The pair of ponies stolled into the dank, dim bar, the light barely lighting the centre of the room, leaving most of the tables off nearer to the walls in darkness, although Starlight could make out some shapes hiding there. She didn’t really want to make a bad first impression though, so she simply followed Foamy Top to the main bar and took a seat on a stool. It was empty, leaving her and the barkeep to talk it out.
“So...” Foamy Top started the conversation between patron and bartender “What would you like? We got Sweet Apple Acres cider, imported Yakyakistan mead, Griffonstone ale and good old Manechester beer.” Starlight noted the variety in drinks, before settling on her choice.
“I’ll take some cider, please. Might try that Manechester brand beer later on, but for now I just want to get comfortable with this place, if that’s alright.”
Foamy Top gave a reassuring smile “The customer is always right. So do you want Apple Bloom, Applejack or Big Mac?”
Starlight stared at the bartender for a second. “I thought this was a villain’s only night? Unless the Apples were some sort of tyrincal apple empire before Twilight freindship’d them or something!”
Foamy Top stared back before bursting into laughter. “Okay, okay. That’s the first time I’ve heard that response to the question! While the Apples still have a major stranglehold on alcohol based products in the local area, (Which is probably why my business is dying in the first damn place, but details.) I was referring to the type of Sweet Apple Acres Cider you wanted. Applebloom is the no alcohol version for foals, Applejack is the standard cider they do, and Big Mac is for ponies who just want to forget the last 12 hours of their life. Really strong that last one. Can knock out a Yak in 5 mugs.”
After some very brief contemplation on her part, Starlight decided on the standard Applejack type. “So you just want to get buzzed then? Can’t blame you, don’t want to make a bad first impression and all.” Foamy said, filling a wooden mug with Applejack’s cutiemark embedded on it to the top, with foam sticking out of it just like his own cutiemark before handing it to the sober Starlight. “That’ll be two Bits.”
Starlight froze. She completely forget her wallet in her rush to get away from Twilight. She couldn’t exactly go back now, could she? Noting her apparent unease, Foamy Top held up a hoof. “This happens a lot, I’ll put it on your tab. I’ll probably end up sending to Twilight herself, judging by the rumours that you’re her protégé/love interest.”
The fact that her drinks were now free did not help the sudden burning sensation in Starlight’s face as Foamy Top chuckled and jot down some noted on a nearby scroll. “As I said, only rumours. You should see what they say about your relationship with that Trixie chick...”
Taking a long drink of cool cider, Starlight’s face decided to stop doing an impression of Tirek’s lovely skin colour as the aforementioned Trixie strolled in through the front door, although Starlight didn’t notice this due to the aforementioned drinking.
“Give me the usual, Foamy. The day I’ve had with this costume on...” Trixie’s voice had an unnatural bile to it for some reason. That’s not including the fact that she was supposed to be out of town, but priorities.
As the new mare sat down next to Starlight, she gave her a quick once over before turning to Foamy. “Looks like this disguise won’t work here anymore, then?”
Foamy simply decided to stay out of this after giving Trixie her drink. From what Starlight could see, it was a strange, nectar-like substance. Then, like any absolutely normal illusionist, Trixie erupted into green flames, before revealing her true form: Chrysalis.
“Hey, it’s the mare who ruined my life. How are YOU doing?” She said, the hatred dripping in her words. Or that might have been the nectar. Hard to tell.
Starlight, clearly unfazed by having her enemy just appear out of nowhere after being disguised as her marefri- friend who happened to be a mare, did the most sensible thing someone in her position would do: Fall backwards and panic.
Noting the prone pony’s paranoia, Chrysalis decided to pick her back up using her magic and set her back on the stool. “Yes, I swore revenge on you all that time ago and all, but this is the one place in Equestria where I’m not immediately thrown out, even undisguised. I’d like to keep it that way.” She held out a holey hoof. “Truce?”
Still feeling uneasy about this, Starlight’s hoof was shaky as she shook hooves with Chrysalis. “Truce. So how have you been, aside from losing everything?”
Chrysalis cracked a smile. “Oh, I could taste the bitterness in that statement. Let me guess, you had the same thing happen to you? Go on, this place is a haven for scum and villainy such as myself, I’ll never tell.”
Starlight never actually thought about how her and Chrysalis’ lives lined up. They both had their homes destroyed and their lives ruined by some do-gooder hero and swore revenge on the main perpetrator of their fall. She finished off her mug. “Another cider please. Make it a Big Mac.”
Foamy nodded, although his eyes betrayed his neutral and stoic expression. While he did expect Chrysalis to turn up tonight (She was one of the few regulars, even when it wasn’t Villain's Night, due to how he really didn’t care how evil someone was. Just pay your tab and don’t wreck the joint.) but her turning up as Trixie and having Starlight suddenly turn up did worry him a bit. The two getting on? With Chrysalis being the one to solve this?
If nothing else, this was one roller-coaster of emotions. He did however, find himself tuning out the two mares conversing. Thankfully for the audience, Chrysalis was a keen listener.
“I really did believe in this crazy Equality nonsense back about a year ago, though. I spent years working on the perfect cutiemark removal spell, testing it on unsuspecting ponies Many a day was wasted destroying cutiemarks, when I could have been helping ponies realize their talent...”
“Hmm, like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, by any chance? I had them captured once for my first revenge scheme,* annoying as they were, I did hear that they eventually got their cutiemarks through helping some other foal (Who really struck me as a potential protégé and my Plan B before she was “reformed.”) which is nice, I suppose. Glad to see that you beat them to it with a more evil version of cutiemark magic.”
Starlight was intrigued, ecstatic even. Finally, a pony (or changeling in this case) who wasn’t judging her for her actions and actually talking about her own villainy as well! Or that might just be the cider. Damn, Foamy was not lying when he said this was strong.
“Hmm, if I knew more about them back then, I might have incorporated that into my revenge scheme instead of time travel. Protip: Never screw with time travel. I had the feeling that I changed this timeline somehow for weeks, but I can’t quite put my hoof on it.”
“Well Starlight, your mere presence in the past probably caused some kind of uh... Fluttershy effect, was it called?” said a voice from out of nowhere that both mares recognized.
Foamy Top rolled his eyes. “Welcome back, Discord.”
*See “The Return of Queen Chrysalis.”