>Humming a tune, Sweetie Belle laid a trio of capes on top of her desk, levitating a pair of needles on either side.
>”To get a cutie mark is a really special thing,” she softly sang, placing a shield emblem with a pony embroidered in the center near a corner, “it shows your special talent, obligations it will bring.”
>Lifting a roll of thread, she unwound it and threaded it through the needle’s eye.
>”And if I-”
>”Sweetie Belle.”
>”Coming,” she shouted, running from her work and bursting through the bedroom door, only to tumble down the stairs.
>Landing head first, her eyes swirled as she felt herself being picked up.
>”Sweetie, you mustn’t run in the house, you’ll hurt yourself or ruin one of my dresses.”
>”Sorry,” Sweetie apologized, “what’d you need me for?”
>”Oh, nothing at all. I just needed you to know that I’ll be having a special guest over and I’d like you to stay in your room.”
>”Is Anon coming over?”
>Sighing, Rarity swiftly swept the floor with a broom.
>”If you must know, yes.”
>”Can I help? Please?”
>’I’m gonna have to use the big guns, huh?’ Sweetie thought as Rarity glared at her.
>With a quivering lip, she forced a tear from her eye, “I just wanna help you big sister.”
>Groaning, Rarity pawed at the ground with a hoof as she stared at the ceiling.
>”Fine, but you’ll do as I say, understood?”
>”You got it,” she shouted, standing at attention and giving her a brief salute.
>”Good.”
>Seconds later, the shop door’s bell chimed as the door swung open revealing a lanky figure wrapped in a thin blanket.
>As it bowed its head and stepped inside, the floor whined, and when it opened its mouth, it spoke with a croak.
>”Morning Rarity.”

>”Why good morning, Anon!”
>Straightening himself out, he sniffled and tightened the blanket around his shoulders.
>”Are you sick mister?”
>”Sweetie,” Rarity growled through clenched teeth, “that’s very impolite.”
>”It’s fine,” he said, waving her off, “tell the truth, it could be worse. I’d rather run a slight fever instead of not running at all.”
>”Then why are you wearing a blanket?”
>”Well it’s kinda cold outside,” he answered, scratching the back of his head.
>”Really? I thought it was perfect.”
>”Sweetie, Anon here doesn’t have fur like us,” Rarity chided as she approached him, “I deeply apologize for my sister’s behavior, darling.”
>”Nah, she’s good. If she were acting like my niece and nephews, whew,” he smirked, “then we’d have a problem.”
>”Wait, there’s more of you?” Sweetie asked, her voice cracking in surprise, “Where are they?”
>Wincing, his vision dropped to the floor as he shuffled from side to side, the air gradually pressing harder on her barrel.
>”I’m not sure.”
>”Oh...”
>”Well, darling,” Rarity piped up, nudging his waist towards the curtains, “lets get you measured now, hmm?”
>”You’re the boss.”
>Following in their wake, Sweetie dragged her hooves along the floor with a pout and sat in a corner behind the curtains.
>”Wonderful. Now please remove the blanket if you may.”
>When the blanket flew to the floor, her mouth opened wide in shock.
>”You really weren’t lying when you said he didn’t have fur!”
>As Rarity’s face burned to a fiery red, he laughed and rustled Sweetie’s mane.
>”Yeah, that’s why I need clothes!”
>”Um, excuse me darling,” Rarity interrupted, prodding at his underwear, “but what is it you’re wearing?”
>”That? That’s underwear.”
>”And for what purpose is this ‘underwear?’”

>”It’s for, uh,” he weakly laughed with a half-smile, glancing back and forth between her and Sweetie, “it’s just something we wear.”
>”But why do you wear it?”
>”That’s kinda personal there, Sweetie.”
>”I was just asking-”
>”Sweetie Belle, if he’s uncomfortable with answering, then he doesn’t have to answer.”
>”Sorry,” Sweetie mewled.
>”Don’t worry about it.”
>Reaching out, he scratched the area behind her ear, eliciting a hum as she closed her eyes.
>”Shall we begin?”
>”Sure.”
>”Excellent, just let me do all the work.”
>Standing up straight, he let his limbs go limp as Rarity extended his arms and flung the measuring tape against them with precision.
>”Mister Anon, where do you come from?”
>Before he could answer, Rarity let out a groan, dropped the tape to the floor and slapped a hoof over her eyes.
>”Sweetie, if you can’t behave, then you’ll have to go to your room.”
>”But I was just-”
>”Leave,” she demanded, pointing her hoof to the stairwell.
>Sniffling and sulking, Sweetie crawled along the floor through the curtains and towards the stairs with tears in her eyes.
>”I don’t mind her asking.”
>”Really?”
>Darting back, she beamed up towards him as she sat before him.
>”Are you sure, if she’s bothering you-”
>”I’m sure.”
>Clearing his throat, he grinned at the small filly as Rarity wrapped the tape around his torso.
>”I came from a place very different than this one.”
>”How different?”
>”As I said, very. We had buildings called skyscrapers which could reach up to twenty stories tall.”
>”Hey, that’s like Manehatten!”
>Raising an eyebrow, he glanced towards Rarity and received a nod.
>”Wow, didn’t know you ponies had that. What about cars and planes?”

>Sweetie cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at him.
>”What’s that?”
>Tapping his thigh, he thought a spell until his pursued lips relaxed.
>”Hmm, well if you couldn’t tell, I can’t fly, and neither can anyone else like me. What we did to fix that was by building these machines that we’d sit in that could lift us up in the sky.”
>As she nodded along and listened to him speak, his stomach loudly growled, getting the attention of both her and Rarity.
>”Aha, guess I’m hungry.”
>”Do you want anything to eat, darling?”
>”It’s alright, I can wait until you’re finished.”
>Humming in response, Rarity gracefully glided the tape along his skin, stopping for a moment before sliding it away to the next place.
>Setting the tape aside, she quickly scrawled a series of numbers on a nearby notepad.
>”And there we are,” she cooed, “are you okay with Sugarcube Corner?”
>”Sure,” he said, snatching the blanket from the ground and wrapping it back around himself, “lead the way.”
>”Mister Anon, what do you eat?”
>Stopping mid-trot, Rarity twisted her head and stared at Sweetie in horror with a gaping mouth.
>”I don’t eat hay if that’s what you’re asking.”
>”Why not?”
>”That’s just something I can’t eat.”
>”Yeah right, and I’m sure you eat meat, don’t you?”
>Blinking towards Sweetie, he paused to think of what to say and opened his mouth, revealing his white, pointy canines.
>”Aah, he’s gonna eat me!”

>Bolting out of the room, she rushed upstairs tripping over herself and sliding down a couple steps.
>”He isn’t going to eat you.”
>Scrambling up the steps, she ran towards her room and slammed herself against the door.
>Panting, she picked herself up and turned around to see Anon and Rarity approaching from the staircase.
>Harshly sucking in air, she cantered to the side of her door and kicked it closed, quickly locking it afterwards.
>Sliding under her bed and watching the door, she felt her lungs burn until she forced out her breath, relearning to breathe.
>”Sweetie, open your door this instant!”
>”No, he’ll eat me!”
>”I’m not gonna eat you.”
>”And why should I believe you?”
>Silence permeated the room, leaving only the sound of her heavy puffs of air, and as she focused her attention at the door, she heard soft noises emanating past it.
>Leaving her hiding place, she approached the door and gingerly placed her ear against the cool wood.
>”-eeply, deeply apologize about this. I never thought she’d act like this, and it’ll be a miracle to get her out.”
>”I’ve dealt with this before and I can get her out, all I need is a butter knife.”
>”A butter knife!” she screamed, frantically slithering away and pacing back and forth in her room, sweat beading down her face.
>’What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?’
>As she heard her doorknob jiggling, her eyes landed on her window.
>Jumping up on her desk, she flung her window open just as her door loudly creaked behind her.
>”You’re not gonna eat me.”
>”Sweetie don’t!”

>Bounding out of the window, her withers collided with the boutique’s railing, sending her spinning towards the ground.
>Landing with a poof of dirt, she rolled over and ran throughout the town’s streets.
>”He’s gonna eat me! Help!” she whined in terror.
>Glancing behind her, she saw him running towards her, blanket wrapped around his waist, with Rarity hooked beneath his arm as she knocked into something hard.
>”Sugarcube, what in the world are ya doin?”
>”Help me, Applejack!”
>Hiding behind her stall, Sweetie’s body quivered while occasionally letting out a soft whimper.
>”What in the hay is goin on?”
>”H-He’s gonna eat m-me.”
>”Sweetie Belle, I’m not gonna eat you.”
>”Ah!”
>A hand reached underneath the stall, gripping her by the scruff of her neck.
>Shrieking, her body was gently pulled along the ground and lifted into the air to be face to face with the monster himself.
>”Let me down, let me down!”
>”Sweetie.”
>”Let go!”
>Kicking her hooves, she wildly flailed in the air when she felt his tendrils graze her stomach.
>”No, no-aha-no! S-Stop, please,” she wheezed, struggling against his tickle frenzy.
>”Not until you apologize.”
>”Aah, I’m sorry,” she squeaked out, giggling madly.
>”Thank you.”
>Released from her torment, she felt herself being lowered to the ground.
>”Anon, mind explaining to me why Sweetie here thought ya were gonna eat her?”
>”I dunno,” he shrugged, “but I’m guessing she saw these.”
>Raising his upper lip, he revealed his canines for all of Ponyville to see.
>As a collection of gasps invaded the town’s square, Applejack sighed and climbed atop her stall.
>”Listen up everypony. Anon ain’t no foal eater,” she announced, pointing a hoof in his direction, “and there ain’t nothing to be worried ‘bout. He just eats fish, got it?”

>A wave of nods followed suit, and as she hopped off her makeshift platform, the hustle and bustle of the market square returned in full swing.
>”Didn’t I tell you ta be careful ‘bout what ya say and do sugarcube?”
>Pinching the bridge of his nose, he groaned.
>”Ah dammit, sorry about that.”
>”Yer fine,” she whistled, returning to her station, “just don’t make it a habit.”
>”Yes ma’am,” he said, a thunderous roar seeping out from his stomach.
>”Shoot, seems like yer a hankering fer something filling,” she grinned, pushing an apple towards him, “on the house.”
>”I can’t.”
>”I don’t mind.”
>”But I don’t have any bits.”
>”Don’t sweat it, Anon.”
>”I shouldn’t.”
>”Don’t test me, Anon.”
>”Why not just have him work for it?”
>Together, the two stared at Sweetie Belle in shock.
>”Depends,” Applejack thought, adjusting her hat, “if he can buck apples or haul ‘em back to the barn, then I reckon it’d work out fine. Whatcha think?”
>”Works for me if it works for you.”
>”Great, ya can start when ya feel better,” spitting on her hoof, she held it towards him for a slimy shake of solidarity, “deal?”
>Rarity shivered as he spat in his hand, mixed their saliva together and pulled away from each other, a thick strand of spit connecting them until it split and hung to the ground.
>”Deal.”
>”That’s wonderful and everything,” she interjected, “but we really must be going.”
>”Before ya go, ya wanna leave Sweetie here ‘stead of me picking her up tonight?”
>”Why would I do that, darling?”
>”Din’t ya have a large order of dresses that needed done tomorrow?”
>Rarity’s right eye began to slowly twitch, and as Applejack gave her a look of pity, she screeched, rushing back to her boutique.

>”Is she gonna be alright?”
>”She’s always like this, it’s nothing unusual.”
>”Really?”
>”Yep.”
>Another rumble shook Sweetie’s attention back to Anon.
>”I guess I’ll be heading back home then.”
>Untying his blanket, he unfolded and wrapped it around his shoulders.
>”See ya ‘round, Anon.”
>”See you soon.”
>Sweetie gazed at him leaving before gasping.
>”Bye Anon!” she belted out, waving towards him.
>”Have a good one, Sweetie,” he hollered back, returning her wave.
>Smiling, she settled down on the ground beside the stand watching as the daylight passed by.

***********************************************************************************

>”That’s it?”
>”Yeah.”
>Plopping back on the bed, Scootaloo whistled at Sweetie’s explanation.
>”So he’s coming here ta work for mah sister?” Apple Bloom questioned.
>”Yep, which means you can do some recon!” Sweetie gleefully stated, grinning at her.
>Standing up from the ground, she trotted towards the window and looked aimlessly at the night sky, her vision jumping from star-to-star when she spotted a glittering magnifying glass.
>Turning back, she could feel her chest swelling at the possibility.
>”I’ll see what I can do.”