Alcohol is bad for you

The world doesn't revolve around you. It doesn't care. You want it to like you? Make a difference. Give a pony a reason to want you.

Those were the words Blackfire had heard, moments before he chose to turn his life for the better. He wanted to help ponies all over Equestria, but the the journey of a thousand kilometers begins with a single step. Blackfire was going to start by making ponies healthier. His way of doing this was to sit at a kiosk, one that he built by the way, and create several picket signs. Having experienced the effects of alcohol once, Blackfire didn't want ponies to have to go through that pain. Some of his signs read 'Alcohol is bad for you', 'Don't be a drunkard', and a picture of a certain Silver Merlot. The best way to get a point out was to use examples, and the drunkard pony he had met before was the best example of drinking. However, he wasn't letting the signs do all the talking... unfortunately.

"Ponies, listen to me. Listen to me. Alcohol is bad for you. It gives you bad breath, it makes you lose intelligence. Hundreds of ponies get sent to the hospital everyday...maybe, because they get sick." Blackfire was continuously going on and on about the negative effects of alcohol.

Deep down, he knew he was doing the right thing. Despite the angry ponies jeering at him, making witty remarks towards him and some even throwing tomatoes, he had to use his signs as a shield. Becoming a hero wasn't easy, but in the end, they will praise him, and that was worth all the complications he'd have to go through.

"I swear, he must be drunk him-self. Who in their right mind would think that they can suddenly change the entire way ponies think or act?"

Golden asked out loud, not directing the question at anypony. Although he did have to chuckle at the pictures of Silver. Seeing somepony you would rather tend to avoid on a sign saying "Don't be like him!" was slightly humorous. It made him feel better about giving him 'foal tears' to drink.

"It gives you bad breath"

Golden caught a snippet of the rant. He laughed and shouted back to the pony.

"And so does garlic! Next you'll tell me that its unhealthy for us too?!"

Shala raised a glass to that. She may have been inside enjoying a glass of whiskey, but she could hear the shouts well enough through the open door.

"Screw sobriety!" She added in before taking a large sip from her glass and slamming it down with a bang. She leaned back in her booth seat in the corner, preferring to see the entire room with seats to spare around her.

Blackfire had been expecting this. Some ponies would certainly disagree with what he was saying, and they were allowed to believe their ideas. It was unfortunate however that they were wrong. One perticular pegasus was making some witty remark about one of Blackfire's arguments.

"No, but I'll tell you that garlic doesn't cause liver failurem it doess't cause hangovers. And garlic doesn't cause rudeness either." He responded, using his magic to reach into his jacket and grab his comb, which he used to comb his mane.

"And sobriety...give up alcohol so you can stop being a loser. Start being a winner...a winner like me." This statement didn't help Blackfire much, as he spotted a few ponies trotting into the tavern.

"Just say no, say no to alcohol." He shouted.

"Start being a winner."

"What, a winner at making my-self a fool in front of every pony in town?"

Golden snorted at the irony.

"No thanks. I'll take my chances and believe it or not, drink responsibly. Just because its there doesn't mean I need to get drunk or over drink. Everything in moderation! Something which you seem to have forgotten when it came to your ego."

With that Golden did an about turn and started pushing through the crowd, making his way to the tavern to enjoy a good cold cider.

Shala relaxed in her seat, drinking to herself. She waved to Bolt as he entered, figuring him to be the voice of the pony who had spoken outside in support of alcohol.

"Cheers!" She held up her glass to him.

"Drink responsibly? Drink responsibly? The most responsible thing you can do is not drink at all. Hey, don't you trot away from me." Blackfire was getting irritated, he followed the pegasus into the bar.

Blackfire was hit with a sudden sense of nostalgia. He had been in this bar before, and the experience that followed was unpleasant to say the least. He waved to the bartender, Shala was her name, right? Probably, but she wasn't the one he was addressing. He spotted the pegasus and stared at him.

"Are you honestly going to defend alcohol? Are you defending this poison that you choose to 'responsibly' pump into your body? I'm not doing this protest to benefit myself. I am doing it to help all you sad saps, and drinking degenerates from slowly killing yourselves." More boos followed his speech.

Blackfire realised he was wasting his time. These ponies were determined to ignore him and enjoy thei beverages. He found it sad. He walked out of the bar, returning to his kiosk and his single minded determination get ponies to just say no to alcohol.

Golden turned as the the pony followed him into the bar. He stared at him blankly while the pony continued to rant on. The residents of the bar, booing him as he continued. Eventually the stallion seemed to get the idea, that his speech was falling on deaf ears.

Golden turned and walked over to the bar.

"One cider please barkeep."

A cider filled into a large wooden mug slid down the counter and into Golden's outstretched hoof.

"Stick it on a tab, I might be here for a bit."

Golden said with a smile, before he hobbled over to the pony in the corner booth. Careful not to spill his drink.

"Cheers."

Golden echoed, as he raised his mug, before taking a swig.

"This seat taken?"

He asked, gesturing to the opposite side of the booth.

Shala held up her glass in cheers and drank with him. Already this pony was getting on her good side. There were so few ponies that seemed to really enjoy drinking. At least like she did.

When it came to getting a seat, she looked about her at all the other seats and waved a hoof at him in dismissive sarcasm. "Nah, totally booked here. Pull up a chair."

Blackfire was determined to at least help one pony give up alcohol. If he could change one life, he could change hundreds. The ponies inside needed an example of the negative effects of alcohol. His signs weren't effective and his speeches were going over their heads,

"I'm in a conundrum. I need to get them to understand that drinking is bad. But unless they stop drinking, they won't understand. And if they don't understand, they wob't stop drinking." He thought to himself. He needed a brilliant plan to save these ponies. He began to think of a brilliant plan, hopefully, more effective than what he's already done.

"Nah, totally booked here. Pull up a chair."

Golden looked around at the mass of empty tables and chairs next to the booth and chuckled

"I wonder why its so full?"

Golden said sarcastically, a smile on his face, while he slid a chair towards the booth's table.

"So whats the occasion?"

He asked, as the chair made a soft 'poof' from the cushion where he sat down upon.

Blackfire had come up with a conclusion, convincing drinkers was a waste of time and energy, what he needed to do was convince concerned parents and adults to help him put an end to drinking once and for all. He had a petition printed up and he began walking around town, looking for signatures. He would return to his kiosk after a while, to count his signatures and take a rest. After looking over his petition, he noticed that he had few signatures. Nopony would take him seriously if he showed them this. He came up with a second brilliant idea, he would wait until the drinking ponies got nice and drunk, and once they would leave, he would shove the petition in their faces and trick them into signing it. He gave himself a slow applaud, that plan was beyond brilliant. He sat at his kiosk, waiting for the perfect moment to execute his plans.

Shala laughed as he actually did indeed pull up a chair instead of take one of the many empty seats in the corner booth. Either this pony was dumb or they took her too seriously. Both had their fun aspects.

"Occasion? I don't need an occasion. I am just enjoying myself....And supporting drinking i guess....You have an 'excuse'?" She said lazily mentioning to Bolt with her drink.

"Occasion? I don't need an occasion. I am just enjoying myself....And supporting drinking i guess....You have an 'excuse'?"

Golden laughed,

"I created my hundredth storm today and I'm pretty pleased with my self, so I thought I celebrate with a drink."

Golden nodded towards the empty booth.

"Of course though, I didn't want to interrupt you and your friends."

A small frown etched into his face as he glanced round the empty booth half expecting a pony to pop up from under the table. Surely this pony wouldn't drink on her own.

"Where are your friends by the way? I assumed you were with more ponies here than just your-self here. They gone to pick up more drinking buddies?"

Shala shrugged and enjoyed another sip from her drink. "Nah. I don't need pals to drink. I'll go rain or shine. Solo or party. Keeps the troubles away." She took another sip soon after, not having much care for what rate she drank.

"100th storm eh? Huh....Didn't you...like...set that one pony on fire? Or something? When Intel was being a mad scientist?"

"Nah. I don't need pals to drink. I'll go rain or shine. Solo or party. Keeps the troubles away."

What trouble? Golden was about to ask, but was distracted as the pony took yet another sip in a space of less than thirty seconds. Does she aim to get drunk? Golden thought.

At least that means I can grab a booth seat He thought as he slid into the booth, smiling sheepishly at the pony.

"100th storm eh? Huh....Didn't you...like...set that one pony on fire? Or something? When Intel was being a mad scientist?"

"Um, ye... How di-"

Golden began, confused as to how the pony knew about such an event. Then suddenly he remembered a blur of a pony as she walked backwards and was suddenly free of mono-flame.

"Oh! Thats right! You're that pony that walked backwards in time! Or at least it looked like you walked backwards. I'm not to sure when it comes to time. I always loose track of it."

Golden chuckled as he took a swig of his cider.[/i]

Blackfire couldn't sttop chuckling to himself, until he was struck with yet another realisation. Drunks had terrible penmanship, the neames one his petition would be unreadable. He threw his peition to the ground, and began to think of a third strategy. Whilst in his thinking process, Blackfire's stomach began to growl. He needed food, but where to get it? Certainly not in the bar, he was trying to rid them of alcohol. Then again, angering others was a skill Blackfire used often. Using his magic, Blackfire grabbed one of his 'alcohol is bad signs and trotted to the door, standing the threshold.

"Do you have any food here? Actual, solid food? None of that toxic liquid, something actually good for you?" He asked

Shala groaned at the mention of the time traveling. She hoped that would not have to be explained to any other pony. Now things were going to get messy. Shala hardly knew this pony and he was already asking about time and all that nonsense.

"Its.....complicated." She sighed very irritably. Then she heard the question from Blackfire. "No. We don't. Go away." She yelled to him.

"Well I never." Blackfire said, addressing Shala.

He raised his sign higher and attracted the attention of others.

"This rude, aggressive behavior is one of the many reasons why acohol should be banned. Why, without alcohol, our lives would be so much easier. You'd live longer. Join me in this protest, and you too can be a hero!" His speech was met with glass bottles being thrown at him. Blackfire protected himselg with his sign. Blackfire quickly stepped off the threshhold and out of sight.

These ponies were real jerks. Blackfire couldn't approach this so kindly anymore, he needed to go to the extreme. But first he needed some food. He walked away but he would be back, oh how he would be back. Blackfire couldn't help but utter an evil laugh.

"Its.....complicated."

"You can say that again."

Golden said as he took another swig of his drink. Memories of his friend being compleatly smothered in flames still hung fresh in his mind.

After the pony with the sign was chased out of the bar, Golden turned his attention back the pony he was drinking with.

"So other than the fact that we were both there when that unicorn created mono-fire. I don't really know much about you."

Golden stuck a hoof out towards the pony

"Golden Bolt, its a plesure drinking with you."

He said, a smile on his face that threatened to become contageious

Shala resisted his contagious smile mostly, and instead smirked as she held out her glass in cheers to him. "I can always appreciate another pony that can drink." She did not wait too long to see if he returned the cheer and drank.

"His name is Intel by the way. The fire making pony. Super dork. Reads books on magic and stuff all the time. I call him Smarty Pants McFly because it makes more sense. Ya know?" She chuckled to herself.

Blackfire returned shortly afterwards, his belly full of spaghetti and tomato sauce. The meal had given him the time to think of a drastic, yet successful plan. Beforehand, Blackfire had purchased a surgical mask and created a new sign. This sign read 'Quarantine. Lethal Toxins inside'. He quickly threw his other signs in the trash and placed the sign at an angle, so that oncoming ponies may read the sign, while the ponies within the tavern could not. Blackfire then messed up his mane and began coughing hysterically. Ponies who would walk by would look at him and whisper things to each other.

"*cough* Save yourselves...this place *cough* is...filled with lethal toxins." he said, following with a loud and harsh cough, spitting up something small and red.

The very ponies Blackfire was addressing ran away, as he picked up his coughed up piece of spaghetti with his magic and gingerly threw it in the trash.

"I can always appreciate another pony that can drink."

Golden laughed as he took another swig of cider and felt a bit disappointed when he realized it was soon becoming very empty.

"His name is Intel by the way. The fire making pony. Super dork. Reads books on magic and stuff all the time. I call him Smarty Pants McFly because it makes more sense. Ya know?"

Golden chuckled.

"A dork called Smarty Pants. It dose actually work. Quite the nick name. Do you have a nick name?"

Shala shrugged. "Not really. Least none that I'm gonna tell ya, Bolty." She smirked and took a leisurely drink.

(Sorry short post, couldn't think of anything.)

"Not really. Least none that I'm gonna tell ya, Bolty."

Golden Laughed heartily. The name Shalla called him seemed to stick rather well in the situation

"Oh I'm sure that special stallion has a few cute names for you."

Golden lifted his drink to sip, but gave a forlorn look as he noticed it was empty.

"What you drinking? I'll get a re-fill so long."