It was like any other night, as I went down to the local bar during the most useless holiday of all, "Valentine's Day". Like all the other nights, the bar was filled with lonely people who were drinking their sorrows away. I opened the door, and was met with the warm smell of a fireplace. I sat down at a vacant bar stool, and the bartender walked over to me.
"I'll have the usual."
She reached for a club soda from under the bar. While she did so, she somehow knocked over a glass. This caused a chain reaction of over twenty glasses shattering and making a mess. It appeared that she was a bit buzzed, her face was a bright red.
I went behind the bar to help her clean up the mess, after all, it was partly my fault. I got a broom and swept the mess and put it in a trash can. She was just staring over the bar at who appeared to be her boss. He was a very burly man, and his face looked like a mountain face. His stony eyes froze her in place, as he walked over to the bar.
"WHAT THE HELL!! I DON'T PAY YOU TO DROP GLASSES AND WASTE MONEY!!" He bellowed,
I saw her cower in his presence, as she tried to speak up, "But...sir...I....-"
"NO EXCUSES!! YOU'VE BEEN RIDING ON MY COATTAILS FOR LONG ENOUGH! YOUR DONE!!"
He raised his hand high, appearing to hit the poor woman. I saw him slowly grab her by the collar, and lift her a foot in the air. I couldn't hold back any longer, "Leave her alone, old man!"
Until that point, he didn't realize that I was there, watching him abuse his employee.
"Stay out of this, boy! This is a business matter!"
I brought my fist down on a nearby chair, breaking it in several pieces. My hand hurt like hell, but it got the man's attention. He dropped the bartender, and slowly advanced towards me. I took a fighting stance, and prepared for the assault.
The man looked old, but he kicked like a mule. His fists swung at my head, missing every time. I dove under and side-stepped from his attacks, until I backed into a wall. He had me pinned in a small corner, he grinned, as he went for a hay-maker. I blocked his strike with an open hand, but I heard a popping sound, as my hand became unusable.
I dove under him, and twisted his arms backwards. With a small twist, his arms were broken. He collapsed on the ground, wincing in pain. He jumped up and struck my head with a whiskey bottle. All I heard was a ping sound, as I passed out...
Celestia raised an eyebrow, "When was this?"
I smiled, "A few years ago, she was a local bartender. Her boss was a jerk, and that night in particular, he tried to assault her. That was my first time in a real fight. I was knocked out cold, but an off-duty cop came and sorted the man out. This was the first time I really had met her. Every other time seemed like she was just another person."
Celestia pondered this, as the Elements of Harmony closed into the chest.
"You're done for today."
"Why are we done so soon?"
"We have to take simple steps to see what to do with you. When we go over the traumatic memories, we have to tread carefully. This will help us to help you."
She led me out the door, as it shut behind us. We walked down corridors in relative silence. As we were about to exit the castle, Celestia pulled me aside.
"I am going to send a letter to Applejack about you staying over for the night."
"Wait, who is this Applejack character? Is she some kind of creature that picks apples or something?"
Celestia smiled, "Why, yes! She does pick apples, it's a family business after all! Do you mind going over there to introduce yourself personally?"
"No I don't mind, how far is it anyway?"
She pointed a hoof to a large farmhouse in the distance, which had to be a mile or so away.
My jaw dropped, "Wha...you want me to go all the way over there?"
"It's good to get some fresh air, you may make some friends along the way too! Good luck!"
I didn't object to her, because I didn't want to see her bad side. I walked off the castle grounds and began to sigh, knowing that I would receive many stares from almost everypony...