Age Before Beauty

Chapters

Six
The Elements of Harmony
Calm
Her Name Was Joy Starscout
Age Before Beauty
It's Good for the Old Legs

Six

Anon sighs and decides to take a seat in his hotel room. His backpack is neatly resting on a nearby table, and his cloak has been hung on a handy coat rack near the door. He wears a simple ensemble that was clearly made by hand. The occasional shoddy stitching job and torn seam make it clear that Anon's clothes see heavy use, and he doesn't make new clothes all that often. Still, the outfit he has on works well enough for traversing long distances.

The light in the room is turned off, and Anon rests his head in his hands. He rubs his temple in response to the many thoughts rushing through his head at the same time.

"Why six of them?"

"Why that cutie mark?"

"Is this just a coincidence?"

"It can't be, the timing is just too perfect."

"What difference does it make? Why are you so worried about this?"

"Because last time, Tia-"

Anon violently shakes his head and walks into the nearby bathroom, splashing some cold water on his face after he does so. He looks at himself in the mirror, seeing the exact same face he had all those years ago. He sighs again before hanging his head, closing his eyes, and mumbling to himself in the dark room.

"I'm going to make you proud, Tia. I have someone to watch over again. Heh, how did I pick up your habit of teaching the younger generations?" Anon remains silent for a long moment. "I'll... I'll tell her. I'll tell her everything. Just... not yet. I don't think either of us are ready for that. Besides..." Anon walks back over to the backpack and begins digging into it, eventually retrieving a purple-colored book emblazoned with a horseshoe and six distinct cutie marks. "I think there are more important matters at hand right now."

"Well, here we are! The Crystal Brighthouse!"

Hitch leads Anon up the grassy hill towards a large, colorful building with a totally-not-gaudy rainbow shooting out of it 24/7. The large front door suddenly opens, revealing that Sunny, Zipp, and Misty had been anticipating their arrival.

"Ah, hello everypony."

"Hey, Anon! Did you get settled in okay?"

"I sure did. It's a good thing I had Hitch with me, otherwise the receptionist probably would have kept hiding beneath her desk until I left, haha."

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that! I-I'm sure everypony will warm up to you over time!"

Anon chuckles.

"Don't worry about it, Sunny. I've been through this before."

"You have?"

"Believe it or not, Ponyville wasn't all that accepting of me at first, either."

"What?! I thought that Ponyville was, like, 'where the magic happens!'"

"Hmhm. Well, that doesn't mean they were fearless when the big scary human showed up one day."

"Wow. I guess there are things about Equestrian history that we just... don't hear about."

"...Yeah."

"A-anyway, let's get started! We'll loop around the bay and hit all of the big important places, then end right back here!"

"That sounds nice. By all means, lead the way, Sunny."

With that, the four ponies and their new human friend head back down the hill and into the bay, happily chatting amongst themselves all the while.

"And this is Mane Melody!"

"Ah, the workplace of the famed 'Princess Pipp Petals.' She's your sister, right Zipp?"

"Yup, she's my little sis. Though if I were you, I'd steer clear from-"

The front door to Mane Melody suddenly swinging open cuts Zipp off. Standing in the doorway is the short, smiling form of Pipp Petals.

"Heyyyyyyyy! Hitch texted me just a little bit ago! You must be Anon!"

Pipp flies towards Anon and enthusiastically shakes his hand.

"G-goodness. Yes, that's me."

"Sunny and Zipp have told me ALL about you." Pipp, not letting go of Anon's hand, gently begins to pull him towards the salon. "Come in, come in! I've saved a spot for you and everything!"

"Oh, wow. You really didn't need to do this."

"Please, I insist! It's the least I can do for the guy that saved my friends' lives!"

Pipp happily guides Anon into the building and sits him down in a comfortable chair. There are no other patrons in the salon, leaving Anon as the only creature seated. Sunny and Hitch find a place nearby to take a seat, while Zipp and Misty stick close to Anon. Pipp trots to the other side of the room to fetch a few things from a cabinet as Zipp leans towards Anon to whisper something into his ear.

"Yeah, this is what I was trying to warn you about. Good luck, dude."

Misty, meanwhile, seems a bit more enthusiastic than her pegasus friend.

"Come on Zipp, don't be like that! This is supposed to be fun, and Pipp is really good at it!"

Pipp returns with several beauty products in her hooves.

"Now, no offense Anon, but you look like you haven't had a professional haircut in a long time. Is there a specific style you'd like?"

"Heh, you don't know the half of it, Ms. Petals." Anon chuckles to himself. "You know what? You're the expert here. Go nuts."

"Wait, really?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Anon, I think we're going to get along juuuuust fine."

"Jazz, you're in charge while I'm gone!"

"You've got it, Pipp! We'll take it from here! It's not like we get that many customers on Tuesday afternoons anyway."

Anon, Sunny, Zipp, Misty, Hitch, and now Pipp all leave Mane Melody together. Pipp has a noticeable skip in her step, while her pony compatriots are distracted by Anon's new hairstyle. The hair is cut short on the sides, but it fades into longer hair on the top of Anon's head that is swept to one side. For all intents and purposes, he looks extremely clean, especially compared to how he looked when he first arrived in Maretime Bay a few hours prior.

"I have to say, getting to experiment with a head of hair that isn't obstructed by a pair of big floppy ears was just what I needed for inspiration! I have so many new ideas that I need to tell Rocky about!"

"Haha, I'm glad I could help. Thank you for the haircut, Ms. Petals. Er, what do I owe you?"

"Just 'Pipp' is fine, Anon. And you don't owe me anything!"

"Really? That wasn't exactly a simple haircut."

"Pfft. Don't worry about it! I insist!"

"That's really generous of you, Pipp. Thank... you."

Anon hesitates for a brief moment as if he just realized something. Zipp is the only one who notices, but she says nothing.

"You're very welcome! Now, where are we heading next?"

Pipp smiles and looks at Sunny expectantly.

"We've covered most of the bay already, so I guess we should start heading back to the Brighthouse. We can show Anon the-"

"SUNNY, YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT I FOUND IN THE GARBAGE EARLIER AND- oh hello!"

A tall purple unicorn with a silky blue mane comes rushing up to the group, pulling a wagon full of stuffed trash bags behind her as she does so.

"Oh, there you are, Izzy! Anon, this is Izzy, our friend we've been telling you about. Izzy, this is-"

"The human that saved you and Zipp in the Everfree Forest?! Hi new friend!"

Izzy, with unparalleled speed, rushes over to Anon. Rather than shake his hand, she instead stands on her hind legs and pulls him into a tight hug, catching him by surprise. By the time she finally lets go, Anon is breathing heavily.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ms. Izzy. But please, maybe hug a little less hard next time?"

"Huh? Oh! Hehe, whoops!"

Hitch gently pats Anon on his side.

"Sorry about that. Izzy's... 'energy' tends to catch ponies off guard."

"Heheh, it's alright. She, uh..." Anon hesitates yet again. "She reminds me of an old friend." Anon turns from Hitch back to Izzy. "I appreciate the warm welcome."

Sunny chuckles at the sudden increase in energy before looking back up at Anon.

"Shall we return to the Brighthouse? We can rest for a bit and show you the Unity Crystals if you'd like."

"That sounds nice, Sunny. Thank you."

The group, now consisting of six ponies and a human, stand before the strange crystals suspended in midair. The massive rainbow shooting out of said crystals seems to spread warmth and joy to the area around them, and Anon cannot help but feel somewhat nostalgic while looking at them.

"So this is how you reunited Equestria?"

"Sort of. The crystals brought back our magic, yes, but it was our bonds that made their unification possible. If the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns hadn't finally decided to see past their differences and work together, these crystals wouldn't have meant a thing."

"...Well put. Friendship is magic, after all."

Zipp speaks up before Sunny can.

"You know, you sound a lot like Princess Twilight when you say stuff like that."

"I learned from the best, Zipp. Having someone like her around to teach me that stuff was... monumental in making me the person I am today. Who knows where I'd be without her? Heh, dead, probably."

"Does this have to do with that story you were telling us a few months ago?"

Anon sighs.

"Well, that's neither here nor there. Thank you for showing me around Maretime Bay." Anon looks up at the six ponies, who all smile back at him. "All of you. This is a really nice place, and you're very fortunate to be able to call it your home."

Misty breaks eye contact with Anon when he says those words, but Pipp is the one to respond.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask. If you already know what happened to your daughter, why don't you just move here?"

Sunny leans into Pipp in an attempt to whisper to her, but she's easily loud enough for everyone present to hear every word she says.

"Pipp, Anon is way, way older than us. He knows what he's doing! He lives alone by choice, and I doubt he'd want to move to a place as busy as Maretime Bay."

Anon puts a hand up and sheepishly smiles. In the meantime, the entire group begins making their way back to the lower levels of the Brighthouse.

"Actually, I was just considering doing so."

"W-wait, really?"

"Though I will need some time to iron out the details. For now, there is still much we need to discuss. Er, do you mind if I borrow your stove?"

"Our... stove?"

"I brought some tea with me that I would love to share with you all."

"O-oh, of course! Follow me!"

With that, Sunny makes her way to a nearby staircase and starts heading towards the kitchen as her friends follow suit. As she turns around to do so, Anon mumbles to himself.

"Magic."

Zipp and Pipp follow closely behind Sunny.

"Loyalty. Generosity."

Hitch and Izzy start making their way behind the pegasus sisters.

"Honesty. Laughter."

Finally, Misty stops once she reaches the top of the stairs and turns to look at Anon. Anon shakes his head awkwardly, realizing that he was staring at her. He gives her a nervous smile and begins following her down the steps, but not before sneaking one last look at her butterfly-shaped cutie mark.

"Kindness."

As Anon and Misty make their way into the kitchen, the group begins to engage in friendly conversation. Anon, however, finds himself lost in thought. What he is about to tell these little ponies could have a drastic affect on their peaceful lives here in Maretime Bay. Does he really need to teach them this stuff?

Anon shakes his head. The consequences in the present don't matter, especially when he alone knows what the alternative would mean for Equestria.

No matter what, he won't let past mistakes be repeated.

The Elements of Harmony

"..."

"...I-I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

Anon, Sunny, Zipp, Hitch, Izzy, Misty, and Pipp sit around a table next to the Crystal Brighthouse's kitchen. Steam still rises from the tea in their cups as the six ponies stare at Anon with confusion and disbelief.

"I have reason to believe that the six of you embody the traits indicative of the Elements of Harmony."

"O-okay, but... what does that mean?"

Anon takes a calm sip of tea before responding.

"As some of you know, the Elements of Harmony played a vital role in Equestria's history. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used them to defeat Discord and liberate the country thousands of years ago. After that, Celestia used them to banish Nightmare Moon, and a thousand years later, Princess Twilight and her friends inherited them and used their power to save the day on numerous occasions. On top of that, they've taken form on several other occasions, such as with the Pillars of Equestria or with the six prominent students from the School of Friendship's first year. Now, I believe they have appeared yet again in the form of you six."

The ponies fall silent once more until Zipp eventually finds the courage to speak up.

"But what does that mean?"

"It means that, like it or not, you all must shoulder the responsibility of keeping Equestria safe."

Hitch laughs nervously.

"What, you mean like super heroes or something?"

"...Not too dissimilar, I suppose."

"I-I was joking!"

After a moment of contemplation, Sunny speaks up yet again.

"I'm flattered that you think that about us, but what difference does it make?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we already brought magic back to Equestria. A few times, actually. Apart from that, what else is there to keep Equestria safe FROM?"

Anon turns his attention directly towards Misty, who noticeably recoils and looks away from his gaze.

"I believe you mentioned that Misty helped you save a baby dragon from an 'evil alicorn?'"

Misty doesn't respond, causing Pipp to answer on her behalf.

"Well, yeah. There's this mean alicorn named Opaline that made Misty do all this terrible stuff and kidnap poor Sparky! B-but we've all forgiven Misty for that already!"

Izzy continues where Pipp leaves off.

"She's really mean, but I don't know what we need to defend from her. Except Misty, I guess."

Misty mumbles something under her breath, but no one can hear it. As such, Anon continues.

"Opaline, huh? And you don't think the 'mean alicorn' that you left out there is something to be concerned about?"

Sunny answers again.

"Why should we be concerned? We beat her already. Her plan failed."

"No offense, but it sounded to me like you barely beat her. And on top of that, do you really expect her to just... stop trying?"

"..."

After a silent moment, Anon sighs.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about. Before I came here, I thought you were just a group of particularly talented friends. But now that I know Misty exists, the final puzzle piece has fallen into place. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though."

Zipp responds incredulously.

"So... what now? Let's say you're right and we've 'inherited the Elements of Harmony' or whatever. What do we do about it?"

"You tap into that potential. You hone your skills and figure out exactly how to use the Elements. Then, if someone like, say, Opaline shows their face again, you'll be more than ready to keep Maretime Bay safe."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but it's super peaceful around here. You said that yourself just a little bit ago, but now you're making it sound like Maretime Bay is going to be in danger all of the time. Why?"

Anon looks Zipp dead in the eyes with a dark, serious expression.

"Because I'm speaking from experience."

In that moment, when Anon finally drops his typical, gentle smile, he looks like an entirely different person. His features seem more serious. His scar seems much more pronounced. His demeanor reflects his age. When it all comes together, he looks not unlike a veteran that has seen horrors beyond anything the ponies around him could ever imagine. This change causes the table to fall silent once more, and no one wants to maintain eye contact with Anon. Eventually, it's Misty that finally raises her voice enough to be heard, even if her eyes are looking at the floor.

"What should we do now, then?"

Without a word, Anon reaches into an unseen pocket and retrieves the journal he took out of his backpack, placing it on the table with an audible 'thunk.' This catches the ponies' attention, and Sunny gasps in surprise when she sees it.

"The Journal of Friendship?"

"An original copy, too. If we're going to figure out your potential, why not refer to the lessons learned by your predecessors?"

Zipp responds again.

"Wait wait wait, 'we?'"

"What is a student without a teacher?"

"So you want to teach us... friendship lessons?"

"Not necessarily. You'll have to figure out that part yourself. However, I CAN help bring out the traits you're meant to embody. Plus..." Anon looks directly at Sunny. "I think your 'Element of Magic' needs help controlling her alicorn powers."

Sunny gasps excitedly.

"Really?! You can help me learn how to use my alicorn magic?!"

"I do have plenty of experience wrangling alicorns."

"Oh my goodness, this is so EXCITING! Thank you so much, Anon!"

Anon lightly chuckles, not completely unaware of the mixed feelings around the table. Zipp is suspicious of Anon's words, Hitch appears excited (though not nearly as excited as Sunny), Izzy is as hard to read as ever, Pipp seems a bit nervous, and Misty may as well be cowering in her seat.

"But there's no need for us to do this all at once. I know I just dropped a bombshell on you all, but getting antsy or anxious won't help anyone. Take some time to think about it, okay? I'm not going to force you to do anything you're not comfortable with." With that, Anon rises from his seat and begins to make his way towards the door. "Thank you all for the tour, and for your hospitality. I'll be seeing you in the coming days, okay?"

Sunny interrupts Anon before he can make it outside.

"O-oh, Anon! You forgot your copy of the journal!"

"Eh, keep it. You're going to need it more than I will, I imagine."

Then, with a wave, Anon departs, closing the door behind him as he does so. Now alone, the six ponies stare into their empty teacups, unsure of what to say first. Eventually, it is Sunny who speaks up.

"S-so, uh... it was cool to see Anon again!"

"He seemed nice," Izzy adds enthusiastically.

Zipp groans.

"C'mon. Let's not beat around the bush. Apparently Anon wants to train us so that we'll be able to stop Opaline?"

"Seriously, what's up with that? I'm a pop star, not a... actually you know what, that doesn't sound like bad publicity." Pipp places a hoof to her chin as her mind begins to wander.

"...Is that why he's been staring at me so much?" Misty finally manages to speak loud enough to be heard. "He called me 'the final puzzle piece.' What does that mean?"

The group sits in quiet contemplation for a few seconds before Hitch reaches for the Journal of Friendship that Anon left behind.

"It sounds to me like we might find the answers we're looking for in here."

Sunny leans towards Hitch to look into the journal as he opens it.

"I've read my own copy of this journal dozens of times over. Though I guess there could be some differences between my copy and his."

"Let's do a group study sesh, then. Maybe it'll help us wrap our heads around whatever the heck he was talking about."

The six ponies nod and, after cleaning up after themselves, make for the nearby living space to get comfortable, ready to learn from the lessons that Princess Twilight and her friends left behind many, many years ago.

While distracted by their conversation, the ponies within the Crystal Brighthouse failed to notice Anon tap his walking stick to the ground and summon two large vines that quickly grew out of the ground below him and lifted him into the air. They grow taller and taller until he is able to simply step off of said vines and onto the top level of the Brighthouse, right next to the Unity Crystals. The vines rapidly deteriorate until they have disappeared entirely within the span of a few seconds.

Anon takes a few quiet steps towards the Unity Crystals, bathing in the strange sense of comfort that they give off. However, his expression seems anything but relaxed. He looks into the crystals, seeing his own scarred reflection staring back at him.

"What are you planning, Opaline?"

Anon closes his eyes before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"...I'm not going to let you hurt these ponies. Not again."

Opening his eyes once more, Anon reaches into his shirt pocket and retrieves an old, worn-out photograph of himself, noticeably lacking any scars, with his right arm wrapped around the familiar visage of Princess Celestia. A young alicorn filly stands between them, smiling at the camera.

After a moment, Anon gently tucks the picture back into his pocket before turning away from the crystals and silently returning to Maretime Bay.

Calm

Anon finds himself sprinting between numerous large trees, his eyes frantically looking to what little sky is visible through the canopy above. He stumbles as he fails to notice a large shrub obstructing his path, but he quickly recovers and continues moving. He is quickly running out of breath, and his facial expression makes it clear that something has him very worried.

He spots a shadow between branches above him. The figure casting the shadow makes a sudden turn, and Anon does the same. In this new direction, he continues to run as fast as he can to keep up.

"Slow... slow down!"

His shout is obstructed by his own heavy breathing, and he receives no response. After a few more moments, he squeezes between a couple of trees to find himself bathed in sunlight. He has emerged in a clearing, and his visibility is suddenly much better. Immediately he casts his eyes to the sky, finding exactly what he's looking for.

For a moment, he simply stares in disbelief. However, after a couple of seconds, he slowly begins to chuckle.

Above him, a young alicorn filly flies through the air. Her coat is white, and her mane is pink. Her flank lacks a cutie mark of any kind. She laughs as she does numerous twirls and flips, seemingly loving being in the air. Anon looks on, a big, goofy grin visible on his face. After a little while, the filly finally notices him.

"Look at me, Papa! I'm doing it! I'm flying!"

"You sure are, Joy! Look at you go!"

"Hehe! Hey, watch this!"

Suddenly, the filly flies up even higher. She continues ascending, enough for Anon's eyes to begin widening.

"Uhh, Joy? That's high enough."

"But I need to- WOAH!"

A sudden gust of wind blows the filly off course. She loses her sense of equilibrium and begins tumbling through the sky, falling downwards extremely quickly. Without any sort of hesitation, Anon begins sprinting forward, doing his best to aim for where he believes the filly is about to land. Unfortunately, he miscalculates, and rather than catch her as he intended, the filly ends up slamming into his chest and knocking him clean onto his back. The last thing he sees before losing consciousness is the filly on his chest looking at him with worry.

Anon opens his eyes to see the familiar visage of Sunny on top of his chest, a look of worry on her face. His eyes shoot open the rest of the way as he realizes that he's lying on his back on the grassy hill outside of the Crystal Brighthouse. His chest hurts, and as he starts to come to, he realizes that Sunny's magical wings and horn are visible.

"Are you okay, Anon?! I'm so, so sorry! I shouldn't have tried to go that high up!"

Anon groans as Sunny climbs off of him, allowing him to finally sit up. He rubs at his chest as he slowly brings himself to his feet.

"That wasn't even due to your magic, Sunny. You just failed to account for the wind."

Sunny sheepishly looks at Anon as her ears droop to the sides of her head.

"I-I'm sorry. I never even imagined flying like that until recently. I just wasn't thinking."

With one last deep inhale to finish recovering from the sudden impact on his chest, Anon finally regains his composure.

"It's all right. Now you know. Every mistake is just another chance to learn."

Sunny breathes a sigh of relief.

"I appreciate your patience with me, Anon."

It was about a week ago that Anon arrived in Maretime Bay. It took a couple of days for Sunny and her friends to get back into contact with Anon. When they did, they had a proposal. They suggested that Anon teach Sunny how to use her alicorn magic like he said he could while the rest watch from afar. If something 'friendship related' came up, Anon would give them his input.

For his part, Anon appreciated the suggestion. Both because it allowed him to spend some time with Sunny, and because he didn't want to admit that he didn't actually have a plan for teaching them how to utilize the Elements of Harmony.

After all, he has never done so before, either.

"Well, if you're alright, let's get you back into the sky again."

"Okay!"

Sunny spreads her wings and takes a standing leap. She flaps those wings a bit harder than she probably needs to, but she still manages to get airborne regardless. She slowly ascends higher and higher, doing her best to keep her breathing steady and her mind clear. This isn't the first time she's flown. Far from it, in fact. And yet, she never put much thought into it. Whenever she felt like she needed to fly, she just... flew. Hopefully, Anon's training will allow her to do it on command.

"Remember, your magic is tied to your mental state. Keep calm. Try to stay focused on the task at hoof and the reason why you want to be able to use alicorn magic in the first place."

Sunny takes a deep breath.

"Right."

Sunny begins gently flying around the vicinity, doing her best to follow Anon's advice. As she does so, Anon begins making strange motions with his hand. After a moment, a bright light begins to appear from said hand and float in midair. Anon makes a pushing motion, forcing the light into the sky not too far from Sunny. With a twirl of his finger, the light forms a ring shape. He repeats this several times until there are about ten or so rings floating in the air.

"Try navigating these rings, Sunny. You'll pass right through them, but if you clip a wing on the light, they'll change color, so try to be precise with your movements."

"Alright, sure!"

Sunny slowly lines herself up with the nearest ring. She takes a deep breath and shoots towards it, feeling her mane billow in the wind as she does. Once she reaches it, she closes her eyes and folds her wings in for just a moment. When she opens her eyes again, she's passed through the ring without issue. She unfolds her wings to glide as she starts to laugh, only to notice the magical form of those wings begin to fade. Redoubling her efforts, she calms herself, and her wings start to regain their form. For now, she's still flying.

Sunny focuses on the next ring and finds a similar amount of success. However, when she turns around after passing through the third ring, she notices that the light has turned a dull red color.

"It's alright, you just tucked your wing in a moment too late. Keep going, Sunny."

Sunny nods and continues flying. In the meantime, Anon waves his hand once more, and the red ring returns to its original color. Over the next half-hour or so, he shifts the rings around in the air and lets Sunny figure out the patterns required to fly through them. He nods to himself. He's impressed at how quickly she is improving. However, this was not the real test.

Through the sound of the wind flowing past her face, Sunny hears Anon begin to shout.

"Good lord, Izzy! What happened to you?!"

Sunny, suddenly aware of the fact that her friend may be in danger, feels her eyes go wide. She gasps as she turns in Anon's direction to see what happened, only to feel her wings and horn fade. Before she knows it, she's plummeting to the ground. She attempts to summon her wings again, but only grunts as she fails to do so.

Luckily for her, Anon anticipated this, and unlike last time, he was prepared to catch her. Just before Sunny reaches the ground, her fall is cushioned by the sudden appearance of a very large bed of flowers.

"H-huh?"

Sunny looks around confused as the flowers wilt just as quickly as they grew, placing her safely on the ground once more. Not bothering to think too much about it, she sprints towards Anon, only to find that he is alone. Izzy is nowhere to be found.

"W-what happened? Where's Izzy?"

"Pretty sure she's still helping Posey with the unicycling project she commissioned."

"Wait, then why did you yell like she was hurt?"

"To catch you off guard." Anon glances up at the rings, causing Sunny to follow his gaze. Right when Anon grabbed her attention she started hitting the rings in front of her, and there are three red rings in a row. Sunny acts confused before turning back to look at Anon. "I had to say something that I knew would get your attention."

"I-I guess I get the idea, but... could you please refrain from doing that again, maybe? You just about gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry Sunny, but no. As we already discussed, your magic is reliant upon your ability to keep a level head. I have to push back against that. Don't forget, you're going to be trying to do this in high-stress situations where your friends very well could be in danger. You have to remain calm."

Sunny sighs.

"Okay, I guess."

"Good. Now let's get you back up there."

Sunny takes to the sky once more and resumes her flight. Anon continues to shift the rings as she does so. While Sunny does occasionally bump into a ring, it's clear to both of them that she is continuing to steadily improve. Every now and then, Anon will shout something to try to catch Sunny off guard again.

"Pipp can't find her phone!"

"Little Sparky fell into the well!"

"What happened to Hitch's badge?!"

As he keeps doing this, Sunny gets better and better at ignoring him. Once she finally starts acting completely unaffected, Anon begins to shuffle over to a nearby bush.

"Zipp is hurt!"

Paying no attention to Anon's yelling, Sunny finally makes it through one last ring before she realizes that they've all disappeared. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she turns to look at Anon with pride, only to find him kneeling over a figure. She looks a bit closer, realizing that there is a pony she recognizes collapsed on the ground next to him. With a gasp, she feels her wings give out yet again, but to her surprise, Anon catches her with a bed of flowers once more, despite never turning around to look at her. She runs as fast as she can over to the pair, shuffling up next to Anon to see what happened.

On the ground, Zipp lies on her side, a look of boredom on her face. At first glance she appears injured, but closer inspection reveals that she's just a bit dirty.

"Zipp? What happened to you?"

Zipp brings herself to her hooves with little effort.

"Nothing. Anon just asked me to help with your training."

"Wait, huh?" Sunny turns to look at Anon, who looks back at her with a nonplussed expression. "H-how does this help my training?! I thought there was something seriously wrong!"

Anon responds nonchalantly.

"Good. You were supposed to."

"But you KNEW I wouldn't be looking! You told me to ignore what you were doing!"

"No, I told you to remain calm. Those are two very different things."

"I... I don't get it."

"Like I said, your friends could very well be in danger when the moment comes. If they are, do you really think the best course of action is to ignore them?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Hearing that Zipp is hurt should worry you. It should get your attention, and you should make helping her your top priority. But if hearing that makes your wings give out like they just did, you'll be in no position to do that."

"How do I 'be worried' and 'remain calm' at the same time?"

"Those two things aren't mutually exclusive, Sunny. Worry is an emotion. Remaining calm is a state of being. It'll help you a lot when the going gets tough." Anon turns to look at Zipp. "And the same goes for the rest of you, too. Sunny may be an alicorn, but it's the friends at her side that allow her to use this magic at all."

Zipp glances at Sunny before looking back at Anon.

"Er, really? I thought Sunny was the big deal here."

"Alicorn magic is strong, yes. But it will never, EVER top the magic of friendship. THAT'S your real strength. Stick together, and there's nothing that will be able to stop you." Sunny and Zipp glance at each other and smile. Anon can't help but smile along with them, and he turns his attention towards Zipp specifically. "That's what loyalty is."

Sunny chuckles.

"You know Anon, you really do sound like Princess Twilight."

Anon smirks.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"So, what next? Do you have more rings for me?"

"Nope, you're done for the day."

"Wait, really? That's it?"

"Just think about what we've done today. Maybe practice on your own if you're feeling up to it, but keep in mind that I won't always be there to catch you."

Sunny bows her head slightly.

"Thank you for teaching me. And for catching me when I fall, haha!"

For a brief moment, the mare in front of Anon looks different. Shorter. Younger, and with a white coat. Her actions mirror Sunny's perfectly. The environment around him isn't Maretime Bay, but instead a clearing in the Everfree Forest. He shuts his eyes tight for just a moment before opening them again, allowing him to see Sunny raising her head back up.

"Um, would you like to stay for dinner? Izzy's cooking tonight!"

Anon sticks a hand up and smiles sheepishly.

"Thank you, Sunny, but I think I'm going to head back to the hotel. This old man needs to lie down for a while."

"O-oh. Okay, then. Have a nice evening, Anon! Thanks again!"

"You're welcome, Sunny. I'll see you again tomorrow."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

With that, Anon descends the hill and heads towards the rest of Maretime Bay. Meanwhile, Sunny and Zipp begin making their way back to the Brighthouse, happily chatting along the way.

"Wait, were you hiding in that bush all afternoon?"

"Pretty much."

"I can't believe Anon made you do that."

"It's not like it's hard to sit in a bush, Sunny. He said it had something to do with the 'Element of Loyalty.' Guess I remind him of Rainbow Dash."

"...Huh. I never thought about that. I wonder which element I am?"

"Magic."

"Hm?"

"Sunny. You're the easiest one to figure out. You're the Element Magic. Like Princess Twilight."

"Y-You really think so?!"

"Did you seriously not realize that already?"

The two share a laugh as they enter the Brighthouse, exchanging lighthearted theories on which elements each of their friends might represent all the while.

Anon sits alone in his dark hotel room. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh before smiling to himself.

"You did good, Joy. I hope you're proud of her."

Anon keeps his eyes closed as he takes a sip from a cup of tea sitting not far from him, letting out a satisfied hum as he finishes off the drink.

"Hmhm. I sure am, at least."

Her Name Was Joy Starscout

"Hey, Anon?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember much about my mom?"

"..."

Sunny, Misty, Zipp, and Anon sit in a few comfortable chairs in the Crystal Brighthouse. It has been almost a month since Anon arrived in Maretime Bay. In that time, their "training" has gone very well. While Sunny still doesn't have complete control over her alicorn magic, she has made great strides in using it effectively. She can fly with much more grace, control when she casts her spells a bit easier, and... well, to be honest, Anon couldn't help much with her earth pony magic, but she feels more confident in it regardless.

Meanwhile, Anon's other lessons haven't been lost on Sunny's friends. Zipp has been taught the value of loyalty, and she has been making a conscious effort to replicate Rainbow Dash's actions in the Journal of Friendship. Izzy and Pipp didn't really need much teaching, as Izzy already understood the value of laughter and Pipp was already plenty generous in her day-to-day life. Anon did try to teach them how to know when to utilize those talents, but he's pretty sure the message fell on deaf ears. Oh well. It's hard to be too generous, and Izzy seems to know when to reel herself in when the situation calls for it. Meanwhile, Anon's discussions with Hitch were a bit more philosophical, with frequent lighthearted debates about the definition of "honesty" and the morality of certain scenarios. In the end, they BOTH felt like they got something out of those lessons.

However, in spite of all of this, Anon has not taught Misty any lessons whatsoever. This is not for lack of trying, however, as whenever Anon expressed his desire to speak to Misty, she would hide from him. It's only at times like now, when she is a part of a larger group, that she is willing to be in Anon's vicinity for an extended period of time.

Sunny looks at Anon with wide, hopeful eyes. He looks back at her, a pained, hesitant expression on his face.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well... all I've ever heard about my mom came from my dad. A few of the older ponies in town knew her, but they don't really have much to tell me. I was just wondering how well you knew her."

"Ah. You, er... you said she spoke of me before?"

"Yes! She was the one that told my dad about 'the hermit living in the Everfree Forest.' She said that she met you before she moved to Maretime Bay, but... she didn't tell him much more than that."

"Hmm." Anon leans back in his seat and folds his arms across his chest. Zipp studies him carefully, her investigative side immediately finding his sudden change in demeanor suspicious. After a few seconds of silence, he speaks up again. "Yes, I knew her." He lets out a long, gentle sigh. "I knew her very well, in fact."

"What was she like?"

Anon chuckles.

"What was she like, indeed? Well, for starters, you'll never meet a more curious mare."

"Curious?"

"Oh, she was an explorer, all right. She wanted to learn all that she could about the world around her. She was just... filled with questions. There was never a quiet moment with her around, that's for sure."

"Wow. She, uh, never really told my dad much about her life before she moved to Maretime Bay. Apparently she was a seamstress after she came here."

"A seamstress?" Zipp notices Anon take a quick glance at his old, torn-up outfit. "Yeah, I can see it. She was really good at making clothes."

"I know I was the one who asked, but... I just assumed you met her in passing once or twice. You, uh, you seem really familiar with her."

"Heh." Anon hesitates before answering once again. "Well, the Everfree Forest is a dangerous place, but she had... reasons to stay there. So, for a time, she lived with me."

Sunny, Zipp, and Misty all look shocked. Zipp speaks up before Sunny can.

"She lived with you? In that tiny little cabin?"

"Well, it was decorated quite differently back then. There was more than enough space to give her her own bed and the sort."

Sunny speaks yet again, her voice excited and her eyes bright with curiosity. Anon has seen those eyes before, but he does his best to ignore it.

"How long did she stay with you?"

"...A few years."

"YEARS?!"

"Yup. She was... she was in danger. I kept her safe."

"In danger from what?"

"..."

"...In danger from what?" Sunny's voice is a bit quieter this time, now sounding extremely concerned.

"I'd... rather not talk about it."

"Oh. ...Okay."

Zipp slams a hoof down onto the nearby coffee table, her expression serious and determined.

"No. That's not going to cut it."

"H-huh?"

"Look, Anon. I can respect everything you've been doing for us. I'm thankful for it, in fact. But I've been keeping an eye on you, and I know that you've been keeping some secrets. Some BIG secrets."

"W-well, I-"

"Why is it that you're so interested in Misty? Why are you so obsessed with having us use the Elements of Harmony to defeat Opaline?"

Sunny tries to interrupt, but her voice is quiet and shaky.

"Zipp, you don't have to-"

"And what are you so desperate to hide from Sunny?!"

The room falls completely silent. At this point, Zipp is leaning completely on the coffee table. Anon stares back at her. She expected him to be surprised, worried, or maybe confused. Instead, he just looks... sad.

"...You're right."

"Hm?"

"I do have some skeletons in my closet. ...Forgive me."

Sunny glances at her friends. Zipp hasn't let down her guard, but Misty has clammed up completely. Misty watches Anon carefully, but is purposefully sitting as still as possible. Sunny speaks up again, her voice still very quiet.

"I... I don't want to force you to talk. If you aren't comfortable telling us something, you don't have to."

Zipp looks at Sunny, her expression still serious.

"Sunny, this isn't something we can just brush off. He's hiding something from you! About your MOM! You might not like talking about it, but I KNOW you want to learn more about her!"

"I-I can do that myself!"

"How?! Who's going to tell you about her apart from Anon, who just admitted that he's hiding stuff from you?!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sunny closes her eyes and yells at the top of her lungs, catching everyone else off guard. She's silent for a moment as she catches her breath. Tears begin streaming down her cheeks, and she does her best to stifle a sniffle. "Of course I want to know about my mom! Out of everyone, don't I deserve to know the truth about her?! But... but I..."

Sunny breaks down completely, tucking her head into her knees and looking away from the group. Anon, Zipp, and Misty all fall silent. The only sound that fills the room is Sunny's sobs. Zipp briefly glances at Anon, then back at Sunny. She opens her mouth to speak, but no words leave her mouth.

"...Her name was Joy." As Anon finally speaks, Sunny does not look up, but her sobs gradually grow quieter. "Joy Starscout."

"...I knew that already."

"Her name is special, you know." Sunny finally looks up at Anon, her eyes puffy and pink. Tears still fall from her cheeks as Anon continues. "The name 'Joy' comes from the elation her parents felt when she was born. As far as they knew, she was a biological miracle. She shouldn't have existed, and yet... there she was."

"What... what are you talking about?"

"As for the name 'Starscout?' Well, she had big horseshoes to fill. Her mother was responsible for raising the sun. Her aunt could control the moon. Those are... lofty expectations, to say the least. Her parents wanted to give her a name to remind her that she didn't need to follow in their hoofsteps. Sure, her mom could move the sun. But why stop at the sun when you can set your sights to the stars beyond? To carve out your own path, and see the world not for what it is, but for what it could be? To pave the way to a world none of us could possibly dream of? Thus... Starscout."

Sunny's sobs finally stop, though her eyes still show signs of her breakdown. She stares at Anon in silence, doing her best to process what she just heard.

"...Her mom could move the sun?"

Anon nods.

"But... that would mean that mom's mom... my grandmother... was Princess Celestia."

Tears begin to fill Anon's eyes as he looks back at Sunny, doing his best to give her a shaky smile.

"And that would mean that you're..."

Anon brings a hand to his face and tries to wipe away his tears with the back of his hand before finally responding.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

Perhaps due to her conflicting emotions or perhaps due to something else entirely, Sunny's wings and horn suddenly appear out of thin air. However, she doesn't react. Instead, she simply stares at Anon for a few long, quiet moments before suddenly throwing herself towards him. She buries her face into his chest and begins to sob again. Anon wraps his arms around her and pulls her in for a tight hug as he starts to sob right along with her.

No words are spoken. What is there to be said?

After about a minute, they finally break away from each other. However, rather than returning to her seat, Sunny sits down next to Anon. Misty sheepishly hands both of them tissues, and they clean off their faces before Sunny finally starts to speak again.

"So you're my grandpa?"

"I am."

"And you knew this whole time?"

"I... I didn't know how you'd react. I'm sorry."

"N-no, don't be. I'm just... happy I found out at all." Her eyes get a bit misty once again, but she refrains from crying as she turns to look at Zipp and Misty. "I have a family again!"

A few tears are starting to flow from Misty's eyes now as well. Even Zipp wasn't able to hold herself together completely, but she is doing her best to act calm and collected regardless. In fact, she speaks up, and she even does an okay job at hiding a voice crack when she does so.

"So are you going to answer our questions now?"

Anon lightly chuckles.

"I'll try."

Age Before Beauty

Sunny's eyes are glued to her grandfather as Zipp continues their conversation. Her voice isn't as demanding as before, and although she is still putting pressure on Anon to respond to her questions, she seems a bit more relaxed. Similarly, Misty seems much less afraid after the general mood improved so much.

"Well, I guess we should pick up where we left off. Now we know that Sunny's mom and your daughter are the same pony. That explains why you know so much about her and why she lived with you in the Everfree Forest, but it opens up even more questions."

"And I promise to answer those questions to the best of my ability."

"Okay, then let's start with this: You said she was in danger. Why?"

"We both were. As I told you and Sunny before, I escaped into the Everfree Forest with Joy when she was still an infant, while Tia stayed behind to help Twilight fight. And also as I said before... they lost."

"That's something that has been on my mind. The history books, Discord, and even you get really cagey when Princess Twilight's defeat is brought up. We know that the events of that day led directly to the three ponykinds choosing to live separately from each other and the complete dissolution of the Equestrian throne, but... we don't know the why, how, or even the who. Who took down Princess Twilight? Why did they want to? If they won, then why don't we already know this stuff?"

"One question at a time, Zipp." Anon sighs as he prepares to tell the story as he knows it. "In truth, it was all orchestrated by one pony. She was perhaps the most dangerous and cunning manipulator Equestria has ever seen. She played the long con, slowly sowing the seeds of her uprising. A whisper here, a nudge there. She did all that she could to create disharmony between the ponykinds. She wanted to prove how fragile the friendship that Equestria was built upon really was. We all laughed at her."

"You didn't take her seriously?"

"Why would we? You saw it for yourself in the Journal of Friendship. How many villains said that exact same thing over the years? She was just another name in a rogue's gallery of bad guys to defeat. ...At least, that was what we thought."

"Stronger than you imagined?"

Anon shakes his head.

"Strictly speaking? No, not really. The problem was us."

"What do you mean?"

"Her plan worked. Ponies started hating each other. Fights broke out in the streets. Next thing we knew, even we couldn't escape the wrath of the populous. They turned on us. They turned on Twilight. It became hard to go anywhere, do anything. Things were getting crazy. They were getting dangerous. And none of us even noticed until it was too late."

"What happened?"

"She waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. One accident injured Fluttershy. Another left Rarity stranded in Manehattan. She realized that she didn't need to destroy the elements, she just had to separate them." Anon laughs an empty, somber laugh. "Hard to rely on the magic of friendship when your friends are nowhere to be found. She picked us off one by one."

Sunny mumbles next to Anon.

"Goodness..."

"Then she marched on Canterlot Castle. That was the fateful day that I lost everything. I lost my home. I lost my friends. ...I lost my wife. Joy was all I had."

"So you exiled yourself to the Everfree Forest. Then what?"

"...Silence. I didn't hear anything from anyone. I suppose that's the point of going into hiding though, huh? Anyway, I waited about a week before I dared to venture back to Ponyville. It... it had been destroyed. Abandoned."

"So you went back into the forest?"

"Actually, I got even more daring and headed for Canterlot. The whole place was in ruins. I can't even begin to imagine the battle that took place there. I... I was in shock. Reality didn't really set in until I tried to go back to the forest. Little Joy and I passed a caravan of earth ponies heading east. I asked them where they were going, and they said they were 'going to live with the earth ponies.' Then I asked if they knew what happened to Princess Twilight and Celestia. That was when I found out that they had been wiped out."

"Wait, even you don't know how the battle went?"

"No, I don't. Tia's body was never found, but strangely, neither was the mare that defeated her. I... I couldn't just assume that everything was fine. Heck, Equestria was in shambles, of course everything wasn't fine. I had nowhere to run. No one to turn to. If that villain was still out there, she would almost certainly go after Joy and I at some point. What else could I do but go back into hiding?"

"You keep mentioning this 'villain,' and the things 'she' did. But who exactly IS she?"

Anon's expression goes dark. Slowly, he turns to face Misty, whose eyes dart around the room nervously.

"The fire alicorn forgotten by history. Opaline Arcana."

"WHAT?!" Misty's shout catches everyone off guard. "I... I didn't know that she...!" Misty begins to shiver in place. Zipp moves towards her and wraps a wing around her in an effort to calm her down. Anon decides to say nothing more until she's able to catch her breath and regain her composure. When she does so, she looks back up at Anon, a pleading look in her eyes. "Is that why you're so interested in me?"

"Sort of. I have two reasons to make note of you."

"Two?"

"Firstly, your connection with Opaline. The fact that she kept you around to do her bidding implies to me that she has a reason to not make her presence known. I believe you said that she's hunting for dragon fire, yes?"

"R-right. She said it'll restore her fire alicorn magic."

"Meaning she doesn't have it." Anon lets out a tired, relieved-sounding sigh. "That means Tia's fight wasn't in vain. If nothing else, it bought us enough time for the six of you to meet each other."

"W-what's the other reason?"

"That'd be your cutie mark." Anon motions towards Misty's butterfly-shaped cutie mark, and she anxiously looks down at it. "Tell me, do you have any particular connection with butterflies? Or animals in general?"

"N-no, that's really more of Hitch's thing."

"That makes your cutie mark a bit curious then, doesn't it?"

"Oh no! Do you think something is wrong with me?"

Anon lets out a warm chuckle.

"Not at all, Misty. It just means that your cutie mark symbolizes something else. And I don't think it's a coincidence that it's so similar to Fluttershy's."

"I remember reading about her in the journal. She was the Element of Kindness, right?"

"Correct. And I believe the same is true for you. Hence my interest."

"How does that make me any more special than everypony else? Zipp is the Element of Loyalty and you weren't staring at her!"

"It's because of the unique position you find yourself in. Your kindness is much more subdued than that of Fluttershy. You've... been through a lot, haven't you?"

"..."

"It's okay, I won't pry. I just have one question for you."

"What's that?"

"You don't really want to hurt Opaline, do you?"

"..."

"...No, I don't." Misty's voice is shaky, and could barely be considered a whisper.

Anon smiles.

"Good."

"Huh?" Sunny, Zipp, and Misty all look shocked at Anon's response.

"Why are you all so surprised?"

Sunny speaks up, her voice filled with worry.

"I-I'm sorry, but... didn't Opaline kill Celest- grandma?"

"Hmhm, it's strange to hear that word come from your mouth. But yes, I have reason to believe she did. What about it?"

"I... I just expected you to be more... I don't know, angry, I guess?"

"Sunny. I've had a long, long time to temper my anger." Anon closes his eyes and lowers his head ever-so-slightly. "But there is still a voice inside telling me how much it wants to see Opaline suffer."

Misty responds.

"B-but... just because she's a bad pony doesn't mean we should hurt her!"

"You're completely correct, Misty."

"I'm confused."

Anon opens his eyes again and smiles.

"Opaline has cared for you for a long time, Misty. She was certainly a terrible mentor, but she was your mentor all the same. It makes sense that you, the Element of Kindness, would want to avoid harming her. And I don't think you should harm her, either. None of you should. It would be a bit counterintuitive for Equestria's newest champions of friendship to do so, don't you think?"

Zipp responds inquisitively.

"Then what should we do?"

"Use the Elements of Harmony. Just like I've been teaching you."

"...Ah!" Misty suddenly exclaims, her eyes wide and her voice filled with more hope than Anon has ever heard from her. "The Journal of Friendship talked about that! The Elements of Harmony pretty much always defeat the villain in one fell swoop! They'll turn good, turn to stone... whatever it takes to save the day! And you just said Princess Twilight and her friends couldn't use them against Opaline because they were all split up!"

"Bingo. There isn't a doubt in my mind that she's plotting to take you all down... except Misty, maybe. However, what she doesn't expect is for you to know about, let alone use, the Elements of Harmony against her. Don't forget, she went to GREAT lengths to prevent them from being used against her last time. I'm positive it'll work."

"How are you so sure she doesn't know that WE know about them?"

"Beyond what's written in the Journal of Friendship, how much DID you know about them before I got here?"

"...Not much, admittedly."

"Exactly. She doesn't think you know because she still doesn't know about me, let alone the prospect of me teaching you all."

Misty speaks up once more, the fear now completely gone from her voice.

"I'm sorry, Anon. I was just... so scared of you. I didn't know what you would think of me. A-and when you started talking about us defeating Opaline, I was afraid of what you were going to tell me to do."

"I apologize for scaring you so much, Misty. However... now that I've spoken to you, I'm not so sure that there's much I can actually teach you either way."

"What do you mean?"

"Kindness comes to you naturally, Misty. I can't teach you that."

"But can't you help me learn more about it?" Misty leans forward in her seat towards Anon, her eyes big and pleading. "Please?"

"Hmhm. Sure, Misty. I'll try." Anon gently claps his hands together. "So. Does that answer all of your questions?"

Sunny, now appearing somewhat tired, perks up.

"I have one more."

"What's on your mind?"

"Well, if mom was an alicorn, how come nopony noticed? Does that mean I'm half-alicorn?"

"For the second question, yes, you are. Well, maybe quarter-alicorn? I mean, Joy was technically half-alicorn, half-human."

"Woah." Sunny looks at Zipp and Misty with bewilderment and wonder. "I'm quarter-human!"

The four share a laugh before Anon continues.

"As for your other question, it's because I'm her old man. She got some of my magic which, as I've explained, isn't Equestrian in nature. I don't know how, but that magic gave her the ability to shapeshift."

Zipp interrupts.

"Oh! You talked about this back at the cabin! She used that ability to look like a pegasus in Zephyr Heights and a unicorn in Bridlewood."

"Right. Eventually, she transformed into an earth pony and made her way here. Next thing I knew, she had sent me a letter about this stallion she met named Argyle Starshine."

"Hah! I never would have guessed that when you told this story a few months ago you were talking about my parents!"

"Haha! Anyway, the rest is history, as they say. I was left alone in the Everfree Forest for years until a couple of mares from Maretime Bay came loudly crashing onto my doorstep, and here we are."

The four fall silent for a few moments. However, it isn't an awkward or pained silence. Instead, it's a comfortable silence. It's a feeling of everything finally being out in the open. The feeling of peace.

Eventually, Zipp breaks that silence.

"So now we just have to be ready for whatever Opaline does next?"

"That's the plan."

Misty chimes in.

"How long will that take, I wonder?"

"Who knows? It could be some time, it could be tomorrow. Hard to tell."

Sunny speaks up again as well.

"And you're going to be here to help us, right?"

"I'll be here to train you, sure. That said, my fighting days are mostly behind me. Timberwolves? Sure, I can deal with a few wild animals. My wife's murderer? That's... a tall order. Hmhm, but maybe I can get a quick potshot in on her before you all beat her, eh?"

"Please don't." Misty's voice is half-serious, half-joking.

The group laughs once again before Anon finally rises from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to head back to my cabin in the Everfree Forest."

"Wait, why?! I thought you were going to stay here!"

"I am. I've got an apartment lined up and everything. I just have to go back and get some of my stuff, haha!"

"Oh, okay. W-wait, you're going to walk halfway across Equestria to move your belongings?!"

"It's just a few small things, Sunny. I'll be okay." He kneels down to meet her at eye level. "And I WILL be back. That's a promise from your grandpa."

Without a word, Sunny hugs Anon. He gratefully returns the gesture with a smile. After a few seconds, the two part, and Anon rises back up again.

"Well, thank you for the company. I'll be back in, say, a week or so."

"Alright. Thank you for everything, grandpa!"

"See ya, Anon."

"Goodbye, Anon!"

With one final wave and with his walking stick in hand, Anon leaves the Crystal Brighthouse. The three mares left inside smile, but Sunny's is clearly the biggest. The pure, unbridled happiness and excitement exuding off of her is enough to be contagious, and her two friends can't help but try to match her energy.

"I have a grandpa!"

Sunny throws one arm around each friend, pulling both of them into an excited hug. They silently return it, more willing than ever to face the days to come.

Several days later, Anon finds himself stepping over a large root. With a sigh, he looks through a small gap in the trees. There, in the middle of the Everfree Forest, his old cabin sits peacefully still. The sun has just recently set, but the outline of the cabin in the dark, moonlit forest is still visible to his trained eyes. As he steps forward, however, he notices something odd. There is candlelight peeking through the windows of the cabin, and smoke is clearly billowing from the chimney.

Furrowing his brow, Anon slowly creeps closer to the cabin until he reaches the front porch. As carefully as he can, he peers through the window. The cabin isn't large, and he sees no one inside. However, the wax on those candles indicate that they were lit not too long ago.

After taking a deep breath, he approaches the front door and slowly opens it with a long, drawn-out creaking sound. Once the door is open, he knocks on it.

"Hello?! Who's in here?!"

Anon enters the cabin. When he does so, he is greeted by the distinct smell of freshly brewed tea. A smell not at all unfamiliar to him, but strange in the given context. Recognizing his own tendency to get flashbacks from times long past, he closes his eyes as tight as he can. However, when he opens them, the scene remains unchanged. He sniffs at the air. Tea with... lemon. And exactly four sugars.

His eyes go wide. He stands perfectly still, unable to process the information around him.

He hasn't made tea like that in decades. Not since-

The door suddenly closes behind him. With it, he hears the sound of a mare quietly chuckling.

"It's chilly out tonight. You really shouldn't leave the door open like that, Sunshine."

Slowly, Anon turns around to face his guest.

Standing in front of the door is a tall mare. Her coat is snow white, though it appears dirty in more places than one. Her mane and tail are both cut short, but they are made up of varying hues of green, blue, and pink. Despite their short length, they seem to flow in a nonexistent wind. One of her back legs is missing completely, replaced by a mechanical prosthetic. Her other back leg is similar, though only from the knee down. One large, feathery wing is tucked against the left side of her torso. On the other side, a small nub where a wing might once have been rests against her back. The sharp, broken remains of where a horn once was protrudes about an inch off of her forehead.

The two stand there in complete silence for several tense moments. Said silence is finally broken by the sound of Anon, who has been frozen stiff since turning around, suddenly dropping his walking stick.

Anon makes no effort to move. However, as the stick settles on the wooden floor, it is accompanied by the sudden appearance of tears falling freely to the ground. Anon's eyes are closed tight, but he is unable to keep his composure. The mare standing in front of him smiles, though after a moment she, too, begins to sob.

After what feels like an eternity, Anon takes a couple of steps forward before reaching the mare. With a shaky, hesitant hand, he reaches out to touch the mare's face. She does not pull away, and merely continues to smile and sob as his hand caresses her cheek.

"...You're real."

The mare wraps a hoof around Anon's hand, a laugh of sheer disbelief filling the space.

"I've missed you, Anon."

"I... I..."

Anon struggles to say anything through his tears. The next thing he knows, he is crying the hardest he has ever cried. He forgot that he was capable of feeling so much emotion at once. The shock, the disbelief, the sheer elation he feels is like nothing he has ever known before. Overwhelmed, he wraps his arms around the mare's neck. Slowly, his legs begin to shake. He falls to his knees, never once letting go of the mare. With the shortened gap in their heights, she places her head on his shoulder and leans into him, further tightening the embrace as they both cry violent, ugly, ecstatic cries.

"Tia!"

Author's Note

And that's it! Thank you all so much for reading! Perhaps I'll do another one of these stories after Chapter 5 of Make Your Mark releases, hmm? :twilightsmile:

As always, I appreciate any and all feedback!

It's Good for the Old Legs

Author's Note

This story is a sequel to "The Hermit," and I would highly recommend checking that story out before reading this one.

This story takes place about a month after the events of Make Your Mark Chapter 4.

It's Good for the Old Legs

"Seriously Sunny, how do you do it?"

"All it takes is a bit of experience and love, Misty."

Sunny Starscout happily chats with her friends Zipp, Misty, and Hitch outside of her smoothie truck. The sun is now completely visible over the horizon, but only just barely. Many ponies are just starting their days, and the morning dew on the grass by the Crystal Brighthouse still lingers. Zipp laughs as Misty takes another sip of the breakfast smoothie Sunny just made for her.

"You sure it's not that dollop of whipped cream you added behind the counter?"

"Whaaaaat? Nooooooo, why would you think that?"

Sunny's eyes dart back and forth, causing the other three ponies to laugh at her apparent inability to lie.

Things have been pretty nice in Maretime Bay for the past month or so. It was a little over a month ago that Sunny, Zipp, Hitch, Pipp, and Izzy confronted the evil alicorn Opaline and, with the help of Misty, saved Sparky the baby dragon from a terrible fate. Since then, Misty has been visiting Maretime Bay much more frequently, no longer feeling burdened (though still a bit frightened) by Opaline's demands. Everypony else loves her company, and things have been generally improving for everyone.

Suddenly, an alarm begins to sound throughout Maretime Bay. Many of the ponies passing by are confused before instinctively ducking into nearby buildings or taking cover wherever possible. Meanwhile, Sunny and company look at each other with bewilderment.

"Uhh, Hitch? Why is that old 'unicorn/pegasus attack' alarm going off? I thought you disabled it!"

"Actually, I just repurposed it. No use letting an entire alarm system go to waste, right?" The three mares give Hitch an unimpressed look, and he sheepishly smiles back at them before continuing. "It used to go off automatically when one of Canterlogic's detection systems activated, but it should only be able to be activated manually nowadays."

"Does that mean somepony turned it on manually? Wouldn't they need to do that back at the sheriff's department?"

Sunny quickly darts out of her truck, and the four ponies begin running towards the aforementioned department.

"That, or we missed one of Canterlogic's old systems!"

"Wait, you mean like those boxes? The kind that trapped Izzy when she first came here?"

The four ponies screech to a halt in the middle of the street as, lo and behold, they see a silver box with a bright red alarm on top. They share a glance before running up to the box, having to go to the far side of it to locate a glowing red button.

"How has nopony stepped on this before?"

"I dunno! If I had to guess, maybe the pressure plate was faulty and the pony trapped inside is particularly heavy?"

"Hitch! They can hear you!" Zipp yells at Hitch as Misty presses the button.

"I-I didn't mean anything by... it..."

Sunny, Zipp, Hitch, and Misty all fall silent as the sides of the box unfurl, revealing the pony trapped inside. Only, there is no pony inside the box. Instead, a tall, fur-less creature is crumpled up uncomfortably in a position that highlights the fact that the inside of that box did not have nearly enough space for someone of his size. After a moment, he realizes that he has been released from his confinement and begins slowly stretching out his back before bringing himself to his feet. He wears a brown, worn-out cloak and carries a walking stick. A large backpack is strapped over the cloak, and after taking a moment to stretch out his arms, he smiles at the four ponies looking at him in awe.

"Hello, everypony."

After about two seconds of silence, Sunny suddenly throws herself at the creature, wrapping her arms around him as she laughs in surprise and joy.

"Anon!"

"W-woah! Good to see you too, Sunny."

While Hitch and Misty appear confused, Zipp just chuckles next to them.

"Finally decided to come find your daughter, huh?"

"Find my... oh. N-no, that's not necessary anymore. I, uh, know where she is now."

Sunny lets go and takes a few steps back, giving Anon some personal space.

"That's great! Was she happy to see you?"

Anon hesitates, and Zipp doesn't fail to notice that his expression briefly darkens. However, the change lasts only for a moment, and Anon goes right back to smiling before responding.

"She's happy, yeah. Still, I said I'd swing by Maretime Bay sometime, and here I am!"

Misty speaks up for the first time, garnering Anon's attention.

"So you're the Anon that Sunny and Zipp keep talking about?"

Anon chuckles and glances at the two mares he had met in the Everfree Forest a couple of months prior.

"I didn't know I was such a popular conversation topic. But, er, yeah, I guess I am. Unless there are other Anons running around that I don't know about."

"If you don't mind me asking, did you, um, walk here?"

Misty points at Anon's backpack, and he glances back at it himself before responding.

"I sure did."

"B-but the Everfree Forest is halfway across Equestria!"

"Yeah, it was a good workout for these old legs. It's nice to get out of the cabin every now and then, you know? By the by, I don't believe we've met." Anon kneels a bit and holds out his hand, which Misty hesitantly shakes. "As you already know, my name is Anon, and I'm just a retired old man who lives in the woods."

"N-nice to meet you. I'm Misty. I, uh... I'm new to this whole 'friendship' thing."

"Haha! Trust me, it's the easiest thing on the planet."

Before Misty can respond, Hitch takes Misty's place and shakes Anon's hand as well.

"Hitch Trailblazer. I'm the sheriff here in Maretime Bay. So long as you follow the rules, we'll all get along just fine."

"Hehe, I wouldn't dare break the law in someplace as pretty as this. Besides..." Anon glances around at his surroundings, noticing some ponies that are staring at him through some nearby windows that quickly close the blinds once he looks their way. "I imagine I'm scary enough as it is already to a lot of these ponies."

Sunny speaks up once again, her voice giddy with excitement.

"Wait, so if you patched things up with your daughter, does that mean you just came to see us?"

"Well, I do believe you owe me a tour."

"Oh, I'd be happy to! Pipp and Izzy are working today, but I can totally close the smoothie truck for a while! Ooo, this is so exciting! I have so much I want to talk about!"

"I'm sure there will be plenty of time for that. Er, that said, is there a hotel somewhere around here I might be able to check in at? I think I'll be sticking around for a while, at least."

"Sure is!" Hitch responds enthusiastically. If there's one thing he knows well, it's Maretime Bay. "I can lead you to it, if you'd like."

"Alrighty then, lead the way, sheriff."

With a prideful gait, Hitch trots down a nearby street with Anon in tow. Anon turns to look at Sunny, Zipp, and Misty, his eyes lingering on Misty specifically for a fair deal longer than the other two. Although she isn't sure (she has never been good at reading other ponies), Misty is fairly certain that Anon seemed troubled when he looked at her, and she's also pretty sure he glanced at her new cutie mark more than once. She instinctively gulps, but says nothing.

"Just swing by the Brighthouse when you're done! We can start from there!"

Anon, who continues to slowly walk behind Hitch, turns away from the three mares and gives a thumbs up. After that, the two turn a corner, leaving Sunny, Zipp, and Misty alone once more. Zipp breaks the silence first.

"Did something seem... off about him to you, too?"

Sunny responds with a chipper attitude, her eyes positively sparkling with excitement.

"He seemed just fine to me! What about you, Misty? How do you feel about him?"

Misty kicks at the ground and mumbles incoherently for a moment. Sunny and Zipp, having seen this behavior from her before, patiently wait for her to gather the courage to speak up.

"He... he kept staring at me."

"Really? I didn't notice."

Zipp walks up close to Misty, her voice much quieter than before when next she speaks.

"I noticed that, too. He didn't do that with me or Sunny when we met him. At least, I don't think he did."

"He's probably just not used to seeing new ponies! Don't forget, he has been living in the woods all alone ever since his daughter left."

"Speaking of, did you notice how dodgy he got when you brought her up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, at first he hesitated when he spoke about her. Then, when you asked if she was happy to see him, he said 'she's happy.' That didn't really answer your question."

"Hm?"

"I don't want to bring the mood down or anything, but he's definitely hiding something from us. Maybe a few somethings."

"Aw, come on, Zipp. Maybe he's just nervous! Let's try to give him the benefit of the doubt, okay? He DID come halfway across the country to see us."

"...That's my point." Zipp mumbles beneath her breath, but Sunny doesn't hear it.

The three look up at the sky, noticing that the sun is rising higher and higher. Misty eventually breaks the silence.

"Well, if we're going to meet him at the Brighthouse, we should probably get going. Plus, we probably need to plan out how we're going to show him around."

"No need!" Sunny beams at Misty. An endless ray of optimism, that girl. "I already made those plans a couple of months ago after we first met Anon. This will be a piece of cake! Besides, it's not like we've never shown somepony around the bay before."

Zipp chuckles.

"That's true. Plus, let's not forget that even though he looks young, Anon has been around for a REALLY long time. He definitely had old man vibes going on when we went to his cottage. I doubt he'll be disappointed if it's not the most exciting thing he's ever seen."

The three mares share a laugh as they make their way to the Crystal Brighthouse, unaware of how Anon's arrival in Maretime Bay will shape their lives in the coming days.