Gentle pitters of a nightly rain dizzled upon my head; I checked my phone, a small, black cell-phone with a picture of Link from Legend of Zelda as its wallpaper. A small, dancing envelope walked across the screen, indicating a new text-message; I pushed the middle button, opening the message. It was confirmation of my friend's birthday party; it was a sleepover. It'd been years since I'd seen him, but with him moving next month, I figured I'd pay him a visit anyway.

The message itself did not say much, just a simple "k" and an address. I peeled my eyes away from the phone; the moon shone brightly in the dark-abyss many called a night sky. Very few stars shed their light, but the ones who did were the brightest of them all; I continued walking toward my friend's home, a tall, two-story building with a redbrick roof. I stood in front of the house, unknowing I was even there; I put away my phone, stepping aside to let a car drive by, a voice called out,

"Hey! Are you here for the party?"

It was a voice that was familiar, though I couldn't have placed it properly without the vibrant aromas that accompanied him. It was Anthony, an old friend from my fifth-grade days. He waved from his passenger seat; he jumped out of his silver wagon,

"How are you doing?" Smiled Anthony, slinging his pillowcase over his back; I looked down at my pathetic knapsack.

"Nothin' much. Long time no see? Eh?"

Anthony slapped me on the back; I smiled, it was nice seeing a familiar face after so many years. My friend absorbed his new surroundings,

"Some party, huh? Where is everyone?"

I shrugged, lighting up my phone once more,

"Don't know," Said I, glancing at the front door, "Nathan didn't say much about the guest list."

We stood in silence.

Around Nathan's house was a black-iron gate held firmly in place by a concrete wall surrounding the perimeters. Anthony opened the gate, listening to the ear-piercing screech that was accompanied with it. The front door opened and a burst of light flooded the doorstep.

"Oh! I'm so glad you could make it!" Greeted a voice, assumedly Nathan, this evening's host.

Anthony stared at me blankly; it'd been a while since he'd seen him as well. Nathan bowed to us, formally greeting me with his arm standing out over his head. The two of us walked in, admiring the décor. His home was made entirely of polished oak; I asked him about it,

"Is the entire house like this?"

Nathan grinned, pleased with my interest, "I'm sorry, only the first floor is. We couldn't afford to do half of the second."

I nodded, "It's alright; we all can't be millionaires!"

We laughed, but I grew worried. Nathan's parents should have been here by now; I raised the question,

"Your parents," I noted, "where are they?"

Nathan stopped laughing and shuffled around in his pockets a bit,

"Ahh. I think they're still asleep; it's been a long day."

Anthony wasn't following; he cocked his head, raising a brow at the absurd statement, "What do you mean 'still asleep'?"

Nathan started to sweat, but broke the silence with an announcement,

"Don't worry! We've still got pizza! It'll be here in a good… ten minutes?"

The two of us shrugged; Nathan finished his gesture,

"You two can sit down and we can have a chat! It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

We couldn't argue with that, so we did as he said.

The two of us followed him to his kitchen, a beautifully decorated place of art. Stacks of china lined the walls in pre-built drawers and cabinets; I laughed,

"Well, your designer certainly had fun with the place."

Nathan grinned once more, "Yes, you could say that. He does know his craft."

The three of us sat down a round, wood table; its colors matched the floor. While Nathan was the one twiddling his fingers, Anthony was the first to lose patience,

"So what are we doing here? Where's everyone else?"

The two of us stared at Nathan, but he just grinned, again, "Oh, I didn't invite any one else. There was no need, really."

Anthony huffed, crossing his arms. I tried not to seem disappointed; the party was short-notice.

"So how have you been, Nathan?" I asked; nudging Anthony on the shoulder, hoping he could cut out his pissy attitude.

Nathan smiled,

"Oh!" He proclaimed, pleased to have a reason to brag, "I've been busy! I joined a fandom, don't you know it?"

We laughed, but I remained curious, "Is that so? Which one are you running with?"

The corner of Nathan's smile curled, "Oh, I joined the Bronies; they're such nice people."

"You're joking, right?" Blurted Anthony, "Bronies? Those grown men with horse fetishes?"

I kicked him in the shin, "Well that's alright. I'm not in a fandom at the moment, but I do hope you enjoy what you can. It's been… dying off a little lately. No harm in that, though!"

The doorbell rang; Nathan sprung from his chair, running to the door yelling, "PIZZA!"

Anthony grabbed my collar, whispering in my ear, "Is this guy for real? I get people change, but seriously? This is outrageous! Why would anyone want to stay in the home of a pedophile?"

I shrugged, "Just because you like something absurd, doesn't mean you're a pedo. It's just a phase; I'm sure he'll get out of it."

Anthony rolled his eyes; he turned around, pulling me closer, "He better. I don't think I want to stay here any longer!"

Nathan ran into the room lugging two boxes of pizza; I smirked, whispering, "It'll be fine, Anthony. Everything will be fine."

Nathan dropped the pizza boxes on the table, making a dramatic entrance,

"TA-DA!" He announced, opening one of the boxes to reveal a plain, cheese pizza. Anthony chuckled, grabbing a piece. He took a bite,

"It's only cheese."

Nathan rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry, I don't eat pepperoni."

I snagged a slice from the table, "So how are you enjoying your fandom? Are you making any friends?"

"Mm," mumbled Nathan, swallowing what he had, "Yeah! I've got lots of new friends. They're… quite magical, you could say."

I nodded my head, "That's good to hear! I'll have you know, I used to be in the same boat as you!"

Anthony choked; Nathan smirked, "Really? I didn't know that."

Anthony wiped his face; I laughed, waving my hand at him as if it were nothing, "Oh yeah! I was in it for a good year or so, but I guess I grew out of it. Strange world we live in, huh?"

"Yes," Mumbled the host, "Yes it is."

Anthony finished the last slice of pizza, leaving the rest of us just a bit jealous. The party host collected the plates while Anthony and I stood around, waiting for him to finish.

"Say, would you like to see my figure collection?" Nathan asked me, proposing a short trip upstairs, "I'm sure they'd like to meet you!"

Anthony placed his hand on his forehead, trying not to look at what he now called a disgrace,

"Nathan," Anthony sighed, "Where is this 'collection'?"

"Oooh!" Jumped the Brony, skipping around the room, "They're upstairs in my room; would you like to see them?"

"Not right now," I intervened, "Maybe another time? I don't think we'd all be comfortable around something like that."

Anthony thanked me.

The party was cut short by Nathan's desire for more sleep. He complained of being ill, but it didn't really bother us. He ended up turning in early, leaving Anthony and I awake for most of the night. Though the party was rather dull, Anthony came up with one last adventure to turn it all around. He said he had something planned; something to fix a good friend.