//------------------------------// // Revival Drink // Story: The Bartender // by UnoriginalUsername //------------------------------// It was a rainy morning in Canterlot. The recent outbreak of the chills broke out in the weather department, rendering ponies unable to drive away the storm. Here and there, one could see many ponies dashing around, trying to get out of the rain as fast of possible. It's here in one of these streets that we find Mist Cloud. Mist Cloud, compared to the average pony, was in fact rather wealthy. She definitely wasn't like the high class, no, but her house was respectable enough. It was a bit bigger than your average household and had three floors. Mist was currently snoring away one the coffee table in her living room, computer in front of her. "Zzzzz-hm?" Mist opened her eyes and looked around, confused at how badly her back was aching. She took one look and the clock and memories rushed back to her. "Oh buck! I fell asleep!" She ran into the bathroom to give herself a quick shower. But stopped dead when she looked into the mirror. "Dang... I look horrible..." There were dark rims under her eyes and her mane was extremely frazzled. She sighed in acceptance as she stepped into her shower, trying to get ready for the day. ----------1 hour later---------- After managing to get herself into a decently manageable state, she returned to her living room to resume work but was interrupted by a letter arriving on her porch. Sighing, she went over to see who it was from. Morning Mist! How did you sleep last night? Anyway, you should probably get dressed, its almost time for your shift. I'll arrive in 30 minuets in a carriage to pick you up. -Rough Hooves Mist threw the paper in the trash, a little irritated that she had to ride a carriage to work. If only he knew just how little I sleep from work, he'd probably just get worried and tell me to quit She chuckled quietly as she changed into her hotel suit. ----------Carriage---------- Mist sat with her step-grandfather as they rode to work, attracting various stares as they passed. "Hey, doesn't it seem weird that a hotel pony like me rides a royal carriage to work?" Rough Hooves stared back at Mist strictly. "Nonsense! It's much to dangerous for someone like my adopted daughter to go out in the streets alone!" The old pony settled down comfortably on the soft cushions of the seat. "Besides, only our driver knows that your my step-daughter anyway" "T-That's not what I meant! I want to live life as an ordinary pony! You know? Go shopping, parties, and stuff" Mist grumbled as she looked out the carriage. "This is exactly why I didn't want to work for your company..." At this, Rough Hooves suddenly stood up on the carriage, swaying back and forth comically and crying anime tears as he cried to the driver of the carriage "Did you hear that Cloud Chaser?! I've been raising her since her parents died and she still calls me the worst grandpa on Equestria! WHYYYY?!" Mist sweat dropped heavily, seeing the old pony somehow climbing to the front of the carriage to cry on the purple Pegasus driver. "Sheesh! That's enough grandpa! Our arguments always end up like this! Mr.Chaser, can you just drop me right now? I'm sure I can just fly there!" The purple Pegasus known as Cloud Chaser chuckled as he gently nudged Rough Hooves back into the carriage. "Now that's enough out of you two, what would other members say if they saw the CEO acting like that? Besides only-" Cloud's eyes suddenly widened as he tried to violently turn the carriage. If front of it was a white stallion that was staring at the carriage with a shocked expression. LOOK OUT!!!! CRASH!! With a mighty turn, Cloud Chaser barely managed to turn it as the carriage skidded to a halt, only pushing the Pegasus down instead of running him straight over. As soon as it stopped, Mist flew down to check on the pony, now identified as a Pegasus, who was laying there shocked with various books scattered on the floor. Looking closely, you could see that his black mane was frazzled, like if he just got out of bed and that his raincoat had various holes in it. "A-Are you alright?!" Mist helped the Pegasus up, who started to silently pick up his books, ignoring her. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Once again ignoring her, the stallion gave a remorseful look to the now ruined book drenched in water and glared at her. He spit on the carriage and flew off. Surprised by this, it took Mist a few moments to process what had just happened. "H-Hey! What the buck is your problem?! It was you who got in the way!" She stared at the disappearing form with a huff as she returned to a very shaky Cloud Chaser. "W-Woah, that was rather intense.... M-Mist I think y-you should take the d-day of while we sort this out" Mist Cloud thanked the driver before stepping out of the carriage and watching it drive of. Both ponies were either oblivious or ignoring the fact that Rough Hooves fell asleep during the crash... somehow. Mist sighed as she wondered what to do with her free time. She checked her bag to see how much money she had to spend and saw the small piece of paper containing the address she wrote down for Owl's Nest. Well I certainly need a good drink right now ----------Owl's Nest---------- Outside of Owl's Nest stood the same Pegasus stallion who spit on the carriage. He gazed at the door to Owl's Nest, just standing there, not giving any reaction to go in, causing ponies to star at him as they passed. ----------Inside Owl's Nest---------- Today was a usual business day, with some random ponies chatting in different areas of the bar. At the counter sat Mist as she nurtured her glass. She was about to sit up before an unpleasant headache hit her, causing her head to slump even further. "Agh... I think I've got a cold..." Citrus gave her a concerned smile. "I'm sorry to hear that. If your sick, it would be best to go home and not drink anymore alcohol" Mist sighed as she downed the rest of her drink. "Yeah well..." Everyday it's work, work, work.... "I still need a break sometimes ya know?" Citrus remained silent as he gave her another glass. The door Creaked open and citrus turned to the newcomer. "Welcome!" "C-Can I sit here?" Mist's head shot up in surprise, recognizing the voice. "Yes! Of course! May I take your jacket?" Mist turned her head and saw the same Pegasus from the morning who got ran over. It's him! That jerk! The Pegasus took a seat next to her as Citrus hanged the soggy, hole filled jacket on the rack. He then went back to the counter and handed the stallion a towel. "Were you suggested here by anypony?" "Nah, i saw your glowing sign and wanted to come in" Spotting the small bag of nuts next to Mist Cloud, he looked up. "That small bag of nuts, how much is it?" "That'll be 80 bits sir" The Pegasus scoffed. "80 bits for just some nuts. Tch, that's way to expensive" Mist ate the nuts angrily as she tried to ignore him. It's not about the price, it's to shove sketchy ponies like you out of here! The Pegasus looked over the menu of drinks for a minuet before laying day with a sigh. "Do you guys serve plain beer, or is it all just this fancy stuff?" Citrus smiled as he pulled out a glass of beer and gave it to the Pegasus. "Of course" The Pegasus gave an amused laugh as he looked at the fancy glass before him. "All this just for a beer eh?" He brought the glass to his lips, chugging it in one go. "Phew! That's good stuff" He laid it down, a small red tint raising to his cheeks. "It's still beer though, nothing special" The Pegasus sat there in relative silence as he stared at the empty glass. "I'll take another one, but I think I'll try something else, maybe a whiskey? But nothing to expensive though..." Citrus put another glass on the table. "How about a Single Malt?" The Pegasus drank the shot of whiskey and laughed a little. "You know what? Shops like these are small and dirty, but I kinda like it here!" "Is this your first time in a bar sir?" "Yeah, I always wanted to go to one, but the door.... it's almost as if it was telling me to not come in. I've never had the courage to push through one until now" Citrus put down his glass and winked at him. "That's because bars are gang hideouts!" "Hideout?" "Because it's a bar, its door is heavy and the sign is small, almost as if it was trying to avoid the ponies that pass it, but when you enter one, you realize that bars are places that ponies visit to forget the outside world" The Pegasus looked at Citrus with a raised eyebrow. "Forget the world?" "Yeah. Your job, your age, maybe even find you true self" The Pegasus thought about what Citrus had said before his happy expression dropped into sorrow. "I.... I came today to celebrate my last day in Canterlot, because I've always seen this place when walking past the theatre. I'm going back to Cloudsdale tomorrow... I was an actor for three years, but I wasn't very popular, plus the contract was only three years anyway..." The Pegasus sat in silence for a bit before chuckling a bit to himself. "Pathetic aren't I? After this, I'm probably going to work for some small time company and live with my annoying parents for the rest of my career! My life's over!" Unnoticed to the Pegasus, Mist Cloud was currently next to him shaking in barely contained fury. Before the pony could continue his rant, she slammed the glass on the table. "Get me two straight shots of Lagavulin!" Citrus, distracted by the order, turned around and frowned at her in concern. "Are you sure? Lagavulin is a very strong-" "I already know! Just give me the stupid drink!" While Citrus worked on the drinks for Mist, the stallion looked at the counter in a bit of relief. Sure, his rant gut interrupted by the pink Pegasus, but it felt good to at least let something out. He sighed as he pulled out a wallet. Ah well... I should be going home now so I might as well pay my tab The Pegasus reached into his wallet as he searched for bits. 'Huh?' His eyes widened as he felt the hole protruding from his wallet. His 400 bits he carried with him had most likely dropped out of the hole. He sunk down a little, leaning forward in his chair as he tried to be as small as possible. This action didn't go unnoticed by Citrus as Charming, one of the other bartenders walked towards the pony. "Um... excuse me sir, but weren't you going to leave?" "Uh..." The Pegasus looked around desperately as he stared at Charming with pleading eyes. "I-I remember that I had over 400 bits in my wallet..." Noticing Charming's raised eyebrow, the Pegasus became even more desperate. "I-It's true! I swear!" Mist scoffed as she heard the pony. "Keh! What are you tryin, to get by without paying?" The Pegasus looked at her, an outraged expression on his face. "W-What?! No! I told you I-" "You think an excuse like that will get you by?!" Seeing the pony pause, she glared at him. "Your life's over? Your pathetic because your going to live with your parents for the rest of your life? Don't be an idiot!" At this, Mist had a small regretful expression on her face as she stared at her empty shot glass. "Everypony has sad experiences that they keep from others, but we still manage to live on, working hard as we can... You probably just slacked of and didn't even try!" "Wha? What do you know?!" "I'm pretty sure I know that only brats like you try to steal from a bar!" "I told you I-" The Pegasus suddenly stopped as he took in his surroundings. The two bartenders, Charming and Zephyr were looking at him suspiciously, Citrus was washing a glass with his eyes closed, and most ponies in the bar were looking at him with disdain while others just smirked. "W-What to buck... W-Why the hell are all of you looking at me like that?" The Pegasus started to feel anger start to boil in him and reached down, taking his whiskey glass. YOU FLANKHOLES! WHY THE BUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME THAT WAY?! He stood up, getting ready to chuck the glass at the offending ponies, but felt a hoof on his back. Turning around, he was faced with the smiling face of Citrus. "Please stay seated" The Pegasus paused for a second, realizing what he almost did could have landed him in the slammer. He stood, frozen for a few seconds before slowly sitting down, an expression of weariness on his face, Citrus, seeing that the situation has defused, told the Pegasus to stay there. Once the bar was about to close , he ushered out all other customers, including a disgruntled Mist Cloud out after having them pay their bills, leaving the Pegasus slumped against the bar. "So what are we gonna do with him?" Citrus smiled at his two fellow coworkers. "Don't worry, I'll handle him" After waving goodbye to Rain Zephyr and Charming he returned to the table and stood in front of the slumped Pegasus. After a small moment of silence, the Pegasus spoke. "So... what'll happen now?" "Hm... how about another drink? This one's on me!" The Pegasus bolted up, staring at Citrus in surprise. "Huh?" Citrus grabbed some bottles and a glass. "This cocktail is very simple. It doesn't need ice or a shaker" Citrus smiled as he mixed the drink. "But because the Cocktail is so simple, it has to be made perfectly. The easier a drink is, the harder it is to please a customer" Citrus placed the finished cocktail on the table. "Please" The Pegasus stared at him cautiously before slowly reaching for the drink. "This is black beer isn't it?" He took a sip of the drink and looked down in surprise. "N-No! It's carbonated and feels like beer, but its got a sense of sweetness in it! The taste is completely different!" He quickly gulped it down, smiling as he finished. "It's different, but.... it's the first time I've had something so good. It's... soothing" The Pegasus stood up and grabbed his jacket, giving Citrus a worried look. "Um... I-I'll definitely be back to pay the bill..." Citrus smiled kindly at him. "I'll be waiting for you tomorrow!" The pony left the bar, leaving Citrus to clean up. Once everything was done, he turned and left the building. "You know, brats like that shouldn't go to bars" Citrus turned around in surprise and saw Mist Cloud leaning against the wall of the bar. Citrus smirked at her in amusement. "There were never any grown-ups here to begin with" "What?!" Citrus smiled as he placed a hoof on the bar door. "Everyone grows up a bit ever time they push open this door.... don't you think?" ----------Next Day: Canterlot Hotel---------- Mist sat atop her desk, biting a pencil as she stared blankly at her computer screen. 'Everyone grows up a bit whenever they enter a bar huh?' She sighed under her breath as she leaned back on her chair. 'Perhaps I was a little too childish..." MIST CLOUD GET BACK TO WORK! SMACK "Owww! Okay, okay! You don't have to hit me!" ----------Owl's Nest: 3 Days Later---------- The door to Owl's Nest was thrown open as Mist stomped into, siting down tiredly. "Welcome, you look very tired" Mist groaned as she set her bag on the table. "Don't start on me Citrus... That stupid Fleetfoot made me work all week! That jerk!" Mist grumbled as she looked over the menu. "So, any word from the thief?" A tick mark formed on Citrus' head. "Mist, this rule doesn't just apply to bars. Your not supposed to bring up customers as a topic of discussion. If you do, other customers will lose trust as they will be scared of being talked about" Mist scoffed at him. "What happens in a bar stays in a bar but don't call a thief a customer!" Citrus smiled wryly at her, an amused chuckle escaping him. "Nah, he looked genuine to me when he left" Mist huffed angrily as she ordered a Martini. "Humph, well I guess you know everything. After all, how could Celestia's bartender go wrong?" Citrus placed the drink in front of Mist. "That's not it... it's just that I can emphasize with him" Mist raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "So you were a thief as well?" Citrus' face looked appalled at the idea. "What?! No! It's just that I also forgot my cash when drinking" Citrus smiled fondly, as if he was reminiscing of the past. "When I become a bartender, I want to meet the master from before, that's what I used as motivation when I thought of giving up. I still haven't paid him back yet..." "So did he pay it back?" Citrus smirked at her. "Why don't you ask?" He gestured to the customer sitting next to her. She turned her head and almost fell of her seat. Next to her was the pony from four days ago looking rather annoyed. "Of course I paid! I'm not just some dirty thief you know?" Citrus continued to stare at him, shocked. The pony's mane was now slicked back with gel. He also had a suit on and was sitting very formally compared to his hunched position from back then. "Wha? What happened to you?!" The pony put his hoof on his head, lowering it in embarrassment. "Um... I've decided to give myself a fresh start... even if its a small company, I think I'll try my hardest to succeed" The Pegasus smiled as he bowed to Citrus. "I've never got the chance to thank you, but what you told me four days ago, that it's the easiest things that are the hardest, I think that helped me come to my senses..." The pony then turned around towards Mist. "A-Also, it helped that this old lady yelled at me! I was being a brat before so thank you!" He bowed at Mist, not noticing the tick mark on her head. Who're you calling old lady? We're the same age! Citrus smiled at both ponies. "You know, he's been flying here all the way from Cloudsdale everyday just to visit this bar" Mist looked at the Pegasus with wide eyes. Flying? All the way from Cloudsdale?! "So what will you have today?" The Pegasus jumped up, an eager look on his face. "I'll have the drink you gave me four days ago!" Mist looked at Citrus in interest. "I'll have that to. I want to know, what exactly did you serve to him that night for him to change so much?" Citrus smiled as he reached under the stool. "It's simple really, I just gave him a modified black beer. All I did was add this" He came back out holding a tomato in his hoof. "I squeezed in a tomato" Mist stared at the tomato in thought. 'Beer and tomato juice?' Her eyes widened as she realized what the drink was. "You served him a red eye!" Citrus nodes in confirmation as he mixed the two glasses. "Black beer isn't usually used but I wanted to add some bitterness to it" He smiled at the two as he placed the drinks in front of them. "These kind of drinks are called Revival drinks, meant to cheer a person up. Revive them in a way. Eye Opener, Corpse Reviver, and the Red Eye... their all drinks ment to be served first to cheer up a customer, but in a bar, every drink is a revival drink. When your lost in life, or tired from working, when you push open that door, you begin to feel better. After all, this is what bars are for..." The door to Owl's Den opened and Citrus turned to the new arrival. "Welcome!"