Embrace, Entice, And A Whole Lotta Spice - Anon’s House - Anon’s Perspective

Anon woke to the smell of sunflowers and a warmth that wrapped around his body like a blanket that wished to smother him. In the darkness, he blinked owlishly to try and see what was in front of him, but to no avail. The room was shrouded in a black veil. He could barely see right in front of him, a blurry black figure clutched his form, and whatever was on him was quieter than a mouse.

He wished that whatever was on him wasn't poking his ribs, but wishing wasn't going to get that dull pressure to go away, so he decided to act. He shuffled, and enacted the tried and true method of freedom that worked for him last time: kick and wiggle. This time, however, he wanted to be a bit more careful. Kicking too hard may make him hit a board or something and break his foot, while wiggling a bit may make the creature on top of him wake up. So, he lightly kicked his right leg forward and found... nothing but air. That threw him off, since the last time this happened, he was unable to move pretty much everything. So the fact that his leg was free meant... something. Just what was on top of him?

Being a risk taker, Anon slowly moved his right arm. At first, it was the same result, but something changed when he started reaching towards the ceiling. Maybe it was his arm or the little wiggle that accompanied that movement, but all that Anon knew was that he had to stifle a groan as a sudden shockwave of pain coursed through him. Whatever was on top of him really liked to send him reminders of what being alive felt like. He shook off said reminder and focused on that warmth, like a furnace on a cold winter's day and then—

He sniffed. That sunflower smell crossed over, and suddenly it was summer. He shook his head rapidly and blinked a bit more.

Suddenly, things all made sense. It's like that shake of the head rebooted him, like he was a computer that experienced a fresh restart. His vision was more crisp, seeing a partial outline of what looked to be a pony blob laying on him. He saw their mane, how it rubbed up against his chest. Their head was probably behind that puffy hairdo, which is why he felt the pain in his ribs, they were probably nuzzling him there. He could also hear them now too, their soft snores pierced his ears. And... wait.

Wasn't Starlight over at his place? Did she go home before they conked out on the couch? He didn’t remember her leaving...

That meant she was still with him! She was sleeping on top of him!

He closed his eyes and took a moment to control himself. He needed to keep his heart to a steady comfortable beat, not one that’s in competition with his mind! He was losing that battle of his, one where his heart was now cruising at speeds of a hundred miles an hour on the freeway named Anon’s Gateway. He took a few deep breaths, before he resorted to staying still.

What should he do? Just wait this out or get up to make sure she hadn’t caved in his ribcage? Neither option sounded great, (Starlight waking up angry at him would be something he'd wish to avoid), but he had to do something.

Anon stifled a grunt as he turned to get a better view behind him. If it was morning, the light would be showing through the curtains right now and—wait, didn’t Starlight set a candle last night too?

He propped himself a bit further up, which somehow freed his rib cage a bit. Now that pressure was on his stomach, which he was okay with for now. He smiled as he now had an even better view of her, and sure enough, everything made sense. The pinching pain was due to one of her forelegs poking him there, while the rest of her drooped to the back splash of the couch. Only her face and body remained on him.

He sighed and looked behind him to—the candle was not standing. It most likely melted, just like the rest of them would. And of course, the curtains were closed shut, that rope more tightly knotted than he would ever be capable of doing.

Unicorns and their magic.

Anon cursed under his breath and looked back at his predicament. It was a better setup now, but he really should consider getting her up at this point, but he didn't want to scare her and suddenly get zapped by her magic in a fit of panic or worse, getting skewered by an unguided horn. Avoiding seeing God earlier than he expected, Anon kept his movements slow. He snaked his left arm under her legs and pulled her closer to him. Then, he looped his arm over her body, hoping this would anchor her while her right would do the unthinkable: finding purchase in her mane as he let his fingers glide through that silky hair of hers. Getting no response, he traced down her neck a bit, eventually treading closer to her muzzle and—

“Mmm…” he heard her moan, followed by a brief blow. “Keep going, Anon…”

That tickled his ears. “Starlight…?”

He heard her lips plap to a close again, followed by a brief snort-growl combination. He smiled and kept petting her for a little longer, before slipping his fingee tendons underneath her muzzle to see if scratching her would stifle her out of dreamland. As he moved his hand, he started to feel a bit of what Anon thought was drool, the wetness there now tickling his skin. Ignoring it, he continued with his plan, choosing to lift her muzzle up a tad, that way he could get a more comfortable angle at her chin. At first, this worked, his fingers shimmying underneath her chin to give her some well-deserved scritches. Then, he tried propping her a bit with his left hand and then…

…well, he somehow found her chin with his right, his fingers wiggling with glee. Carefully, he started to scratch her.

Nothing happened at first, only getting her to stir just a bit. But when he increased the pace, he suddenly got a taste of reality. What he thought was going to emit a cute moan turned out to be a full-fledged flop on his metaphorical highway. She wiggled against his left hand, and flopped closer to it, nearly jamming his fingers on his right hand in the process. He grimaced and stifled a pained groan—rest in pieces, fingers—but he returned them to her muzzle all the same. He gave her a couple more scratches that thankfully didn’t induce another whole belly flop, and returned them back to her neck. This made her half-moan half-purr, which made Anon wonder if she was part cat, but he shoved that thought away as he watched her stir in the dark.

He heard her grumble out his name, “Anon…”

And suddenly his heart grew three sizes. He felt that blush pierce his cheeks, and he knew he was going to wave his dignity goodbye if she woke up.

But she was still snoring somewhat, as if it was her sleep talk blurting something out. He smiled and cupped her cheek.

“Wake up, babe…”

The words exited him, and he found them to be much easier to say than saying her full name. Maybe it was time to belt out the pet names?

He snorted and continued his petting, this time with his left rubbing her belly. He wiggled his right hand out from underneath her chin, choosing to avoid finger bent singularity in the form of anchoring her there with his hand grazing her back. This earned him a soft coo at first, her sigh making him want to hear it again. Unfortunately for him, life had other plans.

“Ughh…” he heard her say, before she stirred, scooting closer to his head now (and her forelegs bending closer to herself). He kept himself still, save for his right arm, making sure it was out of the flop-zone this time. He waited for her to decide if it was a great time to wake up.

She pulled away from him and yawned rather loudly before closing her lips unceremoniously. She blinked her blue-ish eyes at him. “A-Anon?”

“Good… morning, I think."

Starlight laughed. “Good morning to you too.” She plopped back onto his chest, nuzzling him all the while. “Seems like you were trying to escape me, weren’t you?”

“Wouldn’t—egh—even dream of it," he replied with a bit of strain.

That made her stop her nuzzling and pop her head right off his chest. "Am I hurting you?"

"Not exactly." He pulled her up closer to his chest with his left arm and smiled. "Just have to maneuver you a bit. You were poking my ribcage."

She let out a brief blow as she brought her muzzle closer to him. "Sorry."

Her little whisper made Anon bring his right arm to her mane, petting it softly. "Nothing to be sorry about, Starlight."

She nuzzled his cheek, which he returned in kind. And then, Starlight did something that Anon didn't expect.

She licked that very same cheek.

“Mine.”

It made Anon take a moment to register the word. Did she have some type of possessiveness that he just found out? Was this a cultural thing? He didn't know, so instead of worrying about it now, he decided to bring his hand closer to her muzzle and cup her cheek. He rubbed it with her thumb and returned her declaration in kind, "Mine.”

She giggled to herself. Music to his ears. “While I’d love to stay like this, I should probably check to see what time it is.”

“You sure?” Anon asked, keeping her there in his grasp. He slowly returned his hand to her neck, which earned him a shiver. “I mean, I’m pretty certain my curtains don’t eat up all the light. If it was sunny out, some of the light would still peer through.”

“While you're probably right, I just want to make sure. If it’s still dark out, I’ll come and lay back down with you, 'kay?”

He sighed and let his left hand fall to the wayside. “Alright…”

“Be right back,” Starlight whispered. He could feel her move for a second, but before she left him, she kissed his cheek in the same spot she had licked it previously. It made Anon's heart skip a beat, and he hoped that his heart wasn't committed to the speed it was now beating at.

While his heart was racing, Anon heard her land haphazardly on all fours. Her hooves had clopped against the floor all at once, which made him laugh at the visual view of it. Then, when he turned his gaze to look over at where he believed she was at. Safe to say, he was right on the money. He watched her horn flare, which bathed her form in a blue neon light. He could see her face now, her pink hairs on her face mixed with a touch of red (she was probably blushing and she didn’t know he could see it now), and he smiled as that mane of hers looked a bit worse for wear (he totally did that to her on purpose). She tilted her head a bit in his direction, confused, only to realize that he could see her now and, in a blink, she was gone in a bunch of blue sparks. He heard her clip-clopping of her hooves again, nearby the door. He could hear the knob creak as it clicked open, and—

“Anon, it’s night time still.”

“Why didn't you just open the curtains?"

He could hear that frustrated snort of hers as she shut the door and locked it with her magic. "Too tired and the door was easier to open."

"Fair enough." He heard her hoofsteps again, click-clacking like tap shoes in motion. "Sounds like we got some time for some pillow talk.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she said. He could hear her come closer to him, but the pitch black shrouded her body. Only a faint enough glow pierced the veil that embraced her horn. “Do you want me to get another candle or?”

“Yeah, it might be a good idea. Don’t want to wake up in the dark and suddenly your ass is in my face.”

“You’re lying about not wanting my flanks in your face.”

He shrugged. “I’m not a fan of getting pink eye.”

Anon raised a brow when her magic burst anew. It was like a bright flash of light that didn't blind him. He could see her everything now. Her face... wow was it flushed red. A deep red of an apple. She also wore her surprise well, if the jaw hanging by a thread was anything to go off of. He could also see her tail a bit as it swished out of control. And she shook a bit, not out of any fear he hoped. Was she okay?

His question was answered when she smacked herself silly with her forehoof. Maybe not. “O-Okay… t-that’s understandable!” She trotted over to one of his nearby dressers, her magic flickering in intensity as he walked to it. She pointed a hoof around the collection of drawers. “Uhhh, are your candles in one of these?”

"Yes," Anon droned.

"Which one?"

"The furthest to the right."

"This one?" She prodded a rather tall one with her hoof.

Anon groaned. "No, the one next to that one.”

“Oh, I didn't even see that one there." She scrunched her muzzle up. "You have too many dressers, Anon.”

“Blame the ponies who were handing them to me for free,” Anon lamely replied. He sat up and swung his legs out, his feet touching the ground. “You need a lighter?”

She shook her head and pointed to her horn, which still was surrounded by her blue aura. “Nope. Magic, remember?”

“Not sure why I even asked." He knew that. "Magic is such a cheat code."

“Only if wielded by some of the best unicorns in Equestria!” she chirped. She opened one of the lower drawers, and bent her neck down to grab what Anon thinks is a candle package. She flung it up and ensnared it in her magic. “There it is!” she said with a smile on her face.

She walked over and floated it over to Anon. “Tag, you’re it.”

He smiled and grabbed the candle package. For some reason, it was in a bag—he didn’t remember that, but hey, no issue for him. Plastic tearing for a guy like him was no problem. He teethed it, tearing part of it up, before ripping the packaging off with his hands. He looked up at Starlight, who was apparently trying to fiddle with the dresser again. “Keep that horn of yours close.”

She turned around to bring her mobile light source closer to him. “Anything else you want?”

That sultry tone made Anon second guess himself. “Other than you? Nope. Just you and the LEDs on your head."

She tilted her head, which moved the light away from the package. “What’s a LED?”

“You don’t need to know. Just know that you need to get closer because you just moved, your blue horn collar is incredibly valuable, and that we have more important fish to fry.”

“FISH?! But Anon we're not... wait, is that one of your human-isms?”

The sudden gasp-shout hybrid made Anon stop himself and wonder if he just lost his hearing. “Test—” He heard himself speak, so he was good. “Okay, yes, that was one of my 'human-isms'. I gotta remember you ponies don’t have many equivalents to them.” He snorted. “Look, just stay there, pretty pony, and this candle opening shindig will be over before you know it.”

Starlight’s eyes widened. “P-Pretty…?”

“Mmhm,” Anon grunted as he ripped open the remaining packaging. He pulled out the candle and looked over—wait, she just magicked it in his own palm, the silver candle stand shimmered in her blue glow. Nice. He placed it on that stand and then made sure the wick wasn’t sagging down. He smirked and then realized he didn’t have his matches. “Uhh, can you get my matches?”

Anon saw her shake her head, making the magic still surrounding her horn blur. He wondered if she was going to break her neck with how fast he was shaking her head, but thankfully, she didn’t break her neck, but Anon swore he saw her eyes roll hard. Then, a flicker, and a box of matches floated in front of him. She gently placed it in his hand, and he flicked the box open. Out slid a match submerged in blue, and it stayed that way until it burst aflame, and the two colors of orange and blue danced before Anon’s eyes, before the blue faded comfortably in his grasp, while the orange continued to burn. He carefully guided that dancing fire to the wick and the candle came alit. And then, Starlight grabbed the candle, ensnared in the sea she wielded, and guided it back home to the stand near the curtain-covered window.

He smiled before blowing the match’s fire out. Then, he watched her, her expression mirroring his, as she trotted up to him.

“Good to finally see you again, horny.”

"Oh shut up and lay back down," Starlight commanded, which Anon more than happily complied, moving the pillow he had to the other side of the couch (better angle on that stupid candle). Once he got himself comfortable, his head laying against the pillow, he watched as she hopped onto the couch. She clambered onto his chest before scooting herself up slowly toward his chin, probably to be mindful of her horn, before she attempted to stand up. Shakily, she towered over him, peering down with those half-lidded eyes of hers. "So...”

Anon brought his hand up to her cheek and cupped it, gently rubbing it with his thumb. "So...?"

"Pillow talk, huh?"

"Yeah..." he whispered. "What about it?"

She leaned in closer, their breath mixing. "Let's skip it. We've got something better to do."

He smirked and brought his hands behind her head. "Gladly."

Anon jolted awake. His eyes widened, scrambling to see what was around him. He flickered those eyes of his, adjusting them to the light, and he cleared his throat. Starlight was not on top of him, which was a not-so-welcome difference to what happened last night. It nearly made him pop off the couch, but he stayed there, momentarily, just to check that stand of his. There wasn’t a note by the candle that he could see. All he knew was that it was still there but without a flame in sight.

Carefully, he got himself off his couch slowly, groaning as he stood up in full. He stretched, being extra mindful of his back. Then, he dusted himself off, and turned to the kitchen to—

Anon stopped as he spied Starlight, who gasped as he most likely came into her vision. Her mane was done up like she always had it, her bed head no longer in sight. Those curls bounced from her sudden recoil. Luckily, her magic hadn't faltered, as she bore a plate and a fork. And on that plate was some... eggs, scrambled, peppered in spice of both kinds, which finally registered Anon’s senses. The steam elevated from the platter, and its smell made his mouth water. He nearly snatched it from her, but she smirked and pulled it away from him.

“Morning, Anon.”

“G’morning,” Anon drowsily replied. He wiped his eyes a bit with his hands, before he let out a ferocious cross between a yawn and a frustrated growl. “You made me breakfast?”

“Us breakfast,” she chirped. “Made you some eggs. Saw you had some in your ice box, and while omnivores usually aren’t who I prep for, Spike sometimes gets a hankering for something other than gems, so I decided 'Why not?' and made some for you. And judging by your reaction, I think I made the right choice.” She flipped her mane from her face before she continued, “But that's not all. I also saw you had some potatoes laying around in your pantry, so I made some hash browns too. Hope your stomach can handle those.”

He licked his lips. “Don't worry, Starlight, I don't collect potatoes as a hobby. My stomach can handle the majority of foods."

"Majority of?"

"Hay isn't something I can digest."

"Wow," Starlight said, letting out a whistle and a half before the plate that held his food was set on the counter behind her. She turned to fiddle with something on the counter. "You're really missing out! Hayfries are the best!"

"I'll take your word for it."

She sighed. "Guess you found out the hard way?"

"Yeah... Fluttershy looked a bit scarred after that." He saw her ears splay against her head momentarily, which made him clear his throat. "Thanks for making breakfast for me, Starlight."

Those ears of hers perked right back when he said that. "It's no problem. After what happened last night? Phew, I think you deserve it!"

Anon's cheeks started to heat up, making him gulp down his nerves. "Well, last night was... something." He could see her tail swish slowly as she started to turn off the stove. "And I'm happy that it happened."

“Just happy?”

She turned to see him, with a little sparkle in her eyes, which made him smile, walk over to her, and bend lower to her level. He, then, planted a kiss on her cheek, before lightly grazing her lips with his. “More than ever.”

“Good answer," Starlight quipped, her smile worn happily while her cheeks betrayed her. She magicked the plate that he attempted to snatch earlier into his open hands. "As they say in Prench, bon appetit, Anon.”

“Sorry, did you just sneeze?"

She giggled her snort into a tizzy and turned tail. “N-No!” She walked over to the counter and grabbed her own plate and fork in her magic. “Just hoping you'll enjoy your food.”

Anon took a seat on the couch again, placing his plate in his lap. He inspected it, and— “Hope? Starlight, this looks incredible.”

He wasn’t lying. The eggs were so fluffy as he cut into them with his fork. Then, he pierced a piece and brought it to his mouth. Safe to say, they tasted amazing. It was like he had ascended into cuisine heaven.

This was it. He made it. He finally made it.

“Based on that reaction, I'm glad you—”

“These are amazing, Starlight!" Anon exclaimed as he stabbed his eggs again, hoping to get another bite. "I hope there's more, I might want seconds already."

She took her seat beside Anon, but didn’t look him in the eye. She was probably embarrassed— “I don’t know how you compliment me so easily. It’s just scrambled eggs.”

He shook his head. "I'm not forcing these out, Starlight. This is really good." He paused to chew a bit more, indulging in his taste buds. He gulped it down and prepped for the next helping. "It's not common for you ponies to cook them let alone eat them, right?”

"Yes to both of those questions,” she replied. Anon spied her plate, absent of eggs but still full of hash and... fruits? Which ice box was that stuff in? “But hey, that doesn't mean we can’t learn how to cook them well from a griffon!”

“And by we, you mean you.”

She twiddled with her forehooves while she chewed her food. “I… Yeah. And Spike helped with taste-testing when I was learning how to make them.”

Anon dug in a bit more, spearing another piece of egg into his mouth. He chewed happily. “Tell him that he’s made me a happy man.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll make sure to tell him.”

The two ate in relative silence after that, the two spying glances over at each other. It was great to actually eat with someone close by, not that Anon hadn't done that before. Mayor Mare did have a capacity to share the same lunch as him... every single time. But at home, it was different. It was... a good feeling, especially with someone that he's definitely... definitely fallen for. To think he was going to just befriend her. Pfft.

“Say, Starlight?”

“HmmMm?” She hummed as she chewed her food. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. Just… wanted to ask you if you uhh…” Cold feet? Always—Anon roundhouse kicked that thought out of his skull. "W-Wanted to go on a nature walk?”

“A nature walk? Today?"

“Yeah…” Anon sat his plate aside for a moment and looked back over at her. “Take a walk through Sweet Apple Acres' orchards and maybe even go through the Everfree.”

“Trespassing is your forte?"

"Depends on the week—" He saw Starlight's puzzled stare and rolled his eyes while he sporked some more hash browns into his mouth. "Okay, it depends on the day. Besides, we're not trespassing! Applejack said I could visit any time!"

Starlight groaned. "Okay, Mr. Visitor. You're lucky I don't have to go into school today—" Anon mentally fistpumped the air. "—but can we skip the Everfree?"

He raised a brow at her. “Not a fan of adventure?”

She giggled at that and stabbed her hash browns with a bit of a vengeance. “The Everfree is more than just an adventure sometimes. Plus, I've been to a lot of places. Granted, not as much as Twilight, but…”

“I get it. It's not worth it if you've already—”

“That doesn’t mean I’m opposed to it some time in the future. Let’s just... make this an easy day, okay?”

He brought an arm gently around her neck, which made her squeak. “Sounds good, cutie.”

“Anon…” she said with a whine.

“Can’t deny the truth.” He shuffled the last bit of food into his mouth and stood up, his plate in hand. “I’ll clean the dishes. Let me know when you’re done and I’ll swing by to grab that for you.”

She sighed happily. “Sure. I’ll let you know.”

Anon walked into his kitchen and sighed. He put his plate underneath the nozzle, flicked the sink on, and watched as water splashed against his plate.

Why did he feel so wrong in asking her that? What was he, a teenager in high school that was about to ask out his crush that he wasn't sure if they liked him back?

He didn't know. His mind was funny like that. Although, he wasn't laughing, just aimlessly wandering adrift in his noggin.

Anon shook off that world he was in. He could experience it later. Right now, he just needed to wash that plate of his. Then he could imagine a world where Starlight didn't reciprocate and—

He groaned as he began to rub some soap against his plate. He hoped he wasn't going to think this way on their walk in the orchard.

Author's Note

Filler chapter while my Internet decided to have seizures.

Credit to Lynser for the blue collar phrase.

Song for this chapter:

Edits completed on January 3rd, 2025.