Carmine:

"Jesus!" I bolted through the streets, two new additions in my bag, "God damn fucking idiots!" I took a sharp turn and slammed into Sean's side yard gate, "Sean! Sean let me in!" Sean quickly appeared over the fence.

"Oi...what happened? I thought you had work?" He quickly undid that latch.

Once I heard the door unlock I pushed through, "I checked on Kenny first! Idiot had two too!"

"What, tutu?"

"Shut up! Auggh...I can't deal with all this...the idiot said he got two because he thought he could make them fuck....You're just stupid right, cause I can deal with stupid, but him...augh, just augh." I felt the new duo poking through my bag as we reached his back porch, his other pony, the one with the red mane, busying herself with some flowers, "Jesus...I need a drink..." I set the bag down and let the new duo out. Noteworthy clawed his way out with Berry latched onto his leg.

"Oh Celestia help! She's got my leg, she's got my leg!" I sat down on her back stoop and pulled them apart, "Oh thank you," He hugged my wrist, "You are the best....what are you?"

"Human..."

"Best human!" I shook my head as I set him down, he ran off before I set Berry down, quickly stumbling over and knocking her head onto the concrete.

"Jesus...is she alright?" Sean asked as he stepped over.

"I don't think so...Kenny gave her a shot of whiskey to try and get her and him," I pointed to Noteworthy, who was watching Rose work, "To....god damn idiot. I mean, you're stupid, but god damn you're not that stupid." I rested my head in my hands, "God damn...this is like the cat incident all over again."

"Why do you always bring that up?" Sean crouched down and scooped up the drunken mare, "It was one time-"

"You killed a bloody cat! Even if it wasn't direct, you lead to a cat dying! And then you wanted another!" I gave a long groan as I laid my head back in my hands, "I had to use a sick day for this..."

"Well...sorry. I'm gonna go put her in bed or something...she really doesn't look good." Sean walked off, leaving me alone with the two in the yard.

"Yeah fine...I'll just be here...waiting...for nothing...." My head was killing me, I had been awake for about three hour, woken up by a delayed arrival of a mare that decided blaring music at six am was fine. I even had take Kenny's power cord to keep him from taking more.

"Hey...are you alright?" I pulled my head up to see the red head walking over, "You look...well, not good." I could see Noteworthy nodding behind her.

How do I talk to her...do I talk to her? I guess I should. I took a deep sigh, "Ya know I guess I'm not." I devolved into a tired smile, "I've been running around like a madman, trying to sort this all out, I missed work, and now...I don't know. I'm just so damn tired." I let my head fall back into my hands.

I heard some whispers followed by a small pressure crawling up my hip, "Hey, come on." I turned my head to see the red head was trying to shake my leg, "Come on, help me with the plants." She bit the tail of my shirt and started tugging me towards the lawn.

"Oh come on don't-"

Noteworthy walked over to my front, "Trust me friend, it's easier to just go with it."

My words fizzled in my mouth, "Fine..." I scooped up the mare, pulling her off my shirt. She wiggled around until her forelegs were hanging over my forearms, "For the record I'm not a-"

She cut me off, thrusting a hoof towards a small planter box, "That way!" I felt a quick jolt of annoyance before walking over and setting her down. "Perfect," She bolted off to what looked like an crumbly dog house. She slowly emerged, pulling a tray of starters out through the front door. She managed to pull the tray out and walked over to me, "Well, help!"

This felt strange, like getting yelled at by a small dog. "Help with what?"

She looked around, eventually finding a small trowel by the door, "Go get a shovel, Noteworthy: go pick some weeds." Note gave a quick shrug before running off, "Well, don't just stand there!" She chirped, "Get going!"

I really didn't feel like arguing. I resigned myself to fetching the trowel. Once it was acquired I walked back and sat in the grass, "Just dig a hole?" I asked, scanning the lawn for the mare.

She popped out of the greenery, "Yeah, maybe here." She stomped her hoof on a small patch of dirt, "So wait...your name's..."

"Carmine." I started digging a shallow hole, "You?"

She shook her body, throwing about a cloud of dust, "Roseluck!"

I gave a single cough as I dug, "Charming. This good enough?"

She looked into the small hand sized hole, "Should be," She trotted off and started pulling the starters over. I quickly leaned over and picked the whole thing up, pulling a starter out and planting it in the ground. "Hmm, glad to see you get it." She walked over to it and stomped the ground, "So you know the other one?"

"Who, Sean? Yeah...kids dumb...I mean he means we-"

"I was just sitting in my garden, tending some flowers, then bam, duddenly here. Then Rainbow Jerk said he knew what would happen!"

I stuck the trowel in the ground, "Like I said, he's dumb. He does mean well...he tries rather." I started to stand up, "He's just kinda dopey, A for effort if you will." Noteworthy joined us, his coat covered in dust, muzzle colored brown from his digging, "I'll go get a towel."

"Hey Carmine..." Sean was sitting with the KO'd mare on the couch, "Did Kenny really-"

"What do you think? Anyways I need a towel, where are they?" I asked with a bit of bite to my voice. I could never get rid of it even when I wasn't mad at him.

"Top shelf in the bathroom...why do you need a towel?"

"The gardener and the bookish one are all dirty, and I don't know about you but I usually try to keep my carpet clean." I hurried off to fetch a towel.

"Hey you got some money?" Sean yelled from the other room, "I was gonna go pick up some food, but I ain't paying for both of us."

"From where?"

"A deli I go to, it's kinda expensive but really worth it."

"...Yeah alright, and pick up some fresh stuff for the horses...ponies...whatever they are." I said as I grabbed the towel and started back outside.

"Oi! Uh...ponies!?" I yelled, the duo walking over to the steps, "Alright..." I leaned over and grabbed the hose, "This might be a bit cold." I quickly turned the spigot ever so slightly, jamming my thumb in the faucet sent a thin spray of water towards them.

Rose seemed to be enjoying it, "Cold on a warm day is always nice." She weaved her head around to thoroughly soak herself.

Noteworthy on the other hand seemed to be tolerating it at best, "Not a fan of cold water?" I asked with a laugh.

He shook his head, "Not really a fan of water in the first place."

I gave a quick, tired, laugh. It was kinda nice standing there, enjoying the soft cold of the water, watching the two people below me enjoying it as well. All I needed now was a beer and I'd look like my dad back when we were kids. No wonder why he did it, this is extremely calming.

As the water that ran down the concrete landing went from brown to clear I shut the tap, "Right, enough of that." I took the towel off my shoulder and ducked down. Noteworthy quickly ran over, "Geez...you really don't like the water." I quickly dried him off, squeezing his mane free of water.

"Thank you..." He slowly turned to Roseluck, "Sorry...I'll just go wait by the door."

She gave a quick laugh before walking over and holding her head high. I quickly worked my hands around her, squeezing the water out of her mane and tail, rubbing her neck through the soft towel, letting my fingers crimp around her flank to pull any moisture out. As I pulled my hands away she shook her mane out, she was rather cute with the spiky mane look.

What did I just think?!

And so I sat with a bunch of ponies crowded around me, the drunkest of all snoring heavily, "Yo Carmine...food." Sean shook my shoulder.

"Huh? Oh...right." I slowly set the ponies down, freeing myself and walking into the kitchen with Sean, "Sorry, kinda fell asleep for a little bit."

"It's fine man, here." He handed me a wrapped sandwich and a small container, "French dip, change is-"

He started to dig around his pocket when I interjected, "Keep it, figure I just dropped off three more headaches for you, so...yeah. I'll try and drop by on Saturday or something, help you out." I took a seat at a nearby table. Sean quickly joined me, "I'll try to figure this out...just don't bring anymore through. I already had to take away Kenny's power cord. Damn idiot told me outright I'll just get another one.... Daft idiot."

"Carmine that's technically theft...."

"And what he did was technically kidnapping and attempted rape, some how I think I'm in the right here." I unwrapped my sandwich, "Like I said, I'll drop by on Saturdays, help you with them, and I promise ya I'll find a way to get em back...or die trying at least...."

Sean gave a quick shrug, "I really don't mind it too much."

I closed my eyes and shook my head, "Sean...these aren't animals...they may look like it but they're not. They're people, they have lives, we can't just rip em away because they're..." The image of the red head whipping her mane around cut my thoughts, "...cute...."

He gave a deep frown, "I suppose."

"Aye."

"Yep." After that quick little bout of yeses we quickly took to eating. After this I was going to head home and do my best to figure out the program, "Good isn't it?"

I took another bite of the sandwich, "Aye...that it is...that it is."