Take one down pass It around... (Unedited)
*Sigh* You took another drink of... It was either your seventh, or eighth drink. You had lost count a while ago. But right now you didn't care, the only thing that mattered was drowning the pain. Setting your drink down, you get another look at your surroundings to see If things had changed. To no ones surprise things are still the same. It's still pouring outside with the full moon high In the sky. The pitter patter of the rain resounding through the Broken Horseshoe, One of Ponyville's multiple taverns. The few remaining patrons are passed out at their tables/booths, you and the mare next to you the only ones still drinking. You're not even sure If the barkeep Is still here. Seeing as he went out back about twenty minutes ago and hasn't comeback.
But It doesn't matter, you still have a few beers that you ordered In advance. You think back to the events of yesterday. Things had been going so well since joining the slayers, your first few missions had gone off without a hitch. Killing that Ripper had been a cinch. Despite you know, It being a giant fifty foot long spiked worm, with a maw full of razor sharp teeth. Along with a hate for everything that lived. Assassinating that bandit leader and most of his goons was easy. You knew you definitely weren't going to lose any sleep over It, after seeing what they did to those poor mares. Helping figuring out where that Infestation of giant star spiders came from. Wasn't pretty, but you still got It done.
The last mission however. That's going to stay In your nightmares for a long time. A mining town was being harassed, by a minor Infestation of a hive minded species of bug called Raxer. They were strong and tough, but they weren't much smarter then dogs. The only things on It's mind being breed and eat. You were going to go alone, but some of the town guards Insisted on going with you to "Get pay back!".
They were Immune to magic, even the ambient magic In the air. So they had no energy of their own. They didn't even have souls. So there was no way for you to detect them with your sight. They were just blank shells being controlled by a bestial mind. But for "animals" they sure killed brutally. What you saw will stick with you for the rest of your life.
An earth pony stallion guard was the first to go. You remember turning around just In time, to see two Raxer drop on him one on his head and one on his flank. They looked like coconut crabs covered In rocks, with six legs the front two much larger and doubling as razor sharp claws. The one that landed on his flank dragged him to the ground and grabbed his legs. The one that had landed on his head had wrapped Its four smaller legs around his head. As soon as he hit the floor It started crawling forward with Its legs still locked around his head. You can still hear his screams as his head was pulled from his body spine and all attached.
All In the span of a few seconds. Within a few more they were dropping on the remaining guards and yourself. You managed to cut through three, before turning back to the others to order a retreat only to realize that they had already been turned to little more then gory smears on the cave floors. You had quickly slipped Into the shadows, turning Invisible. After that there wasn't much else of note, you tried to stop yourself from vomiting. Found the queen In the main chamber and killed her with a few well placed blows from your blades.
But that still didn't change the fact, that because of your recklessness eight good pony's were dead. You had gone back to the town to tell them of your "success". They were thankful, but after learning of what happened to the guards you got more then a few hateful glares. Especially from their families. Then your boss Al gave you a talking to about what a huge mistake you had made. Then, he put you on a forced "vacation" for a few weeks to get your head straight so this sort of thing didn't happen again.
So you ended up here drowning your sorrows away In as much booze as possible. The past few hours hadn't been easy. You had been crying for the past few hours, after the realization had hit you that you had been doing these missions nonstop as a form of running. Running from the fact that this was you life now. You'll never see your friends or family ever again. What about you pets what happened to them? Did they starve thinking you abandoned them?
You let out a few more choked sobs as It started all over again In your head. But you didn't cry, you didn't have anymore tears. You had cried them all hours ago. As the last few sobs left your lips, the plum colored mare that had been sitting next to for the past few hours threw back her drink and chugged It. Before slamming It down on the bar with a *Thud*.
"Oh would you stop feeling sorry for yourself you giant pity party. You're killing my buzz." She says turning to you. With clear dark bags under her eyes. You don't spare her more then a slight sneer before going back to sulking. She takes a deep breath and exhales, rubbing between her eyes with her hoof. "Look I've been listening to you cry and mope for the last six hours. The least you can do Is tell me why you're moping." She finishes by looking at you while propping up her head with one of her hooves on the bar. After not answering for a few seconds she says. "My names Berry Punch. You?"
*Sigh* "Val, and I made a stupid mistake, and because of It some good people died." You say while looking away.
Pffft "Is that It? Oh boohoo cry me a river, pony's are dead because of me. Is the reason your being a crybaby." She says while looking again back towards the bar like she had been. You turn towards her with an offended look on your face.
"Pony's died because of me! I'm stuck here on this world forever! I'll never get to see my family again!" You say to her raising your voice a little. She looks at you with a slightly angry expression.
"You're not the only one that's got the blood of good pony's on her hooves. Or the only one who'll never get to see most of their family ever again." She states before turning away. Her shoulders slumping as she goes back to drinking. You take In what she told you, could mean.
"Sooo. Is there a story there?" You ask curiously. The thought of what she could mean causing you to forget about your own problems for a few seconds.
She takes a large swig of another drink, before she sets It down. "Do you really want to know?" she ask turning back to you. Which you nod In response too. "I swore I'd never talk about this. I don't know If the booze Is making you look good enough. Or If It's because I think It might pull you out of that little pity party of yours. Or If I'm the one who needs this." She takes a deep breath, you can see she's clearly struggling to talk about It. Whatever It Is.
"I used to be a mobster In Manehattan named Pinot Noir." She says exhaling. Well you certainly weren't expecting that. The shock showed on your face. "I know what that's like because I've been through It. During the days I went by my birth name I did alot of terrible things. I killed a lot of good pony's who didn't deserve what happened to them. I know what It's like never being able to see your family again. Because when I went Into witness protection they told me that for their safety I shouldn't contact them."
You sit there for a few moments letting It all sink In. You defiantly weren't expecting to find out that the town drunk was an ex-mobster. But the drinking would make sense, drowning It all out so she couldn't think about It. Thinking about It you finally ask the question. "So what changed?" She turns to you with a raised brow not knowing what your asking. "What changed. You know what made you quit."
"Oh! That's easy my daughter Ruby Pinch. She was a surprise, but she was a welcome one. She was the change that I needed." A slight smile graces her lips. "When I first held her I couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was. What I would do to protect her. What I'd do If someone hurt her."
"What would you do?"
Her face takes on a dark expression. "I would hunt them to the ends of the world. And I wouldn't stop till they were destroyed body, mind, and soul." Shes states with a matter of fact tone.
You whistle. "Well that got dark and depressing again real quick."
"Yep." She says as she takes another sip.
"You want to change the subject and talk about something else?"
"Yep. On that note, I am curious are you blind or can you see? Cause you know the whole." As she speaks she waves a hoof In front of her face.
You let out a short laugh. "Yeah I can see why you'd think that. No pun Intended. But yes I can see but not like you. To my "eyes" everything looks gray to me with thick white outlines." You avoid using the word cel shaded because she probably wouldn't know what It means. "But living things like animals and some plants are different. I see the energy and souls Inside them so you stand out much more. I can tell, your probably plum colored right?"
She raises a brow and gains a slight smirk. "Right you are!"
"Most folks main color Is the color of their soul. Jack Is red. Twilight Is purple. Fluttershy Is yellow, so on so forth."
"That's Interesting to know."
"Yeah. Okay so you got to ask a question so now I get one." You've started resting your head on both your hands. You look her over a few seconds, as she takes on a slight blush. Somehow able to tell where your eyes are looking. Finally landing on her cutie mark you ask. "Ok so how did you get your cutie mark?"
She stammers a little looking flustered. "Oh you don't want to hear that!"
"Well now I do!"
She takes a deep breath before exhaling and visibly relaxing a little. "Okay, so my mom was this really high class businessmare, AND SHE DRAGGED ME EVERYWHERE! She took me shopping with her, she took me to social gatherings, for FAUST SAKE she even took me to her business meetings!" She exclaims looking exhausted at just the thought.
"So I'm about seventeen at this point. My mom gets Invited to this wine tasting at this big shots vineyard. Here's where she screws up, she decides to take me with her. I actually get to try some of the wine. Now back then, I could not handle my alcohol what so ever. Now I can probably drink this entire bar and only be a little tipsy. But back then those few glasses had me tripping over myself."
"So I decide to lean against the wall In this store house for this guys wine. But It turns out It wasn't a wall, It was a huge stack of barrels full of wine. When I lean Into them they come crashing down and set off a chain reaction." She throws back her hooves with a huge grin. You smirk a little trying to hold back your laughter. "Barrels crash down everywhere, letting loose the wine. So our group ends up getting washed away In a literal tsunami wine. So It's spreading out now to where we can stand. I look back and what do you know I got myself my cutie mark somehow! A few moments later a hear my mom scream NOIR at the top of her lungs."
You can't hold It In any longer and you burst out laughing, occasionally snorting. As you slap your knee. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" You hear Berry exclaim. But looking up you she's wearing a huge grin and's fighting back her own laughter.
After a few minutes of you both laughing you stop. You realize, you haven't been thinking about your depressing thoughts In quite awhile. As soon as you realize this you scoop Berry up In a hug.
"Woah, hehe what's this for?" She ask as a blush spreads across her cheeks.
"Thank you. I'm not as depressed anymore. In fact I think that's the hardest I've laughed since I've got here." As you finish she calms down and returns the hug.
"No problem the key Is don't dwell. When life knocks you down get back up and keep going. Trust me I've been there quite a few times." As she finishes her pep talk she rears her head back and looks up. "Hey you hear that the rain stop!" She says as she looks back down towards you excitedly. As she looks at you, you both suddenly realize the position your In with you arms wrapped around her waist and her hooves on your shoulders. As a blush quickly spreads across both your faces. You quickly untangle.
She hops off of her stool. "Well, I should probably get home. Ruby's still at the sleepover but that's not a reason to stay out."
"Let me walk you home." You offer. It's the least you can do after she helped cheer you up.
"O-okay." She stutters.
As you're stepping through the mud as you round the corner of the tavern, you turn your head towards your new drinking buddy. "Do you know one hundred bottles of beer on the wall?" You ask.
Pffft "Of course I do." You smirk, and a look of realization crosses her face. Her face soon matches yours as you both begin to sing while walking down the street.
"OOOOOOHHHHH A HUNDRED BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL, A HUNDRED BOTTLES OF BEER. TAKE ONE DOWN PASS, IT AROUND NINETY NINE BOTTLES OF BEER."
Author's Note
Okay, the Idea for this chapter just came to me. I couldn't stop myself from writing It.
