Anon vs. Celestia: Reckoning

>”Rage:
>Sing, Pony, Anon's rage,
>Black and murderous, that cost Equestria
>Incalculable pain, pitched countless souls
>Of ponies into Luna's dark,
>And left their bodies to lie as feasts
>For Manticores and Hydra, as Discord's will was done.”

>You stand, doubled over in pain as you try to
>The mangled remnants of the Castle lie smoking around you
>Guards are strewn about, their wills broken; their armor smashed
>Your heart hurts. Christ, why does it hurt so much?
>Your feel something else. Your hand comes up to your face and you notice the tears
>How did it come to such an end? You had such happiness here
>An image appears in your mind
>Celestia.
>You're such a fool; it was too good to be true. You realize that now
>Of course it had all been a lie. A way to hold you without you needing to know
>Everything up until now was a lie
>Your home here, your life, your friends...
>You let out an involuntary sob, gritting your teeth
>'Where are they now? Are they safe?'
>What do you care? That was just another lie.
>You look up. She's here.
>Your anger wells up like a wave. She'll pay.
1/x

>Day 731 in Ponyville
>The sun is blazing in the sky. Celestia's light is strong
>It's been two years since you came here.
>Pinkie Pie threw you a party yesterday to celebrate, her biggest yet
>You stayed up all night, drinking and laughing with your friends
>Now it's morning and you're heading over to the cafe to meet up with Rainbow Dash and Twilight
>This place has been so good to you. These ponies were hesitant to let you in at first, but you recall how at ease they seemed after you returned from Canterlot that first week
>How Celestia had looked you over and deemed you ok to stay in Equestria
>The ponies welcomed you with open arms on your return
>You arrive at the cafe to see Rainbow and Twilight smiling in your direction
>Sit down and you get to talking with your friends
>”I can't believe it's only been two years since you moved here, Anon. It feels like we've known each other forever”
>Rainbow WAS the first pony you met when you wandered out of the Forest
>You feel a twinge in your head as you remember the first day
>You remember feeling it yesterday too, during the party
>Must be a little hung-over
Yeah, that first week was crazy. If it weren't for you six I don't know if I'd have stayed in Ponyville long enough to get Celestia's OK
>There's that headache again. Man you must've drank more than you thought
>Twilight flags down a waiter
>”Excuse me...”
2/x

>Inexcusable
>She'll pay for what she did to you
>”Anonymous-” The Princess starts but you cut her off, your words like a growl
Shut up. I don't want your excuses
>Your fury grows. Your head throbs.
>Celestia's kind eyes gouge at you. They're full of pity. So knowing...
>You launch yourself at her
I know what you did! I know what you did to me! To the others!
>Your voice is a roar. She looks at you, shocked at the display
>Her eyes show resignation now as she flits out of your path
>Your landing shatters the ground. The pillars around you crumble and fall
>”Anon! Listen to me!” Her voice flies up from across the Throne Room
>She'll pay
>Canterlot is in shambles
>You don't want to hear her excuses. Her lies
>You'll bring her whole damn charade crashing down
>”ANON!” She yells
>You throw yourself at her again.
>There's no time. You collide with the Princess of the Sun and send the both of you through the crumbling wall of the castle
>She looks at you, pained, before disappearing from your grip
>You hit the ground. Hard.
>Celestia appears in front of you again
>”Anon, stop...”
3/x

>”Stop it! Stop, you're killing me!” Rainbow is falling out of her seat laughing at your recounting of the last night
...and then we see Berry Punch, and she's totally wasted at this point, so she's about as coordinated as Derpy...
>The waiter brings you the check. Twilight picks up the tab, laughing at your and Rainbow's antics
>The three of you leave the cafe and go your separate ways. You decide to head home and nurse this headache
>Arriving at your house you realize that your headache is gone. That's weird, but you can't complain about not having a headache
>Go out for a walk on the outskirts of Ponyville
>Thoughts all to yourself, your mind drifts aimlessly as you wander
>Before you know it, you're within view of the Everfree Forest
>You stare at the dark treeline for a time before realizing that you're walking towards it
>Pound
>Your hand flies to your head as you wince at the headache
>You look back up at the Forest
>You're drawn to it. A curiosity overcomes you and you set off into the uncharted territory
>Something is out there, calling you closer
>Your headache eases off the further you push
>Focusing on an unknown point off in the distance, you walk faster and faster
>It's dark here even though it's the middle of the day
>What you'd give for a little light
4/x

>Celestia's light is blinding as she attempts to surround you in her magic
>Not going to happen, Princess. Not again
>You push back with all of your will
>The light recedes despite the Princess's effort
>You force her back as you rise from where you fell
>She's looking at you with those pitying eyes again, but there's something else there now
>Fear? Realization? You don't care
>It's that pity that enrages you now. Those kind eyes that cause such fury
>You roar again as you lunge
>You're halfway to the Princess when she disappears yet again, only to reappear to your right
>A bolt of magic hits you in the side, sending you a few yards
>Look at the Princess. Her horn is down, glowing brightly
>”Don't make me do this, Anon.” Still pleading, still with that pitying, knowing tone...
>She'll pay
>That thought keeps playing in your mind
>She'll pay
>Bring it all down
>Unforgivable
>Lies
>Secrets
>No excuse
>Your rage burns. Tears sting your face and your heart tears at your chest
>A shockwave rushes from your body, pushing back everything around you
>Celestia braces against the air forced against her
5/x

>You press on against the sudden strong wind
>Determination pushes you onward
>Through the trees, the boulders, and the broken remnants of forgotten castles
>In one of the ruins you pass an abandoned campsite
>It's old, but not nearly as old as the ruin
>You stop to examine it
>Your head throbs again as a sense of deja-vu comes over you
>Staggering back, you turn to the Forest once again
>Push on. You have to push on.
>You leave the ruin, more determined than ever to continue
>The sun is setting
>You don't care. Keep going
>Your eyes are locked on the horizon now
>You can feel your goal getting closer
>Just a little further
>You reach a clearing
>This is it. You know it. You're drawn to the center. To a ruin. There's something there
>You reach the ruin and look
>The throbbing in your head drops you to the ground as you black out
6/x

>You shake off the blackness that came over you with the sudden release of anger
>Pointing at Celestia, your speak
You knew! You knew the whole time what was going on!
>”Listen to me, Anon! You have to calm down! Stop this!”
You lied to me! About everything! My being here, my life, my friends! They're all your lies!
>The pain in your chest is agonizing. It eclipses the throbbing in your head
>You rush the Princess before she can respond. The energy surrounding you is destroying the very ground as you run
>Celestia launches bolts of blazing white magic in defense
>You swat them away, sending them in every direction
>The Princess puts up a magical barrier to protect herself
>As it shatters you can see the pity in her eyes mixing with fear
>You gather yourself and send Celestia flying across the castle grounds with a rage-fueled punch
>You leap into the air, over to where the Princess has landed.
>It doesn't matter why. It doesn't matter what reason she had. She took everything from you.
>Time to pay her back in full for what's she's done
>A bolt of magic strikes you square in the chest
>'Lucky shot, Celestia' you think, as you sail through the air
>You hit the wall of the castle and fall to the ground
>After a few seconds you get back up.
>You're not going down that easy
>Celestia has too much to answer for
>You walk back over to the Princess, who has regained her footing
>A familiar sound fills your ears and you stop in your tracks
>You look up and see, streaking across the sky, Rainbow...
7/x

>”..Dash, come over here, he's waking up!” Twilight's voice sounds relieved
>Rainbow Dash flies over to you. You're... in bed? Your head is killing you
What happened? I remember being out walking, then something about the Forest...
>You can't remember anything past stepping into the Everfree Forest
>”I was practicing some new moves outside of town and saw you just lying there at the edge of the Everfree Forest” Rainbow says, worried
>”And then she brought you here so I could take a look at you” Twilight looks puzzled when you clutch your head
>”Is there something wrong, Anon?”
Yeah, I've just been getting these headaches recently. Like whenever I try to remember the first day I came here
>”Oh, oh dear.” Twilight looks distraught. “Let me try something. I think I know a spell that might help”
>Her horn glows brightly as she taps it against your forehead
>Your head erupts in pain
>Twilight and Rainbow take a big step back as you fall out of bed, holding your head in your hands
>It's all coming back to you now
>The first day in Equestria. Meeting, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and the others, something's wrong though
>Your memories are going back further. You didn't arrive that day. The camp, the Forest, you remember it all.
>There's power too. You remember striking down a Manticore in a moment of stress
>What the hell is happening?
8/x

>”You guys, I found them!” Rainbow Dash yells out from the air and circles back around the castle
>She's ok? But how?
>She was right there when Celestia's magic broke down
>Twilight too...
>You heart hurts more and more as you think about it
>The despair turns to more rage as you turn back to Celestia
>She did this
>She put them up to this
>Put them in danger
>Made you care about them
>All lies
>Trickery
>Inexcusable
>You clench your fists again and sprint at the Princess
>You've got a time limit now
>End this before they get here
>You reach Celestia and power through another bolt of magic
>Her eyes are determined now. The pity is masked behind her will to defend herself from you
>You prepare to strike with all your anger
>”ANON” Damn it, too late. Celestia sends you flying again. You see Twilight leading the pack as you land
>They all look so sad
>Scared
>Conflicted
>You see Twilight's leg with a bandage wrapped around it
>Your heart knots
9/x

>Your head throbs
>A flood of memory crashes down on you
>Waking up in the clearing, killing the Manticore, camping at the ruins, lost in an unknown wilderness.
>You remember Celestia appearing and bringing you to the castle
>How she took your memory and sealed the power you had discovered
>How she implanted the memories of that first week
>You were a threat. She stopped you
>Made you think you belonged
>You cry out in anguish
>It's all lies
>All of it
>A shockwave hurls Rainbow Dash and Twilight  against the wall of the library
>They don't move when you call to them
>You panic
>Running down the street, you're stopped by the Royal Guard and Celestia herself
>”Anon, you need to come with us”
>Hell no. You back up. Seeing the Princess now fills you with anger
>You can feel it building inside you along with a great power
>The Princess sighs and her horn lights up, transporting you to the Throne Room of the Castle
>”Please listen to-”
>Your anger explodes
>Guards are thrown against the walls. An explosion follows the initial shock
>It brings the Throne Room crashing down
>It hurts
>You're doubled over
10/x

>Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy...
>They're wearing the Elements of Harmony
>Your anger falters at the sight of the six ponies
>Dammit, they aren't your friends
>They were part of Celestia's ruse from the start
>Get a hold of yourself and finish this, Anon
>”ANON!” Rainbow Dash yells. You can tell she's holding back tears
>Why the hell is she crying? She was only acting like she cared
>They all were
>Weren't they?
>”Twilight, you must use the Elements now!” Celestia yells at the six mares
>No
>No, you were so close to having your vengeance
>It can't end like this
>You look back at the six ponies
>The Elements are shining. Twilight's eyes glow a brilliant white as she floats into the air
>Rainbow looks at you painfully as her Element activates
>The others follow in turn and you're engulfed in light
>You have to fight this
>You can't just give in
>But your will is fading
>Is it the Elements? Or is it your friends?
>You feel something tightly grip your waist
>Look down at Rainbow Dash, tearfully staring back at you
>You stop fighting and feel the anger rip away from you
11/x

>The light fades and you fall to your knees, Rainbow Dash still clutching your waist
Wha...
>Your voice fails. You look to see Celestia walking over to you
>Oh fuck, what now?
>She addresses the ponies
>”Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Once again you have used the Elements of Harmony to stop a great threat to Equestria.”
>She looks at you. Fuck, you're powerless now. There's no way you can stand up to Celestia
>”I will handle Anon from here. There is much we need to discuss.”
>You're getting the moon for this, you know it.
>You follow the Princess into the castle. Rainbow Dash watches you go and breaks down when you round the corner
>”Well Anon, I suppose now's the time for answers.”
Why change my memories?
>”You have to understand, Anon. When we found you in the Everfree Forest we didn't know what you were. We determined that your power wouldn't pose a problem as long as you didn't know it was there. There was also the problem of it coming out under emotional duress, so we placed you in Ponyville amongst the citizens and had them treat you as one of them. My magic worked to keep your memories in line with the situation until you went into the Forest again. Seeing the camp and the clearing weakened my spells enough for Twilight's spell to shatter them completely, if only by accident...”
12/x

>”I'm truly sorry it turned out this way, Anon. It's my fault. I should have let you be and allowed you to learn to control your power once you found Ponyville.”
>She looks out at the sculpture garden at a hideous statue of some horrible chimera
>”You just reminded me of an old enemy”
>Your walking path takes you through the Throne Room, which is being repaired very quickly by pegasi and unicorns.
It's not all your fault, Princess. I let my emotions run wild. I thought that my entire life had been a lie when my friends genuinely care for me
>You think back to Rainbow's tearful expression seeing you fighting the Princess
>The two of you reach the balcony overlooking the Equestrian plains
>”Since I am to blame for setting you up the way I did, you won't face punishment for your actions”
>Your shock is palpable
>”I'll inform the citizens of Ponyville of the situation for when you return”
I'm thankful, Princess, for your leniency, but I can't go back to Ponyville after what happened here
>She nods understandingly
I have to find my own way here. I just can't do that here anymore, not after this
>The Princess agrees and allows you to go alone
>You set out the next day for the northern mountains.
>The six mares you called friends meet you at the gates
>They say their goodbyes and apologize for misleading you all that time
>Finally Rainbow Dash, tears in her eyes, steps forward
>”I just want you to know that, even if we did start out just acting like we were your friends... by the end I- we...”
>She trails off as she wells up
I know, Rainbow, I know. I'm sorry it has to be this way
>You say your final goodbyes and walk away
>The sun is blazing in the sky. Celestia's light is strong
END