They Came from the Everfree

"Elliot! Here boy!" I whistled at the top of my lungs.

An image of Staff Sergeant Packle appeared in my head.

"GET YOUR HIPPIE ASS HERE BEFORE I TEAR MY-"

"We should search there." Twilight interrupted beside me, pointing at a small restaurant with burgers painted on nearly every wall.

"That's a start..." I aimlessly began walking towards the little place.

We slowly make our way up to the front doors. They are made of a bright blue glass, surprisingly they hardly were transparent. As if they weren't glass at all.

"Plastic windows?" I asked quizzically.

"The glass kept shattering for various reasons." She explained, pushing open the door.

I stepped inside and looked around. The temperature immediately changed and my hair stood on end at the cold. The restaurant looked similar to the Krusty Krab, but had a more sanitary and homely feeling to it. The entire place was empty save for a lone cashier, a young blue pegasus female.

"Hello! Have you seen a hillbilly running around here, about as tall as me but not nearly as good looking?" I asked, looking around the darker regions of the place.

She stared daggers into me, then scoffed condescendingly.

'Oh, fun.'

I approached the counter with a slight smirk, already thinking of all the things I could say at that very moment.

"I'm sorry, I must've overcompensated for the satellite dishes on your head. Let me repeat. Is there some lonely creep running around here looking for food? He's not very safe out there, and-"

"Was that supposed to be an insult, or are you having a stroke? My friend's a nurse, I'm sure she could help that brain condition of yours." She stared blankly at me, stone cold bearing. It didn't anger me, or provoke me. In fact, the straight face seemed more familiar and common to me.

"Sorry, I can't think straight when I'm hungry. On an unrelated subject, you don't look like you move very fast." I warned.

She flipped her hair.

"Looks can be deceiving." She assured.

"Exactly, I almost thought you were going to be helpful. But you can still prove me wrong. Want to be a real keeper and open the storage room for me?" I ask, nodding at the room almost directly behind her.

"I'd sooner clip my wings and bury myself alive." She threatened.

"Well, if I help you with that could I get the keys?" I smile.

Twilight squeezed my arm, warning me.

The mare behind the counter stared into my eyes, through me. As if she was staring at the back of my skull.

"I'm interesting, I know." I sarcastically remark.

"Oh? I'm just imagining the ways I could bend those limbs of yours." She threatened.

"As fun as that sounds, I'm gonna have to open that door behind you. Suggest you move real quick." I caution. Placing my hands on the counter.

"Over my dead body." She carelessly said.

I reached into the holster attached to my boxers and unsheathed the sidearm. I didn't know if it had any ammunition left, but it would be a nice tool for negotiation. Plus, if fit hit the shan, I could use it as a nasty club.

I pulled back on the slide and let it whip forward as loud as possible. I didn't arm the safety, so the trigger was locked. I swung the weapon upwards and aimed it directly down at her left eye faster than she could realize what I was doing.

"I almost didn't want to dirty this thing, but I guess there isn't many other ways to unlock the door." I warned, shrugging carelessly.

The mood of the room immediately switched. Twilight threatened to break my arm, and began to tug.

The mare at the counter, however, took an entirely different light. She quickly backed against the wall and glared at me with a fierceness I hadn't seen in any firefight before. It was a mixture of generally every negative emotion you could express.

I placed my hands on the countertop and pushed myself over, I was now only about four feet from the mare.

"Move, get away putain." I warned, pushing my weapon slightly inward.

She growled at me and flapped her wings, floating away to my left until she was sitting in the corner of the room glaring.

I approached the door, and tried the handle. It did not budge.

"Uh, could you at least get me a key for this?" I request, looking to her as I placed my sidearm back in its holster.

"Go fuck yourself." She snarled.

"Well, it was worth a shot. It's been fun and all..." I backed up from the door, placing my rear against the counter, "but I'm late for a kool-aid commercial break-down." I bolted at the door and leaped upwards, throwing all of the weight onto my back against the door. It smashed open with a loud crack, the metal proving to be nothing but cheap aluminium.

I lay on the floor for several seconds, catching my breath, and pondering how cool it would have been to just watch that happen.

"Hey Grayson!" I hear a chirpy voice greet.

"Hey, Elliot." I replied.

"Howdy." His partner followed suit.

"Hey, Applejack." Twilight casually returned the formality.

I was stirred from my resting position by a squishy, gnawing noise above me.

I looked to my top, to find Elliot chewing away at a makeshift sandwhich, an open bag of buns and a box that overflowed with a familiar plant lay beside him. Applejack was sitting beside, facing him unamused.

"I wasn't able to stop him, he wouldn't let me get it out of his hand." She explained.

"Wait a sec, you're EATING? Lad, feed me." I commanded, waving a lazy hand at him as I lay on my back.

He answered by grabbing more bread and forming another sandwich and stuffing it with the plant. He slid it over to me.

"Is this really hay?" I inquired.

"I thought the same thing, dude. It's not that bad. Really chewy, though." He took another bite of his sandwich.

I looked back to the food, and shrugged. I downed the sandwich in several large bites.