Hunter In Equestria: Chapter 17

Three days had passed since Trixie's horrific end. Twilight had shut herself off from everypony save you and Spike, but she hadn't been brooding or angry. The green eyes and red irises persisted, along with those black smoke-like trails from the corners of her eyes, but she was still cheerful. It was... strange.

 

That amulet would make a dark pulse every few hours, and it would cause a case of goosebumps in you whenever it did. It truly made you uncomfortable to be around her, and that stung a bit. You would have taken it off of her when she slept...except she hadn't slept. At all. She would either go out and look at the stars at night, or read a book for hours on end during the day. It was eerie, where was she getting that energy from?

 

You also noticed that her friends were avoiding the Library. They seemed to get really uncomfortable whenever they came near the place, to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat. They also seemed a little more lethargic since Twilight's change, noticeable in Pinkie Pie more than anypony else.

 

In fact, you saw it right now. You were currently in Sugarcube Corner, waiting for Pinkie to finish a line of customers. She yawned every now and then, which sent up little red flags in your mind. After the crowd dispersed, Pinkie flopped over on the counter...and began snoring.

 

"Uh, Pinkie?"

 

"I don't wanna ride the boat mommy..." She muttered sleepily.

 

"Pinkie." You poked the mare in the side.

 

"Hu-wha...? I'm up, I'm up!" She immediately donned a fake smile, before she realized it was just the two of you. Letting loose a mighty yawn, she looked at you. "Oh, hi Nonny."

 

"Are you feeling okay?"

 

"Y-yeah. I ju-" She yawned again. "I just haven't been sleeping well lately." She opened up the register and dropped two bits in, grabbing a cupcake and taking a bite.

 

"I noticed. There's bags under your eyes, you look like you're about...to..." The Earth Pony was asleep on the counter again. You rapped your knuckles on the counter to wake her up, and she simply jerked once before snoring at you. "...fall asleep. Pinkie. Hey, you need to wake up."

 

You rolled your eyes, then jabbed her in the side with a finger. She shrieked and fell off the counter, groaning when she hit the floor.

 

"That wasn't very nice, Nonny..."

 

"You need to stay awake for now, Pinkie. Once your shift ends, hit the sack."

 

"Mmhm..." Pinkie was already dozing off again. You rolled your eyes and stood up, walking out as she headbutted the counter and woke herself up again.

---

 

"Ah dunno Anon, it's just tirin' bein' around Twilight now." AJ said as the two of you inspected the fence to Sweet Apple Acres. Something had been sneaking in and rummaging around for food, and Applejack wanted to know what it was. You hoped it was nothing serious, you were still in no condition to fight. "Out here in the farm, Ah feel fine, but...once Ah set up the stand, I feel exhausted. That doesn't happen t'me."

 

"Yeah, Spike and I have noticed everyone else not quite up to par since Twilight...petrified Trixie." You suppressed a shudder. "Maybe it's some sort of magic? Spike's resistant to magic to a small degree, and I'm immune for the most part. Might be why we aren't affected."

 

"Maybe." She looked down, and you followed her gaze to a small amount of damage to the wood. It looked like something was chewing on it, but gave up halfway through. The timber would have to be replaced, but it was nothing serious. AJ sighed at the damage. "Darnit." The orange mare then looked at you. "Ah don't understand why she would be doin' it though."

 

"Neither do I. I haven't noticed a change in her demeanor or habits, aside from the fact she doesn't sleep anymore. She's always moving, doing one thing or another..." A thought struck you, remembering a book you read once, a long time ago. "Would it be possible for her to leech off the entire town...?" You asked, mostly to yourself.

 

"Why're you askin' me? I dunno."

 

"Rhetorical question AJ, I didn't expect an actual answer."

 

"Right, right." She glanced at the damaged beam. "Bic Mac's gonna have to fix that, an' soon. We don't want any bigger critters gettin' in. I'll let 'im know 'bout it, thanks for comin' with me Anon."

 

"Not a problem. Wouldn't want you getting hurt." You shot her a cheeky grin, and she grinned back and snorted playfully.

 

"Sugarcube, YER the one Ah'm worried about hurtin' 'imself. Ah mean, lookatcha. Covered in bruises, limpin' everywhere, it's a wonder ya ain't dead yet." She chuckled. "Yer tougher than ya look."

 

You rubbed the back of your head and grinned.

 

"You might say my special talent is in sheer dumb luck, then." You replied with a laugh.

 

"Yeah, that Ah might." She looked back towards the barn, seeing Big Mac leaving it. "HAY BIG MAC! TURN AROUND, GRAB SOME WOOD PLANKS! FENCE NEEDS FIXIN'!"

 

You could have sworn you saw the stallion give an exasperated sigh before doing exactly what the orange mare said, walking back into the barn. A loud crash or two were heard, and he came out moments later with a cart and several planks of wood. You chuckled and bid AJ goodbye, walking away from the farm and towards the town.

---

 

Once you crossed the town borders, the dreary atmosphere hit you like a ton of bricks. You nearly flinched at the drastic change, but kept your composure. You had to get Twilight to stop this, it was exhausting everyone.

 

You stepped into the quiet library, seeing Twilight with a massive stack of books next to her. Her horn was lit up with that same black aura she'd been using for a while now, and she was reading through books at a speed that made you wonder if she was even getting anything out of them.

 

Twilight had been sitting in that same spot for over 36 hours. The red charm on her neck made another pulse that made your hair stand on end, she didn't seem to notice.

 

"Twi?" You asked cautiously.

 

"Yes, Anon?" Was her instant response. You were expecting a slower, more tired response than what you just received. She didn't break her eye contact with the book in front of her until she was done with it a few seconds later, pushing it to the side with the rest.

 

"Maybe you should head to bed? It's been three days, that can't be good for you."

 

She looked over and smiled.

 

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine." She then turned back to her next book, tearing through the pages with insane speed.

 

"How are you even reading that?"

 

"This little trinket I picked up from the Crystal Empire." She gestured to the thing hanging from her neck. "It's amazing, I remember everything I read, even if I just skim. I plan on reading and memorizing the entire library by the end of the week!"

 

You looked warily at her charm.

 

"And what, exactly, is it?"

 

She was quiet for a moment.

 

"It's...nothing, really. Just a small thing that helps with memory." She said, obviously trying to sidestep the issue.

 

"Uh huh. Would it have anything to do with your magic and attitude changing too?"

 

"No, it has nothing to do with this!" She snapped, before realizing what she did. "Sorry, I'm just a little frustrated with the distractions."

 

"...so I'm a distraction now?" You asked, arching an eyebrow.

 

"No, but Trixie i-was. So is Pinkie Pie, she keeps asking to hang out." She put a hoof to her chin. "Now that I think about it, they're all pestering me."

 

"They're your friends, they want to see you. It's not good to just coop yourself up at home all day every day."

 

"You're being annoying now too..." You heard her mutter. A flare of anger flashed through your mind before being quashed.

 

"Excuse me?" You were a mix of hurt and offended, and you glared at the back of Twilight's head. She slowly put the book down and turned around, apologetically looking at you.

 

"Sorry Anon. Sometimes, I just want some peace and quiet to read. Constantly bugging me about the girls isn't going to make me go meet them."

 

You were silent, still glaring at the mare. She returned the glare after a moment of waiting for a response.

 

"Twilight. Get rid of that thing." You pointed directly at the charm on her neck.

 

"No."

 

There was an absolute finality in her tone.

 

"Twilight, enough. That necklace is changing you. Please, for me, take it off."

 

She hesitated...then turned away from you. You took two steps towards her, intent on ripping the damn thing off yourself, before you stopped. You needed to chill out, getting angry was getting you nowhere.

 

"...fine." You muttered, walking out and slamming the door behind you.

---

 

You were spending time in your workshop, pounding the Amatsu horn into a curved shape. You lined its back with steel, reinforcing the hard bone and leading the metal down to where you would make a hilt.

 

It took you over two hours to get this part alone done, and it would probably take you another three to actually finish. You didn't care, you needed to be away from Twilight right now.

 

She was making you so...frustrated. Physical labor was great in helping you relax, each strike of a hammer releasing a good deal of tension. You let the steel for the hilt heat up, letting the blade itself cool. It did so quickly, the water-based properties of the soon-to-be weapon becoming immediately apparent. You sat down in your chair, just basking in the ambient heat.

 

Some hours passed, and you woke with a jolt. It was a good thing that steel was in a ceramic cast, otherwise you'd never get it back. The heat of your forge had lulled you to a relaxing sleep, and you felt better than you had since Twilight came home with that thing. You frowned.

 

"Shouldn't think about that, it'll just frustrate me." You said to yourself.

 

"What will?"

 

You looked around, and saw Rainbow Dash looking at you curiously.

 

"Oh, hey Rainbow. What brings you here?" You asked, wiping the sweat from your brow. It was still hot in there, and you went to get some water out of the barrel in the far corner of the room. You took a long drink out of it before turning back to the cyan pony.

 

"Nothing really. Ponyville's kinda boring today, everypony seems lazy and tired." Rainbow walked in and looked around.

 

"Am I hearing right? Rainbow Dash, complaining that somepony else is being lazy?" You teased, and she rolled her eyes.

 

"Oh, har har. You're a comedian." The pegasus walked over to your forge, then looked over at the weapon on the table. "So, this is what you've been working on all this time?" She asked.

 

"Sure is." You carefully picked the blade up and swung it at the dummy you had, the blade biting deep and unleashing a torrent of water. It soaked the floor and the straw dummy, but the Amatsu weapon had done what it was supposed to. Dash looked impressed.

 

"Sweet! Think you could make one for me? I've always wanted to try it out." She looked eager and happy, something you had been missing lately.

 

"We'll see. I only had enough materials for this one sword, if I want more, I'm gonna have to find that dragon we drove off. That's a problem, because it could be anywhere right now." You paused, then gestured to your back wound. "That, and I'm in no condition to fight. I'm barely in good enough condition to do this."

 

The pegasus huffed, then walked over to the pile of iron ingots you had lying around.

 

"What about this stuff?"

 

"I suppose I could make you a basic iron sword or knife, but the question is: How would you hold it?" You were genuinely curious, because even Felynes had thumbs and fingers. They could use downscaled human weaponry. Obviously enough, Rainbow didn't have either. You were essentially trying to figure out a way to give her something to fight with, without her being able to hurt herself with it.

 

So far, both of you were drawing blanks. If she could use magic, that would be simple to adapt to. Just let her practice a bit, and you were done.

 

"Well Dash, the only thing I can think of is a mouth guard attached to the weapon, but I don't think you want your teeth busted out if someone hits it." You shrugged, and she sighed.

 

"Yeah, I know..."

 

You ruffled her prismatic mane, and she shot a fake glare at you that eventually melted into a chuckling smile. "Hey hey hey, don't mess with the mane." She sat down, then looked at you directly. "You never did answer me."

 

You had forgotten what the question was.

 

"Uh, ask me again?" She slapped her hoof to her face, then gave you a flat look.

 

"What's frustrating you?" Rainbow repeated.

 

"Twilight."

 

The mare's eyes went wide.

 

"Whoa, I didn't think that was possible. Twilight Sparkle, irritating you? The stars must be aligned in the worst kinda way. What did she do?"

 

"She's still wearing that red necklace thing. I'm pretty sure that's the reason Ponyville is so lazy suddenly. Twilight hasn't gone to sleep in days, and has no signs of that." You sighed. "She's always peppy and energetic, while the town gets more and more lethargic. Crazy unicorn's trying to memorize the entire library, she told me that amulet is letting her do it without a sweat. When I asked her to take it off...she almost got violent."

 

Rainbow gasped.

 

"No way."

 

"Yeah, it's that bad. I had to leave before something happened."

 

The pegasus put a hoof on your thigh.

 

"Well, if it means anything to you, I'm here for you."

 

"Dash...?" This was strange. You hadn't seen this side of Rainbow Dash before.

 

She flushed a deep shade of red. "Ah, what I meant was I'm here for you...As a friend. What did you think I meant?" The blush persisted, and she avoided eye contact vehemently. You chuckled.

 

"I didn't take it any other way, I promise."

 

"Good! Wouldn't want Twilight thinking I was stealing her special somepony!" Dash then went into a series of forced laughs, looking around nervously, as if Twilight were actually here.

 

"I doubt she would. You're not interested in me anyway, right?" You said with a grin. She shyly grinned, still avoiding eye contact.

 

"Y-yeah, not interested..." Her grin said one thing, her tone said another.

 

"You're...not interested...are you?"

 

Silence.

 

Oh boy.

 

You rubbed the back of your head. "Er, Dash, it's not that you're a bad pony, it's th-"

 

"I know, I know, 'you're a different species than me, it would never work out', blah blah. Save it, I've heard it before, from an Earth Pony I liked." Rainbow snapped, turning away from you.

 

"Uh, didn't you just call me Twilight's "Special Somepony"?"

 

"I was JOKING! Ugh, I know you aren't really with her, jeez." She paused, then turned around. "Wait, ARE you with her?"

 

"I think so?"

 

A+ response, Anon.

 

"So...you being a different species doesn't matter to you?"

 

"Not really, honestly. I see personality and sapience more than what you actually look like." You replied. She gave you a slightly confused look.

 

"So that means...?"

 

"If you're intelligent enough to hold a conversation with me, you've got a shot."

 

That just made the pegasus chortle.

 

"So...Derpy has a chance with you? That I would LOVE to see!" She clutched her sides and started laughing, hard. Tears were rolling down her face, and her laughs quickly turned to happy sobs.

 

Emotional Ponies. Emotional Ponies EVERYWHERE. You sighed, moving over to the pegasus and taking her into your house. She stopped crying almost instantly and struggled.

 

"Let go of me! I'm not a cripple, I can take care of myself!"

 

You chuckled, putting her down and massaging her shoulders to calm the over-excited pegasus. She sniffled.

 

"It's kinda funny..." The pegasus started.

 

"What is, Dash?"

 

"We started off hating each other, now look." She raised her voice to just under a shout. "I'm sitting here, crying my eyes out in front of you. I don't DO that, that's not ME. Rainbow motherbucking Dash doesn't CRY." She looked at you with an almost devastated expression. "What are you doing to me..."

 

With no time to prepare yourself, Rainbow's lips met yours. She backed off after a brief moment, blushing furiously, before sprinting out of your home and taking flight. By the time you recovered and looked outside, she was already long gone.

 

"The fuck...? Crazy fucking pegasus..." You groaned, sitting down and putting your head in your hands. You sat there silently for a few minutes, before standing up and sighing. Time to head back to town, see if Twilight can be convinced to take that damn amulet off.

---

 

You arrived in the darkened Library a few hours later, Twilight strangely absent. She would have locked the door if she had left...but it was standing wide open. The fireplace was out, and the entire tree was colder than the air outside.

 

"Twi? Where are you?"

 

Silence was your answer. You were getting awful tired of that.

 

"Twilight?" You called, walking up the stairs to the bedroom. She wasn't in bed, nor was she on the observatory. "Where are you?"

 

"Psst! Anon!" Spike whispered at you. You looked up, where the voice was coming from. The baby dragon was, for whatever reason, hiding in the rafters. He hopped onto a bookshelf, then down to you. "Keep your voice down, Twilight hears everything now..."

 

"Yes. I do."

 

Twilight Sparkle's voice had never chilled your blood so much. You involuntarily shivered and turned around. Spike vanished from sight with a speed that would make Rainbow jealous.

 

Twilight's corruption was spreading. It looked like her face was cracking to pieces now, a green light pouring from the gouges. You couldn't see bone though, which scared you more than being able to see it would.

 

"Tw-Twilight, what's happening to you...?" Your voice was meek enough to even strain your own hearing.

 

"Power, Anon." The corrupted pony replied. A black aura enveloped you, and effortlessly picked you up.

 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! How are you doing that!? Put me down!" You shouted, and she laughed in reply before dropping you onto the main library floor fifteen feet below. You groaned on impact, clutching your back.

 

"My friend here taught me how to do that. It's so...amazing..." Twilight said wistfully. "I can do anything I want, watch."

 

She moved to a window, and her horn lit up with that same black coloring. As you watched, the sun slowly lowered to the horizon, before being frozen right at...twilight...

 

"Much better..." She muttered.

 

"What friend?!" You shouted.

 

"The friend I met at the Crystal Empire...the friend who taught me everything since then..." Twilight turned to you, and glared. "The friend who told me you couldn't be trusted."

 

"And the friend who is obviously lying!" You fired back.

 

"Is he?!" She shouted. "Then tell me what happened with you and Rainbow Dash!" Your stunned look told her everything she thought she needed to know. "Some Element of Loyalty SHE turned out to be! Trying to take my special somepony...and you LET her do it."

 

"Twilight, you're being paranoid! There was no way I could have seen that coming!" You were starting to get angry. You stood up from the floor, storming up the steps towards her. She held her ground as you approached. "I'm taking that blasted amulet and getting rid of it."

 

"You can try." She coolly replied, before quickly spinning and bucking you in the stomach.

 

You hunched over and started dry heaving from the heavy hit. You were already quickly bruising, and it was more shock keeping you down than anything. Twilight was NOT that strong. Hooves hurt regardless, but she had hit you before. She hadn't been doing any training that you knew of, so where did this come from?

 

The answer was obvious: The red charm around her neck.

 

"You know, Anonymous, I've found a new and quite useful spell. I can't use it on you, unfortunately. Your mind is too...different from a pony, it would take too much effort." She looked out the door, and her horn lit up once again.

 

A few minutes passed in silence, as you waited apprehensively for whatever it was Twilight had done. Hoofbeats were quickly approaching...many of them.

 

"I got so frustrated with ponies arguing with me all the time, so I simply...removed choice." Several ponies walked in, eyes the same corrupted green and red that Twilight's were. "I know better. I can keep them SAFE, Anonymous." The mare was overlooking her quickly growing army, not watching you. You took your chance and lunged, grabbing the amulet.

 

It burned like fire the instant you touched it, which caused you to shout and let go. Twilight smirked at you, then started laughing.

 

"Hurts, doesn't it? I warned you not to touch it, didn't I, Anonymous?"

 

The corruption was spreading faster now, it was unreal. As you watched, her own horn grew longer and more wicked, tipped off with the same red tone as the thing around her neck. The cracks in her face became deeper and longer, with more light pouring through.

 

This...wasn't the Twilight you fell for, that much was plainly obvious. You weren't even sure if she was still in there anymore.

 

'She is, Anonymous. Have faith...'

 

Celestia...

 

You frowned, looking into the crowd of brainwashed ponies. Lyra, Bon Bon, Roseluck, Redheart...Rarity and Pinkie too...

 

"Twilight...why are you doing this to your friends?"

 

"Because they fought back, and they lost. They needed to be reminded th-"

 

"That might makes right?!" You bellowed.

 

"YES!" She roared back. "The strongest gets to make the rules, the weak follow them, that's how it goes!" She teleported to you and slammed you into the ground, standing on your chest with her horn dangerously close to your face. "The STRONG says the weak die, or become subservient. Choose wisely, weakling."

 

"You're turning into a monster, Twilight!" You yelled in return. "I LOVED you, and you let this happen!? Look at what you're DOING to me! You're getting ready to kill me because I want to take away what is hurting you!" You pointed at a nearby mirror. "Don't believe me? LOOK FOR YOURSELF!"

 

She slowly looked at her reflection, then quickly got off of you. Horror was etched into her face, and the black aura vanished. Tears ran down her face, and she started sobbing.

 

"Wh...what am I doing..." She cried, before breaking down entirely. You stood and held her in a comforting grip, and she sobbed into your shoulder.

 

"I-I can't hold it back for long...Please, Anon, stop me...please..." Her pleading tone broke your heart, and you held her closer.

 

"I promise to help you. I'm never abandoning you."

 

"NO! If...*when* it happens again, you HAVE to stop me...by any means. Even...even if you have to kill me."

 

"That's not an option."

 

"Anon, listen to me! I can't take this thing off!" Her raspberry aura lit the amulet up, but you could tell from the strain on her restored face that she was having no luck moving it. You tried moving it with her, and it felt like it weighed a thousand tons. "I don't have much time, I feel it trying to take me again..."

 

She locked her lips to yours, crying at the same time. Your tears connected with hers, and you held her tighter.

 

"I love you Anon, no matter what happens. Please, don't let me hurt anypony else..."

 

"I love you too, Twi. I won't let anything happen, I swear."

 

She kissed you again, before repulsing you with a burst of dark magic.

 

"Little pest...that won't be happening again, I assure you."

 

You grinned as you picked yourself up.

 

"You're not all powerful, you're not all knowing. Twilight is still in there, and she's resisting you. I don't know who YOU are, but you better get out of my girlfriend's body."

 

Damn that sounded weird.

 

"No, monkey, she was smart and gave up. What remains of her consciousness is being hemmed into the deepest corner of our soon-to-be-one mind."

 

"I'll get her out of there. You won't win."

 

"I already have." Her horn pulsed black, and you felt yourself get launched out of the Library window with incredible force. You shouted in terror before you plowed through a wall and blacked out.

---

 

POV Change: Rainbow Dash

---

 

You couldn't believe what you just did...you kissed Anon. You kissed Twilight's Special Somepony, some Element of Loyalty you were. You just...couldn't help yourself.

 

You sighed on your cloud, burying your face into your hooves.

 

He was courageous, he was tough, he was kind...and when the bits were down, he WON. Any mare would be lucky to have a stallion like him, and you were jealous of Twilight for netting him. Wasn't a secret anymore, Anon knew how you felt.

 

What was it about him that just...made you feel safe, though? It wasn't anything you had mentally listed off, it was just...something about him that made you fall apart at the seams. It was maddening the way your tough-mare mask absolutely shattered today, and you weren't sure you could pick up the pieces of it when you were near him.

 

An explosion caught your attention, and you looked towards Ponyville. A small dot was hurtling across the ground, and slammed into a building. Poor sap.

 

Wait.

 

You looked closer and saw the very distinct shape of Anon, lying in a pile of rubble... completely still. Your heart dropped into your stomach, and it sunk further when a large black dome cut you off from even attempting to help him. You dropped off of your cloud and used your downward momentum to slam into the shield, only causing you to bounce off with no effect on the dome. You, on the other hand, felt like you had been electrocuted.

 

You didn't care.

 

You rose up higher, and repeated your assault...with the same result. You were dizzy and your left hind leg was twitching in a way that couldn't have been natural. You eventually regained control of it, just in time to repeat the same attack a third time. After all, third time's the charm, right?

 

Wrong.

 

You slammed into it once more, and blacked out.

 

You came to midway through your fall to the ground, and instinctively flared your wings out to slow your rapid descent. A few beats of your powerful wings had you airborne again, which came with a sigh of relief.

 

You needed to find help. You needed to find Applejack.

 

Taking one last look at the still form of the human, you turned and soared off at near top speed to Sweet Apple Acres.

---

 

Applejack agreed to meet you at the barrier, though told you she wasn't sure what good it would do. You were a smart mare (or so you told yourself), you'd find a way in.

 

You were currently in Anon's workshop again, looking around. You saw his gold sword and shield leaning against the wall, and gears started turning in your head.

 

"Yeah...I could use those, maybe they'll help me get in." You muttered to nopony in particular. You carefully placed the shield on your back, keeping the straps under your wings to keep from interfering with flight.

 

"Buck that's heavy..."

 

You also grabbed his sword, holding the hilt in your mouth. You grimaced, it tasted like sweat.

 

No time for that, though. You thought back to what Anon had said, then wrapped the hilt in several clean cloths he had lying around. That kept the taste out of your mouth, and kept your teeth safer than they were.

 

You stretched your wings and took flight again, easily adjusting to the additional weight. You reached the barrier in less than five minutes, and Applejack was nowhere to be found. That made you worried, especially when you saw movement inside. A crowd, chasing...Anon!?

 

He was doing his best to evade them, but couldn't outrun the entire mob chasing him, especially when the pegasai had no problems tracking him from the air.

 

You saw him stop in front of Applejack...who promptly kicked him in the chest with both hind-hooves, sending him tumbling to the ground. What the buck!?

 

You had to get in there, now. You beat your wings, lifting as high as you could. Ponyville itself was just a speck when you stopped.

 

You let Anon's sword point straight forward, intending to make your body a living spear. Stretching your forehooves forward, you launched yourself downwards, feeling that familiar rush that came with breaking the sound barrier.

 

You needed to be faster. The mach cone started developing quickly, and you still had plenty of time to spare. A burst of speed, the sound of the very light spectrum shattering behind you...yeah, this was it.

 

Sonic Rainboom.

 

An almost feral scream tore itself from your throat before Anon's sword made contact with the black barrier at Mach Ten.

---

Anon's POV, 5 minutes pre-Sonic Rainboom

---

 

You groaned, pulling your aching body out of the rubble. You were sore, you were tired, but you weren't out of the woods yet. The crowd of ponies quickly gathered around you, leaving you with only one realistic option: Run.

 

And run you did.

 

You didn't have the speed advantage, but you did have the mobility advantage. Naturally, you abused the holy hell out of this. You vaulted over abandoned stands, climbed over walls, took to the rooftops, anything to keep the mob from killing you. What stopped the more terrestrial ponies, however, did nothing to stop the pegasai from keeping on your tail.

 

Then, a beacon in the almost literal dark: Applejack.

 

You leaped off the low-hanging roof, tumbling forward and sprinting at the mare.

 

"AJ!" You shouted. "GET OUT! IT'S NOT SAFE!"

 

"Wh-What in the heck're you talkin' 'bout, sugar?" She asked, obviously confused. "What's with everypony chasin' ya!?"

 

"Twilight! That amulet took her over, town's pretty much done for! Get out!"

 

"Alright Anon, this wa-" Applejack stopped very suddenly, and then slowly turned around. You took a few cautious steps towards her.

 

"A...AJ...?" You asked, seeing if the mare was still in there.

 

Her answer was a rib-shattering buck to the chest, which sent you sprawling. Your torso felt like fire now, and you had a huge issue breathing. Each breath brought a new wave of pain, it was almost nauseating.

 

You vomited on the ground, spitting blood onto the cobblestone street.

 

"Long Live Empress Sparkle." The Earth pony said in a dull monotone, her eyes the same as everyone else's. She kicked you in the stomach again, and blood launched from your mouth and onto her face. She didn't react.

 

Your body gave up. All the collective injuries just caused your body to shut down everything that wasn't directly essential to keeping you alive...which also meant movement.

 

It was funny now that you thought about it; Your body's natural attempts to keep you alive would be your end.

 

It was then that, from your position on your back, that you saw it. A rainbow colored shockwave. Rainbow Dash.

 

A low rumble quickly turned into a dull roll, which in turn gave way to a loud roar as the sound from Dash's signature Sonic Rainboom hit you.

 

Then SHE hit the shield.

 

The pegasus punched through it like the lightwall was made of tissue paper, an explosion of flame only amplifying the damage to the barrier. The entire thing immediately ceased to be, the pegasus almost instantly making it to you. She dropped your sword, the golden blade sliding across the cobblestone before coming to a stop within arm's reach. She also had your shield on her back, which she quickly took off and put on the ground.

 

"Anon!"

 

You stretched out, grabbing the oddly soaked hilt. You unwrapped the many towels around it, before exposing the grip.

 

"Dash, you need to leave. Now."

 

"B-but..."

 

"Before Twilight gets a hold of you, leave! I can handle this!"

 

"GAH, STOP BEING SO STUBBORN!" She yelled, biting your shoulder with her flat teeth and trying to drag you away. You were too heavy, and her molars provided almost no grip, so you went approximately nowhere. "Come on, get up!"

 

Dash looked up just in time to evade a bucking by Applejack, retaliating with a three hit combo to the orange pony's head. AJ shook it off, before charging back in.

 

Rainbow had enough, grabbing Applejack by her waist and throwing her backwards into the crowd. The orange mare crashed into the ponies, causing a pileup and buying you both precious time.

 

You stood, shakily. Dash, to her credit, did her best in helping you up. You were pushing down too hard on her, which caused her to whine in protest just a bit.

 

"Sorry..."

 

"Hurry up! We need to leave, get to Canterlot! Princess Celestia can he-" Rainbow's eyes went wide, and she stopped talking.

 

"Oh no... Rainbow, come on. Fight it!" You slapped the pegasus across the face, trying to snap her out of it. No deal.

---

Rainbow's POV

---

 

It felt like a heavy weight was pressed onto your mind. Something demanding that you submit to it. As if, you were Rainbow Dash! The only pony that could tell YOU what to do wasn't a pony at all.

 

"Rainbow..." Twilight's voice echoed through your head.

 

"What!" You shouted. "Get out of my head!"

 

"Oh, I will...just as soon as you tell me one thing: Why are you jealous of me?"

 

"I'm not jealous!" You replied hotly. Twilight just chuckled.

 

"You're almost as bad as Applejack with lying. I know how you feel, of course."

 

You looked at the 'ground' inside your mind, avoiding looking at any one thing in particular. Twilight paused before continuing. "I know you're jealous, and I know you're angry he won't reciprocate."

 

You were, to be honest. You had given him enough signs, hadn't you? The playfulness, hanging around him a lot...the kiss should have tipped him off even if he missed all that! He acted like there wasn't anything going on...

 

You growled in your mind. Yeah, Anon needed a flank kicking.

---

Anon's POV

---

 

You pushed off of the mare just in time, as she whipped around and struck at where you just were. Her eyes were the same pale green/dark red combo as everyone else, but differing from the others...she looked ANGRY. Your abused body couldn't evade the next hit, which came with such force it sent you tumbling across the ground. You hit another wall, coming to an abrupt and painful stop.

 

A groan escaped your lips, your adrenaline reserves practically depleted. You managed one final push to stand up, staggering to the left before steadying yourself.

 

'Anonymous!' Celestia's panicked shouted echoed into your mind. You winced, the princess' voice not helping your headache in the slightest. 'The Elements of Harmony just left their chamber! They were teleported out, there was nothing I could do! I'm on my way, hold on!'

 

"Elements of What?" You asked, getting no response. "GODSDAMMIT!"

 

You had your sword, but needed your shield. You didn't WANT to actually hurt the ponies, but they'd get over some bruises easier than being sliced in half.

 

The crowd stopped, then parted. Twilight was surrounded by her hypnotized friends, with a blue box floating above her. The box had a gold trim on the edges and lock, with several gems of different colors and sizes inset on the front.

 

It popped open, and a golden tiara followed by five necklaces levitated out, going towards their respective cutie mark bearer. An red-orange lightning bolt, a purple diamond, a pink butterfly, an orange apple, a blue balloon...and the magenta star-topped tiara.

 

The instant they touched their respective mares, the metal turned jet black and the pendants darkened. This was...bad.

 

"Oh, that's right." Twilight taunted. "I never told you about this." She laughed, before continuing. "The Elements of Harmony, meant to protect Equestria from threats to its safety, and can only be used by the bearers of Harmony."

 

"Which I assume means you six." You kept your eyes scanning the sky, where was Celestia?

 

"Correct. Now, seeing as you're a threat..."

 

You saw where this was going, real quick.

 

"The Elements can be used." Twilight finished ominously. The gems lit up, and each pony raised into the air. A black shockwave split the air, before a massive wall of black energy rushed towards you. It slammed into you, and you were picked up and tossed like a rag doll.

 

You were sent far from Ponyville, only coming to a stop when your low-altitude flight had you strike your house at just under 'holy shit' and just above 'this is gonna hurt'. You felt your leg snap and one of your shoulders get forced out of its socket, before the pain overwhelmed you.

---

 

You awoke suddenly, a spike of fear tearing through you. Your eyes darted around, and upon seeing nothing threatening, your head let off a massive pulse of pain. You grunted in discomfort, laying back into...a bed?

 

Last you remember, you hit very, VERY solid wood. Why were you suddenly in a soft bed?

 

You would have looked at your surroundings more, but the pain was forcing you to keep your eyes closed. Another groan escaped your lips, and a small gasp came from the other side of the room. You heard hooves hit the ground and quickly leave the room, the door shutting behind the pony.

 

You decided to figure it out when your head stopped spinning, and you were in any condition to deal with anything at all. You fell back into an uncomfortable slumber, in an unknown room.