//------------------------------// // Drink and be Merry // Story: Wild Card: Two of A Kind // by Barrel-of-fun //------------------------------// The distant sounds of fighting, shouting and general civil disobedience bore into Gale’s brain like a drill, denying her sleep as she lay in the less than comfortable cloud bed. Ace had managed to get the two of them rooms at Elysium alongside Melissa and Gale was beginning to understand why it had been such a simple task. The rooms were tiny for one thing, barely fitting the bed that she almost hung out of. She was pretty sure some enterprising cloud-bugs had leapt from the bed to infest her fur by now, making her long for the day that she could get a proper shower and decontaminate. If she was being honest with herself though, it was not the room, or the locals or even the bed that was keeping her awake. What Ace had shown them earlier had shaken her. When she had joined up with the satyr back in Trottingham she had thought him a bit odd, though clearly experienced. When he had gone on about fighting evil she had nodded and smiled. Perhaps he just had a very active imagination? They would turn over a few scores, maybe hit a bank or something, and then the senior thief would declare that evil had been defeated. But what was in that vial. The Black Brew. That was evil personified. Malice given form and liquefied. And now Ace wanted them to fight ponies who would willingly work alongside this stuff. Ponies who would drink the foul substance and use its power? Gale wasn’t sure that she could. Climbing out of bed, she made her way downstairs as quietly as her hoofs could manage, the cloud floor making her hoof-falls nearly silent. She might not be able to handle whiskey as well as Ace and Melissa had, but she could still use a drink right about now. As she came to the bottom of the stairs and turned into the bar, she noticed another figure sitting there, slumped over the counter and staring into her drink as though it contained all the answers in the universe. Melissa looked distinctly less impressive now compared to earlier in the evening. Her braided hair had been undone, leaving the diamond dog’s mane to run wild, whilst the candle beside her illuminated the hollow look in her eyes. “Melissa?” Gale spoke up cautiously. The brawler spun around, claws flying out and eyes wild. Upon spotting Gale, she relaxed, her shoulders seeming to slump even more. “Ah, pteechka, my apologies.” Gale stepped forward, trying not to look terrified. “What are you doing down here? Can’t sleep?” “No.” She grunted stubbornly, seeing the look in Gale’s eyes, “What? Is a dog not allowed to have a drink every so often?” The pegasus refrained from commenting that maybe she had drank enough. Instead, she simply hopped onto the chair next to the dog and poured herself a glass from the bottle that Melissa had ‘appropriated.’ “I can’t sleep.” Gale confessed, getting an odd look from her companion, “I keep thinking about that Brew. How it seemed to move and shine in the vial. I keep seeing it moving towards me, trying to reach me.” Together, the two drained their glasses, not speaking again until both drinks were gone. Silently, Melissa refilled both of their glasses and then waited. “I’m scared Melissa. Scared that I might have gotten in over my head with this.” She shook her head, “I can’t tell Ace. He wouldn’t understand.” The dog nodded and took a drink before replying, “Why did you join up with him?” “It’ll sound silly to you.” Gale said, hanging her head. Compared to Melissa’s quest to avenge family, her own ambitions seemed petty. “Perhaps, but tell me anyway.” Gale sighed, “I want to be the greatest thief Equestria has ever seen. I think Ace can help me achieve that.” To her surprise, instead of laughing of mocking her as so many before had, Melissa simply nodded. “Pteechka has good dream. You want to be the best and would do anything to get there?” “Yeah. When I’m gone, I want to be remembered.” She grinned, encouraged by the dog’s acceptance. “None of that fading away into dust. I want children to dream of being as good as me one day, I want nobles to hire entire armies to guard their treasures in fear of my visits. I want to steal from the Princesses themselves!” “Ah ah, calm yourself pteechka. You really can’t handle your drink can you? We’ll have to work on that.” Melissa matched Gale’s grin with a toothy one of her own, “Still that is strong dream. But Mama always said ‘Pup, if you want to be as strong as Mama then you have to carry scars like Mama. Greatness does not come without risks.’” Melissa stared off into the distance, “She would always tell me of her old battles to become Matriarch and how she would fight other Clan Alphas for control and always emerged the victor.” Gale looked up at her taller companion, “She sounds like a great mother.” “She is.” The brawler drained her glass before looking over at Gale, “How about you?” “My parents? They were alright I guess. They never abused me or anything.” She frowned, “They worked in weather control as middle management. Entirely unexceptionable. I was expected to follow in their footsteps, hence my name.” She took a gulp of her drink, “When I got my cutie mark, they were so disappointed in me. Thought they had raised me wrong or something.” “How did it happen?” Melissa asked, waving one claw at Gale’s mark. “Oh, well,” She paused, “It’s a bit awkward. I was just so tired of playing by my parent’s rules, of being a ‘good citizen.’ So I acted out. There was this small jewellery store in town that was a bit too lax with their security. I walked in, picked up a necklace with my wings and hid it beneath the feathers. They didn’t even notice and, when I got home with my prize, my cutie mark appeared.” “What happened then?” “My parents saw the mark. Like I said, they were disappointed in me but they weren’t going to throw me out of the house, they were too good for that. Instead I left. I just couldn’t handle their pitying looks anymore. So, one day I packed up my stuff, left them a note and walked out the door.” She took a deep breath and stared at the diamond dog, “Wow, I’ve never told anyone this before. You’re a good listener Melissa.” She nodded, “It sounded like you needed to be heard. So the question is, what are you going to do now?” Gale took another drink before continuing, “I’m not sure. After I left my parent’s house I made a vow that, if I was destined to be a thief then I was going to be the best thief in the world. But now, seeing the dangers that following that dream will bring…I don’t know.” “Sounds like something you need to sleep on.” Melissa reached over and grabbed the pony’s drink before the pegasus could drain it, “And I think you’ve had enough. Go on, go to bed.” “But!” Gale started protesting, only to get flicked on the nose by the dog. She flinched back, shaking her head in confusion. “Hey!” “No buts! Go.” She pointed over Gale’s head to the stairs. Grumbling, the pony obeyed, swaying slightly once she was bereft of the stability of her chair. Once she got to the door leading upstairs, she paused and looked back. “Melissa…Mel, thanks for listening.” She pointed a hoof, rocking dangerously back and forth on her remaining three legs, “You. Are a good person. Good friend.” Melissa smiled, “Thank you Gale. Now go to bed.” “Right, right. Bed.” The pegasus stumbled her way upstairs, leaving the diamond dog alone in the bar. Upon hearing Gale’s door upstairs slam shut and the pegasus collapse into bed thanks to her superior hearing, Melissa chuckled. “Thank you Mama, you taught me well.”