Author's Note

This story goes out to my very good friend EvanZeGeek, who requested me to do this story as a Mother's Day special, even though it's not Mother's Day yet. Anyways, thanks for your patience and support, remember to stay tuned for more chapters and keep bronying on

Bonding at the Bar

Flash Magnus, a 42-year-old retired U.S Military Veteran, has been through tough times. He's done wonders for his country and the people around him. And what was the thanks he got out of all of this? Simple: a back-stabbing wife who cheated on him while he was out in a war. He found out about her affair from his good friends, Mistmane and Rockhoof and eventually took this to court one day. And to make things worse, she ruined Flash's dream of having his very own son, but that will never happen now.

Now, he's been divorced for 18 years and has trust issues with certain people. Therefore, he had to distance himself from the world for at first until he was 100% ready to face it again. And what better place for him to help take care of his anger than in Canterlot City. Right now, he and his old friends were hanging at his house, reminiscing this and that and having such a good time.

He and his other 6 friends, Stygian, Rockhoof, Starswirl, Somnambula, Mistmane and Meadowbrook are all in his living room, watching some old movies and having a few drinks. and some grub Flash ordered. The spoke mostly about the good ol' days and about what they've been doing recently. Flash had started off with his recent war stories, going in specific detail about what he and his men had to do. It struck his old friends as surprising, considering the dangers he faced. And once he was finally done...

"But enough about me, what have you guys been up to?" Flash Magnus asked.

"If you must know, life as a university professor is no cake walk. So many promising young students and yet, some of them hardly find time to study or pay attention to my lectures. And Flash, my friend, if you were 20 years younger, you would definitely have my work cut out for me," Starswirl said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Flash asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No need to get defensive," said Rockhoof in his thick Scottish accent. "I should tell you how tough work has been for me as of late. I've had to dig big holes in the ground, either in forms of rectangles, squares, round ones or weirdly shaped ones on my own," he said, slamming his beefy palms on his bulky arms. "But at the end of the day, nothing makes it better than a nice bite to eat, refreshing water and a nice comfy bed."

"As for being a private tutor, it isn't so bad. I mean, some students who are falling behind usually come to me for help, so my schedule is usually booked for 3 whole months," Stygian said.

"That's quite the feat, dear Stygian. But tell me, have you all thought of taking yoga classes? It does wonders to relax the mind and body after undergoing strenuous activities. I could even send in a few of my yoga DVDs to you all if you ever need them most," Somnambula said.

"Oh, that would be lovely," Mistmane said. "I wouldn't mind it at all. Being the owner of a green house doesn't come easy when you've got over hundreds of plants and flowers to help keep in bloom."

"I can second that. Today's modern medicine can only do so much for these good people. That's why owning my very own medicine shop can be quite a hassle. Why, just last week, this poor boy caught a terrible illness and his family didn't have the funds to treat him. Luckily, I had a vile with the perfect cure for them and sold it to his parents for a reasonable price. The following week after that, I got a visit from that very same boy. He gave me the biggest hug and told me he was grateful for what I did," Meadowbrook said.

Everyone in the room gave out an "aww" for what Meadowbrook has done. In face, he was happy with what they've been doing these past couple of decades. Life always comes with challenges and these guys certainly know exactly what it's like in this big old world. "Anyways, how about you, Flash? Have you found anything to do now that you're a retired veteran?" Mistmane asked.

"I guess you could say that. I did manage to get a job as a bartender. The hours are a little long, but the pay is pretty good to say the least. Though, it can get a little rough when the place gets wild with drunken morons trying to pick a fight with me or each other. And yet, despite having this new job, I still haven't been able to get... that woman out of my head," he replied, gritting his teeth. His friends all shared their sympathy with him after the hardships he's had to endure for so long. "I'm still pissed off after I was cheated on, but I'm doing everything I can to make sure it doesn't get in the way of what's important."

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it," Stygian said, making everyone in the room laugh.

"I see what you did there," Flash said. "Anyways, what do you say we drink a toast? To old friends getting together, having a good time." he raised his can of beer, as did the others with their drinks. Afterwards they all drank up and continued to converse throughout the night until they were sober enough to drive home.

Another week has gone by since the little get-together and tonight, Flash Magnus had today and tomorrow off, yet he didn't know what to do in his spare time. So, to pass the time, he visited one of the bars in the city, having a few good drinks. This particular bar wasn't the one he worked at, but it was slightly cheaper to drink at than the one he works at currently.

He sat at the bar table, drinking a glass of whiskey. Then, suddenly, he hears a voice right next to him. "This is just one of those days," she said. And she didn't sound too happy. Flash looked to his left and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her skin was a whitish, yellowish color with sparkling ruby red eyes and snow white, soft and smooth hair. She had an hourglass figure and flat stomach and a rocking F-cup cleavage and looked to be in her late 30s.

Though, due to the fact that she was feeling down, Flash knew that now wasn't the time to start flirting, so he just talked to her like a normal person.

"Hey, what's the matter? Life beating you down?" he asked. The lady turned to look at Flash in confusion, then back at the selection of drinks. "Not feeling like talking, huh? I can respect that." he said, taking a sip of his whiskey and turning his attention away from her.

"If you only knew what I've been through," she replied.

Flash instantly looked back at her. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I... don't see why not," she hesitated a little. "But... I'm kind of low on cash."

"Say no more, I've got it covered. Just let me know what you want," Flash said. The woman glanced at him and put on a soft, small smile.

"White wine," she said.

"Got it," he said, then turning his attention to the bartender. "Excuse me, I'd like for you to give this lady a glass of white wine, on me." The bartender gave him a thumbs up and did just that. He placed the bottle and the glass in front of the lady. She took the glass and took a few sips.

"I needed this. Thank you, umm..." she said.

"My name's Flash Magnus. And you?" he asked.

"Aqua Stream," she replied.

"Wow, that's a beautiful name," he said.

Aqua blushed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." the two of them continued to drink and then...

"So what's gotten you feeling so down?" Flash asked.

"Psh, I was contacted by my ex-boyfriend. He told me he wanted to make amends with me, but he didn't even find time to get his life straightened out. When I told him no, he completely flipped. I knew he hadn't changed, not since that night when we had sex and completely turned his back on me and our unborn son. And yes, I'm a single mother, my son is all grown up and he has a girlfriend he loves very much," Aqua explained.

"The problem with most of us guys is that we jump into things unprepared. What he did was unforgivable, I will agree with you on that," Flash said.

"That's not the half of it. Ever since my son and his girlfriend have been dating, I wanted to give my love life a shot, so I tried to socialize with a few people. I did land a few dates, but they were never interested in getting to know me, they just wanted my body. UGH, some men are just a bunch of PIGS!" Aqua growled. She took a minute to calm down and then looked back at Flash. "So, what's your story?"

"You'd be surprised what I'm about to share," he said before giving her his story.

"2 years I was married to this beautiful woman. For 24 years, I've served in the U.S Military, worked my way up in the ranks and fought a lot of wars, yadda, yadda, yadda. But one day, when I came home to my wife, she wasn't alone in our bedroom which pissed me off. I still remember the look on her face. She looked like she was enjoying it and all I could do was grab her lover and pulverize him. I've been divorced for about 18 years. That woman tried to apologize, but I wouldn't have it, so I cut off all contact with her. Worst part is... she crushed my dream of one day blessing us with our own child."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said.

"Thanks, but there's nothing I can do now other than try and move on. It's funny... after all these years, I've always been wondering what being a parent would be like, but..." Flash paused, trying to find the right words to finish his sentence. Aqua seemed to understand clearly.

"Let me guess, how can you have a child of your own when your wife was banged by someone else? Is that exactly what you were about to say?" Aqua asked. Flash glared at his cup, gripping it tightly. "Tell me, did you and your wife ever make love before she cheated?"

"Yeah, but at the start of our marriage, we did it using condoms. Over time, she took pills to prevent getting pregnant too early and then when she didn't take pills and I didn't use protection, we did it on her safe days, and we usually did this anytime I came home from the wars. I was warned by my colleagues that for a U.S military soldier, some marriages don't last forever. They couldn't be more right. I can't believe I was an idiot to marry someone who woulld do that to me!"

"No, you're not the one at fault here. She gave up on your marriage. She's the one who's the blame, she's the idiot, not you, do you understand, Flash?" Aqua asked. "Marriage doesn't always work out for everyone, that's a fact we all have to live with in the end."

"I suppose you're right," Flash calmed down again, then looked directly at Aqua. "You know, I gotta tell you, Aqua, you're an amazing woman. I don't get why people overlook you. Maybe one of these days, we can get together and have another friendly chat, or grab a bite to eat. But if you don't, then that's fine with me, it's your choice in the end after all."

Aqua blinked in surprise. "You mean it?" she asked.

"Of course I do. You're a fun great woman to hang out with," Flash said. In that moment, Aqua's eyes lit up as if she had been waiting for this moment for so long. She began to reach inside her purse and pull out a piece of paper and pen. She wrote down her number and gave it to Flash.

"There. If you want to get a hold of me, just give me a call," she said.

"You got it. Now how about another round of drinks on me?" he asked.

"Only if you can drive me home," she joked

Both of them share a good laugh and another shot of whiskey for Flash and white wine for Aqua, conversing and having a great time enjoying each other's company. Needless to say, Flash and Aqua had an amazing time throughout the night. And who knows, one of these days they might get what they've always wanted. But for now, Aqua and Flash were just both happy and lucky enough to become good friends.

And if all goes well, their friendship'll blossom into something even stronger.