Coming down from a post-gig high was one thing, but coming home with a migraine crash was something else.
For one thing, the adrenaline and endorphins that normally accompanied me out the door of the club were replaced by a vicious bevel-point of pain in my skull. For another, the heavenly touch of night air was entirely absent. In its place was the cloying heat of late afternoon, laced with the city's polluted exhalations like alcohol on my breath.
Not that I'd had anything to drink- in fact, the very thought was nauseating in my current state. Invasive, impossibly loud city atmospherics synergized hideously with the afternoon sun, working together to make a perfect storm of misery.
Just a few minutes away from home.... my dark... quiet.... home.
All of my normal haunts save the club were well out of walking distance from my apartment, and if this new gig hadn't been so close I would never have taken it at all. As it was, I was intensely tempted to call a cab anyway.
Never again. The club can have my soul, as far as I'm concerned. That'd be a fun conversation. 'I'd like one ticket to a nocturnal lifestyle please. No, I won't be needing a receipt, thank you.'
Despite my internal despairing, it was only several short minutes before I was fishing through my pockets before my apartment door. The sun's hateful, agonizing rays were pouring across the roofs and sidewalling of the surrounding complex, bathing the world in an untidy sort of orange. The horizon, from what little I could see as I cloistered myself deeper under the roof-alcove, was bloodied a little at the edges from crimson wisps of cloud peeking through the skyline.
My gloomy introspection was somewhat stifiled when I opened my apartment door to a surprising amount of resistance, as well as a muffled squeak. It took a long moment of contemplation at my newfound doorstop before I fully comprehended the scene before me.
"Pinkie," I finally said, quite calmly. "Are you alright?"
The excited pony's answer was completely unintelligble, and I ran a hand over my face weairly as I stepped over the threshold. Immediately, my sneakered foot encountered an obstacle, and it was all I could do to grab the doorframe and remain upright as AppleJack and Rainbow collided with my legs. Behind me, the sounds of the urban jungle were drowned out by a sudden bombardment of pony speech, talking over each other in rapid-fire.
"-said you'd be late, and then this doofus over here-"
"-won't believe it, seriously, so hungry-"
"-all right, you look simply haggard-"
Suprisingly, the half-familiar cacaphony of their voices was infinitely more soothing than it had any right to be. I found myself smiling slightly as I tiredly maneuvered inside and shut the door. Pinkie sprung up from the doorstop, beaming; I forestalled her imminent exclamation with a gesture.
"It's great to be back," I laughed. "Just... one... sec..." I attempted to fight my way through the equine figures crowding the entryway, meeting with limited success. Rainbow Dash playfully pounced at my heels as I tiptoed through them, and Twilight was holding a marker in her magic, scribbling on the wall with pigment that looked unfortunately permanent.
"What's this?" I asked, blinking. My eyes hadn't quite adjusted to the apartment's relative darkness, which was something to be thankful for, in my state. Small blessings.
"Oh, just making a note that you've survived another day! We've been keeping track!" The purple pony said proudly, backing up slightly to show me and recapping the Sharpie.
"That's.... kinda morbid, but I can't much blame you after today," I chuckled, trying to ignore the lances of pain spiking from behind my eyeballs. "Who made the clock?"
"That was... uhm... my idea," Fluttershy whispered, from around the corner. "Rainbow helped."
There was another brief flurry of energetic conversation, as the friends alternatively praised, congratulated, and accused each other. I took advantage of the commotion to unlace my Converse and collapse on the couch in the next room, which had the blinds drawn.
Finally.
I leaned back, closing my eyes. Hell, there was still a backbeat in my head, some remnant of the final set that refused to die with the speakers. I shifted my neck against the couch's worn fabric and rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to clear my mind of the sound.
The only sound, as it was. The apartment had gone deathly silent around me.
I peeked one eye open just enough to take in the darkened living room. Six concerned faces stared back at me.
They're too sweet, I thought, trying not to smile.
"....must've been a bad day of survival," Pinkie whispered to Twilight, who nodded.
That made me laugh, which made the six ponies look even more concerned, which had the effect of making me laugh harder. It was a vicious cycle that ended with a particularly bad throb from my very unimpressed skull. The six parted around me when I dragged myself off the couch and to the apartment's tiny kitchen.
"You girls had enough food today, right?" I asked, with a glance at the trough hanging off the counter. It was still about half-full of produce, a variety of fruits and vegetables piled atop a layer of crushed ice. "I thought you said you were starving, Rainbow."
"That's no surprise, since she only picks the tomatoes out," Rarity sniffed.
"Like you're any better! It takes you like an hour to finish nibbling a piece of lettuce!" The pegasus shot back.
Chuckling as they resumed their banter, I withdrew a bottle of water from the fridge, laying another handful of cherry tomatoes in the trough for good measure. Most of the fruit was untouched, I noticed.
It took another bout of careful maneuvering to traverse the pony-filled entryway as I took my prize back to the couch. I took a deep drink after collapsing tiredly again.
I should probably eat something, too.
"So?" Twilight asked expectantly, as I leaned back again.
"So what?" I snarked back with a tired grin.
"How'd your day go, silly?!" Pinkie demanded, bouncing up and down, and it was all I could do to keep from laughing once more. I patted the couch next to me, and in seconds, the six were clustered tightly around and on top of the worn furniture.
"My day was.... alright, I guess," I sighed. "Exhausting. Really, really exhausting. Everything still seems so... flat, for some reason. With the music."
"It's perfectly natural for artists to have blocks and doldrums sometimes," Twilight stated, matter-of-fact. "If you keep at it, I'm sure you'll find the inspiration you need!"
"And how would you know that?" I asked, amused.
"Twi's been readin' from those books all day," AppleJack supplied, nodding at a pile of hardcover texts stacked in the corner.
What even were those books, again? I wondered. It was so easy to forget how perceptive she could be- how they all could be- sometimes. That wasn't to say ponies were any better or worse than humans when it came to such things, just that the issue had just never really occured to me before I'd ended up with six of my own.
A lot of things had never occured to me, before they came along. I had a vague suspicion that was why Celestia had wanted me to take care of them.
You'd think I'd have given it some thought, though. One of the best electronic artists in the world is a unicorn, after all.
"Earth to Kennie," Pinkie giggled, leaning over and waving a hoof over my eyes. "Wow, he must really be wiped out!"
"Ugh, at least I don't have to play the club tonight," I groaned, closing my eyes.
"When's the next time you are playing?" Fluttershy asked, nearly inaudible.
"At this rate, never again. The writer's block is real. Or whatever." I didn't open my eyes. Somewhere behind partitions of siding and drywall, a car horn sounded. My eye twitched.
"Awh, we'll just have to help ya out then!" AppleJack declared. "I'm sure we can find a way to solve yer problem if we all pitch in to come up with somethin'!"
"That's a great idea!" Twilight exclaimed, leaping to her hooves. Rainbow followed enthusiastically.
"Yeah, with all of us helping, we can probably get it done in-"
"Don't, darling, that line was old the first time," Rarity interjected.
"It.... does seem like we should give it a try." Fluttershy whispered before Rainbow had time to bristle. "It's the least we could do."
"Yeah! That way you could get back to work and leave us by ourselves in this empty apartment every few nights!!" Pinkie agreed excitedly. Everyone- and everypony- turned to stare at her.
".....What?" She asked.
"Er, anyway," Rarity said by way of continuation, "Please say you'll consider it?"
It... couldn't hurt. And it might just be what I need right now.
Looking around at their hopeful faces, I knew there was basically no way I could decline. There was probably a better chance of my landlord waiving the month's rent than of me declining at this point. More chance of me being struck by lightning, or even more improbably, struck by an idea for a track that didn't sound like a health code violation in sound-wave form.
Damn, I ramble when I'm tired, I observed wearily. I realized there were still twelve hopeful eyes trained on me, and ran a hand through my hair before answering.
"Sounds like a plan," I said hesitantly. To prevent the inevitable explosion of noise, I immediately continued, "-But it'll have to wait until tomorrow. We had plans tonight, remember?"
"MOVIE NIGHT!" Shrieked Pinkie, launching herself from the couch arm. The other five weren't far behind in celebrating.
Dear God, I need an asprin, I thought, rubbing my temples.
Office of Celestia d. E, Senior Representative, Equestrian Embassy
Dear Representative Celestia,
I thought you'd want to know how the girls were settling in. More than just the weekly expense and medical reports, I mean. I figure those don't really give you a very good idea.
I think this picture will do a better job explaining than I could.
Faithfully yours,
Kenneth Stile
I held my phone at arms-length away, doing my best not to disturb the sleeping ponies that were nestled up against me, covering almost every inch of the weathered couch. I'd muted the television half an hour ago, but it still spilt cool backlighting across the room as Muppet Treasure Island ran to completion. Rainbow flicked an ear slightly at the digital shutter-click sound, but none of them stirred as I pulled the device back. I attached the image to the email with a contented smile. I was beginning to feel sleep pulling at the edges of my own conciousness as I pressed 'Send.'
Worth a thousand words?
That shit's worth a symphony.
Author's Note
This was vaguely requested by /u/brent917 on reddit. Hopefully he'll take responsibility and realize his mistake.
I have a rather fun idea for a follow-up piece, but it'll have to wait for now.
Thank you for reading!
