>Be Krystal Shear
>You’d just left Anon outside after Gran quite rudely slammed the door in his face
>Nothing to worry about, Anon isn’t one to get angry, and he should be fine on his own
>Sure he knows basically nothing about the world for some reason, but he’ll be fine, what harm could he do?
>Gran gestures for you to take a seat
“So what was it you needed dear?”
>You put your rump on one of the spongy soft couches in her room and empty your bag on the coffee table
>Out falls the gem grower along with the metallic guard for Anon and various other bits you’d forgotten to take out
>Gran moves to a mini kitchenette while you fill her in
>”My crystal grew last night and you did tell me to bring it to you before I enchanted it, didn’t want to make you angry or anything”
>You really did not want to anger your weirdly strong, senile, and racist old friend
>Also possibly evil, she was a black suit
>Damn, so were you
“Bah! Why’d you bother, I saw the way that stallion was dotting over you, I told you not to use any love magic on him! A ‘want it need it’ enchantment was it? I’m very disappointed”
>Gran moves back to the couches with a plate of biscuits and a pot of tea
>You shake your head vigorously
>”No, no, I didn’t do a thing! He chose me, no magic needed, you can check the gem and everything!”
>Gran places the tray down and takes a seat
>Sipping on a cup of dandelion tea she gives you a quizzical eyebrow and takes out the Purple shimmer diamond from the sphere
>Which of course you’d washed thoroughly after discovering Anon had found, and touched, it last night
>The thought of Anon touching it after what you’d done had your marehood confusingly warm
>And your mind not so confusingly filling with shame
>Sheesh, he’d had to have figured out what was going on once he’d smelt your musk on that sphere 
>Gran taps the gem a few times and puts it back down
“Ha, I guess you ain’t lyin’” 
“Well I don’t think I’d ever imagined you with a stallion, you’re just too awkward. You never really were suited for the rock farm dear, but don’t let that get you down”
>How were you awkward? 
“So how’d you trick him then if not with magic?”
>Honestly you’re not sure how you managed to get Anon
>Had you done anything special to separate yourself from the other inmates?
>Not that you knew, he called you kind and caring and sweet and all that, but weren’t all ponies?
>It must have just been luck that you were the first pony to approach him who wasn’t also trying to arrest him
>Gran takes note of your brooding and brings you back
“Don’t worry dear, I was only joking. If I had a body like yours I could get all the stallions I wanted”
>Gran’s muzzle turns to a wry grin and she wink at you
“Which I did have and the line of stallions could have stretched up to Canterlot and back!”
>”Gran!”
>She starts up an old laughing weeze
“There’s nothing embarrassing about it, you younglings are all just prudes”
>She picks up the gem once more
“So what did you want to do with this if you’ve captured this beast already”
>”He’s not a beast!”
“Sure looks it, I’d love to get one of those paws on me! You’re a lucky mare”
>You sigh
>Celestia damn it Gran
>”Could you not?”
“Not what? Hehe”
>You push on, eager to get off the topic of Anon and his paws
>”I was just looking to get somepony to help make sure this enchantment goes off without a hitch”
“And that enchantment is?”
>”Just a simple shielding spell”
“That’s something well below your skill level. You could do that with your eyes closed, why involve me?”
>”I’m taking no risks, as good as any of us are we can always make a mistake”
>You learnt that the hard way yesterday
>“I want you to make sure my gift to Anon is perfect””
>She nods
“Alrighty then dear”
>You move to set things up but are blocked by Gran
>She pushes a cup toward you
“First things first, have some tea and some biscuits, they’ve got carmel inside them”
>Gosh do you love caramel
>You take a biscuit and sip at the cup of tea
“I’d like you to tell me about this strange stallion Krystal, I do worry for you and I want to make sure he’s up to scratch”
>”Well he’s tall and strong”
>Gran nods
“A must have in my opinion, you need a powerful figure by your side when you try to take over the world”
>”I’m not trying to take over the world Gran, that would be you… apparently. I honestly don’t think you should be doing that if you really are planning it”
>She waves your concerns away with a hoof
“Pish-posh Krystal dear, it’s fine, keep going”
>”He somehow always finds time to be with each of us. Initially I thought that he’d never have time for me if we’d formed a herd with other mares, but then I realised he’d managed it thus far, before he was even obliged to do it by being in a relationship, so I don’t think I’ll have a problem with being left out”
“Each of you? You’ve formed a herd with him already?”
>Gran’s eyes glaze over as she drifts to past memories
“Oh to be young again… How many other mares are with you?”
>”Only two others, Nurse Soft Cotton and the prisons only night guard Silver Linings”
>Gran smiles
“A reasonable herd, have you gotten together yet to make any rules?”
>Rules? You could make rules?
>Your head shakes in confusion
>”I’ve no idea what you’re talking about Gran”
>She sighs
“That’s right, this would be your first herd wouldn’t it?”
>You nod
>Heck it was your first /anything/, but you didn’t want to tell Gran that
“Most mares tend to get together and make up some basic rules for their relationship, you know, who gets cuddles when, organising times for one on one dates with your stallion that don’t clash with anypony else's plans, those kinds of things”
>She snickers to herself
“I remember one time I had a good thing going with another mare where we’d vote out everypony who tried to join, it kept things more intimate”
>Her snickering turns to full laughter
“And another time we did the exact opposite, trying to get as many mares into this one stallion’s herd as we could, hehe, last I heard he was up at the cloudsdale loony bin”
>”Haha, you’re so mean Gran”
>You help yourself to another biscuit and take a sip of tea, completely oblivious to your impending doom
“So have you had sex yet? I hope you’re using protection Krystal, you don’t want to get pregnant in prison”
>That biscuit and tea goes down the wrong pipe as you gasp and choke 
>Gran already has a plate at the ready to protect herself from your spit-take and coughing fit 
>Only once you’ve removed the mushy biscuit from your lungs are you able to feel embarrassed
>You look pleadingly to Gran 
>”Gran! Please! Do we have to talk about such things?!” 
>Her guffaw has you disheartened
“Of course we do! I care for you deary, and I just want to make sure everything is alright, besides it’s a natural part of life you need to get use to it”
>You gulp and nod
>“Well, Anon and I haven’t even, erm, had s-sex yet, we haven’t taken it passed snuggling”
>The knowing smile on Gran’s face tell you that’s nothing to be worried about
“Some would say a snuggle is just as good”
>If it were one with Anon that would be true
>“So there, you’ve nothing to worry about, besides, Anon can’t even get ponies pregnant anyway”
>One would assume. You should try to find that out
“Very well Shear, I can trust your judgment on these matters”
>”Thanks Gran”
>Praise Celestia’s sun that’s over with
>But it would seem Gran was nowhere near done embarrassing the Tartarus out of you
“So what’s his penis like? Are you even physically compatible? He is quite the foreign species”
>Your mouth moves wordlessly as your cheeks flush up
>”W-wha-? Gran why would you ask such a thing?! I thought we’d left this kind of topic!” 
“It is a genuine concern dear, some species can be too physically different for intercourse”
>Oh Celestia why would, and HOW could, Gran be talking about these things!?
>Damn old ponies’ve got no shame 
>”I already told you Gran, we haven’t done anything but snuggle! Anyway he’s a mammal... I think, and Soft Cotton did his physical. From what she’s said she seemed satisfied. Now can we PLEASE drop this topic Gran?”
>To your annoyance as embarrassing as talking about this was it’s become kind of exciting
>If only because it meant you were planning, in fact wanted, to do lewd things with Anon
>Very /lewd/ things
>The /lewdest/ thing
>Oh gosh
“Fine, fine, I won’t bring it up again. I hope he’s treating you well then?”
>At last, a normal topic
>”Better than well, I don’t think anypony’s been so kind to me, and he’s good at fighting but he doesn’t seem to enjoy hurting anything”
>Gran’s head tilts in confusion
“And yet he’s a black suit? They’re normally more aggressive”
>”Yeah, but I’m a black suit Gran, and so are you, we aren’t all evil”
>You’re a bit iffy on Gran being not evil though 
“He’s also a carnivore. I saw those shiny chompers of his. Can you come to terms with that?, With what he is?”
>The idea of carnivores has terrified you ever since you were a filly; like most other ponies
>In fact you typically went out of your way to avoid creatures like griffins and diamond dogs
>Truthfully sometimes it does scare you a bit when Anon eats meat
>But all you have to do is look up to his smiling face to remember you have nothing to worry about
>”I’m perfectly fine with him eating meat, it’s not his fault he was born into a life of barbarism” 
“And here I thought I was supposed to be the wise one”
>Gran gulps down the last of her tea and you follow suit, she take the dirty dishes away
>She returns with a metallic box
>It clicks open and reveals a set of different coloured glowing gems
“Enough with the small talk, you’ve got a job to do”
>She takes out a small yellow gem
“This is something you should do yourself, so I’m not going to help you directly, but this gem should stabilise the infusion process and make the whole thing a lot easier”
>You put a hoof around Gran
>”Thank you so much”
“Now then, what are you waiting for?”
>You set aside Anon’s guard and place your gem in the center of the table
>You slip your protective work booties over your hooves 
>Using a piece of chalk you draw out a circle and some basic runes
>You don’t need them for the enchantment, but like the gem Gran just gave you, they’ll help
“Are you ready?”
>You nod, crushing Grans little gem under your hoof
>It poofs into a yellow powder that you cover your hooves with
>Picking up your purple gem you enter the meditative like trance that takes a hold of you during enchantments
>Slowly you roll it between your hooves, getting a sense for its shape
>The world fades away as the gem becomes the sole focus of your attention
>Once you were sure of the exact dimensions of the gem you swiftly strike at it several times
>Bits of crystal shear away and chip off
>Slowly a more defined, well cut, rectangular gem emerges from the uncut rock
>As it does you start drawing upon your natural earth pony energies to commence the enchanting
>You channel your will and energy down your forelegs, out of your hooves and into the gem
>A dull glow appears in its centre, slowly expanding as you press forward with the process
>Sweat breaks out on your forehead and wisps of light swirl around your hooves as your job nears its end
>With one last strike you take off the final segment of rocky crystal, leaving behind a perfect facet
>The swirling lights enter the gem which glows blindingly momentarily before calming down to a soft purple fuzz
>You put the gem back down, world rushing back to you
>”Phew that was more intense than I thought”
>Gran still sits opposite you
“You’re telling me, that must be one strong enchantment! You really make me proud Krystal”
>”Thanks Gran”
>She slides the strange rock that had hit and sent you to prison across the table
“What is this Krystal? I found it in all the stuff you dumped out while you were busy”
>”That? It’s just a stupid rock”
>She holds it close to her eye
“Are you sure about that, dear? It’s got buttons on it, and an apple on the back… Also it’s made of metal and some kind of glass?”
>Only now that Gran has pointed out such things do you realise it’s true
>How did you never notice that before?
>”Um… Well of course I knew it wasn’t a rock, duh, hehe, that’s just what I call it”
>Nicely saved
“Heh, fair enough. What does it do then?”
>”I’ve no idea, if it ever had a function that’s lost now”
“That’s a shame, it looks interesting”
>Gran attempts to put the not-rock back down on the table but as her hoof lowers the thing slips from her grasp
>It falls onto her open case of gems
>Nothing happens
“Damn, I’ve been losing some control in my old age”
>You reach out with your gloved hooves
>As you make contact with the not-rock a small amount of crushed crystal powder fall upon it
>...
>...
>Nothing happens
>You lift it up but it slips from your grasp too
>It’s just too slippery for hooves!
>The not-rock falls back into the case, this time with the apple facing upwards
>The gem powder on the other side makes contact with one of the gems beneath
>...
>A spark arcs from the gem into the not-rock
>And then comes back out
>It spreads from gem to gem growing in size before darting into your Purple Shimmer Diamond
>You feel the gem drawing some form of energy from you as it’s lattice accepts another enchantment
>Gran is looking at you with utter amazement
>”Wh-what just happened?”
>Gran beings laughing
“You have no idea what you just did do you?”
>”Well no dah Gran!”
>She grins at you
“You just put another enchantment on that gem! No ponies done that since before my time, and my time started a long time ago!”
>You what!?
“So what enchantment did you add to it?”
>”I-I’ve no idea, I didn’t even know that’s what happened until you told me!”
“Hmm, well it originated from the metal thing, what gem did it fall on? Could give us a clue”
>You cautiously push the not-rock off the case to see the gem underneath
>It just looks like a lump of crystalline gold
>”I’ve never seen a gem like that before”
>Gran smiles
“That’s because it’s one I made myself, it’s a new version of our current power crystals. This one can absorb and emit electrical energy at almost four times the efficiency”
>”That’s not very helpful for figuring out what enchantment I made, but so long as it still works I don’t care what else got in”
“Try it out then”
>You pick up your gem and slide it into the awaiting slot in Anon’s guard
>Focussing on the gem you summon forth it’s intended purpose
>A small purple sphere appears above the gem
>You give it a poke to test its strength
>It repels you with a solid force
>”Nice! It works Gran!”
>She gives you a wrinkled smile but before either of you can continue your attention is claimed by the not-rock
>The face on the front has lit up and was showing an apple
>”What the heck?”
“That’s definitely not a rock, Krystal”
>Not it was not
>The screen on the front changes to a picture of Anon and a dog sitting together beside a river
>Gran’s wrinkled features twitch in confusion
“Isn’t that your stallion?”
>”I, um, yes it is. I’m so confused, why is Anon on the rock?”
“I think you know who you need to be asking dear”
>”You’re right”
You gather up your things and make for the door
>But the not-rock has yet another surprise up its non-existent sleeve
>The words “Wake up” appear on the screen over the top of Anon and the dog
>From seemingly nowhere it begins to shout at you
“I can’t stop-stop-stop”
>You jump in fright at the sudden noise as the not-rock sings and yells at you
>”Oh Celestia what do I do! I’m sorry little guy, why can’t you stop? What can’t you stop?”
>He refuses to listen to you, continuing not to stop
>”Gran what do I do?”
>She shakes her head at you, jowls wobbling
“I’ve no idea, but you better get him to that stallion of yours and fast, do you know where he is?”
>”Yes”
>Kind of
>Hopefully he should be with the research ponies, where ever they were
>You pick up the not-rock in you muzzle and dash away
>The creature continues to yell and shout about being unable to stop
>You attempt to comfort him
>”Calm down little fella, I’ll help you stop, you’ve just gotta hold on until I find Anon”
>But as you run about for Anon no amount of calming and comforting words or actions helped him stop
>He just can’t stop
>But somepony could make him
>If you could just find him


>Be a dirty human
>Shear was going through here tale of what she’d done before finding you
"-And so then I looked all around for you or the research ponies, and that too like /forever/. Anyway now I finally found you! And you helped the little guy, except I guess he isn’t a he is he, it’s just an it again”
>She sighs
“I was getting attached to him, but I guess a super music box is just as good. So did you get all that Anon?”
>”Pretty much, magic accident, phone got charged by a rock, gem got enchanted twice, yeah, I think I’ve got it”
>You lift your armoured arm
>”So there are two enchantments on this? One a shield, the other, who knows?”
>SHe smiles cheerily
“Yep! Just think of it as a special bonus!”
>”Magic is magic I guess”
>Shear looks at you hopefully
“So will you try it out? For me?”
>Chicken Scratch peeps up
“We too would like to see if you can wield magic in such a form”
>”Sure thing, so just concentrate on making a shield yeah?”
>Shear nods
>”Alright, here I go”
>You focus on your arm, the feeling of the light metal surrounding it, the gem sitting just on its surface
>Much as you did in your dream you attempt to will what you want into existence
>From nowhere, as if by magic (which it was), you’re surrounded by a large sphere of swirling purple
>You’re unable to hear the gasp of the researchers through the shield, but you can still see them flailing about in surprise 
>Much more audible is Shear, who currently whoops in your arms, throwing up her hooves in a cheer at you success
“YEAH! Anon, that’s fantastic! Look at how big you made it your first try”
>Strangely your little ponies comments have you feeling quite embarrassed
>That wasn’t supposed to happen!
>To rectify the situation you nuzzle your nose against her smiling muzzle
>She pulls back and looks away shyly
“Anon, please, everypony is looking! It’s embarrassing”
>Good, the world is right once more
>”So how do I get rid of this?”
>You point to the shield
“Just drop your focus on keeping it up”
>”I did that about the second it appeared, so….”
>Shear seems baffled
“Well then I guess if that doesn’t work concentrate on removing the shield”
>Astoundingly simple, why didn’t you think of that?
>The shield drops away
>”So how was that guys?”
>The researchers don’t bother taking note of you, most of them discussing amongst themselves, or looking at the digital screens and printed out results
>”Cool then”
>Shear rolls her massive eyes while sighing
“Darn science ponies”
>They continue their discussion amongst themselves 
>”So do anything else interesting Shear?”
“Nah, but I was going to visit Platinum shortly, do you want to come with me?”
>”I’d love to, but…”
>As you gesture around she recalls why you were here
“Oh yeah, magical mystery and all that. Darn science ponies”
>”Don’t worry, we’ll see each other at lunch”
>She hugs you
“Good”
>”Or if you want you could stay here with me! Lots of cool exciting things happening here!”
>Shear looks about at the sterile room, the confusing equipment she would no doubt not be allowed to touch, the squabbling/discussing group of magic scientists
>You were probably the only thing here which could keep her interest
“Uh, maybe?”
>Or maybe not, as Chicken Scratch emerges from the group above you to dash your hopes
“Anonymous, I’m afraid your marefriend will have to stay outside the magic sterile ring while we’re testing, we don’t want any background noise affecting our results”
>Shear jumps from your arms and looks back to you sadly
“Sorry Anon, looks like it’ll have to be lunch. Enjoy your, um, “exciting” research”
>”Jee thanks. Tell Platinum I said hi”
“Sure, sure. Bye Soft Cotton”
>Soft Cotton turns away from the medical pony she’d been debriefing to wave her goodbye
>It’s nice to see your mares were becoming better acquainted with one another
>Actually that kind of had you confused, do most herds work like yours? You imagine most stallions would at least try to choose mares who already knew each other
>Because as far as you knew only Silver and Cotton had met before, and even then only as patient and nurse
>But none of them seemed to have a problem all sleeping in the same bed together, so long as you were with them though
>Weird
“Actually Cotton can I talk to you about something?”
“Sure thing”
>Shear trots over to Soft Cotton and beings speaking in hushed tones


>Be Shear 
>With Soft Cotton here now was as good a time as any to find out what you needed to know
“So what did you want to talk about Shear?”
>You gulp and steel yourself for the topic
>Quietly you whisper to her 
>”Can Anonymous get ponies pregnant?”
>Cotton takes a step back and looks to you with shock
“W-what? You’re not pregnant are you?! When did you even find the time with Anon? And you would have had to come to me for a pregnancy test”
>You fight through the intense embarrassment Cotton’s assumptions have caused
>”That’s because I’m not pregnant Cotton! A friend just reminded me it would be prudent for us to find out if he could do that do us because, because… um”
>Soft Cotton grins evilly and leans towards your ear to whisper sensually 
“Because he’s going to pound our soft pony pussies?”
>All you can do is gaze wide eyed at the floor, incapable of moving
>”W-wh- What did you just say Soft Cotton?”
>Her muzzle still keeps her evil grin
“You heard me, and I know you want it. Why bother asking if he can get us pregnant if you didn’t?”
>Awe whorse business
>”S-shut up Soft Cotton! Do you know or not?”
“A prisoner yelling at a staff member? Shear you should know better. I’ll let you off this time, and no, I’ve no idea. I didn’t think to test for something like that during his physical because, well, I didn’t know I’d end up in this situation, in his herd”
>”So you can find out?”
“Easily enough”
>”Thank you so much Cotton”
“No need to thank me, I’m doing this for myself too”

>Back to Anon’s brain soup
>Shear takes her leave, red as a beetroot
>The hell were those two talking about over there?
.>Meh, it’s not important
>You take a seat once more, hopeful you won’t have to get back up anytime soon
>You block out the general din of the conversing ponies
>You relax in the chair
>Until of course you overhear someone use your name, not talking to you, but about you
>Immediately you begin to follow the conversation of the suspect pony
>It was between two stallions
“-id you consider that? It seems Anonymous can utilise enchantments without adverse effects”
“Yeah I did, but then does that also mean we could use gem enchantments against him? From Honey Cakes’ report regular magic certainly doesn’t react well with him”
“Hey, we don’t know that yet, it’s why we’re here, we don-”
>You stop listening, only one thing of value standing out at you
>Use against him
>Against him… Against you?
>You loudly clear your throat, gaining the rooms attention
>”You over there, what do you mean by using gems against me?”
>No one says a word, they just all slowly turn to the stallion you’d pointed at and stare absolute daggers at him
>”You’re not just researching me for knowledge's sake are you?”
>For a long time no one says a thing until Chicken gains the courage to elaborate
“I know I said some stuff about not keeping secrets before Anonymous, but it was decided it best we not tell you”
>Her tone of voice sounding defeated, she continues
“Originally our plan was simple to study your effects on magic as an unfamiliar species… But, after our meeting with Princess Luna this morning she gave us a secondary task. You see, while she wouldn’t go into the specifics, The Princess made it clear to us that you’re a very real danger to our society, so…”
>”So she asked you to find out how you could fight against me? What my weaknesses are? How to kill me, just in case I snap and go crazy? That’s pretty smart actually, thinking like Batman”
>Chicken Scratch stammers, at a loss for words
>Everyone else just looks like you’d punched them in the gut and sucked all joy from their life
>What’s wrong with Batman?
>Soft Cotton’s features adopt a look of tremendous concern and fear, quickly replaced by absolute sorrow
>Of all the ponies she’s the only to take any action as she flies directly towards you, slamming into your torso at maximum hug velocity
>Her eyes are squeezed tight as she sobs loudly into your chest like an inconsolable child, her entire body quaking as she draws in raspy breaths
>Well this certainly escalated fast
>Cotton opens her eyes to look up at you
>Her lip quivers and a waterfall of tears erupt
>She begins sobbing into you once again
“A-a-anoooon *Sniffle* they’re planning to k-k-kill you!?”
“I-I thought you-you-you said t-t-that”
>She stops a moment to allow herself more sobbing
“That it was fine! T-t-that Luna wasn’t angry with you” 
>Her sobbing grows to a wail
“I DON’T WANT YOU TO DIE!”
>”Woah, woah there Soft Cotton, everything will be alright. Please don’t cry, it upsets me to see one someone I love so distressed”
>Really it tore you apart inside to see something as wonderful as your Soft Cotton in such a state
>You stroke along her ruffled mane and soothingly pat her back as she continues sobbing
>One of the medical team attempts to raise a few graphs showing your emotional readings had gone off the chart, but he lowers them when you look him dead in the eyes with that steely emotionless gaze of yours
>Meekly he lowers them and doesn’t say anything
>Soft Cotton was sad enough, you didn’t want to burden her with knowing just how much this actually hurt you
>”I think I just had one of my stupid human moments, they’re not planning to kill me, I’m just an idiot, a stupid, stupid idiot that made an assumption and you know what they say about that”
>”Never assume because it’ll make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’”
>She stops wailing, to give a sniffling chuckle, but is unable to prevent her quiet sobs
>”There, there Cotton, everything is going to be alright”
>Soft Cotton was probably the most stable of all your mares, but it would seem the thought of actively planning the killing of someone, especially you, is enough to immediately get her overwhelmed
>And it’s spread to the watching ponies
>Nearly every mare has a stream of tears running down their face, and the stallions dutifully blink back their own
>Thank the Nine that Shear wasn’t here for this
>”I’m sorry Soft Cotton, Chicken Scratch, everyone else, I may have jumped to a few, all too human, conclusions. I take it there are no plans to kill me then?”
>Now that you’d addressed her directly Chicken once again seems able to speak
“K-kill? How could you even think such a thing Anonymous! Nopony has intentionally killed /anything/ since, well, forever as far as I know”
>You would like to believe that but you know this world has a shifty underground to it, you’d literally just been busted there, so no doubt some creatures in the world were actual murderers
>God damn what a thought, a murderer pony, imagine that cutie mark
>”See Cotton, your government isn’t planning on hurting me”
“Never. We only even intended to find some way to help apprehend, and deport you from Equestria, should your presence ever become an issue”
>Soft Cotton’s sobs subside and are replaced with the far more common, at least in this room, slightly damp face
>You cup the back of her head and hold her close
>”Like I said before, that’s a smart move on your part Chicken”
>If it were you though there would definitely be some contingency plan for how to actually kill… well, you.
>But they aren't you
>Chicken Scratch shines a weary sad smile down at you as the mood of the room picks back up
“I’m so glad you understand Anonymous, we’d planned to keep this from you to avoid emotional stress, but you seem remarkably stable” 
>Unlike every single other living thing on this planet of nutcases
>But nutcases you loved
“Speaking of stability, I expected more from the illustrious Perpetual Rainbows Correctional Centre head nurse. Soft Cotton, explain yourself, what is the meaning of your outburst, it was highly unprofessional”
>Cotton, having regained her composure, turns to Chicken
>You know, you’ve only just noticed it but Soft Cotton has mascara on
>Or had it on, now it's run all down her face
“He’s my very special somepony! How would you react!?”
>Chicken appears surprised by this
“I do apologies. So he’s your special somepony, along with that Shear character? Anonymous you’ve formed a herd already?”
>You nod
>”Yep, Shear, Cotton and Silver, the tenacious trio”
“That’s remarkable, to have adjusted to such vast societal differences so quickly, I doubt you’re going to be an issue for Equestria anytime soon”
>”In life you have to embrace change, and this has been quite a change, so it’s getting quite an embrace”
>You squeeze your crazily soft, Soft Cotton
>She’s definitely the squishiest of your mares
>If only she made a squeak sound when you squeeze her like that
>”You cute little change you”
>Soft Cotton attempts to laugh away your affection but it only comes out as an awkward embarrassed giggle
>”Such a cutie!”
>She tries to wriggle away from you but you’re not ready to let her go
“I’m not cute Anon…”
>”To me you are”
>You run your hand along one of her wings, extending it out as you go and give it a little pull at the end
>Her chest fluff puffs up to rub against you
“Ah-Anon! Please!”
>Shit
>”Sorry I forgot about the whole sensitive wings thing”
“You’ll be getting punished for this. I know some of these ponies and I have a reputation to uphold”
>”For being the cutest Pegasus Nurse around?”
>She lets out an annoyed whine
“Anon why?”
>”You know you love it”
“You really are a monster Anon”
>Chicken Scratch clears her throat, cheeks a peachy pink
“Anonymous! Maybe you haven’t adjusted as well as I’d thought. Such behaviour is /highly/ inappropriate, and distracting”
>”I’m sorry guys, she tricked me with those big shiny eyes of hers”
>Chicken can only gaze disapprovingly 
“Well maybe now we can start our actual testing?”
>”Sure thing, it’s what I’ve wanted this whole time”
“Finally-
*DO*
-


>Be Soft Cotton
*DAH*
“WHAT IS IT NOW!?”
>Chicken Scratch seems a little annoyed
>The PA system comes to life as Warden Honey Cakes’ strained voice blasts through the air
“Soft Cotton I need your help!”
>The distinct sounds of a deafeningly loud crying foal could be heard coming from somewhere through the PA system
>This isn’t going to be fun
>But Honey Cakes was your oldest friend, and you were awfully soft, a nice touch when dealing with infant patients 
>And for garnering Anon’s attention
>Although it wasn’t always welcome, like in situations when you were dealing with your professional peers
>”I know you wanted me to hold your hand Anon, but I’ve got to go, baby unicorns are quite the hoof full, even for unicorn parents”
>Anon runs his hand through your mane
>A much less lewd, much more appropriate, act
“It’s alright, I can manage it here by myself. So long as Chicken Scratch doesn’t kick me out in anger”
>With one last tussle of your mane, ruining its perfect styling, (it was worth it of course), Anon lets you go
>You jump up and awkwardly flap over to Dr. Witlick
>That wing Anon so lewdly played with was a bit stiff for flying
>And the air running through your chest fluff was quite ticklish
>Celestia be cuddled, darn you Anon!
>It was so embarrassing!
>And that’s just not right
>It was all good and well when you made other ponies embarrassed, case in point would be the beetroot faced Shear who just left, but when you were the subject of such feelings it was unacceptable
>But that naughty Anon just kept doing it to you
>Good grief
>You set down beside Dr. Witlick
>”Witlick I need your help with something private”
“Sure thing Soft Cotton, I’m always willing to do a favour for you, especially after all your help with Anon”
>”It’s about him. I need you to run a few tests to determine in Anonymous here is genetically compatible with ponies”
>He looks confused
“Genetically compatible? Soft Cotton you’re not p-“
>”Stop. No, I just need to find out, can you do it for me? Just use some of the tissue samples you take if you can”
>He nods
“I suppose I can”
>”Thank you Witlick”
>You go to leave, but adamant to get you revenge on Anon you fly past him again and plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek
>Sure as sure he flushes up the slightest bit, but to your absolute horror he plucks you from the air to squeeze your flank before throwing you back up
>He grins at you
“Don’t even try Cotton, now go help Honey Cakes”
>You quickly flap away, feeling quite mortified 
>You just can’t beat that one!
>Please let Maple Glaze be easier to deal with than Anon


>Anonymous the drugonymous
>Just as Shear had before she left, Soft Cotton herself held a brief hushed conversation in the corner
>What were those mares up to?
>Chicken Scratch gives a happy smile
“I guess now we can begi-
>She’s interrupted by a gasp from behind you
“ANOYMOUS!?”
>Chicken Scratch looks like she’s about to lose i-
“FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA WHAT IS IT NOW?”
>Yep there she goes
>Out from behind you walks none other than your good friend Ember Heart
“Anonymous? /YOU/ are the creature I’m researching?
>Chicken’s anger dissipates into curiosity
“Do you know this creature Ember Heart?”
>She looks to you
“I thought you said you’d had no contact with her Anonymous”
>Ember seems confused
“What do you mean, of course I’ve met him, up at-
>”The reception desk, we met there, just before I came here”
>Ember turns to you confused, but goes along when she sees your pleading eyes
“Uh, yeah we met up at the reception desk”
>Chicken continue to pick at your lies
“So then why didn’t you just tell me that when I asked before?”
>”I don’t know, I was being stupid, wanted to see if I could freak you out or something, but I was just being an idiot”
>Chicken Scratch looks to you with concern
“You’re not an idiot Anonymous, I promise I was “freaked” out. It was a very good trick”
>You smile internally
>The old “Put yourself down to deflect attention and garner sympathy” trick, yes it was very good Chicken Scratch
>Ember Heart awkwardly moves up to the observation deck with the others, occasionally looking back at you with questioning eyes
“So, uh, what did I miss while signing in?”
“Not much, we’ve had a /lot/ of interruptions. But so far we’ve discovered his body has an adverse reaction to newborn foals, and he appears to be able to wield enchantments, but we need more trials to be sure. Right now I hope to finally begin magical testing”
“Well, let’s begin then”
>The determination emanating from Chicken Scratch tells you nothing was going to stop her this time
“Alright Anonymous, now normally we’d give you a psychological evaluation first, but due to your unique origins, and our current observations, we’ve decided to forgo it”
>”Ha, why? I’d only come out as insane?”
>She awkwardly laughs before meekly nodding
>”Oh, okay then”
“Now we just need to set up a background reading of your bodies magical output, that way we can get pure readings of how your body reacts with magic”
>”Go ahead”
>They wheel over the magical field detector
>One of the unicorns spins each gem on the gyroscope at a different speed
>They each flash a few times before slowing back down to their normal pace
>”That wasn’t too bad”
“It wasn’t supposed to be Anonymous”
>Ember Heart takes control of the device and pokes about on the digital screen
“Huh, hey Chicken can you look at this?”
>Chicken moves down from the observation deck to the instrument
“That’s strange. Can we run that again?”
>The unicorn from earlier sets the gems spinning once more
>They look at the results
“Same thing…”
>”What is it guys?”
>They spin the machine around to face you
>The screen shows a straight line
>”So what, there’s nothing there”
>Ember goes to explain
“That’s just it Mr. Anonymous, there’s nothing, nothing at all, it’s a dead zone”
>”And that’s unusual?”
>Chicken bursts out
“Unusual?! It’s unheard of! Inconceivable!”
>”Who’d have thought not being special would make me special”
“So do you not have magic on your planet?”
>”HA!, We wish, it’s something we've only been dreaming of for eternity. So no, no magic”
“But to have no magical field at all? It’s like a region of empty space. I suppose we’ll just continue testing, hopefully it’ll shed some light on this”
>The equipment is set back up and every one moves back to the deck
>As ever Chicken, head of the Anomalous magic division, steps up
“In the interest of everyponies safety we’ll be starting with more passive, less intensive spells, just to be sure nothing overly bad happens”
>”Overly bad?”
>She gulps
“If you get a boo-boo”
>Sometime you forget where you are
>”Let’s just do it”
“So eager, I’m impressed. Up first I have Candle Light who will be casting a simple fitness spell”
>”Fitness spell?”
“Ah yes, you wouldn’t know anything of magic would you. A fitness spell just analyses your bodies overall fitness and gives it a quality rating. It was originally produced to help evaluate the progress of physical therapy patients, but has since be adapted for use amongst the general public” 
>”Uh, thanks for the history lesson”
“No worries”
>Candle Light’s horn glows a pale yellow 
>The very same colour briefly surrounds you before fading
>A big green tick appears above you
>Welp, looks like fitness ratings are a pass/fail affair
>Ember goes over the results with you and Chicken
“If you watch the graph here you can see that spike, it correlates the spell coming from Candle”
>The spike blips out
“Here it hits anonymous and completely vanishes”
>Chicken Scratch groans in confusion
“What? What is even happening? This machine must be broken!”
“That’s not even the end of it Chicken”
>The spike reappears on the screen, now with a slightly different shape
“Here it suddenly comes back from oblivion, but the spells been modified to its completed form”
>”Yeah, and isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?”
>Chicken cackles
“Not at all! The spell should interact with your natural magic field and be modified to the complete result”
>”Isn’t that what happened?”
“NO! The spell disappeared, it didn’t interact with anything, then somehow completed itself. With no other inputs or energy source, that breaks like /all/ the rules of magic”
>”Does magic actually follow rules?”
“YES it does! That’s it! More tests now!”
>Up next was a grooming spell
>Once again you find yourself covered in Candles pale yellow glow, which fades as before
>You touch your face and realise your beard has been shaved away, touching your hair you can feel it’d been trimmed and styled
>”Nice”
>The results were the same, spell, no spell, finished spell, no exchange of energy
>It seemed to be quite upsetting to Chicken Scratch and many other members of the group
>Ember would occasionally stare at you with deep thoughts on her mind
>Just what was she thinking?
>Your attention is wrenched to Chicken Scratch
“Alright Anonymous, we’re seeing quite a bit of activity, or lack thereof, yet so far this peculiar effect your warden detailed has not surfaced. Are you sure you have no control over what you did?”
>”None what so ever”
“I was afraid of that; we’ll just have to keep testing until we can get some recordings of this unknown effect”
>”So what’s up next?”
>This time Dr. Witlick steps up
“Well Anonymous, with consideration of your origins, and the description given by Princess Luna, it’s more than apparent you’re from a very, er, morbid world”
>”yes, yes, just get to the point”
“Oh, sorry. Well we see you’re sane enough by your own standards, but we imagine such a place would leave anypony feeling quite, uh, down”
“So us from the medical team convinced Chicken Scratch to let us test a mood boosting spell on you. It should take away any negative feelings ingrained in your mind from your old world”
>Magical antidepressants? You recall the times you’d felt overwhelmed at having /left/ your world, rather than being overwhelmed /by/ the world itself
>But hey why not? It’ll have the same effect right?
>”Okay, so why are you telling me all this?”
“The spell is considered a form of medical treatment; we need your permission before we can attempt it”
>”Go ahead”
>The equipment is reset and Witlicks horn lights up
>You feel a slight pressure in your head before a trickle of warmth seeps in
>Before you know it you’re feeling quite nice, rather happy
“So how are you feeling Anonymous?”
>”I feel good. This is a 10/10 spell”
“That’s very good Anonymous, you’re doing fine, I’m about to end the spell and it may feel a bit jarring”
>”I’ll be alright, I feel too relaxed to care”
>Witlick closes his eyes to cut off the spell, but as he does so the glow about his horn flashes red
>A look of pure terror passes over Witlick’s face
>The researchers erupt in a flurry of activity taking out note pads and galloping to the instruments
>Two ponies run up beside Witlick, one held a baton in his muzzle, waiting to strike at Witlick’s horn in case anything disastrous begins to happen
>The other was using some kind of mouth held instrument, to take measurements around Witlicks horn
Chicken’s voice pierces the chaos
“Anonymous, how are you feeling?”
>How did you feel? 
>”I still feel just great Chicken! It’s a shame about what’s happening to Witlick”
>She looks confused 
“So nothing’s happening to you?”
>”Nope, feeling just-
>The world suddenly becomes hyper focussed, gaining a white glowing background light
>Everyone begins to slow, their movements leaving behind blurred trails of motion
>Chicken speaks, but her voice sounds slow and distorted, much deeper than it truly was
“Anonymous?”
>”J-just fine”
>Your vision fades into pure white and everything goes silent
>For what felt like eternity nothing happened
>But soon your ears pick up something
>The faintest of noises
>You can’t pinpoint its location, as it seems to be coming from all directions
>The sound slowly grows in volume, but you still can’t quite make out what it could be 
>Suddenly the noise explodes to almost deafeningly loud levels
>(https://www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/track/clown-feet_67316)
>As it does your vision is claimed by great swirling, intermixing colours, fractals and mirrored patterns flash around your peripheries
>It’s like you’re watching the birth of a rainbow while looking through a kaleidoscope
>But most importantly you’re off your fucking tits!
>You have no shame in saying right now you feel fucking euphoric, tip that fucking fedora
>Absolute ecstasy runs through your veins as you float about in the endless universe of complex lights and patterns
>You lose yourself in the ether of light and pleasure, mind drifting to nothing at all, content with simple existence itself
>But something tugs incessantly at your conscious
“Are you alright Anonymous?!”
>Chicken Scratche's essence swirls around you
>”I’m just fine swirly ghost”
“That isn’t good”
>Chicken’s essence leaves with a sense of worry attached to it
>A golden flame envelopes your body while your mind is filled with the presence of Ember Heart
“Do you need help Mr. Anonymous. You're looking a bit... different”
>You run your fingers through the warm flames covering your body
>”This is so warm”
“OH! Mr. Anonymous, what are you ~ah! Please can you ~hah~ stop?”
>”But this fire feels amazing!”
“Oh dear~ah”
>The flames around your body slowly condense into a more defined, pony-like, shape
>The swirling and dancing colours begin to fade in intensity, parts of your true surroundings flashing into your vision
>Air rushes into your lungs as your body takes a mighty breath, your vision and consciousness returning to the true world, euphoria fading
>Did that doctor just slip you 10 tabs of acid with that spell?
>Amazingly Witlick has only just started rubbing his freshly struck horn; magic forcefully dissipated from his body
>So that didn’t last for eternity as you’d thought
>Chicken has a concerned, semi-embarrassed, look on her face, it could have something to do with what’s in your arms
>Ember was held tightly in your grasp, her body burnt with embarrassment
>Your hands had stopped their exploratory movements once you’d become truly self-aware
>One was thrust up around the back of her head and was running through her mane, pushing her head down onto your chest
>The other was sitting, post-squeeze, but from the look on her face more likely post-multiple-squeezes, on her flank
“Oh my goodness”
>You fling your arms back and release the trapped mare
>”I am so sorry Ember Heart, I swear I didn-
>The flustered mare looks up at you with a sweating face and cuts you off 
“Do not apologise Mr. Anonymous, you were under the effects of a mind altering spell, your actions were not your own”
>”I’m still sorry”
>Thankfully for Ember it would seem only Chicken had seen what had happened, everyone else was still focused on Witlick
>Ember, who has yet to get off, wipes her forehead with a hoof
“So are you alright Mr. Anonymous? We may have had a complication”
>For whatever reason this draws the attention of most the researchers
>Which then gives Ember enough incentive to jump down and re-join her peers
>”Uh, yeah, I feel alright, something weird was happening before. I saw a bunch of colours and lost consciousness for a second maybe”
“I saw, but, ah…”
>Ember Heart points her hoof back at you. She’d regained her composure quickly 
“Mr. Anonymous please look at your arm”
>You lift your arm
>Something doesn’t seem quite right there
>Your skin, it was… it was rainbow
>Your entire body looked like it had been tie dyed! Hot damn that looks fucked!
>”Groovy man”
>You laugh at your own expense
>Ember’s head tilts in confusion, along with everyone else’s
“You find this funny? It’s pretty serious Mr. Anonymous, who knows when that’ll wear off”
>”Yeah, but at least now I’m the most colourful creature in this world. I didn’t even think you could get more colourful than a pony, hehe”
>Her red mane covers her face as she shakes her head back and forth
“I know Soft Cotton’s report said it was difficult to irk you, but /come on/. Mr. Anonymous, why do you show such a brave face? it’s alright to be worried about something like this”
>”I’m not one to stress, it clouds your judgment. I thought you would have figured that out after we met at the, egh-erm, reception desk”
>Her features mirror that of a very irritated pony
“I’d like to talk to you about that soon actually”
>”Sure thing hot stuff”
>You laugh at your ability to both get the mare to blush again, and subtly joke about her name
>With Ember Heart out of action, preoccupied with stammering and blushing, Chicken Scratch takes lead role
“Well then, it’s clear you have tremendous fortitude, most ponies would have a bit more of a reaction than laughing when something like that happens to them. I wish the same of some of our own team members”
>She shakes her head looking to Witlick who was whimpering due to his sore horn
“Are you feeling better now Witlick, can you describe what happened to you?”
>Dr. Witlick dutifully nods and blinks back tears
“As I had stated I was attempting to end the spell, but then, well, you saw what happened! I had no control over my horn! I couldn’t even feel it on my head! No matter what I tried to do it wouldn’t listen, it was just doing whatever it wanted!”
>He looks up to his horn
“Bad horn!, bad! Don’t do that anymore!”
“Very good Dr. Witlick, Ember Heart please take us through the magical field results”
>Ember recovers herself now that she’d been called upon
>She brings up the graphs as before and you all watch the jagged spike of Witlick’s spell
>It blinks away at the point in time it makes contact with you
>Ember begins to narrate 
“Okay so that’s just like every other time”
>The spike reappears, as before, but…
“Here, see! When Witlick tries to stop the spell Mr. Anonymous’ body suddenly lets it out, but it’s not as before, this one has been altered to such a different state that it would count as an entirely different spell”
>Chicken laughs nervously
“hehe, but that’s more impossible than before, Ember it obvious that the instrument is broken, or we don’t know how to read it properly. It’s brand new tech after all, from the Princess /and/ Discord themselves”
>Ember Heart nods
“I’ve been considering that, and it is a possibility. The only way to be sure would be to have either Discord or Princess Twilight here to go over the results themselves”
>Chicken Scratches face turns grave as she hears the options
“I’d rather not have Discord involved with anything to do with Anonymous”
*Sigh*
“Does anypony know how to get the Princess here?”
>Witlick has an answer
“We can just ask Princess Luna, she has a vested interest in this study”
>A general sense of agreement passes through the group
“Alright, that’s our way in. Anonymous, you’ve been through quite a bit today, you’ve earned yourself a break while we monitor your, eh, situation. Hopefully you’ll be looking normal any minute now. Feel free to move around, but you’ll have to have your electrodes put back on”
>”Okay”
>While you strip off your electrode pads the researcher break apart
>Some remain on the deck, writing things down and messing with the equipment
>Others, the majority, move into the adjacent domes, taking out snacks and making cups of tea
>A single researcher comes up to wait beside you
>”And what exactly are you doing Ember Heart?”
“I volunteered as the pony to monitor you. Which means for the next few minutes I’ll be sticking to you like glue”
>”Ha, cleaver pony. So now I’ve nowhere to escape when you start interrogating me”
“Something like that”
>You begin moving toward the domes exit and Ember quickly dashes after you
“Hey! You’re not getting away that easily! Stop running”
>You turn back around to her
>”I’m not running, I was just walking, and whatever you’re going to ask shouldn’t be overheard by the other researcher, so I was moving outside”
>She looks embarrassed
“I-I knew that! And your legs are too long! Even if you’re not running you have to slow down”
>”A lot of ponies just trot to keep up with me”
>Her embarrassment turns to annoyance
“Yes, well, I’m quite sick of /running/, especially from the POLICE!”
>Her shout gains the attention the nearby researchers who look at you confused
>She awkwardly rubs the back of her head and waves the researchers concerns away
>You both silently make your way through the first airlock 
>Only once the door closes and the decontamination cycle begins do you speak, breaking the unease that had grown between the two of you 
>”I’m sorry about before, but that was a bit explosive don’t you think?”
“Oh goodness, I know, I am so sorry. I’ve just been feeling a bit jumbled today, somepony kidnapped me”
>You laugh clumsily 
>The cycle finishes and you walk out
>In the sunlight your skin certainly was a lot more… rainbow-y
>You scan the lawn and find a cluster of bean bags
>”Over there, we can sit on those”
“At least you understand the need for comfort”
>The walk was quick and silent, but by the time you’d reached the soft seats and plopped down your skin had gained an undeniable translucency 
>Ember jumps up on your lap and lays down
>”err… Should I be worried about this?”
>You point out your see-through body
“Only if we start seeing your bones”
>She said it with such calm indifference, as if such a thing shouldn’t be worrying to you
>”That’s reassuring”
>She stretches out her forelegs across your thighs
>This Ember character was certainly more cat like in her behaviour than the other ponies you knew, who were more dog-ish, and occasionally bird/bat like 
>”Why exactly are you on my lap anyway?”
>You can only make out her widening eyes as she disappears in a flash, spawning upon the bean bag beside you
“W-what are you talking about?”
>”Nothing I guess”
>You would save the poor mare the shame
>”So then, got anything to ask me?”
“I think I’ll start with; Why didn’t you tell me who you were up at Canterlot!?”
>”I did tell you who I was”
>She snorts
“I mean why didn’t you tell me you were the creature I was researching?”
>”Do you want the truth?”
>You receive a quick nod
>”Honestly I just wanted to see how you’d react”
“H-how I’d react? But why?”
>You shrug. What you said was the truth, you’d just been curious to see if she’d freak out or anything
>”As a judge of character? Yeah! That’s it. You lied for me, I know I can trust you now, you’re a good pony”
>Satisfied with the answer, but still not finished she goes on
“About that. I /lied/ for you Mr. Anonymous. That makes me an accomplice to your crime!”
>Her face blanches
“Wait a second… I’m an accomplice to your crime! I could go to jail! Oh my goodness, no, no, no!”
>The distressed British pone rocks about on her seat
>As you had back in Canterlot you place a comforting hand on her shoulder and gently rub up and down
>With a translucent body it’s rather strange seeing how her fur and skin contorts under your hand’s pressure
>”Calm down there Miss Ember Heart, it’ll be fine, I can cover for you. Just take deep breaths” 
>She complies and takes a few deep breaths before calming down
“Goodness what a day”
>”So got anything else to ask?”
“Yeah, why were you in Canterlot at all? You’re a prisoner!”
>”It was a pretty uneventful morning down here so I chose to explore up there”
“Eh-ah W-what? Explore! You had an entire Unicorn special ops squad on you! It was chaos in the streets”
>”Chaos? Everyone was just a little spooked that’s all”
>She gives you that look you’d become all too familiar with
>That “What the hell is this guy? He bein’ srs right now?” look
“Why did you take me with you when you ran away?”
>”Duh, those guards were after you as much as they were me. I took you with me out of kindness. How’d that all go back at your university”
>Her generally annoyed look softens
"I guess you did rescue me from the guard, and I believe the university will be trying to pin the whole event on you.”
>”Okay, thanks for that”
>She laughs 
>”Anything else?”
“Yeah I need to know a few things. It’ll help me decide, and I know you’re waiting for my decision”
>Her decision? This is getting a little weird. Is she going to kill you? No of course not, not after that whole freak out earlier
>”Fine, keep asking”
“Why are you in prison?”
>”I was starving to death and stole some apples, but then I also assaulted a guard on my way to prison, in fact he was the one who started chasing me today”
“Why did you assault him?”
>”According to the Warden he was being overly aggressive, and he was upsetting the other guards, which was upsetting me”
“Noble enough. Only a couple more to go Mr. Anonymous. Why are you being so kind to me?”
>”I always was a sucker for cuties”
>Now that was the truth. Adorable, usually helpless ponies, just tore at your very soul with the need to comfort them
>Ember Heart's cheeks turn as red as her name sake
“I am not cute Mr. Anonymous!”
>”Really, you look it to me”
“No! Why do you think I am cute!”
>”Because you are”
>She can’t fight the blush, but she forces a serious tone to her voice
“Tell me why, it’ll help with our research”
>Why did you find ponies cute?
>”You’re soft, cuddly and show Neoteny”
“What?”
>”Neoteny, you’re species displays Neoteny”
>She looks at you with her curious eyes, adorable as any pony
”And what is that exactly?”
>”It’s when something retains juvenile traits into adulthood”
>She look angered
“How do I look like a foal!?”
>”Uh, let’s think. Small body with a big head, large eyes, round and soft body features, they’re all characteristics you see in babies, human babies at least, although they’re defiantly in foals too. Human’s evolved to instinctively find these kind of traits appealing to help us protect and nurture our off spring”
“That is interesting. We show the features of your young, and that makes us look cute?”
>”Yes and it’s unbearable!” 
>Surprise passes over her face
“Why is it unbearable Mr. Anonymous?”
>”Because I must hug everything but I’m not allowed! It’s inciting cute aggression, and diabetes, all the time!”
>Surprise turns to fear as she backs up in her bean bag slightly
“C-cute aggression?”
>”It’s when something’s cute enough that you feel a warm happiness inside and you can’t stand it! You just have to hug and squeeze the cute thing. But when you’re denied access it causes frustration and aggressive feelings. Well, all you guys are super cute and absolutely everywhere, and I’m not exactly allowed to snuggle every last pony I see, and so, whether I want it to or not your cuteness can… /frustrate/ me”
>Ember leans forward with a raised eyebrow
“You get aggressive, because you’re /not/ allowed to hug ponies? What?”
>She’d said that more to herself more than anything
>”Well not to any real level, but yes I suppose I do”
>She look to the ground, mane falling down to hide her face
“You know Mr. Anonymous, i-if you’re feeling aggressive you can cuddle me if you’d like. If that would help you”
>You ruffle her mane and gently pat her head, all made quite the acrobatics act with that bloody horn, especially when she starts swaying her head side to side
>Your body has become opaque again, and the rainbow colour is fading
>Damn, it did look kind of cool
>”You really are precious. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine”
“Oh, okay… I still have one last question”
>”Then we’ll head back to the lab?”
“Ah-hah”
>”Go ahead”
>She pulls out the “Blood rose” as she’d called it, still in its cylinder of goo and brandishes it at you with her telekinesis
>She looks at you with a great need
“Why did you give me this?”
>”The same reasons I gave you earlier this morning. You can put up with me, but now I suppose I could also say I gave it to you because you were kind enough to help me, you lied for me so I can trust you, and I suppose I just wanted to brighten your day”
“Brighten my day?” she whispers
>For the longest time she doesn’t say anything
“Mr. Anonymous?”
>”Yes?”
“Would you rub my shoulders again? It is most calming”
>You owe her that much
>For about a minute you stroke up and down, massaging shoulder to shoulder
>”OK, we’ve got to get back”
“Thank you Mr. Anonymous, you’ve been a great help, maybe I’ll figure things out sooner than I thought”
>What things?
>You were about to ask when the shouts of a researcher calling you back distract you
>The incessant yelps quickly draw the two of you back to the dome
>You hadn’t met this unicorn yet
“It’s good to see your skin is looking better, we’re ready to begin again if you are”
>”As always”
>Back inside you reapply the electrode yourself, attaching one wherever you find a sticky spot
>”So what have we got now Chicken Scratch?” 
>Chicken turns around from the two ponies she was talking to
“Well we know your effect on magic can occur in passive style spells, but it’s happened randomly thus far. It also means we need you to reproduce your shield enchantment at least ten times before we can confirm there won’t be any anomalous effects”
>”I’ll get to it”
>It only takes a few seconds to flash the shield up and down ten times
>Nothing happens
>You try it a few more just to be certain
>Everything seems fine
>In fact the readings of the magical field detector were perfectly normal, mainly because the spell wasn’t interacting with you, just the gem
>That was lucky, or else your encounter with Silver’s Dream Stones could have been much more disastrous than just a peeved princess
>Chicken Scratch sighs in relief
“It’s good to know at least some kinds of magic don’t go crazy with you. It would be quite helpful if we had a spell that caused your effect to arise every time”
>”How about telekinesis, that’s what the Warden used, and it was the first spell I know of to have an effect”
>Although it was the most uncomfortable thing you’d ever experienced
“We may as well give it a try”
>Chicken gestures for a random pony to move up, clearly unwilling to risk the spell herself
>Something about this unicorn’s movement seems… insectoid 
>A green light flows around you and you begin to rise as the unicorn works her magic
>The effects on you are immediate, just as it was with Honey Cakes
>Your muscles twitched and bulged, unable to move, neurons fired signals along your body like lighting, your skin felt singed and tingled, breathing was difficult
>You did not like telekinesis!
>The glow turns red and all the sensations vanish
>As do your surroundings 
>White shining marble bricks rush to meet your face as you fall to the ground
>They’re reminiscent of Canterlot castle’s, just much brighter
>You get up from the floor and look around 
>You’re in a very elegant room, bookshelf lined the walls along with many tapestries
>A massive bed lies in the rooms centre, a sun emblazoned upon it
>You hear the trots of a large pony coming down the hallway leading to the room
>You crack the door slightly and peer through
>A huge white, pastel rainbow maned, alicorn was striding purposefully toward the room
>Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
>You dash into an open closet as the door bursts open
>The mare walks about the room, inspecting everything as if all were normal
>She knows someone is in here, she’s try to hide the fact she’s looking
>Her subtle search eventually leads her to your crude hideout 
>You crouch down as her searching eye is pushed against the crack between the two doors 
>Dear God you’re going to be killed by this apparent god, or more likely this was the other ruling princess, Princess Celestia, or Twilight? Blaze said something about a Cadence at breakfast
>You silently pray to whatever celestial being was listening, excluding the one currently out for your blood
>As the closet doors rush open one such being answers your call as you disappear in a flash
>Next you find yourself falling to the ice cold ground of some frigid wasteland; a blizzard was beginning around you
>Fuck you celestial beings!
>Or maybe the alicorn had found you?
>You quickly jump up, eager to get the snow from your exposed body
>But the wind is ice cold and without insulation you’re sure to die from exposure
>You could always dig as deep into the snow and ground as you could and wait until you teleport again, if you teleport again…
>Desperately searching for an alternative you see an odd swirling disturbance amongst the storm
>Whatever it was it seemed to repel the weather, pushing it away
>Your body enters survival mode as you jog indomitably towards to the disturbance
>It only take about five minutes but by the time you reach the area your body’s pale and shivering, you can barely feel your feet
>The disturbance is some kind of shield, beyond which is a lush farm land and a mighty crystal kingdom
>Warmth rushes over you as you step past the shield
>Too cold and exhausted to do much more you shamble to the softest patch of grass you could find and lay down
>Slowly your body warms in the artificial climate 
>But your rest is disturbed by something pushing on your chest
>You open your eyes to see a shining crystal pony laying over your ribcage
>”What are you doing?”
“I have to warm you with my body heat, you’ll die from this cold!”
>Actually you’ve warmed back up to a normal body temperature already
>”I think I’m going to be fine”
>Although as a surprise the crystalline horse upon you was warm to touch
>You run your hand along her back to get a feel for this new type of pony
>Soft and warm, that’s standard, but her coat had fused into some layer of crystal, giving it the feel of peculiarly smooth skin
>You blink away, leaving the pony to plop onto the ground, confused
“Noooooooo! He was too cold!”
>As you enter the space between space moving through the portal opened up around you a bright pink pony with super curly hair bounces by; through the fabric of reality itself
>You re-emerge in the bed of two cuddling ponies, neither of which have time to look at you before you’re thankfully teleported away once more
>You blink around several more times, from sunny beaches, parliamentary conferences, and random buildings and towns, to being miles high in the sky, places too dark for you to see, and what could have been hell itself
>Until finally you reappear back with the researchers, just as the hapless unicorn has her horn struck with the baton
>As it hits her you swear you see the form of a sleek carapace underneath her fur
“MR. ANONYMOUS ARE YOU OKAY?”
>Ember Heart and Chicken scratch dive down from the platform to check on you
>”That was that fastest holiday around the world I've ever had”
>Both mares lose most of their concern at your response
“Can you take anything seriously?”
>”Only when I have to Ember”
“Well you have to!”
>The unicorn who was struck stumbles down from the observation deck
“I have to leave”
>With that she’s gone
>Chicken Scratch seems not to care
“Are you willing to try that again Anonymous? It was quite dangerous, but thus far the two instances of telekinesis being used on you have given positive results”
>”Anything for science right?”
>She smiles at you
“You really are the best subject I’ve ever had”
“So, who wants to try next?”
>None of the researchers volunteer, seeing the pain caused to Witlick and the one unicorn who’d run away
>Ember Heart steps forward
“I’ll do it then, if everpony is too scared”
>You feel a twinge of concern
>”Are you sure you want to do this Ember, I couldn’t live with myself if you or anyone else got hurt”
>She smiles at you
“Anything for science right?”
>”Clever pony”
>Her vibrant ruby glow flares up around her horn and yourself
>Once more you slowly rise into the air
>To your amazement the agony normally imposed upon your body by telekinesis was drastically reduced
>Ember’s touch felt soft and tender, gently probing your body, rather than tearing through it
>But faster than usual her horn flashes
>The vibrant ruby leaks to a dull rust red
“Oh my”
>Nothing much happens to you, but Ember has stumbled and fallen to the floor
>Several ponies move to help her, but everyone to touch her suffered the same fate
>You remained floating in the air, Ember’s horn still glowing a dull red
>Chicken Scratch pushes back the researchers trying to tend to the fallen, preventing them succumbing to the same condition
“Anonymous, you have to stop the spell, if we touch her we go down”
>She tosses you the baton which you deftly catch mid air
>Slowly you swim your body through the air, still caught in Ember’s psychic net
>Once within reach you lightly bonk the unicorns horn. The light splutters out and you fall to the ground
>Chicken takes command from above
“Situation’s clear everypony, let’s check on those who are down”
>You get yourself to your knees and gently scoop up Ember Heart
>She comes around as you roll her over to face you
“Mr. Anonymous?”
>She yawns
“I’m so tired, what happened?”
>”I’m hoping we can find out”
“Am I still in PRC?”
>She looks around to confirm her location, in doing so she realises she’s being gently cradled in your arms
>Her eyes meet yours briefly but they soon dart away at the speed of a blush
>You quickly put her down, and she puts a hoof on your leg
“You don’t need to put me down, it’s fine if you needed to work out your aggression Mr. Anonymous”
>”Aggression? Ember I was concerned! Seeing you on the floor like that had me terrified”
“Oh…”
>She goes quite, thinking deeply to herself
>It was obvious she was having a hard time staying standing on her own
“Thank you Mr. Anonymous” 
>The rest of the ponies quickly come round, they’re fine, just really tired, and none of them can do much more than levitate small objects
>They’re sent off to one of the side domes for a nap, hot cocoa and a pudding cup, Ember forgoes the nap, choosing to remain, insistent that she be there for the testing
>”So then what happened this time?”
>Chicken Scratch trots over
“We know already; it didn’t take long to figure out. They’re all magically drained, whatever was happening to Ember due to your effect was somehow spread via physical contact, so you’ve accidentally taken out almost a quarter of my staff” 
>”Shit. I’m sorry about that, and here I thought I was supposed to be the one in harm’s way” 
“Don’t worry Anonymous, they should be better when they wake up” 
>Ember resiliently strides up and coughs sickly
>You can make out a small splotch of pudding on her cheek, aside from that you could find no other evidence it ever existed
“I feel fine, I’ll be using magic like normal in no time”
>You pat her head as per usual
>”You’re a tough little bugger aren’t you, I’m sure you will be”
>Her legs strengthen under your touch
“I’m better already, hehe *cough*”
>”So did the telekinesis turn into some kind of energy draining spell?”
>Ember brings up the graph with a very weak and pale looking red glow
“Actually this time when the spell made contact with you, you simply started to draw in all the available magic around”
>You can only see the spike of the spell blink away as normal
>”It looks the same as always to me” 
“Oh, that’s because I’ve taken out the readings for background magic, let me put them back in”
>The graph becomes wildly spiked, up until the point that is, you are covered in Ember’s telekinesis
>At that moment all the activity begins to slowly seep away
>After you’d been released from the spells grasp the magic levels rise again
>”Looks like you were right”
“But of course. What I am confused about though is what you’ve done with all that energy”
>”It takes a lot of power to stay looking this good”
>Flashily you flex your muscles
>Ember looks away from your hairless body, blush barely obscured by her manes fringe
>Some of the other researchers have taken down a quick note and you can see Chicken Scratch preparing a slew of questions
>You raise your hand to silence her
>”I’m kidding of course guys, based on your sugar intake alone you need more energy to subsist than I”
>Actually, if every creature on this world had some kind of magical energy associated with them, and that itself required energy to exist, that could be why they eat so much damn sugar!
>The wave of satisfaction at providing yourself a reasonable explanation for at least one thing in this world has a smile growing upon your lips
“You mustn’t give us false information Anonymous, you’ll affect our study”
>”Yeah sorry Chicken, I should have known you guys would..er, don’t worry”
“So long as it doesn’t happen again”
>”I can try my best… So when are we going to move onto these more active types of magic?”
>Chicken shakes her head
“I’m not sure if we should move onto active spells, we’re getting wild enough reactions with the more passive spells as is! We don’t want to hurt you Anonymous, or ourselves”
>You give her your best puppy dog eyes
>”Just one little spell?”
“No Anonymous. Now are you willing to try one more attempt at telekinesis?”
>You sigh
>Most definitely your least favourite spell in terms of comfort and outcome 
>”I can go one more round, but after that do you have a massage spell or something? This is really tensing up my muscles”
“I suppose I can ask if anypony knows such a spell”
>”Thanks”
>Chicken addresses the remaining researchers
“So, who wants to try next? I’d do it myself but as this projects leader it’s imperative I remain in a lucid state”
>No one volunteers 
“You can have an extra pudding cup back at the university”
>With the incentive in place all the researchers step forward
>Chicken pulls forth the closest, pale yellow, pony
>She looks at you nervously, still unsure about going ahead, but the desire for pudding soon wins out
>That familiar unpainful, somehow still painful, sensation overcomes you with the yellow glow
>Nerves raced, tendons stretched and muscles clenched
>You were being pulled in every direction at once, but also being sucked back in with the same force
>But thankfully the torture ends swiftly, yellow turning to red
>The ponies act with haste, batting the unicorn’s horn
>Their reaction speeds had increased with their wariness it would seem
>You plop back down in your chair
>Everyone seems fine for once… Did nothing happen?
“Are you alright Anonymous?”
>”Yeah, I’m fine *Yawn* Chicken, why do you *yawn* ask?”
“Uuuuh, are you sure?”
>”Yeah *yawn*, I just need… to.. um. Have a nap… Is all”
>Your head lulls to the side as you drift to sleep
***SIGNAL LOST***
***RECONNECT…Y/N?***
***Y***
***CONNECTION NOT FOUND***
***SEARCH FOR CONNECTIONS…Y/N?***
***Y***
***CONNECTION FOUND***
***CONNECTING. PLEASE WAIT***
***PLEASE WAIT***
***INITIATING WAITING MUSIC***
***https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bQpgQlOjdk***
***MUSIC DEPLOYED***
***CONNECTED***
>You wake up in front of a little cabin covered in vines and surrounded by a thicket of exotic trees so dense it left the surrounding area almost as dark as night
>A single flickering light source was emanating from one of the windows
>Silently you stalk towards the door and walk inside
>It’s pleasantly warm
>You’ve walked into some sort of entry room which leads into a corridor which has a stair case along it
>There’s an archway to your left which leads to a small kitchen. To the right is a larger opening going to a lounge, inside of which you find the light source
>A flame merrily danced in the fireplace
>It helpfully illuminated the room
>You step in and look around
>A built in bookshelf lined the wall at one side
>The floor had a large soft red and brown rug spread cross it
>There were a couple of arm chairs and a long couch facing the fire 
>A radio sat on a coffee table playing a soft unfamiliar tune
>”What is this place?”
“Nonny?”
>”Silver?”
>The sleek silvery-grey mane of your batmare appears above the couch and turns around revealing her surprised dark gray face
“Nonny what are you doing here? It should only just be approaching lunch time”
>You walk over to join the mare on the couch
>”Where is here exactly?”
“Where do you think? My dream”
>Why wasn’t that apparent to you until she told you?
“So how did you get here?”
>”Magic mishap”
“Oh, you had to do that research thing didn’t you”
>“mmm”
>”Okay, so where are we, like actually where?”
“This was where my parents lived”
>You don’t say anything
>It’s obvious this is a special place for her 
>You pick her up and start a cuddle
>She also says nothing, enjoying the soft music and your rubbing hands
>”It’s a lovely place”
>She still doesn’t say anything
>The music rings throughout the cabin
>Listening to it you realise why the song sounded so unfamiliar, aside from the fact it was from an alien world
>The words being sung were obscured, blurry and hard to define, as if one could only recall the base tune of a song
>That was exactly it
>The song must have been one Silver had listened to as a foal, before her parents had been turned to stone
>It had been obscured by the fog of her infantile memory, but it still held intense meaning for her
>”I got you a present today”
>She stirs 
>As she does you feel something soft hit your face
>Something back in the real world
“Really? What is it! Did you make it in arts and crafts?”
>”No, it was given to me”
“By who?”
>Something hits your face again and your arm involuntarily rubs at where it struck
>”A pony called Sassy Saddles, I helped her out for it”
>Silver’s head raised completely, clearly you’d gotten her full attention
“Sassy Saddles? The mare up at Canterlot carousel?”
>You see the suspicion growing on her face
“She wouldn’t have a reason to come to prison, and I’d have heard if she’d committed a crime and was coming here. How exactly did you two meet?”
>You weren’t going to lie to her
>”At Canterlot Carousel”
>She looks at you grumpily
“That would mean you broke out of prison Nonny. I can’t let that go unpunished”
>”I came back though! I didn’t do anything /that/ bad. Please don’t tell!”
>Look at you, grovelling to a small pony like a child
“I suppose if you came back its alright… And you did get me a present after helping a pony, so it couldn’t have been that bad”
>You smile broadly
>“Exactly”
>Danger successfully averted you return to snuggling up against your mare
“Thank you Nonny”
>”For what?”
“For…Earlier”
>”Earlier? Can you be a bit more specific?”
>She immediately blushes up
“You know, /earlier/ in the pillow fields…”
>“Oh, I understand”
“Nopony’s made me feel like that before, even if it was just a dream”
>Honestly because it was a dream your memory of what had happened was already quite faded
>”That’s alright, you don’t have to thank me”
>A few more things bat your face in rapid procession
>If that keeps happening you’ll wake up
>”I think some ones trying to wake me up Silver, I’m sorry that I can’t stay”
“That’s alright Nonny, you don’t have to worry about me, time flies in dreams”
>”If you want you can grab your present when you wake up. It’s in the draw near the bed”
>Boop goes the ponies snoot as your finger prods out
>…
>A cold liquid splashes over your face
>You jump out of the chair you’d fallen asleep in
“Mr. Anonymous! Stay calm and get low!”
>Ember’s voice sounds quiet
>As ordered you crouch down and look around
>None of the researchers were even in the dome with you
>They were all hold up in the dome to the left
>”What in the heck are you guys doing? What happened while I was asleep?”
“Mr. Anonymous behind you!”
>Ember’s frantic voice has your head rocketing around
>At first you can’t see anything
>But then you glimpse it darting along near the roof
>A bee. A /single/ bee and it was scaled proportionally to this pony sized world, making it tiny
>”It’s just a tiny bee”
“EXACTLY GET OUT OF THERE! We tried to bring you with us, but we can’t use telekinesis to lift you up!”
>You notice a large number of cotton balls scattered around your chair along with an empty glass of water
>Ember must have been levitating them at your face
>The researchers were growing restless at your lack of movement
>Chicken yell out to you
“Please Anonymous you need to exit the dome; this situation is incredibly dangerous”
>The bee nears you and the sound of gasps erupt from the researcher
>You gently shoo it away, leading to the relieved exhales of many ponies
“Now’s your chance Mr. Anonymous!”
>It was, the bee had landed on the wall
>You raise your thumb up, and smash his tiny skull in
>Problem solved
>A deafening silence roars behind you 
>The familiar jingle of the PA system cuts through the air; announcing the beginning of lunch 
>Turning around you see the group of researchers, jaws agape
>”Did you guys want to break for lunch? Or…”
>They don’t move
>”Okay, I’ll just ah…sit back down then”
>Ember speaks from the other dome, but using a nifty bit of magic it sounded as if she were beside you
>Guess that means she’s gotten over her previous fatigue 
“You may go for lunch Mr. Anonymous. I’m afraid your massage spell will have to wait. Thank you”
>Her voice still sounds quiet, even when it was magically beside you 
>You have no way of telling if they’re shocked at your ability to defend yourself and kill it, or the fact you killed it at all
>Let’s hope it’s the former 
>”I’ll see you guys later then”
>With that you awkwardly strip off the electrodes, put your shirt back on, and walk away
>Let’s hope the tensions eased by the time you have to go back
>A gurgle from your stomach confirms it truly must be lunch time
>Something niggles at the back of your mind though
>Shoot! You forgot you had gym after lunch! The researchers won’t mind right?
>Before you quite reach the cafeteria you’re stopped by Honey Cakes
>It looks like your fate has been decided
>”So how was Maple Glaze?”
“She’s with her father, how’s the research going?”
>”It’s strange, but I’m cool with it”
“That’s good Anonymous, but we both know that’s not why I’m here. I spoke to Path Finder”
>”…And?”
“And according to him you were off exploring all morning after joining up with their club, so I guess you were here all day, and I can’t think of any way you could even get up to Canterlot. So..”
>”So, Honey Cakes?”
>It’s more than obvious She knows you’ve done something wrong, but with Path Finder’s poor description of events it sounds as if you’ve got an alibi
“So for now you are free to go. Aside from the door, you still need to be punished for that”
>She turns around and trots towards the cafeteria doors
“Even if it doesn’t have an effect on you” 
>”I’m looking forward to it”
>Her ears flicker in annoyance 
“I’m sure you are”
>The two of you enter the room and split
>Honey Cakes moves off to a table with food already on it
>Clearly it was not coincidence that lead you to meeting The Warden just now
>She must have staked out the entrance for you
>Well you were yet to get your food so to the cafeteria line you go
>Delicious greasy chicken tendies on the menu today, once again
>Actually today you might just go for the salad, if you keep up with this meat gluttony something bad will happen to you
>You also ask the cafeteria pony for a juice box with your pudding cup, which he willingly provides
>Fantastic
>Everyone is at the table waiting for you, excluding Platinum
>You sit down and no one says a word
>Maybe you should tell them about the bee? it may help you discern the feelings of the researchers 
>In the end it’s blaze who breaks the silence
“So how’s magic doin’ ya?”
>Everyone else nods vigorously, Soft Cotton even speaks up
“Did Witlick take any samples from you?”
>”Uh… not that I know of, was he meant to? Maybe he will later, they’re still testing”
“He should at some point. If he doesn’t, remind him, it’s important”
>”Can do”
“I hope I can count on you Anon, now come on! Tell us what happened when we left”
>Soft Cotton’s eager head was easily within patting distance, something you choose to abuse
>Damn she was soft
>”It’s not that interesting guys, they tried a bunch of spells on me and they’d randomly either work, or go crazy. In the case of telekinesis it seems to go crazy every time. Now that I think about it I was unconscious about 50% of the time, my recollection of events wouldn’t be that fantastic”
“So I’m guessing that no magic rule about you is still in effect then?” inquired Blaze
>”I hope”
>You recall the guard on your arm and raise it
>”Oh, but I can use enchantments! Like this amazing thing Shear whipped up for me”
>You flash the shield on and off a couple times, enjoying Blazes grin of approval, before scooping up the little earth pony beside you; she still had your earphones in
>With the little mare held so close you press your cheek against hers and shut your eyes, enjoying the feeling of her smooth fluff along your rough skin
>”Thank you again for this. It is fantastic!”
>Shear gleefully returns the embrace 
“I’m so glad you like it Anon. It was easier than I thought it would be”
>She pulls back briefly to contemplate what she’d said, and quickly adds an amendment
“I mean: it was really hard, and I spent soooo long on it”
>”Is that so? I guess if it was /that/ hard I should give you something special”
>Shear moves back to her chair and you pass her your pudding cup
>”Will that do?”
>Her little legs wrap around your arm in a hug
“Thank you Anon”
>You’d have gone back to eating if it weren’t for Soft Cotton’s disappointed whine 
>Your head hangs in defeat and a saddened sigh escapes your lips
>Without looking you lift your much desired juice box from your tray and give it to Soft Cotton
“Thank you Anon”
>”Anything for the adorable”
>That gets annoyed looks from both Cotton and Shear, the latter of whom reminds you of some valuable information
“Just remember Anon, no enchantment lasts forever”
>”lame! Can you tell when it'll stop working?”
>Her little head begins shaking
>”Sorry Anon, a lot of factors affect when a gem loses it's enchantment, things like number of uses or how stressful that use is, even the purity of the gem and talent of the enchanter affects how long the magic will hold”
>”In that case I bet it'll last for ever”
>Shears hoof shyly makes a circle on the table
“I'm not /that/ good Anon”
>”To me you are”
>Unsurprisingly her cheeks turn a sharp pink
>It was so easy to embarrass these ponies; you feel kind of bad for them
>“So Shear how was Platinum?”
>She launches into her tale with gusto 
“Oh, well after I left you and made it back to the facility I…..


>Be Krystal Shear hours earlier
>You’d just left Anon with the researchers
>It was interesting and all but not being part of their team just meant you’d be in the way
>Plus they wouldn’t let you stay with Anon
>Oh well, it’ll be nice to see how Platinum Strike was doing. Dancing was a much better alternative to fighting
>And even better the rock that hit you had become a tiny record player, producing music you’d never heard in your entire life
>Each new song that came on left you speechless. No gift could out gift this gift!
>But as you trot along you come to an unfortunate realisation
>You had no idea where the theatre was, which meant you’d have to find and ask Warden Honey Cakes
>”Drat” 
>There were two things wrong with this situation. One, The Warden would be stressed out because of Maple Glaze, and two, as kind as Honey Cakes appeared she was still The Warden, and that made her /scary/
>Plus you’d broken into her office before. If she ever found out that’d happened, you would be in time out for so long!
>Wait! You could just ask Soft Cotton!
*Do Dah*
>Honey Cakes voice ripples through the air
“Soft Cotton I need your help”
>”Celestia darn it!”
>It’ll be fine, just a quick in and out, Honey Cakes will be too distracted with Maple and Soft Cotton to think about your possible crimes
>With determination in your step you make out for Honey Cake’s office
>When you approach her door you can hear the sounds of thudding, crashing, and crying, along with the desperate calls of Soft Cotton
>You enter without knocking. Nopony would have heard it anyway
>Inside is a scene of destruction
>The desk had been over turned, papers where everywhere, shelves had been knocked down and decorative bits and bobs had been strewn about
>Soft Cotton was flapping back and forth around the room, desperately trying to catch the tiny unicorn baby zooming around in her magical glow 
>Honey Cakes was nowhere to be seen
>Just as Soft Cotton nears Maple Glaze she flashes away to the other side of the room
>Soft Cotton lets out a primal groan of frustration before collapsing to the floor and covering her face with her hooves
>”Need any help?”
>Her head rockets around to face you, and she gives a frightened yelp
>”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you”
“I don’t care, you said you’d help, please help!”
>You give a dutiful salute
>”What do you need?”
>She points to the floating foal
“I need her to be in there”
>Her hoof lowers to an empty crib
>”And where’s Honey Cakes?”
“When I first got here things were settled pretty quickly, so Honey Cakes took the opportunity to have a nap, but once she left Maple shot up from her crib and it’s been chaos since!”
>Soft Cotton flaps herself back onto her hooves
“I’ve been trying to chase after her but baby unicorns turn out to be slipperier than an oily crystal pony”
>”So what’s the plan?”
>Maple zooms by
“I’ve no idea, maybe two brains will be better than one at figuring this out”
>You raise your hoof to suggest an idea involving the use of a pulley system, two pillows, a high tech laser grid, and some old cheese, when you’re taken down by a barrage of magically hurled baby items
>When you open your eyes you find yourself on the floor entangled in a baby mobile
>Unable to get yourself free you call out for Soft Cotton
>However she’s suffering a similar fate
>Little Maple Glaze has somehow managed to trap Soft Cotton inside her blanket, only her head was sticking out of the pony blanket burrito 
>”Can we get Anon to help?”
>Cotton attempts to shake her head, succeeding only in rolling her bundled up form around the room
“He’s not allow near magic”
>”Then we need at least nine other ponies”
“I’d say 20”
>The two of you sit silently, trapped by your respective obstacles, listening to the now giggling Maple Glaze flying around the room, telekinetically throwing everything she could lift
>”So how do we get out?”
>Soft Cotton’s head wiggles about as she surveys the situation from her bound position
“If I roll over there do you think you could loosen up this blanket?”
>”I can give it a try”
>With that the blanketed blob that was Soft Cotton rolls towards you
“Is this close enough?”
>Your neck cranes out and you bite at the outside of the blanket
>”Ish closh enoof”
>Pulling back you feel the wrappings coming apart
>Soft Cotton struggles out and shakes the blanket away
>”Can you help me now? This is uncomfortable. I think a rattle is stabbing into my flank”
“Sure, sure, you’re not much help on the ground are yo-
>”DUCK!”
>Soft Cotton dives to the floor as several books whisk past
“Okay, maybe you are, but I still need you on your hooves”
>She begins unravelling the tangled mess you’d become and before you know it you’re back in action
>”We should move fast”
*Sniff*
>”Soft Cotton?”
*Sniff*
>Why is she sniffing?
>Oh no! Not a poopy diaper!
>You sniff
>The fragrance that enters your nose isn’t the one you were expecting
>It smelt of ash and smoke
“That can’t be good. Find where it’s coming from and fast!”
>You dash around the office searching for the source of the smell while Cotton dashes into the hall to grab the closest fire extinguisher
>The source turns out to be a smouldering book sitting in front of Maple Glaze; her horn lit up and face flush with concentration
>”Damn unicorn foals! Soft Cotton over here!”
>She gallops back into the room, extinguisher under her wing and sets upon the thing with a small blast of CO2
>The smouldering book goes out, much to Maple’s displeasure, who, assisted with yet more magic, begins crying /very/ loudly
>The two of you put you hooves to your ears to block out the worst of it
>You can overhear Soft Cotton shouting through the bellowing wails
“Why didn’t we just let her burn down the prison!?”
>It was an appealing alternative to this ear splitting noise
>But then of course you’d be charged with helping an arson
>You slowly move to Cotton. It’s quite difficult when you need your hooves to walk and block sound simultaneously 
>”What in Celestia’s wide world do we do now?” 
>As if willed by the princess herself you find yourself falling to the ground, having slipped in one of Maple’s tear puddles
>You thud to the ground, not particularly painfully, but very comically
>It also had Maple Glaze’s full attention and had now sent her into a fit of giggles
>Slowly Maple descends into her crib laughing at your prone form the entire time
>”Hooray! I did it”
“Do you need help up Shear?”
>”I’ll be fine”
>And thankfully, after a brief check once standing, you where
>Back on your hooves you see Maple yawn in her crib before closing her eyes and falling dead asleep against her massive stuffed dragon
>How could something so small be such a large problem
>You look at the destroyed office
>Or make such a large mess!
>Soft Cottons hooves wrap around you
“Thank you so much Shear! I’d have never been able to do this without you”
>Do what? You both got beaten by a baby who got tired and fell asleep. Not your proudest moment
>She brushes some filth from your coat
“So why did you come here in the first place?”
>”I wanted to visit Platinum but I don’t know where the theatre is”
>Soft Cotton’s eyes light up
“That sounds like a good idea! Can I join you?”
>”Sure thing Cotton”
“I just have to clean up here first, and wait for Honey Cakes to come back, which should be soon I hope”
>”I’ll lend you a hoof”
>The two of you clean up the unholy amount of mess in a surprisingly short time
>Or so you’d thought, until a refreshed looking Honey Cakes entered to reveal lunch was but an hour away 
>She also congratulated the two of you on such a good job at keeping things under control
>You were going to say what had actually happened, but a nudge from Soft Cotton said that was a bad idea
>Honey Cakes of course spotted the movement and looked you over with her steely eyes, seeking out your guilt
>But you didn’t flinch, acting as Anon would, not giving her a thing
>And it worked, she let the two of you leave with a smile and wave
>You sneak a peek behind you before exiting 
>Honey Cakes was closely inspecting a picture frame on the wall, a single, fresh, crack in the corner had gained her attention
>As her head leans in closer to the frame you hurry out of the room, eager to avoid Honey Cakes suspicion
>She was a scary pony; no wonder the Changeling sisters would never dare misbehave around her
>Yet inexplicitly Anon insisted on such behaviour whenever she was about, as if unaware of the primal power within her that made her so terrifying
>Anon would probably say something stupid like she was cute not scary
>You make pace with Soft Cotton, trotting along by her side
>”So where is the theatre?”
>Soft Cotton takes flight, hovering around your head height
“It’s part of the library, the back half is a huge theatre department”
>”Honey Cakes could have told us that on our tour”
“Haha, Honey Cakes prides herself on her personal tours, but she’s not exactly the best at it. There’s probably a lot of this place you don’t know about”
>That didn’t exactly make you feel good
>The two of you enjoy a short trip to the library
>Once there Soft Cotton flaps over to the Nut Club Café
“I’m going to get us a brownie each”
>”Get one for Platinum Strike too please”
“But of course”
>With the brownies bagged and in muzzle, Soft Cotton leads you towards a large bead covered archway near the back
>Beyond the archway was a dimly lit entrance room with a set of heavy red velvet curtains
>Beyond those was a large well-lit foyer, no doubt this would be where the after party was going to be held
>Soft Cotton continues forward and passes through a set of grand mahogany doors
>Inside was a grand indoor amphitheatre, rows of large comfortable looking chairs lined the room facing a well-lit stage, upon which was a menagerie of prancing creatures
>Platinum stood centre stage, a strong look of focus on her face as she balanced two ponies above her head
>The two of you file into the nearest row of seats and put your rumps down
>For now you’ll just watch the rehearsal until they take a break
>The rustling of a paper bag emanates from Soft Cotton beside you, who passes over a brownie
>”Thank you”
>Taking a bite of the chocolatey treat your taste buds are overcome by the sweet flavour 
“They certainly are good” Cotton chimed, perfectly complementing the party in your mouth
>”Oh, they’re delicious”
>Soft Cotton giggles in the darkness
“I meant the dancers silly”
>You look up from your snack to the stage
>Currently everypony, griffon, minotour, and dog (There really had the be an easier way of saying all that. What did Anon use, every/one/?) were parading on the very tips of their paws/hooves, leaping ever higher and further as the pace of their dancing increases
>Their furious, yet somehow delicate, dancing eventually culminates to a perfectly synchronised twirl
>As they spin the group reorders itself into a circle and to your pure amazement each pony dives from the ground into the upthrust paws of the larger creatures, who were still rapidly spinning, and continue to spin and twirl themselves, now several feet off the ground and supported only by the rapidly revolving paws of those beneath them 
>”Wow, you were right, they are good”
“So were you, these brownies are fantastic!”
>The two of you devour your food while watching in awe at the intricate moves of the dancers
“Hey Shear?”
>”Yes?”
“Thanks for letting me tag along. I know I can tease you sometimes, but I’m glad we’re friends… We are friends right?”
>She sounded so sincere, and worried about your answer
>How could she not be your friend!? You hung out all the time, she was really nice, you called each other by your nicknames! By Celestia you were even in the same herd!!
>”Cotton we will always be the best of friends!”
>You lean over and embrace with your herd mare
“Thanks. I don’t think I’ve been friends with a prisoner before, not since Anon arrived to be sure”
>”A lot of different things have been happening since Anon’s arrival”
>You can see the white sparkle of Soft Cottons teeth in the darkness as she smiles
“Too true dear, too true”
>…
>…
“So how was your visit with your friend? I saw how successful your gift was. I had no idea you were such a skilled enchanter”
>”Oh that was nothing, shield’s come naturally to me. And Gran was fine, she helped resurrect this thing Anon gave me, his eye-phone”
“Truly a mysterious device”
>”Oh actually”
>You take out one of the ear bits and put it in Soft Cottons
>(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc112Swpc94 [Embed] Or whatever song u want, I was just listening to this one)
“OH! A truly marvellous device!”
>The two of you sit together, dancing slightly in your chairs
>Cotton breaks the comfortable silence and wicked dance moves
“I’ve got a friend of mine working on our… fertility question”
>”That’s good to hear”
>…
“So… if you haven’t done naughty things with Anon what have you done?”
>You can feel the heat rushing to your cheeks. Lucky the room was darkened
>How could she ask that?!
>What were you thinking? Of course she’d ask that, Soft Cotton was as bad as Gran
>”W-what? Cotton why would you ask something like that?”
>She looks at you innocently, or you think, once again the room is quite dark and it’s hard to see
“I’m just curious is all, I’ll tell you what I’ve done if you want. We are herd mares after all, who else can we talk to about these things?”
>Her reasoning was solid and a certain part of your mind enjoyed the taboo of talking about such lewd things
>”Well… Okay, but you first”
“If I do you’re not allowed to chicken out!”
>You nod in the darkness
>You’re unsure as to whether she saw you or not but she goes ahead anyway
“Well I suppose the first time we met, Anon boldly and unwaveringly rubbed my chest”
>”I know, I was there, he did for me too!”
“Oh yeah… Well when he was in time out Anon pulled me down and snuggled against me for the longest time”
>She leans in close to whisper
“And he rubbed my belly like it was noponies business, firm and thorough”
>She leans in closer
>Whatever she was about to say was clearly very lewd
>As if what she already said wasn’t! In fact, it had you quite flustered, and very embarrassed. >What would Soft Cotton be feeling?
“He even tried grooming my wings” 
>*Meep*
>Yep, that was /LEWD!/
>It was times like these that your jealousy of pegasi was thrown into overdrive
>Soft Cotton’s breath had become heavy and slow
“I-I’ve never let anypony else touch my wings like that… Honestly I was surprised when it happened, if not a little frightened”
>She gulps and draws back
“So come on, how about you?”
>Oh dear. If Soft Cotton could do it, so could you!
>”On my first night in prison I was reading beside Anon when he started rubbing my tummy, /and/ flank”
“In the library? With other prisoners around?!”
>You nod
>“Platinum was sitting just opposite us”
“By Celestia’s grace I know Anon likes to push things, but that is bold”
>It still felt amazing though, the publicity of it just added a weird pleasure to the memory
“Go on Shear, that can’t be all”
>It wasn’t but… what you’d done was so embarrassing! How could you say what you’d done? 
>”There was one other time, the night we formed our herd. When Anonymous found me in our room”
“You were pretty upset that night; I know you didn’t exactly want to form a herd. I though Anon must have done something special to console you”
>He did indeed 
>”It was certainly a most caring embrace. I think ponies call it spooning”
“Ah, jealous! But I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything”
>”No. I got a little… overzealous, I was pretty emotional at the time”
“Overzealous? You didn’t try to… you know, did you?”
>”A little. But I think Anon knew I wasn’t ready, I’m glad he stopped me”
“I don’t know how that stallion can be so oblivious yet so attentive”
>You’re shocked
>”Wait, so you’re not bothered about what I did?”
“You didn’t say exactly what you did, but rest assured any reasonable mare would have done the same. It does also explain the smell last night”
>She really had to add that last part didn’t she?
>”Thank you so much Cotton, you really are a good friend”
>She could put your mind to ease
“Likewise”
>”I wonder if Silver Linings has done anything?”
“Are you kidding me? She and Anonymous turning up to your room after being gone all night? And I saw Silver with a Dream stone, so who knows what happened”
>What!? Silver was sharing Anon’s dreams! They could have done anything in there
>/Anything/
>Your mind quickly brings forth a few titillating fantasies about being alone with Anonymous in his dreams 
>Soft Cotton must be doing the same. Her breath was still heavy and you could see the outline of her raised wings in the darkness
“I think we should stop talking about Anon”
>You’re flustered body couldn’t help but agree
>”I think you’re right, but I enjoyed being able to talk about these things”
>It felt… liberating, plus if anypony did overhear you couldn’t be sent to prison for indecent conversion because you were already in prison! 
>The song you’d been listening to comes to an end and the room becomes fully illuminated 
>The dancers begin shuffling from the stage
“Talk about good timing”
>Platinum Strike walks up the isle towards the both of you
“Hi girls, I thought I could hear you talking out in the seats. Watcha doing here?”
>”We just came to visit”
>Soft Cotton presents her the brownie
“Here, we got one for you”
>The lithe minotaur wolfs down the sweet rectangle, clearly savouring the flavour 
“Thanks girls! And thanks for visiting. Whaddaya think of it so far?”
>Soft Cotton speaks first
“It was mesmerising! I had no idea anypony could move like that”
>”I think it’s beautiful! I wish you’d stick to just dancing”
>Platinum chuckles
“Thanks Soft Cotton, but Shear, I thought as a black suit you’d be more hardcore fighting cool! But we’re still buds”
>”I’m plenty hardcore, I bet Anon would say so”
“He just might”
>She gestures for the two of you to get up
“Come on I’ll show you what it’s like up on the stage”
>Yourself and Soft Cotton walk in close formation, keeping the earphones split between one another
>You trot up the stairs to the stage and move amongst the relaxing dancers who chose to remain on-stage
>Up on the stage you have a clear view of the seats, but if the lights were down you wouldn’t be able to see a thing with the spotlights shining from above
>Maybe not being able to see anypony helped them perform, you certainly wouldn’t enjoy seeing hundreds of eyes watching your every move
>”I don’t understand how you can do this with so many ponies watching you Platinum”
“You don’t like the attention?”
>”Not as much as you apparently”
>Platinum flashes you her trademark wicked grin
“Really? Because you certainly seem to need a lot of attention from a certain bipedal stallion” 
>Soft Cotton laughs at your growing embarrassment, but soon Platinum turns to her
“And what are you laughing about? What happened to the Nurse who took my physical first day here? Miss “I-don’t-need-anypony”? I thought you said you were too independent for such things?”
>Soft Cotton’s laughter abruptly ends in a choked cough
“W-what!? You still remember that?”
>Platinum looks confused
“It only happened like a week ago”
>Cotton’s head falls in defeat and embarrassment
>She speaks in a quiet voice
“Oh yeah”
>”Were you always this evil Platinum?”
>That grins back on her muzzle
“I only play nice when The Wardens after me over the fight club, and lately Anonymous has been taking a lot of heat instead”
>Soft Cotton raises a hoof
“You know I’m Honey Cakes best friend right?”
“Yeah I know, and I’ve considered that, but I’m friends with Anonymous”
“So? I’m his /mare/, you couldn’t get him to go against me” Soft Cotton replied bemused
“I was thinking of quite the opposite. I know Anon, and it shouldn’t take much to get him to be overly affectionate towards you, preferably somewhere in public”
>Soft Cotton smiles
“Hah, that wouldn’t work against me because Anon already does that!”
>But Platinum didn’t flinch
“When I say “overly affectionate”, I mean to say I’ll get him to meticulously and tenderly preen your wings”
>The pegasus blanches
“Y-you wouldn’t dare do such a thing!”
“Only if you try to spoil my fun”
>Soft Cotton can only shake her head side to side
“Prisoners” She quietly says to herself
>”You are a diabolically evil minotaur Platinum”
“Maybe” 
>Platinum takes a seat directly on the stage
>Soft Cotton and yourself follow her example
“So have you girls actually checked on Anonymous?”
>”We were just there earlier”
“And how is he?”
>”Well from what I saw he was happy and calm, so same as usual… Does Anon even have bad feelings?”
>The three of you contemplate the question 
>You hadn’t seen Anon mad or sad before. He didn’t cry, like… ever. Even when his arm got cut
>Platinum provides the best answer you could think of
“I think he does, he can just somehow… internalise them, or ignore them”
>”That can be good for him can it?”
“He seems on the up and up, I wouldn’t worry about him, you know what he’s like”
>Soft Cotton and yourself nod in agreement; He was a weird one
“So Soft Cotton, how was Maple Glaze? I hope she’s feeling better; Honey Cakes was more than worried this morning”
>The two of you shudder at the mention of the tiny filly who’d thoroughly beaten you down, but Soft Cotton dutifully answers 
>…


>Be Soft Cotton several hours ago
>You’d just left with Honey Cakes to go treat Maple Glaze
>Honey was stressing out as much as was seemly for a parent but Maple Glaze wasn’t the first foal you’d ever treated and you knew in cases like these there really wasn’t anything to be worried about
>”Honey Cakes I can see your ears fidgeting. Trust me, Maple Glaze will be fine, thousands of foals catch colds every day and they’re fine, Maple isn’t any different” 
>It stops her from twitching but the worry is still evident on her face
>It doesn’t take long before you and Honey Cakes must part ways
>”Go grab Maple Glaze and come to my office, I’ll have everything set up before you get there”
“Thank you again Soft Cotton”
>You split and hurry to your office
>Setting up shouldn’t take more than a few seconds
>All you’d need would be your stethoscope, a fluffy teddy, and a lollipop
>Correct to your first estimate it took no time at all, thankfully neither did Honey Cakes, arriving shortly after you’d sat down
>Bundled up at her side was little Maple Glaze, who’d occasionally let out a quiet cough
>From the sound of it she had a bit of phlegm built up, but it shouldn’t be an issue
“Where do you want her?”
>”Just set her down on the bed over there, next to the teddy”
>Honey cakes does as you instruct (one of the only ponies you know who actually listens to their doctor) and places Maple beside the stuffed bear
>She quickly cuddles up against the fluffy animal
>Honey cakes watches her tiny filly rest her head against the oversized bear
“I always wished I had a stuffed animal big enough to sleep on”
>You were about to agree with her until you realised you’d spent last night living that very wish beside Anon
”Shall we get started then?”
>“This won’t take long Honey”
>You pick up your stethoscope and approach Maple, who was half snoozing on the bear
>Pressing the cool instrument against Maple’s back has her twitch in shock but like a good little patient she stays still, choosing to cuddle the bear rather than run away
>That bear had saved you so much heartache in your career
>Listening to Maple’s little breaths and occasional coughs through the stethoscope it’s now more than obvious that there’s no real issue, like you’d thought the worst of it was just a build-up of mucus, and even then that didn’t really have to be treated
>But you know parents, and if you don’t give them some kind of magical cure-all at the end of an appointment they won’t stop worrying and that’s not good for them or the foal
>So you write down a prescription for a Terbutaline sulphate inhaler and pass it over to Honey Cakes
>”This will get rid of that mucus, she’ll be feeling better soon, trust me Honey Cakes, it isn’t that bad”
“Alright Soft Cotton, I can trust you”
>”While she’s here would you like me to give her a basic check-up?”
“If you wouldn’t mind”
>”Not at all”
>You proceed to take Maples temperature, test her basic reflexes, record her heart beat, take her weight and size
>You also check out her throat, tonsils and teeth, sinuses, ears and eyes
>Finally you briefly inspect her mane and coat for lice. Nopony wants lice
>As you do so you’re also sure to look out for any swollen lymph nodes
>But everything checks out
>”Congratulations Honey Cakes, aside from the cold Maple Glaze is a perfectly health foal” 
>Honey Cakes leaves with a hug before rushing up to Canterlot to get the prescription filled
>Before she left she did manage to mention that you were now supposed to help with the researchers
>Apparently the University had expanded its scope of research to include some medical analysis, so you’d been called upon to provide what information you’d gathered so far
>Plus your old friend Witlick had come down; the two of you had gone to medical school together
>A short while later you find yourself in the tri-domed space the researchers had allocated themselves
>As it turned out helping the researchers wasn’t too hard, they just needed assistance setting up some equipment
>You also brought over your file on Anonymous which everypony read through very thoroughly
>Often they would quiz you on a few of the things you’d left out of the report
>None of which you could answer, they were left out of the report for a reason!
>Of course it didn’t take long before everything was ready to go and all you were waiting on was Honey Cakes to return from Canterlot
>Once she did you both went back to her office to administer the inhalant. Honey Cakes left to go find Anon and you remained behind, watching Maple Glaze to make sure she didn’t have a reaction to the medication
>Her coughing died down and her breathing lost its slight rasp 
>Much to your annoyance there was a slight side effect 
>Her little horn lights up and starts floating things around the room
>Oh great! For whatever reason it’s induced her magic!
>Her horn sputters out and the floating objects fall to the ground. That could only just be the beginning
>”You certainly are a fast developer aren’t you”
>Bundling Maple back into her blanket you make out for the research domes, eager to get her back to Honey. You were a good Nurse, but when it came to a baby unicorn and magic, only another unicorn could help
>At the dome you find Anon and Honey Cakes
>By the look of things they were about to start their study
>This would be interesting
>…

>Be Soft Cotton hours later
>You’d just finished telling Platinum and Shear about treating Maple Glaze
>”So yeah, aside from developing her magic a bit early, she’s just a happy little filly”
>Platinum sighs in relief
>Maple Glaze was a favourite around the prison and a lot of inmates genuinely cared about her wellbeing, it was nice
“Come on girls, I’ll show you some of the things we have back stage”
>Platinum leads you and Shear into the darkened space behind the curtains
>It’s a mess of ropes, lights and catwalks. Ponies with clipboards and ear pieces walk around, setting things up for tonight
>So many of them were familiar, previous patients you couldn’t quite put a name to
>Platinum had begun showing the two of you the costumes for their ballet when a message over the room’s speaker system draws all the dancers back to practice
>With Platinum busy once again Shear and yourself trot from the theatre
>Back into the library proper you pluck the earphone out with a wing and pass it back to Shear
>That “eye-phone” Anon had given her was the most extraordinary music box you’d ever seen or heard
>“Thank you for that Shear”
>She looks at you cheerfully
”No problem. I don’t think Anon meant for just me to have his eye-phone anyway, it’s for all of us”
>Shear was so nice
>Not to complement yourself but Anon has good taste in mares
>”Thanks Shear”
>You take to the air and hover alongside her
>You should have made friends with prisoners a long time ago, they weren’t bad ponies at all
>Well, a few of them were, but they’d be the exception
>A quick flight/trot later places the two of you at the cafeteria
>You make out Honey Cakes with a few other administrative staff members and give her a wave
>She waves back, but then gets up and leaves the hall
>Important business no doubt
>Blaze was sitting at your table with a mountain of jewels in front of him
>He was a peculiar dragon
>The biggest air head you’d ever met, but he was also a book hoarding dragon, so he was defiantly more educated than most ponies
>But Anon liked him, and aside from those creepy red eyes, so did you
>Shear and yourself sit down, strategically positioning a seat between each other for a massive cuddly human
>”So Blaze”
>The dragon doesn’t look at you, staring into space
>”Uh… Shear?”
>The mare shrugs
“Don’t look at me, Anon normally just keeps talking to him and he responds”
>In that case you may as well plow onwards
>You clear your throat
>”*Egh-erm* So, Blaze, how was your morning? Do anything?”
>For the longest time he doesn’t respond, but slowly his maw opens, showing off teeth harder than diamonds

>Be Blaze
>Be swimming through the quantum soup of the universe for hours now
>Be aware of eternity
>Be 60% omnipotent at this exact moment
>Be minutes away from ascending to a being of infinite power
>Be distracted by speaking pony
>Space and time come rushing back
>You find yourself in the cafeteria
>Anon’s mares Soft Cotton and Krystal Shear were opposite you
“So, Blaze, how was your morning? Do anything?”

>Be Soft Cotton
>Blaze’s mouth closes and he smacks his lips
“Nah….Not much”
>He’s to the point isn’t he?
>”Sounds relaxing”
>He nods
“Anonymous and The Warden are about to walk in… I wonder how his research went.”
>”How could you possibly know tha-“
>The sound of the doors opening grabs your attention
>Into the cafeteria walks Honey Cakes and Anonymous
>You turn back to look questioningly at Blaze, but he’s staring back into the nothingness
>”…I wonder how it did go?”
>…
>Be Anonymous again
>Shear was finally coming to the end of her recollection of the morning
>She’d been rather detailed
“And so then you walked through the door, so Blaze was right, and now we’re up to now again!”
>She wiggles happily and smiles widely at you with the completion of her story, eager for your approval
>A light pat on the head and some positive reinforcement should do
>”That sounds like quite the morning, made all the better by your fantastic storytelling”
>You pat and rub her head and she gives out a relieved sigh
>Nailed it
>”And it sounds like you had your hooves full this morning Soft Cotton”
“Hooves and wings”
>”Poor pony”
>You all continue to eat
“So Anon, when do you have to be back for the researchers?” Asked Shear
>”Well I suppose right after lunch, but I kinda promised to go to the gym”
“Knowing you you’ll figure something out”
>”haha, yeah…”
>Well it was now or never to ask what you'd like to know
>”So girls, and guy, hypothetical question, what if a friend of mine was stuck in a room with a bee and they squished it? You know, just curious is all”

(Prison thread died for a while and I went on holidays without updating the pastebin, so this next large segment is raw and un-edited because I can't be fucked going through stuff I posted weeks ago)

>A shiver moves through your mares, Blaze doesn’t look phased
“Dude, it’s a bee man, why would your friend be worried?”
>Okay so it’s fine with dragons
>Soft Cotton begins speaking, more to Blaze than you, her voice slightly elevated with concern
“Worried! They should be terrified! Bees can be quite dangerous, and very painful! Why imagine if Anon’s friend was allergic! If they didn’t have an adrenaline spell or auto-injector they could…”
>She shivers again
“I don’t want to even think about it. If that did happen to your friend Anon I would be very worried for them, should they manage to, er, /eliminate/ the bee, as bad as that sounds, they’ve probably done the right thing, preservation of pony life takes priority in my line of work.”
>Finally Shear gives her two cents worth
“I’d be shocked, if not a little scared… actually no, I’d say intimidated.”
>”What? Why?”
“Well, to squish a bee? It’s a pretty risky thing to do, plus I heard the only ponies able to do such things are the elite members of the Princesses royal guard, and those ponies are just… I can’t say scary because I know they’re for the greater good, so I say intimidating.”
>”Good to know. So it’s not a crime or anything?”
>Everyone shakes their head.”
>That’s a relief, you may have frightened and surprised the researchers with your flawless kill, but you haven’t committed any kind of travesty in front of them and thankfully won’t be sentenced to life in prison
>Wait a sec that would be awesome
>But what crimes get you a lifetime in prison?
>No, what are you thinking? You could never shoulder the guilt of causing the necessary distress to such little ponies required for such a crime
>Just as you finish eating, a familiar pony trots through the door
>You stick your hand up and wave
>”Ember Heart, over here.”
>Ember, having just entered, looks about confused for a moment at the new sight before locking onto the source of your voice
>She moves to your table
>”Ember meet Blaze, Krystal Shear and Soft Cotton. Not present are Platinum Strike and Silver Linings. Everyone I just said, meet Ember Heart, she’s one of the researchers.”
>Ember blushes at the bluntness of your introduction, and the sudden attention focussed on her
“It’s nice to meet you all friends of Mr. Anonymous.”
>”So I’m guessing you guys want me back?”
“Indeed, we are ready to continue.”
>”Yeah, there is a little problem, I may have promised to go to the gym with Platinum after lunch.”
>But much to your surprise her face is flooded with relief
“Oh, that’s great.”
>”Really, you guys want to get rid of me that quickly?”   
“No, not at all, it’s just that some of the unicorns casting spell would prefer at bit more of a break, especially after that magical drain.”
>”So you guys are fine with just waiting for me to finish gym?”
“I can say with certainty Mr. Anonymous that Chicken Scratche’s team, myself included, would not mind in the slightest. I cannot speak for Dr. Witlick or the medical team however, they are still quite eager.”
>Her hoof strokes her muzzle in thought
“Actually, they may prefer it, certainly it would provide the prefect opportunity to study your physiology and perhaps a few of your physical parameters.”
>”So long as I can keep my promise.”
>Ember nods
“Most definitely  Mr. Anonymous. If that’s the case I will return to Witlick, you may go to the gym.”
>”Will do, be seeing you soon.”
>Ember Heart leaves your table and small group
>You wanted to ask how she felt about the whole insect murder, but not with everyone around
>By the look of her she’d gotten over most of what had happened though
>”So what are you girls doing?”
>Shear swallows the last bite of her lunch
“You won’t be fighting in the gym will you?” 
>”Yeah, probably.”
“No offence, but I’d rather not watch that, I think I’ll do something more wholesome like the Games Club.”
>”That’s alright.”
“Just promise to use your shield if somepony tries to hurt you again.”
>”Promise.”
>Of course what you considered hurt varied wildly to her’s
>”Soft Cotton?”
“Well if you crazy ponies are intending to fight I should just go to the gym too, the source of nearly all pain in this prison.”
>”Koolio, and Blaze I guess you’re going to the gym too, seeing how you’re opening it.”
“Yeah man.”
>”Nice, everything falls into place.”
>Shear smiles up at you
“See, I told you you’d figure out some way to make things right.”
>You didn’t figure out shit, thus far every time you’ve come across an obstacle you’ve passed it through shear dumb luck, everything sorted itself out as usual
>But hey, the better they think you are the easier things will be
>You smile and wink
>”You know it.”
>With that the lot of you get up and head on your way
>As you exit the room you’re passed by one of the researchers, that pale yellow pony, the anxious one from earlier
>Surprisingly they ignored you completely and proceeded into the cafeteria
>Alright then
>As Shear tries to depart you plant a goodbye kiss on her cheek
>You crusade away, leaving the blushing stammering pony on her own, and make for the gym with Blaze and Soft Cotton
>You silently make the resolve to not get injured in such a way as to knock-out everyone in the gym today
>”Does the gym really produce that many injuries Cotton?”
“But of course Anon, bruises, scratches, pulled muscles, you name it the gym’s had it.”
>”Wow, such brutal injuries.”
“I can hear that sarcasm Anon, not all ponies are like you. Honestly when I saw that cut yesterday I thought we were going to have schedule some major surgery for you.” 
>”Haha, you’re joking right?”
“I don’t joke about the health and safety of others Anon.”
>Good god, did she actually think that scratch could have endanger you?
>Maybe you should do something about that
>”Soft Cotton hold up, I want to show you something.”
>She stops beside you
>Blaze however keeps ambling forwards. Oh well, he goes where he pleases
“What is it Anon?”
>”Here.”
>You pull down your pants 
>Soft Cotton’s pale pink cheeks blossom into flaming red as she flagrantly stares at your crotch
“A-anon, what are you doing?”
>”Not what you think, here look.”
>You extend out your left leg and turn it to the side, [spoiler] showing off its sexiness [/spoiler]
>Although faded from age a great jagged scar ran across your leg, cutting horizontally along your thy about 8 inches down from your groin
>With that her blush disappears
>She looks terrified, yet in awe at the paled scar tissue
“W-what? Anon, is that? How are you even…? How did that happen? Are you okay?”
>”This beast I got a long time ago Cotton, so it’s nothing to worry about. It happened when I was a kid, fell out of a tree and caught my leg on a fence post on the way down.”
>Boy did that smart, the memory of it alone makes a chill run through you
>”I actually did get surgery for that one, got it stitched back together, it wasn’t too bad though.”
>’Tis but a scratch
>She lowers her head and it shakes in confusion
“How did I miss that in your physical?”
>”You weren’t exactly looking and it’s well hidden between my legs.”
>You really just say that?
“But how can you still walk?”
>You pull your pants back up
>”Because Cotton, even that wasn’t too serious an injury, it just looked gory, but that’s not why I showed you. It’s because I think it would be for the best if you realised that I am not like your regular patients. I’m no pony, griffon, dog, dragon, minotaur, I’m no whatever!!”
>You’d gotten a bit… loud with that last part
>Cotton was looking at you with some concern 
“Just because you’re different doesn’t mean you should be treated differently.”
>”You’re such a sweet pony Soft Cotton, but the thing I’m trying to get at is that I /want/ to be treated differently! I can’t have you stressing over every little cut, bruise or scrap I get or you’ll never have a moments peace. I get hurt Cotton, a lot, I don’t know why, it could just be a human thing, but I do, and that’s fine, it’s a normal part of life where I’m from.”
>She just looks even more concerned
“Getting hurt is a normal part of human life?”
>”Pretty much Cotton, we’re stupid and reckless and getting a scratch or two isn’t something we worry about, let alone even feel!”
>Soft Cotton sits on her rump, hooves tucked between her rear legs, and looks up at you with her gigantic eyes
>They begin to moisten and her lip quivers
>Oh good God no! 
“Are you trying to tell me to ignore my training, my instincts? Anon how can I just stand around knowing you could have an untreated scrap?”
>You’re not going to win this are you?
>”If you’re feeling worried just think about that scar on my leg, and how I can walk, that seemed to surprise you.”
>She shuffles back onto her hooves and blinks away her forming tears
>Oh thank you Jesus
“Anon, I’ll admit you’re tough, you seem capable of handling damage and dealing with pain on a scale beyond ponies, but…” 
>Her tears gone she stands to her full height and her chest swells, fluff splaying outwards 
>Her wings are even slightly raised, giving her shoulders a much broader appearance
>Call you a fool but you’d say this would be considered intimidating
>Daww, such a cute pony!
“I’m a Nurse, it’s my job, my special talent! You are /my/ stallion Anon, and you have to do what /I/ say, and I say I get to feel worried and I get to treat you! No arguments!”
>You’re taken aback
>Dayam, such a fierce pony
>”Alright, alright. Scratches are bad and if I get one I’ll come straight to you.”
>That’s a resolve you’ll have to keep, if she found an injury on now that you didn’t tell her about you’ll be in for a world of angry pony
>Guess she is the boss
>Or just an abusively caring significant other
>Also, note to self; ponies don’t like it if you ask them to go against something pertaining to their special talents
>Those cutie marks of theirs must have more of a role in their life than just being a butt tattoo of their future job prospects
>Soft Cotton lowers back down to her small, meek form, a cheery smile upon her muzzle at her recent victory
>”You ponies are just impossible.”
>Soft Cotton simply laughs
“You know how ironic that is coming from you right?”
>”I’m going to ignore that.”
>You start walking 
>Soft Cotton takes flight behind you
>The air currents around you begin to stir as Cotton swoops in for a sneak attack
>The small pony’s incredibly soft hooves wrap around your head, her round tummy pushes into your back and her wings obscure your vision as she hugs your back
>You hear her whisper something under her breath
“/My/ stallion.”
>You don’t say anything; it wasn’t something you were meant to hear
>”Are you quite alright there?”
>She slip down a bit to get her hooves around your neck and free your sight
“Yes. Carry me Anon. You’ve carried Silver and Shear; I want a turn.”
>”Sure why not?”
>You continue onwards with the Pegasus around your neck
>Soon her wings extend out as she attempts some kind of aerial summersault
>She flips back around onto your front and settles into your now rising arms
>Were all pegasi so acrobatic?
>”You know how soft you are don’t you?”
“You do know my name don’t you?”
>”Right, what was I thinking.”
>Pitching a right you approach the gym’s glass doors
>Cotton squirms from your grasp before you can rush in there and snuggle her in front of everyone
>”You’re learning aren’t you.”
“I’m a senior member of staff Anonymous, I need to be seen with authority around here, but I know that’s not going to stop you, so yes, I’m learning.”
>”Clever.”
>There weren’t many creatures in the gym yet
>Blaze had already started his yoga routine, which most patrons were following
>It’s a good warm up so you join the group
>Soft Cotton watches from the sides
>She seems quiet enamoured with watching everyone’s slow movements and odd positions
>From the ponies she’s treated she clearly wasn’t expecting something this slow and calm in here
>Eventually interest seizes her as she tentatively takes the empty space beside you
>It takes her a while to get into the rhythm but eventually she’s stretching and contorting her body like a pro
>She did have the slight advantage of wings for balance and support
>Looking at Soft Cotton’s face, a mask of concentration, you come to wonder as to why, even now in such unusual positions, you couldn’t make out her, or for that matter anyone’s, genitalia
>You’d yet to even see a single pair of horse testicles!
>And there was no way they could hide those so perfectly with nothing but a tail   
>There had to be something else at play, because you know they have them
>Gotta be magic of a kind
>You make a mental note to find out. You’d gladly ask any of your mares, but no doubt they’d just turn red as a tomato and become catatonic 
>Soft Cotton might give you an answer, but asking such a thing in public, pony public at least, would be very inappropriate and Soft Cotton’s right, she should remain professional
>If one of your loved ones just fucked about with you while at work you’d be fucking pissed off, but she tolerated the fuck out of your bullshit
>”Thank you Soft Cotton.”
>Her eyes dart over to you
“Huh? Why?”
>”For being you.”
>She blushes and looks back to the front
>Blaze moves to the next position while explaining proper breathing technics 
>You follow his instructions
>When are those researchers getting here? 
>A few of the fight club member have turned up, and with nothing to do joined the yoga group
>Platinum had told you to start without her, but honestly you had no idea how to run the thing, plus you didn’t have the…. Spirit Platinum brought to it
>All the more you would be too busy dealing with the researchers, once they got here, to even properly attempt such a thing
>You’ll just have to wait until Platinum arrives



>Be Chytera, leader of the mighty Changeling incursion
>Currently impounded by the authorities and not quite enjoying the stray emotions Anonymous was giving off
>He’d just arrived in the cafeteria and something about his tests this morning had left his feelings bitter with a magical aftertaste, not very pleasing. 
>How dare those ponies sully such a fine meal?
>But already you can feel his body eliminating the foul taste with fresh beautiful love as he interacts with his mares
>Always full of surprises this one 
>Even though it’s nothing more than background noise the new love coming from Anonymous could sustain you for the entire evening
>Not only you, but your entire small family
>All of whom were sitting at the cafeteria table with you
>Coleoptrix, or Trix, had been sent to watch over Anonymous during the mornings study
>To your amazing advantage a previous prisoner in your transformation book had come from Canterlot Royal, it was just perfect
>Unfortunately it worked too well, Trix had been volunteered to use her magic on Anonymous
>Your sister had been so terrified and pained when the magic backfired you could feel her all the way from your cave room
>After that she got out as fast as she could, her magical disguise had been compromised briefly from the strike to the horn, so she’d been forced to flee before anypony could see a thing
>She was currently looking quite worried at you
“I’m sorry I was unable to stay Chytera.”
>”No Trix, you made the right choice, letting yourself be discovered would have been a true fools move.”
>Relief floods her face
>Were you really so cruel that she’d be worried about such a thing?
>”So in your own assessment what do you think of Anonymous’ effect on magic.”
“It’s bad, even when the effect is benign the spell can’t be stopped without physical trauma.”
>”So then?”
“So… Anonymous is a magical no go zone I’m afraid, except for enchantments.”	
>”That does us little good.”
>Of the five of you, Thoraxie included, not one knew a thing about enchanting, and getting pre-enchanted gems into prison would be harder than a whoopee cushion, so that was a dead end
>”Thoraxie, what’s your take on this?”
>The grey Changeling looks up at you, she’d been focussing on something very intently before you’d interrupted her
“My take? My take is that something has invaded the prison, and there’s been somepony in Anonymous’ head.”
>By the... What? You were not expecting /that/
>It had left you quite perturbed, and annoyed!
>”For a genius you love to speak like an idiot, explain yourself /now/ dear sister.”
“Concentrate on Anonymous’ conscious, his emotional network, do this very, very closely and tell me what you feel.”  
>Curious enough to suppress your rage at taking orders, you comply
>Your sisters do the same, all of whom had been listening in
>How could they not? You were all at the one table
>After a period of focus, blocking out as many stimuli as possible you feel it
>A quiver, a twitch and a shake in Anonymous’ emotional network
>Not of his own doing
>Summoning forth a focus spell you block out everything around you completely, physical and mental
>All that was left was Anonymous and the odd disturbance running through his head
>You hone in on the thing only to discover it was an entire Network of its own!
>What in the world?
>You adjust your spell to block out Anonymous as well revealing the entire emotional frame
>It was that night guard you’d heard of, Silver Linings 
>Why, and HOW, was she in there?
>You cut the spell and return to Thoraxie, confused anger evident upon your face
>”I’m assuming you know what’s happening.”
“I’ve no idea, mayhaps this Nights Watchpony has somehow got herself psionic powers.”
>”And what? Decided to take a romp around her partner’s mind?”
“If she did she’s no longer there, her presence isn’t strong enough. Why she would have been in there? I’ve no idea.”
>”Does this have any point? Would it not be of more value to inform me of this invader?”
“You’re right, there’s not much point, I just thought it was peculiar, as for the invader, well they’re coming for us now, can’t you feel them?”
>There was indeed… something, out there, and you could barely grasp at its mind, they were too blurred, but you could sense their foremost desire
>To find you, and your sisters
>They weren’t aggressive though, they seemed rather happy
>”And how is this creature an invader?”
“Well they don’t belong here do they? They are no prisoner. They have broken their way into the prison, so I consider them an invader.”
>”They’ve broken into prison just to see us?”
“It seems so Chytera.”
>Your sisters pass the time feeding off Anon’s wayward feelings
>If you could harness that one’s emotions you could rule the world
>What a beautiful place that would be! Free love for all changelings, hives would spring up as they once had centuries ago in the Badlands and your species would thrive again!
>During your machinations Anonymous had left the hall with his mares and that dragon
>You, and your sisters, did not like that dragon
>Whenever you tried feeding off his feelings you only ever felt hungrier, and before you knew it you’d over eaten to the point of forceful discharge
>It was the most unusual thing
>With Anonymous gone your reasons for being here had diminished, but you still had to wait for the “invader.”
>Thankfully fate ordained you wouldn’t wait for long, as a small pale yellow unicorn enters 
>After a slow inspection of the room she starts pacing between the tables, blending in as a pony amongst the crowd, disguising her progressive movement towards you and your sisters 
>A sneaking pony can only be up to no good
>You have a good feeling about this invader 
>At long last the sneaky thing reaches your table and stands behind you
>She doesn’t say a thing
>Without looking from the cold uneaten food on your plate you speak
>”Pray tell, what was the point of hiding your movements here from everypony if you’re to do nothing but stand next to us in the open?”
>You over hear a shocked groan from the pony
“Shit.”
>”If you wished to remain hidden I wouldn’t worry, nopony ever looks at us unless they’re planning an attack, and with The Warden here I doubt they would.”
>”So what do you want?”
 “You knew I was coming didn’t you?”
>You turn around in your seat to face the pony; your sisters look on with vested interest
>”But of course we d-“
>Upon seeing the pony up close you cannot finish your sentence
>All your sisters have had the same reaction
>That was no pony
>Up close you can clearly make out the lingering traces of magic interwoven amongst her coat
>It made her look as if she were shivering constantly
>Illusionary magic! Whoever this invader was they could alter their appearance with skill equal to a changeling
>Unlike with your sisters however you couldn’t make out what was behind the magical form
>To your absolute fury even after focusing and employing a bit of sneaky magic you still couldn’t break through the image
>”Thoraxie?”
“Sorry Tera, I can’t see her.”
>”You are quite skilled with deception aren’t you?”
>The mare steps back, genuine surprise, if not a hint of fear, upon her features
“Y-you know I’m veiled?!”
>”Veiled, transformed, shapeshifted, whatever you choose to call it, indeed we do know. Have you no idea to who, in fact /what/, you speak to?”
“I didn’t realise Changelings could be so perceptive.”
>”And I didn’t realise I could restrain my wrath for so long.”
“*Tsk* touchy, I don’t mean to offend anypo- anybug.” 
>Strangely enough when you said that you’d meant it
>After snacking on Anonymous’ love for all lunch you found yourself feeling… calmer
>You were just off hoofedly mentioning to this stranger how lucky their timing was for them to approach you and your sisters
>If you weren’t feeling so magnanimous right now she would have been feeling the cold sting of your jagged horn
>But if she thought you were being intimidating that’s fine too 
>”It’s fine, get out with it.”
“Right, I don’t have long and I come bearing a proposition.”
>Her pony form takes on a knowing and yet disturbing smile
“I know what’s happening to you and your sisters, I know why and I’ve read the diary. I know what you’ll probably try to do in this prison, and we both know ultimately that that eventuality will come to an unfortunate end.”
>Silence
>Absolute silence
>You could think of nothing at that moment
>Thankfully it’s quickly replaced by a new moment, freeing up your body once more
>”Thoraxie, she couldn’t could she?”
>Your grey sister of unknown wisdom shakes her head
“I’m not sure. It is possible. I’ve no idea what she means by “the diary.”, but what she speaks of is almost common knowledge back home in the Badlands.”
>…
“She’s right you know, our ultimate plan won’t work over the long ter-“
>”SHUT UP!”
>You whisper quietly into thoraxie’s ear
>”I /fucking!/ know. An idiot could’ve seen that! Speaking of…”
>”Creature, your proposal, NOW.”
>The mare moves closer, but smartly chooses not to join you at the table
“I simply wish to offer a joint partnership, combine our resources to further our goals.”
>Our goals? You knew of your goals, but what of hers?
>”You seem to know our plans, what is it you’re trying to achieve?”
“Honestly I’m only guessing at what you’re planning to do in this prison, but let me say this, I’m sure our objectives are the same, or at least, very similar. I’m just here to expand your horizons.”
>A deflection but only you’ll put up with
>From the feelings coming off this thing she certainly wasn’t lying, she genuinely wanted to help you and you sisters, for whatever reason
>That immediately set off warning bells in your head, but for now you’ll use this creature as much as you can before removing her
>You’ll just have to keep a very close eye on her, you all would
>A grin grows on your muzzle, revealing your wicked fangs
>”Sisters, I like how this one thinks.”
>A general sense of agreement passes through your small family
>”We will consider your offer to team up but know if we do your plans best be impressive.”
>The mare/creature smiles
“Oh, it will be. I’ll be speaking to you later.”
>With that the pale yellow illusion nonchalantly trots away, a leaf amongst a forest of ponies 
>”I have a good feeling about this invader sisters.”
“As do we.”
>They all reply in unison, gaining a few peculiar looks from the tables nearby  
>Expand your horizons hmm? Whatever this creature was truly thought they could succeed at what they were trying, so it’ll be nice to see horizons beyond the prisons walls



>Be Krystal Shear
>It’s GAMES TIME!
>You really wish Anon could be here to join you
>He had joined the games club too! How could he put fighting over fun?
>You’ll never understand that one
>Games club as it turned out was held in the recreational centre
>From what you knew there was only the pool in there
>Is today water games or something?
>Thankfully, being one of the few places The Warden successfully showed you, you knew where it was
>Also it was huge, one of the biggest buildings on the grounds, so you couldn’t not find it
>There was no way only a few pools were in there, unless they were using anti-space magic, but that seems a little… counter-productive
>As you approach the building the large glass doors slide open
>Magic or new technology? You couldn’t tell
>Inside there are a number of creatures swimming about the pool, as on your tour
>Parts of the ceiling had become translucent, letting in the warm afternoon light
>You couldn’t make out any real organised gathering. Was games club just swimming?
>You loved the water and all, but that’s kind of disappointing
>Thankfully you’re a smart, resourceful pony and with a life guard/normal guard beside the pool there was somepony you could simply ask for assistance 
>With that you stride over, intent on uncovering the mysteries of the Games Club
>“Hi Mr. Guard I was just wondering-
*SQEEE*
>The Stallion’s whistle blows and he points to a diamond dog running alongside the pool
“NO RUNNING! I CATCH YOU AGAIN YOU’RE OUT!”
>The Diamond Dog blows a raspberry at the guard before diving into the pool, splashing nearby sun bathing ponies 
>The Guard turns beat root red in anger at the prisoner’s callous behaviour and dives into the pool himself, retrieving the dog and taking him away
>”I’ll ask another time I guess?”
>Of course with the guard gone you were simply talking to yourself
>Oh well
>There were a number of other doors near the back of the room
>The Warden had said one of them was a locker room, so where did the other go?
>Neither door was labelled, for whatever reason, so naturally you had to walk into the locker room first, just in time to see a bunch of elderly prisoners changing into their swim wear
>Your eyes would never be clean again
>Through the other door is a hallway with a number of entrances
>You trot down it until you reach the first set of glass doors
>They slide open like those out front
>Beyond is a series of tennis courts
>From the look of the lines on the floor each court could be modified to play a variety of sporting games
>There were fewer creatures in here than the pool, and there was still yet to be any sign of the Games club, aside from all the ponies playing
>You step back out and continue to the next door
>This room held a small gymnasium
>A scant few ponies were in here
>Those few currently cartwheeled, flipped, jumped, dived and twirled around on the soft squishy floor
>All the equipment looked standard, however something did catch your eye
>There was a pool in the back, except it wasn’t full of water, it was full of foam blocks
>Would they be mad if you spent the whole day flopping about that pool?
>You’d have dived right in if you had a friend for support
>Darn, why wasn’t Anon here? He loved doing stupid things
>Without moral support you retreat
>The hallway held one last door
>Right at the end
>It wasn’t glass like the others, it was old, worn and metallic, rusted in some parts in fact
>The lighting hadn’t been well maintained either this far away from the main rooms and so it left the end of the hallway dark and flickering
>However, to counteract the scary darkness the door had a series of Hearth Warming eve lights around it
>The little lights twinkled invitingly through the dinge
>You push on the beaten door
>It doesn’t budge
>You push harder and it gives, letting out a screeching groan
>The door had hidden a small room, or you think it’s small, heavy and shrouding satin curtains hung from the ceiling and along the walls obscuring the rooms true size
>As with the door outside small lights lined the wall
>You can make out a source of illumination through the curtain blocking your view 
>Pushing the curtain aside you move further into the room; which was indeed small
>The door behind you screeches closed of its own volition, making you jump and twist around, just to make sure nothing had snuck up behind you  
>A very quiet, and peculiarly accented, female voice echoes through your mind
“Ahn what are ye doin’ here?”
>Scottish pony?
>You twist back to face the light source
>It was coming from an oil lamp hanging above a wooden table with a kind of red velvet lining over the top
>While the light didn’t quite illuminate the room it left the table well lit
>Upon it was what looked to be a number of board game boxes and two packs of cards
>All the boxes had had their covers stripped, revealing the brownish-grey fibrous material beneath and obscuring the games identity
>Around the table were several cushioned chairs, two of which had ponies in them 
>Both wore thick hooded cloaks
>Was this the games club? Some sort of demonic worshiping club? You really didn’t expect this when you joined
“Ah’ll ask ye again. What are ye doin’ here?”
>You can’t make out movement from either of the ponies to your side so you’re not sure which one you’re talking to
>And how were they speaking so quietly, yet making it sound as if they were shouting?
>”Ah, I was just looking for the Games Club…”
“Terrific! Ah was told we had another recruit, but ye’ve come in ah bit late, everyponies already split apart.”
>”So am I at the right place?”
“Indeed ye are. Ah’m Gale, head of the Games Club. Normally we meet up at the pool and everypony moves to their desired activity. As ah said ye were late, so ah’m guessin’ it was a little hard finding your way around.”
>You still had no idea who you were talking to
>”Hehe, yeah, plus my tour of the prisoner was from The Warden, so apparently I don’t know half the things here.”
“Another one. Me tour was from The Warden, she’s nay too good at et but likes to give them to the more /special/ prisoners. If ye don’t mind me asking, what makes ye so special?”
>”Oh, nothing really, I was just paired with the special inmate, he was a human.”
“Ah that one, he provides smooth winds for travel that’s for sure.”
>What? Winds for travel?
>”If you don’t mind, what makes you special?”
“Sorry, ye canna see me can ye?”
>”Not quite.”
>From the darkness a teeny tiny hooded figure glides onto the table
>The hood gets pulled back to reveal the face of Gale, an orange haired, blue breezie
>That comment about using wind for travel makes a lot of sense now  
>”It’s nice to meet you Gale, I’m Krystal Shear, but everypony calls me Shear.”
“Likewise.”
>The tiny hooves of Gale lift up and gesture to the ponies either side of her
“Girls come on, stop hiding behind those hoods ahn say hello t’ our newest member.”
>She looks back at you
“That is, if ye don’t want to go join the other activities Shear?”
>”Its fine, I’ll stay here.”
>It certainly looked interesting enough
“Good, good, take a seat.”
>You take the spare seat directly in front of you
>Sitting down it’s much easier to make our Gale and the ponies to either side
>The mare to the right looks familiar, but with her hood so low it’s difficult to make her out
>The pony to your left pulls her hood back revealing a malnourished looking mare of chocolate brown coat with a light mocha mane
“I’m Fudge Pudge, but if I can call you Shear you can just call me Puddy.”
>”Alright Puddy, its nice meet you.”
>The Mare to the right shows herself, silvery-grey pigtails poking from out of the hood
>…
>”Silver?”
“Hey Shear.”


>Be Silver
>You were relaxing out on Nonny in your dream when he suddenly popped away, leaving you to fall to the couch
>He did say somepony was trying to wake him up
>That just left you alone until you woke up
>It could be soon actually, after whatever happened with Anon at the lake last night it had made you go to bed really early
>*sigh*
>You roll onto your back and stretch your hooves towards the roof
>He got you a present and it wasn’t even hearths warming eve
>Your eyebrows crinkle in annoyance
>The naughty inmate did break out of prison to get it, he really should be punished
>But then again, he did come back. You wouldn’t tell anypony, although you dearly wish you could share the story with your fellow guards
>It’s a once in a lifetime thing, the one time a prisoner broke out of prison just to come back!
>You chuckle to yourself
>It was truly absurd, it would be a legend around here for years to come… If you could tell anypony
>*Sigh* 
>What a silly thing that Human was
>But that gift! What could it be?
>What are you thinking? You’re a detective! 
>Obviously it was an article of clothing, he’d gotten it from Canterlot Carousel 
>As for what article? You’ve no idea
>…
>Wait a second
>…
>Now that you’d started up your critical evaluation skills again you’ve quite suddenly come to an odd conclusion, although you realise with that with the slightest thought it was beyond apparent
>Nonny seemed so out of this world because he /literally/ was!
>Little to no knowledge of the world, strange morphology with those dang ol’ long arms and legs, you’d never seen or heard of a human before, plus that strange place he was at in his dream
>Grr that cheeky human! Why didn’t he tell you he was an alien!? That’s so cool!!
>As far as you know the only other aliens to visit pony kind were the Stars themselves when they released Nightmare Moon from her prison
>They were widely considered some of the evilest beings in existence
>No wonder Princess Luna was so worried about Nonny
>And here you were, in a herd with him
>…
>How exciting!
>Maybe he could teach you how to imprison ponies in the moon? You’d be the best guard pony in the whole world!
>Or more pragmatically it could be used to lessen the prisoner burden in Tartarus
>With the sapient species of the world expanding, and communication networks growing the dark corners of the worlds map were being filled in
>In doing so the glory and civility of society grew
>As a result a lot of evil and scary monsters had to be sent away
>Hence there had been quite an influx of prisoners to the demonic prison
>Thank goodness Nonny hadn’t been sent there
>Would he feel bad about you knowing his secret? You were fine with it, you were excited by it! 
>A lot of the Night’s Watch often talked of aliens
>Spending all night starring at the stars, plus the obvious connections to your Princess, made it an understandable topic of choice
>You need to tell Soft Cotton and Shear, they deserve to know, it’s kind of an important thing to know about your stallion
>You toss over to your side as your ears reflexively twist about detecting a change in the environment
>They hadn’t picked up a sound, rather the loss of one
>That blurry song that was always on whenever you were here had faded out, leaving the place eerily quiet
>Everything becomes distorted and pulls away from you until all becomes black
>…
>Your eyes open
>You’re in Nonny’s bed
>What else were you expecting?
>The bed was clean and warm, no trace of mess remained
>How did Nonny clean up while you were still in the bed?
>Over to the right, towards the angled wall, is a massive pile of stuffed animals 
>You find Nonny’s Dream stone under the pillow you were resting on
>Placing it on the bedside table you find a note left by Anonymous
*Dear Silver,
                     I’m sorry about what happened last night with the Princess. Please make yourself at home once you’re up. Also don’t worry about the mess, I’ll clean up later.
Love, Anon*
>Thankfully he already had, so you woke up feeling fresh
>Stretching out your limbs and rubbing the sleep from your eyes you utilise the grand size of Nonny’s bed by trotting a few laps around it to warm up
>Jumping form the bed you look about for a source of time
>There was a small alarm clock on Shears bedside table
>Which by the way, soooo big! Why would it be the size of a small table? Do minotaur sized creatures really need /that/ much room?
>Shaking your head you take to the air and land on the bedside table, next to the clock
>Looks like lunch is just about to start
>Sheesh, you really did wake up early today!
>Oh! Nonny’s present!
>Rushing up to the draws you stop yourself before opening them
>If it was clothes, which it had to be, you were most certainly having a shower first
>You lift a foreleg and sniff
>Your nose crinkles up and you pull your head back
>Ew, you really smell sour
>Yep, shower time
>Actually you should do your exercises first
>More actually you have to answer natures call
>Which was made slightly awkward by the huge sized toilet, but none the less you manage
>Exercise time!
>Out of the bathroom you drop to an open place on the floor; a task made easy by the excessive space
>You fold out your wings and press them to the floor
>With some effort you lift your body from the ground
>You repeat the motion another fifty times, by the end of it you’re sweating and panting
>But damn! Your wings were certainly getting stronger
>However, right now they’re feeling pretty beat
>But the rest of you was still good to go
>With that you continue with your routine
>Fifty sit-up and twenty push-ups
>Like most Pegasi your weakness lied in your leg and hoof strength
>The lighter bones didn’t help either
>Feeling exhausted already you shamble to the shower, a small damp patch of sweat on the floor in the wake of you exercise
>To your disappointment you find that the water system here was better than the one in your apartment block
>But no matter, it was warm and it got the job done, besides you preferred to use your bath when at home
>After laborious amounts of drying you rush out to finally get Anon’s present
>Pushing your hoof against the little hoof print button you release the draws from the wall
>Smoothly they extend down and out
>In the lowest, and easiest to access segment is a box with your name poorly scrawled in the corner
>All wrapped up and just for you 
>Tearing the wrapping apart with reckless abandon you pull forth your prize
>Luna’s. Fat. Flanks!
>How did Nonny manage to score this!?
>It was a dress of such immaculate design! It was beautiful
>Sleek and smooth, it was black with deep purple shining along the edges
>A few twinkling star like dots flashed along the dresses natural contours
>It had a lace chest, studded with diamonds, which also ran up the neck to form a little collar
>You’d never owned such a fine garment; you’d be the star of Canterlot in this!
>As you push your leathery wings through the near invisible back holes, the tips on the end of each wing catch a small hook, pulling out a thin decorative silver wire lace studded with small emeralds, sapphires and rubies  
>The lace fit tightly against your outer wing bone
>Rushing back to the bathroom you look yourself up and down in the massive mirror
>A quick twirl around and you were satisfied
>Thank you soooo much for breaking out of prisons Nonny!!
>You loved that stupid human
>Although did it make your rump look bigger?
>No, the mirror adds ten pounds is all
>You strip off the dress, neatly fold it up and put it back in the dresser draws
>After a quick gussy up in the mirror, today you decide to pull your mane back into dual puffy pigtails, you trot out of the room and towards the guard lounge
>No ponies in here
>Your shift won’t start for another few hours so you pull out the one piece of casual clothing you have kept here
>It’s a black and gold beany with a Flaming lightning bolt symbol
>The beany had been your fathers, the symbol had been the logo of an old, and since disbanded, Wingball team he’d gone for
>It fit snuggly on your head
>It had been you next intent to grab some breakfast at the Cafeteria, until you checked the lounge fridge
>Sandwiches, sandwiches everywhere!
>They were accompanied with a note from Cookies
*This counts right?*
>Seven sandwiches at once over one a day?
>Grabbing a quill from the bench you scrawl a reply
>*I guess*
>Faster than you thought possible of yourself two of the sandwiches disappear down your gullet
>You were actually quite ravenous and the only thing that could satisfy you more would be if Nonny were here to rub your belly
>But judging from his interruption in your dream earlier he was stuck with those nerdy science ponies
>So then what should you do?
>It had been a while since you’d woken up this early
>Oh! You can use the time to go to the Games club! You use to love playing with Gale, but they moved the Clubs time slot to one earlier than your wake up time  
>Gale will be happy to see you again, and you’ll be happy to whoop her tiny butt up and down the game boards again
>To save yourself some travel time you take to the air and fly out the window
>You emerge onto the grounds and soar to the Recreation centre
>Arriving just as the group splits apart your sense enhanced bat eyes pick up the tiny breezie drifting around on the gentle air currents left in their stead
>You drastically weaken your flap strength as you approach, being sure not to blast her away with a stray wind
>”Gale! It’s been so long! How are you? I swear I thought your prison sentence was almost over?”
>The little dragonfly sized pony swirls around to face you, her miniscule muzzle widening into a grin matching the vigour of a regular sized creature
“Silver! Is that ye? You’re gosh darn right it’s been a long time!”
>She glides beside your ear to making it easier to hear what she was saying
“Ahn ah’m doin’ just fine, ahn ye are right. Ah was s’pose to be let out yesterday but ah bit a stallion’s ear. That’ll learn him for cutting in front of meh!”
>You frown at her
>”You shouldn’t be breaking rules Gale, remember I am a guard.”
“Aye, thaht ye are, but ah seem to recall somepony who’d happily, if not gleefully play in our more, suspect, games everytime she came to visit.”
>”Hey shut up about that in the open.”
“No one can hear meh but ye Silver, ah’m talkin’ directly into your ear.”
>Oh yeah, she was really small
“Ahn actually, ah’ve got one such game set up today if ye’d like to join.”
>You grin
>”I really shouldn’t…”
>Gale flits out from your ear back infront of your eyes and smiles back at you
>”…But there’s no way I can resist you.”
>Gale begins to whoop and cheer
“Let’s get to it then!”   
>The game was being held in the back room as per usual
>Another pony, Fudge Pudge (it didn’t suit her skinny frame) was there and waiting, cloak on for tradition
>The tradition had arisen from the need to disguise one’s self in case the game was raided by the prison staff
>That need for secrecy died when a few of the guards, yourself obviously included, joined in on the action
>That action?
>Illegal gambling
>Gale and yourself don the cloaks
>From under the table you pull out several grey game boxes
>”So Gale, what do we have for curre-
>The slow creek of the door opening cuts you off
>Everypony’s hood goes up 
>Silence permeates the room as the stranger moves about the dancing shadows
>Whether or not these activities were known to the guards didn’t change the fact most ponies dislike being associated with something illegal
>Shear creeps out from behind the curtain
>Your initial instinct is to scree happily but it was up to Gale as to whether or not a pony could join, so you hold your excitement in check
>Not that she’d ever reject another player
>Gale speaks to Shear
“Ahn what are ye doin’ here?”
>She looks around at the table, searching for Gale but only finding the game boxes
 “Ah’ll ask ye again. What are ye doin’ here?”
>Shear slowly steps forward and answers
”Ahhh, I was just looking for the Games Club…”
>Her voice quavers slightly, the shady location must have her disturbed
>Gale’s tiny chest swells enormously as she prepares an exuberant, shouting, welcome 
“Terrific! Ah was told we had another recruit, but ye’ve come in ah bet late, everyponies already split apart.”
”So am I at the right place?”
“Indeed ye are. Ah’m Gale, head of the Game Club. Normally we meet up at the pool and everypony moves to their desired activity. As ah said ye were late, so ah’m guessin’ it was a little hard finding your way around.”
>Despite the peculiarity of it all Shear had started to relax from Gales informality 
”Hehe, yeah, plus my tour of the prison was from The Warden, so apparently I don’t know half the things here.”
“Another one. Mah tour was from The Warden, she’s nay too good at it but likes to give them to the more /special/ prisoners. If ye don’t mind me asking, what makes ye so special?”
”Oh, nothing really, I was just paired with the special inmate, he was a human.”
 “That one… He provides smooths winds for travel that’s for sure.”
”If you don’t mind, what makes you special?”
>What doesn’t she- Oh yeah she can’t see Gale yet
“Sorry, ye can’t see me can ye?”
”Not quite.”
>Gale drops down onto the table
”It’s nice to meet you Gale, I’m Krystal Shear, but everypony calls me Shear.”
>Gale points her tiny hooves to you and Fudge Pudge
“Girls come on, stop hiding behind those hoods ahn say hello to our newest member.”
>She looks back to Shear
“That is, if ye don’t want to go join the other activities Shear?”
”Its fine, I’ll stay here.”
>She didn’t even know what was happening here did she?
 “Good, good, take a seat.”
>She sits at the last free seat
>Fudge Pudge pulls back her hood
“I’m Fudge Pudge, but if I can call you Shear you can just call me Puddy.”
”Alright Puddy, It’s nice meet you.”
>Shear looks over to you expectantly
>Your hood slips back
”Silver?”
>“Hey Shear.”
“You’re in the games club? … Also you’re awake?”
>”Guards are technically in all clubs and Anon somehow got us into his bed really quick last night, so I was up early.”
>Shear’s expression flashes with surprise
>Your cheeks flush up after realising what you’d just said
>Gale giggles in her tiny high pitched Scottish way
“Ahn aren’t ye a lucky one Silver? Ah only had meh wee cotton ball for companionship last night.”
>She carries on laughing
>”Do you need an hour in time out Gale?”
>She shuts up immediately 
>”So Shear this is a bit different to a normal game.”
“How so?”
>”Gale you’re the leader you can tell her.”
“Righto!”
>Gale begins her spiel, always eager to talk
“Shear, this hear is the gambling room, we pick a game at random, hence every box has had the cover removed, once the game’s chosen, depending on the type, we play a variety of rules to enable the betting of certain illicit sugars, aside from that the games are played as normal.”
>Shear leans into the dingy lamp light
“This sounds like /illegal/ gambling girls, is that really okay?”
“Ah prefer to think of it as legal gambling, because we’re already in prison!”  
>Shear’s head slowly begins nodding, deciding she liked Gales reasoning
“And what are these “illicit sugars.” exactly?”
>Gale grins
“All you girls better listen up for this one. Ah’ve got a knew sugar in, experimental stuff! Ah had t’ call in some major favours t’ get this, it’s only been around for just over a week.”
>Alright, this had you interested, all aspects of you, from guard to detective, even part time thug
>With all her might Gale hauls out three small shiny spheres
>A red one, a green one and a dark purple one
“Here girls, have a sample of today’s currency.”
>She rolls the red one to Puddy, green to Shear and the purple to you
>Each of you apprehensively roll the mysterious sweet around
>It was hard
>You bite into it and are overcome by the amazing sweet and delicious flavour
>Your muzzle is /literally/ dripping with drool, as was Shear’s and Puddy’s
>”By Luna these are fantastic Gale! What are they called? When where they invented?”
“Aye, they came about just recently like ah said but ah’d say less invented, more discovered. The way ah heard apparently a bag of them fell on a Canterlot candy maker a few nights back after that magical disturbance, he learnt to duplicate them and named them Skittles.”
>Shear smiles
“Skittles hmm? You know I think I will indeed join you girls.”
>”It’s good to have you join Shear.”
“Aye that it is, but lass, first ye gotta buy in.”
>Shear’s muzzle sags in a disappointed sulk 
“But I don’t have any money.”
“Don’t be daft lass, none of us do, except Silver, just give us your pudding cup at dinner and you’re in the game with the equivalent value of Skittles.”
>Wait what? That’s piqued your interest
>”Gale, how exactly can you convert between two sweets?”
“A complicated process of deliciousness comparison.”
>”Then wouldn’t that make each sweet’s value subjective to yourself only, making your designed economy only viable in this exact situation?”
>Gale’s tiny face stares at you blankly before smiling and nodding
“Aye!”
>”…Let’s get to it then, Shear as the newest member you can pick the game.”

<| 0_0 |> 

>Be Kyrstal Shear, master gem enchantress and Wing/flight enthusiast 
>Right now you were also Shear: iIlegal gambler, your morals thrown to the side in the hopes of acquiring more of those sweet, sweet skittles  
>”I’m getting a good vibe from this box here.”
>Your hoof directs everyponies attention to the flat unassuming box
>The box does nothing of any interest
“Righto, ah’ll ask ye to open it if ye wouldn’t mind.”
>”Not at all Gale.”
>You pull the box over to yourself while Silver clears the table
>Let’s see what you got!
>Lifting the lid you reveal the brightly colour game set of… Mare-opoly
>That can’t be right
>”Girls, I thought Mare-opoly was banned years ago. Wasn’t it responsible for the great friendship depression in Manehattan?”
>Gale strides to the centre of the table
“Aye! That it was, but when ah took control of the Gams Club ah found it behind the wall in the games closet.”
>”What were you doing behind the wall?”
>Gale looks away as her hoof brushes shyly across the table
“Ah may ‘ave been pulled through a crack in the wall by a stray change in pressure, sucked meh right in like a vacuum.”
>”And how’d you get the game out.”
>Puddy smiles at you and pokes at her horn
“That was me.”
>”So how do we play?” You ask of Gale
>Silver leans forward
“S-should we really play that one, I don’t want to stop being friends, girls.” 
“Ah’m sure it’ll be fine Silver, ahn Shear, there should be rules in the box.”
>There were
>You quickly read through them 
>The game seemed simple enough, no reason to end a friendship
>The inclusion of the gambling aspect arose through Gales additional rules
>First rule, everypony bet on who they thought would win, with additional bets taking place once everypony had completed two laps, nor could you change your respective bets through the game, making it riskier to change who you were going for
>Rule two, if your character lands on an owned property you had to pay with Skittles
>Not exactly standard gambling
>The game commences
>And the first roadblock was reached
>Everypony wanted to be the Hay cart
>So much so that arguments broke out
>After a brief squabble it was decided the piece had to be ceremoniously destroyed to prevent its evil friendship destroying powers 
>Fudge Pudge used her magic to modify the piece into a more brittle crystalline form which was stomped upon by each of you until it was a fine grey powder
>Said powder was disposed of by having Puddy teleport it as far underground as she could
>Celestia forbid some pony should discover the remains in a thousand years and let out an age anti-friendship
>Thankfully once the piece was gone nopony had overlapping interests
>Puddy ended up with a birthday cake, Silver had a mango, and you grabbed the saddle
>Gale ended up using herself as her game piece, however she did supplement her look with the sun hat piece
>With that first bets were placed; it was a minimum of 15 skittles for the initial round
>Naturally everypony bet on themselves 
>You’d initially thought about betting on Silver and throwing the game halfway through to increase your own odds, but then after further consideration you realised the glory of winning and subsequent bragging rights were too much to resist
>Highest die role went first
>So the honour ended up going to Puddy, which put you last
>Her first move had her character on the Bit Tax, naturally sending her into a dark mood
>You exchange worried glances with Silver and Gale as Puddy complains about the unfairness
>Thus far this game was showing why it had been forbidden
>Gale moves next. She lands on and buys Apploosa
>Silver moves to and buys Manhattan Station
>It’s your turn. You get double fours and buy Everfree forest
>Apparently your allowed to role again
>Double threes
>You buy the Wonderbolts academy, role again and get a three
>Lucky horseshoe card
>*Advance to Canterlot, if unowned you may purchase*
>Which you do
>You toss the dice over to Puddy. Everypony was giving you the stink eye
>”I take it this means I’m winning?” you reply smugly to their frustration
>The game continues on, as does Puddy’s bad luck
>Low rolls, landing on bought squares, constantly going to jail
>Gale faired none better either, managing to buy only three properties before trading one for skittles to pay rent
>Silver and yourself were the only two to make it through happily
>The resentment from Puddy and Gale was intense, but for whatever reason both you and Silver manage to enjoy it, probably because you were thrashing them!
>Yet amongst the joy and skittles a part of your mind rebelled 
>The game was evil; you could literally see it tearing your small group apart
>You weren’t even betting anymore, the game had become so much more than that, it was everything
>It’s not until Silver hits a run of bad luck, landing on several of your properties, losing her edge and cool to join the seething group of annoyed players, that things truly get out of hoof
>She was caught trying to sneak some bits out of the box with her wing
>Things fell apart immediately 
>Your companions decide to relieve their stress and it all starts with Gale
>One of the die is grasped between her tiny hooves when it’s hurled across the board towards you
>It pings off your forelegs and flies away
“FUCK! THIS! GAME! I hate EVERYPONY!”  
>It was at this point you expected Silver to reprimand her but the words had simply galvanised the two other ponies
>Silver’s hoof smashes down on the table sending pieces flying
>Her muzzle opens and lets out a frustrated “EEEEE.”, before screeching out in rage
“DESTROY IT!”
>Puddy joins along
“BURN IT! BURN THEM ALL!”
>You’re unsure as to who’d done it but suddenly the table was flying, having been flipped in anger
>You had been winning and quite enjoying the game but the mob mentality was quickly taking over
>With it came that incessant voice, telling you of the games friendship destroying powers
>They were right
>”Puddy is correct we need to burn it!”
>The little group of ponies had whip themselves into an emotional frenzy and before anypony had time to process what was actually happening the combined efforts of a warmth spell from Puddy, a cotton ball from Gale, and a bit of blowing from Silver and yourself had the board and its pieces blazing away on the floor
>”Something as powerful as this game shouldn’t exist anyway.”
>Solemn nods from everypony show the sentiment was a shared one
>The four of you watch as the game smoulders, anger, tension and hatred floating away like the charred ash of the board
>It was only after the heat of the moment dies down do you realise something
>”We don’t have a smoke detector and sprinkler system in here do we?”
>Sliver turns from the warm light to address you
“Don’t be daft Shear, of course we do. Why ask?”
>You give it a moment for her to comprehend
“Oh no”
*Bweep* *Bweep* *Bweep*
>A spray of foamy water rains down upon the four of you, with Gale having to take shelter under Silver’s wing 
>The smouldering pile extinguishes and you’re all left drenched
>”You know now that I think about it this probably wasn’t the smartest thing.”
>The water cuts off and magically drains away
>Silver suddenly becomes very serious
“Girls can we please never tell anypony, or /thing/ about this, I don’t want to lose my job.”
>You all nod
>”I wouldn’t want anypony knowing what happened here, knowing what we discovered.”
“Agreed.”
>You wonder how Anon would have dealt with the game
>You shake yourself off, sending a spray of water in all directions then survey the soggy, burnt mess of the game
>Probably better than this


>Smash cut over to Anon
>You chuckle to yourself
“What’s so funny Anon?”
>”Nothing much Soft Cotton, I was just thinking about a game I use to play with friends.”
“That’s nice.”
>”Heh, yeah.”
>What was truly nice was the feeling of relief at watching it burn with your friends all around
>Fuck monopoly


>Back to Shear
>Definitely better than this
>”Are we bad ponies?”
>Gale drifts over to your ear
“Nay lass, t’was the game, it’s evil, ah very much regret taking it from behind the wall.”
>Puddy walks up
“Don’t say that Gale, it must have just been fate, the universe ordained you were to find it so it could finally be destroyed.”
“Aye, ah like that idea.”
>”I can’t believe we have to clean this all up, and here I thought I was done with mess after dealing with Maple Glaze.”
>Silver gazes inquisitively 
“What happened with Maple Glaze?”
>”I’ll tell you later.”
>Leaning in closer you whisper “It’s not a proud moment.”
“This wasn’t exactly either.”
>Celestia it was not
>The clean-up didn’t take as long as you’d thought, all the water had either magically drain or evaporated, most of everything was already dry
>After all the stress of the game it was decided to split the Skittles equally between each other and call it a day
>That one game, as terrible as it was, had lasted a long time
>Probably adding to its terribleness
>Games Club had to be one of your strange experiences, but it certainly was a good one, you’d made two more friends!
>After disbanding, Silver and yourself travel back to your room, she wanted to tell you something important about anon, and show you a dress he gave her
>She’d also said something about a bunch of books with your name beside them in Anon’s draw so that meant another gift for you, so you were happy going back to rummage through Anon’s belongings
>The two of you slowly stalk the halls towards your room
>”So Silver, how’d you meet Anon?”
>She considers the question a moment
“Guard duty. He blew smoke in my face and made me take my clothes off.”
>”...huh.”
>Clearly there was a lot you miss out on during the night
>Well tonight you were staying up late, mainly due to the dance recital, but you’re determine to stay awake as long as Anon
>”Silver, you were going to the dance recital tonight with Anon weren’t you?”
“I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t be.”
>”That’s nice.”
>Part of you whole heartedly disagreed with that
>It would mean what was essentially your first official date with Anon would be spent competing for affection with both Silver and Soft Cotton
>Reaching your room Silver pushes through first
>”So what exactly did you want to tell me that was so important?”
>Silver turns on you, excitement evident on her face
“It’s about Nonny.”
>”Nonny?”
“Anonymous.” she answers
>“Oh. Continue.”
>Your calm response hid the twinge of jealousy settling over your mind
>Anon let her give him a pet name?! It should have been you giving the pet names
>Silver seems unable to contain herself any longer
“NONNY’S AN ALIEN!”
>You let the news roll over you like a wave, taking it as best you could
>You didn’t quite share Silver’s credible excitement
>Certainly there was an element of exhilaration and joy associated with the news, after all, you had managed to use your wily ways to seduce a Celestia damned alien!
>Apprehensive, and a little worried, would best describe how you currently felt
>”Like the Stars that released Nightmare Moon? Silver they’re pure evil! D-does that mean Anon... Anon is…”
>Silver’s hooves rush to your shoulders, comfortingly, and she begins shaking her head vehemently 
“Don’t think such rubbish Shear, you know nonny isn’t evil!”
>”But you’re a member of Luna’s royal guard. You of all of us should know how bad the Stars were.”
>Yet her head continues shaking, flooding you with relief before she even speaks
“Princess Luna certainly holds the Stars in very poor regard, understandably she tries not to even think of them.”  
>”Then they’re evil.”
“No, her view is… biased, against them. Honestly, we consider them to be neutral creatures, if not benevolent. They were attempting to help Luna, not understanding why she was imprisoned in the first place.”  
>”So the Stars are nice, but kinda stupid and somehow smart.”
>She nods
>”Sounds like Anon… Heh.”
“Are you alright now?”
>”Yep! I can see why you’re so excited.”
>A grin forms over her features
“That’s a relief. Come on, check out this dress!”
>It was like nothing you’d seen before, absolutely amazing, but it was hard to pay attention while digging through Anon’s draws
>You find a stack of old books and scrolls, on top of which is a strange looking Zebra necklace
>Neat!
>There was one really old and book, bound with and odd material, set way off to the side
>That one is not for you
>It was someponies old diary? Anon’s?
>Strange, Anon didn’t seem the type
>You crack open the first book 
>’Gem enchanting, 3rd edition’
>It was old, very old. Half the enchantment required ingredients that either were no longer present or legal in Equestria
>The other half you’d never heard of, or had one specific function relevant to the time enchantment was designed.
>Such as the enchantment used to open a special kind of lock, long since forgotten to history
>It was going to be an interesting read, but you doubt there’ll be anything overly amazing
>Medieval ponies were a savage and stupid lot, not much development of magic theory over that time
>Well there were still several more books and scrolls to go

(Un-edited shit ends, although to be honest the edited stuff barely counts as edited or corrected. So many fucking mistakes)

>Be Gran
>You were sitting comfortably in your large cushioned chair, resting your old and, only recently, arthritic bones
>Eyes squeezed shut, preparing for your post lunch nap. You were just drifting off when your sensitive ears pick up the distinct sounds of somepony trying to sneak into your room
>Silently you listen as the pony scuffles around the floor, loud as anything, slowly moving towards you
>So when you finally draw the effort to once again pry your eyelids apart there wasn’t a hint of surprise upon your sagged and wrinkled features when doing so reveals a pale yellow unicorn standing before you
>Yet something has you taken aback
>This was no unicorn and that was cause for surprise
>A single eyebrow raises itself incredulously
>Something about her just had your hair standing on end
>”So then, what are you? No pony certainly.”
>The mare steps back. You’d obviously shaken her and hit the mark with that comment
“Aw, are you joking! How can everypony in this damn prison see through my disguise?!”
>”Calm down there dear, illusionary magic is the hardest to master I’m told. But that’s beside the point and I suppose what you are doesn’t matter, it’s /why/ you are here that does.”
>The creature, mare, looks relieved that you’d quickly dropped the topic of her true identity and had come in with an open hoof
>”Go on spit it out, I haven’t got all day, once the hour strikes I’ll be out like a light, nothin’ gets in the way of me beauty sleep.”  
>The mare begins with some trepidation
“I wish to make a proposition. I am planning something and I need your help. I’ve been watching you for some time and I believe you have the knowledge and drive that I need to succeed.”
>Interesting. But what were you getting out of this?
>”And why would I help you? I’ve got everything I need. I’m quite content right here.”
>The mare considers this a moment before answering
“The same reason I got the changeling sisters to join me. I can help you with your ultimate goal.”, She smiles, “Because it’s what we both want.” 
>”I don’t have any goals youngling.”
>The fake-mare looks at you slyly
“Don’t you? Does the Great, and indomitable, Grandma Pie have no aspirations left in life? Then why are you in prison? Correct me if I’m wrong, but typically grannies with no will in life move to retirement villages, not here.”
>The not-mare continues
“Like I said, I’ve been watching you Gran, and I know what you want, I know what /we/ want”
>Your smile widens
>You liked this mystery mare thing
>The years you’d spend on this world were beyond counting (or so you’d prefer to say) and during your long life, even as just a simple earth pony, you’d picked up an impressive number of tricks and experienced just about all the world had to offer
>You should have died decades ago, but the drive and will to experience everything you could kept you alive
>And there was just one last thing one your bucket list
>Could this mystery mare truly aid you with such a thing? Attempting it was what got you in prison in the first place
>According to her she’d already recruited those changelings, not an easy feat
>She could always be lying. But to you a mare is only as good as her word, so you’ll believe her
>A yawn escapes your muzzle
>”For now consider me on your side, but I’ll need a name, your real name”
>The mare says nothing for the longest time. So long in fact you were moments from fading into blissful rest when she finally does
“Yacko”
>A final yawn passes your lips as you fade to sleep
>”That’s… nice… dear”


>Be Anon
>You’d been doing yoga for fucking ever now
>So long Platinum Strike had arrived
>But no one had started the fighting yet
>Just yoga
>More than likely the lack of enthusiasm for such things was due to the medical researchers who had arrived
>Their authoritarian positions unnerved everyone just enough to prevent any real action from occurring
>It was quite surprising, as Soft Cotton had pointed out, maybe no one would get hurt today?
>The medical ponies were more than happy to let you spend time at the gym, taking the opportunity to test out your body’s limits and capabilities
>It would also seem Ember had joined, forgoing her extended break to help with the medical team
>She gave some vague reason about getting information for her mythical and magical creatures research as to why she chose to help. Thankfully she did manage calm your previous premonitions when she told you that, everything considered, the fact you crushed that bee was perfectly normal [spoiler] for a human [/spoiler]
>It was just the shock of the moment that got them
>Most of her helping thus far involved looking at the ‘Blood Rose’ you’d given her and quickly glancing at you
>It seemed to have put off Soft Cotton, who would occasionally give her curious stares
>Nothing else came from it so you left that curiosity untouched
>The researchers, whom were actually attempting to study you, had an odd fascination with your morphology and leg joints
>It was quite easy to help them understand what was going on when you pointed out the similarities between your leg bones and joints, how your ankle was crazy low relative to their own
>The yoga comes to an end when Blaze falls asleep so you move over to a squat rack while everyone else spreads out to their own activities
>Soft Cotton and Platinum follow you over. The researchers were satisfied watching from the sides
>After a brief warm up with just the bar you start to load up the weights
>”So Platinum why aren’t we.. you know?”
“Why do you think? Look who’s not ten meters away, an entire horde of them!”
>She points to the researchers
“We can’t do such things with those kind of ponies here, we’ll be shut down for sure. Canterlot ponies are too hoity toity for our hobbies.”  
>From what you could tell about 90% of ponies didn’t approve of the fight club
>So she had a reasonable point
>”Yeah, I’m sorry about them. I suppose we’ll just have to stick with weights today.”
>You load up the last of your weights and fasten it together
>In total 110Kg (~243lb). You were aiming for 130kg (~287lb), but you couldn’t actually see any other weight plates in the gym
>Looks like you’re stuck with 110kg then
“Heh, what are you doing Anon” Platinum inquires
>”What do you think? Barbell back squats baby”
>Platinum chortles at you, Soft Cotton smirks
“Yeah Anon, sure you are. Go ahead lift it, but if you think you’re lifting that, you’ll find you’ve got another thing coming”
“Yeah a broken back.” Soft Cotton adds, “You haven’t used the wrong units have you Anon? Don’t humans use the Mare-tric system?”
>”You girls are crazy. I know what I’m doing.”
>Platinum continues laughing as you position the bar above yourself and grasp it
“Hah, good luck Anon.”
>By now the two girl’s laughter and cavorting had drawn the attention of the researchers and many other gym patrons
>”Why the fuck do I always have to be the damned centre of attention?” You whisper under your breath 
>In place you easily lift the bar and proceed to go through 3 sets of 6 reps. Why the fuck wouldn’t you be able to do it? 
>From the moment you’d stood up with the bar all laughter had ceased, replaced with the usual shock and awe
>Honestly that was getting a bit tiresome
>Once finished you step from the rack and take a quick breather
>”Told you I could do it!” You boast
>Before Platinum or Soft Cotton can speak several researchers bustle past them to interrupt with their own voices
>It was Witlick who’d stormed through first
“Anonymous that’s amazing! Your body's muscular system must be incredibly dense! Are you capable of lifting anything of greater mass? What are your upper most limits?” 
>”Uh… yeah I can lift more. This is just my usual, well a little less. If I want to stress myself, I’ll go up to 150kg (330~lb). Heck, when I use to go to the gym religiously I was working around 180-190kg (395-420~lb), less reps though, felt amazing, but that was years ago and I’ve atrophied an unholy amount since then.”
>Witlick’s jaw falls to the floor, and not because of your swearing
“C-could you possibly provide us with a demonstration? I simply cannot believe such a thing without verifiable evidence.”
>Pics or it didn’t happen
>”Sure, no sweat off my back.”
>Except as a direct result of such an action there would be sweat coming off your back
>Platinum gets a word in
“After seeing /that/, I’m sure you could do what you say Anon it’s just…”
>She gives you an apologetic look
“We don’t actually have enough weights to make up that much.”
>Everyone in the gym lets out a collective disappointed groan. They had all been very excited to see such a feat
>The sight of all those sad adorable faces gives you an idea
>”Ponies!”
“What?” Platinum asks
>”We can use ponies. There’s a set of scales here, we just weight the ponies and add them accordingly.”
>Genius idea
“Doesn’t that sound a bit demeaning Anon?”
>Hmm, Platinum was probably right
>Until of course Soft Cotton, Ember Heart, Witlick, and several gym patrons all step forward, volunteering themselves
>They were still very eager to see such a weight lifted, and more still to be personally involved in it
>Thus you end up in the position of having a number of ponies hanging on the sides of your bar, along with all the weights in the room
>Soft Cotton had come in at an impressive 3kg (7lb), she made the comment that she needed to lose weight
>That just made no sense to you. Not just the fact that she didn’t look overweight at all, but that for her to be that weight, she must basically be air
>Ponies in place, and stabilised with the aid of Ember’s magic, you stiffen up and begin lifting
>It takes effort and some grunting but steadily you rise
>You reach the apex of the lift and wait a few moments as the crowd cheers you on
>Back down you go and lift again, more confidently, having decided with Embers help the bar was stable enough to give it a red hot go, but you find yourself lagging already
>Why did you stop going to the gym back home?
>The ponies around you bob steadily up and down as you struggle on
>Your fellow gym members continue to cheer, along with the researchers and pony-weights to your sides
>You were kind of getting sick of everyone fawning over you, but right now, this was pretty cool
>If only you could tell someone back home about the crazy shit you’ve done here
>Sweat runs down your forehead as your body begins to perspire
>The effort needed to lift the bar was increasing rapidly and you were beginning to smell like sour human. So it is with relief that you rest the bar down and step out from the squat rack, flicking away bits of sweat
>The ponies drop down one by one
>”Enough proof for you Witlick?”
>The unicorn doctor nods 
“Enough indeed, this is remarkable! I can-
>You’re incapable of hearing the rest as Platinum bounds into you, crushing you into a death grip hug
>Thankfully your face is pushed directly into her soft and ample cleavage 
>Mmm, boobies
>That’s something you were going to miss
>She grasps your shoulders and pushes you back
“Anon that was amazing! I knew you were good but, but just wow!” She gushes
“You /have/ to come work with me as a king’s guard. We have a good dental and horn plan!”
>”Heh, thanks for the offer, but I don’t think I should be hired simply on the merit of how much I can lift.”
>She considers this before shrugging
“I suppose you’re right.”
>She sniffs and her nose crinkles
“You know what you need a shower after that.”
>”I’ll make sure too”
>You feel the unmistakably soft and light pressure of Soft Cotton landing on your head
“It isn’t /that/ bad Anon.”
>”I’d still prefer to shower later.”
>You couldn’t see her face but you could just feel disappointment coming from her
>Dang tiny horse
>”What now?”
>You go to address Witlick
>”Anything in particular you guys want to test out or see?”
“T-there is one thing Anonymous.” Witlick replies with hesitance
“W-we ah.” He looks about shiftily before stepping closer “We heard that they conduct gladiatorial combat here in secret. Honestly we’d like to see you compete.”
>”WHAT? Why?”
“Well, while some of us are opposed we must keep Princess Luna’s request in mind, observing your fighting can help us with that “request” and will also assist us assessing your general fitness.” 
>He shakes his head
“Although it is a most barbaric method of doing so.”
>Guessing he was one of those who disapproved 
>Something in the corner of your eye demands your attention
>It was Platinum, having had a near seizer of excitement, not only at the fact that the fight club could finally start, but that the ponies she thought were stopping it, had actually been waiting for it the entire time
“Well what the heck are we waiting for?” Platinum joyfully yells, “And I’ve had a lot of requests for you in the ring after yesterday Anon, a /lot/.” 
>You grin, causing Soft Cotton to grimace 
>”You know I’m always up for a good tussle” 
>Platinum fist pumps and moves to gather up the remaining members, many of whom already stood beside the ring, having overheard the fairly loud conversation
>”Looks like you may get some work after all Cotton.” You say, looking down at your much annoyed mare
“Yay” She replies, deadpan 

<| 0_0 |> 

>The first fight didn’t even include you
>It was between two minotaurs, one black the other brown, who’d wanted a rematch for a previous engagement
>The space around the ring was over crowded, full of the usuals along with all the medical researchers, some of whom it turns out found the entire activity quite enthralling
>You sat on the row of chairs overlooking the ring, Soft Cotton was to your right, and without you even noticing Ember Heart had somehow gravitated to your left
>Each time a minotaur connects with his opponent it’s accompanied by a meaty thud, along with the recoiling cringe from the mares either side you
>Naturally your hands find themselves rubbing upon each mare's back to comfort them
>You’d been hesitant in doing so. Was it too presumptuous with Ember? Was the act of petting and touching another mare considered cheating?
>It was something you truly had to consider in a world where a belly rub was basically foreplay
>How the fuck does this place work?
>But your worries were for naught, both mares were aware of it and neither complained
>The Brown minotaur elbows the other in the side causing him to stumble
>It’s a display that makes you grin, much to both mare’s dismay
>But you couldn’t help it! It was literally a thing out of fantasy for you
>Two minotaur’s in a fist fight!
>”They should have popcorn for these things.” You comment to know one in particular
>Platinum, who’d been standing beside the ring as a judge, steps back momentarily to agree with you
“I thought of that since day one, but some other members think providing food at these things would shine too much light on… proceedings.” She says, researchers everywhere
>”Yeah, and we’re here to exercise, not eat.”
>Platinum nods before jumping back to the ring, just as the larger black minotaur gets in a lucky punch and lays his brown opponent low
>Damn! That was pretty bad actually, a direct gut punch. Probably by accident
>”Ouch, that looked like it hurt. Soft Cotton are you-
“She’s already gone.” interrupts Ember
>Indeed she was, flapping rapidly towards the fallen minotaur, as Platinum raises the winners paw
>The small group cheers and the fallen minotaur attempts to push your caring mare away
>He would soon learn it would take a lot more effort than that to stop her tending him
>”Have you met Soft Cotton before?” You ask of Ember
“Not personally, but I see her at the university often, she and Dr. Witlick go to classes to stay up to date with modern medicine*. She’s a very dedicated pony.” [*was very tempted to put Mare-dicine] 
>Soft Cotton must have quite the professional reputation
>Another fight had begun
>It was between a unicorn and a griffon
>Now you could find out if unicorns can use magic in fights
>The small unicorn darts around and under the griffon, striking him repeatedly as he slides away
>Ember’s hooves cover her eyes and her ears lay back flat after the griffon lets out a pained screech 
>You grope along her back in an odd massage, giving her something else to focus on
>It would appear to have worked, as her hooves lower and she relaxes, but her eyes stay squeezed shut
>”Remember Ember, they actually want to do this, it’s fun to them, as crazy as that may sound.”
>One of her eyes peep open to glance at you before snapping shut after catching sight of the unicorn being struck by a hind paw in her peripheries 
>”If you really don’t like it, we can always try this.”
>You lift the chair and pony, moving them in front of you and spinning them away from the ring to face yourself
>”There, now you can just talk to me and you don’t have to see a thing.”
>Her eyes open and she sits up straight, the hints of a smile emerging from her muzzle
>The ring behind her was still full of action
>The unicorn, whom everyone had thought was out of it after that last hit, had come back after barraging the griffon with a series of magical blobs
>It would seem magic was allowed. Looks like you’re never to fight a unicorn then
“Talk to you? About what Mr. Anonymous?” Ember questions cheerily, smile now fully upon her muzzle
>”Uh... You’re a unicorn right? You guys are all about magic, let’s talk about that.”
“Well, yes I suppose as a unicorn I have a preference for magic based topics, but what about it?”
>You sigh
>Do you have to put in all the effort for this conversation?
>”Let’s see, magic, magic… are you any good at it?”
>Her chest swells with pride, pushing out her small chest fluff. That must be a common feature among unicorns, because Warden Honey Cakes had a small fluff too
>A cheer from the audience and a quick glance behind Ember shows the winner of the fight to be the unicorn
>The griffon would seem to be stuck in x0.25 speed, even now he was still slowly falling to the ground in defeat
>Fights with magic must get hella fucking weird
>Before he even hits the ground he is scooped up by Cotton, speeding through the air, and taken over to where she’d been treating the minotaur
>Platinum looks over to you, gesturing for you to get up for your own fight… Fights
>But you were busy calming/talking to Ember. Thankfully Platinum takes note before calling for you, so brings up the next pair of combatants 
>You look back to Ember
“Am I any good at magic? Well I certainly do not work at Canterlot Royal University because of my connections!” She boasts, beaming you her pride through a smug grin
>”I’ll take it you’re good then. Good at what exactly though? I know magic comes in a lot of forms here, but are there any particular categories of unicorn magic” 
>Her head slowly nods
“If by categories you mean classes then yes. Unicorn magic comes down to 3 major classes.”
“There is Illusionary magic, considered one of the hardest to master and favoured by Princess Luna, Destructive or Combative, that’s self-explanatory and such spells are very highly regulated, and finally Arcane, raw and pure magic”
>”And you’re a master at all of them?”
>She blushes and bunches up on her seat, crossing her legs
“N-no! I’m good at parts of each but I’m no Master Mr. Anonymous. Only the princesses could be considered masters. In actuality I’m only a little better than most.” She reveals dejectedly
>”Nonsense. If I’ve learnt anything during my time here it’s that you ponies are capable of phenomenal things, and if I’ve learnt anything about you, it’s that you’re a very special pony. So trust me when I say if you aren’t a master now, someday you will be, you’ve just got to work at it.”
>Ember stares at you with silent admiration before lowering her gaze to the floor to alleviate her growing embarrassment 
“…Thank you Mr. Anonymous”
>You reach out, stroke her cheek, then move your hand under her chin to lift her gaze once again 
>”You ponies get embarrassed far too easily, and please call me Anon”
>Her eyes shimmer in the light, looking up at you, and she gulps
“Alright… Mr. Anon.”
>Sigh
>”Good enough.”
>The fight behind you had ended once again, the loser sullenly trotting over to the awaiting Soft Cotton
>Platinum gestures to you once more to get up
>”Looks like I’m up. Are you going to watch me?”
“Yes. You’re the whole reason we’re here, I have to watch”
>”Honestly if you don’t want to just look away” 
“Do you actually like fighting Mr. Anon? Like hurting others?”
>The question has you frowning
>”What? Of course I don’t blood like hurting others, it pains me to see people, or ponies in distress. But like I said, everyone in the ring is there for fun, the intention isn’t to hurt.”
>Or hurt /that/ bad, at the very least
>She looks angrily at you, but her voice is full of concern
“Yet I’ve heard about what happened to your arm yesterday.”
>”Who told you that? I thought it was a secret.”
“Nopony told me, everypony around me was just talking about it.”
>”Nice discretion guys.” You grumble
>But it makes Ember giggle, warming they dying cockerels of your heart, as these adorable ponies always do
>”In that case allow me correct myself. It is not /my/ intent to hurt.”
“But it’s fine if you get hurt?” She asks
>”mmm… Yep!”
>You get up before she can continue, pat her head, careful to avoid her horn, and jump into the ring
>The sounds of a chair squeaking across the floor echo from behind you as Ember turns back around to see the ring
>The crowd goes hush and the researchers strain forward, eager to watch their subject fight
>For all their anti-violence nonsense they had a rather morbid curiosity about it all
>Platinum stands beside you in the ring
“And now, our newest member, already a fan favourite and quickly making a name for himself: ANON!”
>The crowd cheers, researchers sucked into the moment, romping around with the prisoners
>Platinum pulls you over to talk
“Give them a real show today Anon. They’re all feeling a little worried about your arm.”
>A real show?
>”My arm doesn’t even have a scar come on! But I can try to give it some pizazz today.”
“Good.”
>You raise your arms, come at me bro mod engaged and waltz around the ring
>”I heard someone’s requested a fight with me Platinum! So, who’s it gunna be?” You yell out, putting on a stupid, cocky and comedic voice
>Better known as your pro wrestler voice. Just a little pizazz
“Heheh, remember when I said you’d got a lot of requests?” Platinum pipes up from the side
>You nod
“Well think less ‘someone’ more ‘everyone’.” She says, grinning at you sheepishly
>Your chest expands and your nose whistles as you very slowly intake air, then release it in a gushing sigh
>”Some forewarning would have been appreciated!”
>She maintains the grin
>”Okay, who’s up first then?” You shout into the crowd, before leaning and whispering to Platinum “I can pull out right?”
“If you’re a chicken you can.”
>”Then you should know I am not afraid to be a chicken.”
>She chuckles at you and steps to the side
>There had been no particular order set up for your arranged fight, because everyone had wanted to fight, so the order was decided among the group
>There were two very noticeable absences, The Fist and Gold Feather, both of whom sat at the back watching
>You give them a smile and wave. They respond in kind
>Looks like they had their fill of you yesterday
>During the interim between getting into the ring and your opponent being chosen the researchers had set up some type of recording equipment and were now waiting expectantly
>Did they really think watching this would help their research? Even if they thought it prudent to achieve Luna’s request this really wouldn’t help them. They were trying to determine your fighting style to counteract it, but you didn’t actually fight in these matches, you just stood there and the opponent usually beat themselves
>Finally someone steps into the ring
>An electric yellow earth pony mare with a bright orange mane
>”And what do you go by?”
“The names Volt Prancer. I saw your fights yesterday and I’ve gotta say, you’ve got nothin’ on me!”
>A stallion calls out from the side
“You tell him hun!”
>”Friend of yours I take it?”
>You swivel around to the stallion
>”You better watch that bravado mate, because once I’m done with your special somepony here, you’re up next!” 
>The crowd ushers a hushed ‘oooh’ 
>You were giving them quite the show, this was pretty damn fun!
>”Let’s see what you’ve got Volt Prancer.”
“Bring it!”
>Platinum rings the bell from the side and the fight commences
>Volt Prancer warily steps side to side, minimising her available contact area
>You take a few steps back and look over your opponent
>Small, adorable, possible made of sponge or marshmallow. She’s an Earth pony so she’ll be attacking with her hooves only
>The though actually gave you goose bumps from fear, you might be in very far over your head
>Thus far, of your experiences with hooves, they had either been soft fleshy squish, or painfully hard world destroyers 
>For fucks sake Shear could powderise diamonds with hers! And you’d been told about ones that could tear apart boulders
>So you could be in for some shattered bones, or light marshmellowy taps, you’d give yourself 50-50 odds
>Although with the name ‘Volt’ Prancer, you’d hazard a guess as to wha-
*KRRZAP*
>Two mare’s screams are drowned out by shouts from the crowd
>…
>”Ouch.”
>While you’d been thinking Volt Prancer had dived out at you and lain a hoof upon the side of your calf
>With contact made, she’d somehow released a kind of electrical discharge
>It felt like a bunch of tiny needles piercing your skin and it sent your leg in wild spasms, so much so that she had to retreat and you tripped over 
>It was a fucktonne more annoying than it was painful that was for sure
>Off to the wayside the crowd had gone ballistic. Cheers and jeers rang around the room for both you and Volt Prancer
>Ember had her eyes squeezed shut again and Soft Cotton looked on with horror
>Much to your enjoyment Platinum was grinning. You make eye contact and grin right back
>Looks like Platinum’s joined Blaze as one of the few creatures here who’ll accept you’re fine with some damage, if you could even call this damage
>Finally the twitches come under control and you find a hoof print shape of leg hair singed away, leaving a smooth patch of skin
>Volt Prancer looks mortified, but bucks up fast
“Sorry, I didn’t know it was going to be that strong!” She shouts over from the other side of the ring
>You brush off the melted and crusty burnt hair, their foul odour filling the air, and stand back up
>Ponies call from the side lines, claiming that you’d ‘Done it again’ and ‘Survived the impossible’
>”No need for apologies Volt Prancer, because I’m about to whoop that butt of yours.”
>Your comment stirs the group up once more. Honestly you should stop doing that or someone'll have a heart attack
>But come on!? Electrified hooves?
>What is this? Extreme shock bum fights?
>She charges at you again
>Now you were paying attention this was going to be a lot easier
>As her hoof moves out to strike, you step outside the hoof’s reach, put a hand on her back and then push down
>It takes no effort at all before her legs flop out from underneath her and she remains pinned to the ground by your hand
>Furiously she wiggles and shakes, trying to get up and away
>”I think I just won.”
>Volt Prancer stops struggling and as you stand you’re met with hoof stomps and a few small sachet bags hit your face
>What the fuck was that?
>You pick up one and read its contents
>*Contains Apple Sauce*
>Lol
>Prancer gets up and yells angrily
“This is unfair, he used his size against me!” She complains
>”Yeah, why wouldn’t I? What do you expect when you try punching above your weight?”
“I want a rematch, right now!”
>”So you can get beat again? I don’t think so; besides I gave the next fight to your very special somepony over there”
>”Although, if you really want a rematch, and if I want a challenge, I’ll let both of you fight at the same time!”
>That would make the crowd go crazy, and sure enough it did. Shouts and calls shook the windows; you’ll be getting a noise warning from the guards soon
>You’re just slowly going to turn this place into Anon’s personal WWE playground
>”So how ‘bout it Platinum, is that allowed?”
>She smirks
“I don’t see why not?”
>Sweet
>The stallion, a pegasus, struggles onto the stage but stands proud and tall once he’s up
>A thoroughly purple and blue stallion
>”Name?”
“Wind Runner.”
>”Nice to meet you.”
>The bell rings
>”Better to beat you.”
>Couldn’t resist tacking on that last part
>Volt Prancer starts moving side to side again
>”You know that’s not going to work again Prancer the Dancer”
>She stops a moment, flabbergasted at your, in no way insulting, name calling
>The crowd loves it. All worked up over your stupid over acting
>Soft Cotton now looks at you with concerned annoyance, but you can deal with it for the crowd
>Wind Runner charges at you, leaps to the air, extends his wings and swirls back away
>A light gust of wind blows over your face in his wake
>He flies at you again and pulls back once more
>What the hell was this guy doing?
>He flies toward you again
>*KRRZAP*
>”Same. God. Damn. Spot!”
>He was distracting you, and it worked, leading to a perfect moment for Volt Prancer to strike
>Your leg has the same reaction; spasms cause it to kick around furiously
>Volt Prancer attempts to escape, but your flailing leg catches her underside, scooping her effortlessly into the air
>She struggles wildly, attempting to find purchase on the nothing around her, while you force your leg back into place
>As she soars higher into the air the earlier approaching Wind Runner swirls back around, directly into his companion
>The pair become a ball of tangled limbs, fur and feathers, falling to the ground in a mess
>Volt Prancer must have rolled a natural one, because that was a critical fail on their part
>You won by complete fucking accident
>The roar of the crowd temporarily blasts all thought from your mind
>The bundle on the ground groans and pulls itself apart
>At the sound of pain you drop your act and crouch down to check out the ponies, concern draining all previous bravado
>”Are you two alright? I’m so sorry.”
>Prancer rolls onto her stomach and whines
“I feel alright, somehow. That was all my fault. Bad timing.”
>”Thank goodness you’re okay.”
>You slide your hands under her belly and lift her onto her hooves
>Then you lift up Wind Runner
>”And how are you feeling?”
>He looks up at you sulkily and pouts
“I wanted to win!” He shouts defiantly 
>So he’s alright then
>”Heh, sorry you didn’t win little guy. I’m just happy you two aren’t hurt. But I recommend seeing Soft Cotton.” You say, while watching said nurse mare struggle to keep herself away as you speak to them
>”You really better go, or she’ll come after you if you don’t. Just look at that crazy look in her eyes.”
>Volt Prancer looks over to the awaiting Soft Cotton, who certainly had some fervent look in her eyes, and giggles at your comment 
“Can do Anon.” She answers, a tone of respect now in her voice
>The easiest way to earn the gym members respect, it would seem, was to beat them in a ‘fight’
>You stand back up and yell into the crowd 
>”I win again, just like always! Platinum?”
>Your minotaur friend dives over the ropes and dashes to the centre
“Right, Sorry.”
>She raises your hand
“Anon is the winner!” She bellows out into the cheering gathering
>You crouch down to face your previous combatants
>”Volt Prancer, you should keep those hooves of yours under watch, if I find it uncomfortable I’d hate to see how a pony would react.”
“But it’s not normally like that” She replies, moving her hoof out to tap Wind Runner
>He jolts as the shock runs through him, recoiling from his partner, rubbing his zapped leg
“See, just a static shock. You’re just weird.”
>”Ha! Tell me about it.”
“Well you’re weirdly thin for your height, your legs are funny and you only stand on two of them, you have no coat, your eyes are-
>”Woah I get it. I didn’t mean literally tell me how I’m weird. I catch ya later.”
>You move over to the rings edge where the researchers waited, as she and Wind runner trot to Soft Cotton
>”So Dr. Witlick how are things going on your side.”
>The good doctor smiles at you
“Admittedly we find this entire thing to be more entertaining than we thought possible. You certainly can energise a crowd.” 
>”Has it helped with Luna’s request?”
>Witlick’s face darkens
“Yes. I doubt she’ll be happy. Not to over compliment you Anonymous, but your ability to fight is borderline terrifying.”
>”Hehe, yeah… fight.”
>You had yet to swing a punch
>”So you're happy if I keep going?”
>He nods vigorously
“But of course. This is an enlightening experience. I wish to see it through.”
>"Can do."
>You step back and put on your cocky voice again
>”So who’s up next? Any of you really want to take me on? I just took down two opponents without even breaking a sweat!”
>No one steps forward. You had actually scared them off
>”You can fight with a friend if you have to.”
>The group immediately breaks into a discussion over who would pair with who and who would be going first
>Out of it a single triplet formed between a minotaur, diamond dog, and a pony
>Or as they preferred to be known as, Quartz Fury, Ebony and Tic Tack, respectively
>They were all best friends and couldn’t decide who would get to pair off
>So with your permission they’d made a group of three and were now standing in the ring with you
>”If two couldn’t do it let’s try three shall we?”
“Anon I really wouldn’t, these three have trained together their entire life, and they’re in the dance club with me.” Platinum forewarns
>” I’m sure it won’t be /that/ bad.”
>She sighs
"Good luck."
>The bell rings 
>This was going to be interesting
>The trio bursts into action, giving you no time to react
>Obviously they’d been watching you carefully and realised your preferred strategy was to wait and watch
>They’d surprised you with an instantaneous attack
>Clever creatures hobbitses 
>The minotaur comes in head on, assaulting you with a barrage of tightly curled fists
>It’s all you can do to just get your arms up in defence, protecting your chest and head
>The attack was relentless
>As per usual the blows were nowhere near as hard or painful as expected 
>The barrage ends when you find yourself sailing head over heels
>Ebony had rushed through your legs, tripping you up and scampering away, true to her dog nature
>You had been wondering as to what happened to Tic tack, until you see him in Quartz Fury’s paws, being hurled at your sprawled form
>Now you see why Platinum was warning you
>The small pony flies at you with deadly accuracy 
>Goodbye internal organs 
>This was all true, assuming you couldn’t move
>You roll towards the Minotaur and away from the impending pony meteor strike
>Tic Tack, completely unphased by your rollaway, springs off his front hooves upon making contact with the floor, and flies back to you
>But you were still mid roll, and as Volt Prancer had found out, much bigger than him
>Once his soaring form lands on you it’s struck by your shoulder and flung up and away just from the momentum of your rolling
>History seemed doomed to repeat itself as the hapless pony flew straight to his Minotaur companion
>But Quartz Fury stays calm and deftly grabs Tic Tack, spins around with him to redirect his momentum, and tosses him over to the now awaiting Ebony
>Fucking hell Platinum didn’t mention being in the dance club also made you a Ninja! God damn!
>As good as your opponents were, when it came down to it, they stood no chance against your stupidity 
>Your rolling comes to an end and you stop somewhere near the Minotaur, you’re not sure as you’re facing Ebony and Tic Tack
>Quartz Fury, watching his friend to check his safety after all the throwing, stood unaware as you clumsily got to your feet, feeling quite dizzy after rolling over half the length of the ring
>That being so, it was you who were unaware as to how very close he actually was
>So close that, as you stand back up on wobbly feet, the top of your skull slams into his lower jaw
>He falls to the ground, knocked out cold
>You finally get to your feet and stare around at the silent crowd, wondering why your head hurt so damn much, entirely oblivious to what just transpired
>Ebony drops Tic Tack in shock but he lands gracefully as a cat
>You swivel around reason and logic locking into place as you swiftly make sense of the situation, and as to why your head hurt, upon seeing the unconscious Minotaur
>His eyes flutter open and he awakens with a groan.
>He looks up at you and attempts to strike, but you skirt back and put a stop to any fighting until he’d left the ring and gone to Soft Cotton, who promptly refused to let him fight again
>From over in the sidelines he groggily called out insults, riling up the crowd, insisting there was no way to beat you
>It was at that moment you were going to step down and put a stop to this, obviously everyone had gotten far too worked up, and you felt bad for hurting Quartz, but your two other combatants still standing in the ring had other ideas
“We can beat Anon guys! There is a way!” Ebony howls out at the crowd, commanding their attention
>This cannot be good
“Bum-rush the stage!” Yells out Tic Tack, still in Ebony’s arms
>”What are you guys on about?”
>But the time for questions had ended
>The frenzied gym members rush up onto the ring, streaming past the confused researchers, filling near half of it as you back the fuck up 
>Three Minotaur step forth, The Fist had taken the lead, so much for him not fighting
>This was going to hurt
>Fist roar’s out in a commanding shout
“PILE ON! EVERYONE! PILE ON ANON!”
>”Oh god NO!”
>You turn and make a break for it but are immediately pinned to the ground by the weight of three Minotaur
>That weight drastically increases as every gym patron dives on top, giggling and laughing wildly as they land atop you, even Blaze slithers over from his slumber and joins the mighty pile 
”He’s pinned! He’s pinned, somepony count him out!” Volt Prancer yells somewhere from the depths of the mass crushing you to the floor
>Platinum bounces down and quickly counts you out, declaring you the loser and everyone else the winner 
>”Hooray, you win.” You congratulate “Now can someone please call /all/ the doctors, because you’re crushing ME!”
>You struggle about under the heavy mass of mythical and magical creatures
>You’d love to be laughing along with them, if you could breathe
>The crushing weight upon you ever so slightly begins to lessen as everyone struggles themselves out of the pile
>Once you’re able to, you greedily gulp down lungfuls of life giving air
>Eventually you were left free, and dishevelled, laying on the floor
“I think we over did it dudes…” Blaze absently comments
>”What gave you that idea?” You mumble, still lying face down on the floor
>A dull throb of pain had been working its way along your body, initially terrifying you with the thought you’d gotten internal bleeding after such severe crushing
>But as you lay there, Soft Cotton panicked and rushing to tend you, the pain fades along with the overwhelming feeling of exertion and dishevelment 
>With the enormous dog pile off, you were feeling markedly better
“Anon! Anon! Oh my gosh! You /stupid/ human! Are you hurt, what do you need? Does it hurt when I do this?”
>The words tumble from Soft Cotton’s mouth, all the while her hoof pokes you in the side, below your ribs
>Instinctively your body reacts and spasms in shock at the jolting sensation from the unexpected prod 
>”AH! Jeeze Cotton, give a man a second to get himself up would you!” 
>It comes out a grumble while you recollect yourself and sit up properly
>”I’m alright by the way, somehow.”
“Alright? What was that?! You just recoiled in pain!” She blurts
>”What? No that’s just a reflex to getting randomly prodded by a pony, right in the soft and unprotected sides. But no I’m seriously alright. Here, look.”
>You spring back up like nothing had happened, stretch out at bit, then let forth a great belly laugh
>”HAHAH. You guys did it! You beat me!” 
>“Fantastic method of doing so I may add.”
>The group clustered around begins to laugh once more at what they’d done
>You turn from the cheery group and move for Witlick, stroking Soft Cotton’s mane as you pass in an attempt to ease the angry look she was giving you (it almost works)
>”So Witlick how was that?”
>The little pony doctor looks about to burst
“It. Was. Spectacular! And what an ending! Looks like you can be handled not with skill, but shear number. Not the best tactic mind.” 
>As Witlick spoke the number of researcher milling around your feet and poking at your body did not go unnoticed
>”And what the heck are you guys doing?”
“Checking for damage.” Someone says from behind
>You look about, expecting to see Soft Cotton, but she was back to her other patients, plus she didn’t have a British accent
>So of course it was Ember Heart who had spoken, she’d snuck up on you from behind
>”No need, I’m perfectly fine.”
“He’s telling the truth.” Says one of the tiny horses in a lab coat poking at you
“All that and not a single scratch.” Fawns Witlick “You truly are remarkable Anonymous.”
>”Yep, yes, that is most definitely true. But the gym’s closing soon, so is there anything you really need for your research?” 
“Yes actually, I’ve been given a request by Soft Cotton to acquire some DNA samples. Is that okay with you?”
>”Most certainly.”
“Alright. Ember you can assist. This will require the use of a needle, but Soft Cotton assures me you’re fine with that. Not many are, so we’ll perform this away from the group.”
>Witlick trots over to the corner with you in heel. 
“Have a seat Anonymous.” Witlick instructs
>Ember arrives with a suitcase. In which was the aforementioned needle and a few plastic sample vials
>”So what happened to the blood sample taken my first day here?”
“It was eaten.” Ember states matter of fact
>”… You’re being serious aren’t you?”
>She nods as Witlick telekinetically withdraws the syringe
“We asked Soft Cotton for it, but it was eaten by a dragon mid transit to the university. He’d mistaken it for his ruby smoothie.”
>”That’s… Kind of disturbing. So what’s the plan for my blood?”
>Witlick goes to jab you with the needle, but drops his magical field and lets it fall back into the case
“Disturbing indeed. The plan is to just run a few basic DNA tests Soft Cotton thought were prudent.” He replies
>The needle gets taken up once again, this time Witlick holds it in his muzzle 
>It was clear he still had some reservations about using telekinesis so close to you, but he had a good reason for it
>He jabs the needle in and pulls back on the plunger, drawing out your vibrant red blood
>As he does so Ember begins drawing forth the sample vials
>”So what are you doing?” 
“I was hoping you’d be kind enough to provide me with some bodily samples, hair, spit, skin and the like, to determine their alchemical properties. It’s standard procedure when studying magical or mythical animals.” Ember answers
>”Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“What do you mean by that?” She asks, picking up on your odd comment
>”Nothing really, just talking to myself.” You reply, attempting to deflect her suspicion
>She looks closely at you for a long time before replying
“Okay Mr. Anon.”
>Witlick pulls out the syringe, transfers your blood to a vial and disposes of the used needle
“Do you need a lollipop Anonymous?” He asks “You were a very brave patient.”
>”I’ll be fine Doc, I’m just glad to help.”
“Alrighty then.” He turns to Ember “Will you be requiring any assistance?”
>Her head shakes
“No, it’s very simple, I should be able to handle it, so long as he behaves himself.”
>”Heh, no guarantees there.” You interject
“Yes very funny. Dr. Witlick you may re-join the ‘celebration’.”
>With that he eagerly trots back to the still partying gym members
>Who knew beating you would be that big of a deal? They’re probably just caught up in the rush of the moment
>”I guess we should get this over with, although I’m not sure why you’d want to though, honestly what do you expect to find?”
“Honestly?” She asks rhetorically, an eyebrow raising, “Honestly I don’t know. Everything has some kind of alchemical property, from a rock to a Minotaur’s horn. These properties are intrinsically linked to the subject’s innate magic.”
>”Makes sense… I think.”
>Ember continues
“But you Mr. Anon? From what we’ve seen you do not have any magic, like at all. That being the case I’ve no idea what to expect. I suppose that means I expect to find either nothing at all, or anything, probably the former.”
>”Nothing or anything, really narrowing your options there. So then what if it’s the latter?”
“If that’s the case? Well I wouldn’t be able to tell you without knowing what the properties you’ve got actually are and that’s the exact reason I’m doing this, could you imagine if you had harmful alchemy? If somepony bad got their hooves on that it could be a very real problem.”
>”Duly noted. Let’s get down to business then.”
>Ember’s horn lights up as her telekinesis wraps around several of your body and head hairs, yanking them from you
>Well there was no doubt Ember Heart did not share Witlick’s apprehension of using their magic around you 
>Although what she did was risky. What if just contacting parts of you caused magical misfires?
>The hairs are tucked away in a sample vial while another identical vial is floated to your face
“Salivate into this please Mr. Anon.”
>Up comes a tissue
“And can you blow your muzzle in here?”
>”Sure thing.”
>You spit then blow, both vial and snot covered tissue magically pop out of reality
>Two cotton buds materialise before you
>Magic must be so god damn convenient
“Earwax please.”
>You swab at the insides of your ears and watch as the swabs disapparate from your hand and apparate in yet another vial
>”So, do anything interesting after I left this morning?”
“No, I was far too distracted. Can I get some fingernails?”
>You bite off three, much to Ember’s disgust, and drop them in a vial
>”Distracted? Ah yes, your big decision. Decided yet?”
“I’ve been trying. I know you’d be anxious so imagine how I feel. It’s a big choice! I mean I know I’ve been in a rut for the longest time, and then /this/ happened.” As she speaks she poofs out the Blood rose and shakes it about
>It was at that moment that the trickling sensation of dread began to build at the back of your mind 
“Needless to say I think it’s exactly the kind of thing I was looking for, but to be so impulsive? Mr. Anon how could you do this to me?” She complains
>That trickle was building itself up to a raging torrent of dread now
>Particularly since Soft Cotton had taken notice of your little exchange the moment that damned flower was taken out
>She moves closer to confront you
“I mean; did you even know you weren’t magic when you gave this to me? Mr. Anon I need to know, for one as generous and sweet hearted as yourself; why did you give me this?”
>The rose shakes wildly in its preservative cylinder
>What did your lack of magic have to do with this?
“Truly, honestly, why? I want to decide but I need to know.” 
>Could have sworn you’d answered that before
>”Fine! If it’ll calm you down. Aside from what I’ve already said about you being adorable, and such a genuine and kind pony.”
>You pause and think a moment
>”I suppose it was because I could see you were upset, and it was eating away at me inside, I had to do something, /anything/ to make you happy again, or I wouldn’t have slept soundly tonight… You’re all too stupidly adorable.” You add with a sigh
>”So I gave you my flower. I thought it might elevate your mood after what I put you through. I just wanted to give you something nice, something special and unique so that it might brighten your day. Something like-
“Something like you?” Ember cuts in, looking up with huge glistening eyes
>”Exactly! Something like me! Wait what?”
>You’re overcome by confusion; your dread had been well deserved
“I cannot believe I’m going to do this! It’s the most impulsive, rash thing I’ve ever done! I’ve been feeling wrong inside a long time now. Yet when you’re around I feel special again! But I think I’m doing this for selfish reason.” She spits out in frustration “Argh! What I’m trying to say is I’ve made my decision. Honestly I’m still not sure why you did it. But…”
>She pauses, taking a deep and purposeful breath
“I accept your offer Mr. Ano-. I mean, Anon.”, she corrects herself, “I will take your flower, our magical essence will be bound, and then we shall be wed, just as you wanted.”
>As she stops speaking you note two things
>One; the Blood rose was now transparent with a smoky pink liquid flowing through its petals
>Two; Soft Cotton was more effectively piercing you with her gaze than any knife ever could
>Even worse she was very slowly trotting towards you
“Are you alright Anon? You look a bit faint.” Ember comments
>”Fucking flower.” You whisper as an inaudible chaotic chuckle echoes behind you, carried on an unfelt wind