Captain Anonymous - Chapter 5 - Jilted
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
>Six months later, after being forced out of your bed having spent half the day moping, you’re sitting with Twilight, chatting over some tea, when you hear a crackle of static over your radio. You jump like you've just been shocked with a cattle prod, cranking the volume up as loud as it will go.
 
>"…to Captain Anonymous, do you read? Over."
 
>You'd recognize the voice of your first officer anywhere
 
"Anonymous here, I read you, come back, over," you shout, your entire body shaking with adrenaline, Twilight has her ears perked up, staring at you and listening intently
 
>"Captain, it's good to hear your voice after all this time."
 
"Likewise. What is the ship's status?"
 
>There's a long, uncomfortable silence.
 
"I repeat, what is the ship's status? Come back, over."
 
>Another long silence causes you to become increasingly anxious
 
"Come back, what's your twenty, over..."
 
>You begin to slump over when you’re met with more silence, thinking you’ve lost the signal.
 
>"Twenty is Terra, sir."
 
>Your face contorts in confusion.
 
"Did not read, confirm your twenty is Terra, come back? Over."
 
>"Confirmed, sir. Current location is Terra."
 
"Now, ship’s status report, come back, over.”
 
>More silence, something’s not right. You feel panic beginning to well up inside you.
 
>"I repeat, report on ship’s status. Come back, over."
 
>"Ship's status is decommissioned, sir."
 
>Your eyes go wide and your face turns pale
 
"Come back, did not read, confirm status of D-SEV 28 is decommissioned, over.”
 
>"Confirmed, sir."
 
>You grasp the radio firmly in both hands, shaking it, your voice beginning to crack as you yell into it.
 
"Then who the hell is coming to get me? Come back, over. I repeat, what is the current ETA for extraction? Come back, over.”
 
>"…only in alignment for a few more minutes, over, time is short…"
 
"You’re coming back for me, when are you coming back for me? Over!"
 
>"...Council has designated that entire sector and all space within a 100 light-year radius a no-fly zone"
 
>You stand there in shock, not sure you just heard that correctly.
 
>"Threat deemed too high to attempt extraction or rescue operation... secondary effects of alien weaponry on starship were terminal, repairs unsuccessful."
 
>"it......station...evacu....ost.....was an honor serv... Goodbye ca---....."
 
>The radio falls dead once again. Your face remains frozen, you stumble and begin to fall. You’re caught in a magical aura when you lose your footing.
 
>”Shh, shh, easy, easy now,” Twilight says as eases you to the floor, trying her best to comfort you.
 
"I need to be alone right now, Twilight," You state in a weak, monotone voice
 
>she places a hoof on your shoulder
 
"I really need to be alone right now..."
 
>Twilight is very reluctant to leave you alone, turning to look at you over her shoulder with deep concern on her face, nearly in tears as her heart breaks for you. You remain in an almost catatonic state for several hours. Twilight periodically checks on you, tries to bring you food or something to drink, tries to talk to you, but her efforts are in vain.
 
>Your mind just can't wrap itself around the fact that you'll never see home again. You're stuck on this world for the rest of your life. A world which, despite the few friendships you've made, you know you're not welcome on. Nobody's coming to save you.
 
>You feel yourself suddenly boiling over with rage, making a fist and punching the wall behind you as hard as you can, ripping the skin on your knuckles wide open and breaking a couple of fingers, blood beginning to drip on the floor.
 
>Those ungrateful bastards! You gave them the best years of your life, you made contact with more species than any single captain in the history of the Confederacy, and this is how they repay you? They abandon you? They’re so paranoid that they won't even try? On top of that, they have the gall to establish a no-fly zone to prevent anyone else from trying? You scream in a primal rage, which echoes throughout the entire castle. A second, mournful scream, and you fall to the floor in a fetal position, sobbing until you pass out.
 
>When you wake up you're lying in a hospital bed, your hand wrapped and splinted. Twilight immediately jumps up and rushes to your bedside when she sees your eyes open.
 
>"I won't ask, I know you're not okay," she starts, avoiding eye contact. She sits on her haunches and places a hoof on your arm.
 
>"I don't even know what to say right now, or if there even is anything I can say.”
 
>You remain unresponsive for quite some time, and eventually Twilight sighs and stands up, walking toward the door, her head hung in sorrow. You raise a hand, looking toward her and finally speaking.
 
“Wait, Twilight. Please stay," you weakly mutter, causing her ears to perk up and point toward you as she turns around. She quickly returns to your side and places a hoof on your shoulder. You place a hand on her hoof, without looking into her eyes, your voice still weak. "You're all I have now."
 
>Despite her best efforts, a tear drips from her muzzle onto your cheek as she watches over you. Just as she’s about to say something, a nurse rudely butts in between the two of you.
 
>"Oh, good, you're finally awake. From what we can tell you broke a couple of bones in, well, whatever that right appendage is. The healing magic we normally use on ponies seems to be much more effective on you for some reason. You should be able to remove the wrap and the splints in a day or two. Now, if you'll just sign here, I have your discharge papers."
 
>Twilight interrupts her “Discharge? Don’t you think he should stay a little longer for, oh I dunno, psychiatric evaluation!? He's in a pretty bad emotional state right now, he needs to be somewhere safe."
 
>"With all due respect, your highness, this is a pony hospital. We did more than we were obligated to by taking him in to begin with, and that was only out of courtesy to you. Just his being here is making the staff and other patients nervous. Nopony here wants that hairless alien ape-thing around."
 
>Twilight gives a deeply offended gasp as you sign the discharge papers.
 
"Don't worry about it, I know when I'm not wanted. Let’s just get back to your place."
 
>You pause briefly as you stand up from the bed, gathering the few belongings you have with you.
 
"It is still okay if I stay with you, right?"
 
>"Oh Anon, yes, of course it is. My home is your home, don’t ever ask a question like that again, okay? You’ll never be unwelcome there," Twilight offers sympathetically. You smile at her as you both leave the room wandering down corridors until you eventually exit the hospital.
 
>When you arrive at the castle you return your room almost immediately, reclining in bed as you swing a tray over your lap, pouring some miscellaneous components you salvaged from your badly-damaged shuttle along with your radio. You begin to work on it, tweaking, adding, and removing various components. You know there has to be some way to extend the range on this thing, there has to be some way to get back in touch with home, you just have to work on it until you get it right.
 
>Twilight eyes you with concern for several minutes before you finally notice her.
 
"Something wrong?"
 
>"No, I’m just curious, what exactly are you trying to do?" she asks.
 
"I know I can get this thing working well enough to get back in touch with Earth. Or maybe a closer outpost. Surely I can appeal to the admiralty, or maybe even directly to the Council themselves, if I can just get one chance to talk to them,” your eyes remain focused on your work as you speak with her.
 
>Twilight feels the urge to give you a reality check, but doesn't quite have the heart, shaking her head with a sigh. "I'll tell you what, I have some reading to catch up on. How about I hang out here while I do so, hmm? That way we can both work without having to be alone."
 
>You shrug as you respond, "If you want, Twilight. But really, I'm fine."
 
>Twilight looks over her shoulder at you briefly before she leaves the room, gathering some books from her library and returning, making herself comfortable on a piece of furniture that's kind of like a cross between a beanbag chair and a chaise. For several hours the silence in the room is only broken by the occasional whine or buzz from your radio, sometimes accompanied by an expletive or two from you. Twilight eventually closes the book she's reading with a frustrated sigh.
 
>"Anon, why don't we get out and go somewhere? Maybe the park? It's a beautiful day."
 
"What, so I can scare all the children away? No thanks," you grumble as you continue to fiddle with your gadgets. Twilight frowns and rolls her eyes.
 
>"Oh, and I guess the alternative is for you to sit here and continue brooding, trying to fix that stupid thing in some vain attempt to cry out to be rescued like a lost little foal calling for his mommy?"
 
>You furrow your brow and clench your teeth.
 
"Get out."
 
>"Or what?"
 
"Just. Get. Out, Twilight," you growl, not taking your eyes off your work.
 
>"Oh, by the way, just in case you've forgotten, Captain, you're a guest in my home right now. I'll come and go as I please, and if I want to spend the rest of the day in here, I'll do it."
 
"Suit yourself. Just don't bother me anymore. You’re breaking my concentration and starting to get on my nerves," you grumble.
 
>Twilight gives a frustrated sigh before knocking your tray over with her muzzle, your neatly arranged components scattering everywhere as your radio falls to the floor along with everything else.
 
"What the fuck, Twilight?"
 
>"I'm sorry but it was necessary, now come on, we're going to the park," she states matter-of-factly as she lifts the mattress of your bed magically, causing you to tumble to the floor. You curse under your breath as you hit your head, grabbing your radio and sticking it in your back pocket, finally giving in to her demands as you walk out the door at Twilight's side, who has a bit of a smug look on her face.
 
>On your way to the park you get a lot of odd looks, nervous glares, parents stepping in front of their fillies and colts and squinting their eyes, watching you intently as you pass by, as though you're about to snatch them up and eat them or something. The less hostile ponies simply shoot you a curious glance or ignore you altogether. When you reach your destination, Twilight hops up on a bench overlooking a small pond with a footbridge and a babbling brook flowing beneath it. You sit down next to her and sigh, pulling your radio out of your back pocket, holding it in both hands and staring down at it with a forlorn expression. Twilight rests both forehooves on your left thigh, causing you to turn your attention to her.
 
>"You know, Anon, you've been here long enough to see that this isn't such a bad place. You don't need to be so doom-and-gloom about the whole situation, try to look on the bright side of things."
 
"Which would be what, exactly?”
 
>"Well, you get to keep being my friend, most importantly," she says with a smile and a giggle, trying to lighten the mood as she gently punches your shoulder with a hoof. You smile at her briefly as you respond.
 
"Can’t argue with that, but what else? What else do I really have to live for around here? After all this time, most ponies still don't like me or are still afraid of me, and I’d wager there are probably a few that wouldn’t shed a tear if I had a ‘tragic accident’ of some sort."
 
>Twilight gently rubs your shoulder in an attempt to console you before returning to her position halfway on your lap. "That will pass with time. They'll get used to you eventually, especially if they see us spending a lot of time together. Or, we could just…”
 
"We could just what? Spit it out, Twi.”
 
>"I could just use a transformation spell to turn you into a pony, that way you'll fit right in and be able to make more friends quickly!”
 
>You raise an eyebrow at her, not sure if she’s actually serious.
 
"Uh, I don't think I want that. No offense, but I don't want to be a pony."
 
>Twilight's ears fall flat and she gives a half-hearted giggle
 
>"Heh, I was only kidding anyway, I don't even know a spell that would let me do that. I could probably come up with one I bet though!"
 
"No, Twi, I don't want to be a pony."
 
>She looks at you with a pouty expression.
 
>"Why not? What's wrong with ponies? You don't hate me-...us, do you?"
 
"What? No, of course not. Aside from the fact none of them want anything to do with me, your whole race is likeable enough. You’re even kinda cute, to be honest.”
 
>Twilight Blushes and hides behind her mane.
 
"Oh, no no, I meant your species, as a whole, is cute, not you in part-"
 
>She hangs her head dejectedly, and you sigh, mentally kicking yourself for creating such an awkward moment. You don’t want to hurt her feelings so you just say what you have to and get it over with.
 
"Yes Twilight, you're cute too."
 
>Twilight perks back up and pats you on the head with a mile-wide grin.
 
>"Why thank you, Anonymous. You're cute too, you'll make a perfect royal pet!"
 
>You just give her a blank stare, and her smile slowly fades.
 
>"It was just another joke, Anon. Lighten up, would you?"
 
>You give an annoyed grunt as you return to fiddling with your radio. Twilight puts a hoof over her eyes, closing them as she pins her ears in annoyance, giving a short little sigh of disapproval.
 
>"Anon, would you do me a favor and put that thing away, just for a little while? Please?"
 
>You throw your hands up as you stare at her, responding in a far more harsh tone than you intend to.
 
"Look, you wanted me to come to the park, I came to the park. I sat here and put up with your stupid corny jokes. I've tried being patient Twilight, and I know you're only trying to help, but please, just give it a rest already, would you? I'll find somewhere else to live if I have to, if what I do with my time bothers you so damn much."
 
>You focus your attention back on that little lump of various metals, looking over circuits and components you'd already checked several times over, sure that you must have missed something, waiting for inspiration to strike, giving an irritated growl that your concentration had been broken and you forgot what you had been doing. Several minutes of silence pass, until you hear a sniffle. You look down at Twilight, who still has her forehooves resting on your left thigh. Her bottom lip is quivering, and her eyes starting to water. You give a long, drawn-out, defeated sigh.
 
"Twilight, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," you offer, avoiding eye contact.
 
>A pair of tears escape her eyes, rolling off her muzzle and dripping onto your leg, as she wipes her face and sniffles again. Well, you just made a girl cry. Now you feel like a total asshole. One of the most important beings on the entire planet is spending her precious time with you, trying to strengthen your friendship, trying to help you cope with your loss, and you've been nothing but a complete jackass to her the entire time.
 
>She’s been nothing but kind to you and all you’ve been doing is obsessing over finding a way to get back in touch with people that, on the other hand, have completely abandoned you and don't seem to really care. People that went out of their way to quarantine the entire sector of space you're in to make sure you never make it back. Probably out of some whacked out fear that ponies are going to overrun the Confederacy and enslave mankind or some other equally stupid paranoid bullshit like that if anyone comes back for you.
 
>It should be obvious which of the two you should be focusing your time and effort on, but you've had blinders on since you lost contact, only thinking of getting back home, ignoring everything else, and in the process hurting someone who clearly cares about you. You slowly set the radio next to you on the bench before pulling Twilight into a gentle hug, apologizing to her again.
 
"I really am sorry, Twi," you say as you give her a soft squeeze, though you still hear her sniffling. As you look past Twilight you see a few ponies staring, hearing them mutter amongst themselves, shooting you venomous looks.
 
>"Oh for Celestia’s sake, it made Princess Twilight cry!"
 
>"Why haven't they put that thing in a cage where it belongs? It’s been nothing but trouble since it got here."
 
>"I’ve always said that thing couldn't be trusted!"
 
>"I can't believe she's actually letting it touch her like that! Gross!"
 
>You return each of their angry glares intensely as you pull your friend a little bit closer and hold her a bit longer, continuing to try and comfort her, and on some level simultaneously hoping that you also manage to piss those other ponies off a little bit more in the process. As you slowly release Twilight she smiles at you through teary eyes.
 
>"It's alright, Anon," she says, her ears still flat.
 
"No, it's not alright, Twilight. You've been patient and kind to me and I haven't reciprocated, and that's not fair."
 
>You gently push Twilight off your lap, standing up and tucking your radio in your side pocket.
 
"How can I make it up to you? We came to the park, but I obviously screwed that up, is there anything else you want to do?"
 
>Twilight thinks for a moment before replying.
 
>"Nothing in particular, I just wanted to get you out for some fresh air. I hate seeing you cooped up and miserable."
 
"Well, do you wanna go get something to eat or something?"
 
>"Sure, we can go to the Hayburger if you wa-"
 
"Erm, I wasn't really thinking fast food. I meant something a tad more upscale, but if that's where you want to go-"
 
>"Upscale's not really my thing, Anon. I have to put up with enough of that stuff already as a princess, in my free time I'd rather go places that just make me feel normal"
 
"Okay. Well, you wanna just go for a walk or something then?"
 
>"You sure about that? You know, with the-"
 
"They're just going to have to get used to me, Twilight. I'm not going to spend the rest of my time here hiding out in your castle. I don't need to make any new friends, but it’s about time that I establish very clearly that I don't intend to run away with my tail between my legs every time I see a pony just because some of them don't like me. Besides, seeing you with me might win some more of them over."