The air was filled with the scent of sweat cherries mixed with strong vodka. She sat leaning over a glass filled with crystal clear vodka. Her eyes starred into the liquid. A drop of blood fell from her nose, spreading scarlet waves of thin, twirling fabric through the glass as it dissolved. A slow breath passed her lips.

For three hours she had sat there, staring quietly into the strong liquor.

She lifted up the glass and took a sip from it. The strong taste of the vodka drowned out the taste of blood as it passed over her tongue. She slammed the glass back into the table.

“Want a refill?” The bartender asked from behind the counter.

Heartbreaker nodded.

The mare came from behind the counter with a bottle of clear vodka. She filled up the glass. “You okay?” She asked when she noticed Heartbreaker´s nose bleed.

“No. But not because of that.”

“Here.” The bartender offered her a tissue.

She took it and wiped of the blood coming from her nose.

“No, keep it.” She refused it when Heartbreaker tried to offer it back. “In case you start bleeding again.” She returned to her station behind the counter.

Heartbreaker put it aside and picked up the glass as well. She would have preferred if the bartender had left her the bottle.

A drum started beating inside her ears. She closed her eyes and focused. “Calm down.” She whispered to herself as she forced her breath to slow down. The beat of the drum started to fade in her ear.

It has been years since the last time she was out alone. Wherever she went, no matter how late, Hammerhead insisted on coming along. It would always irritate her. She told him once to stay home and almost made the giant cry.

She thought back to the first time she met the enormous goof.

It was at a club. She was alone with Slit-throat in a room, waiting for the boss they worked for and some of his bodyguards.

A massive stallion entered the room. The muscles on his legs pressed against his skin and flexed with every step he took. He had some kind of strange growth on his forehead. It looked like a unicorn´s horn but it was broken off and had a small black metallic rod stuck out of it. He looked at the two of them with wide blue eyes.

“Who the hell are you?” Heartbreaker asked.

“Hammerhead.” The stallion answered. “Are you?”

“Am I…?”

The stallion took a moment to think. “Who are you?”

One of Heartbreaker´s brows spiked and she scratched the side of her head. “I´m Heartbreaker. She´s Slit-Throat.” She nodded to the silent mare.

The stallion´s large eyes stared into the wall behind them. His mouth was wide open.

“Hello? Is there anypony in there?”

Hammerhead turned to her. “Heartbreaker?”

“Yes.”

He turned to the silent mare. “Slit-Throat?”

Slit-Throat rested her chin on her hoof and growled while rolling her eyes.

“She can´t talk, Numbskull.” Heartbreaker said.

“Okay.”

“What the hell happened to turn you into such dumbbell?”

Hammerhead smiled, proudly. “I head but bullet.” He said with his deep, large voice. “Bullet lost.”

Heartbreaker remembered having a tough time believing what he said. But once she knew he was being serious she started burst out laughing until tears ran from her eyes and her stomach started to hurt.

“And he just stared at me completely baffled.” Heartbreaker took another sip from her glass.

She recalled the first time they shared a bed together. His massive muscles and thick hooves wrapped around her. He was warm and powerful, yet soft and comfy at the same time. She felt calm and happy. It was strange to her at first. She was so rarely either of those things but when she was sleeping next to him she slept better than she had before in her life.

“To bad he sucked at fucking.” Heartbreaker finished of her glass and waved to bartender in for a second refill.

“Still bleeding?” The bartender asked when she´d filled the glass.

“No.” She handed the tissue back and the bartender returned to her place behind the counter.

Even though her skin was downright boiling, the glass in her hoof felt like a piece of solid, cold ice. When she pressed it against her lips, a shill spread through her mouth. As she took a swallow it felt like everything the vodka touched turned to ice. It bit and stung the inside of her throat and stomach. Her heart started beating in her ears. Her mouth dried up and her breath became dry and ragged.

“You okay?” The bartender asked.

Heartbreaker didn´t answer. She took a few heavy breaths and tried to regain control over her heart.

“Hey, are you on something?”

A stabbing pain went through her chest.

“You listening?” The bartender´s voice hardened as she walked over to Heartbreaker. She put her hoof on Heartbreaker´s shoulder.

Heartbreaker turned swiftly towards the bartender. Her eyes narrowed and a knife in her hoof.

The blade buried itself in her throat. Blood started running from the wound. The bartender´s grasped slowly for the knife. She stared at Heartbreaker with wide eyes. Her body fell to the floor with loud thud. She laid still. A dark, crimson pool grew from her neck as she stared at the roof with a pair of lifeless blue eyes.

“Cunt.” Heartbreaker spat at the body and walked over to the counter. She took the vodka bottle and started swallowing large chugs of the spirit.

The hateful unicorn wiped her mouth with the back of her hoof and threw the bottle on the ground. The shatters spread vodka and bits of sparkling glass through the air. “Apple Bloom. I´ll be waiting.”

Author's Note

Full disclosure, the head but bullet line was not my idea. It came from my proffreader silverstaid.