Under Construction

Chapters

Labor Daze
Under Pressure
Over my Head
Get This Party Started
Welcome to the World
Lovely Day
Everything to Everyone
Roller Coaster
Frontline
Prologue: Leaving Today

Labor Daze

Wow, a better response than I thought for this one. Alright, critters, I'll keep this train a rollin.' After all, this is my 'artistic masturbation' piece; the fall-back story when I get writer's block, get bored, frustrated, stumped, whatever. Anyways, thanks for showing interest. Enjoy!

***************************************************************************************************************************

“Fumble outta bed and stumble to the kitchen

Pour myself a cup of ambition and

Yawn and stretch and my life is a mess and

If I never make it home today, God bless...”

Aesop Rock - ‘9-5ers Anthem’

Chapter 1

Labor Dayz

The alarm rang out, signaling the arrival of 5:00 a.m. Hip, hip hooray. I brought a heavy fist down on the digital clock, stopping the buzzer. Whether or not I hit the snooze or broke it outright, I didn’t know, nor did I care. I rolled over, intent on falling right back to sleep. I probably would have, too, if not for the 2 other alarms I placed around my apartment, both set to go off at the same time. With a few carefully chosen four-letter words, I managed to reluctantly roll out of bed and stumble to the bathroom.

A quick brush of the teeth and splash of cold water on the face did wonders for my coherence, bringing me almost totally back to the land of the living. I left the bathroom and was greeted by a fat little jet-black tabby, rubbing up against my leg. A mumbled answer of ‘Morning, Merl,’ and a scratch on the head was all the affection the little feline needed. Already knowing that Merlin was on his way to my bed with the intent on falling asleep under my covers, I continued to the kitchen. Once there, a hot and bitter cup of coffee guarantee I wouldn’t fall back to sleep. Shuffling out of the kitchen to the TV room, I flipped on the flat screen and went about getting dressed, putting on the clothes I laid out the night before. Neon lime-green short sleeve shirt, heavy carpenter jeans and a cheap, dollar store ball-cap with no markings whatsoever. Standard issue for all city of Boston Department of Public Works employees. I had to go back to my bedroom however, forgetting once again to lay out my steel-toe boots and socks. I opened the closet to grab them, and was once again met by the familiar sight of a space three-quarters empty, my own clothes almost comically pushed into one corner of the huge closet. I tried not to let the memories of the person who’s clothes filled the rest of the closet bother me as I closed the door and finished getting ready for work.

I walked to the other end of my apartment, opening the large freight elevator and stepping inside, taking note of the stolen ‘Under Construction’ sign I placed against the back wall. The sign had been stolen as a prank by my supervisor against a local contractor crew, and in turn was stolen by me for my own amusement. I put it in the elevator as a warning against any other residences of the apartment building from ever trying to come up and visit me. Also, it was a good way to explain the machine and building noises that could regularly be heard coming from my floor. Thinking about it now, I guess it was fitting, not only for my choice of habitation, but also my life in general. To the other residents of the building, it was a warning not to disturb the creepy loner upstairs. But to me, it was a reminder of how much more I had to go to get my life to where I wanted it to be.

I live at the top of a six story tall apartment building in what was formally a bustling industrial/commercial neighborhood, now mostly home to scattered families and aging hold-outs that refused to abandon the ol’ homestead for retirement tombs. The building itself was a former multi-leveled car dealership that was converted to apartments in the late 70s, with the exception of the top floor. MY floor. The only way left to get up to my place was to take the large, rickety freight elevator, still big enough to park three cars in, side-by-side. When I moved in at 18, the place was a real disaster-piece theater. It took all my time and energy to get it back up to livable condition, earning me a HUGE 100' x 80' apartment. Throw in a few do-it-yourself sheet rock walls, some creative plumbing(and a promise of being the live-in handyman to the building’s owner) and I’m sitting pretty.

The elevator hit the bottom floor with the usual crash, causing me to cringe. Somehow, however, Cashmere, the building’s owner, didn’t hear it from his apartment. I managed to sneak out the front doors without him having to remind me about still owing him some rent from last month. Or the month before. OR before that. OR, the month bef- well, you get the idea. I quickly hopped in my truck and took off, heading straight to work.

The commute to the garage was quiet, as usual, the streets scattered with other public servants and newspaper delivery guys, making their last stops. I managed to get a good parking place for once and went inside to see what aggravations the day held for me. It was the usual bullshit jobs lined up; several holes needed to be drilled for some new street signs, followed by the removal of some handicapped signs from in front of some residences. So... power drill with a 14' concrete bore bit, 3 gallon sprayer full of water, hammer, chisel, generator and 50 ft. extension cord. That covers the new signs. The removal of the old handicapped signs only requires a pick axe and a brick for leverage. Sorry, work speak. If you don’t understand it, consider yourselves lucky.

The rest of the crew was sent to their respective jobs and I was sent out with my usual partner. “Sup, fucker?” The eloquent greeting came from the only other member of the road crew that was younger then me. Mike was 19, only a year younger than me and one year lower than me on the seniority. However, he was just as smart-assed and arrogant as any of the veteran members of the crew. “Ready to block traffic and piss off some happy citizens, today?” I laughed, knowing that statement wasn’t too far from true. I was just about to open my mouth to offer my own snarky remark when Mike cut me off. “So, what do ya think about this whole ‘Teleportation’ shit?’” I gave him a confused look, making sure I heard him right.

“Did you just say ‘teleportation?’ What the hell are you talking about?” he shook his head, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a section of newspaper, folded over a half dozen times.

“Yeah, check this shit out, bra.” he said, unfolding the section and handing it to me.

“Massive Experiment to Take Place TODAY!”

Damn, he was right. I heard of the Large Hadron Collider a while ago, when they did some experiment in Switzerland. Lots of people,(not just nut jobs, either) thought it would create a black hole and suck the world inside itself. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But apparently, they DID discovered a strange energy they never encountered before. Some eggheads decided it was some type of power given off by what they call a ‘white hole.’ In a nutshell, the theory was that if two or more of these colliders were activated at the same time, then items, or even people could be sent around the world instantly. And if you’re gonna jeopardize the lives of everyone on the planet, you might as well go big. The United Nations commissioned the building of several more in key locations, including New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, London and Paris. This evening at 9:00, they were scheduled to fire up all the Colliders at once to find out what happens.

“They’re gonna blow up the world, Corbin. This is it, the apocalypse. Game over. So, that means we don’t gotta work all that hard today.” Mike always did believe in these stupid conspiracy theories. Hollow earth, moon bases, Atlantis; the whole nine. I shook my head, placing a palm on my face.

“Dude, how many apocalypses did we live through, just in our lifetimes?” He looked at me like I had two heads, telling me I had to explain myself better. “Dude, remember Y2K? When we were little kids? THAT was supposed to kill us all. Then, the constant fighting the U.S. did with every country that looked at us funny after 9/11? And that whole ‘Mayan Calender, 2012 bullshit? Remember?” He thought a moment, then looked away slightly, realizing I was right but not wanting to admit it.

“Well... it still could happen. You’ll see tomorrow, when the world gets sucked in on itself.” I started the truck, folding up the article and putting it in my shirt pocket.

“Mikey, we’re more likely to see it rain chocolate milk than see any weird shit from this test. Mark my words; the sun will come out tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” he said, smirking. “Bet my bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun?” I gave him a sideways look, noticing he was on the very verge of cracking up. I facepalmed and shook my head, letting out a sigh.

“You’re so retarded, Mikey...”

***

Work was... work. All in all, it was a pretty average day. The bore holes we drilled for the signs weren’t as deep as I thought, the drill breaking through only after a few inches. Lunch went just as quickly as the morning did, the two of us getting fast food and sitting in our truck with out feet hanging out the open windows. I think we made more than a few commuters turn their head from our parking spot, sitting right in the center of a triangle in the middle of traffic. After lunch, the few signs we had to pull came easy, breaking free with the minimal of effort. After that, we wasted the last hour and a half sitting in a vacant lot until it was time to punch out.

As I drove home, it seemed the conspiracy paranoia was steadily spreading. Three of the four main radio stations I like had their talking heads discussing the test run of the colliders later this evening. The one even had a few nuts calling in and warning the other listeners to hit the stores and get their canned goods for when the world implodes. Usually, they were cut off pretty quickly, being hung up as soon as they started ranting. However, the one pair of DJs were happy to let the tin-foil hat crowd have their say. Lunatics, after all, make good radio.

I purposely parked on the far end of the tenant lot behind a derelict van, trying to keep my old truck from being seen. Sneaking across the lot, I slipped into the building through the side entrance, hoping to make it to my elevator and sneak up without running into a certain landlord. When I tried to slide open the gate, however, I was met by a loud !CHUNG! Of metal hitting metal, the gate only moving a foot or so due to the chain and lock attached to it. Son.Of.A.Bitch!!!

“Dis America, what a COUNTRY! I do no-ting, and you pay me! Iz truly ‘American Dream.’” Cashmere, the landlord... I owed him some back-rent from last month. And the month- well, I won’t go into that again. He locked the service elevator, effectively guaranteeing a meeting this afternoon. “Jeremy! My good friend!” he said, slapping a heavy palm on my shoulder as he moved to the lock and chain. “Allows me to de-lock dis for you.” He slid open the gate and stepped inside, pushing the top floor button and ushering me inside with a wagging finger. “Come, let us talk, boychik.” I winced at his polish nick-name for me, inwardly groaning as I stepped in and took my place beside him, the gate sliding closed as the box moved up.

Cash was in his early 70s, having come to America some 40 years ago from an old, Soviet bloc country. He and I came to an understanding when I came to him after highschool, making my living here in the most coveted apartment possible. I would be the building’s on-call, go-to maintenance man, and he would give me a discounted rate. This made me,(hooray, hooray) his favorite tenant. He even mentioned in passing the prospect of willing the building to me when he eventually ‘bucked the kicket.’ Most of the time, his boisterous attitude was comical. Other times, it made me feel like going ‘Boondock Saints’ on his ass. Today, however, I knew he’d be dead serious, despite the goofy accent.

“Jeremy, my friend. You owe me much, much money. Iz hard to let slip, lately.” he said. It’s true, unfortunately. I’ve been giving him half-rent for half a year, now. I suppose I felt he’d give me the benefit of the doubt. Maybe feel a sense of loyalty to all my hard work, ratcheting pipes and installing hard-wood floors all over his building. That, however, was NOT the case.

“Let ‘slide,’ Cash.” I corrected, catching an annoyed look. Oh, fuck. He’s more than a little annoyed. I’m boned. Oh, so completely boned.

“Jeremy, I give you to end of next month to pay me in full. Then, if you no pay me, it pains me to say, you must leave.” I looked at him when he said this, the blank expression on his face remaining. “I’s sorry, Jeremy, but I am losing moneys! You have helped me very much times, but I can no longer take half-payments on rent! You must make amends of last five months of rent, or you go!” The elevator hit my floor with another ‘chung,’ Cashmere sliding open the gate. I stormed off out of the box and turned to him, feeling like I wanted to hold him half-way out the elevator as it went back down.

“How the hell do you expect me to get more than five thousand dollars in less than two months?!” I shouted, doing all I could to restrain myself.

“Iz not my problem, boychik! Get second job, find a roommate, sell ass on corner; I DON’T CARE! Pay, or GO! Only options.” He closed the gate and pushed the button, starting to descend. As he lowered out of sight, he reminded me once more. “Don’t forget; Pay or go.”

“God DAMN YOU, Erica!” I hollered, kicking the gate, the rattle reverberating through my apartment. She left more almost a year ago, and she was STILL fucking me over. I turned my back to the elevator, looking over my apartment. The washer and dryer in the corner, the utility sink next to it. Kitchen area, living room, the three bedrooms I put up myself. Not to mention all the crap I acquired during my time here; refurbished pinball machines, old motorcycles. I basically had a full, ranch-style house here, complete with storage, all to myself. And now, I was losing it. That vicious, lying little cunt...

I went back to my bedroom, taking off my work clothes and tossing them in the hamper. I fished through my closet and found my old favorite pair of jeans and t-shirt, putting them on. Going to the kitchen, I ignored Merlin as he strolled by, rubbing against my leg. Not today, buddy. Daddy’s a little pissed. I took a bottle of bourbon from the fridge and headed to the door hidden behind a hinged piece of plywood against the wall, on my way to what I assume even Cashmere had forgotten about; the top floor stairway to the roof.

This was my sanctuary. My world. My little slice of heaven. An old fridge near the door kept my supply of beers and sodas cool, only a stone’s throw from my couch and hammock, kept dry with a 10' x 10' tent I set up over them. A greenhouse I set up on the other side of the roof kept me self-dependent on veggies and some seasonal fruit, at least. That cut into the grocery bill during the warmer months more than you would think. I walked around, lighting the few tiki torches around the area and plopped down on the couch, ready to throw myself an epic pity-party.

How DARE he think he could throw me out of this place! After all the blood, sweat and tears I spent here? After all the hard work and my own personal cash I threw into making this apartment building LIVABLE?!” I ranted to nobody in particular, looking out across the city. I used to do this all the time. Well, me and... Erica.” God damn you, Erica... it’s your fault I’m in this mess, you raging bitch.” My thoughts ran back to Erica, still fresh in my mind like I’d have just seen her yesterday. The more than a year’s time we spent together. The day she moved into my apartment. The day she left. And why... I opened the bourbon and took a long, deep slug of the stuff, pondering if I should toss it off the roof. No. No I wouldn’t waste good booze on that little tramp. But I couldn’t get totally shitfaced, either. Making my way through only about half the bottle, I replaced the lid, I laid down on the couch, facing the city before me. The last thing I remembered was thinking...

“... maybe I’ll do like Cash said...” No, not sell ass, you pervy bastards! “... maybe... I should look for a roommate...”

***

I woke up with a burning in my throat, coughing to the taste of alcohol. It had grown dark by the time I came to, the fuel in three of the four torches spent, leaving them dead and flameless. The remaining torch flickered in the night wind, giving me more than a few chills down my back. I sat up, holding my head in my hands, feeling the wind pick up a little more. No matter, I wasn’t gonna spend the night up here or anything. This was just my little ‘moment of zen’ area, not a camp site. I groaned at the though of taking down the tent to keep it from being damaged by the winds, still seeming to pick up more and more. I stretched as I got up, immediately going into the motions of taking down the large canopy, the wind now picking up enough to blow over my liquor bottle. Alright, this wasn’t a normal wind. Thar be a shit storm a brewin’! Another heavy gust of wind licked the roof, causing me to lose my balance and fall back on the couch, a flash of lightening temporally blinding me as the following crack of thunder boomed in my ears. Alright, fuck this! I rolled off the couch, intent on letting the storm do it’s worst. Crawling now towards the door, I squinted my eyes to keep the dust and debris out. This was crazy! I never seen a storm this bad! Shouldn’t there be rain or hailstones or something?!

I was just about to flip over my couch and take cover under it when... it all stopped. The winds, the thunder, the lightening... gone, leaving behind some random car alarms blaring throughout the streets below. I stood up, looking around, rubbing my eyes as if waking up from a dream. There weren’t even any clouds, now! Just pinprick points of light against the dark blue sky. I looked out over the city. All in all, it was no worse for wear. Just as I turned back to head for the door, I noticed the first lights go out. It started with a few apartments and houses below. I looked over the edge of the roof, watching house after house in the neighborhood go dark. Then, the entire next neighborhood. Then... sections of the city? “Great... What’s next, the ‘Cloverfield’ monster?” I said to myself. Suddenly, a thought popped into my mind. A thought so strange, so foreign to me, it demanded attention. Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out the article Mikey showed me earlier. Between the darkness of the roof and absence of a moon that night, I had to pull my cell phone out, using the light from the screen to illuminate the paper...

“Massive Experiment to Take Place TODAY!”

My eyes ran down the article, falling at one of the last lines near the end: ‘The scheduled test will be run later this evening at 9:00 p.m., EST.’ I quickly turned my phone over, looking at the time: 9:00 p.m. ... “Oh, no fuckin’ way...” No sooner did I whisper out my shock, than my phone died as well, completely unresponsive to my quick attempts to turn it back on. From over the horizon, wave after wave of light and color rolled like thunder heads across the sky. I dropped my phone and the article, the paper drifting off the roof to the street below as I watched the aurora wash over the world. But the light brought something else with it. As I looked up at the sky, I thought I could make out... shapes? Outlines of objects zig-zagged through the aura, and if I were a more superstitious or religious man, I’d swear they were... angels, beings with long flowing hair trailing behind them, wings outstretched and flapping hard as they passed, just high enough that I could make out their general shape against the light, but not close enough to make out any detail. This continued for a minute or two, the sounds of shouting pedestrians filling the streets below, sometimes accompanied by gunfire. The winged creatures seemed to grow closer and closer to the ground, becoming more detailed. Just as the creatures came within a stones throw of the roof, the sky flickered again. Slowly fading waves of light rippled across the sky, the creatures blinking out, one by one like the flames on distant candles. I held my breath, waiting for the next stage of this strange event to unfold. Finally, the aura vanished, taking the creatures with it. Then... nothing.

My cell phone turned back on by itself, followed by the lights in the houses on the street, then the next neighborhood, and then the city. Headlights came back on in stalled cars on the street, and the clear, dark blue sky went back to normal. Every trace of the event was gone now, save for the messy scene on my roof. I stood there for a long while, just listening to the noise from the street below. Cars rolled along as citizens left their houses and checked on each other. Me? I walked right over to the bourbon and proceeded to pour it off the roof.

I went back down to my apartment, immediately flipping on the TV to one of the news channels. Surprisingly, nothing was on yet. Just some pre-recorded report about some Wall street scandal. I flipped through to the other news channels, finding them off the air, along with several other random channels on the way. I opened my cell phone and tried to call Mikey. No signal? Turning on the desktop, I tried to get online, finding the net down as well. Oh, really? Really, guy? What the fuck ever...

I didn’t know what to make of what just happened. Was that really the effects of that test? What the hell was with that weather, and the aurora, and those... creatures? All that, compiled with the news Cashmere dropped on me left me mentally and emotionally exhausted. Left with no real way to find out anything substantial about what the hell just happened, and lacking the energy to try any harder, I was left with little choice but to call it a night and try again tomorrow. No matter, anyways. I’m sure whatever happened won’t wind up effect me in the least...

**************************************************************************************************************************

Like I said, I'll be hitting this story up and building onto it every time I get little bits and pieces of time to myself. I'll make these chapters shorter than my main fic so they should come a little sooner, too. Have fun until then, colts and fillys. T.T.F.N., Ta-Ta for now!

p.s. - remember to comment, like, or favorite. I likes me some feedbacks.

Under Pressure

Recent rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. ;P here's some freshy-freshy for ya. Once again, this is my 'I-don't-really-care,' just for the hell of it, random idea fic that I'm running with. I'm still surprised by the warm reception it initially got. Also, whenever I'm feeling stuck on other fics I'm working on, I'll be working on this to clear my head. So don't be surprised if this story comes a little sooner than other work. Anyways, here ya go, guys. Enjoy!

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

o/` Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin' ... o/`

Flogging Molly – The Times They Are a-Changing

Chapter 2

Under Pressure

I woke up the next day to the same ringing alarm I have for the last two years, pounding it with a half-asleep fist until the noise stopped. I lay there for a moment, wiping the sleep from my eyes and gathering myself, allowing the pins and needles sensation to gradually leave my limbs. I didn’t sleep well that night. Too many weird dreams of creatures flying through the sky, landing on my rooftop, flashing lights. If I didn’t know better, I’d say all of last night was a dream. Only the angry conversation I had with Cashmere yesterday reminded me it was all too real.

I got out of bed and got myself ready for another day in paradise, going through my morning routine with a quickness seldom used. Hell, I even had time to clean Merlin’s litter box. As pressing as the ultimatum Cash gave me was, I put that on the back burner for the moment. For now, I decided to dedicate the rest of my morning before work to web browsing and channel surfing for answers to just what the fuck happened last night!

I flipped the TV on and didn’t have to look very hard. The news station I put on last night that had to useful information had a shining, animated headline rolling across the screen.:

“Super Collider Test Malfunctions!”

Ooooohhhhhh, Shit! What in the name of ALL SCREAMING FUCK did I see last night?! I pulled the laptop across the coffee table and flipped it open, calling up an opposing news network’s site with the same results; live streaming coverage from Tokyo, Sydney, Beijing, Moscow, London, Johannesburg, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Los Angeles, all with the same reports; sudden storms springing up from nothing, blackouts, colored lights rolling across the sky, strange creatures being seen all over the world, a world-wide five minute blackout, the works! And all coinciding with the unified super collider test. The saving grace was that each of the machines had a safety protocol in their programming that shut them down in the event of loss of communication with any one other machine. The entire thing lasted only five minutes, thank God, but caused a world-wide uproar.

On another channel, there was a report of a mass-suicide, the group believing the vision of the creatures was a sign of the apocalypse. Another report said there was some rogue military base in Siberia that went on lock down and was refusing to let anyone within five miles of the place until the soldiers inside knew it wasn’t a full-scale invasion by some evil, alien race. Still, another channel shown thousands of protesters in front of Buckingham Palace, demanding the Queen give some sort of explanation as to the events of the night before. Damn, this would have interested me if I didn’t have much more pressing matters in mind.

I looked up at the clock and noticed I had only ten minuted to get to work. Son of a bitch! It takes me at least twenty, by the time I get a coffee or a newspaper and find a parking place! I turned everything off and hopped in the elevator, bolting to my truck and taking off for work... only to be stuck in the most traffic I’ve ever seen this early in the morning. There was a SHIT TON of people out, today! Pushing in and out of stores, fighting on the sidewalks, racing up and down the streets. It was a real life 'Arkham City.' I barely made it to work with my life, let alone on time. I got there twenty minutes late, and immediately found my boss, stressing in his office.

“Corbin! You make it here alright? When did ya get here?” Wally, our foreman, was usually out of sorts. He always had councilmen or the mayor on his back for some reason or another, not to mention the hundreds of citizens that somehow had his personal cell number and pestered him relentlessly about every bent street sign or crack in the sidewalks. But today, with everything going on, he seemed strangely... in control, I guess would be a good name for it?

“Um... Yeah, I made it OK. Sorry I’m late, though. Traffic was-”

“Insane? I know. Don’t worry; I’m putting everyone that just makes it in alright today in the books as ‘on time.’ Just grab a truck and a partner and take a ‘walkie’ with ya. Tune it to the police band. Take whatever you think you might need for whatever situation might come up. We’re helping the cops today.” I instantly gave him my best WTF face on that.

“Wait, ‘helping the cops?’Are you kiddin’ me? Are we even qualified for that?”

“Nope, but we're doing it anyway. We’re doing clean-ups and assists all day, until the people calm down from that weird phenomenon last night. C’mon, now! Asses and elbows, Corbin! MOVE IT!” He spun me around and pushed me back out of his office, onto the garage and right into Mikey.

“Jeremy! How ya doin,’ my man?!” He was wearing his Cheshire cat, shit-eating grin. I already knew what it was all about. That ‘I told ya so’ informed me I'd be sitting next to the Tasmanian Devil on crack all day. “Didn’t I tell ya?! I called it! I totally called it!”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” I said, trying to deflate his ego a little before it crushed the entire garage. “Let’s just get out of here. Old Man Wallace looks like he’s ready to snap in half and die.” Mikey and I looked back through he glass window of the office, Wally resting his head on his desk, shaking it back and forth with his hands cupped on the back of his neck.

“Oh, damn. Good idea...”

We quickly grabbed an assortment of tools that we thought would help us as we quote, unquote assisted the cops; sledge hammer, two crowbars, two shovels, two brooms, a few bags of Oil-B-Dry powder, duct tape, zip-ties, a few old recycling cans we had laying around and a walkie-talkie, already police-band ready. Hopping in our usual 3-ton dump truck, we headed out for whatever chaos waited us.

***

And I thought Boston was a more upper-class, logic-minded, down to earth city... Yeah fuckin’ right! We were running with the cops all day! Sweeping up broken glass from smashed windows, drying up blood on sidewalks. We helped break up at least seven fights and had to break two people out of crashed cars, the one from a head on collision we watched happen right in front of us! Even though most of the morning was madness, Mikey and I still were able to catch a lot of what was still happening around the world on the local talk radio station. Ours was only one of the hundreds of towns and cities where people were panicking. However, like most towns and cities around the world, the vast majority of the craziness died down by midday. You'd be surprised how two people in a lock-up on the ground calm themselves when there's a guy standing over them with a 12 lb. sledge hammer. After lunch, we practically had nothing to do, riding around just waiting to receive a word from the police. Thankfully, that call never came. By quitting time, we were more than happy to punch out and get the hell outta there.

After the slow and careful commute home, I made my way back into my building, again being greeted by Cashmere. He was more than happy to remind me of my massive debt I owed him. He chocks it up to a friendly reminder. I chock it up to him being a dick.

I changed back into my normal clothes and proceeded right to the fridge, reaching for the bottle of bourbon. Wait... shit. Poured it out. Scratch that.

Merlin met me on the couch as I hopped over the back and landed, facing the TV. Turning on the same news station I’ve been favoring lately, I was met by the talking walnut image of the current U.S. Secretary of Defense. He seemed to be finishing up some speech as dozens of flashes of cameras fired off at once. By the time I got the volume up on the TV, he had gathered up his papers from the podium and walked away. I didn’t hear one word he spoke, though, the man making way for the president. I didn't vote for the guy. Hell, I never voted at all! Just on the fact that I didn't like the guy, I would have turned it off. Except, the scrolling headline at the bottom of the screen; “THE WORLD MAKES FIRST CONTACT!” Oh, lord...

Well, we wanted an answer as to what happened, and me and the whole world got it. The collider test just so happened to coincide with a test of a portal system that an actual ALIEN RACE was running at the same time. Yes, I said alien. But not like the term usually implies. They weren't from 'outer' space, but more like 'other' space. A world existing beside, inside, around, right on top of our own. The parallel running energies and dimensional vibrations matched up, creating a doorway system, yadda yadda yadda. Whatever. This president sounded like an idiot when he LIKED what he was talking about. Now, trying to explain this? He sounded like a high school jock who accidentally wondered onto the stage at a Star Trek convention.

To make a long story short, both our cultures discovered neighbors we never knew we had before. The auroras, the blackout, the freak storm the other night? All caused by the colliders opening of dozens of holes in reality connecting out two worlds. Right now, the 120 or so portals were stabilized, safe and fully operational, thanks to a joint effort between our scientists and 'Equestria,' whatever the hell that is. That's all for now, stay tuned, good night, and good luck.

The analysts and debunkers now took centers stage, the image of the president fading as he walked off screen and the small windows in the corners of the screen maximized to the news desks around the world. I sat there as they went over point by point by point, running over dozens of scenarios as to this and that. It was decided that the reason the U.S. Government admitted to the encounter(and several other major governments around the world, as well) was that the event was just too massive to write off as a hallucination, weather balloons or swamp gas. Also, the reason we're apparently talking to them instead of oh, I don't know... cluster bombing them out of existence, could be either one or both of two reasons;

1: They're non-hostile. The aliens have clearer heads than us, and approached us peacefully, extending a hand... um... claw... tentacle, maybe(?) of friendship. Perhaps they had technology to give us to help with our energy needs? Concrete cure-all drug to end all disease? Secrets of space travel? Who knows. Or...

2: More likely, they're a shit-ton more powerful than us. They probably got all I mentioned and much, much more. Any move to attack them would result in our planet being turned inside out and shoved up our collective asses.

My own opinion? It's a little from column A and a little from column B. They're super-powerful and made a point to show it, if not violently. We're playing it cool until we know we can blast them to hell and back. I reached for the remote and flipped to my two other fall-back news stations, finding them already deep in conversation over the astounding news.

I sat back on the couch, allowing the news to sink in. Wow.. guess Mikey and all those other conspiracy nuts were right all along. Actual aliens. And...Yeah, that's it. I'm over it. What? You're shocked? Hey, usually big, important stuff like this only happens in big, important places. The fact that I saw it in the night sky was pretty cool, but then again, the entire world saw it. I guess we're lucky the planet wasn't pulled apart, but other than that, I had bigger things to worry about than aliens. Real, importing, pressing matters that actually affected my daily life. Like, for example, the fact that I'm about to lose my home.

I watched the pundits go back and forth for a few hours, not leaning anything really new. Maybe a photo of these supposed little green men would have been helpful, perhaps? Whatever. I turned the TV off and picked up the laptop. As much as I hated to admit it... I still needed a LOT of money to break even with my rent. I looked around my apartment, carefully considering the two empty bedrooms I built off of my own. I was just using them for storage, after all. I looked around at the wide, open spaces of my apartment. Would I really miss not having this place all to myself? Reluctantly, I opened up the writing program and started typing:

HELP!!!

ROOMMATE WANTED!!!!!

Studio apartment for rent!

Plenty of space in this 80' by 100' space, converted to a HUGE 2 bedroom, top floor apartment. Must share rent, utilities, have source of income.

Students welcome!

Desperate for someone to move in soon!

Will take ANY FORM OF SENTIENT LIFE WITH A PULSE AT THIS POINT!!!

Please, contact Cashmere at

(740) 555-1130

(Non smoker preferred)

With a gulp, I hit print, several copies quickly filing out of the wireless printer across the room. I moseyed over and looked them over, a chill running down my back for some reason. Well, nothing left to do now but post them up and wait.

***

Now I can't say I was expecting a call the first day. No, that would be unrealistic. No call the first few days? Alright, I'll buy that. But by the end of the second week and still nothing? What da fuq? As I rooted through my old collections of junk and conversation pieces I had strewn around my apartment, I waited. More than patiently, I might ad. Sometimes, I would even go around town to the many places I posted up the fliers to make sure they were still up. In the laundromat, in the library, at some local skate spots, grocery stores, even at some college hangouts! STILL NOTHING!!! It hurt me to do so, but it looked like I'd have to start selling stuff to make my rent.

As I sat worrying for these few weeks, I have to admit; I got pretty depressed. My days became a steady routine of work, eat, shit, shower, sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat. However, I did find time to drink myself into a stupor on a bi-daily basis. That's always helpful. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the world had it's own issues to deal with. Issues that I only heard of in passing through my daily work excursions with Mikey, who, by the way, seemed to fall more and more into the tin-foil hat crowd as days went by. The 'aliens' now started meeting with human scientists, politicians, military officials. You know, all the big shots out there. Also, lots of human scientists have been traveling to their world, giving them information on our society, culture and history. Now, even with my limited knowledge of world history, even I know that's probably not a good idea! Hell, if they didn't want to kill us yet, they'd certainly want to, now!

Every other day for weeks, humans and the 'Equestrians' have been visiting each others worlds, conversing, learning new things about each other. And as much as I would like to get involved and learn more, I can't help but find my mind wondering back to the cause of all my misery: Erica. If only she hadn't left. If she wasn't such a crazy bitch. Maybe I tried too hard. Maybe I should have been more... ya know what? I don't even know anymore. All I know is the thought of losing my home that I tried so hard to build has consumed my every waking thought. Then again, I might be one of the few people left on the planet that hasn't let watching these Equestrian aliens take over their daily routines. And just like Erica, everything becomes about them... what they want, what they like, how humans can help them and so on and so on. Maybe the reason nobody is calling about my ad is because everyone's too busy drooling over this other world business to take a chance and help me out. Whatever. That's just the story of my life; always left hanging while everybody, and in this case, every 'thing,' get's what they want.

***

On the final day of my deadline with Cashmere, I felt like I was floating. I vaguely remember getting up, getting dressed, going to work. It was the end of his six week extension period, and I still wasn't any closer to having the huge amount of cash than I was when he first told me. Any attempt to get some overtime hours was sucked up by the guys who had more seniority than me. Pricing some of my odd nick-knacks online was a dead end, too. And by the time I sold them on some of the auction sites, it would be too late. I even looked into getting a paper route and shoveling all the money right into Cash's pocket, but all the routes large enough to be of any help were too big for me to finish by the time I had to go to work for the city.

Every avenue was a dead end. And by the time I made it home this afternoon, my lease would be officially violated and I'd be out on the street. I couldn't even blame Cash for it. He had his bills and responsibilities to take care of, and I couldn't uphold my end of the deal.

Asking Mikey to move in was a waste of my time, too. He was still living with his folks and wouldn't give up that safety net for any love or money. For now, he and I sat in the truck, killing the last few hours of the day parked in a maintenance tunnel, one of our usual hiding spots about the city. He was still going on, rambling about the 'aliens' and some program between their government and ours for education or something. I just let him rant on and get it out of his system.

Just before I nodded off, my cell rang, the caller I.D. showing me it was Cashmere. Mikey stopped for a minute as I pulled the phone from my pocket, half expecting it to be the boss Reluctantly, I answered, ready for any snarky reminder of my outstanding debt.

“Jeremy! Iz go** you answe*! Terrif** **ws! You ad for ro****** got someone to call me. They're her* **ght now, ready to mov* in!” The huge concrete tunnel we parked in was just as lousy for reception as it was on a G4 connection. I couldn't understand a lot of what he said, but I was able to make out something about my roommate ad?!

“Cashmere? Say that again! What about my roommate ad?” I held my breath for a moment, hoping whatever he was saying would somehow magically come through clear.

“You won't belie** ****, Jerem*, but **e's a **ny! Iz amazing, rig**?! You get to me** *** ***ight!” Son of a bitch! The signal was still too garbled for me to make it out. Mikey just sat there, looking on as I cursed at my phone, unable to do anything to fix it.

“Just tell me when I come home, Cash! I see ya soon!” As soon as I said that, the phone cut out, beeping to signify the disconnect. I shoved the phone back in my pocket, annoyed as I checked the time on the dashboard. Almost time to punch out. Good. Cashmere sounded WAY too excited about hearing a response to that ad. I couldn't wait to get home and walk into whatever fresh hell waited for me.

***

I think I raced home faster than I ever did through rush hour traffic. I'd be surprised if I wasn't responsible for half a dozen cars being driven off the road with how many yellows AND reds I ran under. Parking in my usual spot, I hopped out and started jogging across the parking lot, but something caught my eye. Two moving vans, a trio of burly guys standing behind the one, laughing about something over their smoke break. Oh, what the hell, Cashmere? ALREADY? Thanks a lot for having a clear conversation about this with me!

I entered the ground floor and went straight to the old man's office, finding it empty. I checked the number he called from on my phone again, finding it to be his office line. Alright, I know he's here, at least. I went over to my private elevator and got inside, hitting the button for my floor as I prepared myself for the worst.

The box hit my floor with the usual !CHUNG!, announcing my arrival to Merlin. Curiously, the little fuzzball didn't come like he usually did. I opened the metal gate and got off, taking my phone out again. Screw it, I'm calling Cash's cell. I got a weird feeling about this, and I don't like it.

I hit send and held the phone to my ear, the sudden muffled chiming of Cashmere's phone sounding from the far end of my massive apartment. I took a few steps to the side, peeking around the edge of my kitchen area to catch him looking over a few old books I had on a large bookshelf I had.

“Cash?” I said, just loud enough for the old man to hear me. “What are you doing here? Did I hear you right earlier? Did you get a call-back on those roommate fliers I put around?” He looked over at me and smiled, replacing the book on the shelf and coming over to me, arms wide.

“Jeremy! Iz true! You, my friend, have a new roommate. Iz that not wonderful, boychik?” He threw his arms around me and gave me a tight, friendly squeeze. I barely shared his enthusiasm. Breaking out of his hold, I kicked off my boots and walked over to the fridge, taking out a can of soda.

“Well, I'm glad you ran that by me, old pal!” I said, the annoyance apparent in my voice. “I see the moving vans outside already. Tell me; were they for me, or are they for my new 'bestest-best buddy, forever-est?'” He gave me a loud, jovial laugh, wagging a finger at me.

“Oh no, my friend. I knew there would be some miracle that pulled you through. And low and behold, iz miracle!” I looked around the apartment, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Alright, then. Where is the guy?” He snickered a little, approaching me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Oh, Jeremy. Iz no 'guy.'”

“Wait, my new roommate is a chick?!” I pulled away from him, giving him dirty look. “Well, excuses ME all to hell, Cash! Thanks a lot for asking how I felt about that! You know the trouble I had with Erica, here!” I sat down on the couch, throwing my head back, running my hands down my face. “Now, I gotta put up with another girl's nonsense?” I sighed, scanning around the apartment once again. “Well, where is she?” Across the apartment, I heard the toilet flush, followed by a bubbly giggle from behind the closed door. I stood up off the couch and moved to investigate, being quickly flanked by Cashmere, still wearing a goofy grin.

“Oh, my dear boychik... I forgot to mention this iz not your usual-type girl.” I gave him a curious look over my shoulder, turning back just in time to see the bathroom door sway open. Out walked a dark orange, four legged creature with a bright blue mane and brilliant green eyes. The thing clopped out of the bathroom, grinning as it looked up and down, inspecting the apartment and seemingly liking what it saw. Then, it's eyes fell to me. The thing's smile widened as it approached, my feet frozen in place as this small animal casually strolled up to me and raised a foreleg in a gesture of greeting. And just when I didn't think this moment could get any weirder, the little monster spoke.

“Hi! You must be Jeremy. My name's Autumn Rain. I'm your new roommate!”

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

I'm about 2/3 the way done with my latest Star Crossed chapter, so you'll be getting that soon, as well. Until then, everypony feel free to post comments, like or favorite. But mostly comment! you guys are hilarious sometimes!

T.T.F.N. - Ta-Ta for now!

Over my Head

Alright. Totally back, now. I had to stop writing all together due to an impromptu trip to Mars for a while, but I'm back now and I brought T-SHIRTS FOR EVERYPONY! WOO-HOO! (pleanty of F-shirts for my friends with 2 arms on one side, as well). Anyways, here's another chapter of crazyness. Hope you like it. Enjoy!

****************************************************************************************************************************

o/` Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep,

All the thoughts in my head, instead of going under.

Instead of going under. ... o/`

Sum 41 – In Too Deep

Chapter 3

Over My Head

I stood there in stunned disbelief, unsure if I should pass out, wet myself or run for my life. However, despite the confused look I KNEW I was giving it, the little orange creature continued to smile. Unconsciously, I found my hand extending to meet her, um... her... hoof, I guess? I DON'T KNOW, I NEVER DEALT WITH AN ALIEN BEFORE!!!

“I'm so glad I found your ad, Mr. Corbin. For a while, I was worried I might have to stay home and forget coming to your world at all. Thank you SO much!” The little orange thing suddenly touched the bottom of it's hoof to my open palm, suckin my hand in! I stood silent, staring goofily at my hand stuck to her hoof for a minute. The invisible grip released just as I heard the 'chung' of my elevator reaching my floor again. The gate opened, and the three burly guys from the parking lot walked in, carrying bags and boxes in on hand trucks.

“AH! Good, good! Just leave anywheres, boychiks. Thank you so much.” With a word from Cash, the movers walked into the apartment and dropped three large trunks, a small bookshelf and a suitcase on the floor next to my couch. The creature, apparently named 'Autumn,' gave a happy squeal, trotting over to the items as the three lumber jacks walked back to the elevator. The little orange alien looked up at me and smiled, placing a hoof on one of the cases.

“I'll just move these into my room, alright? I'll be out of the way in no time.” With that, she leaned forward and grabbed the handle of one of the cases in her teeth and started dragging it backwards towards my spare room. This was becoming more than I could contain. Quickly I turned, taking Cashmere by the arm and dragging him over to the elevator just before the movers closed the gate.

“Cash,” I hissed through my teeth. “we need to have a talk, right now.” He gave me a confused look, followed by his signiture goofy smile.

“Oh, OKs, Jeremy. Hey, Miss Rain!” he shouted back into the apartment, causing the pony-thing to turn and look. “Me and boychik must go talk for while. You get all comfy-cozy, yes?” The little alien girl smiled and nodded in response, heading to mmy spare room.

“Alright, Mr. Cashmere! Thanks again. See ya later!” she said, her head disappearing around the door frame and out of sight. I reached forward and closed the gate, hitting the ground floor button and sending us all down the chute. As we started moving, I felt a pat on my one shoulder from one of the movers.

“Boy, yer one enlightened young fella, I tell ya what. I don't know if I'd be willin' ta share my home with an alien like that. Good fer you, kiddo.” I wanted to shove his head right up his ass at that point. His sentiments were quickly echoed by one of his coworkers, also trying to look on the bright side of my plight.

“Yeah, right? She seems like a nice girl, at least. I envy you; two young, single kids, sharing an apartment together. Living together, day by day. I smell love in the air.” Urge... to kill... rising...! The three started to chuckle at the sick joke, making me want to start swinging right then and there. Instead, being outnumbered by three guys WAY outside my weight class, I had little choice but to joke back.

“Heheheh. Yeah, maybe. Unless any of you guys want first dibs?” This only made them laugh louder, their volume drowning out my own forced, fake laughter. We reached the bottom floor, the elevator stopping as I threw open the gate, allowing us all to filed out. The three movers offered their goodbyes as me and Cash approached his office doors. As the last guy walked out the main entrance, I grabbed the aged Heavy Weapons Guy by the back of the neck and shoved him into his office. Cash offered little protest, though. I imagine he thought I was playing around. The two of us weren't above pranking each other or play-fighting when we were both in a good mood. However, as I tossed him in his office chair, I'm sure the look on my face cleared up any confusion as to my intentions.

“You and me are gonna come to terms, RIGHT NOW, Cashmere!” I shouted, pointing my finger right in his face. For his part, he showed incredible self-control. I started taking swings at guys for far less than that in my younger days. Cash, on the other hand, must have just thought I was the funniest thing in the world at the moment. With a joyful shout, the old man bounced back up out of his chair, immediately throwing me into a headlock, laughing like a maniac.

“Oh, boychik! For moment, I thought you very angry with me! Come now! Let 'Old Man Cashmere' have his fun!” Cash must have thought my anger was a joke! The old man, on very rare occasions, would feel the need to wrestle. He actually told me he used to be an ex Olympic-class grappler from some 50 or so years ago. Then again, he also claimed to be ex KGB Black Ops agent and member of Interpol.

“Ugh! Knock it off, Cash! And by the way, 'ANGRY' doesn't even BEGIN to cover it, here! Merlin's litter box isn't big enough for that THING to use, and I'm not laying newspapers all over my apartment!” For an old man, he was surprisingly spry. Cash turned and tightened his headlock, moving a leg around mine to try and keep me from getting leverage.

“Autumn no use litter box, Jeremy. She use toilet.”

“How do you know she didn't think the TUB was the toilet?!” I said, managing to reach around and grab his leg, turning him as I reversed the choke hold. The old lunatic just kept on laughing.

“I heard toilet flush. She used it. Unless she thought toilet was fountain and was drinking from it!” He broke into another round of laughter, spinning out of my grip as he moved around me and put me in a type of standing arm-bar hold.

“DAMNIT, Cash! I wanted a person, not a Pokemon!” I said with great difficulty.

“Oh, no, Jeremy. She is pegasus, not Pokemon. Big difference!” I grabbed his arm, twisting it, causing him to holler for a moment before he started laughing again.

“Oh, great, old man! Who gets my other spare room, then; Medusa or the Kraken?!” I twisted again, holding him in place and almost WANTING to hear a satisfying snap. “How could you DO this to me?!?! How could you let that... that THING move in with me?!” What happened next, I couldn't diagram for you without 3 different camera angels and a slow-motion button. Somehow, I wound up spun around, grabbed, and slammed into the ground on my stomach with both arms behind my back. Cash looked down on me, his one hand hold both of mine somewhere up between my shoulder blades.

“Because, my good friend Jeremy, she gave me THESE!” I heard the sound of coins jingling behind me. A moment later, Cash's hand lowered into my field of vision, holding several bright, shiny gold coins. I immediately stopped struggling, feeling Cash get off my back as I rolled over, never taking my eyes off the handful of gold. I reached out, taking one of the coins from his palm and inspecting it. One the one side was a stylized image of a horse, standing in the middle of a sun, with another horse standing in a crescent moon on the reverse.

“Cash... is this...?”

“18K gold, my friend!15 coins at $432 a gram more than covers her first and last months rent, PLUS, everything you owe me in back rent. Iz not wonderful?!” I snapped out of my gold trance and looked at him, trying to process his words.

“Wait... she paid MY back rent, too? What for?” Cash only shrugged, putting the coins back in his pocket.

“She was so grateful for apartment to rent, she paid your debt. You are now 'Brit free,' my boychik!” he said, patting me on the shoulder. I was too stunned to tell him the expression was 'Scot free' as I crawled over to a chair in his office. This was all too much to take in. Why did this alien girl have any interest in helping me out?

“I don't get it...” I said. “She doesn't know me from Adam. Why did she go ahead and pay my debt?” The old man shrugged, still huffing a bit from our wrestling match. He leaned back on his chair behind his desk, grinning at me.

“What? You no watch news in last month or so? Ponies are friendly, nice folk. Good seeds. She here to study at human school and need place to live. Lots of pony doing this.” he said, matter-of-factly. I put my hands on my face, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a heavy sigh.

“I don't think I can handle this, Cash. I mean... an alien girl, living in MY apartment?! That's so... “ I must have made a disgusted face. Suddenly, Cash's expression changed from joyful to disappointed.

“Jeremy, my friend. Don't tell me you no like her, just because she pony-girl.” I stayed silent, giving him a nervous grin. The old man just shook his head. “Goodness, Jeremy. I never would have though you to be specist.” I pounded the arm of the couch once with my fist, giving him an indignant look.

“Hey! I'm not a-wait... 'specist?'” I asked confused.

“Specist! You know, it's a...” Cash said, rolling his hand on his wrist as he absentmindedly looked off into nowhere. “... like a racist, but against other species. You know, a bigot.”

“WHAT?!” I shouted, standing up in shock. “I'm not a bigot! I just don't-” Go ahead and say it, Jeremy. You don't want an alien roommate because he's right; you ARE a specist. I stuttered, trying to find the correct words to make myself seem less like an ass. Yeah, no luck there. Finally, I sighed in exasperation, running my hands down my face. “FINE!!!” I stormed over to the door, throwing it open so it hit hard against the wall, the doorknob leaving a dent. “I'll give her a chance, if only to prove you wrong! I am NOT a specist, Cash!” I stepped out of the room, giving him an angry look over my shoulder. “Thanks for selling me out for some coins, Judas.” I slammed the door, leaving on that note as I stomped back to my elevator. Throwing the gate closed, I hit the button for my floor, watching the ground disappear out the bottom of the box.

***

The elevator reached my floor with the usual 'chung,' the gate sliding open with the usual ease. For a while, I just stood there, looking out into my apartment. I was too nervous to move, like I was... scared to go out and talk with this thing. Cautiously, I walked out, looking from side to side as I went. The boxes and cases the movers brought were gone, vanished without a trace. Maybe I'll be lucky and this was all just some weird, really lucid dream.

'All quiet on the western front.' I thought. That is, until I started walking by the closed door to my first spare bedroom. I could hear talking coming from behind the door, the alien pony girl making the oddest noises. Well, there goes my dream theory. I took a step closer, immediately regretting it. My foot pressed down on one of the many loose boards in my floor, causing a very audible creak. The talking stopped, followed by a series of clops as she approached the door. 'OhshitOhhellOhfuckOhdamnOhcrapOh-'

“Oh, hi! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come back.” The...'pony' said, giving me a smile. I politely smiled back as she turned back into my spare- I mean, 'her' room. I peaked into the room, giving it a once over. Cash and I must have been wrestling for longer than I thought. She had already personalized the room with a lot of what she brought with her in the trunks and cases. The book shelf was set up against the wall, already filled with a few dozen books of various sizes and colors. The empty and sheet-free full bed I kept in the room was already covered with a sky blue bed spread, speckled with embroidered puffs of clouds. Laid out on the bed were what appeared to be a few winter coats and scarves. Hanging up on a small hook I placed on the wall was what appeared to be a purse. However, instead of having two straps for handles, it almost appeared to be a double purse, with two bags connected together by two long lengths of strap. Whatever that thing was used for, I had no idea. And there, sitting on the bed, was my traitorous cat, Merlin, sprawled out with the tip of his tail flicking as she moved all around him.

'Et tu, Merlin?' I thought, giving him a dirty look. The little bugger seemed to give me a look that said, 'Go sit on it and twirl, jerk!' as he laid his head back down, content to let this little invader continue to claim my spare room.

“I just want to thank you again for letting me stay here, Mr. Corbin.” she said, continuing to unpack her belongings from a small trunk. “When I heard about Princess Celestia's program of trading academics between our worlds, I literally jumped at the chance to come here. I mean, the more I know about my profession, the more ponies- I mean 'beings' I can help, right?” She finished with a giggle. She closed the trunk,taking the handle in her mouth and giving the entire thing a hearty toss, sliding it across the floor and into perfectly into the corner. I just looked on as she spoke, half nervous and half confused as to just what the fuck she was talking about.

“That... that's great, um.. Autumn, right?” Again, I got a smile as she turned and nodded, quickly returning to unpacking her stuff. “Alright, alright... well... how about I just let you get all comfy and cozy while I... tend to some things.” Autumn answered with an 'Alright!' as I ducked out of the room. I walked past my coffee table, scooping up my laptop as I headed for the stairs to the roof. I needed to do some... (pause for dramatic effect)... RESEARCH!

***

I found a comfy spot on my couch on the roof, forgetting to re-raise the tent over it for the moment as I attended to more pressing maters. I wasted no time getting online, calling up numerous tabs and firing off key words like if I did a good enough job of it, I'd win a prize. The first search was two words, simply enough 'alien ponies.' Turns out, that was all I needed. Holy SHIT, was that a lot of results! The called themselves ponies, of course, but they were only one of many, MANY races found to be living on this alternate world humans discovered. There were also griffins, dragons, zebras, some things called Diamond Dogs(probably Bowie fans) and a whole slew of other critters that humans didn't even know about yet. And in an attempt to keep the confusion to a minimum when referring to the two worlds, OUR world was now known as Earth 'Alpha,' with the pony's home world as Earth 'Omega.' How epic.

The ruler of the pony country on this Omega Earth(which, coincidentally enough, was called Equestria, by the way) was Princess Celestia, who ruled with her little sister Princess Luna for over... TEN THOSAND YEARS?! Apparently, they were worshiped as some sort of god-beings by the ponies, being both super powerful and living for an absurd amount of time. That probably explained the sun and moon on the coins Cash showed me. There were other god-beings on their world besides them, but they weren't mentioned in any of the articles I could find.

As I continued, I learned that for as far advanced as we were in the technology department, the residents of Omega were in the magic department. Yes, my friends, that's right; their world had magic. REAL magic. They could regrow limbs, organs, eyeballs, whatever with medical magic spells. They had real, working airships that would never lose hot air in the balloons. They had an entire CITY made out of fuckin' CLOUDS, for Christ sakes! And that was just the pony race!

I couldn't find out much more besides this... Celestia was cooperating with the Earth Alpha governments in the sharing of information and resources, building bridges between our two worlds, blah, blah, blah. That included a sort of student exchange program. Could that be what that Autumn was referring to? Was she here on some type of student visa, or something?

I turned off the laptop and looked at my phone. Already after 8:00. Holy hell, was I up here THAT long? Oh, man... she probably had my whole place ponyfied by now. With an overly exaggerated sigh for no one to hear, I headed back down to see how my guest was making out.

For the most part, my apartment was secure. Merlin was in his usual spot, sitting on the back of the couch right where my head would usually rest as I watch TV. The spare room- AUTUMN'S door was open, the trunks and cases she brought stacked outside the room in a neat pile.

“H,i again!” I turned my head as Autumn chimed from the kitchen, waving a hoof. Oh, God... hooves! Those are TOTALLY gonna scuff-up my hard wood floors. I moseyed on over in front of her as she looked curiously around at the cupboards.

“Um... do you … need something?' I asked, still feeling nervous around an actual alien life form. She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a very audible growl from her stomach. She gave me an embarrassed smile, chuckling halfheartedly.

“Hehehe... yeah, kinda. I hate to even ask, but I've been running around all day, getting ready for my move here. I didn't eat anything since breakfast, and I was wondering if, maybe...”

“Maybe you could get something to eat?” I said, finishing her sentence. She seemed almost embarrassed to ask, her ears folding back as she gave me what I could recognize as a nervous grin.

“I'm sorry... I don't want you to think I'm going to be some type of moocher, or anything. I promise I'll contribute my fair share of everything when I get to the store tomorrow. I just need something to tide me over for tonight.” I waved off her excuses and directed toward the fridge.

“Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it.” I directed her to the cupboard where I kept the plates and bowls, directly above the sink. “You can get whatever you need from there, and feel free to help yourself to whatever in the fridge interests you. I'll be getting ready for bed soon, so...” I paused for a moment, realizing my little mistake. Autumn only came up to my ribs, standing straight up. She couldn't reach anything up on that shelf. I turned, getting ready to apologize and expecting to find her giving me an annoyed look. Instead, I turned and found her face to face with me, standing on her hind legs as she reached up with a forehoof and opened the cupboard.

“Dangit, still can't reach...” Her wings were extended out behind her slightly, raising a foreleg up like a normal, human girl might when trying to reach up for something. I stood there silent for a moment, amazed by the very fact that she could stand like that. For the first time, I realized just how big this 'little' creature was. She stood on her hind legs just as tall as me, save an inch or two. “Alright, plan 'B,' then.” she said with a giggle. Dropping back down on all fours, Autumn hopped up into the air, beating her wings and sending a soft breeze through my kitchen. I stood there in amazement. Half because of the fact she was actually FLYING in my kitchen, and half because she had just reached into my cupboard and took a plate in her hoof. I'm gonna repeat that, because it bares repeating; SHE TOOK A PLATE... WITH HER HOOF!

“H-how the hell are you DOING that?!” I shouted, leaning back while pointing at the plate, seemingly suspended by nothing against her flat hoof. The pony girl looked at me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“What? Flying?” she said, tilting her head to the side as she landed on three hooves, placing the plate on the counter. “Well, I AM a pegasus, you know. We do that.”

“NO! I mean... THAT!” I pointed at the plate on the counter, probably looking like a mad-man. “How the hell did you hold that... WITHOUT FINGERS?!” She just stood there, giving me that confused look again.

“What, this?” Casually, she reached over, touching the side of the plate with her hoof. To my surprise, she took the plate again, holding it by the edge as easily as a human would hold a Frisbee. “That's just hoofspace. What, you didn't know that?” I shook my head, worried that the plate would fall to the floor at any moment, slipping from whatever force held it up. Placing the plate back on the counter, and walked over(trotted over?) to me, reaching up her right hoof and GRABBING my right hand. “As far as either you human or my pony scientists can figure, this is a trait that only quadripeds from my world have. It's called 'Hoofspace' by your scientists. We've just been so used to it, having it for so long, we just never named it.”

“S-so, what is it? I mean... you moved that plate like you had hands or fingers or... something.” I can't really describe the feeling of having Autumn take my hand in her hoof. It was almost like my hand had a magnetic charge that attracted it to her hoof. I marveled at the strange pulling sensation for a moment before my hand and arm stiffened up. Somehow, Autumn was able to manipulate the phenomenon to make it feel like the pressure was rolling back and forth across my hand, almost like I was in a handshake and the other person was alternating the pressure of his grip.

“There's a series of nerves that are unique to quadruped creatures of my world. They run from the brain to the bottom of all four hooves. A pony can manipulate a small gravitational field at the end of each hoof as easily as any other bipedal creature could use their fingers. Earth ponies have the strongest grip of the three tribes, while unicorn ponies have the weakest, usually relying on their magic to compensate. Pegasi are unique, in the way their broad surface area of hoofspace allows them to manipulate and walk on clouds.” She released my hand and turned around, taking the plate in her hoof again as she moved over to the fridge. “Alright, so... what do you have good?”

Again, I had to quickly gather myself. I vaguely remember her taking my hand when we first met in the same way. However, my mind was froze by the fact an alien pony from another dimension was standing in my living room. I opened the fridge and tried to shake off the impossible feat I've just witnessed, stepping back and presenting the contents of the fridge with a mock-flourish.

“Feel free to grub-up, girl. Help yourself to whatever you find.” Autumn trotted over(oh, God... TROTTED) and peered into the fridge, eyes going wide as a small cloud of cold air blew over her.

“Oh! Very cold. Tell me; did the mage that enchanted this fridge make it this cold on purpose?” I scratched my head, unsure as to how I should respond to that. I didn't get a chance to, however, the strange little creature's face suddenly changing to an expression of shocked disgust. “Ooh... what is that... horrible SMELL? Did... a mouse crawl in here and die or something..?” I quickly ran over next to her, leaning down and inspecting the fridge, shelf by shelf. Moving jars and plates and containers around revealed nothing that would produce a rotten smell. For a moment, I forgot she was an alien creature as she leaned very close to me, sniffing at the various items before us.

“I... I think it's coming from that drawer, there.” she said, pointing with the tip of a hoof. I opened the drawer, examining the contents. I went over the contents as I examined each, giving it all a good sniff.

“Deli cheese, Philly's cream cheese, lunch meat, a few tartar sauce packs from Long John Silver's...” Autumn quickly recoiled back from the fridge, eyes wide in horror. Instantly, her ears flattened on her head, her tail falling flat.

“Um... did you... you say... 'meat,' Jeremy?” She asked, her voice shaking. I pulled the pack of ham out, holding it as I sniffed it.

“Yeah, lunch meat. Why? What's...” Right about that time, I noticed her expression. Autumn suddenly regarded me with a sense of dread, shrinking back as she slowly backed away from me, never taking her eyes off of me.

“Humans... YOU... eat meat? As in... other creatures...” Her words came quiet, voice trembling as she swallowed hard. I threw the lunch meat back in the drawer, closing it as I shut the fridge.

“Um... yeah. You didn't know that?” I asked, surprised. This might have been the most shocking thing I've heard from the pony yet. She volunteered to live on our earth, after all. She should have known our diets, at least, if she wanted to live here. But the orange pony just shook her head, wings loosening from her sides as they drooped near the floor. “Hey, relax, now!” I said, waving my hands back and forth in front of me. “It's not like you're gonna wake up and find me gnawing on your leg, ya know! Human's don't eat ponies!”

“Well, what's THAT in the drawer?” she asked, almost on the verge of tears.

“Well... that's ham.” She tilted her head, giving me a curious look. Obviously, she didn't know. “Ham? You know, pig?” Her face contorted in disgust again as she raised a foreleg, repulsed again.

“PIGS?! Human's eat PIGS?!” she exclaimed. “Well, what other animals do humans eat?” I thought for a minute, wondering how she might take the news that humans ate just about ANYTHING they could catch!

“Um... pigs are one thing. Then there's chicken, turkey, fish, cow...” Autumn gasped, pushing herself back as her hind legs seemed to give out under her. Her forehooves shot over her mouth as it opened wide.

“COWS, too?! One... one of my best friends back home was a cow...” she whimpered. Now it was my turn to lose my balance. I leaned back against the fridge, almost sliding down it's surface, if not for the rubber of my boots holding me up.

“Friends?! Like... you spoke to the cow? Like... we're speaking, now?” Her expression suddenly turned indignant, the pony standing straight up, leaning towards me with an angry stare.

“YES, like we're speaking now! And she's one of the nicest, kindest, sweetest creatures I've ever met!” Autumn paced back and forth, never taking her eyes off me as she continued her verbal brow-beating. “I can't believe you humans! How could you do that to all those creatures?! It's absolutely horrible!”

“Well, it's not like cows or pigs or any other animals talk on THIS world!” I fired back. Suddenly, Autumn stopped in her tracks, giving me another stunned look.

“They... they don't?” she said, curiously.

“NO! What, did you think humans would really go around EATING other SENTIENT creatures?! Like we'd just kill and eat them without caring what they felt or what we were doing?! That's just...” I felt a full-body chill run through me, the idea of my food talking back to me creeping me out to no end. “.... yuck.” Autumn sat down hard on her rump, leaning back against the back of my couch, blankly staring at the floor. Suddenly, the realization hit me as I noticed her face. “Wait... you really didn't know that?”

“... no... no, I didn't...” As I took a breath to calm myself, I heard the little pony sniffle. I took a step forward and looked over the small island in the kitchen, noticing Autumn sitting on the ground on the verge of tears. Way to go, you asshole. Go ahead. Make the little alien girl cry her first night on earth. Slowly, I made my way over to her, taking a few paper towels with me as leaned down in front of her.

“Hey... I”m sorry, alright? I didn't mean to get loud, there.” She didn't respond. Instead, she just continued sniffling and looking like she was about to break down. Fuck, Corbin! You better fix this! I reached out, offering a paper towel to her. Autumn took it and started fidgeting with it between her hooves. “Look... humans have flaws, but we're not THAT bad. I mean, we're not 100% carnivores. We're omnivores. We don't need to eat meat to survive. And if it bothers you...” Wait, am I really gonna say this? “... I'll give all the meat in the fridge away. If it makes you uncomfortable, I won't eat it in the apartment.” Did I just... yeah, yeah... I think I DID just become a vegetarian in my own home for a girl I just met a few hours ago. Wait... I called her a girl...?

“It's(sniff)... it's not just that. It's everything...” Small streams of tears started flowing down her muzzle as she rose a hoof to wipe them away. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's seeing a girl cry, no matter the species. Slowly, I lowered myself to the floor, scooting over and sitting down beside her. For the first time since she arrived, I got a really good look at her close up. She had a thin coat of fur over her whole body, a vibrant shade of orange, even in the low light of the evening. Her eyes were an unusual forest green shade, shining slightly from her tears. Her long, night-sky blue mane fell over her shoulders with little light purple highlights running through. I did have to admit now; she was a cute little thing. Almost like a cartoon character or something, come to life.

“Well, what do ya mean?” I asked, trying to sound genuine. Se wiped away a few tears with the towel and continued.

“I... I didn't really want to come to this world...” she said, trying but failing to suppress her tears from flowing further. “I just graduated with honors from The Royal Canterlot University a few months ago. I didn't even have time to settle down and start a practice of my own, when our worlds discovered each other. I'm a little embarrassed to say that, despite the huge implications of this, I was too wrapped up in my own problems to pay too much attention to news about your world.” Now, friends, who does THAT sound like? I wanted to shout out my agreement with her statement, but decided to just nod.

“What do you mean, 'start a practice?' What class did you take?” I asked.

“Oh, I... I have a doctorate-level degree in psychology. I can practice mental health anywhere in Equestria, and could even head my own clinic after I get enough experience.” I was speechless. She seemed around MY age, but already she had a degree THAT advanced under her belt? I don't know anything about her world, but I know a specialized skill like that don't just pay chicken scratch!

“Wow... I'm impressed. That must have been hard work.” I said, trying to give a boost to her ego. She gave a halfhearted smile and sniffled again.

“Thanks, Jeremy. Because I graduated with honors, I was part of a select few ponies that were approached about traveling to Earth Alpha to continue my education. You know, expand upon what I already knew about my chosen field of study and learn all that humans to offer on the subject. That school nearby, Cambridge? They already accepted a lot of my credits. They even per-accepted my dissertation. I just have to complete a number of human courses relevant to my degree, and I'll be granted license to practice on your world as well.” It is something of a humbling experience to have a cute little pony tell you she's gonna be making about ten times your yearly salary. I kept my mild annoyance quiet, however, allowing her to continue.

“When Princess Celestia contacted me, I jumped at the chance. I was thinking about all the different being I'd be able to help. But... I wasn't thinking about where I'd have to go to do that.” She turned to me, eyes still glistening, if not significantly calmer and controlled. “I don't know what legends your people have about those from my world, but on Earth Omega... humans are OUR monsters.” I leaned back a bit, actually a little shocked. Not so much by the monsters comment, but that her world had even heard of humans, at all. “There's legends and stories about your people from ancient times, from all over our world. Humans are spoken of as vicious, violent, territorial, flesh-eating beasts. I never paid too much attention to them, but when I learned I'd be going to a world FULL of them, I... I panicked.” Autumn started to become visibly flustered, running over all the things in her mind she experienced in her limited time in our world

“Those carriages that run without anypony pulling them...!”

“Cars and trucks.” I stated quietly.

“...and all the humans talking to themselves, holding those little black and white and silver things against their heads...”

“Cell phones?” Wow, she really DIDN'T know anything about our world.

“... and how the buck could you run all these appliances and machines without being able to use any magic, anyway?!” I didn't answer that one, her expression telling me she was in the middle of a much-needed venting.

“And I don't know anything about your culture, or your history, or... or ANYTHING!” She shouted, resting her face in her forehooves as she started a new round of crying. “I was told I can't even fly higher than three thousand feet...” she added, crying a little harder. In spite of my own stubbornness and male pride, I found myself feeling sorry for the little fuzzball. And here I was, hating her for just being what she was, never considering what it might have been like for her to live in our world. All I was doing was making it harder. Suddenly, she stood up, sniffling and wiping the last of her fresh tears away. She cleared her throat, turning to me with her head hanging low.

“I'm sorry to just outburst like I did. I shouldn't have gotten so upset about something that's as casual to you as your diet. I've just been... so stressed since I got here. But now I know... coming to this world was a mistake.” She turned and started walking back to her room, stopping to give me a sideways glance over her shoulder. “I won't ask for any of my bits back from Mr. Cashmere. I know they helped you with your back rent, so I won't put you out by taking them back. Consider them a thank you for putting up with me tonight. A thank you, and a good bye gift.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean?” Autumn's statement took me by surprise, the little pony fully turning to face me.

“Tomorrow, I'm contacting the Equestrian embassy. I'm going home.” she said with a familiar glistening in her eyes. She turned and trotted back into her room. Quickly, I got up and moved over to her doorway. She already had a trunk open near the end of her bed, stuffing her quilt inside. It was kind of cute, watching her struggle a bit, each push of her hoof causing another section of the quilt to rise up in a different spot. I put my hand over my mouth, just to make sure she didn't see me smiling if she turned around. As I stood there watching her, I still found it hard to believe how wrong she had gotten everything about humans. I mean, here she was, totally judging an entire race based on... wait... oh, fuckin' hell. I did the same thing, didn't I? Jeremy, you asshole...

“Wait, Autumn.” I hit my fist gently against the door frame, causing her to stop her packing. Damnit... I was never good at this, even with bitchy Erica. I started and stopped my sentence a few times before finding the right words, eventually saying what I thought every woman wanted to hear. “Autumn... I'm sorry.” Yeah, they all usually like hearing that. Again, she tilted her head slightly, giving me a confused look.

“What do you mean, 'you're sorry?' About what?” she said, sounded surprised. I sighed, walking into her room and closing the lid to her trunk, taking a seat on it.

“From the moment I first saw you in my apartment, I wanted you gone.” Autumn leaned forward, her expression changing to shock at my words.

“You... what?”

“I didn't want you here, just because you were a pony. When I went down with the movers and Cash earlier? Yeah, we got into a fight in his office about me wanting you gone. I told him I didn't want any monsters living with me, that I was afraid you would make my apartment stink... I... said a lot of hateful things.” She sat down on her rump, turning away from me.

“Why are you telling me this? I'm leaving anyway, so what brought this on?” Ouch... my pride. I leaned forward, catching her gaze again.

“Because I didn't pay attention to any of the news about your people, or your world or anything else for that matter. I just took one look at you and seen you were different and... that was it.” I turned my eyes to the ground, too ashamed to look at her. “And, I'm sorry. I... I'm not like that. All my life, if I was gonna love or hate someone, it was going to be on how they were on the inside, not something so simple as how they looked. I did that with you, and for that, I'm truly sorry.” I raised my eyes up again to find Autumn looking at me. For a moment, she actually looked like I felt. Clearing her throat, she took a step closer to me.

“I'm sorry, too. For that little outburst. Griffins on my world eat meat. So do kitsune and diamond dogs. I was just...” She paused, putting a hoof to her temple and rubbing a circular motion. “... so stressed out, ya know? I mean, I was just thinking about my career, and how good this opportunity would look on my resume, and I didn't even know anything, ad I mean ANYTHING about your world other than it was populated by creatures historically known to be monsters-um...” she stopped, giving me a nervous grin. “...sorry about that. No offense.”

“None taken.” I gave a little chuckle, Autumn joining me before quickly falling right back into her depressed look.

“I just hope this doesn't hurt me too much academically when I tell The Crown I want to go back home...” I could almost the little devil and angel on my shoulders, both shouting in my ears as an idea came to mind. Now, I've done some crazy things in my twenty years of life on this spinning, blue mud ball. However, what I had in mind now was definitely, by far the most hair-brained, left-field crazy idea I've had yet. So, while my little angel had the little devil in an arm bar, I went for it.

“Autumn... you don't have to leave, you know.” The little pony scoffed, giving me an 'are you kidding' kind of look. “No, I mean it. You can stay. If you aced all your classes and all in your world, taking the human equivalent of the same courses should be a breeze.”

“But I don't know anything about humans, Jeremy. How am I supposed to live in a world with a people and culture I don't know anything about?” Oh, boy... I can't miss a set up like that, now, could I?

“Well... I can tutor you.” NO BACKING OUT NOW, PUNK ROCK! Autumn slowly looked up at me, unsure of what to say. “What? I mean it. What do you do in school if you're having trouble with a certain subject? You get someone who knows a lot about it to tutor you. Well...” I raised an eyebrow and spread my arms in a mock flourish. “...Ta-DA! Human Expert, right here! Allow me to be your walking encyclopedia on all things bipedal homo-sapient, and you can fill me in on all everything about your world. What do ya say?” She walked away, stopping by the doorway as she seemed to seriously consider my offer. I suddenly noticed that I was actually... nervous she wouldn't take my offer. I mean, c'mon, people; how would you like to be the reason an alien left earth? She sat down, raising a hoof to her chin as she looked over at me again.

“Well... do you think it'll work, really? I mean, I have a few weeks before school actually starts. And I did have to study almost every other culture and race on Earth Omega to graduate...” she said, obviously letting the idea work it's way through her mind. I can't believe just ten minutes ago, I wanted her gone. Now, I'm anxious just to find out if she'll stay or not. What's WRONG with me?

“Alright. It's a deal.” she finally chirped. “I'll stay and give it a shot. I mean, if you're serious about this, I might as well take you up on it, right?” I stood up and walked over in front of her, leaning down and offering her my hand.

“Allow me to introduce myself, then: My name is Jeremy Corbin. Welcome to Earth Alpha. I'll be your guide, and I hope you enjoy your stay.” I was sure to lay it on thick, eliciting a genuine smile from the little pony. Perhaps the first genuine smile she had since she arrived in our world. Reaching up, I felt the magnetic pull of her hoofspace take my open palm, connecting and holding it as she gently shook my hand.

“And I'm Autumn Rain, Equestrian exchange student and your personal guide to the wide world of Earth Omega.” she said in return, the slight hint of humor of jest in her voice. “I'm starting to think I'm going to like it here.” After a few hearty shakes, we released our grip, both of us actually seeming to enjoy the lighthearted moment. Suddenly, Autumn's mood seemed to grow much more serious and honest, the pony looking at me with what had to be the most adorable eyes I've ever seen.

“Thanks, Jeremy. This really means a lot to me. I feel like I might actually have a chance to enjoy myself, now.” She trotted back over to her large trunk. She was already starting to fix it back on the bed as I left the room. Her room. It wasn't my spare room, anymore. It was her room with HER bed in it. This... would be her home till she had to go back to her own world. Oh... boy. Suddenly, I remembered what started this argument, and eventual breakdown. I went back into the kitchen and into the fridge. After removing several items, I sorted them out. Half went onto the counter, on various plates and in bowls. The rest went into a plastic grocery bag.

“Hey, Autumn! Could you come here for a minute?” She didn't answer. Instead, she trotted out of the bedroom and into the kitchen area.

“Yeah, Jeremy?” she said. I waved out my arm, with a loud 'Ta-DA!,' sowing her the food on the kitchen island.

“I remembered you wanted something to eat, right? Well, feel free to indulge, Miss Rain.” On the counter, I laid a bunch of grapes, three bananas, four apples, and several carrots I'd been given by a neighbor downstairs for fixing her deadbolt. “It's not much, I'm afraid, but it's all the respective vegetarian grub I got. All the meat's out of the fridge, so feel free to take any drinks out of there you like. I gotta go downstairs for a minute.” I grabbed the bag of the far end of the counter and headed for the elevator, Autumn standing on her hind legs to look over the food more closely. “We'll go to the grocery store tomorrow. I'll show you some of the good stores around town.”

“Alright. Thanks, Jeremy.” Autumn stood on her hind legs, taking an apple with her hoof as she sniffed it and took a bite. I entered the elevator and closed the gate, sending the box to the ground floor.

***

The elevator hit the ground with it's usual clang. I actually hope I disturbed somebody, somewhere. I got out and walked right over to Cashmere's office and pounded on the door. Knew that old bugger was in there, I could see his car still outside through the front door. After my furious assault on the door, I could hear hurried footsteps as he approached.

“Hurry up, you older-than-dirt old man! It's getting late!” I shouted, finishing just as the door flew open, a tired looking little eastern-European man looking at me.

“Jeremy..? What iz problem? Why are you here so late?” I tossed the grocery bag at him, Cash catching it barely as I turned and started walking to the elevator again.

“Half a pound of lunch meat, a box of Steak-Umms, and some pepperoni I never opened.” I entered the elevator and closed the gate again. “My herbivore roommate doesn't care for the smell. So... enjoy.” I hit the button, sending the box back up the shaft. From below, I barely managed to hear him yell up to me, a hint of mirth in his voice.

“Good man, Jeremy! You a good young man!”

***

I opened the gate to my apartment and looked around. Autumn was no where in sight. I walked over to her bedroom and looked in through the open door. Empty. I quickly walked over to the kitchen, finding some of the carrots and apples missing, along with one of the plates. I even checked the door to the roof, finding it still locked and shut tight. Where the hell did she go, now?

I went back into the living area, plopping down on couch. I reached down to grab the remote, but noticed something on the floor near the other end of the couch. It was one of my plates, with a few apple cores and carrot stems laying on it. I looked up, realizing why I couldn't find Autumn. The orange pony had curled up like a kitten on the end of my couch, and promptly fell asleep. Damn! She must not have been kidding when she said she was running around all day. She must have been exhausted. Well, that partially explains the mood, earlier.

Under the circumstances, I assumed it was alright to enter her room. I went over to her bed and took the quilt off the bed, taking it back to the living room. As quietly as possible, I leaned over her and covered her up. Her wing twitched slightly as I dropped the quilt on her, her hoof reaching down and pulling it up over her more. I have to admit, she was pretty cute right there.

I went around the studio apartment, turning out just enough lights so that they wouldn't disturb her, but leaving on just enough so that she could still see if she woke up and wanted to go back to her room. I creeped over to my room and slowly closed the door, looking over the little pony on the couch one more time. This was SUCH a bad idea, I could tell. I mean, did she have any IDEA how brutal this world could be? Could I actually teach her how to operate and exist in a world ruled by hostile, angry, irritable, moody primates? And what the hell would my co-workers think when they found out? They knew I was looking for a roommate.

I took off my shirt and jeans for the night, crawling into bed. Immediately, I found Merlin under my covers, the little shit already waiting for me like he always does. I scooped the little black tabby up and placed him at the foot of the bed, the cat laying down and curling up just like Autumn, causing me to laugh slightly. I reached down and scratched his head, causing him to lea into my hand. “Be on your best behavior, Merl. We have a lady in the house, now.” I said. He just tilted his head, just like Autumn had before, and laid it back down. I rested my head on my pillow, thinking to myself as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

“... what could possible go wrong...?”

****************************************************************************************************************************

The 'Hoofspace' theory is something I touched on briefly in my other fic, 'Star Crossed,' but never bothered to name. However, another author thought of it as well, and DID name it. And with his permission, I was allowed to use the term. That brilliant author is Shinzakura, and his work is nothing short of amazing. Check his out here -----------> http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Shinzakura

So, another chapter in my part-time hobby story down, with an unknown number of chapters to go. feel free to comment to your little heart's content. also, remember to like, follow and favorite, bronys. hope to post to you all something again, real soon.

T.T.F.N., ta-ta for now!

RockWolf

Get This Party Started

o/`I feel like everybody else

just needs to see through different eyes,

from the outside looking in,

we shout the anthem of our lives... o/`

Zebrahead - Anthem

Chapter 4

Get This Party Started

I woke up with the usual yawn and stretch, the sun shining through my open bedroom door on this beautiful Saturday morning. A quick check of my phone told me it was just after 9:15 on Saturday. Good, I didn't really feel like running into work late. This also gave me a couple days to figure out how to break the news of my new roommate to buddies. Almost everyone at the garage knew I would have to pay Cashmere a shit-ton of cash or move out by this weekend. However, none of them seemed to care enough to offer me a place to crash if I couldn't pull it off. I laid in bed for a while, watching Merlin roll back and forth at the foot of the bed. He seemed to take kindly to Autumn already. Maybe he felt something good about her. Maybe this little arrangement would work out OK. Yeah, fingers crossed, right?

I closed my door the rest of the way, making sure to keep out of sight in case she was walking by. I threw on a pair of jeans and some socks, grabbing a old red t-shirt from the closet. Quietly, I peeked out my door. Both the blanket and Autumn were gone. I leaned a little farther out my door and peeked toward her room. It was wide open, but Autumn wasn't on the bed. Alright, now I'm worrying. Where did that little orange firecracker go, now?

“Autumn? Hey, Autumn, you here?” I yelled, hopping out of my bedroom as I slipped my belt on. God, tell me she didn't go out by herself! Who knows what the rest of the building would think of her, let alone some of the characters that live around here. Just as I was about to run out into the street screaming her name, a bouncy blue mane poked up from behind the island in my kitchen.

“Morning, Jeremy! Have you been up long?” My eyes went wide, the smell of baked goods and various ingredients suddenly hitting my nose. On the counter behind her sat one of my plates, stacked at least 9 inches high with pancakes, two tall glasses of orange juice and my butter and syrup bottle sitting next to it.

“So...” I started, half curious, half dreading the answer. “... feeling a little hungry, huh? What's with all this?” Was THIS the average pony appetite? I'd be broke again in a few days if it was! Autumn just gave a quiet giggle, shutting the cabinet to the island.

“Yeah, I guess I went a little overboard on the pancakes. I hope I made enough for you. I still don't know exactly how much humans eat in a sitting.” Jaw, meet Floor. Floor, Jaw. You two get along, now.

“Wait, you made these all for me? You actually... made homemade pancakes for me?” Autumn turned back to the pancakes, taking the edge of the plate between her teeth and placing it on the island. I walked over and sat down on one of my diner-style stools around the island, looking them over as she brought over the butter and syrup in the same manner. I quickly slipped on my shirt as I waited for her to join me.

“Well, I actually had to go down and talk to Mr. Cashmere to get most of the ingredients. He was really nice about it, too. I looked in a few cupboards, but just couldn't even find the basic stuff I needed. I was thinking we'd share, but you can take as many as you like. I could always make more.” she said with a smile, placing the glasses of OJ on the island, using her hooves this time.

“Sure! Of course, girl! Grab a couple of plates and let's dig in.” The pegasus nodded, flapping her wings to gain enough height to take two more plates from the top cupboard, this time with her hooves. She placed them on the island, then got us each a fork and knife from the utensil drawer. She hopped up on the stool opposite me, hoofing over my silverware. Eagerly, I took three pancakes for myself, then forked over three to her. Wow, these things were HUGE! They almost totally covered my plate! I looked over at the counter again, finding a pan and mixing bowl in the strainer beside the sink. She really DID make these. Dang... nobody's ever made me pancakes, before. Unless you count Aunt Jemima.

“So, what's all this for, anyway?” I asked, buttering up the top pancake. I watched, trying to contain my smile as Autumn squeezed out a huge glob of syrup from the bottle between her hooves. After minimal success, she placed it back on the counter and opting to take it in her mouth. To my surprise, she was much more dexterous manipulating it that way then with her hooves. Go figure. She placed is back down and pushed it over to me before taking the butter. This time, she used her hoofspace' to hold the knife.

“I just wanted to mark my first official day living as a guest in your world with something special. I know last night... really wasn't the best of first impressions.” I took the butter container from her, noticing her eyes trying to look anywhere besides at me right now.

“Hey, it wasn't my proudest moment, as I'm sure it wasn't yours, either. Let's just forget all about it. We got plenty of time to make up for that, anyways.” My GOD, these pancakes are PHENOMANAL! How did she ever learn to cook like this? I found myself polishing off the three I had taken in record time before going back for two more.

“Great! Because I was thinking about that.” she said, taking a sip of her juice. “Like I mentioned last night, I want to contribute as much as I can while I live here. So, let's get started right away. I'd like for you to take me to a human market.” I almost did a spit take when I heard this. Go to a market?!

“Go to a market? Like, go TODAY?” She nodded and smiled, eyes bright with hope. This little pony girl, out and about in Boston. Like... around other HUMANS?! Oh, boy... I swallowed hard my bite of food, washing it down with my OJ as I tried to word this as careful as possible.

“Alright... I'll take you out to a market. Well, actually they're called grocery stores, here. But there's something you should know, before we go.” Her ears perked up, her face never losing that smile. “Autumn,” I started carefully. “humans are... well... weird.” She tilted her head, not really sure where I was going with this. “Well, humans... are kinda afraid of new things.”

“Well, what do you mean?” she asked innocently, her tail swishing back and forth behind her. Oh hell, this is so difficult.

“Well, remember that moment last night that I said I wasn't too proud of? Yeah, there's humans out there that would respond a LOT worse than I did to being around a pony from another world.” Her ears and wings drooped as I said this, her look changing from one of excitement to worry.

“So, there's humans that would not like me, just because I'm a pony?” Her voice had an obvious tinge of fear to it as she traced her fork on the plate in front of her. “But... I never did anything to any human. A-and I'm here with permission from the U.S. Government on a student visa, and-”

“And humans are naturally afraid or wary of things they don't know much about.” I interrupted. “I mean, we have trouble just getting along with OURSELVES, most of the time, let alone a talking pony from another world.” I could almost see her mood deflate in front of me. And the saddest thing was I was only telling the truth. I pushed my plate aside, leaning over the island and placing my hand over her hoof in an attempt to comfort her.(wait, did I really just DO that?) “Look, not every human will be like that. As you spend time on Earth Alpha, you're gonna meet TONS of sweet, funny, happy, kind humans who will want nothing more to be your friend. But I just had to give you that warning before we even set out, alright? I wouldn't want you to go out into my world unprepared and be taken by surprise.” Slowly, her ears rose up again, a weak smile slowly returning.

“Well... ponies have been like that too, in the past. Even showing animosity towards each other, merely because we belonged to different tribes. I guess it would kinda be expected, your race being the only sentient one on the planet, and all. You'd have natural inclinations against warming up to an alien species. After all, that would encroach on your specie's status as the dominant life form on the planet, in effect threatening the superiority status that you've enjoyed since the beginning of your civilization.” I almost had to ask Autumn to repeat that before remembering she was here to study psychology. In one sentence, she managed to analyze and explain perfectly exactly what I was trying so clumsily to express. With a sigh, she went back to finishing her breakfast, washing down the final bite with the last swig of juice. “I know not every human I meet here will be like that, though. So I'll just have to try extra hard to win those ones over, is all.” She hopped down off the stool, taking her plate and glass and putting them in the sink before trotting back to her room. Quickly, I wolfed down the last few bites, jumping up to follow her.

“So...” I finally asked. “when would you like to go? I'm off all day today, so anytime is good for me.” She walked over to her little double-purse thing hanging on the wall, taking it off it's hook and putting it on her back. She adjusted the two sides so the purse parts were over her mid-section on both sides, then trotted back out of her room.

“I'm ready whenever you are, Jeremy. Just say the word.” I felt a sense of dread sneaking into my mind as I looked over the smiling pony before me. Woo, boy... I hope this ends well...

***

After a quick brush of the teeth and tie of the sneaks, I was ready to go. Grabbing my phone, keys and wallet from the coffee table, I headed to the elevator with my equine companion close behind. Oh, by the way; Autumn explained to me that little double purse she wore was called a 'saddle bag.' It was the usual accessory for the busy 'mare' about town, serving not only as a way to carry their money(interestingly enough called 'bits'), but also doubling as a shopping bag. Hey, whatever works. It's cute to see that even girls in other dimensions like to accessorize.

We exited the elevator and made our to the back entrance of the building, exiting the doors into the tenant parking lot. My truck sat where I left it, half hidden by the movers van that brought Autumn's stuff yesterday. My beat-up old 2012 Nissan Frontier, colored a beautiful mix of the original forest green, bondo and primer. It wasn't such a bad truck, being more than ten years old and all. It just served it's purpose. Autumn seemed particularly impressed by it, walking around it with a sense of awe.

“So... how do you get in?” she asked, innocently eying up one of the tires. I pulled out the key fob and clicked the door unlock button.

“What, you never road in a motor vehicle before?” She took a step back as the locks popped up, slowly shaking her head at my question. “Well, how in the hel... how the heck did you make all the way to Boston? How have you been getting around?”

“Um... pegasus?” she said, raising and waving her left wing at me. “I just followed the vehicle of whoever I was supposed to be with.” My hand stopped in mid aid as I reached for the door handle.

“What?! So... you flew here from whatever portal you came through-”

“The one in your New York City.” she added quickly.

“NEW YORK?! You FLEW all the way HERE from New York, never sitting in a car or truck?!” She nodded, ears folding back as her expression changed.

“That's right. Did I... was that wrong?” Your getting loud again, Corbin. Dial it back a shade. I ran my hand over my face in exasperation.

“No, no... It's just, well... kinda shocking. Sorry. So, this will be your first time in a truck, then? Perfect.” I walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for her, the little pony examining the interior with wonder before she got in. Admittedly, a human vehicle isn't very ergonomically designed for the equine form. But, with a little coaxing and cry of 'Oh, horseapples!', she finally managed to get in, sitting on her rump with her hind legs hanging over the front of the seat.

“Alright! I'm in.” she said, dangling her legs slightly. “It's a little... awkward, but I'll manage. Ready to go?” I didn't give her an answer. Instead, I just reached back and took my seat belt, waving it at her before I buckled it. She understood what I meant, reaching back and taking her own with her hoof and pulling it down across herself. However, try as she might, Autumn just couldn't seem to buckle the two ends together. Whether it was because the concept of a seat belt was just too new to her or that her hooves were a little too big to manage it, I couldn't say. After a few attempts, I decided it was time to help.

“Here, give me that thing.” I reached down, grabbing her gently by the hoof holding the latch. Slowly, I guided it down to her other hoof holding the buckle, connecting the two ends with a click. “There. Done. Now we're ready.” I looked up at her face, noticing a slight hint of redness in her cheeks. I looked down at my hands, blushing slightly as I noticed they were still lightly holding her two hooves.

“Um... shouldn't you be using those to... operate your truck-thingy?” she asked innocently. Quickly, I released her hooves and threw my hands back on the wheel. With a quick turn of the key, I started the truck. With a cautionary warning of 'Hold on.”, we were off.

***

Now I've been told on more than one occasion that my driving skills leave much to be desired in the area of comfort. Such as to say, I regularly drive like a maniac. So, having me be the human to give our fine feathered friend here her first ride in an automobile was probably not the best of ideas. It was only a few short streets an a couple of turns until we were on the highway. Cars merged and passed, entering and exiting all around us as Autumn's hooves slowly started turning white. The expression on her face was a mix of total fear and panicked confusion, her head barely moving as her eyes darted back and forth from one window to the next, hooves pressed tightly against my dashboard.

“Something the matter, Autumn?” I asked with a smile. The young mare managed to form words enough to try to explain her currently developing heart attack.

“Um... y-yeah. Are you-” Autumn started to ask me something, only to be quickly cut off by someone riding a crotch rocket, passing us on the right. She quickly leaned over, almost on top of me as she drew in a sharp breath. “Holy horseapples! Is driving in a vehicle like this ALWAYS so dangerous? I feel like we could be crush any moment!”

“Whoa there, lil' pony. There's nothing wrong with my driving.” Wait. I probably shouldn't tell her that. She might be afraid to get in the car with any other human ever is she thinks THIS is normal driving. Scanning up ahead, I noticed an exit quickly approaching. It was 2 whole exits earlier than where I was headed, but under the circumstances, I though it wise to take it. “Look, how about I get us off the highway? I think this was a mistake to bring you here for your first taste of human transportation, anyway.” Without waiting for an answer, I flipped on the blinker and took the turn, bringing us to a quiet, suburban street, almost void of early morning traffic. As we slowed to a stop at the first intersection, I could almost sense the tension lifting off Autumn's shoulders, the mare visibly relaxing in the calmer driving environment.

“Whew... thanks, Jeremy.” She said, breathing out a sigh of relief. “All those other vehicles around us had me on edge. I needed to get off that big road with all that noise and high speeds.” The orange pony finally relaxed in her seat, allowing her hooves to fall to her side, the imprint of the two still lasting in my vinyl dashboard.

“What do you mean 'had you on edge?' Don't you fly thousands of feet in the air with those wings of yours?” I asked.

“Well, yeah. But I'm in control of everything when I'm flying. I can trust that in myself that I won't let me fall or get blown out of the sky.” I gave her a sideways look, Autumn quickly acting to correct the iffy statement. “Not that I don't trust you! It's just that... wall, think of it this way; I'm strapped into this big, metal box, rolling along the ground at high speeds, surrounded by hundreds of other little metal boxes that could slam into us at any time and I could do nothing about it.”

“Well,” I said, tilting my head slightly. “you DO have a point, when you put it that way. But believe you me, girl; humans do NOT want to knock their cars and trucks off each other if they can help it. Not only will it hurt if they drive careless and crash into someone else, but cars cost A LOT of money to fix. Anyways, sorry for taking that way, anyhow. I'll stick to the suburban streets until your more used to vehicular travel.” My words were met only with silence, Autumn seeming to not pay any attention to me. I glanced over, noticing her put a hoof to the window as she looked out at the street. People were walking around, going in and out of stores. Cars were entering and exiting the street, pulling in and out of parking lots. Occasionally, some happy motorist would look over at us, then do a double take before the car behind them would honk. Autumn seemed fascinated by the scene outside, almost pressing her muzzle to the glass as she tried to take it all in at once. Without asking her, I hit the button on my door and lowered her window, allowing her a more unobstructed view of an average human neighborhood. She seemed so amazed by our world, already. Still, I knew almost next to nothing about hers. I figured now was as good a time as any to start finding out more.

“So... do you mind if I ask you something, Autumn?” I started. Turning my head, I noticed her waving a hoof at 2 little girls playing with their scooters on the sidewalk, the girls waving back with huge smiles as we pulled away.

“Oh. Yeah, sure thing. What is it?”

“I noticed something during breakfast. You... kinda used your... mouth to hold the one plate and the syrup bottle. But you used your hoofspace to hold the fork and knife. Are there something you can't hold in hoofspace, or what?” She gave me a puzzled look, then giggled softly.

“No, ponies could hold anything they want in their hoofspace. We just find it easier sometimes to hold things in our mouths, that's all.” Ya know, despite the good breakfast, my mind is still too tired to fully comprehend this chick. My expression must have conveyed that, Autumn rolling her eyes as she continued. “Ponies walk on all four hooves at all times. Sometimes, they may be too dirty to handle some items. Sometimes, we may need to hold something while we're walking around. And sometimes, we just might not want to put the extra effort into concentrating that hard. In fact, every little colt and filly is taught to mouth-write before anything else.”

“'Mouth-write?'” I asked. “Like, writing... with your mouth? Like holding a pen in your mouth, 'mouth-writing?'” Casually, Autumn reached down to an old, discarded envelop from a check stub on the floor of the truck. She reached a hoof down to a pen I had in a cup holder and held it up, taking it between her teeth. Placing the envelope on the dash, she leaned forward, the pen poking back and forth out of her mouth as it traced across the paper. When she was done, she hoofed it over to me, the words in black ink reading, 'Yep. I mean writing with your mouth.'

“Isn't that a little unsanitary? I mean, don't you ponies have germs where you come from?” Seriously, I have no idea if they did or not. That was a legitimate question.

“Well, yeah. But our world is mostly free of germs that cause illness. Your scientists tested our immune systems and found out our white blood cells are much, much smaller than yours. They actually act in much the same way that viruses on your world do, entering germs and eliminating them from the inside out. As a result, we hardly ever get sick. Sure, there's some species or tribe specific sicknesses, like feather flu or horn rot, but nothing very communicable. Our immune system just won't allow us to get sick.” I looked her way, noticing a semi pull beside us as we stopped at a light. I could see the massive trucker in the cab looking down on us, his cigarette falling from his lips onto his lap as he stared in disbelief at my passenger. The light turned green just as he started trying to put his lap out.

“Tribe specific? What do you mean tribe?” I asked, turning a corner as I watched the trucker jump out of his Pererbilt and rapidly slap at his crotch.

“Yep. Tribes refers to the 3 different classes of ponies: Unicorn, earth ponies and pegasi. You might say on this world that we're all different species, but we traditionally refer to the three as tribes.” Autumn paused for a moment, looking almost troubled as she started getting lost in thought. “Jeremy? You mentioned that humans can be... not so nice when meeting those different than themselves. What... would they do, i-if they felt resentment strong enough towards me?” Oh, no. I think I really scared her with that warning. Nice, punk rock.

“Oh. Um... usually, just make say nasty things, call names. But nowadays, most humans know better than to act that ignorant. At least in public.” I could see that my attempt to calm her wasn't really working. Put a lid on this, Jer, you're not helping. “Ya know what? You shouldn't have anything to worry about. Just stick with me, and you'll be fine.” A reassured smiled played across her lips as we turned the corner, our destination finally coming into view. The South Side shopping center.

The massive, multilayer mall complex consisted of several large chain grocery, department and clothing stores, interconnecting through a series of wide hallways, escalators and elevators. The halls were peppered with every type of store you could imagine, their specialties ranging from hunting to video games to coffee shops to dozens more. Though there were several entrances to the huge complex, I chose to enter and park in front of 'Nature's Bounty,' a large chain grocery store off of one of the mall's tentacle hallways. There was even an open entryway to the mall out the back of the store. Hindsight being 20/20, I guess total immersion into human society might NOT have been the best way to get Autumn used to our world. I parked the truck outside the store, halfway down the lot. As Autumn and I started making our way to the store, I could already feel other people stopping and staring as we passed. Autumn, for her part, didn't seem to notice, the mare almost skipping as we reached the front of the store and walked in.

Taking a cart, I reminded my furry little friend that humans were omnivores, and that this was a grocery store... with meat in it. Autumn took a moment to center herself, then trotted up next to me as we headed for the produce/deli department. Despite putting me and the cart between her and the meat counter, I could still notice a few nervous looks Autumn cast sideways towards the deli case. After a few quick glances, followed quickly by a sharp turning away, she decided to focus more on the fruits and veggies we walked past. By the time we reached the end of that section of store, my cart was almost half-full with fresh produce.

With that obstacle behind us, Autumn and I were free to pursue what we had originally came for; observe and learn about normal human activities throughout an average day. We scanned up and down the aisles, every now and then stopping as I explained a food product to my companion. She seemed really interested in the ingredient aisle, looking carefully over bags of flour and sugar before tossing her choice in the cart. We made our way through the entire store that way, the regular customers actually paying less mind to us than I thought. Apparently, ponies have been on the news so much by this time, that the appearance of one in the local grocery store didn't seem to bother many people. Still, I had to keep from laughing as one particular old woman walked her shopping cart into a display of parmesan cheese containers. I was going to ignore it, until I noticed Autumn stop and trot over to her. Surprisingly, the little mare started helping the old woman pick up the several dozen little plastic containers. Even more surprising was that the old woman seemed actually really grateful for the help! I turned back and offered my support in the form of unfolding the collapsed display and setting it upright again.

With our cart full and our shopping finally finished, we headed to the back of store. The few registers on the mall entrance of Nature's Bounty were almost always open and free of lines. As per usual, they did not disappoint, only one other customer in each of the three open registers before us. Taking a place in the line that seemed like it would clear soonest, we waited to get checked out. Or should I say, 'I' waited to get checked out. Autumn, on the other hoof(God, don't tell me I'm gonna start replacing foot and hand with hoof, now) trotted slowly towards the open entrance to the mall, seemingly mesmerized by the world within. Be it the multiple store windows with their flashing lights or the mid-tempo smooth jazz playing softly over the intercom, I couldn't tell, but something definitely had her amazed.

“Autumn,” I called from my place in line. The little pony quickly turned back to me, her ears perking up at the sound of my voice. “don't even think about it. We're done for the day. Let's check out and get going.”

“What?” she said, almost sounding disappointed. “But... just LOOK at that out there! You could almost fit all of Canterlot palace in there! Can't we go and check it out next?” Now, I hate to be a fun-scrooge, but at this stage in Autumn's 'tutoring,' taking her into the mall would be a BAD idea. First of all, it's crowded. The moving herds of people are usually shoulder to shoulder, and it would be too easy for her to get lost in the shuffle. Secondly, too many teenagers. Not that there's anything WRONG with teens. Hell, I'm barely out of that category myself. But kids in this mall usually tend to go a little... nuts. Parkour up and down the escalators, teasing random shoppers, impromptu food court food fights... Ah, memories. Fun as they were for me, that is NOT what Autumn needs to experience her first time in a human store. I motioned with my finger for her to rejoin me in line, the disappointed mare slowly trotting back.

“Jeremy?” A familiar voice spoke my name from an aisle behind me, prompting me to turn away from Autumn for a moment. There, stocking shelves in the snack food aisle, was a tall, straight-haired, big tittied blond bimbo I quickly recognized. Erica's old BFF, Tammy. Damnit! I forgot she worked at this store! Oh, God, please give me an aneurism right now! As usual, God chose to ignore my request, sending me help in the form of a customer. As soon as Tammy tossed her hand up in an annoying wave, a burly, bearded motorcycle papa holding a weekly circular tapped her on the shoulder. Good, just the distraction I needed!

“Autumn, do you think you're ready for your first monetary transaction in another dimension?” I asked quickly, causing her to tilt her head and give me a strange look.

“Um... sure. How do I do that?” I pulled my wallet out by the chain, catching it in one hand as I pushed the cart forward. The man in line in front of us was finished and already walking away, giving me the perfect excuse to distract Autumn from what I had to do.

“Here, you can use this.” I reached into my wallet and pulled out my bank card. Reaching down, I picked her hoof up, placing the little piece of plastic in the flat of her hoof. With all the money Autumn saved me by paying my rent, I now had more than enough to get three time this order, easily. “Put the food and stuff on the counter. The conveyer will carry it down to the cashier, and she'll scan it to get the total amount for our order. When she's done and she gives you the total cost, just give her the card. She'll give it back to you with a little piece of paper and boom, all done. Think you can handle that?” Autumn's face suddenly dropped, the pony looking visibly unsure of herself to complete this task. “Trust me, you'll do fine. Be right back!” With those words of encouragement, I left the orange mare standing at the register with a clueless look.

The biker-looking customer was just walking way as I made my way over to Tammy, the same ditzy look on her face as always. Tammy was an old friend of Erica's from high school. Thus, making her a friend of mine, by proxy. Through our break up, Tammy played both sides of the fence, passing messages between Erica and I and delivering us items we left at each others houses. I'm sure whatever bitching I did to her, she went right back and told Erica. Hell, she did that whenever Erica bitched to her about ME. But, when she told me she didn't want to talk to Erica anymore and sympathized more with me throughout the whole ordeal, I actually believed her. Tammy was many things, but a liar was not one of them. Too bad one of those things she was was a huge gossiper. If she saw me with Autumn before I had a chance to explain, it's be all over SpaceBook in 10 seconds flat.

“Hey, Jeremy! How ya doing?” Great, small talk. I can fake that.

“Not too bad, Tammy. Just making the weekly food run. Nothing too crazy.” I stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure where to go with this conversation. Unfortunately, she turned it right where I didn't want it to go.

“I don't talk to Erica anymore, just so ya know.” Tammy looked away slightly, apparently not sure how I'd take the mentioning of my ex's name. “After what she did to you, she just got meaner and meaner. After a while, her phone calls and times we hung out got fewer and far between. Eventually, I just stopped contacting her, and she never tried to contact me. Guess we're not friends anymore.” Yeah, sounds like typical Erick bitch-isms. Still, it seemed to bother her bringing it up.

“Sorry to hear that. I know you two were close. Still, like me, you're probably better off without her in your life.” With that, Tams mood changed quickly back to her usual perky, bubbly self, smiling again in her trademark manner. Yeah, don't see her in almost a year and she's still the same old Tammy.

“So, who's your little pony friend ya got there?” Annnnnd there's the boom. Exactly the words I didn't wanna hear come out of her mouth. Why must life be one big, continuous kick in the balls? I chuckled off the question as I tried to formulate a quick excuse.

“Hehehe... hiya, Tams. My friend? That's, um... that's Autumn. She's an exchange student from Omega Earth. She's staying at my apartment with me while she's here.” WHY DID I SAY THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!WHY?!?!?!?! Damn you, diarrhea of the mouth! Tammy gave me that 'Oh, really?' face, raising an eyebrow as she nodded. Apparently she didn't pick up on my personal mental torment, looking at me blankly as she tried to formulate her next question.

“Oh, wow. That's pretty cool. You're pretty lucky, Jeremy.” Alrighty. Scanning statement for sarcasm... scanning... scanning... it's clean? Wow... “I heard only a handful of creatures from Omega came to the U.S. to study in our world. I'm totally jealous, right now.” I can't believe this little dizzy blond actually sounds accurately informed. “So, what's it like, living with one of those ponies?” I scratched the back of my head, laughing a bit.

“Heh. Can't honestly tell ya yet. This is only her second day in our world. She doesn't really know much about our world, so I brought her here to expose her to some human culture.” I mused, trying to sound like the goofy teenager I was that kept her and the rest of Erica's friends laughing in high school.

“So, are you like, a brony now?” Tammy asked, leaning forward as she spoke in a softer tone.

“What? What the hell's a 'brony?'” I asked. Tams gave me roll of her eyes, stepping closer as she checked if anyone was nearby.

“It's apparently a play on the words 'bro' and 'pony,' but it's kinda all-encompassing. Basically, it refers to a human guy that has the hots for a creature from Omega Earth.”

“Wha....I....tha.... WHAT?!” I almost screamed when I heard that, quickly stopping my shout before it was heard throughout the entire store. I rushed up to Tammy and ushered her into the aisle further, hopefully out of Autumn's earshot. I still don't know exactly how much those pointy ears of hers can pick up. When we were out of view of the registers, I started my protest. “How could you even THINK that?! She's a pony, for God's sake! I mean... how would that even WORK?”

“What? I'm not accusing you of anything.” she said defensively. “It just seems to be happening a lot with humans that have close contact with these creatures. Wanna know what human women are called when they fall for an Omega creature?” I kept my shocked look on my face, not answering. “Pegasisters! Isn't that wild?”

“Yeah. Real wild.” I said, deadpan. “Look, she's nice and all, but I'm not looking for anyone right now, let alone someone outside my species.”

“Fine, fine. I was just asking. So...” Tammy leaned in close again, a big grin forming on her face. “... can I meet her?” Ya know, my face is gonna get tired from using my 'shocked' expression so much lately. “C'mon, Jeremy. Please? I wanted to meet an Omega Earth being since I first saw them on the news. Please..?” Oh, damnit. What is it about pretty girls that makes me fold like a lawn chair?

“Fine. You can meet her. BUT...” I said, raising up an index finger. “... do NOT mention Erica, in any way, shape or form, understand? I don't wanna have to explain my failed relationship to an alien, alright?” Tammy put on a mock-serious face, saluting me as she stood up straight. Damn, I hope this ends well. Together, we walked to the end of the aisle back to the registers and Autumn. As we reached the end, I bumped almost face first into a young cashier, a startled look on her face as she looked up at me.

“Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I was just looking for you. Here.” She reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out my bank card, handing it to me in a hurry before trying to sprint away. If it wasn't for Tammy reaching out and grabbing her arm, the agitated younger girl would have made a clean getaway.

“Whoa, Beth! Where you going? Didn't you just get back from break? Did you close your register?” The girl's eyes darted back and forth, looking for any excuse to escape.

“Well, I, um... have... to... go to the little girl's room, again. Cramps, time of the month, gotta go, see ya.” 'Beth' made an attempt to get out of Tammy's hold again, my friend refusing to let go until she found out the reason for her co-worker's erratic actions. It was at this time that I finally recognized the girl. Not 3 minutes ago, I left Autumn standing in her line. She just handed me my bank card. Why didn't Autumn bring it back. Ohhhhh..... fuck. I turned and ran back to the register, looking for my shopping companion. The plastic light above the register was out, a metal chain with a sign reading 'Closed' hanging across the entrance to the line. There, sitting unattended, was my shopping cart, with Autumn nowhere to be found. I ran back over to Tammy and the cashier like a freight train, stopping just before I could flatten the girl.

“Alright, you little brat! Where's the pony?!” I grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her a little with every fury-laced word. Beth just stood there in shock, seemingly not able to form coherent thought. “Where is she? Why did you have my bank card? I swear to GOD, if you don't tell me, they're gonna have to carry us BOTH outta here!” Tammy just stood there in stunned silence as I interrogated her subordinate, knowing better than to get in my way when I got angry. Slowly, Beth composed herself enough to stutter out an answer.

“I j-just looked up from my drawer and saw her standing there with her hands... paws, whatever on the conveyer. I never saw one of t-those aliens before. I-I panicked. I told her I was g-going on break and closing the register down. She asked me to hold on to your card and if it was OK if she left the cart there.”

“Why? Where did she go?!” The cashier turned her eyes behind me, causing me to look as well. Oh, no. Are you serious? A sort of silent panic attack coming over me. I knew this wouldn't end well.

“S-she told me she was going to... check out the mall.”

****************************************************************************************************************************

This would have been uploaded more than a week ago, except I didn't like where it would have headed. So, I re-wrote about 7 pages of text in a way that helped move the story along in a more workable manner. I already got the next chapter in my head, it's just a matter of typing it out. Stay tuned, kiddies, there's more madness to come. T.T.F.N. - Ta-Ta for now. LIke, favorite, watch and comment as always. see ya soon!

Welcome to the World

Finally, I have enough written to constitute a proper chapter! This took a while, considering I moved from the end of my latest chapter of S.C. right into the next. Not a lot of time to daydream, lately. Anyways, here it is, bronys. Enjoy!

****************************************************************************************************************************

o/` I think I'm on another world with you, with you

I'm on another planet with you, with you... o/`

Blink 182 – Another Girl, Another Planet

Chapter 5

Welcome to the World

“Ohcrapohshitohfuckohdamnohhellohfuck...” I cursed under my breath as I ran aimlessly into the open mall, leaving Tammy and the stuttering cashier behind with my cart full of food. For a moment, I stood there in the center court, noticing in my panic for the first time just how large this place really was. Looking in front of me and to the left and right, I noticed how I almost couldn't see the main stores at the far ends of the halls. My heart suddenly sank at the very real prospect that I lost my orange little charge on her first trip into the real world.

“Oh, God... this is terrible... this is bad... this is terra-bad...” I started to moan to nobody in particular. I asked myself where I'd go if I was a stranger in a new world and left alone to my own devices in a loud, crowded, hectic place like this. Yeah, that idea worked. There's like, a MILLION places she could go in this friggen' labyrinth! The one coherent idea I had told me that I should probably get a better view of the area. Seriously, how hard could a flying, orange pony be to spot in a mall full of humans? I ran over to the up escalator, looking around as I allowed it to take me to the second floor, several different doom scenarios playing over in my head all the while.

“She was probably grabbed by some old Asian dude at a take-out restaurant who know a cure for impotence by snorting powder from ground-up pegasus wing bones. Or some KKK redneck asshole probably found her and beat the crap outta her because she not a white, Protestant male. Or... Oh God...” I thought, a cold chill running down my spine. “... what if she was grabbed by... FURRIES?!?!” In my mind's eye, I could imagine photos surfacing on E621 of Autumn posing in suggestive, awkward positions, dressed in skimpy and provocative outfits. I quickly shook the images from my head as I almost fell backwards, the escalator finally reaching the second floor.

I scanned the shops on the first floor from my higher vantage point, looking In each shops behind me as I went. A cold sweat started to form on my brow as I searched, my inner-logic trying to calm me down in this desperate situation. “Alright Jeremy, think this through. She's smart, right? I mean, so far, she's been like an orange, flying, four-legged Amish girl; intelligent, but ill-informed on the delicate inner-workings of our modern human world. She would probably know enough to avoid anything that was stupid or dangerous.” I looked around again, hoping to catch a glimpse of orange coat or blue mane, coming up empty again. “God, I hope she would.”

Coming up short with finding Autumn herself, I thought I'd change strategies. Maybe if I couldn't see her, I might notice different behavior amongst the human shoppers walking around the mall. I scanned the crowds as I walked through, picking up snippets of conversations as I walked. For the most part, everything seemed normal. No panic, no screaming, no nothing! Well, except for me. My twisted mind kept going over every way Autumn could have been hurt. Or killed. Or worse!!! That's when I finally saw it; the flash of orange.

Across the hall from me, on the cell phone of some teenage girl, there she was. I only caught a passing glimpse of it, but it was enough to draw my attention. The photo on the screen clicked off before I could make out the great detail, but as I nonchalantly got closer to the two girls, I picked up snips of their conversation.

“... totally awesome. He says she's in the arcade right now!”

“Sweet! Let's go check it out!”

The arcade. Perfect! That was all I needed to know. Before the two could even get up off their bench, I took off like a rocket down the hall. Years of skateboarding when I was younger served me well as I swerved in and out of pedestrian traffic, maneuvering around strollers and hopping over benches and trash cans to avoid the wait. In no time at all, I could see my target before me; The Top Dog arcade.

From spending countless hours and hundreds of dollars in quarters here in my childhood, I knew the Top Dog well. Located in the very center of the top floor of the mall, the arcade was a popular hangout for kids to socialize as they waited for their folks to finish shopping. Outside, hanging above the entrance were three large flat screen TVs, each of which could be tuned to show the action on any given game machine at any time. And sure enough, as I pushed my way past the unusually large crowd to the entrance, I noticed the bouncing blue mane of Autumn.

“Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!” The kids inside were gathered around in a circle, fist pumping in the air as I pushed past them. As I entered the front, I found out the reason for their excitement. I also found out the reason for why Autumn's mane was bobbing when I found her. There she was, safe and sound. Smiling, laughing, having the time of her life. I didn't know whether of not I should be gratefully relieved or absolutely furious.

Autumn...

…

… was playing Dance Dance Revolution.

I watched as my little pony friend dueled some green-haired, size 16G ear gadge wearing, chain swinging black punk-rock dude to a standstill. Effortlessly, Autumn managed to switch from four-legged to two legged mode, matching the character's moves on the screen perfectly. This particular machine had a camera lens facing the player. When a certain warning appeared on the screen, the player had to mimic the motions of the dancing character on screen for extra points. A concept that Autumn managed to pull off flawlessly.

Occasionally, Autumn would extend a wing to give her extra balance as she spun and stomped around, the falling arrows lighting up as she hit every point perfectly. I couldn't help but grin as she continued, her dance partner beside her seeming tired and out of breath. Finally, the song stopped, the defeated punker giving her a fist-to-hoof bump as he stepped off the machine, Autumn following close behind. As she received various congratulations and accolades from the crowd, I quickly moved in closer to her, not knowing whether I should be relieved or furious.

“Autumn! What the hell are you doing?!” I hissed through clenched teeth, careful to only allow her to hear me. My ploy to sound intimidating and serious didn't work, however, her face lighting up with a large smile upon seeing me.

“Jeremy! You should have brought me here, first! This 'mall' thing is a blast! And Why didn't you tell me humans came in different colors?” Autumn said, giggling as one of the punk girls from the crowd came up and noogied her mane.

“Autumn, girl! You're pretty good on that thing! Not bad at all for your first time.” she said, Autumn responding with a gentle swipe of her wing.

“Yeah, somepony gotta be! You guys obviously got no game!” As the two laughed at their good-natured ribbing, I could feel a certain blood vessel in my forehead start to throb. Remember when I said I didn't know if I should be relieved or furious? Well, the needle was starting to fall towards the latter mood. I calmly put my arm around Autumn and leaned in to speak.

“Autumn, what were you thinking? I thought something terrible happened to you!” Alright, I lied. There was nothing calm about me right then and there. The orange alien girl's expression grew a little more serious as I continued, I guess recognizing exactly how I was feeling at the moment. “I thought some goons from a science lab abducted you for some experiments or something! I panicked when you disappeared! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!” Autumn's eyes went wide at my last words, her expression quickly melting into one of understanding and... comfort? Fore some reason, I could feel myself blush as I stood up and away from her, composing myself. “That is... I mean... I'm responsible for you, after all.”

“Aww... you were worried. So, I take it you like me, then?” I stammered at her sudden remark, not expecting her to be so flippant at my poor attempt at anger.

“Bu... I... You... THAT'S NOT THE POINT!” I finally managed to force out. “I specifically asked you NOT to go into the mall! And what do you do?! You disobey me, and run into the EXACT kinda people I DIDN'T want you to!”

“Hey, what's that supposed to mean, man?” the punk Autumn had been dancing against walked over and stood next to her, arms folded. “You make it sound like we'd hurt our Autumn, here!” The large thug bumped into her side, eliciting a return nudge from the little pony. “When we saw her walking around the courtyard, we just had to introduce ourselves. Hell, we're glad we did, now! These aliens are WILD, man!” His sentiment was echoed by half a dozen of his friends, all seeming to regard the orange equine with warm affection.

“Yeah, Jeremy. These guys flipped when they saw me. I asked them where the coolest store in the mall was, and they brought me here. We've been playing games and talking about Equestria ever since.” Autumn lowered her head slightly, her ears folding back as she lowered her voice. “I didn't mean to make you worry, but I was just so curious about this incredible 'mall' building. I'm sorry, Jeremy.” Ugh.... those.... 'D'aww' eyes... can't... resist... I finally let out an exhausted sigh. No point in trying to continue acting annoyed.

“Ugh... fine. Apology accepted.” I said defeated. “But now, we really need to get going back to grocery store. Tammy won't be able to hold our cart forever. Besides, we gotta get some of that food into the freezer when we get home.” A collective, disappointed moan came from Autumn's new punk friends, obviously not liking that their little buddy had to leave.

“Aww, really? Can't I stay and do just one more game, Jeremy? Please...?” Grr.... I can just FEEL the diabetes setting every time she gives me those sweet eyes. It probably would have killed me right then and there, if not for the several other pierced and tattooed faces behind her, attempting to give me the same pleading look, each one failing miserably. This time, I didn't even attempt to act unphased, laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of it all.

“Alright, alright! Just turn off the soul-melting eyes. You can have just one more game.”

“Yay!” Autumn said with a little bounce.

“But,” I suddenly added. “you're playing against me.” Autumn's face lit up at the suggestion, the pony immediately springing up on her hind legs, grabbing my hands and pulling me to the machine.

“Alright! Hey, Chain? Would you do the honors?” The little alien spun me around into place on the dance mat as she hopped up and took the spot next to me. The punk she had been playing against popped four quarters into the slot, causing a list of songs to generate up on the screen, the select arrow thankfully coming up on my side of the screen. Good, I can pick a quick one and get this over with. Autumn continued to bounce as I scrolled down the list, her bright attitude almost forcing me to smile. This was quickly becoming a noticeable trait of hers; the ability to instantly infect anyone around her with a smile and happy mood. I looked around quick at the group she had attracted in my absence; punks, jocks, thugs, some emo kids and... was that an honest to goodness cheerleader chick in the back? Holy shit... These kids would NEVER associate with each other under normal circumstances. And even though Autumn told me unicorns were the ones able to do magic, there was no denying the presence the little pegasus carried with her.

As I made my way down the list, I found the shortest song. I could be out of here in a few minutes, cashed out and back on our way home. Then, I made the mistake at looking over at Autumn. Her bright eyes and happy smile... penetrated my brain... made me do things... (sigh)... Ah, what the hell, I'll pick a crowd pleaser.

***

With a wave of hand and hoof, Autumn and I bid Tammy farewell as we walked from the grocery store. God bless her, the girl let us go with a full order without paying! That'll never happen again in a million years. She told me it was to make up for the cashier walking away from Autumn when she went to pay for the order. I guess something good came out of my relationship with Erica.

“Wow... that was really fun, Jeremy. We have to go again sometime soon. I'd like to walk around and see what other stores that mall has.” Autumn said, a bounce in her step as she trotted along side of me. I looked over at the little pony, glancing at the several dozen cell numbers, e-mail addresses and Twitter and SpaceBook accounts the teens in the arcade wrote on me so Autumn could keep in touch. How did I get elected to be the walking message board? “And you told me that there might be some humans that didn't like me, just because I'm a pony.” I took out my key fob and unlocked the door to my truck. I sighed as I opened the door and tilted the seat forward, loading the second row seating with our order. Oh, boy. Time to break the news.

“Um... actually, Autumn... that's not entirely true. Remember that cashier that suddenly had to run to take her break, just as you showed up to cash out?” I pushed the seat back, allowing her to climb inside the truck. I moved around to the other side, climbing in before I continued. “Autumn, she didn't have to to on a break. She ran away... because you freaked her out.”

“'Freaked her out?' I... freaked her out?” She asked, doe-eyed as she connected her seat belt. I let the truck sit there for a moment, allowing the statement to sink in before we took off again. I noticed Autumn's ears slowly fold down, a dejected look on her face as her shoulders slumped. “Well... I guess I can see that happening. She probably never saw a pony up close before. Poor thing must have been stunned when I hopped my fore hooves up on the counter.” A weak grin suddenly formed on her face, her bright green eyes meeting mine. I just looked at her with a blank expression.

“Um... wow. You're really taking a pretty mature stance on this. I thought you'd me more upset or... angry, maybe?”

“No, no... I'm alright.” she said, perking up a little. I gotta say, I was surprised at just how mature she sounded. “I guess I should be grateful her instinctive fight-or-flight reaction told her to run instead of punch me in the snoot. I really hope I didn't suddenly give the poor thing hippophobia or something...” I blinked at my little roommate in shock. Fight-or-flight? Hippo... what? She must have picked up on my confused expression, because Autumn suddenly broke into a laugh.

“Heh... Sorry, Jeremy. I tend to slip in and out of psychoanalysts mode fairly easily. I'll try to keep an eye on that.” she said, any remaining negative feelings she held about my revelation vanishing as I reached for the gear shift. Well, guess I'll give credit where it's due.

“Yeah, well... I'm sorry, too.”

“You're sorry? What for?” she asked. I backed out of the parking space and turned toward the lot exit, turning the radio lower.

“Well, you said you're 16 years old, right?”

“Yeah, and...?”

“Well, 16 in human years means you're just old enough to make some really bad decisions. Humans aren't really grown up enough to take care of themselves when they're 16. I keep forgetting on your world, you already graduated college and could start your own business.” I held up my arm, twisting it to show her what all her new friends had written there. “Hell, this phone book on my arm shows you have enough of a way with people to take care of yourself.” We turned on the highway, heading back home with our spoils. This time, Autumn seemed more at ease, in spite of the many speeding cars on all sides of us.

“Don't forget I can drink alcohol, too!” she gingerly added. “But yeah, I guess I could count those kids in the arcade as the far opposite end of the spectrum. They're the ones that think I'm just so dang awesome just because I'm an alien species.” Autumn stared out the window, watching as a guy on a crotch rocket zoomed down the shoulder of the road past the line of traffic. “Then, there's the ones like you warned me about; the haters, the fearful...”

“The confused?” I added. “Ya know what, Autumn? Screw those kinds of people. They'll just gonna have to get used to you. You're not the one with the problem, they are. You're not the only pony they'll ever see, now.”

“All the more reason to get out there and see as much of your world and as many humans as I possibly can.” The determination in her voice was loud and clear. That little snag in her first day in the human world wasn't going to get her down. “Jeremy, do you think we could go out after we get the groceries home? I'd still like to to out and explore some more. Well,” she said, her expression suddenly turning a bit nervous. “unless you have some other plans...” I must say, I was impressed with her persistence. This little fire plug still wanted to go out and have a good time. And I did kinda promise to be her tour guide while she stayed here...

“Yeah, fine. I still got a nice bit of cash saved up and burning a hole in my pocket. Ya know, since I had somebody, or should I say, somePONY cover my rent this month.” I said, emphasizing 'somepony' and making Autumn giggle.

“Awesome! Let's get home and unload these groceries, then. I got a city to see!”

***

Ya know, I gotta be honest with you guys; that first weekend was one of the best ones I had in a long, LONG time. I never really bothered much to stop and look around at the same old city I frequented every single day of my life. It was always just... there. I'm kind of ashamed to admit I always took it for granted. But taking Autumn around town and showing her what life was like on Alpha Earth, it was like looking at Boston like it was brand new again.

After we put away the order of groceries(with a noticeable lack of any meat products), I decided we'd start with the basics; a walking tour of the local neighborhood. I know, I know. Just asking for trouble, right. Well, I would never have suggested it if I wasn't confident she'd be safe. Besides, she was with me, and I've done more than enough favors for enough locals that I would be recognized and left alone. Seriously, some times I feel like a friggen' RPG hero. “Can ya fix my roof? Can you help find my cat? Can you pick up some spark plugs?' Anyway, back to me and Autumn.

The two of us left our apartment building and started down the street towards the local business district. Like I mentioned before, my neighborhood was kind of a dump, but if you go down just a block or two, you start seeing signs of life again. I showed her the local news stand, the library, the bakery, the best cafe, the bodega-turned-mom and pop store. You know, the basics. And sure enough, we got some weird looks. Mostly, it was from the older locals, most of them still not even used to seeing black or Latino people walking around, let alone an orange, talking flying pony. Others simply looked a bit longer than they normally would. One lady in a car snapped a photo with her phone, I think. But was most surprising, a quartet of little girls playing on the sidewalk ran right up to Autumn, completely unafraid. What is it about girls and ponies, seriously? I was going to tell them to beat it, but Autumn seemed to love the attention. Apparently, she thought little 'human foals' were absolutely adorable. She talked with them, answered their questions. She even let one of the girls hug her. Alright, alright. That WAS kinda cute, I gotta say. The fun ended, of course, when the kids' parents called them back. Good thing, too, because I don't know if they would have let her go, otherwise.

The next stop in the early evening was the downtown area. I noticed now that Autumn clung a little closer to me here, probably because of the larger volume of cars and people walking around. Still, as the little pony got the feel for the area, she eased up a bit. This time, I told her to go out and explore while I followed behind. Much to my surprise, it almost seemed like she fit right in. I noticed a lot less people staring at her in shock and surprise. Yeah, she still got looks, but not nearly enough as she got early in our expedition. However, there was one notable exception. As we made our way around one particularly busy street corner... Autumn got singled out by a street preacher. Yes, I know I should have avoided that corner. That whack job usually stakes out that corner every Saturday evening, barking at every passerby. So who do you think he singles out? That's right; Autumn. The bright orange fur was like a beacon to the screwball.

“Even from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, the call of the Lord is heard, loud and clear!” I tried to move Autumn away, but an opening line like that drew her in like a moth to a flame. Sure enough, as soon as he saw she was looking, he upped his game.

“It's a dark, cold world out there, people. We ALL need to have that STRONG HAND to hold on to. Now, tell me, my fine feathered friend;” Oh boy, here it comes... “have you found Jesus yet?”

Oh... my... God...

Did he really just ask her that? He... he just asked her that, didn't her? Is this guy blind, retarded, an asshole, or all of the above? He HAS to see what she is, here! Obviously, that's probably his whole idea. Making an Omega Earth citizen look like a godless fool in public would get him some attention. Good or not, he obviously didn't care. However, this is one instance where Autumn's lack of knowledge about our Earth came in handy. Without missing a beat, she looked up at him with the sorriest eyes I could imagine and answered.

“Oh, no... I'm sorry, mister, but I didn't.” Autumn reached up and touched her hoof to his folded hands, speaking to him in the most sincere of tones. “I didn't even know he was missing. I'll keep an eye out, and if I find him, I'll tell him you're looking for him.” I... had to bite my knuckle to keep from laughing. The wacko preacher's mouth dropped in shock as Autumn turned, walking away from the crowd that gathered from his tirade as she leaned closer to me and whispered. “I sure hope that man finds his friend. Poor guy.”

“Yeah...” I managed to choke out, barely able to stifle my laugh. “I hope so, too... Autumn, babe?” My little companion turned to look at me as we continued away from the rapidly dispersing crowd. “Just for the record, from now on, anytime you wanna go anywhere, all you have to do is ask. Anytime, anywhere, I'll take you.” Autumn smiled at me as we slowly started making our way home.

“Aww. Thanks, Jeremy. That means a lot to me.” I gave my pony pal a pat on the back in response. Hell, if she was going to come off with remarks like THAT during these outings, I'd take her wherever she wanted to go in a heartbeat.

***

The rest of the night went by relatively quick. After we got home, Autumn and I talked a little as I made us dinner. Nothing fancy, just a simple spaghetti with marinara sauce, which she loved. Apparently, this is the first time she had it with noodles instead of hay. Now, I ain't no Gordon Ramsay, but even I coulda told you that! Dinner conversation consisted mostly around me asking her general questions about her world, mixed with some vaguely personal questions. This WAS only the second day I knew her, so I didn't wanna probe too deep into her life story just yet. So far, however, I learned she hailed from a city in the country of Equestria called Cloudsdale, which is not only the pegasi capital city, but entirely made of clouds. Her parents both work in the Cloudsdale weather factory, where they help to produce the weather for all of Equestria. Apparently, her father is one of only a dozen ponies that knows the formula for rainbows, which they also create. I probably would have questioned that... if not for the fact that I was I was talking to a pony.

Autumn asked me about some other human social hot-spots. I told her about clubs, bars, stadiums... all of which they had on her world in one way, shape or form. I promised to take her around and show her some of them in the morning. This time, Autumn opted to sleep in her bed instead of my couch. We went to bed early that night. 9 o'clock! Holy hell, I haven't gone to bed that early since I got drunk the first time at 15! Well, I suppose hanging out and keeping up with an overly-excited alien pony will do that to ya.

***

The next morning, I awoke in the usual manner; yawn, stretch, scratch, get up, and walk to the bathroom for a shower with the usual morning wood. What? Don't give me that look! Like you never did before! Anyways, I did have the consciousness to actually grab a shirt and pair of pants from the top of my dresser. I pulled my door open and stepped out, the sound of an overly chipper voice greeting me, instantly waking me up quicker than coffee.

“Morning, Jeremy!” Autumn smiled and waved from a stool in the kitchen, a bowl of Apple Jacks in front of her. My eyes shot open immediately as my face turned red. The only saving grace was that I was holding my clothes in a ball right around my waist, carefully hiding my boner from my house guest. Thankfully, the equine seeming none the wiser. “Wow... no wonder you humans wear so much clothes. You have almost NO body fur.” Without a word, I bolted to the bathroom and hopped into the shower, turning on the water and quickly pulling the curtain closed behind me. After a brisk shower, and an awkward explanation of my brief understanding of evolution, we were ready to make our way back out into the world. Again, I had to help her with her seat belt as we entered the truck and headed out.

This time, I figured we'd do something simple and calming. Something... normal. So, of course, I took her for an espresso. One of the quaint, cute corner up-scale coffee shops in the downtown area served as our first stop. I ordered a simple large black, with plenty of cream and sugar. Autumn ordered the same, adding sugar and creamer in the same amounts as I had. My plan for this morning? People watching. Autumn and I would simply sit and look at the people passing by, and she'd ask me questions about them. I figured I wouldn't lose her so easily with her sitting right in front of me. Also, on a more practical note, this would give the locals time to look at her. I know, I know. She's not some side-show attraction. But consider this: the more humans around town see her, the more likely they'll get used to seeing her. Plus, I'm sure some of the passing people would text or tweet about seeing Boston's newest resident, thus making it less strange for other humans to see her in our future outings.

Apparently, creatures from Omega Earth are more popular with humans than I thought. More than once, I overheard people talking as they went by us. 'Is that one of those alien ponies?' 'I think it is!' 'Wow, that's not what you'd expect an alien to look like.' ' They're actually kinda cute.' Now, if I heard it, I KNOW Autumn must have heard it, too. A few times, I noticed her ears bending in the direction of some comments. She didn't seem to let her bother her, however. She just keep on smiling, continuing our conversation without interruption.

She asked me the basic questions about the normal morning scene, seemingly amazed by the shear number of cars that drove by us. Taxis, trucks, cars, vans, police vehicles. She seemed particularly interested in a passing fire engine. That is, until I explained what it was for. “Oh... fighting fires? Oh... OK.” Autumn looked timidly at the ground in awkward silence, her ears folding back slightly as she averted her eyes from the massive truck. Well, that was kinda weird. I would have probed a little deeper into what made her so upset if she hadn't quickly changed the subject herself.

“Hey, I'm about ready to head to our next stop.” she said, pushing the empty cup away from her to the center of our little table. I thought for a moment about pressing the issue, but decided against it, pushing my cup beside hers.

“Yeah, let's get going.” I pulled out 2 bucks from my wallet, placing them under my cup as a tip. “C'mon, pony girl. I think You'll like where we're going next.” Together, we got up and headed back to my truck, the two of us heading to our next destination. Though there were some pangs of worry still playing at my mind, I decided that Autumn was mature enough to experience one of the most basic forms of human entertainment. “Next stop, the movies.”

***

Autumn beamed as I explained our next activity to her, practically bouncing in her seat as pulled into the parking lot.

“So, humans pay money to go sit in the dark for two hours in front of these huge screens and watch these moving pictures?” she asked, grinning ear to ear.

“What, they don't have these in Equestria?” I asked, actually surprised to finally find something my world had that her's didn't.

“Well, nothing as ADVANCED as what you're describing. Mostly simple films for education. Our motion picture industry is still quite a bit away from building specific places to view them.” We walked across the lot and entered the movie theater, catching the usual odd looks that I've come to expect from some curious movie goers. We bought our tickets and killed some time playing a few arcade games they ad in the lobby. Autumn is turning out to be quite the gamer, it seems. She actually beat me at Samurai Showdown. SHE beat ME, at a fighting game! My spider-sense is tingling, my friends. This may or not be trouble down the road...

The movie was your standard romantic comedy. Two guys, frenemies all their lives, fall for each others' little sisters. For the most part, Autumn got the standard goofy, sexy, silly jokes. Equestrian and English are incredibly close, not only in terms of composition, but different forms of slang. Something about 'shared intellectual evolution,' or something like that. I don't know. Basically, she has a solid 90% grasp of the language, so it's cool. Unfortunately, that 10% might get her into trouble. As we left the theater, right in the middle of the large crowd of people, she turned to me and asked me what a condom was. Boy, what an interesting shade of red I turned!!! Needless to say, there was still much she had yet to learn about human society.

After one awkward conversation, I decided it was time to show Autumn where she'd be going to school. Next stop, Cambridge. The campus was mostly deserted, save for a few students moving about between buildings and a pair of security guards. Autumn felt the need to walk up and start a conversation with them, despite my advice to leave them alone while they worked. In hindsight, it was probably better she did. That way, they could spread the word around the other campus guards about their unique soon-to-be student. After a quick tour around campus, I was just about ready to take Autumn home, when she stopped me just before we got in the truck.

“Jeremy?” she started, trying to sound sweet. I stopped before my door, the keys still in my hand. “I'd like to try something.” O... kay. I'll bite.

“Try something? Like... what?” I asked cautiously.

“I'd like to try flying home.” Well, this was new. I only seen her hover in place a little since she got here, and now she wanted to fly?

“What brought this on?” I asked, the subtle hint of worry in my voice. Autumn traced her fore hoof in the grass, innocently.

“Well... it's been really nice, you driving me around yesterday and today. But, if I'm going to get anywhere on my own when you're not around, I'm gonna have to get a better lay of the land from the sky. It IS how us pegasi usually navigate around where they live, after all.” I stood there silently for a moment, my mind not knowing what to make of this new decision. She... wanted to get around without me. After driving her everywhere all day yesterday and most of today, I... didn't know what to make of that. The idea of Autumn getting around without me made me feel... strange.

“Well... alright, I guess. How... do you wanna do this?” I asked.

“Well, I was thinking maybe I'd just fly over the buildings and follow the truck back home. Is that OK?” What could I say. She had a point. I wouldn't be there all the time, and I needed to trust her to get around on her own, eventually. I just guess I didn't expect it to be so... soon.

“Alright. Just keep an eye on me as I drive. I tend to have a lead foot.” I said, jokingly. The orange filly giggled back.

“Yeah, I noticed.” Autumn arched her back, closing her eyes as her as she slowly unfurled her wings. After giving her body a quick shake, she ducked down and sprang back up a good five feet into the air. Just as she started to fall, she gave her wings a single strong pump, stopping the fall as she went seamlessly into a steady hover in front of me. “I think I'll be fine, though. Ready when you are.”

I don't know what made me stare like I did just then. I've been hanging out with her for the last two days, and didn't feel anything more than respect and curiosity for her and her species and world. But now, with her truly flying right in front of me, there was something else. I don't know if I didn't expect her to be able to really fly with those wings of hers. They always looked so small tucked at her side. Being fully put to use, they were actually pretty... is 'beautiful' the right word? I don't know if it was maybe a bit of jealousy. I was never really afraid of heights, so long as I had something solid under my feet. Hence, my roof sanctuary. Flying, though, terrified me. You couldn't PAY me enough to get on a plane or hang glide or skydive or whatever else. But maybe, just a little, it was that this was her first step towards becoming independent in our world. She'd learn how to get around the best way she knew how; using the wings that nature, or God, or whoever gave her. That means... she wouldn't need me so much from now on. That didn't sit well with me. I wasn't sure if I liked that.

“Alrighty then, Autumn. If you're sure you can keep up, then let's go.” I opened the door and got inside, rolling down my window as she hovered over to me. “If you're ready, then let's roll.” She gave me a salute before turning skyward, then zoomed up into the open air. I leaned slightly out my window, watching as she soared higher, stopping a few hundred feet up. I barely made out a wave, my friend signaling her readiness. I settled back into my seat with a sigh, putting the truck into gear.

“This is just gonna get weirder and weirder as we go.” I thought, pressing my foot to the accelerator and taking off.

Lovely Day

o/`So here I am,

doing everything I can.

holding on to what I am,

pretending I’m a Superman... o/`

Goldfinger - Superman

Chapter 6

Lovely Day

Surprisingly, the trip home required Autumn to stop and wait for me, rather than the other way around. More than a few times, I thought we had lost each other. But every time I thought I'd have to get out and start shouting to the heavens to find her, there she'd be; perched on top of a telephone pole or a traffic light, just waiting and for me to catch up. I couldn't help but grin at the slightly smug look she always had on her face.

We arrived home pretty much at the same time, me parking and getting out just a minute after I saw Autumn enter the lot from above. She leaned her body against the side of the building, fore and hind legs crossed over each other as she acted like she was waiting forever.

“'Bout time, slowpoke. I thought you'd never get here.”

“A-ha. A-ha. Ah-ha-ha-ha. You're hilarious.” I laughed sarcastically, still in disbelief at the little race we both had. “I can't believe you managed to perch on those lights and telephone poles. That was kinda cool.”

“Aww, thank you! I did manage to drop an entire stone before I came to Alpha. I’m about 12 and a half, now.” Autumn seemed absolutely titillated for some reason. Did she just admit she... dropped a stone?

“Um... is that an Equestrian term, or something?” I asked. “Ya wanna... clarify that, maybe?” She looked at me strange for a moment, but quickly realized what I meant.

“Heh. Maybe that means something different in this world. A 'stone' is a unit of weight on Omega Earth. Apparently, you have it here, but don't use it much. If I remember correctly, one of the human scientists I met when I first came here said...” she paused, raising a hoof to her chin in though for a moment. “... it equals about 14... 'pounds,' I think the term was.” I just nodded in understanding. Doing the math quickly, I estimated Autumn was about 175 lbs., which made her about 15 pounds lighter than me. Dang. I know that standing on her hind legs, she's almost as tall as me, and I'm 5'10. Most girls I know would be bitchen' about how much they needed to get on a diet if they weighed that much, but then again, that was thinking of weight in human standards. It took me a moment to remember that, aside from being a pony, Autumn also had 2 extra limbs on her, both of which had to have some pretty thick muscle on them to get her off the ground. Keeping that in mind, I guess it evens out. It doesn't really matter to me, so long as she's happy. I smiled for a moment, remembering how Erica freaked out when she put on a whopping three pounds over winter break our Senior year. Ooh, how horrible. Then she weighed 127 lbs.

“What, think I was too heavy to land on them safely?” she asked with a smirk. I smiled back, not even trying to get into THAT discussion as the lift reached our floor.

I opened the gate, finding Merlin waiting as the two of us stepped off and into the apartment. I walked off towards the kitchen area, Autumn choosing to make a break for her room. As I turned around to look for the little tabby, I noticed he wasn't following me like he usually does. I looked around the open apartment to find Autumn just entering her bedroom, the small black streak that was Merlin following close behind.

'That goofy little cat.' I thought. 'He actually likes her.' Merlin usually doesn't like ANYbody. This wasn't the first time I seen him gravitate towards her, either. Maybe he got a good sense off of her. That, or maybe he thought she was some kinda big mouse/bird thing and wanted to pounce on her. Whatever the case, Autumn must have made quite an impression on him. I just continued on with my task, getting two cups out of the dishwasher and a bottle of soda as Autumn walked back out of her bedroom.

“So, what are we up to, tomorrow? Got anywhere special in mind?” I poured her a glass of Coke and pushed it over to the end of the counter. She gave her wings a single flap, landing on her rump on the stool in front of the glass as I poured myself one as well.

“Actually, tomorrow I have work. So, for the rest of the night, I think we're just gonna unwind and relax a little.” She took the cup between her hooves, actually looking a little saddened by the suggestion. She didn't stay down for long, though, and perked up with the first sip of her drink as I took a seat on my own stool, across from her.

“Well... I guess you had to go to work sometime, right? So, what should I do when you're gone?” Right about there, my brain came to a screeching halt. Oh, shit. I was gonna have to leave Autumn, alone, either in the apartment or out in the real world, for at least 8 and ½ hours. I've been with her practically every moment since she arrived, save for when we were asleep. Well, except for when she got away from me at the mall, but that's hardly my fault. Alright, it was ENTIRELY my fault, but I'm new to this 'babysitting an alien' deal! “Um, Jeremy... you look a little pale, there.” I quickly snapped myself out of my self-induced blackout. Apparently, my apprehension for leaving her alone was showing a little.

“Heh... just thinking about something, that's all. Don't worry about it.” As Autumn looked back to her soda, I glanced over her shoulder into the living area. Suddenly, I found my answer. “Hey Autumn, do you have anything along the lines of Television on your world?” She raised an eyebrow as she placed her glass back on the counter.

“Tele... vision...” she repeated, the combination of the words being foreign to her.

“Yeah, or as it's more commonly refereed to on Alpha Earth, TV.” I hopped back off the stool and walked around to the living area, Autumn doing the same. In truth, I call it the living area, but in this wide, open expanse of an apartment, it's really just a glorified square area with a flatscreen TV, entertainment stand, coffee table, couch, recliner and loveseat arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way. It's one of the few truly defined areas of the apartment, the others being the kitchen and collection of Sheetrock walls that make up the bedrooms and bathroom in the far corner. If you ignored the large assortments of items I gathered and added to every garbage day, it might actually look like a regular studio apartment.

I reached down and grabbed the remote from the coffee table, turning around to find my equine house guest laying on the couch. It was cute how she did it, hind legs tucked underneath with her forelegs stretched out. Just like a big puppy. Anyways, just as I was getting ready to hand her the remote, a thought occurred to me. I was going to 'HAND' her the remote. Uh-oh...

“Um, Autumn... there may be a problem.” I said, nervously. “That 'hoofspace,' gravity manipulation thing you can do? Does it work with this?” I held the remote towards her, the little pony regarding it with a strange look. “This is the way humans control their TVs. Can your hoofspace work on this?” Slowly, she took the remote from me, holding it in a way that my mind told me she shouldn't be able to. The flat of her hoof was touching the SIDE of the remote, as though the right side of the device had a powerful magnet in it, and was attracted to her hoof.

“Alright, that works. Now what?” she asked.

“Just aim it at the TV and his the button labeled TV. That should turn it on.” I half expected her to bring her other hoof to the button and awkwardly press it down with the tip. Instead, I watched as the button depressed itself, the grip of the holding hoof apparently reaching over enough to connect and activate it. These ponies are REALLY amazing creatures. With a slight hum and flash on the screen, the TV turned on, catching Autumn a little by surprise.

“Oh! Oh, wow...” Her eyes went wide as the pictures flashed across the screen, someone reviewing the Killzone 5 on G4, the last channel I was watching before I left for work on Friday. Damn, did I go the ENTIRE weekend without watching TV? Well, this girl IS pretty distracting.

“Alright, Miss Rain. Allow me to introduce; Television! Ta-da!” I leaned in front of the screen, doing jazz-hands for a second, then sat next to her on the couch. “Over 900 hundred channels of news, entertainment, music, sports and much, much more, all conveniently available at your hooftips.” I pointed out a few more buttons on the remote, then allowed Autumn to gleefully surf through the channels.

“Amazing... this is just like the movie you took me to, but in your home!” my perky orange roomie giggled before turning the volume WAY up and down a few times. “HA! This is so cool!”

“I know, right?!” I said, faking her own enthusiasm, almost flawlessly. “And that's not all. Come have a look at this.” I held up the remote, showing her another button at the top marked 'net.' “Go ahead, press it.” Of course, she did, setting the TV to access the web. “Welcome to the internet, Autumn.” A shining 'Google' symbol glowed into existence on the screen, a search field with a flashing cursor inside. I explained, her eyes never leaving the new image before her. “This... is the internet. The greatest invention ever to be devised by the human mind. This is a collection of all the cumulative knowledge of the human race on every subject you could ever wish to delve into.” Words seemed to escape her as I took the remote from her hooves.

“You can use the remote to move the arrow on screen and select anything with the 'enter' button. Watch this.” I turned to the TV and cleared my throat in an overly dramatic manner. “Web Search: Omega Earth Races, show images.” In an instant, the search field filled up with my words, a small blue bar on the bottom of the screen filling up as the search neared completion. When it was finally over, a cascading set of images filled the TV screen, depicting dozens of different images of ponies, zebras, minotaurs, griffins, donkeys, cows and a dozen other species, all brightly displayed before us. Looking at the images on the screen now, I think I was more impressed than Autumn. There were certainly a lot more this time than when I first ran a search on her world.

“So... this is like one big, gigantic library, right in your living room... you humans...” Autumn plopped down on her rump, jaw hanging open and eyes wide in disbelief. “... amazing...” I chuckled under my breath, pleased with myself that she'd be entertained for the entirety of my day at work tomorrow. That is, until I noticed one picture in the bottom corner of the screen. It showed a U.S. soldier escorting a pair of what I assumed to be pony scientists in a lab coat around a laboratory, the soldier holding a rather intimidating looking M-16. Just then, an thought occurred to me; Autumn told me her people used to think humans were some monsters from legend. They thought all we were blood-thirsty, beasts, warring with everything we came across. How would she react if she came across an online article about World War II, or the Civil War, or for that matter, ANYTHING that happened in the southern United States in the 1950s or 60s? Shit, I think I opened a can of worms, here.

“Well, there is just one problem, Autumn.” My pony roomie looked up at me, seemingly curious at to what possible downside there might be to this new wonder before her. “The internet has countless wonderful things on it for anyone, or anypony, to access. But... you may come across some... less than flattering things if you dive into human history. I mean, in the past, humans...” Suddenly, she raised a hoof, shaking her head to silence me.

“Nope. Stop right there. You're talking about war and violence, right?” she asked, looking up at me. I gave a nervous grin, fidgeting my fingers together. “Jeremy, relax. I know that whatever happened in your people's past is just that; in the past. I'm not going to judge you personally based on anything I read about on this... what did you call it?”

“Internet.” I said, somewhat relieved. Well, I took her this far already, might as well show her all the goods. “But ya know, if you wanna look into some SAFE forms of human violence, I got that, too.” Autumn tilted her head and gave me a strange look. Alright, safe violence. Nice oxymoron there. I moved closer to the TV, opening the cabinet doors in front and folding them back to reveal my game systems.

“Allow me to introduce the X-Box Galaxy, Wii-U, and Playstation 4. These are called game consoles.” Again, Autumn approached to give them a closer look. I reached inside and took a controller off the PS4. “This allows the user to live out any number of fantasies in the safety of their own home.” I reached into the side of the cabinet and took out several games, showing them to her as I continued. “Every game is different, and there’s hundreds of them for each console. I got quite a collection, so go ahead and look them over too, if you want. But you know...” I said, pressing power on the Playstation as I handed her the controller. “you look like a Capcom fan if I’ve ever seen one.”

***

I decided it would be a good idea to make some Cliffs Notes style flash cards about how to run the TV, the game consoles and the internet. After I cramped up my hand writing down every possible thing I could think of she’d wanna know about EVERYTHING, I left Autumn alone in the living area while I showered, shaved and otherwise got myself ready for the coming day. This time, Merlin chose to hang out with me, the buzzing of my electric razor being a constant source of wonder to the dumb little kitty. Having a roommate wasn't turning out to be so bad after all. Sure, there would be no more naked walking around the apartment in the middle of the night, but I had enough sleepwear and white t-shirts to keep myself covered and still be able to relax. All in all, the night was pretty much complete. That is, I thought it was, until I was just about to turn in.

As I lay in bed, I tried to figure out what I would tell the guys in work tomorrow. They all knew about me needing a roommate as desperately as I did. Conveniently, none could offer to BECOME said roommate, of course, everyone already having houses or apartments or mother's basements of their own. As I stared at the ceiling, I could hear the TV finally turn off, the clopping of hooves telling me Autumn finally gave up for the night. I wasn't too worried, the sounds of grunts and hadoukens coming from the living area every time I turned my attention to it. She probably got tired of getting her flank kicked around and called it a night. I did feel a little guilty when I heard her in the shower. The clip-clop of hooves against the floor of the tub and bumps against the wall telling me the poor girl was just a little too long to comfortably fit in there.

“Great. I'm probably gonna have to do something about that.” I thought, hearing the shower finally turn off. On that note, I decided to finally just call it a night. I got up off the bed and pulled back the covers just as I heard a rapping against my door.

“Jeremy? You asleep yet?” Merlin's ears perked, the silly little cat deciding to hop off the bed and stand by the door.

“No, but pretty soon. Come on in.” The knob turned and the door opened, Autumn stepping inside just a few feet past the frame. Her mane was flatter than before, obviously flattened from being washed a short time ago. Her tail looked the same, hanging lower than before, considerably less poofy and bouncy. But what I noticed most about her was her coat. Bright to begin with, it almost seemed to shine in the dim light of my bedroom. She looked more... magical than before, if that's at all possible. And considering she's already a pegasus, that's really saying something.

“I just wanted to say good night, is all. I'm done 'surfing' for the now.” she said with a grin. “I just played around with it for the last half hour, looking up that movie we saw and whatever else your people know about mine. Sorry, I know a tool as powerful as the internet should only be used for important, serious research.” I won't tell if you won't. ;-) “This has just been an incredible weekend, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you letting me use your machines while you're at work.” Well, shucks, ma'am. Yer gonna make me blush.

“Hey, that's what I'm here for. Maybe tomorrow you can tell me a little more about your world, first hand. Or... first hoof, that is.” I joked, eliciting a laugh from my roomie. That's about the first time I really noticed it. Autumn's laugh. Daintily, she raised up a forehoof to partially cover her mouth, her mane bobbing slightly with each note. And truly, it WAS almost like music. It was gentle and sweet and relaxed and peaceful and... happy. If any of you guys reading this have dated around, then you know how hard it is to find a girl that's just friggen' happy, for god sakes! It was something I always thought was one of the most attractive attributes a girl could have. Well, a HUMAN girl, that is. It was so surprising and beautiful, I found myself laughing right along with her. When the moment passed and the room when silent again, Autumn sighed and walked closer to me. What happened next, I don't think I expected in a million years. With a small assist from a flap of her wings, Autumn hopped up on her hind legs. Again, I was surprised to find that this little pony was right at eye level with me when standing upright. Suddenly, she leaned forward, wrapped her forelegs around me, and gave me a tight hug.

“I'm just glad I was able to find a human as nice as you to put me up while I'm here. It means a lot to me.” I know that's what she said, the words registering later, after she left the room. Right then, though, all I could think right then was... how incredibly soft her fur was. I mean it, guys. I guessed it would be so, but in truth, I had no idea. Softer than fur on a newborn puppy or kitten, each individual fiber brushing the limited exposed skin on my chest, neck and arms, feeling like I was being hugged by a cloud. Her mane smelled like night air and rain, probably from whatever hair care product she brought from her world, but still... damn. Unconsciously, my arms raised up, returning the hug. It was all I could do to make sure to keep my hands from squeezing her wings.

“Y-yeah... no problem.” I mumbled out, glad that Autumn couldn't see how wide my eyes were from her angle. Finally, she let go, dropping down on all fours again.

“Well... that's all. Good night, Jeremy. Have a nice day at work.” With that, Autumn turned, trotted back to the door and closed it behind her as she left. For a moment, I just stood there, stunned. Did she just... I mean, she... and I... WHAT?! I turned back to my bed, finding Merlin laying at the foot end, staring at me.

“Did you see that, Merl? What was that?” Of course, being a cat, Merlin gave no answer. Instead, he opted to give his nuggets a few good licks, sprawl himself out and close his eyes. Thanks for the talk, big guy.

I got into bed and hit the light on the night stand, the room growing dark. I curled up under my covers, digging my head into the pillow. Pathetic. After hugging Autumn, the pillow seem considerably less soft. I punched it a few times, trying to soften it up before I finally surrendered. “Forget it...” I growled, closing my eyes. It was the end of the night, and I had work tomorrow. I couldn't delay any longer. With the events of the weekend playing in my memory, and the scent of Autumn's mane still on my mind, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

***

The alarm on the night stand blared, bringing me back to waking life, turning on my night stand lamp soon after. Usually, I'd hit it and let the other two alarms get me up. But today, for some reason, I had the subconscious forethought to get my lazy ass up out of bed and hit the alarms before they went off. I turned and looked back at my bed, finding a little black lump stretching and moving on top of my covers before finally jumping to the floor. I grabbed my jeans, high-visibility neon green shirt and old gray cap from the dresser, putting them on in the dim light of my bedroom. When I was finally done, I trudged out into the living room, slipping on my heavy work boots as the just rising morning sun shown through the windows. Checking the clock on my phone, I estimated I'd have enough time to get to grab a coffee and get to work if I left now. Let's see; phone, check. Hat, check Steel-Toe boots, check. Razor knife, check. Apathetic attitude,(hey, I'm a government employee, remember) check. Alright, I'm ready to go.

If I wasn't awake already, the noise of my industrial freight elevator guaranteed I'd be awake by the time I hit the ground floor. As the rattling lift reached the bottom of the shaft, I unlatched the securement and threw open the gate, coming face to face with the ever lovely and jovial Cashmere. The elderly immigrant landlord was doing is usual daily duty, sweeping the main entryway to the building and making sure the windows were clean. That's just... peachy.

“Jeremy! Good morning, my friend! Going to work?” he asked, his Eastern European accent thick as ever. I figured I had a moment shoot the shit with him.

“Yeah, unfortunately. But it's Monday, so we shouldn't be doing anything too crazy today.” That was very true. Mondays were the recovery day at work. We had some drinkers and party-boys on the crew that just didn’t respond well to loud noises first thing on a Monday. Glad I share a job with so many party animals.

“How's your new roomie, Jeremy? Being a good host to our visiting pony friend?” he asked, poking at me with the handle of the broom. I pushed it away, grinning at the mention of Autumn.

“Yeah, we're getting along fine. Some small bumps in the road, but she's new to the planet and all, so that's to be expected.” Cash's face lit up at this, the argument he gave me for accepting her as a roommate proving true.

“I told you, my friend! Anyways, I let you go.” he said, raising a hand in a wave. I returned the wave, turning and heading for the door. “Have a good day, Jeremy. Have fun working with you daddys!”

“They're NOT my daddys, Cash.” I said with an annoyed sigh. I opened the door and stepped outside, pulling it closed behind me. “See ya later.”That was a teasing point for Cash since he met the usual crew I work with more than a year ago. I had to bring them to my place to help me haul in a pair of run down classic dirt bikes and a pinball machine we found one very fruitful garbage day. Being either all single, married without kids, or only having daughters, these guys(who were all working for the city for decades, all of them in their 50s, by the way) were glad to take me in when I got hired, and were more than happy to show me everything they knew about, well... everything. It's guys like that really make a sucky job bearable, know what I mean? Anyways...

I made my way to my truck, clicking open the locks as I approached. I opened the driver side door and put the key in the ignition. Than, as always, I turned and looked over my left shoulder to grab the seat belt. I pulled it down my body until the buckle connected in the latch at my right hip. Funny... there's a coffee in the cup holder. I didn't remember leaving a cup in here. Then again, I didn't notice the sharply-dressed gentleman sitting beside me enter the truck either, but there he was.

“Good morning, Mr. Corbin. On time for a Monday. For a change, that is.” he said with a smile. He was dressed to kill in a professional looking, 'Agent Smith' from the Matrix trilogy kinda way, dark sunglasses and all. He had dark brown hair, nicely styled like you'd expect a lawyer or stock broker to have, without a single hair out of place. Now, I KNOW he wasn't in the truck when I entered, and I barely took my eyes away from the front for more than a second. So, of course, I responded with the usual level of cool we'd ALL like to have in this kind of situation.

“HOLY FUCKING JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST!!!” Bravo, Jeremy. Bravo. If the neighborhood wasn't awake before, they sure as hell were now. I must have put the shocks a workout, jumping out of my skin while still buckled in like that. For the most part, Secret Agent Man looked unimpressed.

“Relax, buddy. I'm just here to talk. This isn't a car jacking.” he said, a smart-assed looking smile on his face.

“Yeah, boy?! How do I know that?!” I shouted, edging myself against the door while simultaneously reaching for my razor knife and the door handle. Calmly, he took a deep breath and gave me my answer.

“Your name is Jeremy Davis Corbin, currently 20 years old, born October 30, 2003, only child of Edward Michael Corbin and Sarah Rose Corbin, maiden name O’Connor. Your mother is currently living with her new boyfriend, Richard, in Avon. Your father is deceased, killed in Iraq 10 years ago by an IED to defend his platoon. I’m sorry, by the way.” I could feel all the color fade from my face. Whoever this guy is, he did his homework. Much more than the average crook would do if they wanted to steal your car. “That’s just what I can remember from our file on you, though. We’ve been watching you for a while. But if you're still thinking I'm a carjacker, consider this: How many carjackers dress in a suit to steal an 11 year outdated, beat-up old work truck for a target?”

I sat there unmoving, still stunned by the fact that he brought up my father. I never talked about him, to anyone. I mean, sure he could have looked him up. It's not like soldiers dying in the line of duty is a highly guarded secret. But he knew about my mom, and her douche bag new boyfriend, too. Slowly, ever so slowly, I eased back into my seat, catching my breath as I allowed him time to explain.

“Fine... fine. You got my attention. No tell me; why the fuck are you in my truck?” I finally asked. Again, I almost shit when the guy reached into his right jacket pocket, only to be relieved when he pulled out a wallet. With one fluid motion, he flipped it open, showing me a very official looking badge.

“Special Agent Henry Syth, BEA. That’s the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs.” Sure enough, the letters on the barge read BEA, the guys handsome face staring back at me from just off to the right. I looked back and forth between him and his badge, shaking my head.

“There's no such agency. That doesn't exist.” I said, still with a little disbelief.

“And I suppose that talking, flying orange-coated pony sleeping in your little studio apartment right now doesn't exist either?” He quickly flipped the wallet closed, shoving it back in his jacket pocket before settling into his seat. “We were created the same week the United Nation's Large Hadron Collider test opened the portals between her world and ours, our agents gathered from some of the best organizations from around the world. DHS, FBI, CIA, former KGB, NSA, Interpol, MI6. The list goes on.” Holy... screaming... fuck. Was this guy for real? He folded his arms and leaned forward, looking at the clock on the dashboard. “You better start heading out. You'll be late for work.” I looked at the clock, seeing he was right. I half expected him to exit the cab, but when he just reached up and fastened his seat belt, I knew he was coming along for the ride. I had little recourse but to put it in gear and take off.

***

“We've been looking into you, Jeremy. You'll be happy to know you fit every archetype of the standard, all-American young man, living on his own.” Henry said, keeping is eyes forward. I couldn't even tell you if I was running red lights or flattening pedestrians. My mind was too focused on the Man in Black sitting beside me the entire time.

“Alright, that's good to know. But why the hell are you looking into me in the first place?” is answer came in the form of another trip into his jacket pocket, this time producing a folded piece of paper. Unfurling it, he read it aloud.

HELP!!!

ROOMMATE WANTED!!!!!**

Studio apartment for rent! Plenty of space in this 80' by 100' space, converted to a HUGE 2 bedroom, top floor apartment. Must share rent, utilities, have source of income.

Students welcome!

Desperate for someone to move in soon!

Will take ANY FORM OF SENTIENT LIFE WITH A PULSE AT THIS POINT!!!

Please, contact Cashmere at

(740) 555-0000

(Non smoker preferred)

“It was that line about any sentient creature that drew Autumn to your ad. That's why she went to check out your place, and that's why we're investigating you.”

“Wait a sec... you know Autumn, too? How do you know her?” I asked, pretty surprised that a sweet girl like her would know a creepy guy like him.

“I should know her. I was her handling agent when she first arrived. She stayed in the New York City processing center for a day when she first got here.” 'Processing Station?!' what the hell did that mean. “Don't worry, it only sounds cold and mechanical. It's really like a 5-star hotel, complete with room service and all the works. Minus the TV. We didn’t want to scare the daylights out of the new exchange students on their first day here.” Alright, now I was finding this guy creepy. He seemed to know my thoughts before I even spoke them aloud!

“Alright, how are you doing that?”

“Doing what?” he asked.

“How did you know I was worried about her when you mentioned the Processing Center? I just thought about it, and you answered, as if I spoke it out loud.” Agent Henry looked down his shades at me and smiled.

“Because, you and Autumn have already imprinted on each other.”

“Wait... 'imprinted?' Buddy, we barely even touched, let alone something like THAT!” I protested, causing the G-man to laugh.

“Not THAT way, you knuckle head! Wait, let me explain.” I kept an eye on the road as he went into his spiel. “Autumn is a nobilis sapiens equus, or noble, wise horse, as they like to call themselves. They’re very advanced in the ways of philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and other intellectual pursuits. But, deep down, she's still a horse, and as you know, horses, at heart, are herd animals.”

“Alright, following ya so far.” I stated.

“As humans, we are descended from omnivore predators, and therefore place an overly exaggerated amount of importance on competition. With humans, it's all about competing, coming out ahead, being the Alpha Male, the leader of the pack. But with the ponies, it's all about togetherness. Being part of a whole, everyone together, working together, playing together, growing together. You wanna know a popular saying on their world? 'Friendship is magic.' Now, is that a beautiful way to think, or what?”

“I get it, I get it. Ponies are very sociable critters. Cool. What does this have to do with that 'imprinting' thing?” I asked again. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a small smile creep onto his face, the agent facing me now.

“Did she hug you yet? I bet she did.” he said with a smirk. I suddenly felt myself blush deep red, my cheeks giving me a away. “I knew it. Think about this, Mr. Corbin; Autumn is 1 of only 60 Omega Earth students that were cleared for the first round of academic exchange. She's all alone in this world. All alone, except for you.” Suddenly, the point Henry was trying to make hit me like a dart to the forehead.

“She accepted me as... like, a part of her herd?” Ya know, just when I thought I was starting to figure some things about Autumn and her people, I get another curve ball thrown at my face. “Do... her people still HAVE herds?”

“Apparently, not for some long time, now. Apparently, there was a point in their history where there were much fewer males than females. The practice is mostly dead, nowadays on her world, save for a few out of the way towns and outlying areas of her nation, Equestria. It’s more like she decided to elect you to the position of her defacto leader, like you were part of the herd. Alpha male, if you will. Already, you're serving as her guide, teacher and protector. She must like you quite a bit if you're getting hugged, already. Ponies, especially pegasi, are pretty physical with their affection. You’re probably gonna get hugged, she may touch you with her wing, whipped with her tail. That’s imprinting. Humans do it, too. High-fives, noogies, slaps on the back. Don’t worry too much about it. Everything sounds primal and base when put into scientific terms. Just remember she’s putting a lot of trust in you.” I sat there in silence, unsure of what to say. “That’s another saying on their world, by the way. ‘Losing a friend’s trust is the fastest way to lose a friend.’”

“W-well... what do I do? Does she... ‘like’ like me like a boyfriend or...”

“She likes you very much, but as a friend. At least thus far. Though inter-species relationships are not uncommon on her world, humans have traditionally accounted romance with any creature other than another human as bestiality. But if you're interested, I don’t' think you'd get much grief for being a Brony. Omega Earth species don’t typically fall under the category of what we’ve traditionally have called ‘animals.’” There's that damn word again! Tammy mentioned 'Brony' when we were talking in the grocery store the other day.

“What is this 'brony' thing? I've heard that term before.” Henry snickered a little bit, shaking his head.

“It seems there’s a growing number of humans that find the species from Omega Earth attractive. Mostly guys.” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And they’re not just some sickos, either. It’s usually males, early teens so late twenties, respectively, from all walks of life. There’s a growing movement on the internet of people who can’t get enough of Omega culture, music, entertainment, whatever. Oh, and by the way; female fans of our new neighbors call themselves ‘pegasisters.’ Now, isn’t that special?” Well, that’s something I can never unlearn. “Anyway, let’s get back to the real reason why I’m here.”

“Yeah, let’s get to that. Like, let’s get to why you felt the need to hitch this ride with me on my morning commute in the fist place.” Again, Agent Syth reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. I figured this might be the most important point of our conversation. So, as we got to the last block before the DPW garage, I pulled off to the side of the street.

“Here.” he said, handing me the envelope. I took it and opened it up, taking out and unfolding the paper inside. Attached via perforated line to the bottom of a very official looking memo was a check. A check in my name. A check for... $10,000?!?!?! “That’s your BEA stipend for being the host to one of the Equestrian students. Of course you know, they have different body shapes than us, different dietary needs, etc, etc, etc. This should be enough to make any modifications to your home to better accommodate your new guest. You’ll get another check for $5,000 next month. This one is only at large as it is because it’s your initial check. Basically, it’s to ensure you’ll never be broke as long as Miss Rain is living with you.”

“Um...” I didn’t know what to say. A few days ago, I was in danger of losing my home from lack of rent money. Today, a stranger broke into my truck and handed a check for 10 grand. All thanks to Autumn. “...t-thank you...?”

“Don’t mention it. You’re governments appreciates your cooperation, and looks forward to assisting you in whatever way we can in the future.” With that, Agent Henry Syth undid his seat belt and opened his door.

“Wait a sec! Where are you going?” I yelled, leaning over as he poked is head back in the door.

“Sorry. I got paperwork to fill out. If you have any questions, just call me.”

“How do I get in touch with you if I have to?” I asked. Henry just gave me a wry smile.

“My number’s already in your phone.” I looked at him, confused, the agent apparently getting quite a thrill from this. Quickly, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled down the contact list. Sure enough, right there in the ‘A’ section was ‘Agent Syth.’ “You better get to work, Mr. Corbin, and don’t forget your coffee.” he said, pointing to the cup he came into the truck with. “Remember, Jeremy; I’m from the government, and I’m here to help. Oh, and tell Autumn I said ‘Hi.’” With that, he closed the door and walked away. Slowly, he strolled his way off into the morning foot traffic and vanished, leaving me parked on the side of the road.

***

I made it into work just in time, punching my time card at exactly 6:59 and 40 seconds. Yes, they’re THAT accurate. And YES, it would count against me if I was just 21 seconds late. Just another reason I love my job. Not that we’d start working the moment we got into the garage, anyways. Usually, especially on a Monday morning, we’d nap and gather ourselves for the day ahead of us. I actually had time to enjoy my coffee, too. How the hell Syth got the cream to sugar ratio so perfect, I’ll never know.

I nodded a good morning to Wally, our boss, before taking my usual seat beside Mikey and the rest of the veteran members of the street crew. Out of the thirty or so members of the Boston Department of Public Works, these guys were the best. This crew of five guys, plus Mikey and me, were capable of pulling off miracles. I took a seat on one of the old chairs we confiscated from a school marked for demolition and looked around at my crew.

First of all was Art. Being fit and trim for a guy in his early 60s, Art is the original Nature Boy of the group. Now, by that, I don’t mean he’s a hunter or fisherman. Quite the opposite. He LOVES nature, though, and usually spends his weekends hiking, camping, biking or our otherwise exploring the woods. Of course, his expertise is in landscaping and plant care, making him invaluable in grooming the many parks and gardens around the city.

Then, there’s Bob. No, not the ‘Builder,’ though this guy is amazing at carpentry. He managed to build mangers, menorah, and... whatever the hell that menorah-looking thing is for Kwanza is out of scrap wood we had laying around the garage, all of which we now used in the various parks around the city every December. Bob usually spent his time in the Fraternal Order of Eagles, drinking away his pay. But let me tell you what; almost everything I learned about carpentry and building with wood I learned from him.

After Bob is Tony. Tony... can clear a room with a fart in 10 seconds flat. Usually, that’s pretty funny, especially when we get called to City Hall or other government offices around town. Tony’s area of expertise is not only electronics, but wiring and circuitry. Not bad for a guy in his late 60s who never graduated high school.

Sometimes on the job, Wally himself would come with us. Walt had the misfortune to be the boss of the City Crew for more than 20 years, and his bald head was testament to the levels of stress he had to put up with in that time. The work somehow didn’t affect his attitude, though, proof being the 2 hours he’d give us for lunch sometimes when he’d come on the job with us. As long as Walt was around, the garage was not want for a mechanic. This guy could pull an engine apart with bare hands and put it back together in the dark. For some reason, I was his favorite helper whenever it came to repairing engine troubles with any of the vehicles, making every job a lesson in Mechanical Engineering 101.

Mikey is just another 18 year old punk. He know absolutely nothing about nothing. We all think he got the job because he has an uncle on the city council, but when we ask him, he just says he doesn’t know why he was picked. For the most part, he’s a good worker. The guy tends to be a little flighty and weird at times, usually talking our ears off about hollow earth theory or alien bases on the moon or time travel or whatever paranormal, government conspiracy he hears on Coast to Coast AM.

Finally, there was Kenny. Ken looked like a real, live version of Fred Flintstone in a Carhartt jacket. Usually, working with him meant that we'd be stopped by a dozen different people a day, all asking him about various things around the city they wanted done. I guess he just had that kinda face. He was very old school, and not above doing special favors for people if they ever helped him in the past. And I know that sounds crooked, but really, all that ever meant was we'd plow a private driveway or go into someone's house to help unclog a sewer pipe instead of them calling Rotor Rooter. I was alright with that. Kenny taught me how to take this job with a smile.

“Alright, my men! Another beautiful day in paradise. How’s everyone doin’?” Wally gave his usual Monday morning pep-talk, receiving the usual grunts and murmurs from the guys before he went into our assignments. “Well, now that we got that shit out of the way, we got work to do. Eric, Marcus and Jake, you got some handicapped signs to put up outside City Hall. You know the drill. Greg, Ryan, Zane and Juan, pot hole patching on Market Street between New Vine to Maple. Wear your vests, guys. The drivers are motherfuckers on that strip.” We listened to rest of the crew get dived up, all of us know what the last team would be. From behind me, I heard Mikey yawn.

“Tony, Kenny, Bob, Art, Jeremy and Mikey? You’ll be replacing two caved-in catch basins on the corner Bishop and Fairchild. I’ll be coming with you, too. You’ll need me for traffic control.” I held my hand out over my shoulder, palm up. Mikey slipped me some skin as we all got up and started gathering the equipment we’d need for our various jobs. Oh, yeah. Got the original crew together. Today’s gonna be sweet.

***

The entire job went better than we all expected. Wally, of course being the boss that he was, did the least of any of us and directed traffic. Meanwhile, me and Mikey jack hammered while Art and Kenny cut around the work areas with the concrete saws and Bob and Tony mixed the cement and readied the bricks. The entire first basin was removed and replaced and the second removed by the time 11:00 rolled around.

“Lunch, guys. Take an hour.” Wally announced, causing Mikey to groan as he lifted the jack hammer back onto the truck. “Hey, if we weren’t in such a visible place, I’d say take 2. Just go out and hit a coffee shop of somethin.’”

“Righty-o, chief. You heard the man, fellas.’ wrap it up till noon.” Kenny shouted to the other guys, announcing the end of work for an hour. All around me, machines were shut down, tools put away and full grown men retreated to their trucks... to take naps. That was one of the favorite parts of my day; watching the civilians look at us in wide-eyed shock that public servants like us were napping on the job. It didn’t matter, though. People never thought we were working unless they saw us holding a shovel full of dirt. Even then, they wouldn’t be happy, cause then we’d be holding them by interrupting the flow of traffic. Just another reason for me to get out of this dead-end job.

“So, I take it you’re not homeless, then?” Mikey asked, slapping me on the back. The two of us started dusting ourselves off before we headed to the truck, our bottles of ice water waiting us in the cab.

“Yeah, I...” Shit! I totally forgot to make something up! These guys might be alright to work with, but they’re still all very old school. I don’t know how these guys would react to finding out I was putting up an alien at my place, let alone a bubbly, happy orange female one, at that. I quickly glanced around at the other trucks. Tony, Bob and Wally were talking outside their truck, with Kenny and Art already in the front seat of the other, the two sharing sections out of today’s newspaper. Good, I could iron out my bullshit story with him before I tried selling it to them. Good thing he was the weird, conspiracy, alien-loving one of the bunch.

“Well... that’s kinda an interesting story, Mikey. Ya see...” I barely got that out before... IT happened. At first, I thought I was dreaming. It happened so quickly, so completely unexpected, I doubted my own senses. Fate couldn’t be THIS out to get me. The universe couldn’t like kicking me in the nuts THIS much. But it was true. From above me, I heard the one thing I didn’t need to hear at that moment.

“There you are, Jeremy! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Me and Mikey suddenly found ourselves in the shadow of a very familiar shape. Looking up, I could Autumn, slowly descending in front of me, two white boxes in her forehooves. I noticed Mikey’s eyes go wide as I heard the sound of truck doors shutting behind me.

‘Oh, no...’

In a moment, I could feel my crew standing behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to see the expression on each of their faces. I could feel them, all burning into the back of my skull as I looked down at the smiling pony girl sitting before me. I heart felt like it completely stopped as I felt a hand pat me on the shoulder, Wally’s voice speaking lightly into my ear.

“So, Jeremy... gonna introduce us to your friend?” I could feel the gears in my mind grinding to a halt, my mind suddenly unable to form any coherent thought. Why the hell did she come here? How did she know how to find us? Before I could even TRY To cover my ass, Autumn took the first step.

“Oh, I’m sorry. How rude of me. I’m Autumn Rain, Jeremy’s new roommate.” And... boom goes the dynamite. Never gonna live this down. NEVER gonna be looked at the same way at work again. I had no time to feel these guys out before I broke the news to them, no way to gauge their responses to questions about Omega Earth or any of it’s races. And here one is, sitting right in front me them, announcing for all to hear that now, me and her are sleeping under the same roof. What happened next... I don’t think I’ll ever forget. If I live to be 120, nothing would surprise me more.

“Well, hello, Miss Rain. I’m Wally, Jeremy’s boss.” Walt leaned forward, holding out a hand to greet her. Holding the two boxes on her left hoof, Autumn reached up her right, which Wally firmly took and shook in a gesture of welcome. “This is Art, Kenny, Bob, Tony and Mikey. Nice to meet ya.” The other members of my crew all nodded or otherwise offered their welcomes to my new roomie, eliciting a smile from the little equine. After he released her hoof, Autumn went back to holding the 2 boxes between her hooves again.

“So... Autumn. This is...a surprise.” I managed to force out. Understatement. Of. The. Year. “What brings you all the way across town... to my work site... with my buddies?” Autumn’s ears perked, suddenly remembering the reason she came.

“Oh! Well, I got up around 8:00, and noticed you didn’t have any dishes in the sink or anything, so I assumed you didn’t have breakfast, which made me feel bad. After all, you spent so much time showing me around yesterday, I thought you’d have worked up an appetite. I remembered you told me you worked for the city, so I used that ‘internet’ thing you showed me to ask where your garage was located at. I flew there to give you these, but some guys there told me you were out on the job, already.” FUCK!!! MORE of the guys I work with know she’s staying with me, now!!! MORE damage control!!! “Anyways, after they told me where you were, and how close to your lunch time it was, I figured I’d bring these right to you, here.” She held up the boxes to me, which Wally gladly took, opening the top one. “That’s OK... right?”

“Hell, yeah, that’s alright!” I quickly turned to Wally, seeing h3 and everyone else smiling. Autumn had bought me and my whole crew 2 huge boxes of donuts.

“Great! I got them from the ‘Pink Hole’ donut shop. Remember, Jeremy? It’s that one you showed me the other day, with the pink frosted donut on the sign.” Autumn explained, mostly to me. The rest of the crew was already slowly going back to the truck to divi up the bounty that was just dropped in their laps. Humming happily, my little pony friend trotted past me, heading off towards my crew. I just watched as she clopped on by, giggling to herself. “I guess I picked the right snack, huh?”

***

Best. Lunch. Hour. EVER.

What I thought was going to be one of the most humiliating, insulting, possibly violent moments at my job, turned out to be... pretty damn cool, actually! We all sat on the truck’s running boards, equipment boxes and curbs, eating the donuts Autumn bought and just... talking. The guys seemed more offended by the fact I didn’t come to work and openly announce my unique roommate than the fact of what she was. After that, the lunch hour pretty much consisted of the guys asking questions to Autumn, mostly about her world. Where she was from, how many ponies were there, basic stuff. There were a few questions I thought were a little... touchy. Not so much to be rude, but mostly because they guys were simply uninformed. Like when Bob asked if it was tough getting around and using things with hooves. However, Autumn took the question in stride, and was happy to explain her hoofspace. All the while, I sat next to her, amazed at how genuinely interested the guys seemed to be in everything she had to say. Well, except Mikey. He hung back a little, sitting a little farther away then the rest of the guys. I think he was a little intimidated by being around an actual ‘alien,’ him being so involved in conspiracy stuff like he was.

The lunch break that was supposed to last an hour lasted an hour and a half, mostly because of Bob and Wally talking to Autumn about the treatment Cloudsdale gave it’s clouds for home construction purposes. All the while, pedestrians stopped and stared at the 7 big, burly, dirt-covered guys, yackin’ and yuckin’ it up with the little orange alien girl. In the end, all but a handful of donuts were gone, the last of which we’d take back to the garage for whoever wanted.

“Well, it’s been real nice meetin’ you, ma’am, but we gotta job to finish.” Wally finally announced. Autumn took the cue, standing up and stretching as she spread her wings.

“Alright, then. Thanks for letting me hang out, guys!” she yelled to the rest of my crew, already beading back their gear.

“No problem! Thanks for bringing the donuts!” Kenny answered back, laughing with the rest of the guys. Autumn then turned back to me, launching into the air with a single pump of her wings.

“I’m glad I was able to find you, Jeremy. Sorry, about just bringing donuts. I know it wasn’t the healthiest of lunches.” I grinned up at her, adjusting my cap on my brow.

“Don’t worry about it. I think you made some friends here with that choice.” Autumn giggled again, covering her mouth with a hoof. Going back home, now?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’ll hang out there till you come home. See ya later, Jeremy!” she said as she turned and took off. I stood and watched for a moment, keeping an eye on her as she climbed higher and higher, finally disappearing behind a building. ‘That pony’s gonna give me a heart attack, yet.’ I thought, turning and heading back to my work area. That’s when I passed Mikey. Or should I say, ran right into Mikey.

“Watch where you’re going, Jer!” he said as he continued right past me. I caught myself and watched for a moment, noticing his neon vest and high-vis neon shirt were off, leaving him only in his white Tee. Quickly, I jogged to catch up with him, reaching out to grab his arm as he rounded he truck.

“Yo, Mike! What’s up, man?” I asked.

“I’m taking a half-day. I don’t feel like working anymore right now.” he said, under his breath as he continued walking. I walked close behind him, reaching up and placing my hand on his shoulder.

“Why’s that? What’s wrong, buddy? Too many donuts?” I tried to joke, only to have my hand slapped away. Mikey suddenly spun around with anger in his eyes, coming up to me, face to face.

“What’s wrong? What’s WRONG?! You let that fuzzy little monster into your house, and you have the gall to ask me what’s wrong?! Are you INSANE?!?!” I leaned back, never having heard Mike yell about anything other than government conspiracies before. For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond to this outburst.

“What... in the all crazy hell are you talking about? Autumn, a monster...? Were you sitting in on the same lunch break that I was? She’s completely harmless, and you know it!” I shouted back, stepping forward until we were face to face.

“Yeah right, harmless! She’s been sleeping in your house for days, already! She could have been laying eggs in your chest since the night she arrived!” I know that was supposed to be taken as some kind of serious statement, but the only thing I could think to do right there was to break out laughing. I actually felt myself stumble a little off balance as I held onto my sides, the steamed look on Mikey’s face only making it all the more funny.

“I MEAN IT!!! Those... THINGS come out of literally NOWHERE, and the governments of the world just accept them in with open arms?!?!?! This is the first step to an invasion!!! I can’t believe you’ve fallen for the story these Quads have spun!” After a moment, I caught my breath enough to form coherent words again, feeling my furious mood quelled before I continued this ridiculous conversation.

“Mikey, the ponies are harmless. The-wait a sec... ‘quads?’” Mikey just rolled his eyes at me with a groan.

“Yeah. ‘Quads.’ As in quadrupeds, four-leggers. It’s what some groups are calling them online. Omega Earth species, like you’re girlfriend.”

“Alright, stop right there.” I said, rubbing my temple. “First of all, she’s NOT my girlfriend. She’s my friend and roommate, nothing more. Secondly, since when do you start using racist terms for something you’ve pretty much been obsessing over since I’ve met you? I thought you, above all people, would LOVE that humanity finally met aliens.”

“I was always interested in government lies and cover-ups concerning the EXISTENCE of aliens! Big difference.” I rolled my eyes, Mikey apparently missing that as he just continued spouting off his nonsense. “I wanted them to come clean about what they knew about aliens and other worldly beings so humanity could better prepare for an arrival like this. I NEVER wanted actual aliens running around on MY world, being treated like visiting royalty!” I looked at him, shaking my head in disappointment. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“You’re really something else, ya know that? I can’t believe just how wrong you got everything about these ponies.”

“Whatever, man. Think what you like.” he said, turning to walk away. “I don’t care what you do with your freak girlfriend, just don’t splatter it on me.” With that, he skulked off, raising his hand to hail a taxi. “And don’t expect me to work with you while you’re housing that thing. In fact... forget we were ever friends at all.” Mikey got into the cab as it pulled up, slamming the door as the driver merged into traffic and drove away. I stood there for a moment, trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened. How could Mike get it so wrong? Autumn never did anything to him. To my knowledge, she was the first Omega Earth native he ever met. Unfortunately, that’s the very nature of racism; it doesn’t have to be rational, as long as it makes the one doing the hating feel better about themselves. With a heavy heart and a lot to think about, I turned and made my way back to my work area. There were still hours to go, and I had work to do.

***

We got the basins replaced and all returned to work with twenty minutes to spare. Of course, me having a pony roommate now was the talk of the garage, thanks to Autumn’s little detour there. Mostly, it was the same questions my crew had for her when they first met; how she likes our world, what’s her diet, do ponies really control magic and the weather? Same old same old. Amazingly, nobody else shared Mikey’s view on the subject of Omega Earth races coming here, which was good. I really don’t need a bunch of guys here hating me just because of who I share an apartment with.

Of course, immediately after work, I hit my credit union to have them take a good look at that check Agent Syth gave me. I took the word of 2 tellers and the bank manager himself that it was authentic, but they would have to hold on to it for a few days to verify the source, anyway. That’s fine. I’ll wait a week to get 10 grand. What surprised me the most, though, was that by the time I drove home, there was already a message from them on my phone. The agency that wrote the check put a message in with the bank manager to cash it immediately. And just like that, I’m financially secure. Hooray!

I made it back home, this time missing Cashmere as I boarded the elevator. Good, maybe I can get some peace for the rest of the day. Yeah, right. That idea vanished like a fart in the wind as soon as I stepped into my apartment.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me!!! Where was THAT thing hiding?!” I jogged forward a little, finding Autumn siting on the couch, wings flared out, holding the Playstation controller.

“Hey, pony girl. You alright? I asked, looking at the screen. Laying motionless under the huge foot of a blue T-Rex lookalike abomination was an armor-clad warrior, the crimson pool spreading from under him. Autumn sighed, placing the controller on the coffee table.

“Yeah, I’m find. Just playing your Monster Hunter 5. I can’t take out this big... whatever it is.” she said, motioning at the screen with a hoof. “Dang thing keeps stepping one me! It’s easier to avoid a REAL dragon’s attack than a lunge by this thing!” I raised a finger and opened my mouth to question that statement, but, seeing as I’m talking to a pegasus from another world, I just chose to take it at face value.

“Yeah, I know, right?” She took the controllers again, saving before turning it off. “So, how did your day go?”

“Pretty good. I, um... met a friend of yours.” Autumn’s ears perked, her wings ruffling before settling against her body again. “A certain Agent Henry Syth said hi.” Immediately, she smiled, her interest peeked.

“Oh, you met Hank? Where did you meet him?” she asked. Alright, that answered the question if she knew him or not.

“He was waiting by my truck, actually. Quite the charmer.” I started untying my boots as my roomie hopped up on the couch, curling her hind legs underneath her as she listened intently. “He, um... asked for a ride downtown while so we could talk.”

“Really? What did you talk about?” We talked about how I could expect you to be nuzzling and cuddling me for your entire time here. What else would we be talking about?

“Well... about my stipend. Apparently, I get cash to help tend to your needs while you stay here.” Autumn seemed shocked, her ears folding back as her face took on a worried look.

“Oh. I hope you don’t think there’s anything I want to change about your place, here. I’m just glad you’re letting me stay.” she said, fidgeting her forehooves together. I removed my boots, standing up as I headed to my room, Autumn close behind.

“OUR place. Yours and mine, remember? And I know you’re probably too polite to ask, but I’m changing something for you, anyway. Like...” I grinned, looking over my shoulder at her as I dug through a drawer for a clean t-shirt. “... how about getting a bigger tub?” Autumn looked a little embarrassed, now knowing that I heard her bumping around in the shower the other night.

“Hehehe.. Heard that, huh?” she asked, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

“I think Cash heard it downstairs, but don’t worry. We’ll go to Lowes or Home Depot or something and pick out one big enough for you. Those are home improvement stores, by the way.” I motioned her out of the room with a wave of my hand, the pony catching on quick that I wanted to get changed. She trotted out and turned back around outside my room as I went to close my door, leaving it open only an inch so we could continue talking.

“Thanks, Jer.” she finally said, a hint of relief in her voice. “That means a lot to me.” I slipped on a clean pair of jeans, pausing as I heard a certain word.

“Autumn... did you just call me ‘Jer?’” I asked.

“Um... yeah. I-is that OK? I won’t use it if you don’t want me to.” Damn it, there’s that ‘cute’ thing she’s doing again! I don’t’ even have to see her and I know she’s probably making the most adorable face.

“No, no. Jer is fine. Cute, actually.” I opened the door and emerged from my room, back in my normal, street clothes; blue carpenter jeans and a red t-shirt with a Punisher skull on it. Sure enough, there was that cute face. She HAD to know that could melt human’s hearts upon viewing it. No way she didn’t know that.

“So, what did your friends think of me? Did I surprise them?” And there goes my mood. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking; I’m gonna tell her all about my fight with Mikey, and how he hates her for no apparent reason, and there goes an otherwise drama-free day for her in her new human home. Between our culture clash the first night of her stay, the ‘grocery store’ incident with the jumpy cashier, and the street preacher singling her out the other day, she’s going to think the human world has nothing to offer but strife.

“They all loved ya, Autumn. You make quite an impression on people, I’ll give you that.” Bite me. Just bite me. She deserves to have a nice day, and like Agent Syth said, I’m here to guide her and protect her. She doesn’t need me to point out every asshole that I come across, even if she misses them. I DO feel bad about lying to her, though. I won’t make a habit out of that.

“That’s good.” Autumn returned to the couch, taking the remote off the table and flipping it Cartoon Network. I strolled past her to the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing out a couple of Snapples. Plopping down on the couch beside her, we settled in for the rest of the night, the activity just being she and I watching TV, with me answering any questions she had about what we were watching. Occasionally, she’d offer up some info about her world and it’s working, to which I’d listen with great interest. The entire night went on like that until it was my self-appointed bedtime.

***

She showered first this time, bumping and banging about in my small tub while I stifled my laughter. I went in after her, taking my undies, lounge pants and a tank top in with me. No hug tonight, though. Heh... I think I’m actually disappointed.

Laying in bed, I kept running Mikey’s words over in my mind. Quad, that new racist term for Omega Earth people. People on the internet, groups that don’t trust them or hate them, outright. Was he really going to hate me, just because I was friends with her? Then I thought about Autumn. She’s been nothing but kind and positive since she got here, even in the face of being just 1 of 60 other beings from her world, right now. That’s pretty rough. I doubt most humans would make it, being part of a select few chosen to split up around an alien world, learning from and teaching it’s inhabitants. Autumn must be incredibly brave to be going through with this. That, or... Syth was right. She was comfortable enough with me and trusted me enough to go through with this.

Just like when she asked me let her fly home alone, I found myself feeling strange. This was only our first weekend together, and already there were some humans that were either afraid of her, or just hated her for no good reason. Sure, there were a ton of great people out there, just amazed to be talking to a real, live alien, but soon that magic would wear off as more of her kind arrived for... whatever reasons. Even if she wanted to be more independent and self-sustaining, I’d still need to be there for her. I still needed to show her that she had a safe place to be, when all was said and done for the day. I had to do something nice for her. Not just the tub thing, but something... more. Something to show her this was her place, just as much as mine, and that no matter what she was going to face out in the world, she could always come home to find a friend. After all, I was getting a big, fat government check for her staying here, now. Might as well use it.

Laying in my dark bedroom, I tried to look around, finding only darkness. Carefully, I got up off my bed, walked over to my dresser and flipped on an old lava lamp I had, bathing the room in a blue glow. Strangely enough, it reminded me of Autumn’s mane, just after she showered. The dark is nice and all, but there was something soothing about having a light to-

An idea suddenly sprang into my mind, stopping me in my tracks as I walked back to my bed. The night light... OF COURSE! My head suddenly spun with the thought. So simple, but to her, I knew it would mean the world. That would truly be the way to cement that she belonged here, just as much as me. I quickly hopped back into bed, a goofy grin on my face as my mind raced with ways to pull off the project I was already planning. At my feet, I heard Merlin squeak out a yawn, the tabby rolling over as he stretched across my feet. This was going to take a little while to put together. I just hoped I could keep her away long enough to make it a surprise!

Everything to Everyone

Many thanks to all those who voted on what they wanted to see this chapter. I was really up in the air about if it should be about Jeremy and Autumn's growing relationship, or the arrival of other students from Earth Omega. I decided to honor the winning choice, but still felt bad that some fans were left out. MY answer to that: foreshadow the hell out of their relationship chapter during this arc. Anyways, here it is, bronys. Enjoy!

****************************************************************************************************************************

o/`Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out

Hey I will stand my ground

And I won't back down...o/`

Tom Petty - Won’t Back Down

Everything to Everyone

The rest of the week after Autumn’s initial introduction to my work friends went pretty much... normal. That is to say, as normal as things could be when you’re living with a technicolor, flying pony from another dimension. On Tuesday, we paid a visit to the local chain hardware store to look for a new tub and shower set-up that would accommodate both our different body shapes. We got some strange looks from the staff and shoppers as I encouraged her to stomp around in some of the displays, but after a few minutes, we found one that she liked. A short while later, we had arranged for the installers to come on Thursday to put it in. Actually, this was as much for me as it was for her. I’m pretty sure she could have gone without the Jacuzzi water jets in the side walls and pulsating shower head. Thanks again, Agent Syth! There’s yer tax dollars at work, people.

By and large, I continued my own week as usual, with 2 notable exceptions:

1. The randomly asked questions from the many members of my road crew about the everyday comings and goings of living with an alien. It was the usual stuff you’d expect, too; Does she do anything weird? What does she eat? Don’t you ever feel uncomfortable? Most were simply borne out of curiosity, for the most part. Still, every now and then, there would be some ignorant-yet-not-intended-to-be question like ‘Does she ever smell?’ or ‘Does she shed?’ Seriously?! I’d answer those stupid ones, too, but make fun of the person asking a little first for being such a jackass. Then, of course, there was exception #2...

Mikey.

Monday, everybody met Autumn, and Mikey went home early in silent protest. Tuesday, the little neo-nazi in training came in before everybody else and requested to work on another team, away from me. It still surprised me just how wrong I pegged the guy. I mean, he usually idled at crazy, but he was never this bad. I mean, he really seemed to downright HATE Autumn upon first sight, and by proxy, me for being friends with her. Thankfully, nobody else seemed to echo his sentient towards her or me, and I could live with that, even if it meant I’d be the guy amongst our crew that did all the climbing and crawling for a while.

Now, even though I never pulled seniority on him, he was still the ‘young guy’ on the team, meaning he was by default the most mobile. See, being on the street team for decades left some of the lazier fellows a little soggy in the mid-section when it came to shimmying up trees or crawling through tunnels and pipes. With him out, it was up to me, being the next young guy, with the power and the strength to do those jobs. Good thing I keep myself in shape, or I’d be really screwed.

Save for the occasional sideways glance from my former amigo and confidant and the occasional extra work I had to do, Tuesday through Thursday went by just fine. Autumn fell into her own routine of scouting the neighborhood from the sky, learning her way around. Actually, the locals started waving and greeting her as she went by. Simple gestures of acceptance that my pony friend was more than happy to return as she made daily trips to and from Cambridge. Apparently, there were some scheduling conflicts that she and some government representative were working out with the school. She was confident that everything would be straightened out by the time fall came around. She still had 2 months till then, so no need to stress.

Everything was falling into a nice, (dare I say) normal routine for Autumn and I. Occasionally, there would be some difference in our cultures, but nothing a moment of explanation wouldn’t cure. By the end of the week, I didn’t miss eating meat in my own home, nor did I feel the particular need to go out and sneak it from a fast food joint. Autumn continued to work her way through my extensive game library, even making her own accounts on each system(with minimal involvement on my part, I’m so proud!!!). Yep, things were all Ozzie and Harriet perfect, with no signs of real problems on the horizon. But, like always, right about then is when God decided to reach down and give me a wet willie.

***

I woke up with a start again, sweating and reaching for the other side of the bed. Goddamn it, that meant I was probably tossing and turning all night. I must have had another dream about her again. And I was doing so well, too. Even though I’ve been purposely falling asleep in the center of the bed every night since she left, I still woke up on the edge. The undesired after effects of sleeping with bed-hogging Erica for nearly a year. I wish I knew some way to break myself away from this stupid habit. No matter. I already knew it was Friday, and I was looking forward to the weekend. Hopefully, I’d have my project for Autumn finished by tonight.

Going through my early morning routine, I was out the door my usual time, again not disturbing Autumn before she needed to be up. It was nice that she wanted to have breakfast first thing in the mornings with me, but after reassuring her my normal grind was to just get dressed and run, she decided to save that little pleasantry for the weekends from now on. Besides, she had her own business matters to take care of, heading back and forth to Cambridge to oversee her upcoming class schedule and all. Apparently, she and some representatives from both the Equestrian and U.S. agencies were handling some problem with her schedule. In a nutshell, somebody was supposed to talk to somebody else, but that second somebody was sick that day, so the first somebody just made everybody THINK they talked to the second somebody, and that fucks EVERYBODY!

The work day went by without incident, same as every other day this week. At the punch clock, I asked Tony if he could lend his electrician skills to the next stage of my gift to Autumn. Of course, being one of my co-workers who had the most questions about her and her world, the guy agreed with little friction. I’m sure he’d have a whole round of new questions for her when he came over tonight.

From my truck on the way home, I called my newly installed house phone, leaving a message for Autumn on the machine. Just letting her know I was going to be late coming home today and not to worry. After relying on my cell for the last 2 years as my primary maens of communicating with the world, I figured it would be best to get a land line again, for all the business calls and messages for the college. Plus, any calls coming in from the BEA could be filtered through to there as well. I didn’t even think of contacting Agent Syth to tell him. Chances were, he already had the number.

A quick trip to the hardware store later, got me the last items I needed for the rigging I already had up at home;

50 yards of water-proof blue neon-glo rope light, able to be broken down into 3-foot sections.

25 solar powered directional lights.

300 feet of spooled, insulated copper wiring.

And one 30 foot flag pole(broken into 3 separate 10 foot sections for easy transport).

I figured if I was gonna have all that cash coming in for just having Autumn around, the first thing I would get with it would be something for her. What? Don’t give me that look. It’s only fair! Anyway...

Coming home, I parked close to the door, making it easy for me to unload the contents of my truck and take them directly to my freight elevator. After loading up the lift, I took it up to my apartment, finding Autumn on the couch, just as I have almost everyday this week.

“Not bad, 1SickTicket, but work on your sniping. You’re too inconsistent. Magikarp20, nice kill streak in the second round. You’re an angel with a railgun. Everybody else: keep up the good work.” There she was, the leader of ‘The Herd,’ the latest multi-player team to terrify every other player of Halo 5 on the East Coast. I must have just missed a hell of a match, the menu music playing as Autumn addressed her team via Blue Tooth. On the screen, every one of the 16 members was properly represented, their pictures or animated avatars appearing in real time on a 4X4 grid with Autumn’s picture in the upper left corner. Interesting... seems she found 2 more players to fill out the roster. Ya know, I actually forgot that my flat screen had a web camera in the top-center of the frame. That is, until Autumn used it 2 days ago to talk to her ‘herd.’

Locking the cage of the lift open, I started dragging off my supplies, moving them one by one and leaving them by the elevator. When the box was empty, I closed the gate and locked it, leaving my hat on a nail by on the wall. I sat down on the couch on the end away from Autumn and started taking my boots off, my pony friend taking the time out of her little meeting to greet me home.

“Hiya, Jeremy. Happy Friday. Have a good day, today?” she said in her usual cheery tone. I was then greeted by 15 other voices all welcoming me home as well, Autumn’s fellow players on the screen waving and saluting me as I tossed my 2 boots under the table.

“Sure did. And look at this bunch. Afternoon, soldiers. At ease. So, how went the struggle, today?” Wrong thing to ask. All at once, every guy and gal in the 15 windows started telling me different details about every single round they played, chattering like murder of crows about every headshot and tea-bagging. Autumn laughed, raising a hoof at the screen to quiet them down.

“Alright, alright, team. Go get some R&R. I’ll be signing off for the day.” A collective groan rose up from the team before they each offered up their goodbyes, the grid of live feeds clicking off one by one, leaving only 2 on the screen besides Autumn. Over the last 3 days, Autumn’s growing team learned that when I came home, it was time for their boss to go. Not that I’d ever kick her off the game, mind you. I really didn’t care if she played all night or not. But for some reason, my little orange buddy decided that when I came home, talking to and hanging out with me was Priority #1. Absentmindedly, I looked up at the screen from the couch, the images of the last 2 gamers remaining piquing my interest.

“Autumn,” I said, leaning over a little. “who are these 2 screwballs?” Autumn laughed, pointing a hoof a the screen.

“C’mon, Jer. You remember Maxwell and Crystal, right?” I looked over at the screen, the young black punk rock kid with a blue fade and an emo Asian chick with pink bangs hanging over her eyes. In a moment, I wondered how I ever forgot these two jokers.

“Hey, yeah... you’re the kids we met in the Top Dog arcade!” I said, feeling actually a little surprised to see them again. “Holy hell, you guys, I didn’t think I’d see you two again.”

“As soon as you got that land line installed, Autumn gave us a call.” Crystal replied with a smile. Instantly, I remembered the numbers the crowd had written up and down my arm before we left that day. Apparently, Autumn remembered these two and call them the moment she had a chance. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to make friends with them. They were the first humans other than me that treated her decent since she arrived, in spite of being a pony. Hell, it was BECAUSE she was a pony they thought she was so cool!

“Well, glad to see you again.” I was surprised to find how easily that came out. Maybe because I was actually happy she made other human friends. Good. She’d need more than just me, I suppose, if she wanted to integrate more into Alpha Earth. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get out of my work clothes. I got some things to do today.” Waving bye to the two, I stood up and started making my way to my room, Autumn staying behind to finish up the conversation with her new buddies. Once in my room, I quickly removed my dirty work jeans and hi-vis neon shirt, tossing the in the hamper in the corner. I tossed on a pair of old carpenter jeans and an old Ramones shirt and started digging through my closet for my tool box.

Steamer trunk, box of CDs, old box of even older books... God, I need to clean this out some time. My room is getting as cluttered with crap as the rest of my apartment. Digging a little deeper past some blankets, I came across something I almost forgot I even had; my guitar case and my old amp. Wow... it’s amazing how something you used to do everyday could stop you in your tracks, especially when you haven’t seen it in a while. I pulled it out and sat it in front of me, slowly opening it. And there she was. My first love. My Kramer Pariah electric guitar. I ran a hand over the surface, wiping off some of the dust. I can’t believe I ever stopped playing this...

“Jeremy, you want any help with this stuff?” Autumn called from the other room, the steady clopping telling me she was getting closer. I quickly closed the case, locking it and sliding it back in the closet. Autumn must have seen my supplies. Better get them to the roof before she figures it out.

“No, no. I’m fine. I’ll get all that.” I yelled, jogging out of my room and over to the supplies, scooping up a box of lights. “I just need to get these up to the roof, is all. Thanks, though.” Despite my turning down her help, Autumn still got the door for me.

“Here, let me help you with that.” A familiar male voice spoke tome from the just opened door to the roof, the figure taking the box I held out of my arms as I jumped backwards in surprise.

“HOLY FRICKEN’ HELL!!!” Again, with the appearing out of NOWHERE!!! I looked up from the floor, finding the sunglasses wearing, smiling face of Agent Henry Syth standing before me, Autumn giggling beside him as she held a hoof over her mouth. “What the hell are you doing here?! How’d you get in?!” I asked, glaring at him from the floor. Autumn reached out a hoof, helping me to my feet again as Syth placed the box down and did the same. A hand, I mean. Not a hoof.

“I let him in, of course.” Autumn answered. Oh, God... why, Autumn?!?! “He came over just over an hour ago. We talked for a little bit about my time here, and he said he wanted to talk to you about something.” Oh, great. Whenever a man from the government wants to talk specifically to you, it’s never good, FYI. My roomie and ‘guest’ walked past me into the living area, leaving me by the stairs. Well, I suppose I should play the good host and give Agent Creepy a can of soda.

“When Autumn told me you had some sort of set-up on the roof, I figured I’d just wait there. When I saw you car pull up, I decided to give you some time to get your boots off before I came down.” he said, looking around the apartment.

“Gee, how nice of you.” I faked. “So... what brings you here?” I handed him his Coke and opened one of my own, sitting down beside to Autumn with Henry on the love seat to our left.

“Well, there’s a bit of a problem. But before we get to that, I have a question. Autumn, how’s Jeremy doing? Treating you right, you’d say?” I almost did a spit take. Did he REALLY just ask Autumn to rate my performance RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME?! I looked over at her, her ears folded back as she really seemed to consider everything she could think of.

“Well... at first, there was some friction. I’ll admit that. But,” she put a hoof on my knee and gave me a smile. “I think that was just because we needed to get to know each other. After we took a moment to understand each other a little more, we got along just fine. Since then, everything’s been great. HE took me around town, showing me the shops, and even taking me to a movie. He takes his time to explain things about Earth Alpha I don’t quite get. He’s patient and understanding with I don’t really get some things. He really seems to be interested in my life on Earth Omega. Heck, he even gave up eating meat in his own home for me. He’s a big reason why I’m a lot more excited than scared to be going to school here. Really, I couldn’t have asked for a better friend to help me while I’m here.” Ya know, there’s really no good way to hide a blush. So, of course, I did that ‘pretending to look at anything else in the room’ trick. And of course, you know that never works. I did hear Syth chuckle a little under his breath as he placed his can on the coffee table.

“That’s good to hear, because it’s the Academic Exchange program that I wan to talk to you two about.” For a moment, I caught a look of worry in Autumn’s eye. I know it scared her to hear that, but it kind of made me feel... good. She was worried about me. Huh...

“The second wave of students from both worlds is currently in the process of transition. Right now, 240 students, 120 from each world, are being placed with host families on each side of the dimensional rift. Unfortunately... we have a slight problem.” I leaned forward a little, folding my hands in front of me.

“What kind of ‘problem’ we talking about here, Henry?”

“We have three Omega Earth students who have no hosts homes to go to.” He took another sip from his soda, slugging the rest until the can was empty before placing it back on the table. “They had either families or single individuals to live with, but upon further background checking, we discovered that two host houses had criminal infractions in the past, nullifying their eligibility. The third had financial problems that made them want to be hosts only for monetary gain only. Unlike your current situation, where you were only looking for a roommate and she happened to be a pony.” he said, rolling his hand on his wrist. Casually, he sat back, sinking into the cushion as he got comfortable. “Anyway... think you could put the three students up for a night or two while we find other places for them to stay?”

“WHAT?!” I shot up off the couch, eyes wide. I think I scared Autumn a bit, her ears and wings folding downward as she shied away from me a little as I started to stutter. “But... I... there’s only-”

“Look out the window.” Syth calmly cut me off, pointing to the row of large windows against the wall. Snapping his fingers, he repeated himself. “Go ahead. Look. Out. The window.” Reluctantly, I slowly moved to the glass, he and Autumn close behind me. Down in the street was a large delivery truck from one of the local furniture stores, two very burly looking gentlemen leaning against the side. Behind them was parked a large, blue passenger van, completely distinguished by just how unremarkable it was. Both of those vehicles, I assumed, were brought by Agent Syth. “To answer your concern; Yes, I know you only have two beds. They’ll bring three more queen-sized beds up here, right now, if you agree to this arrangement.” This actually had me at a loss for words. This arrogant bastard already expected me to just say yes.

“Alright, alright... but my fridg-”

“Food will be provided, along with another refrigerator and a deep-freezer, both of which you can keep after this is over. We will provide the very best of all of their native diets for them to enjoy, with no cost to you.” His expression was stone-like, his voice unwavering. “Anything else, Jeremy?”

“Yeah, did you-”

“Talk to Mr. Cashmere? Yes. We’ll paid him one month’s rent for each of the three students, if you agree. We told him it depended on if they were coming or not, not on if you decided one way or the other. We didn’t want to bias your decision with a guilty conscious.” MY decision? Seems like there was little deciding on my part. I thought for a moment, trying to imagine a questions that Syth hadn’t planed for yet.

“Why me?” I looked at him coldly, still trying to maintain some control over the slowly churning hurricane that would become my life. Syth only smiled at me, folding his arms.

“Because you are your father’s son.” he said with a grin. Alright, can’t say I was prepared for that. “During his years of service, your father was a dependable and upright soldier. He could always be counted on at a moments notice to rise to the occasion, whatever it may be. That kinda integrity tends to rub off on a kid. Take it from someone who knows. He couldn’t leave those who needed help hanging, and I don’t think you can, either.” For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond to that. I did remember dad telling me different stories from his time in the service, his voice heavy with pride as he spoke of pride, duty, honor, strength...

“Jeremy...” Autumn’s gentle voice pulled me back to the moment, looking up at me with bright green eyes. “... if we have a chance to help other students, even if it’s just putting them up for a few days, we should do it. I’d want someone to do that for me, anyways...” Again, her ears were folded back. That, coupled with her big eyes all but sealed my fate. Taking a deep breath, I let out an equally deep sigh, rubbing my temple.

“... fine.” Autumn nuzzled against my side, the sudden show of affection enough to make me ignore the hearty slap on the shoulder Syth gave me. I looked down at the young mare again, seeing a smile on her face at my decision. I could feel an impending sense of dread at the thought of what trouble those gorgeous green eyes had just gotten me in. “So, Agent Syth... how we doing this?”

***

A quick call to Tony canceled my plans to complete Autumn’s surprise that night. He didn’t seem to mind, of course. That meant he could start drinking just that much sooner. After we coordinated the placing of the new beds around the apartment, we paid a visit to Cashmere. Cash muttered something under his breath about Syth looking like he was KGB, but after being cut a big, fat check right on the spot, the old immigrant almost passed out. No wonder why we’re in a recession! I made sure Merlin had enough food for te day, just in case I was late coming home. A short while after that, Autumn, Syth and I checked out the transport van. Henry added the street address into the on-board GPS. Destination: New York City.

“New York? Really? It’s already 5:00! I won’t get home till like, midnight!” I complained, Syth ignoring me as he handed me to the keys.

“Until we can set up a permanent portal in the Boston area, New York is the closest we could bring them in. You’ll be fine. Look.” He directed my attention towards the driver seat, a paper cup with a plastic sip lid already sitting the cup holder. “Already got you your favorite coffee.” I climbed into the driver seat, putting turning the key in the ignition.

“Bribing me with caffeine is a dirty trick, and you know it,” I grumbled, eliciting a laugh out of Autumn in the passenger seat.

“Just drive carefully. Take in the scenery. Enjoy the trip. By this time Monday, they’ll be out of your hair and you’ll have another nice, big stipend for your trouble.” he said with a smile. I hit start on the GPS, the plotting the route in seconds. “Happy trails, cowboy. See ya in a few.” I put the van in drive as Autumn finished with her seatbelt, pulling out of the space and down the road.

***

In no time at all, we were on I-87, heading south. Traffic was lite, but I still advised Autumn it was probably better for her to just sit and enjoy the ride rather than to follow from the air. I only made this trip twice before, and I didn’t drive either time, so sticking with me was probably a good idea.

“Ya know,” I said, turning slightly to Autumn. “if someone told me a month ago I’d be driving out of state to pick up a trio of aliens so they could stay the weekend at my apartment, I’d have asked for a shot of whatever it was they were drinking.” My pony companion laughed, ending it with a content sigh.

“Yeah, I know what you’re talking about. I can’t believe I’m here, either. On another world, soon to be going to school with creatures that, up until a couple of weeks ago, were just legends. It’s still all so... surreal.” For a moment, she stared dreamily out te window, the scenery flying by us in a green blur on the right as semi trucks crawled past on the left. Ya know... if it weren’t for the whole‘being a pony’ thing, I would seriously consider making her my future ex-girlfriend.

“So... did ya mean it?” Autumn’s ears perked as she turn back to me, not seeming sure what I meant. “Back at the apartment, what you told Syth. Did you really mean it, or... were you just building me up to him?” I asked, grinning as Autumn scoffed in shock.

“What?! I didn’t just build you up to make you sound better, Jeremy. I meant what I said.” She seemed to blush a little, looking down at the dashboard as she quietly clopped her hooves together. “I... I really appreciate all you’ve done for me. We only just met, and I already think you’re one of the best friends I ever had.” I could feel a sudden rush fill me as she said that, warming up inside my chest. What... what’s this? Pride, maybe? I think I like that.

“Wow... really?” I asked, almost doubting what I heard.

“Yeah, really. You’re a wonderful guy, Jer. I know...” Autumn paused a moment, letting out a sigh. “... I know having something that wasn’t supposed to exist in your world show up on your doorstep couldn’t have been easy. It takes a special kind of pon- um... hu-... person, to do what you did. And I’m very grateful for that.”

“Aw, shucks, Miss Rain. You’re making me blush.” I joked, fluttering my eyes at her, getting another small laugh.

“Oh, sure you are! Even Henry seems to like you quite a bit.” I rolled my eyes, keeping track of traffic as I merged over to take the coming exit.

“I think Henry likes to troll the living daylights out of me, that’s what he likes.” Exit coming up... and we’re off the highway. Autumn still has the cutest reactions when I do a sudden move in a vehicle, pawing at the door handle and seatbelt when the van shifts on an incline slightly.

“Well, he seems to think highly of your father, that’s for sure.” We reached the top of the exit ramp, stopping at a red light behind another big rig. Yeah, Syth DID seem to know about my dad, but how? I guess, if he ran any kind of background check on me when Autumn showed interest in staying with me, he’d see my dad was in the service. But about his missions, tours of duty and stuff, too? How much else did he know? “Do you think maybe I could meet him sometime?” I shook my head slightly, the words taking a moment to fully settle in my mind.

“W-what?”

“Your dad, I mean. Do you think he’d be interested in meeting me, being a soldier and working for your government like Henry does? He sounds pretty interesting.” Oh, no... I didn’t think to tell her back at the apartment. I looked over at her, hopefully smiling as she waited for an answer. This... would not be easy.

“Um, Autumn... my dad is... gone. He... he died... in the line of duty.” It was as if all the color suddenly drained from her face, her expression quickly deteriorating from happy and excited to one of great sorrow. I could see her eyes start to glisten, her ears leaning down as her wings drooped at her sides.

“Oh... oh, Jeremy... I’m... I’m so sorry...” My pony roomie rested a hoof on my right shoulder in sympathy. Somehow, I got the impression that if I wasn’t currently driving, I’d be enveloped in a hug right now. I reached my left hand over, patting her hoof in response.

“It’s... it’s alright, Autumn. He died in the line of duty, as a hero.” Taking a breath, I placed both hands back on the wheel, Autumn sinking back into her seat. “I’m sure you must have read something about a war in the area we call the Middle East in your travels through the internet?” Slowly, she nodded, keeping silent as I explained. “There’s too many issues at play to explain in one car ride, but basically, a LOT of bad people are gathered in that area. Being the super nice guys we are, we often feel the need to go and put a hurting on bad guys around the world for... various reasons. All part of the United States trying to use all the power it has for the greater good. That’s why my dad joined the army.

“His name was Edward, and he was a hell of a guy. He signed up at 18, right when he got out of high school. Met my mother, Sarah, just before she went to school for her RN, which happened to be just before he left for his first deployment. 18 months later when he got back, they were married. 9 months later, I was born.” I chuckled to myself, looking over at my passenger. “Yeah, he didn’t waste no time. Anyways, my dad was in and out of the house for most of my life. Gone away on tour sometimes, staying at home to spend time with me and mom other times... Really, even back then, I understood why he had to go away all the time. Even today, I get it; he truly believed that those with the power had an obligation to use it to help those who were in need. And I loved him for it. I thought he was the coolest dad ever.

“One day, he was in an area called the Baghdad Airport Road. That was a notoriously dangerous area for civilians , as well as soldiers, to travel. Attack and hijackings by insurgents were common in those days. Um...” I paused, turning back to Autumn. “Insurgents are the bad guys in this story.” She nodded knowingly as I continued. “There was a family by the side of the road: a mom holding a baby, a the father and a little boy. Apparently, their car died and they were stranded. My dad’s platoon stopped to offer them a ride... but it was a trap. The insurgents were holding the family as bait, waiting hidden in the desert for American soldiers to stop so they could easily be picked off. When my dad and his crew realized what was going on, they grabbed the civilians and started making a break for it.

“My dad and a few others covered the main teams escape, walking along the road, taking cover when they could, keeping the bad guys from getting too close. But they thought ahead, in this case. Along the side of the road was a I.E.D., or improvised explosive device; a home made bomb. My dad spotted it before anyone else, but not until it was too late. He grabbed a piece of metal from the side from the ground, using that... and himself... to shield his crew and the civilians from the explosion. He...” I felt a lump in my throat, swallowing it down as I continued. “He didn’t make it.” I stopped, looking over at Autumn as she stared silently at the dash. Over the roar of the road, I could hear her give a tiny sniffle.

“Jeremy, I’m... I’m so sorry. I feel... I don’t know...” I reached over, giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder and reassuring smile.

“Hey... don’t feel too bad. I always knew there was a chance he might not come home some day At 10 years old, I was really upset when I found out he was gone. But at the same time... I understood. He was doing what he thought was right. He believed he was helping those who couldn’t help themselves. He believed he was making the world a better, safer place for me. I missed him, sure, but I’ll always be proud of him, and I’ll always love him for it.”

“Sounds like he was a really special, amazing guy.”Autumn finally added. I just nodded, chuckling again.

“Oh, yeah. He always used to always tell me these tall tales about what he was doing when he was gone. Like once, he told me he was woken up out of a hotel room in Germany by a couple MPs. They ordered him to get dressed and handcuffed a briefcase to his wrist. He said he was ordered to catch a plane from there to southern France, with no money or ID of any kind, where the case would be removed. Then, another time, he told me he and a buddy were ordered to guard an aircraft hangar and NEVER look inside, under any circumstances. Just being a goof once, his friend peeked inside. He claimed to my dad it was too dark to see anything. However, according to what my dad told me happened to him when the top brass seen him do it on camera, woo... he’s probably still in military prison.

“I used to think my dad made up all those stories about secret, covert operations he used to tell me as bedtime stories. But considering the fact that I’m talking to an alien, mythological creature that can talk back to me right now, on my way to do a favor for a secretive government agency I never heard of before... I’m not so sure.” Autumn gave me a guarded smile, I imagine sensing the pride and love I still held for my father. With a noticeably lighter mood, she gave me a grin. “But hey, for what it’s worth Autumn; I think my dad would have loved to meet someone as awesome as you.”

“Thanks, Jeremy” she said, smiling once again, albeit a little softer now. “But about your mother? Did she understand, too? How was she about losing him?” I could feel a shift in the tone which she spoke to me, somewhat calmer with a sense of pointed interest. Perhaps the psychoanalyst training in her? Feeling the conversation heading back to the more light-hearted, I continued, the roads the GPS taking us on becoming more densely traveled and harder to maneuver as we enter the city.

“She took it hard, but I think my attitude at the time helped her. A lot of the time, she worked double time at the hospital, earning more than enough for me and her to live comfortably. It wasn’t until I was 15 that she started dating again. Now THAT, I didn’t understand at first. Looking back, I think she wanted me to have another positive male role model in my life. She had 3 or 4 guys for a few months at a stretch each, none really wanting to stick around much. But my senior year of high school, I found my own girlfriend, and she found a nice guy of her own.” Oh, shit... did I just mention Erica?! Holy fuck, I did! Alright, keep cool, just change the subject! Trying to keep calm, I leaned over to Autumn, whispering like there was a big secret. “Personally, I think he’s a big goober, but he makes her happy, so I’m good. Sarah and ‘Richard’ live south of Boston in a town called Avon. She calls me time to time, and I visit on holidays.” I stopped there, deciding I’d talked about myself long enough, secretly hoping she didn’t catch that part about a girlfriend. I didn’t want to monopolize the rest of the ride with the story of how I wished I was dead for almost a year, so I decided to turn the focus elsewhere.

“How about you, girl? What about your folks? What do they do?” Suddenly going from being the listener to the narrator took her by surprise, Autumn seeming to have to think for a moment before speaking.

“Oh, me? Well, um... there’s nothing to tell, really.” she said, placing a hoof to her chin in a moment of reflection. “I lived a pretty happy life back home. My father, Storm Front, is the supervisor of the tornado, thundercloud and hailstone division of the Cloudsdale weather factory.” I chose to not interrupt her on that, remembering how she mentioned her people controlled the weather on her world. I gotta see that one day. Anyway... “My mom, Soothing Wind, manages the most successful beauty salon in the city, Cloud 9, so we live pretty well between both their incomes. My older sister, Jet Stream, lives in Ponyville with her husband, Air Jack. That’s pretty much it for my immediate family. All my other relatives are pretty spread out around Equestria.” Jesus CHRIST, these ponies had weird names! They all sound like something you’d hear at a race track! Autumn looked out the window, the traffic of the city thinning as we rounded another corner just in time to avoid a red light. “So, how about that girlfriend you had in school? Whatever ever happened with her?”

At that moment, the electronic female space-alien voice of the GPS announced that we ‘have reached our destination,’ effectively ending our conversation. Thank God, because if I had to start telling her about Mega-Beast Erica, I would have took a header into the nearest bus. Anyways, we rounded the corner, the hotel coming into view. And HOLY SHIT, what a view it was! This was the fanciest, shiniest building on the street! We pulled up slowly to the front doors of none other than the New York Marriott, the large golden entryway shining before us as we slowed to a stop. The building stretched to the sky in a way that made me a little dizzy, the top unseen from my seat behind the wheel.

“Hey, this is where I first stayed when I arrived on Alpha. It looks... different from the ground.” Autumn said, looking out the window. “It’s much prettier from way up in the air.”

“Yeah, I’ll take your word for it.” I answered flatly, looking over the area around us. The first peculiar thing I noticed were the armed guards on both sides of the main doors, ready in full uniform with M-16s in hand. All around the front were men and women in black suits similar to Agent Syth’s, ear pieces, shades and all. Cautiously, I pulled into one of the ‘pick up’ parking spaces in front of the building, noticing in the rear view mirror several people talking and pointing at the van. Immediately, one of the agents(who looked only a year or three older than me, btw) walked up and tapped on my window, making the ‘roll it down’ gesture with his hand.

“Is there a reason you’re parked in front of the hotel here, sir?” I never got the chance to answer, a ringing from his inside pock of his jacket taking his attention for a moment. “Yes... yes... Alright... Him?” he spoke into the cell, looking at me from behind his shades. I grinned, wondering exactly was being said. “Alright, if you say so.” He clicked off the call, slipping the phone away in his pocket again as he reached for my door handle. “Mr. Corbin? You’re expected at the front desk. Just let them know who you are, and they’ll take care of the rest.” His gaze shifted past me, landing on the little orange mare getting out of the van on the other side. “Autumn?”

“Terry? Hi! How ya doing?” Autumn yelled, trotting up and hugging the stoic agent, who happily hugged her back.

“Autumn! Good to see ya. So, this is the guy you’re staying with, then?” ‘Terry’ asked. Seems like ALL the sharply dressed G-man like our other worldly visitors. Hands off, suit, you’re messing up her coat.

“Yep. Been having a blast, too.” she said, hopping back on all fours as the agent straightened his shirt a bit.

“That’s nice. Well, I gotta get back to my post. See ya later, Autumn.” he said, waving as he returned to the group of agents and soldiers near the entrance. As Autumn and I approached the front doors, MY phone started to ring, the name of ‘Agent Syth’ appearing in the caller I.D. I quickly answered it, hearing the sound of chattering voices on the other end.

“Um... hello?”

“Jeremy! Glad to see ya got there without incident, my good man.” Syth answered, sounding like he was surrounded by a dozen people, all busy with their own work. “I just told Agent Terrence to let you in. Don’t mind him, he’s just being thorough.” I paused a moment, the a realization hitting me.

“You... you’re watching us?”

“Yes, of course I am. This is an important project were undertaking, here.” he stated proudly.

“Alright, but... where from? I thought we left you back in Boston.” I looked around, seeing plenty of suited gentlemen and ladies, but no Syth anywhere.

“Look up and to your right.” he said. I follow the order, finding a small, black security camera up in the corner of the main foyer. “Here I am. Look, I can even make it wiggle.” he said playfully, the camera shifting back and forth a second before focusing on me again. “All the current portals around the world were made by accident and stabilized afterwards. Right now, I’m helping with security as they try to make another portal, on purpose this time, right her in Boston. I just wanted to troll ya a little, is all.” I sighed as he chuckled through the phone, Autumn stopping and turning around to wait for me.

“You are the weirdest, most unprofessional secret agent I’ve ever met, you know that?” I told him, pointing at the camera, Autumn’s face lighting up as I said that.

“Are you talking to Henry, now? Hi, Henry!” she said, waving at the camera, drawing the attention of several bystanders in the lobby. I facepalmed, feeling my life ever-so-slowly slipping out of my control a little further each second.

“I know, but don’t act like you’re not having fun because of it.” he responded. Somehow, I could imagine him sitting at a monitor, waving back at the image of Autumn on the screen.

“Alright, we’re here. Now what?” I asked Syth, getting increasingly annoyed. “So, go the front desk and...?”

“Tell them your name, and you’re here for a student pick-up. They’ll call the students down. Then, just take them home, and I’ll contact you tomorrow. See ya then, Jeremy. And again, your government, and your dimension thanks you.” With that, the phone clicked off, leaving me little choice but to follow his order.

“Come on. Let’s see who we’re here to get.” With that, Autumn trotted away, heading to the front desk. I reached the counter just as she hopped up on her hind legs, tapping the service bell with a hoof.

“Coming, coming...” a male voice said from a small office door behind the counter. A moment later, the door opened up, a large pony stepping out and up to the counter. Now, I’ve been spending most of my time with Autumn, so seeing another pony wouldn’t really bother me. But this one, however... wow. Even if it wasn’t the voice, I would probably have been able to tell this one was a male. His face was a little longer, and more squared of than Autumn’s, giving him a distinctively more masculine appearance. His body was broader, both in the barrel and his shoulders, making him appear a lot more... intimidating, is the word I’m looking for? He had a dark tan coat, with a burgundy tail and neatly trimmed mane. He wore a black bow tie and a white dress shirt, the words ‘Daily Rate’ on what I assumed was a name tag. He came up just slightly higher on my chest than Autumn did when on all fours, but I could tell, if he stood on his hind legs, he’d be taller than me by at least a few inches. Especially when you take into account the big friggen’ horn on his head!

“Oh, my God, you’re a real, live unicorn...” I said out loud, the words completely bypassing the brain and coming directly out of the mouth without any forethought. My eyes opened wide as my hand immediately cupped over my mouth, too late to keep me from getting a dirty look from the pony.

“Yes, and your friend there is a pegasus, and you’re a human. Very good, but perhaps we should move onto names and why we’re here today. I’ll start. I’m Daily Rate. Welcome to the New York Marriott. How may I help you?” he said in a snarky manner, causing Autumn to hop up again, resting her forehooves on the counter.

“Hey! Come on, now. Was that attitude REALLY necessary? You’re only the second Earth Omega citizen he’s seen since we’ve arrived. No need to give him lip. You only startled him, is all.” Autumn said, wings flaring open a little. Wow... SHE defended ME this time? The unicorn opened his mouth to protest, but hesitated at the last minute, letting out an exasperated sigh, ears folding down as he gave me an apologetic look.

“You’re right... I’m sorry, sir. It’s been a heck of a week. There’s been an influx of Omega Earth visitors since they cleared them for arrival, making this hotel the launching point for any student going anywhere on the ‘upper eastern seaboard’... whatever that is.” Looking across the counter, Daily’s horn, surprisingly, began to glow. I watched in silence as a large registry book glowed the same color before floating down the counter, resting in front of him. Holy balls, they really CAN use magic!

“First time seeing magic?” God, I’m such a noob with these Omega Earth natives! My eyes shot over to him again, a warmer, more understanding look on his face than when he first exited the backroom.

“Heh. Yeah. S-sorry about the remark, buddy. Like she said, I’ve don’t get a lot of Omega visitors around my way. Impressive trick, though. That’s pretty cool.” Daily chuckled, opening the book to a certain page and marking it with a piece of paper before sending it to a shelf behind him.

“That was nothing. You should see what some of the REALLY powerful unicorns can pull off.” He motioned behind us, Autumn and I turning to see a group of ponies walking out of the bar area of the lobby’s restaurant. I recognized the pegasuses(pegasi?) and the unicorns, but also a number of ponies that had neither horn nor wing. Those must be the 'earth ponies' Autumn told me about. Mixed among the group of multi-colored equines were a good number of humans, both in and out of various uniforms. “I’m so used to human photographers running in here off the street and snapping my picture, just to get a photo of a ‘real, live unicorn.’ Not to mention all the bronies coming in to just ‘ask for directions.’ I’m so sure every human in the world asks for directions with their cameras out. I guess it made me forget why I’m here. I was hired here on loan from the Canterlot Astoria Hotel because the Crown thought Omega citizens would feel more comfortable seeing a more familiar face in a sea of human ones.” Quickly, his mouth clamped shut, sensing like he said something wrong. “N-not that there’s anything wrong with a human’s face! I mean, I-I just-”

“Hey!” I said, raising a hand. “First of all, I am NOT a brony, Mr. Daily. Now, that’s a cool story, and I’ma let ya finish in a minute, but lets get down to business, first.” I looked around the lobby once more, hoping to see any trio of ponies randomly hanging around. “I’m Jeremy Corbin, I was sent by an Agent Henry Syth from Boston, and I believe there’s some students I need to pick up.” My name seemed to jog the unicorn’s memory, Daily Rate quickly flipping to a marked section in the registry, scanning up and down the page.

“Well, yes, Mr. Corbin. You are here for...” he read further down the page, placing a hoof to keep his place. “... a Mr. Quiet Thunder, a Miss Aerial and a Mr. Rocky Road.” Looking up from the book, his horn glowed, the handset floating over to his head as I watched a series of buttons on the receiver moved on their own, the intercom option activating.

“WILL MR. QUIET THUNDER, MISS AERIAL AND MR. ROCKY ROAD PLEASE REPORT TO THE LOBBY. YOUR TRANSPORTATION HAS ARRIVED.”

Daily Rate placed the headset back down, giving me a smile.

“They were here a little while ago, but I guess they went to go waste some time while they waited. That should bring them back here.” After that, Daily closed the registry, wished us a good day, and returned to the back office, leaving me and Autumn to wait for our guests to arrive.

“So... thanks for standing up to Snooty the Unicorn for me.” I said, looking over at my partner. Autumn just smiled and looked away shyly, grinning.

“Well, he shouldn’t have just assumed you’d just be used to seeing Omega Earth species around.” Ouch... “No offense, but most humans are just so used to not seeing anything else but other humans around, I can see how you would have been shocked to see him trotting out of the back room.”

“I think I just got too used to being around you, and only you. I wasn’t expecting him to pop out of the blue, at all.” I sighed, not really proud of my initial reaction. “Ya know, I’m just too used to you. I’ve spent all this time with you, so there’s little you can still do to surprise me.” I smirked, hoping she’d take my teasing. Think it’s so cute when she’s flustered. That is to say, I WOULD have thought it was cute, if not for the cannonball that came out of nowhere, striking me in the back and sending me flying. Through the pain, I could hear Autumn gasp just before I hit the ground, followed by a loud, boisterous laughter coming from behind me.

“WOO-EEE, it’s GOOD to finally see you, fella!” From my position on the ground, I looked up with pained eyes at my attacker. Staring down on me with a broad smile was a rather large earth-pony stallion. He had a faded yellow coat, with a short-cropped sky blue mane and tail, with huge bright eyes to match. Just out of the corner of my still-blurry eye, I noticed cactus cutie-mark on his flank.

“Jeremy! Are you alright?!” Autumn shouted, quickly rushing to my side. I looked up at the offending pony in shock, a nervous grin forming on his face.

“Hehehe... oops. Sorry ‘bout that, fella. I keep fergettin’ how fra-gile you human-types are! I just arrived from Mustangia, and I ain’t used to every critter around me being so tender.” Bracing himself a little, the stallion grabbed me by the shoulders with his forehooves, lifting me back on my feet like I was a rag doll. “Name’s Rocky Road, but y’all can just call me Rocky. All ma friends do!” His eyes suddenly fell on Autumn, his expression suddenly softening as he took one of her hooves. “You however, young filly, can call me anythang you want.” Leaning down, he planted a single kiss on her hoof, causing the confused mare to blush and grin nervously.

“It’s about dang time you showed up! Do you have any idea how long we were waiting?!” From behind me, coming from the restaurant, I heard another creature approaching. Female, this time, and sounding rather bitchy. Still stunned, I turned to face her, nearly falling back on my ass as she rushed up on me in a hurry. This... was definitely NOT a pony! Instead, the creature was just about as large as this Rocky was, with a distinctive feline body. The way she moved and seemed to stalk towards me reminded me of a cat. However, her beak and feathers on her upper body argued otherwise. Her forelegs were almost... talon-like in nature, a large set of gray wings on her back, matching in color the feathers around her neck and face. Her covering changed to a dark tan fur halfway down her barrel, her hindlegs and tail looking like they were from a lion. A rather large suitcase swung back and forth behind her, amazingly held up by the tip of her sleek tail.

“Aww, c’mon, Aerial. Give the guy a break. He’s here now, ain’t he?” Rocky said, standing on his hind legs as he roughly threw a foreleg over my shoulder. He turned towards my ear, blocking his mouth with a hoof as he whispered to me in his southern accent. “Ya gotta fergive Aerial, here. She’s got a bad case of ‘being a griffin.’”

“That’s not funny, Rocky!” Aerial squawked, her feathered mane puffing up as she yelled. The stallion laughed as he heartily patted my back again, just enough to knock the breath out of my body without knocking me completely over. “Here, human! Make yourself useful, and take my bag.” Aerial flicked her tail, ducking as she released the suitcase right at me. The case hit me squarely in the chest, blasting the last bit of breath from my body as it knocked me back to the floor.

“Aerial! Behave yourself! That’s no way to treat our new friend!” I could feel Autumn’s hoof rubbing my back as I coughed, a third new voice ringing out along with the sound of approaching hooves. From my prone position, I weakly looked across the floor, seeing a pair of approaching hooves. Wait a sec... just two hooves? Shouldn’t that be a four-set? Slowly, I looked up, the hooves turning to a pair of powerful looking legs, leading up to a finely chiseled set of six-pack abs, then a powerful, well-defined chest. All covered with a grey-blue fur. As this new creature leaned down over me, it’s bovine-like, horned head took up my entire view. I could feel my heart beating faster as it reached down, offering me a hand. Holy shit, this thing had hands?! “Hello, friend. My name’s Quiet Thunder. Would you like some help, there?”

This was getting to be too much to take. I felt light-headed and dizzy as I looked around at the trio of creatures before me. So, being faced with suddenly being surrounded by a group of strange creatures I’ve never seen before, I did what any self-respecting, cool, calm, collective tough guy would do:

I let my eyes roll back in my head, and quietly passed out.

****************************************************************************************************************************

Well, you wanted to know who else would be coming to Alpha Earth. I can accommodate you in that regard. However, I never said they'd all be ponies. Don't worry, though. Jeremy just has to watch over a wild mustang, a moody griffin and a giant minotaur for the weekend. What can possibly... go... wrong...? Oh, buck. Forget I said that -.-'

Roller Coaster

o/`Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road

all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !...o/`

Dropkick Murphys - Rocky Road to Dublin

Roller Coaster

A sudden blast of icy cold water hit me like a ton of bricks, causing me to sputter and cough back to life. Of course, my first thought was ‘WHAT DA FAQ?!?!’ immediately followed by ‘Who the hell is laughing at me?’ Opening my eyes to the cackling bird-cat demon before me quickly answered the latter question.

“Oh, wow! Are all you humans such light-weights?! I think I’m gonna have fun here!” the monster laughed out. I think if I opened my eyes any farther, they’d have fallen out my head. In my shock, I could only try pushing myself backwards as Autumn held onto me from behind.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. You kinda... fainted, a little.” She said, reassuring me by rubbing my shoulders with her hooves. The kind gesture calmed me down enough that I was able to piece together the events that lead to this moment. Looking up, I spotted the stallion who, moments ago, introduced himself as Rocky Road. The large, burly pony stood over me, holding an empty pitcher that I remember being on a near-by serving tray moments ago. Daily Rate looked down on me from behind the counter, letting out a sigh.

“Ya know... I have smelling salts here from the first-aid kit. The water was totally unnecessary...” the front desk pony said to Rocky, sounding annoyed as he held the small tube in his hoof. I looked up at him and wiped the excess water from my face before looking forward again at the creature that caused me to falter in the first place.

“I am so, so sorry, my friend.” ‘IT’ said, kneeling down before me and extending a hand. “I’m Quiet Thunder, but all my friends just call me Thunder. I... apologize for startling you.” Cautiously, I reached forward, taking his hand. In one smooth motion, I found myself on my feet again, standing fact to chest with the living muscle mountain.

“Um... yeah. It’s n-no problem, big guy. Heh...” Mostly, because I think you could probably pull my limbs of if there was a problem. “So... forgive me if I seem a little forward but... you’re a minotaur.” Yes, that was more of a statement than a question. The large bovine-like tower of power chuckled nervously at me.

“Ha... yep. And I believe you already met Ariel. Don’t worry; her mood doesn’t reflect that of all griffins.” Thunder said, motioning to the grey feathered, tan furred hybrid monster beside him.

“‘Sup, human.” She said, quickly reaching over and gripping my hand like a vice as she gave it a firm shake. She only stopped when Thunder gave her a gentle bump on the shoulder. He must have seen my face contort in pure agony. I quickly pulled my hand back, rubbing it as a leaned away from Ariel a little.

“Y-yeah... charmed.” I said, feeling a heavy limb wrap around me from my side.

“And I’m Rocky Road!” the faded-yellow earth pony said, practically shouting in my ear with his strange southern drawl. “Y’all can call me Rocky, buckaroo! All ma friends do, and I can tell you and me are gonna be tight as two peas in a pod!” Ribs... slowly... breaking... tell my momma... I love her... Remember, people: Omega Earth critters are HELLA CRAZY STRONG!!!

“Well then, if everybody’s here,” Autumn said, pulling me out of the death grip I was in. “Then I guess you know why we’re here, then.” Rocky stepped beside Ariel and Thunder, allowing me a moment to recover with Autumn between us. “I’m Autumn Rain, and this is my roommate and host sponsor, Jeremy Corbin.”

“Yeah... like she said.” I mumbled, straightening myself. “We’re here to pick you up and house you till the BEA can place you with other host families. Our ride’s just outside, so if everyone... every creature... whatever, is ready...” I motioned towards the main doors of the hotel, trying my best not to regret this decision to help out Agent Syth. “... our chariot awaits.”

Rocky let out a hoot and trotted around me, not noticing I winced as he passed. Reaching down, he grasped the handle of a large suitcase in his teeth and proceeded towards the door. I turned around to find Ariel holding out a suitcase of her own towards me. Reluctantly taking it, I was immediately pulled towards the ground by the weight, the griffin laughing as I struggled with it. Thunder reached down, easily picking it up with his one hand and giving it back to Ariel with a scrutinizing look. The griffin rolled her eyes and wrapped the tip of her tail around the handle, carrying it out easily on her own. The two proceeded out of the lobby just as Daily Rate called to me once more.

“Mr. Corbin? I just need you or Miss Autumn to sign out your borders for the BEA records.” the unicorn asked.

“You go ahead, Jer. I’ll sign them out.” Autumn said cheerfully as she turned back. I continued walking towards the exit, noticing some BEA agents helping my charges place their luggage in the back of our van. I waited at the entrance, my impending sense of dread and sore ribs telling me I should have never had gotten involved with this little debacle.

‘Mental note: give Agent Syth a wedgie when I next see him. Make sure it goes atomic.’ I thought as I turned back towards the front desk, only to find Autumn running up to me at full gallop. As she reached me, she hopped up on her back legs, turning me and pushing me out the front doors.

“C’mon, c’mon, let’s get a move on. Move, move, move!” Her words came fast and hushed as she shoved me forward. I barely managed to grab hold of a door handle and stop myself before I ran face first into the front of the hotel.

“Whoa, there! What’s the friggen’-” Autumn didn’t wait for me to finish, running past me and diving into the front passenger seat, slamming the door behind her. What the hell’s gotten into that pony?! It was almost like she was being... chased...? I turned back and looked through the lobby for her pursuer. Daily Rate remained calm behind the front counter. A pair of BEA agents chatted near the main elevator. A red unicorn stallion strolled into the hotel café at the far end of the lobby. Secret agents, mythical creatures... Nope, nothing unusual there. I reached into my pocket and got the keys for the van out, looking at the four crazy aliens waiting for me in the loading zone. Ooh, boy... if this is any indication of what I’m in for, Syth is getting a LOT more than just a wedgie when I see him.

***

“So there I was; timber wolves to the left of me, a manticore to the right, and the orphanage burnin’ behind me. The only thing keepin’ the orphans and their kindly ol’ caretaker from bein’ monster chow was yours truly, standin’ in the way...”

Oh, God, Jesus and all the angels and saints. If you’re up there, please, oh please, strike me deaf. Right now.

Rocky Road chose to sit behind me in the van, and he was like this the ENTIRE RIDE BACK TO BOSTON!!! I swear, the way he talks about fighting and beating monsters, demons and all other sorts of evil things, you’d think there was a pack of wild parasprites in the van, trying to kill him right now (whatever THOSE are). What makes matters worse, he was using these horribly exaggerated stories to try to win over Autumn the whole time! Thankfully, the mare was just too intelligent to fall for anything he had to say. Good girl. Keep the bullshit detector on high alert.

Ariel chose to sit behind Autumn, but that didn’t stop her from reaching out with a foreleg and kicking the back of my seat every time a song came on the radio she decided she didn’t like. If she wasn’t looking out the window and making faces at passing vehicles, she was complaining that she was getting a draft, or that I was driving too fast, or not fast enough. The only thing that seemed to calm down Miss Attitude was a word or two from Quiet Thunder in the third row seating.

Being easily seven and a half feet tall, taking the entire third row was something of a no-brainer for the minotaur. Unfortunately, he was only comfortable in the center of the seat, completely blocking my view and leaving the rear-view mirror worthless. He remained a sort of peacemaker for the trip between New York and Massachusetts. Well, except for when that one semi-truck passed us off, engine roaring like crazy. The big guy jumped a mile in his seat, and (I kid you not, I think the rear of the van lifted off the ground.) Turning around to check if everyone was OK, I noticed a pair of holes in the ceiling I knew weren’t there before. Oh, yes... Thunder’s horns went RIGHT THROUGH the roof. Excellent. I hope Syth’s bosses took out the insurance on this thing...

The whole way home, Autumn seemed a lot more distracted than usual. Whatever spooked her in the hotel lobby must have been a doozie, but I just didn’t have the privacy with her now to get into a good talk about it. So, in light of that, I chose to keep quiet and let her stare absentmindedly out the window at cars passing by. We’d be home soon, anyway. Maybe I’d get a chance to talk to her, then.

***

“What a dump.” Ariel stated in her own special way. We had just gotten back a few minutes ago, and I couldn’t have been happier. Greeted on the first floor by Cashmere, my house guests gave him quite a fright. The poor old guy mumbles something about ‘demons from hell’ before quickly running in his office and slamming the door. That almost made this entire trip worth it.

Ariel, Thunder and Rocky got off my lift and walked over to the beds the BEA gave me for them this weekend. After showing them around my flat and where to find food if they needed, I decided it was time to set down some ground rules.

“Alright, listen up. Here’s how it’s gonna work.” I said, trying to sound like I had any authority over any of them. “First off: everything in here? MINE. If you wanna see something, ASK to see it. I’ll be sure to tell you no. Remember; ‘looking’ at something means using your eyes, not your hands, hooves or talons. Secondly:” I pointed to the two bedrooms, then back to my three guests. “Nobody goes in those rooms. They’re mine and Autumns, and they’re off limits. And thirdly-”

“Try to have fun while you’re here.” Autumn interrupted, stepping up along side of me. “We know this is a little bit of a snag in your plans since you came all the way from Earth Omega, but Jeremy and I will do our best to make your stay with us as painless as possible.”

“Well, thank ya kindly, Miss Rain. That’s might neighborly of ya.” Rocky said, crossing one foreleg over the other and bowing slightly.

“Thank you. We’ll be sure to treat your home with the same respect that we’d treat our own.” Thunder said, bowing as well.

“Yeah, if we were to let our homes go completely to manure.” Ariel said as she walked away, looking over the furniture and walls. Oh, what a ray of sunshine she is, that little scamp! “At least we won’t starve in this... oh, my stars...” The bitchy griffin stopped mid-sentence, a look of pure joy spreading over her face. In the blink of an eye, the large catlike creature darted across the room to in front of my bedroom door, crouched on all fours like a playful puppy. I looked over the couch at her and couldn’t believe my eyes. Merlin had just come out of my bedroom and was now face to fuzzy face with Ariel.

“Oh... you’re so cute! Who’s a fuzzy-wuzzy liddle puss-puss? Yes, you is a fuzzy wuzzy...” Ariel continued, rubbing the tip of her beak against Merlin’s nose as she scratched the top of his head with her claw. Was... was I really seeing this? I walked over and looked down on her, catching her attention. Quickly, she righted herself, Merlin walking casually away as she coughed and tried to act cool again. “Yeah... *ahem*... cute cat. Ya know... if ya like mangy critters like that.”

“Apparently, you do.” I said as I smirked at her. I think she blushed right through her feathers as she skulked off. I think I heard her grumble ‘...smart flank...’ as she curled up on my couch. Out in the kitchen, Rocky kept up his efforts to seduce Autumn with no luck. Seriously, what’s this stallion’s PROBLEM?! It’s not like I got a thing for the mare, mind you. I just don’t like seeing girls getting pestered by jerky guys, is all. You all buying that reasoning out there? No? Well... shut up.

“I must confess, Miss Rain, you must be the prettiest lil’ critter this ol’ Muntingia stallion ever did see. You sure you ain’t got a little earth pony mustang in ya?” Rocky said, sitting on the stool of my kitchen island, leaning over dreamily as he watched Autumn getting a soda from the fridge, grinning as she rolled her eyes. Good to see my original house guest still unimpressed.

“Yeah, I’m sure I don’t have a little earth pony mustang in me.” Rocky only smirked at the set-up answer, cocking his head to the side.

“Would ya like a little in-”

“OK!!!” I said, much, MUCH louder than I had to as I placed both hands on Rocky shoulders from behind. “I think me and Autumn here should have a little talk for a minute, if you’ll excuse us, Rocky.” The stallion looked back and grinned at me, sliding off the stool.

“Sure thing, champion. I’ll just check out yer TV fer a while, then.” he said, trotting past me. I quickly moved next to Autumn, guiding her towards the stairway to the roof as a sickening sound filled the room.

***CRUNCH***

My head snapped back to the living area, the source of the disturbing sound of breaking plastic. Standing before my TV was Thunder, holding a collection of grey and silvery plastic, pieces of what WAS my cable box remote falling through his fingers as Ariel laughed uncontrollably.

“Um... oops. Sorry Jeremy.” he said, placing the remaining pieces on the coffee table. “I guess I held it too tightly. My fault.” the minotaur said as he sat down on my recliner. Ouch... my brain.

“Up on the roof, NOW! We need to talk.” I whispered in Autumn’s ear as I quickly moved over to the stairs to the roof, throwing the door and running up. I practically punched the door open as I heard Autumn’s hoofsteps behind me.

“Jeremy, what’s wrong? I never seen you like this before.” She said, sheepishly.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?! Those freakin’-” My tirade was cut short by the ringing and vibrating of the phone in my pocket. I growled in frustration as I pulled it out and checked the name. ‘Agent Syth.’ Oh, this just keeps getting better.

“Jeremy! The GPS in your van says you’re home! How’s every little thing?” My anger filtered out the obvious invasions of privacy Henry’s BEA had been pulling on me since Autumn arrived. If I wasn’t so pissed off, the punk in me would be raging right now. Anyway, it was just as well he called. Saves me the trouble of repeating myself. I put the phone on speaker and walked over to the couch under the canopy.

“How’s everything?! Syth, your trolling bastard! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through, just tonight?!?!?!”

“What do you mean, big guy?” he asked, probably just to keep the torment going.

“I mean the terrible trio you stuck me and Autumn with! I gotta babysit Beefenstine, Hell-on-Wings and the pony equivalent of the Adventure Sphere in my apartment all weekend, and you’re asking me that?! Is this your idea of a joke?” I said, fuming. “Since we’ve met, I’ve been assaulted about four times, almost crashed on the interstate, and you owe me about $70 for a new remote! By the way, you got the makings of a sunroof in that van you gave me.”

“I take it things are going a little rough right now?’ he inquired.

“Oh, ya think?!” I shouted at the phone, Autumn moving up beside me and placing a hoof on my shoulder.

“Jeremy, just relax. So they’re just having a rough time adjusting to normal life on Alpha Earth. So what? Remember how much trouble I had my first couple of days?” she reminded. I opened my mouth to respond, but paused. She DID have a point. Her acclimation did have... more than a few snags in the early days.

“... Alright. You have a point.”

“I remember when I first arrived here and stayed in the hotel in New York. Everything was handed to me. Anything I wanted was there for the asking.” Her eyes softened, and seemed to glisten slightly as she spoke loud enough for Syth to hear, but was clearly directed at me. “When I came here, I had to learn EVERYTHING about living normally in human society from scratch. It was nothing but trial and error. But do you know what made everything work out so well?” She paused just long enough so I couldn’t answer. “I had you to help me. I owe everything I learned about living in this world to you. If you can teach me and make me feel comfortable here, I know you can do it for them, too.”

Damn it, why does it she have to be so cute? Those eyes should be registered as deadly weapons.

“Fine...” I said, reluctantly. “... but I won’t like it.”

“Excellent!” Syth shouted through the speaker. “We’ll proceed as planned; I’ll call you Saturday night and tell you where to bring the trio when we match each of them up with the appropriate hosts. Ta-ta for now, Jeremy. Keep calm, and brony on.”

“Damnit, Henry, I’m not a-!!!”

*click*

“... brony.” The dead air on the other end was just another reminder that I shouldn’t have got involved. Putting the phone back in my pocket, I turned back to Autumn, a knowing smile on her face. “What? What you grinning at, girl?”

“Oh, nothing.” she said, trotting past me to the stairs. “I think you just got a bigger heart than you give yourself credit for.” I scoffed, folding my arms in an attempt to look tough.

“Yeah, well... that, or you just really know how to use those cute eyes of yours. Seriously, I’m buying you a pair of the darkest sunglasses I can find.” With that, she disappeared down the steps and out of sight. Before I followed, I gave the materials on the rooftop one more once-over. Autumn’s present up here would just have to wait until the terrible trio left for their respective homes. It was only hours later, laying in bed that I realized I openly told Autumn I thought her eyes were cute.

***

The rest of the night went pretty... ‘well,’ I guess I could say? Ariel eventually gave up trying not to look like she was playing with Merlin and went at it full-bore, even using the little tassel on the end of her tail as a toy. I know he must have sunk his claws or teeth in pretty deep once or twice, the way the griffin girl cringed, but still she didn’t seem any bit upset about it. (GOOD BOY, Merlin! Daddy’s SO PROUD!!!)

Rocky kept his flirting to making googly eyes at Autumn, occasionally punctuating that with a raised eyebrow. For the most part, Autumn didn’t seem to notice, or act like she cared if she did. After every failed attempt, though, he’d look over at me to see if he was caught. Once, I even did the pointing to my eyes and back to him thing to tell him I was watching. Apparently, they don’t have that on Equestria, the stallion only pointing a hoof, winking and clicking his tongue in response. God help me...

Thunder mostly stayed on my large recliner, occasionally asking if I had anything to read to pass the time. I gave him my copy of The Hagakure and The Book of Five Rings to brows through, thinking they’d jive with his overall attitude. They did the trick just fine (the trick being keeping the living wrecking ball in one place so he doesn’t destroy my apartment.)

Our dinner was relatively easy, too. The BEA provided the best they had to offer in the fridge they donated me, everything looking fresh, direct from their home world for their convenience. I had a nice fruit salad made from what looked like HUGE pieces of fruit, followed by a couple slices of pizza from the fridge, just to top me off. There were salads from Equestria for the ponies and minotaur, with a salad and a light helping of fish for Ariel. To keep the herbivore happy, our feathered friend saved that as a side dish for last, choosing to eat it in the kitchen after the rest of us cleaned out plates. I gotta admit, I was a little jealous that she got to eat meat, but I’ll get over it.

After dinner, Rocky decided to entertain us all with tales of his heroism all over Equestria, again. Seriously, how many burning orphanages could one pony save? After Merlin got tired of playing with her, Ariel had me set the TV to the HDMI channel for the Playstation. She and Autumn played a little BlazBlue Tag Tournament 2 for a while, but quit when she got pwned 8 times in a row by some player named BeyondtheHorizon with Nu-13. I had to grab the controller from behind her before she threw it at the flatscreen. Seriously, this chic had anger issues.

The highlight of the night came when, out of everyone, Thunder clogged the toilet. Now, I’mma gonna repeat that, because I think it bares repeating.

THUNDER, the MINOTAUR... clogged the toilet.

I hope and pray that none of you, dear readers, ever have to live through the horrors of plunging out minotaur poop from your personal commode. Somethings... cannot be un-smelt.

Finally, I managed to convince all of the trio to wash up, bunker down and call it a night. Thunder was the first to hit the hay, his hooved feet comically sticking out from under his sheet as he lay on his back. Ariel hopped in the air for a moment, before slowly lowering herself on the bed. After walking in a circle a few times, she pawed the mattress and curled up in a tight little ball. I managed to keep from laughing at the unusually cute scene as she pulled the sheet over herself, Merlin opting to hop up and crawl under the covers with her. Now, it was Rocky’s turn.

“Hey, Jeremy! Ya got any more blankets or such ‘round here? I need to feel a lil’ weight on me to sleep.” Oh, great... Rocky is in MY bedroom. Now, the BEA provided the beds for the three, giving each on a pair of pillows, a mattress cover and a sheet. Just a sheet. I guess they thought that with it being summer, they wouldn’t need a blanket. Guess they didn’t count on Rocky being the annoying stallion he was.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard an unmistakable sound from the corner of my bedroom; The sound of an unplugged electric guitar being strung by a rough hoof. Immediately, I bolted from the main room with the three beds and into my room. Sure enough, I found Rocky sitting in front of my closet, my guitar case open and my Kramer Pariah in his hooves.

“GET YOUR MITS OFF MELODY RIGHT NOW!” Yes, I named my guitar Melody. Deal with it.

I charged in, yanking the guitar from his grasp. I quickly looked over the instrument, checking it for damage. Ignoring the stunned look on Rocky, I shoved past him and placed the guitar back in case. “What the hell are you doing in my closet?! What was Rule # 2?!” I asked, more than a little angry. To my surprise, the burly stallion seemed a little scared at the moment.

“I-I was just lookin’ for a blanket or somethin’. Sorry, Jeremy. I really didn’t mean to pry none.” The large earth pony quickly trotted out of the room, past Autumn as she looked in from just outside the door. The mare still her toothbrush sticking out the side of her mouth, a little white foam still on her lips.

“Jeremy? I heard a scream. What’s going-” Her sentence was cut short as soon as she noticed the guitar in my hands, her eyes lighting up in surprise. “Hey, a guitar. I didn’t know you played, Jer.” I placed it gently on the ground and slid it back into the closet.

“I don’t anymore.” I said flatly. Autumn just looked at me, a confused look in her eyes.

“Um... alright. Sorry.” With that, she turned and went back to the bathroom. Cursing myself, I shouted for her before she could go back to the bathroom.

“Autumn? Could you come here, please?” I said, feeling very low for my actions. Of course, she trotted back, sticking her head in from around the corner. I turned around and faced the old trunk now at the forefront of my closet, opening the latch. I reached in and pulled out an old quilt I had for years, pulling it out. “Could you give this to Rocky? He kinda just wanted another something to cover up with, and I kinda... flipped on him.” Slowly, she entered my room, taking the folded blanked and holding it under her wing.

“Yeah, sure thing, Jer.” she said as she turned to leave. “Um... Jeremy?” Stopping at the door, Autumn looked over her shoulder back at me, concern in her eyes. “Are you going to be alright? Is... is there anything...” she trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging. I knew she must have sensed something was wrong, but at the moment, I didn’t have the time or the heart to explain it to her.

“No, I’m... I’m alright. Thanks. Just stressed from today.” Another lie. I’m just batting a thousand, tonight. “I’m gonna go to bed now. I’ll see ya tomorrow, alright?”

“Alright, Jer. Good night. See you tomorrow.” With that, she reached a hoof to my doorknob and pulled the door closed. Immediately, I fall backwards on my bed, holding my hands over my face.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid...’ I thought, wishing something hot, fast and heavy would fall from the sky and crush me right there. When it seemed like I would have no such luck, I decided it was about time to just say to hell with it, and go to bed.

***

“I swear to God, you’re wasting your time with that stupid little toy.” Erica said, her arms folded and head crooked to the side as she looked down on me, both figuratively and literally. I sat there, legs folded on the floor as I wrote down sheet music to the tune I just strummed out.

“Well, what do you want me to do? You don’t want me to skateboard anymore, you hate me playing video games, you don’t like that I read which, by the way, who HATES reading? And on top of that, my friends don’t call me anymore, since you never wanna go anywhere with me and them-”

“Damn right, I don’t! Your friends are losers, and you were a loser for hanging out with them. Seriously, if it weren’t for me, I can see you broke and homeless right now.” Just hold it back, Jeremy. Just hold it back. This is just another tirade. It’ll pass. Erica grabbed her purse from the couch and slipped on her sandals. In a second, she was on the lift and closing the gate.

“Seriously, put away that piece of trash. You’re not gonna be the next Slash or anything, so you should just give it up, already.” The lift started to lower, but just before she vanished from sight, Erica had to make sure to give me one last parting shot.

“Grow, up, and stop being so pathetic.”

***

I woke up with an headache, the usual result of an Erica dream. Waking up after one of those night terrors usually left me restless and sore, like I’ve been rolling around in bed all night. Standing up and stretching, I checked my clock. 10:50. Wow, I slept late.... Oh, God... my house guests!!! I quickly threw on a pair of jeans and ran out of my bedroom. Not to much to my surprise, the apartment was in shambles.

“Mornin’, sleepin’ beauty!” Rocky chimed from the kitchen, black smoke billowing from the stove. Behind him, Autumn fanned a burning frying pan with a dishtowel while Ariel filled a pitcher of water in the sink, presumably to douse the flames. I never moved so fast in my life. In one quick motion, I hurdled over both the recliner and the couch, right over Quiet Thunder, who seemed strangely unaffected by the whole catastrophe. Bounding over the island counter, I came up behind Ariel and grabbed pitcher, pushing it back into the skin and emptying its contents. Pushing past her, I reached under the counter and grabbed the fire extinguisher, ripping the safety pin out in one smooth motion.

“Everyone, get back!!!” Placing myself between Autumn and the stove, I sprayed down the fire with a high-speed jet of white powder, smothering the flames and catching hot ash and dry chemical in my face from the blow-back. Needless to say, I was now awake.

***

A few hours and some cooperative cleaning later, the kitchen was back to normal. In spite of Autumn’s objections and Thunder’s decision to stay out of it because he thought it was a bad idea, Rocky and Ariel decided they would make Prench toast. No, not French toast, PRENCH toast. From Ferris, Prance, in Omega Earth. Yes, apparently it’s a real place. And yes, it’s Ferris... as in the wheel, and Prance... as in the really gay type of walking.

It wasn’t until quarter after 3:00 that the whole mess was cleaned up and the apartment started smelling normal again. By that time, I was more than ready to just ride out the rest of the day in peace and quiet. Unfortunately, if you haven’t been able to tell by now, my life ceased going my way a while ago. This was only further proven by the sudden ringing at the intercom.

“Autumn, could you get that, please?” I asked, sticking my hand up and waving from my resting place on the couch. I was still calming down from the almost loss of my home and, quite frankly, just didn’t feel like getting up a the moment. Between Thunder and Rocky messing with my stereo and Ariel playing video games right behind me, I couldn’t hear who Autumn was talking to. Again, too aggravated to care. I laid idly by, watching Ariel get pwned with more than a little satisfaction when, suddenly, I looked up into three unexpected faces.

“Hey there, Jeremy. Good to see you again.” a familiar, yet unexpected voice said, it’s owner looking down on me. Quickly I sat up, looking over my new unexpected guest.

“Tammy?! What... what are YOU doing here?!” I asked, wide-eyed at my old friend. By the way she looked at me, I could tell I must have took her by surprise. Well, either me, my home being full of mythological monsters at the moment.

“Well, it’s been a while since you’ve been to the store, and I kinda wanted to check up on you and Autumn. I caught a ride up on the lift with your other friends, here.” she said, cheerfully. Alright, a little unexpected, but plausible, none the less.

“Oh. Alright. That just leaves me wondering who the hell you two are.” I said, turning to the two punks that were accompanying her.

“Jeremy, it’s Crystal and Maxwell. From my gaming herd on the Playstation?” I looked up at the two punks, smiling goofily at me. I remembered them from the arcade at the mall the first time I took Autumn out, and from their thumbnails the other day when they were talking to her over the network. I thought they were both screwballs when I met them the first time, and this time didn’t do much to change that.

“Hey there, Jer Bear! Thanks for inviting us over.” Crystal said, her pink dyed hair bouncing. Quickly, I turned and moved close to Autumn as the two walked past me to the living area.

“You INVITED them here?!” I hissed to her under my breath. The pegasus pony just smiled nervously at me and shrugged her shoulders.

“Heheheh... oops. Sorry, Jeremy. I did it yesterday afternoon, before I knew we’d be hosting Thunder, Rocky and Ariel. With everything happening, I never had a chance to tell you, let alone call them and cancel.” I groaned, pressing my palm to my forehead in frustration. That’s all I need; two wild and crazy punk kids hanging out with these firecrackers I have staying with me. Not to mention Tammy hanging about. She’s one nostalgia-filled story away from letting Autumn know about Mega-Beast Erica.

“Jeremy, is everything OK?” Tammy asked, doe-eyed. I smiled and nodded, feeling lightheaded.

“Of course, Tams. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well... your knuckles are turning white.” She said, pointing to the fists balled up at my sides. I snickered and waved off the question, successfully underplaying the worry screaming in my mind.

“Nah, that’s nothing. Go on, Tammy. Go mingle.” Still a little suspicious, Tammy walked past me, immediately starting a conversation with Autumn. I looked past them to Crystal and Max, already seemingly hitting it off with the Terrible Trio. I know I should be grateful for a little extra distraction to keep those three occupied, but right at that moment, all I could think was:

‘Oh, this won’t end well. Not by any stretch of the imagination, will this end well.’

I groaned, feeling a heavy pulse in my forehead as I watched my six guests mingle. Of all the disasters that could have taken place today, I couldn’t imagine exactly how much worse this situation could have possibly gotten.

And then my cell rang.

Reluctantly, I reached into my pocket and looked a the caller I.D.: ‘Wally, Work.’ I pressed talk, already knowing what was coming my way.

“H-hello, Walt?”

“Corbin, there’s an emergency. I need you to come to work, immediately.”

Frontline

o/ Did we take the time, to really discover

how little we know about each other...o/`

Less Than Jake - All My Best Friends Are Metalheads

Frontline

I paused for a moment, the phone held tight against my ear as I turned away from the noise in the apartment. “I’m sorry, boss. Could you repeat that again?” I asked, feeling a single bead of sweat form on my brow.

“I need you to come into work, Jer. There’s a major water main break downtown, and we need guys that know what they’re doing.” Of all the problems that could have arisen today, this was the LAST thing I counted on. With the terrible trio being as troublesome as they were, I knew Autumn wouldn’t be able to handle whatever they came up with alone. I searched my thoughts, trying to find a way to get out of having to leave her alone with them.

“Well... what about Mikey? He’s lower on seniority than me. Did ya try him, yet?” I heard Wally let out a sigh on the other end, already crushing my hope.

“I called Wilkes, already. Little prick won’t answer his phone. That leaves only you on the list.” I could tell Walt was a little pissed off. He only refers to people by their last name when he’s really aggravated. “Look, I know you like your time off. So do I. But this is the nature of the job. Now, get to the garage in half an hour, or you’re getting written up. Savvy?”

“Yeah... yeah, I savvy. See ya then.” I heard Walt hang up on the other end, leaving a lump in my throat. He seemed really pissed off, meaning he would really write me up without a second thought. He must not have been able to get anyone else to come. Which means... I was S.O.L.

“Jeremy, is everything OK?” I looked over my shoulder, finding Autumn standing behind me with a concerned look on her face. Oh, man...

“No, everything’s NOT OK. We need to gather up our buddies. Come with me.” I motioned to her as I walked over to the kitchen area where Rocky was currently chatting it up with Tammy. The earth pony had that smug, self-serving smile on his face. I walked up behind my old friend and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Tams, come with me. We need to talk.” I motioned to my bedroom and continued over to the living area to grab Max and Crystal. No, seriously. I grabbed them both by the arms and drug them away from their conversation with Ariel on the way to my bedroom. “You presence is required in my bedroom, Punk Rocks. Now.”

“Not without dinner and a movie, sailor.” Maxwell said, jokingly. Too bad humor was lost on me at the moment. As soon as Tammy, Autumn and the gruesome twosome were in my room, I shut the door, turning to face them all.

“Alright, people. And... Autumn.” I said nodding in her direction. “I have an announcement to make. I’ve just been called to work.” The three humans looked at me like I was crazy, like this was no big deal. Obviously, they didn’t get it.

“Um... So? What’s wrong with that?” Crystal asked, brushing her pink hair from her eyes.

“What’s wrong? WHAT’S WRONG?! I gotta leave those three alone, that’s what!” I said, feeling individual grey hairs slowly popping out of my scalp as I spoke. “They’ve been wrecking my apartment since they got here! They almost burned the whole building down, just because I overslept an hour! And now I gotta leave for God know how long?! Guys, I...” I stopped a moment, catching my breath as I felt the weight of my predicament pressing down on me. Oh, Lord, help me. “... I need your help.”

“Jeremy...” Autumn looked at me with worry in her eye. I can’t blame her. Up until now, I’ve been putting on a brave front in the face of this unusual situation. But for the first time, I was actually worried about something truly... ‘bad’ happening. I turned to Maxwell and Crystal, looking into their eyes as I tried to sound as serious as possible.

“You two... I know we don’t really know each other that well, so you can tell me no if you want. However, Autumn liked you, so that’s more than enough for me.” I really wasn’t lying about that part. She may have not been an Alpha native, but in the time I’ve known her, I knew Autumn was no fool. If she liked these two, there must be a reason. I turned then to Tammy, hoping my old friend would come through for me, even though she really had no reason to. “Tams, you and I go back a long way. We been through a lot, which is why I feel confident in asking this of you.” If only I was as confident as I sounded...

“I need you three to help Autumn watch our guests.” I waited a moment in silence before continuing, hating that I even had to ask for this. “I trust Autumn, maybe even more than I ever did anybody else in my whole life. But these three have caused one disaster after another since they’ve arrived. Especially Rocky and Ariel. Even Thunder, as mellow as he is, doesn’t know his own strength. And as capable as she is, she’ll need back-up.” I looked over at my little orange friend, breathing out a heavy sigh. “So... Can I count on you guys?”

“Sure, you can.”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Sounds like fun.”

Well... not the answer I was preparing myself for.

“Wait, you’ll... You’ll do it?” I asked, still unsure I heard right.

“Hang out with three more beings from another world? Hell, yeah!” Crystal answered with a bounce.

“Of course. Sounds like a blast.” Max said, echoing Crystals sentiment. Great, that’s two down. Now, the only one left is Tammy. I felt a little worried for a second, until I noticed the smile on her face.

“Sure thing.” She said, smiling over at Autumn. “I was hoping to hang out with the both of you, but I really wanted to talk more with Autumn about her home. I guess I’ll just do that till you come back, then.” Autumn looked up to her, returning the happy with her own sweet smile.

“That sounds like fun, Tammy, And I’m sure I know three beings here who won’t have ANY trouble telling you about their homes, as well.” The two laughed as Max walked past me to my bedroom door, Crystal following close behind.

“Well, I’m gonna go talk to the minotaur. I wanna know how much he can bench.”

“Me, too. I wanna go meet that griffin girl.” As the two teens left, Tammy followed close behind, giving me one last grin before she walked out. I turned to follow, but suddenly felt something gentle and feathery wrap around my hand.

“I know why you asked for their help.” Autumn said. I looked down, finding the end of her wing holding onto my hand. “You’re more worried about me than the apartment, aren’t you?” I chuckled at the accusation, waving off her wing as I avoided eye contact.

“Well... heheheh. Maybe. I just don’t want anymore surprises today, that’s all.” I contested. The grin on her face let me know she didn’t believe my answer, but she let it go at that, none the less.

“Fine, then.” She said, reaching up and taking the bedroom doorknob in her hoof. “I’ll leave you to change, then. Have fun, Jeremy.” As she closed the door behind her, I breathed out a long sigh. Fuckin’ work... Damn it all to hell, why did I have to be called out today, of all days?! This was just another roadblock in completing my gift for Autumn on the roof, too. I’m sure I’ll get around to it, sometime this century.

I made a mental note to give Agent Syth a call on the way to work. I didn’t really see a problem with leaving Autumn and her friends alone with the trio for a couple hours, but I figured he’d like to know I wasn’t going to be here. Really, this was just a courtesy call. I walked over to my closet and grabbed my jeans, hi-viz shirt and boots. If I had to go out today, I would just have to hustle and get home as fast as I could.

***

Work. Fucking. SUCKED!!!

It wasn’t a water main break. Oh, no... it was a sewer line. Apparently, a line decided to break right in the middle of one of the busiest intersections of the city, half-flooding the street with waste. Or, as my experienced co-workers call it, 'fresh clam chowder.' The Sanitation Authority was there trying to figure out what caused the break, blaming the disaster on the old failing terracotta pipes. However, in my opinion, I blame that monster-sized deuce Thunder left the night before. That was enough to gag a skunk.

My part in the repair process was simple; cutting out and replacing the burst section of pipe. After my fellow Street Boys turned of the flow and used the suck-truck to clean out the crater left by the break, Bob, Kenny and me all worked like dogs to finish up the repairs and get the hell outta that shit-skinkin’ hole.

And, of course, the call to Syth didn’t go like I wanted it to, either. I called the number he gave me and got the god-damned machine!!!

‘Hi! This is Secret Agent Henry Syth of the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs. I’m off talking to some aliens right now, and can’t answer my phone. Just leave your name and number, and we’ll have you under satellite surveillance in a matter of moments. Thanks. Beep!’

Seriously, WHO LEAVES A MAILBOX MESSAGE LIKE THAT?!?!?! I gave him the just of the situation; I was called out to work, and Autumn, her friends from the mall and my old school mate were keeping an eye on the home front. Simple and to the point. I didn’t currently have the time to worry about what he’d think. I still had to keep my day job.

***

As soon as the break was fixed and the road repaired, we headed back to the garage and hit the showers. After cleaning off the dookie stink, I was out like a shot. Half because I was in desperate need of some relaxation, half because I was anxious to see what the terrible trio did to my the apartment. Between the old arcade cabinets, the broken dirt bikes I was repairing and all the other items I salvaged working on the city, they had enough stuff around the place to keep any of them occupied. I just hope They didn’t destroy the building in the process.

I arrived home to find the building still standing. Good, the battle’s half-won already. I went in and took the service lift to the apartment, expecting a catastrophe. In reality, the gate opened up to something far worse.

Complete silence.

For a moment, I just stared into the vacant space before me. No fires, no overturned furniture, no broken glass. Silence. And a cat. When my mind finally caught up with reality, I walked into the living area, giving a quick shout to anyone within earshot.

“Hello? Autumn? Tammy? Max? Anybody?” No answer. I ran over to both mine and Autumn’s bedrooms. Empty , as expected. I ran out the door leading to the roof, expecting them all to be there, maybe having a party or something. Again, I found myself alone, the rising sense of panic my only companion.

Alright... Think it’s time to panic now.

I immediately took out my phone and called everyone’s favorite spy, hoping he might have had something to do with my friends’ disappearance. After three rings, I actually felt a rush of relief as the mysterious bastard answered.

“Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs, Secret Agent Henry Syth speaking.”

“WHERE’S MY ALIENS?!?!?!” I shouted into the phone. Ya know, under any other circumstances, I would sound crazy for saying that.

“They’re not with you?” Syth asked calmly. “Well... This isn’t good.”

“OF COURSE, IT’S NOT GOOD!” I screamed into the phone. “Four aliens are running around Boston on a Saturday night!!! How can you be so calm right now?!”

“Well, first of all, this is the first I’m hearing of it. But on top of that, shouting won’t solve anything.” Henry said, calmly. “I’m a little disappointed you let them get away from you, but-”

“I was WORKING!!! YOU NEVER ANSWERED YOUR PHONE!!!” I retaliated.

“Fine, fine. Just keep calm and stay put.” Syth said in a calming voice. “I’ll see if I can track them down. In the meantime, just stay there and wait for them to come back. I’ll call if I need you, OK? Goodbye.”

I hit the end button on the phone and slipped it back in my pocket, feeling a lump in my chest. I wasn’t here. I practically left her to the winds with a bunch of lunatics and strangers to watch over, and somehow hoped against hope that things would just work out? No... It’s worse than that. I screwed up, big time. And I’m gonna have to fix this.

I went to my bedroom and threw my dirty clothes in the hamper. In a minute, I was ready to go in my best street wear. Blue short-sleeved button down shirt with a white tank top underneath. Faded blue jean shorts that stop in the middle of the shins. Black and white Converse (cause I rock the classics, that’s why). Leather band wrist watch with the large ball-chain necklace and matching wallet chain. Finish that off with my faded canvas cap and I was ready to go. If only I knew where I was going.

“Now...” I thought. “... If I was a group of wild and crazy college-age punks and trouble makers from another dimension, where would I go...?” Shit. If Erica let me out at all when we were thgether, I would know this without a second thought. Maybe turning into a shut-in after the breakup wasn’t such a good idea.

As I threw my boots in the closet and turned to leave, I noticed a small piece of paper, folded over and taped on my bedroom door. Walking over to it, I noticed my name written on the outside, almost as if it was done in a hurry. I took it off and read it.

‘Dear Jeremy,

Took the trio and our human friends out. Max and Crystal said they know of this place called ‘Steam Punk’s’ that they think we’ll like. Meet us there if you get home early enough. Don’t wait up.

Autumn.’

Today just keeps going from bad to worse. Of all the clubs in town... it had to be Steam Punk’s.

***

I pulled up into the parking lot across from Steam Punk’s Rock Club. I knew this dump well. It was the usual shitty ‘18 to party, 21 to drink’ kinda place. I could see a generous mix of young hipsters, punk rockers and wannabe homie Gs; the usual crowd of degenerates for a Saturday night. The marquee read ‘Final Frontier,’ the name of a pretty well known local band that did covers of famous punk and ska songs. Great. If they were playing, there’d be a sea of freaks I’d have to wade through to find my friends. If Autumn was really in there, I really had to get her out before she got hurt or in trouble. If the Terrible Trio was in there, then... Well, I might just let them in there until they wrecked the place enough to have it condemned.

I parked my truck and approached the bouncer at the door, catching all kinds of dirty looks from the crowd waiting as I cut to the front. I didn’t care, though. A hidden $50 passed to him via fake handshake bought me a quick entrance. A moment later, I was inside.

The interior of the club was much more impressive than the outside let on, and seemed much too good for the common riffraff that frequented the place. The entire facility was built around the machinery and systems left here when the industrial machine company pulled out a few years ago. As a result, there was a definite industrial feel to the decor; large gears on the walls, pipes across the ceilings, chains and pulleys over the bar, neon lights outlining the rooms and hallways. There was even en elevating stage built on top of several hydraulic lifts once used to raise the trucks that came here. With the flip a switch, and the stage rose, making diving from it all the more fun. However, the bar was just one of several large rooms in the facility. There were also three event halls, two outside deck areas and several offices and storage rooms and coolers scattered through, making it a very successful operation.

The Final Frontier blared a cover of ‘The Boys Are Back’ as I walked down the large main hallway, turning into the main hall area. If my posse was here, the band and bar area was where they would be. Turns out, I was right. I just wasn’t prepared for what I laid eyes on as I turned the corner. Instead of broken chairs, overturned tables and panicked customers, I found a room full of people and four Earth Omega creatures, having the time of their lives.

“There I was; Diamond Dogs to the left, a manticore to the right and the only thing between them and a group of lost, frightened colt and filly orphans and their burnin’ orphanage was yours truly.” At a table close to the entrance, I found Rocky Road, surrounded by some of the HOTTEST hotties I’ve EVER seen. Surprisingly, they seemed to be hanging on his every word as he spun an impossible yarn like he had to Autumn the day prior. Before I could approach him, however, my attention was caught by the slamming of shot glasses against the bar a little way down. I scanned ahead through the crowded, noisy club, finding Ariel smiling with a forepaw raised high, signaling the bartender.

“Yo, barkeep! There’s a problem here! You gave me an empty glass! Another hit!” Beside her, a guy that could have easily passed for a first-round draft pick linebacker swayed uneasily on his barstool, a look of dread on his reddened face. Ariel turned to him and laughed, a quick hiccup escaping her throat. “Oh, come on, brother! Don’t tell me I won, already!” The griffin girl gave him a hearty slap on the back, causing the obviously inebriated jock to throw his hands over his mouth. Seconds later, the big man rushed past me through the crowd in the direction of the little gentleman’s room. I turned back to Ariel, finding the mythical monster smiling at me from her stool. “JEREMY! How ya doin’? I KNEW you humans would be lightweights when it came to drinking, but I didn’t think you’d be THAT bad!” The female and a handful of patrons around her burst into a fit of laughter as I spotted a pair of horns from across the room, rising up onto the stage.

Thunder had made his way to the band and was now climbing up to join them. I hurried to get to him to get him off the stage, but was blocked by the mass of humanity writhing and churning before me. I was helpless to do anything as I watched Thunder close his eyes and turn his back to the audience. A moment later, the massive minotaur spread his arms and fell backwards into the crowd. For a moment, a held my breath, expecting the floor to shake with a loud ‘BOOM.’ Instead, I was surprised as the huge creature rose back up again, laying flat on his back as dozens of human hands carried him to the back of the room.

“Jeremy! Over here!” Over the din of music and the crowd, I barely managed to make out Autumn’s smiling face in the far corner. She was sitting at a large table near the back wall with Tammy, Crystal and Max, each smiling and waving me towards them. With the path clear, I hurried to the seat beside her, hoping to make some sense of this madness.

“Autumn! What in the name of sweet Jesus are you all DOING HERE?! I thought you were gonna stay in the apartment!” I shouted, half to be heard over the noise of the room, half to show my incredible displeasure with the current situation.

“There’s that ‘Jesus’ character you keep referencing.” Autumn joked, eliciting a laugh from Max and Crystal. “Sorry we didn’t give you more of a heads-up than a note, Jer, but we had to do something,”

“The group was getting kinda restless,” Max said, cutting in. “so we decided, since Autumn did so well when we meet her in the mall, this would be a good place to take them.”

“Yeah, and they’re TOTALLY fitting in, too!” Crystal chimed. “After some people got over the initial shock, these party animals mingled faster than I’ve ever seen anyone else.” I looked around the room at the trio once more, following as Autumn directed me with her hoof. The girls at the table where Rocky was sitting were roaring with laughter, the stallion in question with his forelegs around the girls at his sides. Back at the bar, Ariel lent hand (paw? talon?) to help the fallen patron back to his seat, while simultaneously beaconing for the barkeep’s attention. The loud clop of a pair of hooves drew my gaze to the audience before the band, the crowd finally managing to surf Quiet Thunder to the back. The minotaur rejoined the fans, wading slowly back to the front.

“They... They’re fitting in.” I said with equal parts amazement and shock. Autumn laughed as the end of her wing wrapped around my hand, pulling me to the table where my fellow humans now sat.

“Of course! C’mon, Jeremy; I’ll fill you in.”

***

I sat there, drinking my Red Bull as Tammy, Max, Crystal and Autumn explained. After I left, the trio ate lunch, watched TV, (the one channel they could, since Thunder broke the remote yesterday) and after that, got insanely bored. Sure, the Autumn and the humans offered to play games, go rent some movies, whatever. But in the end, the Punk Pair decided the activity. Since Autumn had such a good time in the arcade with them and their friends when they met, they would take the three to the most happening, hippest, grooviest place they knew. A quick ride over in Max’s van and here they were. Of course, they got the few expected odd looks from some people entering the building with them, but other than that, they were welcomed like V.I.P.s.

I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that these three destructive, loud, clumsy creatures that, just hours ago, almost destroyed my home were now fitting in amongst total strangers. Not only that, it looked like they were having the time of their lives. It was about the time the band took an intermission that the three creatures in question decided to join us at the table. The exchange students pulled three seats from an empty nearby table and joined the conversation.

“Howdy, big fella!” Rocky hollered, placing a hoof on my shoulder and giving me a friendly shake. Not a violent gyration that shook me from my seat. Oh, no. A shake, like you’d give a friend upon meeting. Thunder seemed different as well. The clumsy, awkward, doesn’t-know-his-own-strength minotaur grabbed the chair from the adjacent table and spun it around. He threw his leg over the backrest of the chair as it slid forward, the large creature resting his arms on the back as he straddled it.

“Yo, miss! Bring us three rum and cokes, please!” Ariel shouted, waving at a passing waitress and getting a nod in return. “Can you believe it? The bartender comped our drinks for the night.” She said with a smile. “Autumn had him ‘Google’ the legal adult ages of Omega races. We’ve been getting drinks from the guy ever since!”

“Well, YOU guys have been drinking alcohol. Me and the others have been having soda.” Autumn answered. Ariel just laughed, throwing a foreleg around Thunder’s shoulder.

“What’s the difference?! Human booze is SO weak, we might as well be drinking dishwater!” The three laughed, with Max, Crystal and Tammy joining in. Autumn gave me a hopeful smile, the kind that silently asks those that see it to just drop their baggage and accept the moment. Falling to the warm look she was giving me, I abandoned my plans to drag the three visiting creatures out of the club by their ears, as well as my plan to lay into the three humans that brought them here. Instead, I took another sip of my energy drink, leaned back and decided to enjoy myself for the first time this weekend.

***

Ya know, it’s amazing what you learn when you actually sit down and talk to somebody. Not only about them, but about yourself. For the first time since they arrived, I actually sat down with the trio and talked with them. I forgot about all the trouble they gave me and all he broken items in the apartment and all the grief, and just talked to them like I would have anyone else. Turns out, that’s all I needed to do from the start.

Ariel grew up in the griffin nation of Althera, an only child and the latest in a long line of mages. Yes, you heard me right; mages. As in the kind that cast magic spells and make potions and stuff. Well, unlike pony unicorns, griffin magic mostly comes from potions, crystals, drawing symbols and reciting incantations. Not only that, but only a chosen few griffins can actually use magic, and she’s in line to learn all the tricks of the family business. Unfortunately, she’s still weak in her knowledge of plant life and minerals required to properly combine into potions. You may find it surprising, friends; Ariel came to Earth Alpha to learn botany and chemistry. And yes, I’m just as stunned as you are.

Quiet Thunder, as it turns out, came to study engineering. Specifically, nautical engineering, of all things! Minotaurs are renowned throughout Omega for their superb shipbuilders and sea fairing skills. The mellow, centered giant came to study the early ship building history of humanity in hopes of taking back to his people new, faster, larger ships with which to carry goods. With much of the civilized societies on Omega already relied on them for the import and export of goods. With the Massachusetts Maritime museum and Boston Naval Shipyard so close, he picked a hell of a place to come to learn about shipbuilding.

Remember when Agent Syth mentioned to me that in Equestria, some ponies were still living in herds due to low numbers of stallions in some areas? Guess what; Rocky came from one of those herd families! Aside from his regular mom, dad and a sister, he also had a herd Dad, three other Herd moms, 6 herd sisters and 3 herd brothers. Holy SHIT, do they like to fuck in Equestria! He mentioned that their area, Mustangia, is like some states in the American southwest; very dry, with lots of desert and prairie lands. Rocky came to Alpha to learn of the different ways humans overcame dry growing conditions on our world. That explains his cactus cutie mark. The guy’s speciality was farming in dry, harsh conditions.

I even found out a little something-something about Max and Crystal while I was at it. As luck would have it, Max comes from a military family as well. His dad’s Coast Guard, and works out of the base on Commercial Street, not far from my house. You wouldn’t tell by looking at the piercings and the dyed-blue fade the guy’s sporting, but he wants to join the Guard, too. His dad’s trying to talk him out of it, though. Get him to go to college for a while first. He’s already accepted to a few schools around here. All he has to do is say the word and he’s off. Hope he does take a little self-discovering journey for a while before he signs the dotted line. Crystal, on the other hand, is a FANTASTIC artist. Says she wants to be a famous tattoo artist when she gets out of school. She even grows her own ink from special plants in her parent’s greenhouse. Apparently, the idea of using plant enzymes instead of derivatives from animals is just as good, and doesn’t piss off Vegans. But seriously, that girl took out a pen and drew this anime-style portrait of me on a cocktail napkin as a demonstration. JUST LIKE THAT! I must admit, I was speechless. Now, I gotta go home and find a frame to hand a damn napkin in!

Together, me and Tammy shared stories from when we were younger. Autumn was particularly interested in stupid and often embarrassing stuff I did in grade school and junior high. Keeping with what I asked her when she first met Autumn, Tammy left out any stories about me and Erica. I knew the little orange pony held a lot of respect for me, and the feeling was mutual. However, I still felt apprehensive about letting her know how badly I was played. God damn, it even feels bad to say that... Anyway, back to the story.

Over the rest of the night, Rocky kept asking me tips on scoring with human women. DAMN, dude! You’ve been on this world for like, a week, and you’re already trying to score some puss?! Take it slow, amigo! Ariel pulled me aside and (get this, guys) actually apologized for acting like a bitch since we met. She told me it was mostly because she was really scared about being so far from home, but, because she’s a big, scary, tough griffin and all, she couldn’t really show it. I might not of believed it if she didn’t cry a little as she did it. Yes, the big, bad girl teared up a little. I felt it was appropriate to give her a reassuring hug to calm her down. Thunder’s only issue was making me promise several times during the course of the night that I’d help him find out more about the styles of music known as ‘rock’ and ‘metal.’ Sure thing, big guy. Anything you say.

With the disaster that was the missing Trio over, I resolved to relax with my friends as the night winded down to a close. I had no idea the real trouble was just about to start.

***

Come 1:00 a.m., the club finally closed. We all stuck around, mostly because I wanted to thank the bartender and the owner for being so nice to my charges. They both assured me it was no trouble, and that we were all welcome to come back anytime. I didn’t have the heart to tell them the Trio might never see Boston again after they were placed with new host homes. Also, maybe I just didn’t wanna say it out loud. You know, cause if I said it out loud, that would make it true. Maybe I was starting to not like that idea so much, anymore.

For a while, we just stood in the entryway, shooting the shit with the bouncer I bribed earlier. Ya know, if they REALLY appreciated the draw of three Omega Earth creatures in their club, the guy would have given me my money back. Turns out, as patrons of the club started tweeting and throwing up photos on different social sites, the number of customers doubled for a regular Saturday night. Apparently, EVERYBODY wants to see a real, live Omega Earth creature. Anyways, as the last of the club’s employees entered the building and locked the doors for the night, Autumn, me and the rest of the crew headed to the parking lot. It was getting late, and I expected Syth to contact me bright and early to take the Trio off my hands.

The area where both me, Crystal and Max parked was a long, L-shaped lot, the front half being between two tall buildings. The entry was in the front, with a set of spikes across it making sure any vehicle exited out the back way. It was just as our group entered the center of the almost empty lot that I saw the first of them.

Coming out of the shadows between adjacent vehicles, a single figure approached. He was dressed normal enough; sneakers, jeans, t-shirt, cap. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, except for the fact that he was wearing a mask. The accessory in question was skin tight and white like Slender Man, the only difference being a red circle with a diagonal line through it. The sudden appearance of the creep stopped me in my tracks, more struck by curiosity than anything. One by one, we all stopped as the strange young man tucked his hands in his pockets and spoke.

“Evening, humans. We’ll be taking the Omega trash off your hands, now.” The statement was so direct and unexpected, it almost didn’t register. I stood for a moment as I tried to make sense of what he just said.

“Huh?”

“What did he just say?”

“‘Omega Trash?’”

I could the hear the murmurs of my friends behind me at the stranger’s words. Calmly, he stood in front of us as stepped forward.

“Um... Excuse me?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“The quads. The aliens. We want them. Now. All you humans are free to go, but the Omega freaks are coming with us.” Alright, NOW the words hit me. Maxwell, Crystal and Tammy stood in front of the four as I clenched my fists at my side, eyeing up the weirdo.

“I don’t think me and my friends take too kindly to some son of a bitch calling them names on the street.” Max said, the large punk’s words spoken with authority from behind me.

“Jeremy...?” The concern was apparent in Autumn’s voice as I heard the clopping of her approach. An open palm directed at her behind my back stopped her in her tracks as I kept place between him and my friends.

“Well, you ain’t getting the ‘Omegas,’ buddy. So, I suggest you take your little Halloween outfit and get the fuck outta here before I turn the rest of your mask red.” Maxwell approached me from behind, standing just to the left of me as he cracked his knuckles. The stranger just shook his head as he looked towards the ground. Putting his hands up, he clapped twice before putting both hands back in his pockets. The doors on the car and van the man emerged from between opened, several other ‘gentlemen’ dressed similarly stepping out of them to join their comrade. They were all different sizes, heights and colors. I could tell by the skin of their arms or legs they were a good mix of white, tan, black and whatever shade in between. Their clothes differed from long pants and shorts, boots and sneakers, t-shirts, vests and tank tops. The only item showing they were together being the white, crossed-face masks. All together, there was at least eight of them, and despite not being able to see their faces, I could tell that they were all probably pissed off.

“I don’t think I made myself completely clear, human sympathizer.” The first goon spoke as his crew spread out, forming a rough semi-circle in front of us. The path back out of the parking lot was partially blocked as they took up position around us. “Those four freaks are coming with us, if we have to walk right over you to get them.”

“Guys... stay behind me.” I spoke over my shoulder, Crystal and Tammy standing close to the four aliens, trying not to take their eyes off of any of the creeps for too long.

“Think these guys will settle with just having their pictures taken with our buds?” Max asked, standing almost back-to-back with me as we looked over the group.

“I don’t think this is a really photogenic group.” I joked back, failing to get a laugh as we looked over our ordeal. We were outnumbered, facing people that wanted to hurt our friends for some God-unknown reason, leaving us with six lives to watch over besides our own. Looking over our approaching opponents, Max and I prepared for the worst.

That’s about the time we heard the sickening *THWAK*.

Near the back of the pack of goons, one of the biggest of the bunch suddenly left the ground and spun full-speed to his side. The large masked man hit the ground and rolled end over end until he hit the nearby building, crashing to a halt. All eyes in the lot suddenly turned to the sound as a tall blond man in a dark suit stepped through the darkness.

“If you want those Omega Earth citizens, you’ll have to go through me, first.” Agent Syth stepped forward from where the large thug was just standing, raising a leg and shaking his foot in the air. “Damn it. Why do assholes always have such hard heads?”

“Syth! What the hell are you doing here?” I shouted, watching in surprise as the G-man took off his coat, leaving only his white button-down.

“I followed the hits and photo-tags of you and our friends on Spacebook. Sorry I was late, though. Had some calls to make, meeting to set up. The usual.” Syth seemed like he had just swatted a fly, the rest of the masked goons looking back and forth between the new arrival and our little group. “Jeremy, could you and Mr. Wallace please escort your group out of the parking lot? I’ll handle these clowns.” His words were steady and confident, without any hint of doubt or fear. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Crystal and Tammy already waving Autumn and the rest out of the way, through the dark of the lot and back towards our cars. Maxwell took the rear of the train as I lagged behind to keep an eye on Syth. Seems knocking their friend out was the magic button to press, cause they were looking like they were ready for a fight.

“Sounds like we got us a bit of a dust-up here, fellas.” Rocky said, craning his neck till it cracked. “C’mon. Let’s send these jokers packin.’”

“NO!” All of us, including some of the attacking goons, jumped at the directness of Henry’s shout. The proper-looking agent pointed at us as he surveyed the gang before him. “Under no circumstances are ANY of you Omega citizens to try helping me. Understand? Just get the hell outta here. NOW!”

“C’mon, Jer! Get a move on!” Autumn whispered harshly, grabbing my sleeve with her teeth and pulling me. I turned away from Syth just in time to miss the first few hits, the sounds of fists hitting flesh starting to echo in the vacant lot. Together, we reached my truck at the exit of the lot, all pausing to gather ourselves.

“Jeremy, this is insane! What’s going on?! Who ARE those guys?! Why do they want us?” Autumn looked up at me with panicked eyes, the Trio standing behind her in an equally terrified state. I listened to the founds of the scuffle through the darkness, my mind vaguely piecing together the hurried events since we left the bar.

“I called Syth when I came home and found only Merlin waiting for me. He must have seen pics of you guys online and came down here. As for those thugs... Guys, I don’t think those men are too keen on aliens visiting Alpha Earth.” I could see a good mix of emotion on all my friends’ faces; fear, shock, anger. What bothered me the most, though, was the look of realization on Autumn’s face. I warned her about fellas like this. I just never knew people would go to such extremes like this.

In the distance, I heard the sound of a trash can connecting with a body, followed by a grunt I knew must have come from Syth. In that instant, something in me broke. The pull of self-preservation faded to nothing as I felt my hands ball up to fists all by themselves. I don’t know if it was the anger I felt at the thought of them wanting to hurt Autumn or the ever-present need to defend her, but in that moment, I knew I had to turn back.

“Max, Tams, Crystal? Keep an eye on our friends, here. I’m going back.” I turned away, immediately feeling a heavy hand grip my shoulder. I looked down, feeling a set of heavyfingers holding me in place.

“Hold on, Jer. You ain’t going back there without me.”

“Forget it, Max.” I said, shaking his hand off. “Stay with the group, here. They’ll need you if I can’t help Syth and they come this way.”

“If they come this way, then...” Tammy said, pausing as she rummaged though her handbag. In a moment, she produced a small, black canister of pepper spray, pulling the safety pin from the side. “... I’ll make them sorry they did.” A clicking sound coming from Crystal caught my attention, long before the large blade she was holding did. In the dark, it was still easy to make out the shape of the butterfly knife she pulled out of her knee-length boot.

“WE’LL make them sorry, girl.” My eyes went wide as I spied the blade that the young punk girl seemed to know how to handle a little TOO well. Crystal gave me an uncharacteristically girly giggle as she swished the knife back and forth. “What? A lady’s gotta defend herself, right?” Crystal said with a grin. “We got this. Go get em,’ boys.” That was all the instruction we needed. Max and I gave each other a quick grin before turning and running back through the darkness to the front of the parking lot.

As we ran back through the night, my eyes focused on a sight I hoped they wouldn’t. Syth was now kneeling between two of the goons, his arms held on both sides as a third took carefully calculated shots at his face. The thick, packing sounds of impact only made me angrier as I ran harder into the group. As I approached, I singled out one of the largest of the attackers directly in front of me, readying myself to attack. Good, good, you son of a bitch... Just keep looking away.

As I got within a few feet of him, I jumped into the air, pulling back my fist as I shouted before my strike. The sound caused him to turn just enough to expose what my dad affectionately called ‘the sweet spot.’ With all my might, my fist connected on target; the area above the jaw line, just below the area between the ear and eye. The thug let out a hard breath as he spun on his feet before dropping like a stone, unconscious to the ground. Well, I’ll be... Dad was right. That really IS a knock-out shot!

Max took the moment of confusion to land a hard left uppercut to the one goon holding Syth, sending him to the ground as his buddies backed away from their new opponents. I moved quickly between them and the group as Max moved to help Henry.

“Corbin... I told you to get the hell out of here...” he said weakly as Max helped him to his feet.

“Couldn’t be helped, sir.” Max answered, helping Syth’s to his feet again as he straightened his mussed-up shirt. “Me and Jeremy just had to come down here and help even the odds.” The battered agent cracked his neck as he caught his breath from the beating, looking none the worse for wear. Of course, he had a few bruises and the shoulder of his shirt was ripped, but otherwise, he was ready to go again as soon as he caught his second wind. It’s a good thing, too, cause our remaining new friends weren’t going to let us have a second more than that. Granted, six on three was still better odds than seven to one, but we still knew this wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Fine...” Syth said, taking a fighting stance again. “Just don’t get yourselves killed. Less paperwork for me later.” With the option of going all at once at one opponent gone, the masked thugs now started gathering for the next move. With the only option being to try and take us all out before getting to Autumn and the rest, the six remaining thugs charged us all at once.

Now, I’m not gonna say we were Luffy, Goku and Ichigo, ripping apart a squad of enemy grunts. But let me tell you something movies, novels, games, comics and TV will never tell you:

Being in a fight, even if you win... HURTS!!! Granted, these guys didn’t much know what they were doing. Me, Max and definitely Syth handled them with better ease than I thought. By the holds and throws he was pulling off, you could definitely tell Maxwell put in a few years on the high school wrestling team. Henry, however... Wow. You could really tell he was properly trained. Every defensive gesture had a counter-attack. Every attack had at least three follow-up hits. You couldn’t tell by looking at him, being such a proper looking guy most of the time, but he could really tear it up. As for me, well... I learned to fight from my dad, just before he started his final tour. Of course, he taught me to fight with martial arts sparing gloves on. Fighting actually hurts a LOT more without them. A fact that the two guys attacking me would find out first hand.

The first of the pair, the larger guy, had a good six inches and hundred pounds on me. His buddy, hanging back and out of my immediate reach, was just about my size, in terms of height and weight. Neither had a set stance, so I figured they had no idea exactly what they were doing in terms of attacking me.

The bigger guy tried throwing a few random jabs my way, all of which I easily either dodged or blocked. Seriously, fighting hurts without padding on. I kept looking for my opening, the larger attacker seeming to get more desperate with each punch. Eventually, he lost his patience and lunged at me, trying to take me out of the fight with one strong hay-maker. There was my opening. He couldn’t have made his move any more obvious if he texted it to me hours earlier. I dodged his heavy left, landing two hard hits to the ribs before grabbing his shoulder. In one clean move, I turned the big man around, grabbing his right hand and pulling it up his back, almost to his neck. He screamed like I never heard a man scream before as I grabbed his belt by the base of his spine. Putting my weight into it, I lifted him up off the ground enough to manage a hard slam to the pavement, putting almost the full weight of his body on his neck and shoulders with a satisfying *CRACK*. I paused a moment, fighting against the rush of adrenaline as I gave his body a quick survey. He was out like a light, his leg twitching slightly as his chest rose and fell with each breath.

I looked over my shoulder at Max and Henry with a grin. Max had one of the goons on the ground under his boot, the other in a headlock so tight, I swear I heard bones breaking. Syth was already done with his pair, the two laying on top of each other as the G-man adjusted his tie. Good. Now, I only have to deal with the last idiot standi- “HEY, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING?!?!?!”

As I took my stance against the only remaining masked man, he turned tail and ran out of the parking lot and down the street. I should have stayed where I was and checked on Syth and Max. I should have raced back to Autumn and the rest and made sure they were OK. But, the mix of anger and adrenaline being as high as it was, I decided that little piece of shit wasn’t getting away without a severe beating. Disregarding my safety yet again, I raced after him. I gotta hand it to the little prick; he had some speed to him.

As I chased him, I barely heard Henry shouting for me to stop. All I had in mind was catching this guy and dragging him back to add to the bloody mess that was his buddies. He ran like a gazelle down the block, around the corner and through an alley, really giving me a workout before a convenient chainlink fence gave me the opportunity I needed. As he opted to take a running jump and try scaling the fence that way, I took the smart way, bounding off an overturned trash can and using a hanging fire escape ladder for an overhead handgrip. We both made it to the other side at the same time, however I had better footing. Reaching out as he turned away from me to run again, I managed to reach out my hand towards him, hoping to grip onto something on him and drag the guy to the ground. Amazingly, I managed to grab hold of the back of his mask. With one firm yank, I pulled the little shit down on his back, his white mask tearing off from the force of my hold. Before I managed to deliver a heavy hammer blow and end the fight right then and there, I caught a glimpse of his face. In the dark of the alley, under the flickering of a dying streetlight, I saw who I was chasing.

The guy I was chasing... was Mikey.

For a moment, we both just sat there, staring at each other. Was THIS why Wally couldn’t reach him when we had the job, earlier? THIS is what he was out doing; plotting to capture my friends with wackos? I never had time to ask him, or even speak. In the blink of an eye, Mikey turned, hitting me with a broken piece of wood from the alley floor. The trash broke into a dozen pieces, spraying me with splinters as I staggered back, fighting for my balance in case of an attack. By the time I regained my focus, however, Mikey was gone, the echo of his escaping footsteps ringing through the high walls of the alley. I looked around the dim passageway for any sign of him, but it was too late. My old friend had taken off into the darkness, leaving me behind holding his mask. I had little choice but to return to the club parking lot and check on my friends.

***

As I rounded the corner, I was greeted by the sight of a dozen police cars and just as many unmarked black SUVs. A good mix of local and federal law enforcement officers were kind enough to draw a few dozen guns on me before a shout from Agent Syth as he ran up to me.

“Jeremy! Excellent work out there, big guy.” Henry extended a hand to me in congratulation, holding back as he looked down at the torn mask in my grip. “Little wack-job for away from you, eh?” I nodded, handing him the remains of the mask as I walked past him, hoping he wouldn’t ask the obvious. “So... get a good look at the guy?” I paused, hoping my expression wouldn’t betray me as I looked back at him.

“Nah... it was just too dark.” I lied. Thankfully, he seemed to buy it, walking up and placing a hand on my shoulder in comfort. I should have told him right then and there. I should have mentioned how Mikey hated Autumn from the first moment he laid eyes on her, but I didn’t. Even looking back on it now, I still can’t say why I didn’t give him up to the BEA. Maybe I thought I could reason with him, still. Maybe it was because I still hoped he might forget all about his hate and come around. I don’t know.

Syth led me back to the beginning of the lot where everyone else was waiting. Thankfully, with the exception of Max, everyone looked like they didn’t see any action. Autumn, of course, seemed happiest to see me, galloping up and throwing her forelegs around me in a tight hug.

“Jeremy! Thank the stars you’re alright! How could you run off and fight those guys like that?!” I let the little orange pony squeeze the breath out of me, her reaction seeming to make the whole fight worth it.

“Heheh... Hey, I’m your guardian angel while you’re on Alpha, remember. All part of job.” I joked. I tried to keep myself composed as I felt a little stream of warm soak into my shoulder where she laid her head.

“And what a find job you did, Mr. Corbin.” Syth said as he placed a hand on Autumn’s shoulder. “Mind if I borrow your knight in dirty denim for a moment, Autumn?” The mare released her grip on me, then turned back to the Trio, already being interviewed by several Boston police and BEA agents.

“I could get used to that kinda treatment.” I joked, not getting any sort of response from the straight faced G-man. I guessed he might have been still mad at me for coming back and helping. Good. I was still mad for putting me in a position where I had to watch three crazy aliens for a weekend. That was water under the bridge, though. Right now, I had more pressing concerns. “Well,” I started. “you wanna maybe tell me what the hell just happened here tonight?”

Henry motioned for me to follow him as he walked to the back of an open hatch on a black van. Stopping at the bumper, he reached in and took one of the masks confiscated from the captured goons. Holding up the mask to display the crossed-out circle, he gave me a blank look and spoke just three letters. “The H.I.E. happened.”

“H.I.E.?” I said back, making sure I heard him correctly. Syth just nodded before throwing the mask back in the van.

“Humans for an Independent Earth. They’re a hate group exclusively targeting any extraterrestrial life on our planet.” Henry started walking to the front of the lot, making me follow him as he continued. “The group was formed before we knew there’d be two Earths in this little bi-dimensional world we live in, now. Back in 1988, Ronald Reagan made a speech to the U.N. commenting on how an alien threat to the world would unify the human race, effectively ending all war between humans and changing the course of the planet’s future, forever. Some saw this for what it was; a simple theoretical example used to display the barbaric, yet ever-preset concept of nuclear war. However, some read deeper into it. Some saw it as a subtle warning the president gave from some prior knowledge he had of extraterrestrials. That’s where the H.I.E. come in.” Syth continued walking past the several HIE members being loaded into a nearby police van, shaking his head.

“They mostly tried to get their ideals recognized as the official policy to follow in case there was ever contact between humans and a non-human race. They stayed mostly to UFO or sci-fi conventions, spreading the word that meeting aliens perhaps would NOT be something humanity wanted, after all. It wasn’t until the dimensional barrier was breached and Alpha and Omega became friends that their popularity really took off. Thanks to the social media, they’ve been able to spout their poisonous message and recruit more than ever before.” Henry led me back to the center of the police and BEA vehicles where the rest of my friends were waiting. Crystal was looking over some of Max’s bandages as everyone else either sat on curbstones or leaned against the wall. Before we got too close, I reached out and took his shoulder, stopping him out of earshot of the others.

“Syth. Or, um... Henry, rather?” I corrected. “Why did you want the Trio to stay out of the fight? I know you didn’t want them hurt, but they probably could have taken those guys easily. Plus, none of them had weapons. I think they wanted them captured alive.” Syth grinned at me, then looked back to the three as they joked with a few agents taking reports.

“Since this was just a fight between humans, there’s really nothing too newsworthy about it. However, if there was some HIE member with a camera, taking pictures of a trio of Omega creatures tearing apart a bunch of men, THEN that would be something to see.” The three laughed, the merriment quickly spreading to Crystal Tammy, Max and Autumn. Even now, her laugh stood out from all the rest, somehow making me forget about my bruises and sore muscles. “And anyway, could you really put any of them in danger on purpose?” I chuckled lightly, his words making more sense right now then they would have just 24 hours ago.

“No... not anymore, I couldn’t.”

“Mr. Wallace! Miss Lockhart! Miss Kisaragi!” Henry raised his hand, waving the three humans towards us. After a moment, the three humans walked towards us, looking more than a little nervous. “I want to thank you for your service to both our dear Omega Earth citizens and your country. However, there’s some important issues about your involvement here tonight that we must discuss.” Oh, no. That didn’t sound good. As I stepped forward in front of the three, I could hear the soft clopping of Autumn coming up behind me.

“Hey, hold it, Syth. These guys were just trying to help out; both me and our guests. If you’re gonna hold anyone responsible for tonight’s craziness, then it should be me.” Syth looked at me and shook his head, waving a dismissing hand my way.

“Relax, Jeremy. They’re not in trouble. But still and all, I think you should take the whole gang back home for the night.” I looked over my three human friends, a slight look of concern on all their faces.

“Hey, don’t worry, Jer.” Tammy said, forcing a smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing. We’ll call you tomorrow, alright?” Max and Crystal echoed the sentiment, then all said their goodbyes to Rocky, Ariel and Thunder, the three looking as worried as I felt.

“Jeremy, I’ll send you a text soon instructing you where to bring these three for pick-up by their new host families. They’ll be leaving you tomorrow.” I suddenly felt like a cinder block hit my chest. In all the insanity since this afternoon, I completely forgot I was only watching these guys for the weekend. And by the look on their faces, it appeared my charges forgot that, too. “I’ll have one of the Boston police drive whoever back whoever won’t fit in your truck. See you tomorrow, Jeremy.” With that, Syth led the three humans away to a waiting van. As I walked away back to my truck, I tried not to make it too obvious I was looking back to see what was happening. I could argue that I tried to hide my curiosity to keep my friends from worrying, but in all honesty, nothing I could have done could have ruined their mood any more.

***

The ride home with Autumn and Ariel was a quiet one. I could only imagine how odd it must have been for the police officer as he drove Thunder and Rocky back, the two large creatures probably remaining as silent as their griffin companion was for me. As the lift opened on my apartment, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. I was home. Autumn was home. Thunder, Rocky and Ariel... were just... here, too. This wasn’t their home. Not now. Never was. And it would never be.

I walked to the fridge and got a soda for myself and each of the others. I passed one can to each of them before sitting on the recliner. It took me a moment before I realized nobody was interested in their drinks.

“We really screwed up, didn’t we?” Thunder was the first to speak what the three were thinking, the large bovine beast resting his head in his hand.

“What? What to you mean you screwed up?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat. “You didn’t do anything wrong! Look, if this is about the fight-”

“It ain’t just that, big fella.” Rocky said, cutting me off. The macho, loud stallion’s ears folded back, his eyes staring at the floor as he sighed. “Back in the hotel in New York, the three us got be friends as we waited to see where we’d be goin’ to stay with. We got to talkin’ about our areas of study, why we came to Alpha... Ya know, none of us really wanted to come here.” Now, where have I heard THAT before? I placed my drink down and listened carefully, Rocky taking his first sip before continuing.

“We were all real nervous ‘bout comin’ here. We were all just in the hotel for a little under a week, and we were already all homesick. It was kinda a shock that all our host families got marked as unfit. When that happened to all of us at once... we all kinda took it as a sign. A sigh... that this was a bad idea.”

“Then we met you, Jer.” Ariel added, looking up towards me from her seat. “Sure, you were a little stiff at first. But that’s alright, ya know? We were trouble. All of us. You... you didn’t need that.” The griffin girl curled up a little tighter on the couch, sniffling a little as she tried to hide her hurt. “You didn’t need... us... here.”

“Tomorrow, I’m telling Syth to send me home.” Thunder spoke out, clear and determined. Ariel and Rocky looked over at him, in shock at first. Then, their expressions melted into painful realization.

“Me, too.”

“... and me, as well.”

My jaw dropped, the breaking of the Trio’s hearts being almost loud enough to hear. I looked over to Autumn, the astonished expression on her face telling me she felt the same as me. For a moment, everyone remained silent, the stillness finally being broken as Rocky’s hooves hit the floor.

“Well, guess we all better start packin’. No use in doin’ it last minute, tomorrow.” Thunder and Ariel nodded in agreement. Both stood up from their seats and turned towards their beds to retrieve their luggage. In a moment though, their path was blocked by a single orange pegasus hovering in the way only.

“Hold on a second! You... you can’t just up and leave! You just got here!” Autumn shouted, her forelegs out wide to keep the three in place. “What about furthering your educations, and learning more about your professions, and gaining new skills, and everything else we talked about tonight? That great time we had-”

“Before that gang tried to kill us, you mean?” Ariel interrupted. “Autumn, Jeremy... What you two don’t know is... even back at the hotel in New York...” She paused, her eyes closing tightly as she balled up her talons before her. “... we were scared. All of us. For the Source’s sake, I was nothing but a rude vulture to you since we met! And Why? Just so I could hide how frightened I was of being here?”

“None of us wanted to come here, guys.” Thunder sat back down, resting his head in his hands as he leaned forward. “The opportunity presented itself, and everyone we knew wanted us to come here, and everyone just kept telling us what a great experience it would be...” Without warning, the large minotaur sat up straight, pounding his fist once on the end of the coffee table before him. I jumped slightly as I felt the reverberations in the floor a good twenty feet away. “... And I’ve been so, so afraid of scaring humans with my strength, all I’ve been doing is breaking things since I arrived.” At that moment, Thunder looked up at me with the most accusing eyes I’ve ever seen. “We barely know anything about this world. We just don’t fit in, and tonight, that almost got us and everybody else killed. I think it’s best for everyone if we just leave.”

I couldn’t believe this. This was just like when Autumn first arrived from New York. SHE had the same fears and doubts these three have right now. Hell, it was worse for her, even. She was ready to throw in the towel after just a few hours here, but now? Now, she’s practically a native. So, what’s so different about this situation, now? Autumn came around pretty quickly, after me and her had a talk...

And there in lays the problem.

I never really talked to any of the Trio since they came here. I never even attempted to learn on my own WHY they were here. Ever since they arrived, since the moment Syth contacted me and wanted me to watch over them for the weekend, I treated this whole situation... no. I treated THEM like they were just a great, big inconvenience. It wasn’t until I thought I lost them, when I came home and they weren’t here, did I start worrying about them. Even then, I was more worried about the trouble I’d get into for losing them than their actually well-being. And it wasn’t until Max, Crystal and Tammy showed them some compassion and friendship did they open up and completely turn their attitude around. It was that moment that I realized two very important things. One: I realized... every problem I had with these three... was my own fault. And then Number Two: I got the craziest idea I think I’ve ever had in my life.

As the three sat back down in their seats, Autumn continued the conversation, still attempting to talk them out of leaving. I quietly slipped out of the living area back to my bedroom, silently making my way to the closet door. Opening the door, I looked over one dusty, old case on the floor, half-covered by clothes and blankets. Hell, if it wasn’t for Rocky looking for these blankets, I would have forgot this thing was in here at all. God help me, I hope I’m not making a fool of myself.

Reaching down, I took the case by the handle, pulling it up off the floor. Behind where it lay, I reached back a little farther and pulled a small Fender floor amp out by the handle, rolling it across the floor on its wheels towards my bedroom door. Rolling it out the door into the living area, I pushed it with my foot to the one spot on the wall with a power outlet. I sat down, crossing my legs under me as I opened the guitar case, pulling out my old Kramer Pariah. As was expected, all six strings were just as I left them, needing only the slightest of adjustments as I hooked it to the amp. One by one, I noticed as each of the four stop and turn to me, each pair of eyes making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up a little more. I sat on the floor, giving the classic instrument some last second adjustments before I relaxed, and let the song play itself.

o/` Well, I won't back down... no, I won't back down

You could stand me up at the gates of hell,

But I won't back down.

Gonna stand my ground... won't be turned around

And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down,

Gonna stand my ground and I won't back down...o/`

“Jeremy... what are you...” Autumn’s question trailed off as I looked up slightly, giving her a small smile. To my great relief and surprise, everything came back to me like I never stopped playing. The finger positions, the timing, the appropriate pressure needed for each note. I actually surprised myself. I expected to sound much worse than this after almost twelve months of not even picking it up.

I played that song as well as I ever remembered playing anything. Keeping it at about half-speed that it was usually played gave it a seemingly magical sound to it that I hoped wouldn’t be lost on the group. As far as I knew, none of them played anything. No matter. Right now, I just wanted them to sit there and listen.

o/` Well I know what's right... I got just one life...

In a world that keeps on pushin' me around,

But I'll stand my ground...

and I won't back down. o/`

Hey baby... there ain't no easy way out.

Hey I... will stand my ground.

And I won't back down. o/`

As my voice rose and fell with the lyrics, I tried to sing out from my diaphragm like I was taught long ago. Damn it, I hope my voice doesn’t crack. I had no time to warm up for this. It was just a spurt of the moment idea. Doesn’t matter, I guess, as long as the message gets across.

o/`Hey baby... there ain't no easy way out.

Hey I... will stand my ground.

And I won't back down... o/`

I ended the song, turning off and disconnecting the amp from the wall before unplugging the guitar from it. I took the guitar and cord and placed them back in the case, placing it on the floor against the wall near the amp. Finally, I had no other choice but to look up to my audience. My first audience, really, at least since I got with... Erica. I’ll never forget the looks on their faces.

Smiles. Nothing except smiles. Thunder was sitting back in his seat, arms folded across his broad chest as he rested with his eyes closed, apparently enjoying the tune immensely. Rocky stared at me with a vary satisfied grin, looking as if he wanted to clop his hooves at the performance. Ariel seemed the most touched of all, the normally loud, proud griffin girl sitting with her eyes covered, a steady stream of tears freely rolling down her face from behind her claws. Autumn just sat with a warm smile, her eyes glistening in the dim light of the living room. I figured at least now I had them ready to listen.

“Look... I’m sorry.” I started. “I looked at this weekend hosting you here as nothing but a long, inconvenient hassle. I never considered how you might have felt. Not only that... I never considered making friends with you. I see now how wrong I was. You...” I looked over them all, noticing that I had all of their attentions for once. “... are all amazing. I’m sorry I never gave you a chance. I hope, someday, you can forgive me for that. Hell, I may not be able to forgive myself for it. But if nothing else... I hope you don’t give up now.” I felt a lump form in my throat, pausing for a moment to swallow it down, hard. What had started as a simple apology had quickly turned into a heartfelt plea for them to carry on with their quest.

“As long as you’re here, you’ll always have me and Autumn right there for you. No matter where you go, we’ll always be a cell call or a skype chat away. Besides that, I’m sure Crystal, Max and Tammy would be willing to offer the same courtesy. Please, don’t take the easy way out. I know the task before you all seems like this giant, looming storm on the horizon, but you can’t let it scare you off. You’re all too incredible to just cut and run and leave your dreams behind. You’re all capable of so much good here. And besides that...” Now I was feeling that old, familiar sensation welling up in my eyes. I tried to hold out as long as I could. “... this world will be just a little bit poorer without you guys in it.”

I gave them a moment for the words to sink in. Surprisingly, Rocky was the first to respond, standing up and walking right over in front of me.

“Do... you really mean that, Jer? Ya really think we could make it here?” he asked, extending a forehoof to help me up.

“I meant every word. If you guys keep acting like you did at the club tonight, if you keep true to yourselves and stay strong...” I reached out, taking his hoof and rising back up to my feet. “... then there’s nothing you can’t do.” I looked over the three, quietly watching as something new seemed to wash over each of them. A new resolve, perhaps? That, or maybe... hope?

“Well, I guess it would be pretty foolish for me to leave now, what with such a ringing endorsement like that, and all.” Thunder finally spoke with a grin.

“Yeah... I mean, I’m still a little...” Ariel gulped down her emotions, seeming to choke on her next word. “... scared, but not as much, now. I guess... I’ll give this whole trip another shot, too.”

“Well, dang it, then.” Thunder said, standing up from his chair. “I can’t leave these two animals alone on Alpha. I don’t think your world could take them both. Guess I’m staying, too.” Autumn and I both breathed a sigh of relief, another crisis averted for at least the time being, if only by the narrowest of margins. Figuring I tempted fate enough for one night, I breathed in a deep cleansing breath, letting it out with most of the remaining tension still inside me from my performance.

“Look... I’m sure we’re all exhausted right now. How about we all hit the hay for the night?” The group all agreed, for once, the Trio heading over to their government issued beds one last time. With a heavy heart, I turned and picked up my guitar case and amp, putting them just inside my room as I turned and watched Autumn enter hers. I could hear the sound of hooves and claws scuffle across the floor as my guests got ready for bed. However, just as I was reaching for the door knob to close it for the night, the door opened, pushed by my first other-worldly visitor.

“Jeremy...?” Autumn said, ears folded back as she poked her head in. “That... that was beautiful. Why didn’t you ever tell me you could play music like that?” I just scoffed, shaking my head as I looked towards the floor.

“That’s a story for another time, pony girl. For now, let’s just get some rest.” Just then, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, the chirp emitting from it indicating a new text message. Autumn watched with piqued interest I pulled the cell out and read the message out loud.

‘Jeremy, bring the Trio to the Boston Public Library tomorrow at 7:00.

-Henry

“Seems like we’re on a first-name basis with everyone’s favorite secret agent.” I joked, connecting the phone to its charger for the night. I looked back to Autumn, feeling a hollowness in my chest. Now, it seemed, we were only mere hours away from losing our new friends.

***

Sleep was uneasy and dreamless. It was the kind of sleep that seemed over the same moment you closed your eyes. Surprisingly, getting the group up was a lot easier than I thought. They all seemed almost... eager, you could say, all ready to bravely face whatever was coming their way. A proud march to the gallows, I suppose. In no time, we were all up, and ready, the van packed and primed to deliver them all to their uncertain future.

The ride to the library seemed to be over a lot quicker than any of us would have liked, the van as silent as a tomb the whole way. The streets even seemed more devoid of traffic than usual, never mind it being a Sunday. That changed, though, as we pulled into the parking lot of the library.

The Boston Public Library on Boylston Street was a beautiful old building, looking worthy of being a vast depository of knowledge and history. I haven’t been in it since they renovated more than ten years ago, but I still got the feeling of being very small compared to it. For a second, we all just stood outside the van and marveled at the place before going through the front doors. Seemed like a pretty fitting place for our three friends to start the new leg of their journey.

“Morning, Jeremy. Glad you could make it.” Standing just inside the main entrance was Syth, looking none the worse for wear from the night before. Sure, the black eye was partially visible behind his dark sunglasses, but otherwise, he seemed perky and happy. Made me wanna punch him again. “Rocky, Ariel, Thunder; why don’t you all go ahead into the commons room, over there?” Syth directed them to the left of the doorway, towards a room I don’t remember being there back when I was just a kid visiting the place. Must have been a new addition. “Oh, and Autumn? Could you go with them? Me and Jeremy have something to discuss.” Autumn looked at him in surprise, then back to me with a hint of worry. The request seemed innocent enough, so I had little to protest against as she and the Trio headed in through the large double doors of the room. As they started filtering inside, Syth motioned for me to follow him deeper into the library.

“Jeremy, I want to apologize.” Henry said, slipping his hands into his pockets as he stopped and leaned against a bookcase near the history section. I took one of the chairs from a nearby study desk and spun it around, sitting on it backwards as I gave him time to explain. “The decision to place Thunder, Rocky and Ariel with you was mine, and mine alone. Half of it was because of the success you’ve been having with Autumn. That, being a gamble in and of itself, has paid off for everyone involved in spades.”

“And what was the other half of the deal, Henry?” I asked, making sure to put a hint of arrogance in my voice.

“The other half was just to see if you could pull it off, again.” I felt like jumping over the chair and choking him. Was this some game to him? It may have taken me most of the weekend to figure it out, but these were people’s lives we were playing with here! I may have stormed out of there right there, if not for what Syth said next. “Truthfully, I like you, Jeremy. Really, I couldn’t think of anyone I trusted more with such a monumental task as this.”

“Wait... what?” I asked, feeling my jaw slack at his words. “You... like me? That’s why you dropped those three in my lap for the weekend?”

“Why else?” He said, matter-of-factly. “Do you realize what were trying to do, here? I mean...” Syth paused, rubbing his temple with his thumb and index finger. “... we’re treading in uncharted waters here, Mr. Corbin.” He looked down at his watch, nodding slightly to himself before walking away, back to the main entrance. “C’mon. I think you should see something.”

Together, we walked back towards the main doors, passing them on our way back to the new commons room. Syth walked to the double doors, taking the knob in his hand as he motioned me closer. “Come on, take a listen.” he said, ushering me closer. Cracking open the door, I could see inside just enough without being seen. And what I seen inside... took my breath away.

Children.

The room was occupied by about two dozen preschool aged children, all laughing, running around and generally making a huge commotion over Autumn, Rocky, Thunder and Ariel. And as for the four citizens of Earth Omega? They seemed to be loving every minute of it.

“So, there I was; surrounded by a pack of devious diamond dogs, ready to fight off the WHOLE LOT of em’ too save the lost little filly and take her back to her family.” Rocky pranced around the room with two giggling children on his back and a group following behind him. The little scoundrel was entertaining them with the same pick-up line he was using in the club last night, only this time, he was INTENTIONALLY trying to be funny.

“Alright, I think I can take a few more here. Just be careful of my horns, kids.” On the floor, Thunder was laying flat, about a half dozen kids standing on his back and two more sitting on his shoulders as he prepared himself to do pushups. “All ready?” he asked, looking slightly back. The kids cheered a happy ‘Yes!’ as he started a set of ten, all eight of them giggling as they bounced with his movements.

“Alright, who’s next?” Across the room, to my GREAT surprise, Ariel was leaning down, allowing a little boy to climb on her back. Once the kid had a firm grasp around her neck, Ariel spread her wings and hovered up above the room, gliding into a slow flight in a circle over the tables and bookcases scattered throughout.

Closest to us, at a table near the doors, was Autumn, being fawned over by a trio of girls as she talked to a member of the library staff. The little pegasus sat still and proud as the three children brushed her blue mane and placing ribbons and bows along it’s length.

“What’s... what’s going on here?” I managed to whisper out. I felt Syth’s hand on my shoulder as leaned in closer to me.

“I arranged this little meeting to prove a point to you, Jeremy. This is a daycare service, provided by the library free to working families. What’s going on, Mr. Corbin, is a glimpse into the future. Just look at the natural instincts of Omega species when put into a situation they didn’t expect. Do you think humans would react the same way if placed into a similar situation with a group of alien children?” His voice was clear and strong, his tone unwavering as he cracked the door a little more, allowing me a better view inside. “It was often said among scholars that, if we should ever meet extraterrestrial life, we had better hope they were stupid enough for us to conquer. The Omega Earth’s policy towards meeting life from a world not their own? Try to make friends with it. Now tell me; which one of those policies sounds better to you? Could it possibly be that... humanity has been getting it wrong all this time?”

I wasn’t surprised. I’ve seen enough sci-fi movies to know that old theory. What struck me, though, was that I never considered it in terms of the Omega Earth creatures before. Thinking about it now, that policy really does seem pretty barbaric.

“Look at them, Jeremy. Just look.” Syth said, his voice sounding suddenly softer. “The way those children are acting is such a far cry from those thugs in the alley the other night, no? That’s because hatred of that variety isn’t inborn or inherited. It’s taught. I mean, just look at the faces on those kids.” I looked out across the room, scanning the children as he asked. He was right. There wasn’t a single child in the room that seemed frightened of the four Omega creatures. Every one of them was laughing, smiling or otherwise having the time of their lives.

“Powerful men from around the world a lot smarten than the two of us decided long ago how to handle the first meeting between our people and a race from somewhere else out of time and space. However, they never considered the new would we would meet would be so accommodating and willing to learn and share with us as the creatures of Omega Earth. We’re standing at the brink of a new era, Jeremy. A pivotal moment in the histories of both our worlds. Over the course of the next year or two, both Alpha and Omega will be importing and exporting ideas, materials, technologies and citizens back and forth across the dimensional divide. We need humans willing to go far above and beyond anything that has ever been asked of any human before. Humans with impeccable integrity, honor and near limitless compassion and bravery to make the merger of our two worlds work out in the best interest of not only our world, but theirs as well. Beings like Autumn, Thunder, Ariel and Rocky are terrific examples of that from Omega Earth, coming here like representatives of their cultures. Now, I’ve met a lot of people willing to try and take on the task at hand for our Earth. But, Jeremy...” Henry closed the door quietly before taking me by the shoulders, turning me so we looked eye to eye. “... I believe you to be one of the humans who could actually pull it off.”

I would be lying if I said he didn’t surprise me just then. This monumental task stretched out before both our worlds, requiring only the best and strongest of us to make it happen, and Syth thought I had what it takes? Suddenly, this entire weekend from hell made sense. Syth didn’t drop the Trio with me because this was some kind of joke or he was abusing his position. He sent me to take care of them because he knew I could pull it off. Maybe, at the time, I WAS the only one that could pull it off.

Together, we walked back to main entryway, stopping to sit on a bench near the doors. For a while, neither of us said a word. I kept quiet mostly because I truly didn’t know what to say. Syth, I believe, was just giving me time to let it all sink in. However, I don’t think the next words I spoke were the last thing he thought would come out of my mouth.

“...I’m sorry.” The G-man raised an eyebrow at me, leaning forward slightly to get a better listen.

“You’re sorry? What, for last night? Water under the bridge, my good man.”

“No... not just because of that.” I corrected. “I... really hated you for the last two days. Since Friday night, I thought you handed those three off to me because nobody else wanted them, or maybe because you wanted to somehow set me up to fail. Sorry, but I’m not used to having that much responsibility on my shoulders. I’m definitely not used to having anybody trust me. I started to hate those three, but mostly, I started hating you.” The words felt stale and hard, and hurt to speak. Thinking back at how I felt just a day ago made me feel ashamed in a way I don’t think I ever had before. “But now, looking back on it, I see that their arrival in my home was a blessing. They’re some incredible friends, and I can’t imagine not knowing them now that they’re here. I’m proud that I know them. Just like I’m proud...” I extended my right hand towards Syth, looking up to meet his eyes once more. “... to consider you a friend, too.”

For a moment, I don’t think Henry knew what to do. He just stared at my hand, as though the act of shaking it was foreign to him.

“Ya know, in my line of work, I can’t afford many friends.” he finally said, a grin slowly spreading across his face. Soon, the small grin turned into a broad smile, then evolved into a chuckle, then a roaring laugh. “It feels good to finally have found one to assist me in my work!” Agent Syth grasped my hand, squeezing it and giving it a firm shake. “Consider us friends, then.” I sat there, shaking hand with a man I now considered a friend, when just the day prior, I was starting to hate. Life’s funny that way some times, I suppose.

A small chiming from Syth’s coat pocket brought an abrupt end to the moment of comradery, the well-dressed agent releasing my hand to grab his cell. He pulled it out and called up the message, looking it over before returning the phone back to his pocket.

“Well... looks like the new host families for the Trio are here.” he said, a hint of foreboding in his voice. I know he must have seen the look of disappointment on my face as he reached over and patted my shoulder. “They’re waiting outside the main doors. How about you go get your friends? I’ll bring in the families.” I nodded silently, then stood up to head to the commons room. Every step I took felt like it was weighed down with lead as I approached and reached for the door handle. Slowly, I pushed it open, four pairs of inhuman eyes falling on me as I stepped inside. From the way their expressions dropped, I could tell they knew exactly what time it was.

“Alrighty, buckaroos, time for us to skedaddle.” Rocky said, leaning down for the riders on his back to jump off. Ariel landed, doing the same as Thunder stood up from the floor, stretching after his workout. Autumn gave the group grooming her mane a hug as she got up and trotted over to me, looking up with sad eyes.

“Well... guess it’s time, huh?” I nodded to the little pegasus, then looked up at the three.

“Yep. Sorry, kiddies, but we gotta be heading out, now. Say bye-bye to your new friends.” All at once, the four creatures were mobbed by groups of children, all whining and moaning as they hugged their big, fluffy friends. Pleas of ‘See ya later!’ and ‘Don’t go yet!’ rang out as the four waded their way towards me, passing me as I held the door for them to enter the lobby. As I gave the room of children one more wave, I closed the door behind me.

“So, this is it. We’re shippin’ out, then.” Rocky said with a gulp. Beside him, Thunder stood silent and still as a statue as Ariel almost visibly trembled in his shadow.

“Hey... remember, guys; you can do this.” I reminded them. “You three are capable of doing anything, so long as you stay true to yourselves and never quit. Besides, you’ll always have me and Autumn there for you, no matter what.” I could hear Ariel sniffle slightly at my words, the tough-as-nails griffin on the brink of breaking down. I reached in my back pocket and pulled out my handkerchief, handing it past Thunder to her. Surprisingly, it was the minotaur that took the cloth, sniffling as he held it to his nose and blew. Loudly, I might add.

“Sorry...” he said, composing himself. “Here. Thanks.” He held it back for me to take, the thin material visibly weighed down with the massive being’s nasal discharge.

“You keep it, big guy. Consider it a gift.” I said, leaning back away from it and causing the all to laugh.

“Are we all ready?” Agent Syth asked, the front doors to the library cracking open slightly as he leaned in from outside. We all stood at attention again as I nodded yes. With that, Syth opened the doors and stepped aside, allowing the new host families to enter the building. Together, we held our breath as they walked inside.

...

“SURPRISE!!! MISS US?!?!”

A familiar female voice broke the relative silence of the library as Crystal ran inside, arms up and open in a flourish. Behind her, the blue-haired brother Max stepped inside, wearing a knowing shit-eating grin. Finally, mousey little Tammy stepped through the door, thanking Syth for holding it open as she did. Alright... what in the actual fuck the hell I don’t even THE FUCK AM I LOOKING AT?!?!?! Max, Crystal and Tammy entered the main foyer, followed closely by a group of older ladies and gentlemen that could have only been their parents.

“Remember what I told you last night about not getting to the club sooner? I needed to make some phone calls and meet with some people? Well... surprise!” Syth stepped forward, giving me a mock salute as he stood beside the group of humans. “Right after you called and told me the gang was missing, I started going through some phone and web messaging records. I found out where our friends Max, Crystal and Tammy all lived and phoned to see if our wayward wards were at any of their homes. Naturally, they weren’t, but that gave me another idea; The Trio and Autumn must already be friends with our three humans, here. Why else would they all go out with them? After a little chat with each of their parents, I managed to convince them all to give up their spare rooms to further the cause of inter-dimensional friendship.”

I looked over each of the three groups before me, piecing together their relationships. Crystal stood with a well dressed middle-aged man and woman, regarding the punked-out girl before them with a look that could only be love. Beside her, A tall gentleman wearing a white uniform and service cap rested his hand on Max’s shoulder, looking like an older, much more mature version of the teen. Finally, Tammy stood with a tall, older woman, her hair and facial features matching those of the young woman beside her. As the three humans introduced their parents to the three Omegas, Autumn and I quickly moved over towards Syth. The agent smiled wide as the humans spoke together, meeting each other for the first time.

“Henry, you... you planned this, didn’t you?” Autumn asked, sounding just as shocked as I was. The G-man nodded, folding his arms across his chest.

“Yep.” he said with a chuckle. “Max and Crystal just graduated this year, and Tammy only with you. They all still live at home with their folks, so this works out great for everyone. All it took was an explanation of what was expected of them, and they were all actually glad to lend a hand. I didn’t even need to tell them about the stipend they’d be getting. This really turned out better than I expected.”

“So, um... wait. ‘Better than you expected?’” I asked, the situation making less and less sense to me by the moment.

“Of course! Didn’t you even ask the gang what they came here to study?” Syth asked, pointing to the group, still speaking behind us. “Mr. And Mrs. Kisaragi will be taking Ariel from now on. It only made sense with her studying botany and chemistry. She can grow all her supplies right in their greenhouse. They’re a perfect match. Thunder living with Max and his father is perfect, too. With Officer Wallace’s connections in the Coast Guard, the big guy should have near unlimited access to all kinds of historical records and blueprints of all kinds of ships. It’s a nautical engineer’s dream.” Hearing that, I was reminded of the conversations I had with them all in the club last night. Son of a bitch... this guy really found a way to pull this all together. Just then, though, I looked over at the two remaining friends, Rocky and Tammy, a hole appearing in Henry’s almost perfect plan.

“Yeah, but what about Rocky Road there, Mr. BEA?” I motioned with a thumb over to raucous stallion and the timid girl beside him, both her and her mother smiling as they spoke. “Tammy and her mom aren’t exactly scholars or well connected in any way.”

“Yeah, I know that. Her mom’s a secretary at a doctors office, and Tammy works for a grocery store as a cashier.” Syth explained. “They live comfortably, but they’re not really special in any big ways. I could tell that just by looking at her Spacebook account. Counting some family members, you and Autumn and some co-workers, she only has just under a dozen friends. That’s why I’m pairing her with Rocky. Poor girl needs some excitement in her life, and let’s face it; she’ll be good in calming down that wild stallion.” I was shocked. Who would have ever thought Agent Henry would be so good at playing matchmaker?

“Alright, has everybody had enough time to introduce themselves?” Syth asked the group, clapping his hands once to get their attention. A round of agreement rose from them, their positive looks verifying it to be true. “Alrighty, then. I want to thank you all once again for taking in these unique exchange students. It takes a very special person to open their home and their heart to someone in need. My friend Jeremy here can attest to that.” Syth motioned to me, looking over his shoulder. I couldn’t help but feel a little red as I picked up on his hinting. “OK, now that the meet-and-greet is over, let’s get you all to your new homes.” Waving for everyone to follow him, Syth led the way out the front doors. The group trailed close behind, me and Autumn bringing up the rear.

Outside, the final stage of this changing of the guard was quick and relatively painless. I helped load the bags from the van to everyone’s vehicles, making sure to meet everyone’s parents and thank them for help. It was only right, after all. These people were in for one hell of a ride. After that, Autumn and I bid a ‘see ya later’ to Max, Crystal, Ariel and Thunder, the newly formed families entering their vehicles and taking off, each promising to poke us online as soon as they were settled. Knowing that our new friends were just a across town from us made letting them go a whole lot easier. This way, we could still all get together whenever we wanted to, but I still got to keep my house in one piece. That way, everybody wins, especially ME! What? They’re all going to good homes, and it’s not like I’ll never see any of them again. For now, let me just be glad I got my house back!

After a few tight hugs and a firm handshake, Autumn and I bid farewell to Thunder and Ariel. The pair promised to get themselves cell phones and keep in touch. Hell, we were already making plans to get together again as soon as they were all settled. As Tammy and her mom busied themselves with a few last minute questions for Syth, Rocky gave me a firm pat across the back.

“Well, guess this is the end of our lil’ camp out in your crib, huh, big fella?” I grinned at the stallion, patting him on the back in return.

“Yep, guess so. I’m just glad everything turned out as well as it did.” Rocky nodded, looking over his shoulder at Autumn, then back to me.

“Yeah, yeah... say, Autumn?” he asked, catching her attention. “Mind if I borrow yer buddy here? I gotta tell him something in private.” The mare gave a slight look of surprise before nodding her approval.

“Sure, no problem.” With that, Autumn troted over to speak with Tammy and her mother, leaving Rocky to drag me away half way across the front of the library.

“Alright, Jeremy. This ain’t easy for me to say, to anypony, really, but... I’m sorry.” The tone of his voice combined with his folded down ears told me the earth pony was serious. Granted, he had a lot to be sorry for, helping to destroy my house and worry me half to death last night. Still, I wasn’t sure what the apology was meant for. I figured I’d guess what he was talking about and give him a way to clarify.

“What? What are you sorry for? I told you, that fight in the parking lot wasn’t your fault. Forget about it.”

“No, that not it...” Rocky turned away, shaking his head as he looked at the ground. “I might be a lot of things, but a scoundrel ain’t one of em.’ I really ain’t one to step on another stallion’s hooves when he’s sweet on a pretty filly.” Suddenly, Rocky’s meaning became clear. I looked over at Autumn with wide eyes, then back to the pony before me. He really thought... I mean... Did he...?

“N-no, Rocky, wait a sec. I-I don’t... I mean, I’m not a bro-”

“C’mon, now, Jeremy” he said, hopping up on his hind legs and throwing a foreleg over my shoulders, pulling me close. “The way you look at her, the way you talk to her, the way you got all defensive every time I spoke to her: all clear signs yer sweet on the girl. Ain’t no shame in that.” Rocky hopped down, giving me a wink. “Don’t worry, pal. I won’t flirt with yer filly no more. Sorry I didn't see it soon. She’s all yours.”

I couldn't believe it. He thought I was flirting with Autumn? I mean, really? Well, I guess she’s really nice, and we’re both single. But, you know... the while pony thing. But did he think I was one of those bronys, too? All weekend long, he annoyed me with how much he was hitting on Autumn, but that’s just because I thought he was obnoxious. I just thought he wanted to get her to bed. It’s wasn't because I really liked her... right? Anyway, I figured if that’s what he thought, I might as well go with it. Whatever the reason, that might keep him from hassling her in the future when we all got together.

“Um... guess I didn’t hide it very well, huh?” I said, not really knowing if I was lying or not. “Thank’s for backing off, Rock. That’s real gentlestallionly of you.”

“No problem, buddy.” Looking back, we was Tammy approaching, the young woman suddenly stopping as she waved her new house guest along. “Coming, lil’ lady! Well, Jer, be seein’ ya!” With that, Rocky trotted off, walking away along side my old friend. Just as they were getting in Tammy’s mom’s car, I heard him start another story.

“Ya know, Tams, I never really saved a bunch of orphans from a burning building, surrounded by monsters.” he said, opening the back door for her.

“Really? I would never have known.” Tammy said with slight condescending tone as she got into the car. Rocky entered the car and closed the door, but not before I heard the beginning his next tall tale.

“Actually, it was a bunched of injured animals from a veterinary hospital...”

***

After Syth thanked us once again and told us a driver would come by the apartment to retrieve the van, he bid us a good day. Together, Autumn and I watched as he drove off in his black, unmarked car before taking off ourselves. As we left the library, I realized just how much we had done in the course of just this weekend; helping three new Omega students settle in on Alpha, introducing them to their three new host families, me actually picking up my guitar again after almost a year. Not to mention the more... negative aspects of this weekend. I still never told Syth about Mikey being with those goons that attacked us. I decided that if anyone was going to take care of that little bastard, it was gonna be me. Also, I had a very, VERY bad feeling about that HIE group. If they seen me and Autumn together on Spacebook and such, would they know where to find us if they wanted to hurt her again? If so, I had more than a few ways of making them sorry if they tried. I might not be the biggest or the strongest punk out there, but ain’t nobody messes with Jeremy D. Corbin and goes to bed happy that night.

“So... why didn’t you ever tell me you played guitar?” Autumn broke me away from my deep thought with a real blockbuster, making me almost swerve off the road.

“W-what do you mean? That? That was nothing.” I lied. Too bad for me Autumn was getting good on picking up on that.

“Liar. You were fantastic. And your singing was... Just amazing. So, why don’t you play? I’ve been living with you for almost two months, and you never played in front of me, once.” I sighed, keeping my eyes on the road. I never told her about my being able to play. Then again, I never told her about Erica and how she hated me playing, either. Then again... how could I? How could I tell her how I was treated? How I was talked down to, and lied to, and stole from, and humiliated and...

... and abused...

“Look, Autumn... It’s complicated. Could I just explain it to you another time? It’s been a hell of a weekend...” I pleaded, hoping she would allow it. Thankfully, she backed of, giving me a soft smile as she nodded.

“Alright, Jer. You don’t have to tell me.” Thank God for that. But still, I knew she wouldn’t just forget it. Somehow, sometime, I’d have to let he know about that terrible time of my life. However, today just wasn’t the day.

“Good.” I yawned, looking up at the still early morning sun. “Because, right now, all I wanna do is go back home, kick off my sneaks, and crash until like... Thursday.” Autumn yawned after me, then laughed, her happy tone once again sounding like the chiming of bells in my ears.

“That’s too late to sleep. How about Tuesday?” she asked.

“Tell ya what; I’ll meet you halfway, and we’ll both sleep till Wednesday. Deal?” I reached over a hand, Autumn quickly taking it and giving it a gentle shake as we headed home.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

Prologue: Leaving Today

After not being able to sleep and having to get up at 5:15 for work, I came downstairs at 3:00 in the morning and just started writing. After a groggy day in work, I came home and read it over and... kinda liked it. just tossing it up and seeing if it sticks. Let me know what you all think, bronys and pegasisters. enjoy!

***************************************************************************************************************************

Prologue: Easy to Love

I adjusted the guitar case on my back and checked my watch again. 9:38, a.m. She probably wouldn’t make it, even with the long break between her classes. That’s a shame; I would have liked to give her one more kiss before I left. The bus would be coming any minute, if they wanted to keep the 9:45 departure time. I sighed, looking down at the large suitcase containing 3 extra shirts and pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of socks and underwear, an extra pair of sneakers and some random jewelry I liked. I looked over the small messenger bag, covered with band patches and holding my laptop and other electronic gear and plugs. I removed the guitar case from my back and opened it up, examining the candy-red Kramer Pariah electric. They’d have amps and hook-ups at the venue, for sure. To think, I almost gave up ever playing it again. Just another aspect of my life I can credit to her.

Looking around the bus depot, I could see some of the other people waiting were getting nervous, checking their watches and phones, going up to the ticket window to complain. I, however, was in no hurry. I took this short time to tune my instrument a bit, listening carefully for variations in the tones as I gently plucked the strings. I was so into the task at hand, I didn’t even notice almost all of my fellow passengers had already filed out to the bus that just pulled into the terminal. The slamming of the large glass door broke me from my self-induced trance, causing me to quickly close the guitar case and grab my bags. By the time I made it outside, the luggage compartment beneath the vehicle was almost full to capacity. I was lucky just to find a spot for my suitcase and guitar. I’d hang on to my messenger bag in my seat, though. I had to keep myself occupied somehow on the ride.

“BOSTON, MASS TO WASHINGTON, D.C.! NOW BOARDING AT BAY 4! PASSENGERS, HAVE YOUR TICKETS READY!” The gruff woman over the loudspeaker finally announced, fashionably late. Thanks a lot, lady. I found myself last in the line of passengers, all of them just anxious to board so they could sleep the rest of the morning away in transit. Just as the line dyed down to me and two others, I heard the distinctive whoosh of air and clopping of hooves on the sidewalk behind me, followed by a slight breeze. I smiled, not even turning around to meet the cause of the noise and wind, purposely trying to act as if I were upset.

“You’re late.” I said, trying to sound cold.

“I know... I’m sorry, Jer.” she said in response, genuinely sounding sad. It was cute, and I could imagine the adorable, yet distinctively upset look on her face. Still, I tried to continue my act.

“Oh, that’s alright. I just see how much you’re going to miss me when I’m gone, that’s all.” Cold. So damn cold!

“I’m sorry, Jer-bear. Maybe I can make it up to you the night you come back...” I suddenly felt soft feathers gently sweeping down my arm, sending a rush right into my heart. Damn it, she always knows just what to do to drive me crazy. And at just the right times, too. I took a breath and turned, looking straight into her beautiful, forest-green eyes. I tried my hardest to keep a stern, annoyed look on my face, but her soft smile and bouncy mane dissolved that away. My scowl was replaced by a goofy grin in a matter of seconds, and I found myself with arms wrapped around her as she stood on her hind legs, the two of us in a tight embrace.

“I’m gonna miss you, Jer-bear, you know that?” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. “Be sure to call me when you get there, and don’t drink too much with the guys, alright?” I patted her on the back, noticing the familiar fragrance of rain water in her mane. If anybody ever figured out how to bottle that scent as a perfume, they’d make a fortune.

“I won’t baby, I promise. Are you absolutely sure you can’t come with me? I could leave tomorrow if you have to make any arrangements...” I offered, once again. She released her hold, once again dropping to all fours. She fluttered her wings, drawing them back to her body as she sighed.

“No... I’d love to, you know I would, but finals are just around the corner. I really need to put all my spare time into studying. I’m sorry... I know I’m no fun.” she pouted, looking down. I put my hand under her chin, raising her view to meet mine as I leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss.

“I understand, babe. Seriously, I want you to be ready for your exams. And you’re plenty fun.” I gave her a naughty grin as I whispered in her ear. “Like when we play ‘Ponyride’ together...” She gave me a playful swat with her hoof, a blush spreading across her face.

“SHHH! Keep that quiet! We’re in public!” I laughed at her embarrassment, leaning down and pulling her into a hug once again.

“I’m gonna miss you for the next two days, love.” I said, enjoying the feeling of my special somepony leaning into me. “I’ll call as often as I can. Just concentrate on studying, and I’ll see you soon, ok?” She sighed once again, nodding into my shoulder. “I love you, Autumn.”

“Alright, Jer-bear. I love you, too.” she said before parting. The words resonating in my heart, even after hearing them so many times before. Giving me one last smile, she spread her wings and, with a single powerful thrust, launched herself into the air, quickly heading in the direction of our apartment.

“Coming, lover-boy?” the bus driver asked with a grin. I couldn’t help my face getting a little flushed as I handed him my ticket and entered the vehicle. The bus was only about half-full, the passengers scattered all over the cabin, seemingly sitting wherever they felt like instead of minding their assigned seats. I found this to be the case with my seat too, an elderly couple sitting where I was heading. I passed by them without giving them a second glance and moved to the back of the bus, choosing to relax across the wide seats for the entire trip.

I sat down and placed my bag next to me against the wall under the window. Taking out my phone, I opened up the browser and called up my favorite fiction website, ready to go into seclusion for the rest of the trip. However, my attention was slowly drawn up by a feeling of eyes upon me. Looking to my right, I noticed a man in what I assumed to be his mid-thirties, staring at me. I ignored him for the moment, guessing he’d turn away after seeing I’d notice him. However, he continued staring, a blank look on his face as he gave me the once-over. ‘Oh, that’s just great.’ I thought. ‘Here we go. Time for some ‘brony’ bashing.’ Sure enough, he shifted in his seat, turning towards me like ha had something to say.

“So... that’s your girlfriend back there, huh?” I motherfuckin’ knew it! This guy is gonna say some asinine shit and I’m gonna have to shove his head up his ass and I’m gonna get kicked off the bus. I might as well answer him and get it over with...

“Yeah, that’s my girl. And?” I added, trying to leave my mood neutral and see exactly where this was going. The man reached around to his back pocket, the gesture making me nervous, at least inwardly. He pulled out his wallet, opening it and fishing through some random papers and credit cards until he found his target. He pulled out a small, folded photo of himself, his arm wrapped around the shoulder of a green-coated earth pony with a red mane, head turned and kissing him on the cheek. I raised an eyebrow, a smile forming as I leaned closer, examining the photo.

“Hey, you a ‘brony’ too, guy?” I asked, a hint of relief in my voice. He smiled, folding the photo and placing it back in his wallet.

“Yeah, that’s my Rosebud. Been together for almost a year, now.” He put his wallet back in his pocket, sighing as he sank into his seat a little deeper. “I’m David, by the way. You been with your mare long, buddy?” With a wave of relief washing over me, I leaned back, relaxing as well, the possible crisis from a moment ago a fading memory.

“Jeremy.” I said, offering my hand to the gentleman. He took it in a firm grip, shaking it slightly. “Ya know,” I started again. “at first, I thought you were gonna rip into me for not having a human girlfriend or something.” He nodded, the look on his face telling me he knew EXACTLY what I was talking about.

“Oh no, buddy. I’ve gotten that enough times to know people who feel that way have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. So, how long you two been together?” he asked.

“Me and Autumn have been together almost two years, this September.” I answered, the words instantly making me smile. It’s one thing to know a fact or truth in your heart or mind, but saying it out loud somehow always seems to make it more real. David sighed, looking out the window as the bus cranked into gear and started pulling away. He checked his watch, nodding as he verified the departure was right on time.

“9:45... Just ten hours, and I’ll be back with her again.” His voice had a hint of longing to it, making it clear he was more than ready to see his love again. “I came here on business, helping to set up the software in a new warehouse my company just built. Been here more than a week. I’d be home already, if I didn’t have claustrophobia. I just can’t breath in an airplane.” he shared, giving up the information willingly. I figured I could do the same.

“I’m right along with ya, brony. I’m going to meet with my band for a benefit concert down in D.C. They’re already there, but I’m afraid of airplanes, so I’m forced to drive there.” I chuckled quietly, David turning back towards me again. “Sorry, sorry... Flying, I’m OK with. Autumn took me up a few times. She actually cured me of my flying phobia. Seems I can go up as high and as fast as I want, so long as I’m in the open air. So, she cured me of just over half my fear.” My traveling companion laughed, nodding again.

“These crazy ponies. They’re pretty easy to love, huh?” he asked in an almost reminiscing tone. I patted him on the shoulder in agreement, looking past him and out his window. The bus had hit the open road already, clearing the tall buildings of the city. Through the mid-morning sky, off in the distance I could see about half a dozen specks moving through the sky. Pegasi ponies. At least two wore the flashing lights, indicating they were traffic reporters, on-duty police or visiting Royal Guardspony. I wondered, which one was my Autumn Rain? Was she home by now? Would she be alright with me gone for a few days? In a way, I was glad she couldn’t come with me. She had finals soon, and needed to study. A PhD in psychology doesn’t come easy. But more than that, her being here gave me a reason to come home, again. It wasn’t long ago I didn’t even have that. Look at me. I just saw here not fifteen minutes ago, and I already miss her like crazy.

“Yeah, they’re real easy to love. All you gotta do is just... let them in.”

**************************************************************************************************************************

Feel free to comment, like and whatever else your little hearts desire, guys. I'll give it a week or so and see if you're diggin' it or not. till then, T.T.F.N., Ta-Ta for now!