Not all who wander are lost

Chapter 14: House Party

Written by Jlargent.

Me: I'm not going to get into a rant about the season three premiere, you're probably sharing the same thoughts I am about it being rushed, the lack of villainous dialogue, and action sequence. But enough about that onto the fanfic! I do not own MLP in any shape or form, typical disclaimers apply

"So guys, ready to step inside?" I ask the Mane 6, it's been a week since Applebuck Season and I asked Granny Smith if AJ could visit my home, luckily she said yes so Twilight gathered the rest of her friends to meet up at my home for a tour "Before you enter there are magical seals that allow will temporarily change you into humans once you step through the entrance. You'll change back after you leave the house, I'd thought I tell you before I forget to tell you, Ditzy entered through and I forgot about the seals until she stepped through." I said and six ponies and one dragon step through.

Twilight's human form looks like a librarian wearing a deep purple sweater with her cutie mark on her left breast a pleated skirt, and flats, her hair stills retains the bookish but practical look that she normally has if I were to guess her height it would be 5'7" without the Mary Jane's "So this is what a human female looks like, interesting. I'll need to do some research on this." She said examining her new form.

Pinkie Pie's human form is…vibrant to say the least she wears a bright pink sundress with various yellow and blue balloons, her normally puffy hair is surprisingly more so, she's also has a pair of pink sneakers that matches her dress, her height is 5'6" if you take into account her hair "Ooh, that tingles!" Pinkie giggles as she bounces around in her new form.

Rainbow Dash's human form is not surprisingly athletic given her love of sports, she looks to be a part of the track team, and she was wearing a light blue shirt underneath a matching hoodie with her cutie mark on the back of the hoodie, dark blue jeans and light blue athletic shoes, her height is 5'4" and is possibly the shortest member of the Mane 6. She felt around her back and much to her disappointment she had no wings "I can't believe that I don't have wings, how can you humans stand it?" she complained as she folds her arms in aggravation.

Applejack's is just as athletic as her rival she was wearing her signature Stetson hat which seemed to grow to accommodate her new form, she was wearing a red flannel shirt which is bunched up at the sleeves her cutie mark is on the left breast pocket, she's also wearing a pair of blue jeans but they are faded, and a pair of cowboy boots, if I were to take the boots away then she'd be 5'9" easily the tallest member of the group "Well this is interesting to say the least." She says looking around the room.

Rarity's human form is elegant and sexy at the same time; she retains her traditional coiffed mane. Her clothing consists of a white long sleeved business shirt and black skirt, she's wearing pantyhose with black stiletto heels, I actually noticed her cutie mark is in the form of a pair of earrings, her height matches that of Twilight's but the heels almost throws off my estimate "Hmph, no matter what form I am in I am still stylish and beautiful." She says as she struts around a bit.

Fluttershy's human form can only be described in one word and that alone may not be enough "Elegant." She looks as though she just stepped off the runway of a high end fashion show in Paris I had to shake my head to clear those thoughts from my head her outfit consists of a buttercream blouse with her cutie mark on the sleeves and a matching skirt, and light pink slippers her height is 5'5" but that doesn't distract from her natural beauty "O-oh my!" she whispers as she tries to make sense of her newfound body.

Spike looks down at himself "Hey, why haven't I changed?" he asks.

Twilight looks at the baby dragon that did not change into a human form "Maybe the seals only affect ponies and not dragons." She suggests.

I clap my hands "Well now that you're inside how about that tour?" I ask rhetorically and lead them into the living room, now to describe my living room is that there's a computer desk in the corner near the window, there's several bookshelves with various books, mostly romance novels that belongs with my mom, nonfiction books focused on the military belonging with my dad, and not to mention various cookbooks, children's books, and other miscellaneous books litter the books. There's a large fireplace that's currently unlit and is probably is in need of cleaning and there's a large flat screen television with a HD DVD player. Two overstuffed chairs and a couch is behind a large oak coffee table. There are also shelves with movies and shows.

"What's that?" Twilight asks me pointing to the TV.

"This is an entertainment center. I'll show you what it does later." I said leading them into the kitchen/dining room, now this is your typical kitchen with all the essentials, refrigerator, oven, table, chairs and plates with silverware, but what makes this kitchen is the dining room table that belonged to my great grandfather when he first bought it for his apartment in queens. He passed it on to my grandfather, then to my dad and I own it now even though it is a copy "And this is the kitchen/dining room, next up is the study." I said and unlike the living room the study had books on history, geography, and most nonfictional books, mom has some old medical textbooks from when she studied nursing, and dad has some books from his police academy days, and some art books my sister had.

I led them into the pantry that had several cans of food and other supplies such as light bulbs and a box with various knickknacks inside, curious I reach in I grab a random object and pull it out to reveal a Rubik's Cube that was not finished "Huh, I forgot that this was in here." I said to myself as I place it back inside the box I lead the mares turned humans upstairs to show them the guest room, my parent's room which I insisted that none of them enter despite the fact that neither one was there, my sister's room in which Rarity noted the color texture was appealing to her. On the way to my room Pinkie noticed a door to the ceiling "Oh that? That leads to the attic, it has a lot of old stuff up there, and old toys, photo albums, records, clothes, decorations and I think there's an old mirror there. I said as we walk by it. We reach my room and I open my door to see the clean room that dad insisted on and my laptop on top of my desk, a small flat screen with a PS3 connected to it and games near it, a bookshelf with numerous magna and anime titles, there was also a few DVD binders that hold series like Bleach or Naruto and this is my room, there's also a basement and garage but I doubt that no one wants to go there. So are there any questions?" I ask the new humans.

"Ooh, ooh can we have a party here?" Pinkie asks eagerly.

Rarity seemed to have similar thoughts "You know it would be terribly rude to not have a housewarming party. Perhaps we should schedule one tomorrow night with just the eight of us." Rarity suggested.

I thought about it for a moment and it did have some merit "Okay sure, I like the idea, also since it would be the eight of us each of us can bring something to the party. You just can't bring anything that is pony exclusive such as hay or flowers since your new bodies can't handle it." I reminded them "How about 7:30 tomorrow night?" I ask them, they shake their heads in agreement "Then it's settled." I said and they said goodbye as they leave, and as they exit through the front entrance they revert back into their true forms.

I thought about what I should do for the party Let's see…movies and games are a must. As for food pasta and tomato sauce would work. Now game wise, maybe some Blazblue or UMVC3, movies…I should let the girls decide on that issue. That should take care of that problem I thought to myself as my plans for tomorrow night are secured. The next morning I set about cleaning the living room and kitchen and set out some dishes for tonight's meal, a knock on the door catches my attention; I open my door to see Ditzy with a letter.

"Good morning Jack, I have mail for you from the princesses." She said as she gave me the envelope, I thanked her and she flew off to continue her route. I open the letter to read the contents.

Dear Jack…

Twilight has informed me of the housewarming party that you are hosting and we were wondering if it would be too much of an inconvenience for Luna and me to attend party as well. I believe that Luna would enjoy the company of those that would appreciate her for herself rather than see her as the monster that she once was a millennia ago.

Your loving Princess Celestia

I immediately grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a response.

Dear Celly…

Of course you and Lulu can attend! The party is at 7:00 tonight and please be sure to leave any and all matters of the court at the court. Politics and a housewarming party does not mix that well. Feel free to bring any dish to the party. I must warn you that there is a special type of magical seal that will turn you and Luna into humans until you leave the house, please take this into consideration when arriving tonight.

Your loyal subject Jack Evans.

I placed the letter inside an envelope and ran out to the Library; I entered just as Spike was making lunch for Twilight "Hey Twilight." I call out to her.

She smiled at me "Hey Jack I thought you were preparing for the party tonight." She said.

I rub the back of my head "Well something came up and Celestia and Luna are asking to attend the party tonight." I said making Twilight's eyes widen in shock.

"Omigoshomigoshomigosh! Tell me that you didn't turn them down." She asks worriedly.

I snorted "Like I'd be stupid or rude enough to do so. And Twilight relax, this is a casual setting not a majorly formal event so you don't need to go over the top with everything." I said "Celestia wants to have Luna feel more comfortable since she has just returned to society after being away for so long, she would probably feel more at ease with a small group of ponies rather than an entire crowd. And the housewarming party is the best option for that." I said handing Spike the letter "Spike will you please send this to the Princess?" I asked the dragon.

He nods and sends it off via flame mail "Done Jack so what now?" he asks.

"We should inform the others. I'll talk to Fluttershy since she'll more than likely to be deathly afraid of Luna despite the fact that she's no longer Nightmare Moon. You tell the others." I told Twilight as the three of us head off. I arrive at Fluttershy's cottage minutes later and gently knock on the door; the lower half opens to reveal Angel "Hey Angel can you please let Fluttershy know that I'm here? I have something important to tell her about tonight." I ask him he nods and heads inside, a moment later Fluttershy opens the door and lets me in. I calmly explain the situation and like I predicted the instant I mentioned Luna she dashed underneath the table.

I called out to her gently "Come on Fluttershy, Princess Luna is not Nightmare Moon you know that right?" I ask her gently.

She whimpers "I-I know but I'm still afraid of her."

I sigh "Fluttershy you helped save her from herself, if anything she'll be thanking you for freeing her. She's been all alone until now, all she needs are friends and I think that she would be honored to be yours." I said trying to appeal to Fluttershy's inner love of making friends. And she pokes her head out a moment later "I-I'll come to the party Jack because Luna needs more friends that cares for her." She said I lean down and thanked her for coming and the rescheduling of the time and headed off to get the party ready. Now that leads me to a slight dilemma, I don't have enough ingredients for the dish that I want to make for them; I just need to work on something else but what? Argh, times like these I wish I was back in New York…wait, that's it! I'll treat them to a traditional New York style meal. I thought excitedly and rush towards my home and immediately began work.

Before I knew it 6:00 had rolled around and I finished putting the food in the oven which should be finished in less than an hour so I decided to start setting up for dinner. I placed the drinks on the kitchen counter, pulled out enough plates for the guests that are coming, next was the paper towels and glasses for the soda, for a moment I hesitated before bringing out the caffeinated soft drinks because knowing Pinkie she'll get even more hyper I shuddered at the thought of Pinkie getting ahold of Starbucks coffee.

I head up to my room and log onto my laptop, surprisingly enough despite being worlds away I can get a strong internet signal so I can surf to my heart's content Hmm that actually begs the question as to whether or not to reveal the truth to them or not…best play it safe for now, I've read too many fanfics to know that hiding the truth from them isn't going to work out for very long. I suspect that Pinkie has an inkling of the truth but how much does she know? I might have to ask her later I thought to myself as I look at the clock and noted that it was 6:45, I stand up and head into the kitchen to pull the food out of the oven just as the door was knocking "Come in!" I call out to the Mane 6 that was obviously standing outside. The door opens to reveal six women and one baby dragon "You guys are early." I commented.

"Well the princesses are to arrive at any moment so it would be prudent that one should arrive early to greet them properly." Rarity explains while placing a bowl with a large salad on the table, Pinkie brought a large chocolate cake, RD some bottles of cider, Fluttershy brought some bread rolls, AJ brings a signature Apple Family Apple Pie and Twilight appears to not have brought anything.

"Well you see…I'm not really that good at cooking and I usually rely on Spike for dinner or the two of us eat out." She explains with some embarrassment.

"AJ and Pinkie can teach you some basics and maybe Rarity and RD can assist in any way possible. Fluttershy, how well can you cook?" I ask her.

"Well I can make some simple dishes and a few gourmet meals but that's it." Fluttershy spoke quietly.

"Oh Fluttershy that reminds me, there's something I've been meaning to ask you but it can wait until later." I tell her just as the door knocks again "I got this." I said walking to the door and opening it to reveal Celestia and Luna standing on the front porch, the former radiating a calming presence and the latter exuding nervousness despite her older sister being next to her "Princess's welcome to my humble abode please come in." I said to the diarchy.

"Thank you for letting us come." Celestia says as she enters and immediately the seal kicks in and where a alicorn stood was a middle aged woman with a kind and gentle motherly appearance, Celestia's appearance looks as though she's roughly in her mid-thirties wearing a shocking white dress with her cutie mark emblazoned on it, her height is 6'3" and was wearing golden Romanesque sandals she was also wearing her signature tiara "There is nothing to be afraid of little sister." She said trying to coax Luna inside.

Luna looks at the entrance with trepidation; she hesitates for a moment before walking through the doorway and her appearance is that of someone in their mid to late twenties, her skin was like alabaster and her dress was a black sequined dress with her cutie mark on the shoulder, her feet were adorned with similar sandals but silver in color, an much like her sister Luna was wearing her tiara "This is truly a…" Luna trailed off trying to come up with the right word.

"Surrealistic? Unique? Different?" I supplied.

"Different, would be an apt word for this situation." Luna decided. As she follows me into the dining room.

I cleared my throat "*Ahem* At first I had trouble deciding what to serve you but then I realized that I should introduce you to a dish from my world. Don't worry I made sure not to include any meat in it, ladies I introduce you to…Pizza!" I said with a flourish showing them a supreme pizza (Minus the sausage) and an extra cheese pizza for myself "The first pizza contains peppers, onions, chopped black olives and extra cheese, while the second is a regular cheese pizza. In my opinion you can't be a true New Yorker until you learn how to make a pizza." I said as I carefully cut the food and place the slices on the plates. I explained to them that it can be eaten without silverware as I passed out the drinks. And I also told them that I had a movie set up for them to watch while we're eating.

"What is the name of the movie?" Twilight asks me as I pull the remote out to start the movie.

I smiled "Final Fantasy Seven: Advent Children. The movie is based off of a game titled 'Final Fantasy' which is a series of games, the movie itself takes place roughly three years after the events in Final Fantasy Seven and takes place on the mythical world of Gaia." I explained as the movie starts.

Two hours later we watch as Cloud admits that he wasn't alone anymore and the credits roll, I stop the movie and everyone stood up stretching after sitting in the same spot for two hours and I admit even I didn't know it was physically possible for Pinkie to sit still for any given length of time let alone two hours "Are there any questions?" I ask the audience.

"Yes, it involves the individual known as Sephiroth why did he want to destroy the planet?" Twilight asks.

I shrug my shoulders "I never played the game so I can't tell you but I think that learning that he was nothing more than an experiment sent him off the deep end and wanted to end it all and wanted everyone to suffer like he did. It is ironic that he was once a hero like Cloud but he became mad with rage and sorrow and decided to take it out onto the world." I said and noting that Luna looked like I struck a nerve Damn, I must've compared her and Sephiroth by that notion I mentally kicked myself at that.

"I see, well this has been a great evening but I need to head back to the library. I have an experiment in the works so I need to get back to work, I'll see you later Jack." Twilight said as both her and Spike leave. And one by one each of them leave save for Luna and Celestia.

Celestia smiled at me "I must thank you for this wonderful evening and would like to visit again sometime." She said.

I nodded "No problem, you're more than welcomed here anytime." I said motioning for Luna to come closer to me "Luna, I'm sorry if I made any implications about Sephiroth and Nightmare Moon being the same entity, unlike you Sephiroth couldn't be saved and had to be stopped. But you were an unfortunate victim of circumstance, you're not responsible for Nightmare Moon's actions." I said to her and she smiled shyly at me and nodded slightly in thanks. As they leave I couldn't help but feel that maybe I helped Luna overcome her guilt at being Nightmare Moon Heh, if this was Persona 4 then my Social Link to Luna would've increased I joked to myself as I gathered up the plates and cups and wash them along with the pizza pans. After finishing the dishes I head to my room and change into some sleep clothes and climb into bed waiting for what comes tomorrow.

To be continued…

Me: Next time: Gilda, an old friend of Rainbow Dash flies into Ponyville to catch up with her flight school friend. But something about her is setting Jack's trouble meter off. What is it and can Jack handle it? Find out next time. Please keep the reviews coming I literally bake them into cupcakes.

As always Hoody Hoo!