There’s a lot for Anon to ponder while he and Celestia wait for a pony to take their order for lunch. These ponies continue to perplex him at every turn. The complexity of dating the princess is one thing, but now he must wonder about this ‘lead mare’ and ‘herd’ business. Though, he shouldn’t be surprised, as this world is filled with many things he has yet to experience, and his next journey is into new territory.
Anon frets about Tia’s aggressive nature. He surmises it’s mostly instinctual, and that putting Lyra in her place is crucial to their relationship, but there must be a way to mitigate some of her reaction. Casting a glance at her horn ring, Anon wonders if he too should carry something as a sign that they’re together? It would undoubtedly show to anyone curious that Anon’s taken, but this also brings his anxiety of what her subjects will think.
“Tia.”
Celestia looks over to Anon with a broad smile. “Hmm?”
“I’ll be straight with you; I don’t like how hostile you are about our relationship,” Anon reveals. “I know it’s instinct and quite normal to you ponies, but it bothers me. So, is there some symbol for me to wear that, uh, tells others we’re in a relationship? You know, as a way to deter others at a glance?”
“I understand it can be jarring, and I thank you for being honest.” Celestia takes a moment to mull it over. “I agree wholeheartedly. If you’re interested, I can arrange for a crown to be made for you?”
Anon freezes up. “Crown?”
Celestia gives a knowing smirk. “Indeed. It’ll be a clear sign that I’ve taken you as my partner, and with that comes a change in status. For all intents and purposes, you’re a prince.”
Anon is uneasy about this. “But we’re not that far in the relationship, right?”
“We’ll only go as fast as you want,” Celestia says. “However, a crown is undoubtedly something that’ll bring change.”
“Um...” He really doesn’t like this idea; not yet at least. “Anything else? Perhaps a ring or necklace?”
Celestia taps a hoof to her bottom lip. “I suppose an emblem with my cutie mark could work.” Celestia starts as something comes to mind. She looks at Anon with a loving smile. “However, I believe this will do fine.”
Celestia cranes her neck to an outstretched wing. Anon watches as she gently grasps a feather with her lips and gives a light tug to pull it out. She offers Anon the feather, which he takes and examines. This is a huge feather. Without a doubt, it’s a primary feather, and no pony in the world could ever have a feather as long as Celestia’s.
It’s pristine white, and Anon swears it glows very dimly in his hand. However, as he holds it, it starts to burn bright enough that he must close his eyes.
“All done.” Celestia states. He opens his eyes and finds the tip of the feather is now attached to a gold necklace. “That will without a doubt tell others we’re together.”
The necklace floats from Anon’s hand as Celestia puts it around his neck. While being a rather large feather, it perfectly lays on Anon’s chest for anyone to see. He picks the feather up and looks it over, it still glowing faintly. Such a strange thing.
“This will do,” Anon states. “I still can’t believe this.”
“I know, but we’ll get through this. Don’t worry; I’m here for you,” Celestia says, resting her wing around Anon.
“I don’t know if I’m worth it, but thank you, Tia.”
“You’re worth it to me,” she states.
Anon doesn’t say anything as they embrace each other. The silence is broken as the doors to the dining room are thrown open. Celestia and Anon look over to see Twilight standing there in a maid outfit. They’re both equally confused by this as she blushes heavily, walking toward the table. Once she’s by their side, she pulls out a quill and parchment.
“H-Hello, what would you two like for lunch?”
“Twilight, what the hell are you doing?” Anon asks.
Her crimson covered face looks to the floor, embarrassed. “I-I got a job to get some bits.”
“A job?” Celestia asks.
“Long story,” Anon says. “I’ll tell you later.”
Twilight’s head snaps up to look at Anon. “But I thought it was a secret?!” Her eyes then instantly catch the necklace and feather that’s attached to it. “W-what is that?”
“What do you think it is?” Anon asks, annoyed.
Her eyes rapidly shift from Anon to her mentor, her breaths becoming labored. “I―you―Princess...”
“I think she’s going to pass―” A thud stops what Anon was going to say.
“Oh dear.” Celestia lifts Twilight up with her magic. “It appears she’s out cold.”
“I got this.” Anon gets out of his seat, walks over to Twilight, and slaps her hard enough to cause a lasting echo. “Wake up!”
Twilight’s eyes snap open as they look up at Anon, then down to the feather again. “You and the Princess?”
“Yup,” Anon answers.
“But... How?”
“Twilight, you have a job to do. Don’t want to get fired so soon.”
Her eyes widen again as she nods rapidly. “Y-Yes! What would you two like?”
Anon walks back to his seat as Celestia sets Twilight onto her hooves.
“Manticore ribs,” Anon states. “Dry rub.”
Twilight’s left eye twitches, but she writes it down as she looks to her mentor. “And for you, Princess?”
Celestia smiles. “Fruit salad.” As Twilight writes it down, Celestia leans close to nuzzle her student. “I’ll explain everything later.”
Twilight calms down as she nods a few times. “I’ll get your orders ready.”
With nothing left to say, Twilight leaves the two of them alone. Anon watches Twilight walk away in that silly maid uniform that’s undoubtedly one size too small. It seems she’s starting to take the initiative and has found herself a way to make money. Fine by him, that means for the time being she’ll be preoccupied, and he’ll be left to deal with his latest challenge.
“She’s looking to make amends with various ponies,” Anon states, knowing Celestia’s thoughts. “Currently, she needs bits to buy a permit in Canterlot.”
“Permit? Why not ask for one?” Celestia states, confused.
“It’s complicated. She can’t ask for it because then she didn’t earn it herself. You shouldn’t hand everything to her, Tia.”
Celestia flinches slightly at that. “I guess you’re right. So this is what you’ve been helping with?”
“Pretty much.”
“It’s nice to see my student outside of her element for once.” Celestia smiles. “I have a strong feeling you’re going to make a big difference in her recovery.”
Anon scoffs. “I have my reasons.”
“The future isn’t written in stone,” Celestia states. “Did you ever imagine we’d be dating?”
Anon scratches his head. “You have a point.”
Luna looks to the recruits that have passed the fitness test. Now, they stand in wait for the mental exam. As much as she despises this, she must summon the fiend into play. So, she unites their minds once again, and the silence she relished is swiftly broken. An insidious chuckle permeates the void.
"And here I thought you were intent on childishly ignoring me, Lulu. Did you miss me?" Nightmare Moon teased.
Luna suppresses the urge to set her jaw in front of her recruits. Though many of them, including Blossom, notice her annoyed aura, none of them say a single thing as they quietly wait for whatever may come.
"Do what you’re best at and speak nothing more," Luna commands.
"Very well, it's been some time since I've been allowed to stretch my wings."
"Prepare yourselves." Luna pierces the composure of the recruits. "You lot may think your wills unbreakable, your mettle untested, but what you're about to encounter will reduce you to nothing more than the bastard fillies and colts your whorse mothers had the displeasure of spawning." While Luna talks, a slow swirl of darkness rises from her hooves, gradually engulfing her form. "I will not condemn those hesitant to advance, but for anyone courageous enough to confront what lies within, dare to take a step forward."
The darkness clings to her body and takes shape. Many of the creatures standing before the Princess reel back as a being of pure corruption takes Luna's place, Nightmare Moon. Her smile is broad as her gaze sweeps over the group in front of her.
"A gift for me?" she asks with a chortle. "And here I thought you all forgot about me…"
A few of the ponies take a step back out of fear, but realize that where Nightmare Moon stood, there was no one but them. Blossom shakes her head as she walks up to the three ponies before her.
"You've failed," she states. "I'll keep you three in the file if you wish to return when we open recruiting again."
The three of them say nothing as they stand stock still, unsure what to say about what they just witnessed. Blossom knows all too well what they've seen and even that pales in comparison to those that are still in there.
Nightmare looks to the few remaining, her smile growing too large for her face. "Come now, come forward and entertain me with your pitiful minds!"
An eruption of darkness overwhelms those remaining as they plunge into their deepest nightmares. This is definitely what Nightmare needed to calm down after what she did to help that creature!
Twilight kicks open the door to the throne room. While she was putting in the order for Anon and the Princess, she heard from a passing maid that Cadance was taking questions for day court and a lot of ponies have been coming by for relationship advice. Twilight knows that things will probably be strained between her and Cadance, but she has to tell her about Anon and Celestia!
Both Cadance and a random pony jump in shock as they turn around to see Twilight standing there, huffing heavily as she tries to catch her breath but the uniform making that difficult.
“Beat it!” Twilight yells as she tosses the pony out a nearby window with her magic.
“Twilight! What in Equestria are you doing?!” Cadance quickly casts a spell to catch the pony before he lands, bringing him back into the room, setting him where he stood.
“Emergency!” is Twilight’s only reply.
Cadance sighs as she looks to the pony shaking on his hooves. “Terribly sorry. I have to take this, but feel free once I’m done to come back. We can continue where we left off.”
The pony chuckles nervously as he glances at the degranged pony behind him. “Um, actually, I think life’s too short to mope around about lost love. I’m going to give Twirl a try and not think about Blaze.”
“Well, if you—” The pony is already out the door before she can say anything more. Cadance looks to Twilight, narrowing her eyes. “That was rude.”
Twilight's ears pin back. “I-I know, but something huge has happened!”
“What is it?”
“I-I think Anon and the Princess are dating!” Twilight exclaims. “She had a horn ring on and he was wearing her primary feather!”
“Oh?” The primary feather is a nice touch. “I’ve known for quite some time how your mentor has felt about Anon. It’s only recently that they’ve taken the first step into their relationship.”
“So, it’s true?”
“Yes, it’s true. Don’t make such a big fuss over it. They’re both getting used to the idea and don’t need any more pressure than they already have.”
Twilight’s gaze becomes vacant as she loses herself in thought. This wasn’t something she anticipated, and now she’s left to wonder how this affects her plans moving forward. Clearly, Anon will want to spend more time with the Princess. Who wouldn’t?! She blushes. They’ll probably date and do a lot of romantic things. She can’t take that precious time away.
Her eyes widen with a new purpose. A smile crawling onto her lips. This is certainly a way for her to become Anon’s friend again! She doesn’t know anything about romance, but she could possibly be a pony he confides in for advice concerning his relationship.
“You’re right, Cadance. A good friend would keep their distance.” Twilight turns around to leave. “I have things to clean around the castle. Talk to you later!”
Cadance can only watch Twilight run off. So many questions, but it’s best to leave them for now. Afterall, she has many more ponies waiting for her.
“Next subject, please,” Cadance says to the guard next to her.
He nods as he walks to the center of the room, takes off his helmet and idly kicks the floor.
“S-So... There’s this mare I like, but I always get nervous whenever she’s around and end up acting like an idiot.”
“I see. Well, tell me everything about her and then we’ll come up with a plan.”
“Lunch is ready!” Twilight sets the two plates she was carrying in front of her mentor and Anon. “Enjoy.”
“Thank you, Twilight.” Celestia smiles warmly. “You look good in the uniform. I’m sure Feather Duster is treating you well?”
Twilight nods. “Of course! I’m having a lot of fun working on my own. It’s tough, but fulfilling.”
“Good to hear.” Celestia looks over to Anon, who’s already eating, trying his best to ignore Twilight. “Wouldn’t you say she’s doing a fine job?”
Anon raises a brow as he looks from Tia to Twilight. With a roll of his eye he sets his rib down, cleans his hands and face before turning his attention to Twilight. “You cringed when taking my order and serving me. I have no idea how long this’ll last, but if you do that while serving a delegate, they’ll consider that disrespectful.” He gets up out of his chair and walks over to her. “Your uniform is a size too small. I have no idea how ponies view clothing, but on my world, we’d call this promiscuous or overly sexualized.” Anon reaches down and grabs the duster from her hip and examines it. “You also failed to clear your duster before coming here. There’s a high chance that there’s dust or other dirt in our food.”
“Anon, no need to be overly critical,” Celestia reprimands.
He’s not done yet, because despite Tia’s words, he can see the negatives. “I should also mention you smell like sweat, which I noticed from my seat. You’re sweating now, as we speak.” Twilight takes a napkin from the table and quickly wipes her face. “You also took a napkin from the Princess.” Twilight, shocked, throws it back onto the table. “You just tossed a dirty napkin at the Princess.”
“You’re being ridiculous now,” Celestia comments. “This is new to her.”
“One last point.” Anon notices another scent mixed with the general musk. “You went to talk with Cadance while on the clock. A big no-no.” With that said, Anon walks back to his seat. “There’s a lot to improve on.” Picking up a rib, he continues where he left off.
Twilight is embarrassed to have been razed by Anon in front of her mentor, but she can’t deny that everything he said is true. Celestia nervously smiles as she looks between Anon and Twilight. Their relationship is strained, but definitely better than it was. She rests a wing onto her student and gives her a small smile.
“The fact you’ve taken it onto yourself to improve is a great thing, Twilight.”
“Thank you, Princess.” Twilight looks up to Anon. “I’ll be sure to improve on my flaws.” He doesn’t even acknowledge her as he eats in silence. “I must return to my work. Good day.”
“Good day,” Celestia says.
Anon keeps silent as Twilight leaves, only sighing once she’s left the room. “That pony, I swear.”
“I know this is old news to you, but I’m happy she’s growing so quickly with your help. I can’t help but praise her for the steps she’s taken.”
“She’s not a kid, Tia. She doesn’t need constant praise for every little thing she does.”
“But I believe all good should be rewarded.” Celestia nuzzles Anon. “Hurry now, I want to spend quality time in the garden with you. Tomorrow is the festival and I’d like relax as much as I can before then.”
“Alright.” Anon calms at the attention. “I... I love you.”
Celestia smiles. “I love you too.”
“I swear this generation is far more soft than those of our time.” Nightmare gives a sigh of satisfaction. Her void is covered in blood and various creatures shivering in place. “Putting that aside, I had fun.”
The creatures slowly fade into nothing as the darkness pulls them into the floor. In their place, Luna rises up to face Nightmare.
“Just as evil as I remember,” she sneers. “Prepare yourself for tonight and dare not let what you’ve done today replay upon Anonymous.”
Nightmare smirks. “I have bigger plans for him, Lulu. These wretched, pitiful things are nothing more than toys to relieve stress, but that stallion you cherish so much? I’ll take special pleasure in corrupting him.”
Luna wants nothing more than to strike this mare down for her toxic words, but she’ll not play into her mind games.
“He knows who to trust in the end,” Luna asserts. “You will return to being nothing more than a memory, for he will see your true colors, given time; on that day, I will relish in locking you into the void with nothing but darkness to greet you.”
The smirk on Nightmare’s face falls for a moment, only to be replaced with a vicious sneer. “On that day, I won’t be the only one falling into that pit.”
Luna turns her back on Nightmare, summoning a door to leave. “There’s nothing more to say. Keep your hooves to yourself. That is a warning.” Before stepping out, she looks over her withers. “A bit of news for you, Nightmare: my sister finally told Anon how she felt and he’s returned her affection. It’s only a matter of time until I’m given that privilege.”
With a chuckle, Luna walks out, leaving Nightmare by herself in the void.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Nightmare smirks. “Love and hate both stem from the flame of passion, dear Luna, and you of all ponies should know that flame needs little encouragement to consume everything in its path.” She rests her head on her hooves. “This shall be child’s play.”