>A quick glance at the sun tells you that Ponyville should come rushing to life any minute now.
>Not wanting to cause a scene with the animal on your back and the floating baby dragon at your side, you begin walking along the edge of town.
>Fortunately, not many ponies are around and the few that are don’t seem to notice you.
>You breathe out a sigh of relief as the tree enters your view.
>The calming atmosphere of the library you call home eases your nerves as you enter.
>You head up the stairs to your room and put the flower you picked out of harm’s way as you gently place the creature on your spare bed, careful not to wake it.
>The soothing spell you used on it beforehand allowed it to relax, and it quickly fell asleep on your way out of the forest.
>You can’t help but smile at its sleeping form, even if it is covered in dried blood.
>”Twilight?” a familiar voice asks.
“Oh, I see the paralysis has worn off. What is it, Spike?”
>”I have a question.”
>You motion for him to go on.
>”If you had enough magic to float us all home then why didn’t you use it to remove the paralysis?”
…
“Now that you’re able to move,” you quickly change the subject, “can you please go get Fluttershy for me? Ask her to bring whatever medical supplies she has—bandages, medicine, and so on. Oh, and tell her I need help identifying an odd animal.”
>He smirks before nodding and turning around to leave the room.
>“Will do.”
>You turn to the mysterious creature resting on your spare bed, looking it over and inspecting the damage.
>Judging from what you could see, there was no need to go to the hospital.
>Well, even if there was a need, you doubt they’d let you in with such a creature.
>Most of its injuries were on its arms, but you guess that there are more under the torn clothing.
>Might as well get that out of the way.
>You slowly levitate the animal upwards and remove its clothes.
>It’s only wearing a dress and a single undergarment, so it doesn’t take long.
>Placing those to the side, you notice a chain around its neck.
>At the end of the chain, there’s a metal plate with words on it.
>On closer inspection, it reads:
ANONYMOUS, JOHN D.
555239485 USN A POS
PASTAFARIAN
>You figure it’s a form of identification, paying particular attention to the first line.
“Anonymous, John D,” you say to yourself. “Weird name. I wonder why there’s a comma...”
>Shrugging, you get a better look at the animal.
>Well, it’s a female. That much was certain.
>Your eyes move to her body.
>Sure enough, her entire upper body is covered in several cuts and bruises.
>Probably caused by a succession of falls, given what happened in the forest.
>This will take a while to patch up.
>Healing magic is out of the question.
>Simply closing the wounds could pose a great risk for infection.
>And, being unfamiliar with this animal’s anatomy, you don’t want to make any decisions until you get a chance to study it.
>So, cleaning and covering them is the best you can do.
>You leave the room, returning moments later with a box of emergency medical supplies you always have around.
>It doesn’t contain much, but it’s enough to treat most of the wounds.
>You begin your work slowly and carefully and by the time you run out of supplies, there’s a knock at the door.
“Come in!” you call out.
>You hear the door downstairs opening with a creak before closing.
>Fluttershy’s voice can be heard, but with how quiet she is, you can’t make out her words.
>The clipping of hooves makes it up the stairs as you sit beside the bipedal creature, waiting for Fluttershy to come over.
>She stops at the top of the stairs, her eyes widening at the sight of the creature.
>Fluttershy quickly comes over to you, examining the creature with great interest, though you spot her frowning at the bandages wrapped all around her.
>”What happened to it...?”
“I’m not entirely sure. Spike and I were running an errand,” you motion to the flower you picked, “when we found her. She was frightened at the sight of us and tried to run before tripping and being caught by Spike.”
>She takes a moment to process what you said.
>”I’ve... I’ve  never seen anything quite like her,” Fluttershy says in amazement. “She’s kind of similar to some of the monkeys I’ve taken care of, but there are also a lot of differences...”
>Darn.
>If Fluttershy can’t help identifying it, then it’s likely nopony around here can.
>That means that your only options left are the vast collection of knowledge at your disposal or your wise teacher, Princess Celestia.
>You’d like to avoid the latter for now though—don’t want to bother her just yet.
>Your thoughts are interrupted as Fluttershy overturns the bag she brought, spreading the contents on the floor.
>She really does have a lot of supplies.
>A quick look and you see everything you need and more.
>You grab some of the supplies with your magic and repeat the process you did before.
>Pretty soon, all of the injuries are taken care of.
>As if on cue, you hear Spike enter.
>He blushes as he walks in.
>”Uh.. Twilight, where are.. her clothes?” he stutters.
“I removed them so I could get to her injuries. Why?”
>”Oh...” he says, trying not to stare as the blush intensifies.
>What’s with him? Oh well.
“Hey Spike, I’m sorry to keep sending you places but could you take these to Rarity’s to get them fixed up?” you ask, motioning toward the clothes on the floor.
>His attitude quickly changes and he nods enthusiastically at the chance to see Rarity.
>You turn to the girl as he takes the clothes and leaves.
>The girl on your spare bed stirs as Spike shuts the door.
>As she takes in her surroundings, she begins to panic, grabbing the blanket under her and wrapping herself in it.
“What’s wrong?”
>A small whimper is the only response you get.
>”Could you leave me alone with her for a bit?” Fluttershy asks.
>You quickly comply, grabbing the flower as you exit the room.
>This flower... It has some sort of connection with that girl, though you’re not sure what.
>As if responding to your thoughts, the flower glows once more.
>You can feel an odd magic coming from it, unlike anything you’ve ever felt.
>It’s subtle, but over the course of a few minutes the flower’s petals take on a lighter color.
>”You can come up now!” Fluttershy yells down as the flower continues changing.
>There are so many questions surrounding it, but one thing’s clear:
>This is no normal flower.
>By the time you get to your room, the flower is the same pale white you first encountered it in.
>As you walk through the door, the girl whimpers.
>The flower glows once more and the petals turn yellow in an instant.
>You toss it on the ground as a small amount of the familiar powder is released into the air and look at the girl.
>She’s scared, shaking underneath the blanket.
>As Fluttershy moves in to calm her, you stare intently at the flower.
>Sure enough, as the girl calms down, the flower returns to being white.
>You think for a second before turning to face the girl again.
“Hello, Anonymous, John D,” you begin. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
>The girl does nothing but stare at you in confusion from underneath the blanket.
“Can you understand me?”
>A weak nod.
“Did I say something wrong?”
>”John is a b-boy’s name...” she practically whispers.
“Oh. I apologize. May I just call you Anonymous then?”
>Anonymous nods slowly.
“Okay then, Anonymous, is it okay if I ask you a few questions?”
>Another nod.
“Well, let’s start with something simple: how did you get to the forest?”
>”I don’t know.”
“Do you know how long you’ve been there?”
>”No.”
“Were you alone?”
>”Yes.”
“What happened to you to give you all of those injuries?”
>”I don’t know.”
>Your eyes wander to the flower on the ground.
>You pick it up before bringing it to her face.
“Do you know what this flower is?”
>”No.”
>How helpful. You place it back on the ground.
“What species are you?”
>”What’s a species?”
>...Huh?
“A species is a group subordinate to a genus and containing indivi—”
>You stop yourself, a blush quickly forming.
“Uh... It’s what you are.”
>No response.
“For example,” you motion to yourself, “I am a pony. A unicorn to be precise.”
>”Uni... corn,” Anonymous says to herself, taking the word in.
>You hang your head in defeat.
>This is hopeless.
>”What’s wrong?”
>Catching yourself, you quickly perk up.
“Nothing. Everything’s fine,” you smile. “I was just hoping to—”
>Your smile fades as you realize something.
“Wait... Anonymous!”
>”Y-yes?” her voice wavers, startled by your outburst.
“How are you doing that?!”
>”D-doing what...?”
>Fluttershy steps in front of you. “Twilight, you’re scaring her.”
>Her voice flies right over your head as you move around her.
“Look at my hoof,” you order as you raise and move it through the air.
>Anonymous’ head follows your hoof as it moves and your eyes widen.
“How?”
>”W-what...?” she whimpers.
“How can you see with those bandages over your eyes?”
>”Bandages?” she asks, any traces of fear gone in an instant.
>At this point Fluttershy joins you in wide-eyed shock.
>Without much thought, you remove the blanket and grab hold of the bandages with your magic.
>Surprisingly, she doesn’t resist as you unwrap them from her head.
>In fact, she stays perfectly still as they fall to the ground.
>You and Fluttershy collectively gasp, your jaws dropping.
>The girl’s eyes are a stunning, unnatural white with a gaze that pierces your soul.
>However, that isn’t what shocks you the most.
>A dark gash traces all around her eyes and most of her face is covered in dry blood.
>It’s as if somepony cut her face open with a blade and hastily put it back together.
>The horrible sight causes you to wince and turn away.
>As you contemplate looking back up, a flash of blue catches your eye.
>The flower you place on the ground earlier is now a deep blue, giving off a similarly colored glow that makes you forget what you just saw.
“Pretty...” you mutter.
>Looking at the flower almost makes you feel something that could only be described as...
>A beautiful sorrow.
>And then the scattered pieces all fall into place.
>When you arrived at the forest, the flowers were white.
>Anonymous ran away away in fear upon awakening, and the flowers turned yellow and released a powder that paralyzed you and Spike.
>The one you picked stayed that color as you brought her to your house, though the powder was nowhere to be found.
>It stayed that way up until Fluttershy calmed her, after which it turned white.
>As you re-entered the room and scared her, it turned yellow and released the same powder from before.
>Fluttershy calmed her once again, and it whitened.
>When you reacted to her injury as you did, she became sad and the flower turned blue.
>This all points to one thing:
>The flowers, though their origin is uncertain, react directly to Anonymous’ emotions.
>And, based on the powder that you encountered in the forest, they release a different magic depending on the color.
>”Twilight!” Fluttershy yells, bringing you back to reality.
“Uh... Sorry. What did you want?” you ask, trying to hide your blush.
>”I need you to go get a wet towel so I can clean her up.”
>Without a word, you exit the room.
>You stop just outside the door and stare at the bloody bandages still in your magical grasp.
>What could Anonymous have gone through to cause such an injury?
>If it was caused by another pony, were they still in the forest?
>How could she still see with the bandages?
>As you ponder these things, you hear Fluttershy’s voice from inside the room.
>”How are you feeling?”
>”I... I feel fine.”
>A few minutes later, you return with the towel and give it to Fluttershy.
>She quickly takes it.
>“Can you sit up for me?” she asks.
>After a bit of hesitation, Anonymous complies.
>There is a stiff silence as the blood is slowly cleaned.
>”Does... Does this hurt at all?” Fluttershy whispers.
>”N-no,” Anonymous shakes her head.
>Pretty soon, the towel is stained with a dark crimson that probably won’t come out anytime soon.
>However, the girl’s face is cleansed of the blood and only a deep scar remains.
>Without hesitating, Fluttershy grabs a clean roll of bandaging and wraps it around Anonymous’ eyes, this time leaving most of her mane exposed.
>As she finishes, Anonymous wraps the blanket tighter.
>”Um... excuse me...”
>Her voice is quiet, almost unintelligible.
>”What is it?” Fluttershy asks.
>”Uh... My clothes,” she starts, a small blush just barely visible under the bandages. “What happened to them?”
>Fluttershy is silent.
“They were damaged, and Spike went to get them fixed up.”
>”Oh...” Anonymous shrinks under the blanket and lays back down.
>Suddenly, Spike.
>He practically bursts through the door, a toothy grin spread across his face.
>Anonymous whimpers and hides further underneath the blankets, if that’s even possible at this point.
>The flower turns yellow and more of the powder is released from it.
>You’re quick to surround it in a forcefield as you push Spike out of the room, closing the door.
>”Why are you pushing me out?”
“You scared her! Couldn’t you have walked in a little less... abruptly?”
>”Oh... Well why is she wrapped in the blanket like that? Is she cold?”
“She seems to be really uncomfortable without her clothes for some reason. Speaking of which, how did that go?”
>”Great! Rarity said she’ll be here to drop them off in a couple hours,” he says, his smile returning.
>A few hours.
>That gives Anonymous some time to rest, and you some time to research.
>You walk back towards your room only to be interrupted by Fluttershy, who was on her way out.
>She lets out an adorable ‘eep.’
>”Oh, uh... I think Anonymous is hungry.”
“I’ll leave that to you, then,” you say after thinking for a moment. “You know more about taking care of animals than I do.”
>That, and you can use that time to do some research.
>”Um... Okay. Spike, do you want to help me?”
>You can’t hear his response, as you’re already in the main room of the library.
>Concentrating, your horn glows and several books pull themselves from the shelves and float around you.
>You search for anything that might be relevant to Anonymous or the flowers.
>Several books float past your face as you glance over their titles.
>How to Train Your Monkey
>Nope.
>Flowers Weekly
>Perhaps. You place it to the side.
>Dressing up Dolls 101
>No.
>So Your Dragon has a Crush
>...
>Why haven’t you looked at this already?
>Several others are judged as they float past you, leaving you with a small pile of books to your side.
>You sort through them, spotting one in particular:
>Equestrian Bestiary of Legendary Creatures
>That seems like a good place to start.
>The book opens and the pages quickly turn.
>You breeze through most of the book, searching through every category you think would be relevant to Anonymous.
>You’re nearing the end of the book, yet so far you’ve found nothing worth noting.
>As you turn to the last page, you nearly drop the book.
>The page consists of only a photograph and a single sentence.
>It was an old photograph of Princess Celestia at her throne, with a bipedal creature that looks like a taller version of Anonymous to her side.
“John D. Anonymous, human...” you read the sentence aloud.
>You call for your assistant.
>He arrives shortly, a look of concern on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Spike, take a letter...”