Speak From the Heart

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Day 1
Chapter 2 - Day 2 pt. 1
Chapter 3 - Day 2 pt. 2
Chapter 4 - Day 3
Chapter 5 - Day 4
Chapter 6 - Day 5 pt. 1
Chapter 7 - Day 5 pt. 2
Chapter 8 - Day 6
Chapter 9 - Day 7
Chapter 10 - Day 8 pt. 1
Chapter 11 - Day 8 pt. 2
Chapter 12 - Day 9
Chapter 13 - Day 10
Chapter 14 - Day 11

Chapter 1 - Day 1

The last thing you remember doing was paying for your food at the local farmer's market. As you were handing over your cash, the entire world started going blurry. A horrible lurching feeling welled up in your stomach, and you sank to your knees. Your entire field of vision turned a bright magenta, only to fade to darkness, studded by tiny, blue lights.

The feeling in your stomach subsided, and as you stood up you noticed the lights were small crystals embedded in the walls of what looked like a cave. The crystals barely gave off enough light for you to see, and you struggled to find your wallet on the ground. As you stuffed it into your pocket, a brighter light emerged from around a corner of the cave, the same magenta color as you’d seen earlier. The glimmer of hope you felt rise up in your chest was brief, as you noticed the light was coming from… a unicorn? It had wings like a pegasus, but you were too dumbfounded to think of a better word than “pony.” A much taller white unicorn--also with wings--strode up to the purple one’s side. They had surprisingly expressive faces, ones you had a faint feeling you had seen before. Their looks of shock were cartoonish, to say the least. You clutched your wallet tightly, uncertain of how to proceed, but your lizard-brain kicked into gear before you could make any judgement.

You ran. You ran as fast as possible in the opposite direction through the winding cave. You weren't necessarily afraid of the ponies, but you were terrified of the situation. You had no idea where you were, why there were unicorn-pegasi-looking ponies in it, and what they would do to you, given the chance. The thought of being trapped, or worse, along with the burning sensation now spreading through your legs and lungs, made you wish you had taken up some self-defense classes, or at least spent more time at the gym. You could feel the damp air around you growing warmer, and the slope of the cave floor was growing steeper- you were heading up towards the surface. One more turn, and you felt stairs beneath your feet, leading to an opening. As you sprinted for it, you swear you could faintly hear a "stop" echoing behind you inside the cave. You pushed the thought aside and leapt out of the entrance.

As you came flying out of the cave, you felt sunlight envelop your body, and for a brief moment you were stunned. Time stood still as you saw an immense forest before you, backed by large hills and a peach-colored sunset. The moment was ruined, however, the instant you looked down. You were easily ten, maybe fifteen feet in the air, hurtling at an unbelievable speed, above the slope of a grassy, treeless hill. You felt grateful that it wasn't a steep hill, and fought your body’s urge to flail like a maniac as you hit the ground and slid along the grass, with less force than you expected. Just shy of the treeline, you made out the figure of some yellow creature that looked vaguely similar to the ponies you had seen before. Judging by the exaggerated flinching, you could tell it saw you coming. With the distance between you was closing rapidly, you just raised your arms in front of your face and braced for impact. After what felt like an eternity of anticipation, you had noticed the wind rushing past your ears had come to a halt. As you opened your eyes you could see that purple glow again, this time around your arms and your entire body. You had stopped just inches from the yellow pony--definitely a pegasus, you noted-- whose teal eyes were firmly locked onto you. Up close, it seemed less frightened and more fascinated, like it was trying to look into your soul. Lowering your arms, you both just stared at one another for a few seconds, before you heard yelling again coming from behind you. The urge to run came to mind again, but your aching legs said otherwise. You turned to see the purple and white ponies were running down the hill towards the two of you. In the light you saw that the white one was adorned with a fair amount of gold jewelry and sported a multicolored mane and tail that flowed and waved endlessly, as if it were alive. You weren't the brightest person in existence, but you knew enough to guess that this pony was probably in charge. The saddle bag that hung over the purple pony's back bounced as they came to a halt before you, breathing heavily.

"Thank goodness, we caught up to it. Are you okay, Fluttershy? You’re not hurt, are you?" The purple pony spoke in short, tired spurts, clearly not a fan of rigorous exercise.

"Not at all, I’m fine. What kind of animal is this? I saw it coming towards me, but it just... stopped." You heard the gentle voice of the yellow pony behind you, and felt oddly calm. Frankly, you were surprised you could understand them at all, what with the fact that not only could these ponies speak, but they seemed to speak fluent English.

"It is a 'human,' Fluttershy, and you would be ill-advised to be near it." The regal voice that left the white pony's mouth caught you off-guard. She was also about your height, compared to the two shorter ponies, and intimidated you a bit, giant horn and commanding aura notwithstanding. Still, you found the courage to try and defend yourself, and opened your mouth to speak. What came out sounded like an absolute garbled mess, and all three of the ponies stepped back a couple inches. Confused, you tried to speak again. I'm not dangerous, you thought, trying to say each syllable slowly. The garbled speech came out again, slower this time. You realized you had no control of your vocal cords or mouth whatsoever. You tried making a couple different huffing sounds, which came out as intended, but any attempt at speaking, even what little Spanish and French you knew, was incomprehensible, even to you. You folded your arms in defeat, uncertain of what to do, and the yellow pony--Fluttershy, you remembered--stepped forward to your side, facing the white one, Celestia.

"I don't think it's dangerous. Just now, it sounded like it had something to say." She looked up towards you from the corner of her eye with a smile.

"I know your talent is being able to understand animals, Fluttershy, but I've seen these in my time before. The last time they were here, they caused nothing but trouble, thanks to Discord."

“Wait, Princess Celestia, why haven’t I heard of humans before? There’s no record of them in any place I’ve studied before,” Twilight remarked, cocking her head to one side. Celestia hesitated for a moment, now looking straight at you.

“I confiscated what few records existed, and forbade those who knew of them to speak or otherwise communicate about humans ever again.” You could feel your heartbeat quicken as Celestia spoke, convinced that she definitely didn’t trust you, despite what little defense Fluttershy had made on your behalf.

"Twilight, I want you to document everything that has happened so far, and keep a close eye on this human."

"Of course!" The purple pony beamed. Her horn started to glow again, and several pieces of paper and a quill floated out of her bag. You could see her focus while it began scribbling onto the page, and pointed at the paper to catch her attention. She stared at you with confusion, and you pointed at the paper again. If you couldn't speak, after all, maybe you could try writing. Twilight cast a glance towards Princess Celestia, who, after a moment of thought, nodded once. The glowing sheet and quill floated slowly into your hands, which you could see all three observing carefully. You had never written with a quill before, and there was no hard surface to write on, but you figured you would at least try to put something down that would set them at ease. You froze and stared at the page. No words could come to mind. Not visually. Your entire memory of writing seemed to have up and vanished. You couldn't visualize any character from any language you had ever seen, and you struggled to still the shaking quill in your hand.

"It looks like it wants to write," Fluttershy chimed in quietly. "But it's too scared to try, I think."

"I've never seen a human write, let alone try to, Fluttershy. While I admire your consideration, Twilight, it's best if we leave it be." Celestia's horn glowed a soft yellow and you felt a tug on the paper and quill in your hands. You grasped tightly, as if your life depended on putting words to the page. In desperation you tried to scribble something, anything, onto the page, just before losing your grip as it was suddenly yanked from you.

"What's this? 'Ah-non?' 'Anon?'" Celestia remarked with a squint. It seemed that you managed to put down something ponies could recognize, at least.

“Is that… your name? Anon?” Twilight asked. You almost argued in a knee-jerk reaction, but held the words in your throat, knowing they would be a mess coming out. Defeated, you nodded silently.

“Anon. I like that name.” Fluttershy added, still smiling. What was it about her that she could be so calm about this situation? You had nearly bowled her over in your blind panic, some creature that looked completely alien to her, and yet she stood up for you without knowing even your name.

Overall, you felt unbelievably confused. Here you were, in some random place you'd never seen or heard of, with strange, talking ponies, unable to communicate, with no idea how you got here or how to go home. A surge of pain washed over your head, and you clutched your temples. What was home? You could remember what Earth was, that you spoke English, and that you were human. But as you tried to recall your birthday, family, friends, childhood memories, ANYTHING that gave you some sense of what home was, you felt an invisible vice grip tightened on your head.

"Oh dear, what's wrong with it?" Fluttershy turned towards you, visibly concerned. "It looks like it's in pain!"

"Could this be an effect of Discord’s idol?" Twilight looked towards Celestia again, acquiring another quill to start writing down more notes.

"I don't know for certain. This 'Anon' is different than the last humans that were transported here, and even then, we never considered what it might have caused them. If I had to wager a guess, it could be suffering from amnesia of some sort." You did your best to clear your head in the hopes that the aches would subside. Amnesia sounded about right, but you’d never expected it to be so painful. Through squinted eyes you could see a little wooden idol, shaped like a human, float out of Twilight's bag with a yellow glow. "This artifact of Discord's has always eluded me, and I've yet to figure out how it works. Simply approaching the artifact did this," she said, eyeing you again, this time with a bit more sympathy. "So it would be best to find a safe place for both it and the human until my sister and I can figure out what to do."

"What a time for Discord to be on vacation; we could certainly use his help. Poor human," Fluttershy cooed, stepping rather close to you. "I can take it to my cottage and see if I can help it recover." Twilight broke her focus and stepped between you and the pink-haired pegasus, whose wings ruffled slightly.

"What? You can't do that! We don't have any idea what it is or what it could do. It might look like some animal, but Celestia warned us that it can be dangerous," Twilight argued, tilting her head towards the idol. “And, while Discord can be helpful at times, I don’t know if bringing him here would be a good idea.”

"But the human tried to write, at least, so it’s different than what Celestia remembers, right? Now’s our chance to see if they’ve really changed since Celestia saw them last." She looked up towards the princess' pained expression. Celestia closed her eyes in thought, and deep down you hoped that she would agree. Fluttershy was the only being you'd seen so far that seemed to be on your side.

"Humans have no place being in Equestria, let alone among ponies. They’re very unpredictable, like the animals of this forest."

"But my home isn’t far from here, I could take care of it myself, and it would be much safer than being left in a forest on its own. Nopony but Twilight and our friends comes by, so it wouldn’t be seen." Fluttershy protested in earnest.

"We wouldn’t leave it in a forest on its own, it would stay under my sister and I’s watch, in Canterlot,” Celestia assured, but paused for a moment. “Still, you make a fair argument. It has been, as I said, a considerable amount of time since humans last came to Equestria. What do you think, Twilight?"

"Personally, I’d trust Fluttershy with any animal," Twilight trailed off, looking you up and down nervously. “Even if I didn’t know what that animal was.” Fluttershy nodded, satisfied, her smile returning with determination.

In that moment, you felt more helpless than you ever had in your entire life. You were being treated like some wild animal that these ponies had just stumbled upon, and your care had been placed upon the only one who seemed even remotely friendly towards you. You imagined that, if they had wanted, either Twilight or Princess Celestia could have ended you right then and there, what with that floating magic they possessed. There was no doubt in your mind that they probably knew other kinds of magic, and that you would need to be very careful around them. At the same time, just being in Fluttershy’s presence gave you hope that you might make it out of this mess in one piece.

The three of them exchanged more words in your stupefied silence, and gestured for you to follow them as they turned to walk towards the forest. The muscles in your legs seemed better, and you considered your options. Running seemed like a vain effort, given that you could just be grabbed and stopped like a runaway puppy by their magic, and you had no idea what the forest would hold even if you could get away. You mumbled some gibberish in response, which they took as agreement. Twilight and Celestia trotted onward, while Fluttershy remained at your side. She gently poked your hand with her snout and put her head under your palm. You felt compelled to keep it there as she started to follow the other ponies and kept up with her calm pace, ensuring your hand stayed atop her mane as the two of you entered the forest.

Quiet, calm minutes passed, and all you could really focus on was Fluttershy gently leading you. Every few moments she would glance back up at you, checking to see if you were alright. You did your best not to stare or make eye contact, and the couple times you both did, you’d look immediately back to the path ahead. Twilight and Celestia appeared less on-edge than before, and were engaged in light conversation. You couldn’t make out most of it, and wished you could at least do the same with Fluttershy. She must have noticed your downcast expression, as she pressed her head back against your hand and started walking a couple inches closer to you.

“You must be awfully scared, Anon. But you don’t need to worry, I’ll make sure you’ll be okay.” Her reassuring words barely reached your ears, and you lightly firmed your grip on her crown. Fluttershy’s pink locks were even finer than human hair, and clearly well-kept. You stomached the urge to move closer to her or run your fingers through her mane, partially out of fear that you might scare her. While Fluttershy exuded compassion and interest in your well-being, you could tell that she was wary and easily startled with the way she was carefully watching the area around you. You smiled weakly, acknowledging the solace that this wasn’t familiar territory for her, either. Garbled sound came from your mouth once again as you mumbled to yourself, garnering Fluttershy’s attention.

“At least you can understand me-- I mean, us--like other animals here, though. That will help out a lot.” she replied. You nodded and gently ruffled her hair a bit, causing her ear to twitch in response. The tiniest giggle you’d ever heard in your life escaped her throat; you swore to yourself that, before you left this place, wherever it was, that you would try and hear it again. Never had you imagined that you would warm up so quickly to a sentient, technicolor, talking pegasus, let alone touch one, but deep down you were enjoying the opportunity.

After what felt like an hour, you and the ponies reached the edge of the forest, which opened up to plains with a small town not too far away. Celestia motioned for everyone to pause, and turned to face you. While your legs weren’t as sore as before, taking a break from walking seemed like a good idea. You plopped down onto the nearest soft-looking patch of grass and met her gaze.

“The town you see ahead of you is called Ponyville, “ she said, pointing towards it with her gold-capped hoof. “It is a fitting name, as no human has ever been there. I will leave you under Fluttershy’s authority under the condition that it stays that way. Do you understand me?”

You nodded and gave her a tired thumbs-up, ignoring her patronizing tone. Celestia nodded in kind and turned her head to Fluttershy.

“I will see what information about humans I can provide for you when I return to Canterlot. For the time being, however, you will have to work with him yourself. Humans may act savage at times, but they are intelligent, at least.” Her comment struck you pretty hard, but you kept your expression as calm as you could.

“Savage? Why, he doesn’t seem like he would hurt anypony. How could he be savage?” Fluttershy asked innocently. Her faith in you was overwhelming, to say the least. You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, earning another glare from Celestia.

“Just...please be careful. I trust your judgement, but I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Don’t worry. Everything will be under control.” Fluttershy spoke with confidence, and you felt more grateful than before to have her as a caretaker. You weren’t certain how long you would be here, but if you were supposed to be living alone with Fluttershy, surely it wouldn’t be that bad. At least, so long as you ignored the head-splitting amnesia-driven pain, the pony-in-charge who had it in for you, and completely unfamiliar… everything, it might not be that bad.

“Come on, Anon. It’s almost night-time, and you don’t want to be out here late.” Fluttershy’s voice snapped you out of your thought, and you noticed that Twilight and Celestia had taken flight in separate directions. You stood up and assumed your position at Fluttershy’s side, hand on her head, and followed her home. It only took a couple minutes for you both to arrive, and the second you stepped inside, you felt more welcome than you could ever remember. Given the events of the day, seeing the warm, inviting interior of Fluttershy’s cottage was definitely a change of pace.

“I’ll, uh, I have to go do something upstairs for a moment, i-if you don’t mind. Just make yourself comfortable.” Fluttershy mused as she gestured broadly to the room and hurried up the staircase. The long green couch nearby seemed like the best option, and you sat down on it with a satisfying plop. Fluttershy’s hushed voice could be heard coming from upstairs- it sounded like she was arguing with someone. Odd, given that her voice was the only one you could hear, occasionally interrupted by complete silence. A few moments later, she came trotting downstairs.

“Sorry about that, Anon. I had to apologize to Angel for coming home late.” Fluttershy seated herself on the opposite side of the couch and folded her hooves in front of her.

“Angel’s my pet bunny. He’s really nice, but he can also be really demanding, and he needs his beauty rest.” You stifled a giggle at the thought of a small rabbit with hair curlers and a facial mask. It seemed that animals here were a lot more like humans than just ponies, and you imagined it was plausible.

“Did you laugh just now?” You nodded in response, still covering your face. “What’s so funny?” she asked innocently. You tried to reply without thinking, and your giggly, unintelligible speech caught in your throat with a choking sound. Fluttershy gasped and bent her head down.

“Oh, I’m so, so sorry! I forgot you couldn’t speak, how careless of me.” You barely knew Fluttershy, but you already couldn’t stand seeing her distressed. You faked a smile and waved her off, shaking your head.

“I just… I’ve not met anypony who couldn’t speak before. At least, not somepony new,” she murmured. “M-maybe I should try yes and no questions? Would that work?” That sounded like a good idea. Maybe not a good way to avoid one-sided conversation, but it was better than sitting around in silence. With a nod, you slid off your shoes and turned on the couch to face her, crossing your legs under you. You made certain to keep smiling. Looking the part would help to cheer her up, or so you hoped.

“Alright, well, um…” she mumbled, suddenly quieter under the pressure of your undivided attention. Seconds passed. Your initial reaction seemed to have the opposite effect you had intended, and you struggled to think of something to break the silence. She had been so friendly and talkative before, in the forest- what changed? Maybe now that she was trying to talk with you more like a person rather than a scared, strange animal, she was feeling self-conscious? You had never been great at talking to women, or people, for that matter, let alone introverted ones. You cursed yourself for not knowing sign language for a second, but thought better of it; ponies probably didn’t have sign language, what with being quadrupedal and not having any kind of digits.

Suddenly, you had an idea. A stupid idea. One that could make the situation better, or possibly worse: charades.

If you couldn’t speak or write, the least you could do right now is act. You stood up off of the couch and walked a few paces forward, turning to face Fluttershy. She eyed you silently. You pointed towards your eyes, then to your chest. Watch me.

“You… want me to look at you?” Fluttershy mumbled. You nodded. You had her attention, now what? What did other people do to talk to women? Compliments? You pointed towards her, then your hair. She blinked, and then looked down at her mane and back. You made a gentle cupping motion with your hands, like you were squeezing a ball of clay. Your hair is soft. You stopped moving to watch her and the clockwork ticking behind her eyes.

“My mane… is… a ball?” You shook your head, and stepped over to pat the couch gently.

“... Soft?” My mane is soft?” You nodded with a grin. Her eyes widened for a moment and she smiled sheepishly.

“Well, thank you. I work very hard to take care of it.” You felt a bit strange, breaking the ice like this, but it was a first step.

“Could I, maybe, feel your mane?” The question surprised you, and your look of confusion visibly bothered her. “I understand, you know, if you don’t want-” Fluttershy mumbled, letting out an ‘eep’ when you immediately bent over in front of her. Calm, gentle movements would probably be better in the future, you thought. No need to seem so earnest. For whatever reason, though, all you really wanted right now was to enjoy the moment. Fluttershy tentatively put out her hoof and placed it on the crown of your head. It was astonishingly warmer than you expected, and you could feel a gentle tug on your hair as her hoof brushed through it.

“Wow, yours is almost as soft as mine, Anon. It’s a bit thicker, but it feels nice.” she cooed. You couldn’t help feeling a bit bashful. No one had really complimented you on your average-looking appearance or features, especially not in a situation like yours. You felt your face flush a bit as you stood back up and thought of what else you had to say. At least Fluttershy looked calmer than before.

“Do all humans have hair as short as yours?” Not quite, you thought, shaking your head.

“Hm, so there’s long hair like mine, too, where you’re from? That’s nice to know.” Fluttershy’s expression had become more thoughtful, and you felt a bit proud of yourself.

“Do you have any friends? Are they nice?” Fluttershy asked quietly. Immediately, the headache from before came rocketing back into your senses, albeit less intense than before. You stopped and tried to think about something else and did your best to hide the look of pain on your face. You honestly didn’t know if you had friends anymore. You hoped so, at least, but no memory of them came to mind.

“Oh. Well, I could be your friend,” she suggested gently. “I’d like to think I’m nice.” As the pain subsided, you swear you could feel a pinching feeling in your chest, one you didn’t recognize. You pointed at yourself, then made a heart shape over your chest with your fingers, and placed out your hand for a moment. I’d love for us to be friends.

“You’d… love… oh, that's wonderful! I’m happy to hear it!” Fluttershy sat up, clearly more excited than before. “I’ve never been friends with a human before.”

You rubbed the back of your head with a cheesy smile. The moment was cut short by a gurgling sound, one you realized was coming from you.

“Oh, are you hungry?” she asked. You could tell a light clicked on in her head. “What do humans even eat?”

Another headache came on as you tried to remember what foods you liked. You knew humans were omnivores, but right then you would have settled for just about anything, if it would make the pain go away. You shrugged, making the closest sound to ‘I dunno’ you could.

“I can take you to my kitchen and we could find something for you, maybe.” You nodded. “Alright, follow me, please.”

You followed Fluttershy as she trotted into the next room, careful to watch your head while going through the doorway. Around another corner, she opened a wooden closet that revealed a number of containers and packages, as well as some fruits and vegetables that looked familiar to you. As expected, Fluttershy was distinctly herbivorous, and while you were fine with not having meat of any kind, you weren’t sure if any of this was even good for humans. As you glanced around the shelves, you saw a large, crusty loaf of bread almost the size of your head. You pointed towards it, made a breaking motion and cupped your left hand, then pointed towards that hand. What’s in this?

“You want to know what’s inside the bread? Um…” Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin. “I’m pretty sure it’s wheat, milk, butter, and eggs. Do… you know what those are?” You nodded, and then pointed at the bread, then to yourself, raising an eyebrow.

“You’d like the bread? Sure, you can have it. I probably wasn’t going to have it anytime soon anyway.” You made the only sign-language symbol you really knew, “thank-you,” and took the loaf. She watched you press your fingers to your chin and wave down, and seemed to understand the gesture. “You’re… welcome?” Another nod, and she smiled happily.

“There are plates in the cabinet by the doorway, Anon,” she called out from the pantry as you walked back towards the living room. “If you can’t find them, just wait for me.”

You stooped to reach the small cabinet handle, and reached inside for one of the plates. The more you learned about Fluttershy and her home, the more surprised you were that it was so much like being back on Earth. You sat down cross-legged once more on the couch, balancing the plate in one hand as you made yourself comfortable. Fluttershy came trotting in a few seconds later, carrying a small bowl in her mouth full of… flower heads?

“These are chamomile blossoms, they’re one of my favorites, “ she said, the bowl muffling her words. She seated herself on the couch gently-- a bit closer to you, this time-- and set the bowl on the table nearby. “I would normally have a regular meal at this time of night, but I think this is a fine occasion.” You hummed in reply, and eyed your meal. You took the bread in both hands and tore a small chunk off. The aroma coming from the bread was heavenly, as if it had just come from the bakery oven. You heard Fluttershy giggle a bit as you savored bite after bite, and tried not to inhale the whole thing at once.

“I’m glad you like it. My friend Pinkie Pie is a wonderful baker, whether it’s bread or sweets, or anything, really.” You stopped for a moment. ‘Pinkie Pie’? You hadn’t thought about it before, but the names of ponies here seemed childlike in nature, but you figured it only fit the innocent, friendly aura they exuded. At least, you hoped that was the general case. As you watched Fluttershy delicately bite into one of the flower heads, you really started to consider just how lucky you were. Fluttershy had defended you from her friends, had taken you in, and here she was now, giving you her own food and trying to make conversation. She was probably the most considerate… being… you had ever met. Certainly, no human had made you feel this welcome, as far as you knew.

“You know, I’m pretty surprised you know so much about things here. Where you’re from must be very similar to Equestria,” Fluttershy mused between bites. You weren’t listening, however; you instead found yourself glancing over her body, and fixated on a pattern on her rear end. You didn’t recall noticing it before, but then again, being significantly taller than her body at standing height would cause that. You took another bite of bread and squinted a bit; the pattern on the side of her flank looked vaguely like three small pink butterflies.

“Are you looking at my cutie mark?” Fluttershy’s voice startled you, and you became conscious of the fact that you had been silently staring at her for the better part of a minute. You met her gaze, and she didn’t seem bothered by it, at least. “Do you know what a cutie mark is?” she inquired. You shook your head. You knew that cutie marks were a kind of blemish humans had, but this definitely wasn’t the case.

“Almost everypony in Equestria has one. Cutie marks are what defines a pony’s job, in a way,” Fluttershy explained. “Well, more like shows what they love to do. When a filly or colt discovers what they’re meant to do in life, it appears on their flank, like mine.” You nodded in understanding, slightly envious. You wished humans had something even remotely like that. Although, now that you had thought of it, you didn’t even remember what you liked to do back home.

“My cutie mark came from being able to talk to and comfort animals, “ she continued, pausing to eat another chamomile. “I don’t know what that would mean for you, Anon, but it’s nice to talk with you, anyway.” You weren’t really sure if that was the reason why or how you felt so drawn to her, but it made a little sense. You reached down to the plate for more bread, only to rub your fingers along bare ceramic and crumbs. You looked down to see a completely empty plate and heard Fluttershy giggle again, quieter this time.

“Are you still hungry? You could try some of mine, i-if you’d like.” You looked over to see her holding out a chamomile blossom in her hoof, and you swore she was blushing a bit. The whole image plus the gesture had you feeling oddly flustered as well, and you felt blood rush to your face. You hesitantly raised your hand to take the flower from her, letting your fingertips linger on her hoof for a bit as you grasped it. She let out an ‘eep’ and jerked her hoof back for a second, now blushing harder.

Thoroughly confused, you turned your attention to the flower head, examining it closely. You didn’t remember ever eating flowers before, and you were having second thoughts about eating them now, but you pushed those thoughts aside as you raised it to your mouth. You felt compelled to eat it, if only to set her at ease. It tasted somewhat sweet and almost grassy, but the texture wasn’t strange, at least. You finished chewing and looked back towards Fluttershy, who had her eyes locked onto her bowl as she ate quietly. You motioned for her attention and signed ‘thank-you’ again before a long, unexpected yawn welled up inside you.

“O-oh, are you tired?” she asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. “It is a bit late, maybe going to bed would be a good idea. Oh, but I don’t have a spare bed for you, and my bed isn’t big enough… for the two of us…” The blush on her face deepened as she trailed off. She looked like she was almost hiding in her own mane as you bent forward to put your plate on the table. You patted the couch a few times and leaned back on the arm; you didn’t see why the couch wasn’t a suitable alternative.

“The couch? If that’s alright with you, then I guess it’ll do for now.” Fluttershy sighed in relief. You stretched your legs out along the couch after she got up, your ankles just barely resting on the opposite arm. “Do you need anything? A blanket, or pillow?” You shook your head gently. It was plenty warm in the room, thanks to the fireplace that had been lit since you had arrived. Come to think of it, you didn’t recall seeing Fluttershy light it herself.

“In that case, then… goodnight, Anon,” she yawned. “Sleep well.” You gave her a small wave in return, and closed your eyes. The sound of her hooves going up the stairs and the ticking of the clock were the last thing you heard as you drifted thoughtlessly to sleep.

Chapter 2 - Day 2 pt. 1

“Now, Angel, I thought I told you to leave him alone,” a hushed voice scolded. You woke to a series of repeated taps on your chest, and opened your eyes to see a small rabbit staring straight at you, thumping its foot. Instinctively, you raised your hand to brush its ears. The gentle and unexpected touch surprised Angel, who let himself be pet for just a few seconds before snapping out of his trance. He struggled to get out of your grasp and slid onto the floor, hopping towards Fluttershy with an embarrassed expression.

“Good morning, Anon,” her lilting voice called. “I was hoping to get some chores done before you woke up, but it seems Angel was a bit impatient.” You yawned and rubbed your eyes as you sat up on the couch. Fluttershy was busying herself with scooping ash from the fireplace into a bag, while Angel sat at her side, still irritated. It was early dawn, and you could see small glimpses of the sun starting to rise up over the trees through the cottage windows. On the table before you, a tea set and plate full of sliced bread had been prepared.

“Please, help yourself. I already ate.” Before you could wave for her attention, she had already anticipated your request. You reached for the nearly-full cup of tea and took a tentative sip while watching her carry her bag of ash through the front door. The vanilla-scented tea washed over your palate, at just the perfect temperature, and paired nicely with the bread. Fluttershy returned and continued her chores as you ate your breakfast, and you couldn’t help but want to assist her. You didn’t have much else to do, and you had finished your meal pretty quickly. You wandered into the kitchen and found her chatting with a couple squirrels on the counter by the stove. All three stopped and looked at you for a moment, then nodded to one another. The squirrels bolted off of the counter and began inspecting the baseboards, taking any stray dustball or piece of litter to the garbage can in the corner.

“These little guys broke into their food storage last week, and ate so much, they gave themselves tummyaches,” Fluttershy explained, watching them happily. “I thought it was appropriate that they help me clean the cottage, as punishment for making me go out and get more food for them.” You smiled a bit as you and Fluttershy both observed their careful cleaning, and waved for her attention. You pointed at yourself, then made a small sweeping motion with one hand while holding an imaginary dustpan in the other. Can I help clean?

“Do you… want to clean, too? Oh no, I couldn’t ask you to do that, you’re a guest here.” she assured, shaking your head. Mildly frustrated with her kindness, you tapped on your wrist. Seeing her blank expression, you then pointed towards the clock in the other room and made a small wave with your other hand. But for how long?

“Time… oh, you have a point. We don’t know how long you’ll be a guest, after all. Oh!” Fluttershy’s wings ruffled a bit as she was struck by inspiration. “Wait here a moment, please.” She quickly trotted past you and up the stairs in the living room. You took the opportunity to sit in one of the chairs nearby and watched the doorway patiently. Roughly a minute passed before you saw her pink mane bobbing down the stairs, and you noticed what looked like a tiny whiteboard was clutched firmly between her lips. She placed it gently in your lap, and retrieved a marker off the counter next to her fridge, which she offered to your hand. You took the tiny tool from her mouth, resisting the urge to scratch her chin as she dropped it into your palm.

“This is a board I used when I taught Angel how to read. Even if you don’t know how to write, Anon, you can at least use it to draw what you have to say, instead of acting it out all the time,” Fluttershy explained, giggling a bit. “Although I do appreciate your acting skills.” You picked up the whiteboard in your hand; it couldn’t have been bigger than an index card, and the marker was barely bigger than one of your fingers. You pulled the cap off and drew a small squiggle. Fluttershy guided your hand onto the board with a hoof, erasing part of the squiggle. Unfortunately, it left a mark on the side of your hand, which Fluttershy immediately started fretting over. You sat and watched, amused, as she tried to rub the mark off, to no avail. She unthinkingly licked the tip of her hoof and washed the mark away, and, after a delay, turned her head away suddenly.

“S-sorry, I’m a bit too used to doing that, you know, with the other animals,” she stuttered. You waved her off with a grin. Seeing the more motherly side of Fluttershy wasn’t a burden; you actually enjoyed seeing how much she cared. You searched around and noticed a stack of paper napkins on the table beside you, some of which you grabbed and stuffed into your pocket for later. You snatched another off the stack, cleared the board in a single wipe, and expertly tossed it into the trash can. Fluttershy, her composure now returned, motioned towards a second door in the kitchen that led outside.

“If you still want to help, you can come out to the garden.” You gave a stalwart salute as you stood up from your chair, earning a giggle from Fluttershy. You slid the whiteboard and marker into your pocket, and headed towards the door with the yellow pegasus.

You were completely stunned by what she considered a 'garden' when you stepped out of the door. There were countless flowerbeds, shrubs, and trees of many kinds behind her cottage, and you were surprised you hadn’t noticed them when you both arrived the previous night. She continued walking, stopping occasionally to observe a passing butterfly or to speak with an approaching bird; you followed her, dragging your jaw along the ground behind you. Seeing Fluttershy’s slow take-off in front of you snapped you to attention, and she motioned for you to follow her past a particularly large thicket. Pushing the dense brush out of your way, you saw a wide assortment of woodland creatures--mostly squirrels, chipmunks, and birds--gathered around a fallen tree. They were all chattering to one another in distress as they moved to and fro around the trunk of the tree. Fluttershy cleared her throat to speak, and the chatter ended in an instant. You watched from the thicket as she instructed them on where they could find shelter and offered her home for those who could not.

“And I’ve brought some help, too. Anon, could you come out please?” Right on queue, you stepped out into the clearing, fearful of the reactions you might get. Yet, none of the animals seemed fazed by you. A chipmunk or two approached you as you walked forward, but all of them viewed you about as neutrally as you did.

“Anon, the first step we’re going to take is retrieving the birds’ nests from the branches of this tree. The ones that haven’t been crushed under the branches can be re-used or given back to their rightful owners.” She turned her head to you and stared at your left hand. “And I bet with your... whatever those are, you could get to the nests much easier than me. Here, take a look.”

Fluttershy led you to the top of the tree, and directed you to look inside the branches. Behind the leaves, a grassy nest sat squarely in the fork of a branch. You reached in and delicately cupped the nest in your palm, careful not to crush it as you pulled your arm back. Beside you, a robin began chattering excitedly, and hopped onto your shoulder. You flinched for a moment, but only just a moment, and felt a little proud of yourself. You handed the nest gingerly to Fluttershy, who took it in her hoof and flew up to the trees nearby. After scanning the area, she nestled it in between a couple branches, and the robin on your shoulder took off for its new home.

“Well done, Anon. You can take the nests and set them on the ground beside you. Those of you who recognize your nests,” she directed, now speaking to the animals again. “Please sit or stand by them when Anon takes them out, and no fighting; be honest.” A quiet cacophony of chittering was your signal to continue.

“I’ll be helping some of the other animals that don’t have nests find somewhere new to live nearby. If you need anything just- um…” Fluttershy said, stumbling over her thought. She was still getting used to your inability to speak clearly, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t make noise. You waved your hand to get her attention, and then clapped your hands loudly. So loudly, in fact, that you startled not only Fluttershy and the animals before you, but likely every creature with a sense of hearing within a few square miles, above ground or otherwise.

“C-clapping is a good idea and all, but... m-maybe not that loud?” You looked up from your hands to see her peeking out from behind the tree trunk, as well as all the animals that had gathered there. You nodded quickly with a bashful smile, and got down on your knees by the tree branches. One by one, the animals followed Fluttershy back out into the open, and followed her as she flew into the trees to look for new homes. As minutes passed, you managed to retrieve several nests from the mess of branches and leaves, using as little force as possible to dislodge them. Your arms got scratched here and there, but there were no real cuts to worry about. Occasionally, a bird or critter would approach you and give its unintelligible thanks, and wait patiently for Fluttershy to return. You enjoyed their company, and imagined that a life like this was certainly worth living; to help wild creatures in their time of need was refreshing and something to be proud of, you were certain of that.

Once you were convinced you had removed all of the intact nests, you sat back, leaning on your hands, and watched Fluttershy. The way her mane flowed through the wind, the tranquil, almost noiseless beats of her wings on the air as she passed, the lilt of her voice as she called to the creatures of the forest- everything about her was enchanting. The fact that this kind of work was something she did for free and of her own volition was admirable; to you, she seemed like a paragon of kindness, and you felt… grateful? That wasn’t the right word. You honestly couldn’t think of the right word to describe how you felt, nor to describe that tightening feeling you had in your chest, much like the night before. You were sure it wasn’t illness--it didn’t hurt--and as the gears turned inside your head, unheard of conclusions sprang forth. Were you… falling for a pony? You shook your head and slapped your face. No, that’s not possible, you thought. Were you starting to lose it, already? For sure, Fluttershy, as a living being, was beautiful both in heart and in form, but there was no way that you were developing a crush on her. You both had only just met, and definitely not by any circumstances either of you had anticipated. Although, with how she was acting on the couch before, if she had been human…

“Great job, Anon!” Fluttershy announced, patting you on the back. You yelped in surprise and jumped, taken aback. Fluttershy, surprisingly enough, didn’t react in kind, and looked at you in concern instead. “Are you alright? I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to tell you what a good job you did today.” You sat upright, and returned her kind smile. You pulled out your whiteboard and marker, and drew your best impression of a happy bird sitting in a nest, complete with little hearts above its head. You turned the board towards Fluttershy with a thumbs-up.

“That’s very nice. I’m glad you enjoyed helping,” she chuckled. “Now we just need to deal with the tree itself.” You thought back to the moment before, when you clapped loudly, and even further back when you came rocketing out of that cave. You were much stronger than you anticipated, perhaps you could move the tree for her. You tugged one of the napkins from your pocket and cleaned the board, making sure to put it back into your other pocket to avoid littering. A few more doodles with the marker, and you turned the board to show Fluttershy the illustration of a dashed line coming from the tree, ending in a question mark. Where do you want the tree to go? She squinted at the whiteboard for a couple seconds as she figured out your message.

“The tree… where should it be moved? Well, I was thinking of setting it out front for some ponies to pick up, but-” Fluttershy answered, stopping when she saw you get up and move to grip the trunk. “Oh, that tree is much too heavy… for... you…” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off as you hurled the tree up onto your shoulder, branches behind you. It was considerably larger than you, and your arms weren’t anywhere near long enough to wrap around the trunk to stabilize it, but if you held it with one hand and kept the other gripped to one of its thick roots, you could maintain its balance. You were as surprised as she was, but held what you thought was a tough-looking poker face. The bark dug into your skin through your shirt, but the weight of the tree was nowhere near as burdensome as it appeared. You took a brief moment to slowly wave one hand out in front of you, gesturing for Fluttershy to lead the way.

“Oh. Uh, this way, please,” she stammered, awestruck. The two of you headed back past the thicket, and you moved carefully as to not take down any branches or bushes as you carried it along. Thankfully, your trip wasn’t terribly long; as you approached the front of the cottage, you could feel sweat beading on your forehead.

“Hey! Look out!” You recognized the voice that called out, and turned to see Twilight crossing the bridge towards you and Fluttershy. Her tone and expression, however, were definitely not pleased. “Fluttershy, look out behind you!”

“What?” You and Fluttershy exchanged glances and searched behind you for the problem. You felt your head forcibly turned back towards Twilight, who was levitating something out of her saddlebag towards you quickly. A tingling sensation spread from your neck throughout your body as you felt it wrap around your throat, and suddenly your muscles started to go numb. Instinctively, you tossed the tree aside into the creek to avoid dropping it on a very startled Fluttershy, before falling to the ground. The impact didn’t hurt, but you were unable to move the moment you hit the dirt.

“I knew you couldn’t be trusted. I’m glad Celestia sent me here,” Twilight growled, glaring down at you. She then turned to Fluttershy, horn still aglow, with a look of worry. “Didn’t you see him behind you with that tree?”

“Yes, he was carrying it for me before you showed up,” Fluttershy explained, no longer scared and her tone sharpening.

“Wait, for you? You mean he was helping you?” Twilight watched as Fluttershy began to fret over you, gently prodding your body and face.

“Yes! What did you do to him? Is he… d-” Fluttershy’s voice choked up for a second, and you gave a garbled mumble of reassurance. “Anon? Was that you?”

“Yes, he’s fine, Fluttershy. That choker I put on him lets me observe and completely disable his movement, in case he started attacking somepony,” Twilight replied, rubbing the back of her head. “Kinda like how I thought he was just now. Sorry- both of you.” The glowing around Twilight’s head dissipated, and you felt the numbness drain from your body. You reached for the choker hesitantly, worried she might use it again, but you could see genuine regret in her eyes, if only a small amount. The band in your fingers felt much like leather, and just over your throat sat a large gemstone.

“Why would he- why would YOU need this? Couldn’t you just use your magic to stop him completely, so he doesn’t accidentally drop things on ponies or cause other trouble?” Fluttershy argued, pointing towards the tree. She had a point, if your memory served right.

“Not according to Celestia. She told me last night that humans have the ability to dispel magic, if they’re strong enough. They absorb the latent magic here, and are much stronger than ponies, including me. That single time yesterday was probably just luck.” Twilight approached you and magically unlatched the choker from your neck, and floated it over to Fluttershy.

“You’re giving it to me?” Fluttershy asked, shifting her wings a bit as the choker laid itself over her back.

“Yes. Celestia said that if Anon was willing to cooperate with you, it would be your choice to put it on him or not. Luna and I suggested that he wear it at all times, regardless, but we trust your judgement.”

“Could you, maybe, try trusting his? He’s not had much of a say in any of this,” Fluttershy challenged. “No offense.” You waved her remark off. None taken.

“He’s barely been here for a day. I think the princesses will need more time to figure that out for themselves. For now, though, the necklace will let me know if anything goes wrong.”

“Oh, and here, take this,” Twilight said, levitating a large, thin book over to you. “This is a book for Fluttershy, about humans. Some of that information might be incorrect, and we’d like the two of you to go over it and correct it. If that idol summons another human again, we want to be prepared.”

You opened the book and thumbed through a few pages, all of which were written in clean, neat English text. ‘Diet’ and ‘Anatomy’ were two subjects that definitely made you uncomfortable, among others. Twilight noticed your expression and cleared her throat.

“While you might not find all of the subjects favorable, we need this information, Anon. I hope it’s not too much an invasion of privacy.”

“What kind of subjects do you mean?” Fluttershy inquired, curious.

“Oh, you know, how humans are omnivores, what their anatomy is like, how they ma-”

You waved your arms in front of Twilight in a panic, successfully interrupting her. She gave you a sly grin, and you legitimately questioned if she had telepathic abilities. Given your situation, you wanted to take this slowly, and as mature and appropriate as possible. You imagined that Fluttershy was well aware of ‘the birds and the bees’ for the animals in the forest, but you weren’t quite prepared to deal with that conversation yet, when it regarded you.

“Anyway, what were you two moving this tree out here for?” Twilight asked, changing the subject.

“It fell after that storm a couple days ago. I wasn’t able to take care of it yesterday, but Anon here helped take the nests out of it for me and even carried the tree out here. I was going to leave it for some earth ponies to take back to town so it could be used, but when I saw you, I remembered that nopony’s supposed to be out here.”

You rubbed the back of your head as Fluttershy continued to explain the morning’s events. Life would have been easier if other ponies were like her, or at least like the animals in the forest. Instead, they were just as judgemental and wary as humans. That choker Twilight laid across Fluttershy’s back was proof enough. You pondered for a moment over it- would she actually put it on you? It’s not like you both didn’t have some semblance of trust already, but you weren’t entirely sure.

“Well, I think that it’s fine to leave the tree out here for now. Maybe Anon could make something out of it?” Fluttershy suggested as Twilight levitated the dead tree back onto dry ground. The yellow pegasus looked up towards you hopefully. “There are plenty of birds that could use new houses, after all.” You whipped out your whiteboard and drew a rather fancy-looking birdhouse with three tiers and displayed it proudly. In all honesty, you had no idea how to make it, nor did you have the tools, but the drawing managed to impress Twilight, at least.

“I guess it’s a good thing you’re both on the same page, then. I’ll leave you to it,” she replied, now smiling. “Be sure to get that book back to me sometime this week, okay?”

“Of course. Take care!” You and Fluttershy both waved Twilight off as she headed back towards town. “I think it’s a good time to head inside and cool off, don’t you?” You nodded in agreement, fanning yourself with Twilight’s book.

Inside the cottage, you waited patiently on the couch as Fluttershy prepared food for the two of you. She emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of shortcakes and strawberries. While you appreciated the gesture, you questioned whether or not it actually counted as a meal. Glancing back over the pages of the book in your hands, you affirmed that eating only bread and sweets would eventually end up doing more harm than good. Fluttershy set the plate down on the table and seated herself next to you, craning her neck to see the pages. You were tempted to pull the book away, but you knew that you couldn’t hide the truth forever. Not to mention, Twilight had already mentioned about human dietary habits, so it you couldn’t make it any worse. You sat the book in your hands on the couch between the two of you, and waited quietly as she hummed to herself while reading.

“So humans are omnivorous, hm?” Fluttershy mumbled over a piece of cake. She bent forward and looked you directly in the eyes, observing your reaction. She nodded sagely and patted your hand.

“I help take care of all kinds of animals, Anon. If you need meat in your diet, I’m not going to be bothered by it, but ponies aren’t exactly the best hunters,” she continued as she returned to the book. After thinking for a few seconds, you figured you could go without, for Fluttershy’s sake. After what you witnessed earlier that morning, you couldn’t imagine Fluttershy attempting to catch any animal for eating, let alone what would follow their capture. You slid the whiteboard out of your pocket again and began to convey your thoughts to her.

“Wow, you’re really making use of that whiteboard already, Anon,” she marveled with her usual smile. “I’m happy to see that it’s helping you say what’s on your mind. What is it?”

On the board, you had doodled some cartoonish-looking cuts of meat and fish, with a large X on top. Beside them were some lumpy drawings of nuts, grains, and beans. You pointed at the drawings, then to the triangular graph in the book. You knew that, while animals needed protein, there were plenty of vegetarian-friendly options to choose from. If the ponies here were anything like humans as evidence would show, you had assumed that some alternatives existed.

“You don’t want to eat meat? But the book says…” Fluttershy hesitated, and stopped to think, before looking at the book, and then you. “What the book says can be wrong. It’s our job to fix it.” She gently took the marker out of your hand with her teeth and scribbled out the area of the triangle containing meats, and drew a tiny smiley face next to it. The toothy grin she gave you would have given you a heart attack, if you weren’t already becoming accustomed to it. She laid down on her stomach and set the marker down next to you.

“Okay, what’s next?” she asked, sounding much more motivated. You grabbed a shortcake off of the plate and thumbed to the table of contents page. You watched Fluttershy read out of the corner of your eye, and eventually noticed that her eyes were not moving down the page. Instead, they were transfixed on your fingers. She looked up at you for a second and inhaled sharply, seeming to realize that she had been staring. You chuckled, and ran your index finger along the different subjects, less concerned with the order than you were about the content. Fluttershy’s ears twitched as you quickly skimmed past ‘Anatomy’; surely, she didn’t have the same concerns you had? Fighting the redness in your cheeks, you stopped on ‘Attire.’ You turned to the appropriate page, and struggled to stifle your laughter. The tattered rags and pelts that the figures in the book wore were fairly detailed, but you knew for a fact that a lot longer than centuries or even millennia had passed since humans had adorn them.

“This doesn’t even look like you!” Fluttershy exclaimed airily, also trying not to laugh. It was true- the men depicted were much bulkier, hairier, and more fearsome than you. You did realize, though, that millions of years ago on Earth had only been centuries for this world, Equestria. Humans were drastically different back then, and you could only imagine what Celestia’s reaction might have been had a prehistoric human tried to hunt her down.

“So this is what humans looked like hundreds of years ago?” You shook your head, and Fluttershy’s expression twisted in confusion. “Wait, no? Celestia had said that the last humans had come about that time. What do you mean?”

On the whiteboard, you drew a short horizontal line, capped with vertical bars at each end, and underneath it drew a similar line, but much, much longer. You pointed at the clock, then the short line, and finally to Fluttershy. She watched your finger closely as you pointed at the longer line and then to yourself. She scrunched her face cutely as she looked back and forth between you, the board, and the clock.

“Um… time… mine is shorter… Oh!” she gasped, turning to you excitedly. “Is this human from before hundreds of years ago?” Impressed, you ruffled her mane with a grin, inwardly pleased that she accepted it without complaint.

“How long ago was that, then?” Fluttershy asked. Her eyes were brimming with curiosity. You moved to put down a number, only to freeze up on approaching the board. You quickly flipped back to the table of contents, but you couldn’t even manage to put two-and-two together to write the number down.

“Here, I’ll write down 1,000, and I’ll keep adding zeros until you tell me to stop. Does that sound good?” she suggested, taking the marker from you. 1, 10, 100, and finally 1,000 appeared on the board, and she looked up to you patiently. You nodded, and she drew another zero. 10,000. Another nod, another zero. The pain gripping your head made it difficult to focus on the number of zeros she had drawn out, until you closed your eyes and tapped on her shoulder to stop. You took a few deep breaths to clear your head, and the pain subsided once again. Fluttershy didn’t look as concerned as she had the last time, but you could tell that it still bothered her. You gave her a weak thumbs-up, and pointed back to the whiteboard.

“That’s… 10 million years? Really?” You didn’t actually know, and just shrugged, hoping she would get the message.

“Kinda close?” she sighed. “Maybe we should take a break from the book, I don’t want you to hurt yourself more than you have to.” You acquiesced, setting the book down beside the plate on the table. Although Twilight had urged you to read and correct the notes quickly, you were unsure of how much you could tolerate at a time. As you reached for another shortcake, the choker Twilight had brought caught your eye. You hadn’t really considered what to do about it, and you thought it was likely that Fluttershy hadn’t either.

You grasped the gemstone in your palm and ran your finger across the cold, chiseled surface. There didn’t seem to be anything special about it, and it didn’t physically hurt to wear it, but to you it was a symbol of distrust. The princesses didn’t know anything about you, and they were more than willing to force you into submission if necessary. Yet, they instead trusted its power to Fluttershy, a pony you were certain wouldn’t harm anyone or anything if at all possible. Not that she could actually use it, though, as a pegasus. Twilight had made it clear that she could use it whenever and wherever she wanted to ‘observe your movements,’ and you didn’t doubt that she could immobilize you with it if she thought Fluttershy was in danger. You turned to look at the yellow pegasus, who had been watching you examine the trinket. She cleared her throat, and looked around slowly, likely thinking of something to say.

“Anon, I… I think it might be a good idea to wear that, just for now,” she mumbled, avoiding your gaze. You were taken aback by her words, and your stomach tightened. You couldn’t reply, and just sat there, dumbfounded. Did she really think the same way about you as they did, after all?

“Before you take it the wrong way, please hear me out,” Fluttershy pleaded. “It’s not that I’m scared of you or anything. Quite the opposite, actually; you’re one of the nicest animals, er, humans I’ve ever met. Well, actually, you’re the only human I’ve met- but that’s not the point!” She was sitting up now, looking you dead in your eyes, searching for a sign that you would listen. You exhaled deeply, and motioned for her to continue.

“What I’m saying is, wear it for Twilight, and the princesses. If they can see what you do and how you act for themselves, then you’re sure to show them that you can be trusted.” As much as you hated to admit it, Fluttershy made a good point. If you were to prove them wrong in their hasty judgements of you--based on your unbelievably long-lost ancestors--they would likely start treating you with more respect, to start. You would be able to live with and help Fluttershy with fewer worries- a thought that kindled a small flame in your heart.

“I know they’ll never have to use it on you, Anon. You might be unimaginably strong,“ she continued, putting her hoof gently on your shoulder. “But you showed me today that you can also be gentle and kind when you need to be. All you need to do is show them that, too. Please.”

You clenched the choker in hesitation and stared her down, scanning for any signs of doubt or uncertainty in her face. Instead, you only saw determination. Without breaking eye contact, you took the band behind your head and attached the clasps together, ensuring that there was still breathing room between it and your neck. The gemstone sat squarely in the center of your throat, and you took a deep breath and exhaled. She let her hoof gently return to her side and laid back down, looking out towards the wall, deep in thought. You were surprised when you felt her head nestle up to the side of your thigh. You rested your hand on her head as you had before, unsure of how she would respond this time. Her quiet sigh of approval set you at ease, and let your fingers drift back and forth through her hair at a snail’s pace. You leaned back into the couch and continued to feel her hair, focusing on nothing else but the moment. Any doubts you may have had about her previously, and those of Twilight, Celestia, and the other ponies, would eventually fade with time. You felt certain of that.

Chapter 3 - Day 2 pt. 2

Sweat dripped off of your brow as you flattened your hand and brought it down in a fierce chop. The tree branch snapped snapped under your blow effortlessly, sending small chips of wood into the air. Stopping for a break, you pulled your t-shirt off and used it to wipe your face. Fluttershy had left almost an hour ago to run a few errands, and left you to the task of busying yourself in her absence. You were initially tempted to explore the area, but decided that the risk of being seen wasn’t worth it. You had already dozed for a while on the couch with Fluttershy, as well, so napping wasn’t an option. Recalling her comment to Twilight earlier in the morning about preparing wood for birdhouses, you decided to go back outside and start cutting off branches from the tree you had carried out front.

Before she had left, you and Fluttershy prepared quite a large list of necessities, in case your stay was longer than a couple weeks. Extra food high in protein to accommodate your diet was her first goal. Finding a washboard for your clothes was a personal request; you were unsurprised that clothing wasn’t common for ponies, considering they didn’t have anything to hide, per se. Still, the last thing you wanted was to be stuck with foul-smelling clothes, or worse, be forced to walk around naked. You weren’t unattractive by human standards--your own, at least--but nonetheless felt self-conscious just thinking about not wearing anything. You had your doubts that there would be clothing anything like yours anywhere in Equestria, but Fluttershy insisted that her friend Rarity, a renowned seamstress, might be able to help. Last of all, Fluttershy wanted to see yet another friend and obtain tools you could use to divide up the tree in front of you. Applejack was a local farmer, and you had agreed with Fluttershy to help her as payment for the tools; assisting her closest friends--all of which were close to Twilight, as well--would be your best bet of gaining their trust, you had thought.

The sound of snapping and breaking branches filled the air as you worked, and you took a few extra steps to sort out smaller twigs and branches that could be used for nest material, placing them and the remaining wood into respective piles. You inspected the round side of your hand for any splinters or scratches, pleased that your hard work was hardly so; you imagined that your increased strength was one of your more redeeming features that would win over other ponies, provided you didn’t terrify them, first. As you brushed off a few bits of bark stuck to your chopping hand and arm, a large shadow loomed over you and your workspace in the grass. You rose to your feet and put a hand over your face to look up and find the source, a tiny cloud high in the air above you. You could barely make out some blue blob that was… sitting on the cloud? Even more surprising, the cloud was completely motionless in the air, as if the gentle breeze flowing past you didn’t exist. At this point, though, you didn’t question much anymore. Equestria was full of surprises, and this was definitely a welcome one. You gave a short wave to the cloud and its passenger, and hiked your leg over the tree trunk to continue your work.

“So, uh, who are you? And why are you breaking apart that tree?” The voice above you startled you, making your next chop miss its mark and impact the tree with a dull thud. You were grateful it didn’t hurt much, but you struggled to dislodge the couple fingers that had become embedded into the trunk. You looked up to see a light blue pegasus flying idly above you, snickering a bit as you freed your hand from the trunk. Her striking rainbow mane and tail bobbed as she hovered in the air, the former cut considerably shorter than Fluttershy’s. Acknowledging her question, you pulled out your whiteboard and doodled a small nest and birdhouse. She looked at you oddly after you displayed your drawing to her, glancing at the piles, the board, and back to you, visibly confused.

“O-kay, but why? What are you doing here, and why not just talk to me instead of drawing?” she asked with a tone of annoyance. She was clearly less patient than Fluttershy, but she hadn’t outright confronted you yet, luckily for you. You let a stream of nonsense and gibberish leave your mouth, and patted your lips, feigning frustration. You hadn’t even tried to speak correctly, but the pegasus seemed to get the message. With a sudden idea in your head, you erased the board, drew Fluttershy’s cutie mark, and displayed it the rainbow-maned pony, pointing back and forth to it, the cottage, and yourself.

“So… you’re here with Fluttershy, and making stuff for nests and birdhouses, got it,” she affirmed, nodding her head. “You can understand me, but you can’t speak, so you draw instead?” You gave her a sharp nod. Maybe ponies here were smarter than you expected, or maybe you could draw somewhat well; you weren’t sure, but felt at least a little lucky that you had at least one going for you.

“Well, alright, I guess. My name’s Rainbow Dash, I’m one of Fluttershy’s friends. Where is she now?” You pointed in the general direction of town, down the trail leading to the cottage. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and huffed. “Really? I just flew all the way from town, and I didn’t see her.” She settled onto the ground and sat beside you with a bored expression.

“I managed to get a day off today, and everypony else was already busy. I thought AT LEAST Fluttershy wouldn’t be doing something,” she complained. “I guess I can wait here until she comes back.” You felt a bit guilty that you were the main reason Fluttershy wasn’t present, but were grateful for the company. You returned to your spot on the trunk and started lopping off more boughs.

“So what are you, exactly? I haven’t seen an animal like you before in my entire life.” Rainbow Dash trotted into your field of vision, looking you up and down. You stepped off the tree once more to watch her as she stepped around the you to continue her inspection. You realized at that moment- the book Twilight had given you and Fluttershy would have text that she could read, and you could point out what was true about you and what wasn’t in the meantime. You started walking towards the cottage, gesturing for her to wait. A few moments of searching later, and you stepped back outside with the book in hand. Rainbow Dash’s bemused expression as you sat back down was almost comical.

“A book? What do you need that for?” You struggled to contain your amusement as you opened the book and waved her over. “A ‘human?’ Is that what you’re called?”

She skimmed over most of the text on the introductory page, and you were glad that you and Fluttershy had taken some more time beforehand to correct much of what was written. It had clearly been written by Celestia, judging by the cold, official-sounding descriptions of humans, and Fluttershy had been kind enough to use less biting words to describe you, in particular. Rainbow Dash turned the page back to the table of contents, and you noticed a wide grin spread on her face as she browsed the page. In a flash, the book was snatched from your hands, and Rainbow Dash hurtled into the air. The speed and lack of warning of her takeoff was stunning.

“You know, I’m not much of a book pony,” she called out, grinning. “But I do love books with pictures. Especially ones that talk about… ‘anatomy.’” A blush spread across your face as you put your hand out, demanding the book back. You knew it was a moot point, though- she was easily twenty, maybe twenty-five feet above you, and she continued to mock you.

“I’ll tell ya what: if you can come and take this book from me, you can have it! Although,” Rainbow Dash yelled with a laugh, examining the book closely with a devious expression. “Last I checked, humans don’t have wings. Maybe you could use your ‘strong, finely-toned leg muscles’ and jump up here?” she said, mimicking a passage from the book. You pressed your hand to your head in frustration, but considered her taunt. You were pretty strong when it came to running and lifting; it made sense to you that jumping to that height might be possible. You lined yourself just underneath Rainbow Dash and squared your stance. She looked down at you and your look of focus, and started laughing hysterically.

“Come on, come on big guy! Let’s see it!” she jeered. With a deep breath, you kicked off from the ground. The blue pegasus’ laughter died off in moments as you flew up to her height, and you gave her a cheeky grin as you looked her dead in the eye and retrieved the book from her clutches. Your landing was much shakier than you had anticipated, but your legs kept you upright on impact, and you gripped the book proudly. Rainbow Dash only looked down at you in utter shock, still processing the last few seconds’ events. You felt it was a good opportunity to put her in her place, and held out the book in front of you with your chest puffed out. Her eyes widened when you pulled out your marker and pretended to scribble all over the pages of the book.

“Hey! That’s Twilight’s, isn’t it?” she stammered. “If she finds out you scribbled all over it, she’ll flip!” You saw through her faux concern immediately, and continued to tease her with your fake drawing.

She descended towards you quickly, hooves outstretched, but you were prepared, and deftly sidestepped her. One of her wings folded inward immediately, and she turned on a dime for a second pass, which you barely avoided. Rainbow Dash turned again and slid along the ground at an angle, and bent forward into a sprinter’s stance, now with a competitive grin on her face. You snapped the book shut in one hand and assumed a wide stance, arms outstretched, ready for her advance. The pegasus bolted towards you with a flap of her wings, her rainbow-colored hair streaking wildly behind her, and you considered your options. With your position and her speed, dodging her could cause her to fly into the cottage and get seriously hurt. On the other hand, meeting her head-on could seriously hurt you if you weren’t careful. You chose to take the middle road, and dropped the book in your hand, waiting for the right moment. Just before she could reach for the book, you stepped to the side and slipped your arms underneath her sleek frame, turning and guiding her away from the cottage with a spin. She skidded to a halt several meters away, only to turn towards you with a laugh.

“Let’s see if you can do that again, huh?” Faster this time, she came towards you, now solely focused on the book on the ground. You snatched it up and hurled it high into the air. Her determined gaze followed it and she straightened out her wings to ascend, but you nimbly plucked her out of the air and, this time, kept your grip on her, causing both of you to spin uncontrollably. Unable to keep your footing, you both tumbled to the ground. Not too far from you, the book landed with a loud whap. You opened your dizzy eyes to see Rainbow Dash hovering over your body, laying slack in your hands, save for the shaking of her tired laughter. It took her a few moments to collect herself, and she stared down at you, grinning excitedly.

“Nopony’s given me a game of keep-away like that in a long time!” she exclaimed. “That was loads of fun.” You nodded in agreement, now taking the time to catch your breath and let the adrenaline rush settle. Several silent seconds were spent by you staring at one another, breathing heavily. Slowly, you became very aware of your position, and absentmindedly loosened your grip on her, expecting her to catch herself. Instead, she let her limp body fall, and you barely managed to pull your arms down and catch her with a stronger grasp before she flopped onto you. Her cheeks reddened a bit, and she immediately averted her gaze to your chest, smiling nervously.

“You don’t have to let go, if you don’t want to, you know,” she whispered. Her rough voice sent chills up your spine, but you felt it was better to not make the situation anymore awkward. You silently set her to the side and let your arms fall back to your sides. Rainbow Dash laughed quietly, and rolled over onto her back beside you.

“I was just teasing. But that was fun...”

“Rainbow Dash? Is that you?” Nearby, you could hear an unfamiliar voice calling out. You sat up and saw Fluttershy and an orange pony coming up the hill to the bridge. The stetson-clad pony was pulling a large tarp-covered cart full of boxes and tools, and watched you carefully as you got up and approached them. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw you, and suddenly started following some unknown object in the sky. You looked down at yourself, remembering the shirt you had taken off earlier. She hadn’t seen you without it on before, and you chuckled to yourself as you scanned the ground to find and put it back on.

“A-Applejack, this is the human I was talking to you about, Anon,” Fluttershy blurted out, pointing towards you. “Anon, this is my friend, Applejack. She’s the one I told you about that works over at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“The pleasure’s all mine.” Applejack tipped her hat politely, and you gave her a curt bow in return.

“What are you doing here, Rainbow Dash? We saw you flying around here pretty fast earlier, was something wrong” Fluttershy asked innocently. Rainbow Dash’s ears twitched, she put on a half-convincing poker face.

“Oh, you know, just having fun with this big guy here. What did you call him? Anon?” she replied, bumping your thigh with her hoof playfully. “It’s my day off, so I thought I’d come see what you were up to. But then I found him doing this-” She pointed towards the stacks of branches and twigs. “-and thought I’d figure out what was going on.”

“Oh, I see. That’s a really good job you did, Anon, but you could have waited until we had proper tools to work with,” Fluttershy commented, running her hoof along the top of a pile of tiny sticks.

“Wait, you mean to tell me he did this without tools?” Applejack interjected, examining areas of the tree that you had snapped branches off of. “It’s pretty clean, at that, too. No broken pieces around here, almost no dents in the wood, nothin’.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty strong. Fast, too.” Rainbow Dash replied.

“Fast? Now how do you know that?” The orange pony’s question surprised her, and you saw her adjust her wings as her poker face wavered for a moment.

“L-like I said, we were just having fun. We were playing keep away with that book over there,” she stuttered, pointing towards Twilight’s book in the grass nearby. You walked over and picked it up, relieved that it had taken little damage during your playful scuffle with the Rainbow Dash.

“Anon, you know you should be more careful with that. Who knows how Twilight would feel if something happened to it,” Fluttershy scolded gently. You nodded and entered the cottage to return the book to its place on the living room table.

Suddenly, a loud crash rocketed through the room, coming from outside the second floor of the cottage. You turned back to the door to exit, but was met with resistance. It wasn’t locked, but appeared to be blocked from the outside. At the window, you could see Fluttershy gesturing across her neck with her hoof; whatever the source of the sound was, it was clear that you weren’t meant to come outside and investigate. You crouched down beside the window, peeking your head up just enough to see a dazed, gray pegasus atop a crate almost as big as she was. Judging by the harness on her back, she had been carrying the crate here and had careened into the side of the cottage. Applejack’s expression after studying the outer wall told you that it was fine, and the gray pony’s grin and wall-eyed stare seemed to say the same. You couldn’t make out what was being said by any of the ponies outside, but after almost a minute, the pegasus had left as soon as she had arrived.

“You can come outside, Derpy’s gone now,” she informed you, pushing open the door. You chuckled a bit at the name, but thought it was fitting nonetheless. As you stepped outside, though, you suddenly realized the contrast in Fluttershy’s reaction to Derpy’s arrival, and your reaction to meeting Rainbow Dash. You counted yourself lucky that she was Fluttershy’s friend, otherwise your presence in the town could have come to a very abrupt end via Celestia’s hand… er, hoof. Horn? Either way, you made a promise to yourself not to be so careless as to work out in the open next time.

It turned out that the crate Derpy had brought was Fluttershy’s order of feed to replace what had been eaten a few days prior, as she had mentioned the day before. You were amazed at the sheer amount she had purchased, and questioned where she got the money. Unsurprisingly, Fluttershy helped out not only wild creatures, but also pets both in town and in neighboring areas as well. Her cottage served as an impromptu rehabilitation/veterinary clinic, and while she worked primarily for the service of the animals she cared for, she made a surprising amount of money from donations. Wealthier clients in metropolitan areas like Canterlot were particularly generous. Fluttershy made sure to point out, though, that nearly all of the proceeds went towards the animals, with only a small portion leftover for her own needs, like food and house repairs.

It was nearly sunset when you and the three ponies finished up your work in the front yard. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had both volunteered to help you cut the trunk into boards, while Fluttershy set about finding bird families to donate the twigs and leaves you had cleared. Although Applejack was the only one out of your group familiar with quartersawing logs, you took up the brunt of the work, using what would normally be a two-pony saw to cleave through the wood as the two ponies held it in place on the ground. You worked with vigor for those few hours, but felt the strain of the day bear down on you as you waved them goodbye. The various boards you had produced sat in a large, neat stack in the yard, and you draped the tarp from the cart over them, ignoring your aching arms as you secured the corners to the ground with stakes. Rainbow Dash had warned about a scheduled storm the following day--you added ‘controlled weather’ to your ever-growing mental list of Equestrian wonders--and you wanted to be certain that the wood would still be useable after the inclement weather passed.

You walked back into the cottage, sweat-soaked shirt in-hand, and found that Fluttershy was still out working. You had previously asked for permission to use her bath during a break from work, but you felt slightly uncomfortable now, using it without her presence. You strolled to the opposite side of the room and knocked quietly before entering the door to your right, which led to a cozy-looking bathroom. You couldn’t help but smile after noticing that, even there, a few birdhouses and tiny staircases were present; Fluttershy’s consideration for any possible guest, pony or otherwise, continued to impress you. Near the wooden bathtub on the floor, Fluttershy had set out the washboard and bucket Applejack loaned you, along with a small green box that read ‘detergent’ in bold font. Stopping for a moment to listen and ensure she wasn’t already in the cottage, you flipped the cute ‘occupied’ sign outside the door before shutting and locking it.

With a sigh of relief, you stepped out of the small tub, finished with your bath and feeling considerably less sore. You grabbed a pink, plush towel from the stack on a nearby shelf and wrapped it around your midsection. You opened the bathroom door open to let the humid air circulate, listening again for signs that Fluttershy had returned. You hadn’t heard her enter the cottage during your bath, and her absence combined with the darkening sky outside the window worried you. Fluttershy was clearly capable of taking care of herself, though. You imagined that anything remotely frightening in the woods would sooner welcome her presence than harm her. Pushing away your thoughts of concern, you returned to the bucket and washboard to sat on the pink carpet beside them. The instructions on the soap box were simple- pour a small amount into hot water, and work into a foam- and you imagined that using the washboard would be just as easy. As the sound of water splashing and cloth rubbing on metal filled the room, you heard the front door creak open.

“I’m home, Anon!” Fluttershy’s called out. You barely heard her mutter to herself and walk to the kitchen and back. Silence then hung in the air for several minutes--save for the washboard and splashing--and she called out your name again. You shouted nonsense in response, and you heard her quickly trot across the living room. Her hoofsteps stopped just shy of the bathroom door, and you could see her snout inch forward past the threshold.

“Are you still taking a bath? I wanted to talk to you, but I don’t want to bother you or anything, if you are,” she said meekly. You first checked to ensure you were completely covered and grunted in approval, prompting her to hesitantly opened the door. She didn’t look nearly as surprised to see you sans clothing as she had when she returned from town, but still averted her gaze from you by a few degrees as she approached you. That kind of reaction from a creature normally devoid of clothing was equally amusing and confusing to you.

“Today was a pretty busy day, I’m bushed!” Fluttershy remarked as she watched you tossed your soaked shirt over the shower curtain rod above you. “But I’m glad we got so much done. Without your help, that might have taken me a whole week, not to mention how long I would have had to wait on somepony to make the birdhouses made.” You hummed in agreement, and wrung most of the water out of your jeans, careful not to sling water everywhere as you threw them over the rod as well.

“Plus, you got to meet Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, too. I didn’t expect her to come by today, but her help was certainly welcome.” You nodded, and started picking tiny woodchips out of your socks. You had left your whiteboard on the sink nearby and couldn’t really converse, but the work of washing your clothes was keeping you occupied, anyway.

“Speaking of which, what do you think about Rainbow Dash? I saw her flying around you really fast earlier today. At first, I thought she might have been trying to scare you off like she did to Harry that one time--he’s a bear, by the way--but she said that you were both just playing. “

You stopped scrubbing, and thought for a moment- what did you think of Rainbow Dash? She seemed impulsive and brash, but she had a fiery personality that you liked. She was pretty different than Fluttershy in a number of ways, but she was still nice. You then recalled the last couple moments you had ‘played’ with the rainbow-maned pegasus. You hadn’t intended on ending up in such a compromising situation, and Rainbow Dash’s comment rang in your ears as you turned to look at Fluttershy. She was watching you expectantly, seemingly studying your reaction. After a moment, she gasped and put a hoof to her mouth, which made your hair stand on end.

“Oh, I did it again, didn’t I? You don’t have the whiteboard with you, and you can’t talk,” she whined, gently tapping herself on the forehead and relieving you of your worry. You snapped your fingers to get her attention and pointed to the bucket and sock in your other hand.

“Right, you’re still working. Can’t draw with your hoo- hands full, of course,” she replied, laughing weakly. She looked away from you again and tapped her hooves together quietly, trying to think of something else to say in her embarrassment.

“Earlier today, I talked to Twilight about helping Applejack and other ponies in town. She said that she and the princesses agreed on telling our friends about you, but that Celestia wanted to see how you did with them, first. So, the first thing you would do is help out at Sweet Apple Acres, of course, and then I think Rarity was needing help at her boutique, once she came back. Going to Sweet Apple Acres without anypony seeing you wouldn’t be hard- we’d just go along the edge of the trees to the fields, but Carousel Boutique is right by the town center. Twilight said that if the princesses changed their minds, then you’d be able to go, but she wasn’t certain about it.” You stood up and hung your socks and underwear with your other clothes, and cast a glance back to the choker sitting on the floor by the carpet. Your actions for the day had supposedly been magically broadcast to Twilight, and for the first time, the trinket gave you hope that she and Celestia might start to see the error of their ways.

“Anyway, she also reminded me that she wanted us to finish correcting the book soon, before you can go into Ponyville,” Fluttershy continued, still smiling. “I tried reading a bit of it by myself earlier today while we were taking a break, b-but I didn’t know if it was right or not, so I wanted to wait for you to see it. I would have asked you then, but...” You sighed and swore to yourself that the book was going to be the end of either you or Fluttershy before you managed to finish going over it. You didn’t understand why she had become so fidgety and self-conscious around you or in regards to the book, but you had a suspicion it might have been the same reason as yours.

“Just- after seeing you with Dash earlier, and what it said in the book… I read that humans do a lot of things with their hands, but I didn’t expect… I wanted to ask you-” she rambled, her sentences falling out of her mouth as she tried to collect her thoughts. You held out your hand and gestured for her to stop. Her face and even the tips of her ears were bright red, and she looked anxious enough to jump out of the nearest window. You were thoroughly confused as to what she was trying to get at, although her rant confirmed that it was in line with your fears regarding that moment with Rainbow Dash.

You took her trembling hoof in your palm and placed the other on top of it and locked eyes with her. A few slow nods and a calm smile were all you had to offer as you gently rubbed the top of her hoof, which slowly ceased shaking. She looked down to the floor and let her hair cover her face from you, which you brushed out of the way. She jumped at the sight of your hand, but didn’t object. Her previously rapid breathing began to slow, and the color in her face returned to normal after several silent seconds. This was probably the first time since your arrival that you were actually grateful for not having speech; calming her like this seemed like it would be much easier than trying to talk her down.

“Sorry I got carried away, Anon,” Fluttershy mumbled. “Maybe we can talk about this later, once we’ve finished up with the book?” You squeezed her hoof and smiled warmly. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she wiped away a tiny tear from the corner of her eye. She looked up to your clothes and then back to you.

“We should hang those up in front of the fireplace. That way, they’ll dry faster, and you’ll have something to wear when you go to bed.”

You turned to grab the choker off the floor and clasped it around your neck, and stood up to gather your clothes. Holding them all in one hand and the edge of your towel skirt in the other, you followed Fluttershy into the living room and draped your clothes over the stone slab in front of the fireplace. Fluttershy lifted a log into the fireplace and tossed a struck match onto it, watching it carefully as the tiny flame started eating away at the bark. You sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to you, but Fluttershy promptly announced that she would be heading to bed early. You leaned back into your seat as she stepped up the stairs, and took in a deep breath. Twilight’s book lay open on the table, and you leaned forward to inspect it. Your heart skipped a couple beats as you noticed the words 'courtship and rituals' at the top of the page, with just the tiniest pencil-drawn heart next to them.

Author's Note

This chapter is a tad shorter than I'd anticipated, but I think I got the overall intent across. I promise that the over-the-top feels will subside in coming chapters to make room for more serious plot development. :yay:

Chapter 4 - Day 3

Thunder rolled across the Everfree forest as you sat inside the cottage, you and Fluttershy both enjoying fruit salads for breakfast. The start of the day hadn’t been nearly as quiet as that moment; you had fallen asleep the night before while checking and crossing out facts in Twilight’s book, and Fluttershy had come across you sleeping halfway off the couch and on the floor, book in hand. She startled you awake while doing her best to do so quietly, and the crash of thunder near the cottage almost immediately after made you both scream. Back and forth you both shouted in fear, for just a couple seconds, until you and Fluttershy simultaneously realized what was going on. The awkward silence that followed as you pulled yourself up to the couch and made room for her was the longest you’d ever experienced in your life thus far, but was eventually broken by snickers, then chuckles, and gradually crescendoed into genuine laughter. You found yourself wondering if interactions between you and the yellow pegasus would ever become normal. Part of you wished they wouldn’t change.

You had picked up the book off the floor and closely inspected it, hoping that no stray marks or drool had gotten onto the pages. You were also satisfied to see that nearly the whole book was completely filled with pencil check marks and large Xs. Fluttershy spoke up quickly about the book, and had asked you if she could finish the book with you and clear up the mess from the night before. With whiteboard in hand, you relinquished the book and let her read it and your changes aloud, confirming your corrections and writing down any details you could not. Many of the more intimate sections had taken several minutes, and you had to explain to her thoroughly that, at no point in your time with her, had you tried to court her by means described in the book. Her remark that it didn’t bother her much didn’t help. Nevertheless, after almost an hour, you had reached the end of the book, certain that you had brought it up to date with what you could remember about humans.

Breakfast afterwards had been relatively simple to prepare, and Fluttershy had been more than grateful for you taking over dicing some of the melon she had purchased the day before. You were glad to be able to help with meal preparation for once and feel like you were contributing more than just manual labor. You reminisced on this and the events of the past couple days as you both ate, watching the rain pour endlessly outside. Occasionally, the silence would be broken by Fluttershy expressing concern for the creatures of the forest, a short story about how grateful they were for the nests you had helped make, and the occasional thunderclap. What caught both of you off-guard, though, was the unexpected knocking at the door as you finished your meal. As Fluttershy rose to answer the door, you instinctively ducked behind the couch, which was barely big enough to hide your profile as you laid down on the floor.

“Oh, Twilight, please come in!” Fluttershy remarked, quickly stepping aside to allow her in. On Twilight’s back was another purple creature holding an umbrella above their heads. It more or less resembled a dragon, however amusingly small. It hopped off and shook the water off the umbrella outside, before closing the door and leaning the umbrella against the doorway.

“Thanks, Fluttershy. Where’s Anon?” Twilight asked, looking around the room. Taking your cue, you pulled yourself up from the floor and walked around the couch to greet her. She smiled warmly at you, and you tensed up as her horn glowed and you felt a tingling sensation around your neck. Your fears were alleviated when you felt the choker unclasp itself and float away from you to the table.

“Whoa! He IS huge, just like you said!” The dragon shouted in awe.

“Remember, be nice, Spike. Celestia might have said he would be dangerous,” Twilight replied, looking at the choker wistfully. “But I think we know better, now.”

“That’s a relief to hear, isn’t it Anon?” Fluttershy said cheerfully. You nodded in return. If Fluttershy hadn’t proposed having you wear the necklace, though, you might have been able to get Rainbow Dash or Applejack to vouch for you. Suddenly, you became aware that the choker would have shown Twilight everything that happened while you were wearing it. Judging by her expression, the incident with Rainbow Dash probably wasn’t on her mind, and you hoped it would stay that way.

“By the way, did you finish up with those corrections I asked for?’ Twilight asked, casting a glance to the book on the table. You had forgotten to put the choker back on last night, and had only put it back on at breakfast, so it was unsurprising that she wasn’t aware of your session with Fluttershy earlier. You reached over to pick it up and held it out to her, and she levitated it out of your hand to start skimming over. You swore that, on a couple pages, her eye twitched involuntarily, but aside from that she was definitely pleased to see it completed.

“You know, I’ve been wondering,” Fluttershy piped up. “Why is it, exactly, that Celestia doesn’t trust humans? It seemed like she was trying to avoid the topic before, and it’s been bothering me. I’ll bet it’s been bothering Anon, too.” She looked at you with mild concern, and you shrugged. It hadn’t really been on your mind much lately, but you were curious. Twilight set down the choker and shifted in place uneasily, not looking at either you or Fluttershy.

“Yeah, Twilight, what’s the matter? He seems pretty nice to me,” Spike chimed in, strolling to your side and looking you up and down. You knelt down to his level and held out your hand in comparison to his tiny, scaled claws.

“Well, I suppose you deserve to hear that much, at least. But it’s not the most pleasant story,” Twilight muttered. “And you have to promise me that you won’t tell anypony- that includes you, Spike.”

“Of course!” Fluttershy and Spike replied in unison. You gave her a short nod and returned to your seat on the couch, while Twilight sat in the chair next to you.

“Well, I’ll tell the story in a way Anon can understand,” Twilight began. “A long, long time ago, our princesses, Celestia and Luna, fought against a creature named Discord, a draconequus who embodied the spirit of chaos and disharmony. He had ruled Equestria by putting everything and everypony into a chaotic state that he alone could control, until the princesses used the Elements of Harmony to defeat him, imprisoning him in stone. Together, they undid the twisted magic that he had brought to the world, and ensured that everypony could live in peace. However, Discord had a number of idols and other artifacts he had made solely for toying with ponies further, that made them behave strangely or made their lives more difficult, in general. Celestia put many of her followers in charge of obtaining and securing the artifacts, and within a century of Discord’s imprisonment, she was certain that all of them had been found.

“Strangely enough, Celestia received word from a desert village in the far south, in what are now known as the Badlands, about a strange occurrence that they believed was caused by another artifact. The area had been one of the slowest to recover after Discord’s magic destroyed most of the few crops they depended on to survive, and were extremely grateful for the princesses’ bravery. So grateful, in fact, that they held a festival every year to celebrate, with fireworks and feasts and all sorts of other things you’d expect at a festival. According to the letter, though, just as the village’s unicorns began their fireworks display, a bright glow appeared that nearly blinded the entire village. Afterwards, there was a huge crowd of mysterious creatures: humans, estimated at 200 to 300 strong. They were dressed fearsomely with pelts and carried what looked like weapons, the humans were surprisingly calm and benevolent, although just as scared and wary of the ponies as the ponies were of the humans.

“Over a few weeks, the humans had established their own camp, not too far from the village, and interaction between the two species flourished. The humans had brought seeds and plants that grew at an alarming rate in the ponies’ fields, so fast you could actually see them grow over the course of hours. The ponies, in turn, supplied the humans with what food they had stored, as well as building material to shelter themselves from the harsh daytime sun and freezing nights. While most of the humans were able to speak, everything they said was completely unintelligible to the ponies, but the experience wasn’t mutual; a few humans started learning the ponies’ language, and soon served as translators for the two groups.”

“It sounds like the humans were pretty friendly,” Spike interrupted. “But what happened after that?”

“I was about to get to that, Spike,” Twilight retorted. Fluttershy shushed him gently, and scooted up against your leg. You instinctively placed your hand upon her head as Twilight cleared her throat to continue.

“Upon finishing the letter, Celestia initially wanted to teleport herself and her personal guard to the village, but opted for the more diplomatic option of being transported by carriage, as was customary then and now. She knew that travel by carriage to the village would take a week, at the very least, and had a messenger travel ahead with her own letter, indicating that she wanted the town to search for any mysterious items that had been found before the festival, and that she wanted to meet with the humans personally. Unknown to her in her travels, the messenger passed along the message, but would never return to her afterwards.

“During the weeks that passed between the village’s letter being sent and its arrival, relations between the humans and ponies started turning sour. The crops that the humans grew were plentiful, but the seeds that fell from them withered away at an extreme pace before they could be replanted, and eventually the humans were left without anything of their own to grow. Some of the villager leaders were willing to donate more food for the humans, but many other members were concerned about their own well-being. At the rate that the humans were consuming their food and materials, it would only be a matter of time until tensions grew between them and the villagers. On the day that Celestia’s messenger arrived, the thin strands holding dissenting humans and villagers apart snapped.

“According to one of the survivors Celestia’s convoy found, it had started with a simple argument between a young stallion and a male human. The human, fluent in our language, demanded food for his ailing family, and for his children in particular. The stallion, however, refused and berated the human for not being able to take care of them. Saying things got physical quickly is an understatement, as the fight began and ended suddenly. The stallion had gotten a swift kick in the human’s abdomen, and the human retaliated by hurling a nearby log at him. The stallion was crushed instantly, in front of his family and the crowd of humans and ponies that had gathered nearby.” Twilight’s voice had lowered considerably as she spoke, and she watched the rain outside with a forlorn stare. You realized that Fluttershy was quivering under your palm, and you stroked her mane reassuringly.

“Many of the ponies present either lashed out against the humans, or fled to their homes. The humans, taken off-guard, defended themselves in what seemed the only way they knew how: with force. Several of the humans that served as translators managed to calm their brethren down, but not before more lives were lost--including Celestia’s messenger--even on the humans’ side. According to the survivors, the humans carried away their fallen with loud, songlike cries, which could be heard even throughout the night. The human leaders attempted the next day to speak diplomatically with the ponies, but to no avail. The villagers took it upon themselves to take arms against the humans, and made it known that they were no longer welcome. Unbeknownst to them, the humans were making their own plans for battle. In the face of the humans’ unimaginable strength and speed, the ponies’ clash with the humans lasted only hours. The few survivors left, mostly pegasi, had fled to the nearby hills.

“Those ponies, on seeing Celestia’s chariot, returned to the then-scorched remains of their village, and told her about what had occurred. The humans had moved on through the desert in search of food, and most of their shelters had been taken with them. Celestia immediately sent out members of her convoy to contact other settlements nearby, and worked tirelessly over the following days to track the humans down. She evacuated several thousand ponies from the Badlands, and within a week had assembled a large force to capture the roaming band of humans. She had no intention of hurting them, but wanted them to pay for their crimes. When she had finally managed to find the humans, however, her significantly larger army was no match. The humans displayed a resilience against magic, and their sheer brute strength laid waste to any forces that stood in their way. Even with her own powerful magic, she was only able to detain them for so long. Before Celestia and her crippled army withdrew, she managed to cast a tracking spell on one of the injured humans, and ensured that any ponies that were in their path were notified by messenger to flee.

“She later enlisted the aid of her dragon allies to help capture the humans. While there weren’t many dragons available to help at the time, Celestia persuaded them by pointing out the mutual threat they shared. The dragons, equally resistant to magic and just as strong--if not stronger--than the humans, spent months raiding the humans at night and abducting them, tens at a time, trapping them in dense, metal cages that not even the dragons could break. According to the dragons’ reports, the humans had grown both paranoid and exhausted, and eventually surrendered themselves to their assailants. Celestia, after convening with Luna and their closest advisors, had roughly fifty of the most diplomatic humans transported to Canterlot, and had left the remaining hundred or so living humans to be imprisoned by the dragons. She had hoped that the humans left in Equestria could learn more about Equestrian culture and law, so that they could pass on their knowledge to their brethren, and the humans could live peacefully elsewhere without further fighting. At that same time, she decreed that all information about the humans would be confiscated and compiled in the Canterlot Library, and that all other records would be destroyed.”

“I don’t understand, why would she destroy information about the humans?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know, she wouldn’t tell me. If I had to guess, she didn’t want panic to spread throughout the rest of Equestria about what had happened. Much of the population at that time was focused in the northern areas of Equestria, and it would have been easy to cover up bringing humans to Canterlot. You can imagine that nopony would react well to their arrival if they knew what had happened at the village, even if it wasn’t actually the humans’ fault.”

“So then what happened?” Spike interjected, leaning on the edge of Angel’s basket bed on the floor.

“Well, during her visit to the village, one of the survivors gave Celestia wooden idol, saying that it had been found just before their celebrations. It was shaped like the humans, and Celestia felt the latent magic it gave off. She kept it with her the whole time she had been in the Badlands, and began to study it personally as soon as she arrived in Canterlot. It definitely belonged to Discord, but didn’t respond to her magic at all. It didn’t react to any of the humans kept underneath the castle, either.”

“Underneath? You mean, like in a dungeon or something?” Spike said, gasping.

“Yes. Those were older times, and it was the only option Celestia had offered the humans. They had been receptive at first and willing to comply with her, but soon enough, they too began to grow tired of their prison, if you could call it that. They were free to roam the castle during the day, but were forced to wear jewelry with special stones in it, much like the choker I gave Anon. These gems react to magic, and can paralyze anything wearing them.”

“Why not just use them on all of the humans, then?” Fluttershy interjected.

“There just weren’t enough ponies that Celestia trusted with the humans. Even though the humans got along with ponies most of the time, many of them started to become distrustful of her and Luna, demanding to know how the other humans--still with the dragons--were doing. Celestia hoped to appease them by sending for a report from the dragons’ homeland, but the news she received was… less than favorable.

“Like the crops that the humans had brought, the humans showed significant signs of aging within days of reaching the dragon lands. Nearly all of them had passed away in the time that Celestia had spent in Canterlot, despite the aid and care that they had been given. Researchers in the castle had suggested that the latent magic in Equestria was what kept them alive, and the humans who had been taken to an area nearly devoid of magic suffered as a result. Celestia, instead of telling all of the remaining humans at once, relayed the news to one human she trusted most, who went by the name of Imuss. She was fond of his ability to quell the anger of his fellows with his considerate words and leadership, and felt that he would best be able to convey the tragedy to them. With a heavy heart, he set about informing the other humans that their kin’s passing was out of anypony’s control. That night, however, the humans’ bottled-up anger turned to unrest, and eventually to rebellion.

“The dungeon doors and bars weren’t actually made to keep them in, like the dragons’ cages, and the humans flooded through the castle to confront Celestia. The castle guards managed to incapacitate many of them, but the trinkets the humans were given were torn off by those who managed to escape. They rushed to confront the princesses, carrying with them the branded traitor Imuss, whom they had beaten mercilessly. They presented his body to Celestia and Luna, and demanded their freedom. Celestia bitterly accepted their request, and gathered the Elements of Harmony. With the Elements’ powerful magic, Celestia promised them that they would be transported to a place where they would never be bothered again.”

“Where did she send them?” Fluttershy asked meekly. Twilight looked at you, and her face contorted as she diverted her gaze to the floor.

“She teleported them to the dragon lands, deep in the mountains,” she replied quietly. “The humans were never heard from again.”

You felt your heart drop into your stomach, and leaned back with an exhale as silence filled the room. The fact that Celestia hadn’t tried to kill you on the spot when she first found you was even more surprising now, having listened to Twilight’s story. You questioned whether or not trying to gain Celestia’s approval would actually have any effect, even if your arrival had occurred long after the events Twilight spoke of and you were nothing like those humans.

“Wait, so what about Discord’s idol, then? If she had it in Canterlot, how did you find it in that cave in the Everfree Forest?” Spike questioned, scratching his head.

“Well, first, we weren’t the ones who found it. A group of geologists were studying the cave last week, and their leader recognized the idol from an old mare’s tale she had heard as a filly. She had them evacuate the cave and contacted Celestia, who enlisted me to aid her.”

“But what was it doing in the cave, then?”

“After Celestia had cast the spell on the humans, the idol was nowhere to be found. Nopony had taken it, as it was held in her private quarters at the time. She guessed that it had suddenly responded to the magic teleporting the humans away, and had all of Equestria searched, in case more had come, but none had arrived. The idol was nowhere to be found, either.”

“So, what made the idol bring Anon here, then?” Twilight’s ears flattened at Fluttershy’s remark, and she looked at you, embarrassed.

“I was using my magic to light the cave, and when we finally found the idol, it…yeah...” she trailed off. It appeared that Twilight had accidentally caused the idol to react, bringing you from Earth into Equestria. Part of you, deep down, wanted to scold her, even yell, but you only gave her a blank stare and another shrug. Quite frankly, there wasn’t much you could do about your situation, and being mean or spiteful wasn’t going to solve anything.

“Why… how are you acting so casual about this? It’s my fault that you were taken from your home, with no means of getting back!” Twilight shouted suddenly. She looked like she was fighting tears. After a moment to think, you reached into your pocket to pull out your whiteboard and held your marker over it. In retrospect, you weren’t certain how to convey your feelings. Were you angry? Definitely not. Sad? A bit, but you couldn’t remember enough to really know why. You looked over towards Fluttershy, who was watching you in anticipation. Her cheeks were already stained with tears, and she did her best to quiet a sniffle. You turned your head back to the whiteboard and started scribbling. You held the board to your chest to show it off to everyone in the room: a stick figure of you, with rough doodles of all the ponies you had met in the past couple days--even Celestia--all smiling.

“What? What does that mean?” Twilight wondered. Spike sat up from his seat, squinting at the drawing.

“It looks like him and Fluttershy, and some of our other friends, and Celestia. And they’re all happy.” he replied with a nod.

“I see that, Spike. But why?”

“Well, he’s smiling, too- maybe he’s actually happy here?” Spike suggested. Twilight wiped her face and stared at you quizzically.

“He couldn’t be… Anon, are you seriously happy living here, with Fluttershy?” You gave her a half-hearted mumble in response. Sure, you hadn’t entirely been comfortable with the situation at first, but you were appreciative of Fluttershy’s hospitality and friendship. Even now, you could imagine living a decent life in Equestria, provided you didn’t wither away into dust anytime soon. You cringed inwardly at the thought, but put on a brave face for Twilight.

“Well, alright, then,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “Even after what you’ve been through, if that’s what you want, I certainly won’t stop you.” You felt Fluttershy exhale heavily and lean into your side, and gave her hair a ruffle. Twilight stood up from her seat and levitated the book on the table over to Spike.

“What are you going to do now that we’ve finished with the book?” Fluttershy questioned.

“I’ve still got a report to make for Celestia. It was her idea to give Anon that choker, after all. I’m sure she’d be happy to hear what I’ve got to say.” Twilight replied. She stretched her legs and flexed her wings as she strolled to the door, and you were suddenly reminded of something. You snapped your fingers loudly, and started scribbling on your whiteboard.

“Uh, Twilight? I think Anon has something for you.” Fluttershy peeped, craning her neck to see your drawing. You turned the board around to reveal four drawings of ponies, one with wings, another with a horn, and the third and fourth with both, which vaguely resembled Twilight and Celestia, respectively. The third and fourth ponies was surrounded by question marks.

“Is that… supposed to be me and Celestia? Who are the pegasus and the unicorn?” You pointed directly at the pegasus drawing, and then to Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy is the pegasus?” You nodded, and pointed two fingers at both the pegasus and unicorn, to the Celestia drawing, and then forwards to Twilight.

“I’m both? Ohh, you want to know what Celestia and I are? We’re called ‘alicorns.’ Is that what you wanted to know?” Twilight asked with a grin. You gave her a hefty nod and grunted in approval. You would work to remember that word, ‘alicorn.’

“I’m glad I could help, but I’ve gotta get going if I want to get this report done on time,” the purple alicorn remarked, levitating her umbrella to Spike as she opened the front door. “You’ve got pretty good drawing skills, by the way!”

As the door creaked shut, you noticed that the rain outside was lighter than the torrential downpour of the early morning. You patted Fluttershy lightly, who shifted away from you to let you stand up. You walked into the kitchen and opened the back door to the garden. A calm walk in the rain sounded nice, and you wouldn’t stay out too long that you’d become drenched. Just before you could step outside, though, you felt a light tap behind you on your thigh.

“You mighf wanf thif,” Fluttershy mumbled over a large umbrella in her mouth, placing it into your open hand. “Could I, um, come with you? I don’t know where you want to go, but I don’t want you to get lost.” The puppy dog-like look she gave you made your chest tighten, and you opened up the umbrella outside the door for her. After ensuring the door was fully closed, you wandered past the garden and into the forest, walking along the creek that passed by the cottage. The air was cool and heavy, full of the pitter-patter of rain on leaves and bird calls you didn’t recognize. Despite the heavy amount of rain, the ground was firm beneath your feet, with only a few puddles scattered here and there. You didn’t really know where you were going, and that was perfectly fine; with Fluttershy walking close to you under the umbrella, you let go of your worries and enjoyed all the sensations you could take in.

You both had walked for roughly ten minutes or so, until you came upon a clearing in the trees that opened up to a shallow, grassy valley. You scanned the area, and found a smooth, firm patch of grass near the edge of the slope, and patted the ground next to you as you laid down. Fluttershy quietly acquiesced, sitting upright next to you.

“It’s funny you came here, this is one of my favorite spots to visit in the forest,” Fluttershy purred. She took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled contentedly.

You watched her pink mane wave gently, and started thinking about Twilight’s story and what it meant for you. You still had hope that Celestia would acknowledge your efforts to prove that you were trustworthy, that you weren’t a threat to anyone--or anypony--here. The thought of going home was scarcely on your mind, given the throbbing headache that would return anytime you tried to think about what ‘home’ was, and at the moment you were pretty alright with where you were. Of course, you were saying this after having been in Equestria for three days, now. You never expected that the colorful, adorable ponies you’d seen were capable of the acts in Twilight’s story, especially war. Who knew what would lie in store for you later on? The ponies seemed almost human, and you imagined that there were surely ponies who weren’t anywhere near as kind or helpful as those you’d already met. Still, as you watched Fluttershy’s eyes drift shut and her serene expression, you started to doubt that it wouldn’t be worth living with that kind of risk.

What would living here entail, though? You couldn’t just mooch off Fluttershy forever, despite how likely it would be that she’d argue that you weren’t. Celestia had named her your ‘caretaker,’ after all. Fluttershy, although quiet and sometimes reserved, had a deep-seated determination for caring for others that you knew wouldn’t waver. At the same time, if you could gain Celestia’s favor and be able to travel outside the cottage, you could possibly earn your keep and help Fluttershy out, working odd jobs around the town- Ponyville, wasn’t it? If Fluttershy and the others weren’t completely put off by your presence, getting a job didn’t seem impossible.

Your train of thought stopped in its tracks as you noticed Fluttershy started to lean towards you, and you reached up with your free hand to catch her. She jumped at your touch, but didn’t seem to notice you otherwise; the rain had lulled her to sleep, and she squirmed in your grasp. You lowered her down onto your lap agonizingly slow, careful not to disturb her. The yellow pegasus yawned cutely and wrapped a foreleg around your hand, cuddling and rubbing her face into it like a pillow with a sleepy mumble. Ignoring the shattered remains of your heart falling into the grass, you closed your eyes and laid your head back. This kind of situation had become common for you both in the past few days, and you wondered how long it might last. You had no knowledge of how relationships or living situations worked for ponies, and the thought of having romantic feelings--or being the subject of romantic feelings--for one still felt peculiar. Not unwelcome, but strange. You didn’t like to dwell on the subject, and your discussions with Fluttershy thus far indicated that she wasn’t exactly a fan of it, either. Perhaps it would be best to let it be.

You recounted everything you had been worried about thus far, and came to the same conclusion: maybe, just maybe, it would be best to let it be.

Author's Note

I said previously that there would be less "over-the-top feels."

I lied.

Also, internet cookies for you if you found the subtle and far-fetched pun in this chapter.

Chapter 5 - Day 4

The steady tapping of nails into wood echoed off of the cottage walls as you assembled another birdhouse. You brushed some dust out of the corners joining the tiny roof to the walls, and inspected the birdhouse in your hands thoroughly. Satisfied, you got up and carried it to the table by the cottage, where Fluttershy was busy painting one you had already completed. She had claimed that she wasn’t very talented at painting, but you could tell that, even for solid colors, she was focusing hard on making them perfect. You walked back to your bench and sat down, ready to brush off your own makeshift table--Applejack’s cart, turned upside down--and start on the next. Despite your requests, Fluttershy had insisted that simple, square birdhouses would be the best to make; while you both had plenty of time to make fancier birdhouses, the birds, she claimed, preferred simpler abodes. You politely conceded, given that she probably knew much more about their preferences than you did.

On top of being easier to build, the design you both had settled on used little of the boards you cut from the tree, and you estimated that, by the time you and Fluttershy were done, there would be easily thirty, maybe even forty houses built, with the remaining material saved for firewood. Fluttershy was content with having one or two to add to her collection in the cottage in addition to those she would hang around the garden and nearby forest. She had planned to take the rest to Ponyville and give them away, rather than sell them. They were light enough that she could use the cart to carry them along, since you didn’t have permission to enter town with her, yet.

You had lined up the base and a wall for your next birdhouse when a voice called out from around the cottage. It sounded vaguely like Applejack, and you waited for Fluttershy to trot over to check, ready to dive into the bushes if needbe. Sure enough, Fluttershy returned with the orange mare at her side, who immediately made a beeline towards you as Fluttershy returned to her work.

“Howdy, Anon! Good to see you again,” Applejack began, casting an amused glance to your impromptu workspace. “I’m glad to see you’re making good use of the cart.” You gave her a cheeky grin, and heard Fluttershy chuckle over the brush in her mouth.

“If you’re not too busy, I was hopin’ I could borrow you for today. You know, take up that your offer that you and Fluttershy were talkin’ about. Applebuck season starts today, and we could use all the help we can get.” You nodded, and looked over to Fluttershy for approval.

“That should be fine, Anon. We’ve got more than enough birdhouses built, I’ll just finish painting these and head into town later.” she mused, taking a mental count of the stacked houses on the table. You gave her a short wave as you followed Applejack to the path in front of the cottage and into the trees nearby.

“We can take a shortcut this a’way through the forest so nopony sees you,” Applejack commented. “Twilight told me about how Celestia talked about you, but I’m not worried at all.” You saw her tilt her head up towards you and wink. You didn’t know Applejack well, but from the time you spent with her a couple days prior you knew she was a sincere, honest pony, and her trust that you were harmless was unquestionable.

Roughly twenty minutes or so of walking later, you both approached a vast clearing of farmland, the tree-lined horizon broken by a red barn and accompanying farmhouse. Beyond them were hundreds, maybe thousands of apple trees surrounded by what looked like buckets. You imagined that Applejack must have had a large family to run a place like this, without any kind of farming equipment like what humans had. The ground beneath your feet gave slightly with each step as Applejack led you across one of the fields towards the barn. Even after the torrential rain of the day before, the fields were hardly waterlogged. In fact, most of the ground you had covered on your way to Sweet Apple Acres seemed to have sucked most of the water up like a sponge, with few puddles remaining. You could hear some conversation coming from behind the partially open barn doors as you drew close, and glanced nervously down to Applejack. She paused when you tapped on her back, and gave you a confused expression when you pointed to the barn with one hand and held the other to your ear.

“That’s just my family chattin’, Anon. Don’t worry; they know too, and won’t speak a word about you,” she reassured with a smile. Not a moment later, and a tiny yellow pony with a shield-like cutie mark came bounding out of the barn. She skidded to a halt before the two of you and gazed up at you with giant, orange-red eyes. You were already accustomed to the cuteness of the average-sized ponies you had already come across, but this was a different challenge altogether. Your hand crossed your chest, and Applejack chuckled to herself at your reaction.

“Whoa, is that it? The human? It’s so tall! I’ll bet it’s as tall as Celestia is!” the filly exclaimed with a southern lilt like Applejack’s. You clutched at your chest, faintly worried you might have a heart attack any second.

“His name is Anon, Apple Bloom, and yes, he’s here to help us with the start of Applebuck Season.” Applejack replied. You rubbed your chest and let your heart rate return to normal as you watched two more ponies exit the barn. The first was definitely older than the rest; her pearl-white mane was rolled into a neat bun, and you saw that her cutie mark represented a hearty-looking apple pie. The other pony was over a head taller than her, standing at near eye-level to you. His scarlet body was much bulkier than any pony you’d seen thus far, and his apple cutie mark was enormous to match. His expression as he observed you was calm, almost peaceful- a stark contrast to the elderly mare who was pacing around you in slow circles with a squint.

“‘Anon,’ huh? Applejack here was tellin’ us about you, how you carried and helped quartersaw a whole tree. Is that right?” she questioned, stopping in front of you. You nodded quickly.

“This is Granny Smith, she’s been takin’ care of the three of us since before we can remember,” Applejack interjected. “These two are my brother and sister, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom.”

“Quiet one, ain’t he?” Big Mac remarked with the smallest of grins.

“Well, I told you Anon here can’t quite talk right. Twilight and Celestia are figuring out how to fix it, but for now he’s just here to help out. He’s got a little board to draw on, but that’s it.” You pulled out the whiteboard in marker in your pocket to demonstrate Applejack’s statement.

“That’s so cool!” Applebloom exclaimed, examining the board--and your hands--closely. You put them away and gestured for Applejack’s attention, jerking your thumb towards the fields behind you.

“Right. Anyway, Anon’s offered to give us a couple spare… hands…” Applejack started, hesitating as she looked at you. “In return for the tools we let Fluttershy borrow. I figured he could help out with plowing the fields, on account of how strong he is.”

“Pardon?” piped up Big Mac. He raised an eyebrow to you for just a moment before returning his attention to Applejack.

“What?”

“We don’t need help plowing the fields.”

“Consarnit, Big Mac! We talked about this just before I left- you ain’t plowing the fields by yourself again, not with the harvest we’ve got this year!” Applejack chided, marching up to her brother. Even at three-quarters his height, she looked considerably more intimidating than he did. He simply turned his head away and scanned the fields.

“I’ve done it by myself every year so far.” Big Mac argued.

“Not all of it; I had to take over at the end of last year when you pulled that muscle in your back, remember?” His ears tipped back slightly as he sheepishly turned his head away from her again. Granny Smith, satisfied with her inspection of you, cleared her throat for their attention.

“Well, first, let’s see if he can even move the plow, hm?” Granny Smith suggested, pointing to another field. Near the path between the two fields sat a large, rustic field plow. The shape of the wood out of it matched the metal bits coming out of the collar around Big Mac’s neck; you realized that he was perfectly built for the job, and probably better suited to it than you. Applejack and her brother traded silent glances before nodding towards you in agreement. You ran your fingers through your hair with an exhale, and started making your way down the path. As you walked, you noticed that dirt from the field was starting to cake along the sides of your worn-down sneakers. Against your better judgement, you slipped them off and balled up your socks in each, and tossed them on the side of the path near the barn.

You gripped the wooden handle-like protrusions of the plow and tried wiggling it side to side a couple times; the plow was probably made of solid iron, and was sunk several inches into the earth from its weight alone. Trying to lift it by the pieces wood alone would likely break them. Instead, you bent down and ran one hand into the dirt along the side of the plow, searching for the bottom. The leading edge at the bottom was blunt, and although it took considerable effort to get the plow to budge, you were willing to bet you could lift it. You walked around to the broad end of the plow, and squared your stance as you dug your hands below it. Lifting with your knees, the plow rose inch by inch as you strained to steady it against your chest. While it felt unbelievably heavy, you managed to hoist it above your waist, your chest, and finally up onto your shoulder with a heavy breath.

You felt your feet start sinking slowly into the ground, and immediately stepped forward, careful to balance the uneven weight of the plow in your hands. The first few steps were awkward as you shuffled uncomfortably through the dirt, but you kept a steady, slow pace once you reached the firmer dirt path towards the Apple Family’s barn. Each one of their mouths were agape, even Big Macintosh’s, as you passed them and gingerly rolled the plow forward off your shoulder and onto the field you had crossed. You rotated your shoulder a couple times and stopped after feeling a satisfying pop, and turned back to the farm ponies with a grin.

“Well, he can certainly move it, that’s for darn sure,” Granny Smith declared, laughing. Applejack shot Big Mac a smirk and walked over to you.

“Alright, show-off, you’ve got the strength. But plowin’ these fields takes endurance, somethin’ that takes time to develop. We ain’t gonna run you ragged today, but your help will make the rest of the season easier for all of us.” Applejack remarked, waving her hoof to the field before you. “Big Mac here’ll show you how to get the plow situated properly.”

Begrudgingly, the stallion guided you to one corner of the field and gave you a brief summary of your task: pull the plow straight and steady, with a foot or so between rows. He demonstrated by hauling it once along the edge of the land, and turned back to do it once more. Big Mac had no intention of giving you his collar to use for dragging the plow behind you, but you were more than capable of pulling it backwards by hand, using the wooden struts. He observed you for several minutes, occasionally commenting about your passes, but soon left you alone to work. Meanwhile, Applejack had gone out to the orchard to buck apples from the trees, and Granny Smith and Apple Bloom were left to take stock of the barn and their cattle. As you pulled the plow along, you thought about how strange it was that, even for ponies, farms had livestock. You recalled seeing a small carton of eggs in Fluttershy’s fridge, but hadn’t paid it any mind; initially assuming that ponies were only herbivores was an honest mistake, but it was surprising nonetheless.

As you reached the halfway point of tilling the field, you could hear sharp whacks coming from the trees behind you. Applejack was still busy collecting apples. On further inspection, you noticed that the buckets beneath the trees had no handles or other means of easy transport. How she was going to move them to the barn, you had no idea. Seeing you staring, Applejack gave a short wave, to which you nodded in return before returning your focus to the plow. The heat of day was approaching as the sun started to reach its zenith, and the topmost layer of dirt was steadily drying. While pulling the plow was gradually becoming easier, your back and shoulders were actually starting to grow tired under the constant strain. Still, you forged onward, not wanting to fall behind Big Mac, who was in the adjacent field pulling a second plow. After the better part of an hour, you reached the final corner of the field, and plopped onto the ground with a huff. A light green pair of hooves appeared in your vision as you breathed heavily, and you could hear Granny Smith whistle loudly.

“I haven’t seen anypony work one of these fields that fast since I was a little filly,” she exclaimed. “You did a good job there, fella. A good job deservin’ of a good break.” You lifted your head to see her gesturing for you to follow her, and rose to your dirt-encrusted feet. She led you past the barn to the farmhouse a short walk behind it, where you could see Apple Bloom, stretching on the deck outside the farmhouse door. She quickly noticed you both approaching and dashed inside. Just as you and Granny Smith started up the ramp to the deck, Apple Bloom stepped back outside, carrying a large, purple bottle in her mouth. She offered it to you with a few muffled words you didn’t understand. The cool glass surface soothed the aching muscles in your hand as you took it from her with a grateful smile. You lowered yourself and sat on the edge of the deck, and took a sip from the bottle. The sweet and mildly tart taste of the ice-cold apple juice was absolutely refreshing. As you drank, Apple Bloom sat down next to you, while Granny Smith seated herself in a nearby rocking chair.

“So, uh, Mr. Anon?” Apple Bloom began, grabbing your attention. “Where are you from?” You met her curious stare with a quizzical expression; no one had actually asked you that since you arrived. You took out your whiteboard and marker and drew a rough doodle of Earth, but paused for a moment. You had no idea where Earth was in relation to Equestria. In fact, Celestia and Twilight had mentioned something about you coming from a different dimension entirely, whatever that meant. Hopeful that Apple Bloom’s curiosity would be satisfied, you drew another empty circle next to the drawing of Earth. Facing the whiteboard to her, you pointed with your free hand to the empty circle, and then straight down. Another point to Earth, and then you waved your hand to the open sky, shaking your head and shrugging.

“You mean… you’re from another planet? That doesn’t make any sense,” she remarked in disbelief.

“Don’t be rude now, sweetheart,” Granny Smith interjected.

“Right, I’m sorry Anon,” Apple Bloom apologized. “But if that’s true, then how did you get here?” You wiped the board clean with the edge of your shirt, and scribbled what you could remember Twilight’s cutie mark looked like. You mimicked the shape of a horn on your head to drive the point home.

“Twilight’s magic? I wonder why she brought you to Equestria.” You struggled to think of a drawing to express Twilight’s accident, and you looked back to Granny Smith in helpless frustration.

“Apple Bloom, why don’t you try askin’ him questions he can answer yes or no to, seein’ as he can’t talk.” The filly’s ears turned backwards in realization and she scratched her head in embarrassment.

“Ah, I’m sorry about that, too. I’m not used to it yet, I guess.” You waved her off nonchalantly. “How about this: did Twilight bring you here on purpose?” You shook your head, recalling the surprised alicorn’s expression.

“So it was an accident, then,” she concluded. You watched her think about your predicament, and looked down to her cutie mark- a purple striped shield emblazoned with an apple. While the other Apple family members’ cutie marks made sense to you, the idea of a shield-bearing farmer pony seemed unusual. You snapped your fingers quietly for her attention, and pointed to it with a raised eyebrow.

“My cutie mark? I got this with the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” she beamed. “We’re a group that helps out other ponies!” You nodded sagely; although she was a child, you had to admit that being a good samaritan was a noble talent.

“Do humans have cutie marks, too?” Apple Bloom inquired excitedly. Her enthusiasm deflated momentarily when you shook your head, but returned with vigor shortly after.

“I’m sure you’re good at somethin’, though! You’re super strong, at least! I’m sure you could do plenty to help ponies out!” The enormous bow in her mane flopped as she nodded her head, and you couldn’t help but laugh in agreement. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Applejack trotting up the dirt road towards the house, and gave her a friendly wave.

“Now I hope you’re not givin’ Anon here a hard time, talkin’ his ears off,” Applejack joked as she ruffled Apple Bloom’s mane with her hoof. You sat the empty bottle in your hands down and stood up to stretch your arms and back while the two sisters bickered playfully. Refreshed and ready to return to your work, you started walking back down the farmhouse ramp.

“Hold up just a minute, Anon,” Applejack blurted out, cutting her sister off. “You’re not heading back out already, are you?” You turned around and looked at her in confusion.

“You might’ve finished up that field quick like a hog chasin’ a carrot on a stick, but you can’t tell me you ain’t still tired.” You gave her an innocent smile and put your hands on your hips. She watched you for a few seconds in half-amused anticipation, and sighed.

“You might be as strong as Big Mac, but you sure aren’t half as humble,” Applejack chuckled. “Alright, I’ll tell you what. You can have at the field past the barn over there. Mac is probably finishin’ his up now, and won’t be happy about you takin’ his work, but I reckon he won’t give you much trouble.” You gave her a curt nod, and turned on your heel to return to the fields.

Throughout the afternoon, the faint sounds of hooves against wood echoed across Sweet Apple Acres as you worked the land. The field Applejack had pointed out was a bit larger than the one you were in that morning, and you had tired yourself out just from carrying the plow such a long distance. The only solace in your work came when you saw Apple Bloom come running from the barn to join you and ask more questions. Her insatiable curiosity helped you shrug off the burning sensation in your legs and shoulders, and happily defended her when Applejack started to chew her out for riding on top of the plow. The little filly didn’t add any noticeable weight to it, and you made certain that Applejack knew you were happy to have Apple Bloom’s company. You were especially grateful when, after finally finishing the field, she caught you before you could collapse from exhaustion onto the dirt path between the fields. Although considerably smaller than you, Apple Bloom managed to carry you with your feet dragging behind you all the way to the barn. You stared up at the roof, breathing raggedly and unable to move, and felt a twinge of guilt. After Apple Bloom propped you up against a pile of hay, she sprinted out in search of Applejack. Minutes later, they both trotted up to you. Applejack was carrying a small green bottle in her mouth and set it next to you on the barn floor as she looked you up and down in frustration.

“I told you we weren’t gonna run you ragged today, but it looks like you went and did it yourself,” she scolded, unscrewing the cap on the bottle with her mouth.

“A friend of mine, Zecora, made this in case Big Mac ever got heat exhaustion,” she muttered, guiding it to your mouth. “On account of how much you look like him right now, I bet you’ll want it.” You swallowed weakly as the bitter fluid poured into your mouth.

“Now, brace yourself, Anon, this might hurt a bit.” Applejack muttered, taking a few steps backward and guiding Apple Bloom towards the door. “Go get a bucket of water. Now.” You stared at her in uncertainty until you felt your limbs twitch involuntarily. Your throat and stomach immediately felt as if you had swallowed a gallon of liquid nitrogen, and you retched as the feeling spread throughout your body. Every single nerve cried out in terror, as if you had fallen into a frozen lake, and your sore muscles started to tremble uncontrollably. Suddenly, after a few seconds, your senses returned to normal and the shaking ceased. You let out a couple coughs as you pushed yourself back up in surprise, the soreness in your muscles seemingly drained away.

“I don’t understand much about potions, but that one was made ‘specially to help ponies sufferin’ from dehydration and workin’ themselves half to death. Looks like it works on humans, too,” Applejack sighed in relief, helping you steady yourself as you sat up. “You’ll be alright soon enough, but you need water in your system, otherwise you’ll collapse again.” You nodded, thankful for her help. A few minutes passed before Apple Bloom came rushing into the barn carrying a pail of water. Hearing the water slosh around inside made you painfully aware of how parched you were, and you snatched the water from her once she had approached you. It was a sizeable amount of water, but you chugged down half of the pail in one go before you stopped to take a breath, and Applejack held it away from you with her hoof as you lifted it for more.

“How’s about you save that for later, sugarcube? It’s gettin’ close to dinnertime, and I’m guessin’ you’re a mite hungry after all that work today.” she suggested. You hadn’t originally planned on staying at Sweet Apple Acres to eat, and doing so seemed counter-intuitive- hadn’t you come over in the first place to repay a favor? Sensing your indecision, Apple Bloom trotted up to you and put on her best puppy-dog pout.

“Please, could you stay for dinner? We ought to properly thank you for the hard work you did today,” she whimpered. You felt like her adorable, dinner plate-sized eyes were sucking out your soul, and you struggled to find a reason to refuse. Uncertain that you’d survive her reaction if you turned her down, you nodded your head in agreement, and pulled yourself to your feet. Apple Bloom bounced in victory, and Applejack laughed. The two ponies led you out of the barn, and you remembered to pick up your sneakers off the ground before heading towards the farmhouse. Big Macintosh was relaxing in the rocking chair on the porch, and nodded at you.

“You did good.” His expression was as neutral as usual, but you couldn’t help but beam at his comment.

Much of the evening from that point forward was quiet, save for Apple Bloom telling you about her and her friends, particularly two fillies named Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were also part of her Cutie Mark Crusaders group. Listening to an elementary school student talk about their day wasn’t high on your list of entertaining things in Equestria, but you tried to enjoy the experience nonetheless.

“And that’s why we need to get the clubhouse re-shingled. I swear, I don’t know where all those squirrels came from, but they sure were angry at Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom complained. You had let most of her story flow through one ear and out the other as you sat in the living room of the farmhouse, eyes closed. The chair you’d picked was the comfiest thing you had ever been in, and you had made significant effort not to fall asleep in it seconds after you sat down. You were jolted awake by a frantic tinkling sound coming from the kitchen.

“Soup’s on! Come n’ get it!” Granny Smith called out. The dining room table was fairly small, well-suited for a family of four, with just enough room for you to sit between Granny Smith and Apple Bloom. The meal was simple- daffodil sandwiches and hay fries, the latter of which you were slowly becoming accustomed to. Hay prepared for consumption wasn’t nearly as tough as you had expected, and when served as crispy fried straws, was actually pretty tasty if you chewed them thoroughly. You mentally blamed your smaller-than-ponies’ teeth.

“So what do you think, Anon? Can you help us out?” Apple Bloom asked, interrupting your idle thoughts. You looked at her questioningly, blinking a couple times. “Help with re-shingling the CMC clubhouse, remember?” she huffed.

“Apple Bloom, don’t you think you’ve pestered Mr. Anon enough today?” Big Mac spoke up. Applejack grunted in agreement.

“We invited him here today to let him pay us back for the tools and cart we let him and Fluttershy borrow, he’s not just gonna keep workin’ for us outta the kindness of his heart,” Applejack added.

“But… but…!” Apple Bloom turned to you in desperation, and you quickly looked upwards before making eye contact, avoiding her spell.

“C’mon, now, eat up. He’s not leaving Equestria anytime soon,” Applejack reassured half-heartedly, looking at you. “I think.” You could only offer a shrug in response. Apple Bloom returned to her meal with a dejected frown, and you saw a calendar on the wall behind her. You didn’t really know what your schedule would be like from then forward, but your heart wouldn’t let you sit idly with her like that. You gestured with your hand to Granny Smith and pointed at the calendar, and then your wrist, as if pointing out a watch.

“Excuse me? Somethin’ about the calendar?” she asked between bites of sandwich. “You want to know what day it is?”

“Today’s Sunday.” Applejack replied. You pulled out your whiteboard and copied down the shape of the calendar, still unable to copy the words down. You circled the first square representing Sunday on it, and sat the board on the table for the ponies to look at.

“Yup, that’s today. What’s on your mind, sugarcube?” You pointed at the row of weekdays on your doodled calendar, and then to Apple Bloom.

“I’ve got school on those days, Anon. Why?” she questioned. Having confirmed your guess about Equestrian school schedules, you put a big X on the square that week for Saturday, and drew a crude attempt at a clubhouse. You didn’t know what one actually looked like, so you just drew a vague, boxlike house, but smaller. You finished with an arrow pointing from the X to the roof of the house, and drew little squiggles on the roof. Apple Bloom looked at the drawing, then to you, and gasped sharply with a grin. She looked towards Applejack, who was reaching the same conclusion as her sister, albeit not with the same reaction.

“Just a second, Anon. I don’t know how you know the school schedule around here, but I do know that we’ve got plenty more work to get done later this week,” Applejack asserted firmly. “Applebuck season isn’t just a day’s work, I’ll have you know, and we need all hooves on deck if we’re gonna finish up on time.”

“I’ll work extra hard this week, I promise! I wanted to get it done this weekend anyway,” Apple Bloom interrupted, practically vibrating in her chair with elation. “Pleeeease, can he come and help us?” Applejack put her hoof on her head and sighed.

“What do you think, Granny Smith?” she mumbled. The light green mare hummed to herself as she thought, and looked at you with a kind smile.

“You don’t have any obligation to do anymore for us, you know that, right?” Granny Smith asked. You nodded once with enthusiasm, making her laugh. “So be it, then. His mind’s made up.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac added.

“I wanna see you doin’ your best this week, you hear?” Applejack reminded Apple Bloom. You were pretty sure the filly didn’t hear her over her cheering, though. For the rest of the meal, she listed details about the other damages the horde of angry squirrels had caused the clubhouse, and in the back of your mind you were starting to regret agreeing to help out. The other Apple family members snickered quietly to themselves as your concerned turned to worry, yet Apple Bloom continued on without care. You didn’t really understand her fascination with you, but seeing the little filly's excitement towards your decision was enough to motivate you to stand by it, and you looked forward to seeing the Apple family again.

Chapter 6 - Day 5 pt. 1

You awoke the next morning in a haze, and you could tell by the lack of light in the room that it was very early. The last thing you recalled from the night before was spending time with the Apple family, getting ready for dessert, when you felt a sudden wave of exhaustion and your head slammed down onto the table. You winced in pain as you gingerly touched your forehead. The knot that formed from impact wasn’t very swollen, but it was extremely sensitive. You let your arm fall to your side, and it landed on the bed with a quiet thump.

Wait, bed? You froze, uncertain of where you were. Something in the bed moved, and with a quiet mumble rolled into your side and wrapped around your arm. You couldn’t see what the source was, but it was definitely a pony, judging by the continued mumbling and hoof digging into your side. After listening for a few moments, you realized it was Fluttershy.

“Nnnn… no, no… put me down…” she whined softly, letting out a raspy giggle. “I’ll… get you… Anon…”

Her grip around you tightened, and chills ran up your back as you felt her breath on your arm. Her sleep-talking degraded back to gentle hums and muttering, occasionally broken by a giggle. You laid there, unmoving and uncertain of what to do. As physically exhausted as you felt, you were actually well-rested, so going back to sleep wasn’t an option. Your attempts to slowly snake your arm out of Fluttershy’s grasp only tempted her to smother it further. You quietly cursed yourself as she rolled lazily on top of it, not enough to completely cut off circulation, but still managing to pin your hand under her stomach. You were torn as to whether or not you should wake her up, but you found yourself unable to come up with a viable reason why you would. No doubt, she would probably be embarrassed to discover the position she was in, and you would likely have to return to the couch on the lower floor. You silently chuckled to yourself as Fluttershy let out a peaceful yawn of victory, nuzzling her snout into your shoulder before quieting back down. Unable to do anything else, you placed your free hand behind your head, looking towards the window to watch the stars drift across the night sky.

After what felt like an eternity of cuddling imprisonment, you felt Fluttershy stir. Her wings stretched out above her slowly as she yawned again, before folding neatly to her back once more. Outside, the sky was turning bright shades of red and orange, and the faintest rays of sunshine filled the room with light. You shut your eyes and kept your breath almost silent as Fluttershy awoke, her breath catching suddenly in her chest.

“Anon…?” she whispered. Ten seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty. You felt her head turn away from her shoulder, and you opened one eye to look down at her. She was watching the sunrise through the window, still wrapped around your arm. On closer inspection, you noticed a smile and blush both growing on her face.

“D-did you sleep well?” she asked, still looking outside. “I hope I didn’t keep you up, Angel’s told me that I talk in my sleep sometimes.” You stiffened in surprise; despite your best efforts, she had been completely aware that you were awake.

“You breathe differently when you sleep, you know. All animals do. I noticed when Applejack brought you home last night. You-” Fluttershy was interrupted by a series of raps on the bedroom door, and hastily lifted herself off of your arm to answer it. You sat up to see Angel in the doorway, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.

“Oh, right. It’s time for your breakfast,” she acknowledged, and turned back to you. “Normally we eat early, before you get up, but since you’re awake now, you’re welcome to come down and join us, if you’d like.”

You obliged, swinging your legs off of the bed and standing in a single, quick motion. All three of you headed down the stairs into the kitchen, and you pulled out one of the dining room chairs to watch Fluttershy prepare Angel’s breakfast. He took his bowl of carrot slices and lettuce from her carefully, and strode haughtily to the living room, giving you a sideways glance as he left the room. Fluttershy craned her neck to watch him as he plopped down into his basket to eat, humming thoughtfully.

“I wonder what’s gotten into Angel lately. He’s been acting strangely ever since you arrived, normally he eats with me in here,” she mused. You shook your head, unsure as well. You hadn’t paid much attention to Angel for the past few days, save for the couple times you found him curled up beside you or on top of you when you woke up on the couch. You’d made a few attempts to pet him or interact with him then, but he always scurried off to find Fluttershy or to take refuge upstairs. Initially, you came to the conclusion that Angel wasn’t fond of you, given his absence whenever you were spending time with Fluttershy. The few moments when you and the yellow pegasus were apart, however, he was usually napping or otherwise entertaining himself wherever you happened to be, sometimes following you. You had a sneaking suspicion that, perhaps, he was just getting to know you on his terms. With how standoffish he was around Fluttershy, maybe he was just trying to save face.

“By the way, Anon, Applejack left a gift for you last night, after bringing you here. She said she made it herself.”

You turned your attention to Fluttershy, who was carefully pulling a metal pie tin out of the fridge. She set on the table and fetched a couple plates and silverware for both of you. You peeled back the foil on top of the pan to reveal a golden-brown apple pie with filling just slightly oozing out of holes in the top. The heavenly smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and apples washed over you as Fluttershy carefully cut out a slice for herself. She slid the second plate to you along with the serving knife, and sat down beside you.

“Normally, I wouldn’t eat sweets first thing in the morning, but I don’t have time to cook,” she remarked before taking a quick bite. “Yesterday, I checked in on a pregnant doe that I’ve been keeping an eye on for several months, and I think she’ll go into labor soon, so I’m going to leave and check on her again to make sure she’s okay.” You nodded your head while savoring your breakfast. Fluttershy ate her small piece remarkably fast, and took her dish to the sink before you had finished even half of your slice.

“I won’t be gone long, you’ll be okay here with Angel, right?” she asked, reaching for a small bag hanging from the wall by the doorway. You gave her a thumbs-up and a confident grunt. Satisfied, she slid the bag strap around her neck and trotted over to Angel. You didn’t quite catch what she said, but her tone was as motherly as ever, prompting Angel to reluctantly nod his head and wave her off. She nuzzled him briefly before announcing her departure, and flew out the cottage door, certain to close it behind her.

You continued eating, watching Angel out of the corner of your eye. Soon enough, after ensuring that Fluttershy had left, Angel hopped up from his basket and carried his bowl into the kitchen. He leapt up onto a chair and onto the table across from you, and went on with eating the carrot slices, leaving the lettuce untouched as he ate. Fluttershy had scolded him before about not finishing his meals, and you thought about how you might be able to sway him without the ability to speak. In a moment of inspiration, you deftly stole away a piece of the lettuce in his bowl with two fingers, eliciting a tiny gasp from him. Angel pulled his bowl to his side and glared at you as you dangled the leaf over your mouth. You could see his expression quiver a bit as you started to lower it slowly, and paused. Faking a pitiful frown, you offered the lettuce back to him, which he snatched from your grasp and started to wolf it down. He turned his back to you and sat back down facing the bowl, occasionally looking over his shoulder in case you planned on taking anything more. You simply looked away from him and continued to eat, inwardly proud that your plan succeeded.

You started scraping up the remaining bits of your slice of pie onto your fork, and noticed Angel pushing his bowl towards you as you swallowed the last bite. He was rubbing his stomach to indicate he was finished, and inside the bowl sat a single slice of carrot and a small lettuce leaf. You pointed to yourself questioningly, and he nodded. You reached for the offering and started eating, and Angel chittered to himself for a second and smiled before jumping off of the table and heading back into the living room. You stacked the bowl on top of your plate and carried them to the sink, and spent a couple minutes washing all of the dishes and utensils in it. You could understand why Fluttershy doted on Angel so much; while he acted like a bratty child at times, he did show some consideration for others, particularly Fluttershy and now you, her seemingly permanent guest. Finished with the dishes, you walked into the living room towards the couch, when a couple sharp knocks at the door stopped you in your tracks. Remembering Celestia’s orders, you sat down quietly, putting a finger to your lips when Angel looked at you in confusion from his basket.

“Oh, Fluttershy-yyyy! I’m ba-aaaaaack!” a male voice called out as the door sprang open and collided with the wall behind it with a loud wham. You watched in half-surprise, half-terror as a tall, goat-headed creature wearing a colorful floral shirt stepped inside. Calling the sight ‘strange,’ was an understatement; the creature seemed to have parts from all sorts of animals grafted onto him. A lion’s paw for one arm, a bird-like set of claws on the opposite arm, two completely different horns- all of his appendages were mismatched, like a toy built by a child. He was carrying a bright orange cup in his claws, which he literally drank, leaving the cup-shaped fluid floating in his hand, which he tossed into the yard before stepping in.

“I remembered to use the door this time, and it didn’t leave a mark in the wall!” he announced proudly, folding his umbrella and setting it by the doorway. Immediately, his attention turned to you, and you both stared at one another for several silent seconds. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization.

“Oh, hello there,” he laughed, approaching you with a curious expression. “You’re a human, aren’t you? Why, I haven’t seen one of you in ages!” Against your better judgement, you stood up to greet him, smiling nervously. He hummed to himself as he circled and inspected you, and stood before you with his paw on his chin.

“I distinctly recall you ‘hue-mans’ looking differently, though,” he muttered. He snapped his claws, and you felt a strange sensation all over your body. You looked down in confusion as you noticed your hands had become a lime green color, as well as the rest of your skin.

“Ah, that looks more familiar. At least, I think so.” He started moving around you again as you panicked, unable to rub away the color, before Angel rushed in between you both and held up his paw, as if directing the creature to stop. You would have scooped him up and sprinted away right then and there, had you not been absolutely terrified of what would happen next. The goat-headed creature bent down to Angel’s level, and put his paw to his ear as Angel started chattering away, occasionally agreeing and acknowledging the tiny rabbit. He snapped his claws again, and your skin returned to its normal color.

“Oh dear, I’m dreadfully sorry for startling you… what was it again?” the creature apologized, looking back down to Angel, who chittered curtly in response. “Anon, right. I’m Discord, a close friend of Fluttershy’s, is she here right now?” You shook your head, still inspecting your body for any more signs of green. Angel continued speaking to Discord, who frowned in disappointment.

“Well, darn. I just came back from vacation, and I was hoping to catch up with on our regular tea parties, but Fluttershy’s not here right now,” Discord complained, his floral shirt disappearing with another snap. “Unless, of course, you would like to have tea?” You nodded in agreement- you didn’t have many other options, and it seemed like a good idea to try and befriend Discord.

“Wonderful! I’ll put the kettle on,” Discord replied gleefully. He sat down in the chair beside the couch, and with yet another snap, a porcelain tea kettle and miniature heating plate appeared on the coffee table. The kettle was painted with a delicate pattern of roses, which was starkly contrasted by the large, black smile across its side. You sat down on the couch and watched Discord as he divined a spigot out of nowhere, and poured water into the kettle. The spigot disappeared in a flash, and he pressed a button on the base of the heating plate.

“Here comes my favorite part- I love the sound of a screaming kettle,” he bubbled, holding his chin as he watched the kettle heat up.

You noticed, after a few moments, that the kettle’s smile was steadily turning into a frown, and that a light blush was growing where the kettle’s cheeks would have been, if kettles normally had them. You thought about Discord’s comment for a moment, and realized just a second too late what was in store. The kettle started to whine obnoxiously, and steadily grew in volume until it erupted into a horrendous scream, steam escaping its spout. You barely heard another snap when a tea set popped up onto the table, and Discord lifted the tea kettle off the plate with an oven mitt and set it onto a thick mat next to the plate. He turned and revealed a small paper box from behind him and opened the lid to you, revealing a variety of different teabags. You reached to grab one labelled ‘Earl Grey,’ but it instead flew up and smacked you in the face a couple times before landing in the cup closest to you.

“Sorry about that. They can be a little aggressive,” Discord apologized, yelling over the still-screaming kettle, giggling to himself. You were absolutely dumbfounded at the events of the last twenty minutes, yet Angel, who was sitting next to you, looked unfazed. After pouring his own cup of tea and teleporting the kettle and heating plate away, Discord folded his leg and turned towards you.

“So, Anon, you’re a pretty quiet fellow, even quieter than Fluttershy. But please, tell me about yourself.” You sat silently, apprehensively considering his request. Discord sipped his tea carefully, and smiled at you.

“Is something wrong? I assure you, I won’t judge you- just look at me,” he assured, gesturing to his body. “I’m certainly not one to go about judging others. Go ahead, speak up.”

You spoke in your usual garbled mess, albeit quieter than normal. I can’t speak properly. Discord leaned forward, his ear craning comically towards you.

“Come again?”

You let fly more gibberish, now audible. I. Cannot. Speak. Properly. You fought to keep your head up, suddenly self-conscious. Discord hesitated for a moment, and laughed to himself.

“Silly me, I haven’t brushed up on my Human-ese in a long time. Let’s see, umm…”

He then started speaking in a strange language, not just a mess of sounds like you, but you still didn’t understand. You began to argue with him, and the conversation went nowhere quickly. You were slowly becoming frustrated, while Discord only grew more amused with each passing minute. Angel’s expression turned from apathy to annoyance after only a few minutes of the unintelligible exchange, and he fished the whiteboard and marker out of your pocket and thrust them into your hands. He made a zipper-like motion across his lips in irritation.

“Oh, how delectably confusing!” Discord exclaimed, making a kissing motion to his fingertips. “I can’t understand a single thing you’re saying. I can’t understand a single thing I’m saying, for that matter.” You sighed, mentally exhausted. You had a mild headache from attempting to speak for such a long time, and sipped your tea in the hopes that he wouldn’t prompt you for more.

“Well, I suppose I could tell you a bit about myself, then,” he began, setting his cup down. “I am a draconequus, and am the living embodiment of chaos in Equestria. I used to be a real pain for ponies around here, but after I became friends with Fluttershy, and in turn with her friends, I do what I can to help out. I’ve even helped save the world a few times.” He spoke with an air of grandeur that had you wondering just how much of his biography wasn’t exaggeration, and how good of friends he was with Fluttershy.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed my magical abilities already, but I can do so much more than teleport and create things from thin air. Why, I even came up with a way to transport things from separate dimensions! I come here from my own little pocket dimension all the time,” he continued proudly. You recalled Twilight’s story, and the idol that she and Celestia had found when you first arrived. You hastily doodled it as best as you could remember, and turned your whiteboard to him.

“Oh, I recognize that, yes! I was trying to get in touch with humans when I misplaced it. How do you-” Discord’s rambling halted, and he blinked at you once. His expression faded into mild embarrassment, and he slapped his forehead.

“Right. If you’re here, that means the idol’s been found. Which means I’m probably going to get an earful from Celestia-”

“DISCORD!” You heard Twilight’s voice outside the front door, which glowed bright purple and opened itself to allow her entrance. She barged in hastily, sliding to a stop when she saw the two of you sharing tea.

“... or her faithful student, Princess Twilight.”

“Wait, were you expecting me?” she asked quizzically.

“You could say that, yes. Anon here just informed me that the human idol I created is the reason he’s here,” Discord replied in a dull tone of voice. “Do you happen to know who activated it?”

“That would be… me, actually,” she sighed. “I’m sorry for barging in, I just noticed that Anon was exposed to a high amount of magical activity, and thought something was wrong.” You reached for the choker around your neck. The gemstone was surprisingly warm, and your fingertips tingled as you touched it. Discord looked back to you and the choker, then back to Twilight.

“I see. I was wondering what that little trinket was for. Why keep an eye on him, though? He’s as harmless as Fluttershy is.” Discord asked before taking another drink from his cup.

“The last humans that came to Equestria destroyed an entire village and its inhabitants, that’s why,” Twilight retorted. Discord spat out his drink, and hastily spawned a towel that began to clean up the mess on its own.

“That’s terrible! Why wasn’t I told about this?” Oddly enough, to you, Discord seemed genuinely shocked. He had planned to bring humans here, but didn’t anticipate what would have happened when they arrived. You started to believe that there was truth to his story of good intentions towards Fluttershy and the other Elements.

“It happened a few decades after you were imprisoned, and Celestia removed all traces of humans after she exiled them all to the dragon lands, where they perished,” she replied. “Now we need your help to send Anon back home and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“Unfortunately, Twilight, I can’t help you, as much as I would like to,” Discord murmured. “I honestly don’t remember how to send things back to his world, it’s been so long.”

“What do you mean, you don’t remember? You take things to and from your own dimension all the time, even ponies!”

“I just don’t. I’ve never actually done it myself before, save for my home and Equestria. I created my idols as a locus for magic, but without them, there’s nothing I can do.” While Discord and Twilight bickered about the idol, you saw movement outside the window by the door. Fluttershy had returned from her trip, and looked inside with concern. She pushed open the door, which creaked loudly, drawing all attention in the room to her. Her ears flattened a bit as she closed it behind her.

“Sorry to interrupt everypony, I just heard voices from outside, and I wasn’t expecting company,” she mumbled. Discord opened his arms wide, motioning her towards him.

“No problem at all! I came straight here to see you after I came home, and you’re just the pony I wanted to see,” he cheered, giving her a tight hug. “Although, Anon here was kind enough to let me be his company in your stead.” Fluttershy grinned sheepishly at you.

“Ah, I see. I hope you weren’t too frightened or anything. Discord can be… eccentric at times. No offense,” she remarked.

“None taken.” Twilight cleared her throat, and approached Fluttershy.

“I’m glad that we’ve all reunited, but I have some news I wanted to pass on, some that you and Anon might be happy to hear,” she began. You leaned forward attentively.

“Princess Celestia and Luna have reviewed the data I’ve collected from Anon since he’s arrived, and they’ve decided that, so long as one of the Elements stays with him, he is welcome to move about Ponyville as he wishes, in the public eye.” Twilight announced happily. You felt your heart swell, and Fluttershy gasped excitedly.

“That’s great! What made them change their minds?”

“After seeing how considerate and hardworking he was, Luna and I managed to convince Celestia that he was worth trusting. She studied the information you provided carefully, and felt that it would be worth giving humans a second chance, since Anon is the only one here in Equestria.” Twilight gave you a polite nod, and Discord applauded you, accompanied by the appearance of several floating copies of his hands.

“What do you say, Fluttershy, want to give him a tour of the town? See the sights?” he suggested. Before Fluttershy could respond, Twilight held out her hoof in front of her.

“No, you’re still coming with me, as I said before. Celestia needs your help with the idol, and you’re the only one who understands how it works.”

“Well, I don’t know if ‘understand’ is the right word,” he replied nonchalantly. Twilight shot him a fiery glare, and he looked to you and Fluttershy in desperation.

“I don’t know, this sounds pretty important. I think you should go, just to see what you can do to help.” Fluttershy mused.

“Et tu, Fluttershy?” he sighed in defeat. “And even if I do help, have you asked how he feels about going home? He seems pretty comfortable here,” he whined, gesturing to you with his paw. All three of them cast one another uncertain glances, but remained quiet. Despite your small victory, the thought of being sent back to the world you didn’t even remember didn’t sound like the best plan of action; you’d already been flung into this one, and Discord was right- you had been growing used to it, even after just five days’ time. Twilight sighed, and approached you.

“Look, I know that it’s nice here in Equestria, and I believe that you want to help ponies here, but we don’t know for certain what effects it or anything in it will have on you. I can’t guarantee that you’ll even be able to go back, but we have to find a way so that you at least have a choice, okay?” There was reason to Twilight’s words, and you gave her a half-hearted nod of agreement.

“Alright. Just hang in there, Anon. We’ll keep in touch.” After exchanging nods with Twilight, Discord snapped one last time, and he, Twilight, and the entire tea set disappeared.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind giving you a tour of Ponyville, if you’d like,” Fluttershy piped up, breaking the awkward silence hanging in the room. “It’s a lovely day out, and I’d be happy to go for a walk with you.” You weren’t certain how to respond, still dazed from the rapid change of events that had occurred. Sure, you were happy that your plan to gain Celestia’s trust had worked out, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that it would soon be for naught, once Twilight and the princesses found a way to send you back to Earth. Fluttershy noticed you spacing out, and laid her head on your knee to get your attention, looking up at you with gentle eyes.

“It’s going to be alright, Anon. I know things have probably been moving quickly for you, too quickly for anypony to handle, but I believe that things will turn out alright,” she said reassuringly. You lifted your palm to her cheek, and her expression radiated warmth. Once again, you found yourself instantly calmed by those big, teal-blue eyes; you didn’t get why or how she did it, but you couldn’t be bothered to think about it. Her consideration for you was enough. You rose to your feet, and you felt a warm tug on your hand. You looked down to see Angel hanging from your fingers by his front paws, and you curled your hand to allow him to climb up into your palm. Fluttershy gasped as he turned away from her embarrassedly.

“Did you want to come with Anon too, Angel?” she asked with a soft giggle. He gave her a curt nod and tapped on your wrist, gesturing upwards. You lifted your arm a bit, and Angel scurried up your arm onto your shoulder, holding onto your ear as he made himself comfortable. Surprised as you were, it was nice to see that he had warmed up to you, even if he didn’t want Fluttershy to notice. You smiled contentedly at her, and strode over to the cottage door to head outside. A cool breeze blew past you, causing Angel to grip your ear tightly, though not hard enough to hurt. You heard Fluttershy shut the door behind you, and you followed her across the short bridge and onto the path that led to Ponyville’s center.

Quiet minutes passed as you continued farther and farther away from the cottage, and the town appeared in view as you passed the top of a large hill. Faint, colorful figures passed back and forth, occasionally stopping to talk to one another in the midday sun. Initially you had been pretty excited to leave the safety of the cottage, but on seeing the town at a closer distance, anxiety started settling in the bottom of your stomach. Fluttershy noticed your hesitation, and turned around to face you, still smiling sweetly.

“Remember Anon- it’s going to be okay. Sure, you’re new to Ponyville, and ponies might give you a few strange looks, but I’ll be right here with you to make sure nopony bothers you.” She booped your hand with her snout, and resumed walking down the hill towards the town. You took a deep breath and exhaled before following her, ignoring the butterflies in your stomach. After a few more minutes of walking, you both reached the edge of town, where Fluttershy stopped at a bridge above the mouth of the creek that passed by the cottage.

“First, if you look over to your left, that big building there is Carousel Boutique, where Rarity lives and works. As I told you before, she makes clothing for all kinds of ponies, and even runs her own fashion lines; I’ll bet, once you get to meet her, she’d be willing to make you some new clothes, so you don’t have to keep washing the same set every day.” You paid close attention as Fluttershy spoke. The building absolutely exuded an aura of fanciness and regal style that raised doubts that any pony working there would be interested in simple clothing like t-shirts and jeans. Still, you assumed, Fluttershy would know better.

“Unfortunately, she’s still coming back from Manehattan from her most recent show, but she should be arriving tomorrow,” she continued. “We can try talking to her then. For now, I think we should go visit Pinkie Pie, I’ll bet she’d love to meet you. Sugarcube Corner is just down the street.”

You made considerable effort to avoid the curious stares of ponies in the town as Fluttershy led you to her destination. Every now and again, she would give a gentle greeting to some passersby, to which they would respond without taking their eyes off of you. Most of them retained their smiles or returned to their original task within a few moments, though, and you started to realize that the town residents were about as laid-back as Fluttershy has previously suggested. Perhaps her expertise in taking care of animals of all kinds was well-known, and they only viewed you as some exotic creature under her care. You snorted, realizing that was pretty much the exact situation you were in. You came to an abrupt halt as a mint-green unicorn bounded up to you, smiling in awe.

“Whoa! I’ve never seen one of these before! Fluttershy, what is this?” she asked.

“Oh, hi Lyra. This is Anon, he’s what we call a ‘human,’ that came to Ponyville recently after… an accident,” Fluttershy explained. “He’s very kind, and he helps me out at my cottage. He actually built the birdhouse I brought you yesterday.” Lyra let out an odd, amused gasp of amazement, looking you up and down, before fixating on your hands.

“Oh, he’s got claws? But they look so soft!” Lyra exclaimed.

“No, he has‘hands,’ and the parts on the outside are called ‘fingers.’” Fluttershy laughed. You couldn’t help but crack a grin as the unicorn looked up at you expectantly.

“Mr. Anon, c-could I touch your hands? Is that okay?” You looked at Fluttershy in bewilderment, who returned the expression with a shrug. You held out your palm for Lyra, fingers outstretched, and she gently rubbed them with the edge of her hoof, cooing like a curious child. Quickly, she gave you her thanks and sprinted off past you and Fluttershy, leaving you almost as confused as you had been with Discord.

“I… I honestly wasn’t expecting that to happen,” Fluttershy remarked. “But see? You’ve only been in Ponyville for a few minutes, and ponies already like you.”

You laughed nervously, internally debating whether or not being ostracized by ponies would be better than more introductions like Lyra’s. Fluttershy continued to help you familiarize yourself with the town as you both walked, mostly shops and houses of a few ponies she was familiar with, until you finally reached Sugarcube Corner. As Fluttershy opened the door ahead of you, deep down, you hoped that your day wouldn’t end anywhere near as strangely as it had began.

Author's Note

After writing this chapter, I modified the chapter titles to reflect the passing of time in the story. Hopefully it won't become too confusing.

Chapter 7 - Day 5 pt. 2

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! How can I help-”

The sound of rapid hoofsteps behind you distracted you from the shopkeeper’s greeting, although not nearly as much as being suddenly bowled over when you turned around to its source. A pink blob smothered your face while it send you sliding on your back across the floor, gently bumping your head against the counter as you came to a stop. You grasped the suffocating object and lifted it high up to discover a giggling, cherubic pink Earth pony in your hands.

“HI! You must be new here! My name’s Pinkie Pie, what’s yours?” she bubbled, her cotton candy-like mane bobbing as she spoke.

“Pinkie! How many times have I asked you not to come barreling into the shop?” scolded the shopkeeper, who approached the two of you in irritation. “You’ll run into customers, doing that!”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Cake,” Pinkie whined. The mare in your clutches went slack, frowning in shame. Pinkie Pie’s regretful baby-blues locked onto you, making your chest tighten. You quickly set her to the side and got back up to your feet, brushing dirt off of your clothes in an attempt to avoid eye contact again. At first, Fluttershy and Apple Bloom seemed like the only ponies who made you fear for your heart health, but you were quickly realizing that the potential danger of any upset pony face was very real.

“Don’t apologize to her, Pinkie,” Fluttershy interjected, trotting up to you in concern. “You should apologize to Anon, you both could have gotten seriously hurt!”

“I really am sorry, but as I was coming back, my tail went all wink-wonk, and I just knew somepony new had come!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her fluffy tail kinking for emphasis. Somehow, she had known about your arrival, even though Twilight and Discord were the only ones who should have. Fluttershy had mentioned that Pinkie Pie could be eccentric at times, but you hadn’t expected her to be psychic. Still, it wasn’t the strangest thing you’d experienced all day.

“Anon, this is Pinkie Pie, a friend of mine that I wanted to introduce to you to. She’s one of the best bakers I know, along with Mrs. Cake, here,” Fluttershy explained. The blue mare behind the counter smiled bashfully before turning her attention back on Pinkie.

“Did you remember the delivery receipt?” Mrs. Cake asked expectantly.

“Uh-huh!” Pinkie walked towards her and comically pulled a small slip of paper out of her poofy mane. Mrs. Cake looked as startled as you probably did, and took the receipt, slipping it into a drawer under the register.

“Right. Well, you’ve got another delivery to make in a few minutes, so make sure you’re not late,” Mrs. Cake remarked, checking a list on the clipboard hanging from the doorway near the counter.

“I suppose it would have been better if we had come when you weren’t busy,” Fluttershy commented. “But would it be too much trouble to get Anon a sample of one of your treats? I didn’t bring any bits with me, this was kind of a last-minute visit.”

“Sure!” Pinkie chirped, bouncing past you to a nearby shelf of baked goods. “Any friend of Fluttershy’s is a friend of mine, even if I have absolutely no idea who they are!” You looked down to see Fluttershy giving you an amused grin while Pinkie rummaged through the wrapped treats. Pinkie Gave a hearty ‘a-hah’ once she selected one, a basket with bright blue-iced cupcake larger than your fist inside. She held it out to you by the handle in her teeth, and prodded your stomach with her snout when you hesitated taking it from her. You signed your thanks to her and took the basket by its bottom. You carried your gift over to a nearby table and started unwrapping the paper around the cupcake. You felt a little guilty for having such a large “sample,” but your growling stomach convinced you it was worth overlooking. Pinkie Pie’s expectant stare bore into you as you took your first bite.

“So, what do you think? How is it?”

Though you had only taken a small bite, the cupcake was the sweetest, most blissful thing you’d ever eaten in your life. Pinkie’s words melted away in your mind as you grumbled euphorically over your next mouthful. The cake was moist, spongy, and tasted like heaven, if heaven were made of angel-food cake, blueberries, and the dreams of young foals. The buttercream icing was smooth and rich, and you felt like you could eat an entire barrel of it, if you were given the chance. For several seconds, you reveled in the sugar-induced high, before opening your eyes to see Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie chuckling to themselves.

“I think that means he likes it,” Fluttershy joked. “From what I’ve seen so far, humans have a real sweet tooth.”

“That’s great! I’ve got a super-duper secret project I’ve been working on, and Nonny would be perfect for it!” Pinkie replied, making you cease devouring your meal for a moment.

“‘Nonny?’”

“You know, A-non, Nonny? I thought it was a good nickname.”

“I guess so. ‘Nonny and Pinkie’, huh?”

“It sounds good, right? But it might sound better like ‘Pinkie and Nonny’.”

You continued to focus on the cupcake as they both chatted, until all that was left was crumbs. Seeing the two ponies caught up in conversation, you took the opportunity to get a good look at the interior of the bakery. The shelves along the walls were lined with all sorts of cakes, cookies, candies, and even party decor; while much of what was on display was edible, the lack of tables and booths told you that the shop probably ran mostly on catering and party events. The decorations you had seen on the outside of the shop made it stand out like a sore thumb in comparison to the rest of the town, but at least they seemed to fit what seemed to be the shop’s only real employee.

“Well, I suppose Anon and I should get going, so you can get back to work. We still haven’t finished our trip yet,” Fluttershy announced before getting up from her seat at the table.

“Wait, can I come?” Pinkie Pie asked, drawing a confused hum from Fluttershy.

“What about your delivery?”

“You can follow me, and talk to Anon about Ponyville on the way!”

“That’s not exactly you coming with us, but I suppose that would work.” You weren’t certain, but for a brief moment, you swore that there was something strange about Fluttershy’s tone.

After a polite yet stern lecture from Mrs. Cake, Pinkie led you and Fluttershy out across town for her delivery- a large, inconspicuously wrapped box of frosted cookies. The order had specifically asked that the delivery be as subtle as possible, as it was a surprise gift that the customer didn’t want spoiled. You had politely offered to carry the box for Pinkie, who was more concerned about introducing you to passersby than being discrete in any form or fashion. Fluttershy, patient as ever, took every opportunity between the Earth pony’s ramblings to talk about the various shops and attractions the small town had to offer.

“And this shop belongs to Ponyville’s florist, Roseluck! Most of the flowers she sells aren’t for eating, but she-”

“ROSELUCK!” Pinkie interrupted, once again startling you, as well as a nearby mare whose raspberry-colored hair stood on end. “Have you met Anon?”

“Do you mean him?” Roseluck asked, pointing towards you. “I saw him earlier today with Lyra. She wouldn’t stop talking about him and his ‘hands.’ I was about to go find her, actually.” The cream-colored pony flashed you a polite smile and turned to walk away.

“Oh, okay! Sorry to bother you!” Pinkie called out before turning to you. She stepped close to you and craned her neck beneath the box in your hands.

“What are you doing?” Fluttershy asked, leaning her head down to meet hers.

“I’m checking out Anon’s hands, silly! I want to know what Lyra thought was special about them.” Chills went up your back as you felt her breath on your fingers, and you stood stock-still, not uncomfortable but very confused.

“This isn’t really the time, is it? You might be late for your delivery,” Fluttershy argued, her wings shifting uneasily.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine!”

“But…”

“It’ll just be a second.”

You couldn’t recall seeing Fluttershy look or sound as uncomfortable as she did then, although you had no idea why. Maybe she was concerned about Pinkie making a scene; the three of you were standing out in the open, and you naturally drew stares from ponies walking by anyway. You balanced the box in one hand and set the other on Fluttershy’s head, hoping to reassure her in the only way you knew how.

“Wha-!” Fluttershy yelped, freezing as you ruffled her mane with your fingers. Her head immediately jerked down to face the ground, her ears folding back in embarrassment. You leaned forward to try and see her face, which she hid behind her mane. Pinkie watched you with curiosity, and started bobbing up and down in place excitedly.

“Ooh, do me next, do me next!” she begged, presenting the crown of her head to you. Unsurprised by her enthusiasm, you set the box down onto the ground and gingerly set your free hand on her head and started scratching. You felt her push into your palm, and swore you saw one of her back hooves rapidly shudder in place for a second. You looked around the area as you continued to pet the two mares, checking to make sure no one was around, staring. The only sign of any ponies was a glimpse of a seafoam-striped tail that slipped past a building behind you, and you sighed in relief. After a few more seconds, Fluttershy relaxed slightly, and looked up at you with a weak smile.

“Don’t... we have a delivery to finish?” Fluttershy asked quietly. You nodded, while Pinkie Pie only hummed contentedly, stopping when you withdrew your hands and snapped your fingers to get her attention.

“Right! Let’s go~!” Pinkie cheered, turning about-face and holding her hoof out as if she were leading a charge. You picked up the box with another sigh, and resumed your position between the two ponies as they continued walking. As you looked over the various houses and other buildings on the way to your destination, though, you noticed that both Fluttershy and Pinkie were considerably quieter than before. You figured it was better than their awkward attempts at vying for your attention, at least.

You all kept walking through town, and cut through an alleyway to another open square, where you could see a burly, frustrated stallion beside a large cart full of cabbages. Pinkie Pie gasped, and sprinted over towards him, spurring you and Fluttershy to hurry along with her.

“Heya, Patch! We were just coming to see you!” Pinkie shouted, earning a loud hush from the stallion, who looked around frantically.

“Hey, easy on the volume! I said to be discrete, didn’t I?” Patch hissed in a Boston-esque accent. He gave you a stern look, and turned back to Pinkie. “And apparently you don’t know what ‘discrete’ means, given your tall friend over here followin’ you around.” You instinctively opened your mouth to try and set him straight, but stopped short as Fluttershy stepped in front of you.

“Don’t worry about Anon, everypony here is just fine with him around. But what are you doing out here?” Fluttershy interjected. You felt the end of her tail wrap lightly around your calf as she backed up to you a few inches.

“It’s this bum cart,” Patch complained, kicking the cart for good measure. “The rear left wheel’s jammed, and it won’t budge. I was hoping to get home before you showed up so I could get my, uh… package, but it locked up on me and I’ve been stuck here.” As if directed by the universe itself, the wheel promptly loosened itself from the cart with a crack and rolled away. Patch dashed under the edge of the cart, which spilled a few cabbages onto the ground. You felt a twinge of sympathy for the stallion, and set down his package to help lift the cart off of him, hoisting it up with both hands above your head.

“Hey! What’s the big idea, pal?” he snorted, puffing up towards you menacingly.

“Anon’s just trying to help, Patch, don’t worry!” Pinkie interrupted, jumping between you both.

“Pinkie’s right, Anon’s not hurting anypony,” Fluttershy added adamantly. You gave patch a smug grin as he stared you down before standing down.

“Fine, my bad. It’s not everyday you see some friendly giant helpin’ ponies out, though, right?” Patch apologized. “I’m sorry for snappin’, it’s just been a rough day. I’ll show you the rest of the way to my shop, and I can pay you for the delivery.”

Along the way to his shop, Patch informed you that the box was, in fact, for his son, Sprout, who would be coming home from school only a couple hours later. Today was his son’s birthday, and Patch had taken great strides to keep the delivery a surprise, even avoiding Sugarcube Corner altogether, which was in line-of-sight of the school’s playground. He saved up profits from his run-down vegetable shop, mailed his order in and scheduled ahead of time, and even contacted the parents of Sprout’s friends, all so that he could make the colt’s first real birthday celebration special. You had nearly shed a tear after hearing Patch’s story, finally understanding how stressed he must have been, especially as a single father. Like many of the ponies Pinkie had introduced you to earlier in the day, he was initially confused by you communicating via your whiteboard doodles, but, nevertheless, you managed to convey your forgiveness to him.

In the distance, you heard the tolls of the school bell, just moments after helping Patch unload the last few heads of cabbage into his shop’s storage area out back. Pinkie and Fluttershy’s hammering on the cart’s wheel stopped, and the stallion’s ears perked up.

“Sounds like Sprout just started recess. Shouldn’t be long, now,” he commented, grinning in anticipation. After making a final count on his inventory, he shut the rear door of the shop and strode up to you.

“I’d like to apologize again for earlier, and thank you for helpin’ me out.” He lifted his hoof out, which you promptly shook, nodding your head for emphasis.

“We’ve fixed your cart’s wheel, I think,” Fluttershy added, walking up to your side. “Did you need anything else?”

“No, no, I should be fine. To be honest, I wasn’t expectin’ a cart repair service with my delivery, but I suppose I should pay up, now that everythin’s settled.” You and Pinkie pulled the cart out to the front of the shop, and all of you waited patiently after Patched ducked inside.

“So what do you wanna do once we get back to Sugarcube Corner?” Pinkie Piped up.

“Back to Sugarcube Corner? Oh, I was actually thinking of taking Anon back home, since we’ve been out and about all afternoon,” Fluttershy muttered, pawing at the ground. “I’m… actually pretty tired, and we haven’t eaten lunch, either.”

“Oh.” You almost expected to hear the sound of a deflating balloon as Pinkie’s expectant look drooped in disappointment. Milliseconds passed, however, before she brightened once more. “Well, you could always come by later this week. It’s not like we’re going anywhere soon!” You hummed in agreement, and gave her a thumbs-up. Fluttershy started to respond, but was cut off by the shop bell tinkling as Patch exited the shop, carrying two burlap bags in his teeth, which he offered to you.

“Here are the bits for the order, plus a little extra for your help,” he remarked gleefully. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some last-minute errands to run!”

“Have a good day!” Pinkie and Fluttershy shouted as he sprinted off. You opened the first bag, which was full of shiny coins, and handed it to Pinkie Pie. The second, much lighter bag contained a single head of cabbage with a hastily-scrawled thank-you note. Fluttershy’s ears perked up when she saw the cabbage, and she hummed quietly to herself.

“I’m not a big fan of cabbage, but I do know a little bunny that happens to love eating it. Let’s go ahead and take it home, hm?” Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement, snickering cutely as the change in the bag jingled. She waved to you both with a muffled ‘good-bye,’ and walked off towards Sugarcube corner. You gave Fluttershy a quick nod, and you both started off for home as well.

The light walk back to Fluttershy’s cottage turned into a light jog as both of you soon realized just how long it had been since breakfast; any caloric value in that cupcake that Pinkie had given you had probably been burned away by carrying Patch’s cart across Ponyville, and Fluttershy hadn’t eaten anything, save for a small bowl of fruit and yogurt. You practically inhaled the salad she prepared while she fussed over Angel at the dining room table. You’d never expected a rabbit to love cabbage so much. You offered your help, hoping to convince him to finish the tiny pieces of squash in his bowl, but even trying to take them away from him failed; not even reverse psychology could tear his focus away from the remaining carrots and cabbage in the fridge. Fluttershy commended your efforts, even as you walked out of the kitchen in defeat. You spread out across the couch and started doodling various objects in the living room on your whiteboard. Although you were pretty adept at drawing when you came to Equestria, it was still nice to practice on your own without the pressure of communicating to someone else.

“Oh, come on!” a voice suddenly shouted, minutes later. You jumped almost half a foot in the air at the disturbance. Across the living room, Twilight was rubbing her forehead, having appeared out of nowhere and clearly irritated.

“He could have at least sent me back to the castle. I didn’t think I had to specify…” she complained. Fluttershy dashed into the room from the kitchen, gasping when she saw Twilight.

“Where did you come from? I didn’t hear the door open.”

“I asked Discord to send me back to Ponyville, but I had expected him to send me home, not back here,” Twilight grumbled. “I suppose I can make the most of it by starting with you two.”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, cocking her head to the side.

“I’d like to sit down and talk about what the princesses, Discord, and I talked about.” Twilight seated herself in the chair beside you, and gestured for Fluttershy to sit with you. As they were making themselves comfortable, Angel came bounding in and hopped up into your lap, still chewing an overflowing mouthful of cabbage. You set your drawing pad to the side, and leaned forward, elbows on your knees, to give Twilight your full attention. Several sheets of paper appeared in front of her, which she began flipping through while clearing her throat.

“Okay, first off, let’s talk about Discord’s idol,” she began. “Like he said this morning, Discord doesn’t remember the entire process of how he created the idol or how it works, but he does remember some of the process. We’ve concluded that, so long as the idol isn’t exposed to any nearby fluctuations in magic, it won’t activate again. It’s still recharging from when it summoned Anon, so it’s being contained in the palace away from ponies other than the princesses and Discord.”

“Alright. What does that mean for Anon?” Fluttershy asked, seemingly reading your mind.

“If we can jog Discord’s memory on how he made it, he can figure out how to reverse the process… hopefully.” She didn’t sound certain. You gave her a questioning look, raising your eyebrows.

“What I mean is that things with Discord are usually iffy at best. He’s unbelievably powerful, but he’s still like any of us. It’s been centuries since he last saw one of the idols, and I imagine that it will take a while before we see any real progress.” You felt Fluttershy’s tail on you for the second time that day, gently draped across your lower back.

“How long?” Fluttershy’s tone was curt, almost urgent.

“It could be a couple weeks, couple months, maybe even a couple years,” Twilight sighed. “We honestly don’t have a clue. Until then, Celestia suggested that Anon could spend his time helping out Ponyville, if he wants.”

“You mean like when he helped out Applejack and I?”

“Exactly. Of course, you’re more than welcome to stay here with Fluttershy,” she replied coyly, looking at you and back to Fluttershy. “But I think you could be a great help here.” You shifted your gaze from her to the now embarrassed pegasus next to you, whose tail curled back around her.

“I don’t mind…” You were tempted to refuse, but helping out ponies like you had earlier today would probably be better than sitting around in the cottage, drawing all day while Fluttershy went about her own business. You nodded to Twilight for her to continue.

“Well, first off, I thought it would be a good idea for you to get to know our friends here in town, specifically Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. You already helped Applejack a bit before, so that just leaves the others.”

“We went to see Pinkie Pie today, when we were out in town. We helped her with a delivery for a stallion named Patch, and Anon carried his broken-down cart to the shop that Patch owns,” Fluttershy remarked. Twilight’s eyes widened, and she jerked her head towards the window, craning her neck to look outside. After a few seconds of inspection, she sighed in relief, turning back to you.

“Sorry. For a second there, I wanted to make sure Ponyville was in one piece.” You folded your arms and gave Twilight an unamused frown, earning a giggle from her.

“I’m only joking, I promise. I’m glad things went alright for you both,” she laughed. She glanced over her notes again. “If I recall correctly, Rarity should be coming back home tomorrow from her show in Manehattan. I spoke with her earlier this week, and asked her to consider helping you with your clothing situation.” You nodded and signed your thanks, grateful for her consideration. The prospect of not having to rewash your clothes every day was more than welcome, especially if you would be doing work like you had at Sweet Apple Acres.

“Something else worth noting- we’ve created copies of the book you edited, and each of the Elements will be getting a copy. If you’re going to be spending any extended length of time with them, it would help for them to know what to expect.” You instantly recalled Rainbow Dash’s reaction to seeing the book, and felt your heart drop into your stomach.

“That said, don’t worry, Anon, they’re a ‘for-your-eyes-only” copy. I was hoping that I could take some time and annotate the book with you myself, but sometime later. For now, though, we don’t want anypony misinterpreting the information and making unfair judgements about you, so I’ll make sure that only the Elements see what’s inside.” You nodded solemnly, realizing that she had definitely expected your response. Fluttershy looked about as concerned as you felt, although her expression softened in realization.

“That’s good to hear. Anon made a good impression on a few ponies today, I’d hate for them to get the wrong idea about him,” she mused. Twilight magically flipped through her notes one final time before they disappeared in a small flash of light and nodded once, satisfied.

“Alright, that’s actually all I’ve got to say. I should probably head out and let the others know what’s going on, and finish up compiling my notes."

After a satisfying bath later in the evening, you dried yourself off and stepped back into the living room, carrying your choker in one hand. To your surprise, Fluttershy was still on the couch, sprawled out across it and dozing off quietly. The clock read a quarter past ten; it was certainly past Fluttershy’s usual bedtime, and you were feeling pretty drowsy yourself. You set the choker down on the table, and stepped up to the sleeping mare, searching for a way to pick her up without waking her. You considered just waking her up entirely, but you were uncomfortable with the thought of disturbing such an adorable sight; Fluttershy’s mane and tail were spread out and dangling off the edge of the cushions, while her hooves were folded up cutely to her chest. Who else, in your situation, would want to ruin a moment like this? Strangely enough, the urge to rub her exposed belly loomed over you, and you struggled to fight it. Even stranger, you actually considered following through- surely, you thought, she wouldn’t mind, even if she were awake?

Hesitantly, you placed your palm on the center of her stomach, your fingertips gently resting on her coat. No reaction. Slowly, you drew your fingers back and forth in her fur, and froze as her body reactively curled up after a few seconds. She mumbled something happily in her sleep, and arched her back, pressing her stomach up against your palm. Your chest tightened, and you could feel blood rushing to your cheeks. Part of you, without rhyme or reason, desperately wanted to stay right there, petting Fluttershy until she would inevitably wake up or you would pass out. The rational majority, however, begged for you to withdraw your hand, and you took a deep breath as she feebly squirmed around, seemingly searching for your touch. You sat down on the floor beside the couch, suddenly aware of your rapid heart rate, and took stock of what had just happened.

You, a human, had just given a grown, pastel yellow pegasus tummy rubs while she slept. The opportunity had just presented itself, and you had taken it. You had expected it to feel like petting any other animal would, like with Angel. For whatever reason, it felt much weirder, although you couldn’t pin down why. You mentally slapped yourself and recalled your initial task: getting Fluttershy off the couch and going to bed.

Steeling your nerves, you stood up and faced the couch once more. You delicately slid one arm beneath Fluttershy’s neck and the other around her rear, taking a gentle grasp of her shoulder and flank. As you began to lift the mare into the air, you begged and pleaded with whatever deity existed that she would stay asleep. Carrying her at chest-height, you wrapped your arms around her back and leaned her against your torso as you tip-toed your way across the living area towards her room.

Every second you took trying to ascend the creaking stairs felt like hours. Somehow, Fluttershy was still asleep, although she had begun sleep talking like the night before. She mumbled something unintelligible and reached out with her hoof, gently bumping your cheek a few times. Half-amused, you leaned your neck away from her when she tried stroking your face. Her nose scrunched up while she pawed weakly at the air, and you laughed quietly as you reached the top of the stairs. Opening her bedroom door was a struggle, but after a few tries you managed to get it open without dropping her. You laid her gently on her back onto the bed, careful not to get your arm caught between the pillow and her mane. You had picked up the edge of the folded comforter and started inching it over her body when, much to your chagrin, you saw a pair of half-lidded teal-blue eyes staring down at you.

“Anon…? Am I still dreaming?” Fluttershy whispered. Sensing the opportunity to get away at hand, you nodded slowly, and continued easing the comforter up to her chest. She stopped you with a hoof, however, and gave you a wide smile.

“If this is just a dream, you don’t have to worry about tucking me in, Anon,” she remarked in a sleepy, playful tone. “But you could join me- yawn- if you wanted.” You were considering backing out of the room when what remained of your astonishingly low willpower was extinguished as Fluttershy put on a heart-wrenching pouty face.

“Please?” she whimpered. You didn’t have the constitution to refuse, and hung your head over hers in defeat. She let out a victorious giggle, and reached out to touch your face. You felt the warm, broad pad of her hoof grip your cheek and pull gently to direct your attention up towards her. Your heartbeat throbbed loudly in your ears as you tried to figure out which was more puzzling: her drastic change in attitude towards physical contact with you, or how comfortable you were witnessing it. You stood motionless in the dim, moonlit room, still leaning over Fluttershy, whose drowsy eyes scanned your expression a thousand times over.

The passage of time fell away to the back of your mind, and you felt the strain on your back becoming more difficult to ignore. Not wanting to lose your balance, you propped yourself up with both arms on the bed beside her shoulders, eliciting a quiet gasp from Fluttershy. She shifted back and forth a bit beneath you, and her coy smile started to quiver. She almost appeared as if she was anticipating something. You felt Fluttershy gently tug down on your cheek, and immediately realized what that ‘something’ was.

In the span of a fraction of a second, you managed to focus on a few of the thousands of thoughts and senses that raced through your head: the sound of her breath as she leaned forward; the slick sweat that had built up between her hoof and your burning cheek; most prominently, the complete and utter lack of any resistance by any muscle in your body.

You couldn’t find any hint of discomfort in your mind, even when faced with the blunt realization that you were about to be kissed by a technicolor talking pony you’d only known for four days. That you were completely different creatures. Whatever sense you should have had to pull away from her touch, her gentle prods and other mild displays of affection, had either disappeared the moment she took you in, or never existed in the first place. You couldn’t think of a good reason as to why, but as your lips made contact with hers, you didn’t care in the slightest.

Fluttershy let out a high-pitched hum of content as she dragged you deeper into the kiss, making your hair stand on end. Your eyes drifted shut, and you let your thoughts fade away as you tilted your head slightly and savored the moment. Precious seconds passed as your mouths subtly shifted around one another, until her grip on you began to waver. She released you from her clutches, and let her head fall back to the pillow, breathing heavily.

“You know, Anon, you usually act more surprised in my dreams when that happens.” Your face contorted in shock- just how many times had she dreamed of this situation before?

“Yeah, like that!” she chuckled, before yawning heartily. You lifted one arm as she shifted towards the center of the bed and shot you an expectant look. You crawled beneath the covers, not wanting to disturb her impression that she was still asleep, and laid on your back beside her.

“I kinda... wish this wasn’t a dream, though,” she mused, leaning forward and burying her face between your neck and shoulder. “It feels real, but it’s not. You said so yourself.” You fought to keep a straight face and not laugh at the mare’s sleepy logic, and accidentally let your shoulders quake in a tiny snort.

“Are you alright?” You nodded and dismissed her concern with a gentle wave.

“That’s good. If you don’t mind though, Anon- yawn- I’m still feeling sleepy. I know I said before that you didn’t need to tuck me in, but I think now’s a good time to take back what I said. Is that okay?” You obliged her request, and drew up the comforter over both of you. She stretched for a few moments, squeezing your hand with her upper thighs, before relaxing and leaning her snout against your neck. You closed your eyes and listened while her breathing grew more steady as she drifted off. Sleep sounded like a good plan, you thought, feeling the world around you gradually floating away. Lost in the mix of emotions slowing to a crawl in your mind, you too felt like floating away.

Author's Note

Another update, another late night spent questioning my life choices. :yay:

Chapter 8 - Day 6

When you woke up the following morning, it felt as if you had only slept for a few minutes. You were well-rested, but the events of the previous night were all you could think about. You turned your head and watched Fluttershy, who was quietly snoring on the opposite side of the bed. You pondered your feelings about having humored the “dream” she had that night. On one hand, as a human alone in a world of ponies, dragons, and whatever else existed, the fact that any creature in Equestria would have romantic interest in you was flattering, in a way. On the other hand, you had consciously reciprocated that interest, knowing that you weren’t dreaming. Even if it was just to humor her, you could have easily chosen to not follow-through. You still couldn’t think of a reason why you didn’t. You, could, however, recall the feeling of her soft lips against yours, and wistfully imagined what it would be like if it were to happen again. Not an unwelcome thought, for sure.

You considered reaching over to wake Fluttershy, surprised that the sunshine peeking through the trees outside hadn’t already. But if she thought last night were a dream, you realized, waking up in bed with you now would alert her to the truth. To be honest, you weren’t certain how she would react. You held your breath as you inched one foot off of the bed to the ground, careful not to shake the mattress. Occasionally, the sleeping mare would let out a murmur or two, causing you to freeze, but showed no signs of your escape attempt. After several agonizing minutes spent sliding onto the floor, you crawled quietly towards the door. A quiet squeak startled you as you swung it open, revealing an equally startled Angel, who stumbled forward into your face. He had probably just gotten up, and was here to wake Fluttershy up. You gently pushed him off of your cheek and pressed your index finger to your lips, letting out a quiet hush. Angel silently looked over towards Fluttershy and back to you several times, not quite piecing together the situation.

Within moments, he reached to knock on the door nonetheless, and you barely managed to wedge your palm between his paw and its target. Thinking quickly under his deepening glare, you made a chopping motion with your hands, as one would a knife and cutting board. You were more than willing to make his breakfast a thousand times over if it meant avoiding trying to draw or pantomime an excuse for the night before. Angel seemed to understand, rubbing his stomach and pointing downstairs for confirmation. You nodded rapidly and pushed the door open further. Content with his new personal chef, Angel hopped onto your shoulder and held on tight as you rose to your feet. Rather than deal with the creaking stairs again, you sat on the banister and slid quietly down to the living room. You cupped your hand to your ear and reaffirmed that Fluttershy was indeed asleep, and moved to the kitchen to start preparing Angel’s breakfast.

You gave out a sigh of relief as Angel inspected the tiny slices of carrot on the cutting board, finally satisfied with your sixth attempt at cutting them properly. You glanced over to your whiteboard, propped up against a ceramic jar and covered in tiny doodles of cut carrots. You couldn’t figure out how Fluttershy put up with Angel’s attitude towards having such precise carrot slice thickness. At least he’d had enough patience to demand your whiteboard and marker as to properly teach you how to prepare his meal, and with such pomp, too. The way he waved the marker around like a baton as you tried to copy his drawing had been surprisingly irritating. You slid the slices into a bowl and carried it to the dining room table, where he promptly plopped down and started devouring his food. You hesitated, and he paused halfway through chewing to stare at you impatiently. You swore you heard him sniff as he waved you off curtly. Your mild annoyance was kept at bay by your gratitude towards the baby rabbit; you were worried for a short time that he would give up on you and rush upstairs at any moment. In hindsight, you could have just woken Fluttershy up yourself by pretending to have been downstairs all night, but you were still unsure how she would react to having been carried by you in the first place. As you reached to retrieve your whiteboard, as if on cue, a faint creaking sound came from the other room- the sound of Fluttershy’s door opening. You took a deep breath and exhaled. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Angel give you a brief thumbs-up before stuffing his face with more carrot.

“Anon? Angel? Hello?” Fluttershy called out. Surprisingly, she sounded more curious than concerned. You gave her a short wave from inside the kitchen, beckoning her to come in.

“Oh my, did you make breakfast for Angel? And he’s eating it?” she asked, stupefied. She stepped past you and inspected the bowl of carrots as Angel continued shoveling slice after slice into his mouth. He grumbled in frustration as she went further, looking into his eyes and ears.

“Well, he’s not visibly ill, and he’s eating, so I suppose you were really lucky,” she added with a pleased sigh. “A wonderful night’s rest, and now a break from making breakfast for everypony- this is certainly a lovely start to the day.” You both exchanged smiles as she yawned and stretched her wings, and set about preparing your own meals.

Minutes later, several sharp knocks rang out from outside the front door. You rose from your seat to answer it, giving Fluttershy a polite nod while you gestured for her to continue eating. Oddly enough, you heard muffled arguing behind the door as you reached for the knob.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Twilight?” a familiar voice whined.

“Of course! I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Unsurprisingly, Twilight was the first to greet you when you opened the door. “Good morning, Anon! Are you ready to go?” Go... where?, you thought.

“Who is it?” Fluttershy called out, sticking her head out from the kitchen doorway.

“It’s me and Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied. “We’re picking up Anon so he can spend some time with her, today.”

“Spend time with Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked quizzically. You were equally confused. Just past Twilight, you could see the blue pegasus laying atop a ground-level cloud, lazily watching clouds roll by overhead. You could also see a rope… seemingly tied around the cloud. Was that normal?

“Yeah. Since Rarity just got home, Twilight figured Anon should hang out with me today,” Rainbow Dash explained, sitting up to look at you. “I still have to work, though, so you’ll be following me around on this cloud, here.” You jumped a little when you felt something gently brush your thigh; you looked down to see Fluttershy suddenly beside you, inspecting the cloud.

“But how are you going to do that?” she asked. A tickling sensation went up your leg as you felt the tip of her tail wrap timidly around your ankle.

“Simple- I’ll use my cloud-walking spell on him, like anypony else.” Twilight smiled at you reassuringly as she spoke. You were reminded of your past experiences with her magic, and adjusted the choker around your neck. It was easy to forget that, at any time, anything you did could be observed and recorded. You had conveniently left the choker in the bathroom after your shower the night before, though- at least your ‘moment’ with Fluttershy was still secret.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit, you know, dangerous?” Fluttershy pressed.

“I’ll make sure he’s fine, don’t worry,” interrupted Rainbow Dash, rolling off of the cloud. “Now c’mon, I’ve gotta get busy clearing clouds so I can practice my routine!” You looked down to Fluttershy and patted her head reassuringly. You hadn’t known Rainbow Dash for very long, but if she was anything like the rest of Fluttershy’s friends, you were sure that you would be fine.

After running to the kitchen to retrieve your marker and whiteboard, you gave Fluttershy a thumbs-up before walking out the front door. Twilight’s magic enveloped your whole body as she cast her spell on you, and you couldn’t help but consider Fluttershy’s earlier comment. Still, the opportunity to actually walk on a cloud seemed too good to pass up. You slowly pressed one hand onto the cloud’s surface, surprised that there was, as expected, little-to-no give as you leaned on it with some hesitation. You tested it a couple more times, then clambered on top of the cloud like a rowdy child. It held you up pretty well, sinking only a little under your weight.

“Are we ready to go, now?” Rainbow Dash remarked impatiently, now hovering above you with her hooves crossed.

“Looks like it. Let me get that for you,” Twilight replied, her horn glowing. The rope around the cloud looped over itself a couple feet above your head, tightening into a knot with just enough length leftover for Rainbow Dash to clamp her teeth down on. A gust of air blasted over your head as the blue pegasus bolted into the sky, dragging you and the cloud behind her. You could see your knuckles whitening from the vice grip you had on the cloud, and your chest felt heavy as inertia pinned you to its surface. You imagined the experience would have only been more terrifying if you could actually see the ground. As you considered the appropriateness of silver lining puns, the cloud steadily decelerated, and you could hear Rainbow Dash’s wings slowing down as the sound of rushing air subsided.

“Sorry if I scared you, Anon. Just wanted a little warm-up, you know? Just a short sprint,” she spoke haughtily, dropping the rope beside you. You sat up on the cloud and briefly checked that your body was in one piece, and took a few deep breaths. Rainbow Dash’s grin faltered a bit, and she moved to face you.

“I didn’t actually scare you that bad, did I?” You pinched your finger and thumb together in response- just a little bit.

“You don’t need to worry, though,” Rainbow Dash reassured. “I won’t let anything happen to you while we’re up here. I’ll even go slower for you, too.” Acknowledging your nod of agreement, she gave you a short salute before speeding away towards a nearby patch of clouds.

She sailed straight through them, dispersing them with a barely-audible poof. You had barely registered the action when she banked toward another group of clouds, then another, and another. No matter their size, the sheer force of the air around her whizzing by completely removed any trace of the clouds. You hadn’t paid it much attention when you were on the ground before, but the skies over Ponyville often seemed devoid of any cloud cover, save for the first time you saw it rain. After clearing out the nearby area, Rainbow Dash zoomed back towards the cloud and landed next to you. Her coat was dotted with droplets of water, and you curiously watch her shake the water out of her vibrant mane.

“You look like you’ve never seen somepony clear clouds before,” she snickered, noticing your stare. You shook your head, bemused, earning a gasp from her. “Seriously? Humans don’t control the weather where you’re from? If the weather there’s anything like Equestria, it’s a wonder there are any of you left!” she exclaimed, absolutely dumbfounded. You shrugged, and gripped the cloud once again as Rainbow Dash picked up the rope and carried you towards the space over town. On the ground behind you, you could see the Fluttershy and Twilight still standing outside the cottage. You waved slowly as the distance between you grew, and just barely noticed their waves in return.

Later, you finished rolling up one last tiny cloud-ball in your hands, and gingerly placed it atop your cloud-man. Satisfied with your work, you searched the skies for a familiar rainbow-streaked blur. Rainbow Dash had finished her cloud-clearing minutes ago, and had been kind enough to leave a small one for you to mold and play with before practicing her Wonderbolts routine. Not that you weren’t interested in watching her- keeping up with her was just a challenge. Even when she would fly head-on towards you, the pegasus was almost impossible to track, aside from the faint trail that followed her at high speeds. From the sound of it, the Wonderbolts were pretty similar to those fighter jet shows on Earth, although explaining such a concept to Rainbow Dash had been a fruitless endeavor; the closest thing to jets she knew of were machines akin to biplanes, and she had only half-disguised her disdain for them when she brought them up.

After a few seconds you spotted Rainbow Dash, rocketing high into the atmosphere above you. The trail behind her started to dissipate as she angled herself vertically, until she arced backwards into a stall. You felt strange watching her falling towards you; most of her tricks were at breakneck speeds faster than that. As she continued her descent, you noticed her wings had stopped moving and were limply hanging behind her, and you sprang to your feet on the cloud. Did she blackout from G-forces? Not enough oxygen? Your heart jumped into your throat as you braced yourself to catch her. The first day you had met Rainbow Dash, you’d managed to snag her out of controlled flight once, but from the height she was falling from, you had little faith in your reaction time-

“Sike!” Your body tensed up milliseconds before the pegasus’ body reached you, only for her to whip away from you, perfectly horizontal. You could hear her distant laughter over the wind buffeting you. Seconds later, she returned to your cloud, still amused.

“Man, you should have seen your face,” she guffawed. “You really thought I couldn’t handle a few Gs? I’m no amateur, you know.” You crossed your arms and sat down, unable to convey your annoyance by other means. You tried to imagine what Fluttershy would do in your situation, provided she didn’t pass out in shock. Putting on your best attempt at parental disapproval, you calmly stared Rainbow Dash down. She stopped laughing, but kept her cheeky smile as she gave your shoulder a jab.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Anon. I already told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, right?” Much to her chagrin, you stood firm and unmoving, letting the awkward silence speak for you. She met your stare with some uncertainty, only to step away from you with a standoffish huff.

“Man, it’s only been a few days since I last saw you, and Fluttershy’s already gotten to you,” Rainbow Dash complained. “Do you even do anything fun when you’re at home with her?” You grunted in defense, and pulled out your whiteboard, gesturing towards her with them.

“Drawing? That’s what you call fun?” she asked, resuming her usual cocky grin. “Is there any other ‘fun’ stuff you like to do?” You readied the marker in your hand, only to realize that you, in fact, didn’t do much else. Your short time in Equestria so far had been spent sleeping, drawing, and doing manual labor.

“You don’t do anything else for fun?” she pressed with a devious expression. “I heard from Pinkie Pie and Twilight that you’re pretty close to Fluttershy, though.” You folded your arms again as you gave her a questioning grunt in response. What was she getting at?

“I mean, Fluttershy’s taken care of all sorts of animals, but not any like you before. I don’t remember seeing any of them pet her before, either.” Rainbow Dash’s shift to a more playful tone sent a chill up the back of your neck. “Really makes a mare wonder, doesn’t it?” She had the same expression on her face as she did when she stole Twilight’s book from you the week before, and the way she slowly tiptoed around you was even more unnerving. You’d never done anything untoward to Fluttershy or any pony before, but you had difficulty maintaining a straight face under her impromptu interrogation as memories of the night before flashed in your mind. The mare picked up on your mild discomfort, and paused in front of you.

“Remember the first time we met? When you tried getting back Twilight’s book that I stole away from you?” You cleared your throat and nodded, trying to regain your composure. “That was fun, playing keep away and running around...” She shot you a sidelong glance as she stopped mid-sentence to stretch her toned wings, as if showing off. They were about the same size as Fluttershy’s, but were less fluffy and much more sleek. You would have been tempted to ask permission to touch them, had the topic of conversation been different.

“Then there was the part you caught me...” Rainbow Dash’s voiced trailed off as she made eye contact with you. Her expression had softened, like she was revisiting a fond memory. “You were so gentle then... do you remember what I said to you when we were on the ground, all close together and stuff?” You became suddenly aware of Rainbow Dash inching towards your face, stopping short enough for you to make out some of the details in her magenta-colored eyes. You could even make out the sound of her steady breathing over the gentle breeze washing over you. The image from that day, of her nervous smile quickly looking away from yours as you held her up, was crystal clear in your mind. You had little issue refusing her offer then, but if the same circumstances happened again, you weren’t so cer-

“I said ‘I was just teasing,’” she whispered.

Her mouth contorted as she tried not to laugh, while you briefly considered jumping off of the cloud. Full blush, heart pounding, sweaty palms- you realized just how insane your reaction, as a human, was to the past thirty seconds of being led on by a three-and-a-half foot tall pegasus. Combined with the night before, you were legitimately worried if you had started losing your mind. What was worse, you became vividly aware of the sweat forming beneath the choker on your neck, the one that recorded your actions and emotions. You turned your head absentmindedly towards the edge of the cloud. Seconds passed as you contemplated whether or not you were in some sort of fever dream.

“H-hey! Anon! It was just a joke, I promise!” You felt Rainbow Dash’s warm hoof direct your attention back to her now concerned smile. “And not even entirely a joke, anyway.” You searched her face for any sign she was pressing any further, but she seemed genuine this time.

“Lemme explain. I, uh, overheard about your run-in with Lyra yesterday,” she continued, backing up from you and sitting down. “Well, more like she was freaking out to everypony over ‘the new human’ who had come into town, and I heard her during my lunch break.” You followed her glance towards your hands, which you were casually wiping off on your jeans.

“She wouldn’t stop talking about your hands, a-and how jealous she was of Fluttershy. It got pretty annoying, actually.” One of Rainbow Dash’s wings shifted slightly as she spoke. “But I’ll be honest, it got me thinking about them, too. Like, a lot. It probably sounds really weird, since I’m a pony and you’re not, and you’ve only been here a few days, and-” You stopped her rambling with a raised hand, and simply shook your head.

Ponies’ fascination towards (or fear of) you was expected at this point. You were an alien creature to ponies, and the feeling was mutual, more or less. Why most the ponies you’d met so far were drawn to your hands, though, you weren’t entirely sure. Still, you sympathized with the mare, and offered your hand, palm-up, towards her. Rainbow Dash glanced apprehensively between you and your hand while simultaneously raising her hoof towards you, and daintily grazed your fingertips, sliding down towards your palm and rubbing around it in small circles. Every now and again, you could feel the tickling, velvet-like surface of her hoof grasp the different features of your palm- the knuckles, the heel, and everywhere else. You lost track of time as you both sat silently atop the cloud, letting her feel your hands, even occasionally gripping and feeling her hooves yourself.

Eventually, Rainbow Dash withdrew her hooves, and stared at the cloud surface beneath her. You lowered your head just enough to catch her attention, but she only cleared her throat and lowered her head further in kind. She looked… expectant. You couldn’t quite place what she wanted, and so leaned down farther.

“C’mon, just do it already, Anon.” she grumbled. She adjusted her wings again and sighed as she inched the crown of her head forward. You quickly realized that she was offering it to you. Your hand practically lifted of its own volition to oblige her, but she suddenly snapped back up with a loud groan before it reached its rainbow-colored target.

“Ugh! I want to try, but I feel like… like a pet!” she exclaimed. You couldn’t hold back a wry chuckle, and adjusted your choker with exaggerated movements. She didn’t respond. After a moment of quick thinking, you reached for one of her forelegs. She yelped in surprise but left her leg slack, allowing you to lean forward and bring her hoof to your own head. The heat radiating through your hair to your scalp was a strange sensation, but you still encouraged her to run her hoof along your head. You hadn’t considered being on the receiving end of the gesture before. Rainbow Dash humored you for a short while, before giggling and lifting your head up by your chin.

“I’m not gonna lie, that was weird. But not as weird as I thought.” She closed her eyes as she spoke, and you seized your moment to strike. You quickly plopped a hand atop her head, and started running your fingers through her smooth, thin mane. You paused as you heard the mare whine, self-conscious, yet felt her push back against your palm.

“You... don’t have to stop.” Taking her half-hearted suggestion as an order, you moved to sit beside her and continued combing through her short-cropped mane. For a brief moment, you found it unfortunate that there wasn’t much hair to feel, compared to Fluttershy. Still, Rainbow Dash seemed just as receptive to your touch, especially when you started to scratch behind her ears. She occasionally mumbled to herself and hid her face from your curious eyes, but clearly enjoyed the sensation nonetheless. In moments, however, you noticed her start to tremble, first in her wings and progressing through her whole body. You moved back just in time for her wings to unfurl and send her several feet into the air above you.

“B-break’s over! I need to keep practicing my routine!” she laughed nervously, attempting to wipe the vivid blush from her face. “I’ll be back in a little while!” She took off into the distance without waiting for your response, leaving you with a familiar tightness in your chest.

The remaining part of your morning was completely devoid of Rainbow Dash’s pranks and teasing. You made an entire army of tiny cloud men to keep you company, and Rainbow Dash continued practicing her routine. Eventually, the afternoon rolled by, and you shared a quick lunch with Rainbow Dash that she picked up from town. You weren’t surprised to find that she ate considerably more than you, given her regular, vigorous exercise. You both spent her practice breaks in relative silence, occasionally interrupted by her asking a question about you and what you thought about ponies, Equestria, and the like. Honestly, you didn’t know how you were supposed to feel; everything seemed like some extended dream that you couldn’t wake up from, yet you were motivated to make the best of it all. She seemed to understand how you felt from your simple doodles and pantomime, though, or did a good job of pretending she did. Once she was satisfied with her progress for the day, Rainbow Dash settled herself onto your cloud and sprawled out beside you. You pointed out the wispy cirrus clouds floating high above you, wondering if she had more work to do.

“Those? Nah, those are too high to worry about. I’d freeze if I tried going that far up,” she mumbled, stretching her limbs out dramatically with a yawn. Tempted by the idea of a nap, you copied her position and spread yourself out on the cloud’s surface. You scooted toward the center to avoid any chance of falling off it, bumping gently into Rainbow Dash’s side. No reaction. You craned your neck forward to see that she had instantly dozed off, her face half-buried into a bunched-up area of the cloud. The urge to draw her close to you arose in the back of your mind, but you resisted; while you may have shared a moment of bonding before, Rainbow Dash clearly wasn’t as accustomed to touch as Fluttershy was, and you didn’t feel like pushing your luck.

“Hey, Anon! Rainbow Dash! Is that you?” Twilight’s voice called out from below you. Rainbow Dash let out a low groan, and completely buried her face into the cloud. Within seconds, you saw the lavender alicorn rise up and land onto the cloud.

“Mm mmmf mmmf mmf, mmmmf,” Rainbow Dash grumbled, muffled by the cloud.

“What was that?” Twilight asked with amusement.

“I said, ‘I literally just fell asleep, Twilight,’” the pegasus replied, lifting her head up for a moment to speak before letting it fall back into the cloud with a pomf.

“Right. Well, I thought it was a good time to take Anon home for the day.”

“Wait, already!?” Rainbow Dash’s head bolted upright. “What time is it?”

“About three-thirty.” You watched Rainbow Dash think for several seconds before hanging her head in disappointment. “Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of time to spend with him on your day off,” Twilight added in a sing-song voice.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing at all.” Twilight winked at you briefly before enveloping the cloud with her magic. “If you need to rest, you’re welcome to head home. I’ll take Anon back to the cottage myself.” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to protest, but withheld her reply. After saying her goodbyes, she took off towards town, leaving you and Twilight on the cloud alone. You felt wind brush past your face as the cloud slowly descended towards the Everfree forest, and stood up next to Twilight.

“So, did you have a good day, Anon?” she asked with a cheerful smile. You grunted in agreement. “Good, good. I was originally worried about how things would go between you and Rainbow Dash, but I can tell that you both had a good time.” She kept facing forward as she spoke, not focused on guiding the cloud, but apparently on something else.

“You know, Celestia originally suggested that I should follow you around with everypony else?” Twilight added. “She figured that it would be better for me to be present to help study human behavior better. Personally, though, I think that choker works perfectly.” She met your stunned look, closing her eyes and smiling genuinely.

“I only intend on reporting the important things, though, so don’t worry. Not that you have anything to worry about, that is,” she mused. “There’s nothing wrong with acquainting oneself with others through physical contact, right?” You wanted to agree with Twilight and ignore her perfectly reasonable excuse for her continued spying. But deep down, part of you still questioned her enthusiasm. Twilight’s attitude towards you had shifted dramatically since the first day you showed up, from wary and almost threatening to relaxed and trusting, yet just then she had admitted that she was still observing your every move. You unclasped the choker from your neck and examined the gemstone in thought.

“Speaking frankly, I wouldn’t be heartbroken if you chose not to wear it anymore. But that would mean I’d have to get data from everypony by myself, and you can imagine how difficult that would be.” Twilight turned towards you as she spoke, looking more serious than before. “I know I don’t really seem like the most trustworthy pony to you right this moment, but could I ask you to keep wearing it for now?” You raised an eyebrow and gave her a questioning look- the most pressing thought on your mind was ‘why?’

“I can’t exactly explain why I need you to keep wearing that choker, but I promise you, it’s not just for my own self-gratification. There’s something I’d like to find out for the other princesses, and I need your help to do it. Does that make sense?”

You glanced at the choker and back to Twilight, recalling the initial goal you set when you started living with Fluttershy. You wanted to convince Princess Celestia that you were more than the danger she expected you to be, and Twilight’s research was key to meeting that goal. Getting to leave to cottage with the Elements was certainly a privilege, but it wasn’t the freedom you wanted. That would likely come with time, and allowing Twilight to observe you--for whatever purpose that held--just seemed like the right decision to make. You returned the choker to its home around your neck and nodded sagely to Twilight, who returned the gesture.

“I’m glad you understand, Anon. If everything goes the way I think it will, it’ll make more sense, soon enough.”

Author's Note

After many, many, many delays and hasty editing sessions, I'm happy to be back with another update. I've also got an announcement that might cheer some of you up- I will be participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) all November, and intend to work on Speak From the Heart for that duration. You can keep up with my progress by clicking this sentence. For those of you who don't know, Nanowrimo is a novel-writing competition (albeit other writing forms, like fanfiction) that takes place during the month of November, where writers aim to write 50,000 words in the span of 30 days.

You're reading that right- I intend to write 9-10 chapters' worth of story in just over four weeks. I can't guarantee that I'll keep up that pace after November (read: I cannot)), but I hope that you all enjoy it nonetheless.

Chapter 9 - Day 7

“D’awww, look at you two. You’ve become like two peas in a pod, and in such a short time, too.” Fluttershy’s soothing voice sailed down from the staircase, gently lifting you from your slumber. You were immediately aware of a light, warm weight on your stomach. You barely opened your eyes to see Angel sleeping peacefully, curled up with his face burrowed into a bunched-up section of your shirt. Having to return to your usual spot on the couch downstairs had been pretty disappointing, but seeing Angel continue warming up to you was a pleasant surprise.

“You’re more than welcome to go back to sleep, Anon,” Fluttershy whispered as she approached the chair behind you. “It’s still early. I just woke up, and wanted to watch the sunrise.” You nodded slowly, and closed your eyes. Sleep was tempting, but you instead willed yourself to stay awake, thinking about your plans for the day.

Twilight had mentioned when she took you home that she intended on visiting Rarity, who had been busy studying your “edited” diagrams of human fashion since she returned to Ponyville. Hearing much was exciting- the wait to hear back from Twilight and Fluttershy’s friend was less so. Still, a new change of clothes would be fantastic, if not just spare undergarments, would be well worth your patience, provided you didn’t have any drastic wardrobe malfunctions between now and then. You imagined what Fluttershy’s reaction to that kind of situation might be, and stifled the laugh that rose up in your chest. It was even more amusing to think about when you considered ponies didn’t seem to wear clothes often. You recalled seeing a few mares wearing various garments and accessories when you visited Pinkie Pie, but they didn’t appear inclined nor opposed to however much one another were wearing. That a renowned seamstress would live in a town nearly devoid of a fashion scene, full of ponies without much obvious concern for clothing, definitely struck you as odd.

Eventually, your curiosity got the better of you, and you looked around for your whiteboard, on the table next to the staircase where you had left it the previous night. You carefully scooped up Angel from your stomach and got up to lay him down into his own bed. He whimpered when the cool living room air surrounded him, but let out a sigh of content once you tucked him in.

“I never thought I’d see the day when Angel would let somepony other than me tuck him in,” Fluttershy commented. You turned to see her relaxing in her chair, watching you with an almost motherly smile. “It’s wonderful to see that he’s so comfortable with you now. He won’t even let most ponies touch him, especially when he’s only just met them.” You shrugged sheepishly- you couldn’t remember if you had been good with animals before you came to Equestria, but if a tiny, sassy bunny would befriend you before anyone else, there was probably something about you that he preferred over ponies that weren’t Fluttershy.

Once you retrieved your whiteboard, you sat back down on the couch and started drawing. You wanted to know more about Rarity, and showed Fluttershy your doodle of a needle, some thread, and a nondescript silhouette of a unicorn, along with a few question marks. Fluttershy studied your drawings for several seconds, unsure of how to respond. You quickly drew her silhouette next to the unicorn’s, with tiny hearts above both of them.

“Oh, oh, are you wanting to talk about Rarity?” she asked eagerly. You nodded, and saw Fluttershy gently pump her hoof to herself with a hushed yes!.

“Okay, let’s see. I showed you where she lives a couple days ago, and I told you what she does for a living, what else is there to say? I know that’s she’s lived in Ponyville most of her life, although she’s always talking about how lovely Canterlot is. I’ve never really asked, but I think the reason she stays here is that she wants to stay with her friends that live here, too.” Such a simple, heartwarming reason put a smile on your face.

“Ah! Not only is she my friend, she represents the Element of Generosity. She holds herself to a pretty high standard, but she always puts the needs of others first, even if it means getting dirty. That’s probably the one thing she dislikes the most,” Fluttershy explained, giggling softly at the end of her thought. “I don’t like seeing her distressed, but her reaction to getting dirty can be a teensy tiny bit funny. Sometimes. Don’t judge her on that, though, she’s still a very professional pony that I think you’d get along with well.”

As beams of morning sunlight stretched across the living room floor, you thought about how interesting meeting Rarity would be. You didn’t feel like asking any more questions, as hearing responses from the mare herself sounded like a better idea than getting them second-hand. Instead, you spent the rest of the early morning practicing your drawing while accompanied by Fluttershy, who moved over to the couch to watch. A breakfast of fruit and nuts soon followed, and you eventually grew bored of drawing. You remembered the birdhouses you worked on with Fluttershy, and expressed your interest in making more, only to be politely dissuaded by her.

“I’m sorry, Anon, but I think we may have actually made too many birdhouses before. I finished taking the rest to ponies in town yesterday, and I still have a few extras, even after putting ones nopony wanted up in public areas,” she murmured. “Besides, I was planning to tend to the garden today, anyway. You’re more than welcome to join me, if you’d like.” You nearly jumped at the opportunity to do something productive when Rainbow Dash’s words from before sprang forth in your mind.

‘You don’t do anything else for fun?’

You had quickly gotten over her teasing before, but those words struck home- you didn’t really do much other than work around the cottage and draw. You hesitated to respond to Fluttershy, and just as you were going to oblige, she put a hoof of your thigh, stopping you.

“You know, you don’t have to come out and work with me, if you don’t want to. I certainly appreciate the help, but you’re not obligated to do every little chore around the cottage.” Her words, while genuine, didn’t help solve your problem. Still, you couldn’t bear to argue with her when she was trying to be kind to you. You left her to her work and plopped down onto the couch once more with a sigh. A few short tugs on the cuff of your jeans startled you, and you looked down to see Angel staring up at you with his arms outstretched. You lowered your palm down to the floor and lifted him up to your eye level. He made a throwing motion with both hands and pointed towards his basket bed. On the floor beside it sat a red rubber ball, no wider than your thumb. You figured anything was better than just sitting around doing nothing, and scooted down onto the floor to play with him. What you weren’t prepared for, as you watched him scamper over and snatch up the ball in his paws, was just how competitive Angel could be. He lifted the ball over his head and hurled it towards the ground, sending it flying towards your face. You managed to duck out of the way in time and let it careen into several objects in the room. It was unbelievably bouncy, and you were certain even Fluttershy could hear its rapid collisions--ponk ponk ponk ponk--outside. In one swoop, you deftly snatched it out of the air, and looked nervously towards Angel to take your turn. You gave the rubber ball a light, underhanded toss, sending it pattering across the floor to its unamused receiver. Angel smiled devilishly, and wound up his arm for another go, this time aimed directly at you. Minutes later, a few knocks on the front door interrupted your impromptu dodgeball match. You counted your blessings as you rose to answer it.

“Hey Anon, how are- a-are you okay, Anon? What are those welts on your face from?

Carousel Boutique looked much flashier up close than it did when you saw it for the first time; ‘posh’ couldn’t even begin to describe it. Twilight stepped to the side of the front door and used her magic to open it for you, ushering you inside. You were dumbfounded by the elegant and vividly purple interior, full of dress displays, mirrors, and even a small stage. On that stage was what looked like a completely white mannequin donning ordinary clothing. What really set the mannequin apart from the rest in the room, though, was the fact that it was distinctly human in shape. You felt strangely drawn to it, not sure how or why it looked so realistic.

“Hello? Is that you, Twilight?” you heard a voice call from beyond a door across the room. The sound of hoofsteps echoed through the boutique, and out emerged a porcelain-white unicorn sporting a luxurious, indigo-colored mane. “And you’ve brought Ponyville’s newest wonder, perfect.”

“‘Where did you hear that from, Rarity?” Twilight snorted. A newspaper cloaked in light-blue magic hovered up to the two of you as Rarity trotted over to greet you.

“Local media, of course! The paparazzi are absolutely ablaze with curiosity as to who and what our guest is,” Rarity replied, lowering the newspaper and facing you. “And where are my manners? My name is Rarity, Twilight’s friend and owner of this establishment. You must be the dear Mr. Anon Twilight has told me so much about.” You felt the compulsory urge to bow and offer your hand to the mare, in which she placed her hoof with a light chuckle.

“Now who taught you how to properly greet a mare?” she complimented, bowing her head in kind.

“It wasn’t me, I can say that much. Was it Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. You released Rarity’s hoof and shrugged, ignoring the headache building in your temples. It had been more instinct than anything else, you didn’t remember ever being taught.

“I suppose it’s a mystery to everyone here, then. In either case, I’d like to take a few measurements, if you’re comfortable with it, Mr. Anon.” You nodded in approval, and followed her up to the stage where the mannequin stood. Multiple objects floated into the air around you- measuring tape, a clipboard, a pencil, and a small leather-bound book.

“Nopony else has seen that book, right?” Twilight asked, a hint of worry rising in her voice. You assumed it was one of the copies Twilight mentioned of your edits to Celestia’s original notes on humans.

“Certainly not. I usually keep it upstairs when I’m working on orders, but I do take it out on occasion to study when I have the time. Anon--may I call you Anon?--hold your chin up for me, darling.” Rarity watched carefully as the tape wrapped around your neck just above your choker, and scribbled onto the clipboard. “Next, please hold your arms out to your side.” You did as you were instructed, observing the mare as she paced around you to study your body and measure your arms.

“Your drawings weren’t far from their mark, it seems. Are you an artist, perhaps?” she inquired, floating the tape around the barrel of your chest while scanning one of the book’s pages. She paused at your silence for a moment, before suddenly putting a hoof on her forehead in realization. “How rude of me, I forgot that you’re not able to speak! My sincerest apologies.” You shook your head and hummed reassuringly as the measuring tape wrapped around your waist.

“I don’t know about him being an artist, but he is pretty talented at drawing,” Twilight interjected. “Most of the time, he carries around a whiteboard and marker Fluttershy gave him, and he gets by pretty well without being able to talk.”

“You don’t say? I should like to see your talent for myself sometime. Maybe you could spend some time drawing me, if you’d like,” Rarity hinted with a playful wink. You cursed your rice paper-thin composure as you felt blood rush to your face. The mare chuckled again, and returned to her measurements. “I’m only joking, I assure you. If you would spread your legs, please.” You knew what she meant, but that didn’t stop your body from stiffening immediately as in a knee-jerk reaction. Rarity made eye contact with you as the measuring tape snaked up your leg, still smiling.

“Don’t worry, darling, I’m only measuring your inseam. This will be but a moment, and then you’ll be finished, alright?” You maintained eye contact with Rarity for several quiet seconds, neither of you flinching the entire time. You nodded slowly, and widened your stance, allowing the tape to reach the edge of your crotch for mere seconds before it floated away. “See? Not so bad, now was it?”

“So tell me, what are ponies saying about Anon, all hype notwithstanding?” Twilight asked, skimming over the newspaper.

“Well, most of what I’ve heard in my short time home seems to be somewhat neutral. A few ponies are worried, but given that he was seen with Fluttershy, nopony seems terribly concerned about him. A certain… eccentric mare, in fact, seems quite enamored with him.” Instantly, you knew from Rarity’s comment exactly who she was referring to.

“Do you mean Lyra? Fluttershy mentioned that before.”

“The one and only. But you should know, Anon, she’s not the only one interested in you,” Rarity replied, a curious tone overtaking her voice. She glanced up at you with her azure eyes and smiled at you coyly. “Twilight has told me that you exhibit pretty extreme strength compared to most stallions, but you are still capable of a gentle touch. A mare such as myself could certainly use someone like that around here, as most of my work is done alone-”

“Rarity!” gasped Twilight, who noticed your face steadily tilting towards the floor. Rarity laughed heartily and waved her hoof at you and Twilight.

“I’m talking about sewing, darling, sewing! Perhaps double entendre is best suited after one’s first meeting, hm? I’m sorry if I offended you.” After yesterday’s events, you were steadily starting to wonder if this was the norm in Ponyville. It probably wasn’t the best assumption to make, having lived there for only a week, but you hoped it wasn’t true.

“Anyway, what I’m offering is a potential apprenticeship opportunity here at Carousel Boutique, should you be interested in taking up an occupation in the future. I imagine your- what were they called again? Fingers? I imagine your fingers would be well suited to working with cloth, but you would require training first, and time is not a luxury I have much of at the moment. At the very least, I could teach you how to assemble your own wardrobe, seeing as you are more familiar with human clothing as I am. You would be more than welcome to work at your own pace whilst I attend to the backlog of orders I received in my absence. After I see your work, we could decide where you want to move on from there. What do you think?”

Frankly, Rarity’s offer shocked you more than anything else. Sure, it was a lovely gesture, but to offer a chance like that to a completely alien creature that she had only just met? You rested your elbow in your other hand and held your face in disbelief. You needed clarification, to make sure that she understood the situation. You gestured the number one to both ponies, pointing to it, then to your wrist, as if pointing at a watch, to yourself, and finally to Rarity. You’ve only known me for a day.

“Once? Yes, I’ve only met you once, what of it?” Rarity asked. “I trust in Twilight’s word, don’t you?” You shook your head, and gestured with both hands to your entire body, then Twilight’s. You waved your arm broadly to the room, and ended by pointing to yourself. You were distinctly different than every other living creature here, and yet she would trust you with this?

“If you’re referring to how you’re not a pony, I’m not worried about that, either. I trust that you don’t mean me or anypony else harm, you said so yourself in Twilight’s notes.” She levitated the book into your hands, open to the section regarding normal human attitudes and behavior. You couldn’t vouch for every human when you were editing the book with Fluttershy, but you still believed that humans were peaceful at heart. “As for the apprenticeship, I don’t mind taking some time to teach you how to fend for yourself. Don’t think of it as a favor, everypony really should know how to maintain their own clothing, whether or not they choose to wear it.”

At that moment, Fluttershy’s words from that morning came to mind. Rarity was the ‘Element of Generosity,’ she had said. The whole Element business still didn’t make much sense to you, but it was clear why Rarity had gotten her title. You let your arms hang to your sides and looked at her in amazement. If you could have spoken then, you would have likely given a thorough speech to express your unbelievable gratitude to her, and how lucky you were to have met. You kept that in mind and gave her a deep, solemn bow, even moving one arm across your body with the other in the air behind you.

“Am I to assume that’s a ‘yes,’ then?” Rarity asked, raising a hoof to her bemused face. You quickly nodded, still bowing. “Right. In that case, we should schedule a time to get started! How does this Saturday sound? I’ll be busy most of this week, but weekends are perfect for me to catch up on old side projects and clean up the place.” You nearly agreed with her plan, until you suddenly remembered your prior engagement with Apple Bloom and stood up quickly. In one fluid motion, you slipped your whiteboard and marker out of your pockets and started scribbling her cutie mark, as well as a makeshift shed and a hammer with nails. Upon showing her your drawing, Rarity’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Why, that’s Apple Bloom’s cutie mark! And is that supposed to be the clubhouse she shares with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?” she said, perplexed. You nodded, and pointed to the hammer and nails. “You plan to work on it with them, then? That’s very sweet of you, Anon. In that case, how about Sunday?” You took a moment to think, and agreed with a grunt, confident that you didn’t have any plans for that day. Before Rarity could speak, however, Twilight cleared her throat, garnering the attention of the two of you.

“Actually, Rarity, I was hoping to take some time to speak with Anon privately on Sunday, with Celestia,” she argued. “Sorry to butt in at the last moment, but it’s pretty important.”

“Oh, no problem at all, darling. I’ll see what I can do about fitting Anon into my schedule later on, then, and we’ll take it from there. How does that sound?”

“I think that will work just fine. Is that okay with you, Anon?” Twilight answered. Tired of nodding your head so frequently, you simply gave Twilight a thumbs-up in approval.

“So it’s all settled, then! Now, about those measurements...”

Cool evening air washed over you as you and Twilight stepped out of Carousel Boutique and waved farewell to Rarity. She had spent a surprising amount of time telling stories about her recent trip to Manehattan, while simultaneously starting on your first set of clothes, which consisted of a simple collared shirt and a pair of slacks. She was practically overjoyed when you showed keen interest in watching her work on an unfinished order, and practically begged for you stay a bit longer afterward while she made her first attempts at creating human clothing. Twilight, confident that she was not needed back home nor by the princesses, opted to stay with you and follow along as well. While Rarity had politely asked to see your shirt--without you in it--as reference, she had been considerate enough to let you keep your jeans on. Something about helping you ‘retain your dignity,’ which lead into her first tale about a designer whose newest clothing line severely lacked that quality. You were pleased to find that hearing her talk for hours on end hadn’t gotten on your nerves in the slightest. Not that you minded a lot of talking, but you were grateful that she was nothing like Pinkie Pie and actually took moments to breathe between sentences.

Twilight insisted on personally escorting you home, and set a calm pace as you carried your old clothes in a neat, folded stack. The cotton dress shirt Rarity had ‘thrown together at the last minute’ fit astonishingly well, and while your new slacks had required some tweaking to fit around the waist area, they were much more comfortable to walk around in than your thick jeans. You were considerably happier at having new clothes than you had anticipated, and felt like running around in excitement. That is, if you weren’t at risk of scaring any of the scattered bystanders that were still out.

“You’re positively beaming, Anon. I’ll bet it’s nice to finally have something new to wear,” Twilight remarked, chuckling. “I’m glad to see you enjoyed meeting Rarity today.” You hummed in agreement. Both of you continued quietly to Fluttershy’s cottage, and after Twilight briefly reminded you of your upcoming meeting with Celestia, you went your separate ways once you reached the bridge that crossed the nearby creek. You had hoped that she would have explained the meeting a bit more, but she avoided the topic at the boutique when Rarity had brought it back up. You pushed the thought aside as you entered the cottage, devoid of any sound aside from the ticking of the clock above the kitchen doorway. You tossed your clothes gently onto the couch, and tiptoed upstairs to see if Fluttershy was home. No luck there. You checked the kitchen and the garden out back as well, but there seemed to be no sign of her anywhere. On your way back in, you noticed that the fireplace had fresh, unlit logs inside, likely in anticipation of a late arrival. It wouldn’t have been the first time she had been out late, likely tending to some animal’s needs. You weren’t hungry enough to want dinner right away, and decided to wash your clothes after a good bath. You rolled off your socks and started unbuttoning your shirt as you backed into the bathroom.

“Waugh!” Fluttershy squealed, startled by your entrance. You could hear the sound of splashing water as she sat up in the bathtub. You instantly jumped out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind you. The brief image you caught of her sitting in the tub, her slick mane framing her surprised expression, was burned in the forefront of your mind.

“Anon? Y-you can come in, if you’d like,” you heard her weakly call through the door. “Although, you’ll have to wait to use the bath… since I’m in it, and all.” You hesitated to reopen the door until you remembered one crucial fact: ponies were almost ALWAYS nude. As far as she was concerned, you had nothing to worry about. You laughed meekly to yourself as you turned the doorknob, slowly cracking open the door and peeking inside to make sure she was prepared. Fluttershy laid herself back into the tub and sighed, with only her face peering out from the water’s surface.

“I’m sorry for startling you just now, I didn’t hear you come in at all. I've just been in here, relaxing,” she explained. “I didn’t expect you to be out so late, did you have a good time at Rarity’s shop?” You pulled up a footstool and grunted your affirmation as you sat down.

“That’s good. I really like your new clothes, by the way. She does such great work. I remember one of the best dresses she ever made for me to wear to the Grand Galloping Gala. Have I ever told you about that?” You shook your head, and listened intently to her as you washed your t-shirt.

“... and not a single one of the animals wanted to play, or talk, or even be near me! It was really frustrating.” You absentmindedly nodded your head as you brazenly took off your slacks and dipped them into your washing bucket. You had barely started scrubbing when you noticed the growing silence in the room. You turned your head towards Fluttershy in mild confusion, who made brief eye contact with you before quickly diverting her gaze towards the ceiling.

“A-and I eventually ended up losing my temper, which only made the situation worse.” You returned to your washing, and waited for Fluttershy to continue. Yet again, silence. You paused and glanced over at the mare again. Immediately, she hummed tunelessly to herself and closed her eyes. A blush spread across your face as you imitated washing your clothes while keeping your eye on her, waiting for her to look at you again. Slowly but surely, one of her eyes peeked out over the edge of the tub at you, and you thrust an accusatory finger in her direction.

“I-I’m sorry, Anon, I didn’t mean to bother you by staring,” Fluttershy mused, sinking deeper into the tub. "I-I didn't actually think it would bother you, but I'll stop, now." She sounded almost heartbroken, and you lowered your hand to your lap.

In her defense, she probably didn’t mean anything by it. You did your best not to think about it often, but the main reason you had assumed ponies didn’t wear clothing and were comfortable being nude was the fact that they didn’t really have anything to hide. Only on rare occasions did you catch yourself staring at ponies’ bodies, something you felt equally ashamed and confused about. By the way they acted, Fluttershy, her friends, most of the ponies you’d seen so far acted like everyday adults. No matter how hard you tried, though, you couldn’t shake off the wholesome, almost child-like auras many of them gave off, especially Fluttershy. Sure, there wasn’t necessarily anything inappropriate to look at--her posterior, like all ponies, was completely smooth, like they were out of a cartoon--but you still felt wrong all the same. This confused you even more when you considered the fact that bathrooms were as common in Ponyville as you imagined they were on Earth.

“Anon...?” Fluttershy’s question pulled you out of your thought, and you looked back to see her still facing the ceiling. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated for several seconds before taking a deep breath and looking you dead in your eyes with an equally scared and strangely invigorated expression.

“Anon, you don’t have to answer this, and I know you can’t speak and all, but it’s been bothering me for a while now, and Ireallydon’twanttoupsetyoubutatthesametime-” Fluttershy rambled. Her voice grew ever higher, and several seconds passed before you eventually waved your hands in circles to snap her out of it, gesturing for her to move on. She sighed, and lifted herself to her hooves in the tub, her mane and tail hanging from her body like sleek, pink curtains.

“Alright, tell me… what do you think about ponies? Specifically, about how they look?” Your jaw dropped a bit as you registered her question. How likely was it was that she had been on the same train of thought as you were just moments ago? The only reaction you could muster was a slow, uncertain shrug.

“Ah, that was a pretty vague question. Let me try this: you don’t dislike how ponies look, do you? Even if they’re not wearing clothing?” You shook your head. Was it strange? Certainly. Had you gotten used to it? Almost. But it was something that really bothered you, especially if you thought hard about it. Life was generally less uncomfortable if you didn’t.

“Okay, so then… do you, maybe, like how ponies look?” Somehow, the way she spoke, you felt like her second question was even more loaded than the first. “A-and I don’t mean just me, I mean anypony, like Twilight, or Rainbow Dash, or…” she mumbled, trailing off. She looked like she was blushing as hard as you were, although you thought that could have been caused by the bath. If you were being honest, ponies weren’t exactly unattractive; you had, of course, been face-to-face with one multiple times in the last week, once literally, without much thought against the matter. But you realized that she didn’t know that. Your experience with her two days prior, and those with Rainbow Dash- all of those didn’t exist in her mind. She really had no idea how you felt about ponies, but then again, neither did you. All you felt right now was confusion and frustration, with little means of expressing it. Her desperate eyes watched you without mercy, waiting for your answer, before she realized that it wouldn’t come. She realized that she had verbally backed you into a corner.

“Oh, that’s… right. You can’t really answer more than yes or no questions. Seems like I got carried away,” she mumbled, trying to play off her embarrassment with a smile. “But, who am I kidding? I mean, you’d clearly be interested in humans, right? You haven’t even been here that long, and it wouldn't make sense, anyway.” She tried talking away her self-consciousness, but between hiding her face with her soaked mane and eventually reducing her voice to a hush, you weren't able to understand what she was saying. Your only effort to console her was to get up and bring her a towel as she lifted herself over the edge of the tub and onto the bathmat. Your heart shattered as you watched her accept it with a forced smile, and you left the pieces behind as you walked out of the bathroom to give her some privacy.

Not being able to speak had many inconveniences, but being unable to properly convey your thoughts and emotions easily was the hardest part to deal with. Frustrated, you sat down on the couch and grumbled unintelligible gibberish to the open air of the living room. Your lack of control over your own body to even complain only served to irritate you more as you raised your voice. Your temples began to ache, and before you realized it, you were back to standing, shouting in anger to nothing and nobody in particular. Not towards Fluttershy, or yourself, or Twilight and Celestia. Not even Discord, whose idol brought you to Equestria and put you in this mess in the first place. No, the bottled-up ire that came spilling out of your mouth was directed towards your situation, towards fate. It wasn’t anyone’s intention for you to be in Equestria, let alone unable to speak or write. You weren’t completely helpless, thanks to Fluttershy’s kindness and consideration, but your inability to return her gestures--or anyone's--in kind was a lot to bear. You threw that weight against the walls of the cottage as you screamed each incoherent syllable, the words threatening to tear it down around you.

Gradually, your outburst subsided, and you sat back down with a significantly raw throat and hurt dignity. Losing your temper had only reiterated The uncomfortable silence that followed was cut short by the quiet creaking sound of the bathroom door, opened by a very distraught Fluttershy with her mane wrapped up in a towel. You waved her over and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she walked out. She took timid steps towards you stopping to sit in the center of the living room carpet.

“Are you… angry with me, Anon?” she whispered, purposefully avoiding eye contact with you. You grunted and shook your head, certain of that much. You felt sorry about scaring her and potentially hurting her feelings, scooted over on the couch to offer her a seat as a gesture of apology. She remained on the carpet, unmoving.

“I know it must be a-awfully frustrating, hearing tough questions like that when you can’t answer them, especially those kinds of questions,” she stuttered solemnly, like she was committing herself to making a difficult decision. “But you don’t h-have to worry about it happening again, I promise. I won’t bother you, or myself with them. I'm sorry.” It was obvious that she was trying to maintain a neutral expression, but the corners of her mouth quivered and her body trembled as she looked you dead in your eyes. Seeing her distressed made every fiber of your being want to apologize, to properly console her and tell her everything that was okay. The only appropriate response you were able to muster was to keep shaking your head, meeting her gaze as you felt your restraint slipping once more. In the minutes leading up to that apology, you thought you had let out all your pent-up worry, doubt, and stress that had crossed your mind. It wasn't until that moment that you felt the dam finally burst.

“Anon, you’re crying… why are you crying?”

You ignored her question, simply letting your tears streak down your face as you continued to shake your head. You didn’t sob, and your breathing was relatively still, and yet you cried anyway. Fluttershy rushed forward between your knees and looked up to you, eyes darting back and forth across her face. The only response you could possibly think of was to hold the side of her face as you wiped your own with the back of your hand. Her eyes widened at first, but closed slightly as she leaned into your touch. She rubbed her cheek against your palm for a moment, before looking back up at you with traces of a bittersweet smile forming on her face.

“Anon, I’m so sorry for pushing you this far-” You elicited a startled eep from Fluttershy as you cut off by gingerly bringing your forehead down against hers. You couldn’t speak your mind properly and didn’t have much control over your emotions, but by whatever deities existed in Equestria, you didn’t want to hear her apologize again. You stared her down in silence, holding her head still with both of your hands. She opened her mouth to continue, but you pressed a finger to her lips- speaking wasn’t necessary. At least, the apologies didn’t need to be coming from her. Instead, you figured the best way you could remedy the situation was in the same manner she had when you first came to her cottage. You carefully unwrapped the towel surrounding her still-damp mane, and tenderly pulled the tips of your fingers through it.

"Hold... hold on a second. I'll be right back," Fluttershy interjected in a shaky voice. You wiped your face as she trotted back to the bathroom and carried out a small, pink-handled brush. She climbed onto the couch while you inspected the brush, and caught you off-guard by forcing her snout beneath your hands in your lap. You lifted your hands in time for her to push her way lay onto your lap, looking straight ahead with a determined yet nervous expression.

You held the brush against the crown of her head and started dragging it back through her mane, paying close attention to avoid snags as you carried the brush all the way through it. You could feel the resistance against the brush lessen with each stroke as the hair dried, and found difficulty in finding a good resting place for your free hand. Fluttershy noticed the errant movements of your hand over her, and guided it back to her face, tilting her head slightly so that you could comfortably fit your palm against it. Your breathing steadied in rhythm with the soothing pattern of brushing her mane and rubbing her cheek with your thumb in long slow strokes, and you could feel the tension in your body and hers diminishing with each motion. The only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock and the faint swish of the brush as the two of you sat together on the couch, and you felt that you were both the closest to--and the farthest from--understanding one another as you had ever been.

Author's Note

I mulled over the coming of this chapter for some time, but I'm glad it's here now. Enjoy.

Chapter 10 - Day 8 pt. 1

A ticklish, twitching sensation on your legs roused you from your unusually light rest, and you glanced at the clock in the near-pitch black living room. It was barely past three in the morning. You must have passed out while brushing Fluttershy, who was rolled over on her back and pressed into your stomach. You heard her mumble in her sleep, and her wings shifted underneath her seemingly in response. Without thinking, you ran your hand along her belly and up to her neck and back, earning a pleased sigh as her body moved to follow it. You would have never considered being in a position like this with Fluttershy—or anyone else, for that matter—when you first arrived, but by some strange series of events, there you were. What had started out as the relationship one would imagine someone and a newly adopted pet would have ended up escalating to a level beyond your expectations, mainly due to lack of proper communication and understanding. The few moments of touching and petting, you thought, were just Fluttershy’s way of consoling you and building trust between the two of you, but it was just like Rainbow Dash had pointed out- Fluttershy had grown considerably closer to you than anyone, maybe even she herself, had anticipated.

You stopped moving your hand and ignored Fluttershy’s sleepy, disappointed whine. What about Rainbow Dash? You had met with her all of, what, two times? You were worried that your misplaced affections for Fluttershy had spurred on your stranger interactions with Rainbow Dash, but after some thought realized that most of them originated from her own thoughts and feelings. It was bizarre to imagine that, in the span of a week, you had become subject to the infatuations of not one, but two ponies, despite being a human, a creature from an entirely different realm. Remembering your first trip into Ponyville and your meeting with Lyra, you seriously wondered if the two pegasi were the only ones.

Why was it, then, that you felt equally drawn to them? Perhaps you were deprived of affection just enough to be willing to accept any you could receive? If that were true, you imagined, Fluttershy’s attention would certainly be more than enough; you weren’t some predator looking to lead on as many potential suitors as possible.

“Keep going… please,” Fluttershy grumbled sleepily, pawing at your hand and nudging it back and forth. You obliged, chuckling quietly as she stretched out her limbs to give you access to her whole underside. Feeling her soft, fuzzy coat beneath your fingers made you consider that perhaps your reciprocation to both pegasi wasn’t out of depravity. Your intentions from the start were purely ambivalent, and still were to some extent. Unlike Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash was much more direct about her interest in you, despite the roundabout way she pursued it. You knew your caretaker to be rather subtle instead, unless she assumed she was dreaming, of course.

You sighed and focused your attention around a small puff of fur on Fluttershy’s chest, massaging the area and the muscles where her forelegs met her body. You ultimately conceded that the details weren’t important. You didn’t recall any past experiences with crushes or infatuation, but you knew enough by heart to understand that there was still plenty to learn about Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and any others you would eventually meet while you were in Equestria. What bothered you then was how much time you would actually have to spend with them. Would the meeting with Celestia Twilight had mentioned be about sending you back to Earth? What about your memories?

Twilight’s announcement had apparently come only when she felt it was necessary, in order to avoid overlapping with your first lesson from Rarity. She hadn’t mentioned it prior, nor did she talk about it again after you both had left the boutique. Twilight didn’t seem the type to forget about much, and given how frequently she seemed to communicate with the princesses, it was unlikely that it was just spur of the moment. No, you felt like she had purposefully avoided the topic until it was vital that you knew. Quite frankly, you had grown unnaturally accustomed to being left in the dark by Twilight so far. You recalled her request to keep wearing the choker without any tangible reason as to why she wanted you to except that she wanted to show something to the princesses. She originally wanted to use it to make sure you wouldn’t hurt Fluttershy, and when Celestia saw that you meant no harm towards your caretaker, you were allowed to move about the town. You had agreed with Twilight in the hopes that you might further your goal of attaining your own freedom, but hopefully you would get some clearer answers from her and Celestia directly, when the time came.

The feeling of pins and needles from your legs falling asleep snatched away your focus. You hated to disturb Fluttershy, but you needed relief soon or you would never get back to sleep. You reached underneath her to lift her up, causing her to jump at the sensation of your cold hands.

“What are you doing, Anon?” she complained with a whisper. “Put me down, I was just getting comfy.” You paused with the mare still held aloft in your hands. Your original plan was to bring her back upstairs to her own bed, but the feeling of cooler air washing over your legs dissuaded you. Instead, you swung your numb legs onto the couch one by one, and laid her wings-down on your abdomen. Satisfied with your decision, Fluttershy wiggled back and forth and sighed contentedly. You were warm, she was comfortable, and you could feel the blood-flow in your legs returning- a win-win situation, for sure. You laid your head back on the armrest, and focused solely on her warmth as you fell into a much deeper sleep.

When you awoke again, Fluttershy had already gotten up. Bread and chamomile flower heads sat on a small plate on the table next to the couch, as well as a pencil that didn’t seem to belong there. You stuffed one of the buds into your mouth and picked up the pencil before starting your search for Fluttershy, who you easily found at the kitchen table, busy poring over a thin book. She didn’t notice you quietly stepping into the dining room and peering curiously over her shoulder, and hummed while flipping a few pages. On closer inspection, it looked like a book meant to help teach children…

… how to write.

Across its pages were thin, widely-spaced horizontal lines, with dashed letters intended to be traced, along with extra space so the student could practice on their own. You looked down at the pencil in your hands, and felt a rush of emotion take hold of your body. The pencil clacked against the ground after you dropped it to wrap Fluttershy in a tight hug. The sudden touch startled her momentarily, but she leaned her head against yours as you squeezed tighter.

“Good morning, Anon. I thought you might be interested in this book,” she cooed. “I found it earlier this morning in a chest of things I had when I was a little filly. To be honest, I don’t know how I didn’t think to look for it sooner, but after last night, I was inspired to see if I still had one.” Her words barely registered in your mind, and it took some gentle prodding from Fluttershy to get you to let go.

“Take a deep breath, Anon. I know you’re excited, but we should take this slow and steady, alright?” You disregarded Fluttershy’s unintentional double entendre, dashing back into the living room to retrieve your breakfast before promptly sitting in the chair next to her. She cleared her throat and turned a few pages in the book until she reached one that was untouched.

“I know this might seem pretty childish to do, but it’s worth trying, right?” she said with a hopeful smile. You nodded enthusiastically. “Okay. So, first, I’d like you to try tracing out this big M and little m. You can draw well, so I think this should be a good start.” You gripped the pencil in your hand and pressed it to the dashed lines, tracing the uppercase M and lowercase m flawlessly. Piece of cake. You felt pretty silly for being so confident, but you figured setting the bar low was a good way to keep your motivation high.

“Now, go ahead and try copying the letters on the lines next to the first,” Fluttershy instructed. To your surprise, you had to expend some mental effort to copy the first uppercase M, looking back and forth between it and your original for reference. Even though your traced version was directly beside it, remembering what M looked like was actually difficult, and each M you drew after wasn’t any easier.

“Good! Let’s see, cover up that whole line with your other hand, and try drawing a big M without looking back.” You did as she asked, and that familiar feeling of dread washed over you the moment you brought your pencil to the blank lines on the paper. As usual, the image of the letter M wouldn’t come to mind, despite the fact that you just knew what it was supposed to look like. It felt like your short-term memory was being overwritten, or that those brief moments of writing never happened. You hastily scribbled something with straight lines, to no avail.

“If you can’t think of the letter itself, try thinking of what it would look like if it were a drawing,” Fluttershy suggested. “Think of a big M as two tiny mountains, sitting next to each other. Just four lines, coming together at the top.” You felt a sharp pain in your head, but you forced yourself to try and draw exactly what she described. You drew one peak, and finally a second, forming a recognizable M, albeit a wide one.

“Good job!” Fluttershy applauded you, beaming. “Do you want to try another?” Her expression fell when she noticed you gripping your head.

“Oh, maybe not. I’m glad that you were able to do it, but I don’t want you to hurt yourself for my sake. These things take time, and you’ve got plenty of it to spare, right?” You shook your head vehemently and turned the page.

While the possibilities writing had for your relationship with Fluttershy and her friends were great, you pressed on for your own needs. You knew communication depended on mutually conveying information, and when it came down to it, you needed some form of communication that wasn’t as limiting as art and acting. You grit your teeth and traced over the dashed Ns and repeated the process. Again, the tracing and copying were simple, but you struggled to get a smooth-looking letter written from memory alone. Fluttershy watched you endure the exercise for the better part of an hour, only stopping you on occasion to make sure you ate your breakfast and had something to drink. Your headache only continued to worsen, but your determination made ignoring the pain bearable.

“Anon, stop!” Twilight’s muffled voice shouted.

Just when you thought you were starting to make headway, writing down your forty-third letter without reference, you heard Twilight’s sudden outcry. Before you could turn around, your limbs went completely limp and you saw the room tilt to the side and rush up to meet you. Several disconcerting seconds passed as you realized that you had, in fact, collapsed onto the floor, rather than the other way around. Your headache was dissipating, but your vision and hearing were becoming hazy as well. Panic started to set in as two voices started shouting behind you, but you were unable to move. You stared ahead helplessly as you were lifted into the air and carried into the living room, where Twilight and Fluttershy’s blurry silhouettes were waiting for you. Twilight’s magic wrapped over your head, and after a brief period you slowly regained your vision and hearing. Fluttershy stood beside her, tapping her front hooves against the ground anxiously. Twilight fired a small bolt of magic at your neck, and only the feeling in your head and neck returned.

“Thank goodness, I got here in time. What happened, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, walking over to inspect you.

“What do you mean? Nothing was happening until you came in and did… that to Anon!” Fluttershy asserted. “He was just practicing with a writing book I found for him.”

“A writing book?”

“Yes, one I had saved from my time in school. We had a… situation last night, and I thought it would be a good idea for him to be able to speak his mind.” Twilight stopped to think for a few seconds, and looked into your eyes as a doctor would when searching for a check-up.

“Is this true, Anon? You were just trying to write?” she inquired. You gave her a short nod and tilted your head towards the kitchen a few times. Twilight followed your gesture and brought the book back out to the living room. “How long was he doing this?”

“About an hour, I think?” Fluttershy answered. “But wait, Twilight, you still haven’t answered my question! What happened to Anon that made you do this?”

“I incapacitated Anon because I thought he was going to die, Fluttershy,” Twilight admitted with a serious tone, making you gasp.

“D-die?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and if she could turn pale, you imagined she probably would have.

“With the gemstone in that choker I gave Anon, I can be notified if he’s in danger. I had left my linked gemstone alone for a short while, and when I came back to check on it, it showed that he was still here but in immense, self-inflicted pain.” Twilight turned to you and used her magic on the choker again, releasing you from your invisible binds. “I assumed the worst, and came as soon as I could, but I’m glad it wasn’t anything obviously life-threatening.”

“I had no idea that it was that bad for you, Anon,” Fluttershy remarked. “I told you that you didn’t need to push yourself, you’ve got time.” You exchanged glances with Twilight, knowing that she was the only one who knew if that was actually true or not. She scrunched up her face and looked towards the floor, thinking hard.

“I thought I could wait until Sunday, but…” she grumbled to herself.

“What’s happening Sunday?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“Did Anon not tell you? I’ll be taking him to meet with the princesses that day for a private meeting. I have a lot to report to them, especially to Celestia,” Twilight explained. “I had a special permission I needed to ask about, but since I’m here I may as well ask you now. Anon-” You perked up as Twilight addressed you directly.

“Would you give me your consent to conduct research on you? In person?” You waited to exhale your held breath, and gestured with your hands for her to elaborate. “Remember what I said to you a few days ago, about how we know almost nothing about the effects being in Equestria has on humans? I want to pursue that directly, and take some preliminary measurements- nothing invasive, I promise. That information would be essential in helping find a way for you to communicate with us better without having to hurt yourself in the process.” As tempting as Twilight’s offer was, you were still apprehensive about her intent. Questioning the motives of small, cute ponies seemed to have become your newest hobby, as of late.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Fluttershy interjected. “I don’t want this to happen again, if I can avoid it.” Despite the fact that you hadn’t actually agreed yet, she sounded determined.

“Well, you’re the one Anon’s most familiar with, so he’d probably be much more comfortable having you around than if he was alone with me.”

“I’d be more than happy to. It’s the least I can do.” You noticed Fluttershy’s eyes glisten while she spoke, and she smiled at you reassuringly. What doubt you had in your mind about Twilight’s research evaporated, and you stood up to give Twilight a confident nod.

The three of you walked across Ponyville to Twilight’s ‘Castle of Friendship,” a giant, crystalline tree that you hadn’t even imagined could exist. You hadn’t noticed it when you were with Rainbow Dash, which was pretty surprising, given how dramatically it stood out from the surrounding hills and straw-covered abodes. Twilight led you and Fluttershy through its gleaming halls to an enormous library, which was completely empty aside from Spike, who was busy re-shelving books atop a tall ladder.

“Hey, you’re back! What took you so long?” he remarked, sliding down the ladder and jogging over to meet you.

“You know, I was just thinking about that, too,” Fluttershy added, making sure to stay beside you as all of you took a seat at one of the round library tables. “If you teleported yourself straight to my living room from here, why didn’t you teleport all three of us back?”

“I didn’t want to risk hurting Anon by teleporting him again,” replied Twilight. Her horn glowed, and several scrolls, an inkwell, and four feather pens all materialized out of thin air and settled onto the desk neatly. “I’ve already been concerned about how Discord’s artifact might have affected him, and I use my magic sparingly on him in the case that it might, as well. His choker is the only thing I know is safe to use.” You nodded and politely signed your thanks to her.

“I get it. So, then, what about your research?”

“What I’m going to do is ask Anon to answer a few ‘yes or no’ questions, and see if he can solve some simple word puzzles.” Twilight looked towards the shelves behind you, and you heard the sound of books shifting as she levitated several onto the table and opened one. You waited patiently as she instructed Fluttershy and Spike to help her copy the some of the open book’s contents, observing the splendor of the library and its decor. The decorations, much like those you had seen in the hallways, were tree-themed. You weren’t sure if they were in reference to the tree-like castle itself, or to something else; you would have to remind yourself to ask Twilight about it when you got the chance.

“Can he do mine first, Twilight?” Spike piped up.

“Certainly. You do have the easiest one, it would be a good start,” Twilight replied, prompting Spike to slide his sheet and the remaining pen to you. “The goal of this one is simple, Anon. I just want you to identify the words that contain the letters A or B. You can just circle the words you think are correct.” You looked down at the sheet, which listed twenty random words. You circled five: bread, plate, grass, farm, and hair. Given that you already knew how to read, it was an effortless test, but you went along with it anyway. The book Twilight had open was one intended for Equestrian psychiatrists. While Twilight scanned over your sheet for a moment, you noticed that it was open to a chapter regarding gauging a pony’s ability to understand written language. You were unsurprised to see that the word English wasn’t present, but instead replaced with ‘Equuish.’ Close enough.

“Nicely done. I’d assumed you could read, given that you can understand what we’re saying,” Twilight pointed out. “How’s your sheet coming along, Fluttershy?” You looked over to the pegasus, who was methodically pressing and lifting the pen to the paper with her mouth. She had made almost half the progress Spike had, but with admirable penmanship for someone lacking hands or claws. She gently spat out the feather and smiled proudly.

“I’m not exactly that fast, but I’ll be finished in just a little bit,” Fluttershy murmured before picking the pen back up to finish her work.

“That’s alright. I’m sure Anon won’t mind short breaks while we write, we’ll be doing quite a few more so that we have a good measure on his ability to recognize words.”

“How many more are we gonna write, Twilight?” Spike asked, sliding another sheet to himself to copy.

“Mmm, by the looks of these tests, probably another forty or fifty,” Twilight responded nonchalantly.

“Seriously!?” the little dragon moaned.

Many, many, many lists of circled words later, Twilight had a small stack of paper full of her observations of you- how long you took to identify words and parts of speech, your ability to recognize literary devices like rhyme, consonance, and the like, and much more. Her research had proved to be undeniably thorough, much to the dismay of Spike and Fluttershy who developed minor cramps from the writing. You weren’t bothered by it so much as you were bored, but they had definitely put in their share of effort to help. You actually felt pretty bad for them, getting dragged into such tedious work for what seemed like little gain. After all, the purpose of bringing you to the castle was to help you solve your writing problem, wasn’t it? You recalled some of the words on your completed tests as Twilight neatly sorted them into a stack, and were struck with an idea. Maybe you couldn’t write to talk to them, but if somebody else did it for you, it would work equally well. Inspired and determined to test your idea, you waved frantically to get her attention.

“Yes, Anon? What is it?” You pointed at the stack of tests, then to the workspace in front of you. She glanced at the stack and back to you as she slid them across the table. “Did you want to see these again?” You ruffled through the sheets, and folded one around the word ‘need.’ You did the same for another that contained the word ‘paper,’ and laid the two words together in front of her. You had considered simply tearing the words out of the scrolls, but wanted to ensure that she had no intention of using them again.

“You need more paper? What for?” Twilight asked with a bemused look. You waved your hands and pointed at her, then to the words, and finally to the sheets before you, raising an eyebrow for good measure. She concentrated for a second, and gasped in realization. “Do I need those papers? If that’s what you’re asking, no, I didn’t need them. You’re welcome to do what you’d like with them.” You signaled your thanks to Twilight, and made her jump as you tore a strip out of one of the sheets. You held it up with both hands so that everyone at the table could see.

“‘Thanks’?” they all chimed at once. You watched their faces brighten as they looked at one another and back to you in understanding.

“Why didn’t I think of this sooner?” Fluttershy bubbled, putting a hoof on her forehead with a smile. “Until we figure out how to help you write your own words, you can just use one's we write, like flash cards!”

“That’s a great idea!” Spike cheered, before stopping to scratch his chin in thought. “But how many will he need? There’s a whole lot of words that we don’t have written down here,” he added, unfolding one of the papers you had shown to Twilight.

“That’s a good point, Spike,” Twilight agreed. “Since Anon can draw well, he probably won’t need simple, everyday things that he can see and show. Abstract concepts would be best, as well as names. I imagine you’d get pretty tired of trying to memorize everypony’s cutie marks- even ponies themselves don’t memorize the cutie marks of every pony they know to exact detail.”

You spent the next half hour with Twilight and a massive dictionary on the opposite side of the room, copying down terms and concepts onto paper cards while Fluttershy and Spike rested their sore muscles on a nearby couch. Words that you struggled to draw out like ‘time,’ ‘weather,’ ‘help,’ and ‘work’ were among the first you had written down and cut out. By the time you were both finished, you had produced a thick stack of nearly five-hundred different cards, sorted by relevant subjects and then alphabetical order, which Twilight presented to you after putting them inside a lavender-colored fabric pouch. You fed the long, narrow cords from the back of the pouch through the belt loops on your jeans and tugged tight as you knotted them together on the opposite side.

“I made sure to put some dividers between each of the subjects so you can refer to them easily. It’s up to you to make sure you keep them in order,” Twilight explained with satisfaction. Quite frankly, you were certain you would eventually get them out of order, but promised yourself to do your best. You rummaged through the pouch for a moment, before promptly displaying a few cards to her. It felt awkward and strange compared to just drawing your thoughts, but you still felt confident after seeing her initial reaction to your idea.

[I’ll try.]

“Good. I think that should wrap up things for today- wait, wait, hold on. Just a second.” You watched Twilight curiously as she levitated the cards out of the pouch and focused, the glow around them intensifying for a brief moment before floating back to their home.

“I put a simple water-proofing spell on them, in case you get caught in the rain. Don’t want to do this all over again, right?” You nodded in reply, and patted the pouch affectionately.

“Didn’t you have more research that you wanted to get done today, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, getting up from the couch to inspect the pouch on your hip.

“I had plenty more in mind at first, but I’m still not sure…” The lavender mare looked distant as her voice trailed off.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, technically speaking, I’ve been asked by the princesses to only observe Anon, not to actively study him,” Twilight worried. “It’s not like I’m going to get in trouble, but I don’t exactly know if they’d approve of my help.”

“You make it sound like they didn’t want you to help Anon,” Fluttershy argued, blinking a couple times. “That’s not true... is it?”

“No, no, it’s not, but Celestia was very clear that she wanted to see what he’d do on his own, under watch of the Elements.” Seeing your opportunity to chime in, you dug into your word pouch and set a few cards onto the table in front of the dictionary.

[I appreciate your help anyway, Twilight.]

It took several seconds for you to thumb through the different sections and find the correct words--and even longer to get the thin, fragile sheets out without tearing them--but you were satisfied with the newfound flexibility they offered.

“I’m happy to hear-er, see it, Anon,” Twilight beamed with a bashful smile. You waved her concerns off- you understood what she meant, no harm done.

“Well, I think that Anon’s much better off with you stepping in than not. I’m sure we’ll have fewer misunderstandings like before now, right Anon?” Fluttershy moved to your side happily, almost brushing against your leg like a cat. You gave her an affirmative nod and set your hand on her head. Suddenly, Twilight perked up, as if struck by an idea. She turned towards the closed dictionary you had both used earlier, and levitated it towards you.

“You know, just in case that comes up, it might be a good idea to have this around.”

“Wait a second, Twilight, isn’t that one of your oldest, most favorite dictionaries?” Spike pointed out from his seat on the couch. “You must really like Anon to give him that.”

“N-no, it’s not that!” Twilight blurted out, only to realize how loud she had just been. She cleared her throat and took a breath before turning back towards you. “I mean, it is one I’ve had since I started learning from Princess Celestia, and it holds fond memories, b-but that’s irrelevant right now!” Twilight glanced away from you as she spoke, seemingly rattled about Spike’s comment. You hadn’t seen Twilight flustered before, nor did you expect it to be so abrupt.

“There are terms in this dictionary that you probably aren’t familiar with, so if you need to you can use it for reference and studying on your own,” she addressed, finally looking you in the eyes with a subtle blush.

“It’s a gift, though, right?” Spike teased.

“I’m just letting him use it for now, Spike.” You couldn’t help but laugh as you graciously plucked the book out of the air, and signed your gratitude to Twilight once more. The temptation to put your hand on Twilight’s head, as with Fluttershy, was hard to shake. It was your go-to gesture of appreciation and affection, but you restrained yourself out of fear you would embarrass her further. Not that you knew why she was embarrassed in the first place, anyway. You held the tome firmly under your arm and got Fluttershy’s attention before reaching into your pouch for a card.

[Home]

“I think heading home is a lovely idea. It’s about time for lunch, anyway,” Fluttershy acknowledged with a sagely nod.

You and Fluttershy repeated your thanks to Twilight and Spike, and you followed the pegasus out of the castle into the warm afternoon air. You rubbed the pouch at your side happily as you walked, inwardly excited at the potential for conversation with Fluttershy. You would definitely get down to the bottom of the featureless pony vs. bathroom enigma, that’s for sure. You looked down to a very thoughtful Fluttershy, however, and started to reconsider; she was a regular animal caretaker, so the subject wouldn’t be that awkward, right?

“So, Anon,” she began, meeting your gaze after a few moments of silence. “Now that you’ve got those cards, I’ll bet there are a lot of questions you’ve been wanting to ask that you couldn’t before. When we get back home, I’d be more than happy to answer them!” You chuckled weakly and wiped a few non-existent drops of sweat off of your brow, returning your attention to the path ahead.

“What’s that look for? Did I say something funny?”

Chapter 11 - Day 8 pt. 2

Much of your afternoon and evening was spent trying out your new flash cards, with some degree of success. Fluttershy had managed to convince you to head into town with her to celebrate, and stood by you as you meekly ordered a couple sandwiches from a rather patient food stall owner. Following your lunch, you both took your time heading home before tending to the day’s chores, the first of which involved heading into the forest beyond the cottage. Fluttershy, on her way home from her last visit to the new mother doe, noticed that a few large boulders were blocking part of the flow of the creek, and tasked you with lifting them up and out of the way. You could have made quick work of the blockage with your unnatural strength, if you didn’t have to wait on fluttershy, who dealt with a rather irritable, elderly turtle who had become fond of the more stagnant waters. He supposedly lost his way from a watershed to the east, but intended on living in the large, dammed bend in the creek nonetheless. Never in your life had you considered the possibility of anyone having an argument with a turtle, let alone struggling to win said argument. With her usual manner of kindness and an immense load of patience, Fluttershy convinced him to begrudgingly return to his home and allowed you to finish your task by the time evening came.

You felt grateful for the cards Twilight had given you as you helped Fluttershy prepare a dinner of vegetable stir-fry, which had allowed you to make the suggestion in the first place. Fluttershy wasn’t fond of cooking with heat, but you made sure to handle the bulk of the cooking. As per usual, you both ate your dinner in relative silence, aside from Fluttershy’s fussing over Angel refusing to eat well. Once you were finished, you plopped down onto the couch in the living room, warm and well-fed.

“That was a lovely dinner, Anon,” Fluttershy complimented, joining you on the couch. “I’m glad you suggested it.” You hummed in agreement and rubbed your stomach in satisfaction.

“So now that we’re done with everything for the day, what do you want to do?” Out of the corner of your eye, you could see her eyeing your pouch curiously. You thought back over the events of the day, and noticed Fluttershy’s writing book still sitting on the kitchen counter through the doorway. It reminded you of what had happened earlier in the day, which was spurred on by your outburst the night prior. You rummaged through your pouch and started placing cards onto the table, earning Fluttershy’s attention.

[I want to talk about last night.] You could see Fluttershy mentally recoil as she read the cards and looked at you with sudden worry.

“You’re not upset about that, are you?”

[No, I’m curious.]

“Curious? About what?” she asked, her ears perking up.

[Your question. How I feel about ponies. Why ask?] You maintained a neutral, inquisitive expression as you arranged the cards on the table, hoping to keep Fluttershy at ease as best you could. She pondered the question while simultaneously avoiding your gaze.

“Well, at the time I was starting to wonder how you felt about being the only human in a town of ponies,” she explained, putting her hoof to her chin and looking up towards the window across from you. “I wanted to know if you liked being here or not, even if you might feel lonely. I didn’t mean to upset you, though.”

[I’m not alone. You’re here.] Your response was simple, but it drove a firm point. Although Twilight and all of Fluttershy’s friends had made some effort to make you feel welcome, Fluttershy was the one who offered to take you in from the get-go. You didn’t have memories of actually being around any other humans, only vague faces and figures; you weren’t really concerned about loneliness in regards to humans, or at all, for that matter.

“That’s sweet, thank you.” Fluttershy replied, lowered her gaze from the table with a warm smile.

[I’ve learned that ponies are kind and caring.] You paused as you placed the last card down, and quickly replaced the first few once you were certain she had read them.

[You are kind and caring.] You gently placed your hand on Fluttershy’s back as she re-read the sentence a few times, and felt her muscles stiffen and relax as her wings shifted slightly.

“Of course, Anon. I try my best to take care of my friends and make sure they’re alright,” she replied, a hint of bashfulness in her words, and on her face. You dug through your pouch, looking for the right words to respond with.

[You were generous and considerate from the moment you met me, a stranger. Just an animal.]

“That’s true, but… I realized pretty quickly you weren’t just an animal. We all did.” Fluttershy finally made eye contact with you, now with a serious yet positive expression. “When you came down that hill and looked at me, and tried to reason with us, we knew better. And even if you were just a lost animal, I still would have been kind to you. It’s what I do.” You smiled and nodded in understanding. You recalled your first memories since your arrival in Ponyville, and had a flashback to your first day spent working outside, of the first time you saw Rainbow Dash.

[I have another question.]

“Go ahead, I’m all ears.”

[Twilight’s book talked about human behaviors and affection.] As you searched through your pouch, you inwardly thanked Twilight’s inclusion of possessives on the back of the name cards she wrote. She really had put a lot of thought into making them. [What are those for ponies?] Fluttershy’s ears began to tilt back as you put your thoughts onto the table, accompanied by a vivid blush. She opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it with an embarrassed grin as she tried to collect her thoughts.

“Well, um, I-I’m not exactly an expert with that sort of thing,” she stammered. “Since I live out here by myself, I don’t really see ponies too often unless I’m out with my friends.” You looked at her skeptically- surely there had to be someone that had romantic interest in her at one point.

[Have you always lived out here?] You raised your eyebrows at her to emphasize your intent.

“Well, no, but nopony was interested in me before then. At least, not like that.” You noticed Fluttershy’s volume steadily lowering as she withdrew behind her pink curtain of a mane. In hindsight, maybe pressuring her about such a sensitive topic wasn’t the best plan. You arranged a new sentence on the table, and drew her hair back so she could read.

[I’ll bet they were too shy. Stallions can be like that.] It was a bit unusual to use the term ‘stallions’ instead of ‘men,’ but you figured you’d become accustomed to it soon enough.

“Yeah,” Fluttershy giggled softly. “Not all of them, but maybe you’re right.” Her blush subsided as silence took over the conversation, both of you thinking about what to say next.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll ask the same thing you did earlier- why ask about that?” You scratched the back of your head. You weren’t expecting that question, but you probably should have been. It was your turn to shrink under the watch of Fluttershy’s inquisitive eyes before putting your thoughts in order.

[I get the feeling that some ponies] You stopped with the word ‘like’ in your hand, hidden from Fluttershy’s view. Images of the night you carried Fluttershy into bed danced in your head, and you couldn’t fight the paralyzing feeling of embarrassment that washed over you. To her, it was all just a dream, but by now you had pretty much figured out how she felt about you. Or, at least, what you thought she felt. It was possible you were wrong, but then what else could all that have meant?

“Anon?” You jumped when Fluttershy addressed you, and startled her in return. Before she could speak again, you deftly scooped up the cards you had set down back into your hand, and reconsidered your approach. Perhaps instead of being vague about who had interest in you, perhaps being specific was the better option. But there was no way you could just bring up that dream and expect Fluttershy not to get the wrong idea. Mentioning Rainbow Dash seemed inappropriate as well.

“There’s no need to worry, Anon. You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to, and even if you do, I’m not going to judge you for it,” Fluttershy assured, smiling at you warmly. Her response pulled tight on your heartstrings, and the honesty it carried was inspiring. Inspiring enough to sway you to do the same.

[I get the feeling that some ponies like me.] Reading back over the sentence, you felt like a shy twelve-year-old who had just recently discovered the concept of a crush. Fluttershy giggled as she read, and gently poked your thigh.

“Of course ponies like you, Anon. You’re nice, considerate, and very helpful,” she commented innocently. You smirked and held your forehead, surprised that this, of all moments, was the time that Fluttershy completely missed your statement. You pushed aside a couple cards and added another to your sentence.

[I get the feeling that some ponies really like me.] You dragged your finger along the bottom of the word ‘really,’ underlining it for emphasis. Fluttershy inhaled sharply, only to let it out through her teeth as she flashed you a questionably confused smile.

“Ohh, I see what you mean now,” she added slowly. “But who are the ponies that you’re referring to?” You were surprised by how well her awkward expression held as she spoke. In the back of your mind, the urge to gently grab her by the chin and point directly at her surged forth, held back only by sheer willpower.

[Twilight?] You made sure to add a question mark to imply your uncertainty. You didn’t actually suspect Twilight was interested in you, but you wanted to test the waters with Fluttershy. You watched her relax as she considered your response.

“Wait, really? Are you sure about that?” she inquired, looking puzzled. “Twilight’s not terribly romantic. I do think she means the best for you, but not anything like that.” Fluttershy sounded remarkably relieved, which set you at ease as you searched your pouch for the name of a proper candidate.

[Rainbow Dash.]

“Rainbow Dash, too? What gives you that impression?” she asked, much more intrigued than before. “From what I’ve seen, she seems pretty uninterested in anything romantic, almost as much as Twilight.”

[I spent some time with her a couple days ago that showed otherwise.]

“W-what happened?” Fluttershy leaned forward towards you, ears perked up in anticipation of your response. To say you weren’t expecting this much interest from her was an understatement.

[While she was taking a break, she asked me to pet her.] Fluttershy’s cheeks flushed again, and she looked at you like you had grown a second head.

“Wow, she did that? She is pretty forward, but something like that, and so suddenly...” Fluttershy put a hoof on her mouth, as if you were both talking about some salacious gossip instead of what one might consider doing to their pet. You didn’t understand why she would react like that, given how common it was for the two of you.

[What is the significance of petting to ponies?] In hindsight, that definitely wasn’t a sentence you ever imagined trying to convey to anyone. [Is it something special?]

“Well, it certainly feels nice, but I can’t figure out how to describe it. I don’t know if I’d call it special, but...” Fluttershy mumbled, trying to appear uninterested in the topic. “I did say before that I wasn’t an expert on things like that.” Once again, you were getting mixed signals from Fluttershy. It seemed like a big deal to Rainbow Dash, and you felt like it had helped you and Fluttershy bond, to some extent. And if it was a common gesture in Equestria, surely she wouldn’t have been so bashful about it in the past, and Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have gotten so worked up about it.

[Is it significant to you, not-an-expert?]

“M-maybe? I don’t know,” Fluttershy squeaked, letting her head hang lower with each syllable. “Frankly, before you came along, I had never considered being pet by anypony before.” While her response made sense, you were no closer to understanding if the gesture was important or not. In hindsight, making a big deal out of it was what upset you in the first place- maybe letting it go was the better choice.

[I’m sorry if I made you feel pressured. It’s all been pretty confusing.] You resisted your habit of patting Fluttershy’s head reassuringly while she read your message, and felt guilt rise up in the pit of your stomach.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m fine,” she murmured as she slowly sat back up. “If you don’t mind me asking, though, do you know why Rainbow Dash asked you for that?”

[She mentioned seeing me do it to you, and wanted to know what it felt like.]

“Oh… oh, my.” She looked deeply concerned as she stopped to think to herself. “I appreciate your honesty, Anon, but maybe you shouldn’t have told me that. Or, maybe I shouldn’t have asked.”

[What do you mean?]

“Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty, after all. She might be upset if she knew you told somepony when that was supposed to be a secret.” You could see Fluttershy mentally backpedal as she defended her friend. That wasn’t at all the response you were expecting, but it made sense. Thinking about it made you feel even guiltier than before, but you were sure that Fluttershy wouldn’t talk about it to anyone else, if she was that concerned about you and her friends.

“Anyway, was there anypony else on that list you had in mind?” Fluttershy asked, trying to bring the conversation back on-topic. “I promise that I’m not trying to discourage you from any of them, I’m just interested to hear what you think.” You glanced around the room, now unsure of the right way to get to your original intent, to ask Fluttershy about how she felt towards you. With the whole petting ordeal out of the way, you didn’t have much evidence to point towards. You could have mentioned those few moments you’d seen her act strangely in her sleep--and when she thought she was asleep--but your gut told you that wasn’t something to bank on.

[You were the last one on the list.] Fluttershy turned to you slowly, disbelief replacing the smile on her face.

“Me? You think I...?” Her cheeks flushed vibrantly, and her astonished reaction caught you off-guard. You scrambled to put words onto the table as she quietly focused on it, hoping to coax out what was going on in her head.

[You don’t have to answer]-

“I mean, I do like you, but…” Your heart and hands stopped at the same moment her thought did. She glanced up at you briefly before directing her attention to the floor below the table. “I don’t know exactly if I’m a part of that list.” Your mind initially reeled in confusion, but your second reaction was that of a gentleman- calm, composed, and polite.

[My suspicions originally came from the petting thing.]

“That makes sense,” Fluttershy murmured, nodding slowly. “Like I mentioned before, I don’t really know how to describe that feeling yet.”

[I understand now. I’m sorry for assuming.] You let out a heavy sigh, thoroughly puzzled at how the situation had unfolded.

“No, no, it’s okay. I just- I don’t know what to say,” Fluttershy blurt out, suddenly lurching forward and putting a hoof on your hand. “A lot has happened in the last week or so. Figuring out things like that seems a bit hasty in a time period of that length, right?” It was your turn to blush as Fluttershy’s candid reasoning sunk into you like a sharpened dirk. In all of your confusion, in your attempts to make sense of what was going on around you, perhaps you were jumping to far-reaching conclusions. You weren’t necessarily guilty about what you had come to think--Fluttershy seemed to take it well--but you felt pretty silly after worrying about it for so long.

“Besides, we’re from two completely different worlds,” she continued. “There have certainly been relationships between different creatures here in Equestria, sure, but I remember from Twilight’s book that wasn’t the case for humans. There might be some ponies that are interested in you, but wouldn’t that bother you?” You could tell she was genuinely trying to improve the situation by appealing to her limited knowledge about humans. Those words, however, hurt a great deal more than you had expected.

[I don’t know. I can’t tell if it bothers me. Like how you don’t know about petting.] You sighed as you put the last card down, and turned to see Fluttershy cock her head to the side as she read. It seemed that you had come to a mutual understanding, or rather a lack thereof; she blinked several times and glanced at you and to the cards again without saying anything. You arranged another sentence, certain that she didn’t immediately have anything to say.

[Maybe I should talk to Rainbow Dash about this situation.] Fluttershy hummed as she thought about your proposal, shaking her head disapprovingly.

“Maybe, but if what you told me is true, I think waiting to see how things turn out would be better,” she reasoned. “Who knows, you might be right. But you shouldn’t let that possibility change how you see her as a friend.” You nodded in agreement at her wise words. Still, she looked wistful, as if she were recalling something unpleasant.

[Are you sure everything is okay? You seem troubled.] You put your free hand on top of her hoof, doing your best to convey your concern. She only nodded and wiped away her morose look with another smile.

“Oh, I was just remembering a dream I had. It’s nothing to worry about,” she admitted. In the back of your mind, you hoped and pleaded that it wasn’t the dream you imagined it was.

You both turned towards the window at the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. You hadn’t even noticed the gentle sound of raindrops on the cottage during your conversation, which had become a hushed white noise that filled the room.

“I think starting up a small fire would be a good idea. It might get cold tonight.” Fluttershy stepped off of the couch and calmly walked towards the fireplace.

You felt equally relieved and disappointed as you watched her prepare the fire, thinking over your conversation. It didn’t quite feel like you had been turned down; you were surprisingly happy to find that your concerns weren’t as serious as you’d made them out to be. But, with your own mixed feelings about your situation, you wondered how serious you were deep down, about Fluttershy and living with her. You had only recently started thinking of her as something more than just a caretaker, and you wondered just how far you would have gone, if she hadn’t responded the way she did. After all, you both had become such quick friends, and although you were from different places, you shared quite a few similarities. It didn’t seem unreasonable that moving forward from there would come with time.

You shook your head quickly- that kind of thinking didn’t need to be your concern anymore. What was important was that you respected Fluttershy’s feelings, and did your best to be a good friend while you sorted out your own. That, and figuring out how to approach Rainbow Dash about the subject as well. You recalled that tomorrow would be her next day off; she likely wouldn’t spend her time practicing in the rain, so you’d probably be able to get a good chance to talk to her about it. As Fluttershy returned to her seat on the couch, you cleaned up your mess of cards on the table, and started a new sentence.

[By the way, where does Rainbow Dash live?]

“Oh, she has her own floating home just outside of town, the Cloudominium.”

[Floating?]

“Yeah, it’s a huge house made of clouds, almost like a mansion. You might not know it, but almost all pegasi live on top of clouds, with buildings and all sorts of things… also made of clouds.” You chuckled in response, thoroughly impressed. “There’s a place nearby called Cloudsdale, where you can find lots and lots of pegasi. It’s a beautiful city, and I hope we can take you to see it sometime.”

[How does the city stay in the air? Do all the pegasi just fly constantly?]

“No, not at all! Pegasi have the ability to walk on and move around clouds. Some of them, like Rainbow Dash, have jobs to arrange the weather by moving and changing cloud formations, like the rain outside now.” A clap of thunder accentuated her point, causing her to jump in your direction and hold onto your side, before sheepishly looking towards the floor.

“Sorry about that, Anon. I’m… not a big fan of thunder,” she apologized, still clinging to you.

[It’s okay. Should we go to bed?]

"That sounds like a good idea. B-but wait, I had a question for you, Anon," Fluttershy stammered. "Although, after our conversation, I don't know how you'd feel about it." You cocked your head to the side curiously as she shied away from your stare.

[What is it?]

"Would you... prefer to sleep in my bed, instead of out here on the couch all the time?" she asked slowly, like an adolescent child asking for extra playtime after their curfew. "I wouldn't mind at all, and I'm sure it would be a lot better for your back and neck than being all cramped down here." To your surprise, it was a pretty tame request. Or was it an offer?

[Certainly. Why would I feel bad about it?] It didn't make much sense to you why you'd turn Fluttershy down at first, but then it hit you. Before Fluttershy could respond, you swiftly slid your last thought aside and put a new one down on the table.

[You didn't hurt my feelings, if that's what you're worried about.]

"That's good to hear, I suppose," Fluttershy remarked, followed by a calm sigh. When it came down to it, Fluttershy really did have your best interest in mind, even when you weren't aware of it. "Let's go ahead and turn in for the night then, hm?" You nodded in agreement and set your pouch down on the table before getting up to follow her upstairs.

It felt nice, having that weight off of your chest, even if it wasn't relieved the way you thought it would be. You pondered this as you undid the clasp on your choker, setting it on the dresser next to the doorway in Fluttershy's room. You weren't even remotely sleepy, but it was still late, and the opportunity to relax and sort out your thoughts was more than welcome. The two of you slid beneath Fluttershy's comforter and settled down in near silence, save for the pattering of raindrops on the window. You turned to face it and watch the distant flashes of lightning, barely noticing gentle shaking in the bed and the warm feeling building up on your back. You turned your head just enough to see Fluttershy quietly inching her way towards you out of the corner of your eye. She was keenly focused on your back, but froze up the moment she looked up and made eye contact with you.

"Is it alright if I sleep close to you, Anon? It's okay to say no," she mumbled meekly. You gave her a patient nod, and scooted back a few inches towards her. Without another word, she pressed herself to your back and let out a soft yawn, and you could feel her face press into your shoulder-blades. Another clap of thunder echoed through the cottage, but she jumped only a little bit, instead wrapping one of her forelegs around your side tightly. It was a strange, new feeling for you, but it was pleasant nonetheless. Being able to comfort Fluttershy simply by being present made you feel warm inside, and you welcomed the sensation.

Another bit of thunder rang out, much closer this time, and Fluttershy's leg tightened even harder around your waist. You carefully pulled your arm back and massaged her hoof with your fingertips, hoping to calm her down. Slowly, the muscles in her leg relaxed and you were able to breathe easy again. Just as you were starting to get comfortable a few minutes later, you felt Fluttershy withdraw her foreleg and quietly shift around under the covers. She pulled back from your body, so you took the opportunity to turn onto your back to free your arm that was falling asleep. Almost immediately, Fluttershy rolled back onto you and gently gripped your other arm and leg with her limbs. You looked down, expecting to see a wide-eyed, terrified Fluttershy, but instead met an adorable yet bashful smile.

"I know I'm the one who suggested going to bed, but I suppose I'm not as tired as I thought I was," she mumbled, avoiding your gaze by looking out the window. "M-maybe it’s the lightning. If you're not tired either, thought, I'd still like to ask you another question or two. Is that alright?" You regretted not bringing your pouch upstairs with you, but it probably wouldn't be a huge deal. You hummed your approval, and wiggled your back to get into a more comfortable position.

"First off, I guess, are you actually okay with how close we are?" You nodded enthusiastically in response, and gave one of her forelegs a gentle pat as you scooted closer to her.

"No, I don't mean physically close, silly," she laughed. "I mean as friends. I can't stop thinking about how quickly some of the ponies in town have become interested in you, and..." Fluttershy stopped mid-sentence, her smile melting away like she regretted bringing up the topic. You nodded slowly and gestured for her to continue.

"I just want to make sure that you're okay living here with me, I guess." You moved your head to shoot her a challenging look. After everything she had done for you and you had done to try and repay her, it struck you as odd that she would worry about something like that now. It certainly didn't sound like that was all she had to say in the matter, either. She blinked several times and looked around at every spot in the room that wasn’t in your general direction.

"What? Is there something on my face?" You smiled wryly at her attempt to distract you, but rested your head back against the pillow. You reminded yourself that there was no need to press her for answers- if she had something she wanted to say, she would say it eventually. She usually did, anyway.

Silence settled in the room once more, and you absentmindedly reached with your free arm to scratch her head. Even though, Fluttershy was the one who had initially taken you in, the gesture felt strangely like you were treating her as your pet. The thought made you pause, spurring Fluttershy to wiggle her head underneath your fingers to get you to continue. Her reaction didn’t help your train of thought, but you resumed running your fingers through her mane, eliciting a calm sigh from the mare. .At some point, you thought, you would have to figure out if you could get the same kind of reaction out of other ponies- for the sake of knowledge, of course.

"I wonder what will happen on Sunday when you go to see the princesses," Fluttershy spoke up, changing the previous subject. "Did Twilight tell you what the meeting was about?" You grunted and shook your head, trying to recall Twilight's sudden interjection when you were planning with Rarity. You knew that she probably wanted to bring up her research on you, and was worried about their response to her providing you with a new way of communication. You weren't sure, though, how Celestia would address you after your involvement with Fluttershy, Twilight, and all of their friends, as well as the information Twilight had gathered from the choker.

“Oh, well. I’m sure that it’ll be fine, though,” Fluttershy added with a long yawn. “Princess Celestia already let you leave home after seeing you help out, after all.” You smiled, reassured by Fluttershy’s ever-present hopefulness. You gingerly drew your arm out of her grasp and pulled her closer, minding the position of her wings as you rested your hand on her side. She silently snuggled up to your chest, and didn’t so much as flinch when thunder crashed against the house again. Nothing more was discussed as you both stayed in that tender yet slightly-awkward embrace, listening to the storm outside beat down on the roof and windows.

Your thoughts, dragging along as sleep started to take you, drifted from Fluttershy to Rainbow Dash and how to approach her about her perspective towards you, and if you would at all. It sounded pretty shallow, wondering like a schoolyard child about her strange behavior, as if she felt any different towards you than Fluttershy did. You could count on one hand how many separate instances you and the brash pegasus had talked to one another, and yet something about her teasing and occasionally elusive attitude towards you was endearing. Even if it was too soon for something to develop between you and someone else, as Fluttershy had implied, you couldn’t help but wonder if Rainbow Dash was thinking about the same thing.

Author's Note

Cliffhanger? Bittersweet resolution? You decide!

There's more cutesy feels on the way, I promise
Don't hate me pls ;~;

Chapter 12 - Day 9

The smell of the forest air on the wind washed over you as you relaxed outside in the garden with Fluttershy. The rain from the night before continued to beat down on Ponyville and the Everfree forest, but you both remained safe and dry under an awning you helped her put up. The wind was gentle enough as to not push it over, but still enough to give you a slight chill. After a short debate, you helped Fluttershy bring out some light blankets so that you could sit in your chairs comfortably, without fear of getting sick. The conversations of the night before echoed in your mind, but you didn't feel any different sharing a moment like this with her. You wagered that your talk had actually solidified your friendship with her, as awkward and occasionally confusing as it had been up to this point. You both remained silent as you sat and listened to the rain, occasionally turning to the table between you to snatch up some of the fruit you had brought out.

In the distance, you noticed something moving against the direction of the clouds. After a moment's inspection, you realized it was Rainbow Dash, streaking towards the cottage at high speed. Strangely enough, just as you were able to start making out details of the speeding pegasus, she held out her wings and braked mid-air to an almost complete halt. Fluttershy perked up at the sound of wings beating the air, and craned her neck to the side to see Rainbow Dash descending to your spot in the garden.

"Good morning! How are you?" Fluttershy greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm fine. Figured I'd come over and see what you guys were up to." Rainbow Dash stepped under your awning and shook the water off of her wings in one swift movement and sat down in front of the table. "What exactly are you doing?" You held up your hand as Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, and drew out a few cards from the pouch in your lap.

[We're relaxing.] Rainbow Dash gave you a funny look after reading the cards in your hand, and exchanged glances with Fluttershy.

"Relaxing? But it's, like, 8:00 A.M., how can you be relaxing already?" she exclaimed in amazement. "The day's barely started!"

"I always start my day calmly and slowly, if I'm not too busy," Fluttershy chimed in. "Since Anon's able to help with breakfast and occasional morning chores, I get a little more time for myself before I have to really get going."

[Why not join us?] Rainbow Dash snickered a bit at your offer, but remained seated.

"I don't really know if relaxing first thing in the morning is really my thing, but it's not like I have anything else to do." You were surprised at her standoffish tone, but Fluttershy didn't seem to notice it in the slightest, closing her eyes and laying her head back against the chair. You got up and pulled a third chair forward in between yours and Fluttershy's, certain that it would make a better seat than sitting in the wet grass. Rainbow Dash have you her thanks, and stretched out with a long yawn. A few quiet moments passed before she leaned over to Fluttershy.

"So what are you doing today?" Rainbow Dash inquired, gently startling Fluttershy.

"Me? I'm going to visit a doe that lives nearby, who recently gave birth to her first fawn. They've been doing well, but I wanted to check in on them again to make sure everything's still alright," Fluttershy explained cheerily.

"Oh, wow. Make sure to give her my congratulations." Rainbow Dash whipped back in her seat and turned to you with a grin. "How about you? Any plans for the day?" You grabbed your chin as you pretended to consider your normally empty schedule. You shook your head and shrugged, spurring Rainbow Dash's smile to grow.

"You could always come hang out at my place, if you're not doing anything," she remarked, looking back to Fluttershy. "You know, when you're done here."

[That sounds nice. In a little bit, then.] You arranged the cards carefully in your lap, making sure that she could read them easily.

"Awesome!" She pumped her hoof in the air to herself, and settled back into her chair. "So, uh, when will you be done?" You closed your eyes as you rested your head against the chair and shrugged. You heard Rainbow Dash sigh in exasperation, and let only a hint of an amused smile spread across your face.

"Maybe that's a good idea, Anon," Fluttershy piped up. "I wasn't planning on being out here much longer, anyway." Rainbow Dash practically launched herself onto the grass from her chair in excitement.

"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea! Actually DOING something!" she joked. Fluttershy rolled her eyes, and got up from her seat. You exchanged amused glances with her briefly before she bid both of you farewell and headed inside the cottage.

"So!" Rainbow Dash blurted out, unfurling her wings to stretch them out widely- or was that flexing? "I think we should have a race, first. How does that sound?" You fished through your pouch as you stood up, looking for the right answer.

[I guess. Where to?]

"To my house, where else? And the winner should get a prize." She turned her back to you as she thought, and you snapped your fingers to get her attention.

[That's hardly fair.] The corners of her mouth drew up into a cheeky grin, and you could see that familiar competitive look in her eyes.

"How is it not fair? Are you scared you're gonna lose?" she taunted.

[Yes. I don't know where it is.] You struggled to hold all of the cards in just your hands, and wished Twilight could have given you some kind of portable podium of sorts. You expected a response from Rainbow Dash, but was met with a huge gust of air and spray of water as she quickly took off into the air.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to get there first- you can just follow me!"

You held your pouch firmly closed in one hand as you jogged off towards her, careful to make the jump over the creek before starting into a sprint. Seeing her start to pull away rapidly, you put real force behind your strides and quickened your already breakneck pace down the grassy slope leading away from Fluttershy's cottage. Luckily for you, Rainbow Dash was only twenty, maybe thirty feet above the ground, low enough for you to keep track of her against the dark gray clouds above her. The hill evened out into level ground and let into loosely arranged forest that blocked your view of Rainbow Dash. You kicked hard against the ground and leapt high into the air above the trees, considerably higher than you had anticipated; while you were still far behind her, you sailed well above her altitude in a long arc.

Much to your amusement, she actually turned her head behind her and slowed down to check for you behind her. You quickly realized that, at the rate she was now travelling, you were at serious risk of colliding with her. Unable to call out her name, you yelled loudly as you started your descent. She barely heard you in time, just a blur flying down out of nowhere like a screaming banshee. You twisted your body to try and land in a clearing ahead of her, and braced yourself for the impact. Even as waterlogged as the ground was, it had little give beneath your crushing landing, and let out a loud schlock sound as you took off once more.

"What the hay, Anon!?" Rainbow Dash cried out behind you. "You trying to kill me or something?"

You cackled excitedly as you rushed through the trees, narrowly avoiding rocks and overhead branches while you took off. In your adrenaline rush, you remembered that Rainbow Dash was the one that knew where you were headed, but you tossed that thought aside. It was likely that Rainbow Dash took a straight path from her home to the cottage, and so it stood to reason that if you continued on in a straight line, you would eventually find it. Just as you affirmed the thought, the forest before you cleared up to reveal a small valley dotted with pink trees. In the distance, you saw a stunning, mansion-like structure with a giant rainbow spilling out of it floated in the air. Instead of risking a jump down the incoming hill, you turned your heels to slide down its bank, spraying water and mud behind you. Rainbow Dash sailed into view, flying upside down and yawning as if she were ready to take a nap. After flashing you a toothy, smug grin, she flipped rightside-up and sped away from you towards the Cloudominium. Confident that your ride down was clear of any obstructions and that you would likely lose the race, you looked back up to observe Rainbow Dash's home a bit more. Like Fluttershy had said, it looked like it was built entirely out of clouds, and to call it grandiose was an understatement. If this was housing for one pegasus, you thought, what could an entire civilization possibly look like?

You felt the grass beneath your sneakers start to drag on your feet as the hill flattened out, and broke into a run once more. You were honestly surprised at how quickly you had travelled there; it couldn't have possibly been more than two or three minutes that you had been tailing Rainbow Dash. It was difficult to tell if it had just been a short distance, or if you were really just capable of maintaining such an inhuman speed for so long. You didn't know what was so special about Equestria that let you accomplish such feats, but you weren't complaining. Almost a minute later, you saw Rainbow Dash land on the ground beneath the Cloudominium, and forced one last breakneck sprint towards her.

"I'm impressed, Anon, you almost had me there," Rainbow Dash chuckled, playfully punching your shoulder. "For that, I'll forget about that whole prize thing. It was a joke, anyway." You huffed an unintelligible response as you felt yourself come down from your adrenaline-induced high, absolutely exhausted.

"What was that? You should probably stick to your cards, Anon," Rainbow Dash teased. You flattened out the pouch, which had been crumpled in your grip for the past few minutes, and pulled a few out.

[No, it was a deal.] You panted heavily as you displayed them to her, and tried your best to smile convincingly. You didn't explicitly agree to the bet, but what harm could it possibly do?

"Well, that's fine with me, I guess," she remarked, shrugging. "I don't have anything for you to do right now, but I'll keep it in mind." You acknowledged her statement with a nod. Suddenly, you were struck by realization as you looked up to the enormous house above you- you might have made it to Rainbow Dash's home, but you had no means of actually making your way up to enter. Even if Rainbow Dash had a cloud to carry you up with, Twilight wasn't around to cast her cloud-walking spell again. You started going through your pouch frantically to alert her, but she stopped you with a knowing smile.

"If you're worried about getting up there, I already had something in mind," she assured, bouncing her eyebrows at you. "Just wait here for a second." With that, she took to the air and flew up to the front entrance. The booming sound of the doors slamming open, similar to wood, caught you off-guard. You stood patiently beneath the cloud structure for a couple minutes, before the mare shot out of one of the windows and returned to you. She was carrying a bottle of purple fluid in her mouth by its long neck, and dragging behind her a familiar-looking cloud tied up with rope. She settled down in front of you and offered you the potion, gently spitting it out into your palm.

"That right there is a special cloud-walking potion that Zecora made for me," she explained. "You know, for guests?" she added, returning your confused look with a sardonic expression.

You apprehensively undid the cork on the potion, letting the sour smell of the fluid waft up to your nose. The last potion you had did a number on you, and you weren't in any rush to repeat that experience.

[Will it hurt?]

"I don't think so. Most ponies say it tastes terrible, but I don't know how it is myself," she replied. You downed the entire bottle in one go, forcing yourself to choke down what tasted like melted erasers mixed with grapes, with the consistency of maple syrup. At no point in your life had you wished for a drink of water than you did right then. While you recovered from the experience, Rainbow Dash put your cloud on the ground in front of you, taking back the bottle and jamming the cork back in. A tingling sensation spread throughout your skin, and you shuddered uneasily, hoping that it was only the potion taking effect. You tested your weight on the cloud and found that you weren't able to pass through, and promptly sat upon it. You both exchanged nods, and Rainbow Dash gently carried you up to the entrance above you.

Up close, you were amazed at how detailed the place was. Her home was distinctly Greek-inspired, with huge columns and archways that almost looked like they were made of marble. You placed your hand upon one and was shocked to find that it even felt like solid stone. Rainbow Dash chuckled as you examined her home in awe, and opened the front door for you to reveal an even more impressive interior, decorated with pegasus statues and various trophies. Oddly enough, you could have sworn that a few of those statues were actually of Rainbow Dash herself.

"Here, I'll take you to the kitchen for something to wash that down," she called out as she sailed past you through a doorway on your left. You had to jog to keep up with Rainbow Dash, and tried to take in every detail around you as you ran through the halls behind her.

You were stopped in your tracks as you ran face-first into something cold and hard that wasn't in the hallway a split-second before. You slammed backwards into the floor, and held your throbbing forehead as you searched for the obstacle. The object slid down the hall and collided with a door not too far from you with a dull thud. On closer inspection, it looked like a small, green tortoise with a propeller attached to its back. Unlike you, it looked relatively unfazed by the collision, and calmly strode towards you. You sat up and continued massaging the welt forming on your forehead while the tortoise stopped before you. Rainbow Dash quickly came round the corner ahead to uncover the source of the noise, and bolted towards you with visible concern. At least, you had assumed she was heading towards you, until she scooped up the tortoise in her forelegs and started fawning over it.

"Oh, are you okay, Tank? I'm sure it was just an accident!" she cooed, turning him over in her hooves and inspecting him for any sign of injury. Tank gave her a long lick, to which she giggled cutely before putting him back onto the ground. "Tough as always."

"Sorry about that, Anon. Are you alright?" You nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, hoping the bumps on your head wouldn't be too noticeable.

You chugged down the glass of water, grateful to wash away the bitter taste in your mouth that had been lingering. You wiped your mouth on your sleeve after downing the entire glass in one go, and offered it back to Rainbow Dash.

"Wow, thirsty, huh?" she commented, setting the glass onto the counter by the sink. "Of course, most ponies are after having one of those potions. I should talk to Zecora about that." As she considered the idea, you fetched a few cards out of your pouch.

[What are we doing today?] It was a simple question- Rainbow Dash had invited you to her home, but so far all you'd done was exhaust yourself and nearly give yourself a concussion twice-over. She read over the cards and suddenly perked up in surprise.

"That's... a good question, actually," she muttered to herself before pacing the kitchen. "What are we gonna do? I can't go outside to practice in the rain." You waved your hand to get her attention as you reached for your pouch again, opting to place your cards onto the island in the center of the room.

[Why not? It's not that bad out.]

"I might have fur, but even ponies can get sick out in the rain, Anon," Rainbow Dash chided. "Flying at high speeds while wet can get a pegasus sick in a heartbeat." You nodded your head, conceding her point. You thought about suggesting she explain some of her trophies and awards, but given her normal attitude and their sheer volume, it didn't sound like a great idea. The size of her home gave you a hint of inspiration.

[What if you flew under your house? It's pretty big, and would protect you from the rain.] It seemed as good an idea as any to you, and you waited patiently for her to finish reading your thought.

"Under the house? I mean, that could work," she replied, rubbing her chin. "There's not quite enough room to do all of my high-speed stunts, but it wouldn't be impossible to get some good practice in."

[Sounds good, then.] Satisfied, you scooped up your cards and started towards the doorway. Before you could leave the kitchen, though, you felt something latch onto the back of your shirt and hold you firmly in place. You turned to see Rainbow Dash's teeth gripped onto the fabric, with her magenta eyes looking up at you with concern.

"Hol' on, der," she mumbled over the fabric, before spitting it out. "What about you? Don't you want to do anything fun? You already watched my practice the other day!" You scratched the back of your head and chuckled. Sure, you had seen parts of her routine before, but at the time you had been more preoccupied with examining the landscape around Ponyville and playing with your tiny cloud sculptures to pay any serious attention to her.

[I don't mind. I like watching you.] Not a lie, no, but definitely a cover for your real thoughts. You didn't want to hurt her pride, after all. Her eyes gleamed at your response, and she nodded happily before taking to the air and slowly flying past you. You followed her back to the entrance and seated yourself on your cloud, ready for her to carry you down below.

You inhaled the crisp, cool air as you descended to the halfway point between the house and the ground, and drew out your whiteboard and marker as Rainbow Dash turned back around.

"What's that for? Were you gonna draw me, soaring majestically through the air?" she teased, raising an eyebrow. You nodded without hesitation- you didn't have much practice drawing moving figures, and there wasn't a better time for you to start than trying to focus on her. You watched her smirk drop, replaced by a surprised frown. "I... didn't actually think you would say yes. But I've got a better idea!" She flew out a couple feet from you, towards the center space beneath the Cloudominium.

"I'm gonna tell you what my tricks will be, and you can give me a score on how good they are!" You waved your hands frantically, gesturing for her to come back.

[I still can't write numbers.] You felt sorry for her as her ears drooped a little, but she instantly perked back up and patted you on the shoulder.

"You can count, right?" You nodded emphatically. "Maybe you can just draw tally marks, then? Just big vertical lines, and you do the sideways one like this-" Rainbow Dash took the marker out of your hand with her mouth and drew four tall lines, with a fifth crossing them diagonally, before dropping the marker back into your lap.

"I can still read that from a distance, and I'll probably already know how to improve anyway. The feedback would help, though." You gave her another thumbs-up, and readied yourself to score her.

"Alright! The first trick is a triple corkscrew, and then a jacknife into a dead drop, and after that..." You struggled to keep up with the pegasus as she continued listing off aerial stunts, several of which you clearly knew weren't actual words. After losing count of just how many she had planned, you held up your hand to stop her.

[I barely know half of those.]

"Wait, really?" she blurt out, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Well, that's not a problem, I guess. I'll slow it down for you, then. One at a time, and I'll see what you think of each one before I do it again. Sound good?" You nodded again, and watched her carefully as she flew back to her starting position. After you exchanged nods with her, she soared up towards the foundation of her home, and spiraled over your head in three large corkscrews. Your head snapped back to try and follow her, and you nearly fell backwards onto the cloud from the gust of wind following her at high speed.

"How was that? I'm talking about how smooth the corkscrews were, and how straight the whole thing looked," she called out, flying back. You'd barely registered her whole flight in great detail, and quickly drew five tally marks on your board before holding it up to her to see.

"A five!?" Rainbow Dash's jaw practically fell off of her face as she flew over to double-check your feedback. "I didn't know you were so critical, Anon, or I would have never suggested this!" You knew she was joking, but her tone was still harsh enough to make you feel a little guilty. You gestured for her to try the trick again, pointing with both hands toward two spots out in front of you. "You want me to do it over here this time?" You grunted in approval, and erased the marks on your board with the back of your hand for her next attempt. Being able to see her flight from a farther distance helped, and you could tell that her first corkscrew went slightly higher than the others. The rate that she ascended and descended and sailed side-to-side was acceptable, but the first loop was definitely off. Or was it? You weren't an expert, but you put down another rating anyway, just in time for her to pull out of her flight and look in your direction.

"An eight? That's good, but not good enough. I think the start of it is what's tripping me up," she yelled, directed more at herself than you. Once more, she sped towards one side of the Cloudominium, this time arcing into her corkscrews much faster, evening out the kink that you had initially spotted.

You continued to score Rainbow Dash as she performed more tricks- her loop-the-loops were clearly well-practiced, but she seemed to struggle to get sharp, repeated turns properly when it came to exiting them and moving straight into another trick. It took several attempts for her to be able to maneuver into them consistently, especially jack-knifing towards the ground like she had mentioned earlier. Still, over the next hour, she showed serious improvement for such a short amount of time. You were also improving on keeping track of her movements, even those of her wings, which seemed to beat almost as fast as a regular bird's. Rainbow Dash really was stunning to watch, even if it was just the same set of tricks again and again from different angles. She stood out drastically from the underside of her cloud home and the dark, dreary sky above it, and watching her started to become absolutely mesmerizing. Eventually, Rainbow Dash felt satisfied with your scoring of her performance, and opted to 'let' you watch as she moved on to different, more complicated tricks.

"Don't worry about scoring me anymore, Anon," she had said with a wide grin. "I know I'm awesome, I just wanted to get your perspective, too." Without another word, she had taken off and started perfecting her own tricks, the names of which were even more ridiculous than the ones she had listed off earlier. You kept watching her, only looking away to make addition to your sketches of her mid-flight. She was particularly expressive when she was flying, assuming a driven, focused look in her eyes, full of determination and excitement. Her rainbow-colored mane whipped in the air behind her, and you became quickly aware of why she had it cut so short- anything longer, and it would have only gotten in the way. Drawing her toned body was probably the most captivating part of the entire experience, and you fought to focus on your drawing rather than taking her in with your own eyes.

“Whoa, Anon. That’s actually really good.” Rainbow Dash's quiet words of disbelief jerked you away from your drawing, making you painfully aware of how close she was looking over your shoulder. You nodded in agreement, holding the whiteboard out at a distance. You had done your best to capture Rainbow Dash’s figure mid-turn, focusing on the twisting of her barrel and her splayed out wings as she righted herself coming out of her previous stunt. In your mind, it wasn’t anything impressive. On the contrary, trying to properly keep her figure proportioned was immensely difficult, given that you had little experience drawing ponies, especially ones moving at incredible speeds.

“Hey, uh, can I ask you something dumb?” She turned to the side and avoided your gaze, smiling awkwardly. “Did you plan on, you know… putting that on paper?” It wasn’t a question you were expecting, but it was harmless enough. Redrawing it wouldn’t be as fluid as drawing it in the moment, but it wouldn't be difficult, either. You shook your head, and fished through your pouch for a moment.

[Why do you ask?]

"No reason! I just thought that if you wanted to keep that drawing, or something, I could give you paper to put it on." You folded your arms and shot Rainbow Dash an accusatory look. Somehow, she seemed even worse at lying than Fluttershy.

“I think I’ve got some in my room, come on!” she bubbled excitedly, leading you up the first set of stairs as you returned inside. Your lungs were heaving by the time you reached the sixth flight, and you had started breaking a sweat. You might have been plenty stronger than a normal human, but your stamina definitely needed some work. You wondered how any of Rainbow Dash's non-flying guests ever navigated the gigantic house, and whether or not they actually stayed long enough to need housing.

Rainbow Dash eventually turned to a large doorway, framed by large pillars and decor, presumably her room, judging by the number of Rainbow Dash-esque statues that lead up to it. She hurried inside and started digging through drawers near her bed, and pulled out a small, unlabeled wire-bound notebook. She quickly tore a sheet from it, and offered it to you.

"I don't really have a lot of spare paper, but you can have a blank page from my diary," she explained with a cheery grin.

[A diary?] You didn't expect Rainbow Dash to keep a diary, but then again, there wasn't much reason for her not to.

"Twilight suggested I keep a diary for whenever I run into personal stuff, you know? It's not really a big deal, and I don't use it often, but it helps. Sometimes." She took a standoffish tone as she gestured with the diary, but as it slipped from her grip she frantically flailed around to catch it mid-air. She froze the instant that she regained possession of it, and chuckled in embarrassment as she returned to her normal position.

"Anyway, you're welcome to do your thing wherever you want." You glanced around the room, and settled your gaze on the enormous bed in the center of Rainbow Dash's room. You sat down on the edge and slipped your shoes off before scooting towards the center of the mattress, and held out your hand to retrieve her notebook. She held it away from you in confusion, and you made a drawing motion with your free hand; you needed something hard to write on, some surface that could hold up the paper.

"You want something to write on? Sure, I can get that for you, but not my diary, okay?" You acquiesced, and waited patiently for her as she searched a nearby bookshelf for a suitable replacement. Of all the ponies you knew, you didn't anticipate seeing her have a bookshelf, especially not one full of comic books. She pulled out a fairly dense book--a dictionary, of all things--and tossed it onto the bed next to you. As you slid it underneath the paper, you paused in reaction to Rainbow Dash's sudden impact as she flopped onto the bed behind you. Once you were certain she was settled, you set your whiteboard to the side and started meticulously copying your drawing. Soon, every thick, aberrant line made by the marker was refined by the pencil tip, and you relished the ability to draw with greater detail than before. You felt Rainbow Dash stir, and paid no attention to her until you felt her peering around your arm, watching you work.

"Wait, do my hips really look like that when I'm flying?" she commented out loud, pointing under your drawing arm. You grunted at her neutrally, hoping she would back up and let you continue. "C'mon, you can't seriously tell me they look like that!" You held up your unfinished drawing in comparison to your doodle so that she could see both. You then pointed to her hips, back to the doodle, and back to the paper. As toned as Rainbow Dash was, you were certain that her form depicted on the page--albeit surprisingly shapely--was not inaccurate.

"You gotta change it," she demanded with a pout.

[It's just a drawing. You asked for it.]

"And I'm asking that you make me look awesome!" she half-argued, half-whined, nudging your arm with her hoof.

[You already look awesome.]

"More awesome, then!" You rolled your eyes, and set out to erase and 'improve' your drawing, if only to get her to quiet down and stop poking you. Not a minute later, Rainbow Dash started commenting on your details, to which you responded by putting a finger to your lips and promptly hushing her. She didn't take much offense to the gesture, but didn't seem to care about it, either; rather than talk, she started to huff, sigh, groan, or otherwise state her displeasure towards your depiction, despite the fact that it was nearly identical to the marker drawing you had already made. Frustrated, you reached around behind you and grabbed her by her sides, lifting her like an unusually large puppy to the open space in front of you the bed. She stiffened up and didn't resist you carrying her, and remained in the same position, face frozen in surprise, for several seconds while you returned to your work, tipping the page away from her so that you could focus.

You occasionally stopped drawing to look at Rainbow Dash for reference, and tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Her puzzled look eventually turned to that of boredom as she lay on the bed before you, waiting for the end product of your efforts. While your work started consuming all of your focus, Rainbow Dash eventually perked up with a devilish grin spread across her face. You hadn't noticed it at first, but at some point, you realized she had assumed a seductive pose, displaying her barrel towards you while playfully rubbing one hoof back and forth along her waist. The sight prompted you to hold the dictionary out in front of your embarrassed, confused face.

"Oh man, you should have seen the look on your face!" she cackled.. "How long did it take you to notice?" You put the book down gently before you, and held your head in one hand in wonder. Today had been full of surprises, and yet this should have been expected. You glanced down at the paper, which was practically finished, save for a few smudged areas where you had been erasing and redoing smaller details in her feathers. With a few more pencil strokes, the piece would be finished, but why stop there? You recalled her reaction to you drawing her in the first place, and was struck with a plan for revenge. You subtly picked up your whiteboard and pretended to doodle more of the mare holding her sides as she continued to laugh. Rainbow Dash quickly recognized your focused silence, and sat up when she saw you 'working' on the whiteboard.

"What, are you actually drawing that pose? Seriously?" You merely hummed to yourself, pretending to ignore her accusation. She watched you for a few moments with curious contempt, which morphed into mild frustration as you leaned the board away from her prying eyes. Unable to see your blank canvas by craning her neck around, she rose to her hooves and tried walking around you to get a glimpse of the board. You responded by bending towards the side--all while maintaining your sitting position--by twisting to and fro as she moved around you.

"Come on, Anon, stop, you don't need to draw that!" she complained, betraying the pleading tone in her voice with an amused expression. Her movements turned from simple walking and jumping across the bed to physically moving you around, which prompted you to rotate the board in your hands to face it away from you. You heard her growl playfully as she leapt over your shoulder into your lap and vainly tried to wrestle the board out of your grip. You struggled against her prying hooves, and fell over onto your back as she tried pulling your arms apart from each other, with the mare landing sitting up on your chest as you continued to keep the board in your vice-like fingers. After just a few seconds, however, you became painfully aware of the position you were in as Rainbow Dash's tail flitted back and forth and brushed over your face. You instantly released the board from your grip and rapidly patted Rainbow Dash's thigh to get her attention. At first, she wasn't entirely certain what it was you wanted, but her cheeks flushed vibrant red as she looked down and properly assessed the situation. She clambered off of you and helped you sit up, her wings shifting uneasily as she sat down beside you.

"Uh... sorry about that, Anon. Guess I got a little carried away," she mumbled. You waved your hand in front of your face, and reached for your pouch.

[Don't worry about it. All in good fun.] It was your turn to smile fiendishly as you picked up the face-down whiteboard and revealed its empty surface to her. She cocked her head to the side and looked at it for a few seconds before her eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh, you- you didn't actually draw anything there, did you?" she accused, pushing against you playfully. You laughed heartily and held your position as Rainbow Dash's shoving gradually eased up, although she didn't move from your side. Silence filled the room as the rain gently pattered on the walls of her room, and you sighed comfortably. Your heart had finally started to calm down, and you and Rainbow Dash yawned simultaneously. You glanced down at her to see her rubbing one eye and stretching her other foreleg out to her side, and gave her head a few gentle pats. The second you lifted your hand away, though, it was firmly pressed back down by a warm hoof. You closed your eyes and started rubbing your fingertips through the mare's mane, earning a sigh in return. Your arm eventually tired, and you flopped backwards onto the bed and stretched your limbs out to relax. Rainbow Dash seemed hesitant to do the same. You kept your eyes closed and folded your arms behind your head, wondering what her next move would be.

"Hey, Anon..." Rainbow Dash started, unmoving. "Can I ask you something dumb?" You nodded your head, and hoped that she would notice the subtle gesture.

"Is it okay if I lay down with you? I mean, it's MY bed, after all." Secretly, you had been hoping she would, and contained your excitement as you scooted away from the center of the bed to make room for her. She leaned backwards as you did and flopped down to your side, narrowly missing your arm with her head. She didn't immediately move towards you, but instead turned in your direction with her snout inches from your rib cage, her breath barely passing through the thin fabric of your shirt. You were tempted to put your arm down and pull her close, but Fluttershy's words echoed in your mind.

'Don't let what you think influence how you treat her as a friend.'

You held tight to those words, and promised yourself that you would only let things move as they turned out; you'd let Rainbow Dash make her own decisions. The two of you lay motionless in the bed, listening to each others' breathing and the sound of the rain, when she suddenly wrapped her foreleg over your torso and held onto you tightly. The quick movement made you flinch and lean up a bit, but the feeling of her face buried in your side was relaxing, and slowly set you at ease. You could tell by her faint shivering that something was off, and you put a gentle, warm hand on her back.

"Thank you."

She said nothing more, and instead burrowed her face deeper into your shirt. You couldn't quite tell what the reason for her sudden grip on you was, but honestly you didn't care in the slightest. Any opportunity for affection was just fine, unexpected or otherwise. You pulled a pillow down towards her and nudged it against her head, getting her to lift her head just enough for you to slide it under without her leaving contact. Your whole body felt warm as her heat seeped into you, and you relished the sensation. It wasn't an unwelcome feeling; if this was how things would be when you two had time together, perhaps it would be something you could get used to. Something you could come to expect. You laughed to yourself and rubbed your hand in circles on her back as you thought.

Perhaps.

Author's Note

Thank you for your patience over the winter break! The comfiness returns, and I can sleep soundly again, knowing that a new update's been published.
Provided I didn't miss any typos again.

Chapter 13 - Day 10

You woke up the next morning to the sound of knocking coming from the front door of the cottage. Initially you ignored it, sleepily thinking it was a figment of a dream, but was roused from your momentary doze when it came again with gusto. Fluttershy also stirred next to you, letting out a long, squeaky yawn.

“The sun’s not up yet, but I swear I heard knocking on the door. Did you hear it too, Anon?” You hummed in agreement and gave her a gentle on the head before getting up, palming your pouch of cards as you exited the room. Who would be at the cottage at such an early hour?

You inspected yourself briefly before opening the door, hoping you would look reasonably presentable for someone who had woken up less than sixty seconds prior. Apple Bloom was waiting for you on the front step, eagerly bouncing in place and looking up at you with bright, wide eyes.

"G'morning, Anon! Are you ready to get started?" she bubbled. You clumsily pulled a few cards out of your pouch and presented them to her with a yawn.

[It's early.]

“Only about 5:30 in the morning!”

[It’s very early.]

"That's what Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said!" Apple Bloom whined, stomping her hoof in disappointment. "I was hoping somepony like you would be an early riser, but I guess I was wrong." You ignored her condescending tone and covered your mouth as you yawned again in response.

"Who is it, Anon?" you heard Fluttershy ask sleepily, peeking her head down from the stairs behind you.

"It's me, Fluttershy! I came here as fast as I could to pick up Anon so he could help work on the clubhouse today!" Apple Bloom affirmed.

"Don't you think it's a bit… early to do that? You've got him all day, after all.”

"I know, but I was thinking we could get started now and have free time later on in the day to do...." Apple Bloom lowered her head as she spoke, tugging on the thickest of your heart strings. You felt obligated to try and reassure her, while still giving yourself an opportunity to get a decent night's sleep.

[We'll work fast.] You took a moment to swap out the cards in your hands once she had read over them. [But I need to sleep first.]

"I understand," she replied, still visibly disheartened. "I'll leave you all alone."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure Anon is at Sweet Apple Acres once he's finished plenty of rest."

“You promise?”

“We promise. Right, Anon?”

You nodded dutifully and put your hand over your heart. Without another word, Apple Bloom strolled away from the door towards Sweet Apple Acres, looking pitiful. Her downcast mood hurt your heart, but you knew that in just a few hours, it wouldn't be a problem; she would be happy to have your help, and you'd be glad to lend a hand. You shut the door and made your way back upstairs, plopping down onto the still warm sheets before Fluttershy stepped inside.

"She really seems excited to get started," Fluttershy commented, sliding back into bed next to you. "You'll probably have your hands full. The Cutie Mark Crusaders can certainly be a rambunctious bunch, but they mean the best." You hummed in agreement.

Within a few minutes, you slipped back into a light rest, which was inevitably interrupted by rays of sunshine peeking over the horizon. Fluttershy made a large breakfast--oatmeal and sliced apples for you, a fruit salad for her--and promptly sent you off to the Apple family farm to get started with your day. You barely recalled how to get there through the thick patch of forest that Applejack had led you through the first time, but with Fluttershy's guidance echoing in your mind as you travelled, you eventually spotted the farmhouse and the nearly-barren trees of their numerous orchards. You could hear the oddly satisfying sound of hooves against cracking bark in the distance. Applejack was probably busy, and so you walked across the plowed fields towards the farmhouse. You saw Apple Bloom and her bright pink bow from afar, bouncing as she spoke with two other fillies on the porch outside. She greeted you by sprinting up to you and essentially wrapping herself around one of your legs, and you chuckled as you playfully tried shaking her off.

"Thank Celestia, I was startin' to think you'd NEVER come!" she squealed, clearly happy to see you. One of her friends, an orange pegasus with tiny wings, snickered and stepped towards you.

"Wow, Apple Bloom, you weren't kidding- he really IS strange-looking." You exchanged looks with the pegasus for a moment, wondering just how much Apple Bloom had spoken about you. She stuck her tongue out at you playfully, to which you responded in kind.

"Hey, that's rude! Even if he is strange-looking, he can still understand us, remember?" blurted out the white unicorn next to her. For some reason, the unicorn filly looked oddly familiar to you, even though you'd never met before. Perhaps you'd seen her in town. Moving on, you reached for your pouch and started arranging your greetings.

[Good morning. It's nice to meet you.]

"Good morning! Are you ready to get to work?" Apple Bloom greeted, raising her hoof into the air. Her two friends also raised their hooves up with wide smiles.

"I'm Scootaloo, by the way," piped up the orange pegasus. "Your name is Anon, right?" You nodded, and reached out your hand to shake her hoof.

"I'm Sweetie Belle! You already met my sister, Rarity. She said you were a nice gentlecolt." The little unicorn's comment made you smile, and you shook her hoof as well. Apple Bloom cleared her throat, and jumped down off of the porch.

"Alright! Now that we're all acquainted and whatnot, it's time to get started!" she announced. "We're gonna start first by having Anon here clear off the broken tree branches off the roof of the clubhouse, while us three clean up what's left on the ground." The list of tasks Apple Bloom grew ever longer by the minute, and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle started to look at one another troublingly as she continued. Eventually, you raised your hand to interrupt her.

[Is all of this really necessary?]

"What do you mean, Anon?"

[I mean polishing the floors and such.]

"That part's important! We need to deal with the splinters we keep getting from the floorboards!"

[And repatching curtains?]

“Do we look like we’re made of bits?”

[Why don't you take me there, and I can help figure things out?] You moved on to laying cards in the dirt, hoping the wind wouldn't come and blow them away mid-sentence.

"He's got a point, Apple Bloom. Sure, we've got a lot to do, but we don't need to do it all at once," Sweetie Belle agreed.

"Let's just take a look again. You've been busy all week, and we haven't gotten a chance to meet up together at the clubhouse since Applebuck season started up." Scootaloo added. Apple Bloom rubbed her chin as she thought, and eventually nodded in agreement. The three fillies led you across the farm beyond the bare apple trees to a seemingly random, hilly area, and revealed a clearing that contained the clubhouse. You were shocked at how homely it looked, and how well-supported it was in the tree- it practically stood with all of the tree's weight underneath it, and looked very sturdy. Broken branches littered the area around it, and covered the salmon-pink roof that was definitely missing the shingles Apple Bloom had mentioned the last time you were on the farm.

"Yeesh. It really has been a while since we came out here. But we're here now, at least!" Scootaloo dashed up to the base of the tree, and immediately started picking up and tossing branches away into a pile. Sweetie Belle joined her efforts, picking up bundles of them with her magic and throwing them into the same pile. Apple Bloom turned to you and grinned.

"See? It's not so hard! Besides, you can reach up onto the top of the clubhouse better than we can." You couldn't argue with that logic. You hesitantly stepped up the stairway to the clubhouse, hoping it could support your weight, and stepped up on the tips of your toes to see over the roof. Your arms were barely long enough to reach over and start collecting the branches scattered over it; it would be better if you could climb up, but falling through the roof would certainly put a damper on your efforts to repair it.

"Well, come on! If you're worried about not being able to get up there, it'll keep you up, I promise!" Apple Bloom piped up proudly. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders take pride in our work... when it's not being destroyed by squirrels, that is." Semi-confident in her reassurance, you gripped the edge of the roof and pulled yourself up and over with some effort. You then crossed your legs and started tossing sticks, branches, and leaves off of the roof down to the ground below, careful not to hit any of the fillies working underneath you. You also took the liberty of clearing up the mess of broken shingles left behind from the impacts of branches, and piled them on the deck of the clubhouse.

"That's lookin' pretty good, Anon!" you heard Apple Bloom call out. She was standing thirty or so feet away from the clubhouse, observing the work you'd finished so far. "You got that cleared up a lot faster than we could have!" You heard snickers from below you coming from Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who quickly returned to their work when they saw you look down towards them. You had a distinct feeling they were conspiring against you, or at the very least keeping something secret from you. They were, of course, children, so you imagined whatever it was, it wasn't worth worrying over. You instead flung one leg over the peak of the clubhouse roof and climbed over to the opposite side, careful not to get stuck in the tree branches that had started growing onto it. You could tell these branches were fairly new, judging by the circular bumps at their bases; these branches had been roughly pruned back once before. The Cutie Mark Crusaders hadn't brought any tools with them so far, so you made do with what you had- you swiftly brought the edge of your flattened hand down onto the branches and cut them away. It was considerably more difficult than the tree you had cut apart at Fluttershy's cottage, since the branches were young, alive, and very sturdy for their small size.

The better part of an hour passed while the four of you worked, focused and intent on finishing quickly, before the three of them started to tire. You weren't exactly sore or exhausted, but a chance for a break to let your arms rest sounded like a good idea. You hopped down off of the roof and steadied yourself as the tree shook slightly under the force of your landing.

"So what are we gonna do during our break, Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked, huffing and panting.

"I thought we might start cleaning up the inside of the clubhouse."

"Wait, seriously? I thought you were wanting to take a break!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle in frustration.

"It IS a break! From working outside, at least."

[A real break sounds nice, though.] Apple Bloom sighed as she read your cards, and you gave her a gentle pat on the head.

"I know, I just want to get all this stuff done as soon as possible," she explained, swinging her hoof in the grass idly.

[Why is that? You've been working all week.] Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo walked up to the clubhouse to see what you were talking about.

"That's a good question," Sweetie Belle added, tipping her head to the side. "You came to our houses super early today, wanting to get started before the sun even came up. What's going on?"

"Well, you see... I was sorta hopin' that Anon here would be able to help out, and then after that..."

"He would stay?" Scootaloo remarked, finishing her sentence. The yellow filly nodded and hung her head in guilt, almost making you laugh. It was pretty cute, and it was hard to keep a straight face as you put more cards down onto the deck.

[You could have just asked. I'm not doing anything else today.] Instantly, Apple Bloom jumped up with a bright smile.

"Really? You mean you'll play with us after we're done?"

[So long as these two are okay with it, sure.] You glanced at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were watching Apple Bloom with a mix of surprise and amusement.

"Yeah, we're fine with you hanging out with us, but on one condition," Scootaloo commented with a devilish smile that made yours drop.

"Yup! There's only one way that we'll let you hang out with us," Sweetie Belle added, exchanging looks with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, the latter of whom caught on to whatever plans they were implying. You smiled nervously, wondering what they had in store for you.

[And that would be?]

"Join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" all three of them shouted gleefully. It took a few moments for you to register what they had said, and you wiped imaginary sweat off of your brow, grateful that was all they had in mind. You gave them a short nod of approval, which prompted them to huddle together and start whispering amongst themselves.

"Alright, come inside with us, then. There's some stuff we have to talk about, first," Apple Bloom announced, opening the door to the clubhouse. All four of you walked inside, and you had to duck to avoid hitting your head on the way through the doorway. The interior of the clubhouse was surprisingly neat, save for a fine layer of dust on the floor and a few pieces of furniture- a table and a few chairs scattered around it. Across the walls were many marker and crayon drawings: maps of places in Ponyville (and a few that weren't), plans on various, clearly elaborate tasks to help other ponies get their cutie marks, and more to-do lists than you imagined such young fillies ever needing. One such list read “New CMC Membership,” which was, to your dismay, longer than any other on the wall.

"Do you swear to uphold the Cutie Mark Crusader code, and to the best of your abilities help each and every colt and filly you find?" You’d lost track of time listening to the three of them read off the massive code they had developed, and sat patiently with your chin in one palm and cards in the other.

[I guess.]

"Don't be so wishy-washy!" Scootaloo insisted. "We might only be fillies, but we're very serious about helping anypony we can, and anypony who comes to us for help." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both matched her intensity as they watched you, and you nodded with faux confidence. You weren't entirely certain that any residents would immediately come to you for help just because you bore the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ emblem, but you humored the fillies anyway.

"If that's the case, then put your, uh, hoof?" Sweetie Belle began, looking at your hands with mild confusion.

[Hand.]

"'Hand.' Put your hand over your heart. You can't speak, but just think with us, then."

“Hello? Are y’all in there?” Outside, you all heard Applejack calling from below the clubhouse. Applebloom rushed to the window and hefted it open.

“We’re here! We were just indoctrinatin’ Anon into the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Apple Bloom shouted back.

“You’re doin’ what to him?”

“He’s with us, now!” You heard an amused snort come from the farm pony and stepped towards the window, hunched over to look outside.

“They’re not botherin’ you none, are they Anon? I came mostly to make sure you were alright,” she joked. You shook your head and smiled warmly. “Well, I’d like to talk to you alone for a bit, if you don’t mind.” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo let out a childish ‘ooOOOooo,’ followed by giggles as you walked out the door and down to Applejack, who guided you towards the farm. Once you were both out of earshot, she nudged you behind a tree and looked you in the eyes with a concerned smile.

“Tell me somethin,’ and I know you can with those cards of yours,” she began, poking at your pouch. “Why did you come out here to help my sister and her friends?”

[I agreed to help them.] It seemed like a simple enough question to answer.

“I get that, but what’s in it for you? They’re just fillies, there don’t seem to be much reason to help ‘em, when you’ve got more important business to worry about.” She made a pretty valid point. It wasn't like you had anything else to do besides loafing around at the cottage when you weren't busy helping Fluttershy with chores.

[I wanted to be nice.]

“Uh-huh.” You could tell by her expression that she still doubted your intentions. It was understandable- you’d be protective of your sibling too, if an alien fresh from another world started wanting to hang around them.

[I didn’t have much else to do, and she’s happy for it.] Applejack locked eyes with you for several seconds, gauging your response.

"Makes sense, I guess. For what it's worth, I appreciate your help," Applejack acknowledged, nodding towards the clubhouse. "Apple Bloom's been workin' her tail off all week to make time for today, more than I’ve ever seen ‘round Applebuck season. Her cutie mark might not be in carpentry, but she sure does love fixin' that clubhouse up."

Applejack continued staring off at the clubhouse as the three fillies inside could be heard excitedly arguing about their next plan of action. You, in turn, looked behind her towards the farm, noticing that there were still plenty of apple buckets left at the bases of the trees in the distance. You snapped your fingers to grab her attention, and pointed towards the orchards.

"Hm? You need something?"

[Do you need help with the trees?] Applejack's nose scrunched as she read your offer, and she looked away from you, half-embarrassed.

"I mean, there's still plenty of work that needs to be done, and I wouldn't ask Apple Bloom to take on carrying that much," she admitted, glancing at the orchards woefully. "I won't lie, we sure could use a pair of hooves--or ten--to help out with the harvest this year."

[Just point me in the right direction.] You gave Applejack a confident grin and pointed with your thumb towards the farmhouse.

"Are you sure? The first time you came by to help out was to repay a debt, you're not obligated to keep workin' for us, now," Applejack questioned, looking you up and down with genuine concern. You nodded curtly, and walked back towards the clubhouse to inform Apple Bloom. When you peeked your head in through the door, you were greeted by a cacophony of high-pitched voices.

"Hey Anon! What do you think of-"

"No, wait, listen to this!"

"Anon, I've got a great idea for-" You held up your hands in an attempt to quiet the three fillies and waited patiently for them to get the message. You pointed first to Scootaloo, who was closest to you.

"I had this awesome idea for helping pegasi who can't fly well, like me. Wanna hear it?" she asked. You shrugged and nodded, curious.

"You're strong, right? What if you tried throwing us?" You immediately held up both arms in front of your chest in a large X-gesture with a serious expression of refusal; there was no way you were going to be responsible for some child's injury because they literally asked you to throw them, in an attempt to help them fly. There wasn't any amount of begging that would convince you otherwise.

"I told you he wasn't gonna be up for it," Apple Bloom chided. "Besides, the catapult didn't work last time, what makes you think that getting thrown would?"

"I wanted to see if he was stronger than that old thing! We all know it wasn't that great." As Apple Bloom and Scootaloo continued to bicker, you pointed to Sweetie Belle, who hopped in place giddily.

"So I was wondering, if you *could* get a cutie mark, what kind would you want?" Sweetie Belle asked, raising an eyebrow. You hadn't actually thought about it, to be honest; without memory of what you used to do, it was hard to consider what you were particularly good at. Sure, you had your strength, and you were more or less resourceful when you needed to be, but those weren't exactly talents. You enjoyed working with tools- maybe Applejack's comment regarding carpentry would be nice. You pulled out your whiteboard and quickly scribbled down a few planks of wood, as well as a hand saw and hammer with nails.

"You want to build stuff?" Sweetie inquired, rubbing her chin. You shrugged again, and wiped away the drawing with the back of your hand. There was always that position Rarity had offered to you, where she had planned to teach you how to make your own clothing. If you were any good at it, perhaps tailoring would be your 'destined' profession. You drew out a spool of thread, needle, and your best attempt at a half-wound bolt of fabric.

"Ooh, that's right, Rarity told me she was going to help you learn how to tailor! I'm pretty good at making clothes myself, you know," she added proudly. You nodded sagely, humoring the little unicorn as she started listing off her beginner experiences with Rarity. Once you were certain that Sweetie's inquiry had been satisfied, you turned to Apple Bloom and snapped your fingers to get her attention away from her ongoing debate with Scootaloo.

"Right, sorry about that, Anon. I was gonna ask you what you wanted to do next, now that we're done cleaning up the place. Do you want to start with the paneling, or re-shingling the clubhouse?" You held up your hand to her with polite dismissal, and pointed outside with your thumb.

[I'm going to help Applejack with the harvest.] Apple Bloom gasped loudly and puffed out her cheeks at you in frustration.

"But you said you would help us! Why'd you change your mind?" she complained. Her frustration was justified, and it would be a good idea to try and explain the situation lightly.

[There's a lot of work to be done.] You let her read the cards, and held up your hand again for a moment as you reached for more. [I'll be back when I'm done.] Apple Bloom seemed to calm down after reading your message, but she still sat down and turned away from you with a huff, clearly upset.

"Wait, are you leaving already, Anon?" Scootaloo piped up, looking at you frustratedly. "We only started a little while ago, you're not done yet, are you?"

"Of course not! He promised to help, didn't he?" Sweetie Belle countered.

"No, he's gonna help my sister with Applebuck Season stuff," Apple Bloom huffed, a slight twinge of sadness in her voice. "He said he'll be back, though." The two other fillies exchanged glances and bolted to the door before you had a chance to stop them. They stared you down with scathing expressions of determination, and you thoughtlessly sat down on the couch on the opposite side of the room.

"The first thing a Cutie Mark Crusader should learn is to commit to their promises, Anon," Scootaloo challenged. "Even if you say you're going to come back, wouldn't it be easier for you to finish your work with us first, and then go help Applejack and the others?"

"Girls, hold on a minute," Apple Bloom interrupted.

"Yeah, what Scoots said! You shouldn't bite off more than you can chew!" Sweetie Belle added triumphantly.

"Hold on! Give Anon a break, okay?" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stopped their shouting at you and looked over towards Apple Bloom, who was watching you carefully. "He didn't break his promise, and I know for a fact that he's not overworking himself. I watched him heave that old plow in the fields as long as Big Mac can." She trotted up to you and patted your knee gently.

"It's not a big deal, right? You're just helpin' out everypony out that you can, like normal?" she asked sweetly. For some reason, the little earth pony sounded a lot like Fluttershy to you, with her gentle tone and calm expression. "Fluttershy told us you can't help but help ponies, even if you don't know them that well. She said it's who you are."

[When did she say that?]

"Before you came to work with us on Sunday, when she came over to get those tools from us." You nodded your head slowly, the gears inside starting to click into place. It seemed that your reputation had already preceded you. Moreover, Apple Bloom was very understanding of the situation and your seemingly sudden change of heart, compared to her friends. You gave them a sidelong glance as they stepped forward from the door sheepishly.

"I suppose that was a bit hasty of us, wasn't it?" Scootaloo admitted.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Anon. We got the wrong idea," Sweetie Belle apologized. You reached over with both hands and gave their manes a gentle ruffle, accepting their apology. It was an honest judgement on their part, even if it was a mistake. You exchanged nods with Apple Bloom, and stood to head out the door, when you felt a gentle tug on the back of one of your pant legs. The yellow filly had promptly followed you to the door, and you could see her gripping to you with her teeth. She stepped back, and looked up at you with her trademark puppy-dog eyes and a pleading smile.

"Would you mind if we came and watched, Anon? We're not exactly strong enough to carry much, but it's better than sitting out here and doing nothing."

"We don't have to sit out here doing no-" Sweetie Belle quickly muffled Scootaloo's argument with a hoof and flashed you a brief grin, before whispering something you couldn't understand to the orange pegasus that quieted her down. You couldn't imagine why not, and gestured for Apple bloom and her friends to follow you as you stepped out the door. You held it open for them, and watched them race off towards the fence Applejack was waiting next to.

"Wait, hold on just a second- are ALL of you comin' to help out?" Applejack blurt out as all four of you walked up to meet her.

"Yup! Anon told us we could come watch while he carried stuff!" Scootaloo explained.

"We're here to make sure he makes good on his promise to Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle giggled, nudging your calf playfully. Apple Bloom's ears folded back a bit as she kept whatever she originally had to say to herself. Applejack looked between her and you for a few seconds, and sighed.

"Well, so long as you're not bein' a bother, I don't mind either. Just try to help out if you can, or make sure to stay clear if you can't, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle replied politely. You chuckled as Applejack shook her head and led you all to the orchards. It didn't seem like she was accustomed to having their help often, but she did say she wanted multiple pairs of hooves, right? And your hands, of course. Applejack stopped at the nearest apple tree with four buckets beneath it, and turned towards you.

"Normally we use a cart to carry these around, or even carry em on our backs, but this year's harvest has been a pain and a half to get cleared up," Applejack began, wiping her brow. "I don't mean to brag, but as strong as we farmponies are, even we've got limits. I reckon your help would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just a few buckets of apples here and there." You stepped forward and grabbed one bucket by its handles, and found it to be surprisingly light for its size. Of course, it was light to you, the mysterious other-worldly creature that could lift a whole iron plow. You shifted the bucket to only one hand and held it at your side, while reaching for a second with your now free hand. You had to hold the far handle of the buckets and prop them against your hips, but they were steady enough for you to walk around and carry.

"Looks good to me. I'd have the cart here, but Big Mac's usin' it right now. I'll show you where to take those apples, and we'll get started." Applejack promptly walked in the direction of the barn, looking behind her to keep an eye on you and the three little ponies dogging your every step.

"I bet you could carry a lot more than that," Sweetie Belle remarked. "You lifted up those buckets like they were nothing!" You nodded- they did have heft to them, but they were more awkward to carry around than they were heavy. "I bet if you had magic to help you carry them around, you could lift a whole ton of apples!"

"It's too bad you don't have magic strong enough to help him carry them," Scootaloo teased, sticking out her tongue.

"I'm working on it!" Sweetie Belle retorted, firing back with her own extended tongue. "Besides, my magic doesn't need to lift heavy stuff, it’s more precise and accurate that way."

"Anon doesn't really need magic, though. He's fine carrying just a few. What matters is that he's helping," Apple Bloom interjected, apparently trying to sound as adult-like as she could. It was obvious enough to strike Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo as odd, judging by their confused faces. They whispered more to one another, eyeing you as you watched them in your peripheral. Moments later, you had arrived at the barn, and followed Applejack inside to one corner full of stacked baskets of apples.

"You can set the baskets around here. Just be careful not to let the baskets slip into one underneath 'em, or you'll crush those apples somethin' awful," she instructed. You followed her guidance, and turned to one side to gently set down one basket, then the other. You inched them side-to-side to make sure they were lined up, and stood back to examine them one final time.

"Good job. You can go back and start bringing back baskets from wherever you want. If you need me, just holler, or send one of these girls after me." With a wink, Applejack left the barn and trotted off towards the remaining apple trees. You walked off in another random direction to find more baskets of your own, and tuned out the conversation of the Cutie Mark Crusaders behind you.

As with all children, boredom eventually sank in for the three fillies, and soon enough you were carrying not only baskets of apples at your sides, but also one pony for each shoulder and another atop your head. As you made another trip towards the barn, you wondered how they had ever convinced you this was a good idea; Scootaloo held onto your head loosely as she chatted your ears off, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle spared your ears by riding along silently. A quick glance told you that Sweetie Belle was almost to the point of falling asleep, while Apple Bloom appeared to be spacing out, watching something off in the distance as you walked. You might have been plenty strong, but this certainly was an exercise in control, teaching you how to keep otherwise squirming, boredom-afflicted fillies balanced while carrying a heavy load.

"What in tarnation- Anon, what are you doin'?" You heard Applejack cry out behind you, dumbstruck. "I'm not callin' you a pushover, but why on Celestia's green pastures are you carryin' those girls on your back for!?" Apple Bloom instinctively stiffened and gripped your shoulder tightly, and you could see her blushing out of the corner of your eye. You set down the buckets at your side and reached for your pouch with a calm smile.

[I offered to carry them.]

"Now what did you do that for? They can walk plenty fine by themselves."

[They were tired.] You stifled a laugh as Applejack rubbed her forehead in mock frustration.

"I suppose I can't say that's a bad idea, but you could have just left em at the farmhouse, you know? You don't need to cater to them none." You gave Applejack a curt nod and stuffed your cards away to sort later. You then stooped to pick up the baskets again, careful not to let the fillies slide off. The motion woke Sweetie Belle up, however, and you felt your chest tighten as she let out an adorable, squeaky yawn.

"I didn't fall asleep, I was just concentrating," she fibbed cutely, looking towards you with a drowsy grin. To your surprise, you felt her lean her head towards your face and rub against it affectionately, almost making you drop the baskets you were preparing to stack up in the barn. Apple Bloom noticed the break in your concentration, and leaned forward to see what was going on past the other side of your neck.

"What are you doin', Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom questioned, prompting Scootaloo to lean down and look as well.

"What?" Sweetie Belle retorted, puffing out her cheeks defensively.

"I'm asking why you're rubbin' all over Anon like some kinda cat or somethin'."

"You're not jealous, are you?" Scootaloo joked, rubbing your forehead with her tiny hoof. "I'm sure Anon doesn't mind at all, does he?" You felt blood rush to your cheeks as you struggled to think of an appropriate answer. You still hadn't figured out this whole thing about rubbing and petting and whatnot with ponies, and the fact that it was troublesome with even kids bothered you more than it should have.

"Now look at him! It looks like he minds plenty!" Apple Bloom argued turning very close to your face. You gently pushed her and Sweetie Belle back and held up your free hand in defense. Before they could continue, you scrambled for your pouch.

[I didn't say that. But it's strange.]

"What's strange about it?" Sweetie Belle asked innocently before rubbing your cheek again. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"No, it's weird!" Apple Bloom protested, firmly slamming her hoof into your shoulder before realizing what she'd done. "Oops, sorry about that." You waved her concern off, unbothered by her strike.

[It feels weird, yes. You're just kids, you shouldn't be doing that.]

"We're not just kids, Anon," Scootaloo argued haughtily, leaning down and making her most mature-looking face possible. "We're young mares in the making!"

"Besides, I didn't mean anything by it, silly," Sweetie agreed, prodding your cheek. "I was just trying to see if I could get a reaction out of Apple Bloom."

"A reaction? What kind of reaction?" the yellow mare retorted.

"That kind," Scootaloo laughed.

[So touch is important to some ponies, then?] You held up the cards to Sweetie Belle, wondering if you'd get a different answer than from Fluttershy. Deep down, you felt strange trying to ask about that kind of topic with fillies like them, but you convinced yourself it was alright to try and get an otherwise unbiased opinion.

"It depends, really. Some ponies like that kind of attention, and others don't. It's not really anything special," Sweetie Belle mused. She looked towards Apple Bloom with a sly grin. "SOME ponies REALLY like it, though."

"What do you know, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom shot back viciously. You could practically feel the fire coming from her eyes. “What makes you think I want that from Anon?”

"You wouldn't stop talking about Anon all week! It's all we've heard about at school!" Scootaloo chimed in, leaning even farther forward. You felt her starting to lose her balance, and instinctively held out your hands to catch the little pegasus as she slid off of you, frantically waving her hooves in the air. Her sudden fall silenced all three of them, and she looked at you curiously, upside-down in your grasp as you walked out of the barn. You could feel Apple Bloom shaking as you placed Scootaloo back atop your head, and you reached over to gently place your hand on her head. She initially shirked away from your touch, but let her head lift to its normal position and into your palm after a few moments.

"It's nothin' weird, okay?" Apple Bloom mumbled. "I just think you're really cool, and I was excited to have you come over again." She refused to look up at you, but you could tell by the way her eyes darted around that she was troubled. Deep down, you wondered what part of you, aside from being a completely alien creature, warranted such interest.

[Why's that?] It was a simple question, one with what you hoped would be a simple answer. The filly continued to look around, searching in the air for an answer.

"Because you are cool, duh!" Sweetie Belle interrupted, throwing her forelegs out in front of herself. "Who else wouldn't want to get to know you better?" Her blunt answer made you laugh for a moment.

[You really think I'm cool?]

"Of course! You might be just a human who showed up out of nowhere, but we've heard that you're really nice, and you always try to help ponies when you can," Scootaloo commented, righting herself on your head as she spoke. "You fit right in with the other cool ponies here, as far as we know." You glanced back to Apple Bloom, who nodded quickly in agreement. It almost looked like she was going to cry, but you couldn't figure out why. You thought back to Fluttershy, who was similarly sensitive to conversations like these. If what she'd said was true, then this situation with Apple Bloom was no different.

[Thank you. I'm happy to help.]

"We're happy to have you here to help," Apple Bloom added sweetly, rubbing her head against your cheek. The gesture made your heart swell, and you reached up to pull her and Sweetie Belle close in an awkward shoulder hug.

"Hey, what about me?" Scootaloo joked. She tapped your head to get your attention, prompting you to reach up past Sweetie Belle and press the orange pegasus down to your skull with your palm. It was a tender, if not strange gesture, but you could tell that the tension in the air had lessened somewhat as a result. Still, you knew there was a bit more resolution to be had. You dropped your arms to your sides and cleared your throat, meeting the gazes of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. After seeing you dart your eyes towards Apple Bloom multiple times, they seemed to understand what you were getting at.

"Hey Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle began. "I'm sorry for trying to get under your skin earlier. I really didn't mean anything by it, I promise."

"Same here," Scootaloo added. "It was only a joke."

"It's alright. It got me to say what I've been wantin' to say, I guess."

An awkward silence grew between you and the three fillies, prompting you to pick up the buckets beside you and continue your work. Said silence was slowly replaced by idle chatter over and across your head as they discussed schoolyard drama, homework, and Cutie Mark Crusader business. Another hour passed, and your aching legs had convinced you that you had found just about all of the apple buckets you possibly could- or could hope to, at least. You sat down to rest at the base of the barn, and lifted off the three fillies so that your neck and shoulders could take a break as well. You stretched out your sore muscles and tried to listen in as they whispered and debated amongst themselves before you. As loud as they could be at times, they were pretty talented at staying discrete as possible, when they wanted to. After a minute of deliberation or so, all three of them simultaneously turned towards you with concerned expressions.

"How tired are you, Anon? And be honest," Apple Bloom addressed you, looking you dead in your eyes. "We don't want a repeat of last time, you hear?"

"On a scale of one to ten," Sweetie Belle chimed in. you lifted your hands, and gauged how sore you were. It wasn't unbearable, but you certainly wanted a chance to rest for ten, maybe fifteen minutes before starting up any kind of work like that again. You held up one hand with all fingers extended, settling on a simple medium.

"A five? After all that?" Scootaloo remarked, looking at the other two with worry. You shook your head defiantly.

[I just need to rest for a bit. Then we can go back to work.] You carefully laid the cards in the dirt, not wanting to scratch them up too badly.

"Are you sure?" Apple Bloom questioned, staring you down with concern. You faltered for only a moment, recalling your last visit. The last thing you wanted was to overwork yourself and have to take another one of those potions, or worse- suffer the consequences, if Applejack didn't have another. You sighed in defeat and shook your head. Apple Bloom hummed to herself before turning around to pull Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo into a huddle. You couldn't make out their hushed deliberations, so you closed your eyes and waited patiently for them to finish.

"It's decided, then," Apple Bloom piped up, garnering your attention. "You go ahead and rest for today, Anon. We've talked it over, and we think that we can finish up working another day, just the three of us."

"Don't feel bad though! As a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, we'll make sure you have plenty more to do." You weren't really sure how to feel about Scootaloo's remark, but gave her a thumbs-up anyway. Sweetie Belle started to add something, but was interrupted by a flash of familiar purple light beside you.

"There you are, Anon! I've got great news!" Twilight announced, before curiously looking at your surroundings. "What are you doing at Sweet Apple Acres?"

[I've been helping these three.] You motioned towards the fillies in front of you with a wave of your hand. [What's going on?]

"Princess Celestia's asked for an audience with you tomorrow."

[Why?] You instinctively reached for your necklace, wondering what business Celestia would have with you. [She didn't seem very fond of me before.]

"We can talk about it later, but first we need to get your belongings and get to Canterlot!" Twilight sounded unusually excited, as if she had been looking forward to the trip. She turned towards Apple Bloom and nodded her head with a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry I have to borrow him on such short notice- he shouldn't be gone for too long."

"It's okay! We were finishing up work for today anyway- he's all yours!" You snorted derisively in response to their exchange, although you couldn't help but grin in amusement.

[I'm not a piece of work equipment.] With a brief laugh, Twilight's horn began to glow.

"Goodbye, girls!" Twilight called out as her magic enveloped you.

"Bye!" All three of them chimed in unison. Your gaze met Apple Bloom's for a moment, and you nodded towards her with a wide smile, which she returned in kind. With that, your vision filled with bright, purple light as Twilight's spell teleported you away.

Author's Note

Nowhere near the date I'd hoped to publish, but it's here. And a pretty long chapter, I might add. And hopefully free of typos.

Chapter 14 - Day 11

“Goodnight, Anon! See you in the morning!” Twilight called out, shutting the doors to your guest chamber. With a sigh, you flopped backwards onto the unfamiliar bed, careful not to land on the satchel Fluttershy loaned you. You thought about how the past couple hours had gone by in a blur. Twilight had whisked you away to the cottage, insisting that you head to Canterlot as soon as possible, but refused to tell you or Fluttershy what the cause for Celestia’s summons was.

“I don’t like keeping secrets, but I promise that it’ll be worth going,” she had said with an unusually radiant smile. Not that you had any reason not to trust Twilight, of course. It just seemed strange that she wouldn’t even hint at what Celestia wanted to discuss with you tomorrow. Fortunately, you had been waiting for a chance to meet with Celestia again for some time now- maybe your plans to show her you meant well had come to fruition, after all. Fluttershy had seemed to think so, as well, having gently pressed Twilight about the topic while you packed away your single change of dress clothes.

Once you had prepared, Twilight had teleported the two of you directly to the entrance of Canterlot castle, much to the castle guards’ dismay. Apparently, they had already been informed that you would be arriving, but you could tell they were slightly off-put by your alien presence as Twilight guided you through the halls. You did your best to focus not on their wary gazes, but on Twilight, who cheerfully explained the history of how Canterlot came to be. You’d expressed interest in seeing the city itself after the meeting, only to be shot down. In a discussion earlier in the day, Twilight explained, Celestia had emphasized that you were to be transported directly to and from the castle. While you had permission to move about Ponyville, that was all she was willing to allow for the time being. A quiet dinner and a few more history lessons later, and Twilight showed you to the guest chamber reserved for you, apologizing for her ‘lecture’ going on for so long. You hadn’t minded it at all- it was much more engaging than sitting around doing nothing, as you were now. You absentmindedly slipped off your shoes as you stared out the chamber window at the night sky, still thinking about the day to come. As drowsiness started to overcome your senses, you hoped that Twilight would be right, that everything would turn out just fine.

"Come on, Anon! I know you're faster than that!" Fluttershy called out, flying just out of your reach. You had been trying to catch her in your game of Tag under the midnight moon, chasing her here and there around the garden behind the cottage. You couldn't recall having this much fun in your life, and Fluttershy seemed to be having a great time, too; who knew Tag could be so exhilarating? It was difficult to keep up with her, as fast as you were running, whenever Fluttershy would bank suddenly and fly in the opposite direction, occasionally tapping the top of your head or otherwise teasing you while staying far enough away to avoid your retaliatory swipes. You laughed and leapt up high after the mare, hoping to snatch her out of the air. You managed to catch her off-guard, and tucked her close to you as you sailed back towards the ground with her in your clutches. You slid across the soft grass without a care, the two of you giggling uncontrollably as you held her up in your arms. You had anticipated the landing to hurt, but you couldn't feel a thing .

Eventually, your laughter died down, and you opened your eyes to see Fluttershy had stopped moving completely. For that matter, everything had become suddenly still- the leaves blowing through the air had frozen in place, the creek had fallen eerily silent, and Fluttershy stared down at you lovingly, although unmoving. You tentatively let the mare go, and allowed her to float mid-air above you, as if held aloft by invisible strings.

"Do not worry, human," a deep, feminine voice soothed behind you. "I come here in peace, and wish to speak with you." You tilted your head backwards to see Princess Luna slowly hovering in the air behind you, descending to the grass silently. You blinked a few times, and realized what was going on.

"You are, indeed, dreaming, Anon. As princess of the night, the realm of dreams is my domain, and I can see those of any pony I wish." Her statement confused you, as you were clearly not a pony, and Luna gave you a warm, understanding smile. "You appear as astonished as I was when you first slept in Equestria. Yes, that was certainly an interesting experience, to say the least." You instinctively reached for your pouch, only to find that it was absent from your waist. You apprehensively tried to speak, but found that only unintelligible nonsense left your lips, as per usual.

"It is unfortunate that you are still unable to speak, as it has been in all of your past dreams," Luna commented, frowning sympathetically. "I had hoped that your alternative method had crossed over, at the very least." You were even more confused now; if you were conscious in your dreams, couldn't you just magically find your pouch at will? Wouldn't you be able to speak, as well?

"Unfortunately not, my dear human. The mind can only project what it remembers how to do, and what it remembers best of those whom it belongs to." Hearing Luna interrupt your thoughts made you jump in surprise, and she stepped forward to comfort you.

"My apologies, Anon. You are not accustomed to having your thoughts read, nor are any others I approach in this state. I did not mean to scare you, but to educate you." You nodded, acknowledging her apology. You weren't that worried, but it made you slightly uncomfortable. You glanced back towards Fluttershy, and felt that level of discomfort rise dramatically- you couldn't remember any of your dreams after coming to Equestria, but how many could Luna recall?

"Do you want an honest answer?" Luna asked bluntly, now standing over you. You hesitated to answer, but your curiosity got the better of you, prompting you to nod slowly. Luna bent her neck down and hovered over your face with a coy grin.

"Every. Single. One. I know just about everything you do about Fluttershy's 'interactions' with you. And I must say, you have quite the guilty conscience." You covered your face defensively, unwilling to admit that she was right. Even though you were caught up in the moments before she arrived, you could recall the exact feelings you had experienced; it didn't seem unbelievable that this instance hadn't been the first time. But why, then, had Luna shown up only now to meet you?

"I came here to speak with you personally, to understand your perspective of this world, without fear of judgement by Twilight Sparkle or my sister," Luna whispered in your ear, sending a chill up your back. You felt another sensation crawl up your back and envelop your whole body as you were lifted carefully to your feet. "Please, human, walk with me. There is much I'd like to discuss with you."

"Alas, where should I begin?" Luna mused, leading you across the bridge over the nearby creek. "There's so much I'd like to ask, and I'm sure there's plenty on your mind as well, Anon." You thought about her earlier comments regarding how she was the ruler over the 'dream' domain.

"Ah, yes. Since times of old, my sister and I have ruled over a number of lands, both physical and not," she began. "We represent, no, embody the dualities of this world. The sun and the moon, day and night. Those are obvious. We differ, however, in how we watch over and care for our respective domains. As many of Equestria's citizens sleep at night, I uphold the duty of seeing over their wellbeing in their dreams.” To you, that sounded rather intrusive. Were all dreams ponies had like this?

“I can understand your concern, but I assure you that I do not intervene in the dreams of my little ponies as I am now. Not usually, that is,” Luna replied, winking at you. “I do step in when I see fit, but almost never in my usual form. I use my magic to influence the dreams of those who are distressed. Worried. Terrified beyond belief.” She craned her head upwards and looked towards the enormous moon in the sky.

“While our citizens may appear to be cheerful and carefree at any given time, there is much to be said about the stresses they suffer from day to day. Some that those such as yourself dare not imagine.” Even if you couldn’t remember your own personal history, you could recall faint memories of tragedies on Earth. Earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, and many more disasters. Despite what little you’d seen of Equestria, it wasn’t hard to imagine that it had its own share of problems.

“I’m glad to see that you understand. You aren’t wholly swayed by the endearing allure of ponies, after all.” You chuckled to yourself and gave her a wry smirk; relationships had been a concern of yours for a few days, but surely that wasn’t all you thought about. A chilly breeze blew over the two of you as you reached the peak of the hill outside Fluttershy’s cottage, and Luna stopped you to point towards the dimly lit houses of Ponyville.

“I jest, but I feel you might do well to listen to a word of advice,” she continued, looking upon the town with a motherly expression. “Of all the inhabited areas of Equestria, the citizens of Ponyville might be some of the most considerate. They operate primarily on emotions, and have bonds more tightly-knit than the strongest cords imaginable. Many of them fervently care for one another, and often show little hesitation to extend that care to those in need.” You watched Luna as she spoke, noticing what looked like the Cloudominium floating in the far distance. She turned her head towards the cottage for a few moments before turning to you, snatching up your attention with her cerulean eyes.

“You’ve spent naught but a fortnight in this town, and already the townsponies speak of you openly, and positively. Few of them know you, but your selfless acts have indirectly set expectations of you in their minds.” You couldn’t resist matching her smile; you hardly knew Luna, but she gave off an aura that made you feel as if she had been watching over you for the longest time, like a godmother, of sorts. “I’ve read over Twilight’s reports about you and what you’ve done, and I can tell that you will be welcome in Ponyville. I do worry, however, about the affections you and a certain few ponies share.” Her expression didn’t waver in the slightest, but you could pick up on her concern from the way her tone of voice shifted. You were well aware of the stress your far-reaching conclusions you had jumped to had caused, and hearing the concern of another--especially that of a royal--was strangely relieving. You felt thankful that you were not the only one who knew your feelings.

“I should clarify, I do not know individual details of your interactions, dear Anon, aside from those about which Twilight has spoken to us.” Luna explained, starting to walk towards town once more. “But I have observed your dreams, and seen what troubles you. You worry about the consequences of what would otherwise be happy misunderstandings, and wonder where your feelings lie. Am I correct?” As much as you didn’t want to admit it, Luna had boiled down your worries to their very core. You were just a human without tangible connections to both Earth and Equestria, and yet you struggled to fight the seemingly misplaced kindling feelings that burned within you. As far as you were concerned, the romantic gestures of little ponies should have been far from the forefront of your problems, but they remained there nonetheless.

“My concern does not stem from the fact that you are human. It would stand to reason that, with what my sister experienced millennia ago, I should have no reason to trust you, but I know that you are different. No, I fear for you because you will face a difficult choice in the future, only made worse by your broken memories.” You looked at her in dismay- what kind of choice was she describing?

“We will speak of this again tomorrow, but I will ask you one question on the matter.” She spoke sternly, as if she were preparing herself for her next sentence. “Do you wish to return home, Anon? To return from whence you were stolen away by Discord’s magic?” You took a deep breath as you registered Luna’s question, the one topic you’d been trying to avoid most of your time in Equestria. It was distressing to think about, solely because you didn’t want to think about it. You couldn’t think about it, even; attempting to recall your past, even your own name, only made your head ache and throb. Up until this point, avoiding the issue of returning to Earth had actually been beneficial, in its own way.

“Normally, one would consider your efforts to disregard returning to your world a feeble attempt at escaping your past. But I am as knowledgeable on that as you are, and I sympathize with your pain.” You could see the weariness in Luna’s eyes as she gazed up at the moon again. She looked as if she had more to say.

“I do not know, has Twilight informed you about my past with my sister?” You couldn’t recall Twilight speaking much of Princess Luna, and shook your head. A bittersweet smile spread on her face, and she resumed eye contact with you as you both continued to walk.

“Long ago, I let jealousy overwhelm me, transform me into a horrible monster whose goal was to enshroud all of Equestria in night. I do not exaggerate; I truly became a different being. My sister was forced to banish me, then known as Nightmare Moon, to my namesake, where I stayed for a thousand years. Nightmare Moon eventually returned, embittered by her imprisonment, and intended to bring about her plans once more, but was stopped by Twilight Sparkle. I can tell from your expression that there’s plenty more you wish to hear, but bear with me this once.

“I was transformed by the power of the Elements of Harmony, wielded by Twilight and her friends, and returned to the form you see now. I sought the forgiveness of my sister and all of her people, and to this day I strive to keep it. But much changes in a thousand years, and I, like you, felt alien in Equestria. The place I helped create, of all places, was an entirely different world to me. Even Celestia was changed by her decisions from that fateful day she was forced to expel her own sister from the world, and I truly felt alone.” Hearing Luna’s story made you want to reach out to her, but you restrained yourself. At the very least, you knew she could feel your sympathy and understanding. The scope of such struggles between divine beings was beyond you, but anyone could start to imagine what it must have felt like.

“Also like you, I found an unexpected friend in Fluttershy. When we first met, she was practically terrified of me, but with time grew accustomed to my archaic ways and even helped me to become the mare I am now.” Luna’s eyes shone as she continued, and her face radiated relief as she mentally relived sweet memories. “No pony could embody kindness more than her, and she is a gift to all of her friends.” You agreed wholeheartedly that Fluttershy was easily the most considerate pony you’d ever met, hands down. It seemed just like her to try and befriend someone like Princess Luna, even after her alter ego’s melodramatic attempts at taking over the world.

You and Luna both approached the edge of town, and you continued to follow her as she led you through the streets surrounding the outermost buildings. Once again you could see Rainbow Dash’s home, floating peacefully in the air.

“Your dreams are often centered around Rainbow Dash, as well. Did you know that?” Luna giggled as you fought the sudden, strange feeling that washed over you, just at the mention of her name. You wished that you could remember your dreams half as well as Luna could.

“Do not worry, your dreams of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are nothing to be embarrassed about, I assure you,” she said calmly. “One of my peers--another princess--who lives in a distant land would actually be very interested in them, come to think of it.” You couldn’t begin to imagine why. You weren’t sure why Luna was bringing those dreams up, either.

“I merely felt you would be interested in knowing, as you cannot remember them yourself. You are always such a gentlecolt in them, just as you are in real life. But it would appear that her relationship towards you is different than that of Fluttershy, is it not?” You had to admit again that she was correct; Rainbow Dash had a drastically different attitude toward you than Fluttershy, and not just by her personality alone. Fluttershy had politely brushed off your concerns of romantic interest, but while you had yet to approach Rainbow Dash about them, it seemed likely that you may have been projecting your misguided feelings onto her.

“I wonder, why do you insist that your emotions are… incorrect? Have you not considered that you might be experiencing more than simple infatuation?” Luna pondered, tilting her head at an angle as she spoke to you. Up to this point, you thought, you were sure that whatever emotional interest you had in ponies beyond that of friends was for naught. Again and again, you’d heard about different species on Equestria forming relationships and living happy lives, but it was hard to consider yourself a part of that equation.

“If and when you do make your decision to stay in Equestria or not, I would encourage you to keep that thought in mind, dear Anon. I will not belie anypony’s feelings towards you, nor assume yours toward another, but you may find it beneficial to keep an open mind.”

Luna’s words echoed in your head as you both turned away from the town and approached a small lake you recalled seeing from the clouds once before. Your entire body started to feel fuzzy, almost hazy as you approached its shore, and Luna bowed her head to you politely.

“It would seem that our time here is coming to an end, Anon. I am certain you will awake refreshed and well-rested, and hope you will consider what I have said to you before we next meet.” A piercing white light shined from the center of the lake, and gradually consumed your entire field of view, forcing you to cover your eyes.

Moments later, your vision was filled with the sun-lit marble ceiling of your guest chamber. A few sharp knocks from the door rang out clearly, and you could hear it creak open a little.

"I'm here to collect the human, Anon, to take to the throne room. Are you ready to go?" The sound of the royal guard's husky voice roused you from your sleep, and you rubbed your eyes as you swung your legs out of bed. You grumbled your agreement and mentally prepared yourself for whatever the princesses had in store for you. Luna had assured you that it wasn't going to be a terribly stressful ordeal, but you were wary of how Celestia would approach you, even after all you'd done in ten days' time. The walk to the throne room only lasted a minute or so, but with each step you felt more and more tense, uneasy at what would come.

"This way, sir. The princesses are waiting for you inside." You gave the guard a nod as he and another guard opened the large throne room doors, revealing a grand, lofty hall, much longer than the ones you'd seen previously back at the Castle of Friendship. On the far end you could see all three princesses sitting patiently, a hush falling over them as they noticed your entrance. You couldn't help but balk at the grandiose, intricate etchings in the colorful windows of the hall, but did your best to maintain a brisk pace as you approached the throne. You almost missed Luna’s gentle, knowing nod as you stopped at the foot of the ramp, and nodded in kind, feeling your chest loosen up a bit.

"Good morning, Anon. It's a pleasure to see you," Celestia's motherly voice called out. She sounded considerably warmer than when you'd last spoken personally. "Let me be the first to say how happy I am to hear that you are well and acclimating yourself to Ponyville and its citizens. Please tell me, how do you feel?" Your first instinct was to reach for your pouch, but you realized that, standing close to ten feet away from her, she wouldn't be able to read the tiny print on the cards.

"You're more than welcome to get closer so that I can read, if that's what you're looking so bashful about," she chuckled lightly. You took tentative steps forward as you searched for the right words.

[I feel foreign, but very welcome.]

"That's good to hear. Ponyville is a good place to go when you're looking to make new friends. Isn't that right, Twilight?" The lavender mare nodded enthusiastically.

"That it is. I couldn't have picked a better place for you to end up myself, even if it was my fault you ended up there in the first place."

"I understand how you feel, Anon; it must be difficult to deal with such a strange situation," Celestia continued, materializing a scroll out of thin air with her magic to study. "But from what I've heard, you've been making strides to make the best of it. Twilight's reports on you have been more than satisfactory, which spurred me on to let you move about Ponyville, with guidance from the Elements."

"Why did you choose us in particular?" Twilight asked. "The choker Anon is wearing is only activatable by unicorns, so only Rarity and I would be able to suppress him if anything were to happen. N-not that anything WOULD happen, of course," she added with a nervous smile.

"I chose you because I trust you, and I was sure that if anypony could inspire Anon to be a good member of our society, it would be the six of you and your friends. You've done so much for Equestria, and are paragons of what all Equestrian citizens should aspire to be." Twilight blushed under Celestia's heavy praise.

"Do you think it would be fair to allow Anon freedom from that trinket, dear sister?" Luna commented, levitating the choker off of your neck to inspect carefully. "I was not present when these were first implemented on the humans you discovered, but they seem rather intrusive." Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated upon seeing Twilight lean forward and raise her hoof patiently.

"If I may, I'd like to point out that Anon volunteered to wear the choker after Celestia gave him permission to leave Fluttershy's cottage. I gave him the opportunity to take it off and avoid using it." You nodded in agreement with Twilight, earning an intrigued nod in return from Celestia.

"Really? You certainly are a puzzle, Anon. And, tell me, what reason did you have to not only aid Fluttershy in her day-to-day tasks, and Twilight with her research, but other members of Ponyville, as well?"

[I wanted to repay them for their help.]

"And what of the stallion, Patch, who sells vegetables in Ponyville?" Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. "And the Cutie Mark Crusaders, as well? I’d heard you stepped forward to help them, even as complete strangers." You were surprised that she was even aware that you'd gone to help Apple Bloom and her friends the day before, but you guessed that Twilight had passed on your announcement of your plans to help them clean up well in advance.

[I saw they needed help, so I did.]

"That's very considerate of you. Most of the humans I saw long ago weren’t like that. I wonder if Fluttershy's influence has had any affect on you."

"If I may be frank, I think Anon's kindness is genuine," Twilight remarked while shaking her head. "Fluttershy might be a good role model for him, but I sincerely believe that he means the best out of the kindness of his heart." Celestia shot Twilight a look of surprise, and turned back towards you.

"If what you've told me is true, Anon, then there would be good reason for me to believe Twilight. But I'm still curious as to WHY you feel the need to help ponies. You would certainly be more content with staying with Fluttershy and the other elements and waiting for a way to return home, right?" Celestia's tone seemed to be leading, as if she were anticipating a certain kind of answer from you. But you knew the best option would be to answer honestly- it had been a good policy for you this far.

[I hadn't thought about returning, no.]

"You hadn't?"

"Whenever Anon tries to remember his past on Earth, he's wracked with terrible pain. It makes sense that he would avoid the topic altogether," Twilight added.

"I see. But do you not wish to return to Earth, regardless? Surely, being among your own kind would be preferable to living here in Equestria," Celestia suggested. You shook your head adamantly and smiled at Twilight.

[Equestria is my home more than Earth was, as far as I can remember.] Celestia re-read your statement multiple times before staring you down intently. Her eyes burned with an insatiable interest, as if she were trying to gauge your sincerity through eye contact alone.

"Is that so? You really believe that Equestria is your home?" Luna chimed in with a smile.

"One could argue that logic is flawed due to your impaired memory, sentimental as it is," Celestia argued. "My intention was to discover a means of returning you home outright, but it seems that would be a hasty action to take without your consent. You were brought here in the same manner, it's only fair that you be given the opportunity to make an informed decision this time."

"What are you saying, Princess Celestia?" Twilight inquired.

"I'm saying that I would like to pursue a means of restoring Anon's memories, so that he can properly decide on whether to return to Earth, if and when the time comes."

To your surprise, Twilight and Luna looked as taken aback as you did. You hadn't considered the possibility that your memory could be restored before, and to hear such a proposition from Celestia was telling.

"Do you really think we can?" Twilight asked.

"I do. You are well aware that magic can be used to restore memories in ponies; I see no reason why we cannot do the same with dear Anon," Celestia replied.

"Would it not pose any danger to him? I know that field of magic has been and still is a cutting edge when it comes to research," Luna remarked with worry.

"It is. But I believe it is the best option for us at this moment," Celestia concluded. "What do you think, Anon? Is this something you want? To regain your memories?" You hesitated to answer at first; you were still new to experiencing magic, and while your brief history with it thus far wasn't unpleasant, Luna's warning gave you a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach. You were also unsure how to answer because you had absolutely no idea how the process would work.

[I don't know. I'm still unfamiliar with magic.]

"Your doubt is not unjustified- sister, why don't we wait until we have a means of transporting Anon first, as to avoid unnecessary risk," Luna pleaded firmly. "Consider it another choice Anon will be able to make when he is properly knowledgeable of the process necessary." The two of them exchanged glances for a moment, and Celestia let out a calm sigh.

"You make a fair point. I suppose I am asking a lot of you, Anon, but please know that I only mean the best for you. When it comes down to it, I believe that Equestria may not be the best place for you, I won't lie about that." Celestia took a deep breath, and beamed as she continued. "But so far you have made leaps and bounds to prove my past judgements wrong, and I sincerely apologize for holding the past actions of your kind against you. That said, I will continue to pursue means of setting things right as I see fit, and we will meet again when the appropriate day comes. Do you understand?" You bowed in affirmation, earning another nod from Celestia.

"Good. I do believe that I have exhausted my list of business with you, Anon, but please allow the other princesses a moment of your time, if you would." Celestia turned to Twilight, who did a double-take.

“Wait, are you sure that’s everything you had to say?” she asked carefully.

“Of course. Was there something you were expecting, Twilight?” Celestia responded, raising an eyebrow and briefly setting Twilight’s hair on end.

“N-no, no, I was just making sure.” Twilight’s eyes darted between you and Luna for a moment before composing herself.

“There was one thing I was expecting, dear sister,” Luna chimed in.

“And what would that be?” Celestia questioned, her voice taking on a curious tone.

“Did we not have a discussion about granting Anon citizenship, just the three of us?"

Wait, did she Luna just say 'citizenship?' You looked to Twilight with a stunned expression, who tapped her hooves together in quiet excitement.

"Last I recall, you entertained the notion, albeit with some skepticism,” Luna pressed. "If we're on the topic of transparency and informed consent, I feel he should be aware of this, as well." The soaring feeling in your heart was abruptly cut down as Celestia’s gaze returned to you. You did your best to not show your nervousness, although it didn’t seem to be working. After a few seconds, Celestia looked as if she had realized something and cocked her head to the side.

“You’re absolutely right. I’d like to speak with him alone on the matter, however.” Twilight and Luna exchanged glances briefly, and stepped down past you. You could hear Twilight whisper ‘good luck’ under hear breath to you as she and Luna left the quiet hall. Celestia watched the two alicorns leave over your shoulder, and settled back into her throne once the doors shut behind them.

“Anon, be honest with me,” she began. “Do I scare you?” What a strange question to ask, you thought, shaking your head.

“You’ve been very tense since the moment you walked in. Is something on your mind?”

[Not particularly.] You thought for a moment, and became aware of the sweat forming around the choker on your neck. You remembered why you were still wearing it.

[I was hoping we could meet again.]

“You were?”

[Yes. I’m glad we did.] Celestia nodded in agreement and stood up, gesturing with her wing for you to walk with her towards the hall doors.

“As am I. You’ve surprised me a number of times in the last ten days, and I wanted an opportunity to apologize to you personally.”

[Apologize?] Celestia stopped her steady pace and turned to face you with a solemn look.

“I want to be honest with you, Anon. When I first saw you, I felt afraid, angry, and confused, as I did long, long ago. The havoc that humans caused in the past was heartbreaking.” she answered flatly. “And when we left that cavern, I treated you like an animal, like a burden, and were it not for Fluttershy’s interference…” Her voice trailed off, and you recalled Twilight’s story of the previous humans’ exile. Celestia noticed your expression and cleared her throat.

“But you’ve given me reason to believe in you, Anon,” she continued, bowing her head with a smile. “During my rule, I’ve come to learn that everypony deserves a second chance. I misjudged you, projecting onto you the actions of your forebears, much like one particular human from their time.”

[Twilight told me about that.]

“I thought so.” Celestia lifted her head and continued her slow pace, glancing fondly at the stained glass along the walls before looking back towards you. “But let’s change focus for a moment- you know now why I called you here, but you mentioned before that you were anticipating our meeting. Why is that?”

[I wanted you to trust me.]

“Hm? Are you saying you planned for this?” Celestia watched you curiously as you unclasped the choker around your neck and held it out to her. The only reason you agreed to wear it was to prove your trustworthiness to Celestia, after all. She levitated the trinket out of your hand and studied it for a moment, focusing on the gemstone in its center.

“You kept this, knowing that Twilight was reporting your behavior to me, yet you say your actions are purely out of kindness,” Celestia concluded. When she put it that way, you sounded considerably less sincere than you had hoped. You looked around the room away from her, trying to think of a response.

“Don’t worry, that doesn’t change what I said before about second chances,” Celestia chuckled. “Your decisions were still good in and of themselves, whether you knew you were being observed or not.”

[Thank you.]

“But there is something I’d like to ask of you, first: how much would you be willing to do to be a part of this world? There are the usual examinations for becoming a citizen, of course, but staying in Equestria will, in one way or another, likely take its toll on you. What reason would you have for staying, aside from your lack of memories of Earth?”

You struggled to find a definitive answer; while thinking of what you were missing back on Earth wasn’t an option, you had found some purpose in Equestria, either. Already, a few ponies had made concessions for you as if you were already going to stay- an opportunity for work with Rarity, keeping the Cutie Mark Crusaders company, and helping out at Sweet Apple Acres, to name a few. And there were still others, like Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who you simply wanted to stay with for reasons you hadn’t yet figured out.

[I just want to keep helping, I guess.] Several seconds of silence passed as Celestia pondered your response, before her face lit up with inspiration.

“For clarification, Anon, you are still unable to write, correct?” You nodded your head in reply.

“I see. And how much would you say you trust Twilight Sparkle, my former student?” she asked cheerfully. “Surely enough to be monitored daily, right?” she added.

[I trust her, yes. Why do you ask?]

“When Twilight first arrived in Ponyville, I tasked her with writing letters to me, depicting the lessons she learned about friendship. If you trust her enough to write in your stead, I’d like you to do the same.”

[May I ask why?]

“As I said earlier, I want you to have an informed decision on whether or not you wish to return to Earth. If and when you find yourself dedicated to something between now and when the day comes for that decision, I want to hear of it. Does that make sense?” Celestia smiled again as you both reached the hall doors, which slowly swung open to reveal Luna and Twilight patiently waiting for you.

[What about the choker?]

“I’m keeping it here,” she replied, folding the band up neatly with her magic. “You said you wanted me to trust you, so I want to hear about your life in your words, this time.”

Author's Note

A long-awaited update for many, myself included. I'm not dead.