>You are Flare.
>You are a guard of little prestige, and you basically spend most of your nights either standing near doors or walking around in perfect, efficient... Boring circles
>It wouldn't be so bad if you were part of the Solar Guard, but they wouldn't even let you do that
>So what if you were a Bat Pony?
>It wasn't like you couldn't wear sunglasses
>...
>Well, admittedly, sunglasses weren't exactly part of the uniform, but still!
>It was no use thinking about it in any case, you were a night guard, just like all the other Bat Ponies in the Princesses' armed forces
>You didn't hate it, but you'd always wanted to be a day guard
>Instead you got stand around guarding a library in the dark
>Tonight anyway
>And it was all so very dull
>Briefly, you wondered if the Captain hated you
>He probably did
>You could see it in his eyes
>The fire burning deep within them
>He wanted to see you burn
>That, or he secretly lusted after you
>You hoped it was the former, the Captain was a dull stallion. Just like this library
>Hours ticked by and you though of inane and silly things, keeping your eyes glued to a spot on the wall
>Occasionally you did micro-stretches, trying to keep your limbs from falling asleep, even though your mind was already on its way due to sheer boredom
>At other times you made clicking sounds with your tongue
>The waiting was horrifying, you had no way to tell the time and the only way you could tell when your shift was over was when your replacement came in at whatever hour
>Your eye twitched, your muscles strained to do something, anything
>But years of training kept you at your post, you may have wanted to be a day guard, but you took your duty as a night guard just a seriously
>In a moment of weakness, you stomped your hoof and groaned aloud
"This is taking for-bloody-ever!"
>You feel to your rump in defeat, the clinking of your armor, not to mention your frustrated whines, were the only sounds to fill the hall

>A cough from your left brought you to your senses and you whirled to the sound, prepared to challenge whoever it was.
"Who goes the-! Oh... Swift Streak... uh..."
>"I saw nothing."
"Good... That's wonderful..."
>Your eyes fell everywhere but on Swift Streak.
>"Right. You stand relieved, Private. Sorry for taking 'for-bloody-ever'"
>He gave you a sidelong smirk as he stood on the opposite side of the door.
>The hall echoed with a menacing growl as you saluted him and trotted off.
>Inside however, your spirits soared, your shift was over! You were free!
>Your face lit up with an indomitable grin, you trotted towards the armory, reported to the requisitions officer and logged off your equipment, moving to shed the troublesome metal plating and bladed hoof guards.
>You had an apple waiting in a bowl at home, and your thoughts were consumed with all the wonderful things you could do with an apple.
>The euphoria was so much that you had begun to whistle.
>It was at this point you picked up the distant sound of shouting, your left ear twitching towards the sound involuntarily as the Captain strode in, bellowing orders.
>"Move it, move it! You aren't getting paid to sleep fillys! Get armored up! Move it! That means you too, Flare! On the double!
>For a brief moment, you were able to maintain the grin on your face before it fell, along with your head as it thudded into the locker door.
>So... Close...
>You pushed the thought aside and dutifully strapped your armor back on, all thoughts of that most wonderful apple fading away, replaced by hour after hour of preparation drills.
>You quickly joined the line of night guards and stood at attention.
>"Alright you little fillys! The memorial garden! Move it, fillys!"
>The others began to trot out of the room, the din of clanking armor drowning out the hushed discussion as you joined the rank and file.
>The memorial garden? Odd choice, but you guessed you would see when you got there.

>The castle seemed a hive of activity, which was odd for this time of night, and you found your concern intensifying.
>You even managed to tune out the Captains constant bellowing.
>Within minutes, you and your comrades were out on the field, weaving amongst the hedges and statuary.
>They called it the memorial garden, but it was better known as the statue prison ever since it had become clear that Discords statue had actually been Discord himself.
>You caught sight of other groups of guards moving parallel to yours and raised an eyebrow.
"Do the day guards usually get deployed at night?"
>The mare beside you shrugged as she moved, "Not that I know of. But whatever's happening must be pretty interesting?"
"Somethings happening?"
>The mare looked at you oddly, "Yeah, where've you been hiding? The Captain burst into the barracks screaming orders and mobilized everyone he could rouse."
"Everyone? Just what for?"
>"Never said, but it looks like them feather brains have got the same deal."
>You followed her gaze and noticed that almost a third of the day guard were already assembled and ready, with groups of night guards taking places around... something.
>It sure was a something, you squinted as you caught sight of it as your group rounded a particularly high hedge.
>It looked like an orange line in the air, and it was giving off a lot of light.
>The hairs on the back your neck rose and you flattened your ears at it.
"What... is that?"
>No one thought to answer your question as you gazed at the phenomenon before you, as everypony else either seemed to be wondering the same thing or taking up positions around it.
>"Defensive positions! Now! What are you gawking at! Move!"
>You snapped back to the situation and took a position by your comrades, your eyes alighting on the princesses, all four of them, no less.
>Much as you wanted to, you kept your mouth shut and simply watched, keeping one eye on the disturbance overhead.

>Much as it disturbed you, you found more and more of your attention focused on the orange lines in the sky
>It looked almost like a spiderweb crack in the air, and upon closer inspection, it seemed to be drifting towards the left, the 'cracks, if you could call them that extending outwards
>Many of the guards seemed nervous, even frightened of the thing overhead
>The princesses on the other hand seemed calm and collected, the smaller purple one even stared straight at it, her horn and eyes alight with scientific fascination
>You did not like this one bit
>All of a sudden, you decided that you were going to die here
>Farewell, sweet apple, It is a shame that I never got to eat you
>Having made peace with yourself, you quietly awaited your inevitable demise
>It never came, instead, the princesses fanned out around the phenomenon and directed their horns at it, and immediately, it began to shrink
>The Captain called out over the gathered guards, "Steady now!"
>You held your position, adjusting your armor
>It seemed that you might get out of this after all
>You let out a yelp as something slipped out of thin air and leapt into a formation of guards, letting loose a high pitched, haunting shriek as the guards shouted
>"Hold your positions!"
>You stood rigid, your eyes occasionally darting over towards the struggle taking place as various other objects and creatures of various shapes and sizes seemed to materialize from the crack
>So far, only that creature seemed to be a threat, the other things that appeared all seemed to be mundane objects. Among them numbered pieces of metal with letters stenciled on it, to various plants, and even a rabbit which promptly bounded off past you
>You heard cries of shock and an order to catch the rabbit before it got away
>Keep calm, Flare, steady. You don't want those feather heads to think you can't handle a little... whatever this is
>Suddenly, you found yourself on your back, with a weight pinning you to the grass

>You struggled under the weight.
>This was it, this was the end.
>You would never see your beloved apple again!
>Struggling with renewed vigor, you managed to roll the thing off of you, only to find that the creature, whatever it was, seemed unconscious.
>Maybe you knocked it out while flailing about.
>Flare is victorious over the eldritch horror!
>...
>You weren't so sure about eldritch, actually. It looked harmless...
>"Secure that creature, Private!"
"Yes, sir!"
>You looked back down at it and dragged it towards the back of the formation by its clothing.
>At least you hoped it was clothing.
>Wait. How were you meant to secure this thing?
>You nudged it with a hoof.
>It didn't stir.
>Seemed pretty secure to you, maybe you could...
>You sat on what you assumed was its back.
"There. Secured."
>You whistled nonchalantly and examined your hoof blades, just in case this thing wasn't friendly when it woke up.
>The air hummed and warped as the crack in the air seemed to shrink down and vanish, leaving the area lit only with the guards torches and moonlight.
>Eventually, the shouting of the other guards had calmed to a murmur, with the officers reassembling their charges and securing the more difficult... objects
>The Captain ordered you and another to bring forward the creature you had been guarding
"Augh... This thing is heavier than it looks!"
>Grunting with the effort it took to lift to your back you slowly moved forward, wincing as you saw it's head dragging along the ground
>You unfurled you wing slightly, lifting its head up a bit
"Where are we taking this thing, Sir?"
>"To the Princesses, Private, keep on your guard, there's no telling what it'll do if it wakes up."
"Yes, sir."
>You recalled the thing that had first leaped out and shuddered
>Clearly, you weren't out of this yet, even though the chaos seemed well and truly contained
>You found yourself face to face with a a purple pony
>Sorry, princess
>"Oh, my! Look at this one, a fascinating specimen!"

>Fascinating?
>It was fascinating how heavy this thing was
"Sorry, your highness, but do you mind if I put this on the ground? It's rather... heavy..."
>Your legs strained under its weight
>"Oh. Of course, sorry." Princess Twilight laughed nervously at her oversight
>You were just glad that you could put this thing down. It weighed a bloody tonne!
>With relief, you lowered your hind legs and let the creature slide off of you back and to the ground, where Twilight rolled it to its back and began to examine it with excitement.
>"Bipedal, warm blooded, minor coating of hair..."
>You tuned her out and examined it for yourself
>Those were clothes earlier, and it seemed to be dressed in a crisp white coat, in fact, it was almost completely clothed, right down to its feet it seemed
>By its eyelids, the creature would have very small eyes and its nose was separate from its mouth
>How creepy
>And its ears were tiny and on the sides of its head, they didn't look very flexible, how was it supposed to hear a predator coming if it couldn't move its ears?
"...This thing doesn't make any sense..."
>It seemed to groan in response and you leaped back, raising a hoof blade in defense
>Twilight seemed utterly unconcerned about this, and even began to probe more at it
"Princess... Your highness, I don't think its wise to be near it right now."
>"Nonsense, i'm sure its harmless."
>The creature opened its mouth and groaned again, bringing one of its clawed paws to its head, or whatever those things on the end of its fore legs were
>"Didn't I tell you not to saturate it with Tachyons?"
"What?"
>"I said 'not' to bombard the spatial distortion with Tachyons! Weren't you listening?"
>You exchanged a look with Twilight
"What's a Tac-e-on?"
>The creature opened his eyes and looked at you blearily, "What are you? An intern? And where's my god damn cigarette!?"
>He sat up and looked at you properly and regarded you.
>You stared back
"Hi. I'm guessing you're not from around here."

>He just stared at you in shock.
>Relieved that he was harmless, you retracted your hoof blades and waved a hoof before his face.
"Hello.~"
"Equestria to alien, come in."
>He shook his head and leaned back from your hoof, looking around.
>"What was in that cigarette?"
>Twilight was eagerly taking notes and muttering to herself, a look of glee on her face
>You poked his shoulder and managed to get his attention.
>You took a couple steps back when he got to his hind legs, looking down at you.
>He must have excellent balance to be able to stand like that. Not to mention that he would probably be at eye level with Princess Celestia.
>"Protect the Princess!"
>Suddenly, the alien, yourself, and Princess Twilight were surrounded by guards, with spears pointed at the creature that stood above you.
>Twilight flapped her wings in irritation and shouted at the guards to stand down.
>The creature seemed preoccupied with one of the spear heads, taking hold of it with his claw like appendages, much to the apprehension of the weapons owner.
>"Guards! Lower your weapons, this one isn't dangerous!"
>The spears did not lower.
>You weren't entirely sure what you should do, stand with the Princess or with your comrades.
>The situation continued to simmer until a clear voice rang out over the gathered ponies, "Guards, please do as Princess Twilight directs. She has every right to give you orders."
>One by one, the spears lowered and the creature turned to look towards Luna, thanking her briefly.
>For her part, Luna simply looked the creature up and down, "What manner of creature are you to speak Equestrian so perfectly?"
>She made her way into the circle, and stood before him, her head tilted up slightly.
>"Equestrian...?"
>The look on his face was bordering on laughter, you wondered what he found so amusing.
>"Yes, Equestrian, how are you speaking it?"
>"Apologies, your majesty, but I'm speaking english, my native language. It seems they are almost identical."

>You slowly tuned out the talk as you stood by the 'hyou-man' as he called himself and found your thoughts consumed by the apple that was waiting for you at home
>Soon...
>"...Private Flare?"
>You snapped out of your reverie and saluted awkwardly.
"Yes, ma'am?"
>Luna looked down at you and you averted your eyes out of respect.
>"I asked if that was okay with you."
"That what is okay with me?"
>Luna almost smiled and repeated herself patiently, "That you could see Mr Anonymous here to his quarters while we decide what to do with him. That is if you are presently unoccupied?"
"No, ma'am. I mean- yes, ma'am, I can do that, ma'am."
>"Thank you, Private Flare. Mr Anonymous, I can only apologize for the over zealousness of my guards and hope your stay here is a pleasant one."
>"Thank you, Princess."
"Well, uh, this way then, Sir."
>Anonymous follows you, still walking on his hind legs, followed you into the castle
>It was creeping you out how he did that, but you were going to carry out your orders and see him to his quarters
>"So, private... Flare, is it? Where are my quarters?"
>You stopped
"Wait, I... thought you knew?"
>"How am I meant to know? Weren't you taking me to my quarters?"
"Wasn't I escorting you to your quarters?
>...
>"We could go back and ask."
"No... No. Forget it, I just want to go home, I suppose you can crash at my place tonight, come on."
>You sighed internally, you had never imagined that you would spend your night playing hostess to an alien from a 'spatial distortion'
>Might as well have fun with it
"So. Anon. Where are you from?"
>"A planet called Earth, where there certainly aren't... talking horses."
"That's racist. I'm a Pony, thank you very much."
>"Sorry. There are talking horses too?"
>A sigh of resignation escaped you, playing hostess, and guide.
"Yes, there are, I guess I should tell you more about Equestria so you don't unintentionally offend someone."
>Heads turned as you lead Anon back out of the castle and towards your home

"Welcome to my humble abode!"
>It was a sty.
>Anon leaned in over you and looked in, "Do you have a servant that cleans for you?"
"No... Why would you say that? Look at the state of this place!"
>You walk in and gesture to the filthy room.
>"Flare. There's a magazine on the counter, I wouldn't call that filthy."
>You grumbled.
"Don't know what you're talking about, there's dust everywhere!"
>Anon entered and ran one of his fingers along the counter, bringing it up to his eyes.
>"Flare... This is almost spotless, do you have OCD or something?"
"O-See what?"
>"N-Nevermind. It's filthy, so how about we clean up?"
>...
"I'm too lazy."
>Anon pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, shaking his head.
>"Right then, uh, where do you want me to sleep?"
"There's a couch here, I'm afraid I don't having anything bigger apart from my bed. Unless you want that, I can take the couch, since it looks like you need the extra space."
>You looked him up and down and he gave you a skeptical look.
>"Are you sure? I've spent weeks sleeping on whatever back home, I wouldn't mind the couch."
"Yes, I'm sure. What kind of hostess would I be if I made you sleep on the couch?"
>A comfortable one.
>...
>Shut up brain.
>"...-anks, I guess. I can't say I would have done the same."
>You brought your attention back to Anon.
"Yeah. Uhm... up the stairs, second door on the left, make yourself at home."
>He nodded in appreciation, "Bonne nuit, Flare."
>Bon what? Was that Prench?
>You shook your head and sat on the couch, noticing that you still had your armor on.
>Copper Hoof would have your flank if it wasn't brought back in pristine condition.
>You sighed wearily and stripped your armor off, using various furniture items as stands before stretching out on the couch, falling asleep soon after.

>You are still Flare.
>Waking from your slumber slowly to a dark house, you realize that you're on the couch with your armor strewn about you.
>Your thoughts still muddled by sleep, you get up, wondering why you're on the couch and make your way to your room unsteadily, your eyes mostly closed.
>Stupid Flare, why would you sleep on the couch?
>A small part of you registered the fact your door was partially open but you promptly ignored it in your sleepy state.
>You made a beeline for the bed and clambered up on top of it, burrowing under the covers and settle down, barely noticing that the bed was warm.
>Snuggling up against what you imagined was your pillow, you let loose a sigh and went back to sleep.
>...
>You are in a land of apples
>And you can feel naught but joy at this
>Reaching up to a branch, you pulled a juicy one down and kissed its skin, you didn't want to eat this, it was too beautiful to die.
>Instead, you wrapped your hooves around it and hugged it.
"Oh, my sweet, sweet apples, what would I ever do without you?"
>...

>"Mmh... Apples..."
>The dream was quickly fading and you frowned as you returned to your senses and the waking world.
>You diligently placed your apple back on the ground and opened your eyes to something pink right in front of you.
>In fact, your muzzle was pressed right up to it.
>You pushed away from it and stretched, when had you gotten new pillow cases?
>Thoughts prioritized themselves and you woke up fully, remembering that you had told Anon that he could sleep in your bed.
>A bed you were now sharing with him.
>You squeaked and jumped backwards, getting tangled in the bed sheets and tumbling to the floor, flailing.
>"Finally."
>Anon sat up and looked down at you, "Need a little help?"
"What the hell, Anon!? Why didn't you wake me?"
>"Believe me, I tried. You kept muttering things about apples while licking me, do you really think I enjoyed that?"
>Your cheeks burned
"Well... Sorry."
>Anon looked aside and coughed into his hand, "Yeah... Okay, I need to see the princesses today and I think I can manage getting back on my own."
>It was tempting, you'd never have to see Anon again.
>Probably.
>You'd be able to get your hooves on that damn apple downstairs.
>Although, it might not be the best idea to let an alien run loose in Canterlot. The repercussions were beyond your powers of speculation.
>It could be amusing to read about in the paper, though.
"No, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't see you back to the castle, they're probably wondering where you went. Besides... I need to, er... return my armor. Yeah."
>Anon nodded, clearly struggling to keep a straight face.
"I'll take the shower first."
>Cheeks still burning with embarrassment, you left for the bathroom, wrinkling your muzzle
>Had you really spent much of the night licking him?
>You should brush your teeth after this, who knows what sorts of germs that alien had been carrying.
>He was quite warm though, that might be something to ask about.
>Damn it, Flare, never think of it again!

>You gripped the sink with your fore hooves, staring into the mirror despondently.
>A tired looking, orange maned, embarrassed bat pony stared back.
>The shower beckoned you, one of the greatest pleasure of a Saturday morning.
>A steaming hot shower.
>Almost scalding, but not quite.
>You nudged the door open and stepped in, shivering a little at the cold ceramic tiles
>Anon would soon cease to be your problem, the state would look after him and you could get back to your boring job of guarding doors. 
>A shiver brought you back to your senses and you fumbled with the shower taps, keeping away from the stream of water until you could see steam slowly rising from the floor.
>You beamed happily and stepped under the water, sighing audibly.
>This was glorious. You sighed appreciatively and simply let the water run through your fur and hair for a few minutes, letting soft moans as the tension left your muscles as you washed yourself.
>Your boring job of guarding doors.
>Frowning, you imagined for a moment that Anon would need some sort of guide while he was here, and while pretty much any pony other than yourself would be more qualified, you were the only one so far who had slept with him
>Dammit, don't you dare! I want to put this behind me and go back to guarding doors.
>But do you really? Anon was an alien, the only one of his kind here. Wasn't that more exciting than a library door?
>You found a faint reflection of your dull orange eyes in the glass and proceeded to argue with it.
"Nope. Nope. Nope. I don't want excitement, give me a door over 'spatial distortions' and bipedal aliens any day."
>The reflection frowned.
"Don't give me that look!"
>The reflection frowned more.
"F-Fine. We'll ask, but no promises, damn it."
>The reflection smiled brightly.
>You had serious disassociation issues. Maybe you should get those checked out by a doctor.
>Shrugging it off, you focused once more on cleaning yourself...
>Thoroughly.

>Eventually, your showering degraded to you thumping your head against the tiled wall and wondering why you always got into situations like this.
>Deciding that you'd had enough of your shower, you turned the taps off and stepped out to dry yourself, thinking about how your weekend would probably end up with you escorting Anon around and answering basic questions about society.
>At least you had the apple downstairs to look forward to.
>There was always the apple downstairs.
>Not for much longer if you had your way.
>You wrapped your mane up in the towel and made your way downstairs, to where you guessed Anonymous would be.
"Anon! Shower's free!"
>Your eyes lit on him.
>At least he was dressed again, you didn't know why, but you felt awkward when he was naked.
>...
>Your heart dropped when you noticed him biting into...
>Your
>Precious
>Apple
"Nooooo!~"
>You promptly tackled him to the ground, the apple rolling away with one less chunk in it.
>Damn it all! Why?
>The question in your mind was shouted into Anons face as he swallowed the chunk of apple he'd eaten
>His breath smelled like apples now
>Your anger intensified
>"I... What...? You said to make myself at home..."
>He had a point there
>No Flare! Hold on to your anger! Let it flow through you!
>He was hungry
>That doesn't mean he had to eat your apple!
>"I can replace it if you want..."
"Eeeeeee!"
>You jumped off of him and he got up
"It has to be just as juicy!"
>"Of course."
"And I get to pick it out."
>"I wouldn't know where the market or store is anyway."
"Good. I forgive you then. Shower's free, by the way. I'll be waiting down here."
>He thanked you and made his way upstairs, muttering something as he went, and you shouted after him
"No, Anon, I won't be joining in!"
>You grumbled and sat down on the couch, conflicted
>Might as well clean and don your armor while you waited
>With that, you set off to get your oils and polish, sitting in the middle of the floor with your armor around you

>Oil the leather, polish the plating, wipe down the buckles
>You did this for every single piece of armor you had
>Meticulously
>Years of training, and Copper Hoofs 'punishments', had drilled the focus into you.
>A shudder overcame you when you remembered how he had once put poison joke in your armor tresses for leaving the leather un-oiled one time
>Your fur, mane and tail had grown uncontrollably from it's usual short, and messy length for days
>It was said that you had looked like grey and orange rug
>Over time, your eyes had focused hazily on a spot on the wall as you almost automatically cared for your armor, half listening to the sound of Anon showering
>A part of you was thinking excitedly about the apple Anon was going to get you
>And yet another part of you was still irritated at him for taking a bite out of your apple
>Eventually, the shower stopped running and your ears perked up as you stood and began to strap your armor on piece by piece
>Anon came down the stairs as you finished securing your hoof guards
>"It occurs to me that talking ponies should have difficulty forging weapons and armor."
>You didn't even look over at him as you tightened the straps keeping your breastplate in place
"It's typically done by unicorns, but it's not so hard that no one else can do it."
>Turning to him, you looked him up and down
>He was wearing the crisp white coat and grey suit he had on yesterday
>He looked good
"Ah! Anyway, we'll head to the markets first so you can replace my apple"
>"Right. Lead the way then, private."
"Yes, sir."
>You turned and rolled your eyes. Anon was beginning to grow on you
>Wincing slightly as you stepped out into the light, you led Anon along the streets
>"Are you alright, Flare? You look uncomfortable."
"I'm fine, sunlight doesn't agree with my eyesight, that's all."
>"You're nocturnal, I'm guessing?"
>Silly Anon
"What gave me away? Was it the wings or my eyes?"
>"The armor."
>Huh
>To the market Flare, the apples call

>"This is the market?"
"This is the market."
>"It looks..."
"Absolutely beautiful..."
>"I would have said rustic, but... Flare?"
>You had been referring to the apple stand, and you were now standing before it, eyes wide as you stared at the apple of your dreams
>It was bigger than your hoof, the sunlight gleaming off of the polished surface.
>The apple even had a leaf on its stem still.
"This one..."
>Your lower lip trembled as you fought to contain your drool.
>This armor had just been cleaning after all, and you didn't want to know what Copper Hoof would do to you if he found drool on his armor.
>"That one?" He pointed at the apple in question.
"Yes. That one. Now."
>You couldn't take your eyes off of it, it whispered to you.
>"Flare...", it said.
>"Buy me...", it said.
"Definitely this one."
>Anon spoke to the vendor and you only half listened, most of your attention on the apple before you.
>You jumped in fright when Anon tapped your shoulder, his back to the vendor.
"Yes, Anon?"
>He whispered urgently.
>"Flare, I find that I am in urgent need of currency!"
>In hind sight, you should have seen this coming.
>Your eyes rolled skyward.
"By the moon, Anon!"
>You hoofed him your bag of bits
>He took it and turned back to the vendor, paying him as your attention turned back to the apple
>A cry left you as Anon picked it up, bringing it out of your reach
>Eyes following it desperately, you keened lightly
"Anon... Give me... The apple... Now."
>"I have a question first."
>He kept it out of your reach as he moved towards the castle and you kept your eyes on the prize.
>"What's that tattoo on your ass?"
"Flank."
>"Right. All you ponies seem to have one."
>You looked back at your cutie mark of two overlapping, curved, three pointed stars.
"It's a cutie mark, it means I'm good at something. Can I have my apple now?"
>He tossed the red orb up and down in his hand "Maybe... What are you good at?"
"I'm good at bringing things to light! Now give me the damn apple!"

>He shrugged and offered it to you, and you took it in a flash, taking a chunk out of it.
>It was glorious, the juices ran down your muzzle and your eyes widened.
>You quickly devoured the rest of the fruit, core and all, leaving only the stem, stripped of its leaf.
>"Jesus...!"
"What? I love apples!"
>He looked horrified
>You did not care, you got what you wanted
"So, off to the castle? We probably shouldn't keep the princesses waiting any longer than we have."
>Wait... 'We'? When had it become 'We'?
>This question took up much of your attention as you led Anon back to the castle
>Did you consider him a friend?
>Yes. He seemed nice
>Clearly you felt safe enough around him to sleep in the same bed and let him use your shower
>The two of you soon reached the castles drawbridge, quickly entering.
"Right. So where are we going Anon?"
>"To the throne room... Hey, don't you need to return your armor or something?"
>Oh right. Your armor
>You nod and point down the hall
"Yes, I do actually, just head down the hall. The throne room is right down the end, i'll meet you there when I'm done."
>Against your better judgement, you had just attached yourself to Anon. Heavens know why, but you were beginning to feel responsible for him
>Anon thanked you and left
>You stood and watched him go for a bit before heading off to the armory at a trot, more than ready to shed the heavy armor plating
>Slowing your trot to a more cautious walk, you entered the armory and approached the requisitions officer
"Hey... Is uh... Is Copper Hoof in?"
>"No ma'am, but he's not happy that you took equipment after signing it off."
>Damn it
"There was a commotion last night, I didn't really have a choice. I'm here to return it now though so... Can you let him know? So he doesn't eviscerate me?
>The mare nodded and went back to her paperwork, "Will do, ma'am."
>You entered and shed your armor nervously, you could almost feel his eyes on you
>You left as quickly as you came after stripping

>Heading towards the throne room, you vaguely saw Anon exiting and waved to him.
"Anon! Hey!"
>Closing the distance and smiling up at him, you sat before him.
"How did it go? Did they find you a way back to... Earth?"
>He looked down at you with a neutral look, "Possibly, I need to get a look at where I came out."
>Where he came out?
"You mean where that fancy, 'spatial distortion' was?"
>"Yes, the one i told my colleagues not to-"
"Bombard with Tac-e-ons, yes, it was the first thing you said when you got here, right this way."
>You set off at a trot, making sure Anon was following as you led him through the halls and outside, towards the memorial garden, where guards were still stationed, and various ponies were looking over the debris
>"This place is a mess."
>A rabbit bounded past you with a guard in hot pursuit with a net, "Catch that damn rabbit!"
"Anyway. Shall we?"
>He nodded and proceeded into the area, looking over the objects and asking questions.
>For your part, you stopped by a particularly large piece of metal that had been half buried in the ground.
"U... N... S... C...? Huh, wonder what that means."
>Anon stood behind you and regarded it, head tilted, "Unsc, I don't recognise it, hell I don't even recognize half of these objects."
"So that means...?"
>"It means that I don't have a way back, even if I could reopen the distortion, there's no telling where I'll end up, or when."
>You frowned, feeling bad for Anon, he was stuck here, far away from home and...
"Hey, wait, you seem to be taking this remarkably well!"
>Anon brought a hand up and ran it through his hair ruffling it.
>"Well, there isn't exactly anything I can do about it, is there?"
"You could feel bad."
>Anon stares into space for a moment and then turns and walks off
>You follow him, frowning.
"Anon? Anon, wait up!"
>He doesn't stop, instead, he simply keeps walking.
>What was he doing?
"Anon!"
>Still no answer as he simply made a beeline to the cliff edge.

>Eventually, he stopped and sat down, legs dangling off the ledge as he stared at the horizon, barely noticing you as you stopped and sat next to him
>"The Princesses told me what I just confirmed. There's no way back for me. I'm stuck here."
"Anon, I'm sorry. I can't imagine how you feel."
>"Neither can I. I'm not sure how I feel about this, actually."
>He did seem pretty relaxed about the whole thing
>You looked down at the valley
"I've always loved the edge of Canterlot, it manages to be beautiful at any time of year."
>Anon let loose a sigh and followed suit in staring at the horizon, "Yeah, it seems like i'll get to see how true that is."
>Hanging your head, you gave him a sidelong look. You supposed that right now, you were the only one he could lean on, forget your duty as a guard, you now thought about your duty as a friend
"You don't have to see this as a bad thing, you know."
>Anon looked at you with an eyebrow raised
>"What makes you think I have?"
>He made eye contact with you and you blushed, turning away
"Well..."
>You tapped your hooves together
"You kinda came to a cliff edge, I thought you might jump."
>He looked scandalized, and just a little bit insulted
"What? It was a fair assumption to make!"
>He quietly turned back to the view and sighed, leaning back on his palms, you followed suit and watched the horizon with him
>...
>"I don't have anywhere to go. No job, no money. "
"Some might look at this as a blank slate."
>"A completely blank slate."
"So... What will you do now?"
>Anon sighed and looked up, "No idea. I suppose I could ask the princesses for help."
"Or..."
>"Or what?"
"Or you could... Stay with me."
>You blushed and shuffled
>Flare, what are you doing?
>He needs a home, and a friend, you could be that friend
>"I don't know, Flare, I don't want to be a burden."
>You turned to him and made your mind up, promptly pressing your muzzle against his cheek, hugging him
"You've been my burden all day, yes, but you're a fun burden."

>You are Flare, a night guard of little prestige.
>You spent your days guarding doors.
>No longer, your assignment was now to look after one Mr Anonymous of the planet Earth.
>It was a duty you enjoyed most days.
>You had your bumps some days.
>Anon received a stipend from the treasury and your attachment to the guard was loosened.
>As for your personal relationship with the human, well...
>He learned to never touch your apples, and you learned to never let him touch your apples.
>Anon settled into life in Equestria and you... kept doing what you were doing.
>...
>Life was good.