- >>It's been a few days since you've last been nearly killed
- >>God damn, this world was dangerous
- >>But it's okay. Through it all, you have friends
- >>Friends who have forgiven you for your sins
- >>And a benevolent ruler
- >>One who you have forgiven for her mindfuckery
- >>Since then, you remember things
- >>Not everything, of course
- >>She did say that she could not undo the damage already done
- >>And she sounded sincere enough for you to believe her
- >>She mistook your species as heartless creatures to be used for tools
- >>But your actions have earned the respect of those around you
- >>And you couldn't be happier
- >>There's still the job situation to think about
- >>Yeah, the princess has offered a few times to take care of it
- >>But it's your conservative vein again
- >>You want to earn your money
- >>You want to be proud of it
- >>You want each bit to reflect your blood, sweat, and tears
- >>Celestia offered you a position in the palace as one of her personal attendants
- >>You have no desire to leave Ponyville, or your friends
- >>She understood
- >>She then offered you a job as a royal guard, on permanent station in ponyville
- >>But after everything you've been through?
- >>You had a reputation as one of the superior fighters in Equestria
- >>But you were so tired of it
- >>Too many battle scars, too many times knocked unconscious, too much drama
- >>No, you would like to just live a quiet life in the company of friends
- >>A quiet life
- >>So you find yourself working with Pinkie Pie
- >>Fuck
- >>“Hey, Anon! Pick up the pace, slowpoke!”
- >>“Anon, I need another cookie sheet. You got one for me?”
- >>“Hey! Your hands make you good at this!”
- >>“Be a dear and clean up a spatula real quick, will you?”
- >>“Anon, we need that silverware”
- >>You hastily work over a bubbling sink
- >>Frilly pink apron shielding you
- >>Your back is sore from slouching over for so long
- >>The counter is way too short, you have to be on your knees the whole time
- >>Wash and dry, wash and dry, wash and dry
- >>Dishes, dishes, dishes
- >>You were offered this job at Sugarcube Corner, and eagerly accepted
- >>You think you did something like this back in your world, but the memory is so warped and corrupt
- >>Really, it's just static at this point
- >>Good Celestia, these ponies generate a lot of dishes
- >>It's just something you never think about until it's in front of you
- >>“Anon, dear, you missed a spot on this plate.”
- >>You looked over to see Ms. Cake with a pristine plate, save for a small splotch
- Sorry, m'am. I'll take care of it.
- >>And so your day goes
- >>Yeah, fighting regularly got you wounded
- >>You got beat up pretty bad
- >>Even if you won most of the time, you hardly ever escaped unscathed
- >>But this?
- >>Oh, Celestia! If this wasn't an honest living, you didn't know what was
- >>The light of Luna begins to overtake Celestia's
- >>You are sweating, leaning over an empty sink
- >>Mr. Cake made his way over to you
- >>“Hey! Not bad, Anon! We'll see you next week, alright?”
- >>You nod
- >>The job is only part time, which sucks
- >>But holy crap, you can't imagine doing this full time
- Yes, sir
- >>You stand on your two feet and prepare to leave
- >>You hang the apron up
- >>Grab your coat
- >>Get ready to leave the back door
- >>Pinkie Pie bounds up to you, smiling as she always does
- >>“Hey, Anon? I just wanted to say...”
- Thanks, Pinkie.
- >>She is thrown off by your interrupting her
- >>She actually settles down for a second to look at you, questioning your response
- >>You spare her a sincere smile before you open the door and take off
- >>You are appreciative that they're so genuinely sorry
- >>But you are, too. And you have plenty of reason to be
- >>...and you don't want to revisit those darker days
- >>No tears
- >>Only dreams, now
- >>You move down the street
- >>It's way past the curfew for most of the ponies
- >>Every once in a while you will see one coming home from work
- >>But the streets are far from the hustle and bustle of the day
- >>You see, now, why Luna was – is – so lonely
- >>You stop in your tracks and look up to the sky after thrusting your hands in your coat pockets
- >>The sky is a dark blue sea of stars
- >>But you can still see a few blank spots in the sky
- >>A star appears
- >>There she is. That's Luna
- >>Another appears
- >>You watch her work. You cannot see her, but you know that she is there, arranging the night sky
- >>Her responsibility is astronomical in scale
- >>Any earthly science that you remember truly is powerless, here
- >>You wish you could speak to her, to reach up and tell her that she is not alone. But it is not your place
- >>With a sigh, you return to the ground and continue moving forward to your home
- >>“Tehe~!”
- >>You don't get two steps in before a giggle stops you
- >>Paranoid, you whirl around and hunch over, ready, peering at every surface behind you
- Pinkie?
- >>You wait
- >>No answer
- >>You turn and continue home. But now, you are tense
- >>You come to your house
- >>Relief
- >>You produce your key from your pocket and start fiddling with the knob
- >>“Hehehe~”
- >>But then there's another giggle that rings out behind you
- >>You jump, key falls to the ground
- >>You whirl around again, raising one fist in defense
- >>By Celestia, if Pinkie is fucking with you...
- >>You hear breathing behind you
- >>Instinctively, you whirl around again
- >>No one
- >>Look down
- >>You leap back in surprise
- Jumpin Jehosaphat!!
- >>Your arms flail up uncontrollably as you recoil
- >>“Hi~!”
- >>You lower your guard
- >>It's... that mint colored pony from the other day
- >>You relax. A little bit
- Oh... hi, there.
- >>There's an awkward silence
- >>She cants her head at you, wearing an innocent smile
- Hey, uh... were you following me?
- >>“Yuh-huh! All day!”
- >>Okay, whoa
- Who are you, again?
- >>“Your BIGGEST fan!”
- >>Stay cool. This isn't creepy at all
- Uh...
- >>You start kneeling down to pick up your key
- She gasps, eyes go wide, and she leans down to watch the interaction between your hand and the key
- You can feel her breath on your hand
- >>“That's so cool...”
- >>OKAY, time to bring this shit to a close
- Well, uh... if yo...
- >>“Call me Lyra!”
- >>You pause for a moment before you force a smile and flip a finger pistol at her
- Lyra! If you'll excuse me, I need to...
- >>“Oh! Let me get that for you!”
- >>Her horn glows and a shimmering aurora of arcane power drives an exact duplicate of your key out of her mane
- >>She opens the door with it and waves you in with a smile
- Now hold on one second! Where did you...?
- >>“I found it~!”
- >>You recall that when they were giving you back your clothes when you left the hospital, they were unable to find your house key on the key ring
- >>BULLSHIT
- >>You snatch the spare key out of the knob and get inside
- >>“Can I come in?”
- Uh,
- No.
- >>You close the door in her face
- >>You have a feeling that you're in for another catastrophic chain of events
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The Story That Never Was - Chapter 20
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