Trix of the Trade

by Crysis Commander

A Rough Start

Clear Sky wasn't quite sure where he was going; all he knew was that he had to find Trixie before something dreadful happened. He continued to canter down the path departing from Ponyville, staring all the while at the brilliantly colored leaves as the fell from their treetop perches. As Sky gazed at the leaves, his line of sight eventually drifted farther upward towards the sun, showering his muzzle with it's bright monochrome light. Not looking where he was going, he tripped over a rather large log, causing him to tumble into the rough dirt below. When the dust began to settle, Sky saw that he was in a rather awkward position; he was leaning against the log with his hind hooves in the air and his face practically kissing the dirt. Before he could try to regain his footing, a lone butterfly descended from the air and landed on the tip of his muzzle. Sky giggled as the creature's tiny feet tickled his snout. At the unexpected outburst from the pony, the winged insect took flight once more.

Sky's eyes followed the butterfly until he saw it fluttering toward what looked like the entrance gate of a small town. After he had regained his footing, Clear Sky decided to investigate. Drawing closer, he noticed that the gate was adorned with blood stains and patches of leather nailed to the wood saying 'Hell's Pegasai' and 'Keep Out'. Upon the very top of the gate hung a tattered banner saying 'Welcome to Hoofington: Hell's Pegasai Capitol' written in blood.

"Looks like a nice enough place to me," Sky said to himself as he cantered into the quaint little town. Upon entering, he noticed that all of the poorly constructed shacks that he assumed were homes were barred. He could also hear the faint chords of a piano being played somewhere nearby. Sky decided to follow the noise since nopony else was around to talk to. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on where the sounds were coming from. Putting one hoof in front of the other, the pegasus began to hear the music slowly begin to get louder and stronger. Along with the music, he could now hear voices; stallions voices. The noises only increased in volume until Sky felt his muzzle smash into something hard. He opened his eyes to find that he was now face-to-face with a steel bolted door. Looking up, Sky noticed the on the door, a leather vest had been nailed into the cold metal plating that said 'Hell's Pegasai: Enter at Your Own Risk!'

"I wonder who these 'Hell's Pegasai' guys are."

Sky pushed open the door, and what he found inside surprised him. In his field of vision, Sky could see multitudes of buff and brawny looking stallions all engaged in masculine activities of varying degrees: some were hoof-wrestling, some were playing pool, and others just seemed to be talking like civil gentlecolts -- even though what they were conversing about was anything but gentlecoltly.

As Sky's eyes darted about the interior of the building, he noticed a long bar in the corner of the large room. Without a second thought, the pegasus fluttered over to a barstool and plopped down on the comfy leather.

"Can I get a Shirley Temple, please?" he asked enthusiastically.

Immediately after this, the piano player abruptly ceased his wonderful melody and every stallion in the bar had stopped what they had previously been doing. One by one, the whole of the bar slowly turned to stare at Clear Sky, who was still sitting on the barstool with a clueless look on his face.

"The buck did you just ask for, shrimp?" asked a brown coated stallion.

"A Shirley Temple. Can I have one, please?" Sky said.

The group of stallions around the brown coated pony began to laugh maniacally, only to be stopped by the brown stallion who raised a hoof to cease their merriment.

"Why you ordering a filly's drink, huh? Can't hold your liquor?" asked the brown stallion, a smirk plastered on his muzzle.

"Oh no. I don't drink alcohol, but thanks anyway," Sky replied cheerfully.

Now every stallion in the room began to laugh vigorously, even the brown stallion. After a minute or two, Clear Sky joined in on the laughter, not knowing what they were laughing about.

Once Sky started laughing, however, the others stopped chuckling and glared angrily at the naive pegasus.

"What are you laughing at, punk?" asked the brown stallion, his previous smirk now replaced by a frightening scowl.

"I don't know. What were you laughing at?" Sky asked curiously.

The brown stallion pounded his hoof on the bar top next to Sky.

"Do you have any idea who you're bucking with, kid? We're Hell's Pegasai: the most feared gang in Equestria!" the brown pony proudly declared.

"Sorry. I've never heard about you guys," replied Sky.

The brown pony's eye began to twitch as he slammed his hoof on the bar top once more, this time causing the wood to crack.

"You're really getting on my nerves, ya little pipsqueak! I've got half a mind to pummel you until the cows come home!"

"Cows? What cows? I thought we were talking about drinks."

"That's it!" cried the brown stallion as he lunged towards the naive pegasus, only to be held back by his cohorts. Sky simply sat and stared as the numerous other stallions tried to hold back the brown pony, but to no avail. The enraged stallion broke free from his comrades and grabbed Clear Sky, pinning him against the bar top with his powerful hoof.

"You. Me. Drinking contest. NOW!" he screamed in the pegasai's face.

"Okay. Sounds like fun!" Sky replied with a giggle.

---

Clear Sky sat at a crude table across from the still quite pissed brown stallion. In this different lighting, the pegasus was able to get a much clearer view of his opponent. He had a brown coat with a long black mane. His earth pony hide was covered with tattoos of various skulls and sets of flaming wings. On top of all of this, his nose was pierced to resemble that of a bull, making him look all the more fearsome.

With a huff, the brown stallion called over another pony who set a bottle and shot glass in front of both him and Sky. The earth pony opened his bottle and poured himself a shot. When Sky neglected to do the same, he eyed him curiously.

"What's the matter, kid? Too scared to challenge me?"

Sky pushed the bottle away with his hoof. "It's okay. I don't want any."

The earth stallion sighed and rubbed his hoof against his forehead. Then, he had an idea. "It's not alcohol. It's ah...juice. Yeah, juice," he replied hesitantly. No matter what, he wanted to see this pegasus put in his place.

"Really?" Sky asked, his ears now fully perked.

"Sure. Whatever," the earth pony replied.

With little hesitation, Sky opened his bottle of whiskey and took a huge swallow. It was okay, but it needed...something. Suddenly, Sky had an idea. He pulled a lime from his saddlebag and squeezed it's juice into the bottle before he chugged the rest down.

The brown pony's eyes went wide as he witnessed the pegasus across from him gulp down an entire bottle of 150 proof Applejack Daniel's without as much as a pause. Nevertheless, the earth pony raised his shot glass and declared, "Impressive. But by the end of this contest, I'll make sure you remember my name: Bull Runner!"

---

After two hours, Bull could barely hold in his nausea. Sky, on the other hoof, looked just as fine as when the contest had begun. In total, Bull had gone through twenty bottles of whiskey, while Sky had gone through at least fifty. As Bull raised his glass once more, his vision began to fade, his head felt heavy, and his stomach churned at the thought of just one more shot. Before he could bring the glass to his mouth, Bull fell and collapsed on the floor. Everypony around Sky was in shock at what had just happened: the toughest member of the Hell's Pegasai gang had just been out-drank by a stranger.

The audience cheered as they lifted Sky onto their shoulders, carrying him to Celestia knows where, leaving the rest to tend to their fallen comrade. Once Sky had been set down, he realized he was no longer in the bar, but in a plush looking bedroom decorated with leather vests and a striped feather bed.

"Where am I?" Sky asked, curious.

"This is Bull's room -- or was. Now that you beat him in a drinking contest, the place is yours," replied a short unicorn.

Sky eyed the group of stallions with concern. He didn't mean for Bull to lose his stuff. A contest just sounded like fun.

"Oh, and before we forget..." said the unicorn as he threw a leather vest to Sky, "welcome to the family, kid!"

Every stallion except for Sky began to cheer and laugh for their new comrade. Sky, however, wasn't celebrating.

"QUIET!" he shouted, causing the volume in the room to lower to a whisper.

"Look, I'm super happy that I'm part of your family now, but I need to find my marefriend. She was ponynapped by some mean stallion and I've got to rescue her!"

Another stallion in the posse spoke up. "Was he wearing a purple suit?"

"I think so," Sky answered.

"Oh yeah. He went that way," the stallion said pointing west with his hoof.

Then that's where he needed to go. In the morning, that's where Sky would venture. West.

---

The next morning, Sky waved goodbye to his newly found friend and began to canter westward. He did not get far, however, before he was stopped in his tracks by Bull Runner, who was now blocking his path. He looked down at the now cowering pegasus with an angry scowl. He raised his hoof as if to strike Sky, but instead brought it down to pat the pegasus on the head.

"You got guts, kid. I like that. If you ever need the Hell's Pegasai's help, you know where to find us."

"Thanks, buddy," replied Sky wrapping Bull in a tight hug. The earth pony was hesitant to return the embrace, but eventually did so.

With one last wave of his hoof, Clear Sky departed from Hoofington to find Trixie once more, and show her his cool new vest.

Comments

[KitsuneNoYomeiri]

Ignorance Shield strikes again!

[LordVader]

Ooooooooh, my. Sky's liver must be wrought out of lead and iron.

[LordVader]

Just a side note, why doesn't this have more views? I'm absolutely loving it!

[Steel Resolve]

Wow... well the Hell's Pegasi was a trip... if Sky has become their newest member I would expect they would send him with an escort, maybe search for him, but an offer of help is interesting, I sense Chekhov's gun. Well done. A couple minor points. Thoughts can be depicted in italics vs quotes, it tends to make things less confusing when you have internal monologue separated like that. Also, Indenting isn't necessary, as a matter of fact it tends to read easier when you do not.