//------------------------------//
// Crazy Girls 
// Story: City Lights 
// by Starlight Shadow 
//------------------------------//

I sighed, slamming a drink onto the counter. I hated this bar. I hated the patrons, I hated the creepy drunk pervs that 'liked my cutie mark'. 

I had come to Manehattan for bigger things, better things than bucking apples in the middle of buckin' nowhere. And now I was a barmaid. I snorted.  As much as it sucked, Appleoosa was my home, and I started to blink real hard as I thought of Braeburn. Good 'ol Brae. I missed my big brother. 

"Don't forget about me, Fritter." He gave me a hug as I stepped on the train.

"I won't forget you, rest assured." I nuzzled him before turning to Little Strongheart. We'd become pretty good friends ever since the territory incident. "You take care of this bozo, all right?" 

Little Strongheart smiled and laughed. "I will." 

Then the train pulled away. "I love you! I'll miss you!"

"You okay, missus? You seem kinda-" she paused, hiccuping, "out of it." 

I turned to the pony speaking. She was a pretty turquoise color, with a messy golden mane and tail. Her wings - once gorgeous, I could tell - were spread, the feathers dirty and unkempt. Her amber eyes were clouded with that drunken haze I'd come to associate with a regular, but still held a spark of concern. I gave her a pitiful smile. "I'll be okay, but you don't look so good."

She frowned. "I'm-" another hiccup- "fine." 

I sighed. Turning away from her, I took an aspirin, and smashed it on a napkin with one hoof. Getting a drink of water, I poured the aspirin dust into the glass and stirred it up a little, giving it to the girl. "Here ya go. That'll sober you up a bit." 

She drank the water right down, slamming the glass down on the counter. She shook her head a bit, the haze gradually fading from her eyes. I got her some more water, and she drank it just as quickly. At this point she looked okay, though she was still a little tipsy. I grinned victoriously. Apple Fritter's Cure For Too Much To Drink had never failed. It had worked on Braeburn too many times to count.

"Feeling alright, sugar?" 

She let out a soft moan. "Yeah. I think I'm okay. I'm Lightning Dust, by the way."

"Apple Fritter. That'll help for a while, but you're gonna feel icky when the drink and the medicine start messing with your insides. It goes away, of course, or else I wouldn't give it to you, but I thought I'd warn ya." 

Lightning put one hoof to her head, wincing slightly. "Yeah, I'm feeling it." 

"It's mostly meant to ease the hangover in the morning." I glanced at her wings. "Your feathers are messed up beyond belief. What got 'em this way?" 

Lightning looked at her wings sheepishly. "I...don't really have much money for a wing brush anymore." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Anymore? What happened?" 

She tossed her mane. "Long story short; I got into the Wonderbolt Academy, I tried something stupid, I got myself kicked out. Not many weather teams will take on an Academy reject kicked out for being too reckless, and so I became a homeless drifter. Luna, now that I really look at it, my life sucks." She gave a hollow laugh. 

I winced in sympathy. "I came down here to do something with my life other than buck apple trees in the middle of nowhere, so I came to Manehattan...and ended up becoming a barmaid." Now it was my turn to laugh. "Goes to show, don't come here without a plan." 

Lightning Dust smiled weakly. "We're two pretty crazy girls, aren't we?" 

"Yeah." We sat there for a bit, now alone in the bar, save a few. It was almost closing time. "Hey." 

"What?" Lightning rubbed one eye. 

"It's almost closing time; come out here and I'll preen those wings." I gestured to the back door. Lightning got up and followed me. Ya see, out back behind the old Salt 'n' Cider, there's a stack of boxes that a pony could climb up all the way to the roof. I hopped nimbly from box to box, Lightning Dust flying behind me. I settled down in my usual spot, patting the place next to me. "I like to come here and watch the city sometimes." 

Lightning settled next to me. She gazed at the light show in front of us in awe. I knew where she was coming from. The first time I'd seen this, I was dazzled, too. Every building was aglow, the windows little gems set in the black towers that were the endless skyscrapers. All the light collected in a spray of color against the sea. The same sea that bordered Griffonia. The sea I looked at every time I thought I might as well go home.

"Wow." 

"I know, right? Now turn around." She turned so her back faced me. She spread her wings, and I began to pick through her feathers, straightening them out and pulling out loose ones. 

"How'd you even learn to preen anyway?" Lightning asked, yawning. 

"Straighten out the feathers that are crooked without yanking them out, yank out the ones that are loose. It isn't rocket science." I snarked. Truth was, I'd met some fancy-pants pegasus back when I was still in Appleoosa. He was the rich son of one of our best customers, and he'd bought my heart along with the apples. He'd used me to get a free preening and taken off. 

Lightning rolled her eyes. now completely sober. "Well, you don't have to be snarky about it." 

About a half hour passed in silence, me picking through her wings, the quiet ripples of the water our companion. I felt sorry for the poor girl. No house, most likely no food or water, not even a wing brush, for crying out loud! Granted, I had no idea what a wing brush was, but still! My apartment was small, but at least I had one. 

Then I got an idea.

"Lightning?" I asked cautiously. 

"What?" She said sleepily.

"I was thinking...there's a back room, with a cot and such, that the manager sleeps in from time to time. He only uses it once in a blue moon, so I was thinking you might like to live there until things start looking up. I'll feed you and such." I gave her my best I've-totally-got-this smile. 

Lightning was silent for a minute. Then she turned around and looked at me, bewildered. "But I barely know you."

"So? You've got nowhere else to go." I insisted. Now I was thoroughly convinced that this was a good idea. 

She gave me a slow, thankful hug. "If you're sure." 

"Course I am." I said briskly. "Now let's go back down and get you settled." 

Lightning gave her wings a test flap. She sighed in relief. "Thanks for preening me, too." 

"No trouble." I called, already halfway down the stack of boxes. Lightning touched down beside me, and we headed into the bar. It was oddly creepy at this time of night, when nopony was in here. I opened the door to the back room, pulling the lamp's cord with my mouth. Inside was a cot and a nightstand, with two books sitting next to it. "It's not much, but here you are." 

"Home sweet home." Lightning curled up on the bed like a cat. "Thanks again." 

"Good night." I smiled, closing the door, then leaning up against it. I heaved a sigh.

"We'll be crazy girls together."