Episode One - Fried Day, Friday!
In the middle of a heat wave, our three oddly-grouped roommates have to find a way to deal with the burning sun, while also figuring out a way to pay the water bills, which are long overdue. The only thing stopping them is their delayed paychecks.
Things get even more hectic as a large-scale power outage takes effect for their half of the neighborhood.
Without a working air conditioner or working water, how will they be able to survive? Let's find out in this week's episode of "Under One Roof"!
Season One, Episode One: Fried Day, Friday!
Diamond City, USA
Emerald Drive Apartment # 13A
Three sweating individuals were relaxing on a tan couch with tired expressions on their faces.
One was a Caucasian man with short, dark brown hair and green eyes. Originally he was wearing a red t-shirt over a dark gray long-sleeved shirt, but it was removed and thrown onto the floor several meters away from the couch. On his legs he wore blue denim jeans, and near his feet his white socks were balled up and removed. He was lying on all three of the couch cushions.
The second individual was a purple-eyed, lavender-coated unicorn mare with a dark purple mane and tail that both bore a vertical pink stripe across a patch. On her flanks were markings of pink, six-sided stars that were surrounded by smaller white stars; her cutie mark. She was lying on the couch's right arm with her right forehoof hanging limply over the side, while her left forehoof relaxed below her snout. Her tongue was also hanging limply from her mouth, as she panted heavily.
The third and final individual was a short bipedal fox with sky blue eyes, yellow and white fur, and two tails. His chest was extra fluffy, and over his hands he wore a pair of white gloves. On his feet he wore a pair of red sneakers with white pointed tips on the front corners. He was lying with his chest on top of the couch's left arm. His left arm was under his chin and his right arm was directly over his mouth, pressed gently onto the edge of the couch with his right hand limply hanging off of the edge.
The fox looked at the human and sighed. "Justin, when's your next paycheck supposed to get here?"
Justin rolled his eyes before replying, "I told you, Tails, I get paid every Tuesday like Twilight."
The unicorn grumbled beneath her breath. "I wish Tuesday could get here quicker..."
Tails nodded his head and replied, "Agreed."
The trio continued lying there with barely enough energy to move. This continued for several minutes until Justin grumbled and sat back up, giving Tails and Twilight enough room to plop onto the cushions with an audible thud.
Justin stood up, slowly walked to the coffee table between the box-like TV, and lifted a game controller up. Just the sight of it made his lips form a weak smile. "At least we can play games and just let this whole thing boil over, right?"
Twilight rolled her eyes before replying, "Only if we don't end up boiling over as well..."
Tails nodded his head in agreement. "I'm with Twilight on that... it's almost hotter than Mars in here... and I should know, since I've actually been there before!"
Justin shrugged his shoulders before sitting in the center of the couch. "Eh, you're both just overreacting. I'm sure once the game begins, we'll just be shrugging it all off like the heat isn't even there!"
Several Button-Clicks Later...
Justin groaned as the controller slipped out of his hands. "Damn, it's too hot for me to even concentrate!"
Tails raised an eyebrow at him before pointing at the TV screen. "Dude, you haven't even gotten past the Title Screen, though."
Justin raised both hands out of frustration and firmly stated, "My point, exactly! I can't even concentrate enough to start playing the Game-Box! And we all know how much I enjoy doing that one!"
Twilight shrugged her shoulders before pointing her right forehoof at the TV. "Well, why don't we just turn on the News, and find out how much longer the heat wave will last?"
Justin and Twilight both nodded their heads. Then Justin stood back up and walked up to the coffee table, re-placing the controller next to the Game-Box in the process. Next to where he placed the controller was the remote's designated resting area. He removed the remote from said resting area, plopped back onto the couch, and skimmed through the channels until he reached "NEWS Channel 16". Then he began tapping on the volume button, since the "Game Channel" was naturally louder than most of the other channels. When the volume was at a reasonable level, he relaxed his hand onto his lap, and his eyes, like the eyes of the pony and the fox next to him, were glued onto the channel with his ears dying to hear any kind of good news for once.
"And now, for our local weather. Tom, how's it looking out there?" the news lady asked on the channel.
"AUGH! IT'S BURNING UP OUT HERE! SOMEONE GET ME SOME ICE, I NEED IT NOW! OH GOD, IT BURNS! I'M DYING OUT HERE! SERIOUSLY, GET ME SOME HELP! I NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION, NOW! AAAAAH!" the man standing in the center of a massive fire screamed on the channel, shortly before falling to the ground and choking. Regardless, though, Justin, Tails, and Twilight just stared at the screen with half-lidded eyes, too tired to even care at the moment... even the sizzling noise that followed the man's choking didn't stir them from their troubled minds.
"Thank you, Tom. And now, for the temperature in our area. James, can you fill us in?" the news lady asked.
"Of course, Bethany. Right now, we should be expecting the heat wave to-" the news man began, but was interrupted by the sound of a pair of vehicles and a police siren loudly passing by the building.
Twilight's ears perked up at that, and she turned her head towards the source of the noise. "What was that?" she asked Justin.
He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Just a police chase... but as long as they weren't going towards us, it shouldn't be a problem at all."
Suddenly a loud screech filled their ears, followed by a loud crash and an explosion. Mere seconds after the explosion sounded out, the lights inside the apartment flickered, before the entire room became dark. All three of them moaned out of frustration, while Twilight and Tails both turned to Justin with annoyed expressions on their faces.
"Dude, how many times have you said that, and something bad followed afterwards?" Tails asked.
Justin shrugged his shoulders before retorting, "Hey, it's not my fault! There was just a car wreck outside... and just because something screwed up three times in a row, doesn't mean it wasn't just a coincidence! It's just... unlikely coincidences, that's all!"
Twilight sighed and planted her face onto her right hoof. "Great... since there's no power, what are we going to do without the basic heat protection that your Air Conditioner was giving us?!"
Justin sighed before standing up off the couch. "Simple! We wait it out, while the Electric Company comes and fixes the damaged power lines!"
And So, They Waited...
Justin lied on the floor with his stomach pressed onto the red carpet. Tails was also on the carpet, but only because he fell off of the cushion. Twilight was still lying on the cushions, but her left legs were limply dangling over the edge, hinting that she was dangerously close to falling down herself.
"Ugh... how long has the power been out?" Twilight asked.
Tails slowly lifted his left hand up and folded the top of his glove down, revealing his digital watch underneath. He sighed before turning towards Twilight and replying, "It's only been five minutes..."
Justin and Twilight both groaned at that statement. "Feels like it's been five hours, though." Justin mumbled before closing his eyes and yawning. "If only there was a way for us to get... electricity... hey, wait a minute!" He opened his eyes and turned to Twilight. "Twilight, can't you use your magic to power this room up?"
Twilight shook her head and replied, "Sorry, Justin. A spell like that would require me to be well hydrated... but unfortunately, all this sweating has made me thirsty."
Justin rubbed his chin in thought before standing back up. Then he reached into his right pocket and pulled his wallet out, before going through the pouches. "Maybe I have enough to buy us some gallons of water?"
Tails waved his right hand in the air and commented, "Good luck getting past that heat wave."
Justin looked determinedly at the door, then back at his roommates. "Don't worry... I'll be back shortly." With that, he walked towards the front door, opened it, and stepped outside.
Five Seconds Later...
Justin stepped inside the room, panting heavily. His skin was covered in red blisters which weren't there before, and his eyes were covered in tears.
"Hot... as... Hell... out... there!" he whispered before plopping onto the couch.
Tails raised his right thumb up and said, "Good try, at least."
They sat there for another few moments until another idea crossed Justin's mind. "Hey, Tails! You're familiar with Electricity, right?"
Tails nodded his head and replied, "Yeah... why?"
Justin smiled before rubbing his chin in thought. "Can't you just convert the electricity of our house into solar power?"
Tails' and Twilight's ears perked up at that. Tails rubbed his chin in thought before a smile crept up onto his face. "You know what? That's actually a pretty good idea!"
Two Hours Later...
The three of them stood in the hospital's waiting room with several burn marks all over their bodies. Tails and Twilight were both glaring at Justin, while he was smiling sheepishly at them. In front of them, a nurse was sitting across the counter with a bored expression on her face.
"So, yeah... it turned out to be the worst idea I had. Give the place too much heat, and it could catch on fire... who knew?" he chuckled nervously before sighing. "Look, can we please just use the waiting room as a temporary home, since our home is going to be repaired next Tuesday? We promise won't be a bother!"
The nurse slowly blinked at them before asking, "And what about that restaurant across your home? I've heard they actually had a few employees who lived in their basement until their homes were repaired three years ago."
Justin rubbed the back of his hair nervously. "Yeah, um... no shirt, no shoes, no service... and since none of us are wearing shirts, and two of us aren't even wearing shoes, they kinda-sorta made that one very clear, already."
The nurse rubbed her chin in thought before smiling at the three of them. "Well, good news, then!"
One Minute Later...
They stood outside the front entrance of the hospital with unamused expressions on their faces. The nurse called from the other side, "There's a nursing home just a few blocks around here! Ask them, instead!" And with that, the nurse walked back towards her desk while Justin, Twilight, and Tails trudged down the street with Twilight's horn flickering basic heat-protective spells over them for brief moments.
"Eh, I wouldn't have wanted to stay there if we would get that kind of service, anyways!" Tails complained.
Twilight nodded her head and replied, "Agreed... but at least the Nursing Home might take us in, right?"
Ten Minutes Later...
Justin groaned and punched the front door, which held a sign that said "CLOSED" on top of it. He didn't have to even see the sign to get the message, though, as it appeared the place was so full, there were people, shoulder-to-shoulder, leaning against the doors, anyways.
"Well, so much for the Nursing Home." Justin complained, before turning to Twilight. "You just had to jinx it, huh Twilight?"
Twilight glared at him and raised her forehooves in the air out of frustration. "Hey! This has nothing to do with me! I'm sure they would've taken us in, anyways!"
The front doors slammed open and several people tumbled out of the building, with a group of security officers shoving more people out with their shields, saying that they were over the limits, and telling them to go somewhere else.
Twilight deadpanned at Justin before huffing, "Well... well... maybe they would've made an exception for-"
"Yes, that means Equestrians and Mobians, also! We're sorry, but rules are rules!" one of the security guards added.
Twilight glared at the officer before shouting, "WELL BUCK YOU, TOO, FLANK-FACE!" She then brushed her back-right hoof towards the guards and trotted off, with Justin and Tails following behind her.
Justin turned to Tails and asked, "Hey, Tails. Doesn't your friend Sonic have a guest bedroom?"
Tails shook his head and replied, "Sorry, Justin. Sonic's guest bedroom was changed into an official bedroom for his and Amy's daughter, Lucy."
Justin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, crap... and Equestria's portals don't open until Tuesday, and that's the time when Princess Celestia might help us with our house repairs, anyways... so I guess we're just out of luck..."
"I wouldn't say that, my friend." came a soft, motherly voice from directly overhead. Justin, Twilight, and Tails looked up and gasped at the unexpected sight before them... a pure white-coated alicorn mare with purple eyes, an ethereal floating mane and tail with blue, green, purple, and pink stripes, and the cutie mark of the sun on her flanks. She was wearing a golden crown, a golden breastplate, and four golden boots over her hooves that rose a quarter-height up her legs.
When she landed, Twilight fell to the floor in a bow while Justin and Tails merely kept their footing and bowed their heads forward respectfully. Then Twilight rose back up and asked, "Princess Celestia?! What are you doing here?!"
Celestia looked around uneasily before replying, "I have heard that there was a slight glitch in a portal nearby that absorbed a large portion of Equestria's heat, and sent it into this world's atmosphere. I came as soon as I heard the news, and am now sending multiple weather teams around the globe to assess the situation, and deal with it as quickly as possible." She smiled at the three and added, "I'm just glad to see that the three of you are still safe, at least."
Justin nodded his head and replied, "Yeah... you did technically leave Twilight under my care, so you'd better believe she would be safe... though now that you're here, I was wondering..."
Celestia smiled at the human knowingly before replying, "Say no more. I have already sent a group of carpenters to repair your house immediately. It should be back to normal in about an hour, now."
Justin clapped his hands together and sighed in relief. "Thank you, Princess Celestia. Glad to know you're already one step ahead of us!"
Celestia giggled before shaking her head. "Oh, not really! I just simply flew by there first, but ended up finding a bunch of wet ashes inside... the firefighters must've dealt with it before I even got here."
Justin nodded his head and turned towards Tails. "Yeah... we didn't expect the heat to get that out of control. Otherwise, we would've just waited it out a little longer." Then another thought crossed his mind. "By the way, um... do you think we could receive our allowance early, since you're here?"
Celestia tilted her head in confusion. "Oh? Whatever happened to the seven hundred dollars I sent you last time?"
Justin rubbed his chin and looked up, as the memories flashed inside his mind... the memories of his last trip in the library.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'I HAVE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY LOST BOOKS UNDER MY NAME'?!"
He grinned sheepishly before turning to Twilight, who also held a sheepish smile and looked away. "Let's just say... we might've misplaced a few books, and had to re-purchase them."
Celestia raised an eyebrow before turning to Twilight. Then she burst into a small fit of laughter, which caught Justin, Twilight, and Tails off guard.
When she regained her composure, she wiped a tear out of her eye and replied, "Oh, please do excuse me... I just thought maybe it would've been something different as the cause... but yes, I can see the predicament that you're in." She cleared her throat and reached her snout into her breastplate, then pulled out a small bag with seven large golden coins inside. Then she passed the bag to Justin and said, "There you go. That should cover you for this week's extra expenses... but Twilight?" Twilight's attention was caught as she looked at Celestia with a nervous smile. "Please, do remember to limit your rentals to six or seven daily. At least then you'll be able to return them all in the same day you check more out."
Twilight nodded her head and replied, "I will... sorry, Princess Celestia. I'm still getting used to the changes in the day and night system, seeing how Earth's sun and moon move on their own."
Celestia nodded her head and replied, "It is okay... though I doubt if I'm the one you should apologize to."
Justin raised his hands defensively before shaking his head. "It's okay. She already did once everything began happening."
Celestia nodded her head again and smiled. "Very well, then... now, is there anything else I can do for you?"
Justin turned to Twilight and Tails, who both shrugged and shook their heads left and right. Then he turned to Celestia and replied, "I think that about does it... thank you, Princess Celestia!"
Celestia chuckled before flexing her wings out. Then she took to the air and said, "Very well, then... but please let me know if you need anything, okay? Oh, and my sister said that she hopes to see you online soon, Justin! Something about a 'Rematch on Shoot-Em-Up: Future Warfare'."
Justin nodded his head and gave her a thumbs-up. "Tell her to expect another flank-kicking, then!" And with that, Celestia vanished into a bright light, while several pegasi flew overhead, moving clouds across the sky, and carrying strange vacuum-like devices on their chests.
In the matter of minutes, the temperature was back to normal, much to several peoples' relief.
Justin, Twilight, and Tails looked at each other with relieved smiles on their faces. "Well, at least that's over with!" Justin commented.
Tails nodded his head and replied, "Yeah!"
Twilight looked forward and hummed. "So... what should we do now?"
The three stood there for a moment before Justin suggested, "Truck Stop?"
His friends nodded their heads in unison. "Truck Stop."
And with that, the trio of friends headed towards the nearest gas station, where they would more than likely buy one hundred dollars' worth of snacks and drinks.
END
