>You are now Anon. >Dreaming about the cheeseburgers in France. >Despite having more or less adapted to the vegetarian lifestyle in Ponyville, there were still times where you craved something from Earth. >Granted, Fluttershy brought you fish every now and- >Wait. Fluttershy…aren’t you sleeping on her couch or something? >The dream begins to collapse around you with the mention of her name. >The ground becomes slick with some red liquid on the floor, and a yellow object is racing towards you. >You are knocked to the ground by Fluttershy, her irises shifting between turquoise and light-green. >”You WILL love me, Anon.” >It sounds as if she is speaking with two voices at the same time. >The main one sounds like the new Fluttershy, and the second is raspy and cracked. >You can feel her begin to press on your arms, and you begin to struggle under the weight. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! >You throw yourself awake and find minty eyes staring at you. >Fluttershy is floating a few feet in front of you, carrying a tray of food. >There is cereal, a banana, a tilted glass, and pancakes that appear to be drenched in orange juice. >”Are you okay Anon?” Her voice is tinged with concern. >Angel is laughing his ass off in the kitchen. No…I mean; I’m fine N- Fluttershy. Just had a bad dream. >”You almost made me call her ‘New Fluttershy’. What the hell Brain?” >Well, it is true…kinda. >After hearing that it was all a dream, Fluttershy brightened up a bit and set the tray onto the nearby table. >”I’m just glad you’re okay. Now, I have to go help Twilight with her studies on cloning. Angel will be here to keep you company until I get back.” >Angel makes a squeaky noise in the background. >”Once I get back, we can start our search for Pinkie.” >That voice…it’s a pleasant change from the old one. >Distracted by her voice, you can barely understand her goodbye, but the sound of the door closing manages to sound off alarms in your mind. >”SHE’S GONNA LOCK ME IN.” >”I’M TRAPPED.” >”I DON’T WANNA BE USED AS A DILDO.” >You run towards the door and try to throw it open. >Fluttershy stares at you as you practically fly out of the front doorway. >”I’m not locked in?” >You meet her gaze with an awkward smile and yell BYE! >”Bye Anon!” She responds while laughing, and continues down the road to Twilight’s. >There’s a *whish* sound as something collides with the back of your head and bounces towards your toes. A carrot? >You turn around to find that Angel “Nick Fury” Bunny is glaring at you. >”Anon, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on?” >You try to calmly explain the situation to Angel. Well you see- >*smack!* >You can hear the sound, but you can’t feel the pain as Angel’s paw lands hard on your face. >”Thank Celestia for Pinkie’s pain powder...” >You begin to think about where Pinkie might have ran off to, but Angel derails that train with another loud punch. >”Do NOT talk to me like I’m a kitten! Fluttershy’s voice and eyes have changed and you’re jumpier than usual.” >Wow. Baby rabbits are called kittens? >”I may like you, but I’ve known her longer and I can make your life a living hell if you do not answer my question.” >Thinking back, you recall Angel’s ‘hotel’ in Ponyville’s Red Light District. >He has enough money to pull off any threat he makes. >You sigh and look at Angel. My life already is hell. You might wanna sit down…it’s a long story. >You and Angel head into the cottage, and once the door closed, you started to tell your story. >You began with the night that you found the old Fluttershy’s list and added every detail that you were able to remember: >The army that the old Fluttershy had brought down upon your house. >Her laugh as she and her clones were destroyed. >How Pinkie had run away covered in blood and Rainbow’s flight to the tavern at the sight of Flutter’s eyes. >How you had convinced Twilight and the other Elements to keep quiet about the whole fiasco. >Angel stayed quiet for the most part, but a few tears leaked out when you described her death. >”Is she… is she still the same? You know…up here?” he says, pointing at his head. I don’t know man. Twilight is using her as a behavioral lab rat, so…. >Wait a second. >Why does he even care? Hey Angel? What’s your stake in this whole thing? >”What do you mean?” He looks confused and slightly angry. >You have to be delicate about this, Anon. Well, you’re a successful business owner, you have money that pretty much flows out of you in streams, and yet you choose to live with Fluttershy as a “normal” bunny. >He doesn’t look as angry now, his face bears the lines of sadness as opposed to confusion. >He sits quietly for a few seconds, probably to condense whatever he wants to tell you. >”Fluttershy’s father died in the war, and her mother died in labor. I promised on her deathbed that I would keep Fluttershy safe and happy.” >”I moved her from Baltimare to Ponyville, and set her up in a Cloudsdale orphanage; I didn’t know much about raising pegasi fillies.” >“From there on, I had to take a background role in her life…making sure she got a monthly stipend from her ‘distant Aunt Twinkle.’” >”I promised her safety, and she had to suffer through a horrible and lonely childhood…but where others would turn sour, she came out kind.” >His eyes never looked up from the ground as he talked, but now that the story was done, he stared you dead in the eyes. >You could almost see the tinges of fire behind the stare. >Angel grabs you by the neck of your shirt and pulls you down towards him. >”I’m warning you Anon…If I fail her again… >You nod grimly, trying not to think of what he had in mind. >Angel lets go of you and runs out the back door. >You fall back onto the couch, and hope for the best as Fluttershy walks in the door. >Within ten minutes, you and Fluttershy are back outside the cottage and heading into Everfree Forest. >You searched the woods until the sun went down, and then continued until the moon rose high into the night. >Aside from the occasional tuft of pink mane gripping tightly onto a branch, or small piles of confetti sparkling in the mud, there was no sign of Pinkie Pie. >Rainbow showed up to help Fluttershy with the aerial scouting, leaving you alone on the ground. >There was silence as you walked, broken only by the scattered howls of timberwolves in the depths of the forest. >Up ahead, the trees thinned out into a clearing. >You lie down in the soft grass and looked up to the stars. >Phantom raindrops trail down your face from the cloudless sky. WHERE ARE YOU, PINKIE!? >The stars seem to swirl slowly around you, leaving heavy trails behind them as they go. >A light weight presses down on your chest, and the tails race back to their stars as you are snapped out of your daze. >Looking down, Fluttershy’s head is resting on you, and her hoof gripping your hand slightly…somehow. >Rape alarms are sounding off at full strength, and your arms instinctively ready themselves to throw her out any nearby window or doors. >”I’m sorry Anon.” Huh? >Your arms retract to your sides, and your rapey-sense dies down a little. >”Why are you betraying me, Brain?” >Shut up. Let’s hear what Flutters has to say. >”All of this: you leaving my house, the clones, Pinkie’s breakdown and her going missing…it’s all been my fault, and I’m sorry.” >Small tears roll down from her eyes. “I know you probably won’t forgive me, but I’m going to make this right.” >You reach your hand out and wipe the tears away from her face. >”I’m only doing this to be nice…right Brain?” >Maybe. >”He’s lying.” >Shut up, Penis. Oh, fuck you Brain. >”Anon, who is ‘Brain’?” No one important. >The two of you lay silently in the grass for a while, fighting the urge to fall asleep. >Overhead, a rainbow arcs across the sky, rousing you to resume searching for Pinkie. :Time Travel back to Earlier Today: >The smell of whisky hangs heavy in the air. >You are now Rainbow Dash, and you are at The Splintered Hoof, Ponyville’s local tavern. >You came here after Twilight’s “magic tree bubble” disappeared, to put distance between you and the clone of your deceased friend. >Normally, you would be here to work on your novel, seeking the counsel of Mr. Walker and Mr. Daniels for inspiration. >But today, staring into the bottom of your fifth appletini, you couldn’t understand why you chose to come here… >…or why you were drinking appletinis. >”Why did I run away…I-I’m Loyalty…and I ran.” As you think, you gaze over at The Writers Den, and unknowingly order another appletini. >Damn tasty appletinis. >To join The Writers Den was your second lifelong dream…after joining the Wonderbolts; they were famous authors known all over Equestria. >At their table today: Raritan, whose main job was being a Canterlot Guard, and something about him made you think of Rarity; He writes “lovey-dovey” stuff. Ew. >Jibber, who lost a leg during the Wartimes...he was a gardener; He writes about families. >DriverBang, the resident “cool kid”, doesn’t talk much, and yet ponies still understand him; His autobiography sold millions. >And then there was- >”WHAT’S WITH THE FAGGY DRINK, DASHIE!?” >…Scrabhunter. He could be Skittish...or Irish. You didn’t really know. >You and Scrab have a strange relationship: he makes fun of your mane, and you mock his kilt… >You guys were the best of friends. Leave me alone….I’m not in the mood. >His smile drops slightly; “What’s the matter? They run outta whisky or something?” No. >”You broke?” No. >”Tank never made it to your uncle’s farm?” LEAVE. >Scrab’s smile drops completely, and is replaced with a concerned look. ”What’s wrong, Rainbow?” >Hey….maybe if you be quiet, he’ll leave! >”Awesome plan, Brain!” >Of course it’s awesome, it’s MY plan! > Scrab takes the stool next to you, and you avoid his gaze by staring deep into your drink. >”Whatever problem you’re having, a six glass distance isn’t going to make it go away; you need to deal with it head-on like you usually do.” >You stay silent. >”Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make Jibber cry.” >Scrab runs back to his table and begins belting out some Itailian song, and true to his word, Jibber begins bawling. >”He’s right”, you think, “and not just about Jibber crying like a bitch; I have to go deal with her. She may be a clone, but she’s still Fluttershy.” Hey Morning. >A tired blue unicorn pokes his head up from below the bar. “Yes, Ms. Dash?” You gesture over at the writers and say Put their next round on my tab. >Putting the money for your new favorite drink on the counter, you take off into the bright light of day to make amends with Fluttershy.