Nakazaniye

The job turned out to be even simpler than I expected. When reading about packing packages in the paper, I thought of it as some play of words or a local inside joke, maybe. It wasn't, though. I literally had to take packages of two different sizes, unfold the larger one, put about twenty of the smaller ones inside (those were still folded), then seal the large one with some tape, and move on to the next.

It still felt like a sick joke, but at least the payment seemed right. According to contract, I'd receive a solid six-hundred each month. That sounded like a fair deal. So, before I was going to judge the entire task, I'd first have to see on how consistent the money was. Though boring and tiring it may have been. Or something like that.

There were two other ponies on the line with me, a mare and a stallion, to be precise. Why our employer earlier referred to them as the boys was beyond me, though. I didn't really bother to learn their names. Chances were, I wouldn't ever need to call them over for anything. And I couldn't find anything particularly interesting that made me want to talk to them, either. The mare was a good deal older than me, and the stallion despite being about my age, wasn't a very attractive one. I'm pretty arrogant about standards when it comes to these things. Which might be a bad thing, but I don't really care about it.

What I cared about was getting paid. And probably something, which rhymes with that...anyhow. Eight hours of pointless labor a day, interrupted by a half hour of lunch sometime around noon better be worth it. Lunch break was just about long enough to get one or two daisy sandwiches chewed up at the cafe across the block. More importantly, it meant thirty valuable minutes each day that I didn't have to spent doing something that bored me to death. And all of us could still go home at five, so I guess the job was only seven and a half hours. Not every employment comes with that kind of privilege, and I tried my best to recognize and cherish it. I really did.

I kept going and pulled through, telling myself how the paycheck would justify the means. Three full days, I went on like that. For these three days, I played the part of the happy little citizen that Equestria always wants to see. Doing their job, getting their pay, building a better future. Something like that. It was a challenge too, it really was.

When my shift ended on Wednesday night however, I decided I deserved some recognition for keeping up the good work. A self-proclaimed pat on the shoulder, so to speak. I had finished off more than two-hundred package packages that week, and I already felt sick by just looking at them. If I weren't so lethargic, I'd have wondered what in Equestria ever happened to each of these after I finished them. But I didn't care.

There was a liquor store about halfway to my place, and I had already taken a few curious peeks at it during the past two days. It wasn't until today's evening that I decided to take a look around inside, just for the hell of it. Maybe they had some decent products to sale. Or maybe they just offered the stuff that I could afford. Either way, I promised myself it was going to be an interesting ride, going in. I eventually ended up wasting the last bit of my cash on two bottles of white wine. I think it was three years old at the time, but it might have been four or five. I'm not sure why I bought it, or even why I needed two bottles instead of just one. Probably because I couldn't think of anything more useful to spend my money on.

I went straight on home from there, both bottles tucked into a paper bag, which was now dangling from my mouth. It seemed like the most reasonable thing to do. After all, there wasn't anything else I could have done without any means of payment left for anything. And anything just about describes the things that don't come for free in Manehattan. So, I decided I'd rather go home and cherish the things that I already paid for.

I entered the building with a slight rumbling coming from my stomach. Of course, I hadn't eaten anything all day, safe for the scarce breakfast this morning and the sandwiches for lunch. I tried to ignore the hunger for now, seeing as the wine would somehow get me through the evening. I had no idea how many calories either of these bottles contained, but they should be sufficient. Then again, they only had me covered for tonight. After that, I would quickly lack the means to get any more food, safe for breakfast. And even that would only last until Sunday. After that, my week in the hotel that I'd paid for would be over already.

Seeing it from this perspective, my earlier decisions might have been a little short-sighted.

I shrugged off the thought, and proceeded up the stairs. I had managed to spot an out of order sign on the ground floor the day before, which told me that the elevator really was broken. Staircase it was, then. Each and every day. But compared to this new job of mine, the routine of charging up an endless spiral of stairs didn't cause me much of a disturbance.

When I arrived on the eighth floor, I greeted the mare at the counter with a simple nod. Or at least, I tried to do so. She didn't look up from whatever it was she was currently working on, so she probably hadn't even noticed me. I initially wanted to speak up and greet her out loud as a result. But I figured I'd just be making an idiot out of myself, and just kept going on ahead. As always, I hardly met anypony else out in the hallways. In this place, it seemed like nopony ever left their room for mere socializing. If someone walked to and fro across the corridors, they were either headed out or going to have breakfast. Neither of which was the case, right now.

I headed straight for my room, where I tossed the bag with my shopping items on the bed. I first thought about taking another bath, but I didn't really feel like it. I don't know why. Sometimes, I'm just not into things which I'd otherwise enjoy. Which may sound weird, but that's the way it is.

Turning back towards my latest purchase instead, I fumbled around my saddlebags for a good five minutes or so, in search of my corkscrew. I always carried one of those around with me. They can come in handy pretty much whenever, but mostly when it comes to opening bottles. And that was where the challenge lay, right now. An exhale of relief left my muzzle when I finally found it between all the other trash. I already thought I'd lost that one, too. Good thing I hadn't.

Without further ado, I fell back onto my haunches, back gently rested against my mattress. I pulled one of the bottles out of its bag, then got to work on it right after. It's easy to feel jealous about unicorns at times like these. With all their magical abilities, they probably wouldn't even have to use a tool. They could just do a little pulling-thing with their horn, and no damage done. Yet here I was, clenching the screw between my teeth, while slowly and carefully turning the bottle counter-clockwise direction, my jaws pushing downward.

Again, the whole procedure, though successful it was, must have looked incredibly stupid. I always feel like a moron with things that would be so much easier to handle with telekinesis. Surely, there were perks to being an earth pony, but I failed to see them. There also were some ponies who told me I should cherish the special connection to the earth beneath our hooves, which my race particularly enjoys. I don't know. I couldn't care less, I think.

It took me less than a few more seconds to unscrew the bottle, no less. After some years of experience, this sort of thing just comes natural. Much like riding a scooter or something. In any case, I didn't need to let any more precious time go to waste. I spat out the corkscrew, then lifted the bottle to the height of my face. Gently then, I started tilting it towards my muzzle, until finally my lips connected with the cold glass.

I felt a shiver run along my spine, as the first drops of the sweet liquid started dripping down my throat. It wasn't even the kind of shiver a pony gets whenever they're cold. It felt pretty good, and...satisfying, I guess. In an odd way.

I kept going, gulping down the wine bit by bit. Before I even noticed, I'd already finished half the bottle. Which is why I looked at it with some surprise after putting it back down. Of course, at that point I hadn't had a drink in...what? One week? Maybe two? I really couldn't remember. Thanks to my empty stomach, I already started feeling dizzy as well, and decided I'd rather raise myself up onto the bed, just in case. Never spilling a single drop along the way was still my first priority.

Somehow, I managed to accomplish just that. I think. Again, it might as well be that some of it spilled over, and I just didn't notice. Once on the bed, I flopped onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. The brilliant light coming from the bulb made me squint a few times, but I got used to it after a minute or so. All the while the bottle rested gently beside me, one of my forelegs carefully wrapped around its neck. In a slow and somewhat tired motion, I tilted my head over to look at it for a moment.

For some odd reason, I smiled at it, absently murmuring, "You're gonna kill me one day." Then, I finished the rest of the wine.

I'm not so sure what happened next. I think my hoof's grip around the bottle eventually loosened, and at some point, it just rolled over the edge of the mattress and dropped onto the carpet below. Whatever. The carpet wasn't in such a good state, either. For a while then, I simply kept lying on my back and continued to stare up at the ceiling, my breath going calm and relaxed. I tried to figure out what the next decent plan of action would be, but my brain didn't seem all too eager to cooperate.

Of course, when the rational mind can't figure out what to do, it's sometimes just basic instinct that takes over. As was the case in this specific situation, when a well-known urge started to rise up inside of me, originating from a certain region somewhere in between my hindlegs. My features fell into a stupid grin as I realized what was going on, and even that took me a few seconds.

I tried to sit up and reach over towards my lap with a hoof, only for my head to drop right back onto the mattress. I tried again. And again. It was no use. Whenever I got anywhere near an upright position, the world started to spin all around, sending me straight back down. I can't remember exactly, but I think I didn't like that very much.

Unable to think of anything else, I turned around onto my belly, then buried my face into the pillow with all the frustration I could muster. As much as I hated to admit it, it seemed that treating my basic natural urges had to wait for another day. I really didn't enjoy the thought, but I couldn't change the facts. Or maybe I could, and a proper solution just slipped my mind, right now.

Lying there motionlessly, I managed to let out an annoyed groan. Still, I took solace in the prospect that, maybe sometime around the weekend, I'd run into some halfway decent stallion willing to fuck me. I don't know. I kinda felt like I needed that right now. Of course, a mare can always take care of business herself whenever she's not as intoxicated. Even if it wasn't the most elegant solution. I'd have asked around in the hotel too, but I didn't really feel like doing any smelly homeless pony...thingy...stuff...

My thoughts started starving to death somewhere around that point. I turned my head to the right in order to be able to breathe properly. Just before I slowly drifted off to sleep, despite the lights still being on. In my current state, that didn't really matter.

Somewhere along the way, I decided that I really, really hated this town.