You awoke the next morning in a haze, and you could tell by the lack of light in the room that it was very early. The last thing you recalled from the night before was spending time with the Apple family, getting ready for dessert, when you felt a sudden wave of exhaustion and your head slammed down onto the table. You winced in pain as you gingerly touched your forehead. The knot that formed from impact wasn’t very swollen, but it was extremely sensitive. You let your arm fall to your side, and it landed on the bed with a quiet thump.
Wait, bed? You froze, uncertain of where you were. Something in the bed moved, and with a quiet mumble rolled into your side and wrapped around your arm. You couldn’t see what the source was, but it was definitely a pony, judging by the continued mumbling and hoof digging into your side. After listening for a few moments, you realized it was Fluttershy.
“Nnnn… no, no… put me down…” she whined softly, letting out a raspy giggle. “I’ll… get you… Anon…”
Her grip around you tightened, and chills ran up your back as you felt her breath on your arm. Her sleep-talking degraded back to gentle hums and muttering, occasionally broken by a giggle. You laid there, unmoving and uncertain of what to do. As physically exhausted as you felt, you were actually well-rested, so going back to sleep wasn’t an option. Your attempts to slowly snake your arm out of Fluttershy’s grasp only tempted her to smother it further. You quietly cursed yourself as she rolled lazily on top of it, not enough to completely cut off circulation, but still managing to pin your hand under her stomach. You were torn as to whether or not you should wake her up, but you found yourself unable to come up with a viable reason why you would. No doubt, she would probably be embarrassed to discover the position she was in, and you would likely have to return to the couch on the lower floor. You silently chuckled to yourself as Fluttershy let out a peaceful yawn of victory, nuzzling her snout into your shoulder before quieting back down. Unable to do anything else, you placed your free hand behind your head, looking towards the window to watch the stars drift across the night sky.
After what felt like an eternity of cuddling imprisonment, you felt Fluttershy stir. Her wings stretched out above her slowly as she yawned again, before folding neatly to her back once more. Outside, the sky was turning bright shades of red and orange, and the faintest rays of sunshine filled the room with light. You shut your eyes and kept your breath almost silent as Fluttershy awoke, her breath catching suddenly in her chest.
“Anon…?” she whispered. Ten seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty. You felt her head turn away from her shoulder, and you opened one eye to look down at her. She was watching the sunrise through the window, still wrapped around your arm. On closer inspection, you noticed a smile and blush both growing on her face.
“D-did you sleep well?” she asked, still looking outside. “I hope I didn’t keep you up, Angel’s told me that I talk in my sleep sometimes.” You stiffened in surprise; despite your best efforts, she had been completely aware that you were awake.
“You breathe differently when you sleep, you know. All animals do. I noticed when Applejack brought you home last night. You-” Fluttershy was interrupted by a series of raps on the bedroom door, and hastily lifted herself off of your arm to answer it. You sat up to see Angel in the doorway, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.
“Oh, right. It’s time for your breakfast,” she acknowledged, and turned back to you. “Normally we eat early, before you get up, but since you’re awake now, you’re welcome to come down and join us, if you’d like.”
You obliged, swinging your legs off of the bed and standing in a single, quick motion. All three of you headed down the stairs into the kitchen, and you pulled out one of the dining room chairs to watch Fluttershy prepare Angel’s breakfast. He took his bowl of carrot slices and lettuce from her carefully, and strode haughtily to the living room, giving you a sideways glance as he left the room. Fluttershy craned her neck to watch him as he plopped down into his basket to eat, humming thoughtfully.
“I wonder what’s gotten into Angel lately. He’s been acting strangely ever since you arrived, normally he eats with me in here,” she mused. You shook your head, unsure as well. You hadn’t paid much attention to Angel for the past few days, save for the couple times you found him curled up beside you or on top of you when you woke up on the couch. You’d made a few attempts to pet him or interact with him then, but he always scurried off to find Fluttershy or to take refuge upstairs. Initially, you came to the conclusion that Angel wasn’t fond of you, given his absence whenever you were spending time with Fluttershy. The few moments when you and the yellow pegasus were apart, however, he was usually napping or otherwise entertaining himself wherever you happened to be, sometimes following you. You had a sneaking suspicion that, perhaps, he was just getting to know you on his terms. With how standoffish he was around Fluttershy, maybe he was just trying to save face.
“By the way, Anon, Applejack left a gift for you last night, after bringing you here. She said she made it herself.”
You turned your attention to Fluttershy, who was carefully pulling a metal pie tin out of the fridge. She set on the table and fetched a couple plates and silverware for both of you. You peeled back the foil on top of the pan to reveal a golden-brown apple pie with filling just slightly oozing out of holes in the top. The heavenly smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and apples washed over you as Fluttershy carefully cut out a slice for herself. She slid the second plate to you along with the serving knife, and sat down beside you.
“Normally, I wouldn’t eat sweets first thing in the morning, but I don’t have time to cook,” she remarked before taking a quick bite. “Yesterday, I checked in on a pregnant doe that I’ve been keeping an eye on for several months, and I think she’ll go into labor soon, so I’m going to leave and check on her again to make sure she’s okay.” You nodded your head while savoring your breakfast. Fluttershy ate her small piece remarkably fast, and took her dish to the sink before you had finished even half of your slice.
“I won’t be gone long, you’ll be okay here with Angel, right?” she asked, reaching for a small bag hanging from the wall by the doorway. You gave her a thumbs-up and a confident grunt. Satisfied, she slid the bag strap around her neck and trotted over to Angel. You didn’t quite catch what she said, but her tone was as motherly as ever, prompting Angel to reluctantly nod his head and wave her off. She nuzzled him briefly before announcing her departure, and flew out the cottage door, certain to close it behind her.
You continued eating, watching Angel out of the corner of your eye. Soon enough, after ensuring that Fluttershy had left, Angel hopped up from his basket and carried his bowl into the kitchen. He leapt up onto a chair and onto the table across from you, and went on with eating the carrot slices, leaving the lettuce untouched as he ate. Fluttershy had scolded him before about not finishing his meals, and you thought about how you might be able to sway him without the ability to speak. In a moment of inspiration, you deftly stole away a piece of the lettuce in his bowl with two fingers, eliciting a tiny gasp from him. Angel pulled his bowl to his side and glared at you as you dangled the leaf over your mouth. You could see his expression quiver a bit as you started to lower it slowly, and paused. Faking a pitiful frown, you offered the lettuce back to him, which he snatched from your grasp and started to wolf it down. He turned his back to you and sat back down facing the bowl, occasionally looking over his shoulder in case you planned on taking anything more. You simply looked away from him and continued to eat, inwardly proud that your plan succeeded.
You started scraping up the remaining bits of your slice of pie onto your fork, and noticed Angel pushing his bowl towards you as you swallowed the last bite. He was rubbing his stomach to indicate he was finished, and inside the bowl sat a single slice of carrot and a small lettuce leaf. You pointed to yourself questioningly, and he nodded. You reached for the offering and started eating, and Angel chittered to himself for a second and smiled before jumping off of the table and heading back into the living room. You stacked the bowl on top of your plate and carried them to the sink, and spent a couple minutes washing all of the dishes and utensils in it. You could understand why Fluttershy doted on Angel so much; while he acted like a bratty child at times, he did show some consideration for others, particularly Fluttershy and now you, her seemingly permanent guest. Finished with the dishes, you walked into the living room towards the couch, when a couple sharp knocks at the door stopped you in your tracks. Remembering Celestia’s orders, you sat down quietly, putting a finger to your lips when Angel looked at you in confusion from his basket.
“Oh, Fluttershy-yyyy! I’m ba-aaaaaack!” a male voice called out as the door sprang open and collided with the wall behind it with a loud wham. You watched in half-surprise, half-terror as a tall, goat-headed creature wearing a colorful floral shirt stepped inside. Calling the sight ‘strange,’ was an understatement; the creature seemed to have parts from all sorts of animals grafted onto him. A lion’s paw for one arm, a bird-like set of claws on the opposite arm, two completely different horns- all of his appendages were mismatched, like a toy built by a child. He was carrying a bright orange cup in his claws, which he literally drank, leaving the cup-shaped fluid floating in his hand, which he tossed into the yard before stepping in.
“I remembered to use the door this time, and it didn’t leave a mark in the wall!” he announced proudly, folding his umbrella and setting it by the doorway. Immediately, his attention turned to you, and you both stared at one another for several silent seconds. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization.
“Oh, hello there,” he laughed, approaching you with a curious expression. “You’re a human, aren’t you? Why, I haven’t seen one of you in ages!” Against your better judgement, you stood up to greet him, smiling nervously. He hummed to himself as he circled and inspected you, and stood before you with his paw on his chin.
“I distinctly recall you ‘hue-mans’ looking differently, though,” he muttered. He snapped his claws, and you felt a strange sensation all over your body. You looked down in confusion as you noticed your hands had become a lime green color, as well as the rest of your skin.
“Ah, that looks more familiar. At least, I think so.” He started moving around you again as you panicked, unable to rub away the color, before Angel rushed in between you both and held up his paw, as if directing the creature to stop. You would have scooped him up and sprinted away right then and there, had you not been absolutely terrified of what would happen next. The goat-headed creature bent down to Angel’s level, and put his paw to his ear as Angel started chattering away, occasionally agreeing and acknowledging the tiny rabbit. He snapped his claws again, and your skin returned to its normal color.
“Oh dear, I’m dreadfully sorry for startling you… what was it again?” the creature apologized, looking back down to Angel, who chittered curtly in response. “Anon, right. I’m Discord, a close friend of Fluttershy’s, is she here right now?” You shook your head, still inspecting your body for any more signs of green. Angel continued speaking to Discord, who frowned in disappointment.
“Well, darn. I just came back from vacation, and I was hoping to catch up with on our regular tea parties, but Fluttershy’s not here right now,” Discord complained, his floral shirt disappearing with another snap. “Unless, of course, you would like to have tea?” You nodded in agreement- you didn’t have many other options, and it seemed like a good idea to try and befriend Discord.
“Wonderful! I’ll put the kettle on,” Discord replied gleefully. He sat down in the chair beside the couch, and with yet another snap, a porcelain tea kettle and miniature heating plate appeared on the coffee table. The kettle was painted with a delicate pattern of roses, which was starkly contrasted by the large, black smile across its side. You sat down on the couch and watched Discord as he divined a spigot out of nowhere, and poured water into the kettle. The spigot disappeared in a flash, and he pressed a button on the base of the heating plate.
“Here comes my favorite part- I love the sound of a screaming kettle,” he bubbled, holding his chin as he watched the kettle heat up.
You noticed, after a few moments, that the kettle’s smile was steadily turning into a frown, and that a light blush was growing where the kettle’s cheeks would have been, if kettles normally had them. You thought about Discord’s comment for a moment, and realized just a second too late what was in store. The kettle started to whine obnoxiously, and steadily grew in volume until it erupted into a horrendous scream, steam escaping its spout. You barely heard another snap when a tea set popped up onto the table, and Discord lifted the tea kettle off the plate with an oven mitt and set it onto a thick mat next to the plate. He turned and revealed a small paper box from behind him and opened the lid to you, revealing a variety of different teabags. You reached to grab one labelled ‘Earl Grey,’ but it instead flew up and smacked you in the face a couple times before landing in the cup closest to you.
“Sorry about that. They can be a little aggressive,” Discord apologized, yelling over the still-screaming kettle, giggling to himself. You were absolutely dumbfounded at the events of the last twenty minutes, yet Angel, who was sitting next to you, looked unfazed. After pouring his own cup of tea and teleporting the kettle and heating plate away, Discord folded his leg and turned towards you.
“So, Anon, you’re a pretty quiet fellow, even quieter than Fluttershy. But please, tell me about yourself.” You sat silently, apprehensively considering his request. Discord sipped his tea carefully, and smiled at you.
“Is something wrong? I assure you, I won’t judge you- just look at me,” he assured, gesturing to his body. “I’m certainly not one to go about judging others. Go ahead, speak up.”
You spoke in your usual garbled mess, albeit quieter than normal. I can’t speak properly. Discord leaned forward, his ear craning comically towards you.
“Come again?”
You let fly more gibberish, now audible. I. Cannot. Speak. Properly. You fought to keep your head up, suddenly self-conscious. Discord hesitated for a moment, and laughed to himself.
“Silly me, I haven’t brushed up on my Human-ese in a long time. Let’s see, umm…”
He then started speaking in a strange language, not just a mess of sounds like you, but you still didn’t understand. You began to argue with him, and the conversation went nowhere quickly. You were slowly becoming frustrated, while Discord only grew more amused with each passing minute. Angel’s expression turned from apathy to annoyance after only a few minutes of the unintelligible exchange, and he fished the whiteboard and marker out of your pocket and thrust them into your hands. He made a zipper-like motion across his lips in irritation.
“Oh, how delectably confusing!” Discord exclaimed, making a kissing motion to his fingertips. “I can’t understand a single thing you’re saying. I can’t understand a single thing I’m saying, for that matter.” You sighed, mentally exhausted. You had a mild headache from attempting to speak for such a long time, and sipped your tea in the hopes that he wouldn’t prompt you for more.
“Well, I suppose I could tell you a bit about myself, then,” he began, setting his cup down. “I am a draconequus, and am the living embodiment of chaos in Equestria. I used to be a real pain for ponies around here, but after I became friends with Fluttershy, and in turn with her friends, I do what I can to help out. I’ve even helped save the world a few times.” He spoke with an air of grandeur that had you wondering just how much of his biography wasn’t exaggeration, and how good of friends he was with Fluttershy.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed my magical abilities already, but I can do so much more than teleport and create things from thin air. Why, I even came up with a way to transport things from separate dimensions! I come here from my own little pocket dimension all the time,” he continued proudly. You recalled Twilight’s story, and the idol that she and Celestia had found when you first arrived. You hastily doodled it as best as you could remember, and turned your whiteboard to him.
“Oh, I recognize that, yes! I was trying to get in touch with humans when I misplaced it. How do you-” Discord’s rambling halted, and he blinked at you once. His expression faded into mild embarrassment, and he slapped his forehead.
“Right. If you’re here, that means the idol’s been found. Which means I’m probably going to get an earful from Celestia-”
“DISCORD!” You heard Twilight’s voice outside the front door, which glowed bright purple and opened itself to allow her entrance. She barged in hastily, sliding to a stop when she saw the two of you sharing tea.
“... or her faithful student, Princess Twilight.”
“Wait, were you expecting me?” she asked quizzically.
“You could say that, yes. Anon here just informed me that the human idol I created is the reason he’s here,” Discord replied in a dull tone of voice. “Do you happen to know who activated it?”
“That would be… me, actually,” she sighed. “I’m sorry for barging in, I just noticed that Anon was exposed to a high amount of magical activity, and thought something was wrong.” You reached for the choker around your neck. The gemstone was surprisingly warm, and your fingertips tingled as you touched it. Discord looked back to you and the choker, then back to Twilight.
“I see. I was wondering what that little trinket was for. Why keep an eye on him, though? He’s as harmless as Fluttershy is.” Discord asked before taking another drink from his cup.
“The last humans that came to Equestria destroyed an entire village and its inhabitants, that’s why,” Twilight retorted. Discord spat out his drink, and hastily spawned a towel that began to clean up the mess on its own.
“That’s terrible! Why wasn’t I told about this?” Oddly enough, to you, Discord seemed genuinely shocked. He had planned to bring humans here, but didn’t anticipate what would have happened when they arrived. You started to believe that there was truth to his story of good intentions towards Fluttershy and the other Elements.
“It happened a few decades after you were imprisoned, and Celestia removed all traces of humans after she exiled them all to the dragon lands, where they perished,” she replied. “Now we need your help to send Anon back home and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“Unfortunately, Twilight, I can’t help you, as much as I would like to,” Discord murmured. “I honestly don’t remember how to send things back to his world, it’s been so long.”
“What do you mean, you don’t remember? You take things to and from your own dimension all the time, even ponies!”
“I just don’t. I’ve never actually done it myself before, save for my home and Equestria. I created my idols as a locus for magic, but without them, there’s nothing I can do.” While Discord and Twilight bickered about the idol, you saw movement outside the window by the door. Fluttershy had returned from her trip, and looked inside with concern. She pushed open the door, which creaked loudly, drawing all attention in the room to her. Her ears flattened a bit as she closed it behind her.
“Sorry to interrupt everypony, I just heard voices from outside, and I wasn’t expecting company,” she mumbled. Discord opened his arms wide, motioning her towards him.
“No problem at all! I came straight here to see you after I came home, and you’re just the pony I wanted to see,” he cheered, giving her a tight hug. “Although, Anon here was kind enough to let me be his company in your stead.” Fluttershy grinned sheepishly at you.
“Ah, I see. I hope you weren’t too frightened or anything. Discord can be… eccentric at times. No offense,” she remarked.
“None taken.” Twilight cleared her throat, and approached Fluttershy.
“I’m glad that we’ve all reunited, but I have some news I wanted to pass on, some that you and Anon might be happy to hear,” she began. You leaned forward attentively.
“Princess Celestia and Luna have reviewed the data I’ve collected from Anon since he’s arrived, and they’ve decided that, so long as one of the Elements stays with him, he is welcome to move about Ponyville as he wishes, in the public eye.” Twilight announced happily. You felt your heart swell, and Fluttershy gasped excitedly.
“That’s great! What made them change their minds?”
“After seeing how considerate and hardworking he was, Luna and I managed to convince Celestia that he was worth trusting. She studied the information you provided carefully, and felt that it would be worth giving humans a second chance, since Anon is the only one here in Equestria.” Twilight gave you a polite nod, and Discord applauded you, accompanied by the appearance of several floating copies of his hands.
“What do you say, Fluttershy, want to give him a tour of the town? See the sights?” he suggested. Before Fluttershy could respond, Twilight held out her hoof in front of her.
“No, you’re still coming with me, as I said before. Celestia needs your help with the idol, and you’re the only one who understands how it works.”
“Well, I don’t know if ‘understand’ is the right word,” he replied nonchalantly. Twilight shot him a fiery glare, and he looked to you and Fluttershy in desperation.
“I don’t know, this sounds pretty important. I think you should go, just to see what you can do to help.” Fluttershy mused.
“Et tu, Fluttershy?” he sighed in defeat. “And even if I do help, have you asked how he feels about going home? He seems pretty comfortable here,” he whined, gesturing to you with his paw. All three of them cast one another uncertain glances, but remained quiet. Despite your small victory, the thought of being sent back to the world you didn’t even remember didn’t sound like the best plan of action; you’d already been flung into this one, and Discord was right- you had been growing used to it, even after just five days’ time. Twilight sighed, and approached you.
“Look, I know that it’s nice here in Equestria, and I believe that you want to help ponies here, but we don’t know for certain what effects it or anything in it will have on you. I can’t guarantee that you’ll even be able to go back, but we have to find a way so that you at least have a choice, okay?” There was reason to Twilight’s words, and you gave her a half-hearted nod of agreement.
“Alright. Just hang in there, Anon. We’ll keep in touch.” After exchanging nods with Twilight, Discord snapped one last time, and he, Twilight, and the entire tea set disappeared.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind giving you a tour of Ponyville, if you’d like,” Fluttershy piped up, breaking the awkward silence hanging in the room. “It’s a lovely day out, and I’d be happy to go for a walk with you.” You weren’t certain how to respond, still dazed from the rapid change of events that had occurred. Sure, you were happy that your plan to gain Celestia’s trust had worked out, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that it would soon be for naught, once Twilight and the princesses found a way to send you back to Earth. Fluttershy noticed you spacing out, and laid her head on your knee to get your attention, looking up at you with gentle eyes.
“It’s going to be alright, Anon. I know things have probably been moving quickly for you, too quickly for anypony to handle, but I believe that things will turn out alright,” she said reassuringly. You lifted your palm to her cheek, and her expression radiated warmth. Once again, you found yourself instantly calmed by those big, teal-blue eyes; you didn’t get why or how she did it, but you couldn’t be bothered to think about it. Her consideration for you was enough. You rose to your feet, and you felt a warm tug on your hand. You looked down to see Angel hanging from your fingers by his front paws, and you curled your hand to allow him to climb up into your palm. Fluttershy gasped as he turned away from her embarrassedly.
“Did you want to come with Anon too, Angel?” she asked with a soft giggle. He gave her a curt nod and tapped on your wrist, gesturing upwards. You lifted your arm a bit, and Angel scurried up your arm onto your shoulder, holding onto your ear as he made himself comfortable. Surprised as you were, it was nice to see that he had warmed up to you, even if he didn’t want Fluttershy to notice. You smiled contentedly at her, and strode over to the cottage door to head outside. A cool breeze blew past you, causing Angel to grip your ear tightly, though not hard enough to hurt. You heard Fluttershy shut the door behind you, and you followed her across the short bridge and onto the path that led to Ponyville’s center.
Quiet minutes passed as you continued farther and farther away from the cottage, and the town appeared in view as you passed the top of a large hill. Faint, colorful figures passed back and forth, occasionally stopping to talk to one another in the midday sun. Initially you had been pretty excited to leave the safety of the cottage, but on seeing the town at a closer distance, anxiety started settling in the bottom of your stomach. Fluttershy noticed your hesitation, and turned around to face you, still smiling sweetly.
“Remember Anon- it’s going to be okay. Sure, you’re new to Ponyville, and ponies might give you a few strange looks, but I’ll be right here with you to make sure nopony bothers you.” She booped your hand with her snout, and resumed walking down the hill towards the town. You took a deep breath and exhaled before following her, ignoring the butterflies in your stomach. After a few more minutes of walking, you both reached the edge of town, where Fluttershy stopped at a bridge above the mouth of the creek that passed by the cottage.
“First, if you look over to your left, that big building there is Carousel Boutique, where Rarity lives and works. As I told you before, she makes clothing for all kinds of ponies, and even runs her own fashion lines; I’ll bet, once you get to meet her, she’d be willing to make you some new clothes, so you don’t have to keep washing the same set every day.” You paid close attention as Fluttershy spoke. The building absolutely exuded an aura of fanciness and regal style that raised doubts that any pony working there would be interested in simple clothing like t-shirts and jeans. Still, you assumed, Fluttershy would know better.
“Unfortunately, she’s still coming back from Manehattan from her most recent show, but she should be arriving tomorrow,” she continued. “We can try talking to her then. For now, I think we should go visit Pinkie Pie, I’ll bet she’d love to meet you. Sugarcube Corner is just down the street.”
You made considerable effort to avoid the curious stares of ponies in the town as Fluttershy led you to her destination. Every now and again, she would give a gentle greeting to some passersby, to which they would respond without taking their eyes off of you. Most of them retained their smiles or returned to their original task within a few moments, though, and you started to realize that the town residents were about as laid-back as Fluttershy has previously suggested. Perhaps her expertise in taking care of animals of all kinds was well-known, and they only viewed you as some exotic creature under her care. You snorted, realizing that was pretty much the exact situation you were in. You came to an abrupt halt as a mint-green unicorn bounded up to you, smiling in awe.
“Whoa! I’ve never seen one of these before! Fluttershy, what is this?” she asked.
“Oh, hi Lyra. This is Anon, he’s what we call a ‘human,’ that came to Ponyville recently after… an accident,” Fluttershy explained. “He’s very kind, and he helps me out at my cottage. He actually built the birdhouse I brought you yesterday.” Lyra let out an odd, amused gasp of amazement, looking you up and down, before fixating on your hands.
“Oh, he’s got claws? But they look so soft!” Lyra exclaimed.
“No, he has ‘hands,’ and the parts on the outside are called ‘fingers.’” Fluttershy laughed. You couldn’t help but crack a grin as the unicorn looked up at you expectantly.
“Mr. Anon, c-could I touch your hands? Is that okay?” You looked at Fluttershy in bewilderment, who returned the expression with a shrug. You held out your palm for Lyra, fingers outstretched, and she gently rubbed them with the edge of her hoof, cooing like a curious child. Quickly, she gave you her thanks and sprinted off past you and Fluttershy, leaving you almost as confused as you had been with Discord.
“I… I honestly wasn’t expecting that to happen,” Fluttershy remarked. “But see? You’ve only been in Ponyville for a few minutes, and ponies already like you.”
You laughed nervously, internally debating whether or not being ostracized by ponies would be better than more introductions like Lyra’s. Fluttershy continued to help you familiarize yourself with the town as you both walked, mostly shops and houses of a few ponies she was familiar with, until you finally reached Sugarcube Corner. As Fluttershy opened the door ahead of you, deep down, you hoped that your day wouldn’t end anywhere near as strangely as it had began.