I sling drink

"Vladamir, do you see him?"

"Take shot?"

"Take shot, I have pickup,"

I took aim down the street, "Good night sooka," I pulled the trigger, the man in the street stumbled to the ground screaming in pain.

"Der'mo," Gregor took aim and quickly finished the man, "You hit his leg, aim for chest next time idiot!" Now it was back to rolling around over shattered glass and waiting for the next five hours.

Is warm again...is nice...not that I would ever say that. Her head was resting on my chest just poking out of the blanket. I decided to let her sleep for now, her breathing felt nice against my stomach. I looked around, it was only about five twenty...I can sleep more.

*Knock knock* "Vlad they won't let me in...Vlad?"

"Uh....is time," I scratched behind Nightshade's ears, "Wake....we need to get up," I gave her ear a quick tug, "Get up,"

"owowowowo! Ok ok!" I let her ear go, "Ow....good morning to you too," She said lifting herself up and rubbing her ear, "It's not really fair to do that...I mean I can't do that kind of thing to you..."

"Life is not fair....is better this way," I slid off my bed, "I like control, better this way,"

"...are you..."

"Keep mind out of gutter..." I quickly got ready for shower, "Filthy mind for such a little girl,"

"...I'm not little...and I'm not a girl...I'm a full grown mare,"

"....I will never say that...."

"Why not?" I started off to the bathroom, "You don't like ponies?"

"*grunt* no....is gay...."

"...." She stood in the hall between my room and the bathroom, "Really?"

"Yes....grown men speaking of short horses......is gay," I pulled the bathroom door shut and started the shower.

Nightshade pushed into the room, "Really? Are you serious? I mean....it....it's such a weird thing to worry about..."

"Why is that...."

"Homosexual males are really, really, rare,"

"...Putin's ideal...."

"Even if they are, they're bound by law to have a foal..."

"...your land is strange...like Netherlands....except they had drugs..."

"I don't even know what that is," She said perkily.

"Oh der'mo....I just remembered....Can you check to see if Ginger is still at door?"

"Ok...I guess," She walked out into the hall leaving the bathroom door open.

"Bliad'. You let heat out!" I finished my shower and quickly left the shower, "Stupid girl....is freezi-" I finished toweling off my head and lowered the towel, revealing two mares staring right at me, "..."

Nightshade was blushing madly while holding a hoof over her mouth, while Ginger looked me over, "So....that's what it looks like," She trotted off, "Well aren't you proud," Me and Nightshade just sat and stared at each other, I eventually reached out and slowly closed the door.

"....Khristos....pochemu oni smotryat na moy penis?" I finished drying off and half dressed, "Chto takoye bol'shoye delo? Eto prosto chlen..." I muttered to myself as I got dressed.

"...Vlad? You ok in there?" Nightshade knocked on my door, "Sorry about...you know," I quickly finished dressing and pushed into the hall.

"...why you sorry...is what you wanted no?"

"Well...not...not like that,"

"But you did, say it; you wanted to see my penis," I said rather annoyed.

She got completely flustered, "NO! I- shut up....I'll say that when you call me a princess,"

"I sooner die," I closed my bedroom door, "Fine...we say nothing about it,"

"Fine...wasn't that big anyways,"

"Yes it was!" Ginger yelled from the entry.

I ran into the entry, "IS IT, GINGER, FIRED!"

"Nope," she said dismissively.

"You are no longer my assistant! Sooka!"

"Zatknis', idiot..."

It took me a moment to realize what she said, "....fine, you stay..."

"See...I listen," she rolled around on a pile of blankets on the floor, "Where do you even get these things?"

"...home...wait! Bliad' is like toddler!" I pulled the blankets out from under her and threw them on the couch, "Are expensive!"

"they are also soft...what are they made out of," Nightshade quietly jumped up on the pile of blankets while me an ginger were talking.

"...bear,"

"...a bear? Like a big, mean, kill-"

"Yes...a bear,"

"....How are you still alive?"

"I did not ki-"

"She's right you know, you lived a weirdly painful life," Nightshade said cutting in, "Does she know your stories?"

"...you told her stories," Ginger said giving me eyes like a wounded dog, "You never tell me stories..."

"...what do you want me to tell you? How I spent hours crawling over rubble and glass in Chechnya?!"

"YES!"

"Fine! I once spent sixteen hours in one building waiting for enemy that came ten hours late, crawling over rubble and broken glass, trying not to lose my mind, then I was shot at for ten minutes and then another three hours of waiting..." I said shouting slightly, "Was fun time! I bring drinks, we made party of it!"

"...that wasn't a very good story,"

"No it wasn't! Is why I never tell it!"

"...Breakfast?" Nightshade cut in again, "Breakfast sounds good right?" I hadn't realized how close I had gotten to Ginger, we were nearly butting heads.

"...you want to tell me what to do, I tell you what to do, go cook," I told Ginger as I walked into the kitchen, "Come little one, we see if she can cook," Nightshade slowly followed me.

"Fine!" She galloped past me, "I can mix a drink, I can cook..." Ginger said, losing confidence near the end.

"HA," I filled a glass with water, "I will be ready when you catch fire," I pulled a seat out for myself and pushed one out with my foot for Nightshade, "Sit, this will be funny," She did, watching Ginger fumble with the stove top.

"...This isn't even fair, it's not an Equestrian stove!" She looked through my cabinets, "What are these things?" She said shaking a box of grahm crackers, I just covered my face and chuckled. She threw the box behind her and onto the stove, "...why are you humans eat so weirdly!"

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* the box of crackers had landed on the top of my electric range while she went through my food, "Ha!" I got up switched off the range and poured my cup of water over the burning box, "Phew....that smell..."

"..."

"So....should we eat out?" Nightshade asked as I dumped the crackers in the sink, "I mean-"

"...no I cook," I found a rag and cleaned the water off the stove, "Just making point..." I set out some cereal for Ginger and started cooking bacon for the two meat eaters, "Hopeless....perhaps I should find you stallion, maybe then you learn what mouth is for," I turned from the stove to look at Ginger, her mouth hanging open with a trickle of milk running from it, "...*tch-* your face...." I started crying, "Oh, der'mo, pffffhhff,"

"Unbelievable...."

"Your fucking face! AHAHA!" I had to leave the pan, "Wipe your face before I die!" She quickly rubber her muzzle, "Oh kristos...." I went back to the ready food and plated it, "Oh god...so is a no?" I took a seat inbetween my guests, "is shame, was good look for you," I snickered to myself.

Nightshade was smiling with a rather nervous grin, "Are...are you ok? I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that,"

"Yes...is fine, that was just very, very funny,"

Ginger finished her food quickly, "So...are we going to open the bar today..."

"What is day?"

"Friday,"

"...no, with all that has happened...and business has doubled since Monday, take day off,"

Ginger jumped off her chair and hurried out, "Why did I even come then?"

"To be fired, rehired, start a fire, and make me laugh, now go home," She mumbled something as she left, I turned to Nightshade, "...so...you are sister to guard,"

"Yep!" She bit the end of a strip of bacon, "This is good by the way,"

"Hmm, so...after what happened...should I speak with someone?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like the royal, to sort out what happened yesterday,"

"...If you think it will help, I have to be honest though I think you're safe,"

"I shot someone..." I said plainly.

"And didn't even blink before helping him...and given what has been going on...between you and nightguard..."

"Eh..." I shrugged, "I try to see royal, can do no harm," I took our freshly emptied plates to the sink and grabbed a bottle from an overhead cabinet, "How they say....to grease wheels?"

"What?" I plonked the bottle down on the table, "Ohhh...the good stuff,"

"...is coffee liqueur, is very common," I gave a quick look around, "Stay if you wish, I head out,"

"Here? Alone?"

"Yes, why not,"

"Well I-"

"I know what you think, we meet short time ago, things move fast...blah blah blah, I do not care, besides, what is to steal from this place?" She gave a wide appreciative grin, "Calm down....you are friend...remember that,"

"...not for long,"

"EH?!"

"Nothing!" She stood from her chair, "Go on get out of here, I'll take care of this place."

She pushed me out the door...I may have made a very poor decision.

"This way sir," The trio of guards escorted me through the castle, "And I'll be taking that," She snagged the bottle from me, "Do not worry, It shall reach lady Luna,"

"Da ok," We continued into a large waiting room.

"Wait here, I shall ask for a audience,"

"Be quick...I leave child terrorizing my home like idiot,"

"...ok then..." One of the guards left and the other two approached me.

"So, whats going on?"

"Yeah...you been ok?"

They asked trying to be friendly, "Is good," I said.

"Gotta be honest...I don't blame you for what you did,"

"If I heard it right you gave him plenty of warnings..."

I pulled over a nearby chair, "Eh...was idiot, I told him to leave, he did not,"

"Yeah...so you're not at the bar..."

"No...I come to deal with this today,"

"That's too bad, maybe tomorrow..."

"Yeah that Russian thing was good,"

"...why do you like them?" I asked.

The two guards looked at each other, "Do you not know? You know batponies are different right?"

"No...I thought you were just a sickly flying horse," I said sarcastically.

"...anyways, we like bitterness, "normal" ponies like sweetness more,"

"...oh...so is the coffee,"

The conversation took a quick lull, "...so...how did you find Equestria?"

"...I have nothing left back home, I hear of strange door in Newfoundland, I go to Canada and now I am here,"

"What's Canada?"

"only place that can compete with us in hockey,"

"What's hockey?"

"....I...I do not know how to explain to four legged person..." I said slightly flustered.

"She will see you know," The last guard came back into the lobby, "Were these two bothering you?"

"No, was good talk," I stood and started towards the big doors, "Is ok I leave?"

"Yes, we will be waiting for you here," I nodded and pressed through the doors opening into a rather enormous throne room.

"Oh...well," I hurried down through the room to the other end, admiring the stained glass as I walked.

"Hail Vladamir Sidorov," A voice boomed from the end of the room, "You come with concern,"

"Uh...hello...I suppose," I jogged to meet the voice, the royal was sitting in a rather large throne, "Wondering if you needed anything from me,"

"Regarding the stallion you repelled...it would appear that he was indeed the perpetrator of the attack on your business as well as the instigator of a few unruly patrons that might have appears recently,"

"Oh?"

"Indeed, as for ms Nightshade-"

"Huh?"

"Is she not part of why you came?"

"Not...intentionally," I said rubbing the back of my head.

"...she is quite enamored with you,"

"Yes, I can tell,"

"Your conviction is commendable," I felt my hand shoot to my ring again, turning it gently around my finger, "But...should you wish, you have my blessing,"

"...is...is poor time, perhaps in time..."

"Hmm, perhaps," She spread her wings and floated to the floor, "Come," She trotted past me to a set of windows, "The windows tell the tales of Equestria and it's people."

She pointed out some rather striking windows, "This...this is bad history isn't it," The glass depicted batponies howling in pain as the moon rose overhead.

The royal hung her head, "The Batponies....they are one result of the banishing of Nightmare moon." She walked me to another, "When Nightmare moon was banished...she changed all her followers to better serve the night...it is part of the reason for the social stigma against them,"

"I...I do not understand?"

"When Nightmare moon was banished the batponies were left without reason, they were brought to Canterlot to contain them," She walked further to a newer looking window, "With my return the batponies were given new life, but there are many who still see them as worshipers of Nightmare moon,"

"...Does not matter...prejudice is not my business,"

"And that is why they go to you, you do not judge them, you are seen as a defender, a friend of the night,"

"...is your doing?"

"It is, I do apologize,"

"...bring in much business, do not apologize," We slowly wandered back to the throne.

"I appreciate your understanding, you are doing a good thing,"

"I do nothing...I serve drinks,"

"It is what you represent,"

"A drunk?"

"..." She actually appeared flustered for a moment, "I...I was not expecting that,"

"...so....Nightshade?"

"Oh yes!" She looked relived to be away to a new topic, "Care for her, and understand you are her hero, whether you wish it or not,"

"...is not all..."

"Excuse me?"

"...how to say....is very interested in my body..." I gestured to my lower half, She just lowered her head and let her hair fall over her face, "...I leave now," I said turning away from her.

"Before you go. I wish for you to have this," A small box was levitated to me, "A symbol of my thanks for caring for my subjects," I slowly opened the box, inside it lay a pin, "May you always find friendship in myself and my subjects,"

"Spasibo, is very generous," I slowly walked out, "Huh...is nice," The pin was a silver crescent moon encircled by a wreath.

"What the hell?" I walked into my home, "Where is stuff?"

Nightshade popped out of my kitchen, "Just organizing," I looked around my entry, the blankets were folded and the room was near spotless.

"...this is what you do with free time?"

"You don't like it?"

"...is kind gesture...but I feel you have ulterior motive,"

"No...." She quickly met me in the entry adorn with an apron hanging to the floor, "...hi,"

"...perhaps you should spend this night at your home,"

"Why!?" the apron fell from her, "...it's not as sexy when I do it...is it?"

"..." I slammed my palm into my forehead, "How old are you even?!"

"How old are you?" She mimicked.

"Old...to old for you,"

"Wanna bet?"

"No,"

"Come on...just once,"

"No!" I held my hand up again, "I told you!"

"...She'd want you to move on," I felt a strange rage overcome me for a moment.

"...what do you know of anything,"

"She obviously loved you...do you really think she wants to see you unhappy,"

"...leave..."

"Vlad I-"

"Or stay...does not matter," I walked past her into my room. I quickly locked the door, "Think on your words...they have weight you do not understand,"

She started scratching at my door, "Vlad I'm sorry!" She pulled at the handle, "Vlad please, I'm sorry!"

"Think about what you...perhaps in time you will learn what is correct," I quickly undressed and laid in bed.

"Vlad let me in, Vlad I'm sorry! Vlad..."

"Even if you are correct about her thoughts...you overstepped your bounds...think on this," The scratching at my door slowly died away, I quickly fell asleep. It felt bad to leave her alone...but I must stand my ground.