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>Humming a tune, Sweetie Belle laid a trio of capes on top of her desk, levitating a pair of needles on either side.
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>”To get a cutie mark is a really special thing,” she softly sang, placing a shield emblem with a pony embroidered in the center near a corner, “it shows your special talent, obligations it will bring.”
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>Lifting a roll of thread, she unwound it and threaded it through the needle’s eye.
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>”And if I-”
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>”Sweetie Belle.”
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>”Coming,” she shouted, running from her work and bursting through the bedroom door, only to tumble down the stairs.
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>Landing head first, her eyes swirled as she felt herself being picked up.
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>”Sweetie, you mustn’t run in the house, you’ll hurt yourself or ruin one of my dresses.”
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>”Sorry,” Sweetie apologized, “what’d you need me for?”
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>”Oh, nothing at all. I just needed you to know that I’ll be having a special guest over and I’d like you to stay in your room.”
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>”Is Anon coming over?”
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>Sighing, Rarity swiftly swept the floor with a broom.
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>”If you must know, yes.”
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>”Can I help? Please?”
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>’I’m gonna have to use the big guns, huh?’ Sweetie thought as Rarity glared at her.
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>With a quivering lip, she forced a tear from her eye, “I just wanna help you big sister.”
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>Groaning, Rarity pawed at the ground with a hoof as she stared at the ceiling.
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>”Fine, but you’ll do as I say, understood?”
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>”You got it,” she shouted, standing at attention and giving her a brief salute.
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>”Good.”
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>Seconds later, the shop door’s bell chimed as the door swung open revealing a lanky figure wrapped in a thin blanket.
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>As it bowed its head and stepped inside, the floor whined, and when it opened its mouth, it spoke with a croak.
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>”Morning Rarity.”
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>”Why good morning, Anon!”
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>Straightening himself out, he sniffled and tightened the blanket around his shoulders.
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>”Are you sick mister?”
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>”Sweetie,” Rarity growled through clenched teeth, “that’s very impolite.”
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>”It’s fine,” he said, waving her off, “tell the truth, it could be worse. I’d rather run a slight fever instead of not running at all.”
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>”Then why are you wearing a blanket?”
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>”Well it’s kinda cold outside,” he answered, scratching the back of his head.
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>”Really? I thought it was perfect.”
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>”Sweetie, Anon here doesn’t have fur like us,” Rarity chided as she approached him, “I deeply apologize for my sister’s behavior, darling.”
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>”Nah, she’s good. If she were acting like my niece and nephews, whew,” he smirked, “then we’d have a problem.”
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>”Wait, there’s more of you?” Sweetie asked, her voice cracking in surprise, “Where are they?”
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>Wincing, his vision dropped to the floor as he shuffled from side to side, the air gradually pressing harder on her barrel.
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>”I’m not sure.”
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>”Oh...”
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>”Well, darling,” Rarity piped up, nudging his waist towards the curtains, “lets get you measured now, hmm?”
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>”You’re the boss.”
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>Following in their wake, Sweetie dragged her hooves along the floor with a pout and sat in a corner behind the curtains.
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>”Wonderful. Now please remove the blanket if you may.”
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>When the blanket flew to the floor, her mouth opened wide in shock.
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>”You really weren’t lying when you said he didn’t have fur!”
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>As Rarity’s face burned to a fiery red, he laughed and rustled Sweetie’s mane.
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>”Yeah, that’s why I need clothes!”
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>”Um, excuse me darling,” Rarity interrupted, prodding at his underwear, “but what is it you’re wearing?”
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>”That? That’s underwear.”
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>”And for what purpose is this ‘underwear?’”
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>”It’s for, uh,” he weakly laughed with a half-smile, glancing back and forth between her and Sweetie, “it’s just something we wear.”
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>”But why do you wear it?”
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>”That’s kinda personal there, Sweetie.”
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>”I was just asking-”
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>”Sweetie Belle, if he’s uncomfortable with answering, then he doesn’t have to answer.”
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>”Sorry,” Sweetie mewled.
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>”Don’t worry about it.”
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>Reaching out, he scratched the area behind her ear, eliciting a hum as she closed her eyes.
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>”Shall we begin?”
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>”Sure.”
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>”Excellent, just let me do all the work.”
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>Standing up straight, he let his limbs go limp as Rarity extended his arms and flung the measuring tape against them with precision.
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>”Mister Anon, where do you come from?”
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>Before he could answer, Rarity let out a groan, dropped the tape to the floor and slapped a hoof over her eyes.
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>”Sweetie, if you can’t behave, then you’ll have to go to your room.”
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>”But I was just-”
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>”Leave,” she demanded, pointing her hoof to the stairwell.
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>Sniffling and sulking, Sweetie crawled along the floor through the curtains and towards the stairs with tears in her eyes.
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>”I don’t mind her asking.”
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>”Really?”
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>Darting back, she beamed up towards him as she sat before him.
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>”Are you sure, if she’s bothering you-”
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>”I’m sure.”
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>Clearing his throat, he grinned at the small filly as Rarity wrapped the tape around his torso.
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>”I came from a place very different than this one.”
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>”How different?”
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>”As I said, very. We had buildings called skyscrapers which could reach up to twenty stories tall.”
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>”Hey, that’s like Manehatten!”
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>Raising an eyebrow, he glanced towards Rarity and received a nod.
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>”Wow, didn’t know you ponies had that. What about cars and planes?”
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>Sweetie cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at him.
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>”What’s that?”
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>Tapping his thigh, he thought a spell until his pursued lips relaxed.
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>”Hmm, well if you couldn’t tell, I can’t fly, and neither can anyone else like me. What we did to fix that was by building these machines that we’d sit in that could lift us up in the sky.”
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>As she nodded along and listened to him speak, his stomach loudly growled, getting the attention of both her and Rarity.
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>”Aha, guess I’m hungry.”
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>”Do you want anything to eat, darling?”
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>”It’s alright, I can wait until you’re finished.”
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>Humming in response, Rarity gracefully glided the tape along his skin, stopping for a moment before sliding it away to the next place.
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>Setting the tape aside, she quickly scrawled a series of numbers on a nearby notepad.
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>”And there we are,” she cooed, “are you okay with Sugarcube Corner?”
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>”Sure,” he said, snatching the blanket from the ground and wrapping it back around himself, “lead the way.”
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>”Mister Anon, what do you eat?”
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>Stopping mid-trot, Rarity twisted her head and stared at Sweetie in horror with a gaping mouth.
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>”I don’t eat hay if that’s what you’re asking.”
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>”Why not?”
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>”That’s just something I can’t eat.”
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>”Yeah right, and I’m sure you eat meat, don’t you?”
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>Blinking towards Sweetie, he paused to think of what to say and opened his mouth, revealing his white, pointy canines.
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>”Aah, he’s gonna eat me!”
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>Bolting out of the room, she rushed upstairs tripping over herself and sliding down a couple steps.
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>”He isn’t going to eat you.”
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>Scrambling up the steps, she ran towards her room and slammed herself against the door.
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>Panting, she picked herself up and turned around to see Anon and Rarity approaching from the staircase.
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>Harshly sucking in air, she cantered to the side of her door and kicked it closed, quickly locking it afterwards.
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>Sliding under her bed and watching the door, she felt her lungs burn until she forced out her breath, relearning to breathe.
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>”Sweetie, open your door this instant!”
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>”No, he’ll eat me!”
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>”I’m not gonna eat you.”
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>”And why should I believe you?”
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>Silence permeated the room, leaving only the sound of her heavy puffs of air, and as she focused her attention at the door, she heard soft noises emanating past it.
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>Leaving her hiding place, she approached the door and gingerly placed her ear against the cool wood.
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>”-eeply, deeply apologize about this. I never thought she’d act like this, and it’ll be a miracle to get her out.”
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>”I’ve dealt with this before and I can get her out, all I need is a butter knife.”
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>”A butter knife!” she screamed, frantically slithering away and pacing back and forth in her room, sweat beading down her face.
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>’What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?’
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>As she heard her doorknob jiggling, her eyes landed on her window.
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>Jumping up on her desk, she flung her window open just as her door loudly creaked behind her.
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>”You’re not gonna eat me.”
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>”Sweetie don’t!”
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>Bounding out of the window, her withers collided with the boutique’s railing, sending her spinning towards the ground.
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>Landing with a poof of dirt, she rolled over and ran throughout the town’s streets.
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>”He’s gonna eat me! Help!” she whined in terror.
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>Glancing behind her, she saw him running towards her, blanket wrapped around his waist, with Rarity hooked beneath his arm as she knocked into something hard.
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>”Sugarcube, what in the world are ya doin?”
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>”Help me, Applejack!”
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>Hiding behind her stall, Sweetie’s body quivered while occasionally letting out a soft whimper.
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>”What in the hay is goin on?”
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>”H-He’s gonna eat m-me.”
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>”Sweetie Belle, I’m not gonna eat you.”
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>”Ah!”
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>A hand reached underneath the stall, gripping her by the scruff of her neck.
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>Shrieking, her body was gently pulled along the ground and lifted into the air to be face to face with the monster himself.
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>”Let me down, let me down!”
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>”Sweetie.”
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>”Let go!”
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>Kicking her hooves, she wildly flailed in the air when she felt his tendrils graze her stomach.
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>”No, no-aha-no! S-Stop, please,” she wheezed, struggling against his tickle frenzy.
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>”Not until you apologize.”
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>”Aah, I’m sorry,” she squeaked out, giggling madly.
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>”Thank you.”
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>Released from her torment, she felt herself being lowered to the ground.
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>”Anon, mind explaining to me why Sweetie here thought ya were gonna eat her?”
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>”I dunno,” he shrugged, “but I’m guessing she saw these.”
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>Raising his upper lip, he revealed his canines for all of Ponyville to see.
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>As a collection of gasps invaded the town’s square, Applejack sighed and climbed atop her stall.
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>”Listen up everypony. Anon ain’t no foal eater,” she announced, pointing a hoof in his direction, “and there ain’t nothing to be worried ‘bout. He just eats fish, got it?”
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>A wave of nods followed suit, and as she hopped off her makeshift platform, the hustle and bustle of the market square returned in full swing.
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>”Didn’t I tell you ta be careful ‘bout what ya say and do sugarcube?”
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>Pinching the bridge of his nose, he groaned.
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>”Ah dammit, sorry about that.”
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>”Yer fine,” she whistled, returning to her station, “just don’t make it a habit.”
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>”Yes ma’am,” he said, a thunderous roar seeping out from his stomach.
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>”Shoot, seems like yer a hankering fer something filling,” she grinned, pushing an apple towards him, “on the house.”
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>”I can’t.”
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>”I don’t mind.”
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>”But I don’t have any bits.”
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>”Don’t sweat it, Anon.”
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>”I shouldn’t.”
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>”Don’t test me, Anon.”
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>”Why not just have him work for it?”
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>Together, the two stared at Sweetie Belle in shock.
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>”Depends,” Applejack thought, adjusting her hat, “if he can buck apples or haul ‘em back to the barn, then I reckon it’d work out fine. Whatcha think?”
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>”Works for me if it works for you.”
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>”Great, ya can start when ya feel better,” spitting on her hoof, she held it towards him for a slimy shake of solidarity, “deal?”
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>Rarity shivered as he spat in his hand, mixed their saliva together and pulled away from each other, a thick strand of spit connecting them until it split and hung to the ground.
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>”Deal.”
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>”That’s wonderful and everything,” she interjected, “but we really must be going.”
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>”Before ya go, ya wanna leave Sweetie here ‘stead of me picking her up tonight?”
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>”Why would I do that, darling?”
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>”Din’t ya have a large order of dresses that needed done tomorrow?”
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>Rarity’s right eye began to slowly twitch, and as Applejack gave her a look of pity, she screeched, rushing back to her boutique.
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>”Is she gonna be alright?”
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>”She’s always like this, it’s nothing unusual.”
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>”Really?”
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>”Yep.”
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>Another rumble shook Sweetie’s attention back to Anon.
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>”I guess I’ll be heading back home then.”
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>Untying his blanket, he unfolded and wrapped it around his shoulders.
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>”See ya ‘round, Anon.”
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>”See you soon.”
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>Sweetie gazed at him leaving before gasping.
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>”Bye Anon!” she belted out, waving towards him.
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>”Have a good one, Sweetie,” he hollered back, returning her wave.
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>Smiling, she settled down on the ground beside the stand watching as the daylight passed by.
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***********************************************************************************
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>”That’s it?”
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>”Yeah.”
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>Plopping back on the bed, Scootaloo whistled at Sweetie’s explanation.
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>”So he’s coming here ta work for mah sister?” Apple Bloom questioned.
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>”Yep, which means you can do some recon!” Sweetie gleefully stated, grinning at her.
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>Standing up from the ground, she trotted towards the window and looked aimlessly at the night sky, her vision jumping from star-to-star when she spotted a glittering magnifying glass.
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>Turning back, she could feel her chest swelling at the possibility.
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>”I’ll see what I can do.”
by BlitheAnon
by BlitheAnon
by BlitheAnon
by BlitheAnon
by BlitheAnon