Anon and Amber Eyes 5: Cleaning Up the Mess

>>27823850
>Be Twilight Sparkle
>AKA "the pony who gets to clean up everypony else's messes."
>Welp.  The last twelve hours of your life have been...interesting.
>Not fun, but interesting.  In the Neighponese curse sense.
>First, you can pretty much completely discard your theories about humans like Anonymous being nonmagical.  You'd already suspected as much, for a number of years.
>there's literally no way to create a conscious, self-aware entity without some level of ambient thaumic flux.  Not according to any theory you're aware of.
>Anon was obviously self-aware and conscious, in spades, since he had an almost supernatural way to punch right past your armor and get on your nerves.
>You've also decided that he's a wonderful divining rod for determining which of two possible choices is good.
>To wit:  If it seems like a good idea to Anon, do the exact opposite thing.
>And reasoning with him is comparable to trying to have an argument with a display case full of animated, chattering Flutterbye Pony dolls, or trying to play chess with a pigeon.
>But, in spite of the fact that he has a way of making you absolutely, completely furious with him without even trying, you also care about him, and deeply
>Because as tooth-grindingly infuriating as he is, he's also impishly funny, weirdly and unexpectedly generous, clever and has a way of challenging you intellectually in the weirdest ways
>>Which are probably some of the reasons Celestia and Luna granted him an ambassadorship, and to be honest, you'd have probably done the same thing,
>And it's also why you've been at Clydsedale Memorial Hospital since since seven o'clock last night, arguing with doctors and nurses and more specialists in more fields than even you were aware existed.

>>27824076
(Irregular work schedule and I'm a fuckin' vampire)

>Half of the specialists who you've spoken with were barely able to make sense of the thaumaturgic scans, especially in light of the fact that, until last night, Anon didn't even show up on them as being any more magical than a brick.
>Meanwhile, the other half were ready to go home and hole up on a bender because the human's brain was, half a day after what the press had named the Market Square Incident, still blazing with more magical flux than the princesses could manage.  Together.
>So much so that, according to every last medical journal you've consulted, including the Royal Journal of Irreproducible Results, he should be not only dead, but vaporized.  Literally.  Along with half of the building.
>Much like the homicidal unicorn in the square.
>On the bright side, the Canterlot constabulary and the Royal Guard had managed to make an ID on the perpetrator according to eyewitness accounts, and by general consensus, they agreed that Equestria was just a little cleaner now than it was a day ago.
>Identification HAD to be through eyewitness accounts.  There wasn't anything resembling mortal remains of the late, completely unlamented Light Ray.
>And the weirdest thing, a weirdness cherry on top of a Pinkie Pie-sized cake made of pure unadulterated strange with enigma frosting and served along with a cup of peculiarity punch, was that the thaumaturgic flux blazing through Anon's CNS was a perfect signature match for that of the bird-pony he'd somehow protected
>Only about a thousand times stronger

>>27831429

>Said bird pony was presently resting, unconscious, after the marathon surgery to save her wings and repair the numerous broken bones, lacerations and burns she'd suffered in her flight across the city.
>As another oddity, albeit a welcome one, Anon was now responding semi-normally to standard healing magic, which meant that the doctors could use other, more effective techniques in addition to straight surgery and chemical agents to treat his injuries.
>They'd managed to save the arm, in spite of the fact that it was charred through nearly to the bone, and repair all but the worst of the internal injuries and burns he'd suffered standing literally a step away from a massive explosion.
> "So...the guy who can't even walk across the street without tripping over his own shoelaces and busting something," said Rainbow, "somehow ate both some sort of magical death-ray AND a magical meltdown at point blank range."
>"That's about the size of it," you say.
>"Which he caused."  Dash, you know, is far smarter than she wants other ponies to believe.  "And, you're still trying to figure out exactly how."
>"As near as I can tell, Anon somehow threw up a insanely powerful shield and at that range, magical field-reconnection somehow caused a massive feedback loop that apparently fed Light Ray's attack back into his body.  He couldn't contain that much flux, and his remaining manna reserves exploded."
>You find yourself uncomfortable with the number of weasel words you just peppered that statement with.
>Rainbow stares at you for a second, and you see how tired and worried the Wonderbolt is.
>"You don't really know, do you?"
>"No."  You really hate admitting that.
>"Yeah...so I'm still gonna go with 'awesome' right now," she said.  Her face hardened.  "The little bastard killed a couple of good friends of mine yesterday.  I think I can live with a little mystery, as long as he can't hurt anyone else."

>You really...really don't like that look of cold hatred on the face of one of your best friends.
>Nor do you like the fact that, deep down inside, you understand exactly where it's coming from
>Because you feel exactly the same. Even though in Equestria, ponies are supposed to be given the benefit of the doubt.
>Because you're the Princess of Magic, specifically, the magic of Friendship, and your entire adult life has been spent proving that no one is beyond redemption
>Tartarus, even your current protege and work-in-progress is a wannabe global conqueror who tried to destroy the world merely to spite you, and SHE worked out.
>Except that you've got the arrest records for Light Ray, along with what the authorities know of his past and the casualty reports from yesterday's incident ALONE, and you can't imagine what dark pit of Tartarus he crawled out of, nor can you imagine anything capable of redeeming him except an eternity as a garden decoration. And you still wouldn't eat any flowers that grew next to him.
>even though Ponies should be given the benefit of the doubt.
>those words are stuck in your brain, apparently, along with the image of a broken, bleeding bird pony thief, who, even though you can't be totally certain, you are almost sure was at least partially-responsible for the fact that your human friend survived and a murdering psychotic was sent to Tartarus in his stead.
>(A dark, dismal part of you snarikly mentions that she was at least partially responsible for his current state. The rest of you does its level best to beat that part to death with a club)
>You're not going to let me live this down, are you, brain?
>Hahaha...no.

>>27831896
>The door to the waiting room opens, and doctor Steady Hooves, the earth pony surgeon in charge of the team working on Anon, enters.  >He begins speaking without preamble.
>"I'll get right to the point.  The Ambassador is stable," he says. "He may have a hard time breathing for a few days.  We don't see many cases of Blast Lung, thankfully, but both he and the other victim had a good case of it, and both of them responded very well to the standard treatment for barotrauma and blast effects."
>You nod and he continues.  "We DID remove shrapnel from both of them--mostly unicorn horn bits and stone fragments from the street.  The species-specific differences caused us some difficulties.  We don't know if Anon will recover full hearing in both ears.  We're having...difficulties treating anything that directly involves nerve tracts.   But everything else seems to be responding to healing magic very well.  Unusually well, even, considering he spent over ten hours in surgery."
>You find yourself wondering exactly what that might mean, and make a mental note to yourself to find out more later.
>You start to ask Spike to start taking dictation for a letter to the Princess, but then you remember that he's not here, he's taking care of the Castle in your stead, and for a moment, you bitterly miss both the easy convenience AND the reassurance.
>"Can we see him, doctor?" asks Rainbow.  "I mean, if he can have visitors."
>"I don't see why not," Steady Hooves says, after hesitating.  "So long as you don't stay long.  He's awake, for the moment.  But you know," he says, "Wherever the Ambassador comes from, I don't think I want to go there.  Ever."
>The doctor continues.  "He's more resilient than virtually anything I've ever heard of, and if he's any representation, his kind appears to have the most powerful thaumaturgical defense system I've ever seen.  If they're the weakest, most fragile species there, what in the name of Discord do they share their world with?"

>>27832077
>Be Anon.
>And right now, Anon loves EVERYBODY.  Heeeeeeeeeee....
>You understand that it's a combination of the straight morphine drip you're on and pony anesthetic magic, and that without them, you'd probably be a screaming wreck right now.
>In fact, if you concentrate, you can actually feel the pain of your injuries--the ones that they hadn't been able to completely fix, that would have to finish repairing on their own.
>But that's a LOT of work, and right now, you feel too absolutely lucious to care about them.
>You're alive, Amber Eyes is also alive, and the Canterlot Colts placed first in the all-Equestrian championships, and if that's not enough reason to celebrate, then what the fuck IS?
>the nurse with you is...rather pretty, and you've been here for a while.  "So, I see from your wings...' you say.
>She turns to you.  "Ummm..yes?"
>You think for a minute.  "Heaven must be missing an angel.   Because of the, uh...wings?  Also, you're, like, really pretty."
>Smooth, Anon, smooth.
>thanks, Brainnon.  High five!  WOOOOOO!
>She smiles.  Yeaaaaaaah...you've still got it, Anon.  W00t!
>"I don't think I completely understood that, but thank you--so I tell you what, let me adjust the Anafields DOWN just a tiny bit? Would that be okay?"
>I think I love you right now.  Can I have some juice?  My mouth is like, rilly dry...
>She pats you on the hand with a hoof.  >Yeaaaaah...she digs you.
>"Thank you, dear.  I'll ask the doctor if you can have any fluids by mouth, and I'll bring some back to you straightaway, okay?"
'kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...
>She leaves,  and shortly after she does, you begin to feel a little more...grounded.  Still really nice.  But grounded.

>>27832203

>You remember seeing Amber running toward you through a marketplace crowd full of terrified, panicking ponies.
>You remember her falling.  You remember picking her up...and then
>[Discontinuity]
>You remember waking up in surgery.
>repeatedly.
>You remember asking the doctors why your chest was open, since you could see everything and you were pretty sure that wasn't normal.
>Even if it WAS kind of interesting seeing your heart reflected in a mirror back at you.
>You kept asking if was she was okay and how you got here, and instead of responding to you, they kept telling you everything was all right, right before shutting you down.  Over and over.
>(hes awake again)
>(don't care just put him under and KEEP him under)
>(giving him enough to keep an ursa under why is it)
>You also know, without being told, that right now, she's fine.  Not perfect, hurting, but otherwise okay.
>Interesting dream.
>Presently, the nurse returns, with a carton of fruit juice.  "According to Doctor Steady Hooves, you can have fluids by mouth. And later, we'll go with some nice soup, if you feel up to it." She holds it out to you, and you take it in your left hand--your right arm and hand are still too bound up in dressings.
>You sip it.  Oh sweet merciful lord, it's ice-cold, and it tastes like heaven
>"You're going to be on a full liquid diet for at least three days," she says, 'At least until we understand whether the healing spell meshwork is working like it's supposed to."
>Yeaaaah, that's not going to get old, is it?



>>27832380
>the door opens, and Doctor Steady Hooves enters.  He smiles at you--and you recognize him from when you awakened in surgery.
I don't think we've been formally introduced
>His wry smile seems genuine, but a little...uncertain?  Maybe you're just imagining it
>"I make it a habit of keeping close personal tabs on my patients.  We last spoke when you woke up lying on an operating table and I was elbow-deep in your abdominal cavity.  You were trying to start a conversation, which, as you might guess, was a bit awkward, since you were bleeding out at the time and I was kind of trying to stop that from happening."
Yeaaaaaah.  sorry about that, I wasn't exactly at my intellectual best right about then.
"I'd've been even more shocked if you HAD been, since we had you under enough chemical anesthetics, tranquilizers and paralytic spells to put a mature Ursa Major under.  And you kept shrugging them off."
>He shakes his head.  "By the way, I'm not exaggerating--not even slightly, and that wasn't even the strangest thing to happen in your case.  If you're game and give me permission, I'm thinking of using your case as the basis for some research papers."
>It occurs to you then that, when the doctor in charge of saving your life wants to use your case as as a research subject, it probably means that (1) You've done something spectacularly stupid, or (2) Something incredibly strange and out of the ordinary has happened to you.
>Since you don't recall asking anypony to hold your beer and watch, you're guessing it's more likely to be (2).
Yeah, can I take a rain check on making any firm decisions, doc?  Like, after I find out how my friend is doing...and what, exactly happened to me?
>He nods.  "I understand, and there's no rush on that.  And I'm fine even if you say 'no.'
>"As for your friend," he says, looking at you, "She's fine--in some respects, she was actually in better shape than you were.  She's resting comfortably."

>>27832913
>After a very short pause he continues.
>"The bones of both wings were broken in multiple places, and she had deep lacerations, apparently from some sort of bladed weapon, across her back and flank.
>"She was suffering from a severe concussion, some heavy burns, six broken ribs and a cracked sternum, and internal bleeding when she was brought in, and her right foreleg was broken in three places.  Apparently she tagged one of her attackers with a hoof at full flight speed.
>He scowls.  "Given what they were trying to do, I hope she punched his head clean off of his neck when she did it.  Bird pony bones, like a pegasus', are hollow, but strong and lightweight. It sounds bad, true enough,and it IS, but most of the damage was relatively straightforward to repair....unlike yours.
Doc, was she able to tell anypony anything about what happened to her?  About...who did this to her?
>Steady Hooves nods.  "She regained consciousness briefly when she arrived here, and after she awakened from surgery.  Both times she was able to give information and descriptions to the constabulary and the Royal Guard, but I'm afraid I can't tell you anything myself.  They'll have to decide what to tell you.
>"But I'll tell you this," he said.  "She's alive right now because of you. Her family's waiting here with her, and they want to speak with you.  You also have some other visitors--a certain princess Sparkle, and a Wonderbolt you may know--if you feel up to seeing anyone right now," he said.  "It's entirely up to you.

>>27833007

>You start to tell him to yeah, go ahead and send in the clowns, but then it suddenly occurs to ask something else.  Something about the doctor's strangely subdued manner, his deferential tone...
>Something about this entire situation is sending chills down your spine, even through the oh-so-cheerful, oh-so-wonderful morphine haze.  Seriously, kids, it's awesome stuff, and it's illegal as fuck for a reason.  Don't do drugs.
[spoiler]Holy shit, I can't type that with a straight face. Many keks, much lols.  Wow.[/spoiler]
Doc...you said my injuries were more severe?  I get that they were, but...how MUCH more?  I get that they were, and I get that you had a hard time working on me for the obvious reason that I'm not a pony, but...I get the distinct feeling there's things you're not telling me.
>Steady Hooves stands there for a moment, as if trying to make a decision.  Finally, he sighs.
>"I've been a thoracic surgeon for 40 years," he says.  "Your species...that's pretty much irrelevant at this point.  I've treated ponies, griffons, dragons, diamond dogs, even a few changelings and lemurs.  Once you get past the outside, what sustains life, what keeps the body ticking...it really isn't as different as you'd expect.  You're strange, but not THAT strange."
>He hesitates for a moment, and then he shrugs and sits down on the floor before he resumes talking.  "But...you have to understand, son.  You were sitting literally at ground zero of a massive magical overload, one that blew a molten crater fifty feet wide and ten feet deep in the street and actually moved the buildings on either side back another five off their foundations.
>"That, by itself, isn't totally impossible.  An alicorn could probably survive it with the right protection.  A mature dragon might.  And Celestia alone knows we've seen creatures and entities show up here in Equestria that can pull off feats that...well, best not to mention them.

>>27833134

>"And your friend--Amber?--was suffering from from of the expected effects of severe explosive trauma.  But not anywhere to the degree you would expect.  And literally no one standing behind you both suffered any injuries at all.
>I'm...not sure I understand you.  Are you saying I...that I did something?
>"Yes, but...not consciously, not that I'm an expert in these matters.  And whatever you did, it wasn't anything even remotely perfect.  You still suffered nearly the full, expected effects of severe explosive damage.  And...that still isn't the strangest part.
>He pauses again.  You're beginning to get tired of it.
Doc, I appreciate your help and everything you've done for me and for Amber both, so don't take this the wrong way, but please...spit it the fuck out.
>He closes his eyes and finally makes a decision.  He sighs. "That's fair.  Okay.  When you were brought in, they checked you.  And then they declared you dead.
>"According to the EMTs who brought you both in, shortly after they arrived, you convulsed and stopped breathing.  You had no heartbeat, no vital signs, and you failed to respond to any attempts at resuscitation.  Both lungs were completely collapsed.   When they examined you with a low-level magical scan, your internal organs weren't just completely wrecked, they were as scrambled as an egg.  Including your brain.
>"I knew the doctor on duty when you were brought in, and I was there when they told him that you'd looked at them and spoken at length after they arrived.  I saw the condition of your brain.  I told them that what they were telling me was utterly impossible, that you had to have been dead when they got there, and that they were either mistaken or lying.
>"And they agreed with me, except for the fact that they stuck to their story.  And so did multiple eyewitnesses.  What they were telling us wasn't even remotely possible. Your body was like a bag full of mud. You were shit-the-bed dead."

>>27833275
>You say nothing.  What CAN you say?
>"I've treated ponies who weren't hurt anywhere nearly as badly as you were, Anon, and they didn't survive," he says, looking straight at you, and he's strangely pale under the fur.
>"We were about to call the time of death.  And then, all of a sudden...you started breathing again.  And every thaumaturgical detector in or near the ER either went off at the same time, or burned out.
>"And on the other side of the hospital, your friend woke up screaming in surgery, at...apparently the same exact moment you started breathing again.  She was under general anesthesia.
>"We got you into surgery and started trying to put you back together.  Except...now your internal organs and didn't seem nearly so scrambled as they were.  You were repairable, amazingly so, in fact.  It's almost as if your body was trying to assist us as best as it could.  And your brain was lit up like the world's brightest Hearths Warming Eve tree with thaumaturgic potential, so much that it was interfering with our procedures and the surgical room equipment.
>"I still wonder if I was wrong about how injured you were, about your condition when you brought in, but...I don't think so.  Too many other ponies have corroborated it, and we have multiple photographs and documentation, and the test results.
>"I know she's alive, because of you," says Doctor Steady Hooves, looking straight at you.  "But...and I don't know how I know...I think you're alive now because of HER.
>"I've seen some weird things, but I've never seen anything like this before in all of my years as a surgeon, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  But...this scares me.  Just a little bit.
>"But...regardless, both of you are alive.  So I'm inclined to just...well...give thanks to whatever agency saw fit to grant us this little boon.  A lot of ponies died yesterday.  And I think that if it hadn't been for you and Amber Eyes, I think many more would have died.


>>27833426

>"In any event," Steady Hooves says, "We can work on solving the mystery some other day.  For now, we just give thanks that you're alive, and go on from there."  He stands up

>"And if you want, you can talk to your friends... BRIEFLY, though...even though--even though you seem to be surprisingly healthy and alert, considering you were apparently dead as a doorknob a day ago.  So do you feel up to it? I can tell them to come back later, if you want."

You said Sparkle and--I presume Rainbow--was out there, didn't you?  I suppose I should start with them.

>"Very well." He turns to leave.  "I'll send them in."

Uh...would you mind cranking up the morphine a bit before you go?  Because I have this feeling I'm going to need it...

>He smiles wryly.  "Probably not the best choice, though if you're in real pain later, we can talk about it. You're already getting enough to kill a Yak.  But...yeah. We'll make it a brief conversation, and I'll warn them about stressing you unduly.

>He looks at you, before leaving.  "Tthey really care about you, you know."

I know, doc.  Thank you.

He nods, gives you one last look--with only just a trace of awe, just barely hidden--and leaves.

>A minute or two later, the door opens, and an extremely subdued-looking Twilight Sparkle comes in, followed closely by Rainbow Dash.  "Hey, big guy," says Rainbow, grinning fit to burst, swarming over to the left side of your bed.  You raise your left fist and bump her hoof with it.

>Then, never one to be modest or hold back--or think things completely through--she rears up and gives you as much as a full-body hug as she can manage.

OW!  Hey, careful there you lummox, I'm still a little tender in my everything.

>You hug her back as hard as you can manage--not very hard right now.  She's laughing and crying at the same time.

>>27833656

I haz an autism.  My autism, let me show you it.

>>27833656

>"Don't ever do that again, you asshole," she says, through the tears.  "You're probably the only p-pony around here who knows how awesome I really am."

Aw, c'mon, Rainbow, I'm sure there's literally tens of ponies in Equestria who think you're cool

>"You ASSHOLE," she says, laughing.  She swats you.  Gently, though.  You hug her back as best as you can.  "Seriously, though, don't ever do that again.  That was...okay, there's no word for it other than awesome.   But...wow, yeah, just don't.  Okay?"

Since it involved nearly dying, apparently, it's not high on my list of things to do.  Unless I get really bored one day and you're not around so we can clog Twilight's toilet again, and then it's ON, buddy!

>"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" says Rainbow.

Not a chance in Hell, Dashie.

>"Yep, still Equestria's biggest asshole."  You boop her nose and both of you laugh.

>Twilight, who's standing at the foot of the bed, looks a bit...well, pensive.  She's looking at nearly anything, rather than meeting your eyes, and right now, she's studying her hooves intently, as if she's expecting to find the secrets of the universe there.

>>27833824

>You try to figure out how to break the ice.  You finally give up.  Because Dashie's right--the one thing you're REALLY good at is being an asshole, so why not go with what you're good at?
>It worked when the Princesses had you there to help with negotiations with the Yakyakistanis.  A soft touch didn't work well with them, they NEEDED to talk to a fellow jackass.  And you were the biggest one there.
>THATS_WASIS.jpg
>LEL UR A RASIS, ANON. JACKASSES ARE CITIZENS HERE.
>Oh shut up, Brainnon.  Just work with me, I'm rollin' here.
>Besides, maybe that's what Twilight needs right now.  Not a soft touch, but a good swift kick in her complacency.
>FIDO, motherfucker.  Fuck it, drive on.

Twilight, nice to see you here.  I hope I didn't tear you away from your cross-burning to come all the way out to Canterlot to see me.

>She looks mildly stung.  Okay, scratch that.  She looks pissed. Also, you're wondering if you should be talking about burning things when you were actively on fire less than a day ago.
>Also, you apparently explodiated an angry horse.  Somehow.
>Or facilitated his explosion.  Somehow.  The doctor hadn't brought that up, but some of the nurses HAD, even if you didn't clearly remember that whole incident.  Yet.  Seriously, it really seems like a minor quibble at this point, doesn't it?

All is possible through BIRB, fellow traveler.

>Brohoof.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxQY0IXx_uA

>>27833908

>"I...think I should apologize for that," she says, slowly, uncomfortably.  "I realize that what I did was uncalled for.--"
>And then you understand something, because you've seen it in yourself, too--the desperate need to save some sort of face, enough to hide your pride behind the mask.
>No.  No, twilight, you need to hear this.  I don't even give a fuck if you actually heed it, or if it actually hits home, or if you just deny it, but by whatever gods live in magical horseland, you're going to at least know what I'm seeing, because I know I'm such a goddamn dumb motherfucker, and if I can see it, so can everypony-else.  And you're better than this.
You literally caught on fire and then threw me out of your HOUSE for calling you out on your bigotry.  Yes, I pushed those buttons deliberately.  It's what I DO, remember?  I had years of practice doing it before I ever set foot in Equestria, and I did it for fun and profit.  You put up with me for nearly a year after I arrived i in this place, and god knows I'm not easy to get along with.  And bless you for that, because you're my friend, and right now, I know all the right buttons to spam.
>Rainbow is looking at you in shock.  that's fine, you hope she understands why you're doing it.
>Twi is beginning to look indignant.  "You ASSHOLE.  I'm here because I bucking CARE about you, even now, because you're my best human friend--"
And let me stop you right there.  Right there, there's the problem.  THAT'S the problem.  Do you understand?
Her mouth is open, and she's staring at you in shock. "What in the name of Tirek's dick are you talking about?" she snaps.
Let me spell it out for you.  YOUR. BEST. HUMAN. FRIEND. HUMAN. FRIEND.
>You're nearly shouting.  Your chest hurts.  FIDO.  Fuck it, drive on, motherfucker.  .
>"YES!  you're my BEST HUMAN FRIEND!" she screeches.

>>27834153
You don't even realize you're doing it.  But you divide everyone into categories, and I've seen it. I know it.  Spike is your BDF and #1 dragon assistant.  Fine, okay, he loves you like a sister, and he puts up with it, but believe me, he SEES it.  I'm your best human friend, and god knows I needed some friends when I got here, but I saw it YEARS ago.
>"Dammit, I divide things into categories," she snaps.  "It's what I do, what I've always done, a scholar has to--"
Oh fuck yes, I know it well, and yet, there's no specific category for "pony" is there?  You don't have to qualify THEM.  There's no asterix next to Rarity's name, or Rainbow's name, or Ponk's, or any of the others.  Just mine, and Spike's, and the other handful of non-ponies you interact with regularly.  You have to qualify US for some reason.  Have you ever stopped to consider WHY you need to do that?
>Her mouth is wide open.  You can tell that something you've said finally hit home.  Rainbow looks distinctly uncomfortable, as if she'd rather be literally anywhere than here.
>You actually feel bad about her seeing this.  But.. right now, it's unavoidable, and maybe in the long run, it's for the best.  We'll try to make it up to you, buddy.  Even twi, jackass though she is.
...
>Don't start brainon.  Seriously.  Don't. Goddamn. Start.
>Shutting_Up.jpg.
>Good.  Moving on.
I don't know exactly WHAT happened to make you this way,  Maybe nothing did, because god and greyhound knows that in MY world, my entire assholic race didn't even NEED an excuse to fucking see the Other as some sort of incomprehensible alien being, and we were fuckin' PROUD of it.  Hell, I'm fuckin' guilty of it too, I practically used 'faggot" and 'nigger' as terms of fucking endearment.  I'm a professional-grade asshole. But for fuck's sake, I've SEEN your world, and most of you are BETTER than that.  And then there's you.
>her ears are at half mast and drooping..  her eyes are wide, and she's shaking slightly.

>>27834279

>Her eyes are wide-open, staring. She's shaking.  You wonder if she's going to storm from the room.
>That's the feel of a paradigm shifting without a clutch, Twi. Embrace that feeling, because it's going to get more intense.
>You recognize that look, you understand that feel.  You've seen that look of apoplectic rage staring back in the mirror every morning, you saw it before going to work, and coming back from work, after every date, after chatting online or going out with friends.
>You still see it, here six years after arriving here, for no readily apparent reason, because it's apparently burned into your empty fucking skull with a branding iron.
And you're the princess of Friendship and Harmony--the strongest magic that exists in creation, you were given the task to study it and how it relates to the world you live in. A scholar. And you've committed the single worst sin a scholar can create.
>She stares, her mouth moving.  Nothing comes out.  Way to roll your diplomacy check, ace.
You left your objectivity at the door.  Your bigotry has BLINDED you, Twi.
>You gesture at your body, mostly wrapped in bandages, your right arm mummified in its dressings, numerous IVs in both arms and even stranger, arcane devices attached to you at seemingly random points.  We'll ignore the urinary catheter for now, since there's no reason to even bring it up.  Really.
>And yet, you're doing it.
>Again, shut up, Brainon.  I'm fucking this mule, not you.
You see this?  Did the doctor tell you yet?  I was dead with a capital D when they brought me in here.  I was pinin' for the fjords, shuffled off this mortal coil, gone to join the bleedin' choir eternal.  I was dead, twi. I was a corpse with every bone busted and shit in my pants, and I died to protect my friend, who YOU thought was a piece of shit...and now, I'm alive, and I'm only alive now BECAUSE of my friend.  No clue how, no ideas, no theories.  Just the fact that we saved each other.

>"Thieves...she...they.." Twi murmurs the word as if it's a magical talisman.
That's exactly right, Twi. They're thieves. They steal things that belong to other ponies. They're ponies, yet they eat meat, and they kill other animals for it. They do weird-ass things that only start to make sense if you happen to start digging deep. And you refused to see it or look closer, and that's ALWAYS been your problem, and you've lost so many opportunities to learn about the world you live in because of it.
>You press harder.
And even if she IS a thief...do you honestly think she deserves to die for taking some snooty LoPPer booster's purse? What the fuck, have you ponies ever heard of "proportionality?" We're goddamn murder-apes and we understood it back when we were still shitting in holes in the ground
>And with that, you realize your energy is beyond depleted. You have literally nothing whatsoever left. You sag back into the hospital bed. Suddenly, all you want to do is close your eyes and sleep.
I'm alive, Twi, because friendship with somepony you despise saved me. I'm your friend. Maybe mine is worth enough to save you, too. And I think we're done here.
Thank you for coming to see me. Both of you.
>And, quite against will, your eyes slam shut, but you go down fighting the entire way.

>Be Twilight Sparkle, walking out of Clydesdale Memorial Hospital with your mostly silent friend of many years now, Rainbow Dash.
>You're...not angry. It's LIKE anger, but distinct from it. You have no idea what this feeling is, only that it's awful and you want it to go away.
>You feel as if you've been punched in the stomach. You spend a few minutes trying to catalog the feeling, maybe find something else to compare it with. It's a distraction.
>And you're so tired and empty. You embrace that feeling. It's a distraction.
>Running on autopilot, you ask one of the doctors in charge of the Ambass--Anon, if he can see to it that copies of the medical reports can be sent to your home in Ponyville, for study after Anon and his doctor sign off on it. Your status as a princess opens some doors, you suppose. You can probably get them regardless.
>Another distraction.
You and rainbow are walking down the steps, when she says the first thing that she's said since you left Anon's room. "I love you, twi. You know that, right?"
>you stare at her. Where was this coming from?
>She embraces you, her warm wings around you. It feels like heaven, like homecoming.
>"We all do. We always have. And Anon is right." Her wing tip caresses your cheek, and her voice is so soft and so sad. "We've all seen it. We all love you so much anyway, but..we all saw it years ago."
>And with that, she turns and walks toward the train station. "I'll see you back in Ponyville, Twi," she says behind her.
>You stand there for a long time.

>>27834984

>Be Amber Eyes.
>And right now, you hurt.  They're giving you drugs that knock back the pain and relax you, and they're helping, honestly, but they can't touch what's really wrong.
>Your family left you a little while ago.  The Flock would have delay migration for a while to let you heal properly, but they'd all manage--after all, they'd done it before.
>She'd also said that the Flock Elders were beginning work on a new Memory Tapestry, the first in more than two hundred years, and that you and Anonymous were going to be figuring prominently.
>You'd hugged your sister and your mother and told them exactly how much you loved them, but the doctors and nurses had wanted them to go, and as much as you'd wanted them to stay, you were so tired.  You wanted to sleep so badly.
>But lying there, you couldn't get comfortable.  Sleep wouldn't come.
>The bed, no matter how you shifted, simply wasn't right.  It didn't feel right, and it took you a while to figure out what, exactly, was wrong with it.
>Carefully, minding your multiple mending bones and hurts, you gingerly slip the edge of the bed.  Carefully towing your IV harness with you, you make your way to the door and into the hallway outside.
>You don't need a map for this. The faint warmth in your heart is telling you exactly where you need to go.
>In a few minutes, you're on the other side of the hospital.  Perhaps Lord Noontide was handing a bit of extra luck your way, because you don't run into anypony on the way.
>He was always a hopeless romantic.
>You nudge open the door and steal softly into the room, where you hear the sound of the medical monitors and oxygen line, and soft snores.
>You limp to the bed, and carefully climb up the left side, trying to make as little noise as you can, so as not to disturb the occupant, and then you carefully stretch out full-length next to him, as much of your body in contact with his as possible.

>>27835236
>You look at his face.  The troubled, tense look it was wearing is easing, and you feel answering warmth from him, calling to your own.
>You nuzzle gently at his neck, and without waking, he gently puts his good arm around you, pulling you against him.  Your wing, still aching and fragile, slips over him.
>And NOW you're comfortable.
>"I love you, " you whisper softly, just before you fall asleep.
>the last thing you feel before slumber overtakes you is his arm pulling you in a little more snug, and the warmth of his heart answering your own.