"Something is trying to change you all for the worse. It's trying to turn you into something that you're not," you replied. "It's going to do something to Twilight in particular that I can't let happen."
>The pegasus took another step forward
>She was so close that you could now smell the shampoo that she used this morning
>"It's nice that you came to tell me this, mister, but I don't think I'm the sort of pony to come to for this," she said. "But I can take you to Twilight, and maybe she can--"
"She can't help with this one thing, Flutters. Only you."
>Fluttershy opened her mouth, then closed it
>"O-Oh... Is it scary?"
>You said nothing, just nodded
>The mare let out an "eep", wings flapping
>"Are you s-sure nopony else can help you? What about my friend Rainbow? She's awfully brave, unlike me."
>You frowned
"That's where you're wrong, Fluttershy. You might be one of the bravest ponies I know."
>You stood back up
>Thankfully, she didn't move back
"You and I are a lot alike. We don't like crowds, or people in general. I don't know about you, but I always felt different, like everyone I ever spoke to knew something that I didn't. Even when I tried to put myself out there and people talked with me it didn't feel right."
>You shrugged
"I got sick of it, that bad feeling, my anxiety. I turned away from people for the most part and gave up. Even here, and even where I was before here, it was always hard to be social. You're different from me. Where I gave up you keep trying; not just once in awhile, not when you feel up to it. You try every single day to face that anxiety, that fear. You not only do that, but you're an actually caring, kind pony while you're doing it."
>You leaned forward
"That is why I think you're the bravest little horse I've ever met, Fluttershy, and don't you dare think otherwise."
>Fluttershy looked down at her hooves, flush with praise
>"I d-don't know about all that..." she muttered
>You placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head upward to look at you
"Fluttershy, soon, maybe as we speak, there's someone really bad about to come back into the world. He's a genuinely awful, terrible pony. He hurts others, takes over their mind, even enslaves them and god knows what else."
>"O-Oh... my..."
"Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are going to go try to stop him, but they won't be able to do it alone. That's why you need to help them."
>You reached into your pocket, producing a letter you had written this morning
"Have Spike send this letter. You need to go up north with them to stop this evil person. It'll be scary, but you need to think about all the ponies he's hurt, and will hurt. I don't need to tell you to be brave, since you are already."
>She looked at the letter in your hand, eyes filled with trepidation
>You could tell that she didn't want to take it
>She really, really didn't want to
>Nevertheless, she slowly reached out to take it
>Atta girl
>She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath
>She flapped her massive wings, the force of which nearly knocked you off your feet
>Seconds ticked by, and she reopened her eyes, looking at you
>"What can you tell me about what I'll be doing, mister?"
 
>Your body refused to listen
>No matter how hard you tried to thrash, fall, curse, or fight, nothing was moving
>You could stand, you could breathe, but that was pretty much it
>At that moment, you were nothing but a prisoner in your own body, staring into a set of blue eyes
>And you did not like it
>Not even a little bit
>Twilight had told you once about Fluttershy's stare
>Said it did things to animals
>As far as you knew, the pegasus had never used it on a pony
>You had just figured that it was something that only worked on animals
>Maybe there wasn't a stare at all; it's just that all animals respected her so much that if she glared at them they'd stand to attention
>That theory was wrong
>Fluttershy did have a stare, whatever it was
>And it didn't just work on dogs and chickens
>The scariest thing about it was, other than the lack of control you now had over your body, there wasn't any feedback from it
>There was nothing physically holding you in place like magic would
>There was nothing making your head all funny
>You were just looking into her eyes as she stared at you, frozen in place
>Fluttershy hadn't wanted to use it on you, but you had insisted
>You wanted to see if it worked, otherwise she might have a much harder time with Sombra
>And boy did you wish you hadn't asked her to
>It felt like an eternity until Fluttershy looked away
>You let out a gasp the second she did so
>Your body tried to go limp, and you weren't able to catch yourself, falling down to one knee with a grunt
>"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy said, grabbing your arm, her eyes wide with panic. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
>You didn't answer her at first
>Your heart was racing, and the hairs on your arms and the back of your neck were standing on end
>You really, really hadn't liked that
"I'm... okay... I'm alright," you said, more to yourself than to her. "Everything's fine."
>With Fluttershy's help--the pegasus apologizing the whole while-- you eventually got to your feet
>Even then, your legs were shaky
>Twilight had said that you had some resistance to magic, but there was no resistance to that shit
>That'd stop Sombra right in his fucking tracks, no problem
>As you caught your breath, Fluttershy was walking around you, fretting, and talking a mile a minute
>"Are you sure you're okay? Why don't you come and sit down? Oh, I'm so sorry. I tried to warn you. That had to be SO traumatizing for a stallion. Why don't you come into my cottage. I can run you a nice warm bath and you can have a good, long cry and--"
>You raised a hand, placing it on her shoulder
>She jumped, letting out an "eep!"
"I'm fine. Better than fine actually," you lied, giving her a weak smile. "I knew you were the perfect pony for the job."
>Fluttershy just looked at you, unsure
>"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked. "There's a reason why I don't use that on ponies."
"I'm fine, and if it makes you feel any better, I'm not a pony."
>"It doesn't," she replied, tugging on the bottom of her shirt. "Are you sure I need to use The Stare on the pony I'll be fighting?"
"Yes. You need to hold him in place so Cadence and Shining can physically stop him. He can turn into smoke, but he needs to see. If you can get him to look at you he won't be going anywhere."
>Fluttershy bit her bottom lip
>"And you're really sure that he deserves it? Couldn't I just talk with him, maybe buy him a nice scented candle?"
>You snorted
"Unfortunately, I don't think that'll get you anywhere, Flutters," you replied. "You need to believe me when I tell you this guy is bad news bears. He will hurt you if be can. Or worse."
>Though she didn't look very sure, Fluttershy nodded.
>"Alright... If this will help ponies," she said.
"It will. I promise."
>"And you're sure you're alright? You don't need to sit down?"
"Oh, I'd love to sit down and have some tea with you, Fluttershy, but I need to go."
>You gave her shoulder a squeeze, taking a step back
"I have a lot things to do. Hopefully, sometime soon, I can come back here and see you all. For now though, just remember everything I said. Get that letter up to Canterlot as soon as you can, and if you can try to make sure Twilight doesn't know about it. It's for her own good."
>Again, Fluttershy nodded
>"Okay. Good luck, mister. Thank you."
>She suddenly darted forward, hugging you
>A feeling of revulsion filled you when she touched you, but it wasn't as bad as if some other anthro fuck had tried touching you
>You just awkwardly patted her back until she let you go
>With a wave, you turned around, making your way down the path toward town
>You felt exhausted, but happy
>Everything seemed to be going according to plan, and even if it wasn't anything you could do to keep that stupid book out of Twilight's hands was a good thing
>You still had it under your shirt right now
>The stupid thing
>Right then though, you could barely feel it as you walked
>There was a smile on your face
>You had been smiling so much lately that it was making your mouth sore
>It was... nice
>So much shit could go wrong at any moment, but you had--
 
YOU DARE?!
 
>You stopped, looking around, ears ringing from what felt like a gunshot going off right next to you
>It was that voice again, and it sounded pissed
>The book suddenly felt hot against your skin
"Hey, fuck you!" you said, pointing at nothing in particular. "Go be shit back in that other dimension."
 
YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU DO, INSECT!
 
"I know what I'm gonna do your mother, shithead. No one's getting wings here. So suck my--"
>You winced as a sharp pain suddenly came from your wrist
>Looking down, you saw the cluster of veins right below your skin
>Everything looked normal
>There wasn't even a mark of anything
>Maybe it was just a bug biting you or something?
>Frowning, you tapped a finger against your skin
"Huh... that--"
>The pain came back, a thousand times worse
>All the muscles in your back and legs spasmed as you let out a wordless scream
>You could feel it
>Something was moving INSIDE OF YOU
>You tried to run, tried to say something, but another bolt of agony tore through you, dropping you to your knees
>The veins in your wrist changed from blue to red, then red to black
>You watched as it began to run up your arm
>Panting, you tried to stop whatever was happening by grabbing with your hand and squeezing your arm as hard as you could
>It was then you noticed the color change wasn't just for the one arm, it was for both
>Just out of the corner of your eye, you could see a figure
>It was so white that it hurt to look at
>It had a mane of the deepest red, and eyes that looked like little stars
 
YOU WISH TO PLAY A PUPPETEER? I SHALL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE THAT WISH TO DEFY ME
 
>Another spasm of pain came on
>This time it didn't go away
>You curled into yourself
>The pain was so bad that you could barely think
>So you didn't
>Instead, you screamed
 
~_~_~_~_~_~
 
>Be Cadence
>Pinkest princess
>You were walking down a lone hallway in Canterlot Castle
>You were holding the bat the giant stallion had given you
>Auntie Celestia had wanted you to get rid of it, or at the very least not carry it around everywhere that you went
>Unfortunately for her, you were a princess too, and she couldn't technically tell you what to do
>You liked carrying around a bat, thank you very much
>It made you feel like a real tough mare; like one of those gangsters from the musicals that Shining always made you go to
>There was also something comforting about having something to protect yourself
>Sure you had your magic, but there was something to be said about having something long and hard in your hands
>Heh...
>Long and hard...
>Like a fat di--
>"Your highness!"
>You stopped, looking over your shoulder to see a guard that you didn't recognize running toward you with a letter in her hand
>She stopped just short of you, kneeling down onto one knee and offering you the letter
>"Your highness, you just received a letter from one of the elements. I was told it was to be brought to you as soon as possible."
"Oh, well, thank you very much, guard," you said with a smile
>You took the letter out of her hands
>It was slightly singed
>Looked like magical fire; maybe from Twilight?
>The seal on the letter had also been opened
>Not unusual if the letter was sent via dragonfire, since that was pretty hard on paper, but still a little odd
>It could have been the mare's commanding officer, but who would have thought it was a good idea to open a princess's mail?
>As much as you would have liked to read the letter right there, you stopped yourself, instead looking the guard over
>There was something... off about her
"Guardspony? Which company are you from?" you asked. "I don't think I've seen you before."
>The mare's ears perked up
>"I just got out of boot camp, ma'am," she said. "I'm part of five-o-second."
"Five-o-second?"
>"Yes ma'am."
>You nodded, stepping around her
"Well, that's great. Thank you very much for the letter. Have you been enjoying castle life?"
>"Well, I have ma'am. It's been--"
>Changelings had very tough armor
>You had heard, during the Invasion of Canterlot, that daggers and spear tips had bounced off the little buggers' hides
>Even against blunt objects; hammers, mauls and the like, the bane of most armors, they could take a beating and come back for more
>So, with that in mind, you didn't bother holding anything back, swinging the bat as hard as you could
>It connected with the "guard's" head with a dull, meaty thud
>The impact shot up your hands, but you followed through
>A changeling was all around a pretty tough cookie, but you were stronger than any earth pony, and they hadn't expected the hit
>The guard slammed into the wall, making the windows above shake from the impact, disappearing into a flash of green flame
>Queen bucking Chrysalis herself slumped onto the floor, not moving
"Yes!" you hissed, pumping a fist into the air. "I bucking called it. The five-o-second isn't based anywhere near Canterlot, you dumb husband stealing bug!"
>Chrysalis, of course, didn't answer
>She was still breathing however, which was both a relief and a shame
>A Changeling Queens' hide must be particularly tough
>You walked over, nudging her with your bat
>She let out a groan
>You just giggled
>If you ever met that big stallion again, you'd have to thank him
>You also had to see if you could change your title now
>Princess Mi Amore Cadenza
>Princess of Love and Bats
>It had a wonderful little ring to it if you did say so yourself
>Tucking your bat underneath your arm, you once again turned your attention toward the now crinkled up letter in your hands
>You opened it, and to your surprise it was an actual letter, not something Chrysalis had given you as a distraction to try to coltnap you again
>The handwriting was obviously a colts, written in a small, neat hand
 
Dear Pink Princess,
 
I hope this letter finds you well. I hope you like your bat. I don't know if your aunt told you this, but a place called the Crystal Empire is going to appear up north soon. I don't know if you know anything about it, or if you know who ruled it before it disappeared, but when it does come back you need to bring Fluttershy with you. I promise she'll make taking the kingdom back a hell of a lot easier.
 
Your aunt won't want you to do this. Ignore her. Please. Also, don't let her know about this letter. You only met me the one time, and I didn't make a very good first impression, but trust me. Not taking the yellow shy horse with you will make things a lot harder.
 
Yours, the big green guy
 
>...
>Huh...
>You read the letter again, then one more time
>You remember Auntie Celestia saying something about the Crystal Empire
>She had told you about a heart in the middle of that crystal city, one that could drive away all evil
>She didn't explain it very well, being as mysterious and vague as always, but you remembered the name
>You frowned
"Very, very strange alright..."
>Chrysalis let out another groan, bringing you back to reality
>You looked down at her, folding up your letter before tossing it into the air
>With a thought, it went up in flames, turning into nothing but ash before it hit the ground
>Usually, you wouldn't listen to strange stallions, no matter how large or strange they were
>But, that being said, he HAD given you a bat
>At the very least you could humor him a bit, right?
>Snapping your fingers, you lifted Chrysalis into the air
"We'll see if this Crystal Empire appears anytime soon. For now, lets get you to the dungeons. I'm sure they have a cramped and wet cell waiting just for you, you cunt."
>Bound in your magic, Chrysalis just groaned yet again
 
~_~_~_~_~
 
>Pain
>You felt it in every cell of your body
>Parts of you you had never felt before hurt
>Everything was blurry and faint
>It was so hard to breathe that you found yourself passing out from lack of oxygen, though never for long
>The sound of your blood pumping roared in your ears
>All the veins in your arms were black
>Your body was shaking
>Something was leaking out of you
>You couldn't see what it was, but you could FEEL the leaking
>You were somehow both freezing and burning up
>It was scary
>You were scared
>You wanted the pain to stop
>This was so much worse than dying
>If you died at least it'd be all over
>"Well, well, well, what in Equestria do we have here? Looks like I found the stallion of the hour! Goodie me!"
>Somehow, you were able to lift your head up
>There was someone in front of you; who, you couldn't quite make out
>They also seemed to be saying something, though you didn't hear a word of it
>A pony maybe?
>"You seem to be in quite a state. It's been a long time since I've seen somepony in so much pain. You really must have upset somepony big in the grand scheme of things. Here, lets see if uncle Discord can help."
>Something touched your forehead
>It was sharp, cool
>The second it touched you, the pain went away, allowing you to suck a proper lungful of air
>You gasped and sputtered, before turning your head and emptying the contents of your stomach all over the ground, along with what looked like blood
>Speaking of blood, you could feel it dripping down your nose, out of your ears, even out of the corners of your eyes
>At least you hoped it was blood and not brain matter
>You already didn't have enough of that stuff as it was
>"There we go! Right as rain. Well... right-ish."
>You were about to slump over, but a paw stopped you
>Shaking like a leaf, you looked up
>It was Discord
>That pain in the ass, mismatched demon
>God, if your legs were working you'd have kissed him
>Your body jerked as you began to dry heave, only saved from kissing the cold, hard dirt because of Discord
>Relief swept through you
>Nothing you had ever done had felt that horrible
>Not Fluttershy's stare, not drinking bleach, nothing
>You weren't afraid to die, but now you knew there were things much worse than dying
>Much, much worse
>The relief swelled and swelled until, to your shame, you let out a sob
>Tears filled your vision
>Were you in the right state of mind, you'd be horrified with yourself right now, but you couldn't help it
>It was like your body was acting all on it's own and you were just there for the ride
>Discord held you upright as you dry heaved, shook, and cried with an almost bored expression on his face
>"Come on, don't be such a little colt about this, Anonymous. You were only just about to be erased from existence. No need to make such a big deal out of something so silly. Next you'll be complaining that you can't vote! Honestly, there's something wrong with you modern stallions!"
>With a snap of his fingers, a glass of chocolate milk appeared right next to you
>You took it, emptying the whole glass in two swallows, and almost puking it all back up
>Discord then summoned a rag, which he used to clean the spit, tears, snot, and blood from your face
>"Come on, chin up. The big, bad otherworldly thing can't hurt you while I'm here. For now."
>Slowly, you began to calm down
>The tears stopped, as did the sobbing
>You even got enough strength back to keep from falling over
>It took a good, long while, but you were eventually able to speak
"That... fucking sucked."
>"It seemed like it, my boy. Usually, when somepony is erased, it happens in a flash. You seemed somewhat resistant. Unfortunately for you," The draconequus said, tugging on his beard. "Now get that fanny up. You have a wagon to get back to."
>You were hauled to your feet, only to fall back down onto your knees
>Discord clicked his tongue, and with a snap of his paw, candy canes appeared on either side of both legs
>He lifted you back up to your feet away, and the candy canes kept you upright
>"Come on, before the sun goes down," he said with another snap
>You began walking
>Well, more stumbling than walking, but it was something
>Discord floated right next to you, arms folded against his chest
>The two of you were quiet as you both made your way toward town
"Discord?"
>"Hmmm?"
"Thank you, for whatever you did."
>Discord scoffed
>"You know, I had come down here to teach you a lesson, young stallion. Hitting your elders like you were some rotten crook; shame on you."
>He tsked
>"If I were a harsher Spirit of Chaos, I would have let you suffer for a bit longer."
"What even was happening to me?"
>"You were being erased, like I said. Not just killed; you were being made to disappear, from hearts, from minds, even from reality. You're lucky I got here when I did, otherwise all of your hard work would have gone up in smoke."
>You swallowed, throat dry
"Do you know what was trying to do that to me?"
>"I have some ideas," Discord said. "There aren't many creatures that could do something like that. Certainly no mere god or goddess. Whoever they are, they're a might bit scarier than myself."
>He looked over at you, eyes narrowed slightly
>"My boy?"
"Yeah?"
>"What is your name?"
"My name? It's Anon. You know it is. You called me by my name the second you saw me, remember?"
>"No. We both know that's not your name. Tell me what it is."
>You frowned, looking away from him
>"Tell me your real name," he said. "Don't you think I deserve something for saving you? You tell me your name and we'll be square. Pinkie Promise."
"..."
>"Just your first name would be fine, or your last name if you prefer."
"..."
>"What about the first letter in either?"
"Shut up."
>"Could you tell me what your father looked like? Or your mother? Do you remember their name. Did you have any family?"
"Shut. Up."
>"Do you remember anything from your original world? Your hopes, your dreams? What was your favorite color? Your favorite food? What color was the sky on your world? Were you always green? Could you--"
>You turned to face him
"What does that have to do with anything?" you demanded.
>Discord stopped his floating, lowering himself on his mismatched limbs
>You were a giant here, but he was larger still, towering over you
>He was staring down at you strangely
>"I think you're ankle deep in trouble you can't even begin to understand, Anonymous," he said. "I'm all for a little chaos, but changing fate?"
>He gestured toward the book still hidden underneath your shirt
>It still felt unnaturally warm
>"That is another thing entirely. No wonder you humans have such a horrible reputation. Heaven knows what will happen if you keep it up. If you continue to push, something might break, and if that happens the very world could be altered. Still..."
>He smiled his ugly, single-toothed smile
>"I want to see what happens. Come, lets get you back to the wagon. You still have work to do."
 
 
>Be Trixie
>The Grrrrrrreat and Powerful!
>Things had been very... strange lately
>There you had been, getting more and more upset at each performance
>Your acts had suffered, and more than once you had been run out of one of the many towns you visited
>What Twilight Sparkle had done to you festered like a wound
>You had wanted that mare to pay
>Not the buck-her-coltfriend-to-get-back-at-her sort of payback
>You had wanted to hurt her, and not only her but the ones she cared about as deeply and painfully as you could
>Honestly? You had been in a very dark place
>But then this weird, ugly, giant stallion had come into your life
>Anon, he called himself
>Anon the human; whatever the hay a human was
>He was a ill-tempered, disrespectful, noisy stallion that ate far too much of your food
>He needed a good kick in the mouth too, just to adjust that little attitude of his
>Luckily for him, The Great and Powerful Trixie did not hurt stallions unless they were into rough play
>That and he was twice your size
>Not that you couldn't beat him up if you wanted to, since you were great and powerful in all things, stallion-beating included, but you didn't want to test that out at this time
>Still, despite his looks and manners and general disposition, he had been like a splash of cold water to your mental health
>Revenge no longer invaded every thought
>You had been sleeping better, looking after yourself
>Heck, with his help, your wagon was looking brand new!
>Sure, he had lied to your face and threatened you with jailtime so you'd help him stop a dangerous unicorn, but you had to admit that you owed the human for his help
>Not that you'd ever say that to him of course, but still
>It had been a few days since you had returned to Ponyville
>The place was as uncultured and filthy as you had remembered
>It was so country that you half expected banjos playing and mares kissing their brothers
>Country bumpkin town or not, they did seem to have a rather extensive market
>You had stocked up on everything you had needed, along with something very special
>Fireworks
>Anon had insisted that you get as many as you could
>When you asked why, he simply insisted that you'd need them for the act you were going to perform at this place called "Our Town"
>Did he know how to set up a performance, or everything that went into doing something like that?
>Absolutely not, but he wouldn't hear anything from you
>Typical colt; they're right even when they have no bucking idea what they're talking about
>After getting everything you had "needed", you moved your wagon around the outskirts of the town and waited for Anon to do whatever he needed to do in Ponyville
>You had expected him to turn up with bags full of clothing and colty knick-knacks that he didn't need
>What happened was that he turned up, pale and shaken, helped by Discord
>The bucking Lord of Chaos turned up at your wagon at the drop of the hat
>Scared the crackers out of you
>He said hello to you, all smiles with his creepy red eyes, then she did... something to your wagon
>You had no idea what
>It didn't look any different, but when he snapped his claw something felt strange
>Anon seemed a bit more relaxed after he did it
>They talked quietly for a bit before the draconequus disappeared in a puff of pink smoke
>The human had gone into the wagon, laid down onto the floor near your bed--it was too small to fit him; besides, you weren't sharing a bed--and passed out
>A few days had passed since then, and Anon was different
>He was quieter, more sullen
>You could barely get a rise out of him no matter what you tried
>Sometimes, you needed to make him eat
>Most of the time he'd just stare off down the road as your wagon ate up the miles
>In most cases, you wouldn't have much of an issue with this
>You loved nothing more than a colt that kept his mouth shut
>But Anon seemed a tad traumatized, which made you wonder what the hay had happened in Ponyville
>Did some mare molest him or something?
>You sure as heck hoped that hadn't happened
>As your wagon chugged along, you looked over at the human
>He had his hands in his lap, looking at nothing in particular
>You cleared your throat
>There was no reaction from him
>You tried again, this time louder
>Again, nothing
>This time, you nudged his ribs with your elbow as you cleared your throat
>He jumped, looking over at you with a frown
"You know, you never told Trixie what happened in Ponyville," you said.
>He grunted, looking back to the road
>"I was talking to some ponies."
"Oh? Did whatever they say to you put you into your little rut?"
>"Rut?"
"Yes, a rut. Some mare didn't touch you, did they?"
>Anon snorted
>"No," he said, shoulders slumping. "I just realized that I could really, actually die."
"What?! Is somepony trying to kill you?" you asked, wide eyed
>Thankfully, the human shook his head
>"Not... exactly. Not a pony at least," he said. "I just learned that there's a very good chance that I'm able to die. It's a lot to take in, and I'm still trying to process it I guess."
>You let his words settle in, though with each second that passed you found your eyes narrowing
"...That is the stupidest thing Trixie has ever heard," you said, looking over at him. "Of course you can die. Everypony dies. What kind of school did you go to that said you couldn't die?"
>"I'm talking about a different kind of dying," Anon said defensively
"There's no different kind of dying," you replied with a shake of your head. "Dying is dying, slow or quick. Unless you become a princess, there's no getting away from it."
>Honestly, you had been worried there for a second...
>But no, he was just being a dumb stallion...
>Next he'd tell you the weather worked on it's own or something stupid like that...
"And so what if you're going to die?" you continued. "Many ponies aren't on this earth for a long time, so we may as well enjoy ourselves while we're here."
>"We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time..."
"Exactly! Now quit being so glum. The only thing worse than a prissy colt is a sad one. BE. HAPPY. You get to spend your days with the Grrrreat and Powerful Trixie; most aren't so lucky!"
>It was quiet then for some time
>You snuck peeks over at him ever so often
>He looked thoughtfully ahead, processing your words
>As he should!
>You weren't just a pretty face and magnificent talent after all!
>He suddenly stood up straight, rolling his shoulders
>"That might have been the worst pep talk I've ever heard in my life," he said with a grin
>You made a suitably outraged noise
>Quickly glancing around to see if anypony else was on the road or looking at you, you smack his chest
"Trixie is one of the greatest pep talkers that have ever lived, colt!" you said, puffing your chest out
>Anon chuckled
>"Could have fooled me," he said. "Trixie?"
"What?" you said, a little more angrily that you should have
>"Thanks for trying. I get what you were trying for, and I think you're right."
>He looked up at the sky
>"If I'm gonna fucking die I'm dying making a goddamn difference. Even if no one remembers me, even if the dying is awful. I'm not gonna stop; stopping and being alive would be so much worse."
>He shivered, a haunted look coming to his eyes for a moment before he turned his attention back toward you
>It appeared as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders
>As you thought it would
>You were VERY good at talking to stallions
>Usually, the conversation would end up with the stallion in question without any pants on with his muzzle mashed into your marehood, but it was nice to see that you could use your silver tongue for good too
"You are very welcome," you said with a smile. "Also, Trixie believes that we need to begin to get the performance ready for this strange mare you keep referring to but never properly explaining."
>The human nodded
>"I agree. We got a lot of work to do."
 
~_~_~_~_~_~_
 
>Be Anon
>This was it
>You were here, maybe ten or twenty miles out of Manehatten in the infamous "Our Town"
>The ground was rocky and barren
>There were houses placed seemingly at random
>Each house was made of wood; they were uniform and looked a little worse for wear
>There was no color, no sense of expression, just a bunch of creepy horses with smiles that looked like they were glued on
>Trixie was somewhere in her wagon, getting ready for her "introduction", leaving you out on top of the thing, dressed to the nines with a suit that Discord had made you with a snap of his claws
>It was real nice, though the top hat and the bowtie were a bit much in your opinion
>You felt exposed and unsettled, as if someone were watching you
>A pony someone, not whatever the fuck tried to erase you a week or so ago
>The "ponies" that walked around wore uniform grey one pieces, both mares and stallions
>Twilight from the last dimension had told you that none of these ponies had cutiemarks
>You couldn't see them with their clothes on, but you were sure it was the same here as well
>There seemed something off about these ponies, and not just their creepy smiles
>Their color seemed duller than a ponies' should have been
>They all looked a bit lost too; lost and unsure
>There was something about their eyes that made you skin crawl when they looked at you
>Still, you needed to be a trooper
>This would be all over soon, one way or another
>The townsponies seemed interested as you rode by
>Some even stopped what they were doing to follow you
>There were a couple dozen, not the two hundred or so souls that Twilight had told you made up this town so long ago
>It must have meant that ponies had only started coming here recently
>Why, you had no idea
>Starlight was a fucking weirdo
>She didn't have the sort of charisma that a cult leader needed
>Then again, common sense had started going right out the fucking window after Chrysalis had crashed Shining and Cadence's wedding back in horse-universe
>It looked like you were here before this dumb shit could fester
>You rode into the very center of the tiny town, stopping the wagon
>It looked like nearly every resident was at least looking over at you
>You loudly cleared your throat, standing up and spreading out your arms
"Colts and gentlefillies, may I please have your attention! For one day and one day only, the greatest magician and showmare in the WORLD is here to give you the performance of a lifetime!"
>You stomped your foot down onto the lever right below you like Trixie had said
>There was a click, and the side of the wagon sprung open
>A whole ass stage sprung out through clever pullies and wooden joints and springs and a whole mess of other shit
>And there, standing in the middle of the stage, striking a pose, was Trixie
>"Citizens of Our Town. Trixie is here to defeat mundanity and give you a show that you'll NEVER FORGET!"
>You jumped off the top of the wagon, landing onto the stage next to the unicorn
>The first time you had tried it whilst practicing your parts in the performance, you had almost broken your ankle, but thankfully you managed to stick the landing
"Get a chair, steal a box, sit on the ground if you need to! You won't want to miss a single second of this!"
>The crowd murmured
>Some began to look around, as if searching for someone
>Trixie nudged you
>You looked over at her, and she nudged her head at your pants
>Closing your eyes, you sighed, then did your best to smile
"Did I forget to mention that if I'm not careful, one of the tricks you'll see tonight might leave me as naked as a blue jay?"
>Almost every mare in attendance perked up
>Their hesitation forgotten, the crowd began to scramble for seating
"I swear to god if I actually get naked I'm ripping your arms off."
>"Hush. Just smile and wave like the cute stallion that they all think you are."
>It took a few minutes, but almost fifty ponies were seated right in front of the stage
>Fifty sets of eyes were staring up at you
>Waiting
>Being an anti-social weirdo that didn't like crowds in any situation, you found yourself freezing in place under so much scrutiny
>"Anon."
>You got another elbow to the ribs, making you grunt
>You looked over at Trixie
>"Don't think about the crowd," she said. "Just remember the routine. Trixie's excellence will outshine any mistakes on your part."
>You nodded, forcing yourself to let out the breath you had been holding
"Alright."
>You stepped toward the end of the stage, doing your best to calm your nerves
>Thinking about all of them in their underwear wouldn't help, since they were all furry abominations, so you just went for it
>The next few minutes were warming the crowd up
>Talking, doing some simple tricks with with a pack of playing cards that Trixie showed you
>The crowd oohed and aahed, watching each trick with wide eyes
>There was something so silly about a race that could do actual magic mesmerized by silly tricks
>You found yourself becoming less robotic and getting into it a little bit
>As your last trick--picking a stallion's card from the deck while he held it--ended, the crowd cheered and clapped and stomped their hooves
>As you bowed, it kinda felt pretty good
>No wonder Trixie did this sort of thing for a living...
>You weren't able to think much on that, since it was Trixie's turn
>Where it took you a bit to get going, she was on full blast right out of the gate, interacting with the crowd, talking, laughing, strutting around the stage like she was born to do it
>Her tricks were a heck of a lot better than yours too
>She was doing shit you couldn't make heads or tails of
>There was sword juggling, rabbits and other animals being pulled out of hats
>She was somehow able to walk off the stage and float around without any wires that you could see
>You KNEW Trixie only knew the most basic of magic, so she wasn't using any sort of spells
>But you had no fucking idea how she was doing all of it
>It was so nuts at some points that you just had to stop and watch her along with the crowd
>Thankfully, she was effortlessly able to get you into the swing of things as her assistant
>You handed her stuff, got into boxes, she even blindfolded you at one point
>You didn't know exactly what she did while you were blindfolded, but whenever the trick was done the crowd went fucking nuts
>She went from one trick to the next, only giving the crowd a few moments to clap and cheer before doing some even grander
>And there you were, doing your best to keep up
>It didn't matter if you stumbled or you went blank on what to do next; she was right there, making you seem like some sort of professional
>Say what you will about Trixie, but she seemed to be able to put on one hell of a show
>As much as you would have liked to just bask in the clapping and cheering, you kept an eye out even as you helped the unicorn
>Starlight hadn't been with the crowd that sat down in front of the stage
>She was probably somewhere being fucking shit and doing shit horse things
>Communist little turd
>Hopefully she was still in town somewhere, and if she was you could only hope that the crowd was loud enough to get her to come out to figure what was going on, because if not this was going to be a much bigger pain in the ass than it needed to be
>Ten minutes into the act, she still wasn't there
>Twenty minutes into the forty minute show, you were starting to get really, really nervous
>But then you caught a flash of purple and teal
>There was Starlight, in that STUPID haircut of hers, wearing a long, white, cult-y gown
>Around her neck was some weird necklace, and she was holding a staff
>The one she pretended to use to take cutiemarks off ponies
>You stopped dead in your tracks, bile rushing to your throat just at the sight of her
>You had tried to mentally prepare for seeing her again, but right away you could tell that it hadn't worked
>You had hated Horse-Glimmer, but as an anthro abomination?
>Doubly so; maybe even triply
>You saw red, and if it weren't for Trixie shoving an armful of, thankfully, dull swords into your hands, you might have jumped off the stage at her
>Starlight seemed annoyed as she walked toward you, standing at the back of the crowd of ponies with her arms crossed
>As discreetly as you could, you nudged Trixie, giving her "the signal"
>With a nose scrunch, some rapid blinks, and tapping a finger against your chest, you let her know that the hen was now in the cock house
>She turned toward the crowd, quickly scanning all the faces before bowing deeply
>"Trixie hopes that you've all been having a wonderful time today. Trixie knows that she has," she said, standing back up to get full height and adjusting her hat. "You've been a LOVELY audience, and right now I believe it's time to have one of you come on stage to help Anon and I with a little trick. Would anypony like to come up?"
>Immediately, a dozen hands shot up
>Ponies started calling out, some even standing up and waving
>Trixie let out a loud hum, pretending to look around to pick
>"How about... you, in the back. The one holding the staff," she said, pointing at Starlight
>The crowd looked back at the unicorn
>Many tensed, ears folding against skulls
>Starlight perked up, eyes widening in surprise
>She looked around, then pointed at herself
>Like she wasn't the only fucking pony here holding goddamn staff...
>Fucking idiot...
>Fucking dumb, stupid, shit idiot...
>"Yep, you. Please come on up and help us dazzle the crowd."
>Slowly, Starlight made her way toward the stage
>The crowd parted as she walked
>Finding your happy place, you reached out with a hand
>Starlight took it, and it took every ounce of your willpower to just lift her up onto the stage
>No punching, no throwing, no headbutting
>Nice and calm...
>Nice and calm...
>"Thank you," Starlight said, dusting herself off before turning to Trixie
>"Thank you very much for coming up here, Ms..." Trixie began.
>"My name is Starlight Glimmer," Starlight said. "I actually happen to be the leader of this town."
>"Oh, well, then it's very nice to meet you, Ms. Glimmer," Trixie replied with a bow. "This seems to be a... fine town. Isn't that right, Anon?"
>You said nothing, just looking down at Starlight
>If you were quick enough, you could grab her and suplex the mare off the stage
>It'd probably kill the both of you, but holy hell would it be worth it...
"Yeah... sure."
>Starlight puffed her chest out
>"Well, thank you very much," she said. "Myself and everypony here worked hard to build it up. More and more ponies are flocking here every day. In no time, I have a feeling that this town might become a city and then, who knows?"
>Her eyes wandered to Trixie's hip, where her cutiemark would be
>"Would you both like to come to my home after your little show? I'd like to speak with you about some... things."
"I'm sure you would, you fucking cunt?"
>"What was that, cutie?" the unicorn asked, looking over at you
"Hmm? Oh, I was just saying that there's nothing that's little about this show. You're actually in the presence of one of the greatest magicians in the world."
>Starlight tried to hide a snort by coughing into a hand
>"It does seem pretty cute; using no magic and all," she said. "None that I could see at least."
>"No magic? Trixie assures you that everything she does it not only magical, but it's beyond magic," Trixie said, flapping her cape. "Super magic, if you will."
>"It is... something alright," Starlight said, adopting the tone of someone talking to a child. "It's not very magical however. It's neat, in it's own way, but not magical."
"Oh, and you know a thing or two about magic?"
>Starlight smirked
>"Yes. That's one way of putting it."
>You and Trixie looked at each other
>You then looked at the crowd out of the corner of your eye
>Everypony was watching you three in dead silence
>The excitement and joy that had been on ponies' faces was gone, replaced with anxiety and fear
>You had asked horse-Starlight why ponies stayed in her town after she took their cutiemarks, or if they ever asked to get them back
>She had never answered you, quickly changing the subject
>Seeing this first-hand, you had a feeling that the ponies here might be more prisoners than residents
>Just the thought made you upset
>This horse right here had done--and was going to do-- so much fucked up shit
>Steal cutiemarks, try to destroy reality, try to hurt Twilight and her friends
>All for some colt that she was friends with when they were little
>And not only doesn't anything happen to her, but she got to become Twilight's student
>Her STUDENT!
>Twilight was perfectly fine turning a child into a statue, but a super-powered psycho with stallion issue was able to run around without so much as a fuss!
>That familiar anger built up again
>You closed a hand into a fist and took a deep breath
>On the exhale, you forced that hand open, taking a step toward the unicorn
>Starlight was a bit taller than Trixie, but these ponies were all tiny to you
>You towered over the mare, and as she looked up at you she seemed to realize it, taking a hasty step backwards
"I detect a little jealously there, Mrs. Glimmer," you said
>Starlight blinked
>"Jealously? Why in Equestria would I be jealous?" she asked
>You looked up at Trixie
>She looked puzzled, which was perfect since you had no fucking idea where you were going with this
>One step in front of the other...
>You'd get somewhere...
>Hopefully...
>If not, you could still try punching her...
"This town of yours is nice and all, and I'm sure you're a very magical little unicorn--"
>Starlight's ear flattened against her skull as you emphasized the word "little"
"--but I saw you watching our show. You seemed utterly amazed at what you were watching."
>"Amazed? No, I was just curious what was going on," Starlight said, looking out into the crowd, who recoiled the second she did so. "A good leader keeps an eye out on her ponies after all."
"You don't need to tell anyone here tales, Ms. Glimmer. I know child-like wonder when I see it."
>"The only child-like thing here is this 'magic' of yours," Starlight said, looking over at Trixie. "I don't mean to be rude, miss, but can you tell this big stallion to be quiet? A colt should be seen, not heard."
>It was Trixie's turn to snort
>"Oh believe me, Trixie's tried. Unfortunately, Anonymous here isn't the type of stallion to listen."
>You took another step toward Starlight, giving her your toothiest smile as you pulled out a deck of cards
"You keep calling what we did here today childish, Ms. Magic Mare, but I think what we're doing is a bit more advanced than whatever magic you can do."
>"Oh really?" Starlight said, horn glowing
>She disappeared with a pop
>You looked over your shoulder just in time to see her reappear
>"How about that?" she asked, hands on her hips
"Teleportation is a neat trick, but any pony in Canterlot could do something like that," you told her
>Starlight's brow furrowed at your words, a frown coming to her face
>"Is that so? Well, how about this?"
>A beam of magic shot out of her horn, hitting a stool that you and Trixie had just used for one of your tricks
>It disappeared into a flash of purple light
>In it's place was a book
>You snorted
>You used to live with the most magical purple mare in all the land
>There probably wasn't a spell out there that you hadn't seen or heard about
"Transfiguration. Very nice, miss," you said with a nod. "And still..."
>Starlight gritted her teeth, horn crackling to life yet again
>She became a blur, racing from one side of the stage to another so fast that it would have made Rainbow Dash jealous
>The crowd of ponies let out a "ooh!"
"Acceluro," you said, inspecting your card deck
>Starlight stopped
>With a growl, she closed her eyes
>The twinkle of her magic turned into what only could be described as a jet engine noise
>You watched as a ribbon of light surrounded her
>When it disappeared, two Starlight were standing in front of you, looking smug
>The crowd now let out an "aah!"
>"How about THIS, smart aleck?" they both asked
"Simulo duplexus combined with acceluro," you replied without missing a beat, pulling the cards out of its little cardboard box and starting to shuffle them
>You could hear Trixie take a few hasty steps back
>The crowd also looked like they were about to make a break for it
>To be honest, you were a bit concerned as well
>You knew Starlight was an autist, but you never thought she'd be so easy to rile up
>No wonder her followers were terrified of her
>The fucking garbage, horrible horse...
>Even so, you did your best to appear cool and collected, shuffling the cards
>Under Trixie's tutelage, you had learned some fancy ways to shuffle
>Arching the cards into the air so they fell into a hand, spinning them around midair, stuff like that
>You honestly weren't too bad at it either
"Why don't you stop with those silly tricks and pick a card, Miss? Any card would do."
>"Unlike what you're doing, none of what I did were simple tricks," Starlight spat, stomping over to you and jamming a finger under your chin
>Or, at least trying her best, since she'd have had to hop up to touch your chin
>"This is actual magic. Magic that I've perfected over the years. Magic that some of the most powerful unicorns in history had trouble doing."
>An evil glint came to get eye, her glowing
>"I've even created some spells myself. Like this one."
>She hefted the staff still in her hands, horn glowing as she tapped it against the wooden boards of the stage
>The staff glowed, an eerie green light coming from it
>That light surrounded you
>An evil smile came to Starlight's face
>A smile which, slowly but surely, disappeared as you continued to shuffle your deck
>Dumb horse though you had a cutiemark for some reason
>Or maybe her Staff of Sameness only worked on ponies?
>You're pretty it was just a stick that she pretended was important while she used some spell, so that was probably the case
>You took a step toward her, then another, then another
>Her spell sputtered out, though she stood her ground
>When you were close enough, you spread the cards out, offering them to the now flabbergasted mare
"Starlight Glimmer, please pick a card."
>Starlight just looked up at you
>"...Who the hay are you?" she asked, eyes narrowing
"I'm a simple stallion with a deck of cards in his hand. Now--"
>You leaned down slightly
"Pick a card."
>Not looking away from you, Starlight took a card from the deck
"Very good. Now please take a look at the card."
>She did as you asked, taking a glance at it before stuffing it back into the deck
>"And now I suppose you're going to shuffle that and show me my card?" she asked
"Nope," you replied with a shake of your head, putting the card back into a neat little stack. "You're going to shuffle, for as long as you want; anyway you want."
>You offered the deck to her
>Muttering something under her breath, she snatched the deck out of your hands and began to shuffle them, doing it so forcefully that she was bending and messing up the cards
>You just stood there, hands behind your back
"You know, there's many types of magic. Normal, everyday magic, chaotic magic, the magic of friendship--"
>Starlight let out a guffaw at that
"So many, all with different uses. You seem like a pretty smart mare, Starlight."
>"Of course I'm smart. How many idiots have ever built up a town from nothing?"
"More than you think I'm pretty sure. Now, could I have that deck back please?"
>The deck was placed into your hand, and you started shuffling it yourself
"I'm just saying, magic might not be the sort of thing that will help you with your problem."
>"Problem? I don't have any problems!"
"You must, otherwise you wouldn't be out in the middle of nowhere trying to start a town, since you don't seem the type to be bringing ponies together out of the goodness of your heart."
>"You don't know me, colt," Starlight said with an angry flick of her tail
"I don't," you agreed. "I really don't care to either, but I think you trying to figure out what you actually want will be good for everyone. Yourself, the ponies in this town, maybe the whole world. Who knows, but you being in the middle of desert stealing cutiemarks isn't helping anyone."
>"Cutiemarks are vile. They take the decision of what a mare or stallion wants to do with their life away from them," Starlight said, getting into your face, so angry that she didn't even seem to question why you knew about her cutiemark stealing hobby
"As someone without a cutiemark, I would say if I had a mark that told me what I was good at it would have made a whole lot of things easier when I was younger. Now..."
>You stopped your shuffling, picking a card out of the deck
>Looking at it, you flipped it over to the unicorn could see it
"Is this your card?"
>Starlight looked at the three of clubs, nose scrunching up
>"No. No it's not," she said. "Not even close."
>You frowned, looking at the card again yourself
"...Really?"
>"YES!"
>Fuck...
>You did the trick wrong...
>You lowered the deck
>"Well... the point still stands I guess..."
>Starlight's eyes widened
>"Point? POINT?! There was no bucking point in that," she snarled, trying to shove you back. "All you did was flap your gums like the stupid colt you are! This is MY town, these are MY ponies, and you're not--"
"You might find Sunburst if you go from town to town."
>All the anger left her face, and most of the tension left her body, so much so that her knees almost buckled
>She stood there quietly, processing your words
>"W-What?" she whispered. "How do you know that name?"
"Going from town to town might be a pain in the ass, but I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad once you got used to it," you said. "It might help if you know someone that's been all over Equestria too. Someone that can show you some things to keep you both fed and dazzle all the colts. Who knows, you might find someone on the road that you need."
>You stepped to the side, gesturing toward Trixie
>The magician looked as unsure as you had ever seen her, but she still gave Starlight a smile
"Trixie here could use an assistant, since I'm not that good at my job, as you can see. Her wagon would be big enough for the both of you if you packed light. Heck, if you grilled her, she might know or had seen that Sunburst guy during a performance. If not, well, I know she's a bit of a heartbreaker, so she could help you fool around--"
>"NO!" Starlight shouted, before looking back down at the floor. "No... I just... I want to see Sunburst again..."
>Again, crazy, shit horse
>Why the fuck would you care about a horse you only knew for a few years when you were younger?
>It was dumb, but something you'd work with
"Well then, I guess you really need to go get packed then, huh?" you said, stuffing the deck of cards into your pocket. "Trixie here is a very busy mare, and we were supposed to only do the one show."
>There was no hesitation on Starlight's part
>She dropped her magical staff and took off, leaping off the stage and racing toward her house
>You, Trixie, and the crowd watched her go with mixed reactions
"Well... job done. I guess," you said, putting your hands on your hips. "And here I though we were gonna need to blow her up with all the fireworks I made you buy."
>"WHAT?!" Trixie yelled, her head whipping around to look at you. "Blowing her up? I thought you were going to use it for the show!"
"Easy, that wasn't plan A. Plan A was us having a crazy magic/sleight of hand duel. Blowing her up was plan C. Maybe plan D."
>You shrugged, giving her cheek a pat
"Good luck with her. I know you can help fix her up."
>"At least one of us is sure about Trixie's abilities," Trixie said, looking at the house Starlight just disappeared into. "Are you sure Trixie needs to make her her assistant?"
"I am. Give her a bit of time. She's a garbage horse, but I think she'll grow on you," you said. "See if you can help her laid. That might calm her down. If she's still insistent on the Sunburst thing you remember where he's supposed to live, right?"
>"Trixie does."
"Good. Then I'll be off. If you need any help send a letter to Twilight Sparkle, or one of the princess. Hell, send a letter to Discord, I'm sure he'd get it."
>Trixie just nodded
>"Trixie will do her best," she said, puffing her chest out.
>You patted her cheek
"I'm sure you will. Just make sure she doesn't try to destroy the world please."
>The mare suddenly darted forward, hugging you
>"Anon... Thank you. For all your help," she said
"I didn't do that much. It was mostly you."
>"Trixie does not feel the same way, but it's nice to find a stallion that's willing to humble himself."
>You both chuckled
>The unicorn broke the hug, looking up at you
>"Are you sure you don't wish to come with me?" she asked.
"I'm very sure," you replied. "All this traveling isn't good for me. I'm a homebody by nature. Don't worry though, I'm sure I'll see you again. Look for me in Ponyville whenever you want to visit."
>She nodded, taking a step back
>"So what will you do now? Do you have more plans to save Equestria?"
>You could feel the book against your chest
>It felt cold against your bare skin
>Looking up, you slowly started to nod
"I don't think so. I think I've done everything I can. For now I just have to trust that I've done enough."
>You looked back down at her, smiling
"I'm going to Ponyville now I think, if I can get there before some guard eventually catches me. But first, I need a sledgehammer. These ponies need their cutiemarks back."
>With that, you hopped off the stage, head held high
>Man...
>You hoped you actually did everything alright...