Snapping Back to Reality - Where Starlight Gets Gravity (Of the Situation) While Anon Still Lives in the Middle of Nowhere (Celestia Lost Her Horseshoes There)

“Anon, you don’t need to say anything else.”

He raised a brow. “Really?”

Starlight nodded and hugged him close. He had sunk into the pillows of his rather lengthy couch. He had gotten it from the Ponyland equivalent of a giant garage sale from some expensive estate. The pony who sold him the couch was very enthusiastic in selling him it. This enthusiastic urge had made Anon second guess himself, to the point of inspecting it further. Upon inspection (at the time), it didn’t seem to look out of sorts. No apparent stains and stress testing it (also known as flopping on it with no remorse) didn’t result in the thing shaking or breaking into pieces… so Anon was left to wonder:

Why?

Maybe said pony was too happy to help him out? Either that or he was given this one for such a low price because it was a hand-me-down from a pony that may have screwed their significant other on it, and the pony who had sold it to him found out two days ago and really wanted to get it off their hooves? Either way, Anon didn’t care what option was the case, even though he should’ve. He had a pony named Starlight snuggling into him, and she was wayyyy too comfortable right now.

Intertwined in a very ‘friendly’ embrace, the two stayed there mostly in silence, save for a little titter from Starlight as she breathed out rather happily, her lips curved upward. He sighed too, embracing the peaceful quiet. Anon hadn’t had this time to just hold onto someone, it felt… different. A good different, but one he couldn’t describe well without tumbling over himself.

But, when curiosity called on speed dial…

“Do you think I'm allowed to feel the way I do, Starlight?”

Those bitter words resounded in Anon’s ears, echoing enough to make him think twice about his question. But he needed the confirmation, even if licking his lips made him wince.

Her shifting in his grasp reaffirmed that taste, her foreleg wiggling a way out of their embrace to curl back into her chest where her other one already laid. “Yeah, you should…”

Anon paused, waiting to hear from Starlight again, but she just trailed off, leaving him left to wonder, a place that he didn’t feel the safest. “I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming on.”

She sighed. “But I’m bothered by this whole situation.”

“Bothered?”

“Yeah. Something’s off about it all. Twilight appeared remorseful despite how she treated you.”

“Right…” Anon muttered. “So what's 'off' then?”

“Hmmm…” Starlight hummed. The low rumble in her throat tickled Anon’s hairs on his neck. “That’s a good question. I have my reasoning, and I’d like to hear her side of the story, but I think I’ll leave that for another day.” She softly smiled at him, if a bit sheepishly, her muzzle slightly twitching as she spoke, “You’re more important right now.”

He doubted that highly, but he couldn’t help that those words made him shiver, the sensation racing down his spine. “I… thanks, Starlight.”

A giggle, followed by a sigh. “No problem, Anon.” She nuzzled into his shoulder. “It’s what a friend would do.”

“What a friend would do, huh…”

He leaned back further, rubbing his neck against the pillow behind him. He hummed softly, tinkering with whatever thoughts that crossed his mind. The door, his job, his life, Twilight—

Try again. WD40, cruising back home on the highway, his life he had before all this horsing around happened, Twilight—

Anon groaned. His gaze flickered away from the ceiling, directly where the wall and the ceiling met, to where Starlight was, in his arms.

Starlight. She was looking at him now, searching his face. She searched and searched and searched, only to frown. “You’re still thinking about Twilight, aren’t you?”

Anon just shrugged.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

A huff escaped him. “Yeah, I am. I can’t stop thinking about her.” He let out a low growl. “Sorry, this whole ‘cuddling friendly on the couch thing’ is great and all but…”

Starlight shook her head and smiled. “Don’t apologize. I’m glad that this almost distracted you from everything.”

It was Anon’s turn to let out a laugh. “You know what I meant.”

“I know…” She sighed and gave him a very serious glare. “Look, this whole situation is not great for either of you. I mean, the fact that she rejected you is one thing, but rejecting you because you’re you is a completely different issue entirely. If I were in your horseshoes—er, shoes, right?” She paused to see Anon nod, which urged her to continue, “Ahem, well if I were in your shoes, I’d be bothered by that too.”

Anon looked elsewhere: the floor, the ceiling, the pillows on the other chair, the candle still burned nicely on the nearby nightstand, while the bookshelf stood just as tall as before—was that a gift from Twilight?—oh wait there he went, thinking about her again.

“Guess you proved my point.” She let out a brief giggle-snort before continuing, “Meanwhile I know for a fact that Twilight was not even remotely prepared for your confession. She loves, and I mean loves to be prepared for everything. And when she can’t be prepared, she just falls apart.”

“So that excuses her?” Anon asked, tilting his head, which made him feel a bit of her hair brush against his skin.

“No, not at all,” Starlight replied, shaking her head. She flicked her muzzle up to nuzzle Anon’s cheek before prodding at his chest with a hoof. “Look, I know this is not great coming from me, but friendship is tough. She’s attempting to really juggle everything all at once right now, instead of doing the right thing and doing this in private. While it doesn't excuse her, maybe it does give some insight as to why she had reacted the way she did. I know it doesn’t lessen the blow at all…”

Anon sighed. “It doesn’t.”

Starlight suddenly closed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath. “Well, trust me, Anon. She was completely sideswiped. And with all the responsibilities she has stacked on top of her…. I mean all of Equestria looks up to her now! I… I don’t know how she even managed to splurge all that out onto you. She had to have been cornered by it all. So, when you offered an out, she took it.”

“The out being to criticize me in any way possible?”

“Exactly, especially with no restraint.” She brought her forehoof up to his cheek, cupping it as best as she could, at least, in his mind. “But she shouldn’t have done that to you even if you asked for it. Even if you had felt strong enough to take it, it… it just wasn’t the right time nor the right place. And what she had said stung, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah. More than I thought.” He patted her mane gently before continuing, “I mean, who says that? I know I’m not a stallion and all, but that automatically excludes me from being with her? It’s like she relies way too much on biology. She must really think I’m still that science experiment that she can toy around with and—”

“Stop that, Anon. Twilight definitely doesn’t think you’re an experiment, I know that much.” Starlight half-whimpered, half-breathed out whatever was lodged in her lungs. She let her foreleg fall back to her chest. “She should’ve just said ‘Sorry, I don’t like you like that’ and she should've left it there. And now with what she’s said, she’ll probably regret this later and apologize—”

“—I don’t want her to.” Anon mumbled, choosing to slither his hand down her neck, earning him a gasp (from his words or his action, he didn’t know). “I can’t unhear what she told me. What’s said has been said, Starlight. I… I just want her to know that not everyone operates like her. She even said it herself: most mares want what she wants. I don’t know if she was referring to mares who love other mares but—”

“—she probably was…”

Anon glared at Starlight for a moment, but when she threw her hooves up and looked at him like ‘what do you want from me?’, he caved into his anxious laughter before continuing, “Anyway, if she was, then she believes that all mares who are straighter than an arrow care only about getting with a stallion to make foals.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “It’s the ‘keeping the species alive’ mentality that she has. Hormones are tricky, even for mares that are as smart as her.”

Anon raised a brow. “Is she really that smart?”

“Twilight? Of course. She’s one of the smartest ponies I know,” Starlight replied, albeit with a slight frown. “Too bad she decided to make herself appear the opposite.”

He turned away from her, looking elsewhere. “That’s an understatement.”

A silence bore through, lulling the conversation. Anon took a moment to take a deep breath, exhaling shakily as he spied over at Starlight, who too took a chance to take a look around, probably to take her mind off everything, decompress; but maybe that was Anon’s attempt to read someone new and accidentally completely misread her entirely. She probably felt awkward around him, that’s why she was rubbing her forehooves together a bit, and her ears were now splayed against her head—

Starlight cleared her throat, which made Anon shake those observations away. Her look, those expressive blue eyes, how her cheeks were framed by that slight curl of her lips, upward as they may, and a little quirk of those lips divet in the side, a dimple, maybe. Anon noticed those and more, and his heart twinged a bit, seeing it all. Her touch too, where one of her forehooves slithered near his cheek, hovering there where his hairs were, grazing them while she stayed there, almost as if it was her way to make Anon search her face. If that was her intention, she got his wholesale.

She pursed her lips.

“Do you… feel any better, Anon?”

He looked inward. Did he feel better?

…

Not really. But talking about this to someone helped keep his nerves at bay.

“Sorta. It helped to talk to someone about it. It’ll take a long while to feel better though. Are you sure you’re wanting to stick around?”

A light airy laugh escaped her. “I have all the time in the world, Anon. I have all the time in the world.”

Anon opened his mouth, but he stopped himself. He was going to say something, but he was lost for words. He needed to stop talking and show her that he was happier, and with the smile he received from her and the warmth that came with her company… he just lost himself. He snuggled into her withers and held her close.

Starlight was more than happy to comply, a soft exhale escaping her as she nuzzled him, her hairs rubbing up against his chin. “Thanks for letting me in.”

Anon sluggishly pulled back to peer through his somewhat lidded eyes at her. He let out a weak chuckle and gave her his best tired smile he could muster. “No, thank you for caring about me, Starlight.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, returning back to her withers. He needed to take a moment to rest, clear his head, and hopefully not toss and turn in his sleep, as Starlight would probably go flying off the couch.

“Hmm… Anon?”

He peered out again with an eye partially open. “What’s up—”

His vision refocused and the sight he witnessed made the other flick open too, like an old window’s blinds being pulled up as rapidly as possible. Her tongue gently licked the side of his face, a gesture that if a human did would be extremely off-putting, but for a pony… it was considered normal. “Get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Really?” Anon asked, still trying to get his bearings.

“Mhmm.”

She nuzzled back into his chest again. Her purple mane tickled his nose, making him want to itch it, but he couldn't. The couch, the cuddling, that lick, the way everything fell into place. He couldn't help but close his eyes.

Maybe he should be worried about this. Maybe he shouldn’t. One thing was for sure: Starlight made him feel comfortable enough to let her stay, right there, in his arms, with her body draped on him. If anything, this would never have happened with anyone else. Yet… why her? Why was she the one to make him change?

Those questions twirled in the back of his mind, but then one more nuzzle from a pony named Starlight urged those thoughts of his away. And they did, and they continued to stay away as he fell adrift into the sea he called slumber.

Anon woke up to Starlight’s muzzle right in front of him. Her soft snores kept him there, his gaze honed in on her as she slept. Her mane fell to the side with hairs arching this way and that, while her leg pawed into his side like she was trying to walk or communicate to something with her hooves. He wondered if she was having a good dream. Was she running a marathon? Or was it something as simple as trotting to the store? Meeting some friends?

He didn’t know what she did in her spare time.

He sighed and soaked up all the warmth she offered. It was tempting to pet her, that tuft of fur toward her front was right up in his grill, but he knew that would not be wholly appropriate. Not with how they were already—

Wait. What were they again? Acquaintances working towards friends? Former friends that weren’t actually friends but now working towards friendship and what not? He wasn’t an expert but he certainly was better than Twi—

Anon coughed mentally. Nope. Not one thought will be spared on her. Only Starlight, the deep sleep hoofsies-having pony on his chest. He kept his hand where it stayed, which was on her back, keeping her firmly in place. That was probably enough, he didn’t want her rolling off the couch.

“Mmm, Anon?”

He watched as she stirred, attempting to rub her eyes with her forehooves but having trouble finding the little buggers as they were currently lodged against him.

Anon smirked. “Hey, Starlight. Welcome to the land of the living.”

His joke fell on deaf ears. Yawning was her preoccupation.“What—egh—time is it…?”

He tilted his head behind the couch to see the sun no longer peering through the window sill.

“Not sure. Looks dark out there.”

She pulled away and flicked her mane out of her face. She stretched her legs for a second before giving Anon a small smile. “Guess I needed that rest more than I thought.”

“Eh, you probably did. Your hooves were running a mile and a half!”

“You were watching me sleep?” Fuzzy ears rose to the occasion.

“Yeah…” Anon said, stretching his own arms while he spoke, “Sorry if that was wrong to do. Didn’t want to startle you or anything.”

“It’s okay,” Starlight said, before letting out a blow. “Trixie always tells me I do that hoof thing whenever I have a sleepover with her.”

“And what does she say?”

Her muzzle scrunched up at the sight of Anon’s raised brow. “Something about her and I running away together to do some cool magic shows out in Vanhoover when we retire from the School of Friendship. I’m not sure why it’s always Vanhoover and why we have to ‘run away together’. I mean, she has her wagon and—” Starlight paused and threw her hooves up in the air. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Really? Running away together?”

“Yeah…” Starlight began to say, only to gasp, her eyes looking like dinner plates on a fine china shelf. “Wait, you don’t think she…”

Anon nodded and poked her muzzle with a finger. “She may have a thing for you.”

Starlight shakily sighed. “And here I was wondering if I had a thing for—” She clamped her mouth shut with her forehooves.

“A thing for…?” he asked, craning his neck a bit closer to her.

“Nothing. Nothing!” She said, flailing said forehooves toward him. A red tint pierced her cheeks, which made Anon raise a brow again.

“Doesn’t look like nothing…” he murmured.

Puffing her cheeks, Starlight groaned as she freed one of her hindlegs from their little cuddlefest. “I'll let you know once I figure it out. Right now, I need to get going. It’s late, and I’m pretty certain Spike’s wondering if I died or something.”

Anon cracked his neck and smiled. “Understandable. Sorry for keeping you over for so long—”

“Psh, you didn’t keep me. I stayed here on my own accord. For me and for you, remember?”

Was the room getting warmer or was that just him? “Heh, you’re right. Well, thanks for stopping by.”

“No problem, but don’t think this is the last time you’ll be seeing me.” She cooed as she cracked her own neck. “We’ll need to meet up tomorrow after you’re done with work,” she added, emphasizing her words with her pawing at his chest with a forehoof.

He gently held that leg so she didn’t dig further into his skin. “Tomorrow, after work?”

“You think you want to sit in here and wallow about her some more?”

Anon sighed. No he didn’t want to do that. Was Starlight a mind reader? “No…”

She tsk-tsked while shaking her head. “Then go back to work. Talk to Mayor Mare about it. She may be able to give you even more insight about Twilight than I did.”

“Really?”

Starlight dislodged the rest of herself from Anon and the couch, flopping onto the floor shakily on all four of her hooves. “Y-Yeah—phew, thought I lost feeling in my hindlegs for a second—Mayor Mare’s known Twilight long before I even got here. If anypony outside the Elements would know something about her, it’s Mayor Mare.”

“I guess I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

Starlight squeed and watched as Anon hobbled to his feet. “Great! And then after you do that and finish up with work, I’ll stop by and we can do something, okay?”

"Alright..." Anon said, patting her mane. "Guess this is the end of our little friendship session?"

"Don't worry, there will be plenty more in the future." She rubbed her face up against his pant leg before giving him some distance by clip-clopping a bit ahead of him. She craned back over her shoulder and smiled. “Now, get some rest. I’ll make sure to stop by Mayor Mare’s early tomorrow morning to let her know you’ll be coming back to work, okay?”

“Okay,” Anon replied as the mare slipped away from him and walked out the door. She magically shut it behind her, leaving him all on his own. He smiled as he looked out the window, watching her leave, her trot both languid and excited, her tail swishing about as she stutter-hopped along the path.

Maybe things might be turning around…

The Next Morning - Just Outside Mayor Mare’s Office

Anon gulped down whatever nerves he had lodged in his throat.

Those days locked up in his house while Mayor Mare was all alone, putting in the overtime to simply finish out the day while her nerves were on haywire, hoping that her assistant didn’t commit the unthinkable—he could imagine it all, how her voice would break asking a pony to help her with this mess he had made for, so eloquently wrapped up in a bow handmade to add insult to injury. That’s why he was nervous. He was nervous and rightfully so. He knew Mayor Mare though. She was very capable of those long hours, but… the inconvenience, the thoughts she must have had while trying to clean up toward a day’s end… those images flared in his mind like a solar flare. It nearly blinded him, but he knew that whatever happened today happened for a reason.

That reason? Well… He didn’t know what was going to be there. All he knew was that, while Mayor Mare was capable of handling herself, he had never seen her clean. That was his job, along with handling all the busy work that she wasn’t yearning to do. And now that he was back, what was left for him? And more importantly, what was she going to do to him? When he opened that door, the door with a window just high enough for a pony to peer into, what was she going to say? He hoped that she wouldn’t grill him half to death upon walking in her direction. He also hoped that she didn’t task him to deal with the ghost that bombarded the office nicknamed ‘Dusty’.

With trepidation, Anon took a deep breath and latched his hand on the door handle. With a quick tap down, it unlocked, clicking curtly as it swung open. The click echoed in his mind, but he shook it off when he stepped in, turning the corner and—

He stopped, abruptly, his shoes skirting on that familiar carpet.

There she was. White and gray streaks were still glossy as can be. Her mane had some hairs still poking out in directions he wasn’t sure they were meant to be in, but a pony mane was as difficult to mend as a man with overgrown hair and a comb. Those glasses of hers helped frame her darker pools of blue. They even showed those red streaks of lightning darting this way and that in her eyes. Bags stayed residents under them, and a fresh tear most likely matted her cheek. He went back to those eyes again, them wide as can be. And her muzzle was agape, growing ever so more distant as she froze too, but not without her foreleg pawing at the air. Her normal attire was not around her neck—she probably laid it somewhere else. At home, maybe? Anon couldn’t figure her out some days, but maybe all that stress made her forget to put her mayoral attire on.

Eh. He didn’t have much else to think about. Just her standing there and—

“A-Anon? Is that you?” she finally asked, picking her jaw up with that pawing forehoof, while her other started to move.

He nodded slowly, the door closing shut behind him with a resounding click. “Yeah, sorry about leaving unannounced and all—oof!”

It was all of a sudden, but Mayor Mare rammed herself into his leg, making him nearly stumble onto the ground. Luckily, his balance (and the now shut door) saved him, and when he looked down, he…

“Thank Celestia, you’re alive!”

“A-Alive?”

She looked up at him, tears trickling out of her eyes. “I was so worried! One day, I had you here, and the next, my favorite pony in all of Equestria was gone!”

“But I’m not a pony—”

“Nonsense, you’re like us enough to be considered one.”

“I don’t recall having a muzzle.”

“You have one, it’s just an indent at the moment,” she said, pointing a hoof at his face.

Anon blinked. “Uh…” He brought a hand to his mouth and… promptly facepalmed instead.

“Anyway, enough comparisons! None of that compares to how much I need you in my life,” Mayor Mare said, adjusting her glasses. Her eyes peered up while her lips curled up to a bright smile.

His eyes widened, and he felt like his cheeks were about to go ablaze. “Are you… really sure?”

“Anon, without you here, I have been having to relearn how to function normally before you arrived.” She clip-clopped toward her office, beckoning him with a forehoof aggressively. He walked toward the doorway of her office as her outstretched foreleg pointed directly at her desk, while she reared on her hind legs and leaned against the door frame. “I mean, look at this place! It’s a pigsty!”

Anon looked. He really looked around the room. Documents stacked up on the furthermost corner of it. The blinds were tilted 36.539 degrees too far to the left. The chair in front of her desk looked like a dust bunny had gained a green card, while its offspring was waiting for its turn on the seat nearby (why is that cabinet there?!). A cobweb sporting some spider (probably named Charlotte) stood proudly in the corner of the ceiling, just above where ponies could sit if there were more than one of them. Her desk laid sprawl of more papers and stationary, including a priceless quill bent out of shape.

And her name tag, mostly pristine prior to his leave, appeared like a faded relic.

…

How long was he gone again?

“Wow, you really messed this room up!”

Mayor Mare groaned as she clopped onto all fours again. “I know, I know!” She gritted her teeth before continuing, “I can’t believe I let myself go this far, and you’ve only been gone for less than a week!”

Wait, he wasn’t gone that long. How did she—Anon shook his head. “I don’t know how you managed to do this. I mean, Charlotte up there really is—”

“How did you know I named the spider Charlotte?”

Anon raised a brow. “Wait, what?”

Mayor Mare fumbled with her glasses before setting them straight on her muzzle. “I—Nevermind,” she began, only to clap those forehooves of hers together and give him the best pair of puppy eyes he’s seen. “Anon, I know you just got back, but could you help me clean my office? I could really use your help.”

“Of course,” Anon replied, cracking his knuckles. “Shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.”

“Thank you!” Mayor Mare chirped happily. “Be mindful of Charlotte. Make sure she’s safe and comfortable. As for the rest, try to clean it all up as best as you can. Any loose documents on my desk can be put into a manila folder and I’ll look through it later. I have an appointment in the conference room in… thirty minutes with an investor from Cloudsdale.”

Anon tilted his head. “Didn’t they schedule for tomorrow?”

“Unfortunately, they wanted to reschedule for today at the last minute. And I’ve been rushing to prepare for it but haven’t been able to due to you suddenly leaving—”

He frowned. “I’m sorry, Mayor Mare. I didn’t mean to leave you all alone and—”

Mayor Mare bumped against Anon a second time, this time choosing to rear back up on her hindlegs again, narrowing her brows. “Anon.”

He winced and tried to look away, but her glare pierced his peripherals too.

…

He let out a breath he was holding onto. “Yeah?”

“Don’t apologize. You don’t need to feel sorry for what happened.”

“I don’t?”

Mayor Mare smiled, her eyes shimmering through the not-so-perfect blinds. “Never. Just… make sure you tell me next time? That way I can brandish every compliment I and many other ponies have said about you.”

“There’s a list?”

“I’ll show you during our lunch break,” Mayor Mare smirked. She began shoving her hooves through the stacks of papers. “We have work to do.”

Anon smiled back. “Alright. Let’s get this room spotless.”

Midday Compliment Session - Break Room of Mayor Mare’s Office

Anon and Mayor Mare rushed in the rather small break room, panting as if they ran a marathon together.

“Wow—phew!—that meeting was the worst one I’ve sat in!” He wiped his brow as he continued, “That investor really wanted to tear down what makes Ponyville, Ponyville.”

Mayor Mare nodded. “That he did! I’m… surprised he wasn’t related to—ah—Chancellor Neighsay with how arrogant he was.”

Anon held his hands behind his head, gasping for air. After a few more breaths, he sighed and looked over at her. “I-I’m shocked too! Glad I was here to help you out.”

She shook her head and adjusted her glasses. With a smile, she held out a hoof to him. “We worked together to save Ponyville again.”

He eyed her outstretched leg and its hoof too. He grasped it lightly in his hand, and shook it carefully, like she was fragile and he was worried that anything at that point could happen upon shaking it. “Save might be too strong of a word, Mayor.”

She retracted her hoof before slamming it on the nearby table, making Anon take a sudden step back. “It’s the truth. I was not going to allow him to build on that land! Ponies would’ve been disappointed that the clearing by the school would be gone.”

Anon embedded himself in that claim. The investor was a bit pompous and selfish, but hey, at least there was some investment being put into the town and not more royalty coins being tossed into the ether.

“Understandable, but hopefully him being turned away won’t make other investors afraid to support Ponyville.”

“I highly doubt it, Anon. We’re just weeding out the weasels,” she proclaimed, a smirk wearing proudly on her face.

“Whatever you say, Mayor Mare.” He rubbed his nose suddenly, attempting to get rid of a sudden itch that tickled it.

She raised a brow. “Are you okay, Anon?”

He nodded and sat down at the table his boss nearly destroyed with her hoof. “Yep. I’ll be better here in a moment.”

“In a moment?” she parroted, taking a seat across from him.

Anon smirked. “Of course. You have to tell me all those compliments you have for me and—”

“I will, in due time. First, I think you have something to tell me,” she said, leaning forward.

“I do?” he asked, tilting his head.

“I believe that you’re still worried about something. Something relative to your sudden vacation.”

Anon took his tie and shifted it, hoping to somehow loosen it to give him more air. “I… I guess you’re right.”

Mayor Mare took a rather lengthy breath of air. “Anon you don’t need to hide it and—” She stopped herself abruptly and her eyes widened. “Wait, you’re outright admitting it?”

“You said to tell you, so I’ll oblige, even if I’m not as comfortable to tell you about it all now.”

A bout of silence overtook the room. Anon was preparing himself, twiddling with his left hand’s pointer finger with his right hand, while Mayor Mare patiently kept herself on the edge of her chair, giving Anon a smile that he hoped wasn’t there to placate him.

Then, he cleared his throat and began to tell her what he had told Starlight…

Spill Over; How Not to Offload Problems On Your Boss - Still in the Break Room

“So… let me get this straight.”

Anon meekly shifted in his seat.

“Twilight rejected you because you’re incompatible with our species, and therefore cannot be loved.”

He looked away from her, whistling all the while.

“And you’re okay with that?”

For some reason, those words stuck to him like a glove sticks to a baseball glove, seamless and hopefully not leaving until the next pitch. He growled. “No, not at all!”

Mayor Mare’s cheeks were red, not because of embarrassment, but because of anger. She had been shaking in her seat trying to understand Twilight’s train of thought, but here she was, shaking like a leaf on a tree. She groaned. “Then why are you not screaming on the top of your lungs!”

“I already did that when I got home that day.”

Suddenly, she stopped her anger, sagging into her seat, her jaw unhinged. “Like… straight after?”

Anon nodded. “Broke my wall too. Kind of childish, looking back on it, but… I guess that’s what happens when you realize you’re so unwanted that it goes beyond your comprehension.”

Mayor Mare growled at him, making Anon scoot back a bit. “Anon, you’re not unwanted!”

“To her, someone that I wanted to be with? Yes. To you? No, but only because I'm here to keep you sane and clean your office.”

She chuckled. “Well everypony needs somepony to counter them. You just so happen to counter me in every way—” She interrupted herself abruptly by laughing way too loudly at her own joke, which made Anon also jump in with a laugh. The two calmed down which spurred her to continue, “But hey, don’t think of it as childish. It could be interpreted by some as that—”

“And they’d be right—”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever they think is fine, but look, it’s important to understand that you didn’t break anything else right?”

“Other than my dignity?”

She snorted. “Yes, other than your dignity.”

“Nope. Nothing else.”

“Then you’re not childish, you were stressed. You were upset. And that’s fine.”

And that’s fine. That’s fine for her.

But was it for him?

…

Carefully, Anon scratched his neck, letting out a puff of awkward laughs. “Heh, well that’s good to know.”

“And Anon?”

“Hmm?”

She reached out to grab Anon’s hand with her forehooves. “Never forgo telling someone about these feelings you have. You’re not used to us. We’re a different species with a different culture, but we’re not that much unlike each other. Just in body and in mind.”

He took a deep breath. “I prom—”

“No. Don’t promise me. They’re meant to be broken.” She smiled. “Don’t tell me you will, show me that you will.”

Anon smiled, letting out an anxious chuckle. He grabbed her hoof and shook it.

She shook his hand too.

“Thanks, Mayor Mare.”

“No problem.”

The two smiled in the silence, letting the world pass them by. Anon surmised it was a minute or so, but he didn’t have a watch on him, and the clock sounded off-kelter in the break room, not that the slow movement of the clock on the wall was to blame.

Mayor Mare cleared her throat. “Ahem, Anon, let’s get more of that office of mine cleared,” she declared, hopping off her seat.

Anon shook his head in disbelief. That mare…

“Right behind you.”

A Long Day Turned Into a(n) Splendid Evening (Get That Word Out of Your Mouth, Anon!) - Just Outside Mayor Mare’s Office

“Great work today, Anon!”

He blinked and froze while holding open the door to her office. “Uhh… you’ve never said that to me.”

“I know,” Mayor Mare said. “I’ve always said it in my head, but I’ve never vocalized it.” She stood up from behind her desk and walked up to him. She nuzzled his leg before sitting on her flanks. “I… I am the one that should have apologized to you. I hope that all those compliments really hit home for you.”

Anon smiled. “Yeah, they did. It’s… it’s good to know that some of what I was feeling was silly and—”

“No, they were not silly. They were created by your stress.” She paused to take a rather shaky breath. “And that’s fine. We’ll do better and—no, I will do better to ensure you’re not going to combust into a million Mous pieces.”

He laughed. “Not the greatest imagery, but I appreciate it all the same.”

“I appreciate a more put-together you, Anon.” She walked back behind her desk and sat properly. “I’ll take care of the little last bits of filing. You have a date with Starlight, correct?”

“D-Date?”

Anon’s face grew with warmth as Mayor Mare framed her glasses better on her face, while wearing a complimentary smirk. “Isn’t that what you two are? Dating?”

He shook his head rather fast. “No, no. We’re just friends now.”

“Now…?” Mayor Mare said, her head tilted while her left ear twitched.

He clamped his mouth shut, only to shakily sigh at the sight of Mayor Mare’s prodding. “Yes, now. We weren’t really friends before and…”

“I’m glad that you are. She’s definitely a great friend to have around.”

He thought for a second. Where was Starlight? Wasn’t she going to visit them today? Or did he miss her randomly when he went to the bathroom?

“Yeah… say, didn’t she stop by the office earlier today?”

Mayor Mare’s muzzle scrunched up. “Hmm… I don’t believe so. Unless she was waiting in the lobby. Why do you ask?”

Anon cleared his throat. “Nothing. Just making sure.”

Mayor Mare tilted her head for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Well, get on with your date and—”

“It’s not a date!”

“Ah, young love! I remember when I was in love and…”

Anon groaned as Mayor Mare talked about her suitors… again.

Late Evening - Still Outside Mayor Mare’s Office (Where Are You, Starlight, Please Oh God Have—)

“And that’s why I couldn’t find somepony to love me, but that’s okay, at least I got to see what it was like!”

“I somehow s-survived…” Anon muttered, clasping his hands together against his face.

Hearing about Mayor Mare’s romantic escapades was not something Anon wanted to hear, but here he was, still existing (somehow) after hearing of her many suitors. He had heard this once before, and he had drunk himself, but apparently she had left out some very pertinent details that made him wish he could drink more. Thankfully, alcohol wasn’t something he could readily purchase without Applejack sending smoke signals in his direction, so he was deemed to the torture Mayor Mare deployed that was more traumatizing than Twilight’s words.

Wait… Twilight?

Anon blinked.

Wow, that was more traumatizing. He hadn’t thought about her the entire time, and—wait wasn’t he supposed to ask Mayor Mare about her?

Sighing, Anon looked back at his source of information, who was looking at him happily, only to yawn as if by reflex.

“Phew, wow,” Mayor Mare interjected, holding her forehoof toward her muzzle. She set her hoof back down and frowned. “After all that recounting, I am absolutely exhausted. How about you?”

Anon wouldn’t mind getting some sleep tonight— “O-Of course!” Anon blurted out, stuttering all the while. “I-I’ll rest easy tonight knowing that you went through so many earth-shattering break-ups.”

She shrugged, before letting out a brief blow. “Whatever you say, Anon.”

He rolled his eyes. “Starlight, if there is any hope, please save me—”

The sounds of hooves clip-clopping toward him interrupted Anon’s plea. His ears tuned into the frequency, his head turning just enough to see her, his savior incarnate. Her purple mane bounced as she trotted toward them, a look of concern plastered on her face. Her pink ears perked up at the sight of the two, and her right brow was equally raised too.

“Am I interrupting something—eek!”

Anon lunged at Starlight, wrapping his arms around her, making her squeak.

“A-Anon?”

“Hey, Starlight,” Anon muttered, holding her tightly in his arms. The two stayed there in their embrace, Starlight slowly returning his sudden hug.. “I am so glad to see you.”

“I couldn’t tell!”

He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, we can talk about that later. Right now, you need to save me from Mayor Mare.”

Starlight pulled away and blinked like a strobe light. “Save you from who?”

Mayor Mare trotted in front of them, which startled the both of them enough to make Anon let go of Starlight. Mayor Mare squee’d happily, trotting in place. “I am so happy for the both of you! You two look so great together.”

Starlight blushed, and so did he. “We’re not together like that, Mayor Mare. We’re just friends.”

“Right…” Mayor Mare murmured, her eyes narrow. She shook the glare off and smiled. “Anywho, I’m glad you have finally arrived, Starlight. We were wondering where you were.”

Starlight smiled. “Of course!” She turned and nuzzled Anon’s leg as she spoke, “I’m sorry I’m late, Anon. I got held up at the school due to a couple of ponies who needed to stay for a rather lengthy detention sentence—”

Anon tilted his head. “What did they do?”

She snorted. “They teepee’d Trixie’s office. There was a lot of cleaning up to do and—why are you looking at me like that, Mayor Mare?”

Mayor Mare stared on in horror, her mouth unhinged.

Meanwhile, Anon stifled a chuckle, before bursting out in uncontrollable laughter. “T-That’s something I-I’d do!”

Starlight frowned. “Anon, that’s not—pffttt—that funny!”

The two continued to laugh while Mayor Mare shook her head. She turned around to lock the door, walking past them while muttering something that Anon barely could parse out:

“Ponies will be ponies…”

With that, Mayor Mare turned around and smiled. “I’ll make sure to leave first. Anon, thank you for stopping by for work today. I’m glad to have you back.”

Anon released Starlight, looking at her for some guidance. She just nodded, gesturing a hoof toward Mayor Mare. He smiled and walked over to Mayor Mare, lowering himself down to her level and patting her on the head. He shared a toothy grin. “Thanks for welcoming me back. And for listening to me ramble about everything.”

A faint red blush painted itself clearly on Mayor Mare’s cheeks. “It’s good to ensure that my best employee stays sane.”

“Mayor Mare, I’m your only employee.”

She blinked a bit, before nodding at him with a smile plastered on her face. “Exactly!”

The three laughed altogether. Starlight wrapped her forehoof around Anon and nuzzled his cheek.

Yep, things were finally looking up.

Things were really looking up…

Author's Note

Song for this chapter:

Edits completed on January 2nd, 2025.