Anon grunted as he shielded himself from the sun. He blinked a bit, still startled by the amount of light piercing his eyeballs, but that didn’t change the sun’s rays, so he attempted to move himself out of the light’s path by moving his legs.

…

Nothing. He didn’t feel them at all. Did Starlight lop off his legs? Was he now an unfortunate amputee?

He shook his head and assessed the situation. No, he wasn’t an amputee. He really couldn't do much at all. He was currently wrapped tightly in a human burrito with a couple thick blankets holding him hostage.

That mare. He was thankful for the covers, but he was not thankful for the homemade burrito. He grunted, trying to wiggle his way out of the blankets, but to no avail. Using his only free arm, he peeled some of the layers to his left, but it was still tight around his legs. If he could just—egh—push his legs out enough, he could push through the layers and—gah!

Anon mentally cheered as he saw his right foot poking out from under the covers. He wiggled them toes of his just to make sure they were working, before repeating the same freedom strategy for his left. With his two feet now peeking out from under the covers, Anon heaved the remaining layers off, making them plop in a pile at the end of his couch.

Groggily, he tried to prop himself up but only managed to sluggishly flop on the backrest. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and pursed his lips.

What happened last night?

…

His eyes widened, and a distinct heat lingered over his form. It wasn’t because of the blankets… he knew that much. No, it was much more than that. He remembered what happened last night, and suddenly his hairs on the back of his neck were on end, and he could feel Starlight’s presence fold onto his skin. And then, he remembered what she said and it sent shockwaves throughout his body:

“I like you, Anon.”

Those words. Her words. They… drifted in his mind as he shakily pushed off the couch. He wobbled as he stood up, but he didn’t care. Drowsiness be damned. He was too focused on what she said, and there was this crick in his back that was bothering him and—clack—Anon groaned happily. He smiled through a meager yawn. He really needed to get a coffee in his system and stat. Maybe he could—oh wait, he was out of coffee!

Cursing under his breath, Anon walked over to the window sill. He stood there, looking out to see a rather normal spectacle: not a lot of ponies. If this were the case, this was going to a quiet day for him and—

“…??”

Or so he thought. The candle, which he had set for the night, was still standing but with the remnants of a fire. And beside it, was something even more glaring: a folded note with some cursive peeking out from the bend. It looked like it had been ripped out of some notepad he had left out. Guess Starlight got a hold of one of them, tore it, and wrote down whatever she wanted to tell him. And since she wasn’t here, he hoped it wasn’t a ‘thanks for swapping spit with me, unfortunately, it’s time to give you a round of disappointment!’ type of note. He took a deep breath and opened the note, his eyes darting across the page:

Anon,

I’m sorry I left you alone on the couch. You’re probably reading this and going, “Wow, did she leave me on purpose?” And I’m sorry to tell you but yes, yes I did. Don’t worry, I hope this note can explain that a bit further.

Just know this: I can’t stop thinking about last night. I mean, I can still feel your hand grazing the hairs on my neck and how you kissed me and—heh, heh. Let’s just say, my dreams were aplenty. And when I woke up, I really wanted to stay in your arms, but I had to leave.

I have to go talk to Twilight.

School’s not in session today, so I need to take full advantage of this while I still can. When I get to Canterlot, I’m scheduling time with her, and I hope that whatever time she picks, you’re available. I’ll even beg Mayor Mare to borrow you for that time.

Just… trust me, okay? The quicker we can get this done, the more time we get to spend together, and I definitely want to spend some more time with you. I hope the blankets kept you warm (sorry if tucked them in too much!).

See you later tonight!

Your Mare,

Starlight

…

Anon sighed and read it over again to himself. Once he did, he smiled and set the note aside. There were so many things he could say, so many ways he could react to this note, and the only thing that came to mind was, “And I said friendship was boring…”

He let out a bit of a chuckle, before picking the note up, folding it, and putting it in his left pocket. He’ll read it again in a little bit. He had to get started with his day, and he knew just the thing to do.

The One-Way Train Going Anywhere (But It Really Was Canterlot) - Starlight’s Perspective

Starlight laid down in her seat.

The train car was empty, save for a few ponies. She saw one pass her by, probably trying to wave down an attendant to ask them where the bathroom was. Thankfully, the pony didn’t trot up to her and ask; she didn’t know where it was either. All she knew was that a lot of time had passed her by since she got on this train.

She didn’t really think much on her way to Ponyville’s station. She was too spellbound by actually leaving Anon’s house to really think much else. She just robotically asked the station ticketmaster to give her a ticket, he hoofed her one, she slid some bits over, and her legs programmatically took the wheel she called her brain and skedaddled her way over to an empty train car. Then, without much thought, trotted into one of them, and proceeded to make herself at home, laying right down on one of those comfy seats.

And that was that.

…

Now she was forcibly out of that state of mind. Instead, she was free to think about anything, anything at all. She even scooted up to her window a bit, and craned her head over just to see what was going on out there, but even as the greenery passed on by, she started to hear something. A few words, that, when connected, unlocked something she was trying to ignore:

“You’re too cute.”

Anon.

She groaned and held her forehooves on her head.

He said that effortlessly to her. How? How did he manage that? Was he more smooth than she thought? Stallions have never said that about her, let alone any mares. Probably Trixie said it to her once, but she couldn’t remember. Egh! She shook her head. The audacity for him to say that after he had kissed her and then he held her… and… his hand went down her neck—

Starlight licked her lips, before her eyes widened.

She could feel her cheeks burst aflame, and her mind was scrambling to get rid of Anon’s hands from her—she squeaked as she kept her forehooves planted firmly on her cheeks. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She remembered returning to her hometown with Sunburst in tow, and how their parents were extremely off-putting at first. Then, they changed, and everything sort of fell into place. It was a great memory, one that she cherished so much, as she now has a closer relationship with her father, and now that she thought about it, he’s going to have to meet Anon someday since Starlight and him were now dating and—

She shakily sighed, her eyes darting to the window again. Craning her head out, she refocused herself and took a deep breath.

Outside, she could hear the tracks click and clack while the train careened down its windy path. She saw the hills grow and fall, trees hugging them for dear life. Canopies met overhead, while some kept their space. She propped herself up a bit, sliding directly onto her flanks. She looked away from the window and put a forehoof to her face.

Her cheek was not as warm now. Thank Cele—

“Are you okay, Miss?”

Starlight flicked to the voice, seeing a stallion dressed in blue garb. He was looking at her with a tilt of the head, almost as if he was—wait, a tag with the station line on it? Was he an attendant?

Her eyes widened.

“Miss? Are you okay? You look a bit out of sorts.”

She shook her head and tried to smile (at least she hoped) at the attendant. “N-No, I-I’m good. It’s just… my allergies! Y-Yeah, it’s just my allergies, hehe…”

He stared at her.

She stared back, trying to totally not look like her heart was racing a mile a second.

…

“Okay… Well if you need anything, don’t hesitate to wave one of us down.”

“O-Okay!” Starlight stammered.

She watched as the attendant walked away shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Starlight was struggling to keep herself in order. Why did the stallion look at her like that? Was there something on her face? Did she miss something when she left Anon’s and now it’s stuck on her muzzle? She didn’t know, and she was trying so hard to not show it, but that heat lingering on her cheeks told her otherwise. Thankfully, imagining Granny Smith suplexing a bear while she drank a bottle of apple cider nullified Starlight’s mind. She sighed.

That’s all she needed? Was to imagine that?

She shook her head and giggled to herself. Maybe Anon and Pinkie were right. Laughter was the best medicine. Now she was back on track, just like the train that she was on…

Starlight let out a brief blow. She was still traveling up to Canterlot. The train’s slow chugging sounds made Starlight realize that they only just started to ascend the mountain range up to the city. She still had a lot of time to herself, which she definitely didn’t want to spend being completely embarrassed. Instead, she was thinking about how close she was to seeing the place. How close she was to getting into the castle. How close she was… to finding Twilight.

Twilight. Her friend. One of her best friends. One that she demanded answers from, and one that Starlight hoped wasn’t going to avoid her again. She had to hold Twilight accountable, even if she really wanted to be back with Anon to cuddle on his couch. But nOoOo, Starlight had to think about it a bit harder and go to Canterlot to protect her stallion from Twilight, even if it hurt herself in the process.

It was a mare thing. He wouldn’t understand, at least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

Letting out a frustrated snort, Starlight scooted closer to the middle aisle. She looked down and up it, just to see if that attendant was around. He was truly gone, which made Starlight rest a bit easier.

Everyone else around her was either asleep (the one snoring in the back was loud) or chatting happily about… something. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but it had something to do with strawberries and nobles. Not sure how those two correlated, but that wasn’t any of Starlight’s concern.

There was one however, in the seat to her left and up a row, that caught her attention.

A foal. They had a blue mane and light blue fur, and they were sitting near the edge of their seat, peering their head out to see what was going on down the aisle.

“My treasure, you mustn’t lean your head out too far!”

“Mom… don’t call me that!” the foal shouted, before being dragged further into their seat.

Their gravely voice contrasted their mother’s giggle, which Starlight presumed was followed by a nuzzle. “Mothers always make cute nicknames for their little ones.” Starlight heard the mare squee as she probably pinched the foal’s cheeks. “And you, my wonderful colt, are my treasure. You are my gift from your father.”

A little not intimidating growl sounded off. “Egh, gross.”

“Not to me, my dear. Now come look out the window. We’re nearing the station!”

Starlight blinked. The station? They were almost here?

She scrambled to her window and stared out. The train was still ascending, but she didn’t have a good view. All she could see was the ground below and they were only getting higher.

Starlight snorted. She felt just like that colt at one point. But now she was here, alone, going to Canterlot to visit a friend. A friend who had decided to…

…to…

She groaned. Of course she landed at this juncture! Starlight knew the whole tale, she didn’t need to think about that. But the fact Twilight was up here, in Canterlot, trying to put on a strong face… it was admirable, Starlight can admit that, but if Twilight hadn’t done what she did to Anon, she wouldn’t have had this issue! So why? Why didn’t Twilight just rush back to Starlight and Anon and tell them that she screwed up and wanted to fix things? Why couldn’t she face them?

There were so many questions, and yet so few answers. After all, the only pony who had them was Twilight herself. And Starlight was kicking herself for not asking her last night. No, she had to go with Anon last night to his place, so she could confess her feelings, and be reciprocated in kind to the point of kissing on—she squeaked as she pinched herself with her magic. No, she was not doing that again! She should’ve just gone over to the castle instead but… Anon was important too. That’s why she was here. And she was going to—

“Attention everypony. We have arrived in Canterlot! Please make sure to grab your belongings before you leave and—”

Starlight tuned the attendant out as she hopped off her seat and galloped down the aisle.

She had a princess to catch.

Author's Note

Short Interlude. Sorry for the delay here, but I'm glad to finally get this one out. Also adding this message from Golabi: "Bababooey."

Song for this chapter:

Also adding this one since I listened to this a bit (no relation to the chapter itself though):

Edits completed on January 3rd, 2025.