Equilibrium, Book 1: The First Human.

Back To The Present.

John walked throughout the small farmhouse triple checking everything he had on his little checklist.

"Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Sleeping bag. Clean-" His thought's were interrupted by a fierce knocking on the front door. He looked back to the barn and figured they wouldn't have been able to hear it anyway. He quickly made his way to the door and looked out the peephole. He was startled to see both a familiar face and a new one sitting there huddled together on the front porch weathering the storm outside like champs.

"One sec." He shouted as he undid the plethora of locks on the front door and swung it open. Imidietly the two pegasi scrambled indoors as John struggled to shut the door behind them. He eventually got it closed and latched shut, replacing the big wooden barricade as well as locking all of the locks. The wind howled outside as rain battered the door all the while John was looking at the new impromptu addition's to there little get together.

"So Hot Shot who's your friend?" John asked as he walked over to a nearby closet and grabbed two big fluffy towel's and began to rub the two ponies down. Once that was done the two shook themselves to help get the blood flowing throughout there body's once more.

"This is Blaze." He stated as the pegasus in question flared her wings out and began to fan herself with them. She looked over to the two and smiled.

"Hello." She waved a hoof as Hot Shot trotted over to John and gave him a hoof bump. He returned it but any further conversation was halted as Applejack came by.

"Hey, John what's taken yeah?" She asked as she trotted up the hallway.

"Oh well howdy there." She extended a hoof to the duo. The two gave AJ a friendly shake.

"So what brings you two here during a raging storm?" John asked as he grabbed a few more blankets for there guest's. Hot Shot laughed.

"Well, I was flying around like usual when out of nowhere she," He motioned at Blaze, "Came out of nowhere and crashed into me." Blaze blushed profusely and laughed as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Hey I told you my goggles fogged up and I couldn't see a thing." She nervously giggled as she looked at the goggles slung around her neck. John laughed a little at the incident but AJ felt like something was off. She cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Well, Y'all are more than welcome to stay the night here." She said as she gave John a sideway's glance. He knew that look. He handed the duo there blanket's and pointed them in the direction of the barn.

"Just go down the hall and enter the second door on your right." He smiled, "The other's will get you both set up for the night." As the two trotted off John gave AJ a look of concern.

"So what's got you all bothered?" AJ just shrugged.

"Can't rightly tell." She glanced off in the direction of the barn.

"That mare just don't feel right." John looked off towards the barn as well. Then he smiled.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much Sis." He smiled kneeling down and patting her on the head. She feebly swiped at his hand as he laughed.

"Beside's she can't do anything with all of us in there." He said as he thought about his sister's worry. AJ got up on her hooves and wrapped her little brother in a hug. John hugged her back.

"Yeah well, I'll still be keepin an eye on her." She huffed. "I don't like to assume but something about her story just don't add up to me." John just nodded.

"Fair enough." He said as he picked up his sister who gave out a squeak of protest before she leaned into his chest and sat there as John took his time walking down the hall.

"I'll let the other's know and I'll even keep my own eye's peeled for anything suspicious." AJ nuzzled his cheek as the duo made their way into the barn. Once there John gently put his sister down and joined the other's as they all began to chat up a storm big enough to rival the one pounding into the sides of the barn outside.

5:47 P.M.

"Oh come on!" Sweetie Belle yelled as Scootaloo had once again gotten one of her red checker pieces over to Sweeties side of the board.

"King me!" Scootaloo yelled as she gave the air a hoofpump. Meanwhile, John and Apple Bloom were playing hide and seek.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," John said as he looked around the huge barn. Apple Bloom giggled from her hiding spot as John looked past the bale of hay she was using to conceal herself while the other's all chatted or looked on in amusement as the various antics taking place before them. AJ had informed the others of her suspicions about Blaze not being on the up and up. Meanwhile, Blaze herself was asking any pony who'd listen to her various questions about John wanting to know as much about him as she could. Finally Pinky got tired of her insistent nagging and before she could blow a fuse or two she grabbed the yellow-maned pegasus and tossed her over to John who caught her with a grunt and looked over to Pinky with confusion.

"Uh hey there," Blaze said feeling sheepish as she was put back on the ground. John smiled at the mare.

"Hey." He said he scanned the room for his hiding sibling. Blaze looked around as well.

"You want some help?" She asked. John shook his head.

"Nah. Can't have outside help." He said as he motioned for her to follow him on his hunt. After a good fifteen minutes of searching, he found her.

"Huh, I wonder where my dear sister has gone to." He smirked as he stood in front of her hay bale. A soft chordal emanating from said hay bale solidified his latest theory of where she'd hidden. Slowly he got to the straw covered ground and slowly began to slink around the hay bale.

"Da,da,da,da." He made the most arbitrary jaws theme he could think of as he shimmied across the floor to his sister's hiding spot. Her giggling increased as she hopped on top of the hay bale and looked at him with glee.

"Oh no." She swayed in mock concern.

"Look's like I'm going to need a bigger boat here sis." She called out to AJ who just shook her head.

"Sorry, there sugar cube. Can't help you this time." She gave Apple Bloom a wink. Dash, however, had other plans. Zooming over to the duo she gave them both a mirthful smile.

"How about an airlift?" she said as Apple Bloom hoped onto the last hay bale on top as John slowly made his way up the haystack.

"Well, that's just not fair." He pouted as he reached the top only to have Apple Bloom hop into the waiting hooves of Dash who head up to the rafters. John looked on in amusement.

"Have I ever told you guys about the land shark?" He smirked mischievously as he jumped over to a support beam and began to haul himself up to the rafters. Dash was wide-eyed but she to had a smirk as she grabbed Apple Bloom and zoomed off to the other side of the barn sticking her tongue out as she whipped past John who made up to the second story of the barn. Sitting down as he looked over at the to he simply began to do an old crones voice impression.

"I'll get you my pretty!" He called out shaking a fist for emphasis causing the group to all laugh.

9:44 P.M.

"Ok, every pony!" Granny Smith called all of them together. Once everyone was present Granny cleared her throat.

"Now that we're all here let me lay down some ground rules." She looked around at the group who all gave her smiles or smirks. She in return beamed at them all like a mother would her children.

"First thing's first don't make to much of a racket." She as she looked around.

"Then again that there storm is causing so much of a fuss I doubt I'd be able to hear much of anything over it with how thin the walls are around here." That got a chuckle out of Hot Shot. Granny gave him a smirk as she continued.

"Second this is a slumber party so we ain't doing anything tomorrow but restin up." She eyed her family and gave a pointed look over to John who held his hand's up in surrender.

"Ok, ok I understand." He smirked as he sat down with everyone else. Granny smiled as she stifled a yawn.

"And thirdly don't do anything I wouldn't do." She began to trot off but then added. "Again not that I'd hear much of y'alls screaming anyway." This caused everyone to blush profusely as they all looked around the room. With that, she bid them all a good night and trotted off to the main house. Once everyone's breathing settled down John stood up and asked the one question on his mind.

"So how are we going to get this party started?" They all looked at one another and Pinky trotted over to a small saddlebag she'd brought with her.

"We start with a classic!" She shouted as she pulled out several bottles of cider, a spinner and even a few rolled up blankets.

"Spin the bottle!" She said as she hopped over to the rest of the group. They all shook their heads in amusement. John, in particular, was vastly amused.

"There's a first time for everything." He muttered as the C.M.C made a gagging noise.

"Well, yall have fun with the germ bottle." Apple Bloom said as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo joined her on the second floor where they had a little tent set up. The other's all giggled as AJ smirked at her sister.

"Just you wait for it sis. One day you'll be wantin to get more than a kiss from a special somepony." She winked as Apple Bloom flushed while she shook her head.

"Ewww." She moaned as she and the other's all ran up to the second floor to escape the teasing looks of the adults. Spike looked from the adults to Apple Bloom and the C.M.C. Finally, he shook his head and settled with the adults.

"All right let's get this party started!" He pumped a fist into the air as the other's settled down in a circle. Twilight shook her head with a smirk.

"Spike don't get any idea's." She chortled as Spike gave her a huff.

"Please Twilight. I'm 16. I'm almost old enough to join the guard if I wanted to." He said with a proud smirk adorning his face. The other's all nodded as Rarity piped up.

"Twilight you know he is correct." She said as she grabbed her own saddlebag and levitated it over.

"Our dear spiky is almost an adult." Spike meanwhile was trying to not blush from Rarity's quick defense of his maturity. Twilight shook her head in defeat.

"Fine." She conceded. "But!" She screeched as she raised a hoof to Spike's chest. "You are not to drink any of the alcoholic cider and we are going to keep the dares down to a mature level got it?" She eyed everyone else who laughed at her outburst.

"Yes, mom!" John shouted giving Twilight a fake salute as the other's all giggled at Twilight's deadpan face. With fun natured ribbing from everypony and with two more friends to make the game more interesting the long night ahead had begun.