//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Drowning in a Rustbowl 
// Story: After the Surge: Las Pegasus 
// by Nanrite 
//------------------------------//

"Another cider, Reins?" the old earth pony bartender asked. Reins looked at remainder of his bottle of cider with a frown. It wasn't great—not even good—but Rustbowl Hard Cider reminded him of home... of his mother. He adjusted his old cowpony hat and brought the bottle to his muzzle, chugging the rest of it. With a sigh of hot, alcohol-riddled breath, Reins slammed the bottle down. The bartender gave him a hearty smile and passed Reins another warm bottle of cider across the counter.
"Your friends having any?" the bartender asked. Reins slowly turned from his spot at the bar and looked at the table Six was sitting at. Her two front hooves were on the table and she was looking down at the floor. Reins turned further until he was sitting backwards at the bar and facing the booth Snow was sitting at. The grey stallion was polishing his Colt with a soft-looking piece of fabric. Snow stopped suddenly and just barely looked up to Reins. The young brown stallion huffed and turned his attention back to the bartender.
"Both of them won't say a word..." Reins told the bartender. The old earth pony chuckled.
"Takes two to have a conversation there, Reins."
Reins smiled at his fresh bottle of Cider and then to the bartender.
"Get me one more," he began. "I'm makin' a new friend."

Snow had no sooner slid his Colt back into its holster before the tannish earth pony he had come to know as Reins suddenly joined him at his booth.
"Howdy!" Reins said, using his open bottle of cider to adjust his worn cowpony hat. Snow looked up to the young colt, then away to a random corner of the room. Reins set his bottle down and hooved snow the second cider bottle. Snow turned back to Reins and glared at him. Slowly, Snow ignited his horn and cracked open the bottle. Reins smiled and nodded to him.
"Fancy revolver ya got there... where did you come across that?"
Snow stopped sipping the Cider and sighed. "Found it..." Snow stated.
"Uh... that's... interestin'," Reins chuckled. Maybe this was a bit more than a bottle of cider and idle banter could handle.
"Where did you get the ugly hat?"
Reins glared at the unicorn across from him while Snow sipped his free cider. Reins quickly regained control and smiled. "To be truthful with ya... it belonged to my mom."
Snow looked back to the earth pony, but this time with a look of sympathy.
"I-I'm sorry," Snow replied.
Reins just smiled in response. "So what happened back there?" the young colt began. "I could see the exchange through my scope... Who was the mare with the red mohawk?"
Snow gave another sigh. "Don't ask... please." With that, the grey mercenary got up from his seat, chugged down the last half of cider, and walked to the bar. Reins turned his attention to Six, who was still sitting silently and alone at her table.

"Hey," Reins started, before sitting down across from her. Six looked up and gave him a weak smile. Bags had started to form under her eyes. "What happened down there, Six?" Six's weakened smile slowly died. "Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"
"No," Six answered. "I just... things... happened... back at the prison. Well, almost happened." Six's gaze slowly turned up to Snow at the bar. "But he stopped them."
"Well I helped," Reins said with hearty laughter. Six even let out a giggle.
"You did." As the words escaped her lips, a single tear dropped onto the table. "H-Ha! C-Ceiling must be leaking!"
"Six..." Reins extended a hoof across the table to her. "Who did he stop?"
"There were..." Six began, but stopped to collect herself before continuing. "There were these stallions... I tried to escape through the window but they grabbed me and tried to... then Snow came back and killed them. I was horrified, Reins."
Reins adjusted his hat and took a sip of cider.
"I'm sorry... I should've been faster getting to you!"
"It's not your fault Reins," Six said. "Without you, Snow and I would be wandering around in the dark... or worse."
Reins smiled to her.  "I'm not going to ever let that happen again... I promise Six."
Six blushed as she looked to the stallion across the table. She returned his smile with a genuine one—something Six hadn't sported since the morning. Six stood up and smiled. "Let's get a drink."

Snow peered down at a freshly poured shot of vodka. His horn ignited and the shot started to float and swirl.

"Taking the job, huh?" a young Delta asked an even younger Snow as she leaned back in her chair. Snow looked out the prison window and smiled.
"Casino guard for the most exclusive casino on the Las Pegasus strip?! This is once in a lifetime!" Snow said, turning to his partner. He trotted over to the chair next to her. "I know you want this too."
Delta gave a laugh as she reached down for a cigarette filled with refined poison joke.
"Spark me up with that horn, pretty boy." Snow leaned down and ignited his horn at the tip of the drug. Delta inhaled, holding in the smoke for a moment before blowing it up into the air with a violent cough. The smoke hung in the office for awhile. "It's going to suck... giving up the drugs... this life."
"Every day," Snow began. "Every day we're stealing, getting high, drinking till we black out... then waking up and doing it again. One day... you or I... we aren't going to wake up."
Delta looked down at floor. She knew he was right.
"Hey Snowy, you remember when we were kids?"
"D-Don't call me that... but yes."
"You said you wouldn't leave me," Delta started. "When the surge took our homes... we still had each other." She stopped leaning in her chair and turned away. Snow trotted over in front of her... he could almost see a tear escape from his partner's bloodshot eyes. 		"Snowy... when you get to Las Pegasus and have a place there... will you come back for me?"
"Summer..."
"H-Hey now! If I can't call you Sno-" Delta began but was interrupted by his massive embrace.
"I promise Summer... I will never forget about you... I will come back... we'll get away from all this." Delta could no longer hold back her tears. Snow nuzzled into her neck before he broke the hug and smiled down to her. Delta looked up to him, her eyes more bloodshot from crying than the drug.
"I love-"

"Snow!"
Snow's brain was zapped back to the present in a violent flash. He gritted his teeth for a moment but fought back his anger. 
"You've been staring at that shot for like 3 minutes dude," Reins said. "You gonna do it? Six and I are waiting on you." Snow turned to his left to see they had surrounded him at the bar, both ponies holding identical shots of vodka, ready to toast. Snow raised his glass with his magic and the three connected with a ting sound.
"To being alive," Reins said.
"To staying that way," Six replied. Both turned to Snow.
"To... letting go," the grey stallion said before downing his shot.