Raven trotted along the sidewalk in one of the many streets lining the middle district of Canterlot. With a parchment held in her magical grasp, and Javelin's address written in front of her, she quickly made her way toward her destination. Upon reaching the intersection, the secretary looked back and forth before crossing the road and entering the cul-de-sac. She passed by a few identical houses before arriving at her destination and trotting up to the front door.

She politely knocked on the door several times and waited for a response. After a few seconds, she heard hoofsteps through the door and the lock unlock. Javelin pulled the door open, recoiling back slightly in shock upon seeing who was at his door.

"R-Miss Inkwell? What's uh... what's going on?" Javelin asked, forcing a smile.

"Hello, Sergeant. You know you can just call me Raven, right? I think we're acquainted enough to at least be on a first name basis," Raven chuckled, prompting Javelin to laugh with her, "But in all seriousness, I could really use your help. Have you seen Anon?" She asked, a bit of worry leaking into her voice.

Javelin pursed his lips and shook his head, "Uh, no... no I can't say that I have... why? What's wrong?" He inquired.

Raven looked at Javelin curiously, "You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" Javelin asked.

"That Anon left the castle. Apparently the princesses were lying to him. Pretending to be ponies they're not and such." Raven probed, her eyes squinting suspiciously.

Javelin awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "W-well, I can't really say. I just woke up this morning and was told I could go home and well... if you get time off, you should really take it in this job, you know?" He sheepishly grinned.

Raven frowned, "Since when were you the type to take time off and actually enjoy a day off? You worked your flank off to get Sergeant."

Javelin chuckled, "W-well the other night did leave me a bit bruised and sore, in my defense."

Raven raised an eyebrow, "I see... So you're saying that you haven't seen him at all today, then?"

"Nope. Haven't seen a hair of Anon today. If he shows up, I'll be sure to let you or somepony up at the castle know." Javelin offered.

Raven gave him a deadpan look that lasted for almost a full minute. A small bead of sweat formed on the corner of Javelin's brow, and his eyes darted around to look anywhere but at the unicorn standing in front of him.

"Javelin, either you let me in to see him, or I'm going to teleport in." Raven announced, her expression unchanged.

"See who? I-I live alone." Javelin replied.

Raven slowly raised her eyebrow, her horn igniting in a bright white light. Seeing that it was a losing battle, Javelin let out a long sigh.

"Alright, alright. Come in. You'll just freak him out if you teleport inside." He relented, stepping out of the doorway.

Raven nodded and extinguished the teleportation spell as she trotted into Javelin's living room. She quickly looked around the moderately decorated room, giving a small nod of approval, before turning back to face Javelin.

"Thank you. Now, where is he?" She asked.

Javelin shook his head in defeat, "He's in the kitchen. Told him I'd make him a margarita to help him feel better."

Raven raised an eyebrow once more.

"What!? It's not like the poor colt doesn't deserve it after the shit night he had." Javelin asserted, walking toward the kitchen.

Raven rushed to catch up to the stallion, "I'm not saying he doesn't deserve some comfort, but alcohol? Really? At this hour? It's not even noon."

"Not the first time for us." Javelin shrugged.

Raven rolled her eyes as the duo arrived at the kitchen entrance. Immediately, the secretary saw the man she was looking for, sitting at the counter with four empty glasses beside him and a fifth in his hand as he joylessly sipped at it through a straw.

"Faust's sake, Javelin! Five drinks before noon?" Raven exclaimed, looking to the guardstallion with a frown.

"Hey! Relax, two of those are mine!" Javelin retorted.

Raven facehoofed as she sighed through her nostrils, "This is gonna be a long day."

"Well, like I said, the poor colt deserves something nice after what happened." Javelin offered.

Raven quickly composed herself before walking over to Anon.

"Anon, I need to talk with you. Are you alright?" She asked, looking up to him curiously.

The man in question didn't respond. He lifelessly continued to sip away at his drink while his gaze stayed locked on the countertop in front of him.

Raven slowly looked over to Javelin with a concerned frown on her face.

"He's been like this for a little bit now. I'm trying my best to help him break out of it, but... well you can see how that's going." Javelin shrugged.

Raven returned her attention to Anon. She noticed the stool next to him was vacant, and after a moment of thought, she clambered onto the stool to sit at nearly eye level with him.

"Anon? Anon, listen to me, we need to talk, okay? Are you listening to me?" Raven asked, tapping on Anon's shoulder with her hoof.

Once again, no response. With a frustrated sigh, the secretary ignited her horn, pulled the drink from Anon's hand, and spun his chair until he was facing her. The sudden movement startled Anon out of his stupor, and he quickly looked up at the white unicorn sitting in front of him.

"Anon. We need to talk." Raven declared, seeing his eyes now focus on hers.

Anon let out a long sigh, that turned into a groan as he brought his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. Raven and Javelin shared a quick look as Anon slowly pulled his hand away and looked at her.

"No." He stated, flatly.

"No!? What do you mean 'no'?" Raven exclaimed, defensively.

"I know why you're here, and the answer's no." Anon replied, his tone the same as before.

"Anon I haven't even asked anything of you. I have a rough understanding of the situation but I need to know your side of the story. Please." Raven asked, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

Anon held her gaze for almost a full minute before rolling his eyes and sighing heavily, "God damn it. Fuck you for using that on me."

"I'm sorry, Anon, but I need to know what happened from you. It's the only way I can at least start to fix this whole situation." Raven replied.

"There's nothing to fix. It's over. I'm done with both of them." Anon asserted, a biting edge in his voice.

Raven recoiled back ever so slightly, "Anon, I know the Princesses messed up, but can you please tell me exactly what happened last night? Princess Celestia was so distraught this morning that she barely told me anything. I want to hear your side of the story." She countered.

"Good." Anon growled.

"Anon, come on." Raven pressed.

"Fine. You wanna know what happened? Luna kissed me. When I confronted her about it after she ran away from me, she told me everything. She told me that both her and Celestia were pretending to be Sunshine and Nightshade from the very start. That they've been going on dates with me and lying to me this entire time. That's what fucking happened. Happy now?" Anon bitterly recalled.

Raven frowned at Anon's language and tone, but pressed on regardless, "Okay, so the princesses lied to you about who they were. Did they also lie about how they felt?" She questioned.

"What does that even have to do with it?" Anon retorted.

"I'm asking if they were also lying about how they felt about you when they were pretending to be Sunshine and Nightshade. Lying about who they were is one thing, but lying about how you made them feel is something else entirely." Raven explained.

"Don't you get it? It was all a fucking lie! From the very start they've been using me so they can just fuck without having to worry about another pony trying to force them into a marriage with them like they did with me! Nothing was ever real!" Anon exclaimed, his volume quickly rising.

"Anon, please calm down just a bit. I understand you're angry. I understand that you're frustrated. I'm not trying to change your mind or convince you that you were wrong about them and that you should go running back into their hooves, but I am trying to make sure that all of the information is clearly understood here." Raven replied, holding her hooves out in a placating manner.

"There's nothing to understand. They're both pathological liars," Anon took another swig of his drink, "Worst part... is that my dumb ass saw all the signs and didn't call them out on it." He hung his head low.

Raven and Javelin shared another look of concern.

"I just wanted to believe so badly that I finally found a pony that actually liked me. That I wouldn't actually end up dying alone without having someone to love... I wanted to believe in that crap so badly that I just didn't want to notice, I guess." Anon elaborated, his gaze lost in his drink.

"Anon... I'm so sorry that you feel that way... but I do think that there is a way that we can work this out and everypony, you included, can be happy." Raven offered, gently putting her hoof on Anon's back.

The gentle caress wasn't unwelcome, but Anon quickly shrugged Raven's hoof off of his back as he turned to look her in the eyes once more.

"What do you want me to say? That I actually really do like them both and I want them back? That the last month was the best month of my life because I finally got a taste of what love feels like? That Luna told me that they both feel the same way? None of it matters anymore. If they'd been honest with me from the start, I would be with them right now. Instead, they went around behind my back and lied to me every single time I was with them! How can I ever trust them again? How can I trust that what they're saying isn't just a lie to get me to stay while they pretend to love me long enough for me to die off and then they can just get back to the status quo?!" Anon questioned, raising his voice again.

"Anon, I'm not going to defend what the princesses did. It was wrong, and all of us can see that... but if you'd seen Celestia this morning... you wouldn't be doubting if they felt the same. I've been serving as her assistant for ten years. She has literally never been as depressed and sad as what I saw today. Luna spent the entire night crying unconsolably in the observatory. They did some horrible things to you... but their feelings for you aren't lies. That may be the only part of them that you know that isn't a lie." Raven explained, sincerely.

Anon shook his head, "So what? Even if they actually do feel the same way about me, the trust is gone. Dead. Obliterated. Fucking nuked. There's so much god damn baggage with those two, it just makes the whole thing seem like a fucking death sentence, not a genuine relationship."

"Anon, they're the princesses of Equestria. They literally move the sun and moon around the planet. Of course there's going to be a lot of baggage with them. You can't tell me you accepted the position thinking that you were just going to go out on normal dates and do normal couple things? You were in a relationship with two immortal ponies who've seen more than almost all of Equestria combined. Does that make them overly untrusting and hard to read? On occasion, yes. Neither of them trusted you until you showed them that you weren't just a stallion who wanted the fame and glory of saying you were bedding them. Unfortunately... I suppose it was just too late at that point. They were already committed to the lie." Raven surmised, sadly shaking her head.

Anon scoffed, "You know, for saying that you aren't here to excuse what they did, you sure are going out of your way to defend them."

Raven frowned, "Anon, I'm only trying to make sure you understand the 'why' they did what they did. I may be a bit biased, but that tends to happen when you work with somepony for long enough to see them sacrifice every ounce of themselves for everypony else. Both Celestia and Luna may not be perfect... hay, they might be just as fallible as any of us or even worse... but there's one thing I know for a fact about them. Neither one of them wanted to hurt you." She replied.

"Yeah? Well that ship has sailed. I'm done with them. Permanently." Anon muttered.

Raven sighed quietly to herself, "I understand, Anon. I think you're right to be angry, and they don't deserve to be let off the hook either... but I also think you're making a mistake. I'll leave you alone." She said, before hopping off of her chair and walking toward the door.

Anon didn't so much as watch her leave, instead opting to finish off his drink and rest his head on the countertop with a low groan.

Javelin rushed over to the door with Raven, his lips pursed in thought. Once they reached the doorway, Raven used her magic to open the door and stepped out into the sunlight, her brow knitted in thought. Javelin walked up beside her, a look of concern on his face as he observed the secretary. He quickly closed the door behind them and cleared his throat.

"I know that look, Raven. What're you thinking?" Javelin asked, cautiously.

Raven shook her head, "I don't know. I feel for Anon, I really do. The princesses have completely destroyed his trust in them to the point where he won't even consider that they actually do love him." She surmised.

"Love is a bit of a strong word, wouldn't you say?" Javelin questioned.

"I know what I saw this morning. You don't get that depressed over a month long fling that you didn't see the next half a century with. Especially when you've been around long enough to watch a dozen of your lovers die. Even if Celestia herself doesn't realize it... she's in love with Anon. Luna probably is too. Last I heard she was still in her room, basically unwilling to eat or speak to anypony." Raven explained.

Javelin raised an eyebrow, "Really? Wow... I... I didn't think they were that attached to him already. I mean, obviously they like him a lot, but to love him already? They fell for him hard." He shook his head.

Raven nodded, "They're from a time when ponies only lived to twenty... maybe thirty. For them, a month long relationship might as well be a year, at least, as far as relationships are concerned. Still... there has to be a way to salvage this. I just know there has to. Anon won't forgive them for a while, that much is clear." She sighed.

"A while? Raven, I wouldn't be surprised if he held a grudge until the day he dies." Javelin replied.

Raven stomped her hoof on the ground, "Well he shouldn't! I know they screwed up! Tartarus, they know they screwed up! I want Anon to be happy as much as you do, but I also want the princesses to be happy. They love him, and you know what, I think Anon loves them too. He's just too hurt to admit it right now." She asserted, firmly.

Javelin recoiled back slightly, "Raven, Anon is brokenhearted. These things take time to fix. It's not like you can just cast a spell to fix the damage to his trust in them."

Raven sighed heavily, "I know that. I know... but I don't want either Celestia or Luna to have to marry some snobby noble that wants to just use them for his own political gain. You know as well as I do that any herd that merges the princesses of Equestria into it will become the single most powerful herd in the land. At least with Anon... I knew that he genuinely wanted the best for everypony involved. I can't say that about the nobles that would try to take his place."

Javelin let out a long, low whistle, "Wow... I didn't think you cared that much, to be honest, Raven."

Raven shook her head, "At first, I didn't... but then when I saw how happy he made them both... when I saw how they started acting like little fillies excited for their first date when they'd go out with him... it gave me hope that this whole crappy situation might just work out. He grew on me... and I think that the way that he'll be happiest is if he gets back together with them."

"Raven, I don't think he'd trust them enough to get back together with them." Javelin responded.

"Well then we need to convince him to give them one more chance. If they ever lie to him again, then I'll leave them too! I don't care what it takes, I want my friends to be happy again, and the happiest I ever saw them was when they were all together!" Raven declared, raising her voice.

Javelin held up his hooves in defense, "Alright, alright... well what can we do then? I mean... you saw how well Anon's taking it. You said Celestia is depressed as Tartarus and Luna is somehow even worse off. What do we do?" He asked.

"I'm... not sure. I was hoping that Anon wasn't going to shut down everything I even tried to suggest... I know he's hurting, but if he just knew how much he meant to the princesses, I think he'd really start to realize that yeah, they bucked up, but they want to fix it. They want to fix it more than they want to sleep or eat, at least." Raven reasoned.

"Well... the first step is admitting what you did was wrong, right? So what if we got them together in a room just so that they could apologize? No trying to change his mind, or get him back, just an honest, genuine apology." Javelin suggested, with a shrug.

Raven sighed, "I don't know... how are we even going to get them all together in the same place?"

Javelin scratched his chin in thought. After a moment, he had an idea, "I'm not too sure if we can get both princesses at the same time, but when's their next public appearance together?" He asked.

Raven tapped her chin in thought, "Well... they have a ribbon cutting ceremony at the opening of that new aquarium next week." She replied.

"Well what if while they're there, I bring Anon over and we lock them in a room to talk?" Javelin suggested.

"You want to lock the princesss of the sun and moon, the royal diarchs of Equestria, and our bosses, in a room with a man that hates both of them?" Raven deadpanned.

Javelin sheepishly shrugged.

Raven sighed, "You know what, that might just be crazy enough to work."

"Really?" Javelin excitedly asked.

"Only if I can get somepony else to show up as well." Raven shook her head.

"Who?"

"You'll see if I can get a letter to her in time." Raven answered.

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Anon watched the last of the sun's rays as the ball of orange light drifted down to the edge of the horizon and out of sight. Blood red light bathed the sky as Anon sat on a bench, facing the ocean to watch the spectacle. He was wearing a black hoodie, and deep blue jeans. His hands lay resting on his things as he chewed his tongue in thought.

For an unknown amount of time, Anon sat there watching the sunset as it lay, frozen in it's descent. He idly pinched his thumb with one hand, and let out a long, quiet sigh.

"Go away." He muttered, his voice still sounding as if it were at full volume.

Behind him, Luna froze mid-step. She put her hoof back down on the ground and sat on her haunches.

"You knew I was here?" She asked, her voice strained.

"I heard you teleport in. Please... just leave." Anon replied, still looking ahead.

"Anon... please let me speak. I just want to explain myself. Once I'm done, I'll leave you alone as long as you wish, I swear it." Luna pleaded, stepping toward him.

Anon shook his head and scoffed, "You already explained yourself. I don't see what else you want to explain now." He answered.

"If you'll just give me the chance, I'll tell you." Luna said, stepping toward him once more.

Anon sighed through his nose, "Fine."

He turned his head to see Luna as she stepped up next to the bench. It was clear from her appearance that she was not faring well. Her mane no longer billowed and flowed in a mysterious intangible wind. Instead, it was a ragged mess of split ends, and knots. The stars lining her ethereal mane were no longer present, and it almost appeared as if it was just normal hair. Her coat was unkempt and dirty, while she wore none of her regalia at all.

Anon frowned almost imperceptivity as he took in her appearance, but said nothing as she sat down on her haunches in front of him. The lunar alicorn took a moment to collect her thoughts, before speaking once more.

"Anon... I know Tia and I hurt you... and we don't deserve to be forgiven. We lied to you... pretended to be ponies that we aren't... and I can't even pretend to know how much that hurt you. Having said that... I just... I wanted you to know that we just wanted to make sure that you were okay... it was never supposed to go as far as it did. When... when we change back into our old forms, it becomes difficult to think as we do now. We think as young mares in their prime just before an estrus season... not that that excuses it." Luna explained, her eyes cast down to the ground.

Anon nodded once but said nothing, prompting Luna to continue, "Once Tia invited you out for a second date... the situation became so much more complicated. Of course, I'm not absolving myself of blame... I went to see you as Nightshade on my own accord, but... please believe me when I say I truly only wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed so stressed after your first day with Raven and after everything I had put you through, I just... I didn't want you to be sad anymore. I knew all too well what it felt like to be an outcast in a strange world." Luna continued.

Anon pursed his lips as he looked over Luna's sad form before him. After a moment, he finally spoke.

"That night, in the park. When you let me hug you... was any of that real?" He asked, quietly.

"Every second of it. Anon... the only difference between when I was with you as myself and when I was with you as Nightshade at that point, was my appearance... everything else was the same." Luna responded, slowly looking up to Anon.

Anon nodded, "So why keep up the lie? Why not just say that Nightshade and Sunshine had to go away forever or some shit? Why keep pretending to be someone else?"

"Because we didn't want to break your heart. Anon... I tried so many times to tell you the truth... but every time it felt like some invisible force kept me from being honest with you. I don't know why we did the things we did, but if Tia and I could go back and fix everything... we would. I know that doesn't make it right, nothing ever will. Please just know that we were going to tell you. We agreed to stop lying to you come the end of estrus... we wanted to be sure we were both in clear minds when we told you the truth, and we certainly didn't want to see you as Nightshade or Sunshine while we were in heat." Luna clarified.

Anon nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer, "So you only wanted to lie for two more weeks, then. Very redeeming."

Luna hung her head low once more, "I'm so sorry, Anon. We just wanted to make sure we could explain it to you without breaking your heart... Clearly we failed in that regard. I... I don't have any more to say. No more excuses to make. Just... please know that both my sister and I care for you very much... and even if you hate us, we will always welcome you back with open hooves."

"I think I'd like for you to leave now, Luna." Anon replied, looking up to the sunset once more.

"I understand... have a good night, Anon." Luna responded, getting to her hooves.

The dark alicorn held her head low as she walked past the man sitting quietly on the bench. She quickly ignited her horn and teleported out of Anon's dream, leaving it in perfect silence. Only then could his tears finally fall.

Author's Note

:'(