>Twilight’s POV.
>You flick through your notes as you sit across the cell from Anon.
>He’s curled up in his blanket still and hasn’t moved except to eat.
>It’s only been a week since you were tasked by the princess to ‘question’ him.
>His size is menacing to be sure, but the look of desperation in his eyes makes you feel sorry for him.
>You’ve read through his notes, the mental degradation rate was both astounding and terrifying.
>Something happened to him on day 95 but you’re unsure what.
>Whenever you ask he shrinks back into himself and begins muttering faster than you can keep up.
>Whatever those Diamond Dogs did to him changed him.
>But what you’re most curious about was how he wrote.
>He wrote about a piece of him within the dogs.
>This will require further investigation.
>I must find out what he knows.
 
>You look from your notes and back to Anon.
“Do you remember me?”
>A: “Twili- Twilight Sparkle. Lady. Real nice.”
“I’d like to talk to you about some things. Is that alright by you?”
>He looks away and towards the barred window above, the chirping of birds enthralling him.
>A: “Pretty birds. Vertebrate, wings, soft, feathers, sound pretty. Birds don’t hurt.”
>G1: “This guy’s crazy,” the guard whispers to his partner and you glare at him.
>A: “Crazy? No. Bright? Dim. Seen them. Seen their faces. They smile. You frown.”
>G2: “No doubt about that,” he whispers back.
“Out!” you shout at them, “Both of you.”
>They roll their eyes and walk down the hall.
>G1: “This was a crap assignment anyhow.”
>Anon has a dopy grin on his face as they leave.
>A: “Don’t like them. They like the others, but clean. Don’t smell either.”
“And who are ‘them’ Anon?”
 
>The grin snaps away and he trembles at the thought.
>A: “Dogs, mean. Their teeth… Bite me, hurt me. Did things, bad things. No no.”
“Anon, If I may,” you say walking over and putting a hoof on his blanket.
>A: “Keeps me safe, don’t take away. Please don’t.”
“I just want to take a look. Ok?”
>A: “O-ok.” He releases his tight grip on the blanket and you look underneath to his skin.
“By Celestia…”
>You cover your mouth and move away from him, Anon covering himself back up.
>He- He’s- You can barely handle the image. You jot down what you saw and manage to contain your breakfast.
>A few pieces managed to work their way up but it was nothing compared to him.
>A: “Blanket safe. Won’t hurt me in here. Dusk knows too. Stayed strong. Me not strong.”
“You’re stronger than you think,” you reply mustering enough strength to look back to him.
>You can only make out a sliver of the damage from his neck.
>With that blanket it’s almost impossible to tell what he’s been through.
 
“Anon I uh- *cough* I’d like to move on to where you came from.”
>A: “Why you here?”
>You’re rather startled at his forwardness.
“Excuse me?”
>A: “P0ny came before you. Not as nice. Yelled at me. Didn’t feel good.” His lips quiver and curl a little, “You not like that. Why?”
>So you weren’t the first one put on this job. It hurts a little to think the princess didn’t ask you first. It must’ve been Penny Pincher, he’s not good with these cases.
>Then again, this is your first one technically, it only makes sense for her to ask someone with more qualification.
>A: “Don’t have to tell, it’s alright.”
“I’m sorry I was thinking. The reason I guess would be…” you sigh, “I don’t know. Why do you think?”
>A: “Because you’re you.”
>You smile at the simplicity of his answer and look down to your notes.
“That I am.”
 
>Anon stands at the window as you set your saddle bags down and close the door.
>A: “Wind feels nice today. P0nies down there too. Look happy, not like others. They were sad.”
>You see his hand holding onto the bars, the skin’s charred black, the white of his bones visible here and there.
>He catches you staring and covers it up, slinking back to the bed.
“Does it hurt?”
>You can tell he’s fumbling with his hands as he looks to the floor.
>A: “No pain. Used to hurt. Nerves gone, burned off, 3rd degree, no more pain. Said it looked better, don’t know what to think. Skin burnt, dermis worse, hope for best.
>He speaks like a child yet his rambling show hints of a higher intelligence.
>If he reverted to this state as some of escape from his captors and some of his former self still remains…
>Perhaps you could bring him back. Once there you can get the answers you want.
>But how to do that?
>Well, magic of course.
 
“Anon I’d like to attempt something if you wouldn’t mind.”
>He shrinks back a little in his bed with a look of fear.
>A:”No pain?”
“I promise it won’t hurt.”
>A: “Ok…”
>You approach him slowly as not to frighten him and touch your horn against his forehead.
>Celestia’s done this many times before but has never actually taught you to do it per se.
>Hope you don’t turn out to be a liar.
>Your horn warms as you push your consciousness into his mind, the world blacking out.
>A void fills your vision, not a thing in here.
>A: “-first test phases of project Fusion. Very exciting stuff right here.”
>The ground speeds towards you from below and you find yourself in some sort of lab.
>Anon’s in front of what looks to be a camera. Is this where he’s from?
>It’s so advanced.
 
>Two others are in the room, its looks to be a boy and a girl.
>The pace quickens, red lights spring up and they panic, but Anon’s calm.
>Whatever he did appears to have worked, but none of this makes sense to you.
>His body fades out only to appear in front of some sort of moving picture box.
>A: “Take my car and get there while you can.”
>He pulls a set of keys from his pocket and hands them to the boy.
>Something’s gone wrong here. The girl’s on the verge of tears.
>He ushers them out and slinks off to the back.
>A: “Fucking diplomats and their bullshit.”
>You follow him, a wall sliding open and letting him in.
>It’s the tube he spoke of, if you can call that speaking.
>He disrobed and sets inside, the glass frosting over.
>And then nothing.
 
>Time speeds up as you watch him sleep, the counter on the strange screen hitting 99 in seconds but it continues.
>Earthquakes rumble the ground and the lights dim.
>You catch sight of someone, or something in the room.
>It watches him, but the time passes before you can discern what it is.
>Every second you watch him must be years in his time.
>He must’ve been asleep for hundreds, likely thousands of years.
>The hatch slides open as time slows and he crawls out little more than skin and bones.
>A:”Fucking… paperclip…”
>An odd phrase, perhaps it what forced his actions.
>He moves out the door as you follow.
A:” I’m in here!”
>Diamond Dogs…
 
>He tries to run but fails. The big one throws him down and knocks him out.
>The world darkens.
>What you saw… He was here. He was in Equestria the entire time, but- before Equestria.
>There aren’t any others like him anymore. He’s the last of his kind.
>He could tell you so much about the world! This changes everything.
>Anon appears in a tunnel picking away at the rocks while the guards stare down at him.
>A: “Give me a hand with his Maverick,” he says to a stallion as he hefts up a rock.
>M: “No problem.”
>So that’s Maverick? He seems like a good enough guy.
>What went wrong?
>Anon writes in his journal, bodies speeding past as he works.
>He meets someone, scarred much like Anon is now.
>He warns him, but Anon won’t listen.
>He’s going to escape.
 
>You watch him rub his pickaxe in his bed. He gets up, raises it and-
>He falls back and covers himself, a streak on his face.
>: “I only wanted to make life…”
>He tried to be something he’s not and it killed him inside.
>But he’s going to escape, the prisoners are rallied.
>Minecarts, he falls back. There’s so much blood, it was an ambush.
>He blames himself, you can see it in his eyes as he’s bound and gagged.
>They walk him through the tunnels as an example.
>He’s made to live while the others died.
>They take him down the winding path and through the door.
>It shuts behind you as Anon’s locked to the floor.
>They tear off his clothes, the guards eyeing him hungrily.
>A stallion struts him and grins.
>M: “What can I say? They had dental.”
>He trots behind him and-
 
>Anon screams through his gag as you look away, the dogs closing in on all sides.
>They’re monsters… all of them.
>The vision grows red as time begins to pick up, his body growing weaker.
>It doesn’t end there. They bring out the lances, knives, picks, beasts.
>Anything they can get their hands on they use.
>The screaming never stops. They just keep going, and going, and going.
>Who knows how long they tortured him, but when they finally threw him back with the others it didn’t matter.
>He crawled into the corner and cried, wrapping himself up in his tattered blanket.
>It’s all he had.
>He made mistakes after and they punished him worse than the others.
>They brought his hand to a flame and kept it there until his tears ran dry.
>He was broken, a mess of flesh and tears that only lived because he wasn’t allowed to die.
>The memories warp at this point until all you see is him, alone in the darkness.
>A great man, robbed of all he was.
 
>You step away from him, moisture heavy in your eyes as you sit back down.
>A: “Twilight right. Didn’t hurt, felt weird though, but not bad.”
>You try your best to smile back at him, but how can you?
>How can you look at him the same way now that you’ve seen it with your own eyes?
>How can you look at him and say it’s alright?
>The growling of his stomach interrupts you and a look of fear crosses his face.
>A: “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to, couldn’t help it.”
“It’s alright, I think I have some bread here in my bag.”
>You pull out a loaf of Rye that you picked up on the way to the castle and give half of it to him.
>He nibbles on it lightly, uttering his thanks every time he stops to take a breath.
“You don’t like it here do you?”
>He shakes his head, eyes darting between the walls.
>”Too small, can’t move, reminds me of the cave, the fall, screams…”
>He shakes his head and focuses on the bread, already managing to devour half of it.
>It wasn’t a small loaf either.
 
>You thank him for his time and shut the door behind you, Anon moving to the iron bars.
>A: “You’ll come back? Like talking to you. Feels better.”
“Of course,” you smile to him, “I have some things to do. Get some rest.”
>”Sleep. Sleep good. Me like sleep.”
>He crawls back into his bed and closes his eyes with a smile.
>You watch him until he’s snoozing silently and trot down the halls meeting Spike on the way out.
>S: “So how’d it go today?”
“He’s been through a lot. More than I had thought initially. I’m thinking of transferring him to better quarters.”
>S: “Better? I don’t know Twilight, that might be dangerous I mean look at its size.”
“That ‘it’ has a name Spike and he’s not dangerous. Not anymore at least.”
>S: “I’m sorry Twilight,” he apologizes softly.”
>You sigh and tell him its okay. His doubts are to be expected; you had the same ones when you first took the case.
>You didn’t know what he’d gone through back then.
 
>You stand before the princess and explain your case to her.
>She’s impressed by your convictions regarding this assignment and couldn’t be more proud of you.
>Your cheeks flush at the compliment and you finish up your report.
>C: “So this ‘Anon’ has been through quite the ordeal since his arrival, and just how did he get here if you don’t mind me asking?”
>For a moment you pause with your mouth open.
>How will she take it if you tell her what you know?
>So much of Equestrian history could be flawed or come into question merely by his existence.
>Nowhere in our history did it say anything about his kind, nothing.
>C: “Well?”
“He awoke here, from where I am unsure.”
>C:  “And did he tell you this?”
“I- No. He did not.”
 
>She immediately understands what you’ve done and looks at you with concern.
>C: “Performing that class of magic is dangerous, both for you and him. I thought I taught you better than that.”
“I apologize princess.”
>She picks up your chin with a smile.
>C: “You remind me of myself in my youth. Always craving that next level.”
>You were like the princess? Omygoshomygoshomygosh.”
>C: “And it is for this reason that I’m moving you to your next phase of your studies.”
“Thank you Celestia, thank you so much,” you hug her suddenly, Celestia wrapping a wing around you.
>C: “Now who shall I hand this case off too? Can’t have another Pincher incident.”
“Wait, what?”
>C: “You can’t expect to have enough time to do both now do you? They’ll do fine, don’t worry.”
>You said you’d come back…
“I’m sure they will.”
 
>Anon’s POV.
>You pace back and forth like a dog waiting for its master.
>She’ll be back. She said so. She wouldn’t lie.
>You look out the window again, a bird stopping by the ledge.
“She wouldn’t, would she?”
>The bird flaps away into the sky with its friends.
>Friends…
>She was different. Gave you food, a book.
>Maverick gave you food. Maverick gave you book.
>Twilight. Maverick.
>The cell door creaks open, the purple p0ny holding it open.
>T: “Let’s take a walk.”
“Knew you wouldn’t leave.”
>T: “Never.”
 
>Walls get shinier, you like shiny. Reminds you of something, can’t remember what.
>The guards watch you like a hawk and you hold your blanket closer to you.
>Not like their look, armor different color, but it the same.
>Bigger windows now. No bars, but something blocking you, glass.
>Ooh more glass, shiny, tinted. Many pretty pictures.
>Light pours in from the door and she steps through to the outside, the air fresh and inviting.
>You hesitate as you stand in the shadows.
>T: “You coming?”
“Can’t go. They’ll be there. They’ll-“
>She silences you with a shh.
>T: “It’s going to be alright. They can’t hurt you here.”
>You extend your boney hand hesitantly into the light.
>The warmth forces your hand back, the burn of the flame fresh in your mind.
>T: “You can trust me.”
>You- You can trust her.
 
>You throw yourself through the door and into the outside wor- wor-wo-
>The grass between your toes, the wind on your face, the trees and wildlife floating in the distance.
>You’d almost forgotten the gorgeous ocean that is the sky, an unending sea of life and beauty.
>The air fills an empty part of you and you hold it for as long as you can.
>T: “The gardens of Canterlot are one of nature’s wonders here in Equestria. Not many can appreciate it though.
>So beautiful, so serene. No monsters here, innocent critters, so furry and quick.
>She sits down on the bench as you approach a rose bush cautiously.
>T: “I come out here to read sometimes. It’s so quiet this time of day you can almost get lost in the scenery.”
>She gasps as you reach for a thorn.
>T: “Be careful Anon.”
>You look at its velvet petals and lose yourself.
“But he who dares not grasp the thorn…”
>You pluck it with a tinge of pain.
“Shall never crave the rose.”
 
>You sniff the flower and ignore the small amount of blood drawn from the thorn.
>Takes you back, back to before, so nice, who’s garden?
>T: “Where did you learn that?”
>Your head follows the branches of the trees as you track a rogue squirrel.
“Can’t remember, see squirrel?” you ask nodding towards it, “Move fast, real quick, never catch it, wish I was squirrel.”
>It climbs down the branch and closer to you, sniffing at you curiously.
“Always liked squirrels,” you say extending your hand.
>The critter pulls back at the sight and scamper away.
>You frown and pull your hand back into your blanket.
“They no like me though,” you clench your hand, “They never like me.”
>You- eyes… they watch you. Feel it in your bones, you look back to wall, p0ny standing on balcony.
>She’s-
“A-alicorn?”
 
>You wince and grab the side of your head painfully and Twilight comes to your side.
>T: “Anon what’s wrong?”
“Head- head hurt. So bad.”
>She watches you, so bright too bright, eyes hurt.
>You swallow hard as your mind goes into high gear alongside the spikes of pain.
“Sero-tonin, cortex, dienUGH- cephalon, the pain… make it stop.”
>It’s spinning, everything and everyone, doesn’t make sense.
>T: “Just breathe Anon, stay with me here. Follow my lead, breathe in. And breathe out. Breathe in…”
“Out…” your throat convulses as you expel your last meal over the grass.
>Twilight tries to rub your back but you flinch at every touch.
“So bright!” you cover your eyes, head throbbing without remorse.
>The smell is terrible. You look up to the balcony, she turns and walks away.
“Im-possible.”
>The grass feels nice on your cheek…
 
>Twilight’s POV
>He opens his eyes at long last, lying still beneath the covers of his bed.
>Well it’s not his bed, and he’s definitely recognized this by the expression on his face.
>A: “Blanket blanket where’s my blanket?”
“I had it washed, I thought it’d-“
>A: “NO! I need my blanket! It’s mine, so soft, won’t hurt, trust blanket.”
>He begins hyperventilating under the sheets almost like they’re pinning him to the bed.
>A: “Please Twilight. Want my blanket. I just… need it…”
>His eyes gloss over as he stares at you, head resting on the pillow, chest still.
>He didn’t just-
>You rush over and put your hoof on his throat, a low yet steady pulse brings you some relief.
>C: “That went well,” you hear the princess call from the door.
“Princess,” you look back to her, “I don’t know what happened. He was so calm for the longest time. I thought I got somewhere and then he- It’s like he snapped.”
 
>C: “Interesting. Did you happen to speak of me to him?”
“What? Of course not, that’s the last thing on my mind right now.” You pause, “Why do you ask?”
>She twirls a rose in the air, a thorn dyed red and she plops it into a vase.
>C: “I was merely curious as to why he would react in such a way shortly after seeing me. Has he spoken to you of anything else?”
“No. It’s mostly gibberish and nonsense, but- What do you mean after he saw you?”
>She nods to the window and looks outside, back to you.
>C: “He turned to me after he plucked that rose. That’s when he began to seize up in the garden and then he froze again as he saw me enter this chamber. This behavior intrigues me. So I ask again, are you sure he didn’t say anything to you? Did you see anything?”
>You shake your head and Celestia sighs.
>C: “Such a strange one.”
 
>C: “I wish to see the severity of his wounds if you don’t mind.”
>You look into Anon’s cold unmoving eyes. He seems fairly knocked out. Surely he wouldn’t if she takes a peek.
>The sheets curl back revealing the multitude of scars and burns across his body causing Celestia to inhale sharply
>C: “I had hoped you were exaggerating on the level of- intimacy.”
“He couldn’t take it after so long. It broke him.”
>Celestia’s eyes trail the many gashes and scars along his calf as they move up his torso.
>C: “He’s lucky he didn’t pass from infection. I can’t imagine they took very good care of cleaning his wounds.”
“Or unlucky, if he had a say in it.”
>At some point you’d imagine all you’d want is for it to end.
>And they denied him that luxury.
>Celestia’s horn glows a piercing yellow as she moves it to his body.
“What’re you doing?”
>C: “Doing him a favor.”
 
>The skin on his hands glow to match her horn as it puffs and rises, slowly crawling over his bones like some sort of sludge.
>Her muscle’s twitch as she removes the scars lining his body slowly.
>This is taking its toll on the princess and you can tell.
>A bead of sweat rolls down her horn and drips onto his leg.
>C: “So much pain,” she breathes heavily continuing her spell.
>The final gash running from his neck down to his stomach smooths out until it’s little more than a memory.
>She pulls away, face flushed and sweaty before she dabs it off with a towel.
>Celestia pulls the sheets back over him and gets a good look at his eyes.
“Is he, fixed?”
>C: “His physical health may be restored, but there’s no magic I can muster that can free his mind. That much is up to you.
“Me?”
>C: “It is your task to restore his mind to its former self. There are many questions I would to ask him regarding his origins.”
 
>How could she suspect? You never spoke of it.
>She grins at you and stands up tall.
>C: “I don’t blame you for trying to protect him. I too have seen what you glimpsed at within him. Do what you can for him, but remember. This is business, don’t let it get personal.”
“Yes ma’am.”
>C: “I’m looking forward to your next report,” she never takes her eyes off of him.
>And with that she’s gone.
>You sit beside him until his condition passes, a few blinks signaling his recovery.
>A: “Blank-“
>You levitate it over to him and he grabs it, pausing when he sees his hand.
“It’s the least we could do for you.”
>”Thank you. Knew you were nice.”
>He moves out of bed and over to the window where he places his hand on the glass.
 
>A: “Remember squirrels then headache. Feel hungry, did I?”
“I have more bread if you’re still willing to have some.”
>He traces the frame with his fresh new finger, the sensations likely nostalgic at its core.
>A: “Maybe- Maybe start over? Try to- be new me. Sound, good?”
“I can have you move in with me and Spike.” Anon cocks his head, “He’s my good friend and assistant. You’d like him.”
>A: “I- *cough* I think, I might like that.”
“Making progress already,” you say with a smile, Anon mirroring your grin.
>He lets go of his blanket, standing there in his naked glory.
>A: “Feels good.”
>You spy his dangly parts and cover him up.
“Might want to get some clothes first. You wear clothes right?”
>He nods and holds the blanket over his privates, suddenly remembering why he’d been covered with it.
“Come on, I know someone who might be able to help.”
 
>Celestia’s POV
>?: “And he didn’t remember anything?”
“Only bits and pieces. Whoever he was, it’s been buried under layers of psychosis.”
>?: “That is unacceptable,” he snorts pacing back and forth before you.
>He’s never been this angry before, not since you lost Anon the first time.
“I have my best student on the case. She’ll get the job done.”
>?: “And this means what to me? I’ve seen your so called students before and I’ve yet to be impressed. Weak, all of them.”
>Stay calm Celestia, he’s just angry.
>?: “And how do you think I’d be after you bucked this up?”
>He sits on his throne, his hoof tapping hard against the stone.
>?: “I’ll give her a chance, but I want results. Do not force me to take matters into my hooves, because if I do…”
>The floor around you grows hot, a green mist flowing from his flared nostrils.
>?: “His wounds shall be paper cuts when compared to yours.”
>The door opens behind you.
>?: “Now get out of my sight…”
>You bow and gallop out of his presence.
>I believe in you Twilight Sparkle.
>Please don’t fail.