No Passion

by wishcometrue


I Will Go to Bed Sober

It was a beautiful day, and Fiddlesticks hated it.

The sun was shining bright, and not even the brim of her hat provided any meaningful reprieve. There was a light breeze blowing through Appleoosa today, something everypony else reveled in for taking away the worst of the heat. But for Fiddlesticks, it just served as a reminder of her.

Lightning Dust.

Just the thought of the mare made Fiddlesticks’s blood boil. Part of her was thankful that she hadn’t seen her again the rest of the week, but for the most part she wished she had. Fiddlesticks had been thinking about just how she was going to tell Lightning Dust off, and she was looking forward to it more than she’d care to admit to anyone else.

But she hadn’t seen her, unfortunately. On the bright side, she’d made enough bits that she could take the day off and be alright. She planned to celebrate with a stiff drink or three from the saloon. Always a nice way to forget her troubles.

Fiddlesticks entered the saloon, looked at her favorite seat at the bar, and had ’always’ thrown out the window once again. And once again, it was due to Lightning Dust.

She stormed up to the source of her present frustrations and said, “You!” She grit her teeth as she tried to think of what to say next, but everything she’d thought of over the past week jumped to mind at once, and so none of it managed to find its way out, leaving her at a loss for words.

Lightning Dust turned to look at her, confusion quickly turning to realization. “Oh. It’s you.” She lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry,” she said, tone genuinely contrite.

Fiddlesticks blinked. “You… You’re sorry?” She had imagined this interaction so many times, and yet, in none of them did Lightning Dust apologize. Everything she’d thought to say evaporated now, leaving her lost for words once again.

“Yeah, it wasn’t cool of me to say all of that, especially not the way I said it all. I mean, we’d just met, and I ran my mouth like that?” Lightning chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. “Thought I was better than that at this point, but I guess not.”

That cocky, self-assured, arrogant mare she’d met before was gone. Before her now, Lightning looked defeated, the weight of past regrets weighing on her shoulders. Fiddlesticks had been so sure that she knew just who Lightning was, and what she was like, but this was a stranger. Her imagination had been presumptuous to assume otherwise.

She was left with two options now, at least from the way she saw things. Either she could continue like planned and tell Lightning off, really twist the dagger in her. It would be satisfying, sure, at least for a little bit. She looked at Lightning and grimaced; wouldn’t feel good for long, though.

Her other option didn’t sound very appealing, though. How could she forgive Lightning Dust just like that, after the mare had trampled on her pride? It wasn’t like her week would have been much better without that confrontation, but the point stood stubbornly in her mind.

And that’s why she knew she had to do it. So she swallowed her pride and sat next to Lightning at the bar, and gave the mare a firm pat on the back—a little firmer than need be, but not overly so.

“It’s alright, Lightnin’, we all make mistakes.”

Lightning looked up at her with a soft smile and tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes. “Thank you.”

Fiddlesticks smiled back, and for a moment, things just felt right in a way they hadn’t in a long time. Not since Fritter moved away.

But then Lightning Dust blinked and cleared her throat, and the moment was gone. That cocky grin was back, but this time it looked slightly less punchable to Fiddlesticks. Just slightly, though.

“Anyways! I didn’t really take you for the day drinking type.” Lightning took a swig of her drink to accentuate her point. “Figured that was reserved for ruffians like me.”

“Pfft, nah,” Fiddlesticks snorted. “Only thing more Appleoosan than day drinkin’ is apples, and even then we tend to combine the two.” To accentuate her own point, she flagged down the bartender. “Get me an applejack on the rocks.” A glance at a confused Lightning Dust gave her an idea. “Make that two.”

As he went off to prepare those drinks, Fiddlesticks smirked at Lightning Dust. “Also, ‘ruffian’? No offense, but that doesn’t seem like the kinda word you’d say.”

Lightning rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it wasn’t, but one time I crashed into some Canterlot lady’s house, and she went off on this whole rant even though I promised to replace her window. Don’t remember most of it, but ruffian stuck with me for some reason. Probably because it sounds funny.”

“Nah, I think you remember it because it’s so fittin’.” The two glasses of applejack were slid over to them, and Fiddlesticks held hers up. “Cheers.”

Lightning looked at her own glass warily, but picked it up as well. “Yeah, uh, cheers.”

They both took a sip, and Fiddlesticks sighed with satisfaction, while Lightning started coughing. Fiddlesticks couldn’t help herself and began to chuckle. Lightning glared at her, but that only made her laugh hard enough that she snorted.

Once she finally stopped coughing, Lightning rasped out, “You having fun over there?”

“Oh, plenty. Wasn’t expectin’ somepony like you to not be able to handle that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You just seem like the type who’d down a few shots of vodka like it was nothin’, that’s all.”

Lightning sighed and shrugged. “Yeah, maybe when I was younger, but…” She took another sip, and this time didn’t break out into a coughing fit. “Too easy to go too far with that stuff. This thing you ordered is kind of riding that line for me.”

Fiddlesticks mirth fled, and she looked at Lightning with concern. “Hey, if you aren’t comfortable drinkin’ that, you don’t have to.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Lightning shrugged. “It’s tasty stuff, so I’m glad I’m getting a chance to try it once.”

“Still though, I’m sorry for laughin’ at you, that was mighty cruel of me.” Fiddlesticks hung her head and sighed.

“Come on, I said it was fine!” Lightning nudged her with a wing, and Fiddlesticks looked up to see that smirk that was quickly becoming all too familiar. “Besides, if our positions were reversed, I’d probably have laughed too.”

“Heh, fair enough.” 

A silence settled over the two of them then, as Fiddlesticks focused on her drink, and Lightning tossed a few salty bar snacks into her mouth. It wasn’t an awkward silence, though, there was no heaviness to it. It felt like the silence between friends who were comfortable in each other’s company. Pretty ironic, Fiddlesticks mused, considering the way this day had started.

“You know, it’s funny,” Lightning said, breaking the silence. Fiddlesticks hummed in acknowledgement, and Lightning continued her thought, “I met a mare named Applejack once. Had no idea she was named after liquor though. Like, who does that? Who just names a foal after booze?”

Fiddlesticks chuckled. “Yeah, lots of ponies have wondered about that, or made jokes at AJ’s expense, but her parent’s weren’t drunks or nothin’. Story goes that her kicks were strong enough that her ma compared them to a swig of applejack, and her pa thought it’d be a fittin’ name for their strong little filly. I think it’s a sweet name, myself.” Fiddlesticks took another sip, then paused. She lowered her glass and looked at Lightning with wide eyes. “Wait, you met my cousin?”

“Ah, yeah, I guess I did.” Lightning nervously tapped a hoof against the counter. “It wasn’t under the best circumstances, though.” Her head drooped and she stared at her drink. “My fault, of course. Wish I could do things over, but…” Lightning shook herself out of the funk before Fiddlesticks could comfort her again. “Oh well, that’s life I guess.” She glanced at Fiddlesticks and smirked. “Didn’t take you for an Apple. I mean, I sure haven’t seen bushels of fiddlesticks at any market I’ve ever been to.”

It was such a stupid joke, one that didn’t even deserve a response. But that only made it funnier, and Fiddlesticks burst out laughing. “Yeah, I reckon you wouldn’t have! Don’t think that’d be the most marketable name. But yeah, I’m an Apple, just not by blood. Some ties are stronger than that, though.”

“That makes sense, I guess.” Lightning hummed. “So, where do you live?”

Fiddlesticks stared at her with wide eyes, and Lightning furrowed her brow before realization dawned on her. She waved her hooves so wildly that Fiddlesticks was surprised she didn’t fall off her stool.

“Wait, no, I didn’t mean it like that! Just like, it’s been nice talking, and the barracks for weatherponies aren’t exactly good for having visitors.”

Fiddlesticks breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled. “You really had me goin’ there for a second. My house is just outside of town, down by all the apple trees.”

Lightning nodded and opened her mouth, but a light gray pegasus burst through the saloon doors and ran up to them, cutting off whatever she was going to say. He was winded, and his mane looked like it had been struck by a hurricane. Fiddlesticks took a sip of her drink to give him a chance to catch his breath, but Lightning merely groaned.

“I know you know today’s my day off, so this better be an emergency, or I swear to Celestia…”

He nodded. “It is. Wild storm’s moving in from the east, and it’s a big one, so we need all wings on deck.” He glanced between Lightning and Fiddlesticks. “Sorry for interrupting your date.”

Fiddlesticks blushed, but Lightning simply laughed. “Thanks, but we’re just friends.” She hopped off the stool and did some quick stretches. Fiddlesticks tried not to stare, but wow Lightning Dust was in good shape. “Yeah, should be good to go. Catch you later, Fiddle!”

Lightning was about to fly out the door when Fiddlesticks’s brow furrowed as something occurred to her. “Wait!” she called, and Lightning did. “Ain’t it bad to fly drunk?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely, but…” Lightning chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m completely sober, actually,” she said quickly, and flew out the door before Fiddlesticks could do or say anything else.

Fiddlesticks grabbed Lightning’s drink and pulled it closer; the glass was suspiciously full, and it suddenly clicked. It was ridiculous. Lightning was ridiculous. Fiddlesticks couldn’t help herself, and burst out laughing, because she was ridiculous too.