Drinks to Dragons

by Odd_Sarge

A Wanderer

“I could’ve stopped him.” A crack sounded throughout the near empty room as Xencarn’s hoof slammed down onto the counter. The zebra stared at his glass of bourbon, unmoving.

“Xencarn…”

“No, don’t even try and tell me it’s alright,” Xencarn growled, eyes flicking to the worried unicorn by his side. “I could have stopped him.” Xencarn returned to his drink, hotly throwing a shot down his throat. Firelight didn’t stop the zebra as his friend went about pouring another shot.

“Look, Tibbs…” Firelight hesitated, looking at Tempered Steel behind him, the minotaur staring forward at a photo of Powder Keg’s family near the drink shelf. Firelight looked back at Xencarn, the zebra’s back still turned to him. “Tibbs wasn’t the best pony.”

That garnered a glare from Xencarn.

“Don’t, talk about the dead like that.”

Firelight felt that he was pressing far into the necromancer’s nerves, but he continued prodding the topic. “Tibbs had a plan, Xencarn. I keep trying to tell you that he was trying to make up for the bad things he’d done.”

“Then keep trying,” Xencarn muttered bitterly. This time when the zebra went for the bottle of bourbon, Firelight yanked it away with his telekinesis. The zebra brought his forelegs to the countertop, and slammed his head down audibly.

“Tibbs was a drug dealer,” Tempered Steel began, voice deep, yet gentle. “But for the past five years, we’ve all known that he was doing that medical research.”

“Steel,” Xencarn whispered, wrapping his forelegs around his head.

“We all knew that he was trying to find a way to lower the effects of the highly-irradiated, trying to boost the lifetimes of this world, and we let him. We all agreed, remember?”

“Steel... don’t…”

“Xencarn.” Steel stood from his stool and stomped over to where Xencarn sat. He placed a hand on Xencarn’s back. “We knew what he was doing he doing to himself. He knew what he was doing to himself.”

Xencarn let loose an uncharacteristic whimper. “Don’t...”

“There was no stopping him,” Firelight cut in. “He was a doctor, and though his ways were unorthodox, he was still helping ponies. It was his nature.”

“He is a doctor!” Xencarn shouted, throwing Steel’s hand away. He glared at Firelight through watery eyes. “I can bring him back! I can make him live f-forever! I… I…”

“Xencarn!” Steel yelled at the height of his volume, causing the zebra to pull back immediately. Steel placed both hands on Xencarn’s withers. Xencarn’s eyes fell to the floor, his tears splashing hard against the wood. “Listen to yourself,” Steel said, bringing his volume back down. “Listen to yourself.”

“I can bring him back…” the zebra sniffled. He looked back up, suddenly brave. “If… if Tibbs wanted to do good, then… then he still has unfinished business here.”

“You read the note, Xencarn,” Firelight spoke quietly. “You’re the only one who has. It was just for you… if he wanted to be alive again, then he would’ve told you. You were his best friend, Xencarn.” Firelight took a breath. “He would’ve told you.”

“He died at peace in that campsite,” Tempered Steel began. “He had a smile on his face, Xencarn. Tibbs would only smile when he was around us. He knew that he was going to die soon, that’s why he went out on that one last trip without you.”

“But why?” Xencarn squeezed out.

“He wanted you to be happy.” All heads turned to face the young mare as she came into the store. Flotsam smiled sadly at Xencarn as she approached. “Tibbs cared a lot for you, Xencarn.”

“F-Flotsam?” Xencarn muttered, wiping away his tears. “W-what are you doing here?” Tempered Steel moved out of the way for Flotsam.

“It’s the anniversary,” Flotsam replied as she settled down onto the floor in front of Xencarn. She was quiet for a moment. “It’s not like you to cry, Xencarn.”

Xencarn faked a laugh in reply to that, morose and bitter. “Wh-who said I’m crying?”

“Xencarn.”

He stiffened at that.

“Tibbs would hate to see you like this.”

Xencarn laughed again, this time a dark chuckle. “He’d laugh.” The smile fell as he averted Flotsam’s gentle gaze.

“He wouldn’t laugh at your expense.” Flotsam placed a hoof on Xencarn’s shoulder. “Tibbs changed, and it was for the better. You helped him do that; he got the influence from your own research in extending lives.”

“Then I could’ve stopped him,” Xencarn mumbled.

“So why didn’t you?”

Xencarn froze, suddenly at a loss for words. Flotsam pulled her hoof away and kept going. “You two are closer than you think.” She rubbed the hoof against her chin. “When it comes to being a doctor and being a necromancer, you each follow opposing ideas, but in the end, you both have to do with the extension of life.” She paused, letting the statement sink in. “You wanted to make ponies live longer through your lich research, and Tibbs wanted to do the same, so you helped influence him to take on some more ideas. It’s not your fault that Tibbs pursued his own way of extending life.” Xencarn opened his mouth to speak but Flotsam cut him off. “He would have found that path on his own, but doing it with you made him happy!”

“Tibbs… Tibbs was happy?”

“Of course he was!” Flotsam giggled. “Don’t you remember last year when he busted through that door—” she pointed to the shop’s entrance. “—and began apologising to you, despite all of us having waited for him?” She shook her head, smiling broadly. “Don’t you see that he cared a lot for you?” Xencarn felt a twinge of guilt in his chest.

“I… I do.”

Flotsam seemed to smile wider.

“But… but I didn’t care for him.”

“Yes you did!” Flotsam was up on all her hooves suddenly. “You were the best possible friend you could have been! You supported him on every endeavor out into the wastes for his research! Just being there made you care for him!” Flotsam wrapped her hooves around Xencarn, and after a moment’s hesitation, the necromancer returned it. “Be happy for the time you spent together.”

Xencarn felt tears dripping down his back.

“I… I don’t want you to cry, Xencarn.”

“We’re here for you, Xencarn.” Firelight smiled at Xencarn. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Like Flotsam said; you were the best friend you could have possibly been.”

“And being a necromancer, even you should know that Tibbs is still here.” Tempered Steel thumped his chest in emphasis.

Xencarn smiled, tears threatening to spill from his eyes again. He was so wrapped up in feeling joy for the first time in the months since Fractured Tibia’s death to even correct the minotaur on where Tibbs’ soul was.

Xencarn and Tibbs were one, and not even death would separate them.

Author's Note:

Xencarn traced a hoof over the letter again, tears dribbling down his muzzle. He dabbed his eyes dry before they could stain the message, then read once more over the chemically treated paper.

Xencarn.

I know you'll find this first. I know you'll hate me for leaving you. I did what I had to do. Don't blame yourself for any of this, though, I know you'll do it anyway you stubborn stripey.

I know times have been tough on you and the Death Clan, but enclosed in this envelope will be a personal writ for my 'business.' Well, I guess it isn't my business now, is it? Go talk to my carriers; they'll know what to do. This could change a lot of lives in the Wasteland, and though I'm no religious pony, Celestia knows this world could use a few miracles.

I don't wish that I could have stayed longer. My work here is done, but you've still got a long road ahead of you. Don't let my death bring you down, after all, you knew it was coming. We could have talked when you were following me during my expeditions, you know? Don't bring me back; I need to rest these old joints for good, and we've already said goodbye long ago.

Bring back that old Xencarn, will you? It used to make our early years go by, and I do wish a little that we could have spent more time talking. You're a good zebra, Xencarn. Make good use of your time around; not all of us are gifted great powers.

Tell the rest I said goodbye.

Tibbs.

Comments

[Newbiespud]

Woah, dang.