>It's pouring out.
>You’re pretty sure it's been raining since… Yesterday?
>It’s a dark, stormy night. And here you are… Rotting away in your bed as you lie on your side watching ‘Top Cake’, some kind of… Equestrian Top Gear equivalent that feels more like that one british baking show but with more explosions and a dangerous lack of safety equipment and regulation.
>It felt pretty strange at first but after watching five hours of three snarky unicorns get closer and closer to blowing up the countryside with their delicious challenges… You can’t help but say you’re engrossed.
>It’s almost a shame when you realize someone was knocking on your door.
>...Surely they can wait, right?
>They’re using an antique magic staff to make crème brûlée, after all…
>”A…Anonmurmurm…”
>...Huh?
>Aw dangit you know that voice…
>You pause your show just as one of the hosts lets out a gleeful squee as she begins to bore a hole through the tent they set up, despite it supposedly being flame retardant.
>You shuffle out of your room as roiling thunder can be heard in the distance and for a brief moment your messy living room is illuminated by a flash of lightning, bringing attention to the small battalion of beer cans you probably should throw out…
>*knock knock…*
>You turn your head, squinting in the dark towards the door of your apartment.
>The light in the hall tells you there's definitely someone standing in your doorway, shuffling awkwardly.
>Before this someon- no- somePONY can knock again, you decide to call out to her.
“...Autumn?”
>The shadow grows still for a moment. “...That’s uh… me, yeah.”
>You stretch a bit as you close the distance between you and the door, and with a deep breath, you unlock and open it up- revealing exactly who you thought it was.
>Standing in your doorway was your maple coated neighbour, Autumn, her fluffy auburn mane a little frizzier than usual and her ears pinned against her head.
>She shuffles around a little, her cloudy red eyes wide as she stares right through you.
>Despite her frazzled and overall uneasy appearance, she lifts an oversized sleeve covered hoof and gives a friendly little wave.
>...But it's not hard to notice how her hoof shakes a little as she sets it back down.
>”Hey… Uhm… Anon.”
“Hey, Uhm, Autumn.” You tease.
>She blushes furiously at that, tugging at her turtleneck’s collar as she mumbles to herself.
>”S-sorry, It's just…”
>You watch her flinch hard as thunder cracks overhead, her unkempt wings fluttering a little before she regains her composure and hugs them against her sweater once more to keep them from ruffling idly.
“Not a fan of storms, I know... It’s a pretty gnarly one, huh? I think the newspony said it might be a while before it lets up…”