“I have decided” Lumine said
“Really?!” Twilight and Rainbow called out
“Yep, I want to go see the kittens” Lumine explained
“What?! Why?! I mean… Drinking beer is much more fun!” Rainbow reminded
“Sorry Rainbow but I think she doesn’t like beer, right Lumine?” Twilight asked
“Yeah, sorry RD” Lumine apologized
“Fine, guess it’s just me drinking beer then” Rainbow said
Margaret then chuckled a bit
“Here for the kitties huh? I suppose we do have a lot of cute cats here” Margaret said
“No thanks, I’m good” Rainbow said
“They’re all quite friendly, in fact, many other customers are here for the same reason after all there aren’t many places in Mondstadt where you can just relax and interact with friendly cats” Margaret explained
Diona then scoffed in disbelief
“I’ve never seen such a bunch of arrogant and stubborn cats, I don’t understand why people like them so much, besides, shouldn’t the main purpose for going to a tavern be drinking without getting cat hair in your beverage?” The girl asked
“Maybe everyone just thinks cats are cute?” Lumine asked
“What kind of reason is that?!” The girl asked angrily before crossing her arms and looking away in disbelief “So as long as they’re cute nothing else matters?” The girl asked
“Well, judging from the customers, that seems to be the case” Margaret said before chuckling a bit before pointing to Twilight and Lumine “See? These travelers are here for the cats as well” Margaret reminded
“You’re really gonna make a name of yourself that way you know” Rainbow reminded
Twilight and Lumine then chuckled a bit only for Margaret to have a worried look
“However, you’ve come at a most unfortunate time, our cats see to have snuck out to play somewhere” Margaret explained worriedly
“Really?! Sweet! That means it’s safe for me to go inside!” Rainbow said in relief
“If you’re willing to wait, Diona here should be able to bring them back shortly…” Margaret said
The girl named Diona then turned to Margaret angrily
“Huh? When did I agree to go fetch those little troublemakers?!” Diona asked angrily
“Consider it a task straight from tavern management, besides, the cats are quite fond of you so you’re the natural pick for the job” Margaret explained
Diona then sighed in disbelief
“They’re probably just bored and wandered off to get people’s attention” Diona said in disbelief
“Is that so?” Margaret asked before chuckling a bit “...Well anyway, it’ll be up to you to bring them back here” Margaret said
“No! Please don’t! I don’t wanna see such cute monsters!” Rainbow said
“They’re not monsters Rainbow!” Margaret reminded angrily
“Exactly!” Twilight agreed angrily
“I agree with them so please, stop bullying them and if you don’t like cats just go to Angel’s Share” Lumine said
“And let you get stuck with all of the cat’s fur, no, no, I don’t think so, I’ll be joining you and making sure that doesn’t happen” Rainbow said angrily
“By the way girls, didn’t you two say that you’re here to see the kitties? If you’re up for it, perhaps you could accompany Diona to retrieve them” Margaret said
“Really? Why?” Twilight asked
“Maybe after interacting with them for a bit the cats will get to know you and seek more of your attention” Margaret reminded
“Good idea, let’s do it then” Lumine said
“What?! Are you seriously gonna team up with them?!” Rainbow asked in shock
“Yes we are and you’re gonna help us, it’s as simple as that” Twilight said
“Ugh fine but when I have the chance I’ll sue you for ruining my awesome life with such cuteness” Rainbow said angrily
Lumine, Diona, Margaret and especially Twilight were shocked at what Rainbow just said which made Rainbow confused before realizing what she said
“Let’s ignore that shall we” Rainbow suggested
“Agreed/Yeah, let’s do it” The group said in unison in agreement
“Anyways, the three cats that snuck out are Roger, Nelson and Paisley” Margaret explained
“Cool!” Twilight explained
“I gotta say, Roger’s a good name!” Rainbow said
“That’s the only thing you agree on?!” Twilight asked in disbelief
“Yeah, kinda” Rainbow answered nervously
“Don’t worry Twilight, she might just love it because it’s from her favorite voice actor or something” Lumine said
“Voice actor?” Twilight asked
“A person that voices characters in movies and shows, did you not hear about that when you went to the human world?” Lumine asked
“No I didn’t, I mean, I got there twice and there wasn’t even one day with a single mention of voice actors” Twilight explained
“Hmm, alright then, when you see Sunset you should definitely ask her” Lumine said
“Of course, will do” Twilight said
“Anyways, Diona, you usually take care of them so you should be quite familiar with these three, right?” Margaret asked
Diona who heard that then groaned in disbelief
“Them again?! And they even dared to sneak out during working hours… Don’t they have any sense of duty as tavern cats?” Diona asked
“Tavern cats? What’s that?” Twilight asked
“You know, I’m confused too” Rainbow agreed
“Come on Diona, not every kitty can be as reliable and caring as you Diona” Margaret reminded in disbelief with a small chuckle
“I am not a cat!” Diona reminded angrily
“Yeah, she’s not! …Or is she?” Rainbow asked in confusion
“You know that answer well, miss colorful pony!” Diona reminded
“For the record, my name is Rainbow Dash not colorful pony” Rainbow said angrily
“...Whatever” Diona said in disbelief before turning to Margaret “So all we have to do is to bring them back to the tavern, right? This shouldn’t be a problem, let’s scurry out of here, they love wandering around the center of town so let’s check there first” Diona suggested
“Let’s get going then” Twilight said
“A rescue mission for cats? Fine by me, as long as they don’t begin purring cutely” Rainbow said
“I’ll leave you girls to it, in the meantime I’ll keep an eye on things here at the tavern, once you’ve found the little rascals, please bring them right back” Margaret suggested
“Of course, we’ll be back before you know it” Lumine said
The group then followed Diona away from the Cat’s Tail and to the center of the town where they suddenly stopped in confusion
“Hmm, their tracks end here… Looks like they ran off somewhere else” Diona said
“Then how do we find them?” Lumine asked
“At this point Paimon would’ve asked us to use our elemental sight but that wouldn’t work in this case” Twilight said
“Agreed! Diona, got any ideas yourself?” Rainbow asked
“Yeah, don’t worry, those cats are very stubborn especially so stubborn that they’re also easy to understand so I have another idea” Diona said
“Really? Tell us” Twilight suggested
“Alright, let’s pay a visit to Marjorie at ‘With Wind Comes Glory’, Roger broke his cat toy recently and I ordered him a new one there” Diona explained before thinking “Maybe he snuck out because he didn’t have anything to play with…” Diona thought out loud
“Seems like you know him really well” Lumine said with a heartwarming smile
“I-I only know these things because I want them to do their job and not mess around!” Diona explained nervously
“I know how you feel, I feel the same when I see cute faces such as theirs” Rainbow explained
“Thanks, now c’mon, let’s head over to Marjorie’s store” Diona said
The group then began walking towards ‘With Wind Comes Glory’ where they saw Marjorie looking at Diona in happiness
“Oh, hello Diona, you must be here for the cat toy you ordered? I just finished preparing it and made it extra durable according to your request, your kitty should be able to play with this one for quite some time” Marjorie said with a smile
“Much appreciated! Margaret will come and settle the fees later” Diona said
“No problem!” Marjorie said before thinking “So, that cat named Roger… Is he usually at the Cat’s Tail?” Marjorie asked
“That’s right, he’s almost always in the tavern” Diona answered
“Wonderful! I’ll definitely make some time to head to the tavern and play with him” Marjorie said
“Oh I see… Well, you’re welcome to visit anytime” Diona said
“I gotta say though, you’re awfully particular when it comes to taking care of that cat” Marjorie said before chuckling a bit “You even provided me a list of materials to use for his cat toy” Marjorie explained
“That’s just because Roger tends to get excited whenever he plays with the customers and he always ends up ruining his toy. This time we needed to make it more durable so that it would last longer but he usually just lounges on the cabinets when no one’s around…” Diona explained
“Maybe he just needs someone to play with?” Lumine asked
“You really think so? Hmph, I’m not interested in figuring out what those cats are thinking, they’re just stubborn, that’s how all cats are” Diona explained
“Yeah, I have got to agree” Rainbow said, causing Twilight to hit her in the hoof hard “Ouch! What was that for?” Rainbow asked angrily
“Let’s just head over to see Sara at Good Hunter, she always makes Nelson’s cat food” Diona reminded
“Wow! I thought you guys did” Twilight said in disbelief
“Well yeah but he’s the one that always eats the most and even though he’s always eating he somehow weighs the lightest, I really have no idea what he’s up to all the time…” Diona explained
“Weird” Twilight agreed before clearing her throat “Ahem, well, let’s continue on then” Twilight suggested
Diona then grabbed the toy she got from Sara as the group then went to ‘Good Hunter’ and once they arrived they saw Sara there
“Welcome to Good Hunter” Sara said before she realized Lumine, Twilight, Rainbow and Diona were there “Oh, hi there girls! How can I help you all?” Sara asked
“Hello Sara, I’d like some more of that cat food I bought last time” Diona answered
“Oh, is my favorite kitty Nelson hungry again?” Sara asked in disbelief before chuckling a bit “Hold on one moment, I’ll have the kitchen prepare it for you” Sara said
Sara then rushes into the kitchen and just as quickly as she disappeared she came back and this time with another bowl full of cat food
“Alright, here’s the cat food, it hardly takes any ingredients to make so it’s on the house!” Sara explained
Twilight then picked the bowl with her magic and turned to Sara
“Thank you for your help Sara” Twilight thanked
“No need, anything for Diona “Sara said before she got a worried look as she put her hands together to beg “But please, if you can, bring Nelson with you next time… Everyone wants to pet him!” Sara reminded
“Sure, I-I’ll see if he wants to come” Diona said
The group then went far away from Sara as Lumine turned to Diona
“You think cat food will do the trick?” Lumine asked
“Well… Nelson’s not usually very fond of people but as soon as he smells some dried fish he’ll do anything you say” Diona explained before getting a disgusted and a disbelief look “And once he starts eating, ugh, he doesn’t ever stop, someone has to drag him away from the food… Kinda like the old drunks at the tavern” Diona explained in disgust and disbelief before giving a brave look again “But the amount of cat food isn’t too much this time so it’ll be fine if he finishes it all” Diona explained
“That sounds a little troublesome” Twilight said
“Anyways, we have all we need for now, let’s go find Roger and Nelson, we’ll deal with Paisley later” Diona said
The group then looked at each other in confusion before deciding it was better left unasked as Rainbow turned to Diona
“Let’s start with Roger” Rainbow suggested
“Alright, Roger always likes to sit in high places so… Maybe we should go check the rooftops” Diona said before getting worried “Do any of you know how to get on top of the buildings here? If not you can just wait down here and I’ll take care of it” Diona said
“Not exactly, I’m only good at climbing cliffs” Lumine explained
“Very well then, got any other ideas anyone?” Diona asked
“Well, I can teleport but I have no idea what the top of the roofs look like” Twilight explained
“Well, I could fly and look around, does that help?” Rainbow asked
“Yes” Diona answered in relief
“Alright, Then I’m on it!” Rainbow said
Rainbow then began to fly before Twilight tugged on her tail with her tail
“Rainbow, we can’t fly or climb in my case, remember” Twilight reminded
“Oh right, hop on then” Rainbow said
The trio then hopped onto Rainbow who then grunted
“Okay, I may be a Knight of Favonius but I did not know you all were this heavy” Rainbow said
“That must be because I’m a bucking horse!” Twilight reminded
“True, well then, let’s get on our way!” Rainbow said
“Agreed, let’s go up and look for Roger together” Diona suggested
Rainbow then nodded before she began to trot while spreading and flapping her wings until she manage to fly up as she used all her might to lift up herself with three people on her (Especially Twilight) as the group looked all over the high spots and after a while Diona found Roger making her point at it
“Wait, see that cat there? That’s Roger! Oh, he really picked a high place to sit this time…” Diona called out in relief and disbelief
“Finally, let’s go and get him!” Rainbow ordered before she wanted to fly again only for Diona to grab one of her wings causing her to fly sideways “What was that for?” Rainbow asked
Diona then let go as Rainbow steadied herself again while Lumine held a now dangling Twilight
“Sorry but don’t get too close, if we startle him he might run away” Diona said
Rainbow then groaned as Rainbow then flew towards another part of the rooftop as Lumine and Diona then climbed off while Twilight was dragged on top of the rooftop
“Finally! I was getting tired from carrying all that strength!” Rainbow said in disbelief
“Alright, now you two, stay here and don’t make a sound, me and Lumine will handle Roger” Lumine said
“‘Roger that’” Twilight said
After saying that Rainbow and Lumine had to struggle not to laugh while Diona scoffed a bit
“Haha, very funny” Diona said sarcastically before shushing “Now stay quiet girls” Diona said before the duo then slowly approached Roger while also making sure they don’t get too close “Okay, remember all the things we prepared? Now’s the time to make use of them” Diona said
“Exactly” Lumine said
“Do you remember what would be better for attracting Roger?” Diona asked
“Of course, the cat toy” Lumine answered
“Hey, you’ve got a pretty good memory, that’s right, cat toys are Roger’s favorite” Diona said
Diona then slowly approached Roger and put the cat toy as far as she could while it was still in her hands and once Roger saw the cat toy he slowly approached the toy and sniffed it before he began playing with it and once he was distracted Diona turned to Lumine who knew what she meant as Lumine slowly went towards a distracted Roger and picked him up while Diona still held the toy in her face
“That was a great distraction” Lumine said
“I agree” Diona said before turning to Roger with a frown “Don’t make me do that again, you hear that Roger?” Diona asked
But all Roger did was purr which made Diona irritated but she knew she couldn’t get mad even if she wanted to quit working with them
“Still, he did let his guard down almost immediately, looks like he was just waiting for someone to come play with him” Diona explained in disbelief
“Yeah, just wondering but do any of the staff give attention to them?” Lumine asked
“Well… Sometimes but it’s mostly the customers that give attention to them, guess they must’ve gotten bored thanks to the vacation yesterday, I should probably bring them home if it’s weekend again and nobody can take care of them” Diona explained worriedly
“Alright but don’t worry if you can’t, I can always come and sleep at the Cat’s Tail while taking care of them” Lumine reminded
“That’ll be much appreciated” Diona said
“Still, it’s no wonder the customers like him so much, the first thing they ask is when they visit the tavern is if Roger is around… Yeesh” Diona said in disbelief
“What should I tell? Do I say Rainbow has her own fan club or something a bit more helpful?” Lumine thought
“Maybe he has a fanclub of his own, Rainbow had one too in her home world” Lumine explained
“Yeah that’s the problem! Who cares about specialty drinks when you have these fluffy little kitties to play with, right? If you ask me, the tavern doesn’t need any more new drinks to attract customers, just get more cats and people will come!” Diona explained in disbelief
“Unless they’re Rainbow Dash” Lumine explained
“Huh?” Diona asked in confusion
“Nothing” Lumine said nervously
“Alright let’s bring Roger to our friends and go find Nelson” Diona said
The duo with Roger then went towards Rainbow and Twilight who were chatting quietly before they heard the duo approaching as they turned to Diona and Lumine
“We’re back!” Lumine said
The duo then noticed the cat Lumine was holding as Twilight rushed towards it in awe while Rainbow only rolled her eyes in disgust
“Is that Roger?!” Twilight asked
“Yes it is” Diona answered
“Well then, how did he get here, did he secretly have wings?” Rainbow asked
“I’m not sure, maybe he’s that good in climbing or a bird caught him” Lumine explained
“A bird caught him? How exactly do you think the bird catches him?” Twilight explained
“I’m not sure, guess the cat must’ve climbed that far” Lumine said
“Alright then” Twilight said
“Can we just get to the business at hoof now please?” Rainbow asked in disgust and disbelief
“We may as well” Diona said
The group then went onto Rainbow’s back and when they all were on her she helped the group get to the ground where the group went off of Rainbow
“So Diona, what’s the next place on the list?” Twilight asked
“Hmm, Nelson likes places that are warm, in fact, the last time I went looking for him I found him in the bush next to the blacksmith so let’s go look for him there” Diona suggested
The group then went to the blacksmith where they looked around before Rainbow found Nelson
“Over here girls” Rainbow said
The group then slowly approached Rainbow and Nelson where they stood in front of him only to see he was beginning to fall asleep
“Yup, I knew we’d find Nelson here… And he looks like he’s about to fall asleep, huh, could it really be more comfortable than in the tavern?” Diona asked
“I think so seeing as he doesn’t like people” Lumine explained
“Anyway, let’s take out the thing we’ve prepared, I’ll let you give him it Twilight’ Diona said
“I’m not it” Twilight said
Twilight then teleported the cat food for Nelson into her magic which she then put on the ground using her magic
“Nelson loves eating this stuff, the cat food will definitely make him happy” Twilight said
The group then watched for a moment as they saw Nelson approach his food and sniffing it before he began to eat it with a happy sound
“Aww!” Twilight and Lumine called out
Meanwhile Rainbow scoffed in disbelief while Diona was confused once more as she got angry
“Didn’t the customers at the tavern already feed you enough? How can you still be so excited to see food all the time?” Diona said but the cat didn’t listen as he continued to eat “And there you go snarfing everything down as always… Why do customers like you so much? They even fight over who gets to feed you!” Diona said angrily before she began to think suspiciously “Are you just pretending to be hungry all the time just to get the customers to come take care of you?” Diona asked angrily before getting calmer but still looking at him with a frown “What a cheeky little guy… No wonder customers completely forget about their drinks after seeing him” Diona said in disbelief
“Should I taunt Diona or just give her a compliment? Let me think” Lumine thought
“Maybe you should take a hint from him and do what he does” Lumine suggested
“Take a hint… From him?” Diona asked angrily before scoffing “Forget it! We should probably just get more cats at the tavern, they seem to attract more customer than my drinks” Diona said angrily
“That’s not what I—” Lumine started before she felt Diona’s glare staring into her soul “Sorry” Lumine said
“It’s no problem, go ahead, pick him up, he doesn’t weigh much, I really have no idea how he stays so light…” Diona said
“Alright” Lumine said
Lumine then put Roger onto Twilight’s back who was distracting him with the toy in her magic grasp while Lumine picked up Nelson before she turned to Rainbow
“Mind if I sit on you for once?” Lumine asked
“Nah, not really, I mean, how are you supposed to continue giving him food anyway?” Rainbow asked
“True” Lumine said
Lumine then went to put Nelson on Rainbow’s back before she picked up the cat bowl and sat behind Nelson while holding the bowl making sure Nelson can eat
“Alright, let’s go find Paisley, he used to always sneak out to go to the Cathedral before so let’s start there” Diona said
“Does he like cat food? I mean, there’s more room for both of them” Lumine asked
“Nope… He doesn’t like either of the things that Roger and Nelson likes, I’ll tell you more when we get there” Diona said
The group then went towards the Mondstadt Cathedral as they looked around for clues where Nelson is until they saw a bunch of cats sitting together
“What’s going on there?” Twilight asked
“Paisley’s over there, follow me” Diona said
The duo then walked over towards the group of cats as Diona could only look in relief
“Just where I thought I’d find you Paisley” Diona said in relief
“So… What should we do now?” Lumine asked
“We don’t need to do anything, Paisley just doesn’t fancy anything special, he just does whatever he’s in the mood for so… Just to sum it up, he’s just a self-centered little cat” Diona explained
“That’s a bit troublesome” Twilight explained in worry
“Agreed, we may as well just quit” Rainbow said
“Even back at the tavern he hardly ever interacts with any customers, usually he prefers to play with the other kittens” Diona explained before shaking her head “But enough about Paisley, let’s just take him and head back, I’ll pick him up as he doesn’t usually run away when I carry him in the tavern” Diona suggested before she noticed Lumine smiling brightly with tears in her eyes
“Uhh, wait, you want to pick him up? I’m telling you Paisley just ignores strangers” Diona reminded
“Exactly, pretty please!” Lumine started
Rainbow then rushed over to her and pulled her back in worry
“Are you sure? I mean, these cats… They’re too cute, what if you get too attached?!” Rainbow asked in worry
“Of course” Lumine said
“Very well then” Rainbow said
Lumine then slowly began to approach Paisley who easily got out of her hands
“See? No response at all… Here, just let me do it” Diona suggested before she turned to Paisley with a serious look “Listen Paisley, just be good and stay there okay?” Diona asked
Paisley then lovingly approaches Diona and began rubbing one of her legs causing Twilight and Lumine to look in awe while Rainbow only groaned while Diona crouched down and rubbed Paisley’s chin
“Good kitty, ohh, that’ll do, you really are pretty cute when you’re being good…” Diona said happily
“Alright that’s it!” Rainbow said angrily before she approached Paisley “Go into Lumine’s hands or else I’ll make sure you regret ever seeing me!” Rainbow said angrily
Twilight then pulled Rainbow back
“Rainbow, calm down! He’s just a kitten!” Twilight reminded
“Well, I don’t care, this cuteness is hurting my dignity, this has got to stop, just pick him up and go before I die from embarrassment” Rainbow ordered angrily while turning to Diona
“Hey!” Diona said angrily as she turned to Rainbow “Why are you looking at me like that huh?! He only listens to me because I feed him all the time, that’s all, no need to get so enraged” Diona said angrily
“Are you serious?! Then why don’t I feed him! And it’ll not be in a cute way!” Rainbow said angrily
“Rainbow stop!” Twilight ordered angrily before turning to Diona “Why’s he doing that though?” Twilight asked
“Well, for some reason, some customers actually like his persona, once Paisley bobbles his head at them they all start looking like they’d be willing to buy him cat food for the rest of his life” Diona explained before sighing in worry and disbelief “If only we got a few more cats at the Cat’s Tail, then I wouldn’t need to spend all my time making drinks anymore, all I’d have to do is take care of the kitties and let the customers come and pet them” Diona said in worry and sadness
“Lumine, remind Diona about the drinks and the kitties” Rainbow said
“Don’t listen to Rainbow, she’s trying to anger Diona and we wouldn’t wanna do that, right?” Twilight asked
“Hmm…” Lumine thought
Team up with Twilight
Remind Diona about how the customers got to know the cats
Author's Note
The following choice you picked has actions done by professionals, do not try anything what you see here at home or else you'll get seriously messed up
The Flavoring
“I have to go with Twilight’s choice, the flavoring matters more than the base” Lumine explained
“That’s fine with me” Rainbow said
“Thanks for picking the flavoring, I’ll help you decide which ones to use if you have no idea” Twilight said
“I accept” Lumine said
The trio then went back to Diona
“And… Have you girls decided?” Diona asked
“Yes, we’d like the flavoring to be more unique…” Lumine answered
“Hmm, a drink with special flavoring huh? Well, that’ll be easy enough, I was planning on looking for some more flavorings anyway” Diona said before pulling out a checklist and checking it over “Hm, I’ve got a list of things we can search for” Diona explained before she put the checklist away “Hmm… Let’s go visit Blanche first, I placed an order for some flavoring ingredients that should be ready by now” Diona explained
The group then walked towards Blanche’s shop and once they arrived Blanche turned to them happily
“Welcome, is there anything you girls need?” Blanche asked
“Hello Blanche, I came to pick up my order!” Diona explained
“Diona!” Blanche said in shock before she rushed towards a different table and checked if her name’s on the list “Let me see…” Blanche thought before she found it “Yes… Fifteen Lizard Tails, seven vials of Butterfly Dust…” Blanche read before she searched for the stuff and when she found them she brought them over to the group “Everything other than the bottle of Frog Mucus is ready” Blanche explained
“No rush on that, I’ll take whatever’s ready, someone from the tavern will come to settle the bill later” Diona said
“Alright, thank you for your business” Blanche thanked
“Just wondering Diona but what are these…?” Lumine asked while Diona picked the stuff that was in the bag
“Yeah, these look more like alchemy ingredients…” Twilight agreed
“Well… Hehe, yeah, I did ask Timaeus before about what ingredients they use to improve the taste of alchemic medicine…” Diona explained
“Really? Which ingredients did he mention?” Twilight asked
“Well… He mentioned things like Lizard Tails and Crystal Cores but I think Crystal Cores overlap too much with the texture of ice cubes so I chose not to use them but I have, however, always wanted to try Frog Mucus, according to Timaeus, it can make the texture of a drink as thick as mud!” Diona said before laughing with a purr
“I have many questions on why Diona’s parents didn’t teach her on messing with things, especially with stuff this gross” Twilight whispered
“Same here/I agree” Rainbow and Lumine whispered back in agreement
“Now all we have left to get is some Fish Scales and Slime Condensate so let’s search for those in the wild and once we have everything I can make you that drink” Diona said
The group then began walking out of Mondstadt and across the many paths of the wild before they arrived at their destination
“Ahh, we made it! Whether it’s the meat, skin or tails the fish here have great texture and quality” Diona explained
Diona then began foaming at the mouth of tastiness as she turned at the sea before Rainbow waved her hoof in front of her face
“You there Diona?” Rainbow asked
Diona then shook her head
“Oh right, sorry” Diona apologized before turning to her customers “They also have a strong but interesting grass like scent to the meat and scales here too, most people can’t handle it but to the foodies that have unique tastes, it’s amazing” Diona explained excitedly
“You sure know a lot about fish” Lumine said said in happiness and disbelief
“What? No! No, I just overheard stuff from a bunch of old drunks while I was making drinks” Diona said before she noticed the trio looking at her with raised eyebrows “Ugh please, it’s not like I went out of my way to learn about fish or anything!” Diona said nervously before shaking her head “Just go there and catch us a few fresh fish, I have way too many ingredients here and it’d be a hassle for me” Diona explained
“Alright, allow me!” Twilight said
Twilight then jumped into the water while turning herself into a sea pony with her magic as she caught a few fishes before she went back out while transforming into her normal form again
“Wow! How’d you do that?!” Diona asked
“A spell I learned from back home” Twilight answered
“She showed me and Paimon that back when we were living in the wild” Twilight explained
“Wow! I never knew that before! Could you do that to me too?!” Rainbow asked
“We’ll see Rainbow, we’ll see” Twilight said
“Oh! Sweet!” Rainbow said
“We’re getting off topic though” Diona reminded before turning to Twilight “Did you catch any fresh fish?” Diona asked
“Yes I did” Twilight answered while moving them into Diona’s hands with her magic
“Wow, you swim really well and you’re almost as good at catching fish as the cats I look after” Diona applauded
“Thanks!” Twilight said with a slight blush
“No worries” Diona said before giving Lumine the fish’s scales “Now if you could Lumine, you need to scrape off the scales carefully and make sure you also collect the mucus on the fish…?” Diona asked
“Twilight mostly did it but I’ll try” Lumine said
Diona then turned to Twilight who looked a bit embarrassed at her as Diona had terrible thoughts and once the thoughts were gone she turned back to Lumine who did what was asked of her carefully
“Is it working?” Rainbow asked
“Yeah but it’s a little tough” Lumine explained
Just then Diona smelled something making her gasp in awe
“Whoa, the smell of fish… Along with that unique grassy smell… It’s… So strong!” Diona called out in awe before shaking it off “But that’s okay, it’s the potent aroma we need!” Diona explained
After she said Lumine finished as she gave the stuff back to Diona
“I think I really need to wash my hands” Lumine said
“Heh, it’s too much for you huh?” Diona asked before she gave her a cold yet comforting “I guess I can understand, you’re not professional bartenders after all so your tolerance for special ingredients is not like mine” Diona said
“Yeah, sorry” Lumine apologized
“No problem” Diona said before looking down at the back as she noticed the stuff the group had gotten “That’ll just about do it, soaking the scales in the mucus collected from the fish will help preserve them for now” Diona said in relief before she turned to her customers “Next, we need to get some Slime Condensate but don’t worry, I know a place with tons of slime, follow me” Diona suggested
Afterwards Lumine washed her hands by the water and once she was done she joined her group who began walking towards another place in the forest where they were then forced to hide thanks to Diona as the group noticed a few slimes together
“Look, the slimes we’re looking for are just ahead” Diona explained
“Then let’s go and get those slimes” Rainbow suggested
“Huh but if I go after those slimes I might ruin all the ingredients I have with me and that would be bad…” Diona said worriedly
“You sure?” Twilight asked
“Yeah so can one of you defeat those slimes and bring me the Slime Condensate?” Diona asked
“Of course, allow me, I may not have fought slimes but I know just how to beat them!” Rainbow said
Rainbow then rushed towards the slimes who heard her galloping
“Wait Rainbow get back!” Diona called out
But it was too late as the slimes had already seen her as they hopped over to her
“Hey you! Come and get a taste of this!” Rainbow said
Rainbow then zipped to the slimes and continued to poke them as many slimes then got worried before letting out a cold breeze as they flew all around before dropping back to the ground unconscious as Rainbow went to stab them once more just to make sure they were dead before she pulled out some slimy orbs and approached the group
“What did you all think of that?” Rainbow asked
“I have one word, never do that again” Twilight said
“Fine but at least they’re gone now and you’ve got the Slime Condensates so that problem’s solved” Rainbow reminded
“Still, that was quick and precise, only people who don’t drink can fight like that!” Diona said
“Exactly! …Hey!” Rainbow said
Twilight and Lumine then chuckled a bit while Diona glared at her
“I-I mean, thank you” Rainbow thanked nervously
“Still, I think Slime Condensate will intensify the taste and texture of the drink hehehe…” Diona explained before thinking “Hmm… You two might be a little unfamiliar but aside from the taste of the alcohol, those old drunkards are also very keen on the texture of the drink, they’ve even invented a number of phrases to describe it for example ‘sticky like honey’ or ‘refreshing as the springs’” Diona explained before fake barfing in disgust
“Yep, and they share it with all the veteran drunkards such as me” Rainbow explained
“By a technicality you’re wrong, you’re not a veteran” Twilight reminded
“Huh, really?” Rainbow asked
“Yeah, it’s a long story” Twilight answered
“Alright then” Rainbow said
“Anyways, they use beautiful ways of describing their drinks but drinking is drinking and it doesn’t matter how you make it sound alcohol is still a terrible thing” Diona reminded
“No it’s not!” Rainbow reminded angrily
“You just have to see what my dad’s always doing! Maybe that way you can figure out his behavior” Diona said angrily
“That doesn’t mean it’s bad!” Rainbow reminded
“You know, when you have the time I’ll have you meet up with my dad, that way you can see how bad it is” Diona said angrily
“Bet!” Rainbow dared
Diona then grunted in disbelief
“Nevermind, the reason why I wanted to use Slime Condensate is because I wanted a dense, sticky consistency and once I put this into a drink I’m sure it’ll preserve it’s form and start absorbing the alcohol quickly” Diona explained
“That sounds cool… hopefully…” Twilight said nervously
Diona then took a glance at Rainbow if she was still mad only to see her giving a brave look making her sigh in disbelief
“Those old boozers wanted to try something different huh?” Diona asked which caused Rainbow to nod, making her chuckle a bit “Well, they can try this sticky, gooey Drunken Slime!” Diona said
“Heh, trying to make my tastebuds worse, we’ll see about that” Rainbow said with a brave look
“Why do you want to use this to make drinks?” Lumine asked getting more suspicious of Diona
“So I can make the worst drink conceivable and show everyone the true nature of alcohol” Diona reminded
“That’s not the way to do it” Twilight reminded
“Yes it is!” Diona argued back angrily
“I don’t think her parents learned her anything about poisoning” Lumine whispered
“I agree though apparently it isn’t working so this means I’ll have to investigate her more” Twilight whispered back
“I can hear you!” Diona called out
“Gh—!” Lumine and Twilight called out in shock
“You do know that in order to attract customers taverns use all kinds of strategies and schemes to make people believe that alcohol is not only good but a necessity, right?!” Diona asked angrily
“Yeah, that is true but—” Twilight started
“They use special ingredients, come up with fancy names and promote limited-time drinks for holidays and events, they come up with all kinds of reasons to get people drinking and Dawn Winery is at the heart of it all, they have no boundaries when it comes to selling alcohol, their one and only goal is to make sure that people keep drinking and that their own pockets get filled with Mora” Diona reminded angrily
“They’re not that greedy and besides, they do other stuff too besides selling alcohol” Twilight reminded
“Twilight’s right, sure it may look suspicious but believe me, not everyone’s like that, especially my brother” Lumine explained
“But it’s not only a crime! It’s also a scam! No good can come from alcohol!” Diona reminded
“Well, that’s only if you drink everything in one go” Twilight said
“Yeah, I may like apple cider but I drink it very carefully” Rainbow explained
“And that’s why it’s my mission to make the worst drink ever and to wake people up and free Mondstadt from the jaws of alcoholism” Diona said in disbelief
“Don’t you believe me?!” Rainbow asked
“Of course not, remember that one time you broke into my house and went to bed with my father, my mom broke up after she saw that!” Diona reminded angrily
“Rainbow!” Lumine and Twilight called out angrily
“Hehe, maybe I did drink too fast that one time” Rainbow explained before chuckling nervously
Diona then sighed in disbelief
“And that is why I’m always searching for new ingredients and experimenting with them” Diona said in disbelief before grunting in worry “However… Up until now I haven’t been able to make a single bad drink, no matter what ingredients I use! All the drinks I mix only make those deadbeat drunks all the happier!” Diona said in sadness and disbelief before sighing in defeat “I’ve already lost track of how many kinds of ingredients I’ve tried, I’ve even used ingredients way more unusual than this and have yet to ever succeed” Diona said in disbelief before sighing in defeat “I really don’t know what I need to do to make the most horrendous drink in the world!” Diona said sadly before meowing a bit
“Quit!” Rainbow suggested
“What?! No way! I will never quit!” Diona reminded angrily
“How about trying a different way of making the drinks?” Lumine asked
“A different way?” Diona asked
“Lumine, what are you suggesting?!” Twilight asked in shock and worry
“Trust me, whatever I say will not work” Lumine whispered
“What are you trying to say? That my methods aren’t professional enough? Believe me, I’ve done my research! I’ve studied how to handle a shaker, adjust the temperature of the glasses and even the subtle techniques of stirring…” Diona reminded angrily
“Then why don’t we start by looking at your mixing technique” Lumine suggested
“My mixing technique? You’re saying the reason I can’t make terrible-tasting drinks is because of my technique?” Diona asked
“I think it is” Lumine answered
After Lumine said that Diona began thinking
“Hmm… It’s true that I’ve never been professionally trained but I hear from the old drunkards that it’s very complicated, that every step must be precise and that even the slightest mistake is unacceptable… Or else…” Diona explained
“Or else the drink will taste bad?” Lumine asked
“That… That was right! Or else the drink will taste bad!” Diona answered happily while clapping as she realized something “I-I see, I’ve never thought of it this way before…” Diona said happily
“You just made it worse” Twilight said while facepalming
Diona then began thinking excitedly
“First, we need to find someone to ask about the techniques of mixing a great drink, then we use the same ingredients and purposely mess up every step of the process!” Diona suggested
“Let’s not do that” Twilight suggested
“Yes we will, I mean, I want to see how good she is and once we’ve seen how good she is we’ll quit investigating” Lumine suggested
“But, what if she poisons them or worse… Us?” Twilight asked
“It won’t happen, I’m sure of it” Lumine said
“So, are you girls with me?” Diona asked
“I speak for the three of us when I say yes!” Lumine answered
Afterwards Rainbow and Twilight gasped in shock
“I did say we were not gonna—” Twilight shushed
“Don’t listen to her, we will of course do our best to help you” Lumine said
“Haha yeah! This might finally work woohoo!” Diona cheered before she realized something “Wait a second, how did you come up with this idea? You girls don’t secretly drink do you?” Diona asked before hissing angrily
“Well, I don’t think anyone in this world would ever sell me alcohol…” Lumine reminded
“That’s a good thing, it’d be best to never have a single drop” Diona suggested before she began thinking “First I need to find a professional bartender, one that I could consult about the ways of mixing a drink professionally” Diona thought out loud
“Alright but where do we find them?” Rainbow asked
“Yeah, where could I find someone?” Diona said before grunting “Does this mean I need to go to Angel’s Share? …Or Dawn Winery?” Diona asked worriedly
“Yeah, you’ll have to” Lumine answered worriedly
“Nope, nope, uh-uh! Never! I refuse to ever set a paw in those places…” Diona said before she noticed Rainbow moving her hoof to ask something making her wiggle her finger in front of Rainbow’s face “Don’t even ask, I have my own reasons” Diona reminded before she turned around “Let’s head back first, we’ve collected plenty of ingredients and as for the mixing technique… I’ll figure out another way” Diona suggested
Meanwhile somebody who heard them talking as he walked towards them
“Diona? And these are… The Guard and Honorary Knights” The guy called out in shock before sighing in relief “Oh what a coincidence running into you three here, are you three out collecting ingredients?” The guy asked
The group who heard him then turned around
“Of course, what’s that gotta do with you?” Rainbow asked
“Nothing, I was just wondering what Diona will plan on whipping up this time since it’s always a surprise to see what she makes” The guy explained
“Guess you are a fan of hers, see Diona, you should never do that, especially with fans like him” Twilight said
Diona then scoffed
“Whatever” Diona said in disbelief
“I myself know a thing or two about mixing drinks but Elzer tells me that my drinks can’t even compare to Diona’s… They seem to lack that ‘special something’ so I’ve been looking for some inspiration but I’ve been stuck in a rut, I’m not sure whether it’s the traditional techniques I use or if I’m just too conservative with my ingredients” The guy explained in worry, sadness and confusion
“This is your opportunity to ask about mixing techniques!” Lumine whispered to Diona
“You mean I should ask him for some professional pointers?” Diona whispered back before thinking and eventually sighing in relief and disbelief “Alright, perhaps he’ll do” Diona said
Lumine then turned to the guy
“We’d like to ask you about your techniques for mixing drinks” Lumine explained
“Yeah, umm… You’re trying to find new mixing inspiration… And I’m trying some new recipes out so maybe we can… Exchange some ideas?” Diona asked
“Oh, why, I’d be honored! No problem at all!” The guy answered
“However, for the ingredients we must use the ones I’ve just collected, I have Lizard Tails, Butterfly Dust, Fish Scales and Slime Condensate” Diona explained
“Hmm… We need to use these materials huh? Well I guess it’s time for me to expand my repertoire as well…” The guy thought out loud before chuckling a bit and turning to the group “Let’s go back to the winery, I have some basic mixing tools there” The guy said
“Y-You mean we have to go to Dawn Winery? Couldn’t we also go to Angel’s Share? I mean, they have a full range of mixing tools…” Diona reminded
“Hmm… Well, you are the bartender at the Cat’s Tail, right?” The guy asked
“Yeah she is” Twilight answered
“Well, given that the Cat’s Tail and Angel’s Share are competitors it would be rather inappropriate if you were to mix drinks there, that would probably cause quite a bit of trouble for Margaret as well and besides, there are many loyal patrons at Angel’s Share so with your reputation it’d cause quite a commotion if you were to be seen mixing drinks there so in any case I wouldn’t recommend going to Angel’s Share and besides, the winery is close by so there’s no need for us to go so far” The guy reminded
“Is it just me or was that a rehearsed speech?” Twilight and Lumine thought at the same time
“Speaking of the winery, won’t that guy Elzer be there?” Diona asked
“Elzer? Sure, he’ll be there but he’s been busy taking care of guild matters lately, why do you ask?” The guy asked
Diona then scoffed in relief
“Just as long as he’s not around it’s fine and besides our little exchange here is between just the two of us so it’d be best if others don’t get involved” Diona suggested before she turned to the three next to her “Well, except for the travelers and Rainbow here, we’ve been out collecting ingredients together so they’re kinda like… My assistants, they’ll be allowed to participate” Diona explained
The guy then chuckled nervously
“Fine by me, shall we get going? The winery isn’t far so we’ll be there in no time” The guy said
“Of course, let’s go girls!” Rainbow said
Rainbow then walked off with Diona and the guy as Lumine wanted to walk too before she felt something hit her as she turned around only to notice Twilight had used her magic to throw an apple at her
“What was that for?!” Lumine asked
“To let you know that we’ll talk about this later” Twilight answered angrily
Twilight then walked off as Lumine could only look at her in shock
“Wha— bu—” Lumine started
“You coming or what?” Twilight called out angrily
“Yes Twilight” Lumine answered worriedly
Lumine then walked after Twilight as the duo went on a short and quick walk towards the Dawn Winery and once they arrived Rainbow, Diona and the guy turned to them
“Oh, you’re both here” The guy said in relief before turning to Diona and Rainbow “Look, I’ve already prepared all the tools we need, sure they’re a little… Basic but they should do just fine, I’ve also prepared a top-shelf bottle of Dandelion Wine to use as a drink base” The guy explained
“OOH!” Rainbow and Lumine called out
Twilight meanwhile sighed in disbelief before turning to Diona
“They are getting too attached, aren’t they?” Twilight asked disbelief
“Yep, they definitely are” Diona answered in disbelief
The guy then turned to Diona and Twilight
“Hey Diona, I’ve also heard that you don’t like to see people drink too much, am I right?” The guy asked
“Of course I don’t” Diona answered
“Well, today, we’ll strictly just exchange techniques so there will be no talk of drinking and even if we try the drinks, we’ll just only have a little taste, how’s that sound?” The guy asked
“Fine I suppose and these tools will suffice” Diona answered in disbelief and worry
“Oh and Twilight, since you’re so worried about the poisoning I’ll have you be the medic in case things go wrong” The guy said
“What, how’d you know?!” Twilight asked in shock
“Just a hunch!” The guy answered with a smile
“I still have many questions but alright, I’ll do whatever it takes” Twilight said
“Just wondering, how did you prepare so many things in advance?” Lumine asked
The guy then chuckled a bit
“Well, we’ve always been hoping to invite Diona to our winery to instruct us on her techniques of mixing drinks and while the preparations have been made, we just never had the chance so how could I not be fully prepared now that she’s willing to come today!” The guy answered
“True” Lumine realized
“Oh and to keep things fair we’ll need an impartial judge…” The guy suggested
“Well, we have the Honorary Knights” Diona reminded
“She’s right, your honor!” Lumine asked
“This is not Twilight Sparkle: Ace Attorney you know” Twilight reminded
“Did you just— Never mind, I won’t question it” Lumine said
“Still, they don’t look—” The guy started
“Don’t you dare say it!” Rainbow ordered angrily
“No need Rainbow, I already said I won’t drink any alcohol so it’s fine” Lumine said
“But I don’t want t—” Rainbow started
The guy then chuckled a bit
“So honest and forthcoming, you are after all the Honorary Knight and Guard of the Knights of Favonius, what impressive discipline!” The guy said before he began thinking “Then who could we find to be the judge?” The guy asked
The doors were then heard opening as the group turned around only to see an older type of guy walking into the room
“Connor, there you are, I’ve been looking for you, what are you doing here?” The older guy asked in relief
“Elzer, your timing couldn’t be any more perfect, I’m about to have a little mixing competition with Diona here…” The guy explained
“What?! Really?! That’s great! Would it be alright if I stayed to observe?” The older guy asked
“Actually, we’re looking for a judge so would you be free to help us out?” The guy asked
The guy then chuckled in excitement
“Why, I’d be delighted! It’d be an honor to have an opportunity and a taste of Diona’s craft” The older guy asked
“What a… Coincidence” Lumine thought in shock
“These two have been planning this all along” Twilight thought in shock
“So, what’s that old booze sponge Elzer doing here? He doesn’t think that I’m here to collaborate with them does he?” Diona asked
“Collaborate with them? I doubt that’s happening right now” Lumine answered in confusion
“Don’t you know? Elzer used to always show up at the Cat’s Tail” Diona reminded
“Oh—!” Lumine realized
“Every time he came he’d always be sweet-talking me and trying to get me to work with the Dawn Winery and come up with some sort of new drink, he needs to know that will never happen, not until I figure out how to make the most terrible drink in the world” Diona reminded angrily
The guy then turned to Diona nervously
“Uh, so then… Shall we begin, Diona?” The guy asked
“Sure but like I said before, this is an exchange of techniques as bartenders, anyone not involved should stay away” Diona reminded
“What is that supposed to mean?” The older guy named Elzer asked in shock
The guy then turned to Elzer nervously
“Um Elzer… Why don’t you just take a break over there? We’ll bring over the drinks once they’re finished” The guy suggested
“Wait, but I—” Elzer started
“Elzer, just—” The guy started
“Their faces are gonna cramp up with all the facial cues they’re throwing each other” Lumine thought worriedly
“Ah… Right! I shouldn’t disturb the mixing process! I’ll uh…” Elzer started before pointing to a faraway table “Be over there, just let me know if you need me” Elzer suggested
Elzer then walked off as the guy turned to the heroes and Diona
“Alright, since I invited you girls here, I’ll begin” The guy suggested before he turned to the stuff Diona put on the table “Lizard Tail’s bitter nature will ruin the alcohol’s nature and taste so we should soak it in distilled spirits first to remove the bitterness and then add it to the Dandelion Wine later as flavoring…” The guy explained before turning to the Slime Condensate “Hmm… Slime Condensate in small amounts could improve the texture but not too much otherwise the alcohol might start to coagulate” The guy reminded before turning to the Fish Scales and Butterfly Dust in concern “The smell of these Fish Scales is way too strong, there’s no way it could go in a drink, also, is Butterfly Dust even edible?” The guy asked before sighing in disbelief “Oh well, let’s start mixing and see what we end up with…” The guy suggested
The guy then began making the beverage as the others checked on what he was doing and once he was done he turned to the group as Rainbow had brought Elzer back
“You said you needed me” Elzer reminded
“Yes, it’s done, Elzer, if you could please do the honors” The guy suggested
The guy then gave the beverage to Elzer who studied it carefully
“Ahem… The color and presentation… Hmm, it looks very interesting, let me have a try…” Elzer suggested before drinking a bit of it before moving his lips in delight “Mmm, upon an initial taste the impact of the distilled spirits mixed with the refreshing Dandelion Wine along with a hint of bitterness all work to accentuate the distinct flavor of the drink and this slightly thicker texture… Hmm, it really is a memorable drink” Elzer said in awe before turning to the guy “Yes, not bad Connor, looks like you’ve finally found the right inspiration to guide your mixing techniques” Elzer said in awe
“It’s all thanks to Diona, if she hadn’t asked for this little exchange of skills and provided all the ingredients then I’d probably still be confined to my old techniques and usual ingredients” The guy called Connor explained before getting worried “However, I wasn’t able to find a way to use the Butterfly Dust and Fish Scales, seems that my creativity is still quite limited…” Connor said worriedly
Elzer then chuckled a bit
“No worries, not everyone possesses Diona’s genius intuition and techniques, no need to be so hard on yourself” Elzer suggested
Diona then turned to Lumine
“So he actually made something good out of these ingredients… Do you remember all the techniques he used?” Diona asked
“I tried to remember as much as I could” Lumine answered
Twilight who felt a sudden force then turned to Diona and Lumine strictly but they didn’t notice
“The process wasn’t too complicated so next all we have to do is follow the same steps but mess them all up” Diona suggested
“Let’s not do that please” Lumine suggested
“Of course we will!” Diona ordered which made Lumine nervous “First, you can try making a drink using the same techniques” Diona suggested
“Why don’t you just make it?” Lumine asked
“Because observation and experimentation come first when a professional bartender is faced with a new mixing technique and as my assistant you must try your best to make a horrible, terrible tasting drink and meanwhile I’ll watch closely and see if there’s any room for improvement” Diona said
Elzer then turned to Diona and Lumine as Rainbow, Connor and Twilight did so too while Twilight pretended to smile
“So Diona’s going to be making the next drink for us, right?” Elzer asked
“I just can’t wait to see what she’ll be making!” Connor said in agreement
“Same here! Hope it’s delicious!” Rainbow agreed
“I hope so too” Twilight lied before whispering to the duo “If you mess this up we’ll have a long talk” Twilight whispered
“It’s like Twilight is staring into my soul” Lumine thought worriedly
“Sure but before I do, let’s allow my assistant to have a try, he’s also very interested in mixing drinks” Diona reminded
“Is he a bartender as well? Ooh, aren’t we lucky? We’re in for a treat” Elzer said excitedly
“Do I tell them or not?” Twilight thought before shrugging despite having a worried feeling “I won’t but if things go wrong I’ll do my best to fix it” Twilight thought worriedly
Elzer then went to prepare everything for Lumine to use
“Please this way, all the materials and tools are already prepared so you may start when you’re ready” Elzer suggested
Lumine then approached the table as Diona turned to her
“Shall we begin then?” Diona asked
“Yes we shall” Lumine answered
Lumine then began mixing up a new beverage as she began thinking on how to make it worse and soon enough she was done
“Are you done mixing the drink?” Diona asked
“Yes I am” Lumine answered
Diona then picked it up and to gave it to Connor and Elzer with the latter drinking a bit before they stopped
“I’m sorry but this drink is way too uh… Creative for me so I’m afraid I couldn’t stomach it” Connor apologized
“Uh, yes, this drink is, uhh… Very creative, Connor, I think you should taste it” Elzer suggested nervously
Diona then cheered excitedly while whispering
“Looks like it worked! All we have to do is mess up every step of a professional mixing method and we end up with an absolutely terrible drink” Diona cheered before chuckling a bit before she realized what she was doing “Ahem, yes, this is a… Splendid drink you’ve made, however, I’m afraid we can’t serve it to customers like this! Ahem, here… Hand me the drink, let’s keep the alcohol and dump all the other ingredients, I’ll use that as a base to mix a new drink” Diona suggested as Lumine gave her it causing Diona to step on a higher platform before beginning to brew a new beverage “First, I’ll chop the Lizard Tail into slices… Then soak it in the drink, next, add the Slime Condensate and stir before leaving it to settle for a bit and finally we sprinkle the Butterfly Dust and…” Diona then realized something “Oh wait, I almost forgot the fish scales!” Diona realized as she began thinking before realizing it “Okay, let’s add it to the drink along with the mucus from the jar! And then we stirrr… C’mon, be dreadful, be awful, be absolutely disgusting!” Diona ordered
Connor who heard that then got worried
“Uh Elzer… Diona is mixing a drink, right?” Connor asked worriedly
“I’ve never seen such a technique before but it is Diona after all, she must have her own way… I suppose” Elzer answered worriedly
Diona continued to mix her drink as Twilight, Connor and Elzer looked worried while Rainbow and Lumine were excited for the drink and once she was done Diona turned to the group
“And… We’re done!” Diona called out before chuckling excitedly “This specialty drink will be the first blow in tearing down the lies of the alcohol industry” Diona said excitedly before giving the glasses to Connor and Elzer “Please, have a taste, come and realize your empty delusions of alcohol” Diona suggested before laughing evilly
Elzer who had already drank a bit could only look in shock and awe
“Wow! Th-This taste! Why, I’ve never had anything like it!” Elzer said in shock and awe
“Let me try…” Connor suggested before he drank it too and could only smile in awe “What a splendid drink! Though the bitterness of an entire Lizard Tail is quite potent, it is perfectly complemented by the refreshing and sour flavor of the Dandelion Wine and in addition the Fish Scales that were broken up during the stirring process have lost all their fishiness after soaking it in the alcohol, the remaining flavor somehow enriches the taste of the drink and the texture of all the Slime Condensate after fully absorbing all the alcohol has become rich and dynamic and lastly the pinch of Butterfly Dust adds a finishing touch that makes this drink perfect, it is sensational both visually and in taste! A true display of craftsmanship!” Connor explained in awe
“WH-WHAT?!” Diona asked in shock and disbelief
“Great job Diona! I’m so happy for you!” Twilight said
“The drink I made earlier isn’t even worth mentioning compared to this one! Ah, and I thought my drink was inspiring!” Connor said in defeat
Diona then grunted angrily
“Stop joking around! You three must have drunk so much that your nose and tongue have lost their senses!” Diona reminded angrily
Lumine who had smelled the bottle then turned to her
“Actually, this drink does smell pretty good” Lumine reminded
“I agree” Rainbow was heard saying
The group then turned to Rainbow who had already drank half of the beverages
“Rainbow!” Twilight called out in shock and disbelief
Twilight then rushed after Rainbow who pulled out her hooves only to get tackled on as Twilight began checking the alcohol temperature with a box she teleported
“What’s wrong?!” Rainbow asked
“You literally drank half of the beverage so I need to be sure you’re not drunk!” Twilight said before she saw the screen turn to orange “Yep, you’re drunk!” Twilight said
Twilight then helped Rainbow up and forced her to hold one hoof on Twilight in order to not fly off without knowledge
“Still, this is impossible! After all I’ve done! How is it that my drink still tastes great?! I must not have messed up enough somewhere…” Diona said in worry before turning to Twilight “Please, use this drink as your base and try making your drink again” Diona said
“Of course not! Ask Lumine!” Twilight ordered angrily
“What?! Why me?!” Lumine asked
“You wished to help Diona right? Well, then so be it! Help. Her!” Twilight suggested angrily
“Maybe I should’ve listened to Twilight” Lumine thought worriedly
“Well Lumine, do you wanna do it?” Diona asked
“Sure” Lumine answered
“Very well, then go ahead” Diona said
“Okay” Lumine said
Lumine then looked at Twilight’s glaring eyes before she worriedly approached the table where the stuff was already prepared as Diona turned to her
“Whatever you do, just make it disgusting!” Diona suggested
Lumine then began getting to work as she began to make more mistakes than she originally did and once she was done she turned to Diona as she gave her it who looked at in disgust
“Yuck! Wh-What is this smell?! The pungent fish smell, sticky Slime Condensate and spongy Lizard Tail… Ew, not to mention the Butterfly Dust everywhere…” Diona called out in disgust before she began fake barfing before she gave a smile at Lumine “Though you didn’t really follow the process we discussed it seems that you’ve actually got quite a knack for this” Diona said
“Th-Thanks!” Lumine said worriedly
“Alright, let’s show this to Elzer and Connor!” Diona suggested
“Ooh, is this another one of Diona’s new drinks?” Elzer asked
“AAH! Wh-What is this?! Even if you purposely tried to botch this it’d still be hard to make something as hideous as this!” Elzer reminded Lumine while Diona tried to give it to him “No, keep it away from me! Please, just take that somewhere else!” Elzer ordered in anger and worry
Meanwhile Connor was confused as to why he’s rejecting it
“Huh, what’s wrong? This is Diona’s specialty drink right? Let me dry…” Connor suggested as he drank it only to feel dizzy “Ughh! You are Diona’s assistant after all, your craft must be… Ahead of the curve” Connor explained before the dizziness got worse as he put a hand on his head “So far ahead of the curve that I… I don’t feel so good, sorry I-I’m just gonna go over there… UGHH!” Connor called out in pain
“Is it really that bad?” Lumine asked
Connor then fell to the ground as Twilight who ignored Rainbow holding her ran towards Connor as she got nervous
“Don’t worry I’m here! Stay strong!” Twilight called out
Twilight then carefully began to do CPR on the guy while Elzer turned to Lumine in worry
“Ahem… In my personal and honest opinion, this drink is absolutely… Terrible” Elzer said
Twilight then took one look at Lumine for a moment
“Yeah, if he’s dead you’ll be in jail! Are you happy about yourself?!” Twilight asked
Lumine then looked down sadly
“Twilight, be nice! She’s our friend!” Rainbow reminded
“I know! And now she’s teaming up with Diona to poison him! What’s your brother gonna think about that?!” Twilight asked angrily
“Look Twilight, I doubt she planned to do that and besides Diona was in the wrong this time, she wanted to help us but she did this all she could poison us, is that so Diona?” Rainbow asked
“I, well, um…” Diona started
“Diona, when we get back I’m gonna fucking sue you!” Twilight said angrily
Everybody in the room then gasped in shock except for Lumine
“Please Twilight! Think about this for a moment, are you sure she planned to do this?” Elzer asked
“Of course! And I’ve got all the proof! Poisoning, manipulation and such! And you Lumine, you’re gonna be an accomplice!” Twilight said
“What?! I just wanted to help you girls with the investigation!” Lumine said angrily
“So you did this as a lie then?!” Diona asked
“Yes! I lied to you! I didn’t trust a single thing you said or did and now you’re gonna get paid!” Lumine answered angrily
“Is it alright if I bail Lumine out then?” Rainbow asked
“Yes, she may be an accomplice but we’re still gonna bail Lumine out!” Twilight said
Diona then growled angrily
“Aren’t you supposed to be Twilight Sparkle? The drinks that Diona made are out of this world and Lumine used the same ingredients and followed nearly the same mixing process but then how is it that the drinks Diona makes are never so bad?” Elzer reminded
“Well that’s because she used a spell maybe or some vision she has!” Twilight explained
“That’s not true! I’d never cheat like that!” Diona reminded angrily
Connor then sat back up and sighed in relief before turning to Lumine and Twilight
“It’s true, no matter what new and unusual ingredients or magic she uses, Diona has never disappointed a single customer” Connor reminded
“Is that what Twilight’s like when she has to solve villains in her own world?” Lumine thought worriedly
“Wow, Twilight’s seriously mad!” Rainbow thought worriedly
“If you don’t believe us you can ask anyone who’s ever gone for a drink in Mondstadt, there’s not a single soul that doesn’t reminisce about her specialty drinks, all it takes is a single sip and you’d wish that you could drink it for the rest of your life” Elzer reminded
“D-Drink… For the rest of my/your life?!” Twilight, Lumine and Diona gasped in shock
“Yeah and the most impressive part of it all is the never-ending list of new ingredients that she is using and no matter what kind of ingredients it may be, if she makes it, it’ll be delicious” Connor explained
“D-Delicious…” Diona and Twilight called out in shock and worry
“After all, you are the genius bartender of Mondstadt and an originator of unique drinks and the pinnacle of—” Connor started before she saw Twilight glared at Diona while Diona got more enraged “Huh? Diona? Are you alright?” Connor asked
“No Connor! You overdid it!” Elzer reminded
“Ah, did I really? Sorry, I couldn’t control myself!” Connor apologized
“Twilight, you did it! Surely Diona will accept—” Lumine started
“No, stop…” Diona ordered
“—Defeat” Lumine finished in disbelief
“Stop joking around everyone! I can make a drink that tastes like that! Here, watch this! Give me that drink Lumine just made, I’ll show you!” Diona ordered angrily before Twilight wanted to levitate the bottle over to Diona who just stole it before she put it in the brewer as she began to fix the beverage “I’m going to add all the remaining ingredients! Lizard Tails, Fish Scales, mucus and the Slime Condensate!” Diona said as she threw everything into the bowl before mixing it “And stirrr… C’mon, be dreadful, be awful, be absolutely disgusting! Ugh, it can’t be that hard!” Diona called out angrily with the last words getting louder before she turned around in relief and happiness “Done! My all-new specialty and this time—” Diona started
“Oh my! What a fragrance!” Connor called out in awe while putting a bit in his glass
Elzer then gasped in awe and put a bit in his glass too
“And the color!” Elzer said
Rainbow then went ahead and did the same before drinking it with a loud belch afterwards
“And the texture!” Rainbow said dizzily
“What is this delightful smell? It’s like a whole new sensation for me!” Connor asked in awe
“What is this unique coloring? Hoho… It’s another perfect drink!” Elzer agreed
“Even the texture tastes 20% cooler!” Rainbow agreed
Diona then growled in anger and disbelief
“Stop joking around you two old drunks!” Diona ordered
Twilight and Lumine then approached Diona who got nervous as she backed off but before the scene could show what happened next it turned to a title card
“I have to go with Twilight’s choice, the flavoring matters more than the base” Lumine explained
“That’s fine with me” Rainbow said
“Thanks for picking the flavoring, I’ll help you decide which ones to use if you have no idea” Twilight said
“I accept” Lumine said
The trio then went back to Diona
“And… Have you girls decided?” Diona asked
“Yes, we’d like the flavoring to be more unique…” Lumine answered
“Hmm, a drink with special flavoring huh? Well, that’ll be easy enough, I was planning on looking for some more flavorings anyway” Diona said before pulling out a checklist and checking it over “Hm, I’ve got a list of things we can search for” Diona explained before she put the checklist away “Hmm… Let’s go visit Blanche first, I placed an order for some flavoring ingredients that should be ready by now” Diona explained
The group then walked towards Blanche’s shop and once they arrived Blanche turned to them happily
“Welcome, is there anything you girls need?” Blanche asked
“Hello Blanche, I came to pick up my order!” Diona explained
“Diona!” Blanche said in shock before she rushed towards a different table and checked if her name’s on the list “Let me see…” Blanche thought before she found it “Yes… Fifteen Lizard Tails, seven vials of Butterfly Dust…” Blanche read before she searched for the stuff and when she found them she brought them over to the group “Everything other than the bottle of Frog Mucus is ready” Blanche explained
“No rush on that, I’ll take whatever’s ready, someone from the tavern will come to settle the bill later” Diona said
“Alright, thank you for your business” Blanche thanked
“Just wondering Diona but what are these…?” Lumine asked while Diona picked the stuff that was in the bag
“Yeah, these look more like alchemy ingredients…” Twilight agreed
“Well… Hehe, yeah, I did ask Timaeus before about what ingredients they use to improve the taste of alchemic medicine…” Diona explained
“Really? Which ingredients did he mention?” Twilight asked
“Well… He mentioned things like Lizard Tails and Crystal Cores but I think Crystal Cores overlap too much with the texture of ice cubes so I chose not to use them but I have, however, always wanted to try Frog Mucus, according to Timaeus, it can make the texture of a drink as thick as mud!” Diona said before laughing with a purr
“I have many questions on why Diona’s parents didn’t teach her on messing with things, especially with stuff this gross” Twilight whispered
“Same here/I agree” Rainbow and Lumine whispered back in agreement
“Now all we have left to get is some Fish Scales and Slime Condensate so let’s search for those in the wild and once we have everything I can make you that drink” Diona said
The group then began walking out of Mondstadt and across the many paths of the wild before they arrived at their destination
“Ahh, we made it! Whether it’s the meat, skin or tails the fish here have great texture and quality” Diona explained
Diona then began foaming at the mouth of tastiness as she turned at the sea before Rainbow waved her hoof in front of her face
“You there Diona?” Rainbow asked
Diona then shook her head
“Oh right, sorry” Diona apologized before turning to her customers “They also have a strong but interesting grass like scent to the meat and scales here too, most people can’t handle it but to the foodies that have unique tastes, it’s amazing” Diona explained excitedly
“You sure know a lot about fish” Lumine said said in happiness and disbelief
“What? No! No, I just overheard stuff from a bunch of old drunks while I was making drinks” Diona said before she noticed the trio looking at her with raised eyebrows “Ugh please, it’s not like I went out of my way to learn about fish or anything!” Diona said nervously before shaking her head “Just go there and catch us a few fresh fish, I have way too many ingredients here and it’d be a hassle for me” Diona explained
“Alright, allow me!” Twilight said
Twilight then jumped into the water while turning herself into a sea pony with her magic as she caught a few fishes before she went back out while transforming into her normal form again
“Wow! How’d you do that?!” Diona asked
“A spell I learned from back home” Twilight answered
“She showed me and Paimon that back when we were living in the wild” Twilight explained
“Wow! I never knew that before! Could you do that to me too?!” Rainbow asked
“We’ll see Rainbow, we’ll see” Twilight said
“Oh! Sweet!” Rainbow said
“We’re getting off topic though” Diona reminded before turning to Twilight “Did you catch any fresh fish?” Diona asked
“Yes I did” Twilight answered while moving them into Diona’s hands with her magic
“Wow, you swim really well and you’re almost as good at catching fish as the cats I look after” Diona applauded
“Thanks!” Twilight said with a slight blush
“No worries” Diona said before giving Lumine the fish’s scales “Now if you could Lumine, you need to scrape off the scales carefully and make sure you also collect the mucus on the fish…?” Diona asked
“Twilight mostly did it but I’ll try” Lumine said
Diona then turned to Twilight who looked a bit embarrassed at her as Diona had terrible thoughts and once the thoughts were gone she turned back to Lumine who did what was asked of her carefully
“Is it working?” Rainbow asked
“Yeah but it’s a little tough” Lumine explained
Just then Diona smelled something making her gasp in awe
“Whoa, the smell of fish… Along with that unique grassy smell… It’s… So strong!” Diona called out in awe before shaking it off “But that’s okay, it’s the potent aroma we need!” Diona explained
After she said Lumine finished as she gave the stuff back to Diona
“I think I really need to wash my hands” Lumine said
“Heh, it’s too much for you huh?” Diona asked before she gave her a cold yet comforting “I guess I can understand, you’re not professional bartenders after all so your tolerance for special ingredients is not like mine” Diona said
“Yeah, sorry” Lumine apologized
“No problem” Diona said before looking down at the back as she noticed the stuff the group had gotten “That’ll just about do it, soaking the scales in the mucus collected from the fish will help preserve them for now” Diona said in relief before she turned to her customers “Next, we need to get some Slime Condensate but don’t worry, I know a place with tons of slime, follow me” Diona suggested
Afterwards Lumine washed her hands by the water and once she was done she joined her group who began walking towards another place in the forest where they were then forced to hide thanks to Diona as the group noticed a few slimes together
“Look, the slimes we’re looking for are just ahead” Diona explained
“Then let’s go and get those slimes” Rainbow suggested
“Huh but if I go after those slimes I might ruin all the ingredients I have with me and that would be bad…” Diona said worriedly
“You sure?” Twilight asked
“Yeah so can one of you defeat those slimes and bring me the Slime Condensate?” Diona asked
“Of course, allow me, I may not have fought slimes but I know just how to beat them!” Rainbow said
Rainbow then rushed towards the slimes who heard her galloping
“Wait Rainbow get back!” Diona called out
But it was too late as the slimes had already seen her as they hopped over to her
“Hey you! Come and get a taste of this!” Rainbow said
Rainbow then zipped to the slimes and continued to poke them as many slimes then got worried before letting out a cold breeze as they flew all around before dropping back to the ground unconscious as Rainbow went to stab them once more just to make sure they were dead before she pulled out some slimy orbs and approached the group
“What did you all think of that?” Rainbow asked
“I have one word, never do that again” Twilight said
“Fine but at least they’re gone now and you’ve got the Slime Condensates so that problem’s solved” Rainbow reminded
“Still, that was quick and precise, only people who don’t drink can fight like that!” Diona said
“Exactly! …Hey!” Rainbow said
Twilight and Lumine then chuckled a bit while Diona glared at her
“I-I mean, thank you” Rainbow thanked nervously
“Still, I think Slime Condensate will intensify the taste and texture of the drink hehehe…” Diona explained before thinking “Hmm… You two might be a little unfamiliar but aside from the taste of the alcohol, those old drunkards are also very keen on the texture of the drink, they’ve even invented a number of phrases to describe it for example ‘sticky like honey’ or ‘refreshing as the springs’” Diona explained before fake barfing in disgust
“Yep, and they share it with all the veteran drunkards such as me” Rainbow explained
“By a technicality you’re wrong, you’re not a veteran” Twilight reminded
“Huh, really?” Rainbow asked
“Yeah, it’s a long story” Twilight answered
“Alright then” Rainbow said
“Anyways, they use beautiful ways of describing their drinks but drinking is drinking and it doesn’t matter how you make it sound alcohol is still a terrible thing” Diona reminded
“No it’s not!” Rainbow reminded angrily
“You just have to see what my dad’s always doing! Maybe that way you can figure out his behavior” Diona said angrily
“That doesn’t mean it’s bad!” Rainbow reminded
“You know, when you have the time I’ll have you meet up with my dad, that way you can see how bad it is” Diona said angrily
“Bet!” Rainbow dared
Diona then grunted in disbelief
“Nevermind, the reason why I wanted to use Slime Condensate is because I wanted a dense, sticky consistency and once I put this into a drink I’m sure it’ll preserve it’s form and start absorbing the alcohol quickly” Diona explained
“That sounds cool… hopefully…” Twilight said nervously
Diona then took a glance at Rainbow if she was still mad only to see her giving a brave look making her sigh in disbelief
“Those old boozers wanted to try something different huh?” Diona asked which caused Rainbow to nod, making her chuckle a bit “Well, they can try this sticky, gooey Drunken Slime!” Diona said
“Heh, trying to make my tastebuds worse, we’ll see about that” Rainbow said with a brave look
“Why do you want to use this to make drinks?” Lumine asked getting more suspicious of Diona
“So I can make the worst drink conceivable and show everyone the true nature of alcohol” Diona reminded
“That’s not the way to do it” Twilight reminded
“Yes it is!” Diona argued back angrily
“I don’t think her parents learned her anything about poisoning” Lumine whispered
“I agree though apparently it isn’t working so this means I’ll have to investigate her more” Twilight whispered back
“I can hear you!” Diona called out
“Gh—!” Lumine and Twilight called out in shock
“You do know that in order to attract customers taverns use all kinds of strategies and schemes to make people believe that alcohol is not only good but a necessity, right?!” Diona asked angrily
“Yeah, that is true but—” Twilight started
“They use special ingredients, come up with fancy names and promote limited-time drinks for holidays and events, they come up with all kinds of reasons to get people drinking and Dawn Winery is at the heart of it all, they have no boundaries when it comes to selling alcohol, their one and only goal is to make sure that people keep drinking and that their own pockets get filled with Mora” Diona reminded angrily
“They’re not that greedy and besides, they do other stuff too besides selling alcohol” Twilight reminded
“Twilight’s right, sure it may look suspicious but believe me, not everyone’s like that, especially my brother” Lumine explained
“But it’s not only a crime! It’s also a scam! No good can come from alcohol!” Diona reminded
“Well, that’s only if you drink everything in one go” Twilight said
“Yeah, I may like apple cider but I drink it very carefully” Rainbow explained
“And that’s why it’s my mission to make the worst drink ever and to wake people up and free Mondstadt from the jaws of alcoholism” Diona said in disbelief
“Don’t you believe me?!” Rainbow asked
“Of course not, remember that one time you broke into my house and went to bed with my father, my mom broke up after she saw that!” Diona reminded angrily
“Rainbow!” Lumine and Twilight called out angrily
“Hehe, maybe I did drink too fast that one time” Rainbow explained before chuckling nervously
Diona then sighed in disbelief
“And that is why I’m always searching for new ingredients and experimenting with them” Diona said in disbelief before grunting in worry “However… Up until now I haven’t been able to make a single bad drink, no matter what ingredients I use! All the drinks I mix only make those deadbeat drunks all the happier!” Diona said in sadness and disbelief before sighing in defeat “I’ve already lost track of how many kinds of ingredients I’ve tried, I’ve even used ingredients way more unusual than this and have yet to ever succeed” Diona said in disbelief before sighing in defeat “I really don’t know what I need to do to make the most horrendous drink in the world!” Diona said sadly before meowing a bit
“Quit!” Rainbow suggested
“What?! No way! I will never quit!” Diona reminded angrily
“How about trying a different way of making the drinks?” Lumine asked
“A different way?” Diona asked
“Lumine, what are you suggesting?!” Twilight asked in shock and worry
“Trust me, whatever I say will not work” Lumine whispered
“What are you trying to say? That my methods aren’t professional enough? Believe me, I’ve done my research! I’ve studied how to handle a shaker, adjust the temperature of the glasses and even the subtle techniques of stirring…” Diona reminded angrily
“Then why don’t we start by looking at your mixing technique” Lumine suggested
“My mixing technique? You’re saying the reason I can’t make terrible-tasting drinks is because of my technique?” Diona asked
“I think it is” Lumine answered
After Lumine said that Diona began thinking
“Hmm… It’s true that I’ve never been professionally trained but I hear from the old drunkards that it’s very complicated, that every step must be precise and that even the slightest mistake is unacceptable… Or else…” Diona explained
“Or else the drink will taste bad?” Lumine asked
“That… That was right! Or else the drink will taste bad!” Diona answered happily while clapping as she realized something “I-I see, I’ve never thought of it this way before…” Diona said happily
“You just made it worse” Twilight said while facepalming
Diona then began thinking excitedly
“First, we need to find someone to ask about the techniques of mixing a great drink, then we use the same ingredients and purposely mess up every step of the process!” Diona suggested
“Let’s not do that” Twilight suggested
“Yes we will, I mean, I want to see how good she is and once we’ve seen how good she is we’ll quit investigating” Lumine suggested
“But, what if she poisons them or worse… Us?” Twilight asked
“It won’t happen, I’m sure of it” Lumine said
“So, are you girls with me?” Diona asked
“I speak for the three of us when I say yes!” Lumine answered
Afterwards Rainbow and Twilight gasped in shock
“I did say we were not gonna—” Twilight shushed
“Don’t listen to her, we will of course do our best to help you” Lumine said
“Haha yeah! This might finally work woohoo!” Diona cheered before she realized something “Wait a second, how did you come up with this idea? You girls don’t secretly drink do you?” Diona asked before hissing angrily
“Well, I don’t think anyone in this world would ever sell me alcohol…” Lumine reminded
“That’s a good thing, it’d be best to never have a single drop” Diona suggested before she began thinking “First I need to find a professional bartender, one that I could consult about the ways of mixing a drink professionally” Diona thought out loud
“Alright but where do we find them?” Rainbow asked
“Yeah, where could I find someone?” Diona said before grunting “Does this mean I need to go to Angel’s Share? …Or Dawn Winery?” Diona asked worriedly
“Yeah, you’ll have to” Lumine answered worriedly
“Nope, nope, uh-uh! Never! I refuse to ever set a paw in those places…” Diona said before she noticed Rainbow moving her hoof to ask something making her wiggle her finger in front of Rainbow’s face “Don’t even ask, I have my own reasons” Diona reminded before she turned around “Let’s head back first, we’ve collected plenty of ingredients and as for the mixing technique… I’ll figure out another way” Diona suggested
Meanwhile somebody who heard them talking as he walked towards them
“Diona? And these are… The Guard and Honorary Knights” The guy called out in shock before sighing in relief “Oh what a coincidence running into you three here, are you three out collecting ingredients?” The guy asked
The group who heard him then turned around
“Of course, what’s that gotta do with you?” Rainbow asked
“Nothing, I was just wondering what Diona will plan on whipping up this time since it’s always a surprise to see what she makes” The guy explained
“Guess you are a fan of hers, see Diona, you should never do that, especially with fans like him” Twilight said
Diona then scoffed
“Whatever” Diona said in disbelief
“I myself know a thing or two about mixing drinks but Elzer tells me that my drinks can’t even compare to Diona’s… They seem to lack that ‘special something’ so I’ve been looking for some inspiration but I’ve been stuck in a rut, I’m not sure whether it’s the traditional techniques I use or if I’m just too conservative with my ingredients” The guy explained in worry, sadness and confusion
“This is your opportunity to ask about mixing techniques!” Lumine whispered to Diona
“You mean I should ask him for some professional pointers?” Diona whispered back before thinking and eventually sighing in relief and disbelief “Alright, perhaps he’ll do” Diona said
Lumine then turned to the guy
“We’d like to ask you about your techniques for mixing drinks” Lumine explained
“Yeah, umm… You’re trying to find new mixing inspiration… And I’m trying some new recipes out so maybe we can… Exchange some ideas?” Diona asked
“Oh, why, I’d be honored! No problem at all!” The guy answered
“However, for the ingredients we must use the ones I’ve just collected, I have Lizard Tails, Butterfly Dust, Fish Scales and Slime Condensate” Diona explained
“Hmm… We need to use these materials huh? Well I guess it’s time for me to expand my repertoire as well…” The guy thought out loud before chuckling a bit and turning to the group “Let’s go back to the winery, I have some basic mixing tools there” The guy said
“Y-You mean we have to go to Dawn Winery? Couldn’t we also go to Angel’s Share? I mean, they have a full range of mixing tools…” Diona reminded
“Hmm… Well, you are the bartender at the Cat’s Tail, right?” The guy asked
“Yeah she is” Twilight answered
“Well, given that the Cat’s Tail and Angel’s Share are competitors it would be rather inappropriate if you were to mix drinks there, that would probably cause quite a bit of trouble for Margaret as well and besides, there are many loyal patrons at Angel’s Share so with your reputation it’d cause quite a commotion if you were to be seen mixing drinks there so in any case I wouldn’t recommend going to Angel’s Share and besides, the winery is close by so there’s no need for us to go so far” The guy reminded
“Is it just me or was that a rehearsed speech?” Twilight and Lumine thought at the same time
“Speaking of the winery, won’t that guy Elzer be there?” Diona asked
“Elzer? Sure, he’ll be there but he’s been busy taking care of guild matters lately, why do you ask?” The guy asked
Diona then scoffed in relief
“Just as long as he’s not around it’s fine and besides our little exchange here is between just the two of us so it’d be best if others don’t get involved” Diona suggested before she turned to the three next to her “Well, except for the travelers and Rainbow here, we’ve been out collecting ingredients together so they’re kinda like… My assistants, they’ll be allowed to participate” Diona explained
The guy then chuckled nervously
“Fine by me, shall we get going? The winery isn’t far so we’ll be there in no time” The guy said
“Of course, let’s go girls!” Rainbow said
Rainbow then walked off with Diona and the guy as Lumine wanted to walk too before she felt something hit her as she turned around only to notice Twilight had used her magic to throw an apple at her
“What was that for?!” Lumine asked
“To let you know that we’ll talk about this later” Twilight answered angrily
Twilight then walked off as Lumine could only look at her in shock
“Wha— bu—” Lumine started
“You coming or what?” Twilight called out angrily
“Yes Twilight” Lumine answered worriedly
Lumine then walked after Twilight as the duo went on a short and quick walk towards the Dawn Winery and once they arrived Rainbow, Diona and the guy turned to them
“Oh, you’re both here” The guy said in relief before turning to Diona and Rainbow “Look, I’ve already prepared all the tools we need, sure they’re a little… Basic but they should do just fine, I’ve also prepared a top-shelf bottle of Dandelion Wine to use as a drink base” The guy explained
“OOH!” Rainbow and Lumine called out
Twilight meanwhile sighed in disbelief before turning to Diona
“They are getting too attached, aren’t they?” Twilight asked disbelief
“Yep, they definitely are” Diona answered in disbelief
The guy then turned to Diona and Twilight
“Hey Diona, I’ve also heard that you don’t like to see people drink too much, am I right?” The guy asked
“Of course I don’t” Diona answered
“Well, today, we’ll strictly just exchange techniques so there will be no talk of drinking and even if we try the drinks, we’ll just only have a little taste, how’s that sound?” The guy asked
“Fine I suppose and these tools will suffice” Diona answered in disbelief and worry
“Oh and Twilight, since you’re so worried about the poisoning I’ll have you be the medic in case things go wrong” The guy said
“What, how’d you know?!” Twilight asked in shock
“Just a hunch!” The guy answered with a smile
“I still have many questions but alright, I’ll do whatever it takes” Twilight said
“Just wondering, how did you prepare so many things in advance?” Lumine asked
The guy then chuckled a bit
“Well, we’ve always been hoping to invite Diona to our winery to instruct us on her techniques of mixing drinks and while the preparations have been made, we just never had the chance so how could I not be fully prepared now that she’s willing to come today!” The guy answered
“True” Lumine realized
“Oh and to keep things fair we’ll need an impartial judge…” The guy suggested
“Well, we have the Honorary Knights” Diona reminded
“She’s right, your honor!” Lumine asked
“This is not Twilight Sparkle: Ace Attorney you know” Twilight reminded
“Did you just— Never mind, I won’t question it” Lumine said
“Still, they don’t look—” The guy started
“Don’t you dare say it!” Rainbow ordered angrily
“No need Rainbow, I already said I won’t drink any alcohol so it’s fine” Lumine said
“But I don’t want t—” Rainbow started
The guy then chuckled a bit
“So honest and forthcoming, you are after all the Honorary Knight and Guard of the Knights of Favonius, what impressive discipline!” The guy said before he began thinking “Then who could we find to be the judge?” The guy asked
The doors were then heard opening as the group turned around only to see an older type of guy walking into the room
“Connor, there you are, I’ve been looking for you, what are you doing here?” The older guy asked in relief
“Elzer, your timing couldn’t be any more perfect, I’m about to have a little mixing competition with Diona here…” The guy explained
“What?! Really?! That’s great! Would it be alright if I stayed to observe?” The older guy asked
“Actually, we’re looking for a judge so would you be free to help us out?” The guy asked
The guy then chuckled in excitement
“Why, I’d be delighted! It’d be an honor to have an opportunity and a taste of Diona’s craft” The older guy asked
“What a… Coincidence” Lumine thought in shock
“These two have been planning this all along” Twilight thought in shock
“So, what’s that old booze sponge Elzer doing here? He doesn’t think that I’m here to collaborate with them does he?” Diona asked
“Collaborate with them? I doubt that’s happening right now” Lumine answered in confusion
“Don’t you know? Elzer used to always show up at the Cat’s Tail” Diona reminded
“Oh—!” Lumine realized
“Every time he came he’d always be sweet-talking me and trying to get me to work with the Dawn Winery and come up with some sort of new drink, he needs to know that will never happen, not until I figure out how to make the most terrible drink in the world” Diona reminded angrily
The guy then turned to Diona nervously
“Uh, so then… Shall we begin, Diona?” The guy asked
“Sure but like I said before, this is an exchange of techniques as bartenders, anyone not involved should stay away” Diona reminded
“What is that supposed to mean?” The older guy named Elzer asked in shock
The guy then turned to Elzer nervously
“Um Elzer… Why don’t you just take a break over there? We’ll bring over the drinks once they’re finished” The guy suggested
“Wait, but I—” Elzer started
“Elzer, just—” The guy started
“Their faces are gonna cramp up with all the facial cues they’re throwing each other” Lumine thought worriedly
“Ah… Right! I shouldn’t disturb the mixing process! I’ll uh…” Elzer started before pointing to a faraway table “Be over there, just let me know if you need me” Elzer suggested
Elzer then walked off as the guy turned to the heroes and Diona
“Alright, since I invited you girls here, I’ll begin” The guy suggested before he turned to the stuff Diona put on the table “Lizard Tail’s bitter nature will ruin the alcohol’s nature and taste so we should soak it in distilled spirits first to remove the bitterness and then add it to the Dandelion Wine later as flavoring…” The guy explained before turning to the Slime Condensate “Hmm… Slime Condensate in small amounts could improve the texture but not too much otherwise the alcohol might start to coagulate” The guy reminded before turning to the Fish Scales and Butterfly Dust in concern “The smell of these Fish Scales is way too strong, there’s no way it could go in a drink, also, is Butterfly Dust even edible?” The guy asked before sighing in disbelief “Oh well, let’s start mixing and see what we end up with…” The guy suggested
The guy then began making the beverage as the others checked on what he was doing and once he was done he turned to the group as Rainbow had brought Elzer back
“You said you needed me” Elzer reminded
“Yes, it’s done, Elzer, if you could please do the honors” The guy suggested
The guy then gave the beverage to Elzer who studied it carefully
“Ahem… The color and presentation… Hmm, it looks very interesting, let me have a try…” Elzer suggested before drinking a bit of it before moving his lips in delight “Mmm, upon an initial taste the impact of the distilled spirits mixed with the refreshing Dandelion Wine along with a hint of bitterness all work to accentuate the distinct flavor of the drink and this slightly thicker texture… Hmm, it really is a memorable drink” Elzer said in awe before turning to the guy “Yes, not bad Connor, looks like you’ve finally found the right inspiration to guide your mixing techniques” Elzer said in awe
“It’s all thanks to Diona, if she hadn’t asked for this little exchange of skills and provided all the ingredients then I’d probably still be confined to my old techniques and usual ingredients” The guy called Connor explained before getting worried “However, I wasn’t able to find a way to use the Butterfly Dust and Fish Scales, seems that my creativity is still quite limited…” Connor said worriedly
Elzer then chuckled a bit
“No worries, not everyone possesses Diona’s genius intuition and techniques, no need to be so hard on yourself” Elzer suggested
Diona then turned to Lumine
“So he actually made something good out of these ingredients… Do you remember all the techniques he used?” Diona asked
“I tried to remember as much as I could” Lumine answered
Twilight who felt a sudden force then turned to Diona and Lumine strictly but they didn’t notice
“The process wasn’t too complicated so next all we have to do is follow the same steps but mess them all up” Diona suggested
“Let’s not do that please” Lumine suggested
“Of course we will!” Diona ordered which made Lumine nervous “First, you can try making a drink using the same techniques” Diona suggested
“Why don’t you just make it?” Lumine asked
“Because observation and experimentation come first when a professional bartender is faced with a new mixing technique and as my assistant you must try your best to make a horrible, terrible tasting drink and meanwhile I’ll watch closely and see if there’s any room for improvement” Diona said
Elzer then turned to Diona and Lumine as Rainbow, Connor and Twilight did so too while Twilight pretended to smile
“So Diona’s going to be making the next drink for us, right?” Elzer asked
“I just can’t wait to see what she’ll be making!” Connor said in agreement
“Same here! Hope it’s delicious!” Rainbow agreed
“I hope so too” Twilight lied before whispering to the duo “If you mess this up we’ll have a long talk” Twilight whispered
“It’s like Twilight is staring into my soul” Lumine thought worriedly
“Sure but before I do, let’s allow my assistant to have a try, he’s also very interested in mixing drinks” Diona reminded
“Is he a bartender as well? Ooh, aren’t we lucky? We’re in for a treat” Elzer said excitedly
“Do I tell them or not?” Twilight thought before shrugging despite having a worried feeling “I won’t but if things go wrong I’ll do my best to fix it” Twilight thought worriedly
Elzer then went to prepare everything for Lumine to use
“Please this way, all the materials and tools are already prepared so you may start when you’re ready” Elzer suggested
Lumine then approached the table as Diona turned to her
“Shall we begin then?” Diona asked
“Yes we shall” Lumine answered
Lumine then began mixing up a new beverage as she began thinking on how to make it worse and soon enough she was done
“Are you done mixing the drink?” Diona asked
“Yes I am” Lumine answered
Diona then picked it up and to gave it to Connor and Elzer with the latter drinking a bit before they stopped
“I’m sorry but this drink is way too uh… Creative for me so I’m afraid I couldn’t stomach it” Connor apologized
“Uh, yes, this drink is, uhh… Very creative, Connor, I think you should taste it” Elzer suggested nervously
Diona then cheered excitedly while whispering
“Looks like it worked! All we have to do is mess up every step of a professional mixing method and we end up with an absolutely terrible drink” Diona cheered before chuckling a bit before she realized what she was doing “Ahem, yes, this is a… Splendid drink you’ve made, however, I’m afraid we can’t serve it to customers like this! Ahem, here… Hand me the drink, let’s keep the alcohol and dump all the other ingredients, I’ll use that as a base to mix a new drink” Diona suggested as Lumine gave her it causing Diona to step on a higher platform before beginning to brew a new beverage “First, I’ll chop the Lizard Tail into slices… Then soak it in the drink, next, add the Slime Condensate and stir before leaving it to settle for a bit and finally we sprinkle the Butterfly Dust and…” Diona then realized something “Oh wait, I almost forgot the fish scales!” Diona realized as she began thinking before realizing it “Okay, let’s add it to the drink along with the mucus from the jar! And then we stirrr… C’mon, be dreadful, be awful, be absolutely disgusting!” Diona ordered
Connor who heard that then got worried
“Uh Elzer… Diona is mixing a drink, right?” Connor asked worriedly
“I’ve never seen such a technique before but it is Diona after all, she must have her own way… I suppose” Elzer answered worriedly
Diona continued to mix her drink as Twilight, Connor and Elzer looked worried while Rainbow and Lumine were excited for the drink and once she was done Diona turned to the group
“And… We’re done!” Diona called out before chuckling excitedly “This specialty drink will be the first blow in tearing down the lies of the alcohol industry” Diona said excitedly before giving the glasses to Connor and Elzer “Please, have a taste, come and realize your empty delusions of alcohol” Diona suggested before laughing evilly
Elzer who had already drank a bit could only look in shock and awe
“Wow! Th-This taste! Why, I’ve never had anything like it!” Elzer said in shock and awe
“Let me try…” Connor suggested before he drank it too and could only smile in awe “What a splendid drink! Though the bitterness of an entire Lizard Tail is quite potent, it is perfectly complemented by the refreshing and sour flavor of the Dandelion Wine and in addition the Fish Scales that were broken up during the stirring process have lost all their fishiness after soaking it in the alcohol, the remaining flavor somehow enriches the taste of the drink and the texture of all the Slime Condensate after fully absorbing all the alcohol has become rich and dynamic and lastly the pinch of Butterfly Dust adds a finishing touch that makes this drink perfect, it is sensational both visually and in taste! A true display of craftsmanship!” Connor explained in awe
“WH-WHAT?!” Diona asked in shock and disbelief
“Great job Diona! I’m so happy for you!” Twilight said
“The drink I made earlier isn’t even worth mentioning compared to this one! Ah, and I thought my drink was inspiring!” Connor said in defeat
Diona then grunted angrily
“Stop joking around! You three must have drunk so much that your nose and tongue have lost their senses!” Diona reminded angrily
Lumine who had smelled the bottle then turned to her
“Actually, this drink does smell pretty good” Lumine reminded
“I agree” Rainbow was heard saying
The group then turned to Rainbow who had already drank half of the beverages
“Rainbow!” Twilight called out in shock and disbelief
Twilight then rushed after Rainbow who pulled out her hooves only to get tackled on as Twilight began checking the alcohol temperature with a box she teleported
“What’s wrong?!” Rainbow asked
“You literally drank half of the beverage so I need to be sure you’re not drunk!” Twilight said before she saw the screen turn to orange “Yep, you’re drunk!” Twilight said
Twilight then helped Rainbow up and forced her to hold one hoof on Twilight in order to not fly off without knowledge
“Still, this is impossible! After all I’ve done! How is it that my drink still tastes great?! I must not have messed up enough somewhere…” Diona said in worry before turning to Twilight “Please, use this drink as your base and try making your drink again” Diona said
“Of course not! Ask Lumine!” Twilight ordered angrily
“What?! Why me?!” Lumine asked
“You wished to help Diona right? Well, then so be it! Help. Her!” Twilight suggested angrily
“Maybe I should’ve listened to Twilight” Lumine thought worriedly
“Well Lumine, do you wanna do it?” Diona asked
“Sure” Lumine answered
“Very well, then go ahead” Diona said
“Okay” Lumine said
Lumine then looked at Twilight’s glaring eyes before she worriedly approached the table where the stuff was already prepared as Diona turned to her
“Whatever you do, just make it disgusting!” Diona suggested
Lumine then began getting to work as she began to make more mistakes than she originally did and once she was done she turned to Diona as she gave her it who looked at in disgust
“Yuck! Wh-What is this smell?! The pungent fish smell, sticky Slime Condensate and spongy Lizard Tail… Ew, not to mention the Butterfly Dust everywhere…” Diona called out in disgust before she began fake barfing before she gave a smile at Lumine “Though you didn’t really follow the process we discussed it seems that you’ve actually got quite a knack for this” Diona said
“Th-Thanks!” Lumine said worriedly
“Alright, let’s show this to Elzer and Connor!” Diona suggested
“Ooh, is this another one of Diona’s new drinks?” Elzer asked
“AAH! Wh-What is this?! Even if you purposely tried to botch this it’d still be hard to make something as hideous as this!” Elzer reminded Lumine while Diona tried to give it to him “No, keep it away from me! Please, just take that somewhere else!” Elzer ordered in anger and worry
Meanwhile Connor was confused as to why he’s rejecting it
“Huh, what’s wrong? This is Diona’s specialty drink right? Let me dry…” Connor suggested as he drank it only to feel dizzy “Ughh! You are Diona’s assistant after all, your craft must be… Ahead of the curve” Connor explained before the dizziness got worse as he put a hand on his head “So far ahead of the curve that I… I don’t feel so good, sorry I-I’m just gonna go over there… UGHH!” Connor called out in pain
“Is it really that bad?” Lumine asked
Connor then fell to the ground as Twilight who ignored Rainbow holding her ran towards Connor as she got nervous
“Don’t worry I’m here! Stay strong!” Twilight called out
Twilight then carefully began to do CPR on the guy while Elzer turned to Lumine in worry
“Ahem… In my personal and honest opinion, this drink is absolutely… Terrible” Elzer said
Twilight then took one look at Lumine for a moment
“Yeah, if he’s dead you’ll be in jail! Are you happy about yourself?!” Twilight asked
Lumine then looked down sadly
“Twilight, be nice! She’s our friend!” Rainbow reminded
“I know! And now she’s teaming up with Diona to poison him! What’s your brother gonna think about that?!” Twilight asked angrily
“Look Twilight, I doubt she planned to do that and besides Diona was in the wrong this time, she wanted to help us but she did this all she could poison us, is that so Diona?” Rainbow asked
“I, well, um…” Diona started
“Diona, when we get back I’m gonna fucking sue you!” Twilight said angrily
Everybody in the room then gasped in shock except for Lumine
“Please Twilight! Think about this for a moment, are you sure she planned to do this?” Elzer asked
“Of course! And I’ve got all the proof! Poisoning, manipulation and such! And you Lumine, you’re gonna be an accomplice!” Twilight said
“What?! I just wanted to help you girls with the investigation!” Lumine said angrily
“So you did this as a lie then?!” Diona asked
“Yes! I lied to you! I didn’t trust a single thing you said or did and now you’re gonna get paid!” Lumine answered angrily
“Is it alright if I bail Lumine out then?” Rainbow asked
“Yes, she may be an accomplice but we’re still gonna bail Lumine out!” Twilight said
Diona then growled angrily
“Aren’t you supposed to be Twilight Sparkle? The drinks that Diona made are out of this world and Lumine used the same ingredients and followed nearly the same mixing process but then how is it that the drinks Diona makes are never so bad?” Elzer reminded
“Well that’s because she used a spell maybe or some vision she has!” Twilight explained
“That’s not true! I’d never cheat like that!” Diona reminded angrily
Connor then sat back up and sighed in relief before turning to Lumine and Twilight
“It’s true, no matter what new and unusual ingredients or magic she uses, Diona has never disappointed a single customer” Connor reminded
“Is that what Twilight’s like when she has to solve villains in her own world?” Lumine thought worriedly
“Wow, Twilight’s seriously mad!” Rainbow thought worriedly
“If you don’t believe us you can ask anyone who’s ever gone for a drink in Mondstadt, there’s not a single soul that doesn’t reminisce about her specialty drinks, all it takes is a single sip and you’d wish that you could drink it for the rest of your life” Elzer reminded
“D-Drink… For the rest of my/your life?!” Twilight, Lumine and Diona gasped in shock
“Yeah and the most impressive part of it all is the never-ending list of new ingredients that she is using and no matter what kind of ingredients it may be, if she makes it, it’ll be delicious” Connor explained
“D-Delicious…” Diona and Twilight called out in shock and worry
“After all, you are the genius bartender of Mondstadt and an originator of unique drinks and the pinnacle of—” Connor started before she saw Twilight glared at Diona while Diona got more enraged “Huh? Diona? Are you alright?” Connor asked
“No Connor! You overdid it!” Elzer reminded
“Ah, did I really? Sorry, I couldn’t control myself!” Connor apologized
“Twilight, you did it! Surely Diona will accept—” Lumine started
“No, stop…” Diona ordered
“—Defeat” Lumine finished in disbelief
“Stop joking around everyone! I can make a drink that tastes like that! Here, watch this! Give me that drink Lumine just made, I’ll show you!” Diona ordered angrily before Twilight wanted to levitate the bottle over to Diona who just stole it before she put it in the brewer as she began to fix the beverage “I’m going to add all the remaining ingredients! Lizard Tails, Fish Scales, mucus and the Slime Condensate!” Diona said as she threw everything into the bowl before mixing it “And stirrr… C’mon, be dreadful, be awful, be absolutely disgusting! Ugh, it can’t be that hard!” Diona called out angrily with the last words getting louder before she turned around in relief and happiness “Done! My all-new specialty and this time—” Diona started
“Oh my! What a fragrance!” Connor called out in awe while putting a bit in his glass
Elzer then gasped in awe and put a bit in his glass too
“And the color!” Elzer said
Rainbow then went ahead and did the same before drinking it with a loud belch afterwards
“And the texture!” Rainbow said dizzily
“What is this delightful smell? It’s like a whole new sensation for me!” Connor asked in awe
“What is this unique coloring? Hoho… It’s another perfect drink!” Elzer agreed
“Even the texture tastes 20% cooler!” Rainbow agreed
Diona then growled in anger and disbelief
“Stop joking around you two old drunks!” Diona ordered
Twilight and Lumine then approached Diona who got nervous as she backed off but before the scene could show what happened next it turned to a title card
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