Wheels bumped over the tracks, metal clanking together as the train stopped at a station. Smoke billowed up from the engine as it idled, and in the rear of the train a stallion earth pony opened the door and stepped out. He was welcomed by the warm breeze that swept through his mane, and he inhaled deeply, relishing the smell of summer in the air.
Soon after he stepped out, passengers of ponies exited out the other side as well. Parents called out to their children, or to each other if they were close enough. The air filled with excited chatter as children rushed out, only for adults to gently grab them as they tried to dart off.
The engineer’s eyes darted to the bench in front of him, where a man sat. His hat shadowed his face, obscuring the rest of his features. He wore a black zippered hoodie, along with blue jeans and worn out brown boots, and his arms crossed in front of him.
Next to him was a unicorn mare, her bright red mane tied back in twin tails that hung past her waist. She wore a maid’s uniform under a black dress with white flowers on the hem; she also sported a yellow bow in her mane. Her coated fur was a light shade of tan, and her eyes of leafy green showed experience beyond her years.
The man looked up to meet the engineer’s eyes.
“Well it’s about time.” The Man said in the same tone that every pony knew him for, gruff yet soft all at once. “You know I hate waiting, especially when it involves that damn locomotive.”
“Sorry sir. Had trouble keeping track of time while I was doing work.” The engineer shrugged as the man stood up from his seat, brushing non existent dust from his pants. He starts up towards the train with his maid following suit before the engineer raised one hoof. “Where to sir?”
“Canterlot,” he replied as he boarded the train.
The engineer nodded and headed towards the back of the train. Out blow the horn, signaling the beginning of the long journey towards their destination, and the crowd moved aside as the doors began to slide shut. The train roared forward, pulling away from the station. Once the last passenger entered, the whistle blew again, and the engine picked up speed.
The ride was silent, save for the sound of wind whipping past and the rumbling of the engines. New passengers took their seats, most of them falling asleep within seconds. Couple’s held hooves, sitting together close enough that their feet brushed. Others leaned against each other, sleeping peacefully. Children chattered amongst themselves happily, their faces lit up with excitement.
Business ponies took advantage of the quiet to speak to their partners. Their voices were loud and cheerful, and their tails swayed behind them. When they weren’t talking they worked on their business deals, making sure everything went smoothly.
Salesponies spoke quietly, discussing how their clients had received their orders that morning. Their conversations were usually lighthearted and pleasant, but occasionally a couple of them would argue, only to be quickly claimed by the train staff. Business ponies had their own discussions too, but they rarely ever got upset, much less angry.
And finally there were two new visitors. The man had his hands in his pockets, the hood of his hoodie still pulled low over his head. It was difficult to tell anything about him with that hood covering his face, but it almost felt like he was hiding under a rock. His gaze seemed glued to the floor, his shoulders hunched into himself. He kept glancing around, scanning the compartment.
His companion followed closely behind him, carrying a large backpack strapped to her back. She too stared ahead of them, staring straight ahead, her ponytail swaying with every step she took. The two of them took their seats, leaving a spot between them open for the new arrivals. A suited stallion unicorn walked in first, with a suitcase behind him. He glanced around the train car, smiling sheepishly at each pony he met. He settled for an empty seat across from where the man sat.
Once both were seated, the door slid shut behind them and the train continued on its way. It rattled loudly as it ran over bumps and dips, shaking the occupants inside with the force of the movement. The man leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his folded hands.
The suited stallion watched him for several minutes before speaking. “Hello sir. You wouldn’t happen to be Anonymous, the Eternal Servant of Alicorns? Would you?”
Anonymous turned at him questioningly. “What gave me away?”
The unicorn shrugged. “The rumors, for starters. I heard from some ponies that you were immortal or something like that. Is it true?”
“It is.” The man replied bluntly.
“Really now? That’s interesting… then if you don’t mind me asking, how exactly did you become immortal? That kind of thing is only alicorn worthy, you know. They aren’t that easy to come by.”
Anon smirked at the stallion. “Would you believe me that it was the works of aliens?”
The stallion shook his head. “Not really.” He paused to think. “Though why a bunch of aliens would want to give you immortality, I’m not entirely sure.”
Anon snorted. “Fair point.”
“But still,” The stallion continued, “Does it not bother you? I mean, it has to be boring and suffering to live forever.”
Anon crossed his arms. Looking up at the ceiling, he thought for a moment before responding. “Well, when you’ve been living for nine-hundred and ninety three years, nothing seems terribly interesting anymore. You also learn a lot of things from those nine hundred and ninety three years.” He shifted on his seat. “For example, I learned how much of a douchebag some leaders can get. They can be extremely cruel and controlling, and I think that the reason they rule their kingdom so harshly is because they have absolutely no regard for anyone else’s opinion. Not even when they are right.” He shook his head. “They’re just horrible.”
The other stallion hummed. “That sounds rather unfortunate though, wouldn’t you agree?”
Anon laughed humorlessly. “Unfortunately, yes.”
The Stallion nodded sagely. “I suppose it’s no surprise, given what we deal with everyday. And I do appreciate your honesty. Most ponies tend to play coy around here, and they certainly won’t admit when they’re wrong.”
Anon smiled wryly. “Yeah, they probably wouldn’t.”
“Anyways,” The stallion continued. “We’re almost close to our destination, so I have one more question to ask.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“You’ve been around for so long, just how old are you?”
“Hmm, let’s see,” Anon pondered. “When I first arrived here I was in my thirties, but now that I’m older I’d say I’m around one thousand and thirty one years old, give or take a few centuries.”
“One thousand and thirty one?!” The Unicorn stallion exclaimed, shock clear in his voice.
“Yeah. So?”
The stallion sighed. “Wow, wow, that’s old. Really old.”
Anon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I’m old, you don’t have to rub it in.”
The Unicorn stallion laughed nervously. “Right, sorry!”
The train jerked slightly as it stopped at another station. People filed out of their cars, taking their luggage and bags and heading towards the exits. Some walked slowly as they talked to their companions, others hurried along. Some of them walked quickly as they made their way to the exit, the rest slowed down to walk more leisurely. Fillies ran past everyone, trying to reach the front of the line. Older ponies were slower, shuffling through the lines with a slight limp.
Anon and his companion followed the flow of ponies off the train. They exited the station, and the Unicorn stallion looked around. “Well, I guess this is where we part ways Mr Anonymous.”
Anonymous nodded as they stood face to face. “Yep.”
The Stallion nodded as well before turning away. “Nice meeting you Anon. I hope I see you again soon.”
“Likewise.” Anon said as the Unicorn walked off.
Anon stared off into the distance, watching as he left. Both him and the unicorn maid turned, stepping out of the station and starting forward through the busy streets. The air outside the station felt clean and a bit crisp as they walked out into Celestia’s bright sunlight. Sunshine basked the towers of Canterlot Castle, bringing in the sunny morning. A gentle breeze carried across the castle grounds, causing all the bushes in vases to dance along the ground.
Ponies passed the duo, going about their usual morning routines. Some laughed and chatted amongst themselves. Many of the ponies walked past with small carts full of fresh produce, flowers and plants ready to be picked later that morning. Others rushed past with items of all descriptions. Mannequins, dresses, suits, accessories, and other items filled the small cart.
Turning a corner, the two walked under an archway. Passing by small buildings set into the sides, approaching the double doors that marked the entrance. The guards on either side of the doors nodded at them and opened it for them to enter.
They walked down on the carpet through the entrance hall, the doors swung closed behind them.
“Welcome back you two.”
Anon and his maid looked up. Standing on the second floor, smiling down at them, stood a familiar pony. A tall light-pink coated alicorn mare with a striped rainbow hued mane that flowed in the solar winds with sparkles around, she possessed beautiful light grayish-magenta, wore a golden crown with a rhombus purple gem in the heart of the crown, her nape wrapped by a golden necklace with a purple gem planted on the middle base, and wears golden hoof shoes. Her flank plastered with the sun as a cutie mark.
To most of her subjects, she’s the wise and graceful Princess who raises the sun and moon. Bringing prosperity to our fair kingdom. To her prodigy Sunset Shimmer, she is a teacher who enjoys sharing ancient history and magic. To the rulers of other nations she is a shrewd diplomat and skillful negotiator, to Princess Cadence she’s an aunt, and to Shining Armor she’s a military commander. And to Anon… she is a dear friend, someone who he trusts completely and whom he feels he owes everything to:
Princess Celestia.
She smiles warmly as she descends from her high perch. Walking down the stairs until she stands before them.
“I take that your journey went well and you’ve delivered my message to the other kingdoms?”
The unicorn bowed low. “As per your instructions milady, we have delivered the crystal as requested.”
Celestia nodded. “Good work.” She glanced at Anon. “And what about Anon?” She grinned knowingly. “Did he freeze?”
The unicorn grinned broadly in return. “Like a baby deer in a spot light.”
Celestia and the maid giggled lightly, causing Anon to shake his head at the two unamused. He looked at his companion. “Are you done?”
The unicorn maid winked at the Princess before turning and starting to her left. Leaving Celestia and Anon alone.
“So,” Celestia started as she approached her friend.
Anon nodded at her. “Yes?”
Celestia jerked her head towards the stairs. “Care to walk with me?”
“After you.” He motioned his hand in the direction of the staircase, following after her obediently.
Together they chatted down the carpeted hallway. Passing by numerous stained glass windows depicting various past events throughout the ages. All of these events were painted with such colorful colors that each painting captured something different from the previous.
Yes, he had to admit, it was nice being at home. He missed it through his travels. What he didn’t miss though was the daily meetings with the rulership committees. It was tiring sometimes watching Celestia dealing with them, having to listen to their arguments. But the last one wasn’t too bad.
The last time he was here, the meeting with the rulership committee seemed fairly interesting. They were interested in Princes Celestia’s opinion regarding how the castle should improve its image, and if it should become a more popular place for the lower classes to visit, and in general, the whole process was quite interesting, which was something he never expected. In hindsight he realized that if he would actually go to the meetings he would get bored. They never lasted too long. Most of the leaders were boring, stuck up, and downright rude. And as much as it frustrated him, he didn’t dare bring up the subject. He wanted to stay as respectful as possible for Celestia’s sake, and as much as it irritated him, he stayed patient.
In any case he didn’t expect to learn much information, but it turned out that most of the stuff that Celestia told them were things that he already knew. However, there was one part that surprised him. One of the members of the council asked whether or not the rumors are true or false.
Apparently, there are rumors going about that in seven years time Nightmare Moon will return one day. Anon didn’t hear any details, but judging by the tone of the voice of the speaker he got the impression that they believe this to be true, especially given the amount of information that she was given in such a brief time.
He was curious as to who caused such a rumor to surface, however, he decided to ignore that curiosity.
“So Solar Cake. How’s your day been?” Anon asked casually, turning to Celestia.
Celestia chuckled lightly. She was not amused by his nickname for her. “Quite eventful.” She replied, giving him a coy smile. “I see you still haven’t gotten over your nicknames for me.”
“What can I say? I find them amusing.” He shrugged. “Besides, they seem to fit you well.”
Celestia grinned cheekily. “Oh really? Do tell.”
Anon laughed lightly. “Yeah sure. Why not just start with your butt, and go from there.”
A blush dusted Celestia’s cheeks as she laughed softly. She cupped Anon’s jaw in her hoof and smirked at him. “One more joke about my butt… I will wreck your world.” She warned playfully. Anon snorted, but kept quiet.
“Jokes aside,” Celestia continued after composing herself. “Before you arrived, I passed Sunset’s tower not too long ago. She successfully passed her mid-term test.” She paused briefly. “She did so with flying colors. She’s very good with her magic. She’s getting pretty fast with her studies and she’s almost done with her teleportation magic lessons. Of course, she made a few errors. No pony gets it right at the first go. But she seems to be getting much better with it everyday.”
“I see.” Anon said. “Least she won’t be blowing a hole in the castle walls anymore. Like she did the first time.”
Celestia turned to Anon and frowned slightly. “I was hoping you weren’t still on about that. She was but a filly when we first found her, you know.”
Anon rubbed the back of his nape awkwardly. “Of course, sorry. My mistake.”
Celestia smiled sweetly. “It’s fine.”
Continuing down they hall the turned to a corner. Pushing gently past a set of glass double doors, the two entered into a garden. Small flowers and herbs scattered across the grass. The sky above a cloudless blue with white fluffy clouds. Sunlight beamed down onto them, lighting the green plants around. A small pond sat just to the side. A bench sat against the wall next to the entrance.
Anon and Celestia both went over to said bench. Sitting down together as sunlight bathed them.
“How did it go with the Yaks? Have they come to some agreement yet?” She inquired curiously.
Anon shrugged. “Not exactly.”
Celestia slightly frowned. “Please enlighten me, what has happened this time around?”
“Well, the Yaks aren’t too happy. That’s for sure. Despite the other tribe being the same race as them, they still hate each other. Had I not been there they probably would’ve started a war against each other and that would’ve been messy. Especially since the other tribe is still trying to rebuild themselves and regain some strength. Other Yak tribes didn’t really care about their alliance though, and they were just worried about getting caught in the middle of a conflict. So, peace between the Yak tribes is still rather shaky and strained. They aren’t close either because the Yak tribes aren’t fond of outsiders, especially any potential invaders. But they’re also not ready to go to war over petty issues like that, especially with the new threat looming over us all. So instead of going all the way to the other tribe to make peace, they’re waiting for the other tribe to do it.”
Celestia sighed. “That’s unfortunate.”
“Yeah.” Anon agreed. “It’s a real headache. Not that the other tribe isn’t smart enough to negotiate their own peace treaty. Just that they’re scared. Scared that the tribe will go off the rails and attack them again. Even though they don’t want war with the other Yak tribe, the fact remains that the other tribe’s power is growing exponentially. They aren’t afraid of a fight, they’re not afraid of using violence, and they are afraid of losing to another tribe in power. So, while their leader may agree on peace terms for the time being, there is nothing stopping him from trying to use force again once the opportunity arises.”
Celestia gave him a pensive look. “Do you think they will accept this peaceful deal then?”
Anon shook his head. “No. They’re stubborn like that. Which is something I’ve learned quickly. But I’ve grown used to it over the past years, especially when it comes to this tribe. They’re not the first stubborn people I’ve encountered.”
He wasn’t wrong. For as long as Anon had lived over the years he has witnessed many races fighting among themselves. There were times where conflicts could have been avoided. It took patience to handle the situation. To handle each kingdom individually and work towards peace with them, knowing that the other kingdoms couldn’t possibly tolerate the war. It took patience to watch as each kingdom worked with each other until one kingdom succeeded in gaining complete control over the others. That took patience and patience only. And patience was a commodity that no ruler wanted to spend unless they were willing to compromise and work towards the same goal.
“True. We’ll have to watch them carefully in the future, even if they do accept.” Celestia said thoughtfully.
“Yeah.” Anon nodded.
“Well then, shall we move onto the next topic?” She asked, glancing at the clock and then back at Anon.
“Sure.” He responded nonchalantly. He placed his cup onto the table before leaning back slightly.
“Right,” Celestia began, “Have you been focusing on improving your magic lately? And if you have, are you able to use any percentage of it without hurting yourself?” She asked.
Anon blinked a few times before looking away. “I’ve been practicing. And I mean, I used to practice magic all the time before coming here. I’ve definitely practiced a fair share now. But, um, I’m still unable to use it at a-hundred percent. For now I can only use it, like, at five—to six percent? But, you see, it takes some concentration to maintain it and I just don’t have the patience to wait that long. So I haven’t really been keeping track of how far my magic has gone since I started using it regularly.”
Celestia gave him an understanding look. “I see. That sounds like quite a predicament. But I’m sure in time you’ll be able to achieve full control over your magic. Just take it slowly okay? Practice as often as you need to.” She reassured.
Anon sighed deeply. “Yeah. Yeah you’re right. Thank you…” He trailed off, thinking about what she said.
After a while of silence Celestia stood up, stretching her legs. “Well, I better head back and continue my duties. The Galloping Gala will be starting tonight, I do hope to see you there, Anon.” She said in a kind voice before turning and starting towards the doors.
When she made her way towards the doors, Anon stood up and called. “Hey wait a minute! Do you mind if I could borrow sugar?” Hands shoved in pockets. He glance to the ground. “I’ve used the last pound for my coffe during my stay at the Yak’s village. And the delivery won’t be here until next Monday so I thought, if you don’t mind, that I could borrow some of yours, if that’s cool.”
Celestia halted in her tracks with her back facing Anonymous. Silence eroded through the garden after her footsteps had stopped. A second passed. Then a third. She still stood there without moving, her face still facing the entrance. Anon was confused. After waiting for almost ten minutes for her to answer, he couldn’t help but ask. “Uh… are you okay? Did I say something?”
The same silence reigned once again before Celestia finally reacted and turned her head slowly towards Anon. Anon blinked rapidly, noticing her expression for the first time. She looked shocked. But said shock faded and was replaced with a light that illuminated her face accompanied by a wide smile.
Anon’s mouth opened but his words died inside his throat as soon as his eyes landed on hers. They were glowing with happiness. He didn’t have time to react when she leapt towards him wrapping both her arms and legs around him in a bear hug.
“Eeeeeee! Oh Anon, of course I’ll marry you!” She squealed happily, causing Anon to nearly choke as she tightened her grip on him even more.
“Wh-What?!” Anon coughed out before struggling to breathe, the pressure of her body making the process difficult and uncomfortable. Immediately Celestia released him from her aggressive embrace succeeding Anon to breathe normally. Anon was now panting heavily. He wiped a trickle of sweat from his forehead.
“Oh I have to tell my mom, no wait she’s no longer with us. Oh then I’ll tell Starswill instead! Mother of me, we should plan the wedding! Oh you must wear white! Or red. Maybe pink would suit you best, is that what you prefer?” She babbled.
A sudden warmth spread throughout Anon’s body, bringing a small blush on his cheeks. His ears slightly flushed. “Uhhhhhh I… Uh... W… What?”
Celestia hummed tapping her hoof to her chin. “Hmm… maybe white should suffice for now… I have lots of white dresses… but maybe we should get you another pair so they match.” She mumbled as she thought for a moment. “Ah, but that could also look terrible on you. White doesn’t go very well with black either. Black is usually reserved for ponies with dark hair. Well maybe we can get you brown hair… maybe gray… No wait, you’re bald so that wouldn’t do. You still prefer black perhaps? It matches your eyes wonderfully! Blue suits you perfectly.” She kept going without stopping, oblivious to Anon’s state of flustered confusion and the fact that he could hardly keep up. Her words continued to flow, making them almost impossible to understand.
His brain delayed catching up with what was happening. Anon stared at her blankly, not believing what he was hearing. He raised a finger to say something and tried saying her name repeatedly, yet she never seemed to hear him.
“Um… Ce-Celestia…?”
The joyful alicorn clapped her hooves together. “It is settled then! The wedding ceremony will be held tonight at the Grand Galloping Gala! We’ll have plenty of time to find you a suit. I promise. Oh oh, this is perfect!” Celestia cheered, completely unaware of how close she was to getting lost in her world again.
“Wedding..? Tonight..?” Anon finally managed to utter in response, bewildered.
Celestia nodded vigorously. “Yes. Tonight is going to be the most important day in our lives, so let’s celebrate it properly. And we’re going to have a lot of fun too!”
Rolling her body around she starts towards the door. “We have to go and organize the decorations first. Follow me, we’re going to do that together.”
Anon remained frozen in place for a few seconds, staring into space. After several seconds passed he slowly stood up and walked over towards the door.
I… I just, Anon thought, trying to process everything that just happened, I just wanted to borrow sugar… How did this happen?
Shrouded in a purple aura the scarlet crystal hovered gently, floating inside a glass dome with an empty space around it. It pulsated steadily as light and air swirled through the air and within its confines, creating soft ripples that created patterns of color within the blackness of the void.
At the center was a large orb, pulsing with the same energy the crystal emitted. A figure stood next to it, one arm reaching out into the dark mass that held no discernible form. It was difficult to make out any features on this one’s face but what looked like a cape of red and white covered their entire body. They were standing completely still, waiting for something to happen to the sphere.
The figure reached down and picked up the glowing orb. It turned over in their claws, examining it intently. The orb seemed to glow brighter as they turned it. The light from above shined directly onto the orb, allowing the figure standing behind it to see its contents.
The figure smiled wickedly, a grin stretching across their face. A glint appeared in their eyes as they raised the glowing object up towards them. A deep grinding chuckle echoed throughout the room as the figure stared intently at their instrument of power.
“Soon…” The voice trailed off, sounding eerily calm even though it was so loud. The figure watched the orb illuminate faintly, the energy emanating from it giving it a blue hue. “The time will come… just wait a little longer…”