The night was silent, broken only by the rustling of grass as a calm breeze cascaded through the land like a slow river. The sky was black, stars dotted it like glitter. Along the ground, a forest went on as far as the eye could see. Only one house stood among the cluster of trees. Inside, Jake stood.
Dark bags were beneath his eyes, his hair a mess, his frame was thin, and he bore no emotions. He wore a baggy t-shirt and pajamas. The room was cluttered with unwashed clothes, empty water bottles, knickknacks, and the occasional electronics box. Skirting around the clutter, Jake made his way to the side of the bed. He stripped his clothes off and slid under the covers.
I wonder what Brandon's up to this time. Jake thought to himself. He'd probably get a quick laugh out of me being so gullible. What kind of idiot does he take me for? Ponies? Really, Brandon? Turning on his side and closing his eyes, he slowed his breathing to relax himself. Well, whatever Brandon has planned, I'm sure it can wait.
Brandon lay awake in his bed, tossing and turning in place, trying to find a comfortable position, but failing. He stopped tossing and turning and just stared at the ceiling. "What am I supposed to do?" He muttered to himself. He ran his hands down his face, causing it to look a bit odd.
After a few moments had passed, he pushed himself out of bed and put some comfortable clothes on. He didn't bother being quiet, it was his house. Let them complain, he thought to himself. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and went out onto the porch. The storm had died down enough that he was able to do that while staying mostly dry.
He sat down in one of the chairs and leaned back a bit. Cracking the can open, he took a sip. His gaze swept the horizon, the ground was darker than the sky. In the distance, the storm could be seen roiling, raging, turning, and flipping over itself.
The door behind Brandon opened and a pegasus walked onto the porch. She hopped onto one of the chairs and settled down.
"You can't sleep either, huh?" Connie said, looking at Brandon.
"I've got a lot on my mind right now." He said. "It's got something to do with several ponies occupying my house and holding me at gunpoint." He took another sip of his beverage. "I thought meeting you guys would be nice, but obviously I was wrong."
"Yeah, we do that for a reason." Connie said. "We're alone, Brandon. We are the only ones on this planet. It's nothing personal, we just need to be able to maintain control of a situation." She explained.
"I figured that." He said, taking a moment to drink before continuing. "It doesn't make it suck any less though." A frown began to stretch across his face. "It doesn't help that I'm alone in this situation too."
Connie tilted her head. "Alone as in the same way as us or alone as in you have no one to talk to?"
"No one to talk to." He said, gesturing towards Connie with a hand. "Of course there's you, but I'm looking for someone I can relate to."
There was a brief pause in the exchange before Connie noticed Brandon's beverage. "What are you drinking there?"
"A solution." He said, taking another sip. "Otherwise known as alcohol."
"I could use some of that." She said, a smirk pulled at her mouth. "Mind if I have a bit?" After receiving a nod from Brandon, she reached out with a foreleg and grabbed it. She gave it a quick sniff before her face scrunched up. "It smells like cider without any flavor."
Brandon smiled slightly. "That's probably an accurate way to describe it. It has flavor, just not as much as you're used to."
She shrugged and took a sip. Her face immediately scrunched up, but she still swallowed the bitter liquid. "I was wrong. It's nothing like cider. It's like liquid depression." She gave the can back to Brandon, who put it on the table in front of him.
"You'll get used to it." He said with a smile. "At least you actually swallowed it. Most people would've spit it out I bet." Leaning back in his chair, he continued. "That'd be a waste of good alcohol."
Connie was scraping her tongue with her teeth, trying to get the flavor out of her mouth. "That's one beverage that's different between worlds." Her head perked up, eyes widening in realization. "You want to get on the team's good side, right?"
He looked towards her, an odd look on his face. "Uh, yeah. Why?"
A small gust of wind came through, causing Connie to push some of her mane out of her eyes. "Well, I think I've figured it out." She said. "Do you have anything with caffeine?"
A bit stunned by Connie's sudden energy, he took a moment to respond. "Uh, yeah. I have a coffee maker in the kitchen."
"As long as it tastes as good as it does in Equestria, it should be perfect." Connie said, a smile spread across her face. "Sleep well, Brandon!" She said, opening the porch door and entering the house.
After she left, Brandon picked up his beer again and leaned back. He brought the can to his lips. "I will." He said, downing the rest of his beverage. He got up from his chair, crushed the can, and threw it into one of the bins. Taking one last look at the horizon, he entered the building.
Shutting the door to his room, he hung his jacket on the hook and flopped onto the bed. He simply stared at the ceiling. "What have you gotten yourself into, Brandon?" He muttered to himself. "One day you're getting off of work, going home, no big deal." He continued. "Then you get home and you're capped by some alien ponies from a show you watched literally a day prior."
After stripping his clothes, he pulled the sheets over him and was swiftly brought to rest. It's comforting to know that, regardless of how strange the situation is, the sun will still rise like it always has. The world works that way.