//------------------------------//
// Ch. 4; A Concert and a Bit of Alcohol Later 
// Story: My Voice Ain't Loud and My Mind's a Wreck, but My Friends Keep Me Sane 
// by Dead_Mares 
//------------------------------//

"It's your guys' turn on stage. Try to be ready in ten minutes."

Booker looked up in time to see a pale pony's head disappear through the door of the room the band had been assigned to warm up in. They were backstage at one of Ponyville's bars getting ready for their first concert together, over three months after Booker had joined. As excited as he was, he felt his nerves creeping in with every passing moment. While he had gotten somewhat used to performing in high school, this was an entirely different setting, and he was more nervous about singing than he had been in years.

"Alright, let's go set up. Careful around the light fixtures, Heatwave," Zero said as he slung his guitar across his back and walked to the exit.

Heatwave scowled at Zero as he followed him out of the room. "I knocked a light over one time."

Lucky followed shortly behind, but looked over his shoulder a little impatiently when he noticed Booker and Charcoal hadn't moved. "Are you guys coming?"

"Yeah, just give me a moment," Booker said. He was fumbling with a tube of eyeliner, struggling to get it on properly.

Charcoal turned to Lucky. "Tell Zero we'll be out in a minute."

"Okay, just don't take too long. I'd like this concert to go smoothly," Lucky said before shutting the door behind him.

"Don't mind him. He just wants the first concert with our new singer to be perfect, and the stress is getting to him." Charcoal raised an eye at Booker. "Need help?"

Booker nodded thankfully, and the eyeliner floated out in front of him as Charcoal took it and started putting it on for him. "Thanks. Rarity thought it would look good with the outfit, but I've never used makeup before." He glanced down at his clothes; a black faux leather jacket with red details and silver accents zipped half-way up, a striped red and black t-shirt that peeked out through the opening, distressed gray jeans, and a black lightweight choker that covered the scar on his neck without interfering with his singing. He'd also gotten some piercings recently; two silver rings on each ear near the tips, and two more rings on his bottom lip. They'd all dressed up a bit for the concert, and he was actually enjoying that part so far.

"Rarity acts more like your mom than Lucky does. You two have gotten close over the past few months," Charcoal commented.

"Yeah. I think she misses taking care of her younger sister now that she's all grown up, so I'm kind of filling that role right now, I guess."

"That makes sense." Charcoal took a step back and placed the eyeliner on a table. "Looks good. Everypony's gonna think you're a mare until they hear you sing, though. Speaking of which, are you nervous?" he asked as he floated a small duffel bag over to him and rifled through the contents.

Booker stood up and nodded. "Yeah, a little bit. I hope everypony thinks I'm a good enough replacement for Purity." The band's new singer hadn't been revealed to the public, so nopony would know it was him until the first song started. As cool as it was to have a sudden reveal like that, he was definitely feeling the pressure. At least the band hadn't become hugely popular over their first tour, so he hopefully wouldn't disappoint too many ponies.

"They will, don't worry. You sing good, and you also have more experience than he did." Charcoal pulled a bottle out of the bag and gave it to Booker. "Here. This should help."

Booker took the bottle and turned it over. It was White Oak, Charcoal's favorite whiskey. It was also more than one hundred and fifty proof, and he had no idea how Charcoal could stomach the stuff. "You want me to get drunk before the concert? Is that a good idea?"

Charcoal chuckled and shook his head. "No, just take a sip. That'll help your nerves. Most of us got stage fright when the band first formed, so we'd all take a drink before every concert. After a while you won't need it anymore."

Booker shrugged and uncorked the bottle. The strong scent of alcohol hit him in the face like a wall, and he blinked his eyes to clear the fumes. "Well, here goes nothing," he thought as he placed the bottle to his lips and took a small mouthful. The burn was immediate, stinging his entire mouth and making his eyes water.

"Not too bad, right?" Charcoal asked as he took the bottle back from Booker and placed it in his bag.

"It's, uh, something," Booker choked out after swallowing. It felt like what he imagined drinking rubbing alcohol would feel like.

Charcoal laughed and put the bag on a table before carefully levitating his drums into the air. "It's not for everypony. Anyway, Let's get going before Lucky gets mad at us."

Booker nodded and coughed a few times to clear his throat before following Charcoal out of the room and into the narrow hallway. Even though the stage was just a few meters away, he felt himself getting more and more nervous with each step. As he stepped out into the open and looked out at the crowd, he found himself wishing he'd taken that drink a lot sooner.

The bar was overflowing with ponies. There was only space for maybe three hundred or so indoors, but there was a crowd of about two hundred more outside. It wasn't a large concert by any means, but he hadn't been expecting this many in such a small venue.

"There are so many ponies here," Booker whispered to Charcoal as they walked onstage.

Charcoal nodded. "Our band may be new, but we still have fans wanting to hear our new singer. You're lucky your first concert wasn't in a big city." He started to get busy with setting up his drums, so Booker went over to his place in between Heatwave and Zero on the dimly lit stage.

"You ready for this?" Zero asked as Booker walked up.

Booker shrugged. "I'm excited, but really nervous."

"You'd have to be crazy not to be." Zero glanced quickly at the clock on the far wall before turning back to Booker. "So, Lucky had a last minute idea for your big reveal. We're gonna leave the lights low for the start of the first song, but two beats before you come in they're gonna go all the way up, so you'll need to be ready for that. Don't be staring at the lights or anything, or you'll get blinded. Think you can do it?"

Booker nodded. "I think so, yeah."

"Awesome. Let's rock." Zero glanced at the others to make sure everypony was ready, then turned and waved a signal to the pony controlling the lights and sounds. The lights dimmed even further, and after a quick count off from Charcoal, the band shot off.

While Zero hadn't finished the new album yet, he did write a single that they had planned to secretly premiere at the concert, adding to the surprise of the audience. It was a fast paced song that had about twenty seconds without vocals at the start, and before Booker knew it, the lights came on and he nervously launched into it.

For the entirety of that first song, Booker felt nothing but stress. Knowing every pony in the audience probably had unrealistic expectations for him was nerve racking, and even though at the end of it he felt he'd performed it better than he'd ever practiced, he was still extremely anxious. However, that worry quickly vanished when the song finished and the audience erupted. Booker could feel the stage shaking underneath him, and he didn't know a group of ponies that size could be so loud.

"Isn't that an amazing feeling? Your first concert is something you'll never forget, trust me," Zero called to Booker over the roar of the crowd, grinning widely.

Booker nodded, too stunned to speak. He had to be a more than adequate replacement for Purity, otherwise the crowd wouldn't have cheered so much. He smiled to himself as he felt his confidence return a bit, and his stress started to melt away.

Booker wasn't sure if he was started to get used to the stress, if it was the alcohol kicking in, or both, but as the concert wore on he quickly became more comfortable on stage. He'd even started to really enjoy it after a few songs.

All too soon, the concert came to an end as the speakers fell silent and the ponies in the audience began milling around, some going home to sleep off the alcohol they drank while others turned eagerly to their friends, not wanting to call it a night just yet.

Zero slung his guitar across his back and turned to Booker as the stage lights dimmed from blinding to manageable. "So how was your first concert?"

Booker grinned and shook his head, lost for words. "Incredible. I've been to a couple concerts, but I never thought performing in one would be quite like that. It was a lot more tiring than I expected, too."

Zero nodded. "It definitely is tiring, but it's all worth it."

"That wasn't too bad. You sang better than usual," Lucky said. Booker turned to see the green pony walking over from his spot on stage. "I'm glad your first concert went better than ours. Do you know what Charcoal did the very first time we performed?"

"Don't you dare tell him," Charcoal called from the end of the stage, where he was moving equipment off stage.

Zero and Lucky laughed, and Zero turned back to his microphone stand. "Anyway, we're the last band performing so we have to help clean up."

"Ah, the price of fame," Lucky joked.

"We were the last group? Isn't that usually when the post popular band of the night performs?" Booker asked as he started to help with breaking down the stage.

Zero nodded. "All the others around here are more garage bands than anything. We're the only ones who have performed outside of Ponyville before, and this isn't exactly a place that would attract larger bands from out of town."

"Huh. I didn't know that."

It didn't take too long to get everything on stage into the storage room, where stools, microphone stands, plastic cups, and various other things were stacked tightly against the wall and along shelves. Booker walked out of the cramped room and stretched his tired body.

"Hey! That was a lot of fun, wasn't it? Other than cleaning up, obviously," Heatwave said as he followed Booker out.

Booker nodded. "Yeah, it was great. Do we have another planned?"

Heatwave chuckled. "Already hooked, huh? I don't think there are any solid gigs yet, but Lucky has a few he's looking at. I guess we'll see what happens. Anyway, want to meet my wife? I can introduce you to Lucky's wife and kids, too."

"Orchid wouldn't bring our foals to a concert. Especially not one in a bar," Lucky said as he walked up behind Heatwave. "Pinkie usually looks after them when we're both gone. She and Orchid are pretty close."

"Damn, they're so cute. We really gotta bring Booker to your house someday. Anyway, let's go try to find them!" Heatwave said as he trotted off down the hall.

"You two go on ahead. We have a little more organizing to do," Lucky called as he turned back toward the storage room.

Booker went out to the main area of the bar, where he spotted Heatwave going up to a golden-brown unicorn with a flowing pale mane and deep hazelnut eyes. She was wearing a fluffy winter coat, and her eyes lit up when she saw him. The two of them touched noses, and Heatwave gestured for Booker to join them.

"Booker, come meet my wife, Cinnamon Latte!" Heatwave called excitedly. Cinnamon waved a greeting to him with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Hello," Booker said as he walked up. Cinnamon seemed like the kind of pony who was always in a good mood, and happiness radiated from her like light from a candle. It didn't take long for her contagious cheerfulness to affect Booker, and he could easily see why Heatwave fell in love with a pony like her.

Heatwave scanned the crowd again, straining on his short legs to see over the ponies around them. "Have you seen Orchid? I wanted to introduce Booker to her."

Cinnamon nodded. "I did, but she left. She said Pinkie could only watch her foals for a little while. Can you tell Lucky she had to go?"

"I'll tell him, don't worry," Heatwave said.

After that it sounded like the two of them got into their own conversation, so Booker occupied himself by looking around the crowd. He recognized a few ponies here and there, but most were either from out of town or Booker just hadn't met them yet. Ponyville may be a small town, but he hadn't been there for too long yet.

"Hey there," said a familiar voice behind Booker.

Booker turned to see a pegasus wearing a dark blue coat and a light gray scarf. "Hi! Hailstorm, right?" he asked.

"Yep. I didn't know you were the new singer for My Chemical Friendship," Hailstorm said.

Booker nodded. "I joined pretty soon after moving here. It's been a lot of fun."

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself up there. You're really good."

"Thanks," Booker said, feeling his cheeks flush slightly.

Their conversation was interrupted as Zero stormed over with an annoyed look on his face. "Hey, Zero. Is something wrong?" Booker asked.

"Heatwave again," Zero said with a sigh. "Heatwave, you put the microphone stands away, right?"

Heatwave turned away from Cinnamon and nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"The whole stack fell over and knocked down damn near everything else in the storage room. A bunch of the shelves fell off the walls, too. We have to clean it all up."

Heatwave scratched the back of his head and looked away." Um... oops?"

Zero shook his head. "Come on, let's take care of it now so we're not here past midnight."

"But what about going out to eat and getting drunk? We always do that after a concert! It's tradition!" Heatwave protested.

"Well, we can't if we ever want to perform here again."

"Fine." Heatwave said goodbye to Cinnamon and walked back toward the storage room. Booker went to follow, but Zero stopped him.

"You can go home if you want. It's super cramped in there with just three of us when the room isn't a total mess, so we probably shouldn't have five ponies in there stepping all over microphones and junk," Zero said.

"That means Booker can continue the tradition! Eat enough for the five of us, will you?" Heatwave called as he disappeared through a doorway.

Zero snorted and turned back to Booker. "If you do, don't drink anything. You're already buzzed. We don't need you getting drunk alone."

"Aw, you could tell?"

Zero tapped Booker on the forehead with one hoof. "Of course I could. Leave the lights on when you get home, will you?" Booker nodded, and Zero walked away to clean up the mess in the storage room.

"You're already getting drunk immediately after the concert?" Hailstorm asked jokingly.

Booker laughed and shook his head. "I just had a little bit before the concert to help with my nerves."

"Oh, that makes sense." Hailstorm glanced at the clock and scratched the back of her neck. "I could go with you if you don't want to eat by yourself. That way you wouldn't be drinking alone, either"

"Do you really want to?" Booker asked, surprised. He wasn't used to ponies he didn't know very well asking to hang out. "Is she asking if I want to go on a date with her?" he wondered. "Probably not. I think I'm looking into it too much."

Hailstorm nodded. "I wouldn't mind staying out a bit longer, and it's pretty normal for me to get home late, anyway."

"Sure, sounds fun."

"Alright. So where do you want to go?" Hailstorm asked.

Booker shrugged. "I don't know, I've only ever gone to a couple of places. What's best around here?"

Hailstorm tapped her nose a few times. "I know a good place. Come on." She led the way out of the bar and into the cold winter air. Hearth's Warming was only a few weeks away, and the town was already in full holiday spirit.

Before long, the two ponies arrived at a restaurant Booker was actually a regular of, which he probably shouldn't have seen as all that surprising. Zero had told him this was the best place to eat in Ponyville when he'd first moved in, and apparently many of the other residents agreed. It was the usual warm and cozy interior he was used to, just a little more festive. There were booths and tables situated around the large space and a bar along the far wall. The restaurant was mostly full, so they sat at a small empty booth next to the bar before flipping through the menu.

"Ooh, they brought back their Hearth's Warming cocktail this year. I've always wanted to try it," Hailstorm said, her eyes light with curiosity.

"Zero said it's really good, so I'll probably get one, too. You're old enough to drink?" Booker asked.

Hailstorm nodded. "Yeah, I turned eighteen last month." She peered closer at the menu. "Vanilla vodka, peppermint, cream, and nutmeg. Hmm. What's your alcohol tolerance like?"

"Not great. I'm not exactly sober to begin with, anyway."

"You might want to skip this one, then," Hailstorm said as she flipped her menu around and showed it to Booker.

Booker glanced at the ingredients and shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine. Charcoal gave me more than that my first time drinking."

"If you say so." Just then the waiter came up to their table, and after taking their orders he disappeared again.

"So how exactly did you end up working for Rarity and joining a band at the same time?" Hailstorm asked after a moment.

"That was entirely luck. Rarity came up to me at the Hay Burger and offered me a job after seeing something I'd made, and Charcoal caught me looking at one of the band's fliers later that day and asked if I wanted the spot. I wasn't originally looking for work here, I was just stopping by on my way to Canterlot to look for work," Booker explained.

"Really? That's pretty good luck then, if you're enjoying everything."

Booker nodded. "I am. I love working for Rarity, and being in a band is a lot of fun. It doesn't leave too much time for relaxing, though."

The waiter stopped by again to drop off their drinks, and Booker took his glass and glanced into it. "Ooh, there's a candy cane," he said as the waiter trotted away. "Did you ever suck on them until they became sharp as a foal?"

Hailstorm laughed and shook her head. "What? No, I've never heard of anypony doing that. What's the point? So you can stab somepony?"

Booker shrugged. "I don't know, just to fuck around I guess. Foals at my middle school used to do it all the time, and it got to the point where the teachers had to ban candy canes."

"I wish I had fun school stories like that. There weren't really any cool foals here growing up, but I guess that comes with it being such a small town," Hailstorm said. She stirred her drink with the candy cane and looked up at Booker. "Ever play easy way, hard way?"

Booker shook his head. "Nope. What's that?"

"It's a drinking game where we ask each other questions. Let's say I ask you something simple, like who was your hero as a foal. If I do that, then you take a drink. But if I ask you something hard, like what's your most painful memory, then I'd have to drink instead. I've played it with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo a few times over the years," Hailstorm said. "Um, they'd get in trouble if somepony found out I was drinking underage with them, so don't tell anypony. Anyway, wanna play?"

Booker shrugged. "Sure, why not. You wanna go first?"

"Alright." Hailstorm rested her head against one hoof and squinted her eyes. "Hmm... You've already had some to drink, so I'll start with a hard question. What's your biggest regret?"

"Starting off with a deep one, huh? Probably dating my ex girlfriend in high school. She was a bitch. Never date somepony who doesn't love you back," Booker said with a wry chuckle.

"That sounds like good advice. I'll keep that in mind," Hailstorm said before taking a drink.

"I guess it's my turn. How about an easy one. What's your favorite type of music?" Booker asked.

"Punk rock, obviously. I guess I'm still in my rebellious phase," Hailstorm joked as she took another drink and thought for a moment. "Pierce the Hail is probably my favorite. Their Selfish Marechines album is really good."

Booker nodded. "That's my favorite album of theirs. They're from the Crystal Empire, aren't they?"

"Yeah, that's how they got their name. Speaking of rebellious phases, have you ever had one?"

"Not really, but I had an emo phase." Booker took a drink and laughed to himself. "Well, maybe it isn't so much a phase since it's lasted for almost eight years so far, but whatever. Hmm. What's the reason behind your rebellious phase?" He asked as he drank again.

"Ah, a fun one." Hailstorm scratched her nose and sighed. "You know who my mom is by now, right? Well, we've never really seen eye to eye on some things. I usually look past it, but I got curious about who my dad was a few years ago, and mom wasn't exactly happy that I did. I guess she didn't want me asking that." She looked down at her drink and stirred it listlessly with the peppermint again.

"Wow, that's rough. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Booker said after a moment. He'd never even thought about who Rainbow Dash's husband would be, but even though he was curious now, he didn't want to force Hailstorm to keep talking. It didn't seem like an easy memory.

Hailstorm shook her head. "No, I want to, I'm just not sure what to say." She scratched her nose again and was silent for a few more seconds. "When I was just a filly, my dad died protecting me from an Ursa Minor. I was too young to remember much about him. I don't even know his name. The only thing that comes to memory is a pair of kind eyes.

"I wanted to know more about him, so I asked my mom if she could tell me. We don't have any pictures of him around the house, so that made me more curious. Instead of getting stories or a teary-eyed recollection of him when I asked, she just yelled at me and said to never ask about him again," Hailstorm said. She scowled to herself. "You'd think the element of loyalty would want to remember her dead husband, not forget about him. That's also why I dyed my mane red, in case you were wondering. I didn't want the same mane colors as her anymore."

Booker stayed quiet for a moment, unsure of how to react. If she were a friend he'd give her a hug, but he wasn't drunk enough to do that to somepony he barely knew. Instead he opted to reach across the table and place one of his hooves over hers. "I'm sorry all that happened. She probably has a reason, though," he said. "If it's been a while, why not try talking to her about it again?"

Hailstorm looked up from her drink. "You think I should?"

"I do. You deserve to know about your father. Your mom can't keep it from you forever," Booker said.

Hailstorm nodded. "Okay, I'll try asking her sometime soon." She smiled at Booker. "Thanks."

"Any time."

Hailstorm glanced past Booker and leaned back in her seat, but didn't pull her hoof away. "Anyway, it looks like our food is coming. Wanna take a break? I don't know about you, but I've had enough gloom for a while."

"Sure. I'm starving." Booker leaned back in his own seat and moved his drink out of the way so the waiter could put his plate on the table. He glanced at Hailstorm out of the corner of his eye and felt his cheeks flush with heat.

"Was that just the alcohol, or something else?" Booker pondered. As well as that, a familiar feeling had crept into his heart without him noticing; a feeling he hadn't felt since high school. "Did I... fall for Hailstorm?" It definitely seemed to go deeper than a simple crush, but as much as he wanted to believe in love at first sight, he hadn't exactly had good experience with that in the past. He'd just have to wait and see what would happen.

Booker's thoughts were interrupted as the waiter placed his plate of spicy barbecue grilled cauliflower and hayfries in front of him. He'd wanted to try something different, so he ordered an option he'd never had before.  "Here you go, you two. Enjoy your meal," the waiter said as he gave Hailstorm her plate and walked away.

The two of them ate their food, occasionally making small talk but mostly just eating. The cauliflower was surprisingly tasty, and they hayfries were as good as they always were. It didn't take long to finish, and once they were done Hailstorm stretched in her seat and let out a contented sigh. "I'll never get tired of the food here," she said. "Now that that's over with, wanna continue the game?"

Booker nodded. "Sure. I think it was your turn?"

"Yep. Let me think for a moment," Hailstorm said as she placed a hoof over her mouth. Booker noticed her face was flushed slightly, and he noted how drunk he felt, too. Apparently it was easy to drink more than you thought when you were having fun.

"I've got an easy one. You mentioned having a girlfriend in high school, but are you dating anypony now?"

Booker scratched the back of his neck. "Kind of? It's more just friends with benefits. You know, something to keep us occupied until one of us finds something more permanent. Zero isn't one for romance, and he's not my type of pony, anyway."

Hailstorm raised her eyebrows. "Really? You and Zero? Who's the top?" she asked jokingly.

"Zero is. And that's two in a row, so you have to drink, too," Booker said.

"Asking 'who's the top' isn't a hard question, so you have to drink twice. I'll let you ask two, too."

"Fine." Booker took two long drinks and scratched his nose. "I've got an easy one, but it's your fault for bringing up the topic. How many ponies have you slept with?"

Hailstorm snorted and drank. "You're lucky I'm a virgin, otherwise I'd make you drink again."

"You are? I didn't expect that," Booker commented.

Hailstorm nodded. "Yeah. Remember how I said none of the foals I knew growing up were cool? Not to be rude, but they weren't really worth knowing. Speaking of which, how many ponies have you slept with?"

"Just Zero, actually," Booker said before taking another drink. He frowned and glanced at Hailstorm. "Wait, what happened to my two questions?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Hailstorm shrugged. "Sorry. You can ask them now, I won't interrupt."

Booker shook his head and thought to himself. The game was getting more sexual than he thought was appropriate with somepony he barely knew, so he decided to change topics. "Here's an easy one. How many rock concerts have you been to?"

"Ooh, that's a good one. Nine including tonight, I think. That was my second time seeing My Chemical Friendship live. First time with you as the singer, obviously," Hailstorm said as she drank again.

"Nice. I wish I could have gone to that many." Booker rested his chin on one hoof and thought for a moment. "Who do you idolize?"

"Idolize? Hmm... It actually used to be my mom. She was an incredible Wonderbolt before she retired, but obviously I don't look up to her all that much anymore," Hailstorm replied. "I'd probably have to say Vapor Trail. She's an amazing flier, but she's close to retirement, too. I've always wanted to be a Wonderbolt to follow in my mom's hoofsteps, but after a while I realized the main reason I want to be one is because they're awesome and it would be such a fun job. I can't wait to apply to the Wonderbolt Academy next summer now that I'm old enough."

"That definitely seems enjoyable. Do you think you'll get in?" Booker asked.

Hailstorm pulled her shoulders back and nodded. "Of course! You do know I'm the daughter of Rainbow Dash, right? And that was a third question, but I'll let it slide this time."

Booker went to take another drink, but frowned when nothing but a few drops slipped out of his glass. He glanced at it before placing it back on the table. "Oh, that's it for me. I guess I can't drink for that question."

"Here, have the rest of mine. There's no cheating in this game," Hailstorm said before sliding her glass over to Booker.

Booker raised an eyebrow at Hailstorm. "You're trying to get me wasted, aren't you?" He asked before finishing off her cocktail. He hadn't had too much alcohol in the first half of their drinking game, but even so he'd already begun to feel more than a little tipsy, and he knew it would only get worse after a few more minutes. Had he been sober, he would have realized getting drunk with someone he barely knew probably wasn't the best choice, but ego and the heat of the moment had driven him to it.

"Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat longer, but we should probably head home before we get totally drunk and make fools of ourselves. We do have reputations to maintain, after all," Hailstorm joked. "Besides, you've gotta be tired after the concert."

Booker nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, you're probably right." He hated to admit it, but now that he thought about it, he did feel pretty tired. There were a couple of pens in a small holder at the end of the table, and Booker grabbed one and wrote on a napkin to leave the bill for his food on his tab. He ate there fairly frequently, so he had one with the restaurant. After doing so, he stood up from the booth and very narrowly avoided falling face first onto the floor.

"Damn, I had a bit more to drink than I thought," Booker said as he shook his head. "Luckily this place is mostly empty now."

"I did mention you might want to skip the Hearth's Warming cocktail. There's a lot of alcohol in those," Hailstorm said. She left enough bits on the table to pay for her own meal and slid onto the floor. "You live with Zero, right? Can you really make it all the way to the end of town like that?"

Booker nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Hailstorm looked him over and shook her head. "No, you won't. Come on, I'll walk with you and make sure you don't collapse in somepony's yard and puke all over their azaleas or something."

Booker opened his mouth to protest, but then he realized that gave them more time to be together which wasn't exactly a bad thing, so instead he just shrugged. "Sure, why not." He frowned. "Do azaleas grow in the winter?"

"Maybe? I know absolutely nothing about plants," Hailstorm said. "Now come on, let's get you home before you pass out."

The two of them walked back out into the cold air, and Booker was glad to have Hailstorm's company. She walked close enough that their wings brushed; almost so close that a passing pony might mistake them for a couple. This only added to Booker's usual craving for physical affection, and it didn't take long for the rest of the alcohol to kick in and for all of his self control to go out the window.

"Woah, what are you doing?" Hailstorm asked as Booker suddenly leaned most of his weight on her.

"Warm," Booker said as he nuzzled up against the side of her neck.

Hailstorm glanced worryingly around them, but luckily they were already at the edge of town and there wasn't a single pony in sight. "Man, you're really wasted, aren't you?" she asked.

Booker simply replied by mumbling the word "soft" into her neck.

Hailstorm sighed and smiled to herself. Normally she wouldn't want this kind of attention in public, but everypony else around was already asleep and they were only a few dozen meters from his house, so what harm was there in just letting it happen? "Alright, let's get you home before you puke on me or something," she said as she reached one wing around Booker to support his weight.

As they got near Booker and Zero's house, the front door opened and light streamed out around a silhouette.

"Damn it, Booker. What did I say about not getting drunk?" the pony called as he stepped outside. Hailstorm recognized him as Zero, and was a little excited to be meeting another member of My Chemical Friendship. "A little more than just drunk, apparently."

"You said to not get drunk alone. But I wasn't alone," Booker slurred.

Zero sighed and shook his head before turning politely to Hailstorm. "I see you've discovered what happens when he gets drunk. Sorry for my clingy nuisance."

Hailstorm shook her head. "He's fine, don't worry. We had a lot of fun."

"That's good. Are you coming inside, Booker?" Zero asked.

"Yes!" Booker yelled before staggering over to Zero and burying his face in the larger pony's chest. Hailstorm thought she heard him say "warm" again, but his voice was too muffled to tell, and she giggled.

Zero sighed again. "Well, thanks for helping him stumble home. Are you alright to fly home in this cold?"

Hailstorm nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. See you guys later."

"Bye!" Booker said loudly, much louder than he needed to from such a short distance. Zero simply nodded to her.

Hailstorm turned away and went to fly into the air, but immediately after taking off she felt herself lose balance and she tumbled into the snow a few meters away. Her cheeks began to flush with embarrassment, and she quickly pulled herself out of the snow bank and shook her head.

"Are you okay?" Zero asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hailstorm unsteadily stood back up and brushed the snow off of herself. "I guess I'm more drunk than I'd thought."

"We've got a guest room you can stay in if you want. Booker doesn't really use it for anything other than storage anymore."

Hailstorm shrugged. While she was too drunk to fly, she at least had enough mental capacity left to realize flying such a long distance in her condition would almost certainly end up with her plummeting into a snow bank and freezing to death. "Sure, thanks."

Zero nodded and turned back toward the house. The three of them walked into the warm indoors, and Zero led the way up the stairs. Booker immediately went into one of the rooms and shut the door behind him. There was a loud thud soon after, and Zero sighed again before leading Hailstorm to the next room down the hall.

"Here it is. The bedding is clean, so don't worry about that. You're welcome to stay for breakfast in the morning, but Booker isn't a morning pony, so he may or may not join us," Zero said.

"Sounds good. Thanks for letting me stay the night," Hailstorm said.

Zero shrugged. "It's no big deal. Good night."

"'Night," Hailstorm said before walking into the bedroom and shutting the door.

Zero walked back into his own bedroom to see Booker already undressed and lying half-asleep underneath the thick blanket. "I think I'm in love!" he said as Zero closed the door.

Zero snorted and shut off the light before walking over to his own side of the bed. "You're drunk. See how you feel about it in the morning before you decide to marry her."

"You aren't my mother. Only Lucky can boss me around like that," Booker said quietly immediately before falling asleep.

Zero sighed and stared at the dark ceiling. He knew their relationship was only supposed to be temporary, but he didn't like the possibility of it ending so suddenly. Even so, he wasn't really big into romance, so he was certain he'd be able to find somepony else without any real grief.

"Oh well. I was getting kind of tired of always being the top, anyway," Zero thought as he drifted off into sleep.