It takes a village

by Sarcastic Brony

Surprise!

Anon is leading Faith and Fluttershy down the street to his new home. It's difficult for him to hide the smirk on his face as he sneaks a few glances at Faith looking around, unsure of where they are atop his shoulders.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

"I have to drop off something for Twilight before we head back home." He pulls out an envelope and hands it to Faith. "It shouldn't take that long."

Faith examines the letter.

"Who's it for? There's no name here."

"You'll understand when we get there."

Faith pouts slightly at being kept in the dark but smiles at the thought of the party she's going to soon. Anon feels something tap his leg. He looks down to see Fluttershy nodding her head ahead of them. Perfect, the house is close.

"Alright, Dad's tired," Anon announces as he picks Faith up from his shoulders and sets her down.

"Already?!" She pouts even harder.

"Manners, Faith. We're at the house."

The three of them stand there at the front door. Faith looks up to her father, unsure as to why he's just standing there. After a moment, he looks down at her and smiles.

"Open the envelope."

Confused, Faith does as she's told.

Come inside.

Faith scratches the back of her head but reaches for the handle and lets herself in.

“Surprise!”

Faith jumps from shock, but it all comes together as she starts to laugh.

"Aw, you got me!" She admits as a group of her friends run over and start congratulating her.

The girls come over to Anon with tremendous smiles of their own.

"Mission accomplished. Thank you," Anon says.

"No need to thank us. It was our pleasure." Rarity replies.

"Yeah, there's no way we weren't going to help after buying th-"

Rainbow shoves a hoof quickly into Pinkie's mouth.

"Pinkie, that's still a secret!" She whispers.

"Owh yhea," Pinkie says past her hoof.

"We should start mingling with the other parents," Rarity states. "I'm sure the children will be having their fun before we get to the gifts."

"Agreed," Anon says before walking to Faith's little group. "Alright, you kids! The surprise is over. Let's head on to the backyard where you can play and eat to your heart's content."

That was all that was needed to be said as a small stampede rushes past Anon and towards the back. The parents not far behind. Knowing they've taken time from their schedule to come, Anon wants to meet and greet them as thanks. He doesn't lag as he walks up to a mare he knows from her daily visits.

"Hello, Derpy."

She turns and looks up to Anon with a smile. "Hello."

"I'm happy to see you here. I know your delivery schedule is hectic at times."

"Yeah." She rubs the back of her neck. "Dinky wanted me to come with her, so I asked my boss for some time. This is a lovely party."

"Thank you. I'm sure the kids are going to have a ball. Feel free to enjoy yourself to the refreshments too."

"I'll be sure to do that. Don't let me keep you from greeting the others."

Anon chuckles. "If you want to chat more, you'll see me around."

"You know, if I didn't know he wasn't interested, I'd say Anon was a player," Rainbow says to AJ as they watch Anon from afar.

"Why? Because Derpy can't keep her wings shut?" AJ remarks as they see Derpy trying her hardest to push her wings to her side.

"It's not just Derpy. Anon being a single parent, draws enough attention. Add in his kind personality; it makes practically any mare drool for him."

"Dammit, Rainbow. Let's play stupid, just for today. Deal?"

Rainbow doesn't want to start anything, but perhaps Applejack is right. Playing dumb would help with enjoying this party more.

"Deal."

"Alright. I'm going to chat up some of the parents."

---

"Your dad is so nice," Flint says to Faith.

"I know!"

"I wish my mom were here, but she said that something came up."

"Well, you're free to stay as long as you like!" Faith hugs Flint, which causes him to blush heavily. "Want to eat something?"

"S-Sure." He pulls away with a smile as he idly kicks the grass.

"Come on, guys, let's eat!"

The small herd migrates over to a table that's piled with various sweets and drinks. Out of nowhere, Pinkie pops up behind a counter that wasn't there a moment ago.

"Hello, children! What can I get for you?"

"Aren't we free to get whatever we want?" Another colt asks.

"Of course you are, Silly! However, I want to make sure you don't get a tummy ache from overeating. That wouldn't be fun, now would it?" Everyone begrudgingly agrees. "Great! Just let me know what you want, and I'll get it."

"I'd like a round of punch for everyone!" Faith announces to the cheer of her group.

---

"I didn't have much going on," Berry Punch says as she leans close to Anon. "Nice house, by the way."

"Thank you," he whispers back.

"Hello there, Berry!" Rarity pops up. "Do you mind if I stole Anon for a moment?"

"I don't mind at all. I'll be by the refreshments."

"Something the matter?" Anon asks as he glances around the party to make sure everything looks in order.

"Everything is going swimmingly, Darling. I noticed you were done greeting the guests, and while selfish, I wanted to chat with you for a moment."

Anon chuckles. "Nothing selfish about that. You know I'm always open to talk with you."

Rarity can't help her heart as it flutters. Being around Anon, hearing what he says, has a particular effect on her that she can't ignore. Though on this day she must! No matter how much her body screams at her to try something, she must ignore her feelings or risk ire from whatever her actions will bring. She's not like Rainbow Dash or Applejack. She has dignity!

"I'm excited about the gift exchange. I wonder how she'll react to the house?"

"I'm glad she was too excited to notice our furniture."

As Rarity and Anon talk, a particular group of three have a plan of their own.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sweetie Belle asks.

"What's the harm in asking?" Scootaloo comes in.

"Won't he think it weird for a filly to ask him out?"

"Maybe it's normal where he's from?"

"Well... You have me there. What do you think, AB?"

Applebloom swallows as her entire face is covered in a blush.

"I-I don't-t know girls. I like him, but I c-can't ask him. What will my sister think?"

"She's already had her chances!" Scootaloo asserts. "You don't have anything to lose by asking."

"Why don't you ask him?!" AB turns her attention to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo turns away as she rubs the back of her neck. "Come on; you already know the answer. I know I joke a lot about stuff with colts, but that's not my thing."

AB lets out a sizable sigh before looking to Sweetie Belle.

"Don't look at me! I'm fine with our relationship as is!"

"Well, it's not that I'm not fine with it. I just kinda want to see what if. You know?"

Scootaloo pulls AB close. "He's a sweet guy. I'm sure he'll be understanding."

After a moment of psyching herself up, Applebloom accepts her choice. "Dang it! Let's do it then!"

"Alright, Sweetie, you're up," Scootaloo commands.

Sweetie gives a salute before walking off to her sister.

"Excuse me, Rarity. May I talk with you over there for a moment?"

Rarity turns to her sister with a smile. "Whatever is the problem, Sweetie?"

"No offense to Anon, I'd like to talk to you alone."

"No offense taken." Anon looks to Rarity. "I'll see you around."

Rarity lets out a sad sigh. "Yes, I'll see you around."

Anon is left standing by himself now as he enjoys the atmosphere. From his height, he can easily see Faith playing with her friends with a broad smile. Even hugging and play fighting with a few. It's rather funny to see how blatant ponies can be with their emotions. Every time Faith embraces Flint, his entire body locks up as he grows a few shades darker.

He likes Faith, but she's oblivious to it, which makes it funny for Anon. Poor kid. Speaking of blatant ponies, Anon catches Applebloom making her way towards him. There's a considerable amount of fear but just as much determination coming from her. He's already aware of what's about to happen. Since the day Anon turned down his friends' love for him, he's gotten very good at spotting these types of things.

"Hey there, Applebloom." Anon greets when she's close enough.

"H-Hey, Anon. Um... Can we talk?"

"I'm free."

Applebloom rubs one hoof over the other. She's trying to figure out what words to say at this moment. Anon, on the other hand, is thinking of how to let her down gently. The crusaders, in a way, are family too. He took care of them on more than a few occasions, and the memories of those little fillies play over in his mind as he watched them grow. Their just as much his daughters as Faith is, and while he'll accept that they're growing into marehood, he'll never be able to see them as anything more than the kids he used to watch over.

Still, he has to admire the courage Applebloom is showing right now.

"I, um, d-do..." Applebloom is growing frustrated, she's terrified, but she has to try! "W-would you like to go out?"

Anon can't help himself as a smirk starts to grow. "It's been a while since I've gone crusading with you girls."

"W-What?" Applebloom looks confused. "No, I didn't mean it like–..."

Looking up at him smirking. She gets that he's messing with her. However, rather than feeling crushed, she's happy. He's not making a big deal out of it and instead keeping things friendly. Anon kneels low to meet Applebloom eye to eye.

"Sorry, AB. I'm flattered you have feelings for me and proud you had the courage to ask me out, but I'm not the one you're looking for." He pulls her into a hug. "I love you, kiddo. Just like I love Faith. The same goes for the rest of the crusaders too."

Applebloom rests her head in the nape of Anon's neck as a few tears run down her cheek. She's not crying from sadness but joy. Maybe that's all she wanted to hear? That no matter how she felt, Anon would still love her.

"Thank you." Is all Applebloom can say.

"No problem." Anon lets her go as she takes a moment to clean herself up. "Now, go have some fun."

When Applebloom looks up at Anon, he feels his heart melt. She's giving him a smile that reminds him of when she was younger, and she got her cutie mark.

"I will!"

With that, Anon is left alone. Well, that went better than expected.

Author's Note:

Another one to fill the gap

Comments

[DominiusTWD]

awwww, that was cute

[-Pinkamena_Pie-]

Adorable.

[KnightOfZaku]

2 chapters in under 24 hours!? Awesome!

So even Applebloom has feelings for Anon. With so many mares that have such strong feelings for Anon. When it is revealed that Vinyl is Faith's mother. I'm curious to see how she'll survive their collective wrath.

[HB_DS2013]

Wait, I thought Lyra’s Faith’s mom.

[ClosetBrony]

I’m very please to see an update to one of my favorite stories here. Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading the next update.

[Soviet Pone]

An update? A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. A very welcome one.

[No0one]

"Hello, children! What can I get for you?"

Chief when did you get here.