Friendship Truly is Magic: Return

PART 2

>It's been three years since you've been to this place.
>Just thinking about this place makes your blood somehow boil and run cold at the same time.
>You really didn't want to come here, but...
>"I know that look, Anon. You can't keep running from this..."
>The voice snaps you out of your thoughts, and you look over to the seat next to you.
>Silver Bit. A sweet, silver-coated unicorn you met her after you ended up in a small city on the other side of the Everfree.
"I... I know that, Silver. It's just..."
>"It's hard, I know..." she finishes for you.
>You look out the window, watching the scenery whisk by.
>You start thinking back on what happened.
>You showed up in Ponyville about 5 years ago, with no explanation.
>You lived in Ponyville for about two years. You even had your own house, all paid for.
>Overall, ponies didn't like you much, being such a freaky outsider, but you still quickly made friends.
>Or so you thought.
>By accident, you found out what they really thought of you; they hated you. They only pretended to be your friends out of pity.
>You were barely holding on from your situation to begin with, and learning that just broke you.
>You did the only thing you could think of; you packed your things and left in the night. If they didn't want you around, then they'd get what they wanted.
>With a stroke of luck, and the help of a friend, you made your way through the Everfree Forest, and find a small city on the other side.
>And that's where you met Silver Bit. She lent you a helping hoof and go your back on your feet.
>She got you a job as her assistant in her workshop, mostly doing paperwork and stuff like that, but work was work.
>You got yourself a house, and everything looked like it was going well, until you realized thing were going exactly like they had before.
>You started shutting ponies out, even Silver Bit, until she pried the whole story from you, and she set out to prove you wrong. You're glad she did.
>Things started looking better and better as time went on. You made real friends.
>But you still couldn't get over what happened.
>Getting out of there helped, but you aren't sure if you'd ever get over it.
>You still cry about it sometimes, and see those ponies in your sleep.
>So now, three years later, Silver's dragged you onto a train bound for Ponyville, with the intent to face everypony.
>She says that facing them and getting closure will help you get over it, for good. You're not sure you believe her, though.
>She nudges you with her hoof.
>"It'll be fine, Anon. I'm here for you." she tells you with a reassuring smile.
>You look back out the window, and you can see Ponyville on the horizon.
>There's no turning back now.
>Both you and Silver Bit sit in silence for the rest of the trip.
>As you approach the town, you start getting more nervous and you fidget in your seat.
>You feel her hoof on your hand, but you don't pay it any mind.
>What are you even going to do when you get there?
>You can't just ignore them, you're here to confront the issue.
>Will they even remember you? Did they even find the note you left them?
>The plan, as far as you were told, was to find each pony individually and basically show them that you're doing fine without them. That no matter what they had done to you, you came out on top.
>But you're not sure how you're supposed to even do that.
>Yell at them and get angry? Act smugly and condescending? Give them a taste of their own medicine?
>It's been three years. You're less mad about the whole situation and more upset.
>You don't know if you'd be able to be an asshole right back at them.
>Sure they'd deserve it, but...
>You feel the train slow down, and it brings you out of your thoughts.
> You look out the window; the train's pulled in to Ponyville Station.
>You shoot Silver Bit a worried glance, and she nods.
>"It's showtime, Anon."
"Yeah. Showtime."
>You step off the train with Silver Bit, and look up at a hanging sign.
"Welcome to Ponyvile."

>The two of you step out of the station, and you take everything in.
>The place looks just about the same. Except, you know, the giant crystal castle in the center of town.
>You had heard that there was a big thing that happened while you were gone, involving some goat/centaur/demon thing that was stealing magic from everyone. Twilight and her friends all fought against it and saved the world again.
>You hate hearing news like that. The fact that those assholes are the ones always saving the world both drives you up the wall and depresses you.
>That ponies who can be so heartless to a nobody like you getting involved in all sorts of heroics.
>Silver Bit notices your discomfort "Come on, Anon. You'll have to get it together if we want to show them you're doing fine!"
>You nod, and look around. You're not sure who you should start with.
>There's Rarity, who was always more vocal about her...distaste of you.
>Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, who surprised you the most with their behaviour.
>Applejack, the element of honesty, you found funny considering she lied about being your friend for two years.
>Rainbow Dash didn't surprise you much, considering how much of an ass she was to you in the first place.
>And Twilight Sparkle... Rather, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.
>You frown, just thinking about the irony there. You think you'll save her for last.
>You're about to ask Silver Bit for her advice, when a quiet, high pitched noise catches your attention, quickly getting louder and louder.
>And then you're knocked over onto the floor by a pink blur.
>You're not sure if it's just the fact that whomever it is is talking too fast, or the fact your head hit the dirt, you're having a hard time understanding what they're saying.
>"What the hay are you doing?!" you hear Silver Bit yell.
>Once you calm down a little, you finally can tell who the assulting pony is; Pinkie Pie.
>Your decision's been made for you, it seems.
>Silver Bit pulls Pinkie Pie off of you with her magic, and drops her unceremoniously on the ground.
>You rub the back of your head, not really paying much attention to the two ponies firing off at each other.
>You stand up, and dust yourself off.
"Hello, Pinkie Pie..."
>Pinkie stops mouthing off at Silver Bit, and looks at you with tearful eyes "N-Nonny...! I-I can't believe it! You're alive!"
>Your confusion must be very apparent, because Pinkie Pie just continues on "Wh-When we found that letter in your house, saying that you left into the Everfree, we went looking for you, and we couldn't find you or a body, so we thought you were dead, and... and..."
>Pinkie can't keep going, and just starts bawling right there, and yelling "I'm sorry!", over and over.
>You don't know how to react to this. She's just spewing all this at you and you can't handle it.
>Silver Bit notices your discomfort, and grabs Pinkie's sobbing maw, and shuts her up "Hold on, you don't get to cry like that, after what you did to Anon!" She then lets go of Pinkie Pie and looks over to you "Let her have it!"
>You stop and stare at Pinkie Pie, and she just stares back with watery eyes.
>The silence hangs, and you notice that your commotion's drawn a bit of a crowd. You sigh.
"...Not out here. Pinkie, you still work at Sugarcube Corner, right?"
>She nods silently.
"Then we'll talk there."
>She stands up and asks "Sh-Should I get the girls?"
>You shake your head.
"Hell no. We're doing this one-on-one."
>You don't think you'd be able to keep your nerve facing all of them at once.
>The three of you ignore the crowd and make your way across town and to the shop.
>When you step inside, you see that everything is exactly how you remember it.
>You kinda hoped that everything would look different, so that you wouldn't feel like you never left.
>Pinkie follows in after you, and says "W-We can go upstairs to talk..." quietly.
>You nod, and look over at Silver Bit.
"Do you mind waiting down here?"
>She gives you a worried look "Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"Yeah... I think so."
>She nods her head, and goes take a seat in a booth to wait.
>You look back at Pinkie Pie.
"Lead the way."
>Her head droops sadly as she leads you upstairs. She looks back at you and says "If it's not too much trouble... Could we do this quietly? The babies are sleeping..."
"You're a mom, Pinkie?"
>She shakes her head "No no, they aren't mine... They're Mr. and Mrs. Cake's."
"Ah."
>You both reach her bedroom, and she offers you a seat on her bed. She sits on the floor.
>You could cut the tension with a knife.
>You take a deep breath, and begin unloading everything on her.
"Pinkie Pie. What you and the others did... it broke me. It broke me and I don't know if I'll ever even forgive you all for it. I was ripped away from my world, with nothing left but what I had on me at the time. I never expected everyone to like me, but you and the Elements... You all made me feel welcome. You helped me get on my feet. But it was all a lie. When I left Ponyville, I thought I was just going to be a lost cause, wandering around aimlessly until I died. But I wasn't, and I didn't. I made my way through the forest, and made some real friends on the other side. It took me some time, but I overcame it. I'm here to tell you that no matter what you say, or what you think, I succeeded and made friends. I made a life for myself. So there."
>You stare down at Pinkie Pie, but she's not even looking at you. She's staring at the floor in sadness.
>"...I'm sorry." she whimpers "I know you don't want my apology, but I want you to know... you're always going to be my friend." she starts.
>And that's when the tears start coming "I know I said that I thought you were boring... and that you weren't fun... I know I said some mean things back then, but I want you to know that I always thought of you my friend, and while I'm sad that you don't want to be friends with me, I'm happy you found friends of your own..."
>She looks up at you through her whole bit, and you just stare back. You're not sure how to take this, so you sorta get upset.
"Got dammit... You're not allowed to say shit like that! You're not allowed to make me feel bad for coming back here to show you all how well I'm doing!"
>You throw your hands up in the air with a huff and get up. You're about to leave, when you hear Pinkie start giggling to herself.
"What the hell's so funny?"
>She's giggling through her tears "I can't help it...Your fits were always so adorable... I missed them."
>You sigh inwardly. You were either expecting them to be completely devastated, or mad at you. Not understanding at sad!
"Whatever... I said what I need to say. I need to go find the others. Are they still doing the same thing they used to?"
>Pinkie wipes the tears from her eyes "Yeah, they are... Except for Twilight. She's a princess now! Big crystal castle and everything..."
"Alright, thanks..." you tell her curtly, before starting to make your way out.
>When you get downstairs, you go find Silver Bit, and make your way to her booth.
"Having fun?" you ask, looking at the plate full of pastries on her table.
>"Come on, I've been good with my diet! I can afford to cheat!" she snaps back with a full mouth. She gulps down her food "But enough about that... How'd it go up there?"
"It was... weird. I'll tell you about it later." you sigh.
>She gives you a quick nod, and gets out of the booth "I'll hold you to that. Let me just go pay, and we can go find the next pony."
>You watch Silver Bit walk to the counter, and talk with Mr. Cake, when you notice Pinkie walk down the stairs and start making her way towards you.
>"Hey, Nonny...?"
"...Yeah?"
>She plays with her hooves "I was just wondering... Could I come along with you today? It's been three years, and we all thought you were dead, and..."
>She loses her voice, muttering something quietly and averting your gaze.
>You sigh. Do you really want to?
"...Fine. So long as you keep quiet, okay?"
>Pinkie's face stretches into a grin that threatens to split her face in two, and she starts nodding quickly.
>Silver Bit makes her way back to the two of you, and gives Pinkie a look of disgust "What is she doing here?"
>You quickly explain the situation, and tell her that Pinkie's coming too.
>She looks between the both of you "Are you... sure that's a good idea? I mean... She /was/ one of the ponies who-"
"I know, I know. But if she stays quiet, I don't care. It's a free country." you cut her off.
>She shakes her head "If you're sure..."
>The three of you make your way outside, and you lose yourself in your thoughts again.
>Nothing's been going as expected today, what with Pinkie's reaction, and even how you're taking all this.
>You basically scrap whatever plans you had for handling this; clearly, you'll just have to wing it.
>And speaking of 'winging it', you notice Rainbow Dash on a cloud, napping.
>Again, it seems the choice has been taken away from you.

>You sigh and look around. You don't exactly want to draw attention to yourself, but you want to call her down somehow.
>You eyes are drawn to a cart nearby. Pulling out a bit, you buy a cabbage off from the confused merchant, and toss it up and down in your hand.
>Silver Bit ears perk up, and she gives you a worried look "Anon, think about what you're-"
>It's too late, it's already happening.
>You've reared back, and drudged up your memories of high-school gym class, and baseball pitch that cabbage right at the cloud.
>It whips through the air, and clocks Rainbow Dash right in the back of the head.
>She yelps, starts flailing on her cloud, and falls through in a fit. You can't quite make out what she's saying, but they sound like the typical pony-friendly obscenities.
>"Nonny, why would you do that?!" Pinkie groans, her ears flattening against her head.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time!"
>Her head whips around, looking for the perp, when her eyes land on you, and she freezes.
>She slowly flutters down to the ground "...Anon?" she asks, disbelief in her voice.
>You cross your arms and walk on over to her.
"Rainbow Dash, we need to talk."
>She just stares at you in disbelief, her face shifting around through various emotions, eventually settling on angry.
>She rears her hoof back and punches you in the gut. "Y-YOU JERK! WHERE THE HAY WERE YOU, WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"
>You try to say something else, but she punches you again "I-I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU... YOU..."
>She punches you again and again, getting weaker and weaker as she gets misty eyed "Everypony was so worried..."
>Again, you're caught off guard. They're not supposed to be crying! This isn't how this was supposed to go!
"Rainbow Dash, come on. Let's go find someplace to sit down, we need to talk."
>She looks like she wants to say something else, but keeps her mouth shut.
>You lead her to a bench nearby, and the two of you sit down. You see Silver Bit encouraging you from afar with Pinkie Pie.
>You take a deep breath and begin.
"Rainbow Dash, you were always at least kinda mean to me. I understand that I was a new, weird face, but you had given me the impression that you at least tolerated me, if not thinking that I was okay. But you betrayed my trust. You pretended to be my friend, only to say horrible things behind my back."
>"What?! You-"
"I'm not done!" you cut her off.
>She shuts up again.
"Anyway... I was already close to breaking, what with losing everything from my old life, but you all broke me, bringing me up only to drop me down. But I persevered. I made it, and I'm back to show you all that I made some real friends. Some friends that actually like me. That despite it all, I won. So there."
>Rainbow Dash is giving you an annoyed glare for interrupting her "Finished?"
"Yes. Yes I am."
>"Good. Anon, you're a bucking idiot." she says "Sure, I might not have always liked you much, but you kinda grew on me. Sure you had your faults, but we still liked you! Rarity just wanted to gossip about dating you!"
"Are you actually serious, or are you just trying to cover your own ass?"
>She swats you again "I'm the Element of Loyalty, you dolt! I wouldn't throw my friends under the train!"
>You wince and rub your arm.
>The two of you sit in silence for a few moments, before Rainbow speaks up again "...I'm sorry, Anon. I know it's like, three years too late, but I'm sorry."
>She looks up at you "I said some things that I shouldn't have, and you got hurt for it. After we found your letter... We kinda panicked. We spent the better part of 6 months combing the Everfree looking for you, because we wanted to fix things, but we couldn't find you..."
>You sigh. Pretty much the same thing Pinkie told you earlier. Part of you thinks that they're telling the truth. Another part of you doesn't want to believe them, so you can feel justified in your revenge scheme.
>Rainbow pulls you back into the conversation "What, nothing to say?"
"How could I? I've just spent three years thinking that the only friends I had in this world were just out of pity, and that they all hated me. Like I said, for all I know, you all could just be covering your asses now that you've been caught!"
>She just groans "Look, we're going in circles..." she says quietly "So... Are you gunna accept the apology or not?"
>She gives you a sad look, but you just shake your head.
"I can't..."
>She sighs "I didn't think so..." She shakes her head "...Are you going to go see Twilight? She's the one who took you leaving the worst..."
"I'm saving her for last... And I'd appreciate it if you kept quiet about me being in town to the others."
>"And why would I do that?"
"Because you owe me, and because I don't want anyone preparing themselves for me."
>She mutters something under her breath, before simply saying "Fine..."
>You get up off the bench, and stretch.
"Alright, Rainbow, I'll see you tomorrow..."
>She perks up "Where are you going?" she asks.
>You point up at the sky, getting her to look up.
>The sun's a good way across the sky; you'd guess about 5 in the afternoon.
"It's getting a little late. Silver Bit and I need to find an inn or motel or something to stay in for the night. We got into town a little late, after all."
>"Oh..." Rainbow Dash gets up off the bench, and follows you as you walk back towards Silver and Pinkie "So who's Silver Bit?"
"My best friend... I met her in Rocky City, on the other side of the Everfree. She helped me get on my feet, so to speak."
>"Ah..."
>The two of you reach the others, and you leave with Silver Bit to find someplace to stay overnight.
>...

>It doesn't take long, and you both get settled in the bedroom.
>Silver Bit looks you over "So, will you tell me how your talks went?"
>You sigh and sit down on your bed.
"They... They seemed to feel bad about what they did..."
>"Well they should, what they did was horrible!"
"No, I mean... They say that they weren't really serious... That they were just joking around."
>Silver Bit notices the discomfort on your face "You're not sure if you believe them..."
>You nod quietly, then hold your face in your hands.
"Silver... What am I supposed to do?"
>She sighs and shakes her head "I don't know, Anon... This is all on you..."
>You lean and fall back on the bed, sinking into it's plush mattress.
"Thanks for that..."
>"...Anon, do you want to... go get something to eat?" she asks, after a moment of silence.
"No thanks, I'm not hungry..." You reply, curling up on the bed "I'm pretty tired, actually..."
>Silver Bit gives you a sad look, before stepping out of the room and leaving you to your thoughts.
>You lie there, thinking back on what happened today, but you lose track of time and sleep overtakes you. You'll just have to figure this out tomorrow.
>...

>The next day comes by, and you wake up bright and early. So early, in fact, the sun's just barely over the horizon.
>You grumble quietly to yourself, having gotten barely a wink of sleep.
>You look over to the bed next to yours, and see that Silver Bit is still sleeping.
>You take a quiet shower, and see that she still hasn't woken up.
>Better not wake her. You decide to write a note, saying that you've gone for some fresh air, then you leave.
>Ponyville always used to be so quiet at this hour, and you're sorta glad that hasn't changed.
>At least you won't be drawing much attention to yourself.
>You find a bench to sit on, and you take in that crisp, morning air.
>Your mind wanders, thinking about what happened yesterday.
>You still don't know how you should take all this. Should you even bother with the others? Will their reactions be the same?
>You feel your resolve waver. And considering how much you didn't really want to do this before, you're close to turning around back to the inn, waking up Silver Bit, and leaving.
>You start wandering aimlessly, until you reach the boarder of Applejack's farm. In the distance, you can see somepony sitting on a porch swing in front of the house.
>You consider turning around and leaving, but you remember that this is why you're here in the first place.
>Silver Bit brought you here to face the Elements, and prove that you're doing well without them. If you turned back now, you'd have wasted her time.
>The thought of disappointing her like that upsets you more than it should.
>You smack your cheeks a few times to wake yourself, and then walk out towards the house.
>When you get closer, you realize that it's Granny Smith on a porch swing.
>She doesn't notice you walking up to her, and you cough in your hand.
"Excuse me, Ms. Smith?"
>The old mare perks up, and gives you a quizzical look. She sits there and stares at you for a few moments, before it dawns on her who you are. "...Anonymous? I'zzat you?"
>You nod. And before you know it, a small smile finds it's way on your face.
"Yeah... I'm a little surprised you still remember me, Ms. Smith."
>She laughs "Ah may be gettin' old, but Ah'll always remember yer funny mug!"
>You can't help but laugh either. No matter how any other ponies seemed to treat you, Granny Smith was always nice enough.
>She pats the seat next to her on the porch swing "So, ya gonna sit down, or are ya gonna just stand there all day?"
"I... suppose I can sit for a bit."
>You gently take a seat on the porch swing, and it creaks gently.
>She laughs "Don't feel too bad. You've jus' grown a bit since Ah last saw ya!"
>You're about to answer, when  you see she cocks her head and gives you a bit of a look "By the way, Ah guess this means yer back from your trip?"
>You pause for a moment. That's right, Granny did know you were leaving.
>You think back to that day, three years ago. The only reason you were able to make it out there was because of a friend; Granny Smith. She's the one who told you about the city on the other side of the forest, and how to get there.
>She told you of a zebra named Zecora that lived in the forest,  who taught you how to avoid the animals in the forest.
>Only problem is, you lied about why you were leaving. Sure, you got her to keep quiet about you leaving, but...
>You did feel a little bad about just telling her that you were going on a secret trip.
"Yeah... About that... Ms. Smith, I-"
>"Oh, enough of that talk! Call me Granny!"
"Right, Granny... Anyway, I hadn't been completely honest with you... I wasn't gone on a trip."
>"Ah figured. Ya don't just go on a 'trip' and not tell anypony." she says with a chuckle "Ah just figured ya weren't comfortable talkin' about it."
>Huh. She's sharper than you thought she was.
"Right... Well, the real reason I left... had to do with the Elements... Including your granddaughter."
>You pause, wanting to see her reaction.
>"Well? What was it?" she asks.
>You sigh and begin your explanation.
>Granny Smith sits quietly, and listens to your story.
"...And that's the whole story."
>You both sit quietly for a little while, and you wait for Granny Smith to react.
>She sighs. "...Ah have a hard time believin' you, Anonymous. That jus' doesn't sound like my Applejack."
"I know... I had a hard time believing it too, but I heard her say it myself, to the others..."
>You palm your hands in your face.
"I'm running out of confidence... I'm not even sure what to do anymore..."
>Granny Smith just shakes her head "Ah'm sorry, sonny. Ah can't help you with that. Ah'm still not even sure Ah really believe you."
>You sigh.
>You're about to ask her something else, when you hear the front door open, and out comes Applejack. She yawns, and rubs her eye with her hoof "Granny? What're ya doin' out here? Ah heard you talking to some...pony..."
>She stops, when she sees you.
"...Hey Applejack."
>...

>The sun shines in your eyes, finally stirring you from your sleep.
>You are Silver Bit, and you wish that you had the chance to sleep in a little longer, but if the sun's already up, it's probably time for you to get up as well.
>You stretch and yawn, thinking back to last night.
>You wish you could give Anon more help with this. You wish that you weren't just stuck waiting on the sidelines as he does this himself.
>But you can't. Anon needs closure, and doing it for him would be counterproductive.
>You look over to your left. Anon always did look kinda- he's not there.
>Anon's not in his bed.
>You spring out of bed, and quickly look around the room.
>Bathroom? Empty too.
>Your eyes wander around the room in a bit of a panic, when you notice a note on the nightstand. You pick it up and read it.
"Hey Silver,
Gone out for some fresh air. Didn't want to disturb your sleep so I left you this note.
Signed, Anon."
>You sigh. Thank Celestia, he left a note.
>You kinda wish he would have woken you up, in hindsight, but it doesn't matter at this point.
>You decide a shower before your search for Anon is in order, and make your way back into the bathroom.
>You step into the tub and turn on the hot water. Showers were probably your favorite part of waking up in the morning. The water always felt nice, and it helped you think.
>Your mind drifts back to Anon.
>He's come a long way, hasn't he?
>When he came to Rocky City, he was kind of a gibbering mess. You weren't even sure if you could help him at all.
>You're glad you persevered, though. Anon's actually rather nice. It still shocks you that anypony could say such hurtful things about him, even if they were joking.
>You shake your head. If it were up to you... You don't really know what you would do to them.
>You just know that you'd let them have it.
>Anon's being too forgiving, bless his soul.
>Well, he's not actually forgiving them... But he's still being too nice. You wish he'd be a little more forceful about it.
>You finish your shower, gather your things, and before long, you're out and about in Ponyville. Folks are just starting to come out of their homes, and you still haven't found Anon.
>Sure, they guy you're looking for is a six foot tall human among 3 foot tall ponies, but you're just one mare.
>You sigh. You don't remember Ponyville being this big. At least, not since the last time you were here. Which was a long time ago. Whatever.
>You shake your head. He has to be somewhere.
>You're trying to think of where Anon could be, but there's not much that you can think of.
>You arrive at the park and glance around. This is where he had his talk with Rainbow Dash yesterday. You don't see him. Horsefeathers.
>You keep walking for a little longer, until something catches your eye.
>Off in the distance, you see an old looking house. The plant life around it seems to be growing rampant, and it looks like the house hasn't been even looked at in years.
>Curiosity gets the better of you, and you find yourself at it's doorstep, and that's when you notice something written on the mailbox.
>Anonymous. This was Anon's house, when he lived in Ponyville!
>You start weighing your options. You want to keep looking for Anon, but you don't know if you'd get this chance again. You're sure he probably wouldn't want to revisit the old memories in his house.
>Then again, you argue with yourself, he /is/ here to do exactly that; revisit and face old memories. Maybe he stopped by here, faced with the same curiosity you are?
>You pause, and eventually your curiosity wins out.
>You try the door, and notice that it's unlocked. That...angers you for some reason. They find out he's missing, and don't even bother to lock the door? What if somepony went through his things?!
>...Like you're planning to do.
>You stop yourself after setting hoof in the house.
>It... It wouldn't be right to look through his stuff. Sure, if would maybe help you understand him better, but it'd be a breach of his trust.
>Now that you've really stopped to think about it, the most you can allow yourself is to look, not touch. So you step further inside, and take a look.
>Everything is so dusty. It's disrespectful of them to leave his house in such a state...
>You look around; He has a surprising number of books in his house. You never really took him for much of a bookworm.
>Then again, he had mentioned that he spent a lot of time alone at home. Maybe he just read to pass the time?
>It saddens you to think that, to avoid ponies that didn't really want him around, he had to hole himself up like this.
>You make your way into the kitchen, to see it bare. You can't tell if Anon emptied it before leaving, or if other ponies came in and emptied it.
>You hope it's the former. You don't like the idea of strangers having rooted through his things, even if it's just his food.
>You shake your head and make your way upstairs. His bedroom is before you now.
>Things don't look like they've been moved here, either. You see some kind of backpack of his on the floor, however, empty but covered in dust.
>You don't remember Anon bringing much with him, all those years ago, but you might be wrong...
>Either way, there are still plenty of things left haphazardly in his room. It looks like there was some kind of scuffle, almost.
>You take one more look around and see some glass bottles littered on the floor. You pick one up with your magic, and read the label. "Apple Family Cider". You didn't know Anon used to drink, because he certainly doesn't now.
>You'd like to ask him about it, but...
>You look out the window. You can't tell Anon you looked in his old house. You sigh and make your way back outside.
>Enough time has passed, you think, for Anon to maybe have started looking for the other Elements on his own.
>...Maybe.
>Either way, you don't have any more of a lead now than you did before.
>You start making your way through town, and you start to think; Which one would he more likely go visit? There's Fluttershy, who's quiet and timid. He could have gone there for an easy out, of sorts.
>Then again, there's Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. Maybe he wanted to get the two harder options out of the way first?
>Your mind drifts back to the bottles of Cider you saw in his room. You vaguely recall Anon mentioning that he had a pretty good relationship with the Apple family. At least, before the incident.
>You decide that would be your first choice since, if you remember correctly, that's the closest one. You quicken your pace, and head for the farm.
>Upon arriving at their property, you look up at the house on the hill and you notice a tall figure in the distance, and a pony.
>That's gotta be Anon. But it looks like there's something going on.
>You aren't completely sure, but... It looks like they're fighting!
>Oh no. Their argument's taken a turn for the worse! Applejack mustn't have taken Anon's return well... And Anon's really not much of a fighter! If something were to happen to him...
>You don't want to think about it.
>You run out onto the property, and you hope you can stop the fight on time.
>When you start getting close, you see Anon and Applejack running at each other, and rearing to attack. Without thinking, you scream.
"STOOOOOP!"
>The two of them stop in their tracks and turn to look at you. You notice both Applejack and Anon are both at least a little bruised and worse for wear.
>Anon smiles when he sees you "Hey, Silver Bit, I-"
>You can feel yourself getting red in the face.
"D-Don't you 'Hey' me, mister! What do you think you're doing, going off on your own like that! And fighting her, what in Celestia's name are you thinking?! Do you have any idea what I'd do if I found you hurt, or worse....?" You yell at him.
>He gives you a bashful look "S-Sorry... Silver Bit, let me explain..."
>He sits you down, but you can't stop glaring daggers at Applejack.
>You feel him grab your face, and turn it to face him "Silver Bit, look at me."
>You blink. He's certainly being more forceful.
>He shakes his head "Applejack and I... We had our talk already, and..." He stops, hesitating.
"J-Just tell me what happened."
>He gulps "W-Well... It was all her idea!" he says, passing the blame to Applejack.
>Her ears perk up "Hold on, Ah-"
>You shoot her a look.
>She gulps "H-Hey, wait just a minute... No need fer such a scary face!" She sighs "Anon told me about everything, and... Ah offered to help him let out some steam!"
"Wh-What...?"
>Was she saying what you thought she was saying?
>"Ah told him he could fight me to let loose! Y-Ya know, let some of the pent up anger out!" she explains.
>You sigh. That probably could have been worded better, but you're still upset.
>"Silver Bit, I'm sorry to have made you worry like that..." Anon apologizes.
>You look back at him, and you can't help but smile a little.
"...I-It's fine. Just don't go fighting other ponies again!"
>He nods, and the two of you get up. He dusts himself off, and looks back at Applejack
>"So... We even sugarcube?" she asks him.
>Anon pauses for a moment "...Probably. I still need to finish with the others."
>She nods "Ah understand... Either way, you're welcome on mah farm anytime."
>He nods, and the two of you head back into town, to look for another Element of Harmony.
>You sigh and shake your head.
>You hate that Anon went and got into a fight, but...
>You look up at him as the two of you walk.
>He might look a little bruised, and a little tired, but he's got a smile on his face. He looks happy.
>You can't help but smile a little, too.
>It seems like he's finally making real progress.
>He looks down and sees you staring up at him. You quickly look away.
"A-Anon, it's almost lunchtime... You wanna go get some lunch and take a break? You look a little tired."
>He scratches rubs his arm, where there's a bruise, and says "Yeah... I think that might be a good idea."
>You nod, and take a look around. You spot a cute, little, open-air restaurant, and lead him to a seat.

"So... Before a waiter comes by, do you mind telling me more about what happened with Applejack?"
>He sighs, and nods "I... I guess? There's not much to say..." He rubs one of his bruises again "I mean, I showed up at the farm, had a talk with Granny Smith, and then Applejack came out. She took it all... surprisingly well, actually." he begins.
>You listen to him talk, as the waiter comes by, and you order the two of you some salads.
>"...And after my rehearsed speech, She kinda just nodded, said she understood, and we kinda just... sat there, the three of us, for a little while."
>You nod. Sounds like things went just about the same as the last two-
>"After that, she went inside, and we shared some apple fritters..."
"..."
>"...What's with that face?" he asks you.
>You're making a face?
>He gives you a bit of an odd look, but before he can say anything about it, the food arrives.
"...It's nothing. Please continue."
>He shakes his head, takes a fork full of salad before starting again "Anyway, after that we-"
>You roll your eyes.
"Please don't talk with your mouth full."
>"Sorry." he says bashfully. He stops, chews his food, and swallows.
>"Anyway, so after breakfast, we kinda hung out a little longer, she convinced me to fight her, and that's when you came in."
>You nod, chewing your food.
"And that's it? You were out and about for a long time this morning."
>He nods "Like I said, we ended up just sitting in silence for a good while."
>You sit there quietly, and keep eating you salad.
>A few moments pass, when you notice a buttery yellow pegasus seems to be staring nervously at you and Anon from another table. You have to admit, she looks a little familiar...
"Hey Anon..." you whisper, trying not to look at the pony "Don't stare at her, but do you recognize that yellow pegasus over there?"
>He cocks a brow and, as subtly as he can, he peeks over at the other table. His mood sours a little "That would be Fluttershy. I guess she's the next Element I'll talk to..."
>You narrow your eyes a little bit.
"I thought I recognized her..."
>You look over again, and you see the cautious-looking pegasus get up and slink over to your table.
>"Uh-Um... E-Excuse me... It's you, isn't it Anon?" she asks.
>You're about to say something when Anon cuts you off "Yeah, it's me Fluttershy."
>Fluttershy gets misty eyed, and starts quietly babbling about something that you can't quite make out. Anon doesn't seem to be having much trouble, though.
>"Yeah, yeah, Fluttershy, calm down. We need to talk, anyway."
>Fluttershy mutters something else through her tears, and Anon shakes his head "Just... grab a chair and sit at this table."
>This seems to make her more uncomfortable, but Anon shakes his head "No no, just get the chair and sit down."
>You give Anon a bit of an odd look. You figure Anon's 'fight' with Applejack's made him a little bit more assertive.
>Maybe it's just the high, or adrenaline, or whatever. You don't know how long these things last. You're not a doctor.
>Fluttershy relents, and goes to get her chair.
"So Anon... Do you mind if I sit in for this one?"
>He looks over at Fluttershy "...With her? Sure."
>You smile. You might be able to help him now!
>Apparently he had a relatively good relationship with the Apple family, and that's why that one went so easily.
>You don't know how well he got along with the others, so who knows how this will go.
>Anon looks back at you "...You okay? You're looking a little excited."
>Horsefeathers. What's with you today?
"It's nothing... I'm just glad I'll be able to watch you, this time."
>He shrugs "Ah... Well, thanks."
"...For?"
>"Having my back."
>You can't help but smile at that.
>Fluttershy was sure taking her sweet time getting her chair, but she eventually does bring it and sit down. She starts fiddling with her hooves as she looks back and forth between the two of you.
>"Fluttershy." Anon says quietly.
>He startles her a little bit, and she stares at him like he's some kind of predator.
>"...I know you're kind of a nervous wreck, so I'll do you a favour and keep this short, alright?
>She nods quickly.
>"Good. Fluttershy, you and the other girls broke me. I was already weak and cracking, having been torn from my home, thrown into this crazy ass world, and losing everything. But you girls showed me kindness and became my friends. Or so I thought. In reality, you all hid your feelings about me behind my back, so I left. Now, I've come back to rub my success in your faces. To show I'm not worthless. I've gotten a new job, a new house, and some real friends that actually care about me."
>Anon takes a breath. "So there."
>You don't bother hiding it now; you're beaming.
>Anon's standing up for himself! You're so proud!
>Fluttershy mutters something, and this time you get to say something
"Speak up, I want to hear this too!"
>Fluttershy flinches when you talk to her, and she squeaks something out.
>Anon just rolls his eyes "Fluttershy..."
>She waits a few moments before saying "...I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." then she just starts crying.
>You would feel bad if she weren't one of the ponies who broke Anon before.
>You notice that ponies are starting to look over at the three of you.
"Anon?"
>He nods, and looks back at Fluttershy "Alright, Fluttershy, we've got to get going. Take care, and don't tell the others that I'm here."
>She perks up, visibly confused "B-But why...?"
>"Because I'm meeting them all one by one. And I don't want any of you to prepare for me." he explains.
>You decide you've seen enough, and go off to pay.
>While you're paying you see Anon and Fluttershy talk about something, and Anon pats her on the head before getting up and following you, and you just frown at him.
>Anon sighs and says "Alright, we're gunna need to swing by Fluttershy's later. She said she has something for me..."
>Your frown deepens.
>"What's the matter?" he asks, looking a little concerened "Is this about the chat with Fluttershy? 'cause I thought that went well..."
>You shake your head.
"It's not that... I'm very proud that you did so well!"
>"Then what?"
"..."
>You don't know what to answer to that.
"It's... nothing. Let's just move on to the next Element."
>Anon just looks at you again, and shrugs before patting you gently on the head.
"H-Hey!"
>He smiles "Cheer up, we've only got two more to go."
>You sigh. You suppose he has a point.

>Once more, you're Anonymous.
>And you're feeling pretty good.
>It's just after noon, you've eaten, and you've taken care of another 2 elements so far.
>If you're lucky, maybe you'll clear out a third.
>You think about that for a second, and you're not sure if you're happy about that last one or not.
>Sure, on the one hand, that's one more you take care of.
>On the other, the two left are the one's you want to see the least.
>Rarity... She was always kinda a bitch to you, for sure.
>But Twilight... Rather, 'Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship'?
>With recent developments, you've come to really...
>You try to think of the right word.
>Hate sounds closest to what you'd want to call it, but you're not sure that word quite fits.
>After what she did to you, you're appalled that a pony like her could be appointed the authority on friendship.
>You stop that train of thought there.
>You're feeling too good right now to let her drag you down right now.
>You look down at Silver Bit. She's trotting along with a smile on her face. That helps you relax a little bit.
>The two of you wander for a little while, and start shooting the shit. It's nice a nice change of pace from the last few days of stress.
>Of course, good things don't last forever.
>The two of you find yourselves within sight of the Carousel Boutique.
>You sigh, trying not to look at it.
>Silver Bit, however, notices your feeble attempt at subtlety, and sighs alongside you "That's where the next Element is, isn't it."
>You nod your head.
"Rarity... Behind Twilight, the one I want to see the least."
>Silver Bit looks over at Carousel Boutique for a moment, before looking back at you "Well, we'd best go in."
>You shake your head.
"You mean, I go in."
>"Wait, what?"
"These next two... They're probably going to be ugly. I don't want you to see that..."
>Her ears fold back "But..."
"Please."
>The two of you stand in silence for a few moments, before she turns her nose up at you "...Fine, have it your way. I'll just wait out here for you with my hoof up my butt."
>You cock a brow at her, and she rolls her eyes "It's an expression."
"I know, I just... didn't expect to hear something like that from you.
>She rolls her eyes and ushers you towards the door.
>You look at the looming, wooden door before you. Well, it /would/ be looming if you weren't so much taller than ponies. The door was roughly your height.
>You take the plunge and knock on the door.
>You hear a young voice say "Coming!" from inside.
>Before you can wonder about who's voice that is, the door swings open, and you recognize the filly who opened it as Sweetie Belle.
>The two of you stare at each other for a few moments. You're a little surprised she still hadn't found her cutie mark in-
>"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
>You stand there, just staring at her. She's just... Screaming.
>You look back and Silver Bit, and she just gives you a worried shrug.
>"S-Sweetie, what's the matter?" You hear Rarity say from further in the store. You spot her walk out from a side room "What in Equestria are youaaAAAAAAAAHH!"
>And now Rarity's screaming too.
>Christ, those two have strong lungs.
>You look back at Silver Bit, shrug, then step into the shop and close the door behind you.
>The two ponies haven't taken their eyes off you, nor have they stopped screaming.
>You bring your fingers to your mouth and whistle as loud as you can.
>This seems to snap them from their trance, and they both stare at you in fear.
>"A-A-Anonymous... H-How-"
"I never died, Rarity. I just left."
>"Wh-Wha...?"
>Rarity just stares at you.
"Rarity, we need to talk."
>Rarity keeps staring at you, trying to take all of this in. It takes a minute, but she eventually composes herself and away from you. "Sweetie Belle, I'm going to need you to go up to your room."
>"B-But Rarity, we have a zombie in our house!"
>"Sweetie Belle, please. Right now."
>Sweetie Belle gulps and looks between the two of you, before hanging her head and slinking off towards the stairs. She gives one last glance back at the two of you before disappearing around the corner.
>"N-Now then." Rarity says, getting your attention "You said you had something you wished to discuss?"
>You give her a curt nod, and the two of you take a seat on her sofa.
>"Before we begin, I'd like to open with a little something I'd like to say."
>Before you get the chance to ask what she means by that, you see Rarity grab a vase off a nearby table and splashes the cold water and flowers in your face.
>"How dare you show your face back here! Everything is all fine and dandy, then you leave a shocking letter behind over some gossip! You had everypony else so worried, they barely got any sleep for /months/, looking for you! They even got me to go traipsing around in the dusty old Everfree Forest to look for you! You are a heartless brute, and care nothing for anypony other than yourself!"
>You just sit there.
>What else can you do?
>This bitch just dumped a vase on you, and tried to turn your suffering around to make herself the victim.
>If you weren't so baffled at the situation, you'd be fuming.
"I... What?"
>You can barely articulate your thoughts.
>"Hmph. I didn't expect a brute like you would understand. I never did take you for being very bright."
>You're pretty sure you're now you're fuming through the baffle.
"Okay, what the fuck."
>"What language! And I would have pinned you for a pony who would understand at least that much."
>Okay, now she's just taking potshots.
"Hey, I'll have you know-"
>"And another thing! You wrote in your letter that you were leaving because nopony liked you! If ponies didn't like you, you simply should have done something about it to change their outlook, or just taken it on the-"
>You slam your hands down on the table, nice and loud.
>You've had enough.
>The noise cuts Rarity's rant short, startling her "What are you-"
"Okay, no, this shit won't fly." You look her straight in the eyes and say "I refuse to sit here like a little bitch at take that shit from you, of all ponies!"
>"Anonymous, you-"
"Shut up! When I got brought here by whatever the fuck it was that did it, I lost EVERYTHING! My friends, my family, my life, EVERYTHING! I showed up here with literally nothing but a backpack of now-useless notes from my classes, a dead laptop, and the clothes on my back!"
>Rarity seems taken aback at your outburst.
>Good.
"I never expected anyone to actually take a liking to me, some freaky alien man, in this place. But when you 6 showed some kindness to me, I thought that I'd maybe have someone I could depend on. Some small, bleak, glimmer of hope..."
>You can feel yourself getting misty eyed.
"But you all took that hope away from me! Took it away and just... heartlessly crushed it! Those words... I don't care if they were just gossip! If you all had problems with me, you should have told me! I always tried to do good by you ponies, but apparently you were never going to give me a chance in the first place!"
>Rarity stays quiet, watching you go.
"So how DARE you try and take the pain and suffering that I've endured and try to turn yourself into the victim! You have no idea the straight HELL my head's been through! Can you possibly imagine getting ripped out of your home, your life, your entire goddamn WORLD, dropped in someplace that's basically the reverse of everything you've ever known as true, and then the so called friends you made in this world then betray you, just when you're finally adjusting?! You can't POSSIBLY imagine that!"
>Sometime during all that, you had risen to your feet.
"Well guess what?! In the end I still win! I have REAL friends who actually give a shit, a new home, a new life, and I can actually trust these folks! So HA!"
>When the hell did your voice get so loud?
>Oh well.
"So how's it feel, knowing that no matter what you said or how you felt, that I succeeded? How's it feel to know that the 'ugly, lazy loser' pulled through?!"
>Rarity just keeps staring at you.
"What, nothing to say in your defense?!"
>Rarity looks you over "...Are you finished?"
>What.
>"It doesn't matter if you think you 'won', like this is some sort of foalish game. The point still remains that you're an immature, lazy, brutish, alien recluse."
"And the point still remains that you're a shallow, uppity bitch."
>That caught her attention. The aghast look she gives you makes you swell with confidence. "Why I never-"
"You never, what? Thought that someone would point it out? I used to see your kind all the time, back home. You're a shallow bitch whom, under the guise of 'generosity', give to others to make yourself look better. I mean, that's really what you're all about, after all; appearances. And what better way to make yourself look better than pretending to be generous? To 'give for the sake of giving'?" you say, your voice dripping with sarcasm.
>You're taking on a rather venomous tone now, but you've stopped caring about when you first started.
>"I will have you know that the Element chose me! And as an ancient, magical artifact, I'd trust it knows what it's doing!" she rebukes, glaring daggers at you.
"Pfft, sure. Let me ask you though; when was the last time you actually did something generous?"
>She looks rather confident. Let's see if you can't burst that bubble.
"And I mean a /random/ act of generosity for some /random/ pony. Doing something nice for one of your friends doesn't count."
>Rarity scoffs "I do NOT have to justify myself to you! I am a pony of high society! I am an Element of Harmony! The Element of Generosity!"
"All I see is a shallow broad!"
>"And all I see is a dumb brute!"
"Bitch!"
>"Swine!"
"Whore!"
>"Stupid monkey!"
"Ugly horse!"
>"WASTE OF AIR!"
"WASTE OF LIFE!"
>"YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE-"
>Rarity stops, and you now notice a tugging at your arm. You look back and see a rather worried Silver Bit pulling your sleeve with her magic.
>Rarity immediately starts to damage control "I-I am TERRIBLY sorry, Miss, I deeply apologize for your having to see tha-"
>"You. Shut up." Silver Bit spits with venom. She then looks over at you, and says "And you... Let's go."
>Rarity suddenly becomes rather interested with the floor, refusing to look at either of you.
>You look back and forth between the two of you, and you finally think about what just happened.
>You're legitimately surprised she got such a rise out of you...
>Silver Bit starts walking away, your arm coated in her magic, and starts leading you back out the shop.
>You hear Rarity start saying "Anonymous, I-" but Silver Bit slams the door shut behind the two of you, cutting her off.
>The two of you just start walking into town in silence.
>You don't want to look at her. You kinda lost it back there.
>...Okay, maybe more than lost it.
>You kinda fucked up, and now you feel like shit.
>You feel the tugging on your arm stop, and you notice that Silver Bit's sit down on a bench. You do the same.
>The two of you kinda look at the ground for a while, before Silver Bit sighs "So... What happened back there?"
>You cup your face in your hands.
"I...I don't even know, Silver. She just kinda pushed the right buttons, and... I snapped."
>"Snapped?"
"Like... I lost my composure, and I freaked out. She said some... less than nice things, and I wasn't getting a word in edgewise... And then I just ran out of patience and-"
>Silver Bit puts her hoof on your shoulder "Anon, it's okay, just calm down..." she says quietly.
"It's just, when we got here, I had no idea how any of these... confrontations would go... And after the others going so well, I just let my guard down... And I just couldn't handle the confrontation really going south..."
>Silver bit shakes her head "Anon, it's fine... Whatever happened, she probably deserved it."
>You finally look at her.
>"I know you, Anon. You're a sweet guy, and you don't normally blow up like that. Whatever she said must have been pretty bad."
>You don't say anything. Rarity has every right to not like you, of course. But what she said still did cross the line.
>You still wish you hadn't blown up like you did, though.
>Silver Bit looks up to the sky, and takes her hoof off her shoulder. "So..." she starts, trying to change the subject "One more left, right? The Princess?"
>You nod your head. If the meeting with Rarity went this badly, you're not looking forward to meeting with Twilight again. Not that you were very excited to meet with her in the first place, but the point still stands.
>Silver Bit looks up at you, and pauses for a moment before saying "You know, it's already a good ways into the afternoon. If you want, we can wait until tomorrow to go meet the Princess?
>Yeah, that sounds nice. You really don't want to deal with any more bullshit today.
>You and Silver Bit both get up, and wander off into town, hoping to get your mind off things.

>You are Silver Bit, and you can't help but chastise yourself.
>Sure, Anon asked to go in alone, but with what's happened to him you can't help thinking about how things could have gone if you were in there with them.
>You flick your tail back and forth in irritation. How dare that... that... harpy yell at Anon like that! She's the one in the wrong, here!
>Well, you don't know what exactly was said before the end, when you barged in, but you're sure it wasn't good.
>You feel Anon's hand on your head, and you look up at him.
>"Silver, it's... it's fine. You don't need to get upset, I'm the one who fucked it up..."
"But-"
>"Silver, I shouldn't have let her get to me. I should have just held it in, said what I had to say, and get out."
>You sigh. Sometimes he can be so self-defeating. He really is his worst enemy, sometimes.
>Look at him. He looks so depressed. You have to do something.
>You look around and notice that the two of you have reached the town park. You see foals running around, playing, and families dotted here and there on picnics.
>But one thing catches your eye; There's an unoccupied hill just up ahead. You smile and look up at Anon.
"Race ya!"
>Before he can say anything you trot off towards the hill, and before long you reach the top with him close behind.
>He pants, catching his breath "What... the hell was that about?" he chuckles.
"Doesn't matter. You had fun."
>He shakes his head and plops down on his butt.
"When we get back to Rocky City, you're gonna start hitting the gym... You're out of shape."
>Anon gasps, and brings his hand to his mouth "How dare you!" he scorns, with feigned insult "I'll have you know that round is a shape!"
>The two of you have a good laugh, and you sit down next to him.
>"...This hill's got a nice view, huh?"
>You nod.
>Despite the things you've heard of this place, what with constant monster attacks and other phenomenon, you find Ponyville a rather pretty place.
>"I remember sitting up here to watch ponies from time to time, back when I lived here."
>You perk up, and look up at him.
>He looks a little hurt, and you assume he's thinking about his time in Ponyville again.
>Time to change the subject.
"...Speaking of remembering, could you tell me some more stories about what your life was like back home? I mean, your old world home."
>Despite the fact that he's been torn away from there, Anon always seems more than happy to talk about his old world.
>He gives you an odd look "I feel like I've already told you everything, though..."
"It's fine. I like hearing about your old world. It's really interesting!"
>He scratches the back of his head for a moment, thinking about it. Eventually, though, he relents.
>"Alright, but if I'm doing a story time, you have to do a story time too.
"B-But my life's so boring!"
>He beams a grin your way "It's fine. I like hearing about your life. It's really interesting!" he says, trying to imitate your voice.
>You can't help but roll your eyes at him.
"Fine, fine. How about you talk about your childhood?"
>Anon settles into his spot, and leans back a little "Sure, I guess I can do that."
>He thinks about it for a moment before starting his story "Alright, so there was this one time, when I was like,10 or so, that a few friends and I were being dumb kids and were pretending that a fictional game was real. It was basically a game about going around, catching monsters and training them to be the strongest monsters around. So near my one friend's house, there was this forest... And we got the bright idea to bring our 'gear' with us and go exploring the forest in search of monsters."
>Oh, you remember this story! This one's really cute.
>"So we march out into the forest, with anything ranging from bug nets to plastic balls, ready to catch just about anything. We would normally stay on the path, but then my one friend pipes up and says 'Hey look, I think I saw something!' So we look over in the thick of the trees and, in fact, see something moving! Being stupid kids, we wander off the path, and go over logs and through bushes tracking this thing. We've got no idea what it is, but we're sure we can catch it. So after about 15 minutes of 'tracking',we find this little 'set-up' of fallen trees and twigs, with a pile of leaves off in the corner. We're just completely enraptured by this, so we root around in there, and I find this cane. As in, a walking stick cane. I pick it up and wave it around, and my friends think I'm so cool for it."
>You watch and laugh as Anon swings his arm around in example.
>"We start leaving the setup, when we hear some inarticulate yelling. We whip around, and see this guy with old, wrinkly, gray hair and just covered in grass, leaves and moss, running at us holding a switchblade. So we just book it and, of course, get away safely. We kinda split up and met up at a park outside the forest to get away from him. By the time we get back together, I realize that I'm still holding the guy's cane!"
>At this point, Anon's snickering as he tells the story.
>"And so, we decide it might be a bad idea to go back into that forest ever again, and we found a new place to play. If I remember correctly, we actually used that cane as a flagpole for our secret base, a few weeks after that."
>You shake your head
"Anon, you were quite the brat, as a child."
>"Maybe. I'm told I was a nice kid at heart, though."
"If you were even half as nice as you are now, you probably were."
>He laughs "Maybe."
>The two of you share a good laugh, before he looks at you and says "Okay, your turn. Something from your childhood."
>You shake your head.
"You sure? You know how boring my life is."
>Anon shrugs "I'm a hairless monkey from another universe populated by only other hairless monkeys, where everything in this world doesn't exist beyond fantasy and myth. Even mundane stuff is at least sorta interesting."
>He has a point, sorta.
>Despite how mundane Anon makes some of the stuff from his world seem, like those 'computer' things he's mentioned before, it's so alien to you that it's really interesting.
"Alright, so.... I was born and raised in Rocky City, to a pair of writers. One a columnist and the other a novelist. So of course, I spent a lot of time around books and reading them. Well, I always had an interest in finding out how things worked, so I would read a lot of informational books. One day, one of my few friends had invited me over to her place to hang out for the day, since her dad was going to be at work all day. So we start playing games in the house, and one thing led to another... And we ended up breaking her dad's favorite clock."
>You notice the weird look Anon gives you.
"I know, it's a little odd, but her dad had a hobby of collecting weird clocks. His favorite was this big, intricate monstrosity that cost about a hundred bits or something. Crazy expensive."
"Anyway, we were playing ball, it goes awry, and breaks it. In a panic, I took charge and got her to find her dad's tools, and put all my fixing knowledge to work. It took us about 4 hours to fix the damage, but afterwards, I realized that despite the panic and hurry, we had a great time fixing that clock! And then my friend points out that my flank is glowing, and suddenly, my cutie mark appears! And since then, I've been fixing machines all over town!"
>He smiles "I guess we were both troublemakers as kids." he jokes.
"Please. You were a troublemaker, I was a trouble/fixer/!"
>The both of you start laughing some more.
>You bother spend the next while just retelling stories and rlaxing.
>You realize that, before coming to Ponyville with Anon, the two of you haven't had much chance to just sit and hang out, lately.
>You've been getting a lot of work in your workshop, and Anon's been splitting his time between managing your shop and other work.
>This is really nice. You need to set aside more time to spend with Anon.
>You look back at him. He's gone off on a rant about something that happened when he was on his old world.
>You love how you can relax around him. He's smart, funny, down-to-earth, and he treats you with nothing but kindness.
>You smile. As bad as it may sound, you're a little glad that Anon went through all these bad things in his life. Otherwise, the two of you probably would never have met.
>He finishes his story, the two of you laugh some more, and you sigh.
>You look him right in the eyes.
"...Hey Anon, I-"
>"Excuse me, you're Anonymous, aren't you?" you hear a voice say from behind you.
>The two of you whip your heads around, startled.
>It's a pair of royal guards, and a pit forms in your stomach.
>"Yeah, I'm Anonymous. What do you need?"
>Maybe Rarity went to the royal guards and said something?
>Maybe she told them about their argument, and said he insulted her or something?
>She IS an Element of Harmony, after all. National heroine, a famous fashion icon, on top of other things... She might be able to pull her weight around and get Anon arrested!
>The two guards look at each other and nod "Anonymous, we're going to have to ask you to come with us."
>"Am I under arrest or something? Because of if I am I have the right to know what my charges are." Anon replies.
>The second guard shakes his head "No, you're not under arrest. However, you have been ordered to appear before Princess Twilight Sparkle, and we've been sent to retrieve you."

>What the hell.
>Not only did Twilight send Royal Guards to 'fetch' you, she thinks that she can just drag your ass around town whenever she wants!
"Look, I don't care if she 'summoned' me or not. I don't want to see her yet, so I'm not going."
>You sit back down in the grass in defiance.
>The two guards look at each other, and the first sighs "Look... Anonymous? I remember you from three years ago."
>This catches your attention.
>"I was one of the guards that had been looking for you in the Everfree. And I had heard about what happened with you. I'm not saying that what happened wasn't bad, or that you deserved it, or anything. Tartarus, I can completely understand why you wouldn't want to see her. But the fact is we're just guards, trying to do our job, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you could keep your vendetta out of this and cooperate. We'd both rather things go smoothly for you."
>You're not sure if that's a threat or genuine empathy.
>Silver Bit casts a worried glance your way "Anon... If the Princess directly summoned you, I think it might be in your best interest to go see her... No matter how much you hate her, she's still a Princess and in a high position of authority..."
>The two guards stare at you, holding their breath.
>You sigh inwardly.
>Again, Silver Bit is right. You really don't want to go right now, but you don't have much choice.
>You stand and dust off the grass on your pants.
"Fine, fine... I'll go."
>The two guards finally breath "Thank you... Please follow us."
>You look over to Silver Bit, and the two of you follow the guards through Ponyville in silence.
>You soon arrive at the large, imposing, crystal castle in the center of town. It's certainly a step up from the treebrary she had before.
"Shall we?" you ask Silver Bit, motioning towards the front door.
>"Let's." Silver Bit replies with confidence.
>The two of you take a step forward, when one of the guards stops Silver Bit. "I'm sorry, but Princess Twilight requested specifically that Anonymous was to come alone. We can't let you in right now."
>Silver Bit looks back and forth between you and the guard. "B-But..."
"Don't worry, Silver... I should be fine." you say, trying to reassure her "Thanks to our time in the park, I've loosened up a little bit... Thanks for that." you add, patting her head.
>She blushes and looks away from you "F-Fine... I'll be right here though, in case something goes wrong!"
>You give her a quick nod, and look back at the door.
>You take a deep breath, open the front door and walk right in.
>The entrance looks just like the old library, only shinier.
>Being made of crystals will do that.
>You hear footsteps from another room, and a young voice crying out "I'm coming!"
>Wheeling around the corner comes Spike, and he skids to a halt when he sees you. "A-Anon...?"
"Hey, Spike... Is Twilight home?"
>Spike's eyes start tearing up "I-Is that really you? I... We..."
>He runs over as fast as his little legs will carry him, and latches onto your leg, and just starts crying into it.
>You crouch down and hug the little guy.
>You never got to spend much time with him, but you remember you were kinda attached to him. Your little brother was just like him.
>"I-I can't believe you're back... I-I mean, I heard about what happened when you left, but..." He doesn't even finish his sentence, and ends up sobbing into your leg again.
"Calm down, kiddo... It's okay..."
>You just keep hugging him, letting him cry everything out.
>Suddenly you hear hooves clopping, and then you hear someone speak up "Spike? Is somepony here?"
>There she is, standing at the top of a flight of stairs, now staring at the two of you.
>You let go of Spike and stand up.
"So... You rang?"
>She looks at you, and you can see her face going through all sorts of emotions. Eventually, she settles on a neutral one.
>"Anonymous. As your Princess, I summoned you to my castle, as we need to talk-"
>Oh no. You're not dancing this dance.
"Drop it, Twilight. If we're going to talk, we're getting it over with right now."
>She flinches at your tone, and relents. "F-Fine... Follow me." she instructs, walking off into the other room.
>You look down at Spike.
>He wipes his eyes, and says "You better get going. Could... Could we catch up later? I have so many things I want to ask you..."
"Sure, Spike. I'm pretty sure this won't take long, anyway."
>You leave Spike be and enter Twilight's throne room.
>It looks rather large, but with the massive, round, crystal table in the center, it kinda makes it look that much smaller. She's sitting at one end, and motions towards the seat across from her when you walk in "Please, take a seat. I've been expecting you."
You pause for a second "That brings up my first question, actually; How the hell did you know I was in town, anyway?"
>Twilight blinks, taken aback by your question "What do you mean? Rarity stopped by earlier and told me you stopped by her store..."
>Fuck. Literally the only one you didn't get the chance to tell her not to talk.
>Not much you can do about it now.
>You sit down, and now you can get a better look at her. The first thing you notice is that she looks kinda... twitchy. You're not really sure how to explain it, either; It's almost like she's really tense, but not quite.
>The next is her mane. While not completely frazzled, it does look a little messy. You'd expect a Princess to take better care of her image, but it's been 3 years since you last saw her. You can't expect her to stay exactly the same after all that time.
>But still. It's throwing you off a little.
>"Thank you for coming, Anony-"
"Twilight, you sent your royal guards to drag Silver Bit and I here. Just get to the point."
>Again she stops, this time shaking her head "Right, right... Anyway, I,  Princess Twilight Sparkle, would like to formally apologize to you, Anonymous, over what happened to you three years ago."
>You can tell she's trying to be as diplomatic as possible, but to you it sounds like she's trying to distance herself from the whole thing. Like by saying it like that, it's not as personal. Either way, it doesn't sound very remorseful.
"You can cut the crap any time now. If you're going to apologize, do it right."
>It's not like you're going to be accepting it, anyway.
>Twilight thinks about it for a moment, before nodding "Right, sorry. Anon, what the girls and I said about you was mean. And we shouldn't have-"
"It's not the words you said, you idiot! It's the fact you girls pretended to be my friend for two years!"
>She shrinks a little when you raise your voice, but she doesn't break this odd composure she has.
"But that doesn't matter now. What matters is that, despite all that, I went off and succeeded. I made a life for myself with REAL friends who genuinely care about me. No matter the fact you and the girls basically betrayed me, I was able to move on!"
>Since your little... 'episode' with Rarity, you're making a conscious effort to keep yourself in check.
>She looks at you in silence, and it's unnerving you a little. At least the others had some sort of... reaction to all of this. Her? She's kinda sitting there, tense and attentive, but not much else.
>Eventually though, she smiles a little and sighs "Thank Celestia, you've forgiven me..."
>What?
"What?"
>"You said so yourself. What happened doesn't matter, and you've forgiven me! I can fix everything now!"
>The smile she's wearing while saying that doesn't sit right with you.
"Uh, no, that's not what I said. I said I moved on. I never said I'd forgive you."
>She giggles "Oh Anon, you don't need to worry about the details. I'll fix everything between us, and everything will be back to normal!"
>You don't think she's listening.
"Look, you're clearly not taking this seriously, so I'm just gonna go."
>You start getting up, when she interrupts you "Nonono, I'm taking this COMPLETELY seriously! I'm the Princess of Friendship! That means I can mend our friendships, and everything'll be okay!"
>Oh, so THAT's what this is about.
"A 'Princess of Friendship' wouldn't have done something like that in the first place, Twilight."
>She shakes her head "I wasn't a Princess back then, and I've learned my lesson! Don't worry, I can fix it!"
"Twilight, I don't even know how Princess Celestia and Princess Luna could even make you a Princess of Friendship, of all things, considering what you've done to me. It infuriates me.
>"And I understand tha-"
"Clearly, you don't."
>She sighs and shakes her head again "Anon, Anon, Anon... You don't need to get so mad. Everything will be alright, in the end." She looks out the window, at the sun. "It's already late in the afternoon, so you should probably head home for the day. Get some rest and calm your head a little bit."
>That should sound condescending to you, but the way she says it sounds... genuine.
"Twilight, I don't live here. I live in Rocky City. We were planning to leave in the morning anyway."
>"We? Oh, right, you mentioned another pony. Silver Bit, right? There should be enough room in your home for the two of you, remember?"
"...I don't follow."
>"Your home here in Ponyville! We haven't touched it since you left, so everything should still be in the right place."
>What.
"Twilight, that's not my home anymore. I abandoned it."
>"Well, you're un-abandoning it! After all, how will everything go back to normal if you're not living here in Ponyville with us?"
>Again, what?
"Twilight, no. I'm going back to Rocky City."
>She shakes her head, and takes a breath "Glimmergold? Could you come here, please?" she yells out the window.
>Glimmergold?
>A few moments later, one of the two guards from earlier walks into the throne room "Yes, Princess Twilight? How may I serve you?"
>She smiles at the guard "Glimmergold, please pass the following message around to the other guards: Anonymous is not to leave Ponyville."
"What the fuck?"
>"His friend, Silver Bit, is free to leave if..." she stops to look back out the window "...she wishes, but Anonymous is not allowed to leave Ponyville. Understood? This is a Royal Order."
>The guard hesitates for a moment, but ultimately nods "...Understood."
"Don't I get a fucking say in this?!"
>Twilight looks back at you "Not this time, Anon! I'm going to fix everything and bring everything back to normal, just you watch! You're sure to thank me for it later!"
>Your thoughts are going at a thousand miles a minute. She's literally trapping you here.
>"Now then, could you and Bronze Hoof please guide Anonymous and his friend to his home? It's getting rather late and he needs rest." she asks.
"H-Hey, screw off! I'm my own man, you're not the boss of me!"
>Your complaint goes ignored by the two, as Glimmergold starts leading you out of the castle.
>As you walk back through the library entrance, Spike tries to get your attention, but you just tell him that you'll have to talk later.
>Right now, you have more pressing matters.
>The two of you kinda walk right passed Silver Bit, and she follows after.
>"S-So? How did it go?"
>You don't even answer. You can't. Your mind is still reeling.
>Apparently, the shocked look on your face is enough of a hint "Oh no... What's wrong?"
"I... She..."
>"As per Princess Twilight Sparkle's royal order, Anonymous is not allowed to leave Ponyville, and must take up residence in his old home." explains Glimmergold.
>"...What?" Silver Bit now shares your same expression.
>Bronze Hoof and Glimmergold lead the two of you, in your stunned silence, across town, and before long your old home comes into view. The pair lead you inside and, before shutting the door behind him, Glimmergold looks back and says "I am incredibly sorry about all this..."
>You and Silver Bit are both left standing in your old living room.
"...WHAT."
>Silver Bit just kinda plops down on her rear "We...We're stuck here? In Ponyvile?"
>You can't handle this. Your mind's finally caught up to you, and you can't take it. You make your way into the kitchen. Thankfully, the tap is still running water somehow. You take a dusty glass out from the cupboard, wipe it off, and fill it with water. With a tentative sip, you realize it fine, so you drink the rest before going back to your living room and dropping down on your couch.
"No... I'M stuck in Ponyville. She told me you're allowed to leave, that I'm the only one who has to stay."
>Silver Bit seems to snap out of her funk at that "What? And abandon you? Forget that! I'm staying with you."
>You can't help but smile at that.
"Thanks... but you don't have to-"
>Silver Bit stomps her hoof on the hardwood floor "I /want/ to. You're my friend... My best friend even... I can't just ditch you like that! ESPECIALLY not now!"
>You shake your head. You're so thankful for her.
"Thank you..."
You get up and start making your way to the stairs "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."
>Her ears go back, for some reason, and says nothing as she follows you upstairs.
>You room is the same as you left it all those years ago, except for a layer of dust on everything.
"So you can take the bed, I'll just sleep on the couch. Bathroom's down the hall."
>"R-Right... Look, you don't need to sleep on the couch, it's your home! That bed is big enough for us to share..." she suggests.
>You blink. You suppose that could work, but...
>You'll be sharing a bed with Silver Bit.
>It's not like you're outwardly opposed to that or anything, but...
"Uh, sure.... We can do that."
>She perks up a little bit, and makes her way towards the bed "W-Well, I'm sorta tired already... Do you mind if I go to bed right now?"
You shake your head "Nah, go ahead... I need some time to think, anyway."
>She nods, and starts checking the bed while you leave the room.
>You make your way downstairs, and plop down on the couch.
>What the hell is Twilight thinking, doing this to you? Can she really think this will help?
>You cup your face in your hands, and groan to yourself.
>You can't stay here in Ponyville, let alone your old home! You have to many bad memories about this place.
>You get back up and make your way to the window.
>You steel yourself a little, and take a deep breath.
"I refuse to say here... Tomorrow, I find a way out of here... For the both of us."

>You are Silver Bit, and Anon's just left the room.
>You hear him walk down the stairs, and when he reaches the main floor, you sigh.
>How could this happen to the two of you? All you wanted was for Anon to confront those 6 who broke his heart...
>And now, because of you insisting on him coming here, the two of you are stuck here.
>You can't believe you've essentially dragged Anon back into his own, personal Tartarus, only to get him stuck there.
>You start checking the sheets on the bed. In three years, you never know what might have happened with these sheets; Animals, bugs, time itself?
>Thankfully, the sheets are just dusty, so you shake them off and climb into bed under the covers.
>This bed's surprisingly comfortable, and you find yourself snuggling into a bit of a groove.
>Once settled in, you start to think again.
>You think about how things would be like if you hadn't brought him here.
>Anon wouldn't have had to go through all this. He wouldn't be stuck here.
>You remain lying there for a while longer, before you notice Anon walking back in to the room.
>He doesn't see that you're awake still, and he simply turns off a light and slides under the covers next to you.
>That calms you a little bit, and you close your eyes.
>...
>Time passes, but you can't sleep. Your thoughts keep drifting back to your new situation.
>Anon is stuck here... And so are you.
>You'd rather not think about that, but you can't help it.
>Anon isn't the only one stuck here, after all.
>Sure, Princess Twilight said you were free to leave... But it's not like you can leave Anon!
>And since you can't leave him, that means you're stuck too.
>You'll have to basically start anew; You don't know anypony in town, other than Anon... And who knows if they even need a pony with your talents here in town? Would you be able to find work? Would Anon?
>The more you think about all of it, the more you come to regret ever even suggesting it.
>And part of you... Part of you regrets coming with Anon.
>Your heart aches. Even thinking that hurts you.
>Suddenly, you're stirred from your thoughts when you hear Anon mumbling in his sleep.
>He's been tossing and turning for a little while now, but you figured he might just have been restless.
>Either way, you stop to listen to what he has to say.
>You can make out much, but you keep hearing the words "no", "please", and the names of some ponies. Some of which are the Elements, a few others, then... You?
>Anon's starting to writhe under the sheets even more. He must be having some kind of nightmare!
> You roll around to face him.
>You hesitate, but you tentatively hold out your hoof, and gently hug him.
>He doesn't wake, but he does seem to calm down a little bit.
>You smile. How could you possibly have entertained the thought of not wanting to stay here?
>In fact, you even started worrying about starting over, when Anon's had to do that twice. Three, now that he's stuck here.
>That Twilight Sparkle... How could she do this to Anon?
>You pull yourself in closer to him.
"Don't worry, Anon... I'll find a way to get you... No, us... out of here."
>Steeling your resolve, you finally make peace with your thoughts and get to sleep.

>You are Anonymous, and the light from the now-rising sun is creeping into your eyes, waking you up.
>Your nightmares came back again. You sigh inwardly; While it's to be expected, having slept in this old house of yours, you're still upset that it happened at all.
>You move to sit up, when you notice a pair of hooves grappled around you.
>You carefully crane your head to the side and look at Silver Bit, sleeping soundly with a small smile on her muzzle.
>Well. This is awkward.
>You're not sure how you want to handle this.
>On the one hand, you're feeling real awkward about this, and you want to get up.
>On the other, this feels... kinda nice. You're kinda snug, and her snuggling leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy.
>You know, because of the fur.
>Ultimately, you decide to shimmy your way out from her grasp, and you slip your pillow into her open hooves. She squeezes the pillow when she takes it.
>Cute.
>You quietly make your way into the shower, and start to make a mental list of your plans for the day.
>Your primary objective: Think of some way to get out of Ponyville; Princess Twilight can't actually keep you here, can she? You hope that maybe talking to her friends might give you some insight on what to do.
>Which leads you to your secondary objectives: Spike said he wanted to catch up with you sometime, so you might as well do this today. Also, you never did go see Fluttershy at her cottage, yesterday. She told you she had a gift for you,
>Anything else you need to do?
>...Well, there's an issue about food. Your cupboards are rather bare, after three years, and you don't know how long it might take before you and Silver Bit can leave Ponyville. You'll have to go into town to buy some groceries.
>You're thinking of just leaving a note for Silver Bit and leaving on your own again, but you remember that she hadn't really appreciated that last time. You'll wait until she wakes up before heading out.
>You finish your shower, dry off and wrap a towel around yourself. You peek back into the room, and notice that Silver Bit is still sleeping. Good.
>You make your way to your old closet, and notice that your old clothes are all still here. Thank God you haven't really put on any weight in three years.
>You slip on a pair of undies and pants, when you feel like you're being watched.
>You crane your head back, and see a beet-red Silver Bit staring at you from behind the pillow she's currently holding in a vice grip.
>"Wh-What are you doing?!" she stutters.
"What?! I thought you were sleeping, and I was wearing a towel! Besides, you're a pony, aren't you naked all the time?!"
>"Are you kidding?! We have fur! Our... bits aren't just hanging out all the time!"
"God dammit..." you mutter, taking your shirt and throwing it on.
>You storm out of the room. Fuck, you're embarrassed.
>You make your way downstairs and sit down on the couch. What a way to start the day.
>A few moments later, you hear Silver Bit come down the stairs "Anon... Look, I'm sorry I kinda blew up at you upstairs... It wasn't right, you're in your own home and you can do whatever you want."
"No, no. I should have been more careful about whether or not you were sleeping."
>Silver Bit waits a moment before sitting down on the couch with you.
>The two of you sit in awkward silence before she speaks up "S-So... What did you have planned for today?"
"Well, I have a few people I need to see, and I was thinking of getting groceries done today. We don't know how long we'll be here for, so I think we should prepare for the worst."
>Her ears fold back when you say that.
"Don't worry. I'll find us a way out of here, somehow."
>You think she gives you a worried look, but you're having a hard time looking at her. Especially after what happened earlier.
>"Anyway... If it's just groceries, I could do that for you." she offers, playing with her hooves.
>That's... not a bad idea, honestly. You'd rather not have Silver Bit involved any more than she already is. It's certainly not fair to her.
>Also, you're having a hard enough time looking her in the eye as it is, you don't think you'd last all day with her.
>It's probably better to let the air thin a little bit.
>The two of you agree that it would be for the best if you went your separate ways for the day, and reconvene at home later.
>When Silver Bit makes her way back upstairs, you get up, toss on your shoes and head out.
>It's a short trip out into town, and you wonder about where to start your investigation.
>You look around, and notice plenty of ponies out and about. And you figure about three quarters of them are giving you either odd looks or trying to avoid your gaze.
>It HAS been three years. On top of that, they never really were fond of you to begin with.
>But that's okay. You don't really care for most of them anyway.
>You're about to start, when you hear someone call your name.
>You turn around, and see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash trot towards you "Uh, hey Anon! How's it... going?" Rainbow asks.
>It's clear that this is really awkward for her.
>"H-Hello, Anonymous..." Fluttershy says, with a shy smile on her face.
>Even if she is nervous, she's at least happy to see you.
"Hi girls. I'm..." you're about to answer, but words fail you.
>The girls exchange a quick glance, before Rainbow Dash urges you on "Use your words, Anon..."
>Judging by the nervous smile on her face, it's clear she's kidding.
"I'm not doing so good right now." you sigh.
>"Oh...? What's the matter?"
>You sigh and ask if the three of you can find someplace to sit down and talk. The three of you find some nearby benches, and seat yourselves.
"Okay, so... I went to talk to Twilight yesterday..." you begin.
>"Actually, that reminds me!" Rainbow Dash pipes up "I'm surprised to see you still in town. I'd have thought that you'd leave with that other pony as soon as you were done?"
>You shake your head.
"Well, that's actually why I'm in a bit of a pickle. I talked to Twilight, but something didn't seem right. After I had said my piece, she started talking about me having forgiven her, and when I tried correcting her, she started talking about 'fixing everything', and made it a 'royal decree' of some kind that I'm not allowed to leave Ponyville!"
>The girls look at each other, then back at you.
>"What?"
"Yeah, that's what I said."
>"No, no, I mean..." Rainbow Dash is at a loss for words.
>"A-Anon... No offense, but... That doesn't sound like something Twilight would do... Sorry." Fluttershy interjects, hiding behind her mane.
>Before you can get a word in edgewise, Rainbow Dash shakes her head "Fluttershy, you remember that time she thought she  would get sent back to magic kindergarten for being late on a report to Princess Celestia?"
>Fluttershy nods "O-Oh... Right."
>Rainbow shakes her head "But this doesn't make sense... Why would she force you to stay? If you don't want to live here, that's your choice!"
"Try telling HER that..." you scoff.
>"Maybe I will!" Rainbow declares, getting up off the bench and spreading her wings "I wanna hear what she has to say about this, anyway!"
>She quickly flaps her wings and takes off towards Twilight's castle.
>You slump back on the bench, making it shake.
"Honestly, I don't care that she's a Princess, she can't pull this shit... The only thing keeping me here is the fact that she's got her royal guard in on all this. Fuck..."
>Fluttershy flinches at the language, but says nothing.
"...Say, can you think of any way for me to get around this?"
>Fluttershy shakes her head "Sorry... Maybe you could ask Spike to talk to her? He is her number one assistant..."
"Still?" you chuckle.
>You actually find it hilarious that he's still 'assistant' and hasn't bumped up in rank, even with Twilight being a princess. You're just not in the mood to have your sides leave orbit.
>At least Fluttershy gets a giggle out of it.
>"W-Well, I just think he's happy being at her side."
>Yeah, you suppose that makes sense.
>The two of you sit quietly together on the bench, watching ponies go about their business, and waiting for Rainbow Dash to come back.
>Suddenly, in a blue flash, said pegasus lands with a loud thump, right in front of the two of you.
>"Okay, your story checks out... Twilight's a little... high strung about all this." she sighs.
"I could have told you that much."
>She rolls her eyes "Whatever... I'm gonna go talk to the others. I'll see what I can do about getting you and your friend home!"
>You smile. Genuinely this time.
"Thanks... If you can get this done, I'll call us even. Deal?"
>She beams "Seriously?"
>You nod. You're not sure if you actually forgive her, or if the anger you held towards her just shifted to Twilight.
>And maybe Rarity.
>Fuck her too.
>"Well, I guess that gives me even more of a reason to get you out!"
>She notices your disapproving glare. "I-I'm just kidding! I'd help you out anyway..."
>She takes off again before you can add anything else, but it's fine. You're just happy she's eager to help.
>You get up and stretch. "Going so soon?" Fluttershy asks.
"Yeah... I'm burning daylight, and I want to go find Spike. If I can find a way to get around Twilight's 'order', I want to find it as soon as possible."
>Fluttershy nods understandingly, but still looks a little saddened. "Oh, and before you go, you forgot to stop by my house yesterday... I still have that gift for you."
>Huh. You actually forgot all about that.
"Yeah, sorry... Silver Bit and I kinda got dragged off by the royal guards to my old house. I didn't get much chance to stop by."
>"O-Oh... Okay... Then could you stop by sometime today, then?" she asks.
"Yeah, sure. I can do that."
>Satisfied with your answer, the two of you part ways, and again you're on your own.
>You can't help but laugh at what's happened.
>It's weird; Two of the ponies that, just a few days ago, you were so mad at? Now you're almost buddy-buddy with them. Enough that they're willing to go against their friend Twilight's wishes for you.
>Or at least, that's how you think of it.
>Sure, it could just be them wanting to do the right thing... But still. Part of you likes the idea of them being actually sorry and wanting to genuinely be your friend.
>Either way, it's an odd feeling. Hopefully, you'll have your feelings sorted out before it comes time to go back home with Silver Bit.
>A bit of time passes, and again you find yourself in front of the crystal castle.
>You sigh, and walk in.
>You look at all the books on the wall. You're kinda glad that she kept the entrance of her castle an open library. You remember coming here a lot, back in the day.
>"Coming~!"
>God dammit, that's not the voice you wanted to hear.
>You see Twilight trot around the corner, and she beams when she sees you "Anon! How good to-"
"Cut the crap, Twilight. Is Spike home?"
>She doesn't even flinch. "Oh, Anon, always with the language..." she giggles. She then takes a deep breath "Spike? Anon's here to see you!" she calls out.
>A few moments later, you hear Spike scamper upstairs as his claws click against the crystal floor. He careens around the corner excitedly "Anon! How's it going?"
"Okay, considering. Wanna go for a walk?"
>He nods excitedly, and looks at Twilight "Can I go?"
>"Did you finish putting away those new fantasy novels?" Twilight asks.
>That sounds like she's making him do chores, and treating him like a little kid.
>Well, you're sure he's still young, but it still seems kinda wrong to you.
>"Yep! I'm all done!"
>"Hmm... Alright, you can go."
>Spike hurries over to your side "Come on, Anon! We've got a lot to catch up on!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming..."
>You look back at Twilight before leaving, and she still looks at you with that disturbing smile on her face.
>Spike starts running his mouth as he leads you away from the castle. It's a bit too much for you, honestly.
"Spike, slow down! I can barely understand you."
>"Heh... Sorry. I'm just.. I dunno, really excited!" he says sheepishly.
>You shake your head. You're starting to feel nostalgic again.
>The two of you make your way to the park, and sit down at a bench.
>"So! Anon, what have you been up to, all this time?" Spike asks excitedly.
"W-Well, it's not like I've done much that's interesting, you know." you warn "I made my way through the Everfree, and found myself in this little town called Rocky City. I had a rough go of things there, but that's when I met my friend Silver Bit. She's this silver unicorn mare who fixes stuff for a living. Funny enough, she did a pretty good job fixing me."
>The two of you share a laugh at that.
"But anyway, I've been working with her in her shop, mostly dealing with customers and taking care of paperwork."
>Spike nods "So you're her assistant?"
"Oh, no. We're both equal partners in the shop, it's just that she's better at fixing stuff than I am, and I'm better at dealing with the paperwork. So she made room in her shop for me to split the duties with her."
>"Oh, that makes sense."
"Speaking of, I see you're still Twilight's assistant. I'd have thought that you'd moved up in the ranks, after three years."
>"Ha ha. While I'm still her number one assistant, now that she's got her princess duties, I'm the one who basically takes care of the library myself these days." he laughs.
"Well, look at you! Library manager Spike!"
>He snickers "Pretty much!"
>The two of you continue to chatter away about your lives in your respective towns. You talk about Silver Bit and few other friends you've made, and he talks about the adventures he's shared with the Elements.
>You're happy that you can relax a little, but it's time to get down to business.
"Spike... I'm afraid I have to get to why I called you out here in the first place."
>He sighs "Yeah, I saw your face when I came down the stairs... You've got more in mind than just catching up, huh?"
"Yeah... I'll take it you've heard of Twilight's plans for me? Her new 'royal order'?"
>"Yep. She wouldn't stop talking about it yesterday, after you left... I can't believe she'd do that to you! I mean, I can believe that she might have gone overboard, but..." he sighs "You do know she took you leaving the hardest, right?"
"So I've been told."
>"Well, it took her a long time to get over you. And now that you've come back into her life, I don't think she'll let you go so easily."
"Man... I can't believe she can get away with this shit just because she's a princess... This is CLEARLY an abuse of power!" you groan "It's not like there's someone above her I can ask, either!"
>This catches Spikes attention, and his head whips around to look at you.
"...What?"
>"...Dude. Seriously?"
"What?!"
>He slaps his forehead with his palm "She still answers to Princess Celestia!"
>You stop. The answer can't be /that/ obvious... Can it?
"No way. I know she was her student and all, but she's a princess now! You mean to tell me there's a princess hierarchy?!"
>"Well, duh! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are, no matter the number of princes and princesses in Equestria, still the rulers of all Equestria, and Twilight still answers to her!"
>You sit there, staring at him in disbelief.
"Are you fucking shitting me?!" you yell, grabbing your hair.
>"Come on, man, language... There are foals here."
>You just groan in irritation.
>How the hell could you have been so stupid?!
"...Spike I'll need a favor from you."
>"And I think I already know what that is." he sighs.
"If I write a letter, could you magic-breath it directly to Princess Celestia? WITHOUT Twilight knowing?"
>He looks nervous "I don't know... I don't like going behind Twilight's back like this..."
"Spike, please. I'm begging you!"
>He struggles with it for a few moments, before eventually relenting "Fine, fine... Just bring me the letter when it's ready, and I'll send it."
>You grin from ear to ear and hug him.
"Thanks man, you're the best!"
>"It's what I do." he chuckles.
>You quickly let go of him and get up off your seat.
"Alright, sorry to run, but I've gotta get going. I have a heartfelt appeal to write!"
>He waves goodbye as you sprint off, leaving him in the dust.
>You now have a plan of attack. Something to use as a base!
>But one thought nags at you.
>Even if you send the letter... Would Princess Celestia even believe you? Would she take your side? Or would she just side with Twilight and seal your fate, here forever in Ponyville?
>...

>Meanwhile
>You are Silver Bit, and you just got through an... awkward moment with Anon, to say the least.
>The two of you are sitting around, in Anon's living room, in awkward silence.
"S-So... What did you have planned for today?" you ask, trying to change the subject.
>Anon sighs. "Well, I have a few people I need to see, and I was thinking of getting groceries done today. We don't know how long we'll be here for, so I think we should prepare for the worst."
>Your ears fold back. The idea of being stuck in Ponyville just...
>Anon seems to read your mind. "Don't worry. I'll find us a way out of here, somehow."
>You keep quiet for a few moments. You're not sure what to say, but you don't want to linger on this subject much longer.
"Anyway... If it's just groceries, I could do that for you."
>You'd really rather not leave him alone, especially after last night's episode, but you know the look he's giving you. Or rather, not giving you.
>He doesn't want to be around you right now because of this morning.
>The two of you agree that it would be for the best if you went your separate ways for the day, and reconvene at home later.
>You give him one last look and trudge back upstairs.
>You step into the bathroom, and you hear the front door open and close.
>You wish he would have waited for you to come back down before leaving, but you can't be upset about that.
>You run the water and step into the bath.
>Your mind wanders back to this morning.
>You shouldn't feel so embarrassed, but...
>Sure, ponies don't usually wear clothes, but with Anon it's the opposite. And the idea of Anon being naked just weirds you out, considering that.
>You shake your head. In the end, it's not important. Best nip that train of thought in the bud.
>Your bath ends too soon, and you prep yourself before leaving to go into town.
>You feel a little weird wandering around Ponyville without Anon. It's his hometown, and you don't know anything about the place.
>You try to remember where Anon went when the two of you went into the market.
>Let's see... You took a right here... And a left here...
>You suddenly feel a hoof tap you on the shoulder. You turn your head and notice a familiar pony. Applejack, one of the Elements.
>"Howdy! Silver Bit, right?" she asks with a smile.
>You look her over. She's being oddly friendly, you find.
>You don't respond for a moment, enough to make her give you a nervous look.
"...Applejack, right?"
>She beams "Well, Ah'm glad ya remembered me!" she bows her head, tipping her hat.
>"So, all on yer lonesome today, huh?" she chuckles, looking around.
>You look around as well. She must mean Anon.
"Oh, well, we both have our... Errands to run."
>You're not sure if you'd call Anon's investigation an 'errand', but it'll do.
>You start walking away, hoping she'll take the hint, but she follows you.
>"Fair enough. Ya'll look a little lost, do ya need any help, or-"
>You whip around a look her right in the eyes.
"Applejack. I know you're trying to be friendly, and while Anon might have all but forgiven you, I won't be so easily won over. "
>Applejack stops in her tracks, and after a moment, she droops a little, and her head hangs "O-Oh..."
>You wait for her to respond, but she doesn't seem like she will.
"Well, then, I have things to take care of..."
>You start walking away, when you bump into a fluffy pink mass.
"I'm sorry, I-"
>You quickly recognize her as Pinkie Pie. Another of the Elements.
>Must be your lucky day.
>"Aw, Silvy, why were you so mean to Applejack? She was just trying to be your friend!" Pinkie playfully scorns, shaking her head.
"Wha- And who said I /wanted/ to be her friend?!"
>"Why, EVERYPONY wants a friend!" the pink mare giggles, hopping around you.
"I /have/ friends. Anon is one of them. And what you all have put him through is why I don't want to be your friends."
>She falters a little bit, but perks up quickly "Well, to me, that doesn't matter. A friend of Anon's is a friend of mine!"
>This seems to resonate with Applejack as well "Exactly what Ah was tryin' to say!"
>You sigh. You just wanted to get your errands done for Anon.
>Pinkie Pie notices your discomfort, and stops bouncing. She trots out in front of you and, in what seems to be a complete tonal shit, sobers up and looks at your seriously. "Silver Bit, we know we've wronged Anon, and that he took what we said all those years ago to heart... But we're trying to make up for it. And one thing we can do is make friends with you."
>She looks back at Applejack "You're his closest friend, and it's pretty obvious that he's changed a lot in three years... We just want to know more about him, and you of course. We just hope you'll give us a chance... And maybe a chance to explain..."
>You're not sure how to take this. The sudden change nearly gives you emotional whiplash.
>You look back and forth between Pinkie Pie and Applejack, the former still giving you a serious, yet pleading look, while Applejack still doesn't look you in the eye.
>...You look up at the sky and sigh.
"I...suppose I might have time to talk with the two of you before getting back to my errands..."
>Pinkie brightens up immediately and hugs you. She's about to says something when you shoot her a glare. She lets go of you immediately.
"That's better."
>Applejack finally smiles and trots over to your side "Well, Ah'm sure we can walk n' talk while Ah bring you over to the market square. Ah was on mah way there, actually!"
"Uh huh."
>She gets rather tight lipped, and looks away again.
"...Sorry."
>She relaxes a little bit "S-So, like Pinkie said earlier, any friend of Anon is a friend of ours! And Ah like knowing about mah friends. Tell me a little 'bout yerself!"
>"Ooh! And maybe how you met Anon!" Pinkie adds, bounding along after the two of you.
"W-Well... I'm from Rocky City, a small city just outside the Everfree where I co-own a small, general repairs shop in town with Anon." you start explaining.
>"Oh, so Anon's fixin' stuff for a living?" asks Applejack.
"Not... exactly. I take care of most of the actual repairs, while he takes care of just about everything else. From bureaucracy and paperwork to even designing and promoting."
>You've always been somewhat ashamed that he's been relegated to everything but, but Anon's always just seemed happy to help.
>"Ah, that makes a tad more sense. Anon was always kinda... delicate? Meant well, but bruised like a peach." Applejack jokes. "Then again, he might have toughened up a little since we last saw 'im!"
>You nod. In the three years you've known him, he's come a long way since the day you met.
>"So? How did you two meet?" Pinkie asks, finally piping in.
"What can I say? He wandered into town,beaten and bruised from traveling the forest, and I took him in. He looked like he needed help, that's all!"
>Pinkie looks you over incredulously "Hmmm.... That's it? That sounds boring..."
>You cock your brow and look her over.
"Well, that's what happened."
>"Whaaaaatever!" she giggles, shrugging it off.
>The three of you walk quietly for a little, before your curiosity gets the better of you.
"Say... Would you two be able to tell me what Anon was like? Before he left, I mean?"
>"Hmm... Well, Ah suppose that's fair." Applejack mumbles, thinking. "Anon was... a nice guy. Always willing to help, but he wasn't very outgoing, an' he usually kept to himself. Real quiet fellah, but he was always welcome around the farm. 'specially when he was feeling real helpful!" she laughs.
>You frown. When he first showed up on your doorstep, he was so timid and reclusive. Sure, what happened to him would surely have left him shaken, but you always figured that he was always at least a little like that.
"So you only liked him when he was helping the farm?"
>"N-Now wait just a minute! That ain't what Ah meant at all!" Applejack replies, clearly appalled. "Ah just meant that Ah was real grateful for his help!"
>You shake your head, as the three of you finally reach the marketplace.
>"W-Well, here we are." Applejack announces, presenting the square with her hoof. "Ah gotta get goin' and take care of mah stall.
>She goes to leave, but you stop her.
"Actually, before you go, I have one more concern..."
>Pinkie and Applejack share a look of confusion, before urging you on.
>You spend the next few minutes retelling them what Twilight's done to Anon. From the shock on their faces, you can tell they don't really believe you.
>"Silvy.... That doesn't sound like something Twilight would do... She's the Princess of Friendship!" Pinkie protests.
>"Ah'm sorry to say, this is a little hard to swallow..." Applejack adds.
>You gape at the two of them in disbelief.
"Why in Tartarus would I lie about something like this?! I mean, Anon and I have our own lives back in Rocky City! We should be gone by now!"
>You didn't mean to yell, but them not believing you kinda got under your skin.
"On top of that, being a 'Princess of Friendship', nor an Element of Harmony, didn't stop her of doing what she did three years ago! What's stopping her from pulling something like this?!"
>The two mares are taken aback by your outburst, but shrink away when they realize what you're implying.
>"W-Well, when ya put it that way..."
>Pinkie Pie sighs and shakes her head "Well, I want to go talk to her about all this... Maybe we can come to some kind of understanding?"
"I highly doubt it..." you reply, shaking your head.
>Pinkie Pie tries to convince you more, but you won't have any of it.
"I've wasted enough time today... I need to get my errands done." You turn away and start to walk. "Good day."
>You don't look back, missing both Applejack and Pinkie Pie's disappointed faces.
>Time passes, and eventually, you start making your way back to Anon's old home.
>Much to your surprise, you see him sprinting back towards town, holding some kind of paper.
"O-Oh, Anon! What are you-"
>"No time to talk, Silver! I have a plan!" he yells, running right by you.
>Despite his hurry, he gently pats your head on the way by.
"Wh-What was that for?!"
>You hear him laugh confidently as he disappears into the distance. It almost seems out of character for him, but...
>You kinda like the genuine sound of his laugh.
>You decide it's probably for the best to let him enact his plan, and you go back to the house.
>You start putting your groceries away in his icebox, when a thought crosses your mind: You have the house all to yourself. You can learn more about Anon from the stuff in his room!
>But should you really snoop through his things twice? Without his permission, no less?
>You look up the stairs, towards his bedroom, weighing the choice in your mind...
>...

>MEANWHILE
>"Are you sure this'll work, Anon?"
"I'm positive. If this letter doesn't resonate with Princess Celestia, then she either has no heart or she doesn't care about me."
>"D-Don't say that! I'm sure the Princess cares!"
"..."
>"But still...I feel bad about going behind Twilight's back like this..."
"Don't. What she's done isn't right, and is an abuse of her powers. You're doing the right thing in helping me."
>"I know, but..."
"Spike? Please send the letter."
>"O-Oh, right."
"..."
>"And... it's gone."
"Perfect. Now all we have to do... is wait."
>"..."

>Meanwhile once more...
>You are Twilight Sparkle, and today is a beautiful day!
>You wake up to Celestia's shining sun.
>You trot over to your bedroom window, grabbing your hairbrush with your magic. Looking outside, you can spot Anon's house in the distance.
>You're so glad that he reconsidered your offer and went with the guards back to his home, you think to yourself as you brush your hair.
>You just wish that he'd have been that agreeable in the first place.
>You keep idly brushing your hair, thinking.
>You think back to that fateful day, three years ago. Honestly, you thought that what you had said wasn't that bad, really. You still do.
>But what you think doesn't matter. The point is that it hurt Anon badly, and drove him away.
>You can admit it. It's not your proudest moment.
>But it's not the end of the world. Not any more, anyway.
>You'll fix things for sure.
>All you need is a little time with Anon, a pinch of hope and a hoof-full of checklists!
>...Who are you kidding.
>It's clear Anon doesn't want anything to do with you.
>But that's okay. You'll just have to work harder to fix things.
>You think about how you handled things yesterday.
>Sure, you came on a little... strong... but Anon needs to stay in town, if everything will go back to normal!
>You're pretty sure that, in this case, a long distance relationship wouldn't work.
>...It's funny, thinking about you and Anon as a 'relationship'. It's certainly not a good one, but who knows. Maybe once you've earned his forgiveness, it could be something interesting to try.
>A new experience, to be sure.
>You notice that you've been idly brushing your hair for a while, staring at Anon's house all the while.
>You shake your head and make your way downstairs, through the empty, crystal halls, and into the kitchen where you find Spike starting to cook.
>He looks back with a smile "Oh! Good morning, Twilight!"
"Morning, Spike. What are you cooking?"
>"Remember those pancakes Pinkie made the other day? She taught me her recipe and I was kinda in the mood for 'em! I was wondering if you'd be up before I finished." he answers, glowing with pride.
>You smile, and quietly sit down at the table as you watch him start cooking.
>After a few moments, you speak up.
"Oh, while I'm thinking about it, how did your time with Anon go?"
>He tenses up and stops what he's doing. "Wh-what?"
>That's an odd reaction to have at such an innocuous question. You tilt your head in confusion.
"What... What?"
>"W-Well, I just... wasn't expecting you to really care?" he replies, looking back at his pancakes-in-progress.
>Ouch.
"Spike, you know I'm interested in what you do... I was just asking."
>"O-Oh... Sorry, it's just... This whole 'Anon coming back' thing's been so awkward. I'm really happy he's back, but..." He whips up the batter before starting to pour it into the pan "You've kinda been... Off since you found out he's been back."
>You furrow your brow and give him a stern look.
"What do you mean, 'off'? I've been feeling fine!"
>He flinches at your tone. Your ears fold back; You didn't mean to startle him!
"W-Well, it's just... Anon's not happy here." he begins.
>You can already see where this is going.
>"Anon wants to leave, and... I feel like it's wrong to force him to stay. I mean, what if you went back to Canterlot to visit Princess Celestia, and then she made it so you couldn't leave?"
>That... catches you off guard a little.
"Spike, don't be silly. Princess Celestia would never do something like that."
>"Yeah, and normally, neither would you..." he mutters to himself, flipping the pancake.
>You're sure he can feel your stare of disbelief boring into the back of his head because he turns around and nervously looks at you.
>Your gaze softens. Spike really is a nice kid, isn't he?
"Spike..."
>You get up and pull him into a hug with your wings.
"I know he might not be happy now, but I'm sure he'll be happier once things go back to the way they were... I promise, he'll thank me for it later..."
>Spike doesn't look too sure about it, but he seems to accept your promise all the same. He wordlessly gets back to working on breakfast.
> You watch him for a moment before sighing and taking your seat back at the table.
>You know Spike means well, but he doesn't understand.
>You can't be wrong about this! You're trying to make things better, after all!
>Anon will thank you for this in the end, he just doesn't know it yet.
>The two of you remain silent for most of the process, Spike not really wanting to meet your gaze.
>After he sits down and the two of you start eating, you decide to break the ice again.
"You never did tell me how your outing with Anon went."
>Spike looks up at you, and stops mid-bite.
>"W-Well, we ended up just wandering out to the park and talked for a while. We kinda swapped stories, and he told me about what he's been doing over in Rocky City, is all." he explains, before resuming his meal.
>You're not quite sure, but from his attitude, you feel like he's hiding something.
>In the long run, however, it doesn't matter.
>Today, after breakfast of course, you begin planning your first bonding session with Anon!
>You float your now-empty plate over to the sink.
"Spike, could you take care of that today? I have big plans to...plan!"
>You cocks a brow looking at you. "Uh, sure?" he replies, before getting up and starting to run water in the sink.
>You happily trot out of the kitchen and make your way into the library.
>Ahh, books. The one place you can retreat to to truly relax and concentrate.
>You let your magic get to work as books fly off the shelves and start piling up in front of you.
>Now. How would you get Anon to open up to you? To maybe forgive you?
>Hmm... You try and remember what Anon loved doing three years ago.
>You're sad to say that you can't remember much about his interests.
>Anon kept to himself so much, as far as you can remember.
>...You were such a horrible friend to him.
>But that'll all change now!
>You're about to pop open a book when a pony bursts in from both the window and from the front door.
>Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, the two ponies who came in, both start running their mouths at a hundred miles an hour.
"Girls, girls! Calm down!" you cry.
>The two stop and take a breath.
"Okay, now tell me what's got you both so excited!"
>Rainbow looks right at you and asks "Is it true that you're keeping Anon prisoner here in Ponyville?!"
>Your mouth gapes. Prisoner?! Is THAT what he thinks you're doing?!
"What? No! I just want him to stay in Ponyville!"
>"So he's free to leave whenever he wants?" Pinkie then asks.
"Well, not exactly...But he's not a prisoner! I can make things the way they were before! And for that to work he needs to stay!"
>The two ponies are giving you odd looks.
>You had a feeling they wouldn't understand.
>"Hmm... So he's allowed to do whatever he wants, just so long as he lives in Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash asks, scratching the back of her head.
>You nod excitedly.
"That's precisely it! I'm planning on having a meeting with him tomorrow about all this, actually!"
>Rainbow Dash thinks on it before nodding "Well... I /guess/ he's only needing to move here... But what if he doesn't want to?"
"He'll thank me later."
>The cyan pegasus isn't sure how to take this so she just shakes her head and takes off again.
>You watch her leave before looking back at Pinkie Pie.
"Well? Aren't you going to say your piece, too?"
>Pinkie just looks at you sadly.
"...What? You're being uncharacteristically quiet today."
>She sighs and shakes her head. "You want him to forgive you, but you're not even considering his feelings or what he wants..." She turns to walk away, but says one more thing before leaving. "I don't think I can tell you what to do, but if you want him to forgive you, you'll have to give him what /he/ wants..."
>You watch her trot out the front door, and your ears fold back.
>How can /everypony/ think that this is a bad idea?! Anon'll appreciate all the trouble you're going through to have him forgive you and make things better!
>You keep telling yourself that he'll thank you for all this later, and that he just doesn't know what he wants. Anon's confused, and thankfully you're here to put things back on track.
>The rest of the day is rather uneventful, other than Spike leaving in the evening to go out for a stroll.
>...With how he's been behaving, you wonder if you should follow him. He doesn't usually go out for strolls this late.
>...Then again, you should probably trust him. He's just as shaken up as you are, with Anon having come back. This might just be his way of clearing his head.
>You float a quill through the air and begin scribbling away at a plan, that familiar sound of quill scratching on paper filling your ears for the next good few hours...

>Later that night, Canterlot Castle.
>You are Celestia, Princess of the Sun.
>And you were just about to turn in for the night when a most disturbing letter appeared before you.
>Your first thought was that Twilight was sending you a late-night report, but when you saw the word "HELP" scrawled on the scroll itself, and in such sloppy writing, you knew it couldn't be her.
>However, it had to be somepony with connections to Spike, since it came with his magic...
>You open the scroll and begin reading it's contents, and you gasp when you find out who the sender actually is.
"Dear Princess Celestia,
I don't know if you remember me, but we met once not long after I first arrived in Equestria, and I'm sure you've heard of me again at least once after that, but my name is Anon. I'm sending you this letter as a cry for help. After finding out I was still alive, your student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, has decided to force me to live once more in Ponyville, and has even stationed guards to keep me from leaving, despite my protests against it. As this must clearly be some kind of abuse of power, and she refuses to listen to me and continues to keep me here against my will, I beg of you to come to Ponyville and talk some sense into your student. At this point, I fear you're the only one she'll listen to.
Respectfully yours,
Anonymous Doe, Equestria's Human Resident."