(Bat) A Feeling of Pain - 1

>Day Rectifying Upsetting Spoiled Endings in Equestria
>Anon keeps telling you to sit down and stop jumping into other p0nies' way.
>You can't help it.
>You're on a train for the first time in your life.
>And all of the sights that fly by are so beautiful.
>It's like an early afternoon landscape being painted before your very own eyes.
>"I understand that you're excited, Speck. But please, you're upsetting everyone else on the train."
"But Anon! I get to see Hollow Shades after being gone for three years!"
>He rolls his eyes and gets up as you dart over in front of a mare and her two foals.
>The stallion sitting across from the mare doesn't take too kindly to your presence.
>You feel Anon slip his hands underneath you and pick you up.
>"I'm sorry, she's really excited to see her home town again."
>The stallion rolls his eyes and gets back to reading his paper.
>The mare just giggles and blushes at Anon as her foals shy away from you.
>That hurt.
>You loved children, but they always so scared of you.
>You flail your hooves, flap your wings, and twist in Anon's arms.
"Let me goooo!"
>"No. You're causing trouble and I don't feel like getting kicked off the train today."
>You grumble and curl up by his side.
>You look out the left window, the landscape passing as the train chugs on.
>A long mountain range starts to come into view.
>There is a large forest surrounding it.
>You admire the beauty of it.
>It isn't as beautiful as the forest that contains your home, though.

>Anon looks at his map.
>"Well, it looks like we'll stop in Canterlot Mountain, and then catch another train to Hollow Shades."
>Canterlot Mountain?
>You climb into Anon's lap as quick as you can, slipping around as you excitedly shove your face in his.
"Did you say Canterlot Mountain?!"
>"Yes?"
>You screech happily.
>Canterlot was a beautiful city.
>You've only seen pictures of it, and heard stories.
>But to be that close to it?
>Oh, you can't contain yourself.
>You hug Anon around the neck as tight as you can and kiss his cheek.
>Canterlot Mountain was bound to have a lot of really neat things to see.
>"Why are you getting all excited over that? It's not like we'll even be there for very long."
>You roll your eyes.
>Yeah right, you weren't going to be there for very long.
>You'll spend as long as you please there.
"Can't we just stay there over night? Please?"
>He folds his arms across his chest and shakes his head.
>"Absolutely not, Speck."
>You harumph and lay across his lap, pouting.
"Well fine. I guess I just won't [spoiler]kiss[/spoiler] you tonight."
>You roll over on your back and look up at him with a smirk.
>He's blushing.
>Yeah, you've got this in the bag.
>"F-fine. We can stay for the night."
>You jump up and hug him again, pecking him lightly on the lips.
"Thank you so much Anon."

>You are now Anon.
>It's been about two weeks since the Summer Sun Celebration.
>You and Speck had made your relationship official as the sun went down.
>Life was pretty much the same since then.
>The only real difference was that the two of you kissed sometimes.
>She had recently been talking about Hollow Shades.
>Specifically, her mother.
>You guessed that she wanted to see her mom again, so you caught a train.
>She was absolutely ecstatic to hear that you were going.
>She talked about her mother a lot.
>Mostly, it was just stories that she was told as a filly.
>Speck sat by the window now, looking out at the landscape.
>She finally calmed down a little.
>"Hey, Anon?"
"Yeah?"
>Her head turns as she looks at you.
>"Do you know what happens when we die?"
>Well that certainly came from nowhere.
"What do you mean?"
>This kind of talk always gets you nervous.
>"Like... where do we go? What happens?"
>Oh come on.
>Do we have to talk about this?
>Ever?
"I really don't know Speck."
>She adopts a look of worry.
>"What do you think happens?"
"I'm... not really sure. I guess we carry on to a new life? Like, we get our own..."
>You groan and lay your head back.
"I don't know, Speck. Why are you asking me?"
>She can tell you're getting uncomfortable.
>She looks away and snickers lightly.
>"No real reason."

>You sit in silence for the next hour, until you arrive in Canterlot Mountain.
>Speck runs off somewhere, leaving you alone.
>You shrug and walk off in the opposite direction.
>Maybe you could find some food.
>Or a present for Speck.
>Yeah, that sounds good.
>Food, then shopping.
>You pass by a few restaurants, but nothing sounds good.
>Might be because Speck isn't here.
>It felt kind of weird.
>The two of you had become so close, and you'd only known her for a month and a half.
>You thought it was longer.
>You stop in front of one restaurant.
>The smell of meat wafts through the air.
>"Gryphon Meat Bar."
>Aptly named.
>It had been a while since you last had meat.
>About a year, you think.
>And that was only because Mr. and Mrs. Cake had surprised you on your birthday with a large slab of meat.
>Birthdays...
>You don't know when Speck's is, now that you think about it.
>You'll have to ask.
>But for now, meat.
>You step inside and see nothing but gryphons.
>That's not surprising.
>What is surprising is that they all stop their conversations and stop eating the minute you walk in.
>That's not freaky at all.
>One of the bartenders yells at you.
>"'ey Freak! What's yer bus'ness?"
>Quick, think fast!
"Meat."
>You thought too fast.
>There is a massive uproar of laughter.
>Everyone goes back to their meals and conversations.
>Smooth is your middle name.
>Anonymous Smooth [statement redacted].
>That was your actual last name, too.
>Your parents had a sick sense of humor.

>You take a seat at the bar and the bartender hands you a menu.
>You look over it.
>A rare treat like this needs serious deliberation.
"Uhhh. Let me get the Artery Clogger."
>The bartender raises an eyebrow.
>You raise an eyebrow back.
>You aren't going to let some plebeian scum judge your taste in meat.
>Besides, chicken stuffed with cow wrapped in bacon sounds good.
>It came with a side of fried chicken strips, a cheeseburger, sausage links, and a cold glass of milk.
>Gotta stay healthy with that milk.
>"Sure, tha'll be fifty bits."
>Worth it.
>You reach into your bag and pull out fifty bits.
>He takes them with a look of disgust.
>Your stride can't be broken.
>Your name isn't Anonymous Smooth Unbreakable-Stride [statement redacted] for nothing.
>Your food comes out several seconds after you paid.
>Fast service.
>You'll tip well, assuming the food is everything you remember it to be.
>You stare at the plate.
"What is this?"
>The waitress stares at you.
>"Is there something wrong?"
"Yes, there is. What's this green crap?"
>She stares at your plate.
>"That's celery. It's customary with all of our dishes, required by the Canterlot Health Ordinance of A.T. 134.
>You pick the celery up, stare her in the eye, and snap it into little pieces onto the bartop.
>She squints at you.
>You squint back and start flicking the little bits at her.
>"Oh, for Celestia's sake! Don't eat it, for all I care! Stop making a mess, you dweeb!"
>You stop, smirking.
>"I hope you're satisfied. I have to clean this too. Thanks a lot."
>You adopt a look of pure satisfaction.
>She scoffs and walks off.
>You pick the chicken-bacon-beef ball up and take a massive bite out of it.
>Your eyes widen and your jaw drops.
>Never again will you judge how Speck reacts to her food.
>You continue eating, eliciting lewd moans as you shovel the food down your gullet.
>The waitress looks like she's going to vomit as she cleans your mess.

>You are now Speck.
>Canterlot Mountain is everything you've heard about and more.
>Shops, food, fruit vendors, toy stores, jewelry stores, antique stores, magic artifact shops, and best of all, clothes stores!
>You never really wore clothes.
>And you don't own anything.
>Anon usually just bundles you up inside his jacket if you get cold.
>You trot inside one of them, smiling.
>The shop owner regards you with a smile.
>These higher populated areas were much more welcoming to bat p0nies.
>But you were never very good at meeting other p0nies.
>Though, that wouldn't be very obvious.
>Outside of bat p0nies, you've spent a secluded life from any other kinds of p0nies.
>"Good afternoon, miss. Is there anything I can help you with?"
>She sounds very posh.
"I don't really know. I kind of just wandered in here. I've never been around here, and I'm just winging my way around."
>You snicker a little.
>She offers you an awkward chuckle.
>"Well then, I don't supposed I could interest you in a coat? It gets chilly inside this mountain."
>You ponder for a minute.
>Anon has a coat with him.
>You can just use that.
"No thank you. Do you have any hats?"
>She shakes her head.
>"No, but there's a shop down the road that does. You can check there."
"Oh, okay. Bye, then."
>You wave as you leave and head down the road.

>The hat shop comes into view a short while later and you head inside.
>The owner waves at you and you wave back.
>"What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you had a hat that could fit a human's head?"
>He gives you a quizzical look.
>"A... hoo man?"
>You snicker.
"It took me a while to get it too. Umm... How about this?"
>You hold your hooves apart, about the width of Anon's head.
>"Hmmm. I might, let me check."
>You smile and bounce in place.
>The owner trots into the back and comes out a moment later with a strange looking hat.
>"It's something I've been trying to get right, but it doesn't look good on p0nies' heads."
>You stare at it.
>"I call it a fedora."
>You hum softly and put it on your head.
>It falls over your eyes and you gasp in surprise.
>You tip it back so you can see and look in the mirror.
>You turn your head from side to side and tilt it.
"Hmmm..."
>The owner looks at you in anticipation.
>"So?"
"I'll take it!"
>The owner smiles warmly.
>"It's twenty bits."
>That's a steal, for such a neat looking hat!
>It wouldn't look good on Anon, but it looked amazing on you.
>Anon rarely wore short pants or t-shirts.
>He wore long pants, often with dress shirts and wool coats.
>That hat would definitely look bad on him.
>You pay the owner and leave, bouncing off in the direction of the train station.
>You had to show Anon this wonderful hat!

>You are Anon again.
>And that was the best meal you've ever had.
>You could feel the inner workings of your body clogging up and shutting down.
>You tipped the waitress and barkeep thirty bits each.
>The Cakes paid you well enough, and you rarely spent your money.
>The job was mostly just to kill time, since the house was paid for by the princesses.
>You wander around the shops in this part of town.
>One particular jewelry shop catches your eye.
>So you head inside.
>After all, you needed to get a present for Speck.
>"Welcome."
>You look over at the shopkeeper.
>He looks at you and raises an eyebrow.
>You wave.
>He closes his eyes, sighs, shakes his head, and walks off.
>You browse his wares.
>Necklaces, horn rings, bracers, bracelets, crowns, tiaras.
>Nothing that would really look good on Speck.
"Do you have anything that would look good on a bat p0ny?"
>The shopkeeper rolls his eyes.
>Jeez, this guy was just a little ball of sunshine.
>"I suppose we might."
>He ducks under the front counter and places a silver necklace on the counter.
>You pick it up and stare at it.
>Real silver, slightly tarnished, beautiful citrine gem embedded in the center of a small silver pendant.
>It was perfect.
"How much?"
>He perks up a little.
>"Five hundred bits."
>Steep, but for Speck you don't care.
>"There's a catch though."
>Well then.
"And that would be?"
>"It's enchanted."
>You raise an eyebrow.
>"Or, well. It's cursed."
>You very slowly put the necklace back down and squint at him.
"What kind of curse?"
>"The bad kind."
>You groan and walk out of the store.
>You don't want to know what the "bad kind" of curse is.
>Curses were typically bad anyway.
>It was probably some kind of weakening curse.
>Or soul drain.
>Did p0nies have that kind of magic?

>"Anon!"
>A bat p0ny accosts you.
>You don't recognize it under that hat, but it knows your name.
>"Do you like my hat?"
>You actually don't.
>Something about it infuriates you and reminds you of embarrassing feelings.
"No."
>"The shopkeeper called it a fedora."
>The flashbacks come like a hurricane of spaghetti.
>You remember everything.
>After five years of not being subject to that garbage, you remember.
>And it is a feel you do not want to feel.
>You calmly remove the hat from the p0ny's head, revealing Speck.
>You won't even ask why, nor will you wonder why you didn't expect this.
>"An-"
"No."
>You start to walk towards the train tracks.
>"Anon wa-"
"No!"
>You start to sprint.
>You only have one chance.
>A train starts to roll through the station.
>If you can throw the hat, it will be gone from this world.
>And you will carry on with your mission to destroy all of them.
>"Anon, wait! That's the only fedora the shopkeeper had! I like it!"
"NOOOOOO!"
>With a flick of your wrist, you throw the hat under the train as it rolls by.
>Mission accomplished.
>Speck sits beside you as you flex in victory.
>"Why would you do that, Anon?"
>You can hear the sadness in her voice.
>But this was for the greater good.
"Personal reasons."
>She sniffs, holding back her tears.
>You look down at her and pat her on the head.
"It was for the best. Now come on, I want ice cream."
>She perks up instantly and flies by your side.
>"Can we get double scoops?!"
"No Speck. You won't eat all of it."
>She whines and smushes her face into yours.
>"Yes I will! I promise!"
"Fine, fine. You can have two scoops."
>She hugs you tight and screeches with joy.
>You hug her back.
>You'll harass her as much as you can, just for small moments like this.
>It makes everything worth it.

>Anon threw your hat under a train.
>You liked that hat.
>But he was making it up to you with ice cream.
>And he even let you get two scoops!
>He never does that.
>You stand beside him in the ice cream parlor, deliberating what flavors you want.
"Anon! I want mango and banana!"
>You bounce up and down like a little filly, giggling with glee.
>"I'll have two scoops of vanilla."
>The mare at the counter nods and smiles as she begins scooping your ice cream up into a cone.
>Anon tosses some bits onto the counter and carries your ice cream over to a booth where the two of you sit down.
>You hold your cone between your hooves and begin to [spoiler]scrape and lick[/spoiler] at it.
>Anon chuckles as he licks his cone.
"What's so funny?"
>He shakes his head and takes another lick of his cone.
>"The way you eat your ice cream."
>You shoot him a dirty look and continue eating your ice cream.
>"So are you going to see your mother when we get to Hollow Shades?"
>You nod and smile.
"Yeah. It's been so long since I've seen her. I want to see how she's doing."
>"I can't wait to meet her."
>You smile even wider as you lower your cone.
"She's going to love you."

>You eventually finish your cone after struggling from how full you were from it.
>Anon just glared at you the whole time you were trying to finish it.
>It was getting a little late.
>You wouldn't have been able to tell what time it was unless you had looked at the clocktower.
>9:45PM
>"We should find a place to sleep."
>You nod and lean against him as the two of you walk.
>You soon come across an inn.
>It looks nice, and the price isn't half bad.
>Anon pays for the room and you settle in, dropping your bags on one of the beds.
>You jump up on the second bed and curl up.
>Anon soon joins you.
>He pulls the covers over you and pulls you close to his chest.
>You snuggle deeply into him and smile.
>You cover him with a wing and hug his arm with your forelegs.
"Good night Anon. I love you."
>He presses his nose and lips into your mane, kissing softly.
>You tighten your grip on his arm.
>"Good night Speck. I love you too."
>You tilt your head back and gaze into his eyes.
>He meets your eyes with his own and smiles warmly.
>You close your eyes and press your nose into his neck.
>You soon fall asleep in his arms.