Lightning Dust Gets Drunk in a Bar Full of Strangers

by Fire Gazer the Alchemist

To Drink, Or Not To Drink

Paperwork.

A bucking shitload of paperwork.

That pretty much sums up my day at the office, and every previous day leading up to that one.

I slammed the last cloud request form into my completed work pile, which was actually more of a tower now that I thought about it, and started rubbing my tired eyes. It did very little to assuage them, and I switched tactics.

A full solid minute of blinking later, I felt somewhat better. Leaving my desk behind, I punched my time card and made my way to the exit. Even though I worked on the sixth floor, the window openings were wide and spacious to allow employees to leap through and take flight. It didn’t really matter though, since a six-story drop onto clouds wouldn’t do any real damage anyways.

My gaze fell on the window right down the hall. Unfurling my wings I tilted my neck to the side. It cracked with a satisfying pop, releasing my workday stress.

Shifting into takeoff position, I hear a grating voice that forces me to freeze. “Hey there, Dawny.”

Dammit. I got back into standing position and turn. Staring at me with a stupid smirk on his orange face was Fiscal Policy.

My relationship with this one particular co-worker was… complicated. I supposed the fact that he was born and bred for the office world - where as I had been forced into it - made us natural enemies, but there was more to it than that. Fiscal was the kind of pony that eliminates anyone in his way to get what he wanted, and I had sorta been competing with him for a promotion for a while now. (I say sorta competing because the only reason I'm doing it is to get on his nerves). Because of this, he took advantage of every opportunity to verbally assault me and out preform me at the same time, all while taking a certain satisfaction in it.

There was a word for ponies like this, but I can’t seem to think of it. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't quite… oh right.

Douchecanoe.

“Hi, Fiscal,” I deigned. “What do you want?”

“Now Dawny, can’t a guy just talk to his pal without being interrogated?” There he goes using my first name again. And not just my first name, an unbearable nickname version of it. He knew I hated it too, otherwise he wouldn’t use it.

Gritting my teeth, I replied “We would have to actually be pals first.”

He chuckled. It’s the kind of chuckle that would make ponies think he kicks puppies for fun. “True, very true. Pleasantries aside, I notice you’re already leaving.”

My eyes rolled reflexively. “Obviously. Monday’s over, so what’s the use of sticking around?”

That damnable chuckle again. “Let’s just say our boss favors ponies who work extra hours for little compensation.”

So that’s it. Fiscal was working unpaid overtime to ingratiate himself for the promotion.

“So that’s how you spend your Monday night? Ass kissing?” That got to him. His eyelid twitched in annoyance, but he proceeds undaunted.

“Call it what you want, but at least I’m making progress, unlike you.”

Yeah, because I don’t want to be promoted. Spend even more of my life working at this Celestia-forsaken factory? No thank you.

“Well if you’re done wasting my time, I have somewhere to be.” I said, returning to takeoff position. I lept forward and begin flying towards the window.

“Right, right. I wouldn’t want to keep you from sucking any dick tonight.” Fiscal calls after me.

If it were possible to skid to a stop in mid-air, I would have. Whipping around I looked at the smug bastard as he delicately waved goodbye.

You did not just go there, I thought. I knew that tool was a tool, but this? It was low.

My hooves touch the cloud flooring and I march right up to him. Fiscal doesn’t look the least bit concerned.

“You are an asshole,” I tell him matter-of-factly.

“Excuse me?” he scoffed.

I leaned in close. “Ass. Hole.”

He shut his mouth, teeth clenching firmly. I could see a fiery hate breaking out behind his eyes. As much as he wanted to, he can't seem to think up a decent retort.

I don't exactly wait around for one either. My wings were back to flapping, and I was making my way to the exit as fast as I could.

The second I clear the window, I breathed a sigh of relief. Dealing with Fiscal was the worst way to end a Monday. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

I actually didn’t feel like flying home. Descending, I landed on the soft, cushy clouds below and began a slow trot to my house.

“Hey, there he is!” a voice that makes my ears perk in recognition says. I turned around to two familiar faces: Derpy and Lightning.

“See I told you he got off work at this time,” Derpy claimed to the green mare at her side.

“How’s it going, Rider?” Lightning asked me.

“Hey girls, what’s up?”

“We need to talk to you,” Derpy said. Suddenly the puzzle pieces click together. Today was there first day working together… and clearly my last day of living.

Without a doubt they had figured out the rouse I’d been pulling on them. Lightning knew Derpy still had a crush on her, and Derpy knew Lightning wasn’t gay, and now they were both here to kill me for being an a total ass – which I couldn’t rightly deny.

I cringed and said, “Look guys, do whatever you want to me, but I just want you to know that I’m sorry.”

There’s a pause as both mare’s blink in confusion. I realized my mistake too late.

“Sorry for what?” Lightning asked.

“Uh…” I’m dumbfounded that my white lie is holding. Thinking fast I answered with, “I’m sorry for randomly apologizing for no reason.”

Derpy giggled at the absurdity of my statement, and pressed no further.

“You’re always weirder than the last time I see you,” Lightning informed me.

I shrugged, grateful to escape unscathed with the lie still intact. I should have a Cutie Mark for kicking problems down the road.

“Anyways.” Derpy was back on topic. “We were hoping you’d be up for a night at the bar?”

“What, like now?” I inquired. Was she kidding? It’s a flippin’ Monday! I won’t deny that alcohol would be welcome after such a subpar day… but was she really serious? “I kinda have work tomorrow.”

“Yeah, so do we,” Lightning mentions. “That ain’t stopping us.”

Derpy nudged her. “You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to. I was just hoping the four of us could have a nice time.”

“Four?”

“Well yeah. You, us, and Time.”

Based on Lightning’s snort of laughter, I guess my facial expression is somewhere in between ‘lovestruck dunce’ and ‘stupidly embarrassed’. With a shake of my head I reset my face and gave a solid, “y-yeah sure, sounds like a plan.”

“Awesome,” Derpy declares. “We gotta go then. By the time we reach Ponyville, Luna will be finished raising the moon.”

She took flight immediately, tufts of cloud blow upwards in her wake.

“Aren’t we going to The Lickety Split?” I asked.

Lightning rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Time’s an Earth pony, remember?”

“Oh yeah.” I felt stupid now.

She noticed this, and put a hoof on my shoulder. “Relax dude. You’ve probably just been staring at his plot so much you forgot to notice.” She immediately took off, causing a gust of wind hitting my face as a result.

“Yeah, I guess your ri— Hey wait a bucking minute!” I looked to see her snickering as she put distance between the two of us. “Lightning Dust!” I shouedt violently, lifting off as fast as I could.

---

The Dizzy Weasel was small. Like, really small. The actual bar had maybe five stools max, and there wasn't even a stage for live music or anything of the sort.

Actually, I take that back, there was a stage. It consisted of unused crates and a microphone stand lacking an actual microphone. If some ponies made an attempt, they might fit two whole bodies on it.

While I’m took in the whole scene as we enter, my friends honed in on whatever they want. Time was to my right, staring at the one clock on the wall, which appeared to be broken; he was likely thinking of ways to fix it. This was in spite of the fact that the poor stallion was supposed to not be working at the moment. Lightning was to my left, staring at the alcohol this bar had on tap – of which there are only two – and likely thinking how much more variety The Lickety Split has. This was in spite of the fact that she only drank cider.

Derpy was leading our little platoon since she knew her way around. Unconsciously, we all agreed to steer clear of the bar stools tonight. There were only five after all, and the bartender probably wouldn’t be happy if we hogged the majority of them all night. She leaded our motley crew towards a booth in the back, while Lightning broke away to order.

Time sat down first, and I grabbed a spot on the opposite end. This was partly because it should keep Derpy and Lightning separate – I did not trust that gray mare to keep her hooves to herself – but also because I wanted a little distance from Turner. I was unsure if he is still upset regarding the ‘you’re sexy’ comment and didn't exactly want to push whatever boundaries he had.

Derpy ended up in the spot next to me, and boldly declared, “All right guys, cider’s on me tonight.”

Turner blinked. “Are you sure?”

The question was met with a vigorous nod. “Totally. This is my idea anyway.”

Lightning returned, somehow balancing a giant mug of apple cider, and four individual glasses. Delicately, she placed everything down before plopping in the seat by Time Turner.

“Now get ready for the best cider of your lives,” Derpy told us.

I arched an eyebrow inquisitively. “The best, huh?”

“All the apples are locally grown, so it’s as fresh as possible,” Turner let me know.

Dust poured us all a full glass, and began gulping hers down.

I inched mine to my lips, before finally trying some. The flavor was vibrant, much more so than the cider up in Cloudsdale. And Turner was definitely right, it was the freshest I’ve ever tasted. Feeling the golden ichor slide down my throat, I doused my tongue with some more.

Lightning’s halfway through with her first glass already, but Time and Derpy aren’t that far behind. I noticed the chestnut stallion still had his tie tightly wound around his neck. It kind of irked me that even off work he still didn't seem to want to relax. It was kind of the same way at the picnic too.

“Hey,” I said, my mug on the table. “Why don’t you loosen your tie a little?”

He finished sipping. “You trying to get my clothes off, Rider? Cause I’m warning you now, it’ll take more alcohol than this.” The mares of the group erupted in laughter, alcohol blasting from their nostrils.

My cheeks flushed. Now he’s teasing me? I thought through my embarrassment. Well damn, he’s even sexier than before.

“Ah, so you’ve figured out my hidden intentions then,” I said, playing along. This friendly little bit of teasing may turn out to be a chance for flirting. “And here I thought I was being so subtle.”

“Subtle as a freight train,” Derpy remarked.

I shot her a glare but it does no good. At least Turner was laughing. I decided to shift the focus away from me for a while.

“So Lightning,” I asked. “How was your first day on the job?”

She tipped back her glass to finish it off before responding. “Eh… there were ups and downs.”

Derpy nodded concurrently. This picks at my curiosity a little. If the two of them hadn’t figured out the dual lies I’ve been feeding them, then what could have put a damper on Lightning’s first day of work? Besides, of course, the work.

“Care to elaborate?” Time asked, clearly thinking the same as me.

The two mares shared a look, then dive right back into their alcohol.

“I guess not,” I said.

The following silence is about as awkward as they come. Lightning and especially Derpy caused our cider supply to dwindle. The scene around us changed rapidly, as more patrons than I expect enter in order to booze up for the night.

One purple mare who appears to be drunk before even entering the bar stops at our booth, blinks slowly at the sight of Derpy, and smiles.

“Hey Derpster, wassup?” Yep, definitely drunk.

“Oh, hi Berry,” Derpy replied. It surprised me that she acknowledges the nickname ‘Derpster’ at all. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Ain’t nothin’ – hic – fancy about it. You know this is where I spend my Friday nights.”

“Actually, it’s Monday,” The time conscious Turner informed her.

Berry’s eyes blinked even slower this time. “What?”

“Monday,” I said, hoping she’ll catch on soon. “As in, the bane of everypony’s existence.”

There’s a pause as this slowly registered with her.

“Damn, that was a lot of whiskey,” the intoxicated mare muttered under her breath. “Hey, Derpster, I gotta bounce. If it really is Monday, then I’m kinda – hic – screwed.”

“Oh, okay,” Derpy says. “Bye.” I doubted Berry hears her though. She was already stumbling off.

“That was… interesting,” Lightning commented.

“You know her?” I ask Derpy. She ruefully nodded.

“Who do you think I have to give bail money to?” she replied, reminding me of our conversation on Saturday.

“Okay then.”

“Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great friend… when she’s sober.”

Lightning smirked. “So I’m guessing she’s never a great friend, then?”

We all laughed to that.

“If I ever end up that drunk, somepony please stop me,” Time insisted.

“Relax,” I heard Dust say. “You’re way to stiff for that kind of hard-core drinking.

He pouted – rather adorably – and took a long chug from his glass in an effort to prove her wrong. A second later he tore the mug away, gagging. The table dissolves into laughter again, Derpy at the forefront of it all.

“Haha,” Turner said, wiping his mouth.

“Sorry,” Derpy apologized for us. “But it was just too funny.” She giggled some more.

“Yes, yes, it’s all very funny. Isn’t it,” Turner leaned in, “Derpster?”

Derpy’s face flushed as he says the name. “Seriously? Please don’t call me that. It’s bad enough that it’s a nickname of a nickname.”

“Wait, what?” Lightning asked. “What do you mean ‘nickname of a nickname’?”

We all stared at her, and it suddenly dawned on me that none of us ever told Lightning that ‘Derpy’ wasn't Derpy’s real name.

“You mean you don’t know?” Turner asked her.

“I am completely lost right now,” Lightning responded.

“Derpy isn’t actually my name,” Derpy tells her. Lightning’s jaw hits the table.

“What?”

“You mean you really didn’t know?” Turner asked.

“No!” Lightning shouted over the background noise of the bar. “How was I supposed to? You guys never told me!”

“You never asked,” I said.

“That’s not the point,” Lightning grunted. “How was I supposed to know to ask you?” I shrugged. She turned to face Derpy. “So… what is your real name then?”

Derpy squirmed. “Is it really important?”

“Yes!” Lightning said. “How can I call myself your best friend when I don’t even know your real name!”

“Oh for the love of Celestia,” I interjected. “It’s Ditzy Doo, are you happy now?”

Time Turner shot me a look that told me I’m wrong. I turned to Derpy and her face gave me the same answer. “Wait… it’s not?”

“No,” Derpy replied. “That one’s still just a nickname.”

Now it was my jaw’s turn to hit the table. The very day I met Derpy she had been going by Ditzy Doo. At least, that’s what all her friends had referred to her as, and it was months after that when she was given the name ‘Derpy’. I had always assumed…

“So what is your real name?” I asked, now as curious as Lightning. Only Time was not joining in, but I supposed that makes sense. He’s known Derpy the longest.

“Guys, lay off,” he piped up. “She doesn’t have to tell you if she doesn’t want to.”

“But I want to know!” Lightning protested.

“Lightning–“

“Bright Eyes,” Derpy whispered. “My name is Bright Eyes.”

Dust and I blinked simultaneously. Derpy – or should I call her Bright Eyes? – looked downward sadly. I can’t help but think her parents were trying to be cruel to her. With a name like that… given her eyes… no wonder she prefers Derpy.

“You can probably guess why I never go by it,” she said, practically reading my mind.

“Derpy…” Lightning whispered.

“Look, it’s just a name, it doesn’t matter okay?” Derpy said. “It doesn’t make a difference if I go by Bright Eyes, or Ditzy Doo, or Derpy. Nothing about me changes anyways.”

We're quiet for a moment.

“You’re right,” Lightning said. “Nothing about you changes.” Time shot her a glare but she completely ignores it. “Because you’re still the most kickass, awesome mare I’ve ever met.”

Derpy looked up, meeting Lightning’s eyes when she hears that.

“You mean that?” she asked.

“Hell yeah I do!” Lightning said. “You’re even cooler than Spitfire.”

At this point, I had no idea whether Lightning Dust is saying this in earnest, or if she’s just laying it on a little thick because she can tell Derpy needed a confidence boost. Either way, it’s sweet of her.

Derpy seemed to think so as well, her gray cheeks blooming red. She attempted to hide it by guzzling what’s left of her alcohol. Everypony else partook as well.

The last of the cider was poured into Derpy’s glass and she drained it in a few gulps. She swayed in her seat and I prop her upright with a fetlock. Clearly, the mare has had too much to drink tonight. Well over her limit. Her blush hadn’t receded in the slightest, despite her intake of alcohol.

“I’m going to go grab us a refill.” Lightning got up.

I nodded and let her go, but I doubted I’ll drink anymore. After all, I still needed to fly home. Come to think of it, so does Lightning. Turner on the other hoof hasn’t even finished his first glass. He pressed it to his lips to sip some more.

Derpy watched Lightning saunter off, her blush on full display. With an enamored sigh, she said, “I’m going to kiss her so hard.”

The following spit take from Turner drenched me.

“What!” we simultaneously cried.

Derpy slammed her glass on the table. “I’m going to kiss her. Hard. On the mouth. And probably get a filly boner because of it.” She stood, and began stumbling after Lightning, who was already at the counter.

Turner shot me a glance, and I can tell he’s just as worried as me. Both of us know what will happen if Derpy goes through with her drunken plan, and neither of us wanted that.

“You distract Lightning,” I said, already halfway out of the booth. “I’ll stop Derpy.”

We clamored forwards, shoving a few bar patrons out of our way in the process. Turner blocked Lightning’s view just as she began to turn around. I grabbed Derpy by the foreleg.

“Hey, let’s chat,” I told her, dragging her away from Lightning’s general direction. There’s a bathroom at the other end of the bar, so I went there. She squirmed and struggled but I don’t let go.

“Rider,” she whined.

I pushed open the door to the bathroom, only just now realizing it’s the mare’s room but it’s too late to change my mind, and headed in.

“You can’t be in here,” she told me, noticing the gender-specific room we’re in. “Mare’s only.”

“Well then pretend I have a vagina for the next few minutes,” I said. Derpy snorted back a laugh at my asinine comment, but still tries to walk out. I put myself between her and the door.

“Let me out, Rider,” she demanded.

“Not likely, Derpy,” I told her. She wants to maneuver around me, but I don’t let her.

“Come on, Rider, please. I have to kiss her after that, don’t you see?”

I shook my head. Truth was, I could see why. Derpy just went through a low point, and Dust said some of the sweetest things she’d probably ever said to the mare to get her out of it. If it had been me and Time in that situation, I would have definitely kissed him. And screwed him, but that’s another subject entirely.

A mare tries to get into the bathroom, but my body stops the door from opening.

“What the bu–”

“Occupied!” I call out. She huffed loudly and walked away, grumbling about how ponies shouldn’t be having sex in a public bathroom. If I wasn’t gay I might’ve blushed.

“Seriously though, Derpy, you can’t kiss her.” I turned back to the booze-filled mare.

She stamped her hoof on the bathroom tiles. “Why not?”

“You know why!” I told her. “Getting kicked out of the Wonderbolt’s Academy destroyed her. She doesn’t need you throwing yourself at her at a time like this.”

“You don’t know anything,” Derpy yelled. “She’s fine! We had a talk about it earlier today.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, unsure if she’s lying or not. The last time I checked, Wonderbolt’s Academy was not a topic of conversation whenever Dust was in the room. “You still shouldn’t kiss her, though.”

“Why?” Derpy asked. “After everything we’ve done together and after what she just said… give me one good reason why I shouldn’t march right up to that mare and stick my tongue down her throat!”

“You can’t do that because Lightning isn’t–” I stopped myself. I had almost told Derpy the truth… and what a disaster that would have been. “Lightning… isn’t looking for a relationship right now.” It’s a weak reason, but it’s all I’ve got right now. “All she wants right now is to be your friend.”

Derpy looked away, blinking profusely. “Rider…” she murmurs.

“Look, I know it’s rough, but you going out there and kissing her now would be kinda like me going out there and kissing Time Turner. She only sees you as a friend, Derpy… and making out with her in one passionately drunken session isn’t going to change that.”

Derpy slumped to the ground, sniffling.

“You going to be okay?” I asked, getting down on her level.

“No… how can I be?” Derpy wailed. “Damnit Rider… I think I love her.”

“Oh…” I said.

Oh shit…

I really hoped Turner is doing better than I am.

---

“Hey Lightning,” Turner said as he positioned himself in between the drunk Derpy and her target. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rider haul her away.

“Hey,” Dust replied. “What’s the matter, couldn’t wait until I brought the cider to the table?”

“You know me.” Turner grabbed the mug from Dust and poured some cider into his half-full glass. “Gotta have that alcohol.”

“Right,” came Lightning’s skeptic reply. She looked over his shoulder. “Where’d Derpy and Rider go?”

“I am not sure,” Time replied. “They could be off cavorting in the bathroom for all I know.”

“Okay then,” Lightning said. “I guess until they get back we’re on our own.” She took a seat in one of the two empty stools at the bar.

“Yep,” Turner agreed, sipping his cider casually.

They didn’t speak for a little bit. After all, what does the work-a-holic timekeeper say to the speed-a-holic athlete when they are stuck alone at a bar together?

Absolutely nothing, that’s what. Luckily, Lightning jumpstarted their conversation.

“So you knew?” she asked. “About Derpy’s name, I mean.”

“Yes, I did.” Turner sighed. “I went to elementary school with her, back when she still used the name Bright Eyes.”

“How bad did she have it?” Lightning asked.

“Really bad,” Turner informed her. “Almost everyone in the class picked on her everyday. I never did, but it’s not like I stood up for her either.” He took a swig of the cider. “They called her so many names that ‘Ditzy’ was actually one of the kinder ones. It was the one that stuck though, and she just went with it.”

“Wow,” Lightning breathed, appalled that some ponies had actually done that to Derpy.

“She never let it show that it bothered her though,” Turner said. “At least, not to the kids that picked on her. Once, after school I found her out in the woods crying to herself. I… well I tried to cheer her up. It didn’t do all that much, but we became friends at least.”

“I can’t believe she’s had it so rough. You’d never guess just by looking at her.”

“Yeah, like I said she doesn’t let it show… but I know deep down it still gets to her. It’s why she doesn’t want to be called Ditzy Doo or Bright Eyes anymore. They just hold too many bad memories.” He set the glass down. “Thanks for what you said, I know it meant a lot to her.”

“I meant every word of it,” Lightning assured him. “She’s a fantastic friend.”

“Yep,” Turner said. A friend. Oh Lightning, you have no idea how much more she wants from you than that.

---

Derpy was blinking back tears while curling herself into the fetal position. I was just sitting next to her like an ass.

“You… you really think you love her?” I stumbled out. I prayed her answer wasn't…

“Yes,” Derpy sniffled. Damn.

We sat there for a while, Derpy stifling her sobs while I think of what to say.

“Are you sure?” I asked her.

Her eyes clenched shut. “I think about her all the time, and I can’t stop looking at her whenever she’s around. And my heart feels all light and fluttery and I get this huge knot in my stomach. Whenever she’s sad, I feel sad, and when she’s happy, I’m elated. I haven’t felt this way about anypony since…”

“Since?”

“Since a really long time.”

This can’t be happening, I thought. She’s got to be wrong. “Can you think about anything about her that you don’t like?” I ask, hoping this may clear up the matter. “Anything undesirable?”

Derpy thought for a moment. “Well… I guess I’ve noticed that her left flank is like, maybe half an inch bigger than her right one. But even that’s kind of cute.”

“You’ve stared at her ass long enough to know which cheek is bigger than the other one,” I realized. “You really are in love.”

She nodded slowly.

I’ve gotta tell her the truth, This has gone too far.

“Derpy." She looked at me, her out of sync eyes are red, tears streaming down her face. It was at that moment my heart decided to punch my brain and take over for a while.

What am I doing… she's hurting enough as it is.

“Look, just because Lightning isn’t looking for a relationship now, doesn’t mean she’ll never be,” I heard myself say. What the buck, Rider?! My brain was back, and it was not happy.

“You mean one day she might…” Derpy trailed off.

Don’t say it! My brain screamed. Don’t you dare–

“Yes.”

Dammit Rider!

Derpy stopped her sniffling. “Thanks, I really needed that.” She gave my neck a quick hug and we stand up.

“I should probably get Dust home before she drinks too much,” I said. And also I don’t need her asking questions as to why you’re so teary-eyed.

“Yeah, I should go too. I’m tipsy enough as it is and Dinky still needs to be tucked in.”

I nudged the door open. “Bye.”

“See you Wednesday?” She asked, not needing to state the place. I nodded instinctively. Lightning would probably be there as well and I would be needed to prevent another night like this one.

I walked out of the bathroom and spot Lightning and Turner sitting up at the bar stools. I quickly make my way there.

“Can you see straight?” I asked Lightning when I arrive. I recognized the fact that I’m not disrupting any conversation.

“Yeah,” she said, grateful that I’m breaking an obviously awkward silence.

“Good, we should probably get home before that changes.”

“Oh right,” she said, remembering that we had to fly back to Cloudsdale. I set some bits on the counter as she got up. “I thought Derpy was buying?”

“Nah, it’s cool. I got it.” As if I expect that poor mare to pay after everything I just put her through.

“Awesome,” Lightning hops off the bar stool and wobbles a little. She spreads her wings for balance. “Let’s go.” She starts off, but Turner stops me before I can follow.

“Is Derpy all right?” he asked. The gray mare had just popped out of the bathroom, still showing the after effects of her crying fit.

“She’ll be fine."

“So you fixed this right? Everything’s okay now?”

“…Yes.”

He squinted. “You hesitated there for a moment. Why?”

“No reason.” My eyes darted to the left and I felt Turner’s disbelief.

Suddenly, Lightning Dust walked into the edge of the bar door. Her yelp of pain was what saves me.

As she backed away, hoof to her forehead, I yelled, “I thought you said you could see straight!”

“Shut up!” she called back.

I turned to the chestnut stallion in front of me. “Well, that’s my cue to leave.” My wings flared out and I flew off.

“But, Rider–” Turner’s voice faded off as I dragged Lightning out of the bar.

She’s still rubbing her forehead, but otherwise seemed okay to fly. “Hey, are we still meeting up on Wednesday?”

“Yeah, Derpy and I talked about it,” I told her. Among other things.

Lightning looked back towards the bar. “Oh crap, I forgot to say good bye to her.” She started to head inside.

I hovered in front of her. “Oh no you don’t.” I said. “If you go back in there you’ll just get so hammered that flying will be impossible.” It’s a pretty lame excuse, but I couldn't have her going in there while Derpy’s still an emotional wreck.

“Fair enough,” Lightning said. “Besides, I’ll see her tomorrow at work.”

Oh crap, I forgot they work together. ...We’ll there’s not much I can do about that, except hope Derpy will pull herself together by tomorrow.

Dust starts flapping her wings and gets off the ground rather easily considering her inebriated state. We fly back to Cloudsdale quickly and without talking to much.

I split off from Dust as we approach her rundown apartment, waving goodbye as she disappeared inside.

There’s a gnawing feeling in me as I head to my house. It's probably because I'm an asshole for lying to Derpy like that, but I know I would’ve felt just as bad if I told her the truth and left her crying on the bathroom floor.

All I could do now was hope that Derpy would just let her feelings for Lightning wither away over time. Then we’d all get out of this pain free.

My heart was praying for this when I finally rest my head against my cloud mattress. My brain kept telling me this will end up terrible.

I shut my eyes and was out like a light.

Author's Note:

Well that just happened.

Anyways, next chapter is going to be a mini-chapter. Till then, feel free to use the comments to rant at me for what I'm doing to poor Derpy's heart.

Comments

[Seether00]

You asshole! Why are you doing this to Derpy?!

Rider needs to punch himself in the face. Heck, his conscious needs to come to life and beat the crap out of him.

The only way this ends well is if Lightning is in denial and comes out of the closet. Otherwise.... extreme heartbreak.

[SP00KY NINJA-PON3]

5031613 Part of me thinks Turner and Lightning will hook up, but I hope not. What I really want is Turner going to the cloud bar via magic and trying to act like he's gay because...
Ask the Applejack Daniels.

[GalaxyFlower]

My, you've really out-done yourself on this one, haven't you? more than 5,000 words!

[GalaxyFlower]

NUUU Derpy! wait... Is that really her real name? Huh. I think Dawn did the right thing though. As long as Derpy isn't crying in the mares bathroom right now.

[Samey90]

“Damn, that was a lot of whiskey,” the intoxicated mare mutters under her breath. “Hey, Derpster, I gotta bounce. If it really is Monday, then I’m kinda – hic – screwed.”

Seems that Berry mastered drunk time travels...

Poor Derpy... She's gonna be so heartbroken when she learns that Lightning is straight...