Anon felt good.
He thought maybe he should be confused, or shocked, or maybe even scared, but all he felt was happiness. His heart was bursting with it. He looked down at the little ponies as they trotted cheerfully through the airport terminal, and was consumed with affection for them. From Lizzy's expression, he guess she was feeling similarly.
He stared at his arms again. Stare through them.
It was a distorted view, to be sure, but he could see right into the crystalline facets of his arm and out the other side, as if his skin was glass and his body was filled with nothing but clear water.
He suddenly realized he was babbling.
"...just no explanation for it! It must have turned everything, every cell in our bodies, into some perfectly translucent yet still completely functional version of itself. Otherwise there would be a refractory index between the different organs within us and we wouldn't appear transparent but rather like a glassy skin sack filled with partially transparent yet still visible organs! Oh my Lord how I wish I was back at the lab right now."
He looked up again at the ponies, who were grinning to each other and had their ears cocked back toward him as they trotted forward.
"Twilight, promise me you'll do this to me again one day when I have lab equipment and can analyze the cells? I just hope the translucence isn't so strong that I can't see the cells at all! I can still see myself after all, so the cells must be visible to some degree, not totally transparent..."
Starlight laughed and waved a hoof at Twilight, "I can see why you like this one, he reminds me of you!"
Twilight blushed and said, "Well, he's helped me out a lot too."
Anon continued as if they hadn't even spoken.
"...and the emotion! My God, Twilight, I've never felt so wonderful, and it's all thanks to you. What even is this feeling? It's like adoration and compassion and understanding all rolled up into one. Twi, I think I love you. Starlight too now, maybe. This is incredible. I've never felt anything like it. Lizzy, what do you think?"
The woman was staring at the ponies with a look of wonder on her face and seemed surprised to be addressed, "W-What? Oh yes, it's, um... wow. It's... I don't have the words. I think I might be emotionally compromised for my mission but I don't care. I... I want to help you three, however I can."
Starlight bumped Twilight's hips as they trotted along and said, "Think we might have gone a little overboard?"
Twilight giggled, blushing furiously, and replied, "N-No, I don't think so. It only amplifies positive feelings that were already there, you know that."
Starlight leaned closer and murmured something Anon couldn't make out, but Twilight nodded quickly, her blush intensifying further, then Starlight looked over her shoulder and winked at him.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing!" She said with a smirk, turning to face forward again.
They walked through the terminal gate with a friendly nod to the similarly joyous crystalline airport staff beside the gate, and once again approached the jet they had so recently departed.
"Well howdy, miss pony!" The old pilot said cheerfully, "You're returned! And you have a friend now! Why, that's just lovely. I never did get yer name, and what's her's now, too?"
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Starlight Glimmer."
"Well then, Twilight and Starlight, glad to have you on board. Settle in for a wait though, 'cause we gotta go through refueling and pre-flight inspection before we can go anywhere. Y'all got a good half hour ahead a you at least."
They continued into the main cabin, settling back into their original seats, Starlight sitting beside Twilight. The flight attendant Jayna was waving enthusiastically at Twilight, holding up her little doll with a broad smile.
"Gosh, Twilight," Anon said with an air of wonder, "You should'a just done this to begin with, get everyone on our side right from the get go."
Her ears flopped down with embarrassment, "Well... it takes two unicorns, of course. And honestly, this is all a little much. More than I expected, at least."
"I sure don't mind!"
She giggled, "I bet you don't."
Starlight flung a hoof around Twilight's shoulders and said, "She doesn't mind either, she just doesn't know what to do with all this affection." She got a mischievous glint in her eye and added, "So what did you say earlier, about the emotion?"
"Starlight Glimmer!"
Twilight batted at her with a hoof, blushing once again.
"Whaaat, I just like hearing him fawn over us, that's all!"
Anon turned to Lizzy and said, "So anyway, how's it going, with your contacts in Kuwah-whatever?"
Lizzy grinned, "It's Kwa-Zulu Natal, and it's going well, from what I can tell. The authorities are eager to get on Arno's tail, and we will be meeting one of our agents in the airport where we land."
"And will you be staying with us?"
Lizzy hesitated, then at Anon's questioning eyebrow she said, "I mean, probably? I haven't gotten any orders yet so I can't say for sure. But failing any new orders to the contrary coming in, I'll be right behind you every step of the way."
"Will you warn us if new orders come in?"
"If I can," she said with a reassuring smile.
Anon nodded, "I guess that'll have to be good enough."