Anonymous in Nu-Questria 2

You’re not sure how many flights you had to go down. The stairs seemed to just keep twisting down deeper in a never-ending spiral. You didn’t come across a single landing or doorway on the way down. Just steps and railings and steps and more railings.

You thought about the immense volume of water pressing in around the long, thin cavity. You figure the outer shell of this thing has to be pretty thick, or at least you hope it is. You shuddered as you imagined the walls giving in.

The bottom of the tower was an unremarkable floor that had another set of double doors at one end. It was situated in slight indent, which indicated that it connected to another part of the room.

“We’re almost there.” Sunny says.

Sunny takes the last bend of the staircase as you walk slowly behind her.

She goes up to the doors, knowing exactly what to do. With another press of her hoof, the doors began to open on their own. A gust of stagnant air flowed out from the doorway, and a grand hall revealed itself to you.

“Woah. Now this definitely looks important.” Sunny says in a loud whisper.

The hall before you is dimly lit with torches lining the walls. The ceiling is so high that you can’t tell where it is. There are rows of pillars made from crystal, and a raised section at the far end that almost looks like an altar. The walls have decorative carvings in them that resemble tall, arched windows.

At the back wall, there is another six-pointed crystal hanging on metal supports. It feels almost like a crucifix.

You and Sunny make your way through the hall. As you approach the raised section, you notice a hexagonal panel on the floor with the tops of several white orbs embedded into it. They glow with self-emissive light.

Sunny stands close to the raised platform. Her ears are folded back from nervousness, and she leans her head forward.

“Hello?” She asks meekly.

The torch flames all simultaneously dim for a moment. Then, a voice booms forth from the ether.

“Welcome, Sunny Starscout.” Says the voice in a very royal tone.

You recognize it immediately and your blood runs cold.

“And Anonymous the human.” The voice adds with a hint of displeasure.

“T-twilight?” Sunny says. She turns to you. “Is that... her? Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

“What the... fuck?” You say, glancing around.

“The symbol of my greatest accomplishment, standing right next to the symbol of my world’s downfall.” The voice says. “Quite poetic, really.”

“What is this?” You say. You don’t notice any cameras or speakers anywhere. “Where are you?”

“We have a lot to catch up on, Anon. But first...” The voice says.

You watch the orbs inside the raised platform let off a faint white smoke. The smoke rises up to form the shape of a tall, slender mare. Colors begin to magically spread along the mass of clouds, and the form shifts into clear definition. There’s a long, pointed horn, a mane that billows in an unseen wind, and a pair of outstretched, violet wings.

Sunny gasps silently. Her jaw hangs open and her eyes go wide as she beholds the full majesty of the alicorn princess.

You see it too, but your mind cannot fully comprehend it.

The Princess looks down at her with a calm, composed smile. Her face shines brilliantly in the holographic display. Her muzzle is as long as Celestia’s was, and she stands at nearly the same height.

You realize you aren’t breathing. The visage of Twilight penetrates your mind. Even though she wears a crown and is adorned with royal regalia, you cannot for the life of you accept this to be truly her.

“I am here.” Twilight’s hologram says.

The princess bows her head slightly and closes her eyes.

“I-It’s you! Oh my stars...!” Sunny says in a stammer. Tears of joy start to stream from her eyes. She holds her hooves up to her chest.

You finally take in a shaky breath.

It just can’t be. This can’t be her.

Yet as the figure of Twilight Sparkle raises her head, you get a sense that it’s too elaborate not to be. Her mane flows with a wellspring of arcane energy around it. The pinks fade to purples, and then the purples fade to a midnight blue. A field of stars glitter inside, and all together it forms a tactful pastiche of the Equestrian night sky.

It’s her. Holy fuck, she’s actually still alive.

“You have endured a great deal, my little pony.” Twilight says to Sunny. “Thanks to you, magic has finally, finally returned..”

Sunny gasps silently.

Twilight raises a gilded hoof to her chest. “You have proven yourself to Equestria. First, by uniting the three pony tribes. Second, by seeking me out. Only one who truly had harmony and truth in their heart could have done this. And I must say... I am very proud.” She says.

Sunny’s face runs wet with tears as the corners of her smile pull tight against her cheeks. She seems so happy that she could burst. Twilight’s eyes dampen. She leans her head down towards Sunny to speak again.

"Twilight. Is that really you?" You say, taking a hesitant step forward.

Twilight quickly turns to glare at you with a disappointed expression. You balk a bit and relax from your timid posture.

“What? Aren’t you happy to see me?” You say with a charming grin.

“Wait your turn, Anonymous. This isn’t about you.” Twilight says.

You let out a snort. You feel a giddy sensation rising up inside.

“Why, so you can keep doing your Celestia impression? Come on, it’s me!” You say, throwing your hands out to the sides.

Twilight raises up to assume a regal posture. Her glare shoots right through you. The hatred is palpable.

You drop your hands dejectedly. A conflicted feeling rises up inside you. Now you have finally met a pony from the time before, and it just happens to be the one that hates your guts the most. Well, the feeling is mutual, Twilight.

“So... what is all this, exactly? Was this all some sort of test for her? The wilderness? The creatures with guns? The storm?” You ask.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Twilight says plainly.

“Well, I’m sorry Twilight, but this is just... embarrassing! What are you doing here? You’re hiding out while the world is in ruins?” You say.

You look at her incredulously. She stares right through you.

“I was getting to that, Anon.” She says. “If you’ll be so kind-”

“And what did you mean by ‘symbol of the world’s downfall’ any way, huh?” You say, getting riled up more by the second.

“That should be obvious to you, Anonymous. Or do you not remember your crimes?” Twilight snaps back.

Sunny hears this and gasps. You feel hot under the collar of your uniform. You clench your fists tight.

“Listen. I did my time, Twilight.” You say. “Sunny and her friends let me out. You said that might happen.”

“Well yes, that is true!” Twilight says with a short nod. “But I didn’t think it would be so soon. Tell me, how exactly did you end up on the east coast of the continent, hm?”

You are confused. Did she not remember putting you there?

“You’re the one that was supposed to keep track of that. How could you blame me? I was in solid crystal for fuck’s sake!” You say, waving a hand in disbelief.

Twilight smiles slowly. Her violet eyes narrow.

“So, if it wasn’t you, then who helped you?” She says.

You grit your teeth. Something about her face triggers you. You feel a twinge of something buried deep in your mind. A dark urge for malevolence and destruction. You suddenly remember the loaded handgun in your pocket, but you quickly push the thought away.

“Wait!” Sunny shouts.

She walks up between you and the princess. She holds out a hoof between both of you. She looks at each one of you individually with an anxious expression on her face.

“What is Anon charged with, exactly? What are his crimes?” She says, looking to Twilight.

You relax your posture a bit. Twilight glances Sunny with a smile you can only view as condescending.

“Sunny, I am not blaming you. You were right to bring him along, and I’m sure he might have even helped you. But Anonymous is a very dangerous human. He is a threat to our world.” She says.

“That’s bullshit.” You say. “You’re a much bigger threat. What about that giant storm up there? You want to explain why you did that?”

You point up to the ceiling. Sunny glances up with you.

“Oh, the self-perpetuating thunderstorm?” Twilight says. “That wasn’t my doing, Anonymous. Honest. I just use it as cover for my secret base of operations.”

Twilight tilts her head at you. You scowl.

“I could stop it if I wanted to, but what would be the point? All it would do is give away my exact location. I thought it best to keep the Abyssinian military away from my affairs.” She says.

The audacity of this mare. You walk to the front of the hologram and stand directly in the princess’s view. Your unbidden displeasure is painted starkly on your face.

“So how did it happen?” You ask as your words turn sour.

Twilight lowers her head a bit. The length of her horn and her golden crown tilt towards your head.

“Well, Anon. To put it simply, Equestria has changed quite a lot from what you remember. Certain events were put into motion which lead to disastrous results. You are one of the main figures to influence these events.” She says.

You resist the urge to punch her. What are these accusations? Why can’t she just be glad to see you after all this time?

“You wanna tell us anything specific Twilight?!” You say snarkily.

“Certainly.” Twilight says. “And I want Sunny to hear this too.”

She straightens up her impressively long neck.

“Anon, when you graced us with your presence so long ago, you brought a few things with you, did you not?”

“No, not really.” You say. “Unless you count the clothes on my back.”

“Ideas, Anon.” Twilight says with small smirk. “You brought ideas from your human planet to our world.”

Twilight looks to the side and raises up a hoof. “And ideas, Anon, are very hard to get rid of. Aren’t they?”

You feel a pit grow in your stomach as you grimace harder at the princess.

Another hologram materializes above Twilight’s hoof. It’s a simple bolt-action rifle that slowly rotates in the air.

“You recognize this device, correct?” Twilight says.

You exhale in one long, hot breath and slump your shoulders. You know where she’s going with this.

“Wait. I recognize it.” Sunny says. “That’s a firearm.”

You close your eyes and pinch the bridge of your nose. Is this really happening?

“Yes, indeed! Very astute, Sunny! This is a rifle. A type of firearm that is incredibly common in Anon’s world!” She says.

“So what?” You say.

“Well, I’m glad you asked, Anon! The very first rifle that was ever produced was made by you! Quite an honor, isn’t it? Your name was in history books!” She says.

You facepalm. Sunny looks completely shocked as she slowly turns toward you.

Fuck.

“This is what it looked like, by the way.” Twilight says. Another rifle appears next to the first. It is an exact replica of your home-made gun.

“So... so fucking what?” You say, gesturing vehemently at the hologram. “Ponies have fucking smartphones and computers now! They are way more advanced technologically than they were in the past. So what if they also invented guns along the way? That’s not my fault!”

“Oh, but it wasn’t ponies that invented firearms, Anon. It was creatures. Ordinary, innocent creatures that had a slight tendency towards violence due to their turbulent pasts. They were part of a rapidly-growing, rapidly-industrializing nation. You decided to give the secrets of firearm technology... to them.” She says.

The blood drains from your face.

“That’s right. Those documents you made? Well, they survived despite my best efforts to contain them. The spread of harmful information is like the spread of weeds. No matter how many you pull, there's always more.” Twilight says.

Twilight waves her hoof and the two holograms dissipate.

“Ideas, Anon!” She says as she leans her head forward. “Ideas are very hard to get rid of.”

She snorts through her long muzzle, her violet eyes are burning with hate. You tremble from the fury building up inside you.

“And that’s not all.” Twilight says. “Besides spreading the ideas of mass-produced killing machines, you were also able to infect Equestrian culture with many other... unique, human ideas.”

She’s wearing a smugly confident grin. She’s practiced this speech to you thousands of times to herself. You just know she has.

“Sure, some were rather beneficial, like the ideas on electric infrastructure, circuitry and microprocessors.”

She waves to the panels beneath her.

“However, these were vastly outweighed by the more negative and destructive ones.”

“Like. What.” You say mostly through your teeth.

“How about propaganda, Anon?” Twilight says. “Did you ever think that ponies might have been influenced by your little drunken escapades? You inspired a certain group of changelings to spread fear and disorder among my population. My nation was beset by whispered ideas of uprisings and regime changes.”

Wait, is she talking about... what was her name again? Mallerie?

“Did you think that your actions went completely unnoticed by everyone around you? You often tried to pass off your more awful deeds as mere jokes, but every joke has a grain of truth to it, does it not?”

Twilight raises her eyebrows at you.

“You helped plant the seeds of disharmony in Equestria, Anonymous. That much is evident. For this and many other things, you are a danger to this world and all ponykind.” She says.

You look down at Sunny. Your face remains stern, but you try to find hope in her eyes. She is lost in a state of shock. She can say nothing at all.

“No.” You say. You slowly raise your eyes up to meet Twilight’s.

“You’re wrong, Twilight. I’m not the same Anon that left you all those years ago.” You say.

Twilight silently blinks and turns to the side.

“Even if that is the case, it does not excuse you from facing justice. You have not served the full length of your original sentence, Anonymous. Don’t you remember?” She says.

“What?!” You say.

“You were supposed to be banished forever. For your entire human lifetime. You swore to never return, and now that you have been... accidentally revived, you must agree to return to my custody immediately in order to send you back to Earth. ”

She looks you directly in your eyes and says, “Regardless, I am a princess of friendship. I can see that you still would like to be a part of your world. I will grant you a chance at redemption, Anon. You will be awakened for parole in one year’s time.”

“One YEAR?!” You shout.

The audacity of this stupid overgrown bitch. What the fuck is she even the ruler of any more?!

“Yes.” Twilight says calmly.

You glance at Sunny, who is trying to process this all. You glance to the side and try to think.

“Wait. Wait.” You say. “How long is that, exactly? How long would that even be in your time?” You say nervously.

Twilight sighs. “Oh, I suppose I should tell you, Anon.”

You look at her. A twinge of fear shoots down your back.

“It’s been four hundred and sixty-seven years since you left.” Twilight says.

Fuck. Fuck.

“S-so wait. That means one year on Earth is like...”

“Fifty one point eight repeating years.” Twilight says. “Give or take. The time dilatation from multiverse travel can sometimes fluctuate by up to five years.”

You can only look in shock.

“What the... fuck, Twilight?” You say, thinking of Sunny growing old as decades slip by in the blink of an eye. “What kind of monster are you?”

Twilight gives you a passionless expression.

“You had your chance to be my friend, Anon.” She says. “I remember a time when we were amicable, but you betrayed my trust too many times. You let down my entire generation. I am sorry, Anon, but we cannot afford to have you in our world.”

She steps off to the side and paces around the platform in front of you.

“Time has passed. If you have truly changed, then you must also know that I am not the same Twilight either. I am much less lenient when it comes to those who spread disharmony. We have given too many chances to those who deserved so few.”

“So what, you’re going to just slap me back into a box? Just like that?!” You say, taking a step back.

You whip your head to Sunny, who is still lost in taciturn contemplation.

“Sunny, are you just going to let her do this? Come on! You know this isn't right!” You say.

Sunny looks at Twilight, then back to you. She then stares off into space ahead of her.

“I... I...” She stammers.

“Sunny is no longer any of your concern, Anon.” Twilight says. “I should thank you for seeing her safely to me, but beyond that, I cannot let you interfere any longer in her life. She has a bright and shining future ahead of her, and you will not be a part of it.”

You start hyperventilating.

You’re sick of this. You’re so sick and tired of playing Twilight’s game. She should be dead. Equestria is destroyed and now she wants to try and play the role of the all-knowing mentor? Fuck that.

“Yeah, well I got one thing you don’t!” You shout. “Sunny is my FRIEND! She helped me, and I helped her. Got it? If she’s going to be the next princess then you should have her decide! Let her decide if I’m a criminal or not!”

You turn to the kind, orange mare. You kneel down and look into her eyes.

“Sunny. Come on. Please.” You say desperately. You take her hoof off the floor and hold it.

Sunny slowly opens her mouth. She tries to find the words, but she just can’t seem to grasp them.

“Well, Sunny. Anon does have a point.” Twilight says. She walks forward and leans down with her lengthy neck.

“You are going to lead ponykind one day. You need to make decisions like this. So what would you have me do? Let him stay here and risk him causing further disharmony? Or have him leave to return when the world is better prepared?”

Sunny lowers her head slowly.

Twilight leans over Sunny. She stands like a mother over a lost filly. Her ethereal hoof reaches out to Sunny's shoulder.

“You are just beginning your journey. Yet I know that deep in your heart, you will do what’s right. For the good of everycreature in this world, you must make your choice, Sunny Starscout.” She says.

Sunny looks up at you. In a small, timid voice, she says, “Anon...”

You wait for her to continue with baited breath. Twilight calmly waits as well.

“Is it true? Did you really bring guns to Equestria?”

You feel something snap inside of you. No longer any rage left, all you can feel now is the pain.

“I mean...” You say, but can’t finish the words.

You huff and your eyes feel puffy. You can’t look at her any more.

“I didn’t want to hurt anybody, Sunny. It was just a mistake. I got... carried away, alright?” You say.

For a long moment, you wait for her to say something. She simply just hangs her head. Your grip loosens and Sunny’s hoof slips out of your hands.

“See, there you have it.” Twilight says, swooping her neck toward you. “You are agreeing that you did irreparable damage to this world through your actions, correct?”

You turn toward Twilight. “No. I did not.” You say.

Twilight steps to the center of the platform.

“Hm. Very well. Sunny, what is your decision?” Twilight says.

Sunny’s points her gaze to the floor. Her mane sweeps down her neck, and she rubs the side of her head with a hoof. Although it is only a few seconds, it seems like ages before she speaks.

“A-Anon.” She stammers. “It... it won’t be that long for you.”

You feel as if you were speared through the chest.

“Please... believe me. I’ll be there when you return. I promise.” She says. She bites your lip nervously, and a tremble rolls down her body.

Twilight frowns and nods.

“A wise, but noble choice. I am very glad to have put my faith in you, Sunny.”

“Sunny... why?” You say.

“I still have to figure out how your sarcophagus got moved across to the east coast. It’s quite puzzling, really.” Twilight says. “Plus, I have to make sure you didn’t accidentally inspire any other ideas to ponies around the area. Oh, so much to do-” Twilight says.

“Show me your face!” You interject loudly.

Twilight looks up at you and you see the faintest hint of smugness pull at her lips.

“SHOW YOURSELF, TWILIGHT!” You scream. You raise your balled-up fists and square up your shoulders.

You take a step forward and bring your fist down onto the panel. You punch right near the corner, hard. Your hand immediately stings with pain, but for a split-second the hologram of Twilight cuts out.

Twilight rears back a hoof in shock. “Oh my. I can see you’re a little upset.”

You bang on the panel again and again with your fists. There’s some kind of plexiglass cover over the orbs, so you can’t smash them. You continue to try regardless, pouring your emotion out with your fists.

“I’m done. I’m fucking done with your shit, Twilight. I’m not going to let you groom Sunny just like Celestia groomed you. She deserves better, dammit! She deserves to be happy!!” You shout.

Your knuckles start to bleed. It hurts too much to continue. You exhale in a growl as you crouch down, jam your fingers into the small gap underneath the panel and try to wrench the entire thing off the floor.

Your arms shake from the strain, too worn out from the trip over to be of any use, but you put all of your strength in regardless.

Twilight steps back and raises a hoof in the air awkwardly, but she doesn’t seem scared or even put-off. Her eyes even betray a hint of glee.

This makes you redouble your efforts. Your face starts to turn red.

Sunny jumps onto the panel in front of you. Her body makes the hologram distort slightly behind her.

“ANON! STOP!” She shouts. She stomps a hoof loudly.

You look at her with your teeth clenched tight, hot breath hisses from them.

“STOP! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!” Sunny yells.

“Gah!” You shout as you let go. You fall back on your side and then quickly sit up.

Twilight puts her hoof down slowly and looks at you. Sunny is standing protectively in front of her with a bold look on her face.

“As you can see, Sunny. Anon is not quite yet ready to rejoin our society...” Twilight says.

“I... I thought I knew you, Anon.” Sunny says, pausing to sniffle. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”

You slowly rise to your feet. You feel blood dripping down your hands.

“Sunny. I was just trying to protect myself!” You say. “You know how dangerous this world can be.”

You look at her as a tired, broken man at the end of your rope. She stares back, the fearless and pious mare she was from the very beginning.

She doesn't believe you, but you have to try.

“Listen, I don’t know who this... thing is. But she is not your friend.” You say. You point at the false Princess.

“I have to answer for my crimes, but she doesn’t. Equestria fell under her rule, but she doesn’t take any blame. How is that remotely fair? How can you side with her?!” You say.

Sunny’s sad, sea green eyes roll off to the side. Her mouth opens and she tries to say something, but she can’t. She lowers her head and sits down.

“Anonymous. She has made up her mind.” Twilight says as she adopts her royal tone once more.

“It is time for you to go back.”

A door opens at the side of the hall. Twilight motions to it with a hoof.

“Go into the door on your right. I will be with you shortly.” She says.

You tremble with anger for a moment, but your rage subsides as you remember the gun. You look at Twilight with a shrewd, unblinking gaze.

“Fine. Will you at least look me in the eyes before you banish me? Hm?” You say.

“Of course.” Twilight says. “I will perform the banishment spell personally. I'll arrange some time to meet beforehand.”

“Alright then.” You say coldly.

This is it. It’s either you or her. Fuck the monarchy, right?! You finally break eye contact with Twilight and walk off to the side.

“Anon...” Sunny says.

You stop and look back at Sunny. She looks so lost and forlorn that you can hardly stand it.

Sunny says, “Will I see you again?”

You slowly turn to her.

“That’s not up to me any more, Sunny.” You say.

You try to smile. You fail. There’s a hint of hope on Sunny’s face, but it doesn’t linger very long.

“Please tell them... Izzy, Hitch, Zipp and Pipp... tell them that I’m sorry. I don't expect them to forgive me, but I hope I see them again one day.” You say.

Sunny nods once, but her worry is spelled out across her face.

You turn and walk through the open doorway. Your steps are purposeful and direct. Your body tenses up as you dread doing the most important thing you will ever do.