Why is the horse blue

Anondus, the Drenched / Twilight, the Reconsidering / Spike, the barely in this chapter

Twilight, Spike napping on her back, continued to stare up at a sap-drenched Anondus as they walk side-by-side, a dripping trail of the stuff left behind him. The outskirts of 'Ponyville' were looming, and the Everfree was behind them.

Now, this staring wasn't because of some crass comment or inter-culture misunderstanding.

The quiet time in the Everfree forest had come to an end before they got out of it, and a trio of Timberwolves had begun to surround them. Now, Twilight stood a decent chance against them, but if she had to protect Spike, she'd be stretched pretty thin.

Before she had a chance to figure out what to do, however, Anondus had stepped into action.

She appreciated his pacifism a lot more now.

Apparently, wherever he is from, 'Wolves that aren't made of this bullshit wood' aren't entirely uncommon. What started with him trying to stab the Wolves from behind his shield, with his spear, devolved into him bludgeoning them with his shield, while their bites failed to get through his armor.

He seems relatively unphased by the encounter, and keeps trying to poke her horn.

"So your people... fight? Alot?" Twilight asks, twisting her neck to avoid another attempt.

"Loads. Kind of comes in bursts. We'll sit around or walk around for hours, days, weeks... have a fight or two that lasts, like, an hour, tops. Then those that survive go home." Anondus explains, flicking some of the sap off his gloves.

"And you like this? It appeases a carnal nature within you?" She continues, her scientific curiosity still overriding her distaste.

"Oh, not at all, m'lord. We's but simple folk, takin' up sword n' spear in th' name of our kind lord, t' protect his lands, we do. Tis' a noble task." Anondus retorts in an over-the-top peasantry accent.
"No, rich dudes tell us to, we obey or they burn down our land. Like your Princesses, right?"

"No! Not at all! That's horrible! Princess Celestia would never!" Twilight gasps, shocked by the grouping of her kind, dear teacher with what sounded like an abhorant, cruel ruler.

"Oh, that's cool." Anondus nods, looking forward.

A short silence befalls the group, as they start to pass Sweet Apple Acres.

"Oh, you've got Apples. Nice." Anondus comments, trying to clue in how Ponies would harvest them. It'd be funny if they kicked them.

"That's Sweet Apple Acres! Applejack and her family, the Apples run it!" Twilight imparts. On the inside, she was torn between being guarded with information, and getting to speak on topics like she had all the information. Because at this moment, she did, and she was enjoying it greatly.

"Whose her family? AppleSteve? AppleJohn?" Anondus snorts.

"No, uh... Big Mac, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith..." She trails off, raising an eyebrow.

Anondus huffs. Darn. His next guesses were for Twilights family. Twilight Sprinkle or Twilight Spunk or something.

"You said you live in a Library? How'd you afford all those books and scrolls?" Anondus asks, the question tickling his mind.

"Huh? Yeah, it's both my home, and the Library for Ponyville. Ponies borrow books from me, and I scour its vast wealth of knowledge, keeping the books organized and in good condition! Princess Celestia sends some to me, I buy them myself, some Ponies donate..." She trails off, smiling. Anondus could tell Plorse loved books.

"Damn. You must be loaded." Anondus whistles.

"Loaded?" Twilight inquires, confused.

"Proper gold mintage in the heapfulls." Anondus expounds.

"Oh! You mean Bits? I don't really have to worry about those, as Celestias student. She covers everything I need." She admits sheepishly.

"Funded by the crown? Nobility then, surely." Anondus prods, curious now. Pony Nobility. Pobility.

"Oh, no no. My family isn't Nobility; but, my parents live in Canterlot, where the Nobles do live." Twilight explains.

"I... see." Anondus hums, brain chugging in thought.

Lives with Nobility, but isn't Nobility. Tied to the crown, well funded and shoved in a far-off village.

Offspring of an affair. It all makes sense now. The Plorse was a bastard. He would push the topic no further.

"What about you? Do you like books?" Twilight asks, hoping she hadn't offput him.

Anondus snaps back out of his assumptions, and looks down at the Plorse, shrugging.
"Can't read."

Anondus walks for a few more steps, staring at the stock-frozen-still Plorse as it stares back at him, like he just punted her lizard friend across the orchard. She starts to stutter, then ramble, and words practically pour out of her mouth without a care for sentence structure.

"ohmygodyoucan'treadwhatdoyoumeanyoucan'treadthat'sinsaneeveryponycanread-"

"Huh?"

"-thereisn'tasingleponyinequestriawhocan'treadexceptformaybefoalsbutthey'lllearnthey're-

"...Are you good?"

"-inschoolforthatreasondoesthatmeanyoudon'thaveschoolsthere'snowaythat'sinsanethat's-"

"I'm gonna... keep walking, if you wanna... catch up later?"

"-likeimplyingthatyoudon'tlikebooksormaybeyouweren'ttaughtdoesthatmeanyourpeopledon'tcareor-"

Twilight doesn't notice Anondus walk right up to her, squat down, and go eye-to-eye with her, only inches away. He pokes her chest a few times, eliciting no reaction. Plorse was gone. She keeps mumbling as Anondus stares at her. He scratches his nose.

"She's probably gonna be a minute. Let's just..." Anondus mutters, plucking Spike off her back, and setting him under one arm. He doesn't stir. With the other, he scoops Twilight, holding her under the other arm. He goes back to walking, Twilight still rambling under her breath.

Twizzled Scepter, the Frazzled

When Twilight blinks back into reality, she's sat on her couch. Oh, good. She droned out there for a moment.

The ramifications of this scenario instantly rear their ugly head, as her eyes go wide.

She's off the couch in a moment, dashing towards the door. It slams open, and she stares out into Ponyville, where the absolute chaos was happening, the fires, the screaming, the--

Apple Bloom pauses, waving to Twilight, before resuming dragging whatever she'd bought down the street.

Ponyville was fine. Quiet. No fires, no screaming, and she could see other ponies out and about.

Confusion slowly twists onto her face, as she closes the doors, stepping back inside.

As she turns around, she sees Anondus sitting at her kitchen table, legs crossed and on the floor to be able to sit at it properly, demolishing a bowl of her cereal. He's undressed somewhat, his helmet and weapons sat beside the table, his sap-dripping tabard folded up and lain on the table, just in his gambeson now.

Anondus glances up from the bowl, gives a little wave, and swallows.

"Back with us?" He asks.

"Where's Spike?" Twilight counter-asks, glancing around.

He points towards the couch, where she can see a spilt Spike sprawled on the floor, snoring.

"He was on the half-bed with you, until you leapt off of it." Anondus states, taking another scoop. "Doeshnt--" He pauses, chewing and swallowing. "--seem like he cares though. Man, this stuff is good. The fuck is it?" He asks, though he doesn't actually seem to care if he gets an answer or not, ripping into it again.

Twilight sighs in relief, trotting over to join him at the table.

Anondus, the Serial Cereal Slaughterer

Plorse joins him at her little table, leaning against it with her elbows, head in her hooves.

He knows they aren't horses, but there's no fucking way that's comfortable.

"...Did you call it a half bed--no, that doesn't matter! How did you get into the Library?! Without scaring half of Ponyville?" She suddenly shouts, slamming her hooves down and leaning forward.

Anondus finishes chewing.
"Walked in? Asked the first Pony I saw for directions? Came in through the window?" Anondus explains, waggling his dripping spoon around like it should've been simple guesswork, making a mess.

Twilight stares, mouth slightly agape. Before she has a chance to speak, there's a spoon full of Oaty O's hovering just outside of it, Anondus holding it out. Waiting.

She slowly shakes her head.

He shrugs, and takes it for himself.

That threw Plorse for a loop. It takes her a second to reboot. Anondus swears she blinks one eye at a time.

"Well, once I got them to stop screaming and held them down, they were--" Anondus starts.

"YOU WHAT?!" Twilight shrieks, before Anondus bursts out laughing, spitting food everywhere. Twilight is furious, until she realizes she's been joked. She sighs, slumping into the chair.

Anondus takes a minute, but once he's finally finished making the mess worse, he sighs, waving a hand dismissively.
"No screams, just weird looks. Mostly at you."

Twilight flusters.
"Well... good, alright. I'm glad that everything worked out. Now, I need to write a letter to the Princesses about this."

Anondus is silent, squinting. He can feel the hair on the back of his neck rising.
"...No, I don't think you will."

Twilight looks at him, half expecting it to be some kind of joke. He doesn't laugh.

Then, a burst of brilliant blue light, as Blorse suddenly appears in the middle of the living room.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE! FRET NOT, WE HAVE ARRIVED TO CAPTURE THE--... the..."

Blorses flash flushes a deeper blue, as her words trail off. Anondus waves.

Twilight, the Hungry

"Oh, P-Princess?" Twilight mutters.

Anondus, the Sated

"Oh, you do speak." Anondus hums.

Princess Luna, the Hungry in a very different way

"Oh, Buck." Luna curses.