Staying Alive, Enjoying it, and other worthy pursuits.

Captain Yossaria sat, face first, into the cobblestone road. She didn't worry about being ran over by a carriage, as it was

A) One in the morning

B) She happened to be very. Very. Very inebriated

She had already exhausted all of the bits in her purse, but that didn't stop her from trying to bum a couple more drinks from the bartender of the bar a block away. The guy owed her for a shipment she delivered!

Now if she could just find the motivation to get up and go to the damn bar!

Luckily for her, she still had a bottle of the good stuff from the last bar. She rolled over and fumbled with the cap until the thing popped off. Soon enough she sucked down another Equestrian Pale Ale and felt all those lovely little alcohol molecules entering her bloodstream.

"Ah... thas the stuff." Yossaria sighed contently as she slowly descended into another drunken stupor.

She had moved on from the bar and was now sitting in the middle of the street with no idea of what to do next. She used to have grand plans about a bar and favors, but that was so... last minute ago.

Yossaria mused over her fantastic life. Maybe she will take a train to Manehattan, Go to the Red Light district. Those stallions know how to have a good time. Maybe drop a couple of bits and make it a party.

She looked around. In her drunken haze, the town square reminded her of a quaint little place near her old air force base. Her and the guys always went there when they weren't being attacked directly by enemy fire or indirectly by their senior officers. She did not miss it for a bit. They were probably doing just fine without her, and its not like anypony would look for her. Who looks for a deserter in the middle of Ponyville?

The former Captain Yossaria sighed contently. This was most certainly the life she looked forward to. Going from bar to brothel to bed.

Yessiree. This was the life for her.

((I didn't know Shala had a twin...))

~~~OC: Thunder Gust~~~

Thunder Gust shambled out of the tavern, barely managing to stay upright as he did so. He hadn't expected the doors to the establishment to be so non-solid. The Unicorn took a final sip of his whiskey to finish the drink off, and then tossed the now-empty bottle into a nearby trash can.

"Bam! Four points." I win.

The stallion blinked a few times and looked around, trying to get his bearings. He had to get home before it got dark, and... Wait. It is dark... Oh yeah! Gust looked around once again, the new memory of where he was currently at suddenly prompting him to get home faster. However, as the Unicorn looked around he couldn't get even the slightest hint of where his home might be. Hm... Right is always right. So when in doubt, go right.

Abiding by his quite obviously flawless logic, Gust turned to his right and began walking down the street, humming to himself and constantly switching between songs, some of which he didn't think he knew. Within an hour of walking...or was it minute? Obviously thirteen gallons. Within thirteen gallons of walking, the stallion found himself in Square Town, and was quite relieved to have arrived at that location, as he knew that he could find his way home from there. At least I think I can... Whatever.

The Unicorn took a second right turn once he had reached the center of Square Town, and once he had done so he noticed another pony sitting on the street ahead with a bottle of ale next to them. Approaching the pony, Gust saw that it was in fact a Ground Pony mare, obviously too drunk for her own good. The stallion kept walking towards the mare, speaking to her once he drew near.

"Uh, 'xcuse me. Shoudn' you be gettin' drunk in a bar instead of on...the street?" Gust nodded to himself a few times, simultaneously agreeing with his own words and bobbing his head to a song that apparently only he could hear.

As Yossaria brooded over the last bottle of booze, she suddenly found herself in the company of a stallion.

"Uh, 'xcuse me. Shoudn' you be gettin' drunk in a bar instead of on...the street?"

Yossaria stared at the unicorn for a good second before hearing what he had to say. "Uh... yeah... I guess..." She let out a very loud belch before setting down her bottle. "But I mean who's gon' stop me?" She laughed uproariously and pointed a hoof at Thunder. "Ar YOU gunna stop me? Din' think so."

In her drunken haze, Yossaria started to think. What if he did want to stop me? What if he's actually a secret guard pony out to arrest self-respecting patrons of fine liquor like myself? He could be reaching for hoofcuffs right now! I can't go to prison! I'd be court-martialed then banished back to... THAT PLACE.

Yossaria stopped laughing and contented herself to stare(or attempt to stare) at Thunder suspicously. She scooted a little down her curb away from him.

"Saaaaaaaaay. Your not one of them Boys in Gold, right?"

"Uh... Yeah... I guess... But I mean who's gon' stop me? Ar YOU gunna stop me? Din' think so."

Gust thought about the mare's words for a second, and then simply shrugged. "Das a good point, ah gess. An' nope, don' see why I'd do somethin' tu top you. Stop you."

The mare took a few moments to think, and then abruptly stopped laughing, scooting back a bit before speaking again to the stallion again. "Saaaaaaaaay. Your not one of them Boys in Gold, right?"

Boys in Gold? Whut? The stallion stared at the mare blankly for a few seconds, the gears in his head turning. Very slowly, sure, but still turning. Eventually he understood what the pony was trying to say, and a look of comprehension crossed his face.

"Oh! No, ah don' play Soccer."

"Oh! No, ah don' play Soccer."

"What? Naw naw naw, I mean a Policepony." Yossaria shook her head, then regretted it. The world shifted and turned in unnatural ways. "Oh gawd I think I'm goin to be sick..." She held a hoof to her stomach and mouth.

"Last I chec-hic- Drinkin in public is 'illegal." She focused very hard. "But thas never been a problem... Mostly cus who would stop a pilot from drinkin?"

She laughed obnoxiously. "HAH! Get it? Pilots!" She laughed at the joke she didn't make.

"What? Naw naw naw, I mean a Policepony." The mare shook her head, and then swayed slightly, looking a bit sick. "Oh gawd I think I'm goin to be sick..."

Gust took a step forward towards the mare. "'Ey, you alrigh'?"

"Last I chec-hic- Drinkin in public is 'illegal."

The stallion blinked. "It is? Huh... Ah din' know dat..." He didn't remember ever having been told not to drink in public, but, then again, he really didn't remember much at all.

"But thas never been a problem... Mostly cus who would stop a pilot from drinkin? HAH! Get it? Pilots!"

The mare stared laughing loudly, and Gust laughed along with her for a bit, eventually calming himself. Wait, why am I laughing? The Unicorn blinked a few times as he attempted to force the world to stop swaying, and then he spoke to the mare again.

"Wai', so yer a pirate? I mean pilot? Das pretty cool. So you fly 'roun' ev'where, rai'? Awesome. Wish I wus a pirate..."

"Wai', so yer a pirate? I mean pilot? Das pretty cool. So you fly 'roun' ev'where, rai'? Awesome. Wish I wus a pirate..."

"No you don't." Yossaria stared at the starry sky.

"I mean you really don't." She shivered in the cold. Yossaria hiccuped loudly. The alcohol wasn't working. She could still think about the horrible Airforce base she used to call hell.

There there. There there.

"Waitdaminute." She pulled the brakes on that train of thought. "Who th' buck are you?"

"No you don't. I mean you really don't."

The mare looked up at the night morning sky, and Gust followed her gaze, looking around at the various stars and celestial bodies and seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Huh? Wus she lookin' at? The other pony then spoke once again, with a slightly more aggressive tone.

"Waitdaminute. Who th' buck are you?"

Gust looked back to the mare and responded. "Well, mah name is..." The stallion had to take a second to remember his name, which worried him slightly. "...Tunder Gust! But lotsa poniez call me DJ Rainbass. An' what abou' you, huh?"

“Tunber? Thumber? Thund- buck it. So yur a D-Jay huh? Thas okay. Don' know what that is. Don't get many Dee-jes where I come from.” Yossaria tossed her bottle towards a trashbin but missed, and was forced to do the walk-of-shame to dunk it in the trash.

“Someponies thought it would be funny to call me 'Yo-Yo' once.” She snorted as she got out a packet of cigarettes from a pocket in her old army fatigue she wore. “He was crazy. They all were crazy. You had to be crazy there. Still didn't do you any good.” She snorted as she took a smoke and stuck it in her mouth. She patted other pockets, making quite and colorful expletives as she couldn't find what she was looking for.

“Say, Mack. You got a light?”

“Tunber? Thumber? Thund- buck it. So yur a D-Jay huh? Thas okay. Don' know what that is. Don't get many Dee-jes where I come from.”

Gust frowned slightly when the mare said this, a slight look of confusion crossing his face for a moment. Wut? Wut kinda place doesn' have DJs? It must suck where she comes from... He watched as the mare attempted to throw her empty bottle into a nearby trash can and missed, causing her to get up and walk over to it, pick the container up and then dunk it into the small receptacle.

“Someponies thought it would be funny to call me 'Yo-Yo' once.” Gust actually thought the name was somewhat funny as well, but wasn't stupid or drunk enough to make a comment on it. “He was crazy. They all were crazy. You had to be crazy there. Still didn't do you any good.”

The Unicorn was genuinely confused now, and he didn't think it was all the alcohol's fault. What is she talking about...? The pony patted herself down for a few moments, cursing a number of times in the process, before speaking again.

“Say, Mack. You got a light?”

"Nope. Don' smoke. Only drink. An' what were you talkin' 'bout there?"

"What... am I..." Yossaria took a moment to register what her new friend Whats-His-Face said.

"Oh. Oh. Sorry. Nothing. Just the..." She took a quick inhalation through her nose. "The... um..." Horrible memories of gore and insanity and lots and lots of stupid rules and stupid ponies saying stupid things and they just would not stop for a second and listen to reason for one bucking second and stupid Milo and stupid Major and stupid Aarfy all were horrible ponies and if she could just get a gun for one second they would all be...

She hadn't noticed, but she started to cry a little bit.

"Just the old airbase I... um... used to work at. I'm 'retired' now." She sniffed a little. "Damn its cold outside." She laughed nervously. "I... Um... so you a DJ yeah? You spin records and make music for parties, yeah?" She became really interested in fiddling with here cigarette, staring intently at the ground.

"Just the old airbase I... um... used to work at. I'm 'retired' now." She sniffed a little. "Damn its cold outside. I... Um...so you a DJ yeah? You spin records and make music for parties, yeah?"

Gust had been about to ask the mare some more questions regarding her past, but he quickly forgot about them when the mare asked him about his occupation. The Unicorn's face lit up, and he quickly replied.

"Oh, yeah! Tuns of fun! and bi's, if you go to de left places." The stallion paused for a moment, and then remembered something. "Oh hey! Ah neve' got your name! Mine's Thun-...wai', I said mine. So wa's yours?"

"Yossaria. Captain Yossaria." She smiled through her tears. "You know iz funny. I never really care about other ponis, yeah? Their always..." Yossaria searched for the right words to say.

"The point is though." She spoke slowly. "The point... The Point is. The point of this all is..."

She snapped excitedly. "The point is Equine Supremacy. Is what the point is. Everypony's out for each other. Social Darwinism. Strongest survive."

She spat on the ground in disgust as the streetlights started to go off one by one. It had reached an hour when even the little things, sprinklers, street lamps, air conditioners. They all went to sleep along with the other ponies.

Yossaria savored the moment as the stars shone brightly in the moonless sky and the cold gravel felt wonderful on her back. "Just... I don't like it. Ya know? It just sucks."

"Mori. Memento Mori. You know iz funny. I never really care about other ponies, yeah? Their always..."

The mare seemed to try and grasp for the right word to complete her sentence for a bit, and Gust didn't say anything while she did so, simply blinking at the pony a few times whenever her figure got blurry again.

"The point is though. The point... The Point is. The point of this all is..."

Gust nodded a few times, but stayed just as silent as before, quite anxious for the mare to get to her 'point' for no apparent reason.

"The point is Equine Supremacy. Is what the point is. Everypony's out for each other. Social Darwinism. Strongest survive."

Gust didn't respond to the mare's words for a short period, but then nodded a few times once again. He was once again not really sure what she was talking about, but that was probably the alcohol's fault. Or not. Didn't matter.

"Just... I don't like it. Ya know? It just sucks."

"Yep. I' soun's like it sucks...unless you're de strongest, den it prob'ly don't suck. But yeah...sucks." The stallion nodded a third time, agreeing with himself.

((Huzzah for Retcon! As of now Yossaria is Momento Mori))
"Yep. I' soun's like it sucks...unless you're de strongest, den it prob'ly don't suck. But yeah...sucks." The stallion nodded a third time, agreeing with himself.

Momento Mori nodded owlishly. "Oh yeh. That's pretty good. Being strong is good. Yeah."
She suddenly slammed her hoof against the asphalt. "But then... Then what about the ponies that aren't that strong? Huh? Huh? Like those kids a' th' Hospital with their little limbs missin an Buck." She slunk into the sidewalk mumbling of the wrongs in the world.

Stared at Gust in a drunken stupor. Suddenly her face scrunched up.

"Are you hitting on me?"

"Oh yeh. That's pretty good. Being strong is good. Yeah. But then... Then what about the ponies that aren't that strong? Huh? Huh? Like those kids a' th' Hospital with their little limbs missin' an Buck."

The mare kept on mumbling about various problems existing in the world for a few more seconds before trailing off and becoming silent, ending up collapsed on the sidewalk once again. Gust nodded enthusiastically as she spoke, something he had unknowingly grown fond of doing, and then replied with his own thoughts, muddied but still completely true.

"Well, dose li'l ki'z can go buck demsel's, because some...wealthy, pony som'ere out dere da's wealthy will always take prity...prior'ty...over them. De bastards..."

The mare stared at Gust for a few seconds, and then spoke once again. "Are you hitting on me?"

The stallion simply stared back for a few seconds, and then blinked once as he seemed to register her words. "Wut, me?" He thought about the previous conversation for a few moments before answering, even though he really couldn't pick out details such as words and topics. "Don' think so...am I?"

The ground's constant tilting finally became too much for the stallion, and at that moment he collapsed onto the ground, trying to lower himself slowly but not putting enough effort into the action to make much of a difference. He lay sprawled there on the asphalt for a few seconds before he moved around a bit and adjusted himself to a more comfortable position. Well, as comfortable as he could get on a cold, hard street.

"Don' think so...am I?"

Momento Mori contemplated this for a while, then lay on her back and stared at the sky. Thumb Butt Gus fell over.

"I dunno either. Maybe. 'this a very complex an complicated process... Man... I want more booze. I bet more booze would fix this..."

((Drink responsibly kiddies!))

Mori rolled over until she was on top of the stallion and stared down at him with her almost glowing pink eyes. "Hey. want to go to a bar? Then we can fig'r out if yur hittin on me or whatever."

"I dunno either. Maybe. 'this a very complex an' complicated process... Man... I want more booze. I bet more booze would fix this..."

"Yep, i' us'lly doez."

At that moment, Mori decided to roll over, and ended up on top of Gust, staring down at his face with her seemingly glowing pink eyes. He wasn't sure if her eyes were really glowing or if they just seemed to be doing so because of his recent alcohol intake, but he guessed the latter, even though he knew fully well that alcohol usually didn't tend to cause hallucinations or anything similar.

"Hey. want to go to a bar? Then we can fig'r out if yur hittin' on me or whatever."

Gust simply shrugged with a grin. That is, he did the closest thing he could to a shrug in that position. "Hey, dat soun's good. Whish way?"

"Hey, dat soun's good. Whish way?"

"Well I mean that..." She pointed down the street but hesitated. "No... wait... maybe...?" She put her hoof to her chin in deep thought as she got up and off of Something Bust.

"I dunno." She skipped into the street, realized that skipping was making her motion sick, then promtply stopped skipping as she skid to a hault. "I dunno. Les go somewhere tho. Everyplace is lousy wit bars and shtuff."

"Come on, I want booze, you want booze. You don't have a special somepony do ya? Last pony I bedded with had a husband. He was none too pleased with me~"

"Well, I mean that... No...wait... maybe...?" The mare seemed to go into a state of deep thought, and got off of Gust, beginning to skip down the street. Not bothering to move any other part of his body, the stallion simply turned his head to follow the mare's movements. "I dunno." Mori suddenly skid to a halt. "I dunno. Les go somewhere tho. Everyplace is lousy wit bars and shtuff."

Gust simply shrugged to himself and faced the sky above him once again, thinking. He certainly wouldn't mind going somewhere with this mare, but, now that he was laying down on the ground, he was too lazy to get up. That was a problem.

"Come on, I want booze, you want booze. You don't have a special somepony do ya? Last pony I bedded with had a husband. He was none too pleased with me~"

The Unicorn nodded a few times. "Ah don'. Well, guess you coul' say that I've had 'special someponies' before, but dose don't count 'cause it was reley jus' some pretty eyez an' a nice flank..." Never did last more than a week or two or three or that's a red star... weird. "Why ya askin'?"

"NO REASON." Mori shouted a little too loudly. She held a hoof over her mouth as she stumbled to Bumble Bust. "Whadya waitin for?" She followed his gaze to the red star in the sky. Luna always had a way with colors.

She grabbed his hoof. "Com'on! There's booze for the drinkin!" She pulled him up with a force that didn't seem to match her average appearance, and started to lead him down the street.

"A pretty eaz eh? I got pretty eyez..." She didn't realize she was muttering aloud as she lead the DJ along. "Hey Dude."

"Your kinda kool I gueszz."

((Apologies for kind of forgetting to post in this thread last time I was on))

"NO REASON. Whadya waitin' for? Com'on! There's booze for the drinkin'!"

Mori grabbed his hoof and pulled Gust up off the ground, the force of the pull nearly causing him to faceplant into the ground as soon as he was up. He regained his balance after a moment and then followed the mare as she lead him towards wherever she had said they were going.

"A pretty eaz eh? I got pretty eyez... Hey Dude." Gust stopped thinking about why armadillos couldn't roll up into a cube and shifted his gaze to the mare when she spoke to him directly. "Your kinda kool I gueszz."

The Unicorn grinned at the comment. "Ah ge' dat alot. Tell y'wat, yer pretty, cool too."

"Aw gee... your gunna make me blush..." Mori said as she did just that. "C'mon, I know of this really good place."

She started to lead Thunder down an alleyway, but stopped and stared for a moment. A brief expression of paranoid worry crossed her face.

"uh... wrong way." She quickly backpedaled and took him in an entirely new direction. "That club is lame anyway. And has a high percentage of bar fight brawls. There is a 50:50 chance of dying in a street fight." She stopped herself talking.

"Sorry. You don' want t'hear me blabber." She started to walk briskly in a new direction. "Come on, I got a better place in mind."

(may i jump in...?)

((Of course!))