Under Construction

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.”