Under The Blue Sky

"You want a refill?"

"No...I'm good," Alfred answered in a cold, raspy tone. His voice was damaged, as if his lungs were giving up on him, just like the rest of his body. He sat on the barstool, a weak and aged man. He looked terrible, haunting almost. There was barely a man left, just a and empty shell. His clothes were almost two sizes too big for him, and his skin was wrinkled and pale. He was sporting a full head of brown hair, and a matured, greyish beard that hadn't been cared for. He wore a dark green jacket, complete with black cargo trousers, dirty boots and a murky white shirt beneath. Worn and fragile glasses rested on his face, almost concealing his injured eye. Both eyes continued to stare at his drink, which was most certainly half empty. He was a miserable and broken man, just waiting around to die.

The bar was empty. Alfred wasn't in a particularly populated place, but this was a different kind of empty. The bar was practically abandoned by life. There wasn't another living soul except for the pony behind the counter and Alfred, which he was used to. He used to enjoy being alone, it used to be an escape for him, but now, after being subject to loneliness for a very long time, he needed a change. He slowly dragged his eyes off of his drink and aimed them through a small, dusty window and towards the bright blue sky above. He just stayed there staring for a second, recalling all the precious memories that were made while under the blue sky, and then returned back to his drink. In the corner of his eye he could see the bartender walking up to him.

"So, you're this Alfred everyone's been talking about."

Alfred didn't respond.

"Yeah, you'd think after all this time the whole of Equestria would've forgotten about you. But no...you've left your stain here, and it's not a pretty one. You know, I have all the right not serve you here, after what you've done..."

Alfred slowly looked up into his eyes, expressionless.

"...but I figured that you needed a break. I'm gonna be honest, you're not looking too good. Any reason why you've come to my little home away from home?"

"Business."

"Business? What kind of business?"

"My kind of business."

Alfred sighed gently, and returned to his drink. The bartender continued to annoy Alfred, but he still didn't respond. All of his words seemed slurred and meaningless, which is exactly what they were. He could only listen to what he wanted to listen to, and right now that was nothing. He had nothing to talk about, well, not to the bartender anyway. The bartender was nothing but a nuisance to Alfred. No amount of talking could ever convince him to take his eyes away from his glass, but the sudden sound of the door opening could. Alfred turned his head slowly to find an average sized unicorn standing in the doorway, with a black coat of fur and a dark red mane. Alfred couldn't tell what his cutie mark was, but he didn't care. The pony spotted Alfred sitting alone and began to trot up to him silently, keeping Alfred quickly turned back to the bartender and looked up to him from his glass.

"How about you go for a walk."

The bartender froze after hearing that. Alfred's words were as sharp as a dagger, and that dagger had just pierced his heart. Alfred simply stared coldly into his eyes, refusing to look away until the bartender had moved out of his sight. He didn't hesitate, especially after realising the monster that this man was. After he had left through the back, the new pony sat beside Alfred confidently.

"Is it a yes or a no?" Alfred asked slowly, turning to face the unicorn.

"Yes, she can meet you, and she wants to do it tomorrow."

"Where?"

"We will collect you from your home and take you there."

"Good."

"You do know the regular procedure, right?"

"Yes, blindfold and all. As long as it'll get me in a room with her, I'll do anything."

"Alright, we'll see you then," the unicorn said firmly before standing up. "She has a lot of respect for you, I hope you know that."

"She better."

And with that, the unicorn made his way out of the bar, leaving Alfred alone, again. After a few seconds of quiet thinking Alfred returned to his drink one final time and left the necessary bits to pay for it.

He stood up slowly, partially because he was tired and feeble, but also because he wanted to make sure he was truly alone. He reached to his back pocket to find his gun firmly placed beneath his clothing, and after looking around the bar carefully, he headed outside, closing the door behind him.