Chapter 2: Culture Clash

"You want to what?" Tyr asked, poking his head out from inside the large copying machine the library used. His question was directed at Twilight, who was studying a large book on a nearby table.

"I said, I would like to go to a bar tonight," She repeated, adjusting her glasses as she looked up at him. "Is that such a strange thing?"

"No, just… Have you ever been to a bar, Twilight?"

"No. I overheard some people the other day saying they had a fun time at one. I decided it would be a good experience."

Tyr scratched at his head. "I suppose that could be true. You're not going alone, are you?"

"Should I?"

"Whenever a woman goes to a bar, they normally go with friends."

"I suppose that is true. Sharing the experience would be good."

"I was thinking more for safety."

"Safety?" Tyr mentally face palmed.

"Yes, safety." He sat up, setting aside a piece of machinery he was vaguely aware of its use. "Did you not have crime in Equestria?"

"We did, but… It wasn't a whole lot. What danger could I be in?"

"Well, you could be robbed, for one. Someone could try to kill you. Or… worse."

"Worse? What could be worse than murder?"

"Well…" Tyr felt a little uncomfortable. "I… it's probably better you take a group with you."

"Hm. I guess I could get the girls together to go…"

"Good." Tyr sighed in relief. Twilight seemed like a sheltered girl at times, with her innocent knowledge of human behavior. At least he had convinced her to take friends… He moved back into the innards of the copy machine. He slid the removed part back inside, and clicked a switch. Nothing.

"Would you go if I asked?"

Tyr tried to sit up in shock, but only managed to bang his head against the inside of the machine. To his surprise, it kick started and began to work. "The hell…? But back to your question, Twilight. Why would you invite me? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fit in a group full of girls…"

"You're familiar with bars, aren't you?"

Tyr bit his lip. "I have… been to a couple."

"Then you'd be able to tell us what to watch out for!"

Her logic was sound. Tyr didn't have the heart to tell her he hadn't gone to a bar since his twenty-sixth birthday. After drinking enough to forget his own name, he had vowed to drink as little as possible. "I… guess. If you clear it with your friends."

"That's easy." Twilight pulled out a lavender cell phone with a single star etched on the back. She opened it, quickly typed in a message, and sent it. "Human technology is so amazing," She said with a smile.

"Yeah… well, this old brute is alive and kicking." He straightened up. "You may want to try and convince Mrs. Johnson to get a new one.

"When it broke down last week I suggested it," Spike muttered from a nearby aisle. He was busy replacing returned books. "She said no."

"Well, I may not be able to fix it next time," Tyr muttered, rubbing his forehead.

Twilight's phone jingled. "Ah, there's a reply." She snapped open her phone and stared intently at it. "Well, everyone seems in agreement," She said triumphantly.

Tyr dreaded what came next, but asked anyway. "…The verdict?"

Twilight laughed softly, covering her mouth. "You sound like you're on trial. The girls said it's fine if you come. Rarity seemed relieved to hear you'd be coming."

Tyr had made himself extremely available to his town's new residents over the last couple of months. There was almost not a day when he was asked to repair, replace, or just help out. He didn't mind, being busy meant he was getting paid. He was still getting to spend time with Sherry, and even when he didn't, Luna usually came over to play with her. Thinking of that… He pulled out his cell phone and sent off a quick text to Luna.

-Twilight needs me this evening, can you watch Sherry?

"Who are you texting?" Spike asked, suddenly beside him. The shock of his appearance made Tyr answer completely truthfully.

"Luna."

The look of shock that went over Spike and Twilight's faces mirror the look of regret that crossed over his own. "You have Luna's cell number?" Twilight asked slowly.

"…Yes. I ask her to watch Sherry sometimes when I have late jobs. She likes playing video games with Sherry anyway…"

"I see…"

The sound of a reply message gave Tyr a sense of relief. However, that was crushed as soon as he read the message. –I apologize, but I have other matters to attend to tonight. As much as I would love to play Destiny with Sherry, I cannot. "Damn," Tyr said.

"No date?" Spike teased.

"Ha ha. Luna says she's busy tonight. I don't want to leave Sherry alone…"

"I believe I can fix that," Twilight said with a smile.

"I'm staying with Applebloom tonight?" Sherry asked, once Tyr had explained most of everything to her.

"Yeah, Twilight needs me for a… culture experiment," Tyr said. "You'll be alright?"

"I could stay here," She offered. "I'm not that young, and it's only for tonight."

"Sherry…" Tyr smiled and put a hand on her head. "It's not that I think you can't handle it. I just… worry."

Sherry sighed, but acquiesced. "Okay daddy."

Tyr felt a tug at his heart. "Jeez, you think I'd be used to that by now."

She giggled and threw her arms around his neck. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!"

"Agh! Stop! You're killing me with cuteness!"

Sherry continued attacking him for a moment longer before releasing him. "Well, have fun at… whatever you're doing."

"Yeah, hopefully." Tyr glanced at the clock. Applejack had said her brother Big McIntosh would be by to get Sherry, but the time for him to meet the girls was getting close. "Hm…"

"Just go!" Sherry smiled. "I think I can handle being alone for a little while."

"You sure? Not going to burn down the house or anything?"

"Oh stop! Just leave already!" She pushed him towards the front door.

"Okay, okay, just… call me when you get there?"

"I should be telling you that!" Sherry giggled. "Now, out with you!"

Tyr smiled as she closed the door behind him. "Girl is starting to act like my mother," He joked to himself. With a final shrug of his shoulders, he hopped onto his bike and sped off into the setting sun. Twilight, ever eager for more people to text, had demanded his number before he left the library. She had given him the name of the bar they were to meet at; Eclipse. "Seems like a… interesting place."

It was rounding on seven when he made it. The bar was a bit secluded downtown, situated between two tall buildings. The sign was bright however, with red neon signs with pitch black cores that simulated an actual eclipse. He spotted Twilight's telltale lavender hair from a distance. Much to his surprise, she was wearing more casual clothing, a bright pink blouse with a darker violet skirt. She smiled as he pulled in. "You made it!" She said as he pulled off his helmet.

"Wasn't the hardest place to find," He said, hooking his helmet to his bike. "The others are already here?"

"Yeah, they're inside. We got a booth and everything!"

Twilight grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. Before he could protest, they were moving through the throng of dancing people. This was more of a club than a bar, Tyr thought to himself. A few glances were shot his way, but otherwise the occurrence went completely unnoticed. He fell into a comfy booth seat as Twilight squeezed in beside him. "I found him, girls!" She said triumphantly.

"Bout time you showed up, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Was starting to get mighty thirsty."

"Couldn't you have gotten here faster?" Rainbow snapped.

"Now Dash, you have to give the man some slack," Rarity came to his rescue. "He does have a young filly-er, girl to take care of."

"Here I was thinking I was early," He said, smiling. He glanced around, noticing a distinct lack of pink. "…No Pinkie?"

"She's dancing," a soft voice said from his other side. He glanced over to find a very attractive girl with long silky pink hair draped over one side of her face looking over at him. She smiled nervously. "Oh, sorry for startling you…"

"No it's fine." Tyr racked his brain for her name. "Um… have we met?"

"I work at the veterinarian," She murmured.

"I've gone by there a couple times to repair things. I don't think I've ever seen you."

"Um… I um… I hide." She seemed to shrink a little bit.

"Fluttershy is the biggest scaredy-cat ever!" Dash said, throwing her arm around the shy girl. "I mean, it's even in her name!"

Tyr put on a gentle smile. "I'm Tyr. It's nice to meet you, Fluttershy."

"Likewise," Fluttershy managed to squeak, just before Dash pulled her away.

"This place is so… alive!" Rarity murmured. "The music however is… something I could do without."

"Pinkie seems to be enjoying herself," Applejack said, pointing. Tyr followed her hand and spotted the pink ball of energy laughing, dancing and just having fun.

"I'm not surprised. Going to a club is just like going to a party." Tyr glanced around. "You haven't ordered anything?"

"Twilight said we should wait for you," Fluttershy said, finally breaking free of Dash. "Rarity agreed."

"Didn't feel right to start without ya," Applejack said.

"I can go order some drinks for us," Tyr offered.

"Oh would you?" Rarity asked. "That would be wonderful, darling."

Twilight moved so Tyr could get out. "You guys planning on drinking anything alcoholic?"

"Whatever you think we would like," Twilight told him.

Taking that in mind, Tyr moved out into the crowd. He had to fight a bit, so he had time to think. Applejack was a hard worker, so nothing too sweet. Rarity would like something refined, and Twilight would want something interesting. Dash would probably drink anything, he thought. And Fluttershy… he didn't know. Probably nothing too strong. She looks delicate like a butterfly. He made it too the bar in one piece. "Probably should get Pinkie something too. She'll be thirsty after all the dancing." He knocked on the bar to get the bartender's attention.

"Hello. What would you like to drink, sir—Tyr?"

Tyr jumped at the sound of his name. He turned and found himself staring into a pair of big, cerulean eyes. "…Luna?"

"I… I had not thought to see you here." Luna nervously ran a hand through her hair. "Do you… come here often?"

"No, Twi… a friend invited me. I didn't know you worked here." A bartender outfit looked cute on her, he noted.

"I started not too long ago." Luna glanced past him. "…I see you came with Twilight and her friends."

Tyr sighed. "I was invited as… someone who was familiar with this sort of environment."

"Familiar?"

"I've been to bars and clubs before in the past."

Luna took in the information. "Tyr."

"Yes, Luna?"

"If you can forgive me for not telling you my reasons for denying your request tonight, I will forgive you for not telling me you came with Twilight."

"…fair." Tyr agreed.

"So!" Luna did her best to sound bright and cheery. "What can I get you?"

Tyr returned with the drinks. "Sorry for the wait, I had to avoid a bunch of people to get here."

"I saw," Rarity said with a sparkle in her eye. "A few women were in that bunch."

"You were getting hit on?" Dash asked. "Well, I guess you're not bad looking."

"Yeah, whatever," Tyr said. "I try to avoid girls I meet in places like this. Most are usually drunk."

At the thought of drinking, they all remembered their drinks. Tyr was happy to realize he guessed everyone's preferences right. "This is actually good," Twilight murmured.

"I kinda guessed at what you'd like to drink," Tyr said with a shrug. "Hope I didn't upset anyone."

"Well, it's a first for me," Twilight assured him.

"I don't drink often enough to have a preference," AJ admitted.

Tyr sipped at his own drink, a simple ginger ale. "This is absolutely marvelous, darling," Rarity said. "You are quite the competent man."

"I get suspicious whenever you compliment me," He replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Like I said, I noticed a lot of women casting some… forlorn gazes after you. Any catch your eye?" She leaned in conspiratorially.

"A few," Tyr told a half truth. "But like I said, I don't pick up drunk chicks."

"Guess I better start drinking," Dash said with a laugh. Tyr shot her a glare, but didn't bite the bait. AJ defended him in his stead.

"Not nice, Rainbow."

"What? I was joking. But not about the drinking part."

It was something Tyr hadn't experienced in a long time. Drinking with friends. The six girls were a lot of fun, he had to admit. Pinkie dropped in and out as time went on, alternating between hanging out at the table and dancing wildly. At one point, he found himself being dragged along. And then he was lost. "Oh great," He sighed, stuck on the other side of the club. It wasn't a huge distance to the table, but a crowd isolated him through sheer mass of bodies. A few Equestrian girls took him off to the side, engaging in some small talk. One of them, a peppy silver haired one, seemed to be interested in him, but he couldn't particularly say the same. Suddenly, Pinkie was back at his side.

"Tyr! I lost you!"

"You… Lost me?"

"Yeah! We were dancing, and then I looked, and then you were gone! I wasn't worried, but it was surprising you managed to sneak away from me."

"Sneak away…? Pinkie, you ditched me!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yes huh!"

"Um… is this your date or something?" the silver haired girl said.

"No way Jose!" Pinkie said immediately. "Tyr, meet Sugar Twist. Tyr here is my friend!"

Tyr personally felt that he'd die trying to keep up with Pinkie if they were dating. Sugar seemed to come to the same conclusion. "Then, if you're free…?"

"Come on!" Pinkie dragged Tyr away by the arm. As rude as it was to simply walk off like that, he felt it would have been even more awkward to let down Sugar Twist like that. When they returned to the table, Tyr was shocked at what he saw. Applejack was circling the drain, somewhere in the gap between passed out and conscious. Twilight was giggling at a joke only she knew, and didn't seem anywhere close to stopping. Rarity was missing, and Rainbow Dash was passed out in Fluttershy's lap. Tyr was amazed to find the shy girl was the only one seemingly okay.

"What… happened while I was gone?"

"Twilight suggested we have more drinks after you… um… vanished," Fluttershy offered. "I tried to tell them to pace themselves, but…"

"I'm guessing they didn't hear you."

"…No."

Tyr looked around. "And Rarity?" Fluttershy simply pointed. Tyr followed her finger to see Rarity dancing wildly with Pinkie. "…I… wow."

AJ suddenly dropped, Tyr only managing to barely catch her before she slammed her face onto the table. He gently lowered her. "…Maybe it's time to go," Fluttershy offered helpfully.

"You may be right."

"Aw, is it time to go?" Pinkie suddenly appeared. "I was having so much fun…"

"…Pinkie, are you drunk too?"

"Who me? I hardly drank a drop!"

The thought that Pinkie was naturally the way she was horrified Tyr.

-x-

"I don't want to go to a bar again," Twilight groaned. It was the next day and Tyr was back in the library, this time fixing a printer.

"You did drink quite a bit," Tyr remarked.

"I just never expected this…" Twilight groaned again. Spike appeared with an ice pack and she put it on her forehead. "Oh…"

Tyr packed up his tools. "I'm finished here. I'm stopping by Rarity's. You hear how she's doing?"

"No, but no doubt better off than me."

Twilight might never know how wrong she was. The Rarity that greeted Tyr at Carousel Boutique's front door was not the usual. She looked as though the alcohol hadn't yet fully worked itself out of her system. She greeted him as normal, directed him to where he needed to work, and then fell silent. Tyr felt just a tad bit awkward. "So… Rarity. About last night…"

The fashionista stiffened up. "Tyr. Darling. We will not speak of last night."

"…We won't?"

She got up and stalked over to him, pushing her face an inch away from his. "I have all manner of sharp cutting implements within arm's reach Tyr. I made an absolute fool of myself, and I will not, I repeat, will not have anyone know. The only people who know are you, Pinkie, and Fluttershy. Dear Shy would never do anything to hurt me, and Pinkie promised me she wouldn't either. You are a gentleman Tyr, and I hope that you would agree to the same, darling."

Tyr took a slow, deep breath. "…I was too busy carrying Rainbow Dash to see anything," He offered.

"…Good." Rarity straightened up. Her hand snapped to her forehead. "I apologize for being so… harsh today darling, but you must understand."

"No, I understand. I'll finish up quick and head home." Tyr stayed true to his word. Dealing with hung over people was not something he wanted to do. Before long, he was comfortably back home. "Sherry, I'm home!"

"Hey, Dad!" Sherry appeared at the top of the steps. "You have fun last night?"

"I guess you could say that," He said, coming up. As he got to the top of the stairs, Luna stepped out of the game room door. "Hey, Luna. I didn't know you were here."

"I decided to pay Sherry a visit." She glanced around. "Also… if it is alright with you, I would like to speak with you in private."

Sherry took the hint and went back into the game room. Luna and Tyr moved a bit off to the side. "So, I'm going to hazard a guess and assume this is about last night?"

"Yes. I felt my apology was… lacking."

"Lacking?"

"I wanted to formally apologize. I'm sorry for lying about my reasons for—"

"It's alright," Tyr said, cutting her off. "You having a job as a bartender was a bit surprising. What made you choose that?"

"I'm quite restless at night," She said. "So finding employment was… important."

"You did tell me you were getting help from your older sister."

"I do not want to stress Tia. I can take care of myself."

Tyr leaned up against a wall. "Alright, I can understand that. Just be careful. A lot of unsavory types go to places like that."

"I understand. I shall be ever vigilant."

"So, when do you have to go to work?"

"In a couple hours."

"Well, go ahead and play with Sherry. Don't let me keep you."

"You won't be joining us?"

"No, I have… some stuff I need to organize." Tyr headed into his room. Luna watched him for a moment, before going back into the game room.

"Sherry," She said, sitting down. "Is something wrong with Tyr?"

"Hm? I haven't noticed anything. Have you?"

"I don't know. He just seems a bit more… reserved than usual."

Sherry glanced at the system date on the PS3. "Oh! Oh… it's today."

"What is today?"

"He told me after our little game night." Sherry lowered her voice. "Today is the anniversary of his parents' deaths…"

Luna stood up quickly and strode out of the room. She went over to Tyr's closed door. Without hesitation, she knocked twice. A moment passed, and then Tyr was at the door. "What is it, Luna?" He asked, a soft smile on his face. She stared at him for a long moment. Then, without warning, she hugged him. "…Luna?"

She pulled away after an awkward pause, nervously looking away. "I was told once that when someone was grieving, you should hug them."

"Grieving…?" Tyr pieced things together. "Sherry told you."

"I apologize."

"No, it's… fine. I needed that." He smiled. "For someone who thinks I'm weird, you're weird."

"What? I am not weird!"

Tyr laughed. Luna felt a strange feeling rise in her at hearing it. "You came over here and gave me a hug without saying anything. You didn't need to."

"…I… felt it was necessary." She blushed slightly. "I will be going to work early today. Goodbye, Tyr."

"Be safe, Luna."

"Aw, leaving already?" Sherry peeked out of the game room. "Well, see you later, Luna."

"Goodbye, Sherry." Luna gave Tyr one last glance before hurrying out of the house.

Sherry came over to her adoptive father. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing really. Hey… you want to take a trip to meet my parents?"

"Rarity," A soft voice called. Fluttershy peeked into the closed boutique. She slipped inside, hoping that Rarity was actually around. "Rarity…"

"Fluttershy, is that you?"

Fluttershy jumped at the sound of her name. Rarity was standing at the foot of the stairs leading to her work rooms. "Oh, Rarity, I just… I had come to check up on you…"

"I almost didn't hear you, darling. Thank you for coming to check in on me, but I'm fine."

"Twilight was taking her hangover hard, so…"

"Oh dear, I wasn't hung over. I was just embarrassed."

"It was… kinda fun watching you dance."

Rarity blushed. "Oh, don't remind me. I made a fool out of myself."

"…I like it," Fluttershy said, but her quiet voice was lost.

"Oh, I'm never going out drinking again!" Rarity thought for a moment. "Speaking of drinking, how are you?"

"Oh, I don't get drunk that easily."

"I see. Well, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have work to do."

"Um… can I help?"

Rarity blinked. "Help? Of course you can help! Why, your clothing expertise almost rivals my own…"

As Rarity went on and on, Fluttershy was more focused on the original reason she had come to the boutique.

It was late when Luna finally finished her shift. Not that it bothered her, she liked her job, and the late hours didn't bother her. But the walk home was another thing. She wished she had a bike like Tyr at moments like these, so she could just zip on home. "I cannot afford a luxury like that yet," she said aloud. "So I will have to make do with what I have. And that is… my legs."

As she walked on, she was oblivious to a pair of eyes watching her every step.