Chapter 18

>That night, you browse many threads and boards, a multitude of tabs opened in multiple windows
>No real enjoyment to be found in it, but you're here to stay
>You don't remember getting out of your chair
>You don't remember falling asleep
>But you do, eventually, wake up on top of your keyboard
>It's still as dark in your room as it was in the middle of the night, but checking the time on your PC, you see that it's already far past noon
>You can feel your heartbeat in your eyes, your head aching heavily
>With every beat of your heart, you feel as though you're coming close to wretching
>Fuck...
>It's been a while since you've felt like this
>Your hand fumbles around in the dark behind your monitor for the generic painkillers that've gotten you through tough internet headaches in the past
>Still got some...
>There's a loud buzz, and you jump
>Still not used to that
>You pick up your phone
>Rainbow Dash sent you a text
>"[dud?]"
>Looks like you have a couple more..
>"[u cmn or not?]"
>"[yo, prty at pinkies. evrybdys gna b thr. cmn?]"
>You really don't have the will to do something like that, and...
>What would you do, honestly?
>Stand around in the corner for the third time?
>It's a lot easier to just stay inside...
>You stretch in your seat, your back making loud crackling sounds
>It gives you some relief
>Apparently the last thing you were doing was shitposting on /co/ about capeshit
>Your stomach gurgles harshly
"Ugh..."
>That can be put off for a little while
>In the midday, in the dark of your room, you go back to browsing and shitposting and even get a few silent chuckles off to yourself
>Spike waddles over to your feet and takes a seat, his warm body resting against your shins
>A little while later, there's a knock on your door
>Wait
>You check the time
>Wow, time flies when you're not really having that much fun, or anything at all
>"Twilight?"
"Dad?"
>"Oh, thank goodness. I didn't see you come home last night... Anyways, one of your friends called the house. They want to talk to you."
>You groan
>Who the hell would call for you?
>Probably fucking Rainbow Dash
"I'm busy..."
>You can hear your Dad sigh on the other side of the door
>"Twilight, please talk to your friend."
>You're really not in the fucking mood for this, and you hate phone calls, but you know your phone's going to be going off until you talk
>For a normie, Rainbow is autistically obnoxious
>You stand up from your seat, and immediately grip for you chair as you become dizzy
>Man, you feel like shit... Though, this is the way you remember feeling the bulk of the time
>Really not that bad, whatever
>You head over and open your door, and shield your eyes from the house's lighting
>"Here you go. Twilight, did you just wake up or something?"
"Bluh."
>You grunt and wave your hand at your Dad as you take the phone from him
>Putting the phone to your ear, you reenter your room and close the door, squinting, letting your eyes adjust back to the dark
>The loud, thrumming music on the other end is bringing your fucking headache back
>"DUDE, DID YOU GET MY TEXTS?"
"Yeah."
>"SO ARE YOU COMING?"
>Rainbow is yelling loud enough to cut through the music, only making the pain in your head worse
>"EGGHEAD?"
"No."
>You can hear her whine through the speaker
>"BUT DUDE, EVERYONE'S HERE! THEY'RE ALL LOOKIN' FOR YOU, MAN."
"Yeah? Where's Sunny?"
>"WELL, ALMOST EVERYONE. I DON'T KNOW. DOES SHE COUNT AS PART OF EVERYONE? WHATEVER, DUDE, JUST COME. PARTY'S SO SIC—"
>You end the call
>There's no fucking time for this shit
>Lobbing the phone onto the bed, you head back to your chair
>Totally missing out, because all your 'friends' want to party within your vicinity
>Because that's so meaningful or fun
>And Sunny...
>Fuck, what's it even matter?
>People come and go
>Why even give a shit?
>A bloo bloo, woe is me :^)
>Just go shitpost
>You'd managed to mostly forget about it for the next few hours, but your stomach is killing you now
>This is probably why you're so thin...
>Not starving yourself on purpose
>Maybe if you didn't hole yourself up so much earlier in your life, you would've 'developed' a little more
>Can't turn back time though
>Whatever
>Suppose you'll just saunter downstairs, grab some shit, and go back to doing nothing...
>It's already late again, a day well spent, so your dad must be sleeping already
>You go downstairs and grab a box of pop-tarts and a bottle of soda
>The lifestyle of subsistence!
>Like a monk up in their monastery
>At times, you'd almost romanticized the fact that you spent all day in the dark, alone, eating garbage
>Superior wizard lifestyle
>Can't be a wizard anymore, though
>Never could be...
>Being a virgin forever doesn't actually do you any good
>You wonder why you even cared so much about reaching thirty without, basically, even touching another human being
>Especially when that was something you'd wanted
>Something you, apparently, almost could have had
>Maybe...
>Instead, everything's fucked, no silver lining
>Fuck, you don't know what's going on at all
>And fuck, this is what happens when you're not shitposting
>Shitposting lets you take your mind off this shit...
>You head back to your room and take your seat
>It's late as fuck, and you have school tomorrow
>You munch on your overly processed pseudo-tart foodstuff, and drink your 'all natural' artificial carbonated beverage
>What harm's a missed day or two going to do?
>You could miss the rest of the fucking semester and still ace every final
>Fucking normies have ruined education for everyone...
>Another night gone, awake until just after the sun starts to rise
>Dad will probably try to wake you up in an hour or so, but you can just ignore him
>You stagger over to your bed and fall onto it, your heavy eyelids finally coming to rest
>As you expected, your dad tries to wake you up, but at that point you're already in a deep sleep cycle
>Basically impossible to wake you up from that
>When you do wake, it's even later than when you'd gotten up the last time
>Man, this is like a sleep-cycle fuck-up record for you
>God, stomach's fucking killing you, and your head is throbbing like shit
>You got the shitty snacks and meds for that, though
>Livin' the Oblomovian lifestyle, Twilight
>Starting to remember why you didn't shower and all that shit
>Such a fucking chore, that's why
>You can survive with minimal effort
>Adding artificial hassles for no good reason was always dumb
>Though, you won't be going full 'pretty princess points' bottle shit
>Too spaghetti if you get found out again
>Rolling off the bed and onto your feet, you find yourself in front of your computer once again
>Snacking, drinking, shitposting
>Those are, like, three things you're actually good at
>You spend the day here on 4chan, mostly indifferent or sort-of angry, once again
>At one point, your Dad tried to talk to you, but whatever
>Drowning him out with music has worked in the past, and it works now
>Another day passes
>And another
>The constant dark of your room, punctuated only by the ambient light of your monitor, leaves you in a constant state of semi-lucidity
>Time blurs together
>It's moving fast, slow, not at all, fuck, it doesn't really matter
>Can't tell the difference, and it doesn't affect your life at all
>Every now and then, your phone buzzes, though you're starting to jump less when it happens
>When you check, it's typically been either Rainbow or Trixie being all worried about you or something
>Friends are so fucking high-maintenance
>Late in the ni—
>No, it's actually morning
>Early in the morning, you get another text
>You sigh
>Huh...
>It's not someone from your contacts
>"[Hey there, champ. Been a while since you've visited. Haven't forgotten about me, have you?]"
>Who the hell could...
>Oh fuck
>Stress begins to lurch through your body, almost as if it could wrap itself around your chest, constricting you
>Discord?
>Fuck, you...
>Seeing another person die, running some fucking errand
>You just want to get away from all this shit, all of HIS shit
>That's not a possibility, though
>You don't have any power here
>Better reply to him
"[Do you have another job for me?]"
>"[Work, work... Is that all I'm good for? You can visit for fun, you know.]"
>You frown
>So he just... Wants to hang out?
>It's never that simple...
"[So you want me to meet you, then?]"
>"[Just a suggestion. I have something FUN planned for the three of us.]"
>Three of—
>Ugh
>Well, this is one of those suggestions that are more of a demand
>Not going could end badly
"[When?]"
>"[As soon as possible :) ]"
>You put your phone down and lean back in your chair, rubbing at your face
>Can't keep doing this shit
>Need to find a way to get away from Discord, but that just doesn't seem possible right now
>For now, just focus on the task ahead
>Which could be fucking anything once you get to that stupid pizza arcade
>You sniff yourself
>Haven't showered in fucking days, or even changed your clothes
>As soon as possible...
>There's no time to do anything but leave
>You grab a snack to eat on the way and head downstairs
>"Twilight?"
"Dad, not now."
>You continue to walk past your father, who is sitting down at the table drinking his morning coffee
>"Twilight, why are you brushing me off again? Staying in your room all day?"
>You stop and sigh
"I'm going out now, arent' I?"
>"But—"
"I'm sorry, something happened, and... Look, I'm just dealing with stuff. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
>You leave without listening to his reply
>Getting sucked into a conversation when Discord is waiting for you wouldn't be a good thing
>Sometimes you really wish you could drive...
>As you walk, you can't help but begin to think about everything that's happened
>Some of the good stuff
>The slumber party; the way it felt to fit in somewhere, if only just a little
>Trixie and Sunset and Rainbow and Treehugger, your Dad, the people who've been good to you
>Some of those people more pleb than others (looking at you, Screamo Dash)
>But it just seems outweighed and petty in comparison to all the negatives
>Still a fucking nothing of a loser who belongs online more than they do in reality
>Sunny... Just thinking about what she's doing, what could happen to her, hurts
>How every slight mistake you make just brings back memories from middle school, which bring back memories from elementary
>The things you've seen, the fact you can't do anything but watch all this happen around you
>A plaything for a bored psychopath is what you are
>You're a fucking doll...
>This is why you hate walking
>Or anything other than shitposting
>You can stop thinking about all this shit when you're shitposting
>Continuing to ruminate, you make your way to Discord's Pizza N Play
>You make your way inside, that telltale smell of bad pizza hanging in the air, and make your way to the door in the back
>Fuck, you don't know the fucking knock password thing for this
"[How do I get in?]"
>You wait, getting no reply
>Well, what the fuck are you supp—
>The door creaks open, Fluttershy poking her head out, clearly not happy to see you
>She pushes it open for you and waves you in
>What the fuck is she wearing?
>Extremely short shorts
>Flame pattern bra
>Scarf
>Leggings
>Skull hairpin
>Wait, why is she fucking Yoko
"Is that... Cosplay?"
>Fluttershy scowls at you
>"We're going to some anime convention."
"W-What?"
>Fluttershy snaps at your confusion, stomping on the ground with a snarl
>"Just shut up and follow me, okay?"
"Fine, fine..."
>Why would...
>Discord hates retards, right?
>You know, the kind of people who fucking go to anime conventions
>How could he stand to be around a bunch of smelly pleb autist sperlorgs poorly dressed as their favorite fictional characters?
>Maybe, at one point in your life, you thought it would be cool, but you never actually DID IT
>You follow Fluttershy, who, despite being a total psycho and cunt, definitely works really well as Yoko...
>She pushes open the door to Discord's room and...
>"There's my Simon!"
>Discord's standing in front of a fan, cape billowing, classic Kamina glasses on his face, in a high-end cosplay get up, holding a katana...
>Wait...
"What do you mean 'there's my Simon'?"
>Discord chuckles
>"I found something useful for your boyish body, Twilight. I have your outfit all ready to go. Then we can head out to Canter Con!"
>You grimace
"Discord, that place is a cesspool of degeneracy and autism."
>The words just come out of your mouth, and you immediately regret it
>Instead of becoming angry, he just chuckles more
>"Oh, I know! That's why we're going! And don't call me Discord. You should be saying 'Aniki' when referring to me. Now go get your outfit on."
>Discord nods his head towards his couch, and you see clothes hanging over it
>Man, this shit is so fucked up
>It's Discord, so that's how it always is, but you have to fucking be early Simon the Driller?
>Not wanting to keep Discord—'Aniki'—waiting, you head over to the clothes
>There's even a core drill necklace, and it is very, very nice
>Well... If you're going to head into a den of autists, at least you're going to look spiffy
>Even if you're fucking cosplaying a dude...
"Uh, where do I put this on?"
>"There's a bathroom over there."
>You take the pile of clothes and head into the bathroom
>Very well kept and pristine, surprisingly
>Or not
>Not sure what's surprising to you anymore with this guy
>Well, here it goes...
>These goggles seem really nice
>Core drill necklace is great
>Shorts, bandages, shoes, shirt
>It's missing the part of Kamina's cape that Simon wraps around his—
>Oh, never mind, guess you're the canonically shittiest version of Simon, basically
>At least Discord has attention to detail with his cosplay, you suppose, even though that's pretty fucking autistic
>You look in the mirror and realize you don't have an undershirt
>And of course you don't have a bra because you don't have need for them
>Can't be walking around like that...
>You're flat as fuck, but you're still a girl, even if you're cosplaying a dude
>Walking around a pit of horny autists with your chest essentially exposed?
>Not sure even Discord could—
>Your hands in the pockets of the shirt, you find some body tape
>Guess Discord thinks ahead...
>You fasten the shirt to your chest
>This really isn't good enough, but Discord's probably autistic enough to care about what is and isn't 'character accurate' or some shit
>Looking yourself over in the mirror again, you hope you don't pull off the reverse trap thing very well
>At the very least, you're going to be in a public place, so this really just... Be a day out in a terrible place filled with terrible people
>You exit
>"Team Gurren's all here!"
>You fidget with your costume
"I... This still doesn't seem like something you'd do, Dis—"
>He shakes his head
>Ugh...
"Aniki..."
>Hopefully you don't see anyone you know there
>"If you must know, I'm delivering a keynote at the convention. It'll be fun, but I don't expect you to attend."
>Jesus fucking Christ
>You spot Fluttershy off to the side toting a large sniper rifle
>Not a real one, you hope
"Well... When are we leaving?"
>"Now!" Discord says with fervor
>Fuck
>Canter Con, here you come...
>Discord drives you and Fluttershy out to the convention center
>In a car with a fucking Team Dai Gurren paintjob
>It's a cringe thing to think, but you hope he's just so flippant with cash he just had the thing bought and done over within the last week
>Otherwise, he's had a car sporting anime all over it for more than a fucking week, which is just...
>The closer you get the convention, the less okay you get
>Sweating, shivering, fucking nerves... They're autists, but a large group of any kind of people fucks with you, especially when you're in fucking Simon the Driller cosplay
>"Something wrong, Simon?"
>Jesus Christ
"I'm just nervous."
>"Don't be."
>He grins and chuckles
>"I believe in you!"
>Fuck
>You're going to get the whole fucking spiel at some point, aren't you?
>Fluttershy grunts
>"Don't be such a fucking pussy, Twilight. Are you seriously nervous over this?"
"A-Aren't you supposed to be the shy one, anyways! It's in your name for fuck's sake!"
>Discord holds his hand up between the two of you
>"Please, girls... It's fine. Fluttershy shouldn't be nervous. That wouldn't be in character! And Twilight, you should be nervous. And then I'll be there to give you the obligatory pep talk and boost your spirits ever twenty or so minutes."
>You and Fluttershy both shrug
>This is going to be fucking horrible
>For the rest of the ride, you fidget with the core drill around your neck as Discord blasts music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNQvLECht08
>Eventually, you pull into a packed lot
>Wouldn't think there'd be anywhere to park, but apparently Discord had that taken care of
>Looking out your window, there's autists as far as the eye can see
>This is what you get for living in the fucking capital city with shit tons of people in it, while shit tons of people from all over also come for this shit
>Canter Con is the single largest degenerate sperg gathering you can think of
>Fuck this is going to be awful
>Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck
>"Well, let's roll!"
>You timidly follow after Discord and Fluttershy
>They're both strutting around, their weapons over their shoulders, while you waddle around holding onto your necklace
>People all over
>The smell of autism is already hitting you dead in the face as you make your way into the grand hall
>Spergs are fucking EVERYWHERE, bustling all around, most in shitty cosplay
>Some are running around spouting the lines from whatever franchise they're from
>Costumes made from fucking cardboard, worn by living pustules of cringe
>And every single one of those morbidly obese girls dressed up as hot characters makes your fucking blood boil
>As your group walks by, people sometimes stop and stare, and some even take pictures
>Your cosplay IS miles above everything else here, but... Still cringe as fuck
>You're shaking like shit, there's just way too many people
>Some fat guy in... Ugh... In a fucking Satsuki Kiryuin cosplay runs up to Discord
>"DUDE! That's an amazing cosplay!"
>Discord tugs on the collar of his cape
>"Thank you, I made it my—"
>"I haven't seen a Mikisugi cosplay that cool before!"
>You see Discord's fist clench his katana handle tighter
>Fucking spergs who don't know anything outside of their fucking favorite anime
>Especially the fucking cross dressers
>You might be a fucking smelly cross dresser right now, but still, you don't mistake characters from one series for ones from another!
>Discord clears his throat
>"Just who the hell do you think I am?"
>"Like I said, man, that's a cool Mikisugi outfit!"
>Discord's face falls flat, his knuckles whitening from the tension of squeezing his blade
>"Well, thank you. But I must be going."
>"Can I have a picture with—"
>Discord pushes past the sweaty, neckbearded Satsuki
>You rush up to his side
"Dis—"
>"Tut tut."
>Fine
"Aniki, why would you come here if you hate these people as much as I do?"
>"There is still some fun to be had here. Fluttershy come and play a game every year, and now you're going to join in on the fun!"
>You frown
"And what game would that be?"
>"Well, we go people watching, and at the end of the day, we report back on who disgusted us the most. It's a bit of a hunt."
>You laugh
>That sounds easy
>And really, not fun at all
>Being surrounded by these... Things... Just to find out which one is the WORST?
>That's fucking torture
>Fluttershy just stands by in a classic Yoko pose, rifle running across her back
>You didn't take her for much of an anime person, or any sort of nerd shit person
>Maybe Discord forces his autism on her like Trixie has to you in the past
>You turn slowly in a circle, letting your eyes soak up the horror that is Canter Con
>Mobile blobules everywhere in terrible cosplay so disgusting you're almost as mad as you are nervous
>And this is just the entrance area!
>There's room upon room in this fucking place, there's fucking panels, hell, Discord apparently has a fucking panel for some god damned reason
>People will have their own little sections to congregate in in terrible groups, both from clubs in the city and groups from out of the city
>Finding Sperg Prime is going to be a difficult task, and one you don't want to undertake
>Finally, you finish your circle, once again facing Discord as he strikes a distinctive crossed-arm Kamina pose
>"Well?"
"I mean, I guess I can do that..."
>He pats you on the shoulder and laughs
>"Okay! Let's split up, then, and see who gets the worst catch at day's end!"
"Woo..."
>Discord hops in the air and begins to rush off like a fucking autist
>A fucking autist, man
>Fluttershy slowly walks past you
>"Good hunting, Twilight..."
>Why does that sound ominous?
>Fluttershy disappears into the crowd, many she passes by gawking luridly at her
>Well, fuck
>You're now alone in a sea of people
>If you're shit at parties, then what now?!
>Just be cool, Twilight
>Time to hunt