Sunny Gets a Pet

>The portal gleamed at him.
>Begging to be used.
>Anon glanced around him, the hall was barren.
>The steady clip-clop of his hooves on the polished floor followed him as he stepped up to the portal.
>A regular mirror, reflecting his green coat, gleaming golden armor, and black mane seemed to sit before him.
>He knew better.
>This was his chance, his one way back to being a Human.
>It would be open for another day, at most, then it would close.
>He had to.
>Anon couldn't simply walk away- he had put too much effort into becoming a Royal Knight to simply give up now.
>The glass rippled under his hoof like water.
>It wasn't cool, nor warm, but he could feel the energy.
>A gently buzz hummed through him, rattling his leg ever so slightly.
>In for a penny, he thought.
>Another glance around; the hall containing the magic mirror was still empty.
>Anon closed his eyes, taking in a shuddering breath.
>This was it.
>He was gonna do it.
>Anon blew out a breath, his shoulders slouching as he set his hoof on the ground.
>Spinning around, he prepared to stalk away from the portal.
>Jumping a little, Anon glanced around.
>His hindquarters had impacted the now dangerously wobbling mirror.
>A noise of surprise and a quick flash of magic, and the toppling mirror cast him into a brand new world.
>Before he could get all the way through to the other side, the mirror hit the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces.
>A breath.
>Anon's eyes opened.
>Dull, aching throbs covered him from head to hoof.
>He moaned in pain, certain that his armor- and, for that matter, his body- were now covered in bruises.
>In between being thrown through the portal and being thrown out, he had tumbled around in an otherwise infinitely large space.
>That didn't mean it didn't hurt, though.
"Oh my... Poor little horsie, did someone hurt you?"
>A soft feminine voice, barely audible over the pounding in his head.
>Familiar as it was, Anon couldn't place it until she turned him over.
>Fluttershy, or what looked like a taller, skinnier, less equine Fluttershy stared down at him.
>Her bright blue eyes were filled with concern for him.
"Y-yeah I think I'll be alright."
>His voice wasn't overly loud, nor was it well enunciated, yet it was still audible.
>Fluttershy bit her lip, seemingly ignoring him.
>Odd.
>Fluttershy hooked her arms around his back, lifting him up much like a baby.
>Anon blushed, well aware of the warm, soft bumps pressing into his side.
>With another thin groan of pain, Anon relaxed into Fluttershy's soft grip.
>Hopefully when he woke up the pain would leave him.
>He awoke in a soft bed, caressed in fluffy blankets and with a drowsy, muddled fog covering his mind.
>The pain was now just a distant throb that lingered around him, gone was the stabbing pain that crippled him.
>He could feel someone above him, even in his muddled state.
>His attempts to look up were stopped by a warm hand pressing against his neck, forcing his face back down onto the pillow.
"Don't move around too much little guy, Fluttershy said you took a bad fall."
>The voice was unfamiliar to him, but he complied none the less.
>It hurt to move.
"You're in my home. I'm the one who's going to be taking care of you."
>Anon groaned in reply.
>Another beat, and he finally worked a kink out of his jaw.
"Thanks."
>The hand, now resting gently on his neck, jerked in surprise.
"I... Understand you? Fluttershy said you came out of the portal... I just had no idea you would still be speaking a language I could understand."
>The shock was evident in the stranger's voice.
>Despite the protests of his body, Anon rolled around to look at the girl above him.
>Her hair was short, cut to just above her shoulders with a red and yellow motif.
>It stood out starkly against the dim lighting of the room.
>She was staring at him oddly.
"...Are you hungry?"
>Anon nodded lightly, wincing at the phantom pain that pierced his neck.
"Here, try and sit up. I made you some soup earlier, for when you woke back up, but I'd really rather not spill it on you by feeding you on your back."
>Anon didn't respond, instead he let out a tired groan, his muscles protesting as he lifted himself up.
>His muscles protested loudly, but his stomach roared, demanding to be fed.
>Ultimately, his stomach won out.
>Anon sat back on his haunches and gave her a dreary look.
>She was holding out a spoonful of vegetable soup, waiting for him to drink it down.
>He did so quickly, and before long the woman before him was refilling the spoon over and over.
"I'm Sunset by the way."
"Anon."
>Anon winced at the gruff, grave tone his voice took on, but there was no way to get around it.
"Nice to meet you."
>Sunset smiled softly at him, setting the spoon in the now empty bowl and reaching up to ruffle the top of his unkempt mane.
>Anon sighed in pleasure, Sunset knew just where to scratch.
"So, you're from Equestria too?"
>Sunset nodded at his question, setting the bowl on the end table next to her.
"Yes. I found the situation here to be better than in Equestria."
>She was evasive and shifty eyed in her answer, but Anon wasn't going to ask.
>His answer would sound much the same as hers, at any rate, for leaving Equestria.
"So... There's some bad news."
>She seemed awkward in announcing that, Anon mused, no doubt she didn't know when to bring it up.
"The portal back is closed. More accurately, the statue the portal is located in, is crumbled."
>Anon hummed in thought.
"Mirror fell over on me, got sent through. Broke before I could get all the way through."
>Sunset's eyebrows lifted up.
"Probably why you're still a pony. There's also some more... Well, news."
>He twitched his hoof, telling her to go on.
"The laws here are a lot more strict than in Equestria-- here, you're a pet, and no one can understand you. I've, if you're agreeable, decided to take you in."
>Anon's jaw fell open.
>Ignoring the twinge of pain, he looked away with a blush.
>The connotations of being a "pet" flustered him, though Sunset misinterpreted.
"T-that's not what I mean! I'll treat you just like a pony! I would never treat you like an, well, an actual pet..."
>Thankful for being misinterpreted, Anon cleared his throat.
"Of course I'll accept, I really have no where else to go. Being a pet is better than living out on the streets, right?"
>Sunset nodded agreement, a relieved look on her face.
"That's all I really needed to talk to you about. I'll come in later to check on you, for now you should get some rest."
>Anon was quick to agree.
>Anon yawned, smacking his lips as he sat up.
>Sunset was already gone.
>Off to High School, he knew.
>Just as she had the last four days.
>In between sleeping and eating, Anon hadn't done much.
>The soreness in his body left him mostly incapacitated.
>He had mostly finished healing, and with that, came a bit of cabin fever.
>In the business week between his arrival here, Anon had yet to go outside.
>The change, from being a Princess' Guard that patrolled a kingdom, to a house pet, was a large one.
>Anon's hooves click-clacked against the tiled floor of Sunset's apartment.
>He hopped up onto the couch and clicked on the television, sinking down into a comfortable position.
>Anon settled in, flicking the television to a random channel and relaxing into a blissful unconscious.
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>Sunset trudged into her apartment,
>She sighed, wiping a hand down her face and kicking off her boots.
>The skittering of hooves on tile and a greeting welcomed her.
>Right, Anon was staying with her.
>He was in front of her now, staring up from his position on the floor with his wide, black eyes.
>Sunset grunted her greeting.
>She stepped past him, even as he tried getting her attention, and plopped down on her couch.
>Sunset blew out a breath and sunk into the soft leather.
>Anon hopped up next to her, an annoyed look on his face.
"Are you even listening to me?"
>She shrugged, wincing as she brought her sore legs up to rest on the coffee table in front of her.
"Not really. Whadya want?"
>Anon snorted, pinning Sunset with a look.
"I said I wanted to go for a walk. I've been stuck here for a week."
>Sunset waved him off.
"Maybe later, I just got done with school. I'm tired."
>That didn't abate Anon's annoyance, rather it irked him more.
>Anon sighed, knowing that arguing with her wouldn't help his situation.
>He turned away and prepared to jump off.
>Just as he was, Sunset grabbed him by the barrel.
>Easily she lifted him, much like she would a large house cat
>Anon squirmed. wiggled.
>The feeling of her hands, soft and warm, around him wasn't entirely unpleasant.
>But just the same, both the indignity of being treated like a dog and the odd pressure on his stomach left something to be desired.
"H-hey! Put me down!"
>Sunset smirked, swinging her legs over to sit at the end of the couch while she laid her head down on the headrest.
>Anon was set gently on her stomach, and before he could scurry away, she had pinned him.
>Her right arm rested on his back- he was kept down, pressed tightly to her stomach.
"Just getting comfortable"
>Anon felt his cheeks heat up at the smirk levied at him, Sunset's grin widened at the blush.
"Maybe you should, too. I wanna take a nap."
>Anon huffed.
>Despite that, he did as suggested.
>Folding his hooves under his body and resting his chin on the bottom of her ribs, Anon settled in for another nap.
>The spot, he lamented, was comfortable.
>Sunset's skin was warm to the touch- as her shirt had exposed her tummy, Anon was resting directly on her skin.
>Her warmth filled Anon, and the gentle beating of her heart helped lull him to sleep.
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>Anon jerked awake, his eyes snapping open sharply.
>He was being rolled off of Sunset's torso as she sat up.
>Anon caught himself as he impacted her thighs, landing on his hooves unsteadily.
>Sunset was still half asleep, a groggy, sleepy-eyed look on her face as she tried to rouse herself into full wakefulness
>She let out a jaw-cracking yawn.
>Sunset stretched her arms over her head, moaning as they cracked.
>Another moment, as she let her arms relax, and she stood.
>Unsteadily at first, as the last vestiges of sleep left her, but soon Sunset was balanced.
>Anon copied her, leaning down with his rump in the air to stretch his back.
>He snapped into a standing position as a yawn left him.
"Ready?"
>Anon looked up at Sunset.
>She was looking down at him with a thin, squinty-eyed look.
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>He didn't know quite what he expected.
>Trailing along at her heels, perhaps.
>Even riding around in a backpack
>Yet, when Sunset Shimmer decided to stick a collar around his neck and attach a leash to it, he was more than a little indignant.
>Sunset found it hilarious.
>Anon could tell by the way she shook in mirth- with a glittering look in her eyes, to boot,
"Oh shut it."
>Anon's furious look and deep set scowl were wrought harder along his face when Sunset burst into giggles.
"You said you wanted to go for a walk."
>Anon dearly wished she would develop a hernia.
"So I'm taking you for a walk."
>Her humor wasn't lost on him- in fact if the roles were reversed, he'd be laughing as well.
>It wasn't so funny, Anon realized, when he was the one being paraded around.
>Though the cooing girls fawning over him did help a little.
>Until Sunset sent them scurrying away with a furious glare.
"When I said I wanted to go for a walk, Sunset, I meant without a... Leash."
>The very pronunciation of the word left Sunset doubled over in laughter.
>She struggled to form words together, but managed.
>If only.
"You know there are laws about keeping pets on leashes... I could be in big trouble, you know? What would you do if your owner got sent away?"
>Anon's grumbled reply was said under his breath, before he piped up.
"I'm not a pet."
>Sunset stopped, turning down to look at the indignant pony that was scowling up at her.
>She picked him up as if he weighed nothing, which wasn't far from the truth.
>Sunset raised him up to look him in the eye.
"Well, you're a pet here, Anon. My pet, to be frank."
>A breath, and Anon's reply was cut off.
"And you will do as I say. Unless you'd rather compete with the other stray animals?"
>That kept him quiet.
>Truthfully, Sunset had offered him a great deal.
>One that he couldn't possibly turn down.
>Partially because he believed she wouldn't let him turn it down.
"...Fine, Sunset. Could you put me down now?"
"Sure..."
>Anon breathed a sigh of relief.
>Being picked up was uncomfortable.
"But first, you have to lick me."
>The breath of relief was suddenly stuck in his throat as he coughed.
>The sudden connotations of her... Word choice was certainly not lost on him.
>Did she really want him too...?
>In public?
"E-excuse me?"
>Sunset's grin turned almost predatory
>Like a shark that smelled blood in the water.
"You heard me. Lick my cheek."
>Anon slowly regained his composure.
>Relief flooded him.
>Sunset was a cute girl, and all, but...
>No hooves.
>Anon let the thought drop for the moment, and instead turned his gaze back onto an expectant Sunset Shimmer.
>A grimace, and a quick lick later, Sunset was beaming.
>Despite being forced into it, Anon kind of liked it.
>A little salty, but good none the less.
>He almost regretted having Sunset put him down, the way she cradled him in her arms right before she set him down was just...
>Perfect.
>But he was set down, and he was even quicker at her heels.
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>Their walk had concluded.
>Only a few minutes after the licking ordeal, as Anon referred to it, they had arrived back at her apartment.
>Anon was loathe to admit that watching Sunset lay on her couch watching tv, curled into a ball while being covered by a blanket was cute.
>He was even more hesitant to admit that when she fell asleep, it was with him in her arms,
>Even further, the thought of ever remembering the way Sunset's heart beat had steadied, and the gentle lullaby of her breathing calmed, had in turn lulled him to sleep was simply out of the window.
>Yet all of it happened, Anon had kept a watchful gaze over her dreams as she encircled him in her warm, loving embrace.
>Much like a pet and an owner.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->Sunset's touch woke him from his slumber.
>The warmth radiating from her tried to lull him back into sleep, but Sunset was bound and determined to keep him awake
>Anon was filled with Sunset's glowing warmth and gentle ministrations.
>Her scent-everything sweet and fresh in the world- filled his nostrils.
>She was curled around him, a hand now resting on his stomach.
>Anon leaned into her touch, a warmth filling him from head to hoof.
>A shudder raced up his spine.
>The way her fingers tip-tapped across his stomach, in an almost but not quite ticklish manner left a warmth in his gut.
>More and more, Sunset dragged her fingers over his stomach, moving up his chest to his neck, and back down.
>More and more did Anon relish the comforting touch.
>He was panting now
>A light blush was forming at his cheeks, contrasting starkly with the deep green of his fur and black of his mane.
>Sunset seemed to know what she was doing to him, as she sped up.
>Anon squirmed at her gentle yet teasing machinations that left him breathless.
>Finally Sunset's hand left his underside.
>It crawled up the back of his body- in a literal sense as he felt her fingers dance up his rib cage- to rest in his mane.
>Her fingers played with his messily unkempt black locks, finding a special pleasure in scratching in between his ears.
>Anon had never felt so relaxed before.
>If he died right then and there he would die happy.
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>It seemed like a life time to him, maybe two, but time had passed from when Sunset had started.
>She kept him relaxed.
>Tracing her fingers through his mane, skittering them along his underside, and even gently toying with his ears.
>All the while she kept him pressed to her body.
>She was like a blazing furnace protecting him from the deep winter's chill, warming him from head to hoof.
>Anon mumbled something softly in the deafening silence of the apartment.
>Sunset hadn't acknowledged his uttered words, perhaps she simply hadn't heard them.
>Anon tried speaking up again, but the words were caught in his throat.
>His throat constricted, clenching painfully shut.
>The sudden pain shocked him into wakefulness, and finally...
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>...The illusion faded.
>The last vestiges of the drug pumped into his system wore out.
>Gone, was the warmth and comfort provided by Sunset.
>Irrevocably replaced by the cold, unyielding wooden floor.
>Stomach, once warmed in bliss now burned in an aching hunger, one that simply could no longer be sated.
>The bone-chilling floor was familiar to him, as it seemingly always had been, much more familiar than the warmth of another person.
>His eyes drifted open.
>They took in the ceiling.
>Cracked paint and outright holes replaced Sunset's apartment.
>Sunset's gentle ministrations were abruptly cut off as the high faded.
>As he entered his reality.
>Anon wanted to cry.
>To scream.
>Shout.
>His throat was caught, his voice unusable due to disuse.
>When last had he talked to someone?
>Or, for that matter, simply said anything at all?>Far too long, Anon thought.
>His hand, pale and gaunt and covered in something he couldn't identify, touched at his cheeks.
>Hoping for tears.
>None came.
>His tears would not come any longer, they hadn't for a very, very long time.
>Anon closed his eyes.
>Trying to think of her.
>The woman he loved- now gone, for now and then and forevermore.
>Soon, Anon thought, soon even the highs would turn into lows
>As every high had, before his descent.
>The highs would turn into lows, and his life would fade out.
>Anon let a very small, wry grin leave him.
>As if his fading would affect anyone.
>There was a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought.
>Not for being forgotten, rather for ever believing different.
>As Anon lay on the chilly, run down floor, he faded in and out.
>Hopefully he would not wake up again.
>Hopefully, Sunset would not be where he was going.
>She didn't deserve that.