By Chance

"You sure know your way around, Rex. Judging by the roads we bypassed, we would have taken at least twice as long to get here."

Package chuckled. "Eeyup. I s'pose it's 'cause I've been around quite a bit of the city, whereas many people around here usually stay around one area."

Package walked into the Hot Shot with Dare and Dylgo, looking around the establishment as he did so. Only a small handful of ponies were there at the time, making the place nearly empty.

"Still too early for the regular costumers?"

"Guess so. Then again, these are the average working hours of Manehattan. So I would think a lot of ponies would be working at this time."

Package looked around at the few ponies that were there. After a moment of observation, the Pegasus was quite sure that he had never met any of the ponies currently in the pub. Good. Might be able to avoid some unwanted situations.

"So, what drinks do they sell here?"

"Um, everything? In my experience, if you want a drink, then they most likely have it."

Package walked from the front entrance of the building to the large counter at the front, with his two new acquaintances following behind him.

"Alright, whatch'ya want?"

Dylgo thought about this for a second. She didn't drink often, but now would as good a time as any. "I guess just a beer. doesn't matter which kind. they're all the same to me." it was the truth. she didn't drink often enough to be able to tell any difference in the taste. looking around, she thinks that it's a good thing this place is pretty much empty. Dylgo isn't exactly known for being able to stay very sober for long.

"...and with Something-something holding down the fort for today, that leaves us able to let our hair down! Figuratively, at least, since you insist on that tied up bun of yours."

The door opens to let two mares into the bar. One was approaching middle-age, with her hair all tied up and with an expression that she dearly wanted to be somewhere else. The other was younger with a much more enthusiastic look that was in deep contrast to the burns and scars which littered half of her body. As the younger one bounded towards the bar, the serious one scanned the area as though looking for something, her gaze pausing at each of the ponies she could see. After surveying the scene, she sighed and joined her companion.

"Oh, come on boss, can't you be happy without scaring the bejeezus out of a poor pony? There's not that many here, but there's enough to say hello, and meeting new ponies is something to be enjoyed over drinks."

The older pony glared at the younger, but was met with a gaze that was just as strong. Anger fought against determination for a few seconds, before it gave way.

"Fine," the elder pony grumbled, "But this is only because it's the first chance you had to do what you want for a while."

The younger pony clapped her hooves together. "Yes! 'tender, a Celestia's Sunrise for me and my boss, please!"

Dare didn't know what to get. He wasn't that much of a drinker, and he didn't know much on what the drinks were called. His last question was to fish for some names, but unfortunately, he only got a vague answer. He was in the mood to try different things, and beer didn't count as something new. Neither did the ones he remembered the names of. 'Guess I'll just stick with wine.'

Dare was about to order when he was interrupted by the coming of two new mares, who looked out of the ordinary. He turned his attention back to the counter, looking at the various wine bottles and naming them in his head.

"Yes! 'tender, a Celestia's Sunrise for me and my boss, please!"

'Celestia's Sunrise?' He mused on the thought for a moment before unknowingly slamming his hoof on the counter. "I'll have what their having! Can't hurt to try something new once in a while."

"Yes! 'tender, a Celestia's Sunrise for me and my boss, please!"

Package looked over to the sound as he heard the voice of a mare make an order. When he looked, the Pegasus could see two ponies sitting at the bar nearby. Both mares, one older, one younger. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he believed that he might have seen one of the mares before. Where and when he had seen them, if at all, he could not seem to remember, though. Hmm, I'm probably just mistaking them for somepony else...

Package shrugged and looked back at the variety of drinks behind the counter, listening to Dare Devil as he spoke. "I'll have what their having! Can't hurt to try something new once in a while."

The Pegasus chuckled at the sudden outburst, and then ordered himself. "I'll have a Sapphire Hybrid. And she," he gestured with his head towards Dylgo, "will have a beer. Any beer."

((Considering typing on my kindle is unbearable and it would make little difference anyway, I'm going to let you all skip my turn this time. Hopefully I'll have a working computer before long.))

As one, the mares looked at the other group. The younger one smiled. "Life is made for new opportunities, new drinks and new ponies." She held out her hoof. "Name's White, and this my boss, Prudence. It's nice to meet you."

Prudence, for her part, simply muttered something and looked away. She didn't like this place. She felt extremely vulnerable with only one concealed blade on her. It's times like this she envied the unicorns. They had a weapon on them at all times and it was an extremely potent one at that. Even a pegasus' wings was better than nothing.

((We'll slow down the posting for you Dylgo, so you wont be too far behind))

"Life is made for new opportunities, new drinks and new ponies. Name's White, and this my boss, Prudence. It's nice to meet you."

Dare looked back to the pair of mares at the counter. 'Was I THAT loud?' Regardless of his own embarrassment, Dare wasn't shy about getting to know the other two. "Exactly! New stuff keeps popping up for us to try. Nice to meet you Miss White, Miss Prudence." Dare reached out to shake White's outstretched hoof. "My name's Dare Devil. These fine ponies behind me are Rex, and Dylgo." He said, pointing to his respective companions.

"Boss, right? Well it's nice to see good relationships between employer and employee. I wish my boss came with me when I go out, hehe." Through out the conversation, Dare had a friendly smile on his face which made him look like a happy fool.

((Well, hopefully you can get back to running speed soon. If anything, we can always take DG's suggestion and slow down the pace for you.))

"Life is made for new opportunities, new drinks and new ponies. Name's White, and this my boss, Prudence. It's nice to meet you."

"Exactly! New stuff keeps popping up for us to try. Nice to meet you Miss White, Miss Prudence. My name's Dare Devil. These fine ponies behind me are Rex, and Dylgo."

Package waved to the two mares as Dare Devil introduced the trio. "'Ello." White, and Prudence. Don't think I've ever heard of them, if anything. They seem nice enough. Well, more specifically, one looks nice enough. The Pegasus noted the bartender come back with the five orders that he had been given. He first handed to of the drinks he was carrying to the two mares that had recently arrived, and then went on to give the original trio their drinks as well, all without saying a word. Once he had finished his duty, Package slid the given beer over to Dylgo, and picked up his own drink.

((I'll try and figure something out. hopefully my financial troubles will pass soon.))

Dylgo caught herself staring into space as she sat there. her mind was elsewhere. When she heard her name though, she snapped out of it. "Hello." she says smiling at the two mares. sipping on her beer, she found herself staring into space again, finding nothing to say or do. as she continues drinking her beer, she could already feel the alcohol taking effect on her. It would appear that she's living up to her reputation of being a lightweight when it came to alcohol.

(Financial stuff, too? Oh dear. Hope it gets better soon.)

White laughed. "Well, boss is here so that I don't get into much trouble from scary ponies and the like. She's scarier than all of them when she wants to be. It's a pity she can't be friendly, though." She downed her glass in one go. "Ah, that's the stuff. Like the princess's rays of light in liquid form. C'mon, Prudence, say hello to our new friends!"

Prudence sipped her Sunrise, then made a face. "White, how strong exactly is this? It's more like drinking the actual sun."

"Oh, don't be a filly, it's not that bad. It just has a bit of a kick, that's all!" the younger laughed as she signalled for another.

Prudence growled and said in a low voice to the others. "The worst bit is that she's one of those ponies that isn't affected by hangovers, so she usually goes way over what's sensible."

"Don't forget the fact that my tolerance is waaay higher than you would think," White added, not caring one bit about her boss' biting tone, "So this is nothing compared to what I usually get up to on Friday nights. What about you guys?"

((Good Luck with that. Nothing worse than having your pockets empty... Okay, there are a lot of things that are worse, but you get my point))

Dare nodded to the bartender as he slid their drinks over to the customers. He looked at the drink before him. It sure didn't look like anything he has tried before. Seeing White going bottoms up on the drink, he thought it wasn't that much to handle. "Down the hatch." Dare was living up to his reputation of being a reckless idiot. With a swift motion, he emptied the contents of the glass without hesitation.

"White, how strong exactly is this? It's more like drinking the actual sun."

"Oh, don't be a filly, it's not that bad. It just has a bit of a kick, that's all!"

"A kick? More like a buck!" Dare choked and coughed a bit from the strong drink. He shook his head to regain his composure. "What a rush! Barkeep! Hit me with another one!" Well... they didn't call him a reckless idiot for nothing.

((Good fortune in your troubles, Dylgo))

Package grinned as Dare Devil showed off his idiocy to the rest of the group. It was a rare occurrence to see a grown stallion handle his liquid less adeptly than a younger mare, and every time the Pegasus had seen such a scene, he had always found it funny. He opened his own drink and drank maybe a quarter of it in a gulp. Package had only recently discovered this unique concoction, and so far he had decided that he liked the taste and effects that it brought with it when consumed.

"The worst bit is that she's one of those ponies that isn't affected by hangovers, so she usually goes way over what's sensible."

"Don't forget the fact that my tolerance is waaay higher than you would think, so this is nothing compared to what I usually get up to on Friday nights. What about you guys?"

"I'd say I'm the same as you in that sense, then. In my opinion, every Friday is essentially a drinking contest extravaganza." He took another long gulp of his drink. "But that's just Fridays. Sadly, most days I can't afford to drink too much at one time. Conflicts with work, in a way."

Dylgo couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Dare. He was handling it better than she could. that drink would knock her flat on her backside. come to think of it, her beer would do the same before long. being a lightweight, she can already feel the effects.

"I don't drink very often. So I'll probably be drunk by the time we're done." thinking back on this, she thought she heard a very slight slur already. that was quick. Dylgo knew this would happen long before everypony else, but she didn't expect it to start this quickly.

Loyal Prudence knew that expression in White's eyes. It was the fires of challenge, of competition.

"Don't."

White ignored the one-word warning, and said, "Careful, now. I'm not sure a featherweight like you can handle that much." To further her taunt to the reckless pegasus, she threw her drink down her throat.

Sighing in resignation, the older pony decided to talk to the other pegasi. "Same here with the conflicts with work. We usually can't afford to be smashed out of our minds in our duties, especially when we are trying to set a good example." She emphasized this last point as White ordered another drink. "Speaking of work, what do you ponies do for your crust?"

"Same here with the conflicts with work. We usually can't afford to be smashed out of our minds in our duties, especially when we are trying to set a good example."

"'Xactly so." Package drank some more of his beverage, and was somewhat surprised to find that he had almost run out already. Huh. Guess I'm a bit too used to drinking a lot at one time. He asked the bartender to replace his drink, and was once again quickly satisfied.

"Speaking of work, what do you ponies do for your crust?"

"Me?" Package thought a moment. What did I tell the other two... Oh yeah. "I work with specialized delivery." He noted that Dare Devil was currently preoccupied with more important business, and so he decided to answer for him as well. "And Dare Devil here is also a delivery pony. Different field, though."

finishing off her first beer, she motions for another. she should stop if she knows what's good for her. sadly, she doesn't.

"Speaking of work, what do you ponies do for your crust?"

"Me? I work with specialized delivery. And Dare Devil here is also a delivery pony. Different field, though."

looking at her bandages, she looks over at the mare who asked the question. "Ahm not working right now. broken wing and all that." she said as she haphazardly extended her good wing. screwing up the word I'm should have been her sign to either slow down or stop. but at this point, she hardly cared.

"Actually," White said, waving a hoof over her glass, "It's a scientifically proven fact that Earth ponies can handle more of the good stuff on average. Featherweights already have your heads halfway in the clouds to put up a fight." She downed her glass, her fourth. "Unicorns have their heads outside reality, so they're nothing. With a alcohol, anyway." She motioned for another C.Sunrise. "The brainiacs in Canterlot have developed seriously messed up stuff though. And most of the shadier stuff passes through our fair city. Me, I'll stick to my Sunrises and Everfrees." Drinking another one, she turned to the bartender. "Hey! Do you know how to make a decent Everfree, mate? Make two, one for me, one for the Dare Devil here."

Loyal clicked her tongue. "I can't stand being idle," she said, "I always like doing something, and I'm only here because she insisted that I accompany her. Injuries are really a pain and not all in the obvious way." She took a sip. "It amazes me how fragile your pegasus wings are, though. First time I saw a broken wing..." She held out her hooves at a certain angle. "It looked all wrong."

"Ahm not working right now. broken wing and all that."

"I always like doing something, and I'm only here because she insisted that I accompany her. Injuries are really a pain and not all in the obvious way."

"Oh, it's never nice to be injured. Sometimes less so than others, but it can always be a bother." He took another sip of his drink. "On the bright side, though, from my experience there's always a way around it."

"Injury is only part of life. It sucks when you're broken, but it opens up new doors for you, if not, there's always a window, hahaha. A good thing about suffering an injury is... the moment you realize you are still breathing, you know you haven't reached your limit, there is still room to push on. Heh... Wish I could say the same for...."

Package chuckled slightly at this, not noticing the way his acquaintance had trailed off. "That's quite a statement for someone named Dare Devil. You sure that's not just too much determination and not enough common sense?"

"You don't know? And here I thought you were the scientist. Pegasi have bones which are less dense compared to earth ponies and unicorns, like birds. The lighter weight allows us to fly without too much effort, but makes our bones that less... sturdy, but hey, nothing comes for free, right?" Ain't that true... "But just because we are fragile, doesn't mean we can't handle the pain. First major accident I ever had." Dare Devil stretched out his left wing as he said this, revealing a metallic brace that could be seen covering his wing joint, where it connected to the Pegasus' body. "Look wrong to you? You should have seen it when it was fresh from the crash, bet you couldn't tell it was a wing. So yeah, injury is a big part of life. Opening new doors and windows for you."

There goes the second one. Package motioned for the bartender to once again replace his drink, and then he spoke a response to Dare Devil's words. "Now I wouldn't say such injuries give you new opportunities in life, but I will say that it does present new challenges for you to overcome. An injury like that can really change your thinking process: that and a near death experience can both teach you that you're not as strong as you think you are. And not just Pegasi, either. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done to protect yourself and others, there's always a chance that you can die any instant of any day. And that, my friends, is why you must live your life to the fullest, whether you lose all your limbs or find yourself completely safe from harm." Well, look at me. Maybe I should try public speaking one day.

Dare trailing off concerned Dylgo. but even while drunk, she knows she probably shouldn't pursue it. at least not now. she isn't that drunk yet. looking at her drink, she swirls it around.

"You don't know? And here I thought you were the scientist. Pegasi have bones which are less dense compared to earth ponies and unicorns, like birds. The lighter weight allows us to fly without too much effort, but makes our bones that less... sturdy, but hey, nothing comes for free, right?"

Dylgo had never thought about that before. it would make sense. less dense? almost like they have little hollow air bubbles? hehehe... hollow... she thought. Dylgo audibly giggled a little. Such a fun word to say! she thought as she giggled again. finishing off her second drink, she instinctively motioned for a third.

"Now I wouldn't say such injuries give you new opportunities in life, but I will say that it does present new challenges for you to overcome. An injury like that can really change your thinking process: that and a near death experience can both teach you that you're not as strong as you think you are. And not just Pegasi, either. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done to protect yourself and others, there's always a chance that you can die any instant of any day. And that, my friends, is why you must live your life to the fullest, whether you lose all your limbs or find yourself completely safe from harm."

"Tha's Right!" she said without thinking and waving a hoof in air. her voice is definitely slurred now. as she sat there, she started petting her tail as if it were a dog. why she's doing this, she doesn't even know.

((what can I say? Dylgo's loopy when she's drunk lol))

A curious thing happened to the faces of the two Earth mares when Package made his little speech. The normally cheerful expression of White gave way to a cringe as she placed a hoof on her burn scars, whilst the dour grimace of Loyal metamorphosed into a sinister smirk.

"It's funny you say that, Rex," the older mare said in a soft voice, "Though it makes me wonder how close you've been to the other side to say such things with confidence. In my personal experience, I've found that trying to live live to the fullest usually ends in being cut down. A death is still a death, no matter which way you slice it." She hummed in thought. "I think it's more the shock, rather than the pain that gets to a pegasus when their wings break. The feeling of helplessness when the natural feeling of flying suddenly, snaps, into a helpless plummet of both body and soul as they fall, fall, fall..." With each 'fall' her voice got softer, and her eyes misted over, as if reminiscing.

"Aaaand let's steer this conversation away from morbid waters," White interjected with a nervous laugh, getting her rather small glass of Everfree, "This, my dear Devil, is a tough drink. Not to be served to anypony not used to drink, and always better in one hit." She threw the small glass with some force into her. "LI-ke so! Woah, yeah. Hadn't had one of those in a while. Say, want to have a little wager, Mr Devil? To make it interesting?"

"Tha's Right!"

Package looked over at Dylgo, who he saw was sitting there and petting her tail, with the expression of a happy moron on her face. A worried look may have passed across his face when he saw this, but that was soon replaced by a slight fit of laughter.

"Jus' make sure ya know your limmit, 'k Dylgo?"

"It's funny you say that, Rex." Package turned his attention back to the pair of mares that sat with them. "Though it makes me wonder how close you've been to the other side to say such things with confidence. In my personal experience, I've found that trying to live live to the fullest usually ends in being cut down. A death is still a death, no matter which way you slice it."

"I think it's more the shock, rather than the pain that gets to a Pegasus when their wings break. The feeling of helplessness when the natural feeling of flying suddenly, snaps, into a helpless plummet of both body and soul as they fall, fall, fall..."

Package shrugged. "Ah guess das alwayz bossible. Ah don' think anyone's evah helpless, dough." He would have argued a bit more to what the mare had said, but he doubted he could say anything of his past injuries without revealing who he was. The Pegasus took another long sip of his drink, saddened to once again note that his...third, one was once again empty. Wow, I relly am goin' trough dese quic... Strange, I dont fel any difrent... He motioned the bartender to replace his drink once again.

"Aaaand let's steer this conversation away from morbid waters..."