The Next Day

"-And so that's how the war with the griffon kingdom ended. Any questions?" Raven asked, lowering her pointer stick from the chalkboard.

Anon yawned, "Yeah, why did the griffons all give up after you killed their king?" He asked, sounding confused.

Raven raised an eyebrow, "We've been over this, sir. They surrendered because their leader was dead. Without their fearless king, the griffons were easy to route. It made for a swift, and decisive victory that saved countless lives on both sides." She explained, pointing to the chalkboard once more, and the copious notes already there.

Anon shrugged, "Yeah, but what if they didn't want to surrender? I mean, if someone came into my county and killed my president, that wouldn't mean the end of the war, if anything, it'd probably piss most of us off even more." He offered.

"Well, sir, the griffons needed a central leader to coordinate their forces. At the time, their king led all battles from the front. He oversaw everything personally, which meant that once he was gone, the griffons had no real leadership." Raven elaborated.

"They really didn't have a chain of command? Sounds like they were pretty stupid back then." Anon shrugged once more.

Raven frowned, "Yes, well, they've learned from their past mistakes... as have we."

Anon's brow furrowed, "Wait a minute... you aren't telling me that you guys didn't have a chain of command back then either, are you?" He questioned.

"Well..." Raven began, before the sound of hoofsteps entering the room caught both of their attention.

"My sister and I were the co-rulers of Equestria at the time of the war. Even if one of us perished in the fighting, the other would still be able to command our army. That alone gave us a tactical advantage over the griffons that led us to victory." Luna spoke up, cutting Raven off.

"Princess." Raven bowed, politely.

Anon looked over his shoulder and nodded to the lunar alicorn as she approached him, "What's up, Luna? I thought you'd still be asleep."

"I awoke earlier than usual to prepare for our date, Anon. You didn't forget, did you?" Luna inquired, frowning slightly.

Anon looked over to the clock, "Of course not. It's just that it's only five thirty and we're not supposed to go out until seven. Plus Raven won't let me leave." He replied.

Luna looked at the clock as well, "Is it no longer appropriate for a mare to steal a stallion away from his duties to show him a fine evening together?" She innocently questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Raven sighed, "If you'd like to take Anon out for your date now, Princess, then by all means, he's yours. I'll just have to teach him the rest of Equestrian military history tomorrow."

Luna clopped her hooves together in excitement, "Huzzah! You have my thanks, Miss Inkwell."

Anon raised an eyebrow at Luna's attitude, "Well someone sounds excited. Does that mean that you have something special in mind? Something that's gonna have a million eyes on us?" He chuckled.

Luna smiled, "Actually, I have something else in mind for us, Anon. Come with me, would you?" She asked, turning for the door.

As Anon stood up to leave, he noticed Raven giving him an expectant look.

"What?" He asked.

"Make sure you're on time tomorrow, sir. We've got a lot of material to cover. It'd be a lot easier to get this done if you were here for the whole day instead of being ten minutes late." Raven testily instructed.

Anon rolled his eyes at the unicorn mare, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Today wasn't my fault though. We all got back at, like, midnight. I like my sleep and you want me here at what feels like five in the morning."

Raven sighed, "Nine o' clock is hardly five in the morning, sir. Just... please be on time tomorrow." She asked, an exhausted tone in her voice.

"Alright, alright. I'll be sure to be on time. Thanks, Raven." Anon relented, offering a small smile to show there were no hard feelings.

Raven nodded before setting about packing and cleaning off all of her teaching materials while Anon headed out the door with Luna in front. The pair walked through the halls of the castle at a leisurely pace, passing multiple guards and maids along the way. Several salutes or bows were thrown Luna and Anon's way, making the lunar alicorn raise an eyebrow at the human walking beside her.

"Anon, I have a question for you." She said.

"What's that?" Anon replied.

"I've just now noticed, ever since I met you, you have never bowed to anypony. Not me, not even my sister. Why is that?" Luna inquired.

"This isn't a 'bow from now on or else' kinda chat, is it?" Anon questioned, leaning away from Luna.

The dark alicorn shook her head, "Nothing of the sort. I'm just curious. I recall Celestia saying that even before you became our consort, you never bowed to anypony."

Anon relaxed and continued to walk alongside Luna, "Well that's an easy one. I'm an American." He explained.

"An... American? What is that?" Luna pressed, eyeing him curiously.

"Well, I was born in this country named America... Well, the United States of America, but America is faster to say." Anon shrugged.

"I see... so what does your birthplace have to do with your refusal to bow to any creature in our land?" Luna tilted her head to the side.

"Well, that's an easy one. My country had to fight for its freedom from another country, named England. Long story short, there were thirteen colonies, which became states when they united, and they fought off England's greedy ass for taxing them too much." Anon explained.

"That just sounds like a rebellion." Luna shrugged her wings.

"Well it would've just been a rebellion, if the English had won. Now, America is one of, if not the most powerful country on my planet." Anon responded.

Luna pursed her lips, "I... see. So because you share this noble blood with these colonists, you believe yourself above bowing to others." She surmised.

Anon frowned, "Well, when you say it like that, it sounds a lot less cool... But, uh... even then, that's not it. My great grandmother immigrated to America in the nineteen twenties. Nobody in my family was there for the original thirteen colonies." He explained.

Luna paused in her step and looked at Anon like he was speaking another language.

"Wait a minute. So you don't have any noble blood, and your ancestors immigrated into your home country long after its conception, yet you still claim to be 'American'?" Luna questioned.

"Well if you're born in America, you're an American. That's the rule. It's kind of become a melting pot of different races, groups, and whatnot from all over the world. Hell, that's what the rest of the world used to call us; the 'melting pot' of the world." Anon elaborated.

"How does simply being born in your country make you an 'American'? Is that a specific social class like being noble-born? Here in Equestria, only ponies directly related to historical figures of great importance are considered nobles. The rest are just citizens. Is that how it works in your country? Or are you all just citizens with no higher class with a pedigree of good deeds and historical importance?" Luna questioned, her muzzle scrunched in confusion.

Anon shrugged, "Well, you definitely get a lot of recognition if you're related to one of our country's founders, but you are considered an American citizen as soon as you're born. There isn't really a class system like that in place... other than rich and poor, I guess. Still though, everybody gets to vote, it's not like you're lesser than someone if you're poor... at least, in theory."

"Every citizen gets a vote? What kind of government does your country have? It sounds like chaos if every human can vote on every single issue that is brought up. What if the votes are split? What if the majority votes to do something horrible to the minority?" Luna pressed.

"It's not that simple," Anon shook his head, "A lot of people think we have a democracy, which is wrong. We're a constitutional republic. The people vote for specific individuals to represent them and their values, and then those elected representatives go and vote on the issues that need to be resolved. There's a lot of checks and balances." He clarified.

Luna scrunched her muzzle, "But what if these representatives choose to vote against the will of the people who elected them? Surely there must be safety measures in place. It almost sounds like your entire country is being held together by a thread."

"Trust me, we've had a lot of issues over the years with politicians not keeping their word. Like I said, we've got a lot of checks and balances for stuff like that. I just wish we'd use them more." Anon sighed.

Luna hummed as she pondered over Anon's explanation.

"I think I understand your government better... however, I still don't understand why you have such an aversion to bowing. It's just a simple gesture of respect. It isn't intended to be demeaning in any way." The dark alicorn offered.

Anon chuckled, "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you that part. Basically, England was a monarchy, and the king was being unfair to the colonists. He wasn't just taxing them more, he wasn't even giving them a chance to have a say in their laws. You know, taxation without representation and all that. Bowing might be just a simple sign of respect here in Equestria, but back there, it was a sign of submission. The king was basically a god and all the rest of us mere mortals were his subjects." He stated, rolling his eyes.

"Did your kings not have any god-like abilities to prove this power? Or at least great feats to show that they were superior to those around them?" Luna tilted her head to the side.

"Nope. Just happened to be born to the right bloodline," Anon shook his head once more, "Nah, but that's kinda where it came from. Americans like me refuse to bow because we all united under one banner way back in the day under the collective cause of telling England to get fucked." He chuckled.

Luna giggled, "I see. So bowing, to you, means submission and lessens you as a being." She surmised.

"Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. It's also important to remember that not all humans are like me. There are a ton of other places where bowing is considered respectful like here... Japan, just to name one off of the top of my head." Anon nodded.

"Very interesting, indeed, Anon. I must say, I am quite intrigued by your world and history. You seem to know so much of it as well." Luna replied, smiling gently.

Anon returned the smile, "Well I've always been something of a history nerd, especially my own country's history. There's a lot of firsts that my country had a hand in, and its really cool to look back at everything we achieved in a pretty short amount of time." He explained.

Luna turned to keep walking, prompting Anon to walk alongside her once more.

"Well, perhaps you'd like to share some more of your history with me tonight? I could tell you some of mine if you'd like to hear it." Luna offered, an uncharacteristically shy tone in her voice.

Anon nodded, "That'd be cool. I've been learning a lot from Raven, but she's just so... what's the best way of putting this? Lifeless? Monotonous? Dull? Some combination of all of those?" He rattled off, scratching his chin in thought.

Luna snickered, "Anon, please be considerate. Miss Inkwell does a fine job of managing my sister. She's doing her best." She said, barely holding back a chuckle.

Anon laughed, "I know, I know. It's just hard to stay awake in her little classes sometimes. Like, she'll be explaining how Equestria was founded one minute, and I'll close my eyes for one second, and then she'll be rambling on about Hippogriff trade taxes almost starting a conflict a thousand years later." He shrugged.

"Anon, I have a feeling you're closing your eyes for far more than just one second." Luna raised an eyebrow.

Anon shrugged, "Alright, fine. Two seconds."

Luna laughed, prompting Anon to laugh along with her as they arrived at the throne room. They were immediately let inside by the guards standing post outside of the massive doorway. Once there, they saw Celestia sitting on her throne, a slight frown on her face as she read through several different papers all being held in her magical aura. The solar diarch didn't notice them for a few seconds as they approached, but once they were in her peripheral vision, she looked up from her papers.

"Ah, Anon, Luna. How are you both?" Celestia happily asked.

"Doing well, sister." Luna replied, stepping up the throne and nuzzling her older sister.

Celestia warmly returned the nuzzle, "I'm glad to hear that." She replied, before turning her attention over to Anon.

"Eh, same shit, different day." Anon shrugged.

Celestia and Luna shared a look, "One of these days you'll have to explain all of your strange sayings to us. I think I have a feeling what that one means, but I am unsure." Celestia responded.

Anon chuckled, "Heh, maybe one day. But not this day." He grinned.

Celestia rolled her eyes before setting all of her papers down with her magic, "So I take it you both came to say your farewells before your date?" She hinted, smiling at Luna.

"Indeed, sister. I've swooped in and liberated Anon from his duties for the day so that we might spend a relaxing evening together, away from the stresses of work." Luna beamed.

Anon chuckled, "Yeah, and I don't think Raven was too happy about it."

Celestia sighed, "Raven... sometimes takes her job just a hair too seriously. Not that I don't appreciate everything that she does, but that mare could really use some time off. She's going to work herself to death one of these days." She shook her head.

"I honestly think she'd be more stressed out on a vacation, worrying about everything back here, than she is just on her day to day." Anon agreed.

Several nods of agreement passed through the group, before Luna looked over to the clock on the far side of the room.

"Well, I do suppose we should be off, Anon." She said.

"Right now? It's still a bit early, isn't it? I mean... I've got nothing else to do now, but I need to get dressed and all that." Anon replied, looking down at his attire.

"You're dressed perfectly fine, Anon. We won't be going anywhere too grandeur. I actually envisioned something quite simple." Luna countered.

"I see you've maintained the look from last night. It looks quite good on you, Anon. I also imagine it's much cooler than your usual dressage." Celestia added.

"Eh, I figured that until I have to dress super fancy every day, I might as well dress more comfortably," He shrugged, before looking over to Luna, "Alright then, so what did you have in mind?"

Luna blushed slightly, "Well, I was thinking of... a picnic... in the Grand Park?" She sheepishly responded.

Anon tilted his head to the side at Luna's sudden shyness, "A picnic at Grand Park? I mean, sure. That actually reminds me, I have a date with Sunshine on Sunday! Oh shit, I almost forgot!" He exclaimed, facepalming.

Celestia blanched while Luna frowned.

"You have Sunday off, Anon. You can go meet Sunshine on Sunday." Luna rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know. I just almost forgot about it, is all. Can't believe that. I've been thinking about and going on these fake dates with you two lately, and it totally slipped my mind." Anon shook his head in disbelief.

Both Celestia and Luna visibly winced at Anon's words, and their expressions morphed to a mix of hurt and upset for just a fraction of a second, before they regained their composure and nodded, almost simultaneously. Anon raised an eyebrow at their curious behavior, but before he could say anything, the grandfather clock rang out, signifying the hour had passed.

"It's six o' clock. You two should get going." Celestia announced, looking at the time on the clock.

Luna and Anon both nodded.

"Very well. Come along, Anon." Luna replied, heading toward the doorway.

Anon glanced back and forth between Celestia and Luna once more as the dark alicorn walked away, before shaking his head and following behind her.

Anon followed behind Luna as she led him into Grand Park. The smallish population of ponies that were there already immediately dropped what they were doing and bowed upon seeing the princess of the night entering. There was no guard presence to be seen, although the very faint sound of leather flapping in the wind could be heard once complete silence overtook the park.

Luna offered a friendly smile to her subjects as she walked to the center of the park, where she addressed the crowd forming around her.

"Greetings, ponies. I'm sure you're all curious as to why I've come down here, and to answer that question, I've decided to treat my consort, Anonymous, to an evening together. Please, go back to what you were doing when we arrived. We would appreciate some time alone, tonight." Luna addressed the crowd.

A few nods and murmurs passed through the gathered ponies, before they quickly dispersed, allowing Anon and Luna a straight shot to a lone magnolia tree at the edge of the park. Luna turned to Anon and nodded her head toward the tree, a small smile on her face. Anon got the idea and nodded his affirmative, following Luna's lead as she walked over to the far side of the park.

As they walked, Anon watched the many ponies now eyeing him and Luna with interest. Several mares and stallions gossiped quite loudly about them across one of the many small streams littering the park. Anon shrugged the extra attention off as he arrived at the designated spot alongside Luna. The view was utterly breathtaking. With no walls or buildings obstructing their view, Anon and Luna had unrestricted access to the collective beauty of the entirety of Equestria right before their eyes.

"Wow... This is one hell of a view. Can't believe I didn't see this side of the park when I was here with Sunshine." Anon admitted, his eyes locked on the horizon..

Luna sat down beside the magnolia tree while Anon continued to look out over Equestria. She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before looking back up to Anon and politely tapping his thigh with her hoof.

"Would you care to sit with me, Anon?" She asked.

Anon looked down at Luna, a slight amount of confusion in his eyes, before he nodded and complied. He sat cross-legged next to the lunar princess as her horn illuminated in a bright teal hue. A moment later, a picnic basket appeared in front of them, and a blanket appeared underneath them. Anon jumped slightly at the sensation of the grass underneath him changing into something else, but managed to keep his composure overall.

Luna raised an eyebrow at his reaction, but simply smirked and used her magic to open the picnic basket. Both the human and pony looked into the basket to find a nice spread of sandwiches, apple cider, two glasses for the apple cider, and fruit. Immediately, a scent hit Anon's nose and he furrowed his brown as he sniffed at the air to confirm if his sense of smell was deceiving him. Luna's smirk only grew as she returned her attention to the basket.

Luna swiftly levitated the contents of the basket out and placed them neatly on the blanket between the two of them. Anon surveyed the sandwiches while Luna poured the apple cider into the glasses. As he leaned toward the sandwiches, one of them noticeably steaming, a delicious smell filled his sinuses, and he inhaled deeply, before exhaling completely.

"Is... is this... chicken?" Anon questioned, struggling to keep his jaw from dropping.

Luna nodded as she took her daffodil sandwich in her magic, "I had a feeling you'd be excited about that."

Anon looked back and forth between the sandwich and Luna several times before giving her a confused look, "You... you know I eat meat?" He asked.

"I... suspected, however I was unsure. I assumed that this would be a good way to be sure." Luna shrugged.

"H-how did you know? I haven't eaten meat since I got here, and I never told anyone. Not even Javelin." Anon questioned.

"Honestly? I saw your teeth and assumed as much. I understand the reason for you keeping this from all of us, but you needn't fear, Anon. We Equestrians are well accustomed to our carnivorous neighbors. Why, all Thestrals eat meat. It's hardly a shocking revelation that a creature with such sharp teeth and features such as yours would need meat to survive." Luna explained.

Anon shook his head in disbelief, "All this time... I was so worried you ponies would be terrified of me for eating meat, "He chuckled, "I guess I was wrong to assume."

Luna smiled, "You needn't be afraid of that, Anon. Besides, no offense, but it looks like you've been in need of a good protein source for quite some time." She teased.

Anon looked down at his arms, and how much slimmer he was now since he arrived. He shrugged, before looking back up to Luna.

"Well... to be honest, I was just a tad overweight when I got here... but I've lost a lot of muscle too. I just... I can't believe that you're actually okay with this. Like... wouldn't this almost be like me eating a friend to you... or at least a pet? Or... something?" Anon responded, struggling to make sense of the situation.

Luna giggled, "Anon, chicken are poultry. They're one of our greatest exports to the griffon kingdom. While... it isn't something most ponies like to think about, it's a natural part of life for these creatures. They aren't capable of basic thought, and we ensure that they live good, happy lives before they are swiftly, and painlessly ended."

Anon clicked his tongue, "Well shit."

"If it makes it any easier for you to understand, most pegasai eat fish every once in a while." Luna offered.

Anon did a double take, "Wait, what? Pegasai eat fish?"

Luna nodded, "Of course. The oils in the fish help keep their feathers healthy. Also, like I said, thestrals eat meat regularly as well, and they're not shunned from society, are they?"

Anon paused and creased his brow as he thought. He quickly realized that Luna was right, and as his eyes drifted down to the sandwich below, he heard Luna snicker next to him.

"You can eat it, you know? I did have it prepared especially for you." She teased.

Anon looked down at the sandwich once more before glancing over at the other ponies in the park still enjoying their evening as the sun began to set on the horizon. A few ponies were looking his way, mostly to look at Luna, but for the most part, the ponies in the park seemed completely oblivious or uncaring about his sandwich lying just in front of him, chicken or no.

"Anon, it's alright." Luna comforted, placing her hoof on his hand.

Anon looked down at the source of contact, a striking sense of déjà vu creeping up on him as he felt the soft frog of her hoof and extra strands of fur against his skin. He looked up to Luna, finding her smiling encouragingly and nodding her head toward the sandwich. Anon's eyes followed hers and he chuckled lightly to himself before grabbing the sandwich with his free hand and taking a bite out of it.

Warm, moist, delicious flavor instantly exploded all over his taste buds, and Anon had to practically restrain himself from moaning in pleasure at the taste of real meat after over a year. Luna giggled at his reaction before taking a bite of her own sandwich. She looked out over to the sunset, just in time to see the sun sink below the horizon, and the moon take its place in the sky. Billions of little white dots quickly littered the sky, prompting her to sigh peacefully at the sight of her night sky once more.

Author's Note

To be clear, I love my English bros. I got the privilege of training alongside some of ya'll when I was in the Army and you lot are great. Having said that, I will not apologize for any patriotism displayed in this chapter. Like I said last time, I felt like the exchange of culture made a lot of sense for Anon and the Princesses.

The next chapter will be a bit more exciting though, I promise :)
I know this one was a little dull in some areas but I promise that the next one will make up for it ;)