Chapter 6
"What's that one?"
"Well, that one's easy. Metalworker… specialising in axes?"
"You're close. That's Mr Step Wedge. He works at Dad's place. He makes all sorts of tools, not just axes," Cass explained, "Oh, how about that one?"
"Let's see… which one?"
"The purple mare on the right."
"Hmm…" Anon pondered, looking at the picture of a wine glass and a slice of cheese plastered onto the mare's rear. It was barely illuminated by the glow of a nearby lantern. "I don't know… Town wine mom?"
Cass giggled, weakly shoving the smiling human by his good arm. "No, you! That's Ms Regala, she works at the tavern."
The pair sat on a low - at least, low for Anon - bench in a corner of the town plaza. After arriving back in town, Star had quickly flown off. Fly, more graciously, had said goodbye before cantering home.
"Regala?" Anon squinted at the mare. "That's a pony name?"
"She's from Walhaychia, all the way up north. I don't know, I've heard that they like to be all fancy over there.
Regala trotted away with another pony, leaving the two scanning other ponies for their cutie marks. Fly pointed at a new target. But before he could speak, he was unceremoniously interrupted by an angry grumbling from his stomach.
"I think it's trying to tell you something."
"Yeah, yeah," Cass coughed, slightly abashed, "let's go home. It looks like it's time for supper soon, anyways."
Anon glanced at the sky. The stars were gradually fading away, assimilating into the brightening backdrop of the dawn sky while a few small clouds to the east had adopted magenta hues. It wouldn't be too long before the sun peeked over the treetops, signalling the night's end.
"Anon?"
"Coming," Anon said. He took his place alongside the unicorn, mindlessly giving one of his ears a light scritch. Anon didn't pick up his quiet, delighted, whinny.
The front door squeaked open, heralding their arrival at the redwood log home. Undrawn curtains invited the first few resplendent rays of early morning sunlight into the room, illuminating hundreds of small dust motes as they danced across windows. The smell of roasted vegetables wafted through the air, creeping towards the newcomers' faces and setting their minds on one thing and one thing only: supper.
Cass eagerly trotted towards his mother who was removing a full tray of assorted carrots, onions, and various other chopped vegetables out of the oven with her mitten-wrapped wingtips.
"You colts are just in time. Dinner's almost ready," said Moon Glint, peering behind her at the two entrants. She gestured at the hallway. "Call your father, dear. He should be finished with his shower by now."
"Yes, Mom," Cass said, moving to do as she asked.
"Anon, honey, could you set the plates out for me? They're up there in that cupboard." Moon Glint carefully placed her tray on the kitchen counter. She removed a mitten and grabbed a large glass bowl from a cupboard beside her, then deftly swept the tray clean into it. It didn't look as if she spilt even a single grain of salt.
In no time, four out of the six chairs at the table were occupied, with Cass and Anon sitting opposite Moon Glint. Gleaming Hearth sat at the head, his light blue - almost turquoise - coat still slightly damp. He leaned forward as Moon Glint scooped vegetables onto everyone's plate, giving her a quick peck on the cheek once she got to him. An almost invisible grin appeared on her face as she sat back in her chair, one that Anon almost didn't catch.
Anon was far from an expert on cooking, but he knew enough to know that most dishes didn't explode with flavour in the same way this one did. His eyes widened in surprise as the mixture of herbs and spices melted on his tongue.
"It's good, isn't it?" said Gleaming Hearth. Anon looked up from his plate and at the large stallion. Stunned and unsure of what to say, he sufficed to give a quiet nod.
"It's why he married me." Moon Glint snickered, holding the fork in her wing and taking a bit of roasted potato.
"Well, that and a few other reasons." Gleaming eyed her up and down, and gave her a wink. Cass gagged.
"Ew, Dad!"
Moon Glint responded by fluttering her eyes at him and pursing her lips.
"Moooom!"
"Sorry. Sorry, dear," she said, clearing her throat. Gleaming Hearth quietly chuckled. Anon smiled.
A few seconds passed in a near-awkward silence before Moon Glint spoke up.
"So, Anon. How are you feeling?" she asked, "Better than earlier, I hope?"
Anon swallowed his mouthful. "Um, yeah. Yes, ma'am. The soreness is fading away pretty quickly. I thought I broke some bones, though, I don't understand."
"Just some old batpony medicine, dear." Moon Glint smiled knowingly.
"So," said Gleaming, "I take it you're not from around here?"
"No, sir. I, uh… I'm not sure exactly how or why I'm here right now. And I'm still not sure precisely where here is. I'm not local."
"Earth," said Cass. "You said that's where you were from, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Strange name for a town," Gleaming huffed. "Dirt."
"It's not a town," said Anon, "It's the planet."
"You're from a different planet?" Cass asked, curiously.
"I guess so. It makes sense. I think I would have heard of "batponies" if they existed anywhere on Earth." The curtains were now drawn shut, leaving only a small gap to the outside world. He caught a sliver of the forest-layered mountainside backdrop beyond. "I think everyone in the world would know if there was an entire village full of batponies."
"Or an entire country," Cass added, "Or two, with Walhaychia next to us."
"You mentioned that earlier." Anon lifted a brow. Walhaychia…?"
"Yeah. Walhaychia's up north. We're in Trotsylvania." Cass stuffed a piece of carrot into his mouth. "Ee wearn at ing ngis Ulip's-"
"Cast Rune!" Moon Glint sternly berated him, "You know better than to speak with your mouth full."
Cass swallowed. "Sorry, Mom."
"Now," Moon Glint asked calmly, "What were you saying?"
"I was saying that we learnt that in Miss Tulip's class"
"Did she tell you about the bloodsuckers who lived there?"
"Gleaming!"
"What? It's true, they drink blood."
"Miss Tulip didn't say that," said Cass, twirling his fork in his levitation. "Comet did, though. He says he visited when he was little."
"I've been to Walhaychia, and I can tell you they do not all drink blood," said Moon Glint
"I never said all of them," Gleaming Hearth said, "But everyone knows some do. I don't know why you're denying this."
"I wasn't denying that some do, but you were making generalisations." Moon Glint glared disappointedly.
"Whatever you say, Mom," Gleaming remarked facetiously. Moon Glint ignored him.
"Anyways, Anon, could you tell us what it's like on 'Earth'?"
"I-" The pressure in his head started to reappear again. Anon massaged his temples. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't."
"You can't?" said Gleaming.
Cass placed a gentle hoof on Anon's shoulder.
"Anon, what's going on? You were like this earlier, what's the problem-" Cass cut himself off, suddenly, having seemingly come to a realisation. "I… I'm sorry, Anon. Let's… let's move on. I didn't think how hard it must be to leave behind everything you've ever known…" He cringed as the words came out of his mouth. "I'm gonna stop talking."
"That's not the problem, Cass." Anon sighed. "That's not a problem at all. Because I… I can't remember a thing about what it was like back there."
Cass stared at him, puzzled, and so did Gleaming.
"It’s not that I don't want to talk about it. I can't. I don't remember what it was like back home, and I don't remember how I got here. It's like the memories are locked away from me, and when I get close to them, it hurts. It physically hurts. "
"You don't remember anything at all?" asked Moon Glint.
"I…" Anon did remember something. The cave, the yelling, the hooded figures. Everything was blurry, but he remembered. So why didn't he tell her?
"No," Anon lied. "Nothing."
Moon Glint leaned back in her seat, nodding.
"Alright. Do you colts have anything more planned?"
"No, Mom," Cass answered, "I was just going to bring Anon up to my room."
"Well, you can do that once the table's been cleared. I'll take care of the dishes. I just want you to bring everything over to the sink and wipe down the table."
Cass sighed.
"I'll help," Anon said, standing up.
"Alright," Cass said, accepting his fate, "Come on, Anon."
There was an audible rustling as Anon flipped through the schoolbook on Cass' desk.
"Huh. That's a lot of plant classifications," Anon muttered. "I don't have the slightest idea how to pronounce any of these."
Anon studied the page. Labelled drawings of four different vine species filled up the spaces beside numerous neatly handwritten- hornwritten, paragraphs. There were details on their growth cycles, and where they could be found in the Twin Thickets Forest-slash-Jungle. Unfortunately, Anon had never been big on biology or agriculture, and so closed Cass' Flora notebook.
Cass' room was pretty well decorated, in Anon's opinion. A wardrobe sat in the far corner, next to a pony-length mirror. A large wooden chest, almost big enough to fit a full-grown pony, was placed at the foot of the bed which was in another corner next to the window. The opposite side of the room housed a bookshelf. Displayed were a few mementos, presumably from Cass' childhood, and framed photos of him with friends and family. One framed image portrayed a scene of three smiling foals. It was Cass, Star, and Fly when they were much younger, happy and with no care for the troubles in the world. Anon felt a smile tug on his own face.
On the higher shelves were an assortment of novels. There were pairs and trios, with those ostensibly being from the same series of books, and some novels that sat by themselves. Several had ornate spines, decorated with gold or silver embroidery. Glancing at Cass to check he was in the clear, Anon plucked a novel out at random.
"The Path of Monarchs, Part One," Anon read, "by Bronze Sabre."
Cass trotted up to him.
"Ooh, yeah, that's a good one! I love all of Sabres books, I have a few more here," he said, motioning with a hoof.
Anon looked towards where Cass was pointing. Rather than taking a look at one of those books next, however, he decided to move to the shelf above.
"A Guide to Lordship by Leafy Timber. Interesting name, I guess."
"Now that's a really fun story," Cass peeked over at the back cover as Anon read the blurb.
Anon handed it over to Cass' telekinetic grip and returned to the shelf. Something was off, though. Anon reached into the shelf and behind the books, fishing out a novel with fancy embroidery from its hiding spot.
"Of Lovers and Lancers," read Anon, "by-"
The book was plucked out of his hands in a white, magical aura, by a wide-eyed unicorn.
"I was reading that-"
"You don't need to see that one!" Cass sputtered.
Anon smirked. "You a big romance guy, eh?"
"N-no!"
"Come on, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Let me see it-"
"Nope!"
Cass lifted a corner of his mattress slightly off the bed frame. Before he hid his secret novel there, however, he stopped. "Turn around!"
"Alright…" Anon said, putting his hands up. Turning back towards the bookshelf, he noticed the corner of another hidden book, this time with a plain red cover. He silently plucked it out and opened to a random page.
"Okay, you can turn around now, Anon."
"Mhmm." Anon hummed, flipping to the next page.
"Anon?"
"Oh. Oh, wow. That's, uh… that's intense."
"Anon what are you-"
Seeing the red book in Anon's hands, Cass cut himself off. He froze in place for a second, before his face changed to a very, very, deep scarlet.
They stared at each other for an uncomfortable length of time. Cass broke away first. His eyes wandered the room, desperately looking for something else to lock onto. Anon followed suit.
"So…. I'm guessing I wasn't supposed to find this…?"
"I…" Cass whispered, "…I forgot that was also there."
"Well, it's some good writing, at least. Descriptive. Very descriptive."
"D-don't tell Mom about this, o-okay?" Cass pleaded. He tried meeting Anon's eyes, though he just seemed unable to.
"Don't worry, I can keep a secret," nodded Anon. He grinned and looked back down at the page. "I swear that I won't ever tell her about the steamy novel you hide in your room or the scenes describing two colts going at it in vivid detail-"
"ANON!" Cass' face lit up like a petrol-soaked Christmas tree. He lunged at Anon, wailing away at his chest in a futile effort to tear the book away from the human. Anon laughed, holding the book high up and away with his good arm, pushing Cass away with his right arm and wincing whenever it made contact. Before he knew it, Anon was slammed backwards into the wall. He lost his footing, causing both him and Cass to trip and form a jumbled mess of laughter and frustration on the floor.
"Is everything alright up there?" Moon Glint yelled from the ground floor. Her hoofsteps clopped up the stairs towards the room.
"The book!" Cass hissed. "Hide it!"
During the rough and tumble, the steamy novel had slid away to the other side of the room. The hoofsteps ended outside the door. Both Cass and Anon dived for the red, leather-clad tome, but Cass fell short. With his superior reach, Anon was able to slide it across the floor and out of sight under Cass' bed just as the door creaked open. Moon Glint walked in on them splayed out on the floor, an apron still tied around her neck and strangely shaped dishwashing gloves on her wings.
"You colts are making quite a lot of noise, you know," she informed them. Cass and Anon only huffed in response. The struggle had surprisingly taken a lot out of him.
I need to get more exercise, Anon thought as he lay spread out, flat on his back. Cass shuffled off of his stomach.
"Sorry, Mom. We'll quiet down," he said.
Moon Glint sighed and shook her head. She feigned disappointment, but her eyes betrayed amusement. "Don't hurt yourselves, now, you two."
"Okay, Mom."
"Got it Mrs Moon Glint."
Moon Glint met Anon's eyes briefly, giving him a… strange look. Not hostile, just strange. Then she left. Anon decided not to pay it any mind.
"I hate you." Cass softly punched Anon in the shoulder.
"Ow! Hey!" Anon hissed through grit teeth.
"Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry! I forgot!"
"You know, that probably would've hurt a lot if that was my bad arm."
"Are you okay- wait, what?"
Anon grinned, tensing his shoulder in preparation for the incoming flurry of flailing hooves. They arrived just as he expected they would. Numerous, yet quite feeble.
"I really hate you."
"No, you don't."
"You're annoying."
"It's a gift."
"Shut up."
Anon acceded to his request, satisfied with his work.
Anon stepped into the guest bedroom, tailed closely by Cass. The curtains had been shut tight, shrouding the room in near darkness. A solitary candle rested on the bedside drawers, one of which Moon Glint had just finished dusting off.
"This'll be your room, Anon," Moon Glint said. "If you ever need anything, just ask."
"Thank you again, Mrs Moon Glint."
"Don't worry about it, dear," she said. "It'll be nice to have another set of hooves around the house."
"Of course. If there's anything I can do to pay you back, just let me know."
"I will, Anon, honey. Oh, and by the way, just 'Mrs Moon', will do." She took stock of the small alarm clock on the other bedside drawer. "Now, you colts should be getting to sleep. It's late."
Anon slipped open the heavy curtains a tad. The sun was high in the sky. Back home, the bell would already have rung for Interval. Hayden would be pestering him as he took his time to pack his gear into his bag…"
"Anon?"
"Hm?"
Moon Glint watched him, concerned. "Dear, is there something outside?"
"I, uh…" Anon let go of the curtains, blocking the light out, "No. Sorry, I don't know what happened."
"I think, maybe, you should get some rest." Moon Glint led him away from the window.
"Yeah, it's been a long day." Anon covered a yawn. "Thanks again, Mrs Moon."
"No problem, honey," said Moon Glint, smiling before she left.
Cass followed her. He eased the door closed slowly. "Night, Anon."
"Night, Cass," Anon said.
"I…" Cass hesitated by the doorway, "I'll, uh, talk to you tomorrow."
"Yeah, okay… I'll see you then."
The door clicked shut.
Anon sat on the bed, slipping out of his jeans and makeshift cloak. The scars still dotted his skin. It had been a rough fall. The combined forces of gravity and the forested mountainside ensured that.
He squeezed his arm, feeling up and down its length. It almost didn't hurt anymore. His ribs weren't stinging when he moved his torso. Lifting his left, undamaged arm, he imitated the movements he made earlier in his play-struggle with Cass. Nothing. No pain in his side.
This… isn't normal, is it? Whatever this 'batpony medicine' is, it works fast.
Anon flopped onto his back, gritting his teeth as his body protested, his nerves temporarily setting afire. He wasn't completely recovered yet, it seemed.
Regardless, Anon closed his eyes. In no time at all, he was asleep.
"Night, Mom."
"Goodnight, sweetie."
Moon Glint kissed her son on the forehead. Cast- Cass, smiled and turned over, gripping his old little hydra plush. Regardless of how big her once-small, but always-precious foal grew, they never tired of their night routine. She would tuck her in, they would say goodnight, and he would doze off soundly with that same happy expression on his face.
Well, if he's not planning on sneaking out of the house, at least, she thought, softly shutting his door.
That was a new habit. Along with his insistence that he call her 'Cass', a name that he once only reserved for his two friends. Three, now.
He wouldn't go out today, he only did so twice a week. Chances were he would sneak downstairs and go out the bathroom window and to the backyard to be sneaky. It was a good enough plan. His hoofsteps would be drowned out by her husband's unremitting snoring. She likely wouldn't have ever known if she hadn't watched him do exactly that several times from a couple of houses down.
Sneaking out of the house past bedtime does seem to be a family tradition.
Moon made her way into her and Gleaming's room. The muscular, though, also gradually pudgying stallion lay on his back on his side of the bed, scanning the evening newspaper. He eyed her as she plucked a dark blue cloak from the closet and donned it.
"Going out today?" he asked in a blasé tone.
"Mhmm," she hummed in response.
"Don't be too long."
"I won't," she said, inspecting herself in the mirror. "This shouldn't take any more than twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes is a lot of time," Gleaming said. She could hear the mischievous smirk in his voice. "A lot can be done in twenty minutes if you know what I mean."
I did marry a bold one. She feigned ignorance. "No, actually, I don't. Why don't you explain it to me?"
Gleaming set his newspaper on his lap, wiggling his eyebrows in a manner so ridiculous that it shouldn't have worked anywhere near half as well it did. "You know precisely what I'm talking about."
Moon considered her options. She trotted over to him, swaying her hips and tail. She met his lips in a kiss and held it for just a second too short before she placed a hoof on his chest and pushed him away.
"You have work tomorrow. Get some rest."
"The forges are due for maintenance. We have a late start tomorrow."
"We have a guest in the house."
"And? Our son has always been right next to us. There's a reason the door has a lock and the walls have soundproofing," Gleaming chuckled.
Moon rolled her eyes. Though, if she were to be completely honest with herself, her decision to humour him had weakened her resolve. "It's the principle of it all, dear," she said. She decided to give in, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Once our son and the other colt have left for school tomorrow evening, you and I can make use of your 'late start. What do you think?"
"I like your plan," said Gleaming, tilting her chin with a hoof for another kiss.
"Ah, ah!" Moon pulled away, "Patience is a virtue, mister."
Gleaming blew disappointedly. "Fine. Princess damn you for being so enticing."
"Good colt," said Moon Glint, she turned and made her way out of the room, opening the door as silently as possible so as to not wake Cass in the next room over, or Anon further down the hallway. She gave Gleaming a wink, but didn't wait to see his response.
Hood covering her face, she stalked through the empty village streets. Every house had its curtains drawn. But while they were dead silent, the surrounding forest was alive. The assortment of various animals - birds and rodents mostly - came together to create a sort of natural orchestra. The trills of the birds reminded her of the flutes she had once heard echoing across those grand halls in Walhaychia.
Standing on the corner of the town plaza - as they had agreed - was a figure shrouded in identical fashion to herself. The familiar pony waited patiently. They perked up upon noticing Moon's approach, revealing a set of interested yellow eyes and a curious peach muzzle poking out from the hood.
"How is it?" asked the peach mare.
Moon Glint gazed at the statue in the centre of the plaza. Imposing upon its surroundings was a life-sized iron statue of an armoured thestral stallion. He was armed with a sword in each wing, gleaming metal tips pointed forward towards a large - or flying - invisible enemy. Hero of Trotsylvania, and one of the Night Mother's most valiant commanders, General Razor Sharp was forever immortalised in his hometown.
"He should be completely healed by tomorrow morning."
The other mare walked up alongside Moon. "What are you going to do with it?"
"Nothing," Moon said bluntly. The mare cocked her head. "Not yet, at least. It's… a complex situation."
"Do you want to explain?"
Moon pondered. "Cass and his friends have taken a liking to the creature… 'Anon'. That's the name he's going by. He's not dangerous to anyone, especially not us. Doesn't remember a thing. That might've been the only spell that worked that day."
"You should talk to the kid."
"I already did."
"I meant without yelling."
Moon sighed. "I will."
"You're in charge now, Moonie." The mare placed a hoof on Moon's wither. "You can't lose your cool like that."
Moon brushed away the hoof. "I know, I know. It's just, all that preparation…" She turned away, facing the distant mountains.
"I understand. But it was an honest mistake. He's a good colt."
"I know that. Of course, I know that." Moon Glint faced her friend. "I'll talk to him before Saturday."
"That's good. So, in the meantime, we just leave this 'Anon', be?"
"Yes. We can't get rid of him, now. He's staying in our guest room. Cass likes having him around, and I can keep an eye on him that way," said Moon. "I think you can expect a new student in your class tonight."
"As long as you have it handled," said the mare. "Speaking of, I should go. It's late."
"Thanks for meeting again, Tulip."
"It's what friends do."
Tulip hurried away, and Moon Glint started her trip home. She stopped for one final glance at the statue of the general. Then she trotted away.
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Is it wrong that I want a drawing of that?
I gotta admit he’s not wrong for thesrals/bat ponies
Hmm curiouser and curiouser
Aaaannnd we're done.
11772844
lol sorry
nah but this is going in the direction of having some gay romance. Nothing that would warrant an M rating, of course. Still, I probably should've added a romance tag earlier, but back then it was still just an idea that I hadn't fully fleshed out. That's changed.
I will be covering more of the topic further down the line and I plan for it to play a decently significant part in the plot, so I understand if you don't want to continue reading. If that's the case, thanks for getting this far and maybe we'll meet again if you come across another of my stories. Seeya around
11773096
Thank you for being so polite, but I implore you, don't do this. God is already too much offended by the increase of immorality and sin, let us not offend him anymore.