Chapter 1:
Dreams Shattered
A day in the richest part of Canterlot; well it is to be expected, as I am a bartender in a slum bar. Well, my day turns out to be good for me, considering my boss is a horse's ass to say the least, but hey, the bits are good, so I could care less about what he says.
"Silver! We need 2 round robin vodka mixes, now! On the double!"
The best part of my job, is making my favorite drink for one of my best customers in Canterlot; which he pays me extra well for, considering he orders 2 when he gets the time to come in.
A round robin vodka mix is a blended vodka with 2 types of liquor of the customers choice, so the obvious would be a berry soda and a hint of moonshine with a pinch of lemon to give it the maximum taste with the vodka. 'Yeah, I love my job but the boss doesn't help at all'. As I took time to fix the drink, I noticed that a lot of the customers that normally show up, are nowhere to be seen.
"Hey boss, where are our regulars? It seems dead in here tonight..."
"Well, most are at the Royal wedding, so they aren't here."
"Hmm. Okay. Just wondering." I replied as I brought Mr. Shiners his vodka mix, and he rewarded me with a hefty bunch of bits for my trouble.
So this is my life as a barkeep; kind of depressing really. I have no marefriend at all, since most mares don't even look my way, due to my social status and looks. I do not care to say the least, but it's their loss, so I take it as I go. While I make a decent living, Canterlot is not the place I want to live, since it is far from the perfect home I've always dreamed of.
"Silver Hoof! Stop day dreaming! Damn! You seriously need to stop and pay attention!" His boss yelled.
I think I went deaf! Gee, thanks a bunch for that!
"Well, you're lucky you're the only decent barkeep I've got, or I would have fired you by now!"
"Seriously boss, I do more than my fair share of work around here, and all I want is a little slack! I've been up for 34 hours so far without any sleep!"
"Well, that's no excuse! Even with sleep, you daydream a great deal, and it is making me want fire your sorry ass! You know what? I've got one for you Silver; You're fired! Just leave and don't come back!" He shouted.
"Wow, seriously? Why me?" Silverhoof said as he left the bar, without a glance back, noticing a large amount of bits for him as he left the building, entering the streets of Canterlot.
An hour later, he reached his apartment; a fairly decent size for what it's worth. Unlocking the door, he noticed a package addressed to him from his boss.
"Hmm. Why a package all of a sudden?"
He then took note that an envelope was there, with the words 'leave town or I will make you leave this place in a heart beat.
Well, some letter... And let me guess, it's tickets to go wherever I please. Well, thanks for nothing, you damned foal of an idiot. I can't believe this horse-feathers for one stinking minute!
Meanwhile, in Ponyville...
Darkmint, a mare that just arrived in Ponyville, is looking for a place to set up a bar:
Where is the city hall? She thought to herself. I swear I am more lost here, than being in Manehattan! Ugh, I hate small places. She made her way until she saw the city hall sign.
"Finally! It took me long enough!" She thought out loud.
Taking a small step, she knocked on the door with her hoof, and a small, old earth pony answer the door,
"Ah, you must be Mayor Mare. I'm Darkmint; it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh yes." The mayor replied. "I was told to expect you sometime, but I am shocked to see that you came so early."
"Well I can thank a fast train called Rainbow Dash; or should I say pegasus." Darkmint replied with a chuckle.
"Oh you're a friend of Dash, huh? Well, I think you will like Ponyville a lot." The mayor said with a smile.
"I do hope so; I really love the city, but I want to make a business somehow, so I'll take what I can get."
"I think that is perfectly fine miss Mint, so if you're ready we should be on our way."
After walking around town, the Mayor stopped at one not so empty lot, with a nice building that was empty.
"Will this work for what you want? The mayor asked.
"Yes, it's perfect." Darkmint responded with a nod. "I'm glad you saved it for me. I mean, really, it was probably hard to keep it all locked up."
"Yes, well I made a request to a unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, who kindly set a magic ward up so no one could get in."
"Hmm. Very impressive! Do you mind if we go in and look around?" Darkmint asked with enthusiasm.
"Yes, by all means!" Mayor Mare responded cheerfully.
Following the mayor, Darkmint was looking around as they stepped into the main hallway.
"Wow, its semi furnished already? She asked. "That makes things easier for me to set up here.
"Yes. The floor plan was an original design, and took a lot of stallions to make it right, but I believe you have ponies coming in tomorrow to help you set up the place?"
"Yes. I'm going to make this place as perfect as I can for everypony." Darkmint replied with determination. "The bar is going to be big, made of a great wood; and I believe since it's Zap Apple season, I'm going to be making some damn good cider, once it's harvest time. I also know that I can't wait to get started, but I will have to wait. For now, I need some sleep. But I'm not sure where I'm going to stay..."
"You can stay at my house for the time being, if that is okay with you." Mayor Mare said as the pair made their way out of the soon-to-be bar.
"That sounds marvellous!" Darkmint replied with a smile, as they both headed toward the mayor's home.
Back at Canterlot Station.
After 2 hours of packing, Silverhoof made his way to the train station.
"I hate that I am being kicked out of Canterlot thanks to my boss, but this is kinda stupid getting a guard escort as well..."
ALL ABOARD FOR PONYVILLE!
'Well, that's my train. It will take 2 days or so to get there; considering they make 2 stops or so before they reach the destination.' He mused.
He took a step into the train, making his way into a empty cart, which he was lucky to find at this rate.
'Wow, these cars are full! I wonder how many of these ponies are heading to Ponyville? And I wonder what kind of place it is... I'm far from excited, but I'm not complaining, either I suppose.'
Setting his stuff down, and making himself comfortable for the long 2 day ride, Silverhoof sighed. Keeping from being bored will be hard he thought."I hope to meet a special somepony in Ponyville... I'm feeling a bit lonely..."
"First stop Trottingham, and then Cloudsdale! Our final stop will be Ponyville, so keep in your carts everypony!" The attendant said to the ponies through a microphone.
"So 2 stops, then Ponyville. Sounds like a blast; and I get to see Cloudsdale as well! That will be a treat in itself!" He said aloud to himself, attracting the attention of another pony.
"So your heading to Ponyville, huh? Wow, another one meets an end, I see."
"Who are you?" Silverhoof asked the stranger.
"I'm Stormcrusher. I'm part of the weather team responsible for helping Ponyville and Cloudsdale, and a good friend of Rainbow Dash."
"I'm Silverhoof; it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm new to going to Ponyville; considering I'm from Canterlot."
"So what brings you to a town like Ponyville?" The pegasus asked.
"My boss fired me, and had me booted from Canterlot for no reason. So here I am, on my way to Ponyville."
"That sucks. I know how it is; getting kicked out of Canterlot. I was kicked out twice, in fact. It was a real blast the second time around." The pegasus added with a chuckle.
"Let me guess - you're the one who raided the castle and tried to kiss Princess Luna?"
"Yep, that was me! Wow, news travels fast; I guess I did not expect anyone to remember that at all!" The pegasus said with a hearty laugh.
"Believe me, all the drunks I deal with, you wouldn't believe the stories I hear all the time." Silverhoof said with a sigh
"That's true." The pegasus said. "I love my drinks; especially vodka and moonshine! Best combination ever! Wait a second...Silverhoof? Whoa! I didn't realize it was you!" The pegasus said with complete surprise
"Mr. Shiners? Is that you?" Silverhoof said, taken completely aback.
"Yep, it sure is! Wow so the boss kicked your ass outta the bar, and Canterlot? That's a rough thing for him to do!" he said with slight disappointment. "Not to worry though, Ponyville is fine; trust me. I'll make sure you are welcomed with open arms.
"Thanks, that means a lot to me." Silver said as they chatted for hours on end.
Back at the tavern bar.
Two days had passed, and not much had happened, besides the construction ponies that were helping with the building; not to mention the fact that a certain pink pony made sure that she would be welcomed
[hr]
As I was making my way through town, I was stopped by a pink pony, who I could swear was on some messed up drugs and sugar if I saw it,
"OHMGOSHOMGOSH A NEW FACE!" She rambled on about how she knew everypony, and that she was going to throw a party for me; since I was new in town.
"Um, ok, I appreciate it. I'm sure I'd like a party but first I have to get to Sweet Apple Acres to talk to a miss Applejack, I believe."
"I can take you to see her!" The hyper pink mare replied. "Applejack is one of my friends here in town! I'd be more than happy to take you!"
Well, thanks; that makes me feel better, considering I don't know where it is. So lead the way miss..."
"Pinkie Pie! And what's your name?"
"I'm Darkmint. So, shall we get going?"
[hr]
To say the least, I'm glad I ran into her, because I now have 3 cases of zap apples for making cider with moonshine, and vodka flavoured zap apple. I love mixing my drinks with great stuff, but I am in desperate need of a sign so looking through town for a sign maker was going to be more difficult than I thought it would be.
I came to a shop called the Flim-Flam Brothers shop
"Wow, funny name, but whatever looks harmful enough..."
"Hey, brother! We've got a customer! Flim said.
"Well, look at that." both brothers said in unison,
"Hello, I'm looking for a sign maker for my tavern, the Nightsky." she said.
"Oh, the mayor said to look for a pony... Darkmint, I think she said. Is that you, miss?"
"Yes, I'm Darkmint. I assume then, that you know what I need?"
"We certainly do!" Flam chimed. It will take about 4 hours to have it completed, so you can come back later if you wish."
"I will be back soon, and thank you again for the help." Darkmint said, leaving the shop. Trotting back into the main part of town was fun; the weather was great and enjoyable.
Well in a week or two, my tavern will be open for business and I'll be ready! She mused to herself
Meanwhile back in the train bound for Ponyville.
Well, it looks like it is going be a long ride, so I might as well enjoy it while I can.
Waking up 4 hours later, and noticing that the train had made it to Cloudsdale, Silverhoof was very excited to have arrived.
Well, time to get some rest. Tomorrow, I'm to meet the mayor as soon as possible. he thought to himself as he turned in for the night.
TO BE CONTINUED