Holding Onto The Crutch We Call Life

by Soaring

I Know Better Now

Snapping Back to Reality - Where Starlight Gets Gravity (Of the Situation) While Anon Still Lives in the Middle of Nowhere (Celestia Lost Her Horseshoes There)

“Anon, you don’t need to say anything else.”

He raised a brow. “Really?”

Starlight nodded and hugged him close. He had sunk into the pillows of his rather lengthy couch. He had gotten the couch from the equivalent of a giant garage sale in Equestria. The pony who sold him the couch was very enthusiastic in selling him it. Upon inspection (at the time), it didn’t seem to look out of sorts. No apparent stains and stress testing it (also known as flopping on it with no remorse) didn’t result in the thing shaking or breaking into pieces… so Anon was left to wonder:

Why?

Maybe said pony was too happy to help him out? Either that or he was given this one for such a low price because it was a hand-me-down from a pony that may have screwed their significant other on it. Anon didn’t care what option was the case, even though he should’ve. He had a pony named Starlight snuggling into him, and she was wayyyy too comfortable right now.

Intertwined in a very ‘friendly’ embrace, the two stayed there mostly in silence, save for a little titter from Starlight as she breathed out rather happily, her lips curved upward. He sighed too, embracing the peaceful quiet. Anon hadn’t had this time to just hold onto someone, it felt… different. A good different, but one he couldn’t describe well without tumbling over himself.

But, when curiosity called on speed dial…

“Do you think I'm allowed to feel the way I do, Starlight?”

Those bitter words resounded in Anon’s ears, echoing enough to make him think twice about his question. But he needed the confirmation, even if licking his lips made him wince.

Her shifting in his grasp reaffirmed that taste, her foreleg finding a way out of their embrace. “Yeah, you should…”

Anon paused, waiting to hear from Starlight again, but she just trailed off, leaving him left to wonder. “I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming on.”

She sighed. “But I’m bothered by this whole situation.”

“Bothered?”

“Yeah. Something’s off about it all. Twilight appeared remorseful despite how she treated you.”

“Right…” Anon muttered. “So what's 'off' then?”

“Hmmm…” Starlight hummed, the low rumble in her throat tickled Anon’s hairs on his neck. “That’s a good question. I have my reasoning, and I think I’d need to hear her side of the story, but I think I’ll leave that for another day.” She softly smiled at him, if a bit sheepishly, her muzzle twitching as she spoke, “You’re more important right now.”

He doubted that highly, but he couldn’t help that those words tickled his ears. “I… thanks, Starlight.”

A giggle, followed by a sigh. “No problem, Anon.” She nuzzled into his shoulder. “It’s what a friend would do.”

“What a friend would do, huh…”

He leaned back further, rubbing his neck against the pillow behind him. He hummed softly, tinkering with whatever thoughts that crossed his mind. The door, his job, his life, Twilight—

Try again. WD40, cruising back home on the highway, his life he had before all this horsing around happened, Twilight—

Anon groaned. His eyes flickered away from where he was looking at (it was toward the ceiling, directly where the wall and ceiling met) and saw her.

Starlight. She was looking at him now, searching his face. She searched and searched and searched, only to frown. “You’re still thinking about Twilight?”

Anon just shrugged.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yeah, I am. I can’t stop thinking about her.” He groaned. “Sorry, this whole ‘cuddling friendly on the couch thing’ is great and all but…”

Starlight shook her head and smiled. “Don’t apologize. I’m glad that this almost distracted you from everything.”

It was Anon’s turn to let out a laugh. “You know what I meant.”

“I know…” She sighed and gave him a very serious glare. “Look, this whole situation is not great for either of you. I mean, the fact that she rejected you is one thing, but rejecting you because you’re you is a completely different issue entirely. If I were in your horseshoes—er, shoes, right?” She paused to see Anon nod. “Ahem, well if I were in your shoes, I’d be bothered by that too.”

Anon looked elsewhere. The floor. The ceiling. The pillows on the other chair. The candle still burned nicely. The bookshelf just as tall as before—was that a gift from Twilight—oh wait there he went, thinking about her again.

“Guess you proved my point.” She let out a brief giggle-snort before continuing, “Meanwhile I know for a fact that Twilight was not even remotely prepared for your confession. She loves, and I mean loves to be prepared for everything. And when she can’t be prepared, she just falls apart.”

“So that excuses her?”

“No, not at all,” Starlight replied, shaking her head. She flicked her muzzle up to nuzzle Anon’s cheek. “Look, I know this is not great coming from me, but friendship is tough. She’s attempting to really juggle everything all at once right now, instead of doing the right thing and doing this in private. While it doesn't excuse her, maybe it does give some insight as to why she reacted the way she did. I know it doesn’t lessen the blow at all…”

Anon sighed. “It doesn’t at all.”

Starlight suddenly closed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath. “Well, trust me, Anon. She was completely sideswiped. And with all the responsibilities she has stacked on top of her…. I mean all of Equestria looks up to her now! I… I don’t know how she even managed to splurge all that out onto you. She had to have been cornered by it all. So, when you offered an out, she took it.”

“The out being to criticize me in any way possible?”

“Exactly, especially with no restraint. But she shouldn’t have done that to you even if you asked for it. Even if you felt strong enough to take it, it… it just wasn’t the right time nor the right place. And what she said stung, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah. More than I thought.” He patted her mane gently before continuing, “I mean, who says that? I know I’m not a stallion and all, but that automatically excludes me from being with her? It’s like she relies way too much on biology. She must really think I’m still that science experiment that she can toy around with and—”

“Stop that, Anon. Twilight definitely doesn’t think you’re an experiment, I know that much.” Starlight half-whimpered, half-breathed out whatever was lodged in her lungs. “She should’ve just said ‘Sorry, I don’t like you like that’ and she should've left it there. And now with what she’s said, she’ll probably regret this later and apologize—”

“—I don’t want her to.” Anon mumbled, choosing to slither his hand down her neck. “I can’t unhear what she told me. What’s said has been said, Starlight. I… I just want her to know that not everyone operates like her. She even said it herself, most mares want what she wants. I don’t know if she was referring to mares who love other mares but—”

“—she probably was…”

Anon glared at Starlight for a moment, but when she threw her hooves up and looked at him like ‘what do you want from me?’, he caved into his anxious laughter before continuing, “Anyway, if she was, then she believes that all mares who are straighter than an arrow care only about getting with a stallion to make foals.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “It’s the ‘keeping the species alive’ mentality that she has. Hormones are tricky, even for mares that are as smart as her.”

Anon raised a brow. “Is she really that smart?”

“Twilight? Of course. She’s one of the smartest ponies I know,” Starlight replied, albeit with a slight frown. “Too bad she decided to make herself appear the opposite.”

He turned away from her, looking elsewhere. “That’s an understatement.”

A quiet silence bore through, lulling the conversation. Anon took a moment to take a deep breath, exhaling shakily as he spied over at Starlight, who too took a chance to take a look around, probably to take her mind off everything, decompress; but maybe that was Anon’s attempt to read someone and completely misread her entirely. She’s probably feeling awkward around him after this whole thing, that’s why she was rubbing her forehooves together a bit, and her ears were still splayed against her head—

Starlight cleared her throat, making Anon shake his head. Suddenly, she was looking at him with a slight smile, while one of her forehooves slowly grazed his cheek. There, she held it there.

“Do you… feel any better, Anon?”

Did he feel better?

…

Not really. But talking about this to someone helped keep his nerves at bay.

“Sorta. It helped to talk to someone about it. It’ll take a long while to feel better though. Are you sure you’re wanting to stick around?”

“I have all the time in the world, Anon. I have all the time in the world.”

Anon opened his mouth, but he stopped himself. He was going to say something, but he was lost all the words. He needed to stop talking and show her that he was happier, and with the smile he received from her and the warmth that came with her company… he just lost himself. He snuggled into her withers and held her close.

Starlight sighed. “Thanks for letting me in.”

Anon peered through his somewhat closed eyes at her and grinned weakly. “No, thank you for caring about me, Starlight.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He needed to take a moment to rest, clear his head, and hopefully not toss and turn in his sleep, as Starlight would probably go flying off the couch.

“Hmm… Anon?”

Anon peered out again with an eye partially open. “What’s up—”

He looked up to see her lick the side of his face. “Get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm.”

She nuzzled back into his chest again. Her purple mane tickled his nose, making him want to itch it, but he couldn't. The couch, the cuddling, the way everything fell into place. He couldn't help but close his eyes.

That's the last thing that he thought about. A pony nuzzling into him as he fell adrift into slumber.

---

Anon woke up to Starlight’s body draped over him. Her soft snores kept him there, watching her as she slept. Her mane fell to the side, losing its form, while her leg twitched like it was trying to run to something. He wondered if she was having a good dream. Was she running a marathon? Or was it something as simple as trotting to the store? Meeting some friends?

He didn’t know what she did in her spare time.

He sighed and just soaked up all the warmth she offered. It was tempting to pet her, that tuft of fur toward her front was right up in his grill, but he knew that would be wholly not appropriate. Not with how they were already—

Wait. What were they again? Acquaintances working towards friends? Former friends that weren’t actually friends but now working towards friendship and what not? He wasn’t an expert but he certainly was better than Twi—

Anon coughed mentally. Nope. Not one thought will be spared on her. Only Starlight, the deep sleep hoofsies-having pony on his chest. He kept his hand where it stayed, which was on her back, keeping her firmly in place. That was probably enough, he didn’t want her rolling off the couch after all.

“Mmm, Anon?”

He watched as she stirred, attempting to rub her eyes with her forehooves.

“Hey, Starlight. Welcome to the land of the living.”

His joke fell on deaf ears. Yawning was her preoccupation.“What—egh—time is it…?”

He tilted his head behind the couch to see the sun no longer peering through the window sill.

“Not sure. Looks dark out there.”

She pulled away and flicked her mane out of her face. She stretched her legs for a second before giving Anon a small smile. “Guess I needed that rest more than I thought.”

“Eh, you probably did. Your hooves were running a mile and a half!”

“You were watching me sleep?”

“Yeah…” Anon said, stretching his own arms while he spoke. “Sorry if that was wrong to do. Didn’t want to startle you or anything.”

“It’s okay,” Starlight said, before letting out a blow. “Trixie always tells me I do that hoof thing whenever I have a sleepover with her.”

“And what does she say?”

Her muzzle scrunched up at the sight of Anon’s raised brow. “Something about her and I running away together to do some cool magic shows out in Vanhoover when we retire from the School of Friendship. I’m not sure why it’s always Vanhoover and why we have to ‘run away together’. I mean, she has her wagon and—” Starlight paused and threw her hooves up in the air. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Really? Running away together?”

“Yeah…” Starlight began to say, only to gasp. “Wait, you don’t think she…”

Anon nodded. “She may have a thing for you.”

Starlight sighed. “And here I was wondering if I had a thing for—” She clamped her mouth shut with her forehooves.

“A thing for…?”

“Nothing. Nothing!” She said, flailing said forehooves toward him. A red tint pierced her cheeks, which made Anon raise a brow again.

“Doesn’t look like nothing…” he murmured.

Puffing her cheeks, Starlight groaned as she freed one of her hindlegs from their little cuddlefest. “I'll let you know once I figure it out. Right now, I need to get going. It’s late, and I’m pretty certain Spike’s wondering if I died or something.”

Anon cracked his neck and smiled. “Understandable. Sorry for keeping you over for so long—”

“Psh, you didn’t keep me. I stayed here on my own accord. For me and for you, remember?”

Was the room getting warmer or was that just him? “Heh, you’re right. Well, thanks for stopping by.”

“No problem, but don’t think this is the last time you’ll be seeing me.” She cooed as she cracked her own neck. “We’ll need to meet up tomorrow after you’re done with work.”

“Tomorrow, after work?”

“You think you want to sit in here and wallow about her some more?”

Anon sighed. No he didn’t want to do that. Was Starlight a mind reader? “No…”

“Then go back to work. Talk to Mayor Mare about it. She may be able to give you even more insight about Twilight than I did.”

“Really?”

Starlight dislodged the rest of herself from Anon and the couch, flopping onto the floor shakily on all four of her hooves. “Y-Yeah—phew, thought I lost feeling in my hindlegs for a second—Mayor Mare’s known Twilight long before I even got here. If anypony outside Twilight’s friend group would know something about her, it’s Mayor Mare.”

“I guess I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

Starlight squeed and watched as Anon hobbled to his feet. “Great, and then after you do that and finish up with work, I’ll stop by and we can do something, okay?”

"Alright..." Anon said, patting her mane. "Guess this is the end of our little friendship session?"

"Don't worry, there will be plenty more in the future." She rubbed her face up against his pant leg. “Now, get some rest. I’ll make sure to stop by Mayor Mare’s early tomorrow morning to let her know you’ll be coming back to work, okay?”

“Okay,” Anon replied as the mare slipped away from him and walked out the door. She magically shut it behind her, leaving him by his lonesome. He smiled as he looked out the window, watching her leave.

Maybe things might be turning around…

---

The Next Morning - Just Outside Mayor Mare’s Office

Anon gulped down whatever nerves he had lodged in his throat. He was nervous and rightfully so. He had left his employer to attempt to clean all the mess that he possibly left behind, and she had to do all by herself. Knowing Mayor Mare, she was a very capable mare, but he had never seen her clean by herself. That job was solely on him. So, when he opened the door to her office, he was hoping that she wouldn’t grill him half to death upon walking in her direction, and was hoping that the place wasn't bombarded by a ghost named 'Dusty'.

Instead, she was right in front of him, her eyes wide.

“A-Anon? Is that you?”

He nodded slowly, the door closing shut behind him. “Yeah, sorry about leaving unannounced and all—oof!”

It was all of a sudden, but Mayor Mare rammed herself into his leg, making him nearly stumble onto the ground. Luckily, his balance (and the now shut door) saved him, and when he looked down, he…

“Thank Celestia, you’re alive!”

“A-Alive?”

She looked up at him, tears trickling out of her eyes. “I was so worried! One day, I had you here, and the next, my favorite pony in all of Equestria was gone!”

“But I’m not a pony—”

“Nonsense, you’re like us enough to be considered one.”

“I don’t recall having a muzzle.”

“You have one, it’s just an indent at the moment.”

Anon blinked. “Uh…”

“Anyway, enough comparisons! None of that compares to how much I need you in my life,” Mayor Mare said, adjusting her glasses. Her eyes peering up while her lips curled up to a bright smile.

His eyes widened, and he felt like his cheeks were about to go ablaze. “Are you… really sure?”

“Anon, without you here, I have been having to relearn how to function normally before you arrived.” She clip-clopped toward her desk and spread her forelegs out, while rearing on her hind legs. “I mean, look at this place! It’s a pigsty!”

Anon looked. He really looked around the room. Documents stacked up on the furthermost corner of it. The blinds were tilted 36.539 degrees too far to the left. The chair in front of her desk looked like a dust bunny had gained residency and then some, while its offspring was waiting for its turn on the seat nearby (why is that cabinet there?!). A cobweb sporting some spider (probably named Charlotte) stood proudly in the corner of the ceiling, just above where ponies could sit if there were more than one of them. Her desk laid sprawl of more papers and stationary, including a priceless quill bent out of shape.

And her name tag, mostly pristine prior to his leave, appeared like a faded relic.

…

How long was he gone again?

“Wow, you really messed this room up!”

Mayor Mare groaned. “I know, I know!” She gritted her teeth before continuing, “I can’t believe I let myself go this far, and you’ve only been gone for less than a week!”

Wait, he wasn’t gone that long. How did she—Anon shook his head. “I don’t know how you managed to do this. I mean, Charlotte up there really is—”

“How did you know I named the spider Charlotte?”

Anon raised a brow. “Wait, what?”

Mayor Mare fumbled with her glasses before flicking her mane. “I—Nevermind. Look, Anon, could you help me clean my office? I could really use your help.”

“Of course,” Anon replied, cracking his knuckles. “Shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.”

“Thank you!” Mayor Mare chirped happily. “Be mindful of Charlotte. Make sure she’s safe and comfortable. As for the rest, try to clean it all up as best as you can. Any loose documents on my desk can be put into a manila folder and I’ll look through it later. I have an appointment in the conference room in… thirty minutes with an investor from Cloudsdale.”

Anon tilted his head. “Didn’t they schedule for tomorrow?”

“Unfortunately, they wanted to reschedule for today at the last minute. And I’ve been rushing to prepare for it but have been fumbling due to you suddenly leaving—”

He frowned. “I’m sorry, Mayor Mare. I didn’t mean to leave you all alone and—”

Mayor Mare bumped against Anon a second time, this time choosing to rear back up on her hindlegs again, narrowing her brows. “Anon.”

He winced and tried to look away, but her glare pierced his peripherals too.

…

He sighed. “Yeah?”

“Don’t apologize. You don’t need to feel sorry for what happened.”

“I don’t?”

Mayor Mare smiled, her eyes shimmering through the not-so-perfect blinds. “Never. Just… make sure you tell me next time? That way I can brandish every compliment I and many other ponies have said about you.”

“There’s a list?”

“I’ll show you during our lunch break,” Mayor Mare smirked. She began shoving her hooves through the stacks of papers. “We have work to do.”

Anon smiled back. “Alright. Let’s get this room spotless.”

---

Midday Compliment Session - Break Room of Mayor Mare’s Office

Anon and Mayor Mare rushed in the rather small break room, panting as if they ran a marathon together.

“Wow—phew!—that meeting was the worst one I’ve sat in!” He wiped his brow as he continued, “That investor really wanted to tear down what makes Ponyville, Ponyville.”

Mayor Mare nodded. “That he did! I’m… surprised he wasn’t related to—ah—Chancellor Neighsay with how arrogant he was.”

Anon held his hands behind his head, gasping for air. After a few more breaths, he sighed and looked over at her. “I-I’m shocked too! Glad I was here to help you out.”

She shook her head and adjusted her glasses. “We worked together to save Ponyville again.”

He pointed a finger at the mare. “Save might be a bit too strong of a word, Mayor.”

She slammed a hoof on the nearby table. “It’s the truth. I was not going to allow him to build on that land, ponies would’ve been disappointed that the clearing by the school would be gone!”

Anon embedded himself in that claim. The investor was a bit pompous and selfish, but hey, at least there was some investment being put into the town and not more royalty coins being tossed into the ether. He sat there, pursing his chin with his hand and then sighed. “Understandable, but hopefully him being turned away won’t make other investors afraid to support Ponyville.”

“I highly doubt it, Anon. We’re just weeding out the weasels.”

“Whatever you say, Mayor Mare.” He rubbed his nose suddenly, attempting to get rid of a sudden itch that tickled it.

Mayor Mare raised a brow. “Are you okay, Anon?”

He nodded and sat down at the table. “Yep. I’ll be better here in a moment.”

“Better?” Mayor Mare asked, taking a seat across from him.

Anon smirked. “Of course. You have to tell me all those compliments you have for me and—”

“I will, in due time. First, I think you have something to tell me.”

“I do?” he asked, tilting his head.

“I believe that you’re still worried about something. Something relative to your sudden vacation.”

Anon took his tie and shifted it, hoping to somehow loosen it to give him more air. “I… I guess you’re right.”

Mayor Mare pointed a hoof at him. “Anon you don’t need to hide it and—wait, you’re outright admitting it?”

“You said to tell you, so I’ll oblige, even if I’m not as comfortable to tell you about it all now.”

A bout of silence overtook the room. Anon was preparing himself, twiddling with his left hand’s pointer finger with his right hand, while Mayor Mare patiently kept herself on the edge of her chair, giving Anon a smile that he hoped wasn’t there to placate him.

Then, he cleared his throat and began to tell her what he had told Starlight…

---

Spill Over; How Not to Offload Problems On Your Boss - Still in the Break Room

“So… let me get this straight.”

Anon meekly shifted in his seat.

“Twilight rejected you because you’re incompatible with our species, and therefore cannot be loved.”

He looked away from her, whistling all the while.

“And you’re okay with that?”

For some reason, those words stuck to him like a glove sticks to a baseball glove, seamless and hopefully not leaving until the next pitch. He growled. “No, not at all!”

Mayor Mare’s cheeks were red, not because of embarrassment, but because of anger. She had been shaking in her seat trying to understand Twilight’s train of thought, but here she was, shaking like a leaf on a tree. She groaned. “Then why are you not screaming on the top of your lungs!”

“I already did that when I got home.”

Suddenly, she stopped her anger, sagging into her seat, her jaw unhinged. “Like… straight after?”

Anon nodded. “Broke my wall too. Kind of childish, looking back on it, but… I guess that’s what happens when you realize you’re so unwanted that it goes beyond your comprehension.”

Mayor Mare growled at him, making Anon scoot back a bit. “Anon, you’re not unwanted!”

“To her, someone that I wanted to be with? Yes. To you? No, but only because I'm here to keep you sane.”

She chuckled. “Well everypony needs somepony to counter them. You just so happen to counter me in every way—” She interrupted herself abruptly by laughing way too loudly at her own joke, which made Anon also jump in with a laugh. The two calmed down which spurred her to continue, “But hey, don’t think of it as childish. It could be interpreted by some—”

“And they’d be right—”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever they think is fine, but look, it’s important to understand that you didn’t break anything else right?”

“Other than my dignity?”

She snorted. “Yes, other than your dignity.”

“Nope. Nothing else.”

“Then you’re not childish, you were stressed. You were upset. And that’s fine.”

And that’s fine. That’s fine for her.

But was it for him?

…

Carefully, Anon scratched his neck, letting out a puff of awkward laughs. “Heh, well that’s good to know.”

“And Anon?”

“Hmm?”

She reached out to grab Anon’s hand with her forehooves. “Never not tell someone about these feelings you have. You’re not used to us. We’re a different species with a different culture, but we’re not that much unlike each other. Just in body and in mind.”

He took a deep breath. “I prom—”

“Nope. Don’t promise me. They’re meant to be broken.” She smiled. “Don’t tell me you will, show me that you will.”

Anon smiled, letting out an anxious chuckle. He grabbed her hoof and shook it.

She shook his hand too.

“Thanks, Mayor Mare.”

“No problem.”

The two smiled in the silence.

“Now, let’s get more of that office of mine cleared,” Mayor Mare declared, hopping off her seat.

Anon shook his head in disbelief. That mare…

“Right behind you.”

---

A Long Day Turned Into a(n) Splendid Evening (Get That Word Out of Your Mouth, Anon!) - Just Outside Mayor Mare’s Office

“Great work today, Anon!”

He blinked and froze while holding open the door to her office. “Uhh… you’ve never said that to me.”

“I know,” Mayor Mare said. “I’ve always said it in my head, but I’ve never vocalized it.” She stood up from behind her desk and walked up to him. She nuzzled his leg before sitting on her flanks. “I… I am the one that should have apologized to you. I hope that all those compliments really hit home for you.”

Anon smiled. “Yeah, they did. It’s… it’s good to know that some of what I was feeling was silly and—”

“No, they were not silly. They were created by your stress, Anon.” She paused to take a rather shaky breath. “And that’s fine. We’ll do better and—no, I will do better to ensure you’re not going to combust into a million Mous pieces.”

He laughed. “Not the greatest imagery, but I appreciate it all the same.”

“I appreciate a put-together you more, Anon.” She walked back behind her desk and sat properly. “I’ll take care of the little last bits of filing. You have a date with Starlight, correct?”

“D-Date?”

Anon’s face grew with warmth as Mayor Mare framed her glasses better on her face, while wearing a complimentary smirk. “Isn’t that what you two are? Dating?”

He shook his head rather fast. “No, no. We’re just friends now.”

“Now…?” Mayor Mare said, her head tilted while her left ear twitched.

He clamped his mouth shut and sighed. “Yes, now. We weren’t really friends before and…”

“I’m glad that you are. She’s definitely a great friend to have around.”

He thought for a second. Where was she? Wasn’t she going to visit them today? Or did he miss her randomly when he went to the bathroom?

“Yeah… say, didn’t she stop by the office earlier today?”

Mayor Mare’s muzzle scrunched up. “Hmm… I don’t believe so. Unless she was waiting in the lobby. Why do you ask?”

Anon cleared his throat. “Nothing. Just making sure.”

Mayor Mare tilted her head for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Well, get on with your date and—”

“It’s not a date!”

“Ah, young love! I remember when I was in love and…”

Anon groaned as Mayor Mare talked about her suitors… again.

---

Late Evening - Still at Mayor Mare’s Office (Where Are You, Starlight, Please Oh God Have—)

“And that’s why I couldn’t find somepony to love me, but that’s okay, at least I got to see what it was like!”

“I somehow s-survived…” Anon muttered, clasping his hands together against his face.

Hearing about Mayor Mare’s romantic escapades was not something Anon wanted to hear, but here he was, still existing (somehow) after hearing of her many suitors. He had heard this once before, and he had drunk himself, but apparently she had left out some very pertinent details that made him wish he could drink more. Thankfully, alcohol wasn’t something he could readily purchase without Applejack sending smoke signals in his direction, so he was set to himself, set in a scarring more traumatizing than Twilight’s words.

Wait… Twilight?

Anon blinked.

Wow, that was more traumatizing. He hadn’t thought about her the entire time, and—wait wasn’t he supposed to ask Mayor Mare about her?

Sighing, Anon looked back at his source of information, who was looking at him happily, only to yawn as if by reflex.

“Phew, wow,” Mayor Mare interjected, holding her forehoof toward her muzzle. She set her hoof back down and frowned. “After all that recounting, I am absolutely exhausted. How about you?”

Anon wouldn’t be getting sleep tonight— “O-Of course!” Anon blurted out, stuttering all the while. “I-I’ll rest easy tonight knowing that you went through so many traumatizing break-ups.”

She shrugged, before letting out a brief blow. “Whatever you say, Anon.”

He rolled his eyes. “Starlight, if there is any hope, please save me—”

A knock on the door interrupted Anon’s plea. His ears tuned into the frequency, scurrying from his seat and rushing to the front door of the office. With some furious jerky moments, his hands jostled the knob and twisted it open.

And then he saw her.

Her eyes were widened as she looked just as panicked as he was. But… she gasped when she saw him and so did he.

Anon lunged at Starlight, wrapping his arms around her, making her squeak.

“A-Anon?”

“Hey, Starlight,” Anon muttered, walking her further away from the office doorstep. The two stayed there in their embrace, Starlight now falling into him too. “I am so glad to see you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, save me from Mayor Mare.”

Starlight pulled away and blinked like a strobe light. “What?”

Mayor Mare trotted in front of him. “Look at you, Anon! You beat me to the door and—oh,” she paused to actually look at him and spotted Starlight in his arms. She cleared her throat. “I see Starlight finally came to pick you up.”

Starlight smiled. “Of course! I’m sorry I’m late, Anon. I got held up at the school due to a couple of ponies who needed to stay for a rather lengthy detention sentence—”

Anon pulled away now, head tilted. “What did they do?”

She snorted. “They teepee’d Trixie’s office. There was a lot of cleaning up to do and—why are you looking at me like that, Mayor Mare?”

Mayor Mare stared on in horror, her mouth unhinged. Meanwhile, Anon stifled a chuckle, before bursting out in uncontrollable laughter. “T-That’s something I-I’d do!”

Starlight frowned. “Anon, that’s not—pffttt—that funny!”

The two continued to laugh while Mayor Mare shook her head. She turned around to lock the door, walking past them while muttering something that Anon barely could parse out:

“Ponies will be ponies…”

With that, Mayor Mare turned around and smiled. “I’ll make sure to leave first. Anon, thank you for stopping by for work today. I’m glad to have you back.”

Anon released Starlight, looking at her for some guidance. She just nodded, gesturing a hoof toward Mayor Mare. He smiled and walked over to Mayor Mare, lowering himself down to her level and patting her on the head. He shared a toothy grin. “Thanks for giving me a chance. And for listening to me ramble about everything.”

A faint red blush painted itself clearly on Mayor Mare’s cheeks. “It’s good to ensure that my best employee stays sane.”

“Mayor Mare, I’m your only employee.”

She blinked a bit, before smiling with a nod. “Exactly!”

The three laughed altogether. Starlight wrapped her forehoof around Anon and nuzzled his cheek.

Yep, things were finally looking up.

Things were really looking up…

Author's Note:

Song for this chapter:

Comments

[Soaring]

Good morning. Updating now instead of later for fun. See you all tomorrow with the next update!

[Noobly60]

I enjoyed every interaction between anon, Mayor Mare and Starlight. Deeply loved it!

[Fox Jones]

This is nice, real nice!

[Foregrip Butterfly]

Please continue.

This is a threat.

[Soaring]

11968331
Bet. No problem. Check your tracking again. Easy update.

11968011
Thank you for giving this fic a read and I'm happy you're enjoying it thus far!

11967993
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the rest of the fic!

11967928
It's been fun so far writing all these characters in this fic. Hope everyone enjoys what I have left planned for it.

11967901
She's got the distraction part nailed. Now she just needs to get everything else sorted.

11967609
Thank you for making this fic that much better. Really appreciate you as always!

[f0st3r21]

I wonder if that’s really why Starlight was late.

Hearing about Mayor Mare’s romantic escapades was not something Anon wanted to hear, but here he was, still existing (somehow) after hearing of her many suitors...

Mayor: “And then there was this one stallion who needed some permits. Well, he tossed me onto my desk here, and positioned me like this. See?”
Anon: “I really wish I couldn’t.”
Mayor: “And that’s where he started filing for those permits and- why aren’t you taking any notes?” Starlight’ll be testing you on this material, colt.
Anon: Did I leave the toaster on? What time is it? She is really late. What the heck, Starlight?