Anonymous in Nu-Questria 2

The last measure of Equestria’s national anthem faded. The trumpets went silent, and all that was left was the sound of the wind whistling through the mountainside.

You are Sunny Starscout.

Equestria was more beautiful than you could have possibly imagined.

The scenic hologram of the Ancient Equestrian vista fades before your very eyes. Twilight Sparkle’s from fades with it. The holographic display goes dark, and for a few moments, everything is quiet.

You realize you have not blinked in a long while. Your eyelids feel dry as you finally close them.

The orbs then flicker back on suddenly. An abrupt cloud of smoke rushes up from center of the platform. You open your eyes to see the Princess materializes in front of you once again.

You stand up on all four hooves as she appears.

“So, Sunny.” Twilight says calmly. “Do you now understand what you must do?”

You look at her in absolute reverence.

“Yes, Princess.” You respond. You nod slowly, a feeling of righteousness building in your chest.

“Harmony must be brought back. There is no cost too great. You must do this not only for your generation, but for all generations that follow.” Twilight says.

“I understand.” You say. You bow your head and drop to one knee. “Thank you, Princess.”

Twilight smiles softly at you.

“Rise, Sunny Starscout. There is no need to bow.” She says.

You slowly stand up, feeling a bit flustered.

“You don’t need to call me Princess, either. Just Twilight is fine.” She says with a kind smile. “Do not think of me as only your teacher, Sunny. First and foremost, I’d like to be your friend.” She says.

The words wash over you and fill you with elation. Friends. Twilight Sparkle wants to be friends with you.

Friends?

Your heart skips a beat as you suddenly remember that they are waiting for you. Hitch, Izzy, Zipp, Pipp. They’re held captive by Zelina’s army.

“Prin-er, Twilight! There’s something I must do first. I’m sorry.” You say.

“Oh?” Twilight says as she tilts her head. “Whatever could that be?”

Your cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“In order to get here, I kind of had to... leave my friends behind with an Abyssinian Major General. I told her I could put an end to the ever-storm. I didn’t know what was really causing it. I messed up. I’m sorry. Let me make it right.” You say.

Your face burns and you have to look away. Oh stars, you feel so foolish.

Twilight tilts her ears to the side. “Oh? Is that all?” She says.

She raises her head up proudly and closes her eyes. You watch her horn start to glow. You expect some great burst of magic, but nothing seems to happen.

You glance around. Twilight lowers her head and her horn stops glowing.

“Very well. The storm is gone.” She says.

“W-wait. Just like that?” You say.

“Just like that.” She responds.

“But what about the cover for your secret base? What about saving your magic?” You say.

“Oh Sunny, don’t worry so much.” Twilight says, giggling under her breath. “I haven’t survived this long without having a backup plan. It’s fine!”

She smiles proudly.

You blink. You realize you are rubbing your mane nervously.

“So... uh.” You say.

“So. Go and reunite with your friends! Tell the commanding officer that you have completed your task. They will see how magic can be used to help others, and they’ll release your friends. They’ll be free to go!”

She raises a hoof as she keeps talking casually as if this is the most simple thing in the world.

“It’s actually a good thing you interacted with them so early. It makes for an excellent first step! After your friends are safe, your next task will be to sow the seeds of friendship among their ranks! You will do this by showing them how magic and friendship can work for them rather than against them.”

You gulp.

“You want me to convince an entire army of creatures that hate magic to just... change their minds?” You say anxiously.

Twilight nods gently.

“Small steps, Sunny. You will take small steps little by little to accomplish this.” She says.

You reluctantly nod.

“Oh... okay. I guess so.” You say, catching yourself with a timid tone in your voice.

“Fear not. The Abyssinian military is supposed to be destroying magic artifacts. However, I know that most of the soldiers have been collecting them in secret. Deep down, many of them hope to see the return of magic just as you and I do. You must do is unlock the power they already have. Bring magic back to them, and they will be able to use what they have collected.” Twilight says.

“But... how?” You ask.

Twilight looks at you like you asked why water is wet.

“You must make friends with them, Sunny. Stay among their ranks and spread the truth.” Twilight says.

You feel very uneasy when you think about staying here with the members of Zelina’s army.

“Of course, I don’t expect you to do this right away. It will take time, Sunny. Focus on one or two creatures, and start from there.” She says.

You let out a breath and run a hoof over your mane nervously. You tap your hooves nervously.

“Okay, okay... I’ll do it.” You say.

“Yes. I know you will. Just like me, you are touched with a special gift. You understand the true importance of friendship, and all that it can be.” She says.

“I... I do.” You say. You smile a bit and perk up your ears.

Twilight nods sagely. You inhale and puff out your chest.

“Hoo! Okay! Gonna go save my friends, and befriend an army. I’ll be right back, to this, uh, royal chamber in no time!” You say with an awkward nod.

Twilight raises a hoof gingerly. The door on the opposite end of the hall swings open on its own.

You look over your shoulder as you hear the scraping of stone. You see the exit, and suddenly feel a pang of guilt.

You look back at Twilight.

“Uh, Twilight. Will... will Anon be alright?” You ask hesitantly.

Twilight lets out a long, slow sigh. “Sunny...” She says.

Her eyes have that look to them. It’s the same look you got from the older mares in the Bay. “It’s for your own good, Sunny.” They would say. “Your elders know what’s best.”

“I think it’s best if you forget about him.” Twilight says.

You feel something snap inside you. You push it down. Now is not the time...

“I know it’s hard, but this will be much better in the long run. Please trust me, my student.” Twilight says.

She sounds so very compassionate. You open your mouth, but the words won’t come. You swallow and simply nod your head.

“I... understand.” You say.

“Well, I have quite a lot to prepare for! Now that you’re here there’s so much to do, Sunny! Big things are in motion for Equestria!” Twilight says.

She levitates a book hologram in front of her. It opens by herself, and Twilight looks down and levitates a quill to the page. She smiles warmly as she writes something down.

You turn and start to walk away. You glance back at Twilight one last time as she puts the book down.

“Farewell, Sunny Starscout!” Twilight says. “Believe in the magic of friendship, and you will never be steered wrong.”

The smoke starts to rise up again, and her form starts to fade.

“Goodbye, Twilight.” You say as you walk away.

Your mind goes blank as you step out of the large double doors of the grand hall. You plod up the spiral staircase in a haze. You walk methodically, like a robot. You should feel elated, but you’re only numb on the inside.

Why do you feel so uncertain? Is this what it feels like to live out your dreams?

You lose track of how far you walk as you mull over your feelings. You find yourself standing on the landing at the top of the stairs. The door is already open at the top, and you can see out to the lake beyond.

The sky is big, blue and clear. Where there was once the constant noise of rain and thunder, there is now only a gentle breeze. The clouds are gone, and you squint as your eyes take in the light of day.

You walk to the balcony over the lake. The boat is still there, just bobbing in the water.

You stare at it as a very anxious feeling wells up in your chest.

Why are you scared now? Why do you hesitate?

You look down and notice that your hoof is partially covering a muddy boot print. You lift your hoof off the print and look at it. Your mind recalls the human that made it, and your eyes begin to well up with tears.

Anon.

What did he say about Twilight?

“She was the Princess of Friendship that abandoned her friends.”

You grit your teeth. You feel the tears bead up at the corners of your eyes.

No! What are you thinking? You quickly wipe your eyes.

He’s a criminal! He’s dangerous!

You shake your head and flip your mane.

You start to stomp down the stairs to the boat, but you can’t help but keep thinking about his dumb little smile.

Horseapples. Why did he say that just before he left?!

“Please... tell them that I’m sorry. I hope I see them again one day.”

Shoot! How are you going to tell them? You didn't even think about that. What will Izzy say?!

You sit down and put your face into your hooves. You rub your eyes and sniffle more.

If he doesn’t care, if he just wants to spread disharmony, then why did he consider them friends? Why was he so sad to leave them behind?

Why did he look so sad to leave... you?

You wipe your eyes and nose. You blink and try to clear your head.

Across the vast lake there is a thin, dark tower. Inside are your friends. You will have to explain that the friend they knew and trusted was a criminal. A person bent on destruction.

But... do you even believe that?

Your face twists up. You feel anger boiling up inside.

You stomp your hoof. Then you stomp it three more times.

No! No! No!

This isn’t right!

You tilt your head up, let out a loud wail and start to cry.

You breathe in short, shallow gasps as you stare up at the sky. You need to try and make sense of all this. To see the light of truth within your mind.

But it feels like the storm has moved from the world into your head. Swirling clouds of confusion and doubt obscure all.

If this is truly what Twilight believes in, then why does it hurt you so much inside to do it? Doing the right thing shouldn’t feel like this.

You lower your head and let the tears run down your muzzle. They drop to the floor.

Not like this. Please. You never even got a chance to tell him.

You shake your head vigorously. You try to push the feeling down. It comes right back up. It makes you want to shout and stomp and cry even more.

But you can’t deny it any more.

You... love him.

It took losing him to finally see it. Now all you can think about is how many chances you threw away. How many times you could have told him how really felt. How he makes you feel when he’s around. How happy you were to have him by your side.

Now he’s gone. You abandoned him. Why would he want to come back?

You blink and wipe your eyes. You try to just breathe for a moment.

You slowly take your saddlebag off your back. You open the flap to see the crystals inside.

You feel like you want to throw them into the lake. You don’t want to be the new ruler of Equestria. Not if means doing things like this.

Your face twists up again. As you try to fight back the tears, a shimmer of light catches your eye.

You look in your satchel and see that there’s a flickering light coming from inside the crystals.

You blink in confusion. In this state, you don’t feel any kind of friendship. You feel angry, sad, confused...

But the crystals continue to glow.

You look at the crystals again. They are glowing stronger now. Even though it doesn’t make any sense, the sight makes your heart beat faster, and a swell of passion bubbles up inside you.

The crystals wiggle themselves out of the pack. They begin to delicately float in the air in front of you.

Then you realize it.

This is a test. Twilight is testing you, isn’t she?

“Even the worst pony has some good in them, Sunny.”

The words of your father come back to you.

“Sometimes it can be hard to see, but if you try hard enough, you’ll see them for who they really are. Everypony has some good in them, you just have to try and bring it out.”

Anon can be saved. Even if he did all these terrible things, you know that he’s still a good person at heart. That’s why he came all this way with you, isn’t it?

Oh, it makes so much sense now! You turn and start to gallop towards the door, the crystals gliding alongside you with every step.