Babysitting sucks

For some places, nighttime was a moment of peace and quiet, where people would lay down in bed and rest, or perhaps enjoy relaxing activities such as reading or watching a movie at home.

Manehattan wasn’t one of those places.

No matter if it was the last minute of the day or if the clock was starting anew, Manehattan always buzzed with energy. Cars driving all over the city as the drivers retreated to their homes after an exhausting day of work; people hosting parties all the way up until dawn; tourists experiencing every last thing the city had to offer; and anything in-between.

For one man, it was his first date in years.

He noticed that, at least from his viewpoint, clicking with someone became harder and harder as age progressed, so getting to meet a beautiful lady and not only that but having a date with her!? It definitely felt surreal.

Their first encounter hadn’t been anything dramatic, they were both waiting in the bus station, and, captivated by her beauty, he decided to try his luck.

They started simply greeting each other, asking where they were headed and such.

He had lived his entire life in the big city, whereas the lady came from Canterlot and was currently here on a business trip.

After chatting some more, he gathered all of his courage and asked if she was interested in dinner, claiming he knew all of the finest places to grab food in the city.

She, however, had visited Manehattan in the past and didn’t need his help, as she also knew her way around the restaurants. She accepted his offer regardless.

And now, here they were. A yellow-haired man, wearing a dark-blue coat, and on the opposite side of the table sat a pink-skinned woman, wearing a mauve blouse, her straight, short, blue hair resting idly as it surrounded her neck.

Deciding to break the ice, the man awkwardly shifted in his place.

“So,” he hesitated, “have you ever been to this restaurant, Miss Honey?”

Honey nodded. “Just Honey is fine,” she clarified. “I stumbled against it once and decided to give it a shot. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made; the food here is so delicious.”

“Agreed,” the man said, now feeling more comfortable as they shared the same feeling. “I, myself discovered this place back when I was a kid. My parents brought me here once, and I was awestruck at the magnificent taste of the food.”

Honey giggled, “I can relate.”

An awkward silence started to form as the conversation slowly died, so to avoid that, the man cleared his throat.

“I meant to ask you this earlier, but, what brings you to Manehattan?”

“A plane,” she said mockingly.

The couple shared a laugh and shortly after, Honey turned her focus back to her date.

“Well you see, Silk, I studied architecture at the University of Nottingham, and I’m currently a construction manager. My team and I are building a museum here in Manehattan, and I’ve come to oversee the construction.”

“So, does that mean you’re staying for a while then?” the hopeful man asked.

“That’s correct,” she nodded and fluttered her eyelashes at him, “Why? Are we planning on a second date?

A flustered grin covered Silk’s face as his face turned a bright red, but before they could continue, their attention diverted to Honey’s phone.

“Oh, so sorry, Silk, this seems important,” she said, picking up her phone.

“Hello?” Honey asked, and since Honey visibly flinched, Silk assumed the caller wasn’t in a particularly good mood.

Squinting her eyes at all the yelling and complaining from the opposite side of the call, Honey sighed. “Fine, don’t worry about it, it’s alright. I’m sure you did a marvelous job, but if this is what you want, I understand.”

Hanging up, Honey turned to Silk. “I’m so terribly sorry, Silk, but I have to go. My daughter’s babysitter just informed me that she’s quitting, so I have to go make sure my little angel doesn’t get hurt,” Honey explained.

“You have a daughter?”

This time, it was Honey’s turn to get flustered, as a grin escaped Honey’s face and awkwardly faced the man. “Heh, yeah, I uh… I usually save that for the third date.”

Silk chuckled, “Nah, don’t worry about it, I understand how it can be sometimes.”

Moments later, the couple was standing outside the restaurant, saying their goodbyes.

“I still have work to do at the construction site, so when I come back, do you want to go to the movies or something?” Honey asked.

Taken aback, Silk stammered. “Y-you… r-really?“

Honey looked at him with a flirty smile, slightly biting the bottom of her lips.

“Y-yeah! I’d love to!”

“Great!” Honey exclaimed, “I’ll see you there then, Mr. Handkerchief.”

Silk Handkerchief blushed and nodded shyly.

...................................................................................

Across the country and several timezones behind Manhattan, in the city of Canterlot, most of the students of Canterlot High School had already left for the day, either going home from school or to hang out with friends. Friends that were - mostly - just acquaintances who happened to have similar interests and therefore sat together at a specific lunch table.

However, some of the students stayed behind a little longer. The reasons were mostly training sessions, clubs, detention, and that one girl who always seemed to be forgotten at school.

Suddenly, the school’s doors burst open and a moderate amount of students walked outside. Some wore martial arts robes -mostly white- with colorful belts tied on the waist, while others carried poles or training sticks around. Some stayed to chat, while others rushed straight home.

One student, a green-haired male, avoided the conversing groups of his peers and set a leisurely pace for his walk home, fiddling with his collapsible staff along the way. Opening the door to his home, he was greeted with silence, though it was short-lived.

Not long after, a small, elongated, furry creature ran in from an adjacent room. Once close enough, the guy picked up the weasel-like animal and started petting it.

“Heya! Missed me?” he asked, expecting some sort of sound as a response, but none came.

“Come on, Whistle, you’re supposed to make funny noises while I remain my silent self,” he said, still petting the ferret, which squeaked this time around.

After feeding the ferret, the boy retired to his room. There, he took out a notebook from his backpack. He nibbled at the cap of his pen for a while before actually doing anything. Eventually, numbers, symbols, and letters were scribbled as he began solving several equations and filling out his homework.

As the hours passed and the sun started to set on the horizon, the guy found himself sitting on the couch of the living room, playing a game on the television, with the ferret beside him. Suddenly, the sound of jingling keys caught both of their attention, so they turned their heads towards the main door.

The door opened as two adults came inside. “We’re home!” called a dark green-skinned man who wore a black and yellow vest. The mauve-skinned woman, who was wearing casual clothing, didn’t say anything and looked towards the living room instead.

Following his wife’s gaze, the man noticed the teen, the ferret, and the red centaur wrecking the main character on the television.

The man spoke up, “I thought you said you were busy, Thornsly.”

The guy -Thorn Thistle- replied hastily, “I am! I was... studying ancient mythology!” He cleared his throat and gave a sideways glance at the screen. “Thus the centaur,” he added matter-of-factly.

Both adults took another look at the screen, and the centaur, who was still wrecking the player. Then they looked at each other, unamused.

“Thorn, son,” the man spoke up, “your mom and I were thinking, and you spend a lot of time here. Alone.”

The remark made Thorn roll his eyes.

“I’m not alone, I have Whistle,” he said, glancing at the ferret, who was chewing away at the edge of Thorn’s homework. “Whistle, no! The teachers didn’t believe me last time!” he exclaimed, snatching the sheet of paper from the ferret’s mouth.

Thorn’s father let out a sigh, “You know what we mean. If you have the time to play video games, then why not use it to meet other people instead?”

“Playing is a rare treat. I’m usually busy with schoolwork,” he countered, then gave a glance to the screen. “Today’s not a good example.”

“Thorn, for the past week I’ve found you playing right when I arrive,” his father countered calmly, but sternly.

“You’re exaggerating. But even if you weren't, the semester is just starting y’know. Most teachers go easy on us,” he grimaced at the thought of Mr. Cranky Doodle, the one teacher who didn’t go easy on them and opted to give them overly-complex assignments instead.

“Well,” his father continued, knowing that last expression all too well, “if you’re still having trouble with maths, then maybe you could work on the assignments with someone else,” he suggested.

“Tried that. Failed at it,” Thorn stated as he looked away, growing more tired of the conversation.

“Then try again, until you make it work!”

Thorn didn’t look back, and so his father continued. “Friendship and cooperation are an important part of life, son.”

His parents couldn’t see it, but Thorn smirked. “Well, it’s not like you are constantly cooperating with anybody, and you seem just fine,” he said, repressing his smirk and looking back at them. His mom, who had been doing nothing but stare and nod at his father’s statements, perked up, her eyes widening a little.

“What do you mean?” asked the father. “I work with the other firefighters all the-”

“I was talking about mom.”

The father grimaced and turned to his wife. Her glance somehow expressed something like ‘how did you not see it coming’ despite being identical to the blank stare she had all the while. Silence followed.

After a while, the father sighed. “We forgot to buy something at the store. We’ll be right back,” he said, opening the door behind them. “And turn that thing off!” he added, referring to the television, which now displayed a ‘you lost’ screen accompanied with ominous music.

When the door closed, Thorn remained staring at it for a while. Eventually, he turned to Whistle, who stared back.

“Did I just win?” he asked, incredulously. The ferret kept staring. “Ha! And those midnight thoughts said my shower discussions would be useless!” He added pridefully.

Whistle squeaked.

Thorn then stared blankly. “I’m telling a ferret about the arguments I hold with myself in the bathroom... maybe I do need friends...”

...................................................................................

“Sorry, but we don’t have the time to babysit right now,” a woman just down the street firmly informed Honey, who was standing outside the door.

She sighed in exhaustion and added a nod, robotically heading to the house next door. That is until she noticed a nice-looking couple exit a house just down the street.

In the distance, Thorn’s parents were holding a conversation.

“I just want him to have someone else to share his time with, besides Whistle, but he keeps avoiding it!” the man said. His wife resigned to nod silently. “I mean, I know friendships are... complicated in CHS. I saw this Sunset Shimmer gal myself a couple of times and she does appear to be as mean as Thornsly described her, but...” he stopped himself, fiddling with the watch on his wrist, considering ideas.

“There’s got to be something we could try. Maybe a neighbor? A cousin at least? Oh! Didn’t a friend of yours say that her daughter was considering studying nearby? Maybe we could-“

This time it was his wife who cut him off, placing her hand on top of his shoulder and shaking her head.

“I know, I know, you’re right. It’s just… I kinda wish I could force him to try at the very least…”

As they kept walking forward, they got close enough for Honey to get a clearer look at them.

Thorn’s father looked at the sky, and seeing how the sun was just setting down on the sky, he bent his right arm to look at his silver watch. “Hmm, I thought it would be darker.” Looking up, he noticed a lady walking towards them.

“Hi~!” Honey beamed, “I’m your current neighbor from over there,” she gestured at a house a couple of blocks away, with a black van parked out in the driveway. “Could I borrow a few minutes of your time?”

They gave a sideways glance at each other and agreed. “Sure, is there anything we can do for you?”

“Yes, you see, I have been called away to work unexpectedly for a few several days and I don’t have anyone in the area who could help take care of my kid at this very moment. My latest babysitter just quit, and I was hoping you might know of a good babysitter, by chance?”

A streetlamp behind Thorn’s parents turned on and they looked at each other. The mother shook her head slowly, whereas her husband motioned with a knowing nod. Thorn’s mother rolled her eyes and sighed.

After a further exchange of details, Thorn’s father sealed the deal with the lady with a handshake.