Rebels in Equestria 10.5 - Twilight's Take

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlFj26ueNMg

Journal Entry #213
3 Days Since Anonymous’ Arrival

	As I write this, I’m aboard the Friendship Express on the way back to P0nyville. It’s nearing nightfall, and most of the girls have fallen asleep. I finally have a free moment to make a journal entry.
To start it off, I still have several unanswered questions about Anonymous.
	While he has been kind enough to answer many of them, I still feel as though there are several parts of his life he has yet to share with me. I have prodding him for as many answers as I best as I can. But I feel that is still not enough.
	I’ve noticed that he is very selective on what questions he chooses to answer. In general, he is very open to answer questions relating to human culture, or their anatomy. However when asking him a question about his personal life, he will do as much as he can to change the topic of discussion.
	He isn’t very open to the things he carries on person. He carried a wooden and metal object with him at all times. I think he called it a “rifle” once. I’ve only seen him use it once or twice when we first encountered him in the woods. I don’t know much about it, and Anonymous won’t tell me its purpose. But one thing is for sure, he never lets it out of his sight. He always has it on him wherever he goes.
	Judging from the protruding blade at the end, I can only assume it’s some sort of survival tool or weapon of sorts. When Anonymous cleaned it for maintenance I realized the true complexity of the object. It’s much greater than I had expected. The internal mechanisms are much more precise than on anything I’ve ever seen. Many of the components seemed to be made out of various metals that I could not easily recognize. The wooden body of the “rifle” also seemed to made of the finest wood. It must have been crafted by a truly skilled artisan.

	During our time in Canterlot I took note of Anonymous’ unusual sleep patter. After our dinner re all retired to our bedrooms. I didn’t sleep that night, I mean, I just couldn’t! During that dinner Anon shared so much new information. I spent that entire night reviewing my notes. Trying desperately to make sense of the new information Anonymous has given me.
       During the dinner Anonymous was so kind as to answer several of our questions. It was kinda like sitting in a lecture. I took notes and recorded his every word. I also took notes on Anonymous’ body language as he dictated to us. I noticed that whenever we spoke of his life before arriving in Equestria; his voice would begin to stutter and his body would tremble unwillingly. It was often that he had to take a brief stop to regain his composure. I doubt the other p0nies have noticed this, but it’s certainly disturbing to watch. That poor soul needs help.
I observed his routine before he fell asleep. His is much like any other p0ny. It was when he removed his clothing that things escalated.
       His body is not normal, it’s scarred. His entire body is covered in various burns and wounds. I cannot begin to emphasize the scale of injuries he has sustained. I’m no doctor, but I could tell they were serious. He still reacted with pain when Rarity touched them. When we asked for an explanation he refused to give one. He assured me that it was no big deal and that he had nothing to hide. But he’s lying. I know it.
	Anonymous didn’t sleep much that night. I remember that night very clearly. He only slept for two or three hours tops. During his sleep, he wouldn’t stop trashing about in bed. He became drenched in a cold sweat and constantly yelled in his sleep. He was even crying in his sleep. It looked like he was in pain. He was trapped in a nightmare, for no matter how much I tried, I wasn’t able to wake him up.
	This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Anonymous behave this way. I saw this also when we first met encountered him in the Everfree Forest. This was before we were able to communicate with him. It wasn’t safe for anyone there, and we needed to get out fast. He couldn’t understand our commands. Unfortunately, we had to resort to brute force to subdue him. Apple Jack had to knock him unconscious. It was then when he demonstrated similar patterns. (Cold sweat, crying, yelling and thrashing in his sleep.)
	Whenever he awakes from his nightmares he has this look of fear and remorse in his eyes that just breaks my heart. I’ve seen that look before. I see the same look in Luna’s eyes whenever somep0ny brings up the Nightmare Moon incident. Words cannot even begin to describe the pain I see in those eyes. There is something wrong with him. This obviously isn’t normal. But there’s nothing I can do at the moment, he won’t let me help him. I can’t possibly imagine what’s gotten him this way.
	I took the liberty to look through Anonymous’ belongings during our time in Canterlot. If anyone asks, I did it to ensure he wasn’t carrying anything that could be considered dangerous. While I didn’t find anything too dangerous, I did find other interesting goodies in his backpack.
	I was able to find a small notebook. As far as I can tell, it’s Anonymous’ personal journal. It was chock full all sorts of entries and documents. They are all in a language I cannot understand. Perhaps there’s a scroll somewhere in my library for a translation spell. Inside the journal there are several photographs and maps of what seems to be a major city. Perhaps it’s Anonymous’ home town? Regardless of what it is, I used my magic to make an exact copy of the book for myself. Maybe I can find something useful in there.
	Anonymous is hiding something from us. I have reasons to believe Celestia knows his secret, but refuses to tell me.
	What’s if it’s serious? What if Anonymous needs help? What if Anonymous is not the kind of p0ny he says he is?  What if he’s a danger to everp0ny around us?
	I’m not afraid to admit Anonymous intimidates me. I mean, just look at him! He’s almost twice our height and probably weighs three times as much. I’ve picked up backpack, and let me tell you; even with my magic I could tell that thing weighed a TON. I mean, I barely know anyp0ny with the strength to drag that thing around all day.
 	I’ll be keeping a close eye on Anonymous in the days to come.
	Rarity kindly offered to take him in to live with her in the Carousel Boutique. I noticed those two have been becoming close. Rarity even coined the nickname “Anon”. It seems to me that Rarity has already given Anonymous the gift of trust. But with everything we know about him, and more importantly the things we don’t, I can only pray Rarity is not making a mistake.

	It’s getting late. I’d better get some rest while I still can. It’s going to be a big day tomorrow, and I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world.
				~Twilight Sparkle