[AiE] Disharmony - Part 13 - End

>Bright light manages to shine through the blinds on your windows, lining up perfectly with your eyelids.
>Always perfect alignment.
>Every goddamn morning.
>...
>Fuck it, it gets you up every morning better than an alarm clock, so it’s not like you can complain.
>You are Anonymous…
>And your head hurts like a motherfucker.

>When you left Canterlot in Equestria #2, all of you went back to the Ponyville Library for Twilight #2 to send you home.
>She had rested enough after Celestia was freed that she'd regenerated enough of her magic to send all seven of you back here.
>Everyone gathered to see you leave.
>Celestia, Luna, Shining Armour, Cadance, Trixie for some reason, Spike who you never saw... even a few changelings...
>...The fuck even happened in that world?
>…Whatever. When you were ported back to your Equestria, you were back in the library and greeted by this world’s Celestia, Luna and Spike.
>All three were excited to see you’d returned home, though concern was shown at the sight of your head wound and sling.
>You couldn’t indulge any of their questions, however, because you’d finally passed out like you'd been wanting to do for a while.
>They brought you home and put you to bed.
>You think it's been two days, but you can't be sure because you never left, or even really woke up for that matter.
>You'd opened your eyes a few times after hearing the familiar voices of your friends, but you wouldn't say you were awake…
>More like you were ‘asleep while semi-aware of your surroundings’.
>They'd all come to visit you over the span of yesterday, and even Celestia took the time to come and see how you were doing.
>It sucks that you weren't really awake for them.
>Well, you're awake now... and holy balls, you need to pee!
>You groggily sit up and are about to move to the bathroom when a scroll next to your bed catches your eye.
>You take it with you while you do #1 of the Triple S, which is to do #2... and pee.
>You limp your way to the bathroom and take a seat.
>Opening the scroll, it's just a letter from Twilight.
>"Anonymous. We need to talk. When you've rested, could you please come see me at your convenience?"
>...Okay, apparently you're going to go see Twilight today...
>As expected, you wound up pissing blood, thanks to the other Anon and his work on your kidneys.
>You finish the first S and move to the second, unwrapping the bandages you're wondering why you have on your head.
>Stripping naked, you realise you are absolutely covered in bruises... and your eye is black and red.
>It’s gonna be fun walking through town…
>Showering, you mentally check #2 on the list and decide... screw the shave. You've had it hard lately so you'll grow a depression beard.
>You wrap a towel around yourself and leave the bathroom when you notice a yellow pony with a pink mane waiting patiently on your bed.
"Fluttershy, what did I tell you about breaking in?"
>She responds as you grab your pants, return to the bathroom and close the door.
>"I-I know... I didn’t. I've been here most of the time you have. I, umm... wanted to make sure you were okay... Princess Celestia asked me to make sure you were... sorry."
"It's fine. I'm guessing you were the one that did my head bandages?"
>She nods.
"Well, thanks, but they're too much effort to put back on, so I shall not be continuing to wear them. They’re only covering stitches now, anyway."
>"Oh... okay..."
>You exit the bathroom and grab a shirt, turning back around to her as you put it on.
>Leaning against the door, you just look at her, waiting for her to do what she does every morning.
>As if reading your mind, she stares back and responds.
>"Nothing."
"Huh?"
>"I'm not going to do it anymore."
>...
>What?
"Whoa, where's this coming from? I mean... that’s great, I guess, but why?"
>"In the other Equestria, I was in Canterlot before the rest of you got there... I heard what you said about their Fluttershy and figured it applied to me when you said something about... 'approaching it the wrong way'..."
"Well... yeah."
>"And then you took that Anon and just gave him to me to do whatever I wanted... You clearly stated that you don't return the feelings, so... I'm moving on..."
"Oh... Look, I hope I didn't offend you. It was a pretty hard situation at the time, so I-"
>"It's fine. I always knew, but chose to pursue you, anyway... but after what you did for me, I don't want to make things difficult for you anymore."
"...What did I do for you?"
>"You, umm... jumped in front of a massive wave of magic and shielded me..."
>............
"I don't remember that..."
>"...You don't?"
"Uhhh... sort of? Let’s be fair, I got pretty rattled. Half of that fight is a blur. I remember you saving me, though. Speaking of..."
>You hold out your arms and invite her into a hug, which she happily accepts.
"Thanks for the assist."
>"That's what a Super Hero does."
>You chuckle and start heading to the front door so you can go to Twilight's. Fluttershy is following close behind.
>Before she leaves...
"So, uhhh... when I threw him down for you... did you...?"
>"Yes."
"Oh god........... how was it?"
>"Weeeeell..."
"Hey! In my defense, he did just have the ever-loving shit beaten out of him... by himself. I’m pretty sure I wouldn't be in the mood after that, either."


>Parting ways with Fluttershy, you limp through town, your injuries on full display. The townsfolk have plenty of opportunities to ask if you're okay.
>When answering one of them, you accidentally trip over a crimson pony with a red mane that has dark green and whitish highlights through them.
"Oh Jesus, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching, and I've been pretty rattled lately..."
>"It's fine. I bumped into you, I should be sorry."
>…Why'd she just lick her lips?
>You get a good look at her cutie mark.
>It's some kind of flower.
>"Are you okay?"
"…Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah, it's just... you're reminding me a lot of something."
>"What's that?"
"A flower back where I'm from, from a certain country down under."
>"Really? What flower is that?"
>She seems pretty intrigued...
"A Waratah."
>"Oooh, that sounds exotic."
"I guess... Hey, do you mind if I call you 'Poison Ivy'? You're also reminding me of a villainess for a certain Super Hero back home that I like."
>She rolls her eyes with a smile and goes on her way.
"...What a nice pony."


>You reach the Library and knock at the door. Twilight answers it moments later.
>"Oh good, Anon, you got my note! How are you feeling?"
"I pissed blood when I woke up and may have thoughtlessly called a pony a villainess on my way here, but I think I’m okay otherwise…”
>"Well, that's... good, I think? Come in."
>You step inside and she sits at the table with notes and letters to and from the Princess spread out over it.
>"I wanted to talk to you about your experience in the alternate Equestria and... about the crystal."
>You drop to the floor and lay down on your back.
"Aaaahhhh... it's nice to lie down..."
>"...Would you like a chair? Or a couch? The floor can't be that comfortable."
"You underestimate the floor. What do you want to know?"
>You close your eyes and just listen to her.
>"Alright, first things first... Do you or do you not have that crystal in your possession somewhere?"
"Oh, here we go..."
>"What?"
"I figured you'd question me after dealing with that Anon, to see if I had the crystal and find out whether or not I was planning a hostile takeover anytime soon... That other Anon made you afraid of me."
>"That's not it at all."
>You lift yourself up to lean on your left arm, addressing her directly.
"Sure, sure… No, Twilight, I do not have that crystal. Like I said in that world, I had never seen it before then, which is why you had to teach me how to use it. And no, I don't suddenly feel the urge to go and get it after figuring out how to use it. Quite frankly, I'd probably set out to go find it again simply so I can smash the fucking thing to make sure nobody can use it."
>"Sorry, Anon... I didn't mean to upset you."
"Yeah, well... I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, Twilight. I value everything you've done for me, and you know that."
>............
>"…Yes, I do."
>She scrunches up a few notes with her magic and throws them behind her.
>You return to resting flat on the floor and close your eyes.
"What next?"
>"...The voice in the crystal. Can you tell me about it?"
>You open your eyes, remembering every phrase it said.
"It was using my own voice... whispering and echoing through my head. Like, it was planting the thoughts there, making me think they were my own."
>"And you knew they weren't?"
"Well, apart from not thinking in whispers, I don't exactly think of the things it was telling me, either. It was pretty easy to tell that they weren't my thoughts. The other Anon, on the other hand... I still don't know what to think."
>"...What did they say?"
>You close your eyes again.
"The first was asking what it takes to change the nature of a man... the second was flat out telling me I'd betray my friends."
>She's scribbling notes down as you tell her.
"Pretty much every time afterwards, if I heard it while around you or the others, it was trying to make me think you'd turn on me or something. It was saying that trust is my weakness, you'll betray me, you'll abandon me, you think I'm weak... hell, it even once flat out told me you were dead."
>"Amazing... and you kept it together that whole time?"
"I didn't believe them for a second. Besides, you showed up to help after I heard one, which made it easy for me to disregard that voice."
>"What else?"
"Well, before the fight when I was trying to free their Celestia, it told me hope is an illusion. Then it was just trying to keep me down while the other Anon was winning, saying that I'd lost, I'll die, I won't win, that I'm clinging to my life as if it even matters. Then its attitude changed when I had the upper hand, telling me to embrace my rage, to kill him before he kills me... It was telling me to kill the Princesses rather than release them..."
>"...That's why you screamed when releasing Celestia and Luna?"
"Yeah. It flat out told me to make you all bow to me, and it mocked me as well, saying I lick the shoes of princesses."
>"I'm no stranger to facing illusions or lies about the ponies around me, but how did you keep it together through those?"
>That's the million dollar question... you don't know.
>Each time it happened, you just thought of them and imagined how you'd let them down if you failed.
>...
>Oh.
>Oh, dear god...
>You sit up to look her in the eye for this.
"...Friendship."
>"What?"
"Fucking friendship... My magic, despite being fueled by rage and hate, was at its peak when I was thinking of you guys. I HAD to win... for you."
>She's staring at you wide-eyed in shock, completely unsure of what to say here.
>You just laugh and lay back down again.
"How 'bout that. The magic of friendship saves the day again..."
>"I, umm... I don't know what to say..."
>You can't tell if you've concerned her for the fact that you used extreme violence in the name of friendship, or made her happy that you care about them so much.
"There is ONE thing the crystal said to me that concerns me..."
>"What's that?"
"When I was looking at Celestia and Luna with you and the other Twilight, and they were statues, I hadn't expelled much energy by that point, nor had I really concentrated to listen. Yet I heard it clear as day anyway..."
>"What did it say?"
"'Look around. They will all betray you. Flee screaming into the black forest.'"
>"...the ‘black forest’?"
"No idea."
>"Me, neither... I'll look into it."
>She scribbles more notes down before leaving the table and moving over to you, face right above yours.
>"One last thing."
"Mmm?"
>"Princess Celestia told me about what you talked about while she was here with you, before we pulled you over with us. Specifically, she mentioned your past, and how you opened up to her... Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really, no."
>"Why not?"
"Oh, come on, Twilight! She persuaded me to do that just for a change of topic and I was pretty desperate to stop sounding like a dork. That shit is painful, and I hate thinking about it. It's why I took that journey to begin with."
>Also, Celestia has this weird, ‘caring’ vibe about her.
>"I'm sorry, it's just... you never opened up to any of us before. Talking about it with your friends would probably help..."
>You sigh audibly. It’s not hard to figure out why she’s asking you this now.
"Celestia told you to do this, didn't she?"
>"...Yes."
>Of course.
>Goddamn it, Sunbutt!
>You pat the ground at your side to invite her to lie down next to you.
>She does so, resting on her back, trying to get comfortable.
>It's not working for her.
"…Goddamn it, lay on your side then."
>She does as you suggest, resting her head on your stomach and looking up at you.
>Whyyyyyyyyy- oh, who cares.
>You start patting and lightly scratching her side while she’s like this.
>...Hopefully that’s not offensive.
"I'm only telling you this because it was also considerable fuel I was using for that crystal as well."
>You recap the standard moments of your somewhat boring life…
>Your relationship with your family and friends…
>A relationship you had with a girl…
>What you were doing right before you were sent to Equestria…
>You even inform her of the moment you'd given up against the other Anon right before Fluttershy showed up.
"-hence, why I don't like thinking about it. The thought of everyone I left behind is a painful memory. I don't even know if I've got a body back there that's technically dead or if I was just teleported here. Either way, I've left heavy burdens on people. They're either looking desperately for me, or... I dunno."
>She listened intently through the whole thing without interrupting once, not even to question some things like you know she desperately wanted to.
"That girl I mentioned... people thought we'd end up back together. The thought of her possibly visiting my grave back there, wondering about whether that would've happened or not... it kills me."
>Tears are starting to form in her eyes as you recap that.
"That's what kept pushing me to get up while fighting the other Anon. The similar thought of you or Twilight #2 loaded with the heavy burden of being stuck there, or dying there, whatever... it just reminded me way too much of my friends back home."
>Twilight is silent for some time, taking in what you said. Eventually she speaks.
>"...do you still want to go back?"
"...no. I told Celestia to not bother looking anymore."
>"Why?"
"Even if I did go back, I'd be faced with the same problem. I'd be with my friends there, sure, but then I'd be desperately missing the ones I made here as well."
>She smiles at you after hearing that.
"ALRIGHT, let's move on. This sharing of feelings is making me grow a vagina again."
>She laughs to herself and gets up.
>"That's all I wanted to know, Anon... Do you feel better about it?"
"...Sort of, but not really? As long as I keep thinking about it, it'll keep hurting. That's why I give myself constant distractions."
>"Well, you can talk to any of us at any time if you need to."
"I know... thanks."
>She moves back to the table, but then looks back at you as you get up.
>"Soooo... since this was technically a friendship lesson... do you want to write to the Princess about it?"
"Why? I didn't learn anything new."
>"Huh?"
"Like I said, I always knew you were there for me. The voice was easy to ignore in that regard because I knew that. I also knew I could always turn to you to talk, but I chose not to because I'm stubborn. Honestly, the only thing I learnt is that magic fucking hurts."
>You rub your shoulder.
>"So... nothing you want to tell the Princess about?"
"Nope. I know that look, though; you're writing anyway."
>She grins sheepishly.
>"Do you mind if I tell her about all of this?"
>You shrug.
"Whatever. I'm going to go get more rest."
>"Are you okay?"
"Still tried and getting random hits of dizziness. Plus, I'm sore all over. I just need more rest."
>"Well, you can take the guest bed up stairs if you don't want to walk all the way back home..."
"...Hmm. I'll do that, actually. Thanks."
>"You're welcome. And… Anon?"
"Yo."
>She walks over and looks up at you with a smile.
>"Their Celestia is absolutely right... we're incredibly lucky to have you."
>She stands on her back legs and wraps you in a hug.
>You return the favour with a one-armed hug, before she breaks it and moves back to the table.
>Making no detours, you head straight upstairs and collapse on the guest bed.
>You have the most comfortable and peaceful sleep you've had in a long time.

-End-