“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

“‘M I still standin’?”

“Yes.”

“Then ain’t ‘nuff.”

Clear Waters sighed, shaking her head at the small inns only regular customer. She had no idea where the tall platinum mare had come from before, and she seemed to be disinclined to talk about the past. Instead, she simply arrived near dusk every day, drank herself into a stupor, and dragged herself out of the taproom. For the first few weeks of this, Clear had been scared stiff, hurriedly walking out of the inn to make sure that the mare didn’t brain herself on her doorstep.

Every time she tried to follow the strange pony though, she opened the inn’s main door to see nothing but a calm black night, empty of anything. After a few moments of staring into the blackness, she would shake her crystalline mane and slowly walk back into her home.

Often, the mare was the only pony that Clear Water’s would see in a day. Unlike most pegasi though, she enjoyed the solitude, preferring to spend her day reading aloud to the small herd of assorted pets than to listen to the bluster of a town. Still, even the hermit had to admit that she was happy to spend the odd evening talking to whatever traveler happened along.

There weren’t many of them this deep in the wilds though. Most ponies prefered to live where they could quickly flee for help if they needed it. Out here, the only ponies within leagues in any direction were hermits like herself, and most of them were far harder to find, and less than happy to help others.

The proprietor snorted as the mare tapped her hoof politely on the counter beside her glass, shaking her head. “Tell you what. How about a deal?”

“Hm?” The silver mare grunted, lifting her head from where it rested on the counter. Her exhausted, bloodshot topaz eyes glared half-heartedly at Clear’s silvery irises. After blinking slowly, she let her chin fall back to the polished wood of the small counter, sighing gustily.

“You haven’t payed me once, and you are drinking me dry. Its not that much of a problem,” She hastened to add, seeing something flicker in the brown eyes. “I can pay for it easily, but fair’s fair. So I want you to talk to me.”

“‘Bout what?”

“Yourself. Who are you, where do you live. You might not believe it,” The ice-white mare grinned. “But I do actually get lonely sometimes. So come on. Start talking, or I stop pouring.”

To add meaning to her threat, she poured the blood red wine into the glass just enough to make a teasing splash, leaving it only half filled. Tilting her head slightly, the other mare glowered at the win, as though she thought it would fill in accordance with her desire. When the liquid didn’t suddenly appear though, she let a gusty sigh escape, and tilted back to Clear Waters.

“Fine.”

“Well?” The pegasus asked after several moments in which the mare silently stared at her. The impassive stare was more than slightly unnerving, but she swallowed and stared right back.

She really does have pretty eyes. Clear noted absently. The platinum pony’s weren’t truly topaz she saw, looking hard at the mare. They were some exotic breed of amber. Like deep, thick honey, but with flecks of emerald green appearing here and there, lightening the shade from afar. She would probably look a lot better without drinking so much

“Ask.”

“Huh? Oh! Umm.” Clear’s lips pursed as she thought. There were more than a few things she wanted to know about the mysterious pony, but now seemed like an awkward time to ask most of them. “Have you ever slept with another mare” and “What did you do to get kicked out to this place” seemed to be rather too personal just now. Besides, she had a rule against flirting with customers.

“Well, how about your name?”

“Stiletto.” The mare whispered, hoarsely. Her gaze slipped away from Water’s, and she glared at the wine glass. Remembering her deal, the white mare filled the glass with wine. Instead of instantly downing the crimson liquid though, Stiletto just stared into the depths of the glass.

“Hey, are you okay?” Clear asked. She had never seen the other mare like this, so the sudden sobriety was more than a little worrying. Afraid that she had crossed some line, she hastened to add. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

“It’s fine. You... you haven’t heard of me?” Stiletto’s voice had steadied slightly, less hoarse now. THere was still a smokey, husky quality to her words though, a mixture of sadness, anger, alcohol, and... interest? Or was that last one just Clear’s wishful thinking?

The crystal pony cocked her head to the side, gently returning the the bottle to one of the shelves behind her, within easy reach for when her guest wanted another glass. She always did. “No, I haven’t. Should I have?”

“Hm.” She grunted again, though this time it seemed to more reflective than discouragement. She didn’t say anything else though, just picked up the glass gently in one hoof, and swirled the wine in it meditatively. Sighing and seeming to deflate slightly, she glanced at Clear Water’s for a moment, before tossing her head back, and swallowing the alcohol in one quick drink. “Most have.”

She wasn’t as intoxicated as she usually was, she could still follow the small movements of the innkeeper as she turned to refill the glass. As the white pegasus turned with the bottle cradled gently though, she shook her head at her. Raising an eyebrow, puzzled, Clear returned the bottle to its shelf, and picked the empty glass up from the counter. Trotting over to the small sink, she plopped the lightly stained glass into the soapy water left over from when she had washed her dinner dishes.

Struck by a sudden inspiration, she grinned. “You know,” She turned, still smiling. “You could always...”

The inn was empty once more. The quiet mare had once more slipped away before she could even turn. The pegasus hadn’t even heard the front door open and close as the mysterious Stiletto had vanished through it.

Sighing, she shook her head. “You could always say goodbye.”

Author's Note

Hello my dears. For those of you reading this, I hope you enjoyed the introduction of the main duo in this story. I feel I should explain this story a little here. This si a challenge I made with myself, to write, edit, and post a new chapter every day or two. So, if you like it, at least you wont have to wait long for the next installment.

Love and a nice wet one to the cheek,

Wind Singer