Dystopian Anon - Part IV

>You’re walking through the streets of Ponyville, ponies staring at you from different directions
>Apparently Rarity lied and told you a lie about fashion
>Clever girl…
>You get back to Twilight’s to see…
>A carriage?!
>Oh Ford, you didn’t expect it to be so soon!
>You quickly rush over to the library
>Twilight and the carriage driver are talking
>She looks up at you, and her eyes widen a bit
>”Oh my, Anon… did… did you get your… clothes cleaned?” she asks, a bit puzzled at your bizarre appearance
>The carriage driver raises an eyebrow at you
“Long story. Rarity’s making me another suit altogether.”
>Twilight nods, then looks at the carriage driver
>”Ya sure he’s the one? He seems… weirder than I thought,” the carriage driver looks up at you, his moustache covering his expression. “So, ya ready?”
“Ready? I…”
>You look down at yourself, and sigh
“Yeah, I’m ready. Just let me grab a few things.”
>You head inside and grab the boxes of soma and the sex-hormone gum
>You have a feeling you’ll need the former, and it’s probably best if you don’t let anyone get ahold of the latter
>You walk out to the carriage, and slip inside
>Twilight waves a hoof at you, and you nod, waving as the carriage driver starts up
>You sigh, sitting back and closing your eyes

>You wake up a few hours later
>The carriage is just starting to arrive in Canterlot
>The city is huge; it’s built into the mountainside
>You’re marveling at the size of it all
>”‘Ere we are, Canterlot,” the carriage driver says, slowing to a stop at the entrance to the city. “That buildin’ right over there is where the Princesses are; you’ll find ‘em there.”
>You nod, walking out of the carriage
“Thank you.”
>You start walking to the gates, hearing the carriage driver grumbling something about a ‘tip’ before he drives off
>The pegasus guards stop you, flexing their wings to block your path. “State your purpose here, stranger.”
“I’m here to meet with the Princess ‘Celestia’? She has asked for an audience with me.”
>”Come with us, then. We will make sure you are authentic,” one of the guards turns, nodding his head for you to follow
>You comply, following the guards toward the large palace building
>You get snubbed faces by the citizens
>Either from your horrid-looking outfit, or your entire being-a-human
>You pass through two large doors, into a large, decorated corridor
>At the end of the hallway… there is a larger, winged pony
>With a horn
>The two guards walk you through the corridor, kneeling before the gleaming white pony before you
>”Hello, Anonymous. I am Princess Celestia,” she smiles warmly at you
>You smile, bowing
“It is an honor, Princess.”
>”My sister and I both have been quite curious of you for some time now, ever since you sent that letter yesterday. We’ve been discussing what could have brought you here.”
>You nod
“I can fill you in on the details, if it means you will be able to get me home.”
>She smiles and nods, walking over to one of the large windows
>You follow
>”Anonymous, I must ask; what do you think so far of our own utopia?” she asks, looking down at the ponies outside in the courtyard
>You walk over and look out the window as well
“For what it is, I enjoyed it very much. Even if I was unable to make myself more… presentable.”
>You sigh
>She stifles a giggle, before turning to look at you. “Would you ever consider staying here, and not return?”
>Your eyes widen, and you shake your head, chuckling nervously
“Sorry, but… this place isn’t for me. I’m not meant to be here, I need to return to my people.”
>”What about your… soma?” Celestia asks
>…What…?
“How did… you know about that?”
>”Oh, Luna and I are both goddesses; we know of all the things going on in Equestria,” she says
>You raise an eyebrow, but decide to let it slide
“What do you mean ‘What about my soma’, anyway?”
>”Have you checked your pockets?”
>You check
>They’re gone
>No… no, no, no!
“What did you do?!”
>”I can’t have you taking that substance into my city, Mr. Anonymous. What if it got into the wrong hands?” she asks, a calm voice about her
>You glare, a small tinge of anger hiding behind your expression
>”So that’s why you came, then?” she grins, putting the pieces together. “You came to our world, our society, to harvest ingredients for this hallucinogenic substance?!”
>Her expression turns to that of a more serious one
“What did you do to my soma?!”
>”They are now in your pockets once again. Along with the gum that caused the Element of Generosity to act with such greed for your body.”
>Your anger is now visible in a twisted scowl
“I’m leaving now, thank you very much.”
>She shakes her head. “I’m afraid I cannot allow that, Mr. Anonymous; for you see, you cannot be allowed to tamper with the Elements any longer.”
“…What’s this about?”
>She turns to look back out the window, out to the palace gardens. “Do you see that statue, out on the far side there?” she asks, pointing her hoof out the window
>You take a look, and sure enough, in one corner of the gardens, there is a large statue of some kind of snake-like creature with arms and legs
“What… IS that?”
>”That, my friend, is Discord, the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony,” she says. “He ruled over Equestria for millennia before my sister and I overthrew his tyrannical rule. He returned briefly a few months before your arrival, however he was stopped by the Elements of Harmony.”
“Elements of… Harmony?”
>”The six ponies that you interacted with in Ponyville during your stay there. Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter. Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty. Rarity, the Element of Generosity. Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. Applejack, the Element of Honesty, and finally, my student, Twilight Sparkle; the Element of Magic,” she says, smiling. “Each one banded together and stopped Discord before he could do too much damage to the world.”
>You try to wrap your head around this
“…Well, I can understand most of them. But Fluttershy, she seemed to have traits of her element at first, but it quickly devolved later into violence.”
>”That is strange…” Celestia ponders. “I will look into this personally. Thank you for informing me of this.”
>You take note of this, and how she said earlier how she knew of everything going on in Equestria
“So… you have no way of knowing how to get back to my own world?”
>She shakes her head. “No, unfortunately. The power of conjuring portals to other worlds is beyond even my own power…” She looks out the window one final time, before returning to her throne. “Speak with my sister, Princess Luna; perhaps she will be able to give you the information you need.”
>You nod, bowing
“Thank you, Princess Celestia.”
>She nods her head. “Anything you need, come to me. I will have a few of my guards fix up a suite for you here in the palace; it will be best if you no longer interact with the Elements any longer.”
“Princess, if I may ask… what good will it do to keep me from interacting with them?”
>She smiles. “Because you, Anonymous, are the largest source of chaos in Equestria right now.”
>…What?
“What are you talking about?”
>”Your talks of a utopian society where art and individuality is not something to be taken lightly, you know. In most kingdoms it would be considered borderline treason to speak to others of different forms of government. You should know, after all, that stability is everything; it’s what the World State is built on, no?”
>She knows a lot more than she’s giving off
“...How do you know all of this?”
>”Like I said earlier,” she smiles, “I am a goddess, and I know of everything that goes on in my kingdom.”
>You decide not to ask any more questions if she is going to answer like this
“Very well. Thank you for your time. Will you send for me when my living quarters are ready?”
>”Of course. Have a pleasant day, Mr. Anonymous,” she smiles as you walk away and out of the palace
>You look around the streets of the city as you walk
>You come across a shoddy, run-down building that reads “Bar”
>For the first time in decades, you feel these words are appropriate for your situation
“…I need a drink.”

>The inside of the bar is dark; only a few ponies in the bar
>All-around depressing place to be
>There’s a band playing in the back there, some sort of funky-jazz song
>You walk up to the bar, and sit down
>The bartender turns and looks at you
>”‘Ey, you that human people’ve been talkin’ ‘bout ‘round here?” he asks, leaning on the bar, looking at you
>You look up at him, and nod
>He fills a glass for the two of you. “Well, you and I, we’re in the same boat. No one really accepts us for who we are, as you can see from how much of a pile o’ shit this place has turned into,” he groans, sliding one of the glasses to you
>You take it and the two of you clank your glasses together, before you down the entire thing in one go
>You choke for a moment, but slowly recover
>You look at the piano
>There’s a pony currently playing on it
>Not sure how he’s playing with hooves, but he’s definitely setting the mood
“…That open for playing?”
>The bartender nods, waving at the piano playing stallion as soon as the song ends
>The stallion nods, hopping off and walking up to you, taking the stool next to you
>He nods at the bartender, and then the bartender looks at you. “Ya gonna play, or what?”
>You nod, standing up slowly and walking over to the piano
>It’s almost been an entire century since you played one
>You play a few notes to get a feel for the instrument once again
>You look to the band
“Follow my lead.”
>You start playing a small riff on the piano, a bluesy-swing riff that you remembered from before the World State
>The bass gives you a steady, swing beat
>After a few moments, you start to sing
“I went down to St James Infirmary
Saw my baby there
She was stretched out on a long white table
So cold, so sweet, so sweet, so fair…”
>You play a piano riff between the verses

“Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She can search this whole wide world over
She won't ever find another man like me…”
>The bar patrons have turned to watch as you pour your entire soul into the song

“When I die, bury me in straight laced shoes,
A box backed suit and a Stetson hat
Put a 20 dollar gold piece on my watch chain;
So the boys'll know I died standin' pat…”
>The band gives you a fade out, before you do a final piano riff of the first verse’s line
>You finish the song, and the patrons all clap rather quietly for you as you stand up and walk back to your stool
>”‘Ey, yer pretty good,” the bartender grins, “Ya ever play back where yer from?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played…”
>”Well, ya got somethin’ there, tha’s for sure,” he says. “I enjoyed hearin’ ya play.”
“It’s an old song, nearly 450 years old. Doubt it’s much of something significant now.”
>The bartender shrugs. “Eh, doesn’t matter as long as it sounds good, really. ‘Sides, nothin’s ever significant in the big wheel o’ things, if ya think about it.”
>You look at him
“What do you mean?”
>”Well, if ya think ‘bout it, we’re all servin’ under the two princesses, right? And they’re supposed to live forever, y’know. So in the end, we don’t make much of a difference in the lives of those two, since we only live for merely two seconds in time compared to their immortality,” he says
>You shrug
“Guess that makes sense.”
>He smiles. “Now c’mon, here’s another for ya, on the house since ya played so well,” he says, beginning to pour another glass
>You hold up your hand, and shake your head
“No thank you; there’s something I need to take care of today, sorry.”
>He nods understandably. “You come on back soon as it’s taken care of, we’ll both share a drink t’gether, alright?”
>You nod back, giving him a thumbs-up
“Will do.”
>You stand, and walk out of the bar, looking around
>You come across a unicorn guard
“Could you tell me how to get to the gardens?”
>You walk along the edge of a long, winding hedge wall
>The gardens are both calm and artistically appealing
>In your time here in Equestria, you’ve managed to see things you haven’t seen ever since the World State, and yourself, came to power
>You eventually come to where you wanted to arrive
>The statue of Discord, the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony
>He has a look of pure terror on his face, and his arms are held out in front of him, as if to keep something away
>You stand there, looking at his terror-filled face, for a few minutes
“What was so bad about you that you had to be encased in stone…?”
>”…Would you really like to know?”
>You look around
>”Silly Anonymous; I’m right in front of you.”
>Your head quickly darts back to the statue
“How are you talking?!”
>”I’m Discord, spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. Does that make sense?”
>You’re silent for a few moments
“Of course it does.”
>”Really? That’s disappointing, I never did enjoy making sense…”
“What do you want?”
>”Simple. You get me out of this stone imprisonment, and I get you back home.”
>Your eyes widen
“How can you get me back home?”
>”The same way you got here in the first place; I create a wormhole, and you get thrown into it.”
“How can I trust you?”
>”You can’t. Then again, there’s also the issue of the uncertainty of landing you exactly where you want to go,” his voice echoes through your head
>He lets out a crazy laugh
>Your eyes widen, and you step back
>It’s… the same laugh from your nightmare
“No… no, no deal!”
>You rush off, running like mad to the palace, into the throne room
“Princess Celestia, do… you have my… room yet?”
>She looks at you, puzzled. “Why, yes, actually; I was just about to send word to my guards to let you know,” she says
>You nod, panting a bit from your run
>”Are you alright, Mr. Anonymous?” she asks
>You catch your breath for a brief moment, and stand up straight
“Yes, I’m fine.”
>She raises an eyebrow, before nodding. “Very well. My sister will show you to your living quarters,” she says
>A darker-colored, slightly smaller pony walks down from a large staircase, and looks at you
>Her mane is an ethereal blue, like the night sky, and she has a horn and wings, like Celestia
>This must be Princess Luna
“Thank you, both of you.”
>You bow humbly
>Princess Luna smiles at you. “Come with us, Anonymous; we will show you to your living space,” she says, turning and walking up the stairs
>You quickly follow her
>Both of you walk in mostly silence for the next few minutes, save for the sound of her hooves and your feet against the marble flooring
“So, you and your sister raise the sun and moon, I’ve heard…”
>”You’ve heard correctly, stranger. We pride ourselves on the responsibility we have to our subjects,” she says, smiling at you. “This is where you will stay,” she says, pointing to a door. “Go on, take a peek inside.”
>You nod, walking over and turning the doorknob, looking inside
>It’s beautiful, so… calm
>It’s like a personal study
>The entire room is color-coded to dark wood furniture and red carpet and walls, with flowing burgundy curtains
>The bed itself was fixed precisely to your size as well, with a canopy and four long, wooden pillars holding it up
>Oh, you were going to sleep well tonight
>You see a staircase nearby
“Where does that lead?”
>You point at it
>”Ah, to the… well, the personal washroom,” she says, looking up at the top. “Each room has its own personal facilities for each person staying there.”
>You beam; it’ll be the first time in days you’ve taken a bath or shower
>You’ve needed it
“Thank you so much for your hospitality, Princess Luna; I cannot thank you enough. Give your sister my best regards as well.”
>You bow
>She smiles. “Oh, think nothing of it! If thou needst anything, do not hesitate to ask one of the guards, and they will send for somep0ny to take care of it.”
“But why go through all the trouble for me?”
>”Thou art almost like an ambassador to us, and as such, should receive as much hospitality as we can offer,” she smiles. “But today you need your rest; we can tell you’ve needed it.”
>You smile and nod
“Thank you, Princess Luna.”
>She smile back, and turns to walk away, out of the suite
>As soon as she leaves, you immediately take out the boxes of soma tablets from your pocket and place them on the bed
>You take all of your current clothes off and fold them onto the bed as well
>First things first; you need a bath. Like, now.
>You quickly run up the stairs to the washroom, and see there’s a black dress suit hanging on the wall
>…
>There’s a note
>”Dear Anonymous,”
>”I apologize that it took so long, and that the carriage driver arrived on such short notice. I finished the dress suit and had Twilight send it in a message to Celestia through Spike. I hope I got all of the measurements right, and that you’ll forgive me for taking so long with it!”
>”Yours truly,”
>”Rarity”
>You smile, setting the note aside, and looking at the suit, admiring the intricate stitching she did on it
>You decide you’ll be wearing it when you get out of the bath, in case the Princesses decided to hold some kind of dinner party or something
>You turn the nozzle, and the bath quickly fills with warm, soapy water
>You slip out of your boxers and slide into the tub
>Oh Ford, that feels good on your aching muscles
>You quickly sink your entire body under the sudsy water of the tub
>You close your eyes, letting the heat envelop you in a warm, wet blanket of sorts
>…

>”You can never escape me, Anon. Even in the Princesses’ castle, you are helpless to my domination…”
>Your eyes immediately shoot open, and you look around frantically
“No… no, not here…!”
>You exclaim nervously, quickly getting out of the water and drying off, the same maniacal laugh ringing through your head once again
>You have to get out of there
>To the bed, and to your savior
>The soma
>You scramble out of the bathroom, carrying your suit in hand, nearly slipping on your way down the staircase, and moving to the bedroom itself
>You sprint across the rug, and land on the bed, quickly grabbing a box of soma as the echoing laugh becomes almost too much to bear
>You quickly take one, and swallow it
>You climb up onto the bed, and you almost immediately feel the effects start to work their way in
>Everything is fine now
>”…No it’s not,” the voice almost immediately comes back after you think that phrase
>Oh no, it’s back!
>You quickly grab another tablet, and swallow it
>It works again for another minute or two, and then the voice comes back
>”You shouldn’t be doing that, you’re going to-”
“Get the Ford out of my head!”
>You take a third tablet and you start to lose yourself to it
>You stumble around on your feet for a bit, before falling back down onto the bed
>”Come now, Anon; you can’t expect to get rid of Discord that easily, can you?”
>You growl angrily
“I told you to GET OUT!”
>You take an entire box of soma and shove the tablets into your mouth and down your throat
>”Oh, glorious chaos, isn’t it?” Discord’s voice still echoes and laughs in your head
>You grip it, pulling on your hair as you scream in terror
>You abruptly stop out of nowhere
>You slowly and calmly move to your suit, slipping it on in the calmest manner you can perform
>Tears are rolling down your eyes
>You walk up the steps of the staircase after you manage to get the suit on, carrying the remaining boxes of soma with you
>”Anonymous!” the first guards called out as they swarmed around the suite entrance around fifteen minutes later after hearing you scream
>No answer
>The door to the suite was ajar, and opened just a crack
>They opened it and walked into a shuttered twilight
>Through an archway on the furthest side of the room, they could see the bottom of the staircase that led up to the bedroom
>Just under the crown of the arch, dangled a pair of feet
>”Mr. Anonymous!”
>Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, northeast, east, southeast, south, south-southwest; then paused, and after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back to the left
>South-southwest, south, southeast, east…