The Next Morning

Anon awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside of his window. He slowly looked up at the fiery rays of sunshine as they beamed into the room and created intricate patterns on the floor. With a barely repressed sigh, he threw the covers off of his body and got out of bed. While rubbing the last vestiges of sleepiness from his eyes, Anon made his way to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

A short while later, Anon emerged from the bathroom fully dressed and ready for the day. He made his way to the doorway without hesitation and stepped outside. The pair of guards posted outside his room immediately snapped to attention and gave a crisp salute.

"Good morning, sir!" They both said in unison.

Anon gave them a nod, "Morning."

Without another word, Anon walked toward the dining room, his guards quickly trailing after him as he traveled through the castle halls. As he passed through corridor after corridor, Anon's mind drifted back to the previous night, forcing a steady frown to form on his face.

Did I go too far yesterday? No... no they can't actually expect me to live the rest of my life celibate just so they can keep doing what they want. That's bullshit. It's not right, it's unfair. Anon thought to himself.

As they continued to follow after him, the pair of guardsmares took notice of how Anon's fists clenched the closer he got to the dining room.

I can't believe I even agreed to this shit. I should've asked more questions from the start. Jesus Christ I'm an idiot. Anon's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists even harder.

The guardsmares shared a look as Anon arrived at the door leading into the dining room.

You know what. Fuck this place, fuck them, fuck- Anon's thoughts continued to rage, only to be interrupted by a voice to the side.

"Anon!" Javelin called , trotting up to the tall man.

Anon turned his head and stared at Javelin with a look of surprise on his face. For the first time since Anon had met the stallion, he wasn't wearing any of his royal guard armor. His coat was now a bluish off-white while his mane and tail were still a deep cobalt blue. His cutiemark, previously obscured by his armor, was a trio of blue bolts of energy.

Anon continued to owlishly stare at the unicorn stallion for a few moments before realizing that Javelin was still waiting for a response.

"J-Javelin?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

"That's me. How're you holding up, dude? I tried to talk to you last night after what happened, but you basically locked everypony out of your room." Javelin replied, offering a friendly smile.

"Y-yeah... I'm alright, I just..." Anon shook his head, "What's going on, right now? Why're you being so friendly and casual all of a sudden? I was starting to take you for the constant 'stick up the butt' kind of guy." He said, turning away from the doorway to fully face the smaller unicorn.

"I told you that I have to be professional on duty. Today's the start of my weekend. As soon as I take the uniform off, I'm done with all that up-tight, all business crap. You think I like acting like that? No way in Tartarus." Javelin chuckled.

Anon just stared dumbly at Javelin, "Huh." He grunted, chewing on his tongue.

Javelin gave a quick nod, "A-anyways, I wanted to come check up on you. I know last night didn't end well... half of the guard knows that by now. You just seemed like you needed a friend." Javelin offered, flashing another friendly smile.

Anon considered Javelin's words for a few moments. His gaze slowly shifted back to the door and the royal ponies surely behind it. His brow furrowed for just a second before he turned back to Javelin with a grateful half-smile on his face.

"You know, I don't think I've had a friend since I got sucked into this place." Anon admitted.

"All the more reason for us to go hang out. Come on, I know this great bar down in the lower district. It's called 'Trailblazers'." Javelin offered, an excited grin quickly adorning his features.

Anon looked to his wrist, once again finding no watch there. He quickly shook his head and looked at the grandfather clock sitting against the wall.

"It's not even ten in the morning yet." He replied, looking at Javelin with a raised eyebrow.

"And?" Javelin pressed.

Anon pursed his lips, "Fair enough. I'm not getting drunk though. You already know why that's a bad idea."

"I wasn't even going to suggest that. Just a few beers between stallions." Javelin beamed.

"Well, alright then. How does this work, exactly? Do I just leave with you?" Anon asked, looking back at the pair of guards still standing behind him.

"We can report to the princesses and inform them of where you've decided to go for the day and with whom, sir." The first guardsmare responded.

"Since you're going with Sergeant Javelin, you won't technically need an escort, however, I'm sure the princesses will want at least one guard who isn't drinking to go out with you to make sure nothing happens." The second guard chimed in.

"Eh, we're just going down to the lower district. There's a guardpost every six blocks down there and three within a quarter mile of the bar we're going to. Anon will be well protected." Javelin replied.

The guardsmares both gave a nod, "Roger that, Sergeant. We'll inform the princesses for you." The first guard said.

"Have a good time, sir." The second guard added, giving a small salute to Anonymous before stepping toward the door.

The mares quickly stepped into the dining room, leaving Javelin and Anon alone in the corridor.

"Welp, let's get after it. Those beers aren't gonna drink themselves." Javelin announced, turning and heading toward the exit.

"Woah, wait up!" Anon cried, running after the stallion in a hurry.

Celestia and Luna sat patiently at the dining table as they waited for Anon's arrival. Luna rested her head on top of her hoof and tapped her other hoof on the table to pass the time while Celestia kept glancing at the clock every few seconds. The many guards stationed along the edges of the room stared stoically ahead, many of them feeling a sense of unease over the upcoming meeting with the human.

Finally, the doors opened, jolting Luna into an upright position and turning all heads in the room. However, instead of the human that was expected, two guardsmares entered the room. They both quickly saluted the princesses before approaching the dining table.

"Princess, Anonymous has requested that we inform you that he will not be attending breakfast this morning." The first guard explained.

Celestia's head dipped slightly and her wings drooped against her barrel. Luna sighed and slouched into her chair once more.

"He was approached by Sergeant Javelin just before arriving, and after a short exchange, Anonymous agreed to go to a bar with the sergeant." The second guard finished.

Luna sat back up almost instantly, "Anonymous is going out drinking? Again? This early in the day?" She questioned.

"Yes, your highness. Although he did say that he had no intention of getting drunk again. Just that he wanted to have some drinks with someone he considered a friend." The second guard elaborated.

Celestia chewed her cheek in thought for a few moments before addressing the guards again, "Did you catch the name of the bar they were going to?"

"Trailblazers, Princess." The first guard chimed in again.

"So... what should we do? Should we have him brought back?" Luna asked, looking to Celestia.

Celestia shook her head, "No, no. Bringing him back here by force is only going to reinforce his opinion of us. All we can do is hope that the sergeant brings him back here later today and he's willing to talk. You might as well get some sleep, sister. I'm sure that Anonymous will have returned by the time you awake." She replied.

Luna nodded, then yawned, and got out of her chair, "Thank you, sister. I will see you this evening."

"Sleep well, sister. Hopefully everything works out as we intend, tonight." Celestia said, giving a small wave as Luna departed for the day.

Celestia turned to the pair of guards still standing beside her at the table, "Thank you both for informing me. You've both been on duty since the midnight shift, haven't you?" She asked.

"Yes, your highness." The first guard replied.

"You've both done a good job for the night. You are both dismissed. Thank you." Celestia nodded her head in thanks.

"Thank you, Princess!" The guards replied before trotting off out of the dining room.

Celestia smiled as they left, before turning her attention to the rest of the guards in the room.

"Could one of you please find Raven and inform her that I will not be taking any appointments or visits today?" She asked.

"Of course, your highness!" Another guardsmare responded before trotting off to find the secretary.

"Thank you. As for the rest of you, you're all dismissed as well. I will be in my chambers for the rest of the day." Celestia announced as she rose from her seat and made her way for the exit.

The solar alicorn quickly made her way back through the corridors of the castle to her own private bedroom. Once there, she closed and locked the door behind her and removed all of her regalia with her horn. She stepped in front of her large vanity mirror and looked herself over.

"Hmm... now, how did it go again?" Celestia muttered to herself as she furrowed her brow in thought.

After a few moments, she ignited her horn, casting a bright white light all around her body. Her form slowly changed as the spell intensified. Her height changed first, bringing her down to a normal height for an adult mare. Her wings slowly shrunk and disappeared into her withers until there was nothing there, leaving only a unicorn horn on top of her head. Lastly, her mane and tail retracted to a length that was much more manageable for a mare of her new size.

When the light finally faded, instead of the tall, elegant, alicorn with a waving rainbow mane and tail, there stood a slightly above average height unicorn mare. Her coat was a soft white with a small hue of pink on all of her legs. Her mane and tail were a deep red with a single streak of yellow that ran just under her long horn. When she opened her eyes, those same magenta pools of color stared back at her through the mirror, and the mare smiled.

"Well, I don't think even I remember the last time I looked like this. Have to say, I missed the yellow." Celestia smirked, eyeing herself in the mirror.

The now-unicorn mare walked over to her balcony and looked down on Canterlot with curious eyes.

"Now... where is that bar?" She muttered to herself.

"It's in the lower district... so it should be somewhere... ah! There it is." She beamed, looking at the distant logo of her destination.

Without another word, the alicorn-turned-unicorn teleported out of sight.

Javelin and Anon walked through the busy streets of the lower district as crowds surged back and forth to different vendors and buildings along the street. While Javelin struggled to find his way through the dense crowd of ponies, Anon simply stepped over them, earning more than a few strange and confused looks in the process.

"Ah, I can't see anything through this crowd! Can you see the sign?" Javelin inquired, looking up to Anon.

"Yeah. It's right over there." He replied, pointing down the street.

"Alright, I'll just teleport us the rest of the way." Javelin replied, his horn lighting up in a blue hue.

"No wait don't-" Anon shouted, only to be cut off as Javelin teleported them both down the street.

They both reappeared in a flash, Javelin landing easily on his hooves while Anon quickly fell to his knees.

"-do that..." Anon mumbled as he struggled to keep himself from vomiting.

"Oh dang... forgot to ask if you're good with teleporting." Javelin sheepishly admitted as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

Anon continued to dry heave and groan on his knees while Javelin took to apologetically patting him on the back with his hoof. Several curious eyes turned their way, a few ponies even stopping to see if Anon was alright. Javelin gave them all a grateful shake of his head or a polite dismissal before they left, and Anon was able to finally stand up again.

"Ugh... why do you ponies never ask before teleporting someone? Fuck's sake I had to puke so bad but I didn't have anything to throw up." Anon rubbed his temples.

"Yeah... sorry about that. I'll be sure to keep it in mind for next time. On the bright side, we're here!" Javelin exclaimed, pointing to the bar.

A bright neon sign in aggressive lettering read 'Trailblazers Bar and Grill' on a fiery red building. Patrons of the bar were seated outside enjoying the food as well as some of the drinks under batwing themed umbrellas. Anon eyed the building curiously as Javelin started heading to the front door.

"Come on, dude!" Javelin called.

"Y-yeah, yeah. I'm coming, hold on." Anon called back as he quickly jogged to catch up with Javelin.

The stallion and man soon found themselves in the foyer of the building. A unicorn hostess with blue fur and curly red hair greeted them with a smile.

"Hiya! Welcome to Trailblazers! Would you stallions like the bar or the dining area?" She asked with a chipper tone in her voice.

"We'll be good at the bar." Javelin replied.

"We can still get food over there, right? I'm starving." Anon inquired.

"Sure ya can! Just let the bartender know and she'll take your order to the kitchen." The hostess answered.

"Perfect. Let's go then." Anon smiled.

"Right this way." She replied, her horn quickly glowing with a red aura as she picked up two menus from behind her stand.

The hostess easily led the duo through the entrance and to the mostly empty bar. Heavily distorted hard rock blared from several speakers in and around the bar, although there was nopony on the dance floor. A few mares were drinking here and there at the different booths, but aside from a lone mare sitting at the bar, Anon and Javelin had it to themselves. The hostess deposited the menus on two empty seats at the center of the bar and departed with a smile.

With their escort gone, Anon and Javelin sat down beside one another and inspected their menus. Javelin quickly made up his mind and sat down as Anon continued to search for a few extra minutes.

"So, anything catch your eye?" Javelin asked, elbowing Anon in the ribs lightly.

"Uh... I don't know. I can't eat most of the stuff on here and the stuff I can eat is probably gonna taste like shit to me... no offense." Anon replied, setting the menu down with a frown.

Javelin gave him a lopsided look, "I wasn't talking about the food."

Anon cocked an eyebrow back, "You weren't? Then what were you talking about?" He asked.

"I mean..." Javelin trailed off nodding with his head toward the mare sitting a few seats away from Anon.

"Dude, you alright? You look like you've got a pinched nerve right now." Anon squinted in confusion.

Javelin facehoofed and sighed heavily, "Celestia, you haven't been to a bar before, have you?"

"I have!" Anon replied, defensively, "Just not, you know... here." He gestured to the world around him as a whole.

"Right, right... and stallions in your world do things so much differently in the bars back home, right?" Javelin deadpanned.

"Well, actually now that you mention it, stallions here kinda act like women back home and the mares kinda act like men. It's really weird to me since-" Anon began.

"Faust's sake, Anon! Look to your right." Javelin interrupted, sounding completely done with the situation.

Anon held his hands up in mock surrender before turning his head to the right and seeing one of the most beautiful mares he'd ever seen in his entire life. Her coat was a brilliant white with pink fur that almost resembled socks on all of her legs. On her shapely flank, there was a sun with rays of light beaming down onto the ground below. Her mane and tail were a deep shade of sunset red with a single streak of yellow. She had a pair of brilliant magenta eyes, and a warm smile on her pretty face as she glanced over in Anon's direction.

Anon immediately felt his heart thump in his chest and he simply stared, wide-eyed at the gorgeous mare that was sitting just a few seats away from him and smiling at him as if he was someone she knew. He gulped nervously before holding up a hand and waving just once and earning one of the most gorgeous sounds he'd ever heard in his life. The mare across from him giggled. Her charming voice sounded like Christmas bells and sent a shiver down his spine as Anon's thought's immediately returned to happy times when he was a child.

Anon awkwardly cleared his throat before quickly turning back to Javelin.

"Nope, can't do it." He said, firmly.

"What!? Why the hay not? Look at her, she's clearly into you dude! Plus she's absolutely gorgeous." Javelin replied.

"Okay, several questions. First, why are you pushing me to go flirt with other mares when I just agreed to marry Celestia and Luna yesterday? Weren't you in the dining room to hear them say that I can't be with other mares?" Anon whisper-shouted.

"I was standing outside. I didn't hear most of what you talked about until you started yelling. Speaking of which, I seem to recall you saying that you were backing out of that arrangement. Which, I totally understand. From what I understand of the situation, I totally agree with your decision. What the princesses were asking of you wasn't fair." Javelin replied, holding his hooves up in a placating manner.

Anon tilted his head to the side in confusion, "So... so why are you trying to get me to flirt with that mare?"

"Well, duh? To help you feel better. I told you, you looked super down after what happened. Besides, I didn't tell you to flirt with her, I just pointed her out to you." Javelin answered.

"W-well... I haven't really told the sister's for sure that I'm out, yet. I was going to at breakfast, but then you pulled me aside and I figured 'fuck it', I might as well enjoy the day before I go make the princesses hate me for the rest of my life." Anon replied, resting his elbows on the bar and holding his head in his hands.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Luna might come off a bit aggressively, but she's actually a total sweetheart. As for Celestia, she wouldn't hold a grudge with anyone. She's too kind for that. I wouldn't be too worried about it." Javelin shrugged, patting Anon on the back reassuringly.

"You sound like you're best pals with them." Anon muttered.

"Well, you stand guard around them for years on end, and you start to get a feel for how they operate. Trust me, I'm not friends with either of them, but I have seen them behind closed doors. They're not as intimidating as everypony likes to think. Deep down... I think they're really just a couple of mares that try their best with the situation they have." Javelin shrugged.

Anon chewed his tongue in thought for a few moments. He furrowed his brow and glanced down to the bar as he thought over what Javelin said, only to be interrupted by a light tap on his right shoulder. Anon quickly looked up, finding the gorgeous white unicorn mare now sitting on the stool next to him.

"Is this seat taken?" She asked, her voice smooth as silk.

"Uh... n-no. It's all yours." Anon stuttered, shocked by the sudden proximity.

"Perfect!" She chirped, "I'm Sunshine, by the way. What's your name?" Sunshine asked, giving Anon a curious look.

"A-Anon. Uh, nice to meet you, Sunshine... This is my buddy, Javelin." Anon hesitantly replied, turning to his left to find that Javelin was gone.

"Hmm, is he your imaginary friend?" Sunshine teased.

Anon quickly looked back and forth for the stallion but could not find a trace of him. He bit his lip and sighed before turning back to the beautiful mare beside him.

"No, no... He was the pony that walked in with me. Guess he decided to leave me here to make an ass out of myself." Anon chuckled.

"An... Ass? Can your species turn into a donkey or something?" Sunshine asked, clearly perplexed.

"What? N-no. It's just a figure of speech. Sorry, forget I said anything," Anon awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, "A-anyway, what's uh... what's going on?" He asked with a nervous smile.

Sunshine giggled behind her hoof once more, "You're cute when you're nervous. I was wondering if I could buy you a drink. Maybe hear what it's like being an alien." She replied, making Anon blush hard.

"Uh, I... well... I suppose that would be okay..." Anon rubbed the back of his neck.

"You sound unsure." Sunshine teased.

"W-well, I guess I'm just used to being the one buying drinks for the pretty girl. Not really used to girls buying drinks for me. Feels kinda weird." Anon admitted.

"A good weird, or a bad weird?" Sunshine inquired, offering a sympathetic half-smile.

"Eh... I'm not sure yet. Still getting used to this place, even after the last year." Anon shrugged.

"Well, how about this? You let me buy you a drink, and then I'll let you buy me one. Sound good?" Sunshine asked.

Anon smiled, "You know what, I think I'd be okay with that. I'm not sure where Jav went, so I guess I got nobody else to drink with... at ten in the morning." He chuckled.

Sunshine smiled and nodded before turning to the bartender, "Excuse me, can we get a couple hard ciders?"

"Of course. Coming right up." The bartender replied before quickly pouring the two drinks and levitating them onto the bar.

Anon grabbed his mug as Sunshine picked hers up in her magical aura. He hesitated for a second to watch Sunshine as she brought the mug to her lips and took a deep gulp of the amber liquid. Anon starred in fascinated shock until she brought her mug down to the bar and licked her lips. As she turned to look at him once more, Anon quickly brought his mug to his lips and took an equally large swig.

The burning sensation of the alcohol combined with the citrusy flavor of sweetened apples warmed his throat as he drank down the cider. Anon placed the mug down on the bar with a small sigh and looked back at Sunshine with a small smile.

"So, what brings a tall, strange looking stallion like you to a place like this?" Sunshine asked, resting her elbow on the bar and her head on her hoof.

Anon shook his head, "A lot of things, really. Mostly just trying to get away from the stress of today, I guess."

Sunshine tilted her head to the side, "What's so stressful about today?"

"Well... you saw what happened yesterday, didn't you? I'm supposed to marry Celestia and Luna. We did our vows and everything. There was a huge crowd and I'm pretty sure every pony in Equestria knows I exist now." Anon replied.

"I... can't say I recall. I've been traveling a lot lately and haven't heard much news from Canterlot. Is-isn't this good news though?" Sunshine somewhat awkwardly asked.

"I mean, sure... I don't know, I probably shouldn't be talking about it." Anon sighed dejectedly.

Sunshine watched as Anon's expression turned from a pleasant smile to outright depressed in a matter of milliseconds. She watched as his posture slouched, his grip on his drink loosened, and his eyes fell to the floor beneath his feet. Almost a minute of silence passed by as she contemplated what to do or say before making up her mind.

Anon felt a soft hoof gently touch his hand, and he slowly looked up to see pink fur as Sunshine held his hand with her hoof.

"You can tell me. I think I can help you out." Sunshine offered, a determined smile on her face.

Author's Note

Never trust strange mares you run into at the bar... unless they're cute as hell, then they get a pass ;)