Witchy

Waking Up

Gear yawned and rubbed an eye as she stared at her computer screen. There were twenty minutes left until lunch, which meant she had twenty minutes to finish writing down this morning’s test results.

“Let’s see… Batch 107A exhibits decreased wear tolerance, making it unsuitable for—”

She paused, furrowing her eyebrows as a flutter ran through the floor. The research labs were solid titanium boxes, so any kind of movement in the floor meant something was going very wrong.

She trotted over to the lab’s exit but froze at the door as the sound of twisting metal and someone’s scream echoed down the hallway. Her dock tightened and a cold prickle of fear ran down her spine as her heart started to race.

I… I need to hide.

She backpedaled to her desk and tapped a button on its surface, the door to her office locking with a click and a cold blanket of darkness wrapping itself around it. She scrambled under her desk, fighting to control her breathing as sweat beaded uncomfortably under her wings and on the bottom of her frogs.

She didn’t know how she knew, but if it found her, something terrible would happen.

Stay calm… Stay calm… It’s okay… It won’t find you…

Her ears twitched as the door swung open and slammed into the wall. How did it get inside?! The door was locked! She locked it!

It stepped inside, limbs slapping against the floor with heavy wet thwacks with each step. She fought to choke down a scream as she stared at the wall opposite her desk, shadows dancing on it in the light cast from her open door.

She watched in horror as oily, writhing black tentacles slowly curled over the edge of her hiding place, feeling for her, searching for her.

Please, please, please… Don’t find me… Gods below, please…

She curled herself into an ever-tighter ball as the tentacles came closer and closer, but as if the gods themselves answered her prayers, they suddenly retracted.

It was completely silent, and she didn’t even dare to breathe as everything seemed to hang frozen. But it was shattered by the monster tearing away her hiding place and sending her desk flying into the wall.

Gear screamed and the monster grabbed her by the neck, strangling her. Her voice died in her throat as it squeezed, her skin burning where it touched her. It held her there for a moment, studying her, before sending her flying out the door and into the nightmare of twisted beams, boiling metal, and shattered concrete that had replaced the hallway.

She unfurled her wings to catch herself as she fell, but as they opened her right wing smacked into something, shattering its delicate bones.

Gear howled in agony, her throat filling with hot blood as something inside tore. Her broken wing flapped uselessly at her side, and she tumbled end over end until she finally hit the ground back first. Something exploded underneath her with a pop and she felt her mind go fuzzy as stars filled her vision.

Broken blocks of concrete and titanium struts pressed in tight around her, leaving her only a few inches of space to breathe as unbearable heat seeped in.

“H-HELP! SWEET MERCIFUL ELISA, HELP!”

The hot air stuck in her lungs as she fought to break free. Stars flashed in her vision as her weak movements jostled and shifted her broken bones, but after only a moment of resistance, the walls of her prison gave way with a great ripping sound.

Everything melted away, revealing the plain white walls of her bedroom. She had torn her covers in half, and something dug painfully into her back, but she just lay there.

She trembled, sweat dripping from her coat as the last wisps of her dreams vanished into the recesses of her mind. She pressed a hoof to her chest and focused on the mechanical whir and pulse of her ‘heart’, using the sensation to center herself and get her breathing under control.

After a few minutes, she’d stopped shaking and untangled herself with careful movements. Glass crunched under her hooves as she sat up, but she ignored it.

Just a dream… It was just a dream…

Taking long and slow breaths she rubbed her face, centering herself. Her nightmares were coming more often lately. They left a heaviness hanging over everything, pressing into her and fraying her temper until she was able to wash everything away with a flood of alcohol.

She still had some errands to take care of today, but it was Saturday. Who would complain if she started relaxing early?

Gear’s thoughts were interrupted as the door to her room slid apart with a soft beep, revealing an android mare. Her body shone a bright silver, the mirror-smooth metal broken only by the thin lines around each of her joints, her indigo mane was pinned into a permanent bob, and stamped onto her flanks was a company logo— a bright blue cross with the word “FLARETEK” written on it.

The android looked around the room with a sigh and stepped inside. “You have glass embedded in your back, Miss Gear.” She said with a hushed tone, her voice soft and gentle as it buzzed with the characteristic digital tones of synthesized sound.

Gear grimaced and turned her head, eyeing the golden glass sticking out of her with displeasure as the pain finally registered, the sensation muted, a mere approximation of what it should be. With a grunt she hopped up onto her bed and laid down, mentally berating herself. She couldn’t believe she got so worked up over a nightmare that she fell off her bed onto a bottle. It was embarrassing.

Gear twisted and contorted the long primary feathers of her wings to try and pull the glass from her back, but the shards stayed stubbornly out of reach. “Mira, I can’t reach them. Mind helping me out?”

“Of course, Miss Gear.”

She settled her wing over Mira’s back as she lay down on the bed next to her. Mira’s movements were careful and precise as she removed the shards, and after a minute she had plucked them all out.

Gear tensed as Mira looked up at her, already knowing what she would ask.

“Do you want to talk about it, Miss Gear? It sounded like you were having a particularly bad one. You were screaming.”

The question rattled around in her mind as her eyes wandered the room. Dozens of empty bottles and piles of dirty laundry littered the floor. She made a mental note to ask Mira to clean up when a photo pinned to the wall caught her eye, and she couldn’t help but smile.

It was a picture of her as a filly, sitting between a green pegasus stallion with bright magenta eyes, and a tall, white, wolf-like diamond dog woman. The three of them were smiling at the camera, and Gear was desperately trying to wrap her tiny little wings around both of her parents.

Her eyes unfocused as she turned inwards, thinking over Mira’s question. She was a good person, and there wasn’t any doubt in her mind that she was earnest with her question— she did honestly want to help Gear. But none of it was real. She was programmed to care.

Gear leaned over the edge of her bed and picked through the broken glass on the ground, pulling a tiny sun made from gold from the shards and holding it out to Mira.

“Here. It’s a bit squished on the one side, but you can still use this for one of your projects, right?”

She frowned as she took the sun. “I take it to mean you do not wish to talk about your nightmare, Miss Gear.”

Gear smirked and folded her wing against her side. “Perceptive.”

She ignored Mira as she scrunched up her muzzle. Instead, she stood and gave her wings a few flaps to stretch them. “Don’t give me that look, I’m fine.”

Gear hopped off her bed and trotted into the bathroom. She wished Mira would just drop the issue. She just wanted to forget about it and move on.

As she entered, the shower turned itself on and pink water poured from the showerhead. Billowing clouds of floral-scented, fuchsia steam filled the air and fogged the mirror as she bathed. She savored the warmth of the water as it cleaned off the sweat and blood from this morning, washing away the dirt to let her start the morning over.

When she was done, she shook herself like a dog, flinging pink water all over her bathroom. With a hoof, she wiped the fog from her mirror and stared into it as she styled her black and white mane into its typical electric zig-zag style.

Her reflection stared back at her, eyes glowing with a faint magenta light that matched the pink water still staining her coat, turning it and her mane a faint pink and purple.

She paused her styling for a moment and leaned in close to inspect the cloudy texture and nearly invisible lines in each of her prosthetic eyes. She frowned as she studied them, finding a trace of something inequine about them.

“Sweet merciful Elisa, those idiots keep screwing up the settings on the new models…” She grumbled as she fanned herself with a blow dryer.

She needed to stop. Her mood was already spiraling, and she hadn’t even had breakfast yet. She could fix the settings for her eyes later.

“Okay. Enough of this feeling sorry for yourself shit.” She gave both her cheeks a rough pat and grinned at her reflection. “Come on, there’s a whole new day ahead of you!”

With her spirits lifted, she ran a fine-toothed comb through her fluffy chest tuft, making sure it had maximum volume and puffed out for all to see. The shower turned itself off as she stepped out and found Mira cleaning up the broken glass and bottles scattered around the room.

And I didn’t even ask her yet…

She paused in her work to look up. “Feeling better, Miss Gear?”

“Mmm,” she hummed. “A bit. Thanks for cleaning up my mess. Is breakfast ready?”

“It is. I’ve prepared a fruit bowl for you today, drizzled with honey.”

Real person or not, Mira took loving care of her.

Gear hugged her tight. “Thanks, Mira. I really appreciate it.”

After holding the hug for a few moments Gear let her go and trotted out of her room and into the kitchen. It was small but full of cutting-edge appliances covered in chrome, black plastic, and holographic controls. She never used any of them though, Mira always took care of the cooking.

She dropped into a seat at the table where the breakfast Mira had made for her waited. Popping bits of fruit into her mouth— mostly mangoes— she brought up a few different video feeds, their holographic windows slipping over her vision with a few thoughts.

Cartoons, dramas, and movies filled her vision as she flicked through different streams until she stopped on the new. She ate as she watched, half-listening to stories about the latest government scandal and some sort of crisis unfolding in the Inner Lunar Colonies. Her bowl was almost empty when a bright red banner flashed in her vision.

BREAKING NEWS: Unicorn born at New Canterlot Memorial Hospital

The screen snapped to a pair of news anchors, a mare and a young dragon, both dressed in fine suits and wearing semi-transparent holographic visors over their eyes.

“This just in, we’ve gotten word from official United Equus Government representatives that a unicorn has been born at the New Canterlot Memorial Hospital! This would bring the yearly total of unicorns born to a record-breaking four!” The mare announced with a cheery smile.

“Officials went on to say the foal and its parents were healthy, resting under guard before their transfer to a secure facility next week. They—”

Gear turned the stream off as Mira set a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

“Thanks, Mira. What’s on the schedule for today?”

Mira blinked twice, a sure indicator that she was subtly reviewing Gear’s schedule. “You need to finish checking the work of the remote teams on the FlareTek model two and model three prosthetics. They want those by tomorrow. You also need to sign some paperwork to finalize the process of transferring the payments from your lawsuit against Vulcan Robotics from your old bank account to your new one.”

“Alright, that’s a pretty light workload. Anything else? Or is the rest of my schedule clear?”

Mira gave her a warm smile. “It’s clear. What are you going to do with your free time today? See a concert, perhaps? An opera? Perhaps visit a museum?”

Gear finished her coffee and dumped the empty bowl and mug into the sink as she pondered the question.

“Hm… Well, after I finish my work, I’m going to head on down to Sawtooth’s. Nina said they had a new microbrew that I’d be interested in!~” She said with a singsong voice.

Mira’s smile slipped from her face. “Sawtooth’s…? Are you sure you don’t wish to do something else? The Royal Canterlot Symphonic Orchestra is in town this week! I believe I could still get you a ticket.”

Gear’s wings fluttered and she shook her head. “Yeah, I’m certain. Nina has a new brew for me to try, and it’s always a good time hanging out there.”

Mira stared at her for a moment before heading to the sink to start cleaning the dishes. “As… As you wish, Miss Gear. If you change your mind, please let me know.”

Gear rolled her eyes and left the kitchen to start her work for the day. “You worry too much, Mira.”

=====⚙=====

Gear flapped her wings a few times, working at a knot of tension between her shoulders as she stepped out of her apartment building and onto the busy streets of New Canterlot. She slipped into the mixed crowds of earth ponies, pegasi, diamond dogs, griffons, androids, and all other manner of beings.

Today had gone terribly. What was only supposed to be a few hours of work had turned into an avalanche of problems. Some idiot at Flaretek had made all his measurements in Griffish units when everyone else was using UEG standard, and she’d had to scramble to fix all the problems it caused before the new models entered pre-production tomorrow.

Now her favorite bar would only be open for a little while longer, and she’d have to hurry if she wanted to get anything from them at all.

She hopped into one of the ever-present skytaxi’s and gave the android driver her destination. They passed around the steel and obsidian skyscrapers as the driver wove through the dense web of traffic always present in the skies of New Canterlot. After a few minutes she arrived at Sawtooths bar. She couldn’t help but smile at the sign above the place as she walked inside— it was her home away from home.

The owner, a dragon named Sawtooth, had it built to his exacting tastes. It was styled after a renaissance-era Dragon Lands tavern, filled with furniture made from dark woods and cool velvet that fit well with the stone veneer covering the walls, ceiling, and floor. But despite its rustic styling, he’d made sure each individual booth was shrouded in the latest privacy field generators, ensuring no one would be privy to any conversation happening inside.

“Heeeey, Shifty! You’re late today.” The young, white-feathered griffoness behind the counter greeted her as Gear took one of the few remaining seats at the counter. She reached up and pulled a bottle down from the null gravity field that held the bar’s bottled drinks, using a claw to pop its top as she handed it to Gear.

Gear wordlessly accepted it and took a long drink from it, closing her eyes and focusing on the taste. It was something fruity and sweet, maybe some kind of berry, lurking underneath and malty smear, but she couldn’t say for certain. Her nostrils flared as she sighed; she knew the drink was good, but she couldn’t really taste it.

“Ahh… That’s just what I needed Nina. Is this the new drink you wanted me to try?”

Nina folded her claws on the counter and leaned forwards, locking her eyes with Gears. “Sure is. What do you think?”

“It’s good, Nina. Very good. Very refreshing. I could definitely see myself drinking one of these after work every day.”

“Really?! You think so?!” She nearly knocked a few bottles out of the null field with her wings as she danced on her hind legs. “I’m so glad you think so! This was the first time Mr. Sawtooth let me try my own recipe!”

Gear grinned at Nina before finishing the bottle. “Congrats, Nina! You’ve earned it.”

“Thanks, Shifty! I was waiting for your opinion on it before asking him if I could put the new drink on the menu. Oh, I almost forgot! Some old tomcat’s been looking for you, been hanging out all night in booth two.”

Gear furrowed her brow and glanced back at the booth in question. “Did he give a name?”

“No, sorry. Just said he was an old friend of yours. Lemme know if you need anything, I’m going to talk with Mr. Sawtooth!”

Who would be looking for her? Maybe it was a reporter looking for some story? She was old news by now, but every few months someone would show up again. The thought made her wings flare with agitation. She’d tell them to kindly fuck off if it was. She wasn’t a news piece.

Anger smoldering in her chest she stomped over to the booth and knocked hard on its wooden side. A moment later the privacy screen dropped, and all her bluster and fury flew out of her in an instant.

Her mentor stared at her, a diminutive griffon barely taller than she was, decorated with salt and pepper speckled gray feathers and wearing a ratty, oil-stained jacket.

What is he doing here?! They’re supposed to be out Draco Seven shipping machine parts all month!

“Vell? Are you going to just stand zere all night?” His voice was thick with the austere rumbling of the Independent Griffon Colonies, and as he spoke, she felt the knot between her shoulder blades ease a little.

She froze as an explosion of emotion erupted in her chest—joy, shame, and fear mixing into a toxic soup that left her heart heavy. After a moment too long of standing there, staring at him, she hopped up into the booth. She was not prepared for this. “H… Hey, Savva.”

His face tightened and he narrowed his mismatched golden and orange eyes as she sat down in the booth. She couldn’t help but note that the prosthetic one she’d made for him as a filly needed some minor touchups if the faint flickering was any indication.

He was here to berate her no doubt—she’d been intentionally avoiding him for years. Her surprise only lasted a moment as, instead of scolding her, he reached across the table to rub the sensitive base of her ear instead. It sent a pleasant tingle down her spine, and the sensation mixed with the scent of grease and tobacco threatened to lull her into a sense of security and safety.

“Volchok… You got into quite mess, didn’t you?”

She jerked her head away from her. She needed to be on the top of her game to navigate this minefield.

“Yeah… A bit, Savva. A bit. What are you doing here? Isn’t the Void Runner supposed to be busy until next month?” She tapped at a holographic button floating just above the surface of the table that would let Nina know she needed a new drink.

She was going to need a lot of drinks.

“I see you keep vatch on us.” His beak curved upwards and he gave her a smile, a rarity coming from the grizzled griffon. “Zhe Captain take us back here for break. At least, zhat is vhat he told crew. Zhe truzh is he sent me to find you.”

Gear’s face was a carefully measured and practiced mask. She couldn’t let Savva see the raging flurry of emotions that he had brought up. “Why?” She had to think of some reason to put off this conversation, Savva was going to want to talk about her and them. They were never going to have this talk if she could help it.

Thankfully Nina bought her time to think as she came up to the table with a tray balanced on a wing. There were two drinks on it, one full of something foamy and amber for Savva— probably the dark beers he liked so much— and the other with a short glass of something glowing and blue for Gear.

"Here you two go, on the house.”

Savva nodded his thanks to Nina as he took the mug from the tray.

“Thanks, Nina. And don’t worry about eating the cost, I’ll pay for them both.”

She looked at Gear and gestured towards Savva with a question in her eyes. “You sure? It’s no trouble.”

She could always count on Nina. Not only was she sweet, she was perceptive too.

With a forced smile Gear shook her head. “Yeah. I’ve got it.”

“Well… Alright. Let me know if you need anything else, Shifty.”

As Gear took her glass, Savva leaned back in his seat, silently watching her. The awkward seconds of silence stretched into uncomfortable minutes, and Gear couldn’t help but fidget uncomfortably.

What did he want? He was just… Staring at her. Judging her, probably. He knew, and she knew he knew. She just didn’t have any idea what he wanted. Why was he here? What did he want? What did The Captain want? Every few seconds it looked like Savva was going to say something but backed out at the last second. He was never this timid before, never beat around the bush like he was right then.

What did he want?

She couldn’t take it anymore. “Well, what is it, Savva?! Say something!”

“I knov you too vell, Volchok. Vhat happened vasn’t your—”

The table groaned as she slammed her hooves into it and growled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Savva. I’m fine. It was years ago. I’m fine.”

“Fine? I can see how you act, Gear. Zhis?” He waved up and down at her, his brow furrowed with worry. “Zhis is not normal. You never drank like zhis before, zhose drinks are making my hair curl. And you vere such happy filly before! Never got angry like zhis!”

Gear toyed with her glass, rolling it around with her hooves. “Look… Savva, what do you want me to say? I’m doing fine, all things considered. It… Yes, it was a challenge, after what happened. But I’m fine now. Okay?”

Savva watched her for a few moments before sighing heavily. “I am… Sorry zhat it took me so many years to find you. I try to reach you over net, but net address vas never correct. I could never find your home address eizher. I am sorry, Volchok.”

Her lip twitched as she frowned. Sorry? He was sorry? She’d been avoiding him! “…Don’t apologize, Savva. You don’t need to. Okay? Just don’t.”

He leaned forwards, rubbing his claws together for a moment before leaning back again and taking a hefty draft from his beer. “It… Yes, I do, Volchok. I should have tried harder.”

She growled, staring deeply into the blue surface of her drink as she fidgeted with her hooves. What did he know, huh? It wasn’t his fucking fault! “Gods damnit, Savva. It’s fine. Please, please don’t beat yourself up over this. Okay? It’s fine. I am fine.”

“Volchok—”

She lifted her head and glared at him. “No, seriously. Cut that shit out, Savva. I am fine. Shit happened, I’m over it. End of story, not talking about it. But don’t you dare fucking pity me. Got it?”

He drummed his claws on the table, watching her. “…Very vell, Volkchok.”

Finishing his beer with one claw and fishing around in his pockets with the other, he pulled out a tiny scrap of paper before sliding it across the table to her. “Here. Zhis is vere ve stay. Ze captain and me. I vish ve could talk longer, but it has been hours and zhe captain needs me back. He broke ass on way here.”

Gear couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image, a bit of her drink going up her nose in the process. “O-oh shit, Savva. Did he really?” she asked as she cleaned herself up with a few napkins.

“Da. Fell from ladder on ass.”

“Ha… Of course he did.”

As he got out of the booth, Savva suddenly pulled her into a hug, showing off his impressive strength despite his old age. “Ve vill speak again soon, Gear. I promise.”

Somewhat reluctantly returning his hug, she patted him on the back. “Alright, Savva. Take care.” Suddenly she was grateful those idiots at Flaretek had screwed up the blueprints so badly. Spending hours talking to Savva about this? That would’ve been hell.

“I vill.” He let her go but hesitated before leaving. “It… vas not your fault they died, Volchok. Ignore zhat fool Diamond. No one on ze Void Runner blames you. Be safe.”

Gear watched him as he exited the bar, and once she was certain he wasn’t coming back she finished her drink, letting her mind grow distant.

Savva was wrong. But what changed? Why was he here at Sawtooth’s now, this night? Was it just happenstance? Her luck finally run out? Maybe the Captain said or wanted something. She’d have to be more cautious again; she couldn’t afford running into them. They’d ask too many questions, maybe even try and get her back on the Void Runner. She—

“Hey… Are you okay? Who was that guy?” Nina asked in a soft voice as she stroked Gear’s hoof.

Gear jumped at the contact. When had Nina come into the booth? “Ah… Yeah, I’m good. He was… Just an old friend.”

She sat back up and cleared her throat. “Hey, Nina. Any chance of me staying here a little later than usual? I know you close soon, but if it’s alright with you I’d like to just sit here and think about things.”

“I’m really sorry Shifty, but I’ve got tickets to a concert tonight and Sawtooth wants us closed on time.”

“Well… Don’t worry about it, Nina. I’ll finish this glass and pick something up from this little bottle shop I like. Oh, and charge everything from tonight, including that griffon’s drinks, to my account.”

“Again, I am so sorry, Shifty. I wish I could keep it open for you. Let me at least call a taxi for you.”

Gear nodded and leaned back in the booth as she stared up at the ceiling. “Thanks, Nina.”

I guess today is just one of those days…

She ordered three more drinks before the bar closed, running the encounter with Savva in her head over and over again until the liquor had finally beaten her body into an alcoholic haze. She stumbled out of the bar, her head buzzing pleasantly and her mood quickly rising.

Savva and the Void Runner might be coming back, work was terrible, and Mira would no doubt be upset with her when she got home, but right now everything was amazing.

The light from dozens of holographic advertisements bathed her in a rainbow of color as she walked down the busy streets of New Canterlot, passing down tier after tier of the multi-level city until she was near the bottom in a run-down, underground, decrepit neighborhood. The walk had sobered her up a little bit, but she planned on fixing that.

Concrete buildings littered the street, simply made and unbelievably cheap, but sturdy and low maintenance. A few signs marked the rarely occupied buildings nearby, but her goal had a bright red, old-fashioned neon sign. It proclaimed the squat, ugly gray chunk as Ruby’s Liquors in proud neon letters.

The sign was literal. It wasn’t a store; it was where Ruby kept all her liquors. She had spent her entire life travelling to all corners of the galaxy to collect at least one of every type of drink, and as far as Gear knew, she’d succeeded. Now she spent her twilight years enjoying them quietly, and only occasionally letting others enjoy them too.

Gear held her hoof up to a small scanner next to the door and after a moment it chirped, the door swinging open. A quiet song and the familiar scent of sandalwood filled her nostrils as she stepped inside.

Overhead light panels illuminated row after row of metal shelves stocked with every single imaginable type of alcoholic drink available. Whiskeys from the Atlas moons, ancient wines from the Lunar colonies, bourbons from the lost sectors of space, rock bottom rotgut from who knew where, and more. It was always a bit strange, to Gear, Ruby having all those bottles to look at but almost never actually drinking from them. But it made her happy, and the old dog was willing to share with her, so she’d keep her opinion to herself.

<<”Ruby! Where are you, you old bitch?”>> Gear barked out, slipping into the grunts and growls of the language everyone from the Canid Warrens used.

<<”Gear? What are you doing here? It’s Saturday, not Friday ya’ know!”>> Ruby responded with a high-pitched yip.

Gear followed the sound of her voice and found Ruby pulling down a few bottles from a shelf and examining them, her gray paws trembling slightly with age. She glanced over at Gear and fiddled with the eyepatch over her left eye for a moment. <<”The hell are you doing here? You were just here yesterday, ya’ know! Your order won’t be ready until next week!”>>

Gear waved a hoof at her, ignoring the question. <<”I can make you an actual eye, you know.”>>

<<”I don’t accept charity. Now. What’cha here for?”>> She put the bottle back on its shelf before hobbling behind the register, Gear following close behind.

There was no point arguing with her, they’d had this conversation a thousand times, ridiculous as it was. Foolish pride— what good was it letting yourself stay half blind? <<”I just want something a little extra for tonight, that’s all.”>>

Ruby cackled, but her voice quickly descended into great, wet, heaving coughs. <<”A little something extra, huh? Well, I think I could be persuaded to open my collection to you, seeing as you’re my favorite pony.”>>

<<”Ha! Ruby, I’m probably the only pony that comes to your shop.”>>

Ruby tore open a pack of cigarettes with her sharp teeth and lit one up, completely ignoring Gear. <<”Not true. I get a few that come by every so often. But they don’t speak Dy’n as well as you.”>>

She took a long drag on the cigarette before blowing the smoke in Gear’s face. <<”So tell me, chicken wings. What do you want to buy from my collection tonight? More of the usual? Cause I’m out of that ya’ know.”>>

Gear’s wings sagged at the news. <<”Oh. Well… Yeah, I was going to ask for more Blue Moon Special.”>>

<<”Sorry, you drank the last bottle yesterday. I do still have some chilled bottles of Diamond Cider left though.”>>

Gear grumbled as her tail flicked side to side and her wings fluttered with agitation. <<”Tease. You should’ve led with that. Yeah, get me a bottle.”>>

The counter creaked as Ruby leaned across it, giving Gear a predatory smile. <<”Ya’ know, I can hunt down some more Blue Moon, just for you, if you really want it. It’ll be expensive though; They were rare when I first collected them thirty years ago.”>>

<<”If you think you can find some then I’ll pay whatever it costs.>>

<<”You sure? I mean it when I say it’ll be expensive, ya’ know.”>>

<<”I’m sure. There’s nothing like Diamond Cider and Blue Moon Special.”>>

<<”Alrighty then, I’ll find some for you. Now, lemme go get your drink.”>> She shuffled off through a door behind the counter and returned a few minutes later cradling a pair of golden bottles identical to the one Gear had fallen on that morning.

Black wax trailed down their necks in thick beads and as Ruby set them down on the counter Gear ran a hoof over one of the bottles familiar outline. She traced its short, narrow neck, and its wide, circular body, noting the small gold sun inside that marked the bottle as genuine. Each of them was relatively small, only holding a little over half a pint of liquor inside, but they were potent.

<<“There’s not much of this stuff left floating around either, ya’ know.”>>

Gear sighed and tucked the bottles under a wing. <<”I’ll just have to enjoy it while it lasts then. Charge this and whatever you’re going to want for the Blue Moon to the usual account.”>>

As Gear turned to leave, Ruby stopped her. <<”You sure you’re okay? You don’t normally come more than once a week. You don’t really have to answer, but we can watch some shitty movies if you want and drink some good stuff, ya’ know.”>>

She hesitated. A part of her wanted to accept, telling her it’d be a good time and a lot of fun, but a much bigger part stopped that thinking cold. She had this nice bottle of Diamond Cider, a drink best enjoyed alone. And Ruby herself said there weren’t that many left! So she had to make absolutely sure she enjoyed this one.

<<”Nah, I’m good Ruby. I really did just want a little bit of something extra to cap off the night, that’s all. I’m fine.”>>

The mild burn of regret settled in her chest as she left the store and started making her way towards one of the city’s lower docks. No one would be there at this time, except for maybe a few dock workers, and she could drink alone and in peace. A part of her wanted go back and accept Ruby’s offer, but she knew it’d be too awkward. There’d be too many questions about things she didn’t want to think about let alone answer.

Instead, she used her teeth to break open the wax seal on one of the bottles and yanked the cork out. Spitting it out she took a long, much needed drink of the perfectly clear liquid and shivered with delight as warmth seeped into her core. Sweetness exploded on her tongue and washed away her negative thoughts in a tidal wave of apple flavor, chased by a mild burn that sizzled and popped against her regret before extinguishing it.

She loved Diamond Cider. It was like bottled sunshine; a crisp, clean, apple-flavored slice of heaven and completely unlike the “special” she got at Sawtooth’s.

She stuck her tongue out at the thought of the blue glowing glasses of poison. They got her drunk, but they were terrible— filled with sugar and sweetener to try and mask all the chemicals it was mixed with. It didn’t help though, even drowning in sickening sweetness she could always taste something acidic beneath the syrup.

By the time she was trotting past the rows of warehouses that lined the dock, she had already finished one bottle and was on her second.

She sighed happily as she came to a stop at the edge of the wharf. The noise of the city was left behind her, a persistent buzzing at the edge of her hearing, but it was easily ignored. She was well and truly alone out here. Only dockworkers had reason to visit the wharf which meant no skytaxi’s, no noisy crowds, and no blaring advertisements playing. Just the quiet honking of horns from heavy machinery as a ship unloaded its cargo down the way, and her thoughts.

Happy memories gurgled up from the depths of her mind to float on the surface as she drank. Her first kiss stolen with a stallion on the Void Runner, her second kiss with a mare on some planet she’d long since forgotten the name of, the way Savva looked at her when she finished one of the projects he assigned, a day at the park with her parents, and the day she graduated university.

They flowed through her, filtering through her thoughts and filling her with an overwhelming, manic energy. At first, she giggled quietly to herself, taking the occasional sip from the second bottle, but the excitement bubbling up inside of her begged to be released.

She threw her head back as her giggles exploded into loud, howling laughter, nearly falling over in the process. “Mira, Savva, you both don’t have a clue what you’re talking about! I’m fucking amazing!”

Standing on unsteady hooves and continuing to drink, she trotted along the edge of the way and ranted. “I don’t need either of you to worry about me, I’m fine! Just fine! I’ve got a job, good drinks, and on the occasion, good— whoa!”

She yelps as she nearly falls off into the water, coughing and taking another swig from her bottle as she sits on the edge. “Fuck you, world! You piece of shit! You’re so pathetic, just look at how weak you are! That’s the second time you’ve tried to kill me! Two times, no dice! You can’t keep me down you fucking trash! You absolute worthless garbage! Fuck you!”

Gear tilted her head back and held the bottle with both hooves as she drank the last of it, yelling at the night sky as she finished. “COME ON! BRING IT ON, FATE! I’ll take anything you can throw at me and beat it into a pulp! You can’t kill me! Stab me, shoot me, burn me, beat me, crush me, I’ll get back up and spit in your eye! So come on and bring it! I’ll take everything you have and…! And…”

Her voice trailed off as a wave of nausea suddenly washed over her. She could hear shouting coming from down the docks, but whatever they were saying was lost in a sea of dizziness as she struggled not to fall over into the water.

“W-whoa… Guess that last bit was too much.”

She focused on the water right below her, leaning over the edge and spreading her legs wide. The water gently lapped against the concrete, coating it in a slimy layer of green and black, but as she stared down, she realized that something wasn’t quite right with the water.

It was… Greasy. Distorted, like she was inside some sort of oily bubble that gently twisted and warped the world around her into streaky rainbows. She stretched a hoof out towards the water and flinched as it flexed like rubber—the surface dimpling but stubbornly refusing to let her dip her hoof in.

Her study of the strange phenomenon was interrupted by the screeching sound of tearing metal. She whipped her head around towards the sound and saw the the dockworkers were unloading spill shipping containers from its side as a gantry crane crashed into it, sending a massive wave of water rushing towards her.

The wave swept her off her hooves and sent her tumbling into the murky depths of the harbor, her body passing through the rubbery surface of the water with a squelch.

Panic burst the pleasant haze the alcohol had settled over her mind as she took an involuntary breath, sucking in water. She didn’t float, not even a little bit. She’d sink all the way to the muddy bottom in minutes!

For a moment, despair filled her. Was this how things were going to end? After everything, she’d die in a freak accident? Discovered weeks after the fact, only after Mira reported her missing for a few days?

She bit her tongue and clamped down on the traitorous thoughts. Wasn’t she just saying she’d take anything life could throw at her and send it back? Was that all bull and bluster? Hell no, she was going to live.

She flailed wildly, struggling to right herself and jerking her head around in every direction as she searched for a hint of light in the blackness, but jerked as she suddenly landed on something, and her head breached the surface of the water.

Water poured from her lungs and snot clung to her nostrils as she violently coughed until her ‘lungs’ were clear. It didn’t make much sense to her that she fell down to the surface, but at least she wasn’t drowning.

“Hehe… Holy shit… I’m good… See? You can’t kill me!” She couldn’t help but laugh as waves of relief washed away her panic, but as she lifted her head to get a look at her surroundings, she froze.

She wasn’t at the wharf anymore. Icy rain poured down from the sky in great sheets, noisily thundering against the leaves and branches of the forest she now found herself in.

There were trees, actual trees! Wild ones, not in a nature reservation or a hologram, ones with healthy brown bark and deep green leaves, uncontrollably growing into the sky! But there weren’t any wild forests near New Canterlot. Did she get sucked into some underwater pipe and find some secret underground hydroponics facility? It’d explain how she found the surface by going down.

A deep sense of wrongness burbled up inside her as thunder boomed and lightning flashed overhead. A torrent of ice poured into her heart as the pleasant tingle of survival turned into a painful biting in her limbs, and the comforting warmth of the diamond cider suffusing her twisted into an acidic burn that oozed between her ribs.

The storm raging over her head smeared into rolling waves of static as she struggled to rise, but she collapsed as the strength left her limbs and the world swam around her.

Sweet Elisa what is happening?!

Over the sound of the rain and the pounding in her ears, she heard someone gasp. Drunkenly rolling her head around to face them she locked eyes with a soft purple-grey unicorn mare.

She was standing right next to Gear, the golden pools of her eyes shining bright with a curiosity that stood in sharp relief against the darkness of the night. They enchanted her, giving Gear a moment of clarity.

A unicorn…?

Gear opened her mouth to say something but froze halfway there. She was distorting, her insides were tying themselves into a tight knot, and her very being was twisting further and further around itself until an invisible thread snapped.

Her ears popped and her vision went black as her senses and consciousness drowned in a tidal wave of numbness.