Then and Now Pt. 6

>You are Anon
>And man, are you cold…
>Pinkie Pie closed shop relatively early due to your arrival
>You’re huddled by the fire in a blanket
>This basketball jersey is doing little on its own
>Taking a glance out the window, you see snow peppering the night-draped town of P0nyville
>Winter? It was barely Summer back on Earth
>You sigh
>Pinkie Pie trots into the room holding a steaming cup
>She gets up next to you and pushes it into your hands
>You look up to her and smile while you grip the warm cup
Thanks, Pinkie.
>She sits down next to you by the fire, getting comfortable and relaxed
>”No problem, Nonny.”
>You take a sip of the hot beverage
>Hot chocolate
>And it’s absolutely delicious
>You’re still trying to wrap your head around this whole “time” situation
>Pinkie told you, but you find it hard to believe…
So, let me get this straight, one more time…
>You say. Pinkie’s ears perk up to listen
It’s only been six months since I disappeared?
>Pinkie gazes at the fire, then turns to you and nods
>You take a sip of your hot chocolate again
>How bizarre
It’s been eight years back home… I just find it hard to believe.
>Pinkie giggles a little
>”Well, I believe! How else would you be so much bigger?”
>She pokes your arm as she said this and giggles again
>”Nonny’s all grown up!”
>You laugh
>It’s bizarre to you, for sure, but it has to be even weirder for these p0nies
>Just six months ago, you were a little kid carrying around a basketball
>Now you’re a grown young adult
>Pinkie’s taking it so well just because she’s such a strange one already
>But how would the others react?
>You don’t know Rarity or Applejack all that well
>Twilight might have a heart attack
>Oh man, the tests and experiments she’ll run when she finds out you’ve returned…
>Rainbow Dash may find it hard to call you “squirt”
>She was probably your best friend out of the bunch, her reaction will be fun to see
>Fluttershy…
>…
>Should you even tell her you’re back?
>Eventually, word will spread
>She’ll know sooner or later
>Maybe…
>…you finally have a chance to confront her about what she did
>Perhaps you should use this opportunity to finally put that to rest
>Well, might as well get a move on somewhere
>You aren’t ready for Fluttershy, not yet
>And you don’t even know where Rainbow Dash lives
>She was always just kind of summoned by your basketball
>So… guess that means you should go see Twilight first
Hey Pinkie?
>”Mhmm?” she responds with a smile
You think we could go walk around town? Let some people know I’m back? Maybe Twilight?
>She springs up to her feet
>”Well SURE, Nonny! But…”
>She’s got a puzzled look on her face
>”Are you sure you want to be traveling around town in just THAT?”
>She taps the porous jersey that rests on your body
>You glance down to your game attire
>It’s really not built for warmth
>And it’s gotta be 15F outside…
Well, no…
>”THAT’S okay!” she exclaims, jumping in the air for emphasis, “We can just go see Rarity first! SHE’LL make you a coat!”
>Sounds like a good enough idea
>But it’ll be one cold walk over there…

>”Nonny needs a coat! Nonny needs a coat! Nonny needs a coat!”
>She chants over and over as you approach the Carousal Boutique
>One of your arms is wrapped for dear life around your body as snow whips past your face, the other gripping your basketball
>Good God, need warmth
>Pinkie opens the door to the establishment, ringing the little bell at the top
>The fireplace-heated building quickly hits you with a quick wave of warmth
>It’s amazing
>”Nonny needs a coat! Nonny needs a coat! Nonny needs a COAT!”
>”Darling, I can hear you just FINE!”
>You hear, accompanied with trotting hooves
>Ms. Rarity herself rounds the corner
>”Now who needs a coat, Dear?” she says, just before locking eyes with you
>Her mouth gapes
>You nervously laugh
And some jeans too, if that’d be alright…

>”EIGHT years!?” Rarity gasps, her hooves almost fumbling in surprise as she works the sewing machine
Afraid so, Ms. Rarity.
>She still seems a little in shock
>”Well, that DOES explain your rather fast growth spurt…”
>She takes a deep sigh
>”So I suppose you won’t be needing those anymore, hmm?”
>She motions to a folded pair of clothes sitting atop a shelf
>You walk over and take a look
>A nice white collared shirt and black dress pants unfold before you
>…they’re several sizes too small
>You laugh
No, I won’t. Wish I didn’t leave so suddenly, I could have worn these back home. They’re great looking.
>You smirk over toward her
>She giggles
>”Anon, you flatter me.”
>She shuts off the machine for a second, and tosses you a pair of dark blue jeans
>”Perhaps these are more your size, though, hmm?”
>You open them up before you and take a look
>Man, this is some high quality stuff
Yeah, looks like it. Thanks Ms. Rarity.
>”Well go ahead, try them on!”
Yeah, will do.
>You leave the room for a moment, slip off your shorts, and throw the jeans on
>They’re a perfect fit
>How does that mare do it?
>You step back in the room
>They’re incredibly, Ms. Rarity, thanks.
>She giggles again
>”Well, glad you like them. You can try them together with these!”
>She tosses two other articles of clothing at you
>A larger, white collared shirt and a black jacket
>Amazing quality, very stylish looking
>This shit would go for a lot of money back home
This is great! Thanks!
>”Think nothing of it, dear!”
>She hops off her sewing machine
>”Now while it’s great that you’re back in town, Anon, I do have other business I need to tend to.”
>Well, not that you planned on sticking around anyway
Sure, no prob, I’ll make myself scarce. Come on, Pinkie!
>Her snot bubble pops and she jerks herself awake
>”OH! Twilight’s! Okay, let’s go, Nonny!”

>You two step outside, the cold air not bothering you nearly as much now
>You bounce your ball once or twice, then catch it again
>Take a deep breath
>”Something on your mind, Nonny?”
>You look over to the smiley pink mare
Not really. Just wondering how she’ll react.
>”HAPPILY, silly! She missed you like CRAZY!”
>You smirk a little
Really?
>”Of course! She took your disappearance really hard…”
>Did Twilight think that highly of you?
>Maybe she was more upset she didn’t get to study you further
>That entire last day, if you recall correctly, was just her being extremely giddy about the princess’s arrival to see you
>Man, wonder what SHE thought of your sudden disappearance
Well, in that case, better not keep her waiting.
>The walk over to Twilight’s library only took about five minutes
>Pinkie kept the walk feeling shorter with her talking
>You really do like this p0ny. You remember thinking as much when you were a kid
>The tree comes into view, and a wave of nostalgia hits you
>This was your residence for those few days all those years ago…
>You look over to the side of the tree
>There’s your basketball net, still sitting firmly against the side of the tree
>Funny… the snow around it is cleared
>You arrive at the door, take another deep breath, then knock a couple of times
>After a moment, the door creeks open
>A small purple dragon is staring at your knees
>Then looks up to your eyes
>His mouth gapes
>You laugh a little
Well, you aren’t quite Smaug YET, but you’re at least a little bit bigger than when I last saw you.
>He doesn’t move
>”Anon…? Is that you?”
>You hold out your fist for a bump
The one and only, buddy.
>His gape quickly turns to a huge smile, and he pounds your fist back
>”Come in! Come in!” he says, ushering you and Pinkie Pie into the house quickly.
>He runs over to the middle of the room
>”Hey Twilight! You’ll never BELIEVE who just stopped in for a visit!”
>You can hear a soft rummaging coming from downstairs
>”Who Spike? I’m very busy at the moment.”
>”Come up and see for yourself!”
>You hear a groan, then the echo of trotting hooves
>”If it’s Fluttershy, tell her I still don’t want to talk to her after—“
>She arrives upstairs and cuts herself off after spotting you
>Her pupils shrink, and like everyone else who’s seen you, her mouth gapes
>You smile, then let loose a little laugh
Well, it’s good to see you too, Ms. Sparkle.
>She doesn’t move
>”I…I… it’s…”
>Her eyes roll back into her head a little, and her legs give out
>Poor little thing passed out right on the ground

>Spike and Pinkie are in the other room conversing
>They figured Twilight would want to talk to you alone
>You’re not exactly sure why
>You picked her up and placed her on her bed
>You remember the last time you were here, she enjoyed petting
>So you started petting her as she slept
>That was five minutes ago, and she seems closer to waking up now
>Each pet seems to trigger a vibration in her
>This happened the last time you were here, too…
>There’s some kind of wet spot coming from around under her belly
>Or between her legs?
>Oh no, did she…
>…wet the bed?
>That’s a little embarrassing…
>You’ll pretend not to notice when she wakes up
>Don’t want to embarrass her or anything
>She starts stirring a little in her sleep, mumbling
>You think you hear your name a couple of times
>You just keep petting
>Not much long after, you see her eyes creak slowly open
>She slowly turns her head sleepily to you
>You smile
Well, good morning there, sleepy head.
>This snaps her right awake
>”Oh my gosh… it really can’t… are you… Anon?”
That’s me.
>You say, trying a little Tommy Wiseau impression
>”B-But… how!?”
>She starts prodding and feeling all over your body
>”Your arms! Your chest! Your legs! Your… YOU! They’re all so much bigger!”
>She’s starting to tickle you, so you gently push her away
>She follows your hand’s guide and falls into a sitting position
Well, that’s what happens to people over time. Eight years will age me accordingly.
>”Eight years!? It’s barely been six months!”
That’s what I’ve been hearing…
>You stare at the ground in thought
Everyone I’ve seen says it’s only been around half a year. But back home, it’s been far, far longer.
>She levitates a book over to her
>”That’s fascinating…”
>She’s flipping through it
>”There must be some odd discrepancy between the flow of time in our worlds!”
>The book doesn’t seem to be telling her much, so she tosses it aside
>She sighs
>”But…” she starts, averting her eyes a little
>“At least you’re back…”
>She hesitates for a second, then thrusts herself against you, nuzzling you
>”I missed you…”
>You’re in cute shellshock for a minute
>Then you smile, and hug her back
>”I missed you too, Twilight.”
>Well, there’s Twilight down. You still need to see Rainbow Dash and…
>Fluttershy…
Twilight.
>She breaks the nuzzle and looks up at you; you have her attention
What was that you were saying about Fluttershy earlier?
>Her face contorts to that of disgust
>She pushes off of you and hops off the bed
>”Well, her and I haven’t been getting along very well after you… left.”
>You swing your legs over the edge of the bed
What happened?
>She turns back at you
>”What happened? Anon, do you… not remember that afternoon?”
>You laugh a little, to cover the serious emotions you have about the subject
Actually… I wish I could just forget it…
>She stares at you, you back at her
No, I remember. I take it Rainbow Dash told you?
>She nods
>”Rainbow Dash told everyp0ny. Not everyp0ny believed her, but we all did. The five of us.”
>You know who she’s referring to
>”She’s given an explanation, and some of us forgave her. Rainbow Dash and I… haven’t really. We feel it was inexcusable.”
>Understandable. You were closest to these two, only natural they’d feel the need to guard you
>”She’s shut herself almost completely in since that. Tried to talk to us a few times, but neither of us want to hear it.”
>You nod to show you’re listening
>”And… I’m just not sure I can forgive her.”
>You nod a few more times, poke your tongue against the side of your cheek, then stand up
Well… I’m glad you’ve stuck by me, even in my absence.
>You rustle her mane, and she blushes a little
But I need to talk to her.
>Her mouth gapes
>”Anon, you can’t! Not after what she did to you!”
>You laugh
I’m not the same kid I was eight years…. I mean, six months ago. Trust me, I can handle myself.
>She still looks worried
Fluttershy can’t do anything to me. I just need to talk to her. I need this… resolved.
>She looks to the ground. You can tell she’s worried
>You walk over to her and kneel down
Hey,
>You say, putting a finger under her chin, raising her eyes to yours
I’ll be fine. And I’ll be back. Promise.
>She smiles a little
Do I still have a place to sleep here? I mean, if you’re alright with that.
>She beams
>”Of course you can, Anon! I’ll have your spot ready for when you get back!”
>Ahh, the memories. Your “spot” at Twilight’s
>…hope she doesn’t invite you to sleep in her bed again
>…could that have been what she meant all that time ago…?
>You shake it off
>Hell no. Not Twilight here
>She’s already grabbing blankets and sheets
Be back later, alright?
>She smiles and nods
>You walk to the door, grab your basketball once again, say goodbye to Pinkie and Spike, and leave the library
>The basketball thuds loudly through town, just like it did that evening so many years ago
>You keep to the streets to avoid the snow, before breaking off into the path toward Fluttershy’s cottage
>As you get closer, your heart starts to beat a little faster
>Why are you so nervous? She can’t do anything to you
>Would she even try?
>You doubt it. Maybe she’s actually really sorry about it
>Well, only one way to find out…
>Soon, the babbling brook by her cottage starts to become audible
>Next thing you know, you’re in front of her house
>You grip the ball between your fingers for a sec, then tuck it firmly under your arm
>You breathe deeply, then knock on her door
>Silence for a second
>”Who is it?”
…Fluttershy, it’s me.
>A little more silence
>”…I’m sorry, but I don’t recognize your voice.”
It’s me… Anon.
>There’s a longer pause
>”…ha ha, very funny. You don’t need to tease me about it, you know…”
No, Fluttershy, I’m serious. It’s me, I’m back. Open up, please.
>You bounce your basketball a few times. Maybe that’ll trigger something
>One more bit of silence… then the sound of locks turning can be heard
>The door creaks open a little bit
>There she is… the traumatizing yellow mare herself, Fluttershy
>Not that you’re traumatized or anything
>She gazes up at you, same as all the other p0nies
>You stare back
>You could cut the tension with a knife
>”…you’re not Anon.”
I am Anon.
>”But… but Anon is small and cute, and sweet… you’re… you’re big, and… strong and… ”
>She starts mumbling
I grew up.
>She looks deep into your eyes
>Very deep, like she’s trying to grasp at something in your consciousness
>She gazes over to the basketball
>She studies your face
>You think she’s making the realization
>It really is you
Fluttershy, we need to talk.

End of Part 6