The Shala train does its rounds

Rusty was able to dodge the first few attempted stabs, but eventually he found he had backed himself to the kitchen window, where conveniently high amounts of cinnamon muffins blocked the entire view outside.

(What kind of bar or club sort of place sells more muffins than drinks?)

Rusty jumps onto the kitchen side of the bar table on two hooves and picks up a few muffins.

Using his earth pony training, Rusty jumped as high as he could over the workers, hoping to make it to the pantry on the other side. He grabbed a chandelier with his front hooves and made a swinging motion to give himself more momentum to continue his path in the air over the workers. Rusty landed on top of a dark-ish unicorn, jabbing his hoof into the unicorn's neck and using the unicorn as a platform to jump again and land safely.
Rusty dashed for the door to the pantry, somehow luckily able to circumnavigate these oddly violent workers. He opened the pantry up, took a bag of flour, and poured it all over himself.

The workers began laughing. They laughed so hard that they all passed out. Rusty did a quick check of the serving window. It seemed as if there were still enough muffins and too many drunken ponies to notice what had gone on back here, which was good. Rusty didn't want to get sued, even though it was all in self-defense.

(Now, what did those ponies order again?)

He knew they wanted refills, but he didn't remember exactly what they were. In an effort to improvise, he brewed up the strongest stuff on the menu and put 4 of them on the platter.

(I guess this will have to do...)

Rusty walked out into the eatery side of the establishment and walked up to the party of four.
"I remember that y'all wanted refills," Rusty said, as he remembered that he was still covered in flour, "but I didn't remember what you guys wanted refills of, so I made the strongest stuff on the menu to serve. On the house, too!"

(waiting for post above)

Shadowfax burst out laughing and shakes her head grinning.

"Oh no no! I'm not a player! I just get a little flirtatious around cute mares. A player would already be inviting you back to his house."

She nods her head at Rozen.

"Can't say the same for him."

She flashes Rozen a grin.

"First time meeting a Griffon, I have to say you look better than the pictures!"

A bartender brings out a tray of round 2.

"Thanks, the Griffon has this round."

She grabs another drink.

(Could you please edit your post Legendary until it does not have any alchemy so the topic may continue? Thank you.)

Shala looked at the griffon as he moved closer. She didn't like that look. Rather, she didn't like the look of any griffon. Claws and beak. It didn't look like a creature she could trust. Especially if it was a carnivore. Getting up from her seat, she moved around Shadow and sat on the other side of her, putting her between herself and Rozen.

"At least you how to buy me drinks. I don't trust anypony that doesn't have an 'off switch'." She glanced at Shadow and Rozen. When the free drink came, she looked at the one she had yet to finish and quickly drank it down so she could get to her next one. A sip from it made her raise an eyebrow and twist her face.

"I have had paint thinner that tasted better....Really. But its alcohol at least, and free." She said thanklessly to Rusty. A small twinge of pain in her stomach ached in her, but she gave it no attention.

She turned her attention to the odd bat pony next to her. "So Batty, you a mutant or something? Shoot fireballs from your eyes? Or you douse yourself in some radioactive stuff like the druggie bartender over here?" She pointed to Rusty, whom was covered in flour still. "I seriously don't know what kind of snorting candy those rot brains get into."

Rozen sighed slightly as Shala moved away from him. He shrugged it off and chugged down his booze, never being one to take his time with stuff. Figuring he struck out with Shala, he decided to give it a break and go back once she was sufficiently drunk. He turned his attention towards the batpony.

"So, haven't seen many of you flying around here. Where are you from? Where you born in Canterlot?" He asked, ordering another drink.

As he was being insulted by whom he now realizes is called "Time Table," Rusty realized that he was the only pony that was running the establishment. He looked around and saw dozens and dozens of glasses to be filled. Oh boy.

(Rot brain? Me? Paint thinner? Funny, at least none of them asked WHY I am covered in flour. Otherwise I'd be in real trouble...)

However, Rusty already thought he was in trouble. Or, was before, anyway. He wasn't thinking about the weirdly hostile kitchen workers, but there was something, that he did do, but didn't do at the same time...

Rusty brushed that thought aside, along with the bits they offered to pay, since Rusty had said they were on the house, and then dashed back inside the kitchen, stepping over unconscious kitchen chefs and workers. This bar or club place sort of thing needed drinks.

And lots of them.

Rusty needed to clean himself off first, though. With some difficulty, he was able to get all of it off of him except for this streak that went across his left eye. No matter how much Rusty scrubbed, it didn't come off. Oh well. He decided to make it interesting, so he mixed the flour with red dye. It either looked like his eye was bleeding or there was a scar there.

(I wonder if all work days are like this here?)

Rusty went straight to work- he began an elaborate kitchen drink dance, to a rhythm all its own, and started making drinks for the entire bar or club place sort of thing.

Then he dashed outside, with two platters at a time, doing his best to serve the entire establishment.

Since he was holding two platters, he had to walk on two hooves the whole time.

(Good thing I'm an earth pony..)

Shadowfax laughed at Time's question.

"A mutant? Nope, though fireball eyes would come in handy alot. I'm a batpony!"

She looks over at Rez.

"And I'm from Manhattan, grew up in the slums and moved out. I live in Canterlot now, working at the Castle in the Lunar Guard."

She looks in at the two of them.

"What about you guys? Where do you guys live?"

(FYI to Legendary. Shala was never introduced as 'Shala'. Rather she did so as 'Time Table' and no one else has refered to her as Shala verbally yet, which they shouldn't if they don't know her. If you want to make an exception in knowing her from previous sightings, we should talk about it in chat to get the facts straight.)

Shala found Shadow's personality more pleasent than the others. Pleasant as in not terribly irritating, boring, or creepy. So for now, she didn't mind her talking next to her or even with her. If anything, she allowed herself to size up Shadow once more in a less than considerate fashion.

Hearing her mention she was born in the Manehattan slums made her pause. It was a place she knew too well, and the place that made her into who she was. And not many ponies had good memories of it. Hearing she was in the Lunar Guard made her pause even more. Most the ponies she knew in the slums were hardly law pony material, if they even wanted such a job. But to become a Lunar Guard? She wasn't so sure about Shadow. She never mixed well with law ponies. Doing so in the past usually meant prison. Then again, she had a clean slate now...

"Manehattan slums. Lived there till a few years ago and moved out." She said simply. Normally she would keep such things to herself but there were different motivations for that now. She only hoped she didn't have enough reputation to be recognized.

((All right. I changed it to "Time Table"))

Rozen took more drinks, his larger and more robust body taking more alcohol than the smaller ponies could. Rozen decided to turn his attention away from Shala, thinking that he had struck out in that regard. Instead he turned his attention towards the batpony, Shadow.

"Well, I was originally born far away from here." He said, answering the question. "North, far north." He said, taking another sip. "Moved to Appleloosa a couple years ago. Opened up a bar down there. Just up here in Canterlot visiting a friend." He said.

Rusty had gotten the hang of running the bar or club sort of place by himself. As he made his way back to the kitchen, he began to form an idea- a childish idea of payback- but still an idea.

He made his way into the kitchen and got refills for Time, Shadow, and Rpzen. However, he did something different for Time's.
"I have had paint thinner that tasted better....Really."

O rly? Well, she was gonna find out. Rusty opened a can of paint thinner and was about to pour it in a glass when- (Well, I don't want her to ACTUALLY drink it. I'll just give her this can here the way it is and a spoon.)

He went to the table and did just that, along with serving normal drinks to the other ponies.

"I hear the paint thinner here is very good. I thought you'd like it, so I got out a whole can for you!"

Rusty gave her a spoon, then went back into the kitchen to actually make her a 151 drink.

Shadowfax was getting close to full drunkness. She was drinking hard liquor and not holding back. Her vision was blurring and her words starting to slur a bit. She downed her drink and turned to Rozen.

"Appleloosa? There's nopony in Appleloosa! You should move closer and set up, heck I guarantee ill be one of your first customers, , followed by Time here. Speaking of which-"

She turns towards Time and smiles.

"You don't look the type to be from the slums but then again I've been wrong before. I was one of the lucky ones, if you want to call it that, that managed not to get sucked into the life of crime. As for the others, well I can't judge them, its a bad life in the slums and ponies get desperate. Everyone comes to that choice to do something bad to help yourself or sit by and suffer...... I'm glad I made the choice I did, or I would've never gotten out of there."


Shadow's face was serious as she grabbed another drink and went into deep thinking. She blinked and shook her head before giving time a smile.

Shala frowned as a can of paint thinner was put before her. She gave the bartender the most unimpressed and unnerving stare she could muster. One might even think she was about to do something drastic.

The moment of tension was broken by an eruption of laughter. Shala's hearty laugh was surprising even to her. It had been a while since anypony gave her a good laugh. "You actually keep paint thinner around? Remind me to never ask for swill from you ever. Hah!" She took a fair chug of her drink and smiled. Her mood was lifted from that for sure.

Shala was hardly at her limit in alcohol, but she was just at her halfway point. When Shadow was sharing her experience in the slums though, Shala began to look more grim. If anything, she felt some envy for Shadow managing to get out 'unscathed'. But she had a feeling there was more to it than that. One does not simply live in the slums and keep their hooves clean. Shadow couldn't have, could she? Shala felt conflicting emotions, but the alcohol kept her from trying to understand them further.

"Different times, different pony." Shala said dismissively. One could almost take that literally now considering her new identity.

Rozencratz laughed. "Well, when I built it wanted to be in a small secluded place. But maybe if I get big enough, I'll franchise it and open a bar in Canterlot, and you'll get all your drinks on the house." He said, drinking again.

He then sat back and let the two mares catch up and talk about their shared past. He drank silently and eyed up each of them.

Rusty finished the 151 drink and put it next to Time. She seemed to be engrossed in a conversation.

As Rusty turned around, he was pelted with tomatoes and flaming chihuahuas, for he had neglected the other tables for a time.

(How do I get roped into these things?)

Shadowfax grins and laughs, nodding her head at Rozen.

"I'll take that as a promise and keep you to it."

She looks over at Time and notices her happier mood dieing down. She frowns and leans in closer to Time.

"You looked so pretty when you're smiling. I hope I didn't stir up any bad memories, talking about the slums stirs up a lot of mine. I think we can both agree those weren't good times."

Shala was feeling conflicted about what to say. Normally she just shrugged it off and would drink more. But This pony actually had been where she grew up. Should she risk opening up? She had before and only been hurt. Every time. So in her mind she decided to not open up at a-

"Plenty of bad memories there."

And in good drunken Shala fashion, she told her anyway.

"Things that don't ever go away."

Rozen finished his drink. Realizing that he struck out with both mares, and that they were more interested in each other than him, he decided to leave. He placed down his bits, said his goodbyes quietly and left.

Shadowfax waved goodbye to Rozen and gave his body one last look before turning back to Time. It felt weird meeting someone from her home who made it out and wasn't a complete thug. Had they seen each other when they were foals? Or gone to the same school? Questions fill Shadow's mind and she thinks. It takes her a few seconds for her drunk self to realize she was staring at Shala and looks away blushing. She was a very cute mare, and a shame she was so unhappy. Shadow clears her throat and stares into her drink.

"I uh.. I don't know how rough you had it... but for me.. I don't know, I wish I could change somethings. The only friend I had became a whore and started selling herself as soon as she hit high school.. Almost everypony I knew is now in a gang, in poverty or in jail.. I'm sure some made it out alright but not everypony."

Shala sighed. Shadow's words hit her at home. What she said was not far from the truth about her life. It was rare that another pony knew where she was coming from. Grumbling in frustration at how her feelings were beginning to surface, she quickly finished her whole drink and slammed it down.

She found her second to last sentence terribly ironic. Shala fit all three at one time.

"Bunch of horseapples!" She grumbled and rubbed her head. Her stomach was giving her pain too, but the ticking in her head was what was really bothering her. "The whole place is horseapples! I don't care for it! I just don't! RRgggh!" She threw her drink at a surprisingly fast speed across the room, impacting a wall far away. Ponies around the crash looked around for the culprit. The ticking in her head began to pick up as she rested it on her hooves, muttering what sounded like numbers under her breath.

Shadowfax pauses in mid drink to watch the drink fly. She blinked at Time and scooted closer, gently putting a hoof on her shoulder and tried to get her attention. she moved her face a few inches from Time's and softly spoke to her.

"Time? It's okay. You made it out, you don't live there anymore. You can't change the past, it'll be with you forever. But you can make your future and put the past behind you, I know you can, it's what I've been doing."

Shala didn't resist her as she put a hoof around her and got close. It was soothing, to have a pony be there like that. It had been....too long since she had that. Still, the pain persisted. It was a wonder she kept her composure so well. Years of practice had hardened her.

"I...I could have done something about it! I tried everything! I....." She groaned to herself and clutched her head and mumbled more loudly. "Ten forty seven and seventeen seconds....four minutes and twenty two seconds from first drink. Nineteen seconds from the last...." She reached for a drink, any drink she could and downed it with little care for the owner before letting it fall to the side. If only the medication she was on didn't make drinking so ineffective.

"I...Don't care. It doesn't matter. I'm leaving." She pushed away from her seat and stumbled before getting her bearings. Unsure where to go, she looked for the door with difficulty and stumbled toward what she hoped was the exit.

Shadow's mouth opened in confusion and her face scrunched up with worry.

"Time..?" 

She had seen her cutie mark but didn't ask about it, her focus had been on Time herself, though her eyes did wander down to her curvy flanks. Shadow figured that her talent was telling time, and by her reaction she hated it. She dropped some bits on the counter and started walking after Time, stumbling past some ponies as she saw her head towards the exit.

"Ti- er Table! Come back, I need to say something!"

Shala hardly slowed down that much. She knew she was making a friend but most her friends ended in the same way. Would she set herself up for the same results again? She figured Shadow would catch up and opened the door she found, only to see a mop and bucket behind it.

The janitors closet....Great. Maybe I should just pass out in here.


She heard Shadow catch up to her and want to talk t her. Looking like she ignored her, she pointed into the closet. "This...is not my door." In her mind she had a much better worded version of what she really meant, but emotions and alcohol does funny things.

Shadow caught up and stood behind her, she raised an eyebrow and look around before pushing on Time's flank inside the closet and stepped in with her. She closed the door and flicked on the light, it was tight so they were sitting face to face with shadow blocking the door.

"Listen table, you're hurt. I don't know what happened but I have a feeling it involves what's on your flank.. that or Im piss drunk. Now I'm not asking for you to tell me what happened, but I'm all ears if you want. What I really want is for you to not be .. er hurt... well and your number."

Shadow smiled sweetly and blushed.