Viva la Vodka

by Liquid Truth

...But There's Always a Happy Tomorrow

The night was happy.

The library was silent safe for the crackling of the fireplace and the flitter-flutter of pages. Twilight was sitting comfortably in her bed, reading a book and sipping on a mug of hot cocoa. The windows were closed, protecting her from the cold of late winter. The world was ready for a Winter Wrap-Up, yet the ever-present outside cold didn’t bother to even prepare to disappear.

Another thing that didn’t prepare was the unicorn, yelping as a pegasus landed on her head. “Hey, Twilight!”

Twilight giggled. “Yes, Rainbow?”

Rainbow chuckled and slithered down to her shoulder. “Hey, Twiiiiliiight!”

Twilight let out another round of giggle. “Yes, Rainbow?”

Rainbow detached herself from the bookhorse and squeezed herself between the book and the smiling purple face. “Hey, Twilight!”

Twilight closed the book and used it as the Hammer of Justice to lightly bop Rainbow up the head. Chuckling, she said, “What?”

Rainbow pecked her on the cheek. “Happy Anniversary, Twilight!”

Twilight frowned. “Our anniversary isn’t in three months, Rainbow.”

Rainbow chuckled and bopped Twilight’s muzzle. “Happy Anniversary, Twilight!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “No, Rainbow, I’ve marked our anniversary in the calendar. It’s not there, see?” She pointed at the calendar, devoid of anything but Winter Wrap-Up at the end of next week, Rainbow’s First WB Performance the week after, and Spa Day right next to it.

Rainbow took out a cake from under the bed. “Happy Aniversary, Twilight!”

Twilight frowned deeper and smacked her face with her hoof. “Did you… did you really forgot that today isn’t our anniversary and bought a cake?” Twilight slid her hoof down her muzzle. “And now we have to celebrate something because you’ve bought it?”

Rainbow laughed and set the cake down on the bed. She saw Twilight’s face contort in confusion for a second before freezing, and Rainbow knew she won. She gripped Twilight by the neck and gave her a noogie. Once more she laughed and shouted, “Happy Anniversary, Twilight!”

From between Rainbow’s affectionate attacks and her mind’s slowly accelerating mind, Twilight blinked once. Then twice. Then she blinked the tears away and simply stared at the One Year Sober on the cake. “R-really?”

Rainbow pecked her on the cheek. “You did it, Twilight!”

“I did it?”

Rainbow threw her hooves up the air. “You did it!”

“I did it.”

“You did it!”

Twilight sat up and threw her hands up the air and waved them around. “I did it!”

Rainbow laughed and pulled her into a double-hug with her hooves and wings, and they shared a laugh that echoed through the whole library.

Twilight let herself laugh so hard she cried, and she enjoyed that cry inside the little fluffy cocoon of feathers and love. And she snuggled in and wrapped her own hooves around Rainbow’s neck and sunk them both into a deep kiss. She kissed Rainbow until she was more purple than her, and she kissed Rainbow more because she deserved it.

Rainbow kissed Twilight back until she couldn’t breathe. She kissed her back because Twilight deserved it. She deserved it, alright, she deserved it because she had done something awesome, and she found it cool, and so she kissed her back again after a quick breath.

The night was happy, and the two lovebirds spent it snuggling and eating cake and drinking cocoa.

Author's Note:

For all alcoholics, recovering alcoholics, and even would-be alcoholics out there, I wish you all a happier tomorrow.

And even though I was saved early and didn't suffer much, on behalf of us all, for the people who has and is helping, I thank you and wish you forevermore good luck.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

I feel like this is missing a tag, but I suppose that's what Narcotics is for. I also feel like, you know, some of Twilight's other friends might have interceded before she got that far along. Especially the one literally named after liquor. Plus, I can't help but think of the world-threatening horrors that might have intruded on the drama without Twilight available to stop them. And what feels like a remarkable dearth of second chances in a setting that's infamous for them.

I know, I know, not the point of the story, but it does end up feeling somewhat artificial. A good tale of descent and recovery, but the baggage around it left me dissatisfied.

[Liquid Truth]

10292370
I agree, not quite as polished as I'd like myself. I just get a little impatient after making the Chrysalis bit and felt that it threw the entire thing off, fearing that adding more would just make it feel like meaningless chapters to excuse something that I really want to happen but shouldn't. I guess I should've put more time into this.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Jinzou]

I'll admit, the thing with Spike leaving hurt, and yeah, you'd think more of her friends would get involved, but I still liked the story. It was cute and I really liked what you did with Rainbow.

[origami]

Feels like this should have a sad tag on it

[JustFalcon]

Alternate Title: The Story of a High-Functioning Alcoholic (until they're not)

Lord, the feels here. Well written, but a few bits did feel unnatural and jittery.

[Shu kurenai]

10293077
good point. :/

[Yutah123]

The others have said it as well, but yeah, I feel like the behavior of her friends and Celestia in ‘The World is Full of Surprises’ was very uncharacteristic of them. They’re closer than that and they’d want to help Twilight instead of abandon her like some cheap ponies who aren’t there in a friend’s time of need. As for Celestia, she isn’t so cold and impersonal as to just leave a letter without doing anything to try to help a beloved student straying from her path into self-destructive habits, she’s more maternal than that.

Other than that though, it was perfectly fine.

[Unintelligent]

I liked it. Too little twidash these days

[Stahlseele]

If i did not have such good of a sense of taste and smell, i am very sure i would, by now, be a barely functioning alcoholic mess.
I tried to many different drinks and i always taste and smell that chemical burning bitter sensation which makes me hate it.
Often i wish i liked to drink to get myself a reset button once in a while . . or once a week . . probably at some point once a day.

[Jinzou]

I just want to say...

I orignially read this six months ago, but ever since then, I'll come back every so often and re-read the last two chapters.

I used to be a major alcoholic, and recently I decided to get sober. Within this last week, actually. I'm still definitely feeling the psychological affects of the withdrawal.

But every day since I started I come back and re-read this chapter. At least once a day. And just as soon as she sees what's on the cake, I tear up every time.

I dunno what exactly it's making me feel, but it's something. Thank you for writing this. Honestly, thank you.