The small little “ma and pa” restaurant where I work is a little farther from home than I want. Yes, just because it’s a small town doesn’t mean everything is walking distance…well it is, but it doesn’t take five minutes. That’s something kinda funny that people from cities assume. Luckily the town is large enough, or at least has enough money in it to implement public transportation.

I’m riding the bus, my head resting against the cool window. The landscape, or should I say townscape of small buildings, some new, others made of old red, slightly crumbling brick still standing after a hundred or so years, slightly blurs as it passes by. I really have no need for a car, that’s why I don’t own one. The buses get me where I need to go. The only problem is I feel trapped sometimes. If I had a car I could escape this place, and I did want to sometimes; just to get away, see something new, and forget my life for a little while. That also means gas though, insurance, oil changes, and so on, money I don’t have.

Yes, yes, I know. Go to college, you can get a better job, do what you want, and earn more money. I don’t have the kind of money for that right now either. I’m slowly saving up, but it’ll definitely be a while. Fucking money, it’s weird. You work your ass off to get it, and then it’s gone just like that. You start to think, is whatever I’m buying worth all the bullshit I go through on a daily basis to get the means to purchase it? If it’s a real pony, then I’m sure however many weeks, months even, it took me to get that two thousand was worth it.

One thing that I enjoy about riding the bus, is that it gets my thoughts flowing, my brain all fired up. It’s probably out of boredom, and sure as hell makes the ride go a lot quicker. Most of the time, like today, I barely give the world outside the bus any notice. My mind’s too busy concentrating on other things. Today, that’s Rarity. I wonder how well we’ll get along…and how I’ll act around her. Even though I’ve gotten to know her through a show, will I be as awkward as I normally am when meeting someone new; or will it be more like getting a pet…or even like meeting an old friend after years apart? No awkwardness there.

The hydraulics of the bus hiss as it comes to a halt at the stop in my neighborhood. Slightly in a daze from all the thinking, I struggle to push myself up from my seat and stumble down the aisle, almost carelessly enough to smack my hand against the arms of those still seated. I don’t of course, just barely catching myself before it happens the first time, and then becoming vigilant.

I step off the bus and take in a deep breath of the fresh, warm, summer air. It’s filled with the smell of both wild and planted flowers, along with leaves which had baked all day in the heat as they hung from their branches. This is another perk of small town life, fresh, practically smog-less air…well, maybe slightly smoggy.

I can hear the sound of my own shoes clacking against the pavement of the sidewalk beneath as I head for home. It’s fairly silent out besides the chirping of birds, a few running lawnmowers, and the playful yells of children in the distance. There’s not many people out and about either, a few working in their yards or setting up for a cookout, and others walking their dogs. I smile and give a friendly wave when I see one of my neighbors step out of his door as I walk up to my own. He does the same. I don’t know his name, or any of my neighbors’ for that matter. I just know his face. The most I’ve ever said to him is, “Hello, how are you…I’m good.”

I fish in my pocket for my key, and manage to get a finger in its loop. I easily pull it out and stick it into the door, then jiggle it back and forth. The lock is old because the little house itself is old. I’m glad I’m just renting it, it has lots of problems. I smile as I hear a familiar click and the key suddenly turns with ease. You have to get it just right or it doesn’t work.

As I reach for the doorknob a rush of shock and fear explodes through my body as I hear a very deep, “Hello,” from behind me. My entire body freezes a moment as I collect myself, except for my shaking hand which slowly backs away from the knob in its grasp.

I turn around, realizing exactly what’s going on, but then another jolt of shock rushes through me. He’s wearing a mask…nope, totally not a Guy Fawkes mask like I was expecting. It’s really unnerving to be honest; one of those masks that is meant to look like a real face, has a realistic skin color, but with way less features to the point of, that looks like a face, but a really unnatural one. I’m sure at a distance he’d just look like your average guy, but up close…it’s just weird, like I said. Painted on eyebrows, no eyelashes, a smoothed out nose, shapeless cheeks, a completely expressionless mouth, and slits for his eyes that literally fit perfectly around the shape of them…or at least it looks that way.

“No neckbeard, no ponytail, no fedora, not even any pony apparel. That’s good. You actually look normal. Well, at least you’re good at hiding who you really are.” His voice is low, very low. He must be using one of those voice distortion things. Sorta sounds like Darth Vader. It’s either a part of the mask, or he stuck it in there behind it.

I quickly turn my eyes to the cement platform beneath me. I feel even more awkward talking to a man whose face is hidden behind a piece of plastic than one whose face I can actually see. I got a quick glimpse of the rest of him as I looked down. He’s tall and slender, wearing a recently ironed white dress shirt, buttoned to the top, along with dark black dress pants and polished black shoes to go along with them, completely un-scuffed. So much so that I can literally see my reflection in them.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“There has to be something wrong with you if you are desperate enough to purchase a pony from an, honestly, untrustworthy looking website like ours,” he explains plainly, or at least the voice distortion makes it sound that way.

I nod my head softly. “Uh…yeah, I guess.”

“So, Rarity, that’s a very interesting choice. Does that mean you’re a rarifag, or do you just believe the two of you will get along well together?”

“Uh…no, I don’t really have a favorite. I just…I dunno. It felt right.”

“Damn, you’re awkward. That’s the only problem I see so far though. Can I come inside?” he began to chuckle. “Rainbow Dash, am I right?”

“Uh, yeah, heheh.” My laugh is very awkward and very fake.

“Yeah…it’s not funny. It hasn’t been funny for quite some time. It’s overused, but seriously, can I come in? It’s standard procedure. Don’t worry, I don’t want to see your weird shit; just as much as you don’t want me to see it. I just want to take a quick look.”

I nod my head, shakily open the door, and pull out my key. I look up at the fake face before me, waiting for him to enter. His shoes clack loudly as he steps up onto the cement platform. The sound then deepens as they make contact with the wooden floor inside. He walks around a bit, his head moving back and forth as he looks. I’m sure it has to be sort of hard to see out of that thing. He takes a quick look upstairs as well, not much up there besides my bedroom and the bathroom.

“Minimal pony merchandise as well. I’m surprised… Are you hiding something from me?” He asks as he returns, standing directly in front of me.

“No…I mean, I don’t think I am?”

“Just fucking with you. We already know everything about you. A simple IP address can go a very long way…it eventually leads us to emails, social media accounts, personal files and information, you name it. The main reason I’m here is for the fear factor; to show you that we really do know exactly where you live, your schedule, and so on…anyways, you know the rules, don’t fuck up. I’ll be going. Let’s hope you don’t see me again because that means you fucked up.” He extends his hand, clean and surprisingly soft as I shake it. He has a firm grip.

I suddenly pick up the courage to ask a few questions of my own. “These ponies must be really important to you? I mean, I’m assuming people like you go to visit anyone who’s buying, right?”

“Yes, very important. They aren’t just a product to us. In our labs we don’t only create them. Not all things can be learned through genetic code. We have to teach them. I taught this Rarity personally, and that’s why I took the first flight that I could when I saw your purchase. These ponies are like our family.”

“Wait…so you just have tons of ponies sitting around waiting to be bought?”

“No. Our average customer has to wait weeks before their pony finally arrives on their doorstep. You got lucky. I was in the process of training her for someone else…someone who bailed out last minute. Speaking of last minute, Rarity will be arriving tomorrow, after you return from work, of course. I advise preparing and purchasing the necessary items for an equine roommate, maybe cleaning up your house as well. I’m sure you already know that Rarity doesn’t appreciate messes.”

“Wh-what? Tomorrow?” My heart begins to pound. I haven’t prepared in the slightest. I’m exhausted from a day of working, my mind is slightly in a fog, but I need to be ready for a pony by tomorrow…how the hell am I going to do that?

“Yes. Be ready.” He turns and heads for the door.

A few more questions suddenly emerge from the scattered mess that is my brain. “Wait…” He turns, but I can’t tell if he is genuinely curious of what I have to say, or is just playing along. “From what it sounds like, your lab or facility or whatever has to be pretty big right?”

He chuckles quietly and shakes his head. “I can’t say. Is that all? I have to get going.”

“One more thing, I never got your name?”

His hand clasps around the doorknob and with a quick twist, the door is wide open and the sun from outside pours in, practically blinding me. “Just call me anon for now,” I can hear him say as he closes the door behind him.

I stand in complete silence for a moment, unable to move as I think, and still slightly shocked by the sudden entrance and exit of the strange man. There’s no way I’m going to be able to get done with everything I’d thought about doing before her arrival. Hell, I don’t even know how much of it I’ll be able to get done tonight. I better do the most important thing first…but what’s more important?

Let’s see, I need to buy some pony food. Anything vegetarian, right? Well, they like hay and leaves and stuff too…but it’s got to be a little fancy for a pony like Rarity. Ehh, I can find stuff at the grocery store, so grocery shopping. Then there’s cleaning up the house like Mr. Mask Guy said, definitely a must for a pony like Rarity. That means laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, dishes, cleaning those damn bed sheets…all the stuff that I really don’t want to do. I’d also thought of buying a sewing machine along with some fabric and what not to make her feel more at home. I mean really, who’s Rarity without her sewing machine? It’d definitely make a nice welcoming gift. Then there was buying a few new outfits, something nice and sort of fancy, and something casual but fashionable. It’s personality that counts, but I’m sure Rarity would enjoy it if her new owner…or whatever I am…knew how to dress. Besides, it’d give us something to talk about at least.

At first glance, some of these things seem much more important than others; but at second glance, those things that just seemed really unimportant are now important. Well, I better just go ahead and pick something instead of wasting my time…and start hoping that I’ll actually have enough time to check a few of these things off my list instead of just one…not likely though.

Author's Note

Go vote: http://vote.pollcode.com/53313873 VOTING FOR THIS POLL IS OVER. CLEANING UP THE HOUSE WINS.