~Chapter 10: Arrival~
Spark had a dream during the night, but before he even got to his hooves and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the last remnants of it were already forgotten. He had been stirred out of his slumber by the sounds of humming. After stretching out, Spark walked into the kitchen where the sounds were coming from. It seemed that their generous hostess was already up and about with a smile on her face. Axel was definitely more of a morning pony than he could ever hope to be. The smells of cooking food intermingled with her cheerful tune as he followed the sound into the kitchen.
“Well good morning, Spark,” Axel greeted him. “I didn’t wake you, did I?” She was in constant motion as she talked, her hooves flying from pot to pan all across the kitchen. Spark stood in the doorway, watching as she deftly bustled from counter to counter with various foodstuffs in tow.
“Oh no, I just happened to wake up,” Spark replied. It was a lie, but he couldn’t see any reason to tell her that she had in fact woken him up. “What exactly are you making in here?”
“I’ve got some oatmeal cooking, apples sliced up and there will be fresh squeezed orange juice to go with it all,” Axel told him. She had already been pretty busy that morning, Spark observed. Why she put so much effort in to making this big breakfast he couldn’t fathom, but she seemed to be a genuinely good pony, who just wanted to show them some kindness, so he wasn’t complaining.
“Is there anything that I can do to help you out?” Spark asked her as he scanned the kitchen and saw that there was bread that hadn’t yet been toasted. “How about I handle the toast and make some tea for those who want it?” He got to work before she even answered.
The pair had a long conversation while they finished making breakfast. They talked at length about Axel’s business, making pony pulled transportation, and Spark’s mission to try and help the princesses. By the time that they were finished cooking, the other ponies were finally up and about. They were all drawn to the kitchen by the delicious aroma that had permeated the air in the house. Axel told them to take a seat at the dining table, where she and Spark had set out all of the food and they all readily complied with her request.
“It all looks so good,” Draft commented, his eyes widening at the sight of such a delectable variety of foods sitting before him. There was everything that Axel had told Spark she was making and then they had cooked up even more. “How are we going to eat all of this?” It was a good question, considering the fact that Spark and Axel had cooked up an excess of everything.
“I guess we did get a little bit carried away, didn’t we?” Axel asked. The rust colored mare looked over at Spark and they both started laughing. “Dig in everypony!”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Axel,” Star said between mouthfuls of oatmeal laced with juicy blueberries.
“Yes, you really outdid yourself for us. I almost want to say let’s be done with this trip and just stay here getting fat,” Inferno grinned. The young dragon had even been given a large opal with her breakfast, courtesy of their hostess. “I can’t accept this gem though. You should use it for your next flying cart.”
“I can’t, because it has too many small impurities on the inside and I wouldn’t trust it to hold up over long flights,” Axel replied. “Enjoy it.” She gave the dragon a smile before going back to munching happily on fresh strawberries dipped in cream.
After they had all finished eating, and each of them pitched in to get the mess cleaned up, Axel led Draft out to the chariot. They were going to take another test run so that the mare could get notes on ways to improve the design. While they went to do that, the other two ponies in the house with Inferno and planned for their trip into Canterlot.
“The first order of business will be to meet with Luna and Celestia. I think it would be best if all of us were together for that,” Star surmised. Spark could hear the excitement about seeing her mentor in the mare’s voice as she spoke.
“That would probably be a good idea,” Spark agreed. “After that, Draft and I will meet with Silver Blood and hopefully learn something more about what we can do to help.” If he’s still around and hasn’t gone into hiding like Chestnut, Spark thought.
“I’ll be attending to my business while you’re doing that,” Inferno added. She was acting more subdued than she usually was and Spark couldn’t help but pick up on it.
“Are you alright, Inferno?” Spark asked her. “Something seems to be troubling you.” She sighed deeply after Spark’s question, seemingly unsure of how to answer.
“I didn’t want to say anything because it’s really ridiculous,” Inferno explained. She stared down at her feet, not wanting to make eye contact while she spoke. “I’m afraid of heights. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to ride all of the way to Canterlot in the air.” That explained why she had been so gloomy this morning, but Spark wasn’t sure how he could help the poor dragon with her problem. If they walked, it would only add another day onto their journey and that was time that they couldn’t afford to waste.
“You’re really afraid of heights, why didn’t you ever tell me?” Star asked. “You’re a dragon Inferno. You had to know that the need to fly would come up in your life eventually, when your wings develop.” Star was very surprised to learn about the dragon’s phobia. She hadn’t even considered that Inferno could actually be afraid of flying, considering that she was a winged dragon.
“I know how stupid it sounds, but I can’t help it,” Inferno replied. She was on the verge of tears now and it broke Spark’s heart to see her in such a way.
“We’re your friends, Inferno, and we will all be right there with you if you need us. Draft has been flying his whole life and there isn’t anypony that I would trust more to keep us safe in the sky,” Spark assured her. He wasn’t sure what else he could say to comfort the dragon. She always put on such an heir of confidence that he’d never thought about the fact that she was still much younger than he was.
“You are so strong, Inferno, and with your friends by your side, I just know that you can overcome this,” Star said as she gave Inferno a cheerful smile to help cheer the dragon up a little bit. “How about we go with you on a quick ride just above the ground before we leave for Canterlot? It will give you a chance to acclimate to flying before we leave,” she suggested.
“I think I would like that,” Inferno replied with a half smile. “Thank you both so much for being such good friends.” The dragon dried her yellow eyes, which had begun to water and then they all went outside to see how Draft and Axel were doing with their test flight. Inferno took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves as the three friends walked out into the cool morning.
Axel was in the process of grilling Draft about every aspect of the chariot’s functionality when Spark, Star and Inferno walked into the earth pony’s workshop. She was furiously scribbling notes down, the pencil wiggling madly in her mouth as she worked. Draft was going through every little detail that he remembered from the few flights he had taken the vehicle on, but the mare didn’t seem to have any problem keeping up with him as he relayed the information.
“How did the flight go?” Spark asked as he walked over to Draft, after Axel was finished taking her notes.
“It went well. The only real problem is the weight of it with passengers and the harness,” Draft explained. Spark examined the cart more closely while the pegasus talked to him, to get a better idea of what his friend meant. “See, it’s made out of a strong, but needlessly dense wood, so if I am going to pull you three all of the way to Canterlot, it will have to be with breaks every hour or so.”
“We’ll still be making much better time than if we tried to walk though,” Spark replied. He was hoping that they could make it to the capitol by the end of the day, which still seemed like a good possibility.
“Right,” Draft agreed. “The harness is another drawback, because it’s designed like the ones made for earth ponies and unicorns. It needs larger gapped straps to accommodate the full range of pegasus wing movements. I’ll do what I can to fix that when we make it to Canterlot, but it should be fine for now, assuming that I don’t have to try a series of crazy maneuvers.” The two stallions finished their inspection and went to speak with Axel before they departed. The earth pony was busy reviewing her notes one last time when they walked up.
“I can’t thank you enough for the notes, Draft,” Axel said without glancing up from the paper in her hoof.
“Don’t mention it, really. This invention will help all of Equestria one day and I’m happy to have done my part to help,” Draft told her. She pulled him into a tight hug once she had finished reading, which lasted longer than he would have liked.
“Still, I would like you to keep the prototype chariot,” Axel said. “I think you can get more use out of it than anypony else.” She smiled at Draft’s dumbfounded expression.
“Are you sure? Won’t you need it to make the next version?” he asked her. Draft didn’t want to make Axel start over from scratch, but she didn’t seem fazed by the possibility.
“I already have my blueprints and with your notes I can redesign the cart and have it ready to fly in just a couple of weeks. Which reminds me; please stop back by here in a few weeks if you get the chance,” Axel said with a note of pleading in her tone. “I would love to have you test the new model before I go public with it.” Draft couldn’t say no to her request. Not after everything she had done for them.
“I would be more than happy to, Axel. Make sure you don’t work yourself too hard while we’re gone,” Draft replied. He hugged the mare one more time before leaving to get strapped onto the chariot.
“If you insist,” the earth pony laughed. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you all again pretty soon, so you can check back then.”
Everypony else also said their goodbyes after a short time, each of them hugging Axel tightly before they climbed into the chariot. It was about ten o’ clock before the small group finally left her house. Spark, Star and Inferno waved goodbye to the rust colored mare as Draft pulled them into the sky, until she finally disappeared from view. At that point, Inferno sank down into her seat and tried to forget where she was.
“What’s the deal with Inferno?” Draft called back to his friends when he noticed the dragon squeezing her eyes shut tightly and hugging Star.
“She’s afraid of heights, so this is really hard on her,” Spark answered the pegasus, while Star was busy trying to calm down the terrified dragon.
“You’re kidding me,” Draft exclaimed in surprise. The pegasus looked back and saw Spark’s serious expression. “Well, why the hay didn’t you say so. I’ll fly above the clouds so that she can’t see the ground down below. It might help her relax a little bit.” He started to climb slowly into the air after that, until they finally broke out above the cloud cover. The view was beautiful from that high in the sky. The sun cast a warm, golden light on the tops of the clouds and it gave the scenery a dreamlike feel. The sky was a sea of blue above them and the wind blew past their faces and whipped their manes as the chariot soared through the air.
“Inferno, you have got to open your eyes for at least a few seconds. This is something you aren’t going to want to miss.” Star told the dragon as she gazed out at their surroundings in wonder.
“I don’t think I can do it,” Inferno replied. She was practically shaking as she spoke through clenched teeth.
“Nothing is going to happen to you,” Star assured her. “Spark and I are right here next to you in the cart. You can shut your eyes after one quick peek if you want to.” Inferno opened her eyes tentatively, gasping in shock when she took in the full view of her surroundings.
“It’s amazing,” Inferno mumbled, her mouth hanging open in awe after she spoke. The dragon glanced carefully over the edge of the chariot and saw the blanket of clouds just below them. It almost gave the impression of hovering just above the solid ground, so long as she didn’t look in between the gaps in the clouds.
“What did I tell you Spark? It worked like a charm,” Draft chuckled. He had glanced back to see Inferno’s reaction and shot a wink at his friends before turning his attention back to keeping them aloft. With Inferno’s fear set aside, at least temporarily, the other two ponies were free to enjoy the wondrous sight around them.
“I can’t believe this view and to think that we are the first ponies to ride in a chariot above the clouds like this,” Star gushed. “The ponies in Canterlot will be so envious of us.” She was giddy with excitement and Spark couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t everyday that ponies got to fly above the clouds, unless you happened to be a pegasus of course. Spark sighed contentedly as he lay back on the stiff, wooden bench and stared off into the flawless sky above.
Star and Spark spent the next hour talking at length about how they were going to present their information to the princesses, since there wasn’t much else for them to do while riding in the chariot. They decided that it would be best to try getting a private audience with Celestia and Luna, just in case there were spies within the government, as Silver Blood suspected. Star was fairly certain that her teacher would agree to their request and hoped that it would be enough to get Celestia to go along as well. Before long Draft informed the pair that he needed to touch down on the ground for a break.
“I should only have to rest for twenty minutes or so and then we can head back up. The next time we stop to rest it should be about lunch time,” Draft huffed. The pegasus landed the chariot as slowly as possible, so that he wouldn’t frighten Inferno, but the dragon still kept her eyes firmly shut the whole way down. When they had finally come to a stop, she was the first to jump out and immediately hugged the ground and thanked Celestia that she was still alive.
“I don’t care what you pegasus say, I will take walking over flying any day,” Inferno sighed. She had a huge grin on her face and Draft couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’m sure you’ll change your mind once you can use those little wings of yours to fly,” he replied. Draft stretched out his own wings as he spoke and then flopped to the ground beside Inferno.
“I really doubt that. Just because I’m going to be able to fly does not mean that I will,” she retorted. “I am more than happy to spend my whole life on the ground.” While Draft and Inferno were talking, Spark decided that it would be a good time to roll up a nice joint. He sat down on the bench, beside Star, who was reading a book while she waited. Spark began digging through his old saddlebags and Star only glanced up when she heard him start laughing uncontrollably.
“What is so funny, Spark?” Star questioned. She stared at him from over the top of her book with a look of confusion on her face. Spark raised his hoof up to show her a bottle of dark green liquid, trying to catch his breath and talk while he did so.
“I-It’s my, haha, my pain potions. I com-completely forgot that I had some of these in my bag. I-I could have used them when, hahaha, when my leg was all bucked up,” Spark chortled. He fell over in laughter, nearly breaking the valuable potion in the process.
“I think that you smoke entirely too much for your own good,” Star replied dryly. Her expression was unamused and she immediately went back to reading her book, trying her best to ignore the stallion’s little breakdown.
After he had finally calmed himself down, Spark went about rolling up the joint and bringing it over to where Draft was resting. The pegasus was lying on his back, staring up at the sky when Spark walked over, lit joint suspended in his magical grip. The unicorn dangled it in front of his friend, snatching it away when just as Draft tried to reach for it, a few times, before finally giving it to him.
“You can have it, as long as you promise that you aren’t going to be so high that you forget you’re pulling a chariot with all three of your flightless friends behind you,” Spark told him with a chuckle as the unicorn sat down next to his friend.
“Even if I did, I’m sure that Star could get Inferno and herself to the ground safely. You on the other hoof, well, I could probably catch you before you hit the ground, but I can’t promise anything,” Draft jested. He let out a cloud of smoke accompanied by a playful smile.
“You make a solid point and if I hadn’t grown so attached to living I’d be inclined to accept that answer,” Spark replied. They spent the next fifteen minutes smoking and relaxing, but eventually Draft decided it was time to go. Spark helped his friend fasten up the chariot’s harness and they all loaded back up into the vehicle. Inferno once again covered her eyes as they climbed back up into the cloudy autumn sky.
The next leg of the journey was spent talking about nothing in particular, as everypony did their best to pass the time. Inferno remained seated in the middle of the chariot, but had at least gotten to the point where she could look around herself without freaking out. Much of the wonder that Spark had first experienced while flying in the chariot had worn off as the monotony set in. Walking may have been slow, but it did provide a little more excitement from time to time.
“If only we had this thing like a week ago, it would have saved a whole bunch of walking,” Spark said aloud. “Although I suppose that we would have gotten bored and Draft would have most likely been less enthusiastic about the trip than he was.” He was staring off into the open sky as he spoke.
“We wouldn’t have been there to protect Honeydew either and you wouldn’t have been able to plant the Ciders a new orchard,” Star reminded him. She made a good point, just those two small acts of kindness made the whole trip worth the effort in Spark’s mind. “Plus, I don’t think Inferno would have enjoyed flying the entire way to Canterlot.”
“Not at all,” Inferno groaned. She stuck her forked tongue out in distaste. “Bleh.” Star and Spark laughed at her disgusted expression.
“Hey Draft, are you about ready for lunch? I’m starting to get hungry back here,” Spark asked as he began to dig through his bags. Thankfully, the group had eaten quite a bit at Axel’s, so the provisions that were remaining would be more than enough for the four of them.
“As a matter of fact I am getting pretty tired and hungry,” Draft replied. “You may want to close your eyes, Inferno, because I’m going to bring her down now.” Inferno did, in fact, close her eyes while the chariot sank from the clouds and landed gently back on the ground. Though she didn’t tremble with fear as she had the first time, Spark noticed. It seemed that Draft was already getting better at controlling the chariot as well, because they hardly bounced at all as he landed.
“Draft, you just rest up while the three of us get some lunch ready,” Spark told his friend. “We’ll take a forty five minute break before we continue.” He glanced over at the pegasus, who was panting pretty heavily by then. “Does that sound like enough time? I wouldn’t want you dying from exhaustion on us.”
“Yeah, that’ll be fine. Just make sure you roll up some more herbs before we take off,” Draft replied. The pegasus didn’t lie down as much as he collapsed onto his side after that. Spark left his friend to rest up and went to help Star and Inferno with the lunch preparations. It didn’t take the three of them long to make everypony a simple lunch.
They ate a quickly and Inferno had run out of gems, so she was also forced to live off of ‘pony food’, as she so lovingly referred to it as. Star cleaned up the mess as soon as they were done, while Draft and Spark smoked a small joint before it was time to leave. In no time at all the four friends were back in the air and well on their way to the capitol.
The entirety of the day was spent in much the same way for them. They would make conversation to pass the time and every hour or so they would touch back down so that Draft could rest his wings for awhile. Eventually, even Inferno was more bored of flying than she was terrified. That didn’t keep her from closing her eyes whenever they ascended or descended of course, but it did make Spark more comfortable.
It was evening before they had finally reached their destination. The great city of Canterlot jutted out of the side of the tallest mountain in Equestria, a testament to the awesome powers of alicorns. Aside from the princesses, there was really no greater symbol of Equestrian unity than the city itself. It had always stood like a beacon, steadfast and full of glory. It reminded all those who looked upon it that the princesses would always be there to serve and protect them, at least that was what it meant to Spark, just as his father had always told him. Draft’s mouth hung open in awe at the sight.
“It’s stunning,” he mumbled. The city was full of light at that late hour and it gave it a fantastical quality. “Where should we land?” Draft asked as he stared down below.
“There’s a front gate that we can pass through if we skirt the side of the mountain and find the road,” Star replied. She had been to Canterlot many times before, but was no less impacted by the city’s beauty from their heavenly perch than any of her friends.
“I think I see somepony flying our way,” Spark informed them. He couldn’t be sure because the figures repeatedly disappeared from view, out of the waning light that the sliver of a moon was giving off. “There it is again. Somepony is headed our way… and fast,” he added. It almost looked as though they were about to be rammed.
“It’s Luna’s royal night guard. They must think we’re hostile,” Star explained hurriedly. The mare sounded frightened and for good reason. The night guard resembled pegasus ponies only in the fact that they had wings, a head and four legs. Everything else about them was strange and, in Spark’s opinion, sort of disturbing. They were dark grey, much like Draft, and wore purple armor. The most noticeable differences though, were their bat-like wings and pupils that were reminiscent of cat’s eyes.
“Can you dodge them, Draft?” Spark asked. It was probably a stupid question he realized, but one he had automatically thought of.
“It would be a hard enough feat when I was flying alone. There’s no way in Equestria that I can do it with a fully loaded, flying chariot,” Draft replied. The most the pegasus could do was descend as quickly as it was safe to do and brace for an impact.
“Why the buck would they try to attack us?” Spark questioned. He was hoping that there was some sort of misunderstanding that could be resolved, but the look on Star’s face didn’t inspire much confidence.
“Luna and her guards are not really known for being that understanding with intruders. That, coupled with the fact that we arrived in a strange flying vehicle, probably marks us as a threat,” the small unicorn replied.
“Add in the fact that we are on the verge of war and I’m sure they won’t hesitate to bring us down any way possible,” Inferno added. The dragon was prepared to jump onto Draft if need be. “Star, Luna’s night guards know us. Is there some way you can signal them?” The last thing that Inferno wanted was to fall from this death trap to her doom, but Star just shook her head.
“No. I wasn’t given a secret hoofshake or anything. I never expected to be attacked by her guards in midair,” Star replied. She thought about their situation hard, looking for any possible outcome that would end without them crashing. “I think I have an idea, but be ready to land hard after we teleport.” Spark’s tone grew dead serious as he spoke his next words to her.
“You can’t be serious. If you try to teleport all of us you’re going to-” His voice was cut short as the entire vehicle, pegasus and passengers, disappeared in a dazzling white flash of magic. “-get yourself killed if you try that,” he finished as they rematerialized. The chariot was already near the gates of the city and Draft did his best to land smoothly after the surprising change of location. He managed to keep them from slamming head on into the walls surrounding Canterlot, but only after a lot of bouncing and shaking.
“You did it; you actually teleported all of us. That was bucking amazing,” Spark exclaimed. He turned to give the mare a hug, but stopped short when he saw her. Star was slumped over in her seat, unconscious and a small trail of smoke was emanating from the end of her horn. “Oh shit,” Spark muttered as he immediately dropped down next to her. Star was still breathing, but it was shallow and inconsistent. Her pulse was faint and she was having small spasms every few seconds.
“We need to get her to an infirmary, now!” Inferno was screaming in his face, but it seemed distant and muted to the unicorn. This was all because of him and his stupid mission, Spark thought. First, it had sent Chestnut into hiding and now it had nearly gotten Star killed. The world seemed muted as he contemplated his actions.
“Draft, you have to fly her into the city,” Spark ordered as he snapped out of his daze. It would be the quickest way to get her the help she needed. “Inferno, do you know where the closest medical building is?”
“Yes. I’ll lead you guys to it,” the dragon replied. They ditched their bags at the gate, the more important concern of saving Star taking priority over their supplies and the chariot. Inferno rode on Spark’s back and pointing out the way, while Draft carried Star above them, as gently as he could. In a few minutes, they had reached a fairly large building that, the dragon assured them, was the hospital. Spark kicked open the doors of the plain looking structure and ran straight to the counter, with Draft right behind him.
“Please, our friend just teleported all three of us and then passed out. I think she’s suffering from extreme magical exhaustion. You have to help!” Spark shouted at the nurse behind the front counter.
“Okay, sir. Calm down and follow me. Your friend is going to be just fine,” she replied calmly. The white, unicorn mare led them to a room in the back, where she asked Draft to lay Star down on a hospital bed. Spark followed silently, watching everything happen in a sort of daze. The situation felt surreal as he watched the doctors start working on the small mare, before he was ushered out of the room, along with Draft and Inferno.
The next couple hours went by in a sort of haze for Spark and his friends as they waited for some sort of good news. There were nurses and doctors that came and went the entire time. Some of them stopped long enough to talk to them about how Star was doing, but every time it was just a variation of them saying she was in stable condition. Spark tried to listen, but his mind felt like it was a million miles away at that point. Confusing thoughts pestered the unicorn as he sat, restlessly waiting.
Spark couldn’t fathom why Star would have tried to teleport all of them at once. They could have been just fine without her nearly killing herself. The night guards wouldn’t have actually attacked them anyway, he reasoned. They were Luna’s personal guard; surely they would have realized who was in the chariot when they got close. All of this thinking wasn’t really doing much good though, so Spark got to his hooves and decided to find Star’s doctor and see exactly how bad her injuries were. He finally found somepony who appeared to be a doctor, talking with one of the nurses a few rooms down from where Star was.
“The black, unicorn mare, is she going to be alright?” Spark asked the stallion. He was trying hard to remain calm, because he knew that getting pissed wouldn’t heal Star any faster, but his heart was still racing.
“The patient in room thirty four, suffering from magical overexertion? Well, she did some significant damage to her heart and suffered a major concussion. We have the best doctors working on her, but I don’t want to lie to you. It is all very touch and go right now,” the doctor explained. “We’ll do everything we can, but she may have done too much harm to her heart for us to be able to mend it. I’m sorry.” He walked away as soon as he finished speaking, leaving Spark standing in the middle of the hall.
Spark blamed himself for everything. If I wouldn’t have suggested that she travel with us she would be fine, he imagined. His thoughts began to turn very dark, very quickly after that. Luna, she’s also to blame for this mess, he fumed. No real princess would allow their student to be targeted by their own guards, especially when she was trying to save her kingdom from a damned war. Spark set his mind on finding a drink, because obliterating his thoughts with alcohol seemed like the best course of action for dealing with the situation.
“You two, stay here and make sure Star is okay. I’m going to go get hammered,” Spark told them flatly. “There’s bound to be a bar still open somewhere in this bucking town.” He passed his friends without even a glance in their direction. Draft got up to smack some sense into the unicorn, but Inferno stopped him.
“Let him go. He won’t be any help in his current condition anyway,” she sighed and then she and Draft resumed their silent vigil. Both of them wanted to talk, but they knew that no words would change anything. Their only choice was to wait.
It took Spark only fifteen minutes to find out how to get to a bar from the hospital and even less than that to walk in the door and take a seat in the back. It was a dimly lit place, but not dark enough to hide the stained wood floors and peeling wallpaper. Spark also couldn’t help but notice a healthy coating of dust over everything. It suited his mood perfectly, he decided. It only took a couple more minutes before somepony saw him sitting alone at the table.
“Hey, hun, what can I get you?” a waitress asked him. The mare that had come to take his order looked like she might have been very pretty once, but now she was far to thin. Her yellow coat was dull and the mane and tail she wore carelessly braided weren’t any better than the rest of her either.
“Get me a double shot of whiskey on the rocks,” Spark replied. He didn’t think he needed to add ‘in a dirty glass’ to his order, because it looked as if they never washed their glasses, but rather rinsed them out and stacked them back on the shelves. It didn’t matter, he thought, he’d drink out of a trash can right then, as long as he could get wasted in peace. About a minute later, the waitress came back with his drink. Spark tossed it back in a quick gulp. It was the cheap stuff and burnt a trail down the back of his throat all the way to his stomach. He slammed down the glass and ordered another right after.
“Something got you down, hun?” the waitress asked him. The mare seemed nice enough, but Spark wasn’t really in the mood to talk, so he just brushed her off.
“I just want to drink, so if you could bother somepony else with small talk I’d appreciate it,” he replied with a smile that probably came off as more of a grimace. The waitress hurried off to get him his drink though. “Sweet Celestia, this is shaping up to be one hay of a night.” Spark contented himself with staring at the dingy walls while the waitress brought him his next drink. She tried talking again as she set it on the dirty tabletop, but finally took his hint and was silent around him for the rest of the night.
The bar wasn’t the best atmosphere to help change Spark’s mood, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he found himself just getting more depressed, but he wasn’t about to go out and find a better bar. Besides, once a pony got over the filth, it really wasn’t such a bad place, he realized. The drinks were cheap, everypony kept to their selves and most importantly, the drinks were cheap.
Spark had five more drinks over the course of the night and got good and drunk before he eventually left. He didn’t usually do much drinking, but when the time came, Spark certainly could throw down with the best of them. Even though he had wasted no time getting inebriated, it was still thirty minutes to midnight before he stumbled out of the bar. He wasn’t sure which way the hospital was from his location, but he gave it his best guess and started heading east, down the dimly lit streets of Canterlot.
Spark continued walking for twenty five minutes and hadn’t seen a single street that looked familiar to his whiskey addled brain. “Way to go Spark, you got yourself lost, at night, in the largest city in Equestria,” Spark mumbled under his breath. “How could this get a-” He didn’t get to finish talking to himself, because at that moment, he was knocked forward onto his face. Blood filled the unicorn’s mouth, but he couldn’t feel any pain. “I hope you know that you just bucked up,” he spat out, along with a mouthful of his warm blood.
Spark got to his hooves, with a new wave of clarity after being hit, and kicked out at the first thing he saw. The pony went down to their knees and he followed up the hit by grabbing the stallion’s leg with his magic and twisting. The bone gave out and the dark grey pony screamed in agony. Somepony else was there too, and they bucked Spark hard in the hip, sending him flying to the ground, where he impacted gracelessly.
Spark got back to his hooves again, trying his best not to vomit as he charged at his attacker, using magic to launch himself forward. Spark really wished that he had his dagger right then, because his horn glanced off of what must have been armor and then he felt a hard kick connect with his back. The unicorn dropped onto the ground once more and this time he couldn’t stop himself from spewing alcohol along the street.
“You are under arrest for evading the authorities and attacking a member of Luna’s royal night guard,” a menacing voice informed him. Spark could see dark grey body and armor and realized that he should have expected it. If only he’d had his glasses and hadn’t been wasted, the whole situation could have probably been avoided, but he wasn’t that fortunate.
“Well…” Spark started, but he didn’t really know what to say. “Shit.” He was drunk and didn’t doubt for a second that they would throw him in the dungeon. He got the bright idea to try and run after that, but only made it a half of a block away before another guard dropped down from above him. The pony hit him hard too, dropping Spark’s jaw to the ground with a resounding crack that shook his brain. It was a terrible way to have spent his first night in Canterlot, was the last thought Spark had before he was knocked out cold and tossed into a cell.