//------------------------------// // Memories // Story: I love this Bar // by Ron Jeremy Pony //------------------------------// I love this Bar Chapter 3 – Memories The sounds of Tobey Keith singing ‘I love this Bar’ flow through the small hole in the wall bar. Dash tried to grab the bottle of Boston Logger sitting on the counter, but she was finding it hard to grip it. She looked up toward Ned who was cleaning a shot glass and groaned. “N…Ned my hoof isn’t w…working right,” she slurred her words. “Dash, that’s ten Boston Loggers and six shots in the last six hours. Girl, it’s time to call it a night,” the old bartender said. She looked back at the bottle in front of her and tried to grip it again only to find that it was determined to stay out of her hoof. “I…I’ll call it quits when I finish this beer,” she replied. He walked over, touched it and shook his head. “It’s warm Dash. Look, I’m gonna clear out your tab. Go home, get some sleep,” he said. She looked at him and straightened up. “I’m fine,” she replied. “No, Dash, you’re wasted. Look, I know what you’re going through. Everyone that knew Bryant is going through the same thing. He was a hellva a good guy…” Ned started before she stopped him. “It’s not the same thing! I… We connected! He was…” she began to sway in her seat and Ned rolled his eyes before he reached over to keep her from falling off. “Okay, I’m calling limit Dash. Go home, get some sleep, and if you want to come back you’re welcomed to, but just try to sleep it off,” he said. The cyan Pegasus leaned over on the bar and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know if I want to go home. I mean…” she started before Ned motioned to another colored pony who was standing at the doorway. “You mind to help her?” he asked. “No, that’s why I’m here,” the purple alicorn said as she helped Dash down off of the stool. The two of them began to walk to the home Bryant’s brother had signed over to her, and Dash began to hum a song. Twilight groaned a little as her friend began to drunkenly sing lyrics to some song about a plastic cup. They walked up to the house they had all stood outside of a few days before hand and Dash chose this moment to fall to the ground. “This is okay,” Dash said. Twilight looked at her, lying on the wet grass outside of the house and shook her head. She slowly helped make Dash stand and the two of them walked into the house. The entire time Dash was leaning on Twilight all of the way to the bed. Once there she helped her cyan friend into the bed and tucked her in. “He’s really gone Twi,” she said. Twilight looked at her and gently rubbed her mane. “I know,” she replied. She watched as Dash passed out and shook her head. She walked back into the house and noticed that Dash had put pictures up all over. There was pictures of her human coltfriend, pictures of them, it felt similar to a home would feel. She walked toward the kitchen and found the refrigerator full of junk food, beer, and water. She grabbed a water bottle, worked with it for a few minutes and finally got it to open. She took a sip from it and looked back at the bedroom. “Dash, I’m sorry but we need to try to get you to deal with this,” she whispered. Twilight stood there for a moment with the bottle of water. She looked back toward the bed Dash was in. She didn’t want to leave her alone in the room in case she needed to be sick. She walked back toward the bed and heard the sound of groans coming from the bed. “I…I’m gonna be s…” she started to say before the sound of vomit began to erupt from her. Without a thought Twilight made a trashcan move toward Dash and let her empty the contents of her stomach into it. She shook her head and walked toward the bathroom and found a washcloth. She wet it down and walked back into the room where Dash was lying. She cleaned her muzzle and made sure her friend was lying on her side. “Twi?” she asked. “I’m here Dash,” she said. “Why?” she asked. Twilight looked at the cyan mare. She knew that Dash most likely wouldn’t remember this in the morning. She moved a beanbag chair that was in the room over toward the bed and sat down on it. “It’s a different world Dash. I know that doesn’t make it any easier, but that’s the truth of it. I wish that I could say something that would help make this better,” she replied, “But, you know from what you told all of us he was happy he met you. Dash, you brought some joy into his life.” She heard the sound of a snore and knew that Dash was already passed out. Instead of leaving the room she sat there next to the bed. She watched her friend sleep, and slowly she looked around the room itself. It was obvious that it had been his room at one point. She could see posters of various bands, pictures, and a flashing digital clock in the corner. She watched Dash sleep deeply and laid her head down on the side of the bed. The night passed and Twilight woke up to the sounds of Dash’s groans. She saw her friend sitting up holding her head. “Ow,” Dash said. “Anything I can do?” Twilight asked. “Bryant said that drinking water and coffee helped a lot,” Dash replied. She grimaced and Twilight walked out of the room. She found an old coffee maker and began making a pot. She heard Dash finally getting out of bed, or rather she fell out of the bed. She walked back to where Dash was and checked on her. “Hey, Dash, you all right?” she asked. “Just my head,” she answered. Twilight laughed and walked back into the kitchen. A few minutes later Dash walked in. She found a seat and waited for the coffee to finish being made. Once it was done Twilight poured her a cup and floated it over to her. She took it and drank heavily from the black brew. “Dash, talk to me,” Twilight said. “What’s there to talk about?” she asked. “You could tell me about you and Bryant,” she saw Dash look at the table, “I know you might not feel like it, but I think it will help Dash, and besides aren’t you proud to have known him?” Dash’s eyes raised toward Twilight’s, but it wasn’t sadness there. There was a burning determination she saw in her eyes. “Don’t ever question if I was proud to know him again,” she nearly hissed. Twilight swallowed back what she felt when her friend did that. Dash was brazen, headstrong, but this kind of determination was something she rarely saw. “Then tell me about him. What happened when you first met, and what your time with him was like,” she said. Dash looked at Twilight, took a drink of coffee, and then pushed the mug away. “You already know that I crashed into the river and he saved me. I told all of you about that. Although, I didn’t need saving. I could have gotten out on my own,” Dash said as she leaned back, “But we started to talk, and I found him so easy to talk to. Hell, he shared his beer with me without question, but it was after he was ready to leave and he asked if I wanted to hang out for a while. I figured why not.” (Freemount Arkansas – two months earlier) The sound of I like this bar playing in the background of the truck as they drove made Dash tap her hoof to the music. She noticed that he didn’t mind that she was tapping on the outside of the truck. A few moments later they drove to a large waterslide just off of the road. “What’s this?” she asked. “The best way to cool off,” he answered. She followed him as he walked up to the younger man working the ticket booth. “Two for the slide,” Bryant said. “Dude… that’s like one of those Pony things,” the younger man said. “Really? I couldn’t tell,” he answered. “Man… Look I don’t know if my manager is going to be cool with this. I mean that thing not registered for animals,” the kid said. Dash glared at the younger man before Bryant poked him with his finger. “Look, she’s an intelligent being, asking an intelligent being to let her slide down a fucking water slide. So, be a pal, and let her in,” he said. “I… Look, I wish that I could, but…” he started before Bryant rolled his eyes, lifted the gate and motioned for Dash. “Come on, we’re only alive once,” he said. She smiled and followed him behind the gate. She turned toward the kid working the ticket booth and stuck out her tongue. The both of them climbed up to the top of the waterslide and he grabbed a rubber raft. She looked at it and then he sat down and indicated that she sit down in front of him. She took a seat and a second later she felt an arm around her chest. A moment later the raft shot forward, actually shooting out into the air for a good two seconds before it fell with a thud onto the slide. She felt them rushing toward the bottom of the steep waterslide. They hit a huge pool of water and skid across the top of it about two thirds of the way through before it began to slow and the water sloshed over the top of the raft and got the both of them soaked. They both laughed right up until they reached the other side of the pool. A large man was standing there tapping his foot and shaking his head. “What in the hell is this?!” he asked. “It looks like a couple of folks cooling off,” Bryant said. “It looks like a jackass brony and one of those pony things. Get outta my pool, and get off of my property,” he seethed. Dash felt Bryant pull them to the side. He helped her get out, stood up, walked toward the larger man, and looked him straight in the eye. “I paid for our ride down the slide,” he said. “And you got it. Get out,” the larger man said. “Sure, but first…” Bryant said before he hit the larger man with a right cross. The larger man fell to his ass. He grabbed his jaw and rubbed it. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” he shouted. Dash walked toward them ready to speak her mind as well. “What’s wrong with you? He paid for us to ride your stupid slide,” she said. “I’m gonna report you to the authorities!” The larger man said. “You gonna report the fact the fact that you’ve got a fifteen year old kid working that ticket booth and concession stand? You know, the same stand that’s selling beer. Fifteen year old kid can’t work a concession stand, made for one person to stand in, that has beer. That’s the kind of thing that gets places like these shut down,” Bryant said. The larger man began stuttering. “Yeah, we’ve rode down the slide, and if she wants to come back and ride it again we’re going to,” he said. She grinned at the man who got up and looked away from them. “Fine… Thank you for visiting Hank’s slip and slide,” he said. “Thanks, ‘preciate the cool water on a hot day,” Bryant said as he looked at Dash and grinned. They started to walk out and Dash began laughing. “That was so awesome!” she said. “It was a lot of fun. Say, you been to an outdoor movie yet?” he asked. She looked at him strangely. “Then that’s a nope. Oh, this will be a hellva lot of fun. If you’re down for it,” he said. “Why not, I’m down for anything,” she said. They stopped by a convience store with a much nicer woman working the front desk. The two of them bought some ice and some Boston Logger. He dumped the water out of his cooler and put the fresh beer in and then covered it with the ice. The two of them headed down a long stretch of road that seemed to simply go on forever. He laughed and told her about how this was once called Route 66. It had originally connected the country as the main highway from coast to coast. She looked at the old road, and then at the buildings standing around it. Some had long since closed, but then he turned in what seemed like a dirt road. They drove a little bit and a bubbly blond headed woman stuck her head out of a small window near a gate and smiled. “Howdy! Y’all here to see the monster movie?” she asked. “Well, that or visit with your bubbly self. How are you doing Denise?” Bryant asked. “I’m fine as a feather! We’ve sold out the tickets for next week’s showings, but you know I always got a spot for you. Look, just pull in back in the… Hey, it’s one of them ponies! My daughter would go absolutely crazy if she knew you were here!” Denise shouted. “Thanks,” Dash said. “I know you’ve probly been asked a hundred times, but do you mind if’n I take a picture with you? My ex has our daughter this weekend, and I would love to show her that her mom met her personal hero,” she asked. Dash smiled and nodded. The blond woman pulled her head back into the window, and a second later the door opened. She rolled out on a wheelchair onto the small cement porch for the building. Dash looked at her and then at Bryant. “Go ahead, I’ll be right here,” he said. She got out, once she gripped the old handle, and jumped up on the roof of the truck. She walked over and hopped down on the tool box and then over to the woman. Denise handed Bryant her phone who took the picture, and then one more for the woman. “Thanks so much hun! She’s gonna love this!” Denise said as she rolled back into the building. “So six dollars?” Bryant asked. “Hell no! You got me a picture with my daughter’s hero Rainbow Dash! Free of charge tonight!” she exclaimed. They pulled into the old drive-in and once they were parked Rainbow nudged him. “What happened?” she asked. “Her old man wasn’t a good fella. He was an asshole in every sense of the word. I wasn’t here when it happened, but apparently she was trying to leave him and he tossed her down a flight of stairs. She got a restraining order against him, had sole custody of her daughter for the longest time, but then his parents began fighting about getting to see the kid. So, technically her daughter goes to the grandparents, but she knows her dad is the one taking care of her,” Bryant said. Dash looked back at the building and then pulled out a feather. She opened the door and looked up at him. “I’ll be right back,” she said through clenched teeth. She walked down to the building and knocked on the door. The woman opened it to see her there. Dash put the feather in her hand. “Your little filly will get a kick out of that too,” she said. “Thank you hun. You know, she goes on and on about how she wants to be brave just like you. Rainbow Dash isn’t afraid of anything. That’s what she always says,” Denise said. Dash smiled and looked at her. “That’s not always true. Even Rainbow Dash gets scared. I just don’t tell anyone,” she said. Denise smiled at her and then wheeled herself back into the building. Dash grinned and walked back to the truck. She climbed up into the cab and watched a bad movie about a giant lizard terrorizing the people of Hong Kong. The giant thing breathed fire, and its roar seemed to made a sonic ripple that blew windows out for miles. They laughed at the bad special effects, the horrible acting, and laughable dialogue. Once it was over Bryant turned the truck around and set up a couple of lawn chairs in the back. She helped him and then he looked down at another building about halfway down the hill they were on. “Want some popcorn?” he asked. They stood in line, heard ‘Red Solo Cup’ playing in the background, and walked up to a guy decked out in tattoos and piercings. He grinned at them and lifted his right arm. On it was a tattoo of the cartoon version of Dash in Wonderbolt outfit. “That’s awesome!” Dash said. “Thanks! I had to visit six different tat palors before I found one with a decent enough artist to do this. We don’t have any hayfries here, but I’ll tell you right now our waffle fries are pretty kick ass,” he said. She nodded and he dished up a plate of them. He then looked at Bryant. “How about you?” he asked. “Large tub of Popcorn,” he said. Dash watched as the guy pulled up what looked like a two gallon bucket and filled it with Popcorn. “What’s the damage?” Bryant asked. “Six bucks,” he said. “Really?” Bryant asked. “Well, it’s an off night, you brought in a personal hero, so yeah, six bucks,” the guy said. Bryant nodded and handed him the money. They walked back toward the truck and climbed into the back. Dash watched as another movie started and she ate the waffle fries. The guy was right. Those things rocked hard. She looked at Bryant who handed her the popcorn. She dove into it. The following morning found them still in the back of the truck. Dash stretched under a blanket and looked at Bryant who was fast asleep. She nudged him and he fell out of his chair. “Huh?” he asked. “What next?” she asked. He grinned and looked at the time. They had hit the tourist traps already. It was two pm, and that meant that Tuxies was open. He stretched and looked at her. “How about we head over to a good bar I know?” he asked. (Tahlequah Oklahoma – Present time – Bryant’s old house) Twilight looked at her as Dash stopped and let out a breath. “He sounded really nice,” she said. “He was awesome. We bar hopped for a few nights. Hell, he flirted back and forth with me several times. Twilight… I didn’t realize how much I was really getting to like him until our road trip back here. He… He was so much fun to be around, and then I found out about everything he had been through, and the fact that he wanted to spend what time he had left trying to enjoy his life. He told me that I made him feel alive again,” she sniffed and laid her head on top of her front legs. “We… well, you know that I’ve done it a hundred times. We did something different. It was… different. I don’t know what to call it,” she said. “They call it making love,” Twilight said. “That sounds right. It wasn’t just rutting. He wanted me to call Celestia. I think he wanted to live,” he said. “I’m sorry we were too late,” Twilight said. Dash nodded and looked at the photo of them in Tuxies. The both of them bleary eyed and singing. She pointed to it and smiled. “That was the first night at Tuxies. We sung every song they had on Karaoke there. It’s a lot different than in Ponyville. They don’t practice the songs. It’s just doing it for the thrill of doing it,” she said. “I wish that I could have gotten to know him,” Twilight said. “Think of Pinkie’s friend, but a lot less stuck up… Oh wait… Let me tell you a story about a friend of his! His friend Bobby, that went to college with him, got all kinds of drunk and they wondered out into a field. His friend saw a Shetland Pony and bucked it! He busted his cherry with a farm animal!” Dash said with a laugh. Twilight looked at her with her jaw hanging open.