Of Sweetie Bots and Young Love Part 1


                                            >"HI Nonny! I have a message for you from Rarity!"

                                            >Pinkie sticks out her chest, puts on a spiteful face and adopts a familiar yet certainly made-up accent

                                            >"I've had it up to here with Sweetie Belle spending her evenings at the arcade, playing... "video games". When I said she needed a male role model, well, Anon isn't what I had in mind. He's so carefree. And lazy. And boyish, and reckless. Not to mention he thinks he's SO good with kids. I can make Sweetie laugh."

                                            >Pinkie crosses her arms and huffs

                                            >"I could make her laugh until she cried. I'm just busy. There's no time in my schedule for telling childish jokes to my sister."

                                            >She huffs even louder

                                            >"And what is WITH his hair? Frankly, it's embarrassing. Spending time with someone of his... standards... is undoubtedly bad for Sweetie."

                                            >...

                                            >"Anyway, he's waiting to pick her up at her choir practice. Be a dear and relay this to him?"

                                            >Pinkie spins around and walks five feet before tensing up

                                            >"Oh, but take out all those mean things I said. We wouldn't want to hurt his feelings."

                                            >Pinkie nods her head and beams in satisfaction with her accurate retelling

                                            >Then her eyes bulge

                                            “Are you alright Pinky? Take a breath for a min and let me process this…”

                                            >Pinky takes a deep breath and almost falls over onto Anon’s truck as her brain catches up with her outburst of a message.

                                            >” Sorry if that all hurt your feelings…” Pinkie says as her hair deflates slightly at the rude things she retold. “I know I should have cut some of that out but I wanted to make sure you knew the whole thing she was saying and …”

                                            “It’s fine. I knew she was getting annoyed at me for seeing Sweetie so much. Especially since I technically am an upperclassman even though she tested into higher classes. I guess it finally is catching up to her that she misses her baby sister.”


                                            >Pinky regains her balance with a hand on the bed as her hair returns to the super poof it normally is.

                                            > “I’m glad you are not bothered by it. I just get concerned when something negative starts up between my friends and we have all, well almost all, known each other since middle school. In fact, the last time she had such venom for someone was back then. Come to think of it, it was toward you then too when you and Fluttershy were a couple…”

                                            “Yeah and before I met her officially. Flutters never did want to go out much and I did not get to meet any of her friends but you and Apple Jack. Now, are you ok enough to stand freely or do I need to drop the back for you to be able to sit?”

                                            >” I will be fine, Nonny. After all, looks like your passenger and a couple of her friends are coming this way,” Pinkie bursts out as she fires up straight as a post pointing up to a trio of girls coming from Chorus practice. One pale-skinned young lady catches the majority of your focus as a couple girls seem to be calling out to her from behind and she is picking up her pace as their calls get louder.


                                            >“Good note you hit there, Squeaky Belle!” fires off Diamond Tiara.

                                            >”Where did you get that dress? The discard design bin of your sister’s?” Silver Spoon as she continues the verbal assault.

                                            “Uh, Pinks… Those are not her friends,” Anon quickly states as he passes her his keys.  “Could you please start up the truck’s AC and if you have a couple cupcakes left from today’s bake sale, please get them. I think Sweetie is going to need a pick me up. I will pay you when I get back.”

                                            >”Okie Dokie Loki!”


                                            >The girls keep following Sweetie as they reach the street to cross to the parking lot, unrelenting in their prodding for chinks in her mental armor. They all stop by a line of trees shading the crosswalk and the sidewalk from the August sun of this new school year. The Torment of these little harpies forcing a light line of tears to flow from the soft green orbs of Sweetie’s eyes like rain clouds before the windows of her bright soul.

                                            >”You both stop this…” Sweetie squeaks out as she tries to control her voice, causing a wicked smile to expand on Diamonds face.

                                            >”Why should we when you sound like a dog toy with those pips you are letting out?”

                                            “Because it is unbecoming of a young lady such as you both supposedly are,” Anon says as he looks down at the two girls from behind. “Or should I say bitches for your knowledge of dog toys?”

                                            >The two girls cringe and quickly turn around to see Anon looming over them on the first branch above them. He jumps down and walks closer to them adjusting his ball cap with crossed wrenches and a geared skull and a red sliver of the afternoon sunlight glinting off his glasses accenting the glare he fields in their direction.


                                            >”Ugh. Here comes the cavalry,” Diamond hisses out as she works on recovering her composure.

                                            “Cavalry? That is the best retort you have? No wonder you are scoring toward the middle of your class.”


                                            >Sweetie smirks softly as Anon gets closer and the barrage lightens. One advantage of his being her ride these last six months was definitely his attention to surroundings. He knew who her friends actually were  and who was putting up a show. Rarity would just wait in her custom Mini-Cooper with blue and purple pinstripes & “FABULOUS” tag listening to David Bowe, sketching a new design, noticing nothing till her small hand wrapped on the window to get her to unlock the door.


                                            >Silver is beginning to look nervous as he approaches, apparently drawing her courage from Diamond and the absence of anyone who could form an actual threat. She was definitely a follower as of late and IT HURTS to see the leader of the Canterlot High School Academic Team and Book Club being a shadow of her true self.


                                            "I thought you two had quit the chorus because it was cutting into your afterschool time? Silver, I thought you were tutoring Diamond since you both wanted to make it to the same Ivy League college after you finished here?”

                                            >”you talked to this oaf, Silver?”

                                            “I overheard her talking to one of y’all’s teachers for advice as I walked to the library for another of the Dune novels,” Anon quips as he walks between the two girls to Sweetie, placing a hand on her shoulder and shielding her face from the view of her classmates. “Come on now. I’m sure Pinkie has a couple cupcakes waiting for us at the Ranger and I owe her a favor on top of cash payment. I swear I made a mistake when I built that ‘Party Cannon’ prop and the remote control & pintle mount for it to fit on the ‘Party Wagon’ van she drives.”

                                            >”He…HEY! You cannot just walk away from me…er us! I will…”

                                            “Waste your father’s time since I put a camera into the eye of the skull on my cap. Goodbye,” Anon says over his shoulder as he and Sweetie cross the road, leaving Silver and Diamond with gaping jaws.

                                            >” You did not actually put a camera into your hat, did you?” Sweetie asks after you cross the road and half the lot. “That is a bit creepy if you did…”Sweetie softly murmurs as she dots the tears and slightly mussed mascara.

                                            “No no. I was bluffing but do you think they would try to call me on it given the props I built for that space opera your sister was insisting the school put on so she could use the chiffon she got on sale at the Hancock’s going out of business sale? That production took so much time to prep for that I almost had to miss the track meet and had AJ mad at me for not being able to patch the fences between our family farms.” Seeing Pinkie waving wildly from her van beside his truck, Anon adds “Well looks like we have a welcoming party complete with snacks as well as Pinkie remembering how to use my parking brake and clutch…”

                                            > “Yeah. She was just obsessed with getting those right and that play is how this arrangement started with you picking me up. I was so surprised to see your truck alone in the parking lot, piled down with lumber, wire, and tubes as I just got the text she had sent a surrogate. I was not sure what to make of it or you in those overalls.”

                                            “Well, I have no defense for what I was wearing. At least you took it with a laugh once we got riding, unlike your sister who called me the most unstylish and filthy thing she had seen while rushing you into the house before the neighbors would see me there. She may call me uncouth but…”

                                            >Sweetie was about to interject about bad mouthing Rarity who is, beyond all her snootiness, still her beloved sister when Pinkie hops out of her van with 2 oversized cupcakes layered with sprinkles, icing, and cherries on top. She rushes over, beaming and bouncing with jiggles at her chest you are not quite sure should be possible for someone around your age.

                                            >She leans over to Sweetie, holding out the cupcake like a dish for a queen, tray and all, awaiting Sweetie’s acquisition of it before she holds out yours on another tray she hid who knows where. Looking over your sweets, you are amazed that these survived the football team swarming her and AJ’s popup booth after their workout before practice. Those two girls are by far the best bakers in 7 counties…

                                            >”Wow Pinkie… This looks amazing! I…I don’t know what to say or where to start.”

                                            >“Well start from the top, silly. The cherry is always a great place to begin and you should be thanking Nonny for the idea. He thought you were going to be in a bad mood from those two and asked me to grab you both something special!”

                                            >Sweetie quickly turns to Anon with a surprised but widening smile.

                                            >”This was your idea?”

                                            “To a point though Pinkie has overdone the proportions of the pastries again. I thought she only had a couple smaller ones left…”

                                            >“Well I did have a few of those left but I remembered you were going to pick up Sweetie and had these hidden away,” Pinkie quickly states. “And I do have a teensy weensy favor to ask of you, Nonny…”

                                            “Party Cannon problems?”

                                            >”Party Cannon problems”

                                            “Ok… Bring it out to my house later and I will troubleshoot it.”

                                            >”Thank you! Thank you!”

                                            “Any time Pinkie,” Anon states as he looks over to Sweetie who is still trying to get started on the oversized cupcake. Seeing her trouble, he pops the latch on the truck tongue and motions for her to put it down on the impromptu table now available.

                                            “We had better finish these quickly given both the space in the truck and the way I drive.”

                                            >A nod of acknowledgment comes from the little marshmallow skinned girl and them both beginning on their pastries as Pinkie gets in in her van, waving as she drives off in the direction of the grocery store, no doubt to get more supplies for her culinary passion.

                                            >It takes the two of them about 5-10 minutes eating those monstrous cupcakes. Sweetie, in her passion for digging deeper into the cupcake after tasting the strawberry accents to the icing, ends up with a dollop of the icing on her nose. Anon, seeing this, chuckles hard leading to her tilting her head questioning then blushing after he points to his nose, musing the issue. The lowering sun burns red as the late evening begins to take hold, cueing them, along with the vacant cupcake papers, to begin on the drive from the school.

                                            “So given the time, and the fact that the school has given an extra day off for Labor Day weekend this year, shall I take you home….”

                                            >Sweetie winces subtlety at the suggestion at a quick end to the evening

                                            “Or shall we find something else to do? I’m open to suggestions though visiting the lake or going for sodas to wash down the last of the cupcake are high on my list at the moment.”

                                            >Sweetie ponders for a moment as she looks out the window while they pass the center of Canterlot, and after a minute pipes up with her idea.

                                            >” I’m for getting a soda, “she mutters while straightening out her light blue skirt and white blouse where the seatbelt pulls at her, crossing her small frame. “…but I would like to suggest a different destination.”

                                            “Oh? Where’d my little friend like to go?”

                                            >” You often have mentioned the video game collection at your house… I was wondering if we could go there and play those. I would also like to see your workshop since it sounds like you have created a wonderland in there. At least that is how it seemed to me given how you described it and the look in your eyes,” Sweetie trailed off saying as she looked over at Anon, staring down slightly.

                                            Raising an eyebrow, Anon quips, “I’m not sure Rarity would be fond of me taking you to my home but if it is what you would like, sure. I had wanted to take you to see the shop if it were earlier in the day and ask first or have others like Pinkie there to keep Rarity from having sinister thoughts about my intentions. “

                                            >Sweetie cringes at the ruckus portended of how her sister would react but a determined look surges into her expression.

                                            >”Let’s go on and see it. I have wondered whatever could be in your workshop plus we could always try a couple games. It will be like going to the arcade for the first time all over again.”

                                            “Alright, Sweetie but before we got there,” Anon says as they pull into the truck stop before the mall on the edge of town. “I need to talk to you about what Rarity had passed along to me through Pinkie before you finished Chorus practice…”

                                            >“What was she saying this time.” Sweetie groans. “She is not fond of us spending so much time together and something about your ‘style’.”

                                            As Anon shuts off the engine and they get out he replies, “Something like that and how I’m too carefree, boyish, and reckless. Also a bit about how I’m a bad role model as well as make you laugh too easily with a quip of how she could do it if she wanted to. Pinkie even told me all this as she did an impression of your sister to make sure she did not miss a note even though she was to leave out parts of that.”

                                            >Sweetie has a mild look of shock as they round the front of his truck, heading for the soda bar inside.

                                            >” I know she wants the best for me and to keep me safe but what the hell… oh, pardon me. That was crude of me,” Sweetie says as she covers her mouth and a world-weary young mother covers her toddler’s ears. “I mean why is she passing this along?” she queries as she frees her hand to reach for one of the XL cups just slightly out of her reach causing her to tiptoe and the skirt and shirt to slip up, baring her lower back and upper thigh.

                                            >”She gripes about my time with you all the time then dives back into her next project, leaving me to order food for us or microwave something given I’m not allowed to use the stove. Nor is our mom for that fact…”

                                            “Sweetie, I figured she would be griping about all the time I spend with you given our indirect travels from your practice. I’m just shocked myself at how… intense… it is. I mean she asked me if I knew someone to help her out and I volunteered. She has progressively gotten weirder since then when we are both in the drama club’s meetings to find out what will be needed for their next show or to fix something. Frankly,” Anon fires off as he caps his PowerAde, “it would not be surprised if she was a bit jealous of you having the freedoms she doesn’t, though that is her own fault.”

                                            >Sweetie blushes at this revelation and sighs.

                                            >”She is a bit too focused on her work lately and there are those new clients in Manehattan that have been running her ragged even though she is a high schooler. ‘But your styles are so original! I’m sure you can make a few more dresses for our displays.’ She has…”

                                            “Sweetie… It is okay. That all is not here or now. Rarity has always been rough towards me. I remember the glares she gave me in middle school after Fluttershy and I saw each other for a bit.”

                                            >”You never mentioned you dated Fluttershy…” Sweetie murmured as Anon paid for their drinks and they walked back to his small truck.

                                            “It was a middle school thing. She loved my family’s farm and me, her animals. She had me even eating pescatarian for a while…We diverted ways and it ended early in high school though we are still friendly. She really liked the horses we have at my house and the 70 acres the house is in the middle of.”

                                            >”Wait… you have horses at your house? In the middle of 70 acres of land?”

                                            “Well yeah. It is the only way I could have enough space for my fab shop and I learned to walk in a tack barn. Experience with all this is why I spend so much time helping the Apples on weekends as well as our families being friends since the War Between the States. I’m sorry I never told you. Speaking of never telling, why are you not allowed to cook at the stove?”

                                            >Flatly Sweetie quips with a sign, “For the exact reason you could imagine but mostly for thermally liquefying toast somehow…” She blushes slightly at sharing this and blushes deeper as Anon rubs her head playfully as they reenter the road for the next 7 miles of travel to their destination. Along the way, the sky grows redder and purple hues fill the lower edge of the horizon ahead as they pass pine & horse farms, an ‘all you can find under the sun’ emporium, an old Victorian-styled home and see a sign welcoming them to the community just outside town, Ponyville.

                                            >As they turn onto the road leading to his driveway Anon looks over with a smirk.

                                            “Hey, Sweetie… wanna take the direct route? It would be a bit rougher but more fun,” Anon asks as he slows down at a clearing along the power line posts.

                                            >”Um, how much rougher?”

                                            “’Finish your drink now’ rougher…”

                                            >“Maybe…next time?”

                                            “Oh fine but I will hold you to it,” Anon sighs as he accelerates the Ranger.

                                            >After taking the lone curve on the road and making a turn at a mailbox another quarter mile up the road, the graveled dirt path ahead is framed with pines thickening in density as the distance from the driveway expands. Shortly, the path opens to the power lines’ cleansed swath and a small creek passing parallel to it before another hammock of trees framing one edge of a hardwood fenced horse field. To their left is another less driven dirt path that leads back to a small building with a roll up door and a large dog pen. Anon now slows their ride as they pass the fenced field as a couple dogs start running up to the driveway from the middle of the pasture followed by a pale Arabian horse and a Hickory quarter horse with a black mane & a blaze in the middle of her forehead. Sweetie’s eyes grow wide at the sight before her and a chuckle as the Boston Terrier and German Shepard/Rottweiler cross bark as they cross the drive to the front of the two-story house then dive between the shrubberies to beat the truck to the carport.

                                            “So what do you think so far?” Anon asks as they turn onto the lone bit of asphalt that runs along the near side of the house.

                                            >” I’m not sure what to think. I never imagined that you lived in such a diverse pocket. Did that other path go to your workshop?” Sweetie asks as Anon parks his truck short of the carport.

                                            “Well, it is now since my brother moved away. He and my dad used to use it for keeping their bird dogs and random junk not fitting to take inside. Before we go and check it out, we need to go inside and check in since it is close to dinner time and my mom is back.”

                                            >Sweetie hesitates on getting out as Anon gets swarmed by the two dogs, looking to him to see if it is safe. He waves her out causing the dogs to shift their attention back to the truck. The smaller of the two runs off as Sweetie opens her door while the larger one trots softly over to her as she crosses in front of the truck hesitantly. He licks her hand and wags his tail heavily as she looks down at him.

                                            “He knows you are with me so Aro here will only lick you to death. He knows good people…” Anon says as Aro flops down for scritches on the warm pavement.

                                            >“Awww… He is a sweet one, “she says as she kneels down and rubs the gentle beast’s belly causing a dazed expression to cross Aro’s muzzle in enjoyment.

                                            >” Anon… There is a call for you from Vice Principal Luna! Something about you harassing some girls after school,” a voice rings out from the edge of the carport.

                                            “I will be there in a second, Memaw!” Anon yells out as Sweetie has a concerned and confused expression. “We had better get inside quickly. I can guess why she called as I’m sure you can too…”

                                            >Sweetie stands up and rushes after Anon as they try to hurry in, thinking to herself if this is common since Anon in the 6 months of giving her rides nor in the few months before sharing a couple honors classes did he say that much about family or what they do.

                                            >She follows him into the kitchen from the porch door seeing his mom sitting in an antique chair at a similar table beside the kitchen phone and stools at the breakfast nook. His mother is surprised he has a guest but nods to them quickly, handing Anon the phone while offering a seat to Sweetie.

                                            “Hello, Vice Principal Luna. What is the occasion for the call may I ask?”

                                            “Mister Anonymous, I’m calling you about an encounter you had this afternoon with Miss Diamond Tiara and Miss Silver Spoon. Their parents have called me this evening after they got home telling me that you verbally assaulted them after school today. Would you care to elaborate?”

                                            >As Anon goes into his explanation of the incident, offering both Sweetie as a witness and a vocal recording from his phone, his mother mouths to Sweetie if she would like a soda or fruit while Anon finishes his call. After a few minutes the call wraps up and Anon exhales exasperatedly.

                                            “Well looks like I have to show up to V.P. Luna’s office first thing tomorrow to share my recording of this afternoon. She also wants to see you too for your side…” Anon sighs as he turns to his mom. “I’m glad you are in the school system’s administration otherwise I was likely to be suspended or so the VP suggested.”

                                            >”Well looks like you have an early start tomorrow even without classes. Now would you please introduce me to your cute lady friend? You two arrived just in time for dinner though I might need some help with it. ”

                                            “Sure mom. This is my friend Sweetie Belle and she is a grade lower than me but has had a few classes with me…”

                                            >”Oh the one you were helping out a friend in taking home after her practice?” Anon’s mom blurts out as she turns to Sweetie sitting on a stool. Sweetie is sitting tensely trying to be as proper as she can as Anon’s mom continues. “Her sister was the one you were helping out? The clothes nut?”

                                            >Sweetie snickers as the description.

                                            >”Rarity prefers to be called a Fashionista though there are times… It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I love your house and the drive in. I never imagined Anon lived in such an idyllic place but then again he never really opens up about his home life, “Sweetie quips as she playfully glances over to him.

                                            >”Oh really? I guess he finally started to listen to me about giving too much information, “ Anon’s mom stealthily jabs at her son. “He used to just share too much information, causing me and his father no end of grief.” Anon shrinks in his chair before his mother continues with a request of him.

                                            >“Son, could you please go get a half gallon of whole milk? I forgot it when getting this week’s groceries and I need it for the smashed red potatoes. It should not take you long and it would give me some time to get to know your friend here.”

                                            >Sweetie has a look of concern till she sees Anon’s reassuring smile and a calming wave.

                                            “Uh, sure mom. I’ll do it… Sweetie, I will hurry so she doesn’t ask so much that she knows your whole family history,” Anon softly says as he rubs his shoulder while he goes toward the door.

                                            >She turns toward him as he rushes out the door and his mom walks over to her with a piece of American cheese as the smaller dog skitters in. Anon’s mom opens up a piece she has and offers it to the dog causing the dog to stand on her hind legs.

                                            >”Why don’t you try it? Rascal here LOVES cheese. It is her favorite treat and she generally avoids new people till she sees the cheese.”

                                            >“Sounds like traditional conditioning. Pavlovian I think it was called…” Sweetie states as she touches her chin.

                                            >“Good Job! Anon told me you were a smart girl,” the matriarch retorts. “He was also not exaggerating when he said you were a cute one.”

                                            >Sweetie blushes as red a fresh tomato picked in its prime as she is suddenly at a loss for words only to be disrupted from the sudden self-awareness by the pawing of the black and white creature thinking with its stomach. She quickly unwraps the cheese, though a bit clumsily from her mental state. The dog looks up at her with the wall-eyed look of a 4 legged catfish, huffing expectantly.

                                            >Sweetie tears off a sliver and holds it out as the dog dances trying to reach it, catching the piece as Sweetie drops it.

                                            >” I did not mean to fluster you, dear,” Anon’s mom states as she reaches across to her across the nook. “I mean that is part of why he told me he volunteered to take you home as often as he had. Oops… I guess he got his verbal skills from me,” she states with a hard laugh.

                                            >”Anyway, could you help me with finishing the rest of this? Anon should be only a few more minutes with his run to the store unless he gets ‘lost’ again in the tools like usual.”


                                            >“I would like to but I’m not too handy in a kitchen nor is my mom…” Sweetie trails off.


                                            >“This time you have me to guide you and it is not much. Mostly getting things out as I warm up the last bit of all this. The only real cooking is the potatoes and we need Anon for that.”

                                            >Anon’s mom refills her glass of chardonnay then guides Sweetie to the serving dishes and as to which ones she wants each of the dishes in: venison pot roast, baked squash, green bean, and a spare one for potatoes when they are done.

                                            >”So Sweetie was it? Anon says you have a couple classes but you seem a bit young to be in his grade. How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?” Anon’s mom queries as she sips her wine and prepares the potatoes for the whole milk.

                                            >Um… I’m 15 but I tested a grade higher. I had the approval to take a couple higher science classes and met Anon through AP Biology. He already knew my sister through theater so when he heard she needed someone to take me home sometimes, he volunteered.”

                                            >Anon’s mom replies with a laugh and pats Sweetie on the head as she passes her to get the silverware.

                                            >”Definitely sounds like you got a good deal there as I know few as reliable as my boy.”

                                            >”Yeah… I know,” Sweetie murmurs as she lowers her head with a soft blush and blushes a deeper tone when she catches herself. “A…anyways, thank you for inviting me to dinner even though I just dropped in with Nonny, er, Anon. I had suggested that instead of going to the arcade he show his console collection and definitely did not expect all this.”

                                            >”Anytime. We frequently have extra guests given the friends of Anon’s siblings as well as some of his father’s friends would wander in near dinner time so I have always made plenty of food.”

                                            >”Siblings? I thought he only had a single sister,” Sweetie muses as she tilts her head causing her hair to bounce across her face like freshly blown bubbles.

                                            >” You are technically right but he also has a couple older half siblings that have moved out years ago,” Anon’s mom states as she finishes her glass and pours another. “His sister also moved out with their dad but I would rather not get into that too deeply. We still keep her room set up so when she visits, it is like she never left.”

                                            >Lowering her head and sighing, a sad look crosses Sweetie’s face as she thinks about the distance her own family is experiencing, especially as Rarity spends more and more hours on client orders.

                                            >Getting out a smaller glass, Anon’s mom places it before Sweetie, gesturing to offer some wine to her.

                                            >”Would you like a single glass of wine to ‘go with dinner’? I know it is not necessarily right for the moment but I think you might like the taste with the vegetables I cooked.”

                                            >Sweetie looks at the glass, pondering if she should, hearing her sister’s voice telling her it would be gauche to turn down a host’s offer of wine.

                                            >”I don’t know but I will try some. I would not want to be rude…”

                                            >”it is fine if you don’t want any. I will just make it a tiny bit for you to try as you insist.”

                                            >She pours half a glass worth and pushes it closer to Sweetie. Sweetie tries it, grimacing at the initial bitter flavor but smiles at the sweeter aftertaste as her mouth warms. Sweetie raises her eyebrows in surprise and is halfway through another sip as her phone rings playing ‘Hall of the Mountain King,’ almost making her choke.

                                            >”Oh crap… That is Rarity. She probably thinks that I’m out at the arcade again.”

                                            >”Go ahead and answer it then let me talk to her. I will explain I invited you to dinner since Anon told me you were out with him when I called him. I’m sure that will smooth it over,” Anon’s mom slyly suggests with a wink.

                                            >Following the suggestion, Sweetie answers the call then passes the phone just as Anon walks back into the house. Sweetie and Anon’s mom wave at him as the later of the two walks with Sweetie’s phone into the den, laying out her lie for Sweetie.

                                            >“Welcome back Anon!” Sweetie fires out as he walks up and side hugs her with a questioning look.

                                            >“Rarity,” she states as she raises her glass to take another sip, triggering a raised eyebrow at the little marshmallow imbibing.

                                            “To go with dinner?” he states as he sits on the stool beside Sweetie.

                                            >“Yep. Your mom…”

                                            “Of course,” he groans, rolling his eyes.

                                            > Just then his mother walks back into the kitchen, placing the phone beside them as she walks to the stove and adds the milk to the taters as she smashes them further.

                                            >”Well, Sweetie can stay for dinner and also use our guest room so you both can make it to Vice Principal Luna’s office in the morning.”

                                            > The two teens look at each other, back to her, return to each other, then back to her bewildered at the exposition. They then respond in unison with a “say what now?”

                                            >”I just appealed to her reason and to the fact it was me doing this. After all, despite her tone of annoyance at mentioning you, son, she did sound relieved that her night was freed for some project. I even heard a sewing machine as the call closed.”

                                            “Wow… way to go, mom. By the way, why did you give Sweetie wine?”

                                            >Sweetie puts her hand on his shoulder with a light red tinging her cheeks as she looks over at him.

                                            >”She offered and I did not want to be rude. Your mom said it would go well with the flavor of the side dishes. Plus, Rarity would call this an aperitif and frequently has one herself before our dinners,” Sweetie blurts out as the alcohol begins to unbalance her petite form on the stool.

                                            “Well, that would explain a bit her calls and her look when I bring you home too late. Anyways, I think you should quit now on it and have water with dinner. I don’t my little marshmallow buddy to get too tipsy before you get to try my games or see the shop.”

                                            >”oh ok…”  Sweetie puffs and fake pouts as the matriarch snickers while getting out the plates.

                                            >” Alright you goobers. Time to plate up! Mind me fixing yours, Sweetie?”

                                            >”Sure!” Sweetie says as she slides off the stool, spooking the dog that had settled under her seat.

                                            >The dog runs and hides under the dinner table, ready to await the opportunity to beg from Anon. Anon guides Sweetie to a seat toward the middle of the short dining table lining the wall beside the breakfast nook, centered between himself and his mom. He pulls out her chair and helps push it in as soon as she is in.

                                            >As she is settling in, her plate is placed before her, a color wheel of various foods that smells wonderful and guides her mind off to the last ‘garden to plate’ bistro Rarity took her to. Her reverie is broken as Anon places her new glass of water and his plate down. His mom follows, placing her own plate down with a glass of wine as well as Sweeties, stealthily refilled, with a wink.

                                            >They all dig into their plates as soon as they are all sitting and the food blessed. Halfway through their plates, Anon’s mom resumes her questions for Sweetie.

                                            > “So Sweetie… Could you tell me a bit about your parents?”

                                            >She coughs, almost choking on her squash

                                            >”Um… Well… My mom was purely a stay home mom till I got into middle school. After that, she has been trying to go back to school herself given that she had my sister when she was halfway through. She is passed out from her studying when I get home usually. This has led to Rarity filling in some of her roles...”

                                            >”My dad used to be a private detective out in Hawaii which is where he met my mom. The two of them moved back to my mom’s hometown after she got pregnant. Since then, he had started a security company that is employed by both Mr. Rich and my classmate Silver’s father to manage the sites in their ‘corporate empire’,” Sweetie says as she gestures to accent. “I rarely see him because they keep him on call even though he has employees that could handle it all.”

                                            >“Whoa. No wonder your sister adopted her work ethic and is so insistent on you focusing on classes. At least that is what I can tell from what Anon has shared.”

                                            >Sweetie looks at her plate solemnly was she pokes the bits of vegetables left and reaches for the wine glass but not finding it given it was moved out of her reach by Anon’s mom during the familial tale.

                                            >”Yeah. At least I’m doing quite well in school!” Sweetie squeaks out then covers her mouth. Anon’s hand softly touches her arm causing her to look into his eyes as he provides a reassuring look. The thought of when his mother told her how he called her cute returns to the forefront of her mind. A short skip in her heartbeat catches her attention as he smirks.

                                            >Anon stands, collecting his and her plates and walks them to the sink. As he places them in there, the fading light of the day catches his attention.

                                            “Hey, Sweetie. Would you like that tour of my shop and our land now? Sun is getting close to twilight and the last thing we need is to be stumbling about in the dark.”

                                            >”Sure but don’t you think we should help your mom clean up more?”

                                            >”Don’t worry about it, Sweetie. You two just go have fun. After all, you both ate most of the food and Aro would like what is left I’m sure,” Anon’s mom says with a light hand wave. “I can get the rest on my own,” she states as she dumps the scraps from the plates into one of the pots.

                                            >Sweetie tilts her head and looks over to Anon as he shrugs then pulls her and her chair back from the table. As Sweetie stands he holds out his arm to assist her and she rises slowly being wobbly from the little bit of wine her small body is still processing. For a moment she loses her balance and falls into Anon’s chest, leading to a smirk from his mom and blushes from the two teens. Sweetie looks up as she works to stabilize herself, meeting her green orbs with his brown eyes and her face flushes further toward maroon. Anon softly smiles and helps her regain her footing, keeping his arm out for her as she holds on with both her small hands.

                                            “I warned you to cut back to water after the aperitif,” Anon chuckles as they manage to get walking out onto the patio.

                                            >”I wish you had told me to watch for your mom’s refilling skills…” Sweetie stumbles out.

                                            “Yeah, I really should have. I’m very sorry about that. At least the evening air ought to help you get your balance back. Let’s go up and check on the horses then the shop.”

                                            >Sweetie nods and they begin walking around the corner around the house, climb a small hill with a large satellite dish and an elevated shed visible through the sparse collection of pines to their left as the distance to hardwood fenced pasture closes.

                                            >”What is that over there?” Sweetie states as she swings her arm across their path to the shed, pockmarked with splatters of paint and lines from rain and tree sap from its years.

                                            “Oh...that is my old clubhouse. My sister, my old best friend, and I used to plot out our lives, read books there, and have a few adventures out of there. Also was a nice place to enjoy time in the hammock I put in there and I even helped my dad build it. Well, as much as he would allow me to.”

                                            >”Sounds similar to what my friends and I would often do when we all met up at Apple Bloom’s. Oh my, the trouble and messes we got into till school took up so much of our time,” Sweetie chuckles out trailing off as she finishes.

                                            “We could always take a walk to it after I show you the shop or before if you like,” Anon states as they now join the worn vehicle path that takes them quickly to the round pen where the feed is stored.

                                            >”That sounds fun… sure. Shop then the clubhouse.”

                                            “Alright. Now if you don’t mind. I need my arm back for a moment unless you want me to pull us both over the fence.”

                                            >Sweetie surprisedly pulls her arms back, not realizing she had been still holding on since they stepped outside. She quickly looks around for a distraction and sees the two horses down at the lower end of the field, unaware that that feeding time had come. Both dogs had joined them and they all danced about like only carefree animals could. As she trails her vision off to the left of the horses, she sees a couple deer coming out early and grazing on the red tops of clover that dot the field.

                                            >A soft breeze blows toward her causing a wave of undulating red to flow toward her and her hair to flitter and bare her face. Growing up with this, it was no wonder to her how Anon could seem carefree and so relaxed. Rarity could never understand this in her musings and would only see all the dirt and filth with her myopic worldview of Fashion. Sweetie loved her so but could never understand why Rarity could not appreciate the simple beauties that dot life.

                                            >Her vision is snapped back to her front as she hears the thumping of both boots and the whumping of the plastic bin the horse feed is in. The horses heard it too and turn trotting up the hill to their meal and the dogs racing ahead of them having now seen Anon on their side of the fence. Shortly, the two disproportionately scaled dogs are bouncing around Anon then trot over to Sweetie with Rascal falling over on her feet and looking up with a crazed, wall-eyed smile and flopping tongue.

                                            >Sweetie giggles at the silly creature and reaches down to rub the exposed belly, a gesture met with wiggles and a quick bark as her hand approaches the soft belly. Sweetie rubs her palm in small circles which quickly sets the two-toned beasts into an appreciative series of snorts.

                                            “I see you and Rascal became friends,” Anon says as her slides back over the fence followed by Aro who shimmies under the same.

                                            >”Your mom told me the trick to winning her over,” Sweetie sing-songs as she now shifts to using her nails to scritch Rascal’s belly.

                                            “So you cheesed my dog. Well now you have a friend for life,” Anon quips as he kneels beside the two of them followed by Aro who licks Sweeties arm to ask for a share of attention as well.

                                            “She would make a cute companion for you and loves being dressed up, unlike your sister’s cat.”

                                            >”I have not done that in years,” Sweetie huffs. “Now Rarity, on the other hand…”

                                            >Anon chortles as he stands up and turns as the horse walk up. He then steps to the fence and rubs the horses’ heads as they snort and fill their mouths. He turns back to Sweetie waving her over.

                                            “Would you like to pet them? They are friendly as they eat, unlike a few horses I have known over the years.”

                                            >Sweetie stands, coming over and hesitantly holds out her hand which is sniffed and snorted at by the hickory horse.

                                            “The pale one is my horse and the other is my mom’s. Hers is about as old as I am so I guess you could you could call her my 4 legged sister. We, my mom and I, both used to do English riding events. Hell, my mom even rode as she was pregnant with me. She liked Jumping events while I preferred Dressage. Nothing like the union of two minds and bodies in a dance only you two know…”

                                            >Sweetie listens intently as she hears Anon open up for one of the first times she has seen. Normally he is laid back but focused on whatever is before him but now a glimmer of passion lights his eyes, accented as the sky shifts to a purple hue with the Evening Star and moon make their appearance on the horizon. For some reason, his appearance takes on a handsomeness she missed before, leaving her questioning whether it is the last bit of the wine or new thoughts awakening, prodded by revelation from his mother.

                                            “Well we had better get down to the other side of the house to the shop if we are going to have any daylight to see our way,” Anon states interrupting her thoughts. Her mouth quivers as she tries to form a question but the pushes it aside to take his hand up.

                                            >They walk along the fence on the path as it splits to in front of the house, making short time back to the truck. As they begin on the next dirt path, Sweetie reaches out slowly to Anon’s hand, grazing his fingers and finally catches hold of two of them. Anon turns his head to her, raising an eyebrow then shifts his hand to get a full grip of her hand. Sweetie tenses at the change but relaxes as the surprise fades with a smile spreading across her face.

                                            >Anon is doing his best to hide his surprise at Sweetie’s taking his hand but decides to just go for it, taking her whole hand. He internally muses about how cute she is and turns his head to her, noticing the growing smile and the fingers of light dancing through the pine needles across her pink and purple hair with soft bouncing locks as they walk onward. How had he never really noticed the beauty of her smile and the shimmer to her eyes before now astounds him? He had sought out a chance to spend more time with the amazingly bright cute girl he knew passively through his AP classes and her sister’s chattering at Drama club.  Now, he sees the beautiful young lady Sweetie really is as a happy sway accents her walk as his hand grips her soft and dainty fingers.

                                            >As he returns his vision to their path, he begins to fumble in his pocket for the keys to the rolling door and feels tension on his other hand just before he walks into the door, falling back square on his ass and with a new bump on his forehead.

                                            >”Are you alright?” Sweetie questions as she quickly kneels beside him and leans in to check his forehead.

                                            “I am fine,” Anon says as he rubs his head. “I just got lost in thought about some details I missed.”

                                            >”Alright. Let me check your head real quick. You pretty much hit that full force and I want to see if you need it treated…” Sweetie trails off as she gets closer to him.

                                            >Before Anon has a chance to protest, Sweetie softly kisses the bump and then stands back up facing away towards the door. As Anon tries to process what just happened he barely makes out a mumble about it normally making her bumps feel better from the beet red young lady.

                                            “Um yeah… Let me get this door open,” Anon states half dazed from the last two occurrences as Sweetie rocks in place.

                                            >Anon clumsily gets the door unlocked and begins rolling it up, exposing a dark room thick with the smells of solvents and machine oils. He reaches beside the door and flips on the lights, illuminating several tables with various machine parts and a pile of soldering components towards the back by the vent. A small CNC milling center and a CNC lathe fill most of the room with shelving and racks occupying the majority of what remains. Above each of the work table is shelves filled with books on systems design, robotics components, and open source hardware with a few on practical prop making sandwiched where fitting.

                                            >Anon takes Sweetie’s hand again and guides her to a middle workbench with a mini-fridge under it and two rolling stools. He lets go, opening the fridge to offer one of his various sodas to her before sitting on the stool beside her with one hand on the workbench closer to her.

                                            “Well, this is my crafting shop or ‘the forge’ as I sometimes call it,” Anon says as he holds his generic cola to his bump. “What do you think?”

                                            >”I’m almost at a loss for words. THIS.IS.AMAZING! How can you afford to have all this?”

                                            “I recently received a grant and had licensed a couple things I invented at the start of high school. The grant is for researching robotics to assist the elderly and autistic youth.”

                                            >“Remind me again of how old you are, Anon,” Sweetie blurts out.

                                            “I’m 17 now and will be 18 in December,” Anon replies as he opens his can.

                                            >It is now that Sweetie wears the dazed expression Anon had moments ago, trying to piece together a cogent follow-up to the revelation laid before her. Anon never dressed ostentatious or did anything to show off, trying to blend into the crowd unless it was something he focused on like field events for the school or a game. How has he hidden all this, ESPECIALLY with helping Pinkie and her having seen all this? All the prop work for the plays too and no one thought about where it all came from. Sweetie puts her hands to her temples as she tries to process all this.

                                            >“How… no WHY do you not let people know you can do all this? How did you get Pinkie to not blab about this?” Sweetie continues.

                                            “They never believed me when I tried to share so I stopped trying. As for Pinkie, one of her promises and the cannon maintenance suffice to keep her from blabbing. I would like you to keep it to your chest as well, especially this next part since it is what the grant covers. I had to sign an NDA with my grant acceptance forms but I think you will appreciate it better than most…” Anon says as he places down the can and grazes Sweetie’s hand.

                                            >Anon walks to the far table over in the corner, turning on the work lamp over it and brushes off the loose nuts and bolts from a large, beige envelope. Sweetie narrows her eyes to focus on him but can only see his back and shoulders clearly with the halo of new light bleeds into her vision. She makes out a silhouette of him, now waving her closer. Subconsciously, she picks up his soda and sips it as she approaches.

                                            >As she gets closer, she can make out some official markings on the envelope. ‘National Science Foundation’, ‘Department of Health and Human Services’, and ‘National Robotics Initiative’ are most prominent on the envelope with the rest in too small of a font to read from her position a couple feet behind Anon as he flips it over to open it. After pulling the documents out Anon sees Sweetie still standing a bit back of him, he wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer to the table, eliciting a squeak and her pulling her arms closer to her small body.

                                            >Now tightly beside him, she looks up and sees the bright light forming a new aura around him as he smiles with excitement. She has never really seen him really smile, more commonly seeing a smirk or normally a blank face of annoyance at their fellow schoolmates in their classes. Her heart skips a beat for a second time this evening and her cheeks warm like at dinner making her wonder if it was really the wine that did it then.

                                            “I hope you don’t mind keeping quiet about this,” Anon whispers. “I got the design from a dream and it is an interesting one.”

                                            >As he spreads the documents out before them on the table, a patent application catches Sweetie’s eye. The sketches in the patent packet show a small unicorn with large eyes as the core design for the assistance robot for autistic children with notes for a seal variant as another concept. Strangely the hair to it looks similar to hers but she passes it off as just a convenience. The notes about a magnetic levitation tractor beam modded into the pseudo-horn with the ears as mini antennae are where she begins to lose herself in the tech and lawyer speak.

                                            >”um… I’m not sure how much I would be able to repeat of all this if I wanted to. I really like her mane…”

                                            “It is just a concept,” Anon chuckles. “I guess I was thinking of that part of the concept while I was waiting for you to come out of practice. I was also going to give her a sweet singing voice like yours too but I wanted to ask for your permission first.”

                                            >”I…I...I,” Sweetie stumbles as she feels her face get warmer and lightheaded. “…thank you for the compliment,” she slips out as she begins to rock side to side and grips onto the table for balance. “You really like my singing?”

                                            “I do very much. Maybe you could sing something later for me?” Anon says as he puts the documents away and notices her holding his soda. “So do you like my cola?” he quips as he reaches for it in her hand.

                                            >Sweetie looks down at the can and stutters for a second before composing a response.

                                            >”Oh I did not mean to take your drink. I was trying to bring it over and drank a bit of it without realizing… I’m so sorry.”

                                            “Don’t worry about it,” Anon says as he softly grips her hand and the soda, tipping it up for a sip, causing no abatement to her blush that dominates her cheeks.

                                            >Anon steps away back to the first table they stopped at and now fiddles with a few parts that look like they should be part of a sci-fi blaster and some armor.

                                            “As you can imagine this is where I make props for the drama club too as well as a few for a costume group I also volunteer and do commissions with,” He says with his back to Sweetie. As he is about to continue, Anon turns and sees his little pale friend still standing where he left her, semi-frozen and like she has smoke coming from her ears.

                                            “Are you alright? Earth to Sweetie?” Anon says as he waves his hand in front of her face.

                                            >Sweetie, stunned by the last few moments of comments and the sensation of Anon wrapping her hand around his. Something was different but she was not sure how to process it. Stoking her ego with compliments and the contact were sending her mind to places she was not sure about. The warmth of both contact and her cheeks were overwhelming. After a few seconds, she dazedly snaps out of it, seeing Anon’s hand waving before her.

                                            >”Oh… I’m fine. Just got caught up in…something.”

                                            “Alright. Well seeing that unless we want to make anything here, I think we should get going. You still want to see my old clubhouse right?”

                                            >”Yes I do. Do you mind me finishing your soda? I drank half of it, it seems,” she says as she looks down. “Or maybe spilled it,” she quips as she sees a few small puddles from when she accidentally spilled it during her locking up.

                                            “Go Ahead. Want me to grab another one for our walk?”

                                            >”No no unless you have some grape soda. It is a favorite of mine but Rarity will not let me have it because of a stain I made years ago. It is a favorite of mine, though…”

                                            “One of mine too. Always loved it and I happen to have a couple left,” Anon says as he puts the sodas in a small satchel then turns out all the lights. “Ready to go?” he asks with his hand out, reminding Sweetie of a knight before his courtly lady.

                                            >She takes his hand and they begin the walk as late-season fireflies begin to flit about and the sun's waning light gives way to the start of moonlight’s pale glow. Sweetie begins to skip but catches herself as she sees Anon still focused on their path forward, seemingly focused on their trodding.

                                            >Anon is deep in thought as they walk, wondering why this night feels ‘warmer’ and as to why he is more amused with Sweetie’s company than normal. He has been trying to hide his own blushes and palpitations. Sure he had sought out to be her ride home, to model his robot after a dream he had featured a white unicorn that called out to him with her name, to show her the good times she needed after the constant harassment from those two, and had also been drawn to the voice he once caught coming from the young lady as she walked between classes. An underclassman but not that it really mattered since she was brighter than the small gap in their ages should have reflected.

                                            >Sweetie watches his face as they walk, witnessing a smile slowly creep out and their shared hand hold begin to tighten. She wonders what could be crossing his mind till he mumbles something about a wonderful mind and voice.

                                            >Just before she can pry he stops his walk, looking up at the clubhouse 12 feet above their heads. It has a single rail around its edge and is suspended from four telephone posts that are as far across as her torso. Between two of these posts hangs a small green nylon mesh hammock and beneath is a stairwell that takes one up just in front of the small single room and window. It looks a bit worn for wear but in great shape nonetheless.

                                            “Well, here we are. What do you think of it?”

                                            >”Well it definitely looks like it went through a bit…” Sweetie says as she bites her lip.

                                            “Well let’s go on up. Trust me, Sweetie,” Anon says as he begins for the steps and climbs them more like a ladder, standing up tall after he clears the small roof intended for kids half his age.

                                            >Sweetie quickly follows and looks around, seeing the view that seems to be what draws Anon back out here despite outgrowing this spot. A soft breeze shakes the needles and leaves with the soft swish like that of a gentle whisper and many more of the fireflies are now visible as she looks across the open 2 acres behind the house and to their left. Their flights make the whole area seem as though a thousand candles are floating on an unseen sea. The continuing breeze wafts the light scent of the evergreens and the faint scent of kudzu flowers, a sweetness that tingles the nose as though from another world.

                                            >Anon places the satchel down and faces her at the stairs with his back to a post as he looks across the yard, sighing as memories float back to the surface.

                                            “You know, Sweetie. You are the first person other than one of my club or old paintball buddies I have brought up here. So many nice times.”

                                            >”The view here is amazing,” Sweetie states softly as she scans about and steps forward to see around the other sides of their perch.

                                            “I definitely agree,” He states as he watches her face light up the more she takes in.

                                            >Sweetie looks back to Anon as he says this and catches his eyes with her gaze. She toes the pine planks while she crosses her arms, rubbing her hand up and down her arm bashfully.

                                            >”So you told your mom you think I’m cute…”

                                            “And I also like your voice, especially when you sing.”

                                            >”You do, do you?” She replies slyly. “Would you like to hear the solo I have in the next performance? We are doing show tunes and I got to choose which one I get to perform. I think you will like it very much...” Sweetie says as she steps to in front of the post opposite him.

                                            https://youtu.be/4-L6rEm0rnY

                                            >As Sweetie continues, tears begin to form in Anon’s eyes. He watches her intently as she continues, watching the fireflies begin to fly around her, accenting the shimmer that is surrounding the young girl as she performs her favorite activity. Somehow, the light has faded from everything but her as she comes to the final stanza, putting her whole self into the finale.

                                            >” …TOUCH ME…”

                                            >”It is so easy to leave me…”

                                            >”All alone with my memory”

                                            >”Of my days in the sun.”

                                            >”If you touch me,”

                                            >”You'll understand what happiness is…

                                            >“Look, a new day has begun…”


                                            >As she finishes, she looks back to Anon who has the widest smile he has had as long as she has known him. His face is soaked with tears that he is trying to wipe away like crazy. She bashfully blushes, crossing herself as before.

                                            >”I can assume you liked it,” Sweetie softly squeaks as Anon stands and steps closer to her with his red streaked face finally dry.

                                            “Sweetie… That was the best rendition of Old Grizzabella’s final song I have ever heard.”

                                            >”Oh you are just saying that… I have to practice so much more and…”Sweetie murmurs as crosses herself tighter.

                                            “I have to admit I was wrong on one thing, though. You are not just cute. I actually think you are beautiful and your singing truly brings out the full depth of that beauty.”

                                            >Anon steps closer and wraps his arms around her, startling her into a tomato red blush as she begins to blubber from his words, struggling to bring words to form. His warmth and closeness make her heart beat skip and she feels the same through his chest as he looks down to her face smiling.

                                            >”Anon. What are you doing…? I…Uh…” Sweetie rolls out as she begins to finally form words again. “You think I’m beautiful? I’m not as pretty as my sister and me…”

                                            “Sweetie…” Anon replies as he holds her tighter. “You are you and that is what I like.”

                                            >”You like me…” Sweetie slips out as she turns even redder before going limp in Anon’s arms.


                                            >A few minutes later Sweetie wakes back up to Anon holding her hand while lightly tapping her hand as she sways in the hammock. His look is a mix of bemusement at her getting overloaded and concern that she almost fell off the side in her collapse. She woozily tries to move, swaying and seemingly sliding deeper into the hammock the more she tries to move.

                                            >”What happened… I remember…” Sweeting groggily forces out before lighting up red quickly much like a traffic light.

                                            “You fainted and I had to stabilize you to keep you from falling over the edge. The only clean spot to place you was the hammock though cleanliness is only marginally better.”

                                            >Anon keeps rubbing her hand as he shifts from his kneel to be sitting beside her and leaning against her in the hammock.  He looks down at the floor and then up to the expanding starscape above them as the wind sways the pines back and forth across his view.

                                            >” Thank you for being there…” Sweetie whispers as she pulls her hand back and rolls in the hammock toward him.

                                            >As Anon turns to face her, Sweetie leans closer with her eyes closed & kisses him softly. Anon’s eyes grow wide at the surprise as they hold the kiss for the next few seconds. Sweetie slowly pulls back, opening her emerald orbs inches away from his face, gazing deep as she smirks,

                                            >”By the way, I like you too. I was not sure how to say it or if I was fully sure until today. Thank you for the lovely tour,” Sweetie says just above a whisper.

                                            >Anon is now befuddled as to how to respond as he gazes into her eyes. His face fills with a blush, another expression Sweetie had seen him express before triggering a giggle from her.

                                            >”I guess it was my turn to overload you,” she coos as she reaches her hand back out and rubs the side of his face.

                                            “Well, you definitely took the opportunity. Honestly, I was hoping for a chance to kiss you. Was not sure if it was just a dream or a delusion that the chance was there...”

                                            >”Hush…”

                                            >Sweetie pulls closer, kissing him again with more purpose than the last. They both lean into each other, shifting their positions to more fully meet the other’s lips. They hold the kiss for what felt like an eternity, feeling a tension lift as tiny sparks pass through their perceptions. They feel as though this is what was meant to happen.

                                            >A soft breeze crosses over them as they part their lips as a meteor shower passes overhead.

                                            >“Anon… Look up… It is so beautiful,” Sweetie trails off.

                                            “Want to make a wish?”

                                            >”I don’t think I need to but I think there is room in the hammock for both of us,” Sweetie says as she tries to shift to one side.

                                            “I am not sure I should. It might be a bit tight in there,” Anon quips slyly.

                                            >”We can manage, I bet,” Sweetie says as Anon slowly shifts his weight in.

                                            >His movement causes her to flop over on top of his side facing him and her hands and ear now flat on his chest where she can feel his heartbeat thumping quickly. Her hair is now practically in his face, brushing his nose as the soft, sugary smell of her shampoo fills his nostrils. He wraps his arms around her lower back as she looks up at him with the cutest expression as she tries to look at him with a sultry glance.

                                            “What are you doing, my little marshmallow?”

                                            >”I thought I would try to do a sexy expression as Rarity would call it.”

                                            “I think it might be a bit much for the moment. Let’s enjoy the moment before we have to go in. I am sure it is finally getting late but I don’t care right now.”

                                            >“Me neither,” she says as she snuggles her face into the soft cotton of his tee-shirt and coos at his contact and warmth, intertwining her legs with his in their tight nylon suspension.


                                            >They drift through the air, swaying as the warm evening breezes cool and they shift to looking at the stars, both in the sky and in their eyes from their newly realized affection. Soon, though, they decide to go back to the house and begin their way back, walking with their fingers interlaced and a joy to their steps.

                                            >As they return to the house, they notice Pinkie’s “Party Van” has pulled beside the carport and she is sitting in the wood swing.

                                            >”Hi Nonny! Hi, Sweetie! Enjoy watching the meteors?” Pinkie quickly rattles off.

                                            “Hi… Pinkie… What brings you here at this hour?” Anon slowly asks.

                                            >Well I was originally thinking you could check out the party cannon but Rarity called me saying Sweetie was going to be staying here overnight. She met me at my house with some night clothes for her and thought I should…” Pinkie says as she readjusts her voice into a haughty tone. “…protect my sister’s honor from that reckless oaf’s advances.”

                                            >Sweetie’s mouth goes agape and she steps behind Anon defensively at this exposition.

                                            >”I don’t know what Rarity is thinking,” Sweetie replies in shock. “Nonny would never do anything to me…”

                                            >Sweetie continues under her breath “that I did not ask for.”

                                            >As Anon is about to reply, Pinkie is at his face looking him over with one eye and sees the interlaced hands of Anon and Sweetie.

                                            >“Maybe her concerns were a bit late…” Pinkie trails off.

                                            “Well, maybe a confession and a few kisses as we enjoyed the stars and a song,” Anon replies as he and Sweetie blush.

                                            >”Yay for you two!” Pinkie squeals, bouncing up and down. “I owe Rainbow $5 now though but I’m glad to see you two are FINALLY together.”

                                            “You were betting on my love life?”

                                            >”Actually on whether Sweetie would catch you, though, from knowing you both, it was probably a mutual one but you never realized it.”

                                            >“Pinkie, Has anyone told you that you can be scary or creepy?” Sweetie asks as she steps back around Anon.

                                            >”Just your sister. Well, let’s get inside. I want to hear all about it and try you both at Dr. Mario!” Pinkie says as she grabs their joined hands and the clothing bag, dragging them along.

                                            >The mass of three teens stumble into the kitchen as the TV in the den is running as Anon’s mom fell asleep watching the news again. The TV blares out in a deep, hyper-masculine voice ‘This is… ENN’ covering the sounds of them all almost falling over into the floor, disrupting the stools with a clatter but barely causing a stir from Anon’s mom.

                                            “I guess she had a longer day than I thought,” Anon states as he gains his balance and walks into the den to check her, seeing her curled up under a quilt she and his grandmother made when she first got married. “Let’s try to be a bit quieter as we go on, “ he continues as he adjusts the quilt and rejoins his maiden and their jester in the kitchen.

                                            “Ok y’all. Let’s get to the guest room so we can get you two settled and make a plan for what is next,” Anon states as he walks waving them to a doorway around the corner to their left.

                                            > The two ladies follow him as they turn left a few steps beyond the doorway into a tiny hallway with a small bathroom to the left and a secluded 10’x’10’ room. On the door side and left walls are twin beds and a dresser on the right. Before them is a multi-tier wood shelving set with inset tv and several gaming systems split out across the shelves with games and controllers for each stacked neatly beside them. The whole array takes up one-third of the back wall only leaving room for the small closet and the foot of one of the beds.

                                            >Sweetie gapes at this setup and practically stops in the hallway till Pinkie pulls her along. Anon hops on the far bed, turning to face the girls and pats the space beside him as an orange cat with a zig-zag tail disrupted by the wrapping, saunters out from under the bed and the out the hall to the stairs leading to the second floor.

                                            ”Are you ok Sweetie?” Anon says as he tilts his head

                                            >”I don’t know how you keep managing to do this but you keep amazing me. You were not kidding when you said you had a collection. Original NES through GameCube with no system gaps. Sega master system and early model Genesis. Atari 5200. I…uh... Wow. No wonder you were good at things at the arcade…” she says as she sits beside him, leaning on his shoulder.

                                            >“Well do you think he would not practice, silly?” Pinkie interjects. “Even his mom plays these some, preferring Dr. Mario like I do. Now when are we going to start a battle royale! I still owe you from the last time I played you.”

                                            “In a little bit Pinkie. We do need to discuss what we are going to do first. I need a shower so while I do that upstairs, you two get comfortable and settled in. If you want any night clothes other than what your sister sent along Sweetie, my sister’s room is upstairs, to your right then last room on your left. All this sound good? Um yes, Pinkie?” Anon questioningly asks as the pink toned young woman waves a raised hand.

                                            >”Does this mean I have to stay clothed?”

                                            ”Yes, Pinkie…” Anon says while gripping the bridge of his nose and Sweetie snaps her head over to Anon with a confused blush. “Yes it also means Sweetie has to be clothed, “ Anon fires off as Pinkie’s hand shoots up again and Sweetie mimics a sugar beet in color.

                                            “Do you have any questions, Sweetie? Other than about nudity involving Pinkie?”

                                            >”Not really other than about towels.”

                                            “There should be some under the sink in the left cabinet. If not, send Pinkie for some upstairs or take a hard left at the top of the stairs to get some from the other bathroom up there I’m not using,” Anon says as he starts to get up and walk to the door.

                                            >“Wait,” squeaks out Sweetie, hopping over to him at the doorway. She pulls on Anon’s shoulder till his face is beside her's and kisses his cheek. “See you soon…” she softly murmurs looking with wide eyes into his. Pinkie, watching them, get a super goofy expression on her face and makes shooting signs with her fingers as he is pushed softly back onto his path toward the stairs in a mild daze.

                                            >After anon vanishes up the stairs, Sweetie walks over to Pinkie to see what clothes Rarity sent along, reaching for the bag on the far side of the bed when Pinkie flops over in her way.

                                            >”You two are so cute! So are you going to dish or do I have to resort to extraction?” Pinkie says with a smirk while wiggling her fingers as though she is going to tickle Sweetie.

                                            >”No need to resort to that, Pinkie. I will tell you after I get a shower myself and changed. Now, what did my lovely, overly suspicious, ‘too focused on clothes for time for her little sister and own good’ sister sent along.”

                                            >”Whoa. Never heard you talk about Rarity like that, Sweetie,” Pinkie says with confusion and a concerned expression while she pulls the bag from behind herself.

                                            >”She just makes me so mad when she acts like this and then uses a surrogate rather than actually talk to me. It makes me feel like I’m just a burden or another task to manage to her rather than be her sister.”

                                            >”I know she is just trying to look after you, her only sister. She knew I would understand, being both a little and big sister myself. You just need to get her aside and talk it over. You two will get this clear and I may be a surrogate sister tonight but at least I’m a fun one…” Pinkie says as she playfully bumps Sweetie’s chin with a balled hand.

                                            >Sweetie’s visual frustration lessens at this and finally finds the pajamas in the bag that Rarity sent. It is a teal pair of shorts and top made of satin that cinch with matching drawstring and three buttons respectively. Even when she is frustrated, Rarity can still toss together something fashionable Sweetie mused to herself.

                                            >”So what are you going to wear Pinkie? I don’t see any night clothes here for you in here,” Sweetie asks as she looks up, seeing somehow Pinkie has taken off her bra and is wearing just her panties under a long nightshirt with 3 stretched balloons on the front. “Wait…how…never mind….”

                                            >Pushing the confusion at Pinkie out of her mind, Sweetie proceeds to the bathroom to get her shower started. She looks for the towels where Anon said they would be, finding none and elicits help from Pinkie to find where any could be.


                                            >Anon quickly trots up the stairs and heads through the first door at the top of the stairs. He muses at how nice it is to be back up here in his room but not as nice as this afternoon and evening. He never imagined that everything could turn out so well for him in such a small span. Sure Rarity can be a bitch but Anon knows that she is just trying to cope and protect her sister. Ah, Sweetie Belle… his little marshmallow. She had hated it at first when he had called her that, stealing an insult from Diamond, but he tried to put as much kindness behind it to remove the venom from its originator. Sweetie warmed to it and it had become their joke name for her though she kept wondering what to use as a jab back at him to josh in turn.

                                            >Thinking deeper to Rarity’s complaint, Anon wonders why she would be complaining NOW of all times, given it has been 6 months since she approved of his being Sweetie’s ride. Rarity has been getting stranger about the arrangement lately, getting a bit flustered at him at the Drama club meetings and insisting on reviewing his prop plans every time a planning meeting came up in increasing detail.

                                            “Bah… enough of that shit,” Anon says to himself as he makes sure his bedroom door is closed and walks into the foreroom of the bathroom, stripping in front of the mirror above the two sinks.

                                            >Looking up after kicking off his black steel toe oxfords & dropping his pants, he looks across the fore room into his sister’s room. It has been a year since she moved out with his father into town and he frequently missed his old best friend. Even though she had been growing apart from him as she began dating and began cheerleading in middle school, she was always his little sister and, really, lone confidant. Well, other than maybe Pinkie and Fluttershy.

                                            >Before the weight of the memories can completely destroy the joy of the day, He finishes stripping and is about to close the door to his sister’s room when his orange tabby rushes in preventing the door from completely closing. Apparently, Tooner wants to watch him bathe as he follows Anon into the shower room and sits on the toilet lid, maoing softly and batting at him as Anon pulls the curtain open and starts the water for the shower. Just as the water gets right, he half closes the door to the small room and gets in, letting the water wash away the memories and the warmth remind him of the new joy in his life.


                                            >A few minutes pass and Anon hears a knock as he turns the water off.

                                            “Oh, you could not find any towels anywhere else? Come on in and grab one off the hanger in here,” Anon says with the curtain still drawn. “Just let me know if you need any more…” Anon says as he pulls the curtains back halfway and begins stepping out… to be face to face with Sweetie Belle. Both freeze and turn red followed by anon quickly closing the curtain again.

                                            >”Pinkie said I could find the extra towels in here… I did not hear the shower so I thought…” Sweetie trails off blubbering as she stumbles back out the door and closes it.

                                            “Give me a min and I will hand you one. One second…” Anon states as he recomposes himself, wraps himself in a towel and then hands the spare one in an outstretched hand to the girl on the other side of the half closed door. Sweetie takes it daintily and then skitters back to and down the stairs.

                                            “Well, that happened, eh Tooner?” Anon says as he reaches down petting the feline as he reaches out a paw. “I guess I had better get dressed and join them.”

                                            >The cat meows to Anon as he hops down and opens the door with a paw, looking back after he crosses into the next room seeming to wait on Anon. The two of them walk out into Anon’s room again as he dries himself off and palms his bedroom door closed again. Wait… He closed that.

                                            >“Hello Nonny…” comes a voice from the top bunk of the bed.

                                            “Pinkie... Get out of here and make sure Sweetie is ok. The last thing I need is for her to get hurt on either of our watches. Now is not the time for pranks…”Anon says as he covers with the towel, dripping on his floor. “We may be close but I’m not in the mood to deal with this. Please. We can all be silly AFTER I get back downstairs.”

                                            >“Fine fine. I just wanted you to have a pleasant surprise…”

                                            “Too early and her sister is not trusting her to be free yet. Hell, you are the first to find out that Sweetie and I are…”

                                            >“Yeah I know,” Pinkie pouts out as she hops down onto the lower bed that is perpendicular to the top. “Just don’t keep us waiting long.”

                                            “I won’t. Now skit!” Anon saws as Pinkie skip out of his room and pulls the door closed behind her.

                                            >Having now regained solitude in his room, Anon finishes drying, dropping the towel as he steps into his walk-in closet. After a few minutes, he chooses a black tee-shirt with brass gears emblazoned down the sides along the seams and a pair of blue fluffy fleece pants. Nice and cozy…

                                            >Anon tosses the pieces onto his bed and sits to put them on. He manages after rolling Tooner off the pants which he tried to claim as his own. Anon looks over at the clock, noting that it is now 2130 which limits the time they can all game before they have to sleep. Don’t want to anger or annoy V.P. Luna if she is taking the time to meet with him before deciding on a punishment.

                                            “Why do these two have to be such pains?” Anon thinks as he flops back and the cat kneads into his leg hard. He continues to ponder for a few more minutes then heads back down to the guest room and the two waiting ladies.

                                            >Upon his return, Anon knocks on the door to prevent the reverse of 15 minutes ago from occurring and is called in. He is greeted to Pinkie sitting on the floor with her back to one bed with the NES running Starforce, blasting her way through the endless waves of enemies while her chest does an impression of a bouncy castle at quinceanera and the balloons on her shirt looking as though they were going to burst like the Hindenburg.

                                            > Sitting on the bed behind her is Sweetie in her soft satin pjs with her arms crossed on her lap as she looks up. The teal of the pj’s stand out from her pale skin and contrast with her green eyes. Sweetie blushes as Anon looks at her, the walk in fresh on her mind. Anon climbs onto the bed beside her and wraps his arm around her shoulders as he kisses her cheek, eliciting a quick squeak from the maiden. She leans into him and places a soft pale hand on his knee.

                                            >”Hi Anon…” Sweetie says in a tone befitting her name as they intertwine their right hands.

                                            >”Welcome back, Nonny. I… gah… Are you ready for….the Dr. Mario…battle?” Pinkie fires off as she continues to dodge the in-game fire on the floor.

                                            “Sure, Pinkie. You get it in and pass me a controller. Sweetie gets to choose the next game though and we cannot stay up too late. Meeting with V.P. Luna after all.”

                                            >”Works for me!” Pinkie says as she runs into a barrage of shots that glitched into her hitbox. She quickly swaps out the games and the green checkered selection screen pops up.

                                            >”How do you play this?” Sweetie asks as Anon shifts his position to be able to use the controller.

                                            “Do you remember Tetris? It is similar to that only it has a PVP mode and simpler controls. It is also my mom’s favorite. Anyways, it is fun and Pinkie wants to beat me again.”

                                            >”What… It is the only one I CAN beat you on.”

                                            >Sweetie lays over behind anon to get a better look at the screen as Pinkie and Anon choose the settings for their battle. As they get into the first game, Sweetie asks a few questions so she can be ready to try a turn when they finish.

                                            >“So I just shift the pill to the sides, spin the pill, and use that window to see the next pill?”

                                            >”Uh huh,” Pinkie responds. “Oh by the way, how did you and Anon decide to become a couple? I’m dying to know.”

                                            >“Well… it kind of just happened,” Sweetie trails off.

                                            “Yeah, it did though I will say the first sparks began when I met you in AP Biology last year and the embers of interest began glowing hotter over the last six months of my picking her up from chorus practice and arcade time.”

                                            >”Rarity has been suggesting that I spend less time with Anon and even suggested one of my classmates to me.”

                                            “Oh really… You never really told me this, Sweetie.”

                                            >”Oh yeah… tell us more Sweetie!” Pinkie says with a full mouth of popcorn from a box she got from who knows where. Maybe her bag but trans-dimensional Pinkie-isms aside.

                                            >”Rarity was suggesting I go out with Button Mash since he seemed to like video games and is my age. He…is…”

                                            “A detestable pain in the ass,” Anon fires off flatly.

                                            >”Let’s go with that. Thank you Anon,” Sweetie continues. “He may like games but he would come up and try to flirt with me whenever Anon stepped away at the arcade. He also will try to convince me at lunch or wherever he spots me, always flanked by his followers, Snips and Snails. I have tried to tell him to go away but he is just not getting the hint. At least he stopped trying to ambush me after Chorus…” Sweetie says as she looks up at Anon.

                                            >”Wow. I had no idea… maybe the girls and I can help watch your back,” Pinkie spouts.

                                            >”That would be appreciated. Apple Bloom and Scoots have been trying to run interception but they can only do so much…”

                                            “I wish you had told me sooner, Sweetie. That little pain has been lurking around my truck and Drama Club, trying to mess with my stuff, tag my stuff, or with his friends in tow, try to challenge me to a fight.”

                                            >”I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Nonny,” Sweetie replies as she reaches a hand up to his shoulder. “I was so embarrassed that it was happening.”

                                            “Well I know now so we will find a way to fix it,” Anon responds with a hand brushing her cheek. “So Sweetie what shall we play next?” Anon says as Pinkie does the ‘Cabbage Patch’ in place cheering her victory over Anon for the 5th time in a row while chanting ‘Go Pinkie’.

                                            >”Hmm… I don’t know, “Sweetie says as she gets up to inspect the NES game collection. Eventually, she picks a game with 2 fighters in front of a horrible looking alien. “How about this one?”

                                            “Ooohh. Good choice. Contra… a personal fave.” Anon says with a devilish smile.

                                            >”Oh no. Now you have got him started…”Pinkie groans.

                                            >“What do you mean?” Sweetie says with a cocked head.

                                            “I used to play this all the time and it is one of the hardest games of all time. Luckily there is a common cheat to make it easier for beginners. Just put it in and I will teach you.”

                                            >”O…Okay,” Sweetie says confused and is waved over to sit beside him after she gets the game on.

                                            >As Sweetie sits down the opening music begins and the title side scrolls into view as Anon enters THE CODE: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A START in two-player mode. Pinkie hands Sweetie her controller and moves to the bed across from them to watch them play, texting Rarity that she is watching over her sister and also firing off a couple to AJ and Fluttershy filling them in on the good news.

                                            “Okay, Sweetie. This is a side-scrolling shooter. The goal is to go through it without dying and shooting whatever pops up. You will not hit me so just fire mercilessly and if something floats by, shoot it too as it is a power-up. Also you and jump down like this and you can also swim and duck under the water. If you get hit, you respawn as a jump in from the left…” Anon instructs as they proceed across the first island and the bridges blow up. “It takes a bit to get used to it but since we have the 30 life code in, you have plenty of lives to work with.”

                                            >Their travel across the first stage is slow as Sweetie keeps missing jumps or gets hit by stray shots. Eventually, they clear the stage with Anon at 28 lives and Sweetie at 19.

                                            “Good Job! You did better than most do on their first try,” Anon says as he wraps an arm around her shoulder.

                                            >”Thanks. It just has a steep learning curve…” Sweetie replies with a smile. “I can definitely see why you like it.”

                                            “Yes. Nothing worthwhile comes easily and this definitely makes you work for it.”

                                            >”Just a question.”

                                            “Yes, Sweetie?”

                                            >“Do you mind us changing games?” Sweetie says with puppy dog eyes.

                                            “No…Not at all… Do you want to pick or shall I?”

                                            >“You go ahead…” Sweetie says with a smirk and watches him stand up while biting her lip.

                                            >As Anon gets to his feet, he feels a small hand reach out trying to grasp his rear but just grazes the fabric. He quickly turns back around to see Sweetie looking off to the side and Pinkie chuckling to herself at Sweetie’s bold move. Anon turns back around, feeling another attempt, stepping back slightly so she hits her target.

                                            “Find something Sweetie?”

                                            >”Maybe…” Sweetie bubbles out with a giggle.

                                            “Alright but let me find a game before it gets much later. Don’t forget we can’t stay up all night though that would be fun,” Anon says as he winks and steps outside of her reach.

                                            >Anon looks across the collection for a couple minutes as replies come to Pinkie’s texts and now the chirping comes to Sweetie’s phone as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo text her to confirm the news. Sweetie is giggling and blushing as they query for details. Scoots is being lewd in her suggestions and questions, turning the marshmallow into a cherry tomato as she scrolls through the flow of messages. Finally, Anon chooses a game and powers it up, rejoining the girls as Pinkie is now laying on the floor laughing with a blush at messages Sweetie received.

                                            >”Whoa… Scoots must be spending too much time with porn to come up with that idea…” Pinkie chortles off at the last message.

                                            “What is she saying?!?” Anon asks as he quickly looks over at Sweetie’s phone as she tries to hide it with a shocked and red face at the contortions linked in the message.

                                            >”Nothing… Nothing….I…” Sweetie stutters out.

                                            >”You really don’t want to know, Nonny,” Pinkie fires out. “Let’s say Sweetie was struck by Scoota-lewd…”

                                            “Okay then…” Anon replies as he blushes from the suggestion and knowing how Scoots thinks from when she tried to flirt with him a month into his regiment of Sweetie pickups.

                                            “So the game I put in is another fave of mine and is one that Dr. Mario was partially derived from. Behold! Original Tetris!”

                                            >Clicking start the music begins as he selects Tetris B and Music 1 on the lowest setting for infinite lines. As he is about to turn to Sweetie to see if she wants to try, she tugs at his arm causing him to turn his head into her lips softly touching his and he lights up as red as fast as a Christmas tree light. Sweetie pulls away as Pinkie daawws in the background and leaves Anon frozen. She then takes to opportunity to take his controller and crawls into his lap, resting the back of her head on his chest, looking up.

                                            >”Got you, my Nonny…”

                                            “Indeed you did, my little marshmallow,” Anon says as he recovers from his surprise and wraps his hands around her waist. He hugs her close as they share a smile and a quick peck. “Now let’s get this game rolling. We only have about an hour or so until midnight. We don’t want to turn into pumpkins before we have to meet with V.P.Luna, now do we?” Anon pokes.

                                            >”Nope though I’m sure we could patch ourselves up,” Sweetie quips.

                                            “I swear my humor is rubbing off on you…”

                                            >As the couple banters, tessellating the block in the game as they go, Pinkie continues her texts, bringing Sunset into the loop as well as RD. Fluttershy asks what all are they up to after Pinkie reset the messages to a group text as Pinkie gets a smirk and turns her phone’s camera on Anon & Sweetie. She snaps a quick photo of them with Anon manning the controller again and Sweetie leaning back into him with her hand on his cheek, sharing it with a caption of ‘Cutest Couple EVAR!’

                                            >”Daaww,” replies Fluttershy.

                                            >”They really are,” AJ quips.

                                            >”Sweet,” Sunset and RD respond.

                                            >”Um has anyone let Rarity know?” Fluttershy asks pensively.

                                            >”Rarity sent me here to make sure they did not get into trouble. I will fill her in in the morning” Pinkie adds. “No point in riling her up if she is going to be pissy enough to not trust them. After all, they are more reasonable than most. Now if it were just me…” Pinkie continues

                                            >Sweetie’s phone chirps again, now with Rarity checking in on her and that Pinkie is making sure Anon’s not ‘defiling her baby sister’ or ‘corrupting’ her. Sweetie groans and quickly fires off that Pinkie is monitoring them and that they are about to all go to sleep. She also thanks her for sending the clothes as Pinkie now takes the controller for a turn, leaving Anon to move his hands back to her belly and his head to her shoulder.

                                            >”I know she means well… but can she not trust me? I feel like… gah...” Sweetie blurts in frustration.

                                            “I know. I know. My sister used to gripe about my mom messaging her but she did do things warranting the worry. That is part of why she moved out and it broke our mom’s, heart. Rarity means well though this is still a little much.”

                                            >“Is that why you don’t really talk about her, Nonny?” Sweetie asks softly.

                                            “No… That is a long story that I don’t like to tell. I do promise to share it at some point but not tonight,” Anon answers as he looks over at the lone clock on the nightstand between the beds. “Well, we all should get to sleep since it is now midnight. Do you know which bed you want to be in, Sweetie?”

                                            >”Yours…” the young maiden fires out with a smirk and a shimmy in his lap, furthering stirrings that Anon has till now not noticed from his mind wandering and the game distracting from. The young lady continues her shifting about on his lap and moves a hand to his leg, brushing the fleece while biting her lip.

                                            “Nice try but that would have to wait. The last thing we both need is to rush this, as it pains me to say,” he states as his pants get a bit uncomfortable.

                                            >”Fine fine. I was just kidding and I agree…” Sweetie says with a pout. “I Guess I will take the bed behind us by the door. Should make it so I’m less likely to step and crash if I have to get up. Is that fine by you Pinkie?”

                                            >“Sure! Whatever makes you comfy. After all, it looks like you have a couple more messages from Bloom and Scoots. Who knows what they have to say now,” Pinkie says mid-stretch.

                                            “Alright. Now please let me up so I can get to my bed?” Anon says as Sweetie wiggles in mock resistance till he can slide her off, standing up with the help of the bed as a prop. He manages to stand and then helps Sweetie to her feet, allowing them to walk to the stairs hand in hand.

                                            >The path up is lit by moonlight coming in through the windows framing the front door, casting a pearlescent glow into the foyer before the stairs. The light surrounds the two, reflecting in their eyes as anon takes her hands into his.

                                            “Till the morning, my Sweetie.”

                                            >”Till the morning,” Sweetie coos and moves closer to Anon, closing her eyes slightly.

                                            >They move their heads close and their lips meet in a soft kiss. She moves one hand to his cheek, grazing it with the pressure of a feather as a chill spreads across them both causing a happy shiver from them both to shiver and pull closer. They open their mouths slightly, touching their tongues lightly as Anon rubs Sweetie’s side slowly. They pull apart slowly as they both try for restraint that their hormones try to burn away in youthful passion.

                                            >”Now that was a kiss…” Sweetie says drunk off the surge of sensations and biochemistry demanding response.

                                            “I agree. I can hardly wait till the next one,” Anon adds as he touches her soft lips with his finger and blades himself to the steps. “See you soon, my little marshmallow.”

                                            >”See you soon, Nonny,” Sweetie replies as he begins up the stairs and their grip slips along one arm each till distance breaks the contact.

                                            >They wave goodnight as he reaches the top of the stairs to turn to his room, leaving Sweetie in a daze at the foot of the steps. After a few moments, she manages to walk the short distance back to the guest room’s hallway, feeling as though each of the foot-sized tiles beneath her bare feet was a tiny cool cloud. In the hallway she bumps into Pinkie, having not noticed her in her haze, bouncing face first into Pinkie’s balloons.

                                            >”Ah...young love…” Pinkie smoothly sighs out with a smile.

                                            >”Oh hush…” Sweetie pops out, blushing still from her rapidly beating heart as it flutters on at her fresh memory.

                                            >”I know all about it,” Pinkie murmurs as her mind returns to a time with Cheese Sandwich and their fun till the incident involving a rubber chicken and the delayed monthly visitor. “Come now. We have to try to sleep.”

                                            >“Oh alright. I will be in after a min,” Sweetie responds as she turns and flips the light on in the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Her mind races as to how to tell her two besties about all this and what to expect next.

                                            >The hours begin to slip by as everyone sleeps as best as they can. Pinkie is the most comfortable, laying under the cloves with one foot off the edge twitching as she dreams while holding a rubber chicken close to her chest.

                                            >Sweetie lays curled up under the covers of her bed, dreaming of a horseback ride with Anon, sharing a saddle and her clutched tight to his back as they continue across a wide expansive field of wildflowers. Around them fly bees as they do their nectar collecting duties and their low hum peppering the air as they shift their positions en masse. Their buzzing seems to get louder and louder, seeming to get closer as the minutes pass till they reach a lone tree and the buzz is cacophonous. The sound makes her have to cover her ears causing her to slip off from Anon as she falls from the horse. She hits the ground as she begins to call out to him, awakening quickly. The sound persisted, though, causing her to look around to the source, her pink friend snoring like a jackhammer pounding on dense rock.

                                            >Sweetie looks around the room in the low glow of the lone nightlight and the bedside clock. She focuses her eyes, seeing that it is now 0351. Since she is awake now, she gets up and goes to the bathroom, hoping that when she is done, Pinkie will have shifted and ceased the roar.

                                            > Upon returning to the room, Pinkie has sat up and is sleep talking something about buttercream icing versus pure sugar icing then flops back over, resuming the snore shortly. Believing this will not cease anytime soon, she tries to bury herself under the pillows but to no avail. It has become apparent that Sweetie is not going to get any more sleep in here. This leaves but one option…


                                            >Anon tosses in his sleep as the heat of the comforter bakes him. Normally it would be cozy for him but he kept on his night clothes tonight as a courtesy to his guests. Despite this, Anon can barely get comfortable before the sweat wakes him back up. He tosses the covers off as he sits up, pulling his shirt and pants off, trading them for a pair of boxers. It is not his usual nude but the last thing he needs is another flashed Sweetie like with the shower. Tooner wakes with a stretch at the foot of the bed and paws at Anon for a head rub as Anon takes his shirt off. Anon gives the orange tabby a soft rub on his head as he stands and slips his fuzzy pants off, stepping out of them as he walks to his bathroom.

                                            “I hope the girls are sleeping better than I am,” he mumbles to himself as he trods forward and flips the light on in the foreroom.

                                            >As his eyes adjust to the photonic assault, he looks up at his reflection and the sweat induced spiky hair and looks himself deep in his eyes, chuckling to himself with a smirk. Quite a night and day… He finally got to express himself to Sweetie and she requited his affections. He could not hope for a better start to the long weekend even if he has to sacrifice sleep to defend himself the next morning. She is worth it. The only question is what to do with the rest of the next day after he drops her at home again. Just a concern for the next day he thinks as he reaches down, picking up his boxers from before his shower and slides them back on. Better than nothing should anyone get the idea pull the covers off him as a prank…again.

                                            >Anon steps back into his bedroom and begins closing the door when a light knocking comes from his door.

                                            “Come in,” Anon says confused as he steps further into his room.

                                            >The door opens halfway, showing a tired Sweetie with her hand on the doorway as she steps in. Anon’s expression changed to surprise as he fumbles for what to say.

                                            >”Pinkie’s snoring is keeping me from going back to sleep,” Sweetie responds with her head down, raising it as she finished. Her eyes take a moment to adjust to the backlit Anon, who is standing bladed to her and a halo of light coming out the sliver of the partially closed bathroom door. “Can I stay in here the rest of the night?” Sweetie asks as her heart palpitates quicker from the sight of him as the light and shadow combine to accent his moderately athletic body from the farm work and workouts for the shot and discus events he participated for the school this last spring.

                                            ”Sure… it is too late for any concerns. Sleep is more important…”Anon quips as he walks over to his bed and sits. “Come on. It is 0400ish.”

                                            >Sweetie walks over stiffly from a combination of fatigue and insecurity then sits on the bed rigidly beside Anon. She quickly takes in the smallness of his twin bed and blushes as he wraps an arm around her.

                                            “Let’s go ahead and get in. We need to get our rest…”Anon drowsily trails off, squeezing Sweetie tightly as he throws his weight over towards his pillows.

                                            >”Wait a moment,” Sweetie pops out as she resists the force of his flop. “I want to get more comfortable if I may.”

                                            “Sure,” Anon says as he lets go and falls back alone onto his back looking at her. “Do whatever you need. I will be right here waiting.”

                                            >Sweetie turns so that she is facing the bathroom door, wrapped in the same halo of light as Anon was as she reaches up to her shirt’s buttons slowly. She takes a deep breath and unbuttons the three that proceed from her collar, exhaling as she undoes the last one.

                                            >Anon looks up at Sweetie with drowsy bemusement as she continues, moving her hands to the bottom of her shirt and lifts it an inch, pulling the drawstring on the shorts as she lifts the shirt over her head. She then stands with her shorts falling, revealing a pair of soft cotton panties that match the set that covered her a moment ago.

                                            >Anon’s mind catches up from his sleep to what he is watching as Sweetie is silhouetted in the dim light and he sees for the first time the full detail of her tiny form with a perky B sized chest, a pert rear, and curvier hips than he guessed was under her usually flowing skirts and dresses. Sweetie now turns back to him with her arms closed as her skin tenses from the fan flow above and tension returns to her as she bashfully looks down.

                                            >The moment overwhelms Anon’s logic as he sits up and tries to speak, only getting out a grunt of amazement. Sweetie blushes and leans down, kissing his nose, waking his mind up further.

                                            >”Come. Let’s sleep,” Sweetie says as she rubs his cheek then climbs into the bed to his right and tugs on his shoulder.

                                            “Sure…” Anon ships out as he pulls the covers over them both, leaving the comforter folded down as a cat bed for the spread out Tooner. Sweetie lays with an arm under His pillow, rolled toward the ladder to the upper bunk. Anon lays beside her, sliding himself into position as the bigger spoon with his arms wrapped around her and her butt nestling itself to his tented boxers.

                                            “This is moving a bit faster than I expected but I am not complaining.”

                                            >”Let’s say Scoots’s texts inspired me to be bolder when the chance arose. No risk…” Sweetie softly lets out as she grips his upper hand, guiding it to between her breasts.

                                            “Oh? I will keep that in mind. By the way, remind me when your next birthday is.”

                                            >”The Sunday after my chorus performance next week,” Sweetie whispers.

                                            “Ah ok… just forgot for a moment.”

                                            >“Are you asking for the reason I think?”

                                            “Last thing we both need is trouble from stupid laws crossed with a Rar-mpage.”

                                            >”Good point,” Sweetie coos as he pulls closer, kissing her head, and they settle in fully.

                                            >“Not that I would mind,” Anon hears as they both drift back off into their warm embrace.