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Can I stay in your house? [Finished]

By ItsAMarehouse
Created: 2022-06-10 21:21:16
Updated: 2022-07-22 07:02:22
Expiry: Never
twilight sparklestarlight glimmersafeanonymousdramasunbursti very much love metalcan't you tell?bugbutttwo endings

  1. The Prompt
  2.  
  3. >I can move in with you right anon? I don't have anywhere else to go and its not like you'd let a defenseless mare starve out here right? Of course you wouldn't, you're a much better man than that. So what kind of food do you have in there anyways? Cakes? Hay? Oooo maybe some nice cinnamon rolls?! Oh come on don't close that door. Anon? Oh I get it you're going to get your house all neat and ready for when I move in. No problem I have a few minutes to spare.
  4.  
  5.  
  6. >You stare at the mare in disbelief.
  7. >Looking at her big cheerful grin that suggested she didn't think anything was wrong.
  8. >Like all the shit she just said was true.
  9. "Are you pulling my leg?" You asked in a confused tone.
  10. >Her smile twitched slightly and she moved her eyes, clearly trying to come up with a lie.
  11. >"Whatever do you mean Anon?" She asked after a moment.
  12. >You massaged the bridge of your nose with two fingers.
  13. "Look, Starlight, we both know you're not defenseless, you're not some weak little mare, you're probably the strongest unicorn around. You could probably just mind fuck some stallions to give you money to build your own house in minutes, yet you come to me. What's your game?"
  14. >Her grin became smaller and smaller with each of your words, until it turned into a more somber expression.
  15. >She hung her head, ears falling flat onto her head.
  16. >"Twilight got together with Sunburst." She mumbled.
  17. >You tilted your head to the side.
  18. "And that's related how?"
  19. >She sighed.
  20. >"I wanted to... Get together with him...'
  21. >You sighed looking at her defeated expression.
  22. "And you can't stand it?" She nodded. "Well, it's a step in the right direction for you."
  23. >"Harsh but..." You stopped her by raising your finger.
  24. "I didn't finish."
  25. >You moved to the side, opening the doors further.
  26. "Let it be known, Anonymous is a generous host. But if you'll do something stupid I will kick you out
  27.  
  28.  
  29. >The mare walked inside, her eyes still downcast, focusing on the floor before her.
  30. >You wordlessly closed the doors behind her.
  31. "Welcome to my humble abode, I would tell you to make yourself at home, but I don't actually want you here."
  32. >You could see your words stung here a little, but you didn't fully care. Your relationship with her was arduous at best.
  33. >At worst it was hostile.
  34. "But, seeing as you didn't mind rape Twilight or the nerd dude at the first sight of trouble or that the things won't go your way, I am willing to give you a chance."
  35. >She looked at you, hope filling her eyes. But for now, your face remained neutral and gaze cold.
  36. "I don't have a second bed, but the couch should be big enough for you to fit on comfortably. As for a place to put your belongings, I'll try and clean up a chest of drawers, for now, you'll have to keep those in your bag."
  37. >"Thank you Anon." She said with a small smile. "I know we've never been friends but... I'll make it up to you, I promise."
  38. >She seemed quite cheerful, despite her bad situation.
  39. >Well, maybe bad was somewhat of an exaggeration. Her friend managed to seduce a guy she had hots with, so it's no wonder she felt bad.
  40. >She also almost once destroyed the world due to that guy forgetting about her, so it was a miracle she actually opted to go live with you instead of bringing an apocalypse.
  41. >You gave her a defeated sigh and your expression turned from a cold one to a worried one.
  42. "Just... Don't do anything insane Starlight. I was making dinner, so I guess you get... I don't know, undressed? You seem to be dressed for the life of a drifter much more than the life of someone who tried to be let inside someone's house."
  43. >She took off her hat and shook her mane a bit.m, but hearing your words she chuckled nervously.
  44. >"Yeah... It's because I didn't expect you to let me in." She said bashfully.
  45. "What about the rest of Mane Six?" You asked.
  46. >"Mane Six...? Oh the girls! Well, Rarity doesn't really have a room now, with her parents visiting, Pinkie has one room and I couldn't handle her energy twentyfour seven. Rainbow Dash lives in a cloud, Fluttershy doesn't have room for more critters, let alone a whole pony and Applejack would make me work on a farm and I'm not going to do that." She explained.
  47. >You sighed and massaged the bridge of your nose again.
  48. "Right. Well, if you want to stay here for longer, I will charge rent for that. I'm not a charity and we're neither friends, nor family. Tonight is free, because I am too soft on you bloody horses." You said with a disgruntled expression before going towards the kitchen.
  49. >Just as you disappeared into the corner, you quickly went back and looked at Starlight.
  50. >You pointed two fingers at your eyes, then those two fingers at her.
  51. "I'm watching you." You said in your most threatening tone before going to prepare dinner and leaving Starlight alone for a moment
  52.  
  53.  
  54. >With Anon in the kitchen, you had some time to snoop around the home.
  55. >And while at first it seemed like a decent idea, you were one wrong move away from landing on the street again.
  56. >And you weren't going back to the castle. The crystal walls don't block the sound nearly well enough and you didn't feel like crying yourself to sleep.
  57. >For now you just took off the heavy bags and the whole vagabond outfit.
  58. >Your mane was still flattened by wearing the hat, but you looked less... Well let's just say you looked better.
  59. >You walked towards one of the cabinets, underneath the walls. The top of it was decorated by a piece of colourful cloth and a vase with flowers stood on it.
  60. >Though the flowers seemed quite old.
  61. >Other than that, you could see some potted plants, most seemingly straight out of Everfree. Others, very exotic.
  62. >You walked towards a large bookcase in the corner and started reading the titles from Anon's personal library.
  63. >One Daring Doo book, looking new, then some other fiction, two of the titles seemingly from the pony world.
  64. >As soon as you used your magic to grab one of the books you heard a voice from the kitchen.
  65. >"I can hear you and I hope you're still on your best behaviour." Ankn yelled.
  66. >You chuckled quietly.
  67. "I'm just looking at your books. I'm not going to break anything and I'm going to put it right back." You yelled back.
  68. >Then you proceeded to read the title.
  69. "Conan The Conqueror"
  70. >A muscular human stared at you from the cover. Half naked.
  71. >You shrugged and put it back in. You weren't going to judge his tastes.
  72. >The next book you looked over wasn't fiction. Biology books, mainly about various creatures of Equestria. Then some pony anatomy. Beginner and Intermediate level magic books. Magical history, arcane studies.
  73. >It would seem that Anon was quite a researcher.
  74. >The largest chunk of the books however seemed to be dedicated to various plant and alchemy related information.
  75. >Some of them were clearly not from Equestria.
  76. >Probably Zecora helped him get these.
  77. >His collection of books was quite impressive, but it didn't surprise you. You'd probably read the same things in his world.
  78. >Without touching anything else, you moved towards the couch and sat on it.
  79. >It was comfortable enough to sleep on. It would also fit five ponies, but that wasn't that strange, considering how tall Anon was in relation to ponies.
  80. >You hopped off the couch and walked towards the kitchen.
  81. >Almost instantly the mouth watering smell of food hit you, but you controlled yourself and just popped your head in.
  82. "Where is the bathroom, by the way?"
  83. >"Corridor to the right, next to a staircase, can't miss it." Said Anon pointing nonchalantly in the direction with a long wooden spoon.
  84. >You nodded and followed his instructions, with a goal of washing your face and hooves before dinner.
  85. >And answering nature's call.
  86.  
  87.  
  88. >>38693543
  89. >Freshened up and with bodily functions taken care of you left the bathroom.
  90. >There was a small clinking noise from the kitchen, hearing which your ears perked up.
  91. >It soon repeated, much more clearly now, a sound of two glass or ceramic bowls bumping into one another.
  92. >Trying to remain fairly quiet you walked towards the kitchen before popping your head into the room.
  93. >What you saw there was Anon, wearing a cute apron, putting two plates of food onto the table.
  94. >Alongside those he put a fork next to one of the plates and something wooden next to the other one.
  95. >The smell was lovely.
  96. >Anon then turned around and walked towards the fridge. However, he reached next to it rather than into it before taking out a large jar of some cloudy, vaguely yellow liquid.
  97. >He looked at the substance for a moment before grabbing the jar and bringing it to his worktop, pulling two glasses out of the shelf and pouring the substance into them.
  98. >When he turned around again, with glasses in tow, he spotted you.
  99. >"You're here already. Good. Dinner is ready." He said before putting the strange drink on the table and sitting down.
  100. >You did the same before looking down onto your plate.
  101. >It would seem that Anon made fried rice with vegetables.
  102. >You picked up the fork with your magic before looking at Anon.
  103. "Thank you for the meal…?" You said unsure.
  104. >You still weren't exactly sure how formal you had to be with him. He wasn't your friend after all. He said so himself.
  105. >"Right. Enjoy your meal." He said before grabbing the wooden object, that turned out to be chopsticks, into his hands.
  106. >He gingerly grabbed a piece of food with them, managing to grab a chunk of rice which didn't fall apart.
  107. >His expression shifted, from the icy stare he gave you, to pride, then smugness. He took a bite of the rice and smiled widely.
  108. >"Ha! I'm good at this." He said proudly with a wide grin, while looking at you.
  109. >You also took a bite of the rice. His reaction was fully justified, it was good.
  110. "Mmm, Anon I had no idea you were such a good cook." You said, smiling at him. Trying to strike a friendly conversation.
  111. >”I watch a lot of Gourmand Ramsay. And other cooking shows. So I probably picked up few tricks from them.” he said
  112. “Gourmand Ramsay is the shoutey stallion that often repeats that the food is raw?” you asked tilting your head to the side.
  113. >”Yeah, that’s the guy. I love watching him and I loved watching him back in my old world. I have some of those… What do you call them? AVDs?”
  114. “Arcane Versatile Discs?” you asked.
  115. >”Yeah, those. I have a bunch of them with Tartarus’s Kitchen, Kitchen Night-mares and Hotel Hay.”
  116. >Your eyes moved towards the kitchen sink, filled with dishes.
  117. “Hey, what would you say if I’d wash the dishes? Since you already cooked the dinner, it's the least I can do.” you smiled at Anon sweetly. “And you maybe… find those AVD’s and we’ll watch some Gourmand? I can even make popcorn… if you have some. If not, I can go and buy us some.” Hopefully he’ll say yes.
  118.  
  119.  
  120. >You were currently lounging on your couch with a book.
  121. >In your infinite wisdom, you turned yourself in such a way that you could easily see Starlight from here to check if she wasn’t doing anything funny.
  122. >Was it crazy to not even trust the mare with dishes?
  123. >Yes, absolutely. But you still didn’t trust her. But, you already told her that you will let her stay and as long as she won’t do anything dumb, you weren’t going to kick her out.
  124. >But that didn’t mean you weren’t going to keep an eye on her. Covertly, of course, you could be pretty sneaky when you tried to be.
  125. >”Whew. That’s done.” said Starlight.
  126. >This time you raised your whole head and lowered your book.
  127. “You’re done? Splendid. I already prepared the AVD with Tartarus’s Kitchen.” you said standing up. “You can go ahead and start it. I could probably recite it from memory by now.”
  128. >”But… the Popcorn?” she asked confused as you entered the Kitchen and squatted right next to her, opened one of the drawers and started snooping inside.
  129. “How would you prepare the popcorn, Starlight?” you asked nonchalantly.
  130. >”Uhh… Microwave it?” she said gingerly to which you chuckled.
  131. >You took out a large bag, zip tied at the top, filled with popcorn kernels. It was at least a kilogram.
  132. “You wanted to watch Gourmand Ramsay and use the microwave? I should kick you out on the spot for those transgressions. However, I am a generous host and I shall show you how to do it properly. I learned how to make Pepcorn from a weird guy wearing leotard fur.” you said grabbing a wok. “Or don’t. I am not your boss.”
  133. >Starlight seemed to be very interested in what you were doing.
  134. >You prepared everything, covered the wok with tinfoil and put it on the stove.
  135. “There is not actually much to watch over here, just tell me if you like spicy things so I know what spices to add and go turn on the TV.” you said.
  136. >”Uh, yeah right. And yes, I do enjoy spicy food. But not too spicy.” She stopped staring at the wok and went to the living room.
  137. >On her way out, one of the kernels popped, causing her to jump up slightly.
  138. >This caused your lips to curl into a small smile.
  139. >Soon enough you’ve heard the familiar intro of Tartarus’s Kitchen and the popping of Popcorn.
  140. >Halfway through the making, you added the mix of various spices, trying to not make it too hot for Starlight.
  141. >Few minutes into the episode you entered the living room. Put the bowl on the small coffee table.
  142. “Here you go.” you said, sitting down and trying to get into a comfortable position.
  143. >”WHERE’S THE LAMB SAUCE?!” came the familiar voice from TV as you reached to grab some pepcorn for yourself.
  144. >You’ve noticed that Starlight already helped herself to a generous handful… or maybe it was magicful? Hard to say.
  145.  
  146. [spoiler]https://youtu.be/3fG8rNHUspU Here’s how you make Pepcorn[/spoiler]
  147.  
  148.  
  149. >The two of you've been watching Gourmand Ramsay for at least two hours now.
  150. >Starlight seemed to really enjoy it, while you just sat there, thinking.
  151. >Since the two of you didn't really talk, you had plenty of time to do so.
  152. >You'll have to figure out how much money is an ok rent. Hell, you weren't even sure if it was legal for you to become a landlord.
  153. >Maybe that was her plan? Get you jailed?
  154. >You glanced quickly at her, but she was still watching the TV, enthralled by the contestants.
  155. >'You're paranoid Anon.' you thought to yourself before shifting your gaze slowly towards the bookcase.
  156. >A plan hatched in your mind.
  157. >You need to get an extra pair of keys for Starlight, so might as well use that opportunity. You'll go to the library, grab a book or two, chat with Twilight and figure out if she's really dating this nerd.
  158. >You really hope she isn't.
  159. >Flawless. You'll also buy some more food so it's even more of an excuse.
  160. >The episode came to an end and you got up.
  161. "All right Starlight. I have a few errands to run and I can either lock you inside or you'll go with me." After saying that, you picked up the now empty popcorn bowl and looked at the purple mare.
  162. >Then you snorted.
  163. >"Huh? What? Is there something on my face?" She asked, going cross eyed to look at her own face.
  164. >You pointed all around your mouth.
  165. "Yes, you look like you dipped your muzzle in a Cheetos dust." You said with a slight chuckle.
  166. >Her whole muzzle was dirty red, definitely from all the popcorn she showed into her face.
  167. >She dashed towards the bathroom while you went to the kitchen to leave the bowl, then upstairs to grab your backpack and wallet.
  168. >And change into pants that weren't just for lounging around the house.
  169. >All dressed up, you went downstairs, hearing water running and some faint cursing from the bathroom.
  170. >"Bucking…dust…get out of my face." Starlight hissed, clearly having a difficult time getting rid of all the popcorn remains.
  171. >You slipped on your shoes and sat down on the armchair, awaiting Starlight.
  172. >She finally left the bathroom after ten or so minutes, her face now clean.
  173. "You're ready?" You asked.
  174. >"Just a sec." With that, she started looking through her large bag and took out a coin pouch and two extra bags she put on.
  175. >"Now I am."
  176. >With that, the two of you left your house and you locked the doors behind you.
  177.  
  178.  
  179. >The first step was the locksmith. You approached the store, Starlight right next to you,
  180. >Lucky for you, it was still open.
  181. >A ringing of the chime hanging above the door rang out through the room and an older stallion popped his head from behind the counter.
  182. >”Ah! Hello, how may I help you today?”
  183. “Yeah, hello Sir, I need a spare pair of keys. Would it be possible to get them done?”
  184. >You took out your keyring, grabbed two keys and put them on the counter.
  185. >The stallion grabbed them in his magic and nodded.
  186. >”No problem. I’ll get these done for you in a jiffy.” he said with a wide grin.
  187. >”Wow, quick service.” said Starlight.
  188. “Yeah, no kidding. Anyway, it would be lovely. Would you mind if I leave for a few moments and leave my… associate with you?” you asked the stallion.
  189. >You gazed at Starlight, still keeping your cold stare.
  190. >”Yes, that won’t be an issue. It won’t take longer than twenty minutes.” said the stallion. “You can take a seat right here.” he pointed towards the small chair next to a coffee table, which was fully covered by some magazines.
  191. >”Sure, thank you.” Starlight took the seat and looked at you with a small grin, but her ears quickly flattened seeing you icy gaze.
  192. >You once again pointed at your eyes with your fingers, then at her.
  193. “I know where you live.” you mouthed and left the store.
  194. >Hopefully she won’t cause trouble.
  195. >For now however, you had more important issues to worry about. If what she said was true, Twilight got with this nerd dude. He seemed like a huge loser and not even of the kind that Jocks make fun of.
  196. >Your lips tightened into a thin line, your brows furrowed and your stomach was in knots.
  197. >While not quite power walking, you were walking very quickly,
  198. >Most ponies avoided you, since you looked quite angry, but you didn’t really care. You just kept repeating yourself that you have to make sure first before making a judgment.
  199. >Between that and hoping that Starlight won’t cause any troubles, you had a hard time keeping your face neutral or friendly.
  200. >You slowed down, stopped breathing for a moment, before taking a deep breath.
  201. >’Inhale, exhale… Inhale, exhale.’ you repeated a mantra in your head until you breathing became slower and your face loosened up.
  202. >You put on a friendly smile and continue walking, trying to put some spring into your step, instead of walking like a furious truck.
  203. >You stopped before the doors of Twilight Castle and knocked.
  204. >Few moments later, the small purple dragon opened them for you.
  205. >”Oh sup’ Anon. Been a while since we last talked.” he said with a grin.
  206. “Hey Spike. I just came to borrow some books…”
  207. >The Spike let you in and walked you towards the library part.
  208. >Quite quickly you heard some giggling coming from the room.
  209. >”Don’t mind Twilight and Sunburst, they have a… romantic phase.” said the little dragon.
  210. >Internally, you screamed, externally you chuckled.
  211. “Yeah, I can hear that.”
  212.  
  213.  
  214. >The anger you felt as you entered the library was almost irrational.
  215. >She didn’t lie.
  216. >She didn’t fucking lie.
  217. >God how you hoped Starlight was just manipulating and gaslighting you.
  218. >This was much worse. You saw Twilight and The Nerd, kissing each other, a book floating next to them.
  219. >You wanted to bash this git’s face with a chair. Or your fists.
  220. >The small dragon coughed loudly to get their attention and the pair almost instantly stopped being locked in their very long kiss. A purple magic aura quickly fixed the sod’s glasses.
  221. >”Oh! Anon, I’m sorry I didn’t hear you enter.” said Twilight bashfully.
  222. >Bashfulness that at first you found adorable and made you develop your crush on this mare. Now it angered you.
  223. “O-oh. Don’t stop on my accord. You guys clearly were busy.” you said in a friendly tone, with a slight chuckle in your tone. Twilight was good at reading emotions, but you were equally as good in hiding them. If not better. “I just wanted to pick up some books, is all.” you said nonchalantly walking deeper into the library.
  224. >”Hi there Anon, by the way…” said the orange guy, clearly embarrassed.
  225. >You turned towards him.
  226. “Hey…” you paused for a moment, pointing a finger at him, trying your hardest to remember his name.” yoooooooouuuuuuu”
  227. >”Sunburst.” said Twilight, getting up from her chair and walking towards you.
  228. “Right, I knew that.” you scoffed and kept walking deeper.
  229. >”Anything in particular you wanted to grab?” asked Twilight after catching up with you.
  230. >You nodded slowly, you didn’t actually plan what kind of book you would grab.
  231. “Uh, yeah. I wanted to try out something by… All-e-Star Crawling. His book on creatures of the Etherium and other outsiders was fascinating and I wanted to read some more of that before reading about more advanced magic. Got anything similar to the last one I borrowed?”
  232. >’Nice save Anon, yeah!’ you thought to yourself.
  233. >”Of course I do Anon. May I recommend you the Lesser Key of Solomare? It’s quite an interesting read. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
  234. >You smiled at the small mare.
  235. “That would be lovely.” you said in a soft tone to which Twilight happily flew up towards the section of the library with his book.
  236. >To not stare up, you took a look around, your eyes meeting Sunburst for a split second, but if the gaze could kill, this split second would absolutely destroy him.
  237. ”By the way, Twi. Did Starlight tell you anything about leaving the castle?” you asked, trying to make no big deal out of your death stare.
  238. >”You mean going on a walk?” she asked, still trying to find the book.
  239. “More like finding a new place to live.” you said.
  240. >”She what?!” Twilight yelled, dropping the book out of her magical grasp.
  241. >Thanks to your quick reflexes, you managed to grab it.
  242. “Well… apparently… The two of you are quite loud. But she’s at my house now.”
  243. >”O-oh…” a blush appeared on Twilight’s face. “Well… I’m just glad she found some place to sleep in so quickly… if we bothered her so much…”
  244. >’I’ll rip your eyes out Sunburst’ was your only thought.
  245.  
  246.  
  247. >You've heard the clicking of the keys as the older stallion came back from the back room.
  248. >”I see your friend isn’t back yet.” he said, putting Anon’s old keys as well as a pair of freshly made ones on the counter.
  249. >You chuckled dryly.
  250. “He would probably tell you we aren’t friends.” you said, putting down the magazine and walking to the counter.
  251. >A magical aura enveloped the keys for a moment, before you stopped and took a step back.
  252. “He would probably not appreciate me touching those keys now.”
  253. >The stallion looked at you confused.
  254. “So wait, you aren’t friends and he would be angry if you touched the keys… He’s not some sort of abusive coltfriend isn’t he?”
  255. >You shook your head quickly.
  256. “No, no, no. I am not actually sure if he’s even into mares. I… he’s my landlord. Kind of. I didn’t have any other place to go, since my friend is out of time and the friend I lived in got a boyfriend… and the walls were too thin, you know.” you smiled awkwardly.
  257. >The older stallion nodded.
  258. >”So, you’re staying with the Human fellow then?”
  259. “Yes, but he doesn’t really like me. I…I’m actually surprised he accepted me. He said something about being a good host or something.”
  260. >”Must be a human thing” the stallion pondered.
  261. “Yeah, probably.” you nodded slowly. “Anyway, I’ll let him pick up the keys and give them to me officially. Just for his and mine peace of mind.”
  262. >”That would be a good choice then, yes.” The Stallion grabbed the keys again and hung them on a rack, while you got back to sitting in your place.
  263. >If you looked out of the window, you could notice Anon, walking with an unheard of vigor speed. His face was more angry than the one he usually shows you.
  264. >When the doors opened and Anon stepped in, his face was once again neutral and calm.
  265. >”Sorry for the hold up. I tried to get here as fast as I could.” he said apologetically and walked towards the counter.
  266. >The Stallion waved his hoof dismissively and grabbed the keys.
  267. >”Don’t worry about it sonny, I just finished a few moments ago.”
  268. >”Oh, good, then I didn’t waste too much of your time.” said Anon jokingly.
  269. >The keys landed in front of Anon.
  270. >”Here’s your key ring and here are the new ones, that would be fifteen bits.”
  271. >Anon reached into his pocket and fished out the coins, putting the needed amount on the counter and grabbing both sets of keys.
  272. >The Human then turned towards you, giving you an icy cold glance… though this time it was much… warmer?
  273. >Like his usual coldness wasn’t there, replaced by something. You weren’t exactly sure.
  274. >”All right, let’s go. Thank you for everything.” he smiled towards the stallion.
  275. >”Don’t be too harsh on the mare now and bye, come back some day.”
  276. >”If I ever need to replace my locks,” said Anon with a laugh in his voice.
  277. >Then, the two of you left the store.
  278.  
  279.  
  280. >Before going back home, the two of you also visited the general store. Anon picked up some noodles, canned tomatoes and a few other things you didn’t really care about.
  281. >You bought yourself some sweets, since Anon didn’t have to pay for those, he didn’t care.
  282. >With your bags full, the two of you entered Anon’s house. You kept most of your stuff next to your bags.
  283. >Anon on the other hand, brought his groceries into the kitchen.
  284. >Just as soon as he unpacked, he walked past you, sat down in front of one of the shelves in his room, opened it, took out some things from it and wordlessly carried it upstairs.
  285. >He did a few rounds as you watched in silence.
  286. >He seemed to be in a much less talkative mood than before. Seemingly only interested in doing whatever it was he was doing.
  287. >When the shelf was finally emptied he turned to you.
  288. >”You don’t have that much stuff. For tonight you can use that. I’ll figure something out tomorrow. There’s bread and some cheese if you want to make yourself some sandwiches or whatever. Fucking hell.” he cussed before walking upstairs. “I’m going to catch some zeds. Don’t break anything. I’ll bring your your duvet and a pillow later”
  289. >You heard his doors slam, which caused you to flinch.
  290. >At first you just sat there, trying to figure out what happened to anger him. He didn’t tell you where he went when he left you in the locksmith store and you didn’t have any leads, so you just… remained here.
  291. >Despite the fact he said he’s going to sleep, you soon heard music breaking through.
  292. >The kind that you liked as a teen.
  293. >Well, you still liked it now, but you just… showed it less intensely.
  294. >Heavy sounding guitar, percussion and vocals made you tap your hoof to the rhythm.
  295. >You snorted. If the two of you met as teenagers or kids you’d probably be friends now, based on his music choice.
  296. >For now, you just grabbed your bag, dragged it across the room and bobbing your head to the rhythm, you started putting your things on the small shelf.
  297. >After a moment, your mind started to wander. First thinking about the whole Sunburst and Twilight debacle, then what got Anon into such a sour mood,
  298. >Then if you could still play your guitar. Maybe there was some way you could use it to try and bond with Anon? The idea of staying enemies for the whole life wasn’t the most pleasant one. Especially since you lived with him now. Even if it was a momentary agreement.
  299. >Then you just started thinking about how many pointless things you had in your bag.
  300. >Then, if you could watch some more Tartarus’s Kitchen. You had a box of cookies you could eat while watching and you were curious which contestant would win.
  301. >With your bag emptied and the shelf organized, you planted your ass on the couch and turned on the TV.
  302. >Mare this was comfy.
  303.  
  304.  
  305. >You woke up sore. Most likely because you fell asleep while watching TV.
  306. >The pillow that Anon brought you was lying away from you, since you never used it.
  307. >You also didn’t remember trying to cover yourself with the duvet, yet it was on top of you.
  308. >The last thing you remember is… being mad some stallion got kicked out from the show despite him being a much better chef than the others.
  309. >So you either used magic in your sleep to pick up the duvet, which was unlikely, you didn’t cast in your sleep since you were a kid or you Anon covered you in it.
  310. >You slowly got up.
  311. “Ow… Ow… Ow…” each pop of your joins brought a short spike of pain, but you finally sat up and tried to stretch.
  312. >You opened your eyes wider and noticed a small piece of paper on the table.
  313. >You levitated it to your face.
  314. “I’m leaving for work. Don’t break anything. I’m always watching. ~ Anon.” you’ve read out loud before groggily putting the piece of paper on the table again.
  315. >You’ve spent a few moments gazing into space, trying to muster up enough strength and mental fortitude to get up.
  316. “I have a house to myself…” you said groggily.
  317. >On the table, next to the piece of paper were also keys, the ones Anon got done yesterday.
  318. “Or maybe I can go out…” you murmured before lazily jumping off the couch and going towards the kitchen.
  319. >Though unsure if you could, you started searching for some sort of coffee. A little pick me up in the morning went a long way. It turned out however, that Anon had no coffee, only tea. A lot of tea. At least ten different cans, all filled with different smelling herbal mixes.
  320. “Absolute barbarian.” you murmured before going back to the living room and sitting on the couch once again.
  321. >You needed some sort of plan for the day, since you didn’t know when Anon would come back and you didn’t feel like going out.
  322. >Looking down at yourself, you took a long whiff and coughed.
  323. “Oh, by the stars… I really need a shower…” going to the shelf, you grabbed your towels and went towards the bathroom and started the water.
  324. >Warm water made your tense muscles unwind a bit as you allowed yourself to sink deeper into the bathtub allowing you to think some more. You thought a lot most of the time, especially if you were bored.
  325. >You looked around yourself, spotting Anon’s toothbrush on the sink, hair comb and some perfumes.
  326. >An idea popped into your head.
  327. “Maybe I should look around the house?” you said to yourself. A small mischievous grin appeared on your face. You probably had a lot of time and there’s nothing wrong with getting to know a place you live in, right?
  328. >If you looked at the clock, you’d probably know it was almost noon already. But who cares about that?
  329.  
  330.  
  331. >You left the bathtub and started using your towels to dry yourself.
  332. >Since you didn't have your own soaps and mane wash you used Anon's and you just had to ask him where he bought those. Your mane and coat felt amazing.
  333. >Finishing the job with Anon's hair dryer you emptied the bathtub and brushed your teeth. You had your own toothbrush, so you didn't steal the one belonging to Anon.
  334. >Leaving the bathroom you quickly glanced around. No signs of Anon, so you still were in the clear.
  335. >You instantly sat down in front of one of the cabinets and opened it.
  336. "Legal documents… legal documents… more documents. Wow, he had a lot of paperwork to do." You closed this drawer and stood up.
  337. >That was boring. You moved to another piece of the cabinet and found it filled with small boxes, each signed, each filled with cards.
  338. "Planar Portal…" you looked at the cards, the first one had some red skinned humanoid with horns drawn on it. "Must be a game." You put the box back.
  339. >The other shelf was filled with bags. Full of dice. Loads of dice. From four sided ones, to twenty sided.
  340. >Some had books and boxes which also looked like games to you.
  341. >You closed this drawer and moved to the bookcase.
  342. >This time you looked more carefully and found more books with the muscular half naked human on the cover.
  343. >Again, you didn't judge.
  344. "This Conan must be quite a… character for humans."
  345. >You stopped on the magic related books. Most of them appeared to be well used, probably bought second hand. You wondered if Anon actually could do Magic. Nothing ever suggested to you that he could, but then again, he was an Alien so maybe he hid it? Maybe it was something taboo for humans. Maybe it worked differently for them. Who knows.
  346. >You found a few cooking books. Then you looked at the books about alchemy. No wonder he was such good friends with Twilight.
  347. >You walked away from the bookcase and walked towards the kitchen, looking for something to eat.
  348. >Opening the fridge you found some sandwiches with cheese, tomato and lettuce.
  349. >There was a small card next to them.
  350. "You can eat those if you want."
  351. >That was… actually really sweet from Anon. It would seem he actually did try his best to be a good host.
  352. >You really need to find a way to pay him back.
  353. >For now you just grabbed the sandwich in your magic and left the kitchen.
  354. >You took a big bite and stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up.
  355. >Chewing, contemplating.
  356. >Finally you swallowed and smiled mischievously.
  357. "A quick peek into his room won't hurt."
  358. You said, taking your first step up.
  359.  
  360.  
  361. >Upstairs was a long corridor with a few more small shelves and framed pictures on the wall.
  362. >You were almost certain that those were picked by Rarity and not Anon.
  363. >There were two rooms there, the first one led into an empty room.
  364. >The real price was the second door. You stopped in front of those and pressed your ears to the wooden surface and started listening very carefully.
  365. >No sound reached you. Only dead silence and your quiet breathing.
  366. >Satisfied, you opened the doors and peaked inside.
  367. >While most of Anon's house was kept decently tidy, his room wasn't. The bed probably wasn't made in a week. If not longer. There was a laundry chair in the corner and a few plates and cups were stacked on eachother on a large desk in the other part of the room.
  368. >There was a closet on your left, into which you looked, of course. Anon had a lot of clothes.
  369. >Most were put on the shelves decently. A lot of those shirts were black and looked like the same kind of band shirts you used to wear.
  370. >In a different part of the closet there were jackets and hoodies. A lot of those, again with band logos, two winter jackets and one black, heavy one made out of curious material. You never touched anything like that. It looked pretty cool though.
  371. >You closed the closet and moved to the cupboard on which a large audio set stood. Almost instantly, you started looking through the discs he had.
  372. >The collection was quite impressive and you recognized some of the bands you also listened to.
  373. >Maretallica, Cvlt of Lvna, Blind Guardpony.
  374. >Some were similar yet different, Metallica, Cult of Luna, Blind Guardian. Must be the music from Anon’s world.
  375. >You looked at the audio set, there was a CD jacket lying next to it. You opened the device and found the disc inside. It was probably the thing that Anon was playing yesterday.
  376. >Your horn lit up and you picked up the jacket.
  377. “Kat… Is this a weird spelling of Cat?” you pondered for a while. “Cat and… Roman Kost…r…ze… Kostr…Koshtch…. Kostshewsky. Ugh. Who can even read this stuff?”
  378. >The picture on the cover was a human skull, with a Six Six Six written on its forehead, on a purple background with a pentagram in the back. You shrugged and turned the CD on.
  379. >The guitar sounded somewhat different than yesterday and the vocals seemed to be the older version of the stallion from yesterday, but it was probably the same band.
  380. >The quality was also higher.
  381. >You started trying to find the other CD, the one that Anon played yesterday, while vibing to the music, banging your head with the rhythm. You didn’t need to know what the lyrics were to know they sounded good.
  382. >Then you heard a quiet cough and you froze.
  383. >A feeling of someone staring into the back of your head caused you to slowly turn, your ears automatically flattening.
  384. >Anon was leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed, his expression as cold as ever. But this time there was also anger in his eyes.
  385. “H-hi… Anon.” you smiled awkwardly.
  386. >”Enjoying my songs?” he asked, his voice dripping with venom.
  387.  
  388.  
  389. >You've woken up in your bed in Ponyville Crystal Castle. Sunburst was right next to you.
  390. >I raised slowly into a sitting position and stretched, spreading your wings wide.
  391. "Ah… that was nice." You said to yourself before leaving over the orange unicorn and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
  392. "Get up sleepyhead." You whispered, which caused Sunburst to stir.
  393. >He opened his eyes and looked at you, squinting.
  394. >"Hi Twily…" he whispered, turning onto his back and looking at the nightstand next to him.
  395. >"What hour is it?" He said mid yawn.
  396. “It’s seven AM.” you said, staring at his groggy expression as he put on his glasses.
  397. >He looked so cute right now.
  398. >With his glasses on he looked straight at you and chuckled.
  399. >”There’s something on my face?” he asked.
  400. “No, I just like looking at you.” a goofy smile appeared on your face.
  401. >You had crushes before, hell even a boyfriend but you never felt like that while with them. No, what you had right now was much better.
  402. >”I also like looking at you Twily” he said, slowly leaning closer to you, his right hoof wrapped around your waist as he slowly sat up.
  403. >You leaned in as well, your muzzles touching as the two of you looked into each other's eyes.
  404. >Then, you tilted your head to the side slightly as you locked in a kiss.
  405. >Wrapping your hooves and wings around Sunburst back as your tongues wrestled for dominance. Contrary to what you expected at first, Sunburst was an amazing kisser.
  406. >You have no idea where he got all this experience but you weren’t going to complain.
  407. >The two of you finally separated.
  408. >”But I like that even more.” he said, giving you bedroom eyes.
  409. “I like it more as well. But we have to get ready for our date today.” as he was leaning for a next kiss, you put the tip of your hoof on his mouth.
  410. >He chuckled.
  411. >”Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get up.” he said, unwrapping from the sheets.
  412. >You did the same and the two of you left your room to go get some breakfast.
  413. >When the two of you sat down to eat your sandwiches your mind wandered to the Anon conversation from yesterday.
  414. “I’m worried about Starlight.”
  415. >Sunburst swallowed loudly.
  416. >“Why’s that? It’s not like that human could do anything to her, right?”
  417. “Well, yeah she’s a strong unicorn and all that… but I’m more worried about the fact she was ever driven to leave the castle. Anon is a sweetheart and he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Despite how much of a grump he can be.”
  418. >”Really? He seemed pretty friendly to me.” Sunburst shrugged.
  419. “Well yeah, but you only met him a few times. He has a friendly disposition but he and Starlight always disliked each other. Well, more like Anon disliked Starlight, even when she tried to apologize… so the fact that she’d rather live with him instead of me worries me. Are we that loud?”
  420. >”We all make mistakes in the heat of passion, Twily.”
  421. >You snorted at the joke.
  422. “Hey, I’m being serious. I’m worried about her.”
  423. >Sunburst thought for a moment.
  424. >”Maybe I’ll go and check up on her after our date?”
  425.  
  426.  
  427. >You glared daggers at Starlight, who seemed to be slowly shrinking under your judging gaze.
  428. "Do you enjoy them or not?" You asked again.
  429. >"Y-yeah." She said, unsure of what will happen next.
  430. >You kept the silence going for longer. Awaiting her reaction.
  431. >She kept quiet however. Just looking at you, the awkward smile and all.
  432. "Why are you in my room?"
  433. >You asked finally, trying to sound more venomous and angry than before.
  434. >"Well, you never said I can't…"
  435. >This actually made you furious. You gritted your teeth and you took a step forward.
  436. "You cheeky little skank…" you took another step and bent forward menacingly.
  437. >Starlight stood her ground but her expression went from awkward to worried.
  438. "It's not something that should be fucking said." You hissed at her. "Common sense dictates you leave the privacy of someone, especially if they don't fucking like you." You pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Or they despise you! But that! That would be too fucking hard. Personal fucking protigee of the fucking Princess of fucking friendship! But basic decency is beyond your dull fucking mind."
  439. >She retracted even more.
  440. >"I'm sorry A…" she tried to say something, but you stopped her
  441. "I. Did. Not. Finish." You hissed again. "You just had to go snoop around. BREAKING my already fragile trust into you or your 'redemption'" the way you said redemption almost sounded like you considered the word filthy.
  442. >You could see this actually hurt her, she pursed her lips and a small hiccup escaped her.
  443. >This gave you an irrational amount of pleasure.
  444. "Give me one fucking reason why would you come here that isn't you trying to hurt me in some indirect way." You ordered, staring her down.
  445. >She swallowed loudly before saying.
  446. >"I was curious about your music… and your clothes. I'm sorry I came here without asking. I swear I won't do it again." She said, looking at with pleading eyes.
  447. >You straightened your back still staring her down.
  448. "I… was also into this kind of music. Still am, I just don't dress the part anymore. But I… " she paused, thinking.
  449. >You stared at her face like a hawk looking at its prey. Waiting for any signs of doubt. Any mistake.
  450. >Her face remained however in the hurt state that you brought her to.
  451. >Saying her redemption was a lie really got to her.
  452. >"I wanted to check if I wasn't mistaken. I really don't want to remain enemies forever. I wanted to try and maybe use the music as a conversation starter…"
  453. >She looked you in the eye while saying this, not hiding her face, not avoiding your judgemental gaze.
  454. >Starlight was a good liar so you'd have to trust your gut at this.
  455. >"And I am really curious about your clothes… I wanted to see if you really have an outfit for each day." She added after a moment.
  456. >You sighed.
  457. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with you…"
  458. >She looked at you, waiting, still in a mixture of guilt and sadness.
  459. >You took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. This time without malice.
  460.  
  461.  
  462. >Anon was quiet, staring at you with a somber, defeated expression.
  463. >You felt awful. Not because he just insulted you, but because you really did break his trust and he was completely justified in all his negative views about you right now.
  464. >’Agh, why are you so impatient, Starlight? Why can't you just wait for things.' you berated yourself mentally.
  465. >"You shouldn't have come into my room uninvited Starlight." He said finally. You wanted to say something but all you managed was a meek nod.
  466. >"However…" he massaged the bridge of his nose again. "I do apologize for insulting you, I went too far, but you still shouldn’t come here.
  467. >He took another deep breath.
  468. >"I will give you another chance, since I didn't lay the rules clearly enough for you before." He paused for a moment. "If you want to, that is. I don't want to force anything on you."
  469. >You also took a few deep breaths.
  470. "We both acted stupid today,. I abused your trust. You went too far with your words." Trying your best to remember your friendship lessons you continued. "But at least both of us can agree that we did wrong. So we're on the right… track?"
  471. >Anon chuckled softly.
  472. >"Was that one of Twilight's lectures?" He asked, sitting on his bed.
  473. >You also sat down, on the chair next to the desk.
  474. "Yeah. I don't remember all of it." You shrugged.
  475. >"Sorry I yelled at you." He said finally. This time it sounded more like a genuine apology. Like Anon actually felt bad about insulting you.
  476. "And I'm sorry I started snooping in your room." You answered.
  477. >The two of you sat there wordlessly, listening to the song.
  478. >”The album I played yesterday…The same vocalist but technically not the same band.”
  479. >You looked up at Anon.
  480. >”Kat and Kat and Roman Kostrzewski are actually two separate bands. The lead singer, Roman Kostrzewski, made a new band after a conflict with the band leader. So he and the drummer made a new band. Six Six Six was one of the old Kat albums that the new Kat rerecorded.” he explained after a moment.
  481. ”There was a similar situation with one of the Equestrian bands. But it was just the lead guitarist that left and made a new band basically using the old name.” you said looking at Anon.
  482. >”I guess band drama is the same no matter the dimension or the shape of the singers.” he said with a chuckle.
  483. “What does Kat even mean by the way?” you asked after a moment.
  484. >”The Executioner.”
  485. >You looked at the shelf.
  486. “What else from there would you recommend?” you asked after the song had ended.
  487. >Anon turned towards the shelf, then climbed fully onto his bed and started looking through his CD’s.
  488. >”You have a favorite genre?” he asked.
  489. “Just regular heavy metal probably.” you answered.
  490. >”Do you mind if the album is long and you have to listen through all of it because it tells a one long story?” Anon looked at you with a coy grin.
  491. >You shook your head.
  492. >”Nostradamus it is then.” he said standing up and putting on a new CD.
  493. [spoiler]https://youtu.be/HXrVfuIkyf0[/spoiler]
  494.  
  495. >Lying on your bed, you gazed up at Starlight who was currently also slouched in your chair.
  496. >Nostradamus, the song, not the album, just finished and the Future of Mankind was starting.
  497. >”This Nostradamus guy… who was he?” she asked around the part where the lyrics turned to french, still staring blankly into your ceiling.
  498. “He was an Astrologer, a Seer and a doctor of medicine or at least something like a doctor, I don’t remember full details about his story. But he basically made a lot of predictions about the future which were really vague so it was quite easy to fall for confirmation bias with those.” you explained.
  499. >”Did he actually see the future?” she asked again, this time looking at you.
  500. “Doubt it. He was pretty smart and used it as a source of revenue though. People ate that shit up.” you chuckled. “The album is great though. One of my personal favorites.” you said with a smile on your face.
  501. >”Yeah, it is good. But a bit long.” she said getting up into a more proper position.
  502. >You nodded slowly, also sitting up.
  503. “True that. It’s over an hour and a half long so I’ll probably have to make some dinner soon.” you said, standing up and stretching.
  504. >When your back gave an audible pop you exhaled happily before looking at Starlight.
  505. “Do you want anything in particular? I should be able to prepare some things as long as there’s no hay or flowers in them. I can’t eat those.” you asked
  506. >”I don’t know… the rice was good… but what else do you have?”
  507. >You thought for a moment, walking to the audio set and taking out the CD as the music just ended.
  508. “Probably some noodles? Oh! Maybe something with spinach?”
  509. >Starlight nodded.
  510. >”Sounds good to me.” She looked at the audio set. “Hey, what do you say we’ll take it with us? So I can listen to music without going into your room and we can turn something on while you cook” she asked. “I can take the whole thing with me using magic.” her horn glowed as her lips turned into a cheeky smile.
  511. >You scoffed.
  512. “You don’t have to flex your magic on me. But sure, let me just unplug this thing.” you grabbed the plug and pulled it out of the socket before tossing it onto the shelf itself so that it won’t fall off.
  513. >Starlight’s magical aura appeared around the whole thing and in a blink of an eye she was gone.
  514. >”I’m downstairs!” a yell came to you.
  515. >You shook your head.
  516. “Fucking ponies man.”
  517. >And with that you left your room and walked downstairs.
  518.  
  519. >You plugged the device in as Anon walked downstairs and straight into the kitchen.
  520. >In the meantime, you looked through the other CDs Anon had.
  521. >You've heard Anon rummaging through his shelves as you grabbed some band called Acid Drinkers before turning the music on and walking to the kitchen.
  522. >You sat on a chair and started looking at Anon's hands.
  523. >"By the way… I thought you would just carry it down and not teleport." He said without turning back to you.
  524. "Sorry. I'll warn you next time." You said with an apologetic smile on your face.
  525. >Anon nodded, but didn't say anything.
  526. >What you've noticed was him tapping the rhythm with his finger on the knife.
  527. >The whole preparation of food seemed to be done following the rhythm of the song that was playing.
  528. >"Bidding is through, ain't no jive." You've heard him whisper-sing.
  529. >"Hammer goes down with a biff" this time it was louder.
  530. >"Twenty-five cents for a life! And twenty-five cents for s riff!" This time he almost matched the volume of the song, clearly singing the chorus with the band.
  531. >You giggled quietly to which he turned around.
  532. >"What?" He asked.
  533. "Nothing. Just didn't expect you to be a singing chef." You teased.
  534. >Anon scoffed.
  535. >"My art isn't appreciated I see." You said, doing a fake offended expression.
  536. >You laughed at that.
  537. "Oh no, I appreciate you a lot, Chef. Quite frankly a few more days and I'll be singing all of those with you."
  538. >"Well then better memorise those lyrics fast. Because I sing a lot when I cook. Clean or just listen to music. Few days and we won't even need to play anything." He said with a slight chuckle.
  539. >You also laughed before the conversation stopped.
  540. >Sitting there you turned your head towards the living room.
  541. "You've read all those magic books?" You asked, turning your head to Anon.
  542. >"Yeah. Most of them more than once. I tried to check if I could do magic." He explained.
  543. >This piqued your interest.
  544. "So, can you?"
  545. >Anon stopped for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
  546. >"Yes. And no." He said after a moment. "I can't really do anything like you ponies. I can't cast spells or anything like that. But some weird passive stuff does happen. So I guess more like other creatures than Unicorns. Magic reacts to me, but in what way, that's hard to say." He shrugged. "So my dreams of becoming a wizard are crushed."
  547. >You nodded.
  548. "And Alchemy?"
  549. >"Oh, that I sometimes do with Zecora. I don't need magic to brew potions and I've learned a few things from her. I sometimes hang out with her, help her gather herbs and brew some stuff." He pointed to the jars next to his refrigerator. "Don't tell anyone, but we also made moonshine. Strong stuff." Anon gave you a cheeky smile.
  550.  
  551.  
  552. >The dinner came and went as the two of you were seated at the couch, a bowl of popcorn between you.
  553. >Another season of Gourmand Ramsay was playing, as you rested your legs on a small stool.
  554. >Starlight on the other hand, shoved some more popcorn into her. Apparently she really liked popcorn.
  555. >Or was just the type to eat when invested in something.
  556. >Probably the latter, judging by her belly. Though you assumed it was also because she could teleport and use magic.
  557. >"By the way Anon, can I ask you a rather personal question?" She asked after a moment, without really moving her gaze.
  558. >You nodded slowly.
  559. "Depends on how personal it is." You said after a moment.
  560. >"How… do you know much about dating?" She asked, looking at you.
  561. "I do know some stuff. Why?" You looked at her confused.
  562. >"Oh, I was curious if you could help me out." She said, sitting slightly deeper in the sofa, instead of being barely hanging on the edge of the seat.
  563. >"I just have no idea how should I even approach someone. Well, I did seduce few stallions but never for an actual relationship. Just as a way to manipulate them… in the past. But that's different. Besides it wouldn't work on Sunburst." Her expression seemed gloomy and she was probably pretty desperate.
  564. >You thought for a moment.
  565. "Best I could tell you is to learn about his interest and listen to his rants about dumb stuff. That works well on nerds. But I don't know that much about trying to have a guy take interest in you. Never tried to make a move on one." You shrugged.
  566. >Starlight looked at you confused.
  567. >"Wait, you didn't?" She asked, still quite shocked.
  568. "Yeah. I'm not into guys."
  569. >"You… aren't? But those books…"
  570. >Now it was your turn to be confused.
  571. "Wait, what books? And also, did you think I was gay?!"
  572. >Her horn shined with magic and Conan The Usurper hovered in front of your face.
  573. >"This book. There's a bunch of those, all have the same half naked human on the cover. You said before that for humans being naked or almost naked is more sexual than it is for ponies." She was right. Conan was chained, half naked and there was a huge snake between his legs. It's no surprise that ponies could take it a wrong way.
  574. >You snorted, then chuckled, before bursting into laughter.
  575. "Oh fuck. I never thought about it…" you said between fits of laughter.
  576. >Starlight looked at you confused.
  577. >"So you're not gay?" She asked.
  578. >You shook your head.
  579. "No. Not really. I had a huge crush on Twilight so you can think of it what you want."
  580. >Starlight nodded slowly.
  581. >"Well that was a mistake. Sorry if I offended you."
  582. >You waved your hand dismissively.
  583. "Don't worry about it. Glad we cleared it sooner rather than later." You said.
  584. >You went back to watching Gourmand Ramsay again. Focused on the show again.
  585. >"I'd fuck a cute stallion thought." You said after a moment and Starlight looked at you, her mouth open wide.
  586.  
  587.  
  588. >The chill evening air made you shiver. It wasn't as cold as in the crystal empire, but it still was a bit of a shock after getting used to the warmer air of Ponyville.
  589. >You weren't exactly sure where this Anonymous fellow lived, but with Twilight's directions you were, probably, on the right track.
  590. >Being closer to the edge of town, there stood a house with a larger set of doors. Made for a creature much larger than a pony.
  591. >It was still bright outside so you saw no light in the windows, but as you walked closer, you could hear music and singing.
  592. >"...I don't feel right, nerves wound up too damn high!" A male voice reached your ears.
  593. >"Ponies keep telling me it's bad for my health! But kicking back don't make it! Out of control, I play the ultimate role, but that's what lights my fire!" This time it was clearly Starlight singing, in less of a clear voice, like she was making it harsher on purpose.
  594. >"Hellraiser! In the thunder and heat!" They both sang.
  595. >"Hellraiser! Rock you back in your seat!" This time it was again Starlight.
  596. >"Hellraiser! And I'll make it come true!" Anonymous now.
  597. >"Hellraiser! I'll put a spell on you!" Both now.
  598. >You knew Starlight liked this kind of music and you appreciated the fact that she found someone who shared this passion with her. But you weren't going to go away now, or wait for them to finish. So you knocked. You still gave them a minute to finish.
  599. >"Hellraiser… did someone knock on the door?" It seemed that Starlight kept her singing even while asking a question.
  600. >"Hellraiser! Let me check real soon!" Answered Anon, still singing, before they both laughed, the music got turned down and you heard hoofsteps approaching the doors.
  601. >The doors opened and the tall figure of Anon stood above you.
  602. >He looked at you, first confused, before his face turned into a more neutral expression.
  603. >"Ah, you're Sunburst. What are you doing here?" He asked after a moment.
  604. >You smiled at him.
  605. "Oh, I came back to see how Starlight is doing. To hang out, as one might say." Your tone was cheerful and friendly.
  606. >Anon turned his head.
  607. >"It's Sunburst, here to see you." He said into the room.
  608. >Another set of hoofsteps. This time Starlight stood in the doorframe.
  609. >"Hi Sunburst." She said sweetly.
  610. >"C'mon, let him in Anon" she said to the human who shrugged and stepped aside.
  611. >"But I'm not making any popcorn. I don't want any more sudden guests tonight." He said.
  612. >You slowly entered with a smile.
  613. "Don't worry, I won't be here for long. But I would love some tea." You said with a small smile to which Anon rolled his eyes.
  614. >"Sure. I'll go make some." He said with a hint of annoyance in his voice
  615. >With that he walked towards the kitchen and you went further into the house.
  616.  
  617. >With Anon in the kitchen, you walked towards the bookcase, curious what kind of books Anon liked.
  618. >Starlight walked with you as you read the titles from left to right.
  619. >It was a bit chaotic but you found a few books about Alchemy and Magic. The one Anon borrowed from Twilight yesterday wasn't there however.
  620. >Suddenly Anon's yell came from the kitchen.
  621. >"Green, black or red?!" Presumably he talked about tea.
  622. >You turned towards the kitchen, but your hip bumped the bookcase and suddenly a large book fell onto your head, from the very top.
  623. >It was the one he borrowed from Twilight. A slip of paper fell out from it, presumably a way Anon marked on what page he finished his reading.
  624. >Before the dizziness left you the disgruntled Anon was standing above you. Flipping through the pages and making sure they weren't damaged.
  625. >"Be more careful when in someone's house." He said, with a hint of venom before putting the book high up, with the slip of paper in it again.
  626. >He scoffed at you and went into the kitchen again.
  627. >"Don't mind him, he's a bit of a grump." Said Starlight, helping you up.
  628. >The two of you sat on the couch and you looked at Starlight.
  629. "Sooo… uh, are Twilight and I really that loud?" You ask awkwardly.
  630. >Starlight seemed to dodge your gaze as she gave you a weird chuckle.
  631. >"Well…that too. Heh. Crystals aren't all that great in blocking sound, you know." She seemed nervous and unable to look you in the eye.
  632. >"But Anon turned out to be a good roommate. After a rocky start. I like it here. The music is amazing." She added, looking slightly more comfortable.
  633. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you two are getting along." You said and a smile appeared on your face.
  634. >"Yeah… we actually have a lot more in common that we imagined." She said looking into the distance.
  635. >You looked around Anon’s house.
  636. “So, uh, where do you sleep?” you asked after a moment.
  637. >”On this couch right here.” Starlight pointed down.
  638. >You looked down. The couch was new and much bigger than regular pony couches so it probably made for a decent bed. But still.
  639. “Doesn’t Anon have a second bed?”
  640. >Starlight shook her head.
  641. >”We haven’t really talked about me getting my own bed yet, since we’re not sure how long I will stay here for.” said Starlight.
  642. >”But, maybe enough about my living here. How do you like Ponyville?”
  643.  
  644. >You glared at two ponies from your kitchen.
  645. >It was almost amazing how little this guy noticed.
  646. >Starlight was actually bashful. You have never seen her like that.
  647. >The horrible opener given by Sunburst also didn't help.
  648. >I mean who in their right mind starts by saying 'so we fuck loud?'
  649. >It almost made you feel better about not actually getting with Twilight. If she actually chose this moron… geez. He either has to be absolutely amazing at sex or somehow mind controlled Twilight.
  650. >"Oh you know, it's a very nice town. Calm, quiet." Said Sunburst.
  651. >Starlight chuckled.
  652. >"You'd be surprised how often some ancient evil appears here and wrecks havoc." She answered.
  653. >"Yeah. But there's sadly not that much to do. We had to take a long train ride with Twilight to get into the observatory. We could've teleported, sure but it was romantic that way…"
  654. >Oh Sweet Merciful Jesus, All The Saints and Celestia as well. This guy is daft.
  655. >Your eyes locked with Starlight's, listening to him talk about his day must've been soul crushing.
  656. >Hell, it was unpleasant to you, but to her? Starlight almost destroyed the world because he didn't notice her before.
  657. >Should you step in?
  658. >You looked at the clock.
  659. >The tea wasn't ready yet. It would be way too weak.
  660. >But fuck it.
  661. >You grabbed the mugs, the tea maker, closed the tin with the green tea you made and walked to the room.
  662. "Right. Tea's almost done." You rudely interrupted, putting the set on the table and walked back to the kitchen. "I'll go grab the sugar." You quickly did so, before Sunburst could start talking again and put it on the table as well.
  663. >He tried to start talking again, so you dragged the armchair across the floor drowning him in sound.
  664. >"Ugh, do you mind Anonymous?" He asked.
  665. >You looked at Starlight, a fake smile plastered on her face, she shook her head slightly, trying to tell you not to be mean.
  666. >You turned to him.
  667. "Yeah I mind. It's pretty late, so I want to know why you came by. I hope the reason wasn't to brag about your romantic life to a loner and your childhood friend." You said, before pouring yourself some tea.
  668. >"Well, maybe you're not interested, but Starlight is, right?" He asked nonchalantly before looking at the purple unicorn.
  669. >"Uh, yeah. Totally." She chuckled awkwardly.
  670. >"See? So…" oh god he started talking again.
  671. >Was it on purpose? Was he trying to crush your spirits?
  672. >This fucking nerd.
  673. >You took a sip of boiled water with almost no flavour.
  674. "This is going to be a long night…"
  675.  
  676. >Sunburst described his date in much more detail than you wanted to hear.
  677. >Anon on the other hand was looking outside of the window with an expression that suggested he was probably thinking where to bury Sunburst.
  678. >You had feelings for Sunburst for most of your life, but he was never really that interested in you.
  679. >Or any other mare.
  680. >When he finally showed interest it was in a mare other than you.
  681. >It stung. You actually felt physical pain.
  682. >You looked up at Anon, he probably felt similar. Maybe more angry.
  683. >"Oh my, would you look at the time. I have to get up early tomorrow!" Anon suddenly stood up and grabbed the mug out of Sunburst's Magic. "It was wonderful, really, but you have to leave now. And next time maybe don't come here uninvited."
  684. He then pointed towards the door.
  685. >"Oh. You're right! Twilight and I have so much to do tomorrow! Well, it was nice seeing you, Starlight." Sunburst embraced you in a hug. Not knowing how to act toy patted his back awkwardly before working your way out of it.
  686. "Yeah… good to see you too Sunburst." He jumped off the couch and walked towards the door. You followed him.
  687. >"I'll be seeing you." He said before you opened the doors for him and he left.
  688. >You waved him goodbye, watching him disappear in the dark.
  689. >Closing the doors you looked at Anon.
  690. >"I wish I was a mermaid…" he said after a moment with an absent expression.
  691. >You looked at him, confused.
  692. "What? Where did that come from?" You tilted your head to the side.
  693. >"Because… There are no fingerprints deep underwater. Nothing to tie one to a crime. And if you seek vengeance all you need are instruments of pain." He said, grabbing the dirty mugs from the table and carrying them to the kitchen.
  694. >You followed, confused.
  695. "I know he was annoying but… that's a bit extreme."
  696. >"Nah, we'll need the knives." He reached into a drawer and took out one. "Check."
  697. >His expression shifted, to a wicked one.
  698. >"Rope? Actually I don't have rope. The whole joke fell flat." He groaned before pouring the remaining tea down the drain.
  699. >He turned to you.
  700. >"You… good? I'm not going to insult your crush in your face since it's a dick move, but… he… seemed to be a tiny bit unaware of how you felt about him speaking." Now, instead of wicked, Anon looked concerned.
  701. >You looked down.
  702. "Yeah… he can be like that." You closed your eyes and sighed.
  703. >"Need a hug or something?" He asked, stepping closer.
  704. >You shook your head.
  705. "I don't like physical contact very much. It's… awkward for me…"
  706. >"That's cool too." Anon straightened his back.
  707. >You raised your gaze and looked at him.
  708. "What about you? Do you need a hug? You said it yourself, you have a crush on Twilight."
  709. >Anon shrugged.
  710. >"I think I was so angry that I skipped the other stages of the Kubler-Ross grief cycle and I went straight into acceptance."
  711. >You nodded.
  712. "Another question, do you want to go drinking tomorrow? We both could use something stiff."
  713. >"Now you're thinking with portals." Said Anon with a grin.
  714.  
  715. >It was friday evening, a day after Sunburst's horrible visit. You and Starlight were currently in Canterlot on your way to some bar that apparently had an amazing Karaoke machine that would basically allow you to sing whatever you want.
  716. >From what explanation you got from Starlight it was an enhancement that could detect voices and music to determine how to make it into a karaoke track.
  717. >The secret of the spell was of course a tightly guarded secret so there’s no way you could figure that out.
  718. >So, since Starlight said it’s a-ok for you to do so, you grabbed a few of your CD’s.
  719. >You glanced at Starlight, who put quite some effort into looking properly when going into this bar.
  720. >You didn’t notice that she had holes for piercing in her ears, but now, she rocked a few earrings, a jacket, which looked like eco-leather, but blue. With few purple belts. Her makeup was also darker and her hairstyle was also done in her older, straight banged style.
  721. >Which, you must admit, you liked much more. Something about the Femme Fatale aura she had with it.
  722. >You opted to just put on a white t-shirt with the Anthrax logo, your leather jacket, jeans and combat boots. And a chain hanging from your belt.
  723. >You saw Trixie, dressed in a white shirt with a mixture of a tailcoat and a waistcoat. To this she added a skirt and some stockings which did fit her Magician vibe.
  724. >Next to her stood Tempest Shadow, who looked much more metal, with a loose black t-shirt with some unreadable logo on it. Short pants with a bullet belt, a chain and a spiked choker.
  725. >”Ugh! Finally, Trixie was getting bored.” said Trixie with a scoff.
  726. >Tempest on the other hand gave a small wave.
  727. >Next to you most ponies were still rather small but Tempest stood tall above the two mares.
  728. >”It’s nice to see you too, Trixie.” Starlight chuckled.
  729. “Hi there.” You also gave a small wave and looked at the sign before you.
  730. >”So, we’re going in?” asked Tempest before all of you agreed and went in.
  731. >The inside was what you expected, it didn’t scream metal to you, but Starlight assured you that Karaoke here made up for it.
  732. >You didn’t mind the decor, it was a classic, with a big wooden bar, few tables and rooms in the back for those who wanted to sing.
  733. >Starlight approached the bar.
  734. “Hello, we have a reservation for today on name Starlight Glimmer. For four ponies.” she said.
  735. >The barmare nodded, grabbed a notebook and looked over it.
  736. >”Mhm, it’s right there. A room with… Minotaur accommodation?” she gazed at you.
  737. >”Yes.” the purple unicorn confirmed.
  738. >”Right this way then.” and with that, you were led into the VIP room.
  739. >You had no idea how Starlight got the money for it.
  740.  
  741. >Two drinks in and after talking about boring things, the atmosphere finally became loose enough that all of you started joking more.
  742. >Learning few things about the mares you were with, like the fact that Trixie started talking about herself in third person when she was ten because it helped her manipulate the kids in the magical kindergarten.
  743. >And how Tempest once crushed a melon with her thighs after drinking a bit too much and trying to seduce some guy.
  744. >You also learned that Starlight before starting her whole Equality Village she first tried making charms that ward off bad vibes.
  745. >You shared a story about how you tried to kick a guy, missed his face, kicked your friend and fell onto the floor.
  746. >Three drinks in, Trixie started the first Karaoke. Singing a ponyfied version of Endorphinmachine by Prince. Which basically changed all the ‘baby’ into Filly.
  747. >After a round of clapping and another round of drinks Tempest decided to go second.
  748. >Her song was much more rock and roll than Trixie. Which seemed pretty obvious, just judging by her outfit.
  749. >”It’s just a tease! It’s just a tease! Got nothing to lose it, got myself to please, it’s just a tease!” Tempest's voice was much gruffer than Trixie or Starlight as well and the song suited her, at least in your opinion. You had no idea how accurate it was but it was nice to listen to.
  750. >She returned to her seat after a moment and you decided to go for a round of shots and drinks before resuming the karaoke.
  751. >That meant that whoever would be going next would have a harder time.
  752. >Starlight came back after a moment, floating a tray of fourteen shots and four drinks.
  753. “I see weren’t not leaving sober tonight.” you joked as the four shots floated in front of each of you.
  754. >”Nope. Not tonight.” said Starlight sitting in front of you.
  755. >”So, what kind of toast do we make?” asked Tempest.
  756. >”Well, it’s not a Redeemed Unicorn Club meeting so we can’t say that it’s to us becoming upstanding Equestrians.” said Trixie.
  757. >The three unicorns looked at you.
  758. “All right but this one is going to be shit.” you said raising the first glass. “To being fucking legends.”
  759. >”Works for Trixie!” She raised her glass.
  760. >Tempest and Starlight did so as well.
  761. >”To being legends.” and with that, all of you downed your shots.
  762. [spoiler] Here are Trixie’s and Tempest Songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehE7dPlYr8E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXoOndMA5u8 [/spoiler]
  763.  
  764.  
  765. >After four shots and a fifth drink, Starlight stood up suddenly.
  766. >”A-all right! My turn!” her speech was slightly slurred already, her stance shaky, but she stood up and walked to the microphone.
  767. >She started the song and untied her ponytail. Heh, ponytail, letting her hair loose.
  768. >The song started slowly but as soon as the fragment where the guitar sped up, Starlight started headbanging.
  769. >Man her neck will be sore tomorrow. But you weren’t going to deny it was pretty hot.
  770. >”Yeeeaaaaah! Collective consciousness! Synapses between us! We pierce the Sky with hooves! We shroud the earth in dust! Bow, sit down, take the knee! Before the power that be! We’re here to spread the flame, welcome to the game!” you didn’t expect her to start with a growl. A pretty good one at that.
  771. >Not like you were going to complain. She became even cooler in your eyes.
  772. >”And after all is set and done, since the moon eclipsed the sun, can you feel the wrath of truth? Does it burn you like abuse?” This part wasn’t growled, but her vocals were still great.
  773. >Was she just going easy yesterday when the two of you were goofing out and singing Hellraiser?
  774. >Probably, you weren’t really trying to sound good yesterday as well. Just singing alongside Ozzy.
  775. >You smiled at her and started headbanging as well. Maybe not as extreme as her before, because you needed to save your energy for your turn, but you weren’t going to go easy as well.
  776. >”Flee the pain into the fire!” the shift from clear singing to growl with “Ooobey, as we, decay!” was great. “Buy me a lobotomy! Fools never cease to amaze! Keep digging your grave. A lobotomy!” she took a deep breath as the music slowed down and threw her hair back off her face. Smiling, as sweat formed on her brow.
  777. >Trixie and Tempest also seemed to be into it, Trixie clearly doing the air guitar.
  778. >But even if the song slowed down it wasn’t finished.
  779. >”Fool me once and I’m numb.”
  780. >You could swear you’ve noticed a small glimmer in her eye as she sang that.
  781. >”Twice and I’m dumb.” she bowed her face forward, covering her eyes with bangs.
  782. >”Thrice I won’t be fooled again.” she raised her head, a determined look on her face.
  783. >The whole slower part seemed to put her in a weird state of melancholy.
  784. >The guitar solo pulled her out of it but until the chorus started again she seemed to have this weird expression.
  785. >The song however finally ended and she put the microphone back on its stand before coming back to the seat.
  786. >”All right… another round of drinks and it’s Anon’s turn.” said Tempest with a coy grin.
  787. [spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsuhfOD7emE Here’s Starlight’s song[/spoiler]
  788.  
  789. >The waitress brought another round of drinks, another toast was raised and the eyes rested on you.
  790. >”Right, so what do you have in store for us Anon?” asked Trixie, swirling her drink with magic.
  791. >You chuckled before downing your drink and standing up.
  792. “This one will be funny.” you said walking towards the player and inserting your CD.
  793. >You turned to the girls and grinned.
  794. “The guy that sang this song, Sebastian Bach, was shirtless in the music video. Whether you like it or not I will follow his example.” you said before taking off your jacket.
  795. >A whistle came from Tempest.
  796. >”Well, I didn't know we’re going to get a show.” she joked before you took off the white t-shirt.
  797. >The mares clapped, since they were as drunk as you, if not more, it was probably pretty much a great show for them.
  798. >And since you were emboldened by alcohol you also felt pretty good about it.
  799. >You put the jacket back on and zipped it a bit.
  800. “He had his jacket though.” you shot them a coy grin before raising the shirt above your head as the music started and threw it onto your seat.
  801. >You took a deep breath.
  802. “Well outside my window there’s a whole lotta trouble comin’. The cartoon killers and the rag covered clones.”
  803. >You grabbed the mike and took it off its stand.
  804. “Stack heels kicking rhythm, of social circumcision. I can’t close the closet on the shoebox full of…”
  805. >Now comes probably the hardest part of the bong.
  806. “BooooOO…” going from low to high tested your range but…” OOONNEES! C’mon! Rah…”
  807. >You chuckled to yourself and thought ‘Still got it’.
  808. “Kangaroo lady with a bourbon in her pouch! Can’t afford a rental on a bamboo couch, collecting back her favours ‘cause the well is running dry, I know her act is terminal but she ain’t gonna die.”
  809. >Emboldened by alcohol again you started sensually taking off the jacket again, to unanimous approval from the girls. Might as well make it a proper rock show.
  810. “Ooooh! The pain! I ain’t seen the sun since I don’t know when. The freaks come out at nine. And it’s twenty to ten. What’s this funk that you call junk?! To me it’s monkey business. Get back!”
  811. >You used the stop in the vocals to walk to the table, grabbed Starlight’s drink and took a large sip, before giving it back and winking at her.
  812. >You walked back onto the stage and continued the show.
  813. >Halfway through it you even grabbed a chair and put your foot on it to take a rather popular pose at the concerts.
  814. >“Monkey business!”
  815. “Slippin’ on the track!”
  816. >You managed to even get some audience participation.
  817. >”Monkey business, ness, business! Don’t give me no business, no! Ay!”
  818. >And with that you finished as well. Showed them the devil's horn and sat down.
  819. [spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pkpsxEyi-k and Here’s the last song[/spoiler]
  820.  
  821.  
  822. >The hate you felt towards Celestia was great right now.
  823. >A single stray ray of sunshine struck your eye.
  824. >Despite the curtains it still managed to find its way in.
  825. >So you tried to bury your muzzle into the pillow in hopes of escaping it.
  826. >Only to realise it was not a pillow.
  827. >The warm but firm surface had a weird texture to it.
  828. >You opened your eyes with a groan, unhappy about being forced to do so and the splitting headache suddenly became much less of an issue.
  829. >You were lying on top of shirtless Anon, his pants unbuttoned, your clothes scattered around, his shirt and jacket lying next to the sofa.
  830. >A sudden warmth flooded your face as your cheeks got painted by a blush.
  831. >You stared at his chest, as it slowly rose and fell with each breath, unsure how to proceed.
  832. >Not wanting to wake him up but not feeling like moving either, you were somewhat trapped here.
  833. >You looked at the window from which the one ray assaulted you and broke your sleep.
  834. >Suddenly you felt Anon move slightly, murmur something and his hand rested on your back.
  835. >It felt strange and awkward. Like it was assaulting your personal space and trapping you.
  836. >At the same time however, it was warm and pleasant and… safe. A strange feeling.
  837. >You decided to accept this feeling and decided to stay here. Though there was still some light to bury.
  838. >As your horn lit up, a sharp pain hit you, making you wince and cry out in pain.
  839. "Oh buck… my head…" you hissed, probably too loudly because Anon suddenly woke up.
  840. >"Huh? Wha'? Oh… hi Glimmy…" he whispered before blinking a few times and looking around.
  841. >Then at you.
  842. >"Wow, you look worse for wear…" his arm slid off your back as he tried to move to a sitting position.
  843. >He yawned and looked at the clothes.
  844. >"Ah fuck…" he murmured.
  845. "Hi Anon… my head is killing me…" you said slowly.
  846. >He nodded.
  847. >"I'm alright. I'm used to drinking so much. But I guess we'd have to get you something… I know a thing that will help but it won't be the tastiest thing. Or actually you might like it, who knows." He said, before grabbing you by the barrel, raising you up and putting you next to him.
  848. >The relative ease with which he picked you up was a bit of a shock at first, but taking his size into account was to be expected.
  849. >He sat up, then stood up slowly, picked up his jacket, hung it on the armchair and walked to the kitchen.
  850. >You contemplated following him, but ultimately, you just lied down on your side and sighed.
  851. >The headache and slight nausea didn't make you want to move at all. You wanted to be a couch potato today.
  852.  
  853. >Anonymous came back with two glasses of a cloudy liquid and sat next to you.
  854. >”Can you use your magic?” he asked, raising his eyebrow slowly.
  855. “Nuh-uh…” was all you could murmur.
  856. >”All right then, so I’ll need you to sit up and drink this.” he said as you eyed the glass suspiciously.
  857. “What is it?” you asked.
  858. >He took a sip, pressed his lips together tightly and exhaled.
  859. >”It will help you with your hangover but it is pretty sour.” he said.
  860. >You gingerly grabbed the glass.
  861. >”Just drink it all in one go. It will be easier.” he said.
  862. >This was suspicious but you followed his lead.
  863. >The taste was extremely sour, your eyes watered, but you forced it all in.
  864. >Worse still, the bits of something stuck to your teeth but since Anon was drinking it as well, you accepted your fate and drank it all.
  865. “What was that?” you asked, unsure if you wanted to know the answer.
  866. >”Pickle juice mixed with sauerkraut juice. I made both myself.” he said proudly. “There’s a ton of vitamins in it, so it should help you out combat the worst effects of the hangover.” he said before butting the glass down and sitting more comfortably on the couch.
  867. >You put the glass down as well and looked at Anon.
  868. >With his eyes closed it looked like he was just trying to fall asleep again.
  869. “Sooo… Do you remember much from yesterday?” you asked after a moment.
  870. >”Mhm~ most of it probably.” he answered.
  871. >You gulped.
  872. “Will you tell me?” you asked.
  873. >A small smile appeared on Anon’s face.
  874. >”About how you made out with Trixie?” he asked.
  875. >Your face reddened.
  876. “I did what?!” yelling wasn’t a good idea. Your head still hurts.
  877. >But Anon just started laughing.
  878. >”Don’t worry. I’m kidding. You didn’t kiss anyone. You mostly drank a lot, sang some songs about broken hearts and then teleported us to the Crystal Empire, where we walked Tempest home and Trixie puked into a trash can.” he explained.
  879. >You nodded.
  880. “What then?”
  881. >”You teleported us back to ponyville, we walked Trixie home and then returned here. We were both tired so we just collapsed on the couch and fell asleep. Don’t know where you got on top of me though.” he said, opening one eye and looking at you with a smirk. “I assume it’s my irresistible body.” he patted his stomach, which looked curious, that’s for sure. With barely any hair or fur, just a small patch leading below his belt and to his bellybutton.
  882. >You breathed a sigh of release.
  883. “Good… because the last thing I remember is getting another round of shots and drinking like ten when we played ‘Never have I ever’.” you explained.
  884. >”Well, I am keeping a few secrets to myself and I will reveal those while it would be the funniest.” he said, his smile turning into a mischievous one.
  885. >Your face dropped.
  886. “Please don’t…”
  887.  
  888. >The weird mixture given you by Anon helped you stave off the worst effects of your headache, but it didn't get rid of it completely.
  889. >Sadly Anon had different plans than to let you lie on a couch all day. He said that some fresh air will be good for you and he sure as hell won't cook so you two are getting pizza.
  890. >The sun was slowly moving towards the horizon as the orange sky illuminated the Ponyville.
  891. >Then came the sound of a spring. Like the one found in a mattress.
  892. >In your hangover filled mind the sound caused irrational fear as you knew who's arrival it foretold.
  893. >Another boing and you looked at Anon with fearful eyes.
  894. >He looked at you and nodded slowly.
  895. >"Brace yourself." He whispered, before suddenly you felt yourself pulled towards another Pony face.
  896. >"Hiyaaa you two!" The pink fluffy mane covered half of your vision as your cheeks pressed Against Pinkie's cheeks.
  897. >Sadly the mare has no concept of personal space, so you quickly tried to escape her grasp.
  898. >Anon came to the rescue as he picked her up, again with strange ease and put a finger on her lips.
  899. >"Shhh… we've been partying all night and we don't want any loud noises." He said.
  900. >"Ooooh, sorry" Pinkie whispered back.
  901. >Then Anon put her back down.
  902. "Do you often pick up ponies?" You asked after a moment.
  903. >"Only when I need to. With great power comes great responsibility after all." His face was completely serious.
  904. >"What are you two doing?" Asked Pinkie, still whispering. "Going for some after party? Hmm?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
  905. >You shook your head.
  906. "We're going to buy pizza for dinner. What about you?"
  907. >"Ooooh~ nice. I'm just walking back to the Sugar Cube Corner after dropping off a fresh batch of 'Get Over Your Weird Headache' cupcakes." She explained.
  908. >Weird headache? That was strange.
  909. "Can you tell me something more about that headache?"
  910. >"Well, we were hanging out yesterday, having our fun and all, but we probably drank much less than you two birdies~" you shot the two of you glances.
  911. >"Guilty As Charged." Anon chuckled.
  912. >"Well anyway, we had our fun but suddenly in the middle of it Twilight just became much paler and she started complaining about a headache. She called for Sunburst to take her home and she left halfway through it." She explained.
  913. >"She any better today?" Asked Anon.
  914. >Pinkie shrugged.
  915. >"I don't know. Sunburst said she's sleeping and he won't let anyone see her today." She said, before grabbing the two of you and pulling you closer, bringing Anon almost to the floor.
  916. >"If you ask me, the whole thing is fishy."
  917. "Yeah, no kidding."
  918. >"I guess we'll check it out. But first, Pinkie, do you have any stray cupcakes? I'm quite peckish." Asked Anon.
  919.  
  920. >With cupcakes in tow, the two of you decided to ignore getting pizza for now and you went towards Crystal Castle.
  921. >You still were hungover, but the worry dominated your thoughts, pushing any notion of discomfort to the back of your mind.
  922. >Twilight might've dated a stallion you wanted to date yourself, but she was still your friend. One of the best ones as well.
  923. >You stopped in front of the doors and Anon knocked on the large doors.
  924. >Few moments later a set of hooves reached your earshot before the doors opened.
  925. >Sunburst looked surprised.
  926. >"Oh, hi Starlight. Anonymous." He nodded. "What brings the two of you here?"
  927. >You were about to say something but Anon stopped you.
  928. >"We're here for tea. And to check up on Twilight." He answered.
  929. "And I'm here to grab a few of my things." You added.
  930. >The Sunburst didn't look so sure about it, but he let you past him.
  931. >You walked in and almost instantly started walking towards the upstairs.
  932. >"Wait where are you going?" Asked Sunburst.
  933. >You turned towards him.
  934. "To my room. And to talk with Twilight." You said before continuing.
  935. >Anon shrugged as he walked past the stallion and followed you.
  936. >"You can't go meet Twilight yet. She needs rest." He said, his voice cracking.
  937. >You walked towards your room.
  938. "She's my friend and I'm going to check up on her. After I get my things." And with that both you and Anon entered your room.
  939. >You turned towards the door but stopped Sunburst before he entered.
  940. "I'll need some privacy."
  941. >"But Anon is right here with you." Protested Sunburst.
  942. >"I'm very private." Said the human with a mysterious smile on his face.
  943. >Then you locked the door and immediately turned towards Anon and showed him to follow you, before moving next to a wardrobe and opening it.
  944. "All right. Not allowing others to see Twilight is weird. We need to try and find a way to walk past him without raising too much suspicion.
  945. >You said taking out an old guitar case from the bottom of the wardrobe. Then a few other things which you stuck hastily into a bag.
  946. >"I think we should just walk towards her room, knock and enter. If he tries to stop us we can just say we knew her for longer than he knows here and ignore him." Said Anon.
  947. >You nodded.
  948. "We can try that. If that won't work. Just say you want the tea and try to drag him downstairs."
  949. >With your plan laid out, the two of you leaned your heads out of the wardrobe and walked towards the exit of your room.
  950.  
  951. >With guitar in Anon's grasp and a few bags held between the two of you, you began your walk towards the Twilight room.
  952. >As Anon was about to knock and announce your entry a magical aura stopped his hand.
  953. >”Guys, Twilight really needs her rest.” you didn’t even notice when Sunburst appeared next to you two.
  954. >”Let go of my hand.” said Anon after a moment as the magical aura still held his hand in place.
  955. >”You will instantly knock on the doors. Guys please. She’s sick, she has to get some sleep. I promise I will let her know that you guys came by, first thing tomorrow.” pleated Sunburst again.
  956. >”Seriously, let go.” Anon’s voice sounded more annoyed now.
  957. >”Not until you promise you’ll act like a rational person Anon.” retaliated the Unicorn.
  958. >You walked between them.
  959. “Sunburst what’s gotten into you? We’re Twilight’s friends. Why won’t you let us see her?” you asked after a moment.
  960. >”She needs rest.” repeated Sunburst.
  961. >”Let go of my hand or I will break your glasses, I swear to God.” repeated Anon.
  962. >”See? That’s why I absolutely cannot let go of your hand. You’re tired and hungover, so you act irrationally I…” Sunburst couldn’t finish as Anon’s boot met his face sending him stumbling backwards.
  963. “Sunburst!” you dashed towards the unicorn.
  964. >”I’m fine… I’m fine…” he waved his hoof before getting up. “I will forgive you. Because you’re clearly worried about Twilight, but I will need the two of you to leave.” he didn’t truly give you enough time to check up on him, but it would seem that Anon didn’t do that much to him.
  965. >That however you didn’t shoot a death glare towards Anon.
  966. “I’m so sorry about him.” you said to Sunburst as you were being kicked out of the Crystal Castle.
  967. >The doors closed with a slam and you turned towards Anon.
  968. “What in Tartarus was that?!” you yelled.
  969. >”Self defence.” said Anon without a hint of remorse.
  970. >You were baffled by this answer. The way he said it like it was the most normal thing to do.
  971. “Anon you almost broke his muzzle!”
  972. >”He wouldn’t let go of my hand, besides I think something is seriously fuckingy with him. He doesn’t act like a normal person! Or a pony. I know you have a crush on him and I’m sorry that I upset you, but c’mon.” you took a deep breath listening to Anon’s words.
  973. >He was right, Sunburst was acting extremely weird. Well, he was always aloof and that was even worse now, when he was an adult but he never struck you as someone who’d act like that.
  974. >Unless he was secretly controlling. But then again Twilight wouldn’t get herself to be fooled so easily.
  975. >Then what…
  976. “All right Anon… I admit, Sunburst is acting a bit weird. He seems to… active. He never was the wisest guy. Intelligent, yes, but never wise.” you said after a moment.
  977. >”What do you even see in him anyway?” asked Anon.
  978. >”He was kinda the only guy in most of my life. As in, someone I could actually talk to and hang out with. Not someone I brainwashed or stole a cutie mark off to build a cult.” you said after a moment.
  979.  
  980. >With your things gathered, as well as pizza bought, the two of you came back to Anon’s house.
  981. >You sat at the couch again, planning your course of action.
  982. >Well, planning was a strong word, you just tried to figure out what had gotten into Sunburst, or if he was actually just weird from the very beginning.
  983. >”I still don’t know why you want to avoid violence so much. It would clearly work and he’s acting like an actual creep trying to hide a corpse, not a concerned boyfriend.” said Anon grabbing another slice of pizza.
  984. ”On the off chance we’re wrong. I still don’t want him to get beaten up. I mean, he was always a talented spellcaster, but… not in terms of doing the magic swiftly, so he wouldn’t stand a chance against you.” you explained.
  985. >Anon just groaned.
  986. >”So, you could try and teleport in.” said Anon. “Unless Twilight set up wards that would stop you from teleporting in.” he added after a moment and you answered with a nod. “Shit. Magical way is out of the question. Sneaking in won’t work. Beating up is thrown out on the issue of morality. The only thing left is probably just persuasion but he won’t listen to me, so you’re on your own with that.”
  987. >You leaned back onto the couch.
  988. “Yeah. It’s a much harder issue than I imagined it would be. I usually just do stuff magic blazing but I don’t want to hurt either Twilight or Sunburst. Or risk you getting hurt during my plans.”
  989. >”That’s sweet of you Starlight. It shows we’re actually becoming friends.” he said before chuckling. “Maybe we should give each other nicknames as good friends do, what do you say Glim Glam?”
  990. >You groaned.
  991. “Oh Nonny, I don’t think we’re ready for that step yet.” you answered before chucking as well.
  992. >You then grabbed the slice of pizza and started thinking.
  993. “You know… when I first was on my way to meet Sunburst I tried to trick Spike into spending his time telling tales about his heroic deeds. I managed to get him to tell me about him defeating Sombra but after he told the tale, he just got up and continued the lesson.”
  994. >Anon glanced at you.
  995. >”He is pretty good at not getting sidetracked. And detecting bullshit.” he answered.
  996. “Yeah. But the whole meeting was a disaster. I felt like burying myself in a grave and dying on the spot.”
  997. >Anon nodded slowly.
  998. >“If that makes you feel any better, I spilled my spaghetti all over the floor when I tried to ask a girl out in highschool. I wasn’t able to act all cool and collected back then under pressure, it was horrible. I stammered all the time, said some cringy shit. Ugh.” he groaned.
  999. >You laughed at that.
  1000. “I guess we both were bad at talking to people we like.” you sighed.
  1001. >”Yeah. But… I came up with a plaaan~” said Anon in a melodic tone.
  1002. >You looked at him.
  1003. >”We’ll play detectives and talk to Mane Six first.” he said with a mysterious smile.
  1004.  
  1005.  
  1006. >You secretly regretted that you never asked Rarity for a trenchcoat and a fedora so that you could cosplay as Dick Gumshoe but it was too late for that.
  1007. >It also wasn't important.
  1008. >Starlight shivered slightly as the two of you approached Sweet Apple Acres.
  1009. >It was a chilly morning and the air was still wet.
  1010. "You want to borrow my jacket?" You asked after a moment.
  1011. >"It would be way too big on me." She answered as you walked past the sign indicating the start of the Acres.
  1012. "You can just toss it onto your back, it will be warmer."
  1013. >She thought to herself for a moment before nodding.
  1014. >"Yes please." You took off the leather jacket, still keeping the material a secret from Ponies and hung it on Starlight's back.
  1015. >You felt the hair on your arm stand up but you ignored it.
  1016. >The two of you glanced at the orchard itself, searching for signs of Applejack working, but she probably had Sunday off.
  1017. >Seeing nothing you approached the door and with a nod from Starlight, you knocked and put your sunglasses on your forehead.
  1018. >The sound of hooves on wood reached you before Applebloom opened the doors.
  1019. >"Oh, howdy miss Starlight, and you Mister Anon." Said the small filly.
  1020. >You gave her a small salute.
  1021. "Hi kid, your sister's home?" You asked
  1022. >The filly nodded before moving to the side.
  1023. >"Yeah, come right in. I'll call her over." The two of you stepped inside. "Sis! Anon and Starlight are here to see you!" She yelled deeper into the house, closing the doors behind you.
  1024. >"Well don't make them stand around! Invite 'em in!" Came the older voice of granny Smith.
  1025. >"Well, you heard the granny, get in!" Said Applebloom before you shrugged and followed.
  1026. >The two of you entered the kitchen just as Applejack came down from upstairs.
  1027. >"All right, you two. Ah am here. What do you want?" She asked as you took a seat.
  1028. >"We wanted to ask about Twilight, was she acting strangely lately, looked unwell? Anything of the sort?" Asked Starlight.
  1029. >Applejack thought for a moment.
  1030. >"Well, she did get that strange headache on Friday, but before that she looked normal. Maybe slightly tired, but you know how Twilight can be. Reading till the morning." She answered after a moment.
  1031. >The two of you nodded.
  1032. "Did she say something about anything weird?"
  1033. >"Not that I recall. She talked 'bout this Sunburst fella a lot. How sweet he is, you know, romantic stuff. Actually he was the only thing on her mind." She answered.
  1034. >"So she only spoke about him? Well that is a bit strange. But thank you for your answers." Said Starlight.
  1035. >"Wait just a darn second! Do you guys know something?" Asked Applejack.
  1036. >You looked at her and nodded.
  1037. "We suspect Sunburst did something to her and we intend to find out." You said.
  1038.  
  1039.  
  1040. >The next of the Mane six didn't exactly offer many new leads.
  1041. >Fluttershy talked about how Twilight seemed slightly distant all day.
  1042. >Pinkie about how Sunburst wouldn't let her in, again.
  1043. >Rarity about how she acted like a filly in love, before sighing and saying she would love her own prince charming.
  1044. >Rainbow about how Sunburst is totally an uncool nerd. But ultimately it only made all of it more fishy.
  1045. >The two of you sat on the bench, Starlight giving back your jacket which now lay next to you.
  1046. >You drummed your fingers on the wooden surface, staring into space. Thinking.
  1047. >Few days ago the idea of spending time with Starlight seemed insane, but now the two of you acted like good friends.
  1048. >You still had a few things that would need some work but the two of you really did work together well.
  1049. >As friends. Of course.
  1050. "Starlight. Can I ask you a personal question?"
  1051. >Starlight looked up at you. Tilting her head to the side.
  1052. >"Sure, what's on your mind?" She asked after a moment.
  1053. >Gathering your thoughts, you looked at her.
  1054. "Why did you try to live with me? I mean, I know that you gave me a reason before but… I find it hard to imagine all Mane six couldn't let you stay for even a day."
  1055. >Starlight opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again, yet still no words left her.
  1056. >"The reason about being unable to stand Twilight and Sunburst was true. They really were extremely loud. But… you're right. I thought to myself 'everyone knows Anon dislikes me. If I stay at his place… no one will suspect a thing.' I wasn't sure if you'd agree but I wanted to make sure I'd at least have a day or two to think all of this through." She answered.
  1057. >She took a deep breath before continuing.
  1058. >"And… I hoped that you were the grumpy type who's secretly a better person that they let people know." She added. "As it turns out, you are. You apparently hated me, but there you are, borrowing me your jacket because I felt cold. Letting me stay at your house…" she smiled. "And besides, I actually really like hanging out with you." She finished.
  1059. >You also smiled.
  1060. "Yeah, shame I was such an ass before. I haven't had anyone with whom I could sing Hellraiser and Book of Shallows with." You said.
  1061. >"You'll have to teach me about those boardgames in your bookcase though. The card games as well. It looked interesting." She said after a moment. "I could use a friend to play with, besides Spike."
  1062. >You grinned at that.
  1063. "I'll show you Cursed City when we'll be in a less dire situation. You know, when we won't be trying to figure out what is going on with our friend."
  1064. >"It's a promise then." She said and looked forward.
  1065. >"Now, can I ask you a question?"
  1066. "Shoot".
  1067. >She nodded slowly.
  1068. >"Can I still stay at your house? Even after we solve all this?"
  1069. >You never expected that from Starlight. Maybe you were a better friend than you imagined.
  1070. "If you want to, you're welcome to stay. But we'll have to organise some sort of bed for you."
  1071.  
  1072.  
  1073. >The two of you were sitting on the bench, compiling evidence you gathered today.
  1074. >Starlight was clearly thinking about something as she flipped through some old notebook.
  1075. >To you however it seemed like Twiggy was just lovestruck.
  1076. >Very lovestruck.
  1077. >To the point of near obsession.
  1078. >The headaches were strange. The fact that Sunburst didn't let you see Twilight was strange.
  1079. "We should just barge in. Twilight is lovestruck, sure, but the Sunburst is the one acting like a weirdo. We have to ignore him and enter the room." You said after a moment.
  1080. >Starlight only uh huhed, consumed in her thoughts.
  1081. >Suddenly she looked up.
  1082. >"Lovestruck…" she said into space.
  1083. >You nodded.
  1084. "That's what I said, yeah."
  1085. >She blinked.
  1086. >"Love…struck…" you looked at her worriedly.
  1087. >She repeated the word lovestruck a few more times.
  1088. >"Love! Of course! Oh Anon you're a genius!" She grabbed you into a tight hug before jumping off the bench.
  1089. >You raised your eyebrow.
  1090. "I know, but… why?"
  1091. >"C'mon! We don't have much time! Let's get to Twilight's palace as soon as possible!" She exclaimed and started walking.
  1092. >You stood up and jogged behind her, before catching up and getting to the same pace as her.
  1093. "What did you come up with?" You asked.
  1094. >"We absolutely have to go with your plan. One look at the room will tell us everything we need to know." She explained speeding up.
  1095. >You weren't exactly sure what she meant by that.
  1096. >But, the determined look on her face and a fire in her eyes was enough to tell you she had a plan and she was confident in it.
  1097. "All right Starlight, we go in, but what did you come up with?"
  1098. >"Do you trust me?" She asked.
  1099. >You were taken aback by this.
  1100. >The answer to this question was difficult, you weren't very trusting towards her before.
  1101. >Was the time you spent together enough for you to place your trust in her?
  1102. >You believed she changed now… but Trust? Trust wasn't something you were sure of.
  1103. >You pressed your lips tightly together and swallowed loudly.
  1104. >Starlight looked up at you, expectedly.
  1105. >You nodded.
  1106. "I trust you, Starlight."
  1107.  
  1108.  
  1109. >A smile formed on your face.
  1110. >There was also a warm feeling in your chest as you heard those words.
  1111. >Anon went from hating your guts to actually trusting you.
  1112. >He cared for you.
  1113. >He liked you.
  1114. >You actually managed to become friends with him.
  1115. >Maybe Twilight's lessons were truly helping.
  1116. >Your vision blurred as tears formed in your eyes.
  1117. "Thanks Anon, this means a lot." You said, your voice slightly shaking.
  1118. >"Well now, don't start the waterworks or I'll cry two and we'll be in no shape to confront Sunburst." He said pointing towards the Castle. "Battle mood, remember."
  1119. >You wiped the tears and nodded.
  1120. "A whole new level…"
  1121. >"Of Confidence…" he said with a grin.
  1122. >"And power!" You said at the same time, you raised your hoof to the sky, Anon raised his first.
  1123. >Both of you laughed, a friendly laugh. One that is shared between good friends when they do something silly together.
  1124. >Feeling a surge of energy and a fighting spirit you laughed coyly at Anon and started walking again.
  1125. >Though he still occupied your mind.
  1126. >If your assumptions turn out to be correct, what will you do? Will you try to get with Sunburst?
  1127. >This felt… wrong. Like it wouldn't make sense anymore.
  1128. >Like whatever you two could have wouldn't work out now.
  1129. >So will you live with Anon? He did say you're welcome to stay. But for how long?
  1130. >The rest of your life?
  1131. >You will have to move out at some point.
  1132. >If he finds a marefriend for example.
  1133. >You hope that won't happen anytime soon.
  1134. >Or better yet. Ever.
  1135. >Not that you want him to remain alone forever, that would be miserable.
  1136. >He should find a proper mare. Someone who likes the same things, is smart, powerful, and a good friend. He can't settle for anything worse than you. That would be an insult.
  1137. >You stopped thinking for a moment.
  1138. >The cogs slowly turning.
  1139. >Running over the thing you just thought of.
  1140. >Why would it be an insult?
  1141. >You looked up at Anon who was just fixing his jacket and hair so he looked properly as he entered.
  1142. >Did you…
  1143. >"All right. We're here. I'll follow your plan but tell me what you need me to do." He said.
  1144. >That ripped you straight out of your thoughts.
  1145. "Right. For now, follow me. We'll confront Sunburst and if he gets aggressive, hide. I'll hold his attention so that you can get around the castle into Twilight's room."
  1146. >Anon nodded.
  1147. >You slowly opened the doors.
  1148. "It's…showtime."
  1149.  
  1150. >The doors slowly opened as the two of you stepped inside and looked around.
  1151. >The main floor looked as untouched as before, though it seemed to actually be untouched.
  1152. >As in a layer of dust formed on it. Not much but just enough to notice.
  1153. >You stepped towards the stairs and looked up while also listening for any sort of noise that would give you information.
  1154. >Hearing nothing, you started going up. Anon also slid his finger alongside the railing and looked at the dust on his finger.
  1155. >”Hm. I guess no one has been here since yesterday. And no one cleaned it, so Spike either isn’t here or…” he started gazing at you.
  1156. ”Or is trapped as well.” you said.
  1157. >As you stepped onto the second floor you looked around again, seeing nothing, you both shrugged and started walking again. Though it was extremely suspicious that there also was no sound.
  1158. >The whole situation was, so no sound was probably the least of your worries.
  1159. >”Should we try to call out or something?” asked Anon after a moment.
  1160. >You shook your head slowly.
  1161. “No, we act casual.”
  1162. >The human shrugged.
  1163. >”You’re the boss.” he said after a moment.
  1164. >After a few minutes you stopped under the doors to Twilight’s room.
  1165. >With one last look around Anon tried to open the doors.
  1166. >”Oh hey you two! Sunburst told me you’d swing by!” a familiar voice of Twilight reached you, to which you both turned towards her.
  1167. >You stiffened a bit but Anon put his hand down.
  1168. “Hi Twi.” you smiled at the mare, but didn’t move closer.
  1169. >She did however, clearly going for a hug.
  1170. >Before she could hug you however, you took a step back.
  1171. “You know I’m not a fan of hugs Twi.” you said.
  1172. >Twilight was surprised for a bit but took a step back.
  1173. >”Right, right. Sorry, silly me.” she chuckled. “So, what brings you here? “ she asked.
  1174. >You waved your hoof.
  1175. “Oh, nothing special. We wanted to check up on you, since you got those headaches, but seeing that you’re fine and walking around there’s also one more thing.” you said with a smile.
  1176. >”I’m all ears.” said Twilight.
  1177. >Good, it’s going well so far.
  1178. “You remember that one time we were studying magic together? We were together in your room and I think I forgot one of my notebooks there. I wanted to show some notes to Anon, can we go and look for it?” you asked with a smile.
  1179. >”Oh, I don’t think it’s there.” said Twilight, a bit too quickly.
  1180. >Anon also noticed that, as he glanced shortly at you before crossing his arms on his chest.
  1181. “A quick look won’t hurt and it’s the only other place in the castle that I could’ve left it.” you said again.
  1182. >”No, really I don’t think we’ll have to go into my room.” she said again, her voice harsher.
  1183. >You nodded slowly.
  1184.  
  1185. “Right, of course.” you said before lighting up your horn. “But I’m not asking right now.” you said and shot out a spell at the doors.
  1186. >A loud click reached your ears as Anon grabbed the doorknob and opened them revealing a room filled with strange green goo, in the middle of it on the bed a strange pod filled with liquid was placed. In it, the Real Twilight Sparkle.
  1187. >”Well. I see there’s no point in hiding anymore.” The Fake Twilight’s body was enveloped by the green flame before in a flash of magic and smoke she turned into a bigger creature. Her body black, her legs filled with holes.
  1188. >”Holy shit it’s you Bugbutt.” said Anon after a moment.
  1189. >Before you stood Queen Chrysalis in all of her evil glory.
  1190. >”Shut its mouth before I do it myself Glimmer.” hissed Chrysalis but all she got out of Anon was a chuckle.
  1191. >”Never threaten me with a good time Bugbutt.” he said smugly.
  1192. >Chrysalis hissed angrily.
  1193. >”I will feed you to the timberwolves after turning you into a husk of a thing with torture beyond your wildest dreams.” she said, watching his smug expression.
  1194. >”Oh I am sure it cannot be worse than anything humans ever came up with before.”
  1195. >With Anon distracting her, you decided to use this opportunity and snuck into Twilight’s room to break her out of a cocoon.
  1196. >Twilight slid out with a wet plop as the liquid spilled over her floor. It will be hard to clean but at least she’s free.
  1197. >”Ugh…” the purple mare grabbed her head before looking dazed at you. “Wha…Where am I?” she asked after a moment.
  1198. >”Woooaah!” a green bolt energy flew right past the doors as Anon jumped inside.
  1199. >”I think she’s mad now. Which makes you look cute by the way! If not for your ugly personality and small ass I bet someone would actually love you!” he yelled out of the doors with a grin. “I need help though.” he whispered to you.
  1200. >”Twilight. Be a dear and capture Anon for me.” came the voice of Sunburst. It was Chrysalis, obviously, but Twilight’s reaction was instant. Her eyes glowed green for a moment before she looked towards Anon.
  1201. >”Well fuck me.” before you could react a magical missile flew towards Anon.
  1202. >He ducked behind the doors and runned out of it, Twilight with a flash teleported onto the corridor before you could follow her with your teleportation.
  1203. >As you appeared in the corridor a black hoof struck your face.
  1204. >”You’re not going anywhere, Glimmer.” said Chrysalis, her voice dripping with venom.
  1205. >You stumbled back.
  1206. >”Twilight gave me so much love. Even more than Shining Armor. But she wasn’t the only person I fed on before that. No, I used at least six other ponies. Including Sunburst, it was so easy to do so too. It’s almost pathetic.”
  1207. >You gritted your teeth, wiping some blood from your muzzle. Chrysalis’s punch was enough to probably break your nose. Or at least draw blood.
  1208. ”Where’s Sunburst?” you asked.
  1209. >”I left him in the Crystal Empire after breaking his heart. He wasn’t enough for me.” she said nonchalantly.
  1210.  
  1211.  
  1212. >Another magical bolt zipped past you.
  1213. >”If you stop now it will hurt less!” Twilight’s voice reached your ears as you dodged past a corner.
  1214. >Most of the spells she used weren’t leaving marks on the things they struck. No soot or holes, so those probably weren’t damaging spells.
  1215. >You doubted Twilight knew many of those. If you had to guess, it was some sort of paralysis spell or something to tie you up, direct harm wasn’t her style.
  1216. >Which is why you were somewhat thankful that it was her and not Starlight that chased you around now.
  1217. >Starlight would go for a kill.
  1218. >You found the stairs and rushed towards them.
  1219. >Good thing you started doing cardio in Equestria.
  1220. >And Twilight wasn’t that good of a flyer.
  1221. “Maybe if you dropped the hayburgers you’d catch me! I swear, you unicorns and eating a lot!” you ducked as another spell zipped above you. But you ignored it. The stairs were tall, sure but the railing wasn’t so jumping over it halfway down and getting down faster was easy.
  1222. >Your target was the library. If she was still Twilight, just mind controlled your best chances of survival were right there. Among the books.
  1223. >Another blast, this time it almost struck you as you quickly opened the doors and closed them right past you, rushing deeper into the library.
  1224. >The doors slammed open as you leaned on one of the shelves at finger gunged Twilight with one of your hands.
  1225. “Finally. You really need to work on your cardio. Your ass is nice but you’re a bad runner.” you said with a smug look watching her charge another spell.
  1226. >You weren’t a unicorn, with no magic of your own you couldn’t counter it, but you were just skilled enough to see what she was redying.
  1227. >A simple plan really, she wanted to make your body heavier so that you couldn’t dodge anymore. It was a lighter spell, meaning it flew faster, but it wasn’t as powerful as a full on paralysis or holding someone with magic.
  1228. >But you had other plans.
  1229. >You grabbed a book from the shelf and read it’s title.
  1230. “Well, I see we’re in the fiction section. Daring Doo and the Temple of Doom.” you said mugly before throwing the book at Twilight.
  1231. >She instantly dropped her spell and used telekinesis to grab it.
  1232. >While being one of the greatest spellcasters in all of Equestria, if not the greatest, or at least most versatile, Twilight still had limits.
  1233. >Telekinesis was a simple spell to maintain, but the more randomly flying objects one wants to grab, with precision and delicacy as well, the harder it became.
  1234. >And the books were delicate.
  1235. “Oh! On the Summer Meadow! Spicy!” you threw it as well. “And what’s this?! Fellowship of the Bracelet?!” another one.
  1236. >You laughed madly as you kept running around and throwing books at Twilight who was grabbing each and every one of them.
  1237. >Even when trying to put them down, you just threw two or three more, forcing her, in her infinite need to sort things out, focus more on making sure she won’t mix genres than on capturing you.
  1238.  
  1239.  
  1240. >Few other books flew through the air and the strain on Twilight seemed to grow.
  1241. >You on the other hand had a time of your life tossing all those books at her. Laughing like a maniac, goofing around.
  1242. >Saving Twilight was surprisingly fun. At least for you.
  1243. “Oh Twily! Make sure you won’t put this one on the fiction pile!” you yelled before throwing a book about Starswirl the Bearded at her. She loved that guy, so insulting him would probably make her even more mad.
  1244. >”Stop throwing books and let me capture you!” was her only response.
  1245. >You grabbed another, turned towards her and smiled.
  1246. “No.” you said with a grin and threw another book at her. This time almost hitting her in the face.
  1247. >A clear sign her telekinesis was getting weaker. She was probably already drained by BugButt so that certainly did work in your favour.
  1248. >”You… absolute…troglodyte!” she hissed as a few other books almost struck her.
  1249. >This made you laugh some more.
  1250. “Look at me Twilight! Thousands of years of natural selection! Upright posture! Hands! The build of my muscles! All my ancestors evolved for thousands of years for this specific purpose! To throw! My ancestors are smiling at me Twilight! Can yours say the same when you have sex with a bug?!” you asked before looking at the large tome in your hand.”Well now. Ain’t I a cunning linguist.” and with that you threw a thesaurus at the poor mare.
  1251. >The mixture of lack of energy and the additional strain right now finally kicked in and she couldn’t stop this book.
  1252. >As it hit her straight in the muzzle she dropped her telekinesis before falling to the ground.
  1253. >You walked towards her and checked up on her.
  1254. >Killing her wasn’t part of the plan, but luckily she was only unconscious. Especially since she soon started to snore. Hopefully you didn’t break her nose and cause this.
  1255. >This didn’t matter now. You patted her back and left the library, sneaking your way up to where you heard magical blasts.
  1256. >You grabbed one of the vases lying around and started going upstairs.
  1257. >What was your plan with it you weren’t sure. But it’s better than nothing.
  1258. >You stepped up and glued your back to the wall.
  1259. >Few blasts flew right past your hiding spot.
  1260. >”Surrender Starlight! You cannot defeat me!” said Chrysalis.
  1261. >”Pffft, yeah. Just like all those times no one could defeat you.” man was Starlight smug. That’s your mare!
  1262. >You’ve heard a sound of magic clashing before Chrysalis was pushed backwards a few feet.
  1263. >Right next to you.
  1264. “Hi there.” you said before hitting her head with a vase.
  1265. >Then you felt like getting kicked in the stomach, hitting something with your back.
  1266. >”Anon!” dazed and confused, you weren’t really sure what was that sudden flash of light.
  1267. >When you open your eyes… Some time later, you were looking at the bright sky.
  1268. “Huh… One bridge… to fall…” before you lost your consciousness again.
  1269.  
  1270. >Blasts of magic weren’t all too hard to dodge, Chrysalis, even with all the extra power, had a rather simple repertuar of spells. Most of them included blasting you to pieces.
  1271. >Which wasn’t working too well.
  1272. “It’s aim and shoot! Not shoot, then aim!” you yelled as another of your defensive barriers fell to the ground.
  1273. >An angry howl left her as another magical beam broke on your shield.
  1274. >“Stay still you purple skank!” she yelled through gritted teeth.
  1275. “Oh yeah. I’m really inclined to follow your advice right now.”
  1276. >With that, you shoot out another bolt of magic which she managed to deflect, but she still was moved backwards.
  1277. >She shot out another beam of magic which this time hit you, leaving a mark on your side, but you still managed to at least minimise the damage.
  1278. >”Surrender Starlight! You cannot defeat me!” Chrysalis' voice was full of anger, but she clearly was glad that the last beam hit your side.
  1279. >But you weren’t going to surrender.
  1280. “Pfft, yeah. Just like all those times no one could defeat you.” you said smugly, a grin on your face.
  1281. >This was followed by the two of you shooting out beams of magic at each other.
  1282. >The green and blue magic clashed, causing the temperature in the corridor to rise a bit but ultimately it pushed both of you backwards.
  1283. >”Hi there.” came Anon's voice before he smashed a vase on Chrysalis' head.
  1284. >She kicked him, sending him flying backwards, so you almost instantly teleported to her sight.
  1285. >As Anon broke through the doors of the bathroom and fell into the bathtub you shot a beam of magic at it and teleported him out of there.
  1286. >Thankfully, you were faster than Chrysalis, whose magic just left a scorch mark on the floor.
  1287. “The fastest magic in the Equestria bug butt.” you said smugly before jumping at the large mare, hoping to teleport the two of you away.
  1288. >Chrysalis was faster though and punched you with her hoof, swatting you away, before shooting a beam of magic that cut through the floor.
  1289. >You rolled to the side but the beam still caught your tail, cutting it short.
  1290. “Huh, well you weren’t my choice stylist but I guess since we’re here, maybe cut my mane as well, hm? I could go for a new look anyway.” you said getting up.
  1291. >”I will make you eat those words Glimmer!”
  1292. >You chuckled.
  1293. “Don’t worry. I’m not on a diet, I can eat all of them. If you can make me.”
  1294. >This angered her, making her charge up another magical beam which you teleported away from. Landing above her.
  1295. >With Anon teleported away and Twilight presumably dealt with, you had more grounds to actually go nuts, without worrying about hurting them by accident.
  1296. >As you appeared above Chrysalis, you charged up another beam and shot it at her, putting a lot of your force into it.
  1297. >She did put up a shield, so stray beams of magic were hitting the walls, the floor and the ceiling around you, but Chrysalis was relenting.
  1298.  
  1299.  
  1300. >Pressing this advantage, you teleported beneath Chrysalis and shot a beam at her which caused her to fly backwards, all the way through the corridor before she fell off the stairs.
  1301. >Teleporting again, you were hot in pursuit.
  1302. >”You will pay for this!” she hissed getting up.
  1303. >You charged up another spell.
  1304. “Put it on my tab.”
  1305. >The magic clashed again, pushing her slowly towards the doors.
  1306. >The beams finally broke but you weren’t going to let Chrysalis strike back, with another spell you caused her to fly through the doors onto the streets.
  1307. >”Ugh! I’ll get you for this! This isn’t the last you’ve seen of me Starlight Glimmer!” Before you could catch her, a flash of light exploded and before you stopped being dazed, Chrysalis was gone.
  1308. >You tried to find a teleport spell or something like that, but she probably just flew away. Despite her impressive size she could fly very quickly. At least for short distances. Probably enough to leave ponyville, transform into someone and hide away in a hole in the ground again.
  1309. “Blast it. I almost had her.” you murmured before teleporting back into the Castle.
  1310. >You looked around, hoping to find any signs of Twilight somewhere nearby.
  1311. “Twilight? Where are you?!” you yelled.
  1312. >A groan came from the library so that’s where you teleported, finding Twilight near piles of books, with a black eye and a thesaurus lying next to her.
  1313. “Woah, what happened to you?”
  1314. >You asked, trying to help her get up.
  1315. >”I was… chasing Anon around. My mind seemed hazy and I couldn’t really think properly. But I remember he was throwing books around, something about being made to throw…” she rubbed her eyes. “Then he threw a thesaurus at me… and knocked me out.” she said after a moment before looking at you.
  1316. >”Is… is there something on my face?” she asked.
  1317. >You smiled awkwardly.
  1318. “Yeah… a black eye. But hey! Me and Anon defeated Chrysalis!” you said proudly.
  1319. >”Speaking of which… where is Anon?” she asked.
  1320. >You stopped for a moment.
  1321. “Shit. Sorry I won’t help you more but I have to find him now. I teleported him away to save him from the Chrysalis spell and… I don’t know where he is now. We’ll talk later.”
  1322. >And with that, you teleported away.
  1323. >Sadly, you didn’t have a human radar, so you were just randomly appearing around ponyville and asking other ponies if they saw a Human around.
  1324. >Finally, Roseluck managed to give you enough info, with which you managed to find him still in a bathtub.
  1325. >He didn’t seem to be conscious, but he was breathing heavily.
  1326. “Anon! Oh I was so worried.”
  1327. >The human opened one of his eyes and looked at you.
  1328. >“Glim or Bugbutt?” he asked.
  1329. “Glim.” you said approaching closer.
  1330. >He put his hand on your head, though it seemed a bit limp.
  1331. >”Good.” he said, closing his eyes again.
  1332. >Without asking, you wrapped your hooves around his neck and put yourself on him, hugging him.
  1333. >”Ah! Ah. Fuck no! Not now… My ribs are… broken!” you jumped off him as if he was burning hot.
  1334. “I’ll… go grab the nurse.”
  1335. >And with that, you teleported one last time.
  1336.  
  1337.  
  1338. >Sitting at the sugarcube corner you and Anon were enjoying a large ice cream.
  1339. >It was pretty surprising, the two of you started as basically enemies, you weren’t sure if he’d let you stay in his house, but in the end the two of you were on a date.
  1340. >A mutually agreed upon one as well.
  1341. >Though one of Anon’s arms was still in a cast, the two of you had enough time to think this through.
  1342. >”So, ice cream is a classic and all, but what else is on the agenda today?” asked Anon, grabbing another spoonful of the frozen dessert.
  1343. >You took out a scroll given to you by Twilight, which she used to plan today for both of you.
  1344. “Well… we were supposed to go to the cinema. They are playing some romantic story”
  1345. >Anon rolled his eyes.
  1346. >”I have a much better idea.” he said before leaning over.
  1347. >You leaned over as well with a smile on your face.
  1348. “I’m all ears.”
  1349. >”There’s a concert in Canterlot. Slackmuzzle is playing and I can’t go into pogo. We can surely go do something fun.”
  1350. >You shook your head.
  1351. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. What do you think about it Anon? A romantic story is the perfect way to tie a date together.” you said, your smile getting wider.
  1352. >”Maybe for Rarity. But not for us.” he said.
  1353. >You thought for a moment.
  1354. “I’ll grab my jacket and teleport us there, what do you say?”
  1355. >Now Anon smiled.
  1356. >“I say it’s a great idea. Glimmy.”
  1357. “I knew you’ll like it. Now finish your ice cream. I can deal with Twilight, but not with Pinkie.”
  1358. >Well, this date will probably go much better than you thought at first.
  1359.  
  1360. I'll probably add the extra ending later when I write it in an actual thread.
  1361.  
  1362. Here's the dumb ending
  1363.  
  1364.  
  1365. >Entering the Castle you saw Twilight, yer eyes green and cloudy giving Sunburst the Crown. Element of Magic itself.
  1366. >"What are you doing with that crown?!" Yelled out Starlight.
  1367. >A mocking laughter came from Sunburst mouth.
  1368. >"A little bit too late. Twilight was just giving me a lot more power." Halfway through the sentence his voice shifted, it became more distorted and feminine.
  1369. >His body was enveloped by green aura as his body grew, fur was replaced by black chitin.
  1370. >Soon, Sunburst was no more. Now, Queen Chrysalis stood before you. The Crown on her head, purple and green sparks shooting off her horn.
  1371. >The holes on her legs seemingly disappeared as she started laughing.
  1372. >"I am complete!" She yelled.
  1373. "Fuuuu-UUUUuck." You and Starlight said at the same time.
  1374. >"Yes you are fucked! Shit out of luck! I am complete and my clit you will suck! This world will be mine, and you're first in line! You found out my plan and now you shall both die!"
  1375. >She charged her magic.
  1376. "Waaait! Waaait! Wait you motherfucker! We challenge you to a rock-off! Give us one chance to rock your socks off." You sang while pointing at her.
  1377. >Chrysalis fumed with anger.
  1378. >"Fuck!" She yelled. "Fuck! FuuuUUCK The changeling code prevents me from declining a rock-off challenge. What are your terms? What's the caaa-atch?" She asked.
  1379. >You looked at Starlight and mouthed to her to get her guitar, which she promptly teleported into her hooves.
  1380. "If we win, you will take your sorry ass back to Badlands. And also you will have to pay our rent." You said pointing at yourself and Starlight.
  1381. >Chrysalis thought for a moment.
  1382. >"And what if I win?" She asked, leaning in closer.
  1383. "Then you can take Starlight back to your hive."
  1384. >"What?!" Yelled Starlight.
  1385. "Trust me Glimmy, it's the only way."
  1386. >"What a fuck are you talking about? What a…" she said displeased as you pointed to her rump.
  1387. "To be your little bitch." You slapped Starlight behind slightly to which she yelped and let out a disgruntled sigh.
  1388. >"Fine! Let the rock-off begin! Ahahaha!" She let out a maniacal laugh as instruments teleported to her.
  1389. >"I'm a changeling, I love Metal!" She sung as she started playing percussion.
  1390. >After a moment she teleported forward with a wicked looking guitar.
  1391. >"Check this riff it's fucking tasty!" With that, she shredded a sick solo on a guitar before teleporting again.
  1392. >"I'm a queen. I can do what I want! Whatever I've got I'm gonna flaunt! There's never been a rock-off I've ever lost!" She disappeared, before appearing again.
  1393. >A rack, which as she soon revealed was filled by BDSM gear. Pretty hardcore stuff.
  1394. >You imagined Glimmy in it, for a split second, before you saw her blushing face and focused.
  1395. >"I can't wait to take Glimmer back to the Hive! I'm gonna fill her with my hot changeling eggs! Make her squeal like my Scarlet Pimpernel."
  1396. >You stepped forward.
  1397. "Noooooo!" With that, you stopped Chrysalis' music.
  1398.  
  1399. >You turned to Starlight and knelt before her. Grabbing her face and looking her in the eye.
  1400. "C'mon Glimmy! Let's fight her music, with our music!"
  1401. >"There's just no way that we can win. This was a masterpiece." Starlight sounded hopeless.
  1402. "Listen to me…"
  1403. >"She rocks too hard because she's not a mortal mare!" She added looking at you.
  1404. "God damn it Glim! She's gonna make you her sex slave."
  1405. >"No!"
  1406. "You're gonna gargle changeling goo. Unless we bust a massive monster mamma jam."
  1407. >"Dude… we've been through so much shit."
  1408. "Fought a minotaur over a drink."
  1409. >"Now it's time to blow this fucker down!" The both of you sang as you turned towards Chrysalis.
  1410. >Starlight started playing her guitar.
  1411. "C'mon Glim it's time we blow doors down!"
  1412. >"I hear you Anon now it's time we blow doors down!"
  1413. "Light up the stage cause it's time for a showdown."
  1414. >"We'll bend you over and then he'll take up your brown town!" Starlight pointed to you with her head.
  1415. "Now it's time we blow this fucker down!"
  1416. >"She's gonna rape me if we don't blow doors down!"
  1417. "C'mon Glimmy 'cause it's time to blow doors now!"
  1418. >"Ooh, we'll piledrive you! It's time for a smackdown!"
  1419. "Hey Anti-lestia! Bugbuttboss! We know your weakness! Our rocket sauce! We rock the casbah! And blow your mind! We will defeat you! For ponykind!"
  1420. >You pointed at Chrysalis dramatically.
  1421. "You hold the sceptre!
  1422. >Then at yourself
  1423. "We hold the key! You are the changeling! We are the D!"
  1424. >"D we are D we are D we are…" this repeated for some more time.
  1425. >"You guys are fucking lame. C'mon Glimmer you're coming with me!" Exclaimed Chrysalis.
  1426. >"Taste my lightning fucker!" She shot a beam from her horn.
  1427. >With a valiant "noooo" you jumped in front of the beam. With a blessing from the Gods of Metal themselves, your Dark Side of The Moon t-shirt deflect the crooked beam of magic back at the changeling, striking her and breaking her horn.
  1428. >"Ow fuck! My fucking horn."
  1429. >As you fell, you landed on the stairs, crushing your arm beneath your bodyweight.
  1430. >With one free arm however you grabbed the horn and pointed it at Chrysalis.
  1431. "From whence you came you shall remain! Until you are compleat again!"
  1432. >A dark green pentagram appeared around Chrysalis, which turned into a hole, dragging her in.
  1433. >"Noooo!" She tried desperately to hold onto the floor.
  1434. >"Fuck you Glimmer! And fuck you Anon! I'll get you Autistic D!" and with that. She disappeared.
  1435. >You rolled onto your back and showed thumbs up to Glimmy, who stood above you. Clearly angry.
  1436. >She struck your face with her hoof.
  1437. >"That's for offering me as a sex slave!" Then she slapped you again. "And that's from slapping my butt without asking first."
  1438. >You massaged your cheek.
  1439. "Would you say yes if I asked?"
  1440. >"Play your cards right and I just might."
  1441. >Then both of you laughed.

Can I stay in your house? [Finished]

by ItsAMarehouse

Filly Fantasy XIV: NEETbringers

by ItsAMarehouse