I wonder what I did this time. I don't remember ever making her this mad before, even when I was being stubborn.

"Uh oh, she just used your full name," Rainbow points out. "What did you do to make her so mad?"

"Hell if I know. I'm not really in the mood to deal with her shit," I grunt, turning my back on Twilight. Even as I clench my hands around my half empty cup of cider, I know she's not going to leave me be.

"Seth, you come here right now!" Twilight yells at me. She's closer than before. Fuck you, you're not my mother. I don't have to do a damn thing you say. Just to show her how little of a fuck I give, I lift up my drink and take a few more gulps.

"Um...aren't you going to answer her?" Rainbow asks me hesitantly, eyeing the approaching Twilight worriedly.

"Not if she talks to me like that," I answer matter of factly, taking another sip. I mean, she can't make me talk to her if I don't want to.

"One more chance Seth," Twilight warns me in a dangerously calm voice, now standing directly behind me. Again, not my mother. If you're not going to approach me in a dignified and respectful manner, there's no way I'm going to acknowledge you.

Suddenly, I'm pulled backwards, the chair falling over backwards, the edge of it ramming my tailbone painfully. The mug falls out of my hand from the force. "What the fuck?!" I scream as I'm pulled back through the crowd. Looking down at my body, I realize I'm enshrouded by Twilight's magical aura. Rage quickly overtakes me, causing me to curl my hands into fists.

The streets of Ponyville are shrouded in darkness, lit only by the oil lamps hanging from fixed posts that line the edges at regular intervals. So that's the first thing I see as Twilight drags me out the door with her magic.

She sets me down, transfixing me with a stern glare. However, it doesn't look like she'd expected me to return an equally, if not more intense glare. I storm up to her furiously, almost subconsciously raising my fist to strike her.

A hint of fear actually enters her eyes as I draw closer to her, and just before I reach her, she immobilizes me again.

"You better hold me back, bitch. Hide behind your magic, like all you unicorns do," I snarl at her, futilely straining at my magic bonds. I've never been this angry since coming to Equestria. Hell, I haven't been angry enough to strike someone for years. But all I can think about is showing this fucking pony that you can't just take control of my body like this. My body is mine. It should be my choice how I use it!

Twilight, now that she has me under control, goes back to glaring at me. "No, you have no right to be mad; Not after what you did to Pinkie!" she yells at me. So that's what this is about.

"No right? NO RIGHT?!" My throat hurts from just how loudly I shout at her. "I'm sick and tired of you unicorns using your goddamn magic on me when you can't get your way! It's childish and infringes upon my rights as a sentient being!"

"Oh, get over yourself. If you had just listened to me when I called you, I wouldn't have had to use magic at all. You only have yourself to blame," Twilight shoots back, raising her nose slightly. If it was possible for her to piss me off any more, she did it.

"Don't get all self-righteous with me. You're a spoiled brat who gets everything she needs from the fucking royalty. I bet you think you're entitled to my attention whenever you want it!" I rail at her. Judging by the way she freezes and her ears flatten, I think I hit a nerve.

"How dare you?! I'll have you know I had to work for everything I've received! As for you, you don't get to walk around hurting other ponies simply because you're wallowing in self-pity because everyone you know and love is dead!" Twilight shouts, her words cutting right through me.

My struggles cease, every muscle in my body tensing. A sort of calm falls over me, but not a typical one. It's the kind of calm that comes with psychopathic anger. The kind that you could beat someone senseless, and you wouldn't feel a thing. It's a good thing she's got me restrained, because at this point I couldn't even fathom what I'd do to her.

Twilight realizes that she's gone too far when she sees the demonic glint of fury in my eyes. She takes a step back, looking appalled at herself. "Seth...I'm so sorry. I didn't...that was uncalled for."

"But you're right, aren't you? I'm just the worthless remainder of a worthless race," I reply calmly, my voice sounding dead.

"No, Seth, you're not worthless, you're..."

"Don't try to take it back. Whether you meant to say it or not, that's what you really feel." I cut across her bitterly.

"No, that's not it at all! I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly," Twilight backtracks hastily. Pft, the lying bitch. I know what you're thinking.

"Right, I'm sure. Now then, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Twilight looks surprised that I'm even letting her continue. I just don't want this to drag on any longer than it has to. I...need to be alone. "Um...well, you said some really hurtful things to Pinkie, and it's really affected her. I want you to...apologize to her," she explains, much calmer than before.

"Now, isn't that rich. I'm sorry, I'll have to decline. My goal was to keep her from talking to me again. If I apologize, that would be counterproductive, don't you think?" I say in a cool voice. Holy shit, I almost sound like a psychopath.

"It doesn't matter what your goal was. You went too far. At least explain things to her. I want my friend back. Please, Seth!" Twilight's almost begging at this point.

"Come ask me in the morning. Right now, I'm too angry at you to care," I tell her honestly. Twilight nods her head sadly, and then she releases me from her magic. When she sets me down, I honestly still feel the urge to beat the shit out of her for holding me like that in the first place. Instead, I just turn my back to her and walk back towards the bar.

I'm halted when her hooves close around me from behind in what I think is supposed to be a hug. "What are you doing?" I demand, wondering if she might have lost her mind.

"I'm really sorry. I mean it. I can't even begin to understand what you're going through," Twilight murmurs softly. Oh for the...seriously? You were screaming at me earlier, and now you're being all huggy? Give me a break. "I was just angry...and...I'm so sorry."

"What, do you expect me to just drop everything and hug you back? Get off me." I wrench out of her grip. "I'm going back inside. I'll talk to you in the morning."

I leave a distraught looking Twilight behind as I walk into the bar. The moment I walk inside, I notice that Rainbow, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Flitter are back at our table, having seen my involuntary exit from the building earlier.

Rainbow notices that something is wrong the moment she sees me. She meets me halfway, before I can even reach the table. "Hey, Seth, what happened out there?" Rainbow asks, her voice sounding worried. Her concern is exacerbated when I don't respond, pushing past her rudely to return to my chair. "Hey!"

Lyra and Flitter both observe my noticeable change in demeanor and crowd me as well. I shut my eyes, trying hard not to keep my anger in check, even as they repeatedly try to get me to answer them. My hand wraps around the edge of the table, and I attempt to force all of my growing frustration out though that one hand. I end up squeezing the table so hard my hand turns white.

"Would you shut the fuck up already?!" I finally lose it, releasing the table and slamming that hand down on its surface so hard the cups on it tip over. Lyra, Flitter, and Rainbow are shocked into silence by my outburst. "Does it look like I want to deal with any of you right now? Get the fuck out of my face."

"But..." Lyra attempts, but Rainbow stops her, sticking a hoof in her mouth.

"Come on, girls. Let's go get some more drinks," Rainbow suggests, herding the two of them away towards the front counter.

I'm left alone at the table. My hands lethargically move up to my head, supporting it as I stare down at the table. My eyes soon become unfocused as I zone out, once again remembering just who I've lost, thanks to that bitch of a librarian. Self-pity...fuck you. You make it sound so cheap. I bet you've never lost anypony in your life.

For the rest of Vinyl's gig, I isolate myself as much as possible from the other ponies. When Rainbow and the others come back after a while, I get up and leave, walking outside of the bar and sitting down on the cold ground, where I gaze up at the night sky. I take some small manner of comfort from the few things in this world that will never chance. Even three thousand years later, the same stars still shine down on me.

I stay there, the cold wind chilling me, until the music stops, signaling the end of Vinyl's gig. I guess that means I'd better head back inside. At the very least, I'll be alone soon.

Luckily I manage to get inside before the flood of ponies leave the building. Forcing my way through that would not have been fun.

"Hey, I'll see you later, all right?" Lyra calls out to me as she leaves with Bon Bon. I don't give her a reply, and then they're gone a few moments later. Flitter also says goodbye to me before she leaves, but I don't acknowledge her either.

"Sure, but only if you help Seth and I get all this back home," I overhear Vinyl saying to Rainbow just as I arrive within earshot of them. I wonder what they're talking about.

"Aw, come on, do I have to?" Rainbow complains. Yeah, really, why would Rainbow have to help me load? I never needed her help before.

"Yeah. This way he'll be less..." Vinyl starts to answer, but then she cuts off abruptly when she sees me coming. I cock an eyebrow at her. I'll be less...what? "...less burdened. Yeah, less burdened."

"You hear that, Seth? I'm helping you load up this time around. Aren't you lucky?" Rainbow brags to me. Her face falls when I completely ignore her, instead choosing to begin dismantling the LEDs like Vinyl had taught me.

"Right, bro, you keep doing that. Dash, help me with these tables," Vinyl orders. I think I'll cut out the description of this part, since it's essentially the same as the last time I packed up, only I know a little bit more about what I'm doing.

"Awright, here's your money, bro." Vinyl holds out five bits on her hoof once we're done packing up. I look at them, running a bit of math in my hand. Instead of taking them, I fish out another bit and add it to the pile on her hoof. "What the..."

"Keep it. That's my rent for today," I grunt, withdrawing my hand and stashing it in my pocket. Vinyl looks at the money for a long moment, and then she sighs and puts it into a sack. This leaves me with five bits. I've got a nice surplus this time, so I might be able to spend some of it for myself if I factor in tomorrow's pay from the farm.

"Come on, let's get this thing moving!" Rainbow yells impatiently. For some reason, she's hovering above the cart, her wings flapping rapidly. I still have no idea why she's helping us anyway. What, is Vinyl not satisfied by my work?

"Good idea," Vinyl agrees, and we assume the usual formation for moving the cart, only this time Rainbow is helping me push. This way is easier on my tired muscles, but I honestly didn't need her help.

We proceed in silence through the nearly abandoned streets of Ponyville. While I'd like to say they respected my mood and kept their mouths shut, Rainbow immediately starts talking to Vinyl about the songs she'd played back in the bar. I never really paid much attention to them, so even if I wanted to join in, which I don't, I'd have had nothing to say,

A few moments later, we've arrived at Vinyl's place. She opens the door with magic and guides the cart inside with our help.

The second it is inside and stable, I let go and head for the kitchen. As cluttered as it is, I'm sure it should be too hard to find a cup. Apple cider is nice and all, but I need some actual water, or I will get circulation issues. Mostly in my hands too. I had that problem in college a lot, whenever I'd stay up playing games, I'd forget to drink, so my hands would practically freeze solid.

Conversation trickles in from the front room as I yank open various cupboards, finding plates and silverware (who the hell keeps silverware in a cupboard and not a drawer? And why does she have some anyway, if she doesn't use them?) , and finally, in the absolute last place I look, the cups I'm looking for.

I fill the cup with water from the sink and drain it dry. It doesn't taste that great, but I'm not altogether that picky. I repeat this several more times until my stomach feels full, even though it's not.

Striding back into the living room reveals Vinyl and Rainbow chilling on the couch, still talking. Unsurprisingly, Rainbow somehow managed to turn the conversation to herself and her latest aerial tricks. Me, being the nice guy I am, interrupt them. "Why are you still here?"

"What, me?" Rainbow asks, clueless. I give her a deadpan stare.

"No, the mouse on your shoulder," is my sarcastic response. Rainbow reacts to that by falling off the couch with a yelp, trying to get rid of the nonexistent mouse. Vinyl laughs at the pegasus's stupidity, while I'm facepalming. All of these ponies take my sarcasm way too seriously.

"Hey, there's no mouse!" Rainbow realizes at last, and she gets up and looks at me accusingly.

"Of course not! I was talking to you."

"Then why did you say you weren't?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was talking to an imbecile," I apologize sardonically. Rainbow nips at me, not appreciating the insult. "Now answer me."

"What? Oh, yeah. So I'm crashing here tonight," she finally says. I blink. She's what? Rainbow is looking at me hesitantly, almost as if she's afraid that I'd snap at her about it. To be fair, I think about it. If this isn't a clear excuse to stay near me, I don't know what is. I wish she'd stop trying. I'm not friend material, and I'm not sure you are either.

"Whatever. I don't care. I'm going to bed," I grunt, turning my back. Without waiting to see how they react to my sudden departure, I ascend the stairs and tread into my room, slamming the door.

I'm alone at last. From now until the morning, I have some blessed solitude at last. I'd say today hadn't been that bad, but Twilight ruined any chance of it being even a mediocre day. I still feel no inclination to apologize to that pink menace, though.

Goddammit, Twilight. I'd been trying not to think about the people I've lost.. I can't feel grief if I keep them out of my mind. But Twilight ruined that.

Now, as I sit down on my bed, all I can think about are those people. And it fucking hurts. It's like that feeling you get when you're waiting for a friend to show up after agreeing to hang out, only they never show up, and you're left waiting. Waiting for the friend that you will never see again.

I think about all the times we might yet have shared, if life had continued as normal. Amaryllis and I...I wanted to show her so much. I had a piano at my parents' house. A lot of my childhood was spent playing on that thing, learning melodies by ear, and cross referencing sounds to notes so I could learn to read music. I wanted to play for her one day. One day when I could do so without feeling like I'd be judged for it.

Or my brother, Adam. It's funny, but right now I really want to watch Eureka Seven with him, even though I know it's impossible now. We'd had so many more animes on our list. I had been looking forward to watching things like Stein's Gate, Spice and Wolf, Summer Wars, and other obscure titles. Hell, we were even considering watching that newer anime, Attack on Titan, to see if it was worth anything. I sort of just took him for granted. Heh, how fucking dumb could I get?

It doesn't matter how stupid it is. My hand slips into my pocket and pulls out my phone, powering it on. The light washes over my face as that little apple pops up.

Looks like I have about fifty five percent battery left. Not bad, it's only been a few days and I've only lost five percent. At this rate, it should last about half a year more. Well, probably a bit less after I spend some time perusing it.

A melancholy smile crosses my face as I pull up my image folder. I think it's about time I look through these.

A few moments later, I realize how bad of an idea this was. With every image I look at, I feel worse. The more memories I remember, the more I want to go back home. The more times I see Amaryllis, the more I wish she was here, so could hold her close and never let her go.

One last image in particular catches my eye. It's the group picture we took during our trip Europe, a year or so ago, during the summer. I forget when. It had been my family and I, as well as Amaryllis and her family.

In this shot, we were standing on the cruise ship with our backs to the ocean. Amaryllis and I were in the front, wearing sleeveless shirts and swim trunks, with our arms around the shoulder of the other. Adam stood next to me, wearing a white shirt with Maka and Soul on it, from Soul Eater, with a bright grin on his face. My mother and father are behind Adam and I, where they were standing next to Amaryllis's parents. We all looked so happy. It was one of those times when nothing else mattered but the ones you were with.

Tears roll slowly and silently down my face. These are the things that I'll never get to enjoy ever again. Scrolling to the next image, I chuckle despite my sorrow, as it's that same group image, only it had been during the second shot, when a dolphin had chosen to leap out of the water at that exact spot, splashing us all and causing some hilarious expressions.

Dammit...I wish...I wish there could be someone here. Someone that I can shoulder my sorrows onto. Why must everyone I meet be useless and untrustworthy? Why can't there be someone here for me?

Just as I'm powering the phone off once more, the door to my room opens, taking me by surprise. "Hey, Seth, sorry to bug you, but I was wondering...whoa." Shit it's Rainbow. What the fuck...can't I even have time to myself, away from you goddamn ponies?! She cuts off the moment she sees my face. I then realize that my phone is still giving off some light, which is shining onto my face. That's what she's looking at. Double shit. Now she's walking towards me. Triple shit.

"Get the fuck out of my room," I growl at her.

"With you looking like that? No way," Rainbow tells me firmly. I give her a disbelieving look, which slowly turns to anger.

"Can't you ponies respect even the most basic of privacies?!" I demand incredulously. Is there no depths to which this race won't sink?

"Buck privacy, especially if you're hurting like this when no one can see you," Rainbow asserts, getting within arms reach of me. I take advantage of that and swing at her in my despair. She ducks under it easily, and doesn't even back off.

"Fuck off! Get out of my room before I make you!" Now I'm threatening her, my hand reaching towards my rifle. Rainbow gives me this little smirk.

"Didn't you hear me? I'm not moving. And do you really think you can make me?" Rainbow stays where she is, infuriating me further. But...I leave my rifle where it is. She has a point. The last time I tried to tangle with her, she was practically toying with me the whole time. Fuck, so what the hell do I do to get her to go away?

"What do you even want?" If I give her what she wants, maybe she'll fuck off. Still, I don't see what she hopes to gain from bugging me like this.

"You to tell me what happened between you and Twilight that got you this upset," Rainbow answers, sitting down on her haunches and folding her wings. Really? That's what she wants? What a hassle. "I mean, we were joking and having a fun a few minutes before that, so something happened."

"You're too damn nosy. Some things I want to keep to myself. Can't you fucking respect that?" I demand. I'm starting to feel exhausted, so I place my rifle by my bed and lay back, resting my back against the pillows.

"Not if this is what I find. As Twilight would say, I'm making an intervention," Rainbow replies stubbornly. "I'm not moving until you tell me."

"What...I...feel like we've been here before. Have we been here before?" I remark, the irony of the situation not lost on me. I feel like we just did this...several hours ago.

"You know, you're right." Rainbow actually chuckles at that. "I guess you need someone as stubborn as you to get you to say anything."

"I can't believe we're doing this again. What's stopping me from just going to sleep and ignoring you?"

"Well you could, but only if you don't mind if I crash in here as well." When she says this, Rainbow curls up on the floor and looks up at me smugly.

"Of course I mind! That's not proper at all!" I exclaim, appalled. There's no way I'm going to let a damn female pony sleep in my room. That's nine kinds of wrong.

"Now you sound like Rarity," Rainbow remarks, and then she straightens herself up, holding herself like she's attempting to be regal. Then, in a passable imitation of Rarity, she says, "Oh pish posh, darling. A mare sleeping in the same room with a stallion? Why, imagine the scandal!"

"Snrk." I can't help it. That's just funny, especially because I could totally see Rarity saying something like that. And it's even better because it's coming from Rainbow, who is practically the exact opposite of Rarity.

"Right, so if you don't want that to happen, you better start talking," Rainbow declares, slumping back down and giving a very unladylike yawn. I remain silent for a while, still unwilling to talk, but also wondering how I would even word it.

Several minutes of silence pass in this manner. At first Rainbow continues to stare at me attentively, but after the first few seconds she starts to fidget. Then she rolls over and starts trying to scratch an itch on her back. God, she's like a damn puppy on a leash. How much effort is she putting into this? I mean, she's not really the patient type.

"Hey," I say, once I think I've collected my thoughts enough. I'm tough enough that I don't need to explain my problems. I'll tell her enough to get her to go the fuck away. My words cause her to stop hoofing at the carpet aimlessly and look at up me expectantly. "Have...you ever lost anypony?"

"Me? Well, if you count all the times I lost Fluttershy in a crowd, then..."

"Don't be a dumb fuck. I mean have you had anypony you cared about die?" I cut across her, not in the mood for pony naivete. Rainbow shuts up immediately, gulping.

"I...well...no."

"That's what I thought. God, I'm envious. Let me explain this to you in a way you'll understand." I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I need her to know this, otherwise she'll never understand. Pah, she'll never understand anyway. She'll decide I'm too much drama and walk away, preferring to live her own ignorant life, because ignorance is bliss. "You're friends with Vinyl, aren't you?"

"Heck yeah. She's only one of the coolest unicorns around," Rainbow replies, confused as to where I'm going with this.

"Now imagine that tomorrow morning, she walked out that door and never came back. And you didn't even get a chance to say goodbye." Rainbow's eyes widen at that.

"Gosh, that would totally stink."

"Right? Now imagine that when you walk out after her, the entire town is empty. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and even every single last townspony are just gone. Forever. Imagine that just a moment ago, everything had been fine. How would that make you feel!?" My voice rises throughout this entire explanation. The last sentence is spoken in a yell, which causes Rainbow's ears to flatten.

"That's...what Twilight made you feel?" Rainbow spoke haltingly, pain filling her eyes after envisioning that scenario.

"Twilight reminded me of it. She actually wanted me to apologize to Pinkie for telling her to fuck off the other day, but she...lacked a certain tact," I correct her. And I went and told her how I felt anyway. Wow...I am such a fucking weakling. Amaryllis would be laughing her ass off at me if she could see me right now. Oh, the tough and silent Seth, spilling his guts to a multicolored pony with wings? What a joke.

"Heh, yeah, that's our egghead for you." Rainbow agrees with me, surprisingly enough. What the hell? She's just going to take my word without even hearing Twilight's? "I'll talk to her about it. She's not the best at dealing with other ponies...or a very depressed human."

"Don't bother. She knows she fucked up. I just don't plan on forgiving her anytime soon," I grunt, crossing my arms.

"Aw, come on. She didn't mean to hurt you. She just stuck her hoof in her mouth. Again," Rainbow protests. "She was probably just angry about that whole thing with Pinkie that she forgot to think."

"Whatever." We fall into silence again, but this time it looks like Rainbow is thinking hard about something.

"Say...why don't we get her back?" Rainbow's words cause me to look at her sharply. She's wearing a mischievous grin. What the fuck...did she just ask me if I wanted to get revenge on one of her friends? What kind of pony is she?

"What?"

"Yeah! We'll show her a thing or two about messing with your head. Know any good pranks?" Rainbow affirms. My expression becomes dumbfounded.

"You want me to get back at her by...pranking her? Are you serious right now?" This sounds so fucking dumb I don't even know where to start.

"Come on, it'll be fun! I guarantee you, she'll never see it coming," Rainbow assures me, sidling closer and hopping up on the bed across from me.

"Really? How childish do you have to be? Pranking her won't make me forget what she said," I demand scornfully. Rainbow looks at me cluelessly for a bit. Oh shit, right. How do you...oh. "Right...foalish. Still getting used to pony terminology."

"Oh. Well, maybe not, but it'll be funny as heck. Twilight has the best reactions. Trust me, I know from experience," Rainbow replies.

"Ugh...this is so dumb," I groan, planting my face in both of my hands. Double facepalm for this one.

"No, it'll be great. So are you in?" Rainbow looks entirely too eager for this. Staring at her, I mull the idea over in my head. To be honest, I've never actually pranked anyone before, nor did I ever feel the need to.

"Eh, fuck it, why not? What's the worst that could happen?" I relent, making a dismissive hand gesture. "So what kind of prank were you thinking about?"

"Well, I was asking you. When do you next see her?" Rainbow points out.

"She's coming here tomorrow morning, to remind me about Pinkie."

"Oh really? In that case, I'd do something hilarious, like rig the door to dump a bucket of water on her head when she walks in," Rainbow suggests, snickering wickedly. I give her a flat-browed expression.

"Are you kidding me? No, that's dumb. If we're going to do this, we should probably take into account her nature," I argue. Seriously, dumping water on people is like something you'd see in a cartoon. I'd want something more hardcore than that. "I don't much about her except that she's a nerd who can be a real bitch."

"Twi? Well...she's really into books, and she gets crazy if somepony messes up all that organization she's got going on," Rainbow describes. Oh, well that just makes things too easy for me. I now know exactly what to do to her. "What's that look for? You got an idea?"

"Yeah, come here" I order. Rainbow clambers over the blankets towards me. Part of me shifts uncomfortably at her increased proximity.

With that, the two of us put together our plan for my revenge on Twilight. I'm still convinced that this is just one giant waste of time, but honestly I'm at the point where I literally don't care about anything. How I haven't lost my mind by now, I don't know.

"That's genius! We'll need Vinyl's help to keep her from using her magic, through," Rainbow exclaims.

"Is that a problem?" I question.

"Nah, Vinyl will totally help us. She should still be awake," Rainbow assures me. "Come on, let's go talk to her!"

Wordlessly, I rise from the bed and stalk out of the room, Rainbow right on my heels. I don't know how tomorrow is going to go, but one thing is for sure.

Twilight is going to be in for one hell of a surprise in the morning.

---

All is quiet in Vinyl's living room as the first rays of the morning light shine in through the windows, illuminating the two ponies and I as we lie in wait for our unwitting target.

I'm standing with Rainbow in plain view of the front door, next to a bookshelf that Vinyl had lugged down from the attic for us. Its shelves were stocked with hundreds of books on musical subjects, like musical history and theory. There's also a lot of score sheets there too.

Clutched in Rainbow's right forehoof is a hardcover book emblazoned with the image of Celestia and Luna on it. It's titled, "Equestria's Lost History."

My hands are tucked into my pockets. My right hand toys with the small object in my right pocket, my entire body tense with anticipation. My mind has entered the "fuck-it" mode, so it doesn't matter how stupid this is.

There is a small rug inconspicuously placed just in front of Rainbow and I, so that Twilight would have to cross it to reach us.

"Any sign of her?" Rainbow whispers anxiously. Vinyl moves aside the drapes on her sidelights and peers outside.

"Not just yet. Hang tight just a bit longer," Vinyl replies just as softly. Rainbow huffs in reply and shifts her weight between her two back legs. I chuckle a bit. She's getting fidgety again. This pony really needs to learn some patience. Waiting to prank someone always requires some patience. "Hold it...there she is. Get ready!"

"Aw yeah, let's do this," Rainbow says eagerly, her pep returning. "You remember the script, Seth?"

"Of course I do. I wrote it, dipshit," I retort. My not so polite response causes Rainbow to stick her tongue out at me.

The sound of Twilight knocking on the door causes us to abandon our sneaky expressions and replace them with casual ones. The moment Vinyl opens it to reveal the very hesitant looking Twilight, we start off into our prepared dialogue, speaking in tones loud enough that Twilight can easily hear us.

"We should probably do this now, before Twilight gets here," I remark casually, nodding my head at the book on Rainbow's hoof.

"Yeah, she would totally freak. Hurry up, she'll be here any minute!" Rainbow urges me, pushing the book towards me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Twilight peek her head around Vinyl, watching us with curiosity and suspicion. Her eyes widen when she sees the title of the book Rainbow's holding.

"All right. Good bye, shitty book. May your author never produce another," I declare dramatically, pulling the object out of my right pocket, revealing it to be a box of matches. The sound Twilight makes, which is a cross between a agonized whinny and a high pitched squeal, is almost enough to make me lose my composure right then and there.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Twilight shrieks, her horn lighting up, probably attempting to grab the book from us. However, to her dismay, it doesn't work at all. What she had failed to notice is the faint magical aura that already surrounds the book, courtesy of a snickering Vinyl.

"Quick, she's here! Burn it!" Rainbow exclaims. I light the match with a quick flick of my wrist, springing a small flame into existence.

Twilight, out of any other options, breaks into a dead run towards us. "Stoooooop!" she cries desperately. I bring the match close to the spine of the book, spurring Twilight into greater speeds.

However, her reckless charge causes her to step on the small rug...that slides backwards under her momentum, courtesy of the large amount of grease spread on the floor beneath it. "Waaaah!" Twilight cries as she overbalances.

Vinyl acts quickly, using her magic to slide a pie right under Twilight, so that she falls muzzle first into it. There's silence for a few moments, and then Twilight makes a hilarious muffled sound of confusion.

We just fucking lose it. Rainbow and Vinyl laugh uproariously at the sight of the fallen Twilight. I blow out the match, and then I join them, finding this the most hilarious thing since I got here. This isn't just a chuckle, either. I'm laughing my ass off right now, holding my ribs because it's getting hard to breathe.

Twilight picks her head out of the pie, which looks to be cherry, if the red filling is anything to go by. For some reason, a certain song starts playing in my head...which makes this even funnier.

"Rainbow! Is this another one of your pranks?!" Twilight demands, glaring angrily at her. Rainbow just laughs harder, because Twilight looks anything but intimidating with all that cherry filling on her face. She glares at Vinyl next. "Vinyl! Were you in on this too?"

"You know it!" Vinyl chokes out between laughs. "Oh...your face...stop looking at me...I'm gonna die!"

Twilight gives an adorable little growl, and then she reaches up a hoof to her face in an attempt to wipe off some of the pie filling. Unfortunately for her, it's the sticky kind. "Oh, yuck! You couldn't have used something easier to clean up?!"

"Nope!" I answer her helpfully. A few moments later, I manage to compose myself, and then I take the book from where Rainbow had put it. Walking towards her, I earn her gaze, and I fully expect her to scold me next.

That doesn't happen. When Twilight's cherry covered face stares up at me (which causes me to grin and almost go into another laughing fit), she releases a resigned sigh. "You weren't really going to burn that book,were you?" she asks in a defeated tone.

"Yeah, I was, actually. I still might. Take a look at it," I tell her seriously. Her eyes widen and she snatches the book from me with her magic. Vinyl, Rainbow, and I watch her with baited breath as she runs a hoof over the cover of the book.

It's only when she tries to open it that she realizes it isn't actually a book, instead being a sanded wood construct that we'd spent hours last night making. Her resulting cry of realization and anguish causes us to start cracking up again.

"Vinyl, mind if I use your kitchen?" Twilight asks, thoroughly unamused. After receiving a nod from the still snickering Vinyl, Twilight leaves the room with a, "I'll be right back."

"I told you, right? The best reactions!" Rainbow reminds me, managing to calm herself, but still wearing a satisfied smirk.

"Okay, I have to admit. As foalish as that was, her face was fucking priceless!" I chuckle, rubbing my eyes to wipe away the moisture formed there by all this merriment. I notice Rainbow and Vinyl exchange a smile and a nod at that. Huh, wonder what that's all about.

"Totally worth the effort," Vinyl adds, walking towards Rainbow and I. She sticks out a hoof towards us. "Put it there!"

Rainbow looks at me, noting my crossed arms. She jerks her head towards Vinyl. What, so she wants me to high five a pony? How is that even a thing? They don't even have fingers, which is where that phrase originated from. You know, five fingers? So what the fuck? Do they call it a high one?

But if I do it...they're just going to think they're my friends. Rainbow already thinks that, and won't go away no matter what I do. If I do this...Vinyl is also going to be annoying. Fuck it, I'm in a better mood because of that prank, so I'll humor them. If they get too annoying, I'll let them know clearly where they stand.

I reach my hand up, and then Rainbow and Vinyl both beam, and reciprocate the gesture, our assorted limbs meeting in midair with a clop.

Just then, a freshly cleaned Twilight walks out of the kitchen, still dripping slightly from her mane. Her unamused expression causes us to snicker a bit. Twilight looks at me expectantly. "Are you ready to go see Pinkie?"

"You're just going to assume I'm going?" I demand, irritated already. I expected a carefully worded question, not this. Sounds like she decided that I'm going for me. Twilight dithers a bit, taken off guard by my hostility.

"But...you said..."

"I said, come talk to me about it in the morning," I correct her before she can even form a coherent sentence. "Never once did I say, 'Oh yes, Twilight, I will most definitely see Ms. Look-at-Me-I'm-High-Out-of-My-Mind!'"

"Seth, she hasn't come out of her room in days!" she beseeches me.

"And I should care about that, why?" My cold response causes everypony in the room to glance at me in shock. "The world is harsh. The sooner she gets used to that, the better off she'll be."

"Okay, everypony stop and chill out a moment," Rainbow interjects just as Twilight's opening her mouth. "Twilight, what do you want from Seth, exactly?"

"All I want is for him to apologize to Pinkie, so she'll be back to her usual self. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate," Twilight expresses, looking at me with those pleading eyes.

"Okay. Seth, why exactly won't you do it?" Rainbow turns to me next. I raise an eyebrow at her. Is the egotistical jock trying to play mediator? You know, come to think about it, for a pony with such an active lifestyle, she's been strangely intelligent and reasonable. Something doesn't seem right here.

"Because I said what I did to Pinkie to keep her the hell away from me, and to stop assuming that she's my friend. As far as I'm concerned, mission accomplished," I tell them flatly. "You ponies all have the habit of assuming that you're my friends. It'll only hurt you in the long run."

"You know, you say that, but I'm not going anywhere," Rainbow points out. I shoot her a glance. Yeah, I had a feeling she would say something like that. But maybe the others will take the...

"Neither am I. I am always willing to be a friend to you, whether or not you want it," Twilight adds. I stare at her in shock. What the hell is she talking about?

"You can't get rid of me that easily, bro." What the fuck? Even Vinyl is in on this bullshit? Who do you all think you're fooling? Nobody cares this much about making a friend. Are you all working together behind my back or something? Do you think I'll let you in if you present a united front?

"You're all crazy. I don't owe you anything," I declare, crossing my arms stubbornly. The three of them huff at that.

"Let me put it this way," Rainbow says, whizzing in front of me. "Twilight's going to keep annoying you until you do what she wants. Trust me, we've all been there."

"Hey!" Twilight protests.

"Tell me I'm wrong, Twi," Rainbow says with a smirk. Twilight pauses, and then dips her head shyly. "Hah! So Seth, how much are you willing to take?"

"Oh for the love of...fine!" I relent with bad grace. All these ponies ganging up on me with their friendship speeches and their bullshit logic, and their multicolored manes, and their shitty magical powers and...fucking...I hate ponies. They weaponize their damn cuteness. It just makes me even more irritated when I see them exchange happy smiles at my answer. Don't rub it in...it just pisses me off. "If I'm gonna do this, let's go now. I do still have work to go to."

"Perfect! Shall we go then?" Twilight asks me innocently, stepping aside so that I can reach the door. I push past her and walk out into the sunlight.

Let's go and get this over with.

---

This one took me forever, and I'm still not all that comfortable with it. Oh well, I'll go back and fix the whole story once I get the rough draft down. After all, that's essentially what this is.

I also decided that adding a Rainbow Dash tag was warranted, considering how much I'm writing about her in comparison to the other five. Anyway, this arc is almost finished, with three chapters left, at the very most. It'll end with a bang, so stay tuned!

Credit to DarkWarfang for helping with the prank idea, along with other smaller changes, as well as just being a general badass.