Title: Captain Anonymous - Chapter 33 - The True Way Author: somewritefag Pastebin link: http://pastebin.com/26Tc3dXw First Edit: Sunday 9th of August 2015 12:09:17 PM CDT Last Edit: Last edit on: Sunday 9th of August 2015 12:22:41 PM CDT                                         Captain Anonymous - Chapter 33 - The True Way ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >You slowly come to in a dark room, a feeling of cold metal pressing against your backside. Only once you’re fully conscious do you feel the metal restraints securing your arms, feet, and forehead against the solid metal chair you’re sitting in. A bright light from overhead shines down on you just as you’re about to call out into the darkness. You’re unable to make out any of your surroundings or move even slightly. The last thing you remember is falling asleep snuggled up with Twilight in Celestia’s guest bedroom after a lengthy visit with her parents in Canterlot. A cacophony of voices begins to speak to you as you finally realize what’s happening.   >”The great Anonymous, revered hero of the Confederacy. A shame your capture did not prove to be such a challenge as your reputation would suggest.”   >Your eyes dart around to try to find the source of the voices, but it’s coming from all around you.   “Are you so fearful of me that you cannot even show your faces?”   >You’re met with raucous laughter as you feel your entire body seize up, a painful electrical current passing through you as you groan loudly and grit your teeth   >”What have we to fear from a muzzled beast whose leash we now hold?”   >You feel another painful shock, but you refuse to give your captors the satisfaction of hearing you scream.   “For what purpose am I here? Do you intend to torture me? Hold me for ransom? You know there are po-… people that will realize I’ve gone missing. They’ll be coming for me. You’ve seen the power of my… friends for yourselves. You would dare subject yourselves to their wrath with this cowardly kidnapping?”   >”If you’re referring to your pony friends, we’re well aware of your… unique bond with them. It troubles us not.”   >A display activates in front of you. You can see the back of Twilight’s head, a hand reaching out to stroke her as she yawns and stretches, gradually awakening with a contented smile.   >”Good morning, Anon,” she says as her muzzle approaches the display and you hear a kiss.   >You get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach but try to remain calm.   “A hologram? An android?”   >”No need to worry about such minutiae, Anonymous,” the voice replies as the display is cut off. “It’s sufficient to say that you shall not be missed for quite some time.”   “So again I’ll ask you, for what reason have you brought me here?”   >”You have been blinded, Anonymous. Showered with accolade after accolade, unending praise and worship from the masses. Your precious Confederacy deceives you, Anonymous. They see you as nothing more than a tool to further their cause. They would silence the word of the True Way by any means necessary. They fervently crusade against the light, and you have been all too eager to serve as their blade.”   “I don’t believe a word you’re saying, so you can spare me the rest of your little speech.”   >Another painful shock shuts you up.   >”When that blade turns to cut the hand holding it, or dulls and tarnishes so as to be of no more use to them, they will dispose of it, Anonymous. The capacity for treachery of those you serve knows no limit or boundary. The only reason you are here and not dead is so that you may be shown the True Way. To turn away from the darkness and embrace the light. To be given a chance to atone for your sins against us.”   “You would know of sins and darkness, traitors. Torturing and murdering hundreds of thousands of innocents, subverting the unity that has held our great Confederacy strong and maintained harmony for thousands of years. I’ll die before I accept your word as truth after what you did on Karnaria Prime.”   >There’s more uncontrollable laughter.   >”Ah yes, Karnaria Prime, one of the many strings your puppetmasters used to tug and pull on your emotions and influence your actions.”   >The display activates once again, showing an orbital view of a planet with a greenish tint, mostly covered with water, the single massive continent slowly coming into view as the planet turns. You see no ships, no burning debris, no signs of violence or strife whatsoever. The display flickers, showing several views of the planet’s surface.   >There are no burning buildings, no cities turned to rubble, no lines of innocent victims being led under heavy guard to internment camps to be slaughtered. Your face contorts in confusion.   “…nice try, but I’m not fooled so easily. I saw the reports, verified by Command and the High Council themselves.”   >The display flickers and changes once again, showing a view of the fleet near Equestria, as well as the now-completed starbase. The fleet seems to have increased in size, the Confederate presence in the system appearing to have almost doubled.   >”Believe what you will, Anonymous. Your masters pose far greater a threat to your beloved Equestria than the True Way ever did. If you truly believe the reports that have been fed to you regarding our strength and numbers, and that Equestria is a prize we are determined to have at any price, what makes you think we would not have overrun the relatively meager fleet that had been defending it by now?”   “I won’t sit here and be brainwashed or manipulated by you. Torture me if you wish, kill me if you must, but I will not turn my back on the Confederacy I swore to protect, nor will I betray Equestria by doing anything to aid you in your perverted campaign for conquest.”   >”Surely a man of your cunning and intellect is not so naďve as to be completely oblivious to the threat that sits on your very doorstep. We seek to reunite the Confederacy under the banner of peace at any cost. THIS is the True Way, the set of values which our union prided itself upon that those impure of heart and mind have twisted and corrupted. That they have subverted through malicious propaganda and deft manipulation of beloved public figures such as yourself. The violence which your masters have deceived you into perpetrating is the most abhorrent set of acts committed by anyone in recent memory. Your handlers scream for reunification and ‘peace’ at the top of their lungs even as they crack the very whip which drove you to commit these acts of barbarism.”   “I did what I had to do to ensure the safety of Equestria.”   >”We believe you. We truly think that was your only intent, but the reality is that you were tricked into doing someone else’s dirty work. We have no wish to harm the population of Equestria. That is another reason you have been brought here.”   >The display flashes again. It’s a recording of a High Council meeting. You’re able to verify its authenticity by a series of codes that have been overlaid with the video at specific time indexes. About a third of the members of the council are absent from the meeting.   >”What is our current status?” one of the men on the screen asks the others.   >”Anonymous is becoming a liability. Unstable. We should end this all, now.”   >”I object, Anonymous has been extremely useful in our campaign against the rebels. With more careful grooming he WILL bring Equestria on board as a full-fledged member of the Confederacy WITHOUT any further violence. Your incompetent Chief nearly tipped our hand.”   >”Anonymous has threatened any Confederate vessel violating Equestrian airspace with lethal force. He also threatened the supreme commander of the Confederate Navy. If we act now, we can still harness the powerful forces that exist on Equestria for ourselves before it’s too late.”   >”What do you propose?”   >”Anonymous seeks to limit our access to Equestria. He threatened his superior in front of an entire room full of officers. If the Chief were to be assassinated, it would be a simple matter to paint Anon as the traitor responsible and give us all the excuse we need to take over on Equestria. We could have him arrested and executed, and the Equestrians would be obliged to hand him over to our custody as per the treaty they signed when they became a Protectorate.”   >”And if they refuse to hand him over?”   >”We bombard the surface until they surrender and agree to aid us. We subjugate the population and force their cooperation if they will not give it willingly. This may not win us the war as fast as the willful cooperation Anonymous is able to inspire in them, but it will eliminate an extremely volatile factor from our plans.”   >”I still think this can be salvaged. I would not be so quick to make an enemy of Equestria. Patience is absolutely critical under the given circumstances. We should wait until Anonymous’ ban is lifted and see how things progress from there. He has already demonstrated fierce loyalty to both the Confederacy and Equestria. It would be foolish and would raise public suspicion if he were to be portrayed as a villain so suddenly as you’re suggesting.”   >”We have an opportunity here to seize what we want without pussyfooting around anymore. Anonymous is disposable, and the longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to act.”   >”The other members of the Council would never believe that Anonymous would assassinate his superior. It is doubtful we would have the votes required to issue an arrest warrant.”   >”We’ve been patient thus far, we shouldn’t throw away everything we’ve painstakingly set into motion. I vote we take no action, at least for the time being, and wait until Anonymous poses a more visible and more legitimate threat before initiating any hostility.”   >”Is that the current consensus?”   >There are quiet gestures of agreement from the rest of the men in the room. The sound of a gavel is then heard.   >”Then it’s settled, we’ll wait for now. Let us plan to meet again in…”   >The display cuts off. Your mouth is hanging open in complete silence, you’re unable to believe what you just saw and heard. No… no, surely this is all an elaborate deception…   “I’m still not convinced…” you say hesitantly.   >”Your belief is not required, Anonymous, only your cooperation.”   >The display cuts on again and you see a hand cradling Twilight’s cheek as she stares back in adoration.   >”It would be unfortunate if any harm were to come to your beloved princess Twilight Sparkle.”   “You proclaim you stand for peace and then threaten an innocent pony!?” you shout angrily.   >”Innocent? We know she assisted you, Anonymous. The blood of thousands covers her just as much as it does you. We also know how… precious you are to one another. There are many who would delight in seeing both of you suffer. However it doesn’t have to come to that.”   >It takes every ounce of willpower you have not to erupt in rage, but seeing Twilight’s face and the fear struck deep in your heart of anything happening to her is enough to hold you back. You give an angry, frustrated sigh of defeat, closing your eyes tightly and clenching your teeth. You still don’t believe a word of what you’ve been told but they’re leaving you with few options.   >You can’t let any harm come to Twilight or the rest of Equestria. If there’s even the slightest chance that any of this is true, you need to be given the opportunity to investigate for yourself. You have to buy your freedom as soon as you can, for whatever price they decide to put on it.   “What do you want me to do?”