I’ve never been one for parties...but after nearly being shot by her party cannon, Pinkie Pie was indirectly forcing me to work on changing exactly that. Rainbow wasn’t joking when she had told me that I was going to have to get a lot more used to going to parties, because the way in which Pinkie can start them...well, let’s just say that I’ve come to believe that even the laws of nature run for cover whenever the pink pony is nearby.

Because this shit simply ain’t logical.

One moment Rainbow, Derpy, myself, and the others are in an empty room, which I’ve been led into by the aforementioned ponies, but after hearing a load ‘boom’ -- causing me to instinctively hit the deck (as I’ve had more than my fair share of alchemical...accidents), I look up to find the once empty room I was in to now be fully decorated...including food and drinks...as well as a DJ -- DJ P0N-3 to be exact, whom I recognized because Rainbow and I had seen her some-odd years ago when she was on tour in Cloudsdale (which, now that I think about it, peaks my curiosity; she must know the cloud-walking spell). How she got in here so abruptly, let alone completely set up and already blaring music -- eighties music, thank Celestia -- I have no fucking clue. I just hope it wasn’t the cannon.

Honestly, I’m not even sure if I want to know anymore, especially considering that the only theories I could remotely come up with were that it somehow involves a trans-dimensional vortex, or that I’ve somehow been drugged.

I pray that I do not need to specify which is the more likely of the two.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts by Derpy, whom I find staring into my eyes -- well, sort of -- her face mere inches from mine. When she notices that I’ve noticed her, she smiles. I start to stand back up, but I don’t make it too far, as I hit my head on the underside of a table and fall immediately back down to the floor, prompting a giggle from Derpy.

I’m really starting to hate that fucking cannon.

“Derpy? Did you find him?” I hear Rainbow ask, easily recognizing her voice. Derpy responds by pulling her head out from under the table and hastily nodding in the direction from which I had heard Rainbow’s voice. I see Pinkie Pie push Derpy over and stick her head under the table.

“What are you doing under here, you silly filly! You shouldn’t be hiding at your own ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party!”

I rub my head where I had hit it, then manage to wiggle my way out from under the table before responding. “First off...I’m not a filly, and I’m very slightly disturbed that you called me such. Second...I wasn’t hiding. And third...I want to know how I got under there.”

“Well, then why dontcha try to trace yer steps...” Applejack proposed. “Hmm, though it did only happin’ ovar the course of a second.”

“I heard a ‘boom’, instinctively hit the deck, and found myself under that table. It’s that simple, really.”

“Instinctively?” Rarity asked, confused.

Rainbow laughed. “‘Instinctively’ due to all of those ‘experiments’ of yours?”

I nod with a chuckle, then I turn to look at Twilight, whose eyes are now gleaming as bright as beacons.

"Experiments?!” she echoes enthusiastically, prompting a facehoof from Rainbow. I give her a quick glance to keep her from saying anything she may later regret, be it for one reason or another.

I nod again, this time at Twilight. “Mhm.”

Twilight walks toward me, visibly intrigued -- and not just to me; her eyes at this point were making her surname seem bland. I give Rainbow another glance, just to be sure, causing her to roll her eyes in response, though she does give me a smile afterward.

“What kind of ‘experiments’?” the purple unicorn inquires, drawing even closer to me.

“Oh boy, here we go...”

“Alche...alchem...alchemical...” I stutter, as by this point Twilight is in my face...literally. My first thought now is if the same incident that happened between Rainbow and I happens here, there’s no way I could play it off like I had before. Astonishingly, however, I’m not...creeped out, per say, by Twilight’s near lack of proximity from my face...in my mind -- and I hope I’m not alone in thinking this -- this is simply one of her key interests...one that it seems she hasn’t been able to share with anypony...ever.

Abruptly, Pinkie Pie squeezes in between the two of us, and pushes us apart. “Okay, you two! You can talk later! But now it’s time to PARTY!”

Almost immediately, confetti falls seemingly out of nowhere, and the room fills with other townsponies. Honestly, I’m concerned more about Pinkie Pie’s defiance of sheer reality than about the near claustrophobia that Twilight had inflicted upon me. At the same time, the ‘sparkle’ had drained out of Twilight’s eyes, and she started to walk away, her body language blatantly shouting her sadness. As she starts walking in the direction of Rarity, I give the white unicorn the same look I gave Rainbow earlier, though this time it’s saying something different, which -- even though I haven’t known her long -- she understands as if I had actually spoken it.

Damn, I love how useful my gestures can be, let alone how effective.

Before Twilight can make her way past Rarity, the latter blocks the former’s path with an outstretched hoof, and motions her back in my direction. The purple unicorn looks toward me with an eyebrow raised, as I reapproach her. Rarity smiles and takes her leave, her job done.

“You know...I could show you some of the things I know sometime.” I offer, resulting in Twilight’s eyes to return to their previous, intrigued state. “...so long as you can remain even-keel in the process.” I add with my half-smile. Twilight’s eyes return to normal.

“Ah.”

I chuckle.

“Well...” She pauses momentarily to thing, before resuming. “My house is actually the Ponyville library, so there may be some books there that you might find interesting...”

I grin, remembering that Rainbow had previously informed me of Twilight’s severe book obsession.

“...but I also use the basement as a lab for testing different spells, though I only really use it at night...”

This I had not expected -- the lab-in-the-basement part, that is -- causing me to raise an eyebrow in intrigue. Twilight smiles as she notices my interest.

“Would you like to come over some time, then?”

Half-smile. “I’d like to later tonight, but I’d have to let Rainbow know first.”

Twilight sighs. “Right...since you’re staying at her place.”

“Precisely.”

After I said that, I suddenly realize that there were far fewer ponies present now than when I had started talking to Twilight. In fact, all of the townsponies have left...the party was already over. I see Twilight start looking around, clearly having the same sudden realization as me.

“In this case...”

Twilight turns back to look at me.

“...I guess I’ll go let Rainbow know then.” I smile. “Then we could head over to your ‘lab’.”

“Together?” Twilight asks, grinning widely.

“Well, I don’t know where your house is.” I say, intentionally being a smart-ass.

We both laugh, then I head off to go find Rainbow Dash.