>Day all alone in Equestria.
>You are Gloom Wing, and Anon never reported for duty.
>He’s been late before; anyp0ny could be late.
>He’s never outright missed it before, however...
>You’re not worried, though.
>Really, all the heavy breathing is just because it’s so hot.
>Anon just didn’t report for duty today. It’s not like he was kidnapped!
>Your armor sure is stifling.
>Well, you can just go and find him! Your shift is over now, anyway.
>It was lonely without him during your shift.
>After all. you were marefriend and coltfriend now! Your wings flutter at the thought.
>Trotting towards the dining hall, you keep your eyes peeled for Anon.
>Nothing
>Shrugging, you open the door and step into the dining hall to the quiet murmuring of the palace staff.
>You briskly trot a lap around the room, besides a few nods from your fellows, nothing catches your eye.
>Well, it was worth a shot. Time to ask the chefs.
>Hailing one down from the kitchen you give the chef your best smile.
>Smiling in turn, he trots up with a basket of apples held with magic floating beside him.
>”Good evening, Gloom Wing. What do you need?”
“I was wondering, have you seen Anon tonight?”
>The stallion shakes his head. “I can’t say I have, Gloomie. Haven’t seen him all day.”
>That is kind of worrying... Anon is a lot bigger than most stallions. He would have had to eat something.
>Maybe you’re starting to worry a little bit. You are breathing just a /little/ faster.
>You see an apple being waved in front of your eyes.
>”Hey now, calm down, Gloomie! I’m sure he’s just in his room! No need to panic!”
>You nab the apple and tuck it under your wing for later. You have more important things to worry about than food.
>Anon could have been kidnapped! Still, you don’t have any proof. 
>Thanking the stallion for the apple and his time, you quickly exit the dining hall.
>Biting your lip, you sit and try to calm down.
“He’s fine... I’m positive.”
>You need to find Anon before you really start to panic.
>Your heart should definitely /not/ be beating this fast.
>Taking a deep breath, you stand up and begin trotting to Anon’s room. You wanted to run, or even fly, but you didn’t need to raise an alarm over nothing. (You hope.)
>After what seems like an eternity, you arrive at his room. You trot up quickly and knock on his door.
“Anon? Are you in there? Are you okay?”
>Nothing.
>You knock harder, then press your ear to the door.
>Still nothing.
>Taking a step back, you take a deep breath, count to ten, and close your eyes.
>It doesn’t help. You turn and buck the door open.
“Anon!? Where are you?!”
>You’re officially panicking.
>His bed is a mess, his closet is wide open with clothes spilling out, and the window is open, letting in the cool night air.
>You begin trotting in place, looking back and forth between all the clues. It clicks together in a moment.
>Something was hiding in the closet for Anon! When he went to sleep after your date (A date!) it burst out and grabbed him, spilling the clothes on the floor and messing up his bed. Then it dragged him to the window, opened it, and flew off!
>You suppress a scream. No time for that now.
>You gather up his spilled clothes, throwing them over yourself. Maybe some of the unicorns can find him through his clothes! You then run over to the window and jump out, spreading your wings and flying into the night, scouring the castle grounds and the clouds above.
“Don’t worry Anon! I’ll save you!

>You are Anon, and you are sick.
>Turns out the soup you got didn’t agree with you.
>Right as you got ready to go report for duty it hit you.
>You spent the next half hour in the bathroom.
>Your commanding officer came looking for you when you didn’t show up. When you told him about your condition, he escorted you to the medical bay.
>The guy was pretty cool.
>You were settled into a bed and the nurses examined you. It didn’t take too long to figure out you had food poisoning.
>The nurses give you a pager, lots of water, and an extra pillow before going off to work with other patients.
>Royal guards get great health care.
>You shift in your bed and get comfortable, an open window letting you hear the gentle song of crickets. Closing your eyes, you slowly start to drift off.
>”Don’t worry Anon! I’ll save you!”
>That was Gloomie.
>She couldn’t have known you were sick.
>Groaning, you start pressing the buzzer to get a nurse.
>A nurse trots up quickly, a smirk on her face.
>”Hello /Anon/. How can I help you?”
>Another sigh forces its way out.
“So you heard her, then? Can you get someone to tell her where I am?”
>The nurse bites back a giggle and nods, trotting off to fulfill your request.
>It isn’t long before you hear the sound of galloping hooves.
>”Anon! Oh my gosh! What happened?!”
>You turn to look at Gloom Wing and immediately bite your lip.
>You can’t laugh at her while she’s this worried.
>She is covered in your clothes. A shirt tucked over her wing, a pair of pants is wrapped around her neck like a scarf, and a single sock is stuck over one ear. 
>She’s also looking at you with big, fear-filled eyes.
>Like a cat caught playing in the laundry.
>You clear your throat so you don’t laugh.
“I just got sick, so I took the night off to get better. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
>Gloom Wing quickly closes the distance and begins to nuzzle your chest, sniffling quietly.
>”I was worried, Anon...”
>Smiling, you place your hand on her head, running your fingers through her mane gently.
“I know, Gloomie. I’m fine though, no need to be worried.”
>You feel her nuzzle your chest again before she raises her head off you, looking at you curiously. “Well, what did you catch?”
>A grimace graces your features for a second. You really hoped she wouldn’t ask.
“Well... I got food poisoning.”
>Her ears droop so fast the sock falls off.
>Thinking quickly you grab her and pull her up onto the bed, setting her on your chest and rubbing her mane.
>Her face goes a bright crimson, her wings fluttering at the sudden closeness. ”A-Anon!”
>You laugh and squeeze her gently, giving her a big smile.
“I don’t want you feeling bad, Gloomie. It could have happened to anyone.”
>”But-”
“No buts. I’m over the worst of it, anyway.”
>Gloomie calms down and nods, laying on your chest comfortably. You smile and start trying to take the shirt off her wing.
“So... Why are you covered in my clothes?”
>Gloom Wing blushes hotly and stretches out her wing so you can remove the shirt.
>”I... well, I thought you were... kidnapped. So I grabbed some of your clothes to bring to the unicorns to scry for you...”
>You smile and nod, finished removing the shirt from her wing. You then unwrap your pants from her neck and place both beside the bed.
“Well, thanks for looking out for me. I really appreciate it.”
>You lean forward and give her a small kiss on the tip of her nose.
>Gloom Wing’s wings begin to flutter quickly. Her eyes go wide, turning into big golden pools.
>Her mouth opens and closes a few times, trying to speak. She eventually settles on a filly-like squeal and hops out of the bed, running off down the hall.
>You let out a chuckle and settle into your bed. She’ll be back, but for now you are going to try to sleep. 
>You close your eyes, sleep slowly claiming you.
>...
>You feel your head jostling.
>Slowly opening your eyes, you look for the disturbance, squinting in the light.
>The blur to your side slowly comes into focus.
>”Oh! I’m sorry Anon. Did I wake you?”
>It's Gloomie. She's trying to fluff your pillow. You do a double take and blink until your eyes fully focus.
“...Gloomie, why are you in a nurse outfit?”
>Gloom Wing shuffles awkwardly on her hooves, looking at the ground, before looking back up at you with a nervous smile.
>”W-well... I wanted to help you get better. Like a good m-marefriend would.”
>You smile and reach out, resting a hand on her head, idly scratching behind her ear.
“You’re a great marefriend, Gloomie. If you want to help, could you get me some water?”
>You point towards the empty pitcher on the stand beside your bed.
>Gloom Wing nods, smiling, and trots over to take the pitcher, grabbing the handle with her mouth and galloping off to refill it.
>Listening to her hoofsteps fade, you once again get comfortable in your bed.
>She returns quickly. Looking up, you see her holding a pitcher filled with ice water, droplets forming on the side and dripping off to the floor.
>She smiles the best she can around the handle, trotting up to you.
>As she approaches her left foreleg shoots out from under her, a sock stuck to the bottom of her hoof. 
>Her eyes go wide and she lets out a yelp, letting the pitcher fall from her mouth, sending an ice cold splash of water directly into your face and all over the floor.
>Your body goes rigged from shock as the water hits you. You quickly reach down and grab your shirt off the floor, wiping your face dry.
>Letting out a sigh, you drop your shirt back to the floor, before bringing a hand up to rub at your eyes.
>”Oh! I’m so sorry Anon! Uhm... there's still enough water for a drink...”
>Nodding briskly, you take your cup from the stand beside your bed, holding it out for her. She takes the pitcher and tentatively pours what remains into your cup, before placing the pitcher on the stand.
>”I’m sorry, Anon...”
>You take a deep drink of the water, refreshing yourself and letting out another sigh. You place your cup on the night stand. 
>You reach out and ruffle Gloom Wing’s mane softly, before scratching behind her ears.
“It’s fine, Gloomie. Mistakes happen.”
>She smiles happily, pressing into your hand before nodding.
>”Well... Do you need anything else?”
>You shake your head, pulling your hand back and get comfortable in your bed.
“I think I just need to get some sleep. I'm exhausted.”
>Gloom Wing nods and smiles, trotting up to you and nuzzling your cheek before turning to leave.
“Hmm... there is one thing you could do for me.”
>She looks over her shoulder, smiling brightly. “What’s that?”
“Shut off the lights?”
>Giggling, she nods and turns off the lights, quietly making her exit.
>You close your eyes and finally drift off to sleep.


>You are Gloom Wing and you need to return this outfit.
>Trotting over to the supply closet, you glance around for any prying eyes before stepping inside.
>Quickly slipping out of the outfit, you return it to the shelf you got it from. You had already stashed your armor back in the barracks.
>You let out a sigh, slipping back out into the hall.
>Well, you had tried to help Anon. All you really did was splash cold water on him and interrupt his rest.
>He did give you a little kiss tonight, though! Right on your nose!
>Your heart flutters as much as your wings at the thought.
>Maybe a gift will show him how much you [spoiler]LOVE[/spoiler] him.
>With that thought in mind, you happily trot to your room.
>Unlocking the door, you enter and close the door behind you.
>With a smile, you flop onto your bed, stretching.
>It’s not as comfortable as Anon.
>With a sigh, you scoot along your bed to the headrest. You push your hoof under the pillow and scoop out your bit-purse.
>You grab it, and tuck it under your wing, making sure to hold it tightly, and hop off of your bed.
>Stepping out, you begin to head to the main gate, thinking about what Anon would want.
>Not something expensive; he didn’t like taking your bits at all. You let out a happy sigh. Such a gentlecolt!
>A small blush graces your face as you leave the castle and head into Canterlot proper.
>Of course, trying to get Anon a gift during the night is a tiny bit problematic.
>Not many places besides clubs and restaurants are open.
>One place is, however. 
>The Canterlot Moon Market.
>It used to be just a few stalls that were open late. They found that the night guard didn’t have anywhere else to buy what they needed. They had a whole group of buyers to themselves!
>Didn’t take long for others to notice, and then they started setting up stalls themselves.
>It has become a quaint moonlit bazaar for the p0nies of the night.
>With a bounce in your step, you quickly trot into the bazaar, curious to see what you could find tonight.
>A few p0nies weave among the stalls, talking quietly, bits changing hooves between them.
>It’s something you always liked about this place. It was always quiet and never crowded.
>You really didn’t like crowds.
>As you trot through the bazaar you keep your eyes peeled for something that Anon would like.
>A sigh escapes your lips. You really wanted to get him something nice.
>He was always so nice to you.
>Sullenly, you turn around and go to head back to the castle.
>Instead, you run into another pony, causing both of you to fall onto your flanks.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to run into-Stardust?.”
>”Dear! Are you alright? I’m dreadfu-Gloomie?”
>You both look at each other, a dumbfounded look gracing both your faces.
>Then both of you squeal happily and wrap each other in a hug.
“Oh my goodness! It’s so good to see you again, Stardust!”
>Stardust nods, letting go and standing back up. “I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to catch up while I was here, dear. I’m so glad we, ahem, ran into each other.”
>You both share a quick giggle.
>You get back on your hooves and brush yourself off quickly and grin.
“Looks like I caught you out looking for more pretty jewels, hm?”
>Stardust raises a hoof defensively and scoffs, blushing lightly.
>”Well, you may have, but I need them for my work, you know that. Now what about you? What are you doing out and about, Gloomie?"
>It’s your turn to blush. You give her a grin and scuff your hoof on the ground.
“I wanted to get Anon a present, but I can’t find anything that I think he’ll like.”
>Stardust lets out a sigh and walks beside you, draping a foreleg over your neck.
>”Gloomie, darling, he’s a stallion. Just pick him up some doughnuts. He’ll love it.”
>You facehoof. Why didn’t you think of that?
>”Though, about Anon, dear. Have you told your parents about your new coltfriend? I’m sure they’d be very interested to hear how their little Gloomie is doing.”
“I... can’t say I’ve told them about Anon... I really don’t want to...”
>Stardust offers you an awkward smile. “They can’t possibly be that bad, right dear?
>Grimacing, you look to Stardust, your ears pinned down in annoyance.
“They have chased away every single coltfriend I’ve ever had, Stardust, you know that.”
>Stardust’s smile looks brittle as glass.
>”Your mother /does/ love talking about her little Gloomie...”
>You let out an exasperated sigh.
>”I’m sure Anon won’t be put off by your mothers stories and affection, dear...”
>Brining a hoof up to rub your temple, you let out a groan.
“Thats if it doesn’t kill me with embarrassment, no, who I’m really worried about is my dad. If he’s left alone with Anon...”
>You can’t suppress the shudder then runs through you.
“No way, I’ll tell my parents about Anon when I’m prepared. Sending a letter now? They wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from coming to meet him.”
>Stardust’s eyes are pinpricks, shifting back and forth, the sound of forced laughter accompany her look of rising dread.
>Slowly you turn your full attention to Stardust, locking your eyes with hers.
“You didn’t.”
>Slowly, her grin widens and she starts backing away.
>”Now, darling, what /are/ you talking about?”
>A calm overcomes you. A calm that can only be achieved by an all consuming rage.
>Your body is perfectly still, for the first time you notice a light breeze blowing across your fur. It’s nice.
“How much do they know.”
>Stardust continues to slowly shuffle away from you, her biggest smile forced on her face.
>”Oh! Just some gossip, darling! They certainly are not already coming to see you and your special somp0ny!”
>You leap at her.
>She turns and runs, her hooves thundering down the street. “Now! Gloomie! Let’s be civilised about this!”
“RAAAAAAAAAGH!”
>Wings flared, you give chase. Following her around corners and surprised ponies, she finally runs into a dead end, turning and looking at you fearfully.
>”N-now Gloomie... I’m su-”
>The second she stopped you talk you closed the distance and wrap your left foreleg around her neck, putting her in a sleeper hold. You also shake her. Violently.
“WHY?!”
>”Awwk! Errk.. Arghh Garga..! Haaahg!”
>Slowly, you stop shaking her,your rage boiling down to manageable levels.
“You promise?”
>”Gaaah......”
>You let Stardust go and she immediately starts gasping air into her lungs. After a few gasps and an occasional cough she stands back up and clears her throat softly.
>”We’re not fillies anymore, Gloomie. There was no need for the very barbaric attack on me!”
>You narrow your eyes, snorting and flaring your nostrils.
>”...Okay, I may have deserved it, but! You certainly weren't going to tell your parents! Someone had to!”
>A shuddering breath escapes you.
“I’m scared I’m going to lose Anon, Star.”
>Stardust brings a foreleg around your back, pulling you close and nuzzling her cheek lightly.
>”Come now, Gloomie, don’t worry. Let’s go get some doughnuts for Anon, and then you go and talk to him, alright?”
>You nod sadly and lean back into Stardust, your oldest friend.
>She smiles and gives you a quick squeeze, before trotting off into Canterlot.
>You follow.

>You are now Anon, and you feel great!
>That nap really did get you up and running again.
>Pulling the blankets off, you stretch, your joints popping.
>Bringing a hand up to rub at your eyes, you swing your legs over the bed and yawn. Since you were feeling better it was time to check out.
>Pushing yourself off the bed, you land on your feet, then promptly slip on the still damp shirt that was still on the floor, tumbling to the ground with a loud ‘thump’.
>You think you’ll just lay on the floor for a little bit.
>In a few moments a nurse trots in, a worried expression on her face. “Are you alright, Mr. Anonymous?”
>Sighing, you nod and stand up, grabbing the clothes off the floor.
“I’m fine. Just slipped, is all. Am I free to go? I feel fine.”
>The nurse blinks before smiling, giving you a nod. “Of course, if you start feeling ill again, come back right away, okay?”
>You nod and start the walk back to your room.
>About halfway there, you smell something and your eyes widen. You take off down the hall to your room.
>Once you reach the door you stop and breath deeply through your nose. You were right.
>It was doughnuts.
>You throw open the door to your room, a grin upon your face, and enter, looking for your prize.
>The baked treasures are sitting in a box, The box held a wide assortment of the baked good. Some with sprinkles, some glazed, and some chocolate. Hell, some had all three! 
>But the thing that grabbed your attention the most, was sitting on your bed.
>There sat Gloom Wing, awkwardly shuffling her hooves and looking at you with a nervous smile.
“Gloomie? Is something wrong?”
>She lets out a sigh and walks over to you, before getting on her hind legs and hugging you.
>”Anon, my parents are coming to visit...”
“Well, that’s a good thing, right?...”
>She squeezes you tighter and looks up at you, her eyes glistening.
>”I’m afraid they will drive you away.”
>You smile and kneel down so you are eye level with her. You place both of your hands on her sides and look her in the eye.
“I promise that no matter what I won't let your parents scare me off.”
>She smiles widely and leans forward, nuzzling your cheek gently, letting out a quiet sniffle.
>You squeeze her tightly, running a hand through her mane.
>Standing, you sit on your bed and grab a doughnut, taking a large bite.
“Besides, how bad could they be?”
>Gloom Wing gives you a nervous smile.