It was so random it genuinely surprised him, and normally he was never one to be easily surprised. One moment, he was seated on his patio, watching the sprinklers water the lawn as he drank an unbranded sports drink. The next, he found his world entirely submerged in sand.

Robert’s body went into shock as sand grains filled his mouth and nose. He instinctively tried to go for air but forced his mouth shut, pulling his arms through the dense sand to close his nose. His eyes stung as the sand particles grazed against them, and for a long moment he was frozen-stiff in pure shock.

But not long after, his survival instincts kicked in. With rejuvenated energy, Robert began to dig up, holding what little breath he had as he worked his muscles through the unfavorable environment. He pushed through the discomfort and pains, climbing up the depth of the sandy world, until he was free.

As the burning rays of light poured onto his skin, Robert threw himself out and rolled onto the hot sandy ground, instantly emptying all the contents in both his mouth and stomach. Curled in a ball, Robert tried desperately to clear his airways, coughing haphazardly while carefully taking in painfully breaths.

His misery lasted for a length of time he couldn't remember… and frankly, he didn't want to remember. When it had ended, though, Robert had found himself splayed on the hot ground, his dried body covered with wet sand mixed with his filth. Tears stung his eyes as they flowed freely, his vision blurry.

“... T-The fuck…?”

Since then, I have just been on autopilot.

The change of the terrain didn't matter to me, even as I reentered the town. I didn't care for the few stares I got—I never did in the first place. At this point, I was struggling to see what I even cared about anymore.

‘...we s-speed dialed the auction to get some extra bits…’

It's just crazy to me, just how easily I had lost everything. It’s like a slave working to the bone to grow their harvest, only for it all to be taken away and sold for the master’s benefit. Hell, not even the master is the one taking it…

…No, there was no comparison. It was exactly as I said it. I was shackled like a slave, life once again taking everything I ever fucking had. Anyone could think what they want about my analogy, but that's how I felt… how I’ve always felt since the beginning of this hell.

And now, I just felt… empty.

If I were to lose anything back home—before all of this happened—I would have only been mildly annoyed and probably replace what was lost… okay, except if I lost my house or car, but that was besides the point. Everything I've earned here, however? It's a whole different story… for each and every piece of item I’ve earned.

To me, they were the heirlooms of family heirlooms. And I lost it all… just because of two god-forsaken dumbasses!

“...!” It took me a moment to realize that I had—out of a burst of anger—suddenly lodged my fist into a nearby wall. I pulled my fist from the cracked bricks and blankly stared down at my bloodied knuckles, which stung severely. Just the thought of those two bastards was enough to rile me up this much… I normally don’t even act recklessly like. It just goes to shows how fucking shit my current situation is.

I'm… disappointed, beyond disappointed that I hadn't just lashed out then and there. I quite frankly had nothing to lose… so why didn't I?

Was it because of those ponies? No… fuck no, that much I can say for certain. They can all go fuck themselves… too ignorant and too shallow to see through the simplest of lies and deceit. Nearly kicked me out of this place just because of some prejudice… bunch of nonsense.

Then self-righteousness? Even I can't fool myself with that… I've walked a path of survival. I've left behind enough death to wipe my name off the book of heaven.

Then… what the hell is wrong with me? What reason did I have to control my anger? I had none! I could’ve just done it then and there, for fuck sake! Those two would have deserved it!

I… I can't think straight like this. I needed some cold water.

The plaza square was slightly more active than before, mostly due to some of the ponies at the orchid leaving after not getting their cider. I could see the same stone fountain in the center, unchanged and still pouring out the same crystal clear water. For a second, I thought of forgetting about my civility, but I managed to collect enough self appreciation to not jump for it like a crazed animal.

I entered the town hall, the only building I could be certain to have some water. As I entered, a few eyes looked up at me, specifically the receptionist.

“ Ah, Mr. Robert…” The receptionist said, her voice gradually dying out as I completely ignored her and the other agitated ponies, making my way towards the water dispenser. I took two cups and filled them both with the cold water. In one big swig, I washed the water down my throat, then repeated the process. At one instance, I splashed some water on my face, not caring for the mess I made on the floor.

After some time, I lazily walked to the corner and slumped onto one of the chairs, the twentieth round of water idly swirling in my hands. My drenched face stared down at the cups, silently in my own world, the quiet mummers of the others around me drowning away. Memories made their way to my attention, distracting me from the real world.

The moon’s rays brought a frigid chill that was only a monetary blessing from the day’s furnace, quickly becoming an unbearable tundra. The cloudless skies gave way to a beautiful canvas of stars, though the noticeable form of the beloved galaxy was nowhere in sight.

Robert stared up at the sky with heavy breaths, feeling warm trails of blood run down his arms and face. He slowly craned his head to his lap, where he silently watched his hands shake violently, gripping hard on the rusted pickaxe.

He tested his control of his body and managed to release one hand from the pickaxe, slowly levitating it towards the severed head of the rattlesnake beside him. His tired and blurred eyes looked on with unfiltered feat as the head dwarved his hand three times over.

“... Hey, big guy! Wake up!”

Suddenly, I felt a hard tug to my shoulder. I snapped out of my dazed state and looked up, finding my vision filled with Rainbow Dash’s annoyed and bitchy frown. I quickly noted, too, that Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, and another two mares were also standing in front of me.

I blinked my eyes, noticing the dryness. I must've kept them open for some time now. “... The fuck you want?”

“ Ah… he really is bad-mouthed,” the albino mare whispered to the yellow mare, who ducked under her bangs when we locked eyes.

“ Hey, Robert,” Twilight began before Rainbow Dash could start her nonsense, giving me a sympathetic look, “ we know you're… feeling under the weather right now…”

“ No shit,” I muttered blandly, my gaze falling back to the still water.

Twilight winced, though maintained a smile. “...so we wanted to help you out, any way we can!”

“...help?” I repeated. It felt strange, strange for me to say the word… specifically when it was directed towards me. When was the last time anything had offered me help. ?

“ Yeppers!” Pinkie exclaimed enthusiastically, appearing next to my seat with a goofy grin. “ We're gonna help you find all your stuff back! Then we can throw the Human-Named-Robert-Lost-His-Stuff-And-Got-It-Back-Plus-Five-Years-Late welcome party!”

“ … what?”

“ Excuse Pinkie for a moment, darling, she's rather excited to help,” the albino mare said, stepping forward, “ my name is Rarity, and I must say, after hearing your story, I just couldn't ignore helping you either!”

“...” I blinked silently at the introduction. Was she supposed to be another self-important pony? She even stood differently from the others…

“ Uhm, my name is Fluttershy,” the yellow mare spoke next, her head lowered and voice soft, “ I, um, saw everything that happened with you and the Flim Flam Brothers… I'll try to help the best I can.”

As they introduced themselves, I simply said nothing in response. Maybe if it were the old me—or frankly, if it were any other normal person in that matter—I would've felt some sort of heart-felt feelings and probably gave a respectable and normal response. But… with how I'm feeling right now, I can't even find the energy to move.

It's been a while since I've felt this level of kindness… can I even call this kindness? I'm just overthinking now.

“... Perhaps this is a bit overwhelming for you, dear,” Rarity noted with a small smile after I had remain quiet, “ we understand that you're new and still assimilating into Ponyville.”

“ But you don't have to worry about that, we'll help you like you're part of the community!” Twilight added with a beaming smile.

“ Ah think he'll be mighty fine,” Applejack said with a confident smile, “ he's got tough eyes on him. Ah know you ain't shaken by the looks from ponies, right sugar?”

“...nah,” I sighed, my body slightly relaxed. Even amidst my lamentation, I couldn't ignore how genuine these six sounded…and they were offering a window for me that I wouldn't lose anything from accepting. I don’t think I can bring myself to take any of these ponies seriously… but I guess I could humor them for a while. “... And how're you gonna help me?”

My question seemed to have pleased them all greatly. With giddiness, Twilight pulled out what appeared to be a map with her purple magic. I stared at the map for an awfully long time as she spoke. “ Like I said before, Fillydephia is an eighteen day trip on the road. However—as I was going to explain earlier—it’s a day and a half trip from Ponyville by train!”

… I forgot there was supposedly a train station in this town.

“ It's only been a day since you've lost your belongings,” Twilight continued, “ but I'm confident that we'll be able to reach there and get your stuff before they're auctioned off!”

So their idea was just a train ride from here to there… I need to get used to the fact I’m in a civilized country of some kind now, which is a strange fact to me to be honest. This would be the most modern town I’ve been through. Every other place I’ve stumbled upon has been vacant and some sort of time capsule in terms of style… well, that latter can apply to this place too, but my point still stands.

In any case, it seems they'll be paying for train tickets… they might expect me to pay later, though. “ How much does a ticket cost?”

“ Oh, don't worry a thing about that, darling,” Rarity sang with an extravagant smile, “ we will be paying for the tickets, so all that's left for you to worry about is getting back your belongings.”

“ I… uh… alright…”

“ And, um,” Fluttershy stuttered, her face flushed, “ I've asked the local wildlife if they can help lookout for anything that fell off the carriage, so…”

… right, even if those assholes somehow managed to bring my shit to that other town, that of course didn’t mean it was all of my shit. “ … smart thinking. Thanks, Ms. Fluttershy.”

“ Oh, no, that was Twilight’s idea,” Fluttershy explained in a quick and frantic manner, “ I could never so confidently come up with such an idea.”

“ C’mon Fluttershy, don't belittle yourself,” Twilight cooed, giving the yellow mare a soft smile, “ you're plenty of help yourself. I only noticed Robert's carriage when Flim and Flam first arrived. One of the wheels was missing and the others looked pretty damaged… so I assumed some of his belongings fell during the trip.”

“ That's about right,” I nodded. Well, she just solidified herself as the smartass of the six… and, honestly, I probably would've seen that eventually. I wouldn't necessarily think that as a bad thing, though.

Fluttershy then suddenly rubbed her front leg with a hoof and averted her gaze shyly. “ And… um, R-Robert, Fluttershy is just fine… you don't need to add a miss to it…”

“ That goes for the rest of us too, darling,” Rarity added with a cheeky smile, “ Twilight isn't the only one who'd like a first-name basis~”

“ Uh, sure…” I nodded slowly. That came out of nowhere…

“ How'd you even get to that level of… closeness,” Rainbow Dash clicked her tongue with a hint of disgust, giving me a scrutinizing look, “ you haven't even known each other for more than two days!”

Damn… even for something that small she’d still bitch about… but she does have a point there… how the fuck did it happen…?

“... My goodness, I can't believe Mayor Mare was going to exile you!” the purple mare huffed, her brows scrunched in annoyance. “ You hadn't even done anything! You were simply asking for help!”

I scratched my beard as the mare went on to rant to herself, glancing back at the back and forth scene between the mayor and Pinkie in front of the town hall, the latter of which was explaining the aerodynamics of confetti.

I shook my head, trying my best to ignore what was happening. I instead focused on my current situation, which was a narrow dodge from exile. Fucking exile, that's right. Not even twenty-four hours in this damn place and I was already getting an eviction notice… shitty ass mayor.

I shook my head once more, tuning my attention back to the purple mare. I regretted it instantly.

“... to then give an evaluation with a relatively low margin of the difference in—”

“ Miss,” I tried to call out.

“—however, with the substantial difference between bipeds and quadrupeds—”

“Ma'am…”

“—and it's just absurd to dispose of such revolutionary—”

“ HEY!”

“ Eek!” The purple mare squeaked, jumping up a bit. She looked at me with wide eyes, an expression almost similar to that of a prey. “ Wh–ah, y-your talking to m-me…?”

My simple stare was enough of an answer. She then awkwardly cleared her throat with a sheepish smile. “ Ah, sorry, I should've introduced myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princes Celestia’s prod—”

Oh no. I raised a hand at her, pinching the bridge of my nose. “ Just… stop right there…”

She blinked at the interruption before pouting with a slightly hurt expression. “ But I—”

“ Twilight. I'll just call you Twilight,” I sighed. It would be a struggle having to memorize anything more than a first and last name… not to mention, these were fucking weird names they had. “ You can call me Rob.”

Twilight paused for a moment before nodding with satisfaction. “ Alright, Rob, I'll—”

I quickly cringed as she said my name. “ Ugh, fuck no. You make it sound illegal.”

“ Wha—”

“ Just call me Robert… full first name.”

“ …Uh, s-sure…”

A sweatdrop ran down my temple as I replayed the events of that day. I don't think that has been anywhere near a normal introduction…

“ Everyday brings a new friend and new experiences, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said confidently, glancing over to me supportively, “ wouldn't you agree, Robert?”

“ … yeah, sure.”

“ Well, whatever,” Rainbow Dash muttered, exhaling sharply through her nostrils, “ let's just get over with this… I got better things to do!”

As Twilight went on to silently admonish Rainbow Dash, I took the moment to look over the group. This… was an interesting group of women, or rather mares… damn, I'm just only realizing now I'm talking to ponies… I think I've fucking insane.

Well… in any case, I'm not sure how to describe it, but these girls definitely have synergy. Like, they just have this whole vibe… and stuff… man, the fuck am I doing? I want my shit back…

… I guess it won't hurt going with their plan.

With a sigh, I stood up and guzzled down the room-temperature water. I then crushed the cup and shot it across the room, bucketing it in the trash can and getting a silent ‘nice shot!’ from Pinkie. I looked towards Twilight with a curt nod. “Alright, I'll go with the plan. Lead the way.”

“ Great!” Twilight exclaimed, turning around and making way towards the exit. “ Just follow us and we'll take you to the train station!”

And with that said, I smoothly followed right behind Twilight, her friends flanking either side of me evenly. Except for Rainbow Dash, who hovered right behind me, a constant stream of snickers coming from her… I felt like I was forgetting something again.

We left the town hall and made some distance down a different section of the town I hadn't been through. The scenery was about the same, anyways, with only a few extra trees here and there. I could also point out the slightly larger houses, but it really made no difference.

We didn't make much progress, however, before Rarity gave an agitated comment.

“ I see why everypony is calling you the white-back monster, Robert,” Rarity huffed.

They're what? I glanced to my left side, seeing her eye my back with a disappointed look. I… oh, I see. That's what I was forgetting. I sighed dismissively. “ I got attacked by a marshmallow.”

Rarity blinked before lightly giggling in a lady-like manner. “ Oh, you… I see you're quite the jester, dear~”

“ You could say that.”

“ There’s no need to keep up that lie, sugar,” Applejack admonished with a frown, “ we ain't gonna laugh at ya for the real reason.”

“ Minus one pegasus…” I muttered under my breath, glancing behind me. Unsurprisingly, I worked hard to ignore the snickers coming from Rainbow Dash, even though Fluttershy seems to have tried to calm her down many times already. I was seconds from knocking some teeth out of her…

“ Pfft, can you really blame me,” Rainbow Dash snorted, struggling and failing miserably to hold back her grin, “ you look hilarious, haha! Who'd fall for something like fresh paint!”

I deadpanned at her with an eye twitch. I was beginning to question my restraints now. “ You tryna fucking fight or something?”

“ Oh my~” Rarity covered her mouth with a hoof.

“ Puh-lease, you don't got half of what it takes to face me,” Rainbow Dash snorted confidently. Ironically, she was flying in a position that left all sorts of openings to her vital organs…

…ok, hold up, damn! That sounded villainous as fuck… remember you're in society now, Robert. That's… probably a reason why I should hold back. And if not, I should probably make it one right now.

“ Please, let's not fight everypony,” Twilight spoke up, looking back with a small exasperated smile, “ we're supposed to help Robert, not agitate him.”

Rainbow Dash huffed, crossing her front hooves defensively. “ Fine, whatever… but still, I'd win.”

“ You can't say that, Dashy!” Pinkie exclaimed. “ You don't have white hair!”

“... what?”

“ I do insist we stop by my carousel, Twilight,” Rarity openly suggested. I noticed a calculative look to her eyes as she looked me up and down. “ I believe I can put together a quick and nice outfit for our dear friend Robert here. I just can't stand the idea of him walking through Fillydephia like this.”

I sighed quietly. I should've expected something about my clothes to happen sooner or later… if not from myself. I'm not so stupid as to not see they've been through a lot… hell, I've had to put up a few patches on holes that appeared. But I'm somewhat thankful she was sensitive in mentioning it… not like it would've made a difference if she didn't, of course. “ I know I'm not the prettiest sight.”

“ Oh, quite the opposite dear,” Rarity smiled in a rather suggestive manner, “ rather, the ponies in Fillydephia are quite… judgmental of looks. You'll find it easier to speak to them in fresher and more refined clothing.”

“ … sure, I guess.”

“ I think that's a good idea, Rarity,” Twilight nodded. She then gave me a positive smile. “ that is, of course, if it's fine with you, Robert.”

“... I'm in no hurry,” I shrugged, “ I'll go with your judgment.”

Really… I couldn't find much hurry. My shit was gone, and there was no guarantee it was still there. It sounds stupid, but… whatever. I'm just not in the right mind to think rationally at the moment, not even after the water break. I'm a whole fucking mess. Hell, it would've probably taken me way too long to realize I could use the train had these girls not approached me… same on you, Robert.

“ Excellent! Follow me now!” Rarity exclaimed merrily, prancing down a turn on the street. But as we followed her, I couldn't help but notice a fleeting feeling inside of me. The best I could describe it was something akin to liveliness. I'm not sure if it was the right word to call it, but I let the feeling entertain my thoughts on our detour.

“ Come now, darling, you shouldn't feel any shame. We won't judge.”

I gave Rarity an exasperated look. “ It's a different story when you have eyes on you…”

“ Hadn’t you claimed to not care about the looks?”

Yeah, I know. It's contradictory of me to say something like that when I've claimed to not care about the looks numerous times… but still. “ Would anyone willingly want an audience while they took a shit? The same idea applies here…”

“ Oh please, you make it worse than it sounds,” Rarity insisted, tilting her red glasses down, “ I'll need to take your measurements quickly if we want to get you some new clothes.”

I was silent for a moment, my lips pressed in thought, before glancing over to the others. “ And what the hell are the rest of you still doing here?”

“ It's an open space, partner,” Applejack chuckled, “ ain't no walls to hide behind.”

“ What, you chickening out?” Rainbow Dash added with a smug look.

I narrowed my eyes. “ Fuck off, Raintard.” She merely stuck her tongue out at me.

“ Uhm, if it helps, I-I'll close my eyes,” Fluttershy said shyly, raising her hooves to her face. She wasn't fooling anyone; I could still clearly see her looking through the gaps of her bangs.

“ If it's about climate, Robert, then you should be fine,” Twilight reassured with a confident nod, “ the weather is nice and Rarity always keeps her store at a comfortable temperature!”

“ You heard it darling~” Rarity sang in agreement.

“ Pluuus,” Pinkie added in a joyful tone, “ we also wanna see you in the birthday suit!”

Her comment got a variety of reactions.

“... Really, Pinkie?” Applejack sighed with exasperation.

Rarity placed a hoof over her mouth. “ Oh my, Pinkie… how scandalous~”

“ Who’s we?” Rainbow Dash grunted with disinterest.

Fluttershy silently looked elsewhere as sweat ran down her temples.

“ P-Pinkie, how could you say something like that!” Twilight stuttered with wide eyes. She was the only one blushing, oddly.

“...” I gave Pinkie a deadpan expression before sighing. I might as well get over this. “ Alright then, fine… fucking hell.”

Taking the bottom hem of my tattered and patchy navy-blue long-sleeved shirt, I cautiously pulled it off and then just as carefully folded it. As I placed it on the counter, I heard a small gasp from Rarity.

“ Robert, dear… is that… chainmail?”

I blinked at her before glancing down to the gray chain armor covering the entirety of my torso. “... Ain't that obvious?”

“ But what for?” Twilight asked with lost breath, sharing a genuine shocked look. Actually, all of them were looking at me with some level of awe. “ The only other ponies with chainmail are… the royal guards!”

“ … It's for protection, sma… Twilight,” I sighed, shaking my head lightly. Based on how Rainbow Dash reacted to calling her names… I could only imagine what would happen to others, specifically someone as… uh, kind as Twilight.

She nodded slowly at my words. “ I guess that makes sense… but from who?”

“ Take a wild guess, would you?”

“ Wait, so are you a royal guard, Robby?!” Pinkie asked excitedly, somehow appearing behind me and tapping her hoof on the armor.

I ignored the rationality of her motion and swatted her hoof away in annoyance. “ No, I'm not, and don't call me that shitty name again.”

Pinkie pouted, her hair deflating just slightly. “ But why, Robby?”

“ Tch… just get back to your fucking seat.”

“ Well, for whatever case you wear it, Robert,” Rarity continued, levitating the measuring tape, “ I'll need you to remove it as well.”

“... Fine,” with some effort, I lifted the metal protection off of me, feeling a significant decrease of weight on me. As I carefully dropped the armor next to my folded shirt, I turned back and waited for Rarity to begin the measurements, only to find a group of twelve eyes yet again ogling me. This was getting annoying… and why the hell did they all look sad now?

Rarity’s measurements tape eventually wrapped around my waist as she gave me a forced smile. I had a feeling it was forced, cause it didn't feel smooth from what I had seen so far. “... T-Those are quite the scars, darling.”

… I think that was just an over exaggeration, but whatever. I huffed, crossing my arms. “ Just get on with the measurements, will you?”

“ Gladly, dear.”

After the measurements were taken, Rarity—after blatantly revolting from his aroma—earnestly insisted that Robert took a bath. He was reluctant at first but eventually gave in, his form disappearing down the hall as he made his way towards the bath, a series of slurs trailing behind him.

“... Ah haven't seen scars that bad before,” Applejack muttered to herself. Given that the room was relatively quiet, every other pony heard her comment clearly.

“... p-poor Robert,” Fluttershy shivered, a severely worried expression masking her face, “ …I-I could see some b-bear c-claw marks on him...”

“ … They’re probably just fake,” Rainbow Dash snorted, though the tone of her voice made it clear that she doubted her own words as well, “ there's no way anypony can s-survive after… getting all of that.”

“ But they looked real, Dashy,” Pinkie countered. She had a similarly worried expression as Fluttershy’s. “ Like, really really real… Robby probably fought many bad creatures…”

“ Oh dear, that's just horrible…” Fluttershy squeaked with an even more sympathetic look.

“ It appears our human friend here has been through many ordeals,” Rarity hummed thoughtfully, most of her attention focused on the shirt she was magically sewing together at the moment.

Twilight in turn remained silent, her mind clouded with thoughts, though her face shared equally unsettlement to the others. In all of her life, the most scars she's ever seen were a few scratches her brother had from his training in the royal guard. But… this? It just felt… cruel.

There were many questions she wanted to ask… but she feared some may open a sensitive can of worms that the already sensitive human would probably not like to be opened. This thought was mutually shared upon the rest of them.

For now… it was best to just continue helping Robert. This discovery just may have made it even more of a reason for them to do so.

Man… I'm not even gonna lie, it's probably been over two months since I've taken a legitimate bath… and even calling my previous bath “legitimate” was a stretch…

My head felt so much lighter now with all the dirt and oils out of my hair… It felt fucking great. My muscles were relaxed, my back no longer itches, and my face felt fresher than ever. I should take baths more often, especially now that it's so freely available to me…

… I, uh, hope Rarity won't mind the mess… though I'm sure she can make the tub sparkly white again.

Sucks that I couldn't find any razors. I could seriously trim down this beard… maybe also shorten my hair so that I don't always have to struggle making a man bun. Eh, that was an issue I can worry about later.

After sucking up my shame and changing into my new clothes in front of everyone—which were actually really comfortable—we made quick progress to the train station. Whether surprising or not, there was no difference between the Ponyville train station and the ones I knew back home. However that fact benefited me to know, I'm not really sure.

On the trip to the train station, I used my cleared head to rethink my situation, and consequently the actions that brought me to it. I was in a predicament, with all my stuff either missing, held in auction inventory, or flat out sold. In short, I fucked up. If I wanted to get everything back—a feat I'm beginning to realize is gonna be next to impossible, as much as it stung—I’m going to have to start with the easy stuff and go up. Prioritize what is most important and then shoot for the others later.

It stung, but what could I do? I would’ve continued to sulk in that town hall had these ladies not helped me… and that goes to show how fucking pathetic I am. Crazy how I was doing so well by myself, but then crashed when life turned a leaf once again. Now I gotta be led like some baby…

At least there's nothing biodegradable in my belongings… I think. The only thing that would damage my stuff would be blunt forces… which I'm sure that carriage went through greatly… fucking hell.

In any case, I’ve come to realize one thing. Even with all the help I’ve gotten so far, this was something I had to do on my own. As shitty as those assholes that were brothers are, I had brought this into myself in the first place by blindly trusting them. And as much as these mares would like to help… It felt like another burden to me. I nearly forgot what help was… and I now suddenly have the luxury of receiving it.

I dunno… it just didn't settle well with me.

Besides that… I have a method of work that'll probably cause some trouble if these girls follow me. That is, specifically, just breaking in and taking my shit back… but of course, I’ll take the reasonable route first by asking. I’d rather not become some nation criminal or whatever, seeing as how easily I was at the brink of being exiled.

Haha! Fucking hell, man, my situation is a mess.

But yeah… I'm gonna stay solo. I'll pay these ladies back later on… or something. Once I'm at peace with most of my stuff back, then I’ll start worrying about how this society and its economy functions… and find out just how the fuck I’ve managed to not stumble across it sooner. Like, what? A whole civilization of horses?? The hell have I been doing all this time…?

As we approached the ticket booth, Twilight pulled out a purse from her saddlebag and removed a set amount of gold coins. That must be the currency… she must be stacked. “ Hello, six tickets for—”

I stepped forward, leaning in and cutting her off. “ No, one ticket is enough.”

“ Wait, what…?” Twilight gave me a confused look.

“ Hey, hold on!” Rainbow Dash shouted, floating up towards me. “ What’re you tryna do?! Tryna get away scott free, huh?!”

I deadpanned. “ Scott free from what…?”

“ You know exactly what I mean!”

I sighed heavily. Such an insufferable bitch…

“ Oh dear,” Rarity started, giving me a disapproving look, “ Robert, don't tell me you're…”

“ I'll be going solo from here,” I nodded without hesitation, “ you six… five… are nice ladies, and I appreciate the help… but, this is as far as I can ask.”

“ Oh, please don't be modest, Robert,” Fluttershy pleaded, “ we're really fine helping you get your things back.”

“ And we work better as a team, too!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“ I have to agree, Robert,” Twilight said, fishing out more coins regardless, “ we've decided to help you, so we'll help you all the way.”

I merely crossed my arms, looking at them with a bit of suspicion. This was overbearing, even with the different alien cultures. There’s a limit to how much help you give until it’s obvious you want something in return.

“ This ain’t the first time we’ve helped somepony find something they’ve lost, sugar,” Applejack added, “ and ah reckon you’d struggle making your way through Fillydelphia, too.”

Shit, she’s got a point there… wait wait, hold up. What’s she still doing here? “ Don’t you have your own problems to worry about, Applejack?”

“... Gosh darn it, you’re right!”

Pinkie gasped at my question. “ Oh yeah, Applejack has a competition against Flim and Flam tomorrow! How could I overlook such a historical event! I—” she gasped even louder, her voice raising up a knot. “ I haven't even set up the cider making competition cannons!!”

Twilight’s eyes widened, giving a hasty and apologetic look to Applejack, “ I'm so sorry Applejack, we completely forgot about your own problem!”

“ You don't worry, Twi,” Applejack huffed, digging a hoof on the ground, “ ah was beginning to forget about it too… for the better, I’d wish.”

“ It seems today has been quite unfortunate,” Rarity hummed sympathetically, “ those brother's are quite the troublemakers…”

“ Oh, c'mon, we can rush back once this is all done,” Rainbow Dash said, crossing her front hooves, “ it shouldn't even take us long to find all of this jerk’s stuff. Then we can come back and see Applejack beat those two!”

“ It's a day and a half trip, Raintard,” I facepalmed, “ her competition starts tomorrow morning. She wouldn't make it back in time.”

“ Well, what would you know about that, huma-jerk!”

“ Enough to know she isn’t coming along.”

“ I—urk…”

“ It’s fine, y’all can go ahead without me,” Applejack said humbly, giving a confident smile, “ us Apples won’t let some office boys take our business!”

“ Woohoo, that's the spirit, Applejack! Go Applejack!” Pinkie cheered on, jumping in the air while wearing apple-branded sports fan clothing. I'm not even gonna question where she even got that.

“ Well then, we'll be cheering you on, darling,” Rarity smiled, “ and once we return, we'll hold a grand celebration for your sound victory!”

Shit… the rest are still planning on going. I mean… if they’re really insisting on it… but… no, just one thing. It’s obvious to me they’re friends. And I'm not gonna act like I'm some friendship scholar or whatever—like that even exists—but I'm sure they’d much rather help their friend here instead of some stranger.

It’s not like I’m desperately against the help, but… I’ll be taking any chance I get to go solo.

I sighed, itching my beard. “ You girls are way too nice… but I still think I should go alone.”

“ …Goodness, it’s fine to show humility sometimes, Robert,” Rarity scorned, though I didn’t feel any negativity behind her tone, “ you of all ponies should know how much help you need right now, and we’re willing to take that stretch for you.”

Humility… when was the last time I didn’t feel that. “ Rarity, you’re a sweetheart, but I can handle my own issues now. Thank you for the help you’ve given.”

“ I-I… well, you’re quite welcome, dear,” she giggled bashfully.

Twilight’s brows furrowed. “ Fillydelphia is a big place, Robert. It's going to take some time making your way in your own.”

“ And I have all the time in the world to search it down,” I nodded at her, sticking out a hand, “ one map and a ticket. Give me that, and I’ll get my stuff back. I’ll pay everything back to you all once this mess is done.”

Twilight gave me an exasperated look. “ The issue isn't payment, Robert… but, if you’re so sure, then I—”

“ Now wait wait wait,” Rainbow Dash abruptly interjected. Holy fucking shit, when will her bitching end? “ This guy is all sorts of suspicious! He’s got a bad vibe and does bad stuff! As much as I would like for him to leave, it just doesn’t sit well with me knowing he’s on the loose!”

This little—

“ Don’t fucking talk about me like a dog, bitch,” I bit back viciously before I could control myself.

“ Woah there, partner!” Applejack hissed alarmingly, her eyes widened. “ Let’s not go there now, everypony.”

“ See what I mean!” Rainbow Dash pointed at me accusingly. “ What if he says this to other ponies?! Or worse, like when he messed up Flim and Flam’s loco-whatever! He’ll cause a bunch of problems!”

“ …I understand your concerns, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight nodded slowly, giving me a side eye, “ frankly, your manner of speaking is very rude, Robert, and you’ll eventually speak like that to the wrong pony.”

They’re making it sound like it’ll affect me or something. I just discovered this society; I couldn't give half a fuck what others think, whether leader or not. “ I can deal with those consequences.”

“... however, Robert is his own po—person, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight continued, ignoring my comment, “ as much as we help, if he wishes to do this on his own, we’ll have to respect his wishes.”

“ But Twilight—”

“ Sorry, Rainbow, but she’s got a point,” Applejack nodded, “ if he fancy’s the lone wolf path, we have no qualms denying him that right.”

“... Ugh, why can’t you all see it?!” Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration, her—holy shit, was that steam?! What the…

In a fit of anger, Rainbow Dash accelerated her wing flaps and rose up in elevation. “ Whatever! I said I would only help once, and only if he doesn't deny it! So I’m outta here!”

Before any of them could say anything, the blue pegasus was long gone in the wind, leaving behind a gust of strong wind. I put a hand over my eyes as I watched the rainbow blur fly off into the distance, parting clouds. Honestly, I saw it as a benefit on my part.

Twilight sighed dejectedly. “... Sorry about that, Robert. Rainbow Dash can be… cautious of new ponies.”

“ You don't say.”

“... U-Um, so it is one or six tickets,” the clerk stuttered behind us. He looked a bit frazzled, most obviously because of the sudden take off from Bitchy Dash.

I glance at the milky-yellow stallion before huffing. “ One ticket.”

“ Are you really sure about this?” Twilight asked again.

“ Yes,” I sighed. These si… five ponies were very insistent on helping me. I don't think this was natural, at all… but I guess it's not bad. “ If I can get by all this time by myself, then this should be no different.”

“ Well… alright,” Twilight smiled, levitating the coins to the clerk, “ this should be enough for a two-way ticket. If you need any more help, you can always come back… and actually, I can—”

“ Twilight, it's good. You've done enough.”

“... Hehe, if you say so,” Twilight giggled, levitating the map to me.

As I took the map and Twilight paid for the ticket, I had randomly and subtly noticed the sudden comfortness in my face. I brought my rough and callous-covered hand to my face, feeling less tension in my muscles. This… I'm not sure how to feel about this. Why did I even notice this?

As the discovery danced with my thoughts, I noticed at the edge of my vision Fluttershy approaching me. “ Um, I know you said you didn't want anymore help, b-but… my family used to live in Fillydephia. I could, um, b-be your guide… if you want…”

… The fuck? What is this convenience I'm getting??

I silently stared at the yellow pegasus’s offer before giving an exasperated look to all of them. “ Is it normal for you ponies to be this helpful?”

Twilight kept a smile while offering me the golden ticket. “ Well, I can't speak for everypony, but… Rarity does have her touch.”

“ Guilty as charged~” Rarity sang.

… You know what, fine. Fluttershy is arguably the quietest of the six from what I've seen so far, and if what she claims is true, then she could shorten the time I spend wandering around. “... Fuck it, make it two tickets then.”

Fluttershy smiled, her wings shifting on her sides a bit. “Yay…”

“ Wait, so can I also—” Pinkie started in excitement.

“ Fuck no.”

“ Aww…”

“ … Applejack, one more thing.”

Applejack tilted her head. “ Shoot, partner.”

“ That competition? It's a game of quantity over quality,” I explained, leaning against the door of the train cabin, “ you probably already know that, but just… don't let those assholes get to you. In the end, have a taste test or something.”

“ Oh my,” Rarity curled a brow, giving me an amused grin, “ well isn't that quite the helpful comment.”

I blinked. “ … is there a problem?”

Rarity chuckled. “ For a second, I had the picture you weren't the thoughtful type, Robert~”

I merely rolled my eyes at her. I wasn't going to humor that… and I'd feel shitty insulting the per—pony that literally put clothes on my sorry back. I'm cutthroat, not an asshole… maybe both… whatever.

Applejack was silent for a moment, a deep thoughtful look on her face. “ …Ah wouldn't be so sure that ponies would care about taste if them brothers can make plenty more cider.”

I snorted. “ Remember what your grandma said. Trust me, it'll make a difference.”

“ Well… if ya say so,” Applejack nodded, giving me a supportive grin. The train whistle slowed and my form began to move with the train. Applejack and the others waved at me and Fluttershy. “ You have safe travels, partner.”

I lifted a thumbs up at them. “ Yeah, will do… and you might as well beat those brother's asses, too.”

Applejack faltered for a moment, giving me an exasperated grin. “ Ah’ll, uh, try…”

Author's Note

I'm not sure if I depicted each character true to their nature. Please leave a comment if there's any contradictions or confusion in this chapter. As always, thank you for reading!