I didn't dream that night. Not because I was drained, or because of anything to do with Princess Luna. I don't think I ever slipped deep enough into sleep to enter REM in the first place. It wasn't because I was cuddled against Twilight or sleeping in a strange place, either. Twilight's presence was surprisingly comforting—despite her having gotten a forelimb around me at some point—and I was used to sleeping wherever sleep could be found.

No, I think it was the tension that'd built up from yesterday's worrisome events. Sure, I said I'd trust Twilight to take care of things, but that didn't mean I wasn't bothered by things. You don't just fall asleep for a day, wake up completely drained, and then lose more than an hour of time. Plus, there's something that I keep forgetting about, and I know I've forgotten it... but I can't bring myself to mention it at all. Or am I not allowed to?

That was a terrifying thought, but it also made too much sense. If I'd seen something that someone powerful didn't want anyone to see, they might go to any length to keep their secret—even mind magic. If my memory was being tampered with, it'd make sense that they might want to check and make sure that their tinkering had stuck. Hell, they might even go so far as to implant 'suggestions' that kept me from mentioning anything, even if I wanted to.

Is that why Princess Luna looked so disturbed when she pulled me out of that trance-state? I thought, as I turned the day's events over in my mind. She probably felt something from our mental contact, and told Twilight and those guard ponies. That explained the necessity to keep me in the dark. Who or what did I see, though?

I heard movement in the dark of the living room, and soon after I heard Applejack speak. "Well shucks, ain't that a sight." If the farm mare was up, chances were that it was some point close to dawn. Mac, and the elderly matron of the family, Granny Smith were probably gonna be up and about soon as well. "Girl's finally done started to settle."

Cracking my eye open, I found her standing near door. Seemed like she stopped on her way out after catching sight of me being in the pile. "Been a rough couple of days," I whispered back, carefully worming my way free of Twilight's grip. Stretching myself as a cat would, I couldn't quite stifle a yawn. "Need a hand with chow? I don't mind helping out, even if it's just peeling potatoes for hash-browns, or apples for something."

She seemed to consider my offer before shrugging. "Ah wouldn't feel right askin' ya to chip in," she said with a smile. "Wouldn't say no to yer offer, though." Inclining her head toward the hallway, she added, "C'mon."

My body felt a lot better as I followed her out into the hall and into the kitchen, taking great care not to step on Spike's tail. Not only that, my mind was a lot clearer, and my emotions a lot more vivid than they were. I was so... complacent yesterday, I thought as she sat me down at the table with two buckets, a peeler, and a bushel of apples while she put a kettle on. I'm not just gonna accept whatever the fuck is going on.

She only needed me to peel enough apples to fill the second bucket, but it was a fairly large one. As I held the peeler in one hoof and an apple in the other, I paused to stare at the apple. I knew that hoof-fields were surprisingly malleable from previous experiments, and could even take on a hand shape. But maybe... I focused on the invisible extension of my physical magic and willed it to rotate. It took some effort, but once I got the concept down, the fruit was spinning on its axis a few centimetres from my hoof.

After peeling the first two apples that way, I was able to mentally automate the process, which left me free to think as I worked. So Twilight and Luna are calling the shots in regards to whatever happened yesterday... I know I said I was fine letting them handle this shit themselves, but am I really? My teeth ground together as my jaw tightened. Maybe it was a result of whatever's going on, but that was way too submissive of me.

Dropping the fourth peeled apple into the bucket, I flicked my gaze to the window and the predawn sky beyond before grabbing another apple. And forgiving those little shits!? I shook my head as the fruit squished a bit in my grip. No way in fuck would I have been so quick to forgive if I was in my right mind. There was no chance I'd go back on my word, though. If all this resolved and shit went back normal, I'd have to tolerate it. Chalk it up to whatever mind-fuckery's been going on.

What could I do, though? After saying I'd let Twilight and the Princess take care of things, there's no way I could just parade around meddling. At the same time, though it'd be stupid to just let whatever happened to me yesterday reoccur. No, I need to come up with some sort of game plan, I decided as I finished the tenth apple. I should look into a few things when we get back to the library... And fuck not using magic for a few days.

For that matter, I need to better understand how to defend myself. "Say, Applejack?" I probed, glancing across the room. Huh, I was so focused that I didn't even notice her starting to peel potatoes. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sugarcube?" she replied, looking up from her own busywork. A look of surprise flitted across her face as she glanced over my mostly full bucket of peeled apples. Evidently I hadn't taken nearly as long as she'd expected me to. "Darn, girl... Ya sure made quick work o' that, didn't'cha?"

I shrugged, putting aside a squishy apple and setting down the peeler. "I sorta just zoned out," I answered. "Anyway, with everything that's happening... would you be willing to teach me how to buck before we all leave later?"

The country mare cocked an eyebrow, but didn't stop peeling the large spud she had. "Way Apple Bloom tells it, ya don't need no help protectin' yerself, 'Non," she said with a snort. "Seein' the way ya done tossed Pinkie that one time, Ah'm inclined ta agree."

Shaking my head, I grabbed another apple and started peeling it. "There's fighting in a blind panic, and then there's defending yourself," I murmured, my ears folding back as a wave of shame washed over me. "I need to know how to better use this body to protect myself, and if I can learn to buck, that might be the difference between getting away from danger and something bad happening."

Applejack set down her peeled potato and glanced to the door, where Big Macintosh was blearily entering. "I'll talk to Twilight 'bout it," she said. After a moment of reflection, she gestured to a small woven basket by the pantry. "In the meantime, ya mind runnin' out to the chicken coop and rustlin' up a dozen eggs? Not enough in the pantry. Mac an' Ah'll finish up in here."

Stepping out into the cool autumn morning a few moments later, the basket balanced atop my head, I was suddenly struck by a thought. No way in hell Twilight didn't inform the others that something was up, I mused, walking across the grounds. After yesterday, there's no way I'm just being let run free. That must mean...

My eyes traced every possible angle of observation as I drew close to the chicken coop. At first, I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in the low light. As my eyes adapted to the gloom, however I started picking up on a few things. On the roof of the main barn, there was a pony silhouetted against the morning sky. Couldn't be sure if it was a stallion or mare, but the glint of their armour gave them away as they tried to adjust their position for comfort. Or maybe signalling someone else. Still, kinda big for a pegasus.

I paused in front of the coop, glancing in the direction of the best spot to watch both the house and the barn—towards the orchard. It was subtle, but I caught the glint of eye-shine perched in one of the trees. That gave me a bit of a chill, because my only experience with it was the predators I'd encountered in my previous life. Wolves in Alaska, and a close call with a mountain lion in Colorado—not exactly a casual experience. Okay, Samwise the possum also had it, but his beady little eyes weren't like these big eyes. Definitely a bat pony there.

A smirk crossed my face as I remembered the two rookies I waved the fire at. The mischievous part of my brain insisted that I should wave to the two guards on watch, but the fact that the princesses had guards watching over us now only confirmed something was up. Blatantly pointing them out to whoever else might be watching, which would just make their jobs harder. I settled for making direct eye-contact with the glowing pair of eyes, cocking an eyebrow, and then nodding slightly.

That out of the way with, I opened the door to the coop, found an oil lantern, and some matches. Once the lantern was lit, and a bunch of bleary-eyed hens were staring at me, I got to work. "Sorry, ladies; I know it's early," I whispered softly. Animals apparently had a degree of intelligence here in Equestria, and even if you couldn't understand them, they apparently understood enough from tone and facial expressions to get the general meaning. "Applejack needs a dozen eggs for a big breakfast. Mind if I poke through?"

To my surprise, five hens rose from their nesting boxes; the rest just glared at me as if my presence offended them. From the offered boxes, I began lifting up the eggs to the lantern and looking for those that had no indication of embryonic development. Any that did went right back to the box it came from, with a smile and a nod to the proud momma bird. The rest I gently placed in the basket. Once I had my dozen, I snuffed the lantern and returned it to its place by the door.

"Thanks, ladies," I murmured. Rather than attempting to balance a dozen eggs on my head, I did the reasonable thing and picked up the basket by its handle—or was that a mouth grip? "I'll get outta your feathers now."

~ 17 ~

Breakfast that morning was a lively affair. After I got back with the eggs, I found Pinkie Pie and Granny Smith had joined AJ and Mac in the kitchen. She'd apparently borrowed the oven to make a batch of muffins. Meanwhile, it seemed that the elderly mare was fixing up some sort of hash-browns made with apple. Soon after, the eggs were put to use in some scramble and pancakes.

Thank fuck the coffee was on, though. I needed it.

I still dunno how they managed to fit nine adult ponies, four foals, and a baby dragon at the dining room table. Between Pinkie and some rather inexplicable day-to-day shit that didn't much make sense, I was starting to get the impression that reality was a lot more malleable than I gave it credit. That might've just been some sort of spatial magic on the behalf of Twilight or Starlight, mind you.

Still, it was a small feast of apple pancakes with syrup, hash-browns, and scrambled eggs. Although AJ slipped me a black coffee while I was waiting for the others to wake, I wasn't permitted any more at breakfast. It was strictly apple juice for me while I ate, and since I wasn't exactly fond of the syrup, I ended up having a lot of juice.

All the while, conversations were going on around me. Fluttershy was fussing over Rainbow, who in turn was grumbling about her hangover. Rarity and AJ were readying the Cutie Mark Crusaders for school. Mac and Granny Smith were discussing farm and orchard stuff. Pinkie was doing Pinkie shit, and Starlight and Twilight just seemed to be watching me with concern.

As the meal came to an end, I pulled Pinkie Pie aside. "Say, Pinkie? Would you mind doing me a favour?" I asked in a hushed voice as I led her out to the kitchen. "There are a few guard ponies out there keeping watch." Excitement spread across her face when I said this. "You mind using your laws-of-reality defying powers to bring them some coffee? Probably been a long, boring shift of watching over the house..."

"Would I!?" she shrieked with glee. Immediately, she pronked over to the coffee maker, whipped out four disposable travel cups, and even one of those cup-holder trays. Three of the cups were filled with coffee, and then the manic mare pulled a few packets of sugar and creamer out of her mane and dropped them into the fourth cup. "Anon, you had me at potential new friends!"

I never said that though...

Abject terror filled my stomach as Pinkie jumped into the sink, the tray balanced atop her head. Without moving her hooves, she began to spin and slowly descend into what I could only assume to be the drain. Sure, I knew the laws of nature didn't apply to her most of the time, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see her do it. That was so fucking nope that I can't even cope.

Returning to the living room, I wondered if I'd done the right thing. Sure, they were out there on watch—probably as ordered by the princesses—and I knew I'd want some coffee after being up all night, but was it fair to set Pinkie on them? Were they briefed on her abilities? Or was some guard about to get the shit scared out of them by an ~~eldritch horror~~ adorable pudgy mare with no regards for personal space?

"What was that about, Anon?" Starlight couldn't help but ask when I took up the empty chair beside her. "Aside from her party, I don't think I've ever seen you interact with Pinkie."

I shrugged and set my head down on the table. She was right; Pinkie was probably the only member of Twilight's friend group that I had the least interaction with. Well, she probably doesn't think I'm avoiding her, since I just sought her out and all. "Oh, you know," I muttered. "The guards out there looked like they could use a pick-me-up." When her eyebrow shot up, I explained myself. "Spotted two of them when I went out to fetch eggs from the chicken coop. Sure, they were trying to be stealthy, but it's not like Pinkie would make them breach OPSEC, right?"

Before Starlight had the opportunity to answer that question, there was a loud, "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! Wanna be friends?" followed by the startled cry of a stallion and what sounded like someone falling off a roof. Everyone—aside from the elderly green pony at least—rushed out into the yard to figure out what the fuck was going on. Well, they all were; I just walked out and immediately pressed a hoof against my head, hoping against hope that it would fight off the incoming headache.

There was Pinkie Pie, standing atop the barn's weather vane, coffee still atop her head. She was looking down at a hay bale, where the back half of a charcoal pegasus stallion was sticking out—thankfully the other way. A bat pony mare in dark night-guard plate was futilely tugging at his back legs, while a unicorn in day-guard armour was admonishing them both. Couldn't tell his coat-colour, what with that anonymity enchantment. That said, there did appear to be some sort of insignia on the pauldron of his armour. Maybe it was a rank or squad marking?

"What in the hay is going on out here?" Applejack bellowed. This startled the bat pony so much that she pulled hard enough to dislodge the pegasus. The two shot through the air, only to crash down atop the barn roof in a pile. "Who are all of ya, an' what're ya doin' here?"

The guard unicorn sighed and made his way across the grounds. "My apologies, ma'am," the dude said. God, but he sounded super embarrassed, probably thinking he was about to lose his job. Behind him, the other two guard-ponies had managed to get down from the barn and were evidently looking for the pegasus guard's helmet. "I'm Staff Sergeant Revelry of the Canterlot Royal Guard, 7th Military Police group: Protective Services Branch. Those two are under my command. At the behest of Princess Celestia, we were sent to watch over to Princess Twilight and those of her immediate household."

~ 17 ~

After that whole mess was squared away, the sergeant and his two subordinates—Specialist Strongwind, and Corporal Evening Script—insisted on escorting us back to Twilight's castle. Nobody really wanted to say anything—and I was a bit miffed that she said no to AJ teaching me to properly kick—so for a long while, it was just silent. It certainly caught the attention of several ponies in town, seeing the four of us being escorted by a trio of guards—the sergeant in front, and the other two in back to either side of us.

Twilight seemed almost irritated, although I couldn't be sure as to the why. It could have that I'd inadvertently lessened how effective the guards could be by forcing their appearance by way of Pinkie. Then again, it could also have been that she was irritated that any of this was happening in the first place. From what I'd heard, she'd not yet had any guards and enjoyed the privacy it provided.

Spike was sorta just there in the background as he rode on Twilight's back. Unless he had something to say, I'm ashamed to admit that it was easy to forget that he was even there most of the time. It wasn't fair to him; he was only a few Equestrian years older than myself, and he was probably just as scared by this turn of events. I couldn't imagine what he thought about the sudden need for an escort.

Meanwhile, Starlight kept stealing glances at me when she thought I wasn't paying attention. Ever since I'd called her my big sister, it definitely felt like we'd grown closer, so I could only imagine what was feeling in all of this. Was she scared by what might happen to me? Or was she worried that someone was priming me to become some sort of sleeper agent? After all, she surely had some enemies based on her past.

As for me, I spent the entirety of the walk mulling over my earlier trip outside. Strongwind had been the easiest of the group to spot. Once I'd seen him and knew to look, I'd found Evening Script. I hadn't even seen Revelry. Was it just that he had that much more experience in concealing himself? No, I thought as I glanced from his armoured back to my guardian. Probably some sort of invisibility spell.

That left me to wonder how he had done it though. There were many ways to achieve effective invisibility, and that was just basing it on fiction that I'd read. The most obvious option would be to simply bend the light around a target. If no light could touch an object, to reflect off it, would it not go unseen? Possibly, but I imagined that the sort of upkeep for such a spell wouldn't be anything to sneeze at. Plus there was the matter of no light reaching one's eyes, which would render the entire spell pointless for a body-guard.

In Harry Potter, there was the Fidelius Charm which had been used to render places as incapable of being found. You could be standing in plain sight on a property protected by such a charm, but the eyes of those not in the know of the secret would just glance over you. Such a feat seemed feasible from my knowledge of Equestrian magic, but could a mere guard be capable of doing such a thing, especially in so short of a time?

Then, of course, there was the matter of the Leaky Cauldron and St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Both places had been accessible from London, but they'd both had different means of disguising it. To muggles, the Leaky Cauldron appeared to be a broken down old storefront, while St. Mungo's had been disguised as an abandoned department store even to Wizards. While the latter might've been an example of magical gateways, rather than simply hiding in plain sight, it did bring to mind the school of illusion magic.

Even if a pony wasn't strong enough to render themselves completely invisible, what was to stop them from making it appear that they were just a simple rain-barrel? Nobody would look at one of those on a farm and say to themselves, 'Damn, that thing's out of place!' It'd be the perfect way to seamlessly blend in with the scenery, and only someone who knew the place well, like one of the Apples would even spot the difference.

As we drew closer to the castle, I found myself workshopping ideas for how illusion spells might work. Since discovering the intrinsic link between horn-cast magic and runic spells, I'd shown that I could inscribe any spell a unicorn could cast, so long as I could decode it. I'm not just learning how to read and cast spells, though; I'm literally learning how to create my own. The only matter of import there was having enough magic. Would it be started with something phrased like Conjure Illusory Image, or were there different runic keywords to create such an illusion?

My musings were ultimately disturbed when, upon coming into sight of the great crystal structure, Sergeant Revelry spoke up. "Those are the other two members of your new guard detail, Your Highness," he said, indicating two ponies who appeared to be flanking the front door. One was an anonymous looking pegasus like Strongwind, while the other was a bespectacled earth pony. Both appeared to be armed with spears, although it was hard to tell at this distance. "Private Stonefeather, and Private First Class Specks."

If it hadn't been for the fact that Princess Celestia had 'blessed' me with the name Anonymous, I probably would have laughed. Pony names and their talents or appearances tended to be linked, so it seemed kinda mean that his parents had named him for his need for glasses. Then again, who was I to talk? My genetic donor had effectively named me Nobody.

Once we'd reached the door, the earth pony guard stepped forward. "Welcome back, sir, ma'ams," he said in a soft voice that didn't seem to fit a member of the Royal Guard. "Nopony has been in or out since Princess Luna personally swept the premises, sir."

I doubted a single pegasus and an earth-pony could possibly watch all ways in or out of this building,but I had to remind myself that this was a land of magic. Princess Luna had probably cast some sort of security spell like Alarm on all the entrances, if not the entire building itself. If an alert had gone off, the pegasus pony probably would've gone to the guard-house to raise the alarm.

Regardless, I just watched as Twilight cast some sort of spell that swept over the castle before nodding in agreement. Cleared to enter, we pretty much all split up. I went off to my bedroom to fetch my magic notebook and pencil, and then to the library straight after. Starlight went off to do whatever it is she does when she's free. Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike seemed to be sorting out the lodging situation for her new quintet of guards. I think Spike might've mentioned something about a barracks on that tour he gave me, but I'm a bit fuzzy on the details.

As for the guards, the specialist—Strongwind, I think it was?—followed after Starlight, while the bat corporal followed me. I could feel her judgement when we stopped in my room. After all, the bed was mostly entirely unused, and instead there was just a blanket-covered pile of pillows in the corner with all of my personal belongings arranged along the perimeter of the pile. I just ignored her, grabbing my notebook and pencil. After a moment's thought, I grabbed my cloak and threw it on. I also paid no mind to a gift-box that was atop my bed with a rolled-up scroll threaded through the ribbon. Now was a time for magic.

Upon entering Twilight's library, I started grabbing books manually. Maybe it's lingering lethargy from yesterday, but I really don't feel like casting Unseen Servant right now, regardless of whether or not I'm allowed to. At first, I only grabbed the runic dictionary and Your Horn and You, but there was another book that caught my eye. Biologia Mutabilis - On Changelings New and Old. I'd have to remember that one for later. After all, the book from school had made me a little interested in the shapeshifters.

The first task I set for myself was to pick through the runic dictionary for some keywords I thought might be useful. At first, I noted down all of the primary elements—earth, water, fire, and air—their sun-glyph readings, and their stroke orders. Sure, I know fire already, but there's no reason not to make sure I'm writing it properly. Then, I went for a few modifiers: shape, size, force, intensity, velocity, and duration. Some of them were very much just for my personal defence spells, but at the same time, force, velocity, and duration could be useful for other things. They were pretty complicated though, so my stroke order notes were much longer.

In particular, I was interested in mimicking the telekinesis of a unicorn at some point. It seemed to be pretty flexible, able to lift certain amounts of weight dependent on the caster's own strength, but it was also able to transfer momentum when throwing an object. Plus, some unicorns were strong enough to lift even themselves and create rudimentary flight!

Maybe it was because Biologia Mutabilis caught my eye, but I also sought out the rune for love. I honestly wasn't even convinced that there was such a rune, but if Princess Cadance was capable of casting magic pertaining to love, I figured there was a chance it existed. I was somewhat disappointed that it was little more than a stylised heart. Then again, what was I expecting: something more complicated like velocity was?

After I had satisfied myself with the runic dictionary, I switched over to Your Horn and You. I remembered the book on ritual magic mentioning Alarm, but there also seemed to be a spell by the same name listed as a low-level abjuration—protective magic—spell for recommended for practice. Just from what I'd seen of it the last time I'd cracked open the book, it was very versatile, and may even have had some components that might be useful for my own custom spells. After all, it seemed to consist of a spell-trigger, an energy storage component—Gotta have it!—and even an in-built evocation school spell to create the sound.

So it was, I set about completely deconstructing the spell-matrix and translating an equivalent runic array. It was a lot more complex than Conjure Light had been, so it took far more time for me to hash it out. It wasn't until Spike had stopped in with afternoon tea that I realised that I'd spent half the day in here already. Just as well that I take a break, as the whole process had given me quite the headache. That spell-within a spell was a nasty bit of work to plot out in Weaved Spiral. Maybe it's time to learn the scroll format instead?

Shortly after Spike left, I cast a glance at the guard. She'd spent much of the day atop a bookshelf, watching me through narrowed eyes. At one point, I even thought I'd heard some slight snoring, but when I'd turned to look, she met my gaze with an annoyed frown. Nap on the job all you want, lady; I'm not gonna judge.

Putting the tired guard from my mind, I went to return the runic dictionary and the foal magic book to their proper shelves. Just when I went to grab Biologia Mutabilis, however, I heard a buzzing sound that I'd heard before. The time that Twilight looked like she caught fire! That vibrating book phone that we never did discuss! Evidently, she was being paged, but nobody was here but me and a guard.

I know snooping is bad, okay? Still, I was more than a little curious about the buzzing book and how Twilight understood the concept of a cell phone. Unable to contain myself, I pushed over a stool, and opened the book to where the bookmark seemed to be. To my utter amazement the moment I opened the book, a blank page began to fill with text. Oh yeah, it was all Equestrian sun-glyphs, but it was definitely written in English. What in the fuck?

Dear Twilight,

It's my second slumber party with the girls, and already I feel so much closer to everyone. I haven't felt so loved, so accepted in... well... ever! Despite this Anon-a-Miss MyStable page using my colours and silhouette spreading rumours, they're giving me the benefit of the doubt! I feel like I finally have a family again. Without all of you to help and support me, I'd be—

Well, you know what I'd be.

Anyway, I should get some sleep, but I wanted to let you know, before I do...

...that I love all of you.

Sunset Shimmer

I had mixed feelings reading this. On the one hand, I felt like I was intruding on something private, but on the other, I felt angry. Back on Earth, 'Anonymous' was a moniker utilised by various groups of hackers and web ne'er-do-wells who could be either righteous, mischievous, or downright malicious in cause. Hell, it was my name now, so to see it pop up on what sounded like some sort of rumour blog... it gave me a bad vibe.

It wasn't my place to do this, but I pulled my pencil from behind my ear, and—drawing on memories of my world—scratched out a response. Everything anyone had ever said about net security at a card game... Anything they might've said about not trusting biometric security with untrustworthy roommates.
Sunset—URGENT

Password protect phone. Uppercase, lowercase, symbols, numbers, length > 10. Disable facial and fingerprint biometric security if present. If phone capable, enable selfie photo during failed login. Trust no-one with it unless cleared of being Anon-a-Miss.

A Friend

I almost signed my name, but as I finished the A, I changed path and wrote Friend. If she's suspected of being an Anon-a-Miss, and she were in contact with an Anon in another world, I feel like she'd get even more heat if anyone went snooping in her magic phone book. Better to give her plausible deniability, right? At best they might see otherworldly advice to protect her phone in the wake of the initial allegation.

"Anon! What are you doing with that!?" came a voice from the library entrance. Just like that, the book was ensconced in a familiar raspberry aura of magic as it levitated away from me. I looked over to the door, as Twilight read over the entry from this Sunset Person and my response. An look of confusion crossed her face as she looked back and forth from the two messages. "I don't understand any of the context of what you just wrote, Anon. Explain."

I shrugged and pushed the stool back to its normal spot in the library. "Your friend, wherever they are that speaks <>, mentioned a rumour <> with a name derived from Anonymous. Back on earth, that name was linked to <>... ugh... information technology 'experts' with a penchant for getting into places they shouldn't, and not always for noble reasons. Sounded like she was being set up, so I told her how to better protect her <> in case she was. Might mean nothing, but if she got that message before she went to sleep, maybe I'll have saved her some grief."

She nodded, her brow furrowing and jaw growing tight, as she closed the book and levitated it back to its spot. "I'd have liked if you asked first," she admonished. Her gaze never left the book, though. "That said, I appreciate the sentiment of what you did for her."

I smiled, returning to the table where my notebook was. "So, since I've got a lot of free time," I said in a playful tone as I sat my ass back on the cushion. "Why not tell me about this strange world that speaks <> but writes in sun-glyphs, and has <>."

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you," she agreed, sitting down opposite of me. "Until recently, I actually hadn't connected the dots, but Sunset is in a world not dissimilar from the one you've described from your past. Certainly not the same, given its Equestrian parallels, but..."

Author's Note

1) Goddamn it; I keep forgetting Spike exists!

2) Yes, I am reusing characters from another story. Yes, I am that [redacted]. No, I will not feel ashamed for it.

3) Though this arc is yet to be concluded, another hook has been set for the next. Those who've read the Equestria Girls Holiday Special may recognise Sunset's message in the phone-journal, and possibly even recognise that it is almost verbatim. The problem I always had with that story arc was that, canonically, Sunset never even mentioned the blog in her message. Even though her redeemed self seemed more likely to share such concerns as "I might be getting set up," the moment it became relevant.

That said, the Anon-a-Miss arc definitely will not play out the same thanks to Anon's interference. That upcoming arc may draw inspiration from other Anon-a-Miss fics, and slightly more 'realism' towards the sort of bullying/harassment that would come from such a blog existing. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

4) Next time on Anon's Bullshit Adventure: Anon gets an emotional support hand-grenade! Anon takes on a second name! 𝓛𝓾𝓼𝓽! And so much more!

Warning: Some or all of these may not happen and/or could just be author teasing. Reader anticipation is not advised.