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|    Looking for the archived update with all the spelling errors,   |
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>”[TELL ME, Anonymous. Did Twi ever mention the other you? That’s a plural, by the way~]”
>What.
“What?”
>A shrill laughter echoes from multiple loudspeakers mounted on the bridge of RSA Capitalism.
>”[Are you telling me that she never told you? Why, Anon. You’re not her first. There had been MULTIPLES of Anons.]”
>Memorial Wall at Twi’s lab with ‘anonymous’ entries.
>The world around you begins to spin.
>”[Why, by her own admission SHE was the “top consumer” of Anons across all dimensions! “Orphaned” anons without Twi counterparts. Imported EN MASSE.]”
>She bites off the end of her sentence, as though in disgust.
>You cannot believe your ears.
 
“Twilight, please tell me this isn’t true. PLEASE.”
>Twi looks at you.
>Her face crumples into an ugly, apologetic mess.
>”I-It’s all true.”
>You want to scream.
>”I’m so sorry.”
>Her shoulders fall, and her gaze shifts to the ground.
>”[SHE used to be the one who pushed me to achieve greatness. “They’re just multiverse anons,” she said. Coercing or downright lying to them into being her cannon fodder. Always TEASED me for being a “sentimental pansy”!]”
>You want to shoot your eardrums out. Kill yourself. Anything.
>”[And as soon as I become half as ruthless as her, what does she do? CUT TIES WITH ME THAT’S WHAT.]”
>Twilight is sobbing.
>It reminds you too much of the Twi just before you two had a fallout.
>At the same time, you can’t bring yourself to comfort her.
>”Anonny, babe, I—“
“L-LIAR!”
>She grabs your hand.
>”PLEASE! Hear me out! You were different. You helped me discover empathy. You—“
>In enraged panic, you slap her away.
>You’ve got to get out of here.
>She can find another pawn for her inter-whatever chess game for all you care.
>You climb into your mech and prep it for takeoff.
 
>For the first time in her life, Twilight shrieks in tearful self-hatred and despair.
 
 
- - - - - -
 
 
>A gleaming platform descends from the floating battleship.
>It’s Moondancer herself.
>Trixie, who would’ve pounced at the true evil scientist, doesn’t know what to do under the circumstances.
>Her dearest friend just admitted to killing perhaps hundreds of anons.
>Who is evil, and who isn’t?
>Moondancer chuckles at Trixie, apparently finding her inaction amusing.
 
>”You know Twi, as much as I enjoyed watching you being exposed for what you truly are, there’s still much I need to rub in your face.”
>Moondancer is accompanied by a group of armed F. Rich corporate guards.
>”Freshman year. Just after you started working on the interdimensional portal equation, I had invited you to a storm chase of our own. The Portal Event.”
>She grabs a rifle from one of the guards, poking Twilight with the muzzle.
>”Send Anon into the eye of the storm and set up monitoring equipment. Gather enough data to finish the equation.”
>Twi’s shoulders are shaking in silent, wracking sobs. She doesn’t look up.
>”The data from that event would’ve allowed us to build THE ONE. Powerful enough to connect straight into the waiting arms of MY equivalent of... whatever you call your interdimensional society. The one whose High Council are jamming the dimensional tunneling efforts into other societies’ networks.”
>Moondancer nudges Twi with a foot.
>”And what was it that you said? “Too insensitive?” “Moondancer’s gotten too vicious?” You hypocritical BITCH!”
>She tosses the rifle aside, picks up Twi and shakes her violently by her collar.  
 
 
>”You’ve DENIED me GREATNESS! I could be bounty hunting across planets like you do, for better pay. I wouldn’t have to sit on this shitty planet, sucking corporate cock for EVERY DAMN flask and ammo I need! You’ve denied me MY DESTINY!”
>Moondancer violently throws Twi on the ground. Twi doesn’t say a word.
>”And now, you get to see just how great I’ve become. I’ve completed the equation, without your help.”
>A large oval ring is lowered on another platform.
>”Well, I suppose you did help a little. Without that alicorn avatar’s magic, I would have no way of powering this thing.”
>Moondancer spreads her arms wide, as a beam of rainbow light shoots down from the floating battleship and into the portal.
>”Behold, the Moondancer Portal!”
 
 
- - - - - -
 
 
>”NO!” screams Twilight.
>”The High Society actively jams theory-based iterations, it could lead to anywhere!”
>”Don’t you think I’ve poured over the theorem countless times?” Moondancer screams over the howling wind. “I’ve dedicated MY LIFE to this. Even if it weren’t correct, I’d rather take my chances than let traitors like YOU dictate my future!”
>Twi holds Moondancer by her sleeve.
>”You’re wrong! I had never meant to betray you, or sabotage your work!”
>She continues.
>”When this world’s Anon and I had met, I was an emotionless wretch. Obsessed only with the “pursuit of knowledge.” But Anon still took me in, befriended me. Showed me what the other side was like — to have a heart.”
>Twi looks at you, then Trixie with a tearful smile.
>”He introduced me to two of the most important people of my life. I don’t care if I made less discoveries as a result. I wouldn’t trade my friends for anything else. Not even my own life.”
>Moondancer idly listens, her frown deepening.
>”Moondancer, if there’s one thing I regret the most, it’s how I made you into... this. From a caring, smart person into a ruthless old-me facsimile.”
>Twi takes Moondancer’s hand and places it on her heart.
>”I’d give anything to restore the beautiful facet I stole from you. Please, don’t do this.”
 
>Engorged with rainbow power, the portal cuts a slit in the fabric of space-time.
>The landscape on the other side looks.... oddly cartoonish.  
>But it clearly resembles a ruined countryside.
>You are Anonymous.
>And right now, you’re witnessing a mass of bug-like horses flood through the portal.
>”Changelings,” screams Sunset.
>You halt your pre-flight procedure and go straight to combat mode.
 
 
- - - - - -
 
 
>”Moondancer, you’ve got to power down the portal,” begs Twilight.
>”Please, I am so sorry for what I’ve done to you. what I’ve turned you into. But you’ve got to stop this before our world is destroyed!”
>Moondancer looks just as shocked as everyone else.
>Her hubris visibly crumbling at the sight of the chitinous biomass.
>”I-I can’t!” stammers Moondancer. “Once it’s been powered, the structural portion is submerged into the other dimension. We can only power it down by destroying it from the receiving dimension!”
>”Well, that sounds like a mighty cruel and convenient suicide mission,” shouts Applejack. “But we can’t even get close to the portal anymore. Look!”
>A group of changelings form a living shell around the portal to protect it, like a group of ants.
>Rainbow Dash zips past, already using her powers to fry a handful of changelings.
>”Well what are waiting for then? Get to fighting!” She squeaks.
 
>Dash looks almost overjoyed, finally dispensing vengeance on behalf of her long lost friend from another dimension.
>”Anonymous, you might wanna step back,” says Sunset, taking off her leather jacket.
>She closes her eyes, and the crown on top of her head begins to glow black.
>”I promised to keep my temper in check after the “reformation,” but I’ll make an excepTION FOR THESE WORTHLESS PESTS!”
>She transforms into a demon in front of your eyes, wings and everything.
>With a sweep of her arm, she ignites a handful of changelings around you.
>You aren’t even quite sure how to respond to that.  
 
 
>”See darling? What did I say about being prepared?”
>Rarity lets loose burst after burst from her rifle.
>A deft toss of a grenade sees the end of a cluster of changelings.
>”waaHAHA~”
>Pinkie cleaves half a dozen bug-things with a chainsaw. Somehow, they disappear into a puff of confetti.
>”Wow Rarity, how did you know the changelings would show up?”
>”Coincidence,” growls Applejack. “She just wanted to show off her fancy shmancy tacticool trinkets.”
>Her rainbow-powered whip cuts in a wide arc in front of her.
>”You should appreciate her contributions Applejack,” howls Flutterhulk. “Honestly, you’re worse than Rainbow Dash!”
>”Hey, don’t drag ME into this!” whines Rainbow Dash.
“Girls, PLEASE.”
>You can’t even hear yourself think with all these anthro power rangers bickering.
 
>With comms back in order, you get busy with destroying your share of the changelings.
>Thankfully, your mech comes standard with an array of conventional, non-rainbow weapons.
>And they’re incredibly effective against the changelings.
>Apparently discovering the same weakness, the battleship overhead explodes into a hail of lead.
>You can physically feel the heat of each muzzle flash.
>God, those guns must be MASSIVE.
>”RESEARCH VESSEL, INDEED?” says Trixie, beating a changeling to death with the hind leg of another.
>Moondancer begrudgingly orders her guards to assist your motley team.
>”Tax reasons. Filthy Rich gets a massive break for supplying researchers, even if it happens to be military hardware,” she shouts apologetically.
>Sunset sets a group of changelings on fire.
>”Death is SO MUCH MORE fun than taxes,” she cackles.
 
 
- - - - - -
 
 
>”Girls, this is Twilight,” squaks a voice over the comms.
>You’re down to only a dozen rounds.
>Everyone’s exhausted.
>The inflow of changelings has stopped for now, but there are thousands of these chitinous fuckers still running about.
>Even Trixie is falters a little.
>”I’m so sorry, but I have to do this. The portal needs to be closed,” the voice continues.
>Even Moondancer is firing her rifle inbetween issuing orders to her guard.
>She’s actually a very capable tactician.
>Sunset’s resorting to using her demon claws at the bugs.
>Things are looking grim.
>”Battery, Twilight. Status?”
>”[Twilight, Battery. Ready to fire.]”
>You eject the guns and switch to blades.
>So this is how it ends.
>”Battery, Twilight. Fire mission, grid 214 811, fire for effect.”
>Moondancer looks horrified.
>”Twilight, those coordinates—“
>The battleship erupts, all of its shells landing in a single line on the congealed changeling mass around the portal.
>A narrow path into the portal briefly opens up.
>You see a lavender-haired figure sprinting towards the portal, clutching something in her arms.
 
>Trixie begins to panic at her longtime friend’s apparent suicidal charge.
>”MISS SPARKLE, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?”
>”[Repentance, girls,]” a weak staticky voice intones on the radio.
>She must be radioing from the other side.
>“[Moondancer, you’re right. I had been terrible in the past. I’ve killed Anons. I denied you your dreams, and drove you to apathy.]”
>Moondancer drops her rifle. She’s speechless.
>”NO! Don’t you do this!” Sunset’s voice cracks. “Your past is not today! You’ve said it yourself, Anon changed you. The one constant of your life, your love. You don’t have to do this!”
>”twilight,” whispers Trixie, without her usual grandiose tone. “why are you doing this to trixie?”
>”[Trixie,]” replies a tearful voice. “[I know you probably hate me for what I’ve done to the other Anons. But I want you to know that regardless of your opinion of me, I’ll always considered you my dearest friend.]”
>Trixie screams. She disintegrates an entire section of the docks in a fit of tearful fury.
>”[Anon—]”
>You try to speak, but nothing comes out.
>”[Remember how you were the king nerd and I was the queen bitch of the school?]”
>You smile, tears streaming down your face.
>”[We were an unlikely pair even then.]”
>Something blue and fast zaps a group of changelings in front of you, slams onto your cockpit window and yells.
>’GO GET HER, YOU IDIOT. DON’T YOU LOVE HER?’
>She’s right.
>You hop out of the suit and begin sprinting.
 
>”No matter what happens, I want you to remember that you really did change me, and—”
“I know.”
>Twilight pauses her monologue, startled.
>She’s surrounded by a pile of changeling corpses and spent rifle cartridges.
>You notice a series of charges placed around the portal.
>From the portal to horizon in all directions, decaying bodies of ponies are everywhere.
>The sun is halfway up.
>So, this is what happened to Equestria.
“Blaze of glory, huh?”
>”You know me.”
>Loud buzzing noise.
>A cloud of changelings are approaching fast overhead.
“Hold me, Twi. One more time.”
>She pulls you into a hug.
>You hold the detonator close, and place yourself between the charges and Twi.
>This is going to hurt like hell.
>With a click, the charges detonate, spewing shrapnel in all directions.
>Some of them embed themselves in your back.
>Better you than Twi.
>You accept the pain willingly.
>The shockwave pushes you and Twi into the rapidly shrinking portal.  
>You howl as the portal closes on your elbow, severing an arm.
 
 
- - - - - -
 
 
>You’re dumped back into your world, mostly in one piece.
>”H-haaah!” Twilight gasps.
>You look down at her, and notice her chest area is stained red.
>There’s a rather large piece of the portal sticking out of her back.
“No. Nonononono.”
>You try to prop her up, but it’s made difficult by a missing arm.
>Trixie rushes to you, and screams in horror.
>”TWILIGHT. ANON. NO. WHY?”
>She grabs the metal bit and disintegrates it in a blink of an eye.
>Was she always able to do that?
>Twilight gasps and gurgles, trying to breathe.
>”MISS SPARKLE, STAY WITH ME”
>Trixie begins pouring rainbow power into Twi’s wound, knitting it slowly.
>The Human Six appears one by one as they finish mopping up the remainder of the changelings.
>Moondancer screams for a medic.
>Twilight locks eyes with you.
>”Not...bad, huh?”
>Smiles, and breathes her last.
>Trixie breaks down into wracking sobs.
>”TWI, NO. PLEASE DON’T LEAVE TRIXIE.”
>Sunset puts her hand on your shoulder, tears running freely down her face.
>Dash punches the ground repeatedly until Applejack stops her with a hug.
>Fluttershy embraces Trixie, stroking her hair.
>Pinkie quietly sings with sobbing Rarity in her arms.
>You don’t even care about your bleeding stump. Or the shrapnels lodged in your torso.
>You wish you had let the changelings just overrun this wretched world.
 
>Trixie rises up.
>”NO. I WILL NOT LET HER DIE. NOT LIKE THIS.”
>Suddenly, the sky turns to black.
>The sun extinguishes itself into nonexistence.  
>Trixie, now the only source of light, is radiating like a raging firestorm.
>But somehow, it all feels incredibly delicate. Gentle. Embracing.
>”SHE DESERVES BETTER.”
>Trixie raises one hand towards the floating ship, then pulls as though yanking an imaginary chain.
>The defuser materializes in her hand, disintegrating piece by piece.
>Finally, it crumples like paper. The rainbow stored within radiates out and begins to whirlpool rapidly into Trixie’s ever-growing aura.
>An ornate headband materializes around her head.
>It’s embedded with a blue, crescent-shaped gem.
 
>”It-it can’t be,” Applejack whispers.
“What?”
>”The Element of Empathy,” answers Sunset.
>Trixie’s aura glows even brighter as it begins to envelop Twilight’s lifeless body.
>”She’s sacrificing herself to bring back Twilight. Someone has to die for another to live in a closed system.”
“Conservation of energy..."
>”No,” stammers Moondancer. “I’ve caused this. Take *my* life instead!”
>”She can’t. It has to come from the bearer of the Element—“
>She explodes into a ball of blazing light.
>You cover your eyes.
>Something that sounds like a million lightning strikes echoes out into the sea.
 
 
- - - - - -
 
 
>You are grouped up inside Twilight’s lab.
>The stargate-shaped portal whines like an overworked motor.
>She’s shouldering a rather small duffel bag.
>The rest of the Human Six have also packed lightly, even Rarity.
“You know, we could always team up. Twilight hops dimensions all the time. Mostly for groceries.”
>Sunset smiles.
>”We appreciate the offer, Anon, but you guys should stay here. This world needs Trixie, and you as well.“
>”Do you really have to go?” asks Trixie, with a heart-breaking pout.
>”I’m afraid so,” Sunset answers, stroking Trixie’s hair.
>”Equestria is no more. We need to find a way to restore it, or find out how the changelings managed to take over so easily, so the other dimensions won’t suffer the same fate.”
>Sunset waves at Twi as she approaches.
>”Still feeling queasy?”
>”Yeah, sorry about that,” answers Twi, coughing. “It’s not every day that one experiences resurrection by magic.”
>You hold her tightly as she closes up on your side.
“And it’s not every day that one gets a new cyberarm.” You play with your new hand. “It’s gonna be weird. I still feel the *other* arm, but I already have this one. I’ll never get used to this.”
>”And I’ll never get used to feeling all this... magic,” chimes in Trixie. Her Grandiose speech pattern gone completely.
“Speaking of which, what exactly happened to Trixie?”
>”The Element of Empathy is usually an entity that lies dormant inside someone,” answers Sunset. “It doesn’t manifest itself until an extraordinary amount of desire for someone else’s well-being overtakes the person. Needless to say, the actual manifestation is extremely rare.”
>Sunset steps forward. Grabbing Trixie’s hands, eyes closed.
 
 
- - - - - -
 
 
>”The power is finite and the element disappears shortly after depletion. But in her case..."
>Trixie idly touches her ornate headband.
>Sunset continues.
>”She won’t be raising the dead anytime soon, I can sense that much. But I think she just might be the first *permanent* Element of Empathy ever to grant life, and live. Not to mention retain the element itself. We’ll never quite know why her life force hasn’t been depleted, but I suppose it’s just one of those multiverse flukes.”
>The Human Six begin making their way towards the portal.
“Will we ever see you again?”
>Sunset stops.
>She turns around, facing you, Twi, and Trixie. She’s fighting back tears.
>”Of course we’ll be back. This is our home, and you’re our friends.”
>Twi steps up to the console.
>”Ready?”
>”Ready!” The Human Six respond in unison.
>You exchange goodbyes, and watch them disappear into the multiverse.
 
“Twi, about Moondancer—“
>”Anonny, please.”
“So, you’re just gonna let her go? Just like that? She seemed hellbent on destroying you.”
>Twi toys with your fingers.
>”Anon, you didn’t know Moondancer like I did. She was...a good person. I had ruined her. If she wants to recant, I have to let her. It’s the right thing to do.”
>You sigh. This doesn’t sound good at all.
“You’re too forgiving, Twi.”
>She looks up at you, and pinches your cheek.
>”I learned from the best. You were willing to forgive *me*.”
>She had a point there.
>”Besides, if she ever goes out of line... remember the cure-all shot I gave her? It’s chock full of trans-dimensional particle emitters. We’ll find her in no time.”  
“You devious savant, you.”
>She gives you an evil grin.
>”Intrigue, my love. It’s a shared trait amongst Twilights.”
 
 
- - - - - -
 
 
[Epilogue]
 
https://youtu.be/7rOMGIbY-9s
 
>”Anonymous, look!”
>Trixie hands you a printout.
>It’s some electro-gram or other from Sunset.
>”She says she could use some extra firepower at E-1984. Something about “equality gone wrong” apparently.”
>You gloss over the message.
>Whatever, it’s good enough of an excuse to meet up with the six again.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
>Trixie smiles.
 
>”It’s been what, almost a year now? I wonder how she’s doing.”
>Twilight fidgets with her rifle.
>The Element of Empathy envelops herself in a glowy suit of astral armor.
“She’s a strong girl. I’d be more worried for her opposition. Sunset can be one ruthless demonette.”
>Twi chuckles at that.
>The portal opens, and Trixie charges in without hesitation.
>You look at Twilight.
>She looks at you.
“You with me?”
>She reaches over and holds your hand.
>”Always.”