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!

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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.

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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 -.-'