A Helpful Hoof

The previous day, while resulting with Anon’s employment, had been a lively one. Visitor or not, Equestria’s daily business wasn’t going to grind to a halt, due to the appearance of a strange, bipedal alien. While Mayor Mare had busied herself with her duties, Anon was kept occupied with menial tasks.

He swept the town hall, opened and sorted letters, and delivered a few formal documents. While it didn’t sound all that interesting, it started laying the foundations for his societal integration. Although they were relatively mundane, they allowed him to meet different townsfolk, familiarize himself with Ponyville, and help him grasp the ins and outs of daily life. Those, coupled with the fact that he was still coming to grips with the colorful and surprisingly cheerful equines, left him rather contented. As the day drew to a close, May and Anon returned home for a well-earned meal.

True to her word, Rarity delivered a handful of garments for the man. A care package, left neatly wrapped on May’s doorstep, contained three t-shirts, two pairs of shorts, and a lone pair of pants. Even though he was without foot wear, or any undergarments, Anon was extremely impressed. The spring weather meant he could go without shoes for some time, which was fortunate. The lack of underwear, while a bit disconcerting, wasn’t truly a functional issue, since he had some outer clothing to conceal himself.

After their meal, and a casual discussion, the two had retired for the evening. Thankfully, their night was a much calmer one, in comparison to the one prior. Satisfied with his work, and his interactions with the ponies in town, Anon slept like a brick. Sure, he had a bill from Rarity, and was unsure of what the next day held for him, but he felt substantially more relaxed. At least, as relaxed as anybody would, given the circumstances.

~

“Anon. Anon, wake up,” May urged, gently shaking Anon’s shoulder. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have entered his room unannounced, or waken him without due cause.

Jostled from his slumber, Anon cracked an eye open. “May?” he mumbled, his mind still half asleep.

“Anon, you have a visitor. If you could get up, she’d like to speak with you,” May said, with a half smile.

While the mayor wasn’t overtly distressed, Anon could tell something was off. She was shuffling uncomfortably, and looked over her shoulder, towards the hallway, at least twice. Rolling to his side, he looked at her. “Who is it?” he asked.

“It’s the Princess,” May replied, her tone somber.

Anon gulped. He’d heard about the Princesses, a scant few, extremely powerful beings known as alicorns. As unsurprising as one of them showing up was, he still felt a knot forming in his stomach. “Twilight?” he murmured, assuming which of the quartet had come to speak with him. May nodded, affirming his suspicions. “Alright, tell her I’ll be right there. Just let me get dressed and wash my face,” he continued, wiping the crust from his eyes.

Nodding a second time, May turned and departed. She realized Twilight, or one of the other Princesses, would be coming to investigate, but it still made her anxious. They were, for all intents and purposes, living demigods, and their power was nigh unfathomable. As if that wasn’t sobering enough, their rule was virtually absolute; meaning Anon’s fate lay in their hooves.

“He’ll be right in, just give him a moment. Would you like some tea?” May inquired, rounding a corner and moving into the living room.

“That sounds lovely,” Twilight Sparkle responded, from beside the mayor’s bookshelf. Her host trotted past, disappearing into the kitchen, while she awaited Anon’s appearance.

She’d heard from both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy that Ponyville had received an unexpected guest, and an odd one, at that. Neither of them seemed too concerned with him, but she would be remiss for not investigating. As busy as she was, she couldn’t allow strange, sapient creatures simply appearing without looking into things. Contenting herself to browse the mayor’s literature, Twilight was left to ponder a great many things, all of which she hoped to receive answers for.

After donning a new pair of shorts and shirt, Anon plodded off to the bathroom. Hastily rinsing off his face, and running his fingers through his hair, he moved towards the living room. There was no running from this; even if he’d wanted to, he had nowhere else to go. Taking a deep breath, to calm his frazzled nerves, he stepped inside.

Looking over the room, it took him a second to realize the Princess wasn’t any larger than May. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting; but from the descriptions of her, he would have thought she’d be larger or more imposing. The only thing which stood out about Twilight was that she had both a pair of wings and a horn, almost like she was some combination of a pegasus and a unicorn. As he quietly studied her, she turned.

“I’m guessing, you’re Anonymous?” Twilight asked, looking over the tall man. He wasn’t unlike the humans she’d met in that strange reality which Sunset Shimmer had fled to, but there were subtle differences. The tone of his flesh wasn’t as colorful, and his features were a bit sharper, more defined. He nodded, affirming his identity. “Please, take a seat,” she said, waiving to the couch and chair.

Walking over, Anon did as instructed and sat down on the sofa. She didn’t have an unpleasant tone — at least, not outwardly — and he watched her as she trotted around and seated herself on the recliner opposite. Much like most ponies in town, she really wasn’t wearing anything at all. “So,” he began, watching her hop up onto the chair opposite, “you’re Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yup, that’s me,” Twilight said, with a grin.

“Alright, before you ask, no, I have no idea how I got here. One minute, I was lying in my bed, the next, I woke up in a field outside of town,” Anon stated, realizing it must have been one of the questions on her mind.

“Ah, right to the point.” Twilight’s smile faltered. “Honestly, I’m not sure how you got here either. At least, I’m not sure yet. I fully plan on exploring the matter, but Discord swears he had nothing to do with it,” she sighed.

The chaos deity had been the first one she’d directly questioned, assuming he’d had some hand, or claw, in the matter. The fact that he denied any knowledge of Anonymous’ appearance, coupled with not sensing any magical traces of his arrival, was troubling. Stranger things had happened in Equestria, and likely would continue to happen, so she wasn’t terribly surprised with a human seemingly emerging from thin air.

“May told me about Discord. He’s the big mishmash guy, right?” Anon thoughtfully said, considering the Princess’ words. As if summoned, May appeared, carrying two steaming mugs of tea. Accepting one, me smiled to his host. “Thanks.”

“Wait, May? Who’s May?” Twilight inquired, looking between the two. She’d never heard of anypony named May before, so she was a bit confused.

“Oh, I told Anon he could call me May, since Mayor Mare didn’t sit well with him,” May clarified, sitting beside her bipedal guest.

“And I’m guessing Anon is short for Anonymous?” Twilight pressed, shifting her attention to the man.

“Yeah. You can call me Anon, if you want,” Anon added. Princess or not, he saw no need to be so formal.

“In that case, just call me Twilight,” Twilight chimed in, her smile returning. If Mayor Mare was that comfortable around him, she saw no reason to be too suspicious, but she did have a few more questions.

“Anon, if you don’t mind me asking. What do you intend to do here? Hypothetically, if we can’t find a way home for you, what are you going to do?” Twilight asked, cocking an eyebrow. Her inquisitorial look melted, as she suddenly facehoofed herself. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. Don’t get me wrong, we are going to try to figure out a way to send you home, I’m just playing the ‘what if’ game here,” she hastily added.

“Nah, you’re fine,” Anon acknowledged, waving away her concern. “But honestly, I’m not sure. I guess I’ll just do what anyone would do: try to make myself useful, do my best to get by, live. I know it probably sounds kinda crazy, but it’s not that bad here. At least, compared to where I’m from,” he answered, his mind wandering to his life on Earth.

Just as he started to zone out, Anon felt something on his leg. Peering down, he noticed May’s hoof on his thigh. Looking up at her, to her comforting face, he couldn’t help but grin. Slowly, he placed his hand on her hoof. Maybe it was because she’d been the first pony to greet him, or how she’d been with him since he wandered into town, but he found her presence immensely soothing.

“Twilight, if you’re worried about Anon, I assure you, I’ll keep an eye on him,” May began, her tone firm and professional. “He’s taken the initiative to help me around the office, made a concerted effort to familiarize himself with town, and hasn’t been anything but considerate to everypony he’s met. I must confess, while I was somewhat reluctant to go out and speak with him, no offense,” she interjected, patting his leg, “Anon has shown himself to be quite the gentleman.” As she concluded, her look softened, and she smiled over at him.

Glancing between Anon and Mayor Mare, Twilight noticed something rather interesting; well, several somethings, in fact. First of all, she’d never seen Mayor Mare with the exact expression she was currently wearing. Secondly, Anon, while out of place, really wasn’t giving her any sort of bad impression. Considering the mayor and two of her friends had favorable impressions of him, she was inclined to go with her gut instinct. Lastly, and most clandestinely, she’d sweeped the house for any magical activity. If Anon did have any sorcerous ability, he was either a grand master of concealing it, or, as she assumed, he simply lacked any such abilities. All told, her concerns had been assuaged, for the time being.

“Well then, that’s good enough for me,” Twilight said, hopping down from her chair. “Anon, I’ll let you know if I can figure out exactly what brought you here. In the meantime, if anything strange develops, feel free to drop me a scroll,” she stated, turning her attention to Mayor Mare. “As always, it was great to see you. Thank you for the tea,” she continued, giving the mayor a parting hug.

As deep of a mystery as Anon was, there were more pressing issues to attend to. Between running the school, addressing any friendship issues which she and her friends were summoned to, and the periodic threats to Equestria, she had her hooves full. A lone human in Ponyville was hardly her biggest concern, and Mayor Mare was one of the most capable ponies she’d ever met, so she was sure things would work themselves out.

Stepping outside, Twilight extended her wings. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing the two of you around town. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” she noted, waving goodbye. Trotting out onto the street, she broke into a gallop, before ultimately taking flight. Even though she wasn’t awfully worried about the situation, she’d be sure to keep tabs on Ponyville’s newest resident.

From the doorway, standing side by side, May and Anon watched the Princess depart. Twilight’s arrival, while unexpected, had been an inevitability. While he’d initially been anxious about the encounter, it hadn’t been nearly as intense as he had expected. That being said, Anon was relieved it had ended on a pleasant note.

“She seems kinda nice,” Anon commented, turning to face his host. He’d anticipated a much more thorough grilling, but was pleased with the brief, relatively peaceful questioning.

“She is. She’s just terribly busy, that’s all,” May wistfully affirmed, having been reminded of a time when Twilight’s days were far less demanding. Truly, after ascending to become an alicorn, she’d blossomed into quite the able leader and a key defender of Equestria.

“Thank you,” Anon murmured, squatting down beside May.

“For?” May countered, thrown off by the abrupt gratitude.

“Just for helping me, for blindingly trusting some big, weird guy who showed up at your doorstep. Heck, I don’t know what I would have done, if you hadn’t helped me so much,” Anon admitted, his chest growing tight. If he’d ever questioned her motivation for helping him, it stopped when she spoke up for him to Twilight.

“I’m sure you’d have done the same thing for me or anypony else,” she warmly sighed, beaming at him. Although she’d only known him for a day, she’d put her bottom bit on him being a genuinely good human. She had no way to tell for certain, but her gut rarely, if ever, steered her wrong.

Leaning in, Anon impulsively gave her a hug. Not only had she shown him sincere kindness, but because she’d actually made him question himself. If some alien creature had shown up in his town, he really couldn’t say what he would do. Yet here she was, a paragon of compassion, who had done everything she could for him. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve such a glimmer of hope, but he didn’t feel worthy.

Wrapping one foreleg around Anon’s torso, May stroked his back. She really didn’t have anything to say, so she simply held him. While hugs weren’t an uncommon happening, this was different. Something about the way he held her, how his head rested on her shoulder, with his fingers softly clutching her back. It wasn’t unpleasant — in fact, she actually found it rather soothing.

“But really, thank you,” Anon repeated, breaking their embrace. He was in her debt, finding himself increasingly appreciative of her, with every passing moment.

“Well then, since you’re so thankful, how about you make us some breakfast?” May chuckled, briskly trotting into the house.

“Sure, what would you like?” Anon asked, watching her head towards her room.

“Surprise me,” she shot back, intent on taking her morning shower.

Anon smiled and something inside of him settled. Even if he did wind up stuck in Ponyville, maybe, just maybe, things wouldn’t be that bad. Especially if he had May...