Drinks

"Luck."

Nothing.

"Luck!"

Jolting awake, I snapped my head up off the countertop, eyes darting around my surroundings until they landed on Shaken.

"Mango?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled, rubbing an eye. Looking out a graffitied window, I noticed how much darker it had gotten outside. "How long was I out?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. Oh, but someone stole your wallet."

"What?!" I put a hand on my pocket, stomach dropping when I didn't feel the familiar extrusion in my jeans. My gaze landed on person to person in the room, hoping any of them saw what happened. However, as expected, their eyes remained on their own drinks. Whipping my head back to the bartender, I saw him beaming at me with a certain fold of leather in his hand. Returning his smile with a scowl, I snatched it from him as he let out a chuckle.

"Sorry, I had to."

"Laugh it up, buddy. Keep this up and I'll never pay my tab."

"You wouldn't pay it off if I held a gun to your head."

"Can that be arranged?"

Sharing a laugh, I put the wallet away, switching it out for the phone in my other pocket. Tapping the screen, I was greeted by... nothing. Rolling my eyes, I placed it on the bar, screen down. On the other side, Shaken produced two cans with yellow accents.

He held one out. "Mango?"

Nodding, I grabbed it, cracking it open and listening as the liquid sizzled inside.

As with every night, the hard seltzer round was a sort of reprieve from the rest of the drinks I might indulge in throughout the night. Originally, it began when I had grown belligerent from the alcohol in my system, so Shaken had convinced me that this measly can was going to get me even more wasted. Thanking him, I had laid my entire history on the table, taking special care to highlight my relationship with Twilight. By the time I worked up the courage to come back, he suggested taking it easy during this specific round. We both drank it wordlessly, save for when Shaken served another patron, and it was a ritual that we came to enjoy.

I couldn't work up the courage to explain that after that first night, Twilight would be all I could ever think about during the seltzer break.

This time, I sipped my drink very slowly, using the time to decompress from my conversation with the two students. Person after person passed by, meeting their dates, ordering drinks, or stewing in their feelings like me, and person after person passed in the opposite direction, abandoning their drinks, expelling their drinks, or stewing in their feelings like me.

It was all background noise. All that mattered was the chilled aluminum in my hand, and that was fine.

I pulled on my collar, hoping the loosened tie would provide just enough space for cool air to keep the sweat-soaked poplin from sticking to my chest. I chewed the inside of my mouth, hating myself for even considering showing up to the party. Scanning the other attendees, they donned formal outfits much like my suit, but unlike me, they seemed to intermingle with each other perfectly.

"Do you know what this social is for?" one asked, tapping his partner on the shoulder.

"Twilight Sparkle did something again," another responded.

"Okay, but what is that 'something?'"

The second one rubbed her chin, but suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"Oh, I remember! Her team published findings about manipulating magical manifestation!"

A pause. "What does that mean?"

Groaning, the woman struggled to explain it in simpler terms, but even I found it difficult to continue eavesdropping.

Sipping my water, my eyes inspected the room. The auditorium-turned-dining hall was undeniably elegant and spacious. Each table had been draped in surprisingly high-quality cloths and held a ornamental flower in the center, which was a substantial contrast to the cheap folding chair that was giving me spine problems by the second. Readjusting my weight once again, I peeked over my shoulder at the stage. The podium featured some fancy symbol consisting of an open book with an ambiguous magic spell shooting out of it. That logo represented something about magic research, but it no longer meant anything to me.

I turned my attention to the people in the room with me. Among the various other tables, I spotted former acquaintances: peers, coworkers, friends. Seeing individuals like Dr. Whooves and Comet Tail made me happy as it meant my departure from research hadn't impacted them in any significant manner. Still, sure, they might still recognize me, but that didn't mean they'd enjoy seeing me again.

Finally deciding to look at the others at my table, I was reintroduced to the rainbow of colors surrounding me. Rainbow Dash had cut her once-flowing ponytail into a sharp undercut, and Sunset Shimmer sported a maternity dress, but other than the inevitable wrinkles of time, the rest of the girls looked relatively unchanged. A couple of them engaged in small talk, glancing over at me as our gazes accidentally met.

"Oh, Luck, darling! What about you? What are you up to these days?"

I shrugged. "Nothin' much. I still teach at Manehattan U., so same ol', same ol'."

"And you wouldn't have it any other way, no?"

I scratched my temple. "No, I suppose not."

Nodding, Rarity gave a gentle smile. "You must have a knack for teaching, considering you've been a resident professor for God-knows how long!"

"I suppose so."

Applejack leaned forward, locking eyes with me. "What made you decide to take up teachin'? Figured a bookworm like y'self would still be revolutionizin' the world like Twi." The purple-haired woman elbowed her friend, eliciting a quiet yelp, but once she realized her slip-up, Applejack looked away nervously. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I lied. "It is what it is."

Quickly flickering my eyes over to the others, I was met with their gazes. Overhearing our conversation, they had all honed in, curiously hoping to hear why Canterlot High's academic power couple had so heartbreakingly fallen apart.

"You all heard about our research, right?" Everyone nodded, confirming my suspicion. "I loved it, truly. Being able to do research projects with someone I loved was a blessing, and I feel so lucky to have experienced it." I looked away. "I got tired, and she didn't. Simply a conflict of interests."

In my peripheries, Sunset shuffled in her seat. I initially dismissed it as pregnancy-related discomfort, but even Pinkie Pie's hair started to deflate slightly. Worried of ruining the mood for them, I waved a hand.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the mood." I turned to Fluttershy. "How are the 'pets?'"

She beamed at me. "They're doing amazing. If they continue recovering at this pace, we'll be able to release them by the end of next week..."

Feigning as strong of a smile as I could muster, I engaged with each and every one of them, catching up on all of their international escapades, though much of what surface-level updates they provided were already shown on the bar's TV. After a couple anecdotes and typical reminiscent comments about high school, a group of people walked onto the stage, catching everyone's attention. An elderly lady tapped on the microphone until the auditorium speakers projected the thumping sound at a volume just bordering into uncomfortably loud.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming. We're gathered here in this fine auditorium to honor the accomplishments of Ms. Twilight Sparkle." Applause followed, and once it died down, the lady continued. "With year after year of contributions to understanding magic in a world that had previously never even considered it. her team has revolutionized how we understand humans - all the way down to the biological level." She continued to drone on and on, stroking the researchers' egos by listing achievement after achievement. I took another sip of my water, wishing it was a different kind of clear liquid - particularly the kind that burned the throat just right.

Clearing her throat, the presenter beckoned an offstage volunteer over. As the helper brought a container full of medals, the older woman continued. "If it hadn't been for your work, the National Magic Foundation wouldn't even been here, so it's only right that we present your team with the first National Medal of Magic."

The crowd erupted in applause as the presenter took medal after medal out of the container and, starting with the violet-colored woman, placed them on each of the researchers. Among the roaring clapping, the girls beside me cheered, shouting her name until others joined in, all jumping out of their seats in elation. Glancing over at the stage, I searched Twilight's face.

Pride. Happiness. The works.

Once everyone calmed down, the presenter offered thanks for coming again before dismissing everyone. Immediately, people from the crowd left their tables to catch Twilight and the other researchers as they exited the stage. Many of the girls at my table did so, though Sunset remained with me, unwilling to stand up, much to everyone's amusement. Quietly, she watched her best friend and savior greet acquaintances, pride painted on her smiling face. Her grin was infectious, and I found myself relaxing somewhat in her presence.

"It's impressive - all the things she's done." I met gazes with Sunet.

"You can say that again," she giggled.

"Even though we don't really talk anymore, I'm glad that she's doing well without me."

A flash of discomfort crossed her face, but, again, I dismissed it.

"Yeah... I suppose she is."

Noticing her deflation, I cocked an eyebrow, but I decided to change the subject.

"By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what are you excited about when you have your kid?"

Instinctively, she put a hand on her stomach, beaming. "In order of importance? Everything." Another giggle. "Obviously, there's getting to meet my kid after all this time, but there's also the experiences. Maybe not the scolding, but being able to bond with him or her alongside their father."

"Oh, uh, who's the father?"

She pointed up at one of the researchers still greeting people at the stage stairs, resulting in an internal groan of mine. "That handsome man over there. Comet Tail and I met about seven years ago." Fiddling with her hands, she paused. "If you don't mind me mentioning, it was a bit after you and Twilight... y'know."

I nodded in acknowledgement. "It's fine. Go on."

"Well, she was having trouble managing her workload. Lots of stress, y'know? So she asked me to come over for advice, and Comet came over to drop off papers. We ended up talking for a bit, and then it was a lot, and then..." she gestured to her stomach, grinning, "this happened."

I forced a smile. "Congratulations." I chuckled, "I suppose it's a good thing we broke up. Otherwise, you two would've never met." Expecting to meet a smile of hers, I was surprised by a frown forming instead.

"You shouldn't look at it that way." I reached for my water glass, but Sunset put a hand on my arm. "You should know that during those sleepless nights, Twilight told me everything. Her love, her regrets, everything." She tried to catch my gaze, but my eyes wrestled away every time, afraid my emotions would get the best of me.

"She left our apartment one night. Just packed up and left without telling me."

Sunset patted my arm. "And she regrets that every single day of her life." I finally mustered the will to make eye contact. "Believe me, she still loves you. She loves you so much, it hurts her everyday."

I sighed. "I do, too."

"Then, why don't-"

"But I love her too much to be back with her again. We were too... toxic."

"People can change. I did."

"I'm not you." I caught her surprise, regret instantly flooding in. "Sorry."

Another pat on my arm. "Just please reconsider. Go talk to her at least, for me. She's grown so much from then, as I'm sure you have."

I gave a concerned look, but the deepening frown on her face made the air tense, pressuring me into accepting. I inhaled slowly.

"Fine. I'll talk to her later."

"Good." She crossed her arms. "I'm not leaving until you talk to her. If Comet has a problem with it, he talk to you about it."

Mulling the implication, I swallowed hard.

"Yes, ma'am."