Heart of Destruction Part 7

Part 7: Wherein Anon Makes an Unsettling Discovery
>The next day, when Twilight comes to visit, you tell her about the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“I’d really appreciate it if you’d have a word with them,” you say, “I’m certain Applejack would be furious with Applebloom and myself if she found out she’d been talking to me.”
> “Why don’t you just talk to AJ yourself?” asks the purple unicorn.
“Because she’d be furious with Applebloom and myself,” you repeat, “I really don’t want to get on her bad side.”
> “Well, I’ll give it a try, but don’t expect it to work. When those fillies get an idea in their head, it’s nearly impossible to stop them. Applebloom is a bit stubborn, not unlike her sister.”
>You grunt in resignation.
“Alright then. So what do you want to talk about today?” you ask, settling yourself in your chair.
>Twilight settles down on a blanket on the opposite end of the barn and readies a quill and sheet of parchment paper. “I was hoping we could discuss human biology a little more.”
“Well, as you’ve already determined from the fossil record, we are a species of great ape. Like chimpanzees, we are a social species with an omnivorous diet and tool using capabilities. Unlike other apes, we are fully bipedal, which I think is an adaptation for life in the grasslands. We are mostly reliant on vision and hearing, both of which are moderately good. By the way, do you ponies have trichromatic vision?”
> “Yes, that’s right,” says Twilight. You’re pleased to have a conversational partner who doesn’t require having longer words explained to them.
“Interesting. Equines in my world are partially color blind,” you explain, “but since you come in so many more colors, I suspected that this world’s ponies have a color range at least equivalent to humans. Anyway, like I said, our visual acuity is decent and our hearing is, if I recall, a little inferior to yours. Our sense of smell is relatively weak among mammalians-”
> “Really?” interrupts Twilight, “I wouldn’t have thought that, not with your…” she suddenly stops and blushes a little.
“What? What is it?”
> “No offense, but you have a pretty strong smell. You generate a lot of pheromones.”
“Really? Sorry about that.”
> “Oh no, no, i-it’s not bad,” says Twilight nervously. “It’s just… powerful. It’s kinda mustelian and accahadian with a little-”
“Are those…words for smells?” you ask, confused, “My species doesn’t really have much of a vocabulary when it comes to scent.”
> “Oh, right. Well, it’s kinda…feral. And male. I was able to tell you were male as soon as I met you,” says Twilight, her face reddening even more, “umm, you said you can’t detect pheromones, right?”
“As far as I know.” You say.
> You can’t help but notice she looks a bit relieved when you say this. Why? Is there something she doesn’t want you to smell? You decide not to press the issue any further.
“Alright…well, moving on, the human sense of touch is fairly precise, I think, especially around the face and finger tips…”

>After Twilight leaves, the Cutie Mark Crusaders show up in your barn.
“Hey girls. Did Twilight talk to you about not visiting me?”
>“Yep,” says Applebloom.
“I don’t suppose this visit is to say goodbye and to tell me you won’t be coming back again?”
> “Nope,” says Scootaloo.
> “You never answered my question yesterday. Do you have a cutie mark?” asked Applebloom.
“Yeah, I do,” you say, rolling up your sleeve, “Here it is, on top of my arm.”
> “But I don’t see anything!” says Sweetie Belle.
“Of course you can’t. It’s invisible.”
> “Your talent is…being invisible?” asks Scootaloo, “That’s so cool! Can you show us?”
“Sorry girls. I can only turn invisible when no one’s watching,” you decide to change the subject before the girls pick up on your bullshit, “So, did Twilight say anything else about me?”
>The girls suddenly smile impishly. “Why? Do you like her?” squeals Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah. Wait, what? No. No! No,” you stammer, “She’s cool and all, but she’s a pony. Also, there’s that whole magic nullifying thing, remember?”
>The trio continue to grin at you.
“Alright, that’s it, get outta here before I decide to eat you.”
>The girls run off giggling. As you watch them, you think to yourself. Could it be that…? Nah.

>You go back to your bed and grab a book. No matter how hard you try, however, you can’t seem to focus on reading. You keep thinking about what those fillies said. And how Twilight was acting. She was…nervous. She wasn’t afraid of you; she’s one of the few ponies that seem to have no fear of you. But she was hiding something. Can attraction be detected by pheromones? You know they are closely linked to sex in mammals, but still, she’s…well, actually, she’s kind of like you. Smart, hungry for knowledge, a little awkward around others. She’s different from other girls, even those back in your world.
>Wait, why is your heart beating so hard?
>FUCK
>You can’t do this. You can’t fall for a pony. She’s a different species, you have to get back to your home world, and you can’t even get close to her without hurting her. There is no chance you could ever have a relationship with Twilight Sparkle, even if she is smart and nerdy and cute and everything else you ever wanted.
>You focus on slowing down your heart. “Remember, Anonymous,” you think to  yourself, “You are a rational, logical person. You control your emotions. Not vice versa. Logically, you know you cannot be with her. So drop it.”

>Twilight enters the restaurant and looks around. She sees an orange hoof waving to her, and trots over to the table where her friends are gathered.
> “Hey everypony,” she says cheerfully, “How are you all doing?”
> “Just dandy, sugahcube,” says Applejack, “How’s your research with the monster going?”
> “Please, AJ, Anonymous is not a monster,” scolds Twilight, “He’s actually very gentle and intelligent when you get to know him.”
> “She’s right,” adds Rainbow, “I was totally getting an egghead-vibe from him. He knows almost nothing about sports!”
> “Oh, shush, Rainbow Dash,” says Rarity, “There’s nothing wrong with being disinterested in sports. Just because he looks like a brute doesn’t mean he has to act like one.”
> “He’s not a brute!”
> “He is kind of frightening, though, isn’t he?” says Fluttershy, “When I tried to introduce my bunny to him, Angel went crazy. He just hid in the corner and was acting like he couldn’t understand me anymore.”
> “That’s because of his magic negation!” says Twilight, “He says animals aren’t as intelligent in his world, and your ability to speak to animals is probably partially magical. It’s not Anon’s fault.”
>Pinkie Pie’s ever present grin suddenly got wider. “Why are you defending him so much, Twilight? Is there something going on between you two?”
>Twilight blushed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! He’s just a nice…being, and I just think you should give him a chance before writing him off as some…some…monster!”
>By this point, Pinkie’s smile is so wide, it looks like the top of her head might fall off. Thankfully, Fluttershy, perhaps sensing Twilight’s discomfort, changes the subject to Rarity’s new line of dresses, and conversation drifts away from the subject of Anonymous.
>Twilight, however, keeps thinking about the creature. Why was she so…defensive about him? If pressed, she’d admit there is something…curiously attractive about his scent. She spent most of her life in Canterlot, a city of comfort and leisure. She never really had much adventure before coming to Ponyville. In fact, the only adventure she had before encountering Nightmare Moon was through books about Daring-do and other heroes. While she’d never be an adrenaline junkie like Dash, Twilight did enjoy the occasional rush she’d feel whenever she and her friends encountered a hydra or dragon or some other monster. That’s what Anon is like. She could sense his aggression, his hunger, but also his fear and restraint. Being near him was like swimming with a whale; being near something so powerful but at the same time so gentle. It’s…exhilarating. It doesn’t matter, though. “You’re the element of magic, and he negates magic,” she told herself, “You are a rational, logical pony. Act like it.” Besides, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Anon had always been careful to avoid speaking too much on personal matters.
> “Yo, Twilight, you decide on what you want?” asked Rainbow Dash, shaking her out of her thoughts. Twilight hadn’t even realized the waiter had shown up to take their orders.
> “Sorry, just, uh, have a lot on my mind,” says Twilight. After ordering, she decides to ask Anon about his life tomorrow, and then she returns her focus to her friends.