Vanguard Anonymous stuck in Eqgverse

>It's the start of a new year, a new year for your academics, A new year to learn the magic of friendship.
>You are Twilight Sparkle, and the teacher of your physics class is going over student introductions
>It's nothing really concerning, most of the kids here are familiar
>Next, the teacher announces the next student, apparently a new transfer student
>Mr. Discord anounces his name "And next we have, a mister Anonymous. Please, introduce yourself to the class."
>Anonymous steps up to the board, looking a bit nervous but speaks readily
>"Hello new friends, I am just an ordinary adolescent here to gain all the wonderful knowledge here at this wonderful school. There is nothing abnormal about me and so don't pay any attention to me and we will all get along just fine." Anon states in a nervous, rehearsed tone
>Anon sits back down to the seat one up from your right. Something is really...different..about him, his body is proportioned differently and his clothing you've never seen before.
>Mr. Discord chuckles under his breath "This should be a fun year..."
>You dutifully take down notes as Mr. Discord lectures about electrostatic attraction, you see Anon furiously jot down everything he teaches. He seems quite studious
>Fast forward one week
>"Hey girls, you ever wonder why Anon is always alone? I've seen him in about 4 of my classes and he hasn't made a single friend." Twilight over her mashed potatoes
>"To be fair, it's only been a week since he transferred here and it took me awhile to make any friends when I first got here" Sunset countered, sharing the same view of Anon spooning his food while looking at it in disgust
>"I know but, he hasn't made an attempt to talk to anyone! The most he's done were strange questions about our workshop machines and our internet." Twilight turned back to her friends as Anon almost gags on the small piece of food he spit out
>"Dude's weird, Anon spends most of his time in the workshop and he asked some other kids about our 'orbital defenses' and what 'alloys' we have. Plus, Anon just looks really strange" Rainbow interjects, from her tone, she clearly doesn't like him for whatever reason
>"How so?" Twilight turns to Rainbow
>"I don't know, his eyes are too small, his nose is too big and his body's built weird. Anon's torso is longer than normal and it took from his legs. Noone would say that to his face, he looks big enough to rip them in half and crazy enough to do it." Rainbow shrugged
>"I have to agree with Rainbow, dear. Have you seen his clothes? A dark grey jacket with a tailcoat and knee high leather boots? I would not be caught dead in such an ensemble." Rarity's drama never fails to interject itself.
>"If yer so concerned Twilight, why don't you go talk to him?" Applejack looks to Twilight and dives to the heart of the conversation
>"Yeah! Maybe you can dislodge the 'Mr. no fun' stick out his butt!"
>Twilight couldn't help but giggle at Pinkie's comment
>"I don't know, what would I talk to him about?"
>"You could go on about that nerd stuff both of you seem to love so much." Rainbow smirks as Anon bangs on some electronic device on his arm
>"Here goes nothing" Twilight mutters
>Twilight walks over to the trash can where Anon is tossing his uneaten lunch, Twilight throws out her trash as Anon starts to walk away.
>"H-Hey Anon" Twilight spits out, trying not to stutter
>Anon turns around, surprised that someone is talking to him or someone remembered his name
>"Y-Yes?" It was his turn to stutter
>"You were in Mr. Discord's 1A physics course, right? Do you think you can help me with law of gravity?" Twilight smoothly unreels the bait, time to not waste it.
>"I suppose, I haven't got it quite down yet but the best way to show what you've learned is to teach it, I guess"
>Hook, line, sinker.
>Twilight unpacks her notes on gravity next to where Anon was sitting. The formula, the explanations and examples were there. She knew what see was doing but she needed an excuse to interact with Anon.
>"Fg=(m1+m2)/d^2, the masses will pull pretty weakly even at short distances" Anon was standing by Twilight, going over Discord's notes
>"You seem to know all about this, you sure you needed my help?" Anon acts like she was subtly mocking him
>"I know all about gravity, now thanks to you" Twilight smiles sheepishly
>Looking over towards Anon's space, Twilight notices a paper with odd symbols on it.
>Anon notices the paper and grabs a hold of it
>"What is that?" Twilight interrogates him on it's contents
>"I-It's just some extra problems I did for Physics class" Anon begins to stammer
>The paper had a circle with formulas and constants such as escape velocity with a writing system she couldn't recognize
>"Orbital mechanics seems a bit advanced" Twilight's curiosity peaked "And that writing seems rather alien"
>Anon was clearly nervous "A-Are y-you implying I may be different?"
>Then suddenly Twilight's friends make their way to the empty table
>"HIYA! Sorry we missed the party!" the pink one shouts out and startling the both of them
>"I-I was helping...Twilight!...here with physics and getting ready for next period" Anon stutters out
>"Before you go, there's a special going on at Sugercube corner on Saturday and we want you to come" Sunset readies the trap
>"I-I would love to but, I really need to get to studying" Anon tries to weasel his way out of a new predicament
>"If you don't show at 10:00, we'll hunt you down and hang out at your place" Sunset sadistically smirks
>Anon uses all his willpower to prevent a panic attack "I-I be there"
>"Good" The girls walk off when the bell rings
>Fast forward a few hours
>Anon slams the plywood door of a crudely made building set, revealing a half broken spaceplane (pic related)
>"That went smoothly"
>It's been 2 weeks, 2 WEEKS since you crashed on this gods forsaken world. These, pastel barbie dolls look out and cruelly mock the species you fought for.
>You had hoped that you would quickly get your Comanche fighter back into orbit, or at least reestablish contact with the Senate
>They must be very concerned one of their best assets went dark before reaching the target. But you have more pressing concerns
>It's Friday and you need money, quick. Those thots, especially the bacon-haired one had entrapped you in a shitty play date in which you had no money or mental prepared for.
>Hold it together Anon. You were a Vanguard of the First Great Terran Empire for gods sake, you've faced down a lot worse than 6 crayola roasties. Still it's shit because you need something of value, something you can make quickly
>Looking down at your left wrist, the Vanbrace on your arm gave you your solution
>The OS and programs were utterly incomparable to these awful creatures pitiful electronics, but you could get one that would pay for your getting-dragged-to-girls-night-out.
>You step over to the Stereo-lithography printer and check to see if it was working. It blinked contently as you started the vanbrace case program.
>While running its printing routine, you head over to the terminal you set up to run their programs. Nothing too complicated, just a gps system/radio triangulation program. A radio, some internet access to round it out. The printer was still running and so you grabbed some spare leather
"Just cut here, tear this and sew these together and...Done!"
>You really need to learn to stop talking to yourself
>The casing was done, nice and still warm. A solar panel and a battery from your spare parts crate fit into the casing as you finish the Vanbrace and ready the leather underplate.
>This should fetch a considerable amount of what these creatures call "currency"
>You pack your bargaining chip and stride out for one of the local businesses.
>Carefully exiting the cover building, looking to avoid any witnesses. You head out downtown, using a map you've got from the tourist center and the gps system here.
>Downtown "Canterlot" as they called it was filled with cars, the pollution began to get to you. Personal fossil fuel cars
>Absolutely Barbaric.Hologram
>Passing the various neon signs of businesses you had no care for, you finally reach a pawn shop. It looks well enough to have good money and not risk a shootout.
>The bell rings as you enter the establishment, a middle aged man is wiping the counter.
>"Welcome to Stockpile's house of wares, what can I do for ya?"
>Roll for charisma
"Good day, shopkeep. I've got something that you may like"
>You whip out the cheap vanbrace
>"Oh, what's it do?" Stockpile asks, his curiosity piqued
"It's a wrist mounted PDA system. It's got a radio, GPS, radio triangulation and can be charged by leaving it out in the sun"
>You show off the functions to the store owner, he seems intrigued.
>"Pretty good, how much you want for it?" Stockpile looks at you
"75 bits would be a good price for the both of us"
>He scoffs,"100 bits for cell phones with more functionality, why would people pick this?"
>Barter check failed
"It's completely independent of any power grid and it'll take a close in shotgun blast and still work"
>"Still, 75 seems a bit much. How about 45 bits?"
>45 bits? this thing is cheap but is still better than these crayola 'people' had come up with
"This here will generate interest and you'd get a good price, 70 bits"
>"Not many people will know about it and most customers go for the phones anyway, 55" The shopkeeper leans forward
"This vanbrace will pull in curious customers and it'll sell like a hotcake within a week, 65"
>You lean forward. "This thing will sit for a bit before I could make any money off of it, but it might draw in some attention, 60 bits" He leans in, you're butting heads at this point
"Deal"
>Stockpile grabs the vanbrace and gives you 60 bits in bills. This should be enough to cover your ass in this play date of yours and something in case you need something from the city.
>You head back to base, 60 bits the richer
>Nothing spots you, apart from a deer munching on the nearby foliage
>You lock the plywood door behind you and lean back into the cockpit seat. You sigh, waiting for sweet sleep to take you and for the grace of the gods above to take you out of this technicolor tartarus
>Saturday morning, Sugarcube Corner is bustling with activity from all the students of CHS being out for the weekend. Couples out on dates, friends blowing off steam after dealing with another week of studies and you were currently waiting for your friends and Anon to show up to girls-night-out.
>Twilight walks over from the street with Applejack by the door where you were waiting.
"Where's the others?" you question Twilight
>"Rainbow and Fluttershy will be here in a minute, they said they took another path. Pinkie's well, she might be in a non-euclidean dimension half the time."
>Twilight's remarks sometimes go even over your head
>"HIYA!" Pinkie cries out, you leap a solid foot in the air.
"Goodness, don't do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
>"Sorry Sunset, sometimes when I get REALLY excited about something, I accidentally teleport around. Like I got off this weekend and you got Anon to come and..." Pinkie rambles on and on. You can't really be sure if the teleporting is figurative or literal.
>Rainbow and Fluttershy walk up to the scene, bluefast smirking at another one of Pinkie's rantings.
>"Allright, everyone's here, shall we go in?" Twilight gestures to the door
>"*GASP!* WHERE'S ANON!?" Pinkie rotates her head around looking for your guest
>"Where is Anon?" Twilight share's the sentiment
"He should be here, maybe he's inside?"
>"He hasn't been seen anywhere near here. I hope we don't have to hunt him down." Rainbow confirms your suspicions
"Well, we might just have to."
>You were ready to hold up your threat. Turning around to go where he might live, a figure in the dark grey jacket, same colored pants and the knee-high black leather boots stands with its hands behind its backs.
>You jump yet again, attacked by another spectre. Anon stands there with a serious look on his face and a slight hint of murder
"H-How long have you been there?"
>Breathing out that last spook, Anon tilts his head slightly
>"About 15 minutes." His calm voice made things even worse.
"How? I stood here for 10."
>You say, a bit incensed. "You weren't paying much attention, half a dozen kids walked by you and you didn't notice." The flatness of his voice is starting to get to you
"You didn't say anything?"
>This is starting to irk you. "I was waiting for your friends to get here. I didn't want them to miss out on any conversation" You couldn't tell if he was serious or not
"Well, we're here"
>You gesture to the door at him. "YEAH! LET'S GET THE PARTY STARTED!!1!" Pinkie cheers with a jump.
>Anon opens the door. and gestures inside "Ladies first." The smirk on his face reads rather sinister.
>The seven of you walk inside to the place close to packed. Kids everywhere while the waiters scrambled with their trays full of treats.
>The waitress took you to a freshly cleaned booth. All of you sat down as the waitress passed out the menus. "Hi, my name is Chocolate Cream. I'll be your server today."
>You look through the menu and you see the on sale section. Pumpkin pie with plum sauce and whipped cream, sounds good enough to try.
>Anon orders a peppermint chocolate milkshake, Pinkie does the same. You are sure that girl's blood is liquid sugar at this point.
>Everyone puts in their orders, Chocolate Cream takes the menus and begins the orders for the kitchen. Begin phase 2. You begin to grill him
"So Anonymous, where are you from exactly?"
>"I-I'm from a fishing village way west of here called Bad Landing." Anon smiles sheepishly
>"That's a really odd name fer a town." Applejack chimes in. "Yeah, how'd it get named that?" Rainbow joins in the grilling
>"It came from the fact that when it was first discovered, fishing ships crashed onto the beach rocks frequently. People stayed because of the abundant schools of fish that migrated through" If this is rehearsed, Anon's gotten a lot better at acting the part.
>"That's odd, I've never seen anything about it in any records." Twilight interjects
>"It's a really small village that doesn't have a lot of money for accurate surveying or advertising. That's why I came here, I didn't want to be stuck as a fisherman." Anon's poker face is getting worse
>"Here's everyone's desserts." The conversation gets shifted by the waitress. "2 peppermint chocolate shakes, one plum pumpkin pie. One classic sundae, a rainbow sundae and an apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!" Choclate Cream puts down the goods and every one digs in.
>Rarity looks to Anon and begins to speak "Anonymous darling, where did you come across those clothes?"
>"I bought them at a department store about a month ago, I liked the look and they were really good protection from the elements, so I just stuck with them" Anon taps a small amount of powder from some container into his shake and drank from it.
>Pinkie, sitting next to him, sees this and asks Anon "Oooohhh, can I try?" Anon obliges and taps the same amount into her drink. Pinkie smiles as she drank, everyone was chatting. Suddenly her eyes opened wide, her pupils contracted, and her head went off like an M80. Her headless neck falls to the table, Anon rolls his pointing hand to Pinkie and goes "I didn't do that..."
>As you all stared at her, Pinkies head pops back into existence. "WOW! that was a kick! I WANT MORE!"
>Anon, clearly disturbed by the addiction daemon, throws the vile out the door and Pinkie chases after it.
>You all chat for a bit when the bill arrives. Anon sees the bill and covers his tab.
"Why are you paying?"
>"I always pay my debts" He responds
>The smugness was oozing out his smile, two can play this game. You pull the tray towards you
"I was the one who dragged you out of your hole and forced you to interact with others, surely you would want some form of recompense?"
>You match his air of superiority
>"A guest never takes advantage of his host, that would be rude." Anon pulls the tray towards him
>The both of you lock in a heated check dance, waiting for the other to blink first. This little game of yours was inturrupted by some unwanted guests
>"This your new boyfriend?" Oh no, it's that Adaigo bitch
>"He cute" the blue one mutters in the background
>Adaigo and her two minions stand over the table, something you really didn't want to be dealing with
"What do you want, Adaigo?"
>Your tone didn't sit well with the puffy haired bitch. "We had heard that you were trying to make friends with the new kid, I wantedto make sure you didn't fill his head with hollow lies"
>Adaigo turns her head toward Anon
>He seems unconvinced "I wouldn't take you for a reliable source on anything really"
>"You really shouldn't believe everything people tell you, Sunset's had an interesting past"
>"That is ironic coming from you" Twilight shouts out
>Adaigo shrugs off the off handed comment "We were making sure the kids here were going to the battle of the bands"
>"So you have an audience for when you win." Now Rainbow is joining in.
>"What makes you think that?" Adaigo feigns innocence
>"You the kind of person that wants to beat someone thoroughly, but more importantly, be seen doing it." Even Anon's getting annoyed at them
>"You're smarter than you look, Anon"
>"I get that a lot"
>Adaigo looks straight at him "And I'm Sure you'll be there." Her necklace glows slightly
>Anon's face twitches a bit. He gets up and dusts his jacket "I'd love to stay and chat, but you're a total bitch"
>Now she was incensed "Harsh, Anon. Apologize right now and we'll let you get backstage."
>Her necklace glowed again, and again, his face twitches. But nothing comes of it.
>Anon strolls past the trio, and takes a step outside
>The waitress takes the check, you leave Anon's money as a tip
>You open the door to find Anon leaning against the brick wall
"I'm sorry about that, they've been real insufferable since they transferred here"
>"It shows, and I walked outside so they wouldn't bother us again. No intention of offense"
"None, taken?..."
>That was such a weird way to put it
"You know, I'm gonna drag you out again some time"
>"But today is not that day. I'll take my leave, until next time"
>Anon tips an invisible hat at you "M'lady" You giggle at the gesture
>Anon walks off, tailcoat swaying in the breeze. '...dat ass...', you didn't think that.
>The other girls walk over to where you were
>"A little rough around the edges but a gentleman in the rough." Rarity chimes
>"Give him a bit of time, people will flock to him" Twilight adjust her glasses
>"I like him, and I hope he has more of that yummy spice." Pinkie's shaking like a crackhead
>"I still think he's up to something, the spice, how he isn't drooling over the Dazzlings like the other guys...something ain't right" Rainbow voices her concern
>"Ah gotta agree with Rainbow, He's definitely hidin' somethin'"
"What are you suggesting?"
>You questioned Rainbow, not sure were this is headed
>"He just appeared one day, and he's acting like there's a huge plot going on. Let's see what he's up to." Rainbow's rubbing her hands together
"And where would we start?"
>"I mean, the transcript would tell us where he's from. It could give us a lead" Twilight brings some logic to Rainbow's scheme
"This still seems morally ambiguous"
>"If Twilight didn't dig into your actions, we wouldn't have stopped you and you wouldn't be with us today" Rainbow sells her point once more
"True, alright we'll look into Anon. Twilight, do you think you can get the records from Celestia's office?"
>"I can try, it would be a very brief window of time and I could bring a camera. But this plan seems rather contrived"
"You get the transcripts, we'll use the info to plan our next move."
>"Oohh, a plot of subterfuge, this is like one of my noir novels!" Rarity always was a sucker for this kind of thing.
"Alright, we'll meet at lunch on monday. I've got a test on monday to study for."
>"We'll see each other on monday" Twilight confirms the date.

>You are Anonymous, walking back to base from the social call you were dragged to. It was a surprisingly pleasant diversion, but a diversion none the less.
>The girls were friendly, it could pay to have a few allies, especially that the repairs are taking far longer than expected. The Turbo-ramjet engines were shot and the air frame was twisted far more than anticipated.
>You can't help but think back to what the poofy haired bitch was talking about. You don't know much about the people you're with, you were ignoring Vanguard strategy 101
>You might try to look into the these girls, especially the bacon haired one. She seems to be smarter than the others, the purple one was quite intelligent, but she's rather naive.
>Sunset...her name was? She seems to know that you don't fit into the background. Adaigo said something about her past being interesting, this might be a lead.
>You'll start treating your mission like a proper Vanguard assignment. You'll also try to establish contact with Terra to make sure they know you're alive.
>Once again, you check the empty field around the building set for witnesses, still nothing. You enter the camp and lay into the cockpit seat for rest.
>Thank Vesta for form fitting cockpit seats. A small prayer to the Gods and you're off to sleep.
Birds chirp in the morning air, rousing you from your light sleep
>You stretch and adjust your back, tasting the humidity in the air
>You roll out of your impromptu bed and reach for the steam wand
>The steam and warm water on your skin feels relaxing, and so does the feeling of not being greasy
>You pull your outfit from the hanging tree branch and pat yourself down with a towel
>You get dressed and check your vanbrace, it's 7:00 am. Plenty of time to make your way to the school.
>Opening the door, a wall of moisture hit you and a low fog covers the field beyond.
>The daily ritual of checking outside for witnesses and locking the door barely grips your mind anymore.
>You make your way across the town houses on your way to the school, it was...quaint if not for the inhabitants
>The thought of how to befriend some of the ayys at school settles in your mind.
>Who to choose, the popular kids would give you intelligence on the happenings of the people in town
>The street rats also see things that are going on in the street. They also may know someone who's got something you may need later on.
>That Sunset girl is quite popular, and she also sought out your company. Then again, she could dig her nose in sensitive places.
>The Dazzlings everyone adored, but youv'e already antagonized them and the fact your mind cradle indicated that they were using psychic persuasion that was thankfully blocked.
>The reminder of Psychic resistance training sent a shiver down your spine. Still, the problem of a suitable friend eluded you.
>Perhaps being more observant during class would bring you your answer.
>The school emerged over the hill, 7:30, still a bit early. The kids rolled in off the buses and from the surrounding neighborhood
>7:45, The bell rings and you make your way to Mr. Discord's physics class. Their grasp of unified theory was abysmal but the man knew Chaos Theory like an old friend.
>You sit down in your normal seat and speaking of old friends, the purple girl shows herself. Twilight?...her name was?
>It was about 6 minutes before class started, so you turned to her
>Twilight looks up to you from her notes
"How were the notes on gravitational constants treating you?"
>"They were great, I'll be ready for the test on Wednesday thanks to you" You sense she's toying with you a bit
>Your fingers spread and reach out to your chest as you lean in
"It was my pleasure"
>Twilight blushes slightly as you give a toothy smile and charismatic eyes
>The bell rings and everyone turns to the teacher
>"Alright class, we're going over some more...esoteric lessons, the effect of gravity on the flow of time."
>He pulls out an odd contraption, a set of coils surrounded by lenses.
>The device hums contently as the singularity at the center of the coils as it stops a trail of dust
>The dust doesn't bunch up at the edge of the field as time in the area is being slowed. The lasers measure the difference in time
>It was remarkable similar to a laser system used to calculated the time dilation of the enormous wormhole relays back home
>You go over your notes, wormhole theory you learned in school was less than helpful here as the constants of the universe were different here.
>At the end of first period, you make your way across the hall to Mr. Doodle's history class. Your experience tells you that someone's following you.
>It was Twilight, she was hanging a good 20 meters back. Why she was scrutinizing you was of lesser concern, the first? The humidity.
>You pull off your jacket, holding it over your right shoulder. The breathable undershirt felt nice and cool.
>You see a group of kids near your locker, they giggled and looked over to you. One yelled "Speak of the devil!"
>You lean into the group and indulge in their and your irony
"How do you do, fellow kids?"
>You pose yourself across from the apparent leader of the conversation, indulging your curiosity as to why they were gossiping about you of all people
"So, what's the big scoop around here? seems a bit big for normal drama."
>"The word on the street is you were hanging around with Sunset and her friends, and that you called Adagio a total bitch down at Sugarcube Corner. Care to comment?" She sounds like a shitty news reporter
"There may have been a run-in with the Dazzlings, but that sounds really embellished."
>This was not something you want to deal with, you stack the physics book in your locker nearby to lighten the weight.
>"Exactly, so we needed someone there firsthand. So, is it true?"
"Definitely embellished. though I was dragged there by Sunset and her friends, Adagio and her friends may have been bothering, take that as you will. "
>Some other kid chimed in "Man, Flash just can’t catch a break, can he?”
>Now this was actually intriguing. You start questioning the boy.
“Flash?”
>”You know, Sunset’s ex-boyfriend. She dated him back when she was a total bitch”
>The youth clearly wanted to use your wording, but now this Flash fellow is an interesting lead.
“What’s he doing now?”
>”He apparently hangs out by himself by the mall some days. Dude took losing Twilight hard"
>This is pleasantly surprising, this Flash fellow knew Sunset AND Twilight? You'll have to make your way to the mall to acquaint yourself with your new source.
>But the issue at hand presents itself, Mr Doodle's history class
>Man was a complete hardass, he got upset when you weren't in your seat when the bell rings.
>You make you way down the hall, hoping the breeze shooting didn't cost you being the punching bag of his lecture.
>Sweet relief, you slide in your normal spot with 10 seconds to spare
>Mr. Doodle came in, with his usual demeanor, i.e. with a stick so far up his ass, it would make your average Crimson Fist proud
>"Now class, today our lesson picks up in 745-787 A.F., the beginnings of Canterlot as a major railroad hub..."
>Nothing important. This nation's history seems awfully dull. no major conquests, no great empires, no sagas worth making into myth
>Simply moving from some old continent to a completely uninhabited continent because of simple overpopulation and civil strife.
>Your thoughts drift over to another thing in your laundry list of things to do, establishing contact with the Senate and informing them you're not dead or AWOL
>That's gonna be a nightmare due to the lack of any form of superposition calipers, you might be able to nab Discord's new toy though.
>"Now Anonymous, how was the industrial boom of the 750's affected by the celebrity-industralists?"
>Oh shit, better think of something, roll for charisma
"Ah, Canterlot's passenger system expanded due to...Fleur de lis's cliff shot in 'The shadow of the valley' even though 'Lonely roads' was more popular."
>Bad poker face.hologram
>Mr. Doodle's face contorts in confusion and impression
>"Huh, I guess you were paying attention..." He turns back towards the board
>Critical success, the other kids looked on in amazement in this display of luck
>The bell rings, signaling freedom. Before anyone could leave, Mr. Doodle turns back, lost in thought
>"What a second, Fleur de lis wasn't in 'Shadow of the valley', that was Chrysanthemum blossom..."
>You slip out with the early group before your lack of movie trivia got you in trouble.
>Lunch, a safe time, even if you can't find anything edible in this school.
>Twilight catches up to you in the hallway and walks to your left
>"How did you know that Mr. Doodle was a sucker for drama movies?" You turn to her
"I didn't. I pulled a response out of my ass and I rolled critical on it, apparently"
>"That's really hard to believe, no one can shake Mr. Doodle like that once he's on his lesson plan." Twilight for good reason found that hard to believe
>You yourself silently thanked Fortuna for bailing your ass out on that one
>You make your way into the cafeteria, fortunately the line wasn't too long for the gruel you would feign to eat
>Even the rations in Legion training was more tolerable, sadly enough.
>Twilight followed a couple kids behind, with even more following her.
>Making your way into the serving bar, you survey your options. Today they had a lasagna with peas and potatoes
>You think and hope this would be edible, the lunch ladies were courteous enough as you got your food.
>Glancing into the kitchen, you could have sworn you saw Discord in there, working as a lunch lady, for what purpose currently eludes you.
>Out of the exit, you make you way toward an empty table. You see the girls standing a table over with the pink one hopping and waving like a hare on meth.
>"ANON! OVER HERE! ANON! ANON!!1!" With all girls looking at you, you oblige them with your company.
>Rarity looks you over, impressed with something, and the other girls smile knowingly.
>"It seems you've been causing quite a stir around the school, darling" The silkiness of her voice doesn't hide her intention.
>"First, the incident with the dazzlings and how you outwitted Mr. Doodle. You're becoming the talk of the school" Rarity seemed to bask in this latest gossip.
>"Twilight told us all about what happened in history, I gotta try that when he's on my case again." Rainbow can't hide her excitement in finally being able to not get shat on in his class
"You're welcome to try, he's probably not the guy to fall for the same trick twice though."
>Rainbow shoots you a glance to not ruin her hopes as you turn to the others
>You saw that Applegirl and the quiet one with liver damage had already sat down, and the rest of you soon joined them.
>Twilight recapped the day's events, including what had happened in history, for your convenience.
>Rainbow countered or enriched the conversation, depending on your view with her own adventures, primarily the soccer game she weaseled in as a gym class
>Her one-ups-man ship was amusing, though you had to admit, she was headstrong and dedicated. If she weren't a crayola barbie, she could have been a decurio in the armored cavalry.
>The cowgirl was not impressed, she weighed down Rainbow's braggadocios tone with some mild banter
>Sunset turned from the growing argument back to you and Rarity next to you.
>"So Anon, the battle of the bands next month and all the other kids are going nuts over the dazzlings who showed up not so long ago. What do you think of them?"
>You pull your head up from your lunch, and swallow your barely edible lasagna.
"Well, just some uppity girls that use their appearance and okayish singing to manipulate people to get their way, the kind that gets to their heads and thinks themselves a genius, especially Adagio"
>You give your assessment without giving away too much, didn't want her to pry in deeply
>"How is it that most every boy is enchanted with them and yet you managed to call Adagio something so crass to the face on that saturday?" Rarity's getting a little close to the danger zone
"Do you think I couldn't keep my head on straight when confronted with a pretty face? Do you think so little of me?"
>The memory of the brain zapping tingles in your mind while Rarity looked on at slightly apologetic but slipped into incredulousness
>"What about the others? Sonata and Aria?" Sunset interrupted
"I haven't seen them much but Sonata seems to be a tag along, she's not the one to be planning things. Aria's probably the most dangerous one."
>"He's right" Twilight began to rant "in these group dynamics, there's the Alpha, the one with both force of personality and enough intelligence to plan out their goals. That would be Adagio. The Alpha would always have a lieutenant, the Beta. The Beta has the intelligent to plan out how the goals will be achieved, but doesn't have the personal charisma to be a real leader, that would be Aria."
>"Sonata would be the gamma, the muscle who would actually carry out the plans laid ahead, they generally don't think ahead very much and tend to be easy to manipulate."
>All in all, Twilight's observations were pretty solid. How that translated into a possible confrontation is another matter.
>You spooned at the potatoes for a minute when a pink mass flew at you. You bent back instinctively to avoid the projectile, only to see it was Pinkie.
>She had a wide grin on her face while you were bent a good 75 degrees from the table
>"So Anon, I had a great time back at Sugarcube corner and that shake with the super secret spice was sooo good, but i..."
>She talked so fast that you could barely understand the words. She ranted about that saturday and went on about that spice you brought but it became less coherent as it went on.
>"...but it would go even better with the carrot cake.... By the way, do you have any more of that spice?" Pinkie's eye twitched a bit as she stared you down.
"I-I'm sorry but, that was all I had. That vial that you chased out the door was it."
>You brace for the tweakout, "Oh..." her twitching became more visible at this.
>Fortunately, she settled down into a reactor rather than a bomb. Lunch went on and you participated more than you had anticipated.
>Hell, you even ate some of that "food", you were starving but still.
>Soon the bell rang and you had to make your separate ways. You threw out the leftovers and headed to your last class.
>Tomorrow was an off day for whatever reason and so, it would be a good opporutinity to find this flash fellow. The mall was not too far from base and so you would make your way there. Just look for the lonely guy there, easy.
>Anon walks off to his Equis class, down a different hallway. You walk with the other girls down the hallway and conspire
>"Alright Twilight, do you think you can get those transcripts soon?" Rainbow cuts right to the chase
"I still help with Principle Celestia's office work tomorrow, I should be able to get good photos of it."
>"Oohh, this is just so titillating, this conspiracy. Shall we meet at the gazebo in Trottingham park?" Rarity always was a sucker for mysteries.
>"Good idea, we'll meet there after Twilight gets off of office duty, when do you think that will be?" Sunset finalizes the plan.
"I'm off at 11:30 AM, I'll be there at noon."
 >Everyone nods in agreement
"Operation: Wax Seal is a go"
>It's 7:30 AM, You make your towards the school door to begin your office aid duties for Principle Celestia. Which must mean you are Twilight Sparkle.
>The city bus leaves you across the parking lot from Canterlot high, the school buses weren't running on this holiday and your parents were attending to errands.
>You ring the door camera, the door almost instantly unlocks for you and you make your way toward the office. Secretary Harshwhinney is sorting through some files at her desk as you greeted the same way as always.
>People think Ms. Harshwhinney is too rough but she's got to manage a great deal of paperwork for students, school projects and teachers. She's always been good to you since you lighten her work load. You greet in her in your usual, cheery tone.
"Good morning Ms. Harshwhinney, is there I can do for you before I check in?"
>"Good morning Twilight." She rubs her eyes in exhaustion "Actually, could you take this to vice principle Luna? This just needs to get signed" Harshwhinney hands you a manila folder and you grab it, ready to head into the vice principle's office.
"Of course"
>A courtesy knock on the door and you open the semi-darkened office. Luna looked up from her officework, slightly surprised to see you.
>"Oh, good morning Twilight. I'm a bit surprised to see you this early."
"Good morning Ms. Luna, I came in because Ms. Harshwhinney asked for you to sign this form when I arrived."
>Luna peers into the manila folder, she nods at it in agreement. "Okay good, thank you for bringing this to me" she signs the forms inside
>"These were requisition forms for new projectors in the math department, these things have been burning out crazy as of late" Luna sighs
"Do you think the company providing them is purposely having them short out to milk the contract?"
>She sighs again "I doubt it, you overestimate most of their intelligence. Most of their management isn't the kind of people who could plan such a malicious scheme"
>"Anyway, I should let you go. Thank you for bringing this to my attention." Luna hands the folder back to you. You leave the office and gently close the door
"Here you are, Ms Harshwhinney"
>Harshwhinney looks at the forms you gave back to her and sighs again "Thank you again Twilight, this eases my work quite a bit."
"You're welcome, I'm going to check in with principle Celestia now"
>"Of course, don't let me keep you." You walk across the front office toward Principle Celestia's office.
>Another courteous knock and you enter her office. Principle Celestia turns from the whiteboard with what appears to be a timeline for major school events
>"Oh, It's good to see you Twilight. I was getting a little worried that you wouldn't show up." Celestia's cheery tone betrays her words
"I'm sorry, I was running some paperwork for Ms. Harshwhinny before I checked in."
>You can't help but shrink back at your mentor's words. "I'm just kidding, Twilight. I talked to Harshwhinney while you were in my sister's office."
>You sigh in relief, it was completely involuntary reaction. "I see you were making friends with Anonymous. It's good to see him actually socializing and not antagonizing other students."
"Do you know anything about him before he came in?"
>"Not much, one day he just showed up, wanting to enroll. He had all the paperwork so he transferred here. The odd thing is, I've never seen his parents." Celestia paused in thought
>"It was like with Sunset but infinity stranger. He seemed to...not fit in. As in he was from somewhere not familiar. I'm sure you know more about him than I do." Celestia reflects on her statement, then shakes her head "Look at me, gossiping like a schoolgirl, no offense" You smirk back
"Non taken"
>"Would you mind xeroxing this? I need 250 copies for a teacher's meeting coming up." She hands you a light packet
"Of course, I'll get them right away"
>"Thank you." Celestia smiles as you leave her office.
>You trek across the empty halls, footsteps echo across the walls on your way to the printshop near the library.
>The copy machine was easy to operate, you separate the pages, position them correctly, set the number of copies to 250 and let the machine go.
>You organize the nearby table and fill up the stapler, preparing to staple them all together. When the first page set was done, you removed them from the tray and set them on the table
>The cycle repeats for the next page set. While the last pages where printing, you whipped out your phone and took a picture of one of the pages to check the legibility.
>You get the camera right and you check the image, crystal clear, excellent. The last pages printed and you begin to staple the packets together.
>As you staple the packets the packets, you mentally plan how you are getting those files. Were you to sneak the files when you were organizing folders? Was she going to leave the office long enough? This was going to be rather difficult, you weren't used to these underhanded methods, especially with your mentor.
>You reload the stapler and finish the remaining packets. Afterwards, you make your way back to the front office, copies bound to your chest with your arms.
>Celestia's office door opens, Ceslestia's surprised by her assistant standing right in front of her
>"Oh goodness, you scared me. That took a bit of time huh?" She takes the papers presented to her
"I stapled them together when the machine was finished"
>"Well thank you, that saves us a lot of time here. Say, I'm going to meet some of the technicians working in the computer department, could you organize the papers on my desk? I finished them and it would help speed my work up tremendously."
"Of course, they'll be finished when you come back."
>"Good on you." Celestia closes the door behind her. Excellent, this will give you plenty of time to get the data you need.
>You begin sorting through the pile of papers on her desk, ready to go to work while the danger of Celestia coming back is high.
>Various piles of paperwork all sorted by destination ready to be put into their proper places. Wandering around the room, you open filing cabinets and slide the folders and papers in their proper places.
>Neuroticism kicks in and you focus in at the task at hand. This is why you were a good assistant.
>A flurry of activity whirs across the room. files sorted, things put in their proper place and office space optimized.
>You check your phone, 20 minutes have passed. You worked longer than you expected but still enough time to complete the mission. You scan out the office windows for any sign of movement, nothing.
>You act as if you were putting something away, gently opening the transcript cabinet. Your heart is racing, A...An...Anonymous, yes that's it.
>You place the open folder on the cabinet to the right of the cabinet with the paperwork splayed out on the folder.
>You carefully photograph the information on them, leaving no detail out. Several photographs later, you close the folder, leaving it as you found it.
>You hear the doorknob turn and you slide the file back in, closing the cabinet. Principle Celestia walks in as you turn towards the door.
>"Hello again, have you finished the organizing?" She sees your startled face "Is everything okay?"
"Oh yes! You startled me, I had finished organizing and filing the finished forms. I had organized some of the supplies and the desk is cleaned up."
>"I guess that's payback for earlier" she smirks "And the records cabinet?" Her face contorts in confusion
"I had noticed a transcript file on one of the filing cabinets and I was putting it back in the cabinet"
>Your heart was pounding in your chest. Celestia's face looks off in confusion and she snaps "Oh silly me, I must have forgot to put it away after reviewing it. Good catch, Twilight"
>"It's about 11:30 now, and noone here has anything else that needs doing. You're free for the day, Thank you for the help today."
"T-Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow morning"
>Celestia nods and you walk out of her office. You said goodbye to Ms. Harshwhinney as well before walking out the front door. You were immediately hit by the humidity.
>You text the girls 'I have the files, I'll meet you in 20 minutes', breathing a sigh of relief. you wonder what Anon's up to?
>You stride out past the auto-doors, scanning the entrance to the mall. Blobs of mismatched color walked across the twin levels of the interior.
>No signs of any lonely figures, if you don't count the bored npcs working in the service stands, which you don't.
>You scan the map, hoping to gleam some hint of where he could be. You walk down the main aisle-way, passing small crowds of people along the way.
>Scanning for a blue haired cuck along the way, you passed by numerous shops filled with colorful trinkets. Vendors peddle their wares and you see some of your classmates gather in packs in the common areas.
>Your mission requires information and if befriending a fallen chad, so be it.
>A gushing fountain appears within line of sight. People in the main commons area near the food court. Good a place as any to search.
>The place was fairly busy what with all the kids off school today. Beginning your search around the dining area, you walk around in front of the lines for the food establishments.
>Circling around the food court, you return to the commons area. You sit at a nearby table, sore from walking non-stop from base all the way to this point.
>More kids walk in from the doorway, they were from the school. You search the crowd for anyone matching Flash's description, this is much harder when you don't know what he looks like.
>You let out a sigh, both of physical exhaustion and the losing hope of finding him here. You get up anyway and walk toward the stairs.
>Glancing by the fountain, you spot something abnormal. A head of slick-backed blue hair glints in the light, attached is the head of a boy about highschool age. A black leather jacket and jeans complete with a look of abject resignation, that's got to be him.
>You walk towards one of the benches, you try to get a closer look to settle your uncertainty.
>On the way, you see a couple pass by the fountain. He looks up to the couple sharing a kiss before the fountain, then walking off while holding hands.
>He cringes and brings his head down. When he does, you hear some song blaring clear as day...
~JUST MY LIFE INTO PIECES, THIS IS MY LAST RESORT! SUFFOCATION, NO BREATHING, DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF I KEK MYSELF BLEEDING!~
>You swivel your head all around, trying to track the source of the sound to no avail. Some people give you quizzical looks.
>Pheobus Apollo must have meant it as a sign, right?
>Smoothly and gracefully, you move to sit on the nearby bench close to Flash, sliding down from your own exhaustion.
>You try to come up with a proper conversion starter, something the yellow-orange stiltwalker would engage in but not too direct.
>While you were pondering, you see something sliding out of the bag next to him. Out rolled a bottle of 'Tropical Sunset' scented lotion next to your leg. Bingo.
"I believe you dropped this?"
>You present the bottle to him, Flash looks out toward the food court area nervously. "No dude, T-That's not mine."
>You shot him a look of skeptical confusion.
"No, I saw it roll out of your bag. Nobody's even paying attention."
>Flash looked again nervously, speaking in a hushed voice. "S-Seriously, that ain't m-mine." You were getting irritated, He couldn't lose any of your respect cause he didn't have any.
"Nobody cares enough to even pay attention, just take it."
>Flash leans in sideways "Alright, what are you doing this for?" His tone gets more angry mixed with anxiety in his whisper.
"You're the one making a bigger deal out of this, stop being a little shit and we go on our happy little ways."
>He didn't take that well. Flash stands up and faces you, you follow suit. Confronting your target, chests swell just a bit. You look down at Flash a good 50 cm shorter than you.
>"You wanna make something of this?"
>He's in battle mode. Impressive considering both his opponent and his stature.
"Only if you want to dance, mate"
>"Alright, You, Me, Arcade, We'll settle it there." Flash leans in. Again you follow suit.
"I'll see you there"
>Confrontation with the one you set out to gain the trust of, this is going swimmingly. Flash leaves with his bag, you still have the lotion in hand. What in tatarus are you supposed to do with this?
>You check the map to see where is arcade is. You follow the route down toward a dark, yet flashing neon seizure trap.
>Three middle school girls were arguing at one of the jetbike racing simulators. The red haired one with the bow was accusing the purple and orange girl of fighting dirty using one of the power-ups.
>You shake your head before getting sucked into their spat and focus on your own. You go over your proposal, trying to see any of this would end the way you would want.
>Flash enters the premises, searching for his would be prey. You step out to meet him, face to face.
>"Alright we'll settle this here. Best of 5, we each pick the game alternately"
"How about a little wager to spice things up. If I win, you tell me EVERYTHING you know about a topic of my choice..."
>Flash speaks into your pause. "And if I win?"
"If you win, I'll give you this here."
>You show him your Vanbrace. Flash pauses to consider the offer. "Deal" He seals with a snap. He thinks he's got the most gain out of this competition, but you just played him like a fiddle. Just as planned.
>Flash breaks your train of thought "Well, shall we begin?" You step to the side, presenting your arm to the inside.
"Ladies first"
>Flash picks the first one, a car racing game. Simple enough, you can beat him at this. You use some of the bills from the Sugarcube incident for tokens.
>Flash looks in at the wad of paper currency. "You seem a bit loaded for a kid with no job." His cleverness fails him yet again
"Let's just say, I'm good at negotiations."
>"Sure, let's see if your driving skills are any better." This kid can't even legally drive, no way he can beat someone who's driven over the shittiest terrain in the galaxy.
>You meet him in the second vehicle control system. You ready your virtual vehicle and wait for the starting signal. Flash turns to you and gives you a quick salute, you nods back at him and You're off.
>It's the middle of the last lap, you're in 3rd while Flash is first. Struggling with smashing into the wall and the blatant abuse of powerups.
>20...19...18... You floor it, so close. Neck and neck for 1st. A wild barrier appeared and sent you spinning at the last second, you pound your fist into your thigh at this. Flash won this round.
>He turns to you. "Good race. That's one of five." He relishes this victory.
"The night's still young"
>Your turn to pick. Spying a primitive shooting sim, you investigate the rig. 'Witchbane: Cauldron's glow' The plastic guns were bulkier than you were used to, but all in all, easy to use.
>You wave Flash over to the stand and put your tokens in. He looks a little worried at it, maybe something he has trouble with. Round 2 begins.
>The both of you begin in factory filled with defiled bodies and adorned occult fetishes. The characters speak their lines and turn to find the dead revived as ghouls.
>First level was easy, guns were wobbly even with proper technique and system was a bit sluggish but was usable. You got 4000 points while Flash got 3150, he kept magdumping and reloading in battle.
>The next few levels were chasing shit across a swamp, how cliché. The ghouls and wraiths were getting worse and you both got nearly killed by the golem mini-boss.
>Flash kept mag dumping and reloading in battle, you were getting annoyed cause you had to hold off the fuckers. Before the next wave you say to Flash over the stock.
"Shoot in short bursts at each enemy, 3 rounds a target and move on."
>"I'm trying but the gun's not aiming properly." He retorts.
>Lucky for you, there's a short pause function. You move the stock of Flash's gun to his shoulder and press his head to the stock, a solid cheekweld.
"Glue you cheek to the stock and hold the stock in tightly, see these sights?"
>"Y-Yeah?" He nods while you point at the stumps.
"Good, line them up. Focus on keeping them aligned, then aim the whole thing at the enemy."
>"Alright..." Flash is less than entirely convinced. You hit the play button several seconds before it quit.
>The both of you start blasting occult abominations and minor witches. At first, Flash struggled with the new technique but quickly racked up the kills.
"Good, reload every time we move, no matter how many rounds are in the mag."
>Flash was learning quickly, good, cause the enemies were getting harder"
>You were still in the lead but he was catching up. At a certain point, the both of you reached a closed area in a warehouse.
"This is not good"
>"Oh shit, this is a major boss fight, I was never able to beat this thing." Flash gives his insight. You shoot him a look over the stock
"So, you wanna give up now?"
>This steels his resolve, he taps the bottom of the mag to reload. "No way, fag"
>This is where it gets fun. The Daemonhost makes its dynamic entrance, screaming skulls orbiting around. Controlled bursts rip through the onslaught of lost souls.
>Reloading to exploit the vulnerable Daemonhost, now you both magdump into the thing. A good 6th of its health was gone.
>You ready for the next wave of lost souls launched at you. With 9 souls bunched together, you unleash with the grenade button the Divine Light grenade.
>Big badda BOOM and they're gone. Again you rip through the vile thing, now it's in fury mode. The both of you start magdumping into the soul projectiles as there was more and more of the things.
>Each of the souls sinks both of your health. Fortunately, it started letting up just a bit.
>You have 1 health left and still blasting away at the souls, there came a point where you needed to reload. The animation ran through after you saw the coast was clear.
>A wild Lost Soul appeared! The thing was heading straight towards you. You couldn't shoot it in time, you were a goner.
>Three shots blasted the soul and it exploded. Flash had killed the thing instead of getting the Daemonhost.
>You finish reloading and ready for another wave. You easily cut them down, even nail a health pack or two. You idly remark while killing shit.
"I'm surprised you saved me instead of getting the kill and winning the match."
>"Don't get soft on me now, this round's getting interesting. Besides, you helped to avenge my vendetta against my most hated foe."
>The lost souls met there end at you gun. You let Flash get the Divine Grenade power up and lodged the thing in the Daemonhost's neck, the gory spectacle was glorious.
>It's neck and neck now. The dynamic duo cap the ass of every abomination along the way through the swamp. Soon, the endgame is in sight.
>Now, you face the final boss...es? Flash and you confront not only the Coveness, but a Daemon Prince she's unleashed.
>It's a fight to the death, neither of you hold back. The Coveness wields vile sorcery and the Daemon Prince readies its minions.
>Flash was blasting away, man learned quickly. He even taught himself mutually supporting fire and how to use the grenades properly.
>Soon the game was at climax, the Coveness and the Daemon Prince were unleashing everything they had. You were tearing into them.
>At 1/4 heath, the bosses were desperate and so were you. Flash was dealing with the Daemon Prince and you were attacking the Coveness.
>Flash got his quarry down to 1/8 health and the Coveness wasn't doing so hot either. Another wave came and you had picked up a Divine Grenade boost.
>You stepped back, catching your boot on something and you fell down. As you fell, you accidentally hit the grenade button.
>The grenade flew through an opening of the daemon horde and fell as the two exposed their weak spots.
>You get up and see a flash of divine light banishing the Daemon Prince to Tartarus and the Coveness is no more.
>The screen went dark and revealed the bloody claw styled logo. 'Witchbane: Cauldron's Glow'
>The scores come out, Flash 450,750, Anon 451,060. You just eeked out on top.
>Flash looks at you and said "I'm not even mad, that was amazing, the whole thing" You were enjoying it as well.
"Like I said, the night is still young"
>Flash puts his name in with the rifle, you try as well. When you squeezed the trigger, nothing happens. You try again. You try all the buttons, they don't work either.
>The wires got yanked out when you fell. You and flash look at each other with wide eyes.
>You swivel your head, checking to see any witnesses, nothing. You gently put the rifle back, and walk away whistling the 'Everything is totally fine, I know nothing and I was never there' tune
>Flash follows suit. You signal to him to pick the next game. He went over and picked up a guitar controller for 'Rockstar Legends' like it was an old friend.
>You came to the other side and readied yourself. Tokens entered and he picked a three song path. 'Everfree' was the first song.
>You were doing fairly well, still missing some notes again and again. Flash was nailing the whole thing. The song was about monstrous animals or some shit like that, but he was going to town on it.
>He won that round. Next, you played 'Elemental Warrior' It reminded you of some metal songs back on that had a similar beat. This you did much better on, it seemed more familiar and remembered the beat. Still, Flash ripped threw it, you were always bad at 'Guitar Hero' anyway.
>The last song was 'The One I Lost' This was some sad sappy love song. You sucked at this one,couldn't hit much of any note. But Flash man, he was playing it like he wrote it.
>Eyes closed, he bobbed the controller up and down as if he was on stage. He was mumbling the words by heart, perfect timing every time.
>Flash was in his own world. The game was long lost for you, so you hung up the controller and leaned against the machine.
>He was going into it. At one point during the guitar solo, he slid toward the machine on his knees while playing.
>Flash looked up to see you admiring the display of pretend guitarmanship. He stood up and dusted himself.
"That was a pretty good display there. How'd you get so good at his?"
>He lets out a sigh "I'm always playing my guitar when I get a chance, it sort of transferred over."
>You both look over to the cheering cardboard cutout crowd going wild, the top 10 scores were all named Flash.
>He looks at you with a look of sadness and a hint of pathetic.
"Well, that's 2;1. You want to go for round 4?"
>"*Sigh* Sure." You both move to find something else, when some chick's voice breaks the silence. "So, what are you two dweebs doing?"
>You turn to find the source of the screeching, Flash goes "Oh no"
>Cue NCIS scene pause.

>Eclipsing the aisleway lighting was some white haired chick in a bomber jacket, Golden eyes piercing the both of you.
>She stood there in the entryway to the arcade, she obviously wanted something from one of you.
>"Ah shit, that's Gilda. I asked her for a favor a while back after Twilight left." Flash whispers, trying his best to not alert this Gilda.
>"Flash, I came to collect on that debt." Gilda cracks her knuckles, it's effective on Flash. Babysitting a petty deal is not your idea of a good time, you turn back to him.
"Just pay what you owe her. Unless the terms were that she pimp your ass out as a gigolo, not paying would be worse."
>Gilda nodded to Flash to concur your statement. Flash manages to collect himself enough to respond "I gave the first half of the payment to Punch Runner the day after, saying she would bring it to you."
>Gilda's face goes from anger to disbelief "Wow, You are even more stupid than I thought..." She shakes her head.
>"I don't follow..." Flash grows even more concerned.
>"Punch left town that weekend, you just gave her 45 bits for nothing. Man, you really are desperate" A giggle escaped Gilda at this story
>"Still, the deadline's now." She was waiting to collect
>"I've got most of the money at home, I can get it by tonight."
>"That isn't good enough, you agreed to pay today, In Full" Gilda emphasized that last part
>"How was I supposed to now Punch would run off with the payment?!"
>"That's more of a you problem. You agreed to the terms and you have to pay regardless. That gigolo part doesn't sound half bad..." Gilda trails off.
>The both of them look at you expectantly, so you step to the side and address the both of them
"Look, I have no idea what the terms of this deal are. I don't have any real stake in this, nor do I have a satisfactory resolution for either of you."
>Gilda turns her ire to you "And I've got a bone to pick with you..." You cut her off
"That line starts 5 miles that way"
>You point behind you over the shoulder. Gilda finishes her thought "You broke the only good controller on the witchbane game over there."
"I did no such thing."
>"I saw the little retard tumble over there and how the game didn't work. You broke the one controller one the one game I like, your gonna pay for that." Gilda used Intimidate, it's not very effective.
"I don't have time for whatever quarrel you're looking to drag me into."
>You turn away, Gilda shouts "Where do you think your going!" to Flash who tried to quietly slip away. Looks like you might have to fight this out.
>The both of you brace for a tumble, while Flash looks for a quick out. This is not how you planned this afternoon.
>This showdown was interrupted by the shout of a security guard down the hall, everyone turned their attention to the shouting. Flash grabbed your shoulder and quietly shouted "Run!"
>The both of you took off down the other way, slipping into the crowd. It seems Gilda lost you or went somewhere else, not that you want to see her ever again.
"We should make our way out. She'll catch up to usif we stay"
>"If we can make the bus before she gets there, we're home free." Flash whispers back. Now, to navigate this maze of shops, it getting busy at least will conceal your path.
>Our intrepid duo makes it to a map, you check your 6 every minute looking for any sign of Gilda
>Flash scrutinizes the map, looking for your current position "Shit, we're at the opposite end of the mall, the bus stop's at this street." Flash taps your destination and where you are currently.
>"Gilda might try to follow us up here" He runs his finger up the aisle where you passed through
"Or more likely, she's heading here to cut us off."
>You tap the atrium you first arrived in, closest to the street. "We could go to the left by the food court and slip out by the atrium." You check your 6 yet again
"Sounds like a plan, let's slip out."
>You slip back into the crowd and ride it like it's a lazy river.

>These hallways seem much longer now that it's full of people. Your head's on a swivel, looking for any sign you were being followed. Flash was doing the same, but with much greater urgency. Swimming in the crowd was your safety.
>You reach an empty pocket, the crowd was slowing down where it got smallest. A calculated risk to move faster through the strange gap. After a minute through the gap, Someone follows the outside of the line and comes through the empty space.
>It was obvious he was following you, you try to duck back into the sea of people but he's onto you. He must be working with Gilda.
>Flash whispers to you "Guy's tailing us, green spiked hair by the party shop." You turn to see, there's someone else following you, and he looks like more bad news.
>You tell him about the maroon haired guy you spotted. "We can duck out by the food court, they might not think we're headed to the bus" You nod and the both of you make your way to the food court on the right.
>Down in the middle of the tables, You and Flash take stock of the situation. The two guys are still heading towards you.
"We can duck out around the parking lot."
>"It might be a little too late for that." Flash gestured to the two guys in front of you.
>"You trying to run from paying what you owe?" The maroon haired guy spoke out, neither of them were particularly strong or intimidating.
"Gilda sent her goons for the job?"
>"We all have a stake in this business, and since you interfered, we all get some payback" The green haired boy interjected. Neither side seemed eger to make a move, they would get their asses kicked and you don't want any heat on you.
>The silence was broken by a rustling, you saw the two goons reach on the tables for something and reacted. You reach for the only weapon available, a plastic butter knife...Great.
>Flash had apparently drew a large plastic serving spoon from a nearby table, it wouldn't do much but you felt a twinge of envy.
>You whisper to Flash through gritted teeth.
"No fair, you got the high capacity assault spoon."
>"You snooze, you lose" He's getting a bit cocky. The maroon haired kid in the leather jacket has a plastic spoon, while the Green haired goon with denim jacket was dual wielding plastic forks like he was a dark brotherhood assasin. This would be funny if it weren't so sad.
"Nice little Mexican standoff we've got here."
>"A Mexi-what?" The denim kids asks, even Flash looks at you with confusion. You forget, they have completely different idioms.
>A crowd begins to gather at this spectacle. Some people eagerly eat their food while they watch, others film the event on their phones and giggle. Some freshman girl sitting with her friends shouts "Dinner AND a show, it's like Castle Arena. Go Blue knight!"
>Flash breaks the silence again "Is this what we really want to do?"
>"You brought this on yourself cause you didn't pay."
>"Well then enough talk" That spoon's giving Flash a false sense of confidence. The other guy looks to you,and you gesture him to come to you.
"Sure. Have at thee, kinsman."
>It's on.
>Fork-ssasin comes at you with the one-two attack. Batting one arm to the side, you caught your knife in between the prongs. You sweep you arms to disengage and ready for another attack.
>Flash's got his assault spoon working, slapping aside and counter attacking against the mad spooner. People in the crowd are cheering and waving impromptu banners. Cries of "Go Fork guy!" "Come on Big Spoon!" ring out of the crowd.
Some girl cried "Grey jacket a qt!" Every attack gets a Woah from the crowd, The sheer ridiculousness began to sink in.
>But there's goons to fight so no time to consider it now.
>Flash deflected a hay maker spoon headed right for you and in return, you butter knifed his gut. He recoiled but still in the fight.
>The crowd was eating it up, but you really wanted to pull out and lay low for awhile.
>Another attempted forking brought your attention back to now. Soon the answer came as everyone's attention was drawn to security coming through.
>With your adversaries distracted, you grab Flash and bolt for the exit. The sun beats down on you as you check to see if anyone followed.
"We need to get out of here, now"
>"There gonna look in the parking lot we came out of." Flash was right, you need to lose the trail, now.
>He points to a clothing store entrance nearby. You both take off your jackets in a slim hope of looking different. "We can use these." Flash pulls out the bag you saw earlier from inside his jacket.
>It has a few outfits, hopefully enough to throw people off.
"You think it'll work?"
>"It's the best we've got" He's right. You throw in your jackets in the bag and slip into the department store.
>The place is relatively empty, possibly due to the commotion in the food court. Wandering through the clothing aisles you look for the changing booths.
>You reach the booths, but one of them is apparently out of order and you don't know if someone's hot on your heels.
>You look to Flash and decide to bite the bullet, both of you go in.
"In and out, we'll be fine."
>Flash slips in the booth and you follow suit, looking out for any followers. You begin with the shirt, it's a bag of goodies. You replace your breathable undershirt with some band shirt you never heard of, it was definitely a schmedium.
>Next the pants, this is a nightmare. Skinny, not even jeans just all skinny. You bounce up and down to try to squeeze in, legs squeezed worse than a mechanical pressure suit.
>Flash was having trouble as well, his clothes were too tight as well.
"Why are these so small?"
>"They're my size, they just need to be broken in." Flash groans as he twists his pants
"Do you wear a size 3?!"
>"My size is fine, you the one who's a Sasquatch." Flash whispers through gritted teeth.
>Outside, some guy wanders near the men's section, the man hears muffled groaning emanating from the stall.
>"Move your fat ass!"
>"Why is this so tight ?!"
>"*Groan* Move over there!"
>"Ah, there we go."
>"*Unf*, that's much better."
>"*Grunt*"
>"Ah!"
>He turns wide eyed onward toward another section and the man speedwalks past the stall.

>Checking to see you weren't being watched you emerge from the stall. Waddling out the store in your disguise, you wait for Flash.
>You wear some shitty band shirt, skinny jeans and a belt. You couldn't bend your knees, so you had to swing one foot out and then the other to walk.
>Flash had a wifebeater, black skinny jeans and a small jacket. The hood of the jacket was taught against his forehead, pulling his arms out, he couldn't move his shoulders.
>You both waltz out into the stream of people the best you can. You get some strange looks from the people passing by.
>A good eternity later, you finally manage to make it to the atrium. Your heart is pounding, scanning for Gilda or the goons. You're in no condition to fight with this shitty armour.
>Beyond a few worried glanced toward you, you were home free. The both of you managed to waddle out the door, home free at last.
>You look to the bus stop and see 3 figures by the stop. "Oh no." Flash gasps "It's Gilda."
>You look out and see that theyr'e waiting for you at the stop. The both of you scan desperately for an escape route.
>You look back at the mall to see 2 security looking out your direction. The Maroon Spooner turns to his compatriots and point to you. The 5 figures move toward you
>Your both desperately look for an escape. A storm drain catches your eye, a tractor tire bobbing up and down in the river.
>"Where do we go ?!" Flash begins to panic. You point and shout.
"The highway of the Ancients!"
>The both of you haul ass to the tire. With all your might, you manage to move your knees a whopping 3 cm.
>You run at a great 7 kph to freedom.
>Sliding down the hill, you basically throw Flash onto the tire. You grabbed 2 wooden pieces conveniently shaped like paddles.

>You manage to kick off the life raft just as Gilda and her lackies crested the hill. Neither of you paddled faster in your lives. You lean back as you round the corner and float down the river, throwing the broken paddles into the river.
>You lay there, exhausted from the entire day's events. The afternoon sun beats down on you, the both of you wet your shirts in an attempt to beat the heat.
>Flash lays there, face a few centimeters from the river with a wet shirt covering your head. You were a soaked shirt on your chest.
>Another eternity later, Flash groans "How long have we been here?" You pull you arm from the river and check the vanbrace.
"About 11 minutes"
>You both sigh, floating on a river to nowhere. "We've got to stop somewhere." Flash groans again.
>Another few minutes pass, when you spot a large storm drain outlet. It seemed more and more familiar.
There was a storm drain like this near your impromptu base.
>The more you look at it, the more it hits you this is near your base. You hand paddle towards it, Flash makes an attempt to paddle as well.
>You reach the concrete base and hold fast to a tree. Flash gets off and helps you do the same. You manage to pull the tire from the river, it's a keeper.
"I know this place, it's near downtown and Trottingham park."
>"Oh good, I live not far from here." Flash slumps near the wall "But I got to lay low for a bit." And so do you.
>A ring from a phone breaks the silence. Flash answers "Hey Norman...I'm at a storm drain next to the river...It's stupider than it sounds...just get down here." He hangs up. "We're gonna have company."
>You spot some old lawnchairs nearby
"It's a party"

>"What the hell happened at the mall?! Gallop's going nuts over the videos" Norman is super confused as to what transpired.
"You see, what had happened was..."
>"And that's how we ended up here."
>Norman stares in disbelief "If this were a story on the internet, everyone would call bullshit." And he would be right.
>"Well, we wanted to hang out...here we are now." Flash pointed out some previous arrangement.
>"I mean, my parents are out of town for a couple days, I can hang for the night." Norman admits he's free
>"I got to lay low for awhile, and my folks will be home after I will." They look to you.
"My schedule's open for the considerable future."
>"The night's still young" Flash smiled. "Ah man! I had a huge bag of poison joke I didn't bring!" Norman slaps his forehead.
>"Fuck, that would have been nice." Flash leans back into the rickety chair. You dig out your jacket from the bag.
"Poison Joke?"
>You didn't quite get it. "You know..." Norman makes the blunt gesture.
"Ahhh"'
>You pull a tin from the inside of your jacket, not remembering its contents. Opening it up, there's an atomizer pen and a dozen vials that read 'Empathy' Thank Jove you weren't searched.
>While the other 2 mourn the lost trip, they see you putting in a vial to the E-cig. "What's that?" Flash asks. You shoot them a knowing grin while twirling the pen. We gonna get fucked up.
>Wielding it like a cigarette of old, you cough a bit as the pen kicks in. You pass it to Norman who follows suit, taking several puffs.
>"Didn't your mom teach you to share? Puff puff pass" Flash doesn't want to be left out. Norman passes it along, Flash taking some puffs.
>"What is this stuff?" Flash begins to wobble a bit. They're both real lightweights.
"Empathy, it makes you relaxed and really in tune with other's emotions and shit"
>"Nice, I-I'm feeling it now."
>You throw some drift wood onto the fire as Norman tells some misadventure he had. "S-So, some of my buddies hooked up his whole House to run beer through the water. W-When he turned the tap, beer came out!"
>You giggled like an idiot at that. That would be awesome
"O-Or worse, you hooked up beer in the tap, B-But it's all light beer."
>"Oh now THAT, is pure evil" All of you cackled up at this. "S-So... What do you think of some of the girls here?" Norman pries into adolescent desires "Like those girls that dragged you to Sugarcube Corner?"
"T-They're decent...Dash is kind of a bitch. Pinkie's blood is pure liquid meth. I haven't interacted with Applejack? hen name was? but she reminded me of a girl I was sweet on before I came here."
>"D-Do tell."
"She was a rancher, Vespara. I would help her with the ranch and hang out with her a lot. One time, I was dealing with a reluctant mule. It wouldn't move to the new barn, I tried, It drug me through 3 1/2 meters of straight pigweed because I was too stupid to let go of the rope. Ceres be praised none of the thorns stuck."
>Everyone cringed at the pigweed part. You continue on.
"Rarity is rather kind despite her looks and tone. the yellow one never spoke so I don't know about her..."
"Sunset seems nice but is way too nosy and clever for her own good, and Twilight's neurotic but quite intelligent"
>Flash's mood darkens when he hears those names. You both sense it cause of the drugs. "Flash, you okay man?"
>"Anon, do you know anything about them?" Flash begins interrogating you
"Not really, I was hoping to find out though."
>"Let me tell you a true tale..." Flash finishes 7 minutes later
"So, Sunset was your ex who was originally a total bitch AND she is actually a sapient horse from another dimension. Not only that, but the first Twilight you met was one to who magic blasted daemon Sunset and this Twilight is an alternate version native to here?"
>Flash nods in conformation. If you weren't here, you would call total bullshit on that story.
"I've seen crazy things, but this takes the batshit cake. And the drugs don't cause this kind of schizo."
>"Twi tried reverse engineering the portal they used and made some quanum...quaner...Quantum fuse that apparently allow you to tap into other dimensions."
>That struck you, maybe these quantum fuses could open a comms channel back to the Empire or even control a wormhole out of here. But this is sketchy as the very best, a drugged confession of the former school chad.
>Still, this might be worth it. Getting access to Twilight's lab could jump start your efforts by months. Everyone begins fading out in the serene night and soon you slip into dreamless sleep.