Here for a Good Time.

Thunderclap walked into the tavern. He found a nearby table and sat down. He motioned to his friend to take the seat next to him. "So, what kind of food do they have here?" He asked, "And what kind of wine?" He was glad he was here. He could not think of anywhere else he would want to be than here with his best friend. "I would pay the check, if I did not give my last bits to you. I'll get the next one." He smiled and winked.

He stopped at the bar, talking to a pony there and paying for the meal. "Mostly small things, sandwiches, salads, and various appetizers. I got us just some simple sandwiches 'cause we ate a lot earlier. I got us two glasses of Chardonnay; it's a very good white wine; fruity aroma, buttery vanilla aftertaste... really good. I appreciate the sentiment, by the way; thanks for taking the check for next time." He winked back, sitting at the seat next to Thunderclap. "It should be here shortly."

"Simple sandwhiches are just fine, my friend." He said. He was not very hungry after all the food he ate today. "And I'm interested in what wine tastes like it." Thunderclap saw Arpeggio wink back. He smiled. They were such great freinds, even though they only knew each other for a day. "So, are you gonna show me your singing voice when we get back home?" He asked.

"Well, that'd depend on how awake I am... wine helps relax you, sure, but it can also make you really sleepy. I'd love to show you my singing voice, though." Something about him and Thunderclap just seemed to 'click'. "Now... ah! That didn't take long at all." A pony walked by, giving the two stallions their sandwiches and their glasses of wine. Arpeggio raised his, smiling. "To a strong, long-lasting friendship."

Thunderclap saw his friend raise his glass, and he proceeded to do the same. He did have the odd feeling that the way he learned to toast was slightly different than Arpeggio's. "Aye aye, to good friends, good times, and good health!" He said as he brought his glass to his friend's, making a delightful tink sound. Thunderclap then leaned his head back and downed the entire glass in one big gulp. He sat there for a moment, pondering whether or not he like the wine. "Well it is strong, but the flavour is good. I like it!" He said as he put his glass back down on the table.

Arpeggio blinked. He did know to toast with the glass clink, but was caught off-guard by his friend's follow-up to that. "Whoa, easy there, Thunder; you're going to give yourself a bellyache just downing the wine like that. It's to be savored." He took a slight sniff of his wine, taking a medium-small sip. He gestured over the waiter, having him refill Thunder's glass.

"A bellyache! I'm not that soft! You did see the incident with the lamppost right?" The waiter refilled his glass. Thunderclap decided to work on his meal before he took another drink. He picked up the sandwich, licked his lips, and began to chow down. He did not eat as fast as he normally does (He was in public, after all.) But he ate fast nonetheless. He finished his sandwich. "Delicious! I've had some great food today. I'm gonna get used to living here."

"Not that soft, eh? Well, just wait till the more acidic part of the wine kicks in all at once, then you'll see..." He began eating his sandwich. "Well, I'd hope you'd get used to living here, buddy; you're my roommate after all." He chuckled and took another sip of his wine.

Thunderclap picked up his wine glass, which had been refilled. He raised it high, tilted his head back, and once again downed it all in one big gulp. "Ah this wine is good!" he said. But soon after, Thunderclap began to feel weird. Not just in the stomach, but also in the head. "Oof." he moaned, "What is in this stuff." He reached up and placed a hoof on his forehead. "I've never felt like this before."

"Wine is fermented grape juice, basically... and I'd suggest you stop; you're going to get yourself drunk... if you've never had anything alcoholic before, you probably don't have much tolerance for it; I have a low alcohol tolerance which is why I'm pacing myself. Starting to get that bellyache yet?"

He finished off the last of his glass of wine. "Alcohol helps relax you, but too much in too short a time can make you feel queasy and foggy... which is probably what's happening now."

"Stop?" He asked, "Well, I guess you know more than I do, I'll stop," He put his glass down."Ya, I ain't feeling to good." He said. "Never had this, alchohal stuff before, kinda weird." He moaned

"Feeling queasy?" He stood up, leaving the bits for their food and wine on the table, standing near his friend's chair to offer the other large Pegasus some support. "I'll help you get home... you should probably rest, though I don't think you'll have too much trouble sleeping once the alcohol fully kicks in..."

He gave a slight chuckle. "Next time... pace yourself, okay, bro? If you'd just sipped it like I did instead of gulping it down all at once, you'd be okay right now."

Thunderclap grabbed onto his friend for support. "You're such a great pal." He said. He walked out of the tavern, leaning on Arpeggio. When he got outside, the cool evening air hit him. "It's nice out." he said. "And I just drank the way I was taught. No time to eat, no time to drink. Gotta work work work, no time to lollygag."

"Yeah, it is nice out... lemme know if you need to stop, okay?" He muttered to himself, "Gonna need to get some medicine real quick after I put him to bed..." He gave Thunderclap a friendly nuzzle. "Hey, I do what I can... you're a good friend, too, Thunder." He listened. "Well, I can imagine... with water and juice and stuff, that's okay, but you've never had alcohol... you can't just chug that; believe me, I've seen some of the choir folks do that and it never ended well for them. Look at it this way... things are a little different now; you can afford to go a little slower." They continued walking, making their way back to their shared home.

"Ok, I'll take it slower next time." He said, walking down the street. "Ya, and I guess things are different now. Out of all the places I imagined I would be tonight, this is the last place I expected." He looked up to the sky. "I wonder what my parents would think. Of me living here, I mean." He then continued his slow walk beack to the house.

"I dunno. I think they'd be proud of you for finding such an awesome roommate." He gave a cheeky grin and chuckled. "In all seriousness, they'd probably be happy. Then again, I'm not a mind reader, so you might have to send them a letter; the mailmares in this town are very very good at their jobs."