Bright lights, abundant sounds, and crowded streets; these things and more were part of the daily routine in the Equestrian city of Manehattan, the most heavily populated city in the country. The city also boasted the most even mix of humans and ponies, making it the most culturally diverse city in the country, as well, and the city that has benefited the most from Equus’s nine years of contact with Earth.

In a small, three-unit apartment building in said city, its three tenants just happen to arrive home at the same time, exchanging glances as they head to their separate homes. These three neighbors, a human, a reformed showmare, and an exiled queen, are quite different, but they all have one thing in common.

They can’t stand each other.

Adrian

I dug my keys out of my pocket as I approached my door, having just got back from a long, but productive day at work. While I loved my job, getting home from work was usually the highlight of my day since I could relax and have some time alone.

Well, not completely alone.

“I’m home Rusty!” I called out as I tossed my backpack onto the couch, kicking off my shoes and turning on the TV. After sitting down and flipping through the channels for a while, a soft thumping sound reached my ears, and I felt the couch cushion beside me sink a little.

“Hey, Adrian,” I heard. I turned and smiled down at the little jackalope. “How was work?”

“It was alright, Rusty. We’re still animating that same fight scene for Gem Quest.”

“Still? How long has it been?”

“Almost a week. It’s the mid-season finale, so we want to make it a large-scale thing.”

Rusty sighed, sinking into the back cushion. “I dunno how you can do it, man. The way you talk about it, animation seems like a really tough job. I’m getting tired just thinking about it.”

“Yeah, but when you see what all your hard work adds up to in the end, it’s all worth it.”

“Hmph. I’m sure it’d be even better if the studio gave you your own cartoon and not have you working on someone else’s.”

“That definitely would be nice,” I chuckled, “but that’s the usual path of an animator. You’re usually working on someone else’s production before you move on to having your own.” I let out a yawn. “Man, I think I might head to bed early tonight.”

Rusty shook his head furiously. “You can’t, man! Equestria’s Next Top Model is on tonight!”

“Aw, damn. That’s right,” I groaned.

ENTM was always somewhat a guilty pleasure for me. I would always watch episodes of the American version with my dad back when I was living at home, and after I finished school and moved to Equestria, I started watching their version of the show, catching up on the seasons I had missed, which was a lot considering that the show’s been around for as long as Equestria and Earth have been in contact.

“I’m still a little pissed that they sent Harmony Charm home last week. It was only because Hoity Toity gave her photo a low score. If it wasn’t for that, she’d still be in!”

“I know, right?” the jackalope concurred. “I can’t believe that they added him of all ponies as a judge! What was wrong with Fleur de Lis?”

“I think her contract expired or something,” I guessed.

“Ugh. Fuckin’ contracts, man.” Rusty said with a humph. “So anyway, I haven’t heard much noise from Miss Magic today.”

“I think it’s because she was out. I ran into her and you-know-who in the lobby downstairs. They got here the same time I did.”

“Please do not mention Bughorse in my presence.”

I’d always laugh a little whenever Rusty called her by that name. It was definitely an accurate description of her.

“I think you might hate her more than I do,” I joked, knowing that the notion was near impossible.

“Um, have you forgotten the fact that she tried to EAT ME!?” he yelled.

“Oh yeah. That did happen, didn’t it?”

My pet gave me a cross look. “You’re an asshole.”

Eh, he was half-right. I’m generally a nice guy unless I’m given a reason not to be. When I’m nice, I’m nice, but when I’m not, one could say that I’d fall into the asshole category.

However, with neighbors like mine, could I really be blamed?

There were three of us total. I lived on the second floor in a large apartment while they lived upstairs in two smaller apartments that were half the size of my place.

Let’s start off with Miss Magic, or rather, Trixie, as that was her actual name. She was a unicorn mare that had a gig as a magician and showmare, as her numerous ads around the city led me to figure out. Apparently, she had become kind of a big deal as far as performers go, and from what I’ve been told, she used to be a travelling magician before coming to Manehattan for a permanent gig, or something like that.

Getting back to my point, Rusty had mentioned that he hadn’t heard much noise from her. You know the kind of neighbor that likes to be really loud in their apartment without a care in either world for the other people living in the building? Yeah, that was Trixie. Not a day goes by where she isn’t causing a shit-ton of noise upstairs. Of course, the first couple times it happened, I kindly asked her to tone it down a little, but then she said something about how “The Great and Powerful Trixie is rehearsing her routine for her upcoming show, and can’t be bothered with petty complaints.”

Needless to say, that mare’s been on my bad side ever since.

As if dealing with Trixie wasn’t bad enough, I had another annoying neighbor upstairs, living right next to her. Rusty prefers to call her Bughorse, but her name was actually Chrysalis, as in “Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.”

Yeah, I know. “What the hell is Queen Chrysalis doing living in Equestria, and in its most populated city, no less!?”

Well, apparently she’s not a queen anymore, if the fact that she doesn’t wear her crown was any indication. I honestly don’t know the full details of her situation, but at least I know that if she harms any Equestrian citizen, she’d get the boot, so that’s reassuring. As you’ve recently witnessed, Rusty had a particular distaste for Chrysalis, because she once threatened to eat him, according to his account. I wouldn’t put it past her to try that, so I took his word for it.

Besides, I had my own reasons for not liking her.

I could forgive her snappy, bitchy attitude. Really, I could, but there is one thing that just really bugged me about her…

Fuck, I walked right into that one.

Anyway, as a Changeling, she has to feed off of love in order to sustain herself, so she regularly brings guys (and sometimes girls) back to her apartment for… nighttime shenanigans, to put it lightly. Now, that wouldn’t be so bad… if she wasn’t so fucking loud!

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve woken up to the sounds of loud moaning and panting, and it doesn’t help that her bedroom was directly above mine. It’s rare that I ever get to sleep without hearing the thumping sounds of her ever-rocking bed!

Just like Trixie, I tried to ask her nicely to keep it down, but all I got from her was a “fuck off” and a door slammed in my face.

Now, I could always tell the landlord, but there was one problem. Trixie and Chrysalis knew that I had a pet, and the landlord didn’t allow pets in the building, so if I sold them out, they’d sell me out.

By now I’m sure you’re wondering why I haven’t moved out yet. Well, there are two reasons. First of all, this apartment building was the closest one to my job that had a vacancy when I first moved to Manehattan, and it’s a lot more convenient for me to walk to work instead of paying for a cab. Secondly, as the first person out of the three of us to move in here, I felt that there’d be a sense of shame in having those two drive me out, like it’d be some kind of loss for me to be the one to leave.

Besides, my place was pretty sweet.

“Okay, this season is total bullshit!” Rusty yelled as he followed me back to my room. “First Harmony Charm, and now Jewel Luster!?”

“I swear, if Hoity Toity is still a judge next season, I might not even watch season ten when it comes out,” I disgruntledly replied.

“I feel you on that, bro. Mark my words, social media is gonna blow up in the next few hours: Jewel was a fan favorite!”

“Well, we’ll have some fun reading the hate tweets tomorrow, but for now, I am burnt out,” I groaned, falling onto my bed while Rusty got into his small bed by my nightstand. “G’night.”

“Night,” he answered with a yawn, getting comfortable under his blankets.

…

thump. thump. thump.

…

Thump. Thump. Thump.

…

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

“Ahhn! Yes! That’s it! Right there!”

Not again…

I took the second pillow beside me and put it over my head in an attempt to drown out the noise, but it was all for nothing, as I could still hear the changeling’s moans of pleasure.

“Oh, fuck! AH! That’s it, baby! Don’t stop!”

I felt my mattress shuffle a bit as Rusty climbed onto it. “Adrian, I’m scared…” he whined, his body wracked with shivers. I couldn’t blame him. Having to hear sex noises every night was a terrifying thing. I gave him my spare pillow for him to use as a bed, and he took his blanket and wrapped himself up, folding his ears over so he could block out as much as he could.

“Hopefully whoever is banging Bughorse right now is one of the quick ones.”

God, I hate my neighbors.

Trixie

Seeing Adrian and Chrysalis the second I got home definitely put a damper on my mood. Arriving at the building at the same time they did had to be some sign of bad luck. Call me superstitious, but The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t fool around when it comes to bad luck.

After crossing paths with my neighbors, I headed towards the elevator, hoping to get some alone time, but as I turned around after entering, I saw Chrysalis walking towards me.

“What?” I thought in a panic, assaulting the “close door” button in hope if it closing in time. “No! Nonononono!!!”

Just as the doors were about to shut, a black hoof entered the elevator, stopping the doors and letting the changeling in.

“Shit!”

I folded my arms as I leaned on the wall, trying not to look at her. “You couldn’t take the stairs?” I mumbled.

The sensation of her gaze almost pierced my skin. “You couldn’t take the stairs?” she snapped back.

I would never, EVER admit this to anypony out loud, not even to myself, but I was scared of Chrysalis. For one, she was a lot taller than me. I was a meager five-foot-seven, while she had to be at least six-foot-two, not including her horn!

Then there was her attack on the city of Canterlot a few years ago. The news of the attack spread like wildfire when it happened, and when I saw what her kind looked like and what they were capable of, I was terrified! Being able to take on the form of whoever they pleased and feed off of the love of others? That’s horrifying! How the princesses allowed her to live in this country is beyond me, but thankfully, since she’s bound by the laws of Equestria, I think I’m safe.

The elevator finally opened as it reached the third floor, and I got out of there as quickly as I could. On top of being a little scared of her, I also didn’t care for her snappy attitude. She was definitely a very unpleasant mare to be around, and I made a point of interacting with her as little as possible.

Once I was safe in my apartment, I tossed my bag aside and took off my jacket before heading to the kitchen. Today’s rehearsal was pretty exhausting, and getting some food was the first thing on my list of stuff to do once I got home. I levitated a bag of potato chips and a bowl over to me while I grabbed a can of soda out of the fridge. Some indulging was earned after today’s rehearsal.

Having a permanent gig in Manehattan was great, without a doubt. Meeting with fans, performing for crowds of thousands, making more than enough bits to sustain myself; it was a dream come true. After I got home from stage practices, however, I would sometimes be a little drained, and I liked to reward myself for my hard work.

“You came a long way, Bellatrix Lulamoon,” I’d always think to myself, although I’d never let anypony call me by my full first name.

“Okay, what’s on TV?” I muttered as I sat on the couch, my freshly prepared bowl of chips following me. There were rather slim pickings this afternoon, with barely any good shows on. I flipped through my channel listings, growing more aggravated with each passing second. “Is there really nothing on?” I groaned before coming across a listing that caught my attention.

“Gem Quest? Why does that sound familiar? Ugh… That’s right. It’s that cartoon that Adrian works on. No, thank you.”

Chrysalis wasn’t the only neighbor of mine that drove me crazy. Adrian was just as bad. That fool had absolutely no respect for my craft! To think that he’d come up to my apartment and ask me to “tone down the volume”! Did he have any idea how a showmare worked!? Trixie was not going to stifle her at-home practice sessions just for him.

And then there was that jackalope of his. I really should use him as a test subject for one of my more dangerous tricks…

Another thing that really bothered me about both Adrian and Chrysalis was the fact that they’d make snide remarks about my eating habits. I’ll admit, I could be a little more conscious about my dietary choices, but that didn’t give them the right to make those remarks! The nerve! The gall! How dare they make such comments about The Great and Powerful Trixie!

Feh, to Tartarus with the two of them. I know I was supposed to try and be nice ever since I reconciled with an old rival of mine two and a half years ago, but trust me, Adrian and Chrysalis are impossible to get along with, and after living with them for the better part of a year, I’ve pretty much given up at this point.

Long story short, I can’t stand my neighbors.

Chrysalis

I watched as Trixie practically galloped out of the elevator, rolling my eyes at her hasty retreat. As opposed to her brisk pace, I casually walked to my apartment door, unlocking it and walking inside my home. After all this time, I had finally gotten used to calling it that, despite the boisterous mare living next to me. Not only was she an annoying braggart, but she was also way too noisy when she was “practicing,” if you could call it that.

I knew that Trixie was scared of me. Even if she was good at hiding it from the naked eye (she was a lot of things, but subtle wasn’t one of them), as a changeling, I could almost taste the fear that was radiating from her.

It was part of the nature of my kind; we were able to sense the emotions around us, and it was as innate and automatic as breathing air. This sense was essential in finding love, our primary food source.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t also eat regular food.

I tossed some leftover mac and cheese from the fridge into the microwave and poured myself a glass of water while I waited for my food to heat up. While we changelings do need love to sustain ourselves, we could still enjoy the pleasures of regular food and drink.

Although that was a luxury that we normally didn’t have.

I shook my head, trying not to think about my old life. I needed to forget about those worthless ingrates. It wouldn’t do me any good, considering they had long since forgotten about me.

However, what I couldn’t forget was the overwhelming shame I felt after facing the royal sisters.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Oh, thank goodness. Some hot food could help me from getting too wrapped up in my memories. With a warm meal in my magical grasp and a glass of water in hand, I walked over to my computer. One thing I appreciated about my new life here was that I had access to a lot of human technology, a major upgrade from the isolationist society that I was once a part of.

As I mindlessly browsed the internet, I noticed that I had received an e-mail, and I was almost certain who it was from. “Let’s see what we got here…" I thought as I opened the e-mail. "Just as I suspected. It’s from Cross Hatch,”

Evening, Chryssie!

I’ve got some fantastic news for you! The school’s been very impressed with your continued availability over the past year, and they’ve decided to increase your pay! You’ll be getting a formal letter from them within the next day, but I thought I’d give you the good news early!

Congrats,
Cross Hatch

A smile grew on my face as a chuckle escaped me. Seeing or hearing from Cross Hatch always made me a little happier. He was my boss at the Manehattan Institute of Art, where I worked as a model for some of their classes. Hatch saw my ability to change my appearance as a gift since their students needed to learn how to draw a variety of body types, plus I got a little bit of nourishment from feeding off of the excess lust from some of the more… “unprofessional” students.

Out of everyone in Equestria, Cross Hatch was the only one I genuinely liked. While all the ponies and humans regarded me with fear and disdain, he accepted me with open arms, and he gave me a well-paying job where my abilities were an asset.

Believe it or not, I actually preferred being at work rather than at home. It was nice to feel appreciated… for once.

I tried not to relive that memory again, but I couldn’t stop myself.

After the botched Canterlot invasion and my subsequent failure to convert Twilight Sparkle, I was deemed “unfit to rule” by my subjects one we escaped from our prison, and I was overthrown. They chose a new queen to take my place while I was exiled from the kingdom to fend for myself. The first few weeks were fine, but as the months went on, it became harder and harder to find someone or something to feed off of. Finally, after a year of being on my own, I did the one thing I thought I’d never have to do.

I went to Princess Celestia.

This was the part that I hated remembering the most, the worst part about it being that I found myself on the floor, bowing at Celestia’s hooves, begging for her sympathies with seemingly never-ending tears falling from my eyes — not from sorrow, but from the sheer humiliation I felt from having to beg for sympathy from somepony who was once my enemy.

To make a long story short, the princess allowed me to stay as a provisional citizen, providing me with a place to stay and some startup money that I could live off of while I found a job. I eventually earned full citizenship after spending a year under constant surveillance from undercover guards, facing the threat of being kicked out if I were to try anything funny. I could still feed, but it had to be done safely and without any harm done to the victim, which took some getting used to.

One benefit that came from this was that while I was under the guards’ surveillance, I was also under their protection. As a citizen of Equestria, provisional or otherwise, no other citizen could bring any unwarranted harm upon me, and when it came to harming a fellow citizen, Equestrian law would get pretty harsh when it was time to dole out punishment.

I kinda respected them in that regard.

As of now, while I did have a lot of privileges and less responsibilities, I’m still wasn’t sure whether or not I could say that I was truly happy with my new life, but there was one thing I knew I didn’t like: my neighbors.

I’ve already mentioned Trixie, but there was also one neighbor that lived a floor below Trixie and I, and that was Adrian. The first time I had actually talked to him was when he came up to my apartment door and asked me to “tone down the noise a little.” I knew that he was referring to me bedding a stallion the previous night, but I could see past his thin veil of cordiality. To think that he’d assume I wouldn’t notice his hidden contempt. It almost made me laugh, to be honest. However, what I really didn’t like about Adrian actually had nothing to do with him.

It was his pet, Rusty, that really pissed me off.

That little abomination had to have been the most annoying creature I’ve ever met. I threatened to feed off of his love one time, and now he thinks I want to eat him! Does he have any idea how unappetizing rodents taste!?

…What?

Speaking of feeding, I could use some love tonight. It’s been a few days since the last time I’ve fed off of somepony, or some human, or some griffon. It all depends on what I’m in the mood for at the time.

I guess I’ll just go with the first guy that hits on me and see where it goes from there.

I settled on an attractive earth pony disguise before getting dressed and heading out for another night on the town, as I walked down the hallway though, I passed by Trixie’s room and over heard her practicing her entrance monologue… again.

“Mares and gentlecolts, ladies and gentlemen, fillies and colts, boys and girls, prepare to feast your eyes upon... The Great and Powerful Trrrrrrrrixie!!!” she yelled before taking a long pause. “No… that’s a little too wordy.”

Ugh… I fucking hate my neighbors.

Author's Note

Hope you guys liked this first chapter. I know that there are some questions you might have about some plot details like how the conversation between Chrysalis and Celestia went down, how Adrian found Rusty, etc, but I plan on anwering them in future chapters.

The next chapter will follow Adrian, Trixie, and Chrysalis on a typical work day, and a rather... unfortunate event.

Until then, keep it sketchy, folks!