Anon sat on Starlight’s bed, head in his hands. He looked at the door for the hundredth time that hour. The sun had gone down some time ago, but he hadn’t bothered to light the lantern. Maybe he should. He looked at it, but his arms wouldn’t move. Damn rebellious appendages.

But when he heard a tap at the door, his body behaved. Anon leapt from his seat and tripped over himself mid-sprint. He thudded to the ground, then scrambled to his feet and pulled on the door knob with enough force that the hinges groaned.

“Starlight?” he heard more desperation in his voice than he intended.

Rainy Days stood in the doorway, hoof raised. Anon felt his hope die.

“No. Starlight Glimmer isn’t with you?” Rainy looked past him, into the room.

“I… No, she…” Anon released the knob and walked to Starlight’s bed, then plopped on it.

Rainy Days closed the door and followed him. “Why isn’t the lantern lit?” She turned the brass cap and flame chased away darkness.

“Starlight’s gone. She left.” Anon returned his face to his palms.

“Where did she go?” Rainy hopped onto his bed and sat across from him.

Anon shook his head. “If you’re here to finish me off, go ahead.”

“I learned more about this city’s disappearances. I came for Starlight Glimmer’s help.”

Anon shrugged. “Go to the police, then.” He looked at her. Her eyebrow was raised. “Oh, right. Fugitive.”

“I think there’s a magical reason ponies are disappearing, and I don’t know any unicorn more magically gifted than Starlight Glimmer.”

“Well, like I said, she’s not here.” Anon looked at his feet. “I don’t think she’s coming back.”

“Then we need to find her.”

Anon shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I just can’t.”

Rainy growled. “I don’t have time for this. Where did she go, then?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re the only… creature who knows anything about where she might be, and she’s the only pony who might be able to save this city, yet you’re content to just wallow?” Her words held a growing edge.

“I don’t care.”

“What?”

Anon looked up at her. “I don’t care what happens to this city. Those are pony problems, not mine.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. Rainy dug her hooves into the bed.

“What happened?” She asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why aren’t you going after her?”

“Are you deaf? I just said she left. Why should I go chasing her down?”

Rainy leaned forward. “Because you love her.”

“What?” Anon felt his heart jump, or maybe it was already jumping rope and just tripped.

Rainy looked at the flickering lamp. She spread her wings and flexed them. “I followed you two for half a day, remember? I saw the way you looked at her. You’re in love with her.”

“You’re wrong. I…” For some reason he couldn’t choke out a denial.

“If you don’t love her, why do you follow her around like a mutt for a meal?”

“Because we… I was supposed to…” He couldn’t give an answer.

“I’ll ask again, where is Starlight Glimmer.”

“I don’t know…”

Rainy hopped off the bed. “Then let’s find her.”

Anon felt his insides dance the tango. “But what will I say to her?”

“Try ‘sorry’.”

Damnit. Now she sounded like Moonglade. Anon stood. He clinched his fist and willed his stomach to shut up for a bit. “I think I know where we can start looking.”

“Finally. Take the lead.”

Anon nodded. He and Rainy hurried from the inn. He was determined to make things right, even if it killed him.

--

Potions, Poultices, and Tonics was dark when Anon and Rainy arrived. In fact, the whole street was dark, except for a few gas lamps and Luna’s moon. Anon peeked through the window, but besides the outlines of shelves and the occasional glint of a bottle, he saw no movement.

“There goes my idea,” Anon said, squinting in vain hope he’d see something useful.

“Wait here, I’ll check the area from above,” Rainy said. She flapped her wings once and was high above the block an instant later. Anon whistled, she really was an ex Wonderbolt. He’d only ever seen Rainbow Dash ascend that fast.

Anon continued probing the store’s dark interior, but his attention was broken by quick hoofsteps. They sounded close, growing closer. He turned toward them, eyes narrowed, and was shocked when the pony to whom they belonged came into view.

“There you are!” Burning Heart said. She trotted to him and smiled. “I’ve been looking for you for the past like two hours.”

“Uh, hey.” Anon looked around. “How did you find me?”

“I just asked around for a big hairless ape traveling with a pink unicorn. Wasn’t hard to find the general area.”

Anon deadpanned. He didn’t know whether it was more concerning that he was so easy to find or that ponies looking for him kept calling him a hairless ape.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier,” Burning Heart said. “I got kinda caught up in the heat of the moment.”

Anon shook his head. “Not just your fault. I was egging you on, too.” He looked to the sky. “It reminded me of our old dates, though. Remember when we entered that horseshoe throwing contest at the fair?”

Burning Heart laughed. “That was probably the closest I’ve ever come to being arrested. I’m just glad the pony you beamed didn’t press charges.” Burning Heart looked around. “What are you doing out here, anyway? And where’s your marefriend?”

Anon sighed. “I should probably come clean. She’s not really my marefriend, just a friend. And I’m out here because I’m still looking for her.”

Burning Heart rubbed her muzzle. “That makes sense. There’s no way you’d land a mare like that, no offense.”

“Offense taken. I’ve dated plenty of beautiful mares before, you know.”

“It’s not like that,” Burning Heart chuckled. “I mean the personal protégé of the Princess of Friendship? No way somepony like that would fall for a flank chaser like you.”

Anon felt his heart sink to his knees. “Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

Anon heard a flap of wings and a set of hooves touch the cobblestone behind him.

“I think I’ve found something in the alley behind the shop,” Rainy said. She looked at Burning Heart and tilted her head. “Who is this?”

Anon turned to her. “Oh. Rainy Days, this is Burning Heart. Burning Heart, Rainy days. She’s helping me look for Starlight.”

“Nice to meet you,” Burning Heart said. She looked up at the shop. “Hey, I know this place. The owner’s a weird one. Seems like she’s only open when she feels like it. Her deliveries are always on time though.”

“She and Starlight worked together before,” Anon said. “It was the first place I thought to look.”

“I think your instincts were right,” Rainy said. “Come with me.”

They circled through the alleyway. The path behind the shop was dusty and garbage from adjacent buildings was piled beside each door. It smelled like wet socks dipped in fermented fruit. Rainy led them to the largest pile. Shock impaled Anon when he saw what was atop it. Discarded like another sack of apple cores and oat boxes were Starlight’s saddle bags. Anon picked them up and brushed dust from the purple star buckle. They were hefty, still full.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Anon said, staring at the bags. “Why would she just leave this here?”

Rainy approached the nearby cellar door and tapped the lock ringing its handles. “Tch, I need my tools.”

“Allow me, I can pick that for you,” Burning Heart said. Her horn lit and a purple glow enveloped the lock. “Ponies really should learn to enchant their locks. If they don’t…” The lock clicked and popped open. “Anypony can canter in.”

“Why… can you do that.” Anon asked as he slung Starlight’s bags over his shoulder.

Burning Heart winked. “It’s better you didn’t know.”

Rainy pulled the cellar door and scrunched her snout.

Some pungent smell wafted into Anon’s nose and he turned away. “Ugh, who’s been dissecting a corpse?”

Burning Heart lit her horn, illuminating the stairs. Anon considered what a horror movie protagonist would and should do. The should was run away and call the police. The would, walk into the creepy basement and try to find your friend without backup.

Anon took the lead. Rainy followed, and Burning Heart behind her. The descent wasn’t long, but the voice screaming in his head to turn back made every step an eternity. When he reached the bottom, Anon took a cautious peek around the corner. The room beyond was dark and quiet. When Burning Heart’s light illuminated it, he saw unrecognizable machinery and still vats of liquid. They entered, caution the word of the day.

“What is this?” Rainy said, snout over one of the vats.

Anon shook his head. “No idea, but you probably shouldn’t inhale it too much.”

“I think I might know,” Burning Heart said. She levitated a pink striped jug. “So, this is where she makes it.” She looked to Rainy. “We get these delivered to us every few days. It’s basically water, but the mare who owns this shop laces it with some kind of aphrodisiac. It’s pretty good for business.”

“Aphrodisiac?” Anon repeated. “Is it strong? Like make a pony sex crazed strong?”

Burning Heart shook her head. “You’d have to drink a lot to get like that.”

“Or maybe drink a high enough concentration.” Anon looked into the same vat as Rainy.

“Why do you say that?” Burning asked.

Anon shook his head. “It’s not important. Or, maybe it is? I’m not sure yet.” He looked around, then saw another room almost obscured by shelves and tubing. “Let’s try back there,” he pointed.

The mares agreed. They went together into the back room, Burning Heart leading for better illumination. Inside were a few, smaller machines and a table with stacks of papers and a few vials. Anon approached the table and picked up a sheet. It was covered with scribbled alchemical formulas. He recognized some form of stoichiometry, and thermodynamic calculations in the margins, and the structural formula of some phenethylamine derivative. But that was about it. The rest was odd runes, alien looking symbols, and some language that wasn’t Ponish, or English, or anything he’d read before. For the first time since arriving in Equestria, Anon wished Twilight was there. She’d know what to do; she always knew what to do.

She was also a much better friend than he turned out to be.

“Look at this,” Rainy said, flipping through a stack. Anon peered at the papers at which she was looking. They looked like receipts.

“What about them?” Anon asked.

“Their names, they’re all…”

“Ponies who’ve disappeared!” Burning Heart completed her sentence. “Look, it’s Mr. Sandy, Shallow Gourde, even Ms. Skysong. I haven’t seen at the lounge them in weeks.”

Rainy slammed her hoof on the table. “Damn. So, this is what’s happening.” She looked at Anon. “It looks like Starlight Glimmer didn’t leave of her own accord.”

“She was taken.” His words reverberated in his chest. He gritted his teeth. Something primal flared inside him, something protective. But it brought a friend, anxiety. Starlight was in trouble, and Anon realized it was the scariest thought he could conjure. “But where are they? Definitely not here.”

“What about there?” Burning Heart said. She pointed to a diagram of Trotero Water Treatment Facility.

Rainy’s eyes became saucers. “We have to go. Now.”

Anon wasn’t sure he understood, but he was grasping the pieces. “We should really get the police. This could be bad.”

“I’ll go,” Burning Heart said. “It’ll give me an excuse for Moonglade. She’s going to be pissed I didn’t show up tonight.”

“We don’t have time to wait for the police,” Rainy said. “Let’s go ahead. Move as swiftly as you can, Burning Heart.”

“I know!” Burning Heart said. She gathered the receipts with her magic and dashed away. Anon and Rainy followed.

Anon felt panic foaming within him. If this was what it appeared, Starlight was one of many ponies in big trouble.

--

Thirty minutes later Anon and Rainy were at Baltimare’s water treatment facility on the city’s outskirts. The gate was unguarded. In fact, the facility would have seemed abandoned were it not for the hum of the mixers in the flocculation basins and the putrid smell of scum and pre-treated water.

The facility was a mixture of familiar and foreign. Ponies were in many ways pre-industrial, but their magical proficiency often yielded more efficient processes than would be available on earth. Anon marveled at how, without electricity, he could hear water pumping between towering, stone tanks. He and Rainy walked between these behemoths, a bright crystal affixed every ninety degrees around each tank their light source. Large pipes connected the tanks from above, and the sound of rushing water echoed in the cavernous construct.

And beyond the forest of water tanks were two large reservoirs into which the chain of pipes fed. These were separated by a wide, stone walkway. Each reservoir stretched at least a football field, and were half a field across, and their depths seemed greater than the sum of their length and width. The smell here was fresh, like an untouched lake. Beyond the reservoirs was a building from which a number of pipes fed—Anon assumed a pumping station—and above each reservoir floated more crystals. And along the walkway were lined two dozen ponies at least, separated by equipment and stacked barrels, the contents of which Anon already knew.

Anon and Rainy approached the walkway unobstructed. At the far end he saw her. Starlight stood beside a light blue unicorn whose eyes were glued to a clipboard. “Starlight!” Anon was set to rush forward, but he was blocked by Rainy’s outstretched wing.

“Keep your head, Anonymous,” Rainy said, voice low. “Our first priority has to be stopping them from dumping those chemicals into the water supply.”

Anon looked to Starlight again and adjusted her saddlebags atop his shoulder. “How?”

“I’ll rush them from the front,” Rainy said. “You use the distraction to free Starlight Glimmer.”

“Right,” Anon said. Though he wasn’t sure how he’d free her. His last rescue involved a stage and an army. This was a more… metaphorical captivity.

No one had noticed them, though. That was their advantage. It helped that all except the light blue unicorn were zombies. They stood statue still, eyes wide, pupils wider, at least those he could see.

Rainy days spread her wings and counted down. Anon remembered the last time he’d felt so nervous, after being dropped in a land of talking horses and told he’d never return home. He felt nostalgic for that existential dread.

“Now!” Rainy flew forward, down a side of the stone walkway. Ponies near the edge were knocked over like bowling pins, and a few into the water.

Anon sprinted down the middle toward Starlight and the other unicorn. He noticed that none of the ponies along the reservoir moved, as though the commotion were a mere breeze.

“W-what are you doing?” He heard the light blue unicorn say. “Stop!”

Rainy rose above them, spun, then flew down the opposite side. She passed Anon when he was almost to Starlight.

“You d-don’t understand! W-why are you— Oof!”

Anon pushed the unicorn aside and knelt in front of Starlight.

“I’m here! Starlight!” he said and placed a hand on her cheek. Her eyes remained empty. Anon rested his forehead against hers. His throat burned with unshed tears and he ran his fingers through her mane. “Please, we need you…”

He heard the other unicorn stand and felt the tingle of magic surrounding him.

“Get away from her!” the other unicorn flung him away, into a stack of barrels. They crashed around him. Several splintered. They spilled their pungent contents over the walkway and into the reservoir.

Anon felt pain shoot through his back and arm. The contents of Starlight’s saddlebags spilled onto the stone, including a familiar bottle.

Rainy touched down in front of him, wings wide. “Your plan’s finished. Release these ponies’ minds.”

The light blue unicorn shook. She levitated a flask and glared at Rainy. “Y-you don’t know what you’re doing. I’m trying to stop her!”

Rainy bolted forward and tackled the unicorn, knocking away her flask.

Anon grabbed the bottle of pain killer, then struggled to his feet. He limped to Starlight and uncorked it. “Here, drink.”

Starlight stared through him.

Anon tilted the bottle against her lips, but the liquid dribbled down her muzzle. “Starlight…”

A cackle paralyzed him. Rainy days was tossed away, into the reservoir.

Anon looked to the light blue unicorn. She stood, trembling, her face fluctuating between horror and mirth.

“N-no, I… She’s coming.” She began laughing again, then her head dropped.

“What the furious fuck.” Anon took a step back. The little voice in his head returned. It told him to flee, to get to the other side of the continent. But he couldn’t. Starlight was there.

The unicorn looked up. Her eyes flashed malice. Her face was one, big grin.

“Finally.” The unicorn’s voice was silk. “Oh, and I see we’re just about ready. We only need to clear the trash.” Her eyes became like spotlights and wind whipped across the treatment plant. “Hear me, ponies. Dispose of the intruders.” Her voice boomed, as though she were on a loudspeaker.

A hundred hooves shifted at once and Anon felt half-a-hundred eyes on him. He clutched the bottle. “Right. Starlight, now would be a good time to not be a mind slave.”

Starlight was looking at him now, too. Her horn glowed bright blue.

“Shit.” Anon jumped aside. A white-hot explosion of magical energy missed him by inches. He rolled and felt some of the bottle’s contents spill against his arm. “Fuck!”

“Marvelous! You’re just as powerful as I remember, Starlight,” the other unicorn said.

Anon stood and looked at the bottle. He hoped there was enough left. He turned toward Starlight, but was knocked spinning. A stallion rammed into him full gallop. He tumbled and landed face down at the walkway’s edge. He heard a trickle and quickly turned the bottle upright.

He stared up and yelped. A green pegasus dove toward him, but was slammed aside by a blue and black blur before she could splatter him.

Rainy landed beside Anon, breathing labored. “Hurry up and snap Starlight Glimmer out of it.”

Anon sat up and looked at the bottle. At this rate, his single recourse would be dry before he could use it. He steeled his resolve, brought it to his lips, and swigged what remained. His cheeks filled to capacity and his mouth numbed, but he did not swallow.

Three earth ponies charged them. Rainy spread her wings. “Go! Now!” She counter charged. She met one with the side of her hoof, a second with a powerful swipe of her wing, and the third with a headbutt.

“Oh, how exciting. But that’s enough fun,” the light blue unicorn said. “Starlight, dear,” her features grew sadistic, “end this for me, will you?”

Starlight’s horn lit again, a great magical swell, the brightest thing in the facility.

Anon glorped. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward her.

Three crystalline spears formed around Starlight’s head. They fired at Anon in succession. He side-stepped the first, dove beneath the second, and rolled before the third could skewer him. He pushed to his feet and bounded in reach of Starlight, arm outstretched.

Anon hoped she’d forgive him for this. As Starlight’s horn glowed anew, he grasped the back of her head and pulled her forward. Her lips met his and she gasped. He emptied the anti-inflammatory from his mouth into hers. Then a terrible pain, like superheated iron, pierced him. He released her.

Anon looked down. Oh, there was a spear through the left side of his abdomen, extending into the ground. That wasn’t there before. He slumped forward and slid down its length. Through his blurred vision he saw Starlight drop on folded forelegs, coughing. He smiled past the hornet’s nest writing in his gut.

“Tag… out.” He closed his eyes. The darkness was nice.

--

Starlight drew a deep breath, but her coughing fit continued. Her body felt nonexistent, but screamed at her at the same time, and her head felt like it contained derailing freight train.

“Wh.. What?” She wheezed. Her eyes struggled to focus. She heard angry neighing, the struggle of hooves and wings, and rushing water. Where was she? In front of her was… Rainy Days? And a lot of ponies. And…

Starlight looked down and lost her breath again. Worse, she couldn’t breathe. Anon. Anon was lying before her, a purple spear sticking from his back. And there was… There was blood. His blood. She touched him with her hoof. Sorrow, confusion, and disbelief vied inside her.

She touched the spear and it vibrated with magic. Her magic. Memory rushed into her, a tsunami of images and impressions. They frothed in her, swirled. They were a twister in her mind. Everything dropped away, and then she felt clarity. And then rage.

Starlight screamed. She wasn’t sure how loud, she wasn’t sure how long.

And the world quaked.

She felt magic swell in her. It flooded her senses and pushed even the numbness and pain away. It needed an outlet. The stone beneath her hooves cracked. Every muscle in her body tensed.

Everypony was still now. All eyes were on her; they were afraid. Even in their stupor, they knew.

Starlight spoke one word, “Sleep”. The ponies around Rainy dropped. Every pony further down the walkway fell.

Starlight turned to Chloride. The latter was grinning, it made Starlight sick.

Starlight lifted her hoof, then lowered it. It crackled like water in a firepit.

“That look,” Chloride said. “Don’t lose that look. It’s intoxicating.”

Fury washed through Starlight and magic surged through her horn. She lifted her head. The water on both sides bubbled and swirled. Two torrents lifted toward the sky.

“Oh, Delightful!” Chloride said.

“Get away from here,” Starlight said to Rainy. She glanced at Anon and a blue shield surrounded him. “I don’t know what will happen.”

Rainy nodded. “I’ll take as many of these ponies as I can.”

Starlight returned to Chloride. She lifted her horn again and closed her eyes. One of the torrents became a great tentacle. She swiped downward and the watery limb slammed atop Chloride. Stone splintered and glass shattered in the building beyond.

When the tentacle lifted, Chloride stood beneath a green shield. Around her was crushed stone. “That’s it. But you’ll need to do more.”

Starlight exhaled. She opened her eyes. Droplets separated from the water and surrounded her. They shaped into needles and froze. Starlight lifted her hoof. She pointed at Chloride.

Hundreds of needles rained. They shredded stone in their path like paper. Chloride swept to the side, horn alight and dashed from the onslaught’s range.

Starlight knew the spell. Exelero. She followed Chloride with her hoof and the barrage obeyed.

Chloride dashed onto the water, weaving around, always just out of range.

Starlight rotated as she followed with her hoof.

Chloride flitted from the water, across the stone walkway. Needles crashed upon it, splintering dozens of barrels.

Chloride crossed into the second reservoir and Starlight lifted her horn. The tentacle spun and slammed. A large wave washed more barrels off the stone, but Chloride continued running. She reached the walkway again and the process repeated.

Starlight’s magic chased Chloride around the reservoir, until the latter crossed her path. She was in range. Starlight swiped her horn once and shackles erupted from the ground. They snaked around Chloride’s legs and she tripped and landed in a tangle of glowing chains that slithered across her body, then squeezed.

Starlight approached.

Chloride squirmed and struggled until Starlight stood above her. “Hah, haha! I’d expect nothing less from the great Starlight Glimmer.” Chloride’s grin returned. “You did alone in moments what twenty ponies could not in a week. Splendid.”

Starlight followed Chloride’s line of sight. Along the walkway, almost every barrel had been broken. Blue liquid seeped and bubbled and spilled into the water.

“Now this city belongs to me,” Chloride said.

Starlight winced. So that was her game. She returned her gaze to Chloride and put her hoof upon the chains, tightening them.

“Guh. It’s too late, Glimmer. I’ve won. Do what you wish, I will be in everypony. I will be a go—ack!”

Starlight lifted Chloride into her hooves and hugged her.

“What are you doing?” Chloride protested.

“Forgiving you,” Starlight said. She released Chloride and turned toward the reservoirs. She lifted her horn one more time. The water foamed and frothed, then it began to boil. Vapors lifted toward the sky, condensed, and took shape. A large cloud of tainted water that grew larger by the second, until both sides of the reservoir were dry.

“No, stop that! How are you doing that?”

Starlight lifted her hooves and the cloud floated toward the sea. It rumbled and twirled, and when she sensed it was over the ocean, she sighed. The cloud released a deluge. Starlight felt the magic within her subside. She felt relief, then lost her balance and dropped.

“No! This cant be happening! How dare you. How DARE you!” Chloride continued to struggle. She cursed and moaned. Starlight ignored her.

Starlight wobbled to her hooves and walked to Anon. The shield around him dissipated and she nuzzled into him. She felt too tired to cry. As a rumble of hooves and voices flooded the facility, she laid by his side. Nothing else held weight.

--

Starlight was still by Anon’s side a couple days later in the Baltimare General Hospital. She watched him sleep, head rested on the edge of his bed.

The police had asked her a lot of questions when they found them. They continued asking even as a medical team took Anon to the hospital. She wouldn’t speak to them. They stopped asking after a time. Starlight later learned Rainy Days told them everything they needed to know. That was well, she wasn’t in the mood to talk.

They’d done something with Chloride, she wasn’t sure. Starlight didn’t care. She’d failed again to help somepony she’d left broken. Chloride’s alter-ego, Salt Water, would not return without that concoction. The brew Starlight had helped to create. The elixir that could soothe, seduce, and control.

Starlight placed her hoof on Anon’s hand. She felt tears stream down her face.

There was a knock. Starlight didn’t look at the pony who entered. She didn’t have to.

“How is he?” Rainy Days said. She sat beside Starlight.

“When he’s awake he babbles. He has a lot of drugs in his system,” Starlight said.

“All the missing ponies have returned home. They’re still recovering their memories, but are otherwise not bad.”

Starlight nodded.

“Are you going to tell me what happened back there? I’ve seen powerful magic before, but not like that,” Rainy said.

Starlight remained quiet.

Rainy shifted. “I’m leaving the city today. We’re all over the news and I don’t want the royal guard coming after me.”

Starlight nodded. She felt Rainy’s hoof on her withers.

“… I was wrong about you guys. Maybe about a lot of things.” She paused. Starlight saw her look away. “I was thinking about your offer. I think… It’d be a good idea.”

Starlight nodded.

“I’m going north, back home. If you’re ever in the area…”

“We’ll find you,” Starlight said. “Thanks. For your help.”

Rainy looked surprised. She dropped her hoof and stood. “Take good care of him. And don’t forget your promise, you clear my name and I join you. As your student.”

“I won’t.”

Rainy flicked her tail and looked at Anon, then she left.

--

Starlight remained at Anon’s bedside into the evening. The nurses offered her food, but she refused it.

She was resting, eyes closed, when she felt something brush through her mane. When she looked up, she felt like a filly on Hearth’s Warming.

Anon was looking at her, his fingers curling through her hair. “Sup?”

Starlight’s vision blurred. Those tears again, always in the way. She nuzzled his hand. “You idiot. Is that all you have to say?”

“I’m hungry,” Anon said. “Please tell me this place has beef.”

Starlight hopped onto the bed beside him and rubbed her nose on his face. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I shouldn’t have… You never should have…”

Anon pressed a finger to her lips. “Sorry.”

“I… what?” Starlight stammered.

“When we started traveling together, all I wanted was to get you in bed. Sorry.” Anon looked away from her. “I shouldn’t have tried to use you like that.”

Starlight buried her face in his chest. Why were there so many tears? Why wouldn’t this warmth in her chest go away?

“I’m not… worth all of that,” she said. She felt Anon shift. He wrapped his arm around her.

“Idiot…” Anon said. He didn’t move his arm. Not for a long time.

The doctors later complained when they saw Starlight in Anon’s bed. She told the faggots to buck off.