From Hell to Home 3

"Thanks for this girls. Really."
>Since all of you had graduated high school, a lot of things had happened to you and your friends
>Rarity had expanded her clothing business and it was becoming so popular that she was thinking about expanding
>Fluttershy was about to open up an animal reserve a few miles out of town
>Pinkie had just finished her first big catering job in the city with about a dozen or so jobs lined up
>Applejack, being Applejack, was still on her little farm, making all 200 acres of it run like clockwork
>And there was Dash and her Wonderbolts
>And, last but not least, there was Twilight
>You honestly had no idea what the dorky girl wanted to do once school was over
>While you considered all of your friends smart in their own ways, Twilight was smart
>Genius level smart
>The kind of smart on level with Starswirl and Clover the Clever
>Over the summer, she had gotten a bachelor's degree in thermonamic science
>The year before that, she told you she finished her masters in natural science with a minor and computer development
>She was barely eighteen and she was more qualified and knowledgeable thank most of the teachers teaching her
>It was CRAZY
>You had no idea WHY Twilight had even gone to high school honestly
>You knew for a fact that, as she was now, Twilight could have gotten a job anywhere in the country doing pretty much anything she wanted
>But, in the end, Twilight had decided to do something she really, truly loved
>With the help of her parents--both of whom were stupidly rich because they were just as smart as her-- and her best friend Moondancer--someone that could probably build a spaceship by herself-- Twilight had decided to open up a computer shop right next to Sugarcube Corner
>It had taken a few months-- financial backing or not the building that Twilight had picked need some work done-- but the store was almost ready for business

>That was where you were right now, deep in the back room of ‘Twi's Tech Industries’
>All around you were wooden tables topped with special rubber mats
>Wooden shelves--which you and the girls had painted yourselves with some special paint made specifically by Twilight-- lined the walls
>These shelves were stuffed with computer parts
>You were sitting at one of these wooden tables with Moondancer and Twilight
>Both of the girls look more than a little tired, their hair messy and bags under their eyes
>Twilight had a big mug of steaming hot coffee in her hands while Moondancer--who was hunched over on her seat with half-lidded eyes, had the biggest can of Mainster that you had ever seen
>"Don't thank us yet, Sunset," Moondancer said with a yawn. "We told you that we'd INTERVIEW this Anon guy, not that we'd outright hire him."
>"Moonie, we talked about this already," Twilight said as she took a sip of her coffee
>Moondancer grumbled to herself as she ran a hand through her dirty, messy hair
>"Look, I understand that he's coming from that horse dimension that you're from, Sunset, but this is a business. We can't just hire anyone with a sob story."
>Grabbing her energy drink, Moondancer brought it to her lips
>You watched as she finished the whole giant can in three big gulps
>"Are you sure you're not just being difficult because he's a guy?" Twilight asked with a shake of her head
>"Of course not. I just want to hire people that know what they're doing," Moondancer replied, leaning back into her chair
>"What about Lyra? You hired her and she doesn't know a SSD card from a motherboard."
>"We both know that Lyra's a fast learner. And she'll take minimum wage until she knows what she's doing."
>You leaned forward in your chair
"Still girls, I appreciate that you're willing--"
>"So you're saying that we won't be able to teach Anon anything?" Twilight said, interrupting you

>Moondancer's frown deepened as she reached under the table and pulled out another gargantuan can of Mainster
>"I have no idea. I've never met the guy."
>"Well, I haven't met him either, but I'm willing to give him a chance."
>You cleared your throat
"Girls--"
>"I just don't know if we should have a guy traipsing around the store. The other girls might get distracted."
>"They'll be fine. We also need more employees, and if Sunset and Princess Twilight recommend him then I'm more than happy to give him a chance."
>Moondancer snorted
>"Yeah, you say that now, but when this whole store is covered in pink and this Anon guy is running around in a string top and flirting with all of the customers like some cheap slut don't come crying to me when our credibility goes down the toilet."
>Twilight rolled her eyes before looking over at you with a smile
>"Don't listen to Moonie, Sunset. She just gets grumpy like this when she's tired."
>"I'm not grumpy..." Moondancer murmured, cracking open her energy drink and taking a sip of it
"It's fine girls," you said with a smile. "I know this whole grand opening has been a lot for you--"
>"That and those fucking FFE 2.14 dungeon runs," Moondancer grumbled. "We've been doing those nonstop for three weeks..."
>You almost snorted
>Nerds...
"--still, I'm sure if you just talked to Anon for a little bit I'm sure you'll warm up to him."
>You tried to lean back, forgetting that you were sitting on a stool and almost toppling backwards for your troubles
"He's really interested in meeting you, Twi, since he's really good friends with Princess Twilight."
>Twilight's smile turned just a little sheepish
>"I'm really sorry about not being able to make it to meet him when he came through the portal," she said, rubbing her arm. "It was just we had to finish our run and I lost track of time..."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Twi."
>Tilting back her energy drink, Moondancer took a big gulp of it
>Smacking her lips together, she put the can down
>"Where is this guy anyway?" she asked. "He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago."
"Anon's still at Rarity's," you said, looking over toward the door. "Since he's... large, most of his clothes need to be custom made. Rarity should be bringing him here soon though."
>Moondancer shook her head
>"Guys and their fancy clothes... Why can't get they just get stuff at the store like everyone else?"
>The door opened, revealing Lyra Heartstrings
>You didn't know much about the girl--other than that she may or may not have been in a relationship with that grumpy Bonbon girl-- but both Moondancer and Twilight were fast friends with the girl
>"Hey, Twi, Moonie, we got a giant SOB standing in the main lobby," she said, pointing a thumb toward the door. "His name is Anon. He said that he's here for an interview?"
>She looked back out into the lobby
>"There's a girl with him? That dyke-y one with the purple hair and the manicured nails?"
>You and Moondancer snorted
>Yep...
>That was Rarity alright
>Looking over at Twilight, you could see that the girl was trying hard not to laugh
>"Could you send the two of them back here, Lyra?" she asked
>Lyra saluted
>"You got it boss," she said before disappearing back into the lobby
>Moondancer quickly finished her drink
>Burping loudly, she tossed it over toward the garbage can at the other side of the room
>The can missed completely, nearly hitting a half-made computer before clattering to the ground

>"Alright, let's get this over with," she said, looking less than thrilled
>A few seconds passed before the doorknob clicked
>The door slowly slid open, revealing Anon
>Both Moondancer and Twilight stiffened as he bent over slightly so that he didn't hit his head on the top of doorway
>"Sweet Goddess above," Twilight said. "That's not human..."
>"Not our kind of human anyway," Moondancer replied. "Holy hell is he a big one..."
>"Good morning, ladies," he said with his usual happy grin. "Sorry that I'm a little late."
>It took some maneuvering, but Anon was able to squeeze his large frame through the door and into the room
>As he did that you saw that he was arm-in-arm with a slightly frazzled yet smug Rarity
>"There's no reason to apologize, Anon. The fault was all mine," she said, giving Anon's arm a pat. "I'm terribly sorry about this, girl's. The measuring took a bit longer than I expected."
>"I bet..." Twilight said, looking Anon up and down with a glint in her eye
>Looking over at Moondancer, you saw that she had the same glint in her eye as well
>There wasn't anything sexual in the way that they were looking at him
>You weren't all that sure either girl knew anything about sex other than the driest, most bare-bones facts
>No...
>Their looks were of a scientist finding a brand new species
>A species that they may or may not want to cut open to see what's inside...
>You quickly hopped out of your chair before the two girls could say anything
"So did you get everything sorted out then?" you asked
>"It'll take some doing, but I believe that I'll be able to make a complete wardrobe for Anonymous here," Rarity replied, looking up at the giant of a man
>Anon smiled back down at her
>"And I really appreciate you helping me out with this, Rare," he said. "I'm sure you have a bunch of orders already..."

>"Oh, think nothing of it, dear," Rarity replied, giving his arm a few more pats. "I always take time out of my busy schedule to help a friend in need."
>Anon chuckled, slipping his arm from out of the fashionista's before walking over you Twilight and Moondancer
>He stuck out a hand
>"It's nice to meet both of you. I'm Anon, and I guess I'm here to beg you guys for a job."
>Both Twi and Moondancer looked down at his hand
>It took a few seconds, but a spark of realization came to Twilight's face
>"It's very nice to meet you, Anon," she said, taking his massive hand and giving it a shake. "I'm Twilight, and my associate over here is Moondancer."
>Giving Twilight's hand a shake or two, Anon then offered his hand to Moondancer
>The bespeckled nerd just looked down at his hand, a frown forming on her face
>She then looked up at Anon's face, her eyes narrowing
>"Hang on," she said, standing up
>She motioned for Anon to step back
>Anon did so, an eyebrow ever so slightly raised
>Twilight frowned
>"Moonie..."
>Moondancer ignored her, grumbling something under her breath as she brushed past Anon
>You all watched as she made her way around the entire room
>First she grabbed a computer case, walking back over and setting it on top of one of the desks
>She then grabbed a half dozen other boxes with, a screwdriver, some zip ties, and a pair of pliers
>"Since this is a computer shop," she said, placing everything onto the desk before turning and looking at Anon. "We do everything from software installation to cleaning to computer building."
>"Moondancer," Twilight said, a clear warning in her voice
>Moondancer waved her away with a hand, not taking her eyes off of Anon
>"This means that we want someone to at least have some knowledge of computers," she continued. "Now, since I've been told that you're some sort of otherworldly being, I'm not going to expect you to know the ins and outs of our world's technology."

>She crossed her arms
>"I was told that you knew what a computer was, correct?"
>Anon nodded
>"Yes ma'am."
>"Then I want you to show us what you can do," Moondancer said, nudging her head toward all of the stuff she had on the desk. "All of these parts are compatible with each other. What I want you to do is use these to build a pc. If you can do that you'll get the job."
>"Moondancer, come on now," Twilight said
>Moondancer rolled her eyes
>"You know what? Fine. You still have to build the computer, but if you can get the thing to run we'll give you some better parts and let you have the whole system for free if you want it."
>A challenge like that would have made you more than a little nervous
>Anon though?
>Never in your life had you seen such a look of joy in a man, or stallion's, face
>"That's all I have to do?" he asked
>"Yep," Moondancer said with a nod.
>Anon looked over at the boxes of parts
>"And I can have the computer too then?"
>"Yep. It'll be all yours," the sweater-clothed girl said
>"We'll get you a good monitor and all of that other stuff too, Anon," Twilight said as she gave Moondancer a dirty look. "And all of it's coming out of your pocket, Moonie."
>Moondancer winced, but even so nodded
>"Fine. But the thing HAS to turn on."
>For a moment, you thought Anon was going to start hopping in place
>"Alright, yeah!" he said, rubbing his hands together as he made his way over to the table. "Do you girls got any gloves? If you do I'll need the biggest you got since all of you guys have such tiny baby hands."
>"My goodness, I don't think I've ever seen someone look quite that excited to play around with some silly technology."

>Looking to your left, you saw that Rarity had made her way right next to you
>"In fact," she continued, grabbing the stool Moondancer had been sitting on and taking a seat. "The last time I saw someone that happy was when Pinkie Pie found out that one could order frosting by the gallon online."
>You couldn't help but chuckle
"Yeah, Anon's like that..."
>You watched as Anon sat down on a far too small chair
>Both Moondancer and Twilight were standing on either side of them, with Twilight holding a box of black gloves
"So how did that measuring go?"
>"Oh it was absolutely wonderful, dear," Rarity said with a sigh. "It's been AGES since I've had a good challenge, and Anonymous is quite the challenge."
>Anon, pulling the computer case over, let out an excited giggle as he reached for the screwdriver
>"His size wasn't an issue as much as his odd proportions," Rarity said, eyeing him as he started unscrewing tiny screws. "His arms and legs are shorter than a normal person's but much thicker, his chest as well. And I could go on and on about his neck and shoulders. And his face! Oh Goddess above his face! And his eyes!"
>The fashionista let out a wistful sigh, tapping a finger against her cheek
>"He might look so similar to us, darling, but we're dealing with someone completely different. Someone otherwordly."
>As watched as Anon took apart the entire computer case
>For someone who's hands were almost the size of baseball mitts, you would have thought he would have had a little trouble working with such tiny bits, but to your surprise he seemed right at home with doing so
>He had the thing down to its frame in no time at all, and was reaching for the boxes
"Princess Twilight DID say that he would be different from any human that we had ever seen," you said, watching as he ripped open one of the boxes with nothing less than pure glee

>"And it appears that she wasn't overstating herself in the slightest," Rarity replied, leaning back into her chair. "Oh, did you know that he was familiar with the other me? My equine self?"
>You looked away from Anon to stare at her
"Really?"
>"Yes. Apparently he didn't very much care for that Rarity, and he had absolutely no trouble with telling me so," Rarity said, a bit of mirth coming to her voice.
"Oh?"
>You turned back to see that Anon was pouring some kind of paste onto this big... thing
>Anon's face was scrunched up in concentration as he did this, about five paper manuals lying all around him
>Both Twilight and Moondancer were watching him carefully, both of them muttering into his ear
>Rarity giggled
>"From what he told me my pony self was insufferable brat with a very poor fashion sense."
>Her smile diminished somewhat
>"I am a little... concerned about some of the other things he told me that my pony self did. I will not repeat them, not in polite company, but just know that they were EXTREMELY unladylike and rude."
>Your smile dampened
"Yeah... Princess Twilight did say that he was having trouble with ponies for a while."
>Rarity let out a harrumph, crossing her legs as Anon pulled out a few fans from their boxes and started connecting them to a big metal doohickey
>"Difficult or not, a lady should do all she can to treat ALL males with respect," she said, her nose pointing toward the ceiling. "And to think that I'd act in such ways sickens me."
>A giggle caused your gaze to snap back toward Anon
>To your surprise, he was already starting to put parts in the computer case
>It was a tight fit for his hands, but you could plainly see that he was being careful
>And still that bright, happy smile was still on his face

>The sight caused a warm feeling to well up in your chest
"Well, I guess we'll have to do our best to make sure he's welcome then, won't we?"
>"That we shall, my dear," Rarity said, leaning over to nudge you with her shoulder
>"And... done!"
>Both you and Rarity looked back at Anon, Twilight, and Moondancer
>It looked like Anon had put the computer together
>All of the parts were attached and the cables looked really nice and neat
>...
>You think...
>"It's been awhile since I've built one of these bad boys but I think I still got it," Anon said, pulling off his gloves with a grin.
>Moondancer let out a thoughtful hum
>She poked around in the inside of the computer
>"So you HAVE done this before then?" she asked
>"Yep. I even went to school for this kind of stuff," Anon told her
>Twilight smiled
>"You should have listened. Now you're gonna have to shell out the money for this."
>Moondancer let out a grunt, though you knew that it was just for show
>She could bitch and moan all she wanted, but she was just as rich as Twilight
>Buying a cute stallion a nice computer wouldn't even put a dent in her wallet
>...
>Buying a NICE GUY a nice computer
>Not that you didn't think Anon was cute!
>It was just that you barely knew the guy and you didn't want to impose...
>"It might look half-decent, but that doesn't mean it'll work," Moondancer said
>"Then let's see if it works then, Mrs. I'm-too-grumpy-to-see-a-good-employee," Twilight said, looking up at Anon. "Anon? Could you please grab this computer and follow me? You don't need to put the siding on it right now, just be careful when you pick it up"
>With a happy wiggle, Anon hopped off of the stool and stood up
>Though the computer he had just built was ridiculously large he picked it up with little difficulty

>"Lead the way, boss lady," he said
>With a small smile, Twilight did just that, leading him to the other side of the room, where a few monitors and plugs were sitting
>You, Rarity, and Moondancer followed behind them, all of you watching as Anon set the computer down at grabbed the computer's power cord
>He plugged it in before turning back and looking at all of you
>Though he was still smiling, you could see that his features had taken on a more worried look
>"Alright.... Let's see if it'll turn on, huh?"
>Biting his lip, Anon slowly reached down and flipped the power button
>Immediately, the inside of the computer lit up
>Parts started to spin, bits began to whirl
>You and Rarity let out a little cheer
>Twilight's smile grew a hair as she gave Anon's back a pat
>"Great job, Anon," she said
>Anon's shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh
>"Whoo... thank god," he muttered, before reaching behind one of the monitors and grabbing a cable. "Now let's see if we get any connection here."
>A bead of sweat made it's way down Anon's forehead
>You could see him biting his lip as he plugged the cable into one of the do-hickeys
>For a moment, the monitor was completely blank
>A second later, however, there was a blue screen, then a bunch of text you couldn't make out appeared
>"Looks like he did it, Moonie," Twilight said
>For the first time since you had seen her, Moondancer smiled
>"Yeah, and it looks like I owe you a computer Anon," she said. “We'll have to take all of the parts out of this one, because you can't overclock the cpu for shit, and with the spec I picked out it'll barely run 4k, but by the end of the day we'll have something for you. You do game right?"
>Anon sniffled, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes
>You might have been alarmed if not for the fact that his smile was a mile wide
>"I did a lot of gaming when I was home," he said, wiping his forming tears with the back of his hands. "I've never played any of the games here though."
>"We'll have to fix that then," Moondancer said with a nod. "We'll also had to get you a few company shirts. Welcome to Twi’s Tech Industri--erk!"
>Anon, no longer able to contain himself, lurched forward and pulled Moondancer into a hug
>While the bespeckled girl struggled, he reached out and grabbed Twilight with his other hand, hoisting both girls into the air with laugh
>…
>Did you even have internet in your apartment?