A peculiar night indeed

The room was dark, pitch black. No matter how hard he attempted to get his eyes adjusted to this sable nothingness that surrounded him, he couldn't. The darkness surrounding him fled from him, and Azure was abruptly dropped onto his flank, into a dimly lit room. Cautious eyes scanned the area. It was terrifyingly, disturbingly familiar. Some dried blood lay splattered on the wall to his near left. A rusty, near broken iron door to his right. A few moments of silence... it was absolutely deafening. His ears were ringing, and it hurt to think. His eyes shot to the small pane of plexiglass that lay mounted within the door. Just outside lay the most appalling figure he may have ever laid witness to. A hollow, demonic fit of laughter filled his ears and mind before whatever... it was, vanished. Azure's blood ran cold.

As soon as it had all begun, it had stopped. The stallion's eyes flew open, nearly as fast as he bolted upright in bed. A cold sweat was pouring through his fur, giving it a slight sheen. One of those nightmares again. Celestia, how they plagued him so. His eyes flitted to his nightstand, giving the clock that rested upon it a sidelong glance.

1:47 A.M.

He shuddered, images and sounds still very fresh in his mind from his recent excursion through nightmare land. He tried to lay back down and go to sleep, but to no avail. His limbs sifted through a few sheets, and soon enough a dull thud on the ground signaled his now standing self. Azure took care to at least wash his face so he didn't look like a complete mess. Another restless night, no better time than now to go out and explore a more than likely deserted Ponyville, eh?

His destination was a rather long journey away, and thus he saw it fit to bring a source of light with him so he could navigate properly. That, a cloak and some bits should do him well. Feeling he had not let anything escape his mind in terms of preparation, the heavy oak wood making up his door creaked as the entrance was pushed open.

Perhaps an hour or so later, his weary eyes saw a few twinkling lights peek over the distant horizon; he was here. The pony sighed, and took a short break, a hiatus from his traveling to take a seat down and relax. All was silent.

Another, dreary sigh; Azure didn't want to close his eyes. Every time he did, he saw that face again. That damned, horrid face. His ears perked up, attention following in tow in reaction to the minuscule splat he heard somewhere in front of him. A few moments later... and then there was another. And another. He sighed, pulling up the hood of his cloak as the rain gradually began.

"So much for taking my time."

No more than ten minutes later, and he was idly meandering through the abandoned streets of an evening-time Ponyville. There was light enough here, even at the dead of night to navigate without the aid of a lantern or some such object. Most shops he strolled by seemed to be closed for the vesper--as if he expected any different. That... changed, however, and he slowly came to a halt before a place that still seemed to be up and running, open to the public.

"At this ungodly hour?" he murmured to himself before his eyes situated themselves upon the fluorescent sign above the entrance: "The Tavern". Well no wonder. Though, despite it being open, and the apparent lack of company outside... he hesitated. Should he enter?

Azure pulled down the hood of his cloak, disregarding the rain that ended up pouring down on his head as a result. Why are you being so timid? This is real life, dammit; pull yourself together and just go in. If you're waiting for a buddy to join you in, you're in for a long wait.


((OOC: Sorry if this is excessively long or whatnot. I was just in a writing kind of mood, and... well, this happened. :P))

Broken Heart sighed.
He was visiting Ponyville for a business trip, and he couldn't sleep.
Not after what happened in this Celestia forsaken town.
He decided it would be easier to be in Ponyville drunk then to be fully aware in Ponyville.
Trying to navigate the street without meeting ponies gazes, he finally came to the Tavern.
Probably the only thing good left in Ponyville.
For Broken Heart, at least.
Upon entering the Tavern, he noticed a stallion just waiting outside.
Broke Heart wasn't the kind of pony to go up and greet him, but he did meet his gaze.
This pony was paranoid.
He could see it in his eyes.
He had felt the same paranoia when... Cynthia had passed.
Flustered and sad, Broken Heart entered the Tavern, hoping to wash his sadness away with a couple of drinks.

OzyManedias watched form his usual corner seat as the two ponies entered. Normally he would be pretending to sleep in his tiny bed but that was boring. He needed something to ease the boredom and kill a few brain cells in the process. He sipped a cheap Pinot Noir and furrowed his brow as he felt the alcohol enter his system.

OzyManedias didn't sleep.

Or rather, if he could help it, which was all the time. The permanent bags under the brown pegasus' eyes gave him a very dreary look to the casual observer, and Ozy was a very dreary stallion. His slicked back black and grey mane always had that one pesky strand that kept getting into his bright yellow eyes.

He trotted over to the bar and felt a little adventurous. He must have been drunk. Ozy is not an adventurous pony.

"a glass of brandy, if you would please." Ozy said to the bartender.

So this is what his life had degraded into. Adventure was ordering a different drink than the one he usually ordered at the bar.

Oh, how things have changed. Ozy grudgingly thought. He slunk down into his glass of brandy and sighed.

Azure entered after several very long moments pondering outside of the bar. One tentative step after another, he worked his way inside. His eyes scrolled over the area that was, as far as he was aware, colloquially referred to as the "Pub". He shuddered, both from the extremely overwhelming scent of alcohol that permeated the air, as well as the observable lack of anypony who could be considered even remotely to happy or satisfied with their way of life. From one individual to the next, he saw they all appeared miserable in their own way, shape or form. Perhaps coming here wasn't one of his best ideas.

Despite this questioning of his own judgment, he'd already gone too far to consider turning tail and leaving now. While far from being an alcoholic, Azure still didn't mind occasionally indulging himself in a sweet-tasting liquor--well, as sweet as liquor is capable of getting. He shrugged off the thought of how inherently terrible tasting alcohol was, that wasn't the reason you drank it.

He wandered up to the near empty bar, and made sure to seat himself a good distance away from those who were clearly not fit for small talk or otherwise mild conversation. The bartender had a grim looking expression. He didn't doubt that it was some form of indifference developed due to the types of ponies whom were patrons of the bar. Possibly due to Azure being one of the more sane, non-broken down creatures to have walked through the entrance doors, that very bartender remarkably brightened upon noticing, and subsequently approaching the blue stallion. A few words were exchanged between the two, and soon enough a couple bits lay resting on the oak wood of the bar table, bartender moving away to fulfill the request.

A small while later, and the bits he intended to pay for his beverage with, traded places with a glass mug of apple cider. Azure abstained from partaking in the drink for a moment longer, letting his gaze once more sweep the room. Nothing had really changed since he entered.

Well, I don't know what I expected, he thought to himself, taking the first sip of what turned out to be unexpectedly palatable liquor.

Ozy stared at the blue pony who was drinking a few seats down the bar from him. How strange. OzyManedias thought.

All the ponies here are nearly alseep, and yet this one is just sad and blue. literally and figuratively Ozy glanced back at his brandy. "Well..." He said as he gulped down the last of it. "Here's to Dutch Courage."

He walked towards the blue stallion and sat next to him. "So." He started. slowly finding the stupidity to talk. "Why are you awake?"

He offered a sideways glance to the stranger who so boldy approached him. Whether out of courage, stupidity, or a random mixture of both, Azure did not know. His calm eyes came to rest back upon his cider.

"Nightmares," he said very curtly. It wasn't something he was the most eager to speak about, at least so long as he wasn't in the company of a good friend. Sure, he was satisfied with where he'd gotten in life; had a hooful of good friends, and perhaps one day would find somepony he could call his own. Those damned nightmares drove him crazy, though. He'd darn near tossed himself off of a bridge once from it all.

"What's your story?" he asked, more so out of politeness than out of genuine interest for the conversation at hoof. Another sip at the drink in front of him. The mug came back to the wooden bar with a soft thud. Azure didn't drink very much, that was a given. A result of this, was the relative swiftness with which he was affected by liquor. A deep breath. He couldn't help but sigh in a contented manner, this drink was really hitting the spot.

The stallion visibly relaxed, and his eyes closed. His ears remain attentive, and he hadn't tuned this strange fellow to his left out quite yet. Perhaps they had something more interesting than a sob story to share with him.

"Nightmares." the stallion said. Ozy's nose twitched in curiosity. He missed dreaming. Dreams and nightmares were always fascinating to OzyManedias, He always learned something new about himself. He smiled wistfully at the thought of dreaming again, but he didn't really do that anymore. He didn't do alot of things anymore. OzyManedias stared at the new glass of brandy that sat in front of him.

"What's your story?"

"O care deus non." OzyManedias' face drained of all blood as his smile instantly disappeared.

Oh Celestia this was a horrible idea why did he do this he's going to have to come up with something quick. Quick think think think think...

"Insomnia!" OzyManedias smile snapped back on, but this time it was full of tension and nerves. "Just trying to past the time, is all!" He breathed much easier. That should be a sufficiently full answer. Good thing it was true. Ozy relaxed more when he noticed the blue pony had his eyes closed. good. hopefully he wasn't paying enough attention to notice his lapse from Equestrian to old Romane.

"So..." Ozy quickly shifted the subject away from himself. "Do you have a name, Sad Pony? or am I going to have to make up stupid nicknames for you."

OzyManedias berated himself for continuing this pointless prattle. Why was he even here? was he too drunk to have common sense? Who talks to strangers in bars anyway? Who needs friends?

He more or less ignored the multilingual characteristics of this peculiar individual. He didn't immediately have plans to more intimately know this stallion. Another sip of his drink.

"Insomnia, hmm?" he hummed, eyes slowly drifting open. His face was impassive; either that, or just very relaxed like the rest of him. "Sometimes I wish I'd get a good case of that." He chuckled at the rather morbid joke. His gaze once more returned to Ozy, a brow cocking ever so slightly at the request for a name.

"My, my, aren't we bold? Approaching a complete stranger, then asking for their name without the courtesy of giving yours first. Not to even mention your silly threat." He cracked an amused smile, eyelids once more shutting as he pondered for a moment. "Azure Cloudburst. And what of you? Do you have a name I can call you by, other than 'that one brown horse in the bar'?"

Ozzy was still standing from what he saw, which didn't very nicely suit the stallion. The poor bastard might as well take a load off, he wasn't looking so hot. Azure ended up patting beside him. "Come, sit. It seems we both have some time to kill."

If he had absolutely any sort of luck on his side, through that door would come somepony to help liven things up. This conversation was one that could hardly even call itself one. Two ponies sharing with one another their woes. Then again, Azure had yet to truly even do such; all he'd done was speak a lick about his nightmares, and wear a calm expression. The same could be said for Oz, a simple mention of insomnia. Most of their conversation between one another seemed to have been unspoken.

Wishing for Insomnia. what a strange wish. OzyManedias' thought. his nervous expression softened for a moment. only a moment.

"My, my, aren't we bold? Approaching a complete stranger, then asking for their name without the courtesy of giving yours first. Not to even mention your silly threat. Azure Cloudburst. And what of you? Do you have a name I can call you by, other than 'that one brown horse in the bar'?"

Ozy took in a sharp intake of breath. "W-what? oh yes. of course. how impolite of me. yes. very stupid. sorry. damn. very sorry. no. really sorry." He laughed nervously. Ozy envied how easily other ponies could act so calm and collected during social interaction.

"Come, sit. It seems we both have some time to kill."

"O-Of course! I will sit!" Ozy plopped down on the seat next to Azure.
"My name is Lord..." Ozy stopped himself and started over. "I mean OzyManedias. Just OzyManedias."

Old habits die hard, he guessed.

"But you can't kill time." He munched thoughtfully at some pretzels as he contemplated the notion. "I mean I suppose you could destroy a clock, but thats not really time is it? No, time is not something one can mearly..." OzyManedias stopped munching and stared blankly at Azure. "That was a 'figure of speech.'"

He chuckled. This pony was busy tripping all over themselves as if they only had left hooves. "Why so sensitive? It's not like I'm being serious or anything." Azure ruminated over whether or not this fellow was always so wound up over the simplest of things. Perhaps, perhaps not.

An ear twitched upon hearing the word 'Lord'. "OzyMendias," the words came thoughtfully from his lips. A rather peculiar name, he'd never heard anything quite like it. It was very... different in nature when compared to the names of most ponies he'd come across here in Ponyville.

A few long moments of silence seperated their conversation, and suddenly it picked back up in the form of Ozy spewing about how time wasn't a concrete object capable of having harm be brought to it; at least, until he pointed out how Azure wasn't being literal. "Boy, someone picks up on things fast, don't they?"

Another chuckle.

Seems you really found yourself an interesting one this time, Azure, he thought to himself. A pair of forehooves slowly whisked the mug they were clasped onto back up to the blue stallion's mouth, and he took another long, slow sip.

OzyManedias transformed from a bumbling fool to something a little darker. his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as his frown became more of a leer. Something about this blue pony had stopped being interesting and started being incredibly annoying.

But it was probably the alcohol.

"Well I am sorry I am not as skilled in social standards as you. You want to know something that's must be so very relaxing for you? those silly Nightmares." OzyManedias spoke very softly, yet carried enough weight in his voice to easily be heard by Azure. He relaxed completely and sat back in his barstool, looking Azure up and down.

"Oh how I envy you. I really do. I would beg for anything but you get nightmares? How lucky. I bet you just have so many friends to help you with all those 'horrible dreams' you must be having. Right now I presume your only concern is being bored to tears by some horrible excuse for a stallion trying to make chit-chat in this dead-end bar." He laughed a cold and humorless chuckle. He turned to the bartender.

"Another glass of brandy, would you kindly." He watched the barkeep get him another glass of brandy. "So tell me, Mr.Cloudburst. How would you like me to be? or... I mean if you like... I could leave you alone." Ozy started to deflate as he continued to talk.

"By the way you keep looking at the door you must be expecting somepony." His eyes opened up again and glanced at his hooves. His body tensed up into its usual position of highly strung. "I'm sorry. alcohol must make me... um... careless."

"Don't take very kindly to teasing, do'ya?" he asked, retaining his composure. "I understand, I probably shouldn't have nudged like I did." He picked up almost instantly this pony was probably venting, and if he knew anything about a drunkard, this was also likely fueled by booze.

"Speaking of friends, most of mine have moved very far away from me. I contact them often enough to remain well acquainted, but it's been a while since I've seen somepony I know in person. And for your information, you're hardly boring. I should say now, I'm a pretty blunt stallion."

He inhaled, still calm, and no sign of his mood spiking visible.

"Were you boring, or otherwise unpleasant to be around, I'd of let you know." He looked down into his glass of cider. Little more than half remained, he wasn't a very speedy drinker. A slight jostle, and the fluid within swished around.

"How would I like to be you? It'd be hard to gauge, considering you're a stranger. I'd probably not, regardless. Not because I think your life is terrible or drab. I don't know you enough to make such asinine assumptions. I wouldn't because I have a roof over my head, and a means of putting food on the table; and I'm content with that."

He raised his head, and then turned his whole head to look at the stallion to his side, rather than just shooting them a glance. "Careless, huh? Why drink it then?" He gave the subtlest of grins. While not very, the question seemed to bear a sort of philosophical nature. Maybe he'd learn a tad more about this Ozy fellow, should they choose to answer it.

continued to stare at his hooves as he listened to Azure. Ever so often he would nod as an indication he was still listening. Interesting. He thought. Well at least I am not boring.

"Speaking of friends, most of mine have moved very far away from me. I contact them often enough to remain well acquainted, but it's been a while since I've seen somepony I know in person. And for your information, you're hardly boring. I should say now, I'm a pretty blunt stallion."

"Blunt? Thats a rather harsh word." OzyManedias snorted, the closest thing to genuine laughter he has had for a while. "I think honest would be a better term." He avoided Azure's gaze as he turned his head, again focusing on the glass in his hoof.

"Careless, huh? Why drink it then?"

"Alcohol is a depressant. as a drug it slows brain function. So I imbibe when I wish to forget." Ozy's speech slowed. He picked every word carefully, like moves in a chessgame. "I have made very many... choices that I am not particularly proud of. I drink to forget that. The... er... circumstances in which I am in now, I drink to forget. many things have changed in so little... or should I say what seemed to be a very short amount of time." He sipped his brandy and finally turned to face Azure eye to eye, regardless of him being shorter.

"I am not a happy pony, Mr.Cloudburst. I do not have money, or friends, or faith. If any gods exist, they have forsaken me a very... very long time ago."
He shook his head slowly. "Have you ever had the feeling you were on top of the world on moment, and the next you are nothing. the absolute bottom of the barrel? scrap?" He stopped caring whether he said too much a long time ago. OzyManedias sighed deeply and sipped again at the amber brandy.