For Whom the Bewitching Bell Tolls pt2

>You happily bounce along until you reach the thick wooden door. Looking at the windows first, the house appears to be unlit.
>It would be rude to just break into the place, so you give it one of your patented knocking patterns that you usually use to announce your arrival, as well as call out to him just in case he came back
"Anon~! Pinkie's here today, so can you come out and play?"
>Silence.
>Well, if he's inside, it could be an interesting game of hide and seek. If not, then you'll just have a look around either way
"Okie dokie loki, Anon. Ready or not, here I come!"
>You use a party horn to further announce the beginning of your visit, but it also doubles as a super secret lock pick
>The party item unfurls itself straight into the keyhole once blown
>With your cheeks puffed, some careful control of the air you put into it to stiffen or loosen its shape, and some careful tilting of your head you pick the lock in seconds.
>Well, that was super easy. If he's really hiding here, then its not gonna be much of a game for long if he couldnt keep you out.
>Still, maybe you should be a little quieter from now on. If he came back and is hiding here, it would be a wasted opportunity to not get the drop on him with a surprise!
>You withdraw your old sneaking suit from your mane after digging out some miscellaneous party favors and quickly put it on, goggles and all as you begin your hunt.

>Your eyes dart around the dimly lit room. Anon's kept it fairly tidy - his books are stacked neatly in a cute bookshelf, save for the stuff he regularly reads on or stacked near his workbench
>Some lanterns he uses to light his humble abode area out, with the fireflies having been let go
>Trotting around a small bend and find his bedding. It doesnt look like its been made in a while, but...
"Gotcha!"
>You raise the mattress from the bedframe, expecting to find him hiding under it
>Imagine your disappointment when all that you found were some half drawn discarded concepts for his wood and iron work and some little latched book-
>Wait
"Ooh, what's this we've got here?"
>It doesnt appear to be labeled, but you've got a strange feeling about this. Your pinkie sense is making you tremble and your tail twitch in intervals you recognize
>This book must be more than a little special to Anon. Maybe it would have some answers.
>But before you look into it, you figure you should check the basement, just to be sure.
>There's a thick latched floor-door that leads down into the depths, where his forge is located. You've been down there your fair share of times when delivering baked goods, just to find that workahloic toiling on his newest commission piece
>Yet unless he was in the middle of something really important in what he was doing, he'd always be able to make a little time for you to have a snack and exchange jokes or friendly gossip
>He's only been gone for a little over a day, but you hope that things can go back to how they were when he does come back
>Looking at the iron doors, they have been barred up and padlocked....he wouldnt have done that if he were still here.
>Well! Maybe he isnt here at all, but you couldnt just leave without any leads on what his problem was
>Hopefully this book will give you an answer.`
---
>A cursory scan gives you a wide range of information. This book was -definitely- a personal item of his.
>He kept stuff ranging from order details and personal opinions of the works he'd have to do
>And ideas some of the residents from either ponyville or abroad had submitted to see if they were feasible
>You find one of such items from "Lyra Heartstrings" as a mechanical arm and hand to match his, with some intricate labeling and anon's commentary on the side, questioning how the little pony managed such a thing
>There's something from your sister Maud here about helping fix her blunted picaxe
>A letter from the Kirin about inviting him to their next Beer Drinking contest, with some "special interest" of a second visit noted by the writer....
>You would be here all day if you sat down and read it all, and while that sounds -really tempting-, you decide to try to find something more recent.
... ... ...
>Oh! There's something here.
>"As of late, the Friendship School's been getting more and more attention from my pals. Between AJ and Dash's real jobs, the time they need with their families and each other, and the teaching too, I havent had much time to really spend with them."
>A frown gradually forms on your face
>Sure, the school was a very busy place these days, and you still had to plan parties, bake with the cakes and occasionally foalsit, and-
>"I used to be able to order from Pinkie's bakery almost every two to three days, but I havent really had a chance to get a hold of her as of late."
>You were just...really busy. You're just one pony, you couldnt see to everyone's needs, right? You werent being neglectful.
>"I can only imagine how Dash is taking to this. I've heard lots of stories about how grueling her regiment can be at times when it comes to prepping for her performances. Having to volunteer for the weather team in Ponyville and spend time with Scootaloo and the others must be trying."
>There was that one time you found Dashie passed out in the Faculty Room, but you thought she just wanted an afternoon nap. Its not the first time you've caught her loafing around, even before the school, though you have to admit that she seemed harder to wake than usual.
>"I feel like I should tell Twilight about this. The school might be a nice place to socialize newcommers but its clearly taking its toll on her friends and my time with them, too."
>"Even on my busiest days, I can make a little time to meet and talk with a couple of them somewhere down the line, but lately, it feels like we rarely see each other
"Oh...."
>Your mane deflates slightly
>"Maybe she just hasnt noticed - I know how she gets when she's invested in something: the smaller details easily slip through. Still, if there's one thing my craft taught me, its that the smallest imperfections in the right places can make something come apart extremely easily"
>A pause and a deep breath.
"Okay, THAT is a friendship problem, but that couldnt be what made him leave....right?"
>You skip some pages of Anon's musings about the questionable necessity of the Friendship School

>"Lately, Ive been having these strange dreams. No, not dreams, visions. they're just too vivid to be mere dreams."
>"I see Discord turning into this goat-like creature and going somewhere far away. I see Tirek and Cozy Glow escaping their prison in Tartarus"
>"And they appear at this place at this disguised Discord's behest, along with Chrysalis. They are planning something."
"I would have ignored it if I didnt see this multiple times when I sleep for the night. It goes further, too."
>"They are sent after some sort of item to make this false being more powerful....and they do succeed at getting it. But they intend to use it against Discord"
>"But Discord escapes, only to later decide their punishment when they are defeated by the forces of good in Equestria"
>"I need to tell the Princesses about this. I should talk to Twilight to arrange an audience."

>More filler....better skip ahead about a week
>"None of them believe me at all!"
>'You're just worrying too much, Anon. Tartarus is totally secure. Nothing gets in or out without notice.'
>'Your dreaming patterns are a mystery to us, but if we felt some kind of disturbance, we would notice it right away'
>"Are you fucking kidding me?!
>Your ears flatten against your head. The ink on the page is not in his typical fine writing.
>Anon's frustration manifested itself in thickly inked wording with a few splotches and a slightly damaged page.
>"I begged Princess Celestia to check. Just....check. We would have an answer if she just peeked and found them gone! I know I'm not crazy here, but she doesnt think its necessary. Celestia just goes on about how secure the place is with its magical barrier, or its dumbass guard dog, and how even going in takes time and energy, nevermind escaping such a place."
>Thinking back, you remember how difficult it was to escape when there was no magical barriers reinforcing the door while the magic of your world was being sucked away. The Princess IS right - Tartarus is one hard pinata to crack.
>Anon continues to beg Celestia and Luna to check, but they deny it as a priority matter for the time being, with Celestia stating that she could put it off till after their vacation
>Twilight insists that Anon drop it for now and that they could come back and talk about it another time, but he becomes even more obstinate.

>"I know it sucks to get off your fat flanks and do something for once to prevent a problem before it takes on a life of its own."
>"You guys let Chrysalis get ahead not once but twice and never looked back at stopping her if she came back again."
>Now you cant even be bothered to check to see if your prisoners are STILL in their prison or even see how they're doing! Is this how you help them?!
>"Guards, this human has lost his composure. We still have other matters to see to today, so could you please-"
>"If you wont do something about this, then I'll deal with it myself! Your leadership sucks anyway since Twilight does all the heavy lifting!"
>Anon notes that it took a small squad of the Throne Room Guard to remove him as he tried to approach them "to reform their asses with some spanking" and even left a funny doodle about it
>...What came next, you knew all too well.

>You were with the rest when he and Twilight returned, and of course she wasnt happy at all about Anonymous' shenanigans. Twilight was fuming that he made "such an affront" towards the Princesses regardless of what he thought about their answer.
>To keep him from engaging Twilight and hopefully lighten the clearly tense mood, you inquired about the situation and made light of it when he said Discord would break into Tartarus to free the craziest filly Equestria's known and the big red meanie who betrayed him with ease
>I mean, it did sound funny that he'd get worked up over something so silly...
>Dash laughed it off too, but the way he looked at you at that....
>It wasnt the look of someone the joke had flown over, or even the look of the unamused.
>He was angry....hurt, even.
>And you didnt even recognize it
>All you did was help make a bigger fool of him, and no one is laughing now
>He locked himself up not long afterwards, and you could figure that his departure was to deal with this his own way

>You've gotten all you could from the book, but even now, you're not sure what to do.
>Anon's pretty well traveled and could have gone anywhere. Twilight would still be pretty mad about him insulting her idol, but maaaybe she could be convinced to help if its a friendship problem?
>....
>For now, you return the book to where you find it and decide to leave. Surely there's somepony you can talk to in order to decide what comes next
>The contents of that tome took away all the pep and bounce you came in with
---
You are Anonymous the Resourceful
As Celestia's sun mercilessly observes you from above as you work at different deposits with your trusty pickax in hand, you take a brief moment to wipe the sweat off of your brow
>Finding the deposits werent difficult, but you needed to make sure that what you picked out was of the highest quality.
>You had learned how to identify this with a little testing - using some of your magic infused gemstones, you would set your clumps of ore next to them and in contact while in a shady spot and observe the result
>If the stone dimmed a little, then the clump was probably not very good
>However, some of the better ones would make the stones dim significantly, and your best finds would temporarily suck the magic out of the gems completely for a few minutes
>Though you might not have Rarity's eye for detail, but this method suits you just fine
>The only concern was that some of your best deposits were very close to the caves of some of those giant eels you know frequent the area.
>They are usually nocturnal, but your mining could easily draw attention
>This actually becomes a problem on your last deposit, where one happens to slither out of its hole as you work

>As it slowly emerges, you quickly piece together your plan of action
>You could try to stay perfectly still, but there's no guarantee it wouldnt smell you nearby and lunge
>You could try to back away gradually, but these motherfuckers are long and quick at lunging. You'd be lunch if you're noticed and wont have enough distance
>There isnt any nearby cover in such an open area either to wedge yourself into
>There was only one option left....to fight.
>Even if you cant kill it, you can at least do enough damage to get a clean break away, but it wont come without cost.
>While the cavern eel stirs and flicks its tongue to get the scent of the immediate area, you look at your pickax fondly
>it was one of your longest lasting tools in your stay in Equestria, and one of the most reliable. Your entire living was in part supported by this thing
>But now, you're going to have to part ways
>You slot two of your unused magic gems into a pair of sockets you used to temporarily enhance your old friend as you worked, with one containing "fire" magic and the other containing "wind".
>With a chisel from your belt, you strike both gems, cracking them.
>You know this would get the serpent's attention, as the sound of magical crackling will alert most wildlife in the immediate vicinity
>But that's just what you counted on

>You've only got one chance, and it will have to be enough.
>As it turns towards the sound, you make a good jump off of a nearby rock and strike it in the eye with the sharpest point, embedding it as deeply as possible
>The serpent screeches audibly and flails about, pulling itself away from you as you watch the gems glow as they detonate, releasing the magic they contained
>Alone, they wouldnt do much, but when fire and air are used simultaneously....
>The flame suddenly erupts around the beast in a large plume that quickly spreads throughout its scales.
>As the intensity increases, even its blood is partially evaporated by the flames
>A grimace forms on your face as you pull yourself away from the grand but disturbing scene
>You didnt even know if that beast would survive this, and with minimal introspection, you found that you didnt really care
>Immolation was a gruesome way to attack something, but your loss of old reliable hurt more than watching this thing burn.
>You decide to book it with your cache while you still could before the rest of that thing's kin awaken from the fuss.

>Returning to your campsite, you look over your current load and your remaining supplies, as well as have a snack and slake your thirst
>You can still see a small stream of smoke from the valley in the distance
>Fluttershy would be absolutely aghast at what you did
"Too bad she houses a monster far more sinister than anything I could come up with on a dime. She'd forgive him for worse, too."
>Besides, you're a human, not some hippie horse who can make any animal stand down by just talking to it.
>If you didnt kill or drive it back, chances are you would be a corpse or a meal
>MANon 1, Conscience 0
>The only thing you should be ashamed of is losing your mining bro and not getting a chance to try cooked cavern eel
>A salute to your fallen friend - his sacrifice on this journey will not be in vain.
>You'll rest for the day and break camp come the sunrise tomorrow, and it'll be off to the Kirins to make your blade and maybe get a little drunk