>Orange street lights illuminate the empty diner parking lot. >Somewhere in the distance you can hear the whine of cicadas. >It would have been a nice night for a jog if you didn’t have to work. >You turn around and make your way to the back of the building. >As you gingerly throw some garbage into the dumpster, you let out a sigh. >With that done, you are just about ready to close up. >But… you have one last thing to do. >You walk over to the steps of the back entrance and sit down, placing a paper bag beside you. >You sit in silence, not even sure if this will work. >But just as you are about to get up, you see her. >That same cream colored mare. >The first time you saw her, she was sitting in the parking lot, staring up at the streetlamps. >She looked shaken up and more than a little lost, but when you approached her, she ran before you could get a word out. >She’s been skulking around at night ever since. >Despite at first thinking she might wind up being an annoyance, you ended up growing used to her presence. >For the most part, she left the diner alone when it came to food, opting instead to scavenge around in the woods. >You’ve seen her try just about everything out in those woods, from crabapples to pinecones… to more crabapples. >You think she preferred the crabapples. >Seeing that she's here right now, maybe she got sick of them? >Or maybe she ran out. >She hasn’t seen you yet, which was a little funny seeing that she was obviously drawn by the sound of you throwing the garbage away. >She slowly makes her way to the dumpster and you watch her take a sniff, only to see her face scrunch up and her shake her head. >Despite her clear reluctance, she takes a few more steps forward. >You probably should say something before she makes herself sick. “Hey.” >She shrinks down and quickly turns to face you, eyes widened. >You can already tell she’s going to bolt if you aren’t quick. “Hold on, just wait a second! I just wanted to offer you something to eat.” >Her ears perk up a bit, so you guess that got her attention. >She follows your hand as you place it on the paper bag. “You’re hungry, right?” >Her eyes dart around the area before locking onto yours again. >You open the bag and pull out an apple. >You extend it out towards her and nod. “Here.” >You bring the apple to the floor and roll it in her direction. >Her eyes follow the apple as it slowly makes its way to her. >As it finally settled at her forehooves, she brought her head down to get a closer look. >Seemingly pleased, she picks it up with her mouth and sits down. >You watch as she wipes off the apple and turns it around in her hooves, staring at it with an indecipherable expression. >You’re not entirely sure what she's doing, but after a while, she takes a slow bite. >Something seems to click in her mind, as her face lights up and her next bite is much quicker. >You guess the apple was a good choice. >As she eats, you notice how unkempt she is. >It was harder to tell before, but now that you get a closer look at her, it’s a lot more obvious. >She looks like she’s been sleeping in a bush and with all the woodland around the diner, it wasn’t farfetched. >The twig stuck in her tail certainly completes the look. >She probably knows these woods better than you, that’s for sure. >A survivalist through and through, this one. >You wonder where she goes during the day, seeing that you’ve never seen her out before midnight. >It was… honestly baffling to behold. >A markless earth pony just milling about without any supervision. >Considering her sheepish behavior, she might be a runaway. >If that’s the case… why? >Ponies aren’t exactly prone to going off on their own without reason, after all. >You’ve thought about telling someone about her, but you wanted to figure out her deal first. >There’s something weird going on with the back of her neck, but you can’t get a good look at it because her mane is covering it up. >She finishes up the apple, leaving only the stem, which is now hanging from her mouth like a cigar. >She looks like she’s debating whether she should eat it or not. “I got more if you want, I know that’s probably not enough.” >You rummage around your bag and pull out a pair of sandwiches. >It was a hodgepodge of vegetables that you hoped would appeal to a pony. >When you look up at her again, she is eyeing you inquisitively. >Seeing that the stem is nowhere to be found, you guess she found her answer. >You hold one out to her and for once, she approaches. >She takes it from you and backs away slightly, seemingly unsure what to do now. >You gesture to your left. “You can sit by me if you want.” >She’s thinking about it, and after a moment, she nods. >She quickly makes her way up the steps and passes by you, planting herself by the back door. >There was still a wide berth between the two of you, but this was certainly progress. >It doesn’t take her long to begin eating again. >From her face, you guess she’s enjoying herself. >You look down at the remaining sandwich and wonder to yourself if you should give it a try, seeing that she likes it. >But… you think you’ll let her have it. >She looks like she needs it. >You wrap the sandwich back up and set it in the bag, which you close soon after. >You sneeze suddenly, which makes your skittish companion freeze up. >You give her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, it’s just me.” >She settles down and finishes her sandwich, now simply sitting with her back against the wall, her forehooves close to her chest. “As the guy who throws out the garbage, I can safely say that there isn’t anything worthwhile in there.” >She fidgets with her hooves as you get up and stretch. “I know it’s not much, but there’s a few more things in the bag, it’s all yours. Just make sure whatever is left makes it into the trash, alright?” >You pull back your sleeve and check your watch. >It’s way past closing, so you should probably lock up and leave. >With a sigh, you turn to her and wave. “Have a nice night and uh, try not to get in trouble.” >You start walking, but are stopped almost immediately. >You turn to see the mare with a chunk of your shirt firmly in her mouth. “What’s all this then?” >She lets go and you face her again. >She frantically tries to convey something to you through gestures, but she gets frustrated and ends up staring at the ground, dejected. >Now that you thing about it, she hasn’t said anything since you’ve met her… “Is there… something wrong with your voice?” >She quickly picks up her head and nods in succession. >She points to the back of her neck and makes a grabbing motion. Once finished, she points to you. “You want my help?” >Another nod. “I… don’t know how to fix a pony. I mean, I *did* work at a shop once bu-” >She grabs your hand with her forehooves and pulls it a bit. >Her eyes are staring at you with certainty. “Alright, I guess… I’ll take a look.” >Well, this will be interesting… >She makes herself comfortable on the steps as you kneel down next to her. “You’re… still sure about this?” >She pouts. “Look, an hour or so ago, you probably would have bit me if I got this close, and now I'm within hugging distance.” >She tilts her head. “What? Ponies are huggable!” >Her eyes narrow. >Wait, is she… confused? “Nevermind, uh, let’s just get this over with.” >She blinks a few times and then nods, resting her head on the concrete step. >You look down at the back of her mane and place your hand on it, which elicits a flinch. >It was surprisingly soft for something so clearly dirty. “If you want me to stop, just wiggle out of my grasp or something.” >She nods slowly. >You brush her mane aside and are… stumped. >What even is that? >You certainly haven’t seen this before. >There was a white patch on the back of her neck which stood out starkly compared to her usual cream coat. >It was smooth and was riddled with small holes. >It almost reminds you of a cheap speaker. >Do you just… pull it off? >You feel around the edges of the patch until you feel a pair of indentations. >You get a good grip and with a quiet *pop* the ‘panel’ comes off. >As you turn the panel around in your hands, you notice that the holes are covered by some sort of mesh. >It would make sense for it to be for waterproofing purposes, how would she clean herself otherwise? >Very carefully you suppose. >Inside is… weirdly simple. >There’s a compartment for fuses, but besides that, everything else seems like you can take it at face value. >There’s even an on switch. >...And that switch is off. >A plastic tab is sticking out of a slit next to the switch. >Is that really…? >You pull the tab out and look at it. >Yeah… that’s the sort of thing you see stuck in toys sometimes. >You stuff the tab into your pocket and look once more at the switch. >It can’t be that easy, right? >Everything is fairly straightforward so… maybe it is? >You press it and gingerly put the panel back on. >Once firmly in place, you sit up and turn to check on your uh… patient? >Yeah, let’s just go with that. >Her eyes are shut tight and she almost looks like she’s bracing for something. “Relax, it’s done… I think.” >She opens her eyes in an almost surprised manner. >She sits up and rubs the back of her neck, looking around. “How about you give it a shot? Talking, I mean.” >She turns to you and mouths something, though she stops shortly after, her ears drooping. >”At least he tried…” “Heh, well whaddya know?” >She looks up and tilts her head. >”What is he tal-” >She pauses, her eyes widening. >”...Apple.” >You give her a nod. “Yeah mare, apple.” >A mixture of happiness and confusion crosses her face. >Her voice was coming from the… speaker. >The thing on her neck is a speaker. >Now it feels kind of obvious… >”This feels weird but… it works. It- It really works!” >With her excitement boiling over, she jumps up onto her hooves. >You watch her bound around happily, rambling off random things she saw the day prior. >”T-there was a bird- no! *two* birds! And- And they were making a really pretty nest and there was a *rabbit*!” >She keeps going for a little longer until she takes a deep breath. >”Phew! Okay, okay I’m good now.” >She turns to you and beams. >“Thanks… um…” >She looks down at your shirt for a moment and resumes her grin. >”Thanks, chief!” >Chief? >You look down at badge on your shirt. >Chief Custodian >Huh, did you really forget your ID? At least it was her and not your boss who noticed… “You’re welcome! I’m glad you’re feeling a little more chipper.” >”Uh-huh! …Oh and thank you for the food, too.” “I think that was kinda implied from the other thanks.” >You get up and stretch once more before leisurely making your way to the front of the diner, a scruffy little mare on your heels. >Despite being glad she’s happy, you still can’t shake the feeling that even with how cautious she was, she was still a little too trusting. >Once you make it to the door, you turn to her. “You know, I’m surprised you’re being this chummy.” >”Chummy?” “Like friendly.” >”Oh! Well um… you’re nice.” “And how do you know I wasn’t pretending?” >She looks bewildered. >”Why would you do that?” “Well.. some people are like that. You don’t want to be around those kinds of people.” >Her ears droop slightly and she looks at the ground. >”I… I know what you mean, but…” >She raises her head. “You’re not like that.” >You fold your arms. “How can you be so sure?” >“I… Uhm…” >She paws at the ground with her hoof for a moment before suddenly perking up. >”Miss Possum and her kids! You gave them lotsa veggies! And uhm… You like animals! …L-like uhm… p-possums!” >Despite being the only example she can muster, she’s not wrong. >All you wanted to do was give her a helping hand, but… >You just don’t want her to trust every stranger she sees. >”And- And… You didn’t… It didn’t… Hurt…” >Hurt? >You focus on her again and realize how much she’s trembling. >Her breathing is funny and she looks like she might fall over at any moment. >You can tell she's trying to say something, but she keeps mumbling. >Her pained expression says it all. “Hey now, it’s alright…” >You kneel down in front of her and gently set your hand on her head. >You brush your hand through her mane slowly and she lifts her head up, staring at you through misty eyes. >You smile warmly. “Remember that thing about hugging distance?” >You wrap your arms around her and guide her into a hug. >She’s tense and shaky, but the more you hold her, the more she melts. >Soon enough, she’s limp. “Deep breaths, okay? You’re right here, right now, under all those pretty stars…” >After the longest time, you feel her slowly hug you back. >It takes quite a while, but she does eventually let go, which you follow suit. >Her face is tearstained, but she has more or less calmed down. “Feel a little better?” >”Mmhm…” “I… I won’t pretend to know what you went through, and you don’t have to tell me.” >You give her a pat on the head. “But if you need to chat, I’ll lend an ear, it doesn’t even need to be anything important.” >She rubs her eyes a moment and sniffles. “R-really?” “Really.” >”...Thank you.” “Do you… have anyone you really trust that you can go home to? I know you’ve been here awhile now but maybe I can…” >You trail off as she shakes her head. >You let out another sigh and scratch your head. “Figures.” >You get up and look over to the door of the diner. “Let me finish things up and I’ll be back.” >”Okay! Uhm I’ll- I’ll be here, chief.” >Heh, there it is again. >You let yourself inside the diner and take one last look around. >You left the garbage for last, so everything else is in tiptop shape. >But… >Aha! >You pick up a stray napkin and throw it in a bin. >A second glance is always a good thing, you’d say. >With one last sweep through the place, you lock up and meet your companion outside once more. >You weren't gone long, but in that span of time, she somehow brought the bag from the back and was sitting quietly, staring up at the streetlights. >Although, now that you don’t scare her off with your presence, you realize she’s looking up at the stars instead of the lights. >You stand next to her and look up. “They’re nice, huh?” >She nods and turns to you. >”You’re… going home?” “Well, as close as I can get.” >She lowers her eyes. >”Can…” >She fidgets in place for a moment. >”Can I come with you?” “In all honesty…” >You gesture towards your beat up old car. “That is home, at least for now.” >You strife a yawn. “Pretty soon I'll try to get an apartment in the city or… something. But until then, I'll just make due with that clunker.” >”Do you like it?” “I mean… It’s better than sleeping outside.” >”It is?” >She seems genuinely curious. “I mean, it’s nice to go camping sometimes, but I wouldn’t want to do that all the time.” >”I’m… camping?” >You turn to her. “You know what? You can sleep in the backseat if you want. I got blankets and I can at least guarantee that you won’t get rained on.” >”Really? I- I’d uhm… like that.” “Alright then… Keep up!” >The walk to the car was short and with a huff, you sit down in the driver seat. >You look back at her and see her fiddling with her seat belt. “So… how familiar are you with cars?” >Sufficiently buckled, she wiggles a little in place. >”A bit, where are we going?” “Not far, just over to a rest stop a little up the way. Do you think you’ll be okay?” >”Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, chief!” “That uh, isn’t my name.” >She blinks. >“It- It isn’t?” “Nope, it’s just a title, a bit of a tongue and cheek title, but a title nevertheless. You can call me Anon.” >”Well maybe… maybe I think you deserve a title, Anon!” >You chuckle. “If you say so, I won’t stop you, that’s for sure.” >You look back at her and smile. “How about some tunes?” >”Tunes?” “Music, I got some CDs.” >”...Sure!” >She doesn’t sound like she knows what you’re talking about, but she’s certainly enthusiastic.