Heart of Destruction Part 6

Part 6: Wherein Anon Meets the Cutie Mark Crusaders
>The next several days pass with little incident. Rarity came by to drop off your original set of clothes as well as several new ones she made. Once again, the clothes are plain and made of cheap fabric. You don’t blame her; it’s understandable that she wouldn’t want to use her best material for a dangerous creature. Other ponies have visited as well. Rainbow came by to chat a couple of times, mostly about how she’s in a TV show in your world. The knowledge of having a fandom seems to elate her, but you decide it’s best not to mention all the Rainbro fanfics you’ve read. You’re definitely not telling her about Leucine’s story with Rarity. Pinkie has also visited to give you a basket of baked goods. She seems determined to make you happy in spite of your self-imposed quarantine. Your favorite visitor, however, is Twilight. Hours fly by when you talk with her, exchanging information about your world and Equestria. She is always sure to bring a stack of new books to keep you occupied when you don’t have guests. It’s important to you, being able to read. Back in your own universe, you had the opportunity to visit China. You did not know how to read the language, however, and that feeling of illiteracy, not felt since early childhood, was surprisingly uncomfortable. Being unable to understand the world around you made you feel disoriented and confused, and you’ve been feeling it again ever since you arrived in Equestria. Thankfully, the language here is the same and their alphabet is phonetic, so within a few days you were able to read again, albeit slowly.
>Today, you are working your way through a book on Equestrian biology, when you hear small voices near the entrance of the barn.
> “See? Ah told ya Applejack was keepin’ a monster in here!” You recognize the voice as Applebloom’s.
> “That must be what my sister’s been making those strange clothes for.” whispers Sweetie Belle.
> “I think it sees us!” hisses Scootaloo.
>You sit up in the pile of straw that serves as your bed and stuff a piece of straw in your book to mark your place.
“You girls shouldn’t be here.”
> “Uhmm, hello there,” says Applebloom, nervously, “we were just curious an’-”
“I said you shouldn’t be here,” you repeat, deepening your voice slightly. You stand up and walk towards them.
> “W-we’re not scared of you!” says Scootaloo, attempting to show bravado.
“You should be,” you say, picking up the half-barrel you use as a chair. “Now GO AWAY!” As you roar these words, you hurl the barrel, taking care to aim several feet to the right of the crusaders. They’re already running by the time the barrel hits the wall of the barn.
>You sigh and return to your book. It’s a shame you had to do that, but Applejack would be furious if she found out you were talking to her little sister. Rarity probably wouldn’t be too pleased either. It’s for the best that they avoid you. Besides, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy scaring them a little bit.

>That night, you are roused from sleep by some loud growls outside. Quietly, you creep from your bed and slide open the barn door just enough to peek through. In the light of the moon, you can make out half a dozen canine shapes stalking towards the Apple family’s house.
>Timberwolves.
>You walk to the corner of the barn, where some old tools are piled up. Searching through them, you uncover a sledgehammer. It’s a bit smaller than you’d find in your world, being made for ponies, but it’s still a piece of solid wood with a lump of metal on the end. That’s a weapon in your book. If your suspicions are correct, however, you won’t need it.
>You exit the barn and walk towards the wolves, who are now sniffing around the house’s door. You whistle to get their attention. Instantly, six pairs of glowing yellow eyes turn towards you.

>With a snarl, the wolves charge you. You heft the hammer, preparing yourself in case your theory is wrong. As soon as the first timberwolf crosses the threshold of the magic-nullifying circle that surrounds you, it freezes up and comes to a rolling stop just in front of you. The same thing happens to the next three. By this time, the remaining wolves realize something is wrong, and hang back, growling. You put down the hammer and lean over the fallen wolves. Hoping it’s the alpha, you pick up the stiffened body of the largest wolf and place it over your shoulder. As you walk towards the Everfree forest, the three frozen wolves on the ground re-animate. They look up in confusion and see you walking away with their pack mate. The pack follows you, staying just out of range of your influence.

>Once you reach the edge of the Everfree forest, you set down the frozen wolf and take several steps back. Once you are far enough, it unfreezes, and its pack mates surround it, sniffing worriedly to make sure their leader is okay. The wolves take one last look at you and flee back into the woods. You head back to your barn, picking up the hammer on the way.

>The next morning, you hear hoof steps outside of the barn.
“Twilight, you’re early today,” you begin, then stop when you see Applebloom step into the door frame. “You again?”
>Once again, you pick your chair and hurl it towards her. This time, she doesn’t even flinch.
> “Ya aint gonna hurt me,” she says, matter-of-factly.
“Oh? And what makes you so sure of that?”
> “Ah saw ya last night,” she says, “Ah couldn’t sleep ‘cuz of the wolves, and when I looked out mah window, Ah saw what ya did to them.”
>You stare at the little filly for a moment before responding.
“So why aren’t you afraid of the monster that can control a pack of wolves?”
> “If you was bad, Ah reckon ya woulda hurt them wolves. But ya didn’t. Ya protected us without killin’ the wolves. Howdja do that anyway?”
>You hold up the book you were reading yesterday.
“Timberwolves are mobile plants. They take root and sprout leaves during the day, and then become active hunters at night. A very fascinating species. There are carnivorous plants where I come from, but nothing like that. I assumed it was magic that allowed them to move, and magic can’t exist near me.”
> “Ah don’t understand,” Applebloom pressed on, “why can’t magic exist near you?”
“Because I’m human,” you explain, “from what Twilight and I were able to piece together, my species nullifies magic. I’m actually from another version of this world, where humans exist and magic doesn’t.”
> “So how’d ya get here?”
“Don’t know.”
> “What’s your name?”
“Anonymous.”
> “Do you have a cutie mark?”
“Shouldn’t you be in school or something?” you say, your patience beginning to run out.
> “Nah, it’s Saturday”
“Well, you still shouldn’t be here. Applejack would throw a fit if she finds out I was talking to you.”
> “She’s not the boss of me!” the little pony protests.
“She’s your older sister. Of course she’s the boss of you.”
> “Well, then Ah’ll ask Big Macintosh. He’s older than both of us!”
“And if he says no?”
> “Ah’ll just visit in secret then,” she says, proudly.
“What makes you think I’ll let you?”
> “How’re ya gonna stop me?” she asks, defiantly. She begins to walk into the barn to prove her point.
“You don’t want to do that,” you warn, backing away.
> “Miss Fluttershy says some scary animals are more scared of us than we are of them,” she says, ignoring you, “Are ya afraid of me?”
“This isn’t a game. Don’t come any closer.”
>She’s got you backed against the far wall by now. Nowhere else to go. She finally gets close enough to feel your influence, and you see her eyes widen in shock.
“Like I said, I nullify magic,” you explain, sadly, “everything in this world has magic, even an earth pony like you. Getting close to me has some…unpleasant effects.”
>She backs up until she’s outside of the circle. “That must be pretty lonely.”
“I get by.”
> “Well, me an’ mah friends are gonna come by and keep ya company,” she proclaims.
“You really shouldn’t.”
> “Ah don’t see how ya can stop me,” shes says grinning. “See ya later, Mr. Anonymous.”
>You watch her leave, and once she’s out of the barn, you smile to yourself and mutter
“Yeah, I’ll see you later kid.”