//------------------------------//
// The Future 
// Story: The Canterlot Carnival 
// by Gear Works 
//------------------------------//

I talked to my landlord about the new job that I just got, but that I would have to move to do so.  He agreed with me and decided to let me stay until the end of the month without any penlites.  But it didn’t really matter, because some of the carnival staff was able to help get my stuff packed and taken out of the apartment.  Turns out that the big guy I saw earlier was in charge of the work details, since he was one of the strongest in the group.  Plus, he was related to that gunslinger girl, Applejack.  She told me that his name was Macintosh, but most of them like to cal him Big Mac, because of his size.

Every that I had there was placed in the empty car that Sunset told me about.  The even made sure that it was all secured so that nothing would be damage on the trip.  As for the everyday stuff that I needed, it was taken to the caboose that she was sleeping in.  It looked like what you would see inside an RV.  She said that all the major cars have solar panels to help store the power to run the generators in each car.  But they also had the classic candle wall hangers to use so that they could save power in the evening.

Besides the clothes and basic items, I was able to bring my laptop and a some plug and play game systems to keep us busy on the go.  She was glad to have a TV in her car, but could never use it on the go because she couldn’t get a good signal.  Only when they arrived at their location.  I had a few classic gaming systems that I had when I was younger, even when I was in college.  But I had them stored away, thinking that I wouldn’t need them while we travel.  She did tell me that it was going to be a month before their tour would end and that they would return home.

So I spent that time helping out with the unloading when we arrived, and loading back up before we left.  I had my moments when I was struggling, but Sunset and the others were able to help me out when I needed it.  They knew I needed time to understand how they do their job.  But when we were finished with the tour’s last city, I knew that we were done with it all.  Twilight told me that it would be two weeks before we would arrive at their home.  So we took the time to enjoy the view as we were heading back.

But once we arrived at their home, I was surprised at what I was seeing.  While it looked like it was in the middle of nowhere, it was right on the side of a small mountain.  When we came up to the station, they removed the other cars so that everything was unloaded and stored away.  I was told that each tour would last seven to eight months, depending on the number of cities that they would attend.  So we would have over four months of downtime.  It was a good time to enjoy the holidays during that downtime.

I was told that my stuff would be taken to a cabin that would be meant for me.  So Sunset was able to drag me to see the town for myself.  There was one big cabin that Fluttershy and all the animals lived in.  The cabin next to t was also big, but it had a big garden behind it.  I was told that Applejack and the rest of her family lived in that one.  There were more cabins that lined up the curvy road to the top.  Most of the would have a sign saying what work is done there.

But when we came close to the top, there was another big cabin that had the Wonderbolts sign on it.  I was told that all the Wonderbolts lived and practice in that cabin.  But the one at the top was the biggest cabin that I saw.  Not only was it a meeting hall for the performers and staff to meet, but it was also the home of Madam Celestia and Lady Luna.  The size of it almost looked like a castle, but without the fancy towers as such.

Twilight would meet us there and told me that my cabin was finally ready.  It was located in the lower part of the town, right next to Sunset’s cabin.  It made me wonder if they wanted me to be close to Sunset just to help her find her path.  But I could see it in Twilight’s face that there was more to it.  She did tell me that they have a satellite dish and cell phone tower to help keep in touch with the outside world at times so that we didn’t feel isolated.  So I was able to send a message to my relatives about my new job and new home, and that I would keep in touch with them if I was coming to their city.

As the days went by, I would usually get visits from some of the performers.  Sometime, it would either be Pinkie or Applejack to help me with cooking.  Maybe Rarity to have a simple conversation, to which she would try to flirt with me in front of Sunset.  I think Rarity was trying to get me and Sunset to be more than friends because I could see Sunset’s reaction on her face, but I wasn’t sure.  Or I would get a call to help out with the gear for the Wonderbolts when they would practice a new routine.  There were even times when Fluttershy would need both my and Sunset’s help cleaning the animals, which was no easy feat.  Even Starlight would bring Trixie over to try a few new parlor tricks.

All in all, I was able to spend some time with the others in the town on various days.  I started to understand why they felt like one big family.  But most of the time would be spent with Sunset.  For some reason, I started to feel a connection with her.  We would spend our nights outside, looking at the stars.  I wasn’t sure if this was what I wanted my life to become, being close to her.  But I think we had our moments at times.  I guess both of us just needed someone else to be with most of the time.  Someone who can make the other feel better when times are tough.  Someone who could make your worries go away.  We might still be looking for our reason to move on, but there was one thing that we both knew.

We needed to move forward together, side by side.