11. Aftermath
My Farrier Lady, Sunspot
Aftermath
The bar was both quiet and noisy, as it had been for several nights so far. Most of the noise came from excitement over a new princess in the palace, and everypony had to chatter endlessly about it over a beer and a few kabobs. All except for one table, which remained quiet and somber.
“Hey,” grumbled Stout Flagon, who had taken valuable sales time away from his bar in order to reach their table. “It’s been three nights now. If all you two are going to do is sit there and stare at my beer until closing time, the least you could do is get a table out of the way. You’re depressing the rest of the paying patrons.”
“Sorry,” rumbled Hammer, although he did not stop staring at his stagnant beer.
“We’ll buy another round, if you want,” said Nails. After a brave attempt at taking a drink, he made a face and put the beer back down on the table.
“Naa, I just wanted to check in,” said Stout. “It’s been so busy lately, I haven’t had a chance to have three words with you. Why are you so glum over Princess Luna’s return? Is she going to cut into your business?”
“It’s… complicated,” said Nails since Hammer was obviously not going to say anything more.
“Spot isn’t in trouble, is she?” Stout took a look over his shoulder at the door to the bar. “I mean after she came in here so frazzled… Did you have a fight?”
Although Hammer was right there, he could have been a thousand miles away on the moon for as much as he responded.
“There was a fight,” admitted Nails. “Look, Hammer needs a few days before he’s going to want to talk about it.”
“You got it.” Stout gave the table a quick wipe from his washrag. “We’ll be here for you then, big guy. It’s the least we can do.”
Nails held his tongue while Stout walked back to the busy bar, although not much longer. “He means well, Hammer. And I know we can’t tell him. He’d think we were nuts.”
With a slight flicker of his magic, Nails refolded the newspaper next to them so the article was visible again. “New Princess Discovered!” blared the headline. “Nightmare Moon destroyed” did not show up until deep into the second section. In small print.
“Look,” tried Nails again. “Three nights and no Spot doesn’t mean no Spot ever. She knows where we work. She knows where you live. She has to be busy, what with Princess Luna’s return and all of the rumors to squelch. When things calm down, she’ll have time to… I don’t know either,” he admitted bluntly, “but both of us moping around the bar every night isn’t going to help anything. We’ve got orders to finish, and the kids are trying their best, but you know how Brass Studs overheats the shoes when he gets rushed.”
Although Hammer was not really listening to Nails, he was listening. There was a particular sound to a delicate set of shoes on the entranceway to Stout’s bar, and the faint click-click-click drew his attention like steel to a lodestone.
“She’s here,” he whispered, looking to the bar’s doorway where a bright pink mare hesitated. Ever so slowly, he raised his hoof in a wave, matched to his growing ecstatic delight by a returned wave of her own.
“And she brought a friend,” whispered Nails to his side. It was a larger dark pegasus mare, nearly coal black with a shimmering pale grey mane, who had the wide eyes of the perpetually terrified and the distinct impression of having been subjected to Spot’s subtle ‘encouragement’ nudges on more than one occasion. The two mares cautiously picked their way through the crowd in an erratic fashion, as if Spot’s friend would much rather go straight back out the door, but eventually they wound up at the table.
Hammer had stood up out of reflex, with Nails no more than a moment behind, although he did not step aside and allow Spot into the back of the booth, as was their unspoken tradition. Instead, he stood there and just looked at Spot, trying so hard to make words come out of his mouth, even if they made no sense.
The dark pegasus was first to break the long, awkward silence by nudging the smaller form of Spot with one hip. “You brought us here,” she hissed.
“Oh. Yes. Right.” Spot cleared her throat, looked up at Hammer, and ever so cautiously said in that beautiful voice he thought was lost forever, “Hello.”
“Hello,” said Hammer back, and then nothing.
There was nothing to say. There was only Away, once again.
Both Nails and the dark mare placed one hoof on their respective foreheads, although Nails was first to recover by scooting to one side and patting the bench seat. “Ma’am, if you would like to be seated? Spot, I believe introductions are in order. Ladies?” he added, when neither mare moved.
“Oh, yes.” Spot shifted on her hooves and licked her dry lips. “This is my… sister. Um…”
“Shadow?” prompted Nails.
“Yes,” said Spot rapidly with a great deal of nodding, although ‘Shadow’ looked back and forth between them.
“Pleased to meet you, Shadow,” said Nails. “My name is Silver Nails, and this giant lug is my partner at work, Golden Hammer. Would you ladies like to join us this evening?”
Shadow looked back and forth several more times before cautiously slipping into the offered seat. Nails made certain she was comfortable before seating himself beside her, then giving Hammer a look which he did not respond to until Spot kicked him ever so gently in one ankle.
It was like she had never left, and would never leave again.
“Oh! Sorry.” Hammer moved to one side until Spot was seated, then sat down beside her like he had done hundreds of times before. They were still adjusting themselves when Stout Flagon came over with four beers, which he slid onto the table with practiced grace before picking up the untouched ones from before.
“On the house,” he announced, “since it’s so good to see you back, Miss Sunspot. Good evening, young lady,” he added for Shadow. “Would you ladies like some kabobs? They’re the house specialty.”
“Stout, this is Shadow,” said Nails quickly. “Put four artichoke kabobs for the table on my tab in honor of her visit. We’ll order some more later, but that should hold us for now, Stout, and thank you.”
Spot wrinkled up her cute nose while Stout was on his way back to the bar. “Artichokes? You know I don’t like artichokes.”
“Yes,” chirped Nails with unusual cheerfulness. “It’s the only way the three of us will get any of them.”
“I like artichokes,” murmured Shadow. There was an exceedingly long pause in the conversation where she looked around the table before adding, “So, you know?”
“Know what?” asked Nails with a look of perfect innocence. Neither Hammer nor Spot said anything, since they were sitting pressed together at the moment, side-by-side, and Hammer was unwilling to say anything that might possibly change that.
“About… Celestia,” managed Shadow.
Hammer could feel Spot tense beside him, although Nails spoke up quickly. “Yes, we do. It’s a secret, but we both found out she has—” he lowered his voice “—horribly bad breath.”
“Wha—?” Shadow nearly came out of her seat, and probably would have if she had not been stuck behind the table. Spot merely giggled, a warm and welcome feeling against Hammer’s side.
“And nose-warts,” added Spot. “Remember, I told you about the warts.”
“Oh, of course,” continued Hammer, picking up his cue. “And giant hooves, even bigger than mine.” He thumped the table from beneath while Spot let out a short and welcome laugh.
“Huge hooves, and so clumsy with them,” she said through the giggles. “She must step on a dozen ponies a day by accident.”
“So that was under her hooves when Dad put on her new shoes a decade ago.” Hammer waggled one knowing eyebrow. “Slow-moving guards.”
Shadow giggled despite her best efforts, ending with a baffled expression once she could talk again. “I don’t understand.”
Nails patted her on the shoulder. “Well, you’re new here. Welcome to Away. Have a kabob and we’ll fill you in. Thank you, Star,” he added as Star Iolite swept a tray of sizzling vegetable kabobs onto their table.
Spot and Hammer promptly dug in, while Nails floated one over to Shadow and waited until she got a grip on it with clumsy hooves.
“Ignore them,” he added while picking up his own kabob. “They’re culinary barbarians.”
“Hungry barbarians,” said Hammer between the demise of two roasted cherry tomatoes. Nails quite politely did not begin eating, but occupied his table time by starting an explanation.
“You see, Ham and I come here to get away from work. All day long, it’s shoes, shoes, shoes.”
“And I found this to be a wonderful way to get away from the stresses of my job at the palace,” said Spot. “Hey!” She snatched a pepper off Hammer’s kabob and chewed noisily, wrinkling up her nose at Hammer when he made to object.
“It’s… Away,” said Nails for lack of anything else to say.
Shadow merely looked down at her untouched kabob. “I’ve been away for a long time,” she started in a small voice. “It is not as pleasurable as it seems.”
“But this is away from away,” insisted Nails. “We have good food and good companions to enjoy until we have to go back to not-away. Sure, not-away is a dirty job with complaining ponies and sweat and hard work. But when we’re done…”
“It’s back to shoes,” said Hammer.
“And the palace,” said Spot.
“And etching enchantments,” said Nails, “until the next time we can visit Away and see our friends again. We would be honored to have you with us this evening, and for as many other evenings as you wish to spend in Away. Sometimes, we have Away at Hammer’s house,” he added, “which is more private, but we have to put up with his cooking.”
“Hey,” objected Hammer. “Mister Second Helpings of Everything?”
“Quantity to make up for quality,” countered Nails, taking a small bite off the artichoke at the end of his skewer. “Or need I remind Shadow that you remodeled your spare bedroom so she would have a place to stay, in case you and Spot needed some time to work things out?”
“He’s a big softie,” said Spot, giving her companion an elbow in the ribs, “but I’ve grown to appreciate it.”
Shadow continued her inspection of the kabob, then quietly nipped off the end tomato and chewed with an introspective look.
“They grow on you,” said Nails, obviously anticipating the obvious response. He passed one of the beers over to her and waited while she took a drink. “That grows on you too, after a while.”
“I think… I see,” she said slowly. Shadow nipped one of the onions from her kabob, chewed while Spot watched, then licked her lips. “I like this Away.”
Hammer shifted positions to press closer to Spot. “It’s far better when you have somepony special to share it with.”
“Indeed,” said Spot, and smiled at her sister.
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Last chapter tomorrow.
Ah, marvelous, nopony died. Always good when that happens. Or, doesn't happen, as the case may be...
Sniffs What? I’m not crying... it’s, it’s just the onions they are eating.
The more things change, the more they stay the same it seems... and that is not a complaint.
I wonder if Stout Flagon has a "My girlfriend isn't hungry" menu option with extra kabobs.
I has a happy. :)
You could end it here and it would be perfect.
Happy story is happy
10052793
Lotsa onions around here, too.
10052844
I agree. But I like that it isn't.
10052804
This... This is a glorious idea. Every bar needs to have this. Scratch that, anywhere they serve food.
Beautiful. Simply beautiful!
Hmmm... Methinks Nails may have found someone to mend his broken heart.
10052781
Wait what. Noooo!!!!!!!
But for reals this story has been an adorable gem.
Oh. Tomorrow’s the last chapter?! What a way to start off the week. May we humbly request a sequel, if that’s alright with you?
Luna needs this. I’m sure her anachronism will start showing when she is feeling up to talking more.
But these two really need to have a talk. It’s all well and good that they’re still close and all, but inference and implication is no way to run a relationship. And they ARE having a relationship.
10052781
hopefully with a time skip and the promise of the overpopulation of ze Alicorn Master Race
Aww, she brought her sister!
And to think this all started with Celestia just looking for a good, old-fashioned bar brawl.
Aww, that’s sweet.
I like how there's so much implied in here in what they are all not saying.
...though I think some of that is flying right over poor "Shadow's" head. Oh well, she'll catch on.
*clears throat*
D'aww!
~that is all~ :)
:)
10048019
10053026
I'd say you're both wrong; first off, there's no reason why Celestia would need to sacrifice her life to have a child, and second, being youthful after 1000 years basically proves that she regenerates thanks to alicorn physiology, which means she should be able to produce foals.
Could be very interesting to see their foal(s), especially if they take a bit after their father. Like, I could see them producing a studly alicorn stallion like Hephaestus making the best armor and weapons in the world, with earth pony strength, alicorn magic, and pegasus... friskiness? I suppose he'd probably use that last part to get himself into trouble, wouldn't he?
10053715
You must be new here. That's Alondro. You probably shouldn't be taking his fan theories seriously, as he's taken on the persona of someone who wants to kill everything forever. (He can't, because there's always a bigger fish and one of them says that this universe is off-limits)
10053747 Plus, he's adorable.
10053715 10053098 Hey, would I end the story with pregnant alicorns like I have for the-- (counts quietly) --well, quite a few of them, I suppose.
10053261 Away can take some time to get used to.
10053111 Well, there was some wrestling involved...
10053084 There's time for talking now.
10053083 Probably not. I still have that Coffee story to sequel.
10052998 Does Luna count as royalty? He may have to break his vow.
10052784 Holding my record of zero fatalities for any of my stories.
10052804 That's such a neat menu.
10052935 Apparently, it's gone viral
10053026 Menopause is kinda a primate thing.
10053903
Is that really true, though? I seem to recall your Twinkle Twinkle story having some deaths in it...though I guess not for any central characters (as of yet).
That time Twilight made a coltfriend also had a death in it...sort of.
10053899
Yeah, speaking of...
10053903
I seem to recall some stuff with griffons...
10053970
And there were all those changelings... <__<
10053899
Ooh! So a coffee sequel is still on the table...
10054240 Pfft, changelings don't count. They're just icky bugs with no proper origin story! Just like Cozy Glow! Non-people can be abused without remorse! Watch! *Alondro slams a giant iron mallet into Cozy's splattered body over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over....*
Finally, a decent explanation of why the Sisters retired.