Confectionaries//Sketches 4 (Moth Pony-Butterscotch x Anon)

PART FOUR

>”Thanks for walking us back home, Miss Butterscotch.”
>”Y-yeah. Thank you!”
>You give the young moth fillies a warm smile.
“It was my pleasure, you two.”
>”See you next week!”
>The older one waves goodbye to you and heads inside his home.
>His younger sibling stands timidly next to you.
“Is something wrong, honey?”
>The moth child frowns at you.
>”I haven’t seen Mr. Anon in a few weeks….”

>You pat the filly gently on the head.
“Oh, sweetheart, he’s-“
>”Is he ever going to come back?”
>You feel a heavy weight in your chest, but you maintain your composure and force a weak smile.
“Of course he will come back. Mr. Anon loves it here.”
>The filly sighs and shakes her head.
“This is his home. He wouldn’t dream of abandoning it.”
>”If y-you say so, Miss Butterscotch.”
>You give the filly a reassuring hug.
“He’ll be back before you know it.”
>The filly hugs you back.
>”Okay, Miss Butterscotch."
“Now run inside and enjoy your weekend, okay?”
>The moth filly gives you a small smile before nodding and heading inside.

>The façade of your reassurance vanishes as the moth filly closes the door behind her.
>You turn and begin your slow walk back.
>Mr. Anon had promised you that he would return to the Village in a few weeks’ time.
>It’s been nearly a month, and there has been no sign of him.
>You’ve been trying your absolute best to assure yourself and others that he was well and safe.
>As much as you didn’t want to admit it, you were starting to doubt that.
>It’s been hard on the moth fillies and colts; though they worried about never receiving new drawings from him again, their primary cause of worry was for his safety.
>They aren’tt the only ones suffering; the past week has been exceptionally rough on you as well.
>You’ve found it difficult to do more than foalsit and aid at the elementary.
>You’re just worried about Mr. Anon.
>You want him to come back soon.

>At least he had said good-bye to you.
>Though he didn’t hug you again….
>You kind of hoped that he would.
>He just sort of… waved and smiled.

>You hadn’t talked about the hug the two of you shared when you went to check up on him.
>He had taken quite a few of those medicinal candies you brought him, so he might not have remembered it.
>Still…
>What if you would never hug him again?
>What if you never see him again?

>You let out a loud squeak in frustration.
>You rub your eyes with a hoof.
>Don’t cry.
>Don’t cry….
>Everything will be alright.
>Mr. Anon will be back soon.
>And things can get back to the way they were.

>Just keep telling yourself that.
>Don’t get brought down….
>Keep telling yourself it will all be okay and it will be.

>You continue onwards, your vision slightly blurred.

~

>”Y-y-you’re leaving!?”
>You nod as you begin to pack up your booth and all your supplies.
“Yeah, isn’t it crazy that this ‘Princess Twilight’ wants me to go back with her to Ponyville?”
>You carefully place your sketches and extra paper in your portfolio.
“I’m even shocked that we talked for as long as we did!”
>You glance over and see Butterscotch shuffle uncomfortably.
>”W-what… did you talk about?”
“Well, we talked about me for a bit. Where I came from and stuff of that nature, though I tried not to get too into that.”
>You start to pack up your drawing tools.
“Then we moved onto what I do around here, and what I’ve done during my time in Equestria.”
>Butterscotch gives you a shaky nod.
“It was kind of funny actually. She spent the good first bit of our chat making sure I wasn’t hostile or some sort of evil villain.”
>”You? H-hostile!?”
>She scoffs loudly.
>”What a silly assumption… who is this “Princess” kidding?”
>You laugh and shrug.
“She had all the right to be weary at first. But I never thought that she would ask me to head back to Ponyville with her.”
>You throw your things in your bag.
>Butterscotch passes you a few things to put in your bag.
>”W-what exactly are you doing in… Ponyville?”
“Well… Princess Twilight wants me to present some of my sketchbooks to some important ponies. She didn’t say who, but asserted to me that they would be very interested in what I’ve done.”
>”That’s amazing, Mr. Anon….”
>You give her a big smile.
“That, and she has asked me to do a few paintings of her and some of her dearest friends.”
>”I see….”
>You nod happily.
“Mhmm. Isn’t this exciting, Butterscotch?”

>Butterscotch whimpers, frantically clopping her hooves on the ground.
>”B-but… what about… the Village!? And what of the young fillies and colts? And… what about m-”
>She trails off into a whisper.
>You open your mouth to ask her to repeat herself, but she cuts you off with a number of nervous squeaks.
>”What if I n-never see you again?”

>You finish closing up your portfolio and hoist it over your shoulder, along with the rest of your provisions.
“Butterscotch, I’m not leaving for ever! That would be silly.”
>She shakes her head.
>”B-but how long w-will you be gone?”
“I shouldn’t be gone for more than a few weeks. Oh! That reminds me.”
>You dig in your pockets and pull out a rusty key.
“Here is the key to my home. Just in case of anything.”
>You gently place it in Butterscotch’s hoof.
>”Just in case…?”
“Feel free to check up on my home if you need to. Or if you feel compelled to read any of my books, you know where they are.”
>Butterscotch begins to mumble something.
“You’re more than welcome to use my kitchen, too. If you do make food there, I just ask that you clean up after yourself!”

>You give her a playful grin and a thumbs up.
>Butterscotch shakes her head and sighs.
>She slowly looks up at you, her luminescent lime-green eyes meeting yours.
>She gives you… that look:
>The look of concern, anxiety, confusion, and uncertainty.
>You can see it clearly in her eyes; she genuinely thinks you will abandon everything here.
>Now you feel guilty about this entire trip.

>You think for a moment:
>What would be the harm in asking her to come with you?

>You’re sure you could convince Princess Twilight to allow Butterscotch to tag along.
>Butterscotch definitely deserves a vacation….
>She would have the opportunity to see the world beyond Dust Valley.
>She’d get to see the beauty of Equestria that you’ve seen.
>That alone would be enough of a reason for her to go!
>What else….?
>Princess Twilight offered to house you and feed you….
>Butterscotch would have a wonderful bed and great food anytime she needed.
>Plus, she could have time to herself.
>Peace and quiet.
>No screaming and easily-excitable children.
>She’s always so busy taking care of the foals in town.
>…the foals.
>Butterscotch is incredibly passionate about the fillies and colts in the Village.
>That’s exactly why she couldn’t come with you.
>There is no way she would leave them behind.
>She cares too much about them to do that.
>Unfortunately, that settles it.

>You kneel down to her and look into her eyes.
“You know I won’t be gone forever… right, Butterscotch?”
>She gives a nervous squeak as her eyes continue to show her true emotions:
>The poor mare is worried, even with you trying your best to assure her that everything will be okay.
>But it’s not right for you to ask her to drop everything and go with her.
>You’re not even sure she would say yes.
>You feel awful about leaving now….
>You just want to hug her, like you did the other night.
>But… you’re not sure if you should.

>It might send the wrong message.
>It might suggest that you were never going to come back.
>It might hurt her more than comfort her….

>You give her a friendly smile.
“I’ll be back to the Village before you know it.”
>”…”
“I wouldn’t just abandon this place. I love it here, Butterscotch. This is my home.”

>A smile slowly forms on Butterscotch’s face.
>She sighs and lets out a warm, quiet squeak.
>”Mr. Anon….”
>You whisper to her:
“I’m not going to abandon what I have here.”
>A soft tinge of red appears on her cheeks.
>”You… you promise, Mr. Anon?”
>You nod.
“I promise.”

~

>You peek through the glass of the Village pharmacy.
>An older moth pony stallion is at the counter, his head buried into his hooves.
>His body gently rises and falls.
>You giggle as you head towards the front door.
>As you walk inside, an overhead bell lets out a gentle ring.
>The moth pony apothecary slowly lifts his head up.
>He gives you a quick glance, before lifting the rest of his body up.
>”Ah, Butterscotch. So good to see you, dear.”

>You trot over and give him a smile.
“Asleep on the job, Charentais?”
>The apothecary scoffs and shakes his head, adjusting his glasses.
>”Of course not! I was TRYING to listen for termites.”
>He knocks on the wooden counter.
>”The little buggers have been appearing all over the pharmacy recently.”
>You blink at him.
“Charentais….”
>You knock a hoof on the counter.
“Termites? Really?”

>”Miss Butterscotch, please!”
>You laugh at his irritation.
 “No need to lie, Charentais. I won’t tell your boss that you were sleeping on the job!”
>Charentais adjusts his glasses again, glaring at you.
>”Is there something I can help you with, Butterscotch?”
>You nod, and pull out a small bottle from your saddlebag.
“I just need to have this refilled, please.”
>Charentais takes the bottle from you and examines it carefully.
>”Hmmm….”
>He peers at you over his glasses.

>”Headaches still bothering you?”
>You nod.
“I’ve been getting them more often....”
>Charentais reaches underneath the counter and pulls out a mortar and pestle.
>”You’ve been following my instructions on taking this medicine, right?”
>He pulls out three vials and arranges them neatly on the counter.
“I have. ‘Add a few drops to a cup of hot tea. Drink once cup daily.’”
>The stallion grunts as he trots over to a shelf full of herbs.
>”The tea you drink is hot right?”
“Yes, Charentais.”
>He reaches for a lavender-colored flower.
>”Hot, right? Not warm, cold, or room temperature, but freshly-brewed hot?”
>You sigh and nod, getting a bit more frustrated.
“Yes, Charentais! I drank the tea hot and-“
>”And you’re SURE you added a couple of drops to your tea, correct? Not ONE drop or not a TRIO of drops, but-“
>You squeak loudly.
“CHARENTAIS. I followed the instructions EXACTLY as written.”

>He rolls his eyes at you.
>”Well you don’t have to get snippy with me. I’m just looking out for your health, Butterscotch.”
>Charentais places the plant next to the mortar and pestle, before trotting over to another shelf.
>He pulls down a couple of shakers, each marked with a different number of ticks.
“When is Mr. Anon returning?”
>You don’t answer him.
>You frown and put your head down.
>The apothecary places the shakers next to the rest of his ingredients.
>He pulls a metal box from a drawer and places it on the counter.
>He clears his throat and raises an eyebrow at you.
>”You don’t know.”
>You shake your head.

>”Take a look while I do this, Butterscotch.”
“S-sure.”
>You lift your head and watch as Charentais opens his metal box.
>Ingredients and tools are neatly laid out on the counter.
>”You talk about Mr. Anon a lot.”
“… he is my friend.”
>Charentais begins to pluck petals from the flower, placing them in the mortar.
>”I understand. You were worried sick about him weeks ago.”
>He grabs a shaker and shakes it over the mortar once.
“I was. I was really concerned for his health.”
>Charentais nods as he grabs another shaker and lightly taps it over the mortar.
>”You didn’t talk to me about much else EXCEPT for Mr. Anon.”
“…”
>He puts the pestle in his mouth and begins to grind the ingredients.

>You sigh deeply.
“I just wanted to make sure he was okay… He was missing for a few days, and….”
>You feel your head start to pound.
>You close your eyes and rub your head.
>Charentais puts the pestle down and picks up one of the small vials.
>”You really miss him.”
“W-what!?”
>He pours the contents of the vial into the your bottle.
>”It’s okay if you miss him, Butterscotch. He’s your friend, after all.”
>You let out an angry squeak.
“Charentais!”
>He grabs another vial and pours a few drops in the bottle.
>”There is nothing wrong with missing a friend, unless….”
>He gives you a quick glance.
>”You don’t think of him as your friend?”

>You scoff loudly.
“That is just silly! Of course I think he is my friend!”
>”Mhmm.”
>Charentais takes the third vial and empties it into your bottle, causing the brew to sizzle.
>He pulls out a metal rod from the box and begins to stir the concoction.
>You knock your hooves together.
“I’m sure he’d be worried about me if I vanished for a couple of days.”
>Your medicine becomes a nice blue color.
>”Nearly done….”
>The older moth removes the rod from the bottle and adds in the crushed herbs.
>He seals the bottle and gives it a hard shake.
>”Mr. Anon will be back before you know it.”
>You nod as he unplugs the bottle and places it under his nostrils.
>“Not quite.”
>He puts a few more of the crushed herbs in the medicine.
“I’m just worried about him… he said he’d be back by now.”
>Charentais removes his glasses and rubs his forehead with a cloth.
>”I’m sure he’s okay, Butterscotch.”
>You let out a low, nervous squeak.

>The apothecary begins to replace all of his materials and ingredients.
>”I think you’re missing him more than you’re letting on.”
>You remain quiet, your head hurting a bit more.
>Charentais covers your bottle and gives it one more shake.
>It’s contents go from blue to a deep purple color.
>He gives you a smile and calmly hands you the medicine.
>”All done.”
>You take it and put it in your saddlebag.
“What do I owe you?”
>”No cost.”
>You shake your head.
“No, no. How much do I owe you?”
>Charentais yawns and puts his head down.
>”Nothing. Ugh… I really need a vacation. I wish I could have gone with Mr. Anon.”
“Really? You’d have gone with him?”
>He shakes his head.
>”Well… we don’t know each other. It’d have been odd for me to have asked to tag along.”
>He lets out another yawn.
>”But it WOULD be rather enjoyable to see more of Equestria. I bet the geography beyond Dust Valley is quite… stunning….”
>He starts to breathe slow and heavy.

>You knock on the counter causing him to jerk slightly.
>”What? I’m awake….”
>You sigh and begin digging in your saddlebag.
“I’m going to leave you some money here, okay? So just take it or-“
>”You have feelings for Mr. Anon.”
>You squeak loudly in shock.
>Charentais puts his hoof up at you.
>”Refrain from loud noises. Your headache will only get worse.”
>You put your head down and whisper:
“I d-don’t know what you mean by FEELINGS b-but-“
>”His absence has had a negative effect on you. You know, the headaches?”
>You rub your head gently.
>”Have you been eating properly?”

>You shake your head.
“N-no. I’ve been trying to but….”
>”Okay, Butterscotch.”
>Charentais reaches under the counter and pulls out a large jar full of tea bags.
>”These will help you feel better. I make them myself. Have a cup of tea every night. Add the medicine to it.”
>He slides you the jar.
“Oh, I can’t take all of these….”
>Charentais pulls out another four jars from underneath the counter.
>”I have plenty.”

>You wearily take the jar and put it in your saddlebag.
“The tea will help with my headaches?”
>Charentais nods.
>“It will. It should help ease your mind, too.”
>You smile at him.
“That’s wonder-“
>”But it won’t help your heart.”
>Charentais peers at you over his glasses.
>”Take care of yourself. Imagine how Mr. Anon would feel if he saw you in the state you’re in now.”
>You shakily nod your head.
“Th-thanks for this.”
>”Of course, Miss Butterscotch.”
“Not just the medicine… the advice, too.”
>He gives you a smile.
>”Anytime. Now if you’ll excuse me….”
>He stretches and lets out a yawn.
>”…I need to continue checking for termites….”
>He puts his head down against the counter, and begins snoring shortly after.

>You quietly exit the pharmacy, heading towards Mr. Anon’s home.

~

>Another night, another thing missing.

>You take a swig of your hot tea; its warmth invigorating you.
>You sit outside of Mr. Anon’s home, flipping through the pages of one his journey sketchbooks.
>With Mr. Anon’s permission, you’ve been going through them, usually for hours at a time.
>Not only has it been enlightening, but it’s also been helping you keep your mind clear.
>If only for a few hours….

>You look over the pages of the Hollow Shades book once again.
>These “bat ponies” were an interesting curiosity to you.
>You imagine it would be a treat to meet them one day.
>In fact, it’d be a treat to leave Dust Valley and travel like Mr. Anon did.
>All over Equestria….
>No, no.
>You couldn’t imagine a retreat like that being realistic for you.
>No, you prefer the simple life here in the Village.
>Plus, who would anyone call to foalsit?
>Or assist at the schoolhouse?

>You continue to observe Mr. Anon’s sketchbook.
>It’s amazing how much detail he put into each of these books.
>Every drawing and sketch is done so delicately.
>You run a hoof down the page, careful not to ruin his work.
>It’s easy for you to visualize how Mr. Anon must have looked doing these drawings.
>A calm stare, a relaxed posture, and a sturdy arm.
>More focus and patience than anypony you’ve ever known.

>You calmly shut the sketchbook and take another swig of your tea.
>Though Charentais was a bit confused about you having “feelings” for Anon, he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to medicine.
>No headache right now.
>You are calm and relaxed.
>But you aren’t entirely happy.
>You won’t be happy until Mr. Anon comes back.
>You can’t help but be terribly worried about him.
>Then again… you can’t help but be worried about everypony.

>You take another sip of tea.
>It might be time to head back home soon.
>You walk inside of Mr. Anon’s house and put the sketchbook back in its proper place.
>You finish off your tea and head into the kitchen to wash your mug.
>You hum a happy tune as you dry off the mug and place it on his counter.

>You return to the living room and grab your saddlebag.
>You give the apartment one more glance over.
>Can’t leave a mess in another’s home.
>Especially Mr. Anon’s!
>That would be rude!
>After checking that everything is nice and neat, you head for the exit.
>You stand in front of the door.
>Wait, you didn’t check his bedroom!
>That won’t do!
>You throw your saddlebag on the couch and trot into his bedroom.

>You examine his bedroom carefully.
>Bed is made, floor is clean, no clothes or anything laid out.
>Spotless.
>Wonderful, you think to yourself.
>But what about under the bed?
>You trot over to his bed and check underneath.
>Clean as a whistle.
>Hmm….
>You check his nightstand.
>It’s a bit dusty….
>You want to give it a quick clean, but there is a black book on it.
>He must of left this one out!
>You grab it and head for the living room.

>You check the cover.
>No title or anything….
>Is this one of his journey sketchbooks?
>No, it can’t be.
>You flip open the book to the first page.
>There are a lot of sketches in here, some quite detailed.
>You see some landscapes, random flowers, more landscapes….
>Oh, this one looks like Mr. Anon!
>He looks pensive….

>You continue to look through it.
>The drawings in this particular sketchbook don’t seem to follow any sort of theme or-
>…
>You see what looks like a sketch of you.
>But that can’t be you….
>Wow, do you really look like THAT?
>You turn the page.
>Another one of you; this time you’re sitting down.
>Another page: it’s a drawing of your head.
>This one is more detailed than the others.
>It seems a bit off, though.
>It looks like you, but… without any sort of emotion.

>You continue to flip through the sketchbook.
>Page after page… a myriad of sketches of yourself.
>Some even have color now.
>You begin to wonder why Mr. Anon had done all of these.
>There is one of you looking a bit peeved with your face scrunched up.
>…that one does actually look like you.
>Moving on….
>As you progress through the book, the images become more detailed.
>And your emotions have changed.
>From no emotion to fear, from uncertainty to comfort, from acceptance to happiness.
>Now most of them are of you smiling.

>You reach the end of book with an incomplete sketch on the last page.
>You are drawn appearing calm and jubilant; a big smile spread on your face.
>It seems that there is supposed to be something next to you, but you can’t make it out.
>You want to say that it looks like Mr. Anon, but you aren’t really sure.
>You wish he had finished it so you could know what it is….

>You close the book and trot over to the couch.
>You put it in your saddlebag.
>Mr. Anon wouldn’t mind you borrowing this.
>These sketches have made you feel quite nice.
>Flattered, even.
>He must really like you….
>Why else would he have drawn all of these?
>All of the time you spent being scared of him….
>He just wanted to be your friend.
>You couldn’t even see that.
>Then you started to worry about him.
>That’s when you knew that you liked him, too.
>But now he’s gone.
>What if you never see him again?

>No.
>Stop that!
>You shake your head.
>Mr. Anon will be back any day now.
>You just know it.
>For now, you’ll keep the sketchbook close to you.
>At least until he returns!
>Then you’ll give it right back.
>You sit down on his couch and sigh.
>Even though the sketches have made you feel better, you still fill empty.
>But you have a renewed hope of Mr. Anon returning soon.

>You want him to come back and finish this last drawing.
>You really want to know what it’s supposed to look like.
>He’ll come back soon.

>For now, you’ll just have to keep waiting.

~

End of Part Four