Goodbye, farewell, adieu. (Intel, Iccy, Shala, Mriia(cause there are heaps of Nights))

It was...almost nostalgic, Intel thought as he placed his bags next to his chair. This was the first place he met his Ponyville friends. It was also the place that he'll say his last goodbyes.

Cheer up. It's not like you're not going to see them again

The house had been sold, his two charges have been dealt with, and everything was in the right place. They were all meeting at the Tavern, because, well...

Getting out Hurdlus' Observations, Intel started to read while he waited.

Iccy walked into the Bar, sighing, rubbing his eyes with a hoof. He'd been exausted, looking for a cheap and efficient Subsitute for the still-Hypothetical Magical engine. Or whatever it was called.

In any case, He sat down, giving a half-hearted wave to Intel.

Shala grumbled as she reached the door of the tavern and put on her rough face she always put on going to this place. The place where she could help ignore her problems. The place where she met her friends. The place where she would not be seeing again for a long time, if ever.

Wiping her eyes, she bit her lip and quenched her thirst with another drink from her flask. The door before her was much more intimidating than she remembered. Her hoof reached out to push it open, but she locked up halfway through.

Just...Just one more time and you are done here. Its not like Manehattan. Buzzed her thoughts, some alcohol already in her from her last morning in her home. Nothing ever came good of this before in her life, but it had to go on.

With a push of the door, she trotted in, her face looking indifferent as she sat down aside Intel. She acknowledged no one, looking instead to the ceiling.

Intel closed his book with a sigh and put it away. Nodding to the other two, he said nothing for a while.

You should be happy. You're going home. To Canterlot. Isn't that what you always wanted? To stop the city haunting your dreams? To see your friends and family again? To solve Shala's problems? You can't do anything here. Not here, in this backwater.

Wearing a smile to mask his troubled mind, he turned to his employer/partner. Or maybe ex-partner/employer. He didn't know. It was complicated. Too complicated.

"So Trottingham. Is that a nice place?"

Iccy gave a pained, sad smile. "Y-Yep. B-But, let's not beat a-around the bush, aye?" He sighed sadly and pulled a couple papers out of a saddle bag. "W-What would have been the rest of y-your pay, for t-this month." he said, sliding one paper over.

Shala kept her stare at the ceiling before shifting it down to watch her hoof rub at the table.

"Where is that darn bartender?" She grumbled to herself, looking back at the bar. She clopped her hoof to get their attention. As she waited, she avoided eye contact with any of the others.

Intel considered waving the money off It wasn't as though you needed it but decided to take it with a smile. "Just trying to make this last conversation a happy one. Well, as happy as it can be, really. We aren't good at happy at the best of times, and considering the circumstances..." His voice faded with his smile.

"Just so you know, you are welcome to visit the Design household at your leisure, Icarus." He recovered. "I think they'd like you a lot."

Iccy shook his head. "Nah... E-Even being born there, I-I'd still be too 'B-Back water.'" He said, giving a decisive Snort.

He was trying not to sound bitter. But he couldn't help it. It was basically his best friend and his crush leaving Ponyville for good.

"Bacardi." Shala sighed and ground a hoof into the table a bit more, studying it almost as intensely as Intel would a book. When her drink arrived, she let out a broken cough and quickly sipped.

She mumbled a few things, opening her mouth to speak and withdrawing as she changed her mind. She wanted to converse, but nothing was coming out.

Night was not her normal elegant self Her mane was pulled back into a short spiky ponytail. She wore a simple black turtle neck and pencil skirt. Fluttering down she landed heavily outside of the bar. It had taken longer for her to get the cub to bed then she had hoped. Longer still to remove the cat hair from her clothing.

Folding her wings she took a deep breath and entered the tavern.

Well, it was as tense and awkward as she expected it would be. Everything hadn't exactly been peachy keen the last few months.

Setting across from Intel with Shala to one side and Icarus to the other she let out a sigh. "It will be lonely in town without you, I will have to come and visit. In my business, it was nice to make such close friendships with you three."

She ordered a Greyhound from the bartender, with a special note to go light on the Gin. before smiling sadly at her three friends.

Intel raised his eyebrows at the implied insult to his family, but did not respond. It was not the time.

Night was a much welcomed distraction. "You'll be welcome at any time, Night. My family isn't that bad, thank Celestia, else I'd be much much more troubled about introducing Shala to them."

Ordering water, he again tried to lift the spirits of the group. "And I'll come to visit myself every once in a while. It's the least I can do, really. I'm very much thankful that I met you all when the chips were very much down."

Iccy gave a half-hearted toast, ordering himself a Cider drink. Not from Apple Family Apples, of course, but brewed here at the Tavern anyway. After taking a long draft, he set his mug down and stared at it.

Shala saw to Iccy's toast, giving it more heart and coughing after her drinking. Still silent, she sighed and stared at her cup just as Iccy did. Other than her hard stare, nothing else came from Shala.

Night Toasted as well. sipping at her drink. The tension in the room made her feathers bristle. "It will be nice to visit, and I do have legitimate business I should take care of in canterlot. It will be good for the Little Griffon to see the bigger cities." She replied. Looking back and forth from Shala and Icarus.

"So... How have you been Shala, darling? I feel like its been ages..." Night asked over her glass. Attempting to break the mares silence.

How fitting, there friendship started over a fight, and now, the way the tension crackled in the room it was on the verge of separating with one as well.

"Intel, you must be excited to see your family again?"

Intel grinned uneasily. He didn't really like the fact that the 'baby' griffon...existed, really. From what he knew he was most definitely not a baby until Shala did her- thingy, which just caused a headache when came to questions on whether it was right or not to leave him in this state.

Of course, when he tried to bring this up, Shala just hit him. Continually.

"Oh, very much so. Mum, dad and Ellie. I've missed them a whole lot. Course, Ellie's going to scream my ears off, but still."

Talking about his family did make him happy, as a small genuine smile grew on his face.

Iccy drained his cup, putting it down. "I-I should go... L-Lots of... s-stuff..." his feeble lie Showing on his face. He pulled out a few bits, not even counting them, placed them on the table, and slid off, heading to the door.

"...Been....better...." Shala said, staring into the table. The words did not come easily. A murmur escaped her when Iccy got up to go. Shaking and suddenly draining her drink in one go, she slammed it down with enough force to fracture the glass.

"Iccy!" Her voice said with quiet distress. Eyes following him wide and full of doubt.

Its just going to end like it usually does. Don't bother....Even if they are the best friends you have ever had...That have been there to help you...Oh screw it!

Shala couldn't let him go. She couldn't let anyone go now. Not like this.

"...First time we met...You went home drunk...and left the tab to me." Her expression forced itself to be stern, though it was a strawpony at best. "...You still owe me for that, so get back here." She ruffled her mane over her eyes before wiping at her eyes themselves.

Sliding Closer to Shala she gently stroked her shoulder. "Icarus darling, can't you stay a bit longer? There is no telling when we might see each other again."

She may have been able to keep her sadness from her voice but her eyes told another story.

Without these ponies her It wasn't like she had a reason to stay in Ponyville. Especially since Aloe and Lotus had returned from there trip home, leaving her jobless.

Again.

Again he leaves.

Of he does, why should he stay? It not like he should care about his friends.

It's not like he is the group's conscience, and it's not like we fall into bickering and arguing when he's not there.

How dare he. How dare he! How dare he make me feel bad about me going back home! How dare he act as if I have somehow offended him by wanting to see my family again! Does he know how much he is making me hurt at this point in time? Or has the cider dulled his senses as well as his sensibilities? First he treats me like a stranger, then he insults my flesh and blood. Those I can weather, for I don't want our last meeting to end in a fight. But this... he is not abandoning us again, and hiding his fucking head in the sand when things become less than ideal, 'cause that's when we need you most, Gear!

When Intel spoke, his voice was as cold as liquid nitrogen, as if he was knurd. "I understand. You have your actual 'friends' to meet. Goodbye, Mr Gear."

Iccy had well stopped before Intel had spoken. His whole body was shaking. "... 'Actual friends?' Don't make me laugh." His voice had dropped to a low growl. He turned back around, tears in his eyes. "You guys were my best friends. You're the one who's leaving to be with the people who you really want to be with. So, I'm Sorry. I'm Sorry If I can't quite deal with the first true Friends I've ever made leaving the place I live and work forever. I'm going off for a little bit, yes. But what happens when I get back? I become alone again." He grabbed his Bag of bits and tossed it out. "There's my Tab." And he Stormed right out.

It was a breaking moment. Shala was completely caught off guard. Especially by Intel. She could not help but imagine an upset infant in his place making such a response.

It can't end like this. Not again. It always ends bad, but not this time!

She snapped. The familiar sensation of Shala's glass colliding with Intel's head a high speed would be followed by her curses. "Idiot!" She shouted. Fortunately for Intel his odds of having broken glass in his head were not as great with the bottom of the glass impacting first.

She grabbed the bag of bits and quickly ran out the door after Iccy, charging into the rain and shouting for him. "Iccy! ICCY!" She was thankful that the rain ran over her face, hiding the emotions leaking from her eyes.

It pained her that this would be her last memory of them together. "Nobody ever said forever Icarus!" Besides, she was the one being left behind all alone. She would be the one left in Ponyville while everyone went home.

"Intel!" She was startled by Shala's reaction, though, at some point Night was going to have to stop being surprised by the things she will do.

Part of Night wanted to chase after Icarus and Shala, but she needed to make sure Intel's head wasn't split open first.

"Are you going to be alright?" She pulled out her purse and left enough bits to cover everyone's tabs. Anticipating that the tavern portion of there evening was over.

"No, but..." Intel felt his head where the glass hit, "...no, I'm not. She's going to seriously injure me one day. Oh. Wait. Ha."

It wasn't bleeding, thank goodness, but it did hurt like anything. Intel turned and went to sit back down.

"I just want to go home," he stated simply, "Ponyville's nice and everything, and Canterlot has many faults, but I just want to go home. I invited him to visit, but what did he do? Reject my hospitality and imply my family to be materialistic bigots that would call him 'backwater'. He's the one severing our ties by not even making the effort to sustain them. He's just...running."

Intel sighed heavily. "Well, damn this place," he mumbled placing a few bits on the table, "More trouble than it's worth. Let's go after them, Night. It's not like it could get any worse."

Iccy stopped, shivering slightly. "S=Shala?" He didn't turn around. He refused to turn around. He'd made things bad enough tonight. "I-I..." He gave an audible sniff. "I-I'm sorry... I-I just c-couldn't..."

Shala would have none of it. "No! No no no no no! You can't just leave! I'm the one leaving! You still owe me!" She tossed the bag on the ground before him.

"You still owe me a meal. Know why? Because then you have come and see me. You have to pick a time and place. You have to talk to me. You have to be my friend for just one more day." Tears began to well up as she couldn't hold it in much more.

She took a big breath before going on, likely enough time to be in earshot of the others.

"You have to remember that all out friends matter so much...that I won't want your money anymore. Because it doesn't matter if we don't see each other for weeks, month, or even years. We can just love and tolerate eachother so much that even after the worst of everything about eachother, we can all just hug and laugh and know that we will always be there for eachother. Because friends make you happy. They make bad things less bad. They make good times better."

She was beginning to get "Friends....are better than any alcohol i could ever have...They may make me do stupid things, feel awful about myself later, and even be a bad influence on me, but I wouldn't be in any happier a place without them...Please...Lets all be friends"

Shala held out her hoof to Iccy, growing wetter as the rain poured.