Sunday

Celestia paced back and forth in her room as the clock on the wall continued to tick the seconds by. The otherwise silent room only served to heighten the stress weighing on her mind already, and after a few minutes of constant ticking, Celestia looked up to the clock in question and cast a spell to silence the mechanical instrument. Finally, with some quiet, she continued with her pacing, her brow deeply furrowed in thought.

Her pacing would only last for a few more minutes, however, as a sharp knock on her door broke her from her concentration. The solar princess looked over to the door with a raised eyebrow, before looking back at the clock once more.

"Now who could that be? It's only ten thirty." Celestia muttered, biting her lip in thought.

The knocking continued once more, drawing her attention again and prompting her to unlock the latch with her magic.

"It's open! You may enter!" Celestia called to the visitor.

The door swiftly opened, revealing none other than Anon, with Javelin coming in just behind him.

"Anon? What brings you over here on your day off?" Celestia asked, her eyes widening some.

Anon shrugged, "Well Luna was wondering where you went off to after breakfast. She crashed after we got back from our date, but still wanted to tell you something."

Celestia nodded, "Oh yes, I do recall needing to speak with her. Perhaps it'd be best to let her rest. After all, I imagine you two had an enjoyable evening together last night."

Anon smiled, "It... actually went really well. It almost felt like a real date, if I'm being honest. Luna was so much more... I dunno, gentle? Pleasant? She was just really nice to be around last night. Her fur's so damn soft too." He chuckled.

Celestia joined Anon in sharing a small chuckle, "Yes, Luna has always been quite proud of how soft she keeps her coat," She responded, before leaning in conspiratorially, "Her secret is lavender shampoo. It's impregnated with aloe lotion that really makes your coat feel like it's made out of a cloud." She giggled.

Anon grinned, "Well shit, maybe I outta get something like that as a gift for Sunshine," He suggested, before looking down to Javelin and missing the stunned look on Celestia's face, "Do you think she would like that? Her coat already felt like it was made of feathers."

Javelin scratched his chin with his hoof, "Well... if her coat was already that soft, then maybe you should consider something else for a gift. Maybe... a brush? Mares do love when somepony else brushes their coats and manes." He suggested.

Anon nodded thoughtfully, "Now see, that's a great point. Thanks, Jav. This is why I keep you around." He said, turning back to Celestia.

"You couldn't get rid of me even if you tried. It's not your call." Javelin smirked, playfully rolling his eyes.

Celestia managed to recover her wits enough to return her facial expression to a more normal one just as Anon looked back at her. She forced a smile and nod to the man as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Now... where can I get a brush that she'll like? We've only got..." Anon checked his wrist, only to find that, as usual, he didn't have a watch, "Dammit... well we've got like, a few hours to go find one, so do you know anywhere worth going to, Celestia?" He asked, his face scrunched up in thought.

Celestia blinked owlishly at Anon, "Me? W-why are you asking me?" She questioned.

"Well, duh? You're a mare. You've got like, eight brushes in here. I figured you'd have a few favorites or at least an idea of what other mares might like." Anon shrugged.

Celestia bit her lip and looked down to the floor. Several thoughts passed through her mind as Anon and Javelin waited for a response.

"W-well... isn't is more typical for a mare to buy her stallion a gift?" Celestia inquired, sheepishly.

Anon laughed, "Well maybe here, but not where I'm from. Besides, I want to get her something. I don't care who gets who the first gift, I just wanna give her something to make her happy. It makes me happy when she's happy." He explained.

Celestia allowed a bashful smile to overtake her features before finding a response, "W-well... if I were Sunshine... I think the 'Curlinator' from Fleur de Lis's spa down the street would be a good choice." She offered, timidly.

"The 'Curlinator'?" Anon parroted.

Celestia nodded, "Mmm-hmm. The one with a mana gem on the back so you charge it while you hold it with your magic. It has a brush and also curls your mane so you can try different styles..." She elaborated, a hint of a blush on her face.

Anon and Javelin shared a look.

"Well, I think that'll do then. How much is it? Can't be too bad, right? I've got like, five thousand bits in this bag." Anon said, pulling out his bit pouch.

"It's... two thousand bits..." Celestia spoke up, making Anon blanch.

"T-two thousand bits? Jesus Christ... this thing better be able to make Sunshine fly." Anon shook his head.

"It... does have a feature that can be used to massage the muscles on the back and neck..." Celestia quietly added.

Anon raised an eyebrow, "Right... Well, I guess if it is for Sunshine, I can buy it. It's not like I need the bits anyways." He shrugged with a sigh.

"Eh, you'll have more bits in a matter of weeks. What's the harm in spoiling one of the mares you're crazy about." Javelin suggested.

Anon chuckled, "I know, I know. I'm just used to barely scraping by. Call me cheap, but I just have this aversion to spending a lot of money. Just feels like I shouldn't, even when I know I can, you know?" He replied.

Javelin shrugged, "I guess so, but don't forget about Nightshade. You were getting really close to her at the nightclub earlier. You might want to get her something too."

Anon facepalmed, "Ah, shit... you're right. Man, I don't know how you ponies do it. Having one girlfriend is expensive enough, but having two?" He sighed.

Celestia's brow furrowed nervously, "I... wasn't aware you were dating both Sunshine and Nightshade." She mentioned.

"Well, dating is a bit of a strong word, I guess. I mean, I really like Sunshine, and I want to see where this goes with her, but I keep running into Nightshade and having an awesome time with her. So... I'm thinking about asking Nightshade out for a date next time I see her. I mean... that's not super taboo or anything, is it? Dating two sisters?" Anon inquired, scratching his head.

Celestia and Javelin both gave Anon a deadpan look for several seconds. Eventually, it dawned on him.

"Oh yeah... well you know what I mean though. Dating sisters that aren't kinda... a package deal because of a law that one of them signed." Anon replied.

Celestia raised an eyebrow.

"Anon, I'd say you're only digging a deeper hole at this point." Javelin chimed in, glancing back and forth between Celestia and the human.

Anon nodded, "You make a good point. Here, we'll get out of your mane, Celestia. Sorry for the dumb question." He offered as he turned for the door.

Celestia sighed and shook her head, "Worry not, Anon. You're still learning Equestria. It's unreasonable of me to expect you to understand all of our societal nuances, already." She relented with a lighthearted chuckle.

"I promise one of these days I'll stop asking stupid questions. Trust me, Raven's pretty much made me sign that into a contract." Anon replied.

Celestia laughed as Anon and Javelin reached the door.

"Alright, well have fun on your date, Anon. I'll see you th-later. Later, tonight. I'll be eager to hear how it went." Celestia responded.

Anon waved in response and headed out the door, with Javelin falling in right behind him. Once they were both clear of the bedroom, the solar princess collapsed to her haunches and let out a deep sigh.

"How in the hay am I supposed to break his heart as Sunshine when I can't even stay mad at him as myself?" Celestia asked herself, her brow furrowing as her wings sagged behind her.

Another knock on the door quickly redirected Celestia's attention away from herself, and she scrambled to her hooves, lest she open the door in an unpresentable fashion.

"It's open!" She called.

Raven swiftly opened the door and closed it with her hind leg as she stepped inside. She gave a quick bow to Celestia before rising to her hooves.

"Princess, I have a few things I need to discuss with you with regards to the nobles. They've been growing increasingly concerned and vocal with regards to Anonymous's disposition and public appearance... to be honest, they're not the only ones." Raven announced, looking to Celestia expectantly.

Celestia merely nodded before turning to face her mirror and eye her reflection curiously.

"I'm sure it's nothing so serious. We're doing all that we can with regards to Anon's ability to learn the job. Now, speaking of Anon, I do have a date that I need to see to with him in a couple hours over at the Mueller Art Museum. I could use your advice on that front, Raven." Celestia replied.

Raven frowned, "Princess, with all due respect, don't you think that a date with Anonymous is a little less important than the entire noble class questioning his capabilities? Sure, they think you genuinely love him, but they have legitimate concerns that we should be addressing instead of ignoring." She argued.

Celestia nodded uninterestedly, "Well I'm certain that the nobles would have concerns if Anon was the most powerful and kind creature on the planet. Concerns that largely stem from the simple fact that they aren't in his horseshoes." She said, turning to face the secretary.

"But, Princess-" Raven began.

"Raven, trust me. While I love my ponies and care for their concerns, I simply don't agree with them in this regard. Were their concerns genuine, and not simply the manifestation of spite and jealousy, then I would listen to them accordingly. Besides, you're teaching Anon. He can't be doing that badly in his classes, is he?" Celestia cut her off.

"W-well... he's not doing horribly... but he's not retaining all of the information either. I can tell that he's distracted in some of the classes I'm teaching." Raven frowned.

Celestia nodded thoughtfully, "I see. Well I can certainly encourage him to study more and pay more attention to your lectures when I see him... speaking of which, I do only have a couple of hours before I need to meet Anon at the museum, and now I need to get him a gift as well. Do you think he'll like if I wear something? Or should I stay natural for the date?" She questioned, scratching her chin in thought.

Raven's mouth hung slightly open as she raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. After several seconds of silence while Celestia looked herself over in the mirror, the solar diarch gasped.

"Oh! What am I doing?" She exclaimed, prompting a sigh of relief from Raven.

Celestia immediately cast the transformation spell on herself, nearly blinding the secretary with the intensity of the light. Once the spell was complete, Sunshine stood where Celestia once was, although considerably shorter. Upon completion of the spell, Raven opened her eyes, only to frown and sink to her haunches.

"There we go. Silly of me to judge my appearance in the wrong form." Sunshine tittered, her higher pitched, softer voice sounding alien in Raven's ears.

Sunshine eyed herself in the mirror for a few more moments before looking back to her secretary.

"Um... Raven? Are you alright?" Sunshine asked, tilting her head to the side.

Raven sighed and facehoofed, "Yes, Princess... I'm... quite alright. I'll just try to contain the situation with the nobles, myself." She replied, before getting to her hooves and turning for the door.

Sunshine smiled, "Fantastic! Thank you so much, Raven... But before you go, can I get your opinion on something?" She questioned.

Raven turned around to see Sunshine holding a sunflower up to her mane with her magic, "Do you like the look better with or without?" Sunshine asked, a wide smile on her face.

Raven stared at the cheery unicorn in disbelief for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, and with no sign of Sunshine's smile wavering, Raven sighed heavily.

"I think it looks better with the sunflower." She admitted.

Sunshine squealed in happiness, "I knew it! Thank you so much, Raven! You're the best!" She exclaimed, quickly rushing the secretary and giving her a hug.

Raven pouted through the hug, but eventually returned the gesture.

"Yes, yes. I try. Now please, try to remember the point of this date. You're supposed to be breaking up with Anon, remember?" She asked, still engulfed in a warm hug.

Now it was Sunshine's turn to pout, "I know that, Raven! I'm just... making sure I look presentable."

Raven rolled her eyes, "Right."

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Some Time Later

Sunshine paced in the front yard of the Mueller Art Museum, a small frown on her face as she muttered quietly to herself.

"Where is he? He should have arrived by now... did something happen to him? No... Sergeant Javelin was with him. Surely he's taking care of Anon just fine... so where could they be?" She asked herself as she gazed down at the ground.

As if to answer her question, Sunshine felt a gentle tap on her wither, and looked up to find Anon standing in front of her with one hand behind his back and a wide smile on his face. The sight of the tall man instantly sent a wave of relief and excitement washing over Sunshine's entire body.

"Anon!" She cheered, launching herself at him and pulling him down into a hug.

Anon gladly returned the hug with one arm while he kept his other hidden behind his back as Sunshine nuzzled her cheek against his.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I got stuck in line trying to get you something." Anon explained, before noticing the sunflower stuck in her mane, "Oh my god, that looks absolutely beautiful on you."

Sunshine smiled brightly into the hug, "Thank you! I'm so glad you like it." She giggled.

Sunshine released the hug and dropped back down to her hooves. She tilted her head to the side in faux curiosity, but very genuine excitement.

"But what's this about you getting me something?" She smiled energetically.

Anon brought forth a decently sized pleather box with his other hand and held it out encouragingly in front of the unicorn.

"It's just a little something a friend said you might like. Here, let me know what you think." Anon replied, offering up the gift.

Sunshine took the box with her magic and quickly opened it, exposing the 'curlinator' mane brush. She squealed in happiness as she hugged the box closer to her chest.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much, Anon! This is just what I've wanted for months!" Sunshine beamed.

Anon blushed as he scratched the back of his neck, "Ah, well... I figured I might as well get you something nice. You've been an absolute joy to spend time with." He bashfully replied.

Sunshine replied by using her magic to quickly levitate herself up to Anon's height and place a kiss on his cheek. It was short, and chaste, but the kiss instantly turned Anon's entire face as red as a tomato while Sunshine quickly landed back on her hooves. She glanced up at Anon's reddened face and giggled to herself as the human composed himself.

"S-so, I-uh... I take it you like it." Anon surmised, a goofy grin on his face.

"I love it. Thank you so much, Anon. I actually got you something too." Sunshine responded.

"Oh really?" Anon asked, tilting his head to the side.

Sunshine nodded, before her horn lit up, and a small faux leather box floated out from under her mane. Anon took the box from her magic and opened it, revealing a silver Polex watch. Anon's jaw dropped at the gift, before he slowly looked up to the unicorn positively beaming at him.

"Do you like it? I wasn't sure what size you are, but your wrist is a lot smaller than anypony's hooves I've ever seen so I just told them to make it as small as they could." Sunshine explained, excitedly.

Anon slipped the watch down onto his left wrist and tightened it until it was snug. The fit was nearly perfect, and he couldn't help the wide smile that broke out on his face.

"I can't believe this... Sunshine, this is amazing! Thank you so much! I've been meaning to get one of these for forever!" Anon exclaimed, before quickly dropping down to a knee and pulling Sunshine into another tight hug.

"I'm so glad you like it! I wasn't sure if it would be a good fit or if you'd care for the color or-" Sunshine prattled off, before Anon spoke up.

"It's perfect, Sunshine. I absolutely love it. Thank you so much." Anon said, before releasing the hug.

Sunshine breathed a tiny sigh of relief, "Thank Faust. I was worried that you wouldn't care for it and I'd have to get you something better for next time." She chuckled.

"We haven't even gone into the museum yet, and you're already thinking of next time? Heh, I must be doing something right, then." Anon laughed.

Sunshine blanched and bit her lip as she quickly hid behind her mane.

Horseapples! I did it again?! Oh Faust, Luna and Raven are going to kill me... Sunshine thought to herself.

After a moment, she reappeared from under her voluptuous mane and fixed Anon with a kind smile.

"Well I've just been having such a good time with you that it'd feel wrong to stop now." Sunshine replied.

Anon smiled even wider, "I'm glad to hear that. What do you say we head on inside? You sounded so excited about this place last time that you've got me all excited about it too." He suggested.

Sunshine nodded, before looking down at her gift and magicking it into her mane. She quickly tied some of her long hair around the box to keep it in place, and looked up to Anon.

"Ready." Sunshine beamed.

Anon smiled down at the smaller mare before the group headed toward the front door of the museum. They quickly arrived at the entrance, unmolested by the ponies walking about outside and exiting the building. Once there, Sunshine politely held the door open for Anon. He awkwardly accepted the gesture before heading inside, Javelin following in behind him.

Once they were all inside, Anon feasted his eyes on the many displays filling the entrance room. On one side of the room, ancient texts and depictions of early pony history littered the wall and floor, while several ponies observed and commented on the pieces. In the center, stood several skeletons all arranged into early pony bodies and posed in positions that helped to sell their primitive nature. On the other side of the room, sat a large display of early pony technology and science.

Anon found his attention being pulled in three different directions at once. He looked down to Sunshine for guidance, finding her beaming an energetic smile back up at him.

"I can tell you're interested in just about everything, so we can take our time. Here, why don't we start at the beginning? My favorite part." Sunshine offered, pointing to the skeletons in the center of the room. She quickly took the lead, trotting toward the display as Anon and Javelin caught up behind her.

"That sounds cool. I've always wondered what ponies looked like before you all got so... colorful... and stuff." Anon offered.

Sunshine giggled, "Well that's simple, silly. We always looked this colorful. Ponies have always been bright and vibrant. It's what made us stand out enough to find each other." She explained.

Anon pursed his lips, "But... wouldn't that make you a lot easier for predators to hunt down too? I mean... a bright pastel pony in the middle of an open field is a lot easier to spot than a dark green or brown one."

Sunshine shook her head, "You're right. A single pony would be easy to spot, but we ponies have always been herd animals. We never used to travel alone back in those days. Numbers were our strength." She elaborated.

Anon scratched the top of his head, "Well... I guess that makes more sense... but then again, we had animals back home that always traveled in herds, and predators still manage to hunt them down all the time. They just go for the slowest and weakest member of the herd." He shrugged.

The trio arrived at the display just as Sunshine turned her head to reply, "Well there is a pretty considerable difference between thinking, intelligent ponies and wild animals." She offered.

Anon tilted his head to the side, "Wait... I thought these were the early ponies... like, before you guys evolved to talk and everything?" He questioned.

Sunshine shook her head, "Nope. Ponies were always able to talk and communicate ever since we appeared on Equis."

"Hold on, what do you mean 'always'? Like... how is that even possible? And what evolution is this place even referring to if you were always an intelligent species?" Anon pressed, his brow furrowing in interest.

"Well for your first question, that's easy. Magic. As for your second question... yep, still magic." Sunshine grinned, pointing to the previously unseen fossil display just behind her.

Anon gave her a deadpan look.

"You wanna, uh... you know, clarify that a little bit?" He asked, unamused.

Sunshine playfully rolled her eyes, "Oh alright, mister serious pants. The story goes that a great being known only as 'Faust' created the spark of life that resulted in all living creatures born on our world. We don't have records or fossils of any pony race that lacked the ability to speak because our creator made us all with that ability from the very beginning. That is so much less fun to say than just 'magic'." She pouted.

Anon slowly nodded, "Alright, I can kinda get behind that a little more." He admitted.

Anon looked down at the table holding up the skeletons to find that there was indeed fossilized remains that looked exactly like a unicorn. He quickly read the plaque next to the fossil to discover that the remains were indeed from the very first unicorn to ever use magic.

"Woah... this is dated over two thousand years ago. How did they even know that this pony used magic?" Anon asked.

"The mana ley-lines on her horn. All fossils found that predate her didn't have spirals on their horns, and we've learned that the spirals are what directly channels our magic to the outside world from our minds. So the evolution you're looking for, is the evolution to use magic as we know it today." Sunshine clarified.

Anon let out a whistle, "Damn... that's cool. You should be my history teacher, Raven puts me to sleep with her monotone lecturing." He replied.

Sunshine snickered, "Oh be nice, Anon. I'm sure Raven's trying her absolute hardest to teach you what you need to know."

Anon sighed, "I'm sure she is... but damn does she make it hard to pay attention. I'm doing my best, especially since I don't want to let Celestia and Luna down." He replied.

Sunshine nodded, "That's a very kind way to look at it. I'm sure both of them truly appreciate you putting in your best effort." She smiled.

Anon shrugged, "I hope so... You know, now that you mention it, ever since you talked to them, they've been... super nice to me. Luna especially. At first I thought it was just that she felt guilty for being so mean to me from the start, but lately it's been... I don't know, a bit more than that? Like, last night she wanted to spend time with me and she did some super thoughtful things for me that I didn't think anyone would have done or even noticed. It was... really nice." He admitted, putting his hands in his pockets once more.

Sunshine smiled encouragingly, "Well who knows, maybe Luna and Celestia are starting to realize that you're more of a catch than they initially thought? Maybe you have the two most powerful ponies in Equestria pining for you and just don't see it yet." She said, offering a small shrug while maintaining her smile.

Anon chuckled, "Oh, I don't think it'll ever get that far. I've kinda decided that two mares is okay, but any more than that and I'm not sure I could keep up. Besides, even if they were interested, I've already found two mares that caught my eye." He answered.

"Me and Nightshade?" Sunshine asked, a small look of feigned surprise on her face.

"Y-yeah... it's not a problem if I like her, right? I don't want to assume that you'd be okay with that, but even Celestia said it was pretty normal." Anon replied, a slight bit of nerves in his speech.

Sunshine giggled, "Oh I've known about you and Nightshade since your first night with her. She's been quite vocal of her fondness for you." She explained.

Anon breathed a small sigh of relief, "Oh... so you're okay with that?" He asked.

Sunshine brought her hoof to her chin as she pondered his words. She dragged the moment on for several seconds, making Anon nervously sweat in anticipation, before she giggled once more.

"I don't think I can come up with a better pony to share you with than my sister." She beamed.

Author's Note

Alright ya'll, I know this chapter may not have been quite as exciting as the last one, but important things are happening here. The next chapter will be diving into history once more, although this time it's pony history! Let's try not to get political this time, huh? That'd be nice. I like my pony fanfiction to not have people arguing in the comments about politics lol.