Several more ponies arrive over the course of several minutes, and then Pinkie seems satisfied that everyone on the guest list is here. Because she's trying to surprise the Cakes, all of the lights are out.

"All right, everypony! You know the drill! The Cakes are on their way, so keep quiet until I flick on the lights!" Pinkie announces over the chattering of the crowd of ponies. The chattering slowly quiets down as the ponies all head to hiding places.

I can't believe I'm participating in a surprise party. This kind of thing seems so...childish. I don't know how old these ponies are, but I think I'd prefer a a more formal arrangement...ah who am I kidding, I'd never want a party for anything I do. Unless it's just Amaryllis. And she brings alcohol.

"Hello again, Seth," a pony whispers to to me as she settles next to me behind the counter. I turn my head to try and see who's next to me, but it's too dark to see anything other than a vague outline.

"Uh...too dark," I whisper back. I hear a small chuckle from the pony, and then a dim light forms from seemingly nothing. The light, which is coming from the horn of the pony next to me, reveals a familiar mint green unicorn. Lyra soon extinguishes the light. "Oh. Hey."

"Good to see you again. Talk to me after the surprise?" Lyra asks me softly. I nod, but then I remember that she can't see me.

"Sure. I'll probably be eating or dancing," I reply uncaring. Lyra giggles a bit.

"I can't wait to see that," she whispers, but then the pony next to her, who I'm assuming is Bon Bon, hushes her.

"Quiet, they're coming!" a pony hisses. Everything goes as silent as a tomb. Sure enough, I can hear two ponies talking outside.

"Oh thank Celestia...we're home. I can't wait to be in out of this rain," a mature female's voice filters in through the door, barely audible over the sound of the storm. The door opens, the bell ringing, and the silouhette of two ponies step inside, folding up their umbrellas and stashing them nearby.

"Huh, it's so dark. Let me light up some candles and then we'll be-" the male begins, but then the lights turn on, courtesy of Twilight's magic.

"SURPRISE!" All of the ponies that were lying in hiding stood up at once, shocking the hell out of the two ponies, who I think I can assume are the Cakes. The yellow stallion sits down out of shock, while the blue mare takes a few steps back.

"Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Welcome to your Hooray-we-won-an-award party! Were you surprised? I bet you were, because we were when you won!" Pinkie squealed in excitement, running over to the two bakers and bouncing up and down. That pony is way too hyper.

"Yes...I think I can say we definitely weren't expecting this," Mrs. Cake replies uncertainly, though a small smile was spreading across her face..

"Especially in a rainstorm like this...but thanks Pinkie, we appreciate it," Mr. Cake adds as he looks around in awe at the decorations.

"I think we can afford to let off a little steam. Those Canterlot ponies were so stuffy," Mrs. Cake decides her smile widening. Pinkie's grin grew even wider, if that was possible. I don't know how her lips don't split from smiling so much. Smiling a lot tends to hurt.

"That's great, because I went all out for this one! Vinyl, hit it!" Pinkie declares, throwing her hooves in the air. The Cakes appear to recognize that name, as they gasp a bit.

"You got it Pinks! Let's get this party started!" Vinyl shouts, and then she sets a record on her table. An upbeat party song blasts out of her speakers, and the LED lights that the two of us had so painstakingly set up flare to life. The center of the room, which is the designated dance floor, lights up with bright colors that rotated around as Vinyl's magic did its work.

"Yeah, now this is a party! Let's go dance, Seth!" Lyra yells over the music, her eyes alight with joy. I open my mouth to protest vehemently, but the music drowns me out, and Lyra has clamped her front hooves around my arm, dragging me out to the dance floor. I make sure to leave my rifle behind by the counter.

Damn it, I don't mind dancing, but I don't like the idea of dancing with anyone other than Amaryllis. Eh, fuck it. I'm only dancing with her if I acknowledge the fact that she exists. Besides, this isn't a slow song, so no touching is involved. Now that I think of it, how does a pony slow dance anyway? I'm not sure I want to know.

This song is good enough, so I instinctively move my body to the beat. I'd like to say I have a pretty good rhythm, as I would always listen to music between classes back at college. That makes me miss my headphones. I hate that I left them in the school with my bag.

My dancing inevitably draws the attention of the ponies that either don't know me, or do and thought I was too stiff to dance.

Twilight blinks, tilting her head to one side. She seems completely nonplussed by my seemingly uncharacteristic actions. Of course, if she knew me well enough, she'd know it's in character. I don't give a fuck what others think, hence why I dance. It's fun. That's all that matters.

Rainbow Dash, noticing me for the first time, scowls at first, but when she notices what I'm doing, she points a hoof at me and laughs so hard she falls over.

Applejack is nodding her head to the beat as well, not really paying that much attention to me, which I appreciate.

As for Pinkie...she screams happily and streaks over to us in a flash of pink and joins Lyra and I on the dance floor, and she starts pulling some of the most ridiculous, and yet somehow impressive dance moves I've ever seen. Have you ever seen a pony breakdance? Well, I have. And it looks fucking hilarious, yet awesome.

You know...maybe I can put aside the fact that there are ponies everywhere, and just have some fun.

Pinkie's eagerness entices some of the shyer ponies to join us out here. Flitter, having finished her cookies, trots out to meet us. She taps me on the leg with a hoof, so I turn to her. She's gazing at me with these pleading eyes. Apparently she wants some attention. I'm not actually dancing with anyone, I'm just doing my own thing. Whether or not they want to think I'm dancing with them is another matter.

I shrug and take a step closer to Flitter, who makes a barely noticeable squee and starts dancing as well. Heh, it's ridiculous how happy they get if I act even a little bit nice.

Behind me, Lyra huffs, annoyed that her supposed dance partner was stolen away. She's placated, however, when Bon Bon comes and joins her out on the dance floor.

Soon, the song ends, and I take a break, stepping away to go get something to eat. You know, of all the jobs I could have picked, this was a good choice. I am practically getting paid to party.

"I see you're fitting in a little better," Twilight comments, beaming, as I approach the counter she's resting against. I scoff at that. She's over-analyzing my dancing as something more than was it is. Ignoring her at first, I grab some cookies from a plate on the counter and greedily stuff one in my mouth. Oh my god...fucking homemade cookies are the best thing ever. That store bought shit ain't got nothing on this!

"Not really. I just like to dance. Whether or not they want to dance near me is their business," I deny in between mouthfuls of sweet chocolaty goodness. Twilight's face falls at that. Hah, did you think your friendship spheal was going to change me so easily? Yeah, nope. I have twenty years of previous experience to know that 99% of humanity is trash and not worth knowing, and so far nothing has convinced me that ponies aren't the same way.

"I think you should give us ponies a chance. We may surprise you," Twilight suggests, gazing at me meaningfully.

"Yeah, and you might not," I retort, eating another cookie. "Goddamn, these are good."

"Hey! I thought you didn't want our company?" That voice...I groan inwardly. I knew this was coming ever since I saw her walk through the door. I look to see a suspicious Rainbow Dash cantering towards me. "What gives?"

"I'm getting paid to be here, so fuck off," I snap at her, much to Twilight's horror and Rainbow's ire.

"Why would anypony hire a jerk like you?" Rainbow demands. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"You know, you've used that same word over and over. Update your insults and try again later," I tell her in a bored voice, eating another cookie. Rainbow turns red with anger and opens her mouth to shout at me, but Twilight cuts her off.

"Hang on, you two know each other?" she asks us curiously.

"Yep. This rainbow-tailed fucker almost killed me, and then wouldn't get lost," I answer before Rainbow could. Twilight looked accusingly at Rainbow, who looks like she'd been slapped.

"Twilight, don't give me that look! I don't know what he told you, but he made it pretty clear he's not anypony's friend!" she protests angrily, jabbing a hoof at me. Twilight sighs, gives me an apologetic look, and then wraps a hoof around Rainbow's shoulders, leading her off somewhere.

Finally, some peace. A thought occurs to me. Maybe I shouldn't eat so many cookies. I wouldn't want to get full too fast. I want to have some of that monster cake Pinkie made, too. I wonder when they'll be cutting it. Oh look, blueberry muffins! Mine mine mine mine...

Just as I'm reaching out a hand to grab a muffin, a light grey hoof reaches in and grabs the entire plate. My hand hangs there limply, my anger rising. I turn, about to give the thieving pony a piece of my mind when her appearance gives me some pause.

The pony, whose wings identified it as a pegasus, is colored that same light grey, and she has a short blonde mane and tail. Her butt tattoo is a bunch of bubbles, whatever the fuck that means. But that's not the most striking feature. No, that would be those fucking eyes of hers. They're all over the place. I'm not kidding. I don't know if she's permanently cross-eyed or has two lazy eyes, or what, but all I know is that her eyes are looking everywhere but at me.

There's already a muffin in her mouth, which she is chomping on merrily. When she notices me looking at her with an irritated look on my face, she swallows the muffin and gives me a sheepish grin, crumbs stuck to her muzzle. "I'm sorry, mister. You can have a muffin too," she says apologetically in an odd, yet strangely adorable voice. She holds out the plate to me.

I find the angry words I had been prepared to throw at her dying in my throat. Instead, I adopt a wry expression and take a muffin from the plate. "Glad I have your permission," I remark, and then I take a bite of the muffin...and the taste fucking blows me away. I'm so used to the mostly bland store bought stuff, so the sheer quality makes me wonder what I've been missing all my life.

"You look nice, mister. What's your name?" the pegasus asks, sniffing at me curiously. That...what the hell does she mean by "you look nice?" Does that mean I look like a nice person? Or that I literally look nice, like physically? Because she'd be wrong on both accounts. Eh, I might as well humor the mare.

"Seth Rogers," I answer the strange pony, not exactly sure how to treat her. She looks as old as the others, but I have no way of knowing how old that is. The pony tilts her head to one side, her eyes rolling around in a disorienting fashion. How the hell does she function like that?

"It's sure nice to meetcha, Mr. Rogers. I'm Derpy Hooves," the pegasus responds, and then proceeds to munch on more muffins from the plate. I gaze back at her in disbelief. Her name is Derpy? What kind of name is that? Were her parents trying to insult her? I search my mind, wondering how the hell to react to this pony. Fuck it, I'll just make an excuse and go elsewhere.

Before I can, a streak of cyan zips between Derpy and I, causing me to stumble backwards. Rainbow is standing between us, looking at Derpy with a smile.

"Derpy, why don't you go share some of those muffins with your daughter?" Rainbow addressed the grey pegasus gently. Derpy turns her head in Rainbow's general direction, and then she nods enthusiastically.

"Oh yes, I'll do that. Little Dinky would love these!" Derpy exclaimed, and then she trotted around the edge of the room with the plateful of muffins. "See you later, Mr. Rogers!"

The moment she's gone, Rainbow turns and glares at me, her previously kind expression disappearing, to be replaced by suspicion. "You better not have said anything mean to her, or I'd never forgive you," she warns me. I can't help but laugh at how lame that threat sounded.

"Oh no, the multicolored pony will never forgive me. How can I possibly live with myself now?" I respond, the sarcasm practically dripping from every word. Rainbow looks infuriated by that.

"You did! You totally said something nasty to her, didn't you! I thought you were a jerk, but this is on a whole new level!" Whoa, Rainbow is a lot angrier than I expected. She gets right in my face, snarling at me. "If this wasn't a Pinkie Party, I'd beat the crap out of you!"

"Whoa, calm your shit. I hardly talked to her," I retract quickly, taking a step back. I don't know what it is about Derpy that makes Rainbow so fired up to protect her, but this pegasus looks like she's fully capable of carrying out her threat. I didn't notice before, but there are some strong muscles on her. She may not be an earth pony, but those muscles are intimidating as hell.

"How do you expect me to believe that? You totally seem like the kind of guy that would pick on her!" Rainbow snapped.

"No! I may be a bitter cynical ass, but I'm no bully," I object, holding up my hands in an attempt to placate her. I can't fucking believe I'm having to do this. This is why I avoid parties...there's always something I do to fuck it up, and then I end up in a corner somewhere, wondering why nobody cares that I exist.

Rainbow eyes me, probably wondering whether or not she can trust my word. I hope she decides she can. Even the weakest horse can seriously hurt a human with a well placed buck.

"What's up with her anyway?" I ask in an attempt to change the subject. Rainbow blinks, and then she finally takes a step back. I release that breath that I'd been subconsciously holding. I'm used to being an asshole, but I've never been nasty enough to warrant a violent reaction out of someone.

"What, Derpy? She's...well, she's a really sweet girl, but with her eyes all like..." Rainbow paused a moment to make an odd gesture with her hooves. I nodded in understanding. "...she has trouble getting around. Some ponies give her a hard time because of that."

"That's terrible...seems I was right in assuming that you ponies aren't that different from my useless species," I reply, getting a little angry at the nameless ponies that would make fun of someone with a disability. Rainbow cocks her head to one side, my wording confusing her.

"'Useless species?' What exactly did you go through that makes you think so poorly of your own species?" she questions me. I shoot her a look. Seriously? Did she really just pop off a soul searching question at me?

"Like I'm going to answer a question like that," I scoff derisively. Rainbow adopts a frustrated expression, stomping her hoof on the floor.

"Aw, come on! I'm trying to be nice here," she complains, clearly unused to acting in such a way.

"Exactly my point. You're being nice because you want something out of me. Just like Twilight is being nice because she wants to know more about my kind. It's as transparent as it is old," I counter. Rainbow looks taken aback by my logic, and then she puts on a sad expression, similar to the one Applejack wore when I told her to back off.

"So...you should come dance," Rainbow suggests suddenly, grinning a bit. I glance at her askance, wondering where in the hell that came from.

"No," I tell her flatly, grabbing a cupcake from the table and biting into it. Rainbow doesn't seem to be dissuaded.

"Why, too scared of being shown up on the dance floor by yours truly?" she teases me confidently.

I almost drop the cupcake.

"You...I..." I stammer. Rainbow's grin grows.

"Or wait, are you worried about what all of these ponies think?" she presses, leaning in smugly. She's...did...fuck it. Just fuck it.

"You know, just for THAT, I'll show you how to really dance!" I declared, a huge sense of deja vu striking me. This has to be one hell of a coincidence...practically word for word.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Show me your moves!" Rainbow exclaimed, and the two of us made our way out onto the dance floor. Pinkie is still there, having seemingly infinite energy, and now Twilight is here, though her dancing is so bad, I can't look at her and keep a straight face. Rainbow feels similarly, as she's stifling her laughter behind a hoof.

Just as I step onto the dance floor, Vinyl changes the song, and the tune becomes...oh my god, is that rock? Oh fuck the hell yes. My head is banging.

Pinkie notices Rainbow and I dancing near one another, so she soon comes to join us, followed by Flitter, Lyra, Bon Bon, and a few other ponies I don't recognize. The Cakes are also out on the dance floor, enjoying the party.

For the next three minutes, life is a happy blur. For just one moment, I can forget that I'm dancing with ponies. All of that stress I've accumulated over the days is just fucking gone, washed away by a torrent of music.

"Applejack's in the house, yeeeeehaaaw!" Suddenly, Applejack is there, pushing her way into the group. "Whatsa matter, Rainbow Dash? Yer dancin' like a wet noodle out here."

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you do better, Applejack!" Rainbow rises to the challenge eagerly, and the two of them face one another, attempting to outdance the other, whatever that means. Of course, it isn't long before I crash the party.

"You know what? You both suck. Stand back and let the master show you how it's done!" I challenge them both. The both of them look at me in surprise, but then they grin and the three of us start having a...a what? A dance-off? A competition? A see-who-can-fuck-around-the-most battle? Whatever. All I know is that I don't hold any illusions of being a better dancer. I'm honestly just fucking around.

By the end of the song, I'm a bit tired, because I had danced a bit enthusiastically. I extricate myself from the dance floor and move over to the punch bowl, as I'm feeling a bit thirsty. That's a lie. A lot thirsty, since I haven't really had real water other than Twilight's tea, and that doesn't really count.

There's several ponies by the punch bowl, but one really stands out to me. That's because she's wearing a fucking over the top dress. Like, something you'd see at a semi-formal dance. Hell, her entire appearance has been groomed and styled to perfection. Her mane is a bright purple that shined in the dim light, and fell down before terminating in elegant curls. She's got pure white fur, and I can see a horn that tells me she's a magic wielding unicorn.

The moment she spots me, she lets out a little gasp. I roll my eyes, expecting another frantic babble about how I'm a human and how I'm supposed to be extinct. "Oh, what are you wearing, dear?" she questioned me in a very prim and proper tone, with a hint of distaste present.

"I'm sorry, what?" I deadpan. Did...she really just...what...ugh, great.

"I had imagined that a wondrous being from the distant past would be dressed elegantly, but those? They look like they haven't been washed in days!" the unicorn expresses. I sigh deeply.

"That's because they haven't...this is the only set of clothes I own. I couldn't exactly bring a fucking dresser with me when I came here!" I snap at her. The mare recoils, looking horrified, partially at my foul language.

"That sounds horrible! You simply must stop by my boutique later so that we can rectify this situation," she beseeches me. I rub my forehead with my fingers. She looks like her clothing would be extremely expensive. Yeah, I can't afford that kind of stuff.

"I don't even know who you are," I remind her.

"Oh! Pardon my manners, darling. I am Rarity, and I run the Carousel Boutique, on the hill just southwest of the town square." the unicorn introduces herself with a flourish and a bow, causing me to raise an eyebrow. Was that really necessary?

"That's great. Maybe I'll show up," I answer, without caring. Yeah, there's no fucking way. I'll buy clothes from someone less likely to bleed me dry. Rarity smiles, satisfied by my answer.

Now that I have a moment's peace, I grab a cup and turn to dip it into the punch bowl...only to find Berry Punch drinking out of it. My hand, still holding to cup, drops to my side. I gaze at the offending pony incredulously.

The moment Berry Punch notices I'm watching, she yelps and falls on the ground, and then she scampers away into the crowd.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I grunt. There went any chance of me getting any punch.

"Language, darling," Rarity warns me, earning an incredulous glance from me. Who the fuck do you think you are?

"Screw you," I retort, before stalking away to find some other place to get a drink, leaving Rarity behind.

"How rude," I hear Rarity huff, but I don't really care. She's not my mother, and even if she was, my mother was as bad as I am, so she didn't give even a hint of a fuck.

"Hi! How are you enjoying the party?" Pinkie is suddenly in my face, having appeared from seemingly nowhere. I recoil back with a yelp, nearly dropping the cup.

"Ah! Where the hell did you come from?!" I cry. I'm pretty sure I had only looked away for half a second, but now, a wild Pinkie has appeared.

"From the dance floor, silly billy!" Pinkie answers as if it were obvious. Oh my god...I lose neurons just talking to this pony.

"No I meant...ugh, whatever. It's a good party, I'll give you that much," I admit. Pinkie brightens up even more, if that's even possible. "There a place to get water in here?"

"Yepper depper! I know a spot in the back! Don't go anywhere!" Pinkie grabs my hand, snatches the cup, and then bounces away towards the back room before I even know what's going on. Just...what?

My eyes rove over the giant cake Pinkie had made. To my delight, I notice that it had already been cut into slices, and some of them were already missing. That means I can get some. I take a step forward.

"Don't go anywhere!" Pinkie calls from the back room, and I freeze. How the hell did she know I was moving?

Sulking, I stand still and watch other ponies taking slices of cake away. There's still plenty, but I really want some.

Pinkie returns soon with the cup she took from me filled to the brim with water. I take it from her gratefully, and then I drain it in a few seconds. As if expecting that, Pinkie takes the glass back and the produces another from nowhere, which I then drain as well.

"Thanks," I tell her, and then I start moving away. "I'm going to go and get some of that cake now."

"Oki doki loki!" Pinkie responds, and she bounces back to the dance floor. That pony defies all explanation.

I cackle a bit to myself as I reach the cake. There are several plates ready for the taking, so I reach in and snatch one. "Yoink!" I say aloud, though nobody can really hear it but me.

Right, there's no forks. Fuck it, I guess my hands are getting covered in frosting. I grab the slice of cake and eat it in a few bites. It's just as amazing as I was expecting. It's so good, I even lick the frosting off my hands. Wow, that Pinkie is an incredible baker.

"Hey, Seth!" Twilight is approaching me with a smile. When I turn my attention to her, she gestures back at the dance floor. "Want to come back out?"

Ugh...fuck it.

---

The party goes on for a long time, though I don't know specifics because I don't have a damn watch. All I know is that by the time the storm blows over, ponies are starting to trickle out. Flitter comes and finds me before she leaves, thanking me for the dance and hoping to see me tomorrow. Lyra does something similar, but Bon Bon isn't as friendly. The bitch.

Rarity leaves once she was certain it wasn't raining anymore. Another pegasus, colored a buttery yellow with a pink mane, accompanies her.

As for me, the moment the music stops, I can see a tired and sweaty Vinyl waving me over from the raised area. "Clean up time, bro!" she declares. I nod and join her up top. I still don't know her equipment well enough to know where everything goes, so I let her direct me.

The easiest thing she has me do is folding up the cables and placing them in the boxes she indicates. I do my best to memorize the labels on the boxes for future reference, but it's difficult. It is an entirely new language, after all.

While I'm working, Pinkie is zipping around the place like a hornet, cleaning up all of the decorations so that the shop can resume normal operations in the morning. Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack are chatting on the dance floor, occasionally moving aside if Vinyl or I need to grab some of the lights.

The Cakes never did talk to me, as they instead headed straight up to bed once the party had ended. I'm fine with that. I could care less that this was their party. I just know that it was A party, and it was a really fun one.

Lastly, Vinyl and I hoist all of her equipment back into the cart, which Pinkie had stored in the back room to make space.

"Awright, that's everything! You ready to go, Seth?" Vinyl asks me. I nodded, panting. It probably hadn't been such a good idea to eat so much, and then try to heavy lift.

"Hey Scratchie! You don't want to leave without your payment, do you?" Pinkie streaks, once again, out of nowhere with a large sack in her mouth.

"Yeah, I was just about to ask for it. Awesome!" Vinyl says, taking the sack. She opens it up and fishes through it, as if counting it. Isn't that bad etiquette to count the money in front of the one who paid you? Oh wait...she's taking some out. "These are yours, Seth. Thanks for the help."

I open my hand and she drops five bits into it. Yes, I have eight bits now. I wonder if that will get me a room to rent or something. "Yo, Vinyl, how much is a cheap hotel in this town?" I query, hoping for a good number. Vinyl appears to think for a moment.

"Well, I think the cheapest would probably be around ten bits a night," Vinyl tells me. My face falls immediately.

"Fuck! Well, I guess I'm working three jobs tomorrow," I curse, punching the wall. "Tonight's gonna suck."

"What? Dude, didn't you work all day with Applejack?" Vinyl protests.

"Yeah, but I spent some of the money on food, because I hadn't eaten in fucking days," I explain. Vinyl sighs, and goes to fish some more money out of the sack. "Don't you fucking dare."

"What?" Vinyl uttered, surprised by my denial.

"I told you, I don't want your charity. I earned those five bits, so that's all that I'll accept," I asserted with a growl.

"Look, I'm not letting ya sleep outside. You'll get sick, what with all that mud," Vinyl tells me flatly.

"Then I get sick-" I begin, but then the sound of a gasp cuts me off. I turn my head, and then I freeze when I see that Twilight is looking directly at me. It had been her that had gasped. Oh...shit.

"You told me you had a place to stay!" Twilight accused, walking away from her friends and towards Vinyl and I. Well...that cat's out of the bag. I'm busted.

"I...may have lied," I confess slowly, unsure how the librarian would react. She doesn't look happy, that's for sure.

"Why would you lie about something like that? I would have offered you my spare bed!" Twilight demands. Vinyl looks at me as well, and I realize with a sinking feeling that I'm being ganged up on.

"Yeah, what's up with all this refusing kindness stuff, bro?" Vinyl rejoins. Their combined gazes are enough to set me off.

"That's enough, goddammit! It's my business where I sleep, not any of yours!" Suddenly, I have the attention of everyone in the room as my voice rises to a shout.

"Seth, it's just not healthy. We're only trying to help you," Twilight expresses, stepping closer. I step back, but my back is soon in a corner, with Vinyl and Twilight blocking my only escape routes.

"Bullshit! I'm a complete unknown, a total stranger that you met a day ago! You have no reason to help me, unless you take into account the fact that I'm a being from your history. If even one of you writes a book on me, you're famous. I'm not telling you anything, so you might as well stop trying to be nice!" I shoot back, getting in their faces. They're speechless in the wake of my tirade. Yeah, that's right, you bitches. What are you going to do, now that I'll called you out on your shit?

"Bro...that's just messed," Vinyl comments. I really wish I could see her fucking eyes, because I can't read her emotions like this. "I don't know how your kind did things, but we are not like that."

"We're not out to use you, Seth. What happened? What has you so convinced we're trying to use you?" Twilight presses, looking up at me with those soulful eyes of hers. Stop, don't you use your cutesy bullshit on me!

"Like I'm really going to tell you that," I grunt. Twilight and Vinyl sigh impatiently.

"So it seems we're at an impasse," Twilight points out. "We can't seem to prove to you that we're telling the truth, but neither can you prove that we're lying."

"I'm still going to sleep outside," I tell them stubbornly, crossing my arms and looking away.

"Sorry 'bout this, but ah couldn't help but overhear," Applejack joins in, trotting over to us, along with Rainbow Dash. "Ah think ah might have an idea on how ta deal with all this."

"Oh, this oughta be good," I grunt, while Twilight and Vinyl give their attention to Applejack.

"How 'bout this. Why don't one o' y'all rent out yer spare room, for like six bits a naht? That way it ain't charity," Applejack suggests. I blink. I didn't expect something that...sensible to come out of her mouth. It's not a hotel, but at least they wouldn't be trying to give it to me out of charity. There's no way I'd be a freeloader. That's just wrong.

"I'd be down for that," Vinyl says hopefully. Twilight snapped her mouth shut, having been about to offer the same thing. I give a slow nod. "I...can accept that. You better take my fucking payments, though."

"All raht!" Applejack says with a broad smile. "This works out. Ah'll see ya bright an early tomorrow mornin'?"

"Yeah. I can do that."

---

After making sure to grab my rifle, Vinyl and I move the cart out of the building and down the ramp, into the streets. Luckily, the streets aren't that muddy, or moving this cart anywhere would be a pain in the ass.

As we move the cart towards Vinyl's house, the others walk with us, socializing with one another. I don't involve myself in their conversation, as it's mostly just shit I don't care about, like the Wonderbolts' latest stunts, or the yield of the rest of "applebuck season," whatever that is.

Twilight is the first to break off, and she heads back to her library with a wave and a "See you tomorrow, Seth!" I give her a small wave in return.

Rainbow takes off next, spreading her wings and shooting into the air, heading to wherever she lives. Applejack stays with us all the way to Vinyl's house.

"Awright, help me get this into the house," Vinyl orders me as she opens the front door. I nod and push on the other end of the cart, while she guides me in.

Once the cart is inside, Vinyl releases it with a sigh. "Thanks bro. Come on in. It's a mess, I hope you don't mind."

"You've clearly never seen a college dorm," I quip, stepping over the threshold, making sure to duck under the low top.

"Ah'll see ya in the mornin' Seth!" Applejack calls, and after I wave to her, she trots out of sight. Vinyl shuts the door, leaving us in the dim light.

I take a look around. I seem to be in a sitting room, with a few armchairs positioned around a fireplace. Further beyond, I can see a kitchen, which is an absolute mess, but it's still cleaner than my dorm. At least she keeps the sink empty. Lastly, there's a staircase on the far right, where I'm assuming the bedrooms are.

"This is my pad! Hope it's to your liking," Vinyl remarks, sweeping a hoof across the room. Then, she promptly plonks down into an armchair, smiling lazily. To my interest, I see her remove her ever present shades and place them on a nearby end table. Her eyes...oh my god, is that fucking red? No, it's more like a magenta shade, but dark enough to be misconstrued for red. They look odd...but it works for her. I like it.

"So when's your next gig?" I ask curiously, wondering when the next time I'll get paid is.

"Not tomorrow, but definitely the day after," Vinyl answers tiredly. "So tomorrow, I ain't doin' a thing."

"Lucky you. Anyway, where am I sleeping?" I retort, fishing out the required payment.

"Upstairs. The spare room is the last door on the right. Restroom is directly across from it," Vinyl directs me. I nod and move towards the stairs. Just before I do, a sudden thought strikes me.

"Last question. Do you happen to have a blank notebook and a pencil lying around for me to use?"

"Huh? Yeah sure. One moment." Vinyl fishes around in one of the end tables before she pulls out a sizeable book. "I keep a bunch of these around for music notes. I don't know what a pencil is, but there's a quill and inkwell on the desk in your room."

"Thanks. Here's the six bits, as well as one extra for the book," I say, handing her the money. Vinyl's eyes widen, and she looks at me in confusion.

"What? You don't need to pay me for the boo-"

"Take it!" I cut across her flatly. Vinyl, resigned, takes the payment, leaving me the proud owner of a single bit. "Good night."

"Night, bro!" she calls after me as I walk up the stairs. Goddamn, this has been a long day. At least now I can get a decent wash. I think I'll do that before writing anything in this book.

The bathroom is small, but it works. I raise an eyebrow at how similar the bathrooms look to what we use. Just how much of their culture is based off of ours?

I turn on the shower, and then quickly relieve myself before getting undressed and throwing my clothes on the floor.

Dear god, the feeling of the warm water coursing over my tired body is fucking glorious. And now I can actually get clean. Scrubbing at my body does wonders for my mental state, especially as I watch the sweat and grime disappear.

When I'm at last finished, I dry off with a plush white towel, and then I hang it up to dry on the rack. I put on only my boxers, and then I walk across the hall into my new room, carrying the rest of my dirty ass clothes.

It's nothing fancy. There's a bed crammed against one side of the room, a dresser next to it, and a desk on the opposite side of the room, with the quill and inkwell Vinyl mentioned sitting atop of it.

Throwing my clothes on the floor and shutting the door, I sit down at the desk with my new notebook. I know exactly what to use this for.

I dip the quill into the inkwell and start to write on the first page, but since this is the first time I've ever used a quill, I fuck up miserably. So I decide to keep fucking up on that first page until I figure things out, and then I write the first lines of what is to be my new journal.

"I have no idea where to begin. Right now, I'm sitting in a cheap room, penning this in a recently bought notebook in an attempt to keep myself sane. God knows there hasn't been a decent person to talk to since getting here. No, everybody here is fucking crazy..."

---

You know, I hadn't expected the party to last as long as it did, but I think it worked out well enough. Lots of character development and just general hilarity going on.

Also, the first arc of this story, the New World Arc, is now over, and the next one begins! Don't worry, it'll be slice of life for a bit longer, before I slam right into the adventure portion. I still have a few more key events to go through.

Leave a comment and tell me how I did.