//------------------------------// // What Will It Take... // Story: What Will It Take? // by Soaring //------------------------------// Part of Lightning Dust believed in Anon. She believed in him like he believed in her. That night at the bar, they had spilled their guts out over a few drinks and really had made a name for themselves. And Old Red’s comment had her blushing tenfold when she and Anon had walked out. He had been laughing all the while, but she hadn’t. She… she had been too busy thinking about what to do next, just like what Anon told her to do. It had taken her a few days (and a bit of prodding from Anon) to really get herself all sorted. Even the simplest of things had begun to trouble her… “Anon, I need your help.” “With what?” Lightning Dust raised a brow and tilted her head.“Are you serious? You’re the only one that can help me with this!” “What do you mean? Do I need to beat someone up?” “No!” she squeaked, throwing her hooves at him as if she was paddling at the air. “Stop. I don’t need you to hurt somepony.” “Then what do you need?” Lightning Dust sighed. “Can you… can you walk with me to the market?” Anon’s look of confusion made her second guess herself. “The market? Why can't you go yourself?” “...Ponies have been staring at me.” “Oh… word traveled fast, huh?” “I wish it didn’t.” “Pardon?” “Nevermind,” Lightning Dust muttered. She mumbled some more under her breath before continuing, “So, are you coming, Anon?” “Yeah, I will,” he began, bringing her close. He ruffled her mane, which made her whinny out of reflex. “Promise me though that if I do need to hit somepony, that you’ll let me at least suplex them in the middle of the market. Please, it would be so funny!” “I’m not letting you catch an assault charge for your own entertainment!” “It’s not for my entertainment. It’s for Celly’s!” Lightning Dust rolled her eyes and tugged at Anon’s pant leg. “Come on, Anon. Let’s get going.” He swatted playfully at her, which made her giggle-snort while she continued to tug at his pant leg. “Let me walk at least!” “Awww, you’re no fun!” …to moments where she felt like she couldn’t get out of her own mind… “Stupid…” Lightning Dust nuzzled into her pillow. She was on her couch, at home, sitting in her apartment like it was the only thing she could do at that very moment. Unfortunately for her, her mind was ravaging her psyche. She kept telling herself that she was stupid over and over and over until her uncreative jabs turned into an obscenely loud noise that smothered her. She closed her eyes and hoped that her mental anguish would go to the wayside. Then, she heard a knock on her door. “Who is it?” “Pizza delivery from Anon’s Food-On-The-Go Services!” “What?” She rushed to the door and opened it, revealing Anon holding a couple of boxes. He walked in and set them aside. Then, he turned to Lightning Dust and picked her up, making her squirm in his grasp. “A-Anon! What are you doing here?” “Hey, friend. Had to come visit after you wrote to me telling me I was…” He stopped to grab a note out of his pocket and flicked it up toward his face. Carefully, he unwrinkled it and squinted at the words he needed to read out loud. “The most important thing in my (your) life.” Her face felt like it was on fire. “Too strong?” “Yeah, it felt like I was receiving a confession letter from high school.” He crumpled it back up and put it in his pocket. “Regardless, I had to come see you, because that usually tells me one of two things.” “And what might those be—eep!” Lightning Dust squeaked as she was squeezed tightly against her sides by Anon’s hands. He walked her over to her couch again, before dropping her onto it with no regard for her safety. She bounced a tad (thankfully not off it), before laying happily against her pillow again, hugging it for dear life. She flicked open an eyelid to see Anon sit down beside her. He looked at her with a rather blank expression. “Those two things are either a depressed pony needing a helping hand, or…” His pearly whites showed happily. “You really really love me and that blushing act at the bar while saying we weren’t making out was a play of your true feelings for me and—ack!” Lightning Dust deployed a swing of one of her non-slobbered/tear-ridden pillows onto Anon’s shoulder, leaving him to stop his evil tirade of misinformation. The first thing was true though, and Lightning Dust knew that. She could feel it in her heart, and her ears laying flat against her head already gave her away. She shakily exhaled and looked at Anon, her lips forming into a slight frown. “I was definitely pony number one. Sorry… if you thought that I was attracted to you like that.” “Not your type?” She snorted. “You’d need to do a lot more to be my type, Anon.” “Guess I have my work laid out for me,” he stated with a grin. That stupid toothy grin of his… “Anyway,” Lightning Dust said, punctuating it with an eye roll. She watched as Anon’s grin was wiped completely off his face.“Now that you know…” He shook his head and sat his arm against the couch rest. He angled it up towards his head, holding it there, while his eyes meandered over her. “So what do you want to do?” She twiddled with her forehooves (was that a scratch on her left forehoof?). “Could you just talk to me about your world?” “Why mine?” “Because yours is so much more out there than ours.” She briefly paused and stopped playing with her hooves to look elsewhere. “Plus, I don’t want to think about ours, let alone Cloudsdale so…” “Again?” She looked back up at him and nodded. He snorted and got off the couch, his legs carrying him to a nearby chest… wait, that was— “Is this where you still hide that rope and whip of yours? Or did you give them away?” “W-Wha… how?!” …and even those days where she was practicing, where things weren’t exactly going her way. Somewhere close to Cloudsdale, Anon and Lightning Dust stood together, one panting heavily while the other patted the first on the back. Lightning Dust was the first one. “Thank you for getting me up here, Lightning Dust.” “No—ahh—problem,” she said, gasping for breath. “How did you make that cloud that much heavier?” Anon shrugged. “I don’t have anything in my pockets that would do that.” Suddenly, he licked his lips. “But I did have steak last night.” “What.” “Oh, sorry, I thought I told you I ate your ancestors.” “???” “Just kidding, I ate the ancestors of the cows that were at some farm up by Griffonstone.” Lightning Dust stood there, gobsmacked, her jaw hanging by a thread. She picked it up and smacked it back in place, wincing as she had bit her tongue. She rubbed her cheek gently. “You bit your tongue?” “Yeah… hey, wait, how did you get imported meat?” He wiggled his brows. “Princess Luna was curious about my diet and she specifically recommended a seller out there because ‘getting all your food groups was essential to a healthy mind and a healthy life’. Either that, or she said that she was afraid I was going to turn into an eldritch demon if I didn’t eat some of it.” Anon shrugged. “To be honest, she might’ve been calling me fat now that I think about it!” She rolled her eyes. “Okay, so Princess Luna helped you?” “Yeah,” he muttered and looked at her with some concern. “Sorry, I thought I told you about it before.” She walked up to Anon and hugged him as best as she could, looping her forelegs around his legs. “You don’t need to worry. I’m okay with it.” He smiled. “Good. I know some of you ponies are squeamish about it so…” “Lucky for you, I’m not. I was just… surprised.” “I tend to be full of those,” he said with a smirk.  “Pfft, okay. I highly doubt that.” She smirked at him before shaking her head. “Anyway, now that you’re over here, what do you want me to do?” Anon grinned and pointed upward. “See those clouds up there?” “Yeah?” Lightning Dust said, squinting at the clouds he was pointing at. “I need you to destroy the biggest one in that group of ten, but I want you to assess which one is the largest, and I want you to identify a way that will not destroy or harm the other clouds.” “What’s that got to do with fly—” “Just do it. Trust me, there’s a lesson here.” “Great, a friendship lesson?” Anon snorted. “Uh… no. I’m not Twilight, the Princess of Friendship. This is more like a ‘Please, oh god, please save us from a possible tornado, Anon’ type of moment that you will cherish and remember for the rest of your life.” “You and your ‘moments’,” she said with a chuckle. She paused and flapped her wings a tad. “Alright, I’ll play your little game of whack-a-cloud. Do you need me to do anything else while I’m up there?” “Make sure you’re not going to slam head first into anypony.” She tilted her head. “Dude, we’re way further out from anypony else! Like, no joke.” “You’d be surprised… non-communicated courses of travel can lead to unintentional concussions, or worse.” Lightning Dust winced. It was like she was being called out by an encyclopedia. “Okay, I’ll be sure to note where my flight paths are.” He gave her a thumbs up. “Good. Now get flying, Lightning. I’ll watch you from here.” She rolled her eyes. “You better. Otherwise, I’ll have to fly back down to catch you.” He sputtered out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I won’t practice my ‘walking the plank’ routine on this cloud while you’re planning on your ‘hopefully not mass destruction’ above us.” “Just… stand there and look less goofy, Anon.” He saluted her and smiled. “Aye, I will be the least goofy of humans!” She shook her head while letting out a brief blow. Unbelievable, he was. She kept thinking about how stupid he was as she took off to the skies above, leaving Mr. Not Goofy in her wake. Safe to say, she actually almost did collide with somepony that day. They had been a rogue mailspony who had way too much mail in her bag. She had a blonde mane and had gray fur, and she had the audacity to say ‘watch where you’re going’ like she owned the skies. Lightning Dust hoped that the mare hadn’t gotten lost. That bag she had had ‘Ponyville Mail’ stitched on it… and she had been flying in Cloudsdale. Lightning Dust sighed. Anon had been there for her in all of these situations. And now she was waiting for him again to save her tail, if by saving her tail meant ‘watch her fly again to make sure she had her routine nailed before she showed it to Spitfire at their meeting (if Spitfire allowed Lightning Dust to even show it to her) that was coming up in a few days’. She laid there by the tree, her body submerged in the taller grass, her flight goggles just a ways away.  Suddenly, a cracking of what Lightning Dust presumed was a twig caught her attention. She peered her head up just enough to see over the grass she was in, and waited. Was it who she thought it was? She kept her eyes placed solely behind her, as a familiar someone loomed over the path… “Hey, Lightning Dust. Sorry I’m late.” “Hey, Anon,” she chirped, her voice peaking with a titter. She folded her wings to her side, grabbed her goggles (and threw them on her head), and walked over to the human. He made himself smaller, bending down and folding his legs. She rushed up to him, nuzzling his cheek. “Glad you finally showed up!” She felt the human wrap his arms around her, along with a very gravely chortle. “Yeah… sorry about the whole lateness thing, really. I would’ve been here sooner if it weren’t for the balloon services being unexpectedly closed this morning. Had to go straight back to Twilight just to ask her if she could magically yeet me up to where you were at. However, she wouldn’t let me go until she made sure I had a long enough cloud-walking spell cast on me. She’s a bit of a stickler of other ponies casting spells on me, for some reason.” He returned her nuzzle with one of his own, while one of his hands reached for her mane. “Looks like you had quite the session, huh?” Lightning Dust shook herself, getting all that sweat out of her mane, which caused Anon to pause. She laughed. “Of course. I’ve flown through my full flight routine at least five times now!” She watched as Anon groaned, flicking his hand of whatever bit of sweat was on it. “Also you asked for that when you went for my mane.” “Fair enough,” he muttered, wiping his face off with his shirt. He sighed, probably because his shirt was more soaked with her sweat—had she been sweating buckets? “Well, with how much sweat was absorbed by my sweater, it may seem you need to hit the showers.” “Pfft, not yet. I gotta get one more pass through my routine while you watch me!” Lightning Dust exclaimed, fluttering her wings. She smirked and gave him a half-lidded gaze (at least, that’s what she hoped it was). “Are you still going to spot for me?” Anon nodded. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I want to watch one of my favorite mares fly?” “One of?” She raised a brow at that one.  “A man can never spill his secrets.” He rubbed his chin momentarily, before snapping his fingers. “Although, if you pay me a sum of bits, I will—ack!” “Goof,” Lightning Dust replied, giggling behind her hoof. She retracted her wing that she used to bap him on the side of Anon’s head. “Did you learn anything?” He rolled his eyes, cradling his head with his palm. “You are something else, Lightning.” “I will take that as a compliment from you, big guy,” she said before parting from Anon and walking towards the edge of the cliff she was on. She unfurled her wings again and shook her body, getting the discomfort out of her left wing and that itch off her right. She smiled and craned her head back to take one last look at Anon. The goofball was looking directly at her while giving her a thumbs up, which was apparently a sign of him approving whatever she was doing (or whatever she did, she didn’t know which). “Is that thumbs up for the view or for my next flight?” “Yes.” … She blinked and laughed. “I should’ve known you were going to say that!” “Looks like someone still needs to learn!” Anon riposted with a chuckle. He shook his head. “Alright, get going. I’ll make sure to spot for you, just in case you make any mistakes.” “Wow, you don’t have any faith in me being perfect this time around?” Lightning Dust asked, her muzzle slightly scrunching up.  To her surprise, he shrugged at her! What was he trying to say? That she was questionable? That she was not even remotely good enough? Anon cleared his throat, stopping her train of thought immediately. “I mean, I know I’m your spotter, somewhat coach, and an unlicensed trainer, but I know for a fact that striving for ‘perfect’ is the last thing you should do. Why not strive for what actually makes you, you?” She blinked. What did he mean? “What do you—” “Mean?” Anon interrupted her, which earned him a brief blow and neigh accompanying her head check. “Pfft, don’t worry. In this context, I value you in two ways.” He held up two fingers briefly as he continued, “Your flying, which is usually what gets ponies looking at you, and your willingness to view your surroundings closely.” He smirked as he balled his hand back up in a fist. “That second one is where you usually need work.” The dirt behind Anon was kicked up by his foot grazing against the dirt path. “Thankfully I can help you out with that too.” “How?” He held his hand up with a singular finger pointed up, while the rest balled into his fist. Then, he checked his pockets, and held in both his hands a bunch of rocks. What was he planning with those? Anon flicked one up and grabbed it easily without dropping any from his hand. “Got these. Don’t worry, they’re too small to really hurt you, and I’m not going to be whipping them at you like I’m some wannabe professional pitcher. These are mostly to test your agility in seeing not only yourself, but others.” “The others are going to be the rocks?” “Unless you have any better ideas,” Anon answered, frowning. “Kind of hard when everyone in Cloudsdale is allergic to you specifically. Me, on the other hand, I have to deal with ponies staring at me like I’m some alien.” “But you are an alien.” He blinked. “Oh.” He facepalmed shortly after. “Well, then put it this way, I understand what you’re going through.” She was about to ask what he meant, but then she realized what he was trying to say, which made her wings sag just a tad. “Word must have really spread since you and I went out to that bar.” He nodded. “Yeah… which is why I’m considering if I should take you back to Ponyville with me.” “And deal with the ones that I almost killed?” Lightning Dust raised a brow. “Do you want me to have a target painted on my back?” “No, I don’t shop there,” he said, holding his hand up with his palm flat. “Besides, I haven’t worked there in such a long time! Remodeling that whole store was not fun, let me tell you. Just a sea of red and white paint cans and—” “Anon, stop! Stop.” She turned and threw her forehooves at him and sighed. “What are you talking about?” He wore the most confused look of all time, if his lips tugged inward and wide eyes were apparent of that. “You asked me if you wanted a target painted on your back, and so I gave you my entire work history at Target and—” “Okay, but why?” “Because… I thought it would be funny.” He rolled his lips inward before popping them back out. “The joke didn’t land?” She snorted. “Didn’t think I ordered a comedian today.” “Don’t worry, I won’t quit my day job,” Anon said, waving a hand at her dismissively. “Way to make me feel guilty. I’m strapped for bits as it is!” Lightning Dust whined. She could feel her lips sag, twitching as she continued, “All of this banks on me getting another shot at the Wonderbolts.” “Lucky for you, I’m a betting man,” Anon replied, twirling one of the rocks in his hand. He caught it with ease, but not without grunting. “Almost lost that one—anyway, don’t worry. Best thing to do is just focus on the task at hand… er, hoof in your case. We need to get you ready for that meeting with Spitfire!” “And what if all this practice is just a waste of time?”  Anon tilted his head. “What do you mean?” Lightning Dust blinked, not even registering that she even asked the question. Was that how she was really feeling? Was this… Her train of thought warped into a new one, one where she remembered it all: the tornado, how it spun her out of control along with Rainbow Dash, how Rainbow’s friends were sucked into it, and how all the ponies nearby were affected. She winced and closed her eyes tightly. “What if Spitfire doesn’t want to see me anymore? What if she sees me and goes ‘Yeah, you’re not worth the effort.’ What if… if I don’t—” “Lightning Dust…” “What if I don’t make it again? I don’t want to be denied, Anon. I don’t…” Silence reigned for a moment. Then, she heard some pitter-pattering against the dirt, before she felt his arms around her, pulling her into him. “Hey, look at me.” She peered an eye out and gasped. He had pulled her from the edge, right back into his arms. Her head was nestled into his chest, while her wings had naturally folded against her sides without her even noticing. Now with both eyes wide open, she peeled her face away from his chest to look up at him. His gaze pierced hers without a moment for her to think. “There we go,” he said with a smile. He patted her mane, much to her chagrin. “You’re right. She could say those things. She could also not say those things. It’s never healthy to operate on just hypotheticals, you know?” She nodded. “I know, but—” “Then let’s instead focus on what we both know. And, if I’m not mistaken, you’re one of the best fliers I know. The reason why you’re worried is that… well you’re lacking in some areas. You’re not the most spatially aware, and you sometimes fail in considering others overall. That right there is making you second guess yourself.” He rubbed the back of his head, his smile now a bit more awkward. “Now, we can address these things, but it’s hard to teach them. Granted, the spatial awareness is a bit easier, but the other is… something you have to do through interacting with others other than just me.” “Why can’t I just use you for all that?” Anon raised a brow. “Does it look like I have wings?” She laughed. “But you’re aware of others when you’re running, right?” He hummed to himself, tapping his chin. “Sometimes, it really depends on the situation. I could get into my own little world once in a while.” “And who’s in that world?” “Me, myself, and I.” Lightning Dust’s muzzle scrunched up at that one. “Ugh, sounds pretty lonely.” “Not as bad as you think to be honest. But suddenly having you there has been a major improvement.” She paused, feeling some sort of new feeling that she didn’t want to feel. Embarrassed and thoroughly confused.  … Okay maybe that counted as two feelings. “A-Anon?” He tilted his head, and then realized what was going on. She could see his cheeks become bright red. “Uh… sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” She smiled and shook her head. “Silver-tongued, aren’t you?” “Yeeeaaah! Six shooter on my hip, rizzing all the mares. That’s me.” “Please seek help and a possible dungeon sentence from Princess Celestia for that one,” Lightning Dust said, facehoofing. She groaned as she had hit herself a tad too hard with that one, rubbing the spot gently with her wing. “I’ll keep that in mind,” Anon said. He chuckled before peering down at her, his hand slowly returning back to her mane despite what happened last time. “Did that help?” “With what?” “Your feelings. They were a bit charged there.” She sighed as his hand slithered up her neck. She felt his finger scratch an itch behind her ear, which made her lean into his hand. She smiled as her eyes fluttered to a close. “Hmm, yeah I’m a bit better.” She snorted. “But this is a bit of a distraction don’t you think?” “Have to press the reset button somehow,” he snarked. She flicked open one of her eyes to see him grinning. “You know, you can admit that you like my ear scratches.” “I could, but then that would mean you’ll not stop and I won’t get my flying session in!” She growled that last part out, which made Anon laugh. She gritted her teeth, not being exactly angry with Anon, his teasing definitely pressing all the wrong and right buttons for her. All of this was a lot to deal with at the moment. She needed to just focus on what she does best: flying. She needed this last run. She needed this to solidify herself, to get that edge when she spoke with Spitfire. And it was only a few days away— “Alright, but before you do it…” “Yes?” Lightning Dust asked, tilting her head. “Are you all set?” “Yeah.” “Focused and poised?” “Like always.” “Nothing else?” “Anon, stop prodding.” He brought his hands up. “Just making sure. Don’t want you to second guess yourself mid-flight and—” She peeled away from his scratching to nuzzle his cheek. “Trust me. I got this. Anon, with your help, I will go back to Ponyville as a Wonderbolt. Nothing more, nothing less.” She furrowed her brows as she continued, “I want Rainbow Dash and her friends to see that I’ve changed. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.” “Well, then what are you waiting for?” She looked up and smiled. “You.” “Really?” “Yeah, you still have your arms around me!” Anon yelped as he let his grip go around her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to—” “Don’t worry, I don’t mind,’ Lightning Dust began. She gave him a very comfortable smirk, her eyes half-lidded. “But let’s keep that for after practice.” She had breathed out those last couple words before punctuating it with a wink, which made Anon turn into a few different shades of red. His eyes widened momentarily, before he clapped his hands against his head, blinking rapidly. She mentally chuckled at the display, turning back to the task at hoof. Carefully, Lightning Dust moseyed over to the edge of the cliff, looking down and taking in a deep breath. She closed her eyes and unfurled her wings again, before she lowered her backside to prepare for takeoff. With one final huff, she spread her wings and took one last look at Anon, giving him a smirk. “Remember to keep your eyes on me!” “I’m not your unpaid spotter for nothing!” Anon shouted. He went over to a nearby tree, the only tree on this landmass that didn’t look like the world was over. She saw as he leaned against it and looked at her. “Good to go?” She tapped her goggles with her forehoof. “I’m ready!” With that, she looked above, watching the clouds around her tower high in the sky. She waited, and waited, and waited. It was only a matter of time before Anon gave her the signal. She was ready to sear her routine into the sky, not only for herself, but for him too. That’s what mattered anyway. That’s all that mattered. She furrowed her brows and scuffed her hooves into the dirt. Phreeeeeeeet! A dirt plume was all that remained as she soared into the sky. Lightning Dust stood under the shower head, letting the flow of water soak her coat. She hummed quietly to herself, her mind drifting back to the end of the session. Her flight was great. Anon had tossed those rocks toward her, and she was able to dodge or recognize where the rocks were in regards to her own routine. The only one that did get her was one that was directly thrown at her, right between the eyes. It almost made her veer off course, but Anon was regretful… well, long after her routine had finished. While she was flying, he was laughing so much that he fell into the dirt behind him, clutching his sides while his legs wriggled about. Once she noticed him, she flew directly towards him to check on him. She growled at him to stop, but he didn’t. She just stayed by his side as his laughter eventually subsided, leaving her to purse her lips and hang her head. He just petted her in response, which definitely netted her a sigh of relief, but not one that was settling on her nerves. Her nerves, they were still on fire, even as the hot water drenched her fur. She… She was at her apartment now, taking a hot shower. Anon was just outside the door, probably sitting in her poor excuse of a ‘living room’. It was the cheapest place she could get in Cloudsdale: a little one room apartment with a shower/bathroom connector giving her a little bit of privacy. It was the only one that she could afford, if by afford meant that she could stay for another month or two before she’d be tossed for ‘missing too many payments’, and knowing her reputation, her landlord was probably going to knock on her door soon.  Lightning Dust shook that last thought right out of her head. She let the water splash against her mane and now against the walls of the shower. She slicked her mane back with a hoof, before shaking the rest of her body. She sighed and flicked the shower off with her forehoof. The remaining water rushed down the drain, spiraling. Spiraling. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. She needed to talk to Anon. He was right, she was still a bit of a mess. Focused and poised? Not anymore, not when she wasn’t flying. Quickly, Lightning Dust dried herself off as best as she could with the towel that she had. She’ll have to get it washed later, but right now, she had a guest she had to entertain. He had waited long enough. She walked out of the bathroom and looked around to see Anon lying on her couch, as expected. He raised a hand high and waved. “Yo, had a nice bath?” “Shower, Anon. And yes,” she said with a slight smile. She walked over to him and pushed his head slightly, making him sit upright. She hopped on the couch and slid right next to him, getting herself comfortable. “Pet me.” “Forward, huh?” he asked, but she didn’t care. She just laid her head on his pant leg and waited for the inevitable. Then, she felt his hand slowly pet her now dried mane. She didn’t even care to style it, her hair now straight as can be. Anon hummed. “Interesting that you actually have straight hair, Lightning.” “It takes me a while to style it,” she groggily mumbled. “Too tired unfortunately. I didn’t want to keep you waiting.” “Want to take a nap?” She unfurled her wings for a moment, stretching them, before furling them back up and letting out a rather lengthy moan. She felt a heat rise to her cheeks, but she kept those eyes of hers shut. “I… I’d like to talk, actually.” “Think you’ll stay awake?” She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Definitely, just—give me a minute.” He rolled his eyes and stopped his petting. She could feel his eyes looking all over her as she settled next to him, opting to instead scoot her body closer to him. She let out a brief blow. “All good?” She peered over at him, chuckling. “Best as I will be.” Anon raised a brow. “Any reason why you sound like you’re unsure about that?” “Because I am.” “Because…?” “I’m worried about meeting Spitfire, Anon.” He scratched at one of his cheeks. “Oh.” “That’s it, just ‘Oh’?” “Yep. I mean I could ask you why, but you’re going to tell me either way.” “Disinterested?” She asked, tilting her head. “Nope,” he replied, shifting on his side of the couch. He rested his hand furthest from her on the arm rest, the poor thing was discolored now. She needed to find new furniture. “Was waiting for you to initiate the conversation.” “I… I see.” “That bad?” “Yeah, I feel like I’m about to fly again, but out of desperation.” “Yikes.” “Yeah.” “...” “Is that okay to feel, Anon?” He hummed momentarily, before speaking, “Yeah, until it doesn’t feel okay.” “I don’t think it feels okay at all.” “Then it’s not okay.” The two spared a glance at each other. She could feel her muzzle scrunch up, and her eyes begin to water, but she wasn’t going to say anything. He, on the other hoof, looked a bit more aloof, but something was different. He was propping his head up now, looking elsewhere. “Lightning Dust?” “Hmm?” “You want my advice?” She nodded. He sighed. “Stop worrying.” “Huh?” “You and I will go over there on the day of the meeting. We’ll go talk to her, and we’ll see what she says.” “Are… are you sure?” He wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer to him. “I know so.” “Why?” “It’s eating you up. All this anxiety you got. No one should go through this much of it.” “And your solution is to face it head on?” “Got any other bright ideas?” He asked. She shook her head, earning her an eyeroll. “Exactly. Learned that from Rainbow Dash. She’s like that always, stubbornly looking forward instead of waiting for it to happen.” Rainbow Dash. That was a name she didn’t want to hear just yet. “Sounds like she’s another step ahead…” Her voice fell apart at the end, making her hang her head in shame. She could feel her feelings bubbling up. Another good cry might be in order, one that made her throat feel like it was about to close. She could feel the water now, racing up to her eyes. She blinked them away and looked elsewhere.   She squeaked as Anon brought her even closer to him somehow. “A-Anon?” “Take your time. I’ll be here.” “Y-You… mean that?” He nodded. “It’s better to get this out of the way before we meet Spitfire, right?” “Yeah…” She sniffled. “I don’t want to cry, though. I’ve done enough of it.” “Tough mare to the end, huh?” She wiped her face of a tear, only to realize that it was no use, it already had wetted her cheek. She shook her head. “No, I just… I’m tired of all this stress, Anon. And you must be tired of it too.” “I just hate seeing you this way,” Anon replied, cupping her cheek. She gasped as she felt his fingers flick part of her mane away from her face. “You deserve to get a second chance, at least, from what I’ve gathered.” She was about to open her mouth when he tilted his head at her. “By chance, you weren’t lying about murdering anyone, right?” She giggle-snorted, feeling the tenseness around her throat begin to fade. “I-I wasn’t lying, Anon! I didn’t kill anypony.” “Good,” he said, rubbing her cheek. “Then you’re fine. I’ve stuck around this long so far, and I intend to stick around as long as you need me.” “Even if things don’t go well?” “Well, there’s always Ponyville…” She frowned. “I really don’t want to go there if I can’t prove myself—” “Tough, I’ll take you with me.” He looked around the room, marveling at the lack of… well, what she calls, nothing. “You really need a new place of scenery.” Lightning Dust growled. “Sorry, I don’t have the money to decorate my apartment—” “I know. It just doesn’t feel like someone’s home. More like a prison cell or something.” She sucked in a deep shaky breath. “I know. I know…” Anon sighed. “Then hopefully once Spitfire tells you what she wants to tell you, we can figure out a different place for you to live.” “I’d…” she began, only for the words to clog in her throat again. She gulped back whatever tension remained and continued, “I’d like that, Anon.” He smiled. “Good, because you’re not paying another bit for this place.” “I’m actually behind on payments and—” “What?!” She planted her head on Anon’s pant leg once again. “Like I said, I’m really banking on this working.” “You really need to invest better,” Anon said, groaning. She tilted her head at him, which made him grab her and prop her up against his chest. “You, silly pony, need to have a backup plan for your plans.” He booped her snout—why did her eyes just go cross-eyed? She shook her head, attempting to focus on Anon’s words. “...and I really think you—are you okay?” “You just hit the reset button,” Lightning Dust replied. “I think I missed something that you said.” He laughed. “Note to self, poking Lightning Dust’s muzzle gives her a hearing impairment.” She jabbed her forehoof into his side. “You’re terrible.” He shrugged, and smiled through what pain she probably put him through. “Worth it.” They laughed. They laughed and laughed until their session turned into just Anon petting her mane while she closed her eyes. They let the world pass them by, idly talking about the future. And she was excited. Excited to know what her future really held.