Chapter Two:
Drowning Their Sorrows
The six Elements of Harmony sat together within the confines of Ponyville's dilapidated pub. They were gathered around a shabby wooden table and seated on a filthy, worn out, padded booth seat with the stuffing spilling out in some areas. Normally Rarity wouldn't have imagined putting her hind quarters anywhere near such a disgusting seat, but given how distraught she was, she honestly didnt care.
In front of each of the six ponies were various muti-colored bottles containing each of their favorite alcoholic beverages. They had just spent the past hour explaining their situations to each other, rambling on about how miserable they were, and so on. Now they just sat there quietly, taking swigs out of their bottles every once in a while, just attempting to lose themselves to inebriation.
Twilight glanced around the table at her friends, gagging all their expressions. Applejack was just frowning and shaking her head before each swig of her drink. Fluttershy was mumbling something to herself (it appeared to be Angel... can't lose him). Rarity had her eyes shut tightly and her hooves pressed into her forehead. Rainbow Dash was simply fuming the whole time. She looked about ready to rip the head off of the next pony who looked at her wrong. But it was Pinkie Pie's expression that disturbed Twilight the most. Their was now loopy smile stretched across her face; no gleeful twinkle in her eye. All she showed was pure and utter shock and despair. she had seen Pinkie sad before, but never at a level quite like this. Pinkie's expression would haunt Twilight's dreams for a long time.
In spite of what a devastating situation it was for her fellow Elements, Twilight couldn't help but feel a little better knowing her friends were in the same boat she was. She wasn't happy at their suffering or anything; it wasn't like that at all. It was just that she didn't feel like the whole world was against just her now. It was a small comfort to know that she and her friends could share not only their joy's and happiness, but there pain and sorrow as well. They truly were like a family.
The pub was nearly empty except for the a couple of rather obnoxious stallions sitting well over on the other side bar. There loud voices carried all the way over to where the six were sitting, and they were really starting to grate on them. Dash appeared to be about five seconds away from speeding over there and shoving each of their heads up the others... yeeeaaaah. Still, the other five just did what they could to shut it out.
Nearly twenty minutes of silence from each of the six ponies passed until Applejack found the need to break it.
"Ya work so hard. Ya work so darned hard," She muttered before taking another swig of her hard apple cider. She then began to tear up again. "Consarnit! Why do ponies have ta be so dang cruel?"
Twilight, who was sitting next to her, placed a hoof on her foreleg.
"It's a stupid thing, Applejack, it really is," she said consolingly. She took a swig of her tequila. "Ponies who just go around destroying the property of others... and- and run around drunk, hauling large carts behind them just don't... don't deserve freedom! They should just- just be left to rot in jail forever and ever!"
"Yeah, Ah hear ya, sugarcube," Applejack replied.
Rainbow Dash chugged down a large portion of her straight vodka and then slammed the bottle down hard on the table. Normally harder alcoholic beverages would've been served in shot glasses, but Dash convinced their waiter to just leave the bottles. She told him it was gonna take more than just a single shot glass to drown her sorrow, and her seemed to sympathize. She turned to Twilight.
"Look, Twi," she began in a very slurred speech. "I- I don't wanna, like... belittle your situation or nothin', but are you really in as much trouble as you're letting on? I mean, libraries are funded by the city aren't they? Can't Mayor Mare bail you outta this or somethin'?"
Twilight gave a long, labored sigh.
"You'd think so, Dash, but that's sadly not the case here," she explained. "When I first came into ownership of the library and decided to live there, the mayor and I agreed that anything that went on with it would ultimately be my responsibility. Any renovations or damage repairs are all paid for out of my pocket." She sighed again. "Starting to wish I hadn't agreed to that. Still, even if we had decided to do it the other way, I don't know if Mayor Mare would be up to raising taxes again in order to pay for the damages; they're high enough as it is."
Dash took another chug out of her bottle and slammed it down again. She let out a small belch.
"That's government for ya," She muttered.
"Ah'll drink ta that," AJ said, raising her bottle and clinking it against Dash's before sucking down more cider.
Fluttershy sighed. She swirled her bottle of spiced rum around with her hoof. She wasn't much of drinker, but spiced rum was one of the few drinks she could manage to keep down. She liked the faint hint of vanilla it carried. It wasn't doing much to numb her pain, though. It was going to take a lot more than the one alcoholic beverage she could tolerate to help her deal with the prospect of losing her favorite animal. Well, she loved all her animals; she wasn't allowed to have favorites, but Angel was something truly special. To her, there was no rabbit like him in all of Equestria.
But then, Fluttershy felt a bit ashamed of herself. Here she was thinking only of her own problems when her dear friends were suffering just as much as she was. Applejack losing her crops, Twilight losing her library and almost losing her number one assistant, Rarity coming close to losing her business and her sister, Pinkie nearly bankrupting Sugarcube Corner, and Rainbow Dash now jobless and nowhere closer to joining her idols. This was not the time for Fluttershy to be selfish; she had to give her love and support to her friends. They needed it now more than ever. She first turned to her fellow pegasus.
"So... is there no chance at all for you to get your job back?" She asked in a voice just above a whisper. "You couldn't just go back to your boss and apologize for what you said? Just tell him you were in a tough spot and, um, maybe he'll take you back?"
Dash snorted loudly.
"Oh, forget it, Shy! I've wasted enough oxygen on that dick cheese! Besides, why should I apologize? He treated me like shit the whole time I worked for! I meant every damn word I said to him! My only regret is that I didn't finish by kicking him in the balls!"
Rarity choked a bit on her blackberry schnapps.
"Oh honestly, darling! I know this is a difficult time for us right now, but is there really any call for such vulgar language?" She scolded right as her bottle slipped out of the cleft of her hoof and spilled onto the table. "Oh fuck," she muttered under breath.
Dash just rolled her eyes in annoyance at the fashionista.
"Whatever, I'm not screwed, not by a long shot. I'll think of something, I always do. That's just how I roll!" She paused for a second, her proud expression faded a bit. "Fuckin' Wonderbolts," she muttered under her breath. She then turned back to Fluttershy. "So, about Angel; are you sure it's not just gas or something?"
Fluttershy shook her head grimly.
"No, they told me that Bloat was a very serious condition that's almost always fatal," she said. Tears began to well up in her eyes again. "They didn't say it, but..." she hesitated. "I just know it was something I did."
Twilight reached across the table and patted her friends hoof.
"I don't think so, Fluttershy," she cooed. "You've always been so careful with your animals. Whatever happened, I'm sure it can all just be chalked up to bad luck." She took a moment to gaze around at the defeated expressions of her friends and sighed sadly. "Seems to be a lot of that going around for us right now."
"Fuckin' Wonderbolts," Dash repeated, this time a little louder, incurring an angry look from Rarity. "I mean, what fuck more am I supposed to do for them? If I had known they were this damn picky about their new members, I probably would've stuck it out with that shit job for a few days more, waited 'til I was sure I was going to be a highly paid celebrity, and then told my boss what a shit-sucking, cock-knocking, colt-fucking-"
"RAINBOW DASH, PLEASE!" Rarity snapped. "I don't want to have to listen to such profanities right now! I'm simply too distraught!"
Dash snorted again.
"Oh yeah, you're really suffering, aren't you?" She said sarcastically.
Rarity's gaze became hardened and enraged.
"Beg pardon, dear?"
"Oh, knock it off, Rarity! You're not in the same boat as the rest of us! From what you told us it sounds like all you need is one decent transaction and you're back on easy street!"
Rarity looked dumbstruck.
"One decent trans- wh- what are..." She stammered. "I- you- don't you think I-" she groaned in frustration, then collected herself and said through gritted teeth: "That wouldn't be a problem, dearest, if I could first FIND SOMEPONY WILLING TO DO A TRANSACTION WITH ME!"
"Why wouldn't anypony want to buy a dress from you?" Twilight stepped in. "You've always been so good at doing what you do."
Rarity shrugged.
"I- I don't know. Perhaps a dissatisfied customer from the past took it upon herself to besmirch my good name by spreading nasty rumors about my store, and now there's not a pony anywhere who wants to risk doing business with me!"
Applejack leaned in towards Rarity.
"That's a serious accusation there, hon," she said.
"Well, what other explanation is there?" Rarity asked almost hysterically. "Why else would Photo Finish just up and decide that I'm no longer good enough for her? I mean, I've served her loyally for years, and now because I fail to deliver what she wanted just one time she up and decides to sever all ties with me?"
No one said anything for a while. Rarity had made a fairly good point. She was a highly respected pony throughout most of Equestria, but even she couldn't possibly be without enemies. The idea of another pony being let down by a piece clothing Rarity had made and taking it upon herself to smear her good name wasn't terribly far-fetched. After an exhausted sigh, Rarity continued.
"But, there's something else that has me far more worried at this time."
Twilight already knew what it was.
"Sweetie Belle?" She said quietly.
Rarity nodded.
"That little darling is my whole world. But I'm afraid that due to my lack of business recently, I just haven't been able to provide adequately enough for her. Those foal service ponies have been circling me like vultures recently. One little slip up and," she elegantly yet forcefully slammed a hoof on the table. "She'll be taken away just like that. If I can just find some way to collect enough bits to at least keep her in school, I might be able to keep the wolves at bay for a little while longer. But, where can I..."
She trailed off there. Her friends already knew what she meant. Where were any of them supposed to find a proper way to make enough bits to solve their problems? It just didn't seem possible. Rainbow Dash gulped down the rest of her vodka and flipped the bottle over, not caring that it rolled off the table and onto the already filthy pub floor. Twilight stared at her intently for a second. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw the glimmer of a small tear forming at the corner of Dash's eye. But that couldn't be possible; Dash never cried. She did, however, look utterly and completely defeated, which was even rarer than crying.
"How could this've happened to us?" Dash said, mostly to herself. "I mean, after everything we've been through: dragons, parasprites, Nightmare Moon, and... whatever the crap Discord was, and now... it's a financial crisis that finally does us all in."
"Rather an unfitting end, isn't it?" Rarity muttered.
Finally, Pinkie Pie, who up until this point had been quieter than Fluttershy, sucked down the rest of her watermelon flavored bacardi and then burst out with some more woeful words.
"Well, there's only one explanation for everything that's happened to us, girls: Celestia hates us!"
The group all stared at her, both in shock that she had finally said something, and in confusion at what she said.
"Pinkie, what does Princess Celestia have to do with any of this?" Twilight asked.
"Well, I mean, wh- why would she let something like this happen to us?" Pinkie cried. "I thought we were her little ponies!"
"Pinkie, every pony in Equestria is her little pony," Twilight explained. "Besides, it's not like she's involved with every aspect of our personal lives."
"She is with you, ain't she?" Applejack asked. 'Ah mean, she has ya write ta her just about every darned day, don't she?"
"Well, not every day. Just when I have to explain a friendship problem to her," Twilight said. She then added quietly: "Which happens disturbingly often with you guys."
"Well it sounds to me like we have a pretty legit friendship problem happening right now!" Dash exclaimed. "So here, I'll help you get started on a new letter: 'Dear Princess Asshole, my friends and I totally fucked. Please send a shit-load of bits to us so we can un-fuck ourselves and go back to properly serving your fat alicorn ass. Your's sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.'"
Now Twilight was starting to get pissed. She tried to remind herself that it was probably just the alcohol talking, but how dare Rainbow Dash imply that she should ask her mentor for bits! Twilight Sparkle didn't get to where she was today by mooching off others, even when she was in the worst of circumstances!
"Dash, you have no idea how friendship reports work!" She snapped. "I write to her about what problems we experienced and how we solved them! I don't bitch and whine for her to come down and save us! And I can guarantee you that's not what I'm gonna do in this case either! We're all perfectly mature ponies and we can figure these problems out on our own!"
"Well, um," Fluttershy's voice squeaked in. "Does she at least know about what's been happening to us?"
Twilight sighed for about the hundredth time that day.
"Sent her a letter yesterday not too long after the whole incident, but I haven't heard back from her yet. Usually she's really quick with her replies, but... I don't know, maybe she's..." Twilight didn't know what to think.
"You see?" Pinkie cried. "She doesn't care about us anymore!" She began to cry loudly and obnoxiously.
"You know what?" Dash said. "I'm starting to think Pinkie has a point! I mean, Celestia was always so good to us when we were big heroes and all! But nothing bad's really happened in Equestria for some time! We haven't exactly had much to do for her in a while!"
"Yeah, that's true." Applejack agreed.
"Ya see what I mean?" Dash continued. "You probably have to save Equestria a minimum of three times a year in order for Celestia to give two shits about you!"
"Rainbow Dash, I have had just about enough of your language!" Rarity snapped. "But... I'm also starting to think that you may be... may be... Oh, damn it all! It's over for us!"
"YOU GUYS!" Twilight roared. "DO YOU REALIZE HOW RIDICULOUS YOU ALL SOUND RIGHT NOW? IT'S NOT CELESTIA'S FAULT! IT WAS JUST A STRING OF BAD LUCK FOR US ALL! IF WE STICK TOGETHER WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS! WE JUST HAVE TO-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP OVER THERE YOU STUPID BITCHES!" Roared a masculine voice from across the pub.
Rainbow Dash didn't waste a second. She grabbed her now empty vodka bottle chucked it at the obnoxious stallions, nearly hitting one of them square in the face. Instead the bottle shattered on the wall behind him.
"WHY DON'T YOU COME OVER HERE AND MAKE US?" Dash roared at back at them. "AFRAID YOU'LL GET YOUR ASSES HANDED TO YOU BY A BUNCH OF MARES? WELL YOU SHOULD BE! WE'VE HANDLED WORSE THAN YOU!" Her friends made no effort to hold her back. They were just as pissed as she was. Even Fluttershy was starting to want to unleash her trademark stare on them and watch them cower in fear.
The two stallions looked like they were just rarin' to have a go at the violent cyan pegasus, but the pub management stepped in before it could get ugly.
"Ladies, we saw the whole thing, and I'm afraid I have to ask you all to leave," the manager asked as politely as he could.
"What? Why do we have ta leave?" Applejack asked angrily. "Them varmints over there started it!" Her other friends nodded in agreement.
"Please, I don't want any trouble," the manager said nervously. "Just please pay for your drinks and then leave."
The six ponies stared at him with expressions of pure rage on their faces. This just further cemented their belief that the world was against them.
"You know what?" Dash said. "Maybe we won't pay for our drinks!"
"Yeah!" Pinkie stepped in. "We weren't satisfied with your service, you meanie pants!"
"Here here!" Rarity announced.
To further punctuate that point, Rainbow Dash laid her fore leg on the table they were sitting at and swept it across the whole thing, knocking all of their bottles onto the floor.
"PICK IT UP!" She roared at the manager.
With that, the six ponies filed out past the now physically shaking manager. They passed the two stallions, who now looked very much intimidated by the "bitches" they had just insulted. Each of the mares shot them their own dirty look as they passed. Dash stopped in front of them for a moment and made a quick move like she was about to strike one of them. They both flinched, and that was satisfying enough for Dash. She smirked to herself and continued after her friends.
Outside, the sun was starting to descend behind the panoramic hills surrounding Ponyville. As the group made their way out of the pub, Dash stepped away from them and faced the setting ball of fire with an expression of pure loathing on her face. If ponies had fingers, Dash would've been flashing both her middles at that sun.
"I HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS, CELESTIA!" She screamed. "I HOPE YOU'RE HAVING A GOOD, HEARTY FUCKIN' LAUGH!"
"Dash, that's enough!' Applejack scolded.
Dash wanted to shout some more, but her voice was actually starting to give out, which rarely happened with her. Besides, shouting wasn't going to solve anything for her anyway. It wasn't going to get her any closer to having a paying job again. it had done quite the opposite actually. She sighed angrily, then rejoined her friends, who were gathered in a circle a good distance from the pub. They all sat there in silence for a long while. The alcohol had done them little to no good that night. They were as miserable as ever. Maybe even more so.
Twilight looked into the defeated faces of her friends. No matter how many times she had seen them like this today, she just wasn't getting used to it. Yelling at them earlier had made her feel even worse now, which she honestly didn't think was possible. She had to leave them on as positive a note as possible before saying goodnight to them.
"Girls, I'm sorry, I really am," she began. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, I'm sorry for everything that's happened, I'm... I'm just sorry for everything. If there was anything I could do..."
"Hey now, don't you worry yerself, sugarcube," Applejack interjected. "Things'll... things'll..." She wanted to say things would work out, but she just couldn't. She didn't believe that herself.
Twilight could see it in their eyes: they had all given up. She supposed she should too. But she couldn't allow herself to. Not yet. Desperate to make at least one of them feel better before leaving, she turned to the closest pony to her: Fluttershy.
"I'm sorry about Angel, Shy," she said consolingly. "Are you sure there's nothing you can do?"
"I- I don't know," Fluttershy whimpered. "I'm just doing what I can for now, which isn't much." She slowly turned away. "I need to go home now and give him his pills. I guess I'll see you all tomorrow or something."
The others all started to disperse as well.
"I suppose I should go home and enjoy what little time I have left with Sweetie Belle," Rarity muttered.
"I guess I'll go back and cry myself to sleep over how I ruined the lives of the two nicest, sweetest, bestest ponies in Equestria," Pinkie moaned. What she really wanted to do was turn the oven on, stick her head in it and let the fumes do their job.
"I guess I'll go home and drink the poison under my sink," Dash sneered, then took off into the darkening sky.
Now it was just Twilight and Applejack. The orange earth pony slowly approach the lavender unicorn with as much a smile as she could muster, which wasn't much at all.
"Hey, Twi," She said kindly. "We all love you. Ya know that, right?"
Twilight managed to smile a bit as well now.
"Yeah, I do," she said. "And I love you all too. I just wish there was something I could do."
"Now don'tcha go worryin' too much 'bout us," AJ said. "You just focus on getting yer own affairs sorted out, and we'll take care of ourselves fer now. Where'r ya'll stayin' now, anyway?
"Ponyville inn," Twilight answered. "I got Spike and I set up there for a few nights. I don't know what I'll do when those nights are up, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
AJ paused for a moment, then leaned in closer to Twilight.
"Ya know, we have plenty o' room over at Sweet Apple Acres. I'd be more'n happy ta have you 'n Spike."
Twilight seriously considered that offer for a moment, but her conscience got the better of her.
"Oh, I couldn't impose on you at a time like this. Besides, I've already paid for nights at the Ponyville inn, and they have a strict 'no refund' policy. But thanks anyway, I really appreciate it."
Applejack exhaled sharply, then nodded.
"Alrighty then," she said as she began to turn away. "Ah guess Ah'll see ya when Ah see ya. Take care, hon."
"You too, AJ, you too," Twilight said.
She watched Applejack walk off for her home until she was out of sight. She stood there alone for a while. Celestia's sun was now fully set, and Luna's moon was beginning to rise. Ursa Major was hovered directly above her, and for a second it almost felt like it would come crashing down on top of her.
Twilight Sparkle began her slow walk for her temporary home. But first, she wanted to make a little detour... at her former home and place of business.
Thanks for the reviews and favorites! Please leave more! They encourage me to write faster! Check back soon for more chapters. Soon you'll start to see where I'm going with this story. Thanks again!