He tripped up a little and she giggled. The sound of a romantic song beginning to play. I look around to see the couples getting together. I take one final look at all the happy couples enjoying the company of their companion. I guess it's just me and my thoughts again. I finish off the last box of Royal Pink and rest my head on the bar. Huh whadda you know, I miss those jackasses back at home. Who would have thought? A sharp prod hits me in the hip. I remove my head from the counter and look down to see a familiar pony. Oh look it's the pony that tricked me into staying.

"What do you want?" My voice is failing to mask my loneliness.

She smiled at me. "Would you like to dance?"

I look back at the counter filled with empty bottle and then at the crowd of happy dancing ponies. Maybe this may cheer me up.

"Sure..." She begins to pull my hand toward the dance floor.

We reach the center of the dance floor and she smiles. She got up on her hind legs and I grabbed her front hooves. We began to rock back and forth in our dance. We floated randomly around the dance floor seeing all the happy couples dancing. We continued our dance, me moving my foot forward and her leg back. This is nice... I smiled as I looked down at my partner who smiled back. Slowly the song came to an end and I let her hooves go. She returned to her normal quadruped position and looked back at me.

"It was fun!" She smiles brightly at me.

Pinkie started to bounce off to some unknown location. I don't think I will ever understand that girl or girls in general... I laugh at the joke in my head and see Aoi and RD getting all romantic. I smile at the happy scene and walk toward the bar I've come to use as a home base during the Gala.  I took my seat and relaxed a little. A drunken pony stumbled toward me. He leaned on the bar and looked up at me.

"Hey Mishter why donsh you join ush?"

"Piss off or I'll I kick make you regret coming close to me."

He put his hoof on my back. "Come on buddy join ush!"

"Last warning before I kick your ass..."My tone becoming more hostile toward the drunk pony.

"Thatsh a good one man yoush should do come...."

My fist launched toward his face before he could finish his sentence. His head went back and he landed against the side wall.

"Told you to piss off." His friends looked at me and backed away.

I look back the bar and notice a closed sign. I guess it either must be getting late or he is tapped out. I turn from my seat to see ponies discussing with each other. I see Griffin over by the buffet table. He looked at the food for a while and then left somewhat disgusted. My stomach growled a few moments later. I haven't eaten since this morning. Better check the buffet. I get up from my seat and make my way over to the buffet table to see what these high society ponies ate for food. I reached the table but much to my dismay most of the food looked like someone had vomited on it and then burned set vomit. I grabbed a plate of a strange looking substance. There were green cubes with toothpicks in them. There were chunks of some unknown food inside the cubes. I held the plate of the substance up to my face to inspect the "food".

"Excuse me sir, but may I have one of those?" One of the more polite ponies at this Gala asked me.

"Um, sure." I lower the plate so he can grab one of the cubes. He then levitates a bit into my coat pocket. Is he giving me a tip? Does he think I'm a fucking waiter? I look down at the pony that had just finished his cube of crap.

"Excuse me, do you think I am a waiter?" I ask as polite as he did the first time he asked me.

"Why yes I do. Are you not one of the exotic waiters Celestia hired for the Gala?"

Resist urge to punch... I looked at the pony. He seemed somewhat afraid of me. I gave him a smile, right before my fist whipped around and smashed in his side. The pony flew to the side of the ballroom and crashed against a wall. Forgive me lord for I am weak.

"I'm not a waiter dumbass."

Better look a little harder to find some actual edible food to eat. I walked up and down the table staring at the variety of food. All of which seemed to look worse than the last. A few of them even pulsed with what I don't want to know. I grab a plate of something black. It was like a black slimy carrot. I felt a poke at my hip, I looked down to see a mare standing there.

"May I have one of those waiter?"

I was forcing my arm not to wind up and punch this mare to the moon. Before my urge could overtake my body Griffin called out from outside.

"Hey, you, bear-thing. If you're looking for food that isn't garbage, the apple cart is over here!"

"I’m not a fucking bear! IM A BUGBEAR ASSHOLE!" It took a moment to realize what I had just said," oh wait..."

Damn it brain why did you fail me now of all times? I stroll over to the cart that Griffin was located. I see him facepalm at what I said. Boy don't you facepalm Me. I walk up to the cart and notice Applejack behind it. This may not be good. I need lies for my arm. At most I could use two more minimum power bolts , the most one medium bolt. I look at Applejack who was busy dealing with her other customers. I inspect the food to see what she is selling. Let's see, apple pie, apple chips, apple apples... I ponder as I browse her selection of apple related foods.

"Well shucks, you folk sure do seem ta like mah apples. Here! Try tha streusel." The western accent was evident.

"Yah yah like your apples... hmmm now, what to get." I say not paying attention to what was happening around me.

I stare intently on the products to figure which I would spend my bits on. Subtle scent of the apple products linger in the air. My mouth begins to water a bit from staring at all the good looking food. The apple pies were too much for right not, the apple chips didn't seem to last as long as I wanted. There were small cupcake shaped pastries on the side of the cart. They were no bigger than a cupcake, they were each held inside a cup. The tops of them were flat with crust rising a little higher than the middle. I smell the tiny bits of lemon inside them.  Before I knew it a fork was being shoved into my mouth.

"Just eat it already, before it's all gone." Aoi says as he let's go of the fork. I hear the cough from Applejack in disbelief at the words "before it's all gone".

"Little earth pony what is this?" I say in simple terms as to not draw suspicion from the Element of Honesty.

"Ma'am, your name is Applejack, right?" I look over to the voice to see Aoi.

"Uh huh" Did she just ignore me?

Applejack turned around and faced me with a smile.

"It's an apple tort." She says as she shoved one into my mouth. Oh god it's like god himself blessed this food to be able to kill with just taste!

"Little earth pony, what is your name?" Better play dumb so they underestimate me. Better to fight an unprepared enemy than a prepared one.

"Ahm Applejack."

"How much each?"

"Uh... two bits?"

I open my satchel and reach inside. I reached in further in order to find where my bit bag was in the void of my bag. I managed to get my entire arm inside the bag, I felt a sense of void around the middle of my bicep. I reached around then felt thread of my bit bag and grabbed it. I pulled my arm out of my bag and reached in and grabbed ten bits. Me, Griffin and Aoi all were trying to tell Applejack something.

"Whoa whoa whoa hold on! Ah can't keep up that fast, y'all are gonna have ta line up, one at a time so I can get tha orders straight!" Applejack says, with a mile wide smile on her face.

I scowl that I have to wait. "Fine...."

Both Griffin and Celestia shout "Yes, ma'am!"

We all get into a straight line leading to the cart. Aoi was first in line, he bought two strudels in his left paw while balancing a pie in his right paw. He gave the pie to Ubi along with a fork. I took a few steps forward to approach the cart and placed 10 bits on it and grabbed a single tart. I go find a nice place by the cart to sit down and just in case I want some more. I take a bite out of the small tart and my taste buds explode with the flavor. The apple flavor overwhelms me and I just sit there stupefied by the amazing taste of the apple tart.

"You know what? Screw it. Here's three hundred. Gimme the whole damn cart. Come on guys, let's eat!"

I look toward Griffin with an irritated expression. “Wait what? The whole thing? The hell I wanted some more!"

Griffin drops a bag of bits on the table and it makes a small thud as it landed.

"Aoi, bugbear, let's eat!" I look at him with suspicion.

"What? Something the matter? I'm sharing, what do you care?"

I was about to reply when Ted interrupted me. "BUT WHAT ABOUT MEEEHEHEHEHEEEEE!!!!!"

I ignore him and decided to correct Griffin's mistake. “My species is bugbear idiot, my name isn't fucking bugbear!"

"Knight, you can't even eat real food. That's too good. Finally gets to Equestria, and can't eat Sweet Apple Acres food. Sucks to be you!" Griffin chuckles. Who the hell is Knight?

I grab an apple pie and take my earlier seat in the grass near the cart. "YOU'RE A FUCKING ASSHOLE, GRIFFIN THE GRIFFIN! A COMPLETE AND UTTER ASSHOLE!" Ted shouts at Griffin.

I ignore Griffin and Ted's arguing as I eat the apple pie. I begin to think why Griffin is being so nice to me.

I certainly haven't given him a reason so what could it be? Meh, maybe the drink Pinkie gave me is finally getting to my head and I’m just freakin out over nothing...

"Bugbear, what IS your name?" Griffin says snapping me out of my thinking.

"My name is Celt and yours is Griffin right?"

"Celt, glad of you to show up... I thought you weren't into high society type socials..." I look over to see Aoi.

I look back to Griffin. "Yep. How long you been in Equestria?"

I turn to face Aoi. “I’m here for reasons of my own." I turn back to Griffin, “Did Aoi tell you I was human?"

"Nah, As soon as you sung the safety song I figured it out." Should have known that....

"By the way, do you like bananas?"

I remember the archives and the warning system. “You are not making that joke with me I already got blown out of one building today from that stupid line!"

Griffin doubles over from laughter and is soon joined by Pinkie. Where the hell did she comes from? Applejack simply had a look of confusion on her face.

"What the hay is with you aliens and yer bananas?"

"Internet." We all say in unison.

Ted stomps over, holding a glass of punch. "Fucking hell, finally get to Equestria and apples will kill me." He holds up the glass of punch, "THE ONLY THING I can eat while here....non-alcoholic punch."

Aoi nearly chokes on his piece of apple pie when Ted exclaimed that. "Iie (NO!), Someone spiked the punch!"

I look over at Ted and Aoi as Aoi is starting to freak out right before Ted could drink the punch. I grab another tart and watch the scene happen. Frustration soon overcame Ted's face realizing that he couldn't drink the punch.

"Chrysalis says the only thing safe for me to have is the punch....and some fucktard spiked it, so I can only get one cup.... Anymore and it's fatal."

"Hah! That is pretty damn funny!" I laugh at Ted's misfortune. What can I say I'm a little sadistic on the inside.

Aoi stares back at Ubi, "Remind me to kick the guy's ass..."

"And for once, I can honestly say it wasn't me!" Shouted in glee.

Celestia walks up behind Ted, somewhat swaying but still proud and confident. 'Lord Fester' and I have had...*counts on her feathers* about a case and a half each of 'The Royal Pink'. It's not hitting hard yet but...delayed effect....yeah, we're gonna have unimaginable hangovers by dawn..." My god even the Princess bought that lie...

"Yup that’s me good ol'lord Fester!"

Griffin snickers, “Lord Fester?"

My eyes roll when he makes his comment, “And Griffin the griffin is so imaginative."

"Hey, it's my REAL name!"

"Oh and how do you know my name isn't Lord Fester?" I hear Aoi say something in Japanese.

"Because it's too ridiculous"

"I now have the urge to shoot you..."

Ted begins to vibrate his wings and the theme for the Adams Family. I slowly scooted right beside the changeling placing myself with in an arm's reach of him. I raise my fist up in the air behind Ted.

"Not that Fester jackass!" I slam my fist on the back of his head.

"You're drunk, and I don't have a drop in me. Besides, you're not the only one who knows magic." He moves his hand to his sword hilt, cracks his neck, and glares at me. He must be talking about my threat of shooting him. "This will only end one way."

"Hah I like you but I got a surprise for you amigo!" I roll up my sleeve to reveal my arm, "Not even your sword could cut my arm!"

"Is that so?" He draws his blade, and puts it against my arm. A soft clank of metal is heard.

"It's made of Uru, pretty much indestructible!" I chuckle at his.

"Lacero." He slides the sword across the metal limb, and it leaves a deep slice into it. The cut wasn't a perfect clean cut however, the inside of the cut was rough showing that the arm did offer quite a bit of resistance.

"Huh that’s new..." I look at the cut intently making sure he didn't just use an illusion on it, "Imma tell Loki his indestructible arm is bullshit."

"Dragon scale. Magically enhanced edge." Maybe I can get my blade and arm enhanced.

"Can I try?" I look at Aoi and give him a glare.

"No, you can't. I don't want scratches on my arm it's pretty much impossible to find a metal strong enough to repair it."

"Wait, Loki? As in Trickster god? As in earth's version of Discord?" He seemed surprised by this fact.

"You actually KNOW who sent you here?" I guess Loki may have bent the rules...

"Yes, I had a chat with him," I pause to see if anyone wanted to interrupt me, “His brother was pissed at him for not telling me how I control my arm. Which he did very poorly I might add."

"Damn it. I'm still looking for the guy who brought me here so I can buy him a beer." That means that coming here gave him something. Hmm, most likely his crew and Gilda who seemed a bit more friendly.

"I know you can do magic as well," I pull out my crossbow and hand it to him," go ahead and try your mumbo jumbo on it."

"I can't do it. Wait, why could Trixie? It is receptive to certain types and not others?"

I laugh at him as he passed the crossbow back to me. "You can try until judgement day but it won't work for you. Vis!"

A brown bolt which I had come know during my time in Equestria.

"Explosive or straight shot?"

"Ah, so rather than charge and release, it drains from an established reservoir. Straight shot." Bastard figured it out quickly.

I look around for a suitable target. Need a tree that is weak enough for a weak bolt to destroy.. I look around to see a tree, the wood on the outside made it look fine but with my improved eyesight and night vision I saw noticeable things that made it weaker than most trees. There was a small termite hive on the side of the tree also it seemed the tree was actually hallowing most likely a home for a bird or some other animal. I steadied my aim at the tree and fired. The bolt made contact with the tree. The force of the bolt smashed into the tree sending splinters all directions. Totally smashing the tree into bits.

"Explosive is much funnier," I thought back to the fight with the Brother's Black and making the stallion eat one of the bolts," I made a stallion eat a fire bolt once. It wasn't pretty."

"That can't feel good. And are you sure you should be saying that with Celestia right behind you........... swaying drunkenly?"

"He was a criminal actually..."

Celestia begins to wrap her hooves around Griffin. Pushing her head against his neck.

I laugh a little bit. “You should be worried about her more than me!"

"Oh, you weren't lying.... you’d soooooooooooo soft......" She snuggles her head into his neck. He quickly jerks out of the way of her hooves. The princess falls forward with the lack of support and lands on her face.

She lifts herself off the ground and pouts at Griffin. "Why you do tha? I just wan' cuddles."

I laugh a little at the scene that is happening in front of me. I turn my head toward the sky and see most of the western sky is filled with black smoke. How has no one noticed yet? Doesn't matter best not to question what happens and doesn't. I looked back to see Ted trying to cuddle with Celestia. I give a hearty laugh to the scene playing out in front of me. I keep my crossbow out in case any of them make a move against me when and if they notice the smoke. Then it hit me. The alcohol's delayed effect as Celestia had put it finally kicked in. My vision began to blur and shift making everything brighter more colorful in all aspects. The world seemed so complex yet simple at the same time. I look over to the group Griffin looked more puffed out his feathers waving. Aoi looked like a one of those cute little cartoon things called chibis. Ted was most changed instead of an equine looking bug, I saw a four legged beetle thing with its wing out and one antenna. Oh my gosh it's so pretty!

"Everyting ish sho bright! Ish sho beautiful!" My speech became slurred from the sudden effect of the alcohol.

"I want a hug now too, come ere puppy give me a hug..." I lean forward to hug the fuzzball when Ted poked my head. I started to lose my balance and fell face first just like Celestia had into the ground.

I move my head to the side. "Why does the ground hate me so?"

"Ahm serious! We gotta get ya'll somewhere you can sleep off this drink!" Said the earth pony whose name escaped me.

"Oh, lighten up Aj, it's a party!" Said the rainbow pegasus.

"Speaking of Party, Aoi, Um, do you, I don't know, um, want to dance again?" The pegasus crossed her legs asking the wolf nervously.

Griffin nudged Aoi with his elbow 'RD acting as shy as Fluttershy? Aoi you sly dog!'

"Sure, Knightmare, play something upbeat!" Who the hell is Knightmare?

"I've got the perfect song, but first we need to get Celt and Drunk-lestia to some beds. I don't know the castle layout too well, and I've gotta get set up for the song so, do you wanna take her?" Ted said as he looked down at Celestia.

"Might as well." Applejack nudges me. I look up at her and she motions for me to lean on her to walk. Meanwhile one of the cat people, Gilda, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash lift the Alicorn off from the ground and begin to carry her away.

"Shanks earth pony, pleash take me to more drinksh and ponishe to punch!" I stammer as well walk on the sidelines of the Gala.

"Oh no you’re not, you've had enough drinks tonight!"

"What are you gunna do about it shmall pony?" I stand up on my own and wobble a bit as she walks ahead of me. She looks back toward me and brings her hind legs against my head. It took  a moment for my brain to register what had happened. When it did I slowly fell backwards and landed with a solid thump. The last few words I heard before sleep overtook me,

"Ah been bucking trees all mah life, never once has my hooves felt sore from it. Thick skulled." I hear her country accent before I lost consciousness.

The beat of jazz reaches my ears, slowly I regain consciousness. I sit up on the bed. It squeaked from the shift of weight. A pounding feeling eminent from my skull. I place my head in my hands from the pain. I stand up from the bed and look around the room. It had mostly while furniture with a few exceptions like the wooden supports on the bed or the wardrobe. The beautiful colors I had seen in before in my haze were gone. All the colors blurred as I turned my head. No wondrous beauty just mish mash of colors. It was probably that earth pony that hit me did this to the colors. I'm going to find her and make her pay for it. I thought as I left the room.

I made my way through the corridors, ducking behinds statues and suits of armor in order to avoid a few guards and castle staff. The castle seemed to be endless, almost every room seemed to have windows with light shining in through them. I fallowed the sounds of jazz music. The upbeat music bounced off each wall to reach my ears. I reached an arched hallway where the source of the music was. Ted was playing some upbeat jazz. I looked into the crowd, I saw Rainbow Dash and Aoi dancing. I ignored the couple and made my way through the crowd in search for the earth pony that had hit me.

"Stop there beast!" Shouted a unicorn in front of me.

I pushed by him, “I have no time to punch yous I hash an earth pony to punissh!"

A bottle flew at my head and I turned around to face him," Beast you will not ignore me!"

"Fine pony you ashked for dish!" I walked up to the pony and towered over him. I brought my arm back and punched him square in the nose. The pony flew back, his nose clearly broken from the impact. Griffin flew down and looked toward me.

"What the hell is going on here? Shouldn't you be lying in bed, sleeping off your stupor?"

"I hash an earth pony to find and punch. Friggin bucked mah head."

"You're ruining the party." He draws out his blade. "Don't make me knock you out."

"I ish nert aferd a yooooooo." I shout at him.

"Hey, Celt, calm down..." Aoi says in an attempt to stop me from what I'm doing.

"You don’t shcare me" Griffin shakes his head.

"Come at me bro."

I pull my crossbow out of its quiver and aim it at my future turkey dinner. I only have enough power for one more bolt, better end this fast.

"Ignis Vis!" I shout as a brown red bolt appears on the crossbow. Bastard is gunna die!

"YOU’RE ALL GUNNA FUCKING BURN!" I shout at them before I pulled the trigger. I laughed as the bolt approached Griffin. Griffin pulls out his sword and wields it like a baseball bat. He slams the weapon in to the bolt sending it flying. It crashes out of the window. Shortly after an explosion is heard.

I turn back toward the griffin and utter one word. "Shit..."

"You just bought yourself a one way ticket on nighty night airlines!"

Come on brain if there is one time you could help me please be now! "Um, Well, you see, I'm sorry?" Griffin looks at me and brings his sword back. I push my metal arm in front of my stomach to avoid serious damage as he brings it sword forward. You know what? Screw you too brain.

"Ventus!" A powerful gust blows around knocking a few hats off. I feel my feet come off the ground as I fly out the window that had just recently been smashed. So this is how I die? Alone, a bugbear and really fucking hungry. Was my final thought as I hit the ice cold water of the Cantorlot resveoir. The shock knocked me out before I could register the pain from the fall.

Next Chapter: Preparing for Adventure! (13) Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 57 Minutes