>You slowly open your eyes.
>After a long yawn, you look around.
>It’s dark except for the moon shining through your window.
>You were asleep for a few hours.
>Naps always leave you groggy as hell.
>You groan as you try to sit up.
>Your small red gemstone falls to the ground.
>You bend over, pick it up, and give it a glance.
>You love this little thing.
 
>…
“SHIT SHIT!”
 
>You completely forgot about your “date!”
>You throw yourself off the couch, hitting an end table.
>No time for pain.
>You rush into your room and change into a clean outfit, applying a bit of eau d’sexy.
>… it smells good, alright?
>Sheesh.
>You check yourself once more.
>Oops, one more thing.
>You grab the red gemstone from your old pants.
>Now you’re good to go.
>You sprint out of the cottage, heading for Ponyville Square.
 
~
 
>You make it to the Square in no time.
>Out of breath and extremely sweaty, you head into a candy shop to wash yourself up.
>Can’t be all gross and sweaty and shit.
>You leave and glance around the Square.
>You just realized that you don’t know where you were supposed to meet Barb.
>You walk around, hoping for a clue.
>This would be a good time for a cell phone.
>The thought of Barb texting you nonstop makes you shudder and shake your head.
>Nope.
 
“Fuck, where could she be?”
>Your first instinct is to check the remains of the Library.
>But they don’t stay there at night.
>Twilight had mentioned that she and Barb were staying with Applejack until it was to be repaired….
>No matter, you will have to check both.
>Alright, Library first, then Sweet Apple Acres.
>Good plan, Anon.
 
>You decide to walk it to the Library.
>Just to be safe.
>You can’t be getting all sweaty and shit, dawg.
>A bunch of ponies were walking about, all enjoying the pleasant evening.
>It was kind of cu-
>You see an older couple hug and kiss.
>You scoff.
>R-romance is for the weak.
 
>You make it the remains of the Library.
>A faint light emitting from inside makes your heart skip a beat.
>You peek into the intact window, hoping to see any sign of Barb or Twilight.
>Nothing…
>You decide to go into the Library to search for some clues.
>A candle brightens the main part of the Library, and it looks like it was lit recently.
>You scratch your chin and look around.
>Everything seemed to look the same as it was last time you were here.
>Welp, that’s a bust.
>You leave the Library.
>Onwards to Sweet Apple Acres.
 
>You approach the busted door.
>The sounds of hoofsteps stop you from opening it.
>”… and I think you should just tell him, Barb…”
 
>You panic and look around.
>You can’t be caught for trespassing again!
>You dodge roll into the trash bin.
>The door creaks open before crashing to the ground.
>”Oh, darn it. I’ll have to get this fixed soon.”
 
>Sounds like Twilight.
“Whew.”
>”Huh? You say something, Barb?”
>You hear another figure follow behind Twilight.
>”No, that wasn’t me, Twi….”
>You hear Barb sigh deeply.
>”Oh, alright. Come, sit down with me and tell me everything, ok honey?”
>You hear another sigh and footsteps.
>”I just… don’t want to really talk anymore, Twilight.”
 
>You slowly peek your head over the trash bin.
>You see Twilight and… and a very saddened Barb.
>… she looks… you don’t even know.
>You’ve never seen her look like this.
>Her ear fins are drooped so low they look like they might fall off.
>She has bags under her eyes.
>It looks like she is just… depressed.
>You feel your heart shatter.
 
>What’s happened to her?
>Did someone hurt her?
>Are you gonna have to choke a-?
 
>”Please talk to me, Barb. I don’t want you to-“
>Barb groans and shakes her head.
>That seems familiar….
>Twilight puts a hoof on her shoulder.
>You see Barb shed a tear.
>”I.. I just….”
 
>You are Barb.
>And… you just don’t want to be here at all.
>Twilight looks at you with caring eyes.
>Your eyes wander away from hers.
>You let out a sigh.
>”I’m here for you, Barb. I promise.”
>You shut your eyes and wipe a tear from your cheek.
“I-I know Twilight. I know.”
>You sniffle.
>Twilight gives you a warm smile.
“It’s just… I d-don’t know how he feels about me. Like… how he REALLY f-feels about me.”
>Twilight nods, urging you to go on.
 
“He’s just… he’s just l-like my absolute best friend in the w-world and-“
>You hear something move around across the room.
>Twilight turns around, examining the area.
>She shakes her head.
>”It was just the wind, Barb. Go ahead, keep talking to me.”
>You fidget a little bit.
“W-well… yeah. Ever since I started hanging out with him, I j-just felt really happy. N-not that I was never happy or anything, I was!”
>You sniffle again.
“I just felt… really c-comfortable around him. I felt l-like… I could trust him. Like I-I-I could…”
>You wipe a few more tears from your cheeks.
 
“I felt like I c-could… get r-really close to him.”
 
>You open your eyes and look at Twilight.
>Her warm eyes continue to show love and caring.
>”Oh, Barb…”
>You shake your head.
“I know what you’re thinking, Twi. I know. Just… j-just believe me, okay?”
>You fiddle with your ear fin.
 
“I… I j-just care so much about him.”
>”I know you do, Barb.”
“I want to just be around h-him all the time, and do things f-for him, and show him that I’m r-r-really cool and stuff, ya know?”
>”Barb, he-“
>You can’t hold back any more tears.
>You feel yourself blushing.
>You hide your face in your claws.
>”Barb… honey….”
>You take a deep breath and exhale.
>You can’t hold it in anymore.
>Just say it, girl.
>Say it.
 
“Twilight, I… I… I  just l-love him so much, Twilight. I l-l-love him with all my heart….”
 
>You feel your cheeks get redder.
>A massive weight leaves your shoulders as you give Twilight a weak smile.
>But soon that weight returns.
>Worse than before.
“I’ve l-loved him f-for so so long….”
>Twilight nods, rubbing your back gently.
>More tears gently fall down your cheeks.
>You rub your eyes, and sigh.
 
“I’m j-just scared that he w-won’t feel the same.”
 
>You hear another sound coming from across the room, this time making your heart jump.
>Twilight turns around again.
>”Ignore that. It’s probably, nothing.”
 
>You nod and sigh.
“That’s why I’m scared t-to see him tonight. I d-don’t want to lose m-my best friend, Twilight….”
 
>Twilight blinks at you.
>Her face remains calm, but she gives you a smile.
>”Your feelings for Anon have been… how can I put this… very obvious.”
>You laugh nervously.
“R-really?”
>”VERY. OBVIOUS.”
>You fiddle with an ear fin again.
>Twilight wipes a tear from your cheek.
>Her gentle hoof relaxes you, just as it always does.
>”Tell me, Barb: when exactly did you start feeling this way about Anon?”
>You gulp and laugh nervously.
>You feel yourself start to sweat.
>… do dragons even sweat?
>It doesn’t matter.
>You begin to feel uncomfortable.
>Twilight gives you a gentle pat and a weak smile.
“Well… I-I… it was about about… uh… about a w-week after I met him. I t-took him to my s-spot in Everfree….
 
~
 
>Months and months ago….
 
“And… here we are, Anon!”
>You lead a very tired Anon up to the edge of a large cliff.
>He instantly falls to the ground and groans.
>”Damn, Barbara. What a walk.”
>Poor guy.
>He looks absolutely beat.
>”You said it was just down the way.”
>You laugh nervously.
“Come on, Anon, it wasn’t THAT far.”
 
>He groans, and sprawls himself on the ground.
>”So… what is this place exactly? I thought we were going to see something cool.”
>You walk over to him and kneel next to him.
“I wouldn’t lie to ya, buddy.”
>”Well, you already lied about how far it was, so….”
>You feel your cheeks redden.
“Y-yeah, well… it w-was a guesstimation, alright?”
>Anon sighs.
>”Alright. So what is so significant about this place?”
>You get up and smile at him.
“This is the place where I go to when I want to think about things and-.”
 
>”HANG ON!”
 
>You look at Twilight, with a raised eyebrow.
“Huh? What is it, Twilight?”
>”I thought your ‘spot’ was by the river in Everfree? Not some dangerous cliff!”
>You scratch your head.
“No, no Twilight. You misheard me. The river is my RELAXATION spot. The cliff is my CONTEMPLATIVE spot!”
>Twilight facehoofs with a mighty groan.
>”WHAT!?”
>You nod.
”Yeah, Twilight. Gosh, you need to pay more attention….”
>Twilight groans loudly.
>You feel like you hear a snicker across the room.
“Aaaaannnyyyyways….”
 
>Back to the flashback….
 
>Anon, sits up and scratches his head.
>”What kinds of things do you like to think about, Barbara?”
>You walk over to the edge of cliff and take a seat.
>You let out a gentle sigh.
“J-just… you know.”
>”No… no I don’t know. That’s why I asked you.”
“Why d-don’t you come over here? The v-view is really what matters.”
 
>Anon shrugs, shakily getting up.
>”Sure, ok. I don’t really like heights, though, but….”
>He slowly moves over to the edge of the cliff with you.
>You seem him shudder as he peeks over the edge.
>He sits down next to you, though a little further back than you.
 
>You look over into the distance.
>This lone cliff gives you a great view into what seems like an endless expanse of land.
>Everything appears so small and insignificant.
>But from here, it is apparent that every little thing plays a larger role in life.
>It’s as if you can see nature work together in real time.
>The sky was an interesting palette of blues, oranges, and purples, signifying the still motion into the late evening.
>The sun was nearing the edge of its daily journey, soon to be replaced by the tranquil moon.
 
>”Wow. This… this is really amazing.”
>You nod and smile at Anon.
“It’s easy to get stuck up here and just think, for hours on end.”
>”Mhmm.”
“We made it at a perfect time, too.”
>”Why’s that?”
“We’ll be able to the see the sun leave, and moon arrive at the same time.”
>”That’s interesting.”
“Back where you’re from, you say that the sun and moon rise and set by themselves?”
>”Essentially. That… Twilight Sparkle mentioned something about the motion of the sun and moon being done by the will of two princesses. That’s completely different to me. It’s absurd, to a point.”
“I understand, Anon. But that’s the way Equestria works, ya know? Magic is a real thing, though it’s effect is different depending on the person.”
>”Hm. I don’t really care for it.”
“Why, Anon?”
>”I just don’t really care for many things.”
“But w-why, Anon?”
>He sighs.
>”I’m not even sure that I’ll be here forever. As far as I know, the way back home is right around the corner. I don’t want to get attached to anything here.”
>Anon turns to you.
>”Anyways, what is it that you like to think about here, Barbara?”
“Barb. You can call me Barb. I-if you’d like….”
>”I like Barbara.”
 
>You giggle nervously.
“S-sure, okay, Anonymous.”
>”Anon.”
“Huh?”
>”Don’t call me Anonymous.”
“But I liiiiike it.~”
>You punch his shoulder playfully.
>He rolls his eyes and fixes his gaze back on the sky.
 
>”Anyways, you were saying?”
“Oh, right! You asked me what I like to think about…!”
>”Yes.”
“W-well… you s-see….”
>You begin to fiddle with you claws.
>Why were you so nervous?
>Get it together, Barb.
>It’s not like… Anon will judge you or something.
“Sorry, I’m not used to t-talking to others about stuff like t-this….”
>Anon shakes his head at you.
>”Don’t worry about that, ok?”
>You give him a weak smile.
>”If it makes you feel more comfortable, I am the same way.”
>You raise an eyebrow at him.
>He continues to gaze off into the expanse of land.
>”I actually just keep everything inside me. I never found rhyme or reason to trust anyone back home. So I didn’t bother.”
>Your ear fins droop slightly.
“Anon….”
>”It’s fine, alright? Just… don’t be like me, if you can help it. Don’t keep it bottled in. I’m worse off for it.”
>You scoot closer to Anon.
“You… you c-could talk to me if you wanted. I’d listen to y-you.”
>Anon laughs.
>”Maybe one day, I will. If I see Equestria being my permanent home, then maybe.”
>You don’t respond.
>You continue to fidget around though.
>Anon turns to you.
 
>”If you ever need someone to talk to… I guess I’m here for you. You can tell me anything you need to. I won’t ever judge you. Don’t think that I would, Barbar- uhhh… Barb.”
>He puts his hand on your shoulder and shoots you a friendly smile.
>You return a big smile.
>….
>Did it get hotter in here?
>Are you sweating?
>Can dragons even sweat?
 
>”So… tell me. Tell me what you’re thinking about. And I’ll listen.”
>You scoot even closer to Anon.
>Close enough to feel his warmth.
>You’ve never felt warmth like his.
>It’s… nice.
>… really nice in fact!
>Wow!
>And…
>Oh, he smells really good!
>Like… really really good!
>You shudder, causing Anon to give you a confused look.
>You begin to giggle nervously.
“S-sorry! I’m not smelling anything!”
>”Um….”
“I’m just really c-cold. Yeah that’s it. Cold.”
>”Hm.”
>Anon removes his jack and wraps it around you.
>”There you go.”
>You feel a big goofy smile form on your face.
>His jacket feels like his warmth.
>And it smells SOOOOO good.
>You nuzzle your cheek against it.
“Mmmmm….”
 
>”Better?”
>You nod happily.
“So much better.”
>You scoot a tiny bit closer to him.
>His warmth envelops you.
>You feel calm.
>Safe.
>Happy.
 
>Really happy….
 
>You let out a big sigh.
“I used to come up here when I was upset, or angry.”
>Anon turns to you and nods, letting you know he’s listening.
“I’ll admit… it was dangerous. But… other creatures avoid a dragon when she’s angry it seems.”
>Anon laughs.
“So I found this cliff. I would come here and sit and watch the world move.”
>”I see.”
“I started to come here more and more. I was just starting to feel….”
>You gulp.
>Anon rubs your back gently.
>”Go on.”
“I was feeling like this place suited me. A place that was serene, where I could just be by myself.”
>”You want to be by yourself?”
“R-right now? Oh no, n-not at all!”
>”I mean… usually?”
“Oh… I used to. Then I started finding other things to do in Ponyville to help me feel better. And it worked!”
>You give Anon a smile.
>He nods.
>”That’s great!”
“Eventually, this cliff b-became the place I came to just think, and not be an outlet for my emotions.”
>”I see….”
 
>The sun fades out over the horizon, taking all of the orange hues with it.
>A shimmering moon, calm and elegant, replaces it within seconds.
>”Wow, look at that. I’ve never seen a sunset so beautiful….”
>You nod.
“Isn’t it though?”
>Anon turns to you, his face seeming a little flushed.
>”Thanks for bringing me out here. This was great. Definitely worth the painful hike up here.”
 
>You laugh nervously, scratching your head.
“I’m g-glad that you like it… m-maybe we can do it again sometime? I mean… if y-you aren’t b-b-busy or anything…!”
 
>Anon laughs.
>”Yeah, I’m not really in the ‘busy’ department as of right now, haha.”
>He gets up and stretches.
>”But… yeah. Let’s do this again, alright?”
>You get up and smile at him.
>His jacket and warmth still around you.
>You feel really happy.
>You feel like you’re blushing.
>Don’t do that, Barb!
>What if Anon sees you?
>You hide your face his your jacket.
>Oh, gosh!
>There’s that smell again!
>You nearly faint.
>He must think you’re such a loser!
>Act cool, Barb. Act cool.
 
>Anon kneels down next to you.
>”You can hold onto that jacket for a bit, if you’d like. To help keep you warm?”
>You nod, still hiding your face.
>Oh gosh, he is so nice!
>Look at him!
>He’s so close to you.
>Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh.
 
>”Hey.”
>You peek through the jacket to Anon.
>He pats your head.
>Oh my gosh!
>HE’S TOUCHING YOU.
>You close your eyes and give out a moan of approval.
>”Uh, Barb?”
 
“Huh, w-what? W-WHAT?”
 
>”We should head out now.”
>You nod goofily, breathing heavily.
>Anon stands up.
>”By the way….”
>He helps you up.
>Oh, he is such a gentleman!!!
>What a guy!
 
>”Thanks for making me feel like this place could be my new home.”
>With that, he turns and walks towards the exit.
>Your tail wags as you follow close behind him.
 
~
 
>You sigh deeply, feeling quite embarrassed.
“So… a-after that night, I just had feelings for him.”
>You fidget around will Twilight puts a hood on your shoulder.
“You know… THOSE kinds of f-feelings.”
>Twilight gives you a warm smile.
>”Oh, Barb…. No wonder you asked me to start having you do work together.”
>You give her a goofy nod.
“I-I was hoping that the more time we spent together, the f-faster he’d get feelings for me, t-too.”
>You hear another sound across the room, coming from that darn bin again.
“Twilight, do you hear-“
>”It’s really nothing, Barb. Really.”
>Twilight gives you a reassuring smile.
>”Anyways, I’m sure that Anon must have some sort of feelings for you.”
>You give her a weak smile.
“I don’t know if I agree w-with that one, Twi.”
>You shut your eyes tight, hoping no more tears will escape.
“I-I… I j-just feel like Anon thinks I’m a big… a b-big dweeb or somethin’.”
>Another sound comes from the bin, louder than before.
>Twilight gives you a large smile, keeping your attention on her.
 
>”Barb, I think Anon cares a whole lot about you. The two of you have been through quite a bit in the past few months. Like you said, he is your best friend. I’m sure he feels the same about at least that.”
>You nod and sigh.
“Yeah… but….”
>Twilight shakes her head, keeping her smile.
>”Just talk to him, Barb. That’s the best thing to do. I promise.”
>Your bottom lip quivers.
>You’ve never felt more scared.
>You would tell Anon anything.
>You trusted him more than anypony else.
>… or anyone else.
 
>You loved him with all of your heart.
>But you couldn’t bear to lose him.
>You don’t want to lose your best friend.
 
>You give Twilight another weak smile.
“I’ll try to t-talk to him tonight, then.”
>Twilight gives you a hug, which you return.
>You look over at the bin.
>… you swear you saw it move….
 
>”Good. Now, head back to his cottage. He’s probably waiting for you there.”
>You nod and get up.
“Thanks a lot, Twilight. I hope you’re right about all of this.”
>Twilight nods as you head out of the Library.
>Your heart is beating fast.
>You feel yourself sweating.
>Do dragons even sweat?
>You don’t care anymore.
>You just want to be in Anon’s arms.
>His strong… muscular… arms….
>You shake your head.
>Focus, Barb.
>Don’t lose sight of what’s important.
>Besides, no matter what happens, you could still look at his tight tush from afar.
>As nice as that is, you’d rather him love you.
 
>Just like you love him.
 
>You are Anon.
>And you are tired of being stuck in this damn bin!
 
>You hear Barb leave the Library.
>You let out a quiet sigh of relief.
>Hopefully, Twilight will follow right behind her.
>And you can get the hell outta here.
>And try to piece together what you shouldn’t have heard.
 
>After a few seconds, you hear hoofsteps approach your bin.
>You begin to panic.
>That’s it, man.
>You’ve been caught.
>Game over.
>… or something.
 
>”She’s gone. Come on out, Anon.”
>How did she-?
>You don’t reply.
>”I know you’re in there.”
>You keep quiet.
>Maybe she won’t-
>…fuck.
>The bin is engulfed in a purple aura and lifted upwards, high into the air.
>You begin to curse under your breath.
“Twilight, don’t do it! Don’t you-“
>It’s turned upside down, and you come falling downwards, along with all the ruined books and other trash.
 
“Fuck, Twilight!”
 
>You expect to fall on the hard floor, but instead you land on a large, soft pillow.
>The pillow, also engulfed in the purple aura, brings you gently to the floor, in front of an angry looking Twilight.
>All of the debris is suspended in the air, along with the bin, before calmly being replaced and brought back to the ground.
 
>You scratch your head.
“Uh… oh, man. H-how did I get here?”
>You get off the pillow and look around confused.
“This isn’t the Post Office!”
>Twilight groans and facehoofs.
“Dang, I must have… missed my turn at the… thing….”
>Twilight glares at you.
>You shrug and give her a weak smile.
 
>”Anon, how long have you been EAVESDROPPING?”
>You shrug again.
“No idea what you’re talking about, my fair Princess.”
>You bow to her.
“If I may be excused, I must attend a-“
>”You may NOT be excused, Anon! Stop messing around!”
>You groan.
“Alright, fine. Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I… I was looking for Barb and… she was with you and she looked upset.”
>You wipe yourself down.
“I panicked and jumped into that damn bin. My intention wasn’t to be here eavesdropping.”
>Twilight shakes her head at you.
“I swear. I just wanted… to… uh….”
>”See your date?”
>You scoff.
“She isn’t my d-date! We were just… going to hang out. Dang.”
 
>Twilight turns and heads towards the semi-intact stairs.
>”Come with me.”
>You sigh and follow.
>No point in fighting it now.
>Time to be scolded again.
 
>”I’m not going to scold you, Anon.”
>How the hell?
“I didn’t think you were going to.”
>”Well I do it often enough, I figure that’s what you always think I want to do.”
“You have a point there, Twi.”
>”I know I do.”
“How did you even know I was in that bin?”
>”It was obvious.”
“Yeah right. The cop-out answer.”
>”Ok, you want the real answer? I can sense when you are around. It’s something that I taught myself when you first appeared, in case you happened to be dangerous.”
 
>You laugh.
“You couldn’t sense me. I’m far too sneaky. Just admit that-“
>”Anon.  If you were a REAL threat and I sensed you, I would have vaporized you on the spot. Believe me. You aren’t sneaky at all. Fortunately for you AND Barb, my magic wouldn’t affect you.”
>You laugh again.
“Fine. If your magic doesn’t affect me, then how the hell can you sense my presence?”
>”This skill senses pockets of high emotion. I sensed a lot coming from Barb, and from that bin.”
“Yeah, right.”
>”You were feeling angry and protective, and a little bit sad. Not to mention… affectionate.”
>You scoff loudly.
“That’s fucking stupid. I was none of those things!”
>”Whatever you say. Magic doesn’t lie, Anon!’
“W-whatever.”
>You remain quiet and fold your arms.
 
>You are led into the remnants of the upstairs room, where Twilight and Barb used to sleep.
“Why are we going up here?”
>”We are going to talk. And I need to show you some things.”
>You groan.
“Twi, this isn’t the time for me to be proofreading your notes and such. I really need to-“
>”What you really need to do is talk to me!”
“There’s nothing for us to talk about!”
>”There’s quite a bit for us to talk about, Anon!”
“UGH! Like what?”
>”Like a certain dragoness who is, for some odd reason, IN LOVE WITH YOU!!”
 
“I-“
>Nothing comes out.
>You curl up your fists.
>You glare at Twilight, who is glaring daggers right back.
>You stand there in silence.
>You feel your heart and head pounding.
>You want to retort, but you’d rather get out of there and see Barb.
>… and by see Barb, you mean that you want to make sure she is alright.
>And take her to get dinner or something, like you promised.
>That’s all.
>It’s not a date.
 
>Twilight angrily trots over to a seemingly unbroken bookshelf and removes a medium-sized box from it.
>She digs through the box for a few seconds, before pulling out an important looking folder.
>It looks quite familiar….
 
>She trots over to you and aggressively places it in your hands.
>”Do you recognize this, Anon?”
>You examine it more closely.
>You definitely recognize the folder.
 
“Yeah. It’s that folder that Barb and I delivered to Celestia. The same one that got me stuck in Las Pegasus.”
>Twilight nods.
>”And do you know what the documents inside the folder are about?”
>You shake your head.
“It wasn’t my business to read it. My job was just to deliver it. That’s it.”
>Twilight gives you a small smile.
>“At least I could trust you to not look at them.”
“W-whatever. Are you going to tell me what’s so special about it?”
>Twilight nods.
>”It was a series of important papers that would grant you the right to become a citizen of Equestria.”
>Twilight’s aura surrounds the document, removing it from your hands.
>”I had to have this made specifically for you. At the request of a certain dragoness.”
>You give her an eyebrow.
“What are you playing at, Twilight? What’s this all about it?”
 
>Her magic removes a number of papers from the folder, including a few pictures of you from different angles, and something that looks like a passport of sorts.
>They all float above Twilight, and you scan them all intently.
>”You have no idea how difficult it was to keep you here.”
>Twilight gently places on of the documents in your hand.
>In large, underlined print at the top, it reads:
 
UNKNOWN CREATURE. BIPEDAL. POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. SOMEWHAT INTELLIGENT.
 
“Um… ‘somewhat intelligent’?”
>”Anon, Celestia had no idea what to do with you. Your presence here is unlike anything we’ve ever dealt with.”
>She gives you another document, this one with a series of dates and recordings of your various actions.
“W-was… was someone spying on me, or something? What the hell?”
>”Her initial reaction was to have you locked up and studied on. Some other diplomats thought to have you sent to Tartarus.”
 
>You gulp.
“Are… you serious? Isn’t that a bit extreme?”
>Twilight nods solemnly.
>”You have no idea how difficult it was to stop all of these actions from taking place.”
>She gives you one last document, this one with a picture of you and Barb together.
>Barb is holding your hand, and the two of you are smiling.
>It looks like you are at the cliff.
>Underneath it, a large series of journal entries, dated a few weeks after your arrival in Equestria.
>… all from the same person.
 
“Barb….”
 
>You sit on the ground, reading through the entries.
>”Like I said, it was Barb’s idea to have you kept here. I had no idea why she wanted such a thing.”
>Twilight sighs.
>”Until tonight, that is.”
 
>The entries were all similar.
>They were all reassuring the reader that you were a harmless, friendly creature.
>One who was lost, and all alone.
>The entries kept alluding that you weren’t too unlike the writer of said entries.
>They mentioned how Barb was finding that you were just as smart as any pony or other intelligent creature.
>And how you were strong, but gentle.
>That you would never hurt another, unless it was to protect somepony weaker.
>How you were caring, warm, and always doing things for others.
>It went on and on and on….
 
>You feel your throat get dry.
“Barb… Barb d-did this…?”
>Twilight sits next to you, gently placing all of the documents in front of you on the ground.
>”She was the first one by your side, defending you. Even I didn’t know what to do, Anon.”
>You nod, still reading the entries.
>One in particular came to your attention:
 
Week 3 – Day 5
 
“Anon came with me to pick strawberries and other fruits. He had not been eating well, due to him being depressed. He was missing his home, and was worried that he would never see his old friends and family again. I consoled him for a long time. I told him that I would help him out, and I offered to make him a fruit salad. He first told me to not worry about him, but he eventually accepted my help. We spent hours and hours picking. In the evening, we ate a lot of fruit and talked about his past a bit more.
 
Anon is just like you all. He has emotions and desire. He has continued to prove that he is friendly. And he is just like me, a lone fish in a quiet river.”
 
>You shut your eyes and rub your temples.
>Twilight puts a hoof on your shoulder.
 
>”Barb begged and pleaded with Princess Celestia to not do anything rash. Eventually, Celestia told her to keep an eye on you, reporting everything you did, until we could clear if you were a threat or not.”
“….”
>”Barb spent so much of her time writing these entries to give to Celestia. In fact, Celestia was absolutely shocked that Barb was able to get so much information about you.”
”….”
>”Don’t feel saddened, Anon. Please…. Barb didn’t tell them anything private. She refused to. She would only share the events, and her own feelings.”
“….”
>”Celestia eventually wanted to meet you, after receiving so many entries. She wanted to see if you were truly as safe as Barb claimed you were.”
“… and?”
>”And that’s when I asked you to deliver the documents to Celestia in person. Barb was not supposed to go, in case you were to be apprehended.”
“….”
>”She refused to let you go by yourself.”
>You sigh, holding back tears.
>You won’t let Twilight know you’re crying.
>You fight it as best you can.
>”She told me and Princess Celestia: ‘There is no way I’m leaving Anon’s side. I don’t want him to feel alone and abandoned like I feel sometimes. I want him to know that he has someone who cares about him.’”
“….”
 
>You feel the tears being held back by the dam that was your eyelids.
>Twilight rubs your shoulder.
>”You… you can cry, Anon. It’s alright.”
“I’m… I d-don’t….”
>Your rub your eyes.
 
>”After you delivered the documents, Celestia cleared your citizenship. Here, read this last document.”
>She passes a much shorter document to you, emblazoned with a crest of the sun, and covered in elegant, careful manuscript.
 
>You rub your eyes, and read a bit of it:
 
“Barbara,
 
I will not lie to you and claim that I approved of your plans from the beginning. I was very scared and doubtful that any good would come of it. But you, more than anyone else, seemed certain that Anonymous was worth keeping around. I put all of my faith into you, and I’m happy I did.
 
You have proven to me that Anonymous is a poor soul who has gone through enough by being here. Enough for a lifetime, in fact. It would be vicious for me to have him locked up, or exiled. With everything you have provided for me, I see now that Anonymous is clearly just like the rest of us.
 
With the power invested in me, I grant Anonymous the Human full citizenship. As long as he is within the realm of Equestria, under my sun and my sister’s moon, he shall be treated as an equal, never to be unfairly prosecuted or discriminated.
 
I hope that you may find it in your heart to forgive us for giving him a hard time, Barbara. I hope you understand why we had to do what we did. In time, Anonymous will surely understand your efforts. I hope that he repays you in a way you find most fitting. It is clear that you have quite a bit of love him. That makes me happy.
 
Take care,
 
 - Princess Celestia
 
P.S. Tell Princess Twilight to take it easy on him. She has nothing to worry about. In fact, she could learn a thing or two from Anonymous.”
 
>Following the postscript is a series of legal information, including the stamp of some sort of notary.
>You look up to Twilight, your eyes still fighting back the tears.
>”And that’s that.”
>She gets up and begins to put all of the documents back in their folder.
>You sit quietly, unable to form words.
>Twilight lets out a big sigh.
>”While I disagree with that last bit, the Princess is right about one thing”
“….”
>You shuffle nervously.
“… and what’s that?”
>She turns to you and smiles, a tear falling down her cheek.
 
>”Barb has a lot of love for you.”
 
~
 
End of Part 4