Equestria Noir Side Story "Tales of the Violet Rose"

by Jacoboby1

Rating: teen
Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Romance, Original Character, Trixie
Length: 6075

A side story in the Noirverse covering the titular club.

The Violet Rose is a small bar in Ponyville where many ponies come to face their troubles. Whether it's seeing an ex, uncovering a conspiracy, or dealing with old troubles, the doors are always open. So sit back, have a drink, and enjoy some tales from this haven away from the world.

Published 2013-04-03 01:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-03 01:40:01 UTC

"Tales of the Violet Rose"

Equestria Noir

Side Story

“Tales of the Violet Rose”

Perspective: Twilight

I watched Trixie as she managed to levitate seven books simultaneously. She’s really come a long way since the whole amulet incident. Since then I’ve been teaching her what I can about magic. Trixie was a stubborn mare and quick to blame anypony but herself when a mistake came up, but I could tell she was just trying her hardest.

At first it was hard to teach her, Celestia made it look so easy with me. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective. Trixie’s magic slowly put all the books into a pile and she gave a breath of relief.

I smiled and said, “You’re getting better, Trixie. When we first started you could only levitate two books. Now you’re well up to seven.”

“Was there any doubt?” Trixie asked, smiling smugly “After all-“ I gave her a look and she stopped before she could go into an egotistical rant. “I mean, Trixie had a good teacher?”

I just shook my head and chuckled, bemused, as I walked back to my teacher’s checklist. Levitation? Check. I was thinking Trixie could move on to more advanced spells, maybe some simple come to life spells. She should be able to avoid any snowball related incidents now that spring is here.

I turned back to Trixie and said, “I think that’s all for today. Just keep practicing your levitation and we’ll see about working on some other spells next time.”

Trixie nodded and began putting the books back on the shelves. Suddenly she asked, “Are you heading out for a date with Private tonight?”

I raised an eyebrow at the sudden question and said suspiciously, “Why do you ask?”

Trixie shrugged and turned her attention back to the shelves, ever since I started teaching her she’s become a lot quieter around me, at least in casual conversation. I decided to not leave her hanging though and replied, “No, Private’s helping Tailspin with a school project. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering what he was doing,” Trixie said, a little too quickly. She was hiding something…

I walked to Trixie and inquired, “Is there something wrong, Trixie?”

“Trixie believes Private may be seeing somepony else,” she said, taking on her typical tone of pseudo authority. “Trixie saw him with some bar skank a couple of times.”

I rolled my eyes and replied, “While I think it’s nice of you to care, Trixie, I don’t think I’m going to lose Private to some mare from a bar. We love each other more than that.”

“This is not just any bar skank,” Trixie said, a little indelicately, “the mare is none other than Larksong!”

Larksong, Private did mention her a couple of times. He was awfully guarded about her though, never speaking too much. I’ll admit a part of me has developed a morbid curiosity about the sort of mares Private had dated before me. I guess everypony wonders about that on occasion with the ponies they love.

I just shook my head and assured her, “Trixie I appreciate it, but I don’t think I’m in any danger of losing Private to her.”

“You say that now,” Trixie said, suddenly appearing next to me her eyes opening wide, "But think about it for a moment. If you let this go now, next thing you know Private will be inviting her to tea. Then he’ll start hooking up with her again, and the next thing you know,” she imitated Private’s voice, “Twilight, I don’t know if you are the mare I want anymore. I’ve realized I’ve always cared for Larksong and you were just a passing fancy.”

I blinked at her claim and then started thinking. For all of Trixie’s dramatic flair, she had a point. If I didn’t set things straight with Larksong now, I could regret it in the future. Besides, it could be interesting to hear how another mare saw Private. I just needed to control the strange urge to teleport her into a volcano.

I got up and walked outside; Private said once that one of his informants worked at the Violet Rose. That had to be her.

I looked back at Trixie who was staring very intently at some book she had. I raised an eyebrow and then dismissed it. Though, the book did look very strange. I don’t remember having any books with my cutie mark on it.

________________________________________________________

I used Private’s password to get into the place. The Violet Rose was a bar/club where ponies gather to drown their troubles away. It was spacious, with a bunch of tables in front of a stage and some booths along the walls. There was a bar close to the door with a barmaid serving drinks.

As I walked up to the bar the mare tending it gave me a frown. “Hey! You’re that bitch who nearly got half of my customers to leave a few months ago,” she exclaimed.

I remembered that was my second case with Private. I kind of made a… case for asking for nonalcoholic drinks. I’ll take the occasional apple cider and some wine when Private takes me out, but that’s about it. I sighed and said, “I’m very sorry, but that was a while ago, water under the bridge?”

She rolled her eyes and asked rather rudely, “Whaddya want?”

“Do you know somepony named Larksong? I was told she worked here.”

A slow smile came to her lips and she replied, “You aren’t the first mare to ask for her.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

She sent a mug of beer down to a customer and said, “Ole Lark has a bit of a problem you see. No matter where she goes some stallion is always admiring her. I get mares comin' here all the time hopin' to give her a piece of their minds.”

So, this wasn’t an uncommon thing. Whoever this Larksong girl is, I don’t think I like having her anywhere near Preventus. My eyes narrowed but I shook off the thought and said, “Look, I just want to talk to her.”

The bartender look at me suspiciously then finally replied, “Alright, but if ya cause her, or me, any trouble, I’m kicking ya out. Celestia’s student or not, we don’t tolerate fights in here.”

I nodded and she went off to get her. Okay Twilight, this girl has been with Private before. Just keep it together; you can handle this with absolute calm and delicacy.

IF THAT TRAMP THINKS SHE CAN STEAL PRIVATE I’LL SHOW HER JUST HOW DELICATE I CAN BE!!!!!

Like I said, with absolute calm.

I let out a breath as the bartender returned. “She’s takin' a break over at the corner booth. When I told her who was here, she said she’d see ya.”

I took a deep breath and made my way over to the booth like the bartender asked. I don’t know what I was expecting; I guess my mind came up with the worst possible perspective of her. I had hoped she was a fat stalker mare or something, but what the bartender just said made that sound impossible.

What I did find at the booth was a unicorn mare a little older then I was. She was beautiful, like some of the models in one of Rarity’s magazines. Her coat was the color of a lemon. She had a long light green mane that seemed to sparkle in the light. Her eyes were a deep blue and I couldn’t really read them at all. That’s what unnerved me about her, I couldn’t figure her out. She looked up at me with a small smile on her face.

“So, you’re Twilight Sparkle,” she said, her voice mysterious and smoky. “I must say, when Martini told me who you were I was a little afraid that you would try to make me fall in love with a doll. However, you look quite sane today.”

I couldn’t tell if that was an insult or a friendly jab. I just smiled coolly and said, “You must be Larksong, Private’s ex marefriend.” I know it was childish but I couldn't stop myself from emphasizing the ex.

“Indeed I am,” she replied, her voice giving away nothing. “What can I help you with? There hasn't been another murder has there?”

I shook my head and replied, “No, I just came because I have been hearing rumors that you’re Private’s informant.”

“Aw, afraid I’m going to steal him back, are you?” she asked, mockingly. “I’ve heard it before, don’t think you’re the first mare to make such a claim.”

Again, I just couldn’t tell if she was mad, annoyed, or something else. She just gestured to the booth chair opposite her and I slowly sat down. I met her blue eyes with my own and studied her. She was harder to read than a Seven Hawkers novel.

“Look,” I said after a few moments of silence, “I don’t mean any offense or anything, but as Private’s current marefriend, we need to set some boundaries.” There it went again. I don't know what it was about this mare that made me feel so insecure. Why did she have to be so hot?

Larksong’s expression didn’t change. Doesn’t anything faze her?

I kept my inner turmoil from showing on my face as I continued, “I know you’ve been an invaluable asset during some of Private's cases. However, aside from setting up meeting, giving him information, or helping him find somepony, I want you to stay away from him.”

Again, her face didn’t change.

“You may still harbor feelings for Private, and I respect that. However, I can’t spend all my time thinking that maybe he’s seeing you behind my back. So, I just wanted to clear the air, and hope we’ve reached an understanding.”

I waited for her reaction.

She stared at me, and then she slowly smiled. Then she laughed! She started giggling and laughing like I'd told her some hilarious joke. Was she mocking me? Just what the hay is so funny? I narrowed my eyes as all the ways I could hurt her came to mind.

“I’m sorry,” she said finally, once her laughter died down enough for her to speak. “You just looked so darn adorable staking your claim; I couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

“You think it’s funny?” I said through gritted teeth, trying to contain my anger.

“No,” she said, calming down and shaking her head. “It’s just adorable, how protective you are over Private.”

“So let me get this straight,” I said, looking bewildered, “you thought that me telling you off like that, was adorable?”

“Yes, in fact, most mares just spout out curse words until my ears bleed and foals nearby learn a few new words to tell mommy. You, however, approached me in a mature and dignified manner. You just laid everything out on the table and made it perfectly clear where we stood. The fact you’re saying this all to me is simply precious,” she said.

It’s official, this mare is crazy, and I know a thing or two about crazy.

“I still don’t understand,” I said, putting a hoof on my head.

She studied me for a while and asked, “Private is the first stallion you’ve let into your life, right?”

It seemed like a reasonable question so I answered, “Well, I had a couple of crushes when I was younger, but Private is my first serious romance. Why do you ask?”

She chuckled and said, “Again, I find it adorable that you’re so adamant in keeping your first romance.”

“Don’t you think it’s admirable that I would try to lay my hoof down on a mare I think is flirting with Private?” I suggested. If she called me adorable one more time...

“Yes, admirable but still precious,” she said, her smile growing slightly. “I want to assure you now; I have no intentions of stealing Private from you.”

“Why not?" I asked, not really believing her. "Didn’t you love him?”

“I’ll always wake up in the middle of the night expecting Private when he isn’t there,” she said, her expression unchanging. “I know that can never be anymore, though.”

I forced down the spasm of jealousy that hit me when she talked about sleeping next to Private. She really didn’t make it easy for me to pin any sort of animosity on her. Except for the fact that she'd been with Private, and she was ridiculously hot. She did say she was going to not try to flirt with Private, that’s good, right?

“I still don’t get it,” I said with a shake of my head. “Shouldn’t you be trying to fight me, or call me names, or say I’m an ugly mare who doesn’t deserve him, something?”

“Do you want me to do those things?” she deadpanned.

I blushed a little and replied, “Well, no, but you have to admit it’s what one would expect.”

“You’ve been reading way too many books,” she said, taking a sip from her drink, her eyes scanning the club.

“So you aren’t mad?” I asked.

“Of course I’m mad,” she answered. “Any mare would be mad if somepony was dating the pony they did for three years.”

“You and Private dated for three years?” I asked in shock.

She looked down and said a little bitterly, “Yes, but I could hardly call it a true relationship”.

I leaned in a little closer, hoping to peer deeper into the conundrum that is Larksong and asked, “What do you mean?”

She sighed and replied, “When I was in college, I met Private in a library. I was studying music, and he was in the police academy. I thought he was cute and might be a good time, so I talked with him and we became friends. When my father heard about it, well, he wanted me to take it further.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked. “Why wouldn't he want to encourage you to be with a guy like Private?”

“He didn’t want it for my sake,” she said, “but for his. See, my father was a very powerful pony. He wanted to use me to create a leash to yank Private back should he try to solve a case that would hurt my father in any way.”

“So, you didn’t date Private because you loved him?” I asked, part of me hoping that wasn’t the case, but another hoping it was. It didn’t seem right, though, forcing your wishes on your daughter like that just to save your own neck.

Larksong shook her head and said “Not at first. I thought it would just be a short fling and Private would break up with me on his own. The idiot has a way of sneaking into your heart once you let him in though.”

I guess that much was true.

“However, as time went on, I found myself realizing that Private really cared.” She smiled a little reminiscing and continued, “Private, as you know, is sweet, caring, and thoughtful. He was different from other stallions I’d dated before when father asked. I found myself developing genuine feelings for him.”

“What happened?” I asked, my curiosity taking over.

“Private found out about the whole deal,” she answered. “Private hasn’t told you about vice, has he?”

I shook my head. That was another secret Private kept from me. He didn’t much like to talk about what happened. I hated that this mare knew things about him that I didn't.

“That’s understandable,” Larksong said. “I won’t go into too much detail. Let’s just say, that my father was caught in the center of it. Once Private found out about his involvement, he tried to arrest him. Then my idiot of a father revealed his whole scheme, hoping that Private would back off, for fear of losing me.”

“Knowing Private,” I said slowly, “he didn’t back down, did he?”

She shook her head and replied ruefully, “No, no he didn’t. That night, I tried to tell him how much I genuinely cared about him, but trust is something that Private holds sacred. I should’ve told him sooner what was going on, however, I was afraid to destroy what we had. In the end, not telling him ruined everything. He should’ve heard the words from me, instead of my father.”

I didn’t know what to feel. Part of me was happy that she got what she deserved. A smaller part of me felt sorry that she'd been manipulated like that for her father’s sake. I flattened my ears a little and just said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

“No harm done,” she said with a shrug, sipping more of her drink. “When I really think about it, I’m not the right mare for Private anyway.”

I said dumbfounded, “What do you mean? Most stallions would kill for a mare like you! You’re beautiful, and from what I’ve heard you’re a talented singer.”

“You wanna know something they never teach you in romance novels?” she asked, a smile coming to her face.

“Um, sure?” I replied.

“Guys like Private; they say when they are younger that they want a mare like me. Hot, a beautiful voice, nice eyes they can look into at night, but that’s nothing. What a stallion like Private really wants above anything else, is a mare he can trust. How long after you met Private did you meet Tailspin?”

I thought for a moment and said, “A few weeks, maybe a month, why?”

“Private didn’t introduce Tailspin until a year and a half after we began dating.”

I didn’t know what to say to all this. Did this mean that Private really trusted me? I mean, he’d only known Rainbow for a day before she met Tailspin. Then again, that was because she owed him a favor. Maybe it wasn’t just that. What if…

I looked at Larksong’s expression; she was fighting the urge to laugh again. “I’m sorry, again, you’re simply adorable when you’re over thinking everything,” she said with a smirk.

I blushed a little and flattened my ears meekly. “I was just um,”

“What I’m trying to get at is, I’ll always be mad that somepony else is with Private. However, it’s like walking through the rain. You aren’t happy about it, you hate getting wet from it, but you know it’s going to happen. You know the ground needs it, and you know, you gotta learn to live with it,” Larksong said.

“So, we’re good?” I asked, my mind still reeling from all of this.

“If you really want us to start cat fighting like two teenage cheerleaders over the star Stormball player, I got a camera in the back” she said with a wicked grin.

I dropped my jaw as she laughed again. She had a very strange sense of humor.

“Yes, Twilight,” she said, her blue eyes gazing at me “I guess you could say we’re good. I’m not going to give a cheesy, ‘you take care of him’ speech though. I have better taste than that.”

I just smiled at that, talking with this mare was as frustrating as trying to convince Applejack to wear a dress. She seemed as though she would be keeping her hooves off Private though, so I guess my goal was set. I got up from the booth and said “It was, interesting, talking with you, Larksong.”

She smiled and leaned her head on one hoof. “Twilight, in the end, guys like Private, always go for mares like you,” she said a little wistfully.

“Thanks,” I said with a smile.

She smirked and added in a sultry tone, “Oh and hey, if you need any bedroom advice, I’d be happy to lend some tips.”

I blushed bright red and fled, not wanting to hear Larksong's laugh anymore. I almost bumped into a stallion as he walked in. I apologized and ran out, embarrassed, but content. So long as Larksong kept her relationship with Private strictly business, we should be good.

But bedroom advice? Really? Like I think about Private in that way…

____________________________________________________

Inside Twilight’s head…

“Hey, Twilight,” Private said, lounging on a pile of books. “I heard Celestia wanted you to study stallion anatomy.” His horn glowed and then his trench coat slowly opened. “I’m more than happy to be a, test subject…”

_________________________________________________________

NO! NO! NO! NO!

I can’t be having those thoughts! Twilight, you need to stop stealing from Rarity’s personal collection of romance novels!

___________________________________________________________

Perspective: Fenlock Rusty.

I entered the Violet Rose just as some unicorn doll ran out. Funny, that doll looked an awful lot like Private’s sweetheart, but she wouldn't come to a place like this. I chuckled a little, never thought Private would have a thing for eggheads.

I walked inside the bar, the smell of beer, cigarettes and broken dreams entered my nostrils. I looked around to make sure none of my familiar admirers were there. I wasn’t here for a fight with buddies, none too happy with my activities back in the old days.

I walked to the bar and looked at Martini. You learn very quickly to respect a mare who can run a bar as well as she can. Takes a lot of guts to put up with drunken crack pots hoping to cause trouble.

She smiled at me and said, “Never thought I’d host the legendary Fenlock Rusty again.” She reached for a mug and asked, “What can I get ya?”

“Nuthin', doll,” I said, waving a hoof to stop her. “I ain’t here to drink myself to death.” I looked over at some poor sap sitting next to me, and said, “Though, I think you should see to him.”

Martini rolled her eyes and poked the orange coated sap. “Dark, I think you’ve had enough,” she declared firmly.

“Not until, not until I *hic* solve that conspiracy! Ah’m not gonna lose tah psycho me, oh no,” he said. At least that is what I think he said. His words were very slurred, and I'd grown slightly out of practice with translating drunk speak.

“Yep, you’ve had enough, Dark,” Martini said, as she took the mug of cider away from him and walked off. The sap started ranting about a conspiracy board or something like that. Kids these days.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Martini. “I’m looking' for a very ‘special’ customer,” I told her.

She gave me a look and then very subtlety gestured to a back booth. I walked to it and before me was the biggest, strongest and most dangerous bird in all of Equestria. Good thing the old buzzard didn’t mind working with cops, when he had to. He had black feathers and a white head with a black fedora on it. He was a griffon, powerful allies, but they’ve been known to have a ferocious side.

He smirked slightly upon seeing me and said, “When ya said ya wanted somewhere remote, I was expectin' some slummy hole in the middle of Fillydelphia or something. But not you, Fenlock, ya always gotta do everything with style.”

I smirked back and said, “Same to you ya old buzzard. Remember how we met? I was touring Bitallia on a department exchange. You were just some dumb kid who thought to rob a bank while I was inside it.”

“I learned my lesson that day,” Grimwing said, his claws tapping together. “Cops are dangerous, but detectives are far worse if you aren’t on their side.”

“That's because we’re usually the ones stubborn enough to keep ya damn kids from becoming mobsters,” I chuckled. “I guess I didn’t do my job well enough.”

“Listen, ya old war horse,” he said, pointing one of his claws at me, “Ya may think yerself all tough because ya survived a war in Germaney. Spend about two weeks in the Griffon Kingdom highlands and then we’ll talk.”

We stared at each other for a minute, before breaking out into laughter. I took a seat opposite him and smirked. “Still the same old Grimwing I see,” I said.

“Were ya expecting ya typical griffon mobster?” he asked, chuckling. “If so, I can get the cement.”

“Don't go out of your way on my account,” I said with a shake of my head “So what do you have for me?”

“I think Private’s headed for big trouble,” he answered, his Bitallion accent failing to mask the seriousness of the statement. You remember that Octavia doll?”

“Jean’s daughter?” I asked, nodding. “Yeah, I heard she took his place. Sorry life for that kid. She’s not that much younger than Private and she’s trying to run a criminal empire.”

“See, I’ve been lookin' into that,” he said, tapping his claw on the table “Somethin' doesn’t add up. I’ve been going through Private’s cases involving Ponyville and turns out, Octavia got a huge record deal about two weeks before she went on the Vinyl Scratch. Somepony offered it to her to keep her out of Ponyville.”

“Now that ya mention it,” I said, closing my brown eyes, “There were some others involving Ponyville as well. First Mandarin tried to gain control of Sweet Apple Acres. Then Blueblood kidnapped that Rarity doll’s sister.”

“So what’s that got to do with Octavia getting a record deal?” Grimwing asked, almost to himself. “Well, as it turns out, the company that offered the deal didn’t exist until the year before. Octavia didn’t take it because she accepted the offer to join the Vinyl Scratch instead. If Octavia hadn’t shown up, some cop other than Private would’ve found out about her activities. Ironically, being in the spotlight caused her to lessen her illegal activities. That saved her.”

“So back to Private’s other cases,” I said slowly, “A lot of them were pretty isolated. Such as the ones where he went to Trottingham or Appaloosa. However, there was also the case where that Scootaloo filly almost got kidnapped and that crazed mare wiped out the Loftwing family.”

“What did ya find out?” he asked.

“Well,” I said slowly “it seems that Blitzwing Loftwing was in business with Mandarin. I talked to some friends of Themera Loftwing and sure enough, he was financially backing Mandarin's purchase of those farms in order to buy Sweet Apple Acres.”

“I heard somethin’ from the roost too,” Grimwing said, checking over his shoulder. “Hoity Toity was also financially backing Mandarin. The majority of his pony trafficking proceeds were being used to fund it. I took care of that problem personally.”

“We all know your opinion on slavers,” I said slowly.

“They can’t die fast enough,” Grimwing said firmly. “Anyway, I looked more into it, as it turns out, ya know that crazy gal named Glimmer, the one that Private apparently watched turn into a monster?”

“Yeah,” I said with a nod, “Private told me about it one time. That bitch made the mistake of trying to kidnap his brother.”

“Ya gotta respect a pony that takes care of his family,” Grimwing said. I noticed a trace of guilt over his eyes, but only a trace. “I found out her experiments were funded through a foreign account. Untraceable by normal means, but through my network I managed to uncover that the funds were coming from Prince Northwind.”

“The prince that got killed and replaced by some crazed underwater sorcerer?” I asked, my head spinning. “This is one giant mess of a conspiracy.”

“So, we know they seem to have some sinister plan for Ponyville,” Grimwing concluded, “and they wanna fund a bitch to perform crazy experiments. What’s the connection?”

“Private stopped Mandarin,” I said thoughtfully, “that started the first domino. Hoity became so desperate to stop his involvement from being discovered he was willing to bribe the DA. It’s gotta be something big, I just know it.”

“Whatever it is,” Grimwing said, tapping his claws together, “It ain’t gonna be pretty for any of the parties involved when it comes out.”

“Grim?”

“Yeah?”

“I need to call in a favor,” I said, looked up at the griffon. “Look after Private, make sure he makes it out okay.”

He closed his yellow eyes for a minute, and then opened them again. “You know what this’ll mean to ya. If word got out you’ve been meetin' with me. It could mean losing yer pension.”

“Private’s safety is more important than a check in the mail!” I said firmly. “That kid helped pull me out of my living hell. I owe him enough to try and protect him!”

“Even when ya got a kid of yer own ya ignore,” Grimwing said, completely out of left field.

I leaned back against the booth and asked with a sigh, “How’d ya find out?”

“Gilda got a job with some lawyer named Sandā Bolt. Some kind of program to help juvies learn about the legal system,” he answered. “They had a case about two weeks ago that involved Red Cross.”

Red Cross, the only doll I ever thought of marryin'. Some pink haired nurse who stayed by my side while I was recovering from battle wounds. Dated for a while, fell in love in Prance, talked about a future after the war, and then… I walked out on her. I was going to become a detective but she wanted me to settle down and stay away from fighting.

I never could get away. Once you've left the front lines you have a set of skills that just don’t fit into civilian life. So I left her at a train station in Canterlot, not knowing at the time she was pregnant. I found out after joining the force but she told me to stay away.

I was only too happy to comply; I wasn’t ready to be a father, or a husband for that matter. Heh, to think that doll would pop up years later.

I sighed and asked, “Does Redheart know who I am?”

“Nah,” Grimwing shook his head.

I didn’t say anymore as I got up out of the booth and said, “Just, keep an eye on Private, will ya? The kid’s got guts but he can get stupid on occasion.”

Grimwing just gave me a look. That was all I needed to see. He would help Private, he owed me that much.

I walked out of the Violet Rose, suddenly envying the poor saps. At least they had a drink to hide from the sorrow they faced.

I guess we all had a way of dealing with pain…

__________________________________________________________

Perspective: Idrena Eye

I sat at a table, dressed in a simple black evening dress as I watched Fenlock leave. I knew he was probably investigating something, I knew that look in his eyes. I’ve seen it in my grandson whenever he was on a case.

“Idrena?”

I looked back to Themera; the darling had just gotten out of the hospital a while ago. Themera Loftwing and I were friends going all the way back to boarding school. Right now, she was almost completely recovered from her daughter’s scheme.

I gave her a smile. “Sorry, dear Themera,” I said, as I sipped some of my drink. “You were saying something?”

“Not so much something,” the tangerine unicorn said, “but, more of asking a favor.”

“Themera, you know you can ask me anything,” I said earnestly. “What do you need?”

Her magic teleported a batch of documents in front of me. I looked them over and gave Themera a look. “These are custody papers, you would be handing your granddaughter over to a mare called Rainbow Dash?” I asked.

Themera looked down and said, “I failed to care for my granddaughter when it counted. I was so blinded by the fact she was a pegasus that I wasn’t willing to accept her.”

“So why this Rainbow Dash?”

“My dear Scootaloo has sent me many letters since I entered the hospital.” Themera smiled and continued, “In them she speaks of Rainbow Dash’s deep care for her. I was hoping that through this, I could accept Rainbow into our family as an adopted child and they can be true sisters.”

I gave a smile and said, “You always were a softie when it came to fillies.”

“I can’t help it if my granddaughter is the most adorable filly in the universe,” Themera said with pride. She tossed her black mane. “It runs in the family after all.”

I gave a small laugh and asked, “So you want me to make sure this goes through?”

She nodded and replied, “Yes, I do, Idrena. This way, I can recover my family from it’s broken state. I only hope I can be a true grandmother to her after all of this.”

I reached over and set one of my hooves on hers. “I know you’ll do great. I promise I’ll get these through. Families should stick together, no matter who is a part of it.”

Themera smiled at me, and then her grin turned mischievous. “You know, there’s somepony else my granddaughter mentions a lot in her letters to me.”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who, pray tell, is that?”

“Your grandson, Tailspin. He has a crush on her.” she said, with a wide smile.

Tailspin has a crush on Scootaloo? Oh this is too perfect! I laughed and said, “Tell me that Scootaloo shares his feelings!”

“Oh she does!” Themera said excitedly “He even managed to ask her to a dance. From what I hear he is such a little charmer.”

Tailspin, the grandson I had yet to meet…

I stayed out of his life because I hoped that he would feel no pain should the worse happen to me. When I hear about things like this, though, it makes me miss being a grandmother. Private was too old now to let me have my fun as one. It’s becoming harder and harder to fight the urge to run to Tailspin and tell him he has a grandmother.

Themera noticed my gaze and smiled gently. “Idrena, when are you going to tell him who you are?” she asked.

“When he is safe,” I said firmly. “When Tailspin cannot be threatened by Adamus then I will show myself. Until then, I don’t want him to feel pain when I show up in a coffin one day because of Adamus.”

“You are an impeccably stubborn mare,” Themera mused, “but, I will still encourage my granddaughter to help in my quest to become your sister.”

“Ha,” I said with a laugh, “you’ll be attached to oxygen by then.”

“I’m the same age as you are, you old Na-” I gave her a look and she said, “mare.”

“That’s better,” I answered. “You know how I feel about the N word.”

“Like I said, an incredibly stubborn mare,” Themera said.

We both laughed for a while, just laughed in the company of each other. I knew that it was going to be a while before I would enter Tailspin’s life. Until then, I know I have wonderful ponies to aid me. I was going to make sure these papers went through.

I owe Tailspin to at least keep his special somepony happy.

Oh it is simply precious…

__________________________________________________________

Perspective: Martini

Bars, they say it’s the last step in the road. The place nopony wants to be caught dead in. They say it’s where ponies just come to drown their sorrows.

Anypony who says that being a bartender is only about serving drinks is a filthy liar. A bartender is more than just a server of drinks. They’re also a comforter when life gets ya down. A philosopher when it all makes no sense. Finally, you are a friend when the world feels like a lonely place.

A good bar is a haven where anypony can walk in and find some form of comfort. Little miracles always seem to happen at my bar, whether it’s a mare learning about an ex, a griffon and an old detective talking about some whacked out conspiracy, or a couple of elderly mares having drinks for old time’s sake.

You see a lot of strange things as a bartender, and a lot of strange things at the Violet Rose.

There's no job I'd rather do, and no place else I'd rather do it.