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- Requested by Cool Guy; What if anon finds out that he is age regressing?
- >It’s a long wait while Twilight looks over her printouts.
- >The machines near you hum with excitement, as brilliant arcs of electricity zipping between the clear bulbs.
- >You’ve been waiting for more than half an hour since the purple unicorn finished her examination, and you’re beginning to get worried.
- >Finally, you call out to her.
- “Twilight? What’s wrong with me?”
- >She sighs.
- >The sound is heavy and low, laden with the weight of a poor prognosis.
- >Squirming in your seat, you grip the sides as best you can and wait.
- >“Anonymous…”
- >You lean forward, eyes wide.
- >“I don’t know.”
- “H-how can you not know? Twilight, this is serious!”
- >Flinging your arms up in the air, you wave them for emphasis.
- >The sleeves extend well over you hands by this point, the five fingers creating a strange geometric design in the fabric.
- “I’ve gotten smaller since you started the check-up, I need answers on how to stop this.”
- >Another sigh.
- >That’s getting really old, really fast.
- >“I know you do, but you’re just so different from ever other species here.”
- “Ugh!”
- >As you squeal in frustration, your voice cracks.
- >Great.
- >Twilight gives you an apologetic smile as she walks up to you.
- >“I think I’m on the right track though. It seems that your body is reacting to the latent magic residing in the air, and it’s having an adverse effect on you.”
- “And, how is this a good thing?”
- >“Well, you landed here in Ponyville, a town founded by earth ponies. It doesn’t have the same density of magic like Canterlot does, so the effect has been mostly minor up until now.”
- >Hopping off your chair, you scowl down at her.
- >She is significantly closer to your height than you remember.
- “But it’s not a little thing any more, it’s accelerating. I’m getting smaller by the day, even hour to hour! If this doesn’t stop soon, I’m just going to poof!”
- >Twilight averts her eyes and shakes her head.
- >“I, I won’t let that happen, Anonymous. You’re my friend…”
- “Then find a way to put a stop to this. Otherwise”
- >“Poof, I get it.”
- “Good.”
- >Your pants are sagging now.
- >With a heavy sigh you move towards the stairs, sparing a glance back at your friend.
- “You’re my only hope, Twi, I’m counting on you.”
- >She doesn’t say a word as she turns back to her work.
- >Taking some comfort in the fact that she’s finally acknowledging your concerns, you make your way home through the dimly lit streets of Ponyville.
- >You go through your nightly routine and wiggle yourself under the sheets.
- >As always, sleep is a long time coming, and fitful at best.
- >Several times you wake from nightmares you can barely remember.
- >A heartbeat.
- >A burning heat.
- >And an unearthly wail.
- >Somehow, exhaustion overtakes you time and time again, but the process only serves to repeat itself.
- >The morning finds you trapped beneath your sheets, the copious amounts of sweat collecting throughout the night, making the fabric cling to your body like a second skin.
- >You peel it off and leap off the bed.
- >It doesn’t take any longer to reach the floor than it did yesterday.
- >Thank goodness for small favors.
- >Maybe things are slowing back down again, granting you a little more time.
- >With a light heart, you take a step forward.
- >It’s the second step where trouble begins.
- >Your toes clack against your heel, nails scraping away at the tender flesh.
- >It hurts, but not enough to distract you from the larger problem.
- >As you put your foot down, your legs begin to wobble and shake.
- >Knees begin to buckle under an unfamiliar weight as the trembling worsens.
- >With a cry, you collapse onto the ground, cracking your head against the floor.
- >Now everything hurts, from your head to your toes.
- >And your bones.
- >Not broken feeling, but they ache in sharp bursts.
- >You haven’t felt this deep kind of pain since
- “No…”
- >Pain momentarily forgotten, you scramble on all fours over to your mirror.
- >You try to stand, but your legs won’t cooperate.
- >With a hand on either side of the dresser, you steady your quivering legs and half lift, half pull yourself to your feet.
- >The mirror reveals the impossible.
- “No.”
- >Pores, clogged with filth and bile loom out across your cheeks, casting monolithic shadows across the unblemished portions of your face.
- “No!”
- >Above your upper lip reside the beginnings of a half-hearted mustache.
- >Less impressive than the fuzz off a peach, it is several shades lighter than your own hair.
- >You look ridiculous.
- “AGH!”
- >Your legs find the strength to stand on their own as you clutch the mirror between your hands.
- >What you see only serves to fan your fury.
- >Long, gangly, awkward limbs quiver under the weight of the mirror.
- >Try as you might to toss it, it’s all you can do to keep holding it in place.
- >With another scream, you drop the mirror, shattering it into a dozen decent sized chunks.
- >Your body quivers again as you collapse onto your backside, pulling your too long knees up to your chest and shake in frustration.
- >Despite what your body says, you remember this, you’ve been here before.
- >You’re not getting smaller.
- >You’re getting younger.
- “Twilight has to hear about this. She’ll know what to do.”
- >Your younger body takes some getting used to, especially in regards to movement.
- >You don’t walk so much as continually fall forward and catch yourself with your feet.
- >It’s a very difficult method of transportation, but you manage well enough.
- >The other problem is clothes.
- >You’ve lost around a foot of height since this process began, and most of your muscles have atrophied to a near pre-pubescent state.
- >Your shirts hang down around your thighs and your pants come up to your chest.
- “This is awful.”
- >With a length of rope, you tie off your pants and let your shirt hang out.
- >It’s incredibly uncomfortable, but it will have to do until you arrive at Twilight’s.
- >Fallwalking through town, you stumble into the town square.
- >You’re not an unfamiliar sight around town at this point, though you are attracting a fair amount of attention as ponies whisper.
- >It isn’t hard to figure out that your change in altitude is the main point of discussion.
- >“Hey sugar cube!”
- “AppleJACK!”
- >The entire square stops as your voice cracks with all the subtly of a bull whip.
- >Ponies gawk and you can feel your face begin to flush with embarrassment.
- >You turn to flee, only to stumble again over your own feet.\
- >The pair of too large shoes fly off, each headed in opposite directions while you choke on dirt.
- >Somewhere, a ripple of laughter forms.
- >It spreads like wildfire, gobbling up the easily amused foals, then the fillies and colts, and finally the full grown ponies as well.
- >You’d like to brush it off as nothing, join in the laughter.
- >But inside, you’re raging with so much hate and frustration, at your situation and at them.
- >You rub an enormous sleeve against your eyes to stave off the oncoming onslaught of tears, when a firm pair of hooves lifts you back on your feet.
- >“C’mon, let’s sit a spell.”
- >Applejack gives you a warm smile and cocks her head to the side.
- >Away from the crowd.
- >You give an appreciative nod, rubbing at your face and eyes again as you place a hand on the mare’s back for an additional point of contact.
- >“Ah’ll be back in two shakes, Applebloom, think you can handle it til then?”
- >“Ah sure can, sis!”
- >“Atta girl.”
- >With a steadying hand on the earth pony, walking is far easier, she even takes the time to let you get your shoes.
- >The orange pony does give a few grunts of protest as you bend down to pick them up but she doesn’t complain.
- >Soon you find yourself seated on a bench, away from prying eyes.
- >Speaking of eyes, she’s fixed you with hers, green as the inside of a fresh tree limb and wide as the sky.
- >“You’re lookin a little out of sorts today.”
- >With a friendly chuckle, she taps your cheek.
- >“Specially up here. Mind tellin me what’s goin on?”
- >The sound of her laugh brings fresh color to your face, though the sensation is different this time.
- >Your heart is still pounding a mile a minute in your chest and your palms are slick with sweat.
- >But now you think you’d like to stay here forever.
- >The slight rustling sound of her hair against her coat snaps you back to attention, stammering as you go.
- “It, it’s something wrong with me.”
- >“Ah can see that. It contagious?”
- “I don’t think so. I’d have to ask Twilight.”
- >Oh jeez, what if you are contagious?
- >Applejack could be stewing in this reverse agification bug at this very moment.
- >You scramble to your feet, only to stumble back to the ground, your shoes rolling out of your grip.
- >“Woah there, partner!”
- >Applejack gives a small giggle and positions herself in front of you again.
- >“Near as Ah can tell, you need to go see Twilight, and Ah’m just the pony to get you there.”
- “But, I might get you sick.”
- >“Shucks, that ain’t a problem. If it helps you out then Ah’m happy to. Besides”
- >Stomping her hoof once, Applejack lifts her head high and flashes you her best grin.
- “Ah’m a lot tougher than Ah look. It’d take more than a bug ta bring me down.”
- >Every corner of your brain is telling you that this is a bad idea, that this isn’t just some simple bug, it’s magic and you have no idea if ponies can catch it from you.
- >But the wild pounding of your heart drowns out the voice of reason.
- >Your tongue swells up in your mouth, preventing you from talking, so you just give her a small nod.
- >Taking a moment to collect your shoes, you and Applejack make your way towards the library.
- >The thrum of magic is evident a good fifty paces from the tree-turned library.
- >Leaves quiver, glowing with a faint purple power as Spike sweeps up the walkway.
- >Glancing up, he smiles as he see you and Applejack approaching, waving in excitement.
- >“Oh good, you’re here!”
- >With a chuckle, the baby dragon hustles over to the two of you.
- >His grin falters a little as he looks you over, cocking an eyebrow.
- >“Woah dude, you look like a hot mess. Twilight was right, this is serious.”
- “Yeah, great, can we go in and see her?”
- >“You could, but she’s been up all night doing research so she’s a little on edge.”
- “Well, I can’t not SEE”
- >Spike gives you an inquisitive look, wondering what the heck just popped out of your mouth.
- >With a nudge from Applejack, you find the will to carry on through the shame.
- “see, her. It’s gotten worse. A lot worse.”
- >The dragon gives you another look over and nods, stepping out of your way.
- >”Just be careful, Twilight can get a little, anxious when she’s stuck on something
- >A quick nod to Spike and the two of you move into the library.
- >You give a firm knock on the door, but receive no response.
- >After a minute or two, AJ shrugs and pushes down on the handle.
- >The door seems to squeal a little more than usual as it swings open, casting daylight into the darkened library.
- >The scampering of hooves on wood and carpet draw your attention towards the stairs, then back to the desk.
- >“Hey, Twi?”
- >Applejack’s voice takes on a measure of concern as she steps into the library.
- >“Where you at, sugar cube? I can spit further than I can see in here.”
- >Another rustling of hooffalls and the orange mare sighs.
- >“Daggumit Twilight! Anonymous needs your help.”
- >“Anonymous? He’s here?”
- >Her voice comes from everywhere at once.
- >It’s strained, frantic even, further accentuated by the slamming and crashing that begins.
- >“This place is a mess, I can’t let him see me like this”
- “Twilight?”
- >The banging continues without pause.
- >You take a breath and say with a firmer tone.
- “Twilight.”
- >Still nothing.
- >You can barely hear her mumbles over the rustle of papers, and the books being flung about onto shelves.
- “TWILIGHT!”
- >Everything stops at once.
- >Beside you, Applejack chuckles and shakes her head.
- >“Looks like you got her attention, sugar cube.”
- >Twilight sighs, and from across the room, there is an audible click as the lights hum to life.
- >The purple unicorn is a mess, her mane frazzled and eyes wide and wild.
- >With a silly grin, she trots up to you and then circles around, letting her gaze trail over you from top to bottom.
- >The whole while, she makes little grunts of ‘ah ha’, ‘hmm’ and ‘interesting’.
- >At last, Twilight sits down across from you and gives a wide smile, cocking her head to the side.
- >“It’s exactly as I thought. You’re not getting smaller, Anon, you’re sliding backwards through time.”
- >“Dagum, you sure were a mess back in the day, weren’t you?”
- >Applejack’s casual comment bites deep, deeper than it should.
- >You can literally feel your hormones ramp up the rage as you fester and broil under her gaze.
- >Putting aside your hate, you turn back to Twilight and shake your head.
- “No way, this isn’t me. I mean, it’s similar, but I looked different when I went through puberty.”
- >Putting a hoof to her chin, Twilight mumbles a few things to herself before looking you over again.
- >“If that’s true, it might be due to the magic. Ponies don’t enjoy a diet rich in meats, so perhaps it’s working off of what you’ve been eating since you arrived in Equestria.”
- >You want to argue that magic can’t change the past, much less who you were a handful of years ago, but you’ve seen unicorns do some crazy things over your time here.
- >Not to mention all manner of impossible creatures.
- “All right, so since you know what’s wrong, we can stop it, right? Even if I’m not shrinking, I’m still moving towards that zero point where I just ‘poof’. So what’s the answer?”
- >With a shamed scowl, Twilight averts her eyes.
- “No.”
- >Heaving a heavy sigh, the purple unicorn turns again and, gritting her teeth, gives you a shrug.
- >“I really don’t know, Anonymous. This is time magic, magic no pony is supposed to have access to. I’ve contacted Princess Celestia, and her scholars are scouring the libraries, but”
- >Her voice trails off as she looks down at her hooves.
- >“The less time you spend around places with high magic concentration, the better, at least until we find a cure.”
- >“So, places like the library?”
- >Twilight sighs and gives the apple-bucking pony a smile.
- >“Yes, spending time in the library would be bad.”
- >“So, shouldn’t we get Anonymous out of here, right now?”
- >Confusion spreads across the scholar’s face for a moment, before her eyes widen in fear.
- >“Oh! Oh yes! You shouldn’t even be in here! Go, go!”
- >Placing her head firmly against your chest, Twilight pushes you out the door, jabbing you several times with her horn in the process.
- >Your heels clip the raised woodwork beneath the door, sending you sprawling out on your hind parts.
- >“Sorry!”
- >Twilight squeaks, slamming the door as Applejack trots out beside you.
- >She gives you a small smile as she helps you to your feet.
- >“Sounds like you really stepped in it, Anon.”
- “Yeah, seems like it.”
- >Sighing, you look towards the square, noting the number of unicorns trotting around town.
- >Your life is a time bomb, and every one of them is another second ticked off each time you pass them.
- “I guess I’ll go home and hole up until Twilight figures out what to do.”
- >“Ah can’t let you do that, it ain’t right to be locked up all by yer lonesome. Yer gonna need friends to help you get through this. Of the non-magic variety.”
- >Giving you a wink, she tosses her head to the side and grins.
- >“Why don’t you stay down at the farm for a spell? We’re pretty far removed from town, and don’t have much to do with magic.”
- >That’s not a bad idea.
- >No unicorns, no magic, heck, your problem might even start to reverse itself.
- “That sounds like a plan I could get behind. Thanks AJ, you’re a real pal.”
- >“S-sure Anon, what’re friends for?”
- >With a small, uncertain laugh, the orange pony turns back towards the square and you fall-walk after her.
- End Part One
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