>"Alright, how are we doing today Mr. Anonymous?"
"Just call me Anon."
>"Sure, Anon. We want you to feel like you can be safe and happy here."
"Sure."
>"Now we're still getting a few things settled so for now... why don't you take a few minutes to acclimate?"
"Sure."
>The nurse gives you her best smile and walks out of the room
>The bed you're sitting on is not only a bit too tall for you to easily climb into but it's only one deviation softer than the hard floor
>It's just as cold
>Your eyes glance up to the small semi-sphere of a security camera
>You really don't have anything resembling privacy while here
>Which makes sense, some of the other people here just look... unwell
>But you're really not doing so bad
>You just had an accident is all
>You watch the wall
>The nurse comes back in
>Along with... something else
>A plastic looking... pony?
>Except it's moving on it's own
>The way jostles when it moves, it sounds almost like a knight in a suit of tin armor
>You don't let it show but you recognize the pony
>Kinda
>It looks like a plastic, moving Pinkie Pie
>Except it's so faded that it's translucent faint pink
>Her eyes lock onto you
>You flinch
>Her eyes look real, not some cheap sort of thing
>They dilate and constrict while focused on you
>"This here is Missy Pie! She isn't made of pie but she sure loves to help out our newest friends and patients! Would you be ok with her helping you out? I know you're a boy but pink is in style with everyone these days."
>Of course you don't mind
>But your poker face is strong
"Sure, I guess."
>"Great! Now she'll help keep track of your medicine times and also act as your companion while you're here and feeling better. You don't gotta worry about charging her, she's a smart little pony and can do it all."
>Missy Pie stands still once she's in front of you
"Sure. Thank you."
>The nurse smiles and walks out
>"And remember, don't close the door!"
>Of course
>Missy Pie smiles at you, as if she likes what she's looking at
>In some feat of profound acrobatics, she jumps up onto the tall bed without difficulty
>She sits next to you, facing your side
>You don't really say anything
>You aren't sure what to say, even
>"Anon, hiya! Are we playing a quiet game?"
>You don't want to be rude to the plastic pony
>She, or it, is hospital property but you can't just shirk it away
"Not really. I kinda just don't know what to do here."
>She smiles at you
>As much as she clicks and clacks around, she's able to give you a real smile
>"Are you just visiting or are you a patient here?"
"Me? No... no, I'm a patient."
>You get to wear your normal clothing but the plastic bracelet on your wrist is pretty hard to overlook
>The edges kinda irritate your skin but you can't do much about it
>"Whatever happened? You look healthy as a horse!"
>She laughs, the sound having an uncanny echo inside her own plastic shell
"I... uh, I guess I haven't done anything."
>The plastic pone tilts her head, eyes shifting size at you
>"Well that's silly, what happened?"
"I guess I almost did something. And I was found. So I'm here now."
>You feel Missy Pie sidle up to you
>She feels warm
>Plastic, but not hard plastic
>And warm
>"Please don't."
>That's all she says
>That's all it takes, really
>You wrap your arm around her and your built up emotions pour out
>You're here for at least a month
>You aren't alone, at least
>You're not sure what will happen but in that moment, you feel like the pony might actually be the first real friend you've had

>Missy Pie sticks to your side all day and evening
>For dinner time, you sit in a small seating area
>It's all in the same wing of the hospital so you don't walk further than down the hall and around a glass wall
>Everyone else that's a patient is also seated, paired up with their own funky looking pony
>Some look a little worse for wear
>Some of them don't look nearly as happy or as positive as Missy
>They all look familiar to you but there are enough obvious changes and alterations that they seem just vaguely familiar
>"Yay, dinner time! Rub a rub dub, here comes the grub!"
>She watches one of the nurses give you a small tray that holds a plate and a set of plasticware
>Just a fork and spoon
>Of course
>All of the other patients seem... odd
>Most look normal enough, if a little older than you
>Some are younger
>One of the younger patients looks completely far gone
>But you know you aren't far gone
>You just wanted out
>You weren't being crazy or anything
>You knew it wasn't a good thing
>But you just wanted to be done
>You don't do anything but stare at your food
>The pony bot notices
>"You look like you're really tired... sleeping can be done later but you should really eat up for our next adventure!"
>You never really had any adventures
>No positive ones anyway
>By the end of dinner time, you haven't touched a single thing
>One of the nurses comes up to you and Missy Pie silently shakes her head
>You aren't looking at her but you can see her out of your peripheral vision
>The nurse takes your food away
>"Alright, just don't complain if you're hungry later! Last chance!"
>You're largely unresponsive
>"Alright... looks good though. Someone worked hard for this."
>The nurse walks off
>You only feel worse for being stuck here
>Sorry, whoever made the food
>It really should've gone to someone more worth it
>You don't react but the pony's pink body begins to flash between pink and blue
>"Anon, it looks like your body is reacting to something... what are you thinking? Are you ok?"
>You shrug, your eyes glued to the now-empty table
"I suppose, sure."
>She lifts up one of her hooves and puts it on one of your hands
>"You can't have fun if you aren't honest... you can tell me, you know."
>She says that
>But you know that at least two nurses are watching you
>Evidently her flashing lights act as a warning system of some sort
"Yeah... I know. I'm sorry."
>"Aw, don't apologize... it'll be ok."
>It's nice to hear but you don't believe it
>After a little bit longer of just watching and sitting, you're led back to your room
>Climbing the unusually tall bed isn't the greatest
>Especially since Missy Pie can get to the top of it in one hop
>At least her alert colors subsided
>You sit on the bed, looking down at the paper-thin sheets on it
>It's really as hard as sitting on the floor
>Missy Pie watches you, always smiling
>Maybe not a big, cartoonish smile
>But it's a sign of positivity
>"Wanna play a game?"
"I'm not really good at games."
>"Hm... how about Donkey Kong! You can hop around the room and I'll pretend to throw barrels at you!"
"No, that's ok. I wouldn't want to break anything."
>The medical pony giggles
>"You wouldn't break anything! I know you like video games! You got a whole lot of creativity, to like those!"
"I guess."
>You really don't mean to be so difficult
>But you just don't have the will to move
>Your will won't, technically
>The pink pony watches you, studying you
>Who knows what she's thinking about you or how you're bothering her
>"You know, you really aren't a harm to me. I enjoy helping. I can understand how it is to feel so lost. I've gotten lost dozens of times here!"
>You see why she's trying to be funny
>But you just aren't feeling it
>You close your eyes and begin to lean back until you're laying on your back
>Almost immediately you can hear her lights start to flash
>There's a small whining coming from her
>Probably an alarm
>"Anon, you can't sleep just yet! We still have the entire evening! And you haven't even introduced yourself to your friends!"
>The whining from her starts to increase in volume
>You really do lack the energy to move
>You can feel yourself drifting off, leading you into a different world entirely.
>"Anon, wake up! Now isn't the time to sleep! It's not how you play any games either!"
>Sorry, pink horse
>You really don't have the will to stay in this waking world
>"Anon... Anon! Help, I need a hand!"
>You don't know what she's worrying over
>You aren't going to do anything
>You just want to go to sleep
>The last thing you hear is a nurse running in the room, asking what's going on
>Anything else is pure blank

>"Anon, good morning! Good morning, Anon! Bright and shiny day!"
>You can hear an excited, gleeful voice
>That pony again
>You somehow managed to sleep despite how hard the bed was
>You felt warm too
>That doesn't make too much sense given how thin the sheets are
>You try to move but your left arm is stiff and hurts
"...ow."
>Missy Pie is sitting to the right of your head, her tone faltering a little
>"We... had to draw some blood. I hope you don't mind! Starting today, you'll be taking some medicine, yay! And due to how hard you slept and how we couldn't wake you up, we thought you might be dangerously low when it comes to blood sugar levels so we just gotta make sure!"
>Great
>No, really, you love being stabbed in your sleep and left with an arm that might snap off at the elbow
>"And... well, I hope you don't mind... but we also maybe gotta draw blood every night for the next week. We gotta make sure you take your medicine and that's the easiest way to confirm!"
>Nice
>You finally manage to sit up
>You're still in your normal clothing
>Everyone else you saw were dressed normally
>You were expecting to be stuck in a gown or something equally degrading
>Missy Pie flashes green for a single pulse and smiles
>"Yay, morning circle time!"
>She bounds off the bed and clops onto the hard floor, taking a few steps before turning to watch you
>"Up and at 'em, Atom Anon!"
>You probably don't have an option to lay in bed all day
>You wish you were home
>Except because you were at home you were tricked to being stuck here
>You follow the medical pony into the hallway
>Seems like you're late
>At the end of the hallway it opens up
>The entrance is there
>And heavily monitored
>And locked
>But remember, it isn't a prison
>Just feels like one
>"Well now, good morning. Anonymous, right? Every morning, we introduce ourselves and we talk a little more about why we're here. Since I'm sure you're still shy, why don't we let you go last?"
>You're offered an empty chair and take it
>As if you have a choice
>Everyone who's too young to be staff is sitting down
>Each have their own pony
>All of them have the same frizzy, curly mane and hair
>But each one is a different color or has a vaguely different face
>Yours seems like the closest to the true Pinkie Pie
>By a loose definition of "closest"
>One by one, they seemingly go down a list
>Their names
>Why they're there
>How they're doing
>What their goal is for today
>Everything you don't want to talk about
>Until it's your turn
>You just sit there
>A trio of older girls, all of them in for anorexia, just watch you
>As does another group
>Seems you're number seven
>Lucky day
>After enough silent staring, you finally speak up
"I'm... Anonymous. I'm here for depression and..."
>You aren't being completely truthful but you've never said anything more detailed, so they wouldn't know
"... thoughts of suicide."
>You feel so warped out of your own head due to the situation that you swear you can see behind you
"I... don't feel happy to be here. My goal is to go home."
>That's all you say
>You don't mention anything like hobbies or interests
>Missy doesn't speak up either, but she is looking right up at you
>Probably scanning everything and anything about you to learn how to game you better
>"Hi Anonymous."
>Almost everyone says in their own way
>"Very good. Now we can't promise that you get to go home today... but you get better and get a few things done and you'll be out of here before you know it!"
>You doubt it
>But you really aren't in a position to do anything about it
>The rest of the day is a complete blur
>School's out so there's no real requirement for enforced learning
>Someone's in the TV room, a room that's surrounded by giant glass panes for walls and even has a window leading outside, watching a movie
>So you can't get in there
>A glance at the window tells you that you have to be at least six floors up
>One of the more rowdy, unstable kids ended up in the 'safety room'
>A literal fucking padded room just yards away from the eating area
>This place is a mad house
>You really don't belong here
>You just wanted to be done
>That's nowhere near the level of crazy you're hearing, bashing against the walls and screeching
>The kid's Missy Pie is more green and looks depressed
>"Wow, he's energetic today huh... you could sure use some of that energy slowpoke!"
>Your Missy Pie gave you a small tour of the wing, though it's maybe a grant total of five areas
>One of which being your room
>Since it's 'free time' for a few hours, you just go back to your bed
>"Anon, it's not sleeping time yet! Are you still hungry? If so, dinner's in a few hours!"
>You did have breakfast
>A tiny plastic container of cereal and skim milk
>You normally have 2%
>But they only had whole and skim
>And you don't like whole
>You evidently don't like skim milk either
"Yeah... alright."
>You just sit there or an hour or longer
>Most likely longer
>Missy Pie just watches you, visibly anticipating you getting up and wanting to play
>But you don't
>As young as you are, you haven't felt like a kid in a long time
>Besides, you don't have anything with you
>No games
>No books
>You don't even have an extra set of clothing
>Eventually, Missy Pie makes another leap of faith onto the bed from the floor down below
>"You know Anon... your mom should be here soon to drop off your stuff. She loves you, you know. I do too."
>You don't say anything
>You're stoic
>You want to be strong
>But your eyes water and soon you can't even see
>But you aren't weak
>The loud, sudden 'hic' doesn't count
>Missy Pie sits near you, nuzzling your side
>"I understand... being alone is ok sometimes. We all need our time to decompress, don't we?"
>She doesn't sound like she's lecturing you or something
>She sounds like she's asking you
>You don't have an answer for her
>For all of your swirling thoughts words don't once come up

>The day goes by quickly, given you've kept zoned out
>Missy Pie did her very best to get you to smile, even once, but you just didn't have it in you
>By the time dinner rolls around again, you eat maybe a fourth of it before stopping
>Mostly because you were also given medicine
>Pro-something and something-quil
>You can't swallow pills so the best you can do is chomp them down and try to not retch from the bitter, lingering taste
>One's a solid pill while the other is a capsule containing the most vile of white powder
>The sheer taste of it knocks the sense of reality back into your head
>Missy Pie watches in stunned silence as you stubbornly devour the medicine despite how violently it assaults you in retaliation
>What little you do eat, doesn't eliminate the taste
>When you finish, you grimace at the plastic pony
>She goes out of her way to try to smile at you but it looks as terrible as you feel
>"That's... ok... wow, that's a first. You sure are... brave, Anon!"
>You grimace
>This bitter taste in your mouth is what's real, no matter what you're being told about how you could be out in a week, or that you're stuck here
>No matter that you were brought here on a lie
"I've been told that it takes more muscles to frown than smile."
>Your words catch Missie Pie off guard
>"That's... yeah, that's right! It's super easy to be happy, a lot easier than being sad all the time!"
>The bitter taste in your mouth isn't going away
>Most of the pill and powder is gone
>But the taste remains
"I don't want to be happy."
>You look at her directly for the first time
>Since you're with your pony, none of the nurses really pay you much mind
"I want to be strong. And I'm too weak. I'm too weak to help at home. I'm too weak at school. I'm too weak to even..."
>You sigh, shaking your head
"I can't be happy and weak."
>Your words cause an unusual effect on her
>She isn't smiling
>She looks at you like she's meeting you for the first time
>"Anon... honey... you don't need to be strong. You're a kid. Adults should be strong for you!"
>If only they were
>Not a single adult you knew stopped you from being bullied and tortured
>At home or at school, none of them did anything, but you were in trouble if you fought back
>You were weak
>You are still weak
"I need to be stronger."
>That's all you say to her
>You want to mention all of that to her
>But she wouldn't get it
>She really wouldn't understand you
>None of the nurses here would
>No one here would, regardless of age, they're all stuck because they don't eat or they puke after eating, or they think they're best friends with Phil Collins
>"Well... how about this! When I need help, I'll ask you for it! There's nothing wrong with helping someone, right? Friends help each other all the time!"
>For some reason that makes the corner of your mouth twitch
>She seems to pick up on it, smiling again
>"You know, we are friends! I promise I'll help only as much as you want, and if I need it, I'll come to you!"
>After a few minutes of watching her, you finally nod
"Yeah... alright."
>The next few days go by quick
>A little too quick to tell
>You have a schedule but you absolutely lose track of time, relying on the nurses and Missy Pie to tell you where to head next and what needs to be done
>Your mom visits
>A few relatives visit
>You've gotten used to thinks to the point that you've even been cutting up and joking around a little
>Whenever your family visits, they laugh like it's the best stuff they've heard
>You even joke about being some sort of freak because you're stuck in the hospital
>Not even a half hour away from home, which helps a bit
>You do feel nice because they laugh
>But you know they're doing it for your sake
>Missy Pie helps you out, learning to be a great comic foil for you
>A lot of the anorexic girls there think you're weird, but "in a good way"
>More days pass
>Weeks, even
>You've kinda stopped caring about the state of your life
>Every morning, you repeat the same things in the circle
>Effectively admitting that you're a failure
>They may phrase it differently but it's true
>You couldn't do it so you're stuck
>Worse, you have to deal with having failed at even that
>Though, in your defense, you didn't attempt it
>You knew there were risks of it not working
>So you just planned it out as much as you could
>And evidently you were caught, either planning or something else came up
>Whatever it was, all that mattered was that you failed
>You're still here
>After enough time, some of the older girls start to cycle out
>Every one of them gets a little booklet of sketches and writings
>You don't really know what to put down since you don't socialize with any of them
>So you just write your name down
>When it's finally your turn to leave, even you get a little booklet
>Evidently Missy Pie started it up, proud and happy that you're paired up with her
>The green one that you recalled, that looked depressed, went away when that nutty kid did
>The anorexic girl that left had a blue one that looked like Fluttershy
>You haven't seen her anywhere either
>With your meager belongings packed up and your mom in some other place signing paperwork, you're alone in your room again with Missy Pie
>"Well, today's your last day! Aren't you excited?"
>You try to smile but you can't
"Not really... why can't you come with me?"
>If it weren't for her, it would have remained a hell to be here
>It still was
>But it was manageable and almost even fun, with her
>She offers you an apologetic smile
>"Well... you know how you've helped me? It's my calling to help others!"
>Her calling meaning her job
>Of course you knew that it was her job
>But it still sucks
"Then... how about I visit here again?"
>She stops smiling
>"No, Anon... honey, please. You don't wanna be here again or for longer!"
"I know but..."
>You can't spit your words out
>You're still too weak
"Alright..."
>You eventually leave the hospital
>You end up home again
>But it doesn't feel like home
>Once more, you're without a friend
>The following six months are outpatient visits
>A therapist too
>It doubles as your 'school', but it doesn't help much
>You've lost your motivation to focus on grades
>You even lost your motivation to stay at school
>You're still too weak
>Or maybe, this is the beginning of your strength
>Rather than being told to stay at school, you just leave after your favorite classes
>Rather than be told to deal with bad classmates, you just stop going to school
>You've wanted to ask about what ever happened to Missy Pie
>But you could never bring it up
>Your mom always looked at you funny when you brought her up
>So you learned to stop talking about her
>But you never forgot
>The stoicism
>The inability to rely on others to make the effort to understand or connect to you
>It became your strength
>Your lonely
>Cold
>Stone-faced strength
>You learned a lot about computers during those years
>You wanted to find her, but you couldn't
>You didn't have a clue of what to do
>Your friends could never relate
>Eventually, that time you spent with Missy Pie
>In the hospital
>It became something only you knew about
>Something you'd never tell anyone
>Why would you?
>They wouldn't understand
>Until you figured out that bootleg, unusual ponies were available to buy
>Kinda like Missy Pie
>By that point, it had been almost fifteen years since then
>She'll never see how strong you've become
>As much as it hurt
>And as much as you wished you had succeeded back then
>You wanted her to see how strong you were
>One day
>After having spent years meandering
>You got a pony of your own
>You finally did it
>You would have a friend again, at your lowest point
>You were willing to overlook the details
>You wanted that type of friendship again
>Like before
>Except...
>"What'd'ya think yer doin' lad?"
>What the hell
"What the hell."
>A yellow pony with an orange mane and some bad picture of tomatoes on her butt stumbles out of the box she came in, spilling out packing peanuts that kept her case safe
>"An'a right g'marnin' t'y'too. Talkin' 'bout hell when y'should be greetin' me. D'ya know jus how long I've been cooped up in t'damned box? Thought I'd have me a new friend and what doth my shiny eyes find? Some slackjawed ninny about to pluck them out!"
>The way she moves
>The way she talks
>The way she looks
>It's completely different from Missy Pie
>Or any pony you've physically seen
"Let's... let's restart. I'm Anon."

>For once, you don't wake up first
>You feel a pair of hooves on your chest, shaking you back and forth
"What... what? I'm up."
>You just barely manage to mumble out something
>"Anon, you were having a really bad dream... Sparks told me, uh..."
>"That it was like a hot needle you were poking my head with."
>"...right... you got any clue what she's on about? Are you ok?"
>You attempt to open your eyes but think otherwise as soon as you realize you can't see out of them
>Tears were in the way, enough to obscure your vision
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine..."
>You immediately move to wipe your eyes, failing to hide a sniffle
"Gah, morning allergies, huh..."
>You struggle to sit up, composing yourself in record time
"Alright... alright alright alright... what's up, what time is it?"
>You glance at both ponies at your sides, clearing your throat with a rumbling grumble
>Neither of them are convinced of your act
>"Anon... what's up?"
>Jacky's as worried as can be, looking at you like the time you more or less decided to spend an evening laying on the floor
"I, uh..."
>You see that Dashie isn't around
>Not that you particularly care
"I... yeah, I, I. I guess I had a dream from... a long while ago."
>"You should tell her abo-"
>Sparks begins to pipe up but she cuts herself short
>"About what? What don't I know about?"
>The rising concern in your little pony's voice is heart rending
>You aren't surprised that Sparks would have known about it
>If you weren't woken up, who knew how much worse it would have gotten
"So... a long while back I was... weak. And that led to me being in a pretty bad place. I kinda only made it out because of it, her."
>"Her...?"
>Jacky's eyebrow raises at you
>More surprised than anything accusatory or concerning
"A... pony, that was in the hospital. A robotic one, really. Was made of some sort of soft plastic, helped me keep track of medicine intake and... well, yeah. I was a stupid kid. So I ended up in a stupid situation."
>At the mention of you having another friend, a pony even, Jacky smiles
>"Hey, that's awesome! Where is she?"
>You avoid her gaze
>You have only heard or read rumors
>But supposedly her line of medical aid ponies ended up self-terminating
>Ironically, putting ponies that were created to spread joy and cheer and pairing them with suicidal or mentally unwell children would lead more often than not lead to depressed ponies
>Even if they were synthetic made with digital minds, that destroyed you
>Like a bomb going off under a mountain
>No visible damage but a lot of what's under the crust was destroyed or left gaping, empty, and hidden by darkness
"Jacky, I... I don't know. It was a very long time ago and I..."
>You don't want to finish that sentence
>You really can't
>It still feels like talking about the recent death of a relative or a loved one
>Worse, it's still recent and you weren't allowed at the funeral
>"She's... probably gone, Jacky."
>Sparks covers for you
>But hearing that
>Man that stings
>Jacky looks to you for some form of confirmation
>The only thing you can do is turn your face away from her and nod
"Yeah... yup. It, uh, yeah."
>The rumors and supposed information was less than five years old
>Which means that if you were smarter, quicker, or cared more, you might have still had time
"Anway, what're we doing? Where's Prism?"
>Whether or not a defense mechanism or a quick way to change the topic, you focus on the obvious
>"Anon..."
>Sparks trots off the bed and out of the room
>"She's on the patio, talking about her wings or something stupid. I'll fix breakfast this time so you can take your sweet time waking up."
>She sounds a bit caustic but the inflection of her words at the end hint that she's just teasing you
>Now that it's you and Jacky, she pushes her face against her side
>"It's ok... you don't gotta say any more about it."
"Yeah... I know."
>You wanted to say that you 'were fine'
>But that'd be a lie
>And you just can't or won't lie to her
"Hey Jack..."
>The strongest effort is going into sounding like you aren't broken up over it
>"What's up, Anon...?"
>You should tell her
>But is this really the time or place
>What is the proper time and place?
"I... uh."
>There's no way you can really work your way up to talking about this
>You look down at the bed, choosing to not look her in the eyes
>You usually do pretty well when it comes to eye contact
>An old habit, avoiding eye contact, feels like it never left
"When I was a kid I was pretty sad all around. And I just wanted things to end so... well, I didn't succeed at that. And some people noticed. So I kinda spent seven or eight months with a lot of people watching over me pretty closely like it was their job-and it was."
>There are no brakes on this emotional train
"And the pony I had as my sort of... professional friend and well-being monitor. I worry that a lot of my negative thoughts and urges might have had a hand in something bad. I remember this green plastic pony and it... she, whatever, whoever. She looked like she was ready and willing to just shut down for good. And the one that watched over me, I wasn't always good. And I said some really bad stuff that even then I could tell hurt. I was really good at that, saying just the right thing to hurt someone."
>It feels like all of some incoherent rambling that is only barely connected together
"And if I fucked so bad that it affected someone else, even if it was some... program. I don't know, Jack. I'd be perfectly fine with sacrificing the worthless little shit that I was if I didn't leave such negative impacts."
>Somehow, it was the long and short of it
>Except not really
>A lot of it was just bottled up thoughts and self-stabbing regrets that just never really went away
>No matter how hard you insisted it was gone
>She watches you throughout the entire spiel, eyes focused on you without once leaving
>As it progresses, you can see her expression change
>From supportive, to neutral
>To finally despair
>She hugs your side with all her might
>Which isn't a tiny amount, your fridge can attest to
>"Anon... if you did that, you wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here. You've done a ton of good..."
"Yeah... yeah. But it isn't enough. You know?"
>"Sure it is, Anon... I'm happy. Sparky's happy. Dashie's warming up to you just fine and she's happy."
"Sure..."
>You would never shoot her down
>You know how to do that
>You know how to make it sting too
>Being more a listener than talker has its perks
"Thanks. I didn't really mean to have that pop up."
>As if you had a choice in the matter
>"It's alright, trust me! You gotta listen to all of us screw up and you see how it's gone, right? It's more than fine!"
>She sounds like she's trying to convince you hard
>Hearing the tone in her voice is more than enough to remind you that you gotta be better for her
>Not for yourself
>Sometimes, fuck yourself
>But for who genuinely cares for you
>That's enough of a reason
"Yeah... I get you."
>You grab your discarded shirt from last night and blow your nose in it
>You needed that
>"Remind me to not sleep on that one for future reference..."
>You scoff
"That's hardly the worst thing out of me that you've slept on."
>"Sure but at least you weren't fully awake for it."
>And just like that, you're back to goofing off
>Your mood isn't all that lifted
>But you are focusing on something other than yourself
>It's better that way
>You lay back down
>Jacky jumps onto you as soon as it's able
>She immediately circles around once, and lays down on your chest
>Her face near yours
>"Y'tired...? It is still early..."
>You sigh
"The sun's already up, isn't it?"
>"Well I guess you could describe it as that..."
>You nod, exhaling
>For a split second, the bed feels so hard it may as well be concrete
"Yeah... let me keep going for a few more minutes. When Sparks makes breakfast..."
>You give out a long, fatigued yawn
>That sleep and dream left you more tired than you were last night
>And it wasn't even all that sociable or active
>"I will... I'll be your protecting angel."
>That's right
>'People with ropes around their necks don't always hang' was the quote
>You've been swaying in the wind
>But you do seem to have an orange haired pony that's looking after you

>You feel like you slept an entire night's worth, with Jacky on your chest
>It almost feels like it was just a bad dream, telling her all that you did
>You didn't regret telling her all of that
>But part of you worries
>Not a big part
>But more than nothing
>With your senses at ease, you react quickly to a pony-sized face rubbing against yours
>"Hey Anon... Sparky said she fixed some stuff. She's doing really good with magic now, ain't she?"
>You absentmindedly nod
"Yeah... she's great. Both of you are..."
>You yawn, your arms stretching out to pop and re-adjust
"Really something."
>You still feel like you're in a deep, claustrophobic pit
>But with her there, it feels like it's just a cave that's perpetually climate controlled
>You're worried about how she may see you now
>But you've introduced more personal, weirder things
>You struggle in vain a few times to sit up
>She's still on your chest and she doesn't seem to want to budge
>"Anon... are you sure you're ok? You can sleep in today. No one will mind, we can keep the volume down."
>You wipe the corners of your eyes, some thoughts still lingering
"Sure... yeah, I'll be alright. I guess I just needed to get that out there. In case push came to shove and you had to make a decision or something."
>Thinking on your daily life and how things are, there's really no chance of any serious situations popping up
>Jacky kisses the front of your throat
>"Come on... what are you even saying? I think you're almost sleep talking at this point. Nothing's changed. You're still you, I'm still me... and we're still us. There's no reason to think anything has changed. I just wish I could tell you more about my past and stuff, to kinda make it a little more even."
"Yeah... I know. I appreciate it, darling."
>You want to get up but you feel fatigue weighing you down five times beyond your limit
>Everything feels loose, like most everything has given up or shut down
>A good mirror to your mental state
"Hey Jack..."
>"Anything, Anon."
>She didn't even pause in replying with that
>Where were all of the girls like her before?
>Did they even exist in human form?
"I... I kinda forgot, honestly."
>She giggles and kisses your throat again
>"You're so silly when you're sleepy."
"Yeah..."
>You thought you were ready to get up but no dice
>You bring up your hand, clasping onto one of her hooves
"Jackolantern... if/when I doze off again. Don't let go, ok?"
>You can feel Jacky's head lean against your hand
>"Of course I won't. You could be on a cliff side and I would still dive in and grab onto you."
>How?
"How? You don't have hands?"
>"You just leave the thinking to me... I'll have a plan."
>Leave the thinking to her?
>You must really be out of your mind
>You chuckle at that thought, without any external context
"That's my Jack."
>You feel everything fade away again
>Except for the silhouette of her
>You've found yourself getting closer and closer to her still, despite all of the logistics and questions between man and mare
>Then the thought hits you
>A blinding white knife of light in the darkness, cutting out a path
>A necklace
>Or something
>You should get her something like that
>She deserves that much as is
>But what about money?
>You're pretty much broke again
>Fuck it
>You really are not in a coherent mindset
>But you want to give her something
>As if you haven't already spent five digits for and on her all around
>Jacky can't hear you think
>But you wish she could have even more
>You don't need much anyway, so you can use it toward her
>That sounds like a plan
>You shut down once more, sleeping just enough to feel like you're floating
>You gotta find her favorite type of food before making it too
>A big feast all for her
>And the others too
>That sounds good

>Be Sparking Shine
>After enough time with everyone, you've found your... thought processes changing
>You really aren't all that eager to leave anymore
>You never really were
>But especially now you don't want to
>You can still hear Anon mumbling in a half-delirious state
>He must really be tired to go into that mushy word salad crap
>It kinda burns you up that you have to be the responsible one
>But it shouldn't because he wouldn't be able to trust Jacky with breakfast and actual, real responsibilities
>Jacky's able to do her part for him
>You can too
>After trotting into the kitchen you see Prism laying out on the patio, with the door still open
>Something about her really bothers you
>Anon didn't say how much he spent to get her, but you know
>You know what some would say is too much
>And it makes you very angry that he has no intention of telling her
>He deserves to have his action be recognized
>That stress was part of the reason why he had that nightmare again
>Why you jolted awake before anyone else
>Why you kicked Jacky awake and told her to help you get Anon to wake up
>That entire nightmare was like watching a horror movie, with no way to stop or skip it
>Entire months skipping by in what was probably hours, searing your mind with his thoughts, urges and regrets
>You wanted to cry
>But maybe some of Anon's strength rubbed off on you too
>Even if it didn't, you couldn't be the weakest link
>Without really thinking about it, five things happen at once all around you
>You still take vitamins every now and again, telling Anon that it's because you're still learning
>But when you really want to, you can almost be as magically attuned as Twilight
>She annoys you too
>You glare at Prism with a growing sense of hatred
>She's so ungrateful and she hasn't even been worth it
>Friend of Jacky or not, she's interrupted everything
>Whether or not the nightmare's lingering emotions are the cause of your shaking, you stop out to the patio, closing the door behind you
>You don't worry about the kitchen
>Jacky isn't going to leave Anon's side and Anon isn't going to see that you have at least seven things moving all at once
"Prism. You useless layabout..."
>The pure venom in your voice is paired with a furious quivering of your lips
>Prism, seemingly oblivious to what's ailing you, curls her head back until she sees you
>"And a good morning to you, Sparking. Is something the matter?"
>Her polite, fabricated air of sophistication is maddening
>She's as much as a worthless street filly as you are
>Were
>She tried putting on airs without ever actually trying to be useful
>Her looks were her only skill
>Her femininity and 'oh please help a poor girl like me' act
"Anon's in there having nightmares, he's stressed, and he's all... all over the place. Because you're here!"
>Her eyebrow quirks at the mention of Anon
>"Oh? This is the first time I've heard of this. Jacky tells me only the best of the man. You'd think he walks on water."
>The faintest flavor of condescension stokes your fire only further
"Get off your ass and look at me directly! Do you know what he's given up to get you out of that death trap?!"
>Prism waits a few moments before getting up from her half-laying position, only to lay down again
>Facing you at least
>"Jacky told me it was a lot... should I feel guilt if he chose something of his own free will?"
>Without pausing to mull over the answer, you burst out
"YES! Show gratitude or... something!"
>You're at a loss for words but she's the most acceptable target for your outrage
"You don't know him at all. Jacky doesn't either! Only I do!"
>You start to lose focus, fuming over everything all at once
"You're... useless! You're as useless as you were when we were kids! It's always been me and Jacky getting shit done and getting what we need! All you did was stand there and look pretty and when there were consequences you were always conveniently off and..."
>You can't even string your words together
>Maybe this is something that's been bottled up for a long time now
>Not only are you remembering more by the day, but Anon's nightmare put everything under so much more of a strain
>Prism looks at you
>Almost like she's looking through you
>"Sparking Shine... have you ever wondered why we weren't all arrested despite us always being the same three filthy ponies scamming anyone and everyone that would give us the time of day?"
>Because you always outran them, obviously
"No, tell me."
>You scoff at her, as if she could honestly have an excuse
>"Even guards are only stallions."
>She doesn't sound sad
>Or even mad
>She just states it like it's a fact
>You wanted that sentence to fly over your head
>But it hit you harder than anything you could imagine
"That's... but you weren't even a part of..."
>"If I've been... unfair or ungrateful to Anon. Or, I should say, if you think I have been, then I'm sorry you see it that way."
>She smiles and glances off to the distant treeline
>It doesn't go into a forest but it is a good distance before it goes into someone's back yard
>"Jacky's as happy as she's ever been, you know. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen her so happy. Her belly's full, her heart is full of lovely fluff and sunshine, her head is full of violent movies and she talks about what she would do if she were the hero in all of them."
>She glances back to you
>The way she's staring at you makes you take a step back
>She isn't angry
>But you get the feeling that she's not afraid to hurt you
>"Do I owe Anonymous for making my Jacky the happiest mare in the world? I do. Do I owe him for getting me? No. Not for my own sake."
>She blinks only once
>"But I do owe him for 'saving' me, on behalf of Jacky. More so, if it's because of all of us being together, you owe Anon even more than I do because without him, you wouldn't even remember as much as you do now."
"That's..."
>You try to find a hole or two in her argument
>You know there's a lot
>She isn't smarter than you
>But she's calmer
"Then... then do something about it..."
>All of that fire led up to only hot air
>"And what can I do? Jacky would regretfully sacrifice you and I for his sake, I think. We may be her friends... but he's more than a friend. And I think we need to accept that before we get any..."
>She stares at you, as if she's appraising something flawed
>"...ideas."
>And what does she mean by that?
>Anon wouldn't sacrifice anyone if push came to shove
>He'd sacrifice himself with a smile
>"He has you, and he trusts you. It's obvious what you've been doing. But either both of them are too oblivious or they don't really care. But you shouldn't lay the way you do."
>Your face flares up as much as your mood
"You shut up! I..."
>Where does she get off, addressing you so blatantly?
>When was she ever the type to do that?
"I sleep better with my legs elevated!"
>Prism nods sympathetically
>"Oh, of course you do, darling... you just also want to hope that he gets an eyeful so he'll be tempted. Right?"
>The disgust on your face has slowly melted away
>But now it has completely transformed into astonishment
>"You're not as smart as you think, Sparky."
>She spreads out, her wings spreading before they retract again
>"I really don't know why you're wasting time talking to me anyway... I'm a useless lump, right? You're the real MVP here. I think you should go back to being useful so you can earn your keep."
>She doesn't sound like she's mocking her
>But you know she is
"This isn't over, Prism."
>"I know. And I'm ever so happy to talk to my good friend who calls me useless. Just not in front of those two, ok? They're happy and that's more than what either of us could ask for. Isn't it?"
>She turns her head away from you, content to nap in the morning's sunlight
>Without another comment, you open the patio door and trot back in
>You finish up breakfast, because you said you'd make it
>She's wrong
>She's wrong about a lot of things
>You'll show her that she's wrong
>But maybe you did want him to notice you like he notices Jacky

>Anon spent the day in bed, even after breakfast
>You left him and Jacky alone, taking one of his handheld consoles to the living room so you'd have something to do
>Magic has almost become natural to you now
>But you still hide it from Anon
>You like how he compliments your efforts
>So you... maybe under perform a little
>You're not really proud of it
>But you enjoy the feedback
>Of course Dashie knows that you downplay yourself
>Jacky probably doesn't
>From what you've seen, she's only gotten happier and bubblier and more carefree
>You're happy for her
>Really
>Honestly
>But you want to be that way too...
>Dashie finally comes in, but only due to rain starting to come down from outside
>She sits next to you, watching you play
>It's just an RPG
>You do your best to ignore you, huffing in frustration
>"Sparking."
>You don't answer
>"I'm sorry."
>The corner of your mouth twitches
>But you don't say anything
>"Whatever we were before... that's who we aren't now. If we have anything to believe in, it's that things are going to be different."
"...I know."
>You don't have any interest in talking to her
>"This is a new start. For you, for I, and for Jacky. And we've already seen just how much Jacky has changed."
"...yeah she has."
>"So maybe we need to change too. I need to."
"Sure."
>She sounds genuine but you just want to focus on your game
>You feel a hoof on your shoulder
>The corner of your mouth twitches again
>"You said that I owe Anon... we owe Anon. I don't know how often he spends all day in bed but maybe we need to do something to help him. You're close to him, far more than I am. What do you think he would like?"
>Once again, she blindsides you
>She has a point
>You finally look away from the game to Dashie
>She looks sad
>You just do not understand this pony
>You always remembered her to be cold and sorta detached
>She was by far the most 'professional', whereas you and Jacky were bums with empty bellies
>Of course, she was the exact same
>But she looked like a normal pony, just a bit more thin
"So... you really care?"
>"Because of... no, not because of how he affects Jacky. Because we're all together again, I do care. Whether or not I fit with you three or not, I can't let myself be the reason things go wrong."
>You look at her like she's stupid
>How could she be the outsider?
>It's always been...
>Well
>Actually it's always been Anon and Jacky
>And then you came in
>And now then Dashie came into play
>Is this some sort of trick going on?
"I don't... I don't get you, Prism."
>The way she talks circles around you is tiring
>You shake your head at her, huffing
"You aren't the odd one out... Anon doesn't want you to be that at all. He just wants us all together and to..."
>You sigh and roll your head on your shoulders
>"Be happy and silly like Jacky?"
"...yeah."
>Dashie smiles at you
>Her silky white mane looks like it's as meticulously brushed as ever
>She just looks so proper
>Who is she putting on airs for?
>"Is that so bad to be?"
>Is it?
>What would be so bad about being happy?
>The more you think on it, the more annoyed you are
"Shut up..."
>You just want Anon to feel better
>And you want to be happier too
>That's where it hits you
"Wait."
>You stand up, your eyes going wide
"Shut up!"
>Dashie cocks her head at you
>"I am?"
"No! No no no, hold on! I got it!"
>Without waiting to explain it to her, you gallop to Anon's room to get the second laptop
>He's dead asleep on the bed
>Jacky's draped over his right shoulder
>Her twintails are undone
>You can't even see his face due to it being covered with her mane
>You're not jealous
>You just wish she was somewhere else so you could be there
>But that's not important right now
>You have the idea and you're going to make it happen
>The laptop levitates off the corner of the bed, and over your head
>You trot back, thinking of some of the more... unusual things that Anon likes
>This is going to take a lot of work
>And it's going to really be sorta embarrassing
>But you're going to make it happen, whether or not Dashie wants to be a part of it
>After getting on and accessing the wonderful world of the internet, you show Dashie a specific page
>A specific video
>And tell her your plan
>"Oh... oh my..."
>Dashie looks at you, aghast
>"You're... goodness, Sparking. You're serious."
>You grimace, lips twitching into a dark smile
"I'm as serious as a heart attack, Prism. We're going to surprise Anon with this once he comes back from work tomorrow, or I'm going to roast you alive."
>Now that you have a proper goal, you're hyped up to eleven
>Now that you've managed to surprise Dashie, you feel in control of the pace of things again
>This is far better
"Now you have five minutes to prepare your throat."
>"But what about Jacky?"
"She's sleeping. It's just going to be you and me doing this."
>"I don't know about this, Sparking... this really is not you or me. This is really something that she would be a natural at. Maybe we could-"
"No! She can watch, we're doing this and that's that!"
>Just wait until tomorrow, Anon!
>If this won't make him happy, nothing will

>Be a tired, workhouse Anon
>You've been pretty stressed lately, truth be told
>The nightmare that plagued you all of yesterday didn't help either
>You kinda hoped that no one saw you speaking lovey crap to Jacky whenever you were awake for a few minutes
>You even think that she fed you breakfast
>This morning, it was just you and her in bed
>You saw Sparks and Dashie sleeping with YouTube playing so maybe they've been hanging out
>Good for them
>You were concerned about how everyone would gel together but it seems like Dashie just isn't all that social
>Worn down, you drag yourself from your car to your apartment door
>Alright Anon
>Get out your cool guy face
>No, not that one
>With a heavy sigh and a hard shake all around, you head in
"Alright, who's ready fo--"
>As soon as the door closes behind you, Jacky runs up to you, beaming as widely as she can
>"ANON, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!"
>You hear Sparks screaming from the living room
>"YOU SHUT UP OR ELSE!"
>Jacky 'eeeee's and stamps her hooves down on the floor
>Either the neighbor has learned to live with the noise or they've left
>"Come on, quick! Hurry!"
"Yeah, yup, alright."
>You kick off your boots and follow Jacky into the
>Living room
>Possibly?
>The speakers from your TV in your room is set up on a small tower of boxes
>Some of your thinnest bed sheets are
>Oh shit
>Someone somehow pinned them to the ceiling
>It doesn't even reach the carpet, but it does leave the other side of the room pretty obscured, minus a foot or two to see four pairs of hooves behind it
"Am I just in time for something?"
>"S-SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN. JACKY, NOT A WORD OR I'M BLASTING YOU TO CHINA."
>You shrug and sit down
>Jacky sits down next to you, of course
>She leans in, giggling
>"I know there's a Chinese place a few streets away from the online maps so that ain't far at all."
"True enough but they eat everything there."
>"Including pony?"
"Especially pony."
>"Well that's not so bad..."
"As in cannibal eating."
>"...oh."
>As you derp around with Jacky, you can hear frantic whispering from behind the strung up blankets
>Sparks sure sounds nervous
>Or agitated
>It's hard to tell the two apart
>Even Dashie sounds a little hesitant
>What is this supposed to be, a play or a comedy act?
>The two go at it until Sparks stamps down her hoof
>"NO, IT'S THE OTHER ONE."
>Jacky guffaws at the anticipation
>Whatever's going on, she must've had a front row seat to it
>So that's why she didn't get a chance to return any of your messages
"Should I grab some popcorn for this? Should I come back until...?"
>"N-no need, Anonymous, we're just about ready."
>You hear a hushed whisper
>"We are ready, aren't we?"
>"O-OF COURSE WE ARE, STOP DOUBTING IT."
>That borderline frantic tone in her voice tells you that it's a big deal
>She must've been focused to find a way to somehow stick your sheets to the ceiling
>You lean back, getting comfortable
>Whatever this is, you really can't excuse yourself to get up for even a drink
>But they keep talking behind the blankets
"If you guys are gonna need a minute, I can-"
>"NO, WE'RE READY. AND A ONE TWO THREE FOUR"
>wat
>Your speakers kick to life, absolutely blasting a... familiar song
>But you're too blasted away by the volume to recognize the first few seconds
>"SHIT SHIT"
>You can almost make out Sparks screaming something
>The volume tanks down to maybe 10% of that to where it's above a whisper
>"Sparking, just..."
>"NOT ANOTHER WORD."
>The volume levels out to something that fills the room but not so much so that it's at ear raping levels
>Wait a second
>You absolutely know this song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsccjsW8bSY [Embed]
>The intro begins to play
>Jacky's head bobs back and forth to the tune
>She must've been listening to it all day if what they were preparing involves it
>On a practiced cue, Sparks jumps out while Dashie struts from behind her side like a model
>"Home, is where I want to be~"
>They're singing in unison
>"Pick me up and turn me 'round~"
>They both rear up on their hind legs and turn around, back to back
>"I feel numb, born with a weak heart, I guess I must be having fun!"
>Dashie's smile seems serene, while Sparks can't help but grin
>But you can tell that the lyrics are affecting her far more
>"The less we say it about it the better! Make it up as we go along."
>"Feet on the ground, head in the sky~"
>They get back on four legs with their heads held high
>"It's ok, I know nothing's wrong, nothing"
>"Oh! I got plenty of time!"
>Even Jacky's joining in for the chorus!
>But you think that's more just her being excited to be in it rather than her being part of the act
>"Oh! You got light in your eyes!"
>Due to their choreography, they step in unison until they're side by side
>"And you're standing here beside me! I love the passing of time!"
>"Never for money!"
>They shake their heads the same way
>"Always for love!"
>They nod with smooth opposing timing
>"Cover up and say goodnight! Say good night..."
>With a bit of a musical interlude, Sparks does her best to avoid the gaze of her audience
>Dashie seems like she's having fun with it, though her wings haven't really moved from their stowed away position
>Jacky sways to the music but she's...
>More than a little off beat
>You're surprised those two are doing so well together
>"Home, is where I want to be, but I guess I'm already there!"
>The two show ponies walk toward one another, Sparks head hanging low
>"I come home, she lifted up her wings, I guess that this must be the place!"
>Dashie's wings spread out just as the lyric comes up
>Even though she hits one of the hanging blankets
>Those are some seriously sizable wings
>"I can tell one from another! Did I find you, or you find me?"
>Jacky nudges you while singing along
>Feeling a little put on the spot you can't help but smile
>All of them put in a ton of effort just for you
>"There was a time, before we were born! If someone asks, this is where I'll be, where I'll be~"
>Both of them twirl about face, facing away from each other again
>"Oh! We drift in and out!"
>They spin again, face to face
>Maybe a little too close together since Dashie's neck is a little longer than Sparky's
>"Oh! Sing into my mouth!"
>They turn to you and Jack
>"Out of all those kind of people? You got a face with a view!"
>They start to step forward
>Jacky's singing along, hugging onto your arm tight enough to cut off the circulation
>You're too mesmerized by it all to even react
>"I'm just an animal looking for a home and, share the same space for a minute or two!"
>All three of them sing out, loud and proud
>Sparky by far has the deepest or heaviest voice out of the three
>Dashie's the complete opposite, light and serene
>Jacky's somewhere in the middle, where the passion outweighs the practiced precision
>"And you live me till my heart stops! Love me till I'm dead!"
>They trot to the tune until they're sitting at your sides
>Everyone's swaying to the tune
>You included
"Eyes that light up, Eyes that look through you! Cover up the blank spots, hit me on the head I got oooooooo-ooo-oo-oooh!"
>You join in for the last lines, hitting the high note like a skilled howler monkey
>You did enjoy singing while alone
>And you were alone a lot
>But not anymore
>You're not alone
>And none of them are, either
>Everyone's where they should be
>This apartment, that you considered as mere storage for your crap and a place to sleep
>It's home
>All four of you sit there while the outro plays
>The song ends and the speakers die down
>Two of the three are giggling
>Sparky isn't
>Her face couldn't be more red
"That was... holy shit, girls. How long have you been practicing this?"
>"Well you see, Anon, Sparks came to me and..."
>Dashie purposely trails off, giving her best shit eating grin
>"And it's none of your business how or why it happened!"
>"It was awesome, Anon! You should've seen the practicing! Sparky was a total drama queen!"
>"It's true. Every single misstep was an earful from her. I'm surprised her voice didn't give out..."
>"Well you know, she's always been the screamer."
>"It's true. Half of her threatening aura is just how loud she can be."
>The two rib on the poor unicorn who's just not able to deal with it
>You lean over and pat her on the back
>She jumps at the attention and looks at you
>She doesn't say anything but her eyes say enough
"You did great. Thank you."
>Her lips tremble and she whips her head away again
>You chuckle and wrap your arm around Dashie, since she's closer
"And you too! How the hell did you manage to get this going? I didn't know you guys were so theatrical!"
>The pegasus smiles and tilts her head
>"Well... I guess anything is possible if you're motivated enough, right?"
>Jacky climbs over your lap to hug onto Dashie
>"She's awesome, right? Dashie can do almost anything!"
>You notice that Sparks is on your other side, alone
>She stands up, as if to walk up
>Before she can leave your range, you scoop your arm under her belly and drag her into your lap
>She lets out a frantic cry but doesn't exactly stop you
>You don't relent until she's sitting on her butt, with her back to your stomach and your hand on her chest to keep her propped up
"Both of these weirdos are! Can you imagine our little mastermind concocting up something so great?"
>Jacky flops over your leg, nuzzling against Sparky's belly
>"It's true, I've never seen her more focused!"
>Dashie circles around to the other side of you, assaulting Sparks with nuzzling from another angle
>The unicorn is completely trapped between one man and two mares
>You can hear her squeal out something that attempts to sound angry
>"G... get off me! I'll cook all of you! I swear it!"
>All three of you let out a collective 'awww' and intensify the attention
"What, not used to being the center of attention?"
>"She's so awesome!"
>"I think someone's in need of more love, poor thing!"
>Sparks tries to fight against the three-pronged assault but her motions get weaker and weaker until she's whimpering death threats and insults
>You get the feeling she really isn't used to all of the positive reinforcement
>It's not teasing
>Well it is
>But you mean it
>You know that the other two mean it as well
>Once everyone runs out of things to say, it all becomes one pile of aftermath
"You girls did great. All of you."
>Sparks shrugs, trying her best to sound rock solid
>But she sounds about as soft as a melted chocolate
>"Jacky was keeping an eye on you so she didn't have enough time to actually join in on the practicing..."
>Dashie nods
>"And it was hard enough for two. Three would've required a more energetic song."
>Jacky shrugs
>"And honestly I'm pretty sure I'd have more fun watching it than actually doing it."
"Was this... because of yesterday?"
>You didn't want to worry them about that, as impossible an ask as that would've been
>"Not really. We wanted to do something for you for a while now. And... you like the song so we rolled with it."
>Jacky chimes in
>"And it's kinda spooky how well the lyrics match up so well with how things really are, right?"
"Yeah... songs are kinda timeless like that. Music can be pretty amazing motivators."
>For some reason the speakers kick to life again
>"LOOKATME,HEREFLYINGAROUNDTHEROOM,BRINGINGDOOM,ASMYBIGREDBALLOONCOMESDOWN"
>Everyone jumps at the rapid fire rap that comes out of nowhere
"...is the Autoplay still on?"
>Sparks, renewed and taking advantage of the distraction, leaps out from your collective clutches and runs to behind the laptop
>"BRINGITONITAIN'TNOJOKEWHENIFLOAT,YOU'DBETTERLISTENTOTHEMOTHERFUCKIN'LYRICSIWRO--"
>The song cuts off
>She pokes her head out from behind the hanging blanket
>"I... uh... I forgot the autoplay was on."

>Another week come and gone
>Ever since the little music and pony show, spirits with everyone have been high
>The "stage" area has been kept up
>Even from down the hallway you can just barely hear music coming from your door
>Given the music, TV and other crap people play, you certainly aren't the odd one out for producing aural shrapnel
>As soon as you sneak in, you hear one of the girls going at it
>"I'LL BURN IT, I'LL BURN IT, I, I, I'LL BURN IT DOWN!"
>Quietly slipping off your boots, you bellow out
"Metal, blood, noise, and fire! Tell me what you most desire!"
>"A-ack?!"
>"Hey, Anon's back!"
>Jacky's the first to greet you
>"Hey Anon! Did you hear Sparky going at it? She's becoming a big star with how much she's singing now!"
>Sparks trots like a madmare from behind, panic on her face
>"Y-you shut up! I am not! I'm just killing time!"
>"You've certainly killed a lot of it then. Care to join us, Anon?"
>Dashie's head pokes out from around the corner
"Sure, I wanna chill with you guys."
>Jacky bumps Sparks out of the way, trotting back to her spot
>Sparks, likewise, gives her a dirty look before following
>She's been doing a lot better this week
>She still occupies your left side when you sleep
>But she hasn't really been intrusive with her magical mind melding crap
>As far as you're aware
>The living room looks completely transformed from what you remember it being
>Rather than being sparse and borderline empty, it seems like a new campground for ponies
>The blankets are still stuck to the ceiling
>The speakers are still in place
>There are a ton of blankets and pillows splayed out everywhere
>Most of them were just sitting in your closet so you're happy to see them getting used
>You sit down next to the biggest mass of pillows
>Jacky bellyflops onto your lap, bending and twirling in place until she manages to lay on her side, back to your stomach
>Sparks watches her flail around without shame until she's comfy
>"You're such an animal sometimes, you do know that."
>"Oui oui, je suis une cheval!"
>She poses with a proud smile
>She glances up at you
>"I've been practicing, you know."
>You chuckle and nod, patting her ribs
"J'ai faim et soif."
>Jacky beams
>"It's almost four, thank you!"
>Your smile grows wider
>You look at Sparky
>She returns the smile
>"Yeah, I know."
>Your smile returns to Jacky
"You know, I still remember some of my old stuff from high school. Maybe we can find some movies that I recall from my school days? It's all in French; it's about some guy that romances his cousin or something."
>"Ew, his cousin?"
>Sparks doesn't seem all too enticed
>You shrug
"It's... well, it's French. That's kinda how it is with them. It's all family wreaths rather than trees."
>Jacky snickers
>"If I were your sister, we could be a French couple."
>You raise your index finger to object
>But it wouldn't be incorrect
>Wouldn't not be wrong
>But it would be apt
"...ok, fair point."
>"You sure are more than you appear, aren't you Anon?"
>Dashie seems content to spectate in your shenanigans rather than to join in
"Well sure. Isn't everyone? You're only as strong as your weakest point. Jack of all trades, master of one."
>"How do you even learn all of that, though? Where can you pick it up?"
>Sparks seems interested in it, and she's surely poked around enough to have a deeper understanding of your shallow breadth of knowledge
"Well I guess the internet helps. It's gotta be something you're interested in. Or maybe something you just want to figure out."
>Jacky huffs and arches her side, wiggling against your hand so it covers more of an area
>Out of every pony, she definitely has the least amount of fluff or fur, but her longer mane and tail more than makes up for it
>You didn't want to mention it but it seems like Dashie's pretty tufty and fluffy
>You aren't exactly close enough to her to start poking around
>Sparky's fur seems to be growing out a little compared to the first time you noticed her differences
>Maybe you should look into grooming them or something
>Is that something you should even attempt to do?
>"What good is knowledge that you can't use?"
>Jacky pipes up
>"I mean, it's neat and all, but if it just makes you more stressed or worried then... well, I don't know."
"Ignorance is bliss?"
>"Haven't you heard, a fish is worth a thousand words!"
>You nod to yourself
"Gal's got a point."
>Sparks seems unconvinced to say the very least
>Dashie simply smiles and nods
>"You two certainly seem like two minds of a same kind."
>"Thank you."
"Same. I think that's a compliment, anyway."
>You keep patting Jacko's chest, playing her ribcage like a steel drum
"So. I got a bit of a thing going on, and in a few weeks I'm gonna work a little differently."
>Dashie and Sparks tilt their heads at you
>Jacky doesn't really seem to care less with you tenderly brutalizing her side
"I found a new place. And... when it comes to work, it's gonna be a little different. But it is gonna pay more. So my savings and all of that will come back a lot quicker. And it means we'll be able to do more stuff, once the ball gets rolling. It's also... marginally safer work. So that's a thing."
>"Oh, congratulations Anon. How did that happen?"
>"Yeah, when did this start?"
>You shrug
"Well, I guess it's been going on for a while. I've been looking around for stuff that's better and I suppose I found it."
>Sparks gives you a queer look
>"When I was..."
>She cuts herself off, pursing her lips
"Hey, I got a mind like a steel trap, lady. Nothing goes in, nothing comes out."
>You squint at her and stop patting Jacky to tap the side of your head
"Nothing in... and nothing out."
>You say as if the off-brand comment is supposed to be impressive
>Pleased, Jacky shivers on your lap and shrugs
>"So... what even are you gonna do?"
"You remember that gun shop Tuco went to?"
>"Yeah?"
"Kinda that, except far more guns, far less banditos, and more computer work."
>"Whoa... cool..."
>Jacky's eyes widen, impressed at the mental imagery only she could produce
>"I didn't know you could do that."
>You shrug
"Neither did I. But I guess we'll find out."
>"So what, exactly, does that mean for us, Anon?"
>Dashie, ever the responsible one, doesn't seem to mind cutting to the chase
"Well I guess I'll be working later. Which means I'll get to sleep in more. But that means I leave later and show up later."
>"How late?"
>Sparks seems dubious, which is fair
"Late enough where I'll probably miss dinner."
>No one likes that answer
>"Well screw that, I'll just make dinner later!"
>"We get to sleep in together every day?!"
>"Making dinner later won't be an issue. It's not exactly like we have any schedules to follow, ourselves."
>Everyone has their own points and opinions on the matter
>It'll certainly help you recover on your bank account side, which kinda led to you making the change
>You'll be missing out on comfortable familiarity and goofing off but you can't let yourself get too complacent either
"So... yeah. I guess that'll be a thing."
>"Well... should we celebrate?"
>Sparks looks around, as if suddenly aware that nothing looks all that special
>"I mean, we should, shouldn't we?"
>"With what?"
>Dashie's new to the Anon household celebratory fashion
"Jacker?"
>"Anononon?"
>Jacky meets your gaze
"Get the Japanese bottle."
>Jack's eyes widen and she flops off of you going at full sprint to your room
>Sparks rolls her eyes at the sight of the bottle
>The first one you had has long since passed, but his son hasn't even been opened yet
>The bottles are definitely expensive but it's worth it
>Dashie has a blank look on her face, as if she's expecting an explanation
>"Am I missing something?"
"Oh, yeah. Whiskey?"
>"Who?"
>Sparks lets out an aggravated 'ugh'
>"It's crap... I would avoid it."
"You just can't hold it, you flounder-weight."
>The unicorn's eyebrow twitches
>"Is that an insult?"
"It's me calling you a wimp."
>She stare turns more intense
>"Alcohol's flammable you know."
"And with it I'm gonna burn brighter than you could imagine."
>Dashie's head pivots back and forth like she's watching a ping pong match
>"So is it good?"
>"No way."
"Absolutely."
>You and Sparks speak at the same time
>Her bitter glare combats your smug grin
>Jacky gallops back into the room, whinnying with the full bottle hanging out of her mouth
>You pop the neck of it out of her mouth
>Sure enough, the seal is still there
>With a flick of the wrist it is undone, as is the cap
"To it being a Friday night in which I say 'fuck it', and celebrate a new beginning."
>Jacky beams at the bottle, eager for her turn
>You don't drink often and as much as she enjoys it, she doesn't feel the urge to drink by herself
>Except that one time...
>You take two solid gulps and immediately convulse
"Yo ho that's good brain killer."
>"Gimmegimme!"
>You tilt the bottle and Jacky's lips wrap around it
>She gulps
>Again
>Again
>God damn girl
>You tug the bottle away after the fourth gulp
"You're under watch, that's expensive drink. Gotta savor it."
>"I'll savor you in a few minutes, watch me."
>"Jacky!"
>Dashie seems utterly shocked
>The conflicting stories on the booze, paired with Jacky guzzling it down, doesn't sit well with her
>"It's fiiiiiiiine! I hardly ever even get into the stuff. You should try it!"
>You nod approvingly and move your arm to the pegasus
"Just a sippy sippy?"

>"Sippy sippy!"
"Sipperoo."
>Dashie looks at the both of you, perplexed as to if she should cave to peer pressure
"Sippy Longstockings?"
>"Siptanic?"
"The Good, The Bad, and The Sip?"
>"Sipbusters!"
"Just the sip."
>"Just the sip?"
"Just the sip of the sip."
>You can see the confusion clear as you and Jacky go back and forth
>"I... if it's safe for Jacky..."
>You and your party pony let out a triumphant 'yeah!'
>Sparks sighs
>"I'm going to watch this trainwreck unfold this time. At least one of us has to be responsible."
>"I don't see a reason not to so..."
>Dashie's head leans down, tilting upward
>You put the bottle to her lips and tilt it upward
>After a second, you pull the bottle away
>Dashie gives you a queer look, mouth full of whiskey
"Now you gotta swallow."
>"Gulp it down!"
"The sooner the better, honestly."
>Dashie, deciding that she's already in too deep to stop now, gulps
>And shivers hard, snorting through her nose
"Almost!"
>"Yeah!"
>She gulps hard again and sputters out, bringing her hoof up to her mouth
>"What did I just drink?! How could either of you stand that?"
"It's the good shit, that's how."
>"And come on, it tastes good too!"
>Dashie looks at Sparks for some form of confirmation
>"Are they serious?"
>The unicorn bitterly frowns
>"Deathly."
"Ahh... man, what I would give for a projector. Do you know how awesome it'd be to watch a movie that's as big as your wall?"
>You and Jack chat about the utility of having a home theater while Sparks and Dashie listen
>A lot of it probably goes over their heads
>Then it hits you
"Hey Prismus."
>"Wha?"
>Though it hasn't been too long, you can see that the drink is starting to have an effect on her
>She looks more relaxed and more than a little less alert
"Have you ever seen our favorite movie?"
>Sparks furrows her brow
>"Wait... have you seen it yet?"
>The unicorn slowly shakes her head, trying to clear the fog building in her head
>"I... I don't know? I don't recall."
"In that case... to the bedroom!"
>"To the... hey, wait a second."
>Jacky gets up to move with you but plops back down
>"... the speakers are out here... and the TV is in there."
"That's true, isn't it..."
>"Yeah..."
"Sparks."
>"Sparky!"
>The red pony puts her hoof to her forehead
>"Dear lord they're becoming the same person...yes, what is it?"
"Can you unhook stuff and bring the TV out here?"
>"Or undo the speakers and set them back up in the room?"
"Either or."
>"You're awesome, you can do that."
"And you aren't drinking, so you can be trusted."
>Dashie giggles at the antics that seem to only intensify once alcohol comes into the picture
>"And we'll be far more comfy on the bed."
"There we go!"
>"She gets it!"
"Set us up, Franz Ferdinand?"
>"Who?"
"Guy sings about fire."
"Oh!"
>Every back and forth leads to a greater and greater sense of frustration for her
>"OK I'LL DO IT, WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP ALREADY?!"
>Dashie giggles further
>"You really are the best."
>"YOU TWO, NUMBER THREE."
>You get to your feet and stretch
>It'll take more than one solid gulp to do you in but you're excited for the night
>Jacky, on the other hand, is hitting it hard
>You have no clue how she can hold her booze despite being so much smaller
"Onward, troop!"
>Jacky gallops ahead of you
>Dashie brings up the rear
>She is walking in a straight line but you can see that she's being very deliberate in her steps
>Just as you round the corner toward your room, you see Jacky pounce from the ground to your mattress!
>She soars
>Like a freshly intoxicated bird
>And half lands on the bed with a muffled 'oof'
"Y'alright?"
>"She really is energetic, isn't she."
"When she's happy and on the inbound train to be drunk? Yes."
>Dashie sighs
>It's a sigh like she's finally letting off weight from her shoulders
>"You really are special to her."
"Well she has you too. And she has our dear little Sparkplug. Anyone would be happy, wouldn't they?"
>You confidently stride toward the bed, only to lean forward and bellyflop onto the bed, mimicking Jacky's finesse
>You can hear Dashie trot into the room
>"Should I... jump onto the bed too?"
>You raise up your hand with a thumbs up gesture
>"Well... alright!"
>You hear a 'fwoof' of wings spreading and hear her let out a loud noise
>Somehow, she jumped so well that she lands on your back
>The less than graceful landing leads to her chin hitting your shoulder and her hooves landing close to your head
>"That was great! Are you ok?"
>You mumble something resembling an 'ow' sound
>Jacky propels herself forward with her hind legs like a ferret until she's against your side
>"Impact! Boosh."
>She swings her head into your side
>You say something to her but it all comes out muffled
>"Sparks...Spaaaaaaaaarks! Speakers!"
>"Sparking, I want to watch a movie with them!"
>You let out a prolonged, muffled scream that is only barely audible
>"Sparky!"
>"Sparking!"
>Another long, muffled screech
...
>Nothing
>"I think she's ignoring us..."
>"Loser... hey Anon, did you bring the bottle?"
>You didn't
>But you don't say so
>Whether or not you really intend to, you find yourself just being far too comfortable to carry on shenanigans
>It feels nice having Dashie lay on you
>You have no clue if her wings are out or not but it's just cool enough in the room to warrant a light horse blanket
>Or a light horse acting as a blanket
>Without realizing it, you're out like a light


>Be me
>I've gotten more used to drinking
>Anon usually keeps me going, when it comes to momentum
>Anon doesn't answer me
"Hey Anon... kaboom."
>I drag my head against him again, going from a side headbutt to a nuzzle
>Maybe it was because I didn't have dinner or water but my head feels that much more fuzzy than usual
"Anon... you didn't die, did you?"
>"Jacky... this is some fun stuff."
>Dashie sounds like she's affected
>She's not slurring her words but she sounds abnormal
"Right? When I first met Anon and I was naught but a wee lassy talki' aboot ma box, I had a strong thirst if ye believe."
>I naturally slip into my Irish/Scottish accent
>The more time that has gone on, the less I recall about it
>Anon likes the French accent the most so I just haven't bothered to keep up practice on the other ones
>She laughs at my weird voice
>"You are both so fun. I'm so happy that it's like this."
>I nod, inhaling the scent of bed
"I am too."
>I clear my throat
"Dashie... you know how we used to talk about sharing everything?"
>"Like it was all yesterday."
>That makes me smile
"I want Anon to love all of us and I want us all to be happy."
>I bury my face against Anon's side, as if Dashie could see my face anyway
"But... I don't want to share him when it comes to being especially his. What we're like... what we do when we're alone..."
>"Like drink and act silly?"
>I nod
"And... more."
>"I understand. You really don't need to explain any further."
"Thank you... but can we still talk about stuff like we did before?"
>"When he caught us talking and embarrassed you?"
"Y... yeah."
>Dashie lets out a surprisingly loud bark of a laugh
>I had never heard her laugh like that
>"My Jacky... you really do love this creature of a man."
>I don't reply
>"Remember when that bakery colt gave us bread whenever you'd talk to him or I'd flash a smile at him?"
>I nod, my face rubbing against Anon's side
>"I was worried that we would both be left to scraps and the charity of strangers. But you escaped that. I couldn't be happier for you, sister."
>For the longest time I really did think it would be like that too
>Not once did I imagine I would get a chance like this
>Not even once
>Maybe that's why I'm so happy to confront everything head on
>He believes in himself and in me
>In an 'us', frankly
>I want to believe too
"You aren't alone either Dashie... but... I don't know if I could live with myself if I shared him. I know he and Sparky has got some bond. I'm jealous."
>Dashie snorts, yawning loudly
>She's rather unladylike after her drink
>"Whatever she has to offer, you can blow out of the water, darling."
>"Yeah... I can't compete with you alright..."
>A bitter Sparks speaks up
>The pair of hefty speakers are floating above her
>"Don't worry about me..."
>My vision turns from Anon's side to Sparks, though my eyes just can't focus on her
"Sparky... you know I don't mean anything by it.."
>"Whatever. Anon and I are friends, same as he is with everyone else. I can't compete with you on what you do and we both know that."
>She begins to set the speakers up again, without even looking at them
>When did she get so good at magic?
"Dang you're getting good. Anon likes you too, Sparky. You know that!"
>"Whatever... you two do whatever you want."
>She gets onto the bed and rests at Anon's side, right behind you
>"I'm not stopping what I'm already doing.."
>What does that mean?
>I laugh, feeling my head spin ever so slightly
"That's so silly. What is there to stop and not worry about?"
>I try to talk more to Dashie about Anon but she soon stops answering
>Sparky isn't answering me about anything at all but she still sounds awake
>Unable to really figure out m y thoughts, I retire at Anon's side
>I was looking forward to seeing Tuco shoot those banditos again
>The first thing I feel is a hoof pressing against the back of my head
>I try to lift my head up but said hoof keeps pushing me down
"Git... git off'a me dangit!"
>I channel my inner Ma and shake my head
>"Jacky..."
>A pathetic whimper of voice calls out
>"Jaaacky... Anon's dead..."
>What?!
>I jerk my head up
>And immediately fall over again
>It must not have been that long since I fell asleep, I can still feel the alcohol
>A little more now than I did before
>I raise myself, my head lolling along
>Dashie's still spread out over Anon's back
>But she looks like she's been crying
>"Anon's deaaaaaad Jacky!"
>True, Anon isn't moving
>I land my head on his side
>And rotate to where my ear is up against the side of his ribs
>And...
>He's breathing
"He ain't dead, Dashie. He's just sleeping."
>"Ooh noooooo! Anon, come back to us!"
>I haven't heard her sound so sorrowful in so long
>Given how droopy her face looks and how her wings are splayed out and loose, the drink hit her hard
>To be fair Anon doesn't ever have beer so it must be a bit of a system shock to her
>If the room energy were higher I know I wouldn't feel so affected
>Some food would help too
"Dashie you washie, Anon ain't dead!"
>I punch Anon's side with my front hoof
>Though delayed, he lets out a long, low groan
>Dashie throws back her head as if her one wish in life was granted
>"HE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!"
>Her head falls back onto his back, her entire body going limp
>"Thank goodness..."
>I sputter a laugh at her
>Why would she be so theatrical?
>At least he is ok and isn't dead
>I awkwardly roll back and forth until my back is against Anon
>Feels weird to sit like a person
>I lean over and nudge the curled up Sparky
>She can't be out of it, she didn't even have a snooze
"Hey. Heeey magic mare. Don't make me touch your butt."
>You poke her flank with your hoof
"Boop. Heheh."
>Sparks brings her head up
>Is her horn glowing?
>How long has that thing been glowing?
>She has got to lay off those vitamins
"Hey Sparky..."
>I hear a sigh
>"Yeah?"
>Though my muscles are a little too loose to be dexterous I give her a lopsided smile
"You know we'll always be friends, don't you?"
>I don't get an answer
"I'm the happiest pony in the world, Sparky. And I wanna make sure everyone important to me is the happiest they can be too. I don't want you to hate me."
>The glow on Sparks' horn fades
>"...Of course I know that."
"I don't want us to be like Anon and his friends."
>While he used to talk about them a lot when it was just him and I, he never talks about them anymore
>And I did hear a good chunk of the conversation he had with Sparks about his friends not contacting him
>He really does not get a lot of time to be completely alone
>So I know he never has to answer his phone for messages or anything
>Except for emails of things on sale
>"...We won't be, Jacky."
>I smile more, even though she isn't looking at me
"If we had a big fire... ignoring any pony who would start it, I would save you as quickly as I would save Anon or Dashie. If I could only save one of you I'd try to save all of you or die trying. That's my choice."
>I keep poking her flank with my hoof every other word
>She's kinda bony
>But poking her feels fun
>Sparks sighs again and sits up, scooting out of reach
>"I'm glad you say so..."
"We're in this together, Sparky spoon."
>I nod as I speak
>And even after I speak
>"You're a lush, Jacky."
"Thank you."
>I nod and accept the compliment with authority
>She looks over at Anon and Dashie
>"He's stressed."
>I could tell
>But I didn't want to say anything
>If I did, it might just make him more stressed
"He's just... you know. Tired."
>I try to smile again
"And I know. I do what I can. What little I can."
>"Hey Jacky."
"What's up?"
>I abandon my previous train of thought and focus on her
>"How about I go grab that bottle... we're at half strength. But how about we watch that movie?"
>After dodging a drunken lunch of a hug, she backs away from me
>"I'll... take that as a 'yes'."
>She returns with the bottle of Japanese whiskey and glares at it
>Then me
>She pops off the top
>Gives a heavy sigh
>And takes the smallest sip
>I'm not even sure she did anything but taste it
"Alright Sparky! One of us! One of us!"
>I swish from side to side, cheering for her
>It's usually more effective if others were joining in
>"Oh shut up... I don't see what any of you like in this... something tells me Dashie's gonna drink more of this in the future too."
>I giggle
"Yeah, Dashie's a super lush."
>Sparks just stares at me
>"You're an idiot."
"And you love it!"
>Sparks frowns at me
>But shakes her head and chuckles
>"Yeah, I do."
>Due to how good her magic is, she sets up the movie without fumbling around once
>With the speakers reinstalled, everything is set up perfectly
>The whistling
>The 'aaah ahh ahh ahhh ahhhh'
>The gunshots
>The opening is awesome, no matter how many times I see it
"Anon! Dashie! Get up! Get UP!"
>I nearly scream, though it's only fitting given how loud the movie is
>Anon, hearing the proud, thumping music, screams a muffled 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh ahhh ahhh aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah'
"Waaa wa wa waaa!"
>He drags his face up
>Poor thing looks tired
>Until he sees the sights and sounds of the opening
>He tries to move but Dashie's limp body stops him
>"Quick... get her off me! Dashie!"
"DASHIE!"
>"Dashie, get up and watch this with us!"
>Dashie can only barely move, but she does rub her head against Anon's shoulder
>"Anon, you're so nice to come back to us. Jacky thought you were dead."
>I can barely hear her but I heard enough
"That's a lie! Wake up, we're gonna watch the movie!"
>Anon shakes back and forth until she practically falls off of him
>On screen, the three bounty hunters at the beginning are starting their walk of death to capture a certain ugly guy
>Not a good guy
>Or a bad guy
>But an ugly guy
>Squashed between Anon and the wall, Dashie whinnies and flaps one of her wings
>"Don't crush me, I'm alive too!"
>Anon notices the bottle of whiskey and nabs it, taking a short swig
>"Good on ya, girls. I was wanting to see this again."
>It's amazing how many times we could watch the same exact thing and never get bored
>Every time we watch it, it's a truly unique experience
>Now we get to watch it with our friends
>Dashie, her feathers ruffled and hair less than ideal, drags herself to a sitting position, on Anon's right
>I'm to Anon's left
>And Sparky's to my left
>We all watch the scene of Angel Eyes walking into the man's home
>"Why do they live in that awfully old home?"
>"It takes place in the past."
>"Oooh..."
"Back then shirts were really messy too."
>"Ew."
>Sparks gives one of her trademark 'ugh's
>"Are all of you going to be talking all throughout this?"
"Yes."
>"Yup."
>"Well I would like to know more."
>I hear a flustered growl to my left
>"...so why's his hat shaped like that anyway?"
>I knew she wasn't so above it all

>Be Anon
>Be a very... contemplative Anon
>You haven't started the new job yet, but you're already eager to start the new work schedule
>You kinda missed working late evenings
>You've been sitting in your car for the last half hour
>You're right outside the apartment, and you're sure everyone is having fun
>But you've found yourself starting to worry
>It's been fantastic to have Jacky, and to even have Sparks
>Of course, you wanted to grab Dashie too, before she was gone or something happened to her
>But
>It's led to your quiet, lonely apartment to become full of life, energy
>And noise
>You would never want them to quiet down or feel like they have to restrict themselves
>It's their home too
>But you just can't help but feel..
>Lonely?
>Tired?
>You don't know what to call it
>Especially when you realize just how little you've actively done
>You loved taking Jacky out on your date but you haven't even thought of it due to getting Sparks and Dashie up to date and socialized and through whatever their stuff is
>You're happy to be there
>You really are
>But you kinda wish you could just go out with her again and enjoy each other
>Going so low on your savings hasn't helped either
>And you're getting close to needing to stock up on stuff again
>There's so much that has escalated so quickly and you don't know if you've been able to accurately adjust
>You're happy to have your girls
>Your ponies
>Your friends
>But you just want some breathing room too
>Some time to recoup
>But you can't really do that right now
>You head up to your door, cheesecake in hands
>You couldn't really decide on a reason for it
>But you kinda wanted to treat them
>Both for kicks and almost for an apology
>You slip through the front door and immediately hear Jacky and Sparks singing "I Did It My Way"
>You gotta admit that the little stage they set up has done wonders for bonding together
>You sneak through the kitchen and peek your head out

>"For what is a mare, what she has got, if not herself then she has not!"
>Sparks is really giving it her all
>Jacky follows up, stamping her hoof down
>You're pretty sure the apartment below you in condemned now with how much noise everyone causes to them
>"To say all things she truly feels, and not the words of one who kneels! The record shows, I took the blows!"
>She puffs out her chest to finish off the song strong
>Except she sees you
>Her serious expression melts into that of familiar love and glee
>"But Anon did me hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis wayyyy!"
>Dashie, the captive audience, peeks over her shoulder to see you and smiles
>"So he did! Welcome back!"
>Sparks mumbles something to herself, blushing at the radical change in lyrics
>She's the last to notice you've returned and her blush burns all the brighter
"Had fun, I see. Well, I got cheesecake when you're all ready."
>Dashie's the first one to get up
>From the surprise on her face, it seems like that's a direct hit for her
>"Wait, real cheesecake? For what reason?"
>You shrug
"Because... why not? I kinda worry that I don't do enough for you guys so... I guess it's a bit of a special something cool to snack on."
>You don't see the big point of it
>Jacky and Sparks don't seem all that impressed
>"Is cake with cheese supposed to taste good?"
>Dashie smirks at Jacky
>"Of course it is! Remember the rich kitchens we used to borrow from? Cheesecake is fit for an aristocrat!"
>Well it used to be a bit more fancy, sure
>Jacky, excited to try it, immediately gallops to the kitchen
>Sparks looks less impressed
>"Do we have to eat it by nibbles too or are we allowed to eat it like regular ponies?"
>You set everyone up with a slice, though you opt out of one
>With everyone eating at their own pace, Jacky smiles at you
>"Now why do you gotta worry that you don't do enough for us or anything silly like that? You've done a ton!"
>Sparks nods, silently eating
"Well..."

>It feels a bit awkward but you've said or done more awkward things before
"We don't really go out... we haven't really gone out in a while. Here it's Spring and we haven't done much. Time's gone by, we've all been focused on other things, but..."
>Sparks speaks up, a levitating fork dangling back and forth
>She's really been getting better with her magic you've noticed
>She doesn't seem to struggle at all anymore
>"Now don't go giving us that. We've all been busy with..."
>"Me."
>Dashie speaks
>Sparky nods
>"Exactly, with her. And with me... and with Jacky. To be honest, it feels almost like yesterday that I first got here. But I know it's been a long time. And I know we've all done a lot of stuff too."
>Jacky, ever the eloquent speaker, is stuck licking her place
>It'd be hard to imagine her acting froufrou in any capacity
>She brings up her face, content with herself
>"That really is good stuff... and they're right, you know! We haven't been missing out on stuff!"
>She sighs and rolls onto her back
>"It's nice having air conditioning and heating and fans and stuff... I've spent so much of my life outside I'd be fine with never stepping hoof outside again. This is really like we're rich now. Cheese cake, beds, movies and stuff. I mean what have you been depriving us of?"
>Now you feel guilty and stupid
"Well... I guess I'd want to go out. Have everyone goof around. I don't want you guys to feel like you're cooped up. You know? You guys aren't prisoners or anything."
>To your surprise, the pegasus speaks up the loudest
>"Excuse me but if any of us are prisoners, I would love to see what condemnation looks like."
>She smiles at you
>She looks completely satisfied
>But she's only eaten a third of her slice
>"You've done a noble thing by doing right by all of us. Don't act like you need to give us everything we want and even more without us even asking for it."
"I guess. I just want to make sure that everyone's happy."

>"Don't you worry, bucko, we're great!"
>Jacky trots in the air, her back wiggling against the carpet
>"But you're doing ok too, right?"
>Though it seems like an off-hand question more than anything else, you hesitate
>Her legs slow down while waiting for an answer
>"I mean... you are ok, right?"
"Yeah, of course I am. I just... well."
>Your floundering to speak concisely leads to her rolling back onto her side so she can focus on you better
"I guess I'd like to go out... grab some soil for the plants. Maybe go out once as a group. Another date would be nice too. Maybe do some other stuff..."
>At the word 'date', Jacky perks up into a full standing position
>Sparks rolls her eyes so hard you'd think they might pop out of her head
>That'd be a spooky thought
>"Well why didn't you say so?! It's been a super long time since we went out to that international place!"
"Ihop."
>"Yeah! Wait, that was the name of the place?"
>She seems unsure and brings her hoof up to her chin
>Sparks butts in
>"ANYWAY, what other things would you want to do? It's more than fair that we do things you want too. Didn't you mention camping once before or something?"
>You probably did but you...
>Wait
"Was this when you were talking about killing wolves?"
>Sparky grins
>"Free experience points, Anon."
"We're not going to kill wild animals that could tear our throats out!"
>Dashie, in thought, raises her hoof to speak
>"Are you telling me that you take care of all of these plants?"
>They aren't a lot
>You've had to prune one
>You're pretty sure another needs to be transplanted because some of the leaves are starting to droop
>At least your cacti is standing strong after ten years
>Too much water led to a huge growth spurt over the span of only a few months
"Well... they don't take much effort. But it's something to do. Keeps me from being too isolated from nature, you know?"
>None of them seem to follow you
>"When can we do our date?"
>Points for Jacky being so excited

"I don't know. When are you free?"
>A dumb question but you've been so used to asking that for pretty much doing anything with anyone
>Even your friends, when you still had them, seemed to have to juggle their busy schedules of borderline NEETdom to hang out with you
>Jacky seems surprised
>But that surprise turns to confident smugness
>She cocks her head to the side and giggles
>"Well... you know just how popular I am... I got friends all over the place, and we got movies to watch..."
>She sidles up to you as subtly as she can
>Which isn't much since everyone watches her in mutual silence as she takes one big side step after another until she's right up against you
>She overestimated just how many steps it'd take
>Baby smooth, Casanova Jack
>"How about... whenever you feel like it?"
"Tomorrow evening?"
>"Deal!"
>She glomps onto you with full force
>Sparks doesn't look impressed
>"You two dorks really do fit together, don't you."
>Dashie seems to be a bit more proud
>In the way that a parent might be proud of their child getting a task mostly right
>"Well... she's learning, and that is what's important."
>The twintailed chunkhead doesn't seem to mind their vocal judgement of her
>You don't mind, either
>She's a really goofy pony
>You knew this pretty quick
>You wrap your arm around her and nod
"Don't wait up for us. You know how things turn out."
>Dashie laughs with a grin
>"Oh don't worry. You do something bad and I know where you live."

>Today's the day
>Work went by at a snail's pace, but it made you that much more excited
>Though you probably should've done it far sooner, you had a second date with Jacky planned!
>You... didn't know where would be good
>Ihop again?
>She liked it
>You could bring back a lot of stuff for the other two nerds
>But is it good to go to the same place once?
>You don't know how this normal 'dating' shit goes
>You've had anything but normal experiences
>She'll enjoy it
>And it is just an excuse to go out together anyway
>But you want to make it memorable too
>Fuck it
>You'll blunder through it like you've done with everything else
>You open your front door and
>It doesn't open
>Defaq
>The knob twists but the door itself is jammed
>You knock on it a few times
>After a few seconds you hear something shift around
>The door opens
>Sparks and Dashie block the way, stopping you from entering your apartment
>"Oh, hello Anon. What brings you here?"
>Dashie seems as cool as usual
"What bring me h-I live here, equine Einstein."
>Dashie turns her head to look at Sparks
>Sparky seems just as cool, with a judging expression on her face
>Both of them look at you again
"Whatever you're doing, it can wait. I gotta talk to Jacky so we can-"
>"Oh! You're the Anon we've heard about!"
>Dashie gives a mock gasp, covering her mouth with her hoof
>"Well why didn't you say so! She speaks about you all the time!"
>"She says she's got a date with you."
>Sparks finally speaks up
>What's with that crazy southern drawl?
"...ok, what type of shtick is this. Is she alright?"
>Dashie seems to ignore you
>"Now Mister Anon, Jacky is very important to us you know. We would be terribly upset if we found out you weren't the right sort of man for her."
>Sparky glares at you
>"She's aint fixin' to be sad, right?"
>"I mean, it would be terrible if something happened if you didn't make her happy."
>"You look like you burn good, mister."
>Dashie continues before you get a chance to butt in
>"And, knowing her, she would let you hurt her."
>"Yew like fire, mister?"
>Sparky's southern hick is becoming less hillbilly and more sentient banjo
>"If she ends up hurt, Mister Anon..."
>"You look hot already, Anon."
>That causes you to give Sparks a double take
>Dashie looks at Sparks too, as if that wasn't part of the act
>Only when the two of you look at her does her face change from a rural golem to an embarrassed mess
>"I... that came out wrong."
>Without waiting to hear any commentary, she walks off shaking her head
>You can hear her muttering something
>Soon it's only you and Dashie
"...did you watch that Mystery Science Theater sketch again?"
>"...well we wanted to give it a shot. This is the first time we've seen her go out on a date and family cares about who their relatives date, right?"
"I..."
>Well, they're supposed to
"Alright, fair point. That stare Sparky was giving me was kinda creepy, good chops on her."
>"Yes, she is a little on the naturally crazy side, isn't she..."
>"I HEARD THAT."
"Don't worry, you're naturally crazy awesome!"
>"YOU LIE!"
>You had your fun with Sparks for the day
"So... Jacky? Can I finally enter my own place again?"
>"Oh! Oh, certainly. Sorry there."
>After backing up, you enter
>You aren't exactly dirty but if you're going on the official route, you'd like to have a bit of something different than work attire
>At least a better shirt
>Kicking off your boots, you rush to your room to find something better to wear
>You didn't really plan to go now but... well, it's the middle of the week
>No matter where you go, it'll be more empty than not
>You hear some pleasant humming from the bathroom
>That's probably where Jacky is
>You decide on an orange button up shirt
>It has a bit of a checker pattern but you think it'll work fine
>Almost the same color as her hair too
>After your labor-intensive wardrobe change, you head to the living room
>You may as well wait for her to present herself, especially if she's going with the whole thing
>Dashie looks over your change in attire and slowly nods
>Sparks avoids eye contact, focusing on the pseudo-stage sheets that have since become show curtains
>You still don't know how those are stuck to the ceiling
"So... what... is next in part of this shenanigan before we go out?"
>The pegasus glances over her shoulder to Sparks, as if waiting for her to continue the charade
>"Well... we were going to threaten you some more. And then ask you things like your family, your intentions with her, which body part you'd hate to lose the most..."
>Jesus
"Is this really what you'd ask someone who'd want to date Jacky?"
>Dashie smiles at you with a leer
>"No, we'd just do something to chase him off. Or worse. Depends on how much she would miss him if he were to just vanish."
>God damn
"God damn. You're serious too, aren't you."
>Dashie shrugs, rolling her eyes in a coy fashion
>"All that matters is that you pass so far. Isn't that right, Sparking?"
>She finally speaks up
>"Y-you got matches for Sparky?"
>She tries the stare again but it lasts for maybe a second at most
>She frowns and sighs
>"Oh damn it, I lost it... you know, I was practicing that for you."
"Yeah, you were doing good."
>"Can we start again?"
"No."
>"Damn it..."
>She harshly whispers to herself
>Who knew she was so theatrical
>The ever-protective Prism returns her attention keenly on you
>"So... where are you going with her?"
"I have no clue. I was thinking of talking to her and figuring out if we should go to where we were before or... a burger joint or..."
>"Are those fancy places?"
"Well... they're good places."
>You'd sooner go for a place that's good than fancy
>"I see... you know, I still don't see you two as... an item."
"Should I be offended?"
>"Oh no, not at all. You two seem more like a pair. The sort that would..."
>She pauses, glancing you over with a smile
>"Watch movies or spend all day together and not once care about something as official a date."
"Thanks. I think."
>You didn't really want to come across as that sort
>If that's even a bad sort to be
>You aren't sure
>You're just glad you've had your time with her, as much as you've had, no matter how you had it
>"Something you want to say, Anon?"
>From the look on her face, she seems aware of your thoughts
"Yeah, sure. When will she be ready?"
>"Oh, she's been ready for a little over an hour now. We just told her to go into the bathroom and to goof around until we called her."
"And she went along with it?"
>"Are you surprised?"
"...no. And I'm not sure if I should be."
>Dashie inhales and calls out
>"Jacky, we have a suitor!"
>In the span of seconds you can hear a bonk against the bathroom door, then vigorous trotting
>Jacky dashes into the room, bright-eyed and excited
>Her mane, normally done in loose twin tails, is now a pair of braided tails
>Her tail has been braided too
>Rather than wearing the cowboy hat you got her, she has one of your bandannas wrapped around her head
>Lime green
>Kinda looks nice on her
>"Well if it ain't mah Anon, come to pick me up an-"
>Despite her having a variety of accents to call upon, she sounds like she's trying the Southern Bell one too hard
>"Jacky, it's... it's ok. We stopped doing the bit."
>Jacky, about to say her next line, stops
>"Wait... we are?"
>"Yes."
>"Oh..."
>She sighs
>"We weren't even halfway through!"
>Just what the hell were they doing all day?
"So... aside from this... uh..."
>You're not sure where you should step in with this
"Wanna head on out?"
>Jacky squints and tilts her head, as if she's contemplating it
>"Well, since you asked..."
>She rears up on her hind legs
>"Let's go, partner! The town awaits!"
"Right on!"
>"Tubular!"
"Radical!"
>"Twisted!"
"Reaganomics!"
>"Tu-what?"
>You shrug
"I don't know, it sounds funny and the more I look at you the more you look like a hippy."
>She looks over herself
>"Is it the bandanna?"
"Yes."
>"Oh..."
>"Well I thought it looked nice..."
>Dashie speaks up as if to defend the fashion choice
"On that note... come with me if you want to live."
>You lean down and scoop up Jacky in your arms
>"Eeek! I'm being foalnapped!"
"You know you can say 'kidnapped', right?"
>"Sure but wouldn't that sound silly, coming from me?"
"Everything you say sounds silly coming from you."
>"And yet you get it!"
>You waltz out of the apartment as you and her go back and forth, officially and effectively blocking out the rest of the world from your interactions
>You have everything you need in your pockets or in your arms so you know you're ready to have a good time

>With Jacky in your arms, you walk down the hallway to your elevator
>For some reason you get an uneasy pain in your heart
>It reminds you of a rough time
>You never forgot about it
>But you certainly recall it now
>You squeeze Jacky while walking
>"You alright?"
"Yeah, why?"
>"Because you're looking dead ahead and you kinda look like you saw a ghost or something..."
>You blink a few times and look down at her
>She is
>Adorable
>More than adorable
>No matter how bad things were then
>Or how long the bad times lasted
>She's here with you now
>That gives you strength
>That makes you happy
>But not just happy
>A strawberry ice cream and sugar cookie sandwich can make you happy
>She makes you feel
>Content
>Proud
"Yeah... yeah, sorry. I guess every now and again I gotta remember..."
>How lucky you are?
>There's more to it than that
>"How to walk and speak at the same time?"
>You stop and look down at her
"Yes."
>After getting settled into the car, Jacky shifts around until she's sitting on her butt like a human
>"So... where we going?"
"I... well. I don't think I decided. So why don't we decide?"
>Jacky glances around
>Purses her lips
>Blows air out from her mouth
>And shrugs
>"Anywhere's good with me. Where can we go that offers a lot of stuff to go? We can grab stuff to go for everyone!"
>That makes a light go off in your head
"Hey... how about this. Wanna to see a movie and then hit a fast food place so we can all eat together?"
>"Yeah! That sounds awesome! What are we gonna watch?"
"I... I have no clue..."
>You haven't paid attention to recent movies in so long
"We really didn't plan this out all that much."
>Jacky shrugs
>"I don't mind. We get to go out and we'll figure out... hey, I got an idea now!"
"Shoot."
>"Why don't we go to the park, walk around and watch a movie on your phone? The weather looks great and you get to show me off!"
>The beam she gives you is pure gold
"Yeah... that sounds like a plan to me!"
>You have no clue what movie will work but you'll find something
>Though you have a game plan, you don't yet start your car
>You feel like you still have more to say that you can't just ignore
"Jack... Whether or not you hear it enough, I'm very, incredibly grateful for you being around. I've never been more grateful for anyone being in my life. Without you, I don't know where I'd be, or what would be going through my head for the most part. I owe a lot to you. And regardless of what I have or haven't done for you... I know that I should do more. Because I want to, for you."
>You turn from staring at the steering wheel to sort of looking at her as you speak
>As confident as you normally are, you can't help but feel a little
>Embarrassed
>Just a little
>"Oh Anon..."
>She brings her hooves up to one of her twin tails, doing a pony's best impression to play with her hair
>"I... I can't even start. You know how it was before..."
"Yeah..."
>There isn't tension in the air
>But a sense of mutual awkwardness
>Everything has been far more natural and fun without needing to discuss or talk everything over
>When it comes to sitting alone and sticking to words, it feels like it's an entirely new world
>"I'm with you to the end, Anon. No matter where that leads us or what happens."
>She gives you a sly smirk
>"Or who catches us. We're like Sully and Drake!"
"Damn straight... I'm the Sully, right?"
>"Well sh'yeah. I think you'd rather look at me wearing a wetsuit."
"And I'd rather pilot a seaplane."
>"And I scream good."
"Ye..."
>Her smirk evolves into a real grin
"Yeah... I'm gonna start the car now, and you're gonna keep that mouth of yours under control."
>"At least until the park, right?"
>This pony, man
"That goes without saying."
>"Onward!"
>She points a hoof forward
>Only for your car to actually back up
>"Oh, er... backward!"
>She twists to point her leg back
>After pulling out from your spot, you drive off
>"Oh for the love of... onward again!"

>Driving outside is nice now, compared to the winter
>Jacky's visibly in awe at the countless trees and occasional pond or glimpse of a lake
>Given how nice it is, you've even rolled down the windows
>"Man... it sure is different now, ain't it? People are out walking and on bikes, you got birds, you can see the ground too! Is the park we're going to nice?"
"Well... I think so, yeah."
>Jacky keeps watching out the window, waving at a now-confused couple
>"What, you don't remember it?"
"Well, I saw it from Google Maps once or twice before... I wanted to go but I guess I never got around to it. I never saw much of a point to go out and do stuff on my own when I could wait and experience that with someone else. You know?"
>It was a sad excuse but it was true
>As much as you've wanted to do since you moved up here, you simply haven't
>You'd rather play vidya or watch or listen to things rather than go out, burn up gas, spend money, be social
>Having no friends or really anyone was a good way to turn you into what was effectively a working hermit
>Despite the less than positive thoughts, you don't stop yourself from smiling at Jacky waving to everyone she sees
>Most don't seem to notice her but some do
>"Well that means we get to explore it together! Ain't nothing wrong with that!"
>As jovial as she is, she sounds like she's starting to channel her Ma a bit
>Only a few streets away, you stop at a barely occupied parking lot
>The concrete walkway really only connects to a covered pair of vending machines, and a branching path that goes into the trees
"Well, up for adventure? It's sort of a trail that circles around a decently sized lake. Or pond. It's one of the two, I don't really know for sure what the differences are."
>As soon as you get out of your seat, Jacky bounces from hers to yours, and then onto the ground
>Trotting in place, her head bobs from side to side
>Is she muttering something?
"Casting a spell or something?"
>Her head bobs a few more times before realizing you asked her
>"Wha? Oh, no, no it's not that. Ever since Sparks'n'Dashie set up that stage, we've been singing a ton of stuff!"
"Yeah? Did you guys set up the speakers again or something? I wasn't paying attention."
>"You know it, hombre! Sparks is super great with magic, I don't even think she needs those vitamins anymore!"
>That's good news to hear
>You haven't really caught up on her in a while about how she's getting along with that sort of thing but with how often she 'speaks' to you, you aren't surprised
>Rather than head to the path, you make your way to the vending machines
"Hey, wanna drink and snack?"
>"Oh! Date snacks!"
>In an unshakably positive mood, Jacky bounds and hops over to you
>With how often she's looking around, you half expect her to run off and chase something
>At least no one will get the drop on you
"So, what'll you have my happy lassy?"
>She looks at both of the machines
>Rears back onto her hind legs
>And slams her hooves into them
>"This one and that!"
>You feel a cold wave go from your jaw down to your gut when you hear her hoof landing on the glass barrier of the snack machine
>You thought you heard a crack
>She doesn't seem to notice
"...right on, twin tailed mama. But I gotta slip my card in first."
>Jacky, watching your hand holding your wallet, rotates her head like a swivel until she sees the card readers for the machines
>The spiderweb crack from her hoof catcher her eye too because she immediately stumbles back and sputters out an apologetic giggle
>"S-silly me... I... I knew that."
>You sorta feel awkward that as long as she's been around, you really haven't explained a ton of the world to her

>You really haven't treated her as well as you should
>You're not sure if this means that you've been selfish or busy before
>Or that maybe you think more of her to the point that you want her to fit in better
>Whatever the reason, you want to slow things down a bit and help her get used to actually having a life
>Whatever that looks like
>Or maybe you just feel like you should do more
>Whatever the reason, you hold your bottle of water and can of root beer in one hand and a twin pair of milky ways in the other
"Alright... these..."
>Jacky watches your hands like a hawk, only to frown when you dip the bars into your pocket
"Are for when we're halfway. Don't wanna have them too quick, right?"
>"Yeah, I guess..."
>She pouts now but you may be saving her stomach if she devours it now
>Helps that it at least isn't a full carton of chocolate eggs
>"So, can we head off into the unknown and go get chased down by an ax murderer?"
"Jacky..."
>You frown at her implication
"We're surrounded by yankees. They're far more likely to have hunting rifles. Or empty beer cans. Honestly it could go either way."
>You both start to walk to the start of the trail
"But if we find one of those log cabins... then yes, we'll find an ax murderer."
>Though none of the trees old over to give you a canopy, you do quickly find yourself unable to see your car
>Or even hear traffic for that matter
>You can hear a lot of birds at least
>Jacky keeps with your pace, occasionally slowing down or trotting off to the side to inspect whatever is nearby
>You don't think she's gotten much, if any, outside exercise or activity since you got her
>You do feel guilty but you're also willing to argue that there were other circumstances behind neither you or her going out
>Slipping your water bottle into your free pocket, you switch hands with her soda can
"So Jack... how are you doing with everything?"
>Jacky eventually trots back to your side, chest puffed out
>"Well I'm on a date with my man, I think I saw a squirrel humping another one, and I'm pretty sure that we're gonna have an awesome time once we get back because we gotta have the room to ourselves."
>You're not dissatisfied that no one heard that
>But you're glad that no one really heard that
"Well... that is true I suppose. But how are you doing outside of that?"
>"Well, I think you know that I grew up in the city. Did I tell you that? I never really went out into the wilderness or anything like that, partially because there really ain't any nature trails or vending machines or cars to be driven around in. Unless I was working or other things, I kinda just stayed where Dashie and I lived."
>Wasn't she a thief?
"What kind of job did you have?"
>Jacky's confident withers by a degree
>"Well... jobs, multiple. I guess I tried a lot of stuff but it didn't stick with me. Or I didn't stick with it. Really hard stuff for so little pay I'd have to work an entire day just to eat... and if I was already hungry, what good did it do for me to do only just barely enough to keep going?"
>She had a point
"Yeah... I get you on that, no doubt. What about where you lived? Where was that?"
>"Under a bridge."
>She sounded so casual about it
>"Or in an old pipe system, when it was cold... it was clean, of course. Clean-ish, anyway..."
>She trots ahead of you, keeping her eyes ahead as if she's the one to lead you
>"We had a few places and.. we never really thought about it. We never talked about having a permanent home. We never talked about having a real place or a family outside of ourselves and certainly ain't no way we would've ever gotten to have stuff like what we've had recently..."
>You can hear her voice falter just a hair, some of her vowels sound off
>"But... you know? I'm really excited. This is like... like, you know."
>You are focusing on her words but the way she's trotting is a little different
>She has a sort of sway in her hips
>Time and place, Anon
>Time and place
"Yeah... I know, Jack."
>You aren't trying to 'save' her or anything
>Whether or not you did or didn't, she's here with you now and she has her friends
"So. What're your plans? Our biggest journey so far was getting the gang back together. What do you want to do next?"
>After a few moments to get her emotions under control, her pace slows until she's keeping to your side
>"Well, be with you and the gang, of course. I'd like to learn new things and do more but... I really don't have a clue what I can even do. Sparky has magic, Dashie has... well, her brains and wings. I kinda don't have skills like them."
"Sure but you have charisma."
>"Me?"
"Sure do. You got great friends and I can't resist you if my life depended on it."
>Maybe you could resist her in front of a crowd
>But only 'maybe'
"You know, you don't gotta rush stuff. We got... well, hell, we got the rest of our lives to help figure out things. Days, weeks, months, years will go by, but you'll still be right beside me, right?"
>Jacky gives you an awkward giggle, her pace audibly turning unsteady
>"Man, you got a way with words... big ol' romantic..."
"I can't not be with you. We're in it for the long haul, you and I. As much as you might want it, I'm not going to hold back on you."
>You know how silly you sound
>But you sure aren't going to try to stop yourself
>After a while of just walking and occasionally watching each other, you find an old smoothed out rubber and wood bench
>And a helpful sign that basically says 'you're a third of the way there!'
"Alright, wanna have a sit down for a bit?"
>Your answer is Jacky galloping up to the bench, jumping onto it, and immediately sitting down with a loud sigh
>"I think I've gone this far when running from people... but you really got stamina to go this far."
>You sit where there's space and pat her flank
"Well, you read the sign. We're a third of the way there."
>"Yeah... dang nature being so open..."
>Jacky shifts to the other side, sitting with her shoulder on your thigh
"Yeah... "
>You both watch the path
>Though you're tempted to, you keep your petting to her stomach and shoulder
>Without saying anything, she reacts every now and again with a shiver or a pleased sigh
>Listening to the birds is nice too
>Everything is nice
>"Hey, Anon?"
"What's up?"
>"I..."
>She trails off
>She sounds like she's trying to say something but she can't
>Or she's having difficulties
"Want your soda already?"
>"Y-yeah."
>You pop the lid and old it down to her mouth
>"T... thanks. Tilt back?"
>You watch her put her lips to the can and tilt her head back, nudging the can back
>You watch her gulp all of it down in record time
>She's a small mare but she has the big thirst
>She lets out a heavy, content sigh and lays her head across your lap
>"Oh Anon... I never had root beer back home... let me just stay here for a while..."
"Of course. We're in no rush."
>You stop paying attention to the world around you, eyes keenly focused on the pony
>You aren't here to admire the nature, after all
>You're here to spend time with your mare
>It still sounds awkward when you think of her as one rather than just a girl but you feel a little braver when you think of it that way
>It sounds a little more official
>You pet her from her ear, down her neck, to her ribs
"You and me, Jack. You and me..."

>You don't know how much time passed but after a while you stop petting her
>Is she sleeping?
"Psst... hey Jack."
>Nothing
>Guess she may be out then
>You don't mind
>You're happy to see her out and about
>You aren't worrying about the state of her friends or your financial status or much of anything else
>You wonder if this will become a normal thing
>If this'll give you reason to go out more
>Would she even want to go out more?
>As you think in circles, you hear a guy jogging down the path
>He slows when he sees you and the miniature pony napping on your lap
>He doesn't seem all that bothered but the sight does cause him to come to a stop
>Here we go
>"Hey... is that a horse?"
"Yeah."
>"That's kinda weird. Is she wearing a bandanna?"
"Yeah."
>"Why?"
"Listen, I'm from Texas ok?"
>For some reason, that seems to be enough of an answer to satisfy him
>He shrugs and starts back up
>"Well, have a good one."
"Sure."
>After a while, you can't hear him anymore
>It's still just you, Jacky, and the plentiful sounds of birds
>It's nice
>The weather's nice
>The sun's out but it isn't trying to kill you
>You twirl one of Jacky's twin tails around your fingers
>She really is knocked out
>Where would she be if you didn't pop up?
>Where would you be if she didn't pop up?
>Though it's a little awkward, you fish out your phone and check through your usual; messages, mail, weather
>No new spam, no messages, and clear day ahead
>You pass time reading stories and looking at memes
>Jacky occasionally twitches or mumbles something
>If all of her past was so bad, did she ever get such deep sleep before popping up?
>You kinda wanna get up and keep going
>Or do something
>But you really can't just wake her
>May as well make yourself comfortable

>Be Sparking
>Ever since Anon and Jacky left, you've been a little uneasy
>You aren't worried that they're going to get lost
>But what if they do
>What if they get robbed?
>What if they get caught doing things?
>You grimace at the idea of them doing things that would be bad to be caught at
>You've been stuck on a boss in one of those hard fantasy games Anon introduced to
>You know what you're doing wrong but you're just so... distracted
>"You know it's normal for them to go out on a date."
>And then you died again
"Damn it Prism... you made me die again."
>The controller falls to the floor, no longer in your red aura
>"This is good for them. Gives them some time away from us. And gives us some time away from them too."
>Given she's getting onto the bed and sitting down, you aren't going to be alone for a while now
"Oh shut up..."
>You can't help but have an audible edge to your words
>You aren't jealous
>You aren't
>You're just mad
"You always act like you have little nuggets of wisdom to dispense."
>Prism sighs
>"Well I do it to tease you sometimes. But... this does bother you, doesn't it."
>You stare at your human character
>You really don't want to talk about this
"It does."
>But you feel more frustrated by keeping it in
"I just... you know."
>"I know."
"...Are you not jealous?"
>"Of what?"
"Of Jacky."
>"Should I be?"
"Well yes! How could you not be?"
>You aren't looking at Prism
>You can see out of the corner of your eye that she's not looking at you either
>But neither of you are focusing on anything else
"Why do you act like nothing affects you? You aren't some untouchable monolith. You're a pony with wings. And I'm a pony with a horn. And Jacky's..."
>"A pony with a human?"
>You don't want to say anything to that
"What do you want to do?"
>"How do you mean?"
"Here. This place. Away from where we were."
>Prism sighs and shrugs
>"I have no clue. Jacky was always my top priority and now... she doesn't need me. I'm as happy as can be for her."
"But?"
>"But... nothing. She's happy. And I'm happy to be here for as long as she wants me around."
>You scoff
>As high and mighty as she acts, you can't help but feel good at poking at her
"Yeah well..."
>You want to poke a little hard
>But you're unable to
"...she really is happy because you're here."
>"You really think so?"
"Yeah. When it was just me, her, and Anon, she was all excited about finding you. We all were, really."
>You watch the pegasus from the corner of your eye
>Rather than looking cool, calm, collected, she looks surprised
>"Why?"
"What do you mean, 'why'? You know why?"
>"I guess I do."
>Neither of you say anything more
>How birdbrained would she have to be to not realize how important she was?
"Why don't you fly?"
>"Excuse me?"
"Why don't you fly, Prism?"
>"Why did you stop yourself from using magic until Anon started helping you out?"
"Shut up."
>That makes her laugh
>"You're a good friend to have, Sparking."
>Since when were you friends?
"Is there something you wanted to talk about or did you just come in here for kicks?"
>"No... I guess I'm just lonely is all. If we don't have each other, we don't have anything. It's because of our mutual friends that we lasted this long and made it this far."
"Oh..."
>Now you feel a little guilty
"What do we do?"
>"I don't know. Did you ever have any sort of life goals before?"
"You know, not really. You?"
>"None."
"Did Jacky?"
>Prism giggles
>"You know? She kinda did. Not a lot of things. But she kinda kept a positive attitude, like winning a lottery or being chosen for some sort of... thing."
"Thing?"
>"She wasn't exactly articulate about it
>You sputter out a laugh
"Yeah, she isn't exactly the smartest one in the world, is she."
>"No... no she is not."
"Maybe that's why he likes her?"
>"Maybe... but there's far more to it than just that."
"Like what?"
>"Well, have you seen just how well they... sync together?"
"Seen it? I've..."
>You stop yourself from saying that you've been seeing how he sees her through his thoughts
"I've... well, yeah."
>"It's ok to be jealous, Sparking. I'm jealous too."
>You both sigh
"What do you think they're doing right now?"
>"I don't know."
"Don't you want to know?"
>"Not really."
>You watch your avatar standing at a bony bonfire
"What if I got you a way to spend the day going out with Jacky? Can just be like old times with you two."
>"And do what?"
"I don't know. I guess we'll have to ask them what they're able to do when they get back."
>Prism lingers before answering
>"Why do you ask?"
"Well... if you're hanging out with Jacky and goofing around like usual. I get to hang out with Anon. By myself."
>The corner of your mouth twitches into a smile
>Everyone gets what they want that way, right?
>"...I don't think I appreciate what you're implying."
>That kills your smile and then some
"I'm not implying anything! I'm just talking about how you two can just do stuff like before! We're here, we're not going anywhere anytime soon, none of us aren't happy living here rather than in the trash! So what's wrong with just asking if we could get you and Jacky to hang out?"
>You shake your head and growl, getting back to your character
"Just... freaking forget it... you're such a pain sometimes..."
>You try to focus on your game but you watch her curl up on the bed
>"I know... I'm sorry, Sparking. You aren't my enemy. Anon isn't either. You're both my friends."
>Now you feel bad
>You didn't think you'd feel bad about anything with Prism
>But she really is your friend
>She's your family
>Same as those two morons that are surely sucking face somewhere
"...you are too. But... just think about it."
>It's not a crime to hang out with Anon alone
>Just like it isn't a crime for her to hang out with Jacky alone
>There's nothing wrong with it
>Nothing at all

>Be an Anon with a leg that's almost asleep
>You must've been sitting here for an hour or longer by now
>You don't know what Jacky's been up to for the day but she hasn't budged an inch
>You've kept petting her and just reading or watching things on your phone, which suits you fine
>This is your time together, after all
>If she wants to spend it sleeping on you and relaxing, you are perfectly fine with it
>But those pins and needles feeling is just bothering you to no end
>Like a cat kneading your leg for an hour straight
>Deciding that you won't end up finishing the route, you decide to take out your candy bar
>After opening the wrapper you get an idea
>You don't actually want to spend the rest of your evening here
>You lower the caramel and chocolate bar down to Jacky's mouth
"Jaaaack-eeeeee... candy baaaaaaaar..."
>You wave it back and forth in front of her mouth and nose
>Sure enough, her nose twitches
>As does her lips
>She opens her mouth a fraction, just in time for you to pull it away
>You can almost hear something like a whimper
"Gotta wake up if you want candy."
>She fidgets but her eyes don't open
"Alright... I guess I'll have to eat mine. And yours too."
>That does the trick
>She babbles something incoherent and opens her eyes
"Party all day or something? You've been out for a while."
>Jacky lets out a long, warbling yawn before lifting her head up
>"I'm... I'm sorry. This was kinda... like something in a movie, you know? Us hanging out in the wilderness, no one around for miles..."
>She gives you a warm, sleepy smile
>It's not true at all since at least one or two other people saw you since she dozed off
>But the forested areas up here are pretty pristine
"You're not wrong... but because you're up, I'm guessing you want your bar now?"
>"You're darn right!"
>Rather than going to devour your hand, she just waits and watches the bar
"What?"
>"...is that one yours or mine?"
"Hm... good question."
>You take a bite, chomping down a quarter of it
>She watches you with a great sense of anticipation
>While you have the urge to tease her about it, you hold out the bar for her to take a bite
>She watches it for a second and smiles, taking a quarter of it for herself
>You both polish off the rest of the bar, going back and forth until it's empty
>You wash it down with your bottled water
>Same with the candy, she watches your hand
"Could you a drink, too?"
>"Yeah yeah!"
"Sure, but I don't recall you sharing your soda..."
>"I'll share it next time, don't worry!"
>She drinks from your bottle, but thankfully not enough to empty it
>She licks her lips, looking at your face
"What?"
>"Anon."
"Eh?"
>Jacky smiles
>"We're still on a date, right?"
"Well sure. Still tired?"
>"No way."
>Her butt wags back and forth a little
"What's up?"
>"Aim for the heart."
"Wh-"
>Before you can answer her, she pounces you with enough force to knock you off your center
>Without fanfare, one-liner or a joke, she kisses you with a particularly strong sense of desire
>You lose track of time or yourself at that moment, and until the kiss ends
>Evidently you saw fit to grab her shoulders, but you didn't pull her away from you
>She huffs and gives you a sleepy smile
>"We should be alone more."
"Well, let me tell you something here, lady..."
>Your voice is stern, taking her by surprise
>You initiate another kiss, showing her aggression that she isn't able to compete with
>Nor does she fight it
>When you do end it, you pull her away
>She was prepared on the first round but the second left her dazed, for lack of a better word
"Now are we gonna keep walking or go grab dinner and head back home?"
>Jacky tries to think, squinting at the choice
>"I vote... we stay here, say we went on a walk and watched a movie, then get dinner and head home and all eat and watch a movie."
>She lunges for you and starts a third kiss
>She pulls away, her breath short and her eyes starting to glaze over
"In that order?"
>"Whatever, you know what I me-"
>You cut her off with a fearsome fourth round
>She ends it by squirming back, though a lot of her strength was siphoned off
>"I... am I tasting candy?"
>She looks so confused, like a half-asleep student trying to answer a test question
"Must explain the sweetness."
>You start a fifth bout
>Except
>You hear something resembling a gasp
>You both look to the source and see a middle aged woman in dated exercise gear in mid-power walk
>"What are you doing?!"
>You try to think of a valid excuse as to why it'd be fine to be seen making out with a pony but Jacky swoops in with a save
>"WE'RE MAKING OUT LADY, YOU WANNA GIVE US A LITTLE PRIVACY?! BUZZ OFF!"
>Nice save Jackenstein
>She sounds furiously desperate
>The woman, taken aback by the talking pony and her tone, takes a few steps back and starts power walking away with the most mellow of quickness
>"Come on, some people! A mare can't enjoy her guy out on a date? What's the world coming to?! What next, it star-"
>You cut her off with the fifth round, causing her to finally melt
>You could call it pent up frustration
>Or the joy of liberation without being judged by friends nearby
>Whatever it is, it's what makes your date peak from a normal outing to an experience to remember
>In the back of your mind, you're thankful that there was only some random woman around to bear witness
>Hopefully that won't cause any stories to pop up

>You and Jacky eventually cool off
>Relatively speaking
>She's resigned to sit on your lap, right side laying against your front with her head pressed against your collar bone
>You haven't really watched any movies but she watched you fiddle on your phone all the same
>She or you would chuckle at a joke or something and read together
>She occasionally asks about what she's reading, or whatever you're looking at
>Mostly window shopping for computer hardware
>The occasional pony-sized thing with a stray comment on if she'd like it, or if it would fit well on her
>Neither of you speak above a whisper or grumble, just loud enough to be heard
>Whenever you speak, she presses her face into your chest
>You think she enjoys the rumble in your chest
>You haven't been paying attention but you do pick up that the sun is starting to go down
>The sky doesn't even really turn all that orange, like it does down south
"Hey Jack."
>"What's up?"
"Wanna grab dinner and head home?"
>"Mmm..."
>She doesn't particularly answer
>"Can we please do this again soon?"
"Absolutely.
>Another ten minutes pass with neither of you moving
>You've been hanging out and doing things since November
>But only now does it feel like it's all real
>You couldn't do this in the winter
>She doesn't even have any winter wear either
>Maybe you should get her some clothing
>Would that bring more allure to her, since she doesn't wear anything normally?
>She's not wearing anything at the moment, now you think on it
>Jacky perks up and smiles at you
>"Penny for your thoughts, Anon?"
>Your body betrays your stealthy thoughts
"Right... now, if something happens right now..."
>Don't do it, man
>Not here anyway
>Not yet
"...we won't be able to get dinner..."
>"Mmm....?"
>Jacky wiggles on your lap
>Dammit
"...and you may end up melting that other candy bar in my pocket."
>"But I know this isn't a candy bar."
"That is gonna make you melt if you keep it up."
>"That's ok, you can carry me."
>You give a long, slow exhale
"Alright...we're gonna get up now."
>You pat her flank a few times, shifting to stand up
>"Aw... you're no fun..."
>Jacky practically slides off of you, landing on her hooves on the ground
"You know I'm very fun, this is just being sensible."
>"It's teasing me..."
"That too. I won't say it isn't."
>She watches you adjust yourself while you walk back onto the trail
>"You're a weird man, Anon."
>She's grinning
"Yeah? How's that?"
>"Because... we're together. We're a thing."
"How's that weird?"
>She grins again, trotting a few steps in front of you
>Though it's still awkward, she's able to sway her hips back and forth in tune with her steps
>Her tail swishing in and out of the way of viewing doesn't help
>Or it does help
>"Because I'm a pony."
"A very attractive one."
>"And you're a guy."
"A hugh mann, even."
>"And you'd prefer me over anyone of your shape or size."
"Easily."
>She stops suddenly
>You stop with her
>She arches her back and bends down, stretching
>With her hind end raised and obviously presented to you
>You don't say anything to her
>But it is good
>After... what feels like entire minutes, she starts trotting again
>You follow, eyes focused far more on her and far less than anything else
>She's still on the path so that's all that really matters to you
>"What are we gonna do for dinner, anyway?"
"I was thinking... burgers and fries? Enough for all four of it."
>"Burgers?"
"Yeah."
>You never really got them for her, have you
>You haven't really done much for eating out at all, since she came about
>Did you ever even order pizza with her?
>You really shouldn't have deprived her of so much
>But at the time you didn't really know better
>You think
"Hey Jack."
>"Mmm?"
>Say it
>You feel it, say it
>Why aren't you saying it?
>Seconds have passed now and you aren't saying it
"...you know what I'm thinking."
>"I do..."
>You keep walking, unable to really tear your eyes away
>Compared to that first day you had her
>The first morning when she said she was still trying to figure out how she was supposed to sound
>The first night she slept at your side rather than as a pillow
>Even that first night, she was sleeping with you
>Just in a different context
>She's gotten so much happier now
>You love it
>And her
>"Hey, Anon?"
"What's up?"
>"I do too. A whole ton."
>You never did expect it to turn out like this
>But you're glad it did
>Though you haven't kept track of anything but Jacky moving, you do hear her sigh
>"Finally, your car... I gotta say, walking and nature seeing and all kinds of stuff is nice... but dang it, I like laying around like a lump better."
>You finally stop yourself from focusing on her and scoff
"Please. Could you imagine being in the US during the 1800s? You'd be carrying me, our clothing, supplies, ammo, tools, all sorts of stuff."
>Jacky returns your scoff
>"What am I, a horse? I'll make you carry me and we can just travel light."
"Why, can't handle me riding you for days at a time with only small rests and sleeping in between?"
>You use your fob to unlock your door
>"...ok, you make a good point. Maybe I could keep it up for a while. But having a farm or something would be better than wandering around, right?"
>You open the door for her
"Sure but I'll still have to hook you up to some farming equipment so you can work the land."
>She looks down, scrapes her hooves against the asphalt, and bounds up to your seat, bouncing over to the passenger side
>"Plow dirt so you can sow your wild oats?"
>You give your seat a quick wipe before taking your seat as the captain of this road roaming ship
"Of course."
>"Hey Anon."
"What's up?"
>You turn to face her
>She smiles at you
>"You know what I'm thinking..."
"I do."
>"Isn't that freaky?"
"Not really. Just goes to show that we're in sync, you know?"
>"Like a pair of clones?"
"Or cyber commandos."
>"Or a... uh..."
>She frowns
>"... dang it, start the car... you got me all distracted."
>You do, reaching over to set up her seat belt
"My poor little pony..."
>She snorts out a pout
>"You can just shush."
"And not be the Johnny Cage to your Sonya? Not a chance."
>She frowns more
>"It's your fault I couldn't think of something!"
"Nah, it's your fault."
>That level of nonchalant rebuttal trips her up
>"Wh-as if it's my fault?!"
"Don't deny, small fry."
>"Don't make me go all Sparky on you!"
"And do what?"
>"Make you feel all hot!"
>Unusual interpretation
>But you don't mind it
>With your own seatbelt up, you drive to the best burger place you know
>Well it's not the best, since your favorite burger place is down south, but it's the second best by far
>Compared to the time you spent together, you end up at the apartment almost instantly
>Jacky keeps eyeing the bags of noms you grabbed, sniffing above them
>Thankfully the moving vehicle and seatbelt is keeping her from stealing anything
>Four bags
>One for each of you
>"Hey Anon, why haven't we gotten this stuff before?"
"I guess I just never thought about it at the time. I was so focused on you... then I was so focused on you and Sparks. Then Dashie too. I guess I got so roped up in you gals I forgot about a lot of things that I used to do, or used to have."
>Carrying the bags are easy enough, and she is able to help with the doors
>Though the elevator up is still her bane since the buttons are too high up
>"Well I didn't want you to go without or anything..."
"I haven't. I haven't gone without anything of value or consequence since things started. If I went without them, then they weren't as important to me, right?"
>That insightful nugget leads to her reflecting
>You can tell since she just stands there for a second
>"...that's deep."
"You're just hungry."
>"Ok that too."
"Go get the door open, yeah?"
>"You got it!"
>As soon as the elevator doors open, she gallops off down the hallway
>Just like when you left with her, you get another familiar sting in your chest
>You've been living in this place for too long, you have a lot of old memories that still come out at you every now and again
>But it's not like you want to move either
>Not yet, anyway
>Jacky slaps her front hooves against the door, causing a decently sized racket
>"Hey open up we got dinner!"
>The door opens by the time you're halfway down the hallway
>You can already hear Sparks giving some sort of semi-scathing remark about why she has to be so loud
>You can hear Dashie too but that's about it
>By the time you make it to the open doorway you squint and hold up your hands
>Two bags in each hand
"Who's hungry?"
>While Sparks is leering with a grimace at Jacky, when she sees you she bursts into a wide smile
>You think it might be because you have food
>But she isn't really looking at the bags
>"Hey, why didn't you say so? Get in already! I practiced a little at Double Dragon, let's play it after we eat!"
"Hell yeah, red rider. Think you can handle the labs now?"
>"Well I upped my Desperation and powered up my Fire Ball, no way am I gonna get beaten off those platforms so easily!"
"I can dig it. But for now we got our stuff so let's--"
>You pick up on Jacky's voice
>"Hey Anon, Dashie brought up a good idea. Mind if her and I talk about stuff and eat in the living room? We'll join you after confidential debriefing."
>This can only go so well
>Not like you haven't caught them talking about other things as is
"Sure, go for it. Don't make too much of a mess, alright?"
>You lean down to offer two of the bags and the two ponies take one before going off to the living room turned stage
>"Come on, let's chow and talk strategy!"
>Sparky's pretty energetic today
>You would be too over some burgers and fries
>You sit together on your bed
>You fondle through the bag and pull out a burger
>Sparks uses her magic to make one unwrap itself and hang in the air
"I'll still never get used to that. Must be a neat trick though."
>"So how did your date go?"
>That was quick

"It was... it was nice. I got to be outside for a while and I'm really not outside that much."
>"How else did it go?"
>You're a bit surprised she cares
>You're also surprised that she isn't just reading your mind or something either for a quicker answer
"Jacky slept a lot."
>You chuckle between burger bites
"We found a nice bench a chunk into this path we were in and she just kinda... fell asleep on me."
>You nod with a warm smile
"It was nice. I mean, both of you share the bed and blankets and stuff. But there it just was nice."
>You stifle a snort
"And a few people noticed. I keep forgetting how... I guess rare it is to see ponies anywhere."
>Sparks eats, but the way she's watching you is a little odd
>"These are good."
"Glad you like them."
>"Can I come with next time?"
>The thought makes you laugh
"Like what, you tag along?"
>"Well I guess, or just you and me go next time?"
>That doesn't sound like a bad idea
>It's really not fair to take Jacky out but to leave the other two dorks alone and stuck inside
"Well sure, I don't see why not. What about all of us going out, make a field day of it all or something?"
>Sparks stops in mid-bite
>"...well sure. They can pair off, we can pair off, we can meet up wherever."
"I guess so. But how will we keep in contact if we get separated?"
>She huffs hard through her nostrils
>"Well I don't know, they can take care of themselves."
"I'm not taking that risk."
>"Ugh..."
>The unicorn wraps up her burger and drops it
>"Let's go out on a date, Anon."
>The world comes to a sudden stop
>Before you even contemplate it, your reflex speaks for you
"Not happening."
>Time doesn't freeze because you can hear your heart beat in your ear
>You face Sparks, who's doing her very best to keep a neutral expression
"You're one of my very few..."
>You sigh
"Real friends. Because... my old friends don't really seem to exist anymore. Or they don't think that I exist anymore."
>You recall that one conversation you had with her
>You're strong, of only because you have to be
"There's no way I'd want to endanger any of you."
>You really don't want to have this conversation
"And that means... well, that means that I'm not going to go behind anyone's back, or try to be sneaky or some underhanded shit."
>Her neutral expression isn't so neutral
>You smirk at her out of nowhere
"Besides. If I were so easily stolen away, would you really want someone so flimsy?"
>That takes her off guard
>She looks like she wants to say something
>Or scream at her, as she's often eager to do
>Instead, she laughs too
>"You know what? I knew you'd say that."
"You read me like a book, red."
>"Yeah..."
>A red aura-covered burger floats back up
>She goes back to eating
>"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Aside from Jack, you're really the only person, pony, whoever, I can trust with anything. I can rely on you. Maybe more than I can rely on Jacky, due to your magic. We're a team. You and I. She and I. You and her."
>"I know... I get you."
>She doesn't really sound defeated
>She kinda sounds relieved
>"But why her?"
"Because it's because of her that you and Dashie are here. It's because of her that my life has improved so much. I wouldn't have you in my life if it weren't for her. That's a huge thing to give someone, wouldn't you say?"
>She spurts, tiny fragments of burger sputtering from her lips
>"Oh yeah, sure, I'm such a national treasure now."
"Well sure, I'd break into a top security place to steal you. Hopefully you'd do the same for her and I."
>And just like that, the mood had lifted again
"But I'd be fine with us going out to hang out on our own."
>Sparks' ears twitch
>"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. Winter's over and... to be honest, we've kinda had a lot of heavy shit pop up in the meantime when it comes to getting all of you together. Over the last few weeks all of you seem like you're... more than what you were before. I don't know what it is. Maybe everyone just had to get used to life. Get used to it being real, and not just a dream or a short fad or something. You girls are here to stay, I hope. I'm ready to do whatever I need to, to make sure no one goes away."
>Sparks shakes her head, hoovering up the mess she made with her magic
>"Man... you say all of that crap so easily."
"I know. You know I've said worse."
>"Yeah..."
>The both of you eat in silence for a while, to let things soak in
>"These are good."
"Oh yeah. I... didn't know how you guys were with meat and all that."
>"Why?"
"Well... I guess ponies and meat seems weird to me."
>"I've eaten meat before Anon."
"...well that's news to me, ok."
>The talking dies down again
>You can hear Jack and Dashie giggling about something in the living room
>"They're a happy pair."
"Yeah, they are."
>"Can you see why I didn't really fit in as well?"
"Kinda. Seems more like Dashie just... has her preferences."
>"And her dislikes."
"Be honest. Would you really have gone to such lengths to get them together with us, even if you didn't like either of them all that much?"
>Sparks doesn't answer for a while
>"Oh, these fries are salty..."
>At least she likes the fries
>"I probably would try, but not as hard. And after that crap with Nona... if I knew the risks? No. I'd keep you to myself and consider that just a chapter of my life ended."
"That's cold."
>"I don't even know my mom's face. My fondest memories before you involved me stealing stuff that didn't belong to me because it made me happy. I could stop being jealous of someone if I saw them lose things that mattered. Or if I had what they had."
>She says this rather easy, similarly to how easily you said your piece
>"I don't want to hurt Jacky... or even Dashie. Not really. But I see how happy she is... and I want to be her. I want to have what she has. That's really all there is to it."
>She doesn't have an edge to her voice
>She doesn't sound defeated
>She's just being honest
"And lose what you have now?"
>She watches her bag of half-eaten fries and second burger
>"I really do have it good now, don't I."
"I'd say so. You're my best friend. We get to hang out and play stuff that Jacky isn't really interested in. You see a side of me that you enjoy that she doesn't, to whatever extent of her not joining in on it."
>"I guess that's true."
"It is."
>"But I want more."
"Why?"
>"Because no matter what I have, I'll only ever still be just me."
"And I'd sacrifice as much as required for you."
>That makes her smile
>"If I were worth that much, I wou-"
"No matter what you were or weren't worth then, that's what you're worth now."
>That ends the conversation for a while
>She finishes her fries and takes her second burger out of her bag
>"I'll have this later."
>You finish everything
>She leans over and rests her head on your arm
>You don't stop her
>"Anon."
"What's up?"
>"Don't tell them I was weak."
"Who's weak? That horn isn't for show, not just anyone can speak up like you do."
>"Gee, where did I learn such a thing."
"I don't have a clue but you better watch what you learn, or else you'll turn out weird."
>You finish and start to clean your hands via conveniently plentiful napkins
>Sparks watches your hands
>"Can I lick your hand?"
"See what I said about turning out weird?"
>A short, single chuckle comes from her
>"Oh trust me, you think of worse things daily."
"You know what I'm thinking now?"
>"No. What?"
"You wanna get to licking, let's give Bimmy and Jammy a licking they won't forget."

"Grab that soda!"
>"No, I need low health for the damage boost."
"Grab that soda dammit, you're on your last life!"
>"Then just revive me if I die!"
"I can't, I got two of those bitches on me right now, grab the soda already!"
>Though the first two runs were fun, and gotten by with little risk, Double Dragon difficulty was something entirely new
>Most real fights were massacres, and every health pickup was the difference between victory or bitter defeat
>And Sparks comes in with the spinning kick, freeing you up!
>But immediately gets smacked in the back of the head and dies
>"Revive, you're free!"
"God damn it pony, if you're leaving me to solo the level again I'm going to slap your ghost."
>You mash button as fast as you can to bring her back
"Got it!"
>She rolls to the side to avoid another slap to the back of the skull
>You duck
>And reward the foe's whiff with a flying knee
>Sparky's character sets up for a high five
>You hit that shit
>You both shout with a true sense of accomplishment
"Gleam!"
>After every close call, it's celebrated by the two bro protagonists to high five
>Sometimes it's to split life and prepare for the next segment
>Sometimes it's just to show off
>It helps sync you both up too, neither of you are incapable of handling pressure but your stats are more focused on countering while hers is focused on higher damage at lower health
>Needless to say, she plays too close to the fire and gets downed quicker
>Bimmy and Jammy went down, with some difficulty
>The plant boss also went down with a little struggle
>Now there were only two levels left
>The graveyard
>And the final palace
>With the roadblock of progress cleared away, both of you sigh
>It's a little taxing on the nerves to focus so much on the highest difficulty
>You lean back and set down the controller, cracking your fingers
"So, did you max out any other special moves outside of fireball?"
>"Lightning strike is almost maxed out... and training wheels is my second highest style now, in case I need to tank. I can aggro if you want with that."
"Nice. What's your spin kick at?"
>"Maxed, same as yours."
>You close your eyes and nod
>You can hear music in the living room
>Jack and Dash must be tuning it up
>More and more of your spare blankets and pillows are being transferred out there, which is fine
>It looks like a perpetual sleepover out there
>You feel Sparks putting her head against your arm again
>She's really not holding back with this sort of thing
>"What do you wanna play next once we take down Skullmageddon one last time?
"That's a good question... ever play Resident Evil 5?"
>"I never played video games before coming here, Anon."
"...right, silly question. We gotta play that next then."
>"Is it hard?"
"There's a harder mode to it."
>She rubs the side of her face against your arm, either trying to pet you or pet herself with you
>"This is nice."
>You finally open your eyes
"Sparky... should I be concerned about how you're acting?"
>"No."
>You glance down at her and she's looking at the TV
"Should I think there's any ulterior motive to this?"
>"Nope."
"...does this have any connection to how you sleep and leave parts of yourself visible?"
>"Not at all. But you're welcome."
"It's really not a great idea to do that, by the way."
>"Jacky doesn't do it though."
"That doesn't matter."
>"Don't worry about it, you worry too much."
>You pull your arm away and stretch
"You're gonna need a talk with Jacky soon."
>She huffs and distances herself from you
>"Well, I'm ready for the next level when you are."
>This is a bit uncomfortable
"Sparking."
>She doesn't look at you
"This isn't something you need to try to steal or go after."
>No answer
"If this is going to be an issue we can hang out there with them until we've cooled off."
>"Ok, let's go see them."
>Sparks gets up and walks over your lap
>Except her back legs give out
>Making an effort to not look at you, dragging herself from her chest, to her stomach, and hind legs over your lap
>It looks incredibly awkward but it looks like she's doing it on purpose
>After crossing over you, she trots into the living room
>You're really not sure how to proceed with this sort of situation but hopefully this will be for the best
>You get out of the bed and head to the living room as well
>You see Jack and Dashie, both sprawled out, head to head and sharing a pillow
>Going off of the wrappers on the floor and the pleased, almost dazed look in their eyes, they must've entered a food coma
>Even Dashie looks... unflattering
>One of her wings is splayed out
>Sparks, containing some form of spiteful energy, sits herself down with a loud 'oof'
>Jacky only just now noticed that she was there
>Doesn't seem like she notices you quite yet
>"Oh hey... it's Sparky! Hey Sparky!"
>She slides her head to one side, and knocks it into Dashie's head
>The pegasus lets out a low moan, her mouth opening
>"Dashie, Sparky's here!"
>Dashie does not seem too interested in the situation
>"Please don't ask me to greet her too... I can't believe I ate all of that so quickly..."
>When you get closer to the gang, Jacky lets out an enthusiastic gasp
>"Hey, it's Anon too! We're all together!"
>Jacky, laying on her back, tries to trot to you with her front legs but stops after a few 'steps'
>"Anon... why were those burgers so good?"
>Given what's normally eaten around here, it must be a bit of a system shocker
"Hey there, Jack Attack. Did you guys like your stuff?"
>Jacky nods
>Dashie lets out a warbling 'eugh'
>Sparks looks at then, then you
>Her expression is less than friendly
>"Hey Jacky."
>"Eh?"
>Jacky squints and lifts her head just enough to rotate it before letting it fall again
>"Whassap?"
>Sparks looks like she's going to say something less than friendly
>She looks at you out of the corner of her eye
>You return the look
>The two are out of action like it's a full Thanksgiving dinner, now wouldn't be the appropriate time to start anything
>The unicorn sighs
>"You should really eat slower. I have a burger left over."
>"Gimme."
>Jacky reaches out with her legs and pulls them back, trying to grab
>Sparks frowns
>"What? No."
>"Gimme."
>The bandanna-clad dork repeats her gesture
>"No!"
>"I'm gonna take it from you."
>Jacky tries to wobble to lay on her stomach but it doesn't go
>Sparks sputters out something
>"Screw you, you aren't getting my burger!"
"Sparks."
>You finally interject
>She opens her mouth to speak but the look in her eye says that she might've realized something
>"...damn it."
>You finally sit down with them
>Specifically between Sparks and the other two
>"Anooooooon..."
>Jacky burbles out the singular word like it weighted a ton
"What's up?"
>"Rub my belly... it's full."
>You snort and place your hand on her stomach
>Just the contact alone causes her to deflate
>"Tha's nice... hey Dashie. You should get a belly rub."
>Compared to how... classy Dashie's always presented herself, you can see her eyes roll back into her head
>She tries to speak
>"E e e u g h . . ."
>You can see a tiny little bulge in her stomach
>You can feel a food baby in Jack's stomach too
>"Spaaaark-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..."
>Jacky writhes on the floor, failing to move more than an inch in place
>Sparks, watching this, glares at you
>Rather than playing a game, she's watching this play out
>"Get your belly rubbing on. It makes everything feel so much better..."
>That makes her eyes widen
>"...you're serious?"
>"Yeaaaaaahhhsss..."
>Sparks looks at you
>You just shrug
>You had no idea how so much food would affect them
>It's new type of food, too
>Maybe it was too much for their first time
>Before you can question their stomach capacity further, you see Sparks practically roll over like a dog
>"Oh... yeah. My stomach... totally hurts. Isn't that right Prism?"
>Dashie lets out another gurgle of a noise
>The unicorn looks at you expectantly
>"You heard her, Anon."
>"You heard me, Anooooooooon."
>God damn it
"Alright, sure, whatever."
>You scoot a bit to reposition and you set your hand on Spark's stomach
>You sigh and begin to stroke both of their bellies at the same time
>Gently, almost like trying to row a boat by hand
>Jacky lets out a heavy sigh, one of her eyes closing
>"Don't let me eat so much again... I'm seeing stars."
>The almost trippy easy listening being auto-played on the speakers probably isn't helping her
>Sparks silently shivers from the petting
>"...maybe it's a good thing I didn't eat that other burger."
>She sounds like she could almost be concerned
"Yeah... it's a learning curve."
>Good thing you only got everyone two singles
>You're not sure if this is supposed to make things more or less comfortable but you're sorta stuck here now anyway
>Compared to Jacky, who's properly KO'd, and Dashie, who's completely down for the count and may need smelling salts if she doesn't stop looking totaled, Sparks is just taking advantage of the situation
"Hey Jack."
>"Don't make me talk with my mouth..."
"...ok, fair enough. Keep your food in your stomach."
>Your hand moves to pat her stomach but it twitches to a stop
>Really better now
>You just decide to keep petting her
>You pat Spark's chest a few times
>Not hard
>But not soft
"Feeling better?"
>She looks victorious
>"So much better."
>You can hardly believe her
"Hey Jackolantern... Sparks and I are gonna play some vidya. Are you gonna be alright chilling here?"
>Jacky stretches, kicking out her legs hard
>Thankfully there's nothing in range of her
>Instead of speaking, she nods
>You glare at Sparks, who's milking this for all it's worth
"You ready to kick skeleton?"
>She smiles at you but refuses to answer
>"Ohhhh maaaan... my tum tums... super hurt. Super full."
"Oh come off it, nerd."
>You lift your hand off of her
>It's almost immediately enveloped in red magic
>Kinda tingles, actually
"...hey, leggo my hando."
>She shakes her head
>She isn't able to bring it to her, but you aren't able to pull away either
"Do it or I'll eat your burger."
>You can hear her voice in your head
>"She's asking you to do it."
>Shove off
>"Five more minutes."
>No
>"Five minutes and I'll stop."
>No
>"Five minutes and I promise I'll stop being a pain."
>She isn't being a pain but you aren't really ok with this
>"Just for the duration of the next song."
>The songs do seem to be pretty short, outside of the ads
>You blink hard and shake your head
>Alright
>She lets go of your hand and you resume petting her, as you've been doing with Jacky
>The current tune cuts off to something new
>You glare at Sparks
>She's doing something
>"This is the song that never ends! It just goes on and on my friends!"
"Really."
>Sparks smiles even wider than before, puffing out her chest
"Fucking really."
>The unicorn closes her eyes and exhales
>Thankfully you can lean back and look at the clock on your microwave
>You aren't going to let her cheat with this

>Saturday
>Starting Monday will be your new job
>It all feels normal but you know for sure that the shift in work hours will be a little rough
>You must've walked around your block twice now, with Jack and Dashie
>Sparks got into another game and she insisted that you leave her alone or else she'd melt your face
>You've taken to walking behind the two girls, partially because Dashie asked you for some 'privacy'
>It's not like you can't decipher what's been going on
>To an inaudible beat, the pegasus sways her hips as she walks for a few trots, then turns her head to Jack and says something
>Jacky tries to sway, but it isn't nearly as natural
>It isn't that she's too stiff about it
>More like her swaying is uneven, or too hard in one direction that threatens to trip her up
>You'd comment on that but evidently you're not allowed to speak on the matter
>But you can still judge
>And watch
>You're really not sure what else has been going on in the world outside of watching yellow hips sway
>It's not a bad thing
>If she was doing a bad job, you wouldn't be watching
>No, that'd be a lie
>You'd still watch, you'd just have more pointers
>After the fourth circle around the block, you shake your head hard enough to go dizzy for a step
"So!"
>You clear your throat to gather your thoughts
"How'd you two like to go grab some stuff?"
>The two stop
>Jacky's content with herself
>Dashie's glare tells you that she knows you've been staring at them
>Tough luck sister, you've only really been staring at one
>"To the store you mean? That'd be awesome! What are we gonna grab?"
"Buns."
>A beat passes before you speak more
>Dashie isn't impressed
>Jacky's expecting more of an answer
"I mean... I wanna grab some burger patties and buns. So we can try out our own, rather than do fast food. That'd be cool right? And it's the last time we went out to the store in general and... well, I'd like to see what you want. Gotta mix things up, right?"
>"We can make our own burgers?! Can we ma-"
"We aren't going to make so many burgers we pass out and later drag ourselves along the floor."
>Jacky looks embarrassed
"...Dash..."
>Your eyes go to not the earth pony, but the pegasus
>Her eyes widen for a moment before she politely coughs
"But... yeah. Eight or ten patties would be more than enough for everyone. Especially if we can do something like fix half today and then half tomorrow. Good way to enjoy the weekend, right? Add in some snacks, drinks, you know."
>You've never really been that good a shopper
>Frugality is a virtue but it stifles selection
>"Y'got your keys already?"
"Right here, Jackenstein."
>You pat your left chest pocket
>Your phone is in the right chest pocket
>Wallet left pocket
>You've kept the same things for so long you don't even think about it anymore
>But you check everything everywhere just to make sure
"Yeah, I got them."
>You point at Dashie
"You fine with sitting back seat?"
>"Back seat where?"
>"Anon's car! We aren't gonna walk, we're gonna ride!"
>She gallops, full force, to the parking lot and stops right behind your car
>"It's awesome, hurry up!"
"She's in a good mood."
>Dashie's response starts with a short scoff
>"She's always in a good mood."
"Sure but I can tell this is different."
>"And how is this different?"
>She looks you over while walking
"Well I can see the look in her eye. How much she smiles, or the way her smile's a little lopsided. Tone of her voice, how light or heavy her steps are."
>She doesn't look like she believes you
>"You can tell all of that by just glancing at her."
"Well sure. Can't you?"
>The conversation ends there
>Jacky bounds into her seat well enough, already used to the ritual
>After opening the rear driver door, the Dashie just looks at you
"Hop up?"
>"I'm not hopping."
>"Hop up, Dashie! I know you can do it!"
>"No!"
>She doesn't pout
>But it sure looks similar to one
"Really?"
>You're at a loss
"Want me to... lift you?"
>She doesn't answer
"...well alright then."
>You're not really sure why she's being weird but ok
>You crouch down and grab her both at chest and flank
>The grab leads to a shriek and the white horse leaping from the confines of your arms and onto the seat
>"How dare you?!"
>Her posh lady mode has been activated fully
"..what?"
>"You know well what!"
"What? I lifted you like how I used to lift my dog. He was a cool guy."
>"You think I'm a dog now?!"
>Jacky's confused face says enough
>She isn't making a scene for kicks
>She sounds actually angry
>"Dashie... what's up?"
>"This... beast of a man thinks he can just grab me!"
>What is this accent she's trying to pull
>It isn't some accent you've ever heard before in your life
>And you've listened to the Jojo dubbed episodes
"Alright, how should've I gotten you into the car? You weren't going to do it on your own."
>"You be quiet!"
>She starts to say something to you but you close the door in her face and mute whatever it is she had to say
>Ain't she just a bundle of joy
>You sit in your seat and turn the car on
>You didn't exactly know why she went off the deep end like that but it sure killed the mood
>Jacky watches you, and Dashie, but doesn't say anything
>Dashie doesn't say anything either
>Hopefully this doesn't last
>When you park, Jack hops out without much worry
>Despite your better judgement to leave her there, you open the rear door
"Coming out?"
>She looks at you
>Then at Jacky
>"...help me down."
>Really
"Really."
>"...really?"
>Even Jacky is concerned
"Why can't you just... jump?"
>"I do it all the time!"
>Dashie looks
>Well it's hard to tell how she looks
>She looks a little confused
"Allllright..."
>You sigh and crouch down, holding out your hands
"Hooves here."
>After a moment to contemplate her options, she does so
>You crouch down further and lean over until she's off-balanced
"Anytime you're ready."
>She awkwardly takes a step forward with her hind legs
>Her hind hooves nearly slide down the side of the seat until they're on the lower frame
>She looks almost concerned
>With a bit of a hobbled step, she lets herself onto the asphalt
>She takes her hooves off of your hands and sputters out something that sounds like a thanks
>You glance at Jacky with the corner of your eye
>She purses her lips and returns the glance with a shrug
>Well alright then
>You lead the way to the store, keeping a pace where the ponies are to your left
>Dashie looks like she's regained her poise but this is a very good reminder that you really don't have any clue about who she is
>Going off of Jacky's reactions, you're kinda wondering what she's thinking
>You grab a shopping cart and
>For some reason you get an idea
"Hey Jack."
>"Huh?"
>She looks at you, and the cart
"...wanna ride in it?"
>You can see
>In slow motion
>That her eyes dilate
>"...can we do that?"
"No one's gonna stop us."
>You crouch and swing down, taking her up in your arms
>On the continued swing, you stand back up
>She lets herself be carried by the momentum and kicks off of your arm at the last second
>She lands in the basket of the cart and sticks the landing!
>The cart itself doesn't seem pleased but other than it bouncing once or twice, it seems stable and solid
>"That was awesome! Dashie, you gott-"
>She looks down at Dashie before cutting herself off
>"...er, nevermind..."

>People are getting used to seeing you stroll around with a pony in tow
>They are not, however, used to you having more than one with you
>Captain Jacky points to your next destination, wanting to check out everything that catches her eye
>She didn't really ever show any interest in snacks before, but you ended up getting a half dozen boxes of various snack cakes, a few four-packs of fancy sodas, four bags of chips, a bag of shredded cheese, a pack of flour tortillas, some ice cream and a bunch of bananas
>Dashie was largely silent, but did agree with most of the items
>Of course, you still got the hamburger patties and the buns for them
>With the cart being as full as it is, Jacky went from hopping in the cart to sitting while half-buried in food
>She seems happy with it though
>"Hey Dashie, what do you wanna have for dessert?"
>The pegasus idly glances up to her
>She looks like she's been on edge
>You decided against calling attention to it
>A lot of people have been watching her, just as she's been watching them
>You really haven't put any thought into her getting...
>Is 'socialized' the right word?
>Kinda
>She isn't some feral beast
>But other people
>Humans
>She's outgunned and outmuscled no matter how you look at it
"Hey Dashington."
>She glances at you for a second
>"Yes?"
"You're alright... you know that, right?"
>"I'm not worried about myself."
>She doesn't sound all that confident
>Well she surely isn't worried about you
>"Relax! The worst that could happen is that they ask us to stop taking all of the good stuff!"
>Jacky chirps out, nuzzling a bag of barbecue chips
>"Jacky, I'm serious."
>"I am too! Did you know that these are limited edition?"
>Dashie's wings twitch and flap once
>Those almost never move
>"...are we ready to go yet?"
>She sounds annoyed
>But something else too
"Sure... yeah, we got everything. Right Jack?"
>"Well, we could really go look at pasta and sauces for..."
"Yeah, we're done."
>"Aw..."
>If there's been one good thing, it's that some of the checkout people are used to seeing Jacky
>You really haven't gone out with her as much as you should've
>On the plus side, she's easy to remember
>How many yellow ponies pop up anyway?
>"Well hello there, Jenny!"
>"It's Jacky!"
>"Right! How we doing today, huh?"
>The yankee old timer is a pretty neat guy
>Evidently he grew up around horses
>Never had one that could speak though
>He doesn't at all seem to notice Dashie, who's far below eye level
>"So this is a lot. You guys throwing a party?"
>"No... but it's a good idea! Anon is gonna make burgers for everyone tonight!"
>He laughs and points to the wrapped up patties
>"I see that! Looks like you got enough to feed a dozen of you!"
>They're causing a bit of a scene with how loud they're being
>You suppose it's natural, she's pretty rare a sight
>Hopefully it helps ease the soul sucking burden of working in a grocery store
>"You know, you should really get a reward card! I see you eyeing the candy, some are free after enough points!"
>"No way?!"
>Oh God damn it
>You are not going to let her get talked into signing up for things
"Yeah, that's a solid 'no' bossman. I good to swipe?"
>"Or insert if you got the chip, chief!"
"Right on."
>With everything bagged up, including a spare paper bag for Jacky because she wanted one, you head out
>You double check to make sure that Dashie's with you
>She is
>But she really does not look comfortable
"Y'alright, Dasher?"
>She doesn't answer until you leave the store
>Once in the parking lot, her wings shake and flap
>"...There's a lot of people in there."
"Sure are."
>"How do you know they're safe?"
"What do you mean by that?"
>She huffs and shakes herself hard from nose to tail
>Well, whatever
"So Jack, you really think all of you guys can eat all of this before it goes bad?"
>"I bet your beard on it, bucko!"
"Don't bet that of all things."
>Jacky helps you load up the car
>Kinda
>You pass her bags and she sets them down in the trunk
>Though you have to reiterate that it wouldn't be safe for her to sit back there while driving
>She bounds out, hooves clopping on the asphalt
>"Alright, let's go home!"
>You open the driver side doors and push the cart into the back of a line of carts
>You see that Jack is fine
>But Dashie is still just... standing there
>Staring at the car like it's something out of her reach
>You stand behind her
>And watch
>After a moment too long, you clear your throat
"Something's up with you and this. The sooner you mention it, the sooner we can go home."
>She starts to say something
>But stops herself
>"...I can't just jump up into there."
"Why not? Jack's just fine. Sparky's a little... less... agile. But she's able to do it fine enough."
>"Yes well they're..."
>Again, she stops herself
>"Kneel down."
"What, really?"
>"Please."
"Alright, lady. Just don't make a scene again."
>You take a knee and hold out your palms, creating a three-step Anon ladder that goes from the ground to the seat
>Step by step, Dashie climbs the manmade stairs until she takes a seat
"You're welcome."
>You shut the door and sit yourself in the captain's chair
>Is Jacky the only normal pony out of the three?
>"Hey Anon."
"Ah?"
>"I think I ate some the plastic wrapped around one of those snack cakes..."
"How the hell did you sneak one of those?"
>Nevermind, none of them are normal
>The trip back home was blissfully short
>You decided to park in the garage, so it'd be easier to move everything up
>Jack hops out as soon as you get out of your seat
>She had been clearing her throat for minutes now, and finally managed to cough up the plastic
"Nice."
>"Don't you hate when that happens?"
"Jacky, I have never once done that!"
>"There's a first time for everything, Anon! I ain't some plastic manipulating mastermind!"
"You continue to impress and terrify me. Run upstairs, grab Sparks so she can help us get all of this in one trip."
>You wait until she kicks open the stairwell door and trots away
>You really need to teach her restraint
>With her out of earshot, you open the back door and purse your lips at Dashie
"Alright, we're gonna talk."
>"About what?"
>She's sitting in place
>She doesn't look like she knows what you're referring to
"Don't give me that. Why did you spaz out about me picking you up? What's your deal?"
>She looks uncomfortable
>She certainly isn't in any favorable position
>"Don't insult me."
"What?"
>"Don't talk to me like I don't know Jacky. I know her better than you ever could."
"Yeah? Did you know she'd scarf down a snack that's 90% sugar, plastic included?"
>She tries to answer
>But she can only really tilt her head
>"...she... is a mite carefree at times, isn't she."
"Sometimes. Why are you so bent if I know her in a way you don't?"
>"Because I'm her best friend. We've been friends our entire lives. And..."
>She finally looks at you directly
>"And then I see that she has... you! And she's more friendly with Sparking, to top it off!"
"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?"
>"YES!"
>Her face shifts to an angry snarl
>But only for the duration of her word
>She averts her gaze from you and sighs
>A mournful sigh
>"We were alone in the world except for each other. It was her and I against everyone else. And she just... moved on without me. She found someone without even asking for my opinion."
"That someone is right here in front of you."
>She doesn't answer you
>"We're supposed to be a team... and she just up and forgot."
"That doesn't explain your inability to enter or leave a car."
>"And worst of all, all she talks about is you. Or Sparking. We don't even talk about what we used to."
"And what sort of life did she lead before?"
>"One where we were sisters!"
"And she isn't your sister now, because she has other friends aside from you now? Grow up."
>You understand her
>You can almost see part of yourself in her
>But, because of that, you feel the need to react stronger than you normally would
"No one's perfect friends here. You haven't really tried being anyone's friend since you got here. Maybe you did when you first popped up but you don't really want to include yourself too much."
>"Because what you do isn't what we used to do."
"And what did you do? Steal shit, get caught, and revolve your days around finding more things just to subsist while you put on airs? Jack's happy and... borderline childish levels of happy because I don't remember ever once being so happy and carefree. I don't know why, maybe she wants to be happy, maybe she has everything s he wants. If you got beef with me or you don't like that I know her differently than how you know her, that's your problem. Talk it out with her."
>Neither you nor her say anything
"You haven't lost a friend. You never lost your friend. She's just gone through some stuff since you were gone. Maybe she's changed but she's still Jack."
>She doesn't reply
>She shakes her head and tries to get out of the car on her own
>She ends up landing wrong
>Her front right leg bends too much and the side of her face hits the concrete floor with a thud
>She really looks sorta frail
>Sparks is scrawny
>But looking at Dashie now
>Her fur must hide her physique
"I would've helped with that."
>"You've helped enough, Anon."
"No such thing, birdbrain. Next time you got an issue with me, let me know. No more of this... prissy temper tantrum shit."
>"Ugh... you sound like Sparking."
>She's a bit on the difficult side
>But you understand her
>How are you supposed to know if your friends have grown away from you?
>How could anyone deal with that when they've never had anything else?

>Sunday
>Finally
>More so, it's the start of your new job tomorrow
>This week felt like this has been going on forever
>Yesterday was nice at least
>The last of the burgers were eaten
>Soda was had
>As with snacks
>Thankfully you hid them out of reach and out of view
>Jacky is laying on your right side, her head on your chest
>Sparks is laying on your left side, her head on your shoulder
>Dashie is laying across your legs, her neck draped over your left knee
>"So Anon. What's it like working so much?"
>Jacky finally broke the silence
>She was first to lay with you, then the other two came in
>Sparks seems to just prefer your left side
>She's mellowed out, after you asked her about Dashie's temper tantrum
>Dashie didn't exactly apologize or anything but things calmed down with her
>There's some YouTube video playing in the living room but you can't hear enough of it to know what it is
"It's... fun, actually."
>"Really?"
"Yeah. If it's work you like, it can be neat. Coworkers can make it fun too."
>"Are they your friends?"
"Well not really. I suppose they're not bad guys. But I guess I wouldn't call them friends."
>Sparks scoffs
>"How boring."
"Well it can be boring too. But you learn stuff."
>"Is it anything worth knowing?"
"Sometimes. But it can also include learning stuff like... how to talk to people better. How to be a bit more productive and how to multi-task."
>Jacky lets out a loud 'hmmm'
>"Should we get jobs?"
>It would be nice if they could add a few bucks here and there
"Nah, you guys are fine. Besides, I don't want anything bad happening to you. To any of you."
>"Is it that dangerous for a pony to get a job?"
"Well... maybe not. But if something happened, you wouldn't be able to use a cell phone or anything. And while you are strong, you wouldn't be able to fight off someone who really wanted to hurt you."
>"Oh... well that's true... and it's not like we can just shoot them."
"Not really. This isn't the wild west anymore."
>"Boo."
>Sparks speaks up
>"So what if we go to work with you? We can help out then, right?"
"Well... I'm not sure. I don't think they'd pay you."
>"Why not?"
"Because they'd see it as volunteering. Or as me bringing a pet to work."
>Sparks scoffs and shakes her head
>"I'm more than just a pony. I bet magic would change their tune."
"It might but let's not test our luck."
>She nuzzles your shoulder hard, her pride struck
>Not by you, but just by living among humans
>"But you do not view us as pets, do you."
>Dashie finally speaks up
>She speaks like she already knows the answer
"Right."
>"How is it that we earn our keep then?"
>You've thought about this question for a while
>You are feeding four mouths
"I don't know. When I got Jackeroo, I never once thought about her having to ever do anything like worry about bills or money. I don't want any of you to, really."
>"But what if we want to help?"
>Jacky turns her head to face you
>She looks like the pony you've known for the greater half of a year now
>So much of her expressions are easily readable to you when before it just was difficult to gauge her
>Of course, you've done a lot of things with her too, to bond
>And other things
"I don't know... I really didn't think that far ahead."
>"Should you really have gotten us if you weren't prepared?"
>Dashie doesn't sound irritated but she sounds a bit confused
"Jacky missed you and Sparks... so that's all I cared about."
>Sparks starts to speak up
>"Prism... let's be honest with ourselves. If we weren't so close to Jacky, we'd still be... wherever we were."
>You can feel her body twitch
>She's probably thinking about that place
>About that woman
>"I suppose you're right."
>"Well I'm glad you guys are here with me. Nobody but Anon would've done that!"
>Jacky watches you as she speaks
>It's kinda just hits you how unusual it is to watch her speak English
"I'm just glad I have you for friends."
>The room falls silent again
"Hey Jack."
>"Mm?"
>She slides the side of her face against your chest
>Her twin tails are starting to become the norm
"What were you guys like before being here?"
>Jacky frowns
>Sparks scoffs
>Dashie sighs
>"It wasn't happy, Anon... we were angry at each other a lot. We didn't get along. We rarely slept or stayed together. We didn't share often."
>"We did, Jacky."
>Dashie's wing flaps open once, and close
>"Well, right. Dashn' I shared. But we had been together since... as long as I can remember."
>So much has changed
"You know. I think I was kinda the same."
>Sparks scoffs and smirks at you
>"You really think so?"
"Well not really. But my childhood really sucked. I didn't feel safe in my own house, and it's not like I could just leave whenever I wanted."
>"Oh."
>"Did you have anyone to help?"
>While Sparks flops to her other side to stop any eye contact, Jacky focuses keenly on you
"Not really. There was no one there to ask for help. And after a while... you just learn that you can't ask."
>"I understand that... we used to beg a lot, before we went to other alternatives."
"Alternatives being stealing."
>"Yeah."
>Dashie speaks up
>"It's not like we enjoyed it, Anon."
>Jacky's face spreads to a cheeky grin upon hearing that
>"Well... some things were fun... remember the candy store?"
>Dashie chuckles
>Far more refined than how Sparks chuckles
>"I do. We were bouncing off the walls for a month."
>"One time, Dashn' me stole from a candy store. Think that chocolate egg stuff you got us, but a thousand times bigger!"
"God damn."
>"Right? We couldn't sell it, obviously, so we just had to eat it all before it would've gone bad."
>Dashie finally stirs, dragging herself from your legs to your right side
>She sits up, watching the back of Jacky's head and your face
>"Brownies, muffins, weird breads... hard candy, soft candy, taffy, cake slices, pie slices, and a few bottles of syrup."
"Doesn't syrup last forever?"
>Dashie looks at you with a queer eye
>"...does it?"
"Well... yeah. It's stuff from a tree, right?"
>"I... I suppose it is, yes."
"Yeah. You could've spread that out pretty long."
>Dashie's eyes fall
>"Oh... guess that explains a few things."
>They were clueless
>You flex your left arm
"Hey Sparks."
>"Mm?"
"Wanna join in with the story time?"
>"No... not really. I was so weak then. I don't like thinking about it."
"It's alright. We're all weak, at some point. It's through that, that we learn to get stronger."
>Jacky nods, eyes ever-present
>"I agree."
>"You are so whipped."
>Sparks giggles
>Jacky sighs and nods
>"I agree."
"Hey Jack."
>"Yeah?"
"Would you want to learn how to do things at home? Depending on how you all work, maybe we can figure something out. More money all around means you guys can grab stuff you want, right?"
>"And what could we buy?"
>Dashie looks at you with a furrowed brow
>"Who would accept our money?"
"Well you could order stuff online."
>"You can do that?"
"Sure. Gotta love computers, right?"
>"We didn't have computers back home."
>Jacky speaks like it's nothing surprising
>It kinda isn't
"So... are you guys from Equestria? Like the ponies from the show?"
>Sparks turns her head to the right, to look at Dashie
>Dashie doesn't have an answer
>Jacky doesn't have an answer
>"I... I don't know. I never heard of that name before."
"Fair enough. Where did you guys live?"
>I don't remember that either. Do you guys remember?"
>No answer come from Dashie or Sparks
"I see... did you ever even go to school or something, if they have that?"
>"No. I don't think it would've done a lot anyway."
"Yeah... point."
>Where could they have come from?
"Were other people ponies or like me?"
>"Definitely ponies. A lot of stuff was in reach..."
"Makes sense I suppose."
>You close your eyes
>You're not really tired
>Even if you were, you don't have to wake up at your super early time anymore
"Listen... if worse comes to worse, all of you will be taken care of."
>"Like what?"
"Just in case anything happens."
>You yawn again
>You're not tired
>But still
>You feel Sparks nuzzle your arm
>Jacky starts to pet your right arm with her hooves
>Dashie sits there, looking down at you
>"I'm going to listen to some more music in the living room. Anyone coming with me?"
>Sparks shakes her head
>Jacky doesn't even reply
>You open one of your eyes to see a negative reaction on her face
"We'll join you in a minute. I guess right now is... well, it used to be bedtime."
>She doesn't seem to like your answer and struts off
"She needs to take the stick out of her butt..."
>Sparks gives a single 'ha'
>"She needs an arm to lay on..."
>"I think she just needs time.
"Yeah... I want things to be better for all of us. Including her.
>Your eye closes again
>You feel yourself drifting off
>You can feel Jacky slide on top of you until her head is right at your jaw
>"Don't worry. We'll keep guard over you while you sleep."
"What, afraid that a ghost will get me?"
>"Well..."
>Sparks speaks up once Jacky trails off
>"It's a job. Pay us in the morning so we can help out with bills."
>That's funny
"Alright... keep an eye on me then."
>"You got it chief."
>Sparks yawns
>Jacky yawns too
>Somehow, you yawn as well
"Aw hell, a yawn spiral..."
>When Sparks starts to yawn one more, your hand slides up to her mouth to cover it
>All seems safe
>Until you yawn again
"Crap..."
>"Get some sleep Anon. You have work tomorrow. And it's a new place too! Let us watch out and kick any nightmares' butts."
"Thanks. I knew I could cound on the Jack Attach squad."
>You wish Dashie wasn't by herself
>But you can't control her
>Maybe tomorrow you can think of something to help her

>The new job was
>Interesting
>The later start time wasn't too bad, but it wasn't as late as they first claimed it would be
>Between that and being taught the bare basics, the week passed in the blink of an eye
>The atmosphere of the apartment is...
>Uncomfortable
>Sparks has been sociable enough, and has stopped laying at you flank-to-face
>Mostly
>Neither you nor her have brought any attention to it on purpose
>She hasn't been probing your mind either, you don't think
>Jacky has been as happy as usual, but something tells you that she's being extra cheerful as a way to cheer up everyone
>Not that you're particularly in a low mood, yourself
>You're excited for the new work, but the standard newbie mistakes do wear on you
>Dashie has been...
>Not well
>She's been keeping herself distant
>As distant as one can be in a small apartment
>You can hear a song that's been on repeat for at least an hour now
>Jacko and Sparks have been laying together so your arms are yours to use
>You use those man-sized arms to sneak out of bed and into the hallway
>Peeking your head out, you see Dashie on a miniature throne made up of all of the blankets and pillows
>If it weren't for the kitchen light and the laptop, you wouldn't be able to see anything
>You creep up to her side, theatrically sneaking
>She's looking straight ahead but you're sure you're in her peripheral vision
>You switch to an Ace Ventura style of sneaking, swaying your arms back and forth
>Not even a smile
>Well damn
>You resign yourself to the fact that you can't make her smile and sit beside her
>She's watching a visualizer that's on the laptop screen, set in front of the 'stage' curtains
"What's up, Prismatic?"
>She doesn't really react to you
>"I'm losing my friend."
"Jacky?"
>She nods
>It's a physical reaction so you're getting somewhere
"How are you losing her? She's in bed snoozing."
>"She isn't like how I remember... she's changed."
>She sounds defeated
>"You've changed her."
"She's done a lot of changing on her own."
>"I've seen."
>You think it's kinda humorous that she's sitting in her throne like a human
>Really good pillow placement to be able to just plop back like that
>"I miss how things were."
"How things were?"
>"When it was just her and me. And then Sparking would sometimes show up."
"Didn't you guys live... well, survive wherever?"
>"That's right."
"What do you envy about those times compared to what you have now?"
>"We were closer back then. I would give up everything now if I could go back in time with her. And just do things that we used to do, for all the good and bad that followed. I would be willing to make that sacrifice."
>You know that feel
>You know it all too well
"Yeah... you know, I wish the same things too."
>She finally glances in your general direction
>"Jacky told me you have friends that aren't around anymore."
"Had. Knew them for more than half of my life. Knew one for more or less all my life."
>She nods
>"Then you know."
"Yeah. Some days, I think of what I've done. Of how I've changed. Some days, I wish I could undo all of it and do whatever it took to keep them around."
>"So why didn't you? They were your friends, were they not?"
"Of course they were. And... I think that's what the issue was. My interests. My hopes. What I wanted my future to look like. It was always the same exact same thing."
>You lean forward and crawl a step to grab the mouse and change it to some random lofi playlist that was up next anyway
"Talk about earworm..."
>You lean back and retake your place beside her
"The ways I changed, I always thought would be so I could continue to be the big brother sort. You know what I mean. Let everything bad happen to yourself, so they're protected. So they can learn from your mistakes. Be the first guy in and the last guy out. Be the one who has those scars so when you give really stupid sounding advice there's proof that there is method to the madness."
>Your eyes get misty
"Not a day goes by that they aren't in my thoughts. Even if it's just a little. I'm sentimental like that, you know."
>"Jacky did say that you keep a certain picture of all of you close."
"That's right."
>You clear your throat
"So, anyway, I changed. I know I did. I became more proud to be the big brother. I saw myself as the type of rival that they might need sometimes, to push themselves further at whatever pace they were comfortable with. I wanted all of us to succeed."
>You give your nose a quick wipe
>Just in case
"So... during all of this, they changed too. The same things that we all liked for years and years... they no longer liked. They grew to kinda hate a lot of what we liked. Really stupid stuff, but it was fun. Still is fun, I think."
>You find that it's getting a bit more difficult to focus but you soldier on
>You've been good at doing that
"So... the things they no longer like. I suppose they stop liking me as well. Because I still like those things. Or, in some instances, they dislike that I don't dislike what they do. And all of the goofy arguing and bitching and fighting we used to do. That's no longer on the table."
>"Jacky told me that they just never contacted you. She never said anything about this."
"Yeah... I know."
>She sniffles
>She doesn't look like it, but she is crying
>"I can't let that be me. I can't lose her."
"And you aren't, you won't. Trust me, no one here wanted you around more than her. I didn't even really know about you. Sparks... well, she has her things that she's working through. You are too. We all are with this shit."
>That causes more of a sniffle, and a barely-hidden cough
"Jacky's changed since she's first been here... yeah. But she hasn't stopped being your sister either. She hasn't ever once stopped being your friend. She hasn't once ever stopped being Sparky's friend either. That's why we're all together, it's because of her. No matter how she's changed, what she's into, what memes she'll randomly spout, she's still your friend. She's still the dork she's always been."
>She lets out sharp 'ha'
>"She really has gotten sillier..."
"You can't blame me all for that, that's all I'm saying."
>"Yes I can."
>She flashes a faint smile
"Alright, maybe you can a little."
>You both watch the video
>It's full of trippy rainbow visuals over a SNES game
"I told you what I did..."
>"You understand being the oldest."
"Right. I do. I never meant to insult you or anything like that. And I'm definitely not bogarting into your territory. She'll always need her sister, there's no way that's going to change."
>"What happens when she doesn't need an older sister anymore?"
"If that ever changes, somehow. Guess what, you'll still be her friend. Her buddy. Whatever it is, or whatever you wanna call it."
>Her crying hasn't stopped
>But she is smiling more
>"What do I do then? Wait for it to happen? Occupy myself with meaningless hobbies that only serve to kill time?"
"Sure. What else do you call living past the point you thought you'd be dead by?"
>She looks at you again
>"Appropriate words, Anon..."
>She blinks hard and shakes her head
>"Those colors are hypnotic..."
"Yeah, they kinda make the minutes go by quick."
>Both of you sit there, watching the seizure-inducing blend of 16-bit gameplay and swirling rainbows
>"I don't know if I can just... occupy myself and wait."
"That's fine. You don't have to. You can hang out with us and roll your eyes at our antics if you don't want to immediately join in."
>You shrug and nod to yourself
>It sounds like a good idea to you anyway
"We're all adults. Whatever that is supposed to amount to. That means that our lives and the way we live it is in our hands."
>You glance at her
"Hooves. Whatever you grab shit with."
>You couldn't handle losing your thumbs
"You guys, as far as I'm concerned. You guys can do whatever you like. Whatever's fun. You aren't... pets or something. I mean, obviously there are some things lost in translation between pony and human. Like the car thing."
>She shakes her head
>"No, I understand. I apologize for that."
"Right. You guys aren't prisoners here either... it's nothing at all like that. I just want everyone to be able to enjoy themselves. With this week..."
>You exhale hard through your mouth in a huff
"If I don't myself canned by fucking up... we'll be able to sit pretty well. And go out or whatever sounds good. We won't be reliant on scraps or stealing shit or anything like that, so don't worry about it..."
>You hold out your hands and shrug
"But... I also know that you probably will worry anyway. And that's ok. I appreciate it. But there's nothing wrong with focusing on yourself too."
>She doesn't answer
>After a few more minutes of watching the trippy video, you pat her pillow throne
"Right... well, I'm tired so I'm gonna head to bed. I still do wanna grab another mattress so there's more variety between... well, my bed, out here and whatever. It's lack of foresight, not intentional."
>Prism chuckles
>"Oh, I don't think anyone's complaining. Your bed is nice."
>She hangs her head, leaning to the side, away from you
>"I just don't like seeing her like that. I'm not ready, I don't think."
"I get it. Just let us know if anything's up, ok? You're not alone in this. You never were, and you never will be. You got your friends."
>With that, you stumble to your feet and sneak back, ever so masterfully, back to your room
>It's kinda cute to see Jack and Sparks sleeping next to each other
>The mess of manes thankfully doesn't dominate the mattress itself so you can lay back down
>At least the video is playing good music, from what you can hear
>You check the clock and see...
>It's Sunday
>When you wake up, you should really do something big for breakfast
>Or something
>After talking to her, you could use a little cheering up too
>You never want to see them go through what you did