Family Facade

by HumanSVD

First published 22nd of November, 2022

Anonymous thought he had it all. An honest wife, a lovely family, and a good friend...he was wrong.

After being found suddenly in Equestria via a random portal, Anonymous tries his best to adapt. Doing what every honest man does and wants, he strives for success and a good honest life. Not satisfied with gaining promotion after promotion with his new job, and ever-increasing salary with major bonuses, he seeks a wife.

He finds love with a bat pony mare, Sweet Shade, and marries her. Not long after that, they have three foals. His good friend, Eclipse Cover, has been his right-hand stallion and close confidant. He feels lucky with his new life....until an accidental discovery changes it all.

Ch1 Pt 1 The Good News

The tension in the conference room was palpable, and everypony, including the only human in Equestria, Anonymous, could feel it. A business deal involving hundreds of millions of bits was almost unheard of among anypony in the steel supply industry. Manehatten was growing, and the older buildings were no longer up to the latest building codes. It didn't help the fact that Equestria had faced numerous villains, invasions, and the occasional natural disaster that made the buildings compromised over the years.

But to Anonymous, it was an opportunity for progress and money. It blew his mind that steel existed but that most of the ponies were squandering its potential. He was determined to see steel become more integrated into Equestrian society for better uses. He also did not mind getting paid for the trouble along the way.

Anonymous would never forget seeing Tirek causing destruction a few years back. The destruction of homes Tirek laid upon the dwellings caused them to collapse too quickly. It was a miracle nopony had been killed, but it wasn't for lack of trying on the centaur's effort. It cost the ponies a lot of money to rebuild, and he had seen too many wives and foals cry at the loss of their homes while the husbands worked overtime to earn the bits.

The five business ponies sat across from Anonymous and his bat pony boss, Mr. Bagbits, and bat pony assistant, Mrs. Tap Typer, reading the terms of the deal very thoroughly. They were extremely thorough to the point that even Mr. Bagbits started sweating. His boss leaned over to Anonymous and whispered,

"I'm a bit concerned; they've been going over that proposal for over an hour. You and Mrs. Tap Typer doubled check all the details with the legal department, right?"

Anonymous confidently nodded an affirmative "Yes.", as did Mrs. Tap Typer. Even her husband, head of the design department, worked with her and Anonymous to ensure the proposal missed no detail. Even the legal department, full of freshly graduated and experienced lawyers from Canterlot Univerity, double-checked the proposal. There should have been nothing wrong with it, yet, the Night Steel Works Company's professional head honcho was sweating bullets. Anonymous had learned a lot of valuable lessons from the older bat pony stallion, and yet, here was that same stallion barely holding his composure.

Anonymous leaned in and reassured his boss in a whisper, "Don't worry; this deal is too good to pass up. They can't pass this up, and they're fools if they do. No other company can provide the same price and speed as we can. Our safety features and building designs are like no other. I took inspiration from Earth's standards, and the design department flipped their lids over it. We got this deal in the bag."

"I certainly hope you're right." Mr. Bagbits whispered back and returned his attention to the ponies across the table. The ponies, all unicorns, reviewed the proposal for another fifteen minutes before setting it down. All five of them looked at each other and nodded,

"Mr. Bagbits, we've reviewed the proposal very thoroughly. Everything seems to be fair and in order. After looking at the specifications and design of your steel plans, we've come to a consensus."

Anonymous crossed his fingers under the table, hoping it would seal the deal. The company would make millions of bits, and no doubt create more jobs for the local bat pony community where he lived and worked. Anonymous also had no doubt he would get a raise and bonus for his efforts. His time in the NSW Co. was five years and considered short by most standards. However, Anon's Master's degree in Business earned back on Earth had prepared him well for his future. He never expected his future would be in Equestria, but he wouldn't change it. He had to provide for his family, and it wasn't that far his eldest daughter would be nearing her time for college.

The head pony sat across the table, then said, "The proposal is...BUCKING GREAT!"

"Damn right, it's fucking great! FUCK YEAH! Another deal sealed!"

Anonymous smirked just as Mrs. Tap Typer sighed in relief while Mr. Bagbits sat frozen in his chair. Anonymous tapped him on the shoulder to get him out of his shocked-induced stupor. It worked as the stallion then replied, "Y-you're serious? You like it?"

The business ponies laughed before the unicorn stallion continued, "By Princess Celestia's grace, you're bucking right; we love it! We've never seen something so innovative before."

The mare beside him added, "The safety features alone are brilliant. These designs are going to revolutionize buildings as we know them. And we will be the company to build them with your steel products."

The stallion on the farthest right asked, "How soon can we finalize this deal? Please tell us there's no other company aware of this?"

As soon as the stallion's question was asked, Mr. Bagbit's confidence returned. Anonymous smirked as his boss finally re-took control of the situation.

"My fellow ponies, be at ease; you're the only company we've proposed these plans to. We can finalize everything tomorrow afternoon and begin order fulfillment. If that's all, we can meet at 3:00 PM here with our legal team. If that's all, we will see you all tomorrow!"

Anonymous turned to Mrs. Tap Typer and said, "And you were worried? I told you they'd accept. Your husband owes me five bits."

As Mr. Bagbits walked over to hoof bump and talk to the business ponies, Mrs. Tap Typer turned to Anonymous with an annoyed look. "I can't believe my husband bet against the deal. And I can't believe he made a bet at all! I'm going to talk to him later."

The older mare jumped off her chair and went over to her boss just as Anonymous added, "So, I'm still getting those five bits, right?"

She blew a raspberry at him and added, "Take it up with my husband. He owes you the money, not me."

Anonymous shooked his head while chuckling, "Real professional Tap, real professional."

Anonymous joined Mr. Bagbits and Mrs. Tap Typer, escorting and chatting with the visiting company representatives. Plenty of hoof bumps and congratulations were made before they finally left the building. As the ponies left, Anonymous' boss and assistant remained in the conference room. Mr. Bagbits produced a bottle of champagne from a small cooler. With three glasses filled, each of them took one as Mr. Bagbits made a toast.

"Today was a good day, and I propose a toast to our hard work and success!"

"Here, here!" said Anonymous.

Mrs. Tap Typer nodded as they all took a sip from the drink. Their boss added, "And to celebrate our success, I will have the company host a party at the Manehatten Conference Center. All employees and family members are invited."

"You'll get your five bits at the party Anon. I'll have him bring it there."

Mr.Bagbits was confused, "Five bits?"

"Her husband bet against my proposal idea for the company. He lost, and she's annoyed he bet against it."

The bat pony mare rolled her eyes and added, "And he's going to get an earful when I get home."

Their boss chuckled, "Well, he shouldn't gamble against the company's success. In any event, you and your husband will easily make that money back starting tomorrow."

Both the human and the older bat pony mare went wide-eyed. Neither of them could have believed what they were hearing, even though Anonymous suspected that the deal might have resulted in a pay raise. And Anonymous was right, as Mr. Bagbits added,

"Due to your hard work, you two are getting a raise added to your salary and a bonus of bits. Thank you both for your hard work; I mean it. This deal will rake in the bits for the foreseeable future. Our company is going to grow fast. And the raise and bonus are..."

Their boss told them the amount and both of them couldn't believe it. The raise was higher than he expected, and the bonus wasn't even expected. Anonymous was on the verge of jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas Day. But the man held his composure and held out a fist for this boss to hoof bump.

"Thank you, sir. I very much appreciate it."

His boss returned the hoof bump and said, "No problem; now I believe you two have spouses to break the good news too!"

The stallion gulped down the champagne and our himself another glass. Anonymous did the same and had his glass refilled, but Mrs. Tap Typer fainted and spilled her drink over the floor and on herself. Mr. Bagbits shook his head and added, "Didn't expect her to react that way, but I'm sure her husband will be happy about the news. Mr. Anonymous, would you do her a favor and help her?"

Anonymous nodded, set his glass down, and helped the older bat pony mare back up.

"I hope my wife doesn't faint. What is she doing now? I can't wait to break the news!"

---

It didn't take Anonymous that long to get home to his apartment. He got a taxi carriage the moment he walked out of the building. The stallion wasted no time in getting to his upper-scale apartment. Not only did Anonymous have an excellent paying salary, but he was lucky to get his upscale apartment when he did. When he found it, it was almost as if Princess Luna herself aligned the moon's warm luminescent light over his building. It was as if she guided him to a better place. Luxury apartments were not only hard to secure but also expensive to boot.

Fortunately, he didn't have to compete against any other pony for the apartment. Anonymous had walked up to the Apartment landlord just as the stallion was ready to list it for sale. After a quick tour and a review of the terms and rent price, Anon sealed it from any other pony who would otherwise snatch it from him. His family moved in three years ago, and his wife nearly fainted when he broke the news. His foals were ecstatic and grateful to move out of their older, less desirable apartment with a list of never resolved issues.

"My wife will faint when I tell her the good news. I can't wait to see her reaction!"

Anonymous paid the Taxi stallion and went inside the building. He took the elevator and walked into the hallway to his wonderful home. He pulled out the keys, and before he could open the door, it revealed his best friend, Eclipse Cover. The stallion wasn't super impressive; his looks were average at best, and he wasn't the fittest by bat pony stallion standards. His mane sometimes wasn't as clean as it should be, and his teeth could have had some orthodontic work done. But he was a nice guy and had been Anonymous' closest confidant, aside from his wife. Anonymous was sure if he took the time to improve himself and drop the sense of being owed a mare, he'd eventually find his own wife.

"Surprise, Anon! Before you ask, "Why are you here?" I figured we could hang out and share a night ale."

Anonymous smiled, "Oh hey, Eclipse! Sure thing, bro! I didn't expect to see you today, but I'm down for hanging out. I got some good news to share."

As Eclipse cover made his way to their fridge, Anonymous saw his wife, Sweet Shade, sitting on their couch. No matter how many years he had spent with her, Anonymous' heart skipped a beat every time he saw her. She was his rock and center in Equestria, and his life was better than ever when they married. Anonymous didn't think he would have attracted any mare's attention being a human, but to his surprise, many mares made it clear they wanted him.

He was always curious to know if it was because he was an exotic guy, if Equestria had too many young single mares, or if they were merely a more open-minded society. In any event, he didn't have a problem getting a date. The only issue was that he didn't click with many of them. There was one mare, a rookie cop at the time, that he thought was a promise, but she lost touch with him. Anonymous never saw her again, but he wished she was safe and happy regardless of why she never showed up to their last date. He could have remained a bachelor and bedded a couple of mares (which he had on a few one-night stands), but he didn't want that life. Ever since Anonymous was a young boy, he knew he wanted to live a simple, honest, and happy married life.

Never in a million years would the man have suspected he would wind up with a pony, lest in another world of all places. But he had all he could ever want and had it all with Sweet Shade, the mare of his dreams. She was beautiful to him with her blond mane in a blunt bob with bangs mane-cut, blonde tail, soft violet coat, and beautiful dark emerald bat eyes. Even as an older mare, she maintained a fit figure and had a screaming plot. She had volleyball on her flanks for a cutie mark. Anonymous tried playing against her on the beach in a "stallions vs. mares" volleyball contest. The stallions never had a chance in Tartarus with her on the mare's team.

Many stallions told Anonymous numerous times that he had quite a catch for a wife. And to top it off, she had a fantastic personality to match. She was practical, grateful, and cooperative with Anonymous when a problem or disagreement arose. Even when the rare spousal verbal fight broke out, they always agreed to go to bed early and cuddle to deal with it in the morning. The idea worked, and an equitable compromise was always reached. She was gentle with their foals and firm when she needed to be. He had the utmost confidence and respect for her ability to raise their foals when he was at work.

She shared many of the same interests and loved him in the sack. Anonymous had also slept with a few women back on Earth, but neither the women nor the mares he previously slept with could come close to her. Even if the hottest woman in the world bent over for him, he'd go to Sweet Shade every time.

"It's true what the stallions have told me. Once you go mares, nothing compares!"

For some reason, she was avoiding eye contact with him. This behavior was out of the ordinary for her. She would greet him with a smile, a hug, and a nuzzle whenever he came home and show off her cute fangs. Anonymous commented her fangs were pretty on their first date. Sweet Shade had made it a point to show them off to him to please him. As he took his suit top off and put it on the wall hook, he asked,

"Babe, is everything okay? You look lost in thought."

She nodded and continued to avoid eye contact with him. Anonymous walked over and bent down on his knees, meeting her at eye level. He raised her head, and she finally looked at him with her emerald-colored eyes. Anonymous was slightly disturbed as she looked almost sad or guilty. He had no idea why but the man smiled at her and gave Sweet Shade a soft, romantic kiss. This was enough to snap her out of her strange state and put a smile on her face.

With her cute fangs now visible, Anon's heart skipped a beat, and he smiled back at her. "Now there's the beautiful wife I know!"

Sweet Shade kissed him again and asked, "Thanks, honey, now what's the good news?"

Anonymous beamed a smiled before saying, "Well, you remember that deal I've been talking about, right?"

His wife nodded as Eclipse Cover put two wooden mugs on the marble countertop and opened up two bottles of the night ale. Eclipse Cover asked, "Is that the big steel deal you've been trying to get going? Something about getting construction companies to use them more or something?"

Anonymous nodded, "Yup, that's the one! And well...they accepted our offer."

Sweet Shade gave him a surprise hug and nuzzled Anonymous' neck. "Oh, honey! I'm so happy for you! I'll bet Mr. Bagbits was very happy too!"

As she let go of her husband, Sweet Shade smiled at Anonymous. The man smiled and continued, "He is, and I am happy too. Mr. Bagbits was so damn happy that he gave me a raise."

Sweet Shade's eyes went wide upon hearing the news, and Anonymous smirked at her reaction. He continued, "And I haven't gotten to the good part."

Eclipse Cover finished pouring the ale into mugs and put them on a small tray. He walked over to Anonymous with three legs and held the tray with his hoof like a waiter. He was careful and deliberate with the tray carrying ale, ensuring not to spill on their luxurious carpet imported from Saddle Arabia. Before Eclipse Cover could make it to Anonymous, the man finished, "Well, you see honey, the raise is 250,000 bits."

The room went silent as Anonymous dropped the news of the raise. Sweet Shade and Eclipse Cover couldn't believe it, as Anonymous had already made more money than most ponies in Manehatten. They were technically considered upper middle class, despite having a higher-class apartment. Sweet Shade was the first to break the silence as she asked, "So that's your new salary? One hundred fifty thousand thousand bits a year?"

Anonymous laughed as she asked the question. The man was already making 200,000 Bits a year. Even after taxes (which were way less than New York or California's taxes), they were still doing good, despite the higher cost of living in their area. Sweet Shade was annoyed at his laughing and asked, "What's so bucking funny?"

"Oh, ponies are incredibly PG-rated, aren't they?"

Anonymous stopped laughing and answered, "No, that's 250,000 ADDED to my current salary. My new salary is 450,000 Bits a year."

Now it was Eclipse Cover's turn to be shocked, "Dude, that's a lot of Bits. How big was this bucking deal?"

The man turned to the stallion and took his mug full of ale. The very dark, almost black as the night ale was still foaming in the mug, and the man took a sip. It looked almost like Guinness, but it tasted radically different. It was just as good as any finely crafted beer back on Earth and one of the few things he was grateful for in Equestria. Anonymous enjoyed the taste and replied,

"Big deal, it's a huge deal. We are talking hundreds of millions of bits big. I'm telling you, homes and buildings will be sturdier and more rigid. Villains of Equestria will have a more challenging time destroying stuff from here on out."

The man took one more sip of the delicious ale and added, "That's not even the best part, though; I also got a bonus that will be deposited to our account tomorrow afternoon."

The man took another sip before Sweet Shade asked, "Don't keep me waiting, Anonymous! How much?!"

The man grinned as he said, "500,000 Bits."

Eclipse Cover stumbled and almost dropped his mug but managed to catch himself before he could. Sweet Shade's eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. Anonymous took his free hand, pushed her jaw back up, and gave her another kiss. His wife closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensual and loving kiss. Her face was beet red, and she replied in a way Anonymous did not expect. The mare put her hooves in her face and started sobbing.

"Woah, I did not think this how she would react. I wonder what the hell is wrong?"

Sweet Shade continued crying, and before Anonymous could ask, Eclipse Cover interrupted, "Woah, this is...good news. I should go and let you guys celebrate. She seems to be a bit overwhelmed by the news. Congrats again, bro! See you later, Sweet Shade!"

The mare's crying picked up even more as Eclipse Cover made his way out. Her crying was now bordering on hysteria, and just as Anonymous tried to hug her, Sweet Shade pushed him away. The man was now at a loss as to why his wife was unhappy. Before he could ask further, she suddenly started shouting, "Why?! What do you see in me?! I don't deserve you! I'm a garbage pony! I'm a worthless mare who doesn't deserve you or deserve to benefit from your success! I'm-"

Anonymous put a finger over her mouth and silenced her. He held her in a hug, and Sweet Shade cried into his shoulder. Anonymous could feel her tear soaking his white undershirt, but he grabbed her tight. He rubbed his fingers through her mane and back, doing his best to soothe her. It worked as she let go and made eye contact with her. He wiped away a few tears from her eyes and held a hand on her cheek.

"Sweets, I don't know what's wrong, but I know that whatever it is, you will always have me. I fell in love with you long ago because you were always there to listen to me. You always valued me for me. None of the other mares I dated came close to what you gave me. Don't ever doubt my love for you, please. Every day I go out that door, it's for you and our foals. Am I yours forever."

Sweet Shade sniffled before Anonymous moved in and kissed her. She returned his kiss with her tongue and explored his mouth with a fiery passion. Despite the taste of ale in his mouth, she enjoyed every second and moaned with loving affection. Anonymous put his fingers through her mane once more before they separated. A strand of saliva was between their lips before Anonymous wiped it away.

Sweet Shade's breathing was heavy, and her wings made a "POMF!" noise. She flushed beet red as Anonymous smiled; he knew she had become aroused. The man asked, "Are the foals asleep?"

Sweet Shade nodded and added, "They are at my parent's apartment tonight. They hadn't seen them in a month, so I took them there earlier. I plan on picking them up tomorrow."

Anonymous gave her one more kiss before saying, "Good." Before she could react, Sweet Shade found her picked up by Anonymous and held in his strong arms. Despite having a white-collar job, the man prioritized fitness and maintained a robust and fit physique. Any creature in Equestria could tell he was a man not to be messed with in a fight, almost as fit as a Minotaur bull.

Sweet Shade made an "EEP!" squeal as he carried her to their bedroom. Anonymous threw her on the bed as he quickly ripped his shirt off and took his pants and shoes off with lightning speed which impressed her. Sweet Shade's wings continued to be unfurled and were stiff at the sight of a now-naked Anonymous. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes were filled with a loving lust for her human husband.

"H-Honey, what are you-" asked Sweet Shade.

Anonymous grinned and interrupted her by saying, "I'm doing you. More importantly, I'm MAKING LOVE to you. And you're doing enjoy it until you can't walk. You're also going to be FILLED by me."

Sweet Shade couldn't respond before Anonymous jumped her like a hungry lion. Their lovemaking lasted two hours before Sweet Shade fell asleep in Anonymous' loving embrace. The moon's warming glow pierced through the window and shined over the married couple as they drifted asleep. Sweet Shade's sadness was replaced with love, and the man felt all was right in Equestria. Neither of them had slept this well in a long time.

Author's Notes:

Things are awesome for Anonymous! Dude loves to win and loves his wife! Stay tuned for another chapter for Family Facade! Hope you guys and gals like it!

Ch 1 Pt2 Picking up da' Foals

Anonymous woke up at 6:00 am and made his way to the kitchen. The man, much to the annoyance of his family, always woke up early. Bat pones never were fans of the morning, for obvious reasons. But Anonymous didn’t care; he loved being consistent in his sleep schedule as much as possible. It was also an excellent opportunity to get ready for the day without everypony else getting in his way.

He always took his morning vitamins, protein shake, and green vegetable powder mix to keep his body well-regulated. Diet and fitness were a priority for the man as he cranked out his morning sit-up and push-up routine. After quickly knocking his sets out, the man prepared breakfast for himself and his wife.

A simple bowl of oatmeal mixed with butter and brown sugar, with a variety of chopped fruit, a cup of coffee, and a cup of whole milk. It was a well-balanced breakfast for any bat pony or human, though Anonymous wished he could have bacon and sausage now and then.

”I should have made a southwest-style skillet. Damn, I miss Denny’s!”

The man took the tray of food to his wife, who peacefully lay in bed still. The scent of oatmeal and coffee stirred her sense of smell and woke her. Sweet Shade wiped her eyes, adjusted her vision, and noticed her husband holding a breakfast tray. Despite having been married and around bat ponies for a long time, Anonymous still found it interesting how bat pony eyes worked. It was not unlike a cat’s eye, and his wife’s green eyes made it all the merrier. He also loved Sweet Shade’s mane style, making her stand out amongst the other bat pony mares.

Most other bat pony mares had a dark blue or black colored mane and tail, along with yellow eyes. Their fur coats were usually gray, but Sweet Shade had an attractive soft violet coat. It reminded him of the violet-colored night skies that Equestria had from time to time. Her blonde mane in a blunt bob style just happened to be his favorite type that a lady could have. He also thought it was adorable his eldest daughter took after her mane style. However, she had decided to grow it a little longer than most other fillies her age. All of his foals had blonde manes and tails.

Anonymous had at least expected that one of them would have a black mane and tail similar to his hair. However, her genetics won out in that department. Everypony had green eyes, the same color as his and her eyes. He was also surprised none of them came out as human. The crossbreeding potion was very expensive and usually required a doctor’s visit to discuss potential health issues for the foals. It took a while, but it eventually worked as advertised. The Doctor explained that while it was rare for different species to have foals, the offspring usually came out as whatever species the mother was.

If the mother was a pony, the foal usually came out as a pony but with characteristics borrowed from the father species. Although very rare, the offspring came out as a hybrid. The Hippogriff race was a prominent example of such. The Doctor also said that the chances of the foal having the father species’ body was about 30 percent. Anonymous was disappointed he didn’t have a child of at least one human body, but it didn’t matter in the long run. Those foals were his, and nothing would ever change that.

He was eternally grateful she birthed all of them for him, and he made it his mission to give her the best in life. She avoided a cesarian section with all her foals, reasoning that she didn’t want a scar making her ugly for him. Sweet Shade believed stretch marks were the least bad option, despite natural birth being more painful.

Anonymous would never have perceived a scar would ruin her beauty, but she didn’t change her mind. As Anonymous rose on the company ladder, they could afford the latest anti-baby stretch mark treatment that was all the rage. It was expensive, but Anonymous wanted the best for his wife. The remedy worked, and nopony could tell that she had foals. It was well worth the ten thousand bits spent, and he enjoyed the benefits in bed with her.

”She deserves the best, and the best sometimes comes as simple things, like breakfast!”

None of their foals had any health issues, and Anonymous was grateful magic provided the chance for him to have offspring. The potion cost him a thousand bits per bottle, and he had to save up money every time. He considered himself lucky; the potions ran an average of three thousand bits per bottle due to the complexity and rare ingredients required. He was grateful the potion didn’t cost as much due to his friend Eclipse Cover sourcing it for him. Eclipse Cover ran a private ingredient business and seemed to do well for himself.

This was especially helpful since Anonymous’s pay was mediocre when Sweet Shade tried to conceive with him. They also had to buy extra fertility boosters to ensure their chances remained high. They were also sourced from Eclipse Cover at a better price. Before coming to Equestria, Anonymous had his sperm count checked, and the doctors on earth told him he had a very high count. He thought the extra fertility supplements were unnecessary but having foals was a serious business. Both he and Sweet Shade wanted them badly, and she made it clear she wanted to carry his foals and not adopt.

Anonymous smiled, knowing his swimmers and her eggs made excellent foals that every parent would be proud of. He greeted his wife as she sat up in bed.

“Good morning, babe. I made you breakfast.”

Sweet Shade frowned a second before smiling at Anonymous. The man didn’t understand why his wife had been acting strange recently, but he brushed the concern off. Her smile returned as she said, “Wow! Thank you, honey! It looks delicious! You even sprinkled the brown sugar like they do in restaurants!”

Anonymous grinned at the compliment and was satisfied his efforts at the small details were appreciated. He had recently taken up some cooking classes on his ever-increasing days off and flexible work schedule. He was considered to be amongst the elite of the company employees, and being elite came with special privileges. Anonymous chose to use some of that free time to improve himself, and taking cooking classes was a good way.

Anonymous set the breakfast down on the bed and kissed her. The mare blushed as he winked and said, “You’re welcome, babe. I’m going to shower and get dressed so we can pick up our foals from your parents.” The man took off his underwear and set it in the hamper in the corner of the room. The man turned around and noticed she was looking at his “plot.”

”I’m still laughing my ass off at pony’s words. Oh well, when in Rome and all that shit.”

Anonymous smacked his fit and gorgeous glutes before winking and saying, “Enjoy the view, honey. You married this delicious man plot.”

Anonymous grinned as he walked away and made his way into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and shaved before starting the water in their new luxury glass shower. As Anonymous began to wash, he heard the door open and noticed his wife joining him.

The mare smiled as she said, “Got room for one more?”

Anonymous grinned and nodded before moving out of the shower and letting his wife get soaked. Her mane and tail were wet, making Anonymous erect. His wife knew the thought the wet mane look was sexy, and she seductively winked at him. Without warning, her tail was lifted from her private parts. She exposed herself to Anonymous and used one of her front hooves to move a plot cheek. She spread herself and invited Anonymous by saying, “You’re not the only one with a nice plot. I know you LOVE this juicy plot and my hot threstral pussy. Now stick that thick human stallion meat stick of yours in me...NOW. Use your wife like the good little servant she is.”

If Anonymous wasn’t fully erect, he was now. He grabbed his cock and used his hand to grab one of her plot cheeks. She moaned, feeling his fingers holding her as he carefully aimed it toward her.

He grinned and said, “I’m going to wreck you. Enjoy it, obedient slave wife!”

Their happily married but lustful encounter lasted an unexpected hour. The mess they made took longer to clean than expected.

---

After cleaning up the dishes and finishing breakfast, Anonymous and Sweet Shade made their way outside their apartment again. Since it officially fell, the temperature outside was colder than expected. Anonymous and Sweet Shade completely forgot to read the local Manehatten newspaper they were subscribed to. The section in the back usually covered the planned weather from Cloudsdale, along with the expected temperatures.

Anonymous and Sweet Shade had to return to their apartment to gather their fall clothing. Since it was the weekend, Anonymous elected to wear his fall cargo pants in dark grey solid color. He elected to wear a simple dark green hoodie and wore thin black gloves to cover his fingers from the cold air.

Sweet Shade wore her black saddle, her black scarf, and her black ushanka-looking fur cap. In addition, she wore expensive fur boots covering her hooves. Anonymous, many years ago, would have scoffed at the idea of purchasing such costly things, but he was now officially upper class. The man loved succeeding and never ceasing to strive for his purpose.

He could only hope to be an excellent example for his foals and wanted neither of them to settle or aim low in life. The walk to the tram station wasn’t long, and they paid for the more excellent and safer car. Anonymous had paid a yearly pass for the higher-end tram rides and initially didn’t want to. His wife insisted it was worth paying for more marvelous things when they could afford them.

Anonymous eventually caved in, and he had to admit that nice things were nice when they could get them. The tram car was not only cleaner, but it was quieter and safer. It made not having to drive a car a pleasant experience, and Sweet Shade was amazed when Anonymous told her how humans traveled back on earth. His foals, most notably his son, thought Anonymous came from a futuristic world full of wonders and marvels galore. Anonymous laughed and said the charm would wear out if he experienced the day-to-day life on earth, but his son would have none of it.

Anonymous drew as many sketches as he could for his son, Moon Flash, who always showed them off at school. His son was in many ways like him when Anonymous was a boy. He took liked cars, trucks, trains, and planes as well. Except for trains, none of those existed in Equestria. Anonymous had seen one or two very primitive propeller planes, but they were rare. Most aircraft were balloon ships, all fantasy-like in appearance. His son believed human transportation devices were superior to Equestrian-made ones.

In addition to his interests, video games were now becoming a thing in Equestria; however, they were SNES quality at best. Most video games were found in arcades, some of which were similar to earth games. They reminded him of being a kid again whenever he took his foals to the arcade. Anonymous couldn’t have asked for a better son, who also had a funny sense of humor. His grades were good enough, though he could improve a little in some areas.

”Their video games will get better over time. I’m still upset there’s no PC master race, though. I need to get Moon Flash into RPGs, though. He will miss out if I don’t steer him into the good stuff.”

Sweet Shade laid her head upon Anonymous’s lap as she ran his fingers through her clean mane. The sound of the tram was gentle, providing a nice white noise in their private room. Anonymous could only wonder how his daughters were doing right now. His middle child was probably the most excellent, sweetest little filly, or girl, for that matter, he had ever known. His youngest daughter, Eventide, always ran to her daddy, happiest as she could be whenever he came home.

She always liked to collect flowers whenever possible and was into the typical filly stuff. She also never asked for much, only a new mane ribbon or flowers here and there. All were cheap, even if Anonymous could afford much more. Her school grades were fantastic, earning all straight As, and well behaved in class with a good set of friends.

She also liked to make everypony smile whenever possible, and her mother called her the “brightest little moon of the night.” Anonymous had to agree; she was a warm, bright moon wherever she went. Anonymous and Sweet Shade would have to give her the talk seeing how she was about to hit puberty soon. He dreaded that talk, but Sweet Shade would be there to help him. Anonymous also wanted to clarify that she needed to be careful around colts and not trust everypony in Equestria.

This also brought his thoughts to their eldest foal and daughter, Glisten Sheen. She had been not too dissimilar from Eventide, but in recent years she had changed. She started embracing the pony equivalent of the “goth” style. His sister on earth did the same thing, forcing him to take her to Hot Topic. Anonymous hated it and wished he could burn down every store, but his sister had very hot friends. She knew this and dangled hooking him up, provided he drove her around town. Anonymous begrudgingly agreed, but he did get some ass from her friends for his troubles.

His daughter embraced not only the look but the attitude as well. It was an annoying parallel trend; she had claimed to be in “pain” but never elaborated. The man could only guess it was her expressing himself. Still, it got annoying as she came off as ungrateful for the lifestyle he provided.

The “woe is me!” and the “my heart aches” started driving him up the wall, but his wife stopped it from getting out of hand. Her grades were also mediocre, which annoyed the Tartarus out of him. Her cutie mark was a beaker with a green liquid representing her special talent in chemistry. Her talent had enormous career potential, and Anonymous wanted her to pursue it after high school.

With how Anonymous produced new and innovative ideas, it was only a matter of time before non-magical solutions became more viable. Earth’s knowledge of chemicals and their applications quite frankly blew Equestria’s knowledge out of the water, sans the field of Apothecary. If she genuinely used her special talent, she could provide for herself, pursue other hobbies, and have plenty of money to provide for a future family. He knew that, eventually, she would want one, seeing how she wanted to be like her mother.

”I need to discuss her long-term goals and desires. This pseudo pity party has gone on long enough.”

Anonymous and Sweet Shade enjoyed the view of the tram as it moved through the city with the most scenic route. Anonymous laughed when he learned that Manhattan existed after meeting Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. It caused great confusion among the Princesses, and he felt like a jerk, but he explained how a similar city was back on earth. The Princesses rolled their eyes but accepted his explanation nonetheless. When he was discovered, Guards brought him before the Princesses upon realizing he was a human. Not since the days of Megan the Great had Equestria seen a human.

The Princesses clarified that he was not in trouble and apologized for any bad impressions the Guards had made. They instead wanted to help any human who had wandered into their lands once again. Ponykind owed its existence to humans long ago and was never forgotten. Because of this, Anonymous felt grateful for the Princesses assisting him in integrating into Equestria.

Manehatten was his speed, and he didn’t regret choosing it, even if it was a comical equine version of Manhatten. The Statue of Marica made Anonymous facepalm when he first saw it. He practically groaned in annoyance and called it a “Shameless Rip-off” when he first saw it.

Just as the tram passed a building, Anonymous saw the statue in the distance. What was once an annoyance was now a slice of his new home, making him smile every time he saw it. He still remembered when the family visited the park and got the picture taken. Eclipse Cover, for some reason, just happened to be there, but Anonymous felt it wasn’t a big deal to let him join the photo. The day was a good memory, and he needed to cherish it.

The tram stopped at their destination, and a short walk later, they made it to her parent’s apartment complex. The place wasn’t a bad spot; it was better than their old apartment in what could be considered a “middle-class” area. The area was relatively clean and safe, making it a decent area for an older married couple. They made their way to the top floor via the elevator and walked to the end of the hall. The man and his mare could hear laughter on the other side of the door, making the couple smile at each other. Anonymous knocked on the door, which his mother-in-law opened.

The bat pony mare was around her late 50s, not really old but just around the corner of the senior citizen range. She, too, had a soft violet coat like Sweet Shade, a common trait amongst the female lineage. Her mane was also blonde but was more or less fading into a soft white, with her mane held in a nurse’s bun.

The older matriarch mare had just retired from nursing and was happy to spend time with her grand foals for the rest of her life. Her eyes were also green and had a syringe for a cutie mark. His mother-in-law, Sundown Soft, always was friendly to him and welcoming. She was delighted Anonymous provided him with foals and was generally open-minded. She welcomed them,

“Anonymous! Welcome back! I hope things have been good for you!”.

The mare gave Anonymous a warm hug before turning to her daughter.

“Awww! My little sweety!”

The mare hugged her daughter, making Sweet Shade smile.

“Hi, mom! I’m here to get my foals.”

The mare let go and made a playful pout.

“Aww! Already? Just let me have them another day.”

Sweet Shade shook her head but smiled again, “Sorry, mom, it’s my turn to get them back. I promised my daughters to take them to the movies today.”

Anonymous groaned since he knew what movie they were going to watch. It was another run of the mil bat pony romantic comedy, a dull and predictable film. Anonymous had no doubt it was one of those movies with terrible writing, with the only saving grace of having attractive actors and actresses. Moon Flash had the same opinion and had asked his dad to take him to the arcade. Anonymous was happy to oblige as he wanted to play games too.

”My son and I will have REAL fun. Not that lame estrogen snooze fest.”

Sweet Shade was annoyed at her husband and lightly punched him.

“Oh, stop it! Our movies are great. It’s not our fault you have bad taste.”

Anonymous rolled his eyes before replying, “Nah, Moon flash and I prefer real fun. You ladies can watch that movie...What was it called again?”

“Afterlight. A romantic movie about a forbidden love between two thestrals, with funny situations along the way.”

”Called it.”

“Sounds like a cookie-cutter crap film. Moon Flash and I will have real fun, the right way, at Planet Arcade.”

Sweet Shade stuck her tongue out and said, “Of course, you two will. Typical colts, only interested in points and winning.”

Before Anonymous could reply, Sundown Soft motioned them inside. The man let his wife go first, closing the door behind him. He noticed his father-in-law having a flower crown planted on his head. The older thestral was not amused but went along to make his granddaughter happy. Eventide giggled as she sat it on his head and said, “See, pappy? You’re the King! Hooray!”

“Woohoo!” said the elder thestral in an unamused tone.

Moon Flash laughed while Glisten Sheen rolled her eyes and sat in a corner reading a teenage filly magazine. He could tell it was of the goth variety and mentally rolled his eyes. Anonymous then turned his attention back to the youngest daughter and said, “What about me? Am I not the King and you the Princess?”

Eventide turned around and shouted, “Daddy!” before running immediately over to Anonymous. The filly hugged him and said, “I missed you, daddy!”

The man knelt and picked her up, hugging her with love.

“I missed you too, my little lunar princess.”

Anonymous received a nuzzle from Eventide, which he returned. After setting his daughter down, Sweet Shade also gave her a nuzzle before turning her attention to Moon Flash. The colt took notice of his parents and waved hello to his dad, trying his best to ignore his mother. It didn’t work as his mother pointed a hoof to the spot before him and commanded him to come to her with a slight glare. The colt groaned before walking over and receiving a kiss on his cheek with a nuzzle. He blushed in embarrassment as his Eventide giggled at him, making Moon Flash stick his tongue out in retaliation.

“Knock it off, you two!” commanded Sweet Shade. “Be nice to each other, or neither of you will get to go out today.”

The brother and sister nodded as Sundown Soft turned her attention to Glisten Sheen. The elder mare asked, “Well, Ms. Sheen, are you not going to greet your parents?”

The teenage filly set the magazine down and huffed before saying, “Hey.”

Sweet Shade and Anonymous hated indifferent greetings. Sundown Soft then commanded, “Glisten Sheen! You will show your parents respect this instant! I did not tolerate this kind of behavior from your mother when she was a filly, and I’ll not tolerate such behavior from you! Come over and give your parents the respect and love they deserve!”

Glisten Sheen’s eyes widened as she immediately walked over when ordered. The matriarch mare was kind and gentle, but the punishment was not light when she was crossed. Glisten Sheen knew the older mare had no scruples to hoof out a nasty flank spanking. The teenage filly refused to be embarrassed before her family in such a way.

Most thestral families had no issue with corporal punishment compared to the other pony races. It had been a long time since punishment of this type was hooved out in their family. However, Sundown Soft reminded her grand foals the option was still on the table if they misbehaved. Glisten Sheen went over to her mother and nuzzled her, who returned it with love.

To anonymous, it seemed as if his oldest daughter did not want to nuzzle her mother. Anonymous figured it was just the typical teenage phase, though her goth style did her no favors. The teenage filly then turned to her dad, embarrassed at what would happen next.

“H-hey, dad. Do we have to”

She didn’t get to finish as Anonymous effortlessly picked up his eldest daughter and hugged her. His muscular upper body strength made it easy to lift her, and her efforts to squirm out of his grasp were in vain. The man kissed her cheeks and nuzzled her, making her blush. The younger foals were holding in laughter, doing their best to behave at the comical sight. Glisten Sheen then said, “Okay, dad! I get it! I love you too.”

The teenage filly nuzzled him back and was set down when Anonymous was satisfied. After Glisten Sheen adjusted her disheveled mane, Anonymous turned his attention to his father-in-law. Despite giving him three grand foals and providing the best for them and his daughter, the older stallion never got along with him.

Anonymous was curious whether it was because he was not a bat pony or their personalities differed too much. The stallion was a retired infrastructure safety inspector for the City of Manehatten with having served in the Lunar Royal Guard before that. Anonymous hoped their shared knowledge of buildings and construction would build a bond or common respect.

But that was not the case, as Stalwart Stealth never warmed up to him. The stallion wasn’t hostile, nor did he disrespect the man, but their conversations were neutral and basic. He always felt his eyes scrutinizing him, which annoyed the man.

”I need to talk to him someday; I’ve more than earned this stallion’s respect.”

“Stalwart Stealth, I take it they behaved well?”

With his typical thestral yellow eyes, the stallion locked onto the man and slightly narrowed his eyes at him. He merely responded, “They did. My wife and I had a good time. It would be nice if they came over more often, you know...”

”Is that what he’s pissed off about? It’s only been one month since they’ve been here last time. My in-laws aren’t that old, for crying out loud. They could always come over to our house. I might as well tell them they’ll get their wish.”

Anonymous nodded before replying, “I gotcha. And to tell you the truth, you’ll get your wish soon. Sweet Shade and I have a party tomorrow night. Our foals will need to stay with you and Sundown.”

The elder thestrals both smiled, hearing the news. Stalwart Stealth asked, “Of course, we’d love for them to stay the night again. But may I ask what’s the party about? It isn’t this often we get to see our grand foals again so soon.”

Anonymous was eager to brag to the stallion and hoped to show off as a high-value son-in-law. Anonymous smirked before saying, “Well, it’s because the company secured a very high-priced deal. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of Bits, and the company is celebrating. And to top that off, I got a raise of 250,000 Bits added to my salary of 200,000 Bits.”

Moon Flash and Eventide jumped up and down and cheered.

“Good job, daddy! You’re amazing!” beamed Eventide.

Moon Flash smashed his hooves and made a loud hoof clap. He then cheered, “Cool! Yes! Hoo-yeah! My dad is making it rain! So full of win!”

Even Glisten Sheen genuinely smiled at her dad, and it warmed him to know his oldest was happy about his success. Her smiles were almost a rarity these days, and Anonymous would take them whenever he could get them. The senior stallion stared at Anonymous and made neither a comment nor changed his poker face. Sundown Soft then cheered, “Wow! That’s so wonderful, Anonymous! I’m thrilled to hear you’re doing well in your career. I’ll bet my daughter is very proud of you.”

Sweet Shade rubbed up against Anonymous and said, “You got that right, mother! I’m so proud of my stallion! But that’s not even the best part. Go on, honey, tell them the rest.”

Stalwart Stealth turned his attention back to Anonymous and asked, “And? What else is there?”

Anonymous grinned as he said, “A bonus of 500,000 Bits.”

The room went silent as everypony went quiet as the man said, “Not a joke. A year’s salary added today, and it should have dropped in the bank an hour ago.”

The room cheered in celebration; even Glisten Sheen jumped in celebration before hoof stomping in applause for her dad. Stalwart Stealth’s jaw dropped, and Anonymous was finally happy to surprise his father-in-law. After the room settled down, the stallion got out of his couch and walked over to Anonymous. He held a hoof and said, “Well, good work Anonymous. I’m glad you’re a success; it’s good to know my daughter and grand foals are being given nothing but the best.”

”FINALLY! I finally got this guy’s respect.”

The man took the stallion’s hoof and shook it. An exchange of respect had finally happened between the two, and the man felt like another achievement was made. Anonymous said, “And your daughter and grand foals won’t receive anything but less than the best.”

Stalwart Stallion then nodded before returning to his couch to sit down. Moon Flash asked, “Does this mean I can get a new game?”

”Ooh, maybe I should have told them that when the foals weren’t around. Oh well.”

“Get your grades up, and we’ll see about it.”

Instead of whining, his son agreed and said, “Sure thing, dad! I’ll work hard for it.”

Anonymous held out a closed fist for his son to hoof bump, which he eagerly did. Sweet Shade told her foals, “Okay, now I want all of you to grab your cold weather saddles, scarves, and hats. It’s cold outside today.”

The foals did as they were told, and Sundown Soft gave each of her grand foals a hug before they left. Anonymous waved goodbye before saying, “We’ll drop them off tomorrow afternoon. See you two tomorrow!”

Sundown Soft waved goodbye while Stalwart Stealth gave the nod.

As the foals ran ahead to the elevator, Anonymous told his wife, “That went well. I finally got your dad’s respect.”

Sweet Shade kept her eyes focused on her foals as they reached the elevator. Moon Flash kept mashing the button while Glisten Sheen told him to knock it off. His wife replied, “You know my father doesn’t hate you because you’re a human, right?”

Anonymous snapped his fingers at Moon Flash after he ignored Glisten Sheen’s order, and his antics stopped. The oldest foal was about to turn 16 and only had a short time until her high school graduation. She was expected to watch over her siblings whenever their parents weren’t around. For the most part, she did a good job, even though it annoyed her being the one in charge. Anonymous hoped spending time at the arcade would expend his son’s plentiful energy.

Anonymous asked, “Then why does he always make the bare minimum conversations with me? He’s always watching and looking at me like I don’t belong with you. You’d think after 15 years and 3 healthy foals, he’d have passed the “What are you doing with my daughter?!” phase.”

Sweet Shade shook her head before saying, “He just wants his daughter to be happy. I’m sure you’d never stop asking for the best in Eventide and Glisten Sheen.”

Anonymous replied, “And our son as well. I see your point, but it’s just annoying as Tartarus.”

”You know you’ve been here long enough when you use pony words too damn much.”

Sweet Shade and Anonymous finally caught up with their foals and made their way down to the lobby. The tram ride was nice as the calming white noise of the private car tempered the energy of their foals. About 25 minutes later, the tram arrived at the Manehatten Recreation Complex. Anonymous thought the ponies could have just called it a “Mall” and been done with. Nevertheless, it had many things one would expect in a North American mall. The Planet Arcade and the Manehatten Mega Cinema were inside, making it easy for the family to split and go to their planned activities.

The foals didn’t stray far from their parents, who followed close behind. Many families, couples, singles, and workers were moving about in the Mall. Anonymous did have to admit when it came to malls, the ponies ignored the efficient symmetrical, square-shaped buildings that most were on earth. To Anonymous, the complex was almost like an entertainment park in its own right.

The Equestrians usually went out of their way to give off that fantasy appearance and to make their buildings pleasing to the eyes as much as possible. The walls were adorned with various Equestrian-inspired art, with enchanted glowing lights and a pleasant perfume scent that Anonymous was sure the ponies put in the vent system.

The man had wished other malls on earth went out of their way to make it a fun trip. When he was a kid in the early 90s, the malls were fun with neon lights and sounds. Online shipping came along and killed them off for the most part. This ruined having an excuse to get out of the house. As the foals “ooohh’d!” and “awww’d!” at the shops, the movie theater and the arcade came into view. The foals turned around and waited for their parents to join them.

Anonymous looked at his wife and said, “Well, are you ready to watch that movie and feel your marely feelings?”

Sweet Shade responded, “Yup, I’m gonna be the merriest mare, whoever mare’d. You colts, stay out of trouble. Be sure to let our son win a few games.”

Anonymous grinned and said, “Oh, don’t worry. I’m gonna teach him my skills of winning. Have to prepare the next one to take the torch.”

The man leaned down and kissed his wife. Eventide gushed while Moon Flash again stuck his tongue out in a gagging noise. Glisten Sheen frowned and looked away, appearing depressed at the loving sight. This caught Anonymous’ attention, and the man-made another mental note to talk to his oldest daughter when they got home. As his wife joined his daughters, his son ran up and joined him by his side. Anonymous waved goodbye, which the female thestrals waved back.

As the female family members walked to the theater, the man turned to his son and asked, “You ready to win? You ready to destroy the Timberwolf horde threatening the village?”

Moon Flash’s eyes widened as he smiled. He knew exactly what game his father was talking about. The game, Howling Horde, was a very new arcade game released last week. It was a first-person shooter using video game crossbows. It reminded him of the games back on earth, and Anonymous had to admit, it was just as fun as the Time Crisis series.

It was one of the few things that didn’t make the man laugh at pony-made stuff, and he couldn’t wait to play it with his son. Moon Flash jumped and flew a well-executed summersault and said, “Hay-yeah! Let’s go get those plotheads!”

As the father and son made their way into the neon-lit arcade, both were unaware that a mare had spotted them a few yards away.

“Is that-is that Anonymous? That can’t be...no, it can’t be his colt!”

The earth pony ponicemare stood with her mouth agape on the other side of the walkway. She was surprised to see the man she once knew walking into an arcade with a colt next to him. Her partner for their assigned beat, a stallion unicorn, walked up to her carrying donuts and coffee on his back. He set the food and drinks down on a mini-table next to them with his magic and turned to see his partner. He noticed the look of surprise on her face and asked, “Did you spot something? What’s got you all shaken?”

The mare snapped out of her stupor and took a coffee with her hoof from the table. The native-born manehattenite mare responded, “Nothing wrong, just saw somebody I used to know.”

The stallion took the other coffee and asked, “Somebody? Do you mean that human stallion? That’s a surprise, for sure. Where’d he go?”

The ponicemare pointed at Anonymous with her hoof. The man and his son walked into the arcade and disappeared into the maze of lights and games. The ponicestallion raised his eyebrow and said, “Well, whaddya know?! It is the famous human, and it looks like he’s got a son too. Why don’t you go say hello to them or somethin’?”

The ponicemare shook her head and said, “Maybe when they’re done. I don’t wanna bother them having fun. Maybe when they come out and if we’re still here.”

The ponicestallion shook his head and said, “I don’t mind patrolling the complex while you wait for them. Barely anything wrong happens on this beat anyway.”

She turned to her partner and asked, “Are you sure?”

He shrugged his shoulders as he hovered a donut to his mouth and said, “Yeah, no big deal. We only have a few hours left here anyway. Kind of a slow and boring say, which is the best day a cop could have.”

As the stallion bit the donut, the ponicemare turned her attention back to the arcade entrance and said, “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

The ponicemare took another sip from her coffee and waited patiently. Not since her rookie days had she felt this anxious. She could only hope he remembered her and that their reunion wouldn’t be an awkward experience.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 1 Part 2 complete! Well, now we've met the foals. Aren't they good kids or what? But what's bothering Glisten Sheen? And who could that Ponicemare be?! Stay tuned for Chapter 1 Part 3. I hope you guys enjoyed it, this was fun to write.

Ch 1 Pt. 3 Familiar faces, not so worn out feelings.

The arcade was a blast for Anonymous and Moon Flash. They were fortunate enough that there were several machines of the game Howling Horde, which meant they didn’t have to wait for a turn. The first game could have gone better, as Moon Flash wasn’t used to holding a crossbow, but after a few tips from his dad, the young colt did much better on their second game. After setting up a decent score, they moved on to air hockey and other games, such as Ski Ball and Strike Stars, an Equestrian equivalent of Galaga.

Anonymous also taught his son valuable gamer skills and tips, which gave him an edge whenever another colt challenged him in a game. Anonymous felt pride seeing his son win game after game against five colts and drawing a small audience of spectators. Eventually, Moon Flash wanted to hang out with his dad and play a few games before Anonymous realized it was about time to leave. The movie their female family members went to see was about to end, and the man felt they should start walking to the theater entrance.

Anonymous snapped his fingers and caught his young son’s attention. Moon Flash groaned but accepted that arcade time was over. As the two walked out, Anonymous asked his son, “Did you have fun?”

Moon Flash jumped and enthusiastically replied, “Hay yeah, I did! Can we come back here again? Please?”

Anonymous ruffled his mane and said, “Get your grades up, and then we can come back. Your math could be better, my little colt. Fix that, and then we’ll come out here, just you and me, without the ladies.”

Moon Flash nodded before asking, “Daddy, are we in trouble?”

Anonymous looked at his son and asked, “No, why are you asking that?”

Moon Flash stopped and pointed to something as they stood outside the arcade. Anonymous turned and was shocked to see that it wasn’t something but rather somepony. And by somepony, it was a mare he hadn’t seen in nearly sixteen years.

“Hello, Anonymous; it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” said the mare in a thick Manhatten accent.

Anonymous couldn’t believe who was standing before him despite his eyes not playing any tricks. It was the former rookie Ponicemare he dated before meeting Sweet Shade, and despite the many years that had passed, she still looked attractive. The mare smiled and enjoyed the reaction the man was showing. The mare giggled and asked, “You okay, Anonymous? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Dad, who is this?” asked Moon Flash.

Anonymous answered his son while staring at the Ponincemare, who in turn was smiling with a blush. Anonymous smiled as he returned her blush with a wink.

“Son, she’s an old friend of mine. Her name is Copper Top, and she’s a nice lady. Say hello, son.”

Moon Flash shrugged his shoulders before walking over, and hoof bumped her. The mare returned the hoof bump and smiled at the bat pony colt. Copper Top asked, “Hey, little champ, what’s your name?”

Moon Flash smiled and said, “My name is Moon Flash.”

Copper Top smiled and replied, “That’s a nice name. How old are ya?”

The young colt proudly puffed his chest and said, “I’m nine! My birthday is two months; I’ll be ten years old soon!”

Copper Top giggled before saying, “Well, happy early birthday then! I hope you have a good one when it comes.”

The young colt beamed a smile before Anonymous handed his son some Bits. Moon Flash looked confused before saying, “Son, your dad is gonna have a boring adult talk for a bit. Here are some Bits; now go get those Timberwolves, my son!”

Moon Flash flew a backflip before taking the Bits and running off into the arcade. Usually, Anonymous would follow his son inside the arcade to keep his eye on the colt, but the game was front and center at the entrance. Knowing his son wouldn’t wander off, Anonymous returned his attention to Copper Top.

“So...” asked Anonymous as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

“Yeah...” said Copper Top, “Been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Anonymous nodded and tried his best to control his composure. Before he met Sweet Shade, Anonymous and Copper Top dated. The attraction between them was heavy in the past and remained so after all this time. The man and the ponicemare spent a lot of time together when neither wasn’t working their jobs. Whether it was a simple coffee date, a walk in the park, or going to the dance club, they enjoyed each other’s company. Anonymous never got to take their relationship further, either physically or emotionally, as Copper Top lost touch with him.

It all worked out in the end, as the very same night Copper Top failed to show up to the dance club, Sweet Shade bumped into him, and the rest is history. Despite Anonymous being happy with Sweet Shade, a part of him wondered what would have happened if Copper Top had joined him as they had planned. Anonymous replied, “Yeah, it’s been a long time, Copper. I see you got a promotion.”

The man pointed at the stripes on her uniform, which the mare looked at and blushed. Copper Top blushed before saying, “Yeah, I’ve gotten three promotions since my rookie days. I’m Sgt. Copper Top now, and I get the easier beats. I’m eligible to be a detective, but I don’t know if I want that. I’m four years away from being eligible to retire with a decent pension, so I have some choices to make soon.”

Copper Top tried to control her blushing as she looked at Anonymous. She noticed his clothes were of a higher quality compared to his clothes from sixteen years ago. If she had to guess, they looked like luxury clothing. Despite Anonymous being the only human in Equestria, many bipedal creatures came into Manhatten, and a few of them were rich.

”Wow.” thought Copper Top, ”He must be doing pretty well if he’s sporting clothes like that. He even looks more fit than I remember; wow, he looks good!”

“But yeah,” said Copper Top, “That’s been my life these past years. How about you?”

Anonymous smiled and couldn’t resist the urge to brag before saying, “Oh, I’ve done pretty well these past years. I got promoted five times, with my last promotion having been yesterday. I’m VP of the Nightly Steel Co. Works. We closed a multi-million Bit deal yesterday, and my company will have a party soon. So yeah, pretty well.”

Anonymous grinned while Copper Top pawed the ground slightly as she was unsure what to say next. Usually, she was confident and could look anypony in the eye without faltering, but Anonymous was on a whole other level. Her attraction to the man never stopped despite all these years, making talking to him difficult. Her curiosity about his son made her ask, “So, you have a son; he seems like a good colt. I take it you’re married?”

Anonymous happily replied, “Yup, married for sixteen years and with three foals. My oldest is a filly who will turn sixteen soon, and my other sweet little filly is twelve. I married a thestral, as you can see.”

Copper Top’s ears perked up with her eyes showed a look surprised. All sorts of questions were swirling in her mind. If she did her math right, that meant Anonymous married shortly after their last date. The fact he mentioned he married a threstral meant his other foals had to be thestrals too. Copper Top asked, “So, you got married, huh? That’s nice, and I take it your foals are adopted?”

Anonymous chuckled before saying, “Nope, they are mine, thanks to cross-breeding potions. And let me tell you, they’re hard to come by and costly, especially with the low salary I used to have way back then. Not the case now, but yeah, they’re mine, alright.”

”That’s his biological son?! Only the eyes match...”

While Copper Top had heard of the cross-breeding potion Anonymous mentioned, she had never seen a foal resulting from one. Her curiosity was peaked, however, and she made a mental hoof-note to look up said potion on her upcoming day off. Copper Top wasn’t sure if it was jealousy, curiosity, or a gut feeling that something was off, but she felt compelled to find more information about the subject. Putting the matter aside, Copper Top said, “Well...that’s nice, really nice, I mean. I’m glad things worked out for you.”

Anonymous smiled before saying, “Well, Copper Top, I wish I could stay and chat, but I have to pick up my wife and daughters. They went to see a movie, and it should be over now. They’re probably waiting for Moon Flash and me, so...yeah.”

The man awkwardly smiled before Moon Flash shouted, “AWWW BUCK!”. The man and the ponicemare turned their attention to the bat pony colt who lost the game. The game flashed “Game Over!” with the face of a Timberwolf in a red filter howling victoriously at the player. Anonymous and Copper Top laughed before she said, “He’s a feisty one, isn’t he?”

Anonymous unhappily sighed as his son swore out loud. Even though it was a PG-rated swear, it wasn’t exactly upstanding for a colt his age, and he wanted his son to behave better. Anonymous knew he would have to talk with Moon Flash later about outbursts, or else Sweet Shade would be unhappy. Anonymous replied, “He certainly is; he reminds me of myself when I was a young boy. I had quite a temper losing games, but my dad set me straight. And it seems I’m going to have to do the same too. Anyway, I should let you go.”

Before the man could walk away, Copper Top said, “Hold on a sec, Anon. I got something for you.”

Anonymous turned to the mare and saw she had pulled out a business card from one of her uniform’s pockets. He took it and quickly noted it had her name, rank, the Manhatten Ponice Department symbol, and, more importantly, her contact information. Copper Top continued, “If you’re ever free and wanna chat, just let me know. I’d like to catch up more if that’s okay with you.”

”I hope he accepts and doesn’t think it’s inappropriate to catch up one-on-one with a former date.” thought Copper Top.

The man nodded and smiled before saying, “Thanks, Copper. Since I got promoted, I have a more flexible schedule to do what I want. I’ll reach out within the week, and we can schedule a time to grab a coffee. Ever heard of the Manehatten Mocha?”

Copper Top smiled and replied, “Sure have; I go there whenever my beat is nearby for a coffee break. I guess I’ll be hearing from you?”

Anonymous smiled again before saying, “Yes, you will. See you later, Sgt. Copper Top.”

He saluted her, making the mare giggle and reply, “You too, Mr. Vice President Anonymous.”

Anonymous turned and collected his son, who begged to play another game. The man was having none of it and pointed toward the direction of the movie theater. The colt sighed before walking with his father and waved to Copper Top. She waved back to Moon Flash and stared at Anonymous once his back was facing the ponicemare. She took a good look at his plot, and despite him wearing clothes, it was obvious he had a well-toned set of glutes. Copper Top’s tail flicked, which made the ponicemare blush and look around to see if anypony noticed.

Fortunately, nopony had seen her flick her tail, making her sigh in relief. However, a new idea popped into her head as Copper Top’s curiosity got the better of her. She thought, ”I wonder what his daughters and wife look like. It wouldn’t hurt to do a little investigating, I suppose.”

Since her partner hadn’t returned, Copper Top knew that the Ponicestallion could always contact her over the magic-powered radio if he needed her. With that in mind, Copper Top discreetly followed the man and wouldn’t stop until she knew what kind of mare had won Anonymous over her.

---

Many thoughts were swirling in Anonymous’s mind as he and Moon Flash walked away from the arcade. Never in his years since being married did he ever suspect he’d run into Copper Top. Before Sweet Shade came into his life, he and Copper Top had major chemistry. Both had bumped into each other on the street while running for their afternoon fitness training. After apologizing, the man and the mare made eye contact, and a spark formed between them. Once their introductions were out of the way, they met up at a Café and hit it off.

They had gone on many dates, and while they never went into a relationship, neither Copper Top nor Anonymous saw anypony else during that time. Both were happy and enjoyed the company of each other despite their jobs taking up a lot of their time. It made no difference to them as they spent almost all their free time together. Many times Anonymous wanted to take her to his bachelor pad and rut her into oblivion, but it never happened. The man had screwed a few mares before but quickly booted them out of his place since they always annoyed him afterward.

Copper Top was something else, and her personality compelled Anonymous to respect her naturally. Something about her made him think, “she’s worth the wait” in the man’s mind. And despite not getting around to rutting her, he fapped to the mare many times. She was consistently a great fap and hinted at a sexual attraction to the man. Copper Top had no qualms about teasing and flirting with the man on top of the fulfilling conversations they shared. Whether it was a discussion of work, dreams, games, hobbies, etc., their time together was always exciting.

If Sweet Shade never came into his life, Anonymous was confident he would have married her. As he walked with his son, this made the man wonder, ”Why did she never show up to the dance club? I waited for hours, and she never arrived.”

Moon Flash snapped Anonymous out of his thoughts by asking, “You okay, dad? Your face is getting red.”

”Shit, I’m probably blushing or something. I better calm down and not think about Copper Top’s hot plot...DAMMIT! Why do I think that?! I have Sweet Shade, I shouldn’t be thinking about Copper Top.”

“I’m fine, son,” said Anonymous, “Don’t worry about it. We need to your mother and sisters and get some dinner.”

Moon Flash shrugged off his worries and said, “Okay, dad. That cop lady was cool; you should tell mom you met your friend.”

”Yeah, son, that will go over well.” thought Anonymous.

“Better not, son; the Ponicemare was looking for a bad pony. It’s best to refrain from advertising official ponice business. You know how your mother likes to gossip.”

Moon Flash nodded, “Yeah, so does Eventide. It’s always “Blah Blah yadda yadda, boring filly stuff here and there.” It’s pretty annoying for sure; I won’t tell.”

”Phew! Problem averted. That’s the last thing I need, my wife asking, “Who the buck is this mare!? How do you know her? Is she hot? Do you like her? I swear Sweet Shade can be jealous sometimes.”

Anonymous ruffled his son’s mane as he said, “That’s my boy. How far did you get on Howling Horde?”

The young colt replied, “I got to level three! But that stupid timberwolf boss got me. I shot it with a scatter bolt, but it rebuilt itself back! I wish you had helped me because I couldn’t figure out how to beat him.”

“Ah,” replied Anonymous, “You have to aim for the mouth, son. When he rebuilds like that, his mouth is the weak spot. Otherwise, he will build back. It makes no difference if you upgrade the crossbow or shoot him anywhere besides that.”

Moon Flash groaned before saying, “Dang! Okay, I’ll get him next time. I had a lot of fun, dad. I wish we could do this more often.”

Anonymous smiled and felt proud that his son loved spending time with him. His father was his role model back on Earth, and the man owed much of his success to his father’s advice and examples. He wasn’t sure how his family would have reacted to him marrying a pony and having pony children, but he imagined his father would be proud either way. And now it was Anonymous’s turn to be the role model for his son, and the man loved every second of it.

“Me too, son, and if you work on your grades, we can come back again. But you need to promise me you’ll work for it, you hear me?” asked Anonymous.

“Consider it done, dad! If I can memorize cheat codes, I can memorize the numbers in my Algebra class.”

Anonymous chuckled before saying, “That’s my colt! Now where the hay is your mother and sisters?”

Moon Flash pointed a hoof in a direction and said, “There they are!”

The man looked in the direction his son pointed, and sure enough, they were waiting among the sea of ponies leaving the movie theater. Eventide and surprisingly, Glisten Sheen was in good spirits while Sweet Shade looked annoyed. As Anonymous and Moon Flash reunited with their female family members, the family’s mother impatiently tapped the ground with her hoof and asked, “Did you colts forget about us fillies?”

Moon Flash looked at Anonymous and winked before saying, “Dad let me play some more games, and I won a bunch! We also got to play Howling Horde! No other reason at all why we were late.”

Sweet Shade looked at Anonymous with a cross expression, making the man nervously chuckle.

Anonymous thought, ”My son covered my plot and threw me under the bus simultaneously. That’s my colt, alright.”

“Sorry about that, honey; we lost track of time playing games. Everything alright?”

Sweet Shade huffed before replying, “Other than waiting nearly twenty minutes for you two to arrive? Just fine.”

Glisten Sheen jumped into the conversation and said, “Mom’s hangry, dad. She wants dinner right now.”

Eventide excitedly jumped and said, “Me too! Let’s get something to eat, please!”

”Oh boy, a hangry wife is nothing to be trifled with.”

“Sorry honey, I’ll make it up to you by taking us to The Reining Buffet.”

Sweet Shade smiled while his foals cheered as “The Reining Buffet” was a special treat they would get every month or so. The buffet had a surprisingly varied amount of food that even humans would want. Sweet Shade flapped her wings, flew up this level, and kissed him on the cheek. The mare said, “Well, let’s get going honey since I’m “hangry,” as Glisten Sheen calls it. The motherly mare stared at her eldest foal with a raised eyebrow while the teenage filly frowned. Anonymous had no clue why his eldest daughter pulled a 180 in her attitude.

”I’m going to talk with her sooner rather than later. Something is clearly bothering her regarding her mother. Did they have a fight I’m not aware of?”

As the family started walking toward the entrance, Anonymous asked, “So, did you ladies enjoy the movie?”

Eventide cheerfully replied, “The movie was so good! I loved the struggles of forbidden love. I liked how the stallion risked everything for the mare he loved. I wish I could get a stallion like that someday.”

Anonymous turned to his youngest daughter and jokingly said, “Oh, my sweet little Eventide, you’ll be a filly forever. It’s such a shame that won’t happen, really; oh well.”

He patted his daughter’s mane, making the filly pout with a blush that rivaled any cute anime girl. Moon Flash laughed, “Hahaha! Eventide can’t get a colt friend! Look at her getting mad!”

Eventide turned to her brother and said, “Oh yeah? If I can’t get a colt friend, then you can’t get a filly friend!”

Moon Flash blew a raspberry at his sister before saying, “Fillies are gross like you. Neener-neener!”

Eventide hissed at her brother before Sweet Shade jumped in and said, “Both of you stop it this instant! I’m too hungry to deal with this. Eventide, you’ll grow into a fine mare someday, but romance isn’t something to run into recklessly. It will happen one day; be patient.”

Eventide smiled before nodding as Sweet Shade turned to Moon Flash, “As for you, my little colt, your attitude will change in the next few years. I suggest you learn to be nice to fillies, or else you’ll regret it.”

Anonymous smirked and said, “Heed her words, son; you’ll change your mind; if not, it’ll be too late.”

Moon Flash wanted to retort but backed down, knowing his father knew better. There was no way he would challenge or disrespect his dad, and instead, he replied, “Yes, dad, I understand. Eventide, I’m sorry.”

Eventide smiled and said in her signature bubbly tone, “Thanks, brother!”

She unexpectedly hugged him, which surprised him and made him blush. Anonymous and Sweet Shade laughed and said, “Awww!” while Glisten Sheen huffed and rolled her eyes. Anonymous looked at his eldest daughter again and asked, “Well, how was the movie Glisten Sheen? Did you like it?”

Glisten Sheen’s ears perked in surprise before saying, “Yeah, I liked it. I didn’t think I would, but I did. And I’m with Eventide on this one, the sacrifice he made for his mare really hit my heart. This was a good movie, hooves down. A great example of true love.”

Sweet Shade flew up and kissed Anonymous’ cheek again before saying, “Oh, I’m not so sure about that. You have a great example of true love right here.”

Glisten Sheen turned away and frowned before whispering to herself, “Yeah, sure it is.”

Anonymous didn’t hear what she said but took note of her attitude again. As much as it annoyed him, the man let Glisten Sheen’s attitude go and focused on taking his family to dinner. As they stepped out of the mall, the family was unaware they had been spied on. Their ignorance was bliss as they made it to the restaurant by riding the high-class tram. They had one of the best meals of the year and enjoyed their time together as a loving family. The night for the family was perfect, and nothing could spoil it.

---

Sgt. Copper Top spied on Anonymous for a few minutes before he led the mare to her ultimate target. Copper Top was surprised and jealous to see that his wife was very attractive. Her blond mane and tail were not common among the thestral ponies, and her body was also in great shape for her age. The man had scored a mare with an easy eight out of ten for the looks department, and she had given him three foals, as Anonymous claimed. Despite having a good career in the Ponice Force, a part of Copper Top was resentful for not having foals of her own.

After losing touch with Anonymous many years ago, she never found a stallion worth her valuable time. She was still fertile, according to her last check-up, but her age was becoming a problem. A part of her wondered if she had been too picky with her last few dates, but she shoved those concerns aside. Copper Top knew she should be happy for Anonymous but couldn’t shake the feeling that it should have been her next to his side. She also felt bad for feeling that his foals should have been hers to give to the man.

In addition to all the jealous and resentful feelings, something troubled Copper Top as she spied upon the wife and daughters of Anonymous. The first thing that bothered her was that she felt she had seen his wife before.

”I swear I’ve seen that mare before, but I can’t remember where for the life of me. I don’t know why but she gives me bad vibes.”

Another thing that bothered the ponicemare was the fact his daughters looked nothing like him. Granted, the ponicemare knew next to nothing about cross-breeding between species other than the hippogriff race. She was sure they would at least have inherited more features associated with humans, such as his hair color. The only thing they shared was their green-colored eyes. Copper Top knew a visit to the Manehatten Public Library was in store to find more information about cross-species breeding.

Copper Top also felt guilty for her jealousy and resentment towards the mare that snagged Anonymous instead of her.

”I should be really happy for him, but something is bothering me. And if this job has taught me anything, it’s to listen to my gut.”

Copper Top narrowed her eyes at the mare who flew up and kissed Anonymous. An unmarely snort of air passed through her nostrils as she narrowed her eyes at the bat pony mare. She resolved not only to find out more about species cross-breeding but also resolved to find out more about his wife. Copper Top knew she couldn’t use ponice resources because it was against policy and not worth a reprimand. She did have connections, spare Bits to spend for a PI, and all the experience needed to find the answers she wanted.

As Anonymous and his family left the mall, Copper Top sighed before returning to her beat. She couldn’t wait for it to end to start her own personal investigation.

”Don’t worry, Anon, I’ll watch your back no matter what.”

Author's Notes:

Well, look what we have here, an old flame has come back to Anonymous. It's Copper Top! Hot damn, and she's VERY jealous of Sweet Shade and thinks Sweet Shade is sus. Things are getting interesting folks, so stay tuned for the next arch. This concludes part 1.

Ch 2. part 1. Getting ready for the night.

The night came and went like a thief in the night as the family happily slept. The moon shined bright as it gently cast its light over all of Equestria. Every member of the family, except Anonymous, remained in their beds as the moon lowered. He awoke and got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, careful not to wake his wife up. As the moon disappeared and the sun rose to take its place, Anonymous walked into the kitchen.

The sun's rays made their way into the living room, which prompted the man to start cooking breakfast for his whole family. Anonymous had always been the early bird while his bat pony family members often stayed in bed. This gave him plenty of time to cook for them uninterrupted. The man was on a high having had a good night's sleep. Because of this, he opted to cook a skillet breakfast for everypony.

"If I can't get a Denny's skillet breakfast, I'll make my own. I hope they'll like it."

The man pulled out fresh ingredients from the fridge and went to work on cooking the best breakfast skillet he could. He was inspired to make a southwest skillet hash with pony friendly ingredients and went to cook like a boss. In about 30 minutes, he made enough for the entire family and was satisfied with his breakfast creation. The smell of hot and fresh breakfast permeated the apartment home, and the scent woke up everypony.

It didn't take long before his wife and foals came into the dinner room as he set the breakfast on the table. Glisten Sheen, Eventide and Moon Flash's eyes widened as they ate breakfast on the table and were excited to eat. Sweet Shade's mouth dropped as she saw the delectable morning fest her husband whipped up. As he finished putting the drink on the table, Anonymous crossed his arms with a satisfied smile and said, "Breakfast is served."

"Wow! Thanks dad! It looks really good." said Moon Flash.

Eventide ran up and gave Anonymous a hug before saying, "Thank you, daddy!"

The man returned the hug before his youngest daughter made her way to the seat. Glisten Sheen simply stared at the food before turning her attention to her dad and said, "Thanks dad. I really mean it. Thank you."

A small smile formed on her face before she took her seat. Anonymous was glad his eldest daughter was grateful, but he felt something was off with her. There was a brief look of sadness passing in her smile. It was quick and subtle, but it was there.

"Is she sad? I kinda feel like something is bothering her. I'm going to talk with her after breakfast."

"You're welcome, Glisten Sheen."

As the foals made their way to their seats, Sweet Shade looked at Anonymous and flew up to him. He kissed him on the cheek and nuzzled him before whispering, "I'm going to treat you right tonight."

The man grinned as Sweet Shade blushed and landed back on the floor. She too made her way to her seat and was joined by Anonymous as he sat at the head of the table. Anonymous took a quick second to admire what sat before him. At the table was his family, the family he loved so dearly, and he felt like a man for giving them the best life he could. He wouldn't allow anything to jeopardize their lives and if anyone or anything attempted to do so, the wrath of Anonymous would be brought down upon them.

Satisfied that everything was alright, Anonymous said, "Well, my wonderful family, enjoy!"

The family ate the wonderful breakfast, leaving no spec of food left on the plates. Anonymous thought to himself, "Nothing can ruin this at all. Not a damn thing."

---

As Glisten Sheen finished her portion of the dishes, the teenage filly made her way to her room. Anonymous saw that this was the best opportunity to talk to his oldest daughter. For the past few months, she had been emotionally distant and more reserved. Not only had it affected her relationship with her siblings, but it also affected her relationship with her mother. It seemed anytime Sweet Shade was around, Glisten Sheen either tried to avoid her or gave her the bare minimum interaction.

The behavior worried Anonymous and his mind was worried what the core issue could be.

"Was there a fight I'm not aware of? Is it just simple teenage angst? I really hope it's not an issue with colts."

The thought of some despicable colt hurting his oldest daughter boiled his blood. She was, after all, old enough to attract teenage colts and God forbid, young stallions on the prowl for young teenage fillies. Anonymous knew he'd likely do something drastic to ruin whatever foolish teenage colt had harmed his daughter. Regardless of the real reason, the man couldn't let this behavior continue and sought answers from his daughter. Just as Anonymous walked into her room, the teenage filly was busy putting overnight items in her saddle bags.

The father closed the door, which caught her attention. Glisten Sheen was surprised and curious as to why her father closed the door. The teenage filly knew that usually meant she was either in trouble or that a serious discussion was about to be had. Resigning to her fate, the teenage filly sat on her bed and said, "Hey dad. What did I do wrong?"

Anonymous facepalmed and replied, "Oh my oldest daughter, nothing really wrong per se, but I'm worried about you. You've been emotionally distant the past few months. I have no clue what's going on, but we're going to talk about it. I'm not going to leave until I get some answers."

Glisten Sheen looked down at the floor, clearly nervous and conflicted about something. This made Anonymous worry even more, and he controlled his emotions as best as he could. He needed to be strong for his daughter in order to help her with whatever issue she had. The teenage filly took a deep breath and said, “Are you going to go away?”

Time stopped for Anonymous as his oldest daughter’s question took him for a loop. He had no idea why she asked that question but replied, “Glisten Sheen, why do you think I would leave you and the family?”

The teenage filly kept avoiding her father’s eyes and continued, “What I mean is, what if something happened that would make you want to leave? What if you and mom don’t work out?”

Anonymous chuckled at that statement, mostly because he knew his marriage with Sweet Shade was as solid as a rock. The idea of divorce at this point was unfathomable. Anonymous asked, “Is there a friend of yours that’s going through a divorce?”

Glisten Sheen shook her head in a “No” answer before asking, “What I mean is, what if you and mom split? Would if something happened that would make you not want to be around anymore? Like you’d be ashamed to have been our dad or-”

Holding a hand up, Anonymous said with authority, “STOP! Glisten Sheen, look at me.”

The teenage bat pony filly looked into her father’s eyes as ordered. The filly was scared and sad, clearly looking for reassurance from her father. The man, with conviction, said, “I will NEVER abandon you or your siblings. I RAISED you from the moment you and your siblings were little babies. If you think I’d ever walk away and let anything, get between your guys and me. May God and Faust have mercy on anything or anyone who dares get between you guys and me. Do you understand?”

Glisten Sheen’s eyes started to form tears with her lower lip quivering, almost like a baby. The teenage filly suddenly flew at her dad and hugged Anonymous for dear life. The man was surprised by this but held his teenage daughter just the same. The filly cried into her father’s shoulder and tightened her grip with her forelegs. The man held firm too and cried a bit in return.

Glisten Sheen, albeit muffled, cried out, “Don’t leave us daddy! I don’t want us to lose you!”

Tears fell down his eyes as he and his daughter bonded. Anonymous couldn’t only hold onto his teenage daughter and think, “The feels man…damn the feels.”

---

After Glisten Sheen and Anonymous calmed down, the two joined the rest of the family in cleaning up their home. Sweet Shade noticed that Glisten Sheen was upset and saw that Anonymous had red eyes from crying. The motherly mare tried to find out what was wrong but both Anonymous and Glisten Sheen dismissed her. Anonymous simply told her that it was a personal matter and that he took care of it. Once she was satisfied everything was okay, Sweet Shade went to check on Moon Flash and Eventide’s progress.

As the younger foals cleaned the dishes, Glisten Sheen prepared her overnight bag for their stay at their grandparent's apartment. Anonymous and Sweet Shade prepared their evening clothes for the company's party night. The man had a brand new, fully customized suit that screamed high value and he couldn’t wait to wear it. It was on par to the quality one could find at a high-end suit dealer in any major city back on Earth. Sweet Shade had an equally exquisite dress that came from Miss Rarity's Boutique in Canterlot.

Anonymous had met the business mare on a business trip and after talking with her at a café, he placed an order for his wife. Sweet Shade was surprised that Anonymous had a custom dress made specifically for her and loved the dress once she received it. She was even more impressed that he knew her measurements and rewarded him with a blowjob the day she received it.

Anonymous grinned at the memory of his wife giving him head, as well as tasting her nether regions in return. She said it wasn’t necessary but quickly gave up as he insisted on returning the favor. She didn’t complain after that.

“Heh, I love giving my wife oral. I swear, nothing better than good ol’ 69.”

They were going to go to the party dressed to impress. And the best part for the married couple, was their foals would not be home that night. Sweet Shade made it very clear they were going to have a marathon “fun” session, with little to no breaks. Anonymous almost couldn’t wait to get laid again, but knew all good things came to those that wait. After getting his mind out of the gutter, the man packed all of his clothes for the evening.

After carrying his bag, the man rejoined his family in the living room. His wife and foals were all ready with their saddle bags packed up. Anonymous looked at his foals just once, making sure they had everything they needed. Moon Flash was wearing a T-Shirt with a Moon Wars logo on it. He was like Anonymous when he was 10, as he too enjoyed Sci-Fi during his childhood.

“Oh course, the ponies have a Star Wars equivalent. Lord, was that movie hilarious.” thought Anonymous.

Eventide had a cute little flower between her ears and wore a white shirt with an adorable filly skirt with a moon flower sown on the side. Anonymous adored his sweet little night angel and hoped she would remain that way into her teenage years. He knew it was a long shot, but he nonetheless loved his youngest daughter’s innocence. Anonymous could only hope Glisten Sheen would feel better knowing she’d never lose him no matter what.

A small nagging feeling made Anonymous worry that there was something else. He couldn’t help but wonder what started her insecurity the past few months. If he had time, he would have pressed the matter further. Unfortunately, he did not and Anonymous pushed the concern aside as nothing more than teenage angst.

“Hopefully, her attitude will improve over the next coming months. I want her to do well on her exams. She’s been eyeballing the Manehattan Scientific University and I want her to get in with no issues…and to save some Bits if I can help it.”

Satisfied at their appearance, Anonymous asked, “Did you guys do all of your cleaning? Got everything you want to take? We’re not coming back the moment we go through that door.”

“Eeyup! I sure do!” said Moon Flash.

He pulled out his Joy Boy Deluxe, complete with the games Anonymous bought him for his birthday. Once again, the Joy Boy Deluxe was on par with its equivalent, the Game Boy Advance. Even the games were surprisingly decent, though Anonymous was irritated that the Ponies had no Advance Wars equivalent. He’d have bought another Joy Boy Deluxe to play with his son for that reason alone.

The man shook his head at his son and said, “I see you have your priorities. Okay then, put it away until you get there. I don’t want you losing it on the tram ride.”

“Yes dad.” said Moon Flash as he put the hoofheld game system back in his saddlebag.

Glisten Sheen was in the process of putting her mini-gem cartridge player and headphones in her saddlebag. Anonymous saw that headphones were the wireless magic gem version. They were slightly inferior to bluetooth headphones from Earth in the man’s opinion but the Equestrians were on the right track. Anonymous remembered paying 100 Bits for the player but Glisten Sheen had been helpful in watching her siblings and helping her mother out. If any of his foals deserved an expensive toy, it was her.

Eventide was perfectly content with her books and drawing pad, as she had shown an interest in Art. The man was happy one of his kids had a cheap hobby, despite getting a higher raise. Satisfied everything was right, Anonymous turned to his loving wife and said, “Lead the foals out, I’ll lock up the place.”

Sweet Shade winked at Anonymous with a loving smile before turning to their foals, “Okay, you heard your dad, no last minute rushes to your rooms. Let’s go.”

As Sweet Shade walked out, Moon Flash was the first to follow, then Eventide, and Glisten Sheen. Anonymous made one last check around the home before locking it up. As Anonymous walked down the hall to the elevators, he thought to himself, “My life is perfect. Ain’t nothing gonna change that.”

As he caught up to his family, the man gave his mare a quick kiss before the family went down to the lobby. It was a short walk to the tram station, with the family in high spirits for the weekend.

---

Copper Top had been in the library for the past three hours on her day off. Ever since she saw Anon’s family, alarm bells were ringing in her mind. The ponicemare took another sip of her coffee as she went through the three books concerning crossbreeding. She had learned a great deal from the surprisingly easy to follow books concerning the subject. The last one was a little old and delicate but it contained valuable information.

She had learned crossbreeding was directly responsible for the creation of the Griffon and Hippogriff race. In regards to the Minotaur race, records were very incomplete or pure speculation at worst. It wasn’t known who the other parent race was, though records suggest it might have been an ancient human. Other records suggest another creature with human-like arms but it likely would never be known.

One thing the books mentioned was that most creatures who crossbred would come out with similar features of both parent creatures. In the case of two quadruped parents, the species would likely share hard physical features of both parents while being quadruped. If a creature happened to be a biped and crossbred with a quadruped, then the offspring would likely be a quadruped with mane colors, eye colors and very minor cosmetic features from the biped parent. There would also be a 37 percent chance the offspring would be a biped taking the form of the biped parent but with colors borrowed from the quadruped parent or mixed colors.

Copper Top had to read that portion of the book three times before remembering what Anon’s foals looked like. Since he had three of them, and they were all ponies, more colors and very minor cosmetic characteristics should have been borrowed from Anonymous. While Anon had green eyes similar to their mother, there was nothing else physically tying him to his foals.

And if the books were correct, one of these foals should have come out with a human-like body. Not a single one had a black mane, mixed colored mane, tail or even green/mixed colored fur coat. A sinking, foreboding feeling in Copper Top’s gut slowly increased as she began to fear the worst. The man might not be the father of his foals and unaware as well.

“Dang it! I wanna be wrong, but this just stinks to the moon and back!” shouted Copper Top.

An old, elderly mare with glasses and a pearl necklace came around the corner and went “SHHH!”. As quick as she came, she disappeared into the maze that was the Manehatten Central Library. Copper Top facehoofed at her outburst before looking back into the books. She was trying to find anything that would contradict or assuage her worries.

Unfortunately, the books were consistent in the likelihood of what a crossbred of a biped and quadruped would look like. The reason the rules were different compared to crossbreds of two quadrupeds was a built in safety effect from the potion. The book stressed that since magic was a tool to overcome the natural order of breeding species, it was necessary to have that feature built in as a means to ensure healthy, viable offspring.

In order to save the ancient Lion and Bird race from dying out, a potion was made by an ancient Equestrian Wizard. The Wizard was older than even Starswhirl the Bearded himself, and even that of the Princesses. Because a great, unclarified destructive event wiped out the old races, a potion was made to prevent complete extinction. Records weren’t clear who the name of the Wizard was but that was irrelevant to Copper Top.

What was relevant was the fact the potion decides the appropriate amount of blood mixing to produce a healthy, viable offspring. And thus, the Griffon race was born, at least according to the books on the subject. Copper Top had no interest in looking into Griffon or Hippogriff history to confirm that. Her only concern was to make sure Anonymous wasn’t suckered into being a victim of paternity fraud.

Such an act used to be punishable by the Solar Court, but Princess Celestia removed that. The reasoning behind it was the foal needed the mother regardless, but it left a sour taste in Copper Top’s mouth. It reeked of reducing the stallion’s status as a parent and reduced the fact the stallion was a victim. Paternity could be disputed, and the affronted stallion could be released from duties as a parent but compensation or being struck from the record of birth was rare.

If Anonymous was indeed a victim, he’d have to bring his case to the Night Court of Princess Luna. Ever since her return fifteen years ago, she integrated well but kept a lot of her old ways. The return of the Night Sentinels and the Night Court were well known to Equestria. Many ponies rarely went to her Court sessions, as she was more averse to babying full grown ponies. She also was harsher in her judgments against those who committed acts of wrongdoing, both criminal and civil. Most cases, both criminal and civil, were dealt with within the systems of their cities. To seek the audience of either Diarch would take time if a subject formally made said request.

It did happen from time to time, and if Copper Top was correct, bat ponies usually fell under the Night Court systems and ancient bylaws of the bat ponies. They were truly a unique race of ponies, some with their own customs and ways of solving disputes. If the worst was truly confirmed, he could have a decent chance at justice, if he played his cards right.

“I’m getting ahead of myself. I don’t even know if those foals his or not.”

Copper Top looked further in the books and found that a heritage spell could answer the question. It was mostly created to study the crossbred species for scientific purposes but could theoretically be used to determine parental lineage, both female and male. It could only be cast by a specially trained unicorn or capable magic wielder, as it was neither a common nor simple spell.

The mare stopped and thought to herself for a brief moment.

“Would he even listen to me? Would he even want to know? How could I convince him to try and get the spell cast on his foals? I’m gonna have to do some more digging on his wife.”

As Copper Top finished reading the books, she finished her coffee and put the books back. Satisfied she found out as much about cross breeding, another thing popped in her mind.

“How did he even get the crossbreeding potion? They have to be rare and a controlled item, and not cheap either…”

The mare stopped and pondered while holding a hoof at the bottom of her mouth. She tried to give Anon’s wife the benefit of the doubt, but her gut was still bothering her. As if on cue, Copper Top remembered Anonymous's wife.

She had met the mare at the club the night Copper Top was supposed to meet him many years ago. She also had seen the very same mare with a known stallion she and her fellow cops had run into several times. The stallion was suspected of several petty crimes, and he had a prior criminal record too.

And suddenly, it all fell into place. Copper Top’s face went pale as she put two and two together.

“Oh bucking Tartarus! I got to find Anon! And I need to gather some evidence! A quick stop by a substation for records check and home for my gear.”

The ponicemare didn’t waste any time making her way out of the library and ran to a nearby substation. She’d have to put in for some extra leave, in order to pursue her personal investigation. After quick records check from the station, and leave extension, she broke into a gallop. As she made her way onto the tram system to reach her apartment, Copper Top thought,

“This is for you Anon; I’ll always watch your back.”

Author's Notes:

I felt I might have been able to expand more, but you guys and gals have waited long enough. I hope it was good either way. Share your thoughts!

Chapter 2 Pt 2, Respect is hard earned.

The tram ride to grandparent's apartment was uneventful and the elderly members of the family were happy to see their grand foals once again. Even Stalwart Stealth was smiling, which was unusual for the stoic, older bat pony stallion. Anonymous could only guess he was happy to see his grand foals. The man was annoyed that his father-in-law never really warmed up to him, despite taking care of his daughter and giving him grand foals.

The man kept his cool and refocused on the positivity of his family and the date with his wife. As the foals walked into apartment, Sundown Soft hugged her daughter and Anonymous, welcoming them both to their home again. Stalwart Stealth, in a rare moment of respect, walked over and raised his hoof towards Anonymous.

"Good to see you again, Anonymous."

The man stared at the stallion, not sure how to respond. It was very much out of character for him, and the man was wondering if this was a joke. He gave the stallion the benefit of the doubt, and his fist into a bro-fist and tapped the stallion's hoof. A good, solid contact was made and a successful exchange of respect between the two was complete. The man couldn't believe it was had just happened and Anonymous wondered if hell had truly frozen over. He held his composure and nodded, "Same to you, dad."

Sweet Shade and Sundown Soft beamed with happiness while Stalwart Stealth nodded. He held a hoof up, and pointed towards the kitchen and asked, "Care to join me for some coffee? I made some freshly ground coffee from the Hollow Shades Coffee co-op."

And the older stallion bat pony wasn't joking; the unmistakable scent of rather bold coffee could be smelled from several feet away. Not wasting anytime, Anonymous and Stalwart Stealth made their way towards the kitchen while Sweet Shade and Sundown Soft began to exchange a whispered conversation. The man had no idea what they were talking about but figured it was likely about the newfound respect between the two stallions of the households. Stalwart Stealth opened a cabinet with one of his wing's mini-hooks and took out two mugs. The mugs were decorated with an emblem of the 11th Lunar Royal Sentinel Unit.

Stalwart Stealth had served in the Lunar Guard long ago, which was thrust back into service the moment Princess Luna arrived and was free of Nightmare Moon's control. Anonymous's father was similar to Stalwart Stealth in many ways and the man had hoped to learn more about his time in service. However, the Lunar Guard were the more secretive bunch of the Royal Guards and Anonymous knew better than to ask unless told. If a Lunar Guard chose to talk about their service, especially if they were in direct service of Princess Luna herself, then it was a sign of trust.

"Maybe one day I'll learn more about the Lunar Guards. I marry a bat pony, and I'm still an outsider. Oh well, at least he's using his personal mugs. He's NEVER done that before."

Stalwart Stealth poured the coffee into the mugs and asked, "Do you take sugar or cream?"

The man shook his head, "No thanks. I prefer straight black; it allows to me to really enjoy the taste instead of covering it up."

The father-in-law stallion nodded approvingly and replied, "Yes, I agree. That's the right way to enjoy coffee. Leave the cream and sugar for the ladies."

Stalwart Stealth hoofed the coffee mug over to Anonymous before motioning towards the balcony.

"Walk with me. I want to have a talk with you."

"What could he want to talk about? This day is getting strange."

Anonymous followed Stalwart Stealth to the balcony, leaving the rest of the family in the living room. Eventide was already busy drawing in a sketch pad and not paying attention to anything else in the world. Moon Flash was busy playing with his Joy Boy Deluxe, and Glisten Sheen was reading a magazine while listening to music on her headphones. His wife and mother-in-law had already walked away to the bathroom, helping her daughter get ready for the party.

With the other family members busy in their own world, the two heads of the family were now overlooking the Manehatten skyline. With the door closed, the two sat on some chairs in the rather generous balcony space. Sundown Soft had gone through the trouble of adding tasteful decorations fit not just for any Equestrian family but a Thestral family as well. After the two relaxed in their chairs, Stalwart Stealth took a sip of the coffee. Anonymous did the same and remarked, "Wow, good coffee."

"Agreed." said Stalwart Stealth, "Sundown went to Shadow Falls and picked up some last month. She went to check up on her aging mother. He time among the living is about over, but my old mother-in-law is in good spirits and has no regrets."

Anonymous nodded before looking at the view of the city. Nothing was said for whole minute, which made Anonymous wonder if he did something wrong. The awkward silence was broken as Stalwart spoke words that the man though he would never hear.

"Anonymous, I'm sorry for giving you the proper respect you deserve."

"NANI?! thought Anonymous.

The man almost spit up his coffee but thankfully, saved himself from embarrassment. All the man could say was, "What?"

The older stallion sighed and said, "I mean what I'm saying. I can't lie, I wasn't thrilled she chose to date you. You're not a pony, not even a bat pony. Shoot, even other ponies are considered outsiders in many ways. Our kind wasn't exactly the ones one the loving, Heart's Warming Eve reception kind of treatment, if you catch my meaning. So sticking to our own and having our own ways is heavily ingrained into us. Still, you stood your ground and supported my daughter. And you gave us three wonderful grand foals. Crossbreeding potions or not, they're wonderful and you've raised them right. So with that said..."

The bat pony put his cup of coffee down on the mini glass table between their chairs. He turned to anonymous and held out a hoof. A stern but respectful expression was being given to the man, who fist bumped the hoof. A solid contact was made and a newfound respect was exchanged. No longer was there any suspicion between the two nor was there any animosity. There was nothing but respect between the two, and a small cloud was removed from Anonymous. Even though it was real life, the man couldn't help but feel he earned a video game achievement.

After the fist bump was over, Stalwart Stealth looked back over to the view of the bright, shining city. Anonymous did the same before the stallion said, "Before you came to Equestria, did your people have any militarizes or wars?"

"Is he going to talk about his Lunar Guard experience?"

"Yes, unfortunately. My people are no stranger to it. My dad was in the military, but not me. He did teach me discipline and drive though. I learned a lot from him."

Stalwart Stealth nodded and replied, "I see. That's good you had a proper father figure. Makes sense in how you carry yourself. I learned a lot when Princess Luna returned from the moon and broke free from Nightmare Moon's clutches. Joining the Royal Lunar Guard was something. Let me tell you-"

"Called it! Hope he's got some cool stories."

"-the time we caught a theft ring attempting to steal from the Palace. Keep your mouth shut though, operational security, mind you."

Anonymous sat back and enjoyed listening to his father-in-law's Lunar Guard story. And it wasn't a short story either, as it reminded Anonymous that even in a world of ponies and magic, conflict and danger still exists. This didn't bother him as Mr. Anonymous Unknown knew that he had nothing to fear with his family. And his greatest friend and partner, Sweet Shade, would always be by his side. Taking a sip of coffee, the man thought,

"Nothing will ruin what I have. Not a damn thing."