Just One Drink

"SiiiiiiiiS!"

If Faust ever did speak, that sound would probably shut her back up again.

Applejack lifted her head from her forelegs, where it had been snugly situated for several minutes since she sat down at the hotel bar. She wasn't tipsy yet- She had only touched a few drops of cider. She certainly didn't want to have to put up with the consequences of a bad decision in the morning, and besides that, she had fillies to set good examples for.

Like the one accompanying her to her Map job in Fillydelphia.

Applejack sighed, tipping her hat back. "Apple Bloom... Dangit, y'all can't be in a place like this, this is for grown-ups. You're s'posed to be in bed, at that."

The little filly huffed as she trotted up to the stool next to Applejack, doing her damnedest to climb up it. To her credit, the point to the erudite construction of bar stools had always eluded AJ herself. "I can't sleep, AJ, I'm missin' the other Crusaders. An' we always hang out normally, can't I just sit with you for a bit before bed?"

Applejack sighed, turning back to the bartender and flicking an ear. "...Y'all mind if my sister sits at the bar with me?"

The Bartender shrugged, wiping the bar down in that way that suggests to everyone the lowest minimum standard of working while still allowing conversation to be made. "No skin off my back."

With permission granted, Apple Bloom eagerly set her chin on the table and eyed up her sister's glass. "...What's that?"

"Cider."

Apple Bloom's eyes lit up. "C'n I have some?"

AJ shook her head firmly. "Sorry, sis. This is grown-up cider, not like the kind I get you."

"Like you and Dash and the girls drink?"

Applejack grimaced, looking down at her drink. "Dash probably wouldn't be too impressed by this stuff here. But yes. Like we drink."

Apple Bloom drew herself up haughtily. "I ain't grown up enough to have a drop?"

"We've talked about this, AB. Y'all know the age where you get your first drink, same as it was for Big Mac, and me, and your ma and pa before us."

"Big Mac says you had your first drink under the stage at that summer camp y'all met Rara at."

Applejack shook her head in annoyance, reminding herself to beat her brother upside the head later. "Be that as it-"

"An' he had his first drink in his friend's bedroom at-"

"Alright, alright, be that as it may be, your brother and I have talked, and we're both in agreeance." Applejack shook her head, tossing her ponytail to clear her head. "Y'all get your first drink when you come of age, and maybe a few New Years before that, if we're feeling generous and you've been good that year. An' that's final."

Apple Bloom's lip quivered. She looked down and cast her eyes away, in a very calculated move. Her voice dampened to a tremor. "Okay... I jess... I jess don't always know if I'm gonna make it to adulthood, y'know, the state of Equestria being how it is today..."

That was, admittedly, a new one. Applejack wondered who had taught her that. Sweetie?

Applejack bit her lip, suddenly deep in thought.

A tall glass containing ice cubes, 1/4th of a lime, a black bendy straw, and a whole lot of red hit the bar with a clunk.

Applejack kept her voice low, as if discussing state secrets. "Alright, sis. This is some real powerful stuff. It's called a Shirley Temple."

Apple Bloom tilted her head. "Who's Shirley Temple?"

"Real bad queen. Killed a bunch of her subjects. It's powerful stuff, 'swhat I mean to say. And it's virgin, which means they poured some extra bad gunk into it, stirred it all around like a Mojito, and tapped it off with a lick of..." Applejack thought for a moment. "...Rattler venom. You think you can take this?"

Apple Bloom shifted in her seat, staring holes into the concoction in front of her. "I-I can take it."

"You sure now? I mean it, sis, I ain't messin' around. This'll put you in the ground if you ain't careful."

At the questioning of her badness, Apple Bloom's vigour was restored, and she sat straighter up. "I'm ready, sis, alright? Why can't you have more faith in me?"

"Alright. Go ahead, sis. Take the plunge."

Ten minutes later, Apple Bloom was drunker than a priest.

"Wooooah.... Applejack, I'm seeing, like, twelve of you..."

"Are you now?"

"Yush... You know, I loooove you, sis... hic... You ssssstupid.... Uh... Stupid..."

"I wonder sometimes about the stuff you watch, sis."

"Hehe, I'm goin' to Pony Heck... Wait until Babs hears about this..."

Applejack wondered if Babs' family had to put up with stuff like this.

"You seem pretty wasted, sis. I'll have to keep the keys away from you."

"Oh, hehe, Vroom vroom! I'm fiiiine, you can let me drive..."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Still, I think you might wanna sleep off that, uh, massive hangover of yours. I'll get you some hair of dog in the morning."

"Yea, alright, I'll drinkkk dog hair too... makes the bestest mix... I should be geettting off to bed now... Heh heh... Thanks a bunch, sis..."

"Yeah, don't mention it. Or do. Tell the whole family." AJ bit her lip to suppress a smile at the thought. She'd be in wild trouble for a good five minutes, which she'd have taken a lifetime of for this experience.

Apple Bloom staggered off, bumping into chairs and tables as she went for the warmly-lit lobby. All the way up the stairs Applejack heard her footsteps fading in uneven step, before they vanished completely.

The bartender watched her leave stone-faced. "So, you're gonna wait until morning to...?"

Applejack shot him a dry look. "Let her sleep it off. What, can't you tell she's having a rough night?"

"Yeah, I can see that. Element of Honesty."

"I'll be honest." Applejack affirmed, raising the glass to her lips. "Eventually."