Then and Now Pt. 5

>You are Anon
>And you are 20 years old
>It’s been 8 years since your journey to Equestria
>You were brought back to Earth abruptly, greeted by your friend Tiffany
>You told her all about your adventures, and all the friends you’ve met
>Leaving out certain parts, of course
>She was entranced the entire tale, and listened to every word
>But at the end of it all, she said that it was a really good story
>And that you had a great imagination
>…of course she didn’t believe you
>You wouldn’t either if she told you the same thing
>You tried telling some of your other friends
>But they only laughed at you
>Mocked you, and called you names
>Genuine intent to hurt
>So you know what you did?
>You said “fuck it”
>These weren’t friends at all, these were assholes
>So you severed ties with them
>Severed ties with almost all your friends, save Tiff
>You absorbed yourself solely in what you loved
>Basketball
>You drowned your frustration in it
>Nobody believed you, but a basketball and net don’t judge
>They just comfort
>And so, you practiced your sport
>You toiled with it
>You perfected it
>By high school, you were damn good
>So good, you made the Varsity team your Freshman year, as a starter
>You carried your team
>The coach kept you in shape, and you hit the gym very frequently
>You molded your body perfectly to assist your sport playing
>You were one fit, handsome dude
>And with good looks and a damn fine position on the team came popularity
>With popularity came friends once again
>And you rode through high school on the high horse
>When your Senior year came around, you were drafted by almost every big college in the country
>You ended up going with one only a state over from where you lived, with a full athletic scholarship
>Tiffany went to a smaller college not too far away
>Here, it was much the same story as high school
>You were good, so you were a starter
>You were a real team player, and carried the team through your entire first season
>You didn’t win the series, but you came damn close
>Life was…
>Well, it was good, but you feel like it could have more…
>You think you’ve pinpointed that small emptiness though
>And now, we arrive where we are now
>Anon, 20 years old, college athlete, sophomore

>Music is pumping loudly, and frat boys yelling and partying is audible over almost everything else
>Beer pong balls clink around red plastic cups
>People cheer and beer spills
>Kegs are being pumped
>It’s a good old fashion college party
>You walk over to a nearby keg with two cups
>You begin pumping the keg, then squeeze the tap
>Liquid, frothy gold pours into the cup, and you hand it over to your friend
>Your first real and true friend, maybe your only one
>Tiffany
>She’s staying the weekend to spend time and hang out with you
>You have a huge game in a couple of days, and she really wanted to see you play
>She hasn’t since last year, near the beginning of the season
>You pump the keg once more and fill your own cup
So what do you think? Pretty fun, huh?
>You say to her, smiling
>You take a sip of beer
>PBR. It’s not the best, but it’s cheap, and tasty enough for what you pay
>Tiff takes a swig of her beer
>”Not bad, but my school throws better ones,” she says with a smirk
>You smirk back at her
>You lean against the keg and take another sip, looking out at the party
>Everyone’s having a good time
>”Hey Anon!” you hear from a crowd of guys
>You acknowledge them with a look and nod of the head
>”You better bring us the dub this weekend!”
>He then proceeds to yell “WOOOOH!” at the top of his lungs
>He sounds like a big choo-choo train
>Other boys join him in a drunken yellfest
>You can’t help but laugh, gripping the bridge of your nose and looking down
I’ll do my best, boys, no worries. I’m looking out for you guys!
>They cheer yet again
>One smashing his cup into his head
>Beer spills all over him
>That man was hammered
>You try your best never to get that drunk
>You hate making a fool of yourself
>Whether it be action wise, or what you say
>There are some stories you can tell that’d probably garner strange looks…
>…
>But you keep that to yourself now-a-days
>In thought, you sip your beer once more
>Tiff walks over and wraps her arm around yours, taking another swig of beer
>You look over to her, and blush a little
>Tiff, man. She’s always been there for you
>She’s a great girl, supportive, smart, funny
>She was your first kiss…
>You’ve been thinking lately
>That small, small emptiness to fill, that you should…
>That… maybe you should ask her out
>You weren’t sure of it, but you think you’ve had a crush on her for a long time
>It took til around the end of high school to realize it
>But by then she had some asshole boyfriend who didn’t treat her right
>You had a mind to kick his ass…
>…but that’s all done now
>You just want some security, someone to hold, and have meaningful conversations with
>Maybe someone to… love
>God knows these random hookups and one-night stands weren’t doing it for you
>Ever since high school, there were bitches only doing it for the bragging rights
>You’re smarter than that now
>After the game in a few days, after she’s cheered for you, after you’ve given your all, left everything on the court
>You’d ask her
>”What are you thinking about, Anon?” Tiff asks, lightly knocking you on the head
>That’s something she’s been doing since childhood
>She takes a big gulp of her beer
>You sip your own
Nothing, really.
>”Oh, I think I know…” she says, a slurred laugh following
>You look over and raise an eyebrow
Oh yeah? And what’d that be?
>She probably does know. She knows you better than anyone else
>”Tell me about it…”
>Tell her? About what?
>She may be off the mark this time
>”Tell me again…” she takes another swig of beer “…about Equestria.”
>You nearly gag on your beer
>You quickly glance around to see if anyone nearby heard
Tiff!
>She slurs another laugh
>She’s pretty tipsy already…
>”Come on, I love it when you tell me… it’s been so long.”
Come on, Tiff, knock it off…
>You’re not one to really care about your reputation, but…
>The topic is a little embarrassing
>Or a lot embarrassing
>”Tell me again… about Ms. Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow… Dash?”
>Oh man, she needs to be silenced
>Lucky for you, the drunken mind is easily swayed to other topics
How about instead… we dance?
>Her eyes light up
>”Oh Anon, I’d love to…!”
>She downs the rest of her beer, sloppily tries to put it down on a table, then grabs your hand and leads you through the crowd
>You laugh to yourself
>Mission accomplished
>Tiff back in high school would occasionally ask to hear your “story” about Equestria
>Why wouldn’t she? That place was practically made up of little girls’ fantasies
>Even though she didn’t believe you, she loved to hear it
>And come to think of it…
>Recently, you’ve begun to question yourself if it was even real
>It was 8 years ago
>Memory could be foggy
>Maybe it was some elaborate dream that occurred around the time you lost your favorite basketball
>And you’re just meshing two unrelated events together
>You think this sometimes…
>But in actuality, you know
>The things you felt there,
>The happiness, the nervousness, the reassurance
>…the fear
>They were all real emotions
>You pet those p0nies, felt their velvety fur against your hand
>Or neck when you gave them a hug
>All parts of their body, unfortunately…
>Yeah, you knew it was real
>You sway awkwardly back and forth with Tiff in a crowd
>She does her drunken white girl dance
>You look at her and smile
>But not as real as what you’re feeling here

>”Okay boys,” your coach yells, “huddle up!”
>Every player in their purple accented gold jersey circles up, arms linked around shoulders
>You, Anon, lucky number 07, lead the talk
Alright boys…
>You begin
These guys have really stepped up their game since last year. Their offensive power has increased dramatically.
>Your teammates all listen intensely
Picked up a couple skyscrapers this year, so that net is practically in their hands all the time. This means defense has gotta be PRIME today; our main focus.
>Nods and signs of approval come from around the huddle
Play our offense like normal, and that should be enough. Stick to the strategies we know. Their defense against us is their offense, so if we can counter that, we shouldn’t have too much trouble. Understood?
>Various versions of “Yeah!” and “Yup!” are heard from your brethren
Alright!
>You put your hand up in the middle, they all follow your lead
Griffons on three! One! Two! Three!
>”GRIFFONS!!”

>Swish!
>You land a three-pointer, causing the rather large crowd to erupt in applause
>With that, you turn around and begin running down court for defense
>You glance up at the score as you do
>Down 52-39, third quarter
>Shit, you gotta step your game up
>You get down to the end of the court and hang around the top of the key
>The opponent comes down dribbling the ball, and you start guarding him immediately
>He stops dribbling, looks over your shoulder, and whips the ball toward the net
>An orangutan of an opponent grabs it, barely hops, and just drops it in
>54-39
>Some of these bastards have to be 6’8” or 6’9”
>It’s way more of a challenge than you thought
>You hang behind as the other players run down court, yours for offense, theirs for defense
>Your teammate throws you the ball and runs down himself
>You dribble down slowly, planning your offense
>An opponent is immediately on you guarding
>You defensively turn, still keeping an eye on your teammates for a pass
>One’s open!
>You quickly whip the ball toward him, at the left of the key
>An orangutan reaches over and snags it out of the air
>Shit!
>You feel bad. These guys have improved since you and your coach went scouting
>Their defense is way better
>You feel like you’ve fed your teammates false information
>The orangutan throws the ball to the guy guarding you
>He grabs it and takes off
>Just as you’re about to give chase, one of the skyscrapers runs past you, bowling you over as he does
>You fling to the ground, face first
>The entire crowd interrupts in “OHHH!”s and “BOOO”s of disapproval
>The ref didn’t even call a foul
>Now you’re way behind, everyone else is already playing defense down at the other court
>You get to your feet and book it as fast as you can
>You catch a glimpse of Tiff in the crowd, cheering you on as hard as she can
>She’s holding a sign, “ANON LUCKY 7” in big letters
>It makes you feel a lot better
>”ANON!”
>You hear yelled
>You had just crossed half court, and all the players were concentrated around under the net
>One of your teammates had snagged the ball, luckily
>He whips it over to you
>You catch it quickly
>Immediately, you know what to do
>You have a huge head-start over everyone else
>So you start dribbling, turn around, and book it toward the other net
>The crowd erupts in applause
>There’s no way they’d catch you in time, this is a free two points
>You glance over to Tiff
>She’s cheering as loud as she can, waving her sign everywhere
>Maybe you can…
>…yeah, go for it
>You’re not one for showboating, but this is too good an opportunity
>The crowd will love it
>It may give your teammates a morality boost they need
>But most importantly…
>It may impress Tiff
>So you get ready to jump as you approach the net
>You’re only 6’2”, but with a running start, you have an incredible vert
>You’ve done it many times before, time to do it when it counts
>You launch off the ground, ball in one hand
>Cruising nicely up to the net, you reach your hand over, ready to slam the ball in
>And you hand…
>Passes…
>Right…
>Through…
>…
>And again, just like that, it’s like time slows completely down
>It’s been so long, but you know exactly what’s going on
>So many emotions stir around and conflict in your chest
>…why now? Why this time?
>You’re beginning to drop back down now
>Thousands of thoughts are flying through your head
>You glance over to Tiff
>She’s going crazy with cheering, waving the sign all over the place
>Clearly her reaction time hasn’t caught up with her
>The rest of the crowd is very similar, some beginning to stand while applauding
>It had to be now, huh?
>Right when you had something big planned
>Right when you had the courage to fill that small emptiness
>You think you feel a tear form in your eye
>But it doesn’t have nearly enough time to roll down your cheek
>Your feet pass first
>Then, your whole body
>And like that, you’re falling in darkness
>Falling, falling
>When a swirling mess of colors catches you

>It’s a pulling sensation, then a pushing, then back to pulling, pushing, pulling
>Until finally, you feel yourself catapult out into a room of some kind
>You don’t get a good glance right away, you close your eyes, bracing for impact
>You slam into the ground, the game ball you’re carrying careens out of your hands
>You hear it knock something over, before starting its airy thud
>You bounce a little off the ground, gaining a little air, before hitting down again
>Barrel rolling a few times
>Then slamming hard into a wall
>Oh man, this hurts…
>Your eyes are closed, teeth grit
>Definitely bruised somewhere
>You lay for a moment, just a moment, in silence
>Then, the murmurs break out
>”What IS that thing?”
>”Wait, isn’t that one of those hoo-mans?”
>”Yeah! Like the one here before!”
>You open your eyes
>You’re in a familiar looking restaurant
>A couple pastel colored p0nies are looking at you with a puzzled look
>So it really did happen…
>It’s been 8 years, but you’re here, back in Equestria
>”Another hoo-man!?” you hear
>The voice sounds vaguely familiar, but it’s been so long
>The sound of a springy jump is heard over and over
>Until a p0ny jumps right up to you, bends over, and stares at you right in the eye
>”Oh WOW! It’s just like before! How EXCITING!” she giggles
>Wait…
>This eccentric pink mare…
>You slowly rise to a sitting position, staring at her, eyes clearly showing shock
>She’s just smiling
Ms… Ms. Pinkie Pie?
>She opens her eyes to look at you
>Her pupils shrink
>Her mouth gapes
>She backs up a little in surprise
>”…Nonny?” she gasps. “Nonny? Is that you!? Why are you so big!?”

End of Part 5