“Ok, ok, ah get it, yall aren’t gay. Can we change the subject now?”
“To what?”
“I know: are we there yet?”
Applejack sighed. She noticed that the two humans sometimes acted like giant children, and she was letting one stay with her. As she was about to tell them to quiet down, Fluttershy spoke up.
“Oh look, more ponies! We could take you over and introduce you! If that’s ok…”
Nick chuckled at her shyness. “Sure thing Flutters. What do you think bro?”
Justin nodded his head in agreement. “Sounds like a plan. But which one? There are quite a few out right now.”
“What about that one?”
“The mint green one? Ok.” They jumped out of the cart, despite Applejack’s warnings, and walked over to the now staring mare. Justin stuck out his hand and said “Hi, I’m Justin, and this is my friend Nick. You are?”
The mare stared at his hand for a few seconds with her mouth hanging open before running off screaming “HUMMANNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!” at the top of her lungs.
Nick and Justin simply stared after her before looking at each other. Justin then turned to the others and asked “Was it something I said?”
Applejack sighed again. “T’wasn’t you sugercube, Lyra’s just always been fascinated by humans. Which, until now, we never thought existed.”
The two ex-college students nodded in understanding as one of the other ponies in the crowd walked up. She was a cream colored pony, with curly hair colored both pink and navy blue and three candies as a cutie mark.
She looked back and forth between the two before finally speaking. “So are you two really humans?”
They both nodded while several ponies in the crowd started groaning and handing money over to others. The cream colored mare spoke again. “Well, my name’s Bonbon, and the pony that ran past you is my roommate Lyra. I’m just gonna warn you now, she’s probably going to be following you around for the next few days to ‘gather information’. Now I’d better go home before she gets her nets out again…”
Bonbon then walked away shaking her head while the group started moving again. After Nick and Justin got back into the cart, she asked “If yall plan on going anywhere the next few days, can ya promise me ya won’t go without somepony?”
Nick looked confused. “Why?”
“Because, Lyra’s been known to do some…drastic things. Just promise me yall won’t go alone.”
“Ok AJ, we won’t.”
“Thank you.”
By this time, Applebloom was all happy and excited again, bouncing around in her seat. “Oh, ah just can’t wait ta show you to Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo tonight! They’re gonna be so surprised! After that, we can take you out and have you try to help us get our cutie marks, and-“
She was cut off by Applejack. “Applebloom, what’re yall talkin’ about?”
“Remember AJ? We’re having the Cutie Mark Crusader’s sleepover at our house!”
Applejack put her hoof to her chin in thought. “Oh, now ah remember.” She turned to Justin. “Ah’m gonna apologize now for whatever they might do tonight while you try to settle in.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it AJ, I can handle whatever these little fillies throw at me!”
He fist bumped Nick, not noticing AJ’s comment of “Ah certainly hope so…”
Then, Nick turned to Fluttershy. “So Flutters, where is this animal we need to help before heading to your place?”
She looked up, surprised at the sudden question. “Oh, um, we are going just a little ways past Sweet Apple Acres to help my friend Mr. Beaverton fix his dam. I hope that’s ok…”
Nick laughed. “Of course it’s ok, Fluttershy, you don’t need to keep apologizing.”
“Sorry…”
“Don’t be. So we’re gonna help fix his dam? What happened?”
“Well, we had a really bad storm a couple of days ago, and he forgot to patch up a hole near the bottom. The river flooded and took most of the dam away…”
“Wow…I hope he’s ok.”
“Oh he is, he’s been staying at my house until it gets fixed.”
“I see.”
At this time, Big Mac finally spoke up. “We’re here. Yall best be goin’ Fluttershy, it’ll be dark soon. You too Nick.”
Nick jumped out of the cart and landed near Fluttershy. “Thanks Mac. And Justin, good luck with the little girl sleepover thingy majigger.”
Justin nodded. “Same to you and your…dam problem.” Nick suppressed a laugh as he continued. “Eeyup, I hope you get that dam thing done real quick like.” Failing to keep it in any longer, Nick fell down onto the dirt road laughing. Justin soon joined him after trying to exit the cart.
Applebloom looked confused. “Ah don’t get it.”
Justin stood up and patted her head. “That’s alright, AB, it’s just us being goofy.”
She grinned and hopped from the cart onto Justin's head. “Alrighty then. Hey, there’s Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo! Come on Justin, let’s go and introduce ya!”
Chuckling, Justin started walking towards the frantically waving fillies. “Alright, alright, calm your waters, I’m going. I’ll see you tomorrow, ok Nick?”
Nick nodded. “Yup. Maybe then we’ll go into town and see Twilight about sending a letter to Luna so she can visit.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Applebloom spoke up again. “What’re yall gonna do after that?”
Nick and Justin looked at each other before turning back to her and, at the same time, simply state: “Shenanigans.”
“She-what-igans?”
“Shenanigans. Now I thought you were introducing me to your friends?”
“Oh yeah! Come on!”
She started running off with Justin following. He yelled back a final “Later, bro!” before turning to catch up with the energetic little filly.
Fluttershy pulled on Nick’s sleeve and started floating down the road. “We should go, too. Mr. Beaverton will be waiting for us.”
He nodded and turned to follow. “Alright Flutters, lead the way. Bye AJ, see-ya Big Mac.”
“Eeyup.”
“See you tomorrow sugercube.”
And with that, they all turned to leave. Nick and Fluttershy to help the beaver, Applejack and Big Macintosh to make sure their sibling and her friends didn’t put Justin in the hospital with their antics. Nobody noticed the pair of golden eyes within the bush behind them. Nor did they notice the mint green unicorn step out of it and start walking back to town.
“A day on the town tomorrow, huh? Time to prepare my…special surprises. Good thing Bonny doesn’t know where all my nets are…"