“Mmm!?”

You stare down at the still-warm cookie held in your fingers with immense surprise as the sweet flavor coats your tongue. The smell alone was enough to make your mouth water and bring fond, nostalgic memories of easier times to the forefront of your mind. The taste though…

Spectacular. It takes a shameful amount of effort to keep from ramming the rest of the little treat into your mouth and diving for the tray of other confections Pinkie had brought back.

Pinkie, leans in front her spot next to Rarity on the couch closest to you, her large blue eyes sparkling in anticipation.

“Is there real sugar in this?” you ask simply, staring at the bite-marked sweet as if it would reveal some grand secret. “It’s good. Great, even. Better than anything I’ve had since I was young.”

The pink confectioner grins widely at the praise, then stops and furrows her brows in confusion when the first part of you sentence catches up with her. “Real sugar? Of course it’s real sugar! What other kind of sugar is there?” She asks with a tilt of her head.

You’ve noticed that ponies do that a lot.

“Ya’ll make it sound like you’ve not had sugar before,” Applejack chimes in skeptically, stopping mid-bite into a delicious looking pink cupcake. “Er, you do have sugar on your home planet or whatever it is, right?” The orange mare asks as an afterthought.

“We do,” you reply, finding the shiny dollops of chocolate on the confection you hold to be supremely fascinating for some reason. “It’s just been quite some time since I’ve had the real deal and not something artificial. I had almost forgotten the taste.”

“What!?” Pinkie nearly shouts, her eyes wide and whole form screaming ‘Scandalized!’ “Nearly forgot the taste of sugar!? How is that even possible? I don't think I could ever forget!”

‘Forgetting a taste? Tragically, it’s quite a bit easier than one would think.’

You shrug awkwardly and try to not turn away. “We, er, I just had other... more important things to worry about. Sugar wasn’t very high on my list of priorities,” you offer lamely, hoping they didn’t ask more. When you saw some of the ponies around you exchange looks, you quickly added on; “Look, it’s a bit personal so…”

Luckily your hosts are courteous enough to not pry after that, but you see curiosity on all the faces present.

“That actually reminds me!” Twilight exclaims with a delighted if clumsy flutter of her wings. Not a moment later, you feel magic in the air and her ridiculously long parchment list from earlier appears in a bubble of purple that pops shortly after.

Once again, it drops and rolls across the ground right out of the room, even curving to make the doorway as if mocking the alicorn.

Said alicorn scans through her list intently, heedless of her friend’s quiet giggling and your chuckling.

“Here it is!” she says, now hidden behind the floating parchment. “I’ve been wondering since breakfast. I saw you eat both eggs and various greens, as well as common spices. What sort of diet does a hyoman have, Anon? I’d like to know so the next time we go shopping, Spike and I can get everything needed to keep you healthy.”

A frown pulls at your lips when you hear Twilight talking about providing for you. You don't want to be in her debt any more than necessary. She and her friends are nice, but being independent will keep you out of social trouble nine times out of ten. Regardless, you keep your thoughts to yourself.

“Well,” you start, wondering if a bunch probable herbivores are going to be unnerved by what you’re going to say. “Humans are largely omnivorous and eat both plant and animal matter.”

Sure enough, there are some concerned expressions being exchanged amongst your listeners. Both Rarity and Applejack lean back slightly, their faces guarded. Pinkie just bounces back from her surprise back into a smile. Twilight and Spike look between each other, but little else. Surprisingly, neither Rainbow or Fluttershy seem fazed. The yellow pegasus just nods like she expected such a thing. Her more colorful friend…

“Really? But your teeth aren’t all that big.”

Rainbow leans closer from her spot next to you, practically in your face with her eyes locked on your mouth.

You lean back as far as you can without toppling over your seat. “Uhh, Rainbow? You’re awful close.”

“Duh? How else am I going to see your tiny teeth?” She replies like it was obvious. “I saw sharp ones, but they’re so small. If you’re a meat eater, how do you hunt?”

“You’re taking this whole ‘carnivore’ thing better than I expected…”

“Well sug’, you ain’t the biggest thing we’ve ever seen with meat chompers,” Applejack drawls, “And you haven't taken a bite out of Rainbow yet for bein’ so close.”

“Eck! Rarity!”

A band of light blue magic wraps around a startled Rainbow, who flails a bit when it pulls her back into a seated position.

“Rainbow, pleaaaaase have some manners,” the white unicorn pleads dramatically. “We’re all glad to have a new friend in our company, but there’s no reason to be invading his personal space like that. It’s especially rude to do that to a stallion!”

Rarity just went up a notch in your book.

“He’s not a stallion, though!” your seatmate argues heatedly. “He’s a…” She trails off and looks at you.

“Man,” you provide helpfully.

“A man!” The pegasus triumphantly parrots with a smile and crossed forelegs.

“Let me rephrase then: it’s rude to do that to a male, ANY male,” Rarity sniffs.

Rainbow grumbles, not admitting defeat but not arguing further, earning her a round of good-natured laughs from her friends. After a short few seconds pouting, she turns back to you, a questioning glint in her magenta eyes.

“Anyway, like I was saying,” she starts, pointing a hoof at your face. Or maybe a specific part like your mouth? It’s hard to tell where the detail-less limb is pointing. “How do you catch anything to eat? No offense, but you don't look all that fast, or strong, or…” The prismatic pegasus seems to reach an epiphany. “Of course, you’re an alien! I bet you can spit acid, or have freaky mind powers, right?” She asks excitedly

“Ooooooooooh!” Pinkie and Spike’s eyes widen, while the rest of the mares seem more skeptical. Rarity’s hoof is even introduced to her face.

You can't help but smile a bit. “Sorry. No acid, no mind powers. No ANYTHING powers to be exact.”

“Awwwwwwww...”

Twilight clears her throat. “Once again Rainbow, too many cheesy, low production alien movies.”

“They’re not cheesy!”

“But I find myself curious as well, Anon,” the alicorn continues, ignoring her fellow winged pony’s reply. “You don't have any readily apparent way of hunting or incapacitating prey. So how do you do it?”

You chew on your lip, finding the current line of questioning off-putting. The last thing you want to do is make a bad impression or reveal unnecessary information about yourself. None of them had commented on your gun or armor, so that can reasonably mean a few things.

‘One, they have no idea what either are and therefore are not prepared should I need to use them. That’s the best case scenario.’ You think.

‘Two, they know what guns are, but simply don't care because a weapon like that is not a threat to them. If they knew and did not have a defense, they would have stripped it from me already. Worst case scenario.’

‘Or three, they have no idea, but the weapon still isn’t a threat. Not really good anyway you view it.’

“Well…” you comb your brain for a vague answer. “Why the interest? I have no reason or want to hurt any of you,” you deflect.

Twilight recoils with a startled half-extension of her wings, as if not expecting such a response. When she answers, you realize that’s exactly it. “I was never accusing you of that. It’s just academic interest…”

You look at the small pony intently, trying to find any evidence of a lie, falsehood, half-truth, or any other deceit. All you get though is a slightly shaky mare with a hurt expression set on her face. The others seem similarly caught off guard.

A sigh escapes your lips. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I suppose that I’m still feeling a bit jumpy is all. That was… rude of me to assume,” you apologize, letting your eyes fall away from hers and onto the hands on your lap. You’re so out of your depth here it isn’t funny.

“Anon, there’s nothing to be ashamed of or sorry for…” Fluttershy softly speaks for the first time since her introduction. “This is very frightening and different. We all understand that, right?”

The yellow pegasus gets a chorus of agreements, making a tender smile blossom on her face. “You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to, but if you do, we won't use any of it against you. I promise,” she finishes firmly, practically reading you like an open book.

This one is sharp. Very sharp.

You force yourself to smile. “Thank you, Fluttershy. That means a lot to me,” you tell the winged mare, trying not to let strain in your voice show. “To answer your question, Twilight,” you start, a vague explanation in mind as you turn back to the now excited alicorn. “Before my kind began producing farms with livestock, and before ambush hunting with primitive projectile weapons, humans started out as persistence predators.”

Your most rapt listener’s face morphs into confusion. “Persistence hunters?” She asks more herself than anyone. She turns to Fluttershy only for the butterfly marked mare to appear just as unsure.

“Ancient humans would just wound potential meals and slowly run them down until exhaustion,” you elaborate. “It’s a low effort way to hunt, but it promises a meal if you have patience and stamina. Even if said meal is many times faster than you.”

That draws wide-eyed looks from your audience, the last thing you wanted. A shiver then visibly runs down Rainbow’s spine from her spot next to you, drawing your attention. “Whoa. Is that even a real thing? No joke?” she asks, blinking her large eyes at you.

“It is…” you answer carefully, wondering if you had offended or frightened her somehow.

The rainbow mare shuffles her wings, averting her gaze from yours. “That’s…” She pauses, searching for words. “That’s weird..?”

“A bit,” you agree.

“Well, I guess a better question is what DON’T you eat?” Twilight asks, pulling your attention from Rainbow “If just give us a list of things to avoid, then we can do that.”

You take a moment to think. ‘What would I not eat? I guess I’m not real picky…’

“Unprocessed grains and most grasses are the biggest ones to come to mind,” you reply after a moment, making Twilight scribble on her scroll with a quill she materializes with some purple magic. “Uncooked meat is a no-go as well. I’m not sure if you eat flowers or not, but most flowers are off too. That’s about it, really.”

“Really?” Your summoner asks skeptically. “That’s a very small number. You’re not missing anything else?”

“Other than obviously inedible things, like anything poisonous to a lethal level, that’s really it,” you say with a nod. “If I missed anything, I’m sure I’ll be able to point it out upon seeing it, but I’m fairly sure that’s everything.”

Twilight chews on the end of her quill in thought then writes a few things down.

“So does that mean you like more than just what I brought here?” Pinkie asks, a sparkle in her eye.

Looking back down the half-eaten tray for treats she brought back from, where was it? Sugar something Corner? You take stock of everything left.

Cookies, brownies, fudge, donuts, cream puffs, a now gone pie, a few things you can’t even name, and an impressive selection of cupcakes of all colors and flavors. All things you haven’t had in so long. Just looking at it rouses your appetite even with your stomach already full.

You smile at Pinkie. “Certainly. It’s been years since I’ve had sweets this great.”

She looks practically ready to burst with excitement “Perfect! We can go to Sugarcube Corner after this and get you a bit of everything! It’s all hoofmade home recipes made by Mr and Mrs Cake and myself and everypony in town can’t get enough and-!

Pinkie is cut off when Spike’s chest swells, and out of his mouth comes a gout of green flame in the form of a belch, surprising everyone in the room.

None more than you, however.

DANGER CLOSE TAKE COVER NOW

The instinct demands that you jump to your feet and dive over the couch the instant the first embers of the flame start registering to your brain, and you do not disobey. In fact, you don’t even realize that you’ve moved until the backplate of your plate carrier smacks into the ground with a Thud!, nearly knocking the wind from your lungs.

“Anon!” comes multiple frightened voices.

The ponies and the dragon all run around the couch you threw yourself over, frantic and looking down at you with concern. When an orange hoof lands on your shoulder, you flinch and jump back into a standing position, vainly trying to fight the post-adrenaline shakes in the arms that were wrapped around your head just a moment ago.

“Anonymous! Are you alright, dear? What happened!?” Rarity asks in a frazzled manner, taking charge of the conversation.

You don't answer immediately, instead surveying the room around you in confusion. No scorch marks, no open fires, no structural damage, no shrapnel damage. Everything looks spic and span. What was with the fire?

“Rarity?” you ask unsurely, still taking stock of what happened. “What was that flame? The one that appeared from nowhere just a moment ago?”

“F-flame?” The pony questions hesitantly. “What are you talking ab-” she cuts herself off, a look of realization dawning on her face. “You mean Spike’s flame? That’s just how the princess sends mail to Twilight.”

“Spike’s flame..?” You murmur confusedly to yourself, slowly turning to the little reptile, whose eyes are wide with fright after the recent events.

“Y-yeah…” Spike stutters, his usual casual attitude absent. “It’s magic. P-princess Celestia can send scrolls like this to me,” he says in a subdued voice, holding up a rolled up scroll in his paws. “Like this.”

You suck in a deep breath, finally feeling the trembling in your limbs settle. “So the fire was magic, huh?” You question more yourself than the ponies and dragon. “Well, alright. Pal?” You say to Spike, who looks up at you with his wide, childish eyes. “Some warning next time, okay? I’m sorry about flipping out like that, and I’m certainly not mad, but some things just make me… Jumpy.”

The little drake nods rapidly. “Yeah, s-sure…”

You give him a small smile and turn back to the still staring mares. “So anyways, the letter?” you ask, hoping to deflect the attention on yourself away.

‘Is it worth the effort to beat myself up over freaking out like that?’ You silently ask yourself with genuine conflict. ‘The sudden light and heat immediately made me think ‘explosion’. Do I REALLY want to suppress such a reaction?’

The gathered ponies all desperately look like they want to ask what just happened, but Fluttershy makes a disapproving sound in her throat and shakes her head at her friends, stopping them to your relief.

Twilight snaps out of her stupor with a shake of her head. Her horn lights up, gently pulling the scroll from Spike and undoing the wax seal at once. The alicorn scans over the letter, her eyes running over the lines at a rate only an avid reader could achieve. As she goes, her face falls into one of abject dread, making your heart sink. “She’s coming!”

“That’s what he said!” Giggles Pinkie behind a forehoof.

“Pinkie! This is no time for dirty jokes!” Twilight exclaims in a panic. “I thought Princess Celestia would just send the paperwork I requested and leave this to me like I asked. This is terrible!” the mare finishes, her wings ruffled and ears pinned back.

The persistent pit in your stomach deepens. Why is Twilight referring to this other princess like she’s a superior? They both hold the same rank and title, correct?

“What’s so bad about this other princess?” You ask, hoping you’re not speaking out of turn.

Applejack answers. “Ain’t nothin’ bad about the princess, sug’,” she says with a roll of her large green eyes. “Twilight’s just working herself up like usual. Ah’d just give her a minute.”

“Well, that’s a relief. For a second I-”

“What do you mean ‘I’m just working myself up’? Applejack, this is Equestria’s millennia old ruler we’re talking about! You know, the one who moves the sun every day!?” Twilight says over you, her voice irate.

“-Had the feeling something was...up…” you finish weakly. “Did you say, ‘move the sun’? As in literally moving the star closest to the planet?” you ask in a small voice, ignoring the “millennia old” part for now.

‘She didn’t mean that literally, did she? Moving the entire sun?’

The sheer scale of an endeavor like that goes well and beyond what you could even imagine, even with magic acting as a crutch for your suspension of disbelief. How could one even affect the trajectory of a goliath nuclear furnace nearly 10 million miles away? You know nothing of magic, but how? Does this magic have no rules or restraints? If you thought Twilight to be powerful to a godly level, then this Celestia must rest on the same plateau as beings who birth and end entire worlds on a whim. Like something out of a cult handbook or wild fiction.

‘And she’s coming HERE.’

Just as you felt you were getting a basic grasp of this strange land, another curveball is thrown your way with the force of a cannonball. It’s even worse since that curveball impacted squarely on your already fragile peace-of-mind.

Twilight blinks and drops her irritation in favor of looking at you. Or rather, your now rapidly paling face. “Anon?”

A nervous laugh bubbles out of your throat. “Twilight? You remember how I said humans aren’t well versed with magic? The whole “move the sun” thing was a kind of a big bomb to drop out of nowhere…” You tell her with a not-at-all-happy smile, fighting hard to crush your swelling terror. “I think I’m going to sit down for a second...”

Without waiting for a reply, you walk around to the front of the couch you were seated on and fall heavily on it, swallowing the bile in the bottom of your throat while you were at it. Another weight you vaguely register as Fluttershy settles next to you, but you hardly notice over the pounding in your skull. Only a few hours here and you’re already wishing you were in Lynchburg instead.

The whole library falls into an awkward silence.

“Anonymous?”

You turn your eyes to Fluttershy, who gazes at you with those damningly understanding eyes. “There’s no need to worry. The princess is one of the nicest ponies there is. She won’t hurt you, and on the off chance she tries…” The little yellow pegasus takes a breath, steeling herself. “I-I won’t let her,” Fluttershy says with fragile resolution, her chest tuft puffed and wings opened the slightest amount.

The sight is so adorable you can’t help but smile and feel the tightness in your chest loosen. “Thanks, Fluttershy. That means a lot to me.”

“I won’t either!”

Fluttershy squeaks when Rainbow Dash drops down right next to her, squishing the yellow pegasus into the soft back of the furniture. Rainbow puffs her own chest out even more than her friend’s and extends her wings fully, putting all her bright blue plumage on display, not unlike a peacock. On her face is a confident, self-assured smirk.

“Two of you on my side? Must be my lucky day.” Again you smile, more out of amusement this time.

“Dash, do you gotta strut like a fat pigeon for every stallion who talks to you?” Applejack asks as she looks over the back of the couch with her forelegs draped over. “You scared poor whatshisname? Wind Stream? Last time you did that.”

Rainbow squawks like an angry parakeet, complete with aggressive flaps of her wings. “I did not!” she cries with a scowl “He was just overwhelmed. I’m a lot of mare, after all.”

“I dunno, Dashie,” Pinkie says next as she lands right between a startled Rainbow and Fluttershy, who was smooshed further into the furniture. “He flew off awwwful fast,” she says playfully, leaning into Rainbow as she drags out the “w”.

Rainbow uses her still open wings to flutter to another couch with her scowl still in place, making Pinkie lose her balance and tumble off, nearly smacking into the tray of sweets on the coffee table. No longer pressed face-first into the furniture by the weight of her friends, a woozy-looking Fluttershy slowly pulls herself free.

You smile at the antics in front of you, thoughts of magical juggernauts and impossible feats of celestial bodily motion forgotten for a few moments.

But only a few moments, as a slight pressure on your nonexistent sense slowly begin to mount, coming from the north and building. It’s a vast thing, as the closer it comes, the more the feeling bears down upon you. With it, an odd... warmth? Is that a proper descriptor? An odd warmth that reminds you of the sun.

The sun…

You gulp, but find your mouth dry as cotton.

There’s nothing you could have done in life to prepare you for this, you realize. How would one even prepare for a meeting with a being who could casually move objects countless thousands of times larger than a planet?

‘Nevermind her being royalty, that’s nothing compared to the sheer power that comes with holding dominion over the fucking sun,’ you think ruefully.

The ponies could just be lying to you, but what would the purpose be? The still growing sensation on your strange 6th sense also leads you to think they’re telling the truth. There’s no escape from this. Just...

Breathe in...

STEEL YOURSELF NOW

Today, you meet God.

Breathe out...

The growing shaking of your arms halts and your face falls into a practiced mask of neutral calm. Hiding your fear might be in vain before what you’re about to face, but it’s far better than openly quaking. If you’re lucky, then this Celestia will find you amusing and/or inoffensive enough to keep around. If you're truly lucky, then she won’t realize she's faced with a facade. You want to entertain the thought that this princess is actually kind, or that Rainbow and Fluttershy will hold up to their promises, but common sense tells you it’s a pipe dream at best.

The massive magic source is close and now slowing. So close, that the sensation of static runs across your skin.

“Say, Twilight?” You casually ask the alicorn now coming into view of the circle of couches. “When did the princess say she was arriving?”

Twilight mulls it over as she hops up onto a seat with Spike following a moment later. “She didn’t say. She just said that she was on her way and not much else,” the purple pony says, now calmer herself.

You nod, accepting the answer without much thought. “Fair enough,” you reply, then fall silent afterward.

For a moment, you sit and let your arm dangle over the side of the couch, where your hand plays with the top straps of your pack absently. ‘Yet again I’m going to stare what could be my own end in the face.’ You think to yourself mirthlessly. ‘I just can’t act stupid, I need to walk out of here alive. Nito needs me.’

You glance down at your pack as your hand digs in one of the top-most pockets. In there, your fingers wrap around a single small bottle. A shake tells you there’s only one pill inside.

‘Really, one is all anyone ever needs.’

You click your tongue in self-annoyance for such thoughts and zip the pocket back closed.

The titanic magic signature, now moving along the ground at a relaxed pace, stops near the library. It’s so close you can feel the charge in the air. Had you smelled any ozone, you would have thought you were due for a lighting strike.

You shift a bit for a more comfortable position, feeling your Colt 1903 Hammerless hidden in your waistband poke you, as if to say “If things get ugly, draw me.”

The idle thought makes you smile, even if violence would be useless.

Knock knock!

“Not exactly the grim toll of a bell, but the sound is ominous nonetheless…” you mutter to yourself.

Twilight shoots up from her seat and sprints for the door, the others standing and following at a more relaxed pace. You stand and trail behind, standing at the back of the group and trying to keep your cool.

Both Applejack and Rainbow glance behind them at you, then move to stand in front of you as one. Rainbow lands from her usual hover to do so.

By now, Twilight is skidding to a stop at the front door and grips the knob in her magic, pulling it open.

You don't expect what’s next.

Through the open door steps a creature right out of a fairy tale. An alicorn like Twilight, but that’s where all similarities end. If you can call the ponies you met today ‘cute’, then this being is well and beyond beautiful.

Standing just a bit shorter than you is a tall, lithe pony with fur the same color as snow, and a living aurora of a mane and tail moving in an ethereal wind. On her head is a spiraled horn nearly as long as your forearm, and on her sides, folded wings much bigger than her fellow alicorn’s. Eyes the same color as amethyst with twice the luster regard Twilight with warm, almost motherly affection. The few steps she takes inside are the epitome of grace, even with such a simple action. From her slight angle in the doorway, you see her flank emblazoned with a picture of an eight-pronged sun. And her very presence…

The pressure against your sense reaches a new high and levels out, leaving you feeling as if you're submerged deep under heated water. Your skin crawls and twitches at the alien sensation.

...Her presence is like standing before a roaring, burning star of unfathomable size. Ever ready to provide life and light for the splendid world under her and all live there, but with the power to reduce any and all to ash with just an annoyed flicker.

Delicate is the visage of Divinity.

A quiet gasp pulls air into your needle-filled lungs once you realize you stopped breathing nearly a minute ago.

“Princess!”

Twilight closes the distance with the divine alicorn, who smiles tenderly and leans her head down, happily accepting a cheek-to-cheek nuzzle with her smaller counterpart.

“I apologize about the abrupt arrival, my former student,” Celestia says in a voice as sweet as melted caramel, “but after hearing what happened, I felt it prudent to come myself and see.” She pulls back from the nuzzle and extends a wing, booping Twilight on the nose with a wingtip. “And there’s no need to call me princess anymore, remember?” The taller alicorn playfully adds. “You and I are equals in rank now.”

Twilight’s muzzle scrunches and her eyes cross as she vainly tries to look at the spot she was booped on, earning her a gentle giggle from the larger pony.

The amethyst eyes lift from her old protege to the group of ponies just a few meters away, the smile under the eyes still as inviting. “Hello girls.”

“Hiya, Princess!”

“Lovely to see you again, Highness.”

“Hey Princess.”

“Yur Highness.”

“...Hi Princess…”

“...Ahem?”

“Annnnd handsome drake,” Celestia adds with a larger smile, a trill in her voice like she wants to laugh. “I’m glad to see you all again. I only wish it was under more fortunate circumstances…”

After long last, her attention finally falls to you.

The stoic mask you've honed from countless encounters with the worst of humanity nearly shatters when eyes older than your entire family line lock onto yours with unreal intensity. It’s as if she looks past you, into you, judging everything you’ve ever done and damning you for it. You can almost feel it.

She slowly moves closer, her shoe-clad hooves making only the slightest click against the library floor. The pressure builds.

You don't move. You can’t.

The others part around her as Celestia clears the last few meters, amethyst orbs still pinning you in place with their stare.

Finally, she stands before you hardly arms reach away, her muzzle just reaching your chin in height, and her horn just a few inches above your head.

Without warning, the infinitely piercing eyes soften, glistening with sorrow. “You poor colt…”

Her huge wings slowly and wrap around a very confused you, pulling you into a hug so impossibly warm that she must be using magic. The sounds outside the feather cocoon seem to fade away, unimportant for the proceedings.

“I can't apologize enough for wha-!” The Goddess stops when she hears a quiet *ting* and looks down.

Resting right above her gold chestplate and against her breast is your gun, with your finger on the trigger. Ready to blow a fist-sized hole through her.

Her eyes widen such a small margin it’s almost impossible to see. She slowly looks back up, her face still sympathetic and unafraid as her wings adjust enough to keep the gun out of view. “There’s no need for that,” Celestia murmurs in a subdued tone, slowly raising a foreleg and calmly but slowly pushing the weapon away from her. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

FIRE NOW

You finger twitches but doesn't follow through.

A lump travels down Celestia’s swan-like neck. “Mister Anonymous?” she asks quietly, pulling away slightly when she sees your wide eyes and clenched jaw.

The instant her body leaves yours, your senses return, and horror floods your entire being. From the top of your spine to the bottom, you feel nothing but the cold iron of the reaper’s scythe, ready to claim you.

Jesus Christ, you just about made an attempt on the life of a Goddess.

You suck in a ragged breath and try to form an explanation. Something, ANYTHING to save you from the damnation about to befall you.

‘Come on, think!’

Just as you open your mouth, Celestia shakes her head. “No no. Mister Anonymous. I rudely overstepped my bounds with you, and I apologize. Can you forgive an old princess for her lapse in courtesy?”

‘What.’

You give the alicorn an absent blink and holster your Glock 20, not really sure how to respond to her apologizing to you. You’re the one who tried to kill her for fucks sake! She even knew she was being threatened by how she pushed the gun away! What the fuck is going on?! This doesn't make sense!

All you can really do is nod and mutter “Sure, yeah Princess. It’s all good,” still too shocked to form a proper response.

She gives you a small, melancholic smile and turns back to the others, who for some reason don't seem to have realized what just happened. “Well, girls? What are we just standing around for? I see some of the fine creations of Miss Pinkie just sitting and getting cold.”

You glance over at the human still staring off into space as he has been for hours, responding to questions with one-word answers or letting silence answer for him. Occasionally, he would look to you when he thought you weren't looking, his narrow-eyed gaze trying to puzzle you out with such intensity that you had to force yourself not to squirm like a foal.

Raising the cup of tea, courtesy of Spike, to your lips in an aura of gold you take a sip as you ponder the tall biped with the heartbreaking eyes. That is what truly stood out most about him. The innocent looking foal-eyes filled with enough raw emotion to turn any who saw past them into a mess.

Your heart clenches just thinking about it. You saw it when you approached him and wrapped him in what you thought would be a comforting hug. It was just supposed to let him know he was safe amongst ponies, and that he had a shoulder to cry upon. In hindsight, it was foolish. Even as a being beyond the aether, he was obviously no normal colt.

The phantom sensation of ice cold steel against your breast still persists, and the fresh memory makes your heart race.

It was the closest you had been to death in over a thousand years. What exactly the little gadget of metal and plastic is, you’re unsure. But from the foul aura wrapped and seeped into its very being, you have no doubt that was a weapon. One that has taken lives. For a moment, you entertained the idea of taking it away. It took only another moment for you to realize how horribly that could backfire.

But the one holding the weapon is what made you truly worry. What could have caused such obvious damage? Was it being ripped away from his family? The thought alone would send the average pony into a tizzy.

Possibly being away from his mates and foals? Everypony has heard of the grief and scorn a jitted father could create.

...Or was something far more sinister behind it?

Turning your eyes away, you glance at the sun out the window and feel the burning foal eyes return to you. It’s nearing sunset.

You set your empty tea cup down just in time to hear the tail end of one of Pinkie’s jokes, smiling as the girls laugh heartily at it, seemingly unaware of the tension between you and the tall male.

“Well, girls,” you start as you stand and stretch your legs and wings. “I’ve very much enjoyed this relaxing visit, and I’m glad to have had the chance to meet you, Anonymous,” you finish, turning a smile to the human.

He takes a moment to answer. “The pleasure is all mine, princess,” he gently replies with his deep voice. “I look forward to our next meeting, should such a thing occur,” he says with forced, artificial politeness and crossed forearms.

Your smile twitches, but does not fall. For some reason, his words rouse self-disappointment within you.

“But I’m afraid I need to go. I must return to Canterlot before dark.”

The collective “Awwww” from the mares in the room makes you smile, and the smile only grows when Spike runs forward to give your legs a hug.

You lean down and kiss the little drake on the head with a giggle bubbling out of your throat. He turns red and retreats back into his throng of grinning friends.

“And before I go,” you begin, pulling a set of papers from behind your chest piece with a bit of magic. “I have these for you, Anonymous. I took the liberty of filling everything out before hoof. You just need to see the mayor tomorrow and have a photograph taken for the records.”

You drop the papers in his outstretched hands, watching as the dextrous digits flip through the small stack with his foal-eyes scanning over each page with lightning speed not usually seen on a stallion.

“My citizenship papers, I assume?” He correctly guesses. “Thank you, Princess. You’ve taken a real risk with this just to give me, an alien, the same rights as your kind. I appreciate it,” he finishes with a respectful bow of his head.

“Please, Anonymous. Just Celestia behind closed doors. We’re friends.”

The neutral mask on his face cracks just a bit as his lips turn downward. “That’s rather disrespectful though…” he says carefully as if expecting a trap. “Someone… Somepony of your stature should be afforded at least a proper title.”

You nod. “Yes, but this is only for behind closed doors, remember?”

The downturn of his lips vanishes so fast you wonder if it ever was really there. “If that is what you wish, I will not disobey, Celestia.”

Again, self-disappointment surfaces.

You nod, not letting your inner feelings show. “Now, I’ll set the sun before I go. I’m sure it will be a treat for you.”

The burning feeling returns to the back of your head as you turn and look out the window, where the sun has slowed to a stop in the sky. With a deep breath, you seat yourself and begin.

The vast wellspring of power inside you surges, filling your horn and making it glow with a heavenly light. From the planet, and around it, you feel countless tethers and tendrils of holy power only you can see sprout.

You take a deep breath and feel the true drain now.

The tendrils of light race towards the sky in a sight only your sister is able to share with you. Faster and faster they grow, becoming streamers of energy so fast they might laugh at light’s poor speed if they could.

Silver streams rise from the earth too, no doubt Luna’s doing.

As they rise, the gold strands of energy interweave and collect, forming a single great, world eclipsing limb of infinite strength. In nary a second does your titanic arm reach your Sun, and as you’ve done for thousands of years, you grasp the great fireball with the limb, which is comically thin in comparison.

Then you PULL.

Your mana drains at a rate that anypony would call insane as the ethereal muscle strains and stretches, slowly dragging your stubborn charge lower in the sky, and making way for it’s much smaller sibling.

The cooling charms in your tiara activate, keeping the budding sweat on your brow away.

For a harsh few minutes, you drag your Sun, feeling your mana drop lower and lower until half of it is gone.

Finally, the sun begins moving on its own as it dips below the horizon, no longer needing your guidance. A sigh of relief escapes you as your control slips, letting your arm lift off the planet and into empty space, where it will fade.

Using the entire planet as a focus. Such is the insane genius of ancient alicorn magic.

You smile and turn to your audience, receiving excited applause from your former student and her friends. The man amongst them, however, just seems lost on what he witnessed.

The smile on your face fades.

“It’s not every day we get to see that. Thank ya kindly, princess,” says the Element of Honesty with a wide smile. “And I think ya got the right idea. I need to be heading home. It’s been a joy as usual, gals, but I’ve got work in the morning.”

“Me too,” Rainbow Dash mutters glumly.

“I think we ALL do,” Rarity chimes in. “Today has been most exciting for sure, but I’ve much to do in the morning.” The fashionista turns to the still unresponsive Anonymous, who is looking out the window at the sky. “Anon, darling, it’s been a pleasure meeting you, and I hope to see you again soon. In fact, stop by my shop should you be out and about. I would adore a visit.”

The tall man lets out a shaky breath and turns his emotional eyes down to the white unicorn. “Yeah, sure thing Rarity. I’ve got things to do tomorrow apparently, so I’ll stop by if I have time,” he says breathlessly.

Rarity beams.

“H-hey! What about me?!” Rainbow exclaims, zipping in front of the surprised human with a neglected expression. “You should come see me too!”

“But you live in a cloudhouse, silly!” Pinkie says, bounding by with her picked-clean tray on her back. “How’s he supposed to get up there?”

“I can come down!”

“Maybe we should work this all out tomorrow?” Twilight cuts in as the voice of reason. “I think Anon would appreciate some rest before anything else, right?”

“I certainly wouldn't object…” He says.

Twilight nods proudly. “See? Now I think we’re holding everypony up. It’s been a fun day, erm. Mostly…” She sends Anonymous a guilty look. “We’ll see you girls tomorrow, okay?”

Your once student gets a chorus of agreements, and one by one, the Elements file out, with Fluttershy as the last.

Just before she leaves, she looks over her shoulder at the weary human, sending him her trademark kind smile. The sort of look that could stop a rampaging beast with ease.

To your surprise and oddly misplaced disappointment, he smiles back just the barest amount.

With Fluttershy gone, it leaves just you, Twilight, Spike, and Anonymous.

“Twilight,” you start, getting her attention. “I’ll have some of my best researchers and archivists start scouring and experimenting in the morning. I’ll not leave it to just you to figure out how to return Anonymous home when such a task is guaranteed to be monumental. Not to insult your knowledge or prowess, but just for…”

“For Anon’s benefit. Got it.” She says, resolute in both voice and expression.

Then, you turn to the tall human. “Anon?” you ask, looking up at him. How odd, having to look up at somepony.

“Celestia?”

“If there is anything you ever need,” you start, feeling uncharacteristically awkward. “Just send a letter through Spike to me, and I’ll see it taken care off.”

The man raises an eyebrow. “Of course.”

...That didn’t sound very convincing…

With a final nuzzle to Spike and Twilight, you exit the library into the cool air of your sister’s night, a featherweight spell already coating you. With just a short hop, you spread your wings and ride a low-hanging thermal up into the dark sky.

As you slowly yaw into another column of rising air on your leisurely glide home, something strikes you as off now that you look back on it.

Was Anonymous looking at the sky rather than the horizon when you moved the sun?

Author's Note

FUG
EDIT 5/20 :I think if fix the mistakes point out more if my dyslexic ass missed anhthing