The First Chapter - Introduction - Crimson and Strawberry

Shallow Commune

By FireRain

I think it's about time for something a little different, so this is what I came up with. For those of you who have read my previous stories, you would know that comedy isn't exactly my strongest genre type, seeing as I normally write dramas and sad-based stories. But anyway, this is Shallow Commune, what my idea of two ponies with exact opposite characteristics and personalities would act like if they were to be housemates.

Anyway, enough of that. Here we go...

======***======

A titanic yawn rumbled through the house, sending vibrations through the wall that was followed by a loud shattering noise. From inside her bedroom, Strawberry Lace sleepily swatted her cream hoof around to silence her alarm clock, instead failing miserably and whacking it down to the floor with a crash.

With a twitch of her ear and slight raise of her eyelid, she peaked through the darkness of her bedroom to see that the sun was making its rise in the sky, the red-yellowish light peering through her window and illuminating the room in a small pocket of the early light. Letting out yet another yawn as she rubbed her eyes and sitting upright in bed, she stretched out her equally as sleepy muscles with a few resounding cracks and pops here and there.

It was just another day in Ponyville. Just another day... She sighed to herself. Mornings always meant nothing to do in particular. Normally, Strawberry would curl herself up into a comfortable position with a book, but today, that wasn't an option. Today was Strawberry's friend's birthday. Crimson Skies. Her housemate. Her nemesis of sorts.

Of course it had to be Crimson's birthday. Like every year, the gift she comes up with to present to her ends in a disaster. During the month of April last year, Strawberry thought it would be funny to play a prank on her. As a result of this, the whole downstairs living room of the house was painted in a slick, thick red paint. Chuckling at the memory of her housemate's mortified reaction, Strawberry climbed her way out of the comfy confines of her bed and placed her hooves on the cool, brown wooden floorboards below her and making her way towards the stairs, noticing that Crimson's door was still closed on the way down, indicating she was still asleep.

Perfect.

In the kitchen, Strawberry had one thing in her mind - how tasty those hay pop-tarts are that she bought every week and managed to store in the cupboard without Crimson knowing, on account of her being the culprit as to why the items Strawberry bought for herself went missing. This one time, Crimson kept taking the breakfast bars that Strawberry hides from her, and when she caught her in the act, she slipped a little surprise into it for next morning when she went to take yet another one.

The scream of surprise and shock always made her laugh.

Trotting to the cupboard in the kitchen containing most of her own consumables such as cereal bars and sugary treats, she picked up a red box nearest to the back of the cupboard, her hoof pushing other items out of the way as she reached in to grab it. The label on the box read ''Hay Tarts'', one of the favoured brands of cereal bars of the pony species. They weren't anything special, but they definitely got you ready for the day with the added amounts of sugar that was blended in with them to give the taste an extra ''sweet kick''.

However, upon reaching her hoof into the box, Strawberry found that it was empty. Blinking, she peered inside the box with her bright red orbs. Empty.

That means only one thing; Crimson has been taking them. Again! Feeling a growl rise out of her throat and past her lips and dropping the box, Strawberry raced back up the stairs and darted towards Crimson's room, smashing the door off in her wake.

Snapping upwards into a sitting positions with her magenta eyes small with shock at the alarmingly loud crash that followed with the collision of her friend hitting her door, Crimson Skies found herself thrown down with her back pushed forcefully into her mattress.

With her snout pressed up against Crimson's to the point she could smell and feel her warm, malty breath, she interrogated. ''Did you take my Hay Tarts again?! Did you?!'' She asked with force. About to answer, Crimson opened her mouth, but instead of words leaving her muzzle, her cheeks grew green and she leaned off to the side of her bed and released a stream of warm, putrid-smelling bile.

Strawberry didn't know what annoyed her more; the fact that Crimson just puked all over the floor, or that she ate her hay tarts. With a roll of her eyes, she asked ''So, I'll take that as a ''Yes'', then. And that you've been to the bar getting drunk.'' Finishing up with her vomiting, Crimson looked back up to her housemate with tired, dry eyes.

''Yeah, and? Don't I have the right to drink if I feel like it?'' She questioned, cocking an eyebrow at her. ''Or are you jealous because I actually have friends to hang out with and not just a reflection to talk to all day long?''

She narrowed her eyes at her, pressing her muzzle back to her own, only to quickly retract at the putrid stench emanating off of Crimson's puke-stained lips. Gagging, Strawberry turned her head away.

''Are we done, yet? I got stuff to do.'' Crimson said in an annoyed tone. ''You know, as in work because somepony has to pay the bills around here?'' She said, swiveling her body off of the side of the bed and setting her hooves down on the floor before pulling herself up. Unfortunately, she made a mistake on getting out of bed when she realized at the last second that she had just pulled herself out of the side she puked at.

And stepped directly in it.

Screaming in surprise, she lost her balance in the goopy bile and face planted straight into the floor, burying her muzzle an inch or so deep in her own vomit.

Although annoyed that the flooring was now puke-stained and going to take some work to clean out, Strawberry laughed at Crimson's misfortune. ''I think maybe you should add ''Get a shower'' to your list of things to do for the day.''

Lifting her face out of the puddle of vomit, Crimson wiped it from her eyes to stare daggers at her. ''Ha-fucking ha.'' She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Lifting herself off of the ground and out of the pool vomit, she brushed past Strawberry, glaring daggers at her before leaving the bedroom and into the bathroom at the end of the hall of the left, a loud and dull bang resonating through the house.

Strawberry laughed momentarily before directing her gaze towards the pool of vomit on the floor with a sigh. The entire room reeked of the putrid, sour and pungent aroma and with Crimson having to go to work at the music shop owned by local unicorn, Lyra Heartstrings, as an assistant, that left her with the task of cleaning up the mess.

''Well, I suppose I better go and get the mop and bucket out.''

*** *** ***
Lyra's Music Shop
*** *** ***

Lyra's music shop was peaceful during the early hours of the morning and neither her or Crimson were complaining about it. The shop was mostly wooden on the interior and many various instruments in the strings and woodwind families were adorning the walls and on display in the window.

The inside of the shop smelled lightly of the aroma of polish and wood, a rather pleasant combination. Because of the early hours, the shop was quiet due to rush hour for the town being a considerable time away and the time before was usually spent reorganizing instruments, checking stock and tuning them or replacing their strings if required to do so.

Twist, twist, twist ''I still don't get why you two fight so much.'' Lyra Heartstrings said to a rather bored-faced Crimson Skies who was sat next to her on a stool as she was tuning the strings of a violin from her position behind the counter.

Crimson rolled her magenta orbs with a pout. ''I don't know. It's a wonder we're housemates, nevermind ''friends''. She said, quoting with her hooves. Lyra chuckled.

''Sounds to me like you're going through the same phase me and Bonnie went through.'' Lyra said. Crimson's ear twitched.

''Bonnie?''

''Oh, right, I keep forgetting that you haven't met her yet.'' She rolled her eyes. ''I meant Bon Bon. She's my best friend and we've known each other ever since I first moved into town.'' She smiled. ''We both became housemates after she asked me to live with her, seeing as I didn't have anywhere else to go.''

Crimson smiled for the first time of the day. ''Sounds like a really nice mare.'' A dreamy look came across Lyra's face.

''I'll say...'' Lyra's eyes were glistening as if she was daydreaming and for a moment, Crimson watched her with a raised brow. The front door to the shop opened and the bell rang out, an earth pony with a soft, yellow coat and light blue and pink mane done up in curls entered.

Making her way over to the counter, her sky blue eyes met Crimson's and she smiled. Waving a hoof in greeting, Crimson nudged Lyra's shoulder and she snapped back into reality. Crimson motioned with a hoof towards the customer and Lyra blushed, embarrassed from her daydreaming.

''O-Oh, hey, Bonnie.'' Lyra greeted with a smile, coming from behind the counter and towards the mare, wrapping her hooves around her back in a hug.

''Morning, Lyra. Who's your friend?'' The mare asked, looking over to Crimson with a smile.

''Bon Bon, this is Crimson Skies, she started working here a few months ago.'' Crimson reached a hoof over the counter and tapped hooves with Bon Bon.

''It's nice to meet you.'' She said.

''Oh, and she also has a housemate! We were actually just talking about it! Remember when we first started off as housemates and we were fighting all the time and stuff, and we never got along, like, at all, and-'' Bon Bon pressed her hoof over Lyra's lips, a soft blush upon her cheeks.

''Hey, not here! It's kinda personal, Hearty.'' Bon Bon said in an embarrassed tone. Lyra giggled, blushing herself and scratching the back of her neck with a hoof awkwardly. ''Besides, there's no point thinking about that now.''

''Wait, you two used to fight all the time?'' Crimson asked, dumbfounded. From where she was sitting and watching them now, they seemed to get along just fine. Even better than fine.

''Oh, yeah, like, everyday!'' Lyra said, despite Bon Bon's protests. ''Such a performance! I used to ''steal'''' She quoted with her hooves. ''her sweets from her shop, and there was more than a few misunderstandings between us.''

''There was more than that...'' Bon Bon said, her voice at a whisper and her ears back on her head in irritation at the memories. Crimson blinked, even more confused than before.

''B-B-But you get on so well! Me and my housemate have the same problems, but she doesn't even understand me! To her, I'm just a common nuisance in our relationship, or at least, what's left of what was there to begin with. She practically hates me!'' Crimson said that last part with gritted teeth. Since she met Strawberry, their relationship was in fairly normal standing in terms of status, but now it's in tatters, torn down and now all that's left is scraps, especially after they became housemates.

Somehow, for reasons that probably neither Crimson nor Strawberry know of, from the day they first became housemates, it was like some kind of invisible force drove a wedge between them both.

Bon Bon and Lyra both gave a sympathetic and reassuring smile. ''I'm sure she doesn't hate you, Crimson. I thought Lyra hated me from how much we used to fight and give each other the cold shoulder, but it turns out we were both wrong. As a matter of fact, Lyra and me are something more than friends, if you get my meaning.'' Bon Bon explained, nuzzling Lyra's cheek. ''Believe me, you'll work something out in the end.''

''Thanks, Bon Bon. I sure hope so.'' Crimson said, her spirits somewhat lifted. If there was one thing that she wanted, it was to find out why Strawberry Lace hates her. I've never hated her as a friend, never mind in general as a pony.

''I'll see you later, Lyra.'' Bon Bon said, hugging Lyra goodbye, turning to face Crimson momentarily before taking her leave. ''Perhaps we could all hang out at some point afterwards and get to know each other better. You could even bring your friend along, if you'd like.''

A weak smile formed on Crimson's lips. ''Y-Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.'' She and Lyra waved her goodbye and went back to working at the shop, making their last checks around to make sure all was in good order and ready for opening.

There was still some time left, about a few hours or so, until rush hour settles in around town and the customers come flocking in from left and right. Owning a business in Ponyville wasn't the easiest of tasks available, but hardly anypony was one for complaining after making a profit.

Settling in for the day and taking care to check her own responsibilities in the shop as Lyra's assistant, Crimson Skies was in charge of making sure the displays were all neatly organized, the shelves were clean and presentable, the works.

Smiling to herself at seeing that her routine checks were all in perfect order, Crimson walked over to where the sign hung from the door to the shop and flipped the ''Closed'' side of it to face ''Open'' to the outside world through the glass.

''Alright, let's get this day done with.''

The Night Out

View Online

Shallow Commune

By FireRain

And so the start of a new chapter begins for Crimson Skies and Strawberry Lace. Along with new friends, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon, two mares of equal companionship whom have been down the bumpy, tangled road of holding a smooth, well-kept relationship, Crimson sets out to finally set things straight with her housemate and crush, Strawberry Lace.

However this night shall turn out, for better or for worse, only time will test each pony's willpower and tolerance for the other.

======***======

Ponyville's local bar. A bright, neon sign in luminescent purple on the outside edge and a deep, blood-like red on the inner parts of the sign read out ''Scratch Shack''.

Of all the buildings occupying the whole of the town of Ponyville, it was the only building that stood out amongst the rest. While holding the standard, traditional aesthetics of the other houses and cottages in town, this particular one was adorned with neon signs and a much more stylish interior.

Booths snuggled up to the edges of the interior's walls, glass table tops polished like rounded mirrors and black and red and electric blue tri-toned, leather seats clashed together in an honorary contrast of the colours of the owner of the bar. Vinyl Scratch.

Unlike most other bars in Equestria, the actual bar itself was located in the middle of the room, snug and spam in-between the booths. It was made with oiled pine wood and had black marble desktops that were polished to the point the light they reflected almost burned as bright as a super nova.

Along its edges, fancy, red-velvet cushioned bar stools took their place, adding an unusually striking, unique atmosphere to the bar as it blended surprisingly well with the much more, less-elegant, 'choppier' and disco-themed furniture and decor.

GEL lighting systems hung from the ceiling, hanging proudly in organized lines above the dance floor, located in the furthest reach of the generously large room, big enough to accommodate the capacity of a cathedral, in the middle, directly positioned in front of a stage overlooking the customers of the Scratch Shack.

The stage was dressed up with spotlights and fog machines, all wired into the main control desk and DJ set that was placed in the centre of the stage. Two behemoth-sized stereo amplifiers were hooked into the main control panel in a hiccup of alternate connection points and servos and other, various nick-naks that were presumably for enhancing and mixing the audio and for the heavy quantity of lighting.

A microphone was standing tall and proud from behind the DJ control panel and leaning against the wall at the back of the stage was a large, black box-like case in the shape of a cello. On its outer body, a small, black note was printed onto it. The cutie mark of its owner. Octavia Melody.

This bar was the only one in Ponyville that was equipped with technology such as this, and as a result, a much larger audience was attracted to it, ranging from ponies in their early twenties and young couples looking for a memorable and adrenaline-fueled night.

However, the same can not be said about the two ponies by the name of Crimson Skies and Strawberry Lace, sat in one of the few unoccupied booths with Lyra and Bon Bon, whom were sat on one side of the booth at a close enough proximity that they were physically touching sides with no signs of wanting to move away any time soon.

As for Crimson's and Strawberry's seating plan, the same can definitely not be said. They were sat with a more than wide gap between them that let Crimson being further towards Bon Bon and Strawberry being on the edge of the booth.

Sharing a glance, Bon Bon and Lyra looked to the two ponies then back to themselves. Crimson didn't hold any signs of protest in her eyes, and the longing, glassy gleam in her eyes gave Bon Bon a good idea of what she was feeling at this moment.

With a huff, Strawberry turned her head away, looking anywhere but at Crimson. Ever since they arrived, she has barely said anything and avoided all attempts at conversation with anypony. She was a stubborn one, Bon Bon would give her that.

With a nudge of Lyra's elbow into Bon Bon's side, she dismissed herself towards the bar and ordered a round of drinks for everypony. Within a few moments of absence, Lyra returned to the table with a tray of alcoholic beverages for everypony.

For herself, she ordered a Tangfroth martini, which was basically alcoholic fruit juice with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a well-balanced mixture of other sour fruits for an extra bite. For Bon Bon, she slid over a Blue Goblin, a strong-smelling martini similar to the Tangfroth, but made with blue berries and tonic with a dash of whiskey.

Sliding a drink over to Crimson, she stopped it with her hooves, looking down at the drink, seeing that it was in a crystal-clear glass with a yellow lightning bolt adorned with two outspread wings on either side of it, the word ''Wild'' under the left wing and ''Pegasus'' under the right wing. Wild Pegasus whiskey - the drink of Las Pegasus and destroyer of livers for all who dare to chug down a bottle-worth in a night.

Lastly, Lyra slid over a glass of a cherry-red liquid over to Strawberry. When Strawberry turned back to see the glass before her, she took a whiff of the liquid and gave a faint ''Hmm'' at the aroma it gave off.

It was a ruby-inspired drink that was based off of the taste of a fire ruby. Of course, the recipe wasn't actually written down and made by a pony, but rather a dragon, simply because the digestive tract of ponies don't allow for eating gems and their teeth are not designed to chew glass. The name of the drink, according to Lyra, was called ''The Fire Stone''

It didn't seem as vigorous and full of bite like the drinks the others had, but all of that was proved so wrong when Strawberry cupped her hoof around it and took an experimental swig.

A short-lived gasp of hot air escaped her mouth and her eyes shrank as they bulged. She coughed a few times and attempted to get the heat to leave her mouth and allow cool air to fight the heat, to no avail.

Across from her, Lyra and Bon Bon shared a giggle as they watched her cough from the unholy fire in her mouth that could put Tartarus to shame.

''W-W-What was that?!'' Strawberry managed, wafting her hoof next to her mouth to try and push more air into it.

Stifling a laugh, Lyra said, ''Fire Stone.'' Allowing herself to calm down, she asked her, ''That's what a fire ruby tastes like!''

''Jeez, no kidding.'' Strawberry said, finally feeling the heat depart from her mouth and cheeks as a bead or two of sweat dribbled their way down her forehead. ''Was that some kind of joke?''

Bon Bon laughed. ''Ha, nope.''

''Liar.'' Strawberry pouted.

''Aw, come on, just lighten up, Strawberry! Tonight's all about fun, not moping!'' Lyra said. ''Now, I'm interested in you two. Have you known each other long?''

Crimson shrank back into her seat. Strawberry crossed her arms and avoided eye contact. ''Unfortunately.'' She huffed.

Frowning, the two glanced over to Crimson, seeing that she was hiding her magenta eyes behind her hanging curtain of red-pink mane, a visible sparkle of the beginning of a tear forming in her eye. Taking notice, Bon Bon nudged Lyra and whispered something in her ear before asking Crimson to follow her out of the booth and towards the bar area, where a few groups of ponies were all sharing a round of drinks and having a laugh.

Leaving Lyra and Strawberry alone at the booth, Lyra held her frown as she watched Strawberry. Slowly scooting herself towards her, about the the middle of the table and still giving her some space, she leaned forward in her seat and rested her chin comfortably on her hooves, keeping her golden eyes locked onto her.

''So...'' Lyra began, much to Strawberry's annoyance.

'''So' what?'' She asked in a snappy tone, almost as if she was about to bite hard.

Lyra blinked. ''So, why do you and Crimson fight so much?'' She asked innocently out of curiosity. Even though she has already heard Crimson's side of the story between the two, she felt she needed to ask for Strawberry's side, too.

Turning to face Lyra, Strawberry took deep and long, steady breath. She could already feel the frustration and tension radiate off of her.

''I...I-I dunno. She's just so...AGH!'' She seethed, unable to control herself. With anger burning through her, she took the glass of Fire Stone in her hoof and threw her head back in one, swift motion, consuming the whole drink within a second, ignoring the burning sensation wrenching at her guts.

Lyra blinked hard in surprise, certainly not expecting that.

''I don't know, alright?! We've never really gotten along, and we've never even agreed on the fact of friendship being a thing between us! She gets on my nerves so damn much!''

''Oh? Why's that?'' Come on, Lyra, we're getting there...

''Why do you care, Lyra? I mean, really. We've barely even had a conversation in our lives, and all of a sudden, you take an interest in my relationship with Crimson.'' She narrowed her eyes at her. ''I don't see how this involves you.'' She stated flatly.

Lyra simply waved her hooves in defense. ''Hey, whoa, I'm just curious, you know? Me and Crimson work together, in my music shop. We talk all the time, and she seemed kinda upset yesterday. I was wondering what was going on between you.''

A heavy sigh found its way out of her nostrils. ''I honestly don't care, Lyra. Let's just say that a few things happened between us back when we were younger, and it got pretty personal.'' For the very first time, a hint of sorrow was evident on Strawberry's features and in her eyes. Her tone grew quieter, her breathing got softer and, overall, she looked as though she was going to cry.

Over at the bar, Bon Bon was sat next to Crimson on one of the bar stools, engaged in conversation. It was highly evident that tension was running through her body, and that she was troubled, but it seemed that she was too nervous to admit to anything.

Bon Bon, whilst noticing this, held a reassuring smile. The two didn't exactly know each other, much like Lyra and Strawberry, but for some reason, Crimson found her easy to talk to.

''...so, I don't get why she still hates me. It was years ago, back when me and her were in school together. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell you how many times I've tried to make it up to her.'' Crimson sighed heavily. ''You know, I feel so foolish. There's no way she would ever like me.''

Bon Bon wrapped a hoof around her back warmly. ''Hey now, you never know. One day, she might have a change of heart. All she needs is a good buck.''

Eyes bulging, Crimson spat out the whiskey in her mouth, shocked by what she has just heard. ''E-Excuse me?!'' She stammered, cheeks burning like roses, as were Bon Bon's, realizing what she said.

''I-I didn't mean it like that.'' She held back a giggle at her childishness. ''I mean as in a nudge in the right direction.'' She said softly.

A groan from behind the bar caught the two's attention. Looking up, they saw the stallion bartender, his grey coat and ash mane soaked in whiskey. His amber eyes held an annoyed and disgusted expression.

With a heavy blush, Crimson apologized hastily, feeling more than embarrassed at what she did. Meanwhile, from beside her, Bon Bon was having trouble holding her composure from the fit of laughter building up inside of her, so much so that her eyes were watering.

With a loud thud, she fell to the floor, exploding in a raging fit of uncontrollable laughter. Crimson's embarrassment grew when she noticed that most, if not, every pony in the bar was focusing their attention on them both, and she could feel their eyes drilling into her back, eating at her soul and causing her to slouch in her seat, trying to hide herself but failing miserably.

Back at the booth, Lyra had her hoof around the shoulder of Strawberry Lace, a reassuring smile on her lips. Although she didn't get Strawberry to budge much on her feelings, and out of respect, didn't decide to pry into her, she made some progress with working things out with her and Crimson.

''Sometimes, it's like me and her barely even know each other. One day, she's my friend, the next, she's more of a nemesis to me than anything else. I'm only so stroppy with her because I don't know how else to react to her, especially after that day.'' She wiped a hoof over her eye. ''I don't know if I can ever forgive her.''

Lyra seemed to have a new light set on Strawberry. From underneath that tough, stubborn skin of hers, there was a nice, gentle pony. It was...something to hear her tell the story that Crimson herself has been eager to avoid the whole time, only bringing herself to talk about the minor details and about how she felt about Strawberry.

However, before anything more could be said, the lighting in the bar was overtaken with darkness and a barrage of colourful light came to life, dispersing across the dance floor and accompanied by a thick plume of fog being pumped from the fog machines, a soft humming being audible.

The speakers came to life as a smooth flow of disco-style music amplified through them, enhanced by the control panel where a white-coated, two-tone electric blue maned mare stood, a funky pair of purple-tinted shades upon her muzzle and covering her eyes.

A crowd of ponies marveled at the spectacle and cheered at the mare, clearly a well-respected citizen of the town of Ponyville. From behind her, at the back of the stage, a black silhouette of a pony was visible, gently opening the box with the cello inside of it and lifting it out with care, followed by a large, wooden bow, a specially crafted item with the name ''Octavia'' marked into it, written in a fancy font, the words curling and ending in fine points.

Emerging from the pool of shadows, the grey mare took her place ever so slightly behind Vinyl Scratch, readying herself with her treasured instrument.

''Welcome to the Scratch Shack!'' Vinyl bellowed in her raspy, almost tomboyish voice, eliciting a cheer from the crowd. ''I'm Vinyl Scratch, and I'll be your host for this evening!'' She pushed a button on the panel with a hoof, neon lights jumping to life, the deep, electric blue light in the shape of a vinyl record blazing within a horseshoe contrasting in a bright hue of magenta, very nearly matching the tint of Vinyl's shades.

With the audible clicking of another button, two turntables emerged from the both sides of the panel, fog escaping with them for extra effect. With a flip and a spin, Vinyl danced a record around on both her hooves, almost in a juggling-like fashion as she plopped it onto the turntable, doing the same with yet another one before activating the needles on the records.

''Now, let's get this party started!''

AROUND HALF AN HOUR LATER

Spirits were high as the night rocked on, quite literally. Booze was far from short supply, ponies were currently engaged in dancing to the rapid beats from Vinyl's music system, and, above all, levels of fun were through the roof.

Even Lyra and Bon Bon were joining in on the fun, both partying like there was no tomorrow, twisting and turning their agile bodies around each other in their semi-drunk state. They even managed to catch some of the other dancing pony's attention, some even cheering them on.

The lights above were going wild, the cascade of colours from the GELS like exploding rainbows. Fog machines licked at the dancer's hooves as it hugged close to the floor.

The beats just kept coming and coming, wub after wub, vibration after vibration, it was enough to get one's kicks to the max. It worked like a charm.

From behind her console, Vinyl herself had become a slave to her own music, operating her audio and lighting systems as she partied to the beat. From behind her, Octavia was beefing up the beats by means of her cello music, the notes being enhanced through the audio system and enchantments to add a bigger kick to each and every single beat that left the amplifiers.

However, even at a rave such as this, not all the ponies could say they were enthralled by it. Namely, Crimson and Strawberry. Sat at the bar, Crimson was awaiting another drink of whiskey, anything to distract her from her niggling and pestering thoughts of her housemate.

Strawberry was no different in state of mind. Still sat at the booth, she was paying attention towards Crimson, a mixture of curious, guilty and angry thoughts aimed towards her. She felt the gears grind down on her brain and could feel her thought train chugging away faster.

In some ways, she felt nothing but pure hate towards Crimson, and she knows that she knows it, too. Although she never does really care to admit anything, she and her were good friends once, until...that day. What was once a steady friendship transformed into a still-ongoing conflict between the two.

Strawberry would be lying to herself if she said that she didn't feel at least a little bit guilty and sad about treating Crimson this way and making her upset. Looking at her now, seeing her sit at the bar with a few other ponies and drinking like a fish, she could see that she was depressed and lonely.

So was she.

True, they do get on each other's nerves and such, but they were friends once. Now they're housemates. If they were to be getting along, they would need to learn to put aside their differences and get their affairs in order.

She felt like she should go over to her and tell her that she's sorry. Planning it out in her head, she---

''H-He-Heeeyyy! Straw-Shrtrawwbwewwy!'' Strawberry blinked, turning her head to the source of the slurred voice. Oh. Surprise. It was Lyra. She practically smelled like a brewery. ''C-Come...come join us! Another shongs a-about to straarttt...'' She said, causing Strawberry to edge back in her seat at the smell of her. Past the over-empowering and dominating smell of alcohol on her breath, she could smell what she knew all too well was puke. Both from her own and Lyra's mouth.

Holding her breath to save herself from an unholy invasion of putrid air up her nose and in her mouth, Strawberry strained to keep herself from breathing in as she managed to utter out, ''N-No thanks.''

Lyra huffed and stumbled away, presumably back to her thankfully-much-more-sober companion, Bon Bon, whom was hiding her giggles behind her hoof.

Seeing her moment, Strawberry began to pull herself from the booth, concentrating on Crimson. On her hooves, she began making her way towards her at the bar, upon reaching it, slowly taking a seat on one of the remaining stools to the left of her, putting her on the edge of the counter.

She didn't know what to say or how to say it, and being the pony that Strawberry is, she lightly touched a hoof to Crimson's left shoulder, causing her drooped ear to twitch and stand back upright. Glumly turning her head to see the weak yet oddly warming smile of her housemate, Crimson's frown deepened, presumably at the thought of being teased even more. Strawberry caught on.

''What?'' She asked bluntly, not bothering to hide any traces of glumness. Her voice said it all. (And her breath).

Come on, Strawberry, you were friends before! How hard can it be to start a conversation? While scratching her elbow with the tip of her hoof, Strawberry said something not too hard, nor too easy. Something she should have said a long, long time ago.

''I'm sorry.''

Twitch.

''W-What?'' Crimson asked in disbelief, uncertain that she heard correctly.

''I said I'm sorry.'' She repeated. Meeting Crimson's gaze, she managed a smile, but found that she didn't return it. Crimson gave a soft but audible hiccup, eyes going hazy and tired-like in appearance, mere seconds before she fell backwards and off of her stool, hitting the floor with a loud thud that broke the conversations around the bar and diverted their concentration towards the now unconscious Crimson Skies on the floor.

A short, amused chuckle was heard behind the bar. Turning her head to see, Strawberry saw that it was the same bartender from before that Crimson had sprayed whiskey on earlier.

With a devious and coy, left-sided smile, he said, ''You silver tongued devil, you.'' He winked. Strawberry choked back a gasp, narrowing her eyes at him.

''Shut up.''