Title:           Anon's Story 3 End of the Second longest Sunday
Author:          YFNAnon
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/LiiBKGC8
First Edit:      Monday 2nd of January 2017 04:41:54 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Sunday 16th of April 2017 10:29:11 PM CDT

>Your eyes gravitate once more towards Anon and Twilight as Sunset explains the workings of the HMV or H something suit
>You haven’t been paying very much attention to her explanation truthfully
>”And that pretty much covers the basic operation of the HMS! Up next is which of the three of you will wear it.”
>They seem to be discussing something rather, intimately
>”Now, who wants to be the operator first off?”
>And while unbecoming of a proper lady such as yourself, you can’t help but be tinged by a bit of jealousy
>”Ah think ah’ll pass on it, ah still don’t quite get it completely.”
>Is Twilight setting her sights on Anon as well?
>”I’ll use it, who knows what awesome kind of moves I could pull off in this!”
>She’s not doing so well based on how she keeps looking away from Anon
>Not that you’re glad about that or anything
>”Rainbow are you sure, remember the HMS can go at a slight job at MOST.”
>You’re a good friend and refined lady
>”Oh yea, can’t have that; speed is my middle name!”
>But to say that Twilight is out of her league when compared to YOU isn’t boasting, it’s simply stating fact
>”Isn’t your middle na—“
>But if she wants to try, who are you to stop her?
>”HAHA wow, guess Rarity’s going to be wearing the HMS, right Rarity!?”
>You’re view of an increasingly worried looking Anon and Twilight is disrupted by Rainbow’s forced smile blocking your vision
>What does she want; you’re in the middle of something!
“Um, yes of course darling, now if you could just...”
>Move out of the way!
>Luckily she seems to have been satisfied with that answer as Rainbow turns around to Sunset and Applejack giving you your view of an angry Anon and sad Twilight
>Oh my, what’s going on now?
 
>Twilight lets go of you after a small sigh
>Jeez these girls are REALLY touchy feely
>You hear a small sigh as she with a smile straightens her glasses once more
>”Well, I suppose that is all I needed to discuss with you Anon, unless you have anything you wish to ask?”
>Anything you want to ask?
>Well besides most of the, “hey how’d you even do X” questions that have piled up since visiting here…
“I do actually, you mind if Jordan spends the night here while we’re out?”
>She raises an eyebrow with a slight smirk before jabbing a thumb to the table
>Looking over to Jordan’s little blanket nest you can see that now Spike is sleeping next to the buggo
>”I had already anticipated this and informed Spike to look after Jordan.”
>Leave it to her to think ahead, you guess
>Though you do doubt the validity of a dog baby-sitter
“You sure that Spike can look after the little bug while we’re gone?”
>What if Chrissy comes to abduct Jordan?
>Wait, would that even be abduction?
>Since she’s its mother and all…
>Double wait, did YOU abduct Jordan?
>Your questioning of whether you’re a kidnapper is interrupted by Twilight
>”Spike is more than capable to look after Jordan I assure you, but in the off chance that something happens…”
>She directs your attention to the entrance of the basement
>A quick look doesn’t really reveal anything
“The threshold of the basement stairs?”
>She holds up her pointer finger in a matter-of-factly way
>”Specifically the camera located above it.”
>What?
>Gesturing for you to lean down a bit she then uses your hand to point a black sphere above the basement doorway
>Is that what you think it is?
>”Since Shiny is always worried about my mother, father, and I he had a few cameras installed throughout the house.”
>Shit, big brother literally is always watching
 
>Twilight is holding Anon’s hand!?
>Though, she looks like she’s trying to point something out, but she doesn’t need to be so close to him!
>”Well as long as she’s fine with wearing it then I suppose it’s all good.”
>What are you saying?
>”Well ah guess that’s settled then!”
>You need to get a hold of yourself!
>”So Rarity will be sitting out in the parking lot of Fancy Pants and Co?”
>This is most unlike you
>”I guess so; are you ok with sitting in the bushes for so long Rarity?”
>They’re saying your name darling
>Oh my, you should’ve been listening!
>Better give a practiced wave off
>You pry your eyes away from Twilight and Anon for a moment to give Sunset a head nod with a smile
>A good non-committal answer
>“Well as long as you’re sure…”
>Splendid!
>Your eyes snap back to Anon with an incredulous look on his face
>“I wouldn’t worry Sunset, I’m sure that even Rarity can see that getting a little dirty isn’t anything compared to what we’re stopping!”
>Your mind begins to wander to what Anon and Twilight could possibly be discussing
>“Ah’m more surprised she can understand how ta work this thing!”
>They don’t seem to have any common interests in particular
>”Well, I'll admit it is a bit of a handful.”
>Not that it matters though
>After all, you’ll just need to turn on the charm only a sophisticated lady like yourself can supply
>”But Rarity are you sure you know how t—“
“Of course I do darling, I know this more than I know myself!”
>No one knows how to charm a boy quite like you do!
>”Oh uh I guess that’s, great then!”
>You could say that your skill is a bit of a, “rarity”
>You can’t help but smile as the others continue to talk while your attention is focused on Anon
 
>What she just said brings up a good question
“Where are your mom and dad anyways, you sure they’re going to be fine housing Jordan for tonight?”
>Twilight gives you a little hand wave
>”I wouldn’t worry yourself about that Anon; my parents are currently on vacation touring Eastern Europe.”
>Oh of course
>Wait what?
“Your parents just up and left you to go on a Euro trip?”
>She gives a small chuckle accompanied by a smile
>”They do this sort of thing often; it’s hardly something to be worked up about.”
>Well at least she doesn’t seem bothered by it
>She rests an exo-suited hand on your arm
>”Trust me Anon-kun, my mother and father are very laissez faire type of parents.”
>You’re not so sure
>There’s hands off and then there’s “hey I know you turned into a she-demon after discovering magic is real but we had tickets to Germany for Oktoberfest so bye!”
“What do they do anyways?”
>She practically lights up with excitement
>”My mother is a moderately successful writer who’s been writing since she was in high-school!”
>A writer; that’s kinda cool
“And your dad?”
>She looks as if she’s about to burst out excitedly once more before deflating a bit
>”Honestly, I don’t know…”
>Her face scrunches up as she strokes her chin
>”It’s odd, but I’ve never actually gotten a straight answer from him whenever I’d ask.”
>What?
>Her face ceases its scrunching and reapplies a smile once more
>”While I don’t know exactly what it is father does; I do know that he has an abundance of free time.”
>Twilight gestures to some nicely carved wood ducks sitting on tiny shelves
>”He makes little wood-workings like those all the time.”
>Well that’s one way to spend a copious amount of free time
>Not that you’re one to talk since you usually just work out or play video games
>”You’ll have to meet mother and father sometime Anon, I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”
>While they certainly sound like, interesting people, you don’t think that’ll be high up on the list of things you want to do
 
>She’s touching him again!
>”Well I guess that’s pretty much everything we need to go over then.”
>Twilight isn’t usually one for physically touching someone
>”Does anyone have any other questions about tonight?”
>Especially making it seem so natural with the flow of their conversation
>”Now ah wasn’t sure when we went over the security at Fancy Pants and Co after the team GUARDIAN explanation, but are there really gonna be so few guards stationed there?”
>She might actually be making subtle moves on him!
>”It’s on page 2 in the section titled “SECURITY” in the second handout.”
>How could she have learned how to do this?
>”Oh, due to an almost fully-automated system prevailin throughout the facility only one squad of guards are needed on site to monitor the situation...”
>She’s positively daft when it comes to social interaction!
>”I still don’t get why Anon didn’t have to take one of the second packets!”
>After all, she’s been cycling through things that are supposedly cool to bond with Anon
>”You saw the look on his face Rainbow, Anon had a thousand yard stare going on.”
>She must’ve developed feelings for him, but you were here first!
>”Ah’ll say, he looked like my great uncle Apple Strudel after he thinks about the Great War.”
>Wait, how does she learn how to do subtlety so quickly?
>”Wouldn’t be surprised if everything’s starting to get to him.”
>If there’s something about her that you know for sure, it’s that she can memorize a book faster than you can fix a sloppy make-up job
>”You might be right about that, let’s make sure tonight goes off without a hitch so we can all have a well-deserved rest!”
 
>Wait what did Twilight just say?!
>”Yea, we’ll show them who’s boss of this town!”
>Did she just mention Anon meeting her MOTHER AND FATHER!?
>”Ah’m up fer showing them a thing or two!”
>She’s making her move FAST!
>”Just be careful, we don’t know exactly what we’re up against.”
>The amount of daring required to try and hook him like that so soon…
>”You’re worrying too much Sunset; we’ll be fine!”
>She’s earned a bit of respect from you
>”We’ll be more than alright, since we have a big strong…”
>Then again moving too quickly is an ametuer mistake often taken by over-eager girls
>”You ok there Aj?”
>Or perhaps she’s desperate
>”Yea, are you bueno Jaunita?”
>Or she actually couldn’t learn how to properly seduce a real man with just a book
>”A-ah’m fine!”
>Not that you couldn’t tell her that
>”Are you sure? You don’t look too hot to me; in fact you look like you’re day-dreaming about a certain someone…”
>It took years of observation and experience weaving yourself through the school’s social scene before you perfected your skill
>”Ah-ah uh, ain’t it about time to get Rarity all dolled up Sunset!?”
>And now she’s coming in to take him before you can
>”Well we don’t have much time to waste I guess, so we probably should get started.”
>You can’t let her set the pace!
>”Are you ready to get suited up Rarity?”
>You need to do something!
>Taking a deep breath quickly to compose yourself you make your way towards Anon and the competition
>”Rarity?”
>Then again, against you she can’t really be called competition
>”Hey, where are you going dude?”
>Time to show Twilight just how much of a "Rarity" a real lady is
 
>”Well, we should probably start getting ready to move out now…”
>You’d be fine with doing so, but…
>You really only have one thing on your mind that won’t quit buzzing around your skull until you address it
>How on Earth did she make all this stuff?
>”But before we do, may I propos—“
>You raise your hand and stop her as you scratch your forehead
“Just a sec, I’ve got one more question.”
>Twilight raises a curious eyebrow as you stop her mid-sentence
>”By all means Anon-kun, douzo.”
>You might someday become numb to her weeb bleed through, but that day cannot come soon enough
>Now, how to word this
“Twilight, now I get that you’re pretty much a super genius.”
>She gets a huge dopey smile as she tries to wave your compliment off
>”Please Anon-bo you’re giving me far too much credit.”
>Too much credit?
>She literally made an exo-suit, no wait even better
>She made a device to detect and contain MAGIC that she didn’t even know for sure existed
>You can believe that she developed an exo-suit and furthered her research in magic detection
>HOWEVER, you can’t get past the ONE GLARING THING about all of this!
>Where in the HELL did she get the funding!?
>The exo-suits PLURAL, the city-wide scans, and even multiple pendants to EACH gun!
>You could understand if she got some money from Celestia and Luna to take some scans around the city, but you doubt that they could front the bill to supply her enough resources to make them across the entire city
>Not to mention the cost of components for the exo-suits
>You don’t know the price tag all that would rack up, but you assume it’s more than two principles can afford
>Right?
“It’s bothering me far more than it should, but where did you get the money to even make all this stuff?”
 
>Twilight’s dopey smile shifts into her more “I’m about to teach you stuff” smile
>”Rather easily actually; I receive several stipends fro—“
>Her voice is drowned out by a sudden shout
>”Ohhh Anon, darrllinnngg!”
>Oh shit what?
>Turning to the voice greets your vision with a bouncy Rarity
>Like she’s actually bouncing towards you
>Not a Pinkie sorta bounce, but you can’t help feel that you’ve seen this kind of bounce before
>You also can’t help notice that she’s intently locking eyes with you
>She stops just short of smacking straight into you
>”Annoooonnn, I have just a quick little question for you…”
>Uh, kinda in the middle of something?
>Twilight adds from behind you
>”I was talking still…”
>Before you can tell Rarity so she leans up close to your ear
>”It’s the question I wanted to ask you earlier; do you mind if I steal you for just, a, moment…”
>She’s leaning on you
>SHE’S LEANING ON YOU!
>Her breath is tickling your ear, and it smells really, good…
>Don’t think about that now!
>You need to sate your curiosity about Twilight’s mysterious stipends
“I was kinda still talking to Twilight here and all…”
>She leans back to the balls of her feet with puffed out cheeks
>”Please Anon, I promise that you’ll love i—“
>Before she can finish she’s interrupted by Sunset and Applejack grabbing her from behind
>”Rarity we don’t have time to waste.”
>”Ah’ll say, YOU need to get yer stuff on.”
>Rarity’s face scrunches up in confusion
>”Um, what are you two talking about exactly?”
>Applejack has a rather smug looking smirk on her face
>”Come on Rares, we’ve got to get you ready to get down and dirty.”
>The confusion morphs to apprehension at the mention of down and dirty
>”I’m sorry, could you repeat that for me?”
>Applejack starts to drag Rarity off by her arm
>”You know what ah’m talkin about missy; it’s time to get dressed.”
 
>Rarity lets loose a series of questions about what Applejack is talking about as they head out of the kitchen
>Sunset stops next to you and Twilight
>”Could you give us a hand Twilight? I want to be sure I properly attach the separate components.”
>Twilight gives her a smile and a nod as Sunset turns back towards the now struggling Rarity
>”Do you mind if I answer your question in further detail and any others you have after tonight?”
>Well it’s not like she couldn’t just give you the short version like right no—
>”Perhaps over lunch later this week?”
>Oh, well it’s not like you really have any plans…
>But isn’t it bad luck or something to plan that you’re going to succeed tonight?
>Oh what the hell?
“Sure I guess, wanna do like Wednesday?”
>Twilight’s smile grows in such intensity you can’t help but smile a bit yourself
>”That works completely for me! I’ll text you about the details later Anon-bo.”
>God you really hope there isn’t a weeb-tier restaurant around here
>You give her a thumbs up with as much enthusiasm as you can
“Looking forward to it.”
>She gives you one more nod before walking towards the other girls who’re all migrating somewhere else with jumpsuits in tow
>You’re soon left alone with only the sleeping buggo and spike who’s also sleeping in a coil in the corner
>What do you do while they all get dressed?
>Your eyes catch the riot gear on the table
>Oh, maybe you should get changed too
>You head over and snatch up all your gear before stopping next to the tasers
>They each come with a little holder you can attach to a belt
>Looking at the tactical belt you see room for more than one taser by far
>Might as well take two
>Who knows, you could be a cool guy and dual wield them like that one guard in that one Resident Evil movie
>You plop two of them on your riot gear pile before going to grab the shield before a thought occurs to you
>Didn’t that guard get his shit kicked in right away?
 
”Just, need, to, tighten, this, up!”
>You finally succeed at riveting the last bolt needed to keep the exo-suit in place
>You’re suddenly almost thrown off-balance when Pinkie jumps into view from out of nowehere
>”Wow Rara, I can’t believe you can stand in that position for soooo long!”
>You’ll admit that it’s a bit impressive
>You don’t know if it’s due to Twilight rushing the design or if the design didn’t take comfort into the equation, but getting the actual suit on is an ordeal in its own right
>For some reason the wearer needs to bend their arms and legs in certain positions to help slot the separate parts into their appropriate slots
>They end up looking like some sort of pose out of an abstract art piece
>”Yes well, when you grow up in a family of tailors you have to model clothing at once, can I stop now?”
>Oh, you forgot to tell her!
“Yes you’re fine now.”
>Rarity lets out a held breath as she relaxes
>”Even though I’m used to it however, I don’t particularly enjoy it.”
>You certainly aren’t looking forward to it
>”Is this supposed to feel so stiff darling?”
>Twilight taps her phone’s screen with one hand while crouching down and waving a small wand over some of the exo-suit’s joints
>”I’ll just need another moment to finalize the fittings, but once I do the HMS should adjust to your measurements.”
>Twilight stands up still focused on her screen for a moment before looking up
>”However while the HMS adjusts I do have something I wish to discuss with everyone.”
>Applejack walks forward while she zips up her jumpsuit
>”What’s eatin at ya Twi?”
>Twilight looks over everyone’s heads with uncertainty
>”It’s about what Celestia told us a few days ago…”
>Oh, it’s a serious conversation
 
>You bode your time casting your gaze skyward
>The stars twinkle and sparkle like a shining canvas of the cosmos
>It’s pretty relaxing
>You stretch out in the back of Applejack’s truck trying to get moderately comfortable
>Though it’s getting pretty boring quick
>Why do girls take so long to change?
>You thought that was just an exaggerated stereotype everyone spouted off about
>But here you are, twenty minutes later
>Your eyes drift down to your shield and armor
>At least you were able to get this stuff on nice and snug
>God forbid any of it didn’t fit
>Though maybe it’s one of those “one-size-fits-most” type of getups
>Maybe you should be thinking of more important things right now
>Like what’s taking them so long!?
>It’s just a couple jumpsu-oh wait
>Forgot about the whole having to fit someone in an exo-suit thing
>How does that just slip your mind?
>Actually it’s probably double bad too considering who’s wearing it
>You’re still surprised they got her to wear it
>She probably wants to know all the ins and outs of it or something so she can adjust it on the fly
>She seems pretty passionate about fashion
>Hell, in the few days she’s known you she’s already started making an outfit for you
>Which is actually making you a little excited
>Sure, everything leading up to making it was, awkward to say the least, but it’ll be something she made especially for you
>Been awhile since you got a gift from anyone
>Well, discounting the gifts Luna and Celestia
>Though you’ll admit that Luna’s last “gift” has probably affected your life more than any other you’ve gotten
>You’re really going to have to talk A LOT of things out with them tomorrow
>Hopefully they’re doing ok
 
>Only the sound of your breathing can be heard echoing in the darkness
>You can’t tell if it’s sweat, blood, or a mixture of the two, but it’s dripping down your left arm
>Perhaps listening to Luna wouldn’t have been such a bad idea
>You hold up your right hand focusing your aura into a brilliant golden glow around it
>The bodies of several changelings lie around you
>Looks like you took out quite a few of them in that last ambush, but you know more lie in wait
>It may have been a while, but you still remember the basics about how to handle pack hunters
>And it may have to do with you reading their dossier a little while ago before giving it to Twilight…
>You really need to read up on the other things that could come next
>It’s always good to be prepared ahead of time
>At least that’s what he used to say…
>A sigh leaves your lips as you navigate the dark corridors
>Trying to get Anon out of his shell these past few months has reminded you about your old friend quite a bit
>Actually wearing your locket does as well
>You grasp your glowing memento with a bloodied hand
>Doing so fills you with a flood of warmth
>Alright, you need to get out of here and back to Lulu
>You weren’t on-guard when Sunset first came to town, you didn’t listen to your intuition before the Dazzlings walked into your office, and you didn’t interfere with the Friendship Games
>Now though…
>You slowly scan the hallway making sure no one is hiding further along
>If the changeling queen really pulls off what you think she’s prepping for, then you can’t sit idly by trusting in the next generation of CHS guardians
>Especially when it’s this big of a plan that concerns more than just CHS
>It could affect all of Canterlot, maybe even the world if no one can stop her
>But most important of all, it WILL affect Anon
 
>You can’t let that happen
>You peer around a corner making sure the coast is clear before proceeding
>Everyone promised each other to look after anyone left behind in the event any of you, didn’t make it…
>So far, you’ve done a terrible job of that
>If what child protective services said is true
>You can still hardly believe it even after confirming it yourself
>God, just what happened to Jane?
>You knew that she had took his death hard, but she always seemed like a strong-willed woman
>You didn’t think she’d just keep spiraling down
>Even though you know it isn’t your fault, you can’t help feel guilty about what happened to Anon
>You thought that when she moved away the distance would help
>Instead that distance only made her worse
>You should’ve kept talking with her
>Maybe you could’ve helped her by being more supportive
>His life is your fault
>You were supposed to be the leader
>What kind of leader can’t even look after those she cares about?
>A jolt of pain surges through your leg causing you to wince and lean against the wall for support
>Of course all these thoughts rear their ugly head while you’re in a pinch
>Guess tangling with death really makes you think?
>You stay still for a moment to catch your breath and let the pain reside once more
>You should’ve paid more attention back there, maybe it’s been too long to go straight into 1 woman missions again
>But no time to think about that now, you have to get going!
>You continue to lean on the wall for support as you move forward
>You should be nearing the entrance soon if memory serves right
>Hopefully you can get a signal when you reach it
 
>You pause as you come to a fork in the hallway
>It’s hard to tell which way leads where
>All these walls look the same!
>Alright, try to see any signs of difference between the two paths
>Taking a moment you scan over the two to reveal, that they’re exactly the same
>Honestly they probably aren’t, but you’re not doing so hot right now
>Taking a moment to get your head straight you tighten your makeshift tourniquet
>The sharp pain makes you wince as it radiates through your arm
>You’d love to be at home sipping wine right now
>Honestly just anywhere but this dank dungeon
>You shake your head as unnecessary thoughts start to clutter your mind
>Can’t stop right now, need to keep moving forward
>Deciding to keep leaning on the wall you go right down the fork
>It’s not long until you start to doubt if you took the right path
>However, your doubts are interrupted by the sounds of scurrying echoing all around you
>Did you walk into another ambush?
>You must be going the right way after all
>You cast a few weak bolts ahead of you to scout it out ultimately showing nothing
>Doing the same behind you though lights up several pairs of blue and red eyes
>Well, at least they aren’t coming from all around you this time
>You stand back on your own two feet as your hands begin to glow brightly illuminating the hallway
>The light flows throughout the room revealing many more changelings than the bolts did
>Looks like the remnants of that last pack found friends and caught up to you
>Fantastic
>For once, you regret not taking Lulu on her offers to go to the gym
>You heave a deep breath before clenching your fists once more
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?”
 
>Your impromptu star-gazing session is cut off with the sound of the front door slamming open
>”Alright, let’s go out there and give them hell!”
>Rainbow dashes out wielding her taser like a sword
>”Are you sure about this darling?”
>Rarity follows Rainbow out while talking to Sunset
>”I think it’ll be fine.”
>Applejack pokes her stetson topped head out next
>”Ah guess it’s time to git goin then.”
>You vault over the side of the truck to meet up with the girls as the gather on the doorstep
>Sunset stands besides Twilight with her hands on her hips before addressing everyone
>”Alright, are there any more questions before we split up?”
>Not really, you’re ready to go
>Silence permeates around the group for a moment before Rainbow impatiently blurts out from your side
>”Nah, I’m good.”
>Followed by Rarity as she brushes her bangs out of her eyes as she steps next to you
>”I think I can manage from here.”
>Applejack adds with a smile placing a hand on Rarity’s shoulder
>”Alls good on the home-front.”
>Pinkie shakes her head furiously inducing a loud jingling noise next to Twilight while Fluttershy shakes hers silently next to Sunset
>Twilight pushes her glasses up with a nod
>”I guess that we’re good to go then.”
>You only notice it now, but you’re now standing divided between your two teams
>Feels like a moment you should say something cool or just wish them luck
>Shit you’re really not good at this
“Hey Sunset.”
>She gives you a raised eyebrow
>”Hey Anon.”
>Say something cool for before a mission!
“Vigilo Confido.”
>You immediately regret saying that, but at least it doesn’t seem like anyone knows how stupid you just were
>Everyone must think you said something coo and inspirationa—
>Your thoughts are interrupted by Twilight
>”Of course Commander.”
>Of course she’s the only one who knows
 
>Your footsteps loudly reverberate down the empty hallways as your feet hit the pavement
>You’re cutting it close, but you should make it in time for the meeting
>Whatever it is has to be important to be given literally no notice
>You were half-way through a shower when the call came, and the bosses never call you!
>Probably because of the whole rhyming thing and the other not ever leaving the confines of her lab
>As you round the corner you see your destination in your sights
>Crystal Prep’s very own library
>The ticking clock above it tells you that you better hurry up
>You break into a full-out sprint towards the library doors
>Bracing your shoulder you smash through the double doors into the dark room
>Gotta make it in time!
>Reaching out you one hand vault over the circular desk that greets you and make your way towards the fiction section
>Passing by the rows of shelves you keep an eye on the labels
>Young adult
>Fantasy
>Stopping at the wall you look at the two separate rows lining up against the wall
>Science fiction
>Tabletop!
>You sprint down the Tabletop aisle about a fourth of the way before skidding to a stop
>Alright, G g g…
>There it is!
>You quickly pull the neon colored book you’ve grown to hate the past few months or so
>You practically jog in place as the old shifting in the wall is heard revealing the stairway down
>Wasting no time you jump down the dark depths and tuck into a roll before hitting the ground below
>Only to slam into the wall with a loud *THWACK* once again
>Damn, you thought you’d given enough leeway to stop just before it
>Next time then!
>You quickly get up and run down the hallway to your right to the door
>So close!
>Less than a couple hundred feet away
>Please don’t let you be late again!
>Sugarcoat kept pointing out your tardiness for a week straight after last time!
 
*GONG*
>Your heart goes heavy as the gongs of the CP clock ring through the building
>You have five or so gongs before you’re late
>Better step it up!
*GONG*
>Your legs burn as you give it one last burst of speed to reach it in time
*GONG*
>You can make out the graffiti on the door now!
*GONG*
>Just have to smash through the door!
*GONG*
>Brace yours—
>Your body collides with the door as the sixth *GONG* sounds before you burst into the large room
”I’m NOT late!”
>You heave a few exhausted breaths trying to get a hold on your breathing
>”No, but you did smash right through Sour Sweet on your way in.”
>What?
>The door slams closed revealing a collapsed Sour Sweet crumpled against the wall
“Ohhh…”
>You swoop down to Sour Sweet and offer her a hand
“Sorry about that.”
>She accepts your hand while smiling
>”Oh don’t worry about it; you just nearly BASHED MY FUCKING HEAD IN YOU STUPID THUNDERCUNT!”
>You wince at the expected outburst
>”WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING NEXT TIME, pretty please.”
>She takes her usual seat at the table while you take a mental headcount of who’s here
>There’s you, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare touching up her makeup, Sugarcoat snickering at your misfortune, Lemon Zest rocking out as always, and the illustrious Rhyme boss-lady currently meditating or something
>Wait, isn’t Time boss supposed to be here?
>You take your seat as you voice your observation
“Everyone else is here, but where’s time boss?”
>Sugarcoat scoffs with disdain
>”She said something about finding a lead that would be going down tonight with the other bosses.”
>You sometimes wonder why you guys have so many bosses, but more importantly...
>Something going down tonight even though you just fought someone this morning!?
>Whoever’s causing trouble is going to get a personal five-knuckle beat down for interrupting your shower!
 
>You lean back in your chair
“So what’s the important news?”
>Sunny Flare clasps her hand mirror closed before elbowing Lemon Zest
>”You were here first, what’s happening?”
>Lemon Zest opens her eyes with surprise before taking her headphones off
>”Huh, oh yea; Rhyme boss-lady told me to wait for the rest of you while she did her glowy eye thing. So I just decided to chillax for a while till you all got here.”
>So she doesn’t know either?
>She shrugs nonchalantly
>”Guess we can wake her now?”
>Reaching out she taps Rhyme boss on the shoulder in a rhythmic fashion in tune with her still playing music
>Rhyme boss’s eyes shoot open revealing their grey glow that seems to almost leak out of them before blinking once more back to their normal blue hue
>Her eyes sweep around the large oval table as she assumedly counts how many of you are here before she smiles
>”Everyone’s attendance pleases me, as I have much to discuss with all thee.”
>Oh boy, wonder what’s she’s learned
>She taps the surface of the oval mirror table causing a ripple to spread through it like it was made of water
>”Today I have learned about our enigma, the boy who’s been the target of much stigma.”
>The green guy?
>What was his name…
>Anon?
>Sugarcoat frowns at Rhyme boss
>”But we tried learning about him before and knowing that he has police reports doesn’t really give us much to go on.”
>Rhyme boss nods slowly
>”With help from a vision foretelling of his past, we can learn new info fast.”
>The oval mirror starts to swirl rapidly as a blurry image forms
>”Everything unclear as it may seem, upon further inspection information we might gleam.”
>The image begins to clear up slowly
>”If we take another look, answers we shall find in a book.”
>Suddenly you’re staring at what looks like a story book made by a child
>It’s titled “Yaddy, Yommy, and Emy, The day Yaddy came back”
 
>”But to make sense of this story so we may discuss, we must go back to have the situation play before us.”
>The image blurs once more and transforms into what looks like a party
>Lemon Zest turns her music down and stares at the image intently
>”Where is this from?”
>Rhyme boss doesn’t look away from the mirror
>”It is from events that have yet to be, but have already occurred you see.”
>Cryptic, but then again you would be too if you had to rhyme no matter what you said
>”Place your trust in me, and view what you need to see…”
>It’s going to be another one of THOSE types of briefings again isn’t it?
.
.
.
>You make your way across the party floor to grab something from the kitchen
>It's almost time to give his present!
>Before you escape the bustling living room you’re pulled away to the side
>”There you are, would you mind grabbing the fireworks from the garage? They’re near the box labeled AT.”
>You give her a quick nod
>Might as well, the garage is next to the kitchen
>Celestia gives you a warm smile before being called to by someone
>You continue on your way, but head to the garage instead from the kitchen
>Opening the door reveals the dark car house
>As you step into the darkness you feel the cold start to chill you to the bone
>Better make this quick
>You reach out to the side and flick the switch causing the lights to flicker on
>You look around the garage for shelves of some kind
>Only to notice that there are none
>There is however a set of stairs leading upwards
>Must be in there
>You climb up the wooden steps into what looks like a miniature attic
>There are quite a few boxes in here!
>Luckily for you though, the boxes labeled AT are right next to you, and so are the fireworks!
 
>You quickly gather the assortment of various rockets and sprinklers that lie next to the tall tower of AT labeled boxes
>Looks like you’ve got all of th—
>Out of the corner of your vision you notice what looks like a bit of a rocket sticking out on top of the top box in the AT stack
>Jeez that’s really high up
>Looks like you might be able to just reach it if you go on your tip-toes
>You carefully extend to your highest height and reach out towards the rocket
>Almost, there…
>You successfully snag the rocket tip, but there’s a problem
>It won’t come free!
>Maybe if you just tug a little harder it’l—
>Oh no
>The tower of boxes begins to wobble forward!
>You take a step back while it looks like it’ll tip over
>You’ve got to get a little bit mor—
>As you hurriedly back away you trip backwards over yourself and land firmly on your butt with a loud crash
>Needless to say you let go of all the fireworks too
>Standing back up it appears the leaning tower of AT has also crashed
>The rocket you were looking for at least appears to have freed itself, along with the contents of the top box
>You squat down and begin to pick up the newly made mess
>Looks like a bunch of nick-nacks
>Mostly things you’d expect to see from a little boy though
>You don’t recall Celestia or Luna having any kids…
>Perhaps they were Anon’s?
>Anon’s things?
>Makes sense
>You’ve almost got most of the mess picked up when you notice something a bit different from the rest of the clutter
>A small book
>It looks like one of those premade create your own books
>It has a crude drawing on it that looks like it was made in marker
>Yaddy, Yommy, and Emy, The day Yaddy came back
>Did Anon make this?
>Guess subtlety was never his strong suit
>You find curiosity eating away at you as you stare at the cover
>Perhaps reading it wouldn’t be too bad
>It’s probably short anyways
>You open the small book and begin to delve into a story of Anon’s making
 
>The first page shows a family of three with big smiles in front of a house
>There once was a family that lived happily together
>They lived in a big house and had fun a lot
>The next page is a buff man with a lab coat on
>There was Yaddy who was big and strong and smart and cool
>Turning the page there’s a slightly smaller woman standing proudly next to Yaddy
>Then there was Yommy who was nice and loved Yaddy a lot
>They were married to each other and had a kid named Emy
>The next page looks like a little green boy
>Emy was happy and was going to be a superhero like Yaddy
>You turn the page to the family eating at a table, standing in a park, and standing in the woods
>They were a strange family who liked to do strange things
>Like eat ice cream for dinner at their favorite restaurant, play hide and seek at the park, and even go on adventures into the forest!
>They all had so much fun together!
>Every day was like recess all day
>You glance to the next page which shows Yaddy and Yommy doing things with Emy
>Yaddy would teach Emy whenever he needed help in school, and they’d goto the movies if Emy did well in school
>Yommy would cook meals that tasted well and always brought a smile to Yaddy and Emy’s faces
>It all brings a smile to your face too
>However, the next page looks a bit different
>Instead of the rainbow of colors used throughout the writing the only color used is black
>Black for the text over a lonely looking Emy and Yommy
>But one day Yaddy was gone
>Emy and Yommy were really sad
>The next page doesn’t seem to get any better as a confused emy sitting alone and making sandwiches
>Emy would ask Yommy what happened to Yaddy, but Yommy wouldn’t tell him
>The only answer she gave was that Yaddy was gone
>Emy didn’t know what to do
 
>Emy waited for Yaddy to come back for a long time
>During that time Yommy stopped being like the Yommy Emy knew
>Yommy liked to sleep more, and Emy had to make sandwiches for dinner a lot
>Turning to the next page shows an Emy with a light-bulb over his head
>Until Emy thought of something!
>If Yaddy was gone that meant he must be lost!
>Emy had lost remotes before and they were gone for awhile
>At least until Yaddy or he found them
>So Emy would just have to find Yaddy!
>The colorful text reappears on the next page with pictures of Emy in the places from before
>So Emy packed a backpack and left to all the places he could think Yaddy would be
>He walked all the way to their favorite restaurant
>Only to see Yaddy wasn’t there
>He walked to the park they liked to play in
>Only to see no sign of Yaddy
>He ran to the woods but Yaddy wasn’t there either
>It was dark by the time Emy was done searching the woods
>Emy knew the woods like the back of his hand so he got home in no time
>Turning the page you notice something immediately different about it
>Are those tear stains?
>Emy got home really late, but it was ok since Yommy was still asleep on the couch
>It was her favorite place to sleep
>She liked it so much that she’d be sleeping there when Emy came home from school even!
>Since Emy couldn’t find Yaddy he made posters of him to get help to find him
>He remembered that Yaddy made posters of Emy’s dog when they lost him
>But when emy made the posters at school his friend asked him what they were for
>He told him that he wanted to find Yaddy
>The teacher said they were really pretty and that she wanted one to put near her house
>Emy gave her one because the teacher asked nicely
 
>The next page shows an angry Yommy scolding a crying Emy
>When Emy went home that that day to get ready to put up the posters he made he was surprised
>Yommy was up instead of sleeping like normal
>But Yommy was mad at Emy for making the posters
>Yommy yelled at Emy and he tried his hardest not to cry
>He only cried a little as he went upstairs to his room
>Now Emy sits in a closet
>Emy didn’t know what he did wrong
>He wanted to help find Yaddy, but Yommy told him that he was stupid
>He decided to sit in the closet to think while Yommy yelled at someone over the phone
>He fell asleep in the closest waiting for Yommy to finish yelling
>Does this just keep getting worse?
>Why would anyone keep this?
>You flip through the next few pages only skimming over them
>You pretty much called it
>The next few describe Emy having trouble with school then getting yelled at for poor grades, his experience learning how to clean up the house for the first time since there’s too much trash around, and finally coming home to an empty house most days
>As you continue through the situation looks worse and worse for poor Emy
>Wasn’t this a kid’s book?
>They’re supposed to have good ends!
>You also didn’t think this book would have so many pages with a frowning Emy
>You finally flip to what looks like the last few pages when some more colorful writing catches your eye, but so does the large stain on top of the twinkling star picture
>But it was then that Emy saw the shooting star!
>He remembered when Yaddy told him about magic shooting stars
>Yaddy said that if you wish really hard when you see one that your wish would come true!
>So Emy wished for the one thing he wanted most in the world
>Emy wished that Yaddy would come back
 
>He wished so hard that he fell asleep wishing!
>And when he woke up…
>You flip to the barely legible page
>There’s too many splotches around the page
>You can’t really make out most of the writing as it’s blended together
>But you can take a guess as to what it is
>The happy ending Anon didn’t get
>You close the book and examine the back cover
>Made by Anon age 11
>Should’ve figured as much
>”Are you alright up there?”
>Your dive into Anon’s past is interrupted by Anon himself
>You quickly stash the book back into the box it came from and place it next to the others
>Just in time too as Anon steps up into the attic
>”Oh, there you are; come on, it’s almost time!”
>You snatch up the fireworks and head down the stairs with him
>”I just wanted to say since we’re alone…”
>You stay silent as you think you know what he’s about to say
>He stops after stepping into the garage and turns to you
>”Thanks, for everything; if you didn’t help me back during all that, well I don’t think I could’ve done it.”
>He never stops thanking you for that every so often
>You give him the biggest smile you can as he turns away
>”Anyways, let’s get in there before they get started without us!”
>You quickly make your way in and place the fireworks on the kitchen counter
>As Anon heads into the living room you make sure to snatch up your small gift
>You rush into the living room as you hear the noise of partying settle down
>You manage to work your way next to Anon
>Celestia clears her throat
>”I think we can all say with confidence that this past year was one of the most hectic we’ve seen in a while.”
>Luna nods
>”We’ve formed new friendships and bonds through our mutual interest of keeping Canterlot safe.”
>Murmurs of agreement are sounded from all throughout the room
>”But, let us not forget those who can’t be here to celebrate with us today.”
 
>The heavy mood of sad memories sets in as you scan the faces of your friends
>As you scan the empty spots where some should be
>Your gaze stops on Indigo Zap’s rather large scar over her face still fresh from that October night
>”Let us carry their memory into the future; as long as we do I think they’d be more than happy to know their sacrifices weren’t in vain.”
>Several others nod
>Celestia claps her hands startling a few of you
>”Now though, I think it’s time to celebrate the coming of the new year, don’t you think so Lulu?”
>Luna blushes before glaring at Celestia
>”Sister!”
>You and a few other let out light chuckles before Celestia waves a hand to the kitchen
>”Let’s start lighting off fireworks shall we?”
>Everyone cheers as they start to move to the back yard through the kitchen
>You stick behind the crowd with Anon and walk into the kitchen with arms linked together
>As everyone flows into the backyard you stop Anon at the sliding doors
>He turns to you with a cocked eyebrow
>”What’s up?”
>You pull out the gift box from your back pocket and present it to him
>He looks from your eyes to the box and back to your eyes
>”Is this, for me?”
>You give him a slight nod
>He tentatively takes the box from you
>You really thought he’d be more open to receiving presents after spending Christmas together
>He slowly opens it up and his face blanks
>”I, how did you…”
>You’re guessing it’s a good kind of blanking
>”But I looked everywhere after that…”
>He turns his head to you while still holding the pin in his hand
>”It wasn’t there, how’d you find it?”
>Before you can say anything you’re interrupted by a loud *BANG* and a “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
>He clenches the pin in his hand while turning fully towards you
>”I love it, and I, uh well…”
>He’s stammering at this picturesque moment!
>It literally can’t be more perfect!
>”Aw fuck it, I love you!”
>To your joy he grabs you and kisses you on the lips as another firework sounds off
>How romantic…
 
“EUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!”
>The piercing pressure at the front of your skull sends surges of pain that bring you out of the group experienced vision as you bear through it with gritted teeth
>Fuck, you hate that!
>Can’t it be just a little less painful?
>Leaning on one arm you rub your temple and hear similar complaints from your team mates
>”That’s never going to change is it…”
>”Nonsense, it’ll obviously GET WORSE…”
>Before you can interject into Sour Sweet’s melodrama a loud clapping from Lemon thunders into your skull
>”Alright, I still had my music and those fireworks went perfectly with the explosive drum solo!”
>Of course she could still hear her music
>But more importantly, why can’t she keep it down?!
>She knows how shitty the visions make everyone else feel!
>You open your mouth to tell her to keep it down for a sec before Sunny Flare glares at Lemon Zest
>”Can you just stop, like right now?”
>Lemon Zest immediately quits clapping before nodding at Sunny Flare with a smile
>”Can do!”
>Sunny Flare rolls her eyes at the overly cheerful Lemon Zest who gives her a thumbs up
>Just as you’re about to appreciate the sweet sound of silence for a few moments Sugarcoat has to go and ruin it
>”So what was the point of all that? We learned that Anon seems to have a bad childhood, so what? I’m sure at least one of us at this table has had it as bad if not worse than him.”
>It's at least more than any of you have figured out about him so far
>Rhyme boss slowly nods as she probably contemplates what to say next
>God knows you'd need a second if you had to speak in nothing but rhymes
>”If these details do not seem appropriate, there is other info you should postulate.”
>Other info to postulate?
>Well, you are wondering why you had that big scar over your eye, but you don’t think that’s what she’s talking about…
 
>What else stood out during that vision?
>Well first off the time, New Year’s strikes you as a bit odd
>The visions are almost always of the past, not the future
>So there’s that, but there’s got to be something more
>Guess there is one good thing about Rhyme boss’s visions; you can remember every detail with uncanny precision
>You quickly do a mental skim of it past reading Anon’s book
>Wait, at the CHS principle’s speech there’s something
>The whole speech seems to indicate that something went down to make at least you and you’re assuming the “Rainbooms”, as they’re known at CHS, become friends
>It’s a safe bet considering how they’ve been sighted as trying to incorporate Anon into their little “friends” circle
>You can’t be sure who was there beside yourself, whoever you were seeing through scanned over the crowd of faces too quickly before settling on you
>However that thought pertaining to your scar
>Something about it still looking fresh from that October night
>That’s something in the very least
>Something happens to you this month that gives you a major scar over your eye
>Maybe all of this is connected with the Changeling queen?
>Though you sort of doubt that she’d be THAT big a threat to Canterlot that you’d all need to team up with the Rainbooms or whatever they call themselves now
>After all, you had her on the ropes before!
>Though you guys weren’t doing too hot either you suppose
>It probably would’ve been a lot harder to finish that fight if Anon hadn’t have been there
>But it’s not like the five of you wouldn’t have pulled through!
>Probably…
>You shake your head in an attempt to rid your mind of negative thoughts
 
>Of course you would’ve been fine!
>You hadn’t even used your secret weapon yet!
>That would've gott—
>”Hey Zap, earth to Zap!”
>Huh?
>You blink at Sugarcoat’s voice as it derails your train of thought
“Uh, yea?”
>You can tell she’s not very happy you hadn’t been listening to her as she adopts her signature grimace
>”You weren’t even listening were you?”
>You give her a not-so-convincing smile as her grimace intensifies
>”I asked what other details you thought stood out from the professor’s briefing!”
>You can answer that easily!
>As you open your mouth though, Lemon Zest speaks up
>”Ya know something that stood out for me was just the fact that we were there.”
>Sunny Flare nods as she blows on her nails
>”It is quite odd that they consider us friends in this vision, what do you think happened that makes that the case?”
>Sugarcoat shakes her head
>”How do we even know if all of us are considered their friends? The only one I could see for sure that was there was Indigo with her monstrous scar.”
>It wasn’t THAT bad of a scar
>You for one think it looked kick-ass
>Lemon Zest smirks as she fiddles with her phone
>”Come on Sugarcoat, you KNOW we have to stick together in, at the very least, pairs. It’s been that way for what, the past four months? I find it hard to believe they’d befriend JUST Indigo.”
>She does have a point
>The bosses have been forcing you to stick together in case anything magical reared its ugly head
>Sugarcoat frowns slightly
>”I guess you’re right, but then we’re back to Flare’s question.”
>Rhyme boss breaks her silence at that
>”That is indeed a very important clue, figuring what made us stick to them like glue.”
 
>You wait for one of the others to clarify further
>Only to be met with the silence and faces scrunched up in thought
>Maybe you can finally give your opinion without someone stealing your thunder!
“I think I can narrow down at least the time-frame of what makes us ally with them.”
>All eyes snap to you expectantly
“When whoever we were viewing through landed on me she said something about the scar on my eye looking fresh from that OCTOBER night.”
>Lemon Zest strokes her chin as she bobs her head
>”Ya think that something that big is going down this month?”
>Sour Sweet stops biting her thumb for a moment as she interjects
>”Well that explains why we’re being run into the ground with all the magical activity lately.”
>Rhyme boss smiles to you
>”That is certainly a good observation, for I’ve been picking up a bad vibratio—“
*SLAM*
>You instinctively jump out of your seat and assume a stance to ready yourself after a loud slam explodes from behind you
>You aren’t the only one as everyone beside Rhyme boss stands ready
>However looking over at the door you see, Time boss!
>She’s slouched against the door
>Is she ok?
>You run over to her as she barely manages to hold herself up with her staff
“Hey, you ok Time boss?”
>She grunts before coughing a bit
>”D, *cough* didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that…”
>Yea, she’s fine
>You offer her a shoulder, but she shakes her head instead leaning on her staff for a moment before standing to full height once more
>You walk beside her just in case as she staggers to the table
>Pulling a chair out for her she hits it like a sack of rocks
>You stay by her side as all eyes watch her slowly regain her breath with head hung low
>She’s pretty banged up to say the least
 
>Her uniform has several dark splotches peppered around it
>Not to mention the several still bleeding cuts on her arms and a particularly large gash across her chest
>The splotches don’t all look like her blood though; some of it has a deep blue hue while others are green
>Her hair is a tangled, frayed, and singed(?) mess
>Though something else stood out from when she spoke to you back by the door
>Her eyes were blood-shot, more so than you’ve seen in the few months you’ve known her
>Hell, her left one looked almost completely red
>What in the hell happened to her?
>She finally looks up from the table with a stern face to Rhyme boss
>”So the others and I checked out that lead I was talking about…”
>Rhyme boss is stone still as she stares into Time boss’s eyes
>Time boss fishes a blood stained piece of paper out of her coat pocket and throws it on the table
>It lands with a wet *plop* streaking drops of blood behind it as well
>”We’re looking at a Knight tier, possibly a Queen tier event if we can’t stop it.”
>Queen tier…
>Sugarcoat slams her hands on the table
>”You can’t be serious!”
>You find it a bit hard to believe too
>The highest the rest of you have fought was a Level 4 Bishop tier event, and it almost killed all of you
>Ironically, even the Changeling Queen was only a level 2 Rook tier
>Though you've been wearing her down for a while now, and she seems to be getting stronger if your last encounter with her is an indicator
>Time boss slowly tilts her head to Sugarcoat
>”Deadly.”
>Rhy-no, need to be serious right now, Ms. Zecora picks up the paper and looks it over
>The whole room is silent as she scans it over
>Well, besides your injured boss’s ragged breathing
>Ms. Zecora places the paper in front of her and looks to your disheveled superior with her hands clasped together
>”If this is as the paper entails, I will need all the details.”
 
>Is this illegal?
>The thought keeps popping into your head as the crisp night air whistles past you
>You can sit in the back of a pick-up as someone drives it around, right?
>You look at the passing scenery as the rumbling of Applejack’s truck drowns out the city silence
>Oh who are you kidding, you’re just trying to keep your mind off of the uncomfortable silence
>Ever since you climbed into the back of the truck the only sound around is the truck, passing cars, or the muffled sound of music from the cab
>Not only is the silence bothering you, the stares from Rarity are too
>She’s been constantly glancing at you when your head is turned away
>You only noticed it on accident when you turned your head to look at something down the road, and your eyes went back to her before your head
>Deciding to see if you were wrong you turned your head to look off into the distance behind the truck
>Only to turn your eyes to see her giving you a sidelong glance
>Tinted goggles are neat for hiding your eyes
>You don’t really know why she keeps staring at you while she thinks you’re not watching
>You know she doesn’t mind getting your full attention if the last few days are any indication
>Hell, before they had to literally drag her off to get changed instead of talking to you
>While you are curious about that this right now is now bothering you more
>What happened between then and now that makes her avoid eye-contact?
>Arrrrgghh!
>You shake your head in frustration at the shining sky above
>You can’t stand this!
>You’re about five seconds away from just tossing yourself over the side of the tru—
>”Anon?”
>You snap your head to the quiet exo-suited fashionista before your voice comes out a bit muffled
“What’s up?”
 
>Her eyes shift to the cab of the truck as she attempts to find words
>”Anon, I need to ask you…”
>She trails off as her eyes wander the skies
>Ask what?
>You sit in silence for a few moments until Rarity finally looks you head on
>She looks so serious with her scrunched eyebrows and rigid posture
>At least she did before looking down at herself with uncertainty
>”Tell me darling, do you think that this exo-suit looks good on me?”
“What?”
>Your mouth literally could not even before your mind
>She looks back up to you while clenching her fists
>”Well it’s just that I feel like this might not be as flattering as I hoped, not to mention how much the backpack is messing up my hair.”
“You can’t be serious.”
>Your mouth once again beats you to the punch
>Did you really just imagine the awkward silence?
>She holds up her pointer finger with a small frown on her face
>”As a heart attack my dear; the cold and my hair constantly rubbing against the metal can’t be good for it.”
>You just can’t
>You heave a sigh as you collapse from your own stiff upright position against the tuck bed
>She lets out a giggle with the beginnings of a smile forming on her face
>”It’s about time you relaxed darling; the solemn silence was starting to worry me.”
>Nothing really solemn about a guy worrying if he did something wrong in front of a girl
>Better make up a plausible excuse for your silence
“It was far from solemn, trust me; I’m more just nervous about everything that’s going on.”
>Slightly nodding she directs her gaze behind you back towards the skies
>”That’s perfectly alright Anon; we’ve been through a lot in such a short time.”
>Her gaze lingers for a moment before she seems to remember something
 
>Pulling out a small purse she starts to dig through it while addressing you
>”Would you like to know how I deal with stress these days?”
>How she deals with stress?
>Well she has been dealing with magic since like last year, hasn’t she?
>From what Sunset told you and from what you’ve heard Rarity’s been through quite a bit with the rest of the girls
>You’d be lying if you said you weren’t a bit interested in how someone like her is able to deal with constant magic bs plaguing her life
>You pick yourself off the truck bed and sit back on the wheel well
“I actually would be.”
>She continues to dig through the little purse with renewed vigor
>”My usual treatment for stress is going to my good friend Lotus Blossom at the Canterlot Day Spa, but I like to keep that down to a bi-weekly basis.”
>Going to a spa every two weeks?
>For her, you can’t say you’re surprised
>She stops suddenly pulling out a small gem-studded wallet
>”So I tried to just push it to the back of my mind until I could go on those bi-weekly trips to my little slice of heaven, but that wasn't really enough.”
>Pulling something out of her wallet she seems to loose herself staring at it
>”While it is a bit cliché, it never ceases to reinvigorate me no matter what’s troubling me.”
>She holds up what looks like a photo
>A photo of her and everyone together…
>A bit cliché was an understatement, but you can’t help smile just a bit
“You’re really close aren’t you?”
>She nods as she places the picture back in her wallet
>”I think that’s a bit of an understatement my dear Anon.”
>Ughh, you've had enough mushy stuff today!
>Need to think of something manly and cool!
>Like punching stuff!
>Your mind instantly goes to thoughts of Aria first
>Ok, maybe something a little less manly...
>Before you delve too deep into thought you’re brought back to the present by an exo-suited hand grasping yours
 
>”Anon, if you’re really in need of some stress relief I may have a few other ideas on how to, help...”
>Huh?
>Looking back up to her face she’s smiling, but not in the usual way
>It’s less like her usual one
>More of a smirk if anything, but it’s ringing some bells in your head
>Like what she’s suggesting is bad
>Better play it safe
“Oh yea, and what would those be?”
>Her smirk goes into a full on smile as she grasps your hand between hers
>”Well they would require almost no effort from someone as big and strong as you.”
>Wait, that predator like gleam is back in her eye
>Maybe you should try to change the subject
>Whatever you do, just don’t go along with i—
>”In fact, if you’re there I would be able to, do, all, the, work.”
>You’re starting to feel a tad uncomfortable that she’s leaning forward so much
>In fact you’re starting to lean back a bit yourself
>She stops inches away from your face as you’re practically leaning off the truck
>”After all, I’d be buying.”
>Wait what?
“Huh?”
>Letting go of your hand she sits back down
>”Of course I’d be buying if we went shopping together! I couldn’t let you spend a single cent.”
>Shopping, together?
“You want to take me shopping?”
>Smiling like the Cheshire cat she holds a hand over a part of her mouth
>”Yes Anon that’s what I’d like to do, did you have something else in mind?”
>Well obviously you thought she wanted you to, uh, help her move!
>Yep, no lewd thoughts or anything!
>Definitely wasn’t trying to smell her through your balaclava!
>Man you really have to stop smelling girls that get close to you
>How is this a problem you’re having frequently?
“I didn’t really know, but how is being strong going to help with shopping?”
>Her Cheshire smile morphs into what can only be described as Rarity’s very own shiggy diggy
 
>”Darling, the reason I’m paying is because you’ll be carrying, among other things.”
>Carrying some shopping bags?
>Pffft, big deal
>How much could Rarity possibly buy?
“Is that it, I kinda feel like I’m taking advantage of you if all I have to do is carry some bags.”
>Closing her eyes she shakes her head slowly with a smirk
>Why do you feel like you’ve made some grievous error?
>”You say that like carrying what I buy will be easy, but if you so do wish to know there is one other tiny reason I want you to come.”
>There always is
>”I want you to model!”
>Did she just say she wants you to model?
>No of course not!
“I’m sorry, I must’ve had a slight aneurysm or something; could you repeat that?”
>She clasps her hands together as she begins to wiggle back and forth looking at the stars
>”It’s not often that I get to show off my handy work in the fashion district on a body like yours Anon, why I’m sure that Sassy Saddles would absolutely die seeing me walk in with you.”
>She wants to show you off?
>At the fashion district?
>Canterlot has a fashion district?
“Wait, when were you thinking of heading out?”
>She seems to snap out of her daydreams to bite her thumb
>”Hmm, well I don’t have any plans this Thursday, if you’re free.”
>You, plans?
>Literally only when someone else invites you out
>Which is happening quite a bit lately
“Works for me.”
>Pulling out her phone she begins to tap away on the screen
>”It’s a date then!”
>You feel your eye involuntarily twitch as she calls you meeting up a date again
>You’re not too keen on the whole date thing
>Especially considering what happened on the last date you two had earlier today
>You sigh once more as you readjust your seating on the wheel well
>Rarity looks up from her phone with an enthusiastic smile spread across her lips
>”I’ll be sure to iron the details tomorrow or the next day.”
 
>Yea, sometime when you’re not about to conduct a stake out
>Speaking of which, when the hell are you going to get there anyways?
>You tear your eyes from the giddy Rarity and notice that you’re approaching Fancy Pants and Co
>Closer than you thought
“Looks like it’s time to part ways my fair lady.”
>This time you went fedora of your own choosing!
>Wait, you still don’t get whether or not she likes or hates that
>Well, she’s either nice enough to overlook you doing it multiple times, or she’s ok with it
>Both of these conclusions are alright with you
>Looking at her she seems to like it?
>She’s still smiling as enthusiastically as before at least
>”And I was just starting to get you talking too.”
>She gives a pout before putting her small purse back into her jumpsuit as the truck enters the parking lot
>”I guess we’ll have to continue some other time.”
>You stand up as the truck rolls to a stop next to the small alcove of trees
>Fuck it, send her off with a little panache
>You jump over the truck bed and pop the trunk door
“We’ll always have the Canterlot streets…”
>With a small laugh she daintily grabs your outstretched hand
>Helping her down is probably one of the hardest lifts you’ve done though as you’ve completely forgotten that she’s wearing a rather weighty exo-suit causing you to almost fumble her
>However with luck you manage to guide her down to the concrete safely and more importantly stylishly
>”Have I ever told you that you’re such a gentleman Anon?”
>Heh, she only says that because the balaclava and goggles covered your face
>You simply give her a tip of your helmet
>Ok, that one was more of an instinctive fedora coming through
>Which seems to satisfy her as she reciprocates with a wave before running off into the alcove
>You feel a smile tug at your lips before you jump back into the truck bed
 
>The truck pulls to a stop behind several clustered buildings making up a strip mall
>You stand up and survey the area as the other two get out of the truck
>This small back street is completely desolate except for the occasional dumpster
>Turning your gaze to the south even from here you can see the north end of the Fancy Pants and Co building down the grassy hill
>The back lot seems to be obscured by a combination of trees and semi-trucks
>With the slamming of the truck doors you hear the rhythmic pitter patter of footsteps circling behind you
>”The ladder is supposed to be around here right?”
>You snatch up your shield and vault out of the truck bed next to Applejack
>”Ah think it was in the alley.”
>You nudge Applejack and nod your head towards the small opening between the buildings to the east
>She takes the lead with you and Rainbow trailing behind her
>While the alley isn’t particularly spacious you can at least walk in next to Rainbow with a bit of room to spare
>Spotting the extended ladder first Applejack grips it firmly and gives it a few shakes
>The ladder rattles loudly as it creaks back and forth loosely
>Applejack looks between you and the ladder uncertainly
>”Are we sure this’ll keep steady enough for us ta climb it?”
>Rainbow points to you with a smirk
>”Don’t worry; Anon here will be here to catch you if you fall.”
>Wait you?
“Well I could just go fir—“
>Before you can finish Rainbow jabs her elbow into the pit of your raised arm causing you to stop with a grunt
>”Isn’t that right Anon?”
>You let out a cough because fuck did that hurt
>Guess she just wants you to say yes
>Clutching your now sore pit you give the still worried looking Applejack a thumbs up before getting behind her
 
“I’ll be here just in case.”
>Applejack gives you a little thank you as she slowly mounts the ladder
>Now, being a red blooded youth, try as you might you can’t help but stare at the ass bouncing up the ladder in front of you
>Ok maybe bouncing is a bit much, but damn
>You really don’t know how she got an ass like that
>You know she’s an apple farmer and all
>But is she like kicking the apples off the trees or something?
>Cause that’s what you’d call thiccc, emphasis on the three c’s
>Actually a better question, are you an ass for staring at her ass instead of actually being ready to catch her?
>You take a moment to ponder it as you stare at Appleas-jack ascending past what you think is the second story
>Naw, you’re just taking advantage of the nice situation that Rainbow put you in
>Wonder why she wanted you to be down her—
>”Enjoying the view?”
>You jump slightly at the unexpected voice next to you
“W-what nothing, no what, I uh…”
>You turn your head away from the now nearing the third story Assle-Applejack to the biggest shit eating grin since Sam in Mgr courtesy of Rainbow
>Quick defend yourself before she can go on the offensive!
“I was just admiring the, masonry!”
>Smooth as a brick
>She however looks, less than convinced
>”Yea sure mhmm.”
>Pulling out a small pair of binoculars from her jumpsuit she looks up the ladder in the direction you were looking
>In other words…
>”Funny, since all I’m seeing is Applejack’s ass in motion.”
>You grit your teeth and tense up expecting some sort of assault from Rainbow
>Only to stand there flexed while she watches Applejack’s appleass through her binoculars
>Um
>This isn’t a bit weird…
>Is she going say anything?
>Guess you will
“So you’re no—“
>She holds a hand up before speaking while still watching
>”This was of my own design, so no I’m not mad.”
 
>Not mad
>Damn, guess you just assum- no wait that’s right
>You just assumed she’d be angry
>Guess what they say about assuming is right
>What did she mean by her own design though?
>Rainbow sighs as Applejack finally makes her way over onto the roof
>Looking to you with a smile she continues
>”AJ’s scared of heights so I figured you might give her some piece of mind.”
>Oh that’s actually pretty considerate of her
>But if she wanted to make her less scared why wouldn’t you just go fir—
>”I may have also thought that you’d like to get an eyeful.”
>Well that also pretty nice of her
>Maybe nice is the wrong word, but it’s certainly something alright
>She leans back against a nearby crate as she stares at you
>The silence is a bit concerning, but doesn’t last long
>”Are you gonna start climbing sometime tonight Anon?”
>Hm?
“You want me to go next?”
>She gives you a nod with a, duh no shit kinda face
>”You didn’t think I wasn’t going to watch yours too?”
>Oh, is she serious?
>She wants to see your ass…
>you stare at her in disbelief as she waits impatiently tapping her foot with arms crossed
>You have mixed feelings about that
>Though you do feel a bit validated for all the lower body work now
>Take that Bulk!
>HE wouldn’t impress anyone with his FDR legs!
>You chuckle at your own comparison as you take to the ladder
>Looping your arm through the strap next to your shield handle you get a firm grasp on the flimsy ladder
>Thing feels like you could rip it off whatever holds it in place
>Strictly speaking, you wonder if this thing can even qualify as a ladder
>Guess that’s why it’s a faulty fire escape
>As you get up towards the second story you feel the ladder shudder striking fear in you for a moment
>At least until you hear from below
>”Don’t worry there champ, I’ll be right BEHIND ya!”
 
>Did she really have to put emphasis on behind?
>Looking down it appears that Rainbow has now climbed aboard the SSDEATHLADDER
>You shake your head as you ascend to your camping spot
>As you step onto the roof you also step through into the permeating aura of something quite troubling
>The delicious aroma of Chinese cooking is strong here
>Well that, and the aura of mystery being projected by Applejack as she stares into the distance
>Seriously, she’s even got her hat off for like the first time you’ve ever seen
>She didn’t even take her hat off to sleep
>Not to mention the dull lights of the city outlining her figure as the wind lightly tussles her hair in its breeze
>Damn, perhaps majestic would be a more fitting word?
>You place your goggles on your helmet to appreciate this scene in all its glory
>You could almost lose yourself looking at a picturesque moment like this
>A loud stomp followed by Rainbow’s voice shakes you from your odd transfixion
>”So now that we’re here what do we wanna do first you two?”
>Applejack turns towards you as Rainbow steps next to you
>”Ah dunno, depends on what time it is ah suppose.”
>You flip open one of your tactical pockets containing your phone to check the time
“It is currently, 9:42pm.”
>Rainbow lets out an annoyed moan
>”It’s only 9:42 and I’m already bored.”
>She suddenly gets a twinkle in her eyes as they dart between you and Applejack
>”So you know what that means!?”
>You shoot Applejack a concerned glance who only returns it to you
>”We should play extreme rock paper scissors!”
“What in the actual fuck even is that?”
>Your mouth acts before you mind can even process what she’s said
>Her smile unsettles you
>”I’m glad you asked Anon, all we need is a knife, a brick, and a couple of small trees…”
>Your eyes start to drift towards colorful lights in the distance as your need to NOT listen to Rainbow intensifies
>Those lights seem to be from the warehouses
>Wonder how the others are doing...
 
https://youtu.be/n-l9uYZf_c8?t=7s
>The music blares from all angles as you try to make yourself comfortable near the end of the snack tables nursing a glass of punch
>Try being the keyword here
>You were much more of a curl up at home with a book for extended periods of time instead of a go out to a party kind of girl
>Especially when the choice in music is so, loud
>You can feel the music vibrating your insides!
>It’s already starting to give you a bit of a headache…
>Luckily the more deserted corner with the food tables are in a slightly elevated position giving you a good view of the entire party
>Well sans the restroom and back entrance
>However Fluttershy was more than happy to stay in the opposite end of the building out of the way of the more crowded areas
>That leaves Sunset and Pinkie to mingle their way through the crowd making sure everything is, on the up and up, as they say
>Though you can’t fathom how they’re able to see anything in here
>You’re barely able to distinguish between the people out in the black and strobe light littered party floor
>Then again that could be because you’re wearing the goggles over your glasses…
>You swiftly remedy your vision problems by raising your goggles
>Raising them doesn’t seem to help as much as you’d like
>You still have a bit of a hard time differentiating the faces of most the party goers in this blinking dubstep fueled epilepsy tester
>At least you can rest assured that anyone who shouldn’t be here will hopefully stick out like a sore thumb
>After all, everyone who’s supposed to be here is wearing a costume
>It’s a bit surprising how many students from Crystal Prep came to this party
>But even with all the faces you do recognize from Crystal Prep and CHS you can’t identify more than half of the party goers in attendance
 
>Which is odd considering you at least know the face and name of a majority of the students who attend Crystal Prep and CHS
>Though Pinkie had said that she and Vinyl invited all their friends
>It isn’t such a leap in logic that Pinkie would know people outside of the two high schools in Canterlot
>At least considering how easily she makes friends
>You shake your head to help get yourself back on track
>You have to stay ever vigilant!
>You’ve been here for around an hour or so and you still haven’t identified anything that might pertain to Sombra’s evil machinations
>Nodding to yourself you redouble your efforts to ensure the safety of the party goers
>As your eyes scan over the crowd you take note of something odd
>Something’s up with the dance floor
>It’s as though a haze has descended upon it, but darker
>With the flashing lights the fog almost looks like a vibrant purple
>For some reason you can't pinpoint it makes you a tad uneasy
>You don’t remember that being in the show plans
>Perhaps you should find and ask Vinyl about i—
>”So how goes it?”
>You reflexively tense up at the sudden voice in your ear
>Turning to your right alleviates the sudden spike in stress as you see it’s only sunset
>”Oh I’m sorry, did I startle you?”
>You wave her concern off with a smile
“It’s not a big deal; I was just lost in thought is all.”
>You take a cup of punch and offer it to Sunset who accepts happily
“As for if I’ve seen anything from here, nothing too alarming.”
>Though some of the dancers have gone a little over the PDA line in your opinion
“Though I do have a question for you to relay to Vinyl if you see her.”
>Sunset nods while sipping at the amber liquid
“Ask her about the fog on the dance floor.”
 
>Sunset raises an eyebrow as she lowers her cup
>”Isn’t it just part of the party?”
>That doesn’t seem likely
>When you first talked to Vinyl about the party being endangered earlier today you had expected her to be spastic and not much help in preventing whatever Sombra has concocted
>You were however pleasantly surprised when she provided you with a play by play itinerary of the night’s events
>While Pinkie plans the bare bones of her parties and then goes with the flow, it seems that contrary to your assumption Vinyl meticulously plans her’s
>She was even kind enough to send you her outline for various aspects of the party
>This also included the special effects schedule
>You can do a cursory check of the outline, but Vinyl would know more about any last minute changes
>Pulling out your phone you swipe to this set’s itinerary
>Taking a few moments to scan through it for any mentions of using the fog machines tells you that they weren’t planned to be used until the Diamond Dog’s set
>It appears that you were right in your doubt of using the fog machines right now
“According to the itinerary Vinyl gave me earlier today, the fog machines shouldn’t be running until halfway through the Diamond Dog’s set.”
>Sunset scratches her chin, eyebrows furrowed in a thoughtful manner
>”Hm, it may be just a technical malfunction, but we should have it checked out just in case…”
>Your thoughts exactly
>You can’t be too sure considering you don’t know what Sombra has in store for his “distraction”
>You should bring this up with Vinyl as soon as she hands the turntable over to the Diamond Dogs
>Until then, perhaps you should investigate the fog machines yourself?
 
>It couldn’t hurt to make sure they’re all in working order
>Though you’re not looking forward to diving back into the dancing crowd once more…
>Or to the sheer amount of fog machines to check
>The dance floor is littered with those spire-esque towers holding multiple kinds of lights and fog machines
>Taking a sip of punch you try to figure out approximately how many fog machines are out on the floor
>Quickly counting the amount of fog machines in a group of 5 spires they average to about 3 a spire
>If the other spires are like that then checking for any acts of sabotage will take some time
>Maybe you can have Sunset and Pink—
>”Twilight?”
>You blink as you’re fished out of your focused thoughts
“Sorry, what was the question?”
>Sunset gives you a small smirk
>”I asked if you want to do something about the fog machines while we wait for Vinyl.”
>Smiling you scratch the back of your head
“Oh yes of course.”
>You heave a sigh
“Sorry, I was just thinking about a course of action.”
>Sunset downs her punch before offering a smile of her own
>”Don’t worry about it; I know how focused you get sometimes.”
>You do tend to have a laser like focus…
>Wait, focus...
>Fog doesn't need to, why should you?
>Perhaps you could do something better than checking every machine?
>After all, it COULD just be a malfunction
>You toss your punch cup in the trash and point to the spires on the dance floor
“For right now instead of operating on the assumption that someone is performing sabotage I’d like you to make a note of all the ones currently running.”
>If you were using the fog machines you would try to go for the greatest amount of saturation
>If you were trying to get the highest amount of saturation you would probably stick to the areas of high traffic
>So the entrances, restrooms, bar, and dance floor proper
 
“I’ll go inform Fluttershy to watch the spires around the restrooms, you ask Pinkie to watch the dance floor ones and then watch the entracne spires.”
>Sunset’s face hardens as she nods
>”Do you think that Sombra might be doing something that’s using the fog machines?”
>You can’t even begin to guess
>You don’t know enough about the extent that Sombra is willing to go, nor the abilities he possesses
>You doubt he will do anything too drastic, but you have no assurance he won’t besides the hope he doesn’t want to draw too much attention from the local authorities
“There’s too many unknown variables to know for certain, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
>You pat her on the shoulder
“Hopefully nothing is going on, but let’s keep watch in case something is.”
>Nodding you both separate heading in opposite directions
>While making your way through the crowd of people to the more desolate sidelines you can’t help but think of some of the oversights you made while planning for tonight
>The most obvious being that you had completely forgot how unreliable notifications from phones are in the middle of a rave
>Even at your phone’s highest setting, it felt like another vibration from the blaring music
>Hopefully having to relay messages physically between everyone won’t be too much of a setback
>Before you can mentally chastise yourself for other mistakes your attention is brought to a foggy area in front of you
>Stopping at the threshold of the empty area your heart beat begins to race as you focus on someone in particular in said area
>It may be due to your semi-bad vision, but you think you see someone you shouldn’t
>You take a tentative step closer and like a nightmare they become clearer
>No, it’s not possible that she’s here!
>You stop with the only thing separating the two of you being the vibrant purple fog hovering around her
>”Hello again.”
>How is this possible!?
>You manage to speak out in a bewildered whisper
”Midnight Sparkle…”
 
>Midnight Sparkle smiles devilishly stepping through the purple haze towards you
>”So good to see you haven’t completely forgotten about me…”
>Much to your dismay, no you haven’t
>Though your thoughts and dreams about her have receded as of late
>You were hoping that meant she was finally gone for good
>Guess that was a foolish fantasy
>You swallow the excess saliva you’re producing rapidly in an attempt to compose yourself
“W-why are you here?!”
>Looks like it didn’t work very well…
>Crossing her arms her smile morphs into a smirk
>”You know exactly why I’m here Twilight.”
>She flows like the surrounding purple haze closing the gap between you, stopping just out of arm’s reach
>”You can feel it, no? It’s in the air, all around us!”
>Spreading her arms out she twirls around like a ballerina
>What is?
>You manically look around, but only see the purple fog wherever you turn
>Your heartbeat surges as you do
>Where are the partygoers!?
>Wait
>There’s no music either!
>Or your friends!
>SHE must’ve done something!
>With a rekindled fire brewing inside yourself you snap your head back to the still twirling Midnight Sparkle
“What did you do!?”
>She stops with her back to you and her arms still out
>”Do you really not feel it Twilight?”
>Feel what!?
>With a sigh she slumps her shoulders
>”I thought you were supposed to have an affinity for magic Twilight…”
>You’re not going to defend yourself to her!
>You know perfectly well how much of an affinity for magic you have, and you don’t care if SHE doesn’t
>Though Midnight Sparkle should already know since she…
>Your thoughts are interrupted by a sudden cloud of the purple haze being blown in your face
>You shake your head as you step out of the cloud and almost straight into Midnight Sparkle
 
>Midnight Sparkle looks you intently in the eyes as if staring directly into your soul
>”If I know about it Twilight, then you do too.”
>Not being able to stand her gaze you look away first
>”One day you’ll accept that, but for right now…”
>No, you will NOT accept that SHE i—
>What?
>Not paying attention to you she appears to be swirling the purple haze into a basketball sized sphere of fog
“What are you doing?”
>Instead of looking your way she inspects the swirling sphere held aloft above her hand as she replies
>”I tire of dropping hints, so I will continue this conversation as though you know consciously what I am talking about.”
>Dropping hints?
>Hints as to what she’s doing here?
>What hints has she dro—
>”Calm down and get a clue my dear.”
>Huh?
>She’s staring at you once again
“What did you sa—“
>She shakes her head as she rolls the ball of fog back onto the floor where it loses its shape
>”I can hear your thoughts you know…”
>Well, she…
>Strolling back towards you she sighs
>”It’s fair to be cautious of me, but you need to listen.”
>Listen, to her?!
>Why on Earth would you listen to he—
>”Do you wish to save, anyone?”
>She stops a few steps from you
>Of course you do, that’s why you’re here
>”Then listen, and listen well Twilight for I do not like to repeat myself.”
>You draw your MC-TEK Containment gun
>You’ll listen, but you’ll be ready if she tries anything more
>She smirks before going on
>”Since you were too, alarmed, by my presence I will clue you in myself. There is magic in the purple fog that blankets the entire building.”
>What!?
>The haze did make you uneasy, but it’s ALL magic?
>Nodding she wafts some fog up before breathing it in slowly
 
>”You have no idea just how refreshing all of it is.”
>Midnight Sparkle seems to savor the fog like a fine wine for a moment with eyes closed before snapping them open and pointing a finger at you
>”Now normally I can only reach out to you in your dreams or with your occasional thought about me…”
>Spreading her arms out once more she raises them like a conductor of a magical symphony
>”But with all of the ambient magic I’m able to directly speak with you, and I have a warning.”
>You stand there flabbergasted for a moment
>A warning?
>From HER?
>Why should you trust a SINGLE thing she says!?
>Shaking her head she frowns slightly at you
>”If you could accept a simple fact Twilight, you wouldn’t doubt the validity of a warning from me.”
>Simple fact?
>A bolt of insight strikes you to your very core with the realization of what she means within seconds
>No
>No!
>NO!
>You REFUSE to accept that…
>That she is!
>You shake your head in a feeble attempt to stave of what you’re thinking before feeling a hand on your shoulder
>”I do not care about that for now, we shall cross that bridge eventually Twilight.”
>W-what?
>If you didn’t know better you’d say that Midnight Sparkle was, sad
>Shaking her head she withdraws her hand from your shoulder
>The atmosphere seems to have lightened up as she tones down the intensity
>”No, not sad, just disappointed.”
>You don’t know how to feel about that…
>Clapping her hands together she clears her throat
>”However, back to the matter at hand!”
>With a flourish she stirs up some of the purple haze
>”To get straight to the point, you need to act quickly.”
>You raise an eyebrow at her vague words
>”Your opponent has already enacted his plans my dear Twilight; instead of guarding the party goers, you have fallen into his trap with them.
 
>He’s already enacted his plans!?
>So the fog i—
>”Is magically charged thanks to your enemy Sombra.”
>Bringing your hand to your chin the almost infinite possibilities flash through your head rapidly
>So the fog is obviously a cornerstone of his plan, but why?
>Crowd controlling magic might need a more conductive environment besides air to help with magical diffusion
>Though a magically conductive environment would help with various types of magic, so trying to specifically pinpoint one with so little information…
>”Instead of worrying about that right now, you should be trying to address the most obvious thing first Twilight.”
>Your eyes dart back to a bored looking Midnight Sparkle inspecting her nails as she floats upon a small swirling sphere of fog
>Most obvious thing?
>You’re not following her
>Sighing she looks towards you
>”When a fire is raging around you do you look for what caused it or put it out?”
>Obviously you put it out as quic—
>You smack your forhead
>Of course it would be what you planned originally but decided against before!
>”If I were in control, I would probably get started turning off all the fog machines while sucking up the fog with the MCTEK.”
>You snort with slight anger
“I would’ve thought of that eventually, thank you.”
>With a deadpan stare she responds
>”You already did.”
>You frown at her bitterly
>Urasai!
>With a smirk she rests her head on her fist
>”You know that he thinks that’s very NOT cool, right? You can see it on his fac—“
>You give her a glare that causes her to back off
>”Never mind then…”
>Jumping off her sphere she lands with a clack of her heels
>”As much as I love to talk more, it's time for you to get to it Twilight!”
>Giving a small wave she starts to fade out leaving you with some parting words and another smirk
>”Try not to get hurt, and remember I’ll be watching Twilight, always watching…”
 
>You reach out to stop her only to grab at empty air
>Blast, she’s gone!
>You clench your fist as you grit your teeth
>Why would she choose NOW to want to help?
>She just wants magic!
>But you’ve been able to keep a lid on her, so…
>What does she get out of yo—
>Oh, of course
>She doesn’t want you to get harmed in any way because if you do then…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfIB7h7rsOw
>The pounding beat of music brings you back from your thoughts
>Looking around you appear to be back to the warehouse
>Partygoers are continuing their merriment and it seems like everything is proceeding normally
>Checking your phone reveals that you haven’t lost much time as it’s 10:34
>While it’s not too bad you did lose a few minutes
>So a change in plans is needed, quickly
>However, first…
>Reaching into your jumpsuit you fish out the original pendent, now sans its ability to drain magic
>It’s a good thing you kept this; you have almost no way of checking for actual magic besides visual confirmation
>Though you didn’t think a distraction would imply subtlety
>Note to self to develop a faster way to identify magic via a scouter of some sort
>Save that for later!
>Refocusing on the task at hand you stand in the purple haze before turning on the pendant to confirm the presence of magic
>While you can’t get an exact reading on intensity, like back home, you can at least have it compared to the last scan
>With a red star and a ping your suspicions on there being more magic than recorded for this area are confirmed
>That settles it
>Pocketing the pendant you begin to weave your way through the crowd towards Fluttershy’s designated post
>Even if the fog machines are part of the show, they need to be turned off now!
>Hopefully it’s not too late to stop whatever Sombra is planning!
 
>Turning to the local news causes you to furrow your brow in agitation as you spot another irritating headline
>CRYSTAL MINERS CRIME SPREE SWEEPS CANTERLOT, A LOT
>Newspapers can’t even write decent headlines these days
>Folding your paper you set it to the side as your eyes gravitate to the monitors
>You scan the parking lot for anything out of the ordinary
>No signs of any cars or loiterers
>Guess the last of the employees have left finally
>You exhale with a cheerful smile forming on your lips
>At least that’s something you won’t have to worry about tonight, having to keep an eye on employees after hours is always a pain
>Switching the monitor to check if Bricken is doing his rounds for once
>Instead of a foot patrol you get a nice view of him taking a break tapping away on his phone in the store room, again
>Damnit Bricken!
>You’ve told him a hundred times to fool around BETWEEN rounds, or at least out of the view of the cameras!
>Fine, you can give him a quick little scare to get him off his ass
>Pressing the transmitter button on your shoulder mic you let it idle for a moment before slowly bringing it up to your mouth and bellowing
“MR. STONEWALL, WHAT ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH ARE YOU DOING!?”
>Bricken jumps back hitting his head against a pallet of blenders
>While you snicker like hyena Bricken fumbles around to grab his phone and his shoulder mic
>It only takes him a moment to readjust as he stands, his voice come through with static
>”J-just inspecting the warehouse for anything strange, sir!”
>Hm oh yea sure…
>You look over to the clock to check the time
>2310 hours
“So you were just inspecting the warehouse twenty minutes before you switch with me huh?”
>On the monitor he looks around as if trying to see if there’s a camera nearby
 
>After a few moments of looking around he doesn’t seem to see the camera
>Smiling to himself he puffs out his chest before responding
>”Yes-sir, just trying to keep a watchful eye out, ya know!”
>A sigh escapes your lips as you pinch the bridge of your nose
>Instead of chewing him out over radio you better do it in person, but first
“Turn to your left and slightly up Bricken.”
>Looking like he just saw a ghost his head slowly tilts in the camera’s direction
>He slowly grabs his shoulder mic with an awkward smile
>”Uh, when did that get there?”
>Never learns that kid
“It’s been there since before you started here Bricken…”
>You can see him let out a nervous chuckle as he looks away from the camera
“Just get back here.”
>He walks off towards the guard post slumping somewhat
>”Yes sir.”
>His laziness is going to bite him on the ass one day
>You shake your head as you stand up and put on your jacket
>You need a smoke
>You snatch the keys off the desk and head out into the crisp night
>As you open the door you get a big mouthful of the nostalgic watery air
>Who would’ve thought you’d be here after all these years?
>You pull out your crumpled pack of Marebros™ Unfiltered
>Seems to be made only here in Canterlot
>Could never find them when you were deployed overseas
>Opening up the pack reveals a horrid fact
>You’ve only got one left
>Guess you’ll have to buy some after this shift
>You tap it reflexively before lighting it
>Taking in a long breath of the smooth unfiltered tobacco you look to the starry sky
>Sure is pretty this time of year…
>As the smoke spreads into your lungs the slight burn brings you back to a simpler time
>You crumple up the used pack and stuff it into your pocket
>Exhaling your held breath you lean back against the guard post
 
>Looks like tonight’s gonna be a long one
>Not that they all aren’t
>You take another puff of your cigarette as you wait for Bricken to hurry his ass back
>Probably trying to work up the nerve to look you in the eye
>Damn kids these days lack any sort of spine
>He’s 20 years old for Christ’s sake!
>Needs to grow up and act like a man
>Why, when you were his age you were out serving…
>Memories surface of your first deployment as you continue to savor the tobacco smoke while losing yourself in the starry sky above
>Your mind starts to wander where you know it shouldn’t before you forcibly reel yourself back to the present
>Perhaps he doesn’t need to grow up quite as fast as you did
>Finishing your cigarette you put it out in the ash bucket next to you
>Where the hell is he?
>Pulling back your sleeve you check the time
>2339 hours
>Is he really dragging his feet that mu—
>An involuntary shiver travels down your spine as an incredible feeling of unease washes over you
>You instinctually begin to look for any hostiles as your hand hovers over your holstered pistol
>What was that?
>You haven’t felt something like that in quite a long time
>You can feel your hand shaking as it readies itself to draw your sidearm
>Something feels, off
>You breathe slowly
>Need to keep a calm head
>Footsteps coming from behind you cause you to whip around and glare in the direction of the noise with your hand firmly grasping your weapon still in its holster
>A sense of relief overcomes you as you see Bricken in the distance walking towards the guard post
>You sigh as you relax your tightened hand
>However the feeling of unease hasn’t quite dissipated
>It seems to just lie underneath the relief of Bricken’s presence
>What’s got you so shaken up?
>You try to clear your head as you call out to Bricken
 
“Took you long enough, what were you up to?”
>Bricken however, doesn’t respond
>That sense of unease grows as he gets closer though
>What’s wrong with him?
>Did he not hear you?
>You’d say he’s about 150ft away
>So maybe he didn’t
>He is always listening to his music too loud too
>100ft or so
>Your feeling of unease continues to grow, but you try to shake it off
>You wave to him trying to get his attention
>Is he playing around on his phone again?
>You squint to see if he’s fiddling with it again, though you can’t quite make it out
>50ft
>Your senses keep telling you something is wrong, but looking around it’s only you and Bricken
>You do notice something odd about him though
>He’s wearing the company hat and hood
>Never thought you’d see him wearing those again, at least since he expressed such disdain for it before
>25ft
>It’s taking almost a physical effort to keep calm now
>You don’t know what’s up with you right now
>Focusing back on Bricken now that he’s closer you try calling out again
“Are you listening to music on the job again Bricken?”
>To get no response again
>You squint as shadows from his hat obscure your view of his face
>Can’t tell if he’s wearing any headphones from here
>15ft
>Your heartbeat is now out of your control as it steadily amps up with Brickens steps
>You feel the intense need to run as if you’re standing in front of the devil himself
>Bricken stops just a few feet away from you outside of the Guard post light as your heart pounds like a drum
>You feel in more danger than you ever did during your deployment
>You bite back against your screaming warning bells and call out to Bricken as nonchalant as you can
“Hey, what took you so long?”
>With his hands in his pockets he shrugs stiffly
>”Just got a bit tangled up is all…”
 
>You raise an eyebrow at your young co-worker
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
>Tilting his head back causes a slight *crack* of bone to ring out in the quiet October air
>”I don’t even know anymore…”
>You stand up at full attention as you stare at the dark that obscures his face
>It doesn’t take your feelings to tell you something’s up now
“Are you feeling alright son?”
>Pulling his hands out from his jacket he hooks them behind his head
>”I’ve never felt better in my life old man.”
>What did he just call you?
“Excuse me?”
>Letting out a snort he leans forward with an open hand next to his head
>”Aw I’m sorry, did you not hear that? I said, old, man.”
>Now you’re by no means young, but calling you old man?
>Brickin’s never been disrespectful to you in the year you’ve known him
>Something is definitely wrong
>You turn your body so your right side faces him with your left behind your back over your baton
“Why don’t you come here and say that again, Bricken.”
>Chuckling he saunters forward into the light
>”With pleasure.”
>As he steps forward you finally pick up on a few things
>One, something’s wrong with Bricken’s face
>It’s abnormally dark in the guard post’s light
>Almost like a void where his face should be
>Two, you can feel someone’s eyes on you, perhaps even multiple someones at that
>Three, your senses finally all become clear as you feel murderous intent coming from Bricken
>You back up and grab your holstered baton as Bricken lashes out towards you
>Swinging your baton up you brace yourself for impact
 
>Only to feel a sharp stab in your left shoulder
>W-what!?
>Blackness seems to have concentrated on your shoulder into a tendril of some sort as blood seeps from your new wound
>Did that just go right through your baton?
>You don’t feel any pain as adrenaline starts to rush through your veins once more
>You strike the now laughing Bricken pushing him and whatever is coming out of his sleeve away from yourself
>Without hesitation you immediately draw your pistol and aim it at him
“Put down your weapon and surrender and I MAY let you off without getting shot!”
>Bricken only laughs as you hear others move from the darkness
>It sounds like a mass of footsteps
>Keeping your weapon trained on Bricken you readjust yourself so you can see everyone
>You were right when you felt like there were people watching you
>However…
>You didn’t expect this many!
>You’re surrounded by a dozen or so men sans one now cackling Bricken
>Your mind screams at you to run and hide as you scan the new intruders
>They look like normal blue collar workers, except for the fact that the darkness seems to morph around them
>You steady your breathing as you clutch your left shoulder with your right arm holding your gun with your left
>You’re losing feeling in your left shoulder already!
>Was it not adrenaline that numbed it!?
>A fifth shadowy man steps out from behind the gate
>He seems different…
>He’s taller, dressed in a suit, and he’s more, definable?
>”Let’s get this started as soon as we can gentlemen, our lord may need our help.”
>The other men begin to close in their haphazard semicircle around you
>You’re backed against a wall vastly outnumbered and injured…
>You do the only thing you can in a situation like this
>You flick the safety off
 
>Stretching your arms out you let loose a yawn that would make even the most sugar rush fueled Pinkie pause and reciprocate
>To say you were a bit bored was an understatement
>You take a seat on the bricked edge of the roof after checking the guard post and finding out once more that the guy is reading the newspaper, still
>Shesh, do guards do ANYTHING during night shifts, or like what?
>Then again this could be worse, you don’t know if this silence is better than the extreme rock paper scissors, or not
>After playing what you can safely say was by far the most stupid game you’ve ever had the misfortune to partake in, Rainbow decided to go eat some food from Chinese
>Since it was only an hour or so in you weren’t hungry yet and Applejack waved off the offer as well
>So here you are an hour or so later
>Just you and a quiet cowgirl
>On the roof of a Chinese take-out building
>With absolutely nothing to talk about…
>At least there was the occasional check in from Rarity, but that was just a simple “all’s clear over here dear”
>Besides that, nothing
>Suppose you’re half at fault for that, it takes two to tango after all, but what’re you supposed to say!?
>You don’t really have anything to talk about that’s interesting
>At least that you think Applejack would be interested in
>You’re suddenly becoming very aware of the downfalls of not making friends for the past 5 years
>You stare into your lap looking for something to say and break this silence
>Applejack has just been staring off into space while sitting on some air duct thing
>Maybe you should just say the first thing that comes to your mind and just roll with it!
>Why that sounds like a fantastic idea brain!
>Why don’t you just do the exact opposite and NOT do that
 
>Ok, maybe a better idea is to just cycle through openers?
>You lean back over the edge of the roof staring at the sky
>Who knows, maybe they’ll lead to conversation?
>It’s not as though they’re made for that
>Your swallow your spit trying to steel yourself before you undertake the monumental task of breaking the ever present silence between the two of you
>Ok maybe you’re exaggerating a bit, but it’s still kinda weird for you to start a conversation
>Even if the person you’re doing it with has hugged and expressed that they think of you as a “friend”
>You’re doing that stalling thing again
>You’re REALLY good at that
>Arrrggghghghhgh!
>You clap your hands in a frustrated effort to force yourself into saying something
>Only now as you listen to the loud *clap* you’ve produced are your words fucking off to nowhere
>Shit!
>Just open your mouth and let something spill out!
“Hey Applejack, what do you think about our school?”
>WHAT TH-actually that wasn’t that terrible of an opener
>You sit back up and look at the contemplating farmer
>”Hm, ah guess it’s pretty good asides from the occasional spat of trouble.”
>Sorry what?
“Spat of trouble? I don’t know if all the magical bs the rest of you had to put up with could be classified as a spat of trouble.”
>She waves it off as she looks up to the sky
>”Ehh, they may be pretty bad when we’re doing something about it, but ah wouldn’t have it any other way.”
>Is she crazy?
“What the hell are you talking about; wouldn’t you rather have a normal life than one where some magic powered weirdo storms in every five minutes?”
>Looking back down to you with a thoughtful smile she shakes her head
>”If those magic powered weirdos didn’t bust inta CHS like they did, then I wouldn’t have ever met three of my best friends in the world.”
 
>Well, guess that’s true
“But wouldn’t you rather it happened with less, magic?”
>Shrugging she looks off past your shoulder
>”Ah don’t know how I could’ve met Sunset if there wasn’t any magic involved.”
>Shit she’s not wrong; Sunset is literally from a magical horsey world
>Still…
“I guess I don’t get how you can just brush off all that’s happened so easily.”
>You’re a bit envious that she can
>Biting her thumb she casts her eyes to the ground for a moment in contemplation before snapping her hand into a finger gun
>”Ah guess that you could look at it like this…”
>Jumping off the air duct she walks towards you while palming her hat
>”You can either stew and get all caught up with hatin what’s happened to you…”
>Placing her boot on the edge overlooking the small forest below you that separates the back ally from Fancy Pants and Co.’s backyard she continues as she stares at her old Stetson
>”Or you can pack up and solider on despite all the bad that’s happened…”
>She goes silent for a moment before turning to you
>Her smile feels so warm
>You could say genuine even
>A bit hard to meet head on honestly
>”Maybe even enjoy all that you have for being able to do so.”
>Enjoy what you have because of it huh?
>You look away from the forest below and Applejack’s blinding smile towards the city behind you
>That’s definitely something that’s crossed your mind for a long time
“So I’m guessing you’re someone who practices the latter?”
>Not that that’s a bad thing or anything
>You probably should do that as well
>Though unless your strength can be used literally to lift your feelings away like the ever present weight they are…
>Yea, that’s still a bit a ways away
 
>You both sit there in silence once more
>”Ah suppose ah try ta b—“
>Applejack interrupts herself and pats you on the shoulder
>What’s her problem?
“Something up?”
>You tilt your head to see her very worrying face
>”A-anon, turn around and tell me ah’m seein things.”
>Huh?
>You whip around and almost stumble back at the sight
“What the fuck…”
>Instead of the Fancy Pants and Co. backyard with its tiny guard post there now lays a large black dome made of a tornado of thick dark cloud like smoke
>You can’t even see inside of it
>As you stare into it feelings of dread eat away at your mind
>You feel the need to hurry
>”So, you see it too?”
>Oh, oh you do most definitely
“Yes, yes I do!”
>You need to move, now!
>Turning to her you meet eyes
>She nods her face hardening
“Let’s get down there!”
>You break for the ladder with her following behind you in your rush
>She yells from behind you as you position yourself to slide down the ladder
>”Should we drive down there?”
>You look back to her before shaking your head
“Running through the trees will help us cut through the streets and get us there quicker!”
>She gives a thumbs up as you start your slide down
>You actually manage to get a smooth ride down
>Probably would’ve been really cool if anyone actually saw it
>As your feet stamp down on the damp alley floor you hear a surprised gasp from behind you
>”Whoa, where’s the fire Anon?”
>You step away from the ladder to allow Applejack to slide down while turning around
“Big black smokey dome thing is covering Fancy Pants and Co., we need to move!”
>Rainbow goes from a laid back smirk to a serious glare
>”Got it.”
>Which is actually pretty funny considering she’s still holding a Chinese take-out container
>You turn back towards the forest and start running as you hear Applejack clacking down to the alley
 
>You unsling your shield from your shoulder and grip it tightly as you exit the alley
>Weaving past the truck you make your way down the slight hill to the trees
>Shit, you forgot to signal Rarity!
>Before your get to the trees you tear your phone from its tactical container
>Unlocking your screen brings you straight to your text conversation to Rarity
>Typing while running is a terrible idea!
>You stop at the foot of the trees to hopefully quickly get Rares over here
>Using your free hand you manage to type a hastily made GET OBER HERE
>You pocket the phone after making sure the text was received
>As you make your way into the mini-forest you hear Rainbow from behind you on the hill
>”Wait up for a sec Anon!”
>You wave back to here and yell
“There’s no time, we have to move fast!”
>Instead of listening to her response you feel compelled to get going as quickly as possible
>Slide your goggles on you hide behind your shield and advance into the mass of branches that make the tiny forest
>You smash through the foliage as you charge through the darkness
>The stomping of your boots on the mucky forest floor echoes through the brush a little louder than you’d like
>What sounds like a rush of wind blows past you before a loud *thwack* sounds off near you stopping you in your tracks
>Did they hear your running?!
>You crouch down and look around for whatever made the sound
>Only to hear a moan from a few bushes ahead of you to the right
>”Ohhhhh…”
>Doing your best to tip-toe towards the noise you try to sneak a peek at where it is
>Pushing the bushes back reveals
>Rainbow!?
>She’s collapsed against the tree!
>You do a double take confirming it is Rainbow before looking back towards the alley
>Wasn’t she JUST asking you to wait up?
>Unless…
 
>Damn, did they have changelings wait out in the trees!?
>You hear noise from the changeling(?) readjusting itself behind you
>”Ow, what the...”
>You decide to whisper to the maybe changeling
“Hey, Rainbow! Prove you’re you!”
>Sitting back on her legs Rainbow grabs the back of her head before shaking it
>”Mhh what, Anon?”
>She looks around for you and you repeat yourself in caution
“Yo, prove you’re you and I’ll come out!”
>She turns in your direction and sighs
>”Yea yea alright…”
>Pulling her goggles down she activates their little red lasers
>Satisfied she’s her you step out from behind the bushes and activate yours while offering her a hand
“Come on, are you ok?”
>She accepts your hand and you pull her to her feet
>”Nothing’s broken.”
>So she’s here, but…
“How did you get past me?”
>Brushing herself off she shrugs
>”I don’t know, I was running to catch up with you and then suddenly I smashed into a tree.”
>She, uh, what?
“Is this some magic you have or something?”
>She shakes her head
>”No, not even when I pony up.”
>Could it be some enemy’s magic?
>No, you don’t have time for this!
“Well whatever happened to you, you’re ok for now; let’s get going before something happens to the guards on duty!”
>She nods with conviction shining in her eyes through her clear ballistic goggles
>”Ok lead th—“
>She stops as you both hear rustling in the bushes behind you
>You step between the noise and rainbow while raising your shield
>You stand your ground even with the objection of “Hey!” from Rainbow
>Before you can reassure her that you only stepped in front of her because you’re bigger, stronger, and have a shield Applejack emerges from the bushes a bit out of breath
 
>”Would it kill you two ta wait up a bit?”
>No, but it might kill someone else
>You point at her
“Quick, turn your lasers on and let’s get going!”
>Shrugging she dons her goggles and switches them on
>You turn back towards the blackened dome
“We don’t have any time to waste!”
>The other two grunt in approval as you lead the way
>The three of you quickly cover what little distance remains between you and the clouded dome
>You stop before crossing over as Rainbow calls out in a whisper
>”Are we goning to just rush in?”
>You turn around to the rainbow haired girl with her hand on her hip as Applejack nods
>”It’s always a mistake ta rush things when you’re in enemy territory.”
>Are they really asking that now!?
“We don’t have time to take this slow!”
>Don’t they get that those guards are in trouble!?
>Applejack steps forward trying to calm you down with her hands out
>”Now ah know we’ve got to hurry, but running in all willy nilly ain’t gonna do us any good.”
>It doesn’t matter; you NEED to do something NOW!
>Rainbow nods trying to back Applejack up
>”Whenever we rush in without planning anything we just end up making it a lot wor—“
>You stamp your foot down in frustration cutting Rainbow off prematurely
>You can’t just stand her and let them get hurt because of your inaction!
>Pointing to both of them you try to sound as stern as possible
“We don’t have time to waste we NEED to get there NOW!”
>And you’ll do it alone if you have to!
>Turning around you wave to them with the back of your hand
“I’ll go by myself if I have to!”
>Heroes don’t let others get hurt if they can help it!
>”Now hold on there An—“
>You begin to run towards the dome only to be jerked back like a dog on a leash
>You fall backwards onto Applejack interrupting her plead
 
>You both land in front of the dome with a hard *thump*
>Shit, that actually felt like you were yanked out of a car
>Ok maybe not that bad, but definitely surprising
>”Are you two alright!?”
>Hearing a moan from below you causes to come to your senses as Rainbow crouches above you
>You roll off Applejack and try to get to your feet
>”Ah’m fine.”
>You stand back up as Rainbow helps Applejack up
>You feel a bit woozy
>Though you can’t tell if it’s from standing too fast or what…
>Applejack dusts herself off before looking at you
>”Anon, you need to calm down before we go in there.”
>God your head really hurts
>You apply some pressure to your throbbing head in an attempt to relieve it
>They say something else while you bear through the pain before Rainbow pats your shoulder
>”Hey, are you alright?”
>You clench your teeth for a moment before responding
“Yea, I’m good just uh, trying to calm down.”
>Applejack steps in front of you and straightens you up from your slouching
>”Are you sure you’re going to be oka—“
>A moderately loud *bang* from beyond the clouds draws everyone’s attention
>”What was that?”
>Several more bangs fire off in rapid succession
>”Ah don’t know...”
>They’re too quiet to be explosions or something
>They sound like they’re being muffled
>”But ah don’t like it.”
>Your need to go through and help the guards has rekindled as your head ache fades
“Come on, we’ve got to get going!”
>Applejack looks to you with a hand on her waist in contempt
“Quietly, to observe before we rush in.”
>Shaking her head she shrugs with a defeated sigh
>”Fine, lead the way.”
>Nodding you step back up to the dome’s threshold
>Bringing up your shield and crouching behind it you break through the thick clouds to the other side
 
>Stepping through the twisting clouds of darkness is like wading through a wall of water
>Once through you notice a particularly wide tree and take cover behind it as quickly as you can
>Noticing the visible shine of your red lasers on the tree trunk you switch your goggles off
>You may NEED to help those inside, but you did at least say you were going to try and be stealthy
>Though it’s odd, you shouldn’t be able to see the lights so easily
>They weren’t that bright before…
>Getting back on task standing against the tree you try to soak in your surroundings
>An omnipresent feeling of unease permeates the place like a foul odor
>Perhaps dread would be an easy way to define it
>If you weren’t already on edge, you are now
>However, mixed in with the dread is the feeling you get when you think someone is watching you
>You peek out from behind your tree to get a look at the guard shack across the forest clearing
>Scanning the end of the forest and the small guard shack reveals little
>There’s no one in sight, and the small shack stands out like a beacon with its lights on
>Though, even when squinting you can’t make out much more besides that
>You’re starting to think that it’s almost like it got darker after stepping through the smoke…
>You place your goggles back on your helmet to check
>Sure enough, the night is noticeably darker than before with the exception of a ray of moonlight cutting through the smoke above bathing a piece of the Fancy Pants and Co. building
>Hearing your companions stop behind you, you turn around to them
>”See anything sugarcube?”
>You shake your head silently before speaking
“Is it just me or do you feel like it’s darker all of a sudden?”
>Rainbow nods
>”Yea, it feels like someone turned the brightness down a few notches.”
 
>Applejack crouches down next to you behind a shrub peeking over it towards Fancy Pants and Co.
>”Ah feel like we’re bein watched too…”
>So it’s not just you
>You notice the rather bright red dots from her goggles on the shrub
>That reminds you
“Turn off your goggles, they’re too bright now.”
>Rainbow scooches close to you hiding behind the tree with you while switching her goggles off
>”Where’s the guard?”
>You peek around the tree once more to try and find him
>Only to see nothing in the dark of the night
“Dunno, he was there a couple of minutes ago before the dome appeared.”
>Her face hardens as she stares at the empty guard shack
>”I know we said not to rush in, but now no ones here…”
>She turns to you while taking her goggles off
>”Think it’s safe to at least go up to the shack?”
>Well you can’t see anyone, but…
>Ambushes are a thing
>Perhaps…
>You check to see if the coast’s clear once more before huddling with Applejack and Rainbow
“Alright, I’m going to head straight for the guard shack.”
>You point to Rainbow
“You follow along the left flank of the forest as stealthily as possible.”
>She gives a nod as she looks for her route
>Patting Applejack on the shoulder you point to the guard shack
“You’ll follow behind me sticking to the shadows.”
>She nods silently
>Before you can quickly and quietly lead the charge you spot something in the distance
>Squinting it looks like a man in a suit walking towards the Fancy Pants and Co. building
>However it’s what slung over his back that’s making you pause
>He’s holding someone over his shoulder
>Your head begins to throb once more
>You can’t tell from here, but you swear you can see a gash on his back
>For some reason as you stare at the suited man hauling a person away your mind is filled with many thoughts
 
>The first of which are the reflexive ones about wanting to save the guards
>You don’t recall wanting to rush in this much before while waiting on the roof
>Though it’s only natural that seeing an opportunity to do something would compel you to do so
>However the secondary thoughts are the hardest to take
>You don’t know why, but seeing that man in the suit, he confuses you
>Maybe it’s because you can’t quite see his features, or that black wispy fog that seems to flow from him
>But he both scares and infuriates you
>An almost instinctual hatred for him, while experiencing a foreign fear
>Both fighting for dominance in your mind, but the battle is overwhelmingly in the fear’s favor
>Which is why you’re still stopped mid-stride from continuing to the guard shack
>Before you can even attempt to do anything though, the suited man vanishes in the darkness
>”Do ya see something Anon?”
>You blink as you’re brought out of your hesitation by the worried voice to your side
>You shake your head in silence and solider on through your almost crippling fear
>You have the chance to help people, and you’ll be damned if you won’t take it!
>Doing your best to keep low and relatively quiet you dash to the nearest bush between you and the guard shack
>You repeat your quick dashes across the grass until you’re crouched behind a prickly bush within spitting distance of the guard shack
>While you feel some slight relief that nothing’s jumped out at you, you also feel a bit of anxiety as you can more clearly see the guard shack
>More specifically that something’s happened at it
>You can see black globs of something surrounding the threshold into the little shack with splintered pieces of the door still hanging on its hinges
>Whatever happened there wasn’t pretty
 
>Your legs begin to tingle as your thoughts about needing to rush in and save the day begin to override your growing fear
>You know you should be at least cautious seeing what’s plainly someplace where a fight was
>However you just feel antsy to fight it
>No matter what “it” is
>You take a moment to gather yourself with a few deep breaths
>Feeling a growing need for any sort of support you take a peek behind yourself to check if Applejack is still following
>A reassuring wave of relief flows through you as you spy her hiding behind a bush you previously hid behind
>You can feel the heartbeat you didn’t know was racing calm down somewhat as you turn back to the lone shack
>You can’t see Rainbow right now, but knowing that Applejack was behind you made you feel a bit safer
>Though you don’t know why you feel like you NEED to feel safer
>It’s just a nagging feeling that’s growing in the back of your mind
>Tightening your grip on your shield you swallow a mouthful of air before leaping from your bush
>Doing your best Gears of War roadie run to close the distance you quietly stack up against the guard shack
>Holding your breath you scan the surrounding area for signs of any impending ambush
>Only to be left there in silence as your eyes dart to and fro
>Guess the suit guy took his changelings and is proceeding to clean out the building…
>There's supposed to be one other guard if you remember correctly
>You stand to full height and wave at the two still hiding to move up
>You move to the door of the guard shack to inspect this mess further
>Stepping around the puddles of black goo you look into the shack almost expecting, well something…
>However, you’re greeted with the wonderful sight of splintered wood and more black stuff
>There’s no one here…
>”Don't reckon he just happened to take a break do ya?”
>Turning around you shake your head towards the nervously smiling cowgirl as she approaches with her rainbow haired companion in tow
 
“I don’t think when someone takes a break that means they also break the front door.”
>Poking the black goop with her baton Rainbow lifts a bit of it as it sticks to her baton
>”What the heck is this stuff?”
>You squat down to get a better look at the stuff as well
>Swiping a bit of it with your gloved finger you press it between your thumb and forefinger
>Whatever this stuff is it’s somewhat viscous, and, if you’re not seeing things, contains a hint of red
>While you have suspicions you don’t think it’s blood with how black it is
“I don’t know…”
>Wiping your fingers off on your pants as you stand back up and make your way into the shack
>Stepping in the shack pretty much looks like you thought from what you could see looking in it from Chinese's rooftop
>Small, sparsely decorated, and oddly modern
>Less like a shack contrary to the exterior and more like a proper office space
>Well aside the black pools that pepper the front door’s entrance and the side door
>Besides the desk near the front window, and a few other pieces of furniture there doesn’t appear to be anything eye catching
>”Cushy place huh?”
>”Seems awfully, white.”
>Holding a hand up to block the rows of bright neon lights on the ceiling you can’t help but agree
>Looking down from the lights though something catches your eyes
>The glint of several brass casings
>You squat down and pick one off the ground
>The casing gives off fading warmth as you turn it around in your hand
>Now you’re not an expert on firearms, but you’ve got some sense
>This thing was fired recently
>You can hopefully rule out the guard you were spying on for the past couple hours being an illusion or something since this thing is still warm enough to feel through your glove
>Your eye twitches as a realization strikes you
>Was this what those muffled bangs were in the forest?
 
>That doesn’t make any sense!
>Tonight was a particularly quiet night
>Hell, you heard a car alarm going off a few blocks down the road for almost twenty minutes while staking the place out
>The bang from a gun should’ve been at least as loud as that!
>Does that smoke dome muffle anything that goes on inside of it?
>You gaze into the mirror like surface of the spent casing for a moment before putting it back on the floor
>Counting them you find the number of spent bullets almost matches the bangs you heard in the forest give or take a few
>Though if the pool of black stuff near the back door is any indicator, you'll find more outside
>This doesn’t prove that the smoke dome muffles sound for sure, but you’d be willing to bet on it
>Wonder if it does anything else…
>Your eyes drift over towards the second pool of black goop near the back door
>That door seems to be intact unlike the front
>Standing up you poke your head out the back door to see if there’s anything outside
>Nothing
>Not even a blood trail or anything
>Your thoughts drift back to the guy in the suit hauling someone with a gash on their back
>If that was the guard, shouldn’t there be SOME blood?
>Squatting down you take a look at the black liquid near the foot of the back door
>Just like the stuff at the front door it’s very viscous and black
>Even though you keep thinking it might be blood there's a few problems with that
>Besides its unnaturally blackened color
>That being its smell
>This stuff smells, milky
>Besides being very, off putting to say the least you’re pretty sure blood doesn’t smell like milk
>”Hey, take a look at this!”
>Wiping your fingers off once more you stand up when you hear Rainbow call from inside the shack
 
>Looking over your shoulder you see Rainbow and Applejack huddled over the front desk
>Walking over you peek over their shoulders to see what they’re looking at
>Looks like a computer
“What is this?”
>Rainbow responds while she clicks around on the simple looking program
>”The computer that’s hooked up to the cameras in the building.”
>Huh, guess that’s why the guard never had to leave the shack
>”Twi told us about it during the briefing ya know.”
>You throw a shrug to Applejack as she shakes her head
>As she opens her mouth to chastise you, she’s interrupted by a sudden stomping
>Everyone goes silent as the stomping begins to increase in volume
>Pulling your shield up you walk silently towards the front door as Rainbow and Applejack move behind you
>You don’t know what that stomping is, but it’s coming towards you, fast
>Standing against the front door wall you wait silently as the stomping begins to slow
>Until eventually stopping a bit away from what used to be the front door
>Glancing to the other two standing against the wall as well you hold a finger to your mouth
>They give you a slow nod as you turn and brace yourself for whatever the stomping thing is
>Hopefully it’ll walk past and you can get the jump on it
>You tighten your grip on your shield as your heartbeat pounds in your head
*ba-thump*
>The stomping slowly paces towards the front door threshold
*ba-thump*
>It sounds like it’s going to come inside
*ba-thump*
>The anticipation is getting to you
*ba-thump*
>You don’t know why, but that foreign feeling fear is back
*ba-thump*
>Not that it’s foreign for you to feel fear
*ba-thump*
>It’s just this particular fear feels, foreign
*ba-thump*
>The stomping has stopped!
*ba-thump* *ba-thump*
>You weren’t paying attention!
*ba-thump* *ba-thump*
>Did it stop just outside the door?!
 
*ba-thump* *ba-thump* *ba-thump*
>Alright now’s not a time to be stalling!
*ba-thump* *ba-thump* *ba-thump*
>Just go out there!
*ba-thump* *ba-thump**ba-thump*
>It’s not like you’re going to…
*ba-thump* *ba-thump**ba-thump*
>Your thoughts drift back to the gashed man hanging on the back of that suited monster
*ba-thump* *ba-thump**ba-thump* *ba-thump*
>You find yourself stalling once more to move
*ba-thump* *ba-thump**ba-thump* *ba-thump*
>Just, just move!
>Your heart stops beating as you hear one more stomp directly outside the door
>You hear one of your companions swallow her breath
>The stomping sounds like it’s turning around towards the shack
>Before your heart begins to break from your ribcage you force yourself to jump out towards the whatever lies outside with the mightiest warcry letting loose from your lips
“WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”
>You crash directly into the thing as it too screams like a little girl
>”AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”
>However you sort of just bounce back and land on your ass as your shield clinks off of the now screaming and flailing Rarity
>Wait, Rarity in all her glowy exosuited glory?
>”No I surrender!”
>Nice to see her practicing her french
>”Rarity!?”
>Seems you aren’t the only one caught off guard
>Everyone calms down a bit after you all realize it’s just her
>Collapsing against the wall on her butt Rainbow shakes her head
>”Felt like I was going to have a heart attack there.”
>Taking her hat off Applejack holds it against her chest as she leans against the wall managing to sigh out
>”Good lord, you had me more scared than a hen in a foxhole.”
>Standing back up you calm your beating heart too as Rarity steps inside
>”Well Anon certainly repaid me for you in that regard.”
>It’s not as though you wanted to though
>”Why ever did you jump out at me screaming like that dear?”
 
>Say literally anything other than the truth
>As long as you don’t say the truth you’ll be fine!
“I always yell when I’m scared.”
>No mouth that’s the exact opposite of what you wanted to say!
>”Why were you scared? I know it’s absolutely dreadful here, but I sent you a reply that I was on my way.”
>She texted you back?
>You probably wouldn’t have noticed since your phone is o—
>It suddenly dawns on you that you completely forgot a crucial task when it comes to being stealthy in the modern day
>You didn’t turn your cellphone to silent!
>Though if you didn’t silence it…
>After opening up your Velcro pouch you fish your phone out
>Unlocking it you discover no new messages
>Um…
>Looking up from your phone you point to Rarity
“Are you sure about that?”
>She gives you a raised eyebrow as she digs into her jumpsuit with an exosuited glove
>Pulling out her tiny bejeweled purse thing once more she finally pulls out her bejeweled phone
>You’re sensing a theme here again
>With a puzzled look she shows you her phone
>”It says that it went through though?”
>Before you can even get to looking through her texts you notice that instead of your name it’s labeled “Mon Cible”
>It seems that again you shall regret not practicing french
>Moving on to her texts to you does indeed prove she had sent it
>Before you curse your shitty service you notice it on Rarity’s phone before checking yours
>You both no longer have any service here
>You turn to Applejack and Rainbow
“Hey, check your phones to see if you’ve got service.”
>They both look at each other before digging through their jumpsuits and pulling their phones out
>“Ah’m out of range.”
>Rainbow stares at her phone with a perplexed expression on her face
>”Yea me too…”
>You bring a hand to your chin to help you think while the other three look to you
 
>Stuffing her phone back into her jumpsuit Applejack crosses her arms
>”Don’t reckon that the storm clouds are messing with em?”
>Rainbow moves to the door way and holds her phone outside
>Noticing Rarity walks up behind Rainbow before speaking
>”What are you doing?”
>Rainbow turns with her face scrunched up
>”Checking something out.”
>You look to Applejack who shrugs
>Turning her phone over in her hands Rainbow shakes her head
>”I should be getting a signal at least outside…”
“Why’s that?”
>She looks back up to you
>”I used to drop and brake my phones all the time, but then Twi built a case for me to use.”
>And?
>She points to a small nub on the edge of her phone
>”Because she’s an egghead she wasn’t happy with just making a nice case, but she also made it into a satellite phone adapter too.”
>Oh yea because if you’re just making a gift for a friend why would you half-ass it?
>Goddamn can Twi just make ANYTHING?!
>”Well that’s certainly odd…”
>But that does confirm something at least
>This cloud dome over you isn’t just your normal everyday clouds
>Applejack nudges you with her elbow
>”Got an idea there sugarcube?”
>Hmm, hard to say
“I think so…”
>The other two look to you
>You nod while deciding on how to word this
>After all, don’t want to seem like too big a coward
“On a scale of 1-10, was anyone else suddenly scared out of their mind when we entered the dome?”
>The others all nod hesitantly
>You can see that Applejack and Rainbow want to defend themselves, but they just close their mouths after opening them while looking away uncomfortably
>Rarity however does not, instead drawing closer to you
>”Definitely darling, after passing through that wall of clouds I felt, something…”
>While you could excuse being scared when you heard Rarity’s exosuit stomping around you don’t think that everybody would be THAT scared just walking in
>Maybe, there is something to what you're thinking...
 
>Applejack suddenly gets a glint in her eye
>”Ya don’t think that maybe…”
>Maybe she’s picking up what you’re putting down
“The clouds may have some, affects?”
>Turning around you pick up the bullets you found earlier
>Holding them up you show them to the others
“These were warm when we first came in here; I think that those bangs we heard in the forest were these.”
>Rainbow’s face scrunches even further with disbelief
>”But those bangs were like someone banging pots and pans together, that’s way too quiet for a gun.”
>You point to her with a finger gun
“And a satellite phone should be more than capable of getting a signal in the middle of a small city.”
>She nods with a defeated sigh
>Placing the bullets on the desk you nod slowly
“While I may be just spit-balling here, I’m willing to bet that the dome of clouds we entered into may have some effects.”
>Besides looking super conspicuous and scary
>You’re honestly a little surprised that the cops or anyone aren’t swarming the place
>But getting back on track
>Counting off on your fingers you start to list the few things you noticed
“The ones I noticed being; muffling any sound that comes from within the dome, blocking any signal to the outside, and setting everyone who enters on edge.”
>While you can get over the first two, you don’t really know what to do about the last one
>Even now with the whole team here, you can’t help but feel like you do when walking through the apartment at night after watching several bad horror movies
>Sure they were funny with how bad they were when you watched them, but that doesn't stop you from tensing up at every creek the apartment makes, in case the ayys had finally come for you, for days afterwards
 
>You slap your face to help rid yourself of fear through gritted teeth
>No need to be a big scaredy beaver!
>Rarity purses her lips bringing a clenched fist to her chin while looking at you uncertainly
>”You don’t suppose that this dome has any other effects, do you?”
>Well those three were the only ones you noticed
>So here’s hoping that those are the only ones
>You give Rarity a shrug
“I don’t know, but we’ll cross that bridge when we reach it.”
>If you really did see what you think you saw, then that guard needs help
>Regardless of if you’re scared or walking into a trap
“For now we have to focus on doing what we came here to do.”
>You crack your knuckles to emphasize your point as you scan the others faces
“Stopping Sombra and saving those guards.”
>Rainbow and Applejack both share a confident smirk while Rarity plays with her hair
>”While that’s certainly what we’ll try to do darling, aren’t you a little worried abou—“
>A loud *slam* from the computer behind you cuts her off as everyone stiffens from the sudden noise
>You whip towards the monitor to see what made the sound only for your blood to run cold
>It’s the man in the suit again!
>He still has the guard slumped on his shoulder
>Stopping in the middle of what looks like a stockroom he speaks to a few similar shadowy people
>”Alright my friends, get ready to welcome our guests, and if you’d be so kind grab every valuable rock you can find for our lord.”
>Your heart begins to pump fire
>That voice…
>The man turns to the camera revealing his “face”
>It’s like a bird made of shadow
>A long beak with what clearly looks like a feathery poof on the back of his head
>Then there's the deep red pools you assume to be eyes
>You don’t really know how you can clearly see what it is but have it still be poorly detailed at the same time
 
>You never knew how unsettling it would be to see someone with a beak somehow be able to smile, but that’s the only way to describe what the unsettling shadow figure is doing as it stands in the middle of the screen
>”After all a villain has to set the stage for when the HERO dramatically appears to save the day…”
>The black figure suddenly turns to the screen as a loud static emanates from the monitor
>”DOESN’T HE!?”
>You and your friends reflexively yelp at the loud yell backing away from the screen in a panic
>The static gives way to a mad cackling that reverberates in the room as the lights flicker
>All the while Anon, the only one who didn’t back away from the screen, stands over the desk with an almost unnoticeable tremble
>What’s going on?!
>The cackling dies down as the lights stop flickering
>”You know, if you hurry you just might be able to save them…”
>You inch your way closer to him and the screen
>”But I don’t really expect much from someone who hesitates at the first feeling of fear!”
>You stop prematurely as Anon slams his fist on the desk causing the bullets to rattle and roll
>Applejack and Rainbow look to each other with confusion before throwing worrying glances to you
>You compose yourself by straightening your bangs before placing a hand on Anon’s shoulders
“Darling are you alright?
>He stops trembling as the monitor blacks out, the only sound in the room being the hum of the lights and monitor
>Alright, this is a tinsy bit, awkward
>You withdraw your hand as Anon straightens up
>”I’ll be waiting, HERO…”
>Anon stands still as if in deep thought
>Applejack steps forward with a slight grimace
>”Don’t worry none Anon, we’ll show Sombra what we’re made of when we save those guards.”
>Rainbow nods with an uncertain smirk
>”Yea, he only had what, at most ten guys for back up; we can take them, no problem...”
 
http://imgur.com/SexwJZH
>You aren’t so sure about that
>You don’t know if Applejack and Rainbow are pretending to have gotten over it, but your fear has only intensified
>And for a variety of reasons
>One being, Anon is stone still
>Something about it feels, wrong
>You can’t place it, but chalk it up to intuition
>Whatever it is, it's making you regret being here more and more
>Anon finally moves as he shakes his head
>”That wasn’t Sombra…”
>Sorry?
>Applejack’s grimace morphs into confusion
>”Uh, could ya repeat that one more time?”
>Rainbow however, shakes her head
>”Then who WAS that?”
>Anon turns around with fire raging in his eyes
>It takes the three of you a bit off guard
>”I don’t know who that WAS, but I can tell you what they will be.”
>You can’t say that you’re a fan of Anon’s rather scorching gaze
>It’s much too brutish, and not in a way you’d like
>It reinforces the uncomfortable rumor you were made aware of earlier tonight, and, to be frank, you don’t know how exactly you feel about it
>On one hand you want to take Anon’s side, but on the other hand…
>You discard that train of thought with a whip of your bangs
>After all, Anon is your knight in shining armor, right?
>He would never do such a thing, and if he did he would obviously only do so when justified!
>Striking out he grabs a fist-full of air with a squeak of his leather gloves as his eyes shift to the doorway
>”Sorry they ever decided to hurt someone not involved with all of this!”
>He looks back to the three of you with ever increasing ferocity burning in his eyes
>”We’ve already wasted too much time; he needs to be taught a lesson, and it looks like we’re the only teachers available!”
>W-what?
>He didn’t really just say that?
>Before you can point out what he just said Rainbow speaks up
 
http://imgur.com/0zmaAHn
>”Well that’s one way of putting it, but I guess you’re right.”
>You almost do a double take when you fully realize what she just said
>She CAN’T be serious!
>Applejack seems to share the feeling a bit as she holds a hand up
>”Now hold on just a sec, what happened to not wandering in all willy nilly?”
>Thanks Applejack!
>Someone else sees reason!
>Anon shakes his head as he steps away from the desk
>”We observed, now we’ve been found out; there’s only one thing we can do now.”
>Applejack don’t listen to him!
>After biting her thumb for a moment Applejack gives Anon a slight shrug as she nods
>”When ya put it that way, ah guess we’ve got no choice.”
>Applejack too!?
>Applejack begins to roll her sleeves up as you stare at her in disbelief
>Are you the only one who’s having second thoughts about this?
>You turn to Rainbow who appears to be stretching her arms
“Shouldn’t we, well, do anything besides walking right into the establishment where that thing is waiting for us?”
>She raises an eyebrow as she cracks her knuckles
>”We’ll have to fight him sooner or later, yea?”
>Well you’d rather never than now!
>Applejack steps towards you
>”Besides it’s not as if we can just turn tail and leave.”
>She places a comforting hand on your shoulder as she looks into yours with her red eyes
>”We’re the only ones who can help them now.”
>You know that, but…
>You feel an enormous feeling of fear take a hold of you when you think of getting in the same room as that thing you saw on screen
>It’s become a bit concerning just how scared you are
>”That’s exactly how I feel about it!”
>Applejack looks to Anon as he walks to the door and gives everyone a thumbs up
>Wait…
>You just noticed something while staring at her
>Why are her eyes red?
 
>It’s about time to go
“Since we’re all in agreement, let’s hit it!”
>You step out of the shack with your grip tightening around your shield
>While you feel confident you can take them
>Something feels off
>You begin your casual walk to the Fancy Pants and Co. building with the other three trailing behind
>After all, you haven’t felt this fired up in like ever, and you were just on edge a minute ago
>You can’t fully describe how you feel right now, but you don’t care
>Whatever’s messing with your head is spurring you to fight him, and that’s perfectly fine with you
>Though it’s obvious to anyone with brain that he's leading you into a trap, or something to that affect
>The sound of your combined footsteps echoes through the silent night
>However, if this is an effect of the dome that you assume the shadow guy put up…
>Well now he fucked up, he has fucked up now
>You grit your teeth into a smile as you feel the fear drain from your body
>Because the only thing that was stopping you from rushing in was that fear
>Now with it gone…
>You can confidently say that you’ll kick the tar, or whatever that guy has in him, promptly out of him
>Your smile widens at the thought
>You'll teach him how much of a hero you can be!
>You stop at the doors leading into the back of Fancy Pants and Co.
>You get a sudden compulsion to say something
>You wait until the others stop behind you and hold your arms out
“Wow rude, I thought that guy was going to greet us.”
>Rainbow steps up to your right with a smirk
>”Some people just have no manners…”
>Applejack steps forward boldly on your left holding the brim of her hat as she looks the building up and down
>”Ah guess it’s just like Anon said, we’ll hafta teach them some ourselves.”
 
>They can hear what they’re saying right?
>That sounds just as ridiculous here as it did in the guard house!
>Something is definitely wrong!
>If them not responding to you repeatedly asking them to stop for a moment to think this through wasn’t enough, now they all have different color eyes!
>Applejack’s was the easiest to see since it changed from granny smith green to red delicious, but Rainbow’s shift from mild cerise to a more blood crimson was much harder to detect
>Then Anon with one eye turning deep pink of all things!
>Stepping up to the door Anon pulls it open with a flourish before standing to the side
>Gesturing for the rest of you to come inside he tips his helmet
>”Ladies first.”
>Rainbow smacks her fist into her palm as she walks in with an excited smile, like she’s going to face off in a sport and NOT fight something!
>Applejack pulls her hat over her face for a moment muttering something before tipping it back and looking to Anon with a little too much fluttery eyelashes
>”Thank ya kindly sugarcube.”
>Without breaking eye contact until stepping past him she enters
>You don’t like how sensually she eyed Anon while going through the door
>It’s not possible that she may…
>The door slamming shut draws you from your thoughts
>How rude!
>It’s like you don’t even exist!
>This is starting to get on your nerves!
>Alright Rarity calm down…
>You’re losing your composure, and what’s the one thing a proper lady must never lose?
>Her composure
>You take a few deep breaths
>Perhaps that THING did something to all of them?
>With your composure regained you grip the door handle
>Alright, if your friends and man are in trouble it’s only proper you do something
>But what exactly will you do?
 
>Stepping in you make note of the quiet dark
>Someone didn’t turn on all the lights
>Large lamps hang high upon the ceiling a good 30 or so feet up
>You hear your friend’s footsteps up ahead drawing you in like a moth to flame
>Walking a bit faster you catch up to them amidst the rows of shelves piled high enough to create walls
>Anon stops for a moment inspecting a literal wall of boxes to the right
>”Hmm…”
>You stop in front of them so they won’t leave you behind again
>Rainbow tilts her head with a confused frown
>”What’s wrong?”
>Anon looks from the wall of boxes to the wall of shelf behind him
>”It appears that we’re being boxed in.”
>He didn’t just…
>Pointing to the shelf he continues
>”These shelves have a layer of dust on them, but the boxes don’t.”
>Applejack grimaces as her eyes shine in the dark warehouse
>”Are you sayin they’re corralling us?”
>Anon nods before turning in your direction
>His pink eye catching the small amount of light provided by the overhead lamps
>”But that’s alright, just lets us find them faster.”
>It’s as if he’s looking right through you…
>Perhaps there’s only one way to get his attention then!
>Looking behind you, you spot the end of the row of shelves leading to a more open area up ahead
>Perfect!
>You rush to the opening and turn back around to the still walking Anon
>If they ignore your pressance because of magic, then you’ll just have to physically get in their way
>You’d use the gun-thing Twilight was so kind to supply you, but if it’s based on the pendant she had before
>Well, you know first-hand how awful it feels to be drained of your magic
>You weren’t going to make them go through that again!
>You stand ready as Anon draws near
>Just as you begin to wonder if he might actually slam into you catch a bit of movement from the corner of your eye
>The shelf!
>Something is tipping the shelf over!
 
>Now you’ve played enough video games to guess what’s going to happen
>If that voice is indeed the one from earlier at Twilight’s house you recall him saying he knows everything you do
>If he does then he’ll know how this goes down if he’s trying to play you by baiting you to be a hero
>You can see up ahead that there’s a wide open area just perfect for a brawl
>Which is great because it gives you a way to pound his bird face around
>If you were him you’d have some mooks waiting out there
>You pick up your pace as you near the exit
>”ANON!”
>Huh?
>Suddenly out of thin air appears, Rarity!?
>You stop abruptly a bit away from her
>Why is she here?
>Wait, weren’t you doing something with her?
>Fuck it feels like your brain is on fire!
>As you press your fingers into your forehead once more you feel a powerful grip yanking you forward
“What the hell!?”
>You almost fall down face first as you hear a loud *CRASH* behind you
>Managing to catch yourself by regaining your footing before you fall you look back to the shelves
>Several of the towering constructs lie in a pile creating a massive wall
>”Are you alright Anon!”
>Suddenly your face is filled full of purple hair
>You feel Rarity’s hands patting your chest as she rapidly speaks
>What just happe—
>Oh FUCK
>You were in the middle of saving the guards from that shadow guy!
>You don’t know what happened!
>One second you’re getting pretty spooked by his cackling on the guard shack monitor, and then you were
>Oh fucking hell
>You willingly walked in here
>You were even aware you were LITERALLY walking into a trap!
>You moan in frustration as Rarity suddenly stops touching you instead looking up to you with frightened eyes
>”Oh no, tell me where it hurts darling!”
>You HATE magic
>H-A-T-E, HATE
“Nowhere, I’m a-ok.”
>Except for your pride
>As she sighs you hear moans from the other side of the collapsed shelves
 
>Cupping your hands you yell
“Hey, you two doing alright over there?”
>After a few more groan and what sounds like patting you hear from Rainbow
>”Yea we’re fine, barely…”
>Well that’s good at least
>You heave a sigh as you realize how much you just played yourself
>So much for stealth you guess
>Rarity tugs at your arm as you stare at the wall
>”Anon…”
>You turn to her slightly while still focusing on the shelf wall
“Just a sec.”
>You gotta regroup
“Hey, circle around the shelves and meet up at the end of them yea?”
>Hopefully you can meet up before you get attacked
>”Uh, that might be a bit harder then ya think.”
>Hm?
>”Anon.”
>You hold a hand out towards Rarity
“Give me a sec here.”
>Rarity continues to tug at your arm
“Why’s that?”
>Rarity clears her throat
>”I really must insist darling!”
>Ok really?
>You look to Rarity who’s staring behind you
“What?”
>Clearing her throat she points behind you
>”We have company.”
>Oh, oh please no
>You turn around to find, yep
>A couple shadowy dudes standing out in the open
>”While ah’d love to come around Anon, we got a bit of company over here!”
>Well, you can’t say you’re surprised, but you didn’t expect the shadow birdman to separate the four of you
>Rarity puts a hand covering her mouth as she stares towards the shadow people to whisper to you
>”Anon darling, what do we do now?”
>You take a deep breath as you reach for your stun baton
“Well looks like we’ve only got one option here Rarity.”
>She frowns as attempts to grab the gun off her pack
>”I’m not looking forward to this.”
>You can’t help but smile as she continues to fumble with the pack
“You and me both.”
>Pointing the baton at the still Shadow people you press the eject button
>The silence of the warehouse is pierced with a loud *chink*
>”Are you trying to be cool dear?”
 
http://imgur.com/GxiRumJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M42oppB2KHc
>Ignoring that quip as Rarity finally pulls the gun off her back pack you focus on what’s in front of you
>Sharply swiping downwards with your extended baton you cut the air as you tighten your grip on the palm-sized handle
>Raising your shield you step in front of Rarity leveling a glare at the shadowy mooks
“So you know how to use that thing right?”
>The blackened men slowly step towards you with an unnatural shadow obscuring their faces
>”O-of course I do darling, just give me a moment.”
>Just a quick guess, but you don’t think you’re going to get a moment standing here
>Taking a few steps forward you tilt your head slightly towards Rarity while keeping your eyes on the three men in front of you
“Take all the time you need, I’ll stall.”
>Hopefully
>The two closest advances together in the spotlight of a lamp while the third seems to be staying back
>At least they aren’t armed
>So that’s an edge you have on them
>You notice the unnatural darkness that permeates their faces appears to be blocking out the light near their hands as well
>What the hell is with that stuff?
>Just looking at it makes your hair stand on end
>You don’t know if you should go on the offensive or wait for them to make a move
>You really should’ve planned ahead for this kind of thing
>As you stare them down one breaks away from the pairing rushing towards you
>Well, that’s one problem solved!
>Stepping with your left foot forward you brace to smash into him with your shield
>Closing the distance quickly the man stops just out of arms reach lashing out with a swipe of his hand
>You almost back away in confusion before hearing, and more importantly feeling a *CHINK* against your shield
>The man throws himself off balance as you back up a bit
 
>What the hell did he just hit you with!?
>It may be a bit dark in here, but you’re positive he was too far out to hit you!
>As your eyes dart from the new slash in your shield to the man staggering through the lamplight you notice something about his arm
>Or rather the distinct lack of his arm
>Instead of where an arm should be there’s now darkness in the form of a monstrously proportioned thing instead of an arm
>Almost like a distinct shape similar to a tendril made of nothingness sucking up the light around it
>Guess at this point it’s more of a void of light rather than just plain old darkness
>Wow, fuck that
>The man regains his footing and stands back up straight
>Looks like his other arm’s like that too
>Joy
>He resumes his slow pacing towards you as his tentacle like appendages squirm around in the lamplight dragging across the floor
>Well shit, you’re pretty sure those things have a bit more range than your dinky little baton does
>Looking around the shelves that surround you for a long item you stop as you realize something
>In this small lane that guy has no way to swing his arms around!
>He barely had enough space to swing them before, and now his arms are easily twice as long!
>With a bit more gusto than before you step forward
>If he comes at you swinging like an idiot then that’s your chance!
>You ready yourself to spring forward as he strolls forward with his head hung back eerily
>Stomping one foot down it suddenly breaks into a sprint towards you with its arms flailing behind it
“Gotcha!”
>You spring into action bringing your shield up to slam into him
>As you collide with him you see the impossible, his right tendril is swinging THROUGH the shelf on his right!
>You can’t do anything but follow through with your charge as you feel a sharp pain on your back and left shoulder
>Ramming through him you send him reeling back a few feet as he collapses against a shelf
 
>FUCK THAT STINGS
>You back down a few feet as you clutch your left shoulder pauldron
>Are you bleeding, because you feel like you are!
>Stepping back into the light you look at your shoulder
>There’s no sign that you just got cut up
>However you can feel it
>Alongside your back and shoulder dampness begins to seep into your jumpsuit
>You stare back at the shadow mook as it slowly stands back up
>Did that thing just cut THROUGH your armor!?
>How!?
>Better yet, why didn’t it cut through your shield?
>You can SEE the slice where shield met black tentacle-thing!
>Wait, you remember something Twilight said
>Something about this shield being the first prototype for a new kind of riot shield
>Maybe it’s made of something that tendrils can’t pass through?
>Oh shit!
>Maybe you can use that, thing!
>Pressing the switch you hear the loud click from the front
>Maybe this’ll help
>You bring your attention away from the shield to the now shambling shadow man in front of you
>Wow, he’s just going to do the same thing again isn’t he?
>Almost as if to answer your question he slams a foot down before charging at you once more
>Well at least you know what to expect
>Stepping back a bit you raise your shield with the pendant exposed
>Sure enough the shadow mook swings forward with his left black tendril before it curves towards the center of your shield
>Bulls-eye!
>It’s almost as if it’s drawn to the pendant as a small rip tears through opening into a white void in front of you
>You can feel yourself being drawn to the rip as air rushes past you and into it
>As quickly as it came it disappears
>The man before you jumps back screaming like an animal flailing his tendril and now normal arm
 
>Well looks like it worked!
>Eyeballing the shield you notice a small bar of light just above the grip
>It’s slowly draining
>Must be some sort of cool-down
>Looking back at the one tentacled man you see him crouching down outside of the light
>Running his right tendril over his left arm a few times a much lighter and smaller tendril materializes over it
>Snapping his head back to you, you notice now much less shadow obscuring his face causing a few details to bleed through the black veil
>That’s probably partly due to his now glowing pink eyes glaring at you
>Boy does he look pissed
>You can’t help but wonder why the other two haven’t joined in yet
>Daring to take a glance away from the glaring red-eyed enemy in front of you reveals that the other two are watching?
>They stand far away with darkness fully obscuring their features
>What the hell are they doi—
>Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud stomp no doubt coming from your forgotten friend
>Snapping back you get the delightful view of your friend tentacle man a few paces away charging once again
>Without a second thought you raise your shield up once more and charge into him head on
>The guy must’ve put a lot more effort into this charge as you almost get sacked out of the air
>Smashing into each other mid-stride causes you to be pushed to the left while he goes right
>You slam into a shelf and bounce back onto your ass
>With a loud *CRASH* behind you, you can assume that your friend went careening into the boxes
>Besides a few new aches you stand up relatively unharmed
>Turning around you see a new pile of boxes explode outwards as the flailing of black tendrils sends them to and fro
 
>Calming down a bit after uncovering itself the pink-eyed shadow mook stands up twitching slightly
>Like that kind of unsettling twitch that the regeneradors had in RE4
>Slowly, it twists its body towards you
>You can finally see enough detail in its face to discern a clear look of demonic rage
>You’ve been doing nothing but smashing into him, it’s time to actually do something
>Sneaking a peek at your shield you see that the light up bar that appeared earlier is still on
>Guess that means the pendant is charging?
>Really should’ve asked for more details from Twilight
>You snap your gaze back to the still twitching dark man
>You know, you’ve been holding onto this baton for a bit and you haven’t hit him with it once
>Quite a shame that is, ain’t it?
>Loosening up your shoulders you bounce in place a bit
>You got blindsided by all this and didn’t even limber up
>Might as well do so before you attack
>Loosening up however reminds you of the massive cut that covers you from the front of your left shoulder to the middle of your back
>Doesn’t feel too deep though, more akin to a large paper cut
>That’s not to say it doesn’t sting, paper cuts sting like a mother fucker!
>Cracking your neck you ready your now limbered up legs into a springing position
>The angry eyed man stands stock still
>You feel like something’s up, but decide to press on without thinking too much
>After all, thinking too much hasn’t helped you much
>Leaping forward you charge shield first with your baton rearing back to swing
>You’ll plow into him and smash his weaker looking right tendril!
>However as you close in on him he disappears without a trace
>You stomp to a halt a few feet away from where he was
>What the absolute hell?!
>Did he just vanish, or…
>You step back a bit raising your shield and baton ready to strike
 
>Blinking you examine your surroundings
>As your eyes dart back and forth you can’t find anything indicating where he went
>Out of your peripheral you see movement in the light, but as you snap towards it you don’t see anything
>Stepping into the light you still don’t see anything
>This is way too mu—
>”Behind you!”
>Rarity’s voice calls out from behind you
>Shit, you almost forgot she was here!
>Swinging your baton you twirl around
>Your baton passes right through the hovering shadow that was the guy you were fighting
>You know you don’t have enough time to shield as it raises its tendrils
>Well fuck
>Like lightning it begins its assault flaying your skin with cuts
>It feels almost ridiculous as numerous cuts rain down upon your arms and back
>After what seems like an eternity your left arm finally bashes the floating shadow away from you
>Reeling back you barely manage to catch yourself on your back leg
>Wow the pain feels a bit unreal
>Your entire back right arm and your left shoulder are all singing out in a harmonious song of pain
>It’s enough to almost make you drop your baton and shield
>While on one hand you’re glad that you can still feel your arms since that means they’re still attached, you do hate that you can feel EVERY GASH
>Shit, you didn’t think this guy would know thousand cuts
>Guess you should be happy it didn't hit your face
>You bear your teeth through the pain that your tiger stripes of gashes causes you to stand back up fully
>A few feet away floats the now fully ghost looking dude you were fighting
>He still only has two tendrils, but you can barely see his human body inside the ghostly exterior
>Fucker looks like a black haunter with tentacles now
>Rolling your arm once more to get a better feeling of the cuts you discover something
 
>The cuts feel much shallower compared to before
>So they hurt like shit, but you’ll be fine, probably
>You glare down the haunter rip-off as you think of a way to approach this
>Besides not wanting to take a face full of cuts again, there’s that thing’s ability to teleport apparently
>Don’t really have a counter for that
>Wait
>Sudden realization surges forth as you think about what just happened
>You shout back while keeping an eye on the floating shadow
“Rarity, how’d you see him coming!?”
>You floaty friend twitches once more as it begins to advance towards you like an apparition
>”Uh, well in the light…”
>Huh?
>”I saw something in the light before he appeared out of nowhere!”
>Oh, so you DID see something beforehand!
>Now the real question is, did it turn invisible or teleport?
>well regardless you just need to surround yourself in light!
>You back away from the creeping black mist man and into the spotlight of an overhead light
>You already know what to do
>Lifting your shield up you point your baton at it
>Before your baton passed right through it, but you didn’t expect him to be floating back a bit
“Come and get me you ass!”
>This time you’ll bash its face with your shield before hitting the actual dude inside it!
>It stops at the edge of the light before looking up at the lamp
>What the hell is it gonna do, that lamp is a good 20ft high!
>Slamming your baton against your shield you goad it to attack you
>Ignoring you it points a tendril towards the lamp
>It’s got long tendrils and all, but they aren’t THAT lon—
>You almost choke on your spit as its tendril shoots out and pierces the light with a loud cracking noise from above
>A bit of shattered glass plinks off of your helmet in the silence
>You, you can’t even…
>You can’t stop yourself from saying
“Wow, fuck you too guy.”
 
>With its now large white eyes and mouth on the shadow you swear it’s smirking at you
>Wow, fuck this guyX2
>You back up a bit once more as you try to think of a solution, again
>You know that light will hopefully give you a clue as to where it’s moving while it does whatever it can do, but now the problem is getting light
>The now smiling fiend twitches yet again before disappearing altogether
>Well…
>Your eyes dart around as your mind races to find a solution
>You can’t hold your phone out and hold on to your shield and baton
>Probably won’t make it to another spotlight since the nearest one is at least a few yards away
>Your forehead scrunches up as you think like your life depends on it
>Though it probably does!
>The small *clink* of falling glass on your helmet stops your thoughts all together though
>Looking up you curse the broken lamp above
>Better put on your goggles so you don’t get any in your eyes
>Wait
>OH FUCKING HELL YOU’RE RETARDED!
>You quickly snap your goggles back into place
>While the tint doesn’t really help you here you completely forgot about the ONE THING they were modified for!
>Flipping the switch on you see your red beams cut through the darkness
>This should help!
>Whipping your head back and forth you wait for your beams to find something, anything!
>You’re beginning to think it’s for not before a gleam catches your eye
>A gleam of glowing white
>You almost throw your arm out with how fast you smash your shield towards the gleam
>Guess he didn’t expect that because you get a nice solid *thunk* as your shield meets ghostly face pushing him back into the shelves
>You ready your baton to continue the assault only to stop as you see the shadow surrounding the guy dissipate
>Must’ve knocked him out as the normal non-ghostly guy lies sprawled out on the floor
>You prod the still breathing man with your foot to no response
>Well shit, you did it!
 
>You look back to Rarity while pointing at the downed henchman with your baton
“I did it!”
>She nods with a look of uncertainty before pointing past you
>”Well, that’s one down…”
>Oh yea
>Turning your head towards the other two shadowy mooks who stand further down the end of the isle you take off your goggles
>Well getting a closer look one stands at the end, and the other stands in the large opening past the previous one
>You don’t know what to be worried about more, the fact that two more of them ahead
>Or that they stood there and intentionally watched your fight with senior tentacles without butting in
>Regardless, you’re getting worried
>Your train of thought is broken as you notice Rarity seemingly inspecting you as she walks around you
>Uhhh
“You alright?”
>Stopping in front of you she jabs a finger in your direction
>”That’s the question I should be asking YOU!”
>What, you’re fine
>Well asides a few dozen giant paper cuts, but those just sting
>”I don’t know what he did, but I saw him hit you quite a few times dear…”
>Stepping closer she squints at your armor
>”But I can’t SEE anything; It’s like he didn’t even touch you.”
>Oh yea, she probably couldn’t see that the guy could phase through shit like his name was Kitty Pryde
>If that’s the case, you don’t really see why she should have to worry
>You’re perfectly fine as is
>Guess it’s a good thing most your face is covered because you’re about to lie SO hard
>Dusting your pauldron off as nonchalantly as possible you smirk at Rarity
“Yea he TRIED to hit me, but I guess the armor Twilight gave me IS pretty tough.”
>You begin to flex dramatically much to the horror of your fresh cuts
“Didn’t even feel that last thing he did; felt more like a bunch of angry flies buzzing around rather than an attack.”
 
>Rarity’s staring into your eyes with skepticism that burrows deep into you like a drill as you hold your pose
>She focuses with such intensity that eventually you can’t help break your pose and turn towards the two men who await you ahead
>If she doesn’t believe you, then you’ll just have to fake it till you make it!
>Can’t question you if you’re too busy fighting!
>Yep, that sounds like a completely reasonable plan!
>”Well if you’re sure that you can keep go—“
>Several loud bangs interrupt her drawing your attention away from the stone statues of men and to behind you where Rarity stares holes at the collapsed shelves
>What the hell’s going on ove—
>Oh shit, that’s right!
>You were separated from Rainbow and Applejack!
>Rarity turns to you with a troubled look
>”Anon, we n—“
>You cut her off with a curt nod
“Let’s get over there ASAP.”
>Her conflicted frown turns into a determined smirk as she nods back
>Turning around you almost begin advancing towards the enemy who was so kind to watch your last fight before stopping
>A nagging thought resurfaces from your mind after seeing her
>You almost forgot that Rarity was even here that last fight!
>Spinning on your heel you point at her with a finger on your baton hand
“By the way, this time do me a favor and help out with this one?”
>You’re big and strong and all, but these guys have magic
>And well, magic is bullshit plain and simple
>Rarity looks away as the gun thing dangles from her hands
>”I, uh couldn’t get a clear shot…”
>Couldn’t get a, well no that makes sense
>You WERE just fighting in like a 10 foot square
>Kinda hard to aim a shot without risking hitting you
>Well now you feel like a dick
 
http://imgur.com/cJnKquV
>Scratching the side of your head through your balaclava you look away from the down-trodden Rares
“Oh yea, guess that makes sense…”
>Then there’s only one solution!
“Guess I’ll have to bring them out into the more open area outside this isle!”
>Seemingly regaining a bit of a smile she opens her mouth before stopping halfway and pointing behind you
>”Anon, dear you might want to look behind you now.”
>Hm?
>You quick-turn a full 180 to see what‘s she pointing to
>No way, GOD diddly damnit…
>Facing you is, you
>Well kinda
>The guy waiting at the end of the isle now looks like a shadowy duplicate of you, but that’s not anything TOO surprising anymore
>No, what’s really grating your cheese right now is that he’s assuming the pose you made before fighting his buddy
>He’s mocking you isn’t he?
>”I believe he’s trying to be cool as well darling.”
>You weren’t trying to be cool!
>The sound of scrunching leather squeaks out as you grip your baton angrily
>You’re going to kick the shit out of this guy
“Ya know what; maybe you can help me with the next guy.”
>You begin to stomp towards the silhouette you rearing to go as Rarity calls out behind you
>”Are you sure; we could try pushing over a shelf and climbing over it, they don’t seem to be in any hurry to come after us.”
>Doesn’t seem like a valid option
>You stop mid-stride and look over your shoulder
“You really think they’ll just stand around if we try to leave another way?”
>Rarity scrunches her face with uncertainty as she looks away from your gaze
>”Well, no, but you can’t just go down the line and fight each of them by yourself!”
>Shrugging you turn around back to face your mirror self
“It’s how I’ve handled all my problems so far.”
>Granted they usually weren’t magical, but why throw away a tried and tested modus operandi?
>You continue your march towards your next opponent in silence
 
>This isn’t good
>Anon isn’t being himself
>He may seem normal, but you can see it
>It isn’t as obvious as before outside, but he has a bit of a pink gleam in his eyes
>You’re beginning to think it may have something to do with the dreadful cloud cover you’re under
>He’s needs help with this, and…
>You look down to the practically useless over-sized hairdryer in your hands
>And just because you can’t doesn’t mean that Aj or Rainbow couldn’t!
>You need to clear the path to them so they can help out Anon
>Turning away from Anon and back to the collapsed mess of shelves that separates you from your friends you nod
>It may take some work, but you can clear this up!
>It’s certainly not the biggest mess you’ve had to clean before
>Especially not since that time Sweetie tried to paint all those backgrounds for the talent show a few years ago
>So much paint wasted and so little of it on the actual backgrounds…
>Shaking your head you refocus on the almost literal mountain in front of you
>You can focus on this while Anon distracts the men waiting for him
>Hopefully he’ll be able to hold them off for a bit on his own…
>What are you saying?!
>This is Anon you’re talking about!
>In these past few short days he’s more than proven to be a match for whatever comes his way!
>Even if you KNOW he’ll need some help, you can at least be assured that he can stall like he said before
>Alright, you may not be able to use the vacuum thing this mechanical suit has, but you CAN use the part that makes you stronger!
>Putting the gun on your backpack you decide to begin grabbing small items before you can focus on the shelves themselves
>It may seem daunting, but your fears ease themselves slightly as you realize just how light the boxes are thanks to Twilight’s invention
>This’ll be done in no time, just hang on Anon!
 
http://imgur.com/w2Pd5ZR
>Coming to a stop a few yards away you glare at the mirror you
>He’s put his baton down now and is now mimicking your stance
>Never realized just how much you slouch sometimes
>The mimic stares back at you, but with a much more amused expression
>It’s like he’s trying to tick you off
>Well, it’s working
>You take a deep breath and close your eyes
>This guy wasn’t nearly as tall as you before, in fact he seemed kind of scrawny from what you remember
>Opening your eyes you take note of his stature
>It seems to be pretty much yours
>So besides the occasional shadowy whisp and his overall darker tone there’s not much physical difference
>However, even with magic you wonder if he’ll be as physically strong as you are
>Why not find out?
>This time you’re going to put your all into it
>Bringing your shield to bear you crouch behind it slightly as you sprint towards the mimic
>In sync with you the mimic does the exact same charging towards you with raised shield
>As you hurtle yourself towards the mimic you find yourself having a second thoughts about this
>However even if you wanted to stop now, it’s far too late
>Slamming into him is like running face first into a brick wall, and while you think some might actually win against one, you are not one of those people
>Instead of the initial bounce back or you ramming through him you assumed would happen you get secret option C
>Which is HIM almost ramming through YOU
>What in the absolute fuck!?
>Through a bit of luck, proper footing, and overwhelming force of will you’re just barely able to hold your own against this steamroller
>What is with this guy!?
>He may have been scrawny before, but contrary to his looks he’s SUPER strong!
>Almost immediately though he backs off and mimics your posture
>Ragged breathing and defensive stance included
>Ok, so maybe you underestimated him a bit
 
http://imgur.com/suBD2J7
>Focusing on him you steady your breathing while reevaluating your plan
>So this guy is now as strong if not a bit stronger than you
>Sure you may have underestimated him when you charged, but that shouldn’t have been TOO big a problem if you were stronger than he was
>Wait, what the hell is wrong with you?
>Why would you just charge him like some sort of idiot?
>He has MAGIC, even dinky little flash was able to become as strong as you are with his!
>Why WOULDN’T this guy be strong?
>As you begin to realize that your head throbs like someone decided to use your skull as a war drum
>Through scrunched eyes you can see a flash of something on the mimic’s face as he copies you
>Holding your fist against the bridge of your nose you try to relieve the pressure building in your head
>Was that, confusion?
>Huh, maybe he…
>The pressure in your head begins to fade as you refocus on the mimic
>He doesn’t seem to be going on the offensive or anything…
>Can this guy NOT read minds?
>It feels a bit dumb, but with how many visitors you’ve had in your head these past few days ruling mind reading out right away would be a mistake
>But if this guy is really going for the whole Doppler ganger shtick you’d figure he’d be able to read your mind
>Guess that contrary to your belief, magic that let’s someone just waltz into your mind might be a bit rarer than usual
>There’s only one way to really tell
>You’ll have to be completely unreadable via body language!
>Though you have a feeling just attacking him without even thinking about won’t work
>Perhaps do something he would never expect to see if he mimics it?
>Alright, you think you can do that
>You resume a neutral position with your arms drooped at your sides
>Prepare for some serious stinging
 
>This isn’t nearly as hard as you thought it’d be!
>While you can’t move the shelves themselves you can move almost everything else
>It may take a bit of time, but it’s by no means impossible!
>You place another box on the stack to the side you’re making as you become aware of something concerning
>The only sounds of fighting are coming from beyond the wall of fallen shelves
>Which means…
>No, that can’t be it
>You refuse to believe that Anon could be beaten so quickly!
>You step backwards daring yourself to turn around to see if he’s ok, but something stops you from committing to the turn
>You know it won’t change anything, but you can’t bring yourself to do it
>You don’t want to know if Anon’s hurt so badly he can’t fight
>That’s the only way it’s so quiet behind you
>You’d fool yourself into thinking that maybe he won just that quickly, but you know
>You stare into the junk heap before you hoping to delay the inevitable further
>If Anon really is hurt, then that means you’re to blame
>Your eyes drift down to the gun on your backpack
>You just couldn’t pay attention to Sunset when she told you how to use this thing
>Instead you were too busy watching Anon talk to Twilight, YOUR FRIEND, like a shrew!
>And now, he might NEED you to pay attention to him, and you’re too scared to do so…
>No more, you need to face this with dignity and grace
>Steeling yourself to see the man you fancy hurt you turn swiftly on your heel turn like a ballroom dancer
>You’ll help him even if you don’t know ho—
>What on Earth is he doing?
>Instead of him valiantly struggling to keep standing with grievous injures apparent on his body, as you expected, you’re greeted to the sight of, posing?
>Anon is rapidly, perhaps even aggressively posing
>Even the other man is posing just like him
>Perhaps you shouldn’t let your imagination spiral out like that
>Mother always did warn you about downward spirals
>Pretending you didn’t see that you continue clearing a path for your friends
 
>Heh, this guy is good enough for you to almost forget about the mild pain you're feeling
>While striking the rider 1 henshin pose you immediately twist into the great saiyaman pose almost without him missing a beat
>Not only that, but if you weren’t actively checking to see how quickly he mimics you, you’d say he was doing it at the same time as you
>Unfortunately for him though, you were paying attention and you’ve figured him out
>You snap to Daring Doseph’s OG John Cena you can’t see me hand pose
>This guy is fast and pretty good at mirroring you
>However, he seems to fall for your feints rather easily
>It was while you were doing several henshin poses in a row did you notice it
>Frequently they have slow wide movements; so you would randomly speed them up or just halt them entirely
>When doing so he seems to take just a tiny bit of time to adjust
>A trivial amount really
>Only noticeable when comparing it to actions he’s able to mimic perfectly
>It may not be much, but it’s more than nothing
>More importantly, it’s a confirmation that he’s not reading your mind, AND it’s something you can take advantage of
>Since this guy is either A, as strong as you are, or B, stronger than you are this is the crutch you need
>Now it’s just a question of how to use this weakness to your advantage
>You stop posing for a moment to pick your shield and baton back up
>If he fell for your feints while posing, how would he do if you feinted with your baton?
>You’d probably only get one shot at it before he’d wise up and figure out your feints
>WAIT!
>Oh, that’s a great plan!
>If mimicry relies on a combination of predicting how someone moves and reading their body language what’s to stop you from rigging it?
>Yea, you just need to get him to think he’s figured out how you fight and then pull the rug out from under him
>You smirk a bit as you step forward
>Guess it's time to show him your "moves"
 
>Owwww
>Crashing into shelves so much is starting to get a little annoying
>Staggering back from the shelf you frown as your head throbs
>Squeezing your eyes shut for a moment you place a palm against your forehead to stop the spinning
>God, you feel like you’re gonna hurl
>Your wobbly feet fail to keep you upright as you fall back on your ass
>”Are ya alright!?”
>Yep, you’re on the floor now
>Rushing over Aj grabs your arm and helps you to your feet
>Steadying you for a moment you focus on keeping your balance
>Grinning through the headache you throw a thumbs up in Aj’s direction
“Peachy.”
>She nods before turning back to the several misty people now surrounding you
>You don’t know who these guys are, but they sure are annoying
>Clenching your fist you flinch as pain shoots through your right fist
>You hold your hand up to the light to check the damage
>Blood leaks from a few of your knuckles
>Must’ve cut them when you flew at the shelf like a jet
>Glancing at you from the corner of her eye as she stares down the now still misty men she whispers
>”Sure you’re still in good shape?”
>Shaking your head and rubbing off some of the excess blood on your jumpsuit you smirk
“I’m fine, I’m fine.”
>You point to the dark men standing around the two of you
“We’ve got bigger problems to worry about right now.”
>Cracking her knuckles Aj sighs
“Ah’ll say.”
>Elbowing your annoyed friend you point to yourself with a thumb
“Bet I can beat more of them faster than you can.”
>Aj’s red eyes snap to yours
>”Heh, now don’t be writin checks yer mouth can’t cash.”
>Clapping your hands together you flex your muscles just to make sure you’re in good shape
“Twenty bucks.”
>Aj begins to stretching her arms as she eyeballs the now crowd of mist people
>”Ah’m always glad ta take free money from you Dash.”
>You can’t help but smile
>You needed twenty bucks after all
 
>Twirling your baton with a small flourish you point it once again at your look-alike
>It’s time to cash in all those wasted hours swinging around sticks like an autist!
>Stepping forward you adjust your grip on your baton to something more akin to gripping a pistol than a sword
>It only took a couple times of straining your wrist before you figured out a way better way to poke with anything
>Stepping forward you hug your shield as close as you can to your chest while pointing up and forward with your baton
>Your shadow counterpart does the same, though with a raised eyebrow and slightly squinted eyes
>Hey, you know that look!
>He’s not taking you seriously…
>Well, that’s actually for the better
>Nothing like an opponent who thinks they’ve already won to let their guard down
>You give your most serious face you can manage to intensify your focus
>Which is really just squint slightly yourself with pursed lips
>Advancing with a quick hunched step forward you spring into action
>Returning it in kind the dark clone springs into premium whacking distance
>Deciding to test the waters you stab outwards towards your dopple’s shield
>With a *tunk* you dink off his shield as you feel his dink off yours
>Stepping back you ready yourself for him to continue attacking
>Only to stand there glaring at each other
>Part of you kinda expected him to press the advantage there
>Guess he’s really committed to the whole mimicking you thing
>Though you can’t help but wonder how he expects to beat you if he just does the same thing as you
>Pushing past that you continue with your plan
>If you’re going to try and convince him that you have no idea how to fight, with what pretty much amounts to swords, might as well swing like an idiot
>Being sure to telegraph your attack you step forward with your baton raised in the air and begin to shower him with swings like you taped a sword to a ceiling fan
 
>With every strike you deal the nega-you returns like clock-work
>It’s a bit odd, but you feel like your hits are hitting much harder than his
>At least for the first few it seems
>AS you continue to hammer away at his shield as repetitively as you can you notice the counter hits begin to increase in power
>Until eventually it’s actually enough to make you flinch behind your shield as the strikes pepper you like a machine gun
>While he’s flinching as well, you’re pretty sure it’s just because he’s copying you
>Slightly adjusting your aim with each hit you try to inch your way to a solid hit to his chest without him noticing
>It’s a painful slog as you land hard attacks against his shield; only to be repaid with much more powerful ones in kind to your shield
>Your arm begins to tingle as his almost over-powering assault marches on blow after blow
>You’re beginning to wonder how long you can keep this up as your grip begins to weaken on your shield
>Getting tired of and disheartened in your ability to trade blows you go in for a strike to his center mass
>As you go in for the body blow though, you’re denied by receiving one to your chest instead!
>What the hell!?
>With a grunt you manage to tank it and keep your footing
>Following through, your strike lands with about as much force as a sickly cough
>Shit!
>You don’t get a moment to readjust yourself as another strike pelts your outstretched arm
>The impact almost causes you to drop your baton in pain
>Your past paper cut like slices tingle painfully alongside the fresh pain
>with almost animalistic fervor you manage to snap your arm back before another swing slams down through the air
>Your clone swings himself off balance and instead of striking you use the chance to step back out of his range
 
>Continuing your tactical withdrawal for a moment you attempt to catch your breath
>Your mirror self regains his balance before slowly assuming your posture like a practiced actor
>As your breathing slows you can only think of what question
>What just happened?
>He started out mimicking your actions as you did them with a fraction of the amount of eumph you put in
>Then he speeds up enough that he’s just doing it right after you like an after-image
>It felt like those hits started to hit a bit harder too
>So then you guys just begin trading blows like that for a few
>Which was all fine and dandy until he started swinging way faster than you!
>Not to mention even harder than before…
>Suddenly it went from you leading him in power and speed to you playing catch up to just return fire!
>Guess mimicking your movements isn’t the only thing this guy does…
>And here you were trying to be the one tricking him into underestimating you!
>You underestimated him once you thought you figured out his weakness!
>Was that even an ACTUAL weakness, or was he tricking YOU then!?
>What if he CAN read your thoughts and was just playing next level mind games with you letting YOU think that you were fooling HIM!?!
>Shit, does that mean he’s letting you trick YOURSELF!?!
>DID YOU JUST PLAY YOURSELF!?
>It’s only now that you’re staring at the ceiling with your hands clutching your head do you realize that your heart’s beating a bit too fast
>Ok, maybe that’s going a bit far
>Inhaling deeply you slowly breath out in the most relaxing manner you can
>While it’s true you underestimated him, again, you don’t think that shadow you is operating on 4d chess levels
 
http://imgur.com/Bdqu2pD
>Did you miss something?
>Or, maybe you were just wrong before?
>Not about the mind reading, but that mimicking people is this guy’s only shtick
>You thought before that something was odd if the guy would ONLY mimic the actions of whoever he was fighting
>Something like this had to happen
>Thinking back to the start when you charged him you get a flash of inspiration
>Something like this already happened before!
>You just didn’t notice it before
>The way this guy beats people is with what he JUST did!
>First he mimics you, and then once he’s sure of your pattern of attack he’ll use it against you
>Only he’ll power himself up so that he’s faster and stronger than you
>While not particularly complex or imaginative you’ve seen that it’s none the less effective
>You tap your chin with your baton
>If you think of it like that it makes sense
>When he saw you charge him he knew you’d be locked into that since it’s kinda hard to stop charging someone when you’ve committed to it like that
>So he just charged you and used magic to do it faster or stronger or something
>Nodding to yourself you hum out in satisfaction
>That has to be it
>Which means one thing; you REALLY have to end it as quickly as possible!
>Rolling your shoulder you attempt to regain full feeling in your arm
>If he has time to, or thinks he’s figured out how you’ll attack he’ll change the fight to match his own pace leaving you in the dust
>So the best option is to fool him into thinking you’ll do the same thing and unleash a faint within the first few blows
>Why do you feel so much pressure all of a sudden?
>As you stare at him it dawns on you just how much is on stake in the next 30 seconds or so
>If this doesn’t work the first time, you’re getting a pretty strong feeling that you won’t be able to get past this guy
 
>Ok, that’s no big deal at all!
>You just have to sell that you don’t know what’s going on!
>You can do that easily!
>Just have to fake it till you make it!
>You suck in a mouthful of air with as you stare at the ground
>Alright, don’t think too hard just do it
>Channeling your inner Vegeta you yell out as angrily as possible while stomping your foot down
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH, I won’t be defeated by an impostor!”
>Slamming your baton into the shelf next to you, you knock several boxes off it
>Breathing heavily you glare at your shadow self with as much malice you can muster
>Oh fuck, that’s actually a bit weird
>You’ve actually never seen your own glare
>Moving past that you make sure to stomp your feet loudly as you slowly stride towards your target
>You’ll lull him into a false sense of security and then strike!
>Though you’re starting to wonder if you should fake him out with a shield bash or just the faint you’ve tried when fucking around before
>No, stop that!
>You both stop a few feet away from each other
>You swear you see a glint in that guy’s eye
>Won’t be glinting for long now
>You quickly close the distance and begin your final attack
>To completely sell the illusion that you are indeed enraged you howl as you descend upon him
>For putting extra effort into your first strike you’re rewarded with a loud *THWACK*
>In order for him to completely drop his guard you have to wait for just the right moment!
>You hold your own against the counter and slam your baton against him once more
>Holding your shield up against his return you immediately feel how much more powerful it is
>Almost!
>You wind up for another heavy hit
>You can just barely see the tell-tale signs of a smirk under his skin-tight balaclava
>Now, it’s now or never!
>Slamming downward you let it hurdle towards him before retracting at the last possible second
>Whipping your baton you jab it up and under his arm straight into his armpit
 
>Ha, take it asshole!
>You twist into your swing to stab deep into his pit
>However as you stab deeper you feel a weird resistance
>What?!
>Your double smiles visibly through his mask before you see it
>No way…
>The sight causes your heart to skip more than just one beat
>You can see it clearly
>You just refuse to believe it
>He blocked it…
>HE BLOCKED THE TIP OF YOUR BATON WITH HIS HAND!
>He looped his arm through the shield strap and left it hanging on it!
>There’s no way he could’ve moved fast enough to block it in time, unless…
>He knew what you were going to do!?
>The absolute smug you can see on your own mug makes you a bit angry
“But how?!”
>Bringing his baton hand up to his face he chuckles as he points a finger to his eyes
>What the hell does that mean?
>No better yet, what the hell do you do now?!
>Your mind races for a quick solution as black you raises his baton
>There’s got to be something you can do!
>You feel him beginning to pull on your baton
>Your mind recalls something incredibly important as your panic reaches peak happening levels
>Wait!
>Oh yea, you’re fine
>You let loose your own chuckle stopping your opposite you immediately from what he’s doing
>Looking into your eyes he raises an eyebrow with a shiggy beginning to form on his face
>Nodding your head down towards your baton you smile widely
“Forgot about one little important detail about this beauty roight ere.”
>Puzzled he glances down at your baton for a moment before staring back at you
>With a shit-eating grin almost as big as his was before you grunt
“Omae wa mou, shinderu.”
>Before pressing the electrify button on your baton
 
>The piercing crackle of electricity is the first thing you register
>The neon blue light that shines brightly in the darkness is next
>The grunt of what you assume pain follows shortly after
>Your shadow double drops his shadow gear as he tenses up
>His shadowy aura begins to fade along with his dropped shield and baton dissipating entirely
>Not wanting to be too much of a dick you wind up your shield arm
>Letting go of the electrify button you immediately bash the side of his face as hard as you can sending him straight into the shelf to your right
>You wait a moment before crouching down near the collapsed man and checking his still body
>Yep, he’s still breathing
>Standing back up you crack your neck letting loose a few loud pops
>2 for 2 now!
>That wasn’t TOO hard!
>Piece of cake, wasn’t worried for a second
>You turn back towards Rarity who seems to be, oh damn
>She’s actually clearing some of that mountain of stuff
>So much so that she’s practically halfway into the trash heap
>Cupping your hands together you holler at her
“I got him Rarity!”
>She must be really focused as she doesn’t even pay you any mind as she continues to sort things from the collapsed shelves into semi-neat piles
>Maybe she didn’t hear you?
>Before you shout once more you hear someone clearing their throat behind you
>Not directly behind you, but close enough for you to stop and turn around
>A few yards away stands a rather tall muscular man, but that don’t really phase you
>What does though, is the fact you can see his face as clear as day, and it scares you
>Wearing an almost inhumanly big toothy smile this veritable Goliath stares at you silently
>For some reason, this guy puts you on edge way more than either of the two before
>You swallow involuntarily as he cracks his knuckles
 
http://imgur.com/3pklzU6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAKR2qwMMc4
>You stand at the edge of the illuminated patch of cleared ground studying the situation
>Looks like this guy might’ve actually cleared up this area
>It looks kinda like a large ring now
>Taking a few cursory steps forward you stop as you feel his stare bore into you
>You don’t know if it’s by virtue of his size alone, but whatever it is, it’s getting to you
>Thoguh it's probably his size, the guy’s built like a space marine
>Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but he is like a head taller and quite a bit wider than you
>He stands a few paces away from you in the middle of the large open space you find yourself in
>Testing your grip you find that your strength has returned to your shield hand
>Which is good, because you’ll probably need it
>You notice that the glowing bar near your sheild handle is alomst gone as you clench your fist
>Pointing your baton at the supermutant-esque man you attempt to speak in your most confident tone
“Hey buddy, how bout you just let us go get the other two and we just call this a night eh?”
>His creepy smile remains unchanged as he stares at you in silence
>Ok, now that’s fucked
>Keeping an eye on him you follow the edge of the light to the left towards another aisle
>Only to see another stack of boxes blocking its entrance
>Of course…
>Diverting your full attention back to Lennie Small standing silently you step back into the light
>Something tells you that this guy’s not gonna just let you walk
>Sucking in a mouthful of air you stand at the ready
“Alright big guy, let’s do this.”
>You can’t quite tell, but you think his smile just got bigger as he assumes a boxing stance
>Hiding behind his fist ala peek-a-boo style he shuffles his way towards you with the speed of a dying tortoise
>You don’t know if he’s trying to bait you by merely pretending to be slow or if it’s just because of how massive he is
>Regardless you should carefully test the waters
 
>After all, you DON’T want to be hit by his meat hooks
>Even if you can’t see any magical stuff emanating off him, you’re pretty sure a punch from him will hurt
>Call it intuition
>Deciding to see how fast this guy is you bob in and out of what you think his range is
>Every time you get close though the dude begins to wind up a really obvious punch
>When you take a step out of his range he resumes the peek-a-boo form
>What the hell is this guy’s angle here?
>If he telegraphs a punch THAT much even you’ll be able to hide behind your shield before he swings
>As you continue stepping around his right you realize that he stops turning towards you and shuffles into your way
>Hm?
>You strafe back to the left and he resumes his position in the middle
>Wait a second
>You continue to walk a half circle around him before he actually moves again to block your way
>Guess that’s why nobody’s interrupted your fights
>They must be here strictly to stop you from seeing that bird guy
>You walk around back to the opening to the aisle Rarity’s at
>Standing at the edge of the light you stare at the boxer as he slowly shuffles towards you
>Man, had you known he was just going to stand there you would’ve gone to help Rarity clean up the mess to get to the others
>But now it looks like this guy’s not going to let up, and even though you haven’t been hit yet
>Well, something tells you that fighting this big guy in a cramped aisle is not going to turn the odds in your favor
>Guess it’s time to suck it up and try to actually fight
>Deciding not to take any chances you duck a bit behind your shield
>How about you end this right away?
>Gripping your baton just right sends sparks of electricity flying off it
>You’re not going to take any chances
>Besides the he’s a big guy thing, you’re really feeling the cuts and impacts from the other two guys
 
http://imgur.com/VLHFQqI
>Dashing forwards you lower your baton behind you as you raise your shield up
>He begins to wind up a straight right as you launch yourself towards him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0IWB6qEn9o
>You’re going to aim straight for his armpit like the other guy and the—
>Something smashes straight through your train of thought as you’re sent skidding backwards on your feet
>You almost choke as the wind leaves your body
>You can’t feel your arm
>The man stands still with his arm outstretched like he just threw a straight
>Your arm shakes like a leaf as it struggles to hold your shield up
>What just happened?
>Your smiling opponent retracts his extended fist and re-assumes his boxing pose
>Why are you back at the edge of the light?
>How did he just hit you from like 10ft away?
>He was still winding up his punch
>No wait, more important question
>Why can’t you feel your arm!?
>You try to move it to no avail
>It just keeps shivering in place as it somewhat holds your shield up
>Work damnit!
>You slap it with your other hand, but only feel the slightest of a tingling sensation
>You can feel the smiling man’s piercing gaze as he focuses on you
>It’s only now that you’re panicking do you really look up at his face
>It’s only now that you see just how much darker this man is than the last two
>You didn’t really pay his face much mind before as you could pretty much make it out, but now…
>Looking at him now you can see that there’s something else off about it
>It’s as if it’s completely unremarkable with the exception of his smile, and his eyes
>The unnerving white beads in an ocean of darkness that are his eyes
>The darkness seems to bellow out of his eyes like smoke
>They’re like two smokestacks on a blank white canvas with a grate in the shape of a smile below them
>Whoever this guy is, he’s not human
>You’re sure of it
 
http://imgur.com/Mv3H1LE
>You flinch as he steps towards you
>You can’t help it!
>You don’t know WHAT he just did, and you don’t know what else he can do!
>What you do know is that this guy is not what he seems
>Not only that, but you don’t think you can just tank another whatever that was
>This ain’t Darksouls; you can’t just hide behind your piddly little shield or roll through his attacks
>Though that’s implying you could actually see it
>You find yourself reflexively stepping back as he advances
>Alright just, just calm down
>Need to calm down and think this through
>Won’t be able to do anything if your thoughts are running all over the place
>Or do you need to not think?
>Oh geez
>The mountain of muscle continues his path to you as you try to get a grip both literally and figuratively
>Ok, you may not know how this guy fights, but you’re still standing after one punch(?)
>You may not feel your arm, but you certainly felt an impact before it
>So you know that he somehow hit you dead center on your shield
>And his fist was outstretched like he actually punched
>So he probably just punches really fast or like uh…
>Fuck, you have no idea
>It’s probably something to do with magic you bet
>Even if you can’t see any magic coming off him
>BUT, even if you can’t see it maybe you can make whatever’s hitting you a glancing blow instead or something?
>You barely continue to lead him on as you stumble over yourself while circle strafing around him
>Just gotta duck and try to twist just right so whatever he throws, be it fist or something else, slides across your shield instead?
>Y-yea, that’s something
>Then you just gotta shock the shit out of him and wap him in the head
>Well that’s better than nothing right?
>You can’t really think of anything else
 
>You outright refuse to turn your back on this guy
>You don’t know what he’s capable of, but you’d rather at least have a chance of seeing it coming
>So asking Rarity to use the gun out in this wide open area’s a no go
>So besides strafing around this guy until you mess up and trip over yourself, you don’t really have any other options here
>Alright, then the tuck and glance blow to the shocking armpit plan it is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EQWaBuAD9U
>You throw a leg forward towards him only for your other leg to stay firmly planted on the ground
>Hey now, why can’t you move?
>You try to lunge forward, but your leg sits inert like a sack of bricks
>Well that’s not completely true, looking down it along with your other leg seem to be wobbling uncontrollably
>The smiling man stands still at the center of the light and watches you as you try to will yourself into the ring
>Your legs feel like they’re rooted in place!
>Why?
>You smack your jiggly jello leg with the butt of your baton, but it does nothing
>Your legs can’t flake on you now!
>You have a plan, now you need to follow through
>Damnit, no matter how hard you try your legs WILL NOT MOVE!
>You can’t just sit here, you need to do something
>Move!
>Why the hell are your legs deciding to revolt now?
>The thought at the back of your head finds its voice has been amplified
>The one thing you REALLY didn’t want to admit
>Your plan, is absolute garbage
>You KNOW that this guy is using magic even if you can’t see it
>The real kicker is you just don’t know how since magic seems to be so diverse
>You’ve seen dopplgangers, the first hand effects of how much magic can heal twice, and on several occasions dbz tier shit
>The meat mountain in the middle of the light cracks his neck without breaking eye contact with your slightly trembling self
 
>So with all that knowledge you know, for a FACT, that your plan is incredibly likely to fail
>If a shrimp like Flash can, at the very least, match you in strength with magic then what the hell does that say for this guy who’s like XL levels huge to your large huge?
>Your legs know it, you know it
>You NEED a better plan
>Otherwise you can’t win
>You look at your somewhat useless arm
>You can still feel the upper arm, but the forearm is almost completely numb along with your hand
>You’re honestly a bit surprised your grip held out as you notice a literal dent in the shield
>Was that from him or the others?
>It suddenly comes to your attention that you forget really important details during fights
>You no longer see the light gauge over the handle; which can only mean one thing
https://youtu.be/ChCp9knOnII?t=22s
>You can use the anti-magic measure again!
>That’s something you can get behind!
>Thank you Twilight!
>If this guy’s doing magical attacks then you can just power through them!
>You just need to go out for one all or nothing attack!
>He certainly won’t see it coming considering you’ve just been standing here wobbling around like someone stole your leg bones
>You can feel your blood begin to rush to your legs once more filling them with vigor
>This will be your ticket to winning!
>Raising your shield as best you can you tighten your grip on your baton
>You can do this!
>With this, you CAN beat him!
>Before you can rethink it you spur yourself forward with the burning hope raging within
>You don’t need to see the magic to know he probably throws it with a punch
>And if he does you the massive favor of hitting you square in the pendant than woo-hoo for you
>You think you see his smile falter for a second as you scream out
“URRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!”
>As the man winds up his punch you can’t help but smile
>Pulling the trigger you ready yourself to strike his face with your baton
 
http://imgur.com/MZdh4jl
>Looks like he’s already done fo—
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRZJsLdblws
>Your thoughts are interrupted once more by a wave of black surging from his fist barreling towards you and the small white hole
>You can see it this time, which means your pendant is working!
>The wave flows into the white hole like water to a drain
>Now to just power through it an—
>An ear shattering *CRACK* hits you before you notice that you’re suddenly flying backwards
>Wha—
>With an explosive *BANG* you smash straight into a set of double doors
>The impact knocks the wind outta you as pain flashes throughout your body
>You let out a pain-fueled choke as you collapse onto the floor
>Falling face-first onto the floor you begin to cough violently
>What just…
>You clutch at your chest and try to catch your breath only to calm you coughing down a bit
>That shouldn’t have happened
>It’s only as you continue to cough on the floor do you realize your mistake
>”While I’m almost 100% sure it’ll be able to absorb any amount of magic you encounter Anon, I would still be careful of whatever is left over after it sucks up all the magic.”
>Oh, you forgot
>After almost biting through your cheek to withstand the torrential downpour of pain you experience you manage to prop yourself up on your right elbow
>The smiling dude is coming towards you
>Shit…
>Between wheezes you try to get to your feet
>Though it’s tough to get a grip on where you are when you don’t know which direction is up
>You only manage to get to one knee before you start to taste blood and bile in your mouth
>Shouldn’t have bitten so hard…
>Stabbing your baton down you try to steady yourself as your head continues to spin
>You try to bring your left hand up to your head, but you can’t lift it
>When you try to bolts of pain shoot through your arm
>Looking down though you feel a twinge of relief at the sight of an unbroken arm
>You feel dizzy as your head begins to wobble
 
http://imgur.com/M0blR4n
>Through sheer willpower you force yourself to stay on your knee
>You try once more to get back on your feet as you see the smiley man leisurely walk towards you
>You’ve got to get up!
>Straining against your already taut muscles you can feel yourself slowly begin to rise
>You’re shaky leg almost manages to get you fully upright
>Only a little more…
>Almost being a keyword as you slump back down to one knee
>Gritting your teeth enough that you swear you hear cracking you slam your right hand down on your knee
>You suck in as much air as you can while flexing despite the pain it brings
>Once more!
>Using both your leg and arm you attempt to rise, and even though you’re shaking like a wet dog you keep going
>Come on!
>You can almost feel your muscles tearing as you rise above one knee and actually manage to stand
>Through your gritted teeth and flowing pain you manage to congratulate yourself
>Yea, did it…
>Only to rise even higher as you’re grabbed by the throat and hoisted into the air
>You choke out in pain as the smiling man clenches his fist around your throat
>Is he seriously only using one hand!?
>Oh, wait shit!
>Realizing that your only source of air is being cut off you begin to pry open his hand with yours
>You even manage to lift your left arm with its shield
>Though you only manage to claw at his hand with your right as your left bangs uselessly against his arm
>This guy’s got the grip of an industrial clamp!
>The small white dots in his black pools you’re pretty sure are eyes move towards your shield
>It’s getting a bit hard to see as your vision becomes blurry
>Pain explodes from your left arm as you feel a tugging followed by a sharp *RIP*
>The pain stops as he loosens his grip on your neck
>You gasp for that sweet air like a fish out of water
 
http://imgur.com/Io7Ruu0
>Being able to breathe freely once more you find your vision returning to you
>You’re afraid to look down at what you hope is a fully inta—
>Oh thank god you're arm is fine, it was just the velcro
>Hey, you can open and close your hand too!
>Great!
>Through your heavy breathing you bring your attention back to the lovely gentleman holding you up in the air
>You squint your eyes as to try and focus enough to actually see what he’s doing
>Though fuzzy you’re pretty sure he’s inspecting your shield
>As he holds it between his thumb and pointer finger you notice something
>Is that a crack in the pendant?
>Well shit, it didn’t really hit you until you saw that, but you lost
>You’re completely at the mercy of whatever this thing is
>Does he even have a name?
>God please someone tell you that you didn’t just loose to a nameless mook
>You chuckle a bit at the thought
>Some hero you turned out to be huh?
>Guess even the best can’t fight without their super-powers
>But hey you got two of them
>And then you fucked up on the last guy because you forgot only the most important detail about something someone just explained to you
>You’re taking this a lot better than you thought you would
>Though that’s probably because of how much pain you were in
>You say were because you can’t really feel much now
>That’s probably not a good thing
>Man what the hell are you doing here?
>How’d you even get to this point?
>It’s hard not to notice that your vision is getting blurry again
>Fuck, are you crying again?
>Oh wait no, you can’t breathe
>He must’ve tightened his grip again
>Shit, it’s only now that you’re being choked that you realize just how awesome air is
>Despite only being able to feel pins and needles instead of your actual hands you still attempt to pry open his hand once more
>Don’t think you’re succeeding very much though as you can’t see anything besides blurring colors now
>Though you can hear something, you think…
 
>You heft yet another couple boxes of blenders out of the way and into the stack of electronics
>It’s as you go back for another round of boxes do you see that you’re close enough to the other side to actually see Rainbow and Applejack
>Oh thank heavens; you thought you’d never reach them!
>Not bothering to stack what little separates you from your friends you step over a pile of boxed fans
>Rainbow and Applejack appear to be resting against some shelves as they breathe heavily
>They look absolutely ragged, what happened!?
>You rush towards them while calling out
“Oh good heavens Rainbow, Applejack are you both alright!?”
>They both flinch as your voice breaks the silence
>You crouch down next to the slouched Applejack as the haggard cowgirl peels open an emerald eye from underneath her hat
>”Oh, uh, hey there Rarity.”
>She stops for a moment as she scrunches her face
>”How ya doing?”
>Is she serious?
“How am I doing, a better question would be how are YOU doing darling! You seem like you’re taking the rough and tumble cowgirl look a bit too far.”
>Chuckling a bit Applejack winces as she shifts her hat back
>”Ah wouldn’t be inclined ta disagree with you there.”
>She begins to stand by herself before you lend her a helping hand
>She gives you a smile before nodding to Rainbow who’s still slumped against the shelf across from the aisle
>”Thanks, but ah think that she might need more of a hand.”
>Turning to Rainbow she raises her voice a little
>”Unless yer doing just dandy over there.”
>Squirming Rainbow waves her hand groggily
>”Keep it down, my head hurts…”
>You smile as you leave Applejack’s side and waltz over to Rainbow
>She looks a bit rough around the edges too, but at least they’re both doing well enough to complain
>Crouching down you pat her on the shoulder
 
“How are you holding up?”
>Rainbow sighs while massaging her temples with a frown
>”I’m holding on; just have a major migraine…”
>A migraine?
>You’d think that’d be the least of her problems
“How’d you get a migraine dear?”
>Shaking her head slowly she finally opens her scrunched eyes and looks up to the lamp dangling high above you
>”I dunno, one second we’re all talking and then a bird faced guy shows up and and…”
>Does, she not remember what happened
“Is that all you remember?”
>She shakes her head slightly while still staring at the overhead light with an outstretched hand blocking the light
>”No, but what I do remember doesn’t seem, real.”
>Doesn’t seem real, what on earth could that mean?
>”Ah think ah getcha.”
>Walking up stretching her arms out Applejack stands beside you
>”It seemed like a dream right?”
>Rainbow keeping her attention the light turns over her hand
>”Yea, and I’m starting to wonder if it all was.”
>Before you can ponder what she means by that you notice a glint from her hand as she turns it in the light
>Is that blood!?
>You quickly snatch Rainbow’s hand to examine it further
“Oh my, I thought you said you were alright darling!”
>Dabbing some of the blood with a handkerchief it looks like it’s not too serious of a wound
>”I am.”
>You stop dabbing for a moment to glare at Rainbow
“I would not call THIS alright!”
>She gently tugs her hand from your grip before standing up with seemingly no trouble
>”I wouldn’t either, but I can’t feel it right now.”
>What?
>You stand up with a hand on your hip
“Darling, just because you can’t feel it doesn’t mean it’s not there.”
>Shaking her head she scrunches her face up seemingly confused
 
>”It’s not that I don’t feel pain from it, but more that I don’t even feel like it’s something that’s apart of me.”
>Umm
>You look to Applejack who looks just as confused as you do
>Rainbow presses her lips together into a frown while balling her fist against them as well
“Uhm, Rainbow are you sure you’re, well…”
>”Not playin with a few cards short a full deck there?”
>You wouldn’t exactly phrase it like that, but you can’t disagree with the sentiment Applejack states
“For lack of better words, yes that exactly.”
>Rainbow scratches her head while looking down at the floor
>”Maybe I just didn’t see it right…”
>You raise an eyebrow at the ambiguity of that
“Didn’t see, what right dear?”
>Blinking she diverts her attention from the floor back to you
>”I, I thought that when I opened my eyes and looked at my hand in the light I didn’t see a wound on it.”
>She holds up her injured hand into the light causing the blood to shine a bit
>”I'm probably just too out of it, but it wasn’t until I actually realized I should’ve had a wound there that I saw I was bleeding.”
>Huh?
>Shrugging she reaches into her jumpsuit
>”Guess I just missed it because of the migraine.”
>Pulling out what looks like a roll of azure blue sports tape she begins to wrap up her hand
>However something about what she said felt, off somehow
>You can’t quite put your finger on what thou—
>A loud yell from behind scares you out of your thoughts as you ponder
>”URRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!”
>You twist around reflexively only to see the path you cleared through
>Was that Anon?
>ANON!
>You got too wrapped up checking on the girls!
>They need to help him!
>You snap back to the worried faces of Applejack and Rainbow
“We have to help Anon!”
>Before either of them can respond a heart-stopping *BANG* reverberates throughout the quiet warehouse floor
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtujxT9rzA
>The noise causes you to jump and your heart sink as silence follows suit
>You don’t bother saying anything as you turn on your heel and run to Anon
>You hear your friends call out behind you, but you can’t stop
>You need to know what’s going on over there!
>You practically leap over the small pile of fans in your way to you wade through the path you carved
>Anon’s ok, right?
>Maneuvering through to the aisle past the wall you feel your heart begins to race as you realize you’re breathing heavily from the noise alone
>You can’t lose a friend like this!
>You can barely make out a large figure in the distance as you exit the wall of goods
>Anon?
>The sound of your heavy footsteps pounding against the cold concrete echoes down the aisle with your friends footsteps not far behind
>That’s not Anon
>The figure in the distance becomes clearer as you watch it from behind as it walks away towards something on the ground
>Who is that!?
>The mechanical whirl of your exosuit whines like a dog as you start to reach its max speed trying your best to run, but only managing a brisk jog
>What’re they doing?
>Bending down the figure grabs whatever was on the floor with its left arm
>Is that?
>Hefting what’s in its hand high into the air you see a familiar patch of green below a black helmet
>Anon!?
>He appears to be faintly struggling, but it doesn’t look like it’s doing much as he limply hits his captor’s arm
>You need to do something!
>Your mind goes blank exiting the aisle as you draw closer near him before hearing a sharp rip pierce the air
>But what can you do!?
>The hulking brute holds out Anon’s shield for a moment before tossing it to the side like a piece of trash
>You can…
>You’re close enough that you can hear Anon’s desperate chokes for air
>You can’t wait for the others!
>Passing into the light cast by a distant overhead lamp you can see tears in his eyes
>Without thinking you reach out towards him
“Anon!”
 
>You can feel yourself being moved around as the pressure lets up on your neck
>Snapping your eyes open you hear a weird buzz as you try to make sense of the blurry mess the world's become
>You can’t see much, but what you can see is a blob of shining color moving fast
>Before you can try and focus on it you drop to the floor on your ass with an impact that's going to leave you sore for a bit
>Flopping onto your back with a grunt you spread out in pain
>Aww fuck that hurts
>The light above blinds you as you let out a moan and a few coughs
>You savor the unrestricted flow of air to your deprived lungs
>Blinking sound slowly returns in full to you as you hear heavy footsteps rushing towards you
>Deciding to just enjoy the air you continue to breathe in and out heavily
>Into your vision enters a purplish blurb
>”Anon?!”
>That’s you
>You stop gulping down air as your eyes try to adjust to the light
>With some effort you lift righty up to block out the light
>However, the purplish blurb firmly grasps your outstretched hand
>Another blurb enters your vision as several other footsteps skitter to a halt next to you
>”Are ya alright Anon!?”
>”Dude, you look worse than we do.”
>Your vision begins to clear up as you feel a pair of hands help push you up into a sitting position
>Oh, it’s the others
>Well that’s much nicer than being choked
>Rainbow squats down and taps your helmet
>”Hey, you still there Anon?”
>Rarity glares daggers at Rainbow as she pulls your hand into her lap
>”Rainbow, don’t mess with him like that; he was just getting choked!”
>Rainbow looks from you to her and back to you with concern
>”Oh damn, in that case, Anon!”
>She snaps her fingers in front of you
>“I’m going to need you to tell me what day it is buddy.”
>You should probably at least try to open your mouth now that Rainbow’s trying to check how conscious you are
 
>You choke a bit when you open your mouth, but are eventually able to swallow down everything in order to speak
“B-by far the longest Sunday I have ever had the, displeasure of suffering through.”
>Yea, that’s about right
>Rainbow nods with a smirk while you hear Applejack chuckling beside you
>”Ah think that it ranks up there for a few us.”
>Your attention is quickly torn from the smiling faces of Rainbow and Applejack to Rarity
>Well more importantly where she has your hand
>That being right against her chest between her hands
>You’d be more freaked out almost any other time, but almost being choked the fuck out leaves you feeling a bit too drained
>”I’m just happy you’re alright, you worried me half to death.”
>She wasn’t the only worried one
“You and me both.”
>You’d pretty much given up already
>You couldn't think of a way to beat that guy
>Actually that brings to mind an important question
“How’d you even take that guy down?”
>You find it a bit hard to believe that she took him down in three seconds flat
>Rarity looks to the ground with uncertainty written on her face
>”I don’t exactly know truth be told…”
>Rainbow stands up shaking her head
>”I was coming up right behind Rares and I still don’t know what I saw.”
>That’s not in the least bit concerning
>Rarity places your hand back in your lap before looking to her hands as if trying to get them to come up with an answer
>”One second I was reaching out towards you, and, and then a brilliant diamond came out of thin air.”
>You calmly do a double take before looking to Rainbow for confirmation
>She however shrugs indifferently
>”That’s pretty much what it looked like to me.”
>Shaking your head you stare at your lap
>While you don’t doubt it anymore with how things have been turning out these days you still find yourself saying one thing
>Fucking magic
 
http://imgur.com/K944rEL
>Applejack pats your shoulder lightly
>”Come on sugarcube, think you can stand?”
>Blinking you actually think about that for a moment
>Can you stand?
>Flexing your legs you find that besides being a bit sore everywhere you’re feeling pretty fine
>Ok, maybe fine is a bit of a strong word, but you’re in good enough condition to walk
“Yea, give me a hand.”
>As Applejack lends you a helping hand you note almost a complete lack of excruciating pain
>Which besides being score one for you makes you a bit concerned
>You feel like you should be in far more pain than you are in
>Which is something you never thought you’d be thinking
>”So where do we go now?”
>Rainbow’s question interrupts you from your mental tangent
>That’s a good question
“Well, uh we can go through the doors over there.”
>You point to the open double doors that the big guy was guarding
“I think smilely dude was guarding it from me.”
>Rainbow lets loose a slight chuckle
>”Smilely dude?”
>You give a little flourish in the air with your hands
“You know big buff dude who was teaching me how to appreciate air? I dunno, didn’t really get a chance to ask the guy’s name.”
>Standing up and dusting herself off Rarity holds her pointer finger up
>”I think she meant why the name.”
>You knew that
>Sometimes your mouth just shoots out your thoughts before you can filter em is all
“You guys probably didn’t see running up behind him, but the guy had this freaky perpetual smile going on.”
>Oh god and those black holes
>You shiver at the thought of his eyes
“Here I’ll show you; wouldn’t be surprised if he was still smiling.”
>You begin to look around, but you stop as you come to a horrid realization
>You don’t see him anywhere
>Applejack being the closest to you by virtue of her still supporting you somewhat must notice your sudden stillness
>”Anon?”
>Knocked out people shouldn’t disappear like that
>He’s not knocked out
 
>Your voice is soft as you firmly grip Applejack’s shoulder
“Notice anything missing here?”
>The others begin to cautiously glance around as they notice your serious tone
>You cut their search short
“Where’s the guy that was just choking me?”
>Everyone else tenses up at your revelation
>Maybe the guy can go invisible like the first dude?
“Don’t want to alarm anyone, but the guy might be invisible.”
>You get varying levels of incredulous looks from the girls to which you shrug
“Don’t look at me like that; the first guy lying back in the aisle I beat up could too.”
>Applejack furrows her brow even further
>”What guy in the aisle?”
>What?
>WHAT!?
>You squint into the darkness of the aisle towards the mess of boxes you made around the shelf by smashing that guy into them
>Only to see a few scattered objects strewn about
>Oh for god sakes, someone please tell you he didn’t just get back up too
>You also notice while looking down the aisle that your doppleganger buddy is gone as well
>You pinch the bridge of your nose while biting down on your lip and squeezing your eyes shut
>You throw in a groan for good measure to quell the urge to yell that’s boiling in your throat
>Great, and then there’s more
“Alright not to alarm anyone, but there may be three magically powered dudes prowling in the shadows; so we might need to be a bit careful.”
>Everyone seemingly doesn’t react as they stare at you
>Well probably behind you as you see Rainbow nodding that way
>”Oh so there’s one more?”
>What does that mean?
>That doesn’t mean…
“There’s two of them standing at the double doors aren’t there?”
>The three all nod slowly in unison
>Oh, of course they are
>You turn around to see your good friends off-brand haunter and literally you dark edition
>Why does this happen?
 
>Before you can come up with something about how only final bosses are supposed to have the “down but not out moments” you hear an explosive crash behind you
>As you start turning around instead of seeing what caused that however you get a nice face-full of giant hand
https://youtu.be/2cw1xB231sI?t=9s
>You have no time to react as you’re being literally blown back towards the set of open double doors
>It’s always during intense moments like this you can almost see everything happening at once
>Like a bad dream where you’re slowly falling into the void
>So you unconsciously pick up on every vivid detail
>Like how Rarity’s hair flutters as she’s still just turning around to see Mr. Big Smile in what looks like a pitcher’s follow through stance
>The spit being shot out from your mouth as you feel the air being pressed out from your lungs
>The look of shock as Applejack notices that you’re now flying past her like a rocket
>Or even Rainbow, being the quickest on the draw, reaching behind her for her baton as she stares Smiles down
>As you sail through the open double doors you see them slam shut almost instantaneously after you pass them
>Though none of it really helps you as you’re still aboard a one-way trip to Painville
>And sure enough you arrive there as you feel the spine-breaking impact of your back colliding with something hard and angular
>The last thing you see as you lunge forward in equal parts pain and leftover momentum are the other two you fought walking towards the girls
>Well that and the floor turning your vision black as you slam face first into it
 
*SLAM*
>The loud noise from the slamming door assaults your ears as you stand agape
>What, what in the sam hell!?
>Two men jump down from adjacent shelves beside the now almost completely shrouded doorway
>Did Anon just go flyin past ya?
>You hear the crackling of electricity to your left as the two men make their way towards you
>Wait, is that Anon?
>”Take this!”
>Your attention is torn away from the slowly advancing duo as you hear Rainbow yell beside you
>Whipping your head around you manage to only catch the tail-end of whatever she was doing
>Which seems like she’s swiping at empty air before you notice a hulking giant of a man landing further away near the aisles
>Did he jump back there from here?
>”How can such a big guy move so fast!?”
>You don’t know, but you don’t li—
>”Applejack dear…”
>Your focus snaps back in front of you as you feel Rarity tugging at your sleeve
>The “what’s wrong” you were going to ask dies before leaving your mouth as you witness what’s happening
>The guy on the left dressed similarly to Anon begins to, change
>The shadows around him bend and twist concealing his form entirely
>Until you’re suddenly staring at, yourself?
>Cracking her knuckles the other you flashes her pearly whites while the guy on the right also begins to change
>Darkness emanates from his smile and clothes like smoke until he disappears in a thick cloud of black
>The cloud keeps moving towards the three of you as it seems to split open revealing sharp jagged teeth like spikes set in a smiling maw
>Two red slits tear through the dark cloud forming savage looking eyes of crimson
>Finally as they halt a few paces from you two sets of dagger length talons gain form floating freely next to the human sized floating cloud
>Oh horseapples
 
>Cold
>Your face is cold, and slightly moist
>Opening your eyes you see concrete and a bit of drool
>You groan as your eyes wander from your sideways glance courtesy of your friendly neighbor Mr. Floor pressing up against your cheek
>It’s far too dark and cold on the floor for your liking, but at least you’re awake
>Man, with how many times you’ve been losing consciousness these days you’re beginning to worry if you’ve suffered a concussion or two
>Though you don’t feel the urge to vomit or like you’re head's splitting in two so you’re fine
>Probably
>Deciding to stop kissing the floor you move your arms into a pushup position to lift yourself
>You’re able to, but in doing so you feel a very familiar soreness throughout your body
>Kinda like the first time you threw yourself into weight lifting though less intense
>Managing to at least get into a sitting position you wipe the drool on your balaclava and slowly determine the extent of your pain
>Not knowing your limits you just started working out everything you could by using every machine he’d let you
>You can still manage to clench your fists without them giving out right away
>Kept trying to tell you to slow down, but no you couldn’t feel anything painful so you kept going
>Though your left grip feels particularly weak, should probably check that
>It wasn’t until the next day you could barely even move in bed without being paralyzed by pain did you realize your fuck up
>With great care you take off lefty’s gauntlet and roll the sleeve up to your elbow
>You sigh at the old memory and the sight of your arm
>While it’s not shaking as much as it was before, boy howdy is it bruised
>Pretty sure you were green last time you checked, not yellow
>You shiver at the fact that your arm looks like this WITH you wearing riot armor
>Don’t even want to think about how your arm would be without it
>Your face scrunches up slightly as you check your other arm
>Comparatively it’s fantastic, but still bruised as well
 
>At least you can move it without much pain
>You begin patting your legs to find a surprisingly little amount of pain
"Thanks again armor old friend."
>In your unprofessional opinion it looks like you’re in relatively fine condition
>Still a bit banged up, but you’ll live
>Time to remove your ass from the cold hard ground, cause god damn are your legs cold
>With very little effort you’re able to stand up normally
>It’s only after you’re up and at em again do you finally get to seeing where you are
>That being you have no clue
>There’s a stack of cardboard boxes you seem to have partially flattened when you went flying in here if you remember correctly, but the double doors you went flying through however…
>They’re not there
>You can see two sets of lockers lined up against the wall with an empty space that seems perfect for a set of double doors to fit, but no such doors
>Nothin but wall
>This doesn’t scare you in the slightest
>You are completely fine
>You never could lie even to yourself
>Ok ignoring the disappearing doors, that’s fine
>Just have to find a way back to the group
>Easy
>Not like you could possibly get lost in this labyrinth like warehouse!
>Why are there so many aisles?
>You sigh with closed eyes as it dawns on you that this might be a bit bad
>At least it doesn’t hurt to exist, though you’re giving that a few more hours at most
>Speaking of a few hours, how long were you out?
>You paw at your vest before finding your phone tucked away safely in a pocket
>Fishing it out though begs to differ as you see a web of cracks caking your screen like a complex maze of disappointment
>You probably should’ve known it was going to be broken with how hard that guy hit, but you had held hope for the miracle that it wasn’t
>At the very least it’s still in working order
 
http://imgur.com/P7vobNE
>Checking the time reveals it’s something 10
>So best case scenario you’ve been ko’d for like ten minutes
>Worst case, more like a couple hours
>Both still at least mildly bad
>Better stop wasting time then
>You quickly pocket your damaged phone once more
>Squatting down you pick up your gauntlets as you hear something
>You don’t quite know what it is
>Like a cross between a whisper and the whistle of wind it flows around you causing your skin to tingle
>Seems to be leading down the hall
>So you could go that way, the exact opposite way, or down the aisle of shelves to your left
>You simultaneously feel the intense allure of finding out what the hell is making that noise and your common sense telling you to go the opposite way overtake you
>The cognitive dissonance is killing you
“Fuck it, not like it can get much worse.”
>Just gotta find a way back to the others
>Should be easy in a warehouse
>As carefully as you can you begin sneaking your way down the hall towards the weird alluring sound
>Getting close to the corner the sound only seems to be drifting further away
>Stacking up against the wall you peek around the corner
>Pretty barren hallway
>Just an aisle of miscellaneous junk on the left and a few pallets of stuff to the right
>Crouching you make your way behind a stack of pallets ahead of you and peer down the hallway some more
>Still looking pretty deserted
>Though there seems to be a left turn up ahead
>Walking as fast as you can while staying silent you hug the corner wall
>Can still hear the sound blowing through the air like an ever present breeze as you lean against the wall
>Poking your head out you try to see what lies beyond
 
"Oh, oh fuck..."
>That’s quite a bit of shelves
>Just beyond the corner lie rows upon rows of more shelves
>You’re not surprised considering you’re still in the warehouse portion of the building, but the sheer amount seems to dwarf the ones in the last room
>Taking a few tentative steps forward you stop at the foot of the aisle separating two groups of shelves
>Looking down the aisle of shelves you can’t even see the opposite end of the building
>Couple that with the multitude of openings into other aisles of shelves peppered throughout and you can’t even hope to navigate this literal maze
>It almost seems overwhelmingly unreal
>The sing songy whistle of wind tickles at your ears as it continues to flow down the aisle
>You’re starting to wonder if you should’ve gone down that other hallway after all considering what a monumental task getting through here feels like
>You begin to turn around back to the hallway you woke up in
>Perhaps covering all your options first instead of throwing yourself into this would be a bet—
>Your thoughts come to a screeching halt as you’re greeted with an unwanted familiar sight
>A blank wall
>Where’s the hallway you came in from?
>Inhaling deeply you flex your chest trying very hard to hold back the scream brewing within you
>You stand there for a few moments before yexhaling a silent quivering moan
>Would ya look at that, it got worse
>Should have known
>Naw no
“That’s fine…”
>DIDN’T WANT TO GO BACK ANYWAY
>Clapping your hands together you turn back to the shelves behind you
“Not a problem.”
>Following the weird alluring pull of the tingling sound got you into this mess
>So here’s hoping it can get you out
 
>Popping the collar of your trench coat you step out of The Pizzeria
>Wiping a bit of left-over grease on your mouth you yawn
>You swear The Pizzeria tasted better in the past
>Maybe the old man’s finally losing his touch
>He should’ve used a touch less frozen cheese and more fresh cheeses
>Perhaps a blend of smoked mozzarella, Italian provolone, with a dash of Grana Padano just as it came out the oven
>Who are you kidding…
>That place was always terrible, but it’s far too greasy for you now
>Stomach ain’t what it used to be
>Then again, town ain’t either
>Your gaze falls on some new store, Vapor Trail’s Vape Sales
>Maybe the town has changed more than you thought
>Seems like it likes to prove that point time and time again lately
>Especially considering it took you more than an hour to find your way back to Ig-Anon’s place
>Palming your phone you shake your head
>You really need to purchase more data; the wife’s going to kill you after she sees how much you’ve used up today alone
>Really should’ve listened to Junior when he told you to upgrade
>Pressing the power button you check the time
>12:25AM
>Damn, you got too absorbed and spent two hours in there catching up with that old codger Kibitz!
>Which is somewhat ironic considering he used to hound on all of you for strictly keeping up with your schedules
>Well, it doesn’t seem like anything’s happened at Fancy Pants and Co. at least
>It’s been within eyesight the entire time you were at The Pizzeria
>Thumbing through the apps you quickly bring up the security tracker Fancy Pants was kind enough to let you access
>Stopping at a crosswalk you bring up the Fancy Pants and Co. building’s security system
>With a few more precious megabytes disappearing into the aether the tracker gives you the all clear
 
>Can’t check the cameras or anything, but it still says that an officer, Bricken Stonewall, is currently patrolling the area with another officer on standby in their security checkpoint
>That’s odd
>Would’ve thought by now that at the very least a false alarm would’ve went off
>Did the queen’s plans change?
>As you cross the street you dial Luna
>Maybe she’s got more info
>With a *click* Luna answers somberly
>”Hello again Will…”
>That doesn’t bode well
“What’s up?”
>Sighing you hear what sounds like the ruffling of a blanket in the background
>”Tia’s back.”
>That’s a relief, though you would’ve liked to have been informed
>However, there’s something you don’t like about her tone that takes precedent right now
“That’s a good thing, right?”
>You hear a little sniffle
>”Yes it is, but I’d rather her being back was more relieving than stressful.”
>That doesn't sound like something you want to hear
“How messed up is she?”
>Seemingly collecting herself on the other end she finally speaks after a few moments
>”She’ll live; I’m more worried about what she’s revealed to me.”
>You listen intently as your footsteps echo in the quiet street
>”Not only did she discover a group of magic assisted intruders breaching the Queen’s hive at the same time as her; she also found evidence that there may be more at play than we realize.”
>Well that’s, concerning to say the least
“Care to elaborate on that for me?”
>”According to certain findings the Queen has stor—“
>Your chest clenches up and you let out a gasp as you feel a familiar sense of dread arise that's been dormant for over a decade
>Luna must’ve heard you as she stops mid-sentence
>”Are you alright Will?”
>The hairs on your neck stand at full attention as you see it
>Dark clouds blanketing the Fancy Pants and Co. building like a dome
>It can’t be
>You were watching the place the entire time you were talking with Kibitz!
>You should’ve felt, or at least seen something, ANYTHING that could do this!
 
>Memories strike like lighting in your head forcing you to remember the past
>You couldn’t feel or see someone else until you we’re close enough to them before too
>But it’s impossible for it to be him
>He doesn’t exist anymore
>He CAN’T exist anymore
>You saw him get sucked into the gate 17 years ago for christ’s sake!
>No one has EVER come back from that
>Not even…
>”Will!?”
>Luna’s voice stifles your fall into the past as she calls for you
>Your spandex gloved hand trembles slightly as you reel yourself back in
“I may have stumbled onto another problem Luna…”
>You can hear the switch her voice makes as she assumes a more normal level-headed tone
>”Define problem.”
>Cracking your neck you begin to jog towards the cloud dome ahead
“Don’t have anything solid yet, but there may be an old friend currently visiting the Fancy Pants and Co. building.”
>A series of clicks and clacks can be heard in the background before she pauses
>”Old friend?”
>You really don’t want to bring him up if you can help it, especially to Luna
>Considering if it is HIM, you want to be the first to personally shove him back through the gate for her sake
“I’ll call you back when I know for sure, but assume that I won’t be able to for a bit.”
>You can hear an exasperated sigh escape her lips through the phone
>”Will, would you please just inform me of what’s going on over the—“
>You quickly interrupt her
“Sorry chsssk interchssence, chssh call cshh back chhhh promise!”
>Hanging up before she can respond you attach your phone to your holster
>You heave a tired sigh
>Sorry Luna, but if he’s back you need to deal with him quickly
>You refuse to let Luna anywhere near him, and since Celly is injured that leaves just you
>You slow to a stop just outside the storm cloud dome
>You may be out of practice, but you know that you’re strong enough to beat him
>Back then the feeling of dread almost crippled you it was so intense
>Compared to then, this feels almost like a mockery
 
>God damn, this place seems endless
>You knew it looked it before, but you were kinda hoping you just didn’t see the other side
>You feel like you’ve been walking yourself around in circles
>If you weren’t following the ever increasing allure of the tingling wind then you might think you were lost
>Though you’re beginning to grow increasingly worried that you are regardless
>Everything looks like the same nondescript boxes of stuff on every shelf
>How can this place be so big!?
>Just as you’re starting to think that maybe you should try backtracking you spot something different in the distance
>A wall!
>A glorious wall!
>You haven’t seen literally anything besides shelves for what feels like ages!
>You have to stop yourself from running to the wall at full speed
>Walking over as quickly as you can without making too much noise you cover the distance to the wall
>You can still feel the almost magnetic pull of the air leading you along
>Luckily it seems to want you to stick close to the wall as you follow almost hugging the wonderful piece of architecture
>After the appeal of hugging a wall begins to wear thin you see something else unexpected, a left turn up ahead
>Well shit
>With a bit of renewed vigor you cautiously sneak towards the edge
>As you get close you feel something else wash over you besides the pull of your windy tingle
>You can feel both fear and anger flaring inside you for some reason
>And you don’t really like the implications of what that means
>Gritting your teeth you brace yourself for whatever’s past the edge you slowly peek over the corner with a single peering eye
>It’s just an empty hallway with a door at the end of it
>That’s not weird at all
>You silently enter the barren corridor trying your best not to make any noise
>You feel like if you make any noise SOMETHING will happen
 
http://imgur.com/LenDbwP
>Nothing does however as you cross over fully into it
>Don’t know what you were expecting honestly, but you’re happy it’s nothing
>Letting out a small content sigh you examine your surroundings a bit more thoroughly
>This hallway really has nothing in it
>Just some overhead lights, the floor tiles, and a closed door lying a few feet away
>Hopefully it’s a way out, but before that…
>You give a big old middle finger to the shelves behind you before turning around slightly to spite them
>Only to see something else
>A wall beyond the corner
>That wasn’t there before
>Fully turning around to get a second look you make sure you’re not just missing the massive rows of shelves
>They are indeed nowhere in sight
>Your curiosity gets the better of you as you peek around the corner once more to verify if they aren’t there too
>They aren’t
>Instead it’s just a hallway with a single shelf of junk on the right and a few pallets of stuff
>Wait; is this the hallway from before?
>That is the EXACT shelf of junk from before!
>Did you just go to another dimension or something!?
>No, no
>Not gonna think about it
>Time to leave
>You turn away from the hallway and back to the door
>This has GOT to be a way out
>Walking up to the door you stop as you reach towards the handle
>The fear and anger surge once more as if biting your hand
>The soft tingle of wind flowing under the doorway makes an odd inverse to the almost static bite of emotions you’re feeling
>Swallowing your emotions you yank the handle down and push the door open in one fell swoop causing the door to *clang* loudly as it hits something
>You wince at the sudden loud noise before stepping through the doorway
>”Hm, you’re here earlier than expected.”
>That voice!
>Your head snaps in the direction of the voice where
>It's him!
>He stands amidst a display case tucking something away in his suit
>”Greetings hero.”
 
>You don’t know whether to be happy that you found him or completely shitting your pants because you found him
>Pressing a few wrinkles from his suit the man steps away from the jewelry display case
>You can’t help but notice how fluid his motions seem to flow as he moves through a dim shaft of moonlight streaming in from above
>”Thinking about it though I do suppose you have a tendency to miraculously show up where it would be convenient for you to do so.”
>Uhh
>Holding up a hand he leans back against an empty display while closing his eyes
>”Don’t worry, that is something that makes the hero so special…”
>He lazily levels his gaze with yours as he opens his eyes
>”Though that being said, the validity of whether you’ll turn out to be the real deal is still in question.”
>You have never been lost so quickly
>You don’t even feel that scared that’s how lost you are
>With a smile(?) he looks at you through a cupped hand
>”But I think I'm starting to see what's got everyone just so interested in you.”
>His eyes wander up to the glass ceiling overhead
>”Well, besides the rather curious series of coincidences that seem to be swirling around you as of late.”
>Didn't D say something like that?
>What do they mean by that?
>Startling you by suddenly clapping his hands together he stands back up to full height
>”However, none of that matters right now.”
>You feel a bit of that past fear starting to accumulate in the back of your mind as the man focuses on you
>”What matters right now is that you’ve convinced me.”
>What?
>He maintains eye contact with a predator like stare
>”Whether it was through exceptional luck, some critical thinking, or perhaps a bit of latent talent you’ve managed to garner a modicum of recognition.”
>With a sigh he shakes his head
>”Though I’d wager it was a combination of all three with just the right tinge of idiocy.”
 
>Ok then, that’s it
>It needs to be said
“What?”
>Raising an eyebrow he tilts his head to the side a bit too much
>It looks like a bit uncanny how far he goes
>”What’s the matter, was I wrong about the critical thinking, hero?”
>You blink not knowing what to even do anymore
>It's like you're hearing half a conversation
>”Or, were you perhaps not even aware of what was going on?”
>He looks to you apparently waiting for an answer
>Wait, what the hell is he talking about?
>That he’s stealing jewelry with shadow people who look nothing like the changelings you thought you’d meet here?
>Or what?
>As the silence draws on his eyes drift to your bruise covered arms causing his eyebrows to scrunch together
>”Tell me, how are your arms doing?”
>Your arms?
>Why does he care?
>His eyes move up to locks with yours once more
>”They don’t seem to be very cut up.”
>Cut up, why would they be cu—
>Oh
>You suddenly remember your fight with the tendril guy
>Those things cut up pretty much the entirety of your arms
>You had completely forgotten about that after your impromptu nap
>Guess you just sort of, got better?
>You feel a sudden stinging pain across both your arms
>You look down at your forearms to see and hear a series of cuts literally rip into existence
>The sight and sudden pain cause you to freak out just a tad
“What the fuck!?”
>You grab your now bleeding forearms in an attempt to stifle the now growing pain
>You look back up to the man across you in a frenzy
“What the hell did you do!?”
>The beaked man looks, disappointed?
>”Testing you, if I'm being frank.”
>Shaking his head he paces
>”Though it’s now apparent that I gave you a bit too much credit.”
>He points a finger gun at you with feigned sadness
>”I’m slightly let down hero; after all you should be able to solve this.”
>What!?
>Your confusion at his words is only further compounded as the cuts begin to throb
 
>You should be able to solve this?!
>Is he trying to say that the cuts on your arms are some sort of trick!?
>Like they’re an illusion, or just flat out fake?
>They sure as hell don’t feel that way!
>It seems like with each heartbeat the entirety of your arms throbs along with its rising pace
>Though for some reason…
>You can’t help but feel like he’s telling the truth
>You stop holding onto your arms for a moment to examine your hands
>Now slick with blood you can see them glisten as they catch a bit of moon light
>It’s only as you study it closely do you see it
>The blood seems to be hovering a bit over your hand
>Like there’s a thin membrane of nothing separating the blood from your hand
>It’s almost not noticeable, and you probably would’ve glanced over it had you not took the time to really look at it
>Examining a few of the multitude of cuts on your arms reveals the same thing
>The cuts and their blood seem to as if they aren’t actually apart of you
>”Now you’re getting it.”
>You glance up from your arms to the now smiling(?) man
“Getting what?”
>He simply points to your arms
>Looking down though you see only your bruised arms
>No cuts or blood
>The sight makes you choke on your breath
>”A simple deception of your own senses.”
>His steps echo through your head as you struggle to cope with this staring at the floor
>”Most don’t see through it, but a few do.”
>His footsteps stop and you look up to see him staring you down a few paces in front of you
>”You however didn’t see through it nearly as well as the last green skinned boy I tested.”
>Another green skinned boy?
>Has he "tested" multiple people?
 
>He scratches at his chin for a moment as he looks up towards the moon
>”You remind me quite a bit of HIM.”
>You scrunch your face as he chuckles before turning back to you
>You remind him of someone else?
>Who?
>”Right down to the cookie-cutter idealistic view on what right and wrong are.”
>Shrugging he sighs as he looks wistfully over your shoulder
>”However HE was a much more well-adjusted person than you are hero.”
>You are plenty well-adjus—
>Ok maybe not that well-adjusted
>Clapping his hands together he focuses back on you
>”But hey, HE no longer lives while you do, probably due to HIS own stubbornness to budge on what HE believed “right”.”
>Crossing his arm he leans back in place
>”So I’ll take a half-baked hero over a dead one any day.”
>You choose to stay silent to see where he’s leading you because you’re lost
>He blinks as if surprised by you
>”Sorry, went on a bit of a tangent there.”
>Was it that last bit or the whole thing?
>Clearing his throat his gaze hardens
>”Suffice to say that I approve of you like that other one does, what was his name, the fat one.”
>The fat one?
>He can’t mean…
“Nihilem?”
>He nods
>”Yes that one, though the end result of waiting for you to grow a bit is much different for me.”
>His gaze shifts over your shoulder for a moment before snapping back to you
>You can feel a hidden intensity behind it
>”But enough of this, you’re in no shape to fight and you know you can’t beat me.”
>W-well…
>Pulling his sleeve back he checks his watch
>”And I don’t have time to waste, so why don’t we save the big fight for later?”
>Is he just gonna leave?
>His eyes connect back with yours
>”I don’t want to crush your spirit completely before you even get a chance to get going.”
>Or would letting you go be a better way to putting it?
 
>Either way you get the feeling it’d be wiser to take him up on his offer
>He’s right when he said you’re in no condition to fight
>You feel like you taking a long nap
>You tried hard to stop him, but you’re just one guy without magic
>Besides you need to get back to the others, and if the boss leaves they’ll leave
>Overall, it’s best to just give up this time
>You manage to open your mouth through the heavy atmosphere
“Okay.”
>Nodding he hums happily
>”I knew you’d see reason, in that respect you’re much smarter than your father ever was.”
>Your father?!
>You swallow involuntarily at his words
>Wait, another green skinned boy with a sense of right and wrong?
>”The fool never would back down, but not you!”
>Who’s more well-adjusted and that you remind him of?
>Patting your shoulder he laughs
>”Who says the apple never falls far from the tree?”
>He knew Papa Neato
>You can almost feel a weight lift off your shoulders as his gaze shifts to the door
>But for some reason you feel, dissatisfied
>The atmosphere seems to lighten up as he passes by you seemingly uninterested in your existence
>Your eyes lock onto his back as you turn to watch his approach to the door behind you
>What’s wrong with you?
>At what seems like the last possible moment before he leaves words force their way out of your mouth
“H-hey…”
>He’s leaving, you’ll be ok
>This is literally what you wanted when you saw he was here
>Stopping he looks over his shoulder casually as your hands ball up into tight fists
>So why, why do you feel so angry?
>”What is it?”
>You know it’s childish, but you just
“What did you say about my dad?”
>Looking off to the side he focuses on the ceiling
>”I merely said that he was an idealistic idiot that didn’t know when to give up, and that’s probably what killed him.”
 
>You bite your tongue as your face scrunches up in frustration
>His eyes draw back to you
>”What of it?”
>He really did know Papa Neato, and he just so casually insulted him
>His visage contorts to one of annoyance as you stand there silently
>”Speak your peace, before I leave.”
>You can’t let him get away with that
>The words spew out in a hushed whisper
“Take…”
>Raising his eyebrow he fully turns back to you
>No
>”What was that?”
>You won’t let him!
>You swallow your fear as your indignation takes over causing you to vomit the words at the floor angrily
“Take it back!”
>Taking a step towards you his face warps to a somewhat amused expression
>”What, my comment about your father?”
>You finally seize the courage to look him in the eyes as you glare into the swirling red pools
>With a chuckle he closes his eyes while shaking his head
>”I know I may seem benign with how quickly and easily I’m departing.”
>Snapping his eyes open his pierce yours with an almost tangible intensity
>”But I’d watch my tone around me if I were you, especially since you’re out of magic.”
>Out of magic?
>What the hell is he talking about?
>Turning around fully his glare intensifies
>”While I don’t want to, it’d be all too easy for me to crush a magically drained weakling of a hero like you.”
>You’re sure he could, but you just can’t let him bad mouth Papa Neato
>You don’t hold many things near and dear to your heart, but HE is one of them
>You hold your glare steadfast against his
>With a sigh his softens
>”You really want to do this over something so trivial?”
>You can agree with him
>It’s dumb, so much it’s almost suicidal, but you CAN’T let this go
>Checking his watch once more he nods
>”I suppose I can teach you a lesson in the fifteen minutes or so I have left.”
>Cracking his neck he straightens his tie
>”By all means, let’s get started.”
 
>Trying to catch your breath you keep your distance from the smiling giant
>What the heck is with this guy!?
>First off he is WAY too fast for his size!
>Second how th—
>Your thoughts are interrupted as you quickly jump to the right to dodge whatever this guy is cooking up
>If you don’t, he might actually maim you
>He damn near imploded that shelf last time you saw him pull his arm back before a punch!
>You circle around him as Rarity’s screams fill the warehouse
>For a split second you snap towards her to make sure she’s doing alright
>She’s jogging away from the randomly appearing ghost balling her eyes out
>So looks like more of the same
>Last time you checked that ghost thing was just scaring the living daylights out of her
>While she probably doesn’t appreciate it, at least you can focus on your fight knowing she’ll probably be fine
>Focusing back on the big smiling giant you barely have time to register him charging you before you try to dart to the side
>Whatever it is, something grabs ahold of you causing the world to blur as you zoom past the grabbing hands
>Since this has happened a few times you’re able to angle it so that you slam into the fast approaching shelf with your shoulder instead of face first
>The immense momentum causes you to stumble back after you literally slam into the shelf
>Though knowing what to do doesn’t make it any less painful
>You grab your now throbbing shoulder
>Aw that’s gonna hurt in the morning
>As you look back at the smiling ogre of a man two struggling figures invade your sight halting his approach as he stops and stares
>Looks like Applejack is still the only one having any luck to actually match who she’s fighting
>At least you think so since Aj and her double seem visibly tired
>And you’re pretty sure you’ve seen them fling each other around the place non-stop as you were fighting the muscle-bound freak
>Oh speaking of flinging each other
 
>You notice the power struggle going on between the two of them as Aj seems to be gaining the upper hand
>Putting the full weight of her body she pushes down on her locked hands positioning herself to fling the duplicate
>Maybe instead of sitting here getting a breather you should do somethi—
>“NOOOOOOOOOOO!”
>Hell’s bells!
>Closing in fast from behind your mountain of an oppnet comes Rarity
>Doesn’t seem like Aj’s going to see her in time
>You rush in to help out before getting a face full of her elbow and then the rest of her arm as she crashes into you
>You fall back into a tangled pile as you feel the weight of both Aj and Rarity on top of you
>Which is too much since Rarity still has on the exosuit she hasn’t really used!
>Doing your best to at least push Aj off you grunt in frustration
“Get off me!”
>Aj rubs her arm as she scoots off onto her butt
>”Sorry, you alright?”
>You nod before getting squeezed way too hard
>”Rainbow please for the love of all that’s decent he-eh-elp meeeee!”
>She is strangling you!
“S-sure just ease off!”
>She’s not easing up!
>Aj pats your shoulder as you struggle with the panicking Rarity
>”Rainbow, ah think we’ve got a problem!”
>Looking up you think she might be right
>You’ve all managed to keep the three of these guys separate, but now it looks like they’re going to team up for one big all or nothing rush
>Which is really inconvenient because you’re a sitting duck!
>The smiling tank cracks his knuckles while his two friends snicker gathering around
>What are you gonna do?!
>Before you can figure out anything they all stop in unison and stare towards the entrance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNB4Cy4mftI
>Several loud crashes echo through the quiet warehouse
>What the hell is that?
>From the aisle what looks like a dock worker comes flying out into the light skidding across the ground with a thud
>”Words cannot describe how angry I am seeing you three once again.”
>Stepping into the light is, a muscle-bound wrestler?
 
http://imgur.com/4LnO51w
>He stops at the foot of the fallen dockworker with an angry scowl on his face
>All’s quiet as you all stare at the musclebound spandex wearing man silently glaring at your three opponents
>It seems like he’s so angry he’s actually glowing, but maybe you’re seeing things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtbct2jzLBU
>It seems just as you blink the three of them have all leapt towards the new arrival in a single file line as he stands stock still while the light shatters above him
>In the flickering of the light you can see the ghost like guy disappearing and suddenly reappearing randomly as it flies towards the stoic man
>As if teleporting in from behind the ghost takes a swipe at its still unmoving target’s back
>Apparently unfazed he twists forward ducking beneath the swiping claw
>Using his forward momentum he hammers his fist around straight into the floating specter behind him
>Completing a full turn and stepping back into place he slams the ghost into the ground with enough force you can feel it from where you sit
>Bouncing slightly off its back it looks to be wincing in pain right before the angry hero back fists it straight into to the ground once more
>Not letting up on the assault the second one, now looking like a dark version of the costumed man, swoops in from the air with its hands clenched and ready to slam down like a gorilla
>However, even though it seems like it’ll succeed as the actual costumed one stands still, right as the dark duplicate seems like it'll connect the original reacts like lightning
>Almost as if he can see it coming beforehand, the real masked hero snatches the fake out of the air by its wrists using its own momentum against it to slam it head first into its ghost friend currently sprawled out in a small crater
>The double hits the already dazed ghost with enough force that they both bounce up into the air
 
http://imgur.com/bkWUqKS
>As if seeing an invisible foe the masked hero suddenly bends backwards before the two bouncing enemies get sent flying
>As they collide with the shelves the large smiling man seemingly appears out of nowhere preparing to deliver an uppercut to the now vulnerable spandex clad man
>Following through the now frowning behemoth throws a brutal uppercut that doesn’t quite connect instead sending the wrestler look alike twirling through the air
>However his twirl ends prematurely mid-spin as his elbow shoots out catching the unsuspecting frowning monster off-guard and knocking him back
>Reeling back a few more feet and now clutching the side of his head the furious looking monster man glares at his opponent who calmly pushes himself up off the floor
>Dusting himself off he levels his own glare at the barely composed muscle mountain who steps back a bit more putting some distance between them
>You thought your eyes were playing tricks before, but the masked man actually begins to glow with a bright blue aura forming around him
>While you can’t see anything your gut tells you the angry titan is readying himself as his muscles bulge
>The room feels oddly warm as the two stare each other down
>Without warning the flexing slab of anger begins to frantically throw a flurry of punches
>You don’t understand why, but the eye-mask wearing combat seems to be dodging the phantom blows for some reason
>You notice that oddly enough bits of his aura flail out behind him randomly as he runs and dodges towards the still fruitlessly punching man
>As he closes the distance the flares of color behind him actually separate from his surrounding aura almost looking like blades of ethereal color
>You’re startled by what sounds like a loud clash of metal outside your peripheral
>Snapping your head in the direction you don’t see anything that sticks out
>Only a cloud of dust and…
>Were those giant gouges in the shelves there before?
 
>It looks as though your suspicion was right
>Weaving through the storm of jabs that your resurrected nemesis hurls towards you finally confirms it
>You know you’ve only gotten rusty since you left Canterlot 6 years ago
>Your timing on dodging is a bit off, but it doesn’t seem to matter as its attacks can’t penetrate your aura
>Not being able to even practice magic does that to ya, but still
>Ducking under an extended fist you smash your own straight into his gut
>You can’t help but feel
>As it lurches forward in pain you deliver a one two punch to its face sending it flying
>Disappointed
>Resuming your normal stance you stretch your arms as you eye its non-moving body lying atop its comrades amidst the ruin that used to be a shelf
>They are far weaker than before, but more so than you anticipated
>Your muscles slowly relax as time ticks by, the mound of bodies that were once your enemies still ceasing to move
>You first thought that the guards they had were just newly turned, thus explaining their ineptitude, but now it seems even the ones who instilled so much terror in your younger self have fallen from grace
>A sigh escapes your lips as you shake your head
>Not that you’re complaining
>The thought that you wouldn’t be able to handle them without Luna’s help did float around in the back of your mind, but apparently all for naught
>If it keeps going at this rate you’ll have mopped up that bastard before Luna even knows he came back
>Guess you should be happy that you ca—
>”Holy crap!”
>Your muscles tense up along with your aura flaring as someone breaks your train of thought
>Turning towards the noise as quickly as you can you ready yourself for more opponents
>Wait, who are those three?
>A rainbow haired girl smiles at you with stars in her eyes along with an equally excited purple haired one
>Are they wearing Ghostbusters outfits?
>You notice another unseen person as she whistles tipping her hat back
>”You sure did a number on em…”
 
>That’s putting it lightly
>The guy just single-handedly beat up all three of those guys so easily it kinda hurts
>Not just them, but you
>You couldn’t even muster up the courage to actively engage that smiling freak, and this guy just, dives right in
>Coughing into his hand he clears his throat before smiling
>”But of course; monsters like those can’t stand up to justice’s force!”
>Smashing his fist into his palm he seems to visibly relax
>The light around him disappears as well
>Rarity nods with a relieved smile
>”That’s very obvious now, thank you so much for coming to our rescue, Mister?”
>Crossing his arms his smile somehow becomes brighter
>”Platinum Mettle’s my name, protecting the innocent is my aim!”
>Oh god, is he…
>A superhero!?
>Nodding AJ strokes her chin while peering at Platinum Mettle
>”You’re the guy that saved Pinkie from Anon, right?”
>Oh that’s right!
>You had forgotten what Pinkie called him
>Placing a hand on his hip he shoots a finger gun at her
>”That was me indeed; I’m always there to help those in need.”
>Wow, he must actually take this seriously
>You raise an eyebrow as he begins walking towards you
>”It’s a job that keeps me busy, but now a question for you three.”
>Stopping a few feet away his gaze settles on you with an eerie intensity
>”Why exactly are you three here? This place doesn’t seem to endear.”
>Oh, well that’s an easy one
>Shrugging you shake your head
“That’s for sure, but we had to come here.”
>Confusion is plainly written on his face
“Anon had a lead that something was going down here and at the docks.”
>His face scrunches up as Rarity backs you up
>”So we split up into two teams with Anon and our present company coming here.”
>Opening his mouth like he intends to respond he pauses for a moment before resuming somewhat hesitantly
>”Did, you say that Anon came with you?”
 
>You don’t think you’re the only one who notices the odd inflection in his voice as AJ nods
>”That’s right, but we got separated a little while ago.”
>Platinum Mettle’s gaze shifts to the floor mouthing something to himself as Rarity brings a closed fist to her mouth
>”Oh my, I had gotten so preoccupied with that monster…”
>Looking to the still mumbling hero with a new flash of determination she steps in front of him
>”Mr. Mettle was it; I must ask if you could help us find our dear friend Anon.”
>AJ pipes up with a worried look of her own
>”He wasn’t lookin too hot the last time we saw him…”
>That’s putting it lightly
>Guy’s armor looked a bit too scuffed up for your liking
>That and you swear you saw tears in his eyes
>Squinting Platinum Mettle nods once more before looking up from the floor to the rest of you
>”Then find your friend I shall, but for now I need all of you t—“
>He’s interrupted by what sounds like a loud tearing as red splatters behind him like thick paste
>Stumbling forward a few steps he stops and clutches his shoulder as he hunches over on one knee
>All’s quiet save for his coughing and heavy breathing as you all stand there stunned
>What the hell just happened!?
>You shoot AJ a confused look who returns it before throwing her gaze around the room
>Rarity’s the first to react as you start scanning the room for whatever just hit Platinum Mettle
>”Are you alright!?”
>Standing back to full height Platinum places both his fists against his hips and laughs
>”Worry not; Platinum Mettle won’t stay down if that’s all they’ve got!”
>You can’t help but stare at him as he says that with almost effortless gusto
>You don’t understand how he can be fine after seeing the pool of blood behind him
>”I would suggest stepping back for a bit, at least while I deal with this sh-lickety split.”
>As he turns you see a blue sheen reappear along with what looks like a bit of pink around his eyes
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqJYgNkSHzY
>Damnit, damnit, damnit!
>You let your guard down, again
>Guess all these years have made even you forgetful on how to deal with this shit
>Cracking your neck your eyes focus on the bastard that just got a cheap shot on your back
>You can see it standing in the darkness next to what used to be shelves
>Its freakish smile is back as it flexes condescendingly
>That settles it
>You’re going to put this thing down, forever this time
>Before you have a chance to think about it you leap straight at the smug prick
>Keeping your body low you sharpen your focus on the still gloating idiot while pulling back both your fists
>You’re going to smash this asshole’s stomach in
>You cover the distance between the two of you quicker than the freak can react earning you a nice spot right inside his guard
>His smile doesn’t fade as you hurl both fists towards his stomach
>You see why as two hands block each of yours
>It seems like both its friends are up again, and they’re able to at least slow your fists down if each of them focuses on one
>You won’t be stopped!
>Not taking this lying down you kick off the floor and slam your head into its jaw
>As your vision blurs slightly and your ears ring you topple to the ground with the rest of them due to your left over momentum
>Even in your haze you make sure to slam your fists into the guts of your doppelganger and its floaty friend on the way down
>Landing with a hard thud you straddle the no longer smiling and now wincing in pain bastard
>Clamping your hands down tighter than a vice you grip your double and the spectre-esque apparition by their faces lifting them up like two makeshift gloves
>With an angry visage the target of your aggression throws a fist to your face
>You feel his power vibrate through you as you grit your teeth and bear the pain
>Like an enraged ape you begin your brutal assault with your new weapons
 
http://imgur.com/V5oskBe
“Holy crap…”
>The three of you can’t help but stare in morbid curiosity as Platinum, literally beats one of them by using its two partners like hammers
>You don’t know what happened, but Platinum went from 0-10 in the blink of an eye
>His previously calm blue coloration around him has intensified and changed
>Instead of a smooth layering all around him it’s instead a jagged almost savage looking thing
>If before it was a calm stream that flowed around him, now it’s like a burning fire raging from his body
>Not only that but it’s seems to be a somewhat different color altogether
>It’s a bit, unnerving
>Like it doesn’t feel right, and that’s not even mentioning the giant gash on his back
>Stretching from the back of his lower right hip across his back to the upper left part of his shoulder is a gash similar to the ones you saw on those shelves behind you
>Rarity breaks your train of thought the rhythmic sound of repeated smashing coming from Platinum’s corner
>”He’s, certainly showing them what for…”
>You nod slowly in a mixture of awe and mild worry
“That’s one way to put it…”
>”Does something not seem right here ta anyone else?”
>You’re about to agree with AJ before you notice something
>Platinum’s aura of color is flaring out behind his head like it did befor—
>Your observation is halted by the ear grating noise of what sounds like the scraping of metal against metal screeching from the ceiling
>Looking up you try to locate the source of the sound
>Only to see more gashes and slashes peppering the ceiling
>You look back to Platinum as you hear the pounding stop replaced by what sounds like a cannon going off
>Platinum’s been blown off the hulking angry giant!
>Skidding on his back into the earlier pile of blood he paints a streak of it before slowing to a stop
>He lies there motionless for a few moments as the now standing and smiling thing stands in the darkness
>The sound emanating from it can only be described as some twisted form of a laugh
 
>S-shit!
>You got the wind knocked out of you
>Not only that, but your head won’t stop ringing!
>It’s like you’re a bell!
>That persistent noise echoing in the room isn’t helping either as it only helps infuriate you further
>You claw the floor attempting to get a foothold for your hand to prop yourself up
>However you can’t seem to get a grip as your hand slides back and forth
>What the hell!?
>Your bring your hand into view to see what’s stopping you from easily getting up
>It’s, blood
>Your blood
>Shit…
>Memories of another time you were in this position resurface like a bad rerun
>The thoughts bring you out of the moment and back to the past as you stare at your blood covered hand
>Everything seems to feel so distant as you drift to the past
>You’re committing the same mistakes you always did, aren’t you?
>A sigh escapes your lips as you realize that you don’t even need to do this again
>You should be more than enough to handle a lackluster excuse for an opponent
>With the clarity of the past forcing your head to clear you chuckle a bit
>You fell for the exact same thing 17 years ago, didn’t you?
>You’ve really gotta start acting like a hero
>God knows you spent enough money buying so many suits of the same costume
>You smack your head against the ground lightly in a gesture of prostration
>The ringing in your head begins to dull as you gain control of your feelings once more
>Enough of this farce
>Anon’s probably facing what Igi had to all those years ago
>Unlike Igi though, Anon has almost no experience or magic
>You know that everyone promised to help look after the things they’d leave behind if they weren’t around
>Looks like it’s time to live up to that promise for once
>Shaking your head everything comes back into focus like a camera readjusting its zoom
>Hearing heavy footsteps you decide to finally get up
>You sit up by using your good old core muscles as the ringing in your mind fades
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq7nPJdMHKY
>Wiping the blood on your suit you stare down the remaining two blasts from the past
>Looks like ghost face over there is out for the count as he begins to dissipate into nothingness
>That just leaves you, other you, and your least favorite smiling monster
>They both stop in their tracks as your gaze settles on them
>They can probably see that you’re under control again
>All it takes is one lapse in concentration and you fall down the slippery slope
>You clap your hands together and begin reciting your mantra
>3.14
>You lurch forward getting up on your feet
>15
>Your anti-you frowns as he elbows his colleague
>92
>Standing back up you stretch your arms out with a yawn
>65
>You really need to take a nap after this
>Closing your eyes you can feel everything slowing down
>89
>The feeling of full awareness that you had just a little bit ago returns like a comfy pair of pants
>Opening your eyes again you see your mirror self running towards you dancing between its comrade's flurry of jabs soaring towards you
>This time, you’ll end this quickly
>You walk forward taking care to do your best to twist out of the way of each ranged blow
>While you can tough it through them, you don’t enjoy the feeling they leave behind
>Weaving past the torrent of jabs you ready yourself to engage, yourself
>It seems like your dark copy is so focused on dodging its ally’s attacks that it throws a painfully telegraphed punch in an attempt to weave it into the jabs
>To its credit it would’ve been fine, had you not been so focused you perceive in almost literal slow-motion
>Ducking beneath its punch and twisting past the jab blade beside it you hammer your left fist into its extended arm’s armpit
>Standing back to full height as it lurches forward in pain you slam your right fist down on its neck with a skin crawling *crunch*
>Eh, that never sounds good
 
>It drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes as you focus solely on your punching friend
>You can tell that it can see it’s fighting you mono e mono now
>Having no reason to hold back it increases its pace
>You’re actually having a bit of trouble bobbing and weaving through the complex web of punches seemingly tailor-made to catch you off guard
>You can feel each one starting to get closer and closer as they shave past your sheen of magic
>However, you can see it in its frantic eyes
>It’s not enough
>Now actually jogging towards him you begin to flow through its deadly jab storm like a harpon
>You’re close enough now that it should attempt anything else as it should realize by now that its jabs aren’t doing anything
>You begin to gather a bit of magic in your hands for in preparation as you advance closer
>But for some reason it seems intent on throwing jabs till the bitter end as it somehow increases its pace once more
>Not that you mind, you’ll just show it the difference between the two of you now
>As your steps thunder in the quiet warehouse you imagine an intimidating creature able to make even louder stomps
>You feel the strength of a guardian course through you as your aura becomes more tangible like a set of armor
>You step up your pace to where you’re fully abandoning the concept of dodging, instead tanking every jab with your concentrated magical defense
>Catching on quickly the now worried looking man disengages turning his back on you and sprinting towards its downed teammate
>You however are having none of that
>In one swift motion you unclasp your pocket and dig out your secret weapon
>Aiming at the center of its back you chuck your magic-infused ball as fast as you can
>With a loud *BANG* your ball rockets in on your target dead center of the feeling enemy’s back
>With an explosion of magical energy it launches off the now falling target
 
>You shield your eyes from the sudden explosion of bright blue light emanating from the retreating monster
“Did he just throw a firework at that guy!?”
>You aren’t the only one caught off guard as blue light suddenly illuminates the entire warehouse floor
>Peeking out from under her hat AJ shies away from the intense burst of light
>”Jumpin Jehoshaphat!”
>Rarity however covers her eyes with her hands
>”What in the world?”
>The bright flash disappears quickly, but what you see confuses you
>The now slightly less bright ball of blue hurdles towards Platinum Mettle, but instead of dodging or stopping it he stands there
>And he punches it!?
>Your jaw drops feeling another loud *BANG* reverberate through the warehouse as his fist connects with the pulsing orb
>He did not just punch that!
>The ball shoots back at the already falling monster of a man nailing him in the back of the head
>You don’t believe it…
>”Ah don’t believe it…”
>”What, am I missing something? I can’t quite see yet because of the light.”
“Did you just see that AJ!?”
>You tear your eyes away from the unbelievable stunt and to your just as baffled as you are friend whose mouth hangs agape
>”Did, did it uh, seem like he punched the glowy blue ball for you?”
>Ah, you weren’t seeing things
>You look back to the now still Platinum Mettle as he poses there holding up one hand with a peace sign
>”Got em in two!”
>Rarity looks to the two of you then to the posing Platinum Mettle before furrowing her brow
>”Did, he just win?”
>You scratch your head as you shrug
“Well he got rid of them so, I think so.”
>AJ nods seemingly unsure herself
>”Ah, uh yea…”
>Well…
“Then I guess we should get going?”
>Shrugging the cowgirls starts walking towards the still posing hero basking in his victory
 
>Well, it’s been quite a while since you’ve even practiced using the things, but you still seem to have the hang of the ole R.M.T.S!
>You hold the slightly singed ball up and inspect it further
>Still seems perfectly usable
>Built to last these were!
>”Um, good job Mr. Mettle.”
>Turning around the Rainbow haired girl gives you a small smile as she walks up with the other two
>Making sure to flex you flash her the pearly whites
”Just another weekend; now, let’s go rescue your friend!”
>Nodding all three’s gazes drift towards a set black shrouded of double doors
>Pointing the cowboy hat wearing girl looks back to you
>”That’s where we last saw Anon, but that was a while ago…”
>You nod as you stride towards the darkness coated entryway
>Standing in front of it you know that this is HIS handy work
>Even if you were still in doubt about who it was after everything else, this alone would’ve convinced you
>It’s got that unmistakable feel it had all those years ago, though definitely less fear inducing then it was back then
>You crack your knuckles as you ready yourself to open the accursed door
>Strolling up beside you curiously eyeing you the purple haired one asks you a question
>”Do you perhaps some sort of secret way of getting past this door?”
>You shift your eyes over to her as you stretch your arms
>She shrugs under your gaze
>”I tried running through them earlier, but it was like running into a wall!”
>The rainbow haired one places a hand on her shoulder
>”I think he can handle this if he was able to handle all three of those other guys.”
>You shake your head as you focus back on the door
”No she’s right to be concerned; the weakness of doors like this I could never discern.”
>The cowgirl eyes the doors keenly
>”Are ya saying you can’t open them?”
>Shrugging you smile
“It’s true that these doors I cannot get into…”
 
>Well damn, what are you supposed to do now?
>You glance over to AJ and Rarity with uncertainty written on your face
“You two got any other ideas?”
>They both avert their eyes from yours
>”Not presently…”
>”Well besides going all the way around…”
>That seems like it’ll take way too long!
>You scrunch your face and stroke your chin
“We can’t do that, we gotta get over there quickly, but how…”
>Platinum Mettle steps forward next to the door as if inspecting it
>”However…”
>He catches all three of your attention as he breathes in deeply
>”However what dear?”
>Without warning he exhales quickly and smashes his fist through the wall with a loud *CHUNK*
>DID HE JUST SMASH HIS FIST THROUGH THE WALL
>You and your friends stand there in disbelief as he pulls his hand out of the small hole he’s created in the wall
>Looking to you three he smirks smugly
>”Doors are not the only way through.”
>Turning back to the wall he breathes in deeply once more
>Turning away from the madman you share a glance with the other two
>As if trying to literally grasp something with her hand Rarity settles for shaking her head
>”Occam’s razor I suppose?”
>Shaking her head with her eyes closed as if to say she gives up AJ walks past you
>”Ah suppose so…”
>You give Rarity a shrug as you hear Platinum Mettle call out from behind you
>”Come let’s make haste, we have no time to waste!”
>It’s only occurring to you now, but you notice something odd about the way Platinum speaks
>Holding a hand over the newly created entrance he ushers the rest of you through
>Right as you’re through though you whisper to AJ
“Hey, did you notice that Platinum Mettle only speaks in rhymes?”
 
>Running past row after row of shelves you slow down your pace somewhat so the other three can keep up
>”How do you know where he is?”
>Rainbow Dash, if you recall correctly, asks waiting for the other two to arrive by your side
>You hold out Luna’s pin
“If you know the right way to use this, you will never go amiss.”
>She cocks an eyebrow, but luckily Rarity final catches up in her exosuit
>You’re still a bit surprised that Twilight could make something so advanced, but if what Tia and Luna have told you was even only half true
>Well, you don’t doubt this Twilight could make that suit
>Shaking your head you focus on guiding the others through this time wasting trap
>It feels like you’re constantly running in circles as you chase down the magical scent that all but dosed Anon earlier in the day
>However, through your perseverance you spot an exit into a hallway
>Pointing to it you give the three behind you a thumbs up
“Our destination lies just beyond there, let us advance with care!”
>Proceeding through it leads you to a rather short hallway with nothing but a closed door
>You stop in front of it though as you feel it
>It’s HIS presence
>There’s no mistaking it
>You hold a hand out and drop the superhero voice for a moment
“When we go in there I want you to take Anon and leave.”
>You can cut them off before any can say anything
“That’s all you can and will do…”
>You glance behind you only to be greeted with steely faces of determination and more importantly acceptance
>Good
>Taking a deep breath you resume your superhero persona as you grab the door handle
>Flinging it open you leap into the room
>Only instead of a battle between two relatively evenly matched opponents you see something much worse
>Something that was gnawing at the back of your mind as you held Luna’s pin
>The uncomfortable chance that it you maybe in the same situation once more
>And the familiar sight of someone huddled over on the ground with darkness above them
 
>Platinum Mettle stands just past the door for a moment
>You can’t even ask why before he sprints forward like a madman as a laugh can be heard inside the room
>”Looks like you’re a bit late to the party again, ey Willy?”
>The three of you file in after him ready to grab Anon and get out
>However you all stop dead in your tracks as soon as you step in
>It feels like everything just got 10 times heavier
>You can barely breath the pressure in here is so intense
>Lying on the floor with Platinum standing above him is Anon shivering like a leaf with a pained expression on his face
>The other two are the first to say anything as you stand there shocked
>”Anon!”
>”What happened ta him!?”
>Stepping forward they stop as Platinum hand shoots out towards them
>In the deeper voice he had outside the door he manages to choke out while seemingly grappling the dark fog above Anon
>”DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”
>The suited bird thing smiles as he looks down on Platinum
>”What’s the matter Willy, where’s your manners?”
>The sound of shattering glass cracks out of nowhere as the black fog surrounding Anon dissipates
>”You haven’t seen me in over 16 years and you can’t even say hi?”
>Helping Anon up by his shoulder he silently leads him to Rarity and AJ
>”Take him someplace to rest, make sure this stays on him at all times.”
>The other two nod as he puts something on Anon’s torn armor
>Slowly they walk past you supporting Anon by his shoulders as his legs drag limply behind them
>You don’t know why, but you feel like you’re frozen to the spot you stand as watch them leave
>Turning around Platinum clenches his fist
>”Get out of here; this is something I must settle with him alone…”
>Turning around you almost run to the door
>Stopping at the threshold you take one last peek at Platinum
>The blue aura that surrounds him is savage and jagged
>You can hear the venom in his voice as he spits at the bird man
>”I’m going to kill you for good this time, Shadowfright…”