[AiE] Disharmony - Part 10

>You are Twilight Sparkle.
>And this is not the best situation.
>The Royal Guards have finally found out where this world’s Twilight and her friends have been hiding the whole time.
>You're not sure what they're doing, but the cave is sounding more unstable by the minute.
>Everyp0ny is helping each other evacuate.
>Applejack and Rarity have run off with their duplicates to help their families.
>You and Shining Armour have gone to the cave entrance to use your magic to repel the force.
>It's not exactly working, but it's pushing them back.
>Alter-Twilight has arranged some precautions in the cave and the surrounding forest for such an event.
>Some of the guards are tied up, while others are stuck under nets that had dropped on them...
>Some have even had piles of Poison Joke dumped on them.
>It's making them break out into laughter because their bodies have become extremely sensitive.
>Anything they do is apparently tickling them... according to their desperate screaming, anyway.
>Despite this, the force is still large and still trying to push forward.
>The defenses and the miniscule number of defending ponies are all that's keeping them at bay.
>It's created enough breathing room to have everyp0ny evacuated.
>Rainbow Dash is trying to fly some ponies to safety as quickly as she can, while Alter-Rainbow is putting up a fight with some guards.
>Fluttershy and Alter-Spike are still with Cadance, last time you saw.
>Both Pinkie Pies have... disappeared.
>Alter-Twilight is managing the situation.
>She's given Trixie the Alicorn Amulet again, which she's using to toss some guards around and out of the way with her magic.
>The guards are positioned all around the cave, as well as on top.
>They're trying to have some Unicorn guards blast their way through the ground on top with magic, but all that's doing is making parts of the cave collapse.
>Which isn't good since there are still ponies inside.
>A rock you were using as cover lifts itself up and you see that your Pinkie Pie is under it.
>"Twilight! We've got a plan, but we need to know which group of guards are the biggest threat!"
>We?
>She must mean herself and Alter-Pinkie.
>Who else can defy the laws of everything and appear from under inanimate objects like that?
"Whatever it is you're doing, go for the guards on top of the cave first, and then make sure the path is clear for the evacuation teams!"
>"Okie-dokie!"
>With that, the rock falls back down and she disappears underground again.
>You realise it's not the time to think about such things, but you lift the rock slightly again to look under it.
>...Flat ground?
>How does she do that?!
>Turning to look above the cave, you hear some 'bang' sounds.
>The guards on top of the cave are launched off, with a trail of streamers and confetti behind them.
>Those guards land a good distance away, behind the force in front of you.
>You look towards the direction that ponies were escaping towards and spot a few guards approaching them.
>Before you can even act to go help them, a series of cakes come flying down from the trees to hit each guard in the face.
>The precision is amazing.
>The guards all stagger around until each one trips over some vines.
>The vines tighten around their legs and launch each guard into a random direction away from the evacuating ponies.
>...Did they seriously just do that?
>How did both Pinkies set up snares that fling ponies in other directions so fast?
>They'd have to have been prepared beforehand.
>The rock next to you lifts up again and Alter-Pinkie is grinning at you.
>"Done!"
"Pinkie... HOW did you do that so fast?!"
>"Trade secret, Twilight! Now we're going to go help get those ponies to safety!"
>The rock falls back down and she's off again.
>Strange that even a more serious Pinkie is still capable of the impossible feats that yours is.
>One world-bending Pinkie is weird enough for you, but two of them...
>That's an unstoppable force in itself.
>You wonder if they'd considered taking on Anonymous with their antics.
>Alter-Twilight comes up to you from behind.
>"Twilight, we need to leave! If I can't grab the notes of that spell, you'll never get back home!"
"How? They're everywhere! They'll follow us wherever we go, or they'll go after everp0ny else!"
>"Trixie is going to escort them back to Sweet Apple Acres where they can bunker down in the barn! Our friends and Shining will keep the guards distracted while you teleport us away!"
>You look back to Shining Armour, who gives the both of you a nod.
"And where will we go?! You're not going to be able to concentrate if they keep hunting for us!"
>"If most of the guards are here, then Ponyville should be pretty empty! We can use the basement of the Library!"
>That's a pretty safe bet.
>They know where you are now, so there's no reason for the rest of the guards to be hanging around in Ponyville.
"Alright, let’s go!"
>"Twily, wait!"
>You both stop for Shining Armour.
>"Whatever it is you're doing, take Cadance with you! She's in no shape to move on her own; I can't be there to protect her and she'll only slow the evacuation group down!"
>A fair call.
>You certainly have magic to spare to teleport Cadance with you.
"Alright! We'll do it! She'll be safe with us, Shining!"
>"Thank you! Now go!"
>You and your duplicate head back into the cave, witnessing the few straggler ponies leaving.
>Applejack is helping Alter-Applejack and her family, specifically Granny Smith.
>Rarity is helping Nurse Redheart and Waratah, while Alter-Rarity has picked up all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and is running out with Cheerilee.
>As you enter the far end of the cave, you see Fluttershy and Spike huddling together with Cadance.
>"Spike, I need you to help Trixie escort the other ponies to Sweet Apple Acres!"
>"But what about you?!"
>"Don't worry about me, we'll be fine. We're taking Cadance with us!"
>He worryingly gets up and moves over to hug her.
"You too, Fluttershy! The others need your help to distract the guards so they can get away!
>"Wh-what?!"
"Just find Pinkie or Rainbow Dash, you'll be fine!"
>She whimpers a little bit before flying off.
>Spike breaks the hug on Alter-Twilight and runs after her.
>Alter-Twilight starts running around the room stuffing papers, notebooks, scrolls, anything she needs into a small bag.
>You grab your own bag containing the Elements of Harmony and then get a small box for the crystal fragment, bagging it as well.
>With everything you need, you move beside Cadance so she can climb onto your back.
"Come on! We need to leave, now!"
>You try to keep her steady with your magic as you start heading back to the entrance of the cave, Alter-Twilight bringing up the rear.
>Nop0ny left in the cave.
>The evacuation seems to have worked out at least.
>Hopefully they'll make it to Sweet Apple Acres without issue.
>Getting back outside to rejoin with Shining Armour, the guards are getting closer.
>"You guys need to leave right now!"
>He plants a kiss on Cadance.
>"I'll see you again soon!"
>With that, your horn lights up and with a flash of purple, the three of you escape.


>The spell only took you a certain distance away, closer to the edge of the forest, so it was a short run back to Ponyville.
>You exchanged Cadance for Alter-Twilight's bag so you could move faster.
>With Alter-Twilight toting Cadance on her back, you’re able to focus on keeping her steady more easily.
>The town wasn't completely devoid of guards, but there weren’t enough of them to cause you any problems.
>You reached the library without incident, and moved through the smashed doors.
>This place is an absolute mess.
>It's pretty upsetting to see your home in this state.
>Spike would go insane at the thought of you returning home to it - he'd go into cleaning overdrive.
>You attempt to barricade the front door, though it's nothing that will keep anyp0ny out if they figure out you're here.
>Alter-Twilight moves over to the door leading down to the lab in the basement, you following close behind.
>At least this room doesn't look as bad.
>She sets Cadance down on the floor, then takes her bag from you and empties it on the bench, arranging all the notebooks and papers into position.
>Using a little magic, she takes a quill and some ink out from under the bench and begins writing.
>"I hadn't exactly finished these spells, so I need a few minutes to make sure nothing goes wrong."
>You nod at this and look at Cadance.
>While you're not doing anything, you can at least go bring down the mattress of the bed for her to lie on.
>As you leave to sneak around upstairs, you can hear Cadance and Alter-Twilight chatting to each other.
>You can't understand any of it; they sound like they're trying to make sure you don't hear them.
>It sounds like an argument, judging by how aggressive they sound.
>As you make it to the bedroom, you levitate the mattress up, while glancing out the window.
>You can see some bright lights shining through the forest.
>They must still be fighting.
>Worse, there's another squad of Pegasus guards flying over Ponyville, heading in that direction.
>You quickly make your way back downstairs.
>Placing the mattress on the ground, you help Cadance onto it.
"We need to pick up the pace. There are more guards heading for the Everfree Forest. Once he's here, we ca-"
>"As soon as I'm finished, you're all going home."
>You're cut off before you can even finish.
>Cadance is getting more worried by the second.
>"Twilight, please..."
>She still doesn't want Anonymous here?
>Despite what you all have told her, she still doesn't believe yours can be trusted...
>You sigh, and walk over to her.
"Look, I understand your concern. After the experience here, I'm likely going to second-guess a lot about Anonymous. But you need us. Without our help, you'll be captured, and Equestria won't recover without you."
>She puts the quill down and turns to you.
>"Then maybe that's my fate."
"Considering I'm you, I'm inclined to disagree. That's not fate. That's just accepting one outcome before really considering the other. It's being selfish, and forcing all others to give up with you rather than see it through."
>She looks down.
>You move closer to her, getting right in her face.
"That's NOT what we've been learning from Celestia all these years."
>She looks back up, glaring at you.
"And if you're not going to do everything you possibly can, then I'll do it for you!"
>You move to the bench and start to read through some of the notes.
>Alter-Twilight immediately responds and shoves you aside.
>You look back to see her fuming with anger before she bucks you halfway across the room.
Before you can recover completely after getting back up, you're tackled back to the ground again.
>Looking up, Alter-Twilight looks mad, and seems absolutely determined to make sure you stay down.
>"Twilight, stop!"
>Cadance's shouting is falling on deaf ears.
>You can't believe she's resorting to aggression with you when you're trying to help.
>If she's not going to listen to reason, you'll need to be forceful.
>It doesn't sit right with you, but there's more than her own future at stake.
>Before she can react, you quickly pick her up with your magic and throw her across the room.
>She slams into a bookcase and falls to the floor with a few books hitting her in the head on their way down.
>You try to stop her with a few spells to slow her down and immobilize her, but she dodges each one while charging you a again.
>Before she reaches you, you teleport behind her.
>She hits the wall that was originally behind you, which staggers her for a moment before she attempts the same thing again.
>Once she's close, you jump, flapping your wings once for extra height until she passes right under you.
>Not falling for the same trick twice, she stops immediately.
>You take the opportunity to buck her in the flank, sending her tumbling to the floor.
>She gets back up, shaking her head to address you again.
>"This is my world! My fight!"
"You made it ours when you brought us here!"
>Cadance attempts to stand up to stop you from fighting.
>You notice, and decide to avoid risking her getting hurt, so you force her back down with your magic.
>Alter-Twilight uses this opportunity to pull out a smoke pod and throw it directly at you, bursting on the side of your neck and clouding you in smoke.
>You're blinded as white smoke starts to fill the room.
>As you start coughing, the little you can see shows that she's no longer where she was standing.
>Before you can do anything about it, she charges you from the side, knocking you into the stairs.
>You're about to cast a spell to remove some of the smoke, but a book comes flying through the smoke to hit you in the horn, breaking your concentration.
>How can she even see through this?
>You can barely navigate the room you know so well in this situation, but she doesn't seem to be having any issues at all.
>Or maybe it's not completely about seeing.
>She had a clear advantage when you were coughing, but you've stopped.
>You stop to listen for any sound, but all you hear is Cadance yelling at the both of you to stop.
>That's not going to help.
>Maybe it's with the smoke itself.
>You scan the area for any disturbances in the smoke.
>A small bit to your right shifts and you charge it.
>It is Alter-Twilight, but she was prepared for it.
>She staggers back slightly, but corrects herself and rears up on her back legs.
>Before she brings them down on you, you blast her with a bolt of raw magic in the chest and it sends her flying against the wall again.
>She's dazed for the moment, so you take the chance to open the door at the top of the stairs with your magic to try and air out the smoke.
>You pick her up with magic again and send her flying halfway across the room once more, where she lands on her back.
>While she's on the ground, you teleport from your spot to the air above her.
>Landing on top of her, your front hooves are pinning hers to the ground beside her.
>Her only option here is to use magic against you, so before she can, you levitate a book over towards you and smack it against her horn similar to the trick she used on you earlier.
>Cadance's voice finally breaking through the commotion.
>"Stop fighting! Neither of you are solving anything! You're needlessly tiring and hurting each other, which will help the guards capture us easier when they hear the disturbance!"
>She's right.
>All that magic used at once is making you feel fatigued.
>Moving the book off of her face, you realise that you're both out of breath.
>She's still glaring at you, but it's a slight look of regret.
>"...fine. You win."
>You get off her and let her sit up.
>"I'm still sending you home."
>"Twilight, she's right. We need all the help we can get. If Anonymous is the only one able to use that crystal, then we need another that can use it against him. You need to set your fears aside..."
>Cadance's words finally sinking in, Alter-Twilight looks to her.
>Thinking the situation over, she looks down, the worried expression on her face only growing more intense.
>She finally looks back to you.
>"This is a mistake..."
"It's not. You searched through multiple dimensions to look for us, specifically because our universe was the most identical to yours. You brought us here because you believed we'd uphold the same values that you've maintained your whole life..."
>Tears start to form in her eyes.
"You and the friends you knew were slowly fading with everything that's happening... You remember everything that you were, and you had to find a way to bring them back. That's why you needed us. To remind you of who you are and to show you how powerful your friendship is. So please... trust us. Trust yourself. And let's finish this."
>As Alter-Twilight is still catching her breath, your words hit her.
>She looks around the room for any sign of what she should do.
>She looks to Cadance, who nods to her, reassuring that her that it's the right thing.
>Defeated, she sighs and looks down.
>With her eyes closed, she stands.
>"I'm sorry... I let too much emotion cloud my judgement... that's how I brought you into this mess to begin with."
"Don't worry. What's done is done. Your intentions were good, and the situation stressful. I doubt anyp0ny will judge you for it. But there's no harm in taking those intentions a little further..."
>Still showing a look of concern, she relents and moves back to the bench.
>Looking over her notes a final time, she nods at you and clears some space in the middle of the room.
>"It's adjusted slightly, so he should appear right here. Don't want to risk him appearing in a random location like you were."
>You move over to sit with Cadance, making sure you're out of her way.
>She positions herself and her horn starts to glow.
>It's her regular purple glow that you also have, but it starts to darken and resemble a shade of blue similar to the night sky.
>She has her eyes closed and the effort is clearly taxing on her as she starts to sweat.
>Her eyes open to reveal the same dark blue showing through both of them, which are sparkling... like stars.
>With this, her horn starts to crackle.
>It’s the same effect that you noticed surrounding you and your friends when you were experimenting back home.
>The effect shoots forward and bounces around, forming a certain shape in the air.
>You can see a familiar-looking torso and set of clothes beginning to materialize into existence...




>You are Anonymous.
>And APPARENTLY, there's some fuckwit running around giving you a bad name.
>You were sitting in the Library, happily chatting away with Spike and Celestia.
>It took long enough just to stop talking about your stupid nerdy obsessions, but you’d finally begun chatting the way normal people should.
>It was nice to vent your experiences of the transition from your world to Equestria.
>She showed great interest and sorrow for you.
>This was stuff you hadn't even shared with any of your friends.
>Celestia has such a caring nature about her that you couldn't help it.
>But that was rudely interrupted when that goddamn purple electricity started forming around you.
>You started freaking out, remembering what happened to Twilight and the others.
>Celestia almost panicked as well while watching you, but she let you know before you left them that they probably needed you.
>It was not a reassuring thought.
>However, she was right.
>Once you found yourself in the basement of the Library, you were greeted happily by Twilight.
>Then you saw another Twilight just behind her... which made you question just what the fuck was in those doughnuts you’d eaten.
>Taking in the thought that you were just thrown across worlds again, coupled with the fact that there were now two Purple Smarts in front of you may have caused you to break down in a fit of tears.
>Well... not 'may have'... you did.
>A good 10 minutes of crying.
>You don't really know why.
>After being consoled by Twilight, she started explaining the situation to you.
>Then she went on to tell you the story of why it's like that here.
>Fluttershy... she's dead.
>This Anon apparently killed her.
>That's pretty damn extreme.
>It makes you question just how the hell this cockhead could be another version of you, because you're not a killer.
>Hell, unless it's like sparring or wrestling with someone in a totally non-sexual or gay way, you don't even really care all that much for violence unless you're watching it.
>And Fluttershy, of all ponies!
>She's a little annoying at times, but how the hell is that a good reason to kill her?
>It’s been a full hour since you arrived; you spent 10 minutes crying, 30 minutes in story time and 20 trying to wrap your head around why they thought you could help at all.
>A magic crystal.
>Apparently the Anon in this world has one, and they want you to use a piece of it.
>It sounded fucking retarded to you, but then again... you just traveled through dimensions, specifically for this purpose.
>Twilight wouldn't just be a bitch and do that for fun.
>While she's been explaining to you what's been happening, the other Twilight had been sitting in the corner with Heartbutt.
>Both of them were just watching you...
>Kind of unsettling.
>Regardless, you're here for a reason, and while you think it's a bullshit reason, you feel compelled to help.
>If what she says is true and you can use magic, then that's pretty fuckin' neato.
>She's telling you about the current situation of her brother... or fake brother... and the rest of your friends.
>She’s pointing the specific locations and such out on the map that the second Twilight brought with her.
>Taking it all in, you're feeling ready.
"We need to get started, then. If he's really gone that apeshit looking for you, then there probably won't be much time before he comes back here to burn this place down."
>The other Twilight gets up and begins to pace behind you, both nervously and cautiously.
>Your Twilight... Twilight #1, you guess, nods to you.
>"Agreed, but while there's not a lot of time, we still look like we have a few hours, so we need to use this valuable time for you to learn how to use the crystal."
"Fair enough... WAIT!"
>She stops and you have a quick look around the room...
>No sign of it.
>Good.
"Alright, continue."
>Cadance raises an eyebrow, and Twilight #2 pauses her pacing just to look at you for a moment, confused, before continuing.
>No doubt you looked insane just then, but they don't need to know why.
>Twilight #1 moves to grab her bag and bring it back to the table.
>"No, I'm not going to have you read that book. This is going to require a personal teaching from an experienced magic user."
"How'd you know I was thinking about that?"
>"Because I know you."
>You chuckle to yourself.
>To be fair... you are a bit of a dick.
>Everyone was bringing up the damn book; you should've taken that as a sign that something magical involving you was going to happen and read it.
>But of course, you are stubborn.
>Twilight #1 places a box on the table and you see a black shiny rock sitting in it.
"Well... that’s definitely not something I recognise."
>Twilight #2 narrows her eyes at you after saying that.
"So... what, I just grab it?"
>"I guess... This is new to me as well, Anon."
>Alrighty then.
>You start to reach into it slowly.
>Something about the description she gave you of the other Anon sounds freaky, though.
>The dude was apparently surrounded with black and white flames...
>You pull your hand back at the thought.
"Uhhh... this thing isn't gonna burn the ever-loving shit out of me, is it?"
>Twilight #2 just shakes her head.
>Well, she's in a mood.
>You start to reach in, but hesitate again.
>Taking a quick look around the room for no reason, you breathe deeply again.
>"Scared?"
>Twilight #1 puts a hoof up to your other hand.
"A little, yeah. This is all... yeah. It’s just not a thing for me."
>"I know. But we're here for you... and we need you to be here for us."
>Awww.
>Well, she's right.
>Time to nut up, Anon.
>You breathe deeply again and decide to just cut the bullshit.
>Thoughtlessly, you just throw your hand in and grab it.
>...
>…
>…
>…
>THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING!
>YOU FEEL SO GODDAMN ENERGETIC AND POWERFUL; YOU THINK ABOUT RUNNING AROUND TOWN TO JUMP FROM ROOF TO ROOF LIKE THAT SHITTY SPIDER-MAN MOVIE!
>YOU'RE JUST SO... ALIVE!
>YOU BRING YOUR OTHER HAND UP TO YOUR MOUTH IN EXCITEMENT AND REALISE IT'S GLOWING!
>IT'S GLOWING BLACK AND WHITE!
>WHAT THE FUCK!


>You drop the crystal back into the box and stagger backwards a few steps, trying to catch your breath from being over-happy'd.
>Your hand stopped glowing.
"HOLY SHIT, so that's what it feels like to be important!"
>As you’re breathing pretty rapidly, Twilight #1 moves to you.
>"What did it feel like?"
"...like I'd just fondled God..."
>She's taken back by your comment.
>"Umm... that's... strange?"
"Yeah... But still, I felt like I was full of power. Is that how it works? Because when I saw my hand, I thought I was about to blow my head off, so I dropped it."
>"That's sort of how it works, yes. We're naturally magic ourselves; it's a part of us. You, however, are not. I have no idea how you can even use the crystal when we can't, but while the crystal contains magic itself, you technically shouldn't be able to siphon from it."
"Well, evidently I can."
>"Yes. If I had to guess, I'd say your inexperience with magic just caused you to try and siphon so much at a single time that you yourself almost became unstable."
>Great, you actually did come close to blowing your face off.
>This is going to be a long evening... which isn't that strange considering this evening has lasted 8 months.
>"Try again. But take it slower. Remain calm, and concentrate on the flow of magic that the crystal sends you.”
>You still feel a little tingly from the first touch, but you have another go anyway.
>Reaching in slower than before, you touch it with a finger.
>Keeping calm and focused on what you're doing, you feel a little more alert.
>Putting your whole hand on it, you feel energetic.
>It’s as if you'd just had an energy drink, but feel as if you could discharge all that energy somehow.
>Picking the crystal up again, the flow of energy feels like it's increasing.
>You take a deep breath in...
>And out again...
>Focusing your mind on what you used to think was how those dudes in Dragon Ball Z controlled their energy, you do feel it diminishing from you through the hand you hold the fragment in.
"I… I think I'm getting a general idea of it here..."
>"Well, you don’t look like you're about to run off in excitement again, so that's a start..."
>Twilight #1 is looking on cautiously, but intrigued by every movement you make.
"Alright then... let's see if I can crank this up a little more..."
>You breathe in again and you try to siphon a little more from the crystal.
>As it slowly fills you with energy again, you allow your head to adjust to it a little bit at a time.
>Your other hand is beginning to glow again.
>It's rippling with a black and white effect.
"This feels really weird..."
>You wiggle your fingers a little bit.
>Small bits of energy drip off your hand and evaporate before they hit the ground.
>While Twilight #1 is watching intently, you look over to Cadance, who is cautiously keeping her eyes fixated on you, and Twilight #2 who is pacing a lot more nervously than before.
"So, is this roughly how you showed your Anon how to use it?"
>She stops to look at you, as if scanning every bit of you to see if you can be trusted, before she answers.
>"No. He'd already learnt to control how much he takes in before he returned."
>You're about to respond, but you hear a whispering.
"Wait, wait... shh...!"
>You're looking around the room everywhere, trying to find the source.
>"What is it?"
>You glance up stairs to see if anyone was at the door.
>Nothing.
>The three ponies in the room with you look concerned with how you're suddenly acting.
"Do any of you hear that…?"
>They listen for anything, but all of them shake their heads.
>"No... What is it?"
"I can hear..."
>You stop trying to look for the source and begin to listen.
>...
>...
>...
>"~What can change the nature of a man?~"
>You're startled when you understood that whisper and you drop the crystal.
>You back away a few steps, the hand you were holding it in shaking.
>That sounded like your voice echoing through your head.
>"What is it?!"
>...Good question.
>The fuck WAS that?"
"Umm... *ahem*... did your Anon ever mention anything about whispering?"
>Twilight #2 raises an eyebrow.
>"...Whispering?"
"Yeah... like... just a voice... in his head?"
>She moves cautiously towards you.
>"No... why?"
"Uhh... I think the crystal just spoke to me."
>Everyone in the room looks surprised at that bit of news.
>"He never mentioned anything like that before... what did it say?"
"It was... asking me about the nature of man?"
>Both Twilights look at each other, confused, before Twilight #1 continues.
>"What does that mean?"
"Fuck if I know... let's confirm this."
>Like an idiot, ignoring any possible bad thing that could happen, you bend down to pick the crystal up again, attempting to repeat it.
>You listen...
>...
>...
>...
>"~You will betray your friends.~"
>You look away, blink a few times and shake your head for a moment.
"Ooooookaaaaaaay.... Now I get it."
>"What?!"
>You turn to Twilight #2.
"Tell me, do you know anything about this thing? Like... at all?"
>She shakes her head.
"Well, you should probably look into it, because I don't know if it's alive or something, but it's definitely trying to fuck with me."
>Cadance speaks from across the room.
>"Like it's trying to control you?"
"Well... more like it’s planting thoughts in my head, but yeah, I guess. I'm starting to see how your Anon could be a massive cock head."
>Twilight #1 looks at you quizzically.
>"You're saying... he's just being influenced?"
>Wait...
>No, that can't be right.
"Uhh... maybe? I don't know if I want to put bets on that considering I figured out what this thing is doing straight away. If that idiot actually IS me, then surely he would have as well."
>Twilight #2 starts shifting nervously.
>"Uhmm... maybe we shouldn't go through with this."
"Huh?"
>"If it's trying to influence you, then that puts you at risk of becoming just like our Anon... which would only make things worse for all of us..."
>Wow, she's actually worried about you.
>Or everyone else, rather.
"Don't worry, I can ignore it easily. It took some effort to even hear it, so as long as I'm focused on anything else, I doubt I'll be paying any attention to it. It'll be fine."
>"I'm just worried. Your friends speak so highly of you, and I can't even bring myself to trust you completely... I don't want things to become worse for any of us."
>She looks away from you.
>You look to Twilight #1, who's looking back at you with the same concern you're feeling for her.
>You slap the crystal fragment down on the bench.
"Twilight..."
>As she looks back up at you, you hold your arms out.
"Come here."
>She looks to Twilight #1 and Cadance, both just holding expectant looks on her.
>Slowly, she starts to approach you.
>You know what she needs, and she knows what you're about to do.
>Gesturing upwards with your hands, she stands on her hind legs and puts her front ones around your waist.
>You wrap her in a hug, holding her steady and tightly, patting her back through her cloak and even stroking her mane slightly like a fag.
"Trust me... the very second I think I'll even begin to have those thoughts, I'll drop the thing and smash it."
>She breaks the hug and lands back on all fours, smiling.
>That's probably the first real reassuring thing she's felt in a while.
"You good now?"
>She nods and glances around the room for a few moments before looking back at you.
>"I know this isn't entirely accurate, but... it's great to have you back like this."
>With that thought in mind, all you can do is laugh to yourself a little.
>Both Twilight #1 and Cadance are smiling at you as well.
"Well then! I feel like I'm growing a vagina right about now, so what say we get started with this bitch of a thing."