"Hey Twilight." I say as I walk up to the purple unicorn currently facing away from me. She turns around and meets me with a smile. Fluttershy and Rarity are next to her, and they also turn. The other three of their group are nowhere to be seen.

"Zack! Are you enjoying the party?" She asks, a hopeful smile plastered on her face. I glance down to Rarity who gives me a threatening look, basically telling me I have to say yes.

"Yeah, it's great. Hey, um, have any of you seen Rainbow around here? I kinda need to talk to her. I've been putting it off for too long I think." I say as I toss my plastic cup into a trash bin.

"I think she's in the restroom right now darling. You may have to wait a bit if you need to speak with her." Rarity says. I huff and rub my forehead in frustration. This whole thing is starting to give me a headache.

"Alright, well... You guys let me know if you see here around. You'd think with hair like that she'd be easy to spot, but no!" I say as I raise my hands while walking away.

Walking through the sea of ponies is both difficult, yet extremely easy, though it is never both at the same time. Either every pony around me tries to talk to me, asking me a million questions, or they all scatter at the sight of me. It's always nice for everyone to be horrified of you at your own party!

"There you are..." I mumble to myself as I spot Rainbow across the room at a vacant booth. I watch from across the room as a pony, I think a female, tries to walk up and talk to her, only for her to wave her away before staring back into her drink. Damn it, I can't just let this keep going on, it's time for me to step up.

I start walking over towards her, having to almost shove ponies out of my way to reach her. After what feels like forever, I reach the booth, though it doesn't look like Rainbow has noticed me yet. I step up to the booth, sliding into the seat across from Rainbow. As soon as she looks up and sees me, her eyes widen and she tries to slip out of the booth. I grab her foreleg before she can, and she stops moving, despite the fact that I'm not pulling back at all, simply holding her leg.

"We need to talk, but I can't do that if you run away. Trust me, I've learned that running from my problems never leads to anything getting better." I say sternly, squinting my eyes. She remains silent, but slowly shifts back into her seat, looking back into her cup again. I sigh and let go of her, rubbing my face with my hands.

"Look, I don't know why you're like this right now. From what little I've seen of you, you're usually pretty outgoing and dare I say happy. What gives?" I ask, folding my hands in front of me. She looks up at me, her ears dropping to the side of her head. She lets out a sigh before mumbling out her explanation.

"I... feel bad about what happened, and I think you already know that. What's bothering me is... why did you do it?" She asks as she looks up at me, her eyes threatening to release God knows how many tears.

"Why did I do what?"

"You saved me when I didn't deserve it!" She yells, catching the attention of a few ponies around us. "Why did you do it? Why did you risk yourself for me? All I've done is cause you to get hurt since coming here, and yet you risked yourself to save me, even after all that." She mumbles out, her voice cracking as she does so.

"You were in trouble, and I was the only one around to help. I don't give a shit who you are, I really don't, but you were in trouble. Leaving someone in a situation like that just wouldn't be right. Now, I'm not perfect, I'm far from it. But I try my best to do what's right, and at that moment, the right thing to do was protect you. That's why I did it. That's why I didn't care about what you'd done before then... And yea, I accept your apology. Someone already helped me with that..." I mumble as I look up at Vinyl who is still setting up on stage. She looks over at us, and gives me a warm smile and a nod like I was actually doing the right thing.

"So... You're not mad at me or anything? Because I put you in the hospital, and I know I'd never be able to-"

"Shut up Rainbow." I say with the smallest of chuckles. "I forgive you, and that's that. Now, are you gonna stop moping around and feeling guilty, or are you gonna move on with your life? If you can do that, I think we could at least tolerate each other."

"...I think I can do that... I'm sorry, I don't even remember your name."

"Zack Austin, but just call me Zack." I say as I hold out my hand. She places her hoof into my palm, and shakes it.

"I'm Rainbow Dash, and I'm sorry."

"Yeah yeah, I know... Hey, I'm gonna go now, but for God's sake, get up and have a little fun."

"I-I will, thanks." She says quietly. I pat the table before standing up and walking away. I take one last look behind me to see Rainbow smiling down into her cup. She still might be one of the most annoying ponies I've met, but it does make me a little happy seeing that I helped her out. That's a feeling I haven't felt in a quite a while.

"Cider is here!" I hear from across the room. I almost choke on my punch from the sudden voice somehow yelling over the music. It's been a good half hour since I talked to Rainbow, and I haven't talked to anyone since. I just haven't had the drive to do so.

Entering the door is a large red stallion with a wagon of barrels behind him. Great, alcohol, just what I was waiting for. Not really. I've never been much of a drinker, mostly because I wasn't one year under the legal age. I've tried it only twice before back at some college parties, but never really got hooked on it like most people do. I just never really saw the thrill in it. I have nothing against it, it's just that I'd rather not be around an entire group of people or ponies drunk off their asses. It just gets real old and real annoying, real fast.

I lean against a wall, slowly sipping my punch from my little plastic cup. I watch as AJ and what I guess is her brother, unload the kegs onto a row of tables. Once they finish, I notice that they left one keg on the wagon. I watch as AJ walks over to it, lifting it onto her back and walking towards a staircase that I hadn't even noticed until now. She carries it up the stairs, vanishing behind the wall that covers them. I toss my half empty cup into a trash bin, and walk over towards the staircase, curious as to where she was going.

I approach the stair, looking up at the top to see it leads to a hallway upstairs. I slowly walk up the steps, making sure nobody sees me doing so. Once I reach the hallway, I sneak around until I hear voices coming from behind a closed door. I place my ear up to it, listening in on what was going on on the other side.

"I said no." I hear Twilight's voice from the other side. Curious, I place my hand on the door handle, and push the door open, stumbling into the room.

"Well hey there Zack." Applejack says, standing in front of a keg on the floor. The room looks like a bedroom, though it is really spacious, looking like an entire other party could be held in here.

"Um, hey?" I respond as I look around the room. AJ, Twilight, and all their friends are in here, as well as a couple other ponies that I don't recognize. Hell, even Rainbow is in here, though she looks a little better than she did earlier.

"Zack, what are you doing up here?" Twilight asks as she approaches me.

"I saw Applejack coming up here with a keg and- Wait, why exactly did you guys have to come up here, alone, to drink? You're not under-aged are you?" I ask, sounding like an overprotective parent.

"What? No, we're all above the legal age. I'm nineteen." Twilight says. I give her a confused look before remembering that society won't necessarily work the way that I'm used to.

"Well what's the legal age?" I ask to the room, not to really anyone in particular.

"Eighteen dear, don't you know that?" Rarity responds.

"Yeah, most of us are nineteen or twenty, but I'm the oldest." Rainbow says, pointing a hoof to her chest as she hovers in place.

"And you are...?"

"Twenty-one." Rainbow says proudly.

"Huh, interesting. I thought you were all older than that, like thirties or something." I say as I lean against the wall. "I never would have guessed you were younger than me."

"Well how old are ya Zack?" Applejack asks.

"Twenty. I turn Twenty-one in a few weeks actually, well, if the C.F.D.'s date was correct." I mumble that last part to myself, though if Twilight's expression is anything to go off of, she probably heard me. "So, why exactly are you guys up here alone again?" I ask, looking around the room to see just who all is in here. Other than Twilight and her friends, there are a few other ponies in the room, though, as I observed when I first walked in, I don't know any of them.

"Eh, just to get away from the crowd." Rainbow says, picking up a mug by wrapping her hoof through the handle on the side. "AJ, hit me up!" Rarity used her magic to lift the keg onto a table, and Applejack stands next to it with her hoof on the tap. All of the ponies in the room grab mugs from a stack next to the keg, and stand in line for a glass. All except for Twilight who remains next to me.

"Not much of a drinker are you?" I ask Twilight, she looks up to me, and gives me a confused look.

"No, never have been. Are you?"

"Nope." I respond simply with a shrug.

"Really? Wow, my friends always make fun of me because I won't drink with them."

"They ALL drink?" I ask, looking back at the line which hasn't moved at all. Looks like the tap is stuck, and Rainbow doesn't look happy about it.

"Well, technically yes, but Rarity and Fluttershy are usually responsible with it, drinking maybe one or two on stressful nights. The others... they just go all out, and it kinda worries me sometimes."

"So, that would make you the responsible one huh?"

"I guess so. I just don't see the joy in losing my ability to think straight."

"I can see why that'd work for you. Your whole life revolves around thinking things through. I respect that."

"What's your reason Zack?"

"I can see why some people drink, and I'm alright with it as long as they do it responsibly. What bothers me is watching them completely lose their shit. I just feel like it isn't me to be like that. I like to keep myself composed y'know? I guess I'm like you in that sense."

"Finally, somepony who gets it!"

Before I can even respond, a mug full of golden cider is shoved into my chest, forcing me to grab it so it doesn't fall. I look up to see a cyan pegasus staring at me with a nervous smile.

"I thought I'd get you one, y'know, to make up for everything."

"Oh, um... thanks Rainbow." I say as I swirl the drink around in the mug, watching it splash against the sides of the mug.

"So, you gonna drink it or not?" She says after chugging down half a glass. I look down at Twilight, and she gives me a look that I can't really read. She looks at Rainbow, then back at me and mouths the words, "Just do it." And I can see why she'd say that. I don't want it, I really don't, but I don't need to make Rainbow upset again, not now. "C'mon, it's really good!" She says happily.

I bring the cup up to my lips, and smell the liquid inside the mug. Gotta say, it smells nothing like alcohol, more like apple juice. Putting that aside, I take a sip. My eyes shoot open, and cider goes everywhere as I spit it out to my side, just barely missing Rainbow's face.

"Ah! What the hell is in this? That's not alcohol!"

"Alcohol? What are you talking about?" Rainbow asks, eyeing the wet floor under her. I wipe my mouth on my sleeve, and give her a confused look as I look back up. I look down at Twilight, but she has the same look on her face as Rainbow.

"That shit was salty as hell! It was like drinking a glass of pure salt!" I say as I place the mug down on a table, looking around for any water.

"Well yeah, it has a high salt level in it. That's the whole point." Twilight says, giving a confused look at Rainbow.

"Salt? That's not cider at all, that's something you'd create as a prank!" I say in an annoyed tone. Please don't tell me this was all some dumb ass prank.

"What's going on over here?" Rarity asks as she walks up with Applejack next to her. Each have a mug in their hooves, somehow managing to walk with only three legs.

"Zack here didn't know there was salt in hard cider!" Rainbow says with a shocked tone.

"What? Have ya never had cider before?" Applejack asks.

"No, I've had like one beer ever and a shot of whiskey, and those sucked and I wasn't even the legal age to drink yet. I've never had cider, but I'd assume it tastes relatively similar to those, but this!? This is just... salty."

"Well yeah, all cider has salt in it, don't ya know that?"

"No, I don't. Isn't the point of a drink like this to get you drunk?"

"Well yeah, obviously." Applejack says, rolling her eyes.

"Then why is there no alcohol in it?"

"Why would we put medical supplies into a drink?" Twilight asks.

"Not that kind of alcohol, I mean ethanol, the psychoactive drug."

"Can't say Ah had head of that sugarcube." Applejack says, looking down into her mug.

"Then how the fuck do you... Wait, don't tell me you guys get drunk off salt!" I say rather loudly, coming close to laughing. How stupid is that?

"Uh, yeah? What else would we use?" Rainbow says in a confused manner.

"Ethanol! I just told you!" I say, trying my best not to laugh. These fucking ponies actually get drunk off of salt!

"Again, never heard of that. Salt is used to lower the brain's function by-" Twilight begins, but is cut off by Rainbow.

"We get it Twilight, you're an egghead. Let's just drink already."

Everyone starts drinking from their mugs, and I give a look to Twilight.

"Don't worry, I sneaked these up here." Out of nowhere, two cups appear in a small flash of light in front of her.

"Fucking magic." I say with a chuckle as I grab the cup of punch. "To being sober." I say as I lift my cup towards her's.

"I hear that." She taps her cup against mine, and we chug them until they're empty. "I'll take fruit over salt any day."

"Salt's pretty good... when you don't put it in a drink." I say with a laugh as I toss my cup away.

"So, does salt just not have an effect on you?"

"Well, yeah, it does, but not like it does on you guys. I can eat salt just fine without feeling drunk or anything, but too much of it could be really bad for my heart."

"Interesting. We'll talk about that more tomorrow during our study."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that! I'll come over around noon, if that's okay."

"Yeah, I should be home around then. Maybe we can grab some lunch."

"Yeah, if I have any money by then. Rarity keeps insisting that she does everything for me, but I'd rather do it myself. So, no lunch tomorrow unless I have my own money."

"Alright, fair enough." She says with a sigh. "But if you change your mind, I'd be more than willing to pay. As a princess, I have way more money than I could ever need."

"Well Mrs. High-and-mighty, we'll just have to see about that tomorrow." I say with a laugh. Before she can even respond, a pink blur rushes over to us.

"Hey, you guys gotta check this out!" She says as she points across the room. All of the other ponies that were in the room are now surrounding Rainbow and Applejack, who are arguing about something next to the keg.

"What's going on over there?" I ask.

"Rainbow and Applejack are having a drink contest! C'mon, check it out!" She says as she rushes back over to the crowd. Twilight and I exchange worried looks before slowly walking towards the crowd.

"This can't be good."

Author's Note

I don't condone to drinking. If you do, drink responsibly.

This is the first thing time I've actually had to do research for a chapter. It made me feel smart :3 Also, I know horses don't get drunk off salt, but hey, this is fimFICTION, notice that fiction part right there.

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