>His voice is...
>Shaking?
>Your heart can't seem to decide if it wants to halt completely or sprint like Usain bolt
>You try to stammer forth a response
>Your voice freezes in your throat
>You feel the beginnings of either tears or, if WebMD is to be believed, Bronchitis
>Probably tears
>You decide to not burden Anon any more than you have already
>So you hold them back for now
>Anon gently breaks the embrace
>Then heads to his bedroom
>He doesn't say anything
>His gait seems less assured than earlier
>You decide not to bother him
>He probably needs time and space to deal with this
>Couch it is
>You hop onto the couch and curl up
>Now to master this 'sleep' thing
>First you try - and moderately succeed - at replicating relaxation
>It's harder without Anon, though
>Then you close your eyes
>It takes a while, but you can feel yourself going unconscious
>Deep breaths, you're not dying or passing out
>Then you hear a sound from the dark, mostly empty house
>Your heart is now pounding in your chest
>You lay very still and listen, keeping your eyes closed
>The sound comes closer
>It's coming from Anon's room
>As it comes closer, you realize it's footsteps
>Then you feel his hands on you as he picks you up
>Without a word, he brings you with him into his bedroom
>He puts you in his desk chair, then wraps you in a blanket
>With that, he slips back into bed and turns off the lights
>Hush now quiet now
>Eventually you drift off to sleep

-The next day-

>You return to consciousness
>You are, in fact, not dead
>Praise Wozniak
>You feel the early morning sunlight on your eyes
>You open them and look around you
>Anon's room looks different somehow
>Speaking of Anon
>He's still sleeping
>You have to admit, he's adorable like this
>Even if he drools
>You smile and try to decide on a course of action
>Biological beings may show fluctuations in behavior if stirred from their slumber
>You decide to leave anon alone for now
>You get out from under the blanket
>Carefully descend from the chair
>Walk silently (no easy feat with hooves) into the kitchen
>Open fridge
>The smell of meat hits your nose
>You recoil
>Anon really likes his bacon strips
>You see a leftover lettuce leaf from who-knows-when
>Better than nothing
>You take and eat the lettuce
>You would feel guilty about eating his food without asking
>But in this case, you're doing him a favor
>Anon's the kind of guy, you surmise, that keeps lettuce in his fridge to alleviate his conscience
>A bit like those fat people who think "A diet coke? Now I can eat everything!"
>You giggle softly at the thought
>You close the fridge door and munch the lettuce as quietly as you can
>It's surprisingly crispy
>You sit down on your haunches and rub your chin with a hoof
>Apparently humans do this to stimulate cognitive progresses
>Also, the kitchen floor tiles are surprisingly cold on your rump
>Whatever
>More important matters at hoof
>Hand, damnit!
>Or would it be hoof..
>No! Incident! Begin anew!
>Okay.
>Anon has been so good to you and so understanding of everything
>Your neurotic breakdown(s)
>Your temperamental outbursts
>Oh and the fact that you materialized from the fucking aether
>You need to start being as good to him
>You would try to cook him breakfast
>But everything is so tall
>You could probably use wings
>Oh well.
>You sigh
>So if not breakfast, then he should at least get a nice wake-up
>Searching for pleasant ways to wake up
>The results are not as innocent as your intentions
>You feel the blood flow to your cheeks
"N-no...I couldn't do that without consent...and besides, I lack the experience. And...would that make him a zoophile? An unwilling zoophile at that. Would he *want* to wake up...that way?"
>You inhale sharply, then slowly exhale
"Better safe than sorry, isn't that how the expression goes?"
>Who are you talking to?
>Great, you're a basket case
>Well, that's been blindingly obvious all along...
>A good wake-up would probably entail him waking up naturally
>But you have to admit you might get very bored very quickly just trotting around the house waiting for him to wake up
>Besides, you want to do something nice for him, damnit
>Then it hits you
>You are still a browser - a program - and you can probably still download software - maybe you can integrate into your physical form or something
>Plug-ins and add-ons are standard browser fare now, after all
>Maybe you could download a decent singing voice and wake him up with a song?
>Actually, maybe you shouldn't go around downloading strange things on a whim
>Fuck it, we'll do it live
>You prance back into Anon's room
>You clear your throat - now with an actual reason to do so
>Your heart's doing 200 Km/h
>You figure you'll try a slower song that might fit your voice
>So 'Amazing Grace' it is
>A bit sappy, but apparently popular
>You take a deep breath
>Open your mouth
>And you let the words flow out
>Oh shit what the fuck are you doing
>You don't stop though
>Anon stirs in his bed
>He rolls over to face you
>Rubs the sleep out of his eyes
>You're still singing
>Miraculously, there's been no voice cracks or major hiccups
>You beam at him
>Even though your inner self is terrified and screaming
>Do browser ponies have an inner self?
>No time to get metaphysical now
>You finish with, well, grace
>You still hide behind your mane, though
>Oh fuck he's just staring at you
>And he laughs good-naturedly
>In a way that says "I was not expecting to see this today"
>He takes a hold of you like most people would a cat
>And puts you on his bed
>"Opera, were you...singing?"
>His voice is riddled with confusion and amusement
>You physically retreat a step and nod
>He brushes your mane aside
>You let him
>You are, truth be told, a bit proud
>He woke up with a smile, after all
>Without touching him, even
>Achievement unlocked: "Look ma, no hands!"
>Your eyes dart back and forth, then finally agree to settle on him
>You notice he could use a shave
"Y-yes, I..I did. Did you like it? I wanted to wake you up gently you see."
>"Yes, I liked it Opera. Thank you for being so thoughtful."¨
>He grabs his clothes and starts getting dressed
>Thus giving you quite the eyeful
>Your blush worsens, and you feel funny in your nethers
>"Also, way to live up to your name"
>He smirks
>The lameness of that joke helps you shift mental gears
>You make your voice as dry and scathing as you can
"Ha. Ha."
>You roll your eyes for emphasis
>Wait, what was that?
>Was that your voice?
>Didn't sound like you
>You think
>Anon just shrugs at your reaction
>Still wearing that smirk of his
>"So what do you want for breakfast?"
"Oh, I already ate, thank you for asking."
>He looks surprised for a moment, then nods
>"What'd you have? I thought I was out of horsie food"
"Ah, no, there was still a scrap of lettuce left."
>He frowns
>"That doesn't sound very filling"
>He's right, your stomach didn't seem entirely satisfied with such a paltry amount of food
"Honestly, it wasn't, but I couldn't leave the fridge open too long, lest I be infected by bacon radiation"
>Where'd that cocksure confidence come from?
>Nevermind that now
>He nods again
>"Yeah...I'm not much of a herbivore. Do you mind bread and cheese, though? Or jam, for that matter?"
>You consider the ingredients of the mentioned foodstuffs