Anon awoke with a yawn. He stretched his achy limbs in the lavish bed he found himself sleeping in through the night. The morning rays of sunlight filtered in through the curtains, bringing a sense of familiarity as the golden rays of early morning light cascaded on the marble flooring. As he slowly turned over in bed, Anon found himself slightly disappointed by the emptiness of such a large bed and nobody else to fill it.

A small sigh escaped his lips as he rolled out of bed and set about dressing himself. He idly glanced over to the clock, finding the time reading as '7:59 AM'. He mentally chuckled to himself, knowing full well what was coming in exactly one minute.

Just as the clock struck eight in the morning, there was a curt knock at Anon's door. He walked over and opened it, finding Echo standing in the entrance.

"You wanted everypony up at 8." He announced, professionally.

Anon nodded, "I did. Thanks, Echo. Any trouble last night?"

Echo shook his head, "Nothing of note. We've all checked on Tempest through the night and she just slept the whole night away. I think she was actually a lot more tired than she lets on." He reported.

Anon continued to nod, satisfied with the information he was receiving, "Alright, well we've go get breakfast in about half an hour, so go do whatever you gotta do to get ready for the day. We'll be heading out on the road again immediately afterwards. Thorax should already be in Tampa Neigh and in disguise as Chryssi, so just keep that in mind for when we get there."

Echo gave a quick salute before turning tail and heading down the staircase behind him. With that concluded, Anon made his way back to his bathroom to conduct his morning routine. Once that was finished and he was dressed in his attire for the day, namely a simple white safari shirt and cargo pants, he grabbed his rucksack and headed down as well.

As he descended the stairs, he saw Javelin, Echo, and Dusk all sitting around the couch in the center of the room, their respective gear and saddlebags all laid out around them. Anon set his rucksack beside the couch and nodded to the group, before squinting his eyes in confusion.

"Hey, where's Tempest?" He asked.

"Right behind you." Tempest replied, making Anon jump.

True enough, Tempest was standing just behind him, her saddlebags already on and ready to go. She looked notably well rested, though there was a small hint of annoyance in her gaze.

"Jeez. Almost gave me a heart attack," Anon shook his head, "Let's get going. Breakfast is being served and I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

With a resounding chorus of agreement, the group made their way downstairs and to the buffet, where breakfast was still hot and fresh. The group shared a hearty meal, though the sight of the prince of Equestria eating alongside three royal guards and one prisoner did garner much attention and fanfare. For a while, Anon entertained the ponies asking questions or requesting pictures, but soon enough it became overwhelming. Much to his chagrin, Javelin took to standing guard in front of the group, holding the excitable tourists at bay while everyone else ate. Once breakfast was done, they headed out through the front, ensuring to give a gracious tip to the bellhop before exiting.

"Alright, now where?" Javelin inquired.

"Well we have a reservation with 'Comet's Carriage Rides on the other side of town. They're gonna be giving us the ride to Tampa Neigh." Anon explained.

"Well then lets not waste any time. The sooner we get over there, the sooner Chrysalis will be here and we'll have some extra hooves to help with... well, everything." Echo replied, giving a subtle wink to Anon.

Though the group didn't notice it, Tempest rolled her eyes slightly at the mention of the Changeling Queen, "Been meaning to ask about her. Why didn't she come along with us from the very start? Why fly all the way to Tampa Neigh ahead of us?" She asked.

Quickly recalling the story they'd prepared back in Canterlot, Anon quickly responded, "Well Chryssi has been dealing with the new clutch of foals-er, grubs I guess... still sounds weird to call them that... a-anyway, she's been taking care of the kids we just had, so she couldn't come with us right away. They grow super quick in those early stages of development though, so she said she'd be able to leave them in Luna and Celly's care and meet us after a few days. So, Tampa Neigh it is."

Apparently satisfied with the answer, Tempest shrugged and dropped the subject. A rather peaceful quiet overtook the group while they traversed the city streets of Hoof City. As had become usual in the short time they'd been there, Anon was hounded by dozens of ponies on the streets, asking for pictures or just to speak with him and sing their praises of his deeds. Each and every time, he stopped to converse with them for a few minutes, holding up their progress significantly, but much to the random ponies's happiness.

Tempest found herself growing impatient with the slow pace they were maintaining, but before her ire could grow to a boiling point, a mare came forward with a clearly sick and frail filly in her foreleg.

"Prince Anon! Prince Anon! Please, you have to help my filly!" The mare cried, desperately holding the sick child up for Anon to see.

The little foal was malnourished and notably bald in several locations. Each breath she took came like a wheeze, the sound raking at the ears of everyone present. Her wings, missing nearly all of their feathers, almost went completely unnoticed, and she could have been mistaken for a sick earth pony instead of a pegasus due to their stunted growth. Much as she would have liked to just ignore the child and proceed, even Tempest found her heart breaking at the sight of such a frail and sickly thing.

Anon's face instantly fell with concern, and he gently pressed his hand against the filly's forehead. She was burning up.

"Miss, your daughter needs to go to a hospital right now. Why haven't you taken her?" Anon asked, incredulously.

"I-I tried! My husband and I don't make enough bits for her treatment. We... we've lost everything in a house fire and after we rebuilt, my little Ginger Bloom fell sick... we tried applying for a royal grant to waive the treatment fees but that was three months ago and we haven't heard anything since." The mare practically sobbed, tears spilling from her eyes.

His heart genuinely breaking at the story and sight before him, Anon quickly kneeled in front of the mare and hugged her close, careful not to hurt her or her filly in the process.

"I'm so sorry... let me fix this," He said, before glancing over to Javelin, "Jav. Need to send a letter." He ordered.

Javelin nodded and magicked a pencil and paper out of his saddlebags. He quickly gave them to Anon, who swiftly scribbled out a message while using Javelin's barrel as a surface to rest the paper on.

"What's your name, miss?" Anon asked, glancing over to the mare.

"J-Jewel Song, your Highness." She replied, a bit of hope filling her voice.

"Thanks." Anon replied, before returning his attention to his note.

Once it was finished, he handed the letter to Javelin, who's horn ignited in a harsh blue light that swiftly turned green. The letter subsequently burst into green flames, before the smoke trail soared off toward Canterlot. The small crowd they'd gathered gasped at the sight before their attention fell on Anon as he stood back up to his full height.

"This might take a second. She's usually doing Day Court right now." He explained.

"You... you mean Princess Celestia?" Jewel asked, her jaw dropping.

Anon nodded, "Yeah, Lulu's asleep and Chryssi is-" He subtly glanced to Tempest, "-running an errand so she's not really in the castle right now."

Before any of them could respond, another wisp of smoke quickly snaked through the air until arriving just in front of Anon. The smoke materialized into a scroll, bearing the royal seal of none other than Princess Celestia. A wave of gasps ran through the crowd as Anon took the scroll and opened it.

"Ah, yep. Figured. She found your file. Apparently it got buried in red tape and bureaucracy. She's been trying to revamp that system forever. Looks like this one pissed her off, too. It should have been approved within a week. Yeah, she's gonna be having a word with the whole department today. Here." Anon noted, removing a separate piece of paper from the scroll.

"W-what's this, your Highness?" Jewel asked, hopefully.

"It's the approved paperwork. Also expedited and stamped with the royal seal. You should be able to go to the hospital right this second and they'll give your daughter treatment right away." Anon explained, handing her the paper.

Indeed, there was a royal seal on the page, with wax and the likeness of the Celestia sun stamped into it. Jewel burst into tears as she clutched the paper close, along with her filly. A chorus of cheers and adoration ran through the crowd while Anon gently patted Jewel's back. He was wholly unrepaired for her to wrap a foreleg around his waist and hug him tightly. He smiled as he returned the hug, and softly held the hoof of little Ginger while she gave him a weak smile.

Soon enough cameras were flashing and the crowd was abuzz with happiness and excitement, and though Jewel practically begged to be allowed to thank him properly, Anon politely declined and ushered her to head to the hospital. With a pep in her step that definitely wasn't there when she first arrived, the little filly's mother trotted off to the nearest hospital, a good chunk of the crowd leaving with her to vouch for her "in case the hospital gave her any trouble".

Anon waved goodbye to the ponies and headed off with his group in tow. The rest of their travel to the other side of town was thankfully, uneventful, and soon enough they found themselves at the carriage stop. A carriage was already provided for them by a welcoming midnight blue thestral, who happily trotted over to meet them.

"Good morning Prince Anon! Welcome to Comet's Carriages! We've got yours all set up and ready to go!" Comet greeted.

"Thanks, bud. Glad you guys could help us out on such short notice." Anon gratefully replied as Dusk, Echo, and Javelin set about loading onto the carriage.

"Think nothing of it, your highness. I'm just thrilled you came to me!" Comet cheerfully responded. Anon smiled and nodded in return, before following Tempest onto their ride.

The carriage the group found themselves in was nearly the size of the train cart they'd rode into the Hayseed Swamp with. There was more than enough room for all of them to sit in different areas, comfortably, and as the draft ponies powering the carriage got them all underway, the group found themselves in their own respective corners. Anon and Javelin sat across from one another, both occupying themselves with a deck of cards that was provided in one of the drawers on the sidewall. Dusk and Echo sat on the opposite end, both taking the opportunity to take a mid-morning nap, while Tempest curiously found herself sitting to Anon's right.

The rows of seats were spacious and comfortable, but there was no couch or booths aside from where Anon and Javelin were seated, meaning that Tempest had only one direction to face: a wall. She glanced out to the side to see lush greenery and open plains as far as the eye could see. A momentary urge hit her like a truck, and she subconsciously found herself nearly rising from her seat as the countryside slowly passed by. Their speed was low, and there was an easy head start for her with the only two real threats to her escape being asleep.

Though, as quickly as it came, it left, and Tempest relaxed back into her seat. She slowly found her gaze being pulled back into Anon's direction. The ocean was behind him, and the sun's light glistened off of the slowly rolling waves off in the distance, framing a perfect picture of serenity. For a long time, Tempest found herself gazing in that direction, her thoughts lingering not on the ocean itself, but rather on the object obscuring just a bit of her view.

"Buck's sake!" Javelin exclaimed, throwing his cards down and snapping her out of her daze.

Tempest blinked as Anon chuckled at the little outburst from his unicorn friend, the realization that the two had been playing cards the entire time, hitting her suddenly.

"That's three in a row for 'ol Anon. You're slipping, Jav." Anon snickered.

"You're just getting lucky. You have to." Javelin groused.

"Three times in a row? Fat chance of that. That's all skill, baby." Anon grinned.

"This game is rigged. I want a rematch." Javelin retorted, crossing his hooves.

Anon shrugged, "Alright. You wanna shuffle this time?"

Javelin shook his head, "I mean later. I've had enough for right now. I'm actually gonna take a nap, I think." He replied.

Anon snorted in amusement, "You, Echo, and Dusk. What's with you guys?"

Javelin shrugged, "Didn't sleep so good last night... or the night before... or before that." He admitted.

Anon playfully rolled his eyes, "Alright, go take a nap then, you big baby. It's gonna be a long ride before we get to Tampa Neigh so there's a few hours' worth of naps you guys can get in." He replied.

With a grateful nod, javelin hopped out of his seat and made his way over toward where Dusk and Echo were sitting. He glanced over at Tempest as he walked, a cold glare in his eyes as he did so. While she did certainly notice the look he gave her, Tempest said nothing, electing to instead focus her attention on the now solitary Anon as he shuffled the cards in his hands.

Seemingly sensing her gaze, Anon glanced over at her and gave a surprisingly inviting smile, "Wanna play? I'm kinda bored and all my friends have abandoned me." He joked.

Despite herself, Tempest couldn't help the tiny snort of amusement that escaped her. Quickly casting a glance over to the three stallions as they all laid on their respective benches to rest, she shrugged and got out of her seat. She made her way over to Anon and sat across from him, receiving a small 'whoop' of excitement from Anon.

"Alright, you ever played BlackJack before?" Anon asked, continuing to shuffle the deck of cards.

Tempest nodded, "More than a few times. It's how I got my first airship." She replied.

Anon's brows rose intrigue, "Wow. Damn, that's some high stakes BlackJack you were playing. Where was this at?" He inquired, as he divvied up the cards between them.

"In the Badlands; Kludgetown, specifically. There's plenty of creatures that will bet almost anything out there. I had to work my way up from scraps I found in the streets." Tempest explained, taking her cards.

"Well, that's still pretty impressive. You must be pretty good if you managed to win an airship." Anon acknowledged, checking his own cards.

"Oh, I cheated to win that one." Tempest nonchalantly replied as she inspected her own cards. The Ace of spades and the nine of diamonds, respectively.

Anon owlishly blinked at her for a moment, "Huh... didn't really take you for the cheating type, but from what I've heard about the Badlands... probably not too surprising." He admitted.

Tempest softly chuckled, "Oh, every creature there was cheating. The house, especially. I was just better at getting away with it. They didn't find out I was cheating until they counted all the cards up and by then, I was already gone," She explained, before tapping her cards, "Hit."

Anon nodded and drew another card from the deck, pacing it face up beside her cards, "Ace of diamonds. You've got a nine of diamonds there so... you've got quite a few options, depending on what your last card is," He observed, before meeting her eyes once more, "I'm not surprised, but I am impressed. Getting away with swindling the swindlers? Tough to do."

Tempest nodded, "Stay."

Anon flipped his cards over and she did the same. While Tempest had two Aces and a nine, Anon had a ten and Jack.

"Ooh, not bad." Anon acknowledged.

"Looks like I win." Tempest replied, smugly.

"Round two then." Anon responded, divvying out more cards.

This time, Tempest had a five of hearts and a seven of diamonds. She furrowed her brow slightly before tapping the table between them. Anon, knowing that signal well, dished out another card to her.

Nine of clubs Tempest observed the card with a small amount of smugness in her eyes.

"Stay." She announced, her victory all but assured.

Anon nodded and flipped his cards, prompting her to do the same. Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she saw that he had a ten of hearts and an Ace of hearts. She glanced up at Anon as he smirked over the second draw in a row.

"Looks like it won't be so easy for you to win this time, will it?" Anon chuckled.

Tempest's jaw set in determination as she pushed her used cards to the pile on the side, "Alright, let's see what you've got, your Highness."

Anon was pleasantly shocked that for the first time, there was no sneer on her face or sarcasm in her voice as she used his title. Though he felt his own competitive spirt longing to be unleashed, there was something mystifying about the mare before him and how she absolutely committed herself to winning once she was determined. It was something he found an instant respect for, and as he divvied out the cards again, he found a smile worming its way onto his face.

Time passed like a blur for the majority of the carriage ride, with hand after hand of Blackjack, then poker, and even a few attempts at Gin, though that game was new to ponies and required a bit of teaching on Anon's part. All the same, as the hours passed by, he found himself enjoying the company across from him more and more.

Eventually, the card games grew stale and they found themselves sitting silently and enjoying the view as the ocean passed them by. It was a beautiful sight, the ocean blue stretching as far out as the eye could see. Anon found himself sighing wistfully as the prospect of spending some serious time on the ocean was soon to come to fruition. However, before he could lose himself in his musing too much, Tempest suddenly spoke up, much to his surprise.

"It was a good thing, what you did back there." She noted, seemingly out of nowhere.

Anon glanced back over to the mare sitting across from him, finding a slightly pensive look on her face as she too stared out at the ocean, her turquoise eyes trained on the distant horizon.

"What?" Anon asked, curiously.

"What you did, for that little filly. That was... it was a good thing to do." Tempest replied, only glancing over to him but not turning her head.

Anon shrugged, "Ah, well it's what anyone would've done. You can't let a little kid go without care. That'd just be cruel." He dismissively replied.

Tempest finally turned her head to look at him straight on, "No, it wasn't. Even by Equestrian standards, that was beyond kind. Most other places are... well, let's just say that if some random mare came up and begged for help from the king or queen in public like that, her daughter being sick would become the least of her worries."

Anon tilted his head to the side, "It can't all be that bad, can it? There's gotta be some other nations that'd take care of their citizens if they came to them for help like that." He reasoned.

Tempest sighed and looked back out over the ocean, "Compassion is a uniquely Equestrian trait. Everywhere else in the world is cut-throat. Kill or be killed. It's one of the reasons Equestria has always kept outsiders out. Soft, cute, little ponies don't mix well with nine hoof tall reptile monsters that have no compunctions against eating a sapient creature." She bitterly replied, crossing her forelegs.

Anon pursed his lips as his gaze fell slightly, "Well... I can't say I'm too surprised to hear that. Still, we do have allies in foreign nations that aren't that bad. In fact, I'd say we've gone a long way to essentially turning our neighbors into much nicer people...er, creatures, I guess." He offered.

Tempest shook her head, "You really have no idea what you're getting yourself into, do you?"

Anon quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"The lands outside of Equestria are dangerous. Take it from somepony who's lived out there for twenty years. This is a mission you should've sent a lot of ponies on, with a lot more arms and armor, and especially without you tagging along." Tempest explained.

Anon's brow furrowed, "What's that supposed to mean? Why shouldn't I have come along?"

"Because you're... look, just trust me on this. You want me to take you to the elixir, fine. Just try not to die along the way, because if you die, I'm gone. None of those three are going to be able to stop me." Tempest replied.

Anon held her gaze for a few moments before leaning back in his chair slightly and tapping his fingers on the table between them, "You know, you still haven't even told me where this elixir is."

"You want me to tell you where it is? Sorry, your Highness, but information doesn't come for free and this is the type of info that doesn't even help you unless you know already know the area." Tempest scoffed.

Anon nodded, "So if you were to tell us where this is, we still wouldn't be able to find it anyway?" He surmised.

"Bingo." Tempest nodded.

Anon held her gaze for another moment before snorting and shaking his head, "You're a very shrewd mare, you know that?"

"Years of practice." Tempest leaned back in her seat as well.

"So there's no chance you'd just tell us? Even if I granted you your freedom right afterwards?" Anon asked.

Tempest shrugged, "Doubt you'd grant that. Besides, you need me to guide you through the terrain once we get there. You'd all die without me." She replied.

"And I'm meant to believe that just because you say so?" Anon raised an eyebrow.

"What choice do you have? Tempest smirked.

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth for a moment before a single chuckle escaped him, "You and Chryssi would definitely get along real well if you got to know each other. I know that for sure, now."

"I'm not so sure about that but if you say so." Tempest replied, flatly.

Anon let out a small sigh, "Well, either way, I am glad that you're not making this purposefully more difficult for us."

"Just as long as you keep up your end of the deal, Prince Anon... just as long as you keep up your end of the deal..." Tempest replied, quietly.

Anon nodded, "Right, right. We'll get you your horn back, don't you worry. Trust me, I know how it feels to lose a part of yourself." He responded, holding up his mechanical arm and clenching his fist.

Tempest gazed at the contraption for a few moments before casting her gaze back to the ocean. Seeing as conversation was dying between them, and hearing the sounds of both thestrals waking up behind him, Anon shuffled out of his seat. Tempest glanced over to him, her head still facing the horizon, but her eyes lingering as he got to his feet.

"I'm gonna go check on the boys. It was good talking to you, Tempest." Anon offered.

"You weren't bad company, yourself." Tempest replied.

Anon turned to leave, but just as he did, Tempest's voice made him pause.

"-and... thanks, by the way." She said, surprisingly timidly.

"For what?" Anon asked, tilting his head.

"For... standing up for me last night. No one's ever done that before." Tempest explained, her head refusing to turn toward Anon.

A soft smile split his lips as Anon held her sidelong gaze, "You're welcome... you know, I think the mohawk looks really good on you." He complimented, before turning away.

Tempest stared after him for a few moments, a slight rosy tint on her cheeks, before looking back over the ocean.

Author's Note

Aww, they're getting along! So hopefully Anon doesn't come across as too "mary Sue-y" in this chapter. I wanted to really convey that he's a genuinely good person and kinda let Tempest see that for herself in real time. Helps with the strange feelings in her chest she keeps getting when she talks with him...