By Chance

(Eine Kleine Timeskip)

"ONE DRINK desera REDIT!
ONE DRANK desaa BLAM!
Anlickeradiadiadiadisit NAME!
Lickarefloriadiatiata IS ITS NAME!"

Far too many rounds later the singing had devolved into shouting, and the lyrics had metamorphosed into a series of syllables. White was having trouble not spilling her drink, and was leaning on Loyal for support. Turns had disappeared a couple of rounds ago, in lieu of whoever can think of something shouting it in what resembles a tune.

"You can't take three from two two, is less than three so you, look in the tens place. Take one ten from, the four tens, regroup then you get twelve, minus three which is nine."

Looking at her inebriated companion, Loyal resisted laughter, saying "As surprisingly coherent as that whole spiel was, White, what does that have to do with anything?"

White shot back a beaming smile and replied, "Ondrindesra CREDIT! Dorestsainda BLAM! LICKORADIRADIATA IS ITS NAME! LICKER- Oh, bugger it." And she took a drink.

The elder mare frowned as some of White's drinking attempt spilled on her. "So, Mr Gordy, was it? What do you do?" she asked turning to their newest addition.

Package finally ended his laughing fit. The effects gained from his earlier limited alcohol consumption had long since worn off, but that didn't make the whole competition any less funnier. Every other 'turn' Package would once again laugh as both White and Dare attempted to even try to sing. Fact was, they couldn't even talk, let alone form their words to fit in a pattern recognizable by anyone.

"Wazer! Lightning! Carry five drop the sea! Fow meny dwrinks haz et been?"

"I believe that would be 17 drinks consumed by the two of you, though you two may be on different numbers, 'cause recently you haven't really been able to keep up with eachother's drinking pace. Still goin'?"

Gordy looked around as Dylgo was finishing up her tale about what she had been up to since she left Manehattan. "It appears that you've been through quite a bit. I actually moved out to Ponyville recently. I'm just here in town to get the last of my stuff."

"So, Mr Gordy, was it? What do you do?"

"I'm a singer." He said with confidence. "I actually just did a collaboration with a DJ recently." "He's always been mr. musical. If I ever felt down, he would sing a song for me." Dylgo said. The effects of her alcohol consumption were slowly wearing off now, but she was still far from sober. "But I still got my cutie mark before he did." Dylgo said with a mocking smile on her face. "You can't prove that." Gordy said with his best poker face.

"With your reaction, I don't need to," Loyal said, "Something we all get anyway isn't really something to ashamed, or even to be proud of." She shifted position to support her companion. "Lives are more interesting than marks."

"Stil' truckin'" White mumbled, "Not goin' to lose to a federgewicht. Never live it down. Mou ikkai!" She downed another Radiata. "See? No' as goo' if not chant."

((Grammar nazis beware, this post will give you cancer XD))

"17? That fffelt like a 30. Get yer counten strayt. Hanader rawnd!" There was no way he was quitting, so it's either one of them passes out, or one of them hurls it out, but since they weren't doing those things yet, for Dare, the cards are still in play. "Cahn yuu kep et up Vwhite? Yuu shoufldn't pushhh yurself ef yu knew whafts good fur yuu." He said this with a weary smile.

By this time, Dare felt his head getting lighter and it was getting hard for him to move his body, but he kept on drinking. 'Soh close, can't give up now.'

"17? That fffelt like a 30. Get yer counten strayt. Hanader rawnd!"

"Dare, just be happy that someone who still remembers how to count is counting."

"Cahn yuu kep et up Vwhite? Yuu shoufldn't pushhh yurself ef yu knew whafts good fur yuu."

Package chuckled once again at the lack of coherency in Dare Devil's statement. Oh, good times...

"Something we all get anyway isn't really something to ashamed, or even to be proud of. Lives are more interesting than marks."

Dylgo shrugged at this. "Just giving him a hard time." She said with a smile. "It's what she does." Gordy said with a chuckle. Dylgo looked over at Dare and White. "Are they still going?" Dylgo said with a concerned look on her face.

Gordy couldn't help but laugh at Dylgo's concern. He knew that look. "Somepony has a crush." Gordy said while nudging Dylgo. "Oh, be quiet." Dylgo said, nudging Gordy in return.

"Si," White said, " 'least I can speak naar behoren, aaaand I feeeeeel fineeeee. I'm so glaaad tha sheez my only maaare/she so glad, she lives without a care..." As she sang she took another swig. "Woo... But you're nearly done, poids plume, 'less you be betrug." She poked her opponent. "You better not be, coz that's a bad. Thing. As in, not good. Yeah."

"This is the reason she drags me along," Loyal sighs, "You wouldn't believe the ponies that would try to take advantage of her in this state. It's rather irritating." She did not address the crush that the pegasus mare had on the other inebriated pony, for it was firstly not her place to talk about it, and secondly she couldn't understand how one could harbour such feelings towards a pegasus who was now flailing in his every move, and slurring with his every word.

"I shudder to think what all of this will cost," the elder mare remarked idly.

"I shudder to think what all of this will cost."

Package thought about that for a moment. "Say, now that I think about it, we never established how we were gonna pay for this. You'd think the loser would pay the bill, but they never established that, either." He gestured to White and Dare. "It will probably add up to be a large total, though. Sunrises ain't the cheapest drink in the bar. Actually, kinda surprising those two haven't drank up the whole stock yet." The Pegasus looked over as he noticed another pony approach the group, Dare specifically.

"Ahahaha! Ohhh, right. Heverpony, dis iz my little brothher, Laightning."

Package smiled at the new arrival. "Hey there, Lightning! Come to join in the fun? Oh, and not to worry 'bout Dare, we've got the situation under control."

"I shudder to think what all of this will cost,"

"oh right..." Dylgo said, thinking. "I can pay for my own." "And I can take whatever anyone else can't." Gordy said.

"Ahahaha! Ohhh, right. Heverpony, dis iz my little brothher, Laightning."

"Hey there, Lightning! Come to join in the fun? Oh, and too worry 'bout Dare, we've got the situation under control."

Dylgo got up to meet the new addition. "Hello. I'm Dylgo." Her glance shifted over to the inebriated Dare Devil. "I think it's safe to say he's had enough." Gordy got up at this point and walked over. "I'd say he's had more than enough."

"To soberer ponies!" White raised her glass in a kind of toast, "May they catch, us when we faaall!"

Loyal nodded a silent greeting, still supporting the drunk mare. "The household, of course, will cover its own expenses. It's better for us not to be in anypony's debt."

"Burnie's on the mark line,
Burnie's got the ball,
Burnie kicks it to himself,
Burnie gets a goal!
HEY"

"-Though she might not be able to get her pride back from this little encounter."

"To soberer ponies! May they catch, us when we faaall!"

Package was about to argue that he had now long been sober, and that Loyal had had only one drink, but after a second of thought he decided it wasn't worth the effort.

"Under control, huh? Too bad there isn't a piano here. I'm sure he'd love to play us a piece."

Package chuckled a bit at this. "Actually, that is not a bad idea! I'm fairly certain hearing someone who's drank x amount of drinks would be a great 'entertainer'! Sadly, though, it seems that there are no pianos around, or any instruments for that matter."

"Don't worry about paying for what he drank. I came prepared, like any wingman is. I know this dolt, so what's he playing for? Loser pays or loser jumps off a cliff? Wouldn't be the first time."

"Heh, I hope you have deep pockets then, Lightning. With the money he's spent in this past contest, he could probably buy himself his own mansion. And as for the contest's terms: loser takes winner out for a date, is what those two established."

"To soberer ponies! May they catch, us when we faaall!"

Dylgo couldn't help but laugh at this. most of the effects of her alcohol consumption appeared to be gone now, although she still had the giggles every now and then.

"Heh, I hope you have deep pockets then, Lightning. With the money he's spent in this past contest, he could probably buy himself his own mansion. And as for the contest's terms: loser takes winner out for a date, is what those two established."

Dylgo's good wing hung limp at hearing this. it would have been nice to get a chance at winning that, but in hindsight, she wouldn't stand a chance. snapping out of her thoughts, she folds her wing back in again, hoping nopony noticed.

Gordy noticed. nudging Dylgo, he shoots her a mocking smile. "Oh be quiet." Dylgo says in slight annoyance. Gordy just laughed a little.

Loyal made a face. "Can't stand pianos. Don't ask me why, but I never liked them that much. I am also grateful that White has not danced on a table this time. No, White, you can't."

White pouted. "No hedgehog son'?"

"Definitely not."

With a pout, White downed another glass, wobbled a bit, then sighed loudly. "Snifflehelm," she grumbled.

"And the next glass will be your last. I am not going to carry a sleeping pony all the way back to the house."

White's eyes widened. "But-" she tried before being silenced by Loyal's glare.

"...sunrise, please," the younger ordered in resignation. Losing to a featherweight. That was shameful.

"Oh don't worry. I'll be paying with his money. He has a sack full of bits just for occasions like this, ever since that one time he was challenged by the manager. They had to pay for their drinks by putting on a show the next week. Oh how I wish I had a camera then."

"Huh. That's actually not a bad idea. The bit thing, that is. He must be smarter than he looks. And not just because he looks like an idiot right now."

"So he's trying to hook up a date through a drinking contest. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Dare I envy your smooth moves."

"Shaadddap you little runt!"

Package chuckled a bit. "On the contrary. If I remember correctly, the mare in this contest actually offered the idea."

"And the next glass will be your last. I am not going to carry a sleeping pony all the way back to the house."

"Awwww..." Package formed a somewhat sad expression upon hearing the older mare's words, unintentionally exaggerating it slightly. "Well, it was entertaining while it lasted, in that case."

"Yeah, I think you've had enough too, Dare. I wouldn't want to be the one to drag your flank back home, not when you smell like a bar after an earthquake. Just standing close to you for a few minutes could get anypony drunk."

"Noh! E'm too cklose to mai goal!"

"And that's as close are you're going to get today."

"Yoh, cahn't make meh!"

"I hope he can at least feel his legs... Otherwise I'd be kicking myself tomorrow for forgetting the camera."

Package glanced at the nearest clock for a second. Hm, I should probably be getting back soon. Well, then again, I probably should've been getting back a while ago. "Wait, so... If them two are being dragged away, then that would be a tie, I think. So then...what happens next?"

"Yeah, I think you've had enough too, Dare. I wouldn't want to be the one to drag your flank back home, not when you smell like a bar after an earthquake. Just standing close to you for a few minutes could get anypony drunk."

"Noh! E'm too cklose to mai goal!"

"And that's as close are you're going to get today."

"Yoh, cahn't make meh!"

Dylgo nodded in agreement as both of the drunk ponies were being made to stop. They were long past the point where they should have stopped.

"Wait, so... If them two are being dragged away, then that would be a tie, I think. So then...what happens next?"

Dylgo thought for a second. "That's a good question. nopony really won, so what now?" She said, looking at Gordy. "Don't look at me." Gordy said, nonchalantly. "I don't know anything about drinking games and the like."

The bartender served White her last Celestia's Sunrise, and instead of gulping it down, she drank it at a reasonable pace. "Wooooh...." she managed to say, although it wasn't really speech as much as releasing tension in an auditory form.

Asking for a pen and paper, Loyal scribbled something down. "As my employee is currently unable to make suitable arrangements in her current state of mind, here is her address and phone number for when Mr Devil feels like sorting out the date in some form or another. I feel the simplest way is to split the expenses, though social courtesy may alter the details." She then gave it to Lightning. "As your brother is also currently in an unsuitable state of mind to receive it, it would be best if you were to hold onto this until he has regained his senses."

"Spursinn..."

"As for now, I believe White Woods shall need assistance back to her house. I'm sure that this has been an enjoyable experience for both of us, even if it ended with one of us becoming inebriated."

White poked the other mare. "'m not, you're jus'...ebriated."

Supporting the inebriated pony, Loyal made her way out of the bar. "Gentlecolts, Ms Dylgo," she addressed with a nod before leaving.

Package observed as the older mare of the pair that had joined them quickly wrote a note and handed it to Lightning, meant to help handle the situation with the winnings of the contest. He then watched them as the two ponies left for the entrance of the building.

"Gentlecolts, Ms. Dylgo,"

Package waved at the two ponies as they left. "G'bye! Hope to see ya again one day!" He lowered his hoof once more once the two ponies were out of sight, turning back to the bar and ordering a random whiskey, the last drink of the day.

"How much do we owe you?" Lightning sighed when the bartender gave him the answer, but nevertheless produced a few stacks of bits and placed them onto the counter. "There we are."

Package whistled at the amount of bits that the bartender had been given. "Huh, that's even more than I thought it would be. Then again, I was slightly drunk when I started counting drinks, so I might have miscalculated something."

"How far gone are you this time, Dare? What was he drinking? I never saw him this wasted before."

The bartender soon came back with Package's drink, and the Pegasus quickly opened it and began to drink from the bottle at a slow, steady pace. "They were actually drinking Celestia's Sunrises throughout the contest though I'm fairly certain that both of them also drank an Everfree or two or three. Both pack quite a kick, though both are also quite expensive, unfortunately for you."

"Gentlecolts, Ms. Dylgo,"

"Bye!" Dylgo said as she waved goodbye to the two mares. turning back to Gordy, she can't help but hug him again. "I've missed you so much!" She said with a wide grin. Laughing and backing up from Dylgo, Gordy speaks up. "Alright, Alright, We've already done this!" "I know, I'm just so happy to see you again!" she said bouncing a little.

"They were actually drinking Celestia's Sunrises throughout the contest though I'm fairly certain that both of them also drank an Everfree or two or three. Both pack quite a kick, though both are also quite expensive, unfortunately for you."

"yeah. well, you can see what those have done." Gordy said pointing at Dare. levitating a small bag, he turns to the bartender. "I'll be paying for hers." Dylgo stepped in at this. "What? you don't have to do that." "I insist. call it a repayment for not seeing you before you moved." Gordy said while paying for her beers. "Fine. Thank you!" Dylgo said with a grin.