Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the search for Anonymous' body CH2

>You are Anonymous.

>And you just killed a pony.

“Oh god oh god oh god oh god…”

>The white unicorn and orange pegasus gape at you.

>”What in the hay…” the orange one splutters, poking you between your non-existent eyes.

>The white one tenses up, as if to scream.

“No, don’t scream! Put your hoof in your mouth if you have to, Just. Don’t. Scream.”

>She blinks comically, before dazedly bending down to the body of the earth pony.

>”S-she’s not dead! Just unconscious…” the filly whispers.

“Really? Oh thank god, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.” You sigh in relief.

>The orange one stares you down angrily. “You don’t even have a heart! And why in the hay are y’scaring my friends like that!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t plan for being awoken after years of sleep!” you say in a pout. “You little numpties are going to be the death of me!”

>”You’re already dead!”

“And what? That makes me a worse person, does it? How dare you!”

>”I… I never said that! And keep your voice down, Twilight will hear you!”

>Suddenly, darkness surrounds you as you’re tossed roughly into the bag.

>”Are you ok?” asks a voice, belonging to the white unicorn.

>”Ah think so… what just happened?” says a southern voice, presumably the red-haired earth pony.

>”We… you might wanna take a breath for this…” the tomboy mutters.

>The bag is whipped off you, and you flash your best smile at the horrified pony.

“I’m really glad you’re not dead!”

>Ok, perhaps that wasn’t the best thing to say.

>”This don’t make no sense! How’re y’talkin’ when you’re just a head!”

“I’m not entirely sure, to be honest!”

>”An’ what are ya, anyway! I ain’t never seen a skull like yours before.”

“I’m a human, my dear. Ring a bell at all?”

>The three fillies shake their heads.

“Oh well, it was worth a shot. Anywhom, let’s get down to business, shall we? I’d rub my hands in glee, if I had any!”

>The white one steps forward. “What do you mean by ‘business’?”

“Well, knowing your names would be a start!”

>The fillies share a hesitant look, before nodding.

>”Sweetie Belle.”

>”Scootaloo."

>”Applebloom.” The earth-pony grunts, eyes filled with distrust.

“Splendid! I’d shake your hooves to be polite, but you know, no arms.”

>Sweetie Belle lifts you up off the floor, so that you’re head-height with the trio.

“Well then, now that we’ve stopped fainting and introduced ourselves, I would like to know how and why the three of you found yourselves in here.”

>”Ah could ask you the same thing, mister. Talkin’ skulls don’t just end up in ponies’ attics for no reason.”

“Right you are! But since I asked first, it’s only polite that you answer first.”

>”Hmmph. Well, alrighty then, ah’ll tell ya. We were lookin’ for a map-“

“What kind of map?”

>”A treasure map!”

“A treasure map? How delightful…”

>You begin to ponder the situation.

“Hmm… a treasure map…”

>The trio of fillies huddle around each other, muffling their conversation, but you can still hear snippets of it.

>”No map… cutie marks… treasure… we can’t…”

“Say, girls? I have a proposition for you…”

>They turn and glare with justified suspicion.

>“Oh yeah? And what could you offer us?” Sweetie Belle says.

“Well, I could perhaps help you on this… treasure hunting…”

>The fillies’ eyes widen.

>”Y-ya could?” Applebloom stutters.

“Oh of course, my dear!” you cackle. “This old skull still holds a secret or two… and all you’ll have to do is help me with one, small favour…”

>”What’s that?” the fillies coo in chorus.

>You burst out laughing.

“Well, you can all help me find my body, of course!”

>”Your… body?”

“Did I stutter, dear Scootaloo? My body I need, as well as your help.” You gently rock side-to-side, demonstrating your lack of movement.

>”So we’ll carry ya along to your body. Then what?”

“Well Applebloom, then I hold up my end of the bargain. I’ll dance a merry jig to the treasure only I know about… and shazam!”

>Sweetie Belle frowns. “And what if you’re lying? What if you just run off as soon as we get your body back?”

>You grin.

“Well my dear, all I can offer is my promise that I’ll help. If you think I’m lying, then please… feel free to put me back in the box.”

>The trio shares another concerned look.

>”Can we talk it over?”

“Of course, Applebloom. Take your time, a few minutes in an endless lifetime means naught to me!”

>Applebloom nods and herds her friends over to the corner, their whispers eluding you.

>You secretly hoped they’d take you up on the offer: that box was awfully stuffy, and sleep gets monotonous after a few decades…

>After a few quiet minutes, the fillies return to you.

“So, do you accept my offer?”

>”Yeah, we accept it…” Sweetie Belle starts, and you grin. “But you’ve got some explaining to do. About being…”

“I understand, Sweetie Belle. Besides, what point is a story if it isn’t told? No, that wouldn’t do at all!”

>”An’ y’promise to help us get our cutie marks in treasure huntin’?”

“Absolutely! An Anonymous promise is the best promise!”

>Scootaloo looks at you oddly. “Your name is Anonywhat?”

“Anonymous, my winged compatriot!”

>”Who in Equestria would be named… that?”

“Oh, it’s part of my tale, little filly. Speaking of which…”

>You pause as sounds of movement below reach you, fear creeping back into your thoughts.

“I would advise listening to my riveting tale in a more… private, location.”

>”Oh appleseeds, ah forgot we was in Twilight’s house!”

“Indeed. This is a difficult situation… a tactful solution would be to sneak out carefully, no doubt the same way you go in.”

>The fillies nod fearfully, before heading to the ladder entrance.

“I do hope you all aren’t forgetting me…”

>Scootaloo plants a hoof on her face, before quietly sneaking over to you.

>In the bag you go, darkness ever prevalent.

“Now, I don’t mean to put pressure on the three of you, but if we get caught, I’ll be in for a world of hurt…”

>”Why?”

“Little Scootaloo, I happen to be a talking skull. There’s one particular unicorn who would just kill to examine me…”

>Scootaloo blinks in surprise. “Twilight? She wouldn’t hurt you like that!”

“Not intentionally of course, but curiosity killed that cat, as well as the handsome chatty disembodied head. I fear she’d get a little over-enthusiastic with one of her tests, and…”

>”We get it.” Sweetie Belle interjects. “Right now, we gotta get out of Twilight’s attic without getting caught, so we gotta go now!”

“Splendid! I like every part of that that plan, especially the part where we don’t get caught!”

>Your view of the fillies is cut off as the bag is closed over, before you feel yourself being lifted up.

>The attic ladder creaks agonizingly, the fillies’ movement desperately slow.

>A sudden tickling in your nose grabs your attention, and you begin to snort.

“I’m… gonna… sneeze…”

>”Wait until we’re outside!” Sweetie Belle hisses, and you valiantly try to hold back the sneeze.

>As you continue down another flight of stairs, you hear some faint, sleepy mumbling.

>”I’m serious Rainbow Dash. Go. To. Bed.”

>”Y’can't tell me wha t’do!”

>”It’s my house, and I have every right to tell you.”

>”I’m no’ tha drunk, honleshly!”

>An audible sigh of frustration comes from Twilight.

>”Fine, if you won’t go to bed, I’ll just have to carry you down!”

>Your entirely hypothetical stomach sinks.

“Girls, we need to scram, fast!”

>”Mhhmphfhmhp!” Scootaloo gasps, her speech obscured by the bag hanging from her mouth.

>You suddenly jerk violently around in the bag as the fillies bolt down the stairs, before coming to a sudden stop.

>A moment later, you hear a door unlatch and the running resumes, the silence of the night punctuated by the violent slamming of the door behind you.

“Phew! That was a little too close for comfort!”

>”Ah thought we we’re going t’get caught there!”

“Well, we didn’t! Jolly good show, and all that!”

>The bag shakes, and you tumble out onto the grassy ground, landing upright.

“Ah, a fresh night-time air. I’d enjoy it even more if I still had lungs… Anyways, shall we get down to business?”

>”Y’ain’t what we was looking for… but haystacks, you’re better than nothin’. So, we can we find this body of yours?”

“Oh  that’s quite simple, really. In fact, it’s made even simpler by a fortunate fact, my friend! The treasure you seek is not too far from my body itself!”

>Scootaloo grins. “It is? Dude, that’s great!”

“Isn’t it? I get my body, you get your treasure – and your cutie marks, of course  - and we’ll all be satisfied by the end of the night.”

>”So, where is your body then?”

“Good question Sweetie Belle, good question. I remember exactly where it is, down to the last tree-stump…”

>Silence descends upon the four of you.

>”Well then, where is it?” Scootaloo demands.

“Ah, ok. Give me a minute to remember, I know where it is…”

>Applebloom glares at you. “Y’all don’t remember where it is, do ya?”

“No, I know very well where it is! I may have just… er, exaggerated my supposed memory of it.”

>You try your best to put on an awkward grin, as the three fillies glare in unison.

>”You lied to us!”

“I did not, Scootaloo! I know it’s out the way of the Everfree Forest, past a particular tree, down a hole, and at the bottom of the series of intricate caves!”

>”And what, you don’t remember the cave layout!”

“Er, I wouldn’t say… well, yes. I don’t remember. But I’m sure it’ll all come back to me when we get there!”

>Another fierce stare.

>”Fine, we’ll still help ya. But no messin’ around now, y’hear! Mah sister brought me up to be honest, so no more fibbin’!”

“No, not all at. Anonymous puts the “A” back in trustful!”

>”There ain’t no “A” in trustful!” Applebloom exclaims.

“I can tell you’ve been educated excellently, I must applaud your teacher’s efforts.”

>”Quit talking or… you’ll go back in the bag!” Scootaloo exclaims brashly.

>”No, he still needs to tell us his story sure!”

“Applebloom is correct, little Scoots. Now, if we made haste for the forest yonder, I’ll part with my tale…”

>Applebloom pouts, before nodding reluctantly.

>”Alrighty then, let’s get a move on.”

“Lovely, this is most efficacious! I shall require someone to carry me though…”

>Sweetie Belle ponders for a moment, before grinning.

>”Scootaloo, you’re on skull duty!”

>”What? No, you’re on skull duty!”

>”Nu-uh, you’re the only one who can carry him!”

>”Whatddya mean I’m the only who one can carry him?”

“Apologies for my interjection, but your feathery appendages would be most useful in keeping me propped upright.”

>”He’s right Scootaloo, I can’t carry him with magic and Applebloom can’t balance him that well.

>Scootaloo gulps. “B-but what about the sack? Can’t we just put him back in that?”

“That sack is awful though, and it severely limits my capacity to converse…”

>Scootaloo opens her mouth to argue, before sighing in defeat.

>”Fine, put him on my back.”

>She shivers as you are set onto her back, propped gently against a tickling wing.

“Well then, now that I’m secure and sound, time to tell my tale!”

>Scootaloo takes to the centre of the adventuring trio, as you begin to make your way to the forest.

“It all began hundreds of years ago… in the forest that awaits us.”

>The fillies’ eyes widen.

>”H-hundreds of years?”

“Oh yes, my ersatz equine comrades. This tale has been spun by fate for a long time now… so long, that even the great quilt of death doesn’t cover me…”

>The fillies are enraptured by your opening, and you cackle.

“But before we get to the inevitability of death, some context is necessary.”

>You clear your non-existent throat.

“I was a human, back in my home world. Sadly, I cannot remember much about it… even its name escapes me. My family, my life, who I was… time has claimed them all.”

>”That’s… that’s horrible!” Sweetie Belle cries, all hostility from earlier forfeited for pure sympathy.

“It’s a shame, yes… but I worked with it. It’s a miracle I’m still alive- well, maybe that’s not an appropriate term. But I can still think, and I can still help.”

>”So, how’d you die then?” Scootaloo asks bluntly. “If you’re not from here, how’d you get here and kick the bucket?”

“Good question, but I have no answer… I just remember waking up in a town far west, Las Pegasus perhaps? I kept low, as to not cause a stir, while I tried to work out how and why I was in horseyland. When the… decomposition kicked in, I almost went mad. Soon, I was naught but animated bone.”

>”Las Pegasus? How’d you end up below Everfree then?”

“I wandered throughout Equestria, aimless and lost. Miraculously evading capture, I got lost in the forest, wandered through the caves, and gave up. I lay down, closed my long-gone eyes, and slept.

>You pause, collecting your thoughts.

“It wasn’t to last, though. After dozens and dozens of years, I was disturbed from my rest… Diamond dogs…”

>”Diamond dogs!” the fillies cry out as one.

“Oh yes! Down the cave they came, mining and pillaging the untouched tunnels. They came across my long-gone body, and… took my head!”

>”They took your head? But why?”

“I do not know, Scootaloo. Perhaps they thought it was a rare find of some sort – they’re miners by nature by they’ll take money when it presents itself. Anyways, my skull ended going further around equestrian than my body ever did. From Fillydelphia to Appleloosa, up to Seaddle and back… I was quite the collector’s item it seemed.”

>Applebloom snorts in disbelief. ”How in the hay didya not get caught out?”

“Luck, I suppose. I managed to hide the fact that… well, I can talk and all that jazz. Eventually, I passed from a certain artefacts dealer into the hooves of the library’s previous owner. I was kept on the desk as a paperweight for a good few years – terribly boring work, of course – but it allowed me to siphon a good amount of information regarding this land.”

>You take another pause.

“Then of course, Twilight moved in. She initially regarded me with some enthusiasm, perhaps sensing I was not an ordinary bonehead… but sometime past, she tired of my presence: locked me in that crate, and left me. And so I was to stay there… that is, of course, until you three came along.”

>The fillies silently process your story, a look of horror and awe etched into their faces.

>”Whoa…” Scootaloo says, finally breaking the silence. “You’d had it pretty rough, dude.”

“Indeed… but now fate has bestowed upon us all a marvellous opportunity, wouldn’t you agree?”

>Another moment of silence, before the ponies grin.

>”Yeah, you’re right!”

“And would you fancy that… we’re already at the forest edge!”

>Before you loomed the outskirts of the forest. Dark, threatening, foreboding…

“Well, this place certainly lost its charm over the years. No matter, let us press on at once!”

>The fillies flinch.

>”Hey, I any of y’all want to back out now… well, ah ain’t gonna judge.”

>Scootaloo gulps. “N-no, we’re cutie mark crusaders, and we ain’t gonna back down!”

>”Yeah!” Sweetie Belle exclaims. “Cutie mark crusader treasure hunter body finders!”

>The fillies (or rather the “Cutie Mark Crusaders” as they just referred to themselves) all high-five each other at once.

>The disturbance causes you to roll off Scootaloo’s back, landing face down in the dirt.

“Well, aren’t you all off to a flying start…”