//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Lightweight // by FictionFreek //------------------------------// Celestia’s sun was just barely rising over the horizon, still early enough for everypony to be comfortably tucked in bed. Everypony except for one that is, this was a pony who knew the values of waking up early, always wanting to make the most of her day. This pony went by the name of Rarity, element of generosity, and known all around equestria for her contributions to the world of fashion. With a yawn she made her way into the kitchen, though usually she was a mare who prefer tea, she decided a good cup of Joe would do her some good this morning. Within minutes she had the placed the coffee grinds and filter into the brewer and had turned it on. As the coffee was being made she popped two slices of bread in the toaster and sat down at the kitchen table. The smell of fresh coffee was already spreading through the air, and as she sat there waiting, something crossed her mind. “I feel as though I am forgetting something…” Rarity thought to herself as she rubbed her chin with her hoof. When the bell on the brewing machine went off Rarity got up from her chair and walked up to her, but still she tried to figure out what she was forgetting. “It was something important,” just as she poured herself a mug the toast popped out of the toaster. Using her magic she beckoned the toast towards her as she added some milk to her coffee “But what could it be?” once her coffee to her liking she spread jam on her toast and moved back to the kitchen table. As she took a bite of her toast, the feeling of something forgotten continued to pester her. “This is going to eat away at me…” she thought to herself, she knew she wouldn’t be able to think of anything else until she figure out what she had forgotten. Just then an idea struck her, carrying her coffee with her magic, Rarity left the kitchen and made her way towards the living room. “If it was important then I would have written it in my planner.” She said as she trotted towards her working desk. Unlocking her drawer she pulled it open to reveal the book she was looking for. Rarity then placed it on the desk and used her levitation to flip through the pages. As the pages turned, Rarity decided to take a sip of her coffee, hoping it would help clear her mind. But just as she had taken in the caffeinated drink, just as she could taste its rich flavor and was prepared to swallow, she reached the page she was looking for. Just then she remembered what it was that she had forgotten, and in response her eyes opened as wide as they could as her pupils shrank to the size of marbles. She could no longer bring herself to down her drink, so instead she expelled it out of her mouth, dropping her mug in the process. “Mother of Celestia, it cannot be!” Rarity said with a voice full of horror. But no matter how much she wished it to be a lie, she knew it to be the truth. On her planner, written in bold red letters which were underlined and circled several times for emphasis read: Claire’s 21st birthday!!! Rarity had dreaded this day since the day Sweetie Belle turned twenty-one, her spine trembled just from the thought of it. Every filly and colt dreamed for the day that they could turn twenty-one the day when they could legally drink. And it was no secret that Claire has been looking forward for that day herself, and now it has finally come. “Oh no, I cannot risk going through that again!” Rarity thought to herself, she needed to figure out a way out of this and fast, Claire was just as much an early bird as she was so she would most likely awaken any moment now. And when she did she’d be looking for somepony to accompany her, and Rarity had a pretty good idea about who that would be. “Wait, there might just be another way!” quickly Rarity galloped her way back upstairs towards her bedroom. There was somepony, or rather, somedragon who could take Claire in her place, it was the perfect idea. She threw the door open, right now keeping quiet no longer mattered, she’d have ripped the door off of its hinges had she been slightly more desperate. “Spikey, could you do me a favor and-“ Rarity paused, she knew for a fact that Spike had been asleep when she awoke, yet now the bed was empty. When she felt a breeze she looked over to find that the window had been opened. “He couldn’t have…” Rarity walked up to the bed, there she noticed a piece of paper taped to Spike’s pillow. As she lifted it closer she found that it was addressed to her, the letter read: Dear Rarity; T and I have gone fishing, we will be back tomorrow. Love, Spike. Rarity stared at the note for several moment, an unreadable expression spread across her face. When she turned the note over she found that there was something written on the back. It was just a few letter, but it spoke volumes. I.O.U “Yes you do Spikey Wikey…yes you do…” said Rarity as she hid the I.O.U so that she may use it later, when she thought of a suitable punishment that is. But that was something for her to think about later, right now her ace in the hole was gone and she was running out of time. “I have nopony else to turn to, Twilight is in Canterlot and Sweetie Belle is in Manehattan, I’m doomed!” as she raised her hoof over her head an old habit returned to Rarity, she fell back hoping to land on something soft, but instead landed on the floor with a ‘thud’. “Ow…right, I threw that out years ago…” Rariy groaned. She continued to lay there in total silence, only for it to be broken by the sound of the shower running. Rarity let out a small sigh as she picked herself up from the floor and dusted off her coat. “Out of time and out of options,” said Rarity “I suppose there is only one thing left for a mature adult to do…” Inside of the upstairs bathroom, Claire was in the process of drying out her hair after getting out of the shower. “Today’s finally the day.” She said tossing the towel to the side and getting a look at herself in the mirror. She could see herself grinning from ear to ear with anticipation, she was very excited about today. And she had good reason to be excited, she had been waiting for this day all her life. The day she could legally drink the sweet nectar known as Apple family brand hard cider. Just the thought of finally being able to down one of the most famous drinks in Equestria was enough to make Claire’s mouth water. She had always been curious as to how it would taste, and soon she would get her answer. But first she needed to be patient, it was far too early for her to drink now. She had heard that the best part of anyponies twenty-first birthday should be saved for after sundown. That’s when the city comes alive and most of the fun can really begin, at least, that’s what Rainbow Dash told her. “True or not, I can wait.” Claire thought to herself as she continued down the hall “Besides, there’s somepony I need to talk to first.” Achoo! Claire stopped in her tracks as she heard the sneeze, instantly she recognized who it belonged to and where it was coming from. “Mom?” Claire called out as she made her way to her parents’ bedroom. “In here darling!” said a nasally voice which was followed by the sound of somepony blowing their nose. When Claire entered the room she saw her mother was still in bed, and to say that she didn’t look her best would be an understatement. Rarity’s usually well-kept mane was now a mess, her nose, which was normally pure alabaster in color like her coat was now bright red, no doubt because of constant sneezing. And to complete the picture of awful mornings, the bags under Rarity’s eyes were so dark it could put the night to shame. “You look horrible!” said Claire. “Trust me dear,” Rarity said with a sniffle “It feels worse than it looks…” she added before letting out a few coughs. Claire began to take a couple of steps forward out of concern for her mother, only to be stopped when she raised a hoof. “D-don’t get to close sweetie,” she warned her daughter “We wouldn’t want you catching my cold” she said. “Especially considering what today is,” she said with a smile “Happy birthday.” “Thanks, mom.” Claire said retuning the smile. “Do you have any plans?” Rarity asked, as if she didn’t already know the answer. “Well, I did have plans for later tonight.” Said Claire. “You know, now that I’m twenty-one I can finally…drink?” Claire said sheepishly, as though she’d get in trouble for bringing it up. Rarity simple let out a small giggle. “I know darling, you are finally at that age, and I can’t stop you.” She said. “But I would really prefer it if you didn’t go out alone. But your father is out of town for the day and-” Trying to get up Rarity let out a small groan before lying back down “-It doesn’t seem like I will be getting out of bed anytime soon.” “That’s alright, I kind of figured you wouldn’t want to go anyway,” said Claire “Not after that story I heard about aunt Sweetie Belle.” She added which caused Rarity to shiver again. “So I planned ahead and asked Illusion to come with me.” Using her magic Claire levitated a fresh box of tissues to her mother. “So you just relax and try and get better, I’ll make us some breakfast!” said Claire as she walked out of the room. Rarity laid there in total silence as she heard Claire’s steps get further away, and once she was sure that Claire was downstairs her horn began to glow. Her mane then returned to normal, her nose no longer shined bright red, and the bags under her eyes vanished. “What a relief!” Rarity sighed as she placed her hooves behind her head. “Turns out I didn’t have to resort to this spell after all.” She thought to herself. In truth Rarity did feel a little ashamed that she did, it was a spell that she learned from Sweetie Belle which she used to get out of tests when she was younger. The only reason Rarity learned it was so that she could identify it when somepony else used it. But she would be lying if she said that it hadn’t come in handy a few times over the years. But now Rarity didn’t have to feel bad, because her daughter would be able to enjoy her birthday after all. And Rarity wouldn’t have to run the risk of going through another disaster like so many years ago. “Ah yes, it’ll just be Claire with her coltfriend.” “Drinking…” “For the first time…” “At night…” A split second later Rarity frantically made her way downstairs. When Rarity heard a knock at her front door she knew who to expect. Claire was upstairs getting ready for the night so it gave Rarity a couple of minutes. She accepted that Illusion would accompany Claire on her first night of drinking, but there was something she needed to take care of first. When Rarity opened the door she saw none other than Illusion himself standing in wait. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Rarity.” Greeted Illusion. “Likewise, Illusion.” Said Rarity as she stepped to the side so that Illusion could enter. “Claire is getting ready, she should be down soon.” She said as she closed the door. Afterword’s Rarity lead Illusion into the kitchen where she sat him down. “Would you like something to eat?” offered Rarity. “No thanks, I’m fine.” said Illusion. “Suit yourself, though I supposed I’ll have a cucumber while we wait.” Said Rarity as she walked towards the fridge. While Rarity searched through the fridge Illusion waited by the table patiently. He was a little surprised when Claire asked him to take her out on a night of drinking when she turned twenty-one. If anything he thought Claire would ask her mother to take her, but after the story she told him he could understand. “So Illusion, what are your plans for tonight, if you don’t mind me asking.” Said Rarity, a cucumber in her magical grasp. “Just going to take Claire out for a couple of drinks is all, nothing too heavy.” Said Illusion. “I see.” Said Rarity as she placed the cucumber down on the table before turning around and searching through the drawers. “You can understand that I am a little worried for Claire, this being her first time drinking an all.” “Trust me, there’s nothing to worry about.” Illusion assured her. “Splendid,” said Rarity as she turned around, something hiding behind her. “Because I am putting a lot of faith in you to assure her safe return. And I will be rather upset to find that my faith was misplaced.” From behind Rarity’s back a large knife revealed itself and was raised into the air. Illusion watched as Rarity -with what was scarily the sweetest smile he’d ever seen- brought the knife down on the cucumber splitting it in two. “Have I made myself clear?” asked Rarity as she looked Illusion in the eyes. Illusion gave a loud gulp as he crossed his hind legs in response. Illusion couldn’t bring himself to say another word, so he simply nodded his head in agreement. Fully content with herself Rarity took one of the cucumber slices and sat down on the other side of the table. “I’m so glad we could have this little chat.” Claire finally came down not too long after Rarity and Illusion’s little chat had ended. Illusion could still see the smile on Rarity’s face as she waved them goodbye. It was the same smile she gave him before assaulting the vegetable on the table. Just the thought of the implications was enough to cause him to shiver again. “So which bar are we going to?” Claire asked snapping Illusion out of his little flash back. “Huh?” he asked before finally understanding what Claire asked him “Oh, well there’s one near the castle, it’s a really nice place and the same bar I went to on my twenty-first.” Illusion told her. “Do they have good cider?” asked Claire. “Best in town.” “Then lead the way!” Illusion lead Claire to the bar he had mentioned before, both of them standing outside the front door. Claire looked up at the sign that had the bars rather long name, ‘Day and Night, Light and Heavy’ it read. “I don’t get it…” Claire said trying to make sense of the name, from what she knew some bars names was because of some kind of gimmick like the name of the owner’s family, or the town it was from. “Yeah I didn’t understand it at first either.” Said Illusion “But then I asked the bartender, turns out that their drinks change depending on what time it is. So basically, the later it gets, the heavier their drinks become.” He explained. “Clever.” Claire said with a smirk. “I thought so too.” Said Illusion “Come on, wait until you see the inside.” He said as he led Claire towards the front door. Using his magic Illusion opened the front door to the bar and stood aside so that Claire could walk in first. Once inside Claire came to a halt and took in the sight of the inside of the bar. “Whoa…” Claire had seen a bar before in Ponyville, It was okay but nothing to write home about. However this bar was the exact opposite, the interior wasn’t too fancy and at the same time not too simple. It was a perfect blend that seemed to make whoever was inside feel that they were at home. “So what do you think, great place to have your first drink?” asked Illusion. “It’s perfect.” Clair said with a smile. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to the bartender.” Said Illusion as he nudged Claire’s shoulder. Claire followed Illusion towards the center of the bar where a large round bar table had been constructed. Behind it was a unicorn mare with peach colored fur and cherry colored mane and tail. Her cutie mark was that of a small glass containing come kind of liquid within it. The made had just finished placing a mixed drink on the table when she noticed Claire and Illusion making their way towards her. “Well if it isn’t the prince himself.” She greeted Illusion with a smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?” she asked him. “It’s a special day,” said Illusion “Shot Glass, I’d like to introduce you to Claire.” He said motioning to Claire who stood beside him. “Nice to know ya!” Shot Glass said with a wave. “Today is her twenty-first birthday.” Illusion continued one. At the mention of Claire’s age, Shot Glass’s eyes seemed to twinkle. “Looks like I’m breaking in another one today!” Shot Glass said in glee, much to Claire’s confusion. “Breaking in what now?” Claire asked turning her attention to Illusion. “Relax,” Illusion said with a chuckle “She means break you in as a first time drinker is all.” “That’s right, there’s nothing I enjoy more than being the barpony to give somepony their first drink.” Shot Glass explained. “Come take a load off and tell me what you’d like.” She said motioning Claire and Illusion to take a seat at the table. Once Claire was seated she observed all of the drinks that were displaced behind the table. Claire didn’t know there were so many different alcoholic beverages out there. Many of them looked tempting, but there would be other nights to try them. For now she already knew what she wanted to be her first drink. “I’d like a mug of hard apple family cider, please.” Said Claire. “A fine choice!” Shot Glass said with a smile as she levitated an empty mug from under the table. “And a popular one, can’t tell ya how many times I had a first time drinker decide to go with cider.” Still in her magical grasp the mug was moved towards a large barrel containing the drink in question. “Make it two, please.” Said Illusion. “You’ve got it!” Soon both mugs were filled and placed on the table in front of Claire and Illusion. “Will that be all?” she asked to which both nodded “Alrighty then, give me a holler if you need anything else.” She said before walking off to tend to another customer. Once she was gone Claire looked down at her mug. It was a little hard to believe for a moment, she’d waited for a long time to be able to drink her first cider, and it was finally time. She only looked away from the drink when she noticed something was moved close to her. When she turned she saw Illusion holding out his mug towards her “A toast, to your twenty-first birthday.” He said with a smile. Claire looked at Illusions mug for several seconds before she returned the smile and grabbed hold of her own. “And many more.” Said Claire as she and Illusion clunked their mugs together.