Day 4 in Equestria Pt 2

>As you make your way through town, various ponies greet you, sometimes starting small conversations, sometimes giving you free samples, generally making you feel welcome.  The feeling is nice, and you graciously accept the company as well as the materials.
>By the time you reach the treebrary, you have been fairly loaded down with fruits, vegetables, addresses, a couple soaps, etc, etc.
>You kick the door, hoping someone will be there right now to open up and let you inside.
>Thankfully someone is.
>You head inside, and mumble out a thanks, to whoever it was that opened the door for you.
>You make your way to your room, and deposit your gift pile onto the bed.
>As you begin cataloguing what today has brought you, you hear the door shut, and a lock slide into place.
>You turn around to see what's up, and find yourself staring into two greenish-blue eyes.
>In an instant, your joy at coming home and receiving gifts is reduced to nothing, as you are assailed by an unnatural and paralyzing fear.
>You are frozen in place as she slowly steps forward, her eyes swallowing you whole.

>She pushes you onto the bed, which breaks eye contact for a second.
>You quickly ball up and shut your eyes, whatever she's planning on doing cannot be good.  She stamps a hoof, but does not leave, instead she walks behind you, the room soon smells of hay, and oat.
>You refuse to look at whatever it is she's trying to do.
>Eventually, she grows  tired of whatever it is she's doing, and gets up.  She unlocks the door, opens it, and you hear the door shut.
>You don't trust it yet though, so you swing your arms wildly, and manage to connect with something definitely pretending to have left the room.
>She yelps as your open hand connects with her jaw, and leaves whimpering.  You hazard a peek around you and find that almost everything in the room is wet with some semi-thick substance.  The substance is the source of the smell, and you can't stand to be in there any longer.
>You walk out of the room, make sure the yellow freak has left, and make your way out of the house.
>She likely wouldn't try anything in public.
1/?

>As you walk around town, keeping in view of at least three p0nies at a time, you feel your head begin to throb.  The pain is different this time however, This time it is not debilitating to your faculties.
>If anything, you would describe this pain as sharpening your awareness.
>You see the colors of the world, hear the sounds and smell the scents of the world.  You get the feeling you need to walk to the Everfree forest.  It is as though someone is calling to you.
>Someone familiar.
>You abandon your original task of merely walking around, and make your way to the forest''s edge.  For a moment, you come to your senses as you recall your friends' warnings about the dangerous creatures that dwell within.
>This moment of clarity is quashed entirely however, as  a new wave of pain crests over your consciousness.
>You clutch your hands to your temples, attempting to prevent your brain from leaking out your ears.


>Thankfully the pain passes, but before you realize what's happened, you find you've somehow made your way into the woods, and are now hurrying along what could never be considered a path to somewhere you hope you'll find answers.
>After what feels like an hour or so of making your way through the dense foliage, you break into a clearing of the canopy.  The sudden light blinds you, and you throw up your arms to protect yourself from the harsh rays.
>When you finally feel comfortable enough, you let down your arms, and see at the opposite side of the clearing, a lone standing figure.
>He looks… familiar
>Nay, he looks exactly like you!
2/?

>You are now Anonymous again and what?
>Pinkie told you after a bit of drinking that there was a mirror pool somewhere in the forest, and that when you stepped into it two of you came out.
>Is there maybe a mirror pool deal going on here?
>He's just standing there, staring at you.
>He looks terrible though, almost as though he's had to survive in here for quite some time.
>His suit is torn and dirty.  He's got scrapes bruises and scars all over his exposed skin.  He simultaneously a mad and a cold look in his eyes.
>It sends shivers down your spine to see the way he's peering at you.
>You are contemplating saying something to the other you, but before you get a chance, he says something unintelligible.
>It sounds like something between a hiss, a hacking cough, and a laugh.


>You get a very bad feeling, and begin looking about the ground for a stick or a rock, anything really to possibly keep him away from you.
>The pain from earlier has also returned, settling in the center of your skull, and steadily increasing in intensity.
>He continues making the odd terrible noise, never moving from his spot, simply watching you with his mad unblinking eyes.
>The heat of the forest becomes glaringly apparent as the pain in your skull continues to climb.  the buzzing of mosquitoes, the stench of the wilderness, it is all bearing down upon your senses as you huddle into a ball trying to clear your thoughts.
>Soon, it becomes too much, and you let out a scream, before diving into the foliage in a pathetic attempt to escape the pain, and the whispers in your ears.
>The whispers take on a haunting and melodic tone, drowning out the sounds and feelings of the forest.
3/?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCRa7S8O-tU
>i have long been waiting to see you my friend.
>You open your eyes to see that you are no longer in any forest.  To be honest, you cannot tell where you are.
>there is a vast emptiness all around you, but you don't feel fear of any kind.  There is instead, a great knowing feeling that settles upon your mind.  As you continue looking about yourself, you look down and see you are standing on the surface of a great mirror.
>The other you is looking at you with the same mad eyes the feral anon in the forest did.
>That's you?!
>no.
>we are not the same.
>you've seen what's left of me out there, in the "real" world.
What's happening?


>The other you makes a sneering face, looking down on you from below.
>what?  did the child forget the bad memories?  did he want mamma to make it all go away?
>coward!
>A chorus of whispers repeat the accusation, beating you down into a quivering pile.
>i will not be denied any longer.
>we have a home, and we are past due for returning.
We? A home?  Isn't this my home?
>The feral anon seems to sadden immensely upon hearing you say this, the fire in his eyes replaced with the ice-y coldness from before.
>yes, my poor forgetful friend, we.  we had a home,  a wife, daughters,  a life!  and in the flash of a lightbulb. gone, like tears in rain.
>To see the previously so aggressive anon speak with such sorrow throws your suspicion into doubt.  If what he's saying is true, then where do you fit into this?
>There has been a dullness about your senses since waking up here in this mirror world, but suddenly, you feel the dullness cast aside as though only so much heavy fabric.
4/?

>You are now Twilight Sparkle
>The ride over to Canterlot was quiet, and uncomfortable.  Normally you'd have gotten on one of the first class carts, courtesy of the Princess.  But you knew how observant your teacher was, she'd know you were coming if you'd taken one of those.  So instead you opted to get pinkie to help you with a disguise.
>That pony may not have been a unicorn, but  in matters such as these, she had a magic of her own.
>Then you got a ticket for the coach carts.
>Just to be safe.
>Although to be honest, you didn't feel safe.  You felt terrified,  here you were attempting to acquire help from the Princess' sister, without alerting her.  Under the wrong context, this could look very bad.
>Upon arriving, you looked in on a couple "friends", made small talk, and learned what you could about luna's habits.  For as close as the two of you were, you still don't know her very well.
>You're planning on meeting up with her on her evening stroll through the Canterlot gardens.
>She'll be with her guard, but once you ditch the disguise, things should go over fine.
>You have a few hours until Then though, and the fake gut you're wearing is pretty heavy.
>Perhaps you can find a park or an inn  to sit down for a moment at.
5/?

>You've been sitting in a fairly seedy tavern for the past few hours, sticking with water, listening to the colorful conversations around you.
>It's almost time.  You've been getting a very bad feeling in your gut for the past couple minutes.
>Not about the princess,  Things have been going smoothly in that regard.
>No, this feels like something bad is happening to one of your friends.  Like they're in pain, or like they're about to be.
>You almost drop the act and head home, but you can't. Not when you've gotten so close to some answers.
>You put the concern near the back of your awareness, and focus on the task at hand
>Night has fallen, Your teacher has likely retired for the evening, and soon Luna will be making her rounds of the garden.
>You abandon the disguise, and head into the castle.  A few guards don't initially recognize you, but after a few words, you've got them leading you to Luna.
>They don't try and make any kind of small talk, which is perfectly fine for you.  You still want to go over what you'll say.  If you make a mistake now, who knows how this will go down.
>They stop just outside the garden, you thank them, and they depart, probably back to their original posts or something.
>You take a deep breath, to calm yourself, and then head in, spotting the princess of the night immediately.
>She appears to be in the middle of caring for the garden, so you wait for her to finish up before attempting to speak.
>She has however noticed you, and begins chatting with you before dismissing her guards.
6/?

>"Twilight, hello, it is a pleasure to see you this lovely evening.  Truthfully we are most grateful for the company of a friend on this night."
"H-Hello Princess,  How are you?"
>You're stuttering like Fluttershy, you must be more nervous than you thought.
>"Please Twilight, call us Luna, we are friends are we not?"
"Of course Luna,  How are you?  How is Princess Celestia?"
>"We are well, as is our sister.  She has been retiring earlier and earlier recently however.  When we asked her what was the matter, she merely attempted to dissuade our concern.  It did not help in the least."
>Perhaps the Princess was sick?
"If she's sick, then i hope she gets better soon.  Hey Luna, you know about the human Anonymous right?"
>"We have heard of him yes, but we have not gotten the chance to meet him ourselves, neither in this world nor in that of dreams."
>Luna can't enter his dreams?
"Perhaps it's because he's an unfamiliar species?"
>"We have come to this conclusion as well.  Although it is strange,  we have noticed that his dream is open to us, and yet sealed away by a powerful magic. Likely our sister herself is keeping his dreams isolated.  Perhaps she does not trust him yet."
>This is getting you nowhere, you'll need to ask Celestia herself, but that doesn't mean you are done with Luna.
"Luna, would it bother you terribly if I asked you a favor?"
>"Of course not dearest Twilight!  We are more than happy to help our friend however we can.  What do you need?"
7/?

>You are now Anonymous again, and you understand.
>Feral anon looks up at you with the eyes on fire again.  It does not phase you as it did before though.
>You understand his plight, the poor thing.  It is your plight as well, but you got the better half of the deal by far.
>There is nothing that can realistically be done for him however.
The two that were once whole, have grown in separate directions.  Such that they can never be made whole with each other again.  I am sorry, but this is the way things must be.
>i have heard this too many times.
>A spiderweb of cracks begin to form  on the formerly pristine surface of the "world".
>The pain that has been steadily increasing ever since waking in this realm, jumps in magnitude, reaching a zenith, as the world around you shatters into millions of shards glinting in the light like so  many  diamonds falling from the sky.
>The last thing you see of the world, is your reflection break into a horrible smile, before his visage is shattered like the rest of the world around him.
>You fall into a vast and indiscernible emptiness.
>You hear sounds, of children's laughter, of their tears, of a loved one's voice, and then all is silent, and all is still.
8/?

>You are now Twilight Sparkle again, and you are glad Luna trusts you as much as she does. Perhaps it's mere naiveté, perhaps she still harbors something against her sister.  Regardless she has stood by you in this your time of struggle.
>You are having difficulty dodging the Princess's magical volleys.  you know she wouldn't hurt you, but you cannot afford to lose this duel.
>Should you succeed, she has promised to answer your questions.  Should you fail, you will never again see your beloved Anonymous.
>This thought drives you to let loose your own shots against your teacher.
>She has experience, speed, power, and skill.  But you know from studying under her that she also has vanity.
>You haven't had many opportunities to duel like this before, but you have always prided yourself on being able to learn form your experiences.
>Luna is being overly aggressive, she will likely exhaust herself from expelling such energy.
>She is  helping to keep Celestia off of your flank for the moment though, so you won't complain.
>For each shot thrown her way, Celestia simply sidesteps, leaps, or shields herself.  Always wearing a smile that speaks of confidence, and certainty.
>As confident as she appears to be however, you know that the two of you are steadily wearing her down.
>Sweat gleams along her coat, and her breathing has steadily grown more labored.  She begins to laugh, exclaiming very now and then about how much fun she's having.
>You know she's merely attempting to throw you out of your comfort zone.  It seems to be working on Luna though.
9/?

>"Sister!  We will claim victory this day!  We have kept in better shape than you!"
>Poor choice of words Luna.  Celestia is not overly sensitive about mangy things, but among those, she is most sensitive about her figure.
>Celestia drops the smile, and you see a fire in her eyes.  She stops, plants her hooves solidly on the ground and erect s a barrier about herself.
>Luna begins hammering at the defense, and before you can warn her of the trap she is falling into, the shield is dispelled outwards, sending the younger Princess back onto her flank.  As her vision re-settles after the blast, a hail of bolts rains down upon her, dying her entire coat (save for her belly) the pink of Celestia's blasts.
>She's definitely out. And she's actually out cold, so it's just you and your now enraged teacher.
>"And what do You think My Faithful Student!  I'm still a pretty Princess aren't I!?"  The Princess is now firing with reckless abandon, sending shots wide, bouncing them around the room.
>The display would be beautiful and impressive if it weren't for the context in which it came a bout.
>As it stands, it frightens you, and you do your best to ball up, and hop out of the way of stray shots.
>This continues fro a solid four minutes before the Pretty princess settles down, drenched in sweat, and panting tiredly.
>You are doing little better, but with the little energy you didn't use blocking or dodging out of the way of the blasts, you let loose a pin prick of energy in her direction.
>She doesn't notice as it makes its slow path through the room.  She does however notice, when it hits square in the center of her cutiemark.
Of course I think you're beautiful Princess.  Luna was just messing around with you, I'm sure.
>The Princess takes a deep breath, composing herself, and goes back to her customary grin, and then into a light chuckle
>"Well done my student.  You have earned your answer.  But to fully understand it, you will need to trust me wholly."
I do princess,  I do with all of my heart.
>"Very well,  help me with my sister, and then we will take a walk."
10/?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ynrSEjHyRI&list=FLVRdsxaC7TdCA_0DC2AnU_g&index=155
>You are Anonymous.
>And this is not good.
>You can see what's happening to you, feel it, hear it, but you can't move.  You can do nothing as the madman tackles you to the ground, raking his nails across your face, drawing blood.
>You can do nothing as he grabs a stone of to the side and brings it down upon your hand, easily breaking at least two of your fingers.
>All the while, his eyes remain fixed upon yours, never blinking, burning into your soul.
>You can hear his voice, inside your head.
>i am sorry to need to do this to us.  But inside, there is something that keeps me at bay.  Out here, there is only the flesh, bone, and sinew.
>If i break you, you will have to return to me.  You will have to.
>There is a great deal of uncertainty in his "voice" upon repeating himself.
>He is desperate.  Perhaps he's correct, if he kills you, maybe you will go back to being one person.  But what if he's not?  And what if you don't want to be one person anymore?
>What you said in the mirror world resounds in your head, and you feel a great resolve fill your body.
>You will not cry out,  even if you cannot fight back, he will not break you like this.
11/?

What was once whole, has been shattered in two.  It cannot be mended,  no matter what you try.  You are lost to your madness, and my death will change nothing for you.
>The feral man continues beating away at your body, but you have stopped feeling any kind of pain from his attacks.
>You still cannot move while under his piercing gaze, but you have your wits about you.
Suddenly, off to the side, you can hear the rustling of leaves, and hear the feral anon make a cry at the interloper.
>His broken eye contact gives you the opportunity to push him off, and as you scramble to your feet, you notice that night has fallen, and that your visitor and inadvertent savior is none other than Fluttershy.
>She looks almost as surprised as you did when she spots the second Anon.
>A look of terror comes over his face, and a look of recognition comes over hers.
>Her presence fills the two of you with fear, but you are at the same time grateful to her for stopping the beating.
>She takes a step forward, then another, and another, and before he knows it, she she has made her way to within an inch of him.
>She has him trapped in the stare, just as he had you trapped in his.
>It all appears to be too much for him as he lets out a terrifying howl, and collapses unconscious before her.
>Your injuries finally catch up with you, a mangled hand, slashes across your face, possibly a broken arm, possibly broken ribs,  the pain is searing, and reduces you to little more than a whimpering mess.
>Events pass at an alarming rate, and you regain your senses in a hospital.  Bound and gagged.
12/12
end of day 4