It was the sixteenth of January, Saturday afternoon. That meant it was time to hang out with the guys.

Ryan and Mac were waiting at the train station for Fancy Pants to show up. Saorin’ sent a message saying that he would be flying out from Cloudsdale at about the same time Fancy’s train left, so he just said he would meet them at the station. Oddly, both stallions had said that they would be coming by earlier than usual. Ryan paid it no mind, but Mac had a bit of suspicion going.

On the way to the station, Ryan noticed that Mac was spacing a little bit on the way there. When he asked about it, Mac played it off as nothing. Ryan didn’t believe him, but at the time, he didn’t feel like pressing it.

But with nothing to do at the platform, he decided he might as well.

“So, what’s been on your mind?” he asked. “You look like someone who’s thinking.”

Mac shook his head and sighed. “Alright, Ah’ll tell you. But ya can’t speak a word of it to anypony. Got it?”

“I hear you.”

“Well,” Mac started. “Ah’m tryin’ to think of a gift to get Flutters, since she asked me to come with her to the Grand Galloping Gala. But Ah’m drawing a blank; Ah got nothing. Ah don’t know what Ah should get her, since she never talks about anything she wants.”

Ryan nodded slowly. “I understand.” No, he didn’t. “At this point, I think the best option for you would be to either get her something that really fits with her personality, or maybe make something yourself. There’s nothing quite like a gift that you made yourself.”

Mac seemed to contemplate this idea. Ryan watched his facial movements as the gears of his mind turned and spun, trying to see what he was thinking. Ryan knew that Fluttershy was all about animals, so Mac would have to do something revolving around that. As a farmer, he was a decent builder. Maybe he could build something? But how would he carry that to the gala? Maybe-

“Ah got it.” Mac didn’t say it with much gusto.

“And what is ‘it’?” Ryan asked.

Mac grinned. “Ah’m pretty good at metal workin’, fixing the tools and whatnot. Ah’ll make her a special bit o’ jewelry, something unique and special.”

“Nice,” Ryan complemented. “Any idea what you’re going to make it look like?”

Mac’s face fell back to neutral. “Not really,” he admitted.

Ryan shrugged. “Well, I’m certain you’ll get something in mind. Maybe something that combines what you do and what she does?”

“Ah like that,” Mac said, his grin coming back. “Thanks for the help. But Ah think Ah need to take it from here.”

“Glad I could help.” Ryan could already see the gears turning faster and stronger than before in Mac’s head.

They stood there in silence for a time longer, waiting, until finally, from up in the sky, they heard someone hollering out. Ryan turned around first, thinking it was Soarin’ hollering his excitement about getting plastered tonight, as they agreed they would the last time they met, but then, he noticed a somewhat different tone. He continued listening to it, noticing an increasing level of alarm in his friend’s voice.

Then, out of the clouds with ferocious speed, Soarin’ shot by, skidding to a halt on the platform. His hooves almost looked like they were glowing from the friction, with a bit of steam rolling off of them. The pegasus looked around frantically, trying to find his friends, and when he saw them, he sprinted over.

“Soarin’, what’re you-”

“No time!” Soarin’ interrupted Ryan. “Get inside the station, go!”

Without waiting for their consent, Soarin’ pushed his friends across the platform to the stationhouse, threw the door open, and shoved them inside, joining them soon after. While Ryan and Mac tried to determine what exactly was transpiring, Soarin’ kept his eyes on the door, looking through the window to see whatever he was running from.

“What’s going on?” Mac asked. “Who’re you running from?”

“Quiet!” Soarin’ whispered. “They're out there now.”

Curious, Ryan walked over to the door and looked out the glass window. Outside, there were pegasi, at least eight, all carrying cameras and notepads. Some were wearing Hawaiian shirts, too, like photographers back home.

“The paparazzi?” Ryan asked. “I like to call them the ‘Harassment Bureau’.”

“That they are,” Soarin’ replied. “They’ve been trying to talk to me since yesterday, and they won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“What’re they askin’ ya?” Mac asked, stepping forward.

Soarin’ groaned. “They want to know if Fleety and I are getting married, and if we’re trying to... have a foal.”

Soarin’ was evidently embarrassed by this, so Ryan and Mac did what any dutiful friend would.

“Prodding at your sexy time, eh?” Ryan asked, getting another groan from his friend. “Well, we can see what we can do to get rid of them.”

“No!” Soarin’ responded quickly. “They know I’m here to hang out, and no, I don’t know how they know that, but if you go out there, they’ll know I’m nearby. Please, let’s just wait in here for them to leave.”

Ryan looked to Mac, and they both shrugged. “Alright.”

And they waited. They didn’t have to wait too long, though, as the train was coming in. It was easy to tell that as soon as Fancy walked off that train, Soarin’ would be safe, and Fancy would have all the attention. They could take the time to get Soarin’ out of there, and even if Fancy saw them, he would definitely be willing to distract the Harassment Bureau for them. As a classy stallion, he knew that their questions were entirely inappropriate.

And soon enough, the whistles of the train blew into the air, temporarily deafening the harassers and drawing their attention toward the train. Ryan and his friends waited in silence for a bit, moving away from the window. Then, over time, they started hearing ponies departing the train and some of them giving pieces of their minds to the harassers who were in their ways. And at last, they heard what they were hoping for.

“Fancy Pants!”

One of the harassers shouted his name, and soon, there was a flurry of motion toward the train. Ryan took a look out the window to make sure no one was looking their way. Sure enough, they were all hustling and bustling around Fancy.

“Go, go!” Ryan said, throwing the door open.

Mac took the lead, covering Soarin’ from the harassers, and Ryan took the back. They moved quickly, avoiding looking in the direction of the harassers to avoid attracting their attention. Once they were off the platform and Soarin’ was on his way, Ryan took a glance back at the group.

Fancy was classily answering questions as vaguely as possible, and when he saw Ryan running off, he understood instantly what was going on. He must have heard about it, being in the loop as much as he was. As Ryan moved away slowly, Fancy gave him a wink cleverly disguised as a twitch, telling Ryan that he could handle it.

Ryan couldn’t hope to catch up with Soarin’ and Mac, but he could still follow their hoofprints in the ground to see where they went. Mac;s massive hooves next to a smaller pair were hard to miss, after all. He was able to follow them well into town, all the way to the library, but then, out of nowhere, they vanished. Ryan looked around, but he couldn’t seem to find anything to tell him where they went.

“Psst!” Ryan looked up at the noise; it was Fluttershy. “Up here!”

Ryan understood what had occurred, and so went to the door to try to get inside; it was locked.

“Who locks the public library in a place like this?” Seriously, who would want to steal a book?

Instead, he was forced to move back to the road and take a running start at the tree, then jumping up and redirecting the force so that he would bounce up off the wall and be able to grab a branch. Thankfully, he got on the first try, and he was able to pull himself up and jump onto a couple more branches until he made it to the balcony.

Once there, he was greeted by the gentle sight of Fluttershy. “Oh, I’m glad you got up alright,” she said.

“Me too,” Ryan replied. “Where’re the guys?”

Fluttershy pointed to the door. “They’re inside.”

Ryan nodded and went inside, opening the doors slowly and sticking his hand in to show who he was. When he heard a sigh of relief, he threw the doors open and waltzed in.

“And how is my flying friend today?” Ryan asked, walking toward the blue lump in the middle of the rug called Soarin’.

“Heh, I’ve been better,” the pegasus replied. When Ryan got close enough, he put out his hoof, which Ryan grabbed, and they pulled each other into an embrace. “This wasn’t exactly how I planned on coming by.”

“I had a feeling,” Ryan said, chuckling.

A cluster of noises came from outside, toward the ground. Everyone in the room went completely silent and still for a few moments, listening for potential harassers coming toward the library. The only problem with a location like this was that it was hardly defensible; being a public place, the harassers would have to be allowed in. If they were found, Ryan would have to fight their way out.

The cluster of noises became more coherent voices, and Soarin’s name came up a few times. The stallion started to sweat, cursing the harassers for being assholes like they were, with Mac getting ready to defend him from their barrage of flash-cameras and incessant questions. Luckily, though, the harassers took another route, away from the library, and their voices slowly began to fade away.

Soarin’ fell onto his rear and sighed. “Jeez, that was close,” he said. “I thought they might actually catch up to me.”

“You wouldn’t have answered their questions though, right?” Mac asked.

“Never,” Soarin’ replied proudly. “I would never talk about me and Fleety’s private life to such pests.”

“That’s good,” Ryan commented. “Gotta stay classy.”

Fluttershy, whom they had almost forgotten about, walked away from the balcony door and over to Mac. “Are you alright?” she asked, getting right up to his chest and leaning into him.

“Ah’m good,” he replied, lowering his head to protect her from unseen nasties somewhere in the world. “Thanks for letting us in, sugar.”

“I bet he gets some of that sugar in all his meals,” Ryan muttered to Soarin’, who couldn’t keep himself from chuckling. When Mac looked over at them, they just stopped and started looking around blankly, like nothing had happened.

“I’m glad to help,” Fluttershy replied with a smile. “Actually,” she began with a sheepish smile. “I had no idea you needed help at first, since I couldn’t see Soarin’. I just thought I’d invite you in...”

Ryan and Soarin’ actually stopped paying attention now; no need to hear private information. “Uh, thanks, sugar,” Mac said, wishing that she hadn’t said that in front of the guys. “hey guys, why don’t y’all head downstairs and read or something, maybe raid the fridge?”

Soarin’s eyes exploded, and he rushed down the stairs to raid the fridge. Maybe there was pie!

Ryan just walked over to the staircase, taking one look back at Mac.

In the public library? Really? I thought we said it was good to be classy.

Don’t you give me that; we’re in the private section.

Yeah, Twilight’s private section. I don’t think this kind of privacy is what she had in mind for the loft where she sleeps.

Mac grunted; he had lost this one. “Flutters?” he said.

She was pressing her face into him. “Mmm?”

“Ah think Ah can meet you at your place tomorrow night for dinner,” Mac said, trying to get her off of him. She was shockingly resistant. “Ah can bring some food.”

“I’ll make you a pie,” Fluttershy said, understanding.

Ryan just watched. He tried and tried to resist it, but he just couldn’t. He had to do it. He just had to.

“Even if you don’t give him that pie now, I’m sure it will be just as good tomorrow.”

With that, Ryan sprinted down the stairs and went for a place to hide.

Fluttershy looked up at Mac. “Does he always know?” she asked. Mac was surprised that she was her usual, sheepish, embarrassed self. Maybe she knew him well enough by now.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Ain’t nothing hidden from him for very long.”

Ryan was in his hiding place on the rafters, barely hidden from Mac and Fluttershy, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. Soarin’ had failed to locate any pie, and instead just started picking random books and reading them. Fluttershy and Mac were cuddling beneath Ryan, tempting him to jump down and join them just for the sake of doing it. He had done it to his friends at school a whole bunch of times; ruining ‘perfect moments’ and at the same time getting closer to all of his friends and their significant others. In a not-weird way, of course. At least for him.

But he didn’t, because before he went for the jump, the door started banging loudly. Soarin’ leapt up and ran for the door, but stopped when Fluttershy shouted for him not to risk it. Instead, she got up, much to Mac’s chagrin, and answered the door.

It was Fancy. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry. Is this the library?”

Mac jumped up, Soarin’ flew into the air, and Ryan fell from the rafters onto his front. When he got up, rubbing his shoulder, they all walked up to the door.

“I say, I’m glad you boys are alright!” Fancy waited for Fluttershy to let him in, as any gentleman would.

“I’ll say,” Soarin’ replied. “I almost got eaten alive by those photographers.”

“Thanks for the save, by the way,” Ryan added, poking Soarin’ in the shoulder. “This guy would have been boned by someone OTHER than Fleetfoot for once if it hadn’t been for you.”

Soarin’ glared daggers at Ryan, who just poked him in the shoulder again, while the others just chuckled at the joke. “I’m glad I could aid you.”

Fancy walked in and they all took seats around the main room of the library, Mac and Fluttershy taking the couch, while Soarin’ and Fancy took chairs. Ryan just leaned against a table.

“So, what brought you both here early?” he asked. “I think I can get why Soarin’ showed up early, but what of you, Fancy?”

The large unicorn stallion sighed. “Well, chap, my wife has been on me about getting my next line out there sooner, rather than later. The reporters keep bothering her about it, and she just sends them away.”

“So you came early to get away from her?” Mac asked.

“No, I came because she told them that I would answer their questions,” Fancy answered with a chuckle. “I suppose that’s what I get for letting them pester her all the time.”

“For whatever reason, the magazines have been getting some kind of hard-on from getting stories about famous ponies,” Soarin’ added. “They’ve been harassing all of us. Some of us were just a little less fortunate and got thrown under the bus by the other famous ponies.”

“Like my wife, and I would guess Spitfire,” Fancy finished.

Ryan and Mac nodded slowly. “Ah,” Ryan said. “I can’t say that I know anything about how that feels.”

Fancy cleared his throat. “Well, don’t count on that too long,” he warned.

“What?” Ryan didn’t like the sound of that.

“Yeah,” Soarin’ said. “You are kind of famous, after all. You kicked Blueblood’s ass, seriously injured a mugger, and you’re a close friend to the Elements of Harmony. Plus, you’re a human, and the only one here at that. They’ll jump at the chance to talk to you.”

“What about Mac?” Ryan said, pointing at his friend. “He’s the BROTHER of the Element of Honesty, and they don’t seem to want to bother him.”

“Well, family tends to be left out of it,” Fancy said. “My wife is only bothered because she is a model; they won’t bother any of my older children, nor my parents, when they were around.”

Ryan looked sourly at Mac. “Well, aren’t you just one lucky son of a bitch.”

Mac smiled devilishly at him in response.

“Well, what do you suppose we do now?” Fancy asked. “The bar won’t be much of an option until later tonight, and walking around wouldn’t be the wisest thing for us to do. What do you fellows have in mind?”

They all thought about it, including Fluttershy. The silence was thick, almost like it was a blanket muffling any noise that was made, inside the library or outside. Fancy seemed to be genuinely thinking, as did Soarin’, but when Ryan looked at Mac, he was whispering some unknown phrases into Fluttershy’s ears, earning several giggles from her. RYan realized that he wasn’t thinking of anything at the moment himself, and set his mind back on track.

Soarin’ jumped up. “I think I have an idea!” he shouted urgently.

“Does it involve pie?” Ryan asked, sounding just as urgent.

“No!” his friend replied happily. “I think we can have fun at the expense of the reporters.”

Fancy, now interested, leaned in. “Pray tell, what have you in mind?”

Soarin’ chuckled. “Well, here’s what I’ve got...”

******************************************************************************

They had snuck over to Rarity’s boutique, keeping certain that they were never seen, to get started on their fun. Ryan took the lead, followed by Mac, carrying Fluttershy, then Fancy, then Soarin’. A few times, they could hear the reporters calling out for the two stallions, forcing them to dive and take cover behind anything available.

Now, though, they were there, unbeknownst to the owner and proprietor, hiding in the basement while Ryan fished out everything he had. It was possible that he would need everything for this plan, especially if shit went totally sideways.

After donning his vest and helmet, then his weapons, and finally his cloak, he turned to his friends.

Soarin’ whistled. “Damn, dude, you could go to war in that outfit,” he commented.

“I say, that is a rather ferocious setup. Where did you get it?”

Ryan turned around and looked for his sunglasses. “I got it in Canterlot, when Rarity took me there to meet you, Fancy,” he explained. “I go into the forest quite a bit, and some protection is a nice thing to have out there. It’s light, portable, and flexible, so I can move normally, just with added safety.”

Fluttershy, still on Mac’s back, nervously looked Ryan over. “Oh, you shouldn’t be going places that are so dangerous, Ryan. You could get hurt! You might sprain your ankle, or your wrist, or you might fall and hurt yourself, or you could get a broken bone, or you might have to fight some poor creature and kill it, or-”

“Flutters,” Mac interrupted. “Ah think Ryan knows what he’s doin’. He’s done it plenty of times before.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, Fluttershy,” Ryan added casually. “I was in a forest much more dangerous than this for a while, with much less protection. I survived it for a long time, until I finally got made by someone much more dangerous than anything I’ll encounter here any time soon. I also kept Harris safe, sort of, so I can keep the reporters from dying.” Fluttershy cringed a little at his last words.

Ryan found the sunglasses and set them on his face. “There,” he said to himself. “Now all we need to do is hope that the reporters follow me into the forest.”

Once all of it was set up, they all confirmed their roles and went up the stairs, and out the door to look for the reporters. Except for Fluttershy; she was sent home by Mac because it would be too dangerous for her specifically.

The guys searched the town for the reporters. It took a surprising amount of time; a group that large and loud shouldn’t be that hard to find. They hadn’t left, that much was definitely true. They could easily have been off bothering the other elements of harmony right now or something. Speaking of which, where were they?

It didn’t matter, though, because soon enough, they found the reporters. They were all gathered around some unseen pony, camera flashes going off constantly. Mac and Ryan walked forward, nodded to Fancy and Soarin’ as they walked, signaling them to make their way to the Everfree.

Once they were gone, the plan went into motion. Ryan and Mac just sort of walked along, pretending not to notice the reporters and chatted nonsensical subjects, sometimes not even using coherent words. All they needed to do was attract the attention of the reporters, and everything would go according to plan.

The reporters didn’t seem to notice though, so Ryan and Mac stopped walking and leaned on the building across the street from where the reporters were gathered and just watched. At first, Ryan wasn’t sure who they were talking to. But when he took a better look at the house, he suddenly felt a little guilty about not going in to stop them.

It was Cinny’s house, and it was a safe bet that they were harassing her at her own front door. Ryan couldn’t confirm this at first, as there was no way to see through the wall of bodies blocking off their view. Soon, though, another body came out, shoving its way, and managed to get out of the thick of things.

Cinny pulled herself away and rolled, eager to escape the madness, right into Ryan’s legs. When she stopped, she looked up at him and smiled like she was meeting the Messiah.

“Hey Ryan!” she said with exasperation, though not at him. “Glad you came by!”

“Likewise,” Ryan answered, offering his hand to help her up. She took it. “What’s happening here?”

The reporters turned around, realizing that Cinny was no longer at the front door, and started asking questions again. But instead of speaking, they stopped and just stared.

“They were hoping to talk to the mare who always serves Soarin’ and Fancy Pants,” she answered, shooting a glare at the group. “I just wanted to have a peaceful day.”

Ryan looked up at the group. “I think I can help you,” he whispered. “Just make your way to wherever you were going to go.”

Cinny got up to go and ran, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. To Ryan’s mild surprise, the reporters made no move to chase her.

“You know,’ he began, putting on an authoritative voice. “You shouldn’t be bothering a young mare in her home like that. You have no right to do it; she deserves some privacy. You ought to be-”

“Mr. Ryan, Mr. Ryan!” the reporters all started shouting.

They rushed at him and Mac, the latter of whom ditched immediately to make his way to the forest to prepare himself. Ryan braced for the full brunt of the impact, wondering if he would even survive the stampede of hooves and bodies coming at him. Luckily, they all managed to stop right before him, though.

“Mr. Ryan!” the first one yelled. They were all yelling, actually, she was just the only one who seemed to make it through. “What’s your opinion on the conflict in the Southern Gryphon Colonies?”

“What?”

“Mr. Ryan! What are your secrets to success? How did you become the friend of such important ponies?”

“Ryan, care to comment on how you think the Royal Guard should be run to be more effective in the future?”

“What the shit is going on here?!” Ryan shouted back, though his words seemed to go nowhere.

“Mr. Ryan, what is your view on-”

“Enough!!” Ryan bellowed. All went silent.

He looked over the group. They were actually somewhat more aggressive than the paparazzi back home, being much more physically there than any human would be. There must have been more lenient laws regarding unwanted physical contact in this land.

“Why do you want to talk to me?” he asked.

They all just sort of looked at each other, confused. “Well,” one began. “You’re different. You’re respected. Ponies want to know what you have to say!” They all started up their shouting again.

“How did I get this respect, might I ask?”

“You saved ponies from harm several times; you’re a hero! Like the Elements of Harmony!”

Ryan sighed and looked down. “Heroes give everything they have for good. That isn’t me. I don’t want any credit, because that isn’t why I did anything.”

“And why did you rescue those ponies in the forest from the timberwolves?” Ryan had almost forgotten about that.

“I really don’t have an answer to that,” he said, preparing to make a break for it. “But I need to be going. So, if you’ll excuse me...”

Ryan pushed the heads of two of the ponies before him aside and jumped up, landing his feet on their backs. From there, he propelled himself forward with as much force as he could muster, just barely managing to break the crowd and roll away. When he got up, the crowd was already turning around to chase after him.

“Run, run, as fast as you can,” Ryan said to himself, taking his chance to run away.

Ryan hauled ass away from the reporters, hearing their cries for his attention as he ran away fade, then get louder. He didn’t dare take a look back, for he might have tripped and fallen, which would doom him to being surrounded by the reporters and their incessant questions.

As Ryan ran through the town toward his destination, he thought about the Elements of Harmony. Why was Fluttershy the only one he had seen today? Where did the others go? It was entirely possible that they were also hiding, since they were more famous than Ryan was, but then why would Fluttershy still be here? If Twilight wanted someone looking after the library, she could have asked Ryan to do it.

“No matter,” Ryan thought. “I’m sure it’ not important.”

He escaped the town and started running toward the forest, where he and the guys agreed to try to lure the reporters inside. Quickly, Ryan reached the edge of the treeline and dove into the forest, rolling forward to reduce the impact. When he got up, he took a look back.

The reporters were right there, and they were closing fast. They didn’t seem to notice that the forest was going to be surrounding them soon, so Ryan took that as his confirmation and turned around to run off. As he went, the sounds of the reporters were slowly drowned out by the sounds of the forest.

He was to the right of the path at the moment, not too far from where he and the guys were going to meet up. Ryan put his hands out in front of him to push the brush and branches away as he trudged through, trying to keep the forest out of his eyes. The leaves were frustratingly loud under his feet, and he could just tell that the reporters could somehow hear it.

Ryan pushed aside a large, leafy branch, and was greeted with the familiar sight of his friends.

“What’s up, guys?” he asked as he came out into the small clearing.

Ryan took in their appearances; they were all looking pretty scary. To any pony, that is. They all had black ski masks on with skulls painted onto them, and wore black cloaks over their bodies to hide their colors. Over the eyeholes, there were screens to cover the whites of their eyes and prevent them from being spotted.

“Just finishing up getting ready,” Mac answered. “Fancy, hand him his stuff.”

Fancy Pants’ horn glowed glowed a gentle yellow, and a small outfit came out of his bag and levitated over to Ryan. As the boy looked it over, he felt a smug joy come over him. The mask Fancy had made for him was perfect, and didn’t have a screen over the eyes. Ryan put the mask on over his head and put his sunglasses on over that, hiding himself fairly well.

“How is it?” he asked.

“Pretty frickin’ scary,” Soarin’ complemented.

“Awesome.” Ryan patted himself down and felt the satisfactory sturdiness of his armor under his cloak. “Say Fancy, why do you have these masks?”

Fancy shrugged. “Well, I just thought I would make them for Nightmare Night. I never did come by to give them to you fellows, but I figured this was an excellent time to bring them down. Little did I know that we would wind up using them.” The stallion chuckled lightly at the end of his statement.

Everyone checked themselves again. “You boys ready?” Ryan asked. His friends nodded. “Let’s go teach these bastards a lesson.”

The reporters walked along through the forest, uncaring of their surroundings. They had a lead on the story of the year on their hooves; they couldn’t just let it get away!

The pony in the lead, one very excited Flash Pic, was eagerly scanning the area with his camera. Who knew when the human might pop out, giving him the perfect opportunity for a picture? So far, he only had pictures of the human’s backside, and though some might find them to be perfectly adequate, he wasn’t a fan. He had to get a good photo of the human’s face.

It was during this time of scanning that Flash figured out exactly where they were. Or rather, where they were definitely not. He didn’t stop walking, but a feeling of dread began to wash over him from the realization that they were walking through the Everfree Forest. In all the excitement, they hadn’t paid attention to where they were going, and now, they could easily pay for it. The human ran here, so he probably knew his way around, but none of these ponies would know how to get out without being in serious danger.

Flash stopped. “Everypony,” he said loudly. No one seemed to notice. “Everypony!”

They were all too busy chattering amongst themselves and trash-talking about each others’ respective employers to notice Flash’s increasingly worried voice. Some of them were apparently half-aware of their surroundings; they would move aside branches and bushes in their search, but they didn’t seem to register just how risky their actions were. Flash moved back to the group and got into the center of it.

“EVERYPONY!”

They all stopped, some covering their ears and moaning about the loudness of the stallion’s voice. The ones who had separated and were searching the surrounding area all stopped what they were doing and looked back at the stallion, curious as to what he had to say. Did he have information on the human?

“We need to get out of here,” he said. “We’re in the Everfree Forest, and I don't think anyone was paying attention to our route.”

The group members made various motions of discomfort, ranging from gulping hard to shrinking down as much as possible, and looked around. They were, indeed, in unknown territory. They hadn't even been following the human for a while, they were just moving in the hopes that they would see him somewhere. Everypony rushed in to get into a tighter group and huddled.

Flash saw the opportunity to get a raise and walked up to the group. “Alright, everypony!” he shouted authoritatively. “We’re going to turn around and get back to the road. I’ll lead!” Flash went to the other side of the group and started walking off. He was happy when the group followed him; if this became a story, he would definitely get a raise! Making the other magazines and newspapers look bad, and save lives! It was perfect!

Ryan was crouched up in a tree, watching the group as it made its way back to the town through the dense forest. On the ground to either side were his friends, Mac and Soarin’ on one side, Fancy on the other. They all exchanged quick glances, nodded, and moved out.

Ryan stuck to the trees while Fancy took the right and Mac and Soarin’ took the left. The forest was dark, so with the cloaks, the group of reporters would hardly be able to see them moving about. The only things they would see were the milky white patterns on the masks.

The small group moved quickly through their environment, much quicker than the reporters were capable of. Before long, Ryan was just over the group of reporters, with Fancy on their right, Mac to their left, and Soarin’ moving to their front. Being the biggest of them, Mac and Fancy had to take the ground roles to prevent any ponies from running off to parts unknown, and Soarin’ and Ryan would be able to keep an eye on anyone who managed to get past them.

But that was the emergency plan. Now was the time for fun.

Ryan made a fist and knocked it against the trunk of the tree he was sitting in in a rhythmic pattern, a very distinct one. The group of reporters all turned about, terrified expressions on their faces, trying to find the source.

Before they could find Ryan, Mac and Fancy both stood up out of some bushes they were each hiding behind. In the darkness, their bodies were well-hidden, but the masks showed perfectly. As the reporters started to notice his friends, Ryan couldn’t help but start to laugh at the terror on their faces and the gasps they released into the air.

One of them, a mare, screamed, and Mac and Fancy took that as their cue. The two large stallions came out from behind their cover, still well-hidden by the darkness, and started moving around the group. The reporters huddled close together, hoping that if they closed their eyes tight enough, that the monsters would go away. Mac and Fancy said nothing as they moved around the group, just stared at the group as they moved.

Then, without warning, something landed in the middle of the group with a loud thud. The reporters in the center turned around to see what it was.

“Souuuulss...” the form said ominously.

It was Soarin’, of course, but the reporters didn’t know that. They all flipped an absolute shit, screaming, and tried to run off. Mac and Fancy were able to catch the ones that tried to run, throwing them back into the group with their invisible arms. Soon, they joined in on Soarin’s fun and started moaning the same way, moving throughout the group and grabbing ponies at random as they went.

Ryan watched it all from his tree with immense amusement. These harassing reporters were getting what they deserved right now. If only he could do this to the ones back home, then his world might be a little bit better. There would be less trouble to deal with all the time because the reporters would be more careful about reporting the true facts, lest they risk being abused by those they reported on.

Ryan watched quietly, waiting for his chance to get in. The group was so scared, it was petrified in its place. Except for one.

Somepony whose nametag read ‘Flash Pic’ ran out form the group and tripped, rolling right into Ryan’s tree. He slammed his head into it, dazing himself, and just sat there for a moment, groaning. Slowly, he tried to get up, but the pain in his head tried to tell him not to.

Ryan took the opportunity and lowered himself to the branch just above the stallion. Flash was really getting up now, shaking his head to clear his thoughts as he thought about how to get away. To either side of him, there was a way out, a way away from the madness. But could he just leave the others here at the mercy of these creatures? He turned around to take one last look.

He froze as he found himself staring down a mask not a foot in front of him. The mask was upside down, like a monkey hanging from a tree by its tail, totally unmoving. Flash tried to look into its eyes, but there was only black, with no light whatsoever coming from the other side.

“Your souuuul...” Something reached out and pressed against the underside of his neck.

“AHHH!”

Flash Pic screamed and ran off in the opposite direction, through the group, bowling through the reporters and Soarin’. The others all took a page from his book and followed him, screaming and flailing about as they escaped from the monsters of the Everfree Forest. Behind, watching them run, were three stallions and a human, laughing their heads off at the spectacle.

“That was perfect!” Soarin’ shouted, barely able to take in breath.

“It certainly was,” Mac agreed, nodding his head slowly.

Ryan jumped down from the branch, landing on all fours. “Good work, boys,” he said, clapping his hands together. “I’d say we make a pretty good team.”

“Amen to that!” Fancy replied, pushing his hoof towards Ryan for a hoof bump. Though it was painful for him, Ryan felt a compelling urge to bump it.

They all took a minute to calm down, mostly by taking in their surroundings. From the looks of it, the reporters would make it home safe, if their speed and direction were anything to judge by. They would easily get back, they knew their way. Each of them took off their masks and set them in their pockets or under their cloaks.

“Well, I guess that’s the highlight of our day,” Soarin’ said. “What say we head back for a drink?”

“Ah’d say that sounds like a mighty fine idea,” Mac replied, everyone cheering and hoorahing as they started the walk back.

The bar that night was busier than usual. It might have been from the fact that those reporters were there, off to the one side. They were probably pretty shaken up by the whole experience.

When they passed them on their way to tell Cinny they had arrived, Ryan set his hands on their table and said, “So did you get that story you were looking for?” With a smug grin and swagger in his step, Ryan left them there to figure out exactly what had occurred in the forest that day.

Now, they were sitting in their usual booth, waiting for Cinny to come by and take their orders.

“So, what’s been happening in the worlds of Mac and Fancy?” Ryan asked. “Other than being harrassed by reporters, of course.”

Fancy looked to Soarin’, clearly expecting him to answer first. “Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, mostly,” he said, a light blush moving across his face. “I’ve been thinking about my relationship.”

“Oh?” Ryan replied. “What kind of thinking?” There were two kinds that this could be.

Soarin’ smiled sheepishly and chuckled. “I think I want to marry Fleetfoot.”

The news was met with a sudden, raucous barrage of cheers and fists and hooves striking Soarin’ on his shoulders and sides. The pegasus stallion felt pride swell up in his chest as he received the many congratulations.

“Thanks guys,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and I think the time is right.”

“I think it is a splendid idea,” Fancy added. “When I first thought about marrying Fleur, I was nervous and questioning myself constantly. But when I did marry her, it was the best decision I ever made. I’m sure you’ll be very happy together.”

“Yeah man, you’re a great couple,” Ryan added. “It’s good to hear about you taking it to the next level.”

“Yeah,” Soarin’ replied lightly, his eyes going off into space. When he realized he was spacing out, he shook his head and turned his attention it Mac. “So, how is your relationship going, Mac?”

Mac shrugged. “Good.” When he didn’t continue, the guys all just stared him down to keep talking. He sighed. “Well, I’m trying to make something nice for her as a gift to give her when she takes me to the Gala,” he explained.

“Well, I had no idea you would be there!” Fancy announced. “I’m glad to hear it. What do you plan to wear?”

Mac blinked. “Do Ah have to wear somethin’ special?”

Fancy chuckled. “Well, it is a formal event. You should wear formal clothes.”

Mac nodded slowly, thinking. “Ah’ll wear mah fancy yoke and mah pa’s tuxedo. It ain’t got any use lately, so Ah might as well.”

Ryan turned to look at him. “They make fancy yokes?” he asked with incredulity.

Mac smirked. “Well, if there’s someone willin’ to pay, someone’s willin’ to make it.” Ryan had to admit, that was totally true.

The chatter went down for a little bit, everyone’s minds turning to the Gala. Soarin’ would probably propose to Fleetfoot there, seeing as it was such an excellent place for it. Fancy would be doing whatever it is that he does at events. Mac would be with Fluttershy, and the Elements of Harmony would probably be doing things similar to Fancy Pants. That left Ryan alone at a big party. Always, he ended up standing around alone at social gatherings. It was why he quite frankly loathed them so much.

“So how about you?” Soarin’ asked, turning his attention to Ryan. “You going with anyone?”

Ryan chuckled. “Well, you see, unlike you guys, I’m-”

Ryan was interrupted by the sound of hooves coming up to the table.

“Hey, boys.” Cinny walked up to them with a tray and four drinks on her back.

Ryan’s face lifted at her sight. “Hey, Cinny! How’s it hanging?”

“Oh, the usual,” she said, dropping the drinks down. “Good pay for good work, spending time with the gals, talking about the guys.”

The guys suddenly felt interested. “And what guys would those be?” Mac asked. Three of them were taken, but it was still a point of pride to have mares talk about you.

Cinny giggled. “Only single guys,” she replied. The stallions nodded, somewhat disappointed, but not surprised. But that still left Ryan on the table, though he doubted they would have any reason to talk about him.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Ryan said, picking up his drink. “You try to keep your mind out of the gutter, you hear?”

Cinny giggled. “Well, when so much is left to the imagination, it’s hard not to explore the possibilities.” Cinny turned around and walked off, her usual swaying attracting all kinds of attention.

The guys all just stared for a moment; not at Cinny, but at Ryan.

“Anyway, as I was saying; I’m forever alone in this world, so I haven’t got anyone I’m particularly thinking about.”

Fancy blinked. Then he blinked again. Then one more time. “You... really?” He looked around. “I wouldn’t have thought that.”

“Yeah, brah,” Soarin’ chimed in. “You sure about that?”

Ryan nodded. “Positive. What mare would find a human attractive?”

Soarin’ and Fancy just looked at him, so Mac answered. “Well, Ah can’t rightly think of any Ah know of, but when in doubt, take a friend. Odds are, Cinny won’t be going, so you can take her with you.”

Ryan thought on it for a moment. “You know what, I like that idea.” He looked out from the table. “Yo, Cinny!”

A few moments later, the mare came trotting by. “Yes?” she asked.

Before Ryan could respond, he noticed a number of stallions looking her way, some of whom were making lewd gestures. As much as Ryan wanted to get up and knock them out, he knew better than to pick fights that would land him in trouble. He just had to ignore it as best he could and talk to Cinny.

“I plan on going to the Grand Galloping Gala, but no one wants to go alone. Feel like going with me?”

Cinny’s face went from content to super-excited in less than a tenth of a second. Her big, toothy smile took over most of her face, her eyes squinted, and she couldn’t keep herself from bouncing up and down.

She rushed forward and hugged the human. “Oh my gosh, that would be awesome!” she said.

Ryan hugged her back with one arm. “Great!” he said, glad that she was excited. “I’ll get two tickets from Luna, VIP tickets. We’ll go together.”

She squeezed Ryan tighter, preventing him from taking in breath into his crushed lungs. “Oooh, this is so nice! Thank you!” When she released him, Ryan had to breathe in deeply and slowly in order to recover.

“Can’t wait for it,” Ryan said. Cinny, wearing a goofy smile and with a bounce in her step, walked off to take care of her other customers.

Ryan turned back to his friends, who all gave him approving nods. “Good move, bro, good move.” Ryan was confused at Soarin’s words, but opted to pretend that he understood.

The guys all remained in their seats for a while that night, trading stories and life lessons, and thought about what each of their futures held.

Suffice it to say, the future would be more than a little interesting.