Empty chairs at empty tables...

A little over a year ago, Shala came to this town running from her life in Manehattan. Ponyville was said to be the safe place to be. And it was. She made new friends. She learned to trust again. She found other means to cope with her curse of a cutie mark. The clock that always ticked in her head the exact time. And she learned to cope with the memories from her fillyhood that were attached with that cutie mark. That haunted her. Friends were made and joys were had. She found someone she cared about and grew to love. She learned to live.

Then she fell from grace. Friends left. Love was betrayed. And now she was a wanted pony. Her alcoholic urge grew so desperate just for a few more moments to forget.

Even now, she sat in the alley next to the tavern in the rain, freezing. The cream yellow mare with dark and light blue streaks of mane took shelter under an unused cart. Her emerald eyes were dull and tired from restless nights.

The tavern owner wouldn't let her sit inside anymore unless she had money to pay for drinks with. And tended to be a disturbance when she was sober.

So miserable she was now. So much time she had spent here and had some of the best years of her life, but now it was as if life itself sought to take from her. That's what it usually did to her.

"...Just...taking..."

Doodle let out a huge sigh as she trotted through Ponyville. The chill of the icy rain as it splashed against her wings and coat had always felt somewhat welcoming. Something just didn't feel quite right and that something was pulling her in the direction of the first place she ever visited, the tavern. The memory of horrible smell of alcohol filled her nostrils and wrapped it's icy hands around her throat choking the life from her.

The memory sent chills down her spine. Why would she ever come back?

She decided to trot right up to the big wooden door and just wait.

Blackfire wore his hood up, sure it messed up his mane, but the rain would do him just as few favors. The ostentation unicorn jogged down the Ponyville streets, spotting the Tavern up ahead. Seeing the establishment still up sickened him, knowing that ponies were in there ruining their lives and getting themselves sick lead the stallion to wonder what purpose it held. He had been told that it was what some ponies did for fun, and that he simply wouldn't understand unless he experienced it.

"These ponies'll never reach their full potential unless they had high spirits, fit minds and ready bodies. And the consumption of such trash will continue to hold them down." he thought, slowing down as he approached the town's pub.

With the option of either going in and waiting until the rain stopped, or finding some other place to take shelter seemed rather one sided, but his mane was suffering under his hood, and surely he could go inside without having a drink. Slowly passing by an upturned cart, Blackfire stopped and stared at it for a moment. Why would somepony upturn a cart? Possibly to keep the water off of it, but surely it would be wiser to bring it inside. However, tavern-goers probably wouldn't think of that. The other possibility was that somepony was hiding under it, probably a child to avoid the rain. This presented Blackfire with another chance to make a friend, he'd help the pony and gain their trust, and everything would be well. Unzipping his hoody and holding it up with his magic, he knocked on the cart.

"Is anypony under there? If you need something to keep the rain off, I have something you can use. It doesn't matter if you're a pony or not, I'll help." Blackfire said, trying to sound kind. Surely there would be no kindness to be found in or around just about any Tavern, so Blackfire could consider himself a saint in the position.

Rez was walking home from a long day of work and agony thinking of how much his wings hurt hearing the rain drops hit the ground. He stops at the site of the tavern a block down. He just stood there and said to himself "I would really like a drink but i know its not good for me. If this place wasnt here then i wouldnt be as tempted to go in and get a drink." he looked down and noticed himself walking slowly there untill he was at the door with another pony. "Should i really go in?"

Sweet Dreams ran along a path in town trying to find so shealter of some kind as the freezing rain soaked her coat chilling her to the bone as she looked left and right for somewhere to get out of the rain, She would have almost missed it if not for the sign " A tavern...!" As she ran towards the door she trips on a stone and is sent tumbling towards some stallions close by stoping mere inches before crashing into them "O-ouch...thats gonna hurt tomorrow.."

Shala winced at hearing the knocking sound on the cart. She immediately associated it with a mistimed ticking of a clock. It only made her want to forget even more.

Inching out from under the cart, she looked up to the pony in question with tired eyes. ".....B-buy me a drink...." She mumbled as she shivered. That's all she wanted at this moment. To get the substance that would alleviate her from this depression. Everything else was secondary. Nevermind the rain.

"I...need a drink...I'll beat out any pony." She said to the stranger. It had become a pattern for her to challenge passing ponies to tempt them into buying her drinks over her challenges. Few took it, but some did and would lose.

Blackfire sighed, it was an alcoholic. Was he surprised? No. Was he dissapointed? Ever so. Blackfire put his sleeveless hoody over her figure, chuckling at her demands. She wanted t challenge him for a drink, this humored the stallion.

"You must be drunk, that's the only logical explanation there is. You think you can beat me at in a contest? Clearly, you don't know who I am. I am the best in the world at what I do, some pony as physically and mentally broken down as yourself would have no chance. But I've never been one to pass up a challenge I couldn't possibly lose." Blackfire said, putting his hoof to his chin, before putting himself into the push-up position.

"I challenge you to a push-up contest. Beat me and I'll buy you some alcoholic filth. First to five wins, I'll even go slowly for you." He laughed aloud, slowly bending his elbows and slowly counting to one.

Rez still standing at the door finnally gave in and headed on inside there werent as many ponies as usual but still a lot of them. he went up to the bar but didnt order any thing still trying not to drink. looking out the window he notices there a pony challenging some one to a push up contest at a turned over cart. "Hopefully he doesnt slip in the rain and pull a muscle doing that."he said to himself still looking out the window. he looks at the bar again still trying to keep from getting a drink. "why was alcohol made?"

Doodle's giant ears perked up at the sound of talking coming from the alley way and trotted over to see Two other ponies, one looking very familiar in an old overturned cart. This made her sad seeing the pony who once robbed her in such poor living conditions and probably freezing.

She trotted up to the Shala and the other pony to peer under it only to back away slightly from the pungent smell of alcohol and vomit out of the Saddle bag around her waist she pulled out a big wool blanket somehow knowing she would need it and offered it to Shala. "Shala, you must be freezing. Here, take this blanket and let's get you inside."

Though she despised the Tavern, it was the closest shelter there was.

Sweets sat up off the ground rubbing her horn as it had hit the ground hard when she had fallen, She got up slowly shaking the stars from her head before making her way towards the door stumbling a bit as she was still dazzed from the fall and hitting her horn. She made her way into the tavern and sat down at the bar asking the bartender for some plain apple juice as she had no wish to get drunk so soon,still rubbing her horn in pain she looked around at some of the other ponies or rather the ponies cutie marks.

Shala blinked at the odd pony doing push ups now. She thought she recognized him. How could she forget? This pony was insane. And coming from her, that was a lot.

Now that this idiot was spontaneously doing push ups in front of her, she casually walked over him and sat on his back. Her mood changed a lot in just the last few moments. Going from her depressed state to an angry one. This pony just made her....mad.

That quickly changed though as another pony she recognised offered her a blanket. Doodle was her name. And it reminded her of how terrible she was right now.

Hunching over and remembering she was shivering cold, she turned a cheek away. "I don't need help...But I'll take whats free." She said with indifference. A hint of her depression leaking into her tone.

Hopping off the crazy push up pony, she took the blanket and tried to look as far from helpless as she could before moving to the shelter of the Tavern. "I just need something to drink....Thats all."

(Okay, this topic has so many in it that are not actually participating with eachother. Post order can either be just whoever is with another, or they can split off to another topic.)

(Lol Shala is popular XD)

Doodle followed Shala into the dimly lit tavern where a smooth jazz band was playing. It was a good thing she always kept a spare allergy potion in her saddle bag along with twenty bits which she used two to pay for Shala's drink whom she knew she would run into near or around the Tavern.

"It's a Baracadi something right?" She asked turning back to Shala trying to be as helpful as she could without becoming an annoyance. At least it was warm in the Tavern... She thought to herself trying not to inhale the foul smell of that vile liquid she dreaded so much.

Anything was better than in here but she would go over and above her usual standards if it would make a friend happy.

Shala just nodded her head and took a seat in the corner. She did not look so well. Other than shivering, she had a weathered desperate look in her eye. Something was up with her and she wanted her liquid medicine.

"Just...get Bacardi 151. Or whatever they have thats real strong. And get a bunch of it." She said meekly, not saying please or thanking her or anything like she always did.

Doodle quickly ordered her drink and returned with four drinks on a tray balanced on her back to see the mare in such a deplorable condition. She gingerly set the tray in front of Shala wanting to stay far away from the foul liquid as she could.

She knew asking in this condition would get her nowhere so she calmly waited for Shala to finish two before asking her the question that lingered on the tip of her tounge.

"Are you alright?"

Shala groaned as she was finishing the second one. She seemed to be struggling with drinking them. Her hoof pressing hard into her stomach as she whined. It burned inside her much more than she ever remembered. But she had to have her 'medicine'.

"I'm never alright." She tossed the empty glass aside, almost shattering it as it fell off the table and was deflected by a chair. "I just...need my drinks and its all fine."

Shala spoke with great irritation and wincing pain. She was getting more sluggish and careless as the night went on. Signs her alcohol was doing its job.

Doodle could tell something was up and she was determined to find out what. "Have you been to a doctor recently because you don't look so well."She said putting a hoof to Shala's head. "And you're in pain! You need to go to the Doctor very soon!"

Doodle quickly made plans to take her to the emergency room just as soon as she was knocked out so she wouldn't hate her for doing this. Knowing Shala, she would definitely get put in a bad light for doing so.

Shala groaned and shook here quicky. The idea of a doctor was out of the question. "I'll be FINE. I don't need a doctor." She slumped onto the table and reached for her next glass.

This glass was like fire in her. Like it was burning her alive once it got past her stomach. A few tears escaped her eyes as she winced in more pain. Her whole body locking up with the pain. It took her a while to recover enough to speak.

"I...Just have to make it go away and forget it. Then I'll be happy." Her eyes couldn't focus anymore. Everything looked wrong to her. "Just...need a little more." Her hoof reached for the last glass.

"More alcohol won't solve your problem this time but might, in the end, make things worse for you..." Doodle let out a huge sigh as her head slumped forwards knowing and possibly dreading the outcome of what even alcohol would do to her... Plus the fact that Shala would hate her which she also dreaded.

She could not bare the thought of losing anymore friends, even though Shala robbed her and did not consider her a friend she could not help but try to help her in any way possible... She pulled up a chair and sat down as the memories hit her like a ton of bricks recalling every painful moment of when her filly-hood 'friends' all one by one abandoned her and now this one was in trouble...

She sighed again and what was pain in her eyes was soon replaced by burning determination. Her mind was made up, if she couldn't take Shala to a doctor, she'd find a way to bring one here.

(I hope I won't mess up what you have planned. If I do then I'll change it to something else)

Shala didn't want to hear any more reasoning. She didn't want anypony telling her she was wrong again. So many ponies had before her and then they would go. But was this really what she wanted? Shala dragged the glass closer to her. The relief it would give her would only last so long, and in the end only be a little painful. She wanted to just forget. Was that so much to ask?

Tears began to form at Shala's eyes. She tried to rub them out but had a less than coordinated hoof for that right now. "I...I'm....I don't want to think about it."

Doodle sighed and said. "Look, I understand where you're coming from with not wanting help or your reluctance to trust but I assure you that you'll feel a whole lot better if you went to the doctor. Come on, Shala please just listen to me this once and after that you'll never have to again. 'A true true friend helps a friend in need...' no matter the cost."

She then hastily exited and came back a while later with a wheelchair for the currently uncoordinated mare in hopes she would just listen without trying to be too forceful.

Shala groaned and laid her head on the table. She was feeling terrible. A doctor didn't sound so bad right now.....

But she couldn't. That avenue was already closed to her. There was no way she could go there. It would be all over then. To her, that cost was very high, friendship or no. Before she could muster a protest, Doodle was gone.

"I....can't...." She mumbled to herself. Why was she having such trouble? She never got this bad off this many drinks before. It was bad luck to not finish the last drink though. Sighing, Shala was ready to concede her last glass, but then rolled in the wheelchair.

There was nothing personal between her and the wheelchair, but something sparked in her. An association of weakness. She had seen many ponies be rolled away in wheelchairs. Some because of her own actions. And now there was one for her. She couldn't have that. She couldn't give into all the weakness that had become of her. It angered her just enough to force herself upright.

"I...don't need...any help..." She grumbled and chugged down her last glass. Tossing aside the glass with a shattering end, she slipped off the chair and fell onto her side. Poor coordination had her stumbling to get back up on her hooves accompanied by the burning sensation in her belly that had been growing since she started. It was starting to feel like fire now.

"Uuuggmmmmmm...H-hot....ice..." She mumbled.

Doodle continues to do her best to urge her into the wheelchair. "It'll be for the best... Ice right." She quickly rushed to the bartender and asked for a bag of ice then returned to Shala with the ice.

"You can have this if you get into the wheelchair... please." She tried in a calm yet pleading voice.

Shala whined and clutched her belly. It was beginning to burn hotter and hotter. Her sense of the situation was fading into the background noise in her head and with the pain. She did manage just a few words though in her convulsions of pain.

"I...Just...gimme the friggin ice..." She groaned and started to moan with pain. It was too difficult to contain herself.

Reluctantly she surrendered the ice and continued to think of ways to get Shala to cooperate since this was getting her nowhere... "I'll be back" She said as she retreated to the bathrooms next to a pay phone. Hm... if I can't bring her to the doctor I'll just bring the doctor here. She thought and hurriedly dialed the hospital.

It wasn't long before the ambulance arrived at the Tavern's main door which was quickly opened with a gurney headed straight for Shala.

(How about you play the doctors? I'm not good at it)