>The location, Canterlot Castle
>The scene, Princess Celestia is on her throne as she addresses the legendary Elements of Harmony, heroes to all
>Their next mission: Explore the frozen north and rescue a royal expedition led by the world renown Huntsmare, a wilderness expert and tamer of ferocious teddy bears
>The royal expedition has been gone for two whole days now and anxiety in the capital has grown
>Some worry that their rations of cookies have run out while others speculate that they forgot to pack their compass
>In any case, Princess Celestia has charged her most trusted agents to rescue the expedition 
>Twilight Sparkle, foremost of all unicorns, rallies her friends
>”C’mon girls, we got ponies to save!”
>Rarity radiates her elegant glow, mane glistening off of the sun that streams through the stained windows
>”But wait Twilight, this adventure sounds particularly dangerous. I’ve heard that northern Equestria is even colder than a juice pop! Perhaps we should obtain additional help?” 
>A trail of rapidly fading rainbows fill the air as Rainbow Dash speeds this way and that 
>”Yeah, Rarity’s right! For this mission we’re going to need the most super cool pony to ever exist!” 
>Twilight regards the wisdom of her friends 
>”You both are right, but who could it be?”
>Her friends brainstorm and shout out ideas
>”They have to be brave enough to sleep without a night light!”
>”Strong enough to carry an entire set of building blocks!”
>”And tough enough to get a boo-boo on their knee without crying!”
>Finally they all come up with who this special pony is and shout her name in unison
>”LILY VALLEY!!”
 “Someone call me?”
>The doors of the throne room swing open and Celestia makes it a really dramatic entrance by briefly making the sun brighter so that your silhouette is dark, just like in the movies
>You step inside the room in a really save way and you also have on one of those saddlebags that adventurers wear, along with your trademark lily that you keep in your mane
>Twilight is delighted to see you as she trots up to you in excitement 
“We’re glad you’re here, Lily Valley! But how did you know that we would need you?”
>You smile and look at her in a calm manner, similar to how Daring Do does in her books after she escapes from a trap
“I didn’t, I just got back from saving the Crystal Empire”
>Suddenly Princess Cadence peeks through an open window 
>”It’s true, I was there when she stopped King Sombra from trying to steal the Crystal Heart again. She’s my hero!”
>The entire room erupts to cheers and praise for you 
>”Wow, you’re so awesome Lily!”
>”Yer welcome to get a drink at Sweet Apple Acres whenever you want, ya hear?”
>”Ooh ohh, I should throw a party for you later! How about two minutes from now?!”
>”There’s no way a scaredy pony could have done that!”
>The Elements of Harmony surround you and continue to compliment you as they slap their hooves on your back in congratulations
>Princess Celestia herself speaks to you
>”Are you willing to join this adventure, my little pony who is definitely not a scaredy pony?”
>Your hooves firmly plant themselves on the ground as you stand in triumph
”For truth, justice, and the Equestrian way, I’ll save the day!” 
>Everypony cheers even louder this time
>”I can’t say how grateful we are that you’ll join us. You ‘re a real hero!”
“Thanks Twilight, you’re a real hero too”
>”But Nopony thought you had it in you. You proved them all wrong, Li-“

>“-ly!”
>You hear the shout emanating downstairs as the front door creaks open loudly 
>Oh no
>They weren’t supposed to be back home so soon! 
>You are currently laying down on the floor of your room, splayed out on your belly 
>Your attention turns back to what’s in front of you
>Your Castle Canterlot playset is open as your carefully arranged plastic ponies, that are about the size of your hoof, mill around the throne room area 
>In one of your hooves  is your Twilight Sparkle figurine 
>The plastic mold is pretty well done and it even had a special edition glow in the dark horn 
>In your other hoof  is your homemade doll of yourself
>It’s...well you’re not exactly a professional toy maker 
>You had taken one of your extra Applejack figures that you lost the hat for and used markers to cover over the orange and blonde with your own pink and amber
>You hear hoofsteps go up the steps as once again your sisters call your name
>“You doing alright up there?”
“Just a mi-“
>You stop mid sentence as you realize you still had your Twilight impression on, clutching your mouth to halt yourself
>”...who’s there?”
>The hoover steps continue closer and closer 
>There’s no way you can let them see what you do in your spare time, they’d just tease you about your fantasies! 
>You quickly get up and your hooves brush Princess Celestia and Cadence along with the Elements of Harmony into the castle 
>Your grasp the plastic snap of the castle to shut it as your steps rush over to your toy chest, flinging it open and throwing your play castle into it and slamming the lid shit 
>Not a minute too soon as your sisters Daisy and Roseluck open up the door and peer in
>They see you, panting heavily from exhaustion and grasping the top of your toy chest 
>They blink a few times
>Daisy speaks first
>”You...okay, Lily?”
“O-oh yeah, just fine!”
>Their eyes scan your simple bedroom of a single bed, posters of various flowers, writing desk, and shag carpet
>Rose addresses you curiously
>”We thought we heard somepony else”
“You both must be pretty tired working the flower stand today. Just uhh, me and my thoughts!”
>”Riigghttt”
>Rose seems to be ready to accept your hasty explanation but Daisy still lingers suspicions
>Suddenly, she catches sight of something by your bedpost and points a hoof at it 
>”What’s that? Looks kinda funny”
>You follow the invisible trail of her hoof and your eyes go wide
>Laying on the wooden floor is one of your dolls
>Specifically, the figurine of you
>You must have swept it into the castle with too much power and it went through one of the tiny windows 
>Daisy starts to walk to you but you’re quick enough to scoop it up into your hoof so that she doesn’t see the cutie mark you drew on with a pen 
>She raises a brow
“Oh hey, you find my-my-“
>Quick, come up with a good fib!
“Cherry Berry figure!”
>They stare at you in silence before Daisy asks the questions
>”Why do you have a toy of Cherry Berry?”
“Oh you know, we’ve been friends for years now”
>”I didn’t know that. How come she never comes over to play?”
“She’s...shy, just really shy and afraid of meeting you two”
>”She doesn’t seem shy to me at all, I always see her around town talking to everypony”
“She’s a really good actor. And funny. And knows how to make a good almond salad. And-and is really generous too! That’s why she gave me this!”
>”Why don’t you ever talk about her?”
“W-we’re secret friends! It’s like having a regular friend except extra special”
>You give your best smile to your sisters as a single bead of sweat drops from your head 
>Rose is willing to just continue on with the day 
>”Okkayy, I hope you two have a lot of fun together. So are you ready to get going?”
>You nod eagerly in a mixture of wanting to end this conversation and genuine anticipation
>Today was the day Mayor Mare was going to open the new playground!
>Your sisters file out of your room and soon you’re left standing with the toy in your hoof
>You sigh and look glumly at the figure that has uneven marker coverage over the body  and a tangled mane that has badly dyed hairs 
>No matter how much you tried to hide it, it’s just Applejack 
>Afterall, scaredy ponies don’t get toys made of them 

>Your sisters and you wade into the crowd of ponies that have gathered outside of town and sit down on some soft grass
>You’re feeling nervous 
>Crowds make you scared
>You can’t help but imagine if a stampede happens then you might get serious ouchies if they step on you 
>Then again, being alone makes you scared too 
>What  if you need help getting something that’s really high up?
>You don’t like heights
>What if you fall?
>Then you’d get boo boos and have to go to the horsepitals
>Horspitals are scary too, all of those really sharp pointy things and that cold thing thing they put on your fur to listen to your heart...
>Imagining all these frightening  things is starting to have an effect on you
>You feel yourself panting and shifting your eyes all around you 
>Your sisters look at you in concern and start to rub your back 
>”Lily, it’s okay, there’s nothing to be scared of. We’re going to have a super fun day today”
>”Yeah, we’re here with you. Take deep breaths” 
>Their reassurance always comforted you and this moment is no different as you slow your breathing again and with one deep breath into your nose and out of your mouth you finally calm down
“Thanks”
>They nod in unison before you spot Mayor Mare heading up on the stage as she moves behind the podium 
>“Good afternoon, Everypony” 
>The crowd of thirty or so reply in unison, you following along as well
>”Good afternoon”
>”I hope that Everypony is doing well today and certainly has plenty of energy to play!”
>A general cheer is called out from the crowd with plenty of whoos and yeahs 
>Also a no from Cranky Doodle before Matilda shushes him playfully 
>”It’s such a splendid thing to see my fellow citizens come out and enjoy time with each other. I hope with all of my heart that this newly opened civic facility will continue to foster good relations between neighbors for years to come”
>You can tell that most of the crowd are at a loss for what her words mean
>It’s okay though, the Mayor is smart and knows how the government works even though it’s really complicated
>She’s also the only one who votes 
>Voting looked hard since you have to fill out bubbles neatly with a pencil and try not to draw things on the ballot like flowers or animals 
>So every year on Election Day the Mayor would open up the ballot box in front of everypony, pick up the only slip of paper in it and then declare herself mayor for another year with a victory speech
>It’s fun wearing her reelection pins and looking at the pretty posters she puts around town though
>A shadow suddenly looms over the mayor 
>You gulp loudly as a being of pure Mali open eyes encroaches the stage and carries with it blades that shine 
>The mayor continues her speech as the giant ever so slowly creeps closer and closer, footstep pounding heavily one after the other 
>You can feel your front hooves shaking 
>Mayor Mare stops her speech and peers up into the fiery eyes of the giant
>For you, he is a creature from nightmares
>”Ah there you are, I was growing worried that something might have happened to you”
>”Sorry ma’am, had trouble finding the safety scissors”
>To others, he is Anonymous, Mayor’s Aide 
>”Well no matter, I’m sure that my speech is keeping some excited ponies from trying out the new equipment. Let’s cut to the chase as it were!”
>All around you are happy yelps but they’re hard for you to hear, your own heartbeat keeps pounding in your ears
>You just couldn’t help it, Anonymous terrified you 
>It wasn’t his fault, he seemed nice enough from what you could tell 
>What you could tell far, far away enough from him that is
>He hasn’t hurt anypony since he came here a few months ago
>But, well, just look at him!
>He’s tall enough to block out the sun!
>He can fit an entire cookie inside his maw! 
>You’ve never seen him take a nap at the park like any other pony! 
>He gives the safety scissors to the mayor who then walks over to a long strand of ribbon tied between two poles at the entrance
>”And so without further ado I declare the Seasaw Memorial Playground...“
>With a snip of the safety scissors, the ribbon is parted into two and falls
>”Open!” 
>The stampede you feared is happening
>Except it’s not too bad
>Everypony is polite enough to power trot around slower ponies as they rush to their favorite spots
>Your own sisters are rushing ahead of you as you struggle to keep up, your eyes having to struggle to snap away from Anonymous 
>Your heart neary skips a beat as you walk past him and the Mayor, afraid that he’ll grasp you in his fleshy talons 
>Once inside the park, Daisy and Rose look around ecstasy
>You notice that the new stuff is so shiny, not like the other playground in town 
>They’re also a lot bigger
>Which means the risk of injury is much higher
>Rose is the first to asks the question
>”What should we play with first?”
>”The Jungle Gym?”
“I don’t know, what if we hit our head on the bar?”
>”How about the Merry-Go-Round?”
“It might get kinda fast and make us sick though”
>”...swings?
“There’s the chance we might fall off and get scrapes” 
>They both are getting annoyed at you
>You hate it when this happens 
>Because it’s going to be your fault if they don’t have fun 
>Daisy tries to give you confidence 
>”Everything will be alright, Rose. Even if something does happen just look over there”
>You see Mayor Mare and Anonymous standing by the side of a sandbox as the two of them chat idly 
>Bulk Biceps tries to get Anonymous’ attention to show off a really tall sand castle he made 
>The human smiles and claps for him, telling him he did a good job 
>”They’re the playground monitors today and I heard Anonymous is certified by the Horsepital to kiss away BooBoos” 
>You’re still unsure and they both sense that
>Rose sighs
>”Lily, you can’t continue to be scared of everything, that’s no way to enjoy life. You can’t keep being a-.”
>Dread overcomes you
>You know she’s going to say it
>It always hurts when they say it
>”Scaredy Pony”
>Your heart feels like it’s caught up in your throat as you let out a little whimper
>You try to hide how much her words stung to no avail
>Your sisters know you too well and Rose knows she went too far
>She moves beside you and puts a leg over your shoulder 
>”I’m sorry Rose, please don’t cry! I’ll be your best friend forever if you don’t. I didn’t mean what I said”
>Daisy moves to your other side tries to pat your back
>”How about we go to the other park? C’mon, it’s a little crowded here anyways”
>You don’t want to ruin this day, like other days that you spoiled for them when you were too chicken to go somewhere or do something
>Like that one time when you all were at the water park but you didn’t want to go into the pool since you might have gotten water up your nose
>Or that time when your family went camping but you were too scared to spend a night in a tent in case a bear came by
>Or that other time when a bee got inside the greenhouse and you accidentally broke a few pots trying to run away from it 
>You shake your head slowly as your eyes refuse to leave the ground 
“No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine”
>”You sure?”
“Yeah. How about you two go ahead and play together, I just need to get my mind prepared is all. Maybe I’ll even go to the sandbox first” 
>Rose and Daisy hesitate leaving your side before resolving to go on ahead, Daisy saying something before they go
“Well alright, Lily, just tell us if you want to go home, okay?”
>You face her and nod with a small smile
>As soon as they leave, you drop your smile just as quick as you put it on
>Rose’s words still echo in your mind
>Scaredy Pony 
>Everypony thought the same thing about you and they were right
>You’re so sick and tired of being afraid all the time but you just can’t help yourself, your mind always goes to the worst case scenario
>Your gaze goes over to the sandbox
>Sandboxes are generally pretty safe
>But then your eyes go over to the giant who is still standing by it, his spider hooves grasping the head of Junebug as he shakes it wildly, the poor little pony shrieking in laughter
>No sandbox for you
>All around you are ponies laughing and playing as they play games and chase each other around
>You even spot your sisters climbing the jungle gym, having a good time as they swing around the poles
>Why can’t you be like them?
>Why can’t you go out and enjoy a picnic without worrying about ants like they do?
>Why can’t you go to the playground with your sisters and just have fun like they do?
>They all laugh behind your back
>At least they do in your mind...
>Well you’ll show them!
>You’ll show them all that you’re not a scaredy pony!
>You look around for the tallest slide and finally it catches your eye
>It’s easily four times your height and the ponies that you can see sliding down it are going pretty fast
>With newfound determination you trot over to it 
>Would a coward now be waiting  patiently in line for such a dangerous slide?!
>Would a wimp now be climbing up these steep stairs?!
>Would a chicken now be looking down the...the h-huge drop to the b-bottom that has really sharp gravel that could cause a really bad ouchie for you and send you straight to the horsepital…
>Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all 
>You’re scared stiff as you sit and look down the slide to realize just how out of your league you really are, your whole body starting to shake 
>There’s two paths for you to take
>The first is that you can actually try to slide down
>But you might get hurt!
>The second is that you could try to climb down the ladder again
>But you see that there’s already a line of ponies gathering behind you, waiting for their turn to ride the behemoth 
>If you climb back down then everypony will know for sure that you’re a coward 
>You feel invisible walls closing in on you as it becomes harder to breath 
>Eyes stare at you, their leers boring into you 
>Your breaths become faster and faster
>Then HE turns his head towards you 
>His huge stride will take him here in a matter of moments 
>This just keeps getting worse and worse
>What if he yells at you to go down already?  
>The thought alone makes you sniffle, tears threatening to pour out as droplets start to form around your eyes 
>Anonymous stops before the slide, his head only a couple feet away from your tummy 
>What he sees is an absolute wreck 
>A sad looking pony that’s shaking, holding back tears and hyperventilating 
>He opens his mouth as you cover your head with your hooves and close your eyes 
>Here comes the barrage of mean words
>”Hi, I’m Anonymous. You can call me Anon, all my friends do”
>You peek out with one eye at the surprisingly gentle voice 
>His face is smiling and his lips hide his predator teeth
>He almost looks friendly to you
>”What’s your name?”
“L-Lily Valley”
>”It’s nice to meet you Lily Valley. I really like that flower in your mane. Reminds me of what my little sister used to wear”
“Thanks…”
>You can feel your heart calming down as the beats turn from drums to dull thuds 
>The hooves that covered your head also go down
>There’s still a fair amount of apprehension in you however as your tears from earlier are still wet on you, along with your frown 
>”Did you want to get down?”
>You nod at him in silence 
>He nods back towards you
>”Alright, get ready for upsies” 
>He gives upsies?!
>His tree trunk like arms reach out for you as you sit frozen at the spot
>His warm hands wrap around your torso as he lifts you up without any effort and you can feel weightlessness overtake you as you go up
>He then walks away from the slide, the next pony quickly taking over your spot where you were previously, and gently places you down on the ground, sitting down on your flank
>He kneels down on one leg so that the two of you are at eye level and scratches behind your ear 
>It feels really nice 
>”There we go, safe and sound again”
>You tilt your head so that his fingers can get at your ear at a better angle and you can feel yourself smiling with your eyes closed 
>He lets out a nice laugh 
>”Feeling better now?” 
>You nod again at him as this time you return his smile with your own 
>Cherry Berry approaches him and taps his back
>”Anon, Lyra and Filthy Rich aren’t sharing the swings and it’s my turn now!” 
>To your disappointment Anon stops scratching your ear and stands up as he pats gravel off his pants
>”Looks like we’ll have to talk about sharing again today”
>Before leaving with Cherry Berry he looks back down at you 
>”I’ll see you later, Lily, promise me you’ll have some fun today, Alright?” 
>He lowers his hand in front of you and it takes a few seconds for you to process what he wants
>You raise your hoof and pat the palm of his hand, giving him a hoofslap 
>He lets out a small cheer before walking away with Cherry Bomb
>You let go of a breath you didn’t even realize you were holding 
>The human rescued you
>He’s like one of the heroes from your stories! 
>You watch him help out ponies around the playground some more as you sit on a bench
>He’s so brave, going up jungle gyms and helping out stranded ponies like it’s nothing
>At one point he even went up Paprika who had a scraped knee and didn’t even flinch when he kissed the ouchie away 
>Most ponies you knew would have fainted when they saw the blood coming out 
>An idea starts to form in your mind as you work out what sort of materials you would need for it 
>Eventually Rose and Daisy are ready to go home and you walk with them, stealing one last look at Anon before turning back to them

>Ponyville, a quiet and peaceful town inhabited by quiet and peaceful ponies 
>But this day is not a day like any other day 
>A solitary voice yells in alarm
>”Run, the changelings are here!”
>A black cloud comes over the horizon, one propelled by hundreds of flapping insectoid wings 
>The residents of Ponyville panic and scatter as the swarm lands, terror spreading out as the changeling start to shout out mean things and kick dirt onto unsuspecting ponies 
>Mayor Mare stands outside of Town Hall, horror writ on her face
>”@ho will come at our hour of need?!” 
>From the roof of Town Hall two figures stand
>One grabs the other and holds her in his arms as he jumps down and sets her back on the ground
>The human and pony don’t look back at the mayor since they’re cool like that but instead glare at their enemy 
>”Leave it to us, Mayor!” the mare shouts 
>You and the human start to run super fast at the Changelings as they hiss at you 
>But you aren’t afraid, cause you got your best buddy Anon by your side to fight with! 
>You slide into a group of chitinous bugs like a bowling ball and knock them out of the way, your hooves sliding in the dust and creating an improvised smokescreen to blind others 
>Anon takes advantage of your impressive quick thinking to hit your foes with bug spray that he kept in his utility pants  pockets for such an occasion 
>”Anon look out behind you!”
>One bug tries to sneak up on him but your reflexes are too quick, running next to Anon as you turn around and give it a good buck to the chest which causes the bug to then crash into the water fountain
>The changeling emerges from the fountain as it flails in the water
>”Oh no, I hate getting wet!”
>Anon turns to you as his can empties
>”Thanks for the save partner. I owe you another one”
“Think nothing of it, I owe you at least three!”
>The battle continues as Anon pounds his fist at a stand for pies which causes the pies to fly into the air
>You buck the pies in mid air into the faces of bugs that charge at the two of you as he does the same, round house kicking the treats as quick as marbles hitting each other
>Soon the swarm falters to the barrage of pastries
>”It’s going to take me forever to wash off this sugar!” 
>”Retreat!”
>The swarm runs away now that heroes have arrived
>But Anon has one last surprise for them
>He uses his laser eye beams to cause an explosion behind them, the shockwave expanding out and causes them to fly away even faster to race away from the flames
>When all is said and done, the dust finally clears away and the two of you stand triumphant 
>He raises a hand
>You jump up and give him a hoofslap 
>With that, the terrified residents of Ponyville come out and cheer for their saviors
>”Whoa that was so awesome!”
>”You’re definitely not a scaredy pony, Lily!”
>”Can you sign an autograph for me?”
>Princess Celestia drops from the skies and approaches you and Anon as every pony bows, including yourself
>”Rise Lily Valley, for this moment is yours” 
>You look up at the Princess as she levitates two golden medals with ribbons for them to be wrapped around your neck
>Her aura goes around your neck as your medal gently lands on you, the same happens to your human friend
>”It is my honor to bestow the Equestria Medal of Not-Scared-Of-Anything to the brave Lily Valley and Anonymous”
>You take the medal and unwrap some of the foil around it to take a bite
>Yum, milk chocolate! 
>”Are there any words you would like to tell Everypony?”
“There’s no way I could have done it without Anon”
>Anon gets on his knee and scratches your ears just like the way you like it
>”Likewise Lily, you’re the bravest pony I know”
>Confetti suddenly rains from the sky and Pinkie Pie wheels out a six level Cake she bakes while the Changelings were attacking 
>The crowd cheers again as they chant both your name and Anon’s
>”Li-ly! An-on! Li-ly! An-on! Li-“

“-ly! An-on!”
>Your words are barely at a whisper to prevent your sisters from waking up 
>It’s the middle of the night as you are once again on the shag carpet of your room
>A single lamp from your desk illuminates the town market playset with figures of ponies surrounding the two dolls you have in your hooves 
>One is the toy that you created to represent yourself
>The other is a new one you made 
>The body is made out of green pipe cleaners that you shaped into a torso along with two legs and two arms
>At the top of it is a bouncy ball that you also colored green with a marker as you glued it to the pipe cleaners
>A black napkin with holes cut through it acted as a nice form fitting suit for it
>And finally to top it all off is a red paper clip around the neck to act as a tie
>You’re quite proud of how well your Anonymous doll turned out 
>It’s definitely a lot more fuzzy than the real Anon but that just makes it easier to nuzzle with 
>You let out a small yawn as you get ready for bed
>Princess Celestia says to always put away your toys when you’re done so that nopony trips over them! 
>You do make sure to keep Anon out though, you like to keep him close to you when you take naps 
>After you shut and lock your toy chest you trot over to the lamp with your Anon toy in your mouth and bump the switch with your snout to turn it off
>You walk back over to your bed nd curl into the snug blankets as your mouth lets go of Anon and he falls into your snuggling hooves in total darkness
>Wait...
>Total Darkness?!
>You forgot to turn on the night light!
>Frightening imaginary shadows swirl in the moonlight that streams through your window 
>Your closet door was also left open, now a gateway to unimaginable horrors that peer at you from a shroud of black
>The night light with the face of Daring Do is so close yet so far away for you
>You could try to make a mad dash at it to turn it on and chase it away the shadows, but what if a monster under your bed catches your leg?
>Should you call out for your sisters to rescue you? 
>This wouldn’t be the first time they’ve had to turn on the lights for you
>But no, you don’t want them to think you’re even more of a scaredy pony
>You hide under your blanket
>Monsters can’t get you if you’re underneath your sheets, it’s the law!
>You shiver, scared
>You can feel the fuzzy anon doll tickle your arms as you try to look at it
>What would the real Anon do?
>He’s brave, courageous, and fearless
>Things you aren’t
>You wish that you could be like him
>Your doll has his form and in your mind it is just like Anon since it acts like him
>If your doll can be Anon by doing things he would do…
>Then wouldn’t the same be true for you? 
>As you continue to hide yourself, your brain hatches ideas and schemes 
>Starting tomorrow, you’ll BE Anon
To Be Continued...

>Following Anon around town isn’t hard at all
>All you have to do is tilt your head up and he’s the tallest thing that moves around
>But you do have to make sure that he doesn’t spot you 
>You want to surprise him with how cool you’re going to be
>And then he’ll become your best friend, just like in your fantasies! 
>His first stop of the day is the local coffee shop, Starbits
>You carefully get in line about three ponies behind him 
>You can’t hear what he’s ordering even when you turn an ear towards him and lean forward on your hooves
>You nearly fall on the pony in front of you though, but manage to catch yourself before you tip over 
>The stallion turns his barrel briefly to inspect you but catches you only whistling innocently
>Soon Anon grabs two cardboard cups with lids from the mareista and walks towards the exit, you continuing your act and turning away from him as he leaves 
>The line continues on until you’re at the front
>”Hi! What can I getcha?” 
>You see from the name tag of the mareista that her name is Frappe
>You’re not one for coffee normally, but if Anon drinks coffee then you’ll drink coffee
”Hello, could I get the same thing that the human gets?”
>Frappes demeanor turns from joy to concern instantly
>”Are...are you sure about that? He always orders the same drink and it’s not like anything else we make here. Maybe I could interest  you in a Campfire Smore Blend? It has three floating marshmallows in it!” 
>Her words make you briefly pause before your conviction comes back as you nod at her 
>”Well, alright then. I just need you to sign this”
>Her head goes below the counter before she takes out a piece of paper in her mouth
>She lays it in front of you and also takes out a crayon for you to use
>A quick peruse through the terms and conditions give you a rundown of what it all means
>No one is double dog daring you to drink this 
>Starbits is only giving you this drink because you asked nicely for it 
>If you get a tummy ache from drinking this, then Starbits is sorry but you can’t tattle on them 
>Just what is Anon drinking?!
>A familiar hesitation creeps into you
>But you can’t give up on your first step in becoming Anon
>After the grasping the crayon in your mouth and scribbling your name onto the paper, Frappe turns around and starts your drink
>You can’t see anything that she’s doing but she quickly gives you your cup and lid
>You can see steam coming out of the lip opening and it smells...strong somehow 
>Like an old sweater that hasn’t been washed in a while
>You drop the bits on the counter for Frappe 
>As you turn to leave you can hear her giving a farewell
>”Thanks for stopping by, come again...if you’ll be able to”
>A slow trot to make sure your coffee doesn’t spill takes you back home and up to your room
>You sit down and place the vessel upon your desk to stare at it for a good while
>Just how bad could it be if Anon drinks this everyday?
>Ponies need sugar to function, so you suppose a human probably just needs a little more or a little less as well 
>You gulp loudly before taking your cup and taking a sip from it 
>As soon as the liquid hits your tongue, you swiftly slam the cup back down on the desk and cough hard for several seconds
>This is poison!
>ANON DRINKS POISON!
>The lid comes off with a snap and you see nothing but pure darkness stare back at you
>Your confusion slowly  gives way to grim realization
>There’s no marshmallow in here
>No vanilla extract
>No chocolate syrup
>Not even a single teaspoon of sugar 
>The human doesn’t have any sort of sweetener in his drink at all
>The madman 
>Thoughts of dumping the concoction down a drain go through your mind until you shove them out with a shake of your head
>You promised yourself you’d be brave like Anon 
>And if he drinks this…
>Then you’ll drink this 
>The cup is once again brought up to your mouth as you eye it warily 
>Down the pie hole, Lily 
>With that, you begin your first trial of courage 
>The slightly cooled liquid starts to pour down your mouth and into your throat 
>Oh Faust, it’s like drinking sand 
>Why couldn’t he at least put whipped cream or gummy bears in this?!
>Your eye starts to water from just how strong the taste is and you have to shut them right to prevent yourself from crying
>Finally you take in all the coffee that you can and slam the cup back down on your desk again as you pant, the scent of ashes drifting out of your maw 
>You must be nearly finished with this, right?
>Your eyes drift back to your drink
>There’s still about nine tenths of it swirling inside your cup
>It’s going to be a long morning 
>The process of taking small sips of the coffee, resisting the urge to spit it out, finally swallowing it, and prevent yourself from retching, continues on and on until finally the cup is empty
>It only took you a few hours 
>The clock above your desk reads cleary that it’s nap time now, the big (and only) pointer pointing to a picture of Luna sleeping on a cushion as a sun smiles above her 
>You stand back up, wobbling on your hooves as your body tries to process the liquid gravel that you just drank 
>Time to see where Anon takes his naps
>If you’re lucky, maybe you can nap near his spot without him noticing 

>Once again you exit your front door and tilt your head up
>Oh hey
>There he is! 
>You can see him walking through the park with what looks to be a suitcase he uses for his job
>Tippyhooves make sure that he can’t hear you follow him as he sits down at a bunch, you yourself hiding behind a tree a fair distance that gives you a clear view of him
>All around you are ponies that are picking nice soft spots on the grass to take their naps in the afternoon sun 
>Cherry Berry approaches Anon on the bench and lays down on it next to him as he combs through her mane
>She lets out a sigh of contentment as her head goes down in her hooves, eyes closed
>Faust, you wish you were her 
>Throughout the park you can hear snores of various volumes as everypony starts to take their nap
>Everypony except Anon that is 
>You’re surprised, normally at this time the entire town is playing with Luna right now
>Maybe he just has something on his mind?
>Anon continues to scratch Cherry Berry a few moments after she drifts to sleep and opens his suitcase 
>A binder is taken out and a black crayon, the most official of colors 
>He opens the binder and starts to read through them, making marks here and there 
>You have to tilt your head downwards and nearly get caught by him before you can read the title of the binder
>”Important Government Paperwork- Pretty p lease return to Mayor Mare and Anonymous if found, cookie and sticker will be awarded”
>It looks like he wanted to do some work outside today, but how is he staying awake so well?!
>Surprisingly you’re doing pretty well too and you suspect the coffee you drank today has something to do with it, yet the pull of nap time is taking its toll
>Your eyes are starting to drool as you force yourself to stifle your yawns 
>No!
>If Anon stays awake, then you stay awake!
>Your willpower is tested to its fullest extent as your body starts to betray you with further fatigue 
>Your teeth grit while you fight to keep your eyes open, your eyelids twitching 
>Your breaths stay frozen in your lungs, otherwise a torrent of yawns would pour out of you
>You shift your attention from your own struggle to see how well Anon is doing
>He’s eating a banana as he cloud gazes 
>...
>You’re starting to think humans don’t sleep 
>You’ll have to check tonight 
>Your Head suddenly feels heavy as it drops lower and lower 
>The rays of the sun feel so nice right now and makes you comfortably warm 
>The grass is especially nice and bouncy today, just like your bed…
>No, you have to keep awake! 
>Anon is brave and he doesn’t take naps so that means not taking a nap is a brave thing to do
>You just have to do things that will relax you but not make you fall asleep
>Like humming to yourself
>Or admiring how sturdy this tree is
>Maybe...just closing your eyes a little to rest them
>And putting your head on the nice bouncy grass
>And then you could…
>You...could…
>...
>Zzzzzzzzz

>Your eyes flutter open as you suddenly raise your head again
>Huh, what, where?
>You look over to the bench again
>Anon is missing!
>Just how long were you knocked out?
>You stand back on your hooves and brush the sleepys away from your eyes as you trot over to the clock tower
>You’re in luck though, you spot Anon walking out of the Golden Oaks Library with a small pile of books
>After ducking into an alleyway to hide as you observe him heading towards the outskirts of town, you trot over to the library
>As you slowly crack the door open, you peer straight ahead inside while crouching down
>The coast seems clear
>Twilight Sparkle lives here and she’s kinda a librarian too since there was no prior librarian before she moved in 
>You just know that you’d panic if you actually got to meet he-
>”Hi there, anything I can help you with?”
>Your body shoots up and slams into the door, opening it wide open
>A glance to your side reveals that she was there the entire time
>The one who is foremost of all Unicorns
>The national hero herself
>The one, the only-
>”Twilight Sparkle at your service! Have we met before?”
>Only in your stories
>And normally you’re the one voicing her 
“N-no. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lily Valley”
>You can feel your head shaking slightly as you look at her with nervous eyes 
>Twilight for her part is too polite to say anything, but you do notice she furrows an eyebrow briefly before speaking again
>”Nice to meet you too, Lily, welcome to Golden Oaks. Any sort of specific book you’re looking for? I could recommend some if you want new reading material”
“I just saw Anonymous with some books and I was hoping to read the sort of things he reads”
>”I don’t know if that’s a good idea. He’s about the same reading level that I am, yellow, and I have to warn you that not a lot of ponies really like the kind of books in that area. Could I maybe interests you in some new additions we have now? The new Daring Do book just came in and The Ferrests of Fairyland is pretty popular”
>Oh mare, they got Daring Do and the Great Ball of Yarn?! 
>You’ll have to ask to borrow it
>Wait
>You have to remember your mission 
“No thanks, I uhh, am hoping to...improve my reading level! I’m just a green level right now so I was thinking since the two of you are so smart I’d get smart too if I read the books you two do” 
>The unicorn’s eyes light up as she excitedly trots in place
>”Really?! Oh it’ll be so nice to have somepony else to talk about great works of literature with! Don’t get me wrong, Anonymous is a good conversation partner but he reads sooo slowwww”
>Twilight doesn’t wait for you as she walks over to a bookshelf and taps one of the shelves in the middle with her horn
>Suddenly you hear a rumble as the ground vibrates
>”I can’t wait to hear what your thoughts on Trotwell are! He along with H.P. Lovecrafter are some of the most underrated contemporaries we have right now. I do have to warn you that Trotwell has a preference for dry prose over dialogue but the dialogue is well worth it when you get the exposition out of the way”
>You slowly approach the ecstatic purple pony as the bookshelf she tapped slowly starts to hinge away from the door, revealing a small dark passageway that reveals stairs
>A sign is displayed above the newly revealed corridor 
>Grown-Ups Only
>You grimace
>Twilight starts to walk down the stairs, her horn glowing to provide light 
>”Now if Trotwell is dry then H.P. Lovecrafter is the queen of tell don’t show, but her tell is just really good. I can imagine the sea ponies in her stories just watching and waiting below the waves as they wait for their chance to make friends with us and give us tours of their undersea kingdom”
>You follow Twilight as close as you can, somehow afraid that you might get lost on a stairwell as the two of you go below the earth deeper and deeper 
>Dust is prevalent and you can see on the steps only two unique prints, those of a pony wearing hot shoes engraved with silhouettes of books and canterlot, the other matches the shoes that Anon wears 
>Is that…
>No, no it can’t be!
>It’s a spider web! 
>Oh nononono you're going to go insannneeeee
>You have to use all of your strength to prevent shouting out to Luna to help you 
>Finally the two of you reach a large wooden door that’s twice your height
>Once again Twilight taps the door with her horn and you can hear a low groaning sound again as it slowly opens for the two of you
>”Not a lot of ponies know about this section of the library and for a good reason…”
>The hero of Equestria turns around and looks at you, the glow of her horn casting a dark shadow over half her face as she grins widely at you, baring her teeth
>Her eyes pierce right through you as you contemplate running back up the stairs 
>Of course you’re scared that you’d end up tripping over your own hooves in total darkness
>The door opens wide enough for you to see inside
>And get blinded by a perfectly well lit room that has nothing suspicious about it at all
>It looks like any other section of the library, wooden bookshelves cover the walls and there’s even a rocking chair in the corner that has some comfortable looking pillows around it 
>”Sorry for the dark walk, I’ve been meaning to ask Spike to fix the lights for the stairs” 
>Your hooves meet the comfortable wool rug of this new room as Twilight follows behind you 
“Why don’t more ponies know about this?”
>”They wouldn’t be interested in the books here” 
>Your eyes rummage through the bookshelves as you read the spines 
>A complete History of Gryphon and Minotaur diplomatic Relations Vol. 4 collected by Canterlot University Press 
>Equestrian Tax Law and Collection by Penny Pincher 
>Treaties on the Right to Rule and Celestia’s Divine Mandate by Volty of Prance
>Wow
>They sound boring
>A few books around the room are enveloped in a magical aura as they float around the two of you
>”So I’d recommend some basic history books to get your bearings on how the world is established in context. From there we can have you explore political theories and division of power  which will open up exploration of character relations in advanced novels for you”
>You try to tell her that maybe getting into a higher reading level for yourself isn’t such a good idea after all but you can’t get a word in with her as she continues on with her fawness for literature
>Eventually she makes a pile of eight books in front of you
>They’re massive volumes and those eight books combined are about your size 
>Just as you did with your coffee this morning, you eye them wearily 
>Twilight smiles at the pile she gathered for you and into your wide eyes as you continue to sit there in silence 
>She blushes slightly
>”Oh sorry, how silly of me. Looks like I got a little carried away again”
>She walks over to a corner of the room and uses her magic to levitate a large burlap sack
>”Let me give you a bag so you can carry these home!”

>The sun is starting to set as you drag along your sack of books on the ground with your mouth 
>Never before have you been so glad for your Earth Pony strength 
>And your healthy teeth 
>Celestial says to always brush twice a day and floss!
>Right now you’re making your way on the path that you saw Anonymous take earlier 
>You know he lives outside of town so he’s likely home right now
>Even with your impressive strength, you struggle at times getting your newly checked out books over the occasional hill
>Eventually you reach a lone cabin at the end of the path
>It’s somewhat far from town but when you look back the view is quite stunning
>As the sun goes below the horizon, Ponyville is bathed in golden light and contrasting shadows as the two dance with each other
>There’s a multitude of familiar faces heading home for the night and families at the new playground that you can spot from here having fun with each other 
>Is this the view that Anon wakes up too each day? 
>It’s nice 
>You try to move your sack along with you as quietly as you can to the cabin and stop at the front door
>You freeze 
>Just why did you plan to do it from here? Knock on his door and ask what he does at night so you can copy him?
>No, that’s be weird
>Instead you’ll spy on him through his window 
>Once you reach his windows you realize you have a problem
>You’re too short to actually look into them
>Even with standing on your tippyhooves only the tip of your snout would reach the opening if you looked up
>C’mon Lily, what would Anon do? He’s come up with some clever plan 
>You look over to your dusty bag of books
>You hope Twilight would forgive you for what you’re about to do
>You open the sack and take five of the large books out, stacking one over the other below the window
>After that you hop onto the pile and slowly raise your eyes up to make sure Anon doesn’t spot you 
>As your body tenses up for the moment of truth you wonder what kind of toys Anon plays with
>Maybe some Guard figurines with special standing around action?
>Could it be that he might even have the ultra exclusive Luna Moon Palace playset? 
>That one even came with some of the rocks that Luna used to make her moon house with 
>Or maybe Anonymous is doing some training right now
>He lifted you up pretty easily so maybe he spends his time lifting boulders up and then putting them back down again
>You’re careful to only peek as far as you need to look inside
>Looks like he’s…
>Reading a book 
>In a really barren living room from the looks of it
>The only illumination he has is a candle on a table he keeps next to his couch, his home being too far away for an electrical connection for now
>The book he’s holding in those hands of his read “My Time in Pone Prison: A Story of how one inmate lasted Five Whole Hours in TImeout” 
>Sounds horrifying 
>You place your hooves on his window and try to lean in further
>But then you feel your hindlegs shaking below you
>You miscalculated, your little pile of books is starting to wobble below you 
>You want to scream out for help but then that would alert Anon to your presence
>Your eyes go from Anon to all around you
>Then you spot the burlap sack again
>Time to make a leap of faith
>Your hindlegs burst forth for your jump and it’s enough to cause your tower to tumble as you fly through the air
>And gently land on the sack with a pomf 
>The pile of books on the other hoof make a racket when they land in the dust as pages flip open 
>You can hear Anon getting up
>You try to scramble to pick up the books and place them against the wall as you yourself also lean right below the window
>The window above you open as he undoes the lock and speaks
>”Anyone there?”
>You keep your breath still in the hopes that he won’t notice a frightened pink and blonde pony below him  
>Your heart is racing as you look up and hope he doesn’t look down 
>Finally, after what seems like an eternity he shrugs his shoulders and leaves the open window
>You can hear the creak of his couch as he sits back down
>You let out your breath and elect to leave for today
>Course you’ll have to spend a bit of time gathering up the books again and dragging them away without him getting suspicious…
>And it’s getting dark now…
>Best not to think about that

>An hour later and you’re back home
>Where your sisters are waiting for you in the kitchen as they have dinner
>Rose gets off of the chair and rushes to you in a hug
>”Lily, there you are! We were getting really worried about you”
>Daisy comes up right after Rose and embraces you as well
>”You didn’t tell us you were heading out today”
>They both notice the sack that you’ve dragged into the house and look back to you
“Yeah, I decided to visit the library and pick up some books to read”
>”You were gone all day though”
“The library is a really big place. I had to...look at all the books to decide which ones I wanted!”
>You reach into the sack and pull a random one out to show your sisters as they gaze at the title, one of them reading it aloud
>”A Memoir of Hours: An Abridged History of the Rise and Fall of the Day Dynasty 3rd Edition by Lady Alabaster, Introduction by Book Mark”
>”Wow, that sounds...really exciting, Daisy”
>They try to smile for you 
>You nod a little too quickly, eager to get this conversation done 
“Mmhmm, excuse me, I gotta get up to my room and get reading now”
>You drag your sack of dusty books up the stairs until finally you’re safe in your own room and you can breathe lightly again
>You don’t like lying to your sisters but you don’t know how they would react to you saying you want to be just like the human 
>You turn on your desk lamp and look through the bag of books that Twilight have you 
>You take out the smallest one you can find
>Bit by Bit: Personal Finances for Little Ponies by Gold Standard 
>There’s no illustration on the cover so maybe they just saved it for the inside
>You open the book
>That’s a lot of words 
>But where are the pictures?
>You flip through some more pages
>More words
>There’s some graphs with a lot of numbers on them
>But still no pictures
>You decide to flip through the entire book for just one bit of color
>Nothing
>How can anypony read this?! 
>There’s no pictures to show what’s going on or drawings to make it exiting! 
>You sigh
>Well, no one said being Anon was going to be easy
>He reads books without pictures in them
>He and Twilight do anyways
>So that means all heroes must read things that aren’t picture books 
>You strain your eyes on the small text on the page 
>”It is a universal principle that ponies want stuff but there is a finite amount of stuff in the world” 
>Your eyes follow words which turn into passages which turn into pages
>Throughout it all, you’re just bored out of your mind
>Gold Standard talks a lot about this thing called the Economy 
>You still have no idea what she means
>When it comes to bits you and your sister grow pretty flowers and other ponies pay you bits for them 
>That’s simple and easy to understand
>But the author keeps talking about really complicated things like budgeting and savings interest 
>What’s a bank? 
>Eventually you can’t take it anymore and have to take your eyes off the book as the black text start to blend with each other 
>You look at your wall clock
>The big pointer is about to move to the picture of Luna on a bed with the moon outside 
>That means it’s almost bedtime 
>After brushing your mane and teeth, you open up your toy chest and take out your snuggle buddy, Anon 
>After turning off your lights and lamp you get under your covers again and hold Anon close to you, his fuzzy wire arms tickling your fur slightly
>You giggle slightly before looking around your dark room
>Uh-Oh
>You forgot to turn on your night light again! 
>You hold Anon even tighter as you retreat underneath your blanket again 
>You didn’t do a very good job pretending to be him today
>But as you hide from the imaginary monsters you make a promise to your little pint sized Anon
>That tomorrow you were going to be braver 
>Just as soon as you can down his coffee without wincing 

>it’s been a rough few days
>You’ve been keeping up your schedule of copying Anon’s every move
>Eat what he eats
>Read what he reads
>Try to stay awake when he’s awake
>At least you’ve gotten used to black coffee
>...well, the first few sips of it anyways
>It still taste like drinking lint
>Your sisters are getting suspicious though
>You can only make so many excuses to them that you can’t help watch the flower stand
>This will be the third time in five days that you’ll be “organizing the snacks cupboard” 
>This was supposed to be so simple
>Step One- Do what Anon does
>Step Two- Be as brave as Anon
>Step Three- Become his bestest friend forever since you would both be super duper brave and not scaredy ponies at all
>Where did it all go so wrong?
>Well, it’s morning already and you have to get ready for your new daily routine
>You rise up from your bed, a few of the books that Twilight gave you falling down from your blanket down to the floor with dull thuds
>Oh, that’s right
>You tried to read three of the books at the same time in the hopes of finding something interesting
>You in fact found nothing fun at all
>Not even a magical ferret that takes young ponies on adventures through Ferryland
>You let out a small sigh
>You get out of the blankets and stretch your legs and flank out, hearing creaks here and there
>It would probably be a good idea to stop napping on the hard ground by the tree in the park
>But how else are you going to keep an eye on Anon?
>You put your saddlebag on and carefully put your anon doll inside of it, fit snugly between your emergency safety blanket and some juice boxes
>Your hooves take you downstairs and into the kitchen, where your sisters are currently enjoying bowls of Ponie-Os
>Ponie-Os The best part of a complete breakfast! Now with 14% more sugar!
>You’re nervous about any questioning your sisters have, but it’d be more suspicious to skip breakfast with them entirely 
>Daisy is the first to look up from her bowl and smiles at you
>”Morning!”
>You nod and reply in kind
>After using your teeth to get your own bowl of Ponie-Os started, you dig in by shoving your mouth into the bowl as well
>Small talk is inescapable on any family dinner table, yours not excluded
>Roseluck is the one to ask
>”Any plans today, Lily?”
>You wipe some milk from your snout before replying
”Just organizing the snack cupboard again!”
>”...really?”
>You can feel a tinge of nervousness
“Yeah...really”
>Both their eyes narrow
>That tinge just got upgraded to a ping of fear 
>”Really, really, really?”
“Really, really, really!”
>”Lily, you’ve been kinda...off lately”
“What, me? No way! I’m not off at all, I’m perfectly turned on!” 
>”You’ve been organizing the snacks cupboard around a lot”
“Oh y-you know, we just kinda keep throwing hay chips and bags of cookies in there so it’s a complete mess is all! It’s a big job but I don’t mind at all!”
>”Lily...the night before you said you were going to sort out the cupboard, I put Sir Bearington the Third  inside there to keep you company while you cleaned it out. You didn’t mention him at all the other day and he’s still in there since I checked this morning”
>That ping of fear has morphed into a full blown anxiety attack
>Your breath shortens as your mind scrambles for an excuse 
>You can feel the walls closing in on you, the stares of both your sisters transforming into piercing daggers 
“I-I…”
>You want to desperately look at anything besides the eyes of Roseluck and Daisy 
>And then you see her outside the window 
>Cherry Berry is walking along with Fruit Punch, chatting about something that doesn’t matter to you whatsoever 
>She worked as an excuse once before, so maybe…
>You try to still your beating heart and gather your nerves before stomping one foot
“Alright, you two caught me. You see…”
>You point a hoof out of the window and their gazes follow it towards the morning sunlight 
“I’ve been goofing off with Cherry Berry everytime I said I was going to be cleaning around the house. We uhh, we’ve been visiting the new playground together”
>You bow your head and face the floor in mock shame
>Secretly, it’s so that your sisters can’t see just how panic stricken your features are right now 
>Seconds click by until Daisy puts a hoof on your shoulder
>”It’s okay, Lily, we can’t stay mad at you, we’re sisters afterall. We’re just mad with each other most of the time!”
>Roseluck giggles before joking in with a quickly developing group hug
>”We’re just happy you’re finally enjoying the new playground, we thought maybe you were too scared to play there” 
“W-well with my best bud Cherry Berry there, it’s no issue at all”
>They hug you tighter before finally letting go 
>”Here’s an idea, how about we all go to the park together and play!”
>You quirk a brow
>Wouldn’t one of you have to watch the flower stand?
>Then it hits you
>Today Is Saturday 
>The flower stand is closed, as is most things on Saturday but more importantly…
>You have no idea what Anon does on the weekends! 
>Is..is he maybe at the park supervising Everypony again? 
>That’s the best thing you can think of, otherwise he’s reading a book at his own home and there'd be nothing new to learn today! 
>Reluctantly, you nod to Roseluck’s idea for the afternoon
>And pray to Celestia that your sister’s don’t call your bluff 

>Surprisingly, the park isn’t too crowded for a weekend today
>Which is nice, since there’s less ponies to push and shove into each other which can possibly lead to boo boos which could then lead to a trip to the horsepital, which turns into a nightmare of being surrounded by all those sharp needles, and then if a nurse were to trip and accidentally spill an entire tray of those needles on you… 
>WAIT 
>NO
>LILY
>STOP THINKING LIKE THAT! 
>You’re supposed to be brave like Anon since you act just like him now, and he’s a cool human who doesn’t afraid of anything 
>And now you’re supposed to be a pretty cool pony. Eh drinks black coffee and doesn’t afraid of anything 
>As the three of you hop up to the front entrance, Daisy is the one to ask
>”So what do you want to do?”
>Before you have the chance to say “Go home and follow Anonymous around town”, Roseluck speaks her mood
>”How about the slide?”
>Dear Celestia
>Please swoop down from the sky and take me far, far away from here 
>Or send Luna if you’re busy 
>Signed, a pony you’ve never met before but likes using you as a plot device with her action figures 
>Your sisters turn their heads at you and smile expectantly 
“S-sure!”
>The walk to the slide is about twenty meters away, but for you if feels like a good long walk to your doom
>You all line up and it’s not long until the three of you get your turns 
>Roseluck goes down 
>Th Daisy goes down
>Now it’s time for your trip to go down
>All the way down, down into the cold hard  ground 
>Your legs wobble as you climb up
>Your vision starts to blur and the familiar feeling of your lungs inflating and deflating rapidly fills your chest 
>M-maybe it won’t be as bad as last time?
>You get to the top 
>Ahh,  you were right
>Or rather
>ARGHH, YOU WERE RIGHT
>It’s even worse! 
>The slide is like a metal snake, waiting to detect you upon its smooth scales and coil around you as your lungs choke for breath
>But what’s even worse is that your sisters are watching you now, and expectations are high 
>You look around from your vantage point in a desperate search to no avail
>There is no Anon this time
>No savior to wake you from this nightmare 
>It’s just you and this slide
>And all the other ponies ready to call you a scaredy pony 
>Once again you grasp your head and get ready to let out a scream
>But before your instincts can take over, one final thought comes to you 
>Anon
>You are Anon now, after all you’ve done so many of the things he’s done
>Drink coffee
>Read books without pictures
>Skip nap times
>And if Anon is brave
>Then that means you’re brave now too 
>What would Anon do?
>He’d go down this slide without any fear
>And that’s what you’ll do now 
>You jump and your flank hits the slide as you speed down it
>You can feel the air rush pass your mane as it blows on you wildly, as if telling you to stop
>But nothing can stop you now, not this slide, not other ponies, and especially not the side of you that’s a scaredy pony 
>You grit your teeth as the ground starts to jump at you
>But before you reach the end of this steel anaconda, you leap in the air and do a flip as the crowd gasps
>You land on your two hind hooves and rear up to strike a pose as you neigh majestically
>Everypony at the park stops what they’re doing and stares at you in awe 
>Many of them start to approach you in shock and that also includes your sisters 
>Rosebuck and Daisy start to speak wildly, making it hard to differentiate the speech of the two of them as they meld their words 
>”Whoa, Lily, we didn’t know you had any of that in you!”
>By now the crowd is cheering at your magnificent display 
>You smile 
>You just wish one particular human had seen you finally go down the slide
>But then your ears finally pick it up
>A sharp clapping noise
>From behind a tree emerges Anon, who must have been watching you the entire time 
>Did...did he know all along what you’ve been doing?
>His smile tells you much and you detect a certain feeling from it
>Like a teacher proud to see his student succeed 
>The ponies surrounding you start to clip their hooves and give you compliments on how brave you are
>Rosebud yells out “Congratulations”
>Daisy hops up and down as she says “Congratulations”
>Even Twilight Sparkle is stomping her hooves as she gives you a “Congratulations”
>Anon starts to slowly approach you, the ponies starting to part away so that he can be next to you as he kneels and speaks
>”Congratulations!”
“I owe all of this to you”
>”No Lily, you’re the one who went down the slide all by yourself. You deserve all of this”
>”But week ago I wouldn’t believe that any of this could happen”
>Anon lifts up his hand and scratches behind your ear gently as you relax into his grip
>”Well you’re right”
>He stops his scratches and boops your snout with his finger 
>”Because none of this happened” 

>You utter the last of Anon’s lines as you slowly sink even further down your shag rug 
>In front of you is your Ponyville Playground Playset, populated by your cast of action figures 
>In one hoof is your customized Applejack doll that looks like you
>In the other is your homemade Anon doll
>You wanted to play pretend with your action figures
>But more importantly, you wanted to play pretend with reality
>You wanted to pretend you didn’t scream in anguish when you were at the top of the slide today
>You wanted to pretend you didn’t rapidly climb down the ladder again with tears in your eyes 
>You wanted to pretend you didn’t run away from your sisters when they tried to approach you 
>You tried to pretend, to escape into your fantasy again 
>But the truth always comes back
>You drop the action figure that’s supposed to be you and grasp the Anon doll in both hands 
>And then start speaking to it nervously
“Y-you’re right, b-but maybe one day it could?”
>Then you put on a more gruff voice with a lower tone as you speak for Anon 
>”Just like how one day you’ll be brave like me even though you can’t even finish an entire book or a cup of coffee?”
>You try and fail to suppress a sniffle 
>”Or how one day we’ll be friends?”
>Even if he’s a doll, you can’t stand to look him in the eyes 
“Y-yeah…”
>”Who would ever want to be friends with…”
>Your voice cracks and you can’t focus enough to maintain the Anon impression 
>Subsequently, it’s now just your own voice saying your own thoughts again 
“...a scaredy pony” 
>...
>...
>And that’s it 
>It’s over 
>Pretend time is done and your story has its ending 
>There was no twists to it
>Your story was always going to end like this
>Alone
>Afraid
>A pony scared of the world 
>But even though you always saw this conclusion coming a mile away, it never hurt less to think about it 

>But then your door opens and your isolation ends
>You wish it didn’t
>Oh Celestia you wish it didn’t as your eyes go wide
>In your tears and self-pity, you didn’t notice the front door of the house opening and three sets of hooves going up the stairs
>At the doorway stands Roseluck and Daisy, staring at you dumbfounded with their mouths agape as they look at your Anon doll, then you, back at the Anon doll again , and then finally at you again with your red and puffy eyes stinging from tears
>Behind them is your dear friend that you never mentioned until a week ago, Cherry Berry, who is standing around as the most confused pony of all 
>Nopony knows how to break this silence
>You especially just want to crawl under your bed and never come back out 
>Roseluck is the first and only one to gather her courage 
>”H-hey Daisy! We were worried about you and thought we’d bring your best friend to cheer you up”
>Daisy and and Roseluck step aside and it takes a nudge from them to break Cherry Berry out of her stupor to speak to you 
>“Uhh, hi? You’re...Lily, right?” 
>She tries her best to smile but her nervousness is evident and it’s far too wide of a grin 
>Like a foal that’s been caught doing something naughty and just wants to leave before the punishment escalates 
>She looks at your little Anon 
>”I Umm, like his hair?”
>Your fight or flight instincts finally kick in 
>Flight
>Always flight 
>You burst through a gap between Roseluck and Cherry Berry as their shock roots them in place, your Anon doll firmly in your teeth
>You reach the bottom of the stairs and the front door as you hear the shouts of your sisters to stop
>But it’s too late, you’ve made up your mind 
>You’ll never be like Anon
>It doesn’t matter how many cups of coffee you order, books you read, or naps you skip
>Your legs kick up dust as you keep your rapid pace onto the main road 
>You have to get out of here
>You don’t care where or for how long
>Maybe forever
>You’re going to go over the horizon 
>You don’t know what you’ll find there
>But one thing is for certain
>You’re scared



>You pant and heave
>Your hooves can take you no further 
>You don’t know how long you’ve ran for, but it looks like this Saturday is reaching its end as the sun starts to crest over the horizon
>It’s going to be dark soon
>All around you are the tall trees of the evergreen forest, claws of the earth jutting out and waiting to claim you 
>Normally you would be terrified right now
>But the shame and embarrassment you feel is somehow overriding your fear 
>Is this what bravery is? To have so many things to worry about that you forget what you're scared of? 
>You don't know if you like it
>What you do know though is that it's lonely out here
>At least there's nopony to call you a scaredy pony 
>Except you
>You just want to go to a place where no soul knows who you are
>Maybe then somepony might mistake you as brave for running so far away 

>You try to catch your breath by sitting against one of the huge oaks and gathering your thoughts 
>You’re going to miss a lot of things now that you’re a pony on the run 
>Your greenhouse filled with bright cheerful blooms
>Your nice comfy bed that protected you on cold nights 
>Your playset that you spent countless afternoon and bits on 
>But most of all, you'll miss your sisters…
>The way Roseluck would do her flower arrangements with so much care and precision, worried that a messy bouquet would ruin  somepony’s day
>How Daisy was so particular and secretive on a recipe she made for Sunflower Seed salad, always making it for any special occasions or whenever any of her  sisters was feeling down 
>”Never a gloomy day with Daisy’s Sunny Salad tray!” she would say 
>You smile at the memories 
>And just as quickly, you frown 
>Are they going to miss you?
>Maybe it’s better that you went away, stopped being a burden on them
>Now they can go to the playground without worrying about you
>This was what it was all about, wasn’t it? 
>Right?
>Your thoughts return to that day in the new park that started this mess
>Stupid slide
>Stupid fears
>Stupid you…
>You sigh
>Nothing to do about it now, it’s over now
>You hear the hooting of an owl echo through the woods
>Wind rushes pass the branches and it causes the trees to creak and groan at you 
>But still, you don’t feel afraid
>You don’t feel much of anything 
>Just some sort of vague sadness 
>It’s  when you’re on the last page of a book and you know that you’re going to have to say goodbye to it after spending hours with it 
>It’s Like when you say bye to a friend that’s moving away to another town
>It’s like when you’ve ran away from home and know you can’t ever go back
>Maybe one day you’ll have enough courage to explore the cold north, fight a Changeling, or do somersaults in the air
>But you know for a fact you’ll never be brave enough to face them again, not after today 
>Your mind wanders off to other faces in Ponyville and inevitably it goes back to the idol you wanted to emulate
>Anon…
>You thank Celestia that he wasn’t there to witness your breakdown at the park 
>You just wanted to be brave like he was! 
>You’ve never seen him cry, cower, or back down from anything before
>Granted, the stallion could lift up at least three ponies and was as tall as five, but his courage still had to count for something
>You once even saw him drink two cups of black coffee! 
>What would Anonymous do? 
>Your brain racks to find an answer
>You hardly know the guy though
>You’ve been observing him for a while now, but you’ve never actually talked to him
>Maybe…maybe he’ll know what to do? 
>You look down on a hoof
>You’ve been carrying around your Anon doll since you ran from your sisters
>He’s been silent this entire time
>You hold up your doll with his black fabric suit and bouncy ball head 
“Anonymous, what should I do?”
>As expected, you’re met by a blank stare and the ambient noise of the forest 
”I-I don’t know if I’m scared, Anonymous. I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. I kinda wish I was scared. Then I’d know that I’m feeling something”
>Again, there is no reply 
“Please, just talk to me. I don’t want to be alone…that’s what I was always most afraid of. That I wouldn’t have friends because I was a scaredy pony. That my sisters wouldn’t want to be with me anymore”
>You can feel your lips wobble and your vision Cloud as Anonymous refuses to talk to you
“Please…”
>The crickets start to play their song as the sun disappears beyond the horizon and darkness covers the land
>You can feel a sort of darkness cover you too, one that’s coming from your heart
>Until suddenly, you hear a familiar voice in the distance 
>”Moon River, wider than a mile…”

>Your ears perk up as it catches a song in the breeze 
>It’s Anon, and he’s…singing? 
>It’s a slow tempo and it sounds faint, but you can hear it all the same 
>You get up on your hooves again and cautiously follow the melody through the woods and onto a dirty path
>”I’m crossing you in style, someday…” 
>The words feel like they’re coming out in a trance, he’s following a beat but no infliction to his tone as the song goes on
>”Oh dream maker, you heart breaker…”
>Eventually you reach a ravine with a large stone bridge connecting the two sides 
>The weathered grey stone shines in the bright moonlight and you can see Anonymous at the center of the bridge, tossing small stones down into a river below
>You try not to focus on just how above the rapid currents the bridge is 
>You gulp and begin to walk towards him inch by inch
>Your curiosity overtakes any hesitation you have as you approach 
>You’ve seen him plenty of times from afar, in fact some would say you’ve been watching him obsessively 
>You’ve never seen him like this though
>He’s hunched over at one of the ledges, his arms crossed as he leans over, a pile of stones he must have gathered next to him on the ledge 
>”Wherever you’re going, I’m going your way…”
>He tosses another stone from the pile he has set up down to the river and you can see it impact the water, though the river is too strong to form any ripples around it 
>You’re about halfway down to meet him when you  see his face 
>He seems apathetic, showing neither happiness nor sadness 
>But then you see him smile without warning
>That’s good! 
>He stands up and straightens his posture before lifting himself up to stand on the ledge of the bridge 
>That’s bad!
>He could get hurt if he accidentally falls, just like one of those stones he was tossing!
>Your trotting takes you right behind him
>You’re not sure how to talk to him
>In your stories, you’d impress him so much with something cool you did that he would be the one to say hello to you first
>But this isn’t one of your stories 

“H-hi there”
>You say it hardly above the level of a whisper, scared that you might startle him and make him trip off the bridge 
>But he’s calm as ever as he turns his head to you
>”Oh. Hi to you too”
>His mouth gently smiles despite his situation, yet his eyes don’t  follow along 
>He turns his back to look forward and sits down, his legs hanging over the edge 
>”How was your day today?”
>There’s a lot you can tell him
>You just don’t have the words to properly express it
>Where would you even start? 
“It’s Uhh, it’s been okay, I guess. How about yours?” 
>He nods sagely
>”Good to hear. My day has been good. I decided that I’m going to…go home today”
“But don’t  you live on the other side of Ponyville?”
>He let’s put a small laugh before taking another pebble to cast it below the bridge 
>”That’s just a house” 
“Aren't homes and houses the same thing?” 
>”Houses are just where you sleep. Home is where the heart is”
>Wait, do humans not have their hearts in their chest like ponies do? Maybe he keeps it under his bed on Earth but forgot to bring it with him!
“What’s your home like on Earth?”
>His words are honeyed and nostalgic
>”I lived in a small apartment. It was about a quarter of the size of the house I live in right now, but I thought it was cozy. I had a lot of books to read, I liked to read, you see. I’m sure nearly all those books would pique Twilight Sparkle’s interests” 
>You listen intently to his words, and you realize that this may be the first time he’s talked in detail about his life on Earth to anypony
>”I had friends too. Friends I made back in school and some I made at work. They were nice, I could talk to them about anything and they’d listen to me”
“Did you play tag and nap with them a lot?”
>Anonymous chuckles before replying to you 
>”No, I guess nobody ever suggested it. We had fun doing other things”
“What did you all do for fun then?”
>”Nothing too special. We ate at restaurants, watched movies, bowled, those sorts of things”
“Princess Celestia says that anything can be fun if you’re with friends, even things like clean up time or washing dishes” 
>”And she’s right. I miss my friends a lot. But I miss my family even more”
“I remember you said my flower reminded me of your sister”
>He turns his head back to you and your mane catches his eye 
>You can see him grin
>”That’s right, I met you at…the new playground, I think? Lily, right? Sorry if I got it wrong, I’m just no good with names” 
>Stars form in your eyes and you smile wide 
>He remembered your name! 
“You got it right! I’m Lily Valley!”
>”It’s nice to meet you again, Lily Valley”
“So how far is Earth from here? Hopefully you don’t have to walk too far. My hooves ache if I trot for too long”
>”It’s pretty far. In fact, I’m not sure where it is really” 
“But then how are you going to walk there?”
>”I’m not going to walk”
“I think running would just make you really tired” 
>Anon takes the last of the stones he has and tosses them over the ravine, your eyes following them as they hit the hard surface of the water and get sweeped away 
>”This is where I woke up. I remember thinking about how blue the sky was”
“Were you taking a nap here today?”
>”No, I mean when I woke up in Equestria. This-“
>He takes both his arms and sweeps them around 
>”-is where I came from”
>You crane your neck around to look around the forest and the bridge 
>But didn’t he say that Earth was far away? How can he be from the bridge if this isn’t Earth?
>His story is getting kinda confusing for you now 
“If you’re from here, where’s your family?” 
>You see his shoulders slump 
>”Well, right now my dad is probably getting back from work after his shift, microwaving a pizza he bought and turning on the Price is Right. My mom is likely putting my sister to bed and reading her a story. What kind of stories do you like, Lilly?” 
“I like making my own stories. They have a lot of action and the good ponies always win!”
>”Hehe, you really are like my little sister. She would have liked you. She really would have liked Equestria, I think. Maybe she’s changed. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her” 
“But Anon, you’ve only been here for a few months. I know that seems like forever but you haven’t even seen your first winter here yet”
>He sadly shakes his head as he still stares off into the rapids 
>”I didn’t get to see her for a long time even before I got to come here” 
“Why? I see my sisters everyday when we eat breakfast together. Like today we got to share some cereal” 
>”My mom and dad…”
>You can see him think about his next words carefully
>”…decided that they didn’t want to live with each other anymore. So my sister lives with my mom and I used live with my dad before I moved out”
“Oh”
>You’re at a loss for words
>This is the first time you’ve heard about a mommy and daddy taking a field trip away from each other 
>It doesn’t make any sense to you at all 
>Anon doesn’t seem to be in the mood to explain though
>You try to make him think about something happier 
“What did you and your sister do last?”
>”I took her out for a hamburger. She ordered a kid sized coke and a cheeseburger. She got to color the placemat and drew a picture some clowns and elephants since I promised her that I’d take her to the circus soon” 
>You see a slight tremble come from him before he settles down
>”I never did get to take her to the circus. I will though. After I get back home” 
>He turns his head and smiles at you
>You notice it again though, where his mouth is turned up but his eyes don’t follow suit
>It’s worrying, and you feel like something is amiss
>You just don’t know what 
>You try to smile back at him but struggle to do so, your lingering feeling becoming apparent 
“T-that’s nice, Anonymous. The circus sounds fun. I wouldn’t know though, I’ve never been to one” 
>”Oh, why’s that?” 
“We’ll I’m kinda scared of-“
>Everything
“-Clowns…and elephants…and crowds, and tents, and peanuts, and lions, and-and-”
>Oh no, you’re doing it again
>You’re just listing out everything that makes you apprehensive and nervous
>There’s no way Anon is going to be friends with you, he knows you’re a scaredy pony now! 
>He chuckles
>You can feel your heart grow sad as he laughs at you 
>But then he turns his body to face you as he continues to sit on the ledge, reaching up to your mane and scratching it in comfort
>”There, there, it’s okay to be scared of things. My sister was scared of clowns too but I told her how much fun we’d have at the circus. After that she started drawing pictures of them and was excited to meet one”
>You close your eyes and enjoy how his finger feels combing through the hairs 
>You open them again after he takes his hand back, hiding how disappointed you are that it’s over
“It’s not just clowns or the circus though…c-can I tell you a secret?”
>He nods his head 
“Do you promise not to tell anypony?”
>”Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye”
>You grow confident about this, there’s no way he’d break a sacred Pinkie Promise! 
“I…I’m kinda sorta…you see, I…”
>You gulp a lump in your throat 
>This is it 
>This is where your story really ends
“I’m a scaredy pony””
>”Hmm, why do you say that?”
“It’s because I’m scared of a lot of things, things that other ponies aren’t scared of…”
>”Like the dark?”
“Yeah…”
>”Heights?”
“Oh yeah, definitely 
>”How about strangers?” 
“Yep”
>”I don’t think you're much of a scaredy pony then. Look around you”
>You do as he says, turning your head this way and that
>You’re at a loss to what he means before you face him again and quirk an eyebrow
“I don’t get it” 
>”Everything I asked you about is right here. It’s night, we’re on a bridge over a tall chasm, and you hardly know me. But I don’t see you scared or anything like that”
>He’s...he’s right
>You don’t feel scared at all
“But that’s only because you’re here. And there’s more than just the things here that I’m scared of”
>”I still think you’re a brave pony. Sure, you might be scared of plenty of things but courage isn’t about having no fears”
“Really?”
>”Yeah, it’s about being able to face your fears. To not let them control who you are”
>Once again he takes his hand and pats your head
>”And if you’re scared of a lot of things, then that just means you have a lot of chances to prove just how brave you are”
>This is it, the true ending to the story
>Anon called you brave and is giving head pats!
>You can feel a huge grin overtake your face and a warmth spread from your heart outwards
“Thank you, Anon. Those are really nice words”
>”I mean every bit of it. You’re a brave and nice pony, Lily. Like I said, my sister would have liked you. I’ll tell her all about the brave little pony I met that kept a flower in her head”
>The human stops patting your head and puts both his hands on his thighs before slumping over again, his head tilted down to make his expression unreadable
>”I think there must have been a mistake somewhere. That my sister was supposed to go to this land of nap times, crayons, and innocent horses that like having their manes brushed”
“What do you mean? Don’t you like it in Equestria?”
>You frown, unsure how Anon is feeling
>He never seemed sad to you, and was happy enough to help everypony
>You search your memories for anytime when someone budged in line in front of him or maybe took his snacks without asking
>”It’s nice here, but this place would have been perfect for her. She’s  at the age where she thinks her big brother is the coolest person in the world”
>He chuckles before turning his head down to the drop in the ravine
>”Maybe I’ll still get to see her outgrow that phase…”
>You open your mouth to reply back to him but he cuts you off with a grin and a sudden determination in his eyes
>But his gaze look empty to you, like a house that has all the lights on but nopony  is inside to give each other cookies or hugs
>”I’ll be sure to tell her all about you”
“How? You said Earth was really far away and you didn’t know how to get there”
>He keeps staring at you with his smile and empty eyes
>”You should head back home, Lily. Your sisters must be waiting for you” 
>You’re taken aback by his sudden suggestion and you feel like he’s trying to get rid of you for some reason, but for what?
>You’ve been here for a while so he’s not waiting to meet someone
>And you don’t see any bags with him, so he’s not trying to sneak away some snacks to eat privately
“O-okay, Anonymous. I’ll see you later?”
>You can feel the seconds pass by as he continues to stare at you, like the words are trapped in his throat but he’s not going to let them out of his mouth
>But then he nods at you
>You feel relieved as you let out a gentle breath you didn’t realize you were holding in
>You meet his grin with your own grin as you start to trot away from him

>Wow, you really are a brave pony if Anon thinks so!
>You can’t wait for you and Anon to start hanging out with each other and he’ll be so impressed that you can drink coffee without syrup, marshmallows, or sugar in it too
>You can't wait to get home and tell your sisters about this
>Getting home…
>You stop at the end of the bridge
>Things that Anon said made you confused about how he was going to see his own sister again, even if he didn’t know how to get home
>A strange queasy feeling starts in your gut
>You don't’ know how to describe it
>It’s...it’s like every bit of you knows that if you leave now, something bad will happen
>But not to you
>That’s a different feeling, a familiar freight that has often taken hold of you
>No, this sensation is telling you that something bad will happen to someone you like
>You turn your head
>Anon is standing tall on top of the ledge of the bridge again, looking out at the forest
>You can see him whispering to himself in the pale moonlight
>You’re not sure what to do
>Anonymous said to go home, and you’ve always known him as somepony that knew best
>He’s like a Princess Celestia that’s doesn’t know magic
>And what if he gets annoyed with you if you try to talk to him after saying goodbye?
>Then he won’t want to be your friend anymore and that’s all you wanted for the past week!
>Once again, your fear paralyzes you
>A voice that’s always been with you speaks in your mind
>The voice that always comes to you in your most sad moments of doubt 
>The voice of fear
>”Just go home to your nice and soft bed and sleep the night away. Don’t bother Anon. He’ll be okay, he’s an adult after all”
>You turn your head back to the forest and away from the whispering man
>”He said that you’ll see him again soon. Maybe he just wants a better view of the river? There’s no way he’ll get ouchies. He’s just waiting for a chariot to take him home, probably”
>You star to trot away from the scene
>But your hooves are firmly rooted in place and you feel compelled to stay
>You can hear another voice speak out 
>This one is new
>It is gentle and caring
>The voice of ear always kept you safe
>But this different voice wants to to see you grow
>It sounds just like Anon’s
>”Courage isn’t about having no fears…”
>You turn your body and start to clip clop your hooves back to the man standing on the edge
>”...it’s about being able to face your fears”
>And right now, Anon needs help facing something
>You get behind him and look up to the back of his head
>As you were getting to your spot, you could hear him click his heels and eavesdrop what he was whispering repeatedly 
>“There’s no place like home”
>He makes no indication as to noticing that you’ve come up to him again
>You can see him slightly trembling as he’s up on the bridge
>In the faint breeze, you can also hear him sniffle and gulp lumps in his throat
>It reminds you of something
>Something that happened only just recently
>Of a mare terrified of the world, stuck on the top of a slide, paralyzed by the spell that fear held over her
>Of a being kind enough to say the magic words to break that spell
>Now it’s your turn to say them
“Did you want to get down from there?”
>Anon slowly turns towards you and you can see his face 
>He is crying
>The tears are flowing freely as he looks at you
>You show the best concern that you can as you wave him over to you
>Slowly but surely, he kneels down and puts a leg on the part of the bridge that ponies are actually meant to stand on
>First one leg, and then the other, until he’s standing before you in silence
>You do the only thing that you can think to do when somepony is crying 
>You hug him
>He’s a big guy so you can only really wrap your hooves around one of his legs but you can feel just how chilly he is and how much he’s shaking
>But he shakes harder and harder as time passes
>Did...did you maybe do something wrong?
>Before you can break off your hug, he kneels down and embraces you, his head buried in your mane as you can feel the hairs getting wet from the tears
>You don’t mind though
>Anon needs help, and you’re going to help him just like he helped you
>His arms are wrapped all around you and you can feel his body warming up, how you’re breathing life in him once again 
>You both hug each other in silence, just two beings caught in their own part of the world 
>This is much better than what you imagined it would be like in your games of pretend
>This is actually real

>You’re the first to break the silence
“Are you okay, Anon?”
>It takes time to regain his computer but sure enough, he takes on his calm voice again, but this time his words are unsteady 
>”No”
“What’s wrong?”
>”I’m scared”
“What are you scared of?”
>”I just want to go home, Lily. I had my own life on Earth. I had friends and a family back there. A sister that looked up to me”
>He takes his head away from your blonde mane and looks at you, his eyes puffy and red and his frown pronounced
>”And now she probably thinks I decided to just run away or got hurt. I just want to tell her I’m okay. To go back home and hug her, and take her to the circus like I promised” 
>This is the first time you’ve had to comfort somepny before, and you hope you’re doing it right
>Listening
>Just listening until they’ve told you their story 
>”I don’t feel like I’m home. This place is great, but it was never meant for me”
>Anon finishes his thoughts and looks away from you
>You can see some tears going down his cheek
>You take a hoof and help rub it off of him, his eyes once again meeting yours
“I’m sorry that you’re not home, Anon”
>”It’s not your fault Lily. It’s not anybody’s fault really”
“But maybe I can still help you find a home here”
>He looks at you inquisitively
>You try your best to stay reassuring under his gaze
“You said that home is where the heart is and I’m sorry you left your heart back on Earth. I could  help you make a new heart! I like making things. Things like this!”
>You take your Anon doll and hold it up to his face
>The real thing doesn’t quite know what he’s looking at, at first until he notices the similarities
>Pipe Cleaners to form a body
>A bouncy ball for a head
>And black napkins for a nice suit, complemented with a red tie paper clip
>He takes the doll in his hand carefully, afraid that somehow his touch will make your crafted interpretation  of him shatter
>You’re nervous as he examines it closer from back to front, side to side
>But then he laughs hard, a genuine laughter from the gut that makes you happy
>He finishes his merriment and speaks to you 
>”You made this, Lily?”
“Yeah! I can also make your new heart really pretty too! We could draw it on some construction paper and cut it out with some safety scissors! After that we’ll use some glue to put glitter on it and hang it in your house so that it can turn into a home!”
>”Having a new heart would be nice, and to have it made be made by such a sweet pony”
>Again Anon can’t help but laugh
>You don’t know why he’s laughing so much since he was crying just earlier
>Humans must change their moods really quickly
>Oh well
>If he’s happy then you’re happy
>Still, his new home isn’t going to be like the old one on Earth
>And you’re sure he’ll still miss his sister
>You know that you certainly would if you were the one sent to Earth
>You look at both the doll and the giant holding it and an idea forms in your head
“Anon, you said you wanted to send a message to your sister, right?”
>”It’d be nice to”
“How about we have your doll send it for you?!”
>You can tell by his confused look that he’s not following along with your idea
“It looked like you thought that the river would carry you back home, but I don’t think it can since it just goes to the ocean, I think. But if there’s maybe a portal then we could send the doll through it so our sister knows you’re okay!”
>You try to smile wide at the end of your idea presentation, hoping that he’ll find it worthwhile
“It’s your doll, Lily. I couldn’t ask you to throw it away for me”
>”I made it because…”
>You think about it for a moment
>Why did you make it?
>You gathered all the materials and thought that you’d create your new role model
>But you don’t keep it locked away in your toy chest or leave it on your study desk 
>No, you play with it regularly and treat it like all your other toys
“...because I wanted to be friends with you”
>You move your head closer to him and nuzzle his cheek, just like you would to one of your sisters to show affection
“But now I have the real thing, so I don’t need it anymore” 
>Anon is silent as he looks at you
>Your heart is pounding in your chest, afraid that maybe you just embarrassed yourself in front of him
>Then he whispers gently to you, to the point you can hardly hear it
>But you hear it regardless, for that’s what friends do
>They listen to each other and help them face their fears 
“Thank you, Lily”
>You nod as you take the doll from his hands with your mouth and walk up to the ledge
>You raise yourself up with your front two hooves and put your jaws away from the bridge
>And then release
>The play thing down as you expected it to, straight down and once it splashes into the water, the river takes it away to parts unknown 
>But as it leaves, you wave goodbye to it, making a wish to a star that it safely makes it to Anon’s sister
>You get down back on your four hooves and look at Anon
>He seems...relieved
>Like a weight he was holding on his back is finally gone 
>You notice that as he stands up, he stands up straighter and more properly than you’ve ever seen him before 
>The emptiness from his eyes are gone, now filled with gratitude 
>You make a suggestion to what to do next
“C’mon, Anon, let's go home!”
>”Sounds good to me”
“It’s dark out and I’m scared of the dark, but I’m sure it won’t be too bad since you’re with me”
>You smile at him
>He smiles back 

Later On…
>Frost and cold has taken Ponyville, like the winter wonderland that comes every year
>But the festive season isn’t what’s on everypony’s mind
>No, it’s the fact that it’s the middle of the summer and it’s snowing
>The weather Pegasui are not at fault, but rather a certain villain
>A villain that goes by the name of…
>”Discord!”
>The name is shouted out by a charismatic mare that goes by the name of Lily Valley
>”Hmm, something I can be of assistance with? I have a very busy schedule. I’ll have you know that I plant to win the snowpony contest, but I’m always ready to make time when the time comes”
>True to his word, Discord is bundled up in his winter gear, a single fuzzy hat, and is creating a snowpony out of the white flakes falling from the sky
>”But it’s not winter yet Discord, nopony has their list for Santa Claws planned out yet!”
>The two are in the middle of the town square as their debate rages on, just like the snowstorm around them
>”Don’t be a spoil sport, Lily. You ponies are always so used to the weather being controlled. Just let it be a little more chaotic for once. Enjoy yourself. Here, have some coco”
>Not once does Discord look to Lily as he focuses on shaping his snowpony with his appendages 
>With a snap of his fingers, a palm tree sprouts out of the snow in front of Lily as she deftly dodges at least two coconuts that fall out of the tree
>Two! 
>”You’re nuts, Discord!”
>”I’ll sweep up those shells later. Or maybe I won’t? All part of being the embodiment of chaos and all that, you understand”
>Lily growled
>Normally a swift buck with her legendary hooves would be enough to solve her 
>But Discord’s magic was powerful
>He’d likely change her legs to gelatin before she could make the strike
>No, this problem called for her wits
>”I challenge you to a game of riddles!”
>Just as the Drconian was about to place the button eyes on the snow pony, he twisted his entire torso to face her with glee
>“Ooh, a game you say? What’s the prize? I always wanted an all expenses paid vacation to Manehattan. Oh sure, I could just teleport there but it’s so much more fun when someone else pays for it” 
>”If I win then you’ll stop the snow and clean this all up!”
>”And when I win?”
>”Then you can take my vintage Castle of the Two Sisters play set”
>”Not something I’m terribly interested in, but we do have to move the plot along. Consider your challenge formally accepted”
>”I’ll ask you three riddles, Discord, and if you answer all three correctly then you’ll be the winner”
>”How about two?”
>”Three”
>”Two and a half?”
>”Three”
>”Oh why dost thou have to be such a party pooper? Fine. Go ahead and search through that dusty mind of yours for some real challenges”
>Discord summons a podium and graduate’s cap for himself to idly stand next to, his pose bored as he yawns
>Lily poses her  first riddle to him, pointing a hoof dramatically at him 
>This is it, time to be a hero again
>”What’s so fragile that saying its name breaks it?”
>Discord mouths his mouth but no sound comes out
>Confused, Lily approaches the Draconian closer and strains one of her ears
>The being of chaos puts on a smug look as he once again mouths his answer
>Lily sighed
>He definitely knew what the correct response was
>Before she could tell him he got it right, Discord suddenly starts having a coughing fit
>Or rather, it’s more like he’s trying to spit out a hairball like a cat does
>Eventually a full sized toad comes out of his mouth and it croaks in a dull tone before Discord discards it
>”Right then, sorry about that. Frog in my throat. As I was saying, the answer to your riddle is silence” 
>Rolling in her eyes in annoyance, Lily simply nodded 
>This was going to be difficult
>”If only my super cool friend Anon was here, he would know what to do”
>”Someone call my name?”
>Turning her head to town hall, Lily saw the man of steel wool emerge from the doors as he strides triumphantly to Discord and Lily
>”Sorry I’m late Lily, had to finish up some papers for the Mayor” 
>”It’s okay Anon, everything’s going to be okay now that you’re here! You see-”
>Just then, Discord poofs right in between the mare and the human, him facing Anon 
>”I made it snow, so Lily challenged me to a game of riddles to try and stop me. She struck out in her first swing and only has two more tries left. There, I just summed up the last five minutes in two sentences. Do I get my gold star sticker now?”
>Lily groans 
>Undeterred by Discord’s antics, Anon is ready to pose his own riddle
>”Alright Discord, if you’re so good with riddles then answer this one. There’s a man that lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every time he leaves his home, he always takes the elevator to go the first floor, but every time he goes back home, he stops at the seventh floor and walks up three levels to get to his own apartment. Why is this?”
>Discord and Anon leer at each other in a really tense way that’s really dramatic 
>But then Discord laughs
>”Easy. He’s a short, so he can reach the first floor button every time he leaves, but can only reach the seventh floor button when he gets back home” 
>All anon can do is sigh 
>”Yeah, yeah, you got it”
>”Oh ye of little brain. Please Anon, you wound me. I’m a being made out of the infinite potential of chaos and pure streams of consciousness. I invented lateral thinking. I AM lateral thinking. Well Lily, I dare say that your play set will soon be mine. Maybe I’ll color it with some markers and glue some doll heads on it or something”
>Anon and Lily looked at each other, hoping the other would have a plan of action
>But they both frowned
>This was truly their darkest moment
>Not when they had to save the Crystal Empire from the evil of King Sombra
>Or when they had to evacuate the Teddy Bear village before the stuffing monster attacked
>Or when they had to eat all the cookies that were overcooked at Sugar Cube Corner
>No, only a miracle could save Lily’s Vintage Castle of the Two Sisters playset from the 1986 Haspone Hearth’s Warming Eve Catalogue with special glow in the dark towers 
>But a miracle came
>Two in fact
>”Everything all right here, sis?” 
>”Rosie, Daisy!” Lily says excitedly
>Daisy and Roseluck trot slowly and cooly towards the two heroes as a beam of light shoots down and gives them a spotlight
>Discord puts a han to his cheek as he once again leans over his podium, uninspired
>”Don’t tell me I have to summarize the plot again. I hate it when new characters get introduced in the middle of the conflict that don’t have prior knowledge. This isn’t a moment for exposition” 
>Roseluck is the one to reply
>”I think we can gather what’s happening here, and we have the key to defeating you!”
>”Oh really, now? And what is it, the power of love between family or something along those lines?”
>”No”, Daisy states, “It’s a riddle you’ll never solve”
>”Try me” 
>”Why do they call it oven when you of in the cold food of out hot eat the food?”
>For the first time in centuries, Discord is stunned to silence
>The three sisters and Anon give brohoofs to each other
>Then, fire envelops DIscord’s head, hot enough to start melting the snow around the village but not so hot that it would burn marshmallows
>His voice screams in anger
>”That's not how these stories are supposed to go! There’s no theme or morality to take from this! All you did was ask a nonsensical question and call yourselves the victors!”
>Summer is returning as the lush greenery of the land comes back and the clouds part way, likely to get ready for Princess Celestia to swoop down and give our heroes their properly earned medals 
>The man in the black suit takes out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, also giving each mare around him their own sunglasses that match their coats as well
>”Yeah”, Anon says
>In unison, all four of them put on their sunglasses and cross their own limbs in a really cool pose as they stare at Discord
>”Deal with it”, Daisy says
>With all the snow melted from Discord’s headlamp, he gives out one last scream of anguish before disappearing is a puff of smoke
>And then every single pony came out of hiding from their homes and started to clap their hooves and cheer their names
>On cue, Celestia comes down with four medals in her mouth to bestow upon the three brave ponies and the really brave human
>She speaks in her regal and motherly tone
>”Daisy, Lily, Roseluck, and Anon. For valor and wits far above what is expected to perform in the line of duty, I give to all of you these milk chocolate gold foiled medals. Except you Daisy. I know you prefer white chocolate”
>The cheers of the crowd grow even wilder as each of the recipients are given their medal but quite down again when the Princess continues her speech
>”Thanks to all of you, the Equestrian way of life of peace, harmony, and friendship has been saved. May Ponyville forever be a home to all!”
>Home

>Home
>That's where you are right now
>Sitting on the floor of your wooden cabin just outside the village, 
>Next to you are three sisters that you regularly invite for play time now
>Roseluck as she smiles and looks to her sisters
>Daisy as she idly listens to the pretend speech given and brushing the doll that represents her 
>And of course, Lily
>Lily is using her best imitation of Princess Celestia as she wiggles it around to talk, her playset spread across the floor to use however the world of your minds see fit
>The four of you just saved the day again in your combined imaginations
>Just like how she saved you a few weeks ago
>You still have aches in your heart from time to time
>You still miss your old home
>You still want to see your sister again
>Lily has made things easier though
>She’s a pony that you can talk to, a part of your new support network
>Of course, you never get into the heavy stuff with her, it’s always about how you miss some things or how you feel sad sometimes
>But it’s enough just to have someone listen to you 
>Now you have something to look forward to every time you wake up in the morning, instead of dreading a new day, alone with just your thoughts 
>What you can be excited about is seeing Lily again, along with her sisters 
>It’s like having a sister again
>Occasionally you get dark moments, times to when you want to go back to that bridge again and...try to go back to Earth 
>But then you remember that night that Lily stopped you
>Maybe one day she’ll tell you why she was out alone in the woods too
>All you know is that you’re thankful that she was there for you, like an angel with a flower in her hair
>You felt scared, alone, and confused as to how you wanted to move forward
>But in trotted this sweet pony that chased your fears away
>You look over to a far wall at the only thing hanging from it, next to the front door
>A framed picture of a heart drawn with a crayon, red glitter covering the entire shape
>At the bottom of the picture is a single phrase written in shaky green crayon
>”Anon’s Home” 
>This is your home now, and it’s filled with love and kindness
>You’re not going to go away anytime soon
>You turn your attention back to Lily as she’s about to wrap up her Celestia speech
>You told her that bravery is facing your fears
>You were afraid that you were going to be alone for the rest of your life, surrounded by little ponies that didn’t know just what a burden reality can be
>Like walking around a field of flowers and trying your best not to accidentally stop on any of the natural bouquets
>Subsequently, you were bottling every bit of sadness that was festering in you
>She listens to you though and always has an innocent idea to cheer you up
>Sometimes it’s naps, playtime, or just simple warm hugs
>You like the hugs the most 
>Lily stops imitating the Princess and puts on a big grin that melts your heart as her sisters start to praise her storytelling abilities
>You clap your hands together too to compliment her
>There’s plenty of reasons to give her praise
>After all, She’s the most courageous pony you know
>You hope that maybe one day you’ll be just as brave as she is

The End