Okay. I seriously need to know what Treehugger's story is.
When Autumn and I stepped into the bar, all of the Diamond Dogs barely gave us a second look as we made our way towards the bar. Well, okay, I caught some of the thinner ones looking at my ass, but I tried not to think too much about that. The second we gave the bartender Treehugger's card, everybody suddenly wanted to be our best friends. I shit you not. In the span of five seconds we had Diamond Dogs practically demanding that they buy us a few drinks. After we got the mob to chill out, we started ordering drinks. When I asked what the cheapest brew they had was, the bartender made a spitting noise and grabbed a fancy looking bottle off of a high shelf behind the bar.
"Sic no give Tree Pony friends swill," he spat as he poured us each a tall mug from the bottle and pushed them towards us. "Celestia Cider. Best brew for Tree Pony friends. No Charge!"
I stared at the drink for a few seconds, then shrugged and grabbed the mug by the handle. I snuck a glance at Autumn as I brought the drink to my lips. She already took a long pull of her drink before she floated it back onto the bar with a satisfied sigh.
Well, when in Rome.
With a mental shrug, I threw back some of my own drink.
It was actually pretty good stuff. It had a light herby taste with a berry aftertaste and a light hint of lemon. It was the kind of thing I would probably drink while chilling out at the beach.
"Not bad," I smirked, licking my lips as I set my mug back down.
The bartender (I think he said his name was Sic) gave me a wide grin before he went off to take care of other customers. I took another swig as I let the bar's familiar atmosphere settle into me. While I didn't have too many happy memories from my home world, (for obvious reasons) some of the few I had came from the nights I spent at my local bar after work. The dim lighting and smell of cigarettes always helped me chill as I tried to forget all the bullshit I had to put up with on a daily basis. The clinking of glasses and gruff laughter brought me back to those happy times as I worked up a good buzz with Autumn at my side.
A bunch of cheers pulled my attention away from my drink towards a group of Diamond Dogs further into the bar. I noticed a stage set up about three feet away from where they were sitting. Three Diamond Dogs stood on the stage, each of them holding a violin. It didn't take much for me to figure out what was going to happen next as I held up my mug, got comfortable, and waited for the show to start.
"This ought to be good," Autumn chuckled, playfully nudging my side.
I laughed and took a swig of my drink.
A second later, the performers got started.
https://youtu.be/Z95ABVnqHmw
A wild song filled the bar that kind of reminded me of an irish shanty song. The Diamond Dogs let out excited howls and slammed their paws onto their tables to the rhythm of the players. My heart pounded as I let the atmosphere and the music mix with my buzz. I guess Autumn felt the same as she let out a happy cry and toasted the performers before she took a long pull from her mug. I laughed like an idiot as I did the same, the world starting to blur into warm colors. I let myself drown in the good cheer and good drinks as the bar got livelier by the second, Autumn leaning into my side with a wide smile plastered across her face.
Heh, plastered, I thought with a small chuckle. That's a funny word. What do you think brain?
My favorite color is seven!
I laughed at that and threw a foreleg around Autumn.
God I love you man! You're a riot!
I cast a glance down at Autumn and froze. In the dim light and haze of my drunken state, she seemed to shimmer like a candle flame in front of me. Her eyes. Her smile. Her laugh. It all made her look so... I don't know. Radiant? Is that the word? Sounded close enough. Cute worked too, but that was kind of a given if her friends were anything to go by.
I mentally shook my head at that.
Sure, the ponies were cute, but Autumn was different. She just had this whole "I don't give a fuck what you think" kind of air to her, but also wasn't afraid to show that she cared about you. It was kind of hot honestly.
"Like what you see?" she giggled, a light slur distorting her voice.
My face heated up as I tore my eyes off of her.
"Shut up," I grumbled as I took another swig of my drink.
She laughed and leaned further into my half-hug.
"You're kind of cute when you blush," she sighed.
"Whatever," I muttered, staring into my mug.
We sat like that for a few minutes enjoying the happy atmosphere. At the same time, I struggle to find a way to ask a question that was bugging me for a while. Something that probably would've been a lot easier to pull off if I wasn't a step away from shit-faced. When I finally found them, I took a deep breath and forced myself to get it over with.
"Hey, Autumn?" I gulped.
"Hmmm?" she hummed.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why are you so nice to me?"
"Huh?" she asked, pulling back from me a bit.
"You barely know me and you're practically letting me move in with you. Is it because of what "She" did to me? Cuz I can't think of too many other reasons you'd put up with me."
My shoulders slumped as my good mood wilted. I'll admit it. I'm not the greatest guy in the world. Hell, catch me on a good day and I'm the biggest ass this side of Shit Creek. I mean, hell, I probably would've torched Fluttershy if I stayed in the sanctuary any longer than I did. All because she sounded like that bitch back home. Fuck, I should probably be locked up somewhere before I kill someone.
"You could do a hell of a lot better than me," I muttered bitterly as I downed another mouthful of my drink.
I think she was going to say something, but a loud bang at the front of the bar cut her off. I turned to see what the hell killed everyone's mood. What I saw made me wonder if there was something funny in my drink. Strutting into the bar like he owned the place was a big blue Minotaur. The guy was built like a tank, had a ring in his nose and a tuft of short black hair on his head.
"Iron Will heard this place had a good brew," he said, a heavy roar charging his tone. "Iron Will hopes he heard right!"
I rolled my eyes and turned back towards the bar.
Great, this world has its own version of Hulk Hogan. What next, a pony version of Doctor Who?
I heard (more like felt) him come towards the bar. I rolled my eyes and took a swig of my drink as he (I'm guessing his name is Iron Will, but don't quote me on that) plopped himself into the stool on the side of Autumn opposite of me. I didn't think too much about it as I tried to let the previous conversation die. I was thinking too much about things. Best to let the drinks make me forget all of that crap.
A spike of irritation ran through me when I heard Iron Will say something.
"Hey beautiful, you come here often."
I felt the start of a Flamethrower building up in me as I aimed a glare at the Minotaur. The dumb-ass didn't notice as he ogled Autumn. I had to actively redirect my energy away from my mouth to my forehead as my anger started to flare. Even as drunk as I was, I knew better than to start shooting fire in a wooden building. First, I'd Extrasensory his ass out the door and then I'd torch his ass.
"No," Autumn said flatly, floating her mug between her and Iron Will.
"Well, maybe Iron Will can give you a tour of the place," he said with a smile and a wink. "Iron Will's pretty good at that kind of thing."
As he said that, he put a hand on her shoulder and I lost my shit.
I slammed my drink down on the bar and roared, "GET YOUR FUCKING HAND OFF OF HER, COW COCK!!!"
The whole bar went dead silent, but I didn't care. All I cared about was knocking this asshole's teeth down his throat.
"What did you say, shorty?" Iron Will growled, rising out of his seat.
"Did I fucking stutter?" I growled, sliding off of my stool as I glared up at him. "Get. Your. Fucking. Hands. Off. Of. Her. COW COCK!"
He snorted as he towered over me, hands clenched in massive tight fists. I felt my tails flick and my coat bristle as I glared at him.
"Iron Will's gonna break you like a rag doll," he growled, taking a step towards me.
"Go ahead and try fucker!" I snarled, crouching low like a wolf getting ready to pounce. "I'll rip those horns out of your head and ram them so far up your ass, you'll choke on them!"
He snorted as he leaned down to my level.
"You think you can pull that off," he growled.
My glare sharpened as I said something I hadn't said in years.
"Test your luck, asshole. See what happens."
We traded glares for what felt like hours. The whole time, I was ready to Extrasensory him all over the bar the second he made a move. That's when he threw me for a look when he dropped his glare and laughed.
"You've got guts, shorty," he chuckled, rising back to his full hight. "Iron Will likes that."
I blinked at that, my anger replaced with a whiplash of confusion. That doubled when he walked up to the bar and ordered me a drink. I teetered a bit as I straightened my posture and tried to make sense of the situation.
One minute, we were gonna throw down and now he's trying to be all buddy buddy with me? What the-? Who the-? Brain! Help me out here!
I think we just made a friend.
I shook the cobwebs out of my head as I dragged myself back to my bar seat. As I planted my ass, my new drink got slid in front of me and I decided to just go with it. So long as he didn't try anything with Autumn, I could probably put up with him for a couple hours.
"Hey miss," Iron Will chuckled to Autumn.
What the fuck did I JUST think?! I thought, glaring at him as I took a swig of my drink.
"Yeah?" Autumn asked, a nervous edge coloring her tone.
"Don't let that guy run off on ya'," he laughed. "Not too many good bulls out there."
I choked on my drink at that, while I think I saw some steam coming out of Autumn's horn.
Mother fucker! I thought as I struggled to get my coughs under control. Should've decked him when I had the chance!
***
The inns in town were a lot fancier then you'd think. I guessed that Ore Town was a pretty big tourist trap at one point. While the rooms weren't five-star material, they were better then most of the cheep hotels back home. The rooms Treehugger managed to get were the perfect examples of the kind of quality I'm talking about. Each of our rooms had a rustic dark-wood framed king-sized bed, a vanity made of the same wood with an oval-shaped mirror, and a night stand by the bed with a mining oil lantern for light.
What cemented the tourism trap theory was the giant underground hot springs hooked up to the back of the inn. That's were I was as I tried to figure out what the hell happened at the bar. I'm not a violent drunk. Out of all my few good qualities, that was one of the ones I was pretty proud of. Yeah, I've been in a few bar fights, but I'm not the one that started them. Now that I had a clearer head, I had no idea why the hell I went off on Iron Will. I mean, yeah, the guy was pretty annoying, but he was mostly harmless. Was it a Ninetales thing? I don't remember reading anything about them flipping out on people. Well, unless they started shit with one or touched their tails anyway.
"Maybe I should cut back on my drinking," I sighed as I rested my head on the edge of the spring's shore. "At least until I have all of this figured out."
I laid with my legs tucked under me in the warm water and my head on the shore as I let my thoughts wander. Eventually, they drifted towards a certain Kirin doe. Her laugh. Her smile. Her sass. All of it put a small smile on my face, especially when I remembered all the time we spent together. A small chuckle slipped past my lips as I thought about when we first met. After all of the shit I put myself through, she was the first person to make me feel, well, alive. She made me feel calm. No. Better than that. She made me feel happy.
Do I do the same to her?
I snorted at that and rolled my eyes.
No way. I'm just doing a good job not pissing her off.
***
Autumn and Treehugger shared a spring, a thick stone wall separating them from Alex's spring. As they sat in silence, one of them started wistfully into the water while the other let the spring melt away her concerns. A sigh made Treehugger crack open an eye at her dejected travel companion.
"A bit for your thoughts, soul sister?" Treehugger asked with her usual lazy smile.
Autumn let out another sigh, eyes still locked with her reflection in the steamy water.
"Alex thinks I'm being nice to him because of... what happened to him," she frowned.
Treehugger nodded sagely, a part of her knowing that something like this was bound to happen at some point. Even if most of his scars had healed, it was hard for an injured soul to accept genuine kindness without doubt.
"I see," she said simply. "Is that true?"
"Kind of?" Autumn shrugged. "I mean, yeah, I feel bad about what happened to him, but that's not the only reason I'm nice to him."
"Did you tell him?"
"I was going to," she sighed, then rolled her eyes as she said, "Then Iron Will showed up."
Treehugger giggled at that.
"Yeah. Brother Iron Will can be a bit much to deal with. He's a good bull deep down when you get to know him."
"Kind've threw me for a loop that you knew him," Autumn chuckled, then gave her an impish smirk as she asked, "Ex stagfriend?"
Treehugger gave her a faint smile.
"A coworker actually."
Her smile turned wistful as she added, "And a really good friend. It was nice to see him again."
Autumn raised a brow at that, but before she could say anything, Treehugger leveled the closest thing to a serious look her drowsy expression could muster at her.
"You need to talk to him about this."
"I-I don't know," Autumn stammered, nerves keeping her tense in spite of the spring's warm water. "What if I say the wrong thing?"
Treehugger just smiled and placed a hoof over her heart.
"If you talk from right here, you won't."
***
"God damn it," I grumbled, rolling over in my bed.
I hated sleeping in hotels. They could be set up with silk sheets and million dollar drinks and I'll still have a hell of a time trying to sleep. So here I am. lying on my back. Staring at my room's ceiling. Wide awake. Perfect.
"Fuck it," I grumbled, throwing my blanket off and staggering to my feet. "I need some air."
Thanks to my sharpened senses, I easily navigated the dark room towards the door. With a little Extrasensory, I quietly snuck out into the even darker open hallway beyond.The silence was deafening as I walked, something I didn't notice after all the things I've been through recently. Till now, I've always had someone around to keep me compony. In Fluttershy's Sanctuary, I had my skulk. Now I had Autumn and Treehugger. Who was I going to have in my life when I got to Ponyville?
I guess I'll find out when I get there.
Eventually, I wandered into the Inn's dining area. I didn't think too much about that until I saw Autumn sitting at one of the tables at the center of the room. A small smile grew on my muzzle as I made my way towards her table. Her horn was glowing as she stared down at a small stack of papers, her brows furrowed in concentration as she frowned at the stack. I shook my head as I fell to my haunches across from her.
"Couldn't sleep either, eh?" I asked.
She let out a startled yelp and looked around. When she saw me, she chuckled and let out a relieved sigh.
"You scared me," she smiled.
"Sorry," I laughed.
"It's alright," she chuckled. "And yeah. Thought I could get some work done at least."
"Makes sense," I shrugged. "I couldn't get myself to sleep in a hotel bed without half a bottle of Jack in my gut back home."
"Couldn't get comfortable?" she asked with a smile.
"Nah," I sighed. "The thought that dozens of other people slept in it before I did. Who the hell knows what else they probably did in it."
Autumn stuck her tongue out and made a barfing noise at that.
"Did not need that thought in my head," she cringed.
We shared a laugh at that.
God, what was it about her that made me feel so good around her? Damn her and her incredible cuteness. I came out here to mope for a few hours. How dare she ruin my plans?
We sat like that in silence for a few seconds just smiling at each other as I tried to think of something else to say. Key word being tried.
Autumn giggled and gave me a teasing smile as she asked, "Like what you see?"
"Definitely," I smirked. "Do you?"
Her grin quickly turned into a wide-eyed blush.
"M-Maybe?" she stammered with a soft squeak.
My face heated up and I swear my tails fluffed up when I heard that. It was then that I realized what position I was in. I was alone with a cute girl in an empty room in the dark. Sure, the girl in question wasn't human, but I think most people would forgive me for frankly not giving a fuck considering my situation.
Luckily, Autumn decided to say something when I made that revelation.
"Um, about what you asked back at the bar."
I blinked, then frowned and looked away at that.
"Forget about it," I sighed. "I was just talking out my ass. Too many drinks, y'know?"
I felt a warm force gather around my chin and gently guide my head so I was facing Autumn again.
"I-I... like you," she whispered, leveling a gentle smile at me. "I've never met anycreature like you. You're funny and warm and really strong when you need to be. The fact that your like that after everything you've been through makes me like you more and I want to help you. But do you know what makes me like you the most?"
I shook my head, my head slowly short circuiting as I let Autumn's praise wash over me.
"You saw me at my worst and you aren't afraid of me."
We sat in silence, Autumn giving me the softest smile I've ever seen as I struggled to process what she said. A part of me thought she was lying, that she was just telling me what I wanted to hear like everyone else. Then I saw her smile, remembered the honest tone of her voice, and I knew she wasn't trying to BS me. That was how she really thought about me.
A small chuckle slipped past my muzzle as I stood up.
"I think you give me too much credit," I sighed, then smiled as I added, "Why would I be afraid of my new best friend?"