FMA Anon in Equestria: C2

>you are Anon
>the Twy creature seems to be worried after reading the paper which was produced by her lizard
>this is all a little much to take in all at once
>sighing, you sit down
>forgetting how fragile your intended seat is, you snap the legs off and crush it beneath your rear
>the orange mule smirks as you groan
>the purple one canters over, talking to you then to the orange one
>you've stop trying to pay attention to them, it's not like you can understand what they're saying
>taking off a glove, you lightly trace a circle around the destroyed seat, your finger ever so slightly etching the floor
>both comically small horses and the lizard seem to gasp and talk amongst themselves in curious, inquisitive tones
>the sofa is simple enough, wood, steel springs, cotton stuffed cushions
>alchemic energy flashes and crackles
>within moments, the chair is exactly as it was before
>hearing surprised gasps and snorts, you look over, putting your glove back on
>it's your turn to be surprised; were they not capable of alchemy, or more?
>the Twy had performed unexplainable feats stranger than this
>they seem to be completely awestruck at your simple alchemy, yet take no notice of the Twy levitating a quill and parchment once more, writing and scribbling madly, watching you with curiosity and excitement
>a translucent, purple aura wraps around your hand
>you hold it out, wary, not knowing what to do
>it seems to be coming from Twy's horn
>you turn your eyes to it, staring with a mix of fear and confusion at the mystical hue wrapped around your glove
>the aura pulls your glove off
>eyes wide in surprise, you snatch it back from the air and start to put it back on
>the apple-branded one whinnies at you, and then makes gentler noises towards Twy
>the latter seems to be afraid, but mostly you get the distinct impression that the Twy feels it has done something wrong
>you sigh
>is it just the automail they’re interested in?
>you take your gloves off and show them the finely crafted steel hands, flexing and wiggling your fingers
>the three strange creatures are wide-eyed and they would have lost their jaws if they had not been attached
>again, a bit of the Twy's strange power extends from its horn and clings to your blue shirt's cuff
>the cuff lifts and reveals your automail forearm
>Twy's quill continues scribbling madly
>it looks at you with more curiosity than you could have thought possible
>suddenly, the translucent, pinkish aura wraps around your shirt and pulls it off
"What's the big idea?" you growl
>the orange one looks back and forth between you and the Twy, yelping weakly, looking very unsure of what's going to happen next
>the Twy's eyes are filled with intense wonder as it seems to absent-mindedly reply to the other straw-maned mule
>you stare at it with intense animosity as your shirtcoat floats off
>your undershirt starts lifting itself from your chest
>you grab it when it rises above your belly button
"HEY!" you loudly bark, with your shirt now up your armpits
>the unexplained aura stops and the Twy seems to back off, making some sound that could have probably sounded like "uh oh..."
>you feel your pants drop
>you are happy that you wear boxers, even when you don’t really have genitals anymore
>teeth now bared, you pull your pants back up
>your face has gone from "pink tinge of frustration" to "deep purple"
>scowl level approaching critical limits
>you catch your shirt coat as it floats down and put it back on hurriedly
>this is getting you nowhere
>you glare some more at the two quadrupeds, seeing them step back makes you feel a little better
>they exchange short neighs, snickers, and snorts
>you head for the door
>no use wasting any more time in a library of books that you can't read with creatures you can't communicate with
>before you reach the knob, the door bursts open
>the miniature pink horse you have seen at the pastry store earlier today bounces in
>it immediately starts conversing in high pitched, gleeful tones, smiling, and jumping up and down
>you were unaware that horses could jump like that
>the others yelp at it, agitated
>the pink one doesn't pay that much attention to them
>instead it starts to jump in circles around you, speaking its incomprehensible language in the same high-pitched, grating voice
>it hasn't been in here more than ten seconds and on a scale of 1 to 10, where perfectly at ease is 1 and 10 is "being at the end of a month's worth of Chinese water torture"-level of annoyed, you're skyrocketing into high the 17s
>your purple tinge is taking a somber shade of blue and that only serves to bring the pink one closer
>your left eye has started to twitch
>it is probably illegal to destroy these things; although they could help you, they had not hurt you or intentionally obstructed you so it would be wrong to harm them
>you step outside and close the door behind yourself before the pink hell has a chance to follow you
>the doorknob rattles
>you hold it closed and draw an alchemy diagram around it
>you flip it, the inside knob was now the outside knob
>you turn the switch lock the knob
>with a sigh of relief, you step back
>no longer in danger of dying from a brain aneurism, you start to walk away
>suddenly, the loathsome mule's pink head just drops down from the top of your vision.  It’s as if it was hanging upside down in mid-air
>talking
>without pause for breath
"No...  NO NO NOOO!" you yell as it seems to vanish before you could look at how it was flying and reappear behind you
>still babbling on at an insane pace
"No more..." you moan
>you just need some peace and a way to signal headquarters
>you trace another alchemy circle on the dirt ground and wait until the horrible bubblegum abomination is right in front of you before transmuting two rock hands
>one to cover her mouth, the other to hold her in place
"Mmpmmhmphm, mmmmmph.  Mmmmphmpmhmpmh, hhhhmmphmphphhh!"
>it seems completely unhampered by the hands that hold her head in place and retain her mouth
>this is an improvement though
>you walk away and the ever present muffled babbling of the pink one become faint as you get farther away
>your relief is palpable
>now what
>pulling the map out, you observe it closely and hope to find a large city
>the bigger the city, the better the chance of you finding some form of help
>there’s a scale indicator, but you didn't know their units so you could only guess
>one town seemed larger than the others
>it’s probably far away, but you had to try
>a larger town could be equipped with some form of long distance communication
>you start walking away from the tree-library
>you're but ten paces from all this madness when you hear the door burst open.  From the sound of it, you assume that the orange one has become kick-happy once more
>not even bothering with a glance to see what hubbub they are cooking up, you set a good running pace
>your knee is still squeaking, but you'll worry about it when there is time
>frustration pushes you faster
>seconds are precious when lives were on the line
>making good time is a priority now, even if you get damaged in the process
>you hear the sounds of hooves pounding hard earth
>behind you was the Twy, making a valiant effort to catch up
>what does it want now?
>you roll your eyes and sprint faster
>hearing only the rush of air going past your head, the whining and whirring of actuators and artificial muscles, your face relaxes a little for the first time in days
>you could keep this up pretty much indefinitely
>the silly, purple animal was losing a lot of ground
>you blink a few times when it vanishes in a puff of pink sparks
>then reappears in front of you
>damned thing and its sorcery
>stopping, you cross your arms
>it clearly wanted something, looking at your with determination and caution
>its horn glows and you feel like you've been thrown in the middle of a lump of flash powder
>you blink the brightness out of your eyes once again, springing into a defensive stance
>an attack?
>why was it atta-
>wait, why are you back at the treehouse?
>the magical, small purple horse points at the pink one you
>it brought you back for this?
>you fume
>fine
>you would release the horrible magenta annoyance
>the circle is still inscribed in the dirt, you just set your hands against the ground and the earth swallows the hands your alchemy crafted
"Happy now?" you snarl, turning towards the road once more
>you go back to your running pace, ignoring the brays and whinnies behind you
>weren't they glad now that you'd freed the pink horror?
>regardless of what sounded like discontent behind you, these ridiculous creatures have nothing here that can help you
>you’re making good ground when
ZAP!
>you’re back to the library
“Aw hell,” you curse
>this silences even the pink donkey’s snickers and hee-haws; it isn’t smiling anymore
>now this is going over the line
>Twy tries to communicate with you, but apart from hearing an agitated fear and maybe something along the lines of a question in its voice, you have no idea what it could be talking about
“I am leaving.  Do NOT bring me back,”
>the way you said “not” makes them all jump back
>as you turn, you start to and pray
>”Don’t bring me back to that library.  Don’t bring me back to that library,”
>the more time you wasted, the more likely it was for that surprise attack to succeed
>if a real civil war erupted again, millions would die
>you just had to do something about it
>anything
>moments pass and you get farther away
>you almost feel a smile creep on your face as relief spreads through your chest
>relief that they weren’t going to magic you back once more
>that you’d be able to keep searching for a way to communicate
>you’d be able to do this without further dela-
ZAP!
>you slap your face with both of your cold, metal hands
>this was going to be a very, very long day


>you are Twilight
“Hey!  Wait, come back!” you call
>Anon pays no heed to you
>after freeing Pinkie Pie, he just turned around and ran off
“Ah don’t know about that Twayh, an ugly beast like that, maybe y’all should just let ‘im go.  It done freed Pinkie just fine,”
>you hoof at the ground, deep in thought
>you sigh, replying
“Listen, I just don’t like all of this.  I assumed that it looked angry all the time; that it was just what its face looked like, but the more I think about it, the more agitated and…  Well…  The more panicked it looks.  There’s something really wrong here, and it can’t tell us what’s going on.  It hasn’t hurt any of us, but it’s clearly in distress, we have to help it, Applejack…”
>your cowpony friend just huffs and looks at the ground
“Ah guess yer right, Twahlight…  Ah just can’t get over how it looks.  Half machine, angry, scary-lookin’ thaing…  T’ain’t raight,”
>you charge your horn and in a flash, the Anon creature is back before you
>slowly, it turns around and a chill runs down your backs
>the one running down Pinkie’s is visible from where you’re standing, and her smile vanishes
>it speaks, low and deep
>if it wasn’t so commanding, it would almost be a plea
>there’s a sharp rise in volume during a short word and the three of you jump in its suddenness
>it turns and runs off again
“See, Ah told y’all it was a bad idea, now its runnin’ away agin’,” whispers a scared Applejack, shaking in her hooves
>you’re torn
>you really do think that this creature needs help
>you’ve never seen anything so utterly driven
>its face reminded you of Spike’s when Rarity was taken by Diamond Dogs
>it had the face of someone utterly helpless, and aware of something horrible
>but what could you do?
>there was no spell to translate its language
>there was obviously no time to learn its language
“So what do you think has it so upset?  It has to be really serious, or else it wouldn’t be so grumpy…  I’ve never seen something so grumpy, even Gilda wasn’t that grumpy.   Hay, even Cranky Doodle Donkey wasn’t that cranky, remember when I tried to throw him a party?  I’ll never forget his face,”
>Pinkie’s continued monologue wasn’t letting you think very well
“Pinkie,”
“He looked so unimpressed, it’s always motivated me to make better parties, you kno-
“Pinkie!”
>she stops, looking over innocently
“What is it?”
>there’s a thought just floating outside of your grasp
>you didn’t have time to learn its language
>you didn’t have time to teach it…
>the realization goes off in your head like a bomb
>you swear that your eyeballs almost popped out
“Pinkie!  I love you, you know that right?”
>Pinkie’s face bursts into a smile
“Me too, Twilight!”
>memories!  That’s it!
>you didn’t have time to teach it Equestrian, but you should have time to give him the memories of you being taught Equestrian!
“Twahlight?  Yer makin’ that face you get when y’all got an idea…  Care ta fill us in?”
>with a smile, you start
“Well I thought about how I could help Anon understand us, and us it.  Remember that spell I used to give you my memories of our friendship when Discord had made you all forget?  I think I can give him my memories of learning Equestrian, from my foal years,”
>Applejack looks at you, raising an eyebrow
“Ya think that’ll work?”
>you nod
“How’d ya even remember all that from yer foalhood?”
>you shrug
“Good memory, I guess?”
>your horn glows once more
>you have a smile on your face; you’d finally be able to help this creature
>the tall, lean figure appears once more
>you’re about to approach it and try to get it to calm down so you can perform the spell
>Anon just crouches, makes one more strange circle in the ground and raises a wall between it and you
>you hear the heavy, clinking footsteps as it runs away again
“Darn it, I just want to help!” you groan, teleporting past the wall
>it’s already quite far away
>by Celestia can it run fast
>you give chase, teleporting in front of it.  You’ll never be able to catch up otherwise, even on four hooves
>Anon sidesteps you with impressive agility
>you teleport again
“I just,”
>he dodges, not skipping a beat
>you teleport again
“Want to,”
>this time you feel the cold metal hands whisk you to the side
>you’re still in mid-flight when you teleport again, frustrated
>you end up right in front of the Anon’s face
“HELP YOU!”
>finally, it skids to a stop before you two connect noggins
>it can’t understand you, but you have to try and stop it just for a second
>long enough for you to do the spell
>yelping in the short fall from being head level with a creature twice your height, you give it a determined look when you’re back on solid ground
>Anon crosses its arms and looks at you with enough fury that you fear your fur might singe off
>you point at it, then point at the ground
>the alien being crouches, rolling its little eyes before going back to staring at you
>you rear back a little, out of some primal reflex
>you don’t know if it’s out of fear or surprise
>fighting over it, you lean in
“Whtreh doijkhaf yi ajkncf?”
>you have no idea what it just tried to say, but from the tone, it is not impressed or happy
>you assume it’s something like “get out of the way”, but you hear a questioning tone
>maybe “why aren’t you leaving me alone?”
>little do you know, he’s asking you what the heck you want from him
>and is currently suppressing urges to wring your little pony neck
>regardless, you stare back and narrow your eyes
“Just hold still!” you wheeze, exasperated
>trying to waste as little of Anon’s obviously precious time, you take a half second to prepare the spell
>you collect your memories
>everything in your childhood directly related to Equestrian language
>the dictionaries you’ve flipped through to define words you’d never heard of before
>the classes on Equestrian, the advanced Equestrian programs you took just to be able to understand the books you needed to read on magic
>your memories have always been organized
>like a library
>with everything in place, your horn charges up with magical energy
>a second has gone by
>Anon is looking at you, a shadow of curiosity seeping into its flat, beige face
>you notice how many scars it bears for the first time, biggest ones running under its shirt
>in one quick movement, you press your horn to Anon’s forehead
Zap!


>you are Anon
>this stupid horse just would not give up
>whatever it damn well wanted better be important
>it points at you, then the floor
>using every iota of self-control you have left, you take a knee and try to stare it hard enough to make it go away
“What the hell do want from me?” you growl
>it recoils, but keeps its ground
“Jwejeheihenn srulilahsh swehashil,” it replies
>whatever that was supposed to mean
>you can almost feel your steel rattling in an effort to not wring this thing’s little neck
>the Twy creature just closes its absurdly large eyes and leans closer and closer, horn lighting up like a phosphorous torch
>you’re about to lose patience and get up when the horn dips down in a quick movement and touches your forehead
Zap!
>you go blind
>oh hell, what’s going on?
>what did it do to you?
>you think you’ve fallen back onto your rump
>no, you could not afford to go blind now
>instantly, you’re furious
>this couldn’t be bloody well happening
>you’re about to reach out to slap that damned sorcerer’s lights out when the darkness in your vision is replaced by everything
>not a bunch of things
>simply everything
>too much
>you’d take being blind over this
>Twilight?
>her name was Twilight, and she was a pony of Equestria
>years of memories jackhammer their way into your skull, moments and feelings slamming without limit
>every word and emotion, every moment just stacks
>it has to stop
>it hurts
>you can’t hear your own voice over the noise of every conversation and every sound this damned unicorn is blasting in your ears
>you can’t even tell if you’re screaming, even if you think you are
>as if your prayers were answered, the images and words suddenly cut off to “Zygodactylic: having the toes disposed in pairs”
>a word she looked up after her friend Fluttershy had asked her how to define some of her birds’ feet
>who the hell was Fluttershy?
>you open your eyes
>they had shut tightly
>you wipe some tears from them and look at the clear, blue sky
“What the hell just happened?” you groan
>your head hurts
“What was that?” you hear
>you sit up
“What did you do to me?”
>Twilight looks at you, puzzled
“I thought it would know Equestrian…  Did my spell fail?”
>she what now?
>you could understand her…
>she taught you her language?
>you rub your forehead
>switching to Equestrian, you try it out for the first time
>even if it feels like you’ve spoken it most of your life
>in your mind, at least
“Wait, you did this to teach me Equestrian?” you ask
>Twilight winces, then smiles
“Ha!  It did work!  The accent could be better, but it’ll have to do,” she says, smugly
>the words rolled awkwardly out of your mouth; your lips and throat weren’t used to making them
>you sit up
“I need to find a radio, or a telegraph.  Anything that can communicate quickly over long distances,”
>you have no time to waste
“Well nice to meet you too,” she replies, sarcastically
>you get up
>if she didn’t have information that could help, you just had to move on
>regardless of how completely messed up that just was
>rubbing your face some more, you get up and start walking
“Hey!  You’ve been giving us a whole lot of trouble today, what’s the rush?  Why are you acting like this?”
“Long story.  No time to explain,” you bark
“Maybe I can help.  Just tell me what’s wrong,”
>you take a few deep breaths, trying to stop your teeth from grinding themselves to dust
>you don’t really know how to react to Twilight’s “method” of teaching you her language
>albeit effective, it wasn’t really pleasant and you felt like you had emotional biases from her memories being pushed in with yours
>you’d have to be careful and not let anything cloud your judgment
“Okay, but we keep moving,”
>Twilight nods and trots as you walk
“Long story short, my country is in a precarious sociopolitical situation.  There’s a dangerous man that’s planning to send the country into a civil war with a surprise attack using a powerful weapon; I was trying to stop him or warn my commanding officers when I arrived here, somehow,”
>you pick up the pace when you see the purple unicorn stop, taken aback by your reply
>talking quickly in this language was difficult, the sounds would come out wrong
>she understood you, at least
“Civil war?”
“Yes, you do know what that is right?  You’ve read about it, and it would happen to my people if I don’t get home in time.  Millions could die, you damned horse…  Now I need to look for anything I can use!” you growl
>you start running
>you hear hoofsteps behind you
“Anon…  I’m sorry, I didn’t know!”
>Twilight has a hard time keeping up, but she manages to talk during her sprint
>you feel a little sorry for calling her a stupid horse…
>pushing away the odd conflicting emotions of being very annoyed at a pony that is suddenly like an old friend to you, you keep running, knee squeaking away
“I think I can help, just slow down,”
>you hesitate as the voice becomes more distant
>she could help you?
>she did know a “Princess Celestia”
>the memories and images were still crowding your mind
>it was like looking at multiple films being displayed too fast
>made your head spin
>you’re a little confused with the memories surrounding the Princess
>there’s a lot, swirling around
>is she a teacher or a Princess?
>both?
>you slow down
“I…  Can’t…  Keep up…” she huffs and puffs, completely winded
>you scoop the little creature up and hold it on your shoulder like a bag of potatoes
“Hey, what are you doIIINNNGGG!?”
>she wants to help?  She can do it without slowing you down
>you start running as fast as your legs can carry you
“Oooh my gosh!”
>you feel Twilight’s little limbs skitter over your clothed metal shell trying to find purchase
>not that you’d drop her, as much as you’d like to at this point
“No time to waste.  If you don’t like this, I can set you down,” you growl
“Oh no, this is fine -ohgoshwe’regoingsofast- so what’s this radio thing you’re looking for?”
>she didn’t know what a radio was, that’s right
>this does not bode well
“I’m hoping I’ll find one in a large city…  Manehattan is it?  It transmits information through the air using electromagnetic signals,”
>you had a rough understanding of how radios worked; alchemists had to study as scientists, first and foremost
>you come to a realization that you know a lot of what Twilight knows
>you wonder why you even need her anymore, now that you’ve gotten her language and a bit of what was attached to that knowledge
>you missed large gaps, however
>you really only knew what was directly related to language
>most of it was of her foalhood
>it was odd; usually memories ended up being linked somehow
>all you had were patchy, language-filled bits with small strands of memories that clung along
>the taste of hay during a snack between study sessions
>getting the wrong book between classes
>names, faces
>you focus once more, finishing your sentence
“So I’m heading there.  I’m hoping a large city will have some level of superior technical knowledge over a small village,”
“Manehattan?  I don’t think they’d have anything like that, but regardless…  You’re going in the wrong direction,”
>bloody hell
>you skid, driving marks through the dry dirt
>a harsh string of epithets follows your halt
>you start running before your mouth has finished catching up with your emotions
>after you’re done spitting out curses that would have made a sailor wince, you hear
“We should just get back to the library,”
“Why would I do that?  I’ve already lost more time than I probably have,”
“Because the Princess is coming to my library; if there’s anyone that can help you, it’s her,”
>you have a few glimpses of Twilight’s princess
>mostly words, moments of her teaching
“Your mentor, right?  A Princess...” you reply, pondering
“Princess of all Equestria, Anon!  If there’s anyone that can help, it’s her,”
>you grumble as you start to head back to the library
>you keep your temper in check, regardless of how much you feel like you’re not making any progress
>an uncomfortable silence settles despite the thumping of leather-soled metal, the ululating whine of artificial muscles, the hissing pistons, and whirring gears
>they aren’t loud sounds but they’re audible over the rushing wind
>you used to worry about how it might make it hard to sneak around or be subtle, but then you stopped after realizing something during your first assignments
>your face relaxes a little when thinking back on those moments
>those moments when you learned how much walls and floors were overrated
>but mostly, you learned that a skull sitting on half a thousand pounds of automail didn’t exactly require that much subtlety or stealth
“So…”
>as soon as you cool down a little, your small passenger chimes in to ruin your reminiscing
“What is it, little pony?” you reply flatly
>you feel her shift a little against your neck, having a hard time holding on
“I was just curious…  Forget it,”
>you realize that your reply had been more of a growl than anything
>they had a weird “L” sound mixed in with an “R” that had to be done with the back of the throat and with the front of the mouth at the same time
>you had no idea how to replicate it, so you’d opted for a rhombic sound
>probably made it sound a little harsh
“Didn’t mean to sound upset; your language isn’t very easy to speak, and I don’t have a whole lot of teeth left.  What’s your question?”
>you become aware of how much it felt like you’d been in class since your early childhood with this creature
>it was very strange
>akin to remembering a childhood friend you completely forgot about for years
“I hope I didn’t upset you too much when I gave you my memories of learning Equestrian.  You just looked really distressed and that’s the only way I could think of to help,”
>you swallow with some difficulty
>the air was hot, dusty and baked dry under the afternoon sun
>wrestling over some conflicting emotions for a few seconds, you opt for a diplomatic reply
“It’s fine.  At this point, I’m glad you kept trying even when I wasn’t being very compliant.  Sorry about scaring your village folk and flipping your doorknob around,”
>you pause, thinking bitterly about the fluffy pink horror
“I also hope I didn’t hurt the pink one,”
>regardless of how half-hearted that last bit was, you could assume your accent would cover up the your tone of voice
“Pinkie?  She’s fine, but please don’t do that again.  How did you do that anyway?  What exactly are you?”
“State Alchemist Anon, soldier of Amestris, special response unit.  They call me…”
>you sigh, left eye twitching a little
“The Steelhead Alchemist,”
>the Admiral that gave you your title had a particularly vile sense of humor
>perhaps he expected you to get a helmet at one point
>it probably would have saved you quite a few teeth, but you stopped looking like “just another soldier” if you had a helmet on
>that would be missing pretty much the whole point of an almost completely automail unit
“Alchemy?  Isn’t that only –
“Potions, right?  For you, maybe.  Where I’m from, alchemy is the science of equivalent exchange.  We can transform things using their basic compositions and the energy from the earth, but only when the change is even.  When something is taken, something of equal value must be given,”
“Fascinating, you’ll have to tell me more!  Are all alchemists like that?”
“Like what?”
>she taps on your chest with a hoof, saying
“Made of metal?”
>the automail?
“It’s called automail, and no.  We’re usually flesh and blood,”
>you see the library in the distance
>hopefully this Princess of hers would be able to do something
“So you’re different from the other alchemists?”
“Well I’m not completely made of it, and some people have it like I do.  It’s usually done when they lose a limb or two from an accident or something, but it’s not exactly a popular procedure.  Even some that lose a leg or an arm choose to stick with a wooden stump or a hook.  The surgery can’t be done with anesthetics; they cut into you, clamping the metal in place, and drill into your bones to screw in the supports.  They have to cut your nerves open to link up the automail.  If you survive all that, it can take two or three years to recover with extremely painful rehabilitation,”
>there’s a small pause
“You mean you lost all your limbs?  That’s…  That’s beyond terrible, Anon, I’m so sorry…”
>she sounds horrified
>as you enter the grass-covered clearing leading to the library, you take a breath before replying
“No,”
>a few steps later, you’re before the strange carved out tree
>putting her down, you continue
“I asked for this,”
>the little unicorn recoils as if struck
“You wha—
“Twahlight!  Where in tarnation have ya been?  Did that weird lookin’, angry, ugly THING hurt ya?”
>oh wonderful, your favorite orange-colored kicker was back with a bouncing pink bundle of annoying in tow
“Twilight, are you okay?  I was so worried when you ran off after him like that, well more teleported off…  Would it be teleporting on and off or just off?  It would probably be teleporting off and on, really, unless you mmfmmhmhhmhmffff—
>the hyperactive cotton-candy equine is cut off by the apple-branded one’s hoof
>you figure this is the reason why Twilight wasn’t that mad at you for restraining the pink one earlier
“Whut Pinkie’s trying to say is that we’re happy to see yer lookin’ okay,”
“I’m fine, girls, Anon was just telling me that he has a pretty big problem and he needs Celestia’s help,”
>you see the hat-wearing one swallow nervously
“Whadda ya mean he told you…”
>you can hear the gears turning in her fuzzy little head
“Ya mean it can understand…”
>her accent-tinged voice trails off
“Yes, Applejack, the spell worked.  Anon can speak Equestrian, mostly,”
>you ignore the comment from this Applejack pony
“Is the Princess here?” you ask
>Applejack and Pinkie wince as if your voice was made of bags of cats thrown in a fire
“It…  Ah mean…  Anon sounds perfectly fine tah me, right Pinkie?”
>her large, nervous smile makes your eyes roll and you get a kick out of seeing Pinkie try to nod with a hoof in her mouth
“I’m sure she’ll be here soon, Anon.  Why don’t we just go inside and sit down, maybe try to relax a little?”
>you don’t have much of a choice, regardless of how much you try to will this Princess into getting here faster
>once inside, you sit on a stump to avoid needing to fix another chair
>you wonder how a stump can exist within a tree for a while but force your concentration elsewhere before it gives you a headache
>Applesack, or whatever her name is, has taken to staring at you from the corner of the room
>her eyes full of suspicion and fear
>she’s keeping the pink one behind her, away from you, so you don’t mind it either way
>even when you catch her whispering to Pinkie
“Look at ‘im, with them beady little eyes.  Ah’m sure he’s up ta no good,”
>Twilight clears her throat, eyes narrowed at her cautious friends
>the orange one plants both front hooves in the floor, trying to steel herself
“Well what’s his big problem anyways, bargin’ into everyp0ny’s house and scarin’ us all half to death?”
>at least she’s not beating around the bush
“Applejack, you’re being unreasonable, I think anyone would be agitated in Anon’s situation.  He was trying to prevent a civil war back in his country and he got transported here…  Somehow...  Wouldn’t you be a little agitated if the lives of everyp0ny in P0nyville rested on your withers?  Come to think of it, I should send another letter to Celestia, to tell her the matter is pretty urgent…”
>Twilight trots off, leaving Applejack to stare at her hooves
>you hear the purple unicorn calling for a “Spike”.  It was probably the name of that little lizard you saw earlier
>the three of you sit in silence until Applejack clears her throat and speaks, her tone less inflamed than before
“Anon, is it?  Listen.  Ah guess Ah’ve been actin’ like a foal, an’ that was wrong.  We ain’t seen anythin’ like ya before an’ Ah was just afraid for mah friends.  If ya promise not ta never hurt anyp0ny, Ah’ll apologize.  That sound fair ta y’all?”
>you were used to all kinds of loathing from citizens
>most of your own people called you a dog of the military, so at least these creatures knew how to be polite on some level
“I promise to never lay a hand on any of you ponies,”
“Even them strange dirt-paws…  Errr, “hands” ya conjured up on Pinkie earlier?”
“Yes, I promise,”
“AJ, he should do a Pinkie promise, nop0ny ever breaks those,” chimes in the fuzzy menace
>you are then forced to imitate a silly ritual, complete with rhyme and dance
“Whell that settles it.  Anon, Ah am sorry fer treatin’ ya like that,”
>her accent doesn’t change the fact that her tone is sincere and solemn
>she holds out a hoof and you awkwardly shake it, hoping it was the correct gesture while replying
>you feel her front leg tense up under your grip, even if you were gentle
>it probably wasn’t often that they had an articulated metal appendage grasp theirs
“I accept your apology, thank you for your understanding,”
“Ah’m just glad we could come to one,”
>there’s a gasp
“Pinkie, what’s wrong?” inquires Applejack
>as if electrocuted by her name being called, the energetic one shoots out of one of the windows yelling  “OH NO!  The pies are going to burn!”
>the orange one chuckles and shakes her head
“Whell since it don’t look like Ah got that much ta worry about here, ah should probably git goin’—
>the library’s doors open with a gentle whoosh, and the room brightens considerably
>it was the Alicorn from the little purple student’s memories
“Princess Celestia,” breathes Applejack, dropping a knee and bowing
>the creature canters in regally, wings fluttering out in an impressive span
“Applejack, are you alright?  Please, stand and come forward,” she says, her voice calm
>you felt a deep concern behind the collected and gentle tone
“Of course yer majesty, what can Ah do fer ya?”
“Princess Celestia!  Thank goodness you’re here.  Have you gotten my letters?” asks Twilight, trotting in
“Yes, Twilight, I came as quickly as I could.  Are you all unhurt?  I feared the worst when I received your last message.  The human has not injured anyp0ny?”
>Twilight cocks her head to the side when her mentor’s words seem to sink in
“No, not at all, we’re all fine…  I’m sorry I didn’t have the chance to tell you more in my letter.  Anon is the one that needs our help, actually,”
>Celestia beckons Twilight to come closer
>when both ponies are beneath the Princess’ wings and away from you, she slowly replies
“We’ll see,”
>you swallow nervously
>her eyes haven’t left you since she walked in
>compared to the gentle, comforting figure in the memories, she sounded like a wary mother
>something you were familiar with back in Amestris
>that same face when you were close to their children
>they’d put an arm around their child, moving between you and them
“Princess Celestia?  Everything okay?” asks Twilight
“I hope so, my faithful student.  It’s a long story, but let me just say that humans have never been a welcomed sight,”
“You’ve seen us before?”
>her eyes widen with surprise
“The human can speak Equestrian?”
>Celestia seemed increasingly worried, eyes darting as she seemed to search her mind in many ways at once
“I taught him, in a way, I guess,”
>the Princess flares her wings, rearing back ever so slightly, asking
“How?”
>Twilight looks increasingly worried and seems to be scared that she’s done something wrong
“Well I just couldn’t leave Anon to run around, he looked so panicked, I just had to do something.  I kinda…  Gave him my knowledge of Equestrian,”
>the purple unicorn shrinks down as if expecting to be struck in the forehead with a rolled up newspaper
>Celestia only narrows her eyes and mutters
“Does he know everything, then?”
>Twilight coughs up a little, stifling a surprised giggle, seeming a little oblivious to the tense air between the Princess and you
“Oh, no, just Equestrian.  It was a selective memory spell, he only knows what I learned of our language when I was a foal,”
>this seems to relax the royal guest
>even if you try to put aside your impatience, you can’t ignore the direction where this seems to be going
>the ruler of this land doesn’t seem to like or trust you in any way, and that bodes poorly
“Princess, if I may,” you say
>her head tilts up at you
“Speak,”
>you bet that you have to choose your words carefully
“I do need help, and time is of the essence.  My people need me, but I can’t find a way to reach them.  The lives of many depend on it,”
>Celestia takes a few moments to think about what you’ve said, her expression impassible
>Twilight, Applejack, and their princess turn from you and exchange whispers for a few minutes
>you sit there a little awkwardly
>there’s a short silence
“Anon, is it?”
>you nod
“Twilight’s told me what she knows of your troubles.  I then looked into your world; it seems that whatever you fear has not happened yet—
>you feel relief for the first time in a long time
>unable to restrain yourself, you cut her off
“So there’s still time!”
>the two ponies tense up at the interruption but the Princess doesn’t skip a beat
“Indeed there is, as far as I’m able to tell,”
“Princess…  You said you could see into my world.  How?  Could I see as well?”
>Celestia seems to ponder hard
“My magic allows me to see into other worlds, I will show you,”
>her horn glows, and before you appears a cloudy haze
>light shining in the center of its misty wisps
“Look into the light, and ask me what you need to see,”
>Applejack and Twilight look on quietly
“I need to see the Central military station in Amestris.  I need to see if our leaders are still unharmed…  More importantly, if there are any hostile forces massing near them,”
>Princess Celestia concentrates, brow furrowing
“I believe I can do that,”
>you look in awe as the cloudy mass dissipates to show a city below
>like a bird looking down, you see the buildings of your city
>the image drops with dizzying speed
>before you feel like you’ll hit the structures, the rooftops vanish as if transformed into glass
>floor after floor, the layers peel until you see the presidential office
>below you sits the President himself, squaring away paperwork and preparing a schedule for a meeting
>you notice the locations and dates
>general meeting set for tomorrow
>Celestia’s gaze locks into yours through the image
“Satisfied?  I think I can feel these foes you speak of,”
>before you can say anything, the image drops again
>down to the ground floor
>down to the basements
>down to the sewers
>even further
>forward now, to the roads leading to the central station into a cavern
>not a natural one
>in the hollowed out base was a small army
>waiting, preparing
>one man seems to glow with a fiery passion that hid behind his red eyes
>crimson jeweled staff in one hand, balled fist raised, he barks commands and encouragements at his men
>you begin to connect the dots
>with the President leaving a fortified building tomorrow, and a Philosopher’s Stone-wielding enemy underneath…
>it was a perfect ambush to overwhelm and destroy the presidency in one fell swoop
>with the Stone, they would probably be able to destroy most of the State’s forces before leading the extremist Ishbalans into a genocidal campaign
>the image vanishes in a puff of smoke
“It seems the old enemies in your country will be sent back into yet another conflict…” slowly states Celestia
“I hope it doesn’t come to that.  It’s why I need your help; with this information, I can warn my people and we can stop the death of countless innocents,”
>the Princess takes a deep breath
“I’ve let you ensure that your government is safe, and nothing is to happen before tomorrow.  Now I need to know if any of this is going to put Equestria in danger,”
>you look at her with incredulity
“How could it?  Please, you must help me; hundreds of thousands could die,”
>her large, white wings settle as she raises her snout
>her eyes wander deeply into what seems to be old, painful memories
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,”
>she slowly, sadly sighs and begins
“Let me tell you a story about humans…”

End chapter 2