Fallen Light
The brisk night air sent chills down the spine of a daydreaming, distant Red. In the silent Canterlot night he stood, gazing out over his appartment balcony. It was almost disturbing - the cacophony of wind eddies rolling across the stretching nothingness.
Red looked down and shifted his battered hooves. A small drop of blood trickled down his muzzle and found its way off the end of his sweat soaked nose. Red eyed pensively the splat that it formed on the stone floor.
A single pill lay on the handrail in front of him. Red took a deep breath, savouring the scent of the air that tickled his nostrils. He grasped the pill in his left hoof, readying himself.
* * *
*Gulp*
Red knocked back the last of his coffee. A faint taste of cigarette butts and mud lingered in his mouth. He exhaled briefly, before noticing the waitress emerge from the kitchens at the back of the restaurant.
"Heya, hon." She timidly greeted. Even after she had known Red for months, she was still so... threatened around the pony who came every day at midnight for five cups of coffee and half a slice of apple pie.
Red forced a smile. Trying to come across as pleasant as possible seemed for him to be an everyday struggle around Canterlot. He nimbly picked up his fork and played meagrely with the pie in front of him. The waitress, known as Fayla (as far as he could tell), was about to start wiping down the bar with a wet cloth, before Red cleared his dust ridden throat and spoke up.
"So, Fayla, what's it like working the nightshift?" She jumped slightly at the sound of her name, and her eyes shot up to meet his.
"Oh.. uh.. yeah it's ok I guess... I'm only really awake at night, so I don't get to go out much..." she looked utterly forlorn, to put it bluntly. As naturally as possible but she kept her cool, and continued cleaning up the counter, wiping invisible dirt into a pale grey cloth.
"Yeah... I don't go out much either. That is, during the day, anyway.. heh..because you know how what with what happened... with some ponies... um..." Red paused for a moment realising the content of his own words, and nervously peered at the clock above the drinks display.
"Three O' clock? Shit dude, where did the time go? Haha." Red reached for his satchel which sat on the stool next to him. Fumbling with it for what seemed like an eternity, he eventually opened the leather cover. He grabbed his wallet as smoothly as possible and steadied his shaking hooves. He started to grit his teeth as he attempted to open his wallet. His hands were shaking violently and slipped occasionally, sending a few coins exploding from his wallet.
"Oh FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE!" Red exclaimed. He took a deep breath calming himself, and quickly peered up at Fayla. After meeting each others' eyes for a brief instant, Red shot up instantly and darted towards the door as fast as he could, hiding his face as best he could, and ignoring any objections he heard behind him.
"Wait! Red?!" Came a voice from over his shoulder.
"Just keep it!" He snapped, and bolted out the front door, not looking back.
* * *
*Flick*... *flick*...*sizzle*
Red reclined in his bed, and let the warm nicotine soothe his nerves quietly. His closed his eyes, taking a long drag.
"Phhhewww..." He set it back down on the ashtray.
"...And it looks like the weather tomorrow will mostly be rain and clouds, sorry folks. Anyway, back to you in the studio." The faint glimmering light of the television was the only presence that filled the room, as the rain battered against the side of the window adjacent to the balcony. The balcony itself was covered, but the howling winds blew the rainfall at an angle into the window, emitting a rather fitting accompaniment to the room Red lay in.
He held a copy of his favourite book in-hoof, simultaneously staring blankly at the TV screen and soaking in the flickering colours. His eyes gradually felt heavier as the fatigue of a long and cold day settled in. A wave of, almost a warm feeling engulfed Red's body as he felt himself drift off, slowly.
His vision blurred as his eyelids met, then he saw nothing.
**
"Red! What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind!? Don't you dare come any closer! You stupid piece of shi-"
"GAHH!"
His eyes sprung open, and he grabbed his head in his hooves. A trickle of sweat dripped down the side of his cheek, and a lingering, pounding headache rushed back to him, reminding him of the feeling of being awake.
*Knock* *Knock* a visitor interrupted his recuperation.
...
"Y...Yes?" Red shakily exclaimed.
"It's me, Luna." Came a familiar voice from behind the apartment door. Once Red calmed himself down, he swung out of bed and made his way dreamily to the door.
From behind it, Luna listened intently to his movements. She waited quietly as an almost comic amount of locks were undone. Eventually the doorknob twisted and the door flung open, revealing a shattered looking pony.
"I saw you running back like a bat out of hell from the coffee shop. Is... is everything alright?" Luna's concern grew as she looked Red up and down.
He cleared his throat, and tried his best to speak. "Yeah... I mean, I just lost my temper... 'cause I was tired. That's all."
Luna kept her eyes fixated on him.
"Look, I haven't had a good night's sleep since as long as I remember. It's uhh... kind of a bad time to drop by, Luna. I was just - "
"Red."
"Uhm.. Yes?"
"I've known you since you were 3 years old, and I can tell when something isn't right." Luna's tone of voice was changing as the conversation continued.
"I'm just really tired. That's all. I swear."
Luna was hesitant to believe him, but she saw no reason in pushing him.
"If you say so. But if anyone is giving you trouble, you come and tell me as soon as you can." At this, Red stopped fidgeting and looking at the ground, and looked right up into Luna's eyes.
"Why... were you expecting someone to be 'giving me trouble', as you put it?"
"No... no. I just don't want to you to feel like you can't talk to me. I mean... some ponies up here in these parts of Equestria don't like the fact that you're associated with royalty, that's all. Please don't be affected by pitiful jealousy."
Red broke eye contact and gazed back down at the floor, her words ringing through his brain like a deafening echo.
"Goodnight, Luna."
Author's Note - I didn't realise how hard it is to capture Luna's personality and dialogue, as well as writing events in third person. Expect more 2nd person stuff before I continue with this story. Feedback appreciated.
Red closed the door as softly as he could, leaving a perturbed Luna standing awkwardly in the dead of night. She sighed slowly and gave up.
Luna turned around and approached the railing behind her, staring pensively at the marble pathway beneath her hooves. She outstretched her dark cerulean wings and took flight, gliding back to the Palace Watchtower to finish her night duty.
"I do hope that colt is OK... bah! What am I saying? He just needs to find a job or something somewhere around Canterlot and find some friendlier ponies. I'm sure he'll be fine."
Inside, Red drifted into the bathroom and inspected himself in the mirror. His short, dirty brown mane fell to one side of his forehead. He ran a hoof through it, massaging his pounding head gently.
"Tomorrow."
He leaned over the sink and drew his face closer to his foggy reflection. He looked sternly into his own eyes, trying his hardest to convince himself of what he was about to say.
"Tomorrow will be different. I promise."
* * *
"So... what could you offer to the "Canterlot Cup", young man, that would benefit the establishment?"
Red paused, studying his possible answers. The interviewer seated behind the flashy looking desk wore a pair of fake designer sunglasses, despite the weather being cold and rainy, and it being a few weeks before Winter Wrap Up.
"Well...*cough*, I, uh, I'm a hard worker, always... y'know... keen to learn! As they say."
A thick silence filled the air.
"Um, also, I-"
"Let me stop you right there, kiddo. I've heard that same horseshit from all our employees. Let me ask you again. What can you offer to this wonderful coffee serving establishment?
He leaned back in his chair instantly, as if avoiding an oncoming missile, and hovered a clipboard and pen in front of him.
Red gawked at his interviewer, unsure which direction the conversation was heading in.
"Well... I'm looking to be a good leader. I've spent a lot of time avoiding society and escaping from my world. And I want that to change as soon as possible. This place might only seem like a coffee shop on the outside, plain and ordinary. But I'll bet any money that there's a whole world, that I have yet to discover.
Red felt like he was no longer speaking to anyone, rather speaking to his own ears.
The executive leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk, comprehending thouroughly what had just been said.
"You know... I like that way of thinking. The more you put into something, the more you get out of it."
Red nodded quickly. "Absolutely, sir."
The pony looked down and nodded in accedement.
"So!" He threw his hoofs together, hearty clearing his throat. "Do you have any form of resume?"
Red felt a sinking feeling fall through him. "No, actually. I haven't got any credentials whatsoever." He watched his interviewer frown and spin slowly left to right in his office chair.
He sighed deeply and removed his expensive glasses and set them deliberately and carefully on the desk. "You see, the problem is that I feel this company could use more ponies like you. Unfourtunately I don't have any gauge on your capabilities."
It was Red's turn to be disappointed and he started to get up on his hooves. "I'm sorry for wasting your - "
"BUT!"
They both stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity.
"Listen Red, one of our baristas... Fayla I think her name is... she could use an assistant of some sort I suppose. I'll let her teach you the art of crafting one of our world famous brews."
Red had to stop himself from erupting with joy. "That would be amazing!" He returned, trying his best to contain himself. He forced a crooked smile at the pony behind the desk. His smile dropped slightly when something struck him.
"I'm sorry, but I never got your name?"
"It's Rayban."
***
"See? And then you push the 'add froth' button. That's for ponies who order cappuccino."
Fayla pressed the button and let the hot, bubbly milk fall into the muddy mixture. "Got it so far?"
Red snapped out of his gaze on the stained cup underneath the nozzle. "Oh! Uh, yeah. Cappucino, froth, hot, Sundays, No fat chicks... wait what were we talking about again?"
Fayla stared at him as if he had just mixed the decaf with the regular, before cracking a toothy grin and punching his shoulder.
"You're funny! We need more funny people around this bleak town."
Red patted the ground and fake a giggle. "Yeah, maybe, heh."
"Cmon, let me show you how to use the mop!"
With a grin on his face, Red followed the mare to the next tutorial.
***
"...and then she showed me how to make a cappuccino and use a mop! It was brilliant!" Red rolled over on his duvet and sighed with relief. Luna sitting opposite him on the spare bed smiled pleasantly as she listened to his excited account on his first day on the job.
"Well, I'm glad you like it! This Fayla lady... is she pretty?" Luna asked, grinning.
"Well, um, yeah, she's okay I guess. I dunno, I never really- well that is, yeah she's hot." Red stumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
Luna giggled, and got up off the bed. "Well, I suppose I should be leaving you to get some sleep now."
Red watched her make her way to the front door of his apartment. Before opening it, she turned to look over her shoulder.
"I'm really happy for you, Red."
"Thanks Luna." He smiled back.
She looked back, as if to say something, but she paused, turned around, and left.
That night, Red slept better than he could ever remember.
