[RGRE] Anon is Deathly Afraid of Anthros


                                            Original Poster: Love and Powerlifting (http://ponepaste.org/user/lapsbin)

                                            Reason this is posted here is because LaP regularly doesn't bin things. Will be removed upon or shortly thereafter being posted on his bin. Maybe.


                                            Part 1

                                            >Be Anon

                                            >After a drunken night with friends you had thought that it would be a good idea to pick a fight with someone

                                            >So you did

                                            >Unfortunately that someone was a eighteen wheeler driving down a highway going at least eighty

                                            >How you managed to get onto a highway without anyone stopping you, you had no idea

                                            >What you did know was that everything had gone black when you went for a left handed jab on the grill

                                            >When you did wake up you were in the middle of a field, with a mountain range as a backdrop

                                            >It was so pristine and pretty it looked like something out of the Sound of Music

                                            >Eventually someone found you just sitting there, gawking at the landscape confused as to where you were

                                            >Her name was Rainbow Dash

                                            >She said she was a pony, but she wasn't any pony that you had ever seen before

                                            >She was a weird, alien creature

                                            >Bipedal, with hooves for feet and a blue coat

                                            >And wings

                                            >Big ones

                                            >Big horsey ears too

                                            >She was also pretty small

                                            >You had found yourself in Equestria

                                            >A land full of magic, friendship, and weird aliens that liked to sing spontaneously in groups

                                            >You had never been the most outgoing of people, but even so you weren't a shut in either

                                            >You had friends, you went out and did things every once in awhile

                                            >You'd even managed to talk a girl or two into smooching you

                                            >After a month or so in their strange new world, around these strange new creatures, you found your psyche starting to crack

                                            >It wouldn't have been as bad you think if they had been just colorful, cute talking horses, but they were just close enough to human to freak you out

                                            >When one of them came near you, your stomach would start to tighten up

                                            >Any type of touching began to freak you the fuck out, which was a problem since these ponies seemed all into touchy-feely shit

                                            >The girls--mares they were called here-- were especially aggressive when it came to this, so much so that it seemed like some of them had absolutely no sense of personal space

                                            >Crowds of any kind were a no-go

                                            >It started getting harder and harder to leave the room you had been given by the local princess

                                            >You started losing sleep, lost appetite

                                            >Talking to anyone got hard, and even looking into one of these ponies' eyes had you shaking and tense

                                            >It didn't matter if they were girls or boys, if they were big or small; they all freaked you out all the same

                                            >Once, a mare named Pinkie Pie leapt out of a flower pot and hugged you, sending you to the hospital what the princess feared was a stroke

                                            >After that, you stayed in your room, wrapped up in blankets, so stressed that you had started losing the hair on your head

                                            >The princess's dragon slave left food in front of your food

                                            >Lately, when you went to get it there was a strange purple hue to any silverware you got

                                            >Probably some sort of magic to keep you from hurting yourself with them

                                            >While you knew that the princess was just probably really worried, that did nothing to make you feel less shitty about it

                                            >These aliens hadn't hurt you

                                            >In fact, they had been nothing but caring and helpful

                                            >You were also so much bigger than them

                                            >There was no need to be freaked out

                                            >No need to be so scared of them that just hearing their hoofsteps outside of your door made you tense

                                            >Everything was fine

                                            >No matter how much you told yourself that however, you just couldn't seem to calm down

                                            >It was only in the calm stillness of this room did you feel somewhat okay, and even then the isolating was beginning to get to you

                                            >Shit fucking SUCKED, and you had no idea how to even begin fixing it

                                            >Your head tilted up as you heard the telltale sound of hooves clip clopping against the crystal floor outside

                                            >Huddling in the blankets wrapped around your body, you waited for the sound to subside, dread building

                                            >It was then the worst possible thing happened

                                            >There was a knock on the door

                                            >They were light taps, but to you it may as well have been a batter ram trying to knock that sucker down

                                            >"Anon?" Twilight's voice called. "Are you okay in there?"

                                            >You shrunk into your blanket

                                            >It took longer than you'd care to admit to work up the courage to speak

                                            "Yes," you croaked out, voice hoarse from disuse

                                            >"If you're feeling up for it, would it be okay if you met someone?" the princess asked. "It doesn't need to be for long. Just for a few minutes."

                                            >You wanted to say no

                                            >More than anything you wanted to say that

                                            >Staring at the door, heart pounding in your chest, you thought about what to do

                                            >Telling her no would be easy

                                            >You had done it a lot the past few days, but after so long you were starting to hear the desperation in her voice

                                            >She was nervous, maybe even scared for you, which really made you feel like a piece of shit

                                            >This mare had taken you in, she made sure you were fed and looked after, and where you were letting her down

                                            >That thought, and the desire to speak and see someone after all this time, even for a minute, and even if they'd freak you out, finally made you relent

                                            "T-That's fine," you called

                                            >"Are you sure, sweetie?" Twilight responded

                                            >Again, the overwhelming desire to say no filled you, but you beat it down

                                            "Yes, I'm sure."

                                            >You tried to sit up in the bed and poke your head out of the blankets

                                            >That was a bad idea; it made you feel exposed, threatened

                                            >Quickly, before you had a full blown panic attack, you once again cocooned yourself up

                                            >Just in time too, since the door opened a crack

                                            >There was a bark, and something small and furry darted into your room

                                            >It was a puppy

                                            >A little golden lab by the look of him, wearing a red bandana

                                            >The dog bounded into the room with a happy bark, and began sniffing everything, tail wagging

                                            >The little guy looked like he had just come back from getting a hair cut

                                            >You lifted your head out of your cocoon a bit to watch him

                                            >The movement made the puppy look over at you

                                            >Sniffing the air, he let out a bark, walking a few steps toward you before laying down onto the floor, nose pointed in your direction, his butt wiggling from side to side

                                            >Despite yourself, a small smile came to your face just watching the little guy

                                            "Hey, fella. How you doing?" you asked

                                            >The puppy leapt to his paws

                                            >He began running around excitedly, barking the whole while

                                            >Little by little, you pulled away from your cocoon, pushing the blankets away so you could sit at the edge of the bed

                                            >The puppy, seeing this, immediately bounded over toward you

                                            >Your legs were sniffed and licked

                                            >He then used your legs as support to prop his front legs up, though he was so little that his nose didn't couldn't reach your lap

                                            >You chuckled, reaching down to pet him

                                            "Who's a cute little guy? You are. Yes you are," you said

                                            >The puppy leaned into your touch, letting out a happy whine before licking your hand

                                            >Without thinking, you reached down to pick him up, setting him into your lap, laughing as he began licking and sniffing your shirt

                                            >"Um, Anon?" a voice called. "It's Fluttershy. Is it okay if I come in for a few minutes?"

                                            >You looked away from the puppy toward the door, seeing a yellow pegasus poking her head partially into the room

                                            >You'd met her when Twilight had started introducing you to ponies around town before you couldn't handle that anymore

                                            >A very quiet girl from what you remembered of her

                                            >She seemed awfully nervous, staring at you

                                            >Usually, seeing a pony just looking at you like that would have made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end

                                            >And, honestly, you felt anxious under that stare, but the happy pup in your lap quickly drew your attention away

                                            "That's fine," you quietly told her, petting the puppy with both hands

                                            >He let out a bark, rolling onto his back to let you scratch his belly

                                            >You tried to keep looking at the dog, but you couldn't take your eyes off Fluttershy as she slowly opened the door just enough to slip through

                                            >"Would you like me to keep the door opened or closed?" she asked

                                            >The thought of that door being kept opened, even a little, made your gut twist

                                            "Closed please."

                                            >Nodding, Fluttershy did as you asked, closing the door behind her with a click

                                            >It took a lot of effort not to go for your blankets

                                            >The puppy must have felt you freaking out, since he jumped up to try to lick your face

                                            >You held him close as the mare started walking toward you

                                            >She was slow, keeping her tail tucked close to her legs

                                            >Every movement was cautious, and she wasn't trying to look you in the eye, which you really appreciated

                                            >With the pup in your lap, you felt better than you had in weeks being this close to a pony

                                            >You were only shaking a little bit as she stopped a few steps away from you, slowly sitting onto the ground

                                            >The puppy looked at her, letting out a bark, tail still wagging like crazy

                                            >"Sebastian isn't bothering you too much, is he?" she asked. "If you'd like, I can ask him to calm down a little."

                                            "He's fine," you said, just barely having to force the words out. "He's just a pup. He's supposed to be excited like this."

                                            >Sebastian let out a bark, as if he were agreeing with you, trying again to lick your face. "Did you bring him along with you?"

                                            >"I did," Fluttershy said with a nod. "I thought he'd help you..."

                                            >She made a vague hand gesture

                                            >You winced a bit, scratching the pup behind his ears, trying to ignore your pounding heart

                                            >You tried to force some more words to continue the conversation, only to find yourself at your limit

                                            >It felt rude to let it fall by the wayside like that, but the yellow mare didn't seem to mind as she gave you a small smile

                                            >"Sebastian just got a haircut this morning," she continued. "His winter coat is already starting to grow in, and with this heat the poor dear was miserable."

                                            >The pup let out a softer bark

                                            >He was now resting in the crook of your arm, no longer wiggling and bouncing as much

                                            >Poor little guy looked pretty tuckered out

                                            >It looked like a long day was winning out over his excitement

                                            >You tore your gaze from Fluttershy to look down at him, smiling

                                            "Hey bud, it looks like you need to get home to get some shuteye," you said, rubbing his back

                                            >It took a bit, but the pooch eventually did get up

                                            >You helped him off the bed, giving his butt a pat

                                            >He licked your leg one last time before making his way over to Fluttershy

                                            >Your stomach started to tighten again, and you found yourself reaching for your blankets

                                            >Fluttershy smiled at the puppy, booping his nose with her own before looking at your pale, shaking self

                                            >"Thank you for letting me see you, Anon," she whispered

                                            >You could only nod

                                            >"If its alright, I'd like to come again. Not tomorrow, but another day. I'd be happy to bring this little guy as well if that's okay with you."

                                            >You were proud of yourself

                                            >It was just a few minutes

                                            >Maybe five before you tapped out

                                            >Pretty awful honestly, but it was something

                                            >A small step

                                            >But a step

                                            >Huddled under your blankets yet again, you nodded at the mare

                                            >You were Anon, and today you felt...

                                            >Hopeful


                                            Part 2

                                            >Anon stared into the face of a less than pleased bunny rabbit

                                            >It was a tiny thing; snowy white, with a set of beady black eyes

                                            >Angel was his name

                                            >Infamous throughout Ponyville as being the nastiest piece of work next to Triek

                                            >The bunny had his paws crossed, and was staring at him with a frown

                                            >Anon had never seen a bunny frown, nor had he seen one that scrunched its face up like Angel was currently doing, but from what he was able to gather the animals were a lot smarter here

                                            >Noticeably so, as even the birds seemed to understand when one spoke with them

                                            >In the background, the human could hear Sebastian barking and playfully growling, no doubt playing with some of the other animals that lived in and around the Whitetail Forest

                                            >He wanted to go and play with the pup himself, both happy and terribly anxious to be out of the castle, but first introductions needed to be done with this particular rabbit

                                            >Squatting down, he extended a hand very slowly

                                            >Angel's eyes narrowed, but the bunny made no move toward him

                                            >Which was good, as he was known to bite without warning

                                            "Good morning, sir," Anon began. "My name is Anon. Fluttershy sent me here for a little while to play with the critters. It's very nice to meet you."

                                            >Angel looked into his face, then at the extended hand

                                            >Though he still looked less than pleased, he extended his own little paw and took one of Anon's fingers to shake

                                            >So far so good, but that didn't mean he was out of the woods yet

                                            "Fluttershy also said that there were some things that needed to be done around here," Anon continued. "If you'd like me to do anything before I get to the animals I'd be happy to help."

                                            >Angel's bunny ears perked up

                                            >He nodded, gesturing for Anon to follow him before hopping away

                                            >Anon quickly rose to his feet to walk after the bunny, taking in the sights

                                            >The little cottage on the hill was as picturesque as one could imagine

                                            >Then there were the animals

                                            >Squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, dogs, cats, and bigger things like deer and bears

                                            >Anon also swore he saw a tiger snoozing under a tree

                                            >The animals didn't seem too bothered by him as he passed

                                            >Some even walked over to sniff him, though a quick glare from Angel sent even a black bear scurrying away

                                            >Up above, the human could hear birds chirping and singing

                                            >A blue jay flew right over his head, followed by what looked like a hummingbird

                                            >Anxiety fell away, replaced with an inner peace he hadn't felt since that truck had sent him into this world

                                            >Angel led him to a small shed, old but well taken care of

                                            >The bunny tapped the door with a foot, then looked up at him expectantly

                                            >When the human just stared at him the rabbit sighed and pointed at the door handle, making an opening movement with his paws

                                            "Ah, I gotcha," Anon said, reaching for the handle. "Please watch yourself, sir. Don't wanna hit you."

                                            >Angel hopped out of the way, allowing him to open the door

                                            >In the shed were a variety of tools, a wheel barrow, and bags upon bags of animal feed

                                            >Angel made his way over to these bags, jumping onto one and pointing down at it

                                            >Anon saluted

                                            >"Yes sir. Right away sir."


                                            ~_~_~_~_~_~


                                            >Twilight watched her ward pick up an eighty pound bag of animal feed like it was made of clouds, slinging it over his shoulder

                                            >There was no fear on his face, no anxiety, he was not shaking or on the verge of a breakdown

                                            >He looked content; happy even

                                            >The alicorn chewed on her bottom lip as she watched him following Angel Bunny

                                            >Beside her, also watching, was Fluttershy

                                            >Behind both of them was nurse Redheart, who was also watching from the scrying glass

                                            >It had been Redheart's idea to leave the giant alone at Fluttershy's cottage

                                            >The nurse had, once upon a time, been a soldier in Celestia's army

                                            >She had seen what Anon was currently going through many times

                                            >She called it Shell Shock

                                            >Twilight called it her personal failure

                                            >The stallion had come to her, alone and afraid, and that fear had festered out of control under her watch

                                            >If she had done something differently, said something to him, taken him somewhere, had done something differently, maybe they could have been there with him playing with the animals and not sitting in her castle because if they were watching within fifty feet of him he might have a panic attack

                                            >As a princess, sworn to protect her people, and a mare that hated seeing a stallion under such duress, it made her stomach turn

                                            >Anon wasn't a bad stallion

                                            >He was very large, yes, and most certainly not a pony, but he wasn't bad

                                            >Those few days before he had been completely overwhelmed he seemed a completely nice and polite stallion

                                            >A colt that should have fit perfectly in Ponyville

                                            >He didn't deserve what he was going through

                                            >Didn't deserve being as afraid as he was

                                            >Twilight bit her lip harder in frustration, tasting blood

                                            >A quick spell healed the self-inflicted wound

                                            >Fluttershy hadn't seemed to notice, staring at the human with a small smile on her face

                                            >A quick glance back at Redheart, and the knowing glance the earth pony was giving her, told a different story however

                                            >"Don't blame yourself," she said, placing a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "That isn't your fault."

                                            "But--" Twilight began.

                                            >"It isn't your fault," Redheart repeated firmly. "You didn't bring that colt here, and you can't tell how anypony will react to such a thing, much less a stallion."

                                            >Twilight opened her mouth to argue, though it just came out as a sigh

                                            "I just wish I could help him," she said, shoulders slumping. "Show him that there's nothing to be afraid of."

                                            >Fluttershy turned toward her

                                            >"You're doing the best you can, Twilight," she said kindly. "And Anon will get better. We all just need to be patient with him."

                                            >"He should get used to us eventually," Redheart said. "The worst thing to do is let him hide in his room all by himself. A colt needs to get out and socialize. Having him out there with the critters is the best thing for him right now."

                                            >"It's animals for now, but maybe soon we can be around him like I was the other day," Fluttershy added. "He might never to fully comfortable with lots of ponies around him, but there's not really anything wrong with that. I mean, I'm shy and look at me."

                                            >Twilight nodded, turning her attention back toward the human

                                            >He had a group of animals all around him now, trying to get at the feed bag on slung over his shoulder

                                            >There was a great big smile on his face

                                            >It was a lovely smile

                                            >She hoped that she would be seeing it much more often very, very soon