Fool's Paradise

Taking a deep breath Night flare opened her eyes, they were frozen over and stared into space. it took her a few more breaths to shake the memories away from her. Only then did she realize that the solid mass was not a wall.

Turning around she Frowned at the pony. "I am so very sorry, my..." Pause, breath, These walls are wood not clouds. "reflexes take over before my brain sometimes. I don't take surprises well." She recognized this pony, she didn't know from where though.

"I know you..." There was her water. she took a drink and looked around the room. There was no blood that was a good sign. "I um..." Gone was her confidence, for a brief moment she was just a little filly that was trapped inside this big mares body. "What did I do, I black out when I get surprised..." You black out and hurt people a part of her said. she ignored it.

Reel was in a stall. "I'm in the mare's room?" He said slipping into a greater depression. [color=green]" "That's just bucking great. Another buck up for a buck up. Why do even keep thinking somepony in this world actually cares in this world? It is just a false hope."

Wow... She's actually being somewhat friendly.

Indigo reluctantly took a seat next to her.

"It looks to me like you defended yourself. Sometimes we all... lose ourselves to our reflexes..."

He swallowed. Now the fun part... Only one way to resolve it, well two but he couldn't very well avoid this now.

"Which... ehh... I've kind of been wanting to talk to you about..."

Shala let out a huge sigh. She would need a drink or two when she was done with this. She was utterly horrible at this, but she couldn't leave a moping pony in the mares room. "...Listen...You just need to tone it down...We all have had bad times before. Just move on or you will be moping all day about it. Your drink i made you is still on the counter. Chill out and throw yourself into the wind.....And don't hog the mares room. Someone will need to use it eventually." Considering her detached voice and irritated tones, it was perhaps one of the more kind things she could say to somepony she didn't know that well.

"Oh" She took another drink of water. Thats where she new him from. She fiddled with her cup a moment before looking up at him. she had regained some of her composure and built it up around her like a wall. She was much more like her regular self. but her eyes still showed that she was shaken and her voice had a slight waver to it.

"I've been meaning to get a hold of you to." She looked around the room again. it was mostly empty. taking another sip of water, her voice suddenly felt dry. she started picking up her spilled ice cubes.

"look about last night..."

Indigo looks forward at the bottles lining the back of the bar and lightly slams his hoof against the bar to silence her. He could still do this, but he couldn't look at her right now.

"It was primarily my fault. Not what happened to Shala, or Intel's breakdown. But my reaction was my fault. I could have just simply left, but I didn't. I feel stupid in getting caught up in his little speech. I uh... I get easily caught up in groups. And..."

He finally turns to look at her dead in the eye.

"I'm sorry about what I did."

"Thank You Shala." He said. "I know it is probably really hard for you to be here. I just don't know why you are even bothering. I'm not worth anypony's sympathy or care. I am a worthless piece of $h@%." He continued to weep. He sees a piece of broken glass behind the toilet.

Shala sighed again to herself. "Reel. Compose yourself, and come out to have a drink. Is it really worth pitying yourself over being too happy to hug a pony that was too surprised to know what was going on? Forget it happen and enjoy a drink or whatever it is you do. You will forget about it anway if you drink enough."

Shala rolled her eyes. This town really needed a shrink.

Night Nodded and let him talk. She finished picking up her Ice.

She held his gaze even after he finished talking.

She waited a moment. to gather her words. "I to am sorry, I spoke loosely, I should have chosen my words more carefully." Shaking her head she smiled "Lets start again, that night can't be changed but we can work past it."

Extending her hoof to him she smiled "Hello I am Night Flare, its nice to meet you." her ears twitch and her smile faded a bit. she had thought she had heard a distraught voice from the bathrooms.

Reel became offended by Shala comment. "So, I should just drink my problems away? No thanks. I have seen where that road leads. You probably know it better than anypony. I could do that but it would cost me more than i am willing to give up." He said with a slight anger in his voice. He looks at the glass piece again.

Indigo extends his hoof and touches it to hers and shakes it with the gentleness you give to a mare, even one that looks like she could break him in half if he let her.

"Indigo Surprise, and yes you did speak too loosely. You don't tear somepony apart when you first meet them, unless they ask for it. It wasn't anything I hadn't planned on saying to Shala myself once I got to know her... Is something the matter?"

Shala raised an eyebrow at his words. So much for helping the needy. "Reel. Either help yourself or move into the colts room. I have to tend the bar." She really let him off easy for that. He was lucky she was sober and no clocks were around.

As soon as she got to the bar she went about delivering the food Night had ordered earlier. For a moment she thought she overheard her name but was not sure. She customarily said nothing and went back to cleaning out glasses behind the bar. Seeing Night and Indigo talk though made her think better slightly about what happen the previous night.

"I was simply trying to answer the questions asked of me. I had no intention that they would affect ponies so." Night Flare Replied quietly. Smiling sadly a small embarrassed blush flushed her cheeks as Shala delivered her food. She pushed her hay fries over to indigo, she didn't feel like she deserved a treat right now.

"Ponies are such fragile creatures. our bodies can take so much. Yet simple words can break our castles." Poking at her salad a bit Night Flare kept looking towards the bathroom. after a few moments had passed she sighed heavily. "I ought to go and at least explain why I did what I did shouldn't I?" She didn't look up from her plate but the question was directed at Indigo.

"Help myself huh?" He said. He looked at the glass piece again. Dark thoughts raced thought his head. He has had these thoughts before but never acted upon them. He reached back and grabbed the glass piece. "Maybe it was time. Time to end it all." He said.

Indigo nodded silently, and raised his head up in surprise at the offered food. He nodded along to her words while levitating fry after fry to his mouth.

"You probably should."

Shala stared. She stared very hard. This was one of her tougher decisions today. The rest of the day would be affected by it, and she was on the job. She didn't want to get fired or anything, but she just could not let something so precious go to waste. It had too much potential to just let it go.

She had to. She didn't have a choice from the start. It would not go to waste. Shala's horn glowed as the glass of Bacardi 151 hovered over to her and in one quick shot, drank it all.

Never ever let good alcohol go to waste....

With a sigh Night Flare downed the rest of her glass of water and started to slowly walk towards the bathroom.

Suddenly A Unicorn mare burst through the door to the tavern, she had a second degree burn across her side. "Madam Flare, Madam Flare! It is terrible, Zee water main burst, Lavender and Iris are in zee hospital!"

Night Flare Rushed to the unicorn "you should be there to Style!" she gently cupped a wing around the pony before tossing a bag of bits on the table. "When he comes out could you let him know that I wish to speak with him and that he can find me at the spa later today? She directed this at Indigo. Lifting the much smaller mare onto her back Night continued "I really must take care of this..." With that said She exited the bar at a brisk trot before taking flight, the smaller mares weight didn't seem to effect her at all.

Indigo once again stares at the confusion that enters the bar, simply nodding to Night's request.

"I need a drink... Barkeep?"

Reel sat quietly for a few minutes for he did not know what to do. The glass was right in his hoofs, but he hadn't done it. "Why Why Why!!!" He thought. "Just do it." He gripped the glass."DO it" He raised his arm high. "DO IT!!!" He dropped the glass but it had been gripped so hard that his hoof was gashed. He ran out of the stall to the sink and grabbed some paper towels. " It was a good thing I was a Colt Scout." He said to himself. He wrapped up his hoof and walked out of the bathroom even more sad then when he went in. He had been so close.

Shala smiled a little too herself as she looked at the ceiling while cleaning the same glass for an extended period of time. Feels good to be buzzing....

The whole inccident with Night happen just as Shala was enjoying her drink. The result? She paid it no attention until the glass was empty. All she caught was Night leaving with somepony on her back. Somepony already pass out? She wondered.

Reel soon came into her field of view and a slight bit of worry came over her. "Finished your drink....I can make another?" She said lazily. What he said earlier about not wanting to drink was apparently forgotten or ignored.

Indigo raised his head, his voice slightly agitated.

"Barkeep?"

Then for the first time he noticed who it was working behind the bar.

"Shala? They... Somepony is letting your work here?"

Reel sat down at the bar. "Really?" He thought to himself. "Does she care about anypony? She clearly doesn't care about herself. She probably didn't even listen to him in the bathroom. If he had killed himself in that room, she probably wouldn't even care." He wanted to hate her but he couldn't. He began thinking. "Maybe she just needs a friend. Something that I never had. You know what? I'll be her friend. Everypony needs at least one friend. He needed one so Shala will be my friend and I will be hers. But first, I need to apologize." He put his cut hoof on the table. "No thanks but Shala, I owe you an apology." He said. " I said some mean things to you in there and they were out of line. I hope you can forgive me and one day we can be friends." He stretched out his uncut hoof to Shala.

It was not until then that Shala noticed Indigo adressing her. She had a suspicion someone called for her but she was enjoying her drink and buzz. "Indigo. Yes...the employment office had a sense of humor....What do you want?" She said flately but with a slight smirk on her face. That Bacardi really hit the spot.

Shala blinked at Reel, a little startle by the sudden split conversation. That and being on her buzz. She reguarded him with some confusion before replying. "...You said mean things to me?" She raised and eyebrow. Friends with a nonalcoholic?

Indigo decides to end his part of the conversation as not to overwhelm Shala, then turns to the breaking down pony.

"Hey buddy, Night said you can find her at the spa for an apology or something. She had business to take care of."

Reel was taken aback by Shala's comment. "Did I insult her that much that she just blocked it out?" He thought. "Well this will be harder then I thought." "Ok..." He said. "I really am truly sorry and I am grateful for your help."

He then heard the poofy haired pony say something to him. "I am sorry" He said. "I didn't quite catch that? Could you repeat that Mr.....?