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- >You are Anon.
- >Yeah, weird name, but your parents were not the most normal people.
- >Their reasoning was that it'd "make you feel more relatable."
- >Whatever the fuck that means.
- >But your name is probably only the second most interesting thing about you.
- >The honor for the most extraordinary thing would have to go to your place of residence.
- >That place being Ponyville.
- >How you got here, you still have no idea.
- >But you're here, and it's been pretty great.
- >No pony has ever seen a creature quite like you.
- >You're tall, bipedal, and from another world without magic.
- >To small technicolor horses, that's probably the most crazy thing they've ever heard of.
- >You haven't had to pay for much of anything, they even built you a human sized house expecting nothing in return.
- >At most you've had to do a few odd favors and go on a few comical adventures.
- >Other than that, not a day of work.
- >It's pretty great, the ponies definitely put you on some kind of pedestal.
- >Everything from your food to clothes is provided for you.
- >And you thought they thwarted Glim Glam's socialist dreams.
- >Kidding aside though, you can't think of much that you don't like here.
- >Sure, you're missing a lot of the comforts from Earth and you had friends, but people would kill to be in your spot.
- >And you can't say you blame them.
- >It's a pretty average day.
- >The bright, technicolor world around you makes every morning feel warm and inviting.
- >That is, unless there's some villain of the week bullshit going on, then things can get bad outside.
- >But that happens less than you 'd think.
- >Ponyville as you know it is like if you took the show and stretched it out.
- >It's like life, everything's a filler episode.
- >You've witnessed first hand the gripping drama of Applebloom losing her bow and Rarity being out of silk.
- >More obsessed fans would probably eat that shit up, but you could care less.
- >You're more into the adventurous stuff.
- >Being a big, imposing monkey man, you tend to be a pony's first pick for getting help with more risky things.
- >"Hey Anon, there's some rogue Changeling's outside of town."
- >"Hey Anon, there's a very important book hidden in some swamp."
- >"Hey Anon, Discord got bored and turned half the town into foals, care to help?"
- >Stuff like that.
- >You know it's them using you, but it's fun.
- >That and it justifies you having everything handed to you for free.
- >Usually you have a few day's notification before being sent out to go do something.
- >Which means most likely it's going to be a do nothing day today.
- >Days like that tend to mean you sit around inside all day or wander into town when you get overly bored.
- >It's kind of disheartening when you know your day is going to be a filler day.
- >But that's just a part of living here.
- >Sighing to yourself, you look through the Earth stuff you have.
- >The items that were on your person followed you to Equestria, and luckily you had a backpack on at the time.
- >You've got a wallet, a long dead phone, a small lighter running low on fluid, a dead laptop, a paperback copy of "Dune", an old notebook you've used as a diary, the bag itself, and the remnants of the weed you were on your way to sell before you wound up here.
- >It's going to be a very sad day when your stash runs out entirely.
- >Thankfully you've managed to pace yourself decently.
- >Other than these things, everything else you own is from Equestria.
- >If you knew you'd be moving to a different world, you'd have packed some other stuff.
- >Like your memory foam pillow or some more books.
- >But you've managed to piece together new belongings.
- >Everything from a deck of cards you swiped from Trixie to some Equestrian literature.
- >A shame that they don't really have sci-fi.
- >It makes sense seeing as how this is a fantasy world at heart, but still disheartening.
- >Nothing can be perfect you suppose.
- >Although stuff like your phone and laptop have absolutely no value anymore, you still like holding onto it.
- >They serve as something of a keepsake.
- >Something to remind yourself of home.
- >Because as much as you enjoy living here, you don't want to lose touch with where you're from.
- >After all, you're still you.
- >Not wanting to just sit around all day, you decide to make your own adventure.
- >You toss some shit into your bag and sling it into your shoulder.
- >Heading out the door, you start walking down a random direction.
- >You're bound to find something interesting along the way, you don't leave town for stuff besides work so it's not like you've explored everything.
- >You could go camping out in the Everfree or something.
- >But that would require you to sleep outside.
- >And you have learned the hard way that mosquitoes are still a thing in happy horse land.
- >Never again.
- >Shuddering a bit to yourself, you notice something from the corner of your eye.
- >A cave.
- >It's a large looking cave, the entrance seems clean cut and artificial.
- >You've never in your life seen it before.
- >Odd considering that it's only a few yards away from your house.
- >Literally a stone's throw away.
- >Maybe somebody has started a mining operation nearby?
- >Although you haven't heard any work like that at all.
- >Regardless, it's definitely given you something to do.
- >Approaching the cave, you can't help but feel odd.
- >You can't put your finger on what it is, but something feels off about this place.
- >And that only serves to make you want to explore it more.
- >The cave's insides are relatively small.
- >It's a perfect circle, a sort of dome of rock.
- >In the far back you can see what looks like an altar of sorts.
- >The altar is around average pony height, carved in a dark black stone.
- >Your best guess is obsidian or something.
- >Upon closer inspection, there's an indentation in the altar filled by a small sphere.
- >The light filtering in from outside shines on everything in the room, but the sphere does not reflect that light.
- >It's like a black hole swallowing up everything.
- >And what do you do with strange, light swallowing artifacts?
- >Grab that shit.
- >Granted you aren't normally that impulsive.
- >Something is just pulling you towards the thing.
- >You reach out, placing your hand on it to pull it from the altar.
- >It's impossibly cold, sending shocks down your spine.
- >Recoiling, you notice your hand is stuck to the sphere.
- >Fear welling up in you, you desperately try to free yourself.
- >All the while you can hear faint, unintelligible whispers in your head.
- >Your vision begins to blur and darken, everything feels heavy.
- >Maybe this was a mistake.
- >Hindsight is an absolute bitch.
- >As you begin to slip out of consciousness, you hope that Twilight can help you when you wake up.
- >If you wake up that is.
- >You do thankfully wake up.
- >When you come to, you’re sprawled out on the ground, lying on your belly.
- >Almost instantly you notice the small muzzle in the bottom of your line of sight.
- >Going to touch it, you find your hand has been changed into a small, tawny hoof.
- “Fuck, again?”
- >The soft female voice that escapes your mouth all but confirms the situation.
- >You woke up as horse.
- >When you went pony the first time, it was due to Twilight practicing a body double spell.
- >She wanted to see if it would work on other species than ponies, and sure enough you spent the day as Twilight.
- >It was weird, but not exactly unlikable.
- >After that you had become a pony three other times, this being the fourth instance of ponyification.
- >First time you’ve had a coat this color though, you’re usually a green color if you aren’t an existing character.
- >Oh well.
- >Sighing a little, you pick yourself up off the ground.
- >Twilight is probably going to scold you about the dangers of exploring alone before she gives you back your body.
- >Annoying but you can’t use magic so you can’t fix things yourself.
- >And Twilight is by far the most easy magically skilled pony to talk to.
- >Princess of Friendship and all that, you know?
- >Looking around the cave, you make a startling discovery.
- >You can’t find your bag.
- >Losing your bag would not be good at all considering your belongings from Earth were in there.
- >It’s definitely nowhere in the cave itself.
- >Maybe it went to the same weird subspace your clothes went to?
- >Those aren’t here either and usually disappear in magical transformations.
- >So hope now, panic later.
- >Sounds like a plan.
- >Best case scenario it’ll be right back on your back once Twilight is done nagging.
- >Worst case?
- >...You should just go find Twilight.
- >The walk from here to town is pretty quick.
- >Passing by a few ponies, none seem really surprised about your appearance.
- >Granted, they probably don’t recognize you.
- >Makes things a little less awkward you suppose.
- >Once in town you catch your reflection in a shop’s window.
- >Tawny fur, a chestnut color mane, crystal blue eyes… and a horn to top it all off.
- >Pretty cute.
- >Curious, you peek at your flank.
- >The symbol on there is a big black book, opened to some random page in the middle.
- >Not normally what winds up plastered on your ass, usually you get a little question mark or something.
- >After a minute of looking yourself over, you tear yourself away from the reflection.
- >Cute it may be, but you need to fix this.
- >Doesn’t take you too long to find Twilight.
- >She’s milling about town, mingling with others.
- “Hey, Twilight, I need your help!”
- >”Oh hey there! I thought you said you were busy today.”
- >You blink.
- >Did you tell her that?
- “Um, sure. But, uh, I need you to do me a favor.”
- >”Sure, what do you need Lexi?”
- “Huh?”
- >Twilight frowns slightly, cocking her head.
- “What did you call me?”
- >”Lexi! Your… name.”
- “Hey, quit messing around! We both know I’m Anon.”
- >”What’s an… anon?”
- >She’s got to be fucking with you, right?
- >Although it’s really not in her nature to do something like that.
- >Your ears droop a little as you try to think of something to say.
- >”Are you feeling okay Lexi? There isn’t some weird spell on you, is there?”
- “A sp-spell? Um, no…”
- >”Then what’s wrong?”
- “I’m uh… just tired I guess… feeling a little under the weather.”
- >She thankfully seems to buy that.
- >”Why don’t you head on home? I can bring you some lunch later.”
- >Nodding, you turn back towards your house.
- >”Lexi… your house is that way.”
- >Twilight points a quaint little pony sized house a little ways off in the distance.
- “R-right…”
- >Blushing, you scurry past her and towards the house that is most definitely not yours.
- >Approaching the house, you notice a little sign on the door.
- >”Scribbled Lexicon’s Residence”
- >Pony names have always been a little weird to you.
- >Actually having one is a million times worse.
- >It’s a miracle that you have a normal sounding nickname…
- >You shake your head.
- >You don’t /have/ a pony name.
- >Twilight is just confused.
- >Hell, the actual Lexi is probably sitting in this house right now.
- >That however is quickly proven false.
- >Looking inside, there’s not a soul in sight.
- >The house looks almost nothing like yours.
- >Big shelves line the small walls, each full to the brim with books.
- >The actual house is rather small, a little parlor area, a kitchenette, and a door you assume leads to a bedroom.
- >What is going on here?
- >Never in your life have you heard of a pony named “Lexi.”
- >But here’s a fully furnished house, one you’ve never seen.
- >And Twilight treated you like an old friend.
- >Maybe that sphere had a bit more to it than you thought.
- >It’s a scary thought, but something is definitely different here.
- >That’s when it occurs to you.
- >Your house should still be right where it was, right?
- >In an instant you bolt out of the house.
- >Running at full gallop makes the trip to your house a quick one.
- >But there is most definitely no house there.
- >It looks exactly like it did before the house was built.
- >Uncleared, untouched, not a sign of anybody ever even coming over here.
- >You feel numb.
- >A part of you wants to run off frantically and ask any and everypony if they know the real you.
- >That would probably only cause more concern though.
- >After all, if Twilight had no idea who you are and your house doesn’t exist…
- >Clenching your eyes shut, you desperately don’t want to think about it.
- >Whatever is going on, you’re going to have to fix this.
- >But that is easier said than done.
- >After all, asking anybody for help could lead them to thinking you’re crazy.
- >That damn orb messed things up badly.
- >The orb.
- >If you can take Twilight to it, maybe she’ll know what’s going on!
- >It’s worth a shot at the very least.
- >However, as you approach the cave, you’re met by nothing but a smooth rock surface.
- >It’s not surprising, but it is devastating.
- >Takes a lot of effort to not break down right there.
- >But you do manage to slowly trudge back to “your” home.
- >You’ll think of something eventually.
- >Won’t you?
- >Twilight comes by shortly thereafter.
- >She’s got a small picnic basket with her.
- >”How are you feeling?”
- “Um… better, but I should probably get some sleep, I pulled an all nighter last night.”
- >You can’t come up with much better of an excuse off the top of your head.
- >”Again? You need to take better care of yourself Lexi…”
- >The concern on her face tells you this is a reoccurring issue.
- >But as far as you know, this is the first time this has ever come up.
- >Whatever has gotten into her mind, it’s potent.
- “I’ll keep that in mind, right now I just want to go rest.”
- >Nodding, she slides the basket over to you.
- >”Just return the basket when you’re done, okay? Feel better soon!”
- >And you’re alone again.
- >Sighing, you walk off to the small little bedroom in the house.
- >It’s nothing special, a bed, a desk, a few odds and ends.
- >You flop down onto the bed with a groan.
- >Lying down as a horse is awkward to say the least.
- >Even though your certain your legs are bending the right way, it doesn’t feel right.
- >What the hell are you going to do?
- >In this moment, with nobody around and your ideas pretty much exhausted, that question ways heavily on your mind.
- >It’s all you can focus on, it’s the only thing you can think about.
- >And it hurts.
- >Hot tears sting your eyes, threatening to pour out in ugly sobs.
- >Going to wipe them off is difficult with your hooves, and the difficultly only makes you want to cry more.
- >So you do.
- >You cry and cry, burying your face into the pillow.
- >During the crying you fell asleep.
- >It’s a couple hours later that you wake up, groggily lifting your head up.
- >Still a horse head.
- >And, as you are now privy to, horse heads still get headaches.
- >Your body feels heavy and lethargic as you pull yourself up.
- >It occurs to you that you aren’t quite sure how to stretch like this.
- >You position yourself in a way similar to “Downward Facing Dog.”
- >Your body leans in forward, your back end pushes up slightly.
- >After holding for a moment, you hastily straighten yourself back up.
- >Thankfully nobody around is here to make “I want to cum inside Lexi” jokes.
- >Thoroughly embarrassed, you walk back out into the the main area of the house.
- >Shit, the picnic basket.
- >Your stomach grumbles as you remember the food you left out.
- >Hopefully it’s not anything that would spoil.
- >You try opening the basket with your hoof.
- >That however proves more ineffective than you would have thought.
- >You underestimated the power to grip things before, now you’re swiping the edge of a wicker basket hoping for the best.
- >Frustrated, you hit the basket a bit too hard, knocking it over and spilling the contents.
- >Oh great, jam.
- >Jam and broken glass.
- ”This is bucking bullshit!”
- >Your eyes go wide with a mix of shock and embarrassment.
- >There’s no doubt you were thinking of fucking, but it didn’t come out that way.
- >Maybe it’s best to focus on cleaning your mess now and how fucked up everything is later.
- >Opening a basket is one thing, cleaning up broken glass and jam is another.
- >You fucked up hard enough as is on opening something, how the hell are you going to fix this?
- >That’s when you remember something.
- >There’s a horn on your head.
- >Unicorns have magic, telekinesis being an example of that.
- >You just need to figure out how.
- >Grimacing, you try to focus on a piece of glass, trying to get it to work.
- >It can’t be too hard, right?
- >But, much to your dismay, you just can’t seem to get it to do anything.
- >All you’re succeeding at is making your headache worse.
- >You keep pushing however, trying your hardest to cause some movement.
- >A shard of glass does seem to twitch slightly, but that’s about it.
- “Ugh!”
- >You sit down indignantly, a scowl on your face.
- >The one upside to this damn body and you can’t figure it out.
- >How are you even going to function like this?
- >No hands, no telekinesis, no memories related to Lexi…
- >Everything has gone to shit.
- >Taking a deep breath, you try to calm down.
- >This isn’t going to help anything, and it doesn’t feel good either.
- >So you might as well just try your best and calm down.
- >Deep breathes, in and out, in and out.
- >You just sit there with your eyes shut until your headache dissipates.
- >That’s something at least.
- >Your head feels a lot more clear now, although you still aren’t very happy about this whole thing.
- >But this is as solid a start as any.
- >Turning back to the mess on your floor, you try to focus on a shard of glass once more.
- “Move, move…”
- >Nothing.
- >You whimper slightly, your whole body tensing up.
- >Can’t you just get one thing, one little silver lining in this shit show?
- >Just something you can latch on to!
- >Miraculously, the shard moves, floating upward at your beckoning.
- “O-oh my-”
- >The moment your concentration breaks, the shard falls again.
- “Buck.”
- >Take three goes far better, you manage to keep your focus and move the shard around.
- >The more you do it, the more natural it feels.
- >However, you don’t exactly want to play around.
- >You spend the next few moments cleaning up the place, floating the mess out the window.
- >Only because you aren’t sure where the garbage goes here, and the window was right there.
- >Moving the basket back over to yourself, you survey the remaining contents.
- >Something wrapped in thin paper, paper now covered in jam and an apple.
- >Great.
- >The soggy paper pretty much points to the contents being inedible, so you aren’t even going to try.
- >So instead you settle for the apple.
- >It’s not great, but it’s something.
- >And at this point, you’ll take anything you can get.
- >After your “meal”, you look over at the large shelves of books.
- >At first you wonder how Lexi would have ever been able to reach them, before the obvious dawns on you.
- >Magic is some potent shit.
- >A combination of curiosity and boredom compels you to pull a book down from a shelf.
- >”Magic and Me.”
- >Paging through, it looks like some kind of guide on spells, simple stuff.
- >Probably helpful, but you’re not exactly interested in learning basic spells at the moment.
- >You put the book back in its place, a shelf just below eye level.
- >Grabbing a few books from nearby places, you find unassuming guides on a multitude of subjects.
- >Stuff like “The Principles of Proper Horn Care.”
- >Some of these volumes look like they’ve hardly been touched too.
- >That’s when you wonder, what’s on the high shelves?
- >The top shelf is high enough that you can hardly see it from where you’re sitting.
- >You’d need to move back slightly to see it properly.
- >The book you grab from up there is much heavier, but surprisingly less dusty than some of the other ones.
- >”On the Matters of Channeling Chaos Magics.”
- >You blink, looking it over.
- >That’s… odd.
- >It’s like finding a book on the occult in a public library’s reference section.
- >You grab another.
- >”An Incomplete History on Discord.”
- >Also far less dusty than her lower shelf books.
- >Maybe the lower books are simply there for show?
- >Because despite these books obviously seeing more use, they’re definitely tucked out of sight.
- >For the first time being Lexi, you’re more curious than frustrated.
- >Discord.
- >The name on the cover is more perplexing than anything.
- >Even after Discord’s little reformation, he’s not the most popular guy around.
- >A lot of ponies refuse to even mention his name.
- >Yet, here’s a book about him.
- >You’re fairly certain it’s not required reading for anypony studying magic.
- >That coupled with that chaos magic book makes you wonder.
- >What has Lexi been up to?
- >Twilight mentioned something too come to think of it, but you can’t think of a natural way to press her for info.
- >But Discord maybe…
- >That’s it!
- >Discord is basically a god, he should remember you!
- >The only question is… where to find him?
- >You could go see Fluttershy, but it’s no guarantee he’d be there.
- >And you really want to avoid contact with ponies right now.
- >They expect to be speaking with Lexi, and you have no way to emulate that yet.
- “Where to find a chaos god…”
- >”You ring~?”
- >You jump at hearing his voice, looking around frantically.
- >He’s nowhere in the room.
- >”Down here!”
- >You look back at the book, and sure enough, there’s an illustration of Discord on the front.
- “Discord! You remember me, don’t you?”
- >The illustration moves, scratching its chin.
- >”Hm, I dunno, you ponies all look alike to me…”
- >Rolling your eyes, you clarify.
- “First off, bullshit, secondly, I mean the real me, Anon!”
- >”Anon?” he asks.
- >You nod.
- >”Hm, Anon… Isn't an anon a... giant monkey? Right?”
- >Your heart skips a beat.
- “Y-yes! A human! Finally, someone who remembers!”
- >Discord stares for a moment.
- >”I… was joking Lexi. I’d accuse you of trying to play along but we both know that’s not your style.”
- >The sudden turn is soul crushing.
- >Your jaw hangs open as you try to figure out what to say now.
- >”Wow, you seem really out of it Lex! Did you mess up another ritual?”
- “I... I…”
- >”Insanity is not a good look on you, but if you’re going to play with the unfathomable, you have to pay the consequences sometimes! I’ll probably return you to sanity after a while.”
- “I’m not insane!”
- >Your heart is racing right now.
- >For a split second, you almost bought his insanity story.
- >Even though you know for a fact that you were a human this morning you almost believed it.
- >The sheer lack of will you just expressed makes you shudder.
- >No, not lack of will…
- >It’s Discord’s overpowering magic, even without trying he can have a subtle effect on those around him.
- >You blink.
- >Does he?
- >You don’t remember anybody mentioning that before, but it sounds right.
- >Just put the book up, he’ll get bored and leave you alone.
- >Now, you can’t be sure of that, but something inside feels so convincing.
- >So you do, and he does.
- >How did you know that?
- >A lucky guess?
- >Intuition?
- >Regardless, you’re all shaken up now.
- >You’d probably roll up a joint right now if your stash hadn’t disappeared with your bag.
- >Because you are the definition of a nervous wreck.
- >You settle for the next best thing.
- >A nice glass of tea.
- >Before winding up in Equestria, you never really drank the stuff.
- >But your drink choice here is limited, no real alcohol from what you’ve seen.
- >So cider and tea have become more of a mainstay in your life.
- >And, as far as you’re concerned, it’s pretty nice.
- >Although getting shit faced on some cheap beer until you’re numb sounds awfully appealing.
- >Alas, you settle for a cup of Earl Gray.
- >Your horn makes the process of brewing it somewhat novel.
- >Hasn’t taken you long at all to get used to handing it.
- >Once you have the tea, you carefully levitate the cup to your mouth.
- >Despite your quick learning, it never hurts to be careful.
- >Especially when a fuck up will scald you.
- >Thankfully you manage to take sips without much spillage.
- >The muzzle thankfully doesn’t make things too weird or tough.
- >A soft sigh of relief escapes your mouth as the warm liquid passes through you.
- >You’re not shaking anymore.
- >There’s even a small smile on your face.
- >You blow through half a pot of that tea, and by the end of that, you’re feeling calm.
- >With your head clear, you look over the bookshelves.
- >Unassuming at a glance with a dark secret.
- >If you’re stuck like this, best to look a bit deeper into what she’s been up to at the very least.
- >More books fly off the shelves.
- >Ranging from chaos magic to taboo rituals to inflammatory rebukes of Celestia’s rule from draconian cult leaders.
- >Half of this stuff flies straight over your head.
- >The other half you know is some big “no-no” shit.
- >Like, you’d expect some minor villain to have a library like this before she gets reformed.
- >Could Lexi be a minor villain?
- >No, there’s no way.
- >Twilight seems to be friendly with her.
- >As you go to shelf the books again, a scrap of paper falls from one of them.
- >Curious, you pick it up.
- >”Dear Lexi, in the chance that Discord or something else destroys your memory or mind, I hope you find this.”
- >Well, you suppose that this is a fitting circumstance.
- >”No matter what you may think or what anybody may tell you, you are a chaos mage.”
- >”That may not make sense to you, but you’ve practiced for a long time. It’s what you study, it’s what you live for.”
- >”After all, ever since birth you’ve been destined for this path.”
- >”So, good luck on fixing yourself up, and don’t let anybody’s nagging get you down.”
- >”Regards, Lexi.”
- >You stare at the page for a minute.
- >It’s basically what you had assumed, but now it’s all confirmed.
- >This Lexi dabbles in some very dark stuff, and does it with pride.
- >And, for now, that’s who you are.
- >You put the paper up, sliding it back into the book.
- >Or at least, some book, you aren’t quite sure what thick black volume it was in originally.
- >Close enough though.
- >Managing to not freak out again, you start pacing around the room.
- >Staying like this any longer than necessarily is not wanted.
- >So you need to work out your options.
- >One: You fix yourself with your magic.
- >Two: Twilight fixes you.
- >Three: Discord fixes you.
- >Four: Somebody else fixes you.
- >Five: This is all some weird hallucination caused by a shrew in the moon.
- >All of these have their own issues.
- >They require you to either get really good at magic really fast, or convince somebody that you’re not a pony.
- >And, you know five is a joke, but sometimes dumb shit keeps you going.
- >Even if it’s dumb shit you make up off the top of your head.
- >Regardless of what path you’re going to take, you can’t rush this.
- >Giving somebody the wrong impression or fucking up a powerful spell can be irrevocably damaging.
- >So, basically, you’re walking on thin ice right now.
- >And you are not used to walking on these hooves.
- >Right now, it seems your safest bet is learning more about Lexi.
- >After all, you’re going to have to function as her for some time.
- >But, how?
- >Your glance turns back to the bookshelf once again, a thought beginning to form in your head.
- >She’s a researcher and a scholar, that much is obvious.
- >Meaning there’s a good chance that she’s got journals.
- >You just need to start looking.
- >So you tear through the entire top shelf of her books.
- >Yet, you find not a single journal.
- >Although you do find a single smutty novel tucked away with her tomes.
- >That’s… something?
- >You put it back, noting it’s placement for purely reasons of curiosity.
- >But, right now, you’ve got bigger things on your mind.
- >You start combing through the next shelf down.
- >Doesn’t take you long to notice a small row of books all with the same, uniform blue binding.
- >There’s no writing on the spine of any of them.
- >Curious, you grab the first one from the group.
- >The front cover is embossed with the number “1” in an ornate font.
- >Opening it, you are greeted with what you assume is the title.
- >”Observations and Recordings: 1”
- >Jackpot.
- >You eagerly flip through the pages, only to be met by the same thing on every one.
- >Nothing.
- >They’re blank, every single page.
- >Maybe these are also just for show?
- >But then, why have the title in the front?
- >If anything, you’d want a fake book to have something innocuous on the spine, not something suspicious.
- >And a group of blank spines is certainly suspicious.
- >In total there are eight of these books.
- >Just to be safe, you combed over every single one.
- >The volumes continue the “Observations and Recordings” series.
- >Yet all lack anything in terms of content.
- >Somewhat disheartened, you put those back as well.
- >Back to square one really.
- >After all of this, you’re feeling tired all over again.
- >The sun is setting steadily, it’s gotten dark out.
- >You yawn a little, heading back to the bedroom.
- >You can try learning more about Lexi tomorrow.
- >Maybe you can play the Discord angle a bit.
- >He thinks you’ve gone mad, or is at least teasing you, so you could play into that.
- >Try and weasel stuff from him.
- >What’s the worst that an all powerful chaos god could do to you?
- >Well a lot.
- >But at this point, you don’t have much to lose.
- >Hell, his toying around with you might actually lead to a better form.
- >Although, you wouldn’t bet on that.
- >You can never bet on anything with that noodly fuck.
- “Reformed my ass.”
- >Hearing your own voice makes you wince a bit.
- >You haven’t done much talking, and sitting her by yourself right now, it’s just echoing there.
- >This isn’t you, there’s no way.
- >And you’re going to fix this.
- >As you fall asleep, you feel determined, albeit concerned.
- >While you sleep, you feel something nag at your mind.
- >Not quite a full dream, but there’s something going on in your head.
- >It’s urging you, hammering one thing into your sleeping mind over and over again.
- >”Don’t trust Discord.”
- >The barrage of the warning makes your sleep restless, you can practically feel yourself tossing and turning in the bed.
- >However, upon waking, the message doesn't fully stick.
- >You feel haggard and slightly uneasy.
- >And you can't figure out why.
- >It's on the tip of your tongue though...
- >Despite your unease, you know what you have to do.
- >Sitting around staring at this house won’t accomplish anything.
- >No, you've got to start working towards making a difference.
- >And that sadly starts with Discord.
- >Just thinking of his name makes you shudder.
- >But he's about the only person you can think of that might give you some info on Lexi without raising suspicion.
- >So, you must.
- >Grabbing that book you used to speak with him earlier, you pause for a moment.
- >That strange uneasiness passes over you again.
- >It's right on the brink of your memory, but you can't force it out.
- >Trying to ignore the dread, you pull the book down to your eye level.
- "Hey, Discord!"
- >The image of the draconequus twists around, facing you.
- >"Took you long enough Lexi! Where are your manners?"
- "I doubt you were waiting for me this whole time."
- >He shrugs off your dry retort.
- >"If you don't mind, I'm going to get out of this dreadful book!"
- >Even if you did mind, he barrels out of it anyways, filling your house with a plume of thick smoke.
- >Probably all just for show, to tick you off.
- >Coughing a little, you focus your gaze on him.
- >He's not his full size, he's shrunken down to fit into the pony sized house.
- >Still large enough to tower over you with ease though.
- >It's all about dominance with him.
- >As long as he looks like he has the upperhand, he feels comfortable.
- >Even if he has to fake it, he wants to look like the smartest guy in the room.
- >Where did you read that again?
- >You blush, shaking your head.
- >Haven't gone through any of these books yet.
- >The theory still feels sound, almost too thought out to be your own.
- >Maybe Twilight told you it at one point.
- >"Well Lexi, what is it?" Discord asks, lounging back as if in a chair.
- >Of course, he's simply floating in midair, showing off.
- "You implied I had lost my mind last time we spoke... is it possible that's true?"
- >The path you've decided to head down will require some acting.
- >Going straight forward with the "I'm a human!" argument won't yield results.
- >But, if you pretend to at least be considering that you're actually Lexi, Discord might tell you some stuff.
- >Even if it's just details about your personality.
- >"I'd say it's likely."
- "O-oh?"
- >"After all, you're the one who seemed to feel relieved when I jokingly called you a giant monkey."
- >Your face goes flush.
- >It's only half an act.
- >There's just something about his tone that puts you off, flusters you.
- "Maybe I was just messing with you!"
- >"Then why ask me if it's possible right now?" he replies back without hesitation.
- >Your ears droop a bit as you realize that your assertation was dumb.
- >Don't just blindly rush through this.
- >You don't need to try and prove yourself against him, just get information.
- "Heh, yeah, you've got me there..."
- >Discord frowns, sitting up a bit in his chair of air.
- >"What's really going on here Lexi?"
- "Huh?"
- >"Something is obviously going on here, it's clear as day."
- >You open your mouth to speak, but are abruptly cut off.
- >One might expect some sharp reprimand or harsh rebuke.
- >Maybe even some show of magical force from the chaos god.
- >But, instead, he poses a rather... strange question.
- >"What's your favorite food Lexi?"
- >The question catches you off guard to say the least.
- >Is he quizzing you right now?
- >Trying to change the subject?
- >"Isn't is jam on toast? I remember visiting you several times while eating it!"
- >Your face wrinkles up in confusion .
- >What is he getting at here?
- >Just before you call him out for skipping around the main point, you remember something.
- >There was a jar of jam in that little basket of food Twilight brought you.
- >So, that might be a tidbit of Lexi's past for you to use.
- >It's not much, but it's something.
- >Instead of calling him out, you simply nod.
- "Y-yeah, apple jam..."
- >You even put on a little smile.
- >If he's just going to spoon feed you information, you'll take it!
- >Discord nods, rubbing his chin.
- >"Remembered that it was apple, eh? That's a good sign for your psyche."
- >As if!
- >You just remember the jar from yesterday, easy as that.
- >So what if you never tasted it, it looked like apple jam!
- >You... think...
- >But of course it was, Discord just confirmed that.
- >"And, do tell me..." Discord began, dragging you from your internal confusion.
- >"When did you get your cutie mark?
- >You look at your flank, blinking.
- >Another random piece of Lexi trivia...
- >"It was the first time you went into the restricted part of the library." he said, grinning.
- >This time he didn't even give you a chance to reply.
- >As you look into his eyes, you feel as if you've remembered something.
- >It kind of spills out from your mouth, you don't even consciously recognize you're saying it.
- "Yeah... the teacher said that those spells were to dangerous for us..."
- >Discord chuckles, nodding.
- >"But you sure showed them, didn't you?"
- >You catch yourself from nodding.
- >The words that rolled off your tongue have finally met your brain.
- >What the hell did you just say?
- >Was that just a lucky guess or something?
- >But... why guess at all?
- >You're letting him tell you stuff, there's no need to guess!
- >"Ah, Lexi, you're loosing focus again!" he chides, wagging a claw.
- >Your head shoots back up to look at him.
- >The information he's feeding you is valuable, you have to keep it going.
- "Sorry about that, I appreciate the help..."
- >"Of course you do! It's like that time when I taught you that last part of that chocolate rain spell!"
- >A soft chuckle escapes your mouth this time.
- >"Yeah, and you didn't tell me the rain cloud would be in my house!"
- >A genuine feeling of wistful joy wells up from inside of you.
- >Nostalgia for an event that never happened.
- >With your heart racing, you stare up at Discord.
- >Fear is drowning out that nostalgia fast.
- >What is going on?
- >Discord's grin twists wider and wider as he leans in closer.
- >"What's your favorite color Lexi?"
- "Royal p-purple..."
- >It comes out as a soft whimper.
- >That's not your favorite color, is it?
- >The idea of it feels wrong, but no other answer comes to mind.
- >And, even worse, Discord didn't even give you a hint this time.
- >"Is something wrong Lexi?" Discord asks, chuckling.
- >"You seem tense!"
- "I... I..."
- >"I understand Lexi, therapy can be tough, but you're remembering so much!"
- >Remembering...
- >You blink, your eyes locked onto his.
- >That's what this is, isn't it?
- >Discord is helping you... remember.
- >You think back to that note you found yesterday in the book.
- >Lexi was concerned about her memory being toyed with.
- >And Discord seems to think that's what happened...
- >In this moment, everything feels like a big murky bog.
- >No, two big bogs, superimposed on one another.
- >Each step is tough and arduous, and even then you aren't sure what you're stepping in.
- >Are you actually Lexi?
- >Was your whole human life a delusion?
- >Or are you Anon?
- >Is this all some kind of trick?
- >Hot tears begin to stream down your face as you look up at the draconequus.
- >You just don't know.
- >Earlier today everything felt so certain, but now?
- >It's hard...
- >"Oh, don't cry Lexi, it's so unbecoming!"
- >You snivel.
- "I-I'm confused..."
- >He shakes his head, patting yours.
- >"That's just the reprogramming that's rotted your mind! That genius, if misguided, little mind!"
- >You nod weakly.
- >"But don't worry, I find no more joy in watching you suffer Lexi, a day or two has been more than enough."
- >He leans in close, his face pressed up to yours with a wild grin.
- >"I'm going to fix you, trust me~!"
- >That phrase is like a rock being thrown into a tinted window.
- >The barrier obscuring everything shatters around you.
- >"Trust me."
- >Your sleep last night rushes back to you.
- >That shitty, restless sleep!
- >More importantly, the voice that was bothering you all night...
- >"Don't trust Discord."
- >You tear your eyes away from his, clamping them shut.
- >"Lexi...?"
- >His sadistic enjoyment is no longer evident in his voice.
- >It's calmer now, more curious if anything.
- "Fuck off..."
- >You can't see it, but the snort he gives makes you think he recoiled slightly.
- "Leave me alone!"
- >Your voice cracks a little as you yell at him.
- >Sniffing a bit, you peek at him.
- >HIs back is turned to you, it's as if he's walking away from you.
- >"You're afraid of me, aren't you Lexi?" he asks coldly.
- >You don't humor him with an answer.
- >He simply sighs, looking back at you.
- >"You're sick Lexi, you've messed up your head. If you won't let me fix that, fine, live with this torment."
- >He smirks a little, his facade already back up in full.
- >"But, don't fear me!"
- >He disppears in yet another puff of smoke, his voice echoing in your house.
- >"After all, fear is the mind killer!"
- >You shudder as his laugh trails off into nothing.
- >What are you going to do now?
- >Talking with Discord was an utter failure.
- >Just thinking about it makes you shudder.
- >The way you just started reciting these facts about Lexi was just surreal.
- >Even now you're still somewhat unsure of if you're actually Lexi or not.
- >The only thing that really keeps you from fully falling into that belief is that you don't actually remember anything you said.
- >Like it raining chocolate in this house, you have no recollection of that.
- >Hell, you don't even remember seeing this before going to that damn cave.
- >But in that moment with Discord, you believed it whole heartedly.
- >You felt the emotions like they were a part of you.
- >Was Discord imposing them onto you?
- >If he really did think you were Lexi, it would make sense that he'd do something like that to fix you.
- >After all, there's no worries in brainwashing someone if that's fixing them, right?
- >But you don't need to be fixed.
- >You don't think that you do.
- >One thing is for sure though.
- >From here on, you will not be leaning on Discord for anything.
- >No help, no advice, nothing.
- >Even if he means well, it's far too dangerous.
- >And you aren't even sure that he means well.
- >Instead you're going to seek help elsewhere.
- >Literally anywhere else.
- >Your stomach rumbles softly after a bit.
- >Makes sense, you haven't eaten anything since that apple yesterday.
- >Looking through your small kitchen, you thankfully do find some food.
- >The jam looks tempting, but you make a decisive effort to avoid it.
- >Last thing you want to do is prove Discord right.
- >You might have found the lack of meat discouraging if you hadn't basically gone vegitarian here anyways.
- >In a world where just about every creature can talk or at least convey emotion, eating others is generally frowned upon.
- >Not to mention you'd be the one doing the butchering.
- >So you've altered your diet a bit.
- >Which means finding the ingredients you'd use normally to make oatmeal is rather encouraging for you.
- >Either Lexi was a far better cook than you, or working with a horn is criminally easy because the process goes by quickly.
- >It's even a little fun.
- >And the piping hot mush tastes pretty good on top of that.
- >Just what the doctor ordered!
- >You scarf the whole bowl down and go for a second one.
- >Looks like you've found out the true meaning of comfort food.
- >Once you're full, you set the dishes aside in your little sink.
- >You can clean them later.
- >As you do, you hear a knock on the door.
- >Who could be visiting you?
- >Discord wouldn't knock, so maybe Twilight?
- >Or perhaps somebody else that Lexi associates with?
- >But that could be just about anybody at this point.
- "Um, who is it?"
- >You call out, not opening the door yet.
- >"I-It's Fl-Fluttershy..."
- >Oh, that's not that bad.
- >You can deal with her, even if her nervousness can be a little annoying.
- >Heading over to the door, you let the yellow pony in.
- >She looks around a little, before awkardly averting her gaze to the floor.
- "Can I help you?"
- >You, as Anon, haven't really interacted much with Fluttershy.
- >She was always kind of around, but she'd tend to avoid you.
- >Probably out of embarassment or something.
- >"Have you t-talked to Discord yet today?" she asks, looking up sheepishly.
- "Um, yeah, why?"
- >"O-oh, it's nothing! H-he just seemed a little... a-angry. N-not that I'm implying you made him mad!"
- >You nod, your eyes darting around as if to look for Discord.
- >You know he'd probably be invisible right now if he was watching, but checking does ease the tension a little bit.
- "No idea why he'd be mad, he seemed pretty normal when I talked to him."
- >Not a lie really, Discord's normal is very abnormal.
- >Fluttershy nods slowly, thinking about something.
- >"M-must have been nothing then..."
- "I suppose so!"
- >Putting on a fake smile, you fully expect her to leave.
- >But she doesn't, she kind of just waits there.
- "Um... Everything okay?"
- >"Oh... I was just wondering if... w-well..."
- >Fluttershy blushes immensely, looking down.
- >"I-If you'd prepared that spell for me yet?"
- >Well, fuck.
- >You have absolutely no clue what she's talking about.
- >Fluttershy looks very concerned upon looking at your wide eyes.
- >"I-I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to rush you...!"
- "I-It's fine, it's fine!"
- >No it's not, it is definitely not.
- "I've just, well, been very... busy?"
- >She nods, a nervous look still plastered on her face.
- >"I understand, it's not a request you hear everyday... th-that's why I came to you."
- >So Lexi is kind of the black market mage here, huh?
- >Does shady jobs and spells under the table and all that.
- >Makes sense, it's a decent living from the sounds of it.
- "And I'll be more than glad to help, once everything here has settled down a bit."
- >"S-settled down?" she asks, cocking her head.
- "Well, you know, I've been pretty busy... studying..."
- >Realization flashes over Fluttershy's face.
- >"O-oh right! That c-cave!"
- >Your jaw drops open, your heart soaring for the first time all day.
- "Yes exactly! The cave! Wh-what have I told you about it?"
- >"Th-that... well.. um... you really didn't Lexi, all you mentioned was that it was 'f-fascinating'..."
- >That soaring feeling quickly crashes into an ocean of disapointment.
- >Not that you didn't find a silver lining though.
- >Somebody has to know about that cave! If not Fluttershy, than somepony else!"
- "Y-yeah, it's very fascinating, and I'll happily tell you more later, but right now, I need to get back to work!"
- >Fluttershy nods, quickly scurrying out.
- >You're back on track to figuring this all out!
- >You are Twilight Sparkle, and you're concerned.
- >Lexi has always been somewhat problematic.
- >Ever since she moved here, she's teetered precariously on the edge.
- >Her skills and gifts are undeniable, and she's nice enough when you get to know her.
- >But her interests are dangerous.
- >Chaos magic is some of the most volitile, harmful stuff you can think of.
- >Yet Lexi craves to learn more and more about it every day.
- >You still remember when she flat out asked to be Discord's pupil.
- >Thankfully Discord wasn't interested, but the thought of a pony so willingly wanting to work under him is frightening.
- >Outwardly he seems mostly reformed, but you've seen him slip more times than you're comfortable with.
- >This line of thought makes you sigh.
- >You hate to be so judging and skeptical.
- >As a princess of friendship, you should really be more trusting of your friends.
- >At least, you think so at least.
- >Lexi hasn't shown anything close to outward aggression.
- >Anything shady she may be doing she hides rather well.
- >Although you hate to admit it, you're fairly certain there is something shady going on.
- >But you don't have the evidence to push that, nor do you want to be accusitive from the onset.
- >Especially as of late.
- >Lexi does not seem to be in the best mental state.
- >When she came up to you last, she was acting so bizarrely.
- >Bizarre even for her.
- >And that's saying something.
- >As you reflect on this, you're met with a familiar face.
- >Discord.
- >Sometimes you swear he can read your mind given how often he shows up when he's involved in your thoughts.
- >Shaking off that creepy thought, you face him.
- "Do you need something Disc-"
- >The look on his face is a strange one for him.
- >He looks concerned, nervous even.
- >You've only seen such a look from him in very, very tense moments.
- >"Tw-Twilight! We have a problem!"
- "What? What's wrong?"
- >Your body tenses up slightly upon hearing the worry in his voice.
- >Discord takes a deep breath.
- >"It's Lexi, she's not healthy."
- "I noticed she was acting strange earlier, yes."
- >He shakes his head.
- >"It's worse than that, more than that. Her head is sick."
- >You frown, not sure what he means.
- >"She... she did something to herself, now her identity feels... fractured, like she's somebody else."
- >Anon comes to mind.
- >When Lexi first came up to you, she insisted she was Anon...
- "Do... you know why?"
- >"No! If I did I'd have fixed it myself!" he spits back.
- >He looks really upset.
- >Thoroughly unnerved, you try pressing on.
- "What do we do?"
- >Taking a deep breath, Discord looks at you.
- >"Right now, she seems... fine, but there are dangers."
- "Dangers?"
- >He nods.
- >"We have no clue what exactly has overtaken her, so she may be unstable."
- >You imagine an unhinged Lexi, and it's not pretty.
- >She's powerful, and even though you're fairly certain you could stop her, damage would be done.
- >Both to her and the residents of the town.
- "Should we watch out for any specific behavior?"
- >"Seems like the safest bet. Just make sure she's acting as normal as possible, maybe even recovering."
- >He pauses for a moment.
- >"And... keep her away from caves."
- "Caves?"
- >You have no idea what he's hinting at.
- >"Remember before all this? She was scoping out this strange cave?"
- "Your cave?"
- >He looks aside.
- >"I will neither confirm or deny that."
- >You roll your eyes.
- >"Anyways, keep her away from it. Especially if there's some... other entity in her."
- >Nervous for your friend's health, you nod slowly.
- "Of course."
- >"It... may be prudent to consider hospitalize her, at least until she's better."
- >He's not exactly wrong, but you don't like the thought.
- "If things get worse I suppose... we can consider it."
- >He frowns a bit, but nods.
- >"I suppose I should be off then, we've both got business to attend to."
- "Thank you for being so... serious about this, it's unlike you."
- >He smirks a little.
- >"Lexi isn't like other ponies, not even you have what she has, I have direct investment in her."
- "Then... why didn't you take her on as a student?"
- >His smirk fades as he thinks of how to word his answer.
- >"That's not my style, I've been her teacher, but never her mentor."
- >With that he leaves, leaving you concerned but resolute.
- >Lexi will get better, she's not doing well right now, but that can be fixed.
- >You hope...
- >Closing your eyes for a moment, you return to your work, or at least try to.
- >Something is still nagging at you though.
- >Why not the cave?
- >Lexi hadn't told you much about it, but she seemed to believe it used to be Discord's.
- >Or at least related to him in some way.
- >She went to it recently too, saying that she "figured out the lock!"
- >How do you lock a cave?
- >It distracts you from your work, taking up more of your thoughts than you'd have hoped.
- >You may want to do some digging...
- >You are Lexi and you’ve got work to do.
- >It feels like it’s been ages since you’ve stepped outside.
- >Looking about the town fills you with an uncanny sense of unease.
- >Ponies big and small know Lexi better than you do, yet you have to pass as her.
- >Standing here worrying about it won’t help though, it’s time for action.
- >With a deep breath you start walking around, looking for someone who may have connection with Lexi.
- >Somebody who has worked with her before, or hired or, or is a friend…
- >Because if they’re close, they may know something about this cave.
- >Nobody seems to pay you much regard however.
- >There’s the pleasant greeting now and again, but nobody stopping you or approaching you.
- >The most meaningful interaction you really get is the odd lingering glace from a stallion.
- >That obviously doesn’t sit to well with you.
- >The sooner you’re back to being yourself, the better.
- >Anon doesn’t have to worry about ponies giving them “fuck me” eyes.
- >At least, you certainly hope not.
- >In an attempt to get your mind out of the gutter and back on track, you decide to try and be more proactive.
- >You’ll start the conversation!
- >After all, if it’s you leading the conversation, you can keep it on topics you feel comfortable talking about as Lexi.
- >Which, granted, isn’t a ton of topics.
- >Feeling as ready as you’ll ever, you walk up to the first pony that you see.
- >That just happens to be Big Mac!
- >A surprisingly perfect candidate if you do say so yourself.
- >He’s soft spoken so conversation won’t get out of hand.
- >He may not have anything to do with you though.
- >So this can basically be your warm up for talking with random ponies as Lexi.
- “Hey, Mac, how are you?”
- >The large red stallion cranes his neck over, looking at you.
- >”I’m fine.”
- >Silence hangs in the air for a bit.
- “Well, that’s… good to hear!”
- >”Eeeyup.”
- “So uh… hear about any cool caves recently?”
- >Smooth as a low poly cactus.
- >Big Mac stands there, the gears in his brain churning in monotonous silence.
- >”Nope.”
- >You frown, inhaling sharply.
- “Alright, I didn’t expect you to anyways… well… how’s your family doing?”
- >Resorting to small talk already feels bad, but you don’t want to look crazy by pressing on this cave business.
- >And you really do need to practice in conversation.
- >”They’re fine.”
- “Well I’m glad…”
- >”Eeeyup.”
- >Would it kill this guy to give you something to go off of here?
- “Anything of note happen recently? Like, at all?”
- >He contemplates the question again, looking up at nothing in particular.
- >”Nope.”
- “Okay then, have a nice day.”
- >”Eeeyup.”
- >You walk off feeling frustrated and a little embarrassed.
- >That was totally him being bad at conversations, right?
- >Right, you’re pretty bad, but you’re not that bad.
- >You think.
- >You assumed that finding someone actually worth talking to would be pretty difficult.
- >However, it seems that your best bet has just walked into your hooves.
- >There’s a zebra walking into town, clear as day.
- >Your eyes light up with sudden excitement.
- >She’s perfect!
- >Zecora is a master of weird magic stuff, right?
- >Lexi and her must work together sometimes.
- >Approaching her, you put on as confident of a smile as you can muster.
- “Hey there Zecora!”
- >”Oh, Lexi, I didn’t see you there. On this day how do you fare?”
- >Despite the rhyming, she’s already a million times easier to talk to than Mac.
- “I’ve been better, work has been unexpectedly difficult recently.”
- >Zecora nods understandingly.
- >Either she’s being polite, or your tone is convincingly like Lexi’s.
- “Yeah, my memory got a little scrambled so that set me back a bit.”
- >You chuckle awkwardly, trying to play off memory issues as nothing major as soon as possible.
- >”Lucky for you I know of this moss, I’ve found it quite good for memory loss.”
- >Stupid friendly horses always trying to be helpful!
- “I… don’t think that will be of much help. Besides, everything has been gradually sorting itself out anyways.”
- >The zebra frowns slightly but doesn’t press any further.
- >”Hopefully a least you remember what you worked on last, we don’t want that effort lost to the past.”
- >It has to have been the cave, right?
- >If so, you’ll have your first real lead in figuring out what happened to you.
- >If not, Zecora is going to be way more skeptical of your memory fixing itself.
- >Saying anything here is a gamble.
- >But you’re going to have to make it.
- >You’ll have to roll the dice and have faith.
- “The details are still a bit foggy but… the cave-”
- >Zecora quickly shushes you, looking around.
- >”Lexi, don’t be a fool! Don’t you remember that rule?”
- >You blink, caught off guard by her sudden shift in tone.
- >She sighs, leaning in and whispering in your ear.
- >”Only mention the cave when we are alone, secrets like these should not be known.”
- >Well that’s pretty ominous.
- >But at least it proves that this cave is both important and what Lexi was studying.
- >”Come with me now, don’t delay. We need to talk and it must be today.”
- >Ever since the cave has been brought up, Zecora has seemed different, on edge even.
- >Pleasantries are most likely over for the time being.
- >Fine by you if it means you’re one step closer to leaving this hell.
- “Of course, lead the way.”
- >She probably came into town for a reason, but she’s pretty much abandoned that.
- >Apparently this is much more important to her.
- >Good to have someone around with similar priorities.
- >Zecora doesn’t say a word as the two of you leave town.
- >The walk isn’t too terribly long.
- >Your surroundings soon melt away into the dense green of the Everfree forest.
- >This is where you first wound up in Equestria.
- >You were confused, scared, and riding the tail end of a high.
- >It was probably one of the most strange nights of your life, if not the strangest.
- >You’d probably give anything to return to being that awkward monkey.
- >”Come inside so we’ll have no need to hide.”
- “Huh?”
- >You’re outside her hut now, you were so caught up in your reflecting you hadn’t noticed.
- “Oh, right, right…”
- >Heading inside, you make yourself comfortable.
- >If things go well you’re going to be here for a while.
- “I’ll be honest, my memory of the cave is kind of foggy. Everything is sort of a blur.”
- >”I understand, magic sometimes gets out of hand.”
- >You’d drink to that.
- >”The cave, as you may recall, is an important site from before Discord’s fall.”
- >A shudder goes down your spine just thinking about Discord.
- “Yeah, the place reeked of him for sure.”
- >Zecora’s eyes widen a bit in surprise.
- >”You managed to break through the seal? Now this is a big deal…”
- “The… seal?”
- >”An insignia carved in the cave’s center, it made it impossible for anyone to enter.”
- >For a moment you wonder if this was actually the cave you went into, you don’t remember anything like that in the cave.
- >”It was made to look like smooth rock and be hidden away, I thought it impenetrable until today.”
- >When you went to look at it after everything that happened, all you saw was a rock face.
- >Your heart is hammering in your chest.
- >This has to be the right cave.
- “I-I got it open alright, but it’s sealed itself back up. I don’t remember how I got in the first time.”
- >Zecora sighs, obviously disappointed by that.
- >”What did you find in that temple of the chaos lord? What relics from the Cult of Discord?”
- >You feel as if you’ve just been dropped from a plane.
- >The what?
- >Cult of Discord?!
- >Picking up on your shock, Zecora elaborates.
- >”At the beginning of the reign the princesses of Moon and Sun, there were some ponies still thought it was Discord who should run.” Zecora began.
- >”They were driven by chaos, warped by Discord’s call. They’d have done anything to bring about the princesses’ fall.”
- >”It’s hard to say in the end where they did go, or even more so what they did know.”
- >This is all a bit much.
- >Did you really stumble into a temple for Discord?
- >What was that altar for then and what did it do to you?
- >”But, most importantly, I need to hear, did you find t-”
- >Zecora’s mouth suddenly clamps shut.
- >The two of you share shocked, confused glances.
- >And that’s when a third voice enters the room.
- >”Now, I’ve heard just enough of this! Talking behind my back is so rude you know!”
- “D-Discord…?!”
- >The draconequus makes himself visible, a devilish smirk on his face.
- >”You call Anon?”
- “A-Anon?”
- >He laughs, rolling his eyes.
- >”Yes, Anon, I was having fun playing pretend, but you apparently can’t keep well enough alone!”
- >Zecora seems to reach for a bottle of something, trying to be as subtle as possible.
- >In an instant she’s no longer in the room.
- “Wh-what did you do to her?”
- >”Oh, I just sent her into town and gave her a craving for oranges and no memory of the past hour. Should keep her busy!”
- >You groan, getting up to go help the zebra.
- >Discord however instantly cuts you off.
- >”No, no, no Anon, you’re not going anywhere!”
- >Gulping, you sit back down.
- >”Good, good, at least you can do something right.”
- >His normal jovial nature is abnormally lacking right now.
- >He seems genuinely annoyed.
- >”I don’t ask for much you know, just some basic life changing chaos!”
- “That doesn’t sound very basic…”
- >”Oh hush, you’re the one ruining everything!”
- “I don’t follow.”
- >Sighing and rolling his eyes, he looks at you.
- >”Couldn’t just take being a horse on a chin? Just had to go around and start making ponies worry and try and fix things!”
- >You don’t even know how to respond to all of this.
- >It’s just an overwhelming wave of confusion.
- >Taking a breath, you try to talk through this.
- “You… you did this to me?”
- >He gives a sharp chuckle, shaking his head.
- >”No, no, you did this to yourself. I just happened to leave the tools lying around. Or rather, the entrance open.”
- “The cave…”
- >”Yes, the cave! That cave you just couldn’t stop bothering over.”
- >He’s like an angry teacher scolding a student.
- >”I thought ‘hey, Anon’s gone and turned himself into a mare! This should be fun!’”
- >He flops over onto Zecora’s table, sending random papers and potions flying to the floor.
- >”But you’re being so booooring! It’s horrible!” he bellows, groaning.
- “I’m… sorry? Wait, why am I apologizing? Fuck you, fix this!”
- >He sits up, looking at you with a malicious grin.
- >”Fix this? I never thought you’d ask.”
- >Why do you feel that things have taken a sudden, awful turn?
- >Capitalizing on your growing worry, he leans closer, smirking.
- >”I should get to fixing this right away, after all, poor Lexi must really want her body back!”
- “...Huh? L-Lexi?”
- >”What, did you think that altar shat out some random made up pony? Oh no, Lexi is very real!”
- “I’ve never met her, I’ve never even heard of her before!”
- >He shrugs.
- >”Everybody else seems to know her, I know that I know her.”
- >He raises an eyebrow.
- >”But who knows Anon, hmm~?”
- “Um… you and me?”
- >He nods slowly.
- >”So, weighing the options, it would seem Lexi has far more value to the world, wouldn’t you agree?”
- >You try to stammer out an answer, but are met by Discord snapping his claws.
- >In an instant you spiral into a deep dark abyss, the words “Good talk~” echoing in your head until the nothingness consumes you.
- >Your body is sore and heavy.
- >You sit up, confused by the thin gown draped over you.
- >A hospital gown?
- >The room you’re in is a sterile white.
- >This isn’t your house.
- >You stumble out of bed, your balance offset and wobbly.
- >Part of you wants to go back to bed, but you can’t.
- >Something is very wrong here.
- “Hey, is anybody here?”
- >An older looking female pony walks into your room, a warm smile on her face.
- >”Oh, Miss Lexicon, you’re awake. How do you feel?”
- “Not the best... why am I here?”
- >She glances down, trying to formulate a response.
- >”You’ve been acting strange recently Miss Lexicon, you’re here for your own health and safety.
- >You bite your tongue, holding back your disdain for this situation.
- >What has Discord done this time?
- >Day in and day out you jump through hoops for him and he still pulls stunts like this.
- >If it weren’t for his knowledge you’d probably limit your interactions with him for your own safety.
- “Thank you for your concern, but I’m sure you’ll find that whatever Discord admitted me for I-”
- >The nurse shakes her head.
- >”No dear, it was Princess Twilight who had you come here. She seemed quite concerned for you.”
- >What?
- >Twi sent you here?
- “I-I don’t understand…”
- >”Twilight mentioned you’ve been having memory issues, can you not recall what happened?”
- >You shake your head, a strange feeling of defeat bubbling inside of you.
- >”Well, you seemed to have a little breakdown, thinking you were somebody else. Called yourself Anon and acted very dangerously.”
- >Anon…
- >Don’t you know an Anon?
- >You rack your brain, pondering all the ponies and other creatures you know.
- >Nobody specific comes to mind.
- “You’re saying I thought I was… Anon?”
- >She nods.
- >This smells of Discord, but there’s no way Twi would ever play along with that.
- >Unless of course Discord has manipulated her mind…
- >He wouldn’t stoop that low would he?
- >Ugh, this is already too much of a headache.
- “Um… thank you for the information. Could I have some time to think?”
- >”Of course, if you need anybody, just call.”
- >The nurse leaves the room, shutting the door behind you.
- >You try opening it with your magic.
- >As you expected, it doesn’t budge.
- >So even if you were up for it, there will be no daring escapes for you.
- >You walk back over to the bed and lie down.
- >Your body is still heavy and your brain is foggy.
- >And you doubt you’ll be able to get much of anything done feeling like this.
- >Scribbled Lexicon does not shirk her work.
- >Lying down and closing your eyes, you wonder how you’re going to get out of this one.
- >And also, who in the name of Celestia is Anon?
- End of Part One
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